Has anyone played or have an opinion about...?

I love Mysterium and we use the clairvoyance tokens. My family, although most aren’t really gamers, enjoy the extra challenge it brings.

Its just a faff to set up - I did buy an insert for it that makes it easier but still not built it!!

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I bought the Folded Space insert on account of the original insert not being sufficient for all of the expansion cards. It’s the only one of those things I’ve ever bought, and it’s going to remain the only one that I’ll ever assemble with glue per the instructions. Should I ever buy another one, I will be wrapping tape around the outside of each compartment to hold it together, and be done with it. I never want to glue one of those things ever again!

I’m not convinced set-up time is improved in any way, though, but maybe you’re referring to a different insert…

(Edit: looking at these things again online, I have been reminded of the line “The trays require assembly, which is quick and fun, using ordinary PVA glue.” and I am filled with rage.)

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No, i think it is Folded Space and you’ve lessened my motivation to actually make the thing! :rofl:

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Ha! Well, the flip side is that I’m genuinely glad to have the end result – all of the content fits into it very easily, so it absolutely solved my problem – but yeah… I found it a PITA to assemble.

Two things were working against me, mind you – firstly that I’ve rarely had cause to glue anything as an adult, so I was already in unfamiliar territory on that account; and secondly that I’m a perfectionist who does things extra slowly and carefully if I think that’s what’s necessary to get the best result I can. So the end result was very good; but it took me hours to get there.

I suspect most people would spend a lot less time for pretty much the same result. I don’t think I could make my brain do it differently, though, which is why I’d side-step the problem in future by using tape.

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I definitely can’t be bothered using PVA for inserts. I prefer to live dangerously and use super glue.

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Played it a couple of times. The “creepy fair” setting does nothing for me. I do like the cards for showing whose clue is what, though I find myself tempted to write an app or small web site to do that for the main game instead.

I 3d-printed an insert for the base game that I found on Thingiverse, though I was having printer problems at the time and a couple of the bits could do with a new version.

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I bought there gloomhaven one. Actively made it worse for set up and tear down compared to baggies in the box. Bought a wooden laserox one and it dropped set up and tear down to around 10% of the time compared to baggies. Also took longer to build than the wooden one. Never touched Folded Space again.

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I got the folded space thing for Alchemists. I didn’t make it very well (I’m rubbish at stuff like that; can’t be bothered to do it carefully), so it will probably fall apart, but it works really well.

It’s the only thing like that I’ve ever bought, or probably ever will; for most games I just don’t see the need (I quite like fussing about setting games up and putting them away, as a rule).

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Of the three FS inserts I have, Mysterium is good, Barenpark is Ok (but anything is better than the original “insert”), and Altiplano is ridiculous (everything fits, but it’s a nightmare to put back in and everything falls out of the trays if you move the box in any way).

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Has anyone played Pauper’s Ladder?

Seems like a silly little adventure game with a weirdly long play time, but it’s published independently so I’m a lot more willing to give it a shot. I can’t quite tell whether it’s mechanically any interesting to play/win at and seems like it has more going for it as a solo than as a multiplayer game. Some people seem to really rate it and enjoy the emergent narrative stuff.

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I’ve played it once at 2p and had a nice time, but haven’t felt compelled to rush back. Randomness is certainly a big factor in a lot of ways, but it has charm and you feel like you’re making choices - sometimes tactical and sometimes role-playing (because the next step you need will just happen by chance).

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Ok, supposing someone has Everdell. And Spirecrest. And suppose this person had an appetite for one more expansion, but just one because that is likely enough Everdell.

What would you tell this person to get to round it out? What’s the best, now that some time has passed? Anything add something in particular that Spirecrest doesn’t?

Yes, this is me.

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Get Farshore instead :upside_down_face: sorry I am not qualified to answer your question I didn’t play my complete collection enough before selling it. I kind of liked the expansion with the pearls. I think my friends like the one with the train station if that helps any. They play a lot more than me.

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This is for anyone, but I know @lalunaverde and @EnterTheWyvern have played and really enjoy Fresh Fish.

I’ve played it 3 times this week, with 2 different groups of people. I think it’s really good, but no one else has been overly excited at all and I’m wondering if I’ll ever get a chance to play it again (and if it doesn’t hit next time I think I’m going to have to sell it)

Do you have any tips for explaining it to new players so they can ‘see’ the game? I find it really opaque and it’s really hard to know why you should do anything. My plan for the next teach is to teach the rules, play the game as fast as possible so every can see the mechanics and the implications and then reset and play it ‘properly’.

No one else I play with is really a cube rails fan - is that the problem?

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I assume you taught the rules-as-written from the box (which is 2e). I only played it mostly with @EnterTheWyvern and it clicked with the group so Im not sure if I can help here. I say 2e because the one we played is 1e, which is more opaque. :face_with_spiral_eyes:

i guess it’s gonna be like Chicago Express. People play it first time, dont know what they are doing, and then lose badly. And it’s a question if they want to play again. I had one club member refusing to play it precisely because the values are opaque.

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Yeah - second edition (although not from the box because mine is in Spanish).

We also played Fast Sloths at the weekend with people who had never played it before, and the comparison is vast. Its so obvious in Fast Sloths what you’re doing and why (even though I’m terrible).

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Newleaf is the best expansion for us. It adds a ton of new cards and some fun new mechanics along. And I know you said only one, but Bellfaire adds the market and a ton of new forest locations and events.

They’re both better than Spirecrest in my book, and Spirecrest is better than Pearlbrook.

Farshore is also really well done and has the advantage of being a lot more portable.

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I have no experience with the games in question, but potentially the thing to do is to say more or less that ^ up-front?

If people go into it accepting that they’re going to be pretty lost for at least the first game, and they’re willing to play anyway, then I’d think there’s a decent chance that they’ll be up for another game afterwards.

Of course you may not then get a group who is willing to give it a try – but whether you do or you don’t, it’s probably the right outcome?


I’ve had great success with the “play a dummy game as fast as possible” approach in recent times when teaching Forks to several different groups; but part of my reasoning there is that it’s a super-simple game and we can whip through the dummy gameplay in all of about 60 seconds (thanks to literally-random card selection – the point of the dummy game being to get to the scoring at the end, in order that the players can learn what they might base their (non-random) decisions on once we start the proper game).

I don’t think I have anything else where I’ve tried to teach via a complete dummy game, but I’m a big fan of playing dummy rounds for demonstration purposes (or otherwise setting up example game states). If you think it could work in this instance, though, go for it!

I always make a point of briefly saying how and why I’m teaching it that way, and how long it’ll take, which usually fends off unnecessary questions. Pretty easy for teaching such a simple game as Forks, but probably harder for a more complex one.

Good luck!

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Wouldn’t this exacerbate the core problem with Everdell, of cards needing to combo with other cards and the big deck being flighty on whether your tableau hits or not?

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You’d think it would, but it somehow works. I am in agreement that Newleaf is the best expansion option. It makes a new Meadow section so there are more face up cards to choose from (which helps alleviate the addition of new cards), and the passenger cards give you objectives to accomplish, as well as some bonus goods when you take them. The new cards are great, including some that add to the size of your tableau, or don’t take up space on it.

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