The IOGre was asked what the point of all this was... why bother with a blog?  Why write reviews?  What else, if anything, was going to be here?  Would it be regular or as whim takes it?

Yes The IOGre knows a lot of this was covered in the first posting, but he has more thoughts.  Pesky things those thoughts, If the IOGre doesnt express them, they get jumbled up inside his noggin, give him a migrane, and the next thing you know he's eaten all the sheep from the Catan games.  As the IOGre has said, he is a game fan.  Maybe he likes Ameritrash boardgmes more than Eurostyle ones... (who comes up with these labels?) prefers Savage Worlds to D&D 4th ed... but none of that matters.

He remembers what brought him to the game store in the first place.  That magical first time he realized that there were a whole bunch of people (at least he's pretty sure some of them are people) who liked some of the stuff he liked. 

Theres a certain stereotype that is applied to gamers, and comic book fans, and sci fi fans, etc... but heres the problem.  It may have had its roots in reality, but we have outgrown the cliche.  Off the top of his head the IOGre can think of  Ministers, a motorcycle-riding mechanic, police officers, teachers, women (good looking ones too), business owners, the list goes on and on.  Gaming does not define us, we define gaming. 

And that's only a portion of what we are passionate about.   Last week the IOGre covered an excellent Star Trek game, and within moments he was asked "where's the Star Wars game review?" (It's coming I promise)  Want to stir debate?  Ask these questions amongst people at your local game or comic store:

Who was the best Star Trek Captain?

Who is your favorite Doctor? (yes, yes he is...)

Marvel or DC?

How badly have the Cardinals broken your heart? *

* special bonus question for Arizona residents.

Notice no direct gaming questions were listed.  No matter what your fandom, it can still all be brought full circle.  The IOGre is as likely to discuss comics in the game shop as he is to discuss games on a mainly comics themed podcast.  One of his earliest and fondest memories is watching Star Trek in syndication with his dad, back before most of you were born.  His Grandmother buying him his first comics to read on the plane as they left for vacation.

He gets the same feelings today hanging out with his friends at the game shop, seeing movies with them, tearing open the plastic on a new game.

He got that feeling tonight when this Blog was mentioned on Nerd Nation, a popular podcast devoted to all things Nerd, be they comics, movies, games or just general geekdom.

Why does the IOGre do this?

The answer is simple really.  He does it to share that same feeling with you.

TO BOLDLY GO.....

• The IOGre is blessed with many friends who share his passion for games, some will even indulge him in 2 player games... One of those stalwarts is Pete Barton, who provides us with his views on another of the IOGre's favorites:

   

  Star Trek Fleet Captains

   

  

  There are a lot of licensed games out there.  Many of them slap the title on top and call it a day, but in other games, you're playing a game set in star trek.. in this game....It IS StarTrek 

  
  Even though combat is part of the game (Note the red cards in the bottom right hand corner of the photo....not to mention the Bortas and an assistant picking on the poor Reliant in the center) it's not the main focus of the game unless you tailor it to be that way.
  
  During this particular game, I went for a Science heavy mission list where my opponent went with a combat heavy mission list. This was our attempt to play the game around the 'fluff' of both the Federation and the Klingons, and it culminated into one of the greatest games based around a show like Star Trek.
  
  Like to be a more 'Diplomatic' Klingon commander? You can make your fleet and Mission Deck resemble that...though there will be more than enough diplomacy being dealt at the business end of Heavy Disruptor fire.
  
  Want to go out and stop the Klingons from pushing too far into the Neutral Zone as the Federation? Sure thing! Bring your Galaxy-class, and NCC-1701-E to the fight with the 'Defiant' flying support! Just remember you have all those labs on board your vessels so you may be redirected for some science mission and some negotiations with the hopefully friendly residents of this part of space.
  
  And with crazy encounters, like watching the Nexus tear a path through the sector, some curious life forms who can be helpful, and the ever expansive problems of Tribbles rendering a ship possibly dead in the water, you'll discover that every game is in its own right like watching a new episode/movie from Star Trek.
  
  The only derision I have heard from people watching us play is, "I wish the minis came painted/to proper scale/from the same era." My opinions are as follow: 'They are already pre-painted! Federation grey and Klingon green!' 'If they were proper scale you may rip the darn thing off its stand on accident breaking in the clix. (they can be a bit stiff right out of the box I admit)' and finally, 'I like having the Reliant able to fly along with the Venture (the Galaxy class they have in the box)." These are all trivial arguments that can and HAVE been levied against it. If that's the best you can do then you're just being nit-picky and you know who you are <glares through the computer at them>
  
  Personally I give this game a 9.5/10. The only thing I've seen that is kind of annoying is not being really clear on at least one of the mission cards, but that's a negligible complaint. The stiffness of the clix mechanism had me giving a few ships to the IOGre (since it was his copy we were playing with) so that if he broke a ship off its stand, I could be absolved of it.
  
  With high hopes I'm awaiting expansions for this game! Romulans, Kardassians...more ships for Klingons and the Federation...Even adding something that throws in some cooperative missions, like both players have to deal with the Borg! That would make the game complete!
  
  So like I said, as a game, I give it a 9.5/10. As an experience though this feels like it came right out of the 23rd century to give us a taste of what Gene Roddenberry had really created! 10/10 for all the fun that can be had and its wonderful experience!
  

  *          *         *

  
  

  Thanks Pete for that guest review!  

   

  Since this was written, an expansion for the game HAS been released, adding the threat of the Romulan Empire.  Now 3 player games are the preferred choice around here.  The Romulans add a new mechanic to the game, and boy is it ever flavorful... they can place infiltrators on opponents ships, giving those ships some nice advantages... until the Romulan player activates them causing various bits of mayhem.

  
  

  One thing Pete forgot to mention was the variety this game affords you.  Each faction comes with 10 strategy decks, of which you choose 4.  These decks may focus on combat bonuses, or adding skilled crew to your ships, or other advantages.  So even with the same ships, my fleet will play very differently than someone else's based on the decks I choose.

  
  

  I will close with these words of advice:  When playing the IOGre, be careful what crew you play onto your ships... Because if he manages to kill Wesley Crusher or Kathryn Janeway, he will consider it a victory no matter how the rest of the game goes.

  
  

  Star Trek Fleet Captains is from Wizkids games... http://wizkidsgames.com/startrek/star-trek-fleet-captains/

1st and Goal scores a TOUCHDOWN !

Even though Football Season is drawing to a close, the fun and excitement doesn't have to end.  Sports games are a tricky undertaking... they easily slip into a statistics fest, dry simulations.  1st and Goal avoids this pitfall by embracing the spirit of game of Football without the baggage that a sports game generally carries.  You are coaching the team, calling the plays.... there are no individual players to worry about.

R & R Games has produced a boardgame with simple, yet satisfying rules.  The mechanics are straightforward, the game components are high quality. There is a sturdy board, which is magnetized so your downs marker and ball can't be jostled out of place.  The cards are quality glossy cardstock.  The dice are nice and big, with inset sides to protect the numbered stickers on each side.  The rulebook is full of color examples and provides some optional rules to add to the flavor.  Recognizing that not all players will have the same grasp of the strategies involved, they even include a section explaining the Offensive and Defensive plays and their uses.

The easiest way to explain the game is to go through a sample play, so without further ado...

Player A has the ball, and is the Offense, Player B will be Defense.  Each will select a play from a hand of 8 cards.  Revealed simultaneously, the cards will be cross indexed to find what dice will be used for the play:

Here the Offense gets the Red and Green Die, plus the Play Die... Defense always gets the Black Defense Die.   Player A gains 18 yards, while Player B pushes him back 5... for a net gain of 13 yards... possible First Down!
But the Play Die indicates there may be a penalty on the play... this will either be confirmed or disregarded by the throw of a Referee Die... Player A better hope its not on him!




Time for the half is tracked by the amount of cards in the Offense Deck, with Running Plays causing an extra card to be burned off that deck to account for the clock running.  Once the Deck is gone, the half is over!

Selecting your play is as much a psychological exercise  as it is dependent upon real football strategy.  Reading your opponent, or faking them out is a part of that decision-making process.

The game comes with a generic team, which both players share, and it plays well enough right out of the box.  At about $30, its a worthy investment.  What brings out the true potential in this game is the expansions.  Each expansion provides 4 teams worth of dice and represents a division for about $15.  That works out to $3.50 a team!  These teams each have unique sets of numbers on their dice to represent strengths and weaknesses in their Running and Passing games as well as their Defense.

Ah, the dice...  each Die, including those in the base game, are blank six siders and a sticker sheet which must be applied to each side.  A steady hand and patience will serve you well here.  And take the IOGre's advice... don't do all the expansions at one sitting...

Especially with the expansions, this is one game with LOTS of replayability.  The IOGre has played with Football fans and people who didn't know Dick Butkus from a butt-kicking, and so far it has been unanimous. This game is flat out fun.

1st and Goal is from R&R games: http://www.rnrgames.com/

What is the IOGre's Lair?

The walls of the IOGre's cave are covered with shelves upon shelves of games.  Board Games, Miniatures Games, Role-Playing Games, Card Games... games of all shapes and sizes.  Like you, the IOGre loves games, and he wants to share them with you.   This blog will explore old favorites and brand new obsessions with reviews and discussions.  The IOGre will even share the spotlight with some of his non-monster buddies for their take on games and gaming in general.

Gaming is a hobby, and this blog will be more than just a collection of reviews.  The IOGre will look at what it takes to get involved with a Miniatures Game, what types of Board, Card and Role-Playing Games may appeal to different audiences, and occasionally offer his thoughts on other game-related topics*

So come on and venture into The IOGre's Lair... 




*The IOGre's thoughts are wholly his own and in no way reflect the thoughts, policies or preferences of anyone other than himself... so there.