What sort of Board Games do you Play (1 Viewer)

[BobO'Link]

Cracked open the Milwaukee router and the collet was so tight it wouldn’t accept any bits. Discord guys had me pull the collet and insert first bit. That locked up the whole thing with the bit a half inch out of the thing. Took it back to home depot and they agreed it was defective. Replaced the router and returned the bit since it’s a dupe of what I have in my Whiteside 402 set. View attachment 129122 View attachment 129123 View attachment 129124 View attachment 129125

Replying here as I'm more intrigued by the games you show in the background...

I've wanted to play Heaven and Ale - but it seems to be OOP and very hard to find. Is it worth seeking out a copy?

I own a copy of Taverns of Tiefenthal - picked it up for a super price during an Amazon sale - but haven't gotten it to the table... yet... I'll have to cure that since I found an unofficial solo mode from the designer.

I've never heard of Hospital Rush - hmmm... 3 players minimum. I'd have to pass as that'd be a hard one to get any regular play.

Also hadn't heard of Fort nor that Hargrave creation before your post. Is that "Designed by Elizabeth Hargrave" game Tussie Mussie?

 

[Sam Posten]

Those are all on my list to trade off. If they’d have value to you you can have first dibs. Not really my bag. PM for details

 

[Sam Posten]

Ugh sorry @BobO'Link both are claimed by my game group

 

[BobO'Link]

Ugh sorry @BobO'Link both are claimed by my game group

No problem... I have *far* too many games in my library and really need to stop purchasing more... at least until I've played the bulk of the collection and/or purged a few. The one I was most interested in was Heaven and Ale and was trying to decide if I'd be able to get it out enough to warrant asking the price. Problem solved. Thanks anyway!!

 

[BobO'Link]

OK... and we thought the *standard* Isle of Cats box was big... I just watched an unboxing video from Tom Vasel where he opened one containing a huge Isle of Cats box. I did some looking around - it's from a Kickstarter last year that also had *3* more expansions for the game. The box is an all-in-one solution with wooden storage inside. I'd wager that sucker takes a fork lift to get it off the shelf when full:

That box is said to be 70% larger than the original box and the original box lid can be used in place of the one that comes with the solution. MSRP is going to be in the $75 range.

One of the new expansions is a "Boat Pack" with 6 new boards in different shapes/designs that work in all play modes.

 

[BobO'Link]

*Finally* played Quacks of Quedlinburg with the 10yo tonight. It was lots of fun and we both really like the game. Supposedly her brother and sister (18 and 15) are coming over tomorrow to play games all day so she had me leave Quacks set up so we can start with it. I had her sort and put the tokens in containers, a task she enjoyed but also complained about, while I did the rest of the setup and read through the instructions. I told her there were storage solutions but I was waiting to see if we even liked the game before springing for one. Looks like that may be a near future purchase.

 

[BobO'Link]

Played Quacks again last night with the 10yo, the 15yo, and one of the 15yo's friends who's never played any "modern" board games (her family plays the standard US type games many of us grew up with). It was a hit. The friend was impressed and said "I was confused at first but then it started making sense. It was fun!"

 

[BobO'Link]

Another month and a half or so, another bunch of board game purchases... most, this time, are thanks to a sale at MiniatureMarket.

My Farm Shop - Looks interesting and fun. While not a "great" sale price it was a few $$ less than the next lowest one.
Paladins of the West Kingdom: City of Crowns - I own a copy of the base game and have been wanting this expansion. Like MFS it wasn't a "great" price but still a few $$ lower than anyone else. I still can't bring myself to order the "Collector's Box" storage solution (from the publishers of the base game) in spite of it having a mini-expansion included.
Space Gate Odyssey - this one's on sale at Amazon ($25) and I *almost* purchased it there when MM put it on sale for $12!
Agricola: Artifex Deck - Since I greatly enjoyed the solo plays I did with Agricola this deck addition feels like a natural. I'll likely be picking up the other 3 expansion decks at some point.
Core Worlds: Revolution - So... this was on sale at MM for $8 and the base game has good reviews, with some calling it a "must have" addition, so I went for it and ordered the base game from Amazon.
Core Worlds - From Amazon using a "pay with Discover points" promotion to snag it for a bargain price of ~$24! This one looks very interesting.
Paleo - A coop I've been eyeing for a while. Another "pay with Discover points" promotion took $10 off this one making it less than anyone else (at least for now).
Age of Civilization - Super bargain ($12 coupon at Amazon) for a very fun "civ building" type game in a surprisingly small box. I'm impressed with how it plays solo and can't wait to play against another person. It also plays very fast (less than 30 minutes with 2 - I played solo games in 15 minutes or so).
Ishtar: Gardens of Babylon - another that's been on my wish list for some time and came up at a "bargain" price.
Saboteur: Mother Lode with Bonus Pack - An Amazon "exclusive" version that looks like it might be good for some of our gatherings with "non gamer" folks. And it was very, very inexpensive.
Windward - Wasn't *real* sure about this one but it plays solo and looks somewhat interesting. The low price sucked me in...
Traintopia - An interesting tile drafting/laying game. We like those genres and the price was right so...
Umbra Via - A very interesting looking abstract path building game.
Bohemian Villages - Area control/resource management type thing. Looks fun and like a quick filler type.
Rise of Tribes - Purchased because it looked interesting for solo and was on clearance. It's not bad and I'm looking at its expansion so...
Pulsar 2849 - Another interesting looking space themed game. Features dice drafting and a very cool looking board. The 10yo thinks it looks pretty cool - now the trick is to get her to come over long enough to give it a spin.

I picked up The Magic Labyrinth for my son's kids (ages 5, 8, and 9) as their mom had it on their BG wish list. Looks like it'll be fun to play withthem.

And Ticket to Ride: Europa 1912 for my 10yo granddaughter (she got TTR: Europe for Christmas and has the original TTR).

 

[BobO'Link]

Target's having another B2G1 sale on Books, Board Games, Select Video Games, and Puzzles this week. Like with the last sale, most Asmodee titles (including sub-brands like Z-Man) are now "Sold Out" and will likely be that way for the duration of the sale. In spite of that there are still a few deals to be had.

FWIW - They've changed the way their site works over the past couple of months, and *not* for the "better." It's worse than before on several levels - yeah... hard to believe they could make it worse but they did.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Thanks for the heads-up, Howie... though I was already aware of the sale, but wasn't quite completely ready for it going online overnight this morning.

I did manage to quickly nab these -- probably 1/2 of them were down to only 3-5 left when I ordered ~1/2 hour ago:

Catan
Hogwarts Battle
Ticket to Ride
Gloomhaven
Risk -- yeah, I could use a new one
Azul
X-Men United (Marvel United) -- this was still on (extra) sale at ~$21, so extra bargain
Monopoly -- yeah, could use a new one of this too
Scrabble -- yeah, new one of this too

I hadn't really heard anything about Ticket to Ride, but it came up as an "similar item" and seemed very well reviewed (and has so many additional versions, which seemed to bold well), and I just noticed Howie's granddaughter has (and loves?) it and a couple other versions of that. Plus I've always liked the idea of traveling by trains and such...

I vaguely recalled mentions of Azul being interesting and good around here, but not sure, and that came up as another "similar item" to get (and at pricing close enough to Risk though a bit further from Gloomhaven, but ah well, there aren't exactly a ton of great, currently available choices). It certainly looks interesting (and quite different from the rest) and might particularly intrigue my 15-yo and maybe my nieces, so why not...

That's a whole lot(!) for me to get as I haven't gotten board games in a long time and pretty much never multiple games at once -- and I haven't even actually opened up the extra sale priced Marvel United + Spiderverse bundle that arrived from Amazon last week just yet... Good thing I also had a couple $10 GCs saved (from buying Apple GCs for use on iTunes) plus ~$12 of Target Circle Bonus earned (though no extra bonuses to earn this go-around unlike the last B2G1 sale) and 5% cashback via Discover Card that just began again this quarter...

_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Another month and a half or so, another bunch of board game purchases... most, this time, are thanks to a sale at MiniatureMarket.

My Farm Shop - Looks interesting and fun. While not a "great" sale price it was a few $$ less than the next lowest one.
Paladins of the West Kingdom: City of Crowns - I own a copy of the base game and have been wanting this expansion. Like MFS it wasn't a "great" price but still a few $$ lower than anyone else. I still can't bring myself to order the "Collector's Box" storage solution (from the publishers of the base game) in spite of it having a mini-expansion included.
Space Gate Odyssey - this one's on sale at Amazon ($25) and I *almost* purchased it there when MM put it on sale for $12!
Agricola: Artifex Deck - Since I greatly enjoyed the solo plays I did with Agricola this deck addition feels like a natural. I'll likely be picking up the other 3 expansion decks at some point.
Core Worlds: Revolution - So... this was on sale at MM for $8 and the base game has good reviews, with some calling it a "must have" addition, so I went for it and ordered the base game from Amazon.
Core Worlds - From Amazon using a "pay with Discover points" promotion to snag it for a bargain price of ~$24! This one looks very interesting.
Paleo - A coop I've been eyeing for a while. Another "pay with Discover points" promotion took $10 off this one making it less than anyone else (at least for now).
Age of Civilization - Super bargain ($12 coupon at Amazon) for a very fun "civ building" type game in a surprisingly small box. I'm impressed with how it plays solo and can't wait to play against another person. It also plays very fast (less than 30 minutes with 2 - I played solo games in 15 minutes or so).
Ishtar: Gardens of Babylon - another that's been on my wish list for some time and came up at a "bargain" price.
Saboteur: Mother Lode with Bonus Pack - An Amazon "exclusive" version that looks like it might be good for some of our gatherings with "non gamer" folks. And it was very, very inexpensive.
Windward - Wasn't *real* sure about this one but it plays solo and looks somewhat interesting. The low price sucked me in...
Traintopia - An interesting tile drafting/laying game. We like those genres and the price was right so...
Umbra Via - A very interesting looking abstract path building game.
Bohemian Villages - Area control/resource management type thing. Looks fun and like a quick filler type.
Rise of Tribes - Purchased because it looked interesting for solo and was on clearance. It's not bad and I'm looking at its expansion so...
Pulsar 2849 - Another interesting looking space themed game. Features dice drafting and a very cool looking board. The 10yo thinks it looks pretty cool - now the trick is to get her to come over long enough to give it a spin.

I picked up The Magic Labyrinth for my son's kids (ages 5, 8, and 9) as their mom had it on their BG wish list. Looks like it'll be fun to play withthem.

And Ticket to Ride: Europa 1912 for my 10yo granddaughter (she got TTR: Europe for Christmas and has the original TTR).

I'm probably stuffed from my Target B2G1 order just now, but are most of those still on sale at great prices at MM? I might check them out and see, if so...

I did just place that Age of Civilization deal in my Amazon cart and will probably get that -- it's probably easy enough to return, if I change my mind...

Thanks again, Howie!

_Man_

 

[BobO'Link]

I'm probably stuffed from my Target B2G1 order just now, but are most of those still on sale at great prices at MM? I might check them out and see, if so...

I did just place that Age of Civilization deal in my Amazon cart and will probably get that -- it's probably easy enough to return, if I change my mind...

Thanks again, Howie!

_Man_

Happy to help!

Those MM prices were for a special weekend sale. I saw it almost too late to take advantage (saw it the Sunday morning after it started and it ended the next morning). Had I seen it sooner I'd have purchased more - the thread on it on BGG had folks listing several titles I'd have ordered if they'd still been in stock. As it was I came "this close" to several other titles just because they were on sale (some of the Zombicide and Arcadia Quest titles) in spite thinking the Zombicide theme/play style just isn't for us (plus my 18yo grandson said "Nope - doesn't look interesting at all) and have not played Arcadia Quest enough to know if I "need" more for that one.

 

[BobO'Link]

Thanks for the heads-up, Howie... though I was already aware of the sale, but wasn't quite completely ready for it going online overnight this morning.

I did manage to quickly nab these -- probably 1/2 of them were down to only 3-5 left when I ordered ~1/2 hour ago:

Catan
Hogwarts Battle
Ticket to Ride
Gloomhaven
Risk -- yeah, I could use a new one
Azul
X-Men United (Marvel United) -- this was still on (extra) sale at ~$21, so extra bargain
Monopoly -- yeah, could use a new one of this too
Scrabble -- yeah, new one of this too

I hadn't really heard anything about Ticket to Ride, but it came up as an "similar item" and seemed very well reviewed (and has so many additional versions, which seemed to bold well), and I just noticed Howie's granddaughter has (and loves?) it and a couple other versions of that. Plus I've always liked the idea of traveling by trains and such...

I vaguely recalled mentions of Azul being interesting and good around here, but not sure, and that came up as another "similar item" to get (and at pricing close enough to Risk though a bit further from Gloomhaven, but ah well, there aren't exactly a ton of great, currently available choices). It certainly looks interesting (and quite different from the rest) and might particularly intrigue my 15-yo and maybe my nieces, so why not...

That's a whole lot(!) for me to get as I haven't gotten board games in a long time and pretty much never multiple games at once -- and I haven't even actually opened up the extra sale priced Marvel United + Spiderverse bundle that arrived from Amazon last week just yet... Good thing I also had a couple $10 GCs saved (from buying Apple GCs for use on iTunes) plus ~$12 of Target Circle Bonus earned (though no extra bonuses to earn this go-around unlike the last B2G1 sale) and 5% cashback via Discover Card that just began again this quarter...

_Man_

Nice selection. I purchased a copy of Marvel X-Men United a month or so back at what I felt was a very good price. The new price (a couple of $$ less than what I'd paid) combined with the B2G1 makes it a repurchase item where I'll return the original (still unopened) and save ~$10 in the process. I really want to get that one or the Marvel United to the table again. The 15yo and I really enjoyed it and I think the other 2 older grandkids would also really like them.

Yes, the 10yo (turns 11 this month) *loves* TTR. She can be in a non-game playing mood and I can say "TTR?" which will get her to play just about every time. I like that we have the "small box" versions as those play in 15 minutes or less and absolutely scratch that itch. It's a series we all really enjoy - and why I have copies of all the stand-alone versions and all of the maps (and I really, really, want the Poland map to get a US release! Or at least become available at a more reasonable price - shipping from the UK usually kills the deal as it'll be as much as the board).

Hogwart's Battle is another of the 10yo's favorites. It's languished too long, though, and *needs* to hit the table again so we can play the next chapter.

Azul is lots of fun and different. The 10yo loves it, too (as do the rest of us). It is so popular at my house that I got my son's family and my grandson (the 10yo's brother) each a copy for Christmas a couple of years back. It can be quite cut throat...

I looked up Gloomhaven on Target and only came up with "Jaws of the Lion" - I'm guessing that's what you got. It's really good and has far fewer pieces than the original while playing pretty much the same. I own a copy of that one and have played it once so far (takes a while to get out and I didn't have a space I could leave it set up - that's been cured so I "need" to get it out for a few days of play).

I have a "scratch 'n dent" version of regular Gloomhaven coming from Amazon (a steal of a price). Hopefully it won't be too damaged (listed as "acceptable" with "Large cosmetic imperfection(s) on top, front or sides of item. Item will come in original packaging inside another box. Original packaging will be damaged.") As long as it's only box damage and none on any of the components I'll be OK (box damage is usually fairly easy to repair/patch). I'm hoping for a standard outer "protective" box that comes with the game (basically a dedicated shipping box with the game inside - like was done with Mage Knight Ultimate) and *it* has suffered most of the damage. I'll know tomorrow afternoon...

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Nice selection. I purchased a copy of Marvel X-Men United a month or so back at what I felt was a very good price. The new price (a couple of $$ less than what I'd paid) combined with the B2G1 makes it a repurchase item where I'll return the original (still unopened) and save ~$10 in the process. I really want to get that one or the Marvel United to the table again. The 15yo and I really enjoyed it and I think the other 2 older grandkids would also really like them.

Yes, the 10yo (turns 11 this month) *loves* TTR. She can be in a non-game playing mood and I can say "TTR?" which will get her to play just about every time. I like that we have the "small box" versions as those play in 15 minutes or less and absolutely scratch that itch. It's a series we all really enjoy - and why I have copies of all the stand-alone versions and all of the maps (and I really, really, want the Poland map to get a US release! Or at least become available at a more reasonable price - shipping from the UK usually kills the deal as it'll be as much as the board).

Hogwart's Battle is another of the 10yo's favorites. It's languished too long, though, and *needs* to hit the table again so we can play the next chapter.

Azul is lots of fun and different. The 10yo loves it, too (as do the rest of us). It is so popular at my house that I got my son's family and my grandson (the 10yo's brother) each a copy for Christmas a couple of years back. It can be quite cut throat...

Very good to know. Thanks for the additional, reassuring input!

I looked up Gloomhaven on Target and only came up with "Jaws of the Lion" - I'm guessing that's what you got. It's really good and has far fewer pieces than the original while playing pretty much the same. I own a copy of that one and have played it once so far (takes a while to get out and I didn't have a space I could leave it set up - that's been cured so I "need" to get it out for a few days of play).

I have a "scratch 'n dent" version of regular Gloomhaven coming from Amazon (a steal of a price). Hopefully it won't be too damaged (listed as "acceptable" with "Large cosmetic imperfection(s) on top, front or sides of item. Item will come in original packaging inside another box. Original packaging will be damaged.") As long as it's only box damage and none on any of the components I'll be OK (box damage is usually fairly easy to repair/patch). I'm hoping for a standard outer "protective" box that comes with the game (basically a dedicated shipping box with the game inside - like was done with Mage Knight Ultimate) and *it* has suffered most of the damage. I'll know tomorrow afternoon...

Oooh... Didn't realize there's a bigger, more comprehensive (and much more expensive!), regular Gloomhaven. Just looked on Amazon, and it's $140(!), if new. That's definitely waaay too steep for me w/out ever playing it (or the lesser versions of Gloomhaven) for myself before -- it alone would cost nearly 75% of what I'm paying for my entire order of 9 games via the Target B2G1 deal, LOL. Maybe something to consider at some point in the future perhaps, if I/we really love the Jaws of the Lion edition a whole lot...

But thanks much again for the additional info... and hope you'll love the "scratch 'n dent" copy you just bought!

_Man_

 

[BobO'Link]

Here's what I picked up from Target so far:

Maglev Metro - I've been looking at this one for some time and the lack of Asmodee/Z-Man titles pushed it to the head of the list. It's a "train" based pick-up-and-deliver type game. There's also a Kickstarter starting in the next day or two that'll add 6 maps to the game. I don't do many Kickstarters but may have to back that one.
Kingdomino (with "Special Tower" - a Target exclusive version) - I already own a copy of this one and have the Age of Giants expansion (which comes with a tile tower). This was ordered for gifting. Don't know just who'll get it (my son's family has Dragomino - a more kid friendly version that's lots of fun) but I just couldn't resist getting at least one copy at that price. I'm thinking it'll go to my daughter's family (she and the girls - 10yo/15yo - like it) but it's also a good gateway type game so may go to a family member who's family doesn't play modern board games (most of my wife's family) but has enjoyed them at my house.
Under Falling Skies - An award winning former print-n-play game that was picked up and published. I do lots of solo play these days and had been looking at creating a copy (the pnp version is still available) but for the price it's a better deal to just buy a copy. You wind up with much better components (at least better than I can make) and more content (not all of it was in the pnp version).
Endeavor: Age of Expansion - The expansion for Endeavor: Age of Sail (one I own and *still* need to play - but the price for the expansion was just too good to pass up).

I'm still considering, finally, getting a copy of Space Base, a game that also gets lots of good buzz. If Target also sold the Shy Pluto expansion, considered by most to be essential, I'd have already made the purchase.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Under Falling Skies - An award winning former print-n-play game that was picked up and published. I do lots of solo play these days and had been looking at creating a copy (the pnp version is still available) but for the price it's a better deal to just buy a copy. You wind up with much better components (at least better than I can make) and more content (not all of it was in the pnp version).

I was wondering about some solo play games myself as I have so much alone time these days and for the foreseeable future... Maybe I should look into this for this sale too... but looks like it's already sold out at Target... Maybe save that for the next B2G1 sale, especially if that combines w/ movies (unlike this time) since that ~$25 price works well for combining w/ some (better priced) Criterion BDs and such...

_Man_

 

[BobO'Link]

Very good to know. Thanks for the additional, reassuring input!



Oooh... Didn't realize there's a bigger, more comprehensive (and much more expensive!), regular Gloomhaven. Just looked on Amazon, and it's $140(!), if new. That's definitely waaay too steep for me w/out ever playing it (or the lesser versions of Gloomhaven) for myself before -- it alone would cost nearly 75% of what I'm paying for my entire order of 9 games via the Target B2G1 deal, LOL. Maybe something to consider at some point in the future perhaps, if I/we really love the Jaws of the Lion edition a whole lot...

But thanks much again for the additional info... and hope you'll love the "scratch 'n dent" copy you just bought!

_Man_

I purchased a copy of Jaws of the Lion *because* the "regular" edition is so expensive. If I'm spending that much on a single game then I really want to know what it's like first. The biggest differences are there are only 4 Heros in JotL (8 in Gloomhaven) and the "board" is put out by simply opening the correct page in an included spiral bound book (2 put side by side for larger maps - Gloomhaven has modular boards). The Dice Tower review for JotL spoke quite highly of that game board method (and indicated it was such a popular thing that the designer was going back to create books for the main game and absolutely creating them for Frosthaven, the next "big box" title in the series). The ~$32 entry price I paid was more than reasonable for the huge amount of content in that box (25 levels!) and makes a very affordable "test the waters" version. I enjoyed the single level I played so much that I purchased a copy of JotL for my son for Christmas this year. I doubt he's gotten it out though - he has 3 smaller kids (5, 8, 10) and no place to be able to set it up easily, much less leave it out for several sessions. He recently built a small home-office behind their house (more privacy - 3 kids can be somewhat distracting when you work from home) so there *may* be room there.

Amazon's current $140 price tag is full MSRP. They normally sell it for ~$120 and it's been as low as $80 new from them (I ordered a copy once at that price but cancelled before it shipped in favor of JotL). Online game stores (miniaturemarket, gamenerdz, tabletopmerchant, and others) typically sell it for ~$100, though it's frequently OOS.

 

[BobO'Link]

I was wondering about some solo play games myself as I have so much alone time these days and for the foreseeable future... Maybe I should look into this for this sale too... but looks like it's already sold out at Target... Maybe save that for the next B2G1 sale, especially if that combines w/ movies (unlike this time) since that ~$25 price works well for combining w/ some (better priced) Criterion BDs and such...

_Man_

The majority of what I purchase these days has a solo mode included *or* there's someone at BGG who's created one. It's almost become a pre requisite for me to make the purchase.

Set up a "Notify me when it's back" on Under Falling Skies (that's a Target link on the name in case you can't find it - they like to make OOS things impossible to locate). It *will* combine with media (if it's included - bummer that it wasn't this time as I had far more media lined up than games) though there's an easier way... and it's sanctioned by Target (their online CS will tell you to do this and it's how *they* do a PM on such items).

Earlier I mentioned a discount on Age of Civilization at Amazon. It's still active on the item. I got my 10yo granddaughter to play that one with me last week. She *really* enjoyed the game, commented the next day about how much fun it was and that she wanted to play it again.

Here are a few I've really enjoyed solo:

Terraforming Mars
Architects of the West Kingdom
Underwater Cities
Spirit Island
Agricola
Caverna (though I liked Agricola better - contrary to many people - maybe that'll change once I've played them with others)
Parks
Mage Knight
Blackout Hong Kong
Sagrada
Rise of Tribes

I've not yet tried Suburbia solo though I want to as it's a favorite (even my daughter, who doesn't care for "heavier" games, likes it). And I *did* try Scythe but wasn't in the right frame of mine. After taking over an hour getting it set up, reading through the solo rules, and testing the Automa I just felt like it wasn't going "right" and put it away. I had more questions than I felt like looking up at the time. I'll get back to it but know to do it when I'm not already tired from a long day.

I also play non solo games 2 handed. That's more to test play and be better prepared to do a teach for the group (my daughter and her kids) but some are also fun played that way as you can try multiple ideas simultaneously.

 

[BobO'Link]

I have a "scratch 'n dent" version of regular Gloomhaven coming from Amazon (a steal of a price). Hopefully it won't be too damaged (listed as "acceptable" with "Large cosmetic imperfection(s) on top, front or sides of item. Item will come in original packaging inside another box. Original packaging will be damaged.") As long as it's only box damage and none on any of the components I'll be OK (box damage is usually fairly easy to repair/patch). I'm hoping for a standard outer "protective" box that comes with the game (basically a dedicated shipping box with the game inside - like was done with Mage Knight Ultimate) and *it* has suffered most of the damage. I'll know tomorrow afternoon...

And... it arrived. I was quite concerned as the outer/shipping box was quite large and I could feel the inner box sliding around - apparently lots of room. In addition I could hear what sounded like parts rattling around inside. And the box is very heavy and has had extra plastic packing tape added over Amazon's paper tape (which is splitting badly). I open the box:

Yep - *lots* of air and zero packing/padding in the box. Just the game box able to slide around. I gently lift it out. It's very heavy, has about an inch of lid lift, and no shrink wrap. It's still rattling inside. I look over the box to see the damage isn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. The two bottom corners have a bit of compression damage:

And it's nothing I can't easily live with. Further examination shows the top corners are split. The right isn't too bad, about half way down, but the left is all the way down and has been taped together with clear packing tape. That's not my choice of repair material but it works and whoever did it did a decent enough job so...

I slide the lid off to find the respective inner corners have similar damage with both about half way down and neither has had a repair attempted (good):

The way the box is designed makes it fairly easy to repair the damage - when I get around to it...

I remove the instructions, scenario book, stickers, and *18* punch boards to find the rattling sound was all of the character boxes having come out of their slots and just sliding around inside along with a couple of the card packs. I was surprised at just how much open space there is inside the box as I've read that it's quite tight getting everything inside once it's been punched. There are a couple of plastic foam type filler boards but they do little to stop the boxes from coming out of their slots.

I check against the components listed in the instructions and find images on BGG that show *everything* in the box in various stages of being removed. There are other images showing the unopened card packs and unpunched boards. To my delight - *EVERYTHING* is in the box and *NOTHING* shows damage other than the box itself!! I'm super thrilled as I paid $64.98 (tax included) for this damaged copy.

Did I mention this thing is *VERY HEAVY*? Amazon says 21.6 lbs. I believe it! Even after being punched I think it'll still be in the 20lb. range as those punch boards have little wasted space. I'm absolutely *not* putting this on top of the game cube system simply because I don't want to have to lift it up and get it down. Surprisingly, it'll fit inside a cube so I may do that - though it'll just about fill one by itself plus stick out a couple of inches.

Now I just need to take a couple of hours to punch and organize the contents and try a level. I'm thinking this coming Saturday sounds like just the time as, for now, I have *nothing* that might get in the way. BUT I worked over a bit today so will get off about an hour early Friday. I could do the organization then and play on Saturday morning. Hmmm... I think I like that idea...

 

[BobO'Link]

In case you've never seen this beast of a box in person, here are a couple of reference shots. First beside Feast for Odin, itself a large box, and then beside Terraforming Mars, a more standard TTR size box. FWIW - Jaws of the Lion is about an inch shorter than Feast for Odin (4" vs 4 7/8") and has the same outer dimensions (roughly 12" x 9").