tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829360209113689355.post2034544498140165834..comments2024-03-22T01:20:21.749-07:00Comments on Board Game Reviews by Josh: Space Alert ReviewJoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14011225292134198772noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829360209113689355.post-87637700438288940942012-06-22T05:10:29.534-07:002012-06-22T05:10:29.534-07:00I don't think shuffle would help, because each...I don't think shuffle would help, because each track is actually an entire scenario/game. I believe that it is already available in mp3 format. You could have only one person listening and taking care of it, but I think it would lose a lot of the theme by doing so - worth a shot though, if you really wanted to play it in a pub. Thanks for the comment!Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011225292134198772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829360209113689355.post-67615140152146385482012-06-22T04:29:53.225-07:002012-06-22T04:29:53.225-07:00You could always save the CD tracks to an mp3 play...You could always save the CD tracks to an mp3 player and have one person as the com officer. That way no noise, and if you have shuffle on, no idea when the events will occur.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829360209113689355.post-28702534992523195282012-06-21T10:40:36.410-07:002012-06-21T10:40:36.410-07:00Chris - 100% nailed it. Perhaps my most favorite ...Chris - 100% nailed it. Perhaps my most favorite game to play and least favorite to teach. And the expansion reinforces both. I never play the intro stuff, but it takes a certain type of player (usually younger) that can have fun with just being tossed in. Regardless of age it is critical to get them back for a second game, and for this I start with Mission Track 1 (significantly easier than the others), Bridger's unbelievable Turn Processor, and the expectation that this is a 90-minute game, not 10.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829360209113689355.post-86148967747528047242012-06-14T03:12:29.232-07:002012-06-14T03:12:29.232-07:00Some of my gaming group are raving about this game...Some of my gaming group are raving about this game (and everything else that Vlaada Chvátil creates). The problem is our gaming night takes place in a pub. We get enough funny looks from the other customers as it is, I don’t think blaring out the Space Alert soundtrack is going to help.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02586499827285953235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829360209113689355.post-87347781752289321232012-06-12T08:38:50.941-07:002012-06-12T08:38:50.941-07:00Yeah, just wait until you're on the other side...Yeah, just wait until you're on the other side of the rules teaching and are playing through the intro scenarios for the 3rd or 4th time... It'll seem a lot more like a flaw then.Chris Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12383357790853580688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829360209113689355.post-69597997908292460802012-06-12T07:46:28.958-07:002012-06-12T07:46:28.958-07:00That's a good point, Chris. I don't know ...That's a good point, Chris. I don't know that I necessarily consider it a weakness, but it is definitely an aspect of the game to consider. In fact, when we played, my friends taught me by going through all of the training scenarios (which, even at the time I found far too easy). It's definitely a balance you need to make, because throwing a new person in to start with could be quite overwhelming.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011225292134198772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829360209113689355.post-16630772421875882892012-06-12T06:22:39.290-07:002012-06-12T06:22:39.290-07:00I like Space Alert quite a bit as well (being anot...I like Space Alert quite a bit as well (being another huge coop fan), but it hasn't hit my table in a long time. And the reason is something that you really didn't touch on, but which I feel is the biggest flaw in the game.<br /><br />What I'm talking about is the steep learning curve, and sort of as a result, the staged "learning" scenarios that Vlaada Chvatil uses to teach it. I know that he uses this model with many of his other games as well (Dungeon Lords, Through the Ages, etc.), and I've come to really consider this a significant weakness.<br /><br />Mostly, it's because it forces people to really commit to playing the game 4-5 times before they really even know if they'll like it. And then if you do like it and want to introduce it to more people, you're put in the situation of either going back and replaying the introductory scenarios once again (which are less variable and less interesting than the full game) or throwing the new player to the wolves by trying your best to explain the whole shebang and letting them make lots of mistakes.<br /><br />I guess I've come to see it sort of as a cop-out to lay out the rules in such a way that it takes so many "learning games" to get them all down, rather than just making them clear and understandable enough to play the "real" game from the get-go. <br /><br />Because like I said, I'd really love to play this game a lot more. But to do so, I feel like I'd need 3-4 other friends who would be a "closed" group that would commit to playing it with me on a semi-regular basis to make it worthwhile. And with the format of my game group and how my game nights run, I just don't think that's reasonable.Chris Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12383357790853580688noreply@blogger.com