Holiday Buyer's Guide 2012

[The Escapist Staff]

Holiday Buyer's Guide 2012

What are you going to get your friends and family for the holidays? Don't trust your judgement, trust ours.

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[StriderShinryu]

Hmm.. VERY interested in that Sentinels of the Multiverse card game. Would you still recommend it for someone who really hasn't played any sort of card game since the Pokemon CCG? Is it a potentially good fit for a family that likes board games and traditional card games, and superheroes, but doesn't have any experience with organized card games or CCGs?

 

[Imp_Emissary]

All really great things to get, or give. Hope ya can get all of them.

 

[Formica Archonis]

My thoughts:

Buckyballs: Can you still get the knockoffs? Like Zen Magnets?

Twilight Imperium: Ah, love that game. It's no quick-fire Catan, though. Takes HOURS. Three experienced players playing the shorter variant still kills a long evening, so much so that we house-ruled any experienced player taking more than 2 minutes to do something is allowed to be jeered by the other players until he does something out of frustration.

The expansions are quite good as well - I can't imagine playing without Distant Suns, and the Nekro Virus and the Ghosts of Creuss make for interesting player races. And on small maps the Gravity Drive tech is totally broken, but great fun!

Our games tend to be mostly peaceful expansions until one big orgy of violence on the last two turns as everyone tries to sew up the last few victory points.

Sundial: Handy in some places, but meh. I like my pocket watch! Looks cool, and it's not like I was doing anything else with my watch pocket!

 

[Furioso]

Good to see Persona 4: Golden on that list, it truly is one of, if not THE best thing on the Vita right now

 

[JEBWrench]

Ravnica packs are pretty much the only thing most of my friends and I have in common for interests, so apparently we got one right! Huzzah!

 

[Dr.Susse]

I've got a Sundial ring and yes daylight savings makes is wrong for half the year.

Also be warned the month part isn't right for every part of the world; I live in Australia and I've been using the January/June month for all of this month.

 

[WMDogma]

Hmm.. VERY interested in that Sentinels of the Multiverse card game. Would you still recommend it for someone who really hasn't played any sort of card game since the Pokemon CCG? Is it a potentially good fit for a family that likes board games and traditional card games, and superheroes, but doesn't have any experience with organized card games or CCGs?

If you've played any CCG or card game like Dominion before, then I'd certainly recommend checking out Sentinels. It can be a slightly difficult game to get into - some heroes and villians are more complex than others and require different strategies - but since it's a cooperative game, all the players are working together and can help each other figure things out. Take a look Greater Than Games' [http://www.youtube.com/user/sentinelsotm] Youtube channel for more info on the specifics of the game and how it plays, but if your family likes playing games together and doesn't mind learning something a little more complex than the norm, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun!

 

[The Lugz]

well i know who's permanently off Yahtzee's secret Santa list
and that's whoever forgot to bump his audio book

also, whoever said buckyballs, you're missing half the fun you need magnetic smart putty to go with them it makes them.. magic!

 

[Stevey M]

Oh lordy, I have been contemplating the idea of buying a PS3 all week, and now I see Susan's recommendation. Curse the signs! They want me to do away with my cash!

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Well I was expecting this lists to consist of Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Halo 4, and Call of Duty: Back Ops II; in which case I was just going to roll my eyes and move on. Thanks for surprising me. ...mostly.

 

[XSin]

"A Playset of Geist of Saint Traft, Thragtusk, Overgrown Tomb and Such"

Hmmm, lets pass over the "and Such" for now and check what the other 12 cards will set us back.

Geist of Saint Traft x 4 = $135.08

Thragtusk x 4 = $92.44

Overgrown Tomb x 4 = $51.36

So together you're looking at 12 cards that you probably wouldnt run in the same deck (4 colours minus Red doesn't bring any major decks to mind) for the low low price of . . . $278.88

And incase you're from somewhere that isnt America like me, remember that that is USD so dial it up some for conversion and then about 10-15% more because theres a smaller market everywhere else in the world.

I wonder if I'd feel so bitter if I didn't have 8 of them already >_<

 

[Slycne]

"A Playset of Geist of Saint Traft, Thragtusk, Overgrown Tomb and Such"

Hmmm, lets pass over the "and Such" for now and check what the other 12 cards will set us back.

Geist of Saint Traft x 4 = $135.08

Thragtusk x 4 = $92.44

Overgrown Tomb x 4 = $51.36

So together you're looking at 12 cards that you probably wouldnt run in the same deck (4 colours minus Red doesn't bring any major decks to mind) for the low low price of . . . $278.88

And incase you're from somewhere that isnt America like me, remember that that is USD so dial it up some for conversion and then about 10-15% more because theres a smaller market everywhere else in the world.

I wonder if I'd feel so bitter if I didn't have 8 of them already >_<

Heh, hence the "And let's face it; it never hurts to cram a playset of the most powerful block defining cards into your deck." Heck at one of the recent major events there were 26 Thragtusks being run in the top 8.

But yeah I wasn't talking about putting those all in the same deck (though some of the rites decks might get close), just that having playsets of dual lands, powerful cards and just having 4-ofs in general is sometimes the barrier to entry for going from casual to competitive. Unless you're running RDW.

 

[XSin]

"A Playset of Geist of Saint Traft, Thragtusk, Overgrown Tomb and Such"

Hmmm, lets pass over the "and Such" for now and check what the other 12 cards will set us back.

Geist of Saint Traft x 4 = $135.08

Thragtusk x 4 = $92.44

Overgrown Tomb x 4 = $51.36

So together you're looking at 12 cards that you probably wouldnt run in the same deck (4 colours minus Red doesn't bring any major decks to mind) for the low low price of . . . $278.88

And incase you're from somewhere that isnt America like me, remember that that is USD so dial it up some for conversion and then about 10-15% more because theres a smaller market everywhere else in the world.

I wonder if I'd feel so bitter if I didn't have 8 of them already >_<

Heh, hence the "And let's face it; it never hurts to cram a playset of the most powerful block defining cards into your deck." Heck at one of the recent major events there were 26 Thragtusks being run in the top 8.

But yeah I wasn't talking about putting those all in the same deck (though some of the rites decks might get close), just that having playsets of dual lands, powerful cards and just having 4-ofs in general is sometimes the barrier to entry for going from casual to competitive. Unless you're running RDW.

Yeah I'm just kinda sad since some mates pushed me to make a competitive standard deck so I could play PTQ's and such with them.

Had a blast playing draft and sealed for trade fodder so that I could collect the cards I needed for my deck then 2 months later when I'd finished it I realised it was worth more than the secondhand car I decided I couldn't afford -_-