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From: kalpin@utecfc.UUCP (Jordan E Kalpin)
Newsgroups: net.games.board
Subject: Re: Game Recommendations Sought
Message-ID: <64@utecfc.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Mar-86 09:32:07 EST
Article-I.D.: utecfc.64
Posted: Sun Mar  2 09:32:07 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Mar-86 12:43:07 EST
References: <185@altos86.UUCP>
Reply-To: kalpin@utecfc.UUCP (Jordan E Kalpin)
Distribution: net.games.board
Organization: Engineering Computing Facility, University of Toronto
Lines: 70
Keywords: good games
Summary: 

In article <185@altos86.UUCP> andy@gateway.UUCP (Andy Hatcher) writes:
>
>My friends and I are looking for a change and we hate to spend
>money on games without knowing what they are like.  So, I am
>soliciting opinions about board games that you may have played.
>
>We have a very steady group of about 6 people, but games for any
>number from 2 to 8 would be interesting.
>
>We have played:
>	Axies and Allies	(Allies always win)
>	Conquest of the Empire	(Catapults are everything)
>	AD&D			(Dungeon Masters are running out of ideas)
>	Talisman		(Has become stale)
>	Illuminati (w/expansion) (So so)
>	Civilization		(Still good, but takes so long)
>	Diplomacy		(Ditto)
>	Junta			(We're not revolutionary enough, Pres. wins)
>	Risk			(So much luck)
>
>I would especially like to here about:
>	Supremacy ($39.95 is it worth it)
>	Dune
>
>If anybody would like to here my opinions about the games above, just
>let me know.
>		Thanks,
>			Andy Hatcher
>			vecpyr!altos86!andy
>

I have played DUNE hundreds of times over the last 5 years.  I find the game 
very enjoyable but then again I am familiar with Frank Herbert's series of
books called DUNE.  I am not suggesting that people who haven't read the series
will not enjoy DUNE, but I think they will not get the flavour of the game.   
With that in mind, the game is super.  Each persons plays a character from the
original story (Paul Attriedies, The baron Harkonen, Bene Gesserit, etc.) and
as such each player has a set of unique abilities in the game.  The object of
the game is to catch 3 strongholds on the DUNE planet map.  To do so you must
battle worms, storms and other players while at the same time you must   
harvest spice to finance all of this death and destruction.  If you liked the
books, this game is a must!

As far as other games go, I would like to mention a very underrated game that I
have been playing for a number of years.  The game is called BORDERLANDS and it
was originally put out by EON GAMES (of Cosmic Encounter) but now that EON
is owned by WESTEND GAMES, I am not sure where you may get it or its 2    
expansion sets.  Anywho, the game much resembles risk, but it is much more
intelligent.  Rather than just attacking each other, the game has a certain
number of random sites which produce raw materials such as wood, iron, coal,
gold and horses.  Since there are few production sites available, players 
must trade goods to get the ones they don't have.  The reason you do this is 
because iron + coal makes a weapon, or gold + gold makes a weapon.  Wood +Wood
makes a river boat (use it for surprise attacks on friends down the river).
In other words, you must trade to get more powerful and in fact win by being
the first player to develop 3 cities (4 gold or timber + iron + coal?).
Sometimes it is just easier to attack and capture a production site.
Also, all battles usually envolve players allying to win, and this usually
adds fun to any game (i.e. trade goods for alliance etc.).  I like the game
because it has all the things that I feel are lacking from RISK and more!
Expansion sets add bridges, islands, ocean ships and extra production sites.
Buy it...you'll love it!!!

Jordan Kalpin
University of Toronto
Mechanical Engineering

kalpin@utecfc.UUCP