Recommendations

#1

I thought it might be nice to have a thread for asking for recommendations. So, feel free to add your questions!

Mine is: going away for a little over a week to a cabin in Maine, and I’m deciding between Ark Nova, the most recent expansion for Dawncaster, or both. I really liked Terraforming Mars on the iPad a while back, and I’ve really enjoyed Dawncaster. The structure of the recent expansion (bundles of enemies which can show up in various areas) didn’t sound promising to me, but I’d be interested in others’ thoughts on these, or whether I should consider an alternative.

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#2

I have hardly played with the Infernal Invasions at all, I thought they were not that interesting - or more like, just hard for the sake of being hard? Not upset at buying it to support the devs, but not loving it.

Ark Nova is cool, I think I like the game, but have been having trouble getting games going on here.

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#3

That’s apples and oranges for me. I enjoy board gaming but don’t find myself playing board games solo all that often, except for a few like Sagrada and Cascadia that play a little more like puzzle games and give me challenges to complete. That said, Ark Nova is a great game and a great all. I also love roguelikes, especially of the card-based variety. I think Dawncasters is excellent and have poured more hours into it than I want to count. Personally, if it were me, I’d get Dawncasters, but those kinds of games scratch my solo itch better. I just went on a big trip and downloaded Balatro (addicted now). So that’s the kind of gamer I tend to be.

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#4

Ark Nova doesn’t hold a candle to Terraforming Mars for me, but if you like engine building and you prefer a game without possibly damaging interactions between players (especially in a family setting) then Ark Nova is a great choice.

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#5

Agreed re: Ark Nova vs. Terraforming Mars, but on the app front, AK is so much better. I know there are other ways to play, but I tend to gravitate towards dedicated apps over online tools. I wish TM functioned as well as AK (or simply functioned in a meaningful way).

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#6

I only ever played vanilla Dawncaster. I liked it but it pales compared to Balatro or Slay the Spire. And I still have a lot of love for good ol’ Dream Quest that started it all. But if you like it enough to have the other DLCs I imagine there’s plenty there to make it a good buy.

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#7

Sacrilege, I know, but I prefer Dreamquest to StS, I think. It is less punishing and has more card synergy and builds. It scratches a TCG itch in a way that StD doesn’t.

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#8

I prefer DQ precisely because it is more punishing than the others. It’s brutal. Hundreds of games and I took the Lord of the Dream to zero HP like half a dozen times. It pulls no punches which makes the victories all the sweeter.

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#9

I think this too. In my opinion DQ requires a super close and intricate understanding of the game. Not saying sts doesnt, it certainly does but I just found even more so on DQ. And gaining that understanding was quite enjoyable. I also enjoy how DQ seems to offer much better ease at thinning your deck and shaping it into something powerful. Opportunities to thin are more prevalent in DQ which leads to a fun and efficient deck which I enjoy.

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