The Game Box
March 28, 2024, 06:02:30 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: The new site is Running.
This one is closed.


sign up here: http://thegamebox.gamesontables.com/
 
  Home Help Search Gallery Links Staff List Login Register  

Flavor Text

Pages: [1] 2   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Flavor Text  (Read 1396 times)
Calandale
Mockingbird
Wyrd
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 983


I mock you


View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
Search 500 Posts Karma Bad
« on: July 25, 2014, 09:28:19 pm »

Mixed views on this. It gives me something to do, if I'm sitting there waiting for an
opponent to take their turn, or if I'm just looking over the game, but during play,
I generally don't want to be bothered with it. Maybe now and then, if I'm really curious
about something.
Report Spam   Logged

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Sluggonics
Fancy Lad
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 107


Tell you what, Smithers- have him beaten to a pulp


View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
100 Posts Search Level 5
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2014, 09:37:31 pm »

I just mentioned this over in the "played recently" thread.

I love flavor text.  When playing multi-player games, I always make people read it out loud.  With Arkham Horror, we also always made everyone read their character profiles before the game.  My view is, it can only enhance the game's narrative.  Only skip it if it's repetitive (duplicate cards and things, for example, that have the same text) - but otherwise, I see it as there for a reason.  We're playing an Arkham Horror game because we like H.P. Lovecraft - so let's enjoy the Lovecraftiness of the game!

Most recent example was playing Relic - WH40K flavor is such lovely, over-the-top crap!
Report Spam   Logged

Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology!
usrlocal
Magnificent Bastard
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 448


Tony Clifton's love child


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Gallery Linux User Level 5
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2014, 09:38:04 pm »

You mean like the stuff that's on CDG cards? Totally inherited from CCGs. Flavor text works for CCGs. I just ignore flavor text on CDG cards, though. Funny, that.
Report Spam   Logged
usrlocal
Magnificent Bastard
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 448


Tony Clifton's love child


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Gallery Linux User Level 5
« Reply #3 on: July 25, 2014, 09:38:42 pm »

Arkham Horror, of course, is a different story.   Grin
Report Spam   Logged
kira1y
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2014, 09:40:52 pm »

Depends.

When we're playing games where theme is more or less painted on the flavor text does very little for me as it add almost nothing to the experience.

However, we just got done playing a game of Arkham Horror and reading all of the flavor text aloud is just part of the experience. I mean it's just not the same reading an encounter card and going "Luck Check -2, passed, I get two Clue Tokens. Next!".


EDIT: Damn you guys post quick!
Report Spam   Logged
Sluggonics
Fancy Lad
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 107


Tell you what, Smithers- have him beaten to a pulp


View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
100 Posts Search Level 5
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2014, 09:43:06 pm »

You mean like the stuff that's on CDG cards? Totally inherited from CCGs. Flavor text works for CCGs. I just ignore flavor text on CDG cards, though. Funny, that.

I still read it in CDG's, though.  My opponents never do.  I like the little history tidbits.
Report Spam   Logged

Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology!
usrlocal
Magnificent Bastard
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 448


Tony Clifton's love child


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Gallery Linux User Level 5
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2014, 09:48:36 pm »


However, we just got done playing a game of Arkham Horror and reading all of the flavor text aloud is just part of the experience. I mean it's just not the same reading an encounter card and going "Luck Check -2, passed, I get two Clue Tokens. Next!".


I had the displeasure once of playing Arkham Horror with a 'maximal efficiency' Euro group - no reading of flavor text, just mechanically motoring through and going for 'optimal play'. It was depressing.
Report Spam   Logged
Calandale
Mockingbird
Wyrd
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 983


I mock you


View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
Search 500 Posts Karma Bad
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2014, 09:56:19 pm »

I just mentioned this over in the "played recently" thread.

Yeah. That's what convinced me to post. I would HATE hearing every card read out.
Report Spam   Logged
Calandale
Mockingbird
Wyrd
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 983


I mock you


View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
Search 500 Posts Karma Bad
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2014, 09:57:25 pm »

You mean like the stuff that's on CDG cards? Totally inherited from CCGs. Flavor text works for CCGs. I just ignore flavor text on CDG cards, though. Funny, that.

I feel the same about both. Like with MtG, I sometimes read my flavor text. Sometimes,
it even bugs me that it's there.
Report Spam   Logged
usrlocal
Magnificent Bastard
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 448


Tony Clifton's love child


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Gallery Linux User Level 5
« Reply #9 on: July 25, 2014, 09:59:40 pm »

I just mentioned this over in the "played recently" thread.

Yeah. That's what convinced me to post. I would HATE hearing every card read out.


It works for an RPG-like game such as Arkham Horror....that is until you've played the base game so many times that you know all the cards. I guess that's why the expansions are also useful - new and different cards.
Report Spam   Logged
Sluggonics
Fancy Lad
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 107


Tell you what, Smithers- have him beaten to a pulp


View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
100 Posts Search Level 5
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2014, 10:03:24 pm »


However, we just got done playing a game of Arkham Horror and reading all of the flavor text aloud is just part of the experience. I mean it's just not the same reading an encounter card and going "Luck Check -2, passed, I get two Clue Tokens. Next!".


I had the displeasure once of playing Arkham Horror with a 'maximal efficiency' Euro group - no reading of flavor text, just mechanically motoring through and going for 'optimal play'. It was depressing.

Exactly.  As far as I'm concerned, you might as well be playing something about container shipping if you're not going to bother to set the mood for a game like Arkham Horror.
Report Spam   Logged

Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology!
Calandale
Mockingbird
Wyrd
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 983


I mock you


View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
Search 500 Posts Karma Bad
« Reply #11 on: July 25, 2014, 10:09:37 pm »

Reading those cards doesn't effect my mood in any good way.

Might explain why AH didn't impress me all that much.
Report Spam   Logged
usrlocal
Magnificent Bastard
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 448


Tony Clifton's love child


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Gallery Linux User Level 5
« Reply #12 on: July 25, 2014, 10:13:50 pm »

Reading those cards doesn't effect my mood in any good way.

Might explain why AH didn't impress me all that much.

IMHO, you gotta be into the atmosphere of it. Without the atmospherics, it can indeed be a tedious game. The group you're playing with really makes or breaks it.
Report Spam   Logged
Calandale
Mockingbird
Wyrd
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 983


I mock you


View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
Search 500 Posts Karma Bad
« Reply #13 on: July 25, 2014, 10:19:51 pm »

I got a lot more out of Mansions of Madness, in terms of atmosphere.
Report Spam   Logged
anarchy
Passive Aggressive Gamer
Forum Malcontent
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 138



View Profile WWW
Badges: (View All)
Level 5 100 Posts Signature
« Reply #14 on: July 25, 2014, 10:23:03 pm »

Reading all the text in Eldritch Horror really helps with the atmosphere. Mansions of Madness is atmospheric because you have one player that knows the inside details and everyone else is in the dark.

Putting flavor text on the Nemo's War cards was mandatory since I could not guarantee the player had read the book recently (or at all) and I needed to give context for the card effect.

Thumbs up for flavor text!
Report Spam   Logged

Meh.
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
Free SMF Hosting - Create your own Forum

Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy