u/BoardGameRevolution

Curious where everyone is buying their games these days.

Do you have a local game store you’re loyal to? A favorite online retailer? Maybe a smaller store with a great website that more people should know about?

Are you loyal to any store, if so why?

Or do you basically go wherever has the best deal at the time?

I’ve finally realized the flaw in the whole “you need to play your games” philosophy.

Sure, I can open the game, play it, and enjoy it. But then what? I’m left with an unwrapped game sitting on my shelf.

Clearly the only reasonable solution is to rewrap every game after I play it.

So I’m looking for recommendations on a good, efficient shrink wrap machine. Ideally something fast enough that I can rewrap a game immediately after every play without turning game night into a two hour packaging operation.

Bonus points if it can make the game look factory sealed again so nobody ever has to know I actually played it.

What are you guys using?

I’m behind on the first season but wondering do I need to panic buy now or should they be reprinting for a while.

I want Underwater and Frank in 4k!

Would there be any interest in interviews with publishers and designers throughout a game’s lifecycle, from development to crowdfunding to fulfillment?

The goal wouldn’t be to create another marketing video. I’d want to ask the questions that backers actually care about. Things like the design process, why certain decisions were made, manufacturing challenges, production updates, shipping, fulfillment, and what happens behind the scenes.

I’d also love to know what questions you’d want answered. If you had the chance to ask a publisher or designer anything during development or after a campaign launches, what would you ask?

If enough people are interested, I think this could be a fun way to get more transparency and insight into how games are made.

Don’t have any game stores near us and we don’t do cons. I hope they consider other ways to get them.

I keep seeing ads for this game and I’m struggling to pull the trigger. I was wondering if anyone here is backing or aleady passed and if so why?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/the-altered/abyss-echo-the-forbidden-rite

Anyone tried the bot with two players competitively? How is the coop mode too? I love the concept of this game but wondering of the bot adds a lot of upkeep.

Im already seeing posts about hygiene issues at Gen Con, and it seems like this conversation comes up every single year.

It really isn’t complicated. Shower, wear clean clothes, use deodorant, and don’t try to cover body odor with half a bottle of cologne or body spray. You’re sharing a space with thousands of other people, and basic hygiene is just common courtesy.

So what’s your take? Has convention hygiene actually gotten worse over the years, or does this discussion just happen every Gen Con? And is this really a board game community problem, or is it just a larger issue whenever large groups of people gather?

A friend of mine asked the team at Gen Con if they had any plans for a solo or co-op mode for Hellbreak. The answer was essentially “no” because it’s a TCG.

That struck me as a bit of an odd reason. There are plenty of trading card games that have embraced solo or cooperative play. Lorcana’s co-op experience has been very well received, and other games have shown there’s definitely an audience for it.

I’d personally love to see Hellbreak tackle something similar. Epic boss battles, scenario based encounters, or a dedicated solo mode could add a lot of replayability without taking anything away from the competitive game.

Hopefully they stay open to the idea as the game grows. I’d definitely be interested in seeing what they could come up with.

What do you all think? Would you play a solo or co-op mode if they released one?

I’ve been reading about how many Atmos releases are created as home mixes rather than preserving the original theatrical dynamics. Some comparisons suggest this can result in noticeably reduced dynamic range, even when dialogue is level matched.

For example, I’ve seen claims that:

The Matrix cinema DTS mix has roughly 7 dB more dynamic range than the Atmos mix, making explosions and major effects substantially more impactful at the same dialogue level.

Turbine’s Twister release includes both Atmos and Auro 3D mixes, and some listeners report the Auro 3D mix preserves much more of the theatrical dynamics, with effects sounding dramatically more powerful than the Atmos version.

If you’ve done direct A/B comparisons, have you noticed the same thing? Is this something you’ve found across multiple titles, or is it limited to certain studios and releases?

I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who has measured the mixes or compared them on a calibrated home theater. Which movies showed the biggest differences?