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Post by araman on Aug 27, 2015 10:02:24 GMT -5
Bret, now that you mention it, I vaguely remember "Monsters of the Midway." I also remember a boxing game that was published in Dragon Magazine, circa late 70s (possibly early 80s) but don't recall the name right now. I remember it being quite fun, but that could be due to my pair of rose-colored glasses.
Also I vaguely remember a game called "Blood Bowl." I don't remember details, but wasn't it based on football?
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Post by vladtaltos on Aug 27, 2015 11:34:51 GMT -5
I'm glad you enjoyed the write-ups, MFB and araman. It was long, araman, but at least it didn't involve tearing 1,200+ cards from their perforated sheets. Blood Bowl was based on football. I don't know anything about it, but I did see it here and there in the stores. I think I read the rules at one point. Huge box. It may be fun?! Despite my opinion of it, Statis-Pro still has its fans to this day. The fans still produce cards every year for the game, and sell them over the internet (from what I read Avalon Hill stopped producing the game around '92 in some sort of dispute with the NFL over royalties.) APBA football and SOM football, too, have their fans, but I think a lot (or some) prefer the online/PC versions of the game, with no number crunching/dice rolls/bookkeeping. Stopping now before I think of something else to write about.
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Post by mister frau blucher on Aug 27, 2015 13:43:16 GMT -5
Ringside! That was the boxing game, from Dragon number 38 I believe. I played it a few times, then lost it to a cousin! I think there was a boxed set produced by TSR that collected some of the best Dragon games, like Mon of the Midway, Ringside, File 13, and Emporer's Treasure (the last two were Tom Wham games - File 13 was hilarious). I might have to track that down.
Blood Bowl was from games Workshop, and I was kinda stoked for it when I first saw it. But seeing it played, it was less than I hoped and the players were pretty much the same, no differing skills from player to player - unless you got the book of Star Players (making you spend more and more to play the game was part of GW's business strategy even then...). The guys who played it enjoyed it, but that was actually what sent me back to tinkering with Monsters of the Midway.
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Post by araman on Aug 27, 2015 19:31:43 GMT -5
I don't think I have that issue any more. I lost a few boxes of games and gaming stuff that a friend of mine was holding for me back in the mid 80s. I might have to check. You never know. File 13 rings a really faint bell, in a positive way, but that's about it.
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Post by darkscar on Aug 28, 2015 9:12:50 GMT -5
Great posts, guys, you gave me a lot to think about. I'll check out some of these's company's websites to see how their games strike me, and maybe do some digging on Board Game Geeks, to see if a new design, a recent game, has been developed that plays in something under 2 hours. Thanks one and all. Great stories!
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Post by darkscar on Sept 9, 2015 9:18:38 GMT -5
Well, gents, it's THAT time of year again. Tomorrow night, the NFL kicks off its 50th season in the "Modern Era" (defined as the debut of the Super Bowl, 1966--the year when all cool things were born). If you watch a game and wonder why the 50 yard line is painted gold, that's why.
It's time for those predictions and prognostications. I'll start if off by doing something I haven't done before. I won't predict the Saints to go to the Super Bowl. Shocking news! Instead I'm going further out on the limb and predicting MFB's Lions to be the NFC rep. in the Super Bowl this year. They have the talent, the pieces in place. If not now, when? The Lions are one of a few teams to never have played in a SB. Now's the time to make it happen.
Over in the AFC...have you noticed how quickly and quietly the Kansas City Chiefs have put together a very solid team? Nicely done K.C., but NO, you'll lose in the AFC title game to the Indianapolis Colts. Colts-Lions in Super Bowl 50. You heard it from Darkscar first.
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Post by vladtaltos on Sept 10, 2015 9:32:51 GMT -5
Will it be... Super Bowl 50: A Return to Super Bowl 1 Packers v Chiefs?
Both teams will be very good, methinks, and it will make for a great story as the season unfolds, but I think both teams fall short of the Big Game. But first, I'll take a hard look at my ATL Falcons...
The Pre-Season, and why I think it's vastly more important than Darkscar's "So-Called Experts" claim: Did your team do anything unusual after pre-season game#3? That's the week the starters play longer than in any other pre-season game, and the week you can really get a good feel on where your team stands heading into the season. If they make drastic changes, that's a sign things are not well.
My team's entire O-line were outed by Mr. Suh and his band of merry men on the Dolphins' defensive front. Ryan was sacked three times by the midpoint of the 2nd quarter, and had taken so many shots he was pulled out of the game before halftime. That was not the plan going into that game. Since then, the Birds have completed their purge of the O-line. Almost their entire offensive line is now gone, replaced by brand new guys who've never played together.
The Falcons will go into the Monday night game vs the Eagles with four brand new starters on the O-line. If there was ever a recipe on how to get blown out of your first game of the season, that is it. Look for the Eagles to do just that, and look for the Eagles to ride the wave all the way to the NFC title this year. I see them blowing out a few very good teams in Chip Kelly's offense, and making it to the Golden Anniversary game of the Super Bowl.
Over in the AFC, I too, like the Colts. I think the Ravens take a minor step back, and in the end the Colts prevail over the Patriots, Chiefs, and the rest, winning the AFC crown.
As for my beloved Atlanta Falcons, I see them starting the season 0-3, 1-4, but then getting it together and finishing strong, powered by a much improved, young defense. I see them at 8-8. Another year gone, and another year of Matt Ryan's explosive talent wasted by managements failure to surround him with a decent O-line. Maybe next year. Maybe next year...
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Post by mister frau blucher on Sept 10, 2015 16:24:04 GMT -5
Wow, Darkscar, my Lions in the big game, eh? Losing Suh will be big, but i think we can overcome it. We will miss Levy in the middle for a few weeks, that is bad. But upon his return, the personnel settle down and play Austin's scheme to perfection. The offense should be more consistent this year, the second in the new scheme, and hopefully they get Stafford's mechanics improved. Running game should be better. So MAYBE...but ultimately, I see the NFC title game being between the Pack and the Seahawks, with the Pack going on to the Bowl.
On the AFC side, I think the Colts will host the Patriots in the championship game, and finally beat their nemesis when it counts.
And in the big game - the Pack wins. Boring, I admit...and I hope I'm wrong!
On the Falcons - I think your summation is pretty spot on, Vlad. The O line was a mess, but I think it will get better as they figure out hw to play with each other and to the scheme. The D will be solid, I think.
The Saints - losing Graham is big, but I wouldn't be surprised if they make a run and get a Wildcard berth. There is still a lot of talent and a lot of smarts on that team.
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Post by ednote on Sept 14, 2015 21:21:26 GMT -5
Valdaltos, I trust you don't object too much in missing your guess.
Regards, Ed
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Post by vladtaltos on Sept 15, 2015 9:11:54 GMT -5
I don't mind at all, ednote. I expected the game to be more like the second half. I was surprised the line held up as well as it did (maybe you can put together an O-line in the NFL in a week) and that we had a nice running game. Julio Jones was a beast again, but I was impressed with our rookie running back, Tevin Coleman, a nice slashing runner who was tough to bring down.
I don't know that I saw enough to get away from my 8-8 prediction, but I thought the Eagles' offense would come out a lot smoother and fly down the field. Maybe our defense had something to do with that. Good win for my Birds in front of a great crowd last night!
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Post by ednote on Sept 27, 2015 22:39:41 GMT -5
Vladaltos, methinks you had a typo in an earlier post. Apparently you meant to type 3-0, not 0-3. Congrats to your Falcons. Regards, Ed
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Post by vladtaltos on Sept 28, 2015 9:30:14 GMT -5
Vladaltos, methinks you had a typo in an earlier post. Apparently you meant to type 3-0, not 0-3. Congrats to your Falcons. Regards, Ed I'm glad you caught that, ednote. Yeah, I meant something else entirely... Well, what I can say? I'm pleasantly stunned. Never before have I seen an offensive line play this well when they've been thrown together 10 days before the start of the season. They literally sent four starters from their O-line packing or to the bench, and brought in players from all points to form this unit. And Julio Jones? Good gosh, they guy's playing on a bum hamstring and still putting up record numbers for this point in the season. And from nowhere we have a running game. The right coach with the right message makes all the difference in the world. Now, if they'd just go back to these awesome uniforms, I'd be one happy camper...
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Post by ednote on Oct 4, 2015 19:42:21 GMT -5
If the Falcons go 16-0... "I find your lack of faith - disturbing" Regards, Ed
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Post by vladtaltos on Oct 5, 2015 9:07:49 GMT -5
If the Falcons go 16-0... "I find your lack of faith - disturbing" Regards, Ed If they go 16-0 I'll...I'll...I'll do something totally unnecessary, I assure you. The 49 year body of evidence of this team screams: Be skeptical! It's been fun so far, however. I hope Julio Jones stays healthy; he's nursing a hamstring and foot injury, and looked a little out of the mix yesterday. ednote, what's the vibe up there in Nashville? Everyone liking that rookie QB?
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Post by mister frau blucher on Oct 6, 2015 9:04:35 GMT -5
Well, that was brutal. Another instant classic for the Lions.
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