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GhostBusters the board game
11-29-2015, 04:26 PM
Post: #1
GhostBusters the board game
Yesterday I got to play the new Ghostbusters board game. Here are my thoughts:

Miniatures- The miniatures are fantastic. You get quite a bit in the base set and all of them look amazing. I think the base set comes with 20 x class 1 ghosts, 15 x class 2 ghosts, and 10 x class 3 ghosts. Plus three bosses: slimmer, Stay-Puft, and one other (I don’t recall this one from the films and didn’t immediately recognize its name). Also included is four ghostbusters and Ecto-1.

Game pieces - The base box come with some nice game pieces like custom d6 dice with the Ghostbuster logo on the 6 and the gate die which has the symbols from the first movie when Venkman was doing the physic test at the university There is also some standard card stock tokens to represent slime and gates. The biggest issue with the Game materials is that the card stock used for the character sheets is very thin, and considering that you have to slide a marker across the bottom to keep track of your buster’s EXP, I could see the card getting warped or damaged after a few games.

Game play – The game works within a scenario or campaign. I think the game comes with three one shot scenarios and three campaigns of 4 games. The scenarios have nice back stories and each setup is different which adds to the challenge. The turn breaks down as such: Each ghostbuster gets two actions and one maneuver a turn, the actions consist of movement, shooting, driving Ecto-1, cleaning slime off another ghostbuster, or using all your actions to clean slime off yourself. The maneuvers consist of getting into or out of Ecto-1 or passing ghost traps to another ghostbuster. After all ghostbusters have had their turn then you roll for ghost spawning. The main objective for each scenario is to close the gates (if you’re playing the boss battle then you must close the gates then fight the boss). The methods for closing the gate change in each scenario, which adds to the variety. There are a certain number of ghosts (various classes) that start on the board and occasionally some will spawn from the gates, but more often than not they escape from your trap. Catching ghosts is pretty straight forward, once you have line of sight then you fire often needing a 3 or 4+ to successfully hit, depending on the class some ghosts require more than one hit to capture. If you miss the shot then the ghost moves either in a random direction or toward the ghostbuster. But other than missing a shot (or hitting a higher class ghost will cause it to move) the ghosts remain static. Depending on your character or scenario capturing ghosts at times tend to be a low priority. I found myself hoping the ghosts had a more active role in the game or that like LNOE someone played as the ghosts. In the base set you can only choose from the 4 main ghostbusters (although they are releasing more in upcoming expansions). Each Ghostbuster has a predefined role, Stanz is the healer, Zedmore excels in ghost containment, Venkman is strong in combat and defense, Egon is mostly offensive. Because there are no random traits or upgrades (beyond their EXP bonuses which help the group and add to the Ghostbuster’s predestined role) I felt that after a few games and each player got a feel for their character and role within the group the game because almost too easy. There are certain mechanics that ramp up the difficulty, but only in making the ghosts and bosses harder.

Verdict – The game is fun and would be more fun with the right players and some booze, the game mechanics are very simple, making it easy to learn. The mini’s are great and fully painted would be fantastic looking. However, the gameplay can get boring as it plays like a beat-em up style video game - shoot ghosts, close gates, repeat. What this game needs is some sort of environment mechanic like Arkham Horror encounters or the Environment cards in LNOE to add some randomness and excitement. Also, more movement with ghosts or having a ghost player would greatly help the game. Considering the base game without any Kickstarter expansions is $80-85 bucks I would say buy this only if you are a hardcore fan. I love the movies and the cartoons, but the game wasn’t fun enough…to justify the price.
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12-04-2015, 07:55 PM (This post was last modified: 12-04-2015 07:57 PM by StayPuft.)
Post: #2
RE: GhostBusters the board game
I haven't played the game yet, and am frankly a little bit upset. Don't get me wrong. I understand this stuff happens. However, I think the way the shipping facility chosen by the makers of this game is shipping it is not very well thought out.

Retail copies of the game were sent out before the VAST majority of KickStarter backers had their copies. Right off the bat, that is a HUGE no-no when it comes to KickStarter. The whole idea of KickStarter is that we are helping to fund your project by buying it BEFORE you've even produced it, with the understanding being we will get cool extras and should typically get the game before it is available in retail.

To be seeing the game in stores while most of us backers are still waiting for our copies is a little bit of a slap in the face. That said.... don't get me wrong. I'm not all that upset because I understand sometimes these things happen with KickStarter projects. It can be hard to nail down release dates, whereas retailers tend to need a more hard-set date, hence why I get why they were prioritized even if it does suck for those of us still waiting for the game.

It was also revealed to the makers of the game (after the fact, mind you) that the shipping company was shipping them by order of complexity, with the simplest orders going out first.

.... So that means me, being a HUGE Ghostbusters fan..... who elected to buy EVERYTHING they offered because it is Ghostbusters and I want to support it..... will wind up being one of the last people to get my copy. So, as a thanks for being one of the people to support them the most.... I'll get my game last. Nice.

LOL! Like I said, just wanting to vent a little. I will be deliriously happy once my copy finally arrives, and will be VERY happy I backed it on KickStarter for all the awesome extras I will get that are NOT included in the retail copies. At least they didn't surprise us after the fact with the news that we'd have to construct the miniatures. :-P They all come already in tact with this game.

Glad to hear your generally positive review. I really, really cannot wait to get my copy!
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12-04-2015, 10:20 PM
Post: #3
RE: GhostBusters the board game
The guy that demoed the game was in the same boat as yourself SP. He too bought everything and was told to expect it around late December. I agree that it's kind of a raw deal for those who backed with a larger share.

As to the game, I think with some updates and maybe some house rules it will pan out to be a pretty good game. Plus the artwork and mini's are amazing. Hope you get your game soon.

FuManJew
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12-04-2015, 11:05 PM
Post: #4
RE: GhostBusters the board game
FMJ quote "would be more fun with the right players and some booze" So would life in general !

OD

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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12-05-2015, 09:30 PM
Post: #5
RE: GhostBusters the board game
(12-04-2015 11:05 PM)Old Dwarf Wrote:  FMJ quote "would be more fun with the right players and some booze" So would life in general !

OD

Amen to that!
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12-11-2015, 09:07 PM
Post: #6
RE: GhostBusters the board game
So far, the buzz I've heard about the game has only been positive. So, I am even more excited to get my hands on it. Still stinks when day after day ticks buy and my copy hasn't even shipped yet...... and yet the comic book store where my gaming group meets has had copies of the retail version for probably about a month now. Frankly, it also doesn't help considering how often KickStarter orders gets screwed up in some fashion. Which... again.... is understandable. They are putting together SO MANY different and unique orders all at once. Mistakes are made.

But, it will certainly suck to wait all this time..... finally get the game.... only to find that something is missing or damaged.

Don't get me wrong. I hate complaining. In all honesty, once the game is in my hands, I will have a giant nerd-gasm and probably explode with excitement, and I'll forget all about the waiting period.
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12-12-2015, 09:20 PM
Post: #7
RE: GhostBusters the board game
I've been looking at this game since the Kickstarter started, and it really does look cool. Am I right in assuming that this game would be just as easy to add content to as LNoE? Because I love that.
Plus the fact that its GHOSTBUSTERS!
Someone post some HQ pics?
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12-13-2015, 02:54 PM
Post: #8
RE: GhostBusters the board game
(12-12-2015 09:20 PM)BigDumbYak Wrote:  I've been looking at this game since the Kickstarter started, and it really does look cool. Am I right in assuming that this game would be just as easy to add content to as LNoE? Because I love that.
Plus the fact that its GHOSTBUSTERS!
Someone post some HQ pics?

Yes, the word is there will be some official expansions, however because the rules are simple it would be easy to modify and add more interesting dynamics without overly complicating the game.
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12-18-2015, 07:10 PM (This post was last modified: 12-18-2015 07:11 PM by StayPuft.)
Post: #9
RE: GhostBusters the board game
Mine just came on Wednesday! WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! As I thought, I am full on nerdsploding now that it is finally in my hands. It is so awesome and is so worth the wait even before I have had the chance to read the rule book or play the game.

I am so happy I backed this on KickStarter. I had forgotten the countless awesome items we are getting that are not available in the retail version. Over the next few days/weeks I will pour through the rule book over and over again and maybe even watch a few YouTube videos on it.

I am going to get ready to bring it to the table for my group. As it is, since I've not yet done any of that, I cannot say for sure..... But I definitely got the impression that it is a very easily customized game. You can obviously play from the scenarios/campaigns that come with the game, but I've gotten the impression that is also very easy to come up with your own. That is awesome if that is true because it allows Cryptozoic themselves to possibly expand on the game in the future, but also allows fans to create their own scenarios/add-ons.

Cannot wait to finally get a chance to play this. Heck, Fearsome Flush alone was enough to make owning the KickStarter version worthwhile. LOL! Kylie helps too. :-)
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