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Subject: 
Re: "X-pod Play Off" Review
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.games
Date: 
Sun, 4 Apr 2004 00:18:42 GMT
Viewed: 
8867 times
  
Hello Martin,

I’m so glad to see someone else discussing the X-Pod game. I had posted some of my inital thoughts on it in this thread:

http://news.lugnet.com/games/?n=255

In lugnet.games, Martin Humel wrote:
   Many of you may have seen the new sets called “x-pods” from the desginer/creator Theme. All who don’t, take a closer look on the official homepage. There you can also find&download the free rules + boards for the game.

http://www.lego.com/x-pod

:)

   The game is called “X-Pod Play Off” and is played totally offline. something (nearly) new for Lego.

I agree, this seems like a new thing for them. But I think it’s a terrific idea, and one that only serves to enhance the enjoyment of the product... possibly selling a few more units along the way.

   After reading through the rules, it had to get some of those pods. The packs were so cheap (5Euro or 3$), that I dared to do it.

I was excited to see/buy the pods even before I knew of the game. They sell for $4.99 here, in Canadian dollars.

   Ganeral game experience:

Everyone who loves strategy games, will love this game. The big plus is that there is no need of a dies or something else witch needs luck. The game can be compared to chess. The only difference is, that the rules for play-off are a little bit more complex. The rules are long, but easy to understand.

Although I haven’t had a chance to play the game yet, I did download and read all the rules. I think your comment about them being ‘long’ is very accurate. My concern was that they might be so long as to be challenging for younger players to read and digest on their own. I would guess that many kids would need an adult to help them understand all the aspects of the game and its many rules.

   After the first game I was really impressed by the game-depth and all those strategies.

I’m glad to hear that it holds up in that way.

   Bugs I found:
  • are less parts than needed (2xNr.14 (#44302) & 1xNr.15 (44567)) in the wild-pod. (take a look @ peeron.com !)
  • “Yellow flyer” Lvl1 has an ability called “brick”. I think that they ment “none”.
  • third starting-option of the Auto-pod contains a model called “Roller”. I am sure that they ment the “Rollabout”
  • second starting-option of the Robo-pod allows only a Lvl1 Fixit-I don’t know if this was intended...

What I found a little confusing was that the complete set of rules... isn’t really complete. You still need to download and use the help sheets found in the separate sheets for the X-Pod color you’re using. This is o.k. but I think a comprehensive set of rules and tips in one document would have been a better way to go.

As well, page 1 of the rules mentions, “when you finish the tutorial, your next step is to visit the Getting Started section of this website. Then, when you’ve gotten the hang of the game, move on to the Advanced Rules and Strategies.” I can’t seem to find the link to the first thing mentioned and it’s not clear whether or not the Advanced stuff is intended to be found online or in the printed rules. Again, a bit confusing.

Final nit-pick... with 27 pages of rules it would have been nice to include a quick set of sample moves. There are examples of how each movement and action works, but nothing to put them into the context of an actual game.

To me the rules read like a beta version that still need some editing. This is just my gut feeling and isn’t intended as a criticism so much as a commentary. I still think this game is a very cool idea for some very cool products!

   Hints/Tricks:
  • pod may open accidently in a bag. To prevent that use a tecnic axle #6, which is put through the axleholes. That keeps them closed under many conditions.

That’s an excellent suggestion! Maybe they’ll include an axle as a bonus part in the Series II X-Pods. (Wishful thinking on my part... I’m extremely optimistic that these will sell well and that we’ll see subsequent releases in this theme)

  
  • board with the size A4(European) or letter (USA) can be too small for a crab or other giants. Create your own boards with moveable obstacles, to create new boards for every match!

I was wondering about making boards out of LEGO bricks or plates. :)

   Thoughts:
  • may be cool to create own teams. For that, it is necessary to create a “key” or a sheet with rules to create them. I have tried to find one with the 4 pods, but i havn’t found it yet. Is there anyone who is able to find an adequate system?

Martin, can you elaborate a bit more on this item? I’m just not exactly sure what you’re describing, but maybe I’m not reading it correctly.

  
  • game is a must for Lego-events/gatherings. It would be really cool if there are real turnaments or something like that... 8)

I agree. And since it’s already reasonably complex, it suits itself nicely to adult gatherings, not just for kids. :)

I had also wondered about expansion rules to give the game even more depth. Perhaps other themes (beyond the four X-Pods), or additional movements/actions that the creatures could perform.

   If you have a different oppinion or even criticism, let us all know...

I hope we hear more discussion of this game.

All the best,
Allan B.



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: "X-pod Play Off" Review
 
In reply to the own Teams: Its a little bit complex, but I think that this is the right way: Every Team has 8 Models. One of them is a *any-brick-to-create*. Every Action "costs" activity points. Every Team has the same amount of these points. The (...) (20 years ago, 4-Apr-04, to lugnet.games, FTX)

Message is in Reply To:
  "X-pod Play Off" Review
 
Many of you may have seen the new sets called "x-pods" from the desginer/creator Theme. All who don't, take a closer look on the official homepage. There you can also find&download the free rules + boards for the game. The game is called "X-Pod Play (...) (20 years ago, 3-Apr-04, to lugnet.games, FTX)

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