Okay - I have about a dozen games on my Christmas list including the following FFG games - Cosmic Encounter, Kingsburg, two Descent expansions, the Dunwich expansion to Arkham Horror and...Tannhauser. I don't know much about actual gameplay but I love the theme. I'm a bit of a completist and tend to buy most (if not all) expansions to the games I really like. I've sunk quite a bit of change into Battlelore and am heading in the same direction with Descent. My gaming group are all relatively experienced gamers (though most are more comfortable with Catan than Arkham Horror) but none have any experience with Tannhauser.

With that background, is Tannhauser worth the investment? It's a fairly pricey game with one major expansion and multiple character expansions (which I would feel compelled to buy). Outside the FFG forums, I've read some mixed reviews of the game mechanics and am concerned the rules may have some "flaws" - especially given that FFG is planning on a reissue that apparently includes rules changes. Should I wait for the reissue? Is this a game with a steep learning curve that would make it inaccessible to your typical gaming group? Are there any unusual mechanics or basic game characteristics that might turn off some gamers?

I know these are pretty basic questions that are probably covered in part somewhere in the forum but I appreciate any feedback.

tannhauser is deffinatly worth it, and at the moment you only have 1 expansion to catch up on, not including any single minis you want, its a great game with a wealth of free fan made stuff as well for it.

get that first then dunwich second,,,,,,as i allready have that,, but you have further to go to complete a set of AH stuff..

Tannhauser is a fantastic game. I love the backplot, the character designs, the artwork. I especially love the Pathfinder system because it makes line of sight questions immaterial (on maps that would otherwise probably be a nightmare.) I only have one real gripe about the game, which is that although it claims to support 2-10 players, it really only supports 2 with any practicality. The reason it claims to go up to 10 is because there are two teams with 5 soldiers each and you could, if you wanted, play a 5v5 game where each player controls one character. Considering how quickly characters can die in this game, that's not a lot of fun for the ones who die first. As a 2 player game where each player has 5 characters, though, it is great fun. 2v2 is probably okay too, although I haven't tried it.

As far as the reprinting of the rules, I wouldn't let that stop you unless you really, really want a nice glossy book to reference at the table. The new rules will most certainly get posted online here at FFG's website for you to download. It's also not unlikely that a seperate printed rulebook will be available through the webstore for those who don't want to repurchase the entire game.

The only really unusual game mechanic in Tann is the Pathfinder system, which is a very easy mechanic to figure out and it makes things a lot easier to play, so I don't think your gaming group will have a problem with that. The Reich side is pretty easy to figure out, but the Union does have a significant learning curve. The Reich will probably win the first few games you play until you figure the Union out, so I'd suggest letting those in your group who prefer a challenge take the Union, and those who prefer an easy casual experience use the Reich. If your group prefers Catan to Arkham Horror, well, this game is definitely on the Arkham side of that line. Hard to say how they'll react since I don't know them myself, but if they're willing to give Arkham a shot now and then, they'll probably be willing to do the same for this.

Let the strongest Cataners play Reich the first time. A relatively easy win will draw them into the game whereas getting their ass kicked as the Union might turn them off

Until we see what FFG has planned I'd say wait, especially if you have other games you want and know you'll like. Expansions have been slow to come out and the theme in English translations are weak. It's a great game but I'd wait to see FFG's going to expand it regularily like they do their other games or if it'll stay on the backburner.

And as for the player elimination, I haven't really had that problem. In death match we're usually all dead in a few turns or down to a three or four characters so the others could play a quick game of Citadels or something. In capture the flag we usually have respawns where one of your items is destroyed (usually non-consumable) and come back after a turn w/ a different pack. Once you've gone through all your packs you lose your special item and have to scrounge around for the weapons of characters who died or, if the game doesn't look like it'll last much longer, run back to where you died and pick up the special. Not very thematic, but then neither is stealing someone's flag under a German mansion w/ there's an occult equivalent of a nuke in the basement.

whats the point in waiting? the game isnt going to change, just a free downloadable rule sheet or two, get it.play it. enjoy it, then the rule revisions will be easy as to pick back up

Steve-O said:

Thanks for the detailed response. I especially appreciate the info on the suitability of the game (or lack thereof) for more than two players. One of the "flaws" complained of in some reviews of the game is the low survivability of characters. Survivability is less of an issue if each player controls multiple characters. I'm thinking of pushing Tannhauser up to the top of my list with the assumption that I will treat it as a two-player game.

Also, how quickly does it play in practice? FFG advertises it as being playable in 1-2 hours but they also claim Arkham Horror can be played in 2 - 4 hours (4 is more of a minimum in my experience).

time does vary with the level/scenario you play, we have had some that lasted 20 mins!! but usually 45-60 mins as a good average

Marximus said:

FFG is known for being a little... optimistic... with their estimated play times, this is true. However, Tannhauser began life as a French game made by the company Take On You and FFG was only translating it into English. As a result, the average play time on the box is uncommonly accurate for an FFG game . Play time might increase with the new rules revisions, but I wouldn't expect it to change too much.

Out of your list I would put Cosmic Encounter first, since it appears to be pretty different from some of the games you already have. I do love Tannhauser, but Descent with it's tactical combat quest type of gameplay is kinda the same type as Tannhauser. Either way you won't be disappointed, they are all fun games. The 2.0 rulebook will be downloadable for free anyway and all of the components will remain the same, so you won't be buying an obsolete product.

Read the rules for the games and look at some session reports on geekdo.com. Well, reading the rules for Cosmic Encounter really does not give you an idea of how chaotic (and fun) it can be, but ...

sepayne7l said:

Thanks for the tip on Cosmic Encounter. I'm actually getting a chance to play a game or two at a local Con next weekend. The owners of my friendly local gaming store (shout out to the Green Dragon in Charleston, SC) are huge Cosmic Encounter fans and swear it has the most replayability of any game in their shop. Maybe, I'll have to get both Cosmic Encounter and Tannhauser...