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Board game recommendations
chuck steak
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I'm wanting to put some board games on my Xmas list, but I've basically never played any beyond the extremely mainstream ones. I want something strategic and deep, but at the same time won't scare off my wife or take five hours to finish.
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although that really is better for a set of 5 people, as with 2, it would be simply just way too much to handle.
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For something simpler, I like The Pillars of the Earth.
+1 to Settlers
add Carcassonne.
Risk 2210 AD is a really brilliant mod for Risk. It limits turns so it completes in 2 - 3 hours and has some really interesting alterations. Bonus is, you can play vanilla risk with the board if you wish, although ever since getting 2210 AD a few years back, my friends and I haven't played vanilla.
Secret Satan
Powergrid is a good one too, up to six people.
@As7, is Guillotine actually enjoyable to play? The theme is hilarious to me.
Non-random, strategic, non-5 (non-1 hour, honestly) hour long game.
But it is kinda 'mainstream' as far as boardgames go.
Unless 'mainstream' in your OP means, like, monopoly and risk and nothing else.
Wii U Topazfalcon (yes I play MH3U, preferably with a headset/mic usage)
Let me know if you add me on either.
Dominion, especially if you or the people you know know and enjoy Magic: the Gathering, is incredibly easy to pick up and play.
t: @nataliepi | fb: fb.com/hernandeznlh
Munchkin is a really good one. Super easy to get into too.
Also, I throw my support behind Catan and Dominion.
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/111714/boardgames-citadels-for-when-you-need-a-game-for-over-5-people/p1
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/148688/board-games-cylons-in-the-stone-age-and-communications-interupted-/p1
And I don't think it's on there, but Kingsburg is probably one of my favorites right now. I'd list it with Agricola, Caylus, Le Havre and Galaxy Truckers.
The Game of Thrones board game is good if you're looking for strategy - it takes 2-3 hours if you've played it before, roughly 4-5 the first time.
The Battlestar Galactica board game is another one good for larger groups (4-6), with a strong co-operative element.
I'll second Pandemic.
Oh, and Shadows Over Camelot, which is a 3-5 player game where the players co-operate against the game itself. Great fun, but very, very hard - but good if you want to avoid games where you play *against* other players.
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Most of these I'm not shit-talking because I don't like them, just pointing out flaws that may or may not be deal-killers to you; it's almost more important for you to know what the downsides of these games are than the upsides when choosing one:
Carcassone: the scoring can take awhile, and can be kind of offputting to newer players.
Agricola: very complicated, I'd recommend against starting anyone on this one, but it is a great game to move up to.
Dominion: has, like, no aesthetic/thematic to it; it's a very straightforward game, with very little luck. This is my second-favorite game, and is a great place to start if you don't mind the lack of luck and theme.
Ascension: more of an aesthetic/thematic element than Dominion, but not much; also, it is very heavily luck-based. Like, once you've gotten the basic strategy for the game down, it's pretty much 100% luck. It plays quickly, though, and this is a game I like to play while I'm waiting for more people to show up, or only have a little time to kill.
Battlestar Galactica: My favorite game. However, this is not a game for people who take games super-seriously; there are some hardcore backstabbing elements, that very strongly reward being able to lie well. Also, very complicated, especially with the most recent expansion. Probably not a great game to start with (a good one to move up to), but fucking amazing, even moreso if you're familiar with the show.
Shadows Over Camelot: Don't buy this game. It's okay the first couple of times you play through it, but it is really easily "solvable," in that there's one way to play it in order to try to beat it, and you should use the exact same strategy every time. You're basically just finding out if the cards and traitor are going to allow you to win or not.
Settlers of Catan: This is the "gateway drug" of serious boardgames, however trading has a huge influence over the game, and if you don't like that, you're not going to like the game.
Kingsburg: If you get this game, get the expansion. The expansion improves the game tremendously. It's a thoroughly mediocre game without the expansion, and a great game with it.
Munchkin: I don't like this game, but a lot of people do. It's pretty much entirely luck-based, and the endgame turns into "everyone gangs up on the person in first place." It's very accessible, though.
Munchkin is also good and super easy to get into and there are a ton of expansions. The game can take a little while with a lot of players, but it's never too long.
First off, I am seconding Battlestar Galactica. It's a pretty damn awesome game.
Second, two good games to use as fillers or for a nice break are Last Night on Earth (a really fun zombie apocalypse board game that would be great for Halloween) and third, I always have to recommend Apples to Apples. It's like the ultimate group board game when you just want to take a break from the serious strategy and just have a little improv comedy fun.
also, check out dicetower.com, dude does video reviews of games and really does a great job of showing the good/bad/ugly of games he reviews. Particularly, check out http://www.dicetower.com/top_ten_lists/games_everyone_should_own.html many of the games mentioned in this thread are on there, it could give you an idea of what to expect.
Space Alert: because it's awesome and I've gotten 'casual players' hooked to it. A lot of hectic fun and the best co-op game out there.
Dixit: Very casual friendly, creative - good fun. Plays well with 4-5.
Blokus: (for 4 players). Incredibly easy rules and fun.
Dice Town: if you need an easy filler, not so much strategic depth.
Say Anything: Not strategic in any sense, just fun with friends.
The Resistance (for 5 players and up): One of the best party games. Similar to werewolves, you try to find the spies within the group.
Time's Up (preferably with 4 or 6 players): Also a good party game. Usually we play with our own cards (give everyone about 40/#players white cards, write names, put in hat).
If you like card games then for 4 players Tichu is also a great option. Adds extra strategy.
Bang! the bullet: Shoot each other with cards! Limited strategy.
Where I think my suggestions differ from most mentioned earlier is that these are more about simply having fun with 4-5 whereas dominion, agricola etc are in my opinion more 'multiplayer solitaire points games' where you play on your own for a while (buy some X with Y over here), some limited player interaction, and compare in the end who racked up most points. They definitely add more satisfaction if the group is looking for that; seeing who plays best.
Other popular gateway game that is usually recommended that I don't see here is Ticket To Ride.
edit2: wow, I looked over the 'deep' part and focused on the 'wife likes it' part. In that case definitely check out Space Alert, resistance and consider Tichu. Most of the other stuff I mentioned isn't deep at all.
King of Tokyo is a pretty casual dice game where you battle other monsters to become the King of Tokyo. I haven't played it with anything less than 5 people so far though so I'm not sure what the 2-player game is like.
Alien Frontiers I would say is similar to Catan in some respects. It's a game of resource management, worker placement and luck. There's no trading between players in Alien Frontiers as every player has access to the 2 resources available (although to varying degrees, depending on worker placement etc.)
King of Tokyo I would say is a better choice if you're looking for a fun casual game with not too much strategy. If you decide to pick up Catan then I'd definitely have a look at Alien Frontiers.
It's a co-operative game where you and up to three others attempts to nab four treasures from a sinking island and escape. Variable difficulty, gorgeous assets, and all for around 13$.
Settlers of Catan: Here's the thing about Settlers of Catan, the base game is pretty bland once everyone has it figured out. By bland, I mean the paths to victory, and the associated strategies, are pretty inflexible. If you're like me you're really going to want those expansion modules (Seafarers and Cities), and that's another $40 each, and another $20 for the respective 5-6 player expansions for each module (plus one for the base game). I think I've got my money's worth out of it, but I just thought I'd offering a warning that you will probably spend more than $40 on that game if you like it.
I had fireball island when I was ten or so. I seem to recall something like "Chutes and Ladders meets Mousetrap," but geez that was a long time ago.
I'm pretty much over Settlers of Catan, personally, for the reasons Arbitrary mentioned. I think it might have been Napoleon who said that in history, the only constant is geography; in Settlers of Catan, geography is the only variable. The strategies are more or less constant, at least in the base edition.
Battlestar Galactica is pretty awesome. It does a great job not only at making use of the source material, but it also captures the feel of the source material in that every minor crisis each turn feels like life or death for the human team. Every single game, I've felt at some point like things were utterly hopeless, and that can in turn lead to some spectacular moments where you suddenly get a lucky roll and destroy that Cylon boarding party just before it gets to the airlocks or score a lucky on that basestar. As Bill Adama says frequently on the show, "Sometimes you gotta roll a hard six," and you absolutely fucking do in BSG: The Boardgame.
I have a hard time getting people to sit down for a game of it, though, because when you fail, you fail spectacularly, and there's that constant sense of uncertainty and despair for the humans. Also, since everyone takes every decision super-seriously like it's the decision which might ultimately kill you, the game can drag as everyone indulges in a little analysis paralysis.
My favorite competitive board game recently is Merchants and Marauders. 17th/18th century age of sail in the Caribbean theme, lots of paths to victory which means that no one is every completely out of the game. It's one of those games where even though you're rooting against your opponent, you're also very interested to find out how the story of his character is going to turn out. The rules are fairly complicated, so your first game will take three or four hours, but once everyone understands the rules, you should be able to finish a game in 1-2 hrs.
Another one I recommend is heroscape, which is a miniature game (think Warhammer) but much more accessible. It's a ton of fun to play and you actually build your terrain which makes it a bit more visually appealing and interesting than your average board game. Things can get really crazy, especially if you have multiple sets. On the negative side, setup takes quite a while and I have heard that the quality of the components has gone down a bit in newer releases, however.
The problem with Forbidden Island in my experience is that it's very easy even with a full complement of players for one or two people who are the most engaged and have the best planning skills to essentially take over and play the game "for" everyone else ("You go here, then she does this, then I'll...") while everybody else just sits there.
Hey, I still have Fireball Island somewhere in the attic! You mean it's actually worth something?
Since we're on the topic of oldies, I really liked HeroQuest as a kid. It's basically D&D for dummies. The rules take a bit of time to get, especially if you're the dungeon master, but man was it ever awesome when I was little. Of course, I'm now in my twenties, so you know, sweet childhood memories and all that.
You're like a five years younger, non-American version of myself, aren't you?
Yes it is enjoyable. I particularly like it as a game to have conversation over and have played it on many a first date to some success.
A group game I found very fun is Revolution. The more players the better as it does rely on an auction mechanic.
Dixit is also an amazing party game but you need 4 to 6 people.
Secret Satan
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Bang! is also pretty fun and easy, but has a major drawback in the player elimination where one player can get killed early and then gets to watch the rest of the game.