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Board Games - Arcana has pretty cards and it's a fun game!
Ryadic
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Welcome to the Penny Arcade board game thread!
Grab your meeples and take your seat.
Grab your meeples and take your seat.
New OP by Ryadic:
Welcome to the board game thread. Here is where you will discuss all things related to board and card games. This thread is full of the same people. This OP is designed to get new players involved in a different way. Because board games are more of a social type of gaming than video games, I feel it's best for the players to be known. Because let's face it, if you don't get to know who you're playing with, you probably won't enjoy your experience. Many board games get better with the right group of players.
So with that in mind, let us get started.
New to board games? Here's a quick list of games to get you started.
Most people that look into this hobby has played some board games in the past. Clue, Monopoly, Risk, etc. So if you are new, and have stumbled upon this thread, you're probably looking for games that are similar to that, but more complex. If so, here's a good list for you:
If you like Risk, try looking into Twilight Imperium 3rd edition.
If you like Clue, try looking into Mystery Express.
If you like Monopoly, try looking into Acquire.
If you like Stratego, try looking into Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation: Deluxe Edition or the standard one.
If you're looking to have a pretty small collection, but one that covers a lot of ground, here's a good place to start:
- Worker placement. Stone Age
- 2 player game. Mr. Jack
- Light family game. Ticket to Ride: Europe
- Themed game. Battlestar Galactica
- Epic game. Twilight Imperium
- Filler game. For Sale
- Auction game. Ra
- Card game. Race for the Galaxy
Feel something else should go here for recommendations? Post a list and what it's for and it can be added.
Resources
Below you will find a list of links that are great for gamers to use.
Board Game Geek - What needs to be said this? Well for the people that are coming here that are new to the hobby or looking to get into the hobby, this would be a great place to start. BGG offers a lot of great things that new players and older players alike can appreciate.
Board Game Prices - This site is great for searching a game you want, and finding the best price for it.
Board Game News - Just as the name suggests, it is a great site for news about board games. Release dates, announcements on reprints, expansion updates, etc... Since it's strictly news, it's a bit better than BGG.
Critical Failure's PbP Gaming Index - Darian does an amazing job of keeping a list of current PbP games as well as completed games. Want to play a game on these here boards? Just refer to this thread. Reading through threads also gives you a good overview of how the game flows.
Upcoming conventions
Want to get to a convention and play games? Check out these:
BGG.CON - November 17 - 21 in Irving Texas.
Who's going?
Dracil
PAX East - March 11 - 13 in Boston Massachusetts
Who's going?
antherem
roadblock
roadblock
Know of an upcoming convention? Let me know and I'll update the OP.
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Posts
Ryadic –
2. Race for the Galaxy
3. Power Grid
4. Puerto Rico
5. Beowulf: The Legend
Game recommendations:
Train games are a big genre. There are so many to choose from. If you want to get deep, there’s nothing better than the 18XX series. 18EZ is a good place to start. Slowly gets you into the mechanics until you’re practically playing a full 18XX game. Though these games can last a while. Some can play for 8 hours. For a shorter train game Chicago Express is a solid game, that has players working cooperatively amongst one another. Though you are still trying to win, so while you are cooperatively working together, you’re still trying to screw others over. Age of Steam is a very popular game. Very intense and difficult to get the hang of.
2 player games are very much sought after. They just require one person. Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is a great game. Very short and has a lot of strategic depth to it.
Gene Parmesan -
Chaos in the Old World - 3-4p. Great 4 player game. Each take control of a god from Warhammer, using dark methods to gain power. Play by Post here
Battlestar Galactica - 2-7p. Co-op game based on the show. Great game of suspicion as humans deal with crisis's and try to root out the cylons hidden in the fleet.
Don't even bother:
Flux - Neat idea, too scatter shot to form any strategy
admanb -
2. Chaos in the Old World
3. Agricola
4. Dominion
5. Small World
For those forgotten two-player groups I have a small pile of recommendations:
Twilight Struggle -- card-based Cold War conflict. Moderate difficulty to get started, tons of depth.
Hellenes -- block game of the Peloponnesian Wars. Asymmetrical warfare with a lot of depth. Probably not a game you'd play over and over again, but definitely one to bring out every once in a while.
Fire in the Sky -- a relatively simple, quick-playing game of the entire Pacific War. Balanced and fun.
jakobagger -
Favourite games:
2. Puerto Rico
3.Blood Bowl/Necromunda tie
4.Magic: The gathering
5. Race for the Galaxy
A Game of Thrones and Bushido, both of which I am pbp'ing right now, may very well make the list after a play or two more of each.
Games I want to try:
Twilight Imperium
Dune
Caylus
Republic of Rome
Diplomacy
Dracil -
For games with a real-time component (and force AP-prone people to DO STUFF), Galaxy Trucker and Space Alert are awesome. The latter if you want a co-op.
Those are also games I love, and I also love RftG.
Games I'd recommend against: Probably most Steve Jackson games. Most of them are good for a laugh reading the text the first time you play it, but not much else after.
Da Bid Dabid -
Twilight Imperium: 3rd Edition - 6 hours of bliss.
Tigris and Euphrates - Oh do I love the feeling of winning a huge external conflict to take a monument.
Arkham Horror - Plus its many expansions, hopefully not all at once...
Warmachine - One of the best minis games around, but there is a different thread for that I know.
Twilight Struggle - It does everything right in a card driven wargame.
Formula D - I have some fun homemade Formula D'struction rules for this one.
Space Hulk - Worth tracking down at the ludicrous price they go for.
Bonus: Games that would likely be on this list if I had people to play them with.
Napoleon's Triumph - I think aesthetically it is my favorite game in my collection. I've played it twice and had an absolute blast both times. I'm yet to find someone who says "Oh you like board games AND Napoleonic Warfare! Me Too!"
Space Alert - Wife issues again... more on this later.
Limp moose -
I once Played in the Settlers national championship at gencon and try and teach this game to every new game person I meet. It is just a fun game. While dogged and aged these days to someone that has never played it before it can be quite fresh. There is also a great APP for this on the iphone.
Agricola
This is a FANTASTIC game. so many different strategies to chose. A new way to win each time. A very complex multifaceted game that is usually never the same game twice. Expensive and not the easiest to come by but super fun.
Bootleggers
Not a very popular game but one that with the right people can be super fun. In this game you try to gain influence in speak easy's to sell booze to make a profit. The person who makes 100 grand first wins. Each player controls their own moon shine production, distribution, influence, and can mess with other players. Some of the funniest gaming moments of treachery and deceit have been perpetrated in this game. Each round you bid on cards that can have some dubious effects and the game encourages racketeering, black mail, and protection schemes. An example would be I have a card that says I can steal your truck full of booze. I say give me 3 grand to not use it. You pay. Then I steal it anyway. This is within the rules. The conversations this style of play can result it can be quite fun. And there are enough situations where everyone gets in on the action.
St. Petersburg
This game is similar to a lot of other rio grande games in that it involves building up cities and interacting with other players. I like it a lot. You can plan out your moves several turns in advance and these type of games really appeal to me. It is also a fairly simple game that most people pick up rather quickly. A very EURO game. Give it a shot.
Race for the Galaxy
Swoon, as a former magic player and lover of all things card games coupled with rio grande style city building. This is like crack for me. I
Some games I would like to try that I haven't yet are
Defenders of the realm. (has anyone played this? a review would be awesome.)
Conquest of the Empire
The expansions for Agricola, Rune bound, Race for the galaxy.
And finally here are some games that I want to like but just can't.
Arkham horror.
Cranium.
Seriously. Every single time I go to a house party and people want to play games I run to my car and get Apples to apples, Snorta, The werewovles of millers hollow, ect. All fun party games for non gamers. And some bastard always touts out cranium like they are some board game aficionado because they bought it on sale at walmart. There is a reason it was on sale at walmart, IT SUCKS. You know why I really hate this game. Because every time i play it. Every fucking time I have to make custards last stand out of clay in 2 minutes. This cant be done. Michelangelo couldn't do this. You might get an Indian made. And maybe even a cowboy. But you are not going to make a fucking massacre of dead bodies with arrows in them out of play doh in 2 minutes. There are other challenges that annoy me but, yeah I hate this game. And everyone else seems to really like it. This annoys me.
Captain Marcus -
Axis and Allies. I'm horrible at it but it's always fun to play.
Battle Cry. An amazing Civil War board game for two people.
Hate:
Apples to Apples. Pretty fun, but got old quickly when it was the only game everyone has at parties.[/QUOTE]
SlickShughes -
Dominion
Caylus
R4tG
Small World
Puerto Rico
ratchet -
- Roll Through the Ages
- Mr. Jack
- Galaxy Trucker
- Agricola
- Power Grid
Dislike:
... that's about it. I'm remarkably easy to please.
Looking to try:
- Steam (I figure I should try at least one train game that isn't ticket to ride)
- Mystery Express (maybe this is Clue+)
Other interesting things:
- My second most-played game after Race for the Galaxy is Dominion. Why isn't it on my favorites? Because I only sort of enjoy the game, However it is my wife's favorite game ever, finally ousting Lost Cities from the Throne.
starmanbrand -
2.) Tikal (Gorgeous in looks and gameplay)
3.) Kingsburg (Can't wait to get in some games with the expansion)
4.) Roll Through The Ages (The game my friends will play no matter where/when)
5.) Thunderstone (The game my girlfriend will play no matter where/when. Dominion++!)
Dislike
2.) Chaos In The Old World. I love the theme, loved the bits and board, but man. The gameplay bored the crap out of me and everyone I was playing with. Traded it away after 3 plays.
You're new and should try:
2.) Drakon. A fun game based on stealing from a dragon's dungeon while playing extra rooms (tiles) to help yourself and thwart your competition.
3.) Citadels. Most agree it is best with more, but I am a huge fan of Faidutti's character selection mechanic and have picked up several other games because of it. Good for lighthearted, larger crowds.
Moving has decreased my ability to get 3 or more players. If you're around San Diego and want to play, send me a PM.
Shushnik -
Tongiaki (Best area control, great light game)
Homesteaders (Excellent amalgam of dynamics for a well rounded experience)
Primordial Soup (Best simulation, one of the only simulations that remains a game and is fun)
Santiago (Best economic and negotiation game, one of the best five player games ever)
Dislikes
The only game I completely refuse to play again is Heart of Africa. Bidding for the prize of taking a turn only serves to keep players from playing the game, and causes irrational overbidding due to boredom because you haven't gotten to take a turn in the last 8 bids. A terrible idea, I loathe this game.
You're should try:
All classic OOP GW games, particularly the line lisenced to MB. Space Crusade is epic. HeroQuest is dungeon crawl done right.
Sunken City, for one of the best screw your neighbor dynamics ever as well as being suprisingly strategic for a screw you game.
Representing the Twin Cities. If you're around here and you don't know about the monthly marathons, they're epic. I'd be glad to introduce you to them, or just play sometime.
CptHamilton -
Chaos in the Old World: I've only gotten to play this once but I really liked it. It manages that weird balance between being a risk-style strategic combat game and being an abstract, goal-based game.
Mare Nostrum: This will probably be supplanted by CitOW once I get a few more plays of it in but it's still my area control game of preference for the moment.
Thunderstone/Dominion: I love both. Probably Thunderstone more just because I'm a sucker for a good theme.
Twilight Imperium/Race for the Galaxy: I don't know why I feel like these are the same game but I do and I love both.
Power Grid: This game was super popular when I was getting into boardgaming and seems to have fallen off the map recently. I think it should come back because it is awesome.
Games I Want to Play (more of):
Mystery Express
Battlestar Galactica
Agricola
Chaos in the Old World
Tomb (I don't own this one but it's currently topping my to-get list)
Games I Will Happily Never Play Again:
Munchkin: My wife loves this game so hard. I don't hate it as much as a lot of gamers do, but I'm tired of it. Not so much the cards themselves as we've not played it so many times that I know them all; just the mechanics making the game play out the same way every single time.
Fearsome Floors: It has like a 6.8 or something review on BGG. I have no idea why. We bought it one year near Halloween to add to the stack of holiday-theme-appropriate games (Last Night on Earth, Betrayal, Arkham, etc.). Played it exactly once. Everyone involved agreed that it was a terrible, stupid game and it was never spoken of again.
hacksword -
Honorable Mentions
Hoping to play next
Wilderness War 2010 reprint - this edition has a fully mounted map board, leader boxes for all the leaders, and it looks like the rulebook has been improved with layout and more examples of play.
Gaebril -
Chaos in the Old World
Battlestar Galactica
Race for the Galaxy
Le Havre
Cosmic Encounter
Agricola
Die kutschfahrt zur teufelsburg
Pitchcar
Heroscape
Games I dislike - I will try to be controversial:
Too simple - Pandemic, Lost Cities
Too much chaos - Mystery of the Abbey, Steve Jackson Games, Looney Labs games
Jacoby -
2. Blokus - Quick, abstract, simple on the surface, but with quite a bit of depth
3. Settlers of Catan - A classic!
4. Citadels - Always a great choice for a big group, and it’s one of the simplest and most elegant uses of the “different role each turn” mechanic that I’ve found
5. Guillotine - Simple, random, but it’s always fun and runs quickly, which I always love
Recommendations
- Hive is also a great quick, abstract game with depth, like Blokus.
- Ticket to Ride is also great.
The Ender -
Prophecy - One of the best adventure board games I've ever played, though WoW + Expansion gives it a run for it's money.
Puerto Rico - I'm no good at this game, but damn is it fun to build your own little economic engine in it.
Small World - Best lite fantasy wargame / area control game on the market, period.
Arkham Horror - My favorite solo game, as long as I've got the right group of people and the right expansions and the right rules variants. The base game itself is clunky, and if you don't use some of the common fan variants the game drags out for too long.
Fury of Dracula - Favorite 'track down the hidden bad guy' game.
Cyclades - There is a Kraken mini you get to move around. This is awesome.
Summoner Wars - Very nice, simple, quick & cheap skirmishing / pseudo-miniatures game.
Defenders of the Realm - Pandemic: Super Awesome Fantasy Battle Edition.
Games That Make Me Throw up a Little
Life - Imagine Monopoly. Now, reduce it's popularity and increase it's length by 2-2.5 hours. Sound like fun to you? Get off my planet.
Jenga - Most atrociously designed dexterity game ever.
Clue - Most atrociously designed game ever. I hesitate to even call it a game, but the box seems to insist on the label.
Litejedi -
Dominion
El Grande
History of the World (I know this isn't too popular, but this game scratches an itch in my psyche).
A Game of Thrones
Vinci/Smallworld
Elfenland
Scrabble
Stone Age
Pretty Good:
Power Grid (I get frustrated with the power plant choosing mechanic)
Race for the Galaxy (Setup/takedown is forever with expansions, high learning curve with expansions)
Citadels (Hard to play with fewer than 6)
Not a Fan:
Risk
Steve Jackson stuff
Joe Dizzy -
Chaos in the Old World
Dominion
Fury of Dracula
Junta
Games I'll gladly play whenever they're suggested
Pandemic
Mr Jack
Cash & Guns
Incognito
Illuminati / Hacker
Robo Rally
Games that will get you uninvited at my house
Keltis (and all its stupid knock-offs and variants)
Settlers of Catan
Carcassone
Alegis -
What I like:
Dixit: Also great fun to be had. Like Time's Up it's creative and hilarious. Find some good way to describe your drawing and make sure you win the lottery votes, except not all of them.
Citadels: Love the bluffing aspect along with choosing characters which won't get targeted by the other players. Don't get to play it as often alas as it is kinda harsh for new players. But not too harsh.
Galaxy Trucker: Mix of dexterity, speed and some planning. Unfortunately it takes a while to explain all the different tiles and set-up the board. Quickly build your ship, using tiles before others do and hope it can fend off the challenges that await.
Blokus: Another one of those 'super easy rules, fun to play' games. Tactical enough but not really strategic as you can't really anticipate well on the first moves played before everyone starts to close in. Good fun to be had. The 3D version is shit. 2D is where it's at.
Other recommendations:
Space Alert: Pandemic is boring. Space Alert thus-far the only co-op game I found interesting to play, partly because it can be challenging and the need for individual action rather than playing a solitaire game of swapping cards. What's that, you want to be told what to do? Tough luck, 5 seconds left on the timer and radio silence forbids you from talking. Think! Play! No! Now the gun doesn't have energy! You ruined us all!
Niceguy Myeye -
Puerto Rico
Arkham Horror
Modern Art (Pure bidding style game)
Bang!
Carcasonne
Games I've played a little and want to play more.
Le Havre It's made by the guy who did Agricola. I've only played this once and only with 2 people. I don't like how it plays with 2 people, however.
Games I dislike:
Battlestar Galatica - I completely dislike the 'coop with a traitor' genera in general. Overall, I think there is some sort of issue that they have with balancing the randomness that is necessary from a pure co-op game with having a sentient traitor into the mix.
Munchkin
Zombies!!!
Brass
Inquisitor -
Cosmic Encounter
Chaos in the Old World
Dominion
Puerto Rico
Games I like
Bang
Catan
Pandemic
Small World
Games I dislike
Battlestar Galactica
Caracassonne
Thunderstone
Arkham Horror
Risk, Monopoly, etc.
Alistair Hutton -
Gang of Four - a game for 4 people
Dragon Parade - a very random, lite, filler game perfect for any number up to 5
Ticket to Ride (with 1910 expansion for Big City variant) - The perfect Euro game balance at the lighter end of the scale
Dominion - Nuff said
Puerto Rico - Top rated game on BGG, the perfect euro game balance at the heavier end
Lost Cities - Ideal two player game
Zertz - Can never get enough Zertz.
Games I like
Medici - What can I say, I'm a sucker for Knizia bidding games, I'm this close to getting Modern Art as well.
Carcassone - Haters gonna hate but I like it a lot
Metro - lovely screw your neighbour (and every other player on the board) game.
Hive
The face stabbing list
Zombies
Fluxx
ZOMBIES
Munchkin - Never actually played but I've seen people playing it. I know I would hate it.
Mother fuckin ZOMBIES.
antherem -
War of the Ring
Dominion
Titan
Advanced Civilization
Current Likes:
Smallworld/Vinci
Roll Through The Ages
Pandemic/Forbidden Island
Power Grid
Kingsburg
Situational:
Arkham Horror (no more than 4 players)
Munchkin (has to be REALLY late and I can't have played in the last 6 months)
Games I'll Go Home Rather Than Be Stuck Playing:
Risk (in fairness, LotR Risk actually tries to solve Risk's problems and isn't terrible)
Monopoly
Vampire: Prince of the City (the board mechanics are tedious, fiddly, and ultimately irrelevant. Play Dark Influences instead, it's basically the same game without the board.)
GoodOmens -
Small World
Dominion and Thunderstone
Sometimes games...like cookies!
Puerto Rico
Setters of Catan
RTFG
Cyclades
Das Amulett (a guy at my usual gaming group has a copy, worth a look if you can find it and don't mind German rules)
Battlelore (I regret selling my copy)
Hate hate HATE:
Below is a list of discussions that have taken place about a game. Curious to see what we've been talking about? Well look no further! Great for seeing if that question you have has already been answered.
Zombies!!! vs Last Night on Earth - Discussion continues on through page 2.
LCG vs CCG - Discussion continues on through page 11.
Dominion vs Thunderstone - Discussion continues on through page 13.
So, do we put down a list of games we love/hate/recommend?
Also should we mention cons were going too? Love to grab a game with people on the thread.
Google +
It's for newer players to come and get to know people as well as for newer players to get known.
OPs usually become obsolete when a thread hits 100 pages. Hell, after 25 pages they can be. Hopefully 50 pages later, people are still coming to the OP looking for stuff.
"Hey, we got a new guy in here. Wonder what games he likes. Maybe I can recommend something or get some recommendations from him."
Help that new person feel more welcomed. Not that the thread is hard to get into or anything, but just an idea I had. May fall to shit or may work beautifully. Who knows?
Favorite games
2. Shadows over camelot
3. Chaos in the Old World
4. Twilight Struggle
5. Twilight Imperium
Recommended games
Chaos in the Old World - 3-4p. Great 4 player game. Each take control of a god from Warhammer, using dark methods to gain power. Weight around 2.5
Battlestar Galactica - 2-7p. Co-op game based on the show. Great game of suspicion as humans deal with crisis's and try to root out the cylons hidden in the fleet. Weight around 3. Discussion on the game here
Don't even bother:
Flux - Neat idea, too scatter shot to form any strategy
That's probably good for now.
BGG account
Google +
Favorite games:
2. Chaos in the Old World
3. Agricola
4. Dominion
5. Small World
For those forgotten two-player groups I have a small pile of recommendations:
Twilight Struggle -- card-based Cold War conflict. Moderate difficulty to get started, tons of depth.
Hellenes -- block game of the Peloponnesian Wars. Asymmetrical warfare with a lot of depth. Probably not a game you'd play over and over again, but definitely one to bring out every once in a while.
Fire in the Sky -- a relatively simple, fast-moving game of the entire Pacific War. Balanced and fun.
Apologies if I'm retreading some ground, but I don't peruse enough to have stumbled across that last time the topic came up.
We had 4 or 5 players the last time we played a game, and it just went on forever. With losing half your kills on death, along with the infrequency of getting health/bullets and the odds of getting harmed in combat, it just doesn't seem like a particularly wise win condition to vie for, which just leaves wandering around until the helipad comes down, and then everyone fucking everyone else over turn after turn until someone actually manages to get to the end.
I had fun with the people I played with, but I would've had fun with them if we'd been tossing rocks in a can too. For atmosphere I put on some chapters from the World War Z audio book that I have on my iphone, and eventually we threw out the "lose half your kills on death" rule and winning by attrition still wasn't an effective strategy.
I'm glad we finished it, but I can't see myself struggling through it again (well, for a third time, we have played it once before).
Honestly, I wish I had more people in the area that'd like to give some games a shot. I've got a copy of Hero Quest tucked away at home that I'd love to run through with a pile of people, but my regular gaming crew gets together very infrequently, and out here I have trouble finding more than 2 people at a time that'd be interested, and I really think it'd benefit from having a full contingent of 5 playing.
I was thinking of keeping it limited to the next 4 - 5 months. I dunno. We'll see. I know there are usually a lot of small scale ones. Just to keep the list a little smaller and more managable.
Not that broadly experienced yet, taste about half euro, half ameritrash. Grew up on Games Workshop, was later bitten by radioactive Settlers of Catan-game.
Favourite games:
2. Puerto Rico
3.Blood Bowl/Necromunda tie
4.Magic: The gathering
5. Race for the Galaxy
A Game of Thrones and Bushido, both of which I am pbp'ing right now, may very well make the list after a play or two more of each.
Games I want to try:
Twilight Imperium
Dune
Caylus
Republic of Rome
Diplomacy
From a play by post here in the forums, the Doom boardgame seems to have some similarities, though it was weighted more as a "one player as the monsters versus the other players", and I believe the chatter indicated that in people's experience, it was weighted a little more towards the monsters than the players.
I've also seen talk of a couple of more modular fantasy games that use a similar premise, but I do kind of like the old dungeon crawl approach to things.
Warhammer Quest.
Modular board, but pure dungeon crawl. It's the Warhammer universe and Warhammer based rules, so you have to like Games Workshop somewhat.
You can play it with a Gamemaster, or replace him with an endless host of tables (surprisingly fun and atmospheric tables, however). It's got the potential to be either a pseudo-roleplaying game, or advanced HeroQuest, depending on your taste in weight.
Yay, scenario games! Doom fits, but yeah the marines die a lot. Descent fits better, but comes in an unwieldy ginormous box. Both of those games have one player as the "bad guys", but that is hard to avoid.
EDIT: I totally forgot about the old Space Hulk and I'm a horrible person for it. It didn't sell tons of miniatures so GW murdered it but it's probably my favorite scenario game, and is the spiritual predecessor to Doom.
Stay far away from Order of the Stick and Munchkin Quest, which are modular games with humor value that is vastly outstripped by their length.
I actually like playing as "the bad guy". It's like DM'ing Lite, most of the heavy lifting is already taken care of, so that doesn't bother me any.
Descent looks good, but it and Warhammer Quest both appear to be somewhat difficult to come by from a cursory inspection of online stores. I'll have to check my local gaming shops, as I'd prefer not to spend $40+ in shipping and handling from Ebay.
If you go with Descent, be careful with expansions. Some of my friends have had a game running for one and a half year now because they are using all the expansions, making the game completely bloated and very slow, apparently.
There are Role Playing games that handle "DM'ing Lite" far better than Descent does.
Descent is a boardgame where one player takes on the other players in a fantasy battle scenario. To treat it as role playing is, in my opinion, a disservice to it and woefully neglectful of some great light roleplaying options. If you want to role play, role play. If you want to play a boardgame about tactical fantasy battles, play Descent (or Hero Quest, which I like better because it's not so damn involved).
I think people are saying that new DnD game, Castle Ravenloft, is more or less a spiritual successor. I've not read too much on it, but I may end up getting it.
For games with a real-time component (and force AP-prone people to DO STUFF), Galaxy Trucker and Space Alert are awesome. The latter if you want a co-op.
Those are also games I love, and I also love RftG.
Games I'd recommend against: Probably most Steve Jackson games. Most of them are good for a laugh reading the text the first time you play it, but not much else after.
BGG.CON is some time in November in Texas, like the week before thanksgiving, which reminds me, I should get plane tix.
In other news, I tried Settlers of America on Saturday. I like it a lot better than Settlers of Catan. Probably because trading and luck is slightly less important.
I am also looking for more players for a PBP bluffing/traitor type game here: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=124580. It's almost like a very light version of BSG. If the current player gets to pick who gets to play cards into the crises (that the group can vote down), the ship jumps every turn, and Cylons always have a card in their hand worth 10 points.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
Following on the Galaxy Trucker and Space Alert love (both are AWESOME games, in my top 20 or so, easily), check out the other games by Vlaada Chvatil as well. Through the Ages is an absolutely brilliant civ game, and Dungeon Lords is a fantastic worker placement strategy game. Hell, even Prophecy is a decent adventure game. Chvatil's definitely one of my favorite designers these days. I haven't looked into what he has coming out at Essen this year (other than the Space Alert expansion), but it'll likely be a must-buy for me.
As for recently played...last night I got in two quick rounds of Kakerlaken-Poker, a tremendously fun bluffing game. The only place you can get it stateside (as far as I know) is www.gamesurplus.com. Seriously, guys, get this one. It plays in 15 minutes or so, and is an absolute blast.
edit: outside of the mainstreams (monopoly, sorry, etc), of course.
Which gives me something else to add to the OP.
Like Zombies? Try looking into Last Night on Earth.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
Like the zombie/horror theme? Try Last Night On Earth, Arkham, or Fury of Dracula.
Screw your neighbor type game play? Diplomacy, Junta, or Bang!
Simple rules for a big group? Dixit, Wits & Wagers, or how about Formula D.
I don't think it fails completely at what it does... just there are so many ways to do it better.
Ok how about a quick intro. I lurk on these boards all the time and the start of a new thread pushed me out from behind the shadows. I, most likely most of us here, have way to many games and not enough time to play them all. Many years ago I used to run a game night every Wednesday where anywhere from 4-12 of my close friends would show up toss dice/score VPs/whatever with each other. Now that I and everyone else moved away I do my best to make sure dust does not accumulate on the bookshelves that hold the games.
Although it echoes what many have already said I'll post some likes and such so you can say to yourself either, "This guy is an idiot OR This guy is a genius."
Favorites
Twilight Imperium: 3rd Edition - 6 hours of bliss.
Tigris and Euphrates - Oh do I love the feeling of winning a huge external conflict to take a monument.
Arkham Horror - Plus its many expansions, hopefully not all at once...
Warmachine - One of the best minis games around, but there is a different thread for that I know.
Twilight Struggle - It does everything right in a card driven wargame.
Formula D - I have some fun homemade Formula D'struction rules for this one.
Space Hulk - Worth tracking down at the ludicrous price they go for.
Bonus: Games that would likely be on this list if I had people to play them with.
Chaos in the Old World - Oh its fun and great but the wife HATES area control games and calls me a nerd (haha she's a nerd lover)
Napoleon's Triumph - I think aesthetically it is my favorite game in my collection. I've played it twice and had an absolute blast both times. I'm yet to find someone who says "Oh you like board games AND Napoleonic Warfare! Me Too!"
Space Alert - Wife issues again... more on this later.
The rest of likes and dislikes you can gather at the almost never up to date BGG Link: Da Bid Dabid
I like almost all games but tend to drift more towards the Ameritrashy ones a bit more. I also have developed a bit of disdain for auction games where auctions are the major game play mechanic (easier to swallow if only a portion of the mechanics are auctions).
Ok with that out of the way down to business, I have 3 major issues.
1. I need info on Ghost Stories. Looks awesome tell me why I should stop trying to trade for it and break down and purchase it ASAP. Also who on this board is going to trade me Ghost Stories for Zombies!!!? (kidding of course, unless you will do it)
2. My wife loves playing games, this is not an issue. The issue that to her "games" means Agricola. Agricola is indeed a good game but she wants to play it EVERY day. I need a bit of variety. How can I encourage/trick her to move on to the games that I want to play. She has tried to play Starcraft with me once... oh man she hated it. She has successfully finished a game of Twilight Imperium but never really got into it. I just got her to play a half of Blood Bowl last week. She isn't afraid to try em... they just don't stick with her.
Her Likes: Agricola, Puerto Rico, Dominion, Fury of Dracula, Lost Cities, Tigris and Euphrates, San Juan, Princes of Florence, Blue Moon City, Arkham Horror.
I think the issue is that she hates war games where units are fighting and games where things she has worked to build or collect get taken from her (area control a la CitOW). Also when we played Space alert she felt it was far to chaotic and she wasn't "doing anything" similar to her complaints about RoboRally.
So is there anyway to sway her over to the Space Hulk, Space Alert, Twilight Struggle side of things? Or should I just be happy with what I got, looking at her list I guess its not all bad.
3. For Sale as a filler game in the OP! Man do I hate that game, I had to throw that out there for perspective new board gamers. I'll suggest perhaps Kung Fu Fighting, Bang!, or Dixit as easy to play fillers of choice.
Well good to say hello, I'll do my best to keep posting and stay active.
For the most part, I think she just doesn't like directly competitive games based on the list. So wargames are probably simply out. How well do you tolerate less luck-based games?
If she's a big fan of LotR, you might be able to get her interested in War of the Ring and get her interested via that route.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
Games I like.
The Settlers of Catan
I once Played in the Settlers national championship at gencon and try and teach this game to every new game person I meet. It is just a fun game. While dogged and aged these days to someone that has never played it before it can be quite fresh. There is also a great APP for this on the iphone.
Agricola
This is a FANTASTIC game. so many different strategies to chose. A new way to win each time. A very complex multifaceted game that is usually never the same game twice. Expensive and not the easiest to come by but super fun.
Bootleggers
Not a very popular game but one that with the right people can be super fun. In this game you try to gain influence in speak easy's to sell booze to make a profit. The person who makes 100 grand first wins. Each player controls their own moon shine production, distribution, influence, and can mess with other players. Some of the funniest gaming moments of treachery and deceit have been perpetrated in this game. Each round you bid on cards that can have some dubious effects and the game encourages racketeering, black mail, and protection schemes. An example would be I have a card that says I can steal your truck full of booze. I say give me 3 grand to not use it. You pay. Then I steal it anyway. This is within the rules. The conversations this style of play can result it can be quite fun. And there are enough situations where everyone gets in on the action.
St. Petersburg
This game is similar to a lot of other rio grande games in that it involves building up cities and interacting with other players. I like it a lot. You can plan out your moves several turns in advance and these type of games really appeal to me. It is also a fairly simple game that most people pick up rather quickly. A very EURO game. Give it a shot.
Race for the Galaxy
Swoon, as a former magic player and lover of all things card games coupled with rio grande style city building. This is like crack for me. I
Those are the games that if someone asked me what would I like to play I usually default to. Really anything Rio Grande makes that is named after a city is pretty awesome. I am probably sounding like a huge euro gamer at this point which is not the case I just like games where I get to pick a strategy at the beginning and develop it as the game moves forward. I really like all kinds of games.
Just a quick list of some of the newer games in my collection that I am trying to play more of.
Kingsburg
Pandemic (does anyone ever win this?)
Incan Gold. As a drinking game. (Everytime you get killed shot!)
Some games I would like to try that I haven't yet are
Chaos in the old world.
Defenders of the realm. (has anyone played this? a review would be awesome.)
Conquest of the Empire
The expansions for Agricola, Rune bound, Race for the galaxy.
And finally here are some games that I want to like but just can't.
Decent.
Arkham horror.
Cranium.
Seriously. Every single time I go to a house party and people want to play games I run to my car and get Apples to apples, Snorta, The werewovles of millers hollow, ect. All fun party games for non gamers. And some bastard always touts out cranium like they are some board game aficionado because they bought it on sale at walmart. There is a reason it was on sale at walmart, IT SUCKS. You know why I really hate this game. Because every time i play it. Every fucking time I have to make custards last stand out of clay in 2 minutes. This cant be done. Michelangelo couldn't do this. You might get an Indian made. And maybe even a cowboy. But you are not going to make a fucking massacre of dead bodies with arrows in them out of play doh in 2 minutes. There are other challenges that annoy me but, yeah I hate this game. And everyone else seems to really like it. This annoys me.
Finally If anyone lives in the tokyo area and wants to get together for board games I would love to get a group together. I can host, or travel with the games. I have a very large collection and plenty of space. Also anyone with questions on any of the games I mentioned feel free to PM me about stuff. I have lots more games I didn't mention.
Axis and Allies. I'm horrible at it but it's always fun to play.
Battle Cry. An amazing Civil War board game for two people.
Hate:
Risk. Words cannot express my deep hatred for this game.
Apples to Apples. Pretty fun, but got old quickly when it was the only game everyone has at parties.
Favorite games:
Dominion
Caylus
R4tG
Small World
Puerto Rico
Speaking of Small World - I'm thinking of making a travel version, for my trip to PAX, based on the PbP format. Each player will have a color. I'll have a set of mini d6s for each player's active race, and a set of glass beads for their decline race, in the appropriate color. I'll make a set of cards for races and powers. I'm just concerned about printing up boards.
Opinions? Think it'll work? Has someone already done this and I'm just rehashing?
BGG user: ratchet
Favorites:
- Roll Through the Ages
- Mr. Jack
- Galaxy Trucker
- Agricola
- Power Grid
Dislike:
... that's about it. I'm remarkably easy to please.
Looking to try:
- Steam (I figure I should try at least one train game that isn't ticket to ride)
- Mystery Express (maybe this is Clue+)
Other interesting things:
- My second most-played game after Race for the Galaxy is Dominion. Why isn't it on my favorites? Because I only sort of enjoy the game, However it is my wife's favorite game ever, finally ousting Lost Cities from the Throne.
It sounds like your wife dislikes games with direct conflict. My wife is the same, and from talking to other people in the hobby I think it's pretty common.
In my experience - no you're not going to get her to enjoy playing wargames. You may be able to get her to go along with lighter-style wargames like Small World, but Twilight Struggle is just a pipe dream.
Caveat: My wife is okay with some direct conflict in larger groups. Her big issue is being one-on-one with me. Your wife may be the same.
Likes
2.) Tikal (Gorgeous in looks and gameplay)
3.) Kingsburg (Can't wait to get in some games with the expansion)
4.) Roll Through The Ages (The game my friends will play no matter where/when)
5.) Thunderstone (The game my girlfriend will play no matter where/when. Dominion++!)
Dislike
2.) Chaos In The Old World. I love the theme, loved the bits and board, but man. The gameplay bored the crap out of me and everyone I was playing with. Traded it away after 3 plays.
You're new and should try:
2.) Drakon. A fun game based on stealing from a dragon's dungeon while playing extra rooms (tiles) to help yourself and thwart your competition.
3.) Citadels. Most agree it is best with more, but I am a huge fan of Faidutti's character selection mechanic and have picked up several other games because of it. Good for lighthearted, larger crowds.
Moving has decreased my ability to get 3 or more players. If you're around San Diego and want to play, send me a PM.
And no mechanic for card playing priority in a game that came out almost a decade after Magic the Gathering.
I can stick that in Salmon in 48 point font to point out how much of a fail that is. The core game is pretty goosey as is but the card playing is the goose pate on the silly goose cake.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
Welcome to the first time posters in this thread. I think we have 2 or 3. Mission accomplished in my opinion. Love having new people to talk with and that was the aim of this new OP.
Regarding Zombies!!! vs Last Night on Earth:
I've played both games once. My friend bought Zombies!!! on a whim. We played it once and it was alright. Definitely lasted MUCH MUCH longer than it should have. Got to the point where I just let him win so it could be over. I thought that I may give the game another chance, but I wanna do it with more than 2 players. Then I read other peoples opinions on the game and it really swayed my decision to never play it again. As most people have stated, it's just too much randomness.
I played Last Night on Earth once at a board game convention earlier this year and liked it a lot more. It's also pretty random, but it's a co-op game against one person controlling the zombies, so the game doesn't end up going on longer than it needs to. Plus it gives you scenarios which, as almost anyone would state, feel like a zombie movie. I recommend giving it a try if you even slightly like Zombies!!!.
A) Name them. If you're going to poop on my game idea, at least constructively include what you see as obvious better options.
I'm not calling Hero Quest or Descent "role playing lite", but we enjoy a good dungeon crawl over intrigue and improv theatre, so such games are basically 90% of the fun with a fraction of the rules footprint, and make for a fun change of pace. By "DM'ing lite" I was referring to the fact that the map, monsters, treasure and whatnot are preset, and the rules are an order of magnitude simpler, letting the focus be on hanging out with friends, rather than referencing power cards and book pages to double check the radius of X ability or the modifiers for Y situation.
Favorite list
Tongiaki (Best area control, great light game)
Homesteaders (Excellent amalgam of dynamics for a well rounded experience)
Primordial Soup (Best simulation, one of the only simulations that remains a game and is fun)
Santiago (Best economic and negotiation game, one of the best five player games ever)
Dislikes
The only game I completely refuse to play again is Heart of Africa. Bidding for the prize of taking a turn only serves to keep players from playing the game, and causes irrational overbidding due to boredom because you haven't gotten to take a turn in the last 8 bids. A terrible idea, I loathe this game.
You're should try:
All classic OOP GW games, particularly the line lisenced to MB. Space Crusade is epic. HeroQuest is dungeon crawl done right.
Sunken City, for one of the best screw your neighbor dynamics ever as well as being suprisingly strategic for a screw you game.
Representing the Twin Cities. If you're around here and you don't know about the monthly marathons, they're epic. I'd be glad to introduce you to them, or just play sometime.
I wasn't "pooping on your game idea", and I'm sorry that it came off that way to you. I was trying to illustrate the significant difference between roleplaying and a game like descent. It looks somewhat like roleplaying, but thinking of it as roleplaying is a disservice to roleplaying and it. It is a combat simulator, and treating the overlord like a DM would be a horrible experience for both the overlord and the players, IMO. If a person is looking for an easy roleplay system, a boardgame isn't where they should be.
Honestly, rules light roleplaying systems are a dime a dozen. If you can't find one that suits your tastes, you're just not looking.