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board games: epic adventures on cardboard tiles

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    ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Alright, so I went shopping today and picked up:

    Citadel

    Carcassonne

    Samurai

    We (a group 3) decided to play Carcassonne first and had a blast. One of us had to leave early but we still had fun with just two people playing. Managed to get another game going in the evening with 3 other people and again had lots of fun. One question though: when completing a city or road, can a player place a follower? I said no, but the rest thought it was a legit move. People were making two-tile castles left and right.

    Zombiemambo on
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    It BurnsIt Burns Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Squashua wrote: »
    It Burns wrote: »
    Guys.

    I seriously need a new boardgame along the lines of Risk, but somewhat more complex.

    Suggestions?

    Axis and Allies.

    I tought about that aswell, but doesn't it get repetitive after some games? I say this because all the starting stuff seems fixed so there is a limited amount of starting strategies.

    am I right?

    It Burns on
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    SquashuaSquashua __BANNED USERS regular
    edited May 2007
    It Burns wrote: »
    Squashua wrote: »
    It Burns wrote: »
    Guys.

    I seriously need a new boardgame along the lines of Risk, but somewhat more complex.

    Suggestions?

    Axis and Allies.

    I tought about that aswell, but doesn't it get repetitive after some games? I say this because all the starting stuff seems fixed so there is a limited amount of starting strategies.

    am I right?

    There are a ton of custom add-ons like paratroopers.

    Squashua on
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    SquashuaSquashua __BANNED USERS regular
    edited May 2007
    We (a group 3) decided to play Carcassonne first and had a blast. One of us had to leave early but we still had fun with just two people playing. Managed to get another game going in the evening with 3 other people and again had lots of fun. One question though: when completing a city or road, can a player place a follower? I said no, but the rest thought it was a legit move. People were making two-tile castles left and right.

    Each turn is:

    1) Place a tile - anywhere it fits.

    2) Place a follower - anywhere he can go: road, field, castle.

    You can't place a follower into a field that someone else's follower is in or connected to.
    You can't place a follower into a castle that someone else's follower is in or connected to.
    You can't place a follower onto a road section (from intersection to intersection) that someone else's follower is on or connected to.

    Now, you can eventually CONNECT, by placing a tile, 2 sections owned by different players - this is a good tactic to effectively nullify their points.

    Squashua on
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    ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Squashua wrote: »
    We (a group 3) decided to play Carcassonne first and had a blast. One of us had to leave early but we still had fun with just two people playing. Managed to get another game going in the evening with 3 other people and again had lots of fun. One question though: when completing a city or road, can a player place a follower? I said no, but the rest thought it was a legit move. People were making two-tile castles left and right.

    Each turn is:

    1) Place a tile - anywhere it fits.

    2) Place a follower - anywhere he can go: road, field, castle.

    You can't place a follower into a field that someone else's follower is in or connected to.
    You can't place a follower into a castle that someone else's follower is in or connected to.
    You can't place a follower onto a road section (from intersection to intersection) that someone else's follower is on or connected to.

    Now, you can eventually CONNECT, by placing a tile, 2 sections owned by different players - this is a good tactic to effectively nullify their points.

    I can read the rulebook...

    Can you actually answer my question or not?

    Zombiemambo on
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    SquashuaSquashua __BANNED USERS regular
    edited May 2007
    Squashua wrote: »
    We (a group 3) decided to play Carcassonne first and had a blast. One of us had to leave early but we still had fun with just two people playing. Managed to get another game going in the evening with 3 other people and again had lots of fun. One question though: when completing a city or road, can a player place a follower? I said no, but the rest thought it was a legit move. People were making two-tile castles left and right.

    Each turn is:

    1) Place a tile - anywhere it fits.

    2) Place a follower - anywhere he can go: road, field, castle.

    You can't place a follower into a field that someone else's follower is in or connected to.
    You can't place a follower into a castle that someone else's follower is in or connected to.
    You can't place a follower onto a road section (from intersection to intersection) that someone else's follower is on or connected to.

    Now, you can eventually CONNECT, by placing a tile, 2 sections owned by different players - this is a good tactic to effectively nullify their points.

    I can read the rulebook...

    Can you actually answer my question or not?

    I answered it as part of the second sentence; place your follower anywhere he can go, as long as it's a legal placement.

    The placement of the tile (or all tiles in the case of multiple tile placement) for your turn is independant of the followers you place that turn.

    Place your land down. Finish placing your land down.

    Now place a follower anywhere on the map that is legal, which may or may not include the land you just added, depending on whether it's a valid place to actually PUT a follower.

    Squashua on
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    NerissaNerissa Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    GoodOmens wrote: »
    Nerissa wrote: »
    Cosmic Encounters -- the game that breaks its own rules

    It's a combination board / card game, really where everyone gets an alien "power" that lets them be an exception to one or more rules (each power is different). Your goal is to establish bases on other people's planets.

    In theory, it's 2-6 players, but the 2-player version is kinda odd, and 3 players really isn't as much fun because of the way conflict and allies shift around from one turn to the next.

    However, like Talisman, I think it's currently out of print and hard to find. :(

    There's a newer version (made by Avalon Hill) that the purists at boardgamegeek.com apparently believe is made from evil and shit. But screw them. If you can find a copy, grab it. It does only allow for a maximum of 4 players, and you definitely want all 4 in the game.

    My advice would be to give each player two powers and let them choose one...it cuts down on the boring powers.


    I haven't seen the AH version, does it actually keep to the spirit of the game? Not being able to add a 5th or 6th player would suck, though.

    We actually have a Mayfair version, with the expansion, and generally play "5 choose 2" with the powers (give everyone 5 random powers, let them choose 2, with the "disallowed combos" list in the rule book augmented by a few other pairs we've found to be overpowered), with both hidden until the first time they are used (unless we're introducing the game to someone who hasn't played before, then we usually go simpler -- no hidden powers, and sometimes cut down to 1 per person).

    Nerissa on
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    GoodOmensGoodOmens Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Nerissa wrote: »
    I haven't seen the AH version, does it actually keep to the spirit of the game? Not being able to add a 5th or 6th player would suck, though.

    We actually have a Mayfair version, with the expansion, and generally play "5 choose 2" with the powers (give everyone 5 random powers, let them choose 2, with the "disallowed combos" list in the rule book augmented by a few other pairs we've found to be overpowered), with both hidden until the first time they are used (unless we're introducing the game to someone who hasn't played before, then we usually go simpler -- no hidden powers, and sometimes cut down to 1 per person).


    If by the spirit of the game, you mean flying aliens around and stabbing your best friends in the back, then yes. But it's definitely simplified...they removed the moons and lucre and wild powers and all the other stuff that built up over time in the older versions.

    I do like the idea of hidden powers, I haven't tried that yet, largely because I've tended to play with less experienced gamers.

    GoodOmens on
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    NerissaNerissa Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    GoodOmens wrote: »
    Nerissa wrote: »
    I haven't seen the AH version, does it actually keep to the spirit of the game? Not being able to add a 5th or 6th player would suck, though.

    We actually have a Mayfair version, with the expansion, and generally play "5 choose 2" with the powers (give everyone 5 random powers, let them choose 2, with the "disallowed combos" list in the rule book augmented by a few other pairs we've found to be overpowered), with both hidden until the first time they are used (unless we're introducing the game to someone who hasn't played before, then we usually go simpler -- no hidden powers, and sometimes cut down to 1 per person).


    If by the spirit of the game, you mean flying aliens around and stabbing your best friends in the back, then yes. But it's definitely simplified...they removed the moons and lucre and wild powers and all the other stuff that built up over time in the older versions.

    I do like the idea of hidden powers, I haven't tried that yet, largely because I've tended to play with less experienced gamers.

    We don't generally play with moons & lucre anyway, so I expect that the only thing I'd miss would be the extra players and maybe a couple of powers... good to know in case something happens to our set.

    Nerissa on
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    TinMan1997TinMan1997 Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I'd like to ask a question.

    I will be going on a weekend holiday with my family next month and my mom asked me today if we should buy a new board game for the occasion so we can play together. Here's the difficulty though, I need a game my dad will also play and he rarely, if ever, plays board games. In fact, the only things he's played that I know of are Trivial Pursuit (he probably likes this because he always wins), Settlers of Catan, some and uh... Scrabble. He's notoriously hard to even get to join in on games (though he may sometimes join in on a new game just for the first try, then never joins in again). I'd take Settlers with us and just play that, except we'll be with 5 people and although I could get the expansion set for it, I'd really like to try and find a new game he might also enjoy.

    Any suggestions for a good board (or heck, card) game suitable for 5 players which my dad may also enjoy? (also not overtly complex, because then it might become a problem for my mother).

    Get Family Business or Bang! in card games. They are both quite fun, and easy to learn (Family Business moreso than Bang!).

    I've heard some really nice things about Bang!, but suggestions I'd make for "light, easy to teach, supports 5+ players...":
    Ticket To Ride is a sure-fire winner if it plays 5 (I think it does)...
    Loot is pretty easy to teach, plays pretty fast, and the cards are lots of fun (ARRRR PIRATES!)
    If you've got access to a good size dining room table and a good chunk of cash, Pitch Car is super-fun, super-easy to play, and easy to get people to try (plays up to 8).
    Cartagena plays 2-5 (best with 4 or 5), you can teach the whole thing in five minutes, plus it is cheap and portable. Fun with a couple of beers, too.

    Second-string, but worth mentioning:
    Chrononauts is a nifty game about changing history and collecting goodies. Might be a bit more difficult to follow. Would work if your dad is a serious history geek.
    Through the Desert is easy to teach, will play 2-5 nicely (I like either 2 or 5, but it will play 3 or 4), but is a bit of a brain-burner. For the highly competitive family. ;)

    If I was to give you a one-title answer: Cartagena. Pirates, card playing, a modular board, and did I mention that the pirates are little wooden guys that fit on a little cardboard boat?

    TinMan1997 on
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    FantasyrogueFantasyrogue Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I'm not sure Loot would be something that'd appeal to my father, and since we'll be playing while on holiday I don't think we'll have access to a large table (so Pitch Car's out too). I've looked at Ticket to Ride before, it's recommended a lot but I don't remember ever having actually seen it in stores (I'm really gonna have to find a local store that specializes in board games). Chrononauts seems to fall into the category "never heard of it over here".

    I'll take a look at Cartagena and Through the Desert.

    I picked up Bang! today, so we'll atleast have that one to play. At only 8 euros it was too cheap to pass up.

    Thanks for the suggestions :)

    Fantasyrogue on
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    GrundlterrorGrundlterror Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I'm not sure Loot would be something that'd appeal to my father, and since we'll be playing while on holiday I don't think we'll have access to a large table (so Pitch Car's out too). I've looked at Ticket to Ride before, it's recommended a lot but I don't remember ever having actually seen it in stores (I'm really gonna have to find a local store that specializes in board games). Chrononauts seems to fall into the category "never heard of it over here".

    I'll take a look at Cartagena and Through the Desert.

    I picked up Bang! today, so we'll atleast have that one to play. At only 8 euros it was too cheap to pass up.

    Thanks for the suggestions :)

    Enjoy Bang!, it's fun. If you like it, Dodge City adds a good bit of cards and characters to the game and High Noon adds cool events every turn (both very cheap expansions also).

    Grundlterror on
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    ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I was looking at Bang!, and I thought I remembered hearing something about it, but I decided to pass on it. Does it require a lot of players?

    Zombiemambo on
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    GrundlterrorGrundlterror Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I was looking at Bang!, and I thought I remembered hearing something about it, but I decided to pass on it. Does it require a lot of players?

    No, however it is different with a different amount of players. Basically, it breaks down like this:

    In the game, you are dealt a role at the beginning of the game. This can be either a Sheriff, Deputy, Outlaw or Renegade. The Sheriff is the only role that is known to all. If you are not the Sheriff your role is a mystery to the rest of the players (including the sheriff). Each faction has separate win conditions. The sheriff and the deputy have to kill the outlaws and the renegade, while the outlaws only have to kill the sheriff. The renegade, however, has to kill everyone but himself. Therefore, the game balance changes depending on how many players are playing.

    If you have 4 players you have 1 Sheriff, 1 Deputy, 1 Outlaw and 1 Renegade. (I believe). This is not quite as fun, because once someone dies (and their role is revealed) everyone besides the sheriff knows exactly whats what. Plus it's just a race to see if the outlaw can kill the sheriff faster than he can be gunned down by the renegade/deputy team with the sheriff most likely understanding whats going on and joining in.

    If you have 5 players, this becomes more fun. There are now 2 outlaws instead of just one. Therefore, both can gun for the sheriff right off and try to end the game as quick as possible or they can play mind games with the rest (especially if they are out of range of the sheriff, which can be somewhat common in 5 player games) and act like deputies or at least renegades to gain the sheriffs favor. With at least 5 players, the games most fun factor (the mind games), play at least a somewhat prominent role.

    With more than 5 players, the game keeps getting better and better. Eventually you have 1 sheriff, 1 renegade, 2 deputies and 3 outlaws and that is when the game is at it's best. Although, I still try to suggest to play it at least once when my group has at least 5 people playing.

    Edit: I don't exactly remember how many of each role you deal out for 8 players, though. I think you deal out 1 more renegade, but im not 100% on that.

    Grundlterror on
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    Legoman05Legoman05 Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    So, Seafarers or Cities and Knights?

    Or, both?

    Legoman05 on
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    RankenphileRankenphile Passersby were amazed by the unusually large amounts of blood.Registered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    edited May 2007
    seafarers, for sure

    Rankenphile on
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    Legoman05Legoman05 Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    But I hear that Seafarers only makes the game bigger.

    I hear Cities and Knights makes the game deeper with metropolii and other shit to build.

    Why should I get Seafarers?

    Legoman05 on
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    SilasSilas Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Seafarers balances the game by making sheep not worthless any more (shipping route = wood + sheep; it's a road in the ocean). Also it adds a bunch of really cool scenarios / alternate board setups and variants like "The undiscovered country" etc.

    Seafarers feels like it completes the game and maintains the streamlined flow of the game. Cities and Knights feels like a bunch of bells and whistles got taped onto the game pretty much just for the sake of complexity.

    Silas on
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    Legoman05Legoman05 Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Very good.

    Last tax return money goes to Seafarers.

    Legoman05 on
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    leafleaf Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I'm going for the Axis + Allies War at Sea game. I don't overly care for the tanks and infantry stuff, but I'm a sucker for things that involve ww2 era naval vessels. I got the Shokaku carrier, Jintsu cruiser, and one japanese plane. Plus two german gets and a Kondor and Stuku planes.

    I just want enough japanese ships to hit 100points, so hopefully a couple more planes.

    This is also off my rejoicing of the massive tax return.

    leaf on
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    Sharp101Sharp101 TorontoRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I picked up Arkham Horror a couple days ago.

    I really like it.

    It's long though.

    When I got home, I played a game myself and it took about 3 hours since I was having troubles with the rules (its a little complicated)

    Then I played a 2 player game with my girlfriend, she caught on pretty quick (easier to learn with a teacher) and it was fun, took about 3 hours.

    I'm trying to get a game in with 4 people (me, my girlfriend and 2 of my Warhammer Buddies), but yeah


    Long game, complicated at first, but I really enjoy it.

    Sharp101 on
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    GrundlterrorGrundlterror Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Yeah Arkham horror is quite fun. Honestly the only problem I have with the game is it is too easy. I've never lost. Although I usually play with a lot of people and I hear it gets harder with fewer.

    Grundlterror on
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    Mr. GruntorMr. Gruntor CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Yeah Arkham horror is quite fun. Honestly the only problem I have with the game is it is too easy. I've never lost. Although I usually play with a lot of people and I hear it gets harder with fewer.

    The expansion packs, Curse of the Dark Pharaoh and Dunwich Horror, crank up the difficulty significantly-- especially Dunwich Horror.
    If you don't feel like buying the packs, however, you could also try some of these house rules to make the game more difficult.
    Sharp101 wrote: »
    I picked up Arkham Horror a couple days ago.

    I really like it.

    It's long though.

    When I got home, I played a game myself and it took about 3 hours since I was having troubles with the rules (its a little complicated)

    Then I played a 2 player game with my girlfriend, she caught on pretty quick (easier to learn with a teacher) and it was fun, took about 3 hours.

    I'm trying to get a game in with 4 people (me, my girlfriend and 2 of my Warhammer Buddies), but yeah


    Long game, complicated at first, but I really enjoy it.

    If you don't have the revised edition of Arkham Horror, and assuming you haven't done so already, you'll definitely want to print out a copy of the official FAQ/errata. Further help and clarifications can be found at the official forums and at BGG.

    Mr. Gruntor on
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    GrundlterrorGrundlterror Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I've played Curse of the Dark Pharaoh... but I don't think the place I play at has enough table space for Dunwich Horror ;p

    I'll take a look at those house rules though... we haven't played it in a while, we just got Twilight Imperium :^:

    Grundlterror on
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    Mr. GruntorMr. Gruntor CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    If FFG releases the much-rumoured Innsmouth board expansion, I think my table will collapse from the sheer weight of it all.
    The sheer weight of AWESOME.

    Good call on picking up Twilight Imperium.
    The group I game with just played our first properly-concluded game last night (i.e., we finished by reaching the Imperium Rex card, and not because we ran out of time).

    Mr. Gruntor on
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    leafleaf Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Go me! I now have:

    Ark Royal
    Shokaku

    Washington
    Tennessee

    and enough axis and ally ships that I could have a roughly 3-person game with everything. The american BB's come to 99pts, and each carrier has enough planes and CL/DD's that they round out decently as well.

    I do sorta like how the starter-pack (which i got half price cuz the store guy used it as a demo so he could learn the game), has random ships, not 'noob starter' ships like magic's portal and whatnot. So they're actually useful and not shameful to use later on heh.

    leaf on
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    AnakinOUAnakinOU Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Got some games off the "unplayed" list last night. Lexio, Billabong, and Oltre Mare. Good times.

    AnakinOU on
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    MunacraMunacra Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Current Game list

    Puerto Rico
    Settlers of Catann
    Ticket to Ride
    WoW: The Board Game.

    I think I will either buy next Memoir '44 or BattleLore. Mayhaps the new game Tide of Iron. Between those three, what do ya'll think?

    Munacra on
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    Sharp101Sharp101 TorontoRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Ok, because its so freaking hard to get people together to play..... tonight will be a 4 or 5 person game of Arkham.... I've only played once by myself and one 2player game, so I'll let you guys know how it goes.

    Sharp101 on
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    SquashuaSquashua __BANNED USERS regular
    edited June 2007
    Arkham is OK, but there is much too much bookkeeping.

    Squashua on
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    GrimDog420GrimDog420 Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    GrimDog420 on
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    precisionkprecisionk Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Quite possibly the greatest yet easiest card game to play and pickup is:

    Guillotine


    Basically, you chop off peoples heads for points and after three "days". You add up who killed the people with the most points to win. Very very fun 2 player and goes up to 5 player for cheap and backstabbing fun.

    precisionk on
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    SquashuaSquashua __BANNED USERS regular
    edited June 2007
    GrimDog420 wrote: »

    Those 40-year-old men look so cool playing that game. I want!

    Squashua on
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    InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    But I hear that Seafarers only makes the game bigger.

    I hear Cities and Knights makes the game deeper with metropolii and other shit to build.

    Why should I get Seafarers?

    Seafarer's is a great addition.

    Cities and Knights? Not so much. Honestly, my and my gaming friends gave up on a first Cities and Knights game about 3/4ths of the way through out of boredom. For comparison, we've played countless Seafarer's games and been at the edge of our seats for most of the game.

    Inquisitor on
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    leafleaf Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Guys, I have a problem. I want to go out and buy more Axis&Allies War at Sea.

    I have a problem. Someone help me =\

    leaf on
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    EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I've been getting more and more into euro-style games, games that aren't just "roll dice and move tokens and half the players sit around once they're eliminated and the last two people play for another hour or more." Got turned on to Settlers about a month ago, and realized that of all the board games (and multiplayer video games) I've enjoyed, most of these elements are the ones that I prefer in games in general.

    So my wife and I ordered Settlers, Carcassonne, and Amun-Re. Have a few other games on wishlists, but I felt that it's a good start.

    However, I'm curious about 2 player games as well. My wife and I mostly like playing with other people, couples mostly, so we end up with a lot of 4 and 6 player groups. But we do like playing against each other; it's just not that fun when you only have Scrabble, and one person is a word-freak. And cheap-ass games aren't really all that deep. We can play Carcassonne 2player, and many say that it's entertaining, so that's a start. We also have Through the Desert on our "to buy" list since it seems to be a good 2 player or 4 player game (and comes with a ton of camels). What are other good 2 player games that aren't sprawling war-style games, that can also scale up to 3 or 4 people?

    And are there any of these games that are really good for 6 people? I've given up on 8 or more without teams :D

    EggyToast on
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    GrundlterrorGrundlterror Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I've tried a lot of games with only two players, and I have to say one of the most enjoyable was Pillars of the Earth. It's a resource game based on victory points, and I've only played it with two but it goes up to four.

    Also, although it is only two players, Twilight Struggle is really amazing.

    Finally, some simpler two player games are Minotaur Lords and Lost Cities.

    Grundlterror on
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    apotheosapotheos Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited June 2007
    The best thing about Pillars is that it plays quite differently with different numbers of players. It is a very satisfying experience. Notre Dame is the latest game I've picked up that is supposed to do similarly well with all numbers of players, but I've not gotten it to the table yet.

    apotheos on


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    EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Pillars does sound interesting, especially if it scales up/down nicely for the number of players. It's nice when playing a game 2player requires different tactics compared to 3 or 4, especially as you don't end up way over the skill level of the other players.

    EggyToast on
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    GoodOmensGoodOmens Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Munacra wrote: »
    I think I will either buy next Memoir '44 or BattleLore. Mayhaps the new game Tide of Iron. Between those three, what do ya'll think?

    I played Memoir for the first time last week and loved it, and decided to buy Battlelore instead. It's somewhat more expensive, but much cooler...medieval England vs. France with goblins and fireballs and shit.

    GoodOmens on
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