I like tile laying games. I've just played Carcassonne to death.
I really like Tsuro. It's quick enough that my kids are into it the whole time we're playing and it's simple enough that I don't have to eliminate any rules.
Do you guys typically play multiple rounds or is "the whole time we're playing" indicative of its usual 15 minute session time? Just wondering.
We usually play 2 rounds, but 4 isn't uncommon either. They also really like Machi Koro but that's a one round affair as it either takes a looooong time with the red cards removed or somebody is on the verge of not having fun because they keep rolling 3s and 9s.
I like tile laying games. I've just played Carcassonne to death.
I really like Tsuro. It's quick enough that my kids are into it the whole time we're playing and it's simple enough that I don't have to eliminate any rules.
Tsuro is popular in our house too. Check out Indigo, it's a good step up from Tsuro if people want a small increase in complexity yet still very easy to teach/play.
I like tile laying games. I've just played Carcassonne to death.
I really like Tsuro. It's quick enough that my kids are into it the whole time we're playing and it's simple enough that I don't have to eliminate any rules.
Tsuro is popular in our house too. Check out Indigo, it's a good step up from Tsuro if people want a small increase in complexity yet still very easy to teach/play.
Indigo has all but replaced Tsuro in my game closet, but it does have the limitation of maxing out at 4 compared to Tsuro's 8.
I like tile laying games. I've just played Carcassonne to death.
I really like Tsuro. It's quick enough that my kids are into it the whole time we're playing and it's simple enough that I don't have to eliminate any rules.
Tsuro is popular in our house too. Check out Indigo, it's a good step up from Tsuro if people want a small increase in complexity yet still very easy to teach/play.
I'll look into it, but going only up to 4 is a bummer as it means I can't play with the kids.
I like tile laying games. I've just played Carcassonne to death.
I really like Tsuro. It's quick enough that my kids are into it the whole time we're playing and it's simple enough that I don't have to eliminate any rules.
Tsuro is popular in our house too. Check out Indigo, it's a good step up from Tsuro if people want a small increase in complexity yet still very easy to teach/play.
I'll look into it, but going only up to 4 is a bummer as it means I can't play with the kids.
It could maybe be modified to support up to six, but I don't think it would be as good since goal-sharing is a major feature in the 3P and 4P games.
I wrote about it a while ago but I don't remember if you were still with SBG then.
Isn't Red Dragon Inn famously awful? I've heard it mentioned alongside munchkin quite a few times
It is WAAAAYYY better than Munchkin. I hate Munchkin and I would happily play Red Dragon Inn. In some ways it fulfills the promise that Munchkin doesn't, it's a short light game that plays fast, has a lot of 'take that' moments, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Games are like 20 minutes. And there actually is a little bit of strategy involved, based on the character you play.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Isn't Red Dragon Inn famously awful? I've heard it mentioned alongside munchkin quite a few times
It is WAAAAYYY better than Munchkin. I hate Munchkin and I would happily play Red Dragon Inn. In some ways it fulfills the promise that Munchkin doesn't, it's a short light game that plays fast, has a lot of 'take that' moments, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Games are like 20 minutes. And there actually is a little bit of strategy involved, based on the character you play.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Twelve players in just about any game is never correct unless they're broken up into teams.
Isn't Red Dragon Inn famously awful? I've heard it mentioned alongside munchkin quite a few times
It is WAAAAYYY better than Munchkin. I hate Munchkin and I would happily play Red Dragon Inn. In some ways it fulfills the promise that Munchkin doesn't, it's a short light game that plays fast, has a lot of 'take that' moments, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Games are like 20 minutes. And there actually is a little bit of strategy involved, based on the character you play.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Twelve players in just about any game is never correct unless they're broken up into teams.
Yeah, 7 players will tolerate 7 Wonders or something similar, and 8 would be Captain Sonar or a social deduction game, but anything above that is madness.
12 Players? I would be splitting that up into multiple games or doing a large party game.
I don't feel like Isle of Skye really fits the "tile laying" mold at all. Sure, that aspect exists, but most of the decision-making is based on setting prices and purchasing tiles, not on deciding where the tiles will go (that part is often pretty obvious).
That is true. The players tiles don't touch the other players tiles too. So the tile laying mechanic is self contained.
Another feature is the game gives players chump charity like Mario Party so they can catch up to the leader.
NNID = Zepp914
0
Options
WearingglassesOf the friendly neighborhood varietyRegistered Userregular
Gonna be having a big day on Saturday. My main gaming group is going to be joined by a few representatives of my other social circles. That said, one of the newer peeps is a social chameleon and should be able to blend in, and the other small group are roughly on the same wavelength (if not nerdiness) as my main group of gaming buddies.
That said, besides Codenames, what social/party games do you feel will work well with people who don't know each other very much? I was having second thoughts about printing Secret Hitler, and currently on the fence on buying Mysterium for Saturday.
Isn't Red Dragon Inn famously awful? I've heard it mentioned alongside munchkin quite a few times
It is WAAAAYYY better than Munchkin. I hate Munchkin and I would happily play Red Dragon Inn. In some ways it fulfills the promise that Munchkin doesn't, it's a short light game that plays fast, has a lot of 'take that' moments, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Games are like 20 minutes. And there actually is a little bit of strategy involved, based on the character you play.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Twelve players in just about any game is never correct unless they're broken up into teams.
Yeah, 7 players will tolerate 7 Wonders or something similar, and 8 would be Captain Sonar or a social deduction game, but anything above that is madness.
12 Players? I would be splitting that up into multiple games or doing a large party game.
Like... even Caverna at its theoretical max of 7 would give me serious pause. Mysterium is fine (possibly at its best) at the same count.
At 8...? I can't think of anything that isn't a party/team game.
(For the purposes of this discussion, I'm treating the ability to play Dixit with more than 6 as a party game.)
My go-to 7 player game that doesn't rely on simultaneous drafting is still Samurai Spirit. It's easier to explain than 7 Wonders, although I did make a cheatsheet for it that explains everything at a glance.
Gonna be having a big day on Saturday. My main gaming group is going to be joined by a few representatives of my other social circles. That said, one of the newer peeps is a social chameleon and should be able to blend in, and the other small group are roughly on the same wavelength (if not nerdiness) as my main group of gaming buddies.
That said, besides Codenames, what social/party games do you feel will work well with people who don't know each other very much? I was having second thoughts about printing Secret Hitler, and currently on the fence on buying Mysterium for Saturday.
I'm doing something similar this weekend although my focus will probably be on various Magic drafts.
I keep a copy of Identik (aka Portrayal) on hand in case of emergencies but not sure how available that would be on short notice.
Resistance (either version) or Spyfall might get there. Trivia games (Wits & Wagers) are also safe.
Timebomb/Don't Mess With Cthulhu has been the easiest social deduction/party game to pick up, that I've seen. It does away with the whole "everyone closes their eyes but someone is always peeking" script thing, and even if you reveal your identity as a bomber/cultist on accident, you can still contribute and do things. It's definitely the replacement for the Resistance in my local board game groups.
Isn't Red Dragon Inn famously awful? I've heard it mentioned alongside munchkin quite a few times
It is WAAAAYYY better than Munchkin. I hate Munchkin and I would happily play Red Dragon Inn. In some ways it fulfills the promise that Munchkin doesn't, it's a short light game that plays fast, has a lot of 'take that' moments, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Games are like 20 minutes. And there actually is a little bit of strategy involved, based on the character you play.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Twelve players in just about any game is never correct unless they're broken up into teams.
Yeah, 7 players will tolerate 7 Wonders or something similar, and 8 would be Captain Sonar or a social deduction game, but anything above that is madness.
12 Players? I would be splitting that up into multiple games or doing a large party game.
Like... even Caverna at its theoretical max of 7 would give me serious pause. Mysterium is fine (possibly at its best) at the same count.
At 8...? I can't think of anything that isn't a party/team game.
(For the purposes of this discussion, I'm treating the ability to play Dixit with more than 6 as a party game.)
Tsuro plays up to eight, and I think it's way more entertaining at that count than at lower player counts.
Camel Up also plays eight, although I think the conventional wisdom is that you need the Super Cup expansion if you have more than six players as the expansion introduces a few other betting options. (The expansion actually plays up to 10, I think, although I've never heard of anyone trying it at that player count.)
BrodyThe WatchThe First ShoreRegistered Userregular
If you can make your own set of Skull, that might not be bad. Its probably most effective if you plan on letting them break up into two or three gaming groups, and trying to get the groups to mix on smaller levels.
"I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."
Isn't Red Dragon Inn famously awful? I've heard it mentioned alongside munchkin quite a few times
It is WAAAAYYY better than Munchkin. I hate Munchkin and I would happily play Red Dragon Inn. In some ways it fulfills the promise that Munchkin doesn't, it's a short light game that plays fast, has a lot of 'take that' moments, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Games are like 20 minutes. And there actually is a little bit of strategy involved, based on the character you play.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Of the terrible gaming experiences I can recall in my life, a common theme among many of them is "way too many players." Other common themes include "high ratio of new players to people who know how to play" and "Munchkin."
I think the single worst experience I ever had was someone who thought it'd be a great idea to teach the L5R CCG to seven players who had never seen it before by playing an 8-player game with decks the teacher had brought (and himself as the eighth player). I quit in disgust at the one-hour mark, having not taken a single turn yet.
A pet peeve I have developed recently is when people look at the player count listed on a game box, then say "oh, we can probably get one or two more players in if we do X or Y." It's like, the game is already iffy at the max player count they listed, and you want to exacerbate the problem, WHYYYYYY. Example: Battlestar Galactica says 3-6 on the box (3-7 for the expansion). It's great with 5, still pretty good at 6, and getting iffy at 7. Every time I bring it to board game night, someone will inevitably say "oh, there are plenty of extra loyalty cards and characters, we could get 8 or even 10 players" and I'm like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Fry on
+1
Options
KetarCome on upstairswe're having a partyRegistered Userregular
Isn't Red Dragon Inn famously awful? I've heard it mentioned alongside munchkin quite a few times
It is WAAAAYYY better than Munchkin. I hate Munchkin and I would happily play Red Dragon Inn. In some ways it fulfills the promise that Munchkin doesn't, it's a short light game that plays fast, has a lot of 'take that' moments, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Games are like 20 minutes. And there actually is a little bit of strategy involved, based on the character you play.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Twelve players in just about any game is never correct unless they're broken up into teams.
Yeah, 7 players will tolerate 7 Wonders or something similar, and 8 would be Captain Sonar or a social deduction game, but anything above that is madness.
12 Players? I would be splitting that up into multiple games or doing a large party game.
Like... even Caverna at its theoretical max of 7 would give me serious pause. Mysterium is fine (possibly at its best) at the same count.
At 8...? I can't think of anything that isn't a party/team game.
(For the purposes of this discussion, I'm treating the ability to play Dixit with more than 6 as a party game.)
Even though it's listed as 2-6 I've done Council of Blackthorn with 8 using the extra Kickstarter characters/roles, and it worked very well. The additional characters could be added pretty easily by just printing their cards or writing their abilities on index cards, and coming up with something to use as the 4 identity tokens you would need for each.
One way I stretch a player count is have myself be the game runner, like a Dungeon Master of sorts. This allows games to run more smoothly, at the cost of being able to play as a player myself, but it's really useful for fiddly games. I don't mind it at all, because my default role seems to be as the GM/DM for most of the RPGs that I play, but this is definitely a personal preference thing.
One way I stretch a player count is have myself be the game runner, like a Dungeon Master of sorts. This allows games to run more smoothly, at the cost of being able to play as a player myself, but it's really useful for fiddly games. I don't mind it at all, because my default role seems to be as the GM/DM for most of the RPGs that I play, but this is definitely a personal preference thing.
Yeah that would be an interesting way to add a 5th player to, say, Pandemic Legacy or Time Stories too. You know the surprises, the players don't.
Isn't Red Dragon Inn famously awful? I've heard it mentioned alongside munchkin quite a few times
It is WAAAAYYY better than Munchkin. I hate Munchkin and I would happily play Red Dragon Inn. In some ways it fulfills the promise that Munchkin doesn't, it's a short light game that plays fast, has a lot of 'take that' moments, but doesn't overstay its welcome. Games are like 20 minutes. And there actually is a little bit of strategy involved, based on the character you play.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Twelve players in just about any game is never correct unless they're broken up into teams.
Yeah, 7 players will tolerate 7 Wonders or something similar, and 8 would be Captain Sonar or a social deduction game, but anything above that is madness.
12 Players? I would be splitting that up into multiple games or doing a large party game.
Like... even Caverna at its theoretical max of 7 would give me serious pause. Mysterium is fine (possibly at its best) at the same count.
At 8...? I can't think of anything that isn't a party/team game.
(For the purposes of this discussion, I'm treating the ability to play Dixit with more than 6 as a party game.)
Mafia de Cuba or one of the Werewolf variants is about all I can think of, and even those are sort of team games.
I like tile laying games. I've just played Carcassonne to death.
I really like Tsuro. It's quick enough that my kids are into it the whole time we're playing and it's simple enough that I don't have to eliminate any rules.
Tsuro is popular in our house too. Check out Indigo, it's a good step up from Tsuro if people want a small increase in complexity yet still very easy to teach/play.
Isn't Mad King Ludwig's Castle (or whatever the name is) a tile laying game? how does that play?
Oh! I gotta recommend The Downfall of Pompeii! I love that game, and throwing people into the volcano is so damn satisfying.
I like that is has two phases of gameplay: The "Hey guys! This city is great! Come live here!" phase. and the "Oh shit oh shit oh shit lava" phase.
One way I stretch a player count is have myself be the game runner, like a Dungeon Master of sorts. This allows games to run more smoothly, at the cost of being able to play as a player myself, but it's really useful for fiddly games. I don't mind it at all, because my default role seems to be as the GM/DM for most of the RPGs that I play, but this is definitely a personal preference thing.
Yeah that would be an interesting way to add a 5th player to, say, Pandemic Legacy or Time Stories too. You know the surprises, the players don't.
I think this really works for Pandemic, because that game often feels like a group decision game anyway, just with 4 characters to move. Taking away the "this pawn represents me personally" factor doesn't detract from the choices you make with the team's plans.
GNU Terry Pratchett
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
Spoilered until images are unborked.
+1
Options
BrodyThe WatchThe First ShoreRegistered Userregular
I like tile laying games. I've just played Carcassonne to death.
I really like Tsuro. It's quick enough that my kids are into it the whole time we're playing and it's simple enough that I don't have to eliminate any rules.
Tsuro is popular in our house too. Check out Indigo, it's a good step up from Tsuro if people want a small increase in complexity yet still very easy to teach/play.
Isn't Mad King Ludwig's Castle (or whatever the name is) a tile laying game? how does that play?
Castles is pretty fun, although it takes up more space than Carcasonne. (Only tile laying game that I've played thats been mentioned so far)
"I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."
Found a better Dark Souls demo, with cardboard character sheets and tokens for health and stamina. Which is good because watching that guy put a marker to his character's HP/Stamina made me cringe (it was dry-tip, but still....) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rs_mV695ns
A big difference between Munchkin and Red Dragon Inn is that in Munchkin, everybody starts out the same. In Red Dragon Inn, every player represents a unique character with their own unique deck, and depending on which character you are, your paths to victory may be different. Some characters are better at gambling, some characters are better at beating others up, some characters are better at mitigating damage/alcohol content, some characters are good at stealing gold... there's a lot more variety to it. Also, to me, it doesn't feel as mean-spirited a game as Munchkin. The game is based around parties of adventurers. At the end of the day, you don't hate each other, you just want all their money.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Something else with Red Dragon is that action economy takes some getting used to. The idea of cycling through your deck as fast as possible is important, to get as many defensive cards and gambling cards as you can - after all, you can only play one action a go round!
I played it at our board game day April 30th. Loved it, bought cores 4 and 5 (because I'm a completionist) and a huge chunk of the allies decks. I really want the goblin siblings.
On other news:
I finally heard back from Asmodee regarding CAPTAIN SONAR.
They confirmed that on the Radio Operator's screens, ONLY ONE SIDE has the protective film around it. So if you get that off, you are fine! So no more digging for me to figure out if there is another layer to peel off!
Uggghhhh, Captain Sonar is selling on Amazon UK right now. For 20 quid over the price I have a pre-order elsewhere.
I could even finally cash in my free month of Amazon prime and have it delivered for tomorrow. I'm having a BBQ and could probably persuade enough people to play.
One way I stretch a player count is have myself be the game runner, like a Dungeon Master of sorts. This allows games to run more smoothly, at the cost of being able to play as a player myself, but it's really useful for fiddly games. I don't mind it at all, because my default role seems to be as the GM/DM for most of the RPGs that I play, but this is definitely a personal preference thing.
Yeah that would be an interesting way to add a 5th player to, say, Pandemic Legacy or Time Stories too. You know the surprises, the players don't.
I think this really works for Pandemic, because that game often feels like a group decision game anyway, just with 4 characters to move. Taking away the "this pawn represents me personally" factor doesn't detract from the choices you make with the team's plans.
We played most of our P:L campaign with 5 players in exactly this way, and everyone had a great time.
Currently Playing:
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
I like tile laying games. I've just played Carcassonne to death.
I really like Tsuro. It's quick enough that my kids are into it the whole time we're playing and it's simple enough that I don't have to eliminate any rules.
Tsuro is popular in our house too. Check out Indigo, it's a good step up from Tsuro if people want a small increase in complexity yet still very easy to teach/play.
Isn't Mad King Ludwig's Castle (or whatever the name is) a tile laying game? how does that play?
Sort of. It plays a lot like Suburbia except you build a castle and have to pay attention to how rooms affect each other. One person gets to decide prices of the 5 or so rooms that come up every round and of course you have random goals to try and reach as you build your wacky castle.
They should have called it Wacky Castle Builders actually.
+2
Options
Iron WeaselDillon!You son of a bitch!Registered Userregular
Also, regarding games that support large player counts: Ladies & Gentlemen plays up to 10 (though I think the sweet spot is at 8).
Currently Playing:
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
@MNC Dover Here is some OP fodder: three games I'm enjoying at the moment.
Fantastic new games keep coming out! For example, check out Potion Explosion.
This is a short game of collecting ingredients to brew potions, which give you points as well as special abilities you can use if you drink them. That's fun by itself, but the magic comes in the way you collect those ingredients.
There's this nifty cardboard dispenser you pour a bunch of marbles into, and they fill the columns with a satisfying clacking sound. Then, when you take an ingredient, new marbles will roll down into place, and if you cause like colors to collide, you get those too. Causing these chain reactions is the heart of the game, and it's extremely clever and fun.
I love little, simple games that are easy to teach. That's why it's so notable that I love Vast, which is the opposite of these things.
Vast is a game of asymmetry, which is handily summarized in the following simple diagram:
In Vast, each player takes on a role with its own rules, its own goals, and its own mechanisms. Turn structure for one player bears no resemblance to the turn structure for the next. The Knight is playing a typical RPG, exploring a cave, completing sidequests, gaining experience, and trying to slay the dragon. The Goblins, on the other hand, are controlling a bunch of moving parts, swarming and darting through the darkness and trying to chip away at the Knight. The Cave player is trying to misdirect and slow down other players long enough to collapse in, killing everyone. And so on! It's a marvel that it works at all.
But new games aren't everything! Classics return to the table every week. For example, I'm enamored of Edel, Stein & Reich, an older game of bluffing and brinksmanship.
This is a simultaneous action selection game. I love games like this, because everyone is always involved! Players try to collect majorities in four different colors of gems by deciding what action to take: claim gems, claim cash, claim a special action card, and so forth. If nobody else chose what you did, then great! You get to take that action. If three or more chose it, nobody gets to do it. But if two people chose it, they have to negotiate over which one gets to do it, and how the other one gets compensated. Simple, clean, cutthroat, and fun.
Posts
We usually play 2 rounds, but 4 isn't uncommon either. They also really like Machi Koro but that's a one round affair as it either takes a looooong time with the red cards removed or somebody is on the verge of not having fun because they keep rolling 3s and 9s.
Tsuro is popular in our house too. Check out Indigo, it's a good step up from Tsuro if people want a small increase in complexity yet still very easy to teach/play.
Indigo has all but replaced Tsuro in my game closet, but it does have the limitation of maxing out at 4 compared to Tsuro's 8.
I'll look into it, but going only up to 4 is a bummer as it means I can't play with the kids.
It could maybe be modified to support up to six, but I don't think it would be as good since goal-sharing is a major feature in the 3P and 4P games.
I wrote about it a while ago but I don't remember if you were still with SBG then.
The first time I played, the person who owned the game insisted on playing with twelve players since the components supported it. The game is miserable at high player counts - takes forever and so much downtime. With four it goes quickly and is a cute enough diversion. I'd definitely play it over Munchkin.
Twelve players in just about any game is never correct unless they're broken up into teams.
12 Players? I would be splitting that up into multiple games or doing a large party game.
That is true. The players tiles don't touch the other players tiles too. So the tile laying mechanic is self contained.
Another feature is the game gives players chump charity like Mario Party so they can catch up to the leader.
That said, besides Codenames, what social/party games do you feel will work well with people who don't know each other very much? I was having second thoughts about printing Secret Hitler, and currently on the fence on buying Mysterium for Saturday.
Like... even Caverna at its theoretical max of 7 would give me serious pause. Mysterium is fine (possibly at its best) at the same count.
At 8...? I can't think of anything that isn't a party/team game.
(For the purposes of this discussion, I'm treating the ability to play Dixit with more than 6 as a party game.)
I'm doing something similar this weekend although my focus will probably be on various Magic drafts.
I keep a copy of Identik (aka Portrayal) on hand in case of emergencies but not sure how available that would be on short notice.
Resistance (either version) or Spyfall might get there. Trivia games (Wits & Wagers) are also safe.
Tsuro plays up to eight, and I think it's way more entertaining at that count than at lower player counts.
Camel Up also plays eight, although I think the conventional wisdom is that you need the Super Cup expansion if you have more than six players as the expansion introduces a few other betting options. (The expansion actually plays up to 10, I think, although I've never heard of anyone trying it at that player count.)
naked Twister, obvs
Well, that's one way to break the ice...
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
Of the terrible gaming experiences I can recall in my life, a common theme among many of them is "way too many players." Other common themes include "high ratio of new players to people who know how to play" and "Munchkin."
I think the single worst experience I ever had was someone who thought it'd be a great idea to teach the L5R CCG to seven players who had never seen it before by playing an 8-player game with decks the teacher had brought (and himself as the eighth player). I quit in disgust at the one-hour mark, having not taken a single turn yet.
A pet peeve I have developed recently is when people look at the player count listed on a game box, then say "oh, we can probably get one or two more players in if we do X or Y." It's like, the game is already iffy at the max player count they listed, and you want to exacerbate the problem, WHYYYYYY. Example: Battlestar Galactica says 3-6 on the box (3-7 for the expansion). It's great with 5, still pretty good at 6, and getting iffy at 7. Every time I bring it to board game night, someone will inevitably say "oh, there are plenty of extra loyalty cards and characters, we could get 8 or even 10 players" and I'm like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Even though it's listed as 2-6 I've done Council of Blackthorn with 8 using the extra Kickstarter characters/roles, and it worked very well. The additional characters could be added pretty easily by just printing their cards or writing their abilities on index cards, and coming up with something to use as the 4 identity tokens you would need for each.
Yeah that would be an interesting way to add a 5th player to, say, Pandemic Legacy or Time Stories too. You know the surprises, the players don't.
Mafia de Cuba or one of the Werewolf variants is about all I can think of, and even those are sort of team games.
Isn't Mad King Ludwig's Castle (or whatever the name is) a tile laying game? how does that play?
Selling Board Games for Medical Bills
I like that is has two phases of gameplay: The "Hey guys! This city is great! Come live here!" phase. and the "Oh shit oh shit oh shit lava" phase.
Steam ID: Obos Vent: Obos
I think this really works for Pandemic, because that game often feels like a group decision game anyway, just with 4 characters to move. Taking away the "this pawn represents me personally" factor doesn't detract from the choices you make with the team's plans.
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
Castles is pretty fun, although it takes up more space than Carcasonne. (Only tile laying game that I've played thats been mentioned so far)
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rs_mV695ns
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
I played it at our board game day April 30th. Loved it, bought cores 4 and 5 (because I'm a completionist) and a huge chunk of the allies decks. I really want the goblin siblings.
On other news:
I finally heard back from Asmodee regarding CAPTAIN SONAR.
They confirmed that on the Radio Operator's screens, ONLY ONE SIDE has the protective film around it. So if you get that off, you are fine! So no more digging for me to figure out if there is another layer to peel off!
I could even finally cash in my free month of Amazon prime and have it delivered for tomorrow. I'm having a BBQ and could probably persuade enough people to play.
Send help!
http://steamcommunity.com/id/pablocampy
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
Sort of. It plays a lot like Suburbia except you build a castle and have to pay attention to how rooms affect each other. One person gets to decide prices of the 5 or so rooms that come up every round and of course you have random goals to try and reach as you build your wacky castle.
They should have called it Wacky Castle Builders actually.
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
Fantastic new games keep coming out! For example, check out Potion Explosion.
This is a short game of collecting ingredients to brew potions, which give you points as well as special abilities you can use if you drink them. That's fun by itself, but the magic comes in the way you collect those ingredients.
There's this nifty cardboard dispenser you pour a bunch of marbles into, and they fill the columns with a satisfying clacking sound. Then, when you take an ingredient, new marbles will roll down into place, and if you cause like colors to collide, you get those too. Causing these chain reactions is the heart of the game, and it's extremely clever and fun.
I love little, simple games that are easy to teach. That's why it's so notable that I love Vast, which is the opposite of these things.
Vast is a game of asymmetry, which is handily summarized in the following simple diagram:
In Vast, each player takes on a role with its own rules, its own goals, and its own mechanisms. Turn structure for one player bears no resemblance to the turn structure for the next. The Knight is playing a typical RPG, exploring a cave, completing sidequests, gaining experience, and trying to slay the dragon. The Goblins, on the other hand, are controlling a bunch of moving parts, swarming and darting through the darkness and trying to chip away at the Knight. The Cave player is trying to misdirect and slow down other players long enough to collapse in, killing everyone. And so on! It's a marvel that it works at all.
But new games aren't everything! Classics return to the table every week. For example, I'm enamored of Edel, Stein & Reich, an older game of bluffing and brinksmanship.
This is a simultaneous action selection game. I love games like this, because everyone is always involved! Players try to collect majorities in four different colors of gems by deciding what action to take: claim gems, claim cash, claim a special action card, and so forth. If nobody else chose what you did, then great! You get to take that action. If three or more chose it, nobody gets to do it. But if two people chose it, they have to negotiate over which one gets to do it, and how the other one gets compensated. Simple, clean, cutthroat, and fun.