I picked up Betrayal Legacy to play with some friends after hearing Austin talking about it on Waypoint last week.
We've all been playing cards for years, but not much in the way of board games and of those the only really complex one with lots of pieces was Dark Souls.
The rules all were pretty straight forward, although it took me a while to come to terms with writing on and altering cards at first.
My friend who took the very first turn of the game went outside and immediately set off the first haunt, which turned things into a total train wreck where my character went insane by himself two turns in while the other two were trying to kill each other a small tunnel in the basement.
We finished chapter two today with things going right down to the wire. After the first character not having so great a time my character have won the last two games while on his last legs via a lucky shot out the window.
Looking forward to getting everyone together next week and going with five players instead of three. I like the Calling cards you gradually accumulate over time, all seem pretty powerful and none useless.
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Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
Personally I think Inis is probably the best looking boardgame I own.
Replacing the plastic with wood is about the only thing I can think of improving.
I'm not sure what I think my best looking boardgame is.
Maybe Trickerion? Or at least the non-Portrait parts of it. Those are really bad.
Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
Cerebria is probably the one I like the aesthetic of most after Inis. And then, like ... Shh!, probably? It might be a pack-o-games game, but the graphic design on that one is second to none in the hobby.
Personally I think Inis is probably the best looking boardgame I own.
Replacing the plastic with wood is about the only thing I can think of improving.
I would happily replace the plastic models with wooden cubes, but that’s my only complaint.
I honestly thought I was the only person who felt this way.
So I had this boxed "vintage" Risk set (a gift, natch), that's been just sitting in my game cabinet for like a year. This weekend I decided to just get rid of it, but checked inside for other stuff (as is my habit). WHOA, 6 healthy sets of good-looking and vibrantly-colored wooden cubes. I found this image, but it really doesn't do it justice:
They even have these elongated cubes, that you can use for alternative markers or cube multiples (i.e. x5 or x10). Perfect addition to my "game supplies". Honestly, add this to a set of poker chips, and you have an instant upgrade kit for a ton of games.
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BigPointyTeethrun away! run away!MinnesotaRegistered Userregular
So, last time I posted, I was going to try to get SpaceCorp to the table. I did. It landed with quite a thud. One person was just really not feeling it, and since I knew he wasn't having fun, it dragged for me. We ended it after the second stage, partly due to that and partly because I had no idea how the third stage worked. I may try again with another friend when he comes to town next month.
Before that, we played Mundus Novus, which was alright. It went on kinda long, but that's probably due to it being the first time we played it. We also had to mulligan the first turn because I lack reading comprehension when it came to trading.
Next, two games of Flamme Rouge. I liked it. I don't really have anything else to say about it until I get to play it more. It was neat how we naturally clumped together, trying to leech off the people in front of us, before we each tried to break from the pack.
A couple weekends later, my FLGS was having an anniversary week celebration. I brought my daughter and we played life sized Tsuro. I lost every time. As we were leaving, one of the guys stopped us, went in the back and came out with a pint glass with their logo on it for my daughter. The whole ride home she talked about how "amazing" it was. I love that place.
Anyway, this past weekend, we got together again. First up was Concordia. You're running around Europe, trying to drop settlements and collect goods using cards from your hand. Each card has a different action, and you can buy better versions of those cards. Each turn you use one card to take an action, and you have a card to bring your discard pile back into your hand that gives you money depending on how much of your hand you burned through before picking back up. The cards also act as score multipliers at the end, as well, so you want to buy cards that match your strategy. I guess, anyway. I lost. As is usual these days.
After that, we played Scythe. It was my first time playing, so I fumbled my way to last place.
Last, Mansions of Madness 2nd. We played a scenario where a family had some relic that had sealed an ancient horror. So they made jewelry out of it. We had to collect the pieces and try to do something with them. Everything was going fine until everything caught on fire. That seems to happen a lot when we play.
Next month is Twilight Imperium 4th. I look forward to everyone distrusting me for only a few valid reasons.
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jergarmarhollow man crewgoes pew pew pewRegistered Userregular
Are those thin cards the same size as Space Base's?
Hopefully more games adopt that half-card size or whatever, so that we can get sleeves made of that type.
Oh, what did you think of Space Base? I got a chance to try it, it seemed okay but kinda fiddly? Like, you spend most of your turn moving things around. And the card abilities didn't wow me, sometimes you just move cards around and get a tiny improvement. Just a first impression, curious what others think. I thought I would like it more.
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
Are those thin cards the same size as Space Base's?
Hopefully more games adopt that half-card size or whatever, so that we can get sleeves made of that type.
No, Pack-O-Games cards are much smaller than Space Base cards - roughly half the size in width, I'd guess. They really are about the size of a stick of gum.
POG cards have a 1:3 aspect ratio (pretty obvious in games like Hue and Taj). Space Base cards are 1:2 or maybe a little thinner. Poker cards are 5:7 and bridge cards are 9:14.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Are those thin cards the same size as Space Base's?
Hopefully more games adopt that half-card size or whatever, so that we can get sleeves made of that type.
Oh, what did you think of Space Base? I got a chance to try it, it seemed okay but kinda fiddly? Like, you spend most of your turn moving things around. And the card abilities didn't wow me, sometimes you just move cards around and get a tiny improvement. Just a first impression, curious what others think. I thought I would like it more.
It's one of my favorites. I haven't gotten a chance to actually finish a game, but I love the building engine. Things start stacking, and you are always paying attention on everyone's turn due to having effects that fire on other people's turns instead of yours. I can't wait for the expansion that mixes that up.
I like Space Base quite a bit. It always seems to move pretty slowly, though, despite being able to do things on others' turns. Not sure why.
Well, you still can't prepare for your turn at all. You roll the dice, then decide how to resolve them, decide which cards to buy, move cards and cubes around. Adding things that I can do on others' turns is great, but it doesn't make the game any faster. The next guy could start his turn as soon as the previous guy buys a card, but my impression is that people tend to wait until turns are completely over? Probably an area where different groups will have different expectations.
I probably sound more negative than I really feel. It's short, it's certainly got some neat things going on, I'm looking forward to trying it more.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
It also slows down when you introduce powers that let you change dice numbers.
Anyone in here interested in a weekly tabletop simulator meet up ? we could do weekly polls to see what game we wanna play etc, try and sort it out by genre etc, or everyone playing tosses out a game idea and we vote on those. Just gauging interest.
Morskitter wrote "Spikes, choppas, tentacles, magic? Can't hold a candle to Sergeant Pimp here."
It also slows down when you introduce powers that let you change dice numbers.
Yes. I think those are necessary for optimal play (get a lot of powers stacked on one number, and then get ways to manipulate dice so that this big payout happens more often) but I have found that I annoy other players when I capitalize on them. I need to review the dice roll, see what it would do, and then maybe choose to re-roll dice, often after other people are already getting their payout from the initial roll which they then have to undo.
ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
Speaking of games with a great premise, excellent production values, and underwhelming gameplay ... The Sound Of Sirens popped up on Kickstarter, and it looks just precious. Seriously:
Unfortunately it looks like the gameplay is push-your-luck-take-that and little else. But if anyone happens to back it or play it before I do, I'd be happy to hear reviews.
Speaking of games with a great premise, excellent production values, and underwhelming gameplay ... The Sound Of Sirens popped up on Kickstarter, and it looks just precious. Seriously:
Unfortunately it looks like the gameplay is push-your-luck-take-that and little else. But if anyone happens to back it or play it before I do, I'd be happy to hear reviews.
Well they went hard on a style anyway. I may not like it, but I'm sure glad it exists. Certainly isn't bland.
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
If you didn't look at the full art pieces available on BGG, you're denying yourself the glory that is the Reggae-hermit crab in its complete form. It sure is something. XD
jergarmarhollow man crewgoes pew pew pewRegistered Userregular
I think Root is a fine game, but the attention it receives seems a bit... out of proportion, perhaps?
But it might be for the best! Personally, I think it's an indication how much people are hungry for a bit of heart and a bit of charm in their games. Takenoko is another good example of a game that is "good enough", but is just so charming and easy to get people interested in it.
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Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
I think Root is a fine game, but the attention it receives seems a bit... out of proportion, perhaps?
But it might be for the best! Personally, I think it's an indication how much people are hungry for a bit of heart and a bit of charm in their games. Takenoko is another good example of a game that is "good enough", but is just so charming and easy to get people interested in it.
I think it's mostly that Root is adjacent to the COIN games which are the absolute opposite in terms of production quality. So you see one that sort of replicates the experience but with a neat theme and nice production and you get T U R B O H Y P E
Personally, I would very happily play it again but I don't feel the need to own it
Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
Now from the other end of the spectrum: Root is easily my favorite board game and was my favorite game of the year last year, I even put it over all the video games I has played that year
It is a beautiful ecosystem and just a joy to take part in, it has a very steep learning curve but I delighted in sticking my head in the rulebook for a full week until I knew it like scripture, which is a thing I HATE to do for board games, generally simpler the better for me, but Root threads the needle for me
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
I think Root is a fine game, but the attention it receives seems a bit... out of proportion, perhaps?
But it might be for the best! Personally, I think it's an indication how much people are hungry for a bit of heart and a bit of charm in their games. Takenoko is another good example of a game that is "good enough", but is just so charming and easy to get people interested in it.
I think this may just be... noticing a thing you didn't particularly care about. I don't think Root got significantly more attention than, say, Wingspan, and if anything I would say the reason Root was more noticeable is because after the hype round it got a round of post-hype backlash.
Anyways, I'm not super excited for the expansion because I think Cole Wehrle made Root what it is and he wasn't the core designer on most of the expansion content, but I'm still backing because they've earned it.
ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
I just have elitist opinions and have been pretty disappointed with a lot of "big waves" releases in the last couple of years. You're all still welcome to like the games you like, just don't pay too much attention to my segues. :P
Now from the other end of the spectrum: Root is easily my favorite board game and was my favorite game of the year last year, I even put it over all the video games I has played that year
It is a beautiful ecosystem and just a joy to take part in, it has a very steep learning curve but I delighted in sticking my head in the rulebook for a full week until I knew it like scripture, which is a thing I HATE to do for board games, generally simpler the better for me, but Root threads the needle for me
Yuuuup Root probably sits here for me too. I enjoy other war games and similarly weighty experiences, but I haven’t liked any of them like I do Root. The expansion is a no brainer for me, especially with all these nice replacement pieces and boards/rules
I'm about a year behind on the Root train, so am only now just eyeing up the original expansion. Just making the game playable with 5 and being able to mix up factions is pretty huge for me. Nice to know that if the game really has some legs with my group that there's more content out there.
Not sure if we've had this discussion as of late, but I'm looking into getting a larger player count game for 6+. I'm currently eyeing up Secret Hitler and Deception Murder in Hong Kong. Any thoughts on those, or any other recommendations? I'll almost certainly most frequently be busting them out for none-boardgame aficionados, but it would be nice if they play well with folks with a bit more of a handle on gaming. Ta!
Secret hitler is pretty much a perfect game in my eyes. Great rules, I’ve never played a game where someone was just not into it or uninvolved. And the production value is stellar too, the whole thing just feels good to play with
And you can get a massive group playing, so it’s really good for party situations where a board game might get played
I prefer Deception but it’s a bit more involved and in my experience takes longer to teach. I’m not in love with the theme of Secret Hitler or the player elimination and prefer Reistance Avalon as my go to social deduction for lighter gamers. But honestly go with the theme that you think the group will prefer. I saw a group playing Hail Hydra and they really seemed to enjoy it, I have not had a chance to play it.
Amongst my non-gamer friends Time’s Up (tittle recall) and Monikers have done best for large groups.
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
I'm about a year behind on the Root train, so am only now just eyeing up the original expansion. Just making the game playable with 5 and being able to mix up factions is pretty huge for me. Nice to know that if the game really has some legs with my group that there's more content out there.
Not sure if we've had this discussion as of late, but I'm looking into getting a larger player count game for 6+. I'm currently eyeing up Secret Hitler and Deception Murder in Hong Kong. Any thoughts on those, or any other recommendations? I'll almost certainly most frequently be busting them out for none-boardgame aficionados, but it would be nice if they play well with folks with a bit more of a handle on gaming. Ta!
Skull / Liars Dice / Lie / Cockroach Poker tend to be great little 6-player bluffing games, which make them involved for all players and fairly easy to grasp with good tense moments. Just One is a great new addition to the Telestrations vein of games, where players are cooperatively and secretly trying to give single-word clues to a player guessing the word. The main trick is that if any two players wrote the same hint, their hints are discarded. It kinda gives the game a good Codenames feel in how you want to be on-brand, but also not too on-brand, except you totally hope someone will give the obvious hints. :P
Also, Codenames. <_<
I'm about a year behind on the Root train, so am only now just eyeing up the original expansion. Just making the game playable with 5 and being able to mix up factions is pretty huge for me. Nice to know that if the game really has some legs with my group that there's more content out there.
Not sure if we've had this discussion as of late, but I'm looking into getting a larger player count game for 6+. I'm currently eyeing up Secret Hitler and Deception Murder in Hong Kong. Any thoughts on those, or any other recommendations? I'll almost certainly most frequently be busting them out for none-boardgame aficionados, but it would be nice if they play well with folks with a bit more of a handle on gaming. Ta!
For non-boardgamers, I would recommend Codenames. It scales well with higher player counts, and it's easy to pick up. I'm starting to tire of it, because it gets played so often. But it's great.
Exactly 6 players is when I bust out Libertalia. Most people seem to have a good time with this, even if it's the first time they are playing.
7 players is, of course, 7 Wonders, but I believe you can also play Mysterium with up to 7.
Most "Hidden Traitor" games like Secret Hitler and The Resistance (Avalon or vanilla version) will play large player counts (like, up to 10) and are best with a high player count. Not everyone is good at wrapping their heads around how to play a social deduction/hidden traitor game, unfortunately, even though the rules are dead simple. It requires a different way of thinking than most Monopoly/Clue players are used to, but then again, many of them may have played Werewolf/Mafia before (which is the elemental foundation that hidden traitor games are based upon). My social deduction game of choice is "Don't Mess With Cthulhu" (formerly "Time Bomb"), and that is easy to expand to up to 12 players, in my experience.
I find Deception: Murder in Hong Kong to be information overload for most new players. But it's good once everyone is on board with it.
Shadow Hunters plays up to 8. Again, not too fond of this one, but a lot of new players to board games seem to like it. The fact that most of your agency is removed (due to the dice rolls) is a plus for many new players. You just roll the dice and see what your turn gives you.
Coup can work okay at high player counts, especially if you use the Coup: Reformation (the expansion) box and the faction rule (which puts people into teams, but team allegiance shifts rapidly within the mechanics of the game).
Bang! (the Dice Game version is my preferred version) is a good intro game for up to 8 players (with expansions, for the card game, but I think the Dice Game may natively support 8).
For very LARGE groups, there's always "Two Rooms and a Boom", which is print and play.
Bang! (the Dice Game version is my preferred version) is a good intro game for up to 8 players.
I think "preferred" is not nearly strong enough. The Dice Game improves on the original in nearly every respect. It plays faster, it's easier to teach because of the Yahtzee cultural touchstone, it doesn't bog down at the end, and it's easier for the renegade to do useful things while hiding because of the mechanic where you are forced to use all your dice results. I do not expect to ever play the card game again, and would not recommend it to any new player.
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jergarmarhollow man crewgoes pew pew pewRegistered Userregular
Bang! (the Dice Game version is my preferred version) is a good intro game for up to 8 players.
I think "preferred" is not nearly strong enough. The Dice Game improves on the original in nearly every respect. It plays faster, it's easier to teach because of the Yahtzee cultural touchstone, it doesn't bog down at the end, and it's easier for the renegade to do useful things while hiding because of the mechanic where you are forced to use all your dice results. I do not expect to ever play the card game again, and would not recommend it to any new player.
The only possible thing to add, is that it's also functions as a fairly low-stress introduction to hidden-role games.
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On the opppsite side, I haven’t picked up Root because it seems very similar to the COIN games I have already and its theme that intrigues me less.
That plus the balance issues I have heard about, I know they got errata’d but I am fine to wait for an updated printing.
Really the only reason I see for myself to grab Root is because I know the theme will be easier for some to get into vs other COIN games, but considering I already have and play COIN games it feels too niche to own for me.
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jergarmarhollow man crewgoes pew pew pewRegistered Userregular
I think Root is a fine game, but the attention it receives seems a bit... out of proportion, perhaps?
But it might be for the best! Personally, I think it's an indication how much people are hungry for a bit of heart and a bit of charm in their games. Takenoko is another good example of a game that is "good enough", but is just so charming and easy to get people interested in it.
I think this may just be... noticing a thing you didn't particularly care about. I don't think Root got significantly more attention than, say, Wingspan, and if anything I would say the reason Root was more noticeable is because after the hype round it got a round of post-hype backlash.
Anyways, I'm not super excited for the expansion because I think Cole Wehrle made Root what it is and he wasn't the core designer on most of the expansion content, but I'm still backing because they've earned it.
I was thinking about this and you know what? You're right. It's a bold, innovative, charming game. Begrudging it the attention it has received is probably petty. I still have issues with certain mechanical aspects of the game, but it certainly deserves attention, and I hope that it influences future games.
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We've all been playing cards for years, but not much in the way of board games and of those the only really complex one with lots of pieces was Dark Souls.
The rules all were pretty straight forward, although it took me a while to come to terms with writing on and altering cards at first.
My friend who took the very first turn of the game went outside and immediately set off the first haunt, which turned things into a total train wreck where my character went insane by himself two turns in while the other two were trying to kill each other a small tunnel in the basement.
We finished chapter two today with things going right down to the wire. After the first character not having so great a time my character have won the last two games while on his last legs via a lucky shot out the window.
Looking forward to getting everyone together next week and going with five players instead of three. I like the Calling cards you gradually accumulate over time, all seem pretty powerful and none useless.
I'm not sure what I think my best looking boardgame is.
Maybe Trickerion? Or at least the non-Portrait parts of it. Those are really bad.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Hopefully more games adopt that half-card size or whatever, so that we can get sleeves made of that type.
I honestly thought I was the only person who felt this way.
So I had this boxed "vintage" Risk set (a gift, natch), that's been just sitting in my game cabinet for like a year. This weekend I decided to just get rid of it, but checked inside for other stuff (as is my habit). WHOA, 6 healthy sets of good-looking and vibrantly-colored wooden cubes. I found this image, but it really doesn't do it justice:
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Before that, we played Mundus Novus, which was alright. It went on kinda long, but that's probably due to it being the first time we played it. We also had to mulligan the first turn because I lack reading comprehension when it came to trading.
Next, two games of Flamme Rouge. I liked it. I don't really have anything else to say about it until I get to play it more. It was neat how we naturally clumped together, trying to leech off the people in front of us, before we each tried to break from the pack.
A couple weekends later, my FLGS was having an anniversary week celebration. I brought my daughter and we played life sized Tsuro. I lost every time. As we were leaving, one of the guys stopped us, went in the back and came out with a pint glass with their logo on it for my daughter. The whole ride home she talked about how "amazing" it was. I love that place.
Anyway, this past weekend, we got together again. First up was Concordia. You're running around Europe, trying to drop settlements and collect goods using cards from your hand. Each card has a different action, and you can buy better versions of those cards. Each turn you use one card to take an action, and you have a card to bring your discard pile back into your hand that gives you money depending on how much of your hand you burned through before picking back up. The cards also act as score multipliers at the end, as well, so you want to buy cards that match your strategy. I guess, anyway. I lost. As is usual these days.
After that, we played Scythe. It was my first time playing, so I fumbled my way to last place.
Last, Mansions of Madness 2nd. We played a scenario where a family had some relic that had sealed an ancient horror. So they made jewelry out of it. We had to collect the pieces and try to do something with them. Everything was going fine until everything caught on fire. That seems to happen a lot when we play.
Next month is Twilight Imperium 4th. I look forward to everyone distrusting me for only a few valid reasons.
Oh, what did you think of Space Base? I got a chance to try it, it seemed okay but kinda fiddly? Like, you spend most of your turn moving things around. And the card abilities didn't wow me, sometimes you just move cards around and get a tiny improvement. Just a first impression, curious what others think. I thought I would like it more.
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No, Pack-O-Games cards are much smaller than Space Base cards - roughly half the size in width, I'd guess. They really are about the size of a stick of gum.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
It's one of my favorites. I haven't gotten a chance to actually finish a game, but I love the building engine. Things start stacking, and you are always paying attention on everyone's turn due to having effects that fire on other people's turns instead of yours. I can't wait for the expansion that mixes that up.
Well, you still can't prepare for your turn at all. You roll the dice, then decide how to resolve them, decide which cards to buy, move cards and cubes around. Adding things that I can do on others' turns is great, but it doesn't make the game any faster. The next guy could start his turn as soon as the previous guy buys a card, but my impression is that people tend to wait until turns are completely over? Probably an area where different groups will have different expectations.
I probably sound more negative than I really feel. It's short, it's certainly got some neat things going on, I'm looking forward to trying it more.
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Now it's up to 600%+
edit: 800%
http://steamcommunity.com/id/pablocampy
The Sound Of Sirens popped up on Kickstarter, and it looks just precious. Seriously:
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Well they went hard on a style anyway. I may not like it, but I'm sure glad it exists. Certainly isn't bland.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
But it might be for the best! Personally, I think it's an indication how much people are hungry for a bit of heart and a bit of charm in their games. Takenoko is another good example of a game that is "good enough", but is just so charming and easy to get people interested in it.
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I think it's mostly that Root is adjacent to the COIN games which are the absolute opposite in terms of production quality. So you see one that sort of replicates the experience but with a neat theme and nice production and you get T U R B O H Y P E
Personally, I would very happily play it again but I don't feel the need to own it
It is a beautiful ecosystem and just a joy to take part in, it has a very steep learning curve but I delighted in sticking my head in the rulebook for a full week until I knew it like scripture, which is a thing I HATE to do for board games, generally simpler the better for me, but Root threads the needle for me
I think this may just be... noticing a thing you didn't particularly care about. I don't think Root got significantly more attention than, say, Wingspan, and if anything I would say the reason Root was more noticeable is because after the hype round it got a round of post-hype backlash.
Anyways, I'm not super excited for the expansion because I think Cole Wehrle made Root what it is and he wasn't the core designer on most of the expansion content, but I'm still backing because they've earned it.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Yuuuup Root probably sits here for me too. I enjoy other war games and similarly weighty experiences, but I haven’t liked any of them like I do Root. The expansion is a no brainer for me, especially with all these nice replacement pieces and boards/rules
Not sure if we've had this discussion as of late, but I'm looking into getting a larger player count game for 6+. I'm currently eyeing up Secret Hitler and Deception Murder in Hong Kong. Any thoughts on those, or any other recommendations? I'll almost certainly most frequently be busting them out for none-boardgame aficionados, but it would be nice if they play well with folks with a bit more of a handle on gaming. Ta!
http://steamcommunity.com/id/pablocampy
And you can get a massive group playing, so it’s really good for party situations where a board game might get played
Amongst my non-gamer friends Time’s Up (tittle recall) and Monikers have done best for large groups.
Skull / Liars Dice / Lie / Cockroach Poker tend to be great little 6-player bluffing games, which make them involved for all players and fairly easy to grasp with good tense moments.
Just One is a great new addition to the Telestrations vein of games, where players are cooperatively and secretly trying to give single-word clues to a player guessing the word. The main trick is that if any two players wrote the same hint, their hints are discarded. It kinda gives the game a good Codenames feel in how you want to be on-brand, but also not too on-brand, except you totally hope someone will give the obvious hints. :P
Also, Codenames. <_<
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Exactly 6 players is when I bust out Libertalia. Most people seem to have a good time with this, even if it's the first time they are playing.
7 players is, of course, 7 Wonders, but I believe you can also play Mysterium with up to 7.
Most "Hidden Traitor" games like Secret Hitler and The Resistance (Avalon or vanilla version) will play large player counts (like, up to 10) and are best with a high player count. Not everyone is good at wrapping their heads around how to play a social deduction/hidden traitor game, unfortunately, even though the rules are dead simple. It requires a different way of thinking than most Monopoly/Clue players are used to, but then again, many of them may have played Werewolf/Mafia before (which is the elemental foundation that hidden traitor games are based upon). My social deduction game of choice is "Don't Mess With Cthulhu" (formerly "Time Bomb"), and that is easy to expand to up to 12 players, in my experience.
I find Deception: Murder in Hong Kong to be information overload for most new players. But it's good once everyone is on board with it.
Shadow Hunters plays up to 8. Again, not too fond of this one, but a lot of new players to board games seem to like it. The fact that most of your agency is removed (due to the dice rolls) is a plus for many new players. You just roll the dice and see what your turn gives you.
Coup can work okay at high player counts, especially if you use the Coup: Reformation (the expansion) box and the faction rule (which puts people into teams, but team allegiance shifts rapidly within the mechanics of the game).
Bang! (the Dice Game version is my preferred version) is a good intro game for up to 8 players (with expansions, for the card game, but I think the Dice Game may natively support 8).
For very LARGE groups, there's always "Two Rooms and a Boom", which is print and play.
The only possible thing to add, is that it's also functions as a fairly low-stress introduction to hidden-role games.
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That plus the balance issues I have heard about, I know they got errata’d but I am fine to wait for an updated printing.
Really the only reason I see for myself to grab Root is because I know the theme will be easier for some to get into vs other COIN games, but considering I already have and play COIN games it feels too niche to own for me.
I was thinking about this and you know what? You're right. It's a bold, innovative, charming game. Begrudging it the attention it has received is probably petty. I still have issues with certain mechanical aspects of the game, but it certainly deserves attention, and I hope that it influences future games.
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