I went to a new board game cafe in Brooklyn that I’ve never been to and played a game (Concordia) that I’d never played. It was a night of firsts! Both were great.
The cafe is interesting in that it’s in about the exact spot I was looking seriously at opening a board game cafe a few years ago. I got as far as the business plan and the initial phases of some of the permits before deciding it wasn’t the right choice for me. I hope this one succeeds.
Concordia is amazing and easily in my top 5 games of all time. It's elegant and fun.
I need to start putting games on my chopping block. Spirit Island might be one of them? Every time I open the rule book, I get exhausted. I adore its theming and potential; but based on limited time and the people I play with, I'm starting to move away from heavier/AP-prone games. That being said, I'm totally open for someone to convince me to give it another chance.
This process is going to be painful. I have too many I know I don't want to get rid of just because they give me joy to look at as collector's items or big boxes full of stuff. I intend to cut games I never seem to get to the table, too. My initial, potential list is:
Magic Maze - I bought this based off of SUSD's review, but it gives me anxiety and I've earned my share of "Why aren't you doing or seeing the right move?" frustrated looks/comments. I'm kind of a daft idiot and that real-time pressure causes me to freeze up.
MAYBE: Lifeform w/ expansions and playmat - I really like the designer. I do not, however, enjoy the learning and setup process for this game. It really, really wants to emulate the first Alien movie to an overly precise degree.
Century: Spice Road - I have and prefer the Golem editions.
MAYBE: Dice Forge w/ Rebellion expansion - I've rarely gotten it to the table. I think I might try again soon, though.
Roll for the Galaxy - I think I prefer New Frontiers more due to how much easier it is for players to grasp it.
Crypt (Kickstarter Edition) - It's a simple, small-box game. I have plenty already.
Disney Villainous - I thought it was okay. I enjoyed playing my villain well enough, but never felt the desire to keep playing a single character more than once.
Era of Kingdoms (Kickstarter Edition) - Each new game did not feel variable enough to me.
Fairy Tile
MAYBE: The King’s Guild (Kickstarter Edition) - Not a bad game! It's fun building up your guild with rooms and items. But the first play did not fill me with that much excitement. I may need to give it another shot.
Tigris & Euphrates - It was too abstract for my group.
MAYBE: Spirit Island w/ Branch & Claw expansion
Legacy of Dragonholt - This is such a cool game that almost never gets a chance to come out, and when it does we've forgotten most of what we were doing.
Dead of Winter: The Long Night w/ wooden insert
MAYBE: Zombicide: Black Plague w/ wooden insert - You really need six characters/players for this one. It hasn't been easy to bring out.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
Unmatched is a good time; SUSD didn't let me down. Medusa is a terrifying prospect in the map with the walled castle; she can just prop up on one of the tower spots and use the harpies to corral the enemy hero, leaving her free to take ranged potshots at most of the map at her leisure.
Anyway it's fun, streamlined, and filled with really difficult decisions made out of smaller, easily digestible pieces. Each individual character is pretty simple, which is good and bad. Sinbad is the character I was most excited for out the gate, and while he's really cool, the couple of games I played as him had me feeling he was a little one-note. Actually in a way the game reminds me of if Villainous decided to be a miniature combat game instead of an engine building card game. Like Villainous, the different characters vary in their complexity; Jafar in that is Sinbad in this, trying to just do one thing pretty quickly by churning through cards.
All the characters so far are really interesting mechanical concepts, but I'm not sure how much longevity any one character has for replaying (again like Villainous) and I could see myself quickly growing bored of my options if left with the basic box. Games like this or Villainous or even Smash Brothers need big, diverse casts in order to feel deeply replayable. Even simple characters become refreshed when they're up against an unfamiliar opponent who behaves very differently. Luckily, for a game with high-end production values and nice miniatures, the expansions are really affordable, and I am definitely planning on collecting this one.
Oh speaking of production values, fuck this game is good looking. I mean damn. The boards are a weak point, which sucks even if it's for understandable reasons, but the art work is phenomenal, the insert might be the best I've ever seen, and the miniatures even come with a black wash that picks out details in the gray plastic, enough to make them look that much more handsome without paint, but also perfectly paintable for those interested.
I need to start putting games on my chopping block. Spirit Island might be one of them? Every time I open the rule book, I get exhausted. I adore its theming and potential; but based on limited time and the people I play with, I'm starting to move away from heavier/AP-prone games. That being said, I'm totally open for someone to convince me to give it another chance.
This process is going to be painful. I have too many I know I don't want to get rid of just because they give me joy to look at as collector's items or big boxes full of stuff. I intend to cut games I never seem to get to the table, too. My initial, potential list is:
Magic Maze - I bought this based off of SUSD's review, but it gives me anxiety and I've earned my share of "Why aren't you doing or seeing the right move?" frustrated looks/comments. I'm kind of a daft idiot and that real-time pressure causes me to freeze up.
MAYBE: Lifeform w/ expansions and playmat - I really like the designer. I do not, however, enjoy the learning and setup process for this game. It really, really wants to emulate the first Alien movie to an overly precise degree.
Century: Spice Road - I have and prefer the Golem editions.
MAYBE: Dice Forge w/ Rebellion expansion - I've rarely gotten it to the table. I think I might try again soon, though.
Roll for the Galaxy - I think I prefer New Frontiers more due to how much easier it is for players to grasp it.
Crypt (Kickstarter Edition) - It's a simple, small-box game. I have plenty already.
Disney Villainous - I thought it was okay. I enjoyed playing my villain well enough, but never felt the desire to keep playing a single character more than once.
Era of Kingdoms (Kickstarter Edition) - Each new game did not feel variable enough to me.
Fairy Tile
MAYBE: The King’s Guild (Kickstarter Edition) - Not a bad game! It's fun building up your guild with rooms and items. But the first play did not fill me with that much excitement. I may need to give it another shot.
Tigris & Euphrates - It was too abstract for my group.
MAYBE: Spirit Island w/ Branch & Claw expansion
Legacy of Dragonholt - This is such a cool game that almost never gets a chance to come out, and when it does we've forgotten most of what we were doing.
Dead of Winter: The Long Night w/ wooden insert
MAYBE: Zombicide: Black Plague w/ wooden insert - You really need six characters/players for this one. It hasn't been easy to bring out.
Get rid of everything that's even a maybe. If you feel bad about it later you can get it again.
I need to start putting games on my chopping block. Spirit Island might be one of them? Every time I open the rule book, I get exhausted. I adore its theming and potential; but based on limited time and the people I play with, I'm starting to move away from heavier/AP-prone games. That being said, I'm totally open for someone to convince me to give it another chance.
This process is going to be painful. I have too many I know I don't want to get rid of just because they give me joy to look at as collector's items or big boxes full of stuff. I intend to cut games I never seem to get to the table, too. My initial, potential list is:
Magic Maze - I bought this based off of SUSD's review, but it gives me anxiety and I've earned my share of "Why aren't you doing or seeing the right move?" frustrated looks/comments. I'm kind of a daft idiot and that real-time pressure causes me to freeze up.
MAYBE: Lifeform w/ expansions and playmat - I really like the designer. I do not, however, enjoy the learning and setup process for this game. It really, really wants to emulate the first Alien movie to an overly precise degree.
Century: Spice Road - I have and prefer the Golem editions.
MAYBE: Dice Forge w/ Rebellion expansion - I've rarely gotten it to the table. I think I might try again soon, though.
Roll for the Galaxy - I think I prefer New Frontiers more due to how much easier it is for players to grasp it.
Crypt (Kickstarter Edition) - It's a simple, small-box game. I have plenty already.
Disney Villainous - I thought it was okay. I enjoyed playing my villain well enough, but never felt the desire to keep playing a single character more than once.
Era of Kingdoms (Kickstarter Edition) - Each new game did not feel variable enough to me.
Fairy Tile
MAYBE: The King’s Guild (Kickstarter Edition) - Not a bad game! It's fun building up your guild with rooms and items. But the first play did not fill me with that much excitement. I may need to give it another shot.
Tigris & Euphrates - It was too abstract for my group.
MAYBE: Spirit Island w/ Branch & Claw expansion
Legacy of Dragonholt - This is such a cool game that almost never gets a chance to come out, and when it does we've forgotten most of what we were doing.
Dead of Winter: The Long Night w/ wooden insert
MAYBE: Zombicide: Black Plague w/ wooden insert - You really need six characters/players for this one. It hasn't been easy to bring out.
I love Spirit Island so much that I am almost certainly buying a personal copy for just my beloved spouse and I to play despite the fact the the guy who owns it is always at our game days. That said, the game definitely encourages a certainly level of AP. The strategies of each of the spirits can vary so wildly that you can easily end up with 12 plans that rely on various powers available from 4 players. Once you get the basics the game isn't very heavy at all is the only hope I can offer you. If you can't find a way to be confident in your way of doing stuff and sorting out what worked from what didn't at the end then the game may just be inaccessible.
It definitely becomes more straight forward at lower player counts though. 2 player is pretty easy to manage if that means anything to you.
Yeah I've tried to get into Spirit Island around half a dozen times now and each time the rulebook + mere prospect of setup just exhausts me and I give up.
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Powerpuppiesdrinking coffee in themountain cabinRegistered Userregular
Yeah I've tried to get into Spirit Island around half a dozen times now and each time the rulebook + mere prospect of setup just exhausts me and I give up.
Oh man that is so frustrating to hear. I love teaching it and i can set it up in <5 min
If they ever get hologram calls I will totally teach you so you don't have to go through that pain
Powerpuppies on
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
Corona quarantine was finally the push my group needed to see how Tabletop Simulator worked, so we played Root on that this morning and it's great! Way more intuitive than I was expecting and we were able to play at close to our normal speed.
[*] MAYBE: Lifeform w/ expansions and playmat - I really like the designer. I do not, however, enjoy the learning and setup process for this game. It really, really wants to emulate the first Alien movie to an overly precise degree.
One thing I'll say about Lifeform, it's what the art in Dark Moon should have been.
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ChaosHatHop, hop, hop, HA!Trick of the lightRegistered Userregular
Yeah I've tried to get into Spirit Island around half a dozen times now and each time the rulebook + mere prospect of setup just exhausts me and I give up.
The rules for Spirit Island really aren't that bad at all. It's certainly no gateway game but it's not incredibly dense or anything. If you're comfortable with Pandemic I feel like it's a reasonable next step, and it's a really good game.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Our King’s Dilemma game has been postponed indefinitely. A huge bummer to be sure. Im glad we hadn't started yet though, that would have been worse.
BigPointyTeethrun away! run away!MinnesotaRegistered Userregular
My local shop just cancelled their upcoming events and closed the gaming area. I suppose it's for the best. My last victory cost me my appendix, I don't know if I have any organs to spare right now. I guess it's time to see if I can herd some cats onto tabletop simulator. Have they improved it in the last several years?
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Powerpuppiesdrinking coffee in themountain cabinRegistered Userregular
Yeah I've tried to get into Spirit Island around half a dozen times now and each time the rulebook + mere prospect of setup just exhausts me and I give up.
The rules for Spirit Island really aren't that bad at all. It's certainly no gateway game but it's not incredibly dense or anything. If you're comfortable with Pandemic I feel like it's a reasonable next step, and it's a really good game.
I love it but i disagree. It's basically impossible to play your first game without cheating in one direction or the other. And trying to learn it from the rule book is very dense. It's not so bad when taught by another player, especially if that player runs the invaders.
I think pandemic is a light game and spirit island is rather heavy.
My local shop just cancelled their upcoming events and closed the gaming area. I suppose it's for the best. My last victory cost me my appendix, I don't know if I have any organs to spare right now. I guess it's time to see if I can herd some cats onto tabletop simulator. Have they improved it in the last several years?
Can't unfortunately speak to the online capabilities of Tabletop Simulator, but as a sporadic user the engine feels pretty much the same as it did a number of years ago. I've heard a fair few people sing the praises of alternatives like Tabletopia and yucata.de if that's an issue for you, though personally I'm sticking with TTS (I like the physics)
My local shop just cancelled their upcoming events and closed the gaming area. I suppose it's for the best. My last victory cost me my appendix, I don't know if I have any organs to spare right now. I guess it's time to see if I can herd some cats onto tabletop simulator. Have they improved it in the last several years?
Can't unfortunately speak to the online capabilities of Tabletop Simulator, but as a sporadic user the engine feels pretty much the same as it did a number of years ago. I've heard a fair few people sing the praises of alternatives like Tabletopia and yucata.de if that's an issue for you, though personally I'm sticking with TTS (I like the physics)
It's pretty much the same, and Tabletopia isn't much better (no yahoos flipping the table in Tabletopia, thankfully). Hasn't changed much in the past 5 years. It's still clunky and a bit rough.
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38thDoelets never be stupid againwait lets always be stupid foreverRegistered Userregular
oh my god planet apocalypse is finally on the way to me my dick just exploded please help anyone a band-aid just a small one WAIT I MEAN A HUGE ONE HUGE BAND-AID
My wife and I both bought Tabletop Simulator last night so we could play games with her family. First session: Dune. A handful of disconnects all around, including one by the host, meaning we did have to redo a couple of phases, but all in all a good time. About three hours, but we think future games'll go quicker since three out of the four of us had never used TTS.
Session report, if anyone's curious:
Four players: my wife (Atreides), her brother (Harkonnen), his wife (Fremen), and me (Spacing Guild). We played with the "basic" rules with the exception of using the storm deck instead of the Battle Wheels to determine the storm's movement. Most of Dune works well in TTS, but the Battle Wheels leave something to be desired. When moving several items at once (in this case, the Battle Wheel itself, a chosen leader, and any offensive/defensive cards being played in a fight), there's no guarantee that these items will remain in the same order along the Z-Axis when put down. This makes revealing one's forces into a rather finicky affair.
At any rate, the Harkonnens, Fremen, and Guild all laid claim to the game's first spice blow. But while the Guild committed the most troops to this endeavor, it was the Fremen who emerged victorious. She had used Chani in fighting the Harkonnens before moving on to fight me, and I had expected her to use Chani again (which is legal if the fight is in the same location). Chani was secretly working for me, so that'd have been great. I modified my Battle Wheel accordingly. But no, it was Stilgar leading the troops against me and I was woefully unprepared for that. The Guild was forced to remain on the defensive for most of the game.
The next major shift in the balance of power occurred on turn three, when the Harkonnens marched a single troop from Carthag into the Atreides stronghold of Arrakeen. The strategy seemed obvious, but Atreides player turned out to have forgotten how laseguns and shields interact. (This was a surprise to all of us, since she'd set off two lasegun/shield explosions the last time we'd played—and destroyed the shield wall, incidentally—and ridden the nuclear shockwaves to victory.) The Atreides lost 14 troops to a single Harkonnen.
By turn six, the Fremen and the Harkonnens had throughly pecked away at each other. The Fremen still had the numbers for the moment, but they were down to only one survivng leader: Chani. The Harkonnens, having finally secured a spice blow after a couple of turns of CHOAM Charity, were ready to bolster their paltry forces on Arrakis with a massive infusion of new troops. And then: Shai-Hulud.
It was actually the second worm we'd pulled, but nobody was in the mood to make an alliance on turn two. This time, however… The faction with the most troops on the board was the Fremen. Second most: the Guild. Both made overtures to the Harkonnens, believing that the forces about to arrive could end the game decisively in their favor. The Harkonnens concluded that allying with the faction that allows them to ship more troops to Arrakis was, in this case, the surer bet. The Guild and the Harkonnens forged an alliance. As is typical in four player games of Dune, the other two players also formed an alliance… out of self-preservation if nothing else.
An alliance must control four population centers to win the game. The Harkonnens were still barely holding onto Arrakeen and Carthag, while the Guild was strong in their starting location (Tuek's Sietch). Thanks to their Guild discount, the Harkonnens were able to ship enough troops to defend the cities from both the Atreides and the Fremen. The Guild, for its part, moved a token force into the Fremen stronghold of Sietch Tabr… The Fremen were confused; the Treachery deck had only just been reshuffled, so it was impossible for this to be another lasegun-shield disaster in the making. But even if they had realized the gambit, it wouldn't have mattered. With no other leaders available, the Fremen had no choice but to commit Chani, the Guild's embedded traitor, to the fight.
Sietch Tabr was lost. The Harkonnens and the Guild claimed victory. The Spice flowed.
Any recommendations for a good murder mystery party game?
The couple we've tried have been extremely weak on the mystery. To the point that there is zero evidence to solve the case. They treat it as just a roleplaying setup where there's no way to solve or deduce anything, and they just tell you the arbitrary answer to who the murderer is at the very end.
World of Warcraft The Boardgame hot take: fun, infinitely too long, would never play pvp or with more than 2, it's fun but Sanctum captures a lot of the same feel in like a millionth of the time. I would be sad if I had paid the insane prices this game goes for.
Any recommendations for a good murder mystery party game?
I have not come across anything so far that is strong on both the role-playing part and the puzzle part. To what extent is the role-playing important to you?
So Wingspan has become a thing at the house. I've played it more times with my wife (who's generally not a gamer) than any other board game, save possibly 15 years worth of Scrabble games. We've even had people over to the house *TWICE* to play board games in the last month.
I taught my almost nine year old to play this week, and he was playing a couple games last night with my nephew (who's home from college) and my wife. Now he's sitting at the game table in the home office teaching my six year old how to play while I work remotely.
So it might be tough to dethrone Wingspan right now, but if anyone has any recommendations for similar games, I'm all ears. For as much screen time as we allow in our house, it's awesome to see my kids come downstairs and pull out a board game first thing in the morning.
Our group (6 people in this specific instance) is looking for a PBEM game but the only one anyone can come up with that doesn't require somebody to get stuck sitting out moderating is Diplomacy, which we've ruled out because we want to stay friends; any ideas?
Our group (6 people in this specific instance) is looking for a PBEM game but the only one anyone can come up with that doesn't require somebody to get stuck sitting out moderating is Diplomacy, which we've ruled out because we want to stay friends; any ideas?
It's not a PBEM boardgame, but have you considered Dominions 5? (What if every fantasy race, pantheon, and legend, ever, was a full-fledged 4x faction? Research magical spells, recruit and equip heroes and armies, and go to town.)
There's also Solium Infernum, where you're Dukes of Hell trying to take over the throne. There's a thread on it a little further down the page, here. I watched a PBP of it ... here? ... at some point in the distant past, and it looked like a lot of fun.
Posts
Concordia is amazing and easily in my top 5 games of all time. It's elegant and fun.
This process is going to be painful. I have too many I know I don't want to get rid of just because they give me joy to look at as collector's items or big boxes full of stuff. I intend to cut games I never seem to get to the table, too. My initial, potential list is:
Anyway it's fun, streamlined, and filled with really difficult decisions made out of smaller, easily digestible pieces. Each individual character is pretty simple, which is good and bad. Sinbad is the character I was most excited for out the gate, and while he's really cool, the couple of games I played as him had me feeling he was a little one-note. Actually in a way the game reminds me of if Villainous decided to be a miniature combat game instead of an engine building card game. Like Villainous, the different characters vary in their complexity; Jafar in that is Sinbad in this, trying to just do one thing pretty quickly by churning through cards.
All the characters so far are really interesting mechanical concepts, but I'm not sure how much longevity any one character has for replaying (again like Villainous) and I could see myself quickly growing bored of my options if left with the basic box. Games like this or Villainous or even Smash Brothers need big, diverse casts in order to feel deeply replayable. Even simple characters become refreshed when they're up against an unfamiliar opponent who behaves very differently. Luckily, for a game with high-end production values and nice miniatures, the expansions are really affordable, and I am definitely planning on collecting this one.
Oh speaking of production values, fuck this game is good looking. I mean damn. The boards are a weak point, which sucks even if it's for understandable reasons, but the art work is phenomenal, the insert might be the best I've ever seen, and the miniatures even come with a black wash that picks out details in the gray plastic, enough to make them look that much more handsome without paint, but also perfectly paintable for those interested.
Get rid of everything that's even a maybe. If you feel bad about it later you can get it again.
I love Spirit Island so much that I am almost certainly buying a personal copy for just my beloved spouse and I to play despite the fact the the guy who owns it is always at our game days. That said, the game definitely encourages a certainly level of AP. The strategies of each of the spirits can vary so wildly that you can easily end up with 12 plans that rely on various powers available from 4 players. Once you get the basics the game isn't very heavy at all is the only hope I can offer you. If you can't find a way to be confident in your way of doing stuff and sorting out what worked from what didn't at the end then the game may just be inaccessible.
It definitely becomes more straight forward at lower player counts though. 2 player is pretty easy to manage if that means anything to you.
Oh man that is so frustrating to hear. I love teaching it and i can set it up in <5 min
If they ever get hologram calls I will totally teach you so you don't have to go through that pain
One thing I'll say about Lifeform, it's what the art in Dark Moon should have been.
The rules for Spirit Island really aren't that bad at all. It's certainly no gateway game but it's not incredibly dense or anything. If you're comfortable with Pandemic I feel like it's a reasonable next step, and it's a really good game.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Ours is six games in and I am champing at the bit. Also postponed.
Also I FINALLY got a copy of Imperial 2030 but now I have to wait weeks to play it
Truly ours is the deepest suffering in these dark times
Weird, I was supposed to play Imperial 2030 today.
I love it but i disagree. It's basically impossible to play your first game without cheating in one direction or the other. And trying to learn it from the rule book is very dense. It's not so bad when taught by another player, especially if that player runs the invaders.
I think pandemic is a light game and spirit island is rather heavy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dncZ-hTVTyU
Can't unfortunately speak to the online capabilities of Tabletop Simulator, but as a sporadic user the engine feels pretty much the same as it did a number of years ago. I've heard a fair few people sing the praises of alternatives like Tabletopia and yucata.de if that's an issue for you, though personally I'm sticking with TTS (I like the physics)
my god these little animal meeples are adorable
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Aesthetically, Everdell is great. It's a lot of text and such to keep track of in practice.
Session report, if anyone's curious:
At any rate, the Harkonnens, Fremen, and Guild all laid claim to the game's first spice blow. But while the Guild committed the most troops to this endeavor, it was the Fremen who emerged victorious. She had used Chani in fighting the Harkonnens before moving on to fight me, and I had expected her to use Chani again (which is legal if the fight is in the same location). Chani was secretly working for me, so that'd have been great. I modified my Battle Wheel accordingly. But no, it was Stilgar leading the troops against me and I was woefully unprepared for that. The Guild was forced to remain on the defensive for most of the game.
The next major shift in the balance of power occurred on turn three, when the Harkonnens marched a single troop from Carthag into the Atreides stronghold of Arrakeen. The strategy seemed obvious, but Atreides player turned out to have forgotten how laseguns and shields interact. (This was a surprise to all of us, since she'd set off two lasegun/shield explosions the last time we'd played—and destroyed the shield wall, incidentally—and ridden the nuclear shockwaves to victory.) The Atreides lost 14 troops to a single Harkonnen.
By turn six, the Fremen and the Harkonnens had throughly pecked away at each other. The Fremen still had the numbers for the moment, but they were down to only one survivng leader: Chani. The Harkonnens, having finally secured a spice blow after a couple of turns of CHOAM Charity, were ready to bolster their paltry forces on Arrakis with a massive infusion of new troops. And then: Shai-Hulud.
It was actually the second worm we'd pulled, but nobody was in the mood to make an alliance on turn two. This time, however… The faction with the most troops on the board was the Fremen. Second most: the Guild. Both made overtures to the Harkonnens, believing that the forces about to arrive could end the game decisively in their favor. The Harkonnens concluded that allying with the faction that allows them to ship more troops to Arrakis was, in this case, the surer bet. The Guild and the Harkonnens forged an alliance. As is typical in four player games of Dune, the other two players also formed an alliance… out of self-preservation if nothing else.
An alliance must control four population centers to win the game. The Harkonnens were still barely holding onto Arrakeen and Carthag, while the Guild was strong in their starting location (Tuek's Sietch). Thanks to their Guild discount, the Harkonnens were able to ship enough troops to defend the cities from both the Atreides and the Fremen. The Guild, for its part, moved a token force into the Fremen stronghold of Sietch Tabr… The Fremen were confused; the Treachery deck had only just been reshuffled, so it was impossible for this to be another lasegun-shield disaster in the making. But even if they had realized the gambit, it wouldn't have mattered. With no other leaders available, the Fremen had no choice but to commit Chani, the Guild's embedded traitor, to the fight.
Sietch Tabr was lost. The Harkonnens and the Guild claimed victory. The Spice flowed.
that's why it's a gaaaaaaaaaaaame
The couple we've tried have been extremely weak on the mystery. To the point that there is zero evidence to solve the case. They treat it as just a roleplaying setup where there's no way to solve or deduce anything, and they just tell you the arbitrary answer to who the murderer is at the very end.
But is it shiny?
I taught my almost nine year old to play this week, and he was playing a couple games last night with my nephew (who's home from college) and my wife. Now he's sitting at the game table in the home office teaching my six year old how to play while I work remotely.
So it might be tough to dethrone Wingspan right now, but if anyone has any recommendations for similar games, I'm all ears. For as much screen time as we allow in our house, it's awesome to see my kids come downstairs and pull out a board game first thing in the morning.
- Friendly theme
- Low player interaction
- Tactile components
- Engine building
With this in mind, I will suggest Splendor. To some extent, also Sagrada and Azul.
It's not a PBEM boardgame, but have you considered Dominions 5? (What if every fantasy race, pantheon, and legend, ever, was a full-fledged 4x faction? Research magical spells, recruit and equip heroes and armies, and go to town.)
There's also Solium Infernum, where you're Dukes of Hell trying to take over the throne. There's a thread on it a little further down the page, here. I watched a PBP of it ... here? ... at some point in the distant past, and it looked like a lot of fun.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]