Board Games

[smurf636]

Dreadball seems to have taken off ridiculously 'round my way. I also tend to engage in a lot of games of talisman, and X-wing(its played on a sort of a board, okay?)

[deano2099]

Yeah I’d not been able to track it down in the UK recently, I got in touch with an online store and they said there was no listed date for a restock, so it’s likely going to be the latter half of the year I think. Luckily they had a copy with a slightly creased box on the shelves they were able to send me but other than things like that you’re likely stuck for a few months.

GamesLore had some copies at UK Board Game Expo the weekend.

[Moraven]

Think after 7 games of Mage Knight I might understand and know 90% of the rules now. Fighting 7 tokens in Volkare’s army actually using the Knock Out rule (If you take as many Wounds as your base hand limit during Assign Damage phase, you lose your entire hand, meaning you do not get to attack) as its meant makes things a lot interesting. Without it, he is easier on medium difficulty. With it…need lots of good blocks skills.

Now to reset the board and try to beat him correctly…

[Bongo_clive]

Stone Age. Find a copy and play it. It’s brilliant.

[fliptheflop]

I dont know how intense you really want this game to be, but I recently purchased deer in the headlights, to say the least, I am quite please with it!

[Zephro]

Stone Age. Find a copy and play it. It’s brilliant.

Oh god no! I don’t know what it is but I find worker placement games agonising to play and that was one of the worst examples of euro game.

[andelect]

So, I want to get my family into different board games. The current scope of their board game experience is Monopoly and The Game of Life.

Does anybody have any idea what I should try them on? It should probably be something simple rules wise so my parents can follow along.

Thanks!

[citizen5]

So, I want to get my family into different board games. The current scope of their board game experience is Monopoly and The Game of Life.

Does anybody have any idea what I should try them on? It should probably be something simple rules wise so my parents can follow along.

Thanks!

Carcassone is great. Also have a look at Ticket to Ride.

[fliptheflop]

deer in the headlights like i mentioned a few posts up is a lot of fun!

[Merrie_Hell]

I’ve had a lot of luck with using Robo Rally to get people into boardgames - dead simple, but chaotic and good for making people not feel stupid when they fuck up (because the results are usually hilarious). Eight Minute Empire is nice and straightforward. Pandemic can work, too, but you need the right group.

If you’re including card games, Fluxx is good for newcomers. So’s Love Letter.

A lot of it comes down to what sort of style you think would sit your family! Do they like silliness, or do you think it would get on their nerves? Co-op or cut-throat competition?

[Zephro]

Carcassone is great. Also have a look at Ticket to Ride.

They’re great. Also I recommend Pandemic as a good cooperative game can give people the idea that it’s not all about bickering family arguments, I’m looking at you Monopoly.

[citizen5]

They’re great. Also I recommend Pandemic as a good cooperative game can give people the idea that it’s not all about bickering family arguments, I’m looking at you Monopoly.

I do like Pandemic (and lots of people really love it) but you can quite easily have someone who dominates which can be a bit of a bore.

[Zephro]

I do like Pandemic (and lots of people really love it) but you can quite easily have someone who dominates which can be a bit of a bore.

Yeah once you learn the system it can become a touch boring. But it’s great if you all learn it together as a team.

Dixit is also good with people not into terribly complicated games and again provides a different perspective on what’s possible.

[Shadoko]

Wow, heavy thread necromancy !

I was considering getting Scythe for Christmas, both for 2-3 players multiplayer and solo play. I have heard lots of good stuff about the game, but I wanted to ask RPS : do any of you own this game ? What is your opition of it if it’s the case ?

[Matt_W]

I’ve got Scythe. My thoughts are that it’s gorgeous and plays very smoothly, but is kind of unsatisfying.
The bad:

1. The map contains a bunch of portals allowing instant transportation across the map. This makes the area control game weird; it’s hard to predict where your opponents will be and where you can send your units.
2. There’s too much randomness. Encounters, factory cards, and combat cards are all random draws during play.
3. There are too many systems. The end game structure bonus, for instance, is something I forget about every time I play. I forget either to set it up or score it. Recruits and recruit bonuses also seem kind of extraneous.
4. Combat is clunky. The hidden cards, the combat wheel, etc. It’s a good idea in principle, but hard to execute properly.
5. It’s hard to teach. I’m pretty good at teaching games, but there’s enough stuff going on here that it takes 45-60 minutes to explain the rules. Even Rodney took more than 30 minutes and his video is bewildering with the sheer number of rules.

6. Strategy never feels tight. It’s hard to plan more than a couple of moves in advance. This may be because I’m not a good player, but it’s also because mixing an engine builder with area control with achievements with unlockable powers makes for a muddled game.
7. Solo AI highly complex and hard to run, though maybe I just haven’t played it enough to get the hang of it. This isn’t a compelling solo game for me, but ymmv.

The good:

1. All of the art is gorgeous. Jakub Rozalski may be just cribbing other people’s art, but the results are pretty.
2. I really like how resources are represented by tokens on the board. It’s very satisfying and easy to see in a glance.
3. Turns are quick and fluid.
4. Achievements and unlocks feel right. It’s cool to watch your stars pile up.

Verdict:
I think it’s not a great game for the price unless the art and theme are compelling enough to you to get you to bring it to the table a bunch. I take it out and play with my kids about twice a year. If you’re looking for area control, I’d go for Power Grid–it’s easier to set up, has less complex rules, is very thematic, and is just a tight game. If you’re looking for a good engine builder, go for an Uwe Rosenburg game like Agricola or (my favorite) Ora et Labora. If you’re looking for a complex but tight strategy game, try Brass: Birmingham or Terra Mystica.