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[EYEL1NER]

I'm a bit bummed out. A copy of Mage Wars and the DC Comics Deckbuilding Game arrived today in the mail but I fly back to the US tomorrow morning. No chance of playing either of them for at least four weeks. Flipping through the cards and sorting the components of Mage Wars got me even more hyped. I have to ask though: Are all of the extra spell tome expansions of the same quality as the books in the base game? Or are they better quality? My buddy that I bought it to play with and I thought that the pages might be some kind of thin cardboard with spots to slide cards into or something more elegant. I didn't expect the same cheap card binders that I would have filled with Pokemon cards 15 years ago.



Trying to decide if I should take my X-Wing minis with me. The owner of a store wanted me to play there when I was last in the area; I asked what the X-Wing scene was like only to get the answer 'nonexistent' in return. He said that he played though and invited me to play against him in the store where people would be able to see it and maybe we would end up creating the 'scene.' I was excited to play then but my ships were a couple thousand miles away. Now I am trying to figure out if I want to risk them surviving the trip. My carry-on is a standard backpack and my ships are all in a Plano case (I forget the item number but the wide one, red on bottom, that has the two tiers). The case would have to go in my bag on its side, meaning some of the ships like the X-Wings and Z-95s would have their guns directly resting against the compartment walls. A coworker suggested I surround the ships in their individual compartments with tissue to immobilize them, which might work.
Normally I am pretty careful with my carry-on because I will have an Xbox or something in it. So no throwing it down on the ground or knocking it over usually. But these TIE-INTs and X-Wings are a lot more fragile than an Xbox...

 

[Neverfade]

Played Temporum tonight. Light, fast, fun, and has the best card ever:

 

[Keasar]

Damn man I want to play some TI3 again. It has been so long

Make sure those newbies are well versed in the rules lol

First time I played TI3 with a bunch of friends I had everyone do homework with PDFs of the rules, sent them a list of what to read and etc.

Still took us 10 hours straight from morning to evening sitting in one of the halls of the university, seven players loudly arguing about policies, trade, war etc. remains my best memories of a boardgame ever.

 

[Xater]

For my German frinds in this thread. Spiele-Offensive has Deus today on sale during their Christmas Deals thing they are doing every day: https://www.spiele-offensive.de/index.php?cmd=gruppendeal&gid=59

Only 300 available. I already ordered a copy. Skipped it during Essen because of the price but at 32,49€ probably a no-brainer.

 

[JSR_Cube]

Hey guys,

Any interest in posting your top five board games for the year? I don't know if it deserves its own thread or if people think it will pollute this one, but I find that I learn more about some games that I may not have in the video game threads when I see these posts.

 

[Gaming Truth]

Top five all-time or top five 2014 (tis the season)?

 

[Xater]

A GOTY vote sounds like it could be a good idea.

 

[Faiz]

Accidentally discovered I'm getting King of New York for Christmas. Stoked ^_^

 

[ultron87]

Doing top games of the year in a new thread would be cool. Might as well let others that don't typically visit us here know some cool games they could try.

 

[disillusion386]

Your GOTY of games released in 2014? Or just the games you enjoyed the most in 2014?

Sadly, I don't think I played a lot of the games that came out in 2014.

 

[Xater]

Your GOTY of games released in 2014? Or just the games you enjoyed the most in 2014?

Sadly, I don't think I played a lot of the games that came out in 2014.

Games of 2014 makes the most sense to do, but we could do both. On the other hand if you just want to see which games are popular overall there is the BGG ranking.

 

[-tetsuo-]

I think the only game I have that was released this year is Dead of Winter lol.

 

[Neverfade]

In no order off the top of my head:

Istanbul
Battle of Five Armies
Imperial Settlers
Sheriff of Nottingham
Impulse

Honorable mentions:
Concordia - 2013 game us stateside couldn't get til 2014.
Pandemic: The Cure - reeeeal close to making the list
Seventh Hero - the best filler to hit this year, only kept off my meatier games I prefer.


List subject to change as I sit here and mull this over for the rest of the day.

 

[-tetsuo-]

Did Leviathans come out this year?

 

[Neverfade]

Did Leviathans come out this year?

2012. Way off.

 

[Xater]

My top 5 of 2014 so far would be:

Colt Express
Castles of Mad King Ludwig
Patchwork
Machi Koro
Strife

I will get Deus tomorrow, that might make the list as well.

Concordia was a 2013 release here, but if I could pt it on my list it would definitely make the number 1 spot.

 

[-tetsuo-]

2012. Way off.

My 2014 GOTY list

1) Dead of Winter and I haven't even played it yet

 

[Neverfade]

I'm also hoping Roll for the Galaxy gets to me in time and knocks off one of the contenders.

My 2014 GOTY list

1) Dead of Winter and I haven't even played it yet

Thats...hasty.

 

[Xater]

@Neverfade:

Do you like Istanbul more than Concordia or did that just not make the list because it technically is a 2013 release? Also how does it play with 5? Does it get long? I am not sure if I should get it. Currently cheap on Amazon.de but my friends already own it so it's hard to justify.

And yeah I am also curious about Roll for the Galaxy. Seems like the german release seems to be a bit unclear right now.

 

[Gaming Truth]

My 2014 GOTY list

1) Dead of Winter and I haven't even played it yet

Thats...hasty.

I'll say that it's one of the very few Co-op games I like. I like cooperative, yet competitive games. Thematically, the game is very nice. I'm sure with more plays, others will actually try to play competitively too. =)

 

[Neverfade]

@Neverfade:

Do you like Istanbul more than Concordia or did that just not make the list because it technically is a 2013 release? Also how does it play with 5? Does it get long? I am not sure if I should get it. Currently cheap on Amazon.de but my friends already own it so it's hard to justify.

And yeah I am also curious about Roll for the Galaxy. Seems like the german release seems to be a bit unclear right now.

I probably give the edge sliiiightly to Istanbul. It sets up faster and there no tedious end game scoring (although it's worth it in Concordia). If Concordia were a true 2014 title it would probably bump Impulse off the list and take a spot.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Doing a top five for only games that came out this year would be hard. Not every game is readily available for everybody. I would think a top five games you played in 2014 would suffice.

Here is my top 5 games I played in 2014. Some of them are new and some are old, but all of them I first played in 2014

Thunder Alley: This NASCAR themed race game from GMT was one of the most innovative race games I've played. It doesn't use dice in order to control the cars but instead uses a card based movement system that also simulates drafting. Each card you play has a particular movement value on it and due to how the drafting mechanism works you might drag other cars with you. Because of this there is sometimes where you will team up with other players to advance. It makes for a sort of negotiation game that I haven't seen before in other racing games. Another benefit of the game is it is not hard to play. The drafting rules are simple to understand and if you can count you can play this game.

A Study in Emerald: This game blew my mind, I love everything about it, but it's one I find hard to recommend to people. The game is loosely based on a Neil Gaiman story which took elements from Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft. Like the original story, ASiE is a mash up of a number of different mechanics. Martin Wallace took the kitchen sink approach to game design with this one. There are elements of deckbuilding, area control, bidding, hidden roles, vampires, and even zombies. It makes for a difficult game to teach and play but once you get it, everything clicks. Because it's such an odd duck of a game, it's hard to just outright recommend this game to people. You have to be willing to let your first couple of games just happen. There will be things in it that will frustrate you and it might be enough to turn you off the game for good. However, once it clicks, it is an amazing experience.

Troyes: This game was so hot a couple of years ago but now you hardly hear anybody talking about it. In the history of dice based euros, I think this one might be the best. I definitely put it above games like Alien Frontiers and Macao (blech). The thing I like about Troyes is the shared\not really shared dice pool. Everybody rolls dice and all the dice are available to everyone, for a price. It's a neat mechanism and adds some nice player interaction to the game. The card game brother Tournay, should get a nod too, since it's as awesome as Troyes. I'd definitely seek either of these games out next time you get a chance.

Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy: This is the most unique worker placement game you will play. The object of the game is to build a family tree starting from one patriarch or matriarch. You do that by marrying your friends off to your offspring, who will then have children that need to married off as well. Hidden goal cards help shape the type of family you want to become and it becomes a challenge to try and get the generations in line with those goals.

Glass Road: This is the game that fired Ora and Labora for me. While I liked O&L I felt it was too unforgiving and too long. Glass Road refined the idea of the resource wheel and made the building placement less of a puzzle. The game also plays in an hour, less if you got two people who really know how to play. I enjoy the combo nature of the game as well. Grabbing a building and using that building to get more buildings is very satisfying.

Runner Ups:
Legendary Encounters: Great update to the Legendary system and the themed decks make playing through the Alien movies fun.

Camel Up: Lots of fun light race game. I'm glad this game won of Splendor, which I thought was mechanically good, but was really dull.

Fire in the Lake: I only played one solo game and the but I love it. I also don't know if it's just the COIN system that I love or the game, that's why it's a runner up. Heavy heavy game, but once you grok the system the rules are easy to grasp.

 

[Neverfade]

Camel Up! Yes, that should totally be on my honorable mentions list too.

 

[Xater]

I probably give the edge sliiiightly to Istanbul. It sets up faster and there no tedious end game scoring (although it's worth it in Concordia). If Concordia were a true 2014 title it would probably bump Impulse off the list and take a spot.

Interesting, and Istanbul is faster to set up? Concordia has a real fast setup as well. I absolutely love Concordia. It's a 10 in my book. There is no other game I have played as much as it all year.

 

[Neverfade]

Interesting, and Istanbul is faster to set up? Concordia has a real fast setup as well. I absolutely love Concordia. It's a 10 in my book. There is no other game I have played as much as it all year.

Now that I think about it, you're right. Concordia is also pretty fast. So maybe that's not an edge over it haha.

Instanbul is just 16 tiles arranged in a square with a few markers on some though. It gets going really quickly.

The way you talk about Concordia, Istnabul might not dethrone it, and I couldn't fault anyone for that -- I still think it's amazing too.

But definitely give Istanbul a try. Very cool "race" game.

 

[Xater]

Now that I think about it, you're right. Concordia is also pretty fast. So maybe that's not an edge over it haha.

Instanbul is just 16 tiles arranged in a square with a few markers on some though. It gets going really quickly.

The way you talk about Concordia, Istnabul might not dethrone it, and I couldn't fault anyone for that -- I still think it's amazing too.

But definitely give Istanbul a try. Very cool "race" game.

Like I said my friends have it, so I do get to play it soon hopefully. I have already read the rules and it seems to be cool. Just don't know if I should buy it myself as well, or just play it at my friend's place whenever we meet to game.

 

[JSR_Cube]

My G(that I played in 2014)OTY list:

Hyperborea: I think this has a lot going for it. I like the cube drawing. I like the conflict and the fairly streamlined rules. What I can't believe, is how they messed up the color-blind components. I'm not even color-blind and it was tough for me mid-game to distinguish the components.

Five Tribes: I know that this game is AP prone, but I really like the design. Also, the controversy over the slaves was just ridiculous. I quite like Bruno's games though and this one ranks high in his all-time list.

Archipelago: I love the attempt here. It's not perfect, but it is a big game and I like that there is a competitive-cooperative aspect. As I said, it isn't perfect, but it is a crazy system here he designed.

Dead of Winter: A great co-op with traitor element. I like that the theme really fits too. I just wish that it came with red bases for the zombies!

Nations: This isn't perfect but it got a lot of play this year, so it has to be here. I like it but feel that the wars/conflict with other players isn't really that well-designed. I do like that we can burn through a civ-game that feels like a civ-game in two hours with a good number of players.

Honorable Mentions (really just not enough plays to determine where they fit): Panamax, Madeira, Tragedy Looper

Still haven't played but may make it on the list by the end of the year: Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Sheriff of Nottingham and Kanban

 

[d1rtn4p]

Top 5 games that I played for the first time this year.

1. A Study in Emerald - Love Wallace games and this one felt like one of his productions through and through.

2. Le Havre - Don't like Agricola or Caverna, but love this one. Played it a bunch and its fun every time.

3. Nations - I feel like we're getting close to a meaty civilization game that plays in a reasonable amount of time. Still felt a bit too long though for what it was.

4. Wizard - Great trick taking game. Lots of anxiety with every play.

5. Dead of Winter - Meh. It makes my top 5 because I couldn't really think of anything else. I thought it was an OK game; way overhyped. I had the secret goal of "having the most followers", and literally did not pick one up through the entirety of the game

 

[-tetsuo-]

I'm also hoping Roll for the Galaxy gets to me in time and knocks off one of the contenders.



Thats...hasty.

lol i say that because i think it will be the only game released this year that I (will) have played

 

[JSR_Cube]

Top 5 games that I played for the first time this year.

2. Le Havre - Don't like Agricola or Caverna, but love this one. Played it a bunch and its fun every time.

Last year I never thought I would say this but I think that Le Havre is better than Caylus for me. We played Le Havre a ton this year!

 

[d1rtn4p]

Last year I never thought I would say this but I think that Le Havre is better than Caylus for me. We played Le Havre a ton this year!

Hah funny, seems like we have like tastes. Caylus is my favorite euro.

 

[platypotamus]

Literally the only game I've played that was published this year is Castles of Mad King Ludwig. I would say it feels bad man, but I really liked the game, and it's nice that my collection has stabilized to the point that I'm not buying like 10 games a year anymore.

 

[joelseph]

My personal top 5 of 2014

1. Sheriff of Nottingham
2. Camel Cup
3. Machi Koro
4. Snake Oil
5. Caverna

 

[AstroLad]

Haven't played a ton but I've played enough

1. King of New York
2. Legendary Villains
3. Colt Express
4. Camel Up
5. Pandemic: The Cure
Machi Kori, Splendor, and about five games I haven't played yet would probably make top 10ish. Good year.

 

[parasight]

Gonna cheat cause I think there's more than 5 games worth listing.

1. Dead of Winter
2. Concept
3. Marvel Dice Masters
4. Sheriff of Nottingham
5. Star Realms
6. Coup Reformation
7. Machi Koro
8. King of New York
9. DC Deck-Building Game: Forever Evil
10. Arcadia Quest

Games I didn't get to play yet but think may have made the list: Castles of Mad King Ludwig and Five Tribes

Really strong year I would say. I didn't even have room to fit stuff like Legendary Villains and Splendor.

 

[zulux21]

I would have to look and figure out what games were actually release this year that I bought.... but number 1 is very easy.

1. Tragedy Looper.






5. Legendary Villains

not sure what goes between.

 

[AcridMeat]

Hey folks I had another general question. With the holidays coming I was wondering if I could get some input on good group games.

So far I know I'm interested in Coup and Resistance: Avalon, but JesseZao's comments on Mascarade has me considering that as well. What do you guys think? Will need something younger-friendly as I want to be able to include my 9 year old and 12 year old nieces as well.

Thanks

 

[platypotamus]

Hey folks I had another general question. With the holidays coming I was wondering if I could get some input on good group games.

So far I know I'm interested in Coup and Resistance: Avalon, but JesseZao's comments on Mascarade has me considering that as well. What do you guys think? Will need something younger-friendly as I want to be able to include my 9 year old and 12 year old nieces as well.

Thanks

How big of a group are we talking?

 

[AcridMeat]

How big of a group are we talking?

IIRC we'd have at minimum 4 interested in playing, upwards of 7 or 8 if the game allows it. I just impulse bought Avalon while buying some Christmas gifts so I'll at least have that.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Hey folks I had another general question. With the holidays coming I was wondering if I could get some input on good group games.

So far I know I'm interested in Coup and Resistance: Avalon, but JesseZao's comments on Mascarade has me considering that as well. What do you guys think? Will need something younger-friendly as I want to be able to include my 9 year old and 12 year old nieces as well.

Thanks

I talked about it a bit a page or two previous, but Cockroach Poker is quite good. It plays up to 6. Liar's Dice is always good with a large group. How game savvy are they? Ladies and Gentlemen plays up to 10, but there is more strategy there than your typical party game. There is also Cosmic Encounter too as a more gamerly game.

 

[AcridMeat]

I talked about it a bit a page or two previous, but Cockroach Poker is quite good. It plays up to 6. Liar's Dice is always good with a large group. How game savvy are they? Ladies and Gentlemen plays up to 10, but there is more strategy there than your typical party game. There is also Cosmic Encounter too as a more gamerly game.

Oh sorry! Found your Cockroach Poker post, sounds interesting, just not sure about the theme. What's the basis of Ladies & Gentlemen and Cosmic Encounter?

9 year old is getting more savvy, loves Quirkle/Forbidden Island/King of Tokyo. I'm giving her Fluxx as well so these sorts of games should be fine. I just am not sure how well they'll handle the bluff aspect, it'll probably be easy to tell when they're lying.

 

[Femmeworth]

Amazon has some games on sale. http://slickdeals.net/f/7503414-boa...t-caverns-20-munchkin-5-de-ranged-12-amp-more Thinking about getting Diplomacy.

 

[Lyng]

My top five games I played this year.

1. Yedo
2. Race for the Galaxy
3. Robinson Crusoe
4. Core World's
5. Tragedy Looper

 

[Xater]

Oh sorry! Found your Cockroach Poker post, sounds interesting, just not sure about the theme. What's the basis of Ladies & Gentlemen and Cosmic Encounter?

9 year old is getting more savvy, loves Quirkle/Forbidden Island/King of Tokyo. I'm giving her Fluxx as well so these sorts of games should be fine. I just am not sure how well they'll handle the bluff aspect, it'll probably be easy to tell when they're lying.

The Cockroach Poker theme is very light and the drawings are fun, so don't worry about that.

Some more suggestions from me would be Linko and Council of Verona. These play up to 5. Also for your really big group Telestrations, Colt Express and Bang the Dice Game. Also maybe Cash'n Guns depending on how you feel about the whole toy gun thing.

Edit: Ok played a game of Deus and it's fantastic. That would make my list as well.

 

[Apenheul]

Top 5 from 2014

... I haven't played a single game from 2014 yet. Closest are Star Realms and Caverna which were technically 2013 releases. (edit) I gifted someone Istanbul and hope to play it tomorrow.


Top 5 all time

1. Android Netrunner
2. Agricola
3. Terra Mystica
4. The Resistance
5. Battlestar Galactica

 

[Brakke]

I dunno if this the right thread. Anyone into Warmachine? I started up a little journeyman league recently with some buds. I'm fucking hooked on this thing. Is there a war games thread somewhere on GAF? Any y'all play?

 

[BattleMonkey]

I dunno if this the right thread. Anyone into Warmachine? I started up a little journeyman league recently with some buds. I'm fucking hooked on this thing. Is there a war games thread somewhere on GAF? Any y'all play?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=389064

 

[Flynn]

I have hardly played any games this year.

Just Ora & Labora and Innovation.

 

[BomberMouse]

I don't think I played many games this year either, much less from this year alone. My top 5 would go something like this:

1.- Evolution
2.- Haggis
3.- My Happy Farm
4.- Sushi Go
5.- Love Letter

Pretty busy year, so not much time for games, have a lot of new games that I plan on playing next year.

 

[Mista Koo]

So I've played one round of The Duke this past Friday. As someone who never played Chess I don't think I totally grasp the concept that I have to make sure that my king duke isn't in check after every move.
But I do really like the patterns of the different pieces and I want to make an SRPG using these mechanics.

I also played Thunderstone, which was my first deck builder (ignoring one meh Kickstarter game). I liked it. I thought I wasn't doing well but I was 3rd place (out of 6) and only a couple VPs away from the winner. I would like to try more deck builders though to compare (never even tried Dominion).

This is a bit old but I wanted to write about it for a while. During Thanksgiving I've played Eclipse with 2 guys from our group who didn't go home.
It was intimidating at first because I was the only one who never played it before and I don't necessarily prefer longer games. But I later realized that it was pretty much as complicated as Caverna in a sense where the complexity comes from the number of options and figuring out the optimal strategy rather than just playing it. I also appreciate how simple the combat is.
There was one epic fight which was pretty much the highlight of the game:

I was white, I had more ships and I hit on 4s. The problem?

Blue had way too many missiles and he goes first! I barely won with one ship and it felt awesome. It was pretty much due to this fight (and the build up to it) that the third player won and I got in 2nd place.