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The New Board Game Thread (Newcomer Friendly)

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Flynn

Member
Just a heads up to AstroLad/Flynn that it looks like there's pretty much a 0% chance I'll make it to GDC this year. Lots of people from work wanting to go, and as the newb at the office, I'm not likely to get a slot.

Should put me in decent shape for next year though, as they won't send the same people two years in a row :)

Maybe see you guys at PAX?

That sucks. We need to get you on a panel so they HAVE to send you.
 

depward

Member
I'm looking for a fun competitive or co-operative board game or card game or whatever to play with my wife. She's not really into fantasy a whole lot or war themes but her sister introduced us into Dominion and we love it. We rarely tend to have people over for game nights, so I'm interested in looking for something that can be played two two players.

I went to my local game store (Guardian Games here in Portland) to check out what they had and did some research. Some games I thought might be good for her and I:

Pandemic
Jaipur
Lost Cities
Mr. Jack
Hive
Ghost Stories

The problem is - I would hate to drop some serious money ($30ish - $50 range of prices) on something only for her not to really like it. So I'm asking you - the collective board game GAF hivemind - what single one you think based on what I noted above she would enjoy the most.

Also - slightly random question and not sure if I should ask about an iPad version of a board game here or at the iOS thread - but I recently picked up Necronomicon Redux and, not having really played that type of game before, I don't fully get the rules (even after going through the tutorial numerous times + playing several games). What's the sanity number and why is it important? All I figured out is that it's part of if that + number below it is lower than both for the monster card, it's an insta-death.

**Edit** I should also mention - AWESOME initial posts, Astro. Very helpful in me looking for games that were suggested and were the basis of games that are on my short list here.
 

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
I'm looking for a fun competitive or co-operative board game or card game or whatever to play with my wife. She's not really into fantasy a whole lot or war themes but her sister introduced us into Dominion and we love it. We rarely tend to have people over for game nights, so I'm interested in looking for something that can be played two two players.

I went to my local game store (Guardian Games here in Portland) to check out what they had and did some research. Some games I thought might be good for her and I:

Pandemic
Jaipur
Lost Cities
Mr. Jack
Hive
Ghost Stories

The problem is - I would hate to drop some serious money ($30ish - $50 range of prices) on something only for her not to really like it. So I'm asking you - the collective board game GAF hivemind - what single one you think based on what I noted above she would enjoy the most.

Also - slightly random question and not sure if I should ask about an iPad version of a board game here or at the iOS thread - but I recently picked up Necronomicon Redux and, not having really played that type of game before, I don't fully get the rules (even after going through the tutorial numerous times + playing several games). What's the sanity number and why is it important? All I figured out is that it's part of if that + number below it is lower than both for the monster card, it's an insta-death.

**Edit** I should also mention - AWESOME initial posts, Astro. Very helpful in me looking for games that were suggested and were the basis of games that are on my short list here.
Happy to help! Now I just need to schedule the project of fixing all the pics. :/

Hard to pick among those you listed so I'll just give me quick current thoughts on each:

Pandemic: A really fun fairly light co-op game. The caveats here are that it's not totally designed for two (work OK afaik though) and some people seriously get thrown off by the co-op aspect. You can't play with people who would be inclined to just sit back and let you do everything

Jaipur: The prettiest of the bunch. Very light though -- definitely lighter than Dominion it is a quick-to-digest card game.

Lost Cities: Also very light but there's a bit of that Knizia mathiness to it. Definitely an all-time classic 2P card game.

Mr. Jack: I mostly bailed on this because the analysis paralysis is too much for us.

Hive: Same as above. I like games with more hidden information and lucky too personally. But if you guys are into chess, Go, etc. than Hive & Mr. Jack should be very strong contenders.

Ghost Stories: Not that good with two afaik.
 

Zalasta

Member
Since you can't really try before you buy, I'd check BGG for one of their written (or video) reviews to get a better idea what the game is like, maybe that'll help you decide. I don't like 2-player games but I would play Jaipur, so that's a fairly high recommendation from me. Lost Cities is a staple and seem to go well with the spouse/girlfriend crowd. I tried Pandemic with 2 and it wasn't bad, 3-4 is better but it's definitely playable.
 

Neverfade

Member
Campaign Manager 2008. If your wife doesnt mind the theme, then this is an awesome pick up. Its easy to teach and play, can have a variable setup to keep it fresh, its pretty quick, and has some tense back and forth once both players "get it".
 
I'm looking for a fun competitive or co-operative board game or card game or whatever to play with my wife. She's not really into fantasy a whole lot or war themes but her sister introduced us into Dominion and we love it. We rarely tend to have people over for game nights, so I'm interested in looking for something that can be played two two players.

I went to my local game store (Guardian Games here in Portland) to check out what they had and did some research. Some games I thought might be good for her and I:

Pandemic
Jaipur
Lost Cities
Mr. Jack
Hive
Ghost Stories

The problem is - I would hate to drop some serious money ($30ish - $50 range of prices) on something only for her not to really like it. So I'm asking you - the collective board game GAF hivemind - what single one you think based on what I noted above she would enjoy the most.

Also - slightly random question and not sure if I should ask about an iPad version of a board game here or at the iOS thread - but I recently picked up Necronomicon Redux and, not having really played that type of game before, I don't fully get the rules (even after going through the tutorial numerous times + playing several games). What's the sanity number and why is it important? All I figured out is that it's part of if that + number below it is lower than both for the monster card, it's an insta-death.

**Edit** I should also mention - AWESOME initial posts, Astro. Very helpful in me looking for games that were suggested and were the basis of games that are on my short list here.
Out of that list Pandemic and Lost Cities are my favorites. Pandemic plays just fine with two the only problem is the game is easy with just two. Lost Cities is a great game, easy to pick up and play and portable. I usually take Lost Cities with my on trips.

BattleMonkey said:
Will the components not suck this time?
It's Wiz Kids, so yes.
 

Emerson

May contain jokes =>
I'm looking for a fun competitive or co-operative board game or card game or whatever to play with my wife. She's not really into fantasy a whole lot or war themes but her sister introduced us into Dominion and we love it. We rarely tend to have people over for game nights, so I'm interested in looking for something that can be played two two players.

I went to my local game store (Guardian Games here in Portland) to check out what they had and did some research. Some games I thought might be good for her and I:

Pandemic
Jaipur
Lost Cities
Mr. Jack
Hive
Ghost Stories

The problem is - I would hate to drop some serious money ($30ish - $50 range of prices) on something only for her not to really like it. So I'm asking you - the collective board game GAF hivemind - what single one you think based on what I noted above she would enjoy the most.

Also - slightly random question and not sure if I should ask about an iPad version of a board game here or at the iOS thread - but I recently picked up Necronomicon Redux and, not having really played that type of game before, I don't fully get the rules (even after going through the tutorial numerous times + playing several games). What's the sanity number and why is it important? All I figured out is that it's part of if that + number below it is lower than both for the monster card, it's an insta-death.

**Edit** I should also mention - AWESOME initial posts, Astro. Very helpful in me looking for games that were suggested and were the basis of games that are on my short list here.

Pandemic all the way. I play it with my girlfriend all the time and we absolutely love it.
 
Campaign Manager 2008. If your wife doesnt mind the theme, then this is an awesome pick up. Its easy to teach and play, can have a variable setup to keep it fresh, its pretty quick, and has some tense back and forth once both players "get it".

My wife isn't looking forward to trying this at all, despite everything I tell her about how great it is to lose to Astrolad
 

sonatinas

Member
Anyone here play Caylus? The iPad (and iPhone too I think) version was just submitted to Apple so it should be available in the next week or so. I've heard good things so I think it's worth my five bucks. Any opinions here?

Caylus is awesome. I'm definitely getting it.
 

Keasar

Member
Hello again guys. So, this whole board game thing is starting to really get onto me, now Im looking for a RPG board game and wonder what you guys recommend.

Ive been looking at some like Descent, the Dungeons And Dragons games and one called Claustrophobia that looks pretty cool, even though its just for 2 players. Im looking for something with complexity while still being fun (obviously). I have the game called Runebound 2nd Edition, but that game started to feel a bit repetetive after a few plays. Also, I understand that Descent is being out of print and they are preparing for a 2nd Edition of that now, is it probably worth to wait for that one instead of getting 1st Edition? Any other suggestions is also appreciated.
 
Hello again guys. So, this whole board game thing is starting to really get onto me, now Im looking for a RPG board game and wonder what you guys recommend.

Ive been looking at some like Descent, the Dungeons And Dragons games and one called Claustrophobia that looks pretty cool, even though its just for 2 players. Im looking for something with complexity while still being fun (obviously). I have the game called Runebound 2nd Edition, but that game started to feel a bit repetetive after a few plays. Also, I understand that Descent is being out of print and they are preparing for a 2nd Edition of that now, is it probably worth to wait for that one instead of getting 1st Edition? Any other suggestions is also appreciated.

Descent is more complex than the D&D games and requires a DM player. The D&D is more of a co-op experience with watered down D&D rules. Both are fun, but they are kind of different in what they offer.
 

Hero

Member
Hello again guys. So, this whole board game thing is starting to really get onto me, now Im looking for a RPG board game and wonder what you guys recommend.

Ive been looking at some like Descent, the Dungeons And Dragons games and one called Claustrophobia that looks pretty cool, even though its just for 2 players. Im looking for something with complexity while still being fun (obviously). I have the game called Runebound 2nd Edition, but that game started to feel a bit repetetive after a few plays. Also, I understand that Descent is being out of print and they are preparing for a 2nd Edition of that now, is it probably worth to wait for that one instead of getting 1st Edition? Any other suggestions is also appreciated.

If you want complexity stay away from the Dungeons & Dragons board games. Everything in that line of dungeon crawlers is so binary with the only real tough decision being "should I clear that monster that the player before me spawned or should I explore so I don't get a crappy encounter card that we have to deal with?" There's very little variation between characters and their abilities. Most of the missions just involve the players exploring to reveal tiles until you get to the specific, special tile where either a boss monster spawns or you recover a treasure and have to escape. Very repetitive.

Mind you, half of my gaming group really likes the game so it may be what your group is looking for. I would advise you to Youtube some gameplay videos and determine if that's really what you want.
 

Keasar

Member
Mind you, half of my gaming group really likes the game so it may be what your group is looking for. I would advise you to Youtube some gameplay videos and determine if that's really what you want.
It was more something I just passed by when looking for games that seemed to fit in what I was looking for. And as me and my friends are all game development students, we tend to be pretty open to any kind of game despite complexity level, Im just personally a little more fan of extra rules. I can then rule out the D&D games. Descent sounds very good though, modular dungeons, scenarios and etc.
 

LProtag

Member
It was more something I just passed by when looking for games that seemed to fit in what I was looking for. And as me and my friends are all game development students, we tend to be pretty open to any kind of game despite complexity level, Im just personally a little more fan of extra rules. I can then rule out the D&D games. Descent sounds very good though, modular dungeons, scenarios and etc.

Wait for second edition. Sounds like it's going to be a bunch of improvements along with a campaign system right with the core set.

If you want the expansion that adds campaign elements into the first edition you'll have to pay 100+ bucks as it's OOP.
 

Slacker

Member
Squeezed in two games of Risk Legacy with my group last night. They were games number three and four overall. The first game looked like it would be over quickly, but the tides turned a few times and it ended up lasting almost two hours. The second game only lasted ten minutes. :) We have four people playing, and all four have signed the board now, so next game should be interesting. This has been the biggest hit with my group in a long long time.

Also finally endeavored to learn Ghost Stories on the iPad, which is awesome. I'm getting pwnt repeatedly (my best score is -25; I still haven't survived long enough to even see Wu-Feng), but it's an awesome game. My first victory is coming soon, I can feel it. :)

Also in iPad news: @bigdcreations - Caylus is approved and will be available for purchase on Monday, Jan 16!
 
Does anybody have any recommendations for reasonably complex two player games?

My wife and I play Carcassonne pretty regularly but are growing bored of it. We played Catan with friends for the first time over the holidays and loved it, but obviously it isn't ideal for a two people.

One of the problems with two-player Carcassonne is that we're always at each other's throats on the game-board. Constantly ingressing upon farms/cities etc. So I would certainly love recommendations that aren't so directly competitive.

Any help would be appreciated!
 
Me and the wife played Lost cities last night and its really fun, the scoring was a little weird to get used to but after a round or two we got it down.

great two player game even though its not super complex and its kind of a lucky/draw thing.

I really want to pick up Dominion.

Squeezed in two games of Risk Legacy with my group last night. They were games number three and four overall. The first game looked like it would be over quickly, but the tides turned a few times and it ended up lasting almost two hours. The second game only lasted ten minutes. :) We have four people playing, and all four have signed the board now, so next game should be interesting. This has been the biggest hit with my group in a long long time.

I WANT this game!
 

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Does anybody have any recommendations for reasonably complex two player games?

My wife and I play Carcassonne pretty regularly but are growing bored of it. We played Catan with friends for the first time over the holidays and loved it, but obviously it isn't ideal for a two people.

One of the problems with two-player Carcassonne is that we're always at each other's throats on the game-board. Constantly ingressing upon farms/cities etc. So I would certainly love recommendations that aren't so directly competitive.

Any help would be appreciated!

San Juan/Race for the Galaxy and Dominion for sure
 
Me and the wife played Lost cities last night and its really fun, the scoring was a little weird to get used to but after a round or two we got it down.

San Juan/Race for the Galaxy and Dominion for sure

These sound like good suggestions-thanks!

Do any of these involve heavy trading? With two people trading kind of disappears. Dominion looks really interesting. I think I might order one of these today.
 
Does anybody have any recommendations for reasonably complex two player games?

My wife and I play Carcassonne pretty regularly but are growing bored of it. We played Catan with friends for the first time over the holidays and loved it, but obviously it isn't ideal for a two people.

One of the problems with two-player Carcassonne is that we're always at each other's throats on the game-board. Constantly ingressing upon farms/cities etc. So I would certainly love recommendations that aren't so directly competitive.

Any help would be appreciated!
If you like Catan, give Rivals for Catan a shot. It has the same feel of Catan but shrunk down to a two player card game. As far as other recomendations, 1960: The Making of the President is amazing. Each player takes up the role of campaign manager for Kennedy or Nixon during the 1960 election. You play cards for the event or you can use the card to place influence in different states, topics, or even media. Really great game that is challenging but not too hard to grasp. Campaign Manager:2008 simplifies 1960's mechanics (1960 is actually a simplified version of Twilight Struggle which is amazing as well) and turns it into a quick two player card game.
 
Contemplating which games to add to the January US Math trade on BGG. I know which ones I want to trade away but gotta wait for my fiance's input in case she wants to keep any of them
 
Contemplating which games to add to the January US Math trade on BGG. I know which ones I want to trade away but gotta wait for my fiance's input in case she wants to keep any of them
I put up a couple games on there myself. People are posting really good stuff and I have a couple games I could part with.
 
These sound like good suggestions-thanks!

Do any of these involve heavy trading? With two people trading kind of disappears. Dominion looks really interesting. I think I might order one of these today.

for what its worth.

Lost cities is a score based Draw / Discard Card game where you try and build expeditions with numbered cards, you don't trade with your partner at all.

I have not played Dominion but just looking at it its probably more involved then Lost Cities.
 
I put up a couple games on there myself. People are posting really good stuff and I have a couple games I could part with.

I'm skimming through the pages now, only up to page 10 or so but I already have 3-4 mentally picked out. I always wonder how these people have sealed copies of games for trade. They either bought it and never got around to it or they got it as a gift and don't really want it, my best guesses.
 

fenners

Member
I'm skimming through the pages now, only up to page 10 or so but I already have 3-4 mentally picked out. I always wonder how these people have sealed copies of games for trade. They either bought it and never got around to it or they got it as a gift and don't really want it, my best guesses.

Or picked up a bargain as trade bait knowing they can use it to "trade up". I know I've done that in the past with a bargain...
 
I'm skimming through the pages now, only up to page 10 or so but I already have 3-4 mentally picked out. I always wonder how these people have sealed copies of games for trade. They either bought it and never got around to it or they got it as a gift and don't really want it, my best guesses.
No kidding. I swear people buy games just to trade them away, which seems counter intuitive to me.
 

Keasar

Member
Thanks for the tips guys, putting Descent then on the list for later when they release Second Edition (anyone know when that is?).

Nobody have tried Claustrophobia and could give some summary of thoughts on it?
 

XShagrath

Member
Nobody have tried Claustrophobia and could give some summary of thoughts on it?
Claustrophobia's an excellent little two player game. The minis and other components are gorgeous.

I really like the combat system, and the asymmetrical gameplay. I've only played it two-three times, and the demons have won each time. It seems that they have somewhat of an advantage in numbers, but that adds some pressure to the human player. I'm sure with a little more experience, I could win as the human player.
 
Aye, I like Claustrophobia as well but it rarely hits the table, being 2 player and all. I'm lucky that all my friends are gamers so we have like 8+ whenever we play.

The game itself is very good
 
Back to the math trade, is it possible to give your low or mid range game for a high one? Last time I undersold myself which was great for getting rid of stuff, but I felt like I could have done better in the end.
 

Keasar

Member
Claustrophobia's an excellent little two player game. The minis and other components are gorgeous.

I really like the combat system, and the asymmetrical gameplay. I've only played it two-three times, and the demons have won each time. It seems that they have somewhat of an advantage in numbers, but that adds some pressure to the human player. I'm sure with a little more experience, I could win as the human player.

Aye, I like Claustrophobia as well but it rarely hits the table, being 2 player and all. I'm lucky that all my friends are gamers so we have like 8+ whenever we play.

The game itself is very good

Awesome, how is the variety between each game? From the pictures I see that there are only 2 types of demons (the small ones and the big one) and about 3-4 different humans, but understand that for the demons, there are several "characters" connected to one model.
 

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
Back to the math trade, is it possible to give your low or mid range game for a high one? Last time I undersold myself which was great for getting rid of stuff, but I felt like I could have done better in the end.

Sure, it's possible. It's a string trade, so it can happen.

But, more likely it won't.
 
Back to the math trade, is it possible to give your low or mid range game for a high one? Last time I undersold myself which was great for getting rid of stuff, but I felt like I could have done better in the end.
Just add whatever you really want and whatever you are willing to trade for the item. It doesn't matter if the game you want is worth more than the game you want to get rid of. Typically the people with really expensive/sought after stuff are hella picky with what they will accept for it, so in the end everything usually works itself out.
 

XShagrath

Member
Awesome, how is the variety between each game? From the pictures I see that there are only 2 types of demons (the small ones and the big one) and about 3-4 different humans, but understand that for the demons, there are several "characters" connected to one model.
I've only played it three times. Twice as the humans, and once as the demons. There are several different scenarios in the book you can run through, or you can always make up your own. The smaller demons are all the same, and then like you said, there are 5-6 cards that can be used for the larger demon model. The humans have three different models/characters, but also have a pretty good assortment of cards that give them additional equipment throughout the game. These are chosen at set up, so that gives some variety as well, since you're not always going to have the same combination of guys and equipment.
 
Does anybody have any recommendations for reasonably complex two player games?

My wife and I play Carcassonne pretty regularly but are growing bored of it. We played Catan with friends for the first time over the holidays and loved it, but obviously it isn't ideal for a two people.

One of the problems with two-player Carcassonne is that we're always at each other's throats on the game-board. Constantly ingressing upon farms/cities etc. So I would certainly love recommendations that aren't so directly competitive.

Any help would be appreciated!

Horus Heresy? Trololololol (sorry, it's a kick ass game but all about the direct conflict)

In fact most of the good two player ones I know are, I mean, in terms of game theory, to gain an advantage you will always be causing a disadvantage to your opponent so it's kinda hard to have indirect conflict two player games. Summoner Wars is very strategic, fun, expandable and simple, but as I mentioned, all about teh wars. It's good though. Race For The Galaxy is a good two player indirect game actually. Sorry, total fighter here!
 

Emerson

May contain jokes =>
Holy shit, Amazon had a copy of War of the Ring 2nd Edition for 19 bucks. I ordered it. I wonder if this will actually work out.
 
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