I'm very much able to read rules and grssp all the stuff around them. My mind has always worked that way, I always end up being the go-to guy for such things.
Guess I'll have to do that soon though.
It it easy enough to teach after?
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I'm very much able to read rules and grssp all the stuff around them. My mind has always worked that way, I always end up being the go-to guy for such things.
Guess I'll have to do that soon though.
It it easy enough to teach after?
Watch the tutorial video too -- really helpful once you've read the rules once. Then just set it up and play with two characters -- you'll encounter a ton of questions when you first play that you can look up in the rules, FAQ (which is way too small), and on BGG. Even just sorting the BGG rules forum by Hot will point you to some excellent threads. E.g., http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/587435/most-common-rulegameplay-mistakes-and-their-game-i
Teaching is really easy because it's a co-op. 30m tops. To your last post though I will say that some of the issue is not grasping the rules, it's that many very common scenarios are not addressed in the rules, and also that there is a ton of accounting in the game. The key is really to follow phase order religiously.
Emerson
May contain jokes =>
It's easy to teach if you have a group that is content to let you be the "master" of the game and run it. That also requires you being willing to always be the one doing all the procedural stuff that happens every turn (at least for a few plays until everybody else starts to get it). In this case, your game partners can just understand the basics pretty quickly.
Otherwise it'll be pretty much just as difficult for them to learn as it is for you the first time.
Guess I'll learn on my own for awhile, as I'm unlikely to get a group together for such a complex game among my current friends.
I really need to stop buying games in the hope I eventually will have a group for them.
Emerson
May contain jokes =>
Yeah, I'm familiar with that problem. Luckily Arkham is pretty good even with only 2 or 3 people.
Oh really? It's a game that'll be good with just the g/f and I?
That really changes things. A lot.
We try LNOE and IFOS that way and it's always a bit lame.
It's quite hard with just two investigators -- the sweet spot is really 3-4 for starting players -- but definitely playable. What I usually do with just two is just have one person with two investigators. Two is definitely playable though, just be ready for a challenge in most games.
Emerson
May contain jokes =>
It's definitely hard, no question. But then Arkham is always hard. I have fun playing 2 players, though I do agree that 3 or 4 is the sweet spot. I wouldn't go higher personally.
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
It took us about 3 games to REALLY get Arkham down. I have introduced about 8 people to it and each time, I was basically the game master. I still was able to play, but I controlled everything on the board and I read out all of the encounters and such. Just read through the rules once, paying most attention to the phases of a turn and skill checks, then go ahead and just play a game and it will come to you.
In other news, Petrie is out of town so my hunt for Descent 1st edition continues. I also want Twilight Imperium, but it seems really similar to Runewars and I don't want to bump that out of the playlist yet.
edit: We have played like 6 8 player Arkham Horror games. Each one lasted like 5 hours lol
In other news, Petrie is out of town so my hunt for Descent 1st edition continues. I also want Twilight Imperium, but it seems really similar to Runewars and I don't want to bump that out of the playlist yet.
edit: We have played like 6 8 player Arkham Horror games. Each one lasted like 5 hours lol
Jables Swan
Member
Anyone here who has children, what age did you introduce them to gaming? What's the best game to use?
I'll shoot you a PM as soon as I'm back and if you still want it then, it'll be yours. Sorry. Meant to put it in the car and just...didn't.
Truly sorry.
My parents introduced me to board gaming with Sorry!, for what it's worth. And I played Chess and Backgammon with my grandparents, but... yeah. Also, Reversi.
Depends on the age. Habba makes a lot of really great games for little kids though.
piratepwnsninja
Member
Amazing Labyrinth is a great one. Forbidden Island too. My kids are 11 and 6 now, but have both been gaming for a few years.
superrobot
Member
We have boy/girl twins.
First games were
Orchard - aka The Raven Game. Probably 2 or 2.5 years. It's a co-op with dice. Good for getting them used to turns and dice. It has lots of small wooden bits so make sure the are past the "put everything in the mouth" stage.
In the Uk there's a brand called Orchard Toys specialising in pre-school games. They are cheap and cheerful, mainly match pairs or lotto games. Again from 2 or 2.5
Noah's Ark - match pairs with an ark post box.
Old macdonald - lotto/bingo game with farm animals.
Any ravensburger style match pairs game.
More recently 3.5 (they are 4 now)
Kids of Carcassonne. Really nicely made but a bit pricey - they like it.
Viva Topo - roll and move a team of mice. Elements of push your luck as a cat chases the mice and eats them.
Click Clack - squirrels magnetic food rotable board - fun but paid 8 ukp. Never pay more than this.
Chicken Cha Cha Cha - memory game, chickens, bad losers.
Giant Peppa Pig snakes and ladders. Completely broken! Runaway leader problem.
In general make sure it's fun, and if/when they get bored end it ASAP. Some times they might want to play with the bits and sometimes you can play properly.
HABA games are usually excellent.
With twins you can see that my son is more able to concentrate and lasts longer.
My daughter can be more of a loose cannon.
So it can depend on them to an extent.
Always hi-five after and say well done.
Good luck.
Just got done with Eclipse. It was a 3 player game that lasted a bit over 3 hours with rules (one fella is fairly new to designer gaming and a bit AP prone).
Pretty positive experience. I'm still reflecting on it because until the very last round we totally forgot that 6's are auto hits. As you can imagine, this made combat seem....lacking. Fortunately, all player vs player fight didn't happen until that last round, and we decided the previous steamroll battles against alien tokens were insignificant enough to chuck it up to learning.
Although I like the idea of the traitor mechanic in theory, I'm not sure if I like it executed here. In a game with a fair amount of theme it doesn't seem to make much sense that only the last person to backstab someone is a traitor haha. Additionally, my gut reaction feels like the -2 VP penalty isn't that harsh, especially if you can bunker bust a home tile with a monolith on it.
The population mechanic works pretty wonderfully. It keeps your resources in that constant Le Havre state of "So many awesome things I want to do, but I only have enough for this ONE awesome thing!" Carrot on a stick, if you will.
Overall, I like it, and my quibbles are minor. I'm definitely looking forward to another play and the expansion which apparently fixes some of the flaws, however minor they may be
In other news, I managed to trade for a copy of Empires of the Void, which looks like another great, albeit slightly lighter space conquering game.
AAAAND. CFG finally has the fucking Black Box Glory to Rome off the goddamn boat. About time those motherfuckers got some shit done. A week (two? ugh) to go!
Pretty positive experience. I'm still reflecting on it because until the very last round we totally forgot that 6's are auto hits. As you can imagine, this made combat seem....lacking. Fortunately, all player vs player fight didn't happen until that last round, and we decided the previous steamroll battles against alien tokens were insignificant enough to chuck it up to learning.
Although I like the idea of the traitor mechanic in theory, I'm not sure if I like it executed here. In a game with a fair amount of theme it doesn't seem to make much sense that only the last person to backstab someone is a traitor haha. Additionally, my gut reaction feels like the -2 VP penalty isn't that harsh, especially if you can bunker bust a home tile with a monolith on it.
The population mechanic works pretty wonderfully. It keeps your resources in that constant Le Havre state of "So many awesome things I want to do, but I only have enough for this ONE awesome thing!" Carrot on a stick, if you will.
Overall, I like it, and my quibbles are minor. I'm definitely looking forward to another play and the expansion which apparently fixes some of the flaws, however minor they may be
In other news, I managed to trade for a copy of Empires of the Void, which looks like another great, albeit slightly lighter space conquering game.
AAAAND. CFG finally has the fucking Black Box Glory to Rome off the goddamn boat. About time those motherfuckers got some shit done. A week (two? ugh) to go!
Jables Swan
Member
Thanks mate. My boy is about 2 and I wasn't sure if I should wait longer to get him some games or not. I'll have to check these ones out for the future.
So I'm visiting my family along with my girl's family this week, and brought along Catan, Ticket to Ride, And Carcasonne. Most of my experience is with Carc, but I'm curious which you think will be the easiest to get them into. Pulling them out to refresh myself on the rules at the moment.
Jables Swan
Member
They are all super easy to get people into. Ticket to Ride might have the biggest appeal though. I love Catan myself.
in my experience Ticket to Ride, but I don't have the other two, everyone I have introduced with Ticket to Ride as a first game has loved it though
Every couple of weeks my brother and I get together with my nephews and we play monopoly, life, and some other classic board games. I'm getting tired of them, and I wanted to purchase a few different ones that are beginner friendly. So far I am going to purchase Ticket to Ride, Munchkin, and Settlers of Catan. I would like to purchase one or two more games. Anyone have any recommendations?
King of Tokyo or Dominion, I like Dominion cause it teaches the whole deck building idea, king of tokyo is fun, but I am not sure if two players would be great.
Lost Cities is a good easy game to get into as a starter as well.
Maybe Summoner Wars and Claustrophia I just got those and I haven't been able to play them yet, but they came pretty well recommended by Astro.
Well he mentions his brother and his nephews, so I guess he can play with more than two people. Instead of Lost Cities I would just get Keltis because you can play it with 4 people, with the expansion it is even better.
I would also recommend to stay away from Munchkin.
Why should I stay away from Munchkin?
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
I played Village last night. Really solid euro that I think won the Kennerspiel this year. It a sort of action selection/worker placement game. The hook to this game is the age mechanic. As the game goes one your older generation dies off. This does two interesting things, the first is it obviously gives you one less worker but the second is it will give you points, if you kill them off early enough.
You aren't supposed to play with diplomacy in a three player game. Im not so sure the traitor is weak. The two games we played seemed pretty tight and -2 points can be the difference between first and second.
Get Go Away Monster, my three year old loves it. Players each have a room board that contains spaces for a bed, lamp, teddy bear, and picture. You will reach in a bag to grab the pieces you need to fill up your room, but also in the bag are monsters. If you draw a room piece you place it on your board, if you draw a monster you say, "Go away monster!" and toss it back in the box. It's easy to play for a young kid, short, and you can play co-operatively which is great for young kids.
Revengeance
Member
My first few Eclipse attempts were hilarious failures, where we kept figuring out things we were doing completely wrong. The sheer number of rules and systems practically ensures that learning the game will be a bit of a struggle. Just accept it, and push through.
I recommend AGAINST teaching the game to 5 other players at once, while trying to play at the same time. Once the group has mastered the game, it gets really fun.
superrobot
Member
Ha. Yes! I got the Alien Technology -3 tile and attached it to my dreadnought and we mistakenly thought it could only be hit with the help of computers.
We missed the 6 is a guaranteed hit rule too.
It was only later after I conquered the Galactic Centre and took some lucky Victory tiles that we realised the mistake.
It took us 3-3.5 hours for 3 of us to play the first learning game, but we did have fun.
So, a special request for our resident AT guys:
I want to buy an epic game. I have two long gaming weekends coming up and can force some people into playing one. I want a game that feels substantial. The sort of epic feel you get from something like TI3 or War of the Ring, but less randomness.
My thought process is thus: I like Game of Thrones board game. Its pretty awesome, it has a decent heft to it, but its not totally random AT dice rolling fest. Is there something out there that could give me a similar feeling but with a bit more randomness? Im more or less trying to find a nice epic game with a little more randomness to kill AP. Which is kind of the biggest problem with game of thrones.
The games Im looking at:
Rune Wars: This might be too similar to Game of Thrones actually. It sounds very similar with some quest stuff and heroes thrown in. Plus minis. Maybe a bit more randomness than GOT has.
Eclipse: Ive played it once.. and thought the random set up can be too punitive or rewarding depending on what the ancients or whatever the hell they are called are in your sector. That said, everything else was aces. How big of a problem is the starting position in the game? Can you overcome it, or is it as advantageous to be able to kill some enemy fleets early?
Chaos in the Old World: the theme is a bit of a turnoff here. My fiancée is 100% never going to play a game with an attack with the word puss in it. That said, shell probably not ever play any of them. Ive heard its kind of Euro-y for an AT title.
Thoughts on any of these? Anything Ive missed I should look at?
I want to buy an epic game. I have two long gaming weekends coming up and can force some people into playing one. I want a game that feels substantial. The sort of epic feel you get from something like TI3 or War of the Ring, but less randomness.
My thought process is thus: I like Game of Thrones board game. Its pretty awesome, it has a decent heft to it, but its not totally random AT dice rolling fest. Is there something out there that could give me a similar feeling but with a bit more randomness? Im more or less trying to find a nice epic game with a little more randomness to kill AP. Which is kind of the biggest problem with game of thrones.
The games Im looking at:
Rune Wars: This might be too similar to Game of Thrones actually. It sounds very similar with some quest stuff and heroes thrown in. Plus minis. Maybe a bit more randomness than GOT has.
Eclipse: Ive played it once.. and thought the random set up can be too punitive or rewarding depending on what the ancients or whatever the hell they are called are in your sector. That said, everything else was aces. How big of a problem is the starting position in the game? Can you overcome it, or is it as advantageous to be able to kill some enemy fleets early?
Chaos in the Old World: the theme is a bit of a turnoff here. My fiancée is 100% never going to play a game with an attack with the word puss in it. That said, shell probably not ever play any of them. Ive heard its kind of Euro-y for an AT title.
Thoughts on any of these? Anything Ive missed I should look at?
Chaos is amazing and you're a bad person for not owning it. Chaos easily wins followed by Runewars, which totally feels like fantasy twilight imperium with half the players, half the time, and no dice. It's not nearly as flawless as Chaos though. Although realize the Khorne player does have a bit more luck as he's heavily combat oriented (he's still going to kick your ass).
Aww snap, thanks. I totally remembered reading 2 player only games didn't use that.
I'd have lost by 1 instead of three. Hmm.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Eclipse rewards early combat, remember that people will likely keep the high numbered points and toss the low numbered ones from the bag (whatever it's actually called). If you wait to attack you'll be stuck with a bag full of one point chips. There is also an alien race called the Descendants of Draco that actually want the ancient ships around. You get a point for every ancient that survives at the end of the game plus you get the place an influence disc on any tile with an ancient on it.
Chaos in the Old World is just barely AT and that's because of the theme. It's a euro style area control game first and foremost. The different god powers are awesome and each one plays so differently. The main problem is it is a four player game only. If you play with less it feels incomplete. Now, if you decide on CitOW please don't bother with the expansion. The game was designed for four and trying to shove a fifth player into the game does nothing to improve it.
Seen a few requests for next-step board games. Here is my current next-step hotness in terms of introducing people to gaming. You really can't go wrong with these -- just pick a theme you like and play it with the right number of players.
2P
Dominion
Carcassonne
3-4P
Ticket to Ride
7 Wonders
Pandemic (co-op)
5+
King of Tokyo
Dice Town
2P
Dominion
Carcassonne
3-4P
Ticket to Ride
7 Wonders
Pandemic (co-op)
5+
King of Tokyo
Dice Town
I would put 7 wonders in the '3rd step' category. The game is very straightforward, but symbology can make it hard to get across to newer players.
I think Mr. Jack is a good 2p "next step" game though, and Stone Age a good 3-4 player "next step" game as well.
I need to play Dice Town. The theme is right up my alley, and it's been calling my name.
King of Tokyo I've just never got an interest in for whatever reason.
It's just an awful game with awful rules. Every time I played it the result was a way too long game with lots of downtime and a lot of discussion how to make these cards work with the rules.
@Astrolad and possibly others: My absolute favorite 2P game right now is Hive. I like it so much that although I own Hive Carbon I bought Hive Pocket, which btw I would consider an upgrade. It's a fantastic abstract strategy game that is super easy to learn and can be played in like 5-10 minutes. The box says 20 minutes but I never had a game go that long. It is one of the first games I introduced my current GF to who never played board games and she loves it as well. Every time we want to play something the Hive request quickly comes up and I am always good fo a few rounds.
This is the first time I've ever seen Ticket to Ride called anything but a beginning game. If it's a "next step" game, what's the first step?
SnakeswithLasers
Member
Any opinions on War of the Ring or Battlestar Galactica for a group of 4 that are enthusiastic, but new? (We've done some Pandemic and enjoyed it; we've also enjoyed Arkham Horror, but it was a bit too lengthy on setup and ... well, all of it.)
I adore War of the Ring, but it's really not a 4 player game at its heart. It's easy enough to play it that way (two teams of 2) but it doesn't shine.
Beginning games are shit like Monopoly, Life, Risk.
Munchkin isnt a game so much as it is an experience.
Its kind of a funny game the first time or two you play. But after youve seen the jokes on the cards, then its no longer funny and you realize youre not playing a game that is actually interesting or fun. So you buy an expansion deck and then those cards are kind of funny, but the same thing happens. So you buy another expansion, and another, and another. The next thing you know youve spent 100 dollars on Munchkin and its still not ever going to be funny again.
A much better accessible game that scratches the same itch (negotiation, bribes, etc) is Cosmic Encounter.
1) Cosmic Encounter is in fact a game with strategic decisions to be made.
2) Cosmic Encounter has very little downtime as you are always involved in conflict.
3) The game has enough chaos and variability to keep it light and fun, but enough strategy that the person who plays best will typically still win.
I like Nordic Countries best, but that's a stand-alone title.
piratepwnsninja
Member
I don't know that I agree. Munchkin is still fun even if you know the jokes. It's a great GOTCHA! game and very light. The strategy only exists in how do you screw someone over. That's really it though.
makes me continue to wish there was a German release of Cosmic Encounter. Ugh...
If you just want an expansion I would say get Team Asia & Legendary Asia. You get a new interesting map and the interesting Twist of teamplay. Otherwise I still think Europe is the best map of the game.
Yep -- I think it's actually pretty clear:
-If you play with 4+, get Asia (you can even play with 6 easily with the teamplay variant, which is great, playing it tomorrow actually)
-If you play with 2-3, get Nordic.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Have you played it yet? It's more clever than it initially looks and it's fun to play around with the different card combinations.
My group likes it so much we played it four weeks straight now multiple times a night. Last night we had two tables going at once with 12 total people playing. We even capped the night off with a game of six people. The game is great.
I just ordered 7 Wonders. Here....we....go! I'm also going to try sleeving these cards. I normally don't sleeve anything because it seems a little too over protective. I am interested to see how the cards feel and handle, being sleeved.
How do you shuffle sleeved cards? I assume the overhand shuffle is the only way to do it or to make piles.
How do you shuffle sleeved cards? I assume the overhand shuffle is the only way to do it or to make piles.
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