Affeinvasion
Member
I like Fluxx but it's one of those games that can be really good or really bad just depending on how the cards come out. I've had a game of that last an hour...which seems way too long for that sort of thing.
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The New Board Game Thread (Newcomer Friendly)
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Agree on this...however, I've never shied away from games that introduce a random/luck based element. I know for some they're considered the worst games of all time, and there are wonderful nation-based derogatory labels that get applied, but, personally, I find Final Destination with no items to be boring.
Yeah...Fluxx sometimes goes a bit too long (for some reason, I find this happens mostly with vanilla Fluxx...maybe the extra rules in the themed ones help avoid this?) but then, sometimes it's over in a matter of minutes. Most Fluxx games I've played wind up going about 20-30 minutes, which I think is about right.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
God, I hate this game. It takes too long to play for something this light. Also the theme is pandering as fuck. If you like Smash Up's mechanic of playing cards to a field, check out Blood Bowl Team Manger. Much better game than Smash Up.
Aw, I enjoyed Smash-up. The only thing I was annoyed by (all 8 factions being used in every game there are 4 people) was fixed by getting an expansion.
Can you enlighten me on how the different rounds in Galaxy Trucker work then? Does everyone start at the red arrow again? Or do you maintain wherever you are for each subsequent round? Do rounds end only once the cards run out?
What is Cosmic Encounter by the way?
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
There are three rounds in the game. Each round begins anew, basically once you are done building you grab the lowest available tile, and that's your position. The round ends once all cards for that particular round have been played. Anybody who still has a ship together pays for any damage and gets payed for their cargo. That's about it.Can you enlighten me on how the different rounds in Galaxy Trucker work then? Does everyone start at the red arrow again? Or do you maintain wherever you are for each subsequent round? Do rounds end only once the cards run out?
What is Cosmic Encounter by the way?
Cosmic Encounter is an old game that is currently being printed by Fantasy Flight Games. In CE, each player plays an alien race (each race has different powers) and the object of the game is to colonize five other planets. Since there can be shared victories alliances need to be made and will probably be broken through put the game. The rules are light and kind of blah, but the fun of the game comes in the negotiating. You need to be able to wheel and deal with your opponents if you are to be successful. It's a great game.
Affeinvasion
Member
This isn't always true for beginners. The game looks really complicated to a newbie, when in actuality it isn't. The game just maps out the order of every tiny little event so that the game can't be broken. While negotiation is fun in the game, I think people are way more drawn into the different aliens which let you reverse or break a certain rule to your advantage. So for example one alien's power might be that it wins when it has the fewest ships in a battle (when you would otherwise lose) and another alien's power might be that they actually win when they lose. So you can get some crazy combinations.
Oh I do like luck based elements as long as I can somehow 1) mitigate the randomness; or 2) if there are various levels of success; or 3) if I have a meaningful choice. Examples for (1) would be modifying die rolls with cards in BattleStar Galactica or Gears of War, or activating the right equipment for a battle in Arkham Horror. For (2) I can't name an example off the top of my head that I've played, maybe something like a racing game in which you at least go forward no matter what you do (in Munchkin you might actually only draw cards that make progression progressively more difficult). And I've never placed Kingsburg but dice placement would be an example for (3), and also King of Tokyo in which you can re-roll/arrange dice to attempt a more favorable outcome. Without the luck based element all these examples would be much less fun, but at least there is a gameness in them
The thing I dislike about Dixit is how it becomes progressively more difficult to come up with new stories as you play more games. I've only played it maybe 5 times but already it's starting to become stale. There are expansions but I don't want to have to spend even more money on cards that also get tired pretty fast. It's a great idea and a lot of fun the first couple of times but I feel like it's a ticking clock.
I am going to straight up give my highest recommendation to anybody interested in war games to D-Day at Omaha Beach. It is one of the best solitaire games I have ever played and the rules are clear (especially with some BGG flipbook help.) Amazing versatility in play style. About as hard as running into machine gun fire seems like it would be. I have played through the intro game a couple of times and have gotten a little closer to victory each time.
Don't let paper maps and cardboard counters scare you away from this. Go get a poster frame to put the map in and clip and sort those counters. Its well worth it. Here is the BGG link. This also makes me absolutely frothing the the solo expansion for COH:Awakening the Bear by the same designer.
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/29603/d-day-at-omaha-beach
(note: This is not a light game. Don't let it scare you but I don't want to trick anyone either.)
Edit:This game also has a great Vassal module apparently. I never advocate not purchasing a product to play for free but maybe print out the BGG helpsheets and flipbooks and give it a try there first.
Don't let paper maps and cardboard counters scare you away from this. Go get a poster frame to put the map in and clip and sort those counters. Its well worth it. Here is the BGG link. This also makes me absolutely frothing the the solo expansion for COH:Awakening the Bear by the same designer.
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/29603/d-day-at-omaha-beach
(note: This is not a light game. Don't let it scare you but I don't want to trick anyone either.)
Edit:This game also has a great Vassal module apparently. I never advocate not purchasing a product to play for free but maybe print out the BGG helpsheets and flipbooks and give it a try there first.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
So jealous, one of these days I'll be able to make it.BGG.Con time
Thanks, I'll keep that one in mind for after I'm done with CoH Awakening the Bear 2nd Edition
Thanks, I'll keep that one in mind for after I'm done with CoH Awakening the Bear 2nd Edition
Maybe when your done with that amazing game the solo expansion by the same designer as D-Day will be out. (Apparently by December/Jan)
BGG :http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142585/conflict-of-heroes-awakening-the-bear-solo-expan
Played Trains for the first time last night, as a two player game. While the deckbuilding fee!s like pretty standard Dominion (and perhaps Ascension does it better), melding it with area control on a board is cool and actually gives it a head-to-head feel and increases the strategy needed. I also really like how the box already comes with an expansion set to vary things up, with space for more, and it's all very well-organized (it bringa tabs and everything). I'm very interested in playing again.
Going to throw the link to the Tide of Iron kickstarter once more, haha. Only 6 days to go and I really hope it gets funded. Come on USA you get free shipping
ToI finally has a company at the helm that cares about it, but if the Kickstarter doesn't go through, it most likely won't get the love it deserves.
Sorry if I'm schilling.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1641418217/1as-next-wave-tide-of-iron-core-set-and-stalingrad
ToI finally has a company at the helm that cares about it, but if the Kickstarter doesn't go through, it most likely won't get the love it deserves.
Sorry if I'm schilling.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1641418217/1as-next-wave-tide-of-iron-core-set-and-stalingrad
Okay got it. Do the travel days carry over each round? Or do you all start from the same spot again? It seemed weird that all we seemed to do was go backwards.
Didn't realize Trains had a deckbuilding aspect to it. Speaking of Ascension. I only have the expansion path of vigil and I'm thinking of getting the base game to add more cards/variety. I also want to see how it plays without the energy shards because I think I've gotten to the point with my friend where they just break the game. We're going to try some house rules next time, either a max cap of shards under any card and/or adding less shards to the deck overall.
Going to throw the link to the Tide of Iron kickstarter once more, haha. Only 6 days to go and I really hope it gets funded. Come on USA you get free shipping
ToI finally has a company at the helm that cares about it, but if the Kickstarter doesn't go through, it most likely won't get the love it deserves.
Sorry if I'm schilling.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1641418217/1as-next-wave-tide-of-iron-core-set-and-stalingrad
Dammit. I try and only KS one thing at a time..
If I am looking to get into wargames whats a good pledge level to get in at?
Chances this funds?
On the lower end I would go with the $60 pledge to get the new printing of the core set. On the higher end $275, which gets you the Core set, 3 expansions and a nice scenario book.
The rules aren't changing with this new printing of the game, but they are improving the rule book and adding some new quick start scenarios. You also get a copy of the advanced rules as well. They are also re-balancing some of the scenarios, which originally came with the game, which is great.
Going to be nip and tuck for funding. If you pledge, you will know soon enough if they proceed.
what do energy shards do? I have only played Ascension Apprentice Edition, so I may be unaware of all these other things about the game.
and yeah. I recommend you check out SU&SD's review of Trains to see what the game is about. If you like deck building games and a modern theme, you might like it.
JetBlackPanda
Member
I am in love ( pun intended ) with love letters! It's a perfect game to keep in my coat pocket and play. I have been taking just the cards with me everywhere!
What other micro games do you guys recommend?
Also what is your favorite two player games??
What other micro games do you guys recommend?
Also what is your favorite two player games??
Energy shards are a cool concept. If you have one in your hand, you can play it to draw another card and gain 1 energy for that turn (I'll get back to that).
Energy shards are "treasure cards". When you flip over cards, if there is an energy shard, it goes in that space, and you keep drawing cards until there's something that isn't an energy shard.
Now energy is unlike the other resources in that it is just a maximum per turn. Cards will have an "energize" cost, but so long as you hit that number you could energize as many cards as you have. Some monsters have energize costs as well, so there can be some huge swings.
The problem is that if someone gets lucky and picks up a couple good cards with shards under them as well, they can snowball out of control.
Cards of the Dead, another micro game from a Japanese designer published by AEG.
Affeinvasion
Member
I don't think it really counts, but hanabi is very compact and is a very interesting and quick game.
BattleMonkey
Member
Trains is awesome.
JetBlackPanda
Member
Recent purchase of Le Havre, game is fantastic, although quite lengthy (even for 2). Really enjoy the fact after about 1/3 of the game, you have, what appear to be, amazing choices everywhere and it is about finding the best fit for you.
Also purchased: Suburbia and Castles of Burgundy, but they are yet to arrive!
Also purchased: Suburbia and Castles of Burgundy, but they are yet to arrive!
Pathfinder should've already arrived a couple of days ago (ETA Tuesday the 19th) so I just bought Marcarade* to play over the weekend.
*) Played Mascarade twice yesterday and our group tended to stick with known cards a lot, only when a player was almost winning everyone would switch around (or pretend to switch around) cards to prevent that player from guessing his or her role. I didn't think this is how a good session would typically play out. After that we played Hanabi and managed to get the maximum amount of points, time to include those multi-colored cards.
Le Havre is so good.. but I've only been able to play it a couple of times because indeed people tend to find it too lengthy for that type of game. Hence, most of my sessions were 2 player games.
*) Played Mascarade twice yesterday and our group tended to stick with known cards a lot, only when a player was almost winning everyone would switch around (or pretend to switch around) cards to prevent that player from guessing his or her role. I didn't think this is how a good session would typically play out. After that we played Hanabi and managed to get the maximum amount of points, time to include those multi-colored cards.
Hey guys, it's been a while since I've visited this thread. Since it's Christmas soon my group (mostly consisting of four people) needs a new game, preferably a deck building game. We're probably going to play it over the holidays and on several weekends after. Last year I got Thunderstone and it was a huge success. We bought several expansions and played it well into 2013. It only slowed down during the past couple of month. Before Thunderstone we played Dominion but it wasn't as fun so I think we prefer games with a stronger theme. Games with expansions are a plus but not a must. I've also been considering other possibilites like Sentinels of the Multiverse (looks a bit weird and hard to find here in Germany) or Pathfinder Adventure Card Game but maybe I'll get that one alongside our next deck builder.
Anyway, the possible games I found so far:
- Core Worlds: Sounds like it has more than just deck building to it which is good. Also the sci-fi theme is interesting.
- Eminent Domain: Similar sci-fi theme to Core Worlds. Somehow it seems less interesting but it's a possibility.
- Legendary: I'm very interested in this. It's supposed to be good but man, it's expensive and not easily available here
- DC Deck Building Game: Haven't heard much about this one. Is it anything like Legendary?
Other games I found but dismissed:
- Ascension: I'm not convinced Ascension would be a good fit for us. I don't like the art style either.
- Resident Evil Deck Building Game: I actually asked about it before but it's difficult to find where I live and probably too similar to Thunderstone.
- Thunderstone Numenera: Probably too much of the same at this point, unless someone says it's the best Thunderstone ever.
- Nightfall: I thought it could be the next Thunderstone but the two test rounds we had were a total bust. Maybe because there aren't that many cards without more expansions but it didn't click with us.
I'd appreciate any suggestions from Boardgame GAF
Anyway, the possible games I found so far:
- Core Worlds: Sounds like it has more than just deck building to it which is good. Also the sci-fi theme is interesting.
- Eminent Domain: Similar sci-fi theme to Core Worlds. Somehow it seems less interesting but it's a possibility.
- Legendary: I'm very interested in this. It's supposed to be good but man, it's expensive and not easily available here
- DC Deck Building Game: Haven't heard much about this one. Is it anything like Legendary?
Other games I found but dismissed:
- Ascension: I'm not convinced Ascension would be a good fit for us. I don't like the art style either.
- Resident Evil Deck Building Game: I actually asked about it before but it's difficult to find where I live and probably too similar to Thunderstone.
- Thunderstone Numenera: Probably too much of the same at this point, unless someone says it's the best Thunderstone ever.
- Nightfall: I thought it could be the next Thunderstone but the two test rounds we had were a total bust. Maybe because there aren't that many cards without more expansions but it didn't click with us.
I'd appreciate any suggestions from Boardgame GAF
Interested in this as well, I've only played Ascension a couple of times which wasn't as fun as I'd hoped mainly because I couldn't find many ways to do interesting combos.
BattleMonkey
Member
Sentinels of the Multiverse is real good, but it is not a deck building game at all. Pathfinder is also only slightly deck builder, it's more of a rpg turned into card game format that is coop. Deck building is minimal.
Legendary is ok, it obviously gets lot of points with people for it's theme, but I think it's not the greatest balance wise. DC deck builder is just a rip off of Ascension, but made even simpler. Ascension is good and simple, if art is going to be an issue then your going to want to stay away from Sentinels. Nightfall is pretty neat deckbuilder, but it's also probably the most complex one so it's harder to get people into it unless they are willing to really play it and learn the deeper mechanics.
Trains is excellent, but is very similar to Dominion, but perhaps a train building game will go over better with your people? A deck builder that is good that I think gets overlooked is Arctic Scavengers.
Legendary is ok, it obviously gets lot of points with people for it's theme, but I think it's not the greatest balance wise. DC deck builder is just a rip off of Ascension, but made even simpler. Ascension is good and simple, if art is going to be an issue then your going to want to stay away from Sentinels. Nightfall is pretty neat deckbuilder, but it's also probably the most complex one so it's harder to get people into it unless they are willing to really play it and learn the deeper mechanics.
Trains is excellent, but is very similar to Dominion, but perhaps a train building game will go over better with your people? A deck builder that is good that I think gets overlooked is Arctic Scavengers.
Thanks for your reply. I know Sentinels and Pathfinder ACG aren't deck building games, I meant to say I've been looking into possibilities other than deck building games.
DC is a no go then, Legendary too if it's not balanced well. It's too expensive anyway. Complexity shouldn't be an issue for us, that's why it's weird Nightfall didn't click with us.
Trains could be a good idea, also I'll see if I can find Arctic Scavengers but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere expect via USA import on Amazon.
platypotamus
Member
I am not sure how I feel about it, so I don't know if I really recommend it, but Puzzle Strike may be a good fit for your group. Deck buildy (chips, rather than cards), lots of interaction.
Not sure if anyone's posted this already, but Target is currently running a "Buy one, get one half off" deal on boardgames, if anyone's interested:
http://www.target.com/c/games-puzzles-toys/-/N-5xt9i#?lnk=lnav_shop categories_6
http://www.target.com/c/games-puzzles-toys/-/N-5xt9i#?lnk=lnav_shop categories_6
Thanks! Another interesting alternative. This one looks fun.
We played a few rounds of Two Rooms and a Boom this weekend with handmade cards. It gets pretty hectic with around 18 people who have consumed varying levels of alcohol, but most people said they enjoyed it, and that gave me enough incentive to invest in a set from the kickstarter.
I missed out on the demo @ bggcon, but the friends I had who played said they really liked the game. The fact that it plays up to 30 is pretty nice for a big group party game.
Send them a note. This has been a big problem lately in the craft brewing industry. Some people are asses but most issues can be resolved easily with a phone call.
I don't know it's really that worth it. There's is a thematic game, where GFoL is more of a Euro, I'm also sure they are totally unaware that we even have that tagline.
More annoying since it took us like two weeks of kicking around ideas to come up with it.
I'm buying Christmas presents for my gaming group buddies, here's what I'm looking into:
Lord of the Rings LCG for a girl who likes all things LOTR and typically plays all board games with us except wargames. Her favorite game is probably Arkham Horror but she also really likes Agricola and light stuff like Bohnanza and King of Tokyo. I'm pretty confident that LOTR is a good choice for her although she rarely plays card games (she did buy Race for the Galaxy btw).
Either Trains or Sentinels of the Universe for a guy who's mostly into Magic the Gathering (he didn't enjoy Netrunner though), BattleStar Galactica and King of Tokyo. We've never collectively played a deck building game but I know he's interested in the concept and Trains seemed like a good fit from BattleMonkey's description. Sentinels of the Multiverse almost certainly wouldn't disappoint either but I'm not sure how much playtime it would get if the current hotness is Pathfinder the Card Game. Maybe it's a totally different experience..
Ghost Stories or Space Hulk Death Angel: The Card Game for someone who's really into difficult cooperative games with a strong theme. He's likes Robinson Crusoe and Arkham Horror with Dunwich expansion but really dislikes eurogames for some reason.
We're going to play these games pretty much exclusively with each other of course, so I only picked games that appealed to me personally but I was hoping board gaming GAF could help decide with Trains vs Sentinels and Ghost Stories vs Death Angel, or suggest something altogether. Thanks in advance!
Lord of the Rings LCG for a girl who likes all things LOTR and typically plays all board games with us except wargames. Her favorite game is probably Arkham Horror but she also really likes Agricola and light stuff like Bohnanza and King of Tokyo. I'm pretty confident that LOTR is a good choice for her although she rarely plays card games (she did buy Race for the Galaxy btw).
Either Trains or Sentinels of the Universe for a guy who's mostly into Magic the Gathering (he didn't enjoy Netrunner though), BattleStar Galactica and King of Tokyo. We've never collectively played a deck building game but I know he's interested in the concept and Trains seemed like a good fit from BattleMonkey's description. Sentinels of the Multiverse almost certainly wouldn't disappoint either but I'm not sure how much playtime it would get if the current hotness is Pathfinder the Card Game. Maybe it's a totally different experience..
Ghost Stories or Space Hulk Death Angel: The Card Game for someone who's really into difficult cooperative games with a strong theme. He's likes Robinson Crusoe and Arkham Horror with Dunwich expansion but really dislikes eurogames for some reason.
We're going to play these games pretty much exclusively with each other of course, so I only picked games that appealed to me personally
but I was hoping board gaming GAF could help decide with Trains vs Sentinels and Ghost Stories vs Death Angel, or suggest something altogether. Thanks in advance!BattleMonkey
Member
It's out online at various online retailers already
I would like to have it for the weekend, having a board gaming day. Don't think I would get it in time. Will have to check the local stores.
This sounds like a very good choice. Go for it!
Nope. He deserves coal.
(incidentally, I'm thinking of getting my friends, a couple who really love the LOTR LCG, a Netrunner core set)
If he likes Magic and wants to try a deckbuilder, maybe consider Ascension? It's one of the better deckbuilders I've played, and it's thematically pretty similar to Magic (in fact, it was designed by CCG players). Though I reeeaaaally liked Trains, too...
I'd add Forbidden Desert to this- it's co-op, tough as nails without being cheesy about it (Death Angel), the theme is very solid and has nice components, and the game board (which is also tile-based) works in more interesting ways than Ghost Stories, and I think I enjoyed it much more than either of those.
I have it but haven't really played it yet. I need to track down a good x-acto knife to cut the chits out as I hear there can be some tearing if you just try to pop them out. I'm also looking to get a piece of plexiglass or plastic to put over the map for when I do play. I seen some large plastic sleeves with movie posters in them at a shop recently but the guy wouldn't sell them (even if I bought a movie poster) as he said he had a hard time tracking them down and had to buy a expensive case of 25 of them. They would be ideal. I tried to find the Strategy and Tactics magazine #265 Operation Jubilee: Dieppe, August 1942 as it uses the same rules but couldn't find it anywhere. I'd say Awakening the Bear with the solo rules expansion will be bought sometime in 2014.
Biggest thing keeping me away from playing it is I'm currently hooked/addicted on playing The Lord of the Rings LCG solo. I have the core and all but 2 (which are in the mail) of the first cycle. I think after those I'll be switching to the Saga expansions to follow the Hobbit/Trilogy. By far my favorite game right now. It's also rekindled my love for the books and films as I'm rereading the books and watching the films again.
I bought the Mage Knight board game yesterday and I'm looking forward to giving that a go....after Christmas. I bought it to get my wife to give it to me. She doesn't know yet. I want to Kickstart the new Heroquest 25th anniversary edition! I have the original on my shelf from a Christmas some 25 years ago and would love to add this new one to it. The Kickstarter isn't cheap though.
Thanks for the recommendations Karkador! I had completely overlooked Forbidden Desert because I always mix that one up with Forbidden Island for which I personally didn't feel the theme. But if it nails the difficulty it would be a good candidate indeed. I'm now leaning towards LOTR LCG, Trains and either Ghost Stories or maybe Forbidden Island.
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