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The New Board Game Thread (Newcomer Friendly)
- Thread starter AstroLad
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I have a really wide range of goals any Eurogame purchase needs to accomplish, so it's actually really hard for me to find one to purchase.
1) Wife loves Carcassone so I knew I wanted another tile laying game.
2) Wanted a game that was a "step up" in complexity from Carcassonne, Dominion, and Lost Cities, but still wasn't too nuts. I'm moving the wife into intermediate territory and she doesn't even know it. :lol
3) Must play very well with two.
4) Must expand beyond two.
Just about the only con against Alhambra is that everyone says it's a mess with more than 4, although it technically supports 6. That's why I also bought Bohnanza. I'll bust it out next time... it is actually reported to be *best* with 5-6.
1) Wife loves Carcassone so I knew I wanted another tile laying game.
2) Wanted a game that was a "step up" in complexity from Carcassonne, Dominion, and Lost Cities, but still wasn't too nuts. I'm moving the wife into intermediate territory and she doesn't even know it. :lol
3) Must play very well with two.
4) Must expand beyond two.
Just about the only con against Alhambra is that everyone says it's a mess with more than 4, although it technically supports 6. That's why I also bought Bohnanza. I'll bust it out next time... it is actually reported to be *best* with 5-6.
BomberMouse
Member
GDJustin said:
Play the base game a few times before trying the expansion, I've included the diamonds + coins into the base game, I can't play without them anymore
StoOgE said:
If shipping wasn't such an issue I'd gladly take it off from your hands
BattleMonkey
Member
StoOgE said:
Usually the fault of the company using shitty printers, not the user.
echoshifting
Banned
Oh, Alhambra. Love. That might need to be our game for tonight! That sparks a thought...more session reports would be a great thing for this thread; I always love reading 'em when AL and others post 'em. Going to have to get better about doing them myself.
WotR condition: One incomplete play. Cards have some minor shuffle wear apparent upon close inspection (in particular, there is an indent in the white space of a few cards caused by some kind of packaging error, but you can only see it if you're REALLY looking for it). All bits accounted for and in great shape. It isn't unusual to end up with ringwraiths with warped plastic; this set had three, but I had them replaced so they should all stand up fine. Iirc, there is some minor warping in one or two of the plastic bits; happy to take them all out and inspect them if it's important to you (can't recall any damage but there are a LOT of pieces). Some very, very slight wear in the rulebook and box, but no tears or creases.
You've got plenty of stuff I want so I'm sure we can work something out. I'm sorta going off MSRP here and shooting for +/-$10, so if anything seems outrageous lemme know; I don't have a problem with using a different, commonly accepted value appraisal system. Of course condition of your sets would be a factor as well.
#1 - Ticket to Ride + 1910 expansion
#2 - Galaxy Trucker
#3 - One of these {Mr. Jack, 1960, Power Grid, Cyclades, Dungeon Lords} + Pandemic: On the Brink (expansion only)
I'm only interested in complete/good condition/English, and if it's an older edition I'd appreciate a heads up. Keeping this out of PMs as I'm always fond of the peanut gallery, unless this is bothering anybody.
edit: I'm such a goddamn moron, I should have known those proposed trades were too good to be true. Yep, I used MSRP for MY game and thoughthammer for YOUR games. :lol Fixed.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo said:
WotR condition: One incomplete play. Cards have some minor shuffle wear apparent upon close inspection (in particular, there is an indent in the white space of a few cards caused by some kind of packaging error, but you can only see it if you're REALLY looking for it). All bits accounted for and in great shape. It isn't unusual to end up with ringwraiths with warped plastic; this set had three, but I had them replaced so they should all stand up fine. Iirc, there is some minor warping in one or two of the plastic bits; happy to take them all out and inspect them if it's important to you (can't recall any damage but there are a LOT of pieces). Some very, very slight wear in the rulebook and box, but no tears or creases.
You've got plenty of stuff I want so I'm sure we can work something out. I'm sorta going off MSRP here and shooting for +/-$10, so if anything seems outrageous lemme know; I don't have a problem with using a different, commonly accepted value appraisal system. Of course condition of your sets would be a factor as well.
#1 - Ticket to Ride + 1910 expansion
#2 - Galaxy Trucker
#3 - One of these {Mr. Jack, 1960, Power Grid, Cyclades, Dungeon Lords} + Pandemic: On the Brink (expansion only)
I'm only interested in complete/good condition/English, and if it's an older edition I'd appreciate a heads up. Keeping this out of PMs as I'm always fond of the peanut gallery, unless this is bothering anybody.
edit: I'm such a goddamn moron, I should have known those proposed trades were too good to be true. Yep, I used MSRP for MY game and thoughthammer for YOUR games. :lol Fixed.
Just played Dungeon Lords for the first time. And holy crap is that game complicated. And it's not even the mechanics that are the hard part, it's just that building a successful dungeon requires a lot of thinking about many different elements. I look forward to playing again now that I have a better grasp on things.
My one preliminary complaint is that it seems like a bad draw of heroes in the first year can screw you over way too much.
My one preliminary complaint is that it seems like a bad draw of heroes in the first year can screw you over way too much.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
I ran the list by my better half and the only one we wouldn't mind trading at all is Power Grid. I'm on the fence with a Galaxy Trucker trade. I really like the game but it doesn't really see any table time.echoshifting said:
Just to let you know my copy of Galaxy Trucker contains the base game as well as the expansion and splitting the two would be a pain. (not sure if this would be a deal breaker or maker. Either way I want to sleep on this descision. )
As far as what else we would definitely trade, Cleopatra and the Society of Architects and Mission Red Planet. I could trade either of these games plus Power Grid.
As far as the condition of Power Grid and Galaxy Trucker, keep in mind I got these two games used. Power Grid has all components in lightly used shape. The board is free from rips and nicks. The box shows some wear but no splitting. There is a small marking in the upper left hand corner that looks like somebody put a price on the box and crossed it out. As for Galaxy Trucker, all the components are accounted for and all the player boards are in lightly used condition. The biggest "problem" is the rule book for the expansion has seen better days. Everything is still legible and it's not ripped but it is wrinkled. Basically both games were played but far from abused.
I can take pictures of anything you need just let me know. All my games are the English edition and all have their rule books included.
Played our first round of base-game 2P Alhambra tonight. Very fun! The wife kicked my butt the entire time, but I pitched a comeback between the 2nd and final scoring round, and only lost by 4.
In fact, after scoring up all the building colors, we were completely tied up at ~120 points a piece. She only won because her longest wall was four longer than mine.
- From reading the rules I already knew this, but exact change is a HUGELY important mechanic. It seems far better to be patient and save up enough $$ to pull off big turns.
- The "imaginary" third player you have to use in 2P games isn't annoying at all, and is clearly necessary. It worked great - not a gimmick to put 2P on the box.
- Arranging tiles in your Alhambra is much more difficult than I expected. Not being able to rotate them (they all have to be oriented the same way) threw me for a major loop. I had to waste ~4 turns mid game re-arranging shit just to not be completely stuck.
Excited to begin working in a few of the expansions now. They seem to come in three flavors: simple/basic modules that plainly add to the base set (change coins, wild currency), modules that allow for more flexibility/fun but are more situational (city gates, characters), and the crazy ones that really mix things up (sultan, treasure room, camps).
I'm thinking we'll probably begin using change and diamonds in every session, along with one more simple module, and one complex one. Maybe City Gates and Camps next.
In fact, after scoring up all the building colors, we were completely tied up at ~120 points a piece. She only won because her longest wall was four longer than mine.
- From reading the rules I already knew this, but exact change is a HUGELY important mechanic. It seems far better to be patient and save up enough $$ to pull off big turns.
- The "imaginary" third player you have to use in 2P games isn't annoying at all, and is clearly necessary. It worked great - not a gimmick to put 2P on the box.
- Arranging tiles in your Alhambra is much more difficult than I expected. Not being able to rotate them (they all have to be oriented the same way) threw me for a major loop. I had to waste ~4 turns mid game re-arranging shit just to not be completely stuck.
Excited to begin working in a few of the expansions now. They seem to come in three flavors: simple/basic modules that plainly add to the base set (change coins, wild currency), modules that allow for more flexibility/fun but are more situational (city gates, characters), and the crazy ones that really mix things up (sultan, treasure room, camps).
I'm thinking we'll probably begin using change and diamonds in every session, along with one more simple module, and one complex one. Maybe City Gates and Camps next.
platypotamus
Member
Flynn said:
I wish it was that simple. I feel like every single adventurer-assignment you need to try to aim for a specific spot. Getting a weak hero is all well and good, but sometimes the class of that weak hero is more problematic than the stats themselves. I deliberately made myself more evil just to dodge a priest last game (I had a vampire).
echoshifting
Banned
joey: Sounds like the condition of Galaxy Trucker is good enough for us, especially with the complete expansion included. Condition of rulebooks isn't an issue for me at all, but how's the box?
Assuming it's fine...that's a game I've been wanting to try for awhile and I think my wife would rather eat fire than try WotR again. So I'm definitely ready to give a green light; if you decide you'd like to go forward with the trade shoot me a PM and we can figure out shipping details. And if not no big deal. Also happy to provide pictures; I am going to be going through some of the plastic components anyway to make sure everything is still in good shape.
Assuming it's fine...that's a game I've been wanting to try for awhile and I think my wife would rather eat fire than try WotR again. So I'm definitely ready to give a green light; if you decide you'd like to go forward with the trade shoot me a PM and we can figure out shipping details. And if not no big deal. Also happy to provide pictures; I am going to be going through some of the plastic components anyway to make sure everything is still in good shape.
Arkham Horror arrived! Just popped out all the pieces and put them in little bags, might see if I can get a nice compartmental plastic storage box that fits inside the Arkham box to house the little pieces.
For UKGaf: I bought Arkham from Green Knight Games (greenknightgames.co.uk) through Amazon since my usual board game shop (Gameslore - Wrote a small post about it in page 1) had non in stock. The shipping was fast, purchased it on the 8th at 3:43pm, they shipped it on the 9th and it arrived today at 11am on the 10th. Packaging was good, appropriate size box and wrapped in bubble wrap so there was no damage.
Just popped out all the pieces and put them in little bags, might see if I can get a nice compartmental plastic storage box that fits inside the Arkham box to house the little pieces.For UKGaf: I bought Arkham from Green Knight Games (greenknightgames.co.uk) through Amazon since my usual board game shop (Gameslore - Wrote a small post about it in page 1) had non in stock. The shipping was fast, purchased it on the 8th at 3:43pm, they shipped it on the 9th and it arrived today at 11am on the 10th. Packaging was good, appropriate size box and wrapped in bubble wrap so there was no damage.
:lol exactly. Becomes like a puzzle game by the end. Start to realize why the more open pieces are more expensive. It's definitely a nice balancing act between getting a long wall and getting all of your tiles in play. Once in a while you get both, but you usually have to make sacrifices.GDJustin said:
For those interested in trading, feel free to check my stuff out as well, my username is the same as on here. I've got over 300 feedbacks so I've done this for a while. I often take stuff not on my want list as long as they are popular or have good value. One thing I've realized is that to get what you really want, you often have to make several trades before that happening.
Captain_Spanky
Member
StoOgE said:
Yeah it took me 8 months to trade away Dungeon Twister 2, and even then it was someone else who initiated it. The worst is when people don't even reply. It's so rude!
Whoo, inaugural "weekend gaming" post for the new thread.
Playing this Weekend
Race for the Galaxy + Gathering Storm: One of our friends has really gotten into San Juan (need to grab that expansion, stupid that it's not available individually) and I've been reminded of the glory days of the San Juan --> RFTG transition that were sort of wiped out once I integrated Rebel vs. Imperium into RFTG, and even more with Brink of War. Well the reign of tyranny is over! Pulling out both of those and going back to my personal favorite (if a simpler variet of RFTG): RFTG+GS. Can't wait.
Agricola: We're going to try the drafting variant for the first time. I'm just really excited to draft. And this is a good half-step since I haven't yet been able to get anyone to love Farmers of the Moor as much as I do.
There will be at least one lighter filler game as well, something like Kingsburg or Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries.
Playing this Weekend
Race for the Galaxy + Gathering Storm: One of our friends has really gotten into San Juan (need to grab that expansion, stupid that it's not available individually) and I've been reminded of the glory days of the San Juan --> RFTG transition that were sort of wiped out once I integrated Rebel vs. Imperium into RFTG, and even more with Brink of War. Well the reign of tyranny is over! Pulling out both of those and going back to my personal favorite (if a simpler variet of RFTG): RFTG+GS. Can't wait.
Agricola: We're going to try the drafting variant for the first time. I'm just really excited to draft. And this is a good half-step since I haven't yet been able to get anyone to love Farmers of the Moor as much as I do.
There will be at least one lighter filler game as well, something like Kingsburg or Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries.
I don't know if it's been mentioned in this new thread or the old game thread, but I want to speak up for Chaos in the Old World. I've had a chance to play it a few times now and I think it's fantastic. It's really well-balanced and each game has had two or more players close to winning with the others not far behind.
I love Gathering Storm. Not because it does anything revolutionary but because it rounds out the great base game. imo it's an absolute necessity. The last two though add conflict and a lot of complexity and fiddliness (and cards, as if that deck wasn't already big enough). Some people love that -- and maybe some day I will too -- but I play with a lot of new/casual people and RFTG + GS is a great "next-step" game for them, but the last two are just a bridge too far complexity-wise.
Carcassonne arrived today! Much earlier than expected. I'm having dinner with the parents tonight, so I'm roping them into a post-meal game. Looking forward to it - played a game against my two imaginary friends to get a grasp of it and found it easy to learn and I can see the strategic potential of it.
Sasquatch said:
I'm with Astrolad on this.
The first expansion is necessary to balance the game out. The base game basically makes production worlds the best way to win, gathering storm makes military worlds a more balanced option.
I haven't played the other expansions, but they seem way way way too gamey. There was one card that let you pick up the deck and thumb through it to get a card you wanted. Just too much crap seems to be going on with the later expansions. The first expansion was necessary because the base game had a balance issue that almost forced you into going for a production machine. The first expansion cleaned that up and gave you other legit avenues for winning (plus goals!). The other expansions seem to be solutions to problems that didn't exist with the base game.
Not to mention, the deck is huge to begin with compared to your average card laying game. Doesn't need to be made even larger.
Suairyu said:
Ha! I always do this with new games. I walk through them at least once to make sure I understand the game before anyone else comes over. Nothing turns off new players quicker than having to go to the rulebook over and over again.
Carca is a really fun game, I might suggest that you not use field scoring for your first game.. some people have a hard time wrapping their head around the math of fields.. but YMMV. Limit it to roads and castles until everyone has a feel for the flow of the game and then bring in the fields.
The difficulty is that, in the case of fields, it is difficult to anticipate the way the extent of a field from any given worker placement will change through the course of a game; at least, until you get a better grasp of what kinds of tiles extend fields or lock off fields and how frequently they occur. Granted, this can happen with cities, too, but it is much easier to manage the unexpected growth of a city than the growth of fields (because the rules about the borders of cities are so much more restrictive). Since most of the rules concern themselves with constructs like roads, cities, and monasteries and how to score points from them, fields become sort of the "negative space" on the board against those other features which beginning players tend to pay more attention to. So the problem really isn't the math of scoring fields; it's training yourself to regard the fields as more than simply blank spaces between the "important" stuff, and then learning the tricks for managing that space.
Yeah pretty much this. If you are playing with a non-gamer crowd, fields off is a perfectly good starting option. I did fields right away with my friends, but they're now pretty experienced. Makes the game kind of silly and simple, but that will make the introduction of fields even more exciting!StoOgE said:
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
You could always build this.FrancisH said:Arkham Horror arrived!
What draft method are you going to use?AstroLad said:
After sleeping on it I think we can make this trade work. Galaxy Trucker comes in the Big Expansion box but it's all there (Base as well as Expansion). The box is still in great shape with no splitting and just minor shelf wear.echoshifting said:
Interestingly enough my girlfriend's eyes lit up when I said I was trading for a Lord of the Rings game. I've been also looking to get another epic two player game so it seems like a good trade on both ends. I'll send you a PM with the nuts and bolts of the trade.Evlar said:
Yeah, that is kind of what I was trying to get at a bit, but you said it much better.
Fields are a more abstract concept to early players. They are probably the best way to rack up massive points, but they just confuse early players and are usually ignored by them in any case. Roads Monestaries and cities are easiest to grasp by far.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Looks like Kingsburg was released on the iDevices. Unfortunately it only has local multiplayer. I've been wanting to try that game, so $5 is a cheap way for me to give it a go.
Edit: You'll need to search for "Kinsburg" in the app store. They misspelled the name in the description.
Edit: You'll need to search for "Kinsburg" in the app store. They misspelled the name in the description.
Reposting this from the iPhone gaming thread.
Kingsburg is out. One of my favorite board games right now.
Stealing some impressions from BGG since I think they're spot-on:
Kingsburg is out. One of my favorite board games right now.
Stealing some impressions from BGG since I think they're spot-on:
Oooh beaten by the 1-post-a-minute limitation. Yah I wish it had online too. Super sadface about that. Kingsburg and Tichu with online would be fucking amazing.
Oh & on the topic of trading/math trades - for those that are going to BGG.Con, there's usually a giant "no shipping" math trade organised on BGG in the run up to it, with the swap occurring at the Con on the Saturday morning. It's a great way to trade "big" games without shipping fees. I got some great games out of it last year & I'll be taking part again this year.
Two & a half months to go!
Two & a half months to go!
What hours does the Con run and are y'all planning any sort of GAF get-together after hours?
It's about a 2.5 hour drive from here so I might make the treck up there if y'all do something that doesn't require a badge. I have enough college buddies that I can find a couch to crash on and drive home the next day.
I'm also kind of excited by this math trade. I have about 10 different games (20 total, but 10 unique ones) in my "want" list, so it's sort of fun not knowing what I'm going to get. Of course, I could get nothing, which would suck
It's about a 2.5 hour drive from here so I might make the treck up there if y'all do something that doesn't require a badge. I have enough college buddies that I can find a couch to crash on and drive home the next day.
I'm also kind of excited by this math trade. I have about 10 different games (20 total, but 10 unique ones) in my "want" list, so it's sort of fun not knowing what I'm going to get. Of course, I could get nothing, which would suck
there definitely isn't an official meetup, i've just been observing that there are probably at least 5-6 gaffers going. i'd be down to meet any ol time. we're staying at the hotel anywhere in that area really. maybe we can do something more official as others chime in. only real thing i have "scheduled" is that i want to play in the hold-em tournament
The con is basically "all hours" while it's running. People are gaming until the wee hours.
The guideline for math trades is don't expect to "trade up" & be prepared to get the "least valued" game on your wants.
And do dupe protection.
I'm also kind of excited by this math trade. I have about 10 different games (20 total, but 10 unique ones) in my "want" list, so it's sort of fun not knowing what I'm going to get. Of course, I could get nothing, which would suck
The guideline for math trades is don't expect to "trade up" & be prepared to get the "least valued" game on your wants.
And do dupe protection.
I finally got a chance to play the Call of Cthulhu "Living Card Game" that I received in a trade a few months ago. A friend is a big Magic fan & Lovecraft fan, so obviously he's predisposed to enjoy this, and we managed to dig through the rules etc tonight. It's definitely a modern CCG-like game, with similar mechanics of drawing cards, playing resources, using the resources to bring in characters/monsters/items etc. The tweaks are how resources are divided and how combat happens. Instead of just trying to attack your opponent, you're competing to win "story cards", of which three are always in play. As you battle for a story, you win clue tokens. First to five wins the story, first to three stories, wins the game. Resources are split into three piles, or Domains, with each resource card having a symbol from one of the seven factions that make of the game. If a domain has enough resource cards in it, and at least one card with the same faction as the card you're trying to play, you can exhaust it & use to to bring in that character or play it etc.
It flows similarly to most modern CCGs, but I love the /lack/ of an arms race. The "Living Card Game" means there's no random boosters for the game. Instead, Fantasy Flight put out regular chapter packs with a preset list of cards, either 3 copies or 1 copy depending on the type of card, and that's it. Each set of boosters has a 'theme' across that wave which means to get the most of them, you'll likely buy the wave, but regardless, the outlay for a "complete" set of CoC is far less than a similar complete set for a CCG. You don't need to come close to buying every wave to have a fun set of cards to draw from.
So far, I love it. Really glad I traded for this - I got the core set & 8 or 10 of the chapter packs, all organised in a binder. I think this game scratches the Magic itch nicely...
It flows similarly to most modern CCGs, but I love the /lack/ of an arms race. The "Living Card Game" means there's no random boosters for the game. Instead, Fantasy Flight put out regular chapter packs with a preset list of cards, either 3 copies or 1 copy depending on the type of card, and that's it. Each set of boosters has a 'theme' across that wave which means to get the most of them, you'll likely buy the wave, but regardless, the outlay for a "complete" set of CoC is far less than a similar complete set for a CCG. You don't need to come close to buying every wave to have a fun set of cards to draw from.
So far, I love it. Really glad I traded for this - I got the core set & 8 or 10 of the chapter packs, all organised in a binder. I think this game scratches the Magic itch nicely...
So, I'm going to solicit some opinions here on my "Want" list on the trades. Top of the list is my current "most preferred" and the bottom is my "least preferred". I have played exactly none of these games, but have heard good things about all of them.
Some are a bit more complicated than what I would normally play, but I'm willing to give them a spin based on good word of mouth and the fact that I will just trade it away again if my group wont play it. If you can't tell, I'm trying to get more co-o games :lol
"Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game" - Not my most wanted game, but it comes with both "Growing Hunger" and "Stock Up" Expansions which makes it good bang for the buck. Plus Zombie theme makes it likely to get a friend to try it. Plus, I'm going to have watch parties for Walking Dead, so this could be fun to play before the show starts.
"Arkham Horror" - My most wanted game despite huge complexity. I want a nerdy near RPG, and if nothing else I can solo this sucker. I also think I have at least 1 friend that will try it with me especially after I've solo'ed the game a few times and can work as a default DM. Theme might be a bit nerdy for my group, but it can be played as a random horror game for those that aren't into lovecraft.
"Shadows over Camelot" - Playing this one in two weeks, it sounds like fun and I like the co-op mechanic with the potential sabatuer. Theme is also going to be pretty accessible to my group.
"Fury of Dracula" - I've heard this is complicated, but I like the co-op aspect of it as well as the PVP with one player taking the role of baddie. Theme is pretty accessible.
"Battlestar Galactica" - Similar to Shadows Over Camelot, but the theme is going to make it a much harder sell.
"Agricola" - the "best" game on my list. sounds too similar to Puerto Rico though which I already own. Also has a fleeting similarity to Catan and Power Grid which could scare friends off.
"Caylus" - No idea what this is, but I've heard good things.
"Cosmic Encounter" - Looked into it a while back and wasn't really interested in it.. but willing to give it a shot based on word of mouth.
"Ra" - - No idea what this is, but I've heard good things.
"Alhambra" - Not huge on tile laying games.. but I've heard good things.
Some are a bit more complicated than what I would normally play, but I'm willing to give them a spin based on good word of mouth and the fact that I will just trade it away again if my group wont play it. If you can't tell, I'm trying to get more co-o games :lol
"Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game" - Not my most wanted game, but it comes with both "Growing Hunger" and "Stock Up" Expansions which makes it good bang for the buck. Plus Zombie theme makes it likely to get a friend to try it. Plus, I'm going to have watch parties for Walking Dead, so this could be fun to play before the show starts.
"Arkham Horror" - My most wanted game despite huge complexity. I want a nerdy near RPG, and if nothing else I can solo this sucker. I also think I have at least 1 friend that will try it with me especially after I've solo'ed the game a few times and can work as a default DM. Theme might be a bit nerdy for my group, but it can be played as a random horror game for those that aren't into lovecraft.
"Shadows over Camelot" - Playing this one in two weeks, it sounds like fun and I like the co-op mechanic with the potential sabatuer. Theme is also going to be pretty accessible to my group.
"Fury of Dracula" - I've heard this is complicated, but I like the co-op aspect of it as well as the PVP with one player taking the role of baddie. Theme is pretty accessible.
"Battlestar Galactica" - Similar to Shadows Over Camelot, but the theme is going to make it a much harder sell.
"Agricola" - the "best" game on my list. sounds too similar to Puerto Rico though which I already own. Also has a fleeting similarity to Catan and Power Grid which could scare friends off.
"Caylus" - No idea what this is, but I've heard good things.
"Cosmic Encounter" - Looked into it a while back and wasn't really interested in it.. but willing to give it a shot based on word of mouth.
"Ra" - - No idea what this is, but I've heard good things.
"Alhambra" - Not huge on tile laying games.. but I've heard good things.
platypotamus
Member
Only three I've played, but here's some thoughts:
Not really similar to any of those, I'd say. Has a worker placement mechanic, which kinda gets maybe a little similar to Puerto Rico's role choosing mechanic, but otherwise...
I see you've said that your current group won't play RFTG anymore as it's too complex. You won't get much Agricola play, I don't think. It is a brain buster.
Another worker placement kind of game, similarly, pretty complex. I'd say less so than Agricola. I'd be concerned that your group might not be willing to do this one either. Hard to say.
I've got an older edition rather than the newest one, and am not a huge fan, but it might work well for your group (incidentally, it's on my trade list, but I don't want your Memoir 44...).
You get a random alien race at the start of the game, and they have powers that make each play differently. What my group doesn't particularly like about it is that it's just a FFA battle thing, with card draws + powers, and kinda turns into ganging up on people pretty easily.
StoOgE said:
Not really similar to any of those, I'd say. Has a worker placement mechanic, which kinda gets maybe a little similar to Puerto Rico's role choosing mechanic, but otherwise...
I see you've said that your current group won't play RFTG anymore as it's too complex. You won't get much Agricola play, I don't think. It is a brain buster.
Another worker placement kind of game, similarly, pretty complex. I'd say less so than Agricola. I'd be concerned that your group might not be willing to do this one either. Hard to say.
I've got an older edition rather than the newest one, and am not a huge fan, but it might work well for your group (incidentally, it's on my trade list, but I don't want your Memoir 44...).
You get a random alien race at the start of the game, and they have powers that make each play differently. What my group doesn't particularly like about it is that it's just a FFA battle thing, with card draws + powers, and kinda turns into ganging up on people pretty easily.
Played a 2player game of Carcassonne with my father, as my mother wanted to watch some terrible soap operas. Played with farms on, but he picked up how to utilise them near-instantly, especially with me giving helpful advice throughout. Wasn't until we did the end-game scoring he fully understood the points system, but that's to be expected. We both finished on 99 points each.
We both enjoyed it, but I can see I'll want something with a bit more strategic bite in the future. Is it the first two expansion packs for Carcassonne that are recommended? The last thing I want is too many add-ons to juggle around, as there appears to be no end to expansions released for this game, but just something else to add an extra layer of depth would be much appreciated in a few weeks I imagine.
We both enjoyed it, but I can see I'll want something with a bit more strategic bite in the future. Is it the first two expansion packs for Carcassonne that are recommended? The last thing I want is too many add-ons to juggle around, as there appears to be no end to expansions released for this game, but just something else to add an extra layer of depth would be much appreciated in a few weeks I imagine.
StoOgE said:
I really like BSG. But it squarely falls into the "depends on the game group" category more than most other games. The gameplay is simplistic and some people complain about the card throwing you have to do during skill checks (which happen pretty much during every person's turn), but the paranoia and traitor element coupled with the theme make it a blast with the right players. I've had hit or miss sessions (and have only been able to get it to the table maybe half a dozen times).
This is another favorite of mine that doesn't get enough play. I have the newest FFG version. Again, like BSG, this is wildly dependent on the group you play with. It's a great "take that" kind of game and if you have buddies that dig that aspect of play, it's a fun game of alliances, negotiations, and backstabbing.
I like Alhambra. It's not anything I feel I need to run out and buy, but if someone brings it to the table I won't say no.
StoOgE said:This is on my list of games I would love to play but I know my friends won't have the patience for. It's a long list sadly :/
I can't even get them to play RFTG anymore
By patience do you mean they lose focus after a certain amount of time? Chaos plays pretty quick. Once you know the rules it's about an hour to an hour-and-a-half. With 4 people the game will never go over 7 turns, as once the Old World deck runs out the game is done, and in the games I've played, the game has been won before the deck runs out.
BattleMonkey
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Our RPG group for the night fell through, so probably going to meet up with a dude and play some Horus Heresy.
Expansion packs almost cost the same as the main game, though! If you had to pick one of those expansions, which one would it be?AstroLad said:
Side question: do you guys tend to keep all expansion tiles/cards/chits/models in their own boxes or just fling everything together in the original box? Carcassonne's box is already near-full with the original set of tiles, but independently separating the original from the expansion tiles at the end of each game for filing in separate boxes sounds like it would get dull fast.
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