You could probably use pictures from publishers' websites, but if needed I can ask my brother (photographer) to take pictures of the games I have in my collection.
The New Board Game Thread (Newcomer Friendly)
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joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Yeah, they are blowing this game out and replacing it with the party edition. Great game and stupid good price. If anybody else doesn't have it go pick it up before your Christmas parties, it's guaranteed to be a hit.
Gaming Truth
Member
So this is Christmas and I'm a procrastinator. What are your candidates for GOTY?
I'm looking to buy a friend a game and he's part of a regular board gaming group, so complexity shouldn't be an issue. Just the best game you've played this year will do!
Strangely enough, my GOTY isn't new, but I haven't played too many 2013 games. It's Archipelago, which is a very strange cooperative/competitive game with deep interaction between players.
My favorite game for casuals for this year that very few people have is Viva Java (http://dicehatemegames.com/games/vivajava/)
And ..., as I was typing, I just realized I did play a 2013 game this year, and it was pretty fun. It's Compounded (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/118174/compounded). The only part that wasn't fun was misunderstanding the fire thing. I lost 13-41-44-46
I'm looking to buy a friend a game and he's part of a regular board gaming group, so complexity shouldn't be an issue. Just the best game you've played this year will do!
Strangely enough, my GOTY isn't new, but I haven't played too many 2013 games. It's Archipelago, which is a very strange cooperative/competitive game with deep interaction between players.
My favorite game for casuals for this year that very few people have is Viva Java (http://dicehatemegames.com/games/vivajava/)
And ..., as I was typing, I just realized I did play a 2013 game this year, and it was pretty fun. It's Compounded (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/118174/compounded). The only part that wasn't fun was misunderstanding the fire thing. I lost 13-41-44-46
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Here are the games I played that actually came out this year:
Pathfinder ACG
Ladies and Gentlemen
Cuba Libre
Pathfinder has been fun for me, even though I've only played it solo. I find the character progression a neat twist on deck building.
Ladies and Gentlemen is just a blast. Get's even better with some light role playing. The game may sound sexist (Ladies are shopping for clothes while the Gentlemen are at work making the money) but it really doesn't feel that way while you are playing. The ladies half of the game is so much more interesting and more involved than the Gentlemen's half.
Cuba Libre is an amazing game. Don't let the fact that it's done by a wargame company (GMT) deter from the game. The game feels like a euroized wargame. Instead of piles of chits you have wooden cubes and the actions feel more like a euro area control game. The best part of the game is the asymmetrical sides. Each player has their own victory condition and special actions they only they can perform.
As far as the worst one, I'd say Pixel Lincoln. I love the theme and I think the actions you perform really make it seem like you are playing an 8-bit game, the problem is it's dull as shit. The cards you buy aren't that exciting and they don't really don't work together so you don't get awesome combos like in some other deck builders.
Out of those my top three are:
Pathfinder ACG
Ladies and Gentlemen
Cuba Libre
Pathfinder has been fun for me, even though I've only played it solo. I find the character progression a neat twist on deck building.
Ladies and Gentlemen is just a blast. Get's even better with some light role playing. The game may sound sexist (Ladies are shopping for clothes while the Gentlemen are at work making the money) but it really doesn't feel that way while you are playing. The ladies half of the game is so much more interesting and more involved than the Gentlemen's half.
Cuba Libre is an amazing game. Don't let the fact that it's done by a wargame company (GMT) deter from the game. The game feels like a euroized wargame. Instead of piles of chits you have wooden cubes and the actions feel more like a euro area control game. The best part of the game is the asymmetrical sides. Each player has their own victory condition and special actions they only they can perform.
As far as the worst one, I'd say Pixel Lincoln. I love the theme and I think the actions you perform really make it seem like you are playing an 8-bit game, the problem is it's dull as shit. The cards you buy aren't that exciting and they don't really don't work together so you don't get awesome combos like in some other deck builders.
My GOTY based on playing time within the group is: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. Rounding out the top 3: Zogar's Gaze, Firefly.
After using Board Game Geek today to avoid buying some crap games (World War Z $14 and the movie tie-in The Hobbit $12) on clearance at Target I decided to pledge $15 to them in the year end support drive. I actually save more money than I spend on games thanks to that site.
I did see Star Trek Catan for $27+tax though but I already have a sealed copy.
After using Board Game Geek today to avoid buying some crap games (World War Z $14 and the movie tie-in The Hobbit $12) on clearance at Target I decided to pledge $15 to them in the year end support drive. I actually save more money than I spend on games thanks to that site.
I did see Star Trek Catan for $27+tax though but I already have a sealed copy.
BattleMonkey
Member
My GOTY has to be Suburbia or Trains
Really Zogars Gaze? Haven't tried it but friend got it from the KS and the ones who have played it have done nothing but crap on it as being awful.
Really Zogars Gaze? Haven't tried it but friend got it from the KS and the ones who have played it have done nothing but crap on it as being awful.
It wasn't great at first but after a rules update was put out by the creator (http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/92760/zogars-gazette-vol-2) the game plays much faster. We either start or end the night with it now.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
I've only played Suburbia on iOS, so I technically didn't play the regular cardboard version so I left it off my list. However, I'm crazy addicted to it on the iOS. It's a really good game and I initially wrote it off because of how it looked.
Bought the Alhambra Big Box because Amazon had a sale on it. Was just 38€.
They currently also have a sale on Kingdom Builder. Base game for just 10€ and base game with both expansions for 36€. Any thoughts on this game.
Edit: I didn't enjoy Suburbia because I thought it was way too fiddly. My GOTY would be Kemet.
They currently also have a sale on Kingdom Builder. Base game for just 10€ and base game with both expansions for 36€. Any thoughts on this game.
Edit: I didn't enjoy Suburbia because I thought it was way too fiddly. My GOTY would be Kemet.
Gaming Truth
Member
Aw man, this was horrible. It seemed like such a novel idea, but it can't be:
- played with an odd number of people (X number of people on one level, Y on another)
- balanced (randomly-generated levels are great unless one of the levels is devoid of monsters)
- the cards don't do anything you care about. There were, what, friends or something that weren't even worth buying!
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Heh, we did all the mistakes then. We played with three, I created the level decks using the level editor to make a "balanced" deck, and we had cards no one cared about. The main problem I had with the items were they were just slightly better than the default cards you started with. In fact the jump card became invaluable for me due to the fact that it let you jump over cards. I was in a level with no upgraded jump cards so I pretty much had to keep them. I think if you make a deck builder where your starting cards are almost as good as the cards you need to acquire then you have failed at making a compelling deck builder..
Gaming Truth
Member
Speaking of which, I was a Lincoln with range (or we all were and I was the only one shooting at range), so I picked off monsters from behind "items". It was so cheesy, and also, literally nothing to buy helped me improve that at all. Jumping was really the key to victory, cause it let you avoid things you didn't want to encounter.
platypotamus
Member
Jeeze, I've played so few of the recent releases maybe someone else should make the new thread's OP...
I played Eight Minute Empire: Legends tonight.
God damn, that was a pleasant surprise. They squeezed an elegant set of mechanics and some really nice art into a small package with a very breezy playtime (though it's longer than 8 minutes). I wish I hadn't missed out on the Kickstarter.
God damn, that was a pleasant surprise. They squeezed an elegant set of mechanics and some really nice art into a small package with a very breezy playtime (though it's longer than 8 minutes). I wish I hadn't missed out on the Kickstarter.
Pandemic for $21.75 on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A2HD40E/?tag=neogaf0e-20
They price matched target's deal which i got earlier this week.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A2HD40E/?tag=neogaf0e-20
They price matched target's deal which i got earlier this week.
2013 wasn't nearly as good as 2012 imo. This is board gaming and I still consider 2011 releases "new" releases myself.
Wish that price was in the US as well. Kingdom Builder is fun!
I've got some new impressions on Pathfinder the Adventure Card Game. Disliked it as a solo game, but with 3 or more players the 'role-playing' aspect is more pronounced and the game becomes about deciding who goes where and with whom. For example, Valeros was our tank, he'd go to a location with lots of monsters and Harsk would follow right behind him. Meanwhile Seoni would explore a more safe location since she burns through her deck quite quickly, but should she encounter the villain or a henchman she could do lots of damage and if needed Harsk the ranger could help with that. We've started the adventure path with three players who live near each other so that we can keep the continuity between sessions, now someone else expressed interest in the game so I think I might just give him a support character (with healing ability) who can just jump in and out whenever he's available. I don't feel that should break the game.
Yeah I've played a lot of games this year that to me were new, but looking at BGG they actually were 2012 releases. The only 2013 releases I've played were BSG Daybreak and Pathfinder Adventure Card Game I think.2013 wasn't nearly as good as 2012 imo. This is board gaming and I still consider 2011 releases "new" releases myself.
2013 wasn't nearly as good as 2012 imo. This is board gaming and I still consider 2011 releases "new" releases myself.
Yup. Easy to discover games way after they come out.
Gaming Truth
Member
I wouldn't worry about it. The OP just needs to be full of good stuff, not necessarily new stuff.
I only know what's new in 2013 because I went to GenCon (so I know the year's big releases) and because my friend is a Kickstarter fanatic.
Speaking of which ... I can't buy Viva Java. It's a Kickstarter project. =*(
Tragicomedy
Member
I own the base game and really love it, but I'm holding off on buying any expansions for the new dice version releasing next year. It sounds like it improves on every aspect of the game, from setup to length to strategy.
It will be mine:
Pandemic: The Cure
picking up Eldritch Horror this Friday. Im actually excited for the "stream line" Arkham experience. im also picking up the Power Level 9000 expansion for Smash Up. It is going to be a good gaming weekend in my house. Also just ordered the Pandemic update cards so i can add the two expansions to my Favorite game.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Have you tried Elder Sign? It's basically, Arkham Horror Express. Same theme, but plays in the same amount of time it takes you to set up a full game of Arkham Horror. The only thing it's missing is the story element, otherwise it has a very AH feel to it.
Sure, if you want a shorter game it sounds good, but IMO Pandemic has a perfect length as it is now (~60 minutes).
Yep, ES and Pandemic were my first board game purchases then came 7 Wonders and so on and so on LOL.
Affeinvasion
Member
Got my Serpent's Tongue kickstarter core set and booster box today. It's all incredibly beautiful and I can't wait to actually play the game. I know a lot of people were/are cynical about the game, but it feels like some kind of actual achievement that this thing actually came out in as good of a shape as it did (even after all the delays).
Nice!
I'm totally cool with taking suggestions for stuff/references to put into the title banner, but I don't want to overload it. I would like to put a sliver of a game board (not sure which) along the top edge, but it's surprisingly difficult to find good top-down shots of board game components!
Remind me what the AT is again...D:
Where the AT at?
Remind me what the AT is again...D:
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
I decided to jump back into Lord of the Rings the card game. I'm mainly doing it for the saga packs but what I want to know is, are there any must have Adventure packs that would help with those saga packs?
Classy, I dig it.
Looks really good!
Looks awesome!
Next OT needs to mention Love Letters, that's my only wish. Best bang for buck game imaginable, by a huge margin.
Oh yeah! Selfishly I would nominate that and the ios board game thread.
BattleMonkey
Member
platypotamus
Member
Yes!
For sure, I will probably link magic gaf too
I need to browse that thread more, platypotamus thinks to himself while responding to this post on an iPad
I haven't played since the first cycle of expansions. I should remedy that
Tragicomedy
Member
All in all, I purchased eight different games for family and friends (and one selfishly for myself). We're having 14 total in our home for the holidays so we'll break everything out and have a blast, but dang if the money didn't add up quickly.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
I played Nations last night. People have billed it as Through the Ages light, but it really isn't. Sure it's a sort of card game\abstracted civ building game, but it plays more tactically than TtA and It's not a vicious between the players. One thing, the decks for each age are huge. Unlike TtA you cannot rely on a particular card coming out. The event cards are also random and not seeded like in TtA. You can get boned by nasty events, but at least you have an entire action round to prepare for it. I liked Nations quite a bit and I think anybody who like TtA will dig it too, so that means Neverfade stay out.
I finally had the chance to play Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear 2nd edition yesterday and hoo boy some first expression it was. I was playing the German side of the conflict and quickly realized that the map design funneled the Russians into the center of the map so I decided to close in from the sides. This worked remarkably well as I took out two of his units, still we were tied in terms of VP because he held the check-point (or whatever it's called). Certainly I held the advantage because his CAP would start out lower and we both would get reinforcements. But this is where the most unbelievable streak of bad luck fell to me. For the following 8 or so 2d6 combat die rolls I couldn't roll any higher than 4, wasting a lot of AP. After another round I realized that my only chance of victory was to capture the point in the middle of the map and to destroy his two remaining units.. which apparently were three remaining units because I mistook a stack of two units for a wounded one. Fortunately during that last round I could pressure a Russian platoon into leaving a heavy forest area to defend the check-point and that's when I finally made two lucky die rolls and ended the game in my favor. Anyway, I'm hooked.
platypotamus
Member
Added it to my wishlist so hard that my wishlist is pressing charges against me now
BattleMonkey
Member
Tried out The Agents which was a cheap little kickstarter. Actually pretty neat little game. It's all about taking risks with it's card flipping mechanics which gives your neighbors points or a unique ability to use. Liked the art and cheap price, was not disappointed at all, we had lot of fun with it.
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