The Boardgame Thread

[schild]

By the third play the fiancee and I got it down to ~1.5 hours.

Two hours means people are sitting in the tank too long me thinks.

[MrHat]

By the third play the fiancee and I got it down to ~1.5 hours.

Two hours means people are sitting in the tank too long me thinks.

The game also makes me long for Waterdeeps scoring track.

[luckton]

By the third play the fiancee and I got it down to ~1.5 hours.

Two hours means people are sitting in the tank too long me thinks.

The game also makes me long for Waterdeeps scoring track.

Really wish there was more info about the upcoming Waterdeep expansion.  They announced that thing late last year and all that's been heard of since is the box cover and an April Fool's gag.

[ghost]

By the third play the fiancee and I got it down to ~1.5 hours.

Two hours means people are sitting in the tank too long me thinks.

You are a fast thinker, though.  Not many go through their turns as quickly as you do.  Analysis paralysis is rampant.   

[MrHat]

By the third play the fiancee and I got it down to ~1.5 hours.

Two hours means people are sitting in the tank too long me thinks.

You are a fast thinker, though.  Not many go through their turns as quickly as you do.  Analysis paralysis is rampant.   

Ya.  It adds a lot of extra time.

[Jeff Kelly]

Dominion is a good choice as a 'gateway game' (Hah, like that phrase), alternatively you could also go for Carcasonne which is pretty easy to learn and doesn't take a lot of time to play (30 min to 1 hour).

I don't know if anybody mentioned it but in addition to boardgamegeek or other portal/review sites I'd recommend youtube. Wil Weaton's 'Geek and Sundry' youtube channel for example offers a series called 'tabletop', basically a half hour 'let's play' of different board games. It might give you a better impression whether you or your friends might like a game or not when you can see how it plays.

[MrHat]

Dominion is a good choice as a 'gateway game' (Hah, like that phrase), alternatively you could also go for Carcasonne which is pretty easy to learn and doesn't take a lot of time to play (30 min to 1 hour).

I don't know if anybody mentioned it but in addition to boardgamegeek or other portal/review sites I'd recommend youtube. Wil Weaton's 'Geek and Sundry' youtube channel for example offers a series called 'tabletop', basically a half hour 'let's play' of different board games. It might give you a better impression whether you or your friends might like a game or not when you can see how it plays.

Ya, I started going to youtube for those kinds of videos now too.  Just gives a better feel for the game.

Alternatively, our local place will let you play a round w/ peeps there of a game of your choice.

[Ragnoros]

Wil Weaton's 'Geek and Sundry' youtube channel

No. Just, no.

[Jeff Kelly]

Felicia Day's and Wil Weaton's Youtube channel? 

There aren't that many places where you can actually see people play a certain game, which is the only way you really get a feel if you like it or not. So I take what I get. 

[Samwise]

Shut Up and Sit Down is orders of magnitude better than Tabletop.  I could only bear to watch a couple of episodes of Tabletop -- it feels to me like people who don't actually play any board games explaining board games to other people who don't play board games.  Which is weird because I'm pretty sure those people do play games, but everything just feels awkward and stilted for some reason.

[Jeff Kelly]

For somebody who's supposedly an actor and has been since he was ten Wil manages to come off as awkward and he's trying much too hard.

'when I was a kid ...'

[schild]

Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day are from the Joss Whedon school of fame.

Nerds like them. No one actually knows why. They gave no reason for people to like them. But here they are, being famous.

I just write off anybody that refers to Wil or Felicia as relevant in any capacity.

They do, however, sell a WHOLE METRIC BUTTLOAD of board games. Like holy crap. Why do people listen to them. The show is purely an advertisement. It aggravates me to no end. - BUT - I like the idea of a healthy board game industry and if those hacks can help, fine. Thanks. Now go away when we stop caring, please.

[Ingmar]

Wheaton's reviews of his TNG episode appearances are legitimately funny. I haven't really seen any of his other recent stuff.

[schild]

Wheaton doesn't bother me near as much as his "fans" do.

[Sky]

I like Watch It Played.

https://www.youtube.com/user/WatchItPlayed

[ghost]

The Ogre reboot is looking pretty damned awesome.  Too bad it looks as big as my bed.  I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do with two of them.  

[schild]

I've already seen the Ogre reboot in person. I went to an Alliance event a few months back.

It's a shame the game just like, isn't great and pocket Ogre is really the way to go with it.

[grebo]

For game reviews, This guy is great as well.

[Sky]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1816687860/cthulhu-wars

Cthulhu Wars The game is far more like Chaos in the Old World or War of the Ring than it is like Risk if that means anything to you.

[luckton]

By the third play the fiancee and I got it down to ~1.5 hours.

Two hours means people are sitting in the tank too long me thinks.

The game also makes me long for Waterdeeps scoring track.

Really wish there was more info about the upcoming Waterdeep expansion.  They announced that thing late last year and all that's been heard of since is the box cover and an April Fool's gag.

And lo, at last more information has been posted!


-- Sixth player
-- One additional agent of every color
-- 6 new lords
-- 24 new buildings
-- 2 new boards, with 3 locations each
-- Lots of new quests and intrigue cards.
-- Some blue tokens (corruption?)
-- Another board I'm not sure about (the caverns below Mount Waterdeep?)
-- More tokens

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4pr/20130607

[Ragnoros]

If I want a 4x board game, do I want Twilight Imperium 3 or Exodus: Proxima Centuri?  TI3 seems to be the be all, end all of 4x board games, but also takes 4-6+ hours, while Exodus is a bit trimmed down. They both cost $50 bucks, you guys like either?

I'm also looking for a couple more gateway/intro board games. Currently I have Catan and Dominion as (IMO) good starters. I was thinking about getting Ticket to Ride and Power Grid. Like either, other ideas?

[ghost]

Lords of Waterdeep, Stone Age, Seven Wonders, Pandemic. 

For the 4x, Twilight Imperium is better, but is longer to the point of making it almost unplayable for grown ups with lives.

[MrHat]

I'm also looking for a couple more gateway/intro board games. Currently I have Catan and Dominion as (IMO) good starters. I was thinking about getting Ticket to Ride and Power Grid. Like either, other ideas?

I had great luck starting with Dominion and Catan, and second the Seven Wonders, Pandemic route.  After that, it's still a little bit of a leap to Lords of Waterdeep mostly because of setting (depending on who you're talking too), I'd recommend explaining it using a mafia vying for a city route, then spring the wizards and clerics on them mid game.

[Goldenmean]

I'm also looking for a couple more gateway/intro board games. Currently I have Catan and Dominion as (IMO) good starters. I was thinking about getting Ticket to Ride and Power Grid. Like either, other ideas?

I vastly prefer Power Grid as a game, but it's the worse choice if you're looking for a gateway game. Ticket to Ride is simpler, has a theme with a wider appeal, plays faster and the strategy is more immediately obvious to new players. Power Grid really rewards good play from the beginning of the game also. If you're playing with newer players, they're going to lose, and it's going to be obvious that they're going to lose for pretty much the entire game, which isn't fun for a lot of people.

Power Grid is a *great* gamer's game though. The only time I'd ever take Ticket to Ride over it is if I only had a lunch break to finish a game or the like.

I think the three most recommended gateway games are Ticket To Ride, Settlers and Carcasonne. You might want to look into that last one if you haven't already.

Also, as to the 4x recommendation, is there a reason Eclipse isn't on that list? It plays much faster than Twilight Imperium, though it's still definitely not a quick game (maybe 1/3 to 1/2 the play time of TI:3). Haven't played Exodus, so can't compare it there.

[schild]

Am I crazy in thinking Settlers is not a good gateway game?

I find Lords of Waterdeep, Ascension/Dominion, Letters from Whitechapel, Ticket to Ride, and A Few Acres of Snow all vastly easier and more interesting thematically. I mean, in 1997 I would've said it was the best gateway game. It's certainly popular. But it's sort of a messy piece of shit now that's a remnant of the initial era of designer games.

Edit: Saw Ghost mentioned Stone Age, that's another good one. Hell, add Zong Shi to the list of games that are easier to learn than Catan - and possibly better. If we're looking for a classic with a light theme, I prefer Puerto Rico to Catan. There's always Wiz-War also, but that's a little confrontational.

[Goldenmean]

Am I crazy in thinking Settlers is not a good gateway game?

...

Edit: Saw Ghost mentioned Stone Age, that's another good one. Hell, add Zong Shi to the list of games that are easier to learn than Catan - and possibly better. If we're looking for a classic with a light theme, I prefer Puerto Rico to Catan. There's always Wiz-War also, but that's a little confrontational.

Puerto Rico is a loooot more complicated than Catan (but again, a better game). Settlers of Catan you pretty much say "Roll the dice, take the good. You can trade. Here's a little summary card detailing costs. Here's the objectives" You don't even really need to explain the robber until someone rolls it. With Puerto Rico you need to explain every role, each of which has its own rules, and it's frequently not obvious how to proceed for new people because victory points are usually behind a several step process, which can be baffling to non-gamers when they barely even understand the steps individually.

Agree on Settlers as a whole though. By around 1999, I never wanted to play that game again, and I was still haunted for years by friends much less interested in board games saying "Oh, you like games, have you ever heard of Settlers?" I don't like it, but it is still a pretty good gateway game.

I'm not a gigantic fan of wiz-war either, but that's mostly because as I've aged, I've wanted less and less randomness in my games, and Wiz-War is just an amazing arbitrary mess. I certainly played the hell out of it in high school though.

I think one of my favorite games at the moment for gaming newbies would probably be Kingdom Builder, mostly because I'm sick to death of all the other obvious choices. Kingdom Builder has one pamphlet of rules you can explain in a couple minutes (Here's the objectives. Draw a card, place a settlement on that terrain type. If you place adjacent to one of these spaces, you get a special ability you can use every turn. You have to place adjacent to existing settlements if the option exists. Done) It's simple, but has enough space for strategy that I won't be bored out of my skull, and it's quick.

Agree on Dominion/Ascension as options also.

[schild]

Wizwar was just thrown in there because I find Catan to be a random arbitrary mess with not-good-gamers.

[Ragnoros]

Thanks for the suggestions. I should have mentioned that I have 7 Wonders, Pandemic & Carcasonne already. Looks like Ticket to Ride is on the list now. Probably save Power Grid for later. Lords vs. Stone Age is going to be hard, might just get both.

From what I have gathered (the Dice Tower review) Eclipse is a fine game, but much more of Euro game than 4x.

[Goldenmean]

From what I have gathered (the Dice Tower review) Eclipse is a fine game, but much more of Euro game than 4x.

Eclipse is a weird mashup of ameritrash and euro, but then, so is third edition twilight imperium in many ways. I think it suffers for it, but mine seems to be the minority opinion, and it's definitely a good game, it's just not the game I wanted when I heard "It's like a more euro TI:3", so if you're looking for something more on the other side of things, it might be worth another glance.

It has some clever euro-ish mechanics (the economy system most obviously), but I think it falls more on the ameritrashy side. Combat is still very much like TI:3. It's got a better ship construction system than TI:3 (which pretty much just has static ships that get modified by the techs you have). You actually lay out the pieces of your ship in Eclipse. TI:3 has a more involved research system. It actually simulates a research tree with prerequisites, etc. Eclipse lets you build tech in any order, though you get a discount for building smaller stuff first. The one thing TI:3 has that Eclipse is missing entirely is the political and espionage side. I also tend to prefer the Puerto Ricoish role system that TI:3 has.

Seriously though, you will probably very very rarely ever finish a game of TI:3 if you don't block off a full weekend day for it. I've begun maybe five times as many games of TI:3 than Eclipse, but have finished fewer. This is possibly a side effect of the group I usually play TI:3 with, who always play with the maximum number of players and start drinking as the game is being set up, so things tend to get a little bit vague a couple of turns in, but I have left games 8 hours in with several turns to go.

[schild]

GENTLEMEN, BEHOLD, CAVE EVIL

https://summoning-of-evil.myshopify.com/

BUY IT WHILE YOU CAN

[Ruvaldt]

Done.  Thanks for that heads up.  I didn't want to miss it a second time.

[schild]

 

[Teleku]

Due to the Schild hype I have contributed to this as well.

[schild]

Cave Evil, as far as longer descriptions go - can basically be described as a gladiator arena with magic and a death metal skinsuit.

Basically, it's fucking awesome. And dripping with theme. When we want quicker games we cycle (discard draw again) on any excavation card and don't use the cave-digging rules. Longer games, obviously, cave digging gets more interesting.

Anyway, the thing deserves way more love than it gets, but I guess if it was even remotely purchasable it would've gotten a lot of love. I think the art and theme are amazing, but I can see how a lot of folks would hate it. If it was from Fantasy Flight, it would be considered the best pinnacle of Ameritrash.

[Ragnoros]

So, I've finally had a chance to play some Descent 2.0. I really enjoy the original, but being out of print, and taking three hours or something on average for a single map, I was looking forward to the streamlined update. Neither me nor my usual group has been impressed and we are wondering if we missed something.

The original Descent was an interesting affair where the heroes had to hack their way through ever faster spawning hordes of monsters and finish the objective before the overlord overwhelmed them one time too many. Along the way much loot would be had and a climatic final battle near the objective would usually settle things.

In 2.0 maps have been trimmed down a lot, meaning a quest is only 60-90 minutes. Which is nice. However the actual mechanics of the quests are what have let us down. Rather than an epic slog through a dungeon to go get some magic macguffian, it is a quick sprint to the objective with a couple hurdles on the way. Generally the heroes face a group of monsters in the opening room(s) which serve to delay them as the overlord tries to capture some object or kill some thing. Neither the heroes nor the overlord really wants to fight each other. Rather a game of tag / keep away is payed with each side sprinting towards or away with the objective. Moreover, the overlord player starts with a good army of monsters, but can spawn new ones only slowly. So rather than slowly overwhelming the heroes he either quickly achieves his objective is a mad dash couple turns, or has his minions slain and is effectively out of the game until the heroes get around to finishing the map.  

Oddly, the game is reasonably balanced. With our games generally coming down to a couple actions or dice rolls. However it seems much more like a puzzle game than the dungeon & dragony ameritrash game we were expecting.

Have you guys had any experience? My group is getting tired and frustrated at chasing after goblins for bundles of wheat, rather than testing their tactical and heroic mettle vs. swarms of foes. Basically, if the game doesn't get a bit more smashy smash I'm fairly sure my $60 'investment' is going to be so much cardboard.