Author Topic: What are your favorite board games?  (Read 75014 times)

LightTripper

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #50 on: July 17, 2013, 11:28:27 AM »
Well I am grateful for both ... Castle Panic on my list now!

swick

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #51 on: July 17, 2013, 12:03:15 PM »
Should probably mention, Hubs and I have not won the Wizard's Tower expansion yet. If you accept the fact you probably won't  it will be more fun. There is a reason "panic" is in the name :)

EK

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #52 on: July 17, 2013, 12:57:14 PM »

We have been making a shift to more cooperative style board games (Like Pandemic) A couple of our favorites are Castle Panic (and Wizards Tower expansion) and Elder Signs.

Wil Wheaton has a channel on youtube called TableTop where they play different games, In true Wheaton fashion - you'll either love it or hate it, but it is great for being introduced to new games and at least getting the idea if you will like it without spending a lot. Here is his Castle Panic Episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpuTGWFkBYs

Okay I just watched that castle panic episode!  The game looks sooooo fun!!!  Now off to watch more episodes... Here goes the next, oh, 10 hours of my life.  O.O

Villanelle

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #53 on: July 17, 2013, 01:03:14 PM »
Should probably mention, Hubs and I have not won the Wizard's Tower expansion yet. If you accept the fact you probably won't  it will be more fun. There is a reason "panic" is in the name :)

We have it and we still win nearly every time.

I do agree that it makes things more challenging though, and more interesting.  it is so easy to go from a perfectly lovely board, to everything spiraling out of control in just one or two turns.  It makes the game take longer as well, if that matters.  We play with the expansion far more often than without. 

swick

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #54 on: July 17, 2013, 01:16:18 PM »
In our case it is a matter of everything going really well right off the bat and then without fail, I draw all the bosses in a row and we get decimated :)


Micheal

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #55 on: July 17, 2013, 10:47:52 PM »
ETA:  I guess I should have read the rest of the thread, as I see there is a nearly identical post already.

You know what they say about great minds ;)
They all live in the same gutter? 

Imma have to check out this castle panic thing, looks like fun.  We do need a game to break up the monotony of the group on occasion.

MrsPete

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #56 on: July 18, 2013, 06:47:04 PM »
We live board games, and I see many of our favorites listed here already, though our current favorite hasn't been mentioned:  Citadels.  It's a great little game but best played with four or more people. 

LightTripper

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #57 on: July 19, 2013, 04:11:53 AM »
If you like board games this is also a fun book:

http://www.davegorman.com/projects_vs_the_rest_of_the_world.html
http://www.amazon.com/Dave-Gorman-vs-Rest-World/dp/0091928486/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374228630&sr=8-2&keywords=dave+gorman+vs+the+world

Dave Gorman has written a bunch of funny books, several of which are based around basically completely invented and pointless challenges.  In this one he is essentially just playing games with a lot of strangers.  I am a bit biased about this one because my friend is one of the strangers he plays - but genuinely it's a nice book and covers a big range of different kinds of games and gamers.

MrsPete

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #58 on: July 19, 2013, 07:58:33 AM »
We love board games, and I see many of our favorites listed here already, though our current favorite hasn't been mentioned:  Citadels.  It's a great little game but best played with four or more people.

Villanelle

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #59 on: July 19, 2013, 08:57:53 AM »
Does anyone have any ideas or sources for getting games cheaper?  They are extremely expensive.  I rationalize by figuring that in a per hour basis, they end up being very inexpensive since we will use one game for dozens and dozens of hours of entertainment.  But they still seem so pricey!

Rebecca Stapler

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #60 on: July 19, 2013, 02:28:41 PM »
Does anyone have any ideas or sources for getting games cheaper?  They are extremely expensive.  I rationalize by figuring that in a per hour basis, they end up being very inexpensive since we will use one game for dozens and dozens of hours of entertainment.  But they still seem so pricey!

Depends on who sells it. If it's Toys R Us, they sometimes have groupon deals where you pay $10 for a $20 gift card. Or they will have a coupon for 20% off a full-price item. (though, their prices are generally high as it is) TRU sales are usually designed simply to get you to spend more, so they will have "buy one get one 50% off" sales frequently. It's hard to get a good "deal" there if you're not willing to spend more. But occasionally you'll see the groupon deals.

TRU does have an annual or semi-annual board game sale at some point in the 3 months leading up to Christmas (I forget exactly when). They will pick a game or two that they sell for like $1 or $2 and if you get there early enough, you luck out. It's usually a pretty simple game though. One year I got Operation (Toy Story version), and another year I got Candyland and Don't Break the Ice -- I found out about the deals on www.hip2save.com. (the latter deal required a coupon to get the maximum discount).

I have snagged a few games at Target because they were on a loss leader kind of sale, but you would need to luck out or browse deal sites like www.hip2save.com to grab those deals while they last. And what are the odds they would have your game?

A service I haven't used too much, but has potential, is www.trackif.com -- you input the page that lists the product you want and it will notify you if that product's price changes. So, go to walmart.com, toysrus.com, target.com, etc. and add those pages to your trackif.com account. It will notify you if the price goes down.

swick

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #61 on: July 19, 2013, 04:06:38 PM »
We have an annual (or so) board game swap. You could organize one through a library or a local game store if you are lucky enough to have one. Craigslist and the like are also good for second hand games. There are board game forums out there that usually have a trading section.

Also thrift stores sometimes will surprise you with what turns up. I have made friends with our Thrift store ladies so if a game comes in, they'll save it for me to look at. I usually offer them a buck or two more then they would get if they put it on the shelf and still get an amazing deal.

The risk to buying used is there is always the possibility of missing pieces - if you can trade or swap in person this isn't usually a problem.

FriendlyLibrarian

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #62 on: July 24, 2013, 08:46:41 AM »
My husband and I are huge gamers so I have a rather long list of games that are good ones. Some have been mentioned already, but these are games in our closet that I would gladly play for long stretches.
Also I definitely second visiting boardgamegeek.com and watching Wheaton's TableTop games. I recommend visiting an area gaming convention as well. I'm super excited to attend GenCon again this year.
All right, my list of party, strategy, and just plain fun games (in no particular order):
-My husband swears by anything created by Rosenberg and really you can't go wrong with the quality of those games
-Pig Pile
-Balloon Cup (2 player only)
-Ticket to Ride
-Agricola
-All Creatures Big and Small (2 player only)
-Pandemic
-Carcassonne
-Elder Sign
-Curses
-Cards Against Humanity (know your group!)
-Smash Up
-7 Wonders
-Le Havre
-Dominion
-7 Deadly Sins (know your group!)
-Dixit
-Tsuro
-Incan Gold
-Morels (2 player only)
-Takenoko
-King of Tokyo

There's a bunch more that aren't coming to mind because they aren't right in front of me. We have a really good group of friends that are also gamers and we get together regularly to play games. This can help lessen the financial cost of games because they are crazy expensive.

anastrophe

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #63 on: July 24, 2013, 10:38:26 AM »
Does anyone have any ideas or sources for getting games cheaper?  They are extremely expensive.  I rationalize by figuring that in a per hour basis, they end up being very inexpensive since we will use one game for dozens and dozens of hours of entertainment.  But they still seem so pricey!

Swap games with your friends. If you don't have that kind of friends, go to your local gaming shop and see if there are board game people there, and become friends with them;)

Or, I think boardgamegeek.com has a place where people sell their used games, significantly discounted from new.

Albert

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #64 on: July 24, 2013, 04:38:18 PM »
Something not yet mentioned here and probably available in US is triomino. It's competitive, but relatively easy so it's unlikely that a single player would dominate it.

Then there are some games we play with dices. One is Yahtzee, but lately it has been supplanted with another which I learned from a Columbian friend. Unfortunately I don't remember what name if any he had for it. The basic principle is that each player starts with 5 dices and throws them in such a way that other players (up to 6) don't see it and then the person who has the first hand announces, for example, that there are four sixes thrown together by all players. The next player has a choice to either claim a larger amount (say five sixes or five threes) or challenge the first player. If the challenger is right then the first player loses one dice, if not then the challenger loses one. The eventual winner is the only player with dices left. Of course the game is intensely competitive and some understanding of mathematical probability is desirable. Anyone familiar with it? 

And then of course there are card games. It's unlikely that you would know any of our games, but the two most popular are called simply Jokers and Zole. The last one is our national game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zole) and requires a significant amount of skill. I play it online from time to time as well.

nktokyo

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #65 on: July 24, 2013, 05:40:16 PM »
Settlers of Catan

Joshin

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #66 on: July 24, 2013, 09:11:44 PM »
Thanks for the Cards Against Humanity recommendation. I just printed up the free version. This will be perfect to play with my visiting father-in-law and his wife while we sit on the back porch drinking homebrews next week! Free entertainment is the best entertainment.

BuildingFrugalHabits

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #67 on: July 24, 2013, 09:28:21 PM »
Other than some that have been mentioned:

Stratego



It's a Capture the Flag kind of game, really awesome.

I'm surprised nobody had mentioned it earlier.  This game's one of my favorites!

Osprey

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #68 on: July 25, 2013, 03:26:06 AM »
Thanks for the recommendations! I am one of those people who never wins board games and I loved Pandemic. Problem is, my SO and some of my friends who are really into board games didn't enjoy it  - probably because they couldn't be the one true winner? Haha. I'm excited to try out Scotland Yard, it looks like a good game to placate those egos.

This is slightly OT but I really enjoy playing Magic: The Gathering in its casual formats. It gets expensive if you want to be competitive and it's not a good idea for acquisitive personalities, but I feel that the small amount of money that I spend on it is definitely worth the intellectual stimulation, hours of recreation and social interaction.

grantmeaname

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #69 on: July 25, 2013, 04:20:13 PM »
A box of shitty magic cards from ebay for a night of peasant magic is a lot of fun for five bucks.

spider1204

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #70 on: July 25, 2013, 05:42:53 PM »
Back in college we had a proxied up cube to use for drafting.  That was loads of free fun.

hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #71 on: July 27, 2013, 06:49:40 PM »
A box of shitty magic cards from ebay for a night of peasant magic is a lot of fun for five bucks.

That's a great idea....

arebelspy

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #72 on: July 27, 2013, 07:12:22 PM »
Got Castle Panic and went 1-1 on it today.  Thanks to those that recommended it.
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hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #73 on: July 27, 2013, 07:30:50 PM »
You need to choose Eurogames / Party Games with a significant luck element to give less experienced or weaker players an opportunity to win.  Good examples of this include

Settlers of Catan
Can't Stop
Roll Through the Ages
Ra
Wits and Wagers
Just For Fun

I haven't played any of the others on the list, but based on the two I bolded that I have played, those aren't good examples of games with lots of luck for everyone to have a shot to win.

I don't lose at Settlers.  Nor do good players (see discussion with Sol in the thread I linked to in my first post in this thread.)   

And wits and wagers nearly always goes to the best players as well.  After 10 questions the bad players are left with their initial starting chips, the good players have had to break out poker chips for higher denominations because all the blue and red chips that came with the set are out (setting them at 1 and 5 denominations).

"War" is a card game everyone has a shot at.  Hearts is not.  Crazy 8s is in the middle (there's tons of strategy to Crazy 8s).

Settlers is Hearts.  Wits and wagers is between crazy 8s and hearts.

YMMV, apparently.

Um, yes indeed, my Settlers MV quite a bit apparently!

I have won a Settlers of Catan tournament at a gaming convention, played hundreds of games over the years.  I'll submit I'm a good enough player, perhaps even as good as you on my better days....  ;-)  So while I can hold my own at any table I cannot approach dominating this game.  There is a HUGE amount of luck involved (especially in a single elimination tournament).  It's a game whose engine is powered by unmodified die rolls, and not enough of them to form a consistent bell curve.  Therefore, since a consistent bell curve does not exist you can have a perfectly sound strategy - an optimum strategy even - that allows you to win a greater % of the time and still lose handily to the person whose 4s and 9s hit disproportionately while your 6s and 8s didn't get much love.  Also, how many times have you accumulated a boatload of cards only to lose them to an ill-timed 7 that you had no control over.  That's another big luck element.  Oh wait, and then there are the card draws, the third big luck element.

I submit that if you don't lose at Settlers the reason is you deserve much better competition.  My gaming crowd is mostly long term gamers, many tournament winners in their own right, and none of us can possibly dominate the rest of us at Settlers, it's impossible because there are just too many random elements.  And therefore I resubmit that its a good game for experienced players to play with inexperienced players.  Yes, you as the experienced gamer will win more often, but still lose enough so your company feels like they have a good chance.

nktokyo

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #74 on: July 27, 2013, 08:10:51 PM »
Thanks for the Cards Against Humanity recommendation. I just printed up the free version. This will be perfect to play with my visiting father-in-law and his wife while we sit on the back porch drinking homebrews next week! Free entertainment is the best entertainment.

Hilarious game!

arebelspy

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #75 on: July 27, 2013, 09:39:56 PM »
I submit that if you don't lose at Settlers the reason is you deserve much better competition.  My gaming crowd is mostly long term gamers, many tournament winners in their own right, and none of us can possibly dominate the rest of us at Settlers, it's impossible because there are just too many random elements.  And therefore I resubmit that its a good game for experienced players to play with inexperienced players.  Yes, you as the experienced gamer will win more often, but still lose enough so your company feels like they have a good chance.

I don't know how you reconcile the first and last sentence of this paragraph.  Yes, likely I need better competition so I could lose.  However it is precisely because a good player will dominate poor ones that it's not good for that use.  New players won't have much of a chance.

Apparently we'll have to agree to disagree.
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kkbmustang

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #76 on: July 27, 2013, 09:45:06 PM »
I'll add another vote for blokus. Great for kids and adults.

Also really like Balderdash and Fact or Crap.

hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #77 on: July 29, 2013, 06:29:47 AM »
I submit that if you don't lose at Settlers the reason is you deserve much better competition.  My gaming crowd is mostly long term gamers, many tournament winners in their own right, and none of us can possibly dominate the rest of us at Settlers, it's impossible because there are just too many random elements.  And therefore I resubmit that its a good game for experienced players to play with inexperienced players.  Yes, you as the experienced gamer will win more often, but still lose enough so your company feels like they have a good chance.

I don't know how you reconcile the first and last sentence of this paragraph.  Yes, likely I need better competition so I could lose.  However it is precisely because a good player will dominate poor ones that it's not good for that use.  New players won't have much of a chance.

Apparently we'll have to agree to disagree.

New players will certainly have a chance, a much better one than the optimization games I mentioned.  Settlers is all about probabilities.  I would expect an experienced player to win more than his fair share of games, significantly so even.  But blind-ass luck will take down the best players now and then.  If that's not happening to you on occasion, then yeah, I would stick to fun party games like charades and the like if the goal is to have a good time and even out the odds as much as practical.  If your gaming friends can't ever beat you at Settlers then sorry to say it, but they are just not very good.

On a more pleasant note, take a few moments to wander over to this fabulous online game site.

http://www.yucata.de/en/ 

I would be very happy to teach you a few of the games I mentioned above.  This is a wonderful online gaming portal, and it is absolutely free.  (Free like NPR is free, and I choose to support them, I've played almost 800 games here and it is well worth it.).  Sorry, no Settlers here though.....  :)   

Luck better Skill

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #78 on: July 29, 2013, 09:00:57 PM »
  I am an avid gamer.  Play all kinds, euro, war-games, miniatures, even a few computer.


Star Wars -Queens Gambit, one of the best ever and unfortunately out of print.  If you see copies for $120 or less please contact me I know 3 people looking for a copy of the game.

War of the Ring (Lord of the rings game)


family Euro games:

Lords of Water-deep
Castles of Burgundy
Asara
Ascension

Great games for new, young or casual players:
RA
Pickomino
Cartagena
Lost Cities - 2 player game.

Fletch

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #79 on: August 01, 2013, 12:13:25 PM »
FYI to fellow DC-ers (and surrounding area): there is a really great game store called Labyrinth in the Eastern Market neighborhood that is having a used game sale this weekend. If you are looking for discounted games, it's a great place to start.

hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #80 on: August 01, 2013, 02:33:35 PM »
FYI to fellow DC-ers (and surrounding area): there is a really great game store called Labyrinth in the Eastern Market neighborhood that is having a used game sale this weekend. If you are looking for discounted games, it's a great place to start.

Also, check out Games Club of Maryland.  They are a pretty good lot, I see many of them at Prezcon (Charlottesville VA) and World Boardgaming Championships (Lancaster PA).  They also set up Euroquest (Baltimore).

http://www.gamesclubofmd.org/

hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #81 on: August 01, 2013, 02:38:13 PM »
Does anyone have any ideas or sources for getting games cheaper?  They are extremely expensive.  I rationalize by figuring that in a per hour basis, they end up being very inexpensive since we will use one game for dozens and dozens of hours of entertainment.  But they still seem so pricey!

Swap games with your friends. If you don't have that kind of friends, go to your local gaming shop and see if there are board game people there, and become friends with them;)

Or, I think boardgamegeek.com has a place where people sell their used games, significantly discounted from new.

eBay is a good place too, and if you have a friend that owns a game, no sense your getting it too if you tend to play with that friend.  Our gaming circle has started limiting that duplication of effort.

Fletch

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #82 on: August 01, 2013, 02:52:30 PM »
FYI to fellow DC-ers (and surrounding area): there is a really great game store called Labyrinth in the Eastern Market neighborhood that is having a used game sale this weekend. If you are looking for discounted games, it's a great place to start.

Also, check out Games Club of Maryland.  They are a pretty good lot, I see many of them at Prezcon (Charlottesville VA) and World Boardgaming Championships (Lancaster PA).  They also set up Euroquest (Baltimore).

http://www.gamesclubofmd.org/

Haha great minds think alike, the GCOM goes to Labyrinth the first tuesday of every month for a game night.

Inevitable

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #83 on: August 02, 2013, 10:38:06 PM »
To the person that asked about Dominion setups, my wife and I are pretty equal so we just randomly select 10 cards to play with each time.  We only own the original game, so we just have the original 25 card options.  Also, I don't know why people think Dominion would get expensive.  You can play the original version over and over for 30 bucks.  You also need a completely different strategy when you play with more than 2 players.  It was almost like playing a new game the first time we had 4 players.

I don't know if I remembered to say it in my first post or not, but Escape: The Curse Of The Temple is a great husband and wife game (or more people for that matter)

For the people asking where to get games cheaper, www.miniaturemarket.com clearances games sometimes.  I got 5 games for 40 dollars a month ago.  They weren't any of the games listed so far though.  Those games usually don't go down in price.

I know many people have an aversion to the name Dungeons And Dragons, but the Dungeons And Dragons: Castle Ravenloft game is one of me and my wife's favorite games.  Neither one of us had ever played DnD before we bought that game.  It has a lot of the mechanics without all of the roleplaying.

A lot of couples really like lost cities.  I hate it, but my wife loves it.

Also, I despise Munchkin, but that's just my personal opinion :-D

grantmeaname

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #84 on: August 03, 2013, 05:24:29 AM »
Also, I despise Munchkin, but that's just my personal opinion :-D
It's my opinion too. Worst game ever made.

hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #85 on: August 04, 2013, 09:06:46 AM »
Also, I despise Munchkin, but that's just my personal opinion :-D
It's my opinion too. Worst game ever made.

Now that would be an interesting, if not terribly, optimistic thread.

For my money Monopoly is by far the worst game ever made.  Start with the fact that Monopoly is long, tedious, luck-based, and based on the notion that to win you need to grind your fellow players into bankruptcy.  Ack!  That is bad enough, but there are lots and lots of poorly designed games.  What sets Monopoly apart is the fact that damn near everyone has played it, so a lot of non-gamers exposure to gaming is based on a truly crappy game.  Small wonder gaming is much more popular in Germany than the States.  Monopoly is to gaming as Barry Bonds or Alex Rodrigues are as an ambassador to Major League Baseball.  It's hard to think of a more famous player more ill-suited to the task of promoting MLB, and that is exactly how I feel about Monopoly. 

arebelspy

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #86 on: August 04, 2013, 09:17:39 AM »
I'm not so down on Monotony as you are.

For example, I'd disagree with almost every part of this:
Start with the fact that Monopoly is long, tedious, luck-based, and based on the notion that to win you need to grind your fellow players into bankruptcy. 

We seem to have quite different opinions on some games (Settlers and Monotony), so I'm wondering if that pattern holds true for other games. :D

It's certainly not the best game, but so many people rag on it.  I think there is quite a bit of skill (though sure, someone can get real lucky and get all the orange fast or something), and it can go pretty quick.

There are certainly a lot better games, but playing it is better than sitting in front of a TV.
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hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #87 on: August 06, 2013, 01:00:29 PM »
I'm not so down on Monotony as you are.

For example, I'd disagree with almost every part of this:
Start with the fact that Monopoly is long, tedious, luck-based, and based on the notion that to win you need to grind your fellow players into bankruptcy. 

We seem to have quite different opinions on some games (Settlers and Monotony), so I'm wondering if that pattern holds true for other games. :D

It's certainly not the best game, but so many people rag on it.  I think there is quite a bit of skill (though sure, someone can get real lucky and get all the orange fast or something), and it can go pretty quick.

I get that impression as well!  ;D

My beef with Monopoly really boils down to the fact that it is the one game everyone in America knows (and doesn't love), and that has kept so many folks ignorant of the gaming hobby as a whole.  It's sort of like biking.  I was walking downtown during my lunch hour and I witness asshole courier du jour riding the wrong way on Main Street against moving traffic.  There are lots of responsible cyclists people never meet, but everyone downtown is regularly exposed to these idiot couriers and their blatant disregard for traffic laws, and so they give the rest of us cyclists a bad reputation.  Monopoly is the asshole courier of the gaming world (IMO).  Had it been designed and released today it would never get off the ground.   

arebelspy

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #88 on: August 06, 2013, 01:31:15 PM »
My beef with Monopoly really boils down to the fact that it is the one game everyone in America knows (and doesn't love), and that has kept so many folks ignorant of the gaming hobby as a whole.  It's sort of like biking.  I was walking downtown during my lunch hour and I witness asshole courier du jour riding the wrong way on Main Street against moving traffic.  There are lots of responsible cyclists people never meet, but everyone downtown is regularly exposed to these idiot couriers and their blatant disregard for traffic laws, and so they give the rest of us cyclists a bad reputation.  Monopoly is the asshole courier of the gaming world (IMO).  Had it been designed and released today it would never get off the ground.   

That's fair.  Can't argue with that.
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Lans Holman

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #89 on: August 06, 2013, 03:30:41 PM »
I think another problem with monopoly is that people play it as kids and think therefore think of it as slow.  It's only slow because it takes kids a while to do the math, or if you have one banker.  If you play with one or two other adults who know what they're doing, and you each handle your own transactions as the next player is rolling, you can play a game pretty quick.

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #90 on: August 06, 2013, 10:26:15 PM »
Super Stratego

Which is basically like regular stratego, except that (almost) all the pieces have special powers

1 and 2 are powerful enough already
3 (kamikaze) sacrifice it plus a bomb to take out any opponents piece on the board from anywhere
4 (air lift) can switch places with a bomb or flag (once per 4)
5 (marine) can walk over lake squares
6 (paratrooper) can jump over another piece (of either team)
7 (guerrilla) can move/attack diagonal
8 (bomb squad) can dismantle bombs (as in original rules)
9 (stealth scout) can move and strike on same turn
S (cia assassin) if it reaches last row (closest to opponent) beats all number pieces - but only if it strikes first. It loses to everyone when defending


arebelspy

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #91 on: August 07, 2013, 07:09:22 AM »
Super Stratego

Which is basically like regular stratego, except that (almost) all the pieces have special powers

1 and 2 are powerful enough already
3 (kamikaze) sacrifice it plus a bomb to take out any opponents piece on the board from anywhere
4 (air lift) can switch places with a bomb or flag (once per 4)
5 (marine) can walk over lake squares
6 (paratrooper) can jump over another piece (of either team)
7 (guerrilla) can move/attack diagonal
8 (bomb squad) can dismantle bombs (as in original rules)
9 (stealth scout) can move and strike on same turn
S (cia assassin) if it reaches last row (closest to opponent) beats all number pieces - but only if it strikes first. It loses to everyone when defending

That sounds amazing.
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hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #92 on: August 07, 2013, 09:27:07 AM »
Super Stratego

Which is basically like regular stratego, except that (almost) all the pieces have special powers

1 and 2 are powerful enough already
3 (kamikaze) sacrifice it plus a bomb to take out any opponents piece on the board from anywhere
4 (air lift) can switch places with a bomb or flag (once per 4)
5 (marine) can walk over lake squares
6 (paratrooper) can jump over another piece (of either team)
7 (guerrilla) can move/attack diagonal
8 (bomb squad) can dismantle bombs (as in original rules)
9 (stealth scout) can move and strike on same turn
S (cia assassin) if it reaches last row (closest to opponent) beats all number pieces - but only if it strikes first. It loses to everyone when defending

That sounds amazing.

+1.  Take the original game, which is pretty decent already, and spice it up.  I like it.  The big advantage I see is that a lot of non-gamers will already know the rules, so it's an intro into the less common Eurogaming and Wargaming genres.

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #93 on: August 07, 2013, 09:43:05 AM »
Thanks for the recommendations! I am one of those people who never wins board games and I loved Pandemic. Problem is, my SO and some of my friends who are really into board games didn't enjoy it  - probably because they couldn't be the one true winner? Haha. I'm excited to try out Scotland Yard, it looks like a good game to placate those egos.

I have played more games of Pandemic with the missus - easily 300, and probably a lot more - since it came three years ago.  We get our morning coffee and play a game (about 30-40 minutes), we average at least two games a week.  Here are some things to try with the SO to spice it up that really worked well for us.

First, get the expansion pack if you don't have it already.  It takes a good game and makes it much better.

Second, play with your cards on the table face up.  It's a puzzle game at heart, better if both of you can see all the pieces of the puzzle together.  The memory component adds nothing to the game IMO.  Scrap it.

Third, play two roles each.  Randomly draw your roles.  As you get better play with both the virulent strain and the mutant strain simultaneously.  It's a great challenge, and you will only win half the time so it feels good when you do.

Fourth, be mindful not to play for the other person.  Give the other person ample time to come up with their move, and live with it if you don't agree.  You learn the game by making mistakes.

Pandemic (with the expansion) is by far the best puzzle game I have played.  It's a perfect couples game (pay close attention here gaming guys) because it is cooperative rather than directly competitive.  In my experience women really enjoy the cooperative games, they often want to play on the same side as their SO.  I think it's a must have on any game shelf. 
« Last Edit: August 07, 2013, 09:47:09 AM by hybrid »

Villanelle

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #94 on: August 07, 2013, 12:27:43 PM »
Thanks for the recommendations! I am one of those people who never wins board games and I loved Pandemic. Problem is, my SO and some of my friends who are really into board games didn't enjoy it  - probably because they couldn't be the one true winner? Haha. I'm excited to try out Scotland Yard, it looks like a good game to placate those egos.

I have played more games of Pandemic with the missus - easily 300, and probably a lot more - since it came three years ago.  We get our morning coffee and play a game (about 30-40 minutes), we average at least two games a week.  Here are some things to try with the SO to spice it up that really worked well for us.

First, get the expansion pack if you don't have it already.  It takes a good game and makes it much better.

Second, play with your cards on the table face up.  It's a puzzle game at heart, better if both of you can see all the pieces of the puzzle together.  The memory component adds nothing to the game IMO.  Scrap it.

Third, play two roles each.  Randomly draw your roles.  As you get better play with both the virulent strain and the mutant strain simultaneously.  It's a great challenge, and you will only win half the time so it feels good when you do.

Fourth, be mindful not to play for the other person.  Give the other person ample time to come up with their move, and live with it if you don't agree.  You learn the game by making mistakes.

Pandemic (with the expansion) is by far the best puzzle game I have played.  It's a perfect couples game (pay close attention here gaming guys) because it is cooperative rather than directly competitive.  In my experience women really enjoy the cooperative games, they often want to play on the same side as their SO.  I think it's a must have on any game shelf.

Have you played Forbidden Island?  How does it compare to Pandemic?  I keep hearing that they are similar.  We have FB and like it, but don't love it.  It isn't especially challenging or mentally stimulating.  I've read that Pandemic is similar but more complex.  The "more complex" part appeals to me, but the "similar to Forbidden Island", a game we find only okay, is off putting.  I can't decide whether to pull the trigger on Pandemic, but we are looking for a new game and cooperative games work really well for us (as I tend to get freakishly competitive so games where I have no urge to squash Husband are better for me, and for him). 

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #95 on: August 07, 2013, 02:51:08 PM »

Have you played Forbidden Island?  How does it compare to Pandemic?  I keep hearing that they are similar.  We have FB and like it, but don't love it.  It isn't especially challenging or mentally stimulating.  I've read that Pandemic is similar but more complex.  The "more complex" part appeals to me, but the "similar to Forbidden Island", a game we find only okay, is off putting.  I can't decide whether to pull the trigger on Pandemic, but we are looking for a new game and cooperative games work really well for us (as I tend to get freakishly competitive so games where I have no urge to squash Husband are better for me, and for him).

I don't have forbidden island, but what makes Pandemic fun for someone who is competitive (I am very competitive too) is that it is actually hard to win and you won't win every time.  If you play with all the extra epidemic cards, or throw in some of the variations in the expansion like hybrid suggested, it's possible to lose just as often as you win.  The game still triggers my competitive urge to win, it's just aimed at beating the game itself instead of squashing my husband or my friends into the dust. ;) I don't know if I would describe it as complex- the rules are pretty simple really, it's just a matter of being clever to figure out how to win.

If you do decide to get it, the expansion is a must have!  (I don't usually buy expansions, but pandemic is much better with the expansion.)

hybrid

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #96 on: August 07, 2013, 03:00:44 PM »
Pandemic is pretty simple by Eurogame standards.  The winning is the hard part.  It's a great puzzle game.  And yep, you can crank the game's difficulty meter up a notch if it ever gets too easy to win (add that extra Epidemic card, for example...)

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #97 on: August 07, 2013, 03:43:49 PM »
Quote
Have you played Forbidden Island?  How does it compare to Pandemic?  I keep hearing that they are similar.  We have FB and like it, but don't love it.  It isn't especially challenging or mentally stimulating.  I've read that Pandemic is similar but more complex.  The "more complex" part appeals to me, but the "similar to Forbidden Island", a game we find only okay, is off putting.  I can't decide whether to pull the trigger on Pandemic, but we are looking for a new game and cooperative games work really well for us (as I tend to get freakishly competitive so games where I have no urge to squash Husband are better for me, and for him).

I own both games.  Forbidden Island is to Pandemic what a cube steak is to a porterhouse.  You start with similar ingredients, but the outcomes are completely different.

That is to say that Pandemic is much better than Forbidden Island (more challenging as well) :)

Villanelle

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #98 on: August 07, 2013, 04:56:31 PM »
Quote
Have you played Forbidden Island?  How does it compare to Pandemic?  I keep hearing that they are similar.  We have FB and like it, but don't love it.  It isn't especially challenging or mentally stimulating.  I've read that Pandemic is similar but more complex.  The "more complex" part appeals to me, but the "similar to Forbidden Island", a game we find only okay, is off putting.  I can't decide whether to pull the trigger on Pandemic, but we are looking for a new game and cooperative games work really well for us (as I tend to get freakishly competitive so games where I have no urge to squash Husband are better for me, and for him).

I own both games.  Forbidden Island is to Pandemic what a cube steak is to a porterhouse.  You start with similar ingredients, but the outcomes are completely different.

That is to say that Pandemic is much better than Forbidden Island (more challenging as well) :)

Thanks.  I think that's what I needed to hear.  I think FB would be a great game for kids, but the level of the critical thinking skills it requires just doesn't hold our interests. 

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Re: What are your favorite board games?
« Reply #99 on: August 07, 2013, 07:55:42 PM »
I love to play board & card games.  Some of my favorites:

Ascension - deck building game - my personal favorite game
Mage Wars - a sort of cross between a minis game, card game & board game.
Netrunner - a living card game
Acquire - an old tile hotel stock game
Star Trek: Expeditions  - one of the better star trek games IMO
Arkham Horror
The Game of Thones: Board Game
Settlers of Catan - resource management
Ticket to Ride - build train tracks - I prefer the USA map

Besides yards sales, thrift shops & flea markets to get things cheap - you can look around for a local game store.  Although games will be expensive there, many of the game stores have yearly sales where things are a great price because they need to clean out their inventory.  Also, trollandtoad.com - has a pretty fantastic black Friday sale on board games most years.  My favorite place to get stuff cheap is at GenCon (a board game convention) - I would imagine there are other local cons that do something similar  - they have a consignment store during the convention where people sell their old games for low prices.  This is a great way to pick up a bunch of games for a few dollars.