The Board Game Thread

[sheridan]

Anybody interested in starting the Official 2000AD Online R.P.G. Club .....

I would suggest, something light....to start with. I don't think I would be the best choice for Dungeon/Game-Master/Story-Teller either.

Sounds interesting

But will we be doing JD RPG from Games Workshop, the D20 based one or the Traveller based one?  There's also Strontium Dog and Slaine games out there...

[Dark Jimbo]

Anybody interested in starting the Official 2000AD Online R.P.G. Club .....

There's also... Slaine games out there...

Now you've done it! 

In the imminent face of impossibly long, rambling posts about the Slaine RPG, might this not be a good time to split all the RPG posts off into a seperate thread, and keep this one just for board games?

[sheridan]

Now you've done it! 

In the imminent face of impossibly long, rambling posts about the Slaine RPG, might this not be a good time to split all the RPG posts off into a seperate thread, and keep this one just for board games?

Good point - here's a brand, sparkly new thread.

[radiator]

Had our first game of Dead of Winter last night.

Initial thoughts were that it's by far the most complicated game I've ever played (it had that frustrating stop-start rhythm of having to check the rulebook every two or three minutes, often just throwing my hands up due to failing to understand some mystifying rule) and also that it's almost impossibly hard to win (we lost after three out of five rounds).

Checking the rules and some FAQs again this morning, it turns out we totally misunderstood a few key rules, and in doing so made it impossibly hard for ourselves. Oops!

It was certainly interesting though, and I'm looking forward to playing it again. I just wish it was slightly simpler - it is totally overwhelming at first, to the point where I expect it'd be way beyond the patience of the average player.

[Timothy]

Stick with it; it's a wonderful game.

[radiator]

Stick with it; it's a wonderful game.

Yeah, I'm very keen to give it another go. As I've been reading up today I have realised that not only did we accidentally play 'hardcore mode' (so every location started with three zombies instead of the usual one), we also did not allocate extra action dice for additional characters, and mistakenly thought we had to contribute crisis items equal to the number of survivors rather than players....

Needless to say it all unravelled extremely quickly.  Sadly, the more interesting aspects of play - the betrayals, the scheming etc did not really get a look in as we were so overwhelmed just trying to survive until the next round!

It's really fun but is a hell of a lot to take in - one of those games that I suspect you really need to play with someone who has played before so they can guide you through it...

[Keef Monkey]

Played a few games of Coup at the weekend for the first time, mainly because it was small so we could stick it in a pocket. Really enjoyed it, particularly liked that everyone got the rules very quickly and that it was so fast to set up fresh games so everyone was up for playing over and over again. There's definitely something to be said for games you can pull out and be playing almost immediately. Everyone just bluffed they had a duke eventually though, that seems to be the fastest way to get some coins and start getting your Coup on.

[Timothy]

With a larger player count it's often better to be the ambassador early on to get a feel for what cards are left in the deck.

[radiator]

What makes Coup so great is that its very quick to pick up, and at first almost seems a little too simplistic, but the more you play the more strategies open up.

I like to always take one coin, even if i have a duke, and then lure other players into challenging me when i draw 3 coins later on. Its also fun to lay low and NOT attack or build up a huge cash reserve - that way you are not making yourself a target, and can wait until people start attacking each other then swoop in and pick off the survivors without fear of retaliation.

You should also encourage everyone playing to make pacts and alliances. It can make for a really interesting game (and vastly increase potential for backstabbing) and is all within the rules so long as no coins change hands.

Also remember that you can always challenge other player's moves, even when its not your turn - this can really throw a spanner in the works because hardly anyone ever does it.

[Keef Monkey]

Never even occurred to me that the Ambassador could use their peeks at the deck to get a feel for what people have! Will need to try that next time. Mrs Monkey was very much in the 'take one coin' and keep a low profile camp, and did really well.

The portability of it is super handy, when you're heading to a friend's and unsure if you should take a game along it's something you can throw in a coat pocket as an afterthought (as I've done today).

[Dandontdare]

My friend recently wanted to get into boardgames and asked for recommendations. I haven't played any for years, but I said Carcassonne seems to be a popular classic - she's just got it through the post but texted me to say "it says ages 7+ - is this a kid's game?" I said I know plenty of adults who play it, but then again they read comics and buy dolls too so that may not mean much 

Is it too simplistic for an adult, non-geeky novice gamer? Any tips about first playthrough? We're going out tomorrow, so may try a post-pub (or Sunday hangover) game.

[Pyroxian]

Is it too simplistic for an adult, non-geeky novice gamer? Any tips about first playthrough? We're going out tomorrow, so may try a post-pub (or Sunday hangover) game.

No not really - it just means that the basic rules are understandable to a seven year old - the strategies can get a lot more complex. Look at chess, that can be learnt and played by a five-year old (or earlier), but they're not going to be able to take on an experienced player until they're much older.

[radiator]

What he said. It's deceptively simple - easy to pick up but there is enough depth to allow for multiple strategies. You can also stack on complexity by adding one or more expansions, some of which make the game much more competitive and brutal. Everyone I've played it with loves it, and many have bought their own copies. Don't be fooled by the twee presentation and artwork - it's a seriously good game.

Any tips about first playthrough?

Just play the base game and don't use farmers, the river or the abbot. It is honestly very simple and immediate to pick up - on your turn, you draw a random tile, then play it.

The portability of it is super handy, when you're heading to a friend's and unsure if you should take a game along it's something you can throw in a coat pocket as an afterthought (as I've done today).

Yep, Coup and Exploding Kittens are my go-to last-minute pocket games. Love Letter is another good one, as is Skull.

[Modern Panther]

Been playing Zombicide, which was a Xmas gift from Mrs Panther.  It's ideal to play together, especially since she's not big on gaming.  It's simple to pick up, and you can make an evening of it, enjoy it with a few beers, and its cooperative, so no falling out when she crushes me.(although when I explained it was a co-op game, her response was "whats the point in playing if I can't beat you".)

Plus, it looks lovely.

[Keef Monkey]

Have only had Zombicide out 3 or 4 times so far, but it is great fun (we have struggled to beat the first proper mission though if I'm honest). Mine isn't painted yet!

This week a pal at work found the 1982 Judge Dredd board game by Games Workshop in his attic and offered to swap me it for a packet of bourbon creams, so that's a stroke of luck.