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The Board Game Thread

Started by radiator, 21 February, 2014, 03:13:04 PM

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radiator

I'm gambling that there's a fair few board game players on this board, so thought I'd start a thread for general discussion, tips, news and especially recommendations etc of all thing board game - primarily 'serious' board and card games, but also happy to chat RPGs (though not a RPG guy myself) or the more common varieties (your Parker Brothers/Waddingtons/Hasbro etc).

I've recently dipped my toe in the board game waters when I, on a whim, requested a copy of Carcassonne for my birthday. It remained in its box for 6 months, and everyone I showed/told about it were very skeptical, but eventually I managed to convince a few friends and relatives to try a game with me, and it turns out it's fantastic fun - seriously, if you've never played it I can highly recommend it - it's extremely simple and quick to learn, gently competitive but not too much so, and really fast-paced too - an average game lasts about half an hour.

Its got to the point now where I've started a mini craze for the game in my social circle (had my family visiting recently and it was lovely that every night we'd all gather round the table for a few games, prying them away from their phones and tablets for a couple of hours!), and I've also bought the first two (of many) expansion sets - 'Inns and Cathedrals' and 'Traders and Builders'. I've also bought the iPad version, which is great for practice, but is a somewhat tweaked version of the board game.

I have a friend who's into the more hardcore side of things, and have played the Walking Dead board game with him, which was really good fun, but I tend to find it can be really hard to get a game of the more complicated games going as the average person is put off by the complexity (though funnily enough most people will play a game of the - imo - tedious and long-winded Monopoly - go figure).

I've heard good things about The Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride and Fluxx - and I'm sorely tempted to buy the Fantasy Flight Game of Thrones board game too (despite fearing that I'll never be able to convince anyone to play it with me!). The new Star Wars X-Wing/TIE Fighter game looks intriguing, but perhaps a little too nerdy/expensive to bother with.

Theblazeuk

Settlers is a lot of fun. Sounds dead complicated at the start but is actually dead simple. Can be very quick to play if people dont get bogged down in what they want to do rather than looking at what they can actually do (i.e. long periods of staring at cards and trying to trade things).

radiator

Yeah, I did find that in Carcassonne my sister would stare at her tile for bloody aaaaaaages, which really slowed the whole pace of the game down.

Dandontdare

ha.my dad does that playing scrabble - stares at his tiles for hours them puts down a 2 letter word.

Caracassonne* does look good. Sadly, I don't really know anyone who'd be up for boardgames beyond the occasional round of scrabble or backgammon. I put in a bid for the Rogue Trooper and Judge Dredd boardgames on ebay a while ago purely from nostalgia (I LOVED these two!!!) but was quite relieved not to win as I'd never get a chance to play 'em.

* And if you ever get a chance, visit the real place - I have fond memories of a school holiday when I was 14 - the walled city is almost intact and my friends and I spent hours racing around the walls playing real life D&D (while the cool kids were chatting up French girls and buying flick knives)

locustsofdeath!

I'm a huge board game fan. I started way back when with HeroQuest and Space Crusade (my first foray into games was Crossbows & Catapults, but I suppose it's debateable whether or not that's a board game), and then Advanced HeroQuest and Space Crusade, Warhammer Quest, Blood Bowl and other Games Workshop Games.

Space Hulk was my favorite then, and the newer edition is one of my favorites now. It has incredible atmosphere for a boardgame. It's intense, suspenseful, with plenty of of action. Just an outstanding game.

I meet with a boardgaming group every two weeks, and some of our favorites are Descent, Last Night on Earth and Mansions of Madness. Zombies!! gets a lot of play, too, because it's incredibly cusomizable, and you can tailor the simple rule system to pretty much any style of game you want to play.

My girlsfriend and I play Catan, 7 Wonders and Small World, all three great fun.

Good thread, glad you posted it.

Colin YNWA

Yeah I'm more of the era of the old Games Workshop stuff, so Talisman, Kings and Things etc. Played a lot of Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper and some friends and I had a Blood Bowl league (damn my affection for Skraven could never get the tactics right for them!). Played and loved all those sorts of things.

Then the same time I drifted from comics same thing happened to boardgames, except I never got back into them as basically I don't know anybody who'd not look at me with utter contempt if I suggested playing one other than Risk (I have friends who love Risk), Scrabble or Backgammon and or Chess which my wife and I go through phases of playing.

I'd love to go back to those days when four friend playing a board game for three hours before cracking on with our latest Marvel RPG scenario were a possibility!

locustsofdeath!

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 21 February, 2014, 04:18:05 PM
if I suggested playing one other than Risk

Oh, yep. Forgot about Risk. We play a lot of that.

I tried Axis and Allies and didn't care for it, much. It seemed overly complicated for what it was trying to do, especially as Risk does the same thing but better.

radiator

Quoteha.my dad does that playing scrabble - stares at his tiles for hours them puts down a 2 letter word.

:lol:

QuoteCaracassonne* does look good. Sadly, I don't really know anyone who'd be up for boardgames beyond the occasional round of scrabble or backgammon.

That's a shame - my advice would be to just buy it anyway - it's only £20 and even if you play it a handful of times it'll be money well spent. I found at first that reactions of others were very dismissive/negative - people would wrinkle their noses etc, and admittedly, from the box it does look a bit shit, and seeing a game in progress can make it look very complicated, but it really isn't. I tend to introduce people to it by playing without 'farmers' or 'The River', which makes it even simpler and quicker, enough for even a young child to understand. It's also great thing to take down the pub - my local actually have a stash of games inc Carcassonne, Catan and Fluxx, and when we had a recent Carcassonne marathon we had lots of people coming over to ask about it. The same pub used to run a regular game night, but it got canned because of poor turnout.

QuoteI'm a huge board game fan. I started way back when with HeroQuest and Space Crusade (my first foray into games was Crossbows & Catapults, but I suppose it's debateable whether or not that's a board game), and then Advanced HeroQuest and Space Crusade, Warhammer Quest, Blood Bowl and other Games Workshop Games.

Space Hulk was my favorite then, and the newer edition is one of my favorites now. It has incredible atmosphere for a boardgame. It's intense, suspenseful, with plenty of of action. Just an outstanding game.

I meet with a boardgaming group every two weeks, and some of our favorites are Descent, Last Night on Earth and Mansions of Madness. Zombies!! gets a lot of play, too, because it's incredibly cusomizable, and you can tailor the simple rule system to pretty much any style of game you want to play.

My girlsfriend and I play Catan, 7 Wonders and Small World, all three great fun.

Good thread, glad you posted it.

Interesting tips there, I'll definitely check them out.

I had Hero Quest too, and a friend had Space Crusade. I have fond memories of both, but I was always shite at it - we used to buy all the expansions for them, which made them even harder! My board game friend owns the new edition of Space Hulk, and is really keen to get a copy of the original HQ off eBay (where it goes for silly money). There was a Kickstarter for a new 25th Anniversary edition  of HQ a couple of months back but it got pulled because of licensing issues.

Dark Jimbo

Yeeeaahh! I've been thinking recently about starting such a thread. In the last few years my brother and I have got back into boardgames in a big way, roping in various other friends/girlfriends/parents along the way - everyone usually starts off quite sceptical, but it usually only takes a game or two for them to get the bug. Whenever we go round someone's house now wer'e usually asked to bring a pile of our games with us.

Here's a photo of some of our more readily accessible games - we have about another ten elsewhere in the house -

@jamesfeistdraws

mimikeke

I'll put in a vote for Space Hulk:Death Angel.  It's a very compact and easy game to pick up (you literally roll dice, although there is strategy).  Basically you are space marines fighting against invading aliens a la movie!Alien.  The rate of players surviving this game is like zilch, which sounds unfun but it's quite hilarious.  We turned it into a drinking game where you drink when your characters die :p

Another fun and super easy game to pick up is Lords of Waterdeep.  There is a story to it but in essence you collect colored pieces (corresponding to classes such as mage, rogue) to complete missions :) ill post more about it later!

Emp

Gaming is a big thing for me and I have been collecting RPG's and board/card games for years. Here's a list of my fav board/card games (in no particular order).

AYE, DARK OVERLORD - A fun little card game where players take on the rolls of incompetent minions, who with the help of their cards try to explain why they failed in the task set for the by the Dark Overlord (another player).
Cards are of two groups, places - The Castle of dreary memories, the Well of forgetfulness etc that the players use to make their story and pass left or right for passing the buck when the player starts to flag. There's also an interrupt allowing you to butt in and "correct" someone.
The loser is the player who gets 3 scowls from the Dark Overlord for their incompetence.

Play time 30-60 mins

DER AUSRIESER - A German card game based on the tour de france. A strategic game that relies on you trying to break other players by setting and maintaining a speed they cannot match thus earning them penalty points.

A hand lasts about 20-30 minutes - one hand per player. Winner the person with least accumulated penalty points.

NUCLEAR WAR - A fun if tasteless game of mutually assured destruction. Players are dealt a hand of population cards ranging from 1-25 million people and a hand of play cards which consist of propoganda, carriers, warheads, secrets, top secrets and spies. Secrets and top secrets have to be announced immediately , allowing other players to use spies to take them. Regardless if they are stolen or not the secret takes effect, some are good and some are really bad.
After the secrets are out of the way players lay 3 cards face down, adding to the bottom each turn and revealing the top, so remembering what you previously placed is crucial. The first few rounds are usually taken up with propoganda as players lure the population of other players to their country. But it's only a matter of time before some puts up a missile and the nukes start flying. It's not unusual for there to be no winners as once nuked out each player can launch a final strike causing a cascade effect.

Play time  is about an hour.

MIDNIGHT PARTY - A fun end of evening game about partygoers in a haunted house. Each player controls several guests at the party and can place them where they like on the board. On their turn they roll a six sided die and move one guest that many spaces. The die has no 6 but a ghost instead. Rolling the ghost results in HUGO, the ghost moving 3 spaces. He starts in the cellar and after 3 ghost rolls appears at the party and panic enues as everyone tries to lock themselves in a room. The rooms can only be entered on a  correct roll (if you need to move 4 spaces to get in a room a 5 won't do). The rooms are score from -1 to 3.

Play is usually 3 parties and takes about 60 mins.

CASH $ GUNS - Bank robbers splitting the loot of their latest crime. Each player is armed with a foam pistol which they point at a player of their choosing  in an attempt to make them back down from claiming their share. The gun pointing is accompanied with a card which is either "CLICK", a bluff, "BANG", a shot or "BANG BANG BANG" ANOTHER SHOT BUT ONE THAT GOES FIRST. Winner is the player with the most cash.

Play time 60-90 mins.


GRASS - The drug dealing card game. Players try to set up a market for their goods while trying to avoid getting caught with the paranoia cards of SOLD OUT, DOUBLE CROSSED AND UTTERLY WIPED OUT, having theirs deals stolen by other players or being HEATED by the law. Players can trade cards and generally screw each other over until someone closes the market. Than it's a matter of counting the deals and taking the minus points for paranoia cards. A  brilliant wee game.

Play time 30 mins a hand , 1 hand per player.

KING OF TOKYO - Big monsters beating the crap out of each other in Tokyo. Cards can be bought using energy cubes gained in the game to make your monster tougher. Simple game but very fun.

Play time 60-120 mins

FAMILY BUSINESS - A strategic card game where players take contol of a 1920's crime family and try to rub out the competition by placing rival gang members on the "Wall" using contracts. Once sufficient people are on the wall a gang war starts, killing one person each turn til none are left on the wall. As mob war starts everyone scrambles to remove their gangsters from the wall using substitutions, and cards that allow the order to be changed, all the while hoping no-one plays "The St Valentines Day Massacre", killing everyone on the wall.

Play time - 30-60 mins.

NEOLITHIBUM - A boardgame best played after a few drinks. The idea is that as a stone age society the players must build a monument to their god using rocks of various sizes (yes the game comes with a bag of rocks). The fun part is that players can manipulate how said rocks are place, from wearing someone elses glasses to standing on one leg with your nose on the table and using only your little fingers!

Play time - 60 mins but usually double that for the hysterics.

With the exception of Neolithibum and Midnight Party  these are all pretty easy to get a hold of.

radiator

Bloody hell, Jimbo! You'll have to let us know which ones are your favourites. I've heard good things about Pandemic.

Was looking around online yesterday and a game called 'Neuroshima Hex' caught my eye. Apparently the iPad version is very good.

JamesC

If anyone's interested I can confirm that X Wing is really, really good fun.
It's easy to learn and fast paced and you can have a great game without spending money on expansions.
Having said that, some of the expansions are pretty great and if you want to build up large fleets you can do stuff like this: http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/80600-just-another-death-star-trench-run/


The Bissler

The Games Workshop Judge Dredd RPG got me started with gaming back in the late 80's.  I used to love GMing that!  I've since played quite a few RPGs although Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Cyberpunk were my favourites.  Sadly I don't have enough people to play RPGs with these days though if I could I would use Cyberpunk to play a sort of Dredd version of the game where the players are the perps.  Kind of GTA MC-1!

So far as board gaming goes, I'd echo calls above to give Space Hulk a go, it's a good straightforward, enjoyable game to try out.  That said, Epic is my favourite game.  It's Warhammer 40,000 with 6mm figures rather than 28mm.  The smaller scale makes for larger scale conflicts.  If anyone is interested, I recently posted a video showing a game in progress;

http://youtu.be/leaEfH26GZc

Feedback welcomed!

radiator

Growing up in Germany, I had an early exposure to a lot of 'Euro' style games - the one I have the fondest memory of is Enchanted Forest, I also remember playing a similar game that was based around spies or burglars(?), which may have been Scotland Yard.

I also remember thoroughly enjoying a game based on the old Tortoise and Hare fable.





My board game buddy recently got a copy of Atmosfear, which I remember desperately wanting as a kid.



Like (I would imagine) many here, I had a childhood obsession with Games Workshop tabletop games - mainly 40k and Necromundia, though in all honesty I was always more keen on the painting and model-building (which, along with 2000ad was what really got me into painting and drawing) than the actual games, which I was never very good at. I still suck at RTS and strategy games even now. I could also never have enough willpower to stick at one army, though, so ended up with lots of little armies - Tyranids, Orks, Blood Angels and Imperial Guard. I would love to have a game of 40k now just for old times sake, though I imagine the rules have changed a bit in the last twenty years.