BomberMouse
Member
What game has jump really high then dropped? I think bgg weight ratings based on date, so newer ratings weight more. Unless everyone re-scores Puerto Rico I highly doubt it will reclaim a high spot.
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New Board Gaming |OT2| On Tables, Off Topic
- Thread starter Karkador
- Start date
What game has jump really high then dropped? I think bgg weight ratings based on date, so newer ratings weight more. Unless everyone re-scores Puerto Rico I highly doubt it will reclaim a high spot.
I kind of see "both sides" when it comes to Cult of the New. On the one hand, it's really clear that some games rocket up the charts just based on hype and positive initial reaction before anyone really gets to break down the game. Like even Pandemic Legacy, which is an awesome game that I really enjoyed, I have no idea what it's doing so high up. But otoh some of those older games just flat don't belong either. Games and mechanics have evolved, mostly for the better. And just because some old game got people into the hobby and they "still play it to this day," doesn't make those antiquated mechanics any better.
BomberMouse
Member
What game in the top 100 you feel is dated? I agree that people put too much thought on the rating, I think it's a good indicator but I put much more emphasis on the average rating.
It just seems too easy to game. It takes a thousand fake accounts to get a game to the top 100?
Let's see...Twilight Struggle at this point is honestly not top-5 material imo. Puerto Rico I am not a fan of, but hard to strip out my personal biases against that gameplay style so won't say it's "overrated" per se. Going a bit further down, Caylus is definitely a good game but pretty much been improved upon a dozen times over. Not that common of an issue though tbh, and I'm sure people could present very good arguments why even the above-mentioned are deserving of ranking and then some.
I don't really know that BGG Rating is super gameable. There have definitely been instance of rando KS games and the like getting a bunch of 10s right away, but the system seems really good at not letting those games escalate too high. What is a "weakness" I guess is that of course if a ton of legit people are buying into the hype of a game without too much play and rating highly, then yeah it will soar. But I think that's a problem with people more than BGG system.
Don't believe his lies.
In for that Gloomhaven. Damn you, Kickstarter!!
Edit: Hot takes on BGG's top games --
If you think Caverna should be Rosenburg's highest rated, check yourself.
T.I.M.E. Stories at 28 is certifiably fucking insane.
Caylus is best used as kindling for a warm fire.
THERE NO FUCKING INIS.
I sleeved a good portion of my Gloomhaven cards thinking around 900 or so. Peace of mind for around $13 over the span of 85+ missions.Let's see...Twilight Struggle at this point is honestly not top-5 material imo. Puerto Rico I am not a fan of, but hard to strip out my personal biases against that gameplay style so won't say it's "overrated" per se. Going a bit further down, Caylus is definitely a good game but pretty much been improved upon a dozen times over. Not that common of an issue though tbh, and I'm sure people could present very good arguments why even the above-mentioned are deserving of ranking and then some.
I don't really know that BGG Rating is super gameable. There have definitely been instance of rando KS games and the like getting a bunch of 10s right away, but the system seems really good at not letting those games escalate too high. What is a "weakness" I guess is that of course if a ton of legit people are buying into the hype of a game without too much play and rating highly, then yeah it will soar. But I think that's a problem with people more than BGG system.
Just out of curiosity. Why is Twilight Struggle not top 5 material? And also which games have improved upon Caylus?
That beeing said the BGG ranking aswell as the yearly award is a popularity contest build around what is currently the hotness among the boardgamers. The average board game reviewer is also just an average Joe and (usually) not someone with special insight in design or even any journalistic experience.
Most game reviews on BB are written after 1 play and most of the games ratings are after 2 or less plays.
A ton of games only really show their true nature after more plays, and especially nowadays where so many new games come out, no game is truly going to be tested thorougly.
All that said though, I dont think there are any downright horrible games in the top 100 or even top 300. There are certainly games that I personally dont like or that are unbalanced or maybe even breakable, but none of them are Risk or Cards against humanity shit tier games.
I could argue that it is, because X Y and Z, but we'd maybe miss the point that we do judge these games by different criteria, and a useful and intelligent Top 10, Top 50, Top 100 doesn't really happen by numerical average.
I could not agree with you both more. I am also guilty as charged as well. After 2 plays of INIS I wrote it off. Then after some more thought and a friend telling me to give it a few more plays I love it. I purchased my own copy, (sleeved it
) and now consider it in my top 20 games I have every played. I am still learning it and the crazy amount of depth it offers.BassForever
Member
What is this gloomhaven thing and why should I be excited?
BattleMonkey
Member
from what I can gather...
it's the pandemic legacy of co op RPGs o.o;
I am still looking into it though so I might be wrong
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
from what I can gather...
it's the pandemic legacy of co op RPGs o.o;
I am still looking into it though so I might be wrong
Pretty good description.
Also think highly tactical dungeon crawler wtih euro mechanics instead of move and roll dice. Also unlike pandemic the story can branch as you choose what scenario paths you choose to follow.
BassForever
Member
from what I can gather...
it's the pandemic legacy of co op RPGs o.o;
I am still looking into it though so I might be wrong
I know what almost none of this means
What are euro mechanics?
What is pandemic legacy?
platypotamus
Member
Hmmmm...
*2*
*heavy*
Top 3 results:
Twilight Struggle
Castles of Burgundy
Mage Knight
Yeah this tool checks out pretty well, though I don't know that Castles of Burgundy counts as heavy...
I take it you missed last year in board games.
anyways pandemic legacy was a new version of the game pandemic (which if you don't know what that is you really need to get on learning that one as it's a classic at this point
)where instead of it being a normal board game everything you did had effects on the game permanently. As bad things happen in the game you have to put stickers on the board to permanently change things, as time progresses on more and more mechanics get added ect.
the game is played over 12 in game months and tons of things change each month.
Check out a playthrough video or two on the kickstarter -- they should give a decent introduction.
It's a hex-based combat RPG. Players play through a bunch of scenarios (like 50-60, 1.5+ hours each) mostly focused on combat, some focused on puzzle-ish coordination. During this time people level up, buy new items, unlock new moves, unlock new classes, unlock new scenarios on a world map, and move the story onward. People put stickers on the world map or on cards. New event cards get added to and removed from event decks as time goes on.
Basically something like Fire Emblem but in board game form. When people say it's more "euro" focused, it means that it's heavily focused on mechanics and balance, not pure theme. So occasionally a monster may do something dumb because the rules say so. This is to keep things simple, make monsters more predictable, and give the human players more of a chance.
ThLunarian
Member
My fiancee got me Twilight Imperium for Valentine's Day and I've been reading online materials on alternative rule sets, best strategies, and more.
I've tried to set up a few games with limited success. It's hard to get more than 4 people together at once. Sometimes being an adult sucks
I'm not giving up though. I have a game scheduled for May 6th and already have 5 confirmed players. I'm hoping that three more agree to come out if the 14 I invited so we can have an awesome marathon game.
Has anyone tried the modified Shattered Ascension ruleset? I like it a lot but it seems almost impossible to implement anything that modifies text that's already printed on cards (like racial abilities, strategy cards, and technologies). Not sure if there's any way around that. I'm definitely going to use their method of race selection, special rules for acquiring racial tech, and one of the premade maps though.
I've tried to set up a few games with limited success. It's hard to get more than 4 people together at once. Sometimes being an adult sucks
I'm not giving up though. I have a game scheduled for May 6th and already have 5 confirmed players. I'm hoping that three more agree to come out if the 14 I invited so we can have an awesome marathon game.
Has anyone tried the modified Shattered Ascension ruleset? I like it a lot but it seems almost impossible to implement anything that modifies text that's already printed on cards (like racial abilities, strategy cards, and technologies). Not sure if there's any way around that. I'm definitely going to use their method of race selection, special rules for acquiring racial tech, and one of the premade maps though.
electricshake
Member
Having heard about Gloomhaven constantly on r/boardgames I finally checked it out and it looks pretty cool so I backed the new kickstarter. But fancy something new to tide me over till it arrives!
Any recommendations for 2 player games (preferably that can play with 4 as well but not essential) that are ~2 hours?
We play a lot of Catan, San Juan, Dominion, Kingdom Builder. Have Android Netrunner but didn't really get into it. We also have Pandemic, Tsuro of the Seas, BSG and Through the Ages (great but a bit long).
I like the look of both Le Havre and Concordia but both seem to be out of print. Also considering Castles of Burgundy.
Thanks in advance!
Edit: in the UK and don't really have a budget, just don't want to spend a fortune on something we won't play.
Any recommendations for 2 player games (preferably that can play with 4 as well but not essential) that are ~2 hours?
We play a lot of Catan, San Juan, Dominion, Kingdom Builder. Have Android Netrunner but didn't really get into it. We also have Pandemic, Tsuro of the Seas, BSG and Through the Ages (great but a bit long).
I like the look of both Le Havre and Concordia but both seem to be out of print. Also considering Castles of Burgundy.
Thanks in advance!
Edit: in the UK and don't really have a budget, just don't want to spend a fortune on something we won't play.
BattleMonkey
Member
To get the most out of Gloomhaven, you are going to want a group of dedicated players, it's main highlight is it's legacy like campaign play, which can take average of 12-15 gamesto get through. If you don't got a group who can commit to this, you are gonna miss out on alot of what makes it so good. It's action choosing mechanic also doesn't make in conducive to a few players playing multiple characters like you can in most dungeon crawlers. Knowing what different characters are doing kinda defeats the purpose of the mechanics and is almost "cheating" as it makes things easier.
12-15 games? It might take 12-15 games just to unlock some extra classes and do like 1/4 of the scenarios.
Maybe if you're doing 100% quest only scenarios?
Castles of Burgundy is a classic but pretty dry and minimal to me.
Race for the Galaxy is very good for 2-4 players. I recommend that plus the first expansion (The Gathering Storm).
INIS scales really well from 2 to 4 players if you are looking to add something to your collection that has more direct conflict. Games can last from 30 minutes to 2 hours, probably averaging an hour. My favorite "dudes on a map" game. There are three potential victory conditionans, and play is dictated by a drafting round where you pick one card and pass the rest to your left/right, then two, then three, until you have a hand of four cards. The interesting thing is you use the same cards every round (except one which is removed at random), so once you play a few games there's an added layer of strategizing around which cards you think other players may have.
VITICULTURE is another hit with my group that scales wonderfully from 2 to 6. Worker placement game where you harvest grapes and fill wine orders on a shared board, while building out your personal space with structures as well. There are variable starting resources and "visitor" cards that keep things different game to game, and lots of strategies to win. You typically have to adjust your gameplay depending on the cards you draw. I really like this, but some say it's too random.
That's my main concern with the game is not having a dedicated group.
I haven't used BGG in many years, but back when I was active, I would put actual reviews along with my ratings. In fact, I would often go back and adjust them as newer titles come out or as my opinion changes after additional plays. For me the value has always been in the individual reviews that people took the time to write, not the average score.
BattleMonkey
Member
It's pretty neat game but you do need a dedicated group for it to get the full enjoyment out of it. I would buy it but we struggle to complete simple campaigns in stuff like Shadows of Brimsone, Descent, and IA. I know our group is not gonna get far in it, so I got to pass
antiquegamer
Member
I think this is pretty fun mechanic to use where you force the monster to move into trap and such. My daughter and I actually really enjoy this as it added another puzzle to the game. The first time this happen I was going to house rule and make monster not move but my daughter stop me from doing such silly thing and said just played like it was design to do. Anyway, it's a great game if you love dungeon crawl game but loath dice combat. I got my in-law and his daughter to join in on our game and it was fun to have guest appearance in our on going story. Both my daughter and I felt that the game was even more enjoyable at 4-player count.
I was at GameStorm 19 here in Portland, Oregon and was surprised to see couple group break this out. It was small gaming convention but good playing area with a lot of people hosting and teaching game. It's a great place to play that one or two games that may be your regular group would not be into or one of those really long games. Scyte was really popular game there along with Clank!. There were several games of Cthulhu Wars going and a friend of mine was in a 12 hours session of Civilizations. I also saw Twilight Imperium, not sure how long that one went. Another game I was surprise to see a lot of was Mansion of Madness 2nd edition.
It was great fun playing board games for 4 days and finally get to try Trikerion and break out my copy of Anachrony . Both games were great. I also play few games of Clank! (since it was everywhere) along with the new expansion. I didn't care for it too much but everyone else seem to like it. Tyrants of the Underdark however is definitely moving up to be my new favorite deck-builder. This one really surprised me at how well it incorporate board game with deck-builder card game. Also get to see Leaving Earth and I regret not picking one up when I saw it few weeks ago (the price was a little high for card game). All in all it was really fun and now make me think about going to Origin.
I'll probably talk to my buddies first and see there interest level before I commit.
AHappyPanda
Member
Got Spyfall, Codenames: Pictures and Bounce-Off in the Amazon B2G1 deal.
Was hoping for ONUW, KoT to be a part of the deal, wasn't in the cards though.
But those 3 games should be good party games to play with my friends who aren't super into board games.
Was hoping for ONUW, KoT to be a part of the deal, wasn't in the cards though.
But those 3 games should be good party games to play with my friends who aren't super into board games.
Looks like 2nd print of Gloomhaven has made town prosperity a little easier. Free check boxes for everyone with 1st edition
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1757935/reprint-prosperity-level-changes
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1758075/prosperity-leveling-track-nerf-down
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1757935/reprint-prosperity-level-changes
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1758075/prosperity-leveling-track-nerf-down
BattleMonkey
Member
So maybe odd, but we are having an Alien themed party next month for Alien day, and looking for themed games that might work well with the setting. Got Alien Legendary already, buy looking at options for other games as well as more party oriented games that could fit the sci fi survival theme.
Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space!
AHappyPanda
Member
Dark Moon.
toddhunter
Member
This
I just ordered this because Aliens and War of the Ring were in stock at the same time and I have no willpower.
Does anyone want to weigh in on if house rules are necessary for Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space? I've seen some mixed opinions here.
Not "necessary", no. Perfectly playable with standard rules for the first few sessions. You might think the aliens are a tad strong, but it adds to the tension of the setting. Once you played a few sessions, you could still look for options, as the play rounds are pretty short.
On top of the other recommendations: Theseus. Its a bit of a thinking game/puzzle game, but you should be able to get it for cheap if you want a shorter puzzley game for 4P with some alien powers.
Polioliolio
Member
Seconding Escape from the Aliens in Outspace
I'd also recommend Mars Attacks Dice Game, which is a fun little filler game that's only 15 bucks, and also part of the buy two get one free deal on board games on Amazon right now.
So guys, I'm looking at GloomHaven and the hype surrounding it makes me think I need the game, but I can't say I'm terribly excited about it looking at the artwork or the components in general.. What makes this game cool, and is it something I can enjoy if I don't have a consistent group of people?
From earlier on the page:
The combat and card mechanics are neat, the sense of progression is neat, and the persistent world with a story is neat. If you're a dedicated solo player, you could do fine in solo mode controlling 2 characters.
I'm a big Gloomhaven fan but I do NOT recommend it in the following cases:
- You want primarily story (there are some non-combat missions but combat is core).
- You want lots of minis (there is only 1 mini per player).
- You want lots of artwork to look at (there are just enemy standees on a map with overlay tiles, and you have no need to look at your own character art -- the character mat is basically decoration if you track XP/HP another way).
- You want super high-quality components (the game already weighs like 21 pounds shipped, and that's with cardboard for almost everything and lighter cards than usual).
- You hardly ever play with the same people and hate solo play (there won't be any sense of party growth, learning to build off each other's strengths, and accomplishment from beating a difficult scenario).
Johnny Cage In The Shower
Member
Please Excuse me in advance if I am in the wrong thread, but honestly I am looking for quality (stone) Backgammon pieces (checkers) Does anyone here know where I can buy them online? a good online venue that sells quality Backgammon stuff?
Sorry If, I totally ended up in the wrong thread for my inquiries...
Sorry If, I totally ended up in the wrong thread for my inquiries...
EYEL1NER
Member
Alien Frontiers doesn't really feature aliens in the artwork, just remnants of an alien civilization. I would say recommend it, though it only plays with four. It's one of my most-loved games and the three people I introduced it to last week enjoyed it. They asked tonight if I had brought it again, and I didn't even really think they liked it that much. One of the couples wants a copy for themselves though.
Tonight was a good night for gaming.
We started with a four player game of Paperback. Two of the people are waiting on Fowers to ship them copies of the game, so they were excited to try it. One common complaint from everyone was that they did not care for the "Attack" cards, which I left in (I didn't even realize using those was almost considered a variant, or I think the rulebook calls it an 'alternate way to play'). I think it went over well despite that. I feel a bit dumb playing it though; I may not always write like it on GAF but I know I've got an extensive vocabulary. I can get a couple cards played that increase my hand size, draw 9 or 10 cards with a mix of vowels/consonants/wilds, and draw a complete blank and resort to playing some four-letter word.
After that was a four player game of Glass Road, which one do the guys just got. I own Patchwork and have played it, so this wasn't my first Uwe game. This was a lot more of an "Uwe title" than Patchwork though. I was very confused by the dual resource dials for a while and even spoke up and said "So this is the more Euro than any Euro I've ever played." It took me a bit to catch on and I wasn't making the most optimal choices by the game's end but I did manage to take second place with 17 points. It was an experience, that's for sure.
After that was three quick games of Skull. I lost each one, going out very quickly on the first game. The second game was won in two turns. Once people got the hang of it though, it went will. The third game lasted a while and saw a lot of cards placed and some high bets made. I hope to play it with more people soon.
Before finishing the evening, the hosts were talking about Food Chain Magnate and then showed us the SUSD video for the game. SUSD sold me on the game. I may not get it soon, and I may miss my chance to get it before it disappears everywhere for many years, but I want it. Hopefully someone at the Tabletop Day event I want to attend in the city has it so I can give it a try.
AbsolutBro
Member
Flying Frog's "Invasion From Outer Space!" is a pretty fun game also! Aliens vs Carnival Workers, including a dancing bear!
Polioliolio
Member
Oh, while I was in Japan, I picked up "Tile of the Northstar" which is that old Japanese tile game with a Fist of the North Star theme.. It was only 3 bucks at a hobby shop.. My question is, How does one play this?
BattleMonkey
Member
Sound good, kinda more like The Thing based, but should work. Thanks!
BattleMonkey
Member
Finally got to try Burgle Bros. Great coop game, plays quick and smooth and is pretty big game that comes in such a small package!
I've played it a couple times, and enjoy it a lot more than Race. Overall, a much smoother experience.
HashtagLapsed
Member
I hope Rising Sun turns out well.
I might pick up Archipelago tomorrow when I am in town. H-hopefully someone will play it with me.
I might pick up Archipelago tomorrow when I am in town. H-hopefully someone will play it with me.
I am a big fan of that game, probably should get a play of it in the near future it's been a while
antiquegamer
Member
Amazon is where I would look.