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[smirkrevenge]

I don't know if this game has been posted yet, but one of my most favorite board games ever is Sequence:

It has some elements of Connect Four in it, except with 2 decks of cards. Every person I've introduced this game to has become a fan. I'm not so much a fan of those strategy, multi-piece board games. This is perfect for 2 players, all the way up to 3 teams of 2. It can get highly addictive, and also highly competitive.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

Just bought the following games:

- Modern Art
- Mr. Jack
- Robo Rally

Reviews coming soon.

I can safely say that the following games are completely sold out everywhere.

- Race for the Galaxy
- Galaxy Truckers
- Pandemic

 

[Ferrio]

Just bought the following games:

- Modern Art
- Mr. Jack
- Robo Rally

Get ready for super hilarity!

 

[Iced_Eagle]

So does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm looking for one that works well for 3 people. I don't care if it's co-op or competition, but I just a game that isn't Monopoly or something.

 

[shas'la]

Just bought the following games:

- Robo Rally

Love to know about this, please keep us updated.

 

[AstroLad]

So does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm looking for one that works well for 3 people. I don't care if it's co-op or competition, but I just a game that isn't Monopoly or something.

You can check these out on boardgamegeek, the cool thing is there they have recommendations like "best with x players."

Robo Rally is fun as hell and great for both casual and hardcore gamers. I would also recommend Ticket to Ride as another fun simple game that works very well with 3 people.

Puerto Rico and Catan are all-time favorites. You really can't go wrong with most of the BGG Top 100: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browser.php?itemtype=game&sortby=rank

I would recommend Thoughthammer if you are ordering--every game discounted.

 

[Another_visitor]

Any recommendations for fun 2P card-based games? Don't have to be excusively 2P, but just work well with 2P.

Don't know if it's been mentioned here before but you should definately check out Jambo. Been playing it almost daily with my girlfriend for 4 months now & even though it's very easy to pick up, we're still learning new tactics.

 

[Penguin]

I play this game called Bananagram at work.

It's a mix of scrabble and crossword I think.

But the girl who owns it is a real brat.

 

[iapetus]

Hey guys,

First time I've seen this thread.

Could anyone recommend me a few great board games for 2-4 players? Usually we will probably play with 3 or 4 though.

I've never been into board games that much, though after a game of Risk a few days ago and a few other board games I've played, I'm starting to get into them a bit more

It depends how much complexity you want from your board games.

If you want something that's relatively straightforward to play, and still a huge step up from traditional board games, I'd recommend Ticket to Ride. The rules are incredibly simple (particularly for the basic US game) but there's still a lot to the game and it's extremely fun. My current game of choice for getting people who haven't considered proper boardgames into the genre... If you enjoy it, then it's worth looking at a couple of the expansions - Ticket to Ride: Switzerland improves the 2-3 player game (not that it isn't great in the standard set) and Ticket to Ride: Marklin Edition adds some interesting new rules and cards, and has a better map to play on. The game basically consists of building train routes to connect cities in such a way that at the end of the game you can take passengers on specified journeys using just your rail network.

The next step up would be something like Settlers of Catan. More complex rules, more to learn before you can really get started, but it's always been ranked as one of the best board games out there. The downside is that you need 3 players to play this one. It's a game based around colonising an island, fighting for the best locations to get resources that allow you to build and expand further. Again, there are expansions that add new features to the game once you've got used to it - there's an expansion that takes it up to 5-6 players (it's 3-4 by default) and Cities and Knights which adds some new rules and gives more routes to victory.

If you're willing to go for an even more complex game in exchange for one of the most awesome gaming experiences out there, Puerto Rico has long been seen by many as the best boardgame out there (it's consistently #1 on the boardgamegeek.com rankings). The game sees each player trying to colonise their own island by taking on certain roles that let them carry out actions such as erecting buildings, farming plantations, bringing in colonists or shipping goods back home. The twist is that the other players all get to carry out the same action, but in a slightly less effective way. It seems at first like there isn't much interaction between players, but that's a mistake - the interaction is just a lot more subtle than in a lot of other games. I can't recommend this game highly enough, and it's well worth the effort of getting familiar with the rules. Big downside: it's another 3+ player game (3-5 in this case). There are homegrown rules for 2 player variations at boardgamegeek.com, but they're not as good as the real thing IMO.

Those would be my three obvious choices. There are plenty of others to recommend, but I'd need to know more about what you're wanting out of a game - complexity, direct player interaction, that sort of thing.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

It depends how much complexity you want from your board games.

If you want something that's relatively straightforward to play, and still a huge step up from traditional board games, I'd recommend Ticket to Ride. The rules are incredibly simple (particularly for the basic US game) but there's still a lot to the game and it's extremely fun. My current game of choice for getting people who haven't considered proper boardgames into the genre... If you enjoy it, then it's worth looking at a couple of the expansions - Ticket to Ride: Switzerland improves the 2-3 player game (not that it isn't great in the standard set) and Ticket to Ride: Marklin Edition adds some interesting new rules and cards, and has a better map to play on. The game basically consists of building train routes to connect cities in such a way that at the end of the game you can take passengers on specified journeys using just your rail network.

The next step up would be something like Settlers of Catan. More complex rules, more to learn before you can really get started, but it's always been ranked as one of the best board games out there. The downside is that you need 3 players to play this one. It's a game based around colonising an island, fighting for the best locations to get resources that allow you to build and expand further. Again, there are expansions that add new features to the game once you've got used to it - there's an expansion that takes it up to 5-6 players (it's 3-4 by default) and Cities and Knights which adds some new rules and gives more routes to victory.

If you're willing to go for an even more complex game in exchange for one of the most awesome gaming experiences out there, Puerto Rico has long been seen by many as the best boardgame out there (it's consistently #1 on the boardgamegeek.com rankings). The game sees each player trying to colonise their own island by taking on certain roles that let them carry out actions such as erecting buildings, farming plantations, bringing in colonists or shipping goods back home. The twist is that the other players all get to carry out the same action, but in a slightly less effective way. It seems at first like there isn't much interaction between players, but that's a mistake - the interaction is just a lot more subtle than in a lot of other games. I can't recommend this game highly enough, and it's well worth the effort of getting familiar with the rules. Big downside: it's another 3+ player game (3-5 in this case). There are homegrown rules for 2 player variations at boardgamegeek.com, but they're not as good as the real thing IMO.

Those would be my three obvious choices. There are plenty of others to recommend, but I'd need to know more about what you're wanting out of a game - complexity, direct player interaction, that sort of thing.

Thanks man.

Of all the games I've been reading about, there have been a few types that have been interesting.

- Co-op games where the players have to work together.
- Games where one player turns out to be a traitor in secret (it just sounds like it could be interesting)

I played Ticket to Ride on XBLA and I thought it was pretty fun, so getting that is also a possibility.

I just now need to find a good place to buy the games. I live in Bellevue, WA. I don't want to get a game online unless I have to.

 

[iapetus]

Of all the games I've been reading about, there have been a few types that have been interesting.

- Co-op games where the players have to work together.
- Games where one player turns out to be a traitor in secret (it just sounds like it could be interesting)

I think Zalasta's pretty much covered the ground on these. Shadows over Camelot is the classic that covers both bases, and it sounds like Battlestar Galactica is going to be very similar.

Another one that was mentioned earlier in the thread is Arkham Horror - it's quite a long game to play and needs a lot of table space, and you shouldn't expect to win all the time (or much of the time at all with the expansions, which can make it far more brutal) but it's great fun. It's an H P Lovecraft themed co-operative game, where the players try to prevent a Great Old One from awakening and killing everything. Works for pretty much any number of players up to 8, which is nice. You can even play it solo.

A slightly less hardcore take on these things would be Betrayal at House on the Hill. The players explore a haunted house, and at some point it turns out that one of them is a traitor, and depending on what exactly happened when this was revealed one of a large number of different things happens. There's a separate booklet for the traitor and the players, so they don't necessarily know exactly what the other one is trying to do. A couple of games we played included the traitor shrinking the other players to the size of mice and setting his cats on them (while the players tried to escape in a model airplane) and the traitor becoming a vampire and attempting to kill and/or turn the other players before they could escape. It's good fun, and doesn't require the players to be hardcore gamers to enjoy it. Against that, it's 3-6 players (and plays better at the higher end of that, IMO).

The ultimate co-op game, of course, is Warhammer Quest, but it's out of print (and has been for a long time), requires stacks of miniatures to play properly, and is pretty expensive on eBay. One of the few games where I'll happily set aside an entire weekend just to play the one game, though.

One other title to consider would be Fury of Dracula. Works best with 2, 3 or 5 players (4 is doable, but you end up with one character left over and players having to share control of them). It pits one player as Dracula against the rest playing vampire hunters. They need to follow trails of rumours to track down Dracula - preferably during the day - and kill him. Dracula needs to kill/turn the players, or survive for long enough to create enough vampire servants to make resistance completely futile. The movement system is inspired - the hunters move around the board visibly, but Dracula uses a series of cards to indicate where he is and where he's been recently - each time a hunter arrives in a new city, if Dracula has been there in the last five turns or so the card showing that is revealed, which means they know how far away he is and can start to box him in and hunt him down. It can be a little arbitrary at times, in that an unlucky start for Dracula (where the hunters identify his most recent locations early in the game) can cause him serious trouble. But I'm already thinking up some house rules to avoid that, and the game's good enough that this one problem's perfectly forgiveable (and can be avoided by a skilled Dracula player anyway...)

I played Ticket to Ride on XBLA and I thought it was pretty fun, so getting that is also a possibility.

I'd recommend the Marklin edition then, if you can find it. All in all it's the best version of the game, IMO - the best combination of rules and the best map.

I just now need to find a good place to buy the games. I live in Bellevue, WA. I don't want to get a game online unless I have to.

Can't help there personally, but Google turns up a number of hits, including this one.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

You've actually mentioned all of the games I've been looking at on BGG for the past few days :lol

I'm hoping Battlestar Galactica turns out good (I recently got into the series).

Also Shadows of Camelot, Betryal on Haunted Hill, and Arkham Horror were ones I was looking at, just having a trouble figuring out which I would like more.

Actually what you suggested to me is about 5 minutes away, so thanks

 

[AstroLad]

Damn, I can't believe some of the old Robo Rally expansions go for around $200. Was thinking about getting an old set together of Robo Rally (original) + Armed & Dangerous/Grand Prix/Crash and Burn/Radioactive but it looks like that would run >$1000 har.

Guess I'll just hope WoTC re-releases or we get a console/pc release, anything.

 

[Zalasta]

I just now need to find a good place to buy the games. I live in Bellevue, WA. I don't want to get a game online unless I have to.

Well, I know what you said about online shop but Boards and Bits is located in Spokane Valley, WA, so I bet the service is extremely fast for you even if it's on the other side of the state. Tom, the owner, is an active member on BoardGameGeek and he's a reputable seller. So if you change your mind, I'd consider buying there.

As for recommendations, BGG is a good place to ask, but it'd be more helpful to know what kind of games/themes you're interested in (deduction, economic, war, etc). There are some discussions about co-op stuff in this thread already.

Damn, I can't believe some of the old Robo Rally expansions go for around $200. Was thinking about getting an old set together of Robo Rally (original) + Armed & Dangerous/Grand Prix/Crash and Burn/Radioactive but it looks like that would run >$1000 har.

Guess I'll just hope WoTC re-releases or we get a console/pc release, anything.

Yeah, unfortunately they are OOP and quite the collector's items. I actually have owned Grand Prix (traded it to a friend who was looking for one for like 2 years) and just recently got Crash & Burn in a trade.

You can actually play RoboRally and all the expansions online at Wizard of the Coast (along with a handful of other ones), check it out if you want.

 

[Nickovic]

Hey, this thread reminded me of a board game I played years ago, I was wondering if any of you could tell me what it is.

The main premise of the game was that you had tokens that you could put down on the board in blank spaces. These tokens had like "go back 2 places" or "Go ahead three" and you could place them down in certain spaces when you fufilled a certain condition. It was awesome because you could trap people within a loop and they would have to use one of their tokens to get out. Does anyone know what this could be?

 

[G-Fex]

I was truly interested in getting Arkham Horror though the rules (Sounds complicated) has sort of set back the purchase a bit.

 

[AstroLad]

Thanks Zalasta.

I was truly interested in getting Arkham Horror though the rules (Sounds complicated) has sort of set back the purchase a bit.

The rules are online, along with TONS of other resources like flowcharts if you check out boardgamegeek. I spent a few hours learning the core rules and I didn't find them to be overwhelming by any stretch, but I have yet to actually translate that into gaming time (been playing a lot of 1960 and ttr actually, and we've started going in on twilight struggle). My wife hates playing me at 1960 even though she's been dominating at ttr--she promised to spam issue positioning next time to pay me back for my endorsement-heavy Kennedy win over the weekend.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

The rules are online, along with TONS of other resources like flowcharts if you check out boardgamegeek. I spent a few hours learning the core rules and I didn't find them to be overwhelming by any stretch, but I have yet to actually translate that into gaming time (been playing a lot of 1960 and ttr actually, and we've started going in on twilight struggle). My wife hates playing me at 1960 even though she's been dominating at ttr--she promised to spam issue positioning next time to pay me back for my endorsement-heavy Kennedy win over the weekend.

AH really isn't that bad rules-wise once you get into the flow of a game, it's the "bookkeeping" stuff that can slow the game down (what's the monster limit for the town again with 5 players? *fiddles through rulebook*). This BGG thread I linked to earlier has some good suggestions for that.

 

[AstroLad]

Also picked up a Duel Starter Deck of NetRunner this weekend, my first foray into CCG (which of course has to be a fairly obscure OOP game from over a decade ago).

 

[G-Fex]

Thanks Zalasta.



The rules are online, along with TONS of other resources like flowcharts if you check out boardgamegeek. I spent a few hours learning the core rules and I didn't find them to be overwhelming by any stretch, but I have yet to actually translate that into gaming time (been playing a lot of 1960 and ttr actually, and we've started going in on twilight struggle). My wife hates playing me at 1960 even though she's been dominating at ttr--she promised to spam issue positioning next time to pay me back for my endorsement-heavy Kennedy win over the weekend.

Thanks!

 

[iapetus]

The rules are online, along with TONS of other resources like flowcharts if you check out boardgamegeek.

I particularly recommend Headless Hollow, which has 1-2 page cheat sheets for quite a lot of board games, including Arkham Horror. They're often clearer than the original rulebook, and almost always better for finding specific rules on while playing. A decent colour printer and a laminator can turn them into a vital part of the game.

And I'll add my voice to the opinions that the Arkham Horror rules aren't that complex. There is a lot going on, but as long as you follow through the rules carefully for the first playthrough or two, it's all fairly straightforward.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Just recently learned of Senji after a BGG review caught my eye with this opening:

Senji is the latest boardgame from Bruno Cathala and Serge Laget, whose previous collaborations include the highly acclaimed Shadows over Camelot. Senji combines diplomacy, conquest, and economics in 90 minutes.

And you get to trade your Grandpa for weapons.

Sold! English version is due out sometime this month according to Thoughthammer.

 

[AstroLad]

Getting into Netrunner and it is badass. I can see why it's one of the highest-rated CCGs on BGG. The whole mid-90s cyberworld theme is so cheesy hilarious it adds a lot to the game, but the hacker vs. corporation theme actually comes through very well in the gameplay which involves a lot of bluffing, hiding, planning, etc.

Thinking about getting Deadlands as well. Richard Garfield is my hero, even though ironically I don't like Magic.

 

[XShagrath]

I used to have a bunch of NetRunner cards. Really awesome game!

 

[Ceres]

Did a really quick check through the thread and didn't see this game mentioned:

Samurai is great for a rather quick game to kill an hour as opposed to Settlers or Carcassonne which can run a lot longer.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Did a really quick check through the thread and didn't see this game mentioned:

Samurai is great for a rather quick game to kill an hour as opposed to Settlers or Carcassonne which can run a lot longer.

Awesome game. The scoring mechanic definitely makes things interesting!

Just learned of another game due out this year (possibly in a month or so), Red November. A cooperative game from the designer behind Boomtown, Citadels, and Mystery of the Abbey.

Red November is a cooperative game in an attack submarine where everything is going wrong. The sub is descending and the water pressure increasing, the nuclear reactor is overheating, the nuclear missile launchers are pre-igniting, fires and water leaks are everywhere, there's a giant Kraken looming nearby and there’s very little oxygen and vodka left.

While the storyline feels more and more like a disaster movie, the players must get organized to solve the problems, divide the tasks among themselves to minimize the risks, and sometimes accept to sacrifice themselves for the common cause.

Prototype game board:

Final game board:

Random art:

BGN preview of the game

“Cooperative gaming was still a new beast at this time, and we thought of other settings that could fit well with game systems similar to what they used in Shadows over Camelot. The wreck of the Kursk submarine” – in which 118 Russian sailors and officers died in August 2000 – “was still in our memories at this time, and I suggested a Russian submarine where everything is getting loose. Then the idea was set aside, and I unearthed it a few years later and started working on it with Jef.”

Jef Gontier, who has no design credits to date, is a gaming friend who lives near Faidutti. “He has playtested most of my recent designs,” says Faidutti. “The first reason I asked him to help me on this design was that his day job is in the development of French attack submarines. I don’t know more details since everything about his job seems to be top secret, but I’m sure it helped a lot in making this game extremely realistic.”

Realistic might be an odd word choice given that the published game depicts the players as gnomes rather than Russians, but it’s easy to understand why Fantasy Flight would make the switch. In Red November, each player moves their character around the sub, tracking it with a stackable time keeper of the same color. As the players move and time passes, more and more fires, floods and reactor failures occur, forcing the gnomes to find tools that can fix the problem or grog that they can down to build up liquid courage. Faidutti says that the game is best with four or more players.

“My problem with cooperative games,” says Faidutti, “is that I don’t really understand why I like them. My theoretical idea of a game is that it must be a fun moment of direct interaction and plain nastiness, and I really enjoy playing a game that fits this description. There’s a different challenge in cooperative games, and when the actual fashion for cooperative gaming started, I thought I wouldn’t like these new games. Well, I liked them - though the one I prefer is still Shadows over Camelot which, thanks to the traitor, is not really cooperative.”

Faidutti’s only previous game with cooperative elements is Terra, in which players try to solve world crises through card play, while being tempted to look out for themselves first since there can be only a single winner – or a table full of losers. ”Terra was a special beast, a game designed on order which I probably would not have made if I had not been asked to,” says Faidutti. “And, in fact, it’s not a cooperative game; it can even be very nasty and competitive when played with the right players - though it often ends badly.”

 

[AstroLad]

That art seems really cool; although not to be overly PC but it does feel a little odd that it basically is the Kursk incident.

3-5 though; more 2p-friendly co-op games please!

 

[AstroLad]

Last Night on Earth is as fun as it is simple. Got a couple of sessions in and I really love how the mechanics and the cards all fit in very well with the theme. Going to pick up the expansions as this is the rare game that is both a great two-player game (since it's essentiall zombies vs. heroes) and a great party game (everyone takes the role of a single hero). It also has the most out-of-nowwhere game-end condition--if hero is forced to discard from draw deck but draw deck is empty, heroes lose. Ouch, and I thought fending off ten zombies was tough.

This is my haul today that should tide me over for the next couple of months. Notice lots of two-player gems (and near-gems) in there. Looking forward to the Catan card game, which I've never played and bought largely on gaf recommendation.

1 x Settlers of Catan: Card Game
1 x Ticket to Ride: Switzerland (Swiss Map Expansion)
1 x Battle Line (remake of Shotten-Totten)
1 x Settlers of Catan: Card Game Expansion
1 x Ticket to Ride: USA 1910 Expansion
1 x Last Night On Earth: Growing Hunger
1 x Elk Fest
1 x Caesar & Cleopatra

ps really looking forward to touch of evil after loving LNOE.

 

[Zalasta]

Last Night on Earth is as fun as it is simple.

That's good to know. I bought it for a couple of friends who were interested in thematic boardgames sight unseen (I've never played it), so I was afraid it may turn out disasterous. However, it is fairly well rated so I took a chance.

 

[Akira]

Best Board Game Ever:

 

[AstroLad]

That's good to know. I bought it for a couple of friends who were interested in thematic boardgames sight unseen (I've never played it), so I was afraid it may turn out disasterous. However, it is fairly well rated so I took a chance.

It's really fun for several reasons. First, learning it takes about 30 minutes tops. You might miss out on a bit of the nuance and screw up a few things, but the game plays great on the first go regardless. Second, is the role of luck. As I've noted earlier, I actually like luck in games, especially party games. There's a good amount of strategy and risk-taking, but with enough luck of the dice, anyone can win, and to me that's a huge part of what makes a party game good. Third, the theme comes out very nicely in the mechanics. Certain cards flood buildings with zombies, or move them toward you much faster than you anticipated, etc. It just feels like a zombie movie. Finally, the multiple scenarios and modes make it feel like multiple games in one. Or at the very least an uberlite RPG with some cool scenarios.

 

[Whifflebat]

Hey, this thread reminded me of a board game I played years ago, I was wondering if any of you could tell me what it is.

The main premise of the game was that you had tokens that you could put down on the board in blank spaces. These tokens had like "go back 2 places" or "Go ahead three" and you could place them down in certain spaces when you fufilled a certain condition. It was awesome because you could trap people within a loop and they would have to use one of their tokens to get out. Does anyone know what this could be?

I think the game is "Bonkers!". I used to play this all the time as a kid. http://boardgamegeek.com/game/1943

I just bought Settler of Catan: The Card Game and Talisman (4th Edition) last week. Played a couple of round of each. I had never played Talisman before, but I felt like trying a fantasy-type game that was simple enough so to not scare off my wife and friends. It's fun, though I can't see myself playing it that often. Doesn't really have a lot of substance, though turning other players into toads is loads of laughs. Also, the rulebook is terrible. If you buy it, make sure to download the FAQ and errata files from BGG.

SoC: The Card Game on the other hand, is very polished and lots of fun. It has a nice combo of luck and strategy. A great 2 player only game.

 

[AstroLad]

SoC: The Card Game on the other hand, is very polished and lots of fun. It has a nice combo of luck and strategy. A great 2 player only game.

Nice. Especially since I bought both the game and the expansion and it should be getting here this week.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

That art seems really cool; although not to be overly PC but it does feel a little odd that it basically is the Kursk incident.

Another game that's not exactly PC either but is still a decent light game is The Downfall of Pompeii. You basically try to stuff the city with as many people as possible before Vesuvius blows, then when the eruption starts you try to get as many people out while trying to get the lava to kill the other player's people. 2-4 player game that you can finish in about 20-30 min or so. But it's really really simple and light, so you're likely to not play it more than 2 or 3 times in a row. Good light filler or starter though.

 

[Nickovic]

I think the game is "Bonkers!". I used to play this all the time as a kid. http://boardgamegeek.com/game/1943

Thats the one, thanks a lot!

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Woo, got a confirmation mail from Thoughthammer that Senji is shipping.

 

[AstroLad]

Nice.

Betrayal at House on the Hill now going for $100 NIB? Damn you, OOP games! You screwed me for NetRunner (sort of), but that's all I can take. I was going to pick it up for the small group we get together one or two times a month, but at that price I'll pass and stick to Robo Rally, LNoE, TtR, etc. instead. Was also thinking of picking up Battle Cry, but same problem.

This weekend though is all about Twilight Struggle. *bow* Really glad we got into 1960 first as it's been a great way to ease into some of the basic strategy and mechanics of Twilight Struggle.

EDIT re 1960:

Further substantive comment on 1960. I absolutely love the game and its simplicity. But one thing I don't understand is why regular campaigning seems to be so ignored. The cards are so strong, and issue positioning so important, that it seems as if a regular campaigning action occurs maybe 1/4 turns, tops, depending on the draws and the state of the issue war.

The problem is that this moots a lot of other aspects of the game too--most notably media support which is nearly totally irrelevant in every game I've played, but also the general idea of support checks in carried states. Why would I bother (and I don't) when I can just wait for one of the many random "gain x issue support in x states/regions/anywhere" cards to knock out the carrying advantage without any support checks. That's crazy!

Even though 1960 is awesome, and much easier to get into for new players, I like Twilight Struggle better just because it offers so many more viable options. But I play both regularly now.

/nitpick.

 

[Sasquatch]

I picked up Mr. Jack a few weeks ago after reading about it here. I've been having a lot of fun with it since I got it.

Betrayal at House on the Hill is pretty fun. I bought it probably two years ago or so. One downside is that it's a total "token fest." BGG has a spreadsheet listing what shape and color each type of token is, and then I separated them all in to Altoids containers. Everyone loves when I have to dig through 30 little red circles to find the one that we need. The scenarios can also sometimes be a little inconsistent. Sometimes the game works really well and other times you just go "that's it?" at the end. Great game overall though.

 

[fallengorn]

Best Board Game Ever:

Blast from the recent past. I remember playing it while lining up to see the prequels. Really fun.

 

[AstroLad]

I picked up Mr. Jack a few weeks ago after reading about it here. I've been having a lot of fun with it since I got it.

Mr. Jack is very fun and a nice quick game. One suggestion is to have a "game" be one player playing each side since the game does favor the investigator unless Jack gets an improbable run of cards (like my wife getting to escape with Miss Stealthy on Turn 2, grr). I find that getting to Turn 7 or 8 is a respectable outcome for Jack in most games, and basically most of these "games" come down to whoever survived with Jack the longest. There's an expansion out too that's supposed to be quite good but Thoughthammer doesn't haven't it restocked yet.

 

[iapetus]

Sometimes the game works really well and other times you just go "that's it?" at the end. Great game overall though.

We had our first fucked up moment with the game on the first playthrough when one of the players was dead before the haunt started. Yes, I know that technically you can't die before the haunt, but she was on her last point of physical health and losing a point per turn, meaning that as soon as things did start she would die before being able to do anything. The only way to save her? Visit a room that wasn't actually in the house yet. Doh.

 

[Sasquatch]

We had our first fucked up moment with the game on the first playthrough when one of the players was dead before the haunt started. Yes, I know that technically you can't die before the haunt, but she was on her last point of physical health and losing a point per turn, meaning that as soon as things did start she would die before being able to do anything. The only way to save her? Visit a room that wasn't actually in the house yet. Doh.

Last time I played, I was the traitor and the survivors had everything they needed to beat me by the second turn.

It is too bad that there can be so many strange situations. Do you have the updated scenarios that are available? That is supposed to help with a lot of the questions people had. Every time we play we end up having some sort of rule discrepancy or something we have to just assume it is played a certain way.

 

[AstroLad]

Well I just bought it anyway since it's gonna be perfect for our dinner party this weekend.

 

[AstroLad]

Catan card game is amazing. I actually like it much more than the board game (which I like as well). Glad I picked up the expansion for it though I haven't dug in yet. Good job GAF.

Playing this weekend:
-Twilight Struggle
-Catan Card Game
-Last Night on Earth
-babygame Elk Fest as well althought that takes about ten minutes to play.

 

[RyanDG]

Catan card game is amazing. I actually like it much more than the board game (which I like as well). Glad I picked up the expansion for it though I haven't dug in yet. Good job GAF.

Playing this weekend:
-Twilight Struggle
-Catan Card Game
-Last Night on Earth

Is the Catan card game playable by two players? My wife and I love the board game, but you need more than two for that one... If the card game is a worthwhile substitute and playable by two, it may be worth a pick up for us.

 

[AstroLad]

Is the Catan card game playable by two players? My wife and I love the board game, but you need more than two for that one... If the card game is a worthwhile substitute and playable by two, it may be worth a pick up for us.

Yep, it's actually designed for two players only and is a great two-player game.

 

[AMUSIX]

Been playing a few things recently...

Screw you people, the game is great. "Oh! it has chance!" whatever, it also turns friend to enemies beautifully.

Wife got this for me. Simply a beautiful version of one of my favorite games of all time. That said, the version I like playing most is this one:

Clue Master Detective...only sold for a few years, has more of everything, and a great board with high-risk/high-reward paths, and fantastic opportunity for misdirection.

Just played an awesome 4-player game of this. One person led for the first third, another for the second, and the final for the third (one person sucked hind tit for the whole game, but he was arrogant, so it's ok).

shocked noone has mentioned this game yet. WHY HAVEN'T ANY OF YOU MENTIONED CHRONONAUTS?!?! Simple rules, fun game, best travel game in that it packs up into a nice small box. Also awesome with the expansion and the Early American version.

Gobblet is awesome. The perfect evolution of tic-tac-toe, and a fantastic game to have around for two people. Usually when it's pulled out, it gets played constantly, with people trading off rounds.

I also picked up Arham Horror, but haven't gotten around to playing it (just set it up, and went through the rules...still sketchy on a lot of things...will have to find some trainer or something online, I guess).


edit: ack! forgot the crown jewel...the Star Wars-themed classic Risk that my friend made me.

 

[echoshifting]

Received Descent for my b-day yesterday. Oh my. Fantasy game porn indeed.

Snagged Road to Legend and Well of Darkness as well, going to jump right into a campaign, I think.

I will try to return here with impressions from session 1 (Descent campaigns are 50+ hours).

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Screw you people, the game is great. "Oh! it has chance!" whatever, it also turns friend to enemies beautifully.

Bah, if you want to do that then just play Diplomacy. And random chance is just one of Monopoly's issues. ;P

But yes, it can be a fun game at times with the right players involved, if you don't mind spending that much time on it.

 

[AMUSIX]

OK, just played my first game of Arkham Horror last night. Was a friend and I, and I think we got lucky because we beat the game by sealing 6 gates. Granted, after we got the first gate sealed, the next two gates attempted to open in that location (actually, our seals prevented at least 6 gates from opening).

Fun, fun game, but wow, are the instructions hard to follow. Like the use of items. Can I use the shotgun every combat? If so, holding it seems to break combat (+5 extra dice, 6s count double). Also, the Ancient One's card had a combat rule on it (beginning of combat, every player rolls a die for each item they have, with a chance to lose that item). Is this for every fight? Or just when you fight the big guy?

Sealing gates seemed very easy (go in, go through, come out, roll and beat it with a single 5 or 6, trade in 5 clues to seal). I guess with more people (and with more gates opening in unsealed locations, it can get to be more difficult. We did have a few monster surges, and our terror track only went to level 2, which seemed to do nothing.

Also, I'm sure we missed some rules (though it felt like we read that book so many times). I still don't know what the symbols on the gate tokens mean (the ones that match the monster's movements). And I know we forgot to apply the Ancient One's rule of disregarding weather changes twice (once helped us, once hurt us).

Still, loved the game, I think I'm now ready to bring my wife and other friends into playing.

...after I go over the rules a few more times, of course.



edit: oh crap, my brother just called and said he came across our old set of this...and it still works. One of my early favorites that I know the people here will probably say is broken in some way or another...but I know it kicks ass because it has lights and sounds and a real, working 2-digit LED display!!!