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Whifflebat
Member
My wife and I have been into playing "alternative" board games lately. Usually, it's just the two of us, so we've been into Catan: The Card Game (looking to get the expansion set now), Lost Cities, Carcasonne, Puerto Rico and occasionally Munchkin. Munckin is fun with 3+ people, but kind of boring with just 2. I've always wanted to try a dungeon crawler , but my wife usually balks at those types of games.
Now I see that Munchkin Quest has come out and since she likes the feel and concept of the original card game, this might be a good fit. Has anyone tried MQ yet? How is it with just 2 players? It's $60 at the local game store, so I want to ensure it's a decent 2 player game before I jump in, since it is how it will be played the majority of the time.
Now I see that Munchkin Quest has come out and since she likes the feel and concept of the original card game, this might be a good fit. Has anyone tried MQ yet? How is it with just 2 players? It's $60 at the local game store, so I want to ensure it's a decent 2 player game before I jump in, since it is how it will be played the majority of the time.
spikydavid
Member
Whifflebat said:
Haven't played MQ, but I did play Dork Tower, which I believe MQ is a sort-of conceptual sequel to. DT played very much like Munchkin, but with a little more control over when you faced easy/hard monsters. Generally, I preferred it to Munchkin, but I imagine that it wouldn't be a great 2 player game.
Now, if you are looking for a great 2-player dungeon bash style game, might I recommend 'Tomb'. I got this about five months ago, and I've played it lots. Works well with any number of players, from 1+. Might just be my group of friends, but having played my copy, two other people have got copies.
Whifflebat
Member
Cool! I just took a look at Tomb's boardgamegeek entry. Looks very interesting. I like the whole: "the player's fill up the dungeon" aspect where you need to remember where you're putting your treasures/traps/monsters. My wife doesn't really have much experience with these types of games (she likes Munchkin, she did NOT like Talisman), so would you think Tomb would be too intimidating to a relative newbie?
platypotamus
Member
Why don't wives like crawling around in dungeons and killing monsters in board game form? My wife loves Diablo and WoW, but refuses to try anything even slightly dungeon based in non-digital format.
Whifflebat
Member
From what I gather, there are tons of dungeon crawling games. One of the most mentioned is Descent: Journeys in the Dark and its expansions. I'd love to try it out, but it's expensive and I can pretty much guarantee my wife will take one look at all the chits and minis and back away slowly.
Others I've heard are good: Dungeoneer (a card based game), Dungeon Twister (though this is more of a strategy game), Runebound, and as spikydavid recommended, Tomb.
Others I've heard are good: Dungeoneer (a card based game), Dungeon Twister (though this is more of a strategy game), Runebound, and as spikydavid recommended, Tomb.
Been too long since a games I'm pickin' up post, so pickin' these up over the next few months (probably one big order once they're all out).
Kingsburg Board Game
(Fantasy Flight Games, New)
5 $32.99 $32.99
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Dominion: Intrigue Board Game - Pre-Order
(Rio Grande Games, New)
Expected Release: May/June 2009. Date subject to change. Pre-Order $28.99 $28.99
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Ra Board Game - Pre-Order
(Rio Grande Games, New)
Expected Release: 2009. Date subject to change. Pre-Order $22.99 $22.99
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Race for the Galaxy: Rebel Vs Imperium Expansion - Pre-Order
(Rio Grande Games, New)
Expected Release: May 2009. Date subject to change. Pre-Order $16.49 $16.49
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Pandemic: On the Brink Expansion - Pre-Order
(Z-Man Games, New)
Expected Release: Summer 2009. Date subject to change. Pre
Probably Won't Pick Up, But Will Be Tempted To: Aliens, Dune.
Bringing On My Trip: Heading out tomorrow for a week. I think I've come close to finalizing the list (basically a big suitcase full of games, playing with 2-7 so scalable games get priority): Citadels, San Juan, For Sale, Twilight Struggle, Small World, Wits & Wagers. Maybes: Formula D, Robo Rally, Ticket to Ride (all really big).
Kingsburg Board Game
(Fantasy Flight Games, New)
5 $32.99 $32.99
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dominion: Intrigue Board Game - Pre-Order
(Rio Grande Games, New)
Expected Release: May/June 2009. Date subject to change. Pre-Order $28.99 $28.99
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ra Board Game - Pre-Order
(Rio Grande Games, New)
Expected Release: 2009. Date subject to change. Pre-Order $22.99 $22.99
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Race for the Galaxy: Rebel Vs Imperium Expansion - Pre-Order
(Rio Grande Games, New)
Expected Release: May 2009. Date subject to change. Pre-Order $16.49 $16.49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pandemic: On the Brink Expansion - Pre-Order
(Z-Man Games, New)
Expected Release: Summer 2009. Date subject to change. Pre
Probably Won't Pick Up, But Will Be Tempted To: Aliens, Dune.
Bringing On My Trip: Heading out tomorrow for a week. I think I've come close to finalizing the list (basically a big suitcase full of games, playing with 2-7 so scalable games get priority): Citadels, San Juan, For Sale, Twilight Struggle, Small World, Wits & Wagers. Maybes: Formula D, Robo Rally, Ticket to Ride (all really big).
Gatekeeper
Member
AstroLad said:
Great pick up. Well worth the $100 I paid while it was OoP.
platypotamus
Member
Shoogoo said:
I really enjoyed Descent with it's myriad expansions. I've heard good things about Dungeon Twister ( the pic above reminded me), but haven't played it myself.
@Astrolad, I think I'm picking up at least 2 of those 5, probably 3, maybe more, haha.
Yeah, I was being hyperbolic of course, but in terms of 2p card games, I'll usually pick Battle Line then Caesar & Cleopatra over it (won't include Catan Card in this group). I really don't like the card quality or art either, which doesn't help. Still play it once in a while though. Odd that they pulled the XBLA version completely.Flynn said:
AstroLad said:
I think that the video game rights immediately reverted after Activision bought VU Games. That game is pretty much history now.
And yeah, the box and card art are weird. I can imagine some kid looking at the box thinking, "Wow! Adventure! Discovery! This looks fun!" The opening it and going, "What? You just stack up cards in numerical order?!?"
hoverboarder
Member
This game fucking rules:
Will post more later, but this came to mind immediately as one of my favorite physical games ever.
Will post more later, but this came to mind immediately as one of my favorite physical games ever.
Flynn said:
I've only played once, but I'll tell you what I messed up during that play. I waited too long to put my 2nd civilization into decline because I thought I could squeeze out a few more points and I knew I wouldn't make many points when I did decline them. When I eventually did put them in decline, I only made 1 point on that turn, and wasn't able to build up my 3rd civilization enough before the end of the game.
So yeah, don't become too attached to a civilization and delay putting them into decline too long.
platypotamus
Member
MasterAJ22 said:
I used to love it as a kid, but I played it as an adult and it did not stay awesome.
Whifflebat
Member
I just bought Catan: The Card Game Expansion set online today at http://boardgames.ca. It'll be nice to inject some new units/buildings/events into this great game.
While I was browsing, I saw that they had one copy left of the card based dungeon crawler, Dungeoneer: Tomb of the Lich Lord. I had heard it was good and out of print, so I tossed that in my cart as well. Anyone play this before?
While I was browsing, I saw that they had one copy left of the card based dungeon crawler, Dungeoneer: Tomb of the Lich Lord. I had heard it was good and out of print, so I tossed that in my cart as well. Anyone play this before?
dreadfulwater
aka morbidesque
platypotamus
Member
dreadfulwater said:
Well, it's got nothing stacked on top of it, so it's still accessible.
These Things I Played:
Catan: This was a huge hit with the casuals. Even though I'm not the biggest Cataner, everyone liked it so much I wound up playing many games. Only negative comment was that it wasn't "aggressive" enough, at which point I busted out:
Citadels: Ah Citadels. Always guaranteed to piss off at least one person. What I love about this game is that it absolutely forces even the most passive players to be complete scheming bastards. There is just no other way to play the game.
San Juan: As solid as ever, but most people wanted to play Citadels instead since it feels like San Juan+Evil. What I like about San Juan the most now is that it's a great gateway game into Citadels and (even more usefully) RftG.
Winner's Circle: To my surprise, people were quite into this. Never had the time to get through all three races though. Imo it's only big fault is that it's too long for what it is. Pretty box got crunched on the way back too. Damn crunchy boxes.
For Sale: Only played this a couple of times, but it's a fun (super) quick game as always.
Time's Up and Wits & Wagers: Didn't really need the Time's Up game itself as it's so easy (and probably more fun) to make your own names, but the game was a lot of fun regardless. Came out each night, just like: Wits & Wagers, which is a great "level-the-playing-field" trivia game where bold betting and reasonable guessing are far more important than knowledge. Although I did know the correct date for every video game and tech related question so eat that Wits & Wagers.
Got my BGG Dominion cards when I got back as well--whoo. I guess I'll have to search for suggested implementations of those cards as I hate completely random Dominion games.
Twilight Struggle: Only had time to teach and play this with one friend. Mission accomplished. Next time though I'm bringing 1960 as a gateway into Twilight instead. I still haven't gotten to the Late War cards.
Catan: This was a huge hit with the casuals. Even though I'm not the biggest Cataner, everyone liked it so much I wound up playing many games. Only negative comment was that it wasn't "aggressive" enough, at which point I busted out:
Citadels: Ah Citadels. Always guaranteed to piss off at least one person. What I love about this game is that it absolutely forces even the most passive players to be complete scheming bastards. There is just no other way to play the game.
San Juan: As solid as ever, but most people wanted to play Citadels instead since it feels like San Juan+Evil. What I like about San Juan the most now is that it's a great gateway game into Citadels and (even more usefully) RftG.
Winner's Circle: To my surprise, people were quite into this. Never had the time to get through all three races though. Imo it's only big fault is that it's too long for what it is. Pretty box got crunched on the way back too. Damn crunchy boxes.
For Sale: Only played this a couple of times, but it's a fun (super) quick game as always.
Time's Up and Wits & Wagers: Didn't really need the Time's Up game itself as it's so easy (and probably more fun) to make your own names, but the game was a lot of fun regardless. Came out each night, just like: Wits & Wagers, which is a great "level-the-playing-field" trivia game where bold betting and reasonable guessing are far more important than knowledge. Although I did know the correct date for every video game and tech related question so eat that Wits & Wagers.
Got my BGG Dominion cards when I got back as well--whoo. I guess I'll have to search for suggested implementations of those cards as I hate completely random Dominion games.
Twilight Struggle: Only had time to teach and play this with one friend. Mission accomplished. Next time though I'm bringing 1960 as a gateway into Twilight instead. I still haven't gotten to the Late War cards.
Cosmic Bus
pristine morning snow
MasterAJ22 said:
Indeed it does. I used to play this quite a bit with my family when I was younger, and we broke it out again this past Christmas. My parents always end up (gently) arguing about the rules, usually due to my dad not grasping the concept of one thing or another...
Probably a little quaint, but we also like to play either Pit or Dutch Blitz when everyone gets together from time to time.
Cosmic Bus said:Indeed it does. I used to play this quite a bit with my family when I was younger, and we broke it out again this past Christmas. My parents always end up (gently) arguing about the rules, usually due to my dad not grasping the concept of one thing or another...
Probably a little quaint, but we also like to play either Pit or Dutch Blitz when everyone gets together from time to time.
I love that Pit comes with a bell.
AstroLad said:
Thanks for the review. San Juan eyes me.
I myself finally received Arkham Horror and I made a first playthrough with my girlfriend. We loved it! Altough it was a constant struggle to check the rules and whatnot. The rule book is quite a mess if you ask me, but I found a resume on BGG that explains a lot. I still have a concern though;
When does the combat take place? Is it right after the movement? There is no way to dual-attack a monster then? That's sad for a coop game
I like the diversity and the randomness of the game. Sometimes you think you're on the good path to glory then the game fucks you up, good times. What are your fav characters? Mine would be Darrell Simmons so far (I've only seen 9 of the 16 basic ones) and Vincent Lee would be the worse.
You absolutely cannot go wrong WITH BELL!
My favorite is Mandy Thompson. Skill check re-roll every turn is just insane.
Yeah, the rules could certainly be clearer. Combat technically takes place during Phase II (Movement), but ends movement if you are not able to Evade. You are right that there is no "double team" advantage (other than if you fail to defeat the monster, the next character may). I think I'm remembering right. Been a few months.When does the combat take place? Is it right after the movement? There is no way to dual-attack a monster then? That's sad for a coop game
I like the diversity and the randomness of the game. Sometimes you think you're on the good path to glory then the game fucks you up, good times. What are your fav characters? Mine would be Darrell Simmons so far (I've only seen 9 of the 16 basic ones) and Vincent Lee would be the worse
My favorite is Mandy Thompson. Skill check re-roll every turn is just insane.
AstroLad said:
Thanks a lot. I'll check if there is some homemade rule for that matter.
As for Mandy Thompson, I didn't try her yet but from the sound of it she seems to be top-tier.
Do you guys go with random character picks? It seems the game can be very unbalanced if you get a team with similar stats (we had Monterey Jack and Michael McGlen, both have high stamina (7) but very low sanity (3) so the spells were a no go) you're screwed from the very beginning. We were spending most of the time at the asylium.
Keep the opinions on characters coming, that interest me
spikydavid
Member
dreadfulwater said:
A much more pertinent question would be: What the hell happened to his copy of BattleLore?
There's a copy of the expansion, but not the original game, which you need to play the expansion
spikydavid
Member
Shoogoo said:Thanks a lot. I'll check if there is some homemade rule for that matter.
As for Mandy Thompson, I didn't try her yet but from the sound of it she seems to be top-tier.
Do you guys go with random character picks? It seems the game can be very unbalanced if you get a team with similar stats (we had Monterey Jack and Michael McGlen, both have high stamina (7) but very low sanity (3) so the spells were a no go) you're screwed from the very beginning. We were spending most of the time at the asylium.
Keep the opinions on characters coming, that interest me
For character picks, we tend to go for "Pick three at random, look and discuss, keep one" - means there's still an element of randomness, but you don't get the problem with having similar character types
So I bought Dominion and Pendemic and brought my old version of Bohnanza to the first Boardgame Evening at my girlfriends place.
Pandemic looked somewhat boring, because it felt we just rushed through the game without any hassle, when we suddenly realised we lost because there were no cards left to draw from :lol . Will definately play again!
Dominion was complicated at first, but everyone got the hang of it after just a bit of time.
It was fun, but the beginner's "Setup" was too passive for our tastes and there was a lack of combo play.
We eventually forgot about Bohnanza :lol Oh well, we all agreed to do this again next weekend.
So GAF, what are your recommendations? I thought about getting Arkham Horror, maybe Descent, eventually Power Grid...any (other) games you'd say are a MUST?
Pandemic looked somewhat boring, because it felt we just rushed through the game without any hassle, when we suddenly realised we lost because there were no cards left to draw from :lol . Will definately play again!
Dominion was complicated at first, but everyone got the hang of it after just a bit of time.
It was fun, but the beginner's "Setup" was too passive for our tastes and there was a lack of combo play.
We eventually forgot about Bohnanza :lol Oh well, we all agreed to do this again next weekend.
So GAF, what are your recommendations? I thought about getting Arkham Horror, maybe Descent, eventually Power Grid...any (other) games you'd say are a MUST?
Yeah, Pandemic is definitely a slow burn. Running out of cards is by far the easiest way to lose on the normal difficulty but the instructions don't give any indication of that (I don't even remember them working it in thematically).Des0lar said:
Let me know how many you're playing with and the levels of experience and geekiness and I'll give you my top 3.
I play straight random yeah. Very rarely use spells though as they're underpowered.
I forgot to mention. I got a couple rounds of Small World in last week. A five-player game, then a four-player game. So we got to try different maps.
I was stupid about planning how my races went into decline and had a couple rounds where I only generated a handful of victory points. This game was way more interactive than the games we usually play -- mostly strict Euros with our group. I'd certainly play it again. Found it similar to, but more interesting and engaging than Cosmic Encounter.
I was stupid about planning how my races went into decline and had a couple rounds where I only generated a handful of victory points. This game was way more interactive than the games we usually play -- mostly strict Euros with our group. I'd certainly play it again. Found it similar to, but more interesting and engaging than Cosmic Encounter.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
I've always found Manila to be quite fun for both casuals and serious gamers. At its core it's essentially a really well themed variation of craps, but it's easy to learn, doesn't take too long, has awesome components, and brings up ample opportunities for people to temporarily ally with/against other people.
In that case:Des0lar said:We're not experienced players, but we're eager to learn something new
You could say the regulars consist of two geeks and two sane people :lol
But I suppose you can recommend us anything that isn't top-tier regarding difficulty...
1. San Juan (easiest)/Citadels (most interactive)/Race for the Galaxy (deepest)
2. Ticket to Ride (simple and fun gateway game)
3. Settlers of Catan (great gateway game, as noted above)
AstroLad said:
I have never played any of those bolded two, so I have to ask; How much is the player interaction, how much can you screw your friends over in those games?
Is it more like, everyone minds his own business until someone wins, or are you actively engaging your opponents?
Ticket to Ride and Catan have marginal screwing in the form of blocking paths/roads. Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries plays 2-3 but has some serious screwing because of the map and some of the new rules. Catan also has the "robber," roll a 7 and steal from another player and block off one of his resources. They are all very simple games (5-15 minutes to learn).Des0lar said:
If you really want to fuck people over, try Citadels. Awesome and cheap.
Player interaction in Ticket to Ride purely depends on how aggressive the players are and how many players you have. A three player game could conceivably see each player building networks in different areas of the map. Then again, if you're aggressive, you could be building your own network, but then buy a key line in the middle of your opponent's path.
4 or 5 players, the map starts getting a bit more crowded, so there's often battles over certain routes.
A friend of mine will often start his play by buying up every 1 and 2 bit route that he can. This results in the rest of us cursing him later in the game
4 or 5 players, the map starts getting a bit more crowded, so there's often battles over certain routes.
A friend of mine will often start his play by buying up every 1 and 2 bit route that he can. This results in the rest of us cursing him later in the game
platypotamus
Member
AstroLad said:
TtR America's map has much more than marginal screwing. On your first turn, no matter, what, place a train on the route between (I think) Houston and Dallas. You either need it desperately for one of your routes, or you just fucked someone bad. They can maybe possibly still recover, but they have to scramble really bad.
I deliberately ignore that move when playing against newer people, because it can kind of ruin the game.
Nashville to Atlanta. Dallas to Houston you can still use the second route if you are playing with 4 or more (recommended). In 2p, and even 3p (though 3p is better), you can easily do an entire game without ever running into each other or with only minor inconveniences route-wise. Nordic Countries works much better for 2-3; the US map very often feels too big for 2-3 even with the one-route rule.platypotamus said:
platypotamus
Member
I like that the tried to make it so that the screwage was salvageable in the Europe version (only other one I've played), in that you've got the train stations you can use to fake a route at a price, but I don't actually like their solution. I do wish screwing people over wasn't so devastating when it works though. Most games I play with experienced ticket to riders involve a long stage of card hoarding with no building, followed by people laying down their complete routes over several turns in a row, so that no one knows where they are going.
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