My gaming group seems to stick to D&D pretty tenaciously, but we sometimes take a break to play board games. Usually, it's Monopoly, since we don't have that many other board games. Thus, I'm looking for suggestions as to what board game(s) you all think are worth the money.
Thanks!
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Here are some my family likes:
Scrabble Scrabbles main drawback is that it can only be played by 4. The rest of these are for up to 6 players.
Clue
Robo-Rally One of my favorites
Betrayal at the House on the Hill A nice little horror boardgame with a different "story" each time you play it.
The Great Space Race Produced by Kenzer and Co. It takes 2-3 hours to play.
Arkham Horror is fun, particularly if you're a HPL fan, once you get the mechanics down. You should be able to download the rules on the Fantasy Flight website.
My gaming group seems to stick to D&D pretty tenaciously, but we sometimes take a break to play board games. Usually, it's Monopoly, since we don't have that many other board games. Thus, I'm looking for suggestions as to what board game(s) you all think are worth the money.
Thanks!
Settlers of catan is a great game, but a healthy dose of luck is involved.
Here are some good strategy games that do not rely on luckCaylus
Puerto Rico
Louis XIV
Of course there are also some great games from my youth such as Cosmic Encounter & Illuminati
Wayfinder, PaizoCon Founder
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I'll suggest one that actually took ME by surprise: dominoes.
Specifically, a game called Mexican Train .
Most of the gaming stores in my area have a nice set of dominoes for sale, and the mexican train set (a little frame and some train minis) and the rules. I suggest buying a set that goes up to 15, and buy the numbers not the dots (distinguishing 15 dots from 13 is pretty difficult).
It is surprising how fun this game actually is...and this is from a guy that thought dominoes sucked.
heres some board games i like
battlelore
descent
runebound
tanhausser
my group has played these and we really like them
Has anybody tried out the new edition of Talisman?
Has anybody tried out the new edition of Talisman?
Yep. It's alot of fun.
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Has anybody tried out the new edition of Talisman?Yep. It's alot of fun.
Do you know if any of the rules have been changed?
I've got a first edition copy from the early '80s.Second edition was just a new box.
Third edition had cool 3D miniatures, but gameplay seemed the same.
If the rules are unchanged, I'll just crack out the old box.
KILL DOCTOR LUCKY!
I was about to pick up KDL at a gaming store the other day, but I figured I should ask other people what they thought about it. It sounds like a lot of fun.
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I've a similar query about two other old Games Workshop games that have been re-released by Fantasy Flight; Fury of Dracula and Warrior Knights.
Dracula now has 4 Hunters instead of 3, which presumably makes it easier to find him. Any other changes?
Warrior Knights used to be played a lot at school, during our free revision periods (!). I took a look at my old copy recently, and it appears we were playing it wrong.
During the General Assembly, it seems to imply that the Barons get to use their full number of votes on every item on the agenda, whereas we played it that each players score of votes represented a finite amount of funds for bribes and intimidating thugs, so if you blew them all to secure an early item on the agenda, you couldn't affect a later item, which may be more crucial. This seemed to make more sense to us, and acted as a balancing factor.
Anybody else play it this way?
Anybody able to say if the current version differs from the old?
Has anybody tried out the new edition of Talisman?Yep. It's alot of fun.Do you know if any of the rules have been changed?
I've got a first edition copy from the early '80s.
Second edition was just a new box.
Third edition had cool 3D miniatures, but gameplay seemed the same.
If the rules are unchanged, I'll just crack out the old box.
I (unfortunately) never had the opportunity to play the 1st or 2nd editions of the game. The 4th ed is supposed to be an update of those, disregarding the 3rd.
I'd check out BoardGameGeek for a better comparison.
Here's another earnest vote for Arkham Horror! It's among the most lavishly designed board games I've ever seen, incorporating much of the best artwork from Fantasy Flight Game's Call of Cthulhu CCG. It takes a full play through to get your head around the rules, but they're quite good once mastered.
We play about once every two months to break up our regular roleplaying routine, and everybody looks forward to it. It’s a cooperative game, with the players working together to fight the Mythos horror spreading into Arkham and its environs. We lose as often as we win, but it wouldn't be Cthulhu if winning were easy.
We've added all of the game's numerous supplements, which is a bit of a logistical nightmare because the interconnected boards surrounded by the dozens of card decks, character sheets, and other paraphernalia fills my entire 110-inch long dining room table from side to side and end to end. It's such a monster to set up that we usually leave it up for a whole week and play once on both weekends on either side. But it's always a blast!
I found I preferred the original (classic) Arkham Horror set. However, many friends like the new one.
For a simple game, try Chez Geek (and multiple sequels) or Metro.
For a moderate complexity game, I second Carcassonne or Settlers.
For a high complexity (awesome) game, Puerto Rico is excellent.
For just downright fun? Get Robo-Rally.
Owner - Johnny Scott Comics and Games
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Last Night On Earth from Flying Frog Productions is a lot of fun! You can play as humans or zombies.
Twilight Creations' Zombies!!! is a quick hit game that always gets a laugh at our table. Great change of pace.
Also, Twilight Creations also has a great moving tile game called The Haunting House which I highly recommend. The mechanics are relatively simple, but the strategy makes the game interesting. Plus, you don't have to be a "gamer" to like it - my mom plays it!
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Zombies is an evil evil game, and the fact they sell bags of extra zombies is more evil! AAAAAA!
My favorite boardgame is the new Talisman. Freaking awesome. But, Black Industries decided to stop making games since they were -too- successful apparently, and so it may be hard to find a copy of Talisman.
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Owner - Johnny Scott Comics and Games
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Zombies is an evil evil game, and the fact they sell bags of extra zombies is more evil! AAAAAA!
My favorite boardgame is the new Talisman. Freaking awesome. But, Black Industries decided to stop making games since they were -too- successful apparently, and so it may be hard to find a copy of Talisman.
Glad to hear Talisman is a good game! I was lucky enough to pre-order a copy of Talisman from Amazon. I've still got it in its shrinkwrap at home. We plan on breaking it out later this month to give it a whirl. My buddy is a huge fan of the last incarnation of the game, so we've got high hopes!
Nuke War; Illuminatii; Merchants of Venus; ooh and Aquire
ahh,someone else remembers aquire.as long as its the old one and not the new one.i didnt care for the new one.
(Hope I'm not too late)
I recently got to play the board game Betrayal at House on the Hill (2004).
Wow, it was tremendously fun for a group of 6 people.
In the end, one player is corrupted by the evil of the house, and tries to kill all the other players. There is a whole book with 50 scenarios that can occur to play the final battle out. It has tremendous replay value.
Late to the party, but for what it's worth...
Board games that are a bit like RPGs:
Runebound
Arkham Horror
Doom
Heroscape
Fantasy Flight *really* knows how to do this one. Mostly fairly long games - 3-4hrs plus - but theme-heavy, and just a great experience all round. Descent should probably also be on this list - it's very similar to Doom, but with a fantasy theme and a bit more complexity. I haven't played yet, but a lot of people seem to prefer it. Personally, I find something right in a board game with zombies and chainsaws ;)
Heroscape is the odd one out - it's miniatures combat, without the rules / army-building complexity of something like Warhammer. There is some back-story provided, but it's not really something you feel in the game. Fabulous 3D plastic terrain though, and a blast to play. Samurai vs orcs vs giant robots vs WWII paratroopers is something you can't find in many places!
I'd also tentatively put the Lord of the Rings cooperative game here too. Mechanically it's a lot more traditional card-manipulation than the others, but it has a strong narrative and atmosphere.
Lighter games you can include the family in:
Ticket to Ride
Shadows over Camelot
Carcassonne
Metro
Liar's Dice / Bluff / Perudo
Formula De
These are all pretty easy to teach or learn, not too heavy on the brain (Formula De will look like it is when you first read the rules, but once you get started, it all clicks), but a lot of fun.
*Everyone* should own Ticket to Ride - I've played well over 100 games of this, and it never gets old.
Heavier brain-burning games:
Age of Steam (or pretty much any Martin Wallace game - Perikles and Struggle of Empires are good too, but Age of Steam rocks!)
Power Grid
Reef Encounter
Puerto Rico
These are games you're going to have to sit down and think about a bit harder. At least someone should have had a good read of the rules before you try and play. Puerto Rico is by far the shortest, and to my mind can get a bit scripted if you play with people who have played a lot, but it is something you must play at least a few times.
Games to play while you're waiting for everyone to arrive:
Pickomino
Diamant (now re-issued as Incan Gold)
Coloretto
Maybe No Thanks on there as well, I'm not crazy about it, but it seems to go down well in this slot with everyone else.
These are all quick, simple filler games that you can play for 15-20 minutes or so while you're waiting for the rest of your group to show up, the DM to get their notes ready, or the pizza to arrive.
The best place to find info on these, and many others, is BoardGameGeek. Hope you find something there you enjoy!
Cheers,
Tim.
My gaming group seems to stick to D&D pretty tenaciously, but we sometimes take a break to play board games. Usually, it's Monopoly, since we don't have that many other board games. Thus, I'm looking for suggestions as to what board game(s) you all think are worth the money.
My gaming group and I have played many of the games listed above, and we like many of them, but we've now gotten hooked on 2 games not yet mentioned.
"Duel of Ages" is a team vs. team game (up to 4 or 5 players per team would be about the most I would suggest) that plays like a merger of a light rpg with a miniatures game with a capture the flag mentality. Each player assumes unique characters from different time periods with different capabilities, gathers items, undertakes challenges and quests, all while battling the other team. It never plays the same way twice and generates a lot of laughs and competition. It's our favorite game, hands down.
Our other game, "Prophecy", is a quasi-rpg boardgame wherein each player takes a standard fantasy role (e.g. wizard, rogue, etc.) and picks up equipment, money, and magic items while traveling around the board and trying to get strong enough to fight the endgame demons before anyone else. I'd say that it's similar to Talisman, but with improved mechanics. It's great for the fantasy-loving crowd and if you like Talisman, you'll have fun with this one!
Hurm
It's not exactly a board game, but I'm a big fan of Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot
- Ashavan
How about Junta? It's one of my favourite games of backstabbing and corruption with a little simple wargaming thrown in. Let the ceremonial shelling of the Presidential Palace begin!
My top 5:
5) Axis and Allies - I have the Atlantic version which cuts out Japan. Both it and the regular edition are a lot of fun. And I'm not really into war simulations.
4) Betrayal at House on the Hill - A mostly cooperative game that contains a bunch of classic horror movie scenarios. The players explore/build a mansion, one room at a time. One player eventually turns evil and tries to kill everyone else. Loads of fun.
3) Lord of the Rings - I think that's its name. There's a lot of LotR games out there. The one I'm thinking of is a cooperative strategy game where you play hobbits and collect tokens while Sauron moves down the corruption line. Reminds me a lot of Arkham Horror.
2) Robo-Rally - Competive board game with lots of game boards so it's never quite the same game twice. You program your robot, then see what happens. I don't think there's a way I can describe in less than a 1000 words that won't make it sound lame, try it if you ever get the chance.
1) Arkham Horror - Cooperative, roleplaying-like horror board game. It is unspeakably awesome. Several expansions exist to really enhance the awesomeness.
Well, one more. Clue! The best game, IMO, you can get outside of a specialty hobby store.
If you don't 'know' board games then I think you should start with the classics.
Axis and Allies is a total gas. I like it better than risk.
Those are my top two.
I have it on good authority that Kill Doctor Lucky is a riot too.
Did we mention Talisman; 4th ed of the game was released; but the new people who bought the rights are going to release a new version in about a month and hope to have the first expansion out, probably Dungeon, by Xmas orders.
Arkham Horror is usually fun if you don't have annoying people playing
Monsters Menace America is good if you like being a giant monster
Wiz War is ALWAYS a good choice if you can find it
Illuminati is by far my favorite
I think Settlers of Catan is your best bet. It's the right length (about 2 hrs) and has enough luck to make it fun and enough strategy to make it interesting.
Games like Puerto Rico or Caylus feel too much like an optimization puzzle rather than a game, and Caylus specifically is too complicated for a lot of people to enjoy.
My experience with fantasy-type games like Talisman is that they are just watered-down versions of d&d and not actually that much fun. And turn-based war games (like Axis & Allies) have too much downtime between turns.
Ticket to Ride is another great game that can easily be played in an hour and is a lot of fun. Maybe a little too simple for an avid gamer, but what's great is that non-gamers can be included quickly and will usually have fun playing the first time.
A lot of people are sour on Settlers because they've overplayed it, but that can happen with any game. I still go back to it every once in awhile and enjoy doing so.
Betrayal At the House on the Hill. It a board game with some RPGelements, that by the end one of the players turns traitor and then tries to kill everyone else. Great Fun!
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Wings of War is a fun game. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be...
It is put out by Nexus Editrice (in Italy), but it is distubuted (here) in the the US by Fantasy Flight Games...
Here's a link to what Paizo has for sale.
-That One Digitalelf Fellow-
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KDL is a great game.
Kingsburg is one of my current favourites, but a lot of serious board gamers hate it because "it's a resource management game and it uses DICE".
Pandemic is another one that gets a lot of play. It's a cooperative game, and will infuriate the hell out of you as the game will whup your arse nine times out of ten. But it's great fun while it does it.
Also Titanic's Stonehenge has some good games in it. The chariot racing has been the most popular as it's good, simple fun.
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Carcassonne is a great game, I haven't had a chance to try out the new "Towers" expansion yet, but wow my wife and I love playing it, we just introduced it to a friend also, and he loves it.
A fun card game is Cthulu 500!! Wow, we finally tried that out today, super fun...and funny.
ROBO-RALLY rules! especially if you can get your hands on the some fo the original expansions to go along with the new robots! House favorite!
For pure one long night of fun, Zombies, with Night of the Living Dead playing on the TV and a lot of messy junk food. Mmmmmmm Good.
My gaming group seems to stick to D&D pretty tenaciously, but we sometimes take a break to play board games. Usually, it's Monopoly, since we don't have that many other board games. Thus, I'm looking for suggestions as to what board game(s) you all think are worth the money.
Thanks!
Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition!
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12493My gaming group and I just played this game before our normal session and we had a blast. We look forward to playing it again. It is an epic space conquest game that takes about an hour per player. We played with four. It's worth the time invested though! What an awesome game.
settlers of cataan
You want to eliminate all chance in a strategic board game?
Of course you'll probably stop being friends after you're done, but hey, that's what games are for!