So I've been shopping around for quite awhile now looking for some kind of strategy game I can play thats really involved. I like rules intense games, as long as the rules have a reason.
Most games on the market today are fluff (imo) and really i've been quite frustrated in my search.
Today, surfing around i found: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/dragon-lords/
i don't know how to do links like some of the masters around here, but if you're looking for good strategy i think this might be it. Its play by post, once a week against other real people instead of bad AI.
Has anyone here heard of or played in a dragon lords game?
I'm just curious what others here think because I've come to really value everyones opinion.
I've asked to be put in the que for the next starting game.i don't know when that is but if anyones interested i'll post here once i've tried it out.
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Avalon Hill's Advanced Squad Leader is the best game ever. Playing it through the mail will be rough, though. Also, if you don't mind complex rules, Harpoon (same publisher) is pretty good, as is Victory Games' "Fleet" series, with 7th Fleet probably being the best.
Come to think of it, these are old titles, and are probably not in stores anymore; however, I heard that some baseball player recently bought the ASL rights, and is relaunching the game. Finally something useful coming out of baseball!
Here's the secret of the grand masters (and they're gonna' come get me for this) We go to a post where someone posted a link, hit quote and cut and paste the coding. Heh. Uh-oh I think I hear them busting down the door...
Here's the secret of the grand masters (and they're gonna' come get me for this) We go to a post where someone posted a link, hit quote and cut and paste the coding. Heh. Uh-oh I think I hear them busting down the door...
HA! True dat. Just learned this trick this year though.
Long games:
Diplomacy; no dice; all stragegy, charm and cohersion, be warned, this game is not for the faint at heart.
The aforementioned squad leader is excellent if you like war games; also axis and allies is common and fun.
short to medium:
Illuminati; hehe if you think this doesnt involve a lot of stategy your not playing with my crowd; legal cheating abounds which makes it all that much harder to win; I LOVE this game.
Settlers of Katan; depending on how you interpret the rules; this game can be murderous fun; I have played with 3 groups of people that read and interpret the rules quite differently and I can't find a flaw in any of them; sheesh; who knew grammar and paragraph structure was so wishy washy in this once game of the year.
miniature games:
Warhammer and Warhammer 40K; some people would argue that it is all dice rolling; and you can make an army that way to maximize your dice roll by percentage; but I and many of my buds think there is a lot of stragety involved; sometimes we play massive 15-20k point battles with teams and stuff; there are rules galore and your army can just look really really cool; I have several actually though I do not have the Man of Many Armies title hehe I have a bud with like 8 armies or some such; I only have 4.5 but mostly just one I play regular like.
Warning; this game can be very expensive; pick your army by your play style sure, but pick your army by your pocketbook absolutely. Cheap armies like orcs or tyranids take a lot of models meaning lot of cash outlay for miniatures; same with Imperial Guard; space marines much less models hence less money outlay.
hope this helps; course there is always chess and Goh and connect 4 and tic tac toe :)
I recently started to play Go. Fun game with very simple rules and since no 2 games are the same, an incomprehensible amount of open strategy.
I am cheap and boards are hard to come by unless you find good oriental markets so I grabbed light and dark glass beads and use a chess board (9x9, traditional is 19x19, but it works).
My only advise is find a wide range of people to play with and stay away from the yahoo sites unless you want a merciless stomping ^^.
Carcossone was a great, easy, and quick board game which involved planning ahead to get an edge on your opponents.
Miniature wargaming is always fun if you have the space. Plastic 'clix' models are cheap and fun. Warhammer is great if you have the time and don't mind arguing over rules (politics are as much a part of war as troop placement ;P).
Thanks ^^
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Long games:
Diplomacy; no dice; all stragegy, charm and cohersion, be warned, this game is not for the faint at heart.
Great game, a REAL classic.
However, this game is at its best if :- you are a total of 7 players,
- you have at least 4-5 hours ahead.
short to medium:
Settlers of Katan; depending on how you interpret the rules; this game can be murderous fun; I have played with 3 groups of people that read and interpret the rules quite differently and I can't find a flaw in any of them; sheesh; who knew grammar and paragraph structure was so wishy washy in this once game of the year.
This one is a smart game indeed !!
Once you know the rules (I didn't find them too ambiguous), you can play it in 1-1/2 to 2 hours (4 players).Careful, you need a total of at least 3 players (4 is better, or 5-6 with the extension for that number of players).
I don't know who is the publisher for this game in the States...
I have heard lots of good reviews of "Memoir '44" from Days of Wonder (crossing the traditional wargame with the simple boardgame) and it has won several prices.
It's a one-on-one.
Another great one is "ticket to ride" (US or european versions) by Days of Wonder also.
When you get to know the (simple) rules, you can play a game in about 45-60 minutes (2 to 5 players).
It has won more than 15 prices, all over the world !!
Enjoy...
What? No one has mentioned Star Fleet Battles, yet? There is a more stream lined version called Star Fleet Commander that is easier to learn and faster to play.
Avalon Hill's Advanced Squad Leader is the best game ever. Playing it through the mail will be rough, though. Also, if you don't mind complex rules, Harpoon (same publisher) is pretty good, as is Victory Games' "Fleet" series, with 7th Fleet probably being the best.
Yeah i love Advanced Squad Leader, its a good game. The learning curve makes it tough to find players though.
I played 7th Fleet once awhile ago, one of my buddies has it.
Do you know when they plan to relaunch ASL?
Here's the secret of the grand masters (and they're gonna' come get me for this)...
Thanks, I've been wondering how people do that for what seems like forever lol!
Long games:
Diplomacy; no dice; all stragegy, charm and cohersion, be warned, this game is not for the faint at heart.short to medium:
Illuminati; hehe if you think this doesnt involve a lot of stategy your not playing with my crowd; legal cheating abounds which makes it all that much harder to win; I LOVE this game.Settlers of Katan;
Is Diplomacy a board game?
Illuminati is a card game right? I thnk I've seen this around.
Iwanna get Settlers but haven't picked it up yet. My sons 12 do you think he'd like it?
ASL is a bit above and beyond him at the moment I think.
yes; diplomacy is a board game; you have a board map of the world pre world war one; you ahve starting spots and move your armies or navies around; most everyone makes copies of the world out of the book and such for calls and late night discussions; but there is a masterboard where everyones moves happen.
yes, a 12 year old can do settlers though 14 year olds do better; 12 year old is ok if there arent older teens to heckle them about why they are building roads or whatnot; they play more for fun.
Illuminati is a card game mostly; you get to see everyones cards and stuff but you dont necessarily know everyones win conditions; not specificaly a board game but is never boring and you dont have to buy and collect cards like yugi oh or somesuch.
for board games; I guess you can add Stratego to the list; good for a 12 year old; rules arent that involved and your set up an make a big difference.
GMT Games does great military strategy games- I like Paths of GLory, a WW 1 game.
If you want fantasy, go to Fantasy Flight. Their Game of Thrones board game is pretty damn solid.
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If you can get 6-7 players, and you like the Napoleonic Era, get Empires in Arms.
It's a war game that has short campaigns, or the grand campaign, where you play out 11 years of the napoleonic era one month at a time - 44 turns takes just under a year to play. I played it several times through university.
Lots of cunning diplomacy (compared to quick brutal diplomacy in Diplomacy), negotiation, hidden troop movements, and you can win without having to wipe everyone else off the map (in fact, if you are playing one of the lesser countries like Turkey or Spain, you can win simply if you avoid getting thrashed on a regular basis). And the game can take interesting twists and deviations from history (like Napoleon catching a cannon ball in 1805 ...)
Hey Archade,
How are ya? Do you think Bayshore would carry Empires? Sounds like a cool game.
I loved Stratego as a kid, I don't know why i didn't think of that. Rules aren't to much and games are fairly quick.
Is Paths of Glory scenario based? X # turns to complete so many victory points...
Thanks so much for giving me ideas everyone. Feedback and meat of information from these boards is great. Much appreciated.
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Hey Mr J! Good to hear from you.
Bayshore should have a copy of EIA. I find it to be a very cool game indeed. The fold out map takes up a dining room table - if I ever could get 6-7 people together, I'd play it in a flash (so counting you, we only need 4-5 more ...).
It is a complex AH game (refer to rule 4.1.2.15, etc), but it's definitely one you plan strategy with - the trooops you purchase and train don't show up for three months, you have to plan supply chains for your army or forage, you have to place your leaders, and when armies clash, each side secretly picks a tactic chit that determines what tables you roll on to determine casualties and morale damage.
Can you tell I like the game? :)
Settlers of Catan rocks--my 63 year old mother in law and father in law even play it. Nothing like it for family fun and family betrayal. Love it.
Harpoon is dated but very good. I still have my boxed set. You play it on your entire living room floor to get the scale right. Very complex, however.
TSR published a couple of decent board games in the late 80's called "Red Storm Rising" and the related "Hunt for Red October". Not very realistic from a wargamer's stand point, but great fun to fight out WW III.
We played the hell out of some Axis & Allies and still do, although we've explored the strategic options of the newer version as far as they will go. I bet I've played Axis & Allies a couple of hundred times over the last 20+ years.
I don't know about the Axis & Allies miniatures game. I bought the game and some boosters for a friend who doesn't like D&D any more, but he hasn't fully checked it out yet to report back to me.
Wargames by GDW (Game Designer's Workshop) are usually pretty good. My favorite: Suez '73 (The Battle for Chinese Farm)...high complexity but tons of fun to attempt the crossing of the Suez Canal by Israeli armor under murderous Egyptian artillery fire. Excellent game.
Long games:
Diplomacy; no dice; all stragegy, charm and cohersion, be warned, this game is not for the faint at heart.Great game, a REAL classic.
However, this game is at its best if :
- you are a total of 7 players,
- you have at least 4-5 hours ahead.
True, works best with lots of players. And sometimes can be rather frustrating (hint: if you are playing Germany and game starts with France, Britain and Russia starting intense negotiations, you get to go home early).
Another fun classic is Civilization, though that also works best with lots of players and lots of time.
Are you more interested in military strategy or building games? Personally I am more a builder so I like games like Carcassonne or Tigris&Euphrates, the most fun fighting games I play tend to be those a bit fluffy fun romps like History Of The World or Strange Synergy...
Nobody's mentioned a couple of my favorites: Twilight Imperium, Arkham Horror, and Fury of Dracula all by Fantasy Flight (or is it Flights of Fantasy? Can't remember...). All of these are pretty complex and take quite a while to play. First time we played Twilight Imperium, an SF strategy game, it took us a good ten hours, time we'd read through the rules and figured out what we were doing. Lots of fun.
And of course, Settlers of Catan is classic, and a whole lot of fun, too. My kids love that one.
--Fang
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Avalon Hill's Advanced Squad Leader is the best game ever. Playing it through the mail will be rough, though. Also, if you don't mind complex rules, Harpoon (same publisher) is pretty good, as is Victory Games' "Fleet" series, with 7th Fleet probably being the best.
Yeah i love Advanced Squad Leader, its a good game. The learning curve makes it tough to find players though.
I played 7th Fleet once awhile ago, one of my buddies has it.
Do you know when they plan to relaunch ASL?
As long as you keep the vehicles out of the mix, ASL is not difficult - just invite your buddies to play some East Front slugfests. Break out the 8-3-8s and the flamethrowers, and you have a party right there! The guy who told me about the relaunch apparently already has the starter box - I assume that the old modules have been extensively repackaged. I have no idea who publishes it now, but I'll ask him. 7th Fleet had the lamest geographical fleets, but had the best rules; it is a tradeoff comparing it to the other Fleets.
Also, I'll second some other games mentioned: Illuminati is great fun that a bright 12-year old would enjoy, and Empires in Arms is also very good. However, if you want a fun-for-everyone game, you can't go wrong with Junta - simple, fast and murderous!
Settlers of Catan rocks--my 63 year old mother in law and father in law even play it. Nothing like it for family fun and family betrayal. Love it.
If its good enough for the inlaws I gotta give it a try!
We played the hell out of some Axis & Allies and still do,... I bet I've played Axis & Allies a couple of hundred times over the last 20+ years.
Me 2. The older version though. I like playing Japan, building industrial complex in Saigon(forget territory name) and driving tanks for Moscow. Russian player ussually crumbles once he's fighting on 2 fronts.
Bayshore should have a copy of EIA. I find it to be a very cool game indeed. The fold out map takes up a dining room table - if I ever could get 6-7 people together, I'd play it in a flash (so counting you, we only need 4-5 more ...).
I'm popping by Bayshore on Saturday. Will take a look if they have it. Then I'll start hunting for 4-5 more people which will get us to 6-7 :)
As long as you keep the vehicles out of the mix, ASL is not difficult - just invite your buddies to play some East Front slugfests. Break out the 8-3-8s and the flamethrowers, and you have a party right there!
I think my favorite all time Scenario is the 1st one from the original box. Russia vs. Germany in Stalingrad fighting over the factory if I remember right. Russian 4-4-7s vs elite german troops. No vehicles. Good slug fest.
However, if you want a fun-for-everyone game, you can't go wrong with Junta - simple, fast and murderous!
With a name like that, I gotta ask what it is!
Are you more interested in military strategy or building games? Personally I am more a builder so I like games like Carcassonne or Tigris&Euphrates, the most fun fighting games I play tend to be those a bit fluffy fun romps like History Of The World or Strange Synergy...
Both types are interesting IMO. Military strategy is fun because you can rework or breakdown a scenario and work out what ifs or just bash your buddys troops all afternoon over a couple brews.
Builder type games are good too but I think there still has to be fighting in there somewhere cause its fun to beat on whatever it is the other guys made :)I think complexity level helps. Snakes and ladders-not for me. I'd play it with my neice though(she's 4). Monopoly- getting better. Axis and Allies-something i could play with the guys but i'm looking for something new(2 me).
but complexity isn't everything, there needs to be reasons behind why rules exist. I don't mind at all if there is a rule 14.2.61 as long as justifiable.
I guess really i'm looking on a couple levels. Something for me and the boys and something for Shane too. Not that he can't play with us but at 12 sometimes complex isn't what you're looking for.
So i think we figured it out: Something Shane will think is really cool and that will challenge him and keep his attention and something maybe a little more challenging for me. I say this now but won't it be funny if he likes the second one and kicks my but at it. Kids have a way of throwing curve balls sometimes don't they.
Sorry its so long. :)
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However, if you want a fun-for-everyone game, you can't go wrong with Junta - simple, fast and murderous!With a name like that, I gotta ask what it is!
Junta is a boardgame for 4-7 players. The players are officials in a 3rd world banana republic, and the objective is to defraud your country of as much money as possible and redirect it to your Swiss bank account. Ripe with coups, countercoups, political assassinations (always kill your opponents at the bank!) and the best replacement rule ever for dead characters ("Meet my cousin Raoul"), it is great fun AND actually quite challenging. Even my mom likes this game. More fun with 7 than 4, though, which poses its own unique problems...
As my previous game recommendations, it is kinda old, but it should not be too hard to find a copy.
For those interested, ASL is now liscensed by Multiman Publishing. It is financed by Curt Schilling who is an avid ASL player. They also bought out The Gamers game company a few years ago and publish their titles as well. Anyway, Multiman Publishing has a decent web presence and should be checked out.
Thanks for the info Stoner.
For those interested, ASL is now liscensed by Multiman Publishing. It is financed by Curt Schilling who is an avid ASL player. They also bought out The Gamers game company a few years ago and publish their titles as well. Anyway, Multiman Publishing has a decent web presence and should be checked out.
Yeah, Multiman has got a pretty good site (multimanpublishing.com I believe). More importantly, they are now releasing Advanced Squad Leader starter packs that slowly build the rules set as you play it, kind of like the Paratrooper box set that had the ASL bootcamp from waaaay back. Now seems like a good time to jump in without heavily investing in the mammoth (but cool as hell) 3 ring binder rules book which is fairly expensive if I recall.
Oh, I also think the first 3 scenarios around the tractor factory in Stalingrad are the best too! Love them flamethrowers!