Game Recommendations
This is a spot to post asking for recommendations. The more specific with what you're looking for, the better recommendations you can get from other users.
by philryuh | updated 15 days ago
After reading over all of the recommendations from @Skurvy5 @lanista @R0land1199 @Courageous Bob @theDL @lievendv @nealkfrank @sdirrane @Marshwiggle92, I watched one video for each of the three games mentioned: #Star Wars: Outer Rim, #Star Wars Imperial Assault, and #Star Wars: Rebellion. Here are my first impressions/my first gut reactions:
Outer Rim
I was actually a little surprised that this is the newest game amongst the three. Maybe it's because of all of the cardboard but it had a dated look to it. At first glance, the gameplay doesn't seem as gripping or fun as the other two games. And most of all, it's the least attractive in terms of theme because bounty hunters, mercenaries, and smugglers are so far removed in the latest sequel trilogy (which is what got my wife interested in Star Wars). I can't imagine my wife liking the theme and I also don't feel much connection to it either.
Imperial Assault
To me, this looks like the best game for a "surface level" Star Wars fan. The gameplay looks the most fun in a way that is more lighthearted and adventurous, and comes with great minis that evoke the theme. But it also comes with several concerns:
1. I'd only want to play this co-op and while there is an app for that, I'm not sure how compelling it will be going against a bot especially since this wasn't an original part of the game.
2. I'm not sure how fiddly this game could come off to us while handling all of the different units, tokens/modifiers, app, etc.
3. My wife and I typically play games at a slightly slower pace than average estimations. Add to this the fact that it's a longer setup game than most games in our collection, it might be a stretch on our preferred time limit (under 2 hours). But, at least at first glance, the experience seems worth it and that's how I feel about #Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated too.
Rebellion
Seems like a great game but three things stood out:
1. Too long (as many of you pointed out)
2. The way combat is resolved seems rather disappointing/anti-climatic (apparently this is addressed in an expansion)
3. I see that this game was marketed as telling your own Star Wars story. And it seems to accomplish this by having players make decisions that lead to events that are completely jumbling up the known Star Wars timeline. I really like this idea but it also made me think that it would be nice if there were a Star Wars themed #Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated. Clank! Legacy features a scenario book that players will constantly reference whenever an event is triggered, and the event presents players with a number of choices that will impact that game session which will then trickle down to influence all future sessions. It's lighthearted yet great at building up the world and I liked that a lot.
Final Thoughts
Imperial Assault seems to be the right call for us. I don't see this happening for at least a year, but there's potential and that's the furthest any mini game has ever gotten in my book haha
by Shekinah | updated 2 months ago
Ok yáll. I'm a board game novice trying to find a good 3-6 player game to play (besides Catan, Ticket to Ride, Monopoly, and Codenames). Any ideas?
(The more challenging the game, the better)
(But also easy enough to teach myself the basics)
I thought a thread on recommending games could be fun. I've got a few games on my wishlist I could get next but I'm not sure. I'm thinking about
- Scythe
- Viticulture
- Welcome To...
Any recommendation on what to get first or maybe a good worker placement game you'd recommend?
I like the recommendation thread on Reddit and though I'd start one here! Post what kind of games you like and what you're looking for and others can respond with recommendations!
by philryuh | updated 2 months ago
Yesterday, I made a post asking for recommendations on games I could play with my wife. Here's a bit of an update on that.
First, let me give you a bit of background and some clarifications. Anna got introduced to modern board games through me this year. Before Thanksgiving, her experience with games included Love Letter, Azul, Santorini, Skull, Just One, Welcome To, and a few other games.
Then Thanksgiving came around and she had her first experience of Catan (mine as well)--and she loved it! Since then, I've been asking her a lot of questions (probably too many or too often) to find out more about her preferences. And I learned that Anna heavily favors games with player interactions.
Now, just so that you don't misunderstand, Anna clarified that she still likes games like Welcome To because it's a great game for a relaxing downtime--after all, who would be constantly in the mood for a brain-melting, cut-throaty, or whatever type of game? (I'm probably asking the wrong crowd here). But in general, she is way more interested in games with interaction in various forms (e.g. Just One, Skull, Catan), where there's the exchanging/trading/taking away of cards, decision-making that affects other players, observing how different people make choices, etc.
And since Catan, Anna has been introduced to two more games that helped me grasp to what degree she wants her games to have player interaction:
Test #1 - Quacks of Quedlinburg (basically zero interaction)
- I tried this out thinking maybe some games could be potentially too good that she wouldn't mind not having any player interaction at all--I was wrong. She didn't find it as enjoyable that all she had to do was to focus on her own board/pot and that there's basically zero need to be aware of what the other person is doing.
- On a side note, we took a long time to finish the game because we had to stretch it out into three different sessions throughout the day. If we were to play again and took around 45 min, maybe she might enjoy it as much as she enjoys Welcome To? Maybe, maybe not, but definitely not as fun as Catan was to her.
Test #2 - Wingspan (has limited player interaction)
- Anna got her first game of Wingspan in tonight, and I could immediately tell how she felt about the game afterwards--good, but still doesn't scratch that itch from the kind of enjoyment she got from Catan. She also mentioned that she liked Wingspan more than Quacks because it seemed like a deeper game with more dimensions. I'm pretty sure she'll like Wingspan even more after giving it a second play because she was starting to understand what it means to build an engine (Anna won by the way haha).
Future Test #3 - Viticulture (another step up in player interaction)
- I'm going to try to get it out this week.
- Elements of player action include choosing the wake-up time, blocking your opponent's workers from taking certain action spaces, and visitor cards that could affect the other players)
- It'd be great if she likes Viticulture because it's one of my favorite games.
- I have a feeling that Anna would like it especially when played with more than two players.
Again, this doesn't mean Anna thought any of these games were bad. They just didn't have that same type of fun she liked in Catan. For now, I think I should avoid games that (1) only have individual player boards since that often suggests limited player interactions like in Quacks and Wingspan, and (2) look for games with a modular board, route/network building, and maybe even tile placement mechanics.
Based on previous recommendations, I am thinking about Carcassonne and also trying out Forbidden Island with her to see if co-ops could be our thing, but if you can think of any good two player games similar to Catan, let me know!
Lastly, this gives me high hopes for being able to play Root with her some day! :)
by NicholasBrimer | updated 2 months ago
Games I currently have:
Settlers of Catan + 5-6 Player Extension
Ultamite Werewolf Deluxe Edition
The Resistance + Hidden Agenda Expansion
100's of MTG Cards (Mostly EDH Format)
Family Business
Coup
Captain Sonar
I would love to get some more 3-8 player games that are cooperative or possibly quite long in time, maybe Eldritch Horror or games like it.
Thanks!
So I've been thinking about the games with which to start a collection.
It occurred to me that when starting my collection, price was a very big deal. So tell me good games $25 or under. They don't have to be just for new gamers.
Edit: please don't bring up roll and writes. Not because they aren't good, but otherwise that is all we will get.
My wife has very fond memories of playing Age of Empires on the PC when she was a kid. And well, this comes up quite frequently. I'd talk about a game that involves players leading a unique faction, and she'll ask "is it like Age of Empires?" with a spark of curiosity. I've only played AoE a couple of times so I know the general feeling that she's wanting, but I wanted to ask for help in finding that perfect board game translation!
My "requirements" are:
- Under 3 hours of gameplay. I'd typically say under 2 hours but that tends to be rare in games of this genre. So if the epic experience is totally worth that extra hour, then I'd be down! But still, it really would be great if there's a game that captures the feel of AoE and under 2 hours
- Should feel like it was made for 2 players. I'd avoid games that play decently at 2p but make you feel like you're just playing the inferior version
- Should include a board. I've learned that I don't like civilization/city building games that are completely represented by cards only. Feels way too abstract
- Should have decent amount of player interaction. My wife doesn't like games that make you feel like you're just parallel playing. Direct player conflict is okay too
- In terms of BGG's complexity rating, I'd look for something that's between 2.5 and 3.8
- Ideally not too fiddly
Well, that's it! Am I asking for too much here? xD......
To give more context, #Root surprisingly went well because she really liked the asymmetry of the factions and the feeling of progression throughout the gameplay. It also helped that there are a lot of euro mechanics that drive the factions, since we tend to play lots of euros. Unfortunately, the faction combinations are limited when you only have the base game and it's just 1v1. I could add in bots to balance things out but I prefer not having to run bots when gaming with my wife. I could also buy the expansions to get our hands on the factions that are ideal for 1v1 play, but it seems like a waste when I know multiplayer sessions will be rare for us.
I could also see #Scythe being a great candidate here, and perhaps the best one for us. I've seen plenty of mentions around various communities that Scythe plays well at 2p, even though it's not the best experience. I also remember looking at #Northgard: Uncharted Lands's Kickstarter and thinking it could be promising. The 4X games that claim accessibility (shorter gameplay) and ones that have deck-building mechanics seemed like they could work well.
Thanks in advance! :)
by philryuh | updated 2 months ago
The time has come. Well, not really. I'm not planning on buying anything until 2021 but I do want to hear your thoughts.
First, what brought this up?
My wife and I watched the first hour of the latest Star Wars movie last night and we'll be watching the rest tonight. There are parts that made me go "hmmm interesting" and it's a sequel that makes me miss some of the elements of the older movies but overall, it's great entertainment. Anyway, my wife has never watched any of the originals or the prequels, so I got to introduce her to the world first through Rogue One, then the sequels 7 and 8, and now 9. And once again, I was surprised by her level of curiosity when it comes to learning about the Star Wars lore. I'd answer her questions about Kylo Ren's family background, mention things related to Darth Vader and his plunge into the Dark Side, Palpatine's manipulation, and other plot points with my limited knowledge. This made me wonder if I should get a Star Wars game in the future.
What I am looking for/our typical preferences:
- 2-2.5 hours max gameplay time. 2.5 Hours is our absolute limit
- We like midweight euros with thematic connections in the mechanics. If it's not too thematic, we're okay if the mechanics of the game has a strong hook. We're not too interested in lighter games and we also don't prefer games that are way too complex and have too much rules overhead
- We like player interaction and feeling of progression throughout gameplay. Because of this, a game with a common board/map tends to go well for us
- It'd be great if it has a solo mode because my wife and I don't game together very often. We used to, but nowadays we'll have a 2p session maybe once a month, or sometimes once in two months
- I'm looking for a game that is rich with Star Wars theme, one that actually makes you immersed in the lore
Thanks in advance for the help :)
I have chosen to plug some board game media that I think everyone should check out.
Firstly, I have three podcasts.
- So Very Wrong About Games. I really enjoy this podcast, it is full of humor and sharp, biting commentary. I don't agree with all of their conclusions but, they have helped me understand what I like in games. And, furthermore, their coverage of games is such that I can usually understand whether or not I will like a game, irrespective on whether or not they do.
- Board Game Barrage. This is three friends, with differing tastes in gaming, who get together and talk about games. I really enjoy the interaction, and the dialog format is very valuable.
- I am going to recomend Solosaurus. It is a fairly young podcast, and they are a little stuffier than some of the other choices on my playlist. But they have good thoughtful commentary on single player board and card games that I, as a solo gamer, find very helpful.
Now I would like to recomend 3 blogs.
- Space Biff is hands down my favorite blogger/review. He reviews games I am interested in, but he is also a consumate writer. I highly and unreservedly recomend checking him out at https://spacebiff.com/. I read his reviews, if he has one, of every game I am interested in.
- https://meeplelikeus.co.uk/ is a blog with a focus on accesibility. I find their commentary very interesting and thought provoking.
- https://stidjenplayssolo.wordpress.com/ What can I say, I enjoy solo gameing, and this is my favorite solo gameing blog that I have found.
Finally, I want to recomend Ricky Royal's Box of delights youtube channel. His playthroughs are mostly solo, but they are the best playthroughs on the internet, at least of the ones I have found.
Anyways, I recomend all of these, aknowledging that I do disagree with some of their viewpoints. I highly encourage ya'll check them out. Shout out what you want to recomend in the comments below.
Has anyone played Shobu before? It's a game that immediately caught my eyes since I used to play Go a lot as a kid. It gives off an elegant vibe and I have a feeling I'll like it since I love strategy, the components look satisfying to play with, and seems like a quick play.
For those who like abstracts, see Ben's post here from a few days ago!
I've got Viticulture with Tuscany and Feast for Odin. What's another really good worker placement game I should get?
Not sure if anyone has asked this before...but if you could only ever have one board game what would it be? *Expansions are allowed!*
Probably the hardest non-important question I have ever asked myself...You may have to dig deep into your soul for this one.
As you have probably noticed, I won the last GAW here on BGA. Yay.....
I finally decided to get my prize in the form of a GameNerdz gift certificate, now I am trying to decide what to buy with it. But, firstly, I should lay out some information for your consideration.
A week or so ago, I canceled a preorder I had for #Greenland (Third Edition). The more I looked into it, the more I thought that it wasn't for me. That gave me a little over $30 store credit. Add that to the almost $20 I had left over from my last win...... Once I get my gift certificate from GameNerdz I will have $110.50 to spend there. That sounds like a lot of fun to me.....
So, the question is, what should I get?
I am primarily a solo player.
I am most interested in historical themes. But generally speaking am not a huge fan of more modern historical theme. I am also just fine with a good euro, financial, or even a dice chucking themefest.
I am ok with pretty complex games, and I am ok with running a AI.
I really am not interested in "generic fantasy."
I am ok with spending it all on one game, but, I would prefer buying 2 or more games.
If I am buying multiple games, I would consider buying some multiplayer games.
I am ok with doing preorders.
So, in your opinion, what should I get from GameNerdz? I can't promise I will get it, but, I can promise I will at least look into it.
There is nothing better than having your brain melted by a solid board game, but sometimes you might want to keep your brain intact or you just dont have the time to play a 1-3 hour game. Sometimes it is refreshing to just pull out a small box game that is just a deck of cards and play a game in under 10-20 minutes.
Do you have any card games that appeal to when time does not allow for brain-melting? Or do absolutely dispise small-medium card games?
Rule for this post: Game must only have a max of 1 component other than the cards. 2 or more components can be considered "honorary mentions" lol
My friends have been playing Among Us night after night. I haven't joined in yet but I did watch a few YouTube videos to get an idea of what it's about. And it looks like a lot of fun! With elements of murder mystery, deduction, hidden traitor, I can see why it's been booming in popularity.
So with that said, what are some board games that best create the same vibe on a game night? Also, how do you feel about hidden traitor games? Are you good at it? Or does your smile start twitching like mine lol
So my dad has a decent collection of games he played while in college and later in life, mostly WW2 themed or historical. He still has an interest to play those but mostly time and responsibilities limit him. It's been probably decades since he's bought a new game though and I'd like to gift him one. I'd like for him to get a taste of modern board game design with a theme he enjoys. I definitely share his interest in theme so I'm not a stranger to some of those strategy games having played a few while growing up.
Anyway I'd be interested to see if anyone can offer recommendations based on this. It would be very important for the game to be able to be played solo since apart from me he wouldn't play with anyone else. Some games in his collection are :#Eastern Front,#Panzer Leader or#Panzer Blitz: The Game of Armored Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-45. There's also another Roman empire themed I can't quite remember the name, I'll edit later.
Edit:#Conquest of the Empire is the name
by philryuh | updated 2 months ago
I'm writing this to get some recommendations/predictions from everyone!
Some of you may remember but my wife's first #1 game was #Catan from 2019 Thanksgiving, which opened her eyes to the world of board games. Then it got overthrown a few months later by #Viticulture: Essential Edition and #Tuscany: Essential Edition (our favorite game to play together). Since then, a few games came close but it hasn't happened yet.
Here are the other games in our collection that came close:
- #Root - We still need to get in games vs. bots and see how we like it. She also wants to try out the other factions (only played as the Cats so far). I predict 2p gameplay won't ever reach the point of overthrowing Viticulture/Tuscany as our #1.
- #Clans of Caledonia - This is very close, but hasn't happened yet. There's still a possibility after repeat plays but I suspect it will fall short of becoming our #1. If there's a great expansion in the future that's on par with how much new content Tuscany added to Viticulture, that would be perfect.
So give me your predictions! Do you think any of these games below in my wishlist may overthrow it? If not, are there other games out there that you think will accomplish this feat?
- #Agricola (Revised Edition)
- #Concordia
- #Keyflower
- #The Isle of Cats
- #Brass: Birmingham
- #Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
by Marshwiggle92 | updated 2 months ago
I have been falling deep into the hole of Pax games, I don't have any, nor have I played any. I think that will change this year. One of the things that intrigue me is that they have big, full sized game experiences in teeny tiny boxes. For instance, #Pax Emancipation is a weight 4.49 on BGG, has a 60-120 minute play time, and comes in a 5x5x2 inch box.
As I thought about my tastes, and needs, I realized I love the idea of big games in small boxes. For instance, #Innovation is a full game in a tiny box, same with #Impulse Card Game......
So, what do you think of when you think of big "feature" games in small boxes? I realize that the Garphill trillogies would fit this. They all have a 9x9 inch box. What can you think of that is even smaller?
I love super fillers. I characterize these as games that you can play in under 45 minutes but have a lot of quality deep decision space.
I don't really care if there is a learning curve or not.
An example for me would be #Race for the Galaxy. Once you learn it, and there is a learning curve, you can easily whip out a game in inner 45 minutes. If you are playing two player you can play two games in 45 minutes. But there are a lot of bigger longer games that don't offer as much good decision space.
What are your recommendations?
Ok, so I was about to buy Welcome To but wanted to add one more game to avoid the shipping costs. Now I need to figure out which game would be the best to play with my wife Anna.
Here's some info:
- Needs do have lots of interaction and must play well for two players (it will probably be played 2p ~80% of the time).
- Anna has limited experience but I could see that she's open to and can handle medium-light weight games. I'd say a game like Viticulture should be the max in terms of complexity.
- Speaking of Viticulture, I honestly have no idea how she'll feel about the game when we try it out this week (hopefully). The game has interactive elements in terms of blocking each other from certain actions, but I don't know if this is the sort of interaction she'd find enjoyable/fun. I feel like it'll also be a test of whether she just prefers these types of games in a bigger group.
- Based on her comments on past games we've played with others, I could see that she ultimately enjoys the aspects of interacting with other players and also seeing others' personalities come into play. So games like Quacks was a miss, while she liked games like Skull and got really into Catan.
- In case anyone's wondering, while she likes games that are interactive, it's not like that's all she wants to play. She likes Welcome To for a fun, short, relaxing game time. I'm specifically wanting a recommendation for the other side of the spectrum.
Thanks! Hoping to get Viticulture out this week and give everyone an update. I have a feeling this will give me a clear idea of her preferences. If she doesn't like Viticulture, that will be a quite a bummer because it's one of my favorites.
I see that Porta Nigra is at an all time low. Anybody here play it? Is it worth $10-15 from cool stuff Inc?
Today is the 30th anniversary of when the Berlin Wall effectively ceased to function. The guards opened the gates to a flood of people. This is clearly a important point in world history. I am curious if there are any games specifically about the Berlin Wall? I imagine that there are games that incorporate it as a part of the game. But I'm wondering if there is something specifically about the wall and the forces that led to its fall.
by trentellingsen | updated 2 months ago
I've really enjoyed the shared board and alternate play of Root a lot recently and would love to know what other games have mechanics like this that are good.
I have recently fallen in love with the idea of #Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy. This is the second edition of #Eclipse. It is a big beautiful 4x game. It looks like what would happen if TI4 and a economic euro game had a baby. It doesn't have a dedicated solo mode, but I am not planning on being only a solo gamer for the rest of my life. The first edition, #Eclipse, had user created solo variant that was decently well regarded. It is a weight that I can get my group back home to play. It is short enough that I think I can get them to play it. When Covid is not a thing, I go back 1-? times a year anyways. All this to say, I am seriously thinking about saving up for when it becomes more readily available in retail.
Do any of you have any experience with this? How about the first edition? Have any of you played that? How about comparisons between 1E and 2E, do any of you have opinions about that. To be honest, the component quality and the in-box storage solutions are massive reasons for me to wish to go with the second edition.
by Marshwiggle92 | updated 2 months ago
A few days ago I asked about the "Pax series" of games. Specifically I asked about #Pax Porfiriana, and if anybody had played it. The more I look into this whole series the more intrigued I am. I love the ideas behind them, I love that they come in small boxes but have full sized gameplay, I love the historical aspect. So, had anybody hear played any of the pax games? What did you think of them? Do you recommend them? Which are your favorites?
My current order of interest is:
P. S.
I'm sorta interested #Greenland (Third Edition) by Sierra Madre Games. Anybody ever play it?
by Marshwiggle92 | updated 2 months ago
I just played my first three games of #CIV: Carta Impera Victoria. I played all three games two player. I won two and lost one. I ended up being quite