Board Gaming Era |OT| (Mostly) Unplugged Gaming

[ParityBit]

I don't know anything about your tastes, but I just played a family level game that I really enjoyed. I ended up buying 2 copies which I'll gift, and I'll be buying it for myself later too.

Dungeon Academy. It's really quite fun, incredibly simple to learn and play.

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What are games she loves? What type of feelings/experiences does she aopreciate?

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Okay, I am sorry about the lightweight post! I was so tired. We love to play co-ops and she is not a fan of direct conflict. She likes Azul, and Dominion for example. We play patchwork and Jaipur. We also played Kudomo and Wingspan. So we are all over the place. A good theme would help also.

She does not care for heavy hitters though. She sees anything more than 12+ and she gets leery.

 

[Toma]

Okay, I am sorry about the lightweight post! I was so tired. We love to play co-ops and she is not a fan of direct conflict. She likes Azul, and Dominion for example. We play patchwork and Jaipur. We also played Kudomo and Wingspan. So we are all over the place. A good theme would help also.

She does not care for heavy hitters though. She sees anything more than 12+ and she gets leery.

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That gives a pretty good impression. :)

Legends of Andor is a cool and good feely Coop title that opens the door for more miniature style coop games. Fantasy Theme worked well due to setting/items/pictures.

If you are up for a story focussed game, Tales of Arabian Nights / Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective are "different" from normal boardgames as they focus more on the storytelling. In Tales you develop a story/characters and it kinda feels like telling your own fairy tale, whereas Sherlock Holmes gives you textual clues and hints to find a culprit in London. Extremely strong theme due to the story nature.

If you want a thinky game that subtly goes in the direction of chess style tactics: Hive. Its a game with bugs that have different movements, it can get relatively deep but I know a few people for whom it was a good gateway to abstract strategy games.

Going by your games, I absolutely recommend Paperback. Its a fantastic game where you build words with different combinations/point possibilities. My girlfriend absolutely adores that game. Also has a coop variant.

Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a very evocative game where you build your own castles where the rooms make a certain amount of points depending on the location/setup of your castle/planning. Also highly recommended and should be a great fit as it feels rather special.

 

[Joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Is there any consensus on the best Catan expansion?

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You'll gt a lot of love for Seafarers. I think it's good, just more of the same, my personal favorite is Cities and Knights. Keep in mind that it will greatly lengthen the game, but I think there is enough good stuff in there that I am not too bothered by the game length.

 

[clockworkinyou]

So I'm just about ready to post an OT for Marvel Champions but don't have the slightest clue for a title. Someone help me out. :)

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Marvel Champions LCG OT - Thanoscopter will be an expansion

 

[ParityBit]

So one thing my wife mentioned was a "grid" to track games we played. It's like a 5x5 grid or.... Something. I think she saw the idea on BBG but I can't find reference to it anywhere.

This is a way to keep track of what games you played and to make sure you play the same games enough without jumping around. I assume also to know which games you want to keep or dump.

Anyone have a clue?

 

[GrimGrinningGuy]

I got Sorcerer City today. Really looking forward to this.
amyone ever use master of the boards before? For missed kick starters? That's how I got this I preordered a few months ago. They got it and shipped it out to me the next day. Extremely happy. No idea how they make money as it was $79 shipped priority from them. The kick starter was 77$ shipped. No clue how they didn't lose money on it but works out for me

 

[Chromie]

So one thing my wife mentioned was a "grid" to track games we played. It's like a 5x5 grid or.... Something. I think she saw the idea on BBG but I can't find reference to it anywhere.

This is a way to keep track of what games you played and to make sure you play the same games enough without jumping around. I assume also to know which games you want to keep or dump.

Anyone have a clue?

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Well there is the BG stats app. Is there a reason you want to do it on a grid?

The app itself will sync with your BGG account as well.

 

[MovieFlask]

So I want to pick up a game for my wife. One of my presents is to make a game grid and list a few games so we play them multiple times. We have a lot of games! But I want to add a new one to the grid. What is a popular new one? Any suggestions?

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Not sure of what you guys like to play, but Cartographers is a new roll-and-write (flip-and-write technically) that my wife and I like. It's made by the individuals that created Roll Player.

I wanted to add another to the list of good 2-player games. We like Lost Cities, Jaipur, The Fox and the Forest among others, but one I don't see mentioned much is Odin's Ravens. It's $20 on Amazon, and although not the deepest game, there's some strategy with the Loki cards and the artwork is beautiful. Plus, little raven meeples.

Some great suggestions by Toma as well.

 

[BrokenMill]

So one thing my wife mentioned was a "grid" to track games we played. It's like a 5x5 grid or.... Something. I think she saw the idea on BBG but I can't find reference to it anywhere.

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It's the 10 x 10 game challenge. There are several different versions available, but here's one:

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/658515419/2019-10-x-10-board-game-challenge-game

The idea is to choose 10 games at the start of the year and then try to play them all 10 times.

 

[ParityBit]

Oh that is good! I can make a smaller one. She wants to cycle old games so we have room for new ones. Especially since we buy so many and only play them once.... If that

On that note, I want to find a 5x5 version. Anywhere else to get a board like this for Xmas? Otherwise I will have to make one.

Thanks for the game options! I ended up getting Everdell. I had it narrowed down but theme is something I think she would enjoy.

 

[nicoga3000]

I'm thinking of grabbing some Keyforge stuff to try it out with a buddy who LOVES MtG. Is there a suggested "purchase"? Just the latest starter set and a few extra decks for variety?

 

[ParityBit]

Okay I picked up a 5x5 from Etsy. I hope it comes in time (it says it will) and that it looks good.

 

[Fonst]

So one thing my wife mentioned was a "grid" to track games we played. It's like a 5x5 grid or.... Something. I think she saw the idea on BBG but I can't find reference to it anywhere.

This is a way to keep track of what games you played and to make sure you play the same games enough without jumping around. I assume also to know which games you want to keep or dump.

Anyone have a clue?

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if you have an iOS device, us BGStats. It costs a few bucks but it will track as much info as you put into it. The games you play, where, with whom, roles/characters you play, win by winning or by points, etc. And then it keeps track of this information to review whenever. It will sync to your BGG profile. For $1 or so more, you can unlock custom challenges like 10x10, 5x5, 5x2, or whatever number you want. You can do it hardcore and not be able to change it as you go or change as you go.

 

[xeris]

I'm thinking of grabbing some Keyforge stuff to try it out with a buddy who LOVES MtG. Is there a suggested "purchase"? Just the latest starter set and a few extra decks for variety?

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You can do that and the newest starter set is quite nice. However, it's also perfectly doable to just buy a couple decks and proxy the tokens you need. Coming from MtG y'all might already have land tokens that can do double duty. Also, the rules in the starter sets can most charitably be described as quick start and are missing a fair amount beyond the basics and keyword definitions. You'll want to pull the latest update from the website and have a quick skim of it most likely.

For what it's worth, My wife and I love the game and we have something like 30-40 decks between us, which is way more than the average bear would need.

 

[Deleted member 49179]

So what do you think were your most played games this year?

For me I think it was something like:
1. Azul (with the family)
2. Tapestry
3. A Feast for Odin
4. Eldritch Horror
5. This War of Mine

 

[Fonst]

So what do you think were your most played games this year?

For me I think it was something like:
1. Azul (with the family)
2. Tapestry
3. A Feast for Odin
4. Eldritch Horror
5. This War of Mine

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1. Black Hole Council
2. Draftosaurus
3. Burke's Gambit
4. Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition
5. Too Many Bones

 

[Spookie]

*checks app*

1. Dice Throne
2. Arkham Horror LCG
3. 1889
4. Aeons End
5. Great Western Trail

DT makes sense as we play that when drunk and AH also makes sense as we did a campaign. Nice to see an 18XX's in my top three though! 1889 is fucking incredible and everyone should play it.

 

[XShagrath]

My top 10 is all over the place this year. Dominated by a lot of short games, since I've started to play games with my mom when I visit.

1. Second Chance (37)
2. Arkham Horror LCG (32)
3. Timeline (18)
4. Aeon's End: Legacy (9)
5. Codenames: Duet (8)
6. Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth (7)
6. Space Base (7)
8. Chronicles of Crime (6)
8. Gloomhaven (6)
8. Point Salad (6)
8. The Quacks of Quedlinburg (6)

Played a total of 78 games so far this year, and I'm sure that number will jump up before the end.

 

[TheMathyFolf]

Most played of 2019

1. Charterstone
2. Sagrada
3. Architects of the West Kingdom
4. Machi Koro Legacy
5. 5 Tribes

 

[Deleted member 4452]

Games I played 10+ times this year:

Race for the Galaxy 66
Carcassonne 23
Quirky Circuits 19
Aeon's End (Legacy and New Age) 15
Castles of Burgundy 15
Sprawlopolis 14
Gloomhaven 13
High Society 12
Arkham LCG (Path to Carcosa) 11
Dominion 10
Dungeon Alliance 10

 

[Futabaisthebest<3]

For Canadian peeps like me, Amazon will have a big sale for board games. If you dislike Amazon for some (good) reasons, Bestbuy is covered it.

It may not apply to you, but I'm pretty sure it compatiable with your country as well.

 

[Natiko]

*checks app*

1. Dice Throne
2. Arkham Horror LCG
3. 1889
4. Aeons End
5. Great Western Trail

DT makes sense as we play that when drunk and AH also makes sense as we did a campaign. Nice to see an 18XX's in my top three though! 1889 is fucking incredible and everyone should play it.

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How is Dice Throne? I ran across it for the first time the other day and was interested in it, but the cost seemed really high for what it is.

 

[JSR_Cube]

How is Dice Throne? I ran across it for the first time the other day and was interested in it, but the cost seemed really high for what it is.

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I think it is a great 2 player game but I don't enjoy it as much at other player counts. Also, if you don't have to have the latest version, I bet there will be a lot of first editions for sale cheap after the kickstarter is fulfilled as lots of people replaced the first edition with the new one.

 

[nuffDREW4two]

Hmm, I think my top 5 played this year would be:

1. Gloomhaven - finished the campaign
2. Arkham Horror TCG - Night of the Zealot and Dunwich campaigns, as well as a bunch of standalone. We'll start Carcosa after Xmas.
3. The Grizzled Armistice Edition - played through the campaign. Gonna sell it since I've got the original and the expansion.
4. Samurai Spirit
5. Wingspan

 

[Futabaisthebest<3]

What was the name of app/game that have many selections for board games?

I know Tabletop Simulation have one from Steam, but I want more than that.

 

[nuffDREW4two]

Tabletopia or Vassal might be what you're thinking about.

 

[mclem]

I've only had a window for regular gaming towards the end of this year, so I'm still not playing things much - although all being well, it should increase significantly next year - although my regular gaming groups are leaning towards the casual, so my next step is to wean them onto slightly more complicated things.

From this year's perspective:

1. Arkham Horror LCG - Played the Core a lot solo, but was waiting for a regular group to start on Dunwich. Hoping I can form something regular for that out of our weekly group.
2. Incan Gold - Still a game I can bring pretty much anywhere and people can have fun with it
3. Codenames - Always a big hit for any audience, provided we have the team numbers available.
4. Friday - Back to solo, don't play it much these days but went through a spell where I always kept it readily to hand.
5. Marvel Champions - Recent, of course, but in a similar state to Arkham LCG.

There's also a ton of one-offs as I try to introduce the regular group to a breadth of games to try to zero in to what works for what sorts of groups - Sushi Go Party, Galaxy Trucker, Pandemic, Jaipur, Werewords, Deep Sea Adventure, Qwixx all spring to mind for now.

 

[Deleted member 49179]

Ars Technica just released their 2019 board game guide:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/12/ars-technicas-ultimate-board-game-gift-guide-2019-edition/

 

[Futabaisthebest<3]

Just ordered The Mind Game and Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space for myself, and my dad also will gift me a Gloomhaven one for Christmas.

It's gonna be a great experience for me.

 

[Polioliolio]

Did a lightning round of unplayed games last night. Here's the results:


Vasty Wilds: Kickstarted this a while back, mainly for the amazing art, never played it till tonight. The art is so good, the components are pretty cool, but the game is just barely there, and boring. You're racing to collect your tokens and you try to send others back to the home spot. This one's going on the trade pile.


Garden Eel Go: Looked like a dumb cute thing that might not have any substance, but it's actually so quick and fun, I was pleasantly surprised with it.
Definitely hanging onto this one, and will be bringing it out more.


Visitor in Blackwood Grove: I was worried this one was a stinker, but it was fun enough that we played it 5 times in succession. The problem is, it feels broken in that almost always the agents win because of an all repel guess. From now on, I think we need to incorporate the house rule of requiring 5-6 cards for the prove action, or do a double prove. I plan on bringing this one out more often now that I know how fun it can be.

 

[ArkkAngel007]

Been playing a bit more Tapestry, both in small groups and a full table. Overall the experience has improved, though it was a bit disappointing that the individual who introduced me to Scythe and took well to Wingspan was quite cold on the game at the end of the last session. He'll give it another shot, so hopefully it will go better with some advice on synergy now that he has the basics down and maybe with a 3-4 player game where the downtime isn't as bad.

I'm hoping to get around to trying out Rising Sun, Terror Below, and Star Wars Rebellion (w/expansion) in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Lyng]

Next week I am writing my review for Maracaibo. The translations for Tapestry and Maracaibo will be posted later this month or early next year. Impressions of Maracaibo: Very solid core game. Campaign is a huge miss.

 

[JSR_Cube]

We played Caylus 1303 last night. It was our first game. If you liked the original, you should give it a shot. It's streamlined but in a good way.

We've also been enjoying Marco Polo II for those who have the original, you should check it out as well.

Waiting for my Maracaibo pre-order to show up. Lyng, it is interesting to hear that the campaign is a huge miss. I've heard positive reviews from others about it. It's not a true full campaign that you have to follow, right so I imagine that if you want to just play the base game, you can ignore it, right?

 

[Toma]

Aeons End vs Gloomhaven

We played Caylus 1303 last night. It was our first game. If you liked the original, you should give it a shot. It's streamlined but in a good way.

We've also been enjoying Marco Polo II for those who have the original, you should check it out as well.

Waiting for my Maracaibo pre-order to show up. Lyng, it is interesting to hear that the campaign is a huge miss. I've heard positive reviews from others about it. It's not a true full campaign that you have to follow, right so I imagine that if you want to just play the base game, you can ignore it, right?

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I got the impression Marco Polo is more of the same and I didnt really know why I should replace MP1 with it. How would you compare the two and why would both deserve shelf space?

 

[Cappa]

So what do you think were your most played games this year?

For me I think it was something like:
1. Azul (with the family)
2. Tapestry
3. A Feast for Odin
4. Eldritch Horror
5. This War of Mine

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For me

1)Gaia Project
2)Terraforming Mars
3)marvel legendary
4)Everything 18xx related
5)Feudum

 

[JSR_Cube]

I got the impression Marco Polo is more of the same and I didnt really know why I should replace MP1 with it. How would you compare the two and why would both deserve shelf space?

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It's a fair question and I still have both. Right now, I would prefer MP2. I think that MP2 is really MP1.5. Many of the mechanics are the same and you could use some of the characters and cards from MP1. I think what I like about it so far (3 plays of MP2 vs. 20 plays of MP) is that with fewer constraints there aren't obvious spots for first turn placement. I prefer how both the movement and the market are handled in MP2. I also like the goal cards better from MP2.

Here's JonGetsGames impression of MP2.

https://youtu.be/-YsF4F_IBIM?t=1449

I agree with what he's saying for MP2. It's less frustrating and more fun. Of course, these are early impressions so far.. only three games in.

 

[mclem]

Slightly bizarre question as I try to figure out Christmas:

How heavy is My Little Scythe. By which I mean literal weight?

I suspect it might be too complex for my nieces, but I'd be tempted to buy it for them and try it - and then if it doesn't work, take it back with me. But that means taking it on a lengthy flight, with the various weight restrictions that that would suggest.

 

[Lyng]

Waiting for my Maracaibo pre-order to show up. Lyng, it is interesting to hear that the campaign is a huge miss. I've heard positive reviews from others about it. It's not a true full campaign that you have to follow, right so I imagine that if you want to just play the base game, you can ignore it, right?

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yep thankfully you can ignore it. My issues with it is that the writing is very bad, as in makes Pirates of the Caribbean look amazing bad.
And on top of that it just makes the setup more fiddly without adding any real gameplay depth. The mechanics are also completely separated from the theme, which makes the campaign part even less engaging.
But the core game, without the campaign, is great. It is a satisfying puzzle, where you are constantly juggling your cards, movements and ship upgrades to squeeze out the most points.
As a engine building game with multi use cards it works really well.

 

[Fonst]

Got my Airborne in Your Pocket, will have to look for some alternative storage because the box is too big and doesn't hold everything well in the insert. Played it once, was fun.

 

[fenners]

Got my Airborne in Your Pocket, will have to look for some alternative storage because the box is too big and doesn't hold everything well in the insert. Played it once, was fun.

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It's been so long since I paid for it on the original KS, I can't work up the energy to open it to be honest. I'm glad it's finally a thing, but between it & Up Front, it was such an energy drain.

 

[nuffDREW4two]

How heavy is My Little Scythe. By which I mean literal weight?

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Amazon says 2.2 pounds.

 

[J-Wood]

I just got gloomhaven. Got in the world do I manage storing this thing? Haha

are the stickers you out in the map removable or reusable? or will this be a one and done thing?

 

[mclem]

I just got gloomhaven. Got in the world do I manage storing this thing? Haha

are the stickers you out in the map removable or reusable? or will this be a one and done thing?

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The stickers are permanent, but you can buy an officially-licensed removable sticker pack.

 

[XShagrath]

I just got gloomhaven. Got in the world do I manage storing this thing? Haha

are the stickers you out in the map removable or reusable? or will this be a one and done thing?

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The game has so much content that it's not really a big deal. You're never going to realistically play through the campaign again, especially with Frosthaven announced.

We've been playing the game off and on since it released, and still have a ton of missions left to complete after 31 plays.

 

[HulkMansfield]

I just got gloomhaven. Got in the world do I manage storing this thing? Haha

are the stickers you out in the map removable or reusable? or will this be a one and done thing?

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The stickers aren't reusable, but you can buy a reusable sticker pack separately. XShagrath is right though. You more than likely won't be replaying the campaign since there is so much. So unless you want to re-sell it later, I wouldn't worry about it. Marking up the map is pretty fun.

As far as storage, if you want to spend a lot of money, Broken Token offers the comprehensive take on it. Otherwise, simple plastic jewelry cases from a hobby store work great. I used a bigger size for all the generic enemies and a smaller one for the bosses and obstacle pieces, and then a couple sets of stackable jewelry cups with screw on lids for things like coins and damage markers. All of those will fit back in the box, and each costs about $3.

The only thing I never came up with a good solution for is the unlocked store. Since these cards need to be separate from the locked ones... I just have a permanent Gloomhaven store out on my buffet.....

 

[Deleted member 49179]

I just got gloomhaven. Got in the world do I manage storing this thing? Haha

are the stickers you out in the map removable or reusable? or will this be a one and done thing?

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Instead of using the provided stickers, another good solution is to use a map/scenario/campaign manager app like GloomsteR:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gloomster/id1441799016

It's the app I was using, and I never had to even open the cardboard map. It works very well.

 

[HulkMansfield]

So what do you think were your most played games this year?

For me I think it was something like:
1. Azul (with the family)
2. Tapestry
3. A Feast for Odin
4. Eldritch Horror
5. This War of Mine

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For all of 2019.... this is tough. I didn't log plays and played so many games just once or twice. I think:

1. Gloomhaven. Slowed down as of late, but play a lot earlier in the year
2. Western Legends. I became known as the person with this game in our local gaming group. So I kept replaying it with everyone until they were sated. I love it though and just picked up Ante Up and the kickstarter extras at PAX.
3. Carcassone. Never really stopped playing this. It's the easiest to bust out with non-heavy gamer friends and family. And I just love it.
4. Tapestry. Played it several times over. I'm still not sure how much I like this game. It became easier to enjoy when I didn't consider it a "civ" game. But the more I play it the less options and decisions I feel I have to make.
5. Res Arcana. Another one like Tapestry that I played a lot and can't decide how much I like it. It just feels like it's great in theory but there just aren't enough cards or places of power to allow for more freedom in building out your engine. It almost feels like a demo or sneak peek into the game... if only there were an expansion I could spend more money on to complete the game....Surprise! It's due out in March

 

[Armouredpriest]

Got a chance to play A Feast for Odin with the expansion for the first time (as opposed to playing A Feast for Odin base game which I've done a couple times). Yeah...it makes a great game even better. Everyone who played were in agreement with that sentiment.

 

[Deleted member 49179]

Got a chance to play A Feast for Odin with the expansion for the first time (as opposed to playing A Feast for Odin base game which I've done a couple times). Yeah...it makes a great game even better. Everyone who played were in agreement with that sentiment.

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I love the new action board so much!

 

[HulkMansfield]

Got a chance to play A Feast for Odin with the expansion for the first time (as opposed to playing A Feast for Odin base game which I've done a couple times). Yeah...it makes a great game even better. Everyone who played were in agreement with that sentiment.

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I still have yet to play this game. Jealous!