Azul and Patchwork come to mind. It really depends on length, complexity and how much theme matters to you. But, those are two that I would recommend to start. I'm sure others will chip in.
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Board Gaming Era |OT| (Mostly) Unplugged Gaming
- Thread starter XShagrath
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Azul and Patchwork come to mind. It really depends on length, complexity and how much theme matters to you. But, those are two that I would recommend to start. I'm sure others will chip in.
co-op or adversarial? That'll be the biggest difference-maker.
Some of the games my partner and I have really enjoyed are:
Legendary: this is a deckbuilding system with a variety of licensed properties, Marvel being the biggest. Some are more co-op than others but outside of the occasional card ability they aren't full on competitive.
Flash Point: you're firefighters trying to rescue a certain amount of people before the fire gets out of control and the building collapses. this is one of my favorite games period.
The Rising series: roll dice to match symbols to recruit characters to be able to defeat the villains. There's a bunch of these as well such as Avengers, Batman, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Spongebob.
Sagrada: create certain patterns representing stained glass windows to earn more victory points than your opponent.
Patchwork: use pieces of various shapes to piece together a quilt, earn more points through various means to win.
And then we also just enjoy some card games like Pokemon, Transformers, etc. We just get some starter decks and don't go too deep into it.
My partner and I have been playing Power Rangers Heroes of the Grid and Marvel's Champions.
Also we enjoy Dead of Winter but that has some resource collecting in it.
Both Ghostbusters games are enjoyable and work with 2 players fairly easily.
The Arkham Horror LCG is pretty fun as well.
My go-to 2-player list:
Mr Jack Pocket
Codenames Duet
Azul
Jaipur
On a more expensive scale, Arkham Horror LCG is glorious, but a big investment.
Tried out the Pandemic 0 prologue a few times now and holy fuck it's gone really poorly. Like game over before I run out of player cards bad. I'm assuming Teams will make everything easier, but needing 5 cards of the same faction to create a team is making it really tough.
I've been paring down on the new board game purchases. It helps that I feel that my tastes have solidified so I have a better feel for what will and won't work for me. So at a glance, I can tell that something like Wingspan or ISS Vanguard are not for me. Instead, I gravitate more towards the Great Zimbabwe and Age of Steam. Unfortunately, I just end up buying more wargames instead so I don't know how much it actually helps.
Ok, kidding aside I don't play that many non-wargame 2-player games but there are a lot out there, and even more games that play great at that player count.
Some favorites that are 2-player only:
Hanamikoji
Targi
Air, Land & Sea
Blitzkrieg!
Also, pretty much any co-op game would also work 2-player, so stuff like the Pandemic family (my favorite is Fall of Rome), Legacy of Dragonholt, or the Grizzled. I'd like to give a special shoutout to Spirit Island: it's a bit heavier than the other games I listed but it's just so good! The way it generates a sense of accomplishment is something that's hard for anything else to match and it even comes with variable difficulties.
ASL!
Ok, kidding aside I don't play that many non-wargame 2-player games but there are a lot out there, and even more games that play great at that player count.
Some favorites that are 2-player only:
Hanamikoji
Targi
Air, Land & Sea
Blitzkrieg!
Also, pretty much any co-op game would also work 2-player, so stuff like the Pandemic family (my favorite is Fall of Rome), Legacy of Dragonholt, or the Grizzled. I'd like to give a special shoutout to Spirit Island: it's a bit heavier than the other games I listed but it's just so good! The way it generates a sense of accomplishment is something that's hard for anything else to match and it even comes with variable difficulties.
Another year, another copy of monopoly gifted into my house. This is the "new" version with the electronic bank gimmick.
I had to play it too... fuck me the game makes me angry. So many years, so much money, so still a shitty game. They have even introduced variable player powers in the worst possible way. Mitigate bad luck? Nope, you get money if you roll a six. Or you get money if you land on a chance.
How is it possible? Surely they could design something that isn't a piece of shit game and people would still blindly buy it? Won't they think of us poor "into boardgame" people who get stuck with it?
...
Anyway for a wife 2 player game the holy trinity is spendor, lost cities and patchwork. Based on which of those three are a winner, you can then go in a number of wonderful, non-monopoly directions.
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Really depends on the kids as I know 7 year olds who have bodied dungeon pets and teenagers who don't really get exploding kittens. It also depends on how much time you will have to play with them and make sure the games "work". I wouldn't let kids loose with the games on the list by themselves, but if you are there to guide it through I think they would all work (haven't played gladius or caravan). I'd pick by theme to draw them in more than mechanics or complexity. If they are in and with you it'll work.
I had to play it too... fuck me the game makes me angry. So many years, so much money, so still a shitty game. They have even introduced variable player powers in the worst possible way. Mitigate bad luck? Nope, you get money if you roll a six. Or you get money if you land on a chance.
How is it possible? Surely they could design something that isn't a piece of shit game and people would still blindly buy it? Won't they think of us poor "into boardgame" people who get stuck with it?
...
Anyway for a wife 2 player game the holy trinity is spendor, lost cities and patchwork. Based on which of those three are a winner, you can then go in a number of wonderful, non-monopoly directions.
...
Really depends on the kids as I know 7 year olds who have bodied dungeon pets and teenagers who don't really get exploding kittens. It also depends on how much time you will have to play with them and make sure the games "work". I wouldn't let kids loose with the games on the list by themselves, but if you are there to guide it through I think they would all work (haven't played gladius or caravan). I'd pick by theme to draw them in more than mechanics or complexity. If they are in and with you it'll work.
They are gifts for kids of friends and family. I already have the young ones covered, it's the 9-16 year olds I'm looking at. Already got them entry games like Sushi Go, Dice Thrones, Disney Villainous and Carcasonne.
All I'm looking for is for games that are different from the usual Monopoly and Scrabble. I'm not trying to get them into those super complex overnight board games, just games that look, are easy to pick up and are compelling to play.
I'll ask their parents what games are grabbing them.
Ah ok. That does make it trickier.
Sushi Go is a great choice. I've been playing new york zoo over the past few days and I think that is pretty approacheable. A roll and write like patchwork doodle or railroad ink is worth looking at, as kids can play together at different levels without much supervision.
Other successes have been 5 minute dungeon, jamaica, escape curse of the temple, survive escape from atlantis and pandemic (although maybe not this year...)
Finally if you think they will play together a fair bit, my city is an excellent entry level campaign game, or if they can't get past monopoly try machi koro (stand alone or legacy flavour) so they can just roll dice and see stuff happen.
For a quick idea of complexity, you can check out the weight/complexity rating on BGG. For example, Everdell's rating is 2.81 whereas Wingspan's is 2.41. The lower the rating, the less complex. I would look for something around 2 if you could. Anything over 2.5 is reasonably complex. You should know that this is a community rating, so it isn't perfect as well but gives you an idea about complexity.
How do people here feel about Marvel Champions? I am an Arkham LCG person, but I thought having something less brain burning with less setup might be nice on occasion. It looks like Marvel does not require you to "keep up" with releases quite like most other lcgs? I don't want to have to buy everything basically. Any opinions are appreciated!
OP
OP
I've played it with a friend a few times. While it was enjoyable, I could see it feeling rather samey after a while. I haven't really done any deck-building with it (having only played the Core, and the first initial heroes), but it seems like that is less engaging than Arkham, due to having a large portion of your deck being dedicated cards to that hero.
If you're looking for something that doesn't require a lot of though (or monetary investment), then it might be a good choice. However, comparing it to Arkham LCG, I see it as a vastly inferior game on just about every front.
Oh yeah, I am not dropping Arkham for anything. This would be in addition. Arkham is the best!
The BGG Weight rating isn't too bad at the lower end of the scale. A large variety of people play these games so the way this is rated is fairly balanced. It only breaks down at the higher end of the scale because it's very hard to assess just how heavy the top end is unless you play these kinds of games all the time. It also breaks down when you add wargames into the mix as titles like Prussia 20 are rated lower than something like Wingspan. Note that it has rules like this:
Sure it's not super complex, but it definitely isn't Wingspan-level.
I love both of them for different reasons.
Champions is definitely less complex and there is less story to it. But it's much more a pick and choose lcg. You don't need to keep buying the modules to get more story instead you just buy the characters and villains you like and enjoy the game.
Cool, may pick up the core and a couple characters I like. Seems like the red skull expansion is also a good value.
I enjoy Marvel LCG for what it is. It's a card game with a deck, a hand, a bunch of keywords, 'creatures', and the same kinds of considerations to make about timing and resource use.
It is an easier game than past LCG co-ops (like LOTR, which I find very hard), and I would guess that's the factor people's opinion will swing on. Personally, I enjoy the difficulty level of the game. I have not had to play with the harder variant rules for it. I still lose at it more than I win, but the game doesn't feel unfair.
Maybe it's a casual game, but I think it's definitely a more interesting casual game than like...Smash Up? Legendary? Sentinels of the Multiverse? This game feels more polished and complex than those. It's still got DNA from LOTR and Arkham, after all, but it's also doing its own thing. I do think liking the characters even a little (I like comics moderately) helps you enjoy the game.
The deck building is flexible enough to require little to no effort, while leaving the door open if you want to go deeper with it. This isn't like LOTR where you have to 'solve' a scenario by finding the right deck build for it. You will usually want to do big damage, which the preconstructed decks can do if played right.
The card pool isn't huge, but every expansion is trickling in some new ones. I disagree that the decks feel "samey" because you have to always keep 15 character cards - this is how they've made each character feel distinct, while allowing you like 35 other cards to do (almost) whatever you want with. There are certain character decks that are easier or harder to play than others. Each character varies in how they feel, kind of like learning a fighting game. The challenge of the game can come not just from the villain deck you're playing against, but also learning to work certain characters effectively.
The expansion buys are very straight-forward and they do less of the LCG scheme of "you need to buy a whole set of expansions to find the good synergies". They're just new, preconstructed decks, with some share of new cards to add to your overall card pool. It really comes down to whether you want a particular character with a new gimmick in your collection.
The villain expansions are more critical, since this is the stuff you will play against in the game, and these can also be customized to some degree (a villain deck is constructed from a couple different, interchangeable parts).
Overall, I'd say Marvel LCG is different enough from Arkham or LOTR that you're not gonna feel a lot of overlap. Whether the game's (relatively) laid back feel is gonna be worth it to you, is the thing to decide on. The core box has plenty to play around with (and no need to buy multiples) if you find a good price on that.
Yeah, I like Marvel Champions. I enjoy solo games where you get true one-handed solo. Champions is kind of like a math solitaire with heroes. Because you use your other cards as resources, it's really math heavy. SU&SD said the game can feel anticlimactic because you're calculating how best to min-max every turn and the ending can feel like solving a problem two turns ahead.
But I don't mind it. You might not have huge thematic endings but it's a fun mental excerise that you can set up and tear down quickly and has tons of content. I keep going back to it for those reasons. It's a solid amount of "light" for a seasoned board game player
But I don't mind it. You might not have huge thematic endings but it's a fun mental excerise that you can set up and tear down quickly and has tons of content. I keep going back to it for those reasons. It's a solid amount of "light" for a seasoned board game player
Thanks for all the opinions! Sounds like it could fit right where I need it to (something to do when I am too tired to play arkham or arkham requires setup that I don' t have time for.)
I doubt I will get any more games in this year. Here's my annual stats:
Despite COVID, I actually only had 10 fewer games played this year. I think I did more solo and more TTS to fill that gap of in-person gaming.
Feel free to share, I love seeing what everyone else played this year.
Despite COVID, I actually only had 10 fewer games played this year. I think I did more solo and more TTS to fill that gap of in-person gaming.
Feel free to share, I love seeing what everyone else played this year.
What's this info from?I doubt I will get any more games in this year. Here's my annual stats:
Despite COVID, I actually only had 10 fewer games played this year. I think I did more solo and more TTS to fill that gap of in-person gaming.
Feel free to share, I love seeing what everyone else played this year.
BGStats. I think it is the best app for tracking board game plays.
As for Tyrants, we played mostly at three and four player counts. We exhausted all options for the decks, including the expansion ones. The Elemental deck was the worst for us. As we played some on TTS, we tried some of the homebrew ones too for a bit. In the end, we even tried creating our own deck out of all the mini decks. As you see, we got a lot of use out of the game. The game is best at four players. The three player map isn't completely balanced, IMHO. We've only played it five times, but I think Dune: Imperium will replace Tyrants. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dune: Imperium at the top of my most played list at the end of next year.
As for Tyrants, we played mostly at three and four player counts. We exhausted all options for the decks, including the expansion ones. The Elemental deck was the worst for us. As we played some on TTS, we tried some of the homebrew ones too for a bit. In the end, we even tried creating our own deck out of all the mini decks. As you see, we got a lot of use out of the game. The game is best at four players. The three player map isn't completely balanced, IMHO. We've only played it five times, but I think Dune: Imperium will replace Tyrants. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dune: Imperium at the top of my most played list at the end of next year.
I got my wife into Zombicide while we have been stuck at home so much this year. After playing through Black Plague, Wulfsburg, and Green Horde, we were ready for something a little new. So, I got her Gloomhaven for Christmas:
Only a few missions in, but, this is fucking cool. A bit overwhelming at first, especially for her since Zombicide was the first boardgame she has ever really played. That game is nice and simple, so seemed perfect. This was more diving into the deep end of the pool. But, after the first scenario, we feel like we have a good grasp on things.
Luckily we have a space we can just leave it out. Though, I am going to have to make a top of some sort for the table cause the cat is enjoying the table being there as well. Have one of those fancy organizers coming tomorrow. Gonna be a fun few hours gluing that bitch together.
Random question for any GH players here. What is up with Forgotten Circles? Is that something for after we finish the main game, or something I could buy now and just throw into the main game? It's "on sale" for $25 at amazon right now. Granted this stuff seems like it is always on sale.
Only a few missions in, but, this is fucking cool. A bit overwhelming at first, especially for her since Zombicide was the first boardgame she has ever really played. That game is nice and simple, so seemed perfect. This was more diving into the deep end of the pool. But, after the first scenario, we feel like we have a good grasp on things.
Luckily we have a space we can just leave it out. Though, I am going to have to make a top of some sort for the table cause the cat is enjoying the table being there as well. Have one of those fancy organizers coming tomorrow. Gonna be a fun few hours gluing that bitch together.
Random question for any GH players here. What is up with Forgotten Circles? Is that something for after we finish the main game, or something I could buy now and just throw into the main game? It's "on sale" for $25 at amazon right now. Granted this stuff seems like it is always on sale.
Honestly, skip Forgotten Circles. It's forgettable.
You spend more time on setting up. More time on reading and understanding the special rules. More time during the scenario to get new components on the board. More time again to understand new extra rules that got added during the scenario. More time spend on doing a puzzle during the scenario. More time on reading lore during the scenario. All in all, the game takes longer. In itself, that is not a downside to some but it is for me.
It's also crazy hard. I think too hard and so many puzzles, too many really.
You spend more time on setting up. More time on reading and understanding the special rules. More time during the scenario to get new components on the board. More time again to understand new extra rules that got added during the scenario. More time spend on doing a puzzle during the scenario. More time on reading lore during the scenario. All in all, the game takes longer. In itself, that is not a downside to some but it is for me.
It's also crazy hard. I think too hard and so many puzzles, too many really.
Forgotten circles is post game content. I think you could use some elements of it in a new playthrough, but overall I don't think that expansion was super well received.I got my wife into Zombicide while we have been stuck at home so much this year. After playing through Black Plague, Wulfsburg, and Green Horde, we were ready for something a little new. So, I got her Gloomhaven for Christmas:
Only a few missions in, but, this is fucking cool. A bit overwhelming at first, especially for her since Zombicide was the first boardgame she has ever really played. That game is nice and simple, so seemed perfect. This was more diving into the deep end of the pool. But, after the first scenario, we feel like we have a good grasp on things.
Luckily we have a space we can just leave it out. Though, I am going to have to make a top of some sort for the table cause the cat is enjoying the table being there as well. Have one of those fancy organizers coming tomorrow. Gonna be a fun few hours gluing that bitch together.
Random question for any GH players here. What is up with Forgotten Circles? Is that something for after we finish the main game, or something I could buy now and just throw into the main game? It's "on sale" for $25 at amazon right now. Granted this stuff seems like it is always on sale.
That would explain why there is like jack shit out there on youtube about it. I was trying to find some reviews to explain what it is, and just couldn't find shit. Good to know it is post-game stuff, though. Will take months for us to finish the main game any way. By then Frosthaven will be out if we are thirsty for more.
Hmm. Hope that all doesn't carry over to Frosthaven. I am curious to hear what people think of that when it comes out. But, yeah, think I'll just skip FC then. There are plenty of other games out there. But, yeah, so far, we are really digging Gloomhaven. Hopefully that continues.
My first ever backed game just came in, it's Waste Knights!
The packaging looked very pretty and kinda made me panic at first because I didn't notice the expansions/add-on's that should've came with my pledge but then found everything inside the single box, which was pretty cool.
The packaging looked very pretty and kinda made me panic at first because I didn't notice the expansions/add-on's that should've came with my pledge but then found everything inside the single box, which was pretty cool.
The Jaws of the Lion campaign that is available at places like Target did a lot of really good things, so I would imagine Frosthaven will have learned some lessons in terms of what has worked for players and what has not.
Isaac actually said they're now planning on a separate book for the maps because of how popular it was in Jaws of the Lion. I'd definitely prefer using that than hunting for map pieces.
I like it for that exact reason. When I don't feel like running Arkham with full campaign, deck building, tracking campaign log, Marvel Champion fill that nice little niche between Lord of the Rings and Arkham Horror LCG. I find it to be on easy side once you figure out what you need to do and not a lot of variety (you pretty much survive the hits and keep scheme in check). It sometimes can be very swingy for solo one hand for this very reason you can get hit with bunch of scheme and quickly end your game but fast easy set up make it bearable. As other mention it can be anti-climatic (but satisfying) of solving the math to beat the villain. If you like challenge, pick up Kang expansion. There is also super hard mode where you draw more encounter cards though I am not sure I like that as a solution to up difficulty.
Are you saying Frosthsven isn't going to have map tiles at all? Just the book of maps?
EDIT: Doing some googling, seems like it will both have tiles and an (optional?) book. I get the pros of the book, but I like the immersion of having the tiles. So, I am glad to hear that.
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Blah. Gloomhaven storage was supposed to arrive today. Was excited to dig into assembling it. But, post office says it is "running late". And of course they are closed tomorrow. So, hopefully I get it satruday and it isn't just lost.
I've been hearing great things about Dune: Imperium and I wonder if those impressions will hold after the honeymoon period. On the one hand it'd be great if they do, but at the same time I really need more new games and I'm specifically trying to stay away from deck building games. It's lucky for me that it maxes out at 4 players so it's easier to hold my resolve.
In other news, my copy of Beyond Valor came in! It has nearly 4000 counters so it's going to take a whole day to punch out and organize. Does anybody have a good storage solution?
Having picked up Bus last week, we got a couple plays in over the past few days and holy moly is it good! Somehow, over 20 years ago, Splotter managed to not only invent worker placement, but also create a multiplayer puzzle that is constantly interactive. Every choice involves not just choosing actions to outscore other players(as most worker placement games do), but also outmaneuver and even benefit from their actions or what you predict their actions will be. This game is masterful, elegant, and just a blast to play.
The are only two real caveats here: one being that while the rules are medium-light, the decision space and need to plan ahead and then also change those plans on the fly can cause some brain burn, but all that means is that you're making extremely interactive and impactful decisions from start to finish. The other caveat is that it can be quite mean, trying to cut in and take passengers other people were planning to deliver, or placing buildings on others' routes that cause those passengers to stay put, but if your group is okay with a bit of that, it's absolutely worth picking up!
The are only two real caveats here: one being that while the rules are medium-light, the decision space and need to plan ahead and then also change those plans on the fly can cause some brain burn, but all that means is that you're making extremely interactive and impactful decisions from start to finish. The other caveat is that it can be quite mean, trying to cut in and take passengers other people were planning to deliver, or placing buildings on others' routes that cause those passengers to stay put, but if your group is okay with a bit of that, it's absolutely worth picking up!
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We didn't get to do Christmas until yesterday, so I finally got to unwrap all these boardgames I had under the cat tree.
Played Miyabi a few times over break with the Mrs and it's pretty fun. Tough to strategize though without knowing what tiles are gonna come up later.
Bought Barenpark bc it looks easy to pick up but with some depth and a fun theme.
What tile layers are you all enjoying?
Bought Barenpark bc it looks easy to pick up but with some depth and a fun theme.
What tile layers are you all enjoying?
Got a chance to try out Dune: Imperium with two friends. PLayed two games of it. It's a bit on the long side, but it's very engaging, and scorring stays pretty tight throughout, making the game pretty tense. Can definitely see the the Clank! DNA in this game, also see some Lords of Waterdeep influence. It's pretty good.
New York Zoo is... pretty decent.
It has a few issues. Setup is a little fiddly and the teach is quite difficult. It is the type of game that is incredibly easy to play but hard to get the point across until you dive in. Definitely a "let's just start playing" kind of game.
From there it is smooth and the strategy engaging. All three plays have been close games and I've been left with the feeling that I could have played better, but not sure exactly how.
Worth a go for a patchwork level experience with just enough depth to keep it interesting but a very family friendly box. Just be prepared to play it yourself first to get it down.
One Deck Dungeon sounds like exactly what you're looking for. It's a dice optimization game that uses cards to act as the dungeon and as character upgrades. It comes in the form of the original game and as the standalone Forest of Shadows; I've only played the latter but it's pretty cool for a little game.
I am hoping some people here have some gloomhaven experience and can help my newb ass out. What happened with that element being consumed? I think I am thinking about it too hard. But, I can't figure out how it works.
Does the consumption make it base (4) + 1 from modifier card + 2 from consumption = 7
OR
Does it make the +1 a +2 instead so it becomes 6.
OR
Does it make it two seperate attacks? One with the base plus 1 from card modifier, followed by a second attack of +2 from the element consumption.
I am hoping some people here have some gloomhaven experience and can help my newb ass out. What happened with that element being consumed? I think I am thinking about it too hard. But, I can't figure out how it works.
Does the consumption make it base (4) + 1 from modifier card + 2 from consumption = 7
OR
Does it make the +1 a +2 instead so it becomes 6.
OR
Does it make it two seperate attacks? One with the base plus 1 from card modifier, followed by a second attack of +2 from the element consumption.
It's one attack for 7 damage. Consuming elements (typically) only add extra damage to the attack, look at the Frostmage cards for example (Frost Armor is a consume any element for +1 damage and 1 experience)
(EDIT) the +2 attack means it's added to the attack. The Night Demon has a different card that's literally two attack actions in a row (Initiate 35 if you want to take a look). It would be formatted like his Attack +1 in larger font if it was a seperate attack.
(EDIT #2) the Cragheart's Crater is an example of damage being "replaced" with a different amount, night demon would have the word "instead +2 attack damage" if they meant to replace the +1 modifier (I would assume).
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