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Era, What's A Good Co-Op Board Game For Me And The Girlfriend To Play?

Deleted member 54320

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Feb 28, 2019
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Heya people.

So my girlfriend and I recently went into a proper brick and mortar tabletop/card game store called Leisure Games. It was the first time we've ever seen a store like it in London. It was cool.

In any case! We're kind of in the mood for a co-op tabletop and/or card game to play. We know there are tons out there but we're unsure where to look first.

If it helps, we're looking for something that offers a fairly long play time and is also easy to setup and put away! Bonus points if its got any expansions and is also horror themed as well.

I was thinking about the RE2 Board Game but perhaps that might be a bit too much for tabletop noobs like us?

But yeah. Any help is appreciated!
 
Hoo-doo

Hoo-doo

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Mansions of Madness is fantastic. With 3-4 people it's one of the best boardgames i've played. Don't know if it's also playable with two.
 
Hyper

Hyper

Member
Oct 27, 2017
112
Get Pandemic. If you like it, then you could also get Pandemic Legacy which is the same game but with a campaign-style story with changing mechanics from game-to-game.
 
OP
OP

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Hoo-doo said:
Mansions of Madness is fantastic. With 3-4 people it's one of the best boardgames i've played. Don't know if it's also playable with two.
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Just from the name alone, it sounds Lovecraftian. I'll check it out!

Hyper said:
Get Pandemic. If you like it, then you could also get Pandemic Legacy which is the same game but with a campaign-style story with changing mechanics from game-to-game.
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We we're checking that game out as well. Good shout.
 
Fireblend

Fireblend

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Oct 25, 2017
5,454
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Any version of Pandemic should work, though I'm partial towards vanilla Pandemic and Iberia (if you can find it), maybe Pandemic Legacy if you feel like you can commit to playing 12 sessions with the same group (hopefully 4 people, though you could theoretically play 2 characters each and recreate that easily) keep in mind after 12 sessions the legacy game is unplayable though.

Regardless of the version you do end up getting, they're games with pretty simple rules, relatively quick sessions, good art, good components, it's got it all :D

There's a reason it's so popular.
 
corn_fest

corn_fest

Member
Oct 27, 2017
323
I'll second (third?) Pandemic/Legacy, also Eldritch Horror (although it does not fit your criteria of easy to set up/put away)
 
carlsojo

carlsojo

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Oct 28, 2017
33,742
San Francisco
Wife and I just started playing Gloomhaven a week or so ago. It's massive but we've had a good time so far learning the game. It's certainly not easy to set up/clean up but it offers a huuuge campaign that can all be done co op.
 
DarkFlame92

DarkFlame92

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Nov 10, 2017
5,641
I 've heard that Aeons End is a fantastic coop game for 2, but never played it myself. Check it out for sure
 
Box of Kittens

Box of Kittens

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Mysterium is one of my favorite co-op games. I've never tried it with two players but I'd imagine it works fine since it's not a particularly mechanics heavy game anyway.

EDIT: Though it seems the consensus on BoardGameGeek is that three or more players are recommended.
 
Ellite25

Ellite25

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Oct 30, 2017
869
IMO the best entry level co op game is Pandemic. It's a classic for a reason. I honestly feel like Mansions of Madness is too much to start with for people that haven't played too many board games. It's also really expensive.

A question for the OP. Would you two prefer more strategic games or something more thematic with less strategy? Pandemic is more strategy based while Mansions of Madness is more about theme and story.
 
KamenRiderEra

KamenRiderEra

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,152
Jesse Gomez (IGN) said:
Heya people.

So my girlfriend and I recently went into a proper brick and mortar tabletop/card game store called Leisure Games. It was the first time we've ever seen a store like it in London. It was cool.

In any case! We're kind of in the mood for a co-op tabletop and/or card game to play. We know there are tons out there but we're unsure where to look first.

If it helps, we're looking for something that offers a fairly long play time and is also easy to setup and put away! Bonus points if its got any expansions and is also horror themed as well.

I was thinking about the RE2 Board Game but perhaps that might be a bit too much for tabletop noobs like us?

But yeah. Any help is appreciated!
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Click to shrink...
DOKAPON KINGDOM
 
ChrisR

ChrisR

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Oct 26, 2017
6,794
It's not technically a board or card game, but those exit room in a box things make for a great night
 
Bane

Bane

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
5,904
As stated, Mansions of Madness second edition is great. It uses an app to keep track of certain things like enemy health and movement and tells a story as you go through each scenario. There also a LotR game called Journeys in Middle Earth that uses the same system but has some improvements and includes an actual campaign where if you fail a scenario the game keeps going but the next scenario/battle will be different depending on what happened last time.

Returning to a Lovecraftian theme, there's the Arkham Horror card game. Each scenario may not take super long to play through but with how many expansions there are, there's a ton of content out for it already. Setup/teardown is fairly easy but deckbuilding is a component, so if you don't want to take the time to try and figure out what some good decks to use for the current scenario are that could be a hinderance. There are sites with decks people have made that you could just copy, assuming you have all the expansions they used. There's also an excellent LotR card game as well. They play more differently than the first two I mentioned so there could even be worht in getting both is you so choose.

It doesn't have a horror them but the firefighting game Flash Point is a favorite of my girlfriend and I. It doesn't have as many expansions and sometimes they can be a bit expensive if they're oop.

For something a little different, you can look in to Fog of Love. You roleplay a couple in a relationship and it can be pretty funny. In the states it was recently being clearanced out of Walmarts and you could get it and the three expansions pretty cheap, not sure about over there.

If you like a Marvel theme take a look at Marvel Legendary and Thanos Rising. Legendary is not 100% co-op. Technically there is a winner through victory points but we never really care about that aspect, we all just work together to defeat the villains. There is also a card now and then that may have a negative impact on another player but (outside of the villain themed sets) those are few and far between. You could always just ignore those effect to if you so wish.

Mansions, Legendary, and Flash Point are the top three for my gf and I. Just awesome games.
 
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Deleted member 22002

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I think the games from the Arkham Horror Files series, from FFG Games, would be the best match for an entry-level horror game with plenty of support, if you like Lovecraft monsters in a pulp-y setting.

Light complexity:
Mansion of Madness 2nd edition: Great theme, high price. It has lower replayability, but it's the closest experience to a roleplay session, with an app acting as the game master.

Medium complexity:
Arkham Horror (2nd edition): if you want a sandbox experience with a lot of theme, it has a bit of jank and the rules can be obtuse the first plays, but it's still the best horror/pulp Lovecraft Game in my opinion, in terms of balancing meaningful choices and theme.

Eldritch Horror: better rules and more structure than Arkham, but a much lesser theme in my opinion unless you really are into pulps. But it could be a much better entry point, especially now that 2nd edition will be harder and harder to find.

Higher complexity:
Arkham Horror the card game: The best lovecraft game on this list. It can be expensive to follow as any card game, but well... it's amazing. It has the best gameplay of all the lovecraft-inspired games, the better writing, and it's genuinely an interesting and innovative card game, even without the theme to prompt it up. The only downside is the clunky ruleset with lots of steps to remember, not an entry level card game by far.

Not tried:
Arkham Horror 3rd edition: From what i hear it's a dumbed down mashup of Eldritch and the LCG, with little to no player choice. I'd go for the real thing.
 
Hoo-doo

Hoo-doo

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I tried Pandemic for the first time a while ago and found it a bit too simplistic. Didn't help that we plowed through it and saved the world with 0 trouble on the first try.

Will give it another shot, but it doesn't hold a candle to the crazy adventures you're getting in a game like Mansions of Madness, IMO.
 
OP
OP

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Bane said:
It's so good. The app can take a bit to get the hang of but once you've got it down it's fantastic. There are how to play videos out there explaining it. I also made a couple of Marvel-themed suggestions in an edit in that post, if that interests you two.
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Thanks for the Marvel suggestions. Will deffo check them out.
 
Mr.Branding

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I feel the Dominion card games are what me and my wife played the absolute most. Great replay value in just the base set alone
 
Spaceroast

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522
DarkFlame92 said:
I 've heard that Aeons End is a fantastic coop game for 2, but never played it myself. Check it out for sure
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I'll confirm this. Aeon's End has been an absolutely phenomenal game to co-op with the wife, and is my 2nd favorite co-op of all time (first being Gloomhaven, which I won't recommend here). Slinging spells at a big bad boss monster and its endless wave of minions who can wreck your shit if you're not careful is a blast. It feels really dramatic for just building decks and playing cards. My wife isn't usually into co-op games and she loves it.

I'll also echo if you like co-ops then Pandemic is pretty much THE entry level co-op game.
 
Ladioss

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super-famicom said:
Arkham Horror: The Card Game

You'd need at least 2 core sets to be able to make more optimal decks. There are quite a few expansions out already!

OT here: https://www.resetera.com/threads/arkham-horror-the-card-game-ot-cards-of-cthulhu.430/
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I second Arkham Horror TCG. I just wanted to clarify that you need only one core set if you want to try out the game, OP. Live super-famicom said, buying multiple core sets is only for hardcore gamers who want to build custom decks.

The core set scenarios give you a pretty good rundown of the different aspects of the game, but if you like the gameplay you will probably want to try out the campaigns.

If you need an online deckbuilder : https://arkhamdb.com/
 
ThreepQuest64

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Legends of Andor. Has some cool mechanics and needs lots of communication and precise moves/actions, although it might be a bit too puzzle-like.
Eldritch Horror. I think it's better with at least three people, but it's an awesome game because there's so much going on everywhere on the board and there are some exceptional cool stories that may happen by chance (like me and my friend were in the same city, in one round he had an event going on at which he was stealing an item from a store. One round later I drew an event-card that said that a shop was being robbed and the police wants my help. Those things can happen all the time)
 
shoptroll

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Bane said:
If you like a Marvel theme take a look at Marvel Legendary and Thanos Rising. Legendary is not 100% co-op. Technically there is a winner through victory points but we never really care about that aspect, we all just work together to defeat the villains. There is also a card now and then that may have a negative impact on another player but (outside of the villain themed sets) those are few and far between. You could always just ignore those effect to if you so wish.
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If you want a pure co-op superhero game without a license, you can't go wrong with Sentinels of the Multiverse. The art is a little rough (especially in the early sets), but it does a great job of translating MMO style raid bosses into a card game that makes you feel like a superhero.
 
Lyng

Lyng

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Jesse Gomez (IGN) said:
Awesome. I also like the sound of a game that supports an app as well but is it unplayable without the app? Only worried that in due time, the app could disappear forever or something.
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So far they support the app very well. But yes the game wouldnt function without the app. Another great coop game that doesnt require an app is Mechs vs Minions. Its a funny take on programming games and made by Riot.
 
phant0m

phant0m

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Oct 29, 2017
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Jesse Gomez (IGN) said:
Heya people.

So my girlfriend and I recently went into a proper brick and mortar tabletop/card game store called Leisure Games. It was the first time we've ever seen a store like it in London. It was cool.

In any case! We're kind of in the mood for a co-op tabletop and/or card game to play. We know there are tons out there but we're unsure where to look first.

If it helps, we're looking for something that offers a fairly long play time and is also easy to setup and put away! Bonus points if its got any expansions and is also horror themed as well.

I was thinking about the RE2 Board Game but perhaps that might be a bit too much for tabletop noobs like us?

But yeah. Any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

For card games: the Unlock or Exit series. They're short (60-90 mins) and you can only play them once, but they're very fun adventure puzzle games.

But, TIME Stories is what you really want. It's a cooperative adventure with an ongoing story that now has 10 expansions, the last of which the developer says is the last of this phase. Each session/expansion runs about 2.5 hours and has the ability to save. It's amazing.



Other fun co-op times:
  • Mice & Mystics
  • 7th Continent (very long, also supports saving)
  • The Reckoners (excellent if you've read the books)
  • Star Wars: Imperial Assault / Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth (both by FFG, very similar, choose whichever theme you prefer....app is required for co-operative mode, it acts as the 'DM')
  • Forbidden Desert / Sky
  • As others have mentioned, Mansions of Madness is great. But sessions are long and it doesn't support saving, I don't think.
 
GestaltGaz

GestaltGaz

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Oct 28, 2017
1,991
I'm going to piggy back off this thread if that's ok. I'm thinking about picking up either Spirit Island or Robinson Crusoe for a co-op game. Has anyone played them? What did you think? From what I've read, SI is more skill and planning based, while RC has the element of luck with the dice, and has lots going on but is really thematic.
 
BassForever

BassForever

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Will also highly recommend Pandemic, if you want that feel in an easier game go with Forbidden Island.
 
GhostBanana

GhostBanana

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I highly recommend Tokyo Highway. It's brilliant and looks great too.

mVxe0LM.jpg
 

mclem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,433
Jesse Gomez (IGN) said:
Heya people.

So my girlfriend and I recently went into a proper brick and mortar tabletop/card game store called Leisure Games. It was the first time we've ever seen a store like it in London. It was cool.

In any case! We're kind of in the mood for a co-op tabletop and/or card game to play. We know there are tons out there but we're unsure where to look first.

If it helps, we're looking for something that offers a fairly long play time and is also easy to setup and put away! Bonus points if its got any expansions and is also horror themed as well.

I was thinking about the RE2 Board Game but perhaps that might be a bit too much for tabletop noobs like us?

But yeah. Any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Pandemic is always a blast, and probably the best possible response here, but I'd nod towards Arkham Horror: The Card Game, which I've been loving of late. It's potentially a big investment, though, depending on how into it you get.
 

mclem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,433
GestaltGaz said:
I'm going to piggy back off this thread if that's ok. I'm thinking about picking up either Spirit Island or Robinson Crusoe for a co-op game. Has anyone played them? What did you think? From what I've read, SI is more skill and planning based, while RC has the element of luck with the dice, and has lots going on but is really thematic.
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I haven't actually played Spirit Island (I've got a copy on the way), but I've heard a ton of recommendations for it from folks.
 
Nostremitus

Nostremitus

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Nov 15, 2017
7,772
Alabama
Jesse Gomez (IGN) said:
Heya people.

So my girlfriend and I recently went into a proper brick and mortar tabletop/card game store called Leisure Games. It was the first time we've ever seen a store like it in London. It was cool.

In any case! We're kind of in the mood for a co-op tabletop and/or card game to play. We know there are tons out there but we're unsure where to look first.

If it helps, we're looking for something that offers a fairly long play time and is also easy to setup and put away! Bonus points if its got any expansions and is also horror themed as well.

I was thinking about the RE2 Board Game but perhaps that might be a bit too much for tabletop noobs like us?

But yeah. Any help is appreciated!
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Click to shrink...
Shadows Over Camelot



Great game, but you'll want to play without a traitor if playing 2 player.
 
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