Official CAG board/card game topic. From Dominion to Battlestar we gots it all!

[quote name='Jek Porkins']I second this. The scoring in Carcassonne could be a nightmare for a 9-year-old, depending on his/her math and conceptual abilities. Ticket to Ride just asks that they can find a route between two cities, and shows that route on each ticket, to ease the process. There are other scoring bonuses, but they're pretty straightforward.[/QUOTE]
One of my cousins loves Carc, but hates keeping score. She'll only play if someone else does the scoring. She's 18 but I'm just saying how scoring in that game can be daunting for anyone :lol: Especially since she first played the game on XBLA, so you don't have to think quite as much.

For Carcassonne with kids, I just play ignoring most of the scoring bonuses. IIRC there is a kids version available though.

[quote name='guinaevere']Corrected the title of thread from CAGer to CAG.

Cheap A$$ Gamerer is incorrect and drives me batty.
[/QUOTE]
THANK YOU!!! I also am annoyed by that :whee:
 
I had a lot of fun with Cosmic Encounter in my younger days. The good news is that my younger days are back. ;) Well, I wish, but I am back into board/card games again, thanks to Carcassonne (and then Reiner Knizia's Samurai and most recently, Reiner Knizia's Dead Man's Treasure, which is a really fun, light strategy game. I definitely want to check out the new edition of C.E. and introduce my kids to it (7 and 9). Truthfully I can't remember too much about it, but I do remember that I liked it a lot.
 
Has anyone ordered from shop.sci-fi-city.com before? They have really good prices on a few things I want to pick up and I'm about to place a decent sized order. They actually advertise on BGG so I think I should be safe but I figure I'd ask anyway.
 
Anyone have recommendations of their favorite Reiner Knizia games? I'm quickly becoming a fan. I love Samurai and Dead Man's Treasure. What should I get next?
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Anyone have recommendations of their favorite Reiner Knizia games? I'm quickly becoming a fan. I love Samurai and Dead Man's Treasure. What should I get next?[/QUOTE]

I have not played those two so I can not tell you which are most like them. However my fav Knizia games are Ingenious and Lost Cities. Blue Moon Cities is also pretty decent and while I have never played it I have heard many say that Modern Art is great.
 
Any thoughts or opinions on Atlantis? I'm thinking about picking it up. I just made a decent sized order though so I'll probably wait.
 
I rarely play board games, but when my friends first showed me Dominion, we ended up playing for an entire Saturday, and I loved every second of it. Really opened up my eyes to the fun of board games (and yes, I know Dominion only uses cards, but whatever).
 
[quote name='VidPower']I rarely play board games, but when my friends first showed me Dominion, we ended up playing for an entire Saturday, and I loved every second of it. Really opened up my eyes to the fun of board games (and yes, I know Dominion only uses cards, but whatever).[/QUOTE]

I think one of the main things I am finding is the difference between what I call mainstream/classic board games and under the radar/new school board games. I always said I did not like board games very much, I told people I liked Risk but really that was about it because other games had too many luck elements and took far too long to play. After playing stuff like Carcassone, Ticket to Ride, Lost Cities and Agricola my mind was instantly changed. Board games are amazing...it is just finding the right ones.
 
Has anyone tried a table-top miniature game called Carnage? I was at Dragon Con a couple of weeks ago when the company which produces it, Holistic Games, tried to pawn one off on me for $50 (down from $65). I didn't bite because it requires 3 people to play (2 players and 1 GM), but it looked a lot like poor man's Warhammer fantasy. Did I miss out on a good deal?

Speaking of Dragon Con, the gamers' room was pretty much packed nonstop. Unfortunately, Magic and Pokemon dominated, but there was a respectable turnout for Catan, Battletech and Heroclix. I did see what could possibly be the best custom map for Twilight Imperium ever. I was a bit surprised that I never saw anyone playing Warhammer, 40K or anything else from Games Workshop.
 
I got Carcassone and Forbidden Island. We played Forbidden Island 3 times. I like it. My son likes it a little. We beat the game every time. We have not tried carcassone yet.
 
[quote name='mickeyp']I got Carcassone and Forbidden Island. We played Forbidden Island 3 times. I like it. My son likes it a little. We beat the game every time. We have not tried carcassone yet.[/QUOTE]

Let us know what you think of Carc. It seems most people here are pretty meh on it, but it is one of my fav games.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Let us know what you think of Carc. It seems most people here are pretty meh on it, but it is one of my fav games.[/QUOTE]

I can't imagine why people would be down on Carcassonne. While it's not as good as Catan, it's definitely a good, solid game in its own right.

And CouRageous, I guess if I wanted to spend $50 for herptars, I could go cruising the streets of North Austin for a http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/member.php?u=12064bit. :lol:
 
[quote name='plasticbathmonki']I can't imagine why people would be down on Carcassonne. While it's not as good as Catan, it's definitely a good, solid game in its own right.

And CouRageous, I guess if I wanted to spend $50 for herptars, I could go cruising the streets of North Austin for a http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/member.php?u=12064bit. :lol:[/QUOTE]

I think it is a snob thing. Just like a lot of gamers look down their nose at stuff like Halo, Modern Warfare or Final Fantasy sometimes and movie snobs think 90% of mainstream movies are junk, I think people in the board game community often look down their nose at stuff like Ticket to Ride, Carcassone, Cash and Guns or even stuff that has more depth but is mainstream like Risk. Hell even when I have posted about a game that has more depth like Small World I have had people scoff and turn up their nose because it is a lot simple then larger 10 hour table top games.
 
Carcassonne is a great game. It's the game that's gotten me back into board/card gaming. So far I haven't run into anyone that doesn't like Carcassonne and I've become a Carcassonne addict myself - I've got the real game, the XBLA version and the iPhone version.

I do want to check out Catan at some point too. I've definitely heard good things about it as well.
 
[quote name='CouRageouS']I need to check out Catan as well. I keep forgetting to try the XBLA trial.[/QUOTE]

Someone said it just hit PSN recently too. I am thinking of picking it up and using it as an exercise game(I like to play games while riding an exercise bike, but has to be a game thats not action heavy).
 
Man, it's been forever since I bought anything. It seems like just as I got going into board games, I had job changes and Master's degree finishing to do. Seeing activity here again made me get that itch, though. Right now, though, I've only got Carcassonne, Catan, and Ticket to Ride sitting on the shelf, so I've been thinking about doing a bit of shopping.

Reading through here again, I looking at the following games:

  • Mr Jack
  • Guillotine
  • Lost Cities (Have it on XBL and like it a lot)
  • Samurai
  • Zombies!!
  • Last Night on Earth
  • Thurn and Taxis
  • Dominion
  • Wyatt Earp
  • Betrayal at House on the Hill (when the new edition comes out)
Probably wouldn't buy all of them (especially at one time), but I'd at least like to get a couple.

Magus, I'm kind of in the same boat you have been in with trying to find things to play with the wife. The three games I have so far have gone over very well. Any other couple-friendly games you would recommend?
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']Man, it's been forever since I bought anything. It seems like just as I got going into board games, I had job changes and Master's degree finishing to do. Seeing activity here again made me get that itch, though. Right now, though, I've only got Carcassonne, Catan, and Ticket to Ride sitting on the shelf, so I've been thinking about doing a bit of shopping.

Reading through here again, I looking at the following games:

  • Mr Jack
  • Guillotine
  • Lost Cities (Have it on XBL and like it a lot)
  • Samurai
  • Zombies!!
  • Last Night on Earth
  • Thurn and Taxis
  • Dominion
  • Wyatt Earp
  • Betrayal at House on the Hill (when the new edition comes out)
Probably wouldn't buy all of them (especially at one time), but I'd at least like to get a couple.

Magus, I'm kind of in the same boat you have been in with trying to find things to play with the wife. The three games I have so far have gone over very well. Any other couple-friendly games you would recommend?[/QUOTE]

Ok I will start this off by saying...Christ I did not intend to type this much. I started off trying to just make a quick post to be helpful and ended up typing for like 40 mins. Hopefully if you do not find this helpful someone else will! If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Hmmmmm well as far couple friendly games goes you have a few on the list. If you already like Lost Cities it is a good safe bet and only runs $15-$20. I have seen a number of people refer to Lost Cities as the classic couples game or the gateway drug to get spouses in to board games. It is really simple and yet despite having a luck based element to it has a ton of strategy as well!

Mr Jack is another great couples game to pick up. Just like Lost Cities it's designed specifically for 2 player gaming and my wife LOVES Mr Jack(I like but not love it).

Guillotine is not one of the absolute fav games, but it is still a really fun game, really compact and it only runs $10 which makes it a nice in between game or just something to break up the flow.

Dominion id be on the fence about recommending. We loved it for the first month or so but then burnt out hard on it. We rarely play it now because it seems to just get really repetitive with people using the same strategies over and over. It is still a good game and it is still one we play now and then, but there are just too many other games id rec before it(especially for playing with the wife and given the games $30 price tag).

The other games you have mentioned I mostly do not recommend. First off I did not find any of them near as fun as these others(even those I liked my wife loathed), but besides that many of them are really more targeted towards 3 or more player games not playing just you and your wife. Here are some other games that are favorites of ours, we play all of these a lot. I will break it up in to 3 games to grab if you want something really simple and 3 to grab if you want more depth, yet still easy to understand.


Simple games
---------------------------------------------------
Ingenious - A simple color matching game. A nice twist to it is that for a change the winner is not determined by who scores the most points....but who did the worst with any given color. So lets say through the game you managed to score 30 points for each color except green which you only got 2 points. Your wife meanwhile only got 10 points but she got 10 for every color, that means your wife would win since your 2 is the lowest.

Qwirkle - A fav game at our house. Much like Carc its a bag of tiles that you draw and play to the table. Difference is instead of city pieces it is a bag of shapes and colors. You want to create long rows of the shapes and colors, but you can not have overlap(meaning if you have a green star in a line you can not add another green star). Very very simple....yet as the table gets more and more interconnected lines it becomes harder to find spots to place things that either wont result in your opponent finishing a line of 5(which is worth a bunch of points)and harder because scoring 3 points just aint good enough anymore! Very very fun game.

Blokus - One of the games my wife consistently beats me at! Each player has the exact same abstract pieces, the goal is to play as many of these to the board as possible by game end. Each piece you fail to play hurts your score(bigger pieces hurting more). You can only play pieces by having them touch the edge of one of your other pieces, they can not make direct contact though(only the edges may touch!). This means there is a constant struggle to keep expanding while blocking your opponent in a way they can no longer play pieces.


Deep games
---------------------------------------------------
Small World - One of the only war games my wife has ever liked. Think of Small World as Risk but instead of taking 10 hours to complete a single game you can finish it in 30-60 mins. I think the reason she finds this fun is because you are not stuck with the same troops the whole game meaning once things start to go bad your just ****ed. Instead Small World has different races kept on the side of the board and at any time you can sacrifice a turn and put your active race in to decline(you loose some troops and can no longer attack with your in decline race) and in return you select a new race to begin war with. Unlike most War games Small World is not about controlling the board and amassing troops but instead ending the game with the most points possible. At the end of a turn you gain points based on not just how many spaces you control, but also based on a races ability and a modifier that randomly gets placed at the beginning of the game. So for instance certain races may gain bonus points for controlling certain types of terrain like Swamps or farms, and certain modifiers do that or offer bonus points for things like taking non empty regions or for not attacking your opponent. I think if me and my wife created a list of our top 10 board games both of us would put it in the top 3(possibly in the number 1 spot). My wife just saw what I was typing and added she likes Small World because while she feels I am smarter then her(I say better at this type of thought....)that she can still beat me at Small World.

Tzaar and Yinsh - Both of these are out of print and can be hard to find for less then $30...but are totally worth it if you can(and id gladly pay the $30 for either). Tzaar and Yinsh are more similar to traditional old school board games like Chess or Checkers but freaking full of depth while being simple. When I told my wife that Tzaar was a lot like chess she groaned, yet now it is one of her fav games. I think it is because both games despite having a lot of strategy and depth(the games box even states right on it a pure strategy game)yet they are easy to understand and she can beat me at them sometimes because I overlook something.

Summoner Wars - Recently released and a damn fun little game. Think of this as Chess meets Magic cards. Each person gets a deck of predesignated cards based around various races. At the start of the game a few cards go down at specific spots for you and for her. One of these cards is a leader card and the object then becomes to kill the other persons leader card. Killing off non leader cards provides you with points needed to summon new cards on to the battle field. Very simple game, yet it has a lot of depth to it and each race is truly different. Id rec Small World over it though(especially considering Small World is Cheaper then buying 4-6 races).

Anyways summing up if I had to choose 3 of these for myself id pick Tzaar, Small World and Qwirkle. Recommending for you though id say it really just depends on what you guys are looking for and open to. If you can afford to drop about $100-$125 most sites have free shipping and you really could get a nice little collection. I would say if you can afford it grab Small World, Qwirkle, Lost Cities, Mr Jack and Guillotine which will run a bit over $100(toss in Travel Blokus or Summoner Wars to get to free shipping if need be) this will give you a very nice mix of games fitting all sorts of play styles. It may seem like a nice chunk of change, but the mix of games you have would be enough to last you guys for years without getting burnt out since they all play so differently.

Edit - Just wanted to make it clear the only reason I did not put Tzaar or Yinsh in the final order is because you can not find them most places. If you can indeed find them someplace you are placeing an order then I would consider knocking something else out for them if they seem like games you would like.
 
Wow, thanks, Magus. That's extremely helpful.

The games I put on there that are geared towards more players are for the idea of inviting my sister and her husband over to play with us. So really, I had two goals, but couples gaming is my primary. And I know the zombie-based games get mixed reactions, but I think they're games the four of us could have fun with without really worrying about competition.

I think Qwirkle and/or Blokus might make my list for this order now, but I've got to figure out how much I'm willing to spend all at once. I don't think I can convince my wife I need to place a $300 order like you do :lol:
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']Wow, thanks, Magus. That's extremely helpful.

The games I put on there that are geared towards more players are for the idea of inviting my sister and her husband over to play with us. So really, I had two goals, but couples gaming is my primary. And I know the zombie-based games get mixed reactions, but I think they're games the four of us could have fun with without really worrying about competition.[/quote]




Hmmmm well as far as 4 player games go then yeah Qwirkle and Blokus are amazing for that. While for 2 player gaming I put Ingenious at ok, it is MUCH better as a 4 player game. Unless Small World really does not sound like the type of game you would like to play I can not recommend it enough. It actually comes with 2 different boards specifically so the game is balanced for multiplayer gaming. One side of the first board is designed for 2 players and one for 3 players, the other board is for 4 and 5 player gaming.

Since I now know you are looking at 3 and 4 player gaming as well I would give Bohnanaza an extremely strong recommendation. As a 2 player game it is pretty good, but as a 3-4 player game its easily one of my favs. I did not rec it the first time because I thought you were only looking at 2 person gaming. Bohannaza is a card game that is very heavy on trading. Pretty much like 70% of the game is trading with other players which means that you do not have to feel like you spend 3/4ths of a game waiting for other people to finish their moves. I can not stress enough how much me and my wife love this game when played with others.

Other game I would recommend now that I know that you guys are looking at 3+ player games is Dice Town. As a 2 player game much like Bohnanza its pretty fun, but as a 3-4 player game it is a blast! I do not rec it as strongly as Bohnanaza or Small world, but its still a great game.

Anyways, hopefully you find this all helpfull and hopefully you enjoy the games you buy. I again suggest hitting youtube and seeing if there are video reviews for these games since it can reveal a lot about the game. It may save you from buying something like Zombies ;)
 
Hey I love me some Zombies. Sure its not the most strategic and too random for some, but with 3-4 people trying to screw each other over its a good time! I actually like the expansions better since when you play them alone they make for shorter more action packed games. We also remove some tiles to make the game progress faster in the main game.
 
[quote name='CouRageouS']Hey I love me some Zombies. Sure its not the most strategic and too random for some, but with 3-4 people trying to screw each other over its a good time! I actually like the expansions better since when you play them alone they make for shorter more action packed games. We also remove some tiles to make the game progress faster in the main game.[/QUOTE]

I just was not a fan of Zombies nor were any of the 4-6 people I played the game with. I tried it numerous times with several different people and no one seemed to like the damn game. Last Night on Earth I was ok with, but my wife, brother and brother in law all hated it. Really sucks too since I am a HUGE fan of zombie movies and games.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']I just was not a fan of Zombies nor were any of the 4-6 people I played the game with. I tried it numerous times with several different people and no one seemed to like the damn game. Last Night on Earth I was ok with, but my wife, brother and brother in law all hated it. Really sucks too since I am a HUGE fan of zombie movies and games.[/QUOTE]

Interesting you say that:
[quote name='MSI Magus']I bought zombies and will vouch for it. Its a lot of fun. I will probably pick up last night on Earth sometime in the next few months since it looks pretty fun and is better reviewed. Seriously though I wouldnt put zombies down at all, its a blast to play. My only complaint with it was that I feel more like I am hunting zombies then the zombies are hunting me.
[/QUOTE]

:lol: How times change
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']Interesting you say that:


:lol: How times change[/QUOTE]

That was also after the first game. With each play through it felt more and more like that and felt less and less fun. It was why others did not like it from the start. Have you not ever played something that your first reaction for was amazing but then with each bite/play/read you found it to be worse and worse?

Edit - Also want to state that Zombies was the first board game I had played since playing stuff like sorry as a kid. Only game I played as an adult really was risk. So anything new was amazing. Problem was that over a handful of games I found I was not really having fun after the "new" experience wore off. Then upon playing Ticket to Ride and Carc I realized Zombie was just trash. Guess a good analogy would be it was like meeting a girl and thinking she was the most beautiful and perfect girl ever. Then after a month you find she was wearing 10 pounds of make up and picks her ass and then smells her hand ;)
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']That was also after the first game. With each play through it felt more and more like that and felt less and less fun. It was why others did not like it from the start. Have you not ever played something that your first reaction for was amazing but then with each bite/play/read you found it to be worse and worse?[/QUOTE]

That would require admitting I could be wrong with a judgment I made, and I'm never wrong ;)
 
I played Carcassone with my son and he won. It was fun. He really understood it quickly and remembered all the scoring rules better then me. He was very good at the strategy of deciding where to put his tiles and if he should place a follower down or wait.
I can't wait to try it now with my son and husband.
 
All this Carc and Catan talk - I have to chime in.

I much prefer Carcassone over Catan. Catan has got to be the most overrated game of all boardgames (well except Monopoly). It's not a bad game, there is just nothing special about it that wasn't done better in other games.

I will give Catan props for one thing though - it has almost single handily managed to reignite the boardgame scene. It seems to be a fantastic gateway game for people that only know boardgames as chutes and ladders, sorry, and monopoly.

Carcassone is fun, but I highly recommend the Hunters and Gatherers version. It incorporates most of the best mechanics from all the versions. Once you play it, you'll feel regular Caracassone is not quite as satisfying.

I would highly recommend starting with this list. That's what I did. Scan the list and click on games to see what interests you. Thousands of people voted on this list and it's a pretty good starting point. I own about 80% of the top 25 and many of them are my favorite games. You basically can't go wrong buying anything in the top 200.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']All this Carc and Catan talk - I have to chime in.

I much prefer Carcassone over Catan. Catan has got to be the most overrated game of all boardgames (well except Monopoly). It's not a bad game, there is just nothing special about it that wasn't done better in other games.

I will give Catan props for one thing though - it has almost single handily managed to reignite the boardgame scene. It seems to be a fantastic gateway game for people that only know boardgames as chutes and ladders, sorry, and monopoly.

Carcassone is fun, but I highly recommend the Hunters and Gatherers version. It incorporates most of the best mechanics from all the versions. Once you play it, you'll feel regular Caracassone is not quite as satisfying.

I would highly recommend starting with this list. That's what I did. Scan the list and click on games to see what interests you. Thousands of people voted on this list and it's a pretty good starting point. I own about 80% of the top 25 and many of them are my favorite games. You basically can't go wrong buying anything in the top 200.[/QUOTE]

The only problem with trying to stick to the top 25 is that boardgamegeeks is full of hardcore board game fans and snobs. While there is nothing wrong with being a hardcore fan in and of itself, when it comes to voting if you look they have made the top games all really freaking hardcore games. Stuff like Agricola, Through the Ages and Age of Steam are all great freaking games.....but they are super hardcore games that I have found while I enjoy my wife, my friends wife and none of my family really want to play them. In general I find it hard to get people to commit to playing games that last more then an hour...and if I have to spend more then 5 mins explaining the rules that right there is a good indicator it is not a good game for casual play.

Like I said, I am not saying that those games are not deserving for being in the top 25 or that people at BGG are wrong. I am just saying that for casual play with family members they are not the games to buy. People that are not really in to board games seem to be intimidated enough when I try to explain something like Small World or Carc to them....Agricola would just be a disaster.
 
i played dominion for the first time yesterday, its been on my amazon wish list for a while now but havent had the funds to buy it. a buddy brought it over. i like it a lot, love the pace of the game and i really like the diversity you can get with each game being a little different.
 
Found a local game store through BGG and stopped by today. Had a good selection of games, but not some of the ones I was looking for (Mr Jack, for example). I did, however, pick up Fluxx and Lost Cities as a couple cheap and easy to play games. I was going to order online, but I figured I might as well support a local place.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']The only problem with trying to stick to the top 25 is that boardgamegeeks is full of hardcore board game fans and snobs. While there is nothing wrong with being a hardcore fan in and of itself, when it comes to voting if you look they have made the top games all really freaking hardcore games. Stuff like Agricola, Through the Ages and Age of Steam are all great freaking games.....but they are super hardcore games that I have found while I enjoy my wife, my friends wife and none of my family really want to play them. In general I find it hard to get people to commit to playing games that last more then an hour...and if I have to spend more then 5 mins explaining the rules that right there is a good indicator it is not a good game for casual play.

Like I said, I am not saying that those games are not deserving for being in the top 25 or that people at BGG are wrong. I am just saying that for casual play with family members they are not the games to buy. People that are not really in to board games seem to be intimidated enough when I try to explain something like Small World or Carc to them....Agricola would just be a disaster.[/QUOTE]

Finding satisfying games with meat on the bones, but can be played in an hour, is pretty damn hard I grant you.

I have to say I disagree that Agricola is a hardcore game. I've taught it to my parents and they picked it up quickly. The thing I have noticed about Agricola is that it's all in how you explain it. I usually just explain the basic mechancis of gameplay, explain they want to get a little bit of everything, and let them figure out the rest.

Through the Ages and Age of Steam however, I agree, just aren't for everyone. They can be brain burners. However, I never underestimate people anymore. My mom is always complaining that she doesn't want to "think too hard" when she plays games - yet it turns out, to my surprise, that her favorite game is Power Grid - a game I consider fun but a brain burner.

One thing I have found that is very important is that long games don't feel long or don't bother most people as long as either A) Player turns are fast or B) Make sure the players feel like they have stuff to do when it isn't their turn (Puerto Rico is good at this).

BTW - Does anyone else play and like Cyclades?
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']Played Galaxy Trucker for the first time tonight,

I also played Galaxy Trucker for the last time tonight.[/QUOTE]

Awww. I like Galaxy Truckers.

It is funny though, how many people just can't abide spending so much time building a ship only to watch it get torn to shreds by things beyond your control. You definitely have to play Galaxy Truckers lightheartedly and ready to laugh at all your plans crumbling. It can also go a bit longer than necessary.
 
Found a local game store through BGG and stopped by today. Had a good selection of games, but not some of the ones I was looking for (Mr Jack, for example). I did, however, pick up Fluxx and Lost Cities as a couple cheap and easy to play games. I was going to order online, but I figured I might as well support a local place.
Click to expand...

How much you end up paying though? Supporting a local place is nice.....but christ most of them charge like twice what you can find it for online. If I could go in and pay an extra buck or two to support a local game shop I might be alright with that....but fuck paying double!

[quote name='thrustbucket']Finding satisfying games with meat on the bones, but can be played in an hour, is pretty damn hard I grant you.

I have to say I disagree that Agricola is a hardcore game. I've taught it to my parents and they picked it up quickly. The thing I have noticed about Agricola is that it's all in how you explain it. I usually just explain the basic mechancis of gameplay, explain they want to get a little bit of everything, and let them figure out the rest.

Through the Ages and Age of Steam however, I agree, just aren't for everyone. They can be brain burners. However, I never underestimate people anymore. My mom is always complaining that she doesn't want to "think too hard" when she plays games - yet it turns out, to my surprise, that her favorite game is Power Grid - a game I consider fun but a brain burner.

One thing I have found that is very important is that long games don't feel long or don't bother most people as long as either A) Player turns are fast or B) Make sure the players feel like they have stuff to do when it isn't their turn (Puerto Rico is good at this).

BTW - Does anyone else play and like Cyclades?[/QUOTE]

I guess it all depends on what "meat on the bones" is to you. To me anything that takes complicated thought has meat on its bones. Sure something like Tzaar or Small World may not be as complicated and deep as something like Through the Ages, but to us and those we play with it is still a satisfying chicken dinner!

I disagree on Agricola. It is not so much that the rules are impossible to learn, it is more that people feel overwhelmed by the options in front of them. My wife does not even play Agricola with me anymore because she feels she just will not stand a chance against me. Every time we play it I wipe the floor with her because I am good at having a million roads in front of me and finding which one is most productive. It's that same reason we do not play with others, because they always seem to feel overwhelmed not by the rules, but instead the options in front of them. I guess a good comparison is it would be like taking an old woman that just started playing games with Wii sports and giving her Civilization IV. It is not that she would not be able to play it....it is that she probably would feel overwhelmed by her options.

If your group of family and friends can take the big complicated stuff that is awesome man! I just know that most of our friends and family seem to get extremely intimated by any new board game, even simple stuff like Ingenious or Carc they act all anxiety ridden over learning the rules and while playing the first game.
 
I once worked with the couple that made Fluxx. I actually don't know if they are still together, but Andy Looney and ... I forget her name... they use to work where I do (Goddard Space Flight Center). They quit their day job to make games. I have one of the first production run versions of Icehouse. Truth be told, though, I never thought much of the game....
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']How much you end up paying though? Supporting a local place is nice.....but christ most of them charge like twice what you can find it for online. If I could go in and pay an extra buck or two to support a local game shop I might be alright with that....but fuck paying double!
[/QUOTE]

Well, I knew going in he charged retail but had a rewards/discount program. I signed up for a membership thing there for $25 for a year. I get 25% off pretty much everything in the store (which brings the prices to comparable to or lower than online that I've found) and free game rentals to try things. I made half of it back just buying Fluxx and Lost Cities. I haven't even gotten to the expensive stuff yet. I'll make the membership back and then some, especially with xmas shopping.

Played a bit of Fluxx with the wife last night. It's definitely a light game, but for those times when you don't want to take things seriously, it will do the trick. Using an action card to randomly steal the keeper that would have won the game for my wife on her next turn: hilarious. I could see how playing with 3-4 people would make it even more fun. Lesson of the game: Don't play a draw 5 rule card in conjunction with a Hand Limit 0 rule #-o
 
Thrust, to answer your question above, after being super skeptical about Cyclades I finally got to play it last week. It immediately went into my next order and will be arriving tomorrow. That game has a bit of everything. Reminds me somewhat of Game of Thrones at times, which I absolutely am in love with.

Recommended to anyone else on the fence.
 
PS, I'm trying to weed out the collection. Anyone interested in the following like-new games should take them of my hands:

Arkham Horror
Fresco
Tobago
Power Grid
Colosseum
Caylus
Endeavor

Shoot me a PM!
 
One more thing, those who are interested should PM me thir trade lists as well -- I'm open for that too. it'll be until later when I get off work to reply to the PMs you guys have sent so far.

Thanks!
 
hmm, id probably be down to trade a few games. unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately if thats what you want) theyd be "traditional" or party games that dont get much play at my house anymore. but ill take a look and post when i get home.
 
Hi, has anyone played scrabble Flash or u-build monopoly? I was thinking of buying scrabble Flash and TRU has a buy 2 get 1 free on Hasbro games, I was trying to think of 2 other games that I coulkd buy with it. Any suggestions? My son might like u-build monopoly.
 
Innovation = awesome awesome card game.
If you like Glory to Rome, check this out.

If you don't have Glory to Rome... what the hell are you waiting for?
 
Damn my love for nostalgia. I recently started reading some of the newer Warhammer 40k novels, and lo and behold, I start feeling the itch to put an army together. Of course, I haven't played since 2nd edition, and miniatures seem a bit pricier than I remember. :whistle2:\
 
I semi-recently got Reiner Knizia's Medici from amazon.com, entirely because I got the iPhone app and like it a lot. Anyway, it's great and a pretty nice looking game too. FYI, the game you get does not look like what's pictured at amazon (or at least not how it was depicted when I ordered - haven't checked since). It looks much better and is more like the iPhone app, in terms of look. The scoring is a little cumbersome to do by hand at first, I have to admit, but I'll get better with time. Really it's more trying to explain the scoring that's cumbersome. I've got friends coming over Friday and will play it with them then. Only played it once with family so far. I'm going to print a scoring summary sheet with a bit more detail then the manual, as understanding what you're working toward, score-wise, is pretty important.
 
Anyone ever played Tobago? My wife has a birthday coming up and I think I am going to get it for her. She is a big fan of clue and when we watched a review for it awhile back she got excited because she thought it kind of looked like a deeper version of clue.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']I have tobago and it is fun, but some of it is significantly deeper than clue and a few of the rules are fiddly.[/QUOTE]

Good to hear, seems like it may be a long the lines of what she was thinking then. I will go ahead and buy it for her bday then. Thanks!
 
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