Board Gaming Era |OT| (Mostly) Unplugged Gaming

Deleted member 8860 · Jan 28, 2019

Have there been any small-box/cheap ($10-$20) games of note recently? It seems we had a burst of them a few years ago with Love Letter, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Codenames, Hanabi, etc., but the only one I can think of from the last year or so is The Mind.

Antiquegamer said:
Though the Alchemy seem to be really strong and if you don't go there and get the right one you will not win. We almost finish the pyramid and the guy I played with said he usually doesn't see it get that high.

Part of which tracks are strong is determined by the random setup, right? So it'll change from game to game. I think the designer did say that alchemy and pyramid building are strong on the starter setup. Again, I haven't had the opportunity to play Teotihuacan for myself yet, so I may be entirely incorrect.

Deleted member 733 · Jan 28, 2019

Vyse24 said:
Didn't see it posted here, but according to Stronghold Games, Ganz Schon Clever (That's Pretty Clever) is releasing in the states on February 6th, and the sequel Doppelt so Clever (Twice as Clever) is targeting a May release. Both expected to go for $20 each.

I never imported one, so that's great news for a reasonable price.

Deleted member 733 · Jan 28, 2019

emag said:
Have there been any small-box/cheap ($10-$20) games of note recently? It seems we had a burst of them a few years ago with Love Letter, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Codenames, Hanabi, etc., but the only one I can think of from the last year or so is The Mind.

Part of which tracks are strong is determined by the random setup, right? So it'll change from game to game. I think the designer did say that alchemy and pyramid building are strong on the starter setup. Again, I haven't had the opportunity to play Teotihuacan for myself yet, so I may be entirely incorrect.

I believe by design, participating in pyramid-building is essentially REQUIRED as part of any strategy with experienced players. How much and how fast varies with the board setup though.

Just Progress · Jan 28, 2019

How do y'all keep updated with Kickstarters? I'm new to board games but it seems like most big game these days are run through Kickstarter and I'm curious how you stay plugged in.

Ultron · Jan 28, 2019

emag said:
Have there been any small-box/cheap ($10-$20) games of note recently? It seems we had a burst of them a few years ago with Love Letter, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Codenames, Hanabi, etc., but the only one I can think of from the last year or so is The Mind.

I've recently been having a really good time with Railroad Ink and High Society, which are right at 20 each (if not being price gouged). Roll and write game and a reprint of a good auction game with really pretty art.

TheMathyFolf · Jan 28, 2019

Just Progress said:
How do y'all keep updated with Kickstarters? I'm new to board games but it seems like most big game these days are run through Kickstarter and I'm curious how you stay plugged in.

/r/boardgames posts a weekly thread on Sundays, there's lists on BGG, you can follow people on Kickstarter and get emails when they creat a kickstarter, and when they back one.

Musan · Jan 28, 2019

Just Progress said:
How do y'all keep updated with Kickstarters? I'm new to board games but it seems like most big game these days are run through Kickstarter and I'm curious how you stay plugged in.

My suggestion to people new to the hobby is to stay away from Kickstarter unless you really know what you are getting into.

There are a variety of different designs on the market. See what type of games you want, then consider Kickstarter as an option.

Deleted member 8860 · Jan 28, 2019

Ultron said:
I've recently been having a really good time with Railroad Ink and High Society, which are right at 20 (if not being price gouged). Roll and write game and an auction game.

I'll look into Railroad Ink. Thanks!

High Society is a Knizia masterpiece and the new edition is beautiful (I have it). There are a lot of great card-based games from the 2000s that are/were also available cheaply (No Thanks!, For Sale, Money, Modern Art, 6 Nimmt!), but I'm specifically looking for new games that I might have missed from the last year or so (when I cut back on following BGG news/hotness).

Neverfade · Jan 28, 2019

emag said:
Have there been any small-box/cheap ($10-$20) games of note recently? It seems we had a burst of them a few years ago with Love Letter, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Codenames, Hanabi, etc., but the only one I can think of from the last year or so is The Mind.

Fuji Flush and Decrypto are IMO, must haves.

Edit: Also Werewords has just about replaced ONUW for us.

fenners · Jan 28, 2019

Just Progress said:
How do y'all keep updated with Kickstarters? I'm new to board games but it seems like most big game these days are run through Kickstarter and I'm curious how you stay plugged in.

I can't speak for anyone else, but a lot of boardgame kickstarters, even middling profile ones, are just "meh" - there are so many new boardgames released out there that it's relatively rare for a purely KS only game appear - and the ones that do are often relatively quick to relaunch to keep momentum going. And minis continue to sell well regardless of the game quality...

If you want to keep plugged in, I like the TheBoardgameGroup on FB for news/discussion (and usually paid promotion) of KS/new releases. The reddit threads mentioned earlier are good too. But honestly? Tune KS out... There's so much focus on new "stuff" to distract from the core play of games.

Just Progress said:
High Society is a Knizia masterpiece and the new edition is beautiful (I have it). There are a lot of great card-based games from the 2000s that are/were also available cheaply (No Thanks!, For Sale, Money, Modern Art, 6 Nimmt!), but I'm specifically looking for new games that I might have missed from the last year or so (when I cut back on following BGG news/hotness).

I like your way of thinking, love a lot of the games you mention, and I think my favourite "quick" card games in that genre from the last few years are Fuji Flush (for 4+, real easy to explain but with some depth), Team Play (4 exactly in pairs of two), & Port Royal (a little more complicated and best at 4, but more "space" for playing).

Spookie · Jan 29, 2019

Just Progress said:
How do y'all keep updated with Kickstarters? I'm new to board games but it seems like most big game these days are run through Kickstarter and I'm curious how you stay plugged in.

Check it daily. But I'm cutting back on KS'ers unless they really interest me or have a lot of exclusive stuff I can't live without. So many shit games on there. :(

BassForever · Jan 29, 2019

emag said:
Have there been any small-box/cheap ($10-$20) games of note recently? It seems we had a burst of them a few years ago with Love Letter, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Codenames, Hanabi, etc., but the only one I can think of from the last year or so is The Mind.

Part of which tracks are strong is determined by the random setup, right? So it'll change from game to game. I think the designer did say that alchemy and pyramid building are strong on the starter setup. Again, I haven't had the opportunity to play Teotihuacan for myself yet, so I may be entirely incorrect.

They're basically all roll and write games nowadays

XShagrath · Jan 29, 2019

Just Progress said:
How do y'all keep updated with Kickstarters? I'm new to board games but it seems like most big game these days are run through Kickstarter and I'm curious how you stay plugged in.

Others have already said, BGG and Reddit are good resources. I also occasionally look at kicktraq.com to see the top stuff that's currently up there. Also, Tantrum House on YouTube does bi-monthly videos on games launching on KS each month.

Fonst · Jan 29, 2019

GrimGrinningGuy said:
You should have him autograph it!

If/when I get a copy, I shall ask her to do so!

Deleted member 4452 · Jan 29, 2019

Musan said:
My suggestion to people new to the hobby is to stay away from Kickstarter unless you really know what you are getting into.

I can't emphasize this enough.

Antiquegamer · Jan 29, 2019

emag said:
Part of which tracks are strong is determined by the random setup, right? So it'll change from game to game. I think the designer did say that alchemy and pyramid building are strong on the starter setup. Again, I haven't had the opportunity to play Teotihuacan for myself yet, so I may be entirely incorrect.

Yes there is a standard board set up (pre-printed) and random tiles that move the location around with exception of the Palace and the Construction (1 and 8 ). The Alchemy powers, the Temple track and the Palace also have random tiles that changes from game to game and help prevent people from moving in certain order. I played against the bot after I got home and realized that my friend got couple things wrong which let to the winner run away with so many more points (he would have won anyway).

That said, building pyramid can get you a lot of point especially in early game. I found that later game it's not quite as lucrative which probably why many pyramid never get up very high and also finishing pyramid also trigger end of game. The Alchemy is a must go to because the bonus is huge. The winner and I noticed this right away and put two of our cube there using our starting powers (which was illegal, another thing he taught us wrong, thought wasn't all his fault there was FAQ ruling on it) in any case, you have to go to Alchemy regardless of how the board set up (starter or random) because gaining bonus for something you would do anyway is huge and if you don't go there you are at big disadvantage.

Rover · Jan 29, 2019

Musan said:
My suggestion to people new to the hobby is to stay away from Kickstarter unless you really know what you are getting into.

There are a variety of different designs on the market. See what type of games you want, then consider Kickstarter as an option.

Yes!

Even as someone who knows a lot of board games, I've been burned by KS games because there is no real vetting process. Every preview for a KS game tends to glow about it. You have to take a very skeptical eye into any of that stuff.

Mashing · Jan 29, 2019

BassForever said:
The theme does nothing for me either, but the gameplay looks really good.

Same, which is why I'm conflicted. The gameplay is what should matter most. It being similar to Terraforming Mars is also working in it's favor.

XShagrath · Jan 29, 2019

Mashing said:
Same, which is why I'm conflicted. The gameplay is what should matter most. It being similar to Terraforming Mars is also working in it's favor.

I don't really follow why everyone compares Wingspan to Terraforming Mars. I guess it's just because they're both "engine builders," but they play nothing alike.

Deleted member 733 · Jan 29, 2019

This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill.

The Feast for Odin expansion finally shipped!

BrokenMill · Jan 30, 2019

XShagrath said:
I don't really follow why everyone compares Wingspan to Terraforming Mars. I guess it's just because they're both "engine builders," but they play nothing alike.

Probably because Jamey Stegmaier (the publisher) compared it to Terraforming Mars and Gizmos.

Jimrpg · Jan 30, 2019

Heya, I don't think I've posted in here before. I decided to bite the bullet and order Gloomhaven today. It was about AU$160 on Amazon AU. Its a lot of money for a game for me and I might only ever play a small part of it, let alone finish it so I'm a bit nervous about spending that much on it. I also don't get to board game that much, because I work overseas and only back home a couple of times a year. That said, I'm really excited, the only other 'dungeon crawler' I have is Runebound 3rd Edition and Arkham Horror, and they're not really close to Gloomhaven. When I was young, we played a lot of Heroquest but I've lost pretty much all the bits.

Ace Harding · Jan 30, 2019

I had a dream last night that I played the greatest game ever made:

Monster Hunter: The Board Game

You and a group of up to three other hunters explore map tiles and find gathering spots and smaller monsters to fight and loot for materials, while also tracking and fighting huge monsters (who are moving around the map somehow) in epic battles where you can wound them, trap them etc and carve parts from them. And then of course you can trade in parts and other materials to craft new armor, weapons and items for your hunter. It was so good. I was very disappointed to wake up and realize this is not a real game.

Antiquegamer · Jan 30, 2019

Ace Harding said:
I had a dream last night that I played the greatest game ever made:

Monster Hunter: The Board Game

You and a group of up to three other hunters explore map tiles and find gathering spots and smaller monsters to fight and loot for materials, while also tracking and fighting huge monsters (who are moving around the map somehow) in epic battles where you can wound them, trap them etc and carve parts from them. And then of course you can trade in parts and other materials to craft new armor, weapons and items for your hunter. It was so good. I was very disappointed to wake up and realize this is not a real game.

Sound like Kingdom Death Monster.

zulux21 · Jan 30, 2019

Antiquegamer said:
Sound like Kingdom Death Monster.

I was about to say. Kingdom Death Monster is already kind of Monster hunter the game :P

Deleted member 9241 · Jan 30, 2019

CMON's latest Kickstarter, Munchkin Dungeon, is not really my cup of tea. Most of their KS are funded in 10-15 minutes, but this one has been going on almost 24hrs and is still 9k short as of the time of this post. Still, 19 days to go so it will definitely get funded. I'm just thinking the extras may be a little thin on this one unless it really turns a corner at some point. The entry point of $60 is also $30-40 cheaper than their other projects and that is sure to make the bigger numbers harder to hit.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmon/munchkin-dungeon/description

Deleted member 4452 · Jan 30, 2019

Does any boardgame have a system with elemental interactions as intricate as Divinity Original Sin?

Rover · Jan 30, 2019

Llyranor said:
Does any boardgame have a system with elemental interactions as intricate as Divinity Original Sin?

Uhh, you mix paint according to the color wheel in Fresco? :P

4Tran · Jan 30, 2019

I've been playing some Quatermaster General and a number of proper wargames and it's really good to get back into the groove. I'm still trying to find some time to get the bigger games to the table. Also, I've noticed that the BGG complexity ratings are a bit questionable to begin with, but they're hilariously bad when it comes to wargames. It doesn't help that these tend to be vastly more complex than regular board games to begin with.

emag said:
Have there been any small-box/cheap ($10-$20) games of note recently? It seems we had a burst of them a few years ago with Love Letter, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Codenames, Hanabi, etc., but the only one I can think of from the last year or so is The Mind.

Arboretum is one of the better small games to come out in the last few years, and Lost Cities: Rivals is supposed to be very good as well.

Llyranor said:
Does any boardgame have a system with elemental interactions as intricate as Divinity Original Sin?

It's going to work a fair bit differently, but Spirit Island should come reasonably close. The way it works is that if you play enough of the right elements for your spirit, you can activate a bunch of bonus powers to make your life easier. And even if it doesn't do that, Spirit Island is a fantastic game!

BassForever · Jan 30, 2019

SillyEskimo said:
CMON's latest Kickstarter, Munchkin Dungeon, is not really my cup of tea. Most of their KS are funded in 10-15 minutes, but this one has been going on almost 24hrs and is still 9k short as of the time of this post. Still, 19 days to go so it will definitely get funded. I'm just thinking the extras may be a little thin on this one unless it really turns a corner at some point. The entry point of $60 is also $30-40 cheaper than their other projects and that is sure to make the bigger numbers harder to hit.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmon/munchkin-dungeon/description

Well that and it's fucking munchkin

Keasar · Jan 31, 2019

Got my box of Claustrophobia 1643, damn a lot bigger than I imagined it be. :o

nicoga3000 · Jan 31, 2019

Got my shipping notification for my Shadows of Brimstone Shogun package. 36# of additional Brimstone coming my way! <3

Deleted member 9241 · Jan 31, 2019

With less than 2hrs remaining, I jumped on the War of the Worlds Kickstarter.

absolutbro · Feb 1, 2019

nicoga3000 said:
Got my shipping notification for my Shadows of Brimstone Shogun package. 36# of additional Brimstone coming my way! <3

Same! Mine won't be here until next Thursday though :(

derFeef · Feb 1, 2019

I am a sucker for Munchkin so I had to back Dungeon + 2 addons. Poor wallet.

Deleted member 8860 · Feb 1, 2019

Well, ordered Teotihuacan and New Frontiers. Fingers crossed that I enjoy them as much as others do.

nicoga3000 · Feb 1, 2019

absolutbro said:
Same! Mine won't be here until next Thursday though :(

Update on mine says Wednesday. Gives me time to finish putting together all the other minis I have sitting around!

Deleted member 9241 · Feb 1, 2019

derFeef said:
I am a sucker for Munchkin so I had to back Dungeon + 2 addons. Poor wallet.

If you walk away from a CMON Kickstarter only paying $140, that would be a miracle. With 17 days to go, it will eventually be around $300 for an "all in" pledge, mark my words!

Deleted member 38227 · Feb 1, 2019

Legend of the Five Rings question: How long do characters stay bowed? Throughout one conflict only, or throughout the entire conflict phase?
EDIT: I found the answer. It's the latter.

Ultron · Feb 1, 2019

Played Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig yesterday. It is great! It is the evolution of Between Two Cities that I was hoping for. Because Cities had an awesome concept (tile drafting/laying with your neighbors, score on your worst city), but the scoring was two simple so it meant most games played out the same. Castles adds enough types of scoring and scoring strategies that things can end up pretty different from castle to castle. Definitely want to play it some more! I also really appreciate that every room tile in the game has a unique name and art.

Deleted member 733 · Feb 1, 2019

Ultron said:
Played Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig yesterday. It is great! It is the evolution of Between Two Cities that I was hoping for. Because Cities had an awesome concept (tile drafting/laying with your neighbors, score on your worst city), but the scoring was two simple so it meant most games played out the same. Castles adds enough types of scoring and scoring strategies that things can end up pretty different from castle to castle. Definitely want to play it some more! I also really appreciate that every room tile in the game has a unique name and art.

Do you feel the tiles becoming square and not unusual shapes hurts it at all?

Ultron · Feb 1, 2019

Blizzard said:
Do you feel the tiles becoming square and not unusual shapes hurts it at all?

I miss that a bit from the original Castles game, sure, but I don't know how you'd do the "Between Two" style with non uniform pieces, because the way the game works requires the tiles being drafted and you're fitting tiles into the castle simultaneously with a partner. So passing around a set of mismatched tiles and then trying to get two weird shaped things into the same castle seems like it'd be really tough to manage.

It does have basement tiles vs upstairs tiles and having to build out the first floor before you can build upwards, so it gets at least a bit of that spatial stuff in there. The puzzle of "how to build this" was interesting enough that I was having conversations with each partner about where to put stuff on most turns.

derFeef · Feb 2, 2019

SillyEskimo said:
If you walk away from a CMON Kickstarter only paying $140, that would be a miracle. With 17 days to go, it will eventually be around $300 for an "all in" pledge, mark my words!

Oh boy. Are these generally speaking good quality products?

Deleted member 9241 · Feb 2, 2019

derFeef said:
Oh boy. Are these generally speaking good quality products?

Absolutely. One of the very best in the biz, actually. They have done a ridiculous amount of Kickstarters with no issues.

Deleted member 38227 · Feb 2, 2019

Has anyone played Cryptid? Worth buying?

mclem · Feb 2, 2019

I've been pondering introducing my nieces to the idea of co-operative gaming - I tried it a few years ago with Forbidden Island, but then they were a little too young to grasp the complexities of that. Now, though, they're a bit more strategically-minded, so they might be receptive to teamwork and planning.

However... I'm at my parents, I don't actually have any co-op games here. So... rather than purchasing any boxed product, are there any co-op games that use generic components that I can cobble together? I've got ample dice (from Las Vegas), drawable word cards (in the form of Codenames), many coloured cards (in the form of Ticket To Ride) plus the usual counters and standard playing cards, and could always print-and-play something if required.

Is there anything that's viable? I'm currently trying to think if I can do something clever inspired by Werewords.

Armouredpriest · Feb 2, 2019

Two kickstarter games arrived today.
On Tour
The Faceless

Also purchased a copy of Wizards (the parents of some close friends made this game back in 82, it's a bit tough to get a hold of as it's never been reprinted).

PCfromNYC · Feb 2, 2019

mclem said:
I've been pondering introducing my nieces to the idea of co-operative gaming - I tried it a few years ago with Forbidden Island, but then they were a little too young to grasp the complexities of that. Now, though, they're a bit more strategically-minded, so they might be receptive to teamwork and planning.

However... I'm at my parents, I don't actually have any co-op games here. So... rather than purchasing any boxed product, are there any co-op games that use generic components that I can cobble together? I've got ample dice (from Las Vegas), drawable word cards (in the form of Codenames), many coloured cards (in the form of Ticket To Ride) plus the usual counters and standard playing cards, and could always print-and-play something if required.

Is there anything that's viable? I'm currently trying to think if I can do something clever inspired by Werewords.

Maybe you could do something that's like Just One?

mclem · Feb 2, 2019

Vyse24 said:
Maybe you could do something that's like Just One?

Ooh, that's a good idea, and might well be workable; we have Wits and Wagers somewhere in the pile which would give us dry erase pens and boards.

JSR_Cube · Feb 3, 2019

bardo said:
Has anyone played Cryptid? Worth buying?

I've looked into it quite a bit but I've held off for now. The components just look bland and that will matter to my group. I also hear that if someone screws up it can affect the whole game. It's still on my radar.

I got Kemet: Seth. I can't wait to try it. I love how it changes the base game completely. I wish there were more expansions like this.

We played some Just One a couple of nights ago. I think we played three or four games. It's a great family game.

Board Gaming Era |OT| (Mostly) Unplugged Gaming

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