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Board Gaming Era |OT| (Mostly) Unplugged Gaming
- Thread starter XShagrath
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OP
OP
It's not? I feel it's super simple to understand. There's only four actions you can take (take a tile, place a tile, sell goods, take two workers), so I think any player should be able to get that down within a turn or two.
Now, at high level play, there are a lot of decisions to be made. But I think it's a super easy teach, and could probably get a game going with new players in just a few minutes.
I've only played it twice with the wife and hated it... But I remember their being a lot of colors and iconography to remember. What buildings do etc. Its certainly not a light game.
Yeah there is definitely a lot to learn and think about between all the regular tile powers, all the endgame scoring tiles, setting up combos, filling in your board.
Along the lines of Kingdomino or Machi Koro, it's not a match at all. It takes 3+ hours to play Burgundy with 3-4 players.
Along the lines of those games I'd say Splendor, Biblios, Indian Summer (this game is in the same family as Cottage Garden but I like it more personally, and it's still simple to play)
Along the lines of Kingdomino or Machi Koro, it's not a match at all. It takes 3+ hours to play Burgundy with 3-4 players.
Along the lines of those games I'd say Splendor, Biblios, Indian Summer (this game is in the same family as Cottage Garden but I like it more personally, and it's still simple to play)
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OP
OP
Are we thinking about the same game? Granted, I've only played the game with two players, but it's never been much more than an hour. I don't see this game being 3+ hours at any player count, unless everyone is incredibly prone to AP. I don't see how anyone's turn take more than a minute, max. And you've got 25 turns over the course of a game.
I have no idea how it happens, it just does. I sat in a 4p game that was well over 3 hours, and there wasn't a lot of AP. Talked to a friend of mine yesterday (who has played it a lot 2p), and he also said he finally tried it with more players and it was a brutal slog. The game is great 2p but something completely breaks with more.
Castles of Burgundy is not light, but it is still fairly easy to learn. I learned it from this very clear 12-min video https://youtu.be/5hHJ1a7UByU (one mistake is that you get 1 point per 2 workers instead of per 1)
It goes over the iconography pretty well, and I find referring to the player board for the brown buildings abilities pretty clear. I leave the manual open for the yellow knowledge tiles details, but didn't need it anymore after a couple of plays.
Length-wise, we've consistently been < 60min 2p. Some friends played > 3 hrs on a 3-4p game, but it turns they played a rule wrong. Instead of playing both dice one after the other, they would play one then jump to next player. Apparently that encourages AP and really bumps up the playtime.
It is also my duty to inform you that CoB is amazing
It goes over the iconography pretty well, and I find referring to the player board for the brown buildings abilities pretty clear. I leave the manual open for the yellow knowledge tiles details, but didn't need it anymore after a couple of plays.
Length-wise, we've consistently been < 60min 2p. Some friends played > 3 hrs on a 3-4p game, but it turns they played a rule wrong. Instead of playing both dice one after the other, they would play one then jump to next player. Apparently that encourages AP and really bumps up the playtime.
It is also my duty to inform you that CoB is amazing
Those are really cute. Though the mouse definitely looks a little too close to a piece of chocolate...
The Kickstarter for Evolution: Oceans went up today for anyone who is a fan of the series.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...lone-game-in-the-evolution-series/description
The art looks stunning as always, particularly the Deep Ocean themed stuff, and it looks like they're changing up the gameplay quite a bit.
The Kickstarter for Evolution: Oceans went up today for anyone who is a fan of the series.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...lone-game-in-the-evolution-series/description
The art looks stunning as always, particularly the Deep Ocean themed stuff, and it looks like they're changing up the gameplay quite a bit.
If I get wingspan, where can I get these awesome upgrades??
I think I might wait to buy in retail. I don't care about the promos for these games and the deluxe edition doesn't really sound all that deluxe so far.
We'll see, I definitely want the game, but 80 dollars seems steep to have plastic fish, and the cloth bags that all the other retail games already have :/
https://www.etsy.com/listing/689302899/145x-food-birdhouses-tokens-wingspan?ref=shop_home_feat_1
They ship fast and quality is amazing
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This suddenly got real cheap on Amazon AU, so I picked up a copy (actually 2 because the price dropped further, hopefully i'll be able to return the 1st one free of charge.) There's an option that says mistakenly bought and they charge you $7 for shipping it back, but selecting 'not suitable for use' is free (for whatever reason).
When I first got into board gaming, I wanted to get this and Memoir 44, Days of Wonder games were really gloriously produced back in those days, but Pirate's Cove was never on sale, and it was a bit light. For the last couple of years it was always out of print, and about a month ago it came back in print but at full RRP AU$96. Imagine my surprise at 4am seeing the game at 70% off, and bought it straight away.
I am all for blinking but those are crazy expensive. $20 for a super small "bowl" coaster and the rest cost even more.
My wife kind of games would be Splendor, Cottage Garden, Potion Explosion, Santorini, Azul and Barren Park and if she up for something more "complicated" we would played New York 1901, Five Tribes and sometimes I can get her into Orleans. As much as I like Castles of Burgundy, I don't think it is quite a gateway game. It's more like the next step up. It's not complicate as far as actions go but the way you score are not easy for casual gamer to wrap their head around. I find after many years of trying to get my wife and casual gamers to get into board game that it's more of how clear the goal is for them to see so they can execute their actions. Game like Splendor has clear easy to see objective thus make it lighter, games with multiple paths to victory (like Burgundy) are very confusing for non-hardcore gamers.
As for epic complex game, if you really want to get into them see if there are MeetUP group in your area. I used to not like complex game either but actually it was discovering games like the Castles of Burgundy and Power Grid (still don't care for it but will play) that got me deeper into complex games.
Just watch out for counterfeit one from Chinese sellers. Day of Wonder games are prime for fake knock-off since they are usually expensive. I am not sure how it is in Australia but fake games from China are becoming more and more prevalence here especially on eBay and Amazon. Even those sell by "Amazon" are not immune because they often co mingle their stocks.
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I have a decent collection and have been saving money for mortgage etc. so I actually haven't ordered new games in a while. Today I had just enough Amazon credit to do a roughly $48 order for free, so I got two new games.
First I got Twlight Struggle since I've heard it recommended for a long time and $33 seemed like a decent price: https://www.amazon.com/GMT-Games-Twilight-Struggle-Deluxe/dp/B0060L6EE4
Second, I got Skull King + Legendary Expansion for casual play. The art looks better than the German edition, and the other casual game I own from Grandpa Beck is actually really hilarious (Cover Your A$$ets). Skull King: https://www.amazon.com/Grandpa-Becks-Skull-King-Legendary/dp/B00CK1EJG8
Hopefully I did well!
First I got Twlight Struggle since I've heard it recommended for a long time and $33 seemed like a decent price: https://www.amazon.com/GMT-Games-Twilight-Struggle-Deluxe/dp/B0060L6EE4
Second, I got Skull King + Legendary Expansion for casual play. The art looks better than the German edition, and the other casual game I own from Grandpa Beck is actually really hilarious (Cover Your A$$ets). Skull King: https://www.amazon.com/Grandpa-Becks-Skull-King-Legendary/dp/B00CK1EJG8
Hopefully I did well!
Twilight Struggle is an amazing game if you can play against the same person over and over. I think it's rough on a first play though, because there's some strategies that seem kind of counterintuitive that really make the game tick. Like, there's a set of cards that will just make you instantly lose the game if you play them at specific times. But you might not notice that, or think "wait that can't be right" when you're playing the first time.
If you really get into it, this website is a pretty big rabbit hole you can go down in strategy reading: https://twilightstrategy.com/
Though, to be honest, I'd recommend just playing the very good digital version instead of playing the physical game. It takes a lot of the fiddliness out of it. And asynchronous play is pretty cool for that kind of game.
If you really get into it, this website is a pretty big rabbit hole you can go down in strategy reading: https://twilightstrategy.com/
Though, to be honest, I'd recommend just playing the very good digital version instead of playing the physical game. It takes a lot of the fiddliness out of it. And asynchronous play is pretty cool for that kind of game.
Thanks for the heads up. Just yesterday, I got a little concerned with my copy of Terraforming Mars, because of all the posts about there being a lot of counterfeit copies. I think, I hope mine is a legit copy, (no spelling mistakes!) though I've had it for a year so its way too late to do anything about it. I got it that one time Amazon US had it discounted to $35.
I haven't heard anything about Pirate's Cove being pirated (pun!), there's been no demand for it that I can see, so hopefully that'll ward off the counterfeiters. I haven't opened it yet, but Pirate's Cove used to be one of the most beautiful games out on the market, and now after looking at some photos on BGG, it doesn't look anything special. The board game space has come a really long way in 10 years.
Anyone played Teotihuacan? I really like the look of that one.
Carcasonne (lots of expansions)
Pandemic - not a building game, but its awesome
Dominion (lots of expansions)
Kingdom Builder
Puerto Rico (with so many heavier games these days, PR is a pretty light game all things considered)
Race for the Galaxy
Ticket to Ride
7 Wonders
Luxor
Arboretum
Cacao
Castles of Burgundy the card game
Random Thought - Board Game Geek should have opened their own online store. They probably still could, though Amazon free shipping means they might still be cheaper. BGG own so many clicks, and I always go there before I buy a game.
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Oh lots of discussion about Castles of Burgundy. I think my wife isn't really "casual", her problem is when games take too long and the rules are overly complicated. She likes quick to setup, understand and play games. I looked a bit into Castles of Burgundy and while it doesn't look super-light, it might be the sweet spot between complex and easy to learn.
I have been way out of the loop for about a year now. But, my copy of Black Sonata arrived today. Looking forward to playing it tomorrow night.
If you are trying to build a deck with more than one of the singleton cards then, yes. I personally have 3 but I played the game competitively for years.
Thanks for the recommendations. I already played quite a few of them. But I was always (very) interested in Dominion. What's the best way to start? There are so many editions and some of them can work as a starter as far as I know.
I would say Dominion is not worth getting unless your buy several expansions. There are so many different types of deck builders available outside of Dominion that appeal to different tastes. If you want a small box with lots of gameplay, I would recommend valley of the Kings or Dale of merchants. If you like coop games, Aeon's End or Legendary might work for you.
Clank! In Space or the quest for El Dorado is also really good if you like playing on a board.
I was really looking forward to the Blood on the Clocktower kickstarter, but it launched today at $80 not including shipping. Yikes. That's way too much money for cards and cardboard no matter how felt covered the box is. I've played the game and it's really fun, but not at any price fun.
I might lean on Quest for El Dorado since you still get the fixed market of cards like Dominion, rather than the more random stuff in other games or the extra mechanics
OP
OP
How could that possibly be $80? That's insane!
For comparison, here's a KS I backed last year for $88 + shipping.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nskngames/snowdonia-deluxe-master-set
I agree. I also think that if the game is that good that someone else will copy their roles and mechanics. I find there is a lot of "borrowing of ideas" in that social deduction/party genre.
thanks! and for someone new to the game, what are some of the best data packs?
edit: actually, wait... wizards of the coast has the rights, correct? will they reboot it?
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I recently got into board gaming (6 months), since I'm no longer interested in modern videogaming (basically I only play retro mini consoles like nes/snes nowadays), and I'm looking (now that I'm getting older) for more tactile/analogue experiences/hobbies.
It all started with legacy of dragonholt that was gifted to me 6 months ago, and it was love at "first sight" or first play. It was the best gift ever received (not joking), loved it after playing it; it sparkled something inside me that I didn't feel in years with regular recent videogames.
Then i bought a few more board games: fallout, chrononauts, pulp detective (love the art style of this one, just staring at the cards is awesome while playing it). I also bought arkham horror lgc but haven't played it yet, will do very soon hopefully in the next few weeks.
Now I'm looking for games like legacy of dragonholt to increase my collection, so with a strong branching narrative. Can you recommend me anything? Not simple choose-your-own-adventure books, but something which is half way between gamebooks/CYOA and board gaming (so with components, map, cards, tiles or things like that).
I already pledged tainted grail and dark ventures which fit what I was looking for, but they are far away before they will be delivered.
It all started with legacy of dragonholt that was gifted to me 6 months ago, and it was love at "first sight" or first play. It was the best gift ever received (not joking), loved it after playing it; it sparkled something inside me that I didn't feel in years with regular recent videogames.
Then i bought a few more board games: fallout, chrononauts, pulp detective (love the art style of this one, just staring at the cards is awesome while playing it). I also bought arkham horror lgc but haven't played it yet, will do very soon hopefully in the next few weeks.
Now I'm looking for games like legacy of dragonholt to increase my collection, so with a strong branching narrative. Can you recommend me anything? Not simple choose-your-own-adventure books, but something which is half way between gamebooks/CYOA and board gaming (so with components, map, cards, tiles or things like that).
I already pledged tainted grail and dark ventures which fit what I was looking for, but they are far away before they will be delivered.
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I posted this a bit ago but check out Dungeon Degenerates. If you like the art the system is pretty cool and has some depth and heavy theme.
You've already bought exactly what I was going to suggest. AHLCG sounds like exactly the sort of thing you want.
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I dunno how to feel about one night ultimate supervillains. On the one hand if you're new this is by far the best entry point as it's essentially a best of onuw with a lot of the best roles that are easiest to teach in the box. On the other hand if you own everything up till now this game does nothing for you. The only thing this game does differently is that all villains keep their eyes open while doing their night actions. Bonus pack 4 is again great is all you own is onu super villains and want more roles in that theme, but it's all recycled roles.
Also a bit annoyed by the ultimate collectors edition box. It holds everything sleeved, but it doesn't fit perfectly and has misprints which blows my mind.
Also a bit annoyed by the ultimate collectors edition box. It holds everything sleeved, but it doesn't fit perfectly and has misprints which blows my mind.
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2153312/donald-xs-guide-12-dominion-expansions
This is a link to the authors guide to the 12 dominion expansions.
You can just start with the vanilla to see if you like the mechanics. There's 20 types of action cards in the box and you use 10 types per game so you can mix it up quite a bit, the expansions just keep adding more types of action cards (around 20 types per box) so you wouldn't need to get it until you get bored with Vanilla.
I've only played Vanilla, and it's good to have around as a more casual gamers game and not a straight up casual game if that makes sense. Of the other expansions intrigue and seaside get recommended the most.
I'd say like Musan there's plenty of deck builders out there and you'd be spoilt for choice if you look around a bit. I hear Clank and Aeons End is fun. Dominion is also a little bit old now.
Oh btw, do you watch rahdo on YouTube? He always plays games with his wife so that's a good channel to get recommendations on games that scale well for 2 players.
Karuba is a fun family style game that is easy going in that you each build your own map. No real conflict, just a race for points.
We already have several deck building games: Thunderstone, Legacy (Alien-Version), Ascension and we played some more like Star Realms with friends. The Eldorado one looks great and was on my watchlist. So this is preferable over Dominion?
Regarding youtube-channels I mainly watch Dicetower and Spielama (german channel) for reviews and impressions.
Thanks, I didn't even know that.
Hey I only know of Star Realms and I haven't played it, I don't know the others. I guess the themes for SR and Dominion are different enough to have both.
Oh a bit out of left field but Sherlock Holmes Consulting detective has very little setup and would be good as a 2 player coop game.
Check out Shut Up and Sit Downs review on it.
This thread reminds me of my usual "looking for board games"-routine. I start looking for something very specific and end up having 10 super-interesting games with different themes, haha. It's really overwhelming for someone who isn't totally in the topic. But thanks for all the recommendations. I am having fun just checking out the games and what is available.
I think the most fitting game for my initial description is still Castles of Burgundy. I am also still very interested in Charterstone because I like the Legacy aspect and the game looks super-nice. And then there is Suburbia that wasn't mentioned here yet. Any experiences with that one? How "heavy" is it or is played and understand quickly?
Finally the translation of my Wingspan review is done: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2176063/wingspan-joypaddk-review
Star Realms is a competitive 1v1 deck builder where you actively attack the other player. Most other deckbuilders like dominion, legendary, etc have you either attacking baddies or just going for the highest score. Star Realms can also be set up, played, and stored within 15 minutes. There is an amazing app for star realms which you can try for free.
You can learn to play in 12 min (Nights around the Table vid goes through all the rules in a clear way, it's how I learned), very fast setup if you get a plano box, and < 60 min playtime for 2p
Arkham LCG is my favorite narrative campaign game, so play it and expand it from there!
One of the reasons I picked up Dominion recently (played it 10 yrs ago and enjoyed it). It's as pure a deckbuilder as it gets, nothing to bloat it up so the easiest to teach. Based off that list, I'd personally pick up Renaissance (adds a lot while remaining relatively simple) and Empires (adds even more and ups the complexity)
I started with base + seaside + prosperity which worked well. I have hinterlands but still haven't played it.
Cool ill do that!
Star Realms was on sale on Amazon recently but I missed it. Waiting for it again!