11-09-2011, 03:08 PM | #151 |
The boy who cried Trout
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: TX
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Arkham Horror is lots of fun, but takes a while to set up and learn. It's worth it, but starts a little slow.
Diplomacy is easy to learn, and fun, but it's the human interaction that is the key here. I wouldn't want to play with 3, unless no one will get their feelings hurt when ganged-up on. BSG would probably be my choice for the most fun, but this game is also mainly about the human interaction. The more players, the better, IMO. Don't forget to check Board Game Geek for the latest in reviews and notes. Easily the best gaming resource on the web. BTW...is anyone going to BGG Con here is Dallas? |
11-09-2011, 03:21 PM | #152 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2009
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Don't start Arkham Horror at Midnight or later Don't play with someone who won't explain the rules and likes to exploit that fact from people that don't know them.
When you play Diplomacy, start the game out by saying to everyone aloud, "We're friends, right? Okay once the game starts, we're not friends. Once the game is over, we're friends again." |
11-09-2011, 03:24 PM | #153 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
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Forbidden Island is another one with the same ruleset as Pandemic, basically, with a different theme. Fun too.
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11-09-2011, 03:29 PM | #154 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2009
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Really like Beowolf and Shadows Over Camelot and Adel VerPflechtet
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11-09-2011, 03:29 PM | #155 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Colorado Springs
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Quote:
My wife still gives me shit about my ruthless use and abuse of her poor Italian nation. Anglo-Prussian Alliance For The Win! edit: Quick note on Battlestar Galactica. The expansions fucking SUCK. The first expansion, as I recall, made it very nearly impossible for the Cylons to win, and the second expansion skewed the balance all the way over, making it almost impossible for the Humans to win. And I'll throw out Betrayal at House on the Hill as another fun, fairly easy to play one. Last edited by Coffee Warlord : 11-09-2011 at 03:34 PM. |
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11-09-2011, 03:36 PM | #156 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Dayton, OH
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Quote:
Diplomacy you really need to have 7 players. Anything else, and its really lacking. Great game though. Puerto Rico is an incredible game. Make sure the players remain at roughly the same level. Differing skill levels really show here (a more skilled player will win roughly 85% of the time). 1830 has a lot of buzz right now, but that will probably be a bit too heavy for your group. Agricola is a great game, but can be dry. The replayability of it is very high. Plus, for being such a gamer's game, I find it is easy for non-gamers to pick up since the theme makes sense. |
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11-09-2011, 05:19 PM | #157 |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Fresno, CA
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I've played everything on your list except for 1830 and the Settlers expansions.
Settlers just isn't my cup of tea, but it isn't the Patriarch of board games for no reason. My wife and I love Dominion and have all of the expansions. My assessment is this Intrigue, Alchemy, and to a lesser extent Cornucopia all add to the complexity of the game and the individual turns themselves. Prosperity and Seaside feel "lighter" to me. If I want a straightforward fun game, we exclude the previous three sets from random selection. If we want something more complex, we bring those sets in as needed. A lot of deeper gamers find Intrigue an integral expansion due to all that it brings to the table. Puerto Rico. Among my favorite games. I'll never refuse a play. The above note about playing with folks with a similar skill set is true. A counter point to that above about a skillful player, is that a dis-similarly unskilled opponent can unwittingly determine the winner at least that much of the time. This is what many call the "king maker" aspect of PR. Agricola. Too me a lot more complex than Puerto Rico, but yes it is a great game that is difficult to excel at. My wife finds this game much more stressful than even Pandemic. This is "stress against the game". The game puts a lot of pressure on you by presenting many options all vying for your limited actions. Pandemic: A great cooperative game. You have to be careful to not let a single person play everyone's hand. It can happen, and is about the only way a session can fall flat for some players. A lot of stress against the game, as it is really hard to win. Diplomacy: Too long, and an extra helping of the competitive nature issues you touched on with Settlers. Battlestar Galactica: The "traitor" mechanic is a lot of fun. It can go long, but as long as everyone is interested, it works. Early on, one side or the other will likely win multiple games in a row, but as your group's experience grows it will even out. The expansions ratchet up the complexity here as well as the game time, but this might just be my group, as we play this game somehow very slowly. Ticket to Ride: I think a very fun game, and an excellent gateway game, if you are looking to suck someone new into your gaming circle. |
11-09-2011, 05:22 PM | #158 |
High School Varsity
Join Date: May 2011
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I would also recommend San Juan - its a card game that's similar to Puerto Rico and plays very quickly.
Race for the Galaxy (and its expansions) are a step above San Juan in complexity but the game play is enhanced by the different strategic options. Skill level influence both games significantly. |
11-09-2011, 05:46 PM | #159 |
Solecismic Software
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
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For two players, my favorites lately are Battle Line and Balloon Cup. Gotten a lot of mileage out of Ticket to Ride (creating your own boards and card sets is a lot of fun and can significantly change the dynamic).
Our group has been playing Dominion constantly lately. Just the original set and Intrigue. It's amazing how much that game can differ, depending on whether good attack cards are on the table. I think Dominion works best with three players, though it's still quite viable with two. I introduced Puerto Rico to the group, they didn't like it. They like Pandemic, I don't - seems too much like clock solitaire where everything's all about the initial shuffling of the bad cards. We still play Settlers, though it has its limitations. One recent favorite is Thurn and Taxis. |
11-09-2011, 05:58 PM | #160 |
"Dutch"
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Tampa, FL
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I love Puerto Rico. Maybe it isn't a great game for a bunch of guys hanging out though. As a family game, it's one of our favorites. Balanced yet simple gameplay. Quick gameplay. Relatively quick conclusion. All good stuff and a lot more realistic than busting out Axis and Allies. The drawback I suppose is with the bland storyline. So when you put it away, it's easy to forget you even own it. A great evening game around Christmas time with extended family hanging out.
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11-09-2011, 06:43 PM | #161 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Dayton, OH
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Puerto Rico also has a great evolution of strategy, provided everyone stays spoiler free.
Thurn und Taxis I will also second. A very good game and very easy to pick up for new gamers, while still having enough meat for other gamers. Battle Line is another great game. Another I would suggest if you can find it is Tigris & Euphrates. This is an older game, but a goodie. It has a steep learning curve though. |
11-09-2011, 10:43 PM | #162 |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Wisconsin
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Most of those games aren't in my rotation of when I try to play other than Ticket to Ride and Arkham Horror. Arkham Horror is one of my favorite games and is coop (and solitaire). Sizable rulebook to learn, but given that it is solitaire too, easy enough to teach yourself and then pull others in.
Not sure ticket to ride really brings up the complexity of the games you are playing although, like it has been stated, it is a game to pull other people that aren't heavy board game people in.
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11-09-2011, 10:46 PM | #163 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
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I just bought Fortune & Glory after reading a Rock, Paper, Shotgun Cardboard Children feature on it. Nothing too hardcore and pretty expensive, but looks like a fun campy adventure game.
And for games to pick up I'd really recommend Survive! Escape from Atlantis which I mentioned earlier in the thread. Best if you can play it with 4 (or 5 or 6 with the mini expansion) so you are playing with a full island at the start, but it's become a favorite in our group. Last edited by mckerney : 11-09-2011 at 10:47 PM. |
11-09-2011, 10:49 PM | #164 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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All great suggestion, but another that plays great with 3-7 is 7 wonders. Really fun game that just about everyone seems to enjoy
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11-09-2011, 10:49 PM | #165 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Quote:
Yeah, survive is a fun game. |
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11-10-2011, 05:37 AM | #166 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Cary, NC
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For those who like Arkham Horror, as I do, there is a new game from the same designer called Elder Sign. Basically it takes the gameplay and characters from AH and streamlines it into a game of 45 minutes or so. I love it, because the original game is great but can get really long when you play with a lot of people - been playing Elder Sign a lot in the last few months.
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11-10-2011, 03:25 PM | #167 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere More Familiar
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Thanks for the tips. We can pull in a fourth (and fifth and sixth) without too much trouble, so the bigger games will have a time and place as well.
Edit: also, the competitive streak ends quite quickly, so I'm not worried about lengthy fallouts between us - just noting that the co-op possibilities are probably a bit attractive to give us something to do without pissing each other off for a few minutes Last edited by Vince, Pt. II : 11-10-2011 at 03:33 PM. |
11-10-2011, 03:41 PM | #168 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere More Familiar
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Quote:
I have to say that I have been utterly floored with how well designed Dominion is. Such a simple concept (money, action and victory cards, act, buy, discard phases) that has endless flexibility and customization. I have yet to try a 1-on-1 match, but our 3 player games are intense and a hell of a lot of fun. I can't wait to add Intrigue to our games. How do you all set up your card sets? We have been using a deck of one of each card and randomly dealing out 10 of them to create our set-up, but occasionally have games that are simply annoying (mainly when there's a witch without a moat, chapel or remodel in there to get rid of/prevent the curse cards). I'll have to look into Battle Line and Baloon Cup - I haven't come across either of them yet browsing the boardgames reddit or board game geek. |
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11-10-2011, 06:10 PM | #169 |
Rider Of Rohan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Port Angeles, WA or Helm's Deep
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For those of you that like Pandemic, we've been giving a coop game called Defenders of the Realm a whirl. Good stuff so far (we've lost both a two- and three-player game).
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It's not the years...it's the mileage. Last edited by WSUCougar : 11-10-2011 at 06:10 PM. |
11-10-2011, 06:18 PM | #170 | |
Hockey Boy
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Royal Oak, MI
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Quote:
I have it. It's a fun game. We lost the first few times we played it, but really cleaned up the last time. Every time we lost it was because of the stupid orcs. They seem so harmless and easy to kill, but if you take your eye off the ball they populate like crazy.
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11-10-2011, 06:52 PM | #171 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Quote:
You should definitely have 7 wonders on your list then. |
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11-10-2011, 09:11 PM | #172 | |
Rider Of Rohan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Port Angeles, WA or Helm's Deep
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Quote:
Ditto that. Twice.
__________________
It's not the years...it's the mileage. |
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11-11-2011, 03:50 AM | #173 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere More Familiar
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So we gave Pandemic a whirl tonight...and holy crap did the game kick our asses. In three games, we ended up 1 for 3. We lost the first two (four players) and ended up getting a close victory in the final game (three players). Both times we lost were due to running out of player cards, and outside of one scary moment or two in the early parts of the first game, we were never even close to losing in any other way. The game feels easier with fewer people, if only because you have more time to get through the deck.
We definitely enjoyed the game, but our observations were as so: -The Researcher, Operations Manager and Dispatcher seemed clearly to be the most powerful of the roles. Medics are good (especially for cleanup), but not necessary, and Scientists seem a little under-powered. -The trading of player cards seems really clunky, especially if you end up in a game without the researcher. That being said, I don't know that I see an easy fix that doesn't miss wildly in the other direction. Take these impressions with a grain of salt, as we've only played three games. --- As a side note, went to a local brick-and-mortar game store, and was absolutely floored at their prices. Almost all of the games I was interested in were $70, when I can find most for $50 or less online. I was excited to support my local store, but at those prices I don't think I can bring myself to shop there regularly. |
11-11-2011, 08:43 AM | #174 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
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What difficulty level did you play at Vince?
I totally disagree -- OPerations Manager is clearly the suckiest role in teh game. We all groan whenever that gets turned over. I'd take a medic any day. I think Researcher is by far the most powerful one. A game without a Researcher is twice as hard. It really is difficult passing cards without one. You'll learn quickly to not use cards as much, to avoid that endgame scenario of running out. You have to hoard them to avoid that. It sounds like you should up the difficulty if you weren't in danger of losing by outbreaks. |
11-11-2011, 08:44 AM | #175 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
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Also, I feel the same about the game stores. It's inconceivable that I could afford to buy anything from them.
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11-11-2011, 12:26 PM | #176 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Great Northwest
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Target is starting to stock some pretty good board games lately. Last time I was there I saw the base version of Settlers and Ticket to Ride. There might have been some others as well.
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11-11-2011, 02:22 PM | #177 | |
Solecismic Software
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
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Quote:
Balloon Cup is older, and out of print. It's worth it if you find it. I've heard Battle Line can be tough to find as well, but there might have been a large recent printing. With Dominion, we felt the same way at first - that you need defense cards on the table with good attacks. We decided to stick with the random distribution. We've found that it forces more decisions on your part, though - do you try and build or do you rush to join the attack? Every game is different with the random card deck. I think that's an important part of the game. Remember that every defense card you choose also clutters your deck. Last edited by Solecismic : 11-11-2011 at 02:23 PM. |
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11-11-2011, 09:05 PM | #178 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere More Familiar
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Quote:
Yeah, it was definitely a turning point to me when I realized the value of cards like the remodel and moneylender to thin out my deck of weak cards. I'm still not sure how I feel about an attack-heavy deck without defense cards, but I do love the variety in each game. Pandemic is a little easier now that we realize the Medic's auto-cure ability once a cure is found, and the Researcher's role is not limited to his turn only. Last edited by Vince, Pt. II : 11-16-2011 at 04:15 AM. Reason: Silly board game name mix-up. |
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11-11-2011, 10:20 PM | #179 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Jacksonville, FL
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Quote:
Re-read the rules after playing a while and you'll likely find that your were unknowingly doing something wrong or unknowingly exploiting. Thats what happened to us... Love the game and its definitely easier with fewer serious players since its easier to plan. With a lot more players you have a hard time keeping all of the ducks in a row IMO.
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11-11-2011, 10:35 PM | #180 | |
College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: A negative place
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Quote:
Barnes and Nobles has a new game section (at least in my local store) as well. I was pleasantly surprised by their board game selection. Games like Betrayal at house on the hill, Arkham Horror, Gears of War (boardgame) and many more. Plus they run a lot of coupon specials ... there was a 50% off one last week. |
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11-12-2011, 09:10 AM | #181 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
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11-12-2011, 11:36 AM | #182 | |
General Manager
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
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Quote:
Yeah, you just have to wait them out. They have great deals if you're patient. |
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11-12-2011, 12:13 PM | #183 | |
College Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Quote:
I'd really love to hear your thoughts on Fortune and Glory after you've had a chance to play. |
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11-13-2011, 01:18 AM | #184 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Great Northwest
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We got Pandemic today.... Man it can be frustrating.
We were about ready to shoot ourselves in the head in the third game (got our asses handed to us in the first two games) when we only had 1 player card remaining and hadn't eradicated all the infections. I decided to look at the rules for winning and realized we actually won because we had all four cures! |
11-13-2011, 04:58 AM | #185 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Fresno, CA
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Quote:
Oh yeah. I should have mentioned this as well. This is a game right in line with the low complexity set of games you listed above. It plays in just about the same amount of time with 3 to 7 players, which is a neat trick. Some variety in play, very accessible, and it gets it all done in well under an hour. |
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11-13-2011, 05:07 AM | #186 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Fresno, CA
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Quote:
A lot of B&M game stores sell at MSRP. I too am excited to shop at a local store, but it is sometimes painful when you consider the savings. I do really appreciate the service I receive, as the staff are generally knowledgeable. They are generally avid gamers themselves, and will have opinions on lots of games. The best is that they also hear opinions on lots of games, and can often tell you whether a game fits well with types of gamers and play styles. I generally buy a game a month there at our local store, and not the high end $80+ games. Last edited by Glengoyne : 11-13-2011 at 05:08 AM. |
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11-13-2011, 10:44 AM | #187 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
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Quote:
Yes, my friends made that same mistake, thinking they had to eradicate everything. It was quite a relief to find out the truth! I find it has great replay value because even as you get good at it A) you can up the difficult and B) sometimes things just go all wrong on you. |
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11-13-2011, 11:01 AM | #188 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2009
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I found Pandemic okay but it's main problem is it sets up the "annoying knowitall" ruining the game.
The kind where one player knows every character and thus tells everyone what to do every move instead of like, letting people play the game themselves. Shadows over Camelot CAN get that way too with the wrong people. |
11-13-2011, 11:30 AM | #189 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
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You need better friends.
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11-13-2011, 12:26 PM | #190 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Dayton, OH
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Any coop game can succumb to the forementioned pratfall. That is why I generally avoid coop games because it is very difficult to do well.
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11-16-2011, 04:13 AM | #193 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere More Familiar
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Quote:
Yes. I was reading over a forum on strategy after we got our asses handed to us so bad on night one - we're all fairly smart people and quite intelligent gamers, so it seemed wrong that we were losing so bad on the "easy" setting (4 Epidemics). It turns out the Researcher is allowed to use his ability in any trade, even if it's not his turn. I believe he's limited to only GIVING any card, not RECEIVING, but I'll have to go back and look to make sure. |
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11-16-2011, 04:19 AM | #194 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere More Familiar
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Dola
Brought out an old classic today in Risk - turns out neither my roommate nor her boyfriend had ever played it before. Had a blast teaching them, although the roommate needs a better grip on chokepoints and fortifying borders Thought I'd ping the board though - what's your strategy when it comes to Risk? Where do you start, and what is your initial goal? I have found that mine changes greatly based upon what everyone else is doing, but I love North America. It's a little big and tough to get a hold of, but with only three entryways (Greenland, Central America and Alaska), it's really easy to hole up there once you do consolidate power. As a kid I used to immediately try to grab Australia, but I'm now disinclined to do so because it's so hard to get the hell out of there once you build up some power. Africa is also nice, but with Europe/Middle East/Brazil as access points, it can be very difficult to hold on to once you get it. Tonight I was able to grab all of Australia and a significant portion of South America and Africa while my roommate and her boyfriend postured for North America, Asia and Europe in the initial land grab. By about 5 or 6 turns in, I had all three continents and was amassing a nice little army. The boyfriend, however, was able to wrest control of both North America and Europe, and quickly made my dreams of a simple mop-up victory a thing of the past. I began building up Egypt and West Africa, thinking to punch through southern Europe to break up his continental control...but then he decided to try to put my roommate out of her misery, and pushed a bunch of troops out of Alaska and into Kamchatka. I seized the chance to rush him through Central America, swept all the way through to Iceland, and he conceded the game (it's late and we both work early). A lot of freaking fun though! Last edited by Vince, Pt. II : 11-16-2011 at 04:24 AM. |
11-16-2011, 09:41 AM | #195 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Colorado Springs
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Anyone have recommendations for stuff along the lines of Shadows Over Camelot & Battlestar Galactica? AKA - A mostly co-op game with one or more secret traitor type people trying to unleash their hijinks.
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11-16-2011, 10:21 AM | #196 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Dayton, OH
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Quote:
I still go for Australia. Failing that North America. The nice thing about NA, is you can also get SA and not change the number of entry points. |
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11-16-2011, 10:39 AM | #197 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
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I can't stand Risk. Now that I've played a lot of strategy games, I feel like there's just no rhyme or reason to Risk. Sure you can have some sort of strategy, but it's mostly dice rolls and just wild movements of armies all over.
CW, I just read about something with a traitor type mechanic on it, now I'll have to look back and see if I can remember what it was. Not quite board game, but I just got the Game of Thrones Living Card Game for my birthday, I'm excited to try that. |
11-16-2011, 10:40 AM | #198 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
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Oh and also a couple weeks ago I played Notre Dame for the first time. Anyone who likes Puerto Rico or those style games should give this a chance if they can. I thought it was a lot of fun.
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11-16-2011, 10:43 PM | #199 | |
College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: A negative place
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Quote:
There's a relatively new game called Panic Station. Haven't played it, but it's pretty cheap / plays quick. One person gets infected early on and tries to infect others before they can burn down the 'hive'. Of course those that are infected remain secret, but can be deduced. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga.../panic-station edit: You might look at Betrayal at House on the Hill as well. Last edited by moriarty : 11-16-2011 at 10:48 PM. |
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11-16-2011, 10:47 PM | #200 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Quote:
I bought it, but haven't played this one yet. May not get to play it until Thanksgiving, but I'll be bringing out with the family. Also, The Resistance (more like werewolf than BSG or Shadows) is pure awesomeness. |
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