Board Games

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I had no idea about plaay.com. Definitely going to buy some of these games. Thanks!

FWIW, as long as you're fine with the attribute-based systems then you won't be disappointed. Keith does a fantastic job and seems like one of the best guys in the genre I've come across.

If you do buy something(s) then make sure you subscribe to the monthly email newsletter & check out the freebies d'load section on the website. There's usually something good in the newsletter as a freebie & there's all sorts of stuff (both official & user-created) of interest archived.

[APC]

Originally Posted by PadresFan104

Good post. Back in the 70's and 80's I would play Strat-o-Matic and Statis Pro baseball coaching both teams since I didn't have any siblings or friends who were interested. I eventually graduated to Micro League Sports and then Diamond Mind and OOTP.

About 8 years ago I realized that I spend all day on a computer for work and was no longer interested in logging even more hours on the computer at home, so I started looking into tabletop sports games again and have been hooked. I've also branched out into games from other genres, both solitaire and "gasp" with other humans.

Anyway, most sports games these days can be played just as well solo as with other people. With tabletop gaming though, it's more about the journey (spending a quiet evening rolling the dice) than the destination (churning through multiple seasons).

Al

Interesting perspective. The wife and I are trying to cut back on our screen time and are going to give board games a shot. I bought Pandemic the other day. Now just need a free night to try it.

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Statis Pro Baseball and Basketball are my favorite sports sims. Ive been looking for March Madness, but haven't come across a copy yet. I want to replicate NCAA tourneys, badly.

I started as a 10 year old on the old Statis-Pro games. I will tell you that March Madness is frequently available on eBay. It's an entirely different beast than the old Statis-Pro games - it very much attempts to be a quick play type of game, but there are plenty of quick play games out there that play the game of basketball much better (see the Tabletop Sports forums on delphi for info).

[PadresFan104]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I forgot Plaay was redesigning Titlebout. I loved that game. It disappeared in my travels. I really miss that game. Its a classic.
Pocket Sports

PLAAY.com isn't re-releasing Title Bout, it's a company called PT Games.

title bout boxing | PT Games Sports

[ColtCrazy]

Like tarcone, I'm a big fan of Statis Pro Basketball as a sports sim. I think it's the best streamlined sports sim out there. Lots of fun. March Madness is an excellent game as well.

Padres, I followed your thinking. At some point I realized I use computers all the time in teaching, especially now that students have devices too. I prefer board games now for my entertainment and get more enjoyment in "watching" a game between two football teams than trying to play Madden. And since my passions are football and war gaming, I'm a big fan of the "what-if" of board games.

[PadresFan104]

Originally Posted by ColtCrazy

Padres, I followed your thinking. At some point I realized I use computers all the time in teaching, especially now that students have devices too. I prefer board games now for my entertainment and get more enjoyment in "watching" a game between two football teams than trying to play Madden. And since my passions are football and war gaming, I'm a big fan of the "what-if" of board games.

Thanks, and I just took a look at your blog. Great articles and reviews. I'll be following!

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by PadresFan104

Cool! And if you want to see what the community is like, head on over to the Delphi forums, lots of activity....

Like Padresfan I am a huge fan of the Plaay line of games and like him am good friends with Keith the designer and owner of Plaay Games. They are awesome. I am not a race or Nascar fan but bought and have greatly enjoyed the Red, White and Blue Racing game. I am looking to sell it so if anyone is interested let me know.
My favorite games all come from Plaay especially the baseball game HMB, Soccer Blast which I am going to start rating WC sets for, and Second Season football. The Hockey game is also really good.
Here is the Delphi forum -
"Sports Board Games for Fun" forum I run:
Delphi Forums Login*-*Welcome! Please log in.
Table Top Sports forum:
Delphi Forums Login*-*Welcome! Please log in.
Plaay forum:
Delphi Forums Login*-*Welcome! Please log in.

[ColtCrazy]

Originally Posted by PadresFan104

Thanks, and I just took a look at your blog. Great articles and reviews. I'll be following!

Thanks! My 2015 goal is to post more often there. I've been mostly focused on football games, but I'll do more war as the year goes on.

Galaril, you mentioned Plaay's soccer game. How is it? I've been dying for a good soccer board game but the best rated ones are OOP.

[PadresFan104]

Colt -

Dan (Galaril) and I had a chance to play the soccer game live with it's creator, Keith Avallone, last year when I visited Colorado. The game is really a lot of fun (even for a non-soccer-fan like me) and I think it won an award for best new sports game of 2014 in the One For Five gaming blog and newsletter. Definitely suggest giving it a look!

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by ColtCrazy

Thanks! My 2015 goal is to post more often there. I've been mostly focused on football games, but I'll do more war as the year goes on.

Galaril, you mentioned Plaay's soccer game. How is it? I've been dying for a good soccer board game but the best rated ones are OOP.

Al is right the Soccer game is excellent. I have CLassic SOccer which is the top of the heap for soccer games but with games taking 3-5 hours it is just to detail tracking every pass. Soccer Blast as are all the Plaay game surprisingly accurate for games that are designed to be pure simulation and they also are loads of fun.

[ColtCrazy]

Thanks. I'll add it to my purchase when I get the updated Second Season book.

[tarcone]

I emailed Plaay about the Demo Derby game. Its out this upcoming week for a limited time.

[PilotMan]

I spent the evening getting my ass handed to me in Settlers by my kids. Yippee.

[ColtCrazy]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

I spent the evening getting my ass handed to me in Settlers by my kids. Yippee.

Bet they loved that! The my son's birthday party sleepover ended with us teaching them Ticket to Ride. They loved it. Then my wife and daughter played a game of it with me. My wife beat me by one point and threw her hands up in victory. I think she might be a little competitive.

[PadresFan104]

So decided to try this YouTube Channel thing since I've been on a roll with posting videos about board games. Link is in my signature...

Al

[APC]

The wife and I played Pandemic this weekend, our first crack at a "non-mainstream" board game.

I played it solo when she was gone in the afternoon to get a feel for the rules and how everything worked. I didn't want her to lose interest if we both started from scratch and it took us forever to figure out how to play.

When we played together in the evening, it started off kind of slow because it's a lot to explain at the beginning. But after we got going, she got into it and enjoyed it. We actually won our first game, and I don't even think we accidentally cheated! We played the easiest setting, w/ only four epidemic cards.

I'm sure we'll play again this week. If neither of us tire of the game, perhaps we've discovered a new hobby.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Good to hear, APC!

I hope it blossoms and you've taken your first collective step into a larger world!

[cschex]

Congrats! Pandemic was the first hobby board game my wife and I played as well.

Three years and 75 games later (and no closet space) I'm not sure if she regrets her enthusiasm or not. Anyway, there are tons of good recs in this thread for games if you decide y'all want to branch out.

[PadresFan104]

I'm finding Pandemic to be the most successful gateway game that I've tried with my non-gamer friends.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by ColtCrazy

Bet they loved that! The my son's birthday party sleepover ended with us teaching them Ticket to Ride. They loved it. Then my wife and daughter played a game of it with me. My wife beat me by one point and threw her hands up in victory. I think she might be a little competitive.

Yeah, we have a really good time, although it gets pretty heated. There's usually a lot of (semi-good natured) name calling and some times even tears. My middle son actually went so far as to watch some YT videos on game strategy. He happens to have a 3 game winning streak going at the moment. He was really dominating in the sheep trade and my youngest was getting pissed (we all were.) I made a comment about not gloating so much and the youngest jumped in and said "yeah, you don't have to rub your sheep in my face." We all just lost it. Such a good game, plus with 3 boys all the "wood" jokes just flow.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Also, I saw a game that looks like Axis and Allies. Its called Ambition; The Strategy War game. It has no reviews to it. Im really intrigued, but not sure I want to spend the $4. I know, i know. Cheap dude.
Anyone played it?

Looks like no AI. Also, maybe a little hard to see details, judging from the screenshots.

[ColtCrazy]

Been playing a couple of new games with the gaming group:

Eclipse - Space game, group compares it to Clash of Cultures which I have not played. Not a bad game with some neat research elements to it. Gave it a 7 on BGG.

Warrior Knights - started this last night. Has an interesting system to it (no dice, everything handled through card draws, turns are very random). Went off to a attack and had one of my cities revolt against me. Enjoying it, but will need another night to give it a rating. Leaning 8 at the moment.

[PadresFan104]

Hey guys -

I just posted a long look at History Maker Baseball by PLAAY.com on my YouTube Channel - see my signature below for the link. I know the video went WAY to long and the sound is too low, but I'm still getting a hang of the process. If you like what I'm doing with the channel, I hope you'll subscribe and follow along.

Al

[tarcone]

Advanced Title Bout is available for pre-Order. Im on the PT Games site. But the listing doesnt say pre-order. Its $39.

Is this the right game?

[PadresFan104]

Colt - Here's a new 2-player casual football game to check out...

http://www.fliip.com/

[ColtCrazy]

Originally Posted by PadresFan104

Colt - Here's a new 2-player casual football game to check out...

http://www.fliip.com/

Interesting. Looks like a simplified version of 4th Street, which I love. Thanks...and I just happen to have this $25 Amazon gift card lying here.

[Fidatelo]

Played BattleCON: Devastation of Indines for the first time last night. What a great game! Reasonably simple, yet super deep. I woke up this morning immediately wanting to play again. Can't recommend this one enough.

[PadresFan104]

Hey guys - I just added a new Hands On video to my YouTube Channel for the card game "Onirim." It's primarily meant to be played solo, but there are rules for cooperative and 2-player games as well. Just follow the link to my channel below. - Al

[PadresFan104]

Just posted another board game episode today, this time about Demo Derby Smash-Down by Plaay Games. It's fun covering games that I know nobody else will. Follow the links in my signature to get to the YouTube Channel... Al

[tarcone]

Just watched your video. Thanks.
I ordered it tonight. Dont tell my wife.
Looks like a fun game. Will be my first Plaay game.
How long did it take to get after you ordered?

[ColtCrazy]

Very cool video. Not my personal cup of tea to buy, but I would happily give that one a try if someone had it. Thanks!

I recently finished up a review of 1775 Rebellion on the Field Generals site. Played it solo, then my son got interested enough to join in toward the end. Just a fun game to play in an hour or two.

[PadresFan104]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Just watched your video. Thanks.
I ordered it tonight. Dont tell my wife.
Looks like a fun game. Will be my first Plaay game.
How long did it take to get after you ordered?

Very cool! Games from Plaay usually arrive within 5 business days.

[PadresFan104]

Originally Posted by ColtCrazy

Very cool video. Not my personal cup of tea to buy, but I would happily give that one a try if someone had it. Thanks!

I recently finished up a review of 1775 Rebellion on the Field Generals site. Played it solo, then my son got interested enough to join in toward the end. Just a fun game to play in an hour or two.

I read your review earlier today, great job. I have the game as well and agree with everything you said. Wish I could get it to the table more often.

[ColtCrazy]

Thanks! It's one of those games I forget how much I enjoy until I get it to the table again.

Oh, got my new Second Season book just before the weekend. Everything from your video rang true. It's so much more streamlined now. Really looking forward to playing it soon.

[tarcone]

1775 is an outstanding game. I really love playing it. It solos very well. And scales up to 4 equally well. Light, easy to learn but with some tough decisions and great replayability.
It was my 2013 game of the year.

[tarcone]

Here I Stand.
How complex?
Are the rules easy to read and understandable?
Is it easy to teach?

[Buccaneer]

Since 1775 can be solo, is there an iPad version?

[Coffee Warlord]

Played X-Com over the weekend.

Enjoyable co-op game. You absolutely need exactly 4 people to play, and certain personalities will make playing the various roles much easier (for example, you really do need someone who won't cave easily to manage the budget).

I love the fact that you're on a timer, and decisions need to be made fast. It eliminates two of my biggest issues with co-op games - endless discussion over the perfect strategy, and one person tending to dominate all decisions. That said, I really wish the manual, well, existed. There's something to be said for learning the game by playing the tutorial level, BUT, there were several times when nuanaces of certain mechanics were in doubt, and we had to hit boardgamegeek to seek clarification. That kind of stuff really should be in the manual. We're still left without knowing if we did certain things correctly.

I have a few issues with balance (biggest one is satellites and interceptors both can fight UFOs, and satellites are just light years more efficient at ufo blasting), but we'll see if that changes on subsequent playthroughs.

[PadresFan104]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Since 1775 can be solo, is there an iPad version?

I don't think so, but that would be awesome.

[ColtCrazy]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Here I Stand.
How complex?
Are the rules easy to read and understandable?
Is it easy to teach?

I found it to be fairly easy to pick up, but I had played Virgin Queen before. VQ has more going on, so I would think HIS is the easier to learn. The only part that'll take some time to wrap your head around will be the religious wars between the Protestants and the Pope. It's not that bad really, just something unique to this game.
Once you grasp it, it should be easy to teach people interested in this sort of game.

[ColtCrazy]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Since 1775 can be solo, is there an iPad version?

I played with some modifications to make it solo. It's built as a 2-4 player game, but isn't hard to switch to solo.

Would be awesome if there was a iPad version of it. Sadly, I don't know of anything remotely close to this on the iPad. Shame since it would probably port really well.

[Fidatelo]

I got together with 3 other guys on Saturday night and we managed to play 3 different games.

First we played Splendor. The other guys had played this before, I had not. Pretty fun game! Easy to teach, a bit of strategy, and nice components. A good game to start off an evening I'd say, and also probably a decent gateway into board games for the uninitiated.

Next we played BattleCON. Well, 2 of the guys played and the other 2 of us who had played before (only once each) coached them. I enjoyed coaching/watching, and the battle was a good one. I think both of the guys who played liked it but I wasn't sure. To me its a fantastic game, though.

Finally we ended the night with Lords of Vegas. None of us had played it and I had watched a brief review video back when I got it at Christmas but had forgotten all the details. The manual is total garbage. I mean, it's all there, but it is horribly written. Once we finally got the gist of what was going on it turns out the game is fairly simple to play, but they don't help out with that manual. Anyways we had lots of fun and I'd play it again. More luck-heavy than most games nowadays but given the Vegas theme it feels appropriate.

[Grover]

Has anybody grabbed the X-Com board game? I've got some interest in it.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Grover

Has anybody grabbed the X-Com board game? I've got some interest in it.

Coffee Warlord wrote some thoughts on it a few posts up.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Coffee Warlord wrote some thoughts on it a few posts up.

Thank you sir!

[tarcone]

Have you guys gone back to the beginning of this thread? Its interesting to see how it has evolved.

[Buccaneer]

Pretty much started before the advent of computers.

[SirFozzie]

Games I want to play in the near future:

XCom: It's a matter of convincing three friends to agree to play this, the hybrid video/board game is really interesting (Golem Arcana is the only other game of this nature I can think of)

Amazon.com: Xcom: The Board Game: Toys & Games

Baseball Highlights:2045

Just got my kickstarter of this game, and it looks to have an interesting mechanic, and be good for 2-4 player action.

Baseball Highlights: 2045 Deluxe Edition: *Includes All 5 Expansions*

[Coffee Warlord]

FYI - There's really not much video game to XCom. It's just a novel X-Com themed interface, really.

[Fidatelo]

I had a gift certificate from my birthday and was in the area of the store today so I stopped by. I looked hard at X-COM but after skimming some reviews on BGG I passed. I picked up Legendary Villains instead, which I'm sure I'll enjoy because I love the standard game. It has a nice play mat instead of a board, but good god the cardboard 'insert' is horrific. I'm not sure what to do inside that box but it can't stay as it is.