Board Games!

[Chevre]

The problem I always have with BSW is that I can never get it to work. Like just now all was going smoothly until my security settings apparently blocked it.. *sigh*

[ChannelDelibird]

I am always up for BSW.

I've actually been looking for more games like Love Letter, Hanabi, Mascarade, and Coup. Our group has definitely gravitated towards the quick burst micro games to space out other activities. Our usual hangouts involve people coming and going at random times, so being able to start and finish a game in under 30 minutes is pretty important.

If you like Love Letter, it's worth trying Lost Legacy, which is a slight complication of that game.

Also worth considering is Mai-Star, which plays a little differently to all of the above but is cheap, quick and fun.

I'll probably think of some more later.

[Faraday]

Cash and guns is super quick, and something I've found super fun. Plays up to 8 too which is nice.

[Faraday]

Amazon has

Splendor

for $25.32 with free Prime shipping. Anyone played this and want to give thoughts on it? Considering scooping it up.

There's a Gamenight playthrough on YouTube you should watch if you're on.the fence.

[ChannelDelibird]

Splendour's alright and pretty good fun-to-price ratio but it didn't leave a huge impression on me and I'd probably only play it again if somebody actively asked me to.

[quadz08]

Reck, what about Tsuro?

[Faraday]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDHUNZSsq7g here's the splendor playthrough. (It looks alright to me, but I don't think i'd be able to get it played very often since it's seems kinda dry - for the price though, reck, it's p cheap)

[Thesp]

Catching up!

Anyone here seen, played or heard about Among the Stars?

I'm debating it as my next pickup.

I've heard mixed opinions on this one, but I've heard I personally would really enjoy it. Try before buy, maybe? (That's what I'm going to do.)

Anyone have experience with

Revolution!

? I've heard about it for a while but didn't watch a review til tonight and it looks pretty good.

I've played it before and liked it well enough, but I wonder about its replayability. Try before buy for sure. There are probably better games out there. My limited experience with the game also seems to indicate that in every game, there's going to be

someone

who just gets shafted the entire game.

GreyIce, I totally agree with you on Lords of Vegas - I love it when people are bartering and trading in this game.

Amazon has

Splendor

for $25.32 with free Prime shipping. Anyone played this and want to give thoughts on it? Considering scooping it up.

I bought it after playing it once, and it's one of the games in a 10x10 challenge my wife and I are undertaking. It's short (no more than 30 minutes, if that), has a nice mix of engine building / victory point racing to it, and the tokens are chunky and delightful. It's easy for new players to pick up, and nearly everyone I've played it with has enjoyed it. It's not thematic at all, but if that's not a concern for you, it's worth having a place in your collection. (Also, I'm a sucker for engine builders, even on the light side.)

I would actually lean towards Spyrium as a replacement. It's going for a similar $25, and it's a damn good game. A little bit of worker placement feel, but with good bidding mechanics, and a lot more complexity and depth. Underrated little gem.

As a replacement for Splendor? I disagree. Spyrium is in the hour-long range (maybe 45 minutes with experienced players playing fast), and has significantly more economics and considerations than Splendor. Part of the beauty of Splendor is its elegance, which is lost in Spyrium. (This isn't a knock against Spyrium, which is quite a neat game, but I don't put it in the same sort of bucket as Splendor.)

Reck, what about Tsuro?

Not directed to me, but I'm giving my unsolicited thoughts anyway. Tsuro is pretty, and also inferior to Ta Yu, Indigo, and Metro, in that order, which all fit the same niche.

[GreyICE]

See, I never felt Splendor was an engine builder. I tend to think that an Engine Builder should have at least some form of engine. Take Seasons. There are just cards that work extremely well together in Seasons, but are fairly terrible on their own. Their mediocre nature only combines to form an engine if you aim for it and build it.

In contrast, Splendor has no engine. I can buy a card that makes everything 1 red gem cheaper. This combos with a card that makes everything 1 green gem cheaper to make all cards 1 red and 1 green gem cheaper. If my opponents take my green gem engine piece, all they'll get is everything... being 1 green gem cheaper.

Now maybe if one card gave you 1 red chip a turn, and another card let you get an additional red gem to spend whenever you used a red chip, and a third let you spend red like gold, you'd have an engine. You'd get a free red chip every turn that could be turned into a red + anything, without lifting a finger, and chances are that no one else really wants the "spend red like gold" card all that much, but it rocks for you. But that would add complexity, and Splendor isn't about complexity. It's about "elegance". There's nothing wrong with the game, but there's nothing particularly great. There's no amazing moments, no time when your friend completes his engine, no time when you laugh about how insane it was that someone won. Just a gentle progression towards 15.

As I said, for $25, get Spyrium. Maybe it takes half an hour longer, maybe it's "less elegant" because the cards actually do something interesting, rather than have blindingly obvious and trivial effects, maybe it has a hell of a lot more focus on "economy" in your game about "buying stuff". Maybe its a better game.

[Thesp]

In contrast, Splendor has no engine. I can buy a card that makes everything 1 red gem cheaper. This combos with a card that makes everything 1 green gem cheaper to make all cards 1 red and 1 green gem cheaper. If my opponents take my green gem engine piece, all they'll get is everything... being 1 green gem cheaper.

Now maybe if one card gave you 1 red chip a turn, and another card let you get an additional red gem to spend whenever you used a red chip, and a third let you spend red like gold, you'd have an engine. You'd get a free red chip every turn that could be turned into a red + anything, without lifting a finger, and chances are that no one else really wants the "spend red like gold" card all that much, but it rocks for you. But that would add complexity, and Splendor isn't about complexity. It's about "elegance". There's nothing wrong with the game, but there's nothing particularly great. There's no amazing moments, no time when your friend completes his engine, no time when you laugh about how insane it was that someone won. Just a gentle progression towards 15.

I think you're wrong - it's a very simplistic, pared-down engine builder, but it's not trying to do anything

except

that. The "make everything one red gem cheaper"

is

the engine, and it's pared down to its essence. It's a

race

to get to 15 points, and having a huge engine (where everything is much cheaper) is very nice, but if you spend too much effort on that, someone who is doing a better balancing act will beat you to the 15. And each game has slightly different interests (based on cards and tiles present) that affect how heavy you should go for engine building (with the cheap cards) or points (with the not cheap cards).

Mind you, my preference

is

for heavier engine builders - Race for the Galaxy is my favorite game. But Splendor is absolutely an engine-building game, even if simplistic in that regard.

[GreyICE]

I don't want to argue semantics too much, because that's a straight shot into madness, but I really wish that there was any way to combo the cards or do anything. Each card gives each person the same benefit, there's no way to get any moving parts.

I feel like it has the tools to be a really good, fun, simple game, just by varying the card effects up a little so there was more than just "a gem" and "VP" as possible things cards did for you. It wouldn't have to be very much for me to like the game a lot, just something where you got it going and other people went "oh that's cool!" Maybe something that let you pay gems to reserve cards, or gave you bonuses for having a certain thing (3 Green gems gives you 2 red gems, does nothing if you have less than 3), or giving you a gold every time you bought a white or black card... just SOMETHING.

But I doubt I'm the target audience (Spyrium is still better for $25 dammit~)

[Thesp]

I don't want to argue semantics too much, because that's a straight shot into madness, but I really wish that there was any way to combo the cards or do anything. Each card gives each person the same benefit, there's no way to get any moving parts.

I feel like it has the tools to be a really good, fun, simple game, just by varying the card effects up a little so there was more than just "a gem" and "VP" as possible things cards did for you. It wouldn't have to be very much for me to like the game a lot, just something where you got it going and other people went "oh that's cool!" Maybe something that let you pay gems to reserve cards, or gave you bonuses for having a certain thing (3 Green gems gives you 2 red gems, does nothing if you have less than 3), or giving you a gold every time you bought a white or black card... just SOMETHING.

But I doubt I'm the target audience (Spyrium is still better for $25 dammit~)

I totally get where you're coming from.

Are there any other engine builders you recommend? It is my favorite genre, and I always want MOAR.

[GreyICE]

I've only ever played it, and it's a bit of a unicorn, but if you can find Glory to Rome, highly recommended. Other than that, I have only praise for Mage Knight (although that's a little bit of everything to all people, but engine it definitely is when it gets rolling) and for $15 its hard to beat Star Realms, if its in print. Star Realms is definitely a tad on the simple side, and can feel pretty random sometimes, but it scratches the engine builder itch in a 2 player game, and plays quite quickly (15 minutes a game is not unreasonable)

[Thesp]

I've only ever played it, and it's a bit of a unicorn, but if you can find Glory to Rome, highly recommended. Other than that, I have only praise for Mage Knight (although that's a little bit of everything to all people, but engine it definitely is when it gets rolling) and for $15 its hard to beat Star Realms, if its in print. Star Realms is definitely a tad on the simple side, and can feel pretty random sometimes, but it scratches the engine builder itch in a 2 player game, and plays quite quickly (15 minutes a game is not unreasonable)

I was kind of "meh" on Glory to Rome. I do loooooove Mage Knight, and the expansions have been excellent. I'll definitely give Star Realms a try when I can.

Are you on Boardgamegeek at all? I'd be curious to see your game rankings if you are.

[xRECKONERx]

Reck, what about Tsuro?

I love Tsuro, I adore Tsuro, but the price tag doesn't sit well with me for being a "light" game (plus, I'd probably get Tsuro of the Seas).

Cash & Guns looks very interesting.

[GreyICE]

I've only ever played it, and it's a bit of a unicorn, but if you can find Glory to Rome, highly recommended. Other than that, I have only praise for Mage Knight (although that's a little bit of everything to all people, but engine it definitely is when it gets rolling) and for $15 its hard to beat Star Realms, if its in print. Star Realms is definitely a tad on the simple side, and can feel pretty random sometimes, but it scratches the engine builder itch in a 2 player game, and plays quite quickly (15 minutes a game is not unreasonable)

I was kind of "meh" on Glory to Rome. I do loooooove Mage Knight, and the expansions have been excellent. I'll definitely give Star Realms a try when I can.

Are you on Boardgamegeek at all? I'd be curious to see your game rankings if you are.

I read it on and off, and I have an account, but I can't recall me ever posting. Too many holy wars, too much random garbage.

[quadz08]

Reck, what about Tsuro?

I love Tsuro, I adore Tsuro, but the price tag doesn't sit well with me for being a "light" game (plus, I'd probably get Tsuro of the Seas).

Cash & Guns looks very interesting.

Ah, right I remember that conversation happening now.

[GreyICE]

So anyway, I feel like running

City of Horror

in Mish Mash.

Voting/Negotiation/Strategy game, fairly light, 5 turns long. No complex mechanics, no dice.

Who is game?

[Oman]

Hey guys, I'm looking for fun 2p games that I can play with my girlfriend, and/or 4p games that I we can play with other friends. I'm looking for fairly simple games to begin, just to ease her into it. She loves scrabble, and we'll play a bit of that. Bonus points go to scaling games that will work for 2p and with a larger group.

I love King of Tokyo, Coup, Love Letters, Muchkin, and Settlers.

Guys, I'd love your advice, thanks!

[diginova]

Lost Cities is an amazing 2p... it's older and light, but I've never had someone not like playing it, even non-board gamers.
There's also a board game version of it that plays 2-4.

[Juls]

Agricola

is fun.

[GreyICE]

Carcassonne

is somewhat obvious as an intro area control game that is easy to teach. You're basically building a little medieval world, 1 tile at a time, and scoring based on area control. It's quite fun. Plays well with like 2-4 or so, doesn't gain too much time with extra players.

Flashpoint: Fire Rescue

is a great intro game because it's co-op. Simple rules, and can be made even simpler with a "family game" variant. You're firefighters putting out fires. Non-family games add a fire truck and roles, as well as hazardous materials Scales nicely up to 4 players. Enough randomness its resistant to quarterbacking, and quite fun to play because new players don't get this sinking "I'm going to lose" feeling.

Ticket to Ride

is, in my opinion, somewhat overrated. But it's still a nice intro game.

PEdit: Do NOT start people out with Agricola.

[Faraday]

Forbidden Island/Desert for a simple co-op that looks cool.

Smash Up is also a fairly fun light card game that basically anyone can pick up. There's enough decks to offer enough replayability and it works with 2/3/4 fairly well.


For 2p only maybe try Le Fantome de L'opera - it's a deduction game, one person playing the phantom of the opera - the other trying to catch them. It's super simple, and you can scale the difficulty if one player happens to be better than the other, which is neat.

[Faraday]

Also, hanabi.

[xRECKONERx]

I've had Agricola in a box for ~6 months now and all of us are too lazy to read the rulebook.

I'd be down for MishMash boardgames.

Also, there's a pretty good CSI sale right now: clicky.

Highlights:
- Ares Project @ $12
- Fluxx @ $7
- Steam Park @ $25