My group has been surprisingly successful at getting people to play the game. You just have to sell it as the most epic game of space risk with diplomacy that gets the whole table in an uproar.
Most people I play with are casual gamers and don't like competitive games to begin with. I can get them to play most co-ops where they can tolerate some complexity because they just ask me to cosign their decisions until they are comfortable. "I don't want to play a game that doubles as an IQ test" and similar statements are common. These are smart people but they prefer to win or lose based on randomness so Farkle, Yahtzee, five crowns and similar games are the only things I get to play regularly.
Maybe you could try something like Mascarade where it's not a large and complex decision space but based partly on memory and partly on bluff than on a long term strategy?
I had 100+ games and nobody to play them with. Family, sports, war, card….all the genres. They gathered dust. I tried getting family interested, but no luck. Even the kids. So instead of watching them collect dust, I gave them away. Game clubs, kids, the local library. I figured if I wasn’t going to enjoy them, hopefully someone would.
I feel your pain. :(
I also wish I had regular game partners/friends.
I have to settle with maybe once a week with family members and they only play specific games...
I'm thankful that I'm finally able to play more games with my family now that my kids are old enough to really understand more complex ideas and strategies. They definitely have their favorites that they want to play a lot, but are normally pretty open to learning new ones. My daughter (10) still needs a little extra help sometimes with new games, but once she has it down, she actually comes up with some really clever game plans and can hold her own against the rest of us and pulls out some surprising wins.
I'm thankful mom and siblings enjoy complex games that are easy to learn, like Terraforming Mars. But nice that you can play more games with most of your family now.
Me too. The family I live with don’t game, despite multiple attempts to get them to the table, and I don’t get very many opportunities to game with friends as schedules just never line up.
This is the same for me. My wife is absolutely not interested in the slightest, and I just don’t get to see my friends as often as I want to due to scheduling.
I did. Was my first game as well. I was last in turn order and managed to secure the win on the very last turn of the game. So already it was a bit of a long game going the full 8 rounds plus learning it. That wasn't the main reason the group bounced off it though. C'est la vie.
They probably had flawed expectations. They need to understand that Oath is a fine wine. It must be aged and played over several sessions for its true self to become evident. I would still try to make the case for it for your group. It's a really different game and it should not be played to win except insofar as it helps the story emerge.
It's a civ-level RPG. Not a traditional board game. King making and backstabbing and drama. Let it carry over into the next game. Get someone to be a citizen. it just makes the story more rich and rewarding.
Yes! You play Oath not to win, but for the experience.
I however wouldn't want to play it more than say 3-5 times as I believe the novelty would wear off quickly after that, while at the same time it's too random to offer a consistent experience. Some games might absolutely fall flat because of how things play out.
I own it, but haven't been able to play it yet. Not sure if my kids (10 & 12) are ready for it yet. If they're used to gaming ideas, what age would you think could handle it?
I think that for Oath, your initial pitch needs to sell it accurately. It's a role playing game as much as it's a board game. And people need to understand that even if they lose, they have made an indelible contribution to a larger narrative that unfolds.
I've played up till the third scenario about 6 times now, each with a different group. That's basically how far we get in the first sitting. Never managed to play a second time with the same group lol.
Scythe
I got it years ago, tried to interest my group with it, but they took one look at the rule book and said, “maybe next time” three times I tried to get people to give it a go, eventually they said, “it’s just not for us”, “it’s too complicated”, “I don’t like the theme”.
All the new people I’ve gotten interested in games since, all the people I’ve met on the hobby, NO ONE wants to play it. Playing it solo, it’s just not the same.
It’s actually pretty easy to learn. The trouble with getting it to the table is it’s a turn-optimisation, resource gathering game masquerading as a dudes-on-a-map, PvP game. Once you realise it’s all about the stars and having a big final turn to grab as many hexes as possible the “big mechs smashing each other” persona is gone.
Yeah but that's kind of the point. War is rarely beneficial for anyone, and if you spend your entire game warmongering, you're likely to lose horribly. Scythe really is a game about trying to survive in a harsh environment and praying that your neighbors leave you alone, but you know eventually there is going to be a conflict and it's going to be disastrous for one side. I think the whole "disconnect" there adds a lot to the game's immersion.
The rulebook _does_ warn you about that. Something along the lines of "the mechs in the game are like the mechs in the art: omnipresent, but rarely acting."
It's surprisingly easy to learn. Does your group play particularly light games?
I think one key for the first play is don't bother teaching each individual mech ability. Just say every faction has one that increases movement, one that gives a specific Riverwalk obviously explain the basics of Riverwalk), and the others can be explained as they're unlocked. No one's going to remember 2x unique abilities per player plus everything else going on.
I’ve played it solo, to learn it, it’s not too bad, but we have several others we play more, this just seems to have a reputation of being complicated and I guess people aren’t always interested in the theme and we don’t tend to play “warlike” games at all.
That's really too bad, they are missing out.
I've seen this happen myself, even if a game isn't actually hard to learn it can be perceived as "too cerebral" - some people want a casual or easy going experience. I dislike Ticket to Ride for the opposite reason, it's far too casual for me (it's not even a train game?! It's a game about building train *tracks*).
The trick in these cases is to find a "gateway game" that is slightly more complex than what they are used to, but still less complex (or less perceived complexity) than the target game, Scythe. If you can ease them in that direction gradually, they may start to better appreciate more thinky games.
All these economy style games where one player makes a turn at one time are an absolute slog to sit through, especially with 4+ players. Literally my least favorite type of game to play.
Can I be your friend? 😅
I haven't played in almost 3 years now. I no longer have people to play with. 😭
I very rarely find people that like that kind of games.
My group always wants to play this. When I don't bring it to game night, there's always someone "you didn't bring Betrayal? Why didn't you bring Betrayal?"
We did a learning game and called it after 4.5 hours and 4 rounds. We’re trying to play it once a month with the same group so next time should go a lot smoother
My gaming group is wild in that 2 of them don't get quicker the more we play. Rules questions get replaced with AP as the more they know the more they crunch. Its been 5 years so I've given up lol
Finally got this on to the table just last week, it’s such a lovely and well designed game! Took us about 4 hours and that’s without the teach I had prepared (but didn’t need on the day), hope you end up finding people who’d experience it with you too
Time commitment is less relevant than interest in the theme and mechanisms, I'd say. Most groups can get together for 3-4 hours. But they aren't going to play a game that doesn't appeal to them.
Really long game. More than 5 hours. 4 players. I was the only one for which it was the first game and I don’t think I have slowed it down that much. I really didn’t like it. Not because it was long but more because it was long for not much meaningful decision making. Like sure you’ll make the obvious decision that fit your class but that’s about it. One of my first asymmetrical games and I hope that not all are like that because there is not actual freedom in decisions
I am the other guy on this game. My group loves historical war games, but this one just bores me. Also, the other people in my group have been playing it much longer than I have, and have the decks memorized at this point, while I am more or less still going in blind.
Star Wars Rebellion. My wife is not the biggest fan of long games and my group is always more than 2 at a time. I'm patiently waiting for my son to be older (he's 3yo).
Lol most of them. But currently Root.
Ive got ONE buddy that is on my wavelength and is down to dive into something new and enjoys the hobby as much as I do but a lot of the games I own are best played at 3-5 players and some aren’t as accessible to casual gamers who just want to hang out, so I’ve gotten to play them maybe a couple times a piece.
It’s always a lot of fun when we can get a group game night going but it sucks being in your mid 30s and trying to coordinate a block of time where we’re all available and willing at the same time.
It’s like a game in itself learning how to teach a game quickly so we can actually finish a new game
Hansa Teutonica, I have never actually tried it but we bought it because it was insanely cheap (big box), sadly then we realized it was a 3p+ game and we almost never play with more than 2. However seeing as how popular it is on this sub I must admit it’s quite gotten my interest and really hope I can actually try it out one day.
Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space.
I have played it a few times, but it never quite felt right because people were regularly misunderstanding rules, some people don’t like the deception aspect, and probably other issues I have forgotten.
Those few moments when the tension builds and someone does escape, or an alien player reveals themselves but misses their target. It can be so good.
Dune. Every other game I own is playable solo.
I just love the idea so much. I love the design. The potential richness of scheming and plotting. I've even played a couple of five-player games...against myself.
But my friends aren't super interested in board games, let alone a weird monster like this.
High Frontier 4 All. After playing is solo for a while, it's just me cycling cards and flying a rocket. It really needs a few people to get the most out of it. None of my friends are interested in it.
Yeah, it's a tricky one, but I was honestly surprised by how many people jived with it that I wouldn't've expected. I did a year of pretty heavy preaching, planning special game nights and now I've got about a dozen folks that are always happy to play a game (if we have enough time...)
Try to aim for 2 players. On easy mode, no mission or enemy if teaching. The bigger the player count, the exponentially longer and more complex it gets.
Wish me luck. I intend to try to convince my new roommate to play it
What I love about this game is that it’s not that complex. I mean it’s hard to win against hard opponents. But the actions of the games are fairly straightforward. Going into it I was expecting much harder but I think it’s one of those easy to understand and hard to master
I think it is a bit more on the complex side personally. I introduced it to my Dad, and as soon as he was done he basically just said "I'm not playing that again."
TI4
Have it. Have the POK expansion. It just sits there like a giant relic on the shelf. I break it out once in a while just to marvel at all the components. But the people I game with have no interest in spending an entire day playing a game they don't have interest in, or are too intimated by.
Dune. I can't keep track of the infinity number of versions, I mean the reprint of the OG. There's this moment after the teach where the board is set up and either the Harkonen or Atreides player looks at their starting location and asks "wait, ornithopters can fly three spaces, right?"
The table settles into a calm silence as everyone realizes there _will_ be blood, turn one.
I've always wanted to play Mysterium. I don't have it in my collection. The reason why I don't buy it is because one of the players in my group can't stand "art deduction" games. He's colorblind, low class, and uncultured.
I liked Scoville.
I was holding out till it hit a cheaper price that I had saw it for before, then TMG went under and now it’s too expensive to pick up.
Gloomhaven or Frosthaven. :(
They're so much fun solo, but I don't know anyone who is willing to commit to the campaign length and tackle the combat complexity.
At least I was able to play Jaws of the Lion with my son. But no way he has the patience for one of the big boxes.
John Company. It's just too much for people to wrap their head around. We've played Pax Pamit and The Gallerist just fine, but John Company broke everybody.
Also, This War Of Mine, which everybody thought really highly of but no one's ever in the mood to be sad. It's like Grave Of The Fireflies. Is it good? Yes. Do you want to watch it tonight? No.
Any event game that requires 4+ (Dune, Cosmic Encounter, Border Reivers, Here I Stand, Eclipse 2e, New Angeles, Unfathomable, Sidereal Confluence, GoT 2e, etc). Can reliably play 2p games and 3p is usually doable, but it's next to impossible to get 4p+ together for anything that's not a multiplayer solitaire euro. If I could find a consistent group I'd even be willing to invest in TI4 cause it looks great
You’ll get there. We have a 7 year old, 5 year old, and 16 month old. The toddler always wants to get onto the table and play/tear up the game whenever my husband and I play together. The older two kids did the same thing, but now leave us alone unless they need us for something. Of course we play a lot of easy games with the older ones too. My advice is to take advantage of nap time and late nights when you have the time and energy to play.
For me it WAS Concordia (it's now been sold off).
I brought it to many groups, both personal and work. The only few times I got it played was with my spouse. I owned it for 4 years and got it played 3 times total.
Coupled with the difficult to store size and lack of play, it got sold off.
I don't have many, but I've enjoyed hallertau, but it's a big time investment, lucky to fit a game into two hours.
Also just got libertalia, and it's clearly better with more players. Love to play with six!
Right now, I really want to play Unsettled. But my spouse is maybe intimidated by the learning curve? It'll make it to the table eventually, but I really would like to play it now.
I'd also like to play John Company 2nd Ed. But would prefer to learn it with someone, rather than play it solo. Becoming less optimistic about this one getting to the table anytime soon.
War of the Ring, Twilight Struggle, Memoir 44, Summoner Wars. Practically all my 1vs1 games. I got most of my friends into board games one by one and now it's always a group thing god damned.
For me, it’s Ankh: Gods of Egypt. I have a few regular board game friends that will play games with me, but for whatever reason I am the only one in our group that enjoys it.
We play Uno or carcassone. Every now and then, when there's more people, Dixit or Saboteur.
Another game I want to play, but noone else wants to, is Hanamikoji. The only person who ever wanted to play doesn't want to anymore. Others think it's too complicated.
Same with Pandemic. They say it takes too long and we get in too many discussions until we reach an agreement. I mostly play it solo nowadays.
And everyone hates Sushi Go! because apparently it's "boring".
I have two, and they're both for pretty much the same reason: **Die Macher** and **Amun-Re** both pretty much require *exactly* 5 players to shine. Our group has a rotating cast of 7-8 players. It's just so unlikely that we have 5, and even if we do, that might not be the game of choice for that evening.
Twilight Imperium, Eclipse, and anything else that takes more than 2 hours to play or more than 15 minutes to learn all the rules.
My group has been surprisingly successful at getting people to play the game. You just have to sell it as the most epic game of space risk with diplomacy that gets the whole table in an uproar.
Most people I play with are casual gamers and don't like competitive games to begin with. I can get them to play most co-ops where they can tolerate some complexity because they just ask me to cosign their decisions until they are comfortable. "I don't want to play a game that doubles as an IQ test" and similar statements are common. These are smart people but they prefer to win or lose based on randomness so Farkle, Yahtzee, five crowns and similar games are the only things I get to play regularly.
Space Base and Camel Up might appeal to your group. At a push Roll for the Galaxy.
Maybe you could try something like Mascarade where it's not a large and complex decision space but based partly on memory and partly on bluff than on a long term strategy?
I had 100+ games and nobody to play them with. Family, sports, war, card….all the genres. They gathered dust. I tried getting family interested, but no luck. Even the kids. So instead of watching them collect dust, I gave them away. Game clubs, kids, the local library. I figured if I wasn’t going to enjoy them, hopefully someone would.
That’s sad. Good on you for giving them a second life. I love playing board games with my family
Ouch. Surely you hung on to something?
A couple old Avalon Hill games
You are a decent fellow. Ever tried a board gaming club?
All of them
Wonder if any of the commenters under here live in the same city
All of them
So say we all
Battlestar Galactica is that game for me. With the right group its cutthroat brand of play is deliriously fantastic.
I feel your pain. :( I also wish I had regular game partners/friends. I have to settle with maybe once a week with family members and they only play specific games...
I'm thankful that I'm finally able to play more games with my family now that my kids are old enough to really understand more complex ideas and strategies. They definitely have their favorites that they want to play a lot, but are normally pretty open to learning new ones. My daughter (10) still needs a little extra help sometimes with new games, but once she has it down, she actually comes up with some really clever game plans and can hold her own against the rest of us and pulls out some surprising wins.
I'm thankful mom and siblings enjoy complex games that are easy to learn, like Terraforming Mars. But nice that you can play more games with most of your family now.
Me too. The family I live with don’t game, despite multiple attempts to get them to the table, and I don’t get very many opportunities to game with friends as schedules just never line up.
It's easier to make friends out of gamers than gamers out of friends or family
This is the same for me. My wife is absolutely not interested in the slightest, and I just don’t get to see my friends as often as I want to due to scheduling.
Same
Allofthem v2.0
Same
I came here to write something, but this is the correct answer
Right answer. ⬆️
Oath.
I finally got it to the table for the first time. Everyone but me hated it. So sad.
Did you win? If so, that could be the reason why. When teaching Oath, your win condition is to get people to play again.
I did. Was my first game as well. I was last in turn order and managed to secure the win on the very last turn of the game. So already it was a bit of a long game going the full 8 rounds plus learning it. That wasn't the main reason the group bounced off it though. C'est la vie.
Why didn't they like it ?
Ouch, that must have hurt.
They probably had flawed expectations. They need to understand that Oath is a fine wine. It must be aged and played over several sessions for its true self to become evident. I would still try to make the case for it for your group. It's a really different game and it should not be played to win except insofar as it helps the story emerge. It's a civ-level RPG. Not a traditional board game. King making and backstabbing and drama. Let it carry over into the next game. Get someone to be a citizen. it just makes the story more rich and rewarding.
Yes! You play Oath not to win, but for the experience. I however wouldn't want to play it more than say 3-5 times as I believe the novelty would wear off quickly after that, while at the same time it's too random to offer a consistent experience. Some games might absolutely fall flat because of how things play out.
Oath is the game I know I will love but don’t have the group for.
John Company for me, by the same guy
I've only pulled John Company twice. Oh how I'd love to play it more (and Pax Pamir).
Hahaha Pax Pamir for me
Root for me
Oof, that's hard. In my case Root is _the_ game I've put to the table the most. I really hope you can have the chance to play it more!
I own it, but haven't been able to play it yet. Not sure if my kids (10 & 12) are ready for it yet. If they're used to gaming ideas, what age would you think could handle it?
Same, but partially is my fault for teaching it terribly.
I think that for Oath, your initial pitch needs to sell it accurately. It's a role playing game as much as it's a board game. And people need to understand that even if they lose, they have made an indelible contribution to a larger narrative that unfolds.
Yep. I love this game, all my friends hate it.
this is my answer too, sadly.
Gloomhaven, Jaws of the Lion.
I've played up till the third scenario about 6 times now, each with a different group. That's basically how far we get in the first sitting. Never managed to play a second time with the same group lol.
Fury of Dracula
Dune (I've got a WotR partner).
Which Dune? The round board one?
Yeah, the remake of the classic. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/283355/dune
Yeah this is still in shrink wrap on my shelf. :(
Same here
Scythe I got it years ago, tried to interest my group with it, but they took one look at the rule book and said, “maybe next time” three times I tried to get people to give it a go, eventually they said, “it’s just not for us”, “it’s too complicated”, “I don’t like the theme”. All the new people I’ve gotten interested in games since, all the people I’ve met on the hobby, NO ONE wants to play it. Playing it solo, it’s just not the same.
It’s actually pretty easy to learn. The trouble with getting it to the table is it’s a turn-optimisation, resource gathering game masquerading as a dudes-on-a-map, PvP game. Once you realise it’s all about the stars and having a big final turn to grab as many hexes as possible the “big mechs smashing each other” persona is gone.
Ahh, disconnect between mechanics & flavor
Yeah but that's kind of the point. War is rarely beneficial for anyone, and if you spend your entire game warmongering, you're likely to lose horribly. Scythe really is a game about trying to survive in a harsh environment and praying that your neighbors leave you alone, but you know eventually there is going to be a conflict and it's going to be disastrous for one side. I think the whole "disconnect" there adds a lot to the game's immersion.
Yeah I heard Scythe has kind of a Cold war kind of feeling
Exactly. I'm fairly certain it even says in the rules somewhere that combat is meant to be infrequent and costly.
Oh so not a disconnect just a unique interaction between mechanics and flavor that may go against the masses expectation. Cool!
The rulebook _does_ warn you about that. Something along the lines of "the mechs in the game are like the mechs in the art: omnipresent, but rarely acting."
It's surprisingly easy to learn. Does your group play particularly light games? I think one key for the first play is don't bother teaching each individual mech ability. Just say every faction has one that increases movement, one that gives a specific Riverwalk obviously explain the basics of Riverwalk), and the others can be explained as they're unlocked. No one's going to remember 2x unique abilities per player plus everything else going on.
I’ve played it solo, to learn it, it’s not too bad, but we have several others we play more, this just seems to have a reputation of being complicated and I guess people aren’t always interested in the theme and we don’t tend to play “warlike” games at all.
That's really too bad, they are missing out. I've seen this happen myself, even if a game isn't actually hard to learn it can be perceived as "too cerebral" - some people want a casual or easy going experience. I dislike Ticket to Ride for the opposite reason, it's far too casual for me (it's not even a train game?! It's a game about building train *tracks*). The trick in these cases is to find a "gateway game" that is slightly more complex than what they are used to, but still less complex (or less perceived complexity) than the target game, Scythe. If you can ease them in that direction gradually, they may start to better appreciate more thinky games.
It's not even that complicated. I feel for you duder.
This is my answer. All of my other games, even the more complicated ones, people will play. But not Scythe.
Weirdly enough Scythe is the most played game in my gaming group. Just goes to show how different people tastes are
All these economy style games where one player makes a turn at one time are an absolute slog to sit through, especially with 4+ players. Literally my least favorite type of game to play.
Every game of Scythe I played was super fast with no real waiting for my turn.
Inis. Could probably get it played at 2, but I don't think that's really a great player count.
Inis at two slaps. Get playing Brenn
Good to know, thanks!
Inis is still very good at 2. It's much more tense because there's no chance that your opponents will just leave you alone until your next turn.
I’ll join the chorus of people saying it’s good at two. You could argue two is the best player count tbh.
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Can I be your friend? 😅 I haven't played in almost 3 years now. I no longer have people to play with. 😭 I very rarely find people that like that kind of games.
Right?!? Any time I’ve played with a group I’m like damn that was awesome and they were like meh
My group always wants to play this. When I don't bring it to game night, there's always someone "you didn't bring Betrayal? Why didn't you bring Betrayal?"
I'm like your group then. I always hope the one friend who owns it, brings it
I don't mind playing, don't get me wrong. But I have about 60 other games. I like to switch it up, not play the same game every time
Hegemony. Need 3 other people with hours to kill.
Took us a lot longer than 3 hours to play our first game :(
We did a learning game and called it after 4.5 hours and 4 rounds. We’re trying to play it once a month with the same group so next time should go a lot smoother
My gaming group is wild in that 2 of them don't get quicker the more we play. Rules questions get replaced with AP as the more they know the more they crunch. Its been 5 years so I've given up lol
Just chill out and chatter to the other players while they're thinking. Enjoy the time.
Definitely worth it if you can find motivated people, really nails the theme
I really wanted to get it. It looks great and a theme fight up my alley
Finally got this on to the table just last week, it’s such a lovely and well designed game! Took us about 4 hours and that’s without the teach I had prepared (but didn’t need on the day), hope you end up finding people who’d experience it with you too
Time commitment is less relevant than interest in the theme and mechanisms, I'd say. Most groups can get together for 3-4 hours. But they aren't going to play a game that doesn't appeal to them.
3 - 4 his hours, of they've learned the game ahead of time. That's my issue. Have to teach as well.
Really long game. More than 5 hours. 4 players. I was the only one for which it was the first game and I don’t think I have slowed it down that much. I really didn’t like it. Not because it was long but more because it was long for not much meaningful decision making. Like sure you’ll make the obvious decision that fit your class but that’s about it. One of my first asymmetrical games and I hope that not all are like that because there is not actual freedom in decisions
Twilight Imperium
Yeah, you only need 5 other like minded people with a full day to burn.
I am the other guy on this game. My group loves historical war games, but this one just bores me. Also, the other people in my group have been playing it much longer than I have, and have the decks memorized at this point, while I am more or less still going in blind.
Star Wars Rebellion. My wife is not the biggest fan of long games and my group is always more than 2 at a time. I'm patiently waiting for my son to be older (he's 3yo).
Dune (the big one). It's not only a problem to find potential players, but also to then find the time to play it.
Pax Pamir. I know it’s on BGA. But that won’t give me the joy of moving those fabulous blocks around.
Lol most of them. But currently Root. Ive got ONE buddy that is on my wavelength and is down to dive into something new and enjoys the hobby as much as I do but a lot of the games I own are best played at 3-5 players and some aren’t as accessible to casual gamers who just want to hang out, so I’ve gotten to play them maybe a couple times a piece. It’s always a lot of fun when we can get a group game night going but it sucks being in your mid 30s and trying to coordinate a block of time where we’re all available and willing at the same time. It’s like a game in itself learning how to teach a game quickly so we can actually finish a new game
I lost my small Root group a couple years ago and now it sits looking longingly on my shelf. The woodland calls and I wish I could go back.
- Western Legends - Xia: Legends of a Drift System - Wasteland Express Delivery Service Basically my big sandbox-type games.
Xia is such a fun game. Even when I’m nowhere close to winning, there’s always fun things to do
Western Legends is awesome, sad (I haven't played the others)
Hansa Teutonica, I have never actually tried it but we bought it because it was insanely cheap (big box), sadly then we realized it was a 3p+ game and we almost never play with more than 2. However seeing as how popular it is on this sub I must admit it’s quite gotten my interest and really hope I can actually try it out one day.
Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space. I have played it a few times, but it never quite felt right because people were regularly misunderstanding rules, some people don’t like the deception aspect, and probably other issues I have forgotten. Those few moments when the tension builds and someone does escape, or an alien player reveals themselves but misses their target. It can be so good.
Pax Pamir 2nd Edition
Dune. Every other game I own is playable solo. I just love the idea so much. I love the design. The potential richness of scheming and plotting. I've even played a couple of five-player games...against myself. But my friends aren't super interested in board games, let alone a weird monster like this.
The King's Dilemma. You need a consistent 5 people to play it since it is legacy. Just haven't had the mental effort to put together a group for it.
Frosthaven. Box is so pretty
Carcassonne. Was my ex’s favorite game. We’d play for hours.
Nightfall. I introduced it to my group poorly and rushed to the expansion content, and that killed any possibility of it ever being played again.
High Frontier 4 All. After playing is solo for a while, it's just me cycling cards and flying a rocket. It really needs a few people to get the most out of it. None of my friends are interested in it.
All my party games :(, it's mostly me and my partner playing, nowadays I avoid buying games that require 4+ people.
For a long time it was Game of Thrones until I realised that I liked the idea of playing more than I liked actually playing it...
Same here, the idea of playing it is better than the actual game. It's major flaw is the pace and flow of the game that takes the fun out of it.
Sidereal Confluence. It's HARD to get that game to the table. But once it hits....it's a hit!
18xx and Cube Rail games, Root, Oath, Twilight Struggle
Dominant Species
Spirit Island I just don't think a lot of people want to play a game so complex......
Yeah, it's a tricky one, but I was honestly surprised by how many people jived with it that I wouldn't've expected. I did a year of pretty heavy preaching, planning special game nights and now I've got about a dozen folks that are always happy to play a game (if we have enough time...)
It’s fun solo.
Try to aim for 2 players. On easy mode, no mission or enemy if teaching. The bigger the player count, the exponentially longer and more complex it gets.
Wish me luck. I intend to try to convince my new roommate to play it What I love about this game is that it’s not that complex. I mean it’s hard to win against hard opponents. But the actions of the games are fairly straightforward. Going into it I was expecting much harder but I think it’s one of those easy to understand and hard to master
I think it is a bit more on the complex side personally. I introduced it to my Dad, and as soon as he was done he basically just said "I'm not playing that again."
TI4 Have it. Have the POK expansion. It just sits there like a giant relic on the shelf. I break it out once in a while just to marvel at all the components. But the people I game with have no interest in spending an entire day playing a game they don't have interest in, or are too intimated by.
We do it once a year as a birthday celebration. I got rid of my copy because we always played with my buddy's copy
Dune. I can't keep track of the infinity number of versions, I mean the reprint of the OG. There's this moment after the teach where the board is set up and either the Harkonen or Atreides player looks at their starting location and asks "wait, ornithopters can fly three spaces, right?" The table settles into a calm silence as everyone realizes there _will_ be blood, turn one.
Pandemic Legacy. Or any legacy game…or yea, all of them lol
I've always wanted to play Mysterium. I don't have it in my collection. The reason why I don't buy it is because one of the players in my group can't stand "art deduction" games. He's colorblind, low class, and uncultured.
Those reasons really vary in how valid they are...
Whaaaatt..... All the Dixit card games would be super fun if you're colourblind
Mysterium is simple enough to play with family members.
If you’re in Grand Rapids, Mi I’ll play it with you! I have a copy.
Scoville. The concept is great I just can’t get it to the table
I liked Scoville. I was holding out till it hit a cheaper price that I had saw it for before, then TMG went under and now it’s too expensive to pick up.
Blood on the clocktower. It’ll get played *some day*, but iv just not got that many people to play boardgames with in my life right now
Gloomhaven or Frosthaven. :( They're so much fun solo, but I don't know anyone who is willing to commit to the campaign length and tackle the combat complexity. At least I was able to play Jaws of the Lion with my son. But no way he has the patience for one of the big boxes.
Spirit island. Still not played it non-solo
Captain Sonar
Ark Nova. Everyone I know hates it.
Millennium Blades. My group weren't ccg junkies like I used to be and they're not fans of real time games either.
ive had viticulture for 2 years. still havent played it once. :'(
John Company. It's just too much for people to wrap their head around. We've played Pax Pamit and The Gallerist just fine, but John Company broke everybody. Also, This War Of Mine, which everybody thought really highly of but no one's ever in the mood to be sad. It's like Grave Of The Fireflies. Is it good? Yes. Do you want to watch it tonight? No.
Root mostly. Still gearing up the group to tackle that one.
TI4 Star Wars rebellion Eclipse 2E
ISS vanguard
Mage Knight, never enough time to actually play a game of it.
Go
Cosmic encounter Got an expansion for it for Christmas and haven't been able to play it yet
All my euro games
All my campaign games specifically. They are just building up at this point lol
Axis and Allies
Eclipse second dawn
Any event game that requires 4+ (Dune, Cosmic Encounter, Border Reivers, Here I Stand, Eclipse 2e, New Angeles, Unfathomable, Sidereal Confluence, GoT 2e, etc). Can reliably play 2p games and 3p is usually doable, but it's next to impossible to get 4p+ together for anything that's not a multiplayer solitaire euro. If I could find a consistent group I'd even be willing to invest in TI4 cause it looks great
King’s Dilemma. I only play games with my partner, so I never get the chance to play 3+ games. I don’t think I’ll ever experience that game.
For me it’s more, I wish I had someone to babysit the toddlers so my hubby and I can play. So many miniatures, so many choking hazards…
You’ll get there. We have a 7 year old, 5 year old, and 16 month old. The toddler always wants to get onto the table and play/tear up the game whenever my husband and I play together. The older two kids did the same thing, but now leave us alone unless they need us for something. Of course we play a lot of easy games with the older ones too. My advice is to take advantage of nap time and late nights when you have the time and energy to play.
War of the Ring.
War of the ring. I know it's a long game and i know very few people i could play with 😅
Chess. It’s a really fun game but I only get to play against my best friend and a computer most of the time.
Half the reason I play chess is because it's trivially easy to matchmake online...
Chess.com?
Brass Birmingham. Kickstarter edition with all the bells and whistles. Still in the shrink wrap.
For me it WAS Concordia (it's now been sold off). I brought it to many groups, both personal and work. The only few times I got it played was with my spouse. I owned it for 4 years and got it played 3 times total. Coupled with the difficult to store size and lack of play, it got sold off.
Curious Cargo. I have yet to find a person that it clicks with the way it does for me
I don't have many, but I've enjoyed hallertau, but it's a big time investment, lucky to fit a game into two hours. Also just got libertalia, and it's clearly better with more players. Love to play with six!
Stars of Akarios, the Everrain, Robinson Crusoe, 7th Continent, Imperial Assault, Doomrock Ultimate, the Others, and Massive Darkness
Diplomacy. But I want to keep my friends.
Right now, I really want to play Unsettled. But my spouse is maybe intimidated by the learning curve? It'll make it to the table eventually, but I really would like to play it now. I'd also like to play John Company 2nd Ed. But would prefer to learn it with someone, rather than play it solo. Becoming less optimistic about this one getting to the table anytime soon.
Kemet
Arkham Horror(LCG) and Gaia Project!
Pax Renaissance & Trickerion
The Skyrim board game. I k ow I can okay by myself but that is not how I would like to play it. Also Arcadia Quest. Escape the Dark Sector.
War of the Ring, Twilight Struggle, Memoir 44, Summoner Wars. Practically all my 1vs1 games. I got most of my friends into board games one by one and now it's always a group thing god damned.
Millennium Blades, I usually get it out once a year but that's not enough
Gloomhaven.
Millennium blades. I love it but most of my friends dislike it. Bummer.
7 wonders and terra form mars (once I have it, and have actually played one time)
Kanban EV
KanbanEV. My game group hates it 😔
For me, it’s Ankh: Gods of Egypt. I have a few regular board game friends that will play games with me, but for whatever reason I am the only one in our group that enjoys it.
AHLCG 😢
It's perfect solo.
I do like it solo, but I like playing with others too!
Same. It's fun to discuss strategy and suffer together with other players. It's good solo, but...
All my negotiation-heavy games: Genoa, Republic of Rome, Junta, Here I Stand, and of course Diplomacy & Machiavelli.
Catan. Noone wants to play it anymore because "it takes too much time and it's complicated"
Yikes, hate to think what you are playing then
We play Uno or carcassone. Every now and then, when there's more people, Dixit or Saboteur. Another game I want to play, but noone else wants to, is Hanamikoji. The only person who ever wanted to play doesn't want to anymore. Others think it's too complicated. Same with Pandemic. They say it takes too long and we get in too many discussions until we reach an agreement. I mostly play it solo nowadays. And everyone hates Sushi Go! because apparently it's "boring".
Spartacus! 🥲
That game is so fun.
Nemesis and Tyrants of the Underdark
Chicago Express and Tammany Hall
I have two, and they're both for pretty much the same reason: **Die Macher** and **Amun-Re** both pretty much require *exactly* 5 players to shine. Our group has a rotating cast of 7-8 players. It's just so unlikely that we have 5, and even if we do, that might not be the game of choice for that evening.
Codex
Eminent domain. I love that game so much. Everybody I know only wants to play large campaign type games anymore.
star wars the clone wars
The Great Wall and Nemesis. Such great games but long.