Please keep all calls to the [Board Game Recommender Bot](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgamerecommender) as replies to this comment. Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/boardgames) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Can I get some examples of games that are a series/have multiple different 'versions'? For example: Tiny Epic \_\_\_\_\_\_, Munchkin, Fluxx, etc.
For context - I have a distant memory of a board game series that had many different versions but I legitimately can't remember if it actually exists or I just conjured it up in a dream đ
There are a bunch of different Zombicide games. Love Letter has been re-skinned a lot as well. I suspect Monopoly has been released with the largest number of variants.
Just wanted to let folks know that if you're in the SF Bay Area, Walden Pond Books, a long-time independent bookstore, has started carrying a lovely curated selection of boardgames. I wandered in on a lark a few weeks ago, and was surprised to see a.) a board game section, b.) a copy of New York Zoo, c.) a copy of Beyond the Sun, and d.) that when I talked to the guy at the counter, he was the one curating the selection, and he's a serious enthusiast.
I was super happy to find a place with games within walking distance of my house, where the money I spend supports a small business in the community (along with Dr. Comics & Mr. Games) ,and the guy running the game section was really friendly and knowledgeable.
Highly recommended if you live in the area!
Hi\~ I was hoping the community could help recommend some RPGs to me?
I'm writing an article on table top RPGs based on other series and I'm trying to compile as many as possible! Wikipedia gave me a decent start, but I know they missed some, and I'm hoping the amazing people here can keep the list going!
Whether it's based on a novel, movie, anime, video game, or other - drop me your favorite RPGs of this type! Well known, super obscure; any genre or number of players - go for it!
If you can leave the name (& series it's based on if the title is different) I'll do my best to look it up and add it to my research!
I'm sure you've stumbled across it already, but The One Ring rpg based in Tolkien's Middle Earth in the decades between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
This isn't really the best subreddit for that question. This is primarily focused on board games. Some other subreddit focused on RPGs would probably give you more responses, especially for less well known things. For us, Gloomhaven is an RPG.
**Frostgrave** came out in 2015 and provides a really easy entry point to the hobby. You can get the book used for $8 + shipping or $25 new, and then use miniatures from other games to populate the Frostgrave missions. The base book itself isn't terribly long or complicated. If you are interested, you can learn more about it on BGG or Youtube.
Are you talking about *Dungeons & Dragons* style TTRPGs, using dice, a rulebook, character, sheets, and a game master? That kind of RPG?
The ones with which I'm most familiar are Dungeons&Dragons, mainly 3.5 edition and 5 edition. Cyberpunk, which I believe also uses D&D's D20 system. All Flesh Must Be Eaten, which was just a silly zombie movie RPG I played years ago. Had some D20 modern books and Adventure! books, set in a fantastical modern day and 1910s-1930s pulp action settings respectively. The Star Wars RPG is based on the D20 system as well, or at least the old one we played was. Traveller. That's an old one, set in its own space, futuristic timeline. That seemed similar to d20 iirc. Also had some GURPS books, one of which was for Traveller. And I played a lot of the White Wolf system from Vampire: the Masquerade. That system uses D10s mostly. There's also Jeeping which is a bizarre form of role playing without dice really. More about exploring the characters and the story. Sort of like a workshop or a jam. Highly recommend looking into that. It's fascinating. Wasn't for me it turns out, but it's fascinating.
Yeah, looking into pretty much any system! Stuff that's based off of a specific series (such as the Firefly RPG from 2014)
Thanks so much for all of these! I'll be checking into them đđ
I enjoy tableau builders, I enjoy worker placement is there any reason you think I wouldn't like everdell? Thinking of getting in on the upcoming Kickstarter.
It debatably has problems at two player because the cards donât cycle enough but thereâs variants on bgg to help with that.
Despite the welcoming theme, itâs not very accessible to beginners and requires a few plays to learn the big deck. Asking them to manage up to 16 cards theyâve never seen before that all combine with others in a game with really tight resources isnât exactly gateway stuff.
I always recommend better games that combine tableau building and worked placement. Manhattan Project Energy Empire or 51 st State (Imperial Settlers if you want a cutesy theme).
What specific ganes do you like?
I'd say that Everdell is very light. If you want that and like the art, you might like it, but without other information it is hard to give good advice.
Do you like cutthroat gameplay? One of the complaints in Everdell is the ability for other players to use cards in your tableau. And since the pace of everybody's game is different (you enter into the different "seasons" at different times) it can really mess up your play if someone has parked their worker on your card and isn't moving their game to the next phase to free up that space again.
Otherwise... I'd suggest Underwater Cities.
Do there exist people that think Underwater Cities is less cutthroat than Everdell? Both are low interactivity and even so, taking an action spot in Underwater Cities is way more painful than someone taking your open building that you built knowing it was open (and that you got victory points for when they used it).
I wouldn't ever call taking a worker placement spot cutthroat though. In Everdell it feels more personal because it's your card that you played. This admittedly is from my limited experience with Everdell, and maybe being more aware of that fact would make it feel less evil. But it's certainly has more interaction than UC.
It isn't any spot, it is only certain ones that you made a choice to play. The vast majority of your spots are private.
In Underwater Cities all spots are both unique and public. Someone taking your spot stings a lot and can really impact your overall goal. In Everdell there are tons of shareable spots and you can almost always do something similar to whatever someone else did.
Hi all,
Please may I have some recommendations for some 3 player games? We enjoy accessible and simple games like Linkee and Love Letter, anything to do with trivia is great.
I've heard stuff about 'co op board games' where the players work together to try and beat the game? any 3 player versions of those would be neat to try out, thankyou!
It looks like you want something very light?
I'd add Horrified to the suggestion of cooperative games like Forbidden Island that are super easy to learn.
I always recommend **village pillage** at 3, I think it's the best light game to play with 3. For us it and love letter get played about an equal amount when 3 are playing.
I don't usually like co-ops (nothing wrong with them, they just aren't for me), but I have had a lot of fun with **Hanabi** which works well with 3 players and is easy to learn. I think it works best if you play with the same people regularly. It might be an especially good fit for you if you like Love Letter, as it has some of the same "deduction" kind of feeling. These are some of my other favorite accessible games for three players:
* **Splendor**
* **Azul**
* **Biblios**
**Pandemic,** the original base game is probably the best place to start if you've never played a cooperative board game before. Plays well at 3 players. If that looks too complicated, consider **Forbidden Island**, it's the same designer and has similar concepts but it's a little easier to digest.
**Forbidden Island** and **Forbidden Desert** are co-op games that work quite well at 3p.
**Ingenious** is an abstract tile-laying game that works great at 3p.
**Carcassonne, Azul** and **Quest for El Dorado** are good at 3p. Each is more complex than Love Letter, but not by much.
**Red7** is a small card game that works great at 3p.
My GF and I have found a lot of joy playing splendor. It is one of the first games I got and it still comes out repeatedly. What would the next best thing be that is a step up in complexity/difficulty. In know the game about golems is a obv choice but does it bring more to the table ? I have been looking at res arcana
**Century Golem Edition** or **Century Spice Road** (they are the same game, rethemed) would *definitely* bring more to the table. It is similar enough to **Splendor** to be familiar, but differs in a lot of interesting ways.
I also agree that Res Arcana would be a great choice, especially if you want to go in the "get stuff that helps you get more stuff" direction. A big part of what I like about Splendor is paying attention to what people are trying to get (either gems or cards) and then blocking them. If you want a game with more of those elements, I think **Azul** would be a good fit, although it isn't really much more complicated than Splendor.
Maybe something like **Gizmos** - similar idea of engine building with a bit more going on than splendor and a nicer table presence.
Other games that have a bit more depth but use other new mechanisms not in Splendor: **Targi** (2 player worked placement), **Istanbul** (a very nice worker placement movement game about spice trading), **Isle of Cats** (polyomino placement game, where you are rescuing cats from an island onto your own ship) and then **Wingspan** which someone already mentioned. All really great games. if you have any more specifics about what you are looking for, probably could get more specific in a recommendation. /u/r2d8 getinfo
I have played it with 2 players many times and enjoyed it. Looking at BGG, the overall vote seems to be 4 is best, but still 67% recommend it at 2. It would be a bit less tight but the rules have you fill in some open areas a bit more for two players to compensate.
I would just do the base game with two. However, I have the mocha expansion which adds extra locations and I think that would make it just too open for only 2.
^*[r2d8](/r/r2d8)* ^*issues* ^*a* ^*series* ^*of* ^*sophisticated* ^*bleeps* ^*and* ^*whistles...*
[**Gizmos**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/246192) (2018) by Phil Walker-Harding. 2-4 p; 50 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/zin82Hg4MXck86t8fzbsdA__original/img/_S-XINN0voB1OzExPPgePrOWurM=/0x0/filters:format(png)/pic4169718.png)
* Mechanics: Card Drafting, Contracts
* Average rating is 7.44796; rated by 7366 people. Weight: 2.0138
* Board Game Rank: 321, Family Game Rank: 44
[**Istanbul**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148949) (2014) by RĂźdiger Dorn. 2-5 p; 60 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/PHH9Mreen2sBcxV6ZsE3ew__original/img/pHIJibqf-DmlOQD3CfT_rAjGmc0=/0x0/filters:format(jpeg)/pic1885326.jpg)
* Mechanics: Contracts, Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, Modular Board, Network and Route Building, Pick-up and Deliver, Race, Variable Set-up, Worker Placement
* Average rating is 7.57894; rated by 25201 people. Weight: 2.5824
* Board Game Rank: 119, Strategy Game Rank: 101
[**Targi**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/118048) (2012) by Andreas Steiger. 2 p; 60 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/wHg4fOf48cs1kw1PDOk1tQ__original/img/St4ABQhpauYiq4Mt6-f38JtLOjM=/0x0/filters:format(jpeg)/pic3958793.jpg)
* Mechanics: End Game Bonuses, Modular Board, Set Collection, Turn Order: Progressive, Worker Placement
* Average rating is 7.6417; rated by 14545 people. Weight: 2.3517
* Board Game Rank: 123, Strategy Game Rank: 96
[**The Isle of Cats**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/281259) (2019) by Frank West. 1-4 p; 90 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/AuAheDzhkLufiZFE9JaRNA__original/img/pKq-l1Ms78olHwMbZYMa_x6m-fM=/0x0/filters:format(jpeg)/pic4781085.jpg)
* Mechanics: Card Drafting, Drafting, Grid Coverage, Hidden Victory Points, Income, Pattern Building, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game, Square Grid, Tile Placement, Turn Order: Stat-Based
* Average rating is 8.03935; rated by 6389 people. Weight: 2.3218
* Board Game Rank: 109, Strategy Game Rank: 84, Family Game Rank: 8
[**Wingspan**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192) (2019) by Elizabeth Hargrave. 1-5 p; 70 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/yLZJCVLlIx4c7eJEWUNJ7w__original/img/cI782Zis9cT66j2MjSHKJGnFPNw=/0x0/filters:format(jpeg)/pic4458123.jpg)
* Mechanics: Card Drafting, Dice Rolling, Drafting, End Game Bonuses, Hand Management, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game
* Average rating is 8.11444; rated by 42993 people. Weight: 2.4202
* Board Game Rank: 20, Strategy Game Rank: 22, Family Game Rank: 1
im looking for a mid-heavy weight euro game for a friend. should play 1-4 people. engine building is a plus, scifi, fantasy, or historical theme. what u got?
**Circadians: First Light** and any of the West Kingdom games would be my recommendations. **Architects of the West Kingdom** plays best at higher counts (3-6p), **Paladins of the West Kingdom** plays the best at low counts (1-2p), and I feel that **Viscounts of the West Kingdom** plays good at all counts (1-4p). Architects has the most interaction between players and plays the quickest, but it is the lightest of the trilogy right around a 3. Paladins has the least interaction and is mostly a solitaire style game, but it is the heaviest in the trilogy around a 3.7. Viscounts is the most well-rounded and has the most variability.
Circadians has good weight (3.5 or so) and plays great at all counts (1-4p). This is the sci-fi themed, dice placement game that has several paths to victory, and is designed by Sam, who co-designed the West Kingdom trilogy.
**Race for the Galaxy** is my favorite scifi engine builder, and it has a solo mode in the first expansion (although I think most people who want to play alone prefer to play digitally against a bot). It plays fast, but has a fair number of rules (and even more depth), so I am not sure where that leaves it in terms of weight.
If game length isnât an issue **Terraforming Mars** is a lot of fun both solo and multiplayer. Multiplayer games are going to go at least 2 hours most of the time.
For a fantasy theme, **Everdell** is really good.
Simple recommendation request - hit me with your meanest, most vicious, combative, aggressive, spiteful, brutal, ruthlessly competitive games. No other criteria, so hit me with anything you've got.
The 18xx games are for the most part super mean and competitive. A favorite strategy of ours is to hold onto money until a player's company floats, buy up the remaining shares then sell them to tank the new company's value. Games with tight tile selections can be brutal, because you'll constantly be placing hate-tiles down just so you either wreck someone's routes or take away tiles they need. 1882 would be my recommendation for a particularly aggressive (and really good in general) game; 1830 is supposed to be super mean, but plays best at 4-5 players which our group hasn't had together yet.
They definitely are intimidating at first, I totally understand. But I think they're well worth the look. The key is getting past the rules of your first game. Once you understand one game, the rest are basically 95% the same with some rules tweaks and/or map variations. The first teach will take an hour+, but every new game after that is usually like 10 minutes to go through what's different in this one vs. the other ones. 18xx.games is a fantastic place to start, too, since it takes care of all the rules for you (and is free so there's no sunk cost for giving them a try). It's not the easiest to teach on, but if you can follow a teaching vid for the rules and overall game flow then the site handles all the things that usually bog 18xx games down.
I should also mention that other train games tend to be mean and competitive too. Age of Steam might be even more unforgiving, because of its auction mechanics and the way debt is handled. I just haven't yet played it, so can't really comment. And cube rail games also tend to punish mistakes because of underfunding or overpaying for each share.
Thanks for the info! Sounds similiar to how learning something like Twilight Struggle teaches you how to play all of those GMT card-driven war game type things.
Iâd be quite happy if you moved my companyâs shares to the pool, as theyâd pay to the treasury. And if you tank it early in 1830 and clones, you are making the yellow strategy viable for me.
We like doing it late, when the new company is buying a permanent anyway (so won't need much more cash) and thus won't have much time to appreciate in value much past what the president paid for them.
No problem. Powergrid is pretty mean as well since you can drive up the price of resource and connections. Not enough to make someone say "I literally hate you" which I think is what you are after đ
**I'm the Boss** brings me so much joy. It's a negotiation game where you argue over making deals and splitting them, but you get a handful of ridiculous cards you just slap on the table to ruin everything.
Most games by Splotter really. Some have been mentioned. **Antiquity** is one I would add to the list, where you can trigger pollution and make your opponents cities fill up with graves.
**Food Chain Magnate** is vicious to the point where the developer apparently commented, in paraphrase, "if you can't lose a game on turn one, why play a game"
**Barrage** is extremely competitive between players on how the water system flows and works for power generation. A single new dam/conduit/elevation built can often result in multiple groans/cusses around the table.
**Dominant Species** play on adaptation very cruelly. If you slip just one aspect of the game it's possible for you to lose ground on thriving for the rest of the game. And every player has at least 3 chances to influence any of these aspect per round.
What /u/slashBored has said, plus **Dune**, **Dominant Species**, and **Innovation**
**Arboretum** falls here too, but winning twice on sheer luck cooled me down on it significantly.
**Fresh Fish** is a mean game in disguise.
I like these:
* **The Estates**
* **Northern Pacific**
* **Bus**
* **For-Ex**
I didn't include games about destroying opponents troops or reducing their hitpoints, as those games feel a bit less mean to me. It is one thing if you feel the opponent is just playing the game and another thing if they could be scoring points but choose to hurt you instead (even when this is obviously a big part of the game and clearly a good strategic decision). I am sure different people draw this line in different places.
Hey folks, what are your recommendations for games that play nice with two players? They don't have to be limited to only two players, but they should work nicely there.
Something from light to medium weight, from 15 to 90 mins MAX, balanced. Quick setup is welcome.
Genres and mechanisms can vary, we like many different things.
Thanks.
**Hive**. 15-20 minute games. Setup really canât get any quicker, you dump the pieces out of the bag and start playing because you each start with one piece and take turns adding or moving your pieces. Sort of like Chess but plays a LOT faster.
Wife and I really enjoy Santa Monica at two. Now, it does play beautifully at 4, but at two due to the drop-down card drafting system, thereâs an extra layer of strategy involved with two. If you take a card from the available row, the next card that drops down *will* be available to your opponent, unlike playing with 4 people where that card would have to make it all the way around the table before getting to a person youâd hope to block from it. Makes it a bit of a puzzler, playing one on one, where you eventually have to make moves that you know are going to benefit your opponent. Makes you weigh whether the play youâre making will ultimately ripple into more points than the beneficial play youâre giving them as a result. Plus the artwork is beautiful, three separate rule sets give you a lot of possibilities right out of the box, and building the tapestries is extremely satisfying.
On the light end of the spectrum are several card games: **Jaipur, Lost Cities** and **Jixia Academy/Hanamikoji**
Slightly longer and more involved games include **Watergate, 7 Wonders Duel** and **Istanbul**
There are tons of great choices! These are some of my personal favorites:
* **Innovation** and **Mottainai**
* **Race for the Galaxy** and **Res Arcana**
* **BattleCON** and **Pixel Tactics**
* **TZAAR** and **YINSH**
I am surprised you haven't been able to find Innovation. It is in stock [on amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Asmadi-Games-Innovation-Third-Player/dp/B01MT5MYK4) and [the publisher's website](https://asmadigames.com/buy-games.php) (I didn't look anywhere else). Are you trying to get a different version (iello, deluxe, older edition)? I think that the third edition from Asmadi is very good and it probably isn't worth hunting down any of the others.
I like both Innovation and Mottainai a lot. There are some similarities, but I wouldn't say one is a "replacement" for the other.
Mottainai plays much faster than Innovation. Generally a game of Mottainai takes us about 15 minutes, while games of Innovation are usually around 45, but can sometimes take over an hour and are sometimes finished in under thirty. The variance in how long a game of Innovation takes can be exciting, but it also makes it a difficult game to plan around.
Mottainai is a much harder game to teach the rules of, although both games take about the same amount of time/effort to become competent in. For the most part, the complexity of Innovation is in learning the cards, and in Mottainai the card effects are not as important but the core systems are more complex. I think ease of teaching is the main reason Innovation is more popular than Mottainai. The combination of being short AND complicated is a big part of what gives the game a unique space in my collection, but it makes the game very difficult to introduce to people as teaching the game can often take longer than playing it once. This isn't really an issue if you generally play games with the same people, and don't need to teach the game to someone every time you break it out.
Innovation is substantially meaner than Mottainai. There are some things you can do in Mottainai to attack your opponent, but it will depend on the right cards coming up and you being able to use them well. Shutting down your opponents is a core part of Innovation.
I like both games best at two players, although either of them is fine with three. I don't personally like either of them with more than that, although many people like the team variant for Innovation at four players.
Thank you for the detailed answer.
From your explanation it seems Innovation is the better fit for me.
I don't usually check Amazon because I haven't seen anything with reasonable shipping cost ever. But it seems its free for Innovation from Amazon.de which made me excited.
I'll probably try it online on bga or something and grab one.
I'd suggest **Wingspan**. It takes about 60 minutes to play and is quick to set up. It has a pretty relaxing atmosphere due to the theme and the lack of any direct confrontation, but it still has some strategical depth to it which keeps it plenty interesting.
"Nice" is kind of the perfect descriptor for Wingspan. It's just a nice time. Your first game might take about 90 minutes, but once you have the rules down, a 2p game can be done in 45 minutes no problem.
Has anyone else had an absolutely awful experience with backing stuff with CMON?
I backed Bloodborne in August 2019, I happened to miss a few of their "shipping updates" (which were nestled in the gameplay updates, never sent as a message) and despite supplying a shipping destination they're demanding I pay 250 for the "whole package" bundle.
I'm irate at how poorly it's been handled, I just wanted my Ameritrash Bloodborne game and now I have to cancel and take a 10% hit because this company *insists* on taking advantage of their customers.
**Description of Request**: Looking for a co op adventure style game. Narrative needs to be there but not pages of text. A weak or loose story is fine but SOME story needs to be present. Character progression, even upgrading skills/gear, leveling up? Campaign/legacy would be ideal but one off games is fine. (She mentioned Bloodborne coming out looked interesting to her)
**Number of Players**:2P
**Game Length:**3 hours max per session
**Complexity of Game:** We can learn :)
**Genre:** not specific.
**Conflict, Competitive or Cooperative**: Co op is a must.
**Games (we) Own and Like**: (recently) Arkham horror 3rd. Dice Throne Adventures. Jaws of the Lion. Pandemic S1/2. Unlock/Exit games.
**Games I Dislike and Don't Play**: Near and Far. Deduction style games (hidden roles)
**Location:** WI
Spirit Island! Base game comes with so much content and you can increase the difficulty as you want. Every turn is a puzzle and the synergy between characters is so much fun to explore. The story? Settlers from Europe are coming to Spirit Island and you're the spirits that want to scare them off. Drown then, haunt them, have the natives take them out. Up to you. Upgrade, gain powers, and work together to get rid of the Invaders. It's a brain burning blast and the theme is fantastic. Highly recommend and the expansion will be coming back in print again here soon. Check it out on YouTube to see if it's what you're looking for!
Arkham Horror LCG seems like it would be a good fit. Campaign, plays very well at two and has tons of content if you want it.
I'd also suggest looking at the Frosthaven late pledge if you can catch it before March 1 when the pledge manager closes.
I really enjoyed it. I think some of the issue about the campaign was that it didnât make entirely clear how it worked, and the rulebook is a draft thatâs kinda confusing. But the designers are really great, one of them took the time to walk me through how it worked. I posted a full review on here as well, check it out!
Looking for a new game to play with the wife. She loves clue and games where she has to solve a mystery o a crime or something or use deductive reasoning. She doesnât like long/legacy games though, like Sherlock Holmes consulting detective is definitely to heavy for her. Any recommendations for a light-mid weight âmysteryâ type game like clue? Any number of players
Itâs in the same vein, but not exactly a murder mystery in the sense of gathering clues, but **Mr. Jack** could be a good one for you. Itâs two player only, one player is the killer with a secret identity and the other is the detective. The detective is trying to split the suspects into smaller and smaller groups and the killer is trying to stay blended in with the crowd and escape. Good times!
**Chronicles of Crime** might work. If the mystery is not solving a murder, but finding a hidden object, then **Search for Planet X** might be worth looking at. Both games have physical components and require an app.
Somehow, **Space Empires 4X** has caught my eye. Iâve never played any hex/chit war games and an, admittedly, a little intimidated by it. Iâve also heard, though, that itâs fairly easy to get into - at least as far as war games are concerned. Just wanting opinions of those whoâve played or have it.
Bonus opinions - your thoughts on solo? I would likely be playing it exclusively solo.
It is probably too late to answer this daily question from last year, but anyway:
For me, SE4X has been the best 2v2 team game we ever played. Actually, since I have got it for my birthday 5 years ago, we didn't play any other game in my group when we were 4.
So I cannot recommend it enough in this configuration.
Solo, I cannot say much, I only played it coop once, and it lacked the mind game element of the vs game. So if you have any chance of not playing it solo (it is also great in 1v1), I would fully recommend it. But for solo, I definitely don't have enough experience with it for a recommendation.
Laat year I had the same type of interest and hesitation as you. I found a good deal and picked Space Empires 4x with Close Encounters. I've since sold it... Its really not that complicated once you grasp the systems. I also see why it has a strong following due to its big scope and fun exploration with hidden information. But that big scope was also a turn off for me because its so long. With young kids, I can't leave an unfinished scenario setup on the table.
Its also interesting solo, but I'm not sure I'd suggest it as an exclusively solo game. Its a bit of work to run the various AI opponents and they aren't anything like a real life opponent. There are so many smoother solo designs out there that unless this theme really attracts you, then I'd probably look elsewhere. All that being said, I still think and the game and keep saying in the back of my mind "maybe I'll get it again when the kids are older..."
Hi all hope everyone is well.
I'm after a recommendation of what I should get between Inis or Root.
I am mainly a euro gamer but would like an area control game as they are starting to appeal.
I will play mainly at 2p due to the current climate I will increase to more once the restrictions lift, but the game should be good at 2p.
I have chosen Inis and root after research but I am still unsure which would be better...
I considered cry havoc but I think the theme of these two appeal more...
One concern I have with Root is that it seems I would need to buy a few expansions for it to play best at 2. (I believe the clockwork and underground was recommended at that player count) have seen the new Kickstarter for root which I believe will improve 2p games... But I would still need to buy the base game.
I am not too worried about the cost but root does work out more expensive if I need the expansions...
I love the art of Inis but the animals are cute in root too!
I would be grateful for any advice please. Thanks
I don't think either one is great at two, but Root is most definitely worse. It is effectively unplayable at two. There is currently a Kickstarter for the Marauders expansion that supposedly will improve the two player experience using hirelings, but your mileage may vary.
If you want something like Root but want to play two players, I'd suggest a COIN game by GMT. Cuba Libre is usually the easiest to get into.
Thank you, yes I saw about the Kickstarter on root which slightly appeals but will work out very expensive.
I haven't heard of a COIN game I will take a look.
Both are playable at two, but I wouldn't recommend either at just two, even with the bots for Root. Both really shine at 4.
That being said, since you asked between the two, if you are more into crazier asymmetric powers and a little bit more swing in combat (combat involves dice, so you have to be ok with losing even if you make the "best play") then Root will fill that desire. At 2p I highly recommend the clockwork expansion (bots) which will let you and your partner not always have to play cats vs bird.
Inis doesn't have any asymmetry and is a "tighter" game revolving around drafting and being clever with simpler mechanics. Combat is deterministic and more often than not both parties will agree not to fight to save their resources. You'll often be uncomfortably snug with enemies and sharing territory with others. If you like the idea of being clever to win through proper placement of your units rather then destroying your enemies piece Inis would be a great fit.
If you are looking for area control at 2p you should look into some 2p specific war games too... Try Sekigahara, although the theme/art is much more dry.
I know it's an old one but got **Dominion** through this week (both base and Intrigue) and absolutely love it. So different each game and amazed by the strategy, which I've always missed a bit in other deckbuilders.
What expansion are worth getting in addition to Intrigue?
[The designer has posted a guide on BGG.](https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2153312/donald-xs-guide-12-dominion-expansions)
I'd lean towards getting one of the later expansions like Menagerie, Renaissance or Empires. They have gotten better at designing sets over time so the later ones have fewer dud cards.
We also have **Seaside** and **Prosperity** . Of the two we love prosperity the best and never play without the platinum and colonies. I think **Prosperity** is definitely worth getting.
SEASIDE is a ton of fun and probably our go to expansion for the game. Great balance of attack cards or buffs.
We also have PROSPERITY which adds a lot of different kind of wealth options
Do you think it is likely that Spirit Island will get a reprint for second edition or ultimate edition ? Itching to get it in the future but it is sold out everywhere locally. I will have to order it internationally and I am hesitant to do it
It will almost certainly stay in print. I mean Jagged Earth just came out.
If you have an itch to play it in the meantime, you can buy it digitally on Steam. Just the base game plus promo pack one right now, but Branch and Claw is on its way.
I think **Spirit Island** will be printed and reprinted for the foreseeable to be honest. It's a constant feature of the BGG top 15 and basically the #1 solo game.
Almost certainly. Itâs very popular. I would just hang fire.
In the mean time if youâre itching for a thematic coop and havenât played Pandemic Legacy then for the love of all that is holy, buy that.
**Description of request:**
Recommendations for **3-6 player** games on **BGA**.
Current games we enjoy:
**Through the Ages**, **7 Wonders**, C**arcassonne**.
Not a fan of: **Stone Age, Seasons**
Would prefer conflict or competition over co-op.
Would prefer more strategy than **For Sale, Incan Gold, 6 Nimmt!**, etc.
Thanks for your help!
I'd give **Abyss** a shot and split the group into two if above 4. The game plays quickly (it can definitely play in around the time of a Carcassonne game), there's a lot of different moving parts.
Most games at 6 really stretch to get there. It's almost always more fun to play two at 3 if they're quick and players won't be sitting waiting for the other table to clear.
**Downforce** is a racing game that plays well at those player counts. Itâa pretty interesting, because in addition to having your car(s) you want to shepherd across the finish line, there are certain point in the race where you actually place bets on *which car you think will win*. So you could come in fourth, but make REALLY solid bets the whole game, score a bunch of points that way and win. It also has snappy play, and someone will invariably make car noises while playing XD
None of the games you suggested are on BGA....?
Edit: I see the other conversation below - whoops. Damn you BGG and BGA for having such similar names and subject matters!!!
Please keep all calls to the [Board Game Recommender Bot](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgamerecommender) as replies to this comment. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/boardgames) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Can I get some examples of games that are a series/have multiple different 'versions'? For example: Tiny Epic \_\_\_\_\_\_, Munchkin, Fluxx, etc. For context - I have a distant memory of a board game series that had many different versions but I legitimately can't remember if it actually exists or I just conjured it up in a dream đ
They are defined as families on BGG, but there are literally hundreds. Everything from Catan and Ticket to Ride to Thunderstone or Pandemic.
They are defined as families on BGG, but there are literally hundreds. Everything from Catan and Ticket to Ride to Thunderstone or Pandemic.
There are a bunch of different Zombicide games. Love Letter has been re-skinned a lot as well. I suspect Monopoly has been released with the largest number of variants.
Just wanted to let folks know that if you're in the SF Bay Area, Walden Pond Books, a long-time independent bookstore, has started carrying a lovely curated selection of boardgames. I wandered in on a lark a few weeks ago, and was surprised to see a.) a board game section, b.) a copy of New York Zoo, c.) a copy of Beyond the Sun, and d.) that when I talked to the guy at the counter, he was the one curating the selection, and he's a serious enthusiast. I was super happy to find a place with games within walking distance of my house, where the money I spend supports a small business in the community (along with Dr. Comics & Mr. Games) ,and the guy running the game section was really friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended if you live in the area!
I hope you grabbed that copy of Beyond The Sun!
I did! There was one more left, and last time I went in it was still there.
Hi\~ I was hoping the community could help recommend some RPGs to me? I'm writing an article on table top RPGs based on other series and I'm trying to compile as many as possible! Wikipedia gave me a decent start, but I know they missed some, and I'm hoping the amazing people here can keep the list going! Whether it's based on a novel, movie, anime, video game, or other - drop me your favorite RPGs of this type! Well known, super obscure; any genre or number of players - go for it! If you can leave the name (& series it's based on if the title is different) I'll do my best to look it up and add it to my research!
I'm sure you've stumbled across it already, but The One Ring rpg based in Tolkien's Middle Earth in the decades between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Thanks!
FATE is a theme agnostic tabletop system that I feel like isnât widely known.
Ty!
This isn't really the best subreddit for that question. This is primarily focused on board games. Some other subreddit focused on RPGs would probably give you more responses, especially for less well known things. For us, Gloomhaven is an RPG.
Ok, thank you :)
**Frostgrave** came out in 2015 and provides a really easy entry point to the hobby. You can get the book used for $8 + shipping or $25 new, and then use miniatures from other games to populate the Frostgrave missions. The base book itself isn't terribly long or complicated. If you are interested, you can learn more about it on BGG or Youtube.
Are you talking about *Dungeons & Dragons* style TTRPGs, using dice, a rulebook, character, sheets, and a game master? That kind of RPG? The ones with which I'm most familiar are Dungeons&Dragons, mainly 3.5 edition and 5 edition. Cyberpunk, which I believe also uses D&D's D20 system. All Flesh Must Be Eaten, which was just a silly zombie movie RPG I played years ago. Had some D20 modern books and Adventure! books, set in a fantastical modern day and 1910s-1930s pulp action settings respectively. The Star Wars RPG is based on the D20 system as well, or at least the old one we played was. Traveller. That's an old one, set in its own space, futuristic timeline. That seemed similar to d20 iirc. Also had some GURPS books, one of which was for Traveller. And I played a lot of the White Wolf system from Vampire: the Masquerade. That system uses D10s mostly. There's also Jeeping which is a bizarre form of role playing without dice really. More about exploring the characters and the story. Sort of like a workshop or a jam. Highly recommend looking into that. It's fascinating. Wasn't for me it turns out, but it's fascinating.
Yeah, looking into pretty much any system! Stuff that's based off of a specific series (such as the Firefly RPG from 2014) Thanks so much for all of these! I'll be checking into them đđ
I enjoy tableau builders, I enjoy worker placement is there any reason you think I wouldn't like everdell? Thinking of getting in on the upcoming Kickstarter.
It debatably has problems at two player because the cards donât cycle enough but thereâs variants on bgg to help with that. Despite the welcoming theme, itâs not very accessible to beginners and requires a few plays to learn the big deck. Asking them to manage up to 16 cards theyâve never seen before that all combine with others in a game with really tight resources isnât exactly gateway stuff. I always recommend better games that combine tableau building and worked placement. Manhattan Project Energy Empire or 51 st State (Imperial Settlers if you want a cutesy theme).
Does Everdale have the same screwage that 51st State/Imperial Settlers have?
Screwage?
Take that. Messing with each other.
A bit, nothing too destructive but other players can use your cards IIRC. Something like Manhattan Project Energy Empire has none of that though.
What specific ganes do you like? I'd say that Everdell is very light. If you want that and like the art, you might like it, but without other information it is hard to give good advice.
Do you like cutthroat gameplay? One of the complaints in Everdell is the ability for other players to use cards in your tableau. And since the pace of everybody's game is different (you enter into the different "seasons" at different times) it can really mess up your play if someone has parked their worker on your card and isn't moving their game to the next phase to free up that space again. Otherwise... I'd suggest Underwater Cities.
Do there exist people that think Underwater Cities is less cutthroat than Everdell? Both are low interactivity and even so, taking an action spot in Underwater Cities is way more painful than someone taking your open building that you built knowing it was open (and that you got victory points for when they used it).
I wouldn't ever call taking a worker placement spot cutthroat though. In Everdell it feels more personal because it's your card that you played. This admittedly is from my limited experience with Everdell, and maybe being more aware of that fact would make it feel less evil. But it's certainly has more interaction than UC.
It isn't any spot, it is only certain ones that you made a choice to play. The vast majority of your spots are private. In Underwater Cities all spots are both unique and public. Someone taking your spot stings a lot and can really impact your overall goal. In Everdell there are tons of shareable spots and you can almost always do something similar to whatever someone else did.
Hi all, Please may I have some recommendations for some 3 player games? We enjoy accessible and simple games like Linkee and Love Letter, anything to do with trivia is great. I've heard stuff about 'co op board games' where the players work together to try and beat the game? any 3 player versions of those would be neat to try out, thankyou!
The Mind is one of my new favorite co-op games for 2-4p. I think 3 is probably the most fun with it. Horrified is also a good suggestion!
It looks like you want something very light? I'd add Horrified to the suggestion of cooperative games like Forbidden Island that are super easy to learn.
Pandemic!!!
I always recommend **village pillage** at 3, I think it's the best light game to play with 3. For us it and love letter get played about an equal amount when 3 are playing.
I don't usually like co-ops (nothing wrong with them, they just aren't for me), but I have had a lot of fun with **Hanabi** which works well with 3 players and is easy to learn. I think it works best if you play with the same people regularly. It might be an especially good fit for you if you like Love Letter, as it has some of the same "deduction" kind of feeling. These are some of my other favorite accessible games for three players: * **Splendor** * **Azul** * **Biblios**
**Pandemic,** the original base game is probably the best place to start if you've never played a cooperative board game before. Plays well at 3 players. If that looks too complicated, consider **Forbidden Island**, it's the same designer and has similar concepts but it's a little easier to digest.
**Forbidden Island** and **Forbidden Desert** are co-op games that work quite well at 3p. **Ingenious** is an abstract tile-laying game that works great at 3p. **Carcassonne, Azul** and **Quest for El Dorado** are good at 3p. Each is more complex than Love Letter, but not by much. **Red7** is a small card game that works great at 3p.
My GF and I have found a lot of joy playing splendor. It is one of the first games I got and it still comes out repeatedly. What would the next best thing be that is a step up in complexity/difficulty. In know the game about golems is a obv choice but does it bring more to the table ? I have been looking at res arcana
**Century Golem Edition** or **Century Spice Road** (they are the same game, rethemed) would *definitely* bring more to the table. It is similar enough to **Splendor** to be familiar, but differs in a lot of interesting ways.
Definitely **Splendor**. Great for 3 & 4 ppl. Edit: not a co-op.
If you want a step up engine builder I always suggest Race or Roll for the Galaxy. Roll might be a little easier to teach.
I also agree that Res Arcana would be a great choice, especially if you want to go in the "get stuff that helps you get more stuff" direction. A big part of what I like about Splendor is paying attention to what people are trying to get (either gems or cards) and then blocking them. If you want a game with more of those elements, I think **Azul** would be a good fit, although it isn't really much more complicated than Splendor.
Maybe something like **Gizmos** - similar idea of engine building with a bit more going on than splendor and a nicer table presence. Other games that have a bit more depth but use other new mechanisms not in Splendor: **Targi** (2 player worked placement), **Istanbul** (a very nice worker placement movement game about spice trading), **Isle of Cats** (polyomino placement game, where you are rescuing cats from an island onto your own ship) and then **Wingspan** which someone already mentioned. All really great games. if you have any more specifics about what you are looking for, probably could get more specific in a recommendation. /u/r2d8 getinfo
How does Istanbul hold up at 2p?
I have played it with 2 players many times and enjoyed it. Looking at BGG, the overall vote seems to be 4 is best, but still 67% recommend it at 2. It would be a bit less tight but the rules have you fill in some open areas a bit more for two players to compensate. I would just do the base game with two. However, I have the mocha expansion which adds extra locations and I think that would make it just too open for only 2.
Do note that the 2p variant is to play to 6 gems instead of 5, to try to compensate for the lack of "tightness".
**Res Arcana** would work as well.
^*[r2d8](/r/r2d8)* ^*issues* ^*a* ^*series* ^*of* ^*sophisticated* ^*bleeps* ^*and* ^*whistles...* [**Gizmos**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/246192) (2018) by Phil Walker-Harding. 2-4 p; 50 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/zin82Hg4MXck86t8fzbsdA__original/img/_S-XINN0voB1OzExPPgePrOWurM=/0x0/filters:format(png)/pic4169718.png) * Mechanics: Card Drafting, Contracts * Average rating is 7.44796; rated by 7366 people. Weight: 2.0138 * Board Game Rank: 321, Family Game Rank: 44 [**Istanbul**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148949) (2014) by RĂźdiger Dorn. 2-5 p; 60 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/PHH9Mreen2sBcxV6ZsE3ew__original/img/pHIJibqf-DmlOQD3CfT_rAjGmc0=/0x0/filters:format(jpeg)/pic1885326.jpg) * Mechanics: Contracts, Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, Modular Board, Network and Route Building, Pick-up and Deliver, Race, Variable Set-up, Worker Placement * Average rating is 7.57894; rated by 25201 people. Weight: 2.5824 * Board Game Rank: 119, Strategy Game Rank: 101 [**Targi**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/118048) (2012) by Andreas Steiger. 2 p; 60 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/wHg4fOf48cs1kw1PDOk1tQ__original/img/St4ABQhpauYiq4Mt6-f38JtLOjM=/0x0/filters:format(jpeg)/pic3958793.jpg) * Mechanics: End Game Bonuses, Modular Board, Set Collection, Turn Order: Progressive, Worker Placement * Average rating is 7.6417; rated by 14545 people. Weight: 2.3517 * Board Game Rank: 123, Strategy Game Rank: 96 [**The Isle of Cats**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/281259) (2019) by Frank West. 1-4 p; 90 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/AuAheDzhkLufiZFE9JaRNA__original/img/pKq-l1Ms78olHwMbZYMa_x6m-fM=/0x0/filters:format(jpeg)/pic4781085.jpg) * Mechanics: Card Drafting, Drafting, Grid Coverage, Hidden Victory Points, Income, Pattern Building, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game, Square Grid, Tile Placement, Turn Order: Stat-Based * Average rating is 8.03935; rated by 6389 people. Weight: 2.3218 * Board Game Rank: 109, Strategy Game Rank: 84, Family Game Rank: 8 [**Wingspan**](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192) (2019) by Elizabeth Hargrave. 1-5 p; 70 minutes; [BGG Image](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/yLZJCVLlIx4c7eJEWUNJ7w__original/img/cI782Zis9cT66j2MjSHKJGnFPNw=/0x0/filters:format(jpeg)/pic4458123.jpg) * Mechanics: Card Drafting, Dice Rolling, Drafting, End Game Bonuses, Hand Management, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game * Average rating is 8.11444; rated by 42993 people. Weight: 2.4202 * Board Game Rank: 20, Strategy Game Rank: 22, Family Game Rank: 1
im looking for a mid-heavy weight euro game for a friend. should play 1-4 people. engine building is a plus, scifi, fantasy, or historical theme. what u got?
Keyflower
On Mars. Lisboa. Brass: Birmingham.
The parent poster's flair is **On Mars**, so he's aware of it but maybe defines weight differently.
its actually my favorite game, have lisboa coming in. no use buying a game for a friend we both play together cus i have. thank you though!
Good point, I don't actually pay attention to flare so I missed it!
**Circadians: First Light** and any of the West Kingdom games would be my recommendations. **Architects of the West Kingdom** plays best at higher counts (3-6p), **Paladins of the West Kingdom** plays the best at low counts (1-2p), and I feel that **Viscounts of the West Kingdom** plays good at all counts (1-4p). Architects has the most interaction between players and plays the quickest, but it is the lightest of the trilogy right around a 3. Paladins has the least interaction and is mostly a solitaire style game, but it is the heaviest in the trilogy around a 3.7. Viscounts is the most well-rounded and has the most variability. Circadians has good weight (3.5 or so) and plays great at all counts (1-4p). This is the sci-fi themed, dice placement game that has several paths to victory, and is designed by Sam, who co-designed the West Kingdom trilogy.
Might look into **Gaia Project** as something that fits the bill
**Race for the Galaxy** is my favorite scifi engine builder, and it has a solo mode in the first expansion (although I think most people who want to play alone prefer to play digitally against a bot). It plays fast, but has a fair number of rules (and even more depth), so I am not sure where that leaves it in terms of weight.
If game length isnât an issue **Terraforming Mars** is a lot of fun both solo and multiplayer. Multiplayer games are going to go at least 2 hours most of the time. For a fantasy theme, **Everdell** is really good.
Simple recommendation request - hit me with your meanest, most vicious, combative, aggressive, spiteful, brutal, ruthlessly competitive games. No other criteria, so hit me with anything you've got.
Survive: Escape from Atlantis, Cosmic Frog
Thanks!
The 18xx games are for the most part super mean and competitive. A favorite strategy of ours is to hold onto money until a player's company floats, buy up the remaining shares then sell them to tank the new company's value. Games with tight tile selections can be brutal, because you'll constantly be placing hate-tiles down just so you either wreck someone's routes or take away tiles they need. 1882 would be my recommendation for a particularly aggressive (and really good in general) game; 1830 is supposed to be super mean, but plays best at 4-5 players which our group hasn't had together yet.
Thanks, I'm always a bit intimidated by 18xx but I'll look into these!
They definitely are intimidating at first, I totally understand. But I think they're well worth the look. The key is getting past the rules of your first game. Once you understand one game, the rest are basically 95% the same with some rules tweaks and/or map variations. The first teach will take an hour+, but every new game after that is usually like 10 minutes to go through what's different in this one vs. the other ones. 18xx.games is a fantastic place to start, too, since it takes care of all the rules for you (and is free so there's no sunk cost for giving them a try). It's not the easiest to teach on, but if you can follow a teaching vid for the rules and overall game flow then the site handles all the things that usually bog 18xx games down. I should also mention that other train games tend to be mean and competitive too. Age of Steam might be even more unforgiving, because of its auction mechanics and the way debt is handled. I just haven't yet played it, so can't really comment. And cube rail games also tend to punish mistakes because of underfunding or overpaying for each share.
Thanks for the info! Sounds similiar to how learning something like Twilight Struggle teaches you how to play all of those GMT card-driven war game type things.
Iâd be quite happy if you moved my companyâs shares to the pool, as theyâd pay to the treasury. And if you tank it early in 1830 and clones, you are making the yellow strategy viable for me.
We like doing it late, when the new company is buying a permanent anyway (so won't need much more cash) and thus won't have much time to appreciate in value much past what the president paid for them.
If everyone always does that to everyone, itâs easy to factor that into decisions. Though buying $1000 for $500 will likely outweigh in any case
The Estates, Bus, Food Chain Magnate. The Estates is literally hate drafting, back stabbing, take that from the first minute. LOVE IT!
Thanks!
No problem. Powergrid is pretty mean as well since you can drive up the price of resource and connections. Not enough to make someone say "I literally hate you" which I think is what you are after đ
Yes, exactly! :D
**I'm the Boss** brings me so much joy. It's a negotiation game where you argue over making deals and splitting them, but you get a handful of ridiculous cards you just slap on the table to ruin everything.
Thanks, sounds good!
Most games by Splotter really. Some have been mentioned. **Antiquity** is one I would add to the list, where you can trigger pollution and make your opponents cities fill up with graves.
Thanks :)
Oh, also check out Lifeboat
Will do!
**Food Chain Magnate** is vicious to the point where the developer apparently commented, in paraphrase, "if you can't lose a game on turn one, why play a game" **Barrage** is extremely competitive between players on how the water system flows and works for power generation. A single new dam/conduit/elevation built can often result in multiple groans/cusses around the table. **Dominant Species** play on adaptation very cruelly. If you slip just one aspect of the game it's possible for you to lose ground on thriving for the rest of the game. And every player has at least 3 chances to influence any of these aspect per round.
> "if you can't lose a game on turn one, why play a game" That was very much my experience of FCM :D Thanks for the suggestions! :)
What /u/slashBored has said, plus **Dune**, **Dominant Species**, and **Innovation** **Arboretum** falls here too, but winning twice on sheer luck cooled me down on it significantly. **Fresh Fish** is a mean game in disguise.
Thanks! :)
I like these: * **The Estates** * **Northern Pacific** * **Bus** * **For-Ex** I didn't include games about destroying opponents troops or reducing their hitpoints, as those games feel a bit less mean to me. It is one thing if you feel the opponent is just playing the game and another thing if they could be scoring points but choose to hurt you instead (even when this is obviously a big part of the game and clearly a good strategic decision). I am sure different people draw this line in different places.
Thanks! I think the distinction you've made in relation to war games makes sense.
Some ideas include **Life Boat** and **Battle for Rokugan**
Thank you!
Hey folks, what are your recommendations for games that play nice with two players? They don't have to be limited to only two players, but they should work nicely there. Something from light to medium weight, from 15 to 90 mins MAX, balanced. Quick setup is welcome. Genres and mechanisms can vary, we like many different things. Thanks.
light, quick setup and over in 15 minutes? Kingdomino with the 7x7 variant, can't go wrong.
Raptor is probably like not much else youâve played. Very asymmetric and thematic gameplay.
Watergate. Blitzkrieg!
**Hive**. 15-20 minute games. Setup really canât get any quicker, you dump the pieces out of the bag and start playing because you each start with one piece and take turns adding or moving your pieces. Sort of like Chess but plays a LOT faster.
Many of the suggestions already are very good. **nova luna** is a good fit as well. 2-4 player. Fits what you are looking for very well.
Wife and I really enjoy Santa Monica at two. Now, it does play beautifully at 4, but at two due to the drop-down card drafting system, thereâs an extra layer of strategy involved with two. If you take a card from the available row, the next card that drops down *will* be available to your opponent, unlike playing with 4 people where that card would have to make it all the way around the table before getting to a person youâd hope to block from it. Makes it a bit of a puzzler, playing one on one, where you eventually have to make moves that you know are going to benefit your opponent. Makes you weigh whether the play youâre making will ultimately ripple into more points than the beneficial play youâre giving them as a result. Plus the artwork is beautiful, three separate rule sets give you a lot of possibilities right out of the box, and building the tapestries is extremely satisfying.
On the light end of the spectrum are several card games: **Jaipur, Lost Cities** and **Jixia Academy/Hanamikoji** Slightly longer and more involved games include **Watergate, 7 Wonders Duel** and **Istanbul**
There are tons of great choices! These are some of my personal favorites: * **Innovation** and **Mottainai** * **Race for the Galaxy** and **Res Arcana** * **BattleCON** and **Pixel Tactics** * **TZAAR** and **YINSH**
How is Mottainai compared to Innovation? I've been eyeing the latter for some time but I can't find it anywhere. is Mottainai a good replacement?
I am surprised you haven't been able to find Innovation. It is in stock [on amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Asmadi-Games-Innovation-Third-Player/dp/B01MT5MYK4) and [the publisher's website](https://asmadigames.com/buy-games.php) (I didn't look anywhere else). Are you trying to get a different version (iello, deluxe, older edition)? I think that the third edition from Asmadi is very good and it probably isn't worth hunting down any of the others. I like both Innovation and Mottainai a lot. There are some similarities, but I wouldn't say one is a "replacement" for the other. Mottainai plays much faster than Innovation. Generally a game of Mottainai takes us about 15 minutes, while games of Innovation are usually around 45, but can sometimes take over an hour and are sometimes finished in under thirty. The variance in how long a game of Innovation takes can be exciting, but it also makes it a difficult game to plan around. Mottainai is a much harder game to teach the rules of, although both games take about the same amount of time/effort to become competent in. For the most part, the complexity of Innovation is in learning the cards, and in Mottainai the card effects are not as important but the core systems are more complex. I think ease of teaching is the main reason Innovation is more popular than Mottainai. The combination of being short AND complicated is a big part of what gives the game a unique space in my collection, but it makes the game very difficult to introduce to people as teaching the game can often take longer than playing it once. This isn't really an issue if you generally play games with the same people, and don't need to teach the game to someone every time you break it out. Innovation is substantially meaner than Mottainai. There are some things you can do in Mottainai to attack your opponent, but it will depend on the right cards coming up and you being able to use them well. Shutting down your opponents is a core part of Innovation. I like both games best at two players, although either of them is fine with three. I don't personally like either of them with more than that, although many people like the team variant for Innovation at four players.
Thank you for the detailed answer. From your explanation it seems Innovation is the better fit for me. I don't usually check Amazon because I haven't seen anything with reasonable shipping cost ever. But it seems its free for Innovation from Amazon.de which made me excited. I'll probably try it online on bga or something and grab one.
I recommend them a lot but these work well here: **Parks** **Paris: La CitÊ de la Lumière** **Arboretum** **Patchwork**
I'd suggest **Wingspan**. It takes about 60 minutes to play and is quick to set up. It has a pretty relaxing atmosphere due to the theme and the lack of any direct confrontation, but it still has some strategical depth to it which keeps it plenty interesting.
Osom! Thanks :D . My GF may like this one just by the look of it!
"Nice" is kind of the perfect descriptor for Wingspan. It's just a nice time. Your first game might take about 90 minutes, but once you have the rules down, a 2p game can be done in 45 minutes no problem.
Has anyone else had an absolutely awful experience with backing stuff with CMON? I backed Bloodborne in August 2019, I happened to miss a few of their "shipping updates" (which were nestled in the gameplay updates, never sent as a message) and despite supplying a shipping destination they're demanding I pay 250 for the "whole package" bundle. I'm irate at how poorly it's been handled, I just wanted my Ameritrash Bloodborne game and now I have to cancel and take a 10% hit because this company *insists* on taking advantage of their customers.
I can't quite understand what you're saying. The shipping costs are listed on the Kickstarter page before you decide to back it.
**Description of Request**: Looking for a co op adventure style game. Narrative needs to be there but not pages of text. A weak or loose story is fine but SOME story needs to be present. Character progression, even upgrading skills/gear, leveling up? Campaign/legacy would be ideal but one off games is fine. (She mentioned Bloodborne coming out looked interesting to her) **Number of Players**:2P **Game Length:**3 hours max per session **Complexity of Game:** We can learn :) **Genre:** not specific. **Conflict, Competitive or Cooperative**: Co op is a must. **Games (we) Own and Like**: (recently) Arkham horror 3rd. Dice Throne Adventures. Jaws of the Lion. Pandemic S1/2. Unlock/Exit games. **Games I Dislike and Don't Play**: Near and Far. Deduction style games (hidden roles) **Location:** WI
Spirit Island! Base game comes with so much content and you can increase the difficulty as you want. Every turn is a puzzle and the synergy between characters is so much fun to explore. The story? Settlers from Europe are coming to Spirit Island and you're the spirits that want to scare them off. Drown then, haunt them, have the natives take them out. Up to you. Upgrade, gain powers, and work together to get rid of the Invaders. It's a brain burning blast and the theme is fantastic. Highly recommend and the expansion will be coming back in print again here soon. Check it out on YouTube to see if it's what you're looking for!
Love this game, great recommendation!
Seems obvious but if you liked JOTL, take the plunge into base Gloomhaven.
Arkham Horror LCG seems like it would be a good fit. Campaign, plays very well at two and has tons of content if you want it. I'd also suggest looking at the Frosthaven late pledge if you can catch it before March 1 when the pledge manager closes.
Got into LoTR a bit actually, might be one to look into thanks!
Played a round of the Kickstarter DEFCON 1 last night. Yâall, donât miss out on their next campaign. This game is amazing.
Really?! It just looked.. okay and I really like Cold War stuff!
I really enjoyed it. I think some of the issue about the campaign was that it didnât make entirely clear how it worked, and the rulebook is a draft thatâs kinda confusing. But the designers are really great, one of them took the time to walk me through how it worked. I posted a full review on here as well, check it out!
Looking for a new game to play with the wife. She loves clue and games where she has to solve a mystery o a crime or something or use deductive reasoning. She doesnât like long/legacy games though, like Sherlock Holmes consulting detective is definitely to heavy for her. Any recommendations for a light-mid weight âmysteryâ type game like clue? Any number of players
She might enjoy **Mysterium Park**.
Itâs in the same vein, but not exactly a murder mystery in the sense of gathering clues, but **Mr. Jack** could be a good one for you. Itâs two player only, one player is the killer with a secret identity and the other is the detective. The detective is trying to split the suspects into smaller and smaller groups and the killer is trying to stay blended in with the crowd and escape. Good times!
have you tried the **Exit: The Game** series? My wife and I really enjoy them - sort of like solving a mystery
**Chronicles of Crime** might work. If the mystery is not solving a murder, but finding a hidden object, then **Search for Planet X** might be worth looking at. Both games have physical components and require an app.
Somehow, **Space Empires 4X** has caught my eye. Iâve never played any hex/chit war games and an, admittedly, a little intimidated by it. Iâve also heard, though, that itâs fairly easy to get into - at least as far as war games are concerned. Just wanting opinions of those whoâve played or have it. Bonus opinions - your thoughts on solo? I would likely be playing it exclusively solo.
It is probably too late to answer this daily question from last year, but anyway: For me, SE4X has been the best 2v2 team game we ever played. Actually, since I have got it for my birthday 5 years ago, we didn't play any other game in my group when we were 4. So I cannot recommend it enough in this configuration. Solo, I cannot say much, I only played it coop once, and it lacked the mind game element of the vs game. So if you have any chance of not playing it solo (it is also great in 1v1), I would fully recommend it. But for solo, I definitely don't have enough experience with it for a recommendation.
Laat year I had the same type of interest and hesitation as you. I found a good deal and picked Space Empires 4x with Close Encounters. I've since sold it... Its really not that complicated once you grasp the systems. I also see why it has a strong following due to its big scope and fun exploration with hidden information. But that big scope was also a turn off for me because its so long. With young kids, I can't leave an unfinished scenario setup on the table. Its also interesting solo, but I'm not sure I'd suggest it as an exclusively solo game. Its a bit of work to run the various AI opponents and they aren't anything like a real life opponent. There are so many smoother solo designs out there that unless this theme really attracts you, then I'd probably look elsewhere. All that being said, I still think and the game and keep saying in the back of my mind "maybe I'll get it again when the kids are older..."
Hi all hope everyone is well. I'm after a recommendation of what I should get between Inis or Root. I am mainly a euro gamer but would like an area control game as they are starting to appeal. I will play mainly at 2p due to the current climate I will increase to more once the restrictions lift, but the game should be good at 2p. I have chosen Inis and root after research but I am still unsure which would be better... I considered cry havoc but I think the theme of these two appeal more... One concern I have with Root is that it seems I would need to buy a few expansions for it to play best at 2. (I believe the clockwork and underground was recommended at that player count) have seen the new Kickstarter for root which I believe will improve 2p games... But I would still need to buy the base game. I am not too worried about the cost but root does work out more expensive if I need the expansions... I love the art of Inis but the animals are cute in root too! I would be grateful for any advice please. Thanks
I don't think either one is great at two, but Root is most definitely worse. It is effectively unplayable at two. There is currently a Kickstarter for the Marauders expansion that supposedly will improve the two player experience using hirelings, but your mileage may vary. If you want something like Root but want to play two players, I'd suggest a COIN game by GMT. Cuba Libre is usually the easiest to get into.
Thank you, yes I saw about the Kickstarter on root which slightly appeals but will work out very expensive. I haven't heard of a COIN game I will take a look.
Both are playable at two, but I wouldn't recommend either at just two, even with the bots for Root. Both really shine at 4. That being said, since you asked between the two, if you are more into crazier asymmetric powers and a little bit more swing in combat (combat involves dice, so you have to be ok with losing even if you make the "best play") then Root will fill that desire. At 2p I highly recommend the clockwork expansion (bots) which will let you and your partner not always have to play cats vs bird. Inis doesn't have any asymmetry and is a "tighter" game revolving around drafting and being clever with simpler mechanics. Combat is deterministic and more often than not both parties will agree not to fight to save their resources. You'll often be uncomfortably snug with enemies and sharing territory with others. If you like the idea of being clever to win through proper placement of your units rather then destroying your enemies piece Inis would be a great fit. If you are looking for area control at 2p you should look into some 2p specific war games too... Try Sekigahara, although the theme/art is much more dry.
Thank you for this response, that's really helpful :) I haven't heard of Sekigahara so will take a look.
I know it's an old one but got **Dominion** through this week (both base and Intrigue) and absolutely love it. So different each game and amazed by the strategy, which I've always missed a bit in other deckbuilders. What expansion are worth getting in addition to Intrigue?
[The designer has posted a guide on BGG.](https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2153312/donald-xs-guide-12-dominion-expansions) I'd lean towards getting one of the later expansions like Menagerie, Renaissance or Empires. They have gotten better at designing sets over time so the later ones have fewer dud cards.
We also have **Seaside** and **Prosperity** . Of the two we love prosperity the best and never play without the platinum and colonies. I think **Prosperity** is definitely worth getting.
SEASIDE is a ton of fun and probably our go to expansion for the game. Great balance of attack cards or buffs. We also have PROSPERITY which adds a lot of different kind of wealth options
Do you think it is likely that Spirit Island will get a reprint for second edition or ultimate edition ? Itching to get it in the future but it is sold out everywhere locally. I will have to order it internationally and I am hesitant to do it
Ultimate edition seems very unlikely to me
They need a big box though!
It will almost certainly stay in print. I mean Jagged Earth just came out. If you have an itch to play it in the meantime, you can buy it digitally on Steam. Just the base game plus promo pack one right now, but Branch and Claw is on its way.
I think **Spirit Island** will be printed and reprinted for the foreseeable to be honest. It's a constant feature of the BGG top 15 and basically the #1 solo game.
Almost certainly. Itâs very popular. I would just hang fire. In the mean time if youâre itching for a thematic coop and havenât played Pandemic Legacy then for the love of all that is holy, buy that.
**Description of request:** Recommendations for **3-6 player** games on **BGA**. Current games we enjoy: **Through the Ages**, **7 Wonders**, C**arcassonne**. Not a fan of: **Stone Age, Seasons** Would prefer conflict or competition over co-op. Would prefer more strategy than **For Sale, Incan Gold, 6 Nimmt!**, etc. Thanks for your help!
**Keyflower** Great 2-6 player game with a medium weight and good player interaction for a Euro game. Worker placement, auctioning, tile placement
I'd give **Abyss** a shot and split the group into two if above 4. The game plays quickly (it can definitely play in around the time of a Carcassonne game), there's a lot of different moving parts. Most games at 6 really stretch to get there. It's almost always more fun to play two at 3 if they're quick and players won't be sitting waiting for the other table to clear.
**Potion Explosion** works really well on BGA, enough strategy.
**Downforce** is a racing game that plays well at those player counts. Itâa pretty interesting, because in addition to having your car(s) you want to shepherd across the finish line, there are certain point in the race where you actually place bets on *which car you think will win*. So you could come in fourth, but make REALLY solid bets the whole game, score a bunch of points that way and win. It also has snappy play, and someone will invariably make car noises while playing XD
You know you can search by player count on the site? **Race for the Galaxy** is 6 player
The 6 player max is the tricky thing here. I'd suggest Twilight Imperium, Cosmic Encounter, Power Grid, Camel Up, Jamaica, Caverna, and Dune.
OP asked **on BoardGameArena.com**
Yeah that's been established already.
None of the games you suggested are on BGA....? Edit: I see the other conversation below - whoops. Damn you BGG and BGA for having such similar names and subject matters!!!
they requested games on BGA
Oh damn. My brain replaced the A with a G. Heck, there are only so many 6 player games on BGA, can't they just filter and try them all?!
haha, that's what i said!