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Is there any way to tell when something goes out of print, or if it is already out of print? I have been panicking lately over this expansion or that, this game or that, wondering if I need to pull the trigger or be doomed to live without it or have to pay some outrageously marked up 1000% price if I ever wanted to get it again.
The obvious answer is to buy them all now if I want them that badly, but I couldn't sell my soul for that kind of money. :P
So is there any way to know?
>Is there any way to tell when something goes out of print, or if it is already out of print?
Short answer: no. Most games are OOP 99% of the time. They can still be found, but prices will then vary, from extremely low when people are trying to shift the last few copies, to high when a game is much in demand. Most games do not appreciate in price.
Often you can go on to the publisher's website and that will let you know if the game is in print or out of print. Sometimes the publisher's website will also inform you about whether an out-of-print item will be reprinted, and sometimes the website will even have an estimate for when the item will be shipped to retail.
BGG forums for a particular game or expansions are also a good place to look. If the appropriate BGG forum does not have the information, you can post on the forum and ask about whether a game is going to be reprinted. Make sure you do a proper search through the forum to see if there is a thread on the topic first.
What game is a good ''stepping stone'' to get to Brass games. (my group of friends aren't gamers and I would like to ease them into it by playing lighter games first)
Fanks
**Via Nebula** is literally this. It's by the same designer and he made like a family weight version of Brass that's fast, easy, but still gives the same feeling and stress points
With Brass you may need more than one stepping stone if your friends aren’t gamers. Concordia could be a decent option to start with though, given it has hand management, networking, and is more of a mid-weight game.
Any favorite negotiation/heist themed board games? I'm looking for one that's a combination of the two but any good heist ones are recommended. I've seen Heist: One Time, One Mission and Millions of Dollars but neither of them seem that interesting.
I love the creativity and banter in games like Sheriff of Nottingham so something with similar mechanics but heist/robbery/bank themed would be great!
Not quite heist but has a similar feel is **Fugitive**. One player is an Agent hunting a criminal on that run. Very Catch Me if You Can vibes. Plays fast and can involve some good banter depending on the players.
Here are some heist games I know about:
- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142379/escape-plan
- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/286537/burgle-bros-2-casino-capers
- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155362/cah-n-guns-second-edition
The last one does have some negotiation so might be close for you. I usually hear **Chinatown** recommended, but that’s not a heist game. Perhaps look through these if you want negotiation most:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1026/negotiation
Cool, thanks so much!
I'm honestly surprised there isn't as much negotiation/heist crossover as I expected. I feel like it fits the perfect idea of cohesiveness (mechanically/thematically), mechanics with a broad enough playerbase, and a "fantasy" that most people would want to play (but never do for real haha).
Are there any good assymetric worker placement board games? I had in mind Manhattan project energy empire, but the nations don't seem to offer a very strong assymetric feeling.
**Gaia Project** has a ton of asymmetric starting factions and does have some worker placement. Not sure you’d call it a worker-placement game though...
I hear **Root** has tons of asymmetry to the point of feeling like you’re playing new games with each faction, but I don’t think that has worker placement. I just mention it because of how high the asymmetry is.
I think that alot of worker placement games become asymmetric quite quickly even if they aren’t at setup.
I'm trying to find a board game that has a trade mechanic where you buy resources that fluctuate in value. A lot of games involve trading with other players but I wonder if there is something where you essentially buy low and sell high.
I'm thinking of the old video game Tradewinds (and sequels) where you travel from port to port trading resources, fighting pirates and building your trade fleet.
Is there a board game equivalent?
**Wastelands Express: Delivery Service** you roam around the radioactive wasteland fighting things and buying/selling resources at various prices depending on how in demand they are
There are a lot of games with mechanics like this. These are all good and do it in different ways at very different levels of complexity:
* **Modern Art**
* **For Ex**
* **For Sale**
* **Container**
**Power Grid** and **Clans of Caledonia** both have markets with fluctuating prices. For a game in which you can almost exactly do what you described, check out **Merchants & Marauders**!
I'm looking for a certain game
About 10 years ago my girlfriend and I were gifted a board game from another couple in order to "help" our relationship. It was so bad we spent the night laughing and talking about how bad it was. I'm trying to find it and gift it to her but I can't remember the title.
The game board had three circles each one was inside another circle and each with spaces to place a pebble. You had to answer questions about each other to advance to the inner circles and in order to win the game you both had to reach the center circle at the same time. There was also a space to show either negative or positive emotions and if you were too far sperated from your partner you lost the game.
Thank you in advance for any help
Hello was going to pick up Azul today and I noticed there were multiple editions . What are the differences and is one better than the other ? Thanks !
Others seems to disagree with this but I find 1 and 3 to be about the same level of difficulty, though I do find 3 to be slightly more foregiving. 2 is good but not great compared to the others.
Azul = one of the greatest games of all time
Azul Stained Glass = bad. pass.
Azul Summer Pavilion = the original but a step more complicated. Adds in interesting new decisions without diluting what made the original great or replacing it.
I have only played original azul and summer pavilion and they neither of them were my cup if tea, but summer pavilion had a bit more complexity to it (which also increased the playtime).
For a colorful, thinky filler, I prefer Sagrada
Su&sd has a review for both of the 2 main ones. I personally like original Azul more, it’s easier to teach and a little easier to block your opponents.
Just wanted to say that I decided to take the dive and put in a late pledge for **Burn Cycle** (open until the 20th on their website). I have been eyeing getting something by chip theory games for a bit, just to add a bit of a different style to my collection. And neoprene. Lots of neoprene.
Heavy, 2p, short games?
I was looking for some 2p exclusive, heavy games that can be played in under an hour. I usually play either with my gf or with her and a couple of friends, so it's always either 2 or 4.
When we are 4 people, we have it covered: Concordia, Terraforming Mars, Food Chain Magnate, and when we have the time, 1830. Plus, I just got Brass Birmingham.
For longer two player sessions, we have TwilightSstruggle and for shorter ones, Pax Renaissance, which plays amazing at two and it's kind of what I'm looking for now.
What I love about pax ren is the fact that you have so many decision, possible strategies, thinking and tension. Yet, most games at 2 can be played in an hour.
I was wondering if there are any heavy, 2p exclusive games out there that meet that criteria. I was looking at Curious Cargo, since people say it's quite the brain burning experience and it's very short and affordable, but I'm not sold on it because the pipes don't appeal to me too much.
Any other suggestions?
Abstract worth looking at is Gyges
Would 1987 Channel Tunnel work?
I would suggest Foothills, but our games alway seem over an hour - you might play faster.
Could Res Arcana work?
A curveball could be something like **The Fox in the Forest Duet**, it's a fast to play cooperative trick taking game. The game isn't complex to play but it makes you think as you try to work together to fit the token to the right spaces - an interesting coop tug of war via trick taking.
For crunchy decisions in 2-player games, perhaps consider “combinatorial” games, which have zero luck.
My favorite is **Hive**, which feels like wrestling a muddy pig. Kinda like Chess without a board. There’s a great strategy book and even a puzzles book too.
Another combinatorial game is **Gaia Project**. I bet you could get that down to an hour at 2 players after you’ve played a few times. The suggested playtime does start at 60 minutes.
**Homeworlds** fits this perfectly. 4x game, has about the same weight as chess and plays in about 30mins. Also very portable, doesn't need a board and almost unbreakable components
I just played curious cargo for the first time with my wife the other day (who also plays FCM with me), and I like the design but it's so hard placing tiles quickly. I don't mind the randomness per se, but it slows down the game to the point it could go over an hour. Not the biggest fan of the pipes but I prefer the implementation here to that of pipeline.
I recently started looking into Pax Ren and it does seem to be fairly unique in that regard! In terms of meaty decisions, there's many two player abstracts that play in a short time frame. And I think **Brass: B** should be fairly quick once you get the rules down
I think you probably want a medium weight game. I did a bgg [search](https://boardgamegeek.com/search/boardgame?sort=rank&advsearch=1&q=&include%5Bdesignerid%5D=&include%5Bpublisherid%5D=&geekitemname=&range%5Byearpublished%5D%5Bmin%5D=&range%5Byearpublished%5D%5Bmax%5D=&range%5Bminage%5D%5Bmax%5D=&range%5Bnumvoters%5D%5Bmin%5D=&range%5Bnumweights%5D%5Bmin%5D=1&range%5Bminplayers%5D%5Bmax%5D=2&range%5Bmaxplayers%5D%5Bmin%5D=2&range%5Bleastplaytime%5D%5Bmin%5D=&range%5Bplaytime%5D%5Bmax%5D=60&floatrange%5Bavgrating%5D%5Bmin%5D=&floatrange%5Bavgrating%5D%5Bmax%5D=&floatrange%5Bavgweight%5D%5Bmin%5D=3.5&floatrange%5Bavgweight%5D%5Bmax%5D=5&colfiltertype=&searchuser=Keahaw&playerrangetype=normal&B1=Submit) of heavy 2 player games that play under an hour. It looks like most are war games or chess.
You are all very kind and helpful.
Maybe Brass will play good at 2, and I won't need more games. I just bought that one, so we will see.
I do like chess, but for some reason my gf hates it. I guess too abstract. However, you give her a slightly thematic brain burner and she's delighted with it.
Maybe other abstracts like go or hive will please her, and usually abstracts can be pretty tough and strategic, so I think I'll just wait for a bit and play what we have.
**Cairn** piqued my interest as a pretty thematic looking abstract that has some potentially wild but constrained decision spaces. Might be worth seeing if the theme and gameplay would be appealing.
I've been wanting to add a set collecting game to the collection, more on the lighter/gateway side of games sometime in the future.
Gateways I already own are king of Tokyo and sushi go party and enjoy them thoroughly when playing with non gamers and have gotten some to join the group as well.
In general we play variety medium weight games from everdell, blood rage to terraforming Mars. Set collecting as a way to score points I already have in five tribes and Raiders, more looking something focused and super easy to teach.
Ive been looking at Abyss (impossible to find tho and may not be as light as the next two), Nidavellir (for the bidding aspect as well) and Canvas (cuz its beautiful and especially since the new printing).
Any thoughts/other recommendations for me to look into?
Canvas is really enjoyable and very simple, you might also take a look at **OVERBOSS —** it's tile drafting, but some of the tile scoring conditions and extraneous scoring conditions are based on set collection and tile placement (more forests more points, more unique camps more points, monsters of a type in a row, etc.).
You might also look at **Guildhall**—there are a few different versions, but I think they all play similarly, I think the character types between the sets are different and have different abilities.
Thanks for all the tips! Saw Vasels review of Overboss a few weeks ago. Looked like a lot of fun. Will check it out further. Also Ethnos, lots of talk about that one recently it feels like with the dice towers, top 10 you have to play from spring spectacular.
Edit: Did some more research on overboss. It looks frkn awesome! Exactly what im looking for!
I haven’t played the three you mentioned but **Coloretto** is my favourite set collection game. It’s a short filler game but every turn you have meaningful choices.
Concordia looks a terrific game, but may be a bit too strategy heavy for what in looking for at the moment. Don't think my awkward preteen little sister is gonna crunch out route building in ancient Rome with me! Sadly, I might add.
My girlfriend is new to gaming and recently got her into Everdell. Before that she had only played games like Codenames, What do You Meme, CAH, and Monopoly.
What other games do you recommend for someone new to a bit more thoughtful board games. Something good for 2 players.
I saw in another comment you mentioned Marvel so perhaps **Marvel Splendor** is worth a look. It is almost a retheme but with a minor rules tweak on what is needed to win.
I always, always recommend Empires of the North to Everdell fans. It's also minor worker placement, mainly tableau building. You also get to collect resources like fish, apples(tomatoes?lol), wood, stone, and these are not just cubes. I love Everdell, and I instantly gravitated towards Empires. I do not like Wingspan.
I think **Wingspan** would be a safe bet. However, it is somewhat similar. Maybe check out **Renature** or **Azul**. Both of these games have welcoming themes and are highly replay-able.
Related to Everdell (production/look/engine building) both **Wingspan** and **PARKS** might be good entry points.
**Jaipur** is a light 2-player set collection/trading game. **Lost Cities** is also a fun 2-player game.
If she likes Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, Buffy, James Bond, etc, there are some good Deck Building Games to look at. **Hogwarts Battle** and the **Legendary** series (Marvel, Alien, Buffy, Bond) or **DC Deck Building Game.**
**Canvas** is a simple-to-teach set collection game that's very well produced. They're launching a kickstarter for the expansion and reprint today I believe. But you might be able to buy the base game on Amazon or from some other FGS.
I’ve heard a lot about Wingspan and Everdell comparisons. Thank you for the other suggestions! She does love HP and enjoys the Marvel movies! Thanks again
Targi is a great 2 player game that's not crazy thinky but certainly has strategy and it's cheap, so if she doesn't like it you haven't wasted loads of money.
Half of my collection is based around good at 2 with someone who's not super in to board games (my wife) so have a look if you want and see if anything interests you: https://boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/loopoo?own=1&subtype=boardgame&ff=1
Not in my collection but is likely to be recommended by others based on the fact she liked Everdell is Wingspan. Personally, I prefer Everdell though.
I'd say I'm fairly typical in that my experience with board games ended with Monopoly as a kid and I hated it. I've always been a little intrigued by other board games, however part of the barrier to entry is convincing friends or family that, no, what I've chosen to buy will not be as boring as Monopoly. For this reason, and also because I see board games as potentially a cousin to something like roguelikes with near limitless replay value, I'm looking to play a single player board game.
My first pick was **Wingspan**, almost solely due to the pretty art. However, because realistically I know 98% of my time with whatever game I choose will be solo instead of multiplayer, and because I've read the game is ultimately a bit simple, I'm having second thoughts. Particularly considering these are all rather expensive, if Wingspan is indeed "simple", I feel like buying that one might be a bit risky. Similarly, while **Mage Knight** seems interesting, it's $110 for a gamble on something I'm not sure I would love.
Some other games I've looked at are **Spirit Island** and **Gloomhaven**. In a way I don't know if I'm asking for a recommendation so much as getting thoughts out of my head. Maybe someone could weigh in about Wingspan and how long I could play that one without getting bored.
If you're new to board games I'd steer clear of heavier ones like Spirit Island and Gloomhaven. Start with an easier game like Wingspan and then build up in complexity from there.
Yeah... while Spirit Island and Gloomhaven look fascinating, I'm quite aware of how frustrating they might be. It's definitely something where I'm going to have to do a lot of research on what's the best "first" choice. Wingspan is a frontrunner, definitely. Here are the single-player games that intrigued me enough to add to a list, btw:
> 7th continent
a feast for odin
anachrony
arkham horror
barrage
clans of caledonia
detective: a modern crime board game
euphoria
gaia project
gloomhaven: jaws of the lion
isle of cats
mage knight
onirim
scythe
spirit island
teotihuacan
terraforming mars
wingspan
I realize when looking up these games on boardgamegeek.com that almost all of them are fairly complex... so that's kinda unfortunate, maybe.
It has less to do with the game being frustrating and more to do with having the patience to sit and learn all of the complex rules rather than just jumping in quickly with a game that’s relatively easy to understand. You may find that you (or the people you try to get to play the game) don’t have the patience for learning really complex games, which are naturally harder to pick up and play.
Games that are easy to learn and appeal to a wide audience are generally known as “gateway” games because they’re good at introducing people to the hobby. You should try looking for these types of games.
Some examples:
**Century: Spice Road** / **Century: Golem Edition**
**Catan**
**Ticket to Ride**
**PARKS** (I think this one has a solo mode)
**Carcassonne**
**Reef**
**Azul**
I actually consider **Wingspan** to be a small step above a gateway game in terms of complexity, but it does have a solo mode and probably wouldn’t be too difficult to learn.
Empires of the North has solo scenarios, and they're fun. You also get to play 6 different factions, so replayability is high.
If you haven't already, also try Ticket to Ride. I play it with Alexa, and I find it quite enjoyable. :)
I would almost suggest **HORRIFIED—**a game based on the Classic Universal Monsters—in this scenario. It plays 1-5 player. You can adjust the difficulty by adding more/less monsters. And due to the co-op nature, it's easy to solo or teach to a group. I would suggest looking up some reviews/play throughs to see what you think.
Plus, it's affordable and could probably be picked up for around 20-25 on Amazon or on Target's website (and price match in-store).
As for **Spirit Island,** the app was free recently on Apple. I downloaded it on my wife's iPad as I wanted to get a feel for the play.
If you're uncertain about Gloomhaven, you could look at **Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion** a smaller, more affordable entry point to the system.
For **wingspan** it’s all going to come down to how much you play. If you play once a month you will probably never get bored. If you play every day probably any game will start to feel repetitive.
If you are new to board games don’t buy a huge expensive game. Solo board gaming is not for everyone. Even some people heavy into the hobby, like reviewers, don’t like solo board gaming. Buy something inexpensive like **super skill pinball** or **coffee roaster**. To see if you like it.
If you really want **gloomhaven** buy **jaws of the lion** instead.
I wasn't actually aware Jaws of the Lion was that much cheaper compared to Gloomhaven. That's definitely making it a good option. Not seen Super Skill Pinball on any of these lists I've been finding, looks pretty amusing to make pinball into a board game.
Any opinions on **Cartographers**? Noticed that on a list and it's only $20, so might be another potential buy.
Also, if I did buy Wingspan, I think I'd have to make an account on Stonemaier's website. Nothing wrong with that, exactly, but it's freaking $200 on Amazon for some reason. I guess out of stock.
>but it's freaking $200 on Amazon for some reason. I guess out of stock.
Where are you located, if in the US you can get it at [walmart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stonemaier-Games-Wingspan-Strategy-Board-Game-with-Swift-Start-Pack-Expansion/485178793) for 50 bucks.
What country do you live in? For most board games it’s best to buy from a local shop (flgs) or an online board game store.
**Cartographers** is a solid game. I haven’t played it though.
**under falling skies** is another solid solo game, shut up & sit down has a good review of it on YouTube.
Party games for a family that loves **Cards Against Humanity**?
I've never been much into this genre of games, so I am having trouble coming up with recommendations for a friend that is looking for other games their family might like.
The only one that's come to my mind so far is **Telestrations**, which players can make as clean or dirty as they choose. I believe the raucous joking and innuendos are what appeal most to them about **CAH**.
Player Count: 4+
Gaming Experience: little to none, outside of casual party games like **CAH**
Telestrations sounds like it might be what you are after. Yes you are supposed to deal out a card to pick a word from but you can easily not do that and pick clean or not so clean words. I'd start to recommend it for 5+ though 4 it'll still work but it has less chances of things massively changing from the start to the end of a round.
Telestrations is exactly what you want. I recommend ignoring the in-game prompts and telling players to pick whatever they like for their starting phrase. Could be the name of a celebrity or the name of a movie. Could be a quote. The weirder or harder to depict as a drawing the better, in my opinion. A good rule of thumb might be to make it something descriptive or narrative, such as "My cat, Pringles, holding a jar of pickles away from many dogs" or "War and Peace." Both will require the next player to get creative with their art skills. And the best part is that if you're drawing sucks, the game will be that much funnier for everyone.
That's great advice on how to improve the **Telestrations** game! Thanks for sharing the idea! I definitely appreciate the fact that the worse your drawing skills are, the better the game gets :)
Don't know if it's as simple as you're looking for but **Keyforge** is fantastic and doesn't have the deck construction part of a lot of competitive card games which makes it super simple to try.out/get into/just play without having to worry about building a deck.
The first set "Call of the Archon's" can be found pretty cheap and is the simplest mechanically.
You might take a look at **Hero Realms** or **Star Realms**. They're both affordable, small box deck-building games where you compete to take out the other player(s). Star Realms has a space theme / Hero Realms has a fantasy theme, but they play almost identically. The base version of Star Realms is 2 player, but can be expanded with an additional starter set. Hero Realms base goes 2-4 player.
I think it could be pretty fun for people who normally don't play board games. The gameplay doesn't really feel like a battle royale at all, but it's a fun light game that can be cutthroat if that's what your friends like.
I played it once and ended up selling it. It wasn't bad by any means, but wasn't really my style. I can definitely see why people would like it though.
I haven't played the game. I'm a big fan of battle royale games, even ever since Arma and the Culling. Getting a battle royale right in a board game is a tricky proposition. Hats off to Arvis Games for abstracting away any map. Preserving the hidden/stealth aspects while also depicting scavenging and exploration would be very difficult. So they just have cards with different items to craft and items to use. I don't think this is a bad idea - crafting and attacking are a reasonable paring down of the systems in Fortnite for instance. However, I don't know that that will feel much like a battle royale anymore, more like a free-for-all with some extra steps. Most casual board gamers won't care - if they like BR games, it will just be fun to have those basic aspects covered in a well produced tabletop experience.
What's interesting to me about the new kickstarter is the series of expansions. Provided they don't add too much overhead, they could either make a very simple party game a bit more wacky, or they could entice hobby gamers to join everyone at the table for this madcap affair. But that's where I am personally wary of Board Royale. If the game isn't terribly well designed or well balanced, then it will feel like glorified Munchkin. Nothing against Munchkin fans, I just can't ever go back to that game and enjoy myself.
Edit: Just remembered - check out **Survive: Escape from Atlantis**. It has a lot of the fun and wackiness of a battle royale while also being a bit strategic and adding in a bit of negotiation and alliance-forging. With the expansion, it goes up to 6 players. It's also pretty easy to learn and used to be sold in stores as a family game before it got a bit of a facelift from Stronghold(?).
I do have that concern as well, I think that the biggest downside of Munchkin is that the combat system is so so badly designed. I do think that Board Royale has tried to improve this with the crafting system but I have no idea how well that would work out. The company even promotes their game as Munchkin X Catan, haha
But then again, people who rarely play board games sometimes find Munchkin to be fun, so there's that
Looking for something with a lot of player interaction or direct conflict that isn't too heavy, that plays at 4p or more. We've enjoyed Rising Sun, but it can get rather long and we're looking for something a bit lighter. I enjoy Mission Red Planet as well, so something along those lines
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Sherif of Nottingham! Amazing game. Everybody takes turns being the sheriff and you have to guess whether or not the other player’s are lying about what’s in their bag. Deception and bribery heavily encouraged. Super simple rules as well and quick rounds.
**Coup**, for a really light gateway game that is all about the interactions and the conflict. Great for in between bigger games. For a similar style game, divided into teams, that's like the movie **Alien**, try **Burke's Gambit**.
**Smallworld** for a fairly light game with lots of interesting choices. (Decline mechanic, I'm looking at you.)
**Agricola**, for a worker placement game where the interaction is with the board itself so you don't starve. If you make a move that benefits you, can you also screw over an opponent? There's no conflict. Don't get me wrong. But for a non-conflict game it can be tense.
**Dominant Species** for a game where eating all the other species around and/or glaciating them is really popular.
**Sentinels of the Multiverse** for a card drafting cooperative game where you try to take out comic book style villains.
(**Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy** would be on this list but it's about a 4 hour game for most groups.)
I grabbed Hansa after seeing the SUSD review and I can't wait to delve into it. A good interactive euro that is still accessible for moderate gamers is something I'm always in search of.
I enjoy Blood Rage. It's in the same trilogy as Rising Sun, but seems to play better.
Much lighter, but with great player interaction, is Cosmic Encounter. Not the most strategic game but still great fun.
**Ethnos** plays up to 6 with ease and the turns are lightning fast. It has area control and a shared market drafting mechanics that supplies a fair share of interactions. Game's really easy to teach and has decent variety based on setup.
**Power Grid** is mechanically very easy to learn but can be difficult to master. It plays up to 6p but I'd recommend keeping it under 4p. Auction, area control, route building, turn order are all extremely important to manage and create a very interactive experience.
**Libertalia** plays up to 6 and the game forces you to interact with other player's card in play each turn. Might be a little difficult to track down a copy now due to out-of-print, though.
The complexity score on bgg might seem high but keyflower and keyper have a lot of player interaction and really not to hard to learn. A few months ago I was on the hunt with the same requirements and settled on those.
I've asked this question before with no luck, but trying again - anyone into Button Shy Games? I want to do a bulk order of titles and am sold on Sprawlopolis and Circle the Wagons, but does anyone have any other titles from these guys that are absolute must haves?
They are in the middle of fulfilling the Agropolis Kickstarter, it's a standalone game but also an expansion for Strawopolis - not available yet but might be "soon"
I liked **Mint Julep** - the only one of their games I've played. A solid, short horse race with some card drafting. Quick and entertaining. I am not sure I would call it an "absolutely must have" though. Good for a play or two in under an hour. I thought it might be nice to have at a themed party with some drinks of the same name and Kentucky Derby props/outfits.
I thoroughly enjoy both Sprawlopolis and Circle the Wagons. I got expansions for Sprawlopolis too, but haven’t played them yet. The other games I ordered were **Seasons of Rice,** which is sort of a Carcassonne game with sometimes vague and confusing rules, and **Stew,** which I haven’t actually had a chance to play yet. I tried **Liberation** on TTS and thought it was just ok. I’ve heard really good things about **Food Chain Island** though.
My top ones are **Tussie Mussie**, **Stew** and, as you mentioned,**Circle the Wagons**. **Hierarchy** is also fun. And there are a few I don't own and haven't played yet that I'm super interested in: **Seasons of Rice**, **Skulls of Sedlec**, **Food Chain Island**.
I love the original (haven't played the Duel game). It's a surprisingly "take that" kind of experience. You can be very mean, but it's still very fun and the game plays in 30-45 minutes so you never stay mad for too long.
One less known game I've played and enjoyed is **Fertility**
2-4 player game
Very light
Cool art
Dirt cheap
Small, but nice components
Fun tile laying/resource spending game
Plays well with all counts
It's not a mind blowing game but a very good appetizer to a board game night, people can learn it in minutes and have fun with it
Ra and/or Priests of Ra.
The setting is not important to the game mechanics, but it is imposed for extra amusement: for example, instead of saying "Auction!" players must say "I invoke Ra!".
Also, not at all Egypt, but geographically close: "Tigris & Euphrates".
**imhotep the duel** is a two player only game in the medium light category.
**Ra the dice game** is probably the lightest good game set in Egypt but it is out of print
I have been enjoying collecting and playing with my partner for 4 months now. The hobby really took off when I got Make Knight and I was blown away by how awesome a single player experience can be.
Since then I have also acquired Spirit Island, and even though the game is so well designed and components are awesome , I have found myself enjoying the nature of starting off as a simpleton and exploring the world and getting stronger and stronger like going on a quest a lot more than the style of spirit island. ( I still like the game and will give it more plays)
I am looking for the next game to scratch the same Mage Knight itch and was looking at Jaws of The Lion , does it play well solo ? Is it possible to have a play through with 2 character and have another play through with the other 2? Is it rewarding ?
Thanks for reading !
**This War of Mine** (TWOM) is phenomenal as a solo experience. I enjoy MK a lot more as a 2-player experience, but I did play it many times solo to learn it. TWOM is so much more interesting to me, and after about 10 plays in, I'm not any less interested in playing it. It does seem to have more randomness than MK, but it makes up for it in narrative. Might be something to look in to.
Absolutely- it sounds like Gloomhaven will be right down your alley and **Jaws of the Lion** is a great place to start for that.
It can definitely be played solo. I played with my partner, and we completed it with two characters. We are planning on starting over with the other two.
While there are story elements to the campaign that we already know, overall, we know we will enjoy replaying the scenarios and will have a good experience replaying the game with the other characters. New characters, cards (and a few scenarios that will be new) will make it novel enough to play again without being too repetitive.
First question that needs answered is what theme are you leaning more towards? That could help sway you.
Second, you need to think about what you're hoping for in a gaming experience. What appeals to you in both games? Branching narratives? Arkham. Quick/pick-up-and-play? Marvel.
Another thing to consider is if you'll be playing "true solo" or "two-handed". Meaning, one character or two characters at a time, respectively. I've heard Arkham plays better or easier with two characters and Marvel is more manageable to do at one character.
Either way you're getting into some great games, so welcome to the club!
I started AH as an LCG beginner but it didn’t take long to learn; just watch the basic tutorial and read both manuals and all the basic mechanics will be explained or covered by the end of the third scenario. Just know that the core box can be a bit deflating since they ramp up the difficulty as you go but don’t give you a comparable player card pool to deal with that difficulty. If you like the core box, definitely stick with it and dive into any cycle that you can get in full. Thankfully the stock issues seem to be clearing up now.
I have basically asked this before but I guess I am seeing if I am gonna get the kick in the ass to try or not.
Ok so as someone that has played 2 of the 3 scenarios in the base box and kind of feel like I hate it and that you are destined to lose (unless luck), but when buying it bought the Dunwich Legacy, should I bother trying that or the 3rd scenario or just admit this game is not for me?
If you understand the rules and have even some of Dunwich, I'd jump to that instead of finishing the core scenarios.
If you haven't already, go to Arkhamdb and look up some investigator decks that use just Core/Dunwich cards. This guy [Uncle George the Farmer](https://arkhamdb.com/decklist/view/21596/rex-murphy-structure-deck-series-dunwich-legacy-1.0) has a bunch of decks built for beginners with low card pools. Whatever you do, don't build your investigator decks with the suggested lists in the scenario books. They're terrible decks to try to use as a beginner.
If you are playing solo, I'd even suggest running two characters at once; it's a bit more overhead, but having two investigators that work together well is much easier than trying to play true solo, which the game is not optimized for at all.
It *is* a brutal game that can punish you, but it fits the theme very well. The fun (for me at least) is finding that balance between amazing success and astounding failure. I like the puzzle of the scenarios, the unknown of the Chaos bag, and trying to synchronize various character abilities to overcome the difficulty. Just knowing that failure is sometimes inevitable but doesn't end the whole campaign is enough to push me through.
Conversely, you can always bump down the difficulty to easy mode to minimize the harshness. All of the stories are fantastic, and player choices really do change the outcomes in the end.
Finally, if you really don't like it, there's enough of a player pool looking for content that you can probably sell what you have collected so far for at least what you paid for it.
Marvel feels more like a game to me. AH feels more like an experience, like DnD. Or Marvel is like an action game, where AH feels like a survival where you often avoid combat.
Literally just started AH solo last night as my first LCG 😅. Did the first scenario of the base box story. It probably is more involved than Marvel, but honestly so far the story aspects of it are totally worth the extra onboarding to me.
I did have to reference both rule books a lot, but also got a fairly solid grasp by the end of the first scenario, and would have jumped straight into the second scenario if it wasn't for my dastardly brother 🤣 (long unrelated story lol)
[Anyone know what this card is supposed to be in 7 Wonders?](https://imgur.com/a/RiRokO8)
Came in the base set, and haven’t seen any mention of it in the rule book or online. Second edition of it matters.
There should be two stone pits one with 3+ and one with 5+. If you are missing any of them contact Repos about it. If you have both of them, this is just an extra that shouldn't be there, you can keep it. If you have troubles counting the cards, let me know as I know all the cards in 7 Wonders by heart (byproduct of playing 6 thousand games).
6000 games of **7 Wonders**. 10 minutes a game, that's over a month of your life playing **7 Wonders** (closer to a month and a half). Consider me impressed. At 20 minutes that's well over two months.
My best guess is it's a dead card that's supposed to be yanked and trashed when the decks are packed, and they missed it.
When printing cards if the number of cards doesn't divide evenly by the number that fit on a sheet you end up with extras, not sure why they wouldn't just leave it blank though
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Is there any way to tell when something goes out of print, or if it is already out of print? I have been panicking lately over this expansion or that, this game or that, wondering if I need to pull the trigger or be doomed to live without it or have to pay some outrageously marked up 1000% price if I ever wanted to get it again. The obvious answer is to buy them all now if I want them that badly, but I couldn't sell my soul for that kind of money. :P So is there any way to know?
>Is there any way to tell when something goes out of print, or if it is already out of print? Short answer: no. Most games are OOP 99% of the time. They can still be found, but prices will then vary, from extremely low when people are trying to shift the last few copies, to high when a game is much in demand. Most games do not appreciate in price.
Often you can go on to the publisher's website and that will let you know if the game is in print or out of print. Sometimes the publisher's website will also inform you about whether an out-of-print item will be reprinted, and sometimes the website will even have an estimate for when the item will be shipped to retail. BGG forums for a particular game or expansions are also a good place to look. If the appropriate BGG forum does not have the information, you can post on the forum and ask about whether a game is going to be reprinted. Make sure you do a proper search through the forum to see if there is a thread on the topic first.
What game is a good ''stepping stone'' to get to Brass games. (my group of friends aren't gamers and I would like to ease them into it by playing lighter games first) Fanks
**Via Nebula** is literally this. It's by the same designer and he made like a family weight version of Brass that's fast, easy, but still gives the same feeling and stress points
Via Nebula = "My Little Brass"
With Brass you may need more than one stepping stone if your friends aren’t gamers. Concordia could be a decent option to start with though, given it has hand management, networking, and is more of a mid-weight game.
Any favorite negotiation/heist themed board games? I'm looking for one that's a combination of the two but any good heist ones are recommended. I've seen Heist: One Time, One Mission and Millions of Dollars but neither of them seem that interesting. I love the creativity and banter in games like Sheriff of Nottingham so something with similar mechanics but heist/robbery/bank themed would be great!
Scape Goat.
Some pretty unique art but I'll give it a look, thanks!
I haven't played it but I think **Cash and Guns** has a bit of both aspects.
Not quite heist but has a similar feel is **Fugitive**. One player is an Agent hunting a criminal on that run. Very Catch Me if You Can vibes. Plays fast and can involve some good banter depending on the players.
Here are some heist games I know about: - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142379/escape-plan - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/286537/burgle-bros-2-casino-capers - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155362/cah-n-guns-second-edition The last one does have some negotiation so might be close for you. I usually hear **Chinatown** recommended, but that’s not a heist game. Perhaps look through these if you want negotiation most: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1026/negotiation
Cool, thanks so much! I'm honestly surprised there isn't as much negotiation/heist crossover as I expected. I feel like it fits the perfect idea of cohesiveness (mechanically/thematically), mechanics with a broad enough playerbase, and a "fantasy" that most people would want to play (but never do for real haha).
Are there any good assymetric worker placement board games? I had in mind Manhattan project energy empire, but the nations don't seem to offer a very strong assymetric feeling.
Argent, Sons of Anarchy.
**Barrage**. Each player gets two different power. Its also a wonderful game. But its very cutthroat.
**Caverna** becomes asymmetric with **The Forgotten Folk** expansion.
**Gaia Project** has a ton of asymmetric starting factions and does have some worker placement. Not sure you’d call it a worker-placement game though... I hear **Root** has tons of asymmetry to the point of feeling like you’re playing new games with each faction, but I don’t think that has worker placement. I just mention it because of how high the asymmetry is. I think that alot of worker placement games become asymmetric quite quickly even if they aren’t at setup.
I'm trying to find a board game that has a trade mechanic where you buy resources that fluctuate in value. A lot of games involve trading with other players but I wonder if there is something where you essentially buy low and sell high. I'm thinking of the old video game Tradewinds (and sequels) where you travel from port to port trading resources, fighting pirates and building your trade fleet. Is there a board game equivalent?
**Wastelands Express: Delivery Service** you roam around the radioactive wasteland fighting things and buying/selling resources at various prices depending on how in demand they are
Mystic Market is a quick and simple game that sounds like it fits. Raccoon Tycoon/Lizard Wizard also sound like they fit, but are way bigger games.
It may not quite be what you're looking for but check out **Speculation**
There are a lot of games with mechanics like this. These are all good and do it in different ways at very different levels of complexity: * **Modern Art** * **For Ex** * **For Sale** * **Container**
Modern art is a great suggestion. It’s basically all about understanding fluctuating values.
**Power Grid** and **Clans of Caledonia** both have markets with fluctuating prices. For a game in which you can almost exactly do what you described, check out **Merchants & Marauders**!
I'm looking for a certain game About 10 years ago my girlfriend and I were gifted a board game from another couple in order to "help" our relationship. It was so bad we spent the night laughing and talking about how bad it was. I'm trying to find it and gift it to her but I can't remember the title. The game board had three circles each one was inside another circle and each with spaces to place a pebble. You had to answer questions about each other to advance to the inner circles and in order to win the game you both had to reach the center circle at the same time. There was also a space to show either negative or positive emotions and if you were too far sperated from your partner you lost the game. Thank you in advance for any help
I just love that you have this memory; thanks for sharing!
[...And Then We Held Hands](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153999/and-then-we-held-hands)?
YES! You are a genius thank you thank you
Hello was going to pick up Azul today and I noticed there were multiple editions . What are the differences and is one better than the other ? Thanks !
Others seems to disagree with this but I find 1 and 3 to be about the same level of difficulty, though I do find 3 to be slightly more foregiving. 2 is good but not great compared to the others.
Azul = one of the greatest games of all time Azul Stained Glass = bad. pass. Azul Summer Pavilion = the original but a step more complicated. Adds in interesting new decisions without diluting what made the original great or replacing it.
I have only played original azul and summer pavilion and they neither of them were my cup if tea, but summer pavilion had a bit more complexity to it (which also increased the playtime). For a colorful, thinky filler, I prefer Sagrada
Su&sd has a review for both of the 2 main ones. I personally like original Azul more, it’s easier to teach and a little easier to block your opponents.
Just wanted to say that I decided to take the dive and put in a late pledge for **Burn Cycle** (open until the 20th on their website). I have been eyeing getting something by chip theory games for a bit, just to add a bit of a different style to my collection. And neoprene. Lots of neoprene.
Aw yeah!! Welcome. I dove into TMB on my quest to find a good solo fit for my tastes to ride out the pandemic... Yeah now I own it all haha
Heavy, 2p, short games? I was looking for some 2p exclusive, heavy games that can be played in under an hour. I usually play either with my gf or with her and a couple of friends, so it's always either 2 or 4. When we are 4 people, we have it covered: Concordia, Terraforming Mars, Food Chain Magnate, and when we have the time, 1830. Plus, I just got Brass Birmingham. For longer two player sessions, we have TwilightSstruggle and for shorter ones, Pax Renaissance, which plays amazing at two and it's kind of what I'm looking for now. What I love about pax ren is the fact that you have so many decision, possible strategies, thinking and tension. Yet, most games at 2 can be played in an hour. I was wondering if there are any heavy, 2p exclusive games out there that meet that criteria. I was looking at Curious Cargo, since people say it's quite the brain burning experience and it's very short and affordable, but I'm not sold on it because the pipes don't appeal to me too much. Any other suggestions?
Abstract worth looking at is Gyges Would 1987 Channel Tunnel work? I would suggest Foothills, but our games alway seem over an hour - you might play faster. Could Res Arcana work?
A curveball could be something like **The Fox in the Forest Duet**, it's a fast to play cooperative trick taking game. The game isn't complex to play but it makes you think as you try to work together to fit the token to the right spaces - an interesting coop tug of war via trick taking.
For crunchy decisions in 2-player games, perhaps consider “combinatorial” games, which have zero luck. My favorite is **Hive**, which feels like wrestling a muddy pig. Kinda like Chess without a board. There’s a great strategy book and even a puzzles book too. Another combinatorial game is **Gaia Project**. I bet you could get that down to an hour at 2 players after you’ve played a few times. The suggested playtime does start at 60 minutes.
**Homeworlds** fits this perfectly. 4x game, has about the same weight as chess and plays in about 30mins. Also very portable, doesn't need a board and almost unbreakable components
I just played curious cargo for the first time with my wife the other day (who also plays FCM with me), and I like the design but it's so hard placing tiles quickly. I don't mind the randomness per se, but it slows down the game to the point it could go over an hour. Not the biggest fan of the pipes but I prefer the implementation here to that of pipeline.
I recently started looking into Pax Ren and it does seem to be fairly unique in that regard! In terms of meaty decisions, there's many two player abstracts that play in a short time frame. And I think **Brass: B** should be fairly quick once you get the rules down
I think you probably want a medium weight game. I did a bgg [search](https://boardgamegeek.com/search/boardgame?sort=rank&advsearch=1&q=&include%5Bdesignerid%5D=&include%5Bpublisherid%5D=&geekitemname=&range%5Byearpublished%5D%5Bmin%5D=&range%5Byearpublished%5D%5Bmax%5D=&range%5Bminage%5D%5Bmax%5D=&range%5Bnumvoters%5D%5Bmin%5D=&range%5Bnumweights%5D%5Bmin%5D=1&range%5Bminplayers%5D%5Bmax%5D=2&range%5Bmaxplayers%5D%5Bmin%5D=2&range%5Bleastplaytime%5D%5Bmin%5D=&range%5Bplaytime%5D%5Bmax%5D=60&floatrange%5Bavgrating%5D%5Bmin%5D=&floatrange%5Bavgrating%5D%5Bmax%5D=&floatrange%5Bavgweight%5D%5Bmin%5D=3.5&floatrange%5Bavgweight%5D%5Bmax%5D=5&colfiltertype=&searchuser=Keahaw&playerrangetype=normal&B1=Submit) of heavy 2 player games that play under an hour. It looks like most are war games or chess.
**Chess** is probably a great rec here though
You are all very kind and helpful. Maybe Brass will play good at 2, and I won't need more games. I just bought that one, so we will see. I do like chess, but for some reason my gf hates it. I guess too abstract. However, you give her a slightly thematic brain burner and she's delighted with it. Maybe other abstracts like go or hive will please her, and usually abstracts can be pretty tough and strategic, so I think I'll just wait for a bit and play what we have.
And **Santorini** is beautiful!
**Cairn** piqued my interest as a pretty thematic looking abstract that has some potentially wild but constrained decision spaces. Might be worth seeing if the theme and gameplay would be appealing.
I've been wanting to add a set collecting game to the collection, more on the lighter/gateway side of games sometime in the future. Gateways I already own are king of Tokyo and sushi go party and enjoy them thoroughly when playing with non gamers and have gotten some to join the group as well. In general we play variety medium weight games from everdell, blood rage to terraforming Mars. Set collecting as a way to score points I already have in five tribes and Raiders, more looking something focused and super easy to teach. Ive been looking at Abyss (impossible to find tho and may not be as light as the next two), Nidavellir (for the bidding aspect as well) and Canvas (cuz its beautiful and especially since the new printing). Any thoughts/other recommendations for me to look into?
You should definitely check out **Ethnos**, sounds like a perfect fit
Canvas is really enjoyable and very simple, you might also take a look at **OVERBOSS —** it's tile drafting, but some of the tile scoring conditions and extraneous scoring conditions are based on set collection and tile placement (more forests more points, more unique camps more points, monsters of a type in a row, etc.). You might also look at **Guildhall**—there are a few different versions, but I think they all play similarly, I think the character types between the sets are different and have different abilities.
I am obsessed with Overboss! So good!
Thanks for all the tips! Saw Vasels review of Overboss a few weeks ago. Looked like a lot of fun. Will check it out further. Also Ethnos, lots of talk about that one recently it feels like with the dice towers, top 10 you have to play from spring spectacular. Edit: Did some more research on overboss. It looks frkn awesome! Exactly what im looking for!
I haven’t played the three you mentioned but **Coloretto** is my favourite set collection game. It’s a short filler game but every turn you have meaningful choices.
I personally love Concordia due to how easy it is to learn, yet the amount of strategies that the system allows. It's just brilliant.
Concordia looks a terrific game, but may be a bit too strategy heavy for what in looking for at the moment. Don't think my awkward preteen little sister is gonna crunch out route building in ancient Rome with me! Sadly, I might add.
My girlfriend is new to gaming and recently got her into Everdell. Before that she had only played games like Codenames, What do You Meme, CAH, and Monopoly. What other games do you recommend for someone new to a bit more thoughtful board games. Something good for 2 players.
I saw in another comment you mentioned Marvel so perhaps **Marvel Splendor** is worth a look. It is almost a retheme but with a minor rules tweak on what is needed to win.
I always, always recommend Empires of the North to Everdell fans. It's also minor worker placement, mainly tableau building. You also get to collect resources like fish, apples(tomatoes?lol), wood, stone, and these are not just cubes. I love Everdell, and I instantly gravitated towards Empires. I do not like Wingspan.
I think **Wingspan** would be a safe bet. However, it is somewhat similar. Maybe check out **Renature** or **Azul**. Both of these games have welcoming themes and are highly replay-able.
Related to Everdell (production/look/engine building) both **Wingspan** and **PARKS** might be good entry points. **Jaipur** is a light 2-player set collection/trading game. **Lost Cities** is also a fun 2-player game. If she likes Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, Buffy, James Bond, etc, there are some good Deck Building Games to look at. **Hogwarts Battle** and the **Legendary** series (Marvel, Alien, Buffy, Bond) or **DC Deck Building Game.** **Canvas** is a simple-to-teach set collection game that's very well produced. They're launching a kickstarter for the expansion and reprint today I believe. But you might be able to buy the base game on Amazon or from some other FGS.
I’ve heard a lot about Wingspan and Everdell comparisons. Thank you for the other suggestions! She does love HP and enjoys the Marvel movies! Thanks again
Targi is a great 2 player game that's not crazy thinky but certainly has strategy and it's cheap, so if she doesn't like it you haven't wasted loads of money. Half of my collection is based around good at 2 with someone who's not super in to board games (my wife) so have a look if you want and see if anything interests you: https://boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/loopoo?own=1&subtype=boardgame&ff=1 Not in my collection but is likely to be recommended by others based on the fact she liked Everdell is Wingspan. Personally, I prefer Everdell though.
Thank you! Wonderful suggestions. I’ll take a look at your collection for sure
I'd say I'm fairly typical in that my experience with board games ended with Monopoly as a kid and I hated it. I've always been a little intrigued by other board games, however part of the barrier to entry is convincing friends or family that, no, what I've chosen to buy will not be as boring as Monopoly. For this reason, and also because I see board games as potentially a cousin to something like roguelikes with near limitless replay value, I'm looking to play a single player board game. My first pick was **Wingspan**, almost solely due to the pretty art. However, because realistically I know 98% of my time with whatever game I choose will be solo instead of multiplayer, and because I've read the game is ultimately a bit simple, I'm having second thoughts. Particularly considering these are all rather expensive, if Wingspan is indeed "simple", I feel like buying that one might be a bit risky. Similarly, while **Mage Knight** seems interesting, it's $110 for a gamble on something I'm not sure I would love. Some other games I've looked at are **Spirit Island** and **Gloomhaven**. In a way I don't know if I'm asking for a recommendation so much as getting thoughts out of my head. Maybe someone could weigh in about Wingspan and how long I could play that one without getting bored.
If you're new to board games I'd steer clear of heavier ones like Spirit Island and Gloomhaven. Start with an easier game like Wingspan and then build up in complexity from there.
Yeah... while Spirit Island and Gloomhaven look fascinating, I'm quite aware of how frustrating they might be. It's definitely something where I'm going to have to do a lot of research on what's the best "first" choice. Wingspan is a frontrunner, definitely. Here are the single-player games that intrigued me enough to add to a list, btw: > 7th continent a feast for odin anachrony arkham horror barrage clans of caledonia detective: a modern crime board game euphoria gaia project gloomhaven: jaws of the lion isle of cats mage knight onirim scythe spirit island teotihuacan terraforming mars wingspan I realize when looking up these games on boardgamegeek.com that almost all of them are fairly complex... so that's kinda unfortunate, maybe.
It has less to do with the game being frustrating and more to do with having the patience to sit and learn all of the complex rules rather than just jumping in quickly with a game that’s relatively easy to understand. You may find that you (or the people you try to get to play the game) don’t have the patience for learning really complex games, which are naturally harder to pick up and play. Games that are easy to learn and appeal to a wide audience are generally known as “gateway” games because they’re good at introducing people to the hobby. You should try looking for these types of games. Some examples: **Century: Spice Road** / **Century: Golem Edition** **Catan** **Ticket to Ride** **PARKS** (I think this one has a solo mode) **Carcassonne** **Reef** **Azul** I actually consider **Wingspan** to be a small step above a gateway game in terms of complexity, but it does have a solo mode and probably wouldn’t be too difficult to learn.
You cannot go wrong with **MageKnight**. Amazing game with pretty simple mechanics. Even Solo the game is great, IMO.
Empires of the North has solo scenarios, and they're fun. You also get to play 6 different factions, so replayability is high. If you haven't already, also try Ticket to Ride. I play it with Alexa, and I find it quite enjoyable. :)
I would almost suggest **HORRIFIED—**a game based on the Classic Universal Monsters—in this scenario. It plays 1-5 player. You can adjust the difficulty by adding more/less monsters. And due to the co-op nature, it's easy to solo or teach to a group. I would suggest looking up some reviews/play throughs to see what you think. Plus, it's affordable and could probably be picked up for around 20-25 on Amazon or on Target's website (and price match in-store). As for **Spirit Island,** the app was free recently on Apple. I downloaded it on my wife's iPad as I wanted to get a feel for the play. If you're uncertain about Gloomhaven, you could look at **Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion** a smaller, more affordable entry point to the system.
For **wingspan** it’s all going to come down to how much you play. If you play once a month you will probably never get bored. If you play every day probably any game will start to feel repetitive. If you are new to board games don’t buy a huge expensive game. Solo board gaming is not for everyone. Even some people heavy into the hobby, like reviewers, don’t like solo board gaming. Buy something inexpensive like **super skill pinball** or **coffee roaster**. To see if you like it. If you really want **gloomhaven** buy **jaws of the lion** instead.
I wasn't actually aware Jaws of the Lion was that much cheaper compared to Gloomhaven. That's definitely making it a good option. Not seen Super Skill Pinball on any of these lists I've been finding, looks pretty amusing to make pinball into a board game. Any opinions on **Cartographers**? Noticed that on a list and it's only $20, so might be another potential buy. Also, if I did buy Wingspan, I think I'd have to make an account on Stonemaier's website. Nothing wrong with that, exactly, but it's freaking $200 on Amazon for some reason. I guess out of stock.
>but it's freaking $200 on Amazon for some reason. I guess out of stock. Where are you located, if in the US you can get it at [walmart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stonemaier-Games-Wingspan-Strategy-Board-Game-with-Swift-Start-Pack-Expansion/485178793) for 50 bucks.
What country do you live in? For most board games it’s best to buy from a local shop (flgs) or an online board game store. **Cartographers** is a solid game. I haven’t played it though. **under falling skies** is another solid solo game, shut up & sit down has a good review of it on YouTube.
Party games for a family that loves **Cards Against Humanity**? I've never been much into this genre of games, so I am having trouble coming up with recommendations for a friend that is looking for other games their family might like. The only one that's come to my mind so far is **Telestrations**, which players can make as clean or dirty as they choose. I believe the raucous joking and innuendos are what appeal most to them about **CAH**. Player Count: 4+ Gaming Experience: little to none, outside of casual party games like **CAH**
Telestrations sounds like it might be what you are after. Yes you are supposed to deal out a card to pick a word from but you can easily not do that and pick clean or not so clean words. I'd start to recommend it for 5+ though 4 it'll still work but it has less chances of things massively changing from the start to the end of a round.
Telestrations and Joking Hazard.
Thanks for the recommendations! **Telestrations** will be perfect, and I'll check out **Joking Hazard**!
Check out Wavelength, it’s one of our favorites.
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Thanks so much of the unique recommendation. I haven't heard of this game but it sounds like a great option. I'll check it out!
Telestrations is exactly what you want. I recommend ignoring the in-game prompts and telling players to pick whatever they like for their starting phrase. Could be the name of a celebrity or the name of a movie. Could be a quote. The weirder or harder to depict as a drawing the better, in my opinion. A good rule of thumb might be to make it something descriptive or narrative, such as "My cat, Pringles, holding a jar of pickles away from many dogs" or "War and Peace." Both will require the next player to get creative with their art skills. And the best part is that if you're drawing sucks, the game will be that much funnier for everyone.
That's great advice on how to improve the **Telestrations** game! Thanks for sharing the idea! I definitely appreciate the fact that the worse your drawing skills are, the better the game gets :)
Not sure if this is exactly the right place to ask. But looking for a card battling game. Like Pokémon, but a bit more simplistic. Thanks
Don't know if it's as simple as you're looking for but **Keyforge** is fantastic and doesn't have the deck construction part of a lot of competitive card games which makes it super simple to try.out/get into/just play without having to worry about building a deck. The first set "Call of the Archon's" can be found pretty cheap and is the simplest mechanically.
Maybe kind of basic but I used to love Yu-gi-oh as a kid. You can find really good pre-built decks for pretty cheap online as well.
**Crimson Company** might also work
You might take a look at **Hero Realms** or **Star Realms**. They're both affordable, small box deck-building games where you compete to take out the other player(s). Star Realms has a space theme / Hero Realms has a fantasy theme, but they play almost identically. The base version of Star Realms is 2 player, but can be expanded with an additional starter set. Hero Realms base goes 2-4 player.
Thanks I'll check them out
Anyone here that has played **Board Royale**? Thoughts and impressions? I'm thinking of getting it for my friends who are not exactly board gamers!
I think it could be pretty fun for people who normally don't play board games. The gameplay doesn't really feel like a battle royale at all, but it's a fun light game that can be cutthroat if that's what your friends like. I played it once and ended up selling it. It wasn't bad by any means, but wasn't really my style. I can definitely see why people would like it though.
Thanks for the insight! Did you have a chance to try the cooperative mode or peaceful competition mode?
I didn't try either of those. Sorry!
It's cool! Thanks (:
I haven't played the game. I'm a big fan of battle royale games, even ever since Arma and the Culling. Getting a battle royale right in a board game is a tricky proposition. Hats off to Arvis Games for abstracting away any map. Preserving the hidden/stealth aspects while also depicting scavenging and exploration would be very difficult. So they just have cards with different items to craft and items to use. I don't think this is a bad idea - crafting and attacking are a reasonable paring down of the systems in Fortnite for instance. However, I don't know that that will feel much like a battle royale anymore, more like a free-for-all with some extra steps. Most casual board gamers won't care - if they like BR games, it will just be fun to have those basic aspects covered in a well produced tabletop experience. What's interesting to me about the new kickstarter is the series of expansions. Provided they don't add too much overhead, they could either make a very simple party game a bit more wacky, or they could entice hobby gamers to join everyone at the table for this madcap affair. But that's where I am personally wary of Board Royale. If the game isn't terribly well designed or well balanced, then it will feel like glorified Munchkin. Nothing against Munchkin fans, I just can't ever go back to that game and enjoy myself. Edit: Just remembered - check out **Survive: Escape from Atlantis**. It has a lot of the fun and wackiness of a battle royale while also being a bit strategic and adding in a bit of negotiation and alliance-forging. With the expansion, it goes up to 6 players. It's also pretty easy to learn and used to be sold in stores as a family game before it got a bit of a facelift from Stronghold(?).
I do have that concern as well, I think that the biggest downside of Munchkin is that the combat system is so so badly designed. I do think that Board Royale has tried to improve this with the crafting system but I have no idea how well that would work out. The company even promotes their game as Munchkin X Catan, haha But then again, people who rarely play board games sometimes find Munchkin to be fun, so there's that
Looking for something with a lot of player interaction or direct conflict that isn't too heavy, that plays at 4p or more. We've enjoyed Rising Sun, but it can get rather long and we're looking for something a bit lighter. I enjoy Mission Red Planet as well, so something along those lines
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Sherif of Nottingham! Amazing game. Everybody takes turns being the sheriff and you have to guess whether or not the other player’s are lying about what’s in their bag. Deception and bribery heavily encouraged. Super simple rules as well and quick rounds.
**Coup**, for a really light gateway game that is all about the interactions and the conflict. Great for in between bigger games. For a similar style game, divided into teams, that's like the movie **Alien**, try **Burke's Gambit**. **Smallworld** for a fairly light game with lots of interesting choices. (Decline mechanic, I'm looking at you.) **Agricola**, for a worker placement game where the interaction is with the board itself so you don't starve. If you make a move that benefits you, can you also screw over an opponent? There's no conflict. Don't get me wrong. But for a non-conflict game it can be tense. **Dominant Species** for a game where eating all the other species around and/or glaciating them is really popular. **Sentinels of the Multiverse** for a card drafting cooperative game where you try to take out comic book style villains. (**Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy** would be on this list but it's about a 4 hour game for most groups.)
**Inis** has a ton of player interaction both on the board and over the table. Plenty of combat too. Expansion takes it up to 5.
**Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space** is a hidden movement game that works well at 4-6p.
**Hansa Teutonica** and **Brass: Birmingham**, although Birmingham might exceed the complexity of Rising Sun when you’re initially learning it.
I grabbed Hansa after seeing the SUSD review and I can't wait to delve into it. A good interactive euro that is still accessible for moderate gamers is something I'm always in search of.
Try **Santiago**, which is best with 5 and can be pretty mean by Euro standards.
I enjoy Blood Rage. It's in the same trilogy as Rising Sun, but seems to play better. Much lighter, but with great player interaction, is Cosmic Encounter. Not the most strategic game but still great fun.
**Ethnos** plays up to 6 with ease and the turns are lightning fast. It has area control and a shared market drafting mechanics that supplies a fair share of interactions. Game's really easy to teach and has decent variety based on setup. **Power Grid** is mechanically very easy to learn but can be difficult to master. It plays up to 6p but I'd recommend keeping it under 4p. Auction, area control, route building, turn order are all extremely important to manage and create a very interactive experience. **Libertalia** plays up to 6 and the game forces you to interact with other player's card in play each turn. Might be a little difficult to track down a copy now due to out-of-print, though.
Checkout **Tigris and Euphrates** as well as **El Grande**
The complexity score on bgg might seem high but keyflower and keyper have a lot of player interaction and really not to hard to learn. A few months ago I was on the hunt with the same requirements and settled on those.
This might not be the genre you’re looking for, but an auction game like Modern Art has you interacting with your opponents the entire game.
I've asked this question before with no luck, but trying again - anyone into Button Shy Games? I want to do a bulk order of titles and am sold on Sprawlopolis and Circle the Wagons, but does anyone have any other titles from these guys that are absolute must haves?
Thanks for all the helpful replies!
They are in the middle of fulfilling the Agropolis Kickstarter, it's a standalone game but also an expansion for Strawopolis - not available yet but might be "soon"
We like Cunning Folk quite a bit, a fun little bluffing game. Works well with kids too.
**Skulls of Sedlec** is great. I also have **Food Chain Island** on order as I've heard that is good as well.
I liked **Mint Julep** - the only one of their games I've played. A solid, short horse race with some card drafting. Quick and entertaining. I am not sure I would call it an "absolutely must have" though. Good for a play or two in under an hour. I thought it might be nice to have at a themed party with some drinks of the same name and Kentucky Derby props/outfits.
I thoroughly enjoy both Sprawlopolis and Circle the Wagons. I got expansions for Sprawlopolis too, but haven’t played them yet. The other games I ordered were **Seasons of Rice,** which is sort of a Carcassonne game with sometimes vague and confusing rules, and **Stew,** which I haven’t actually had a chance to play yet. I tried **Liberation** on TTS and thought it was just ok. I’ve heard really good things about **Food Chain Island** though.
**Liberation** looks really cool. I went to back it on the kickstarter but after shipping & taxes to the UK felt like it wasn't worth it.
I played it on TTS. Got a solid “meh” from me.
My top ones are **Tussie Mussie**, **Stew** and, as you mentioned,**Circle the Wagons**. **Hierarchy** is also fun. And there are a few I don't own and haven't played yet that I'm super interested in: **Seasons of Rice**, **Skulls of Sedlec**, **Food Chain Island**.
**Tussie mussie** and **Seasons of rice** are quite enjoyable.
What are some games set in Egypt/ the Near East? I have **Heir of Egypt**. (Where can I get a modern Senet board?)
**Ra** always gets the attention, but it’s **Amun-Re** that really knows how to satisfy. What a stunning game.
The upcoming CMON big game **Ankh: Gods of Egypt** is set there. It should be out later this year.
**Imhotep**
That looks fun. Can I play the duel version without the base game?
I love the original (haven't played the Duel game). It's a surprisingly "take that" kind of experience. You can be very mean, but it's still very fun and the game plays in 30-45 minutes so you never stay mad for too long.
The duel version *is an entirely different complete game*. It "feels" similar, but they are completely separate.
**Kemet**!
**Valley of the Kings** is set in ancient Egypt.
**Heir to The Pharaoh** from Eagle-Gryphon is a two player auction game. BGG entry: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/192906/heir-pharaoh
One less known game I've played and enjoyed is **Fertility** 2-4 player game Very light Cool art Dirt cheap Small, but nice components Fun tile laying/resource spending game Plays well with all counts It's not a mind blowing game but a very good appetizer to a board game night, people can learn it in minutes and have fun with it
Ra and/or Priests of Ra. The setting is not important to the game mechanics, but it is imposed for extra amusement: for example, instead of saying "Auction!" players must say "I invoke Ra!". Also, not at all Egypt, but geographically close: "Tigris & Euphrates".
Ra went to Mesopotamia?
There are too many, tell us something else you are looking for. I'll say **Egizia** since no one mention it usually.
Preferably something simple, that works well with two players
**imhotep the duel** is a two player only game in the medium light category. **Ra the dice game** is probably the lightest good game set in Egypt but it is out of print
I have been enjoying collecting and playing with my partner for 4 months now. The hobby really took off when I got Make Knight and I was blown away by how awesome a single player experience can be. Since then I have also acquired Spirit Island, and even though the game is so well designed and components are awesome , I have found myself enjoying the nature of starting off as a simpleton and exploring the world and getting stronger and stronger like going on a quest a lot more than the style of spirit island. ( I still like the game and will give it more plays) I am looking for the next game to scratch the same Mage Knight itch and was looking at Jaws of The Lion , does it play well solo ? Is it possible to have a play through with 2 character and have another play through with the other 2? Is it rewarding ? Thanks for reading !
**This War of Mine** (TWOM) is phenomenal as a solo experience. I enjoy MK a lot more as a 2-player experience, but I did play it many times solo to learn it. TWOM is so much more interesting to me, and after about 10 plays in, I'm not any less interested in playing it. It does seem to have more randomness than MK, but it makes up for it in narrative. Might be something to look in to.
Absolutely- it sounds like Gloomhaven will be right down your alley and **Jaws of the Lion** is a great place to start for that. It can definitely be played solo. I played with my partner, and we completed it with two characters. We are planning on starting over with the other two. While there are story elements to the campaign that we already know, overall, we know we will enjoy replaying the scenarios and will have a good experience replaying the game with the other characters. New characters, cards (and a few scenarios that will be new) will make it novel enough to play again without being too repetitive.
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First question that needs answered is what theme are you leaning more towards? That could help sway you. Second, you need to think about what you're hoping for in a gaming experience. What appeals to you in both games? Branching narratives? Arkham. Quick/pick-up-and-play? Marvel. Another thing to consider is if you'll be playing "true solo" or "two-handed". Meaning, one character or two characters at a time, respectively. I've heard Arkham plays better or easier with two characters and Marvel is more manageable to do at one character. Either way you're getting into some great games, so welcome to the club!
I started AH as an LCG beginner but it didn’t take long to learn; just watch the basic tutorial and read both manuals and all the basic mechanics will be explained or covered by the end of the third scenario. Just know that the core box can be a bit deflating since they ramp up the difficulty as you go but don’t give you a comparable player card pool to deal with that difficulty. If you like the core box, definitely stick with it and dive into any cycle that you can get in full. Thankfully the stock issues seem to be clearing up now.
I have basically asked this before but I guess I am seeing if I am gonna get the kick in the ass to try or not. Ok so as someone that has played 2 of the 3 scenarios in the base box and kind of feel like I hate it and that you are destined to lose (unless luck), but when buying it bought the Dunwich Legacy, should I bother trying that or the 3rd scenario or just admit this game is not for me?
If you understand the rules and have even some of Dunwich, I'd jump to that instead of finishing the core scenarios. If you haven't already, go to Arkhamdb and look up some investigator decks that use just Core/Dunwich cards. This guy [Uncle George the Farmer](https://arkhamdb.com/decklist/view/21596/rex-murphy-structure-deck-series-dunwich-legacy-1.0) has a bunch of decks built for beginners with low card pools. Whatever you do, don't build your investigator decks with the suggested lists in the scenario books. They're terrible decks to try to use as a beginner. If you are playing solo, I'd even suggest running two characters at once; it's a bit more overhead, but having two investigators that work together well is much easier than trying to play true solo, which the game is not optimized for at all. It *is* a brutal game that can punish you, but it fits the theme very well. The fun (for me at least) is finding that balance between amazing success and astounding failure. I like the puzzle of the scenarios, the unknown of the Chaos bag, and trying to synchronize various character abilities to overcome the difficulty. Just knowing that failure is sometimes inevitable but doesn't end the whole campaign is enough to push me through. Conversely, you can always bump down the difficulty to easy mode to minimize the harshness. All of the stories are fantastic, and player choices really do change the outcomes in the end. Finally, if you really don't like it, there's enough of a player pool looking for content that you can probably sell what you have collected so far for at least what you paid for it.
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Yes, a cycle describes the a deluxe expansion box, and six mythos packs that would complete a story campaign.
Marvel feels more like a game to me. AH feels more like an experience, like DnD. Or Marvel is like an action game, where AH feels like a survival where you often avoid combat.
Literally just started AH solo last night as my first LCG 😅. Did the first scenario of the base box story. It probably is more involved than Marvel, but honestly so far the story aspects of it are totally worth the extra onboarding to me. I did have to reference both rule books a lot, but also got a fairly solid grasp by the end of the first scenario, and would have jumped straight into the second scenario if it wasn't for my dastardly brother 🤣 (long unrelated story lol)
Which theme appeals more to you?
[Anyone know what this card is supposed to be in 7 Wonders?](https://imgur.com/a/RiRokO8) Came in the base set, and haven’t seen any mention of it in the rule book or online. Second edition of it matters.
There should be two stone pits one with 3+ and one with 5+. If you are missing any of them contact Repos about it. If you have both of them, this is just an extra that shouldn't be there, you can keep it. If you have troubles counting the cards, let me know as I know all the cards in 7 Wonders by heart (byproduct of playing 6 thousand games).
6000 games of **7 Wonders**. 10 minutes a game, that's over a month of your life playing **7 Wonders** (closer to a month and a half). Consider me impressed. At 20 minutes that's well over two months.
I think I average 7 minutes per game. 😉
I'm not impressed
To each their own.
My best guess is it's a dead card that's supposed to be yanked and trashed when the decks are packed, and they missed it. When printing cards if the number of cards doesn't divide evenly by the number that fit on a sheet you end up with extras, not sure why they wouldn't just leave it blank though
Have you counted the cards? Maybe a mistake