Gormongous Posted February 2, 2014 I've just started playing quite a bit with three college friends and as you might expect I've started looking for new games to try out. I would very much like something quite quick (Since we already have a bunch of 2+ hour games) or at least something that you can pick up quite easily so we don't have to spend the entire evening reading up on the rules. Does anyone have any suggestions? The games we currently have in the rotation are: Bonanzha, Settlers of Catan, Power Grid, Ticket to Ride, Game of Thrones board game The "quick" games I have as palate cleansers between more substantial fare are Love Letter (a genius design that anyone can learn in seconds), Resistance: Avalon (although I've seen groups get caught playing it for hours instead of moving on to other things), and King of Tokyo (no one dislikes King of Tokyo, people who say otherwise are lying). I'm trying to see if Fairy Tale also works in that rotation, but I've been turned off so far by its extremely mechanistic rules. I have a friend who is super slow at deciding what to do in games (and in life, going to restaurants with him is a chore) and it's making playing games every week with my friends less enticing. Edit: He killed Pandemic for all my friends. We played a single game of it and it will literally never be played again now. There are plenty of guides online on how to coach your friend out of such behaviors, if you find it worth your while, but it really depends whether it's genuine analysis paralysis or a more conscious fear of looking stupid or doing the wrong thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLastBaron Posted February 2, 2014 It's neither of those things, he's just terrible at making up his mind about anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
osmosisch Posted February 2, 2014 I have to say King of Tokyo without the expansion gets a bit boring. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Merus Posted February 2, 2014 We use Tsuro as a palate cleanser and warmup/cooldown game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted February 2, 2014 I have a friend who is super slow at deciding what to do in games (and in life, going to restaurants with him is a chore) and it's making playing games every week with my friends less enticing. Edit: He killed Pandemic for all my friends. We played a single game of it and it will literally never be played again now. Terrible behaviour, and you've all got to be brutal about it. Setting a timer, and the rest of you voicing your collective discomfort is probably the best chance of shifting it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apelsin Posted February 3, 2014 Thanks for the recommendations! I've ordered Dominion and will also cast an eye on King of Tokyo to see if that is something I think the others will enjoy! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tegan Posted February 4, 2014 Hooooly shit, the fake card game from Adventure Time -whose entire deal was that it was needlessly complex and impossible to learn- is actually becoming a real game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patters Posted February 4, 2014 I played the Firefly board game a few weeks ago, it's very good and you should play it if you are a fan of the show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted February 19, 2014 After months of searching, I found a print-and-play publisher who's willing to make and sell me a copy of Ilya's gorgeous Dune (1979) redesign. I now begin the lengthy process of convincing myself that it's worth $120 to buy an out-of-print masterpiece that's lovingly handmade by some dude in Washington instead of a machine in China. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLastBaron Posted February 27, 2014 Anyone in the Portland area going to Gamestorm? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Denial Posted February 27, 2014 Oh, wow! I have, or rather my father has, the original Dune boardgame somewhere. It is indeed absolutely beautiful, although something of a work for the ages to play... I've got Android Netrunner sitting on my kitchen table, but a) this is a busy time and b ) after reading Leigh A's account of her relationship with Netrunner, I'm not sure I dare to open the box... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sclpls Posted February 28, 2014 After months of searching, I found a print-and-play publisher who's willing to make and sell me a copy of Ilya's gorgeous Dune (1979) redesign. I now begin the lengthy process of convincing myself that it's worth $120 to buy an out-of-print masterpiece that's lovingly handmade by some dude in Washington instead of a machine in China. That seems kinda pricey. A friend of mine was able to acquire a copy of the original game on eBay in good shape for $70 + shipping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted February 28, 2014 That seems kinda pricey. A friend of mine was able to acquire a copy of the original game on eBay in good shape for $70 + shipping. He got extraordinarily lucky or was extraordinarily patient. After a year of watching auctions, I can say for sure that the average copy goes for at least twice that much unless it has serious wear or defects, which is fully possible since the original game's components were all thin cardboard and cardstock. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sclpls Posted February 28, 2014 He got extraordinarily lucky or was extraordinarily patient. After a year of watching auctions, I can say for sure that the average copy goes for at least twice that much unless it has serious wear or defects, which is fully possible since the original game's components were all thin cardboard and cardstock. True enough, he was patient! At one point he almost won an auction that would have cost more for a copy of the game in considerably worse condition. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted March 1, 2014 BWAAAAAAAAAMP I can make a better game out of a similar theme*. * based on 1 minute of slightly drunk reading of the description. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tegan Posted March 2, 2014 So I forgot to mention that I got my absurd ability to acquire rare trading cards to kick in again yesterday. I got a second full art Meloetta EX in a booster pack: ...And a Shaymin full art EX in a digital booster: I wish I could get physical copies of that Shaymin and a Genesect EX, but I'm not complaining. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Codicier Posted March 2, 2014 Hooooly shit, the fake card game from Adventure Time -whose entire deal was that it was needlessly complex and impossible to learn- is actually becoming a real game. Just noticed today that there's a iOS adaptation of that game out, is it worth playing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLastBaron Posted March 2, 2014 Just noticed today that there's a iOS adaptation of that game out, is it worth playing? Based on what I've seen and also the fact that it's Cryptologic, I'm kind of wary of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
filk Posted March 4, 2014 My girlfriend and I have been playing Tales of the Arabian Nights for the last couple days. It's an interesting hybrid, partway between a strategic board game like Arkham Horror and a story-driven RPG like FATE. You construct a narrative by encountering spaces and making choices which lead to reading paragraphs from a Book of Tales. It's main weakness is that there is really no balance or fairness. It can be hard to have fun when one player is losing dramatically. You have to retain the perspective that it's about the journey, and winning is just a way to end the game. Last night, I ended up completing the game as Sultan of an undersea kingdom, though I nearly failed to make my triumphant return to Baghdad when I was ensorsceled and my girlfriend maliciously left me in a forest on the outskirts of the map. There, I was imprisoned by a Powerful Wizard, but used my powers of acting and disguise to escape. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Merus Posted March 5, 2014 My girlfriend and I have been playing Tales of the Arabian Nights for the last couple days. From what I understand of the running time of Arabian Nights, this'd be one game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Entriech Posted March 5, 2014 I actually quite like Tales of Arabian Nights. I've found that our games with 4 people generally run for a reasonable 3 hours or so at the top end. You definitely can't be in it to win, though. A lot of times, the better course is to do what's fun. Enter the lion? Don't mind if I do! I'm not sure I'd recommend it for any more than 4 people though. Part of what makes that game smart is it making other players part of your turn, so people stay engaged. That mechanism doesn't scale up well, though, so I could see a 6 player game feeling very slow and ponderous. In a lot of ways it kind of feels like the board gaming equivalent of The Yawhg. I've got a copy of Netrunner showing up in the mail tomorrow, as well as a copy of Vlaada Chvatil's new game Tash-Kalar and Antoine Bauza's new game Rampage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
filk Posted March 5, 2014 With two people, we've had our games run from 30 minutes to an hour in a half. I played a 5 person game on the weekend though, and that was definitely 3-4 hours. You really lose any sense of the narrative when you have that many players. We have one of those cubed Ikea shelves, three cubbies of which are now filled with board games. I'm starting to think we might need to get rid of a few... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted March 25, 2014 Well, I received my print-and-play commission of the 1979 Dune board game from this guy today and my feelings are... mixed. Some components (the unit counters, the cards) are shockingly beautiful, well-made and overall of high quality. Others (the board, the combat dials, the rulebook) are something I could have done given half an hour in our media lab. I'm looking for ways to improve the latter, with proper linchpins for the dials and a cloth-tape backing for the board, but all in all it's been a very qualified success for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites