The (board)games we play...

[Mysterious Sue]

I wanted to start an alrernative topic to the computer gaming thread. I've no idea if anyone else on CF is interested. More likely this topic will quickly fall off a cliff but here goes anyway...

So board gaming is something I've been getting into recently through my non-coaster friends. In general I prefer the tactile nature and sociability they encourage over the individual experience of computer games. This weekend I visited the annual Spielfair in Essen, Germany. Basically a huge expo for games companies that attracts about 150 thousand people over 4 days. For the uninitiated, Germany is the HOME of boardgaming (or at least the point scoring 'Eurogame' genre. The US tends to produce more lengthy and tacticle war games). Spielfair was a LOT of fun and I spent way too much. I'll put some photos at the end of this post but for now I thought I'd start with a list of some of my favourite games to get the discussion going and later review the games I bought at Essen as I play them. I'm still getting into this so my choices are fairly limited but I'm open to suggestions of new things to play

Like my coasters, I love thematic and story-based games.

Settlers of Catan - A really simple and classic game that's always fun to play. You use resources like wood and sheep to buy roads and cities. The best parts are screwing over your friends by blocking their roads and shouting 'I need wood, will anyone give me wood?' (as made famous by The Big Bang Theory).

Ticket to Ride - Another classic with brilliant artwork. You buy and add trains to set railway lines across a map (you can get Europe or the US or fab historical maps which I always use). Again, screw your friends by buying up the lines you think they need.

Formula D - as close a recreation of a Formula 1 race as a board game can give. I have the Monaco board but there are lots of others (including the Nurburgring). You play with little plastic F1 cars and change gears (role different dice) to speed up and slow down and have to time your entry to corners perfectly. You loose points for wear to brakes and gear changes and damage, you have to pit stop, there's a chance your engine might explode, crashes affect that bit of track for the rest of the game, rain can happen and you can utilise slip streaming. It's so fably realistic yet somehow not overcomplicated. Sadly the game's now out of print.

Alhambra - Build your own 9th century Spanish palace room by room (according to the strict building regs) and stop others getting the rooms they need. I love that you never know when the game will end as it changes every time you play.

Game Of Thrones- I don't usually like 5 hour long fighting games but GoTs is very good at keeping your interest, plus I love the books and HBO show. I play this with people from my office once a month or so when the show's on and it's so cut throat. We decide who plays which house a week before and Tyrell brings the crisps and Martell the booze! I also really like the 2 player card game version.

Steam Park - I love the company that make this game Cranio Creations. The stories and the artwork are top notch. This game lets you build a steam punk amusement park to be visited by robots where you buy in coal-powered coasters, dark rides and game stalls. You pay with the dirt that you dig up to build your attractions. Never get bored of this.

Temple Run - A 10 minute filler game that has its own audio. Based on Indiana Jones you have to frantically roll dice to get round a collapsing temple, finding gems and rescuing each other before the roof caves in. So much shouting and dice flying everywhere!

Dix-It - the most beautiful and strange game I've ever played. All you have are some really surreal picture cards and a counter and you have to bluff what you have on the card so that neither all or none of the other players guess which card it is. Easier to play than to explain. It just looks gorgeous.

Survive - Save all your guys from a sinking island, avoiding the whales and sharks and sea monsters controlled by the other players.

Jamaica - A pirate racing game where you have to be the first to get your ship home while getting all the treasure and food and fighting off your enemies. Sneakily give people the cursed treasure. Only to be played with the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack on.

Pandemic - I don't normally like cooperative games as I'm too competitive but this one is very good. Your team have to beat the board by stopping a global infection spreading. You have to contain it, stop the out breaks and find a cure.

King of Tokyo - Quick dice-based game where you play a giant monster that tramples Tokyo and fight off other monsters.


So Essen was fab. People came from all over the world, there was lots of hilarious cosplay stuff, loads of games and silly things you could join in with (giant versions of Subbuteo, Scalextric and bouncy balls, sand pits, confetti cannons) and just lots and lots of people playing board games.

 

[furie]

I love board games and I'm with you that I prefer slightly faster games.

Many years ago, when I was a student, I used to go to a place called Spirit Games in Burton on Trent. It's a role playing/table top gaming shop.

Every Tuesday they had an evening in a pub in Burton. There were a few tables of regular role-playing games on, but Phil and Sally (owners of Spirit) would bring a selection of their own personal stash of board games down. It was a long time ago, so I can't remember many, but there was a superb race one (not as complex as the Formula 1 one you mention) and Balloon Race (a cut throat game of getting your balloon to the end of a path) that stick in my mind.

I also bought my Dad "Bus Boss" which is a bus version of Ticket to Ride (my Dad has been a bus driver forever, so it was like Ian forever getting maze paraphernalia now).

As a young teen I loved Space Hulk and Dark Future by Games Workshop. I never got into their full blown war games, but these mini games I found suited me.

Space Hulk is just like Aliens - tight corridors, aliens everywhere and very little chance to survive.

Dark Future was a rolling Mad Max-esque car combat game. You rolled to see what was coming up next, straights, curves (soft and tight), potholes, barriers, etc. Then your cars had full loadouts of weapons to take down you opponent. I loved that game. I think Steve Jackson (or Ian Livingstone) did Car Wars which was a smaller version first, but it was a little over-ruled for my liking. I prefer simple where possible.

When I started at uni (prior to the Burton Trips), I got into Space Crusade and Hero Quest (MBs version of the Games Workshop stuff) and we still play Hero Quest today as a family every so often. They're single board games with changing room layouts based on bits of cardboard you put down. It's great walking into a room expecting a goblin and finding a huge monster that rips you apart Simple mechanics, but great fun.

Speaking of Aliens (well, I did above), there was a fantastic Aliens board game a friend had. It was brutal. It was split into several scenes taken from the film and you basically had to just reach an objective while all your players got murdered around you by the incessant Aliens.
The best bit was the "let's eat Burke" section. If Carter Burke had survived that far, he ended up in a locked room that none of the other survivors could get into (they had to go into the ventilation shafts to get killed). Every turn you rolled a die for him, and if it was a six - he got eaten. He never escaped, you just kept on rolling to see when he got eaten

I got into Battle Tech, which remains one of my favourite table top wargames. I love the violence of it all. Nothing beats huge robots blowing the crap out of each other. I've still got my Battle Tech set with a load of hand painted (by me) lead miniatures.

With the family, we have loads of board games - the kids tend to get them for Christmas

I've got a very nice Pirates of the Caribbean game which is a simple, but busy, collect a return type of game. We've got a cool Nightmare Before Christmas game too, but that's more style than game play sadly

My favourite is Game of Life. I recently picked up a 1980's version of it from the local charity shop for 50p MMF loves it too. I like simple games that rely on luck as it means nobody can accuse you of being too competitive (not that it's an accusation ever levelled at me ).

My current obsession is Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures:
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_ ... p?eidm=174

I've built myself a a huge, folding board with a soft, friction free surface to play it on. It's one of those games that is infinitely complex, but quick to pick up, fast and full of action.

It looks like I'm more war game than board game, but I do love board games as much

I've also dabbled with card games. I was one of the first people to own a Magic deck (I found it tedious and sold it for a fortune as it was first edition). I used to play the White Wolf (World of Darkness) Vampire and Werewolf card games regularly and now I play Pokemon with MMF (He has a really powerful Fire deck which he regularly batters me with - serves me right for building him a stunning Fire deck :lol: ).

I like normal playing card games too -from Chase the Ace to Rummy to Texas Hold'em.

I'm with you Sue, I love the physical interaction with the stuff. I love opening the box and the preparation, handling the pieces and the tactile nature of it all. I like the fact that it paces on the terms of you and the other players. You're all in control and drive the way the game plays rather than a computer. I also love that it's much more personal. It may be an iron, dog or shoe avatar on that Monopoly board (or R2D2, Darth Vader or Luke on my Star Wars set ), but the hatred is towards that smug bastard buying up Mayfair opposite you...

If you ever want to go to something over here, I heartily recommend Spirit Games' run Beer and Pretzels in Burton:
https://www.spiritgames.co.uk/articles. ... 1&arti=163

It's just a weekend of beer, pretzels and board games

 

[Mysterious Sue]

That's great, I've played some of those before but there's some there I've never heard of.

My friends used to play Games Workshop stuff when they were younger and still get them out from time to time. I've played a few things (Space Hulk for example), but I'm not a huge fan of fantasy genres or dungeon crawling set-ups. The figures are always fun (I like the creative/painting side to them), but I find the game mechanics a bit stilted.

Dark Future looks fab though, if just for the car concept! I reckon I might check that out at some stage.

I've heard of the Alien game but never played it. It sounds epically brutal! But seeing as how my friends can't play Catan without a tantrum I reckon that one would end in WW3!

I've played a bit of X-Wing (and the Star Treck version Attack Wing). They're quite fun and I love the huge surface you end up playing on - we have a huge star map. It's not the sort of thing I usually go for but not being confined to a small board can be great fun. Very expensive hobby that one though, having to buy all the ships.

With you on Magic though. Someone at work plays it A LOT and has tried to get me into it on several occasions. It's so mind-numbingly tedious, I hate it. I don't mind light card games. I mentioned the GoTs one which I like. Smash-up is quite good where you play with two types of deck, say zombies and pirates. Have you ever played Gloom? That's a fab little game where you have a family (imagine the Adam's Family sort of thing) and have to make them as depressed as possible.

There's a board-game cafe opening up in Hackney next month, funded from kick starter. I might check that out, if I can get though the hipsters!

Anyway, thanks. I'm just glad I got at least one answer to this post

 

[furie]

My friends used to play Games Workshop stuff when they were younger and still get them out from time to time. I've played a few things (Space Hulk for example), but I'm not a huge fan of fantasy genres or dungeon crawling set-ups. The figures are always fun (I like the creative/painting side to them), but I find the game mechanics a bit stilted.

Yeah, I always found the painting more fun, but they were good for like a quick mission every so often. Not games you can play often and for long periods. Hero Quest is great for the family though as it appeals across the age groups. I see them as more Dungeons and Dragons lite than a board game I guess

Dark Future looks fab though, if just for the car concept! I reckon I might check that out at some stage.

I've seen some kicking around on eBay - I think it was probably quite simplistic, but I kind of like no-brain shoot things

I've heard of the Alien game but never played it. It sounds epically brutal! But seeing as how my friends can't play Catan without a tantrum I reckon that one would end in WW3!

I'll have to check out Catan then

I think it worked because it was just like the film - everyone just dies constantly. It doesn't matter how strategically you play it, you're constantly overwhelmed and people die. There's no real malice, just desperation :lol:

I've played a bit of X-Wing (and the Star Trek version Attack Wing). They're quite fun and I love the huge surface you end up playing on - we have a huge star map. It's not the sort of thing I usually go for but not being confined to a small board can be great fun. Very expensive hobby that one though, having to buy all the ships.

Yeah, that's the biggest issue - the cost. I tend to buy an expansion for each side every two or three months (I've only had it four months, but that's the plan ). Having a tight(ish) space makes it pretty fast, and the fighters don't take much damage so it's good for 10or 20minute spells.

With you on Magic though. Someone at work plays it A LOT and has tried to get me into it on several occasions. It's so mind-numbingly tedious, I hate it. I don't mind light card games. I mentioned the GoTs one which I like. Smash-up is quite good where you play with two types of deck, say zombies and pirates. Have you ever played Gloom? That's a fab little game where you have a family (imagine the Adam's Family sort of thing) and have to make them as depressed as possible.

Gloom sounds good, I'll look out for it. Will look at Smash-Up too.

If you can ever find it, take a look at Grass - it's not only highly amusing, but quite a neat and simple card game to play with a few mates:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/EUROGAMES-EUG20 ... B0006HCA64

There's a board-game cafe opening up in Hackney next month, funded from kick starter. I might check that out, if I can get though the hipsters!

It would be like a hall of mirrors for you, surely?

 

[MouseAT]

I'm a big fan of a board game called Robo Rally. You're dealt cards for programming your robot, and are racing other players' robots around the board, avoiding obstacles (or messing up and crashing into them), pushing other robots around, shooting other robots with lasers and otherwise screwing over other players by damaging their robots. Once robots take damage, they get dealt fewer cards, get parts of their programs stuck, and eventually end up being destroyed.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncb5jjIy1zA[/youtube]

Whilst not strictly board games, I'm a big fan of pen and paper RPGs, which shift the emphasis from boards and game mechanics to focus a bit more on the character you're playing. I've always been a big fan of White Wolf's World of Darkness series of games, and am currently involved in a weekly game of God Machine Chronicles which is now turning into Demon: The Descent. Other great stuff I've played over the years includes Feng Shui (basically a Hong Kong action movie RPG), and Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader, which was amazing fun.

As a young teen I loved [board games] by Games Workshop. I never got into their full blown war games, but these mini games I found suited me.

I still have a soft spot for Warhammer Quest. In its most basic form it was a bit more complex than something like Space Hulk, but it was still fairly straightforward, and designed to work with 1-4 players with fairly clear rules for how the monsters behaved without having to have a dedicated GM to run the game. However, the game shipped with loads of additional rules and content that allowed you to turn it into a full blown RPG if you wanted to go that far. It was a pretty cool concept, and I miss playing it.

In general I prefer the tactile nature and sociability they encourage over the individual experience of computer games.

I still maintain that if you're going to play multiplayer computer games, the best way to do so is to build a network and get all the participants together in one house. A proper LAN party is amazing, but you definitely lose something once a game moves to the Internet.

 

[GuyWithAStick]

Risk <3

I also find The Presidential game quite interesting. It's a somewhat realistic Presidential Campaigning game, and you try and take over all the states. Pretty fab.

Others I like:

Battleship

Apples to Apples( best way to laugh at a party. :lol: )

K'nex Coaster Sets(People have stockpiled enough of certain sets to the point of Leviathan Recreations. I'm serious: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c97OGf-huA4 )

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk

 

[Hutch]

The only time when I play board games is when my entire family is home together at once, which isn't too often. When we're all home, we generally play really intense games of Monopoly, which just tears the family apart. Every game ends up in arguments of who gets what piece and there're tears and yelling and it's fun! :--D It's actually quite hilarious; my siblings and I are all pretty much grown up and mature, but whenever we play these games we all become childish.

We never really play with anyone else, mainly because everyone else plays differently or misjudge a rule. One thing we like to do to speed up the game is play without one dollar bills and round up/down rent with fives dollar bills. We do our best to keep the pacing going and play quickly.

Another game we like to play is Ticket to Ride, but we never call it that. We've always called it "Train Game," and we have the European board. It's another game that leads to more and more arguments. Always fun to block someone else's train or steal their route!

 

[jayjay]

Aw yiss! One of my friends from uni introduced me to European style board games last year and I can safely say I'm a convert. Sue mentioned Settlers of Catan and Pandemic, which are both awesome. Some more that I like:

Hanabi - An ingenious little card game where you work with the other players to build decks of cards (like in Solitaire). The twist is that you hold your cards backwards, so you can see everybody else's cards but not your own. The amount of information you can give about other players' cards is very limited, so you have to start inferring your cards from the actions of other players and working out how to signal to other players to play a certain way.

Taj Mahal - You are an Indian ruler trying to gain power and influence. You do this through a series of auctions by accumulating resources and networks of palaces. It's highly strategic but straightforward to pick up. Lots of bluffing and bidding wars!

Jungle Speed - It's Snap but better. Instead of slapping the pile of cards, you grab the totem in the middle of the table.

 

[Pierre]

There was two board games that took my childhood. Both dinosaur related.

One was Dizzy Dizzy Dinosaur and the other, which is **** awesome, is Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs. I actually really want to play it now.

http://horrorpedia.com/2014/03/30/lost- ... oard-game/

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

I obsess over Monopoly to the point where people won't play it with me most of the time </3

 

[furie]

I'm a big fan of a board game called Robo Rally. You're dealt cards for programming your robot, and are racing other players' robots around the board, avoiding obstacles (or messing up and crashing into them), pushing other robots around, shooting other robots with lasers and otherwise screwing over other players by damaging their robots. Once robots take damage, they get dealt fewer cards, get parts of their programs stuck, and eventually end up being destroyed.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncb5jjIy1zA[/youtube]

The debut of that (pretty sure it was just before the official release) was at a Beer and Pretzels I attended - it was big at the time and there was a friend of Spirit games working for Wizards of the Coast involved somewhere that brought it down. I found it a bit overly complex for my tastes :lol:

Whilst not strictly board games, I'm a big fan of pen and paper RPGs, which shift the emphasis from boards and game mechanics to focus a bit more on the character you're playing. I've always been a big fan of White Wolf's World of Darkness series of games, and am currently involved in a weekly game of God Machine Chronicles which is now turning into Demon: The Descent.

I bought all the new games as they came out up to Changeling and while I only ever played a handful of times in games here and there, I used to write and run massively complex games regularly with several groups. I loved Werewolf as a deep and complex setting and characters (plus I love Werewolves ) - the amount of detailed mythology the creators tapped into is astounding. From all over the world, they pulled up so much historical folklore that it's mind blowing.

However, I loved to write and run games of Wraith. Such a miserable and alternative world - pure Clive Barker on 100 times darker. I'd tend to start the games by having the players discover how/why they had died in a kind "murder mystery" setting (even if it was suicide or an accident) and where possible have them get it completely wrong and exact revenge against innocents

Not kept up with any of this at all since about 1998 though!

the other, which is **** awesome, is Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs. I actually really want to play it now.

[http://www.80spicturehouse.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/LostValleyOfTheDinosaursFeature.jpg/img][/quote]

I always wanted that but we were too poor :( Looked **** awesome!

[quote="LiveForTheLaunch"]I obsess over Monopoly to the point where people won't play it with me most of the time </3[/quote]

Yeah, you're a Monopoly **** - could always tell that about you :P

 

[Hobbes]

When I play board games with my family, it's usually Ticket to Ride, which others have already mentioned. We have the USA map, and its quite a fun game that is easy enough for my younger brothers to play but has enough depth for my parents and I to enjoy. We also play Rummikub, which technically isn't a board game (it uses tiles) but is also a lot of fun.

I often play games with my friends on cold or rainy days, which usually ends up being Clue (if we want something quick) or Risk (if we've got a lot of time to kill).

 

[Lain]

I love tabletop gaming!

Amongst my faves are Munchkin (and variants), Fluxx (and variants), Forbidden Island/Forbidden Desert and Tsuro.

Ticket to Ride is awesome fun as well.

I've never actually played Catan or 7th Wonder, even though they're pretty much considered the go-to European board games. I should really fix that. :lol:

I also recently got a fun little card game called Love Letter, which is ace.

 

[Mysterious Sue]

I had no idea if anyone on CF even liked board/tabletop games! Should have guessed we'd all be geeky in other areas too, lol.
There's some great recommendations in here I'm now itching to try.

Mouse - I've hear loads about Robo Rally, and although it's similar to a dungeon-type game I reckon I'd give that a go. (Also 10 points for linking to the Dice Tower . They were at Essen I believe but we never found them - we did manage to find the Board Game Geek stand, but they were really boring just interviewing people)

Taj Mahal looks right up my street. Another one I've heard of but never played.

I've played Forbidden Island/Forbidden Desert and they are FAB little games. I love the fast pace and the little pieces. As I before, I'm not normally into co-op games, but these are really quick and cute (and very small to store!). Quite similar to Temple run, althogh I like the ridiculousness of that more.

I own Tsuro as well. That's another game that I bought for the gorgeous artwork. I've got the original one because DRAGONS <3. I love that it can be really easy and you can play it with relatives/kids, or play the same game with your friends and be really tactical and mean.

Munchkin I'm not a big fan of, sorry. I guess I'm just not really a card-loving person. It's funny for like 5 minutes and then I'm like, ummm, yeah... Still better than actual Magic though!

And Pierre, that dinosaur game looks amaze! <3

 

[MouseAT]

I loved to write and run games of Wraith. Such a miserable and alternative world - pure Clive Barker on 100 times darker.

I never got exposed to Wraith all that much. By the time I started getting into WoD, the third editions were all being released, and Wraith was the one game that didn't get updated to 3rd edition. It sounded very interesting though, and I love what I hear about the setting. The game did live on in a way though in the form of Orpheus. Basically, the player characters are employees of the Orpheus group, and are able to communicate with the dead, either by being able to astral project or by being dead themselves. I played in a game around a year or so ago, and it's one of the darkest games I've ever played in. Spectres are not fun, and our characters encountered things on a daily basis that would scar people for life.

Then White Wolf decided to actually bring about the Apocalypse/Gehenna/End of the World in the classic game system and reboot the entire game system. New WoD is quite different from the old game system in terms of backstory and meta-plot (or more accurately, lack of meta-plot), but most of the themes that defined the original game remain.

New Werewolf looks quite interesting - It's less about being protectors of nature and more about being guardians of the boundary between the real and spirit worlds. Plus the various half man or half wolf forms are actually quite useful now. What was once Crinos form is now something that you really don't want to use unless the situation is absolutely dire, as the resulting death rage is seriously nasty.

 

[furie]

Wow, third editions? I got as far as Werewolf 2nd ed, but it's a very costly hobby to keep up with and you need the time and friends to make it worthwhile. I got into reenacting and then coaster enthusiasm which ate that dedication

Not sure I'd like to experience it now or not :lol:

I bought Gloom anyway on Sue's recommendation. It's a great game and we all found it highly amusing. I won (apparently I'm competitive ) with a score of -250.

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Hee hee, glad that you liked Gloom. I should of known it'd tickle your dark sense of humour.

 

[BBH]

I'm not much into story-based board games, but Monopoly is fab.

 

[mcgoughchris]

Best board game