Need some Help Picking a Game

[Hussar]

Hrm, tooling around, my eyes are drawn to the game Endeavor. Any opinions? BGGeek says that it has no in game text. I'm not 100% sure if the box I buy has the English rules included. How complicated is this game?

/edit - did my own homework. Their website has a pdf of the English rules. Yay Internet. This one looks about the right language level. That there's no trading is a bit of a put off - it's a pretty competitive game, not so much cooperation. Hrm, the search continues.

 

[Thanee]

If you are looking for cooperative, how about Pandemic?

It also has very little text on the game components and is fully cooperative.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just a thought...

As you continue to play with these people and their skills improve, you might want to ask them to tell you what kind of games they might be interested in trying. And when they make suggestions, necro this thread!

For instance, some might want to try forays into wargames, and a simple game like the venerable O.G.R.E./G.E.V rules are simple and fun. Others might want to try something like Rocketmen, Pirates of the Spanish Main.

Then there are countless collectible minis games. Beyond Chainmail/DDM, or Warhammer there are games from other countries like the French game, Confrontation. I know its been translated into English and Italian...it may be in Japanese.

You may even find them asking to play CCGs like M:tG, or wargames that are a little closer to their homeland's pop culture, like Battletech.

Then there are all kinds of games like Modern Art, Stonehenge, the Arkham games, etc.

As long as you find quality games in the genres they're curious about, you should be OK.

 

[Hussar]

Oh, totally agree.

I just have a few constraints. First, of course, is language issues. Something like the Battletech CCG might be a bit tricky since the language is pretty specific. OTOH, my kids here play the hell out of Yugioh and other CCG's, so, it might be alright for my younger students.

The other is time. Playtimes are going to be a bit longer than usually, simply because of language issues. Catan, for example, even though we've played it a number of times, tends to run about 2-3 hours for us. Something like Shogun, which looks very cool, has a base run time of 3 hours, which probably means about 4-5 for us. That's not going to work.

But, thanks again everyone. Great ideas.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Have you checked out the local gaming scene?

I ask because you may find Japanese analogs of games you're familiar with. Not only might you find a cool new game, but you could use it as a teaching tool for the non-Japanese game.

For instance, if there is a Japanese mecha wargame, you could tell your ESL Battletech players that rule #23 in Battletech is analogous to rule #45 in the Japanese game.

 

[Hussar]

Have you checked out the local gaming scene?

I ask because you may find Japanese analogs of games you're familiar with. Not only might you find a cool new game, but you could use it as a teaching tool for the non-Japanese game.

For instance, if there is a Japanese mecha wargame, you could tell your ESL Battletech players that rule #23 in Battletech is analogous to rule #45 in the Japanese game.

Good idea. Although my Japanese is VERY limited. I'm not sure I could actually play a game in Japanese. And, unfortunately, no FLGS' that I'm aware of in the area. Although, I did just learn that one of my other students is big into board games. I'll have to give her a poke.

 

[MerricB]

Hussar, I just had a thought: see if you can pick up Santiago. The game requires the players to negotiate each turn about where to place the next canal. It's a fairly quick, language-independent game that I've found a lot of fun. (3-5 players, best with 5). Rules are simple, negotation is fun.

Another good language-independent game which is all about the trading is Chinatown.Takes 90-120 minutes, 3-5 players (best with 5). Another fairly simple set of rules but a very, very interesting game.

Cheers!

 

[On Puget Sound]

another vote for pandemic! Simple rules and LOTS of discussion of strategy required each turn. If you want them talking a lot, this is a great one.

 

[MerricB]

another vote for pandemic! Simple rules and LOTS of discussion of strategy required each turn. If you want them talking a lot, this is a great one.

Just a note: Pandemic is *very* prone to the "leader decides all" drawback. I find it nearly unplayable as a result. Instead of discussion, you get one player dictating everyone else's movements.

Cheers!

 

[Flatus Maximus]

How 'bout Diplomacy? Though it can take a looong time to play, it's pretty easy to write down where everything is and pack up until next time. The rules are very very easy to learn, and you spend the entire game negotiating with each other.