Board Game Suggestions!

[JiffyPopTart]

The best game I have played in, well probably years, has been Battlestar Galactica.

You can't really play with 2 players, but with 3 or more the game is great.

Some good points recommending it...
1. The game is cooperative, however one or more players are secret "bad guys" trying to lose the game for the team. The mechanics of how the game works makes it so a LOT can be done to bushwhack the team without making it obvious who you are.
2. The length of the game is not determined by the number of players.
3. There is a lot to do even if its not your turn. In fact, in our games usually what you do on your turn is to let someone else go twice.
4. Due to randomness of card decks, the game plays out differently each time. I have played in some games where we had 3 pilots and enemy ships rarely showed their heads. I have played other games where enemy ships filled the skies and blew us up.
5. You don't have to have watched the show to enjoy the game, although it will probably make you go watch the show if you become a fan of the game.

Some bad points against it...
1. The game takes about 3 hours to play though assuming everyone is fairly relaxed and having a good time. You could blitz through and finish quicker if the good guys die quickly or if everyone plays very quickly with little table talk (but what fun is that?).
2. If you aren't good at picking up social clues on your radar (like myself) it can be very hard to track down the hidden cylons amongst the players. I have only been CERTAIN once in all my playthroughs who the cylon was, and that's because my sister-in-law wasn't even remotely transparent about it.

DS

 

[John Crichton]

BSG is an excellent game but I didn't list it due to the OP's liking for quicker type games. That one is far from it. The first few playthoughs are going to be about 4 hours. Also, it really needs at least 4 people to be really fun. Even better if you have all 6.

 

[Woas]

Anyone have thoughts on the game Small World?

 

[Thanee]

That's also a very good game and well worth it.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Ssadral]

I know you said that War games are not the top of your list but... I'd feel remiss if I didn't suggest this one.

Take a look at Memoir '44.

It is a 2 player game, the rules are easy to pick up and they supply *cheat* cards to help you remember things like what terrain does amongst other important information. With the cards you never need to look at the rule book again.

It is a scenario game and for a war game it runs fast. Though it comes with limited scenarios, I can confidently say that no scenario plays out the same way.

But, you can go online and there are plenty other scenarios from both fans and Days of Wonder that will have you blowing things up for a very long time.

There are a number of expansions for the game, but it is one of the few games that plays just as well without the expansions and you really never need to buy them unless you want to play specific armies. (The original is Allies vs. Germans) The expansions bring in other countries and new scenarios specific to those countries.

I have the Eastern Front expansion and it brings in the Russians, but also has scenarios for the Russian, Finnish war.

You can buy another set and play a 4 man game, but I have never tried that so I am uncertain how much fun that would be.

Great, great game and you do not need to know the history of any of the battles or even be a history buff to enjoy this game to the fullest.

 

[Aran Thule]

I will also put my vote in for two of the games mentioned above.
Battlestar is very good but can take a long time to play if you are unsure of the rules.
Pandemic takes around an hour and is a nice co op game.
I have played a friends version twice on easy and won but it was a close thing, the balance is suprisingly well thought out.

 

[Mark]

I know you said that War games are not the top of your list but... I'd feel remiss if I didn't suggest this one.

Take a look at Memoir '44.

It is a 2 player game, the rules are easy to pick up and they supply *cheat* cards to help you remember things like what terrain does amongst other important information. With the cards you never need to look at the rule book again.

It is a scenario game and for a war game it runs fast. Though it comes with limited scenarios, I can confidently say that no scenario plays out the same way.

But, you can go online and there are plenty other scenarios from both fans and Days of Wonder that will have you blowing things up for a very long time.

There are a number of expansions for the game, but it is one of the few games that plays just as well without the expansions and you really never need to buy them unless you want to play specific armies. (The original is Allies vs. Germans) The expansions bring in other countries and new scenarios specific to those countries.

I have the Eastern Front expansion and it brings in the Russians, but also has scenarios for the Russian, Finnish war.

You can buy another set and play a 4 man game, but I have never tried that so I am uncertain how much fun that would be.

Great, great game and you do not need to know the history of any of the battles or even be a history buff to enjoy this game to the fullest.

BattleLore is a essentially a fantasy ministures boardgame that works off the same game mechanics as Memoir '44. I've enjoyed it, it has much depth to it and a bunch of expansions available, too.

BattleLore | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

 

[Ssadral]

BattleLore is a essentially a fantasy ministures boardgame that works off the same game mechanics as Memoir '44. I've enjoyed it, it has much depth to it and a bunch of expansions available, too.

BattleLore | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Thanks for the heads up. Memoir '44 is one of my favourite games and I certainly wouldn't mind translating that to a fantasy setting. I'll give it a go.

 

[dreamchaser214]

Cranium, Apples to Apples, and Scattegories are included in my list especially when there are lots of people around. I really liked the variety of Cranium, but it's also one of those "fun only if you're playing with the right group" kind of games.

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wildgames coupon code

 

[Thanee]

Here are two more suggestions...

Agricola (havn't played this myself, yet, but it is said to be very good)

Race for the Galaxy (got that last week and played it for the first time on the weekend; very cool game, though it takes a few moments to get used to the iconography... it's quite confusing at first It's similar to Puerto Rico and San Juan in many aspects)

Bye
Thanee