Civilization the Board Game.

[Sixchan]

and who's this CS? a magazine?

thanks for the heads up on it tho...

GS - Gamespot.

Hardly the most reliable place, IMO, but there have also been many bad reviews of PTW as well...

 

[Dinkeldog]

GS - Gamespot.

Hardly the most reliable place, IMO, but there have also been many bad reviews of PTW as well...

First, to be fair, in order to be disappointed about something, you have to have set your expectations high.

On top of which, I've played several games of PTW multiplayer without anything terribly unplayable keeping me away. In reality, the only reason I'm not playing more Civ III right now is Morrowind. Oy. What day is it again?

Next, this is a general one-stop forum, so as long as we're on board games primarily (and not computer games, although I just supported the hijack (Bad dog! No biscuit!)), I'm not going to move this.

Third, I'll back up the Lord of the Rings game for two to five players. I've played with the two expansions and it still holds up great, although with the Friends and Foes expansion, we almost always win or die by the number of bad guys in play and Sauron has such an edge I don't know if it's winnable for the hobbits.

I also have the Civ board game, and the board size is an issue. I don't have a table large enough for it and two dogs, so I'm not going to be playing it much right now. I'll probably drag it to a friend's place and try again later. It isn't really a full-scale Risk game. I played with two other people one time, we were done in about an hour and a half. There's a set limit on when things get done and the game ends based on techs researched.

Guess that's it for now.

 

[WizarDru]

There are lots of games I'd heartily recommend.

Almost anything by Rio Grande Games or Cheap Ass Games are worthy choices. Rio Grande releases games that have very nice pieces, such as Elfenland, which is a good game and a suitable for the whole family. It's nice to see someone releasing games with good, quality construction to them. Cheap Ass' 'Bit'n off Hedz' is still probably one of my favorite games of all time. Dinosaurs racing to be first to throw themselves into a volcano. LOVE IT!

Avalon Hill still exists, but only as a limited house brand for Hasbro. It allows them to release things like the new release of Cosmic Encounter (which I gave a step-nephew for Christmas).

Another game I really enjoy (and I think most D&D players would) is Dragon's Gold. You control an adventuring party, and seek to slay different dragons to capture their hordes. When the dragon is slain, everyone who used a character to kill it has 1 minute to haggle over the treasure. If they can't decide before the hourglass runs out of sand, it's all lost. It makes for a lot of fun with the haggling, and the advanced rules introduce goofy magic items to make play more wacky. Zombies and Frag! are both good games, too.

 

[darklight]

Just before christmas, I got lucky and bought Tigris and Euphrates for less than $10. I had never heard of it, but it looked interesting and was very cheap, so I got it, and i certainly don't regret it. It is one of the best games I've ever played, lots of fun strategy, and since you keep the points hidden, you never really know who's winning 'til the end. Highly recomended, though I have yet to play it with only two players. Could work though.

darklight

 

[Olive]

while talking about old super complicated time consuming don't get too drunk or you'll forget whos go it is games, i'd reallt recomend axis and allies and diplomacy as well...

terribly good fun, and i diplomacy you get to hang out and pretent you're stuffy generals and talk about Britain's historic ties with Germany when you're really just planning to backstad your mates. wicked.

 

[Utrecht]

As far as diplomacy - you may not want to play it with friends......

In fact, here is the web site for the e-mail/web based version. sign up, play a game - granted the games take 6 months, but they are lots of fun!!!! http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch/

Some other games that are fun:

A second vote for Dragon's Gold - nothing like getting people to negotiate or loose it - especially when one person quite clearly has miotiviation to kill the negotiation!!!! However, it is a 3+ person game.

Serranesima (sp) This is about trading in the Mediteranian - some combat, but overall lots of fun!!! I think it plays 2 players.

Win, Place or Show - a Horse Racing Game - it is actually fairly fun - you secretly place bets on horses and role a "dice" that has symbols on it - these symbols then correspond to the movement rates of the various horses. So, you can choose to advance the ones you are betting on alot - or perhaps those that your opponents are a little.

Europa 2030 was interesting - I will need to play it again to see how it feel (I got crushed the first time) It is made by Euro Games who also produces alot of quality stuff.

Illuminati (not the collectible card game) is quite fun and very irreverent - made by Steve Jackson Games.

I have not played Elfenland or Elfengold - but fundamentally they are games based off of the traveling Saleperson problem - how to get the most places in the smallest amount of moves.

A great one that I can not beleive that I forgot - Richochet Robot - You have a robot that is capable of 3 moves - Forward, Move Right or Move Left (but only after encountering a obstacle) You need to move the robot from a to B in the smallest amount of moves.

I am sure that I can come up with more - the bottom line is that you need to get past Wall Mart for game supply.....

 

[KnowTheToe]

All these game names floating around got me thinking about a game I have somewhere in the back of my closet, Wabbit Wampage. It is a hilariously funny game, anyone ever play it.?

 

[Maerdwyn]

When I have six friends around who are too sensitive to play Diplomacy with, we play Illuminati and have a blast

My current favorites:

El Grande - The theme is that you are a noble itrying to consolidate power in Medieval Spain. Good with 2, fantastic with 5, really good with 3 or 4. Consistently takes just about 90 minutes to play. Spiel des Jahres winner.

Tigris and Euphrates - only ever played it with 3-4, but one of my favorites. Echo what was said about it above. 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Acquire - more fun than you'd think a game about merging corporations would have a right to be. Only played it with two after I found it for 50% off at a WOTC store two weeks ago. Ptreety god with two, apparrently a classic with more than that.

EuroRails - the shortest of the Mayfair Train Games.

Tikal - Best with 3 or 4, IMHO. Explore a Meso-American jungle, escavate ruins, and plunder them; then plunder the treasure of the other players who got to the pyramids before you. 2 hours +/-

Famliy Business - Great, quick game of mob war. Lots of backstabbing, but the impact of this can be blunted if you give all your mobsters outrageous accents

Decent games I'd play, but wouldn't purchase again:
Age of Rennaissance - like a slightly shorter, slightly less fun Civilization, but If I've got the time and players for this, I make the time for Civ.
Vinci - build and empire, decide its time for it to crumble, make a new empire. Decent, but just didn't grab me. Poorly written rules.

Games I own but have yet to try:
Puerto Rico
Taj Mahal

Games I love, but haven't played in a long time due to time or player requirements:
Advanced Civilization/Civilization
Diplomacy
Republic of Rome - Only need 2, and I think it's fan-freekin-tastic, but too complicated and to historcally based for my wife, so on the shelf it sits...

 

[Staffan]

while talking about old super complicated time consuming don't get too drunk or you'll forget whos go it is games, i'd reallt recomend axis and allies and diplomacy as well...

Bah.

If you want a complicated game, look no further than Empires in Arms. It's about the Napoleonic Wars, covers 1805-1815, with each turn being a month long. You need to take care of diplomacy (with the other players - France, England, Spain, Prussia, Austria, Turkey and Russia), reinforcements, moving your armies, combat, and economics.
When I was in high school (or the Swedish equivalent), we used to try and play it over the week-long winter break (in February). We never got past 1806, though - generally because by Tuesday it would be going especially bad for someone, and then that person would remember something else he had to do.

 

[KnowTheToe]

Bah.

If you want a complicated game, look no further than Empires in Arms. It's about the Napoleonic Wars, covers 1805-1815, with each turn being a month long. You need to take care of diplomacy (with the other players - France, England, Spain, Prussia, Austria, Turkey and Russia), reinforcements, moving your armies, combat, and economics.
When I was in high school (or the Swedish equivalent), we used to try and play it over the week-long winter break (in February). We never got past 1806, though - generally because by Tuesday it would be going especially bad for someone, and then that person would remember something else he had to do.

A friend bought me that game a few years ago. One look at the massive instruction book and I knew I would never play.