Mark CMG said:
Sure. Just asking what everyone thinks, actually, rather than looking for specifics about mechanics. Which do you like best?
D&D.
Actually I'm fairly serious here. When I play board games, I really prefer to play games that are competitive (my favourites are Caylus, Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride: Europe). I enjoy playing Talisman and World of Warcraft. I like Descent even more than those two, but I haven't played it that much. Runebound I find to be an awful, awful game.
Why so? Well, Runebound is a game with a high level of luck - meaningful player decisions are few and far between. As well, I prefer the players to be able to interact, something it doesn't handle.
Talisman, though quite luck-dependent, also has a fair deal of skill in where you move your character and how you interact with the other players. It's what I call a good family game, because skill has an effect, but luck evens it out somewhat. (Games like Chess, Puerto Rico and Caylus have no luck associated with them, save who starts, and are depressing to play between players of greatly differing skill levels).
I really like Descent, but, in the end, it's D&D-lite. You have the dungeon-delving, but without the range of options and experiences that D&D offers. The advantage it has is that you can play it with 2-3 players. D&D with 2-3 players isn't that great.
(A quick count of the boardgames I own reveals about 29; of which 20 I've played this year. My friend Sarah owns a similar number - almost-monthly boardgame days are one of the activities we participate in, in addition to the regular weekly D&D sessions
).
I've recently joined the community at brettspielwelt.de - a german site that allows free play of several board games. (I've been playing Caylus, Settlers of Catan, Thurn und Taxis, and Carcassonne). That's a lot of fun, and I really like the four games I mentioned.
However, I'm happy to play almost any board game. (Monopoly and Snakes & Ladders excluded). I'm currently waiting for the expansion to the World of Warcraft game...
Oh, for the wargamer and Tolkienist, I cannot recommend enough FFG's
War of the Ring game. Brilliant, brilliant wargame. One of the best recreations of the Lord of the Rings I've seen. Definitely my favourite of my fantasy-themed boardgames.
Fast notes:
* World of Warcraft - really wants 6 players, but great with them. 3-4 hours.
* Descent - very good with 2-4 players, so great when the entire group can't get together.
* Talisman - showing its age, but still a fun game, best with 3-6. Avoid 3rd edition
Cheers!
)
