[OT] Board Game suggestions?
- Thread starter Furn_Darkside
- Start date
Don't know if anyone else has suggested this (haven't read the whole thread yet, sorry 
), but my group has had a lot of fun with a card game called Apples to Apples. The rules are so incredibly simple that they're not even worth typing up, but the game moves really fast and is a TON of fun if your group is pretty clever (gets pretty funny too). However, A to A works best with about 5-8 players, so your group may be a bit small for it. 
), but my group has had a lot of fun with a card game called Apples to Apples. The rules are so incredibly simple that they're not even worth typing up, but the game moves really fast and is a TON of fun if your group is pretty clever (gets pretty funny too). However, A to A works best with about 5-8 players, so your group may be a bit small for it. bozzutoman
First Post
Boardgames my group plays:
Boggle
Shuffle a box of lettered dice; make words.
A great filler while waiting for players. Keeps your brain sharp.
Civilization/Advanced Civilization
Grow a culture from the roots.
Long, but entertaining. The Western Extension Map adds some interesting options.
History of the World
Become a great civilization over eight epochs.
Extremely fun.
Junta
Become a power-broker in the Republica de Los Bananas.
Wonderful fun. Scheming and backstabbing in a game where cheating is not only legal... it's encouraged!
Merchant of Venus
Discover races; buy low, sell high.
An old Avalon Hill game. Long set-up/clean-up due to lots of counters, but well worth it. Very fun.
RoboRally
Racing robots in a factory full of danger.
Fun and frenzy all in one game. Plenty of expansions and variants to keep it fresh.
Scrabble
A tried and true game.
The perfect tool to sharpen your Craft: Word skill.
Settlers/Seafarers of Catan
Build settlements; trade resources; expand.
A fun game, but can be very frustrating. It's fairly easy to get blocked into a "corner" preventing growth. You wind up spending most of the game pulling your crank, watching others have fun. Haven't tried the Cities expansion though.
Starfarers of Catan
Build colonies; trade resources; expand.
Better design than Settlers, but still a bit frustrating due to the overwhelming reliance on luck. Forget about the expansion unless you modify the unbalancing Traveller's power cards.
Thieves of Baghdad (german: Die Diebe von Bagdad)
Move merchants around trying to gather gems for the Caliph.
Fast, fun and simple. Only played it a few times... not sure about how long the novelty will hold up.
Zombies!!!
Beer & pretzels, brain-eating fun. Variants and home-rules are the best part... aside from the pile of plastic zombies which are just plain bitchen. We merged elements of Dawn of the Dead for extreme zombie madness.
Boggle
Shuffle a box of lettered dice; make words.
A great filler while waiting for players. Keeps your brain sharp.
Civilization/Advanced Civilization
Grow a culture from the roots.
Long, but entertaining. The Western Extension Map adds some interesting options.
History of the World
Become a great civilization over eight epochs.
Extremely fun.
Junta
Become a power-broker in the Republica de Los Bananas.
Wonderful fun. Scheming and backstabbing in a game where cheating is not only legal... it's encouraged!
Merchant of Venus
Discover races; buy low, sell high.
An old Avalon Hill game. Long set-up/clean-up due to lots of counters, but well worth it. Very fun.
RoboRally
Racing robots in a factory full of danger.
Fun and frenzy all in one game. Plenty of expansions and variants to keep it fresh.
Scrabble
A tried and true game.
The perfect tool to sharpen your Craft: Word skill.
Settlers/Seafarers of Catan
Build settlements; trade resources; expand.
A fun game, but can be very frustrating. It's fairly easy to get blocked into a "corner" preventing growth. You wind up spending most of the game pulling your crank, watching others have fun. Haven't tried the Cities expansion though.
Starfarers of Catan
Build colonies; trade resources; expand.
Better design than Settlers, but still a bit frustrating due to the overwhelming reliance on luck. Forget about the expansion unless you modify the unbalancing Traveller's power cards.
Thieves of Baghdad (german: Die Diebe von Bagdad)
Move merchants around trying to gather gems for the Caliph.
Fast, fun and simple. Only played it a few times... not sure about how long the novelty will hold up.
Zombies!!!
Beer & pretzels, brain-eating fun. Variants and home-rules are the best part... aside from the pile of plastic zombies which are just plain bitchen. We merged elements of Dawn of the Dead for extreme zombie madness.
Last edited:
scadgrad
First Post
Board Game Lovers Unite!
We play a lot of board games in our group, especially when we have big get togethers with wives & other non-rpgers. Here are some recommendations:
Settlers with the Seafairer expansion & 5-6 player expansion
Great resource management game, easy to learn & very enjoyable.
Kill Dr Lucky
Hilarious & easy to play Cheapass Game. Think Clue BEFORE the murder.
Ebola Monkey Hunt 3E
Extremely funny Placebo Press game, very affordable & a big hit with our group.
Medici
Another fave of the group, especially my wife. 3 days of bidding & tactics as a 16th century Italian merchant. A great game. Probably the best 3 person game in the bunch.
Advanced Civilization
Very long & time consuming, but perhaps the best board game ever IMO. Unless your a junky for WWII, Civ is greatly superior to A&A. A completely immersive board game.
Talisman
A Classic. Nothing quite like the Chaos Bloodbath version.
Cranium
Call it the Liberal Arts Board Game. Great for big groups.
Guillotine
Not a board game, but a lot of fun. Quick playing card game that's lots of laughs.
Family Business
Another great card game.
Enjoy!
We play a lot of board games in our group, especially when we have big get togethers with wives & other non-rpgers. Here are some recommendations:
Settlers with the Seafairer expansion & 5-6 player expansion
Great resource management game, easy to learn & very enjoyable.
Kill Dr Lucky
Hilarious & easy to play Cheapass Game. Think Clue BEFORE the murder.
Ebola Monkey Hunt 3E
Extremely funny Placebo Press game, very affordable & a big hit with our group.
Medici
Another fave of the group, especially my wife. 3 days of bidding & tactics as a 16th century Italian merchant. A great game. Probably the best 3 person game in the bunch.
Advanced Civilization
Very long & time consuming, but perhaps the best board game ever IMO. Unless your a junky for WWII, Civ is greatly superior to A&A. A completely immersive board game.
Talisman
A Classic. Nothing quite like the Chaos Bloodbath version.
Cranium
Call it the Liberal Arts Board Game. Great for big groups.
Guillotine
Not a board game, but a lot of fun. Quick playing card game that's lots of laughs.
Family Business
Another great card game.
Enjoy!
Dingleberry
First Post
I wholeheartedly second (third, whatever) Cheap Ass Games - personal favorite is "Give Me the Brain".
If you can find it, I also recommend "Nuclear Escalation" from Flying Buffalo.
If you can find it, I also recommend "Nuclear Escalation" from Flying Buffalo.
Broken Fang
First Post
My daughters (6 and 2) like:
Candy Land
Chutes and Ladders
Parcheese
Sorry
Monopoly
I have to agre with them but I really HATE Chutes & Ladders...damn chutes!
Candy Land
Chutes and Ladders
Parcheese
Sorry
Monopoly
I have to agre with them but I really HATE Chutes & Ladders...damn chutes!
reapersaurus
Explorer
Furn:
do you think your group would like a complex, rules-based game?
or a more easygoing, rules-lite one?
How long would you like the game to last?
Those are 2 easy criteria by which to really help narrow down a search for board games.
As for Settlers::
I really don't get the recommendations by so many people to everyone, regardless of background.
I am an avid board gamer, and I really don't see the draw.
I guess it's not too long, and doesn't have too complex of rules, and I have only played it once, but there really is a lack of interesting strategy.
You plop your 2 pieces down and then hope for your die rolls to show up.
It's just a variant on craps.
The likelihood that luck will determine, or more importantly, that one or more players will be twiddling their thumbs waiting for it to end, is much too high for my tastes.
do you think your group would like a complex, rules-based game?
or a more easygoing, rules-lite one?
How long would you like the game to last?
Those are 2 easy criteria by which to really help narrow down a search for board games.
As for Settlers::
I really don't get the recommendations by so many people to everyone, regardless of background.
I am an avid board gamer, and I really don't see the draw.
I guess it's not too long, and doesn't have too complex of rules, and I have only played it once, but there really is a lack of interesting strategy.
You plop your 2 pieces down and then hope for your die rolls to show up.
It's just a variant on craps.
The likelihood that luck will determine, or more importantly, that one or more players will be twiddling their thumbs waiting for it to end, is much too high for my tastes.
John Crichton
First Post
Board Games that Rule...
Most of these will be repeats from previous posts but can serve as further proof of their fun...
Risk & Castle Risk (OOP)
Classic game. Try playing the varients, they can be fun.
History of the World
If you dug Risk but are a bit tired of it, try this. Fun stuff, even for history buffs.
Warhammer Quest (OOP) - referred to as Dungeon Quest somewhere else -
This game can take forever to play and there is plenty of dying, but it makes taking a dungeon that much more satisfying.
RoboRally
I have this game and one of the expansions. Fun stuff, but can give a brain cramp or 2....
Acquire
One of the easiest games to learn and hardest to master I have played yet.
Cosmic Encounter
I adore this game. Best played with 4 players, but 3 is do-able.
Nuclear War/Nuclear Proliferation (OOP?)
Quick and dirty fun.
UNO
Classic!!!
Whodunit (OOP I think)
More cerebral than Clue and good fun.
Most of the OOP stuff can be found on ebay or garage sales.....
Most of these will be repeats from previous posts but can serve as further proof of their fun...
Risk & Castle Risk (OOP)
Classic game. Try playing the varients, they can be fun.
History of the World
If you dug Risk but are a bit tired of it, try this. Fun stuff, even for history buffs.
Warhammer Quest (OOP) - referred to as Dungeon Quest somewhere else -
This game can take forever to play and there is plenty of dying, but it makes taking a dungeon that much more satisfying.
RoboRally
I have this game and one of the expansions. Fun stuff, but can give a brain cramp or 2....
Acquire
One of the easiest games to learn and hardest to master I have played yet.
Cosmic Encounter
I adore this game. Best played with 4 players, but 3 is do-able.
Nuclear War/Nuclear Proliferation (OOP?)
Quick and dirty fun.
UNO
Classic!!!
Whodunit (OOP I think)
More cerebral than Clue and good fun.
Most of the OOP stuff can be found on ebay or garage sales.....
Last edited:
Fast Learner
First Post
Settlers has tons of tactics and some strategy. Yes, there is an element of luck, a bit more than I like, but you can't win by hoping "for your die rolls to show up" unless you're playing against lousy players. If you've only played it once, it's not suprising that you haven't seen the strategies.
That said, there are many board games that are much better. Some of the best are Puerto Rico, Tikal, Elfenland, Carcassonne, and Cosmic Encounter.
If you prefer light "family game" types of games, go with Bohnanza, Apples to Apples, and Frank's Zoo.
That said, there are many board games that are much better. Some of the best are Puerto Rico, Tikal, Elfenland, Carcassonne, and Cosmic Encounter.
If you prefer light "family game" types of games, go with Bohnanza, Apples to Apples, and Frank's Zoo.
Chun-tzu
First Post
Scribe Ineti said:
Oooh! Oooh! Eurorails is an awesome game! (The others in the series are pretty much the same but use different maps. Eurorails is the one I actually have played and own.)
In Eurorails, each player builds competing railway companies (in this case, in Europe). You pick and choose between assignments to carry goods or services from one city to another. The longer the trip and the rarer the cargo, the more money you make. However, you have to spend money to build tracks all over Europe. The winner is the first one to reach a certain amount of money.
Like most good games, you need a combination of luck and strategy to win. There's a bit of a learning curve at first, but it's actually very simple once you get the hang of it. The games are long (4+ hours or so, worth a good gaming session or two). But by the second time I played it, I was hooked.
The freaky part is, the game is actually educational. A few games of Eurorails, and I guarantee you'll know more about what goods these cities and countries export than when you started (at least, if you're American and not a geography specialist).
Similar Threads
