Flexor the Mighty! said:
I really need to get some more boardgames. Anything you suggest?
A good place to start is with the top 50 list (and beyond) at boardgamegeek.com
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browser.php?itemtype=game&sortby=rank
It really depends on what sort of game you want; there are so many now - for different ages, styles and groups...
Here's the top 20 at BGG at present, and a few comments on them:
#1: Puerto Rico - a fairly "heavy" eurogame for 3-5 players, playable in about 90-120 minutes. You're planting plantations and building up the town of San Juan, whilst trying to ship as much produce back to the Old World as possible.
#2: Tigris & Euphrates - one of my favourite Eurogames. 3-4 players, playable in 60-90 minutes. You attempt to build balanced kingdoms of farmers, traders, priests and nobles, but you've got to guard yourself against external invasion or internal revolts. Really good fun.
#3: Power Grid - You're an electricity company, trying to supply more cities with power than your competitors! Sounds stupid, but it works and is a good game.
2-6 players (best with 3-5), and fairly heavy Eurogame: you're balancing your limited money against getting new powerplants, buying resources to power them (coal, oil, garbage and uranium), and paying connection fees to new cities. 90-120 minutes.
#4: Caylus - Probably my favourite Eurogame. You're building the castle of King Philip of France, and also the town down below. The town provides the squares of the board that you can place your workers on - but because there's only one worker allowed/square, you've got to get the resources you need before your opponents! A pretty heavy Eurogame for 2-5 players (best with 2-4). 90-120 minutes.
#5: Twilight Struggle - A really great 2-player game. Uses card, dice and a board showing the world. It's the Cold War, and the two powers, the USSR and the USA are trying to gain dominance over the world. Each player has a hand of 8 cards that depict various events that occurred in the Cold War, and attempt to use them in a manner that gives you dominance over the world and not your rival... but don't start World War 3! 120-180 minutes. (This is the first "wargame" on the list).
#6: El Grande - back to the Eurogames. This game is best with 5 players (allegedly 2-5), and concerns the players trying to dominate Spain. There are three scoring rounds, in which whoever has the most nobles in each province scores for that province (lesser points awarded for 2nd and 3rd place). Each turn allows you to place nobles in provinces, as well as choose one special action... Medium-weight Eurogame, 60-90 minutes.
#7: The Princes of Florence - A rather heavy Eurogame: you're a merchant prince of Florence, trying to build the best palace you can, and hire the best artisans of the time to decorate it. 3-5 players, 60-90 minutes.
#8: BattleLore - Fantasy-themed 2-player wargame with lots of miniature figures. Plays in about 30 minutes/scenario, and is pretty light and suitable for casual players. I haven't played much of this yet, instead being enamoured of its WW2 cousin,
Memoir' 44.
#9: Die Macher - Incredibly heavy Eurogame where you simulate seven political campaigns in Germany. 3-5 players, best with 4 or 5, and takes 3-5 hours! I've only played this once, and it was great brain-melting fun.
#10: Shogun - I'm yet to play this; it's a Euro-themed wargame. You're trying to dominate feudal Japan. 3-5 players, 2 hours.
#11: Age of Steam - Currently out of print (alas), this is a very good railroad game. I haven't played it due to its OOP status.
#12: War of the Ring - Fantastic 2-player wargame that really does the breadth of the Lord of the Rings story really well. Sauron wants to conquer the world; the Free Peoples just want to hold him off long enough for the Ringbearer to complete his quest. Can be played by 3 or 4 players, but best with 2. Takes 2-4 hours. (Our games are normally 2.5 hours, but can go longer).
#13: Commands & Colors: Ancients - Basically the same system as BattleLore: a card-based wargame, but themed for ancient times (Carthage vs. Rome). Excellent game, playable in about 30-45 minutes per scenario. Uses wooden blocks rather than miniatures.
#14: Ra - The first of the lighter Eurogames on the list, and pretty good for families. It's an auction game, where you bid on lots of Pharoahs, Monoliths, Civilisations, Farms, Floods, Gold and God tiles. At the end of each of the three epochs, you score based on how good your sets are. 30-45 minutes to play, 3-5 players. I really like this game.
#15: Goa - You're in the spice islands, building up your plantations there. It's a rather charming strategy-based Eurogame. Medium-heavy; 2-4 players, and about 1 hour.
#16: Paths of Glory - Haven't played this yet; 2-player WW1 wargame.
#17: Wallenstein - The predecessor to Shogun, using many similar mechanisms. Currently OOP, and I don't know much about it.
#18: Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage - A highly regarded wargame, soon to be reprinted. Don't know much about it.
#19: Railroad Tycoon - The successor to Age of Steam. I've played this a few times, and it's a really great railroad game where you connect cities, deliver goods, and attempt to complete various missions. 2-6 players, about 2-3 hours.
#20: Go - The classic Chinese strategy game.
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Turning aside from the Top 20 list, my own favourite games include...
Colosseum - 3-5 players (90 minutes) hold great events at the Roman Colosseum, attempting to produce the event that the most people come to see!
Ticket to Ride: Europe - 2-5 players (60 minutes) attempt to connect routes across Europe (or the US, or Germany, in other versions of the game) by collecting sets of cards. An excellent family game.
The Settlers of Catan - 3-4 players (60 minutes) build settlements, roads and cities on the island of Catan, collecting resources and trading with their opponents. A good family game.
Carcassonne - 2-5 players (30-45 minutes). A tile-laying game with cities, cloisters, roads and farms. Claim a feature by placing your piece (meeple) on it, and score more points the bigger the city or road is! Very good family game.
You can see some of the games I've been playing recently here:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/profile.php?action=gamesplayed&username=MerricB&month=07&year=2007
Cheers!
I'm not that negative, but I could see it happening - and yeah I'll be one of the weirdos still playing.
