We have now played Hive a few times. Really like it, but still getting the nuances down.
We are enjoying The Game, too. We haven’t gotten all cards placed yet, but get well under 10.
We have now played Hive a few times. Really like it, but still getting the nuances down.
We are enjoying The Game, too. We haven’t gotten all cards placed yet, but get well under 10.
FYI - I don't know if this has already been brought up but the Epic store has the computer-controlled version of Gloomhaven for *free* this week. I just downloaded it so I haven't tried it yet but it looks like a computer-controlled version of the board game with the computer managing all the rules and gameplay, (like the computer version of Talisman does.)
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/ (scroll down to free games)
Quoted from A-1Bogart:Definitely curious to hear what you think of it and how your first game plays out. I think there's eight more endings for us to unlock on 'The Cost of Disease' alone. I hope they add a solo mode and support it with new scenarios in the future.
We finally had a chance to get My Father's Work to the table, and we really had a great time with it! We started with the first scenario box and are now wondering whether or not to set up our next play through with that again or try a different scenario.
No glitches in the app (iOS on an iPad Pro), no trouble with the longer written passages. The production quality does make it a fine object to handle, use, and appreciate during the game. We got up to speed in our first game with a "running start" on the rules. Easy.
Quoted from izzymonkey:We finally had a chance to get My Father's Work to the table, and we really had a great time with it! We started with the first scenario box and are now wondering whether or not to set up our next play through with that again or try a different scenario.
No glitches in the app (iOS on an iPad Pro), no trouble with the longer written passages. The production quality does make it a fine object to handle, use, and appreciate during the game. We got up to speed in our first game with a "running start" on the rules. Easy.
That's great! I'm hoping to get it played again either this weekend or next. I think I'm going to run through the same scenario just to see how the differences play out. Plus, there was so much stuff in the scenario box we didn't even touch on our first run through.
Quoted from Azmodeus:Played the new dark tower yesterday. It was good.[quoted image]
Awesome pic
Quoted from Azmodeus:Played the new dark tower yesterday. It was good.[quoted image]
Is this based on the Stephen King fantasy series?
Quoted from Azmodeus:Played the new dark tower yesterday. It was good.
Agreed, it's really good.
Finally starting to see some oft delayed games coming in. Mosaic was a big one we were waiting for but got half way through a game and called it. Took it to the game store and sold before I even left. Hope they have more fun with it. Starting to slim down the collection a bit and getting rid of some games I thought I never would. We have been playing Ark Nova and really like it. Champions of Midgard with all the expansions is a blast as well. Trekking through History is a good light-medium game that everybody loves. Also trying to finish up 10x10 before Frosthaven shows up and dominates a month or two of game sessions.
Anybody try Hall of the Mountain King? I ordered that from Game Steward and see it showing up in shops now.
My family wants to start getting in to board games. What do you all think about Return to Dark Tower? Easy enough to learn how to play for beginners? We would play that game with another couple.
At $200 I’m just wanting to make sure it’s okay as my first modern board game and won’t be so complicated we can’t pick it up with other novice players.
Quoted from Groo:Anybody try Hall of the Mountain King? I ordered that from Game Steward and see it showing up in shops now.
I thought Hall of the Mountain King was great. I actually bought two kickstarter editions and never got around to listing or giving the second copy away. It has an interesting mechanic of resource gathering. I love polynomial placement games too. I thought it was a solid game.
Quoted from TigerLaw:My family wants to start getting in to board games. What do you all think about Return to Dark Tower? Easy enough to learn how to play for beginners? We would play that game with another couple.
At $200 I’m just wanting to make sure it’s okay as my first modern board game and won’t be so complicated we can’t pick it up with other novice players.
Do you or your friends have much experience with board games (aside from monopoly and the likes)? While the app in dark tower does somewhat hold your hand through the entire thing, I don’t think I’d recommend it to those just getting into board games due to price tag, relative complexity compared to beginner games, and it can be punishing.
With that said, the game is bad ass and I strongly recommend the additional miniatures to bring the game even more to life. There’s also another expansion being finalized, so things won’t get boring any time soon.
Friends are also total novices…all four of us nothing more than 80’s games before but want to learn modern board games. What are some good beginner games for us to also buy?
Quoted from TigerLaw:What are some good beginner games for us to also buy?
I think Settlers of Catan or Dominion would be excellent choices, both considered adult board game classics I think.
We just recently purchased Wingspan based on reviews but haven't played it yet, so I can't give a first hand account. Catan and Dominion are both easy to learn, (I assume Wingspan is too based on reviews), and all three have expansion packs available.
Catan (resized).jpgDominion (resized).jpgwing (resized).jpgQuoted from TigerLaw:Friends are also total novices…all four of us nothing more than 80’s games before but want to learn modern board games. What are some good beginner games for us to also buy?
Cockroach Poker - cheap card game that works well with 4 or more people. My new friends get a good laugh and the rules are fairly simple. New people still make mistakes but you laugh and move on
Camel Up - horse racing but with camels. Make short term and long term bets. Easy rules. One action on your turn means the game moves along quickly. Big hit with my noob group.
Sheriff of Nottingham - good beginner game with funny interactions. You take turns being the sheriff. Meanwhile everyone is attempting to bring goods into Nottingham. There are illegal items that are fun to sneak passed the sheriff but don't get caught or you'll pay the fines.
Fake Artist Goes to New York, Modern Art, Parks, Century Spice Road, Coup are some others that come to mind.
I will add.. If your friends actually have a desire to learn a game then you don't have to limit your choice to beginner games. Find a good theme and watch some how to play videos. If you are brave and want what's best, I'd suggest Too Many Bones or Kingdom Death Monster for an all in start to the hobby. Blood Rage might be a hit for you if you're group is eager to jump into modern games.
Quoted from ReadyPO:I think Settlers of Catan or Dominion would be excellent choices, both considered adult board game classics I think.
Will these games help prepare us for the more complex games like Return to Dark Tower?
Every game you play gives you added knowledge of mechanics you haven't seen before and thereby makes learning new games quicker. The problem for me is most people don't care to sit through rules. I like games with short rules explanations for new players.
Catan is good. Dominion has great replay ability with diverse cards.
The bigger reason to not buy Dark Tower right away is you really don't know if you will get it played. You can learn it but will your friends even want to learn it?
Quoted from TigerLaw:Will these games help prepare us for the more complex games like Return to Dark Tower?
What are you and your group looking for in a game? Think theme, cooperative/competitive, complexity, style (euro, dexterity, hidden movement, etc.), and so forth. Without diving into what others mentioned here, majority of the people I game with, new and old, had zero experience in gaming, nor did they think they had any desire to. For these people, it started with party games like Bang, Dixit, Liars Dice, and Pitch Car. For those that started to really enjoy things, I moved them to games like Ticket to Ride (probably the greatest gateway game ever), Clank, Whitechapel, Mysterium, and King of Tokyo (trying to give a good spread on game types here). I will say one game that shocks the hell outta me that beginners surprisingly grasp and enjoy is Dune Imperium.
Anyways, shoot us back with what you're looking for in a game and we can probably narrow things down a bit, as there is a huge variety in the board game market right now. Theme is a big one, so if there is something you all are into, let us know, because there is a board game on just about anything these days (from quilting, to movies, to bad dates).
EDIT: To answer your question, yes, starting with basic games like these will definitely get you ready for games like Dark Tower. I'd say you just wouldn't want to overwhelm your gaming group right off the bat with a more complex board game. The main thing here is you'll be learning these games first, then teaching it to others. For the more complex games, you'll want to play the game by yourself with phantom players, so you can get the gist of it down. Nothing is worse than trying to play a complex game, but constantly be held up searching for rule after rule. Rule searches are bound to happen on the first few playthroughs of most complex games, but when you and your group are sitting there being constantly held up by this, it takes a lot away from the fun.
Quoted from TigerLaw:Will these games help prepare us for the more complex games like Return to Dark Tower?
Quoted from Vernisious:Every game you play gives you added knowledge of mechanics you haven't seen before and thereby makes learning new games quicker.
Quoted from LilRocky:To answer your question, yes, starting with basic games like these will definitely get you ready for games like Dark Tower
What they said
Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne are in my mind the best gateway games. Many will say Catan but I'm personally not a big fan. If you like the idea of playing cooperatively instead of against each other, Castle Panic and Pandemic are also big favorites. I would start at that level before jumping into something like Dark Tower.
Quoted from LilRocky:Anyways, shoot us back with what you're looking for in a game and we can probably narrow things down a bit, as there is a huge variety in the board game market right now. Theme is a big one, so if there is something you all are into, let us know, because there is a board game on just about anything these days (from quilting, to movies, to bad dates).
We are two middle aged married couples, all four of us are total board games novices. The most colllex game I ever really got in to was Axis and Allies. The other three of our little group were your stand monopoly clue fair. All four of us are eager though.
Theme wise: knights and dragons or future sci-fi space stuff would be great. One or the other would do equally as well. We are pretty flexible though. I saw that Alice in Wonderland kickstarter game, that would be perfect for us but looks even more complicated than Dark Tower.
Playing with each other cooperatively would likely be preferable to being opponents…but we would not say no entirely to a more adverse game (but co-op to start). The key is a game that is relatively easy to learn…all four of us pick up on things pretty quickly but we are worried about being overwhelmed.
We do have access to Jodester and he is a very advanced board game player and friends with all four of us. We could probably talk him into helping us learn something one evening to launch this project. I’ve linked him to the thread and asked him to opine as well.
I think some great less difficult / more accessible games (that I still enjoy now and then) are Al Hambra, Splendor, Sagrada, Azul, Century, Isle of Skye, Carcassonne. If you haven’t played Pandemic, I would add that to the list too. Wingspan is a little more involved, but still not difficult and very fun. That middle area difficulty unlocks all kind of fantastic ones… get there!
Quoted from TigerLaw:We are two middle aged married couples, all four of us are total board games novices. The most colllex game I ever really got in to was Axis and Allies. The other three of our little group were your stand monopoly clue fair. All four of us are eager though.
Theme wise: knights and dragons or future sci-fi space stuff would be great. One or the other would do equally as well. We are pretty flexible though. I saw that Alice in Wonderland kickstarter game, that would be perfect for us but looks even more complicated than Dark Tower.
Playing with each other cooperatively would likely be preferable to being opponents…but we would not say no entirely to a more adverse game (but co-op to start). The key is a game that is relatively easy to learn…all four of us pick up on things pretty quickly but we are worried about being overwhelmed.
We do have access to Jodester and he is a very advanced board game player and friends with all four of us. We could probably talk him into helping us learn something one evening to launch this project. I’ve linked him to the thread and asked him to opine as well.
If you were into Axis and Allies, then you definitely have a good starting point for grasping more advanced games. Here's my thoughts for you:
Shadows Over Camelot - Knights/Dragon theme - cooperative and can be played with an optional traitor (hidden roles) - beginner level game. This is a perfect match to what you've stated, but I believe it went out of print not too long ago....and I just looked on Ebay and they're asking ridiculous amounts. The damn thing was in production for like 20 years, so there's gotta be a good number of them out there.
Can't think of too many other knight/dragon cooperative games. I'd recommend Clank!, which is a beginner game that fits the theme, but is competitive.
EDIT: Got a game in recently that has been a mixed bag for my group - Call to Adventure: Epic Origins (can't speak for the first call to adventure, as I've never played it) - Fantasy theme - Cooperative or competitive (you're still doing the same thing either way, the highest score wins if playing competitively...and there's a few "take that" cards if I remember) - Deck builder, in a sense, with an awesome dice mechanic (you're rolling 2-sided runes) - I believe this to be a beginner game, but the internet will tell you differently - Personally, I enjoy this game, however, I've got some friends who think it's boring. I really have fun with the end, where you can tell a story about your character using the order of your cards (attributes, accomplishments, and failures).
Cosmic Encounter - Sci-Fi Space Theme - cooperative AND competitive - HUGELY INTERACTIVE - basic concept is beginner level, but the alien powers can bring this to a way advanced level. The good part is that the aliens have color codes of green, yellow, and red for levels of complexity, so you can start with green.
Spector Ops - Future Theme - hidden movement game, so one person is against the many working together - Borderline beginner/intermediate
Legendary Encounters: Alien - if you all like the alien movies, the cards are strongly based on the first three movies if I remember correctly - Deck building game - cooperative - Borderline beginner/intermediate, but I remember it being pretty easy to teach.
Twilight Imperium - HA, yeah right~
On any of these games, watch the video first to see if it's something YOU will enjoy. Too many people jump on the hype train only to have a game sit on the shelf and not the table (I'm even guilty of this due to Kickstarters). Second, read the rules online. I can't think of one game that doesn't have its rules uploaded to internet, so glance over those to make sure this is something that is not too complex for your group and you'd be able to teach. Third, when you do get the game, play it by yourself first where you're playing as each other phantom player in the game. While it may seem ridiculous, it's gonna be so much easier to teach when you do this and you won't lose the attention of other players.
Knights / Dragons and you like the idea of co-op....that equals Castle Panic! The base game is a great gateway, and if you want more complex, add in the expansions.
Quoted from Jediturtle:Knights / Dragons and you like the idea of co-op....that equals Castle Panic! The base game is a great gateway, and if you want more complex, add in the expansions.
I had thought about that one, but think it to be more a kid game than for adults, although I never played the expansions. Definitely a good gateway game.
I know it’s not in line with the themes you mentioned, but Horrified (classic Universal movie monsters) would be an excellent cooperative game that’s easy to learn, widely available, priced nicely, and looks great on the table.
This commentary and these suggestions have been incredibly helpful. We did order a Return to Dark a Tower (we wanted to get one while they were available) but are going to start with one or two of these other games. I’m going to get with Jodester and see what he would recommend and then visit with our other couple friends and then order something. I will be reporting back our progress back to this thread as we start this new side hobby.
In my opinion TigerLaw the most important thing is that the entire group is enjoying themselves… a game can be the greatest ever made, but if even one out of four people is bored/frustrated/pissed/etc. ain’t nobody happy. Figuring out what scratches everybody in your playgroup’s itch is the toughest part of the equation… and add to that the fact that people’s tastes change as they experience more games (getting tired of and hungry for different things).
Make sure everyone feels comfortable expressing how they actually feel about what you’re playing (and want to play) so there is no ‘obligation playing’ and you’ll all have a better time.
Check out Azul. Great fun, available from most game shops and $32 from Amazon (they rate it 5 stars). Strategic mosaic tile placement game that is absolutely beautiful. Everyone can learn it in 10 minutes, but as you get the hang of it you develop strategies that make it even more fun.
Quoted from TigerLaw:This commentary and these suggestions have been incredibly helpful. We did order a Return to Dark a Tower (we wanted to get one while they were available) but are going to start with one or two of these other games. I’m going to get with Jodester and see what he would recommend and then visit with our other couple friends and then order something. I will be reporting back our progress back to this thread as we start this new side hobby.
My recommendation is Trekking The World or National Parks. My wife and I like these more than Ticket to Ride, which is the ultimate gateway boardgame.
However, if playing with another couple almost nothing beats Pandemic. You can then start Pandemic Legacy. It's a cooperative game.
All these should still be available to buy. That's the problem with a lot of games. After a run they don't remake.
I want to add, Catan is a fine game. I played with one guy that knew the rules and three other dudes that didn't. We had fun.
Level 2 game I recommend, which is probably my all time favorite is 7 Wonders. Easy to teach and lots of fun.
Best games translated to iOS in this category? Curious mind wants to know. I could just google it I know, I’m wondering what this group in particular likes best in iOS translations.
Tia.
I hopped in on the kickstarter for The Zone. It’s delivery is a way out still. I bought mostly for the artwork as I couldn’t really tell what the rules were going to be like at all. It was cheap.
Anyway, I have linked the other couple we are going to play these games with to this thread and we are going to discuss it and the suggestions in here this weekend and make some decisions. Interestingly, they just bought their second pinball machine (a GOTG pro). I haven’t visited with Jodester yet but I’m sure he is going to have a lot of input as well.
Quoted from TigerLaw:I hopped in on the kickstarter for The Zone. It’s delivery is a way out still. I bought mostly for the artwork as I couldn’t really tell what the rules were going to be like at all. It was cheap.
Anyway, I have linked the other couple we are going to play these games with to this thread and we are going to discuss it and the suggestions in here this weekend and make some decisions. Interestingly, they just bought their second pinball machine (a GOTG pro). I haven’t visited with Jodester yet but I’m sure he is going to have a lot of input as well.
Tigerlaw, my friend that I love playing games the most with is a lawyer. He is insanely good at interpreting the rules and keeping things on track. I only mention because I'm guessing you may be the same and would be an asset to your new gaming group.
I'm the type that loves playing games and catch on, but I hate reading rules and trying to figure a new game out.
I am trying to stay away from any new Kickstarters as I have 14 out there now, most of them are delayed by a year or more. I had 4 new ones that I dropped and just going to wait and see on some of the new ones. Our game store usually buys KS games so if I feel I may have missed one I can probably jump on there or Game Steward to get them. I did leave Canvas open though as it was cheap and we really liked the original and first expansion.
Hoping to get it before xmas, I just ordered my wife Dog Park. It's apparently similar to Wingspan, but a little lighter. My wife loves dogs and wingspan, so hopefully this is worth the purchase.
https://birdwoodgames.com/en-us/products/dog-park-standard-edition?variant=40583413628962
Quoted from Deaconblooze:Hoping to get it before xmas, I just ordered my wife Dog Park. It's apparently similar to Wingspan, but a little lighter. My wife loves dogs and wingspan, so hopefully this is worth the purchase.
https://birdwoodgames.com/en-us/products/dog-park-standard-edition?variant=40583413628962
Funny enough, I just got the email that it will be here Friday!
Quoted from Deaconblooze:Funny enough, I just got the email that it will be here Friday!
When did you order it? Was thinking of picking up a copy.
Quoted from Palmer:When did you order it? Was thinking of picking up a copy.
I ordered the collectors edition on October 18th
We did the kickstarter on burgle bros. Anyone played that? We tried it a handful of times and moved on.
Quoted from undrdog:We did the kickstarter on burgle bros. Anyone played that? We tried it a handful of times and moved on.
I bounced off Burgle Bros. immediately--a big surprise to me, to be sure! It was a game I was primed to like, but... nope. Clunky, fussy, the faff needed to get into it...
Many of these games have apps you can download and play for free against the machine in order to see if you like it. Catan Universe and Ticket To Ride apps are both very good. I play against humans on my ipad ...very satisfying, and usually a much quicker game.
My wife and I are really enjoying The Game.
What other two player cooperative games can y'all recommend?
Please & thank you.
undrdog
Quoted from undrdog:My wife and I are really enjoying The Game.
What other two player cooperative games can y'all recommend?
Please & thank you.
undrdog
Codenames: Duet
Pandemic
Flashpoint
Mechs vs Minions
Sherlock Holmes
Forbidden Desert
The Mind
Kitchen Rush
Explosion of big titles hitting right now. Both late Kickstarters and normal releases. Hoping I get on an early shipment of Frosthaven, as it sounds like they'll be shipping that for 3 months. Endless Winter arrived and man that is a great game. Early on I think it may replace Arnak, Dune Imperium, and maybe Midgard. Getting the new Clank! Catacombs as well and see a few other new titles and restocks like Eldervale. Lots of entertainment this year.
Quoted from Vernisious:Codenames: Duet
Pandemic
Flashpoint
Mechs vs Minions
Sherlock Holmes
Forbidden Desert
The Mind
Kitchen Rush
Horrified is a great one
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/any-board-game-players-out-there/page/25 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.
Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.