Discussion Do you like board games, fami?

[Dardan Sandiego]

Over the past ~2 years I've really gotten into board games (for reasons that I think should be obvious) which was a bit of a surprise for me... but it shouldn't have been. I wasn't hugely into board games as a kid, my exposure being mostly limited to chess, ludo or rather its German equivalent Mensch ärgere dich nicht, and an odd game of Monopoly or Catan. However, I've also always enjoyed TCGs like Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon and a smattering of others. I also like video games that are board game adjacent or ones which incorporate board and/or card game elements in some way. So I wasn't a complete stranger to their peculiarities. For the sake of simplicity I'm going to refer to any type of game that's played on a table with maps, pieces and/or cards as "board games".

Mostly on a whim I then picked up a box of Mice & Mystics, basically a co-op RPG where you and your friends play a group of mice which you lead through a variety of scenarios. You form strategies, collect gear, fight enemies and try to meet the win conditions before your "time" runs out. Playing that was somewhat of a revelation. I was playing a Final Fantasy Tactics Lite with my girlfriend, forming plans across the table over drinks and snacks. And I realized that the social aspect of board games gave me something that I found sorely missing from video games.

Since I never really got into online gaming, video games had become overly isolated experiences to me. Even playing in-person either on splitscreen or on two systems, whether against each other or cooperatively didn't really compare to the experience of sitting around a playing field with a group of friends. Board games will most likely never completely replace video games for me but they've definitely become a hobby I've become unexpectedly passionate about, even though I still consider myself a bit of a newbie.

To kick it off, here's some stuff we've been playing:

Mice and Mystics

The aforementioned game that got me into the hobby, can recommend if you're into Redwall, Mouseguard or the Secret of NIMH. We've played several scenarios so far and it was quite tough at the beginning until we figured out how to play it effectively. There's some continuity between chapters (you get to keep one additional card on top of your beginning equipment for the next game) but it doesn't feel like you're screwing yourself over by not picking the most ideal card.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle

As someone who has basically no attachment to the source material and abhors almost everything surrounding Harry Potter these days I was a bit apprehensive about it. But since my girlfriend got it as a present we gave it a spin and it has surprisingly become our current go-to game with two friends who aren't that into non-standard board games. It's a mechanically rather simple cooperative deckbuilding game (think Slay the Spire) that lives from building up synergies and trying to keep each other alive while fighting dark magicians. We're now almost done with the core set and I'm already looking for some other stuff to

Everdell

This I got from my girlfriend as a birthday present and we've only played it a few times so I'm probably misremembering and misrepresenting it but it's a game about worker placement to get resources across multiple "seasons" to prepare for winter. Based on how the friend who explained it to us played it there's a ton of strategy involved if you want to play effectively lol.

Oath: Chronicles of Empire & Exile

The newest game in our collection and from the little I've played it's wild. Every game starts with one Chancellor in power and multiple Exiles vying for the crown by trying to achieve one of many ever-shifting win conditions. I've seen it described as a storytelling engine, where the outcome of one game affects the setup of the next, letting you play out the history of the lands of Oath and I can totally believe it. We only did a quick test run to see what the mechanics are like and there's so many moving pieces and potential for intrigue here that it's almost daunting. Also definitely my favourite board game in terms of production and aesthetics.

 

[shoptroll]

Why no option for "I like them both equally?"

 

[bixente]

I really enjoyed playing Monopoly with my family when I was a kid. Not long ago I did investigate some board games more recently released and I'm aware there's some real cool stuff out there atm, but my family situation has changed and my friends aren't really into it.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

Why no option for "I like them both equally?"

Done, my bad!

 

[Hocot8]

I prefer video games but board games are great. If you can get a good solid group of 4-6 the amount of board games you can play really opens up. There's the classic like Pandemic, Catan, Ticket to Ride, and 7 wonder to newer games like Everdell and these legacy style games

Then there are these massive games like Gloomhaven which any video game player I think will love. The thing that holds it back is that it is expensive and to fully experience the fun value you do need a core crew to play the long campaign. Although you can play it on your own, it's not the same.

There is such a great variety of board games that once you get into the hobby it almost feels overwhelming haha.

 

[meatbag]

We have board game cafes around my place that my friends and I used to frequent. Much harder to meet up nowadays but when we do it’s a blast. Last time some dude approached us and asked us to beta test his canoeing-themed boardgame, that was a lot of fun.

I still spend of my time alone though so it’s videogames for me

 

[linkwashere]

I play Wingspan on board and on Switch in a regular basis.

 

[ngpdrew]

My wife and I have become big fans of Azul and its expansions over the past year. We are also Ticket to Ride people because train levels rule.

She has been eyeing Everdell for ages. This is the first I’ve seen it referenced anywhere!

 

[Legion of Primes]

I’m not bored enough

 

[Christo750]

I'm always down for a good game of Catan or Pandemic.

 

[Deleted member 341]

Absolutely. With the right set of people and the right game you are destined to have a good time.
Catan, Risk and DKT (an austrian variant of Monopoly) are always great fun.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

I prefer video games but board games are great. If you can get a good solid group of 4-6 the amount of board games you can play really opens up. There's the classic like Pandemic, Catan, Ticket to Ride, and 7 wonder to newer games like Everdell and these legacy style games

Then there are these massive games like Gloomhaven which any video game player I think will love. The thing that holds it back is that it is expensive and to fully experience the fun value you do need a core crew to play the long campaign. Although you can play it on your own, it's not the same.

There is such a great variety of board games that once you get into the hobby it almost feels overwhelming haha.

It makes me sad that I will most likely never play Gloomhaven unless a friend buys it because I won’t, for the pettiest reason: I don’t like plastic stands D:

 

[Josh5890]

I'm always down for a board game. Unfortunately the opportunity never exists.

My wife and I have become big fans of Azul and its expansions over the past year. We are also Ticket to Ride people because train levels rule.

She has been eyeing Everdell for ages. This is the first I’ve seen it referenced anywhere!

Love Ticket to Ride as well!

 

[Mbolibombo]

I enjoy board games quite a bit -

Lords of Waterdeep is my favorite.. but also a fan of Scythe, Kemet and games like that

 

[bixente]

Essential board games for adults 2024

You need these in your collection

www.gamesradar.com

Scythe was a game that interested me.

 

[DenkeyKong]

I like board games, but I prefer card games

 

[lexony]

I only like board games you can play with your whole fami.

 

[Lord Azrael]

Yes and no. I hate the learning curve in more complex board games but if I'm somehow able to make it through I'm usually able to enjoy them. My favorite games are the ones with simple rules but lots of depth/mind games/social deduction

 

[Clix]

I do, but do not play enough of them since some have such long and varying rule sets that when I do a session we all spend 20 mins going over the rules, while playing, etc lol

And when we do learn the ruleset, next time we play months later - whoops, we forgot many of the rules lol

But I do love them.

My go to is Red Dragon Inn because it is such a good time playing it with friends while having a beer.

 

[mazi]

used to LOVE cosmic encounter, played that a lot with friends.

 

[Rick Bruiser]

Helllllll yes I love board games. Wingspan, suburbia, concordia, viticulture, and 7 wonders duel are some recent favorites.

the wingspan app gets heavy rotation these days

 

[Brofield]

My big regret with board games is that I rarely have a chance to play them (especially in covid era unless they have a free Steam version), but this has been one of my favourites ever since I first played it.

The best way to describe this game is like the movie "Cabin In The Woods". Remember that scene, where they're all in the basement and depending on what artifact is selected by the group determines what supernatural apocalypse is going to kill them? That's exactly how this game works. The first half of the game is co-operative exploring a house that's built different with each playthrough, before it becomes competitive. There are 50 different haunting scenarios; another 50 with the Widow's Walk expansion.

I think what most compels me about this game is that certain curiousities surround it, at least when I played. I'm not saying it's haunted like a Ouija board, but like...okay, the first time I played the game, there's a vault room in the basment, that you can only unlock with a certain key. Sure enough, the person who found the vault room drew the precise key card they needed to unlock it. Just fortuitous luck, pretty coincidental. The second time I played, there were eight people but the game only allows 6 players max, so we all buddied up and played as a pair with four teams. The scenario in that game was our evil doppelgangers have suddenly materialized and are now hellbent on killing us. Just...also, purely coincidental, but eerie to say the least haha.

It can be complex to understand the rules at first but I promise it is a very engaging game.

 

[kvetcha]

I have played an embarrassing amount of Terraforming Mars the past two and a half years.

 

[ngpdrew]

I do, but do not play enough of them since some have such long and varying rule sets that when I do a session we all spend 20 mins going over the rules, while playing, etc lol

And when we do learn the ruleset, next time we play months later - whoops, we forgot many of the rules lol

But I do love them.

My go to is Red Dragon Inn because it is such a good time playing it with friends while having a beer.

This is where I was at before I decided to focus on a more narrow selection of games.

I would play at a local bar with friends, and every week they would bring something new. We would spend 30 minutes explaining and setting up a game and several minutes throughout play consulting the manual. It doesn’t help that many gamers are not especially gifted teachers. It was frustrating!

So I whittled my collection down to some favorites that I know and can expand upon. I do not miss the 30 minute monologues.

 

[Clix]

This is where I was at before I decided to focus on a more narrow selection of games.

I would play at a local bar with friends, and every week they would bring something new. We would spend 30 minutes explaining and setting up a game and several minutes throughout play consulting the manual. It doesn’t help that many gamers are not especially gifted teachers. It was frustrating!

So I whittled my collection down to some favorites that I know and can expand upon. I do not miss the 30 minute monologues.

My buddy was the same way. For game day he would always have a new board game. By the time the game was going, I already had one too many beers and could not focus lol

 

[ngpdrew]

My buddy was the same way. For game day he would always have a new board game. By the time the game was going, I already had one too many beers and could not focus lol

The thinking person plays games they can play easily regardless of how much they’ve had to drink. Try Azul! Or Quacks of Quedlinburg.

Or Drinking Quest if you hate yourself.

 

[Green_Meeple]

I friggin love boardgames, as someone could maybe guess by my username/avatar. And
I've just started playing again after a couple of years. After the beginning of the pandemic and moving to a new city. Before that I just played a couple of matches online with my old group.
If anyone is up to playing on tabletop simulator, bga or boiteajeux, with voice chat let me know .
I really love Concordia, Brass (Lancashire), Power grid and Terra Mystica.

 

[kvetcha]

I friggin love boardgames, as someone could maybe guess by my username/avatar. And
I've just started playing again after a couple of years. After the beginning of the pandemic and moving to a new city. Before that I just played a couple of matches online with my old group.
If anyone is up to playing on tabletop simulator, bga or boiteajeux, with voice chat let me know .
I really love Concordia, Brass (Lancashire), Power grid and Terra Mystica.

Power Grid and Terra Mystica are all-timers. I'll have to check out those other two!

 

[Green_Meeple]

Power Grid and Terra Mystica are all-timers. I'll have to check out those other two!

Power grid was actually one of the first modern board games I've ever played and it's the reason I enjoy this hobby so much (the other one was Puerto Rico), and it's so crazy seeing really good people playing it.
Concordia can be played for free on boiteajeux and I believe the digital version on steam can play with people that do not have the game. I can't recommend it enough, never had a bad game, even people that likes more thematical games enjoyed playing it.

 

[MissingNo.]

Risk is my jam. Nothing better to ruin your friendship for the evening.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

My big regret with board games is that I rarely have a chance to play them (especially in covid era unless they have a free Steam version), but this has been one of my favourites ever since I first played it.

The best way to describe this game is like the movie "Cabin In The Woods". Remember that scene, where they're all in the basement and depending on what artifact is selected by the group determines what supernatural apocalypse is going to kill them? That's exactly how this game works. The first half of the game is co-operative exploring a house that's built different with each playthrough, before it becomes competitive. There are 50 different haunting scenarios; another 50 with the Widow's Walk expansion.

I think what most compels me about this game is that certain curiousities surround it, at least when I played. I'm not saying it's haunted like a Ouija board, but like...okay, the first time I played the game, there's a vault room in the basment, that you can only unlock with a certain key. Sure enough, the person who found the vault room drew the precise key card they needed to unlock it. Just fortuitous luck, pretty coincidental. The second time I played, there were eight people but the game only allows 6 players max, so we all buddied up and played as a pair with four teams. The scenario in that game was our evil doppelgangers have suddenly materialized and are now hellbent on killing us. Just...also, purely coincidental, but eerie to say the least haha.

It can be complex to understand the rules at first but I promise it is a very engaging game.

I really want to try some horror-themed board or card games but it's sadly not something my group of friends enjoys lol

But yeah, stuff like this is why I love board games. It's as much about what happens on the board as the stuff off-board.

 

[Mandos]

I’ve got a good collection and have painting my minis… partially cause it takes forever for me to befriend people and stuff rarely makes the table
My latest from xmen United

 

[uncleoptimus]

Heck yea, OP
I am fortunate enough to have game stores w open tables and sizable board game collections relatively close by.

Like couch multi or co-op, it's a different experience when playing in person w/ others.

Lords of Waterdeep has been a fave, but also Machi Koro and Munchkin. Bunch of others, too, dang I feel lucky having that local store

Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but during the start of the pandemic, Board Game Arena really helped to maintain some connection w friends and fam who aren't "traditional gamers".

Play board games online from your browser

The world's #1 platform for playing board games online. Play hundreds of board games from your browser for free.

en.boardgamearena.com

Great website, shockingly large selection, mostly FREE to enjoy (there are "premium" games but even for those you could queue into and play in someone else's game).

Their web app admittedly isn't the prettiest, but lawd I'm grateful to them.
And quite frankly, their online multiplayer system is leagues more flexible and feature rich than NSO.

Anyway I can highly recommend checking them out. Hardest part admittedly is learning/coaching how to play a given game, tho there are a good amount of instructions and vids for each game.

Maybe a good candidate for creating a future Fami league on there!

 

[Green_Meeple]

Heck yea, OP
I am fortunate enough to have game stores w open tables and sizable board game collections relatively close by.

Like couch multi or co-op, it's a different experience when playing in person w/ others.

Lords of Waterdeep has been a fave, but also Machi Koro and Munchkin. Bunch of others, too, dang I feel lucky having that local store

Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but during the start of the pandemic, Board Game Arena really helped to maintain some connection w friends and fam who aren't "traditional gamers".

Play board games online from your browser

The world's #1 platform for playing board games online. Play hundreds of board games from your browser for free.

en.boardgamearena.com

Great website, shockingly large selection, mostly FREE to enjoy (there are "premium" games but even for those you could queue into and play in someone else's game).

Their web app admittedly isn't the prettiest, but lawd I'm grateful to them.
And quite frankly, their online multiplayer system is leagues more flexible and feature rich than NSO.

Anyway I can highly recommend checking them out. Hardest part admittedly is learning/coaching how to play a given game, tho there are a good amount of instructions and vids for each game.

Maybe a good candidate for creating a future Fami league on there!

Their app is kind of just a browser lol.
If anyone has a group of friends to play, it's a good idea to split one premium account, they're only needed to start the games.


My current collection

 

[Sadist]

I’m very fortunate to have a group of people that became my friends and they play boardgames.

I played Everdell myself, but I have played stuff like Arkham Horror, Eclipse, Wingspan, Bloodborne, Spartacus, Machiavelli and other things I’ve forgotten.

I bought my first boardgame as well, Marvel Zombies. With two expansions (Sentinel Strikes! and Artist Vision) and a buttload of mini’s for backing the Kickstarter.

 

[shoptroll]

Play board games online from your browser

The world's #1 platform for playing board games online. Play hundreds of board games from your browser for free.

en.boardgamearena.com

Great website, shockingly large selection, mostly FREE to enjoy (there are "premium" games but even for those you could queue into and play in someone else's game).

Their web app admittedly isn't the prettiest, but lawd I'm grateful to them.
And quite frankly, their online multiplayer system is leagues more flexible and feature rich than NSO.

+1 to the BGA love. Just don't expect much if you're trying to use it in a mobile browser. But it's my preferred way to play online board games if there isn't an actual app for the game.

 

[Mandos]

+1 to the BGA love. Just don't expect much if you're trying to use it in a mobile browser. But it's my preferred way to play online board games if there isn't an actual app for the game.

I’ve always used it mobile. Works fine for the most part

 

[shoptroll]

I’ve always used it mobile. Works fine for the most part

I've never had good luck with any game that uses tooltips for stuff. But that's a common problem with taps equating to hover and/or clicks.

 

[ProteusRidley]

More of a card game but I adore BoI Four Souls.

 

[xghost777]

Kind of? It’s never my first pick and I don’t like the intense ones (though I seem to win with those more frequently lol). I have a friend who loves board games and buys a ton of them, but that enthusiasm makes them sometimes more draining to play.

I think Risk, Monopoly, Machi Koro, and Pandemic are my favorites. If you include video game board games, Fortune Street is my favorite there.

 

[Twilight Sword]

I do enjoy a good board game myself, though I admit it has been ages since I sat down and played one.

 

[Marcusshelton]

My kids (8 and 10) and I love to play. My wife enjoys hanging out with us but she isn’t into them as much (more than video games though).

Chess, Catan, Azul, and Sushi Go get the most run. We beat that Harry Potter game in the OP and the charms expansion. We haven’t bought the monsters expansion yet. We are currently working through the same game with a Toy Story skin made by the same company. When we beat that, my son and I are going to reskin it with a Nintendo theme and have the cards and everything made.

The mice game is on our list to buy as is Stuffed Fables. We also own Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion but haven’t attempted it. I’ve also played solo Marvel Champions many times, but only once with the kids.

Strangely I’ve never liked turn based video games. But after the last three years or so of playing so many board games with the family, I gave the genre another try and really enjoy it.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

New Spirit Island spinoff board game will be an entryway to cooperative settler destruction

Horizons of Spirit Island is a new beginner-friendly version of the beloved settler-destroying board game and will launch exclusively at Target later this year.

www.dicebreaker.com

This seems like a very cool idea for a game that is apparently quite complex, sadly it seems to be Target-exclusive for two years with no word on its availability outside of the US.

Also, thinking about asking a mod to turn this into the board game OT even though I don't expect a lot of activity

 

[ngpdrew]

New Spirit Island spinoff board game will be an entryway to cooperative settler destruction

Horizons of Spirit Island is a new beginner-friendly version of the beloved settler-destroying board game and will launch exclusively at Target later this year.

www.dicebreaker.com

This seems like a very cool idea for a game that is apparently quite complex, sadly it seems to be Target-exclusive for two years with no word on its availability outside of the US.

Also, thinking about asking a mod to turn this into the board game OT even though I don't expect a lot of activity

Interesting. The game is cool but definitely quite heavy for anyone who only plays casually. My wife and I got wrecked by the colonizers on our only play…

 

[linkwashere]

So, I was looking to start a new thread in the Roost just for boardgames fan in the Famiboards community when I remembembered this existed.

My time playing board games increased recently because my partner and I found new favourites and got more into the community, discovering what kind of games we really like and what not so much by trial and error.

Recently we got into two Eurogames heavily...

First was 7 Wonders Duel:

This is a great experience for 2 players, taking the basics from the classic 7 Wonders and adapting the rules for 2 a players experience resulting in something that I ended liking it way more than the original version. I recently bought the Pantheon expansion and it added another layer of depht without compromising the pick up and play nature of the game (the set up is barely 5 minutes and after 20 you are done). It's an uncomplicated game with the enough layer of depth to keep it replayable for some time. The way you play is you take turns taking the previously placed cards on the table. You can only take the ones which are face up, which happen to be the ones not covered by any other card. The moment you take a card that is covering another one which is facing down, you turn that card and it can be taken by the other player in the next turn. At the end you need to take these cards to gather resources which will help you build Wonders which will help you score victory points. There are three ways of winning depending on the cards you focus on getting: military win, science win or simply scoring the most points at the end of the game. Both strategies are pretty balanced and can result in a victory.


Next one is Brass Birmingham and it's a remake of the original Brass game by Martin Wallace re-edited with the launch of Birmingham under the name of Brass Lancashire. And it became of of my favourite board games... ever.

Brass Birminghan is 2-4 player heavier experience which offers more deph and where each game takes between 1 and 2 hours (depending the number of players and how familiar they are with the game).

It's thematically built around the Industrial Revolution age in the midlands in England, and you need to build factories and connections to score points. The one that score the most points, in the two eras the game is played (the canal era and the railroad era), is the winner.

As easy as it sounds, it's pretty challenging since this is a pretty reactive game where you can start with a strategy in mind but the game forces you to adapt to other player's decisions and take the opportunities they leave you to place and sell iron or coal the moment you see they need them to build their cotton industries or their breweries. Because in Brass Birmingham, you may take the resources from other players' industries, but doing so they can score points from selling these resources to you... so it's a decision you must take from moment to moment because there is not a clear "single best" option.

Brass is also a game that puts its theme to its best service: for exemple, whenever you need to spend coal to build something, the industry you need to build needs to be connected to a coal mine or to a coal market by a link (being a canal or a train, depending the era you are playing), since coal at the time was only transported in big volumes because it was mass consumed in every industry and for that you needed a canal or a railroad to carry it. However, iron was used in less quantity mainly for reparing old machinery, so you don't need to be connected to an iron factory to use it since it could be carried by carriage between towns. This brings pretty interesting consequences, since most of the times you won't want to give an easy connection to other players to your coal and they will be hesitant to spend actions trying to connect to it when these actions could be used in some more effective ways...

Rules can be a bit intimidating at first, but after the first two games you totally grasp how it's played (and the thematic consistency like the coal exemple I mentioned makes it easier to remember) and the real fun of trying to get your mind around the puzzle that is using your actions the most efective way begins.

For anyone interested in heavy eurogames with a nice component of strategy, good scalability from 2 to 4 players, great aesthetics and rock solid mechanics with a good amount of player interaction, this is a high recommendation by me.

This is a great review if anyone is interest and would like to learn more about the mechanics



Also, there is a pretty compotent digital version being sold for 15 bucks in Steam, which is good if not for the AI being a bit dumb turning the solo experience too easy (it has online play though!).

 

[Green_Meeple]

So, I was looking to start a new thread in the Roost just for boardgames fan in the Famiboards community when I remembembered this existed.

My time playing board games increased recently because my partner and I found new favourites and got more into the community, discovering what kind of games we really like and what not so much by trial and error.

Recently we got into two Eurogames heavily...

First was 7 Wonders Duel:

This is a great experience for 2 players, taking the basics from the classic 7 Wonders and adapting the rules for 2 a players experience resulting in something that I ended liking it way more than the original version. I recently bought the Pantheon expansion and it added another layer of depht without compromising the pick up and play nature of the game (the set up is barely 5 minutes and after 20 you are done). It's an uncomplicated game with the enough layer of depth to keep it replayable for some time. The way you play is you take turns taking the previously placed cards on the table. You can only take the ones which are face up, which happen to be the ones not covered by any other card. The moment you take a card that is covering another one which is facing down, you turn that card and it can be taken by the other player in the next turn. At the end you need to take these cards to gather resources which will help you build Wonders which will help you score victory points. There are three ways of winning depending on the cards you focus on getting: military win, science win or simply scoring the most points at the end of the game. Both strategies are pretty balanced and can result in a victory.


Next one is Brass Birmingham and it's a remake of the original Brass game by Martin Wallace re-edited with the launch of Birmingham under the name of Brass Lancashire. And it became of of my favourite board games... ever.

Brass Birminghan is 2-4 player heavier experience which offers more deph and where each game takes between 1 and 2 hours (depending the number of players and how familiar they are with the game).

It's thematically built around the Industrial Revolution age in the midlands in England, and you need to build factories and connections to score points. The one that score the most points, in the two eras the game is played (the canal era and the railroad era), is the winner.

As easy as it sounds, it's pretty challenging since this is a pretty reactive game where you can start with a strategy in mind but the game forces you to adapt to other player's decisions and take the opportunities they leave you to place and sell iron or coal the moment you see they need them to build their cotton industries or their breweries. Because in Brass Birmingham, you may take the resources from other players' industries, but doing so they can score points from selling these resources to you... so it's a decision you must take from moment to moment because there is not a clear "single best" option.

Brass is also a game that puts its theme to its best service: for exemple, whenever you need to spend coal to build something, the industry you need to build needs to be connected to a coal mine or to a coal market by a link (being a canal or a train, depending the era you are playing), since coal at the time was only transported in big volumes because it was mass consumed in every industry and for that you needed a canal or a railroad to carry it. However, iron was used in less quantity mainly for reparing old machinery, so you don't need to be connected to an iron factory to use it since it could be carried by carriage between towns. This brings pretty interesting consequences, since most of the times you won't want to give an easy connection to other players to your coal and they will be hesitant to spend actions trying to connect to it when these actions could be used in some more effective ways...

Rules can be a bit intimidating at first, but after the first two games you totally grasp how it's played (and the thematic consistency like the coal exemple I mentioned makes it easier to remember) and the real fun of trying to get your mind around the puzzle that is using your actions the most efective way begins.

For anyone interested in heavy eurogames with a nice component of strategy, good scalability from 2 to 4 players, great aesthetics and rock solid mechanics with a good amount of player interaction, this is a high recommendation by me.

This is a great review if anyone is interest and would like to learn more about the mechanics



Also, there is a pretty compotent digital version being sold for 15 bucks in Steam, which is good if not for the AI being a bit dumb turning the solo experience too easy (it has online play though!).

Great games.
I love Brass, though I still prefer the old one (now called Lancashire), both versions are really good and it's one of my favorite games ever.
This weekend I've played Calico with my partner and got so happy she really enjoyed it. To the point she wanted to buy one to play with her sister. Usually she says to prefer more social and quick thinking games, so I was really glad she got so excited with it.
I was hoping my copy of 7w duel got delivered before she travels to the end of the year, and to test it with her as well but it seems it won't be the case.

 

[linkwashere]

Great games.
I love Brass, though I still prefer the old one (now called Lancashire), both versions are really good and it's one of my favorite games ever.
This weekend I've played Calico with my partner and got so happy she really enjoyed it. To the point she wanted to buy one to play with her sister. Usually she says to prefer more social and quick thinking games, so I was really glad she got so excited with it.
I was hoping my copy of 7w duel got delivered before she travels to the end of the year, and to test it with her as well but it seems it won't be the case.

I think most people prefer the one they played first? I don't know if that's your case here, but in my case I started with Birmingham and loved it. However, I am getting Lancashire this Christmas because I mostly play two player and I heard people really enjoy the two player board in Lancashire and how tight it can get.

I am a little worried about how OP connections in the rail era seem to be because there is no beer to compensate for them, but at the same time I look forward to take more use of the overbuild action with other player's industries (it's really hard in two player Birmingham because how big the market is). What's that you prefer in Lancashire over Birmingham? My partner has a bit of "analisys paralisys" with Birmingham and I am not sure if Lancashire being more tight will help her or not. It's tighter yeah, but at the same it looks like you can be "closed out" of options way easily.

I think you will love 7 Wonders Duel. I highly recommend the Pantheon expansion if you enjoy the game since it introduces a really great mechanic that will let you "skip" your turn of taking a card by doing another new action, which is great to introduce a bit more of unpredactibility (and saltiness) to the game.

 

[shoptroll]

7W Duel is fantastic, and a brutal game with the right person. Highly recommend it.

Other board game-y things for me of late:

• Null Signal Games just launched Parhellion which is the 2nd half their latest Android: Netrunner. This group is doing great work keeping the game going since FFG lost the license from WotC/Hasbro, and their intro set is really well done if you've ever been curious about the game.
• Dominion: Plunder previews are underway on Dominion Strategy for anyone else who likes to deckbuild like it's 2008. Also, the digital version is really really well done (same team that's done the fantastic Race for the Galaxy and Roll for the Galaxy adaptations), and it should be getting the new set around the 19th.
• My copy of Level 99's Shovel Knight Exceed arrived after snagging it during their Black Friday sale for a steal. I still need to find an opponent to play it with, or some solo/automata rules though

 

[linkwashere]

7W Duel is fantastic, and a brutal game with the right person. Highly recommend it.

Other board game-y things for me of late:

• Null Signal Games just launched Parhellion which is the 2nd half their latest Android: Netrunner. This group is doing great work keeping the game going since FFG lost the license from WotC/Hasbro, and their intro set is really well done if you've ever been curious about the game.
• Dominion: Plunder previews are underway on Dominion Strategy for anyone else who likes to deckbuild like it's 2008. Also, the digital version is really really well done (same team that's done the fantastic Race for the Galaxy and Roll for the Galaxy adaptations).
• My copy of Level 99's Shovel Knight Exceed arrived after snagging it during their Black Friday sale for a steal. I still need to find an opponent to play it with, or some solo/automata rules though

A SHOVEL KNIGHT 2 PLAYER CARD GAME?!

I need to know more!

 

[Gay Bowser]

It makes me sad that I will most likely never play Gloomhaven unless a friend buys it because I won’t, for the pettiest reason: I don’t like plastic stands D:

Gloomhaven with my crew is my all-time favorite board game experience. If you don’t like plastic stands, you can always buy their fancy monster miniatures

Other games I adore: Everdell, Root, Wingspan, Azul. We picked up Oltree and even though we’ve only played it a few times I really like it. Oh, and Destinies! And Spirit Island and Lost Ruins of Arnak. Ahh, too many games to list. Oh, Raccoon Tycoon!

But some of my favorite games are also lighter party-style games. We just got Fun Facts and it’s so simple but, well, fun.

There’s an excellent, excellent digital version of Root that is the optimal way to learn the game, and I think it’s on Switch now too!

But seriously, if you have a good crew and can get together to play it regularly, Gloomhaven is an experience like no other. There’s just so much content there and a sense of discovery that is just great. Jaws of the Lion is honestly a great way to get into the game. Protip – there is an app that basically helps handle the initiative order and element strength and monster stats and behaviors for you so you don’t have to use the monster decks or the health counters at all. It’s the best app ever and makes the experience so much more streamlined. There’s another app for reading the cards and scenario intros for you with professional voice acting, which isn’t at all necessary but it does add to the immersion I think.

The sequel to Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, is just starting to ship to pre-order backers and it is probably going to keep up busy each Friday night for another year and we can’t wait. #nerds