Board Games!

[Knaight]

Race for the Galaxy just got on my "get this" list. It is in position 2, mostly because I discovered the existence of San Juan when looking at the website of Rio Grande Games, and it took position 1. Which kicks Sentinels of the Multiverse down a bit, but hey.

[Fjolnir]

You can play the base version of Race for the Galaxy free on Boardgamearena.com, most games take about 8-10 minutes and it gives a good indicator of whether or not you would like the game

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Oh, I forgot! The other interesting challenge in Race For the Galaxy is that you pay for most things by discarding cards from your hand! So you need to build a planet engine that draws cards for you when you do other things, so that you have enough cards to pay for your planets.

The exception is military: you can build developments that give you military points; you can play any military planet if you have military equal to its cost. Otherwise, you can't play it. However, military planets are limited in terms of the types of things they give you points for. Non-military planets produce trade goods, for instance (and Military planets often don't).

[Brother Oni]

Which Labyrinth? (I'm guessing not this one.)

Also, if you're looking for more recommendations, Carcassonne and Tsuro (especially Tsuro) are easy games for the younger set to play. Tsuro, in fact, is my ideal family game, because it's the only game big enough for my entire immediate family to play.

Ha, no this one.

I've tried Carcasonne against the AI (it's on XBox Live) and the scoring looks troublesome manually (I have similar issues scoring in Go, despite being a not completely incompetent player).
I'll look up Tsuro - thanks for the suggestion.

[Fjolnir]

Oh, I forgot! The other interesting challenge in Race For the Galaxy is that you pay for most things by discarding cards from your hand! So you need to build a planet engine that draws cards for you when you do other things, so that you have enough cards to pay for your planets.

The exception is military: you can build developments that give you military points; you can play any military planet if you have military equal to its cost. Otherwise, you can't play it. However, military planets are limited in terms of the types of things they give you points for. Non-military planets produce trade goods, for instance (and Military planets often don't).

some of the rebel worlds and a few of the more expensive military worlds have trade goods, but you usually don't have the consume powers for many goods anyhow with a heavy military strategy in the game...

[Beacon of Chaos]

I've tried Carcasonne against the AI (it's on XBox Live) and the scoring looks troublesome manually (I have similar issues scoring in Go, despite being a not completely incompetent player).

You were looking for something for your children, right? There's a kids version of Carcassonne with simplfied rules.

[Chen]

Race for the Galaxy just got on my "get this" list. It is in position 2, mostly because I discovered the existence of San Juan when looking at the website of Rio Grande Games, and it took position 1. Which kicks Sentinels of the Multiverse down a bit, but hey.

From what I've heard San Juan is Race for the Galaxy's little brother. Similar mechanics and less depth I believe. I used to play Race for the Galaxy a lot with my wife. Problem is trying to get more people involved is tough because you really need to start knowing what is in the huge deck to know when to dig deep with an action (explore for 5 cards) or just to dig a little to get more cards in hand. Knowing what produce/consume mechanisms are in the deck is pretty important too. The last expansion for Race for the Galaxy is pretty weak IMO (and it doesn't let you use any of the other 3 expansion). Base game + first 3 expansions is a fantastically deep game.

[Knaight]

You can play the base version of Race for the Galaxy free on Boardgamearena.com, most games take about 8-10 minutes and it gives a good indicator of whether or not you would like the game

I actually played it in person - there's a hybrid board game shop/coffee shop in town with a board game library you can use if you get a drink, and there happened to be an organized event yesterday among my friend group to go there and play some games.

Initial impressions point to fantastic.

[TheEmerged]

Rex: Final Days of an Empire is a Twilight Imperium-verse re-theme of the old Dune Avalon Hill boardgame. Dune was amazing, and it's a shame they didn't use the theme for the reprint. If you liked Game of Thrones, you'd like this. It's got the same elements of diplomacy and maneuvering and backstabbing, plus every faction has a unique power. If you ally with another faction, you get to combine their power with yours, which leads to some potent situations.

Not sure if you knew this or not, but with Rex it wasn't a "didn't" thing, it was a "couldn't" thing. The Herbert estate refused to renew the license.

RE: Boss Monster. It's been long enough that I forget the specifics, sorry. The consensus in our group is that it's a fun enough game but not something we're going to play every session.

[Raimun]

Mansions of Madness.

It's the best Cthulhu-rpg there is... even though it's a board game with no roleplaying and pre-made characters.

The game is dynamic and even I like the feel of it, even though I'm not much of a Cthulhu-fan... by which I mean I'm not a Cthulhu-fan.

It's from the same guys who made Arkham Horror and some familiar playable characters return but it all happens in one of the many mansions you can build with included floor tiles... and one player is The Keeper.

That's right. One player is the bad guy and the rest of the players fight against him and the monsters he controls. This time, it's okay to be a killer GM.

One of the main things I like about this game is that literally every game I've played has been different. In many games, there is a clear meta about how things work in every game. Not so in Mansions of Madness. The victory conditions vary for both sides and many games have had surprising outcomes and many times I've literally thought or said: "Wait, what? I/we won/lost because of that?"

Plus it comes with detailed plastic miniatures for both player characters and monsters. Miniatures beat cardboard pieces any day of the week.

[IthilanorStPete]

Mansions of Madness.

It's the best Cthulhu-rpg there is... even though it's a board game with no roleplaying and pre-made characters.

The game is dynamic and even I like the feel of it, even though I'm not much of a Cthulhu-fan... by which I mean I'm not a Cthulhu-fan.

It's from the same guys who made Arkham Horror and some familiar playable characters return but it all happens in one of the many mansions you can build with included floor tiles... and one player is The Keeper.

That's right. One player is the bad guy and the rest of the players fight against him and the monsters he controls. This time, it's okay to be a killer GM.

One of the main things I like about this game is that literally every game I've played has been different. In many games, there is a clear meta about how things work in every game. Not so in Mansions of Madness. The victory conditions vary for both sides and many games have had surprising outcomes and many times I've literally thought or said: "Wait, what? I/we won/lost because of that?"

Plus it comes with detailed plastic miniatures for both player characters and monsters. Miniatures beat cardboard pieces any day of the week.

Sounds like Betrayal at the House on the Hill.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Not sure if you knew this or not, but with Rex it wasn't a "didn't" thing, it was a "couldn't" thing. The Herbert estate refused to renew the license.

That is the sads. If I had to eyeball it, I'd put Dune in the Top 3 board game adaptations. Might even give it top spot.

Sounds like Betrayal at the House on the Hill.

It's similar, but Mansions plays out more like an RPG, and has more sophisticated mechanics. You also don't generate the map as you go.

[Raimun]

It's similar, but Mansions plays out more like an RPG, and has more sophisticated mechanics. You also don't generate the map as you go.

Don't know about Betrayal but in Mansions, each playable character has something like over 9 stats, a special ability and equipment (one you start with, others you find during the game). You generally resolve stuff with the roll of a ten sided die (e.g. if you have Marksmanship of 6, you must roll six or lower to hit a monster).

The game is about exploration and investigation. You need to find clues to know what exaxtly you are doing and your path gets blocked many times by obstacles. Sometimes, you need to find the correct "key"-type item for them and sometimes you need to solve a minigame puzzle to unlock the obstacle. Along the way comes monsters, burning rooms, darkness, trauma, insanity and other kinds of nasty hindrances.

The mansions are pregenerated but the scenarios can still vary between games. In every game, the Keeper picks one of the scenarios in secret and that is the one which is played. If you have already played one map, the experience will be different with a different Keeper and a different scenario. Even in the same scenario, the keeper is able to try out different tactics against the players. Needless to say, playing the keeper is a different game than exploring the mansions.

The game is one of the more comlex boardgames but it works to its advantage.

[IthilanorStPete]

Don't know about Betrayal but in Mansions, each playable character has something like over 9 stats, a special ability and equipment (one you start with, others you find during the game). You generally resolve stuff with the roll of a ten sided die (e.g. if you have Marksmanship of 6, you must roll six or lower to hit a monster).

The game is about exploration and investigation. You need to find clues to know what exaxtly you are doing and your path gets blocked many times by obstacles. Sometimes, you need to find the correct "key"-type item for them and sometimes you need to solve a minigame puzzle to unlock the obstacle. Along the way comes monsters, burning rooms, darkness, trauma, insanity and other kinds of nasty hindrances.

The mansions are pregenerated but the scenarios can still vary between games. In every game, the Keeper picks one of the scenarios in secret and that is the one which is played. If you have already played one map, the experience will be different with a different Keeper and a different scenario. Even in the same scenario, the keeper is able to try out different tactics against the players. Needless to say, playing the keeper is a different game than exploring the mansions.

The game is one of the more comlex boardgames but it works to its advantage.

Ah, definitely more RPG elements than Betrayal. Betrayal is a two-part game; in the first part, everyone's exploring the mansion (generating it as you go), collecting items, and eventually triggering the "Haunt". When the Haunt happens, one player is selected as the Traitor; you don't know what the criteria will be or which Haunt will happen in a given game until it actually happens. I like the idea of preselecting the Keeper, since that lets people with a knack for doing that sort of thing play that way, but I also like the suspense in Betrayal that comes from not knowing who will turn out to be the monster/mad scientist/killer/etc.

[Fjolnir]

I always describe betrayal as "A cooperative game until the exact second it's not" and I tend to have a lot of fun with it.

[Fri]

I'm screwed.

Remember when I said I bought a secondhand Nexus Ops game for my friend back then? It's in perfectly good condition, except for one thing. It's missing one piece of miniature. To be fair, there are like, hundreds of miniature in that game, but this practically killed the resell value of the game.
And the game is out of print, so I can't just ask for a replacement from the publisher.

I dunno what to do now. Especially since I bought this for my friend, not for myself. And I'm a very passive and non-confrontative person. My friends told me to ask the original owner about a return, but I don't know how to do that. Just the thought of doing it is filling me with dread.

[Knaight]

How complex is the piece? A number of pieces are replaceable with some wood and some whittling skill, or just poaching from other, similar games.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Have you contacted the seller about the missing piece? It's possible they still have it and forgot to put it in the box or something. It can't hurt to ask.

[Irk]

I always describe betrayal as "A cooperative game until the exact second it's not" and I tend to have a lot of fun with it.

I used to play a lot of Betrayal, but I haven;t been doing so in the last few years, which is really too bad, as I didn't get to explore nearly as many scenarios as I would have liked.

Has anyone had any experience with Risk Legacy? I have a group that would totally play, and I'm wondering if I ought to go for it.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Has anyone had any experience with Risk Legacy? I have a group that would totally play, and I'm wondering if I ought to go for it.

Played through an entire 15-game campaign of it. So worth it! Some of the games felt a little bit like a grind, mainly because we were playing them to get to more material, but the "plot twists" in the box were so very worth it. The way that the game unfolds in unexpected ways is just incredibly fun, and I love that the rules start simple and slowly build.

(The starting set of rules is also lean, mean, and gorgeously slick RISK. The added rules go a long way towards adding genuine interestingness to the game.)

[Ivellius]

I used to play a lot of Betrayal, but I haven;t been doing so in the last few years, which is really too bad, as I didn't get to explore nearly as many scenarios as I would have liked.

Has anyone had any experience with Risk Legacy? I have a group that would totally play, and I'm wondering if I ought to go for it.

Can't second it enough. Don't be on the fence about it any longer.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

I also highly suggest that you recap your experiences in spoiler tags on this thread.

[Fjolnir]

There's apparently going to be a Pandemic Legacy coming out, which might be interesting as well...

[Irk]

I've tried to do campaign journals in the past, but the material I wrote up out of game didn't seem like it would be very good here. It was just better if you were there.

Risk Legacy though, I could see myself writing up a journal about that. It'll take time, but expect it. Legacyjournal is coming.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

It'd work well as a sort of "Let's Play RISK: Legacy". Sort of like "so we played a few sessions, and this happened to the map" and then "we opened this packet and OOOOOOOH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" and then "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WAS IN THAT PACKET!"

[Irk]

It'd work well as a sort of "Let's Play RISK: Legacy". Sort of like "so we played a few sessions, and this happened to the map" and then "we opened this packet and OOOOOOOH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" and then "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WAS IN THAT PACKET!"

Best reaction ever. Yeah, I could even include pictures of the board. that's be interesting. I love Risk, I think I would actually watch people stream it if they were funny enough.

[IthilanorStPete]

I'd definitely be interested in reading a journal/LP about Risk Legacy, sounds like plenty of fun.

[Irk]

Alright! Legacy is coming on Wednesday, first game will be on Friday with my trusty Risk crew. Hopefully they can all make it.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Alright! Legacy is coming on Wednesday, first game will be on Friday with my trusty Risk crew. Hopefully they can all make it.

Woohooo!!!

Also, anyone around here play Marvel Legendary? I've been doing a lot of solo runs with it, using stuff from the Dark City expansion, and I finally feel like the game is clicking with me. There's so many cool card abilities in that set; I love how the characters feel different and also feel like their comic-book counterparts. (For example, Nightcrawler can "teleport" cards from your current hand into your next hand, which means you can save up cards from a lackluster turn to make your next turn massive.)

[Fri]

Everything is saved!

My friend somehow found someone in BGG who's willing to give him that missing piece!

I don't know how he can do that, but he can. Nice people are nice.