Board Games General - Wood is Good!

Actually pretty with ok

Better thread is better
OP y u no catalog

Good about scythe
>It's fairly well balanced
>It looks really good
>Very nonrandom if you're an autist

Bad about Scythe
>Long as shit for what it is
>Fairly draggy; a lot of puttering around
>Not what you'd expect from the theme, it's euro area control, not even remotely 4x
>Outdone in basically anything it wants to do by other games.

this thread was up before the other one and I'm gonna make it my personal mission to keep it alive til it hits bump limit

Yeah, when you have to invoke /pol/ to start a thread on Veeky Forums you're already doing it wrong.

user, I love a good steak and a good scotch. But if you offered me a good beer and a good cheese burger I wouldn't turn them down simply because they're not scotch and steak. There are a lot of self-identified trolls here who claim to have superior taste in this or that game type. Frankly it's dubious that they have anyone would be willing to game with them considering their attitudes.

TL:DR Find the games you enjoy, and play them with people you like. Let the lonely trolls dangle in the wind.

I'm not OP, I'm just a bored guy with too much free time on ihs hands.

>tfw you simultaneously want to start a site for in-depth literary-style pretentious evaluation of board games and make some review videos that are LESS THAN 10 MINUTES LONG JESUS FUCK WHY ARE YOU PUSHING HALF AN HOUR NO YOU DON'T NEED A FUCKING COMEDY SKETCH AT THE START EITHER

>No direct combat
You know, I don't like that phrasing of the system, but I can't call it wrong, or even really offer a better phrasing.

To clarify, "combat" in the game consists of spending your military resources to assassinate enemy troops that are at the same location as your troops, or an adjacent one, or at a location where you've placed a spy. (Or, anywhere, if you buy the right cards) There's no ability to prevent or interact with this action.

So, it's not entirely uncommon for two players to have troops at the same location, sniping off an enemy troop every time they get sufficient military, reinforcing their troops when they don't, which will certainly FEEL direct, but there's no interaction between the players, simply a contest for control.

I'm really excited for the Inis expansion. I don't usually bother but this has like 4 different things that other games have packaged as separate expansions, and I really feel it's going to add depth to the game.

>What were your top 3 games of 2017? (Games that you liked or played the most.)

1. The Arrival - I just enjoy the theme and the straight forward mechanics of the game. Players choose 4 cards at the start of each turn, and each card has 3 rows of 'resources'. Players reveal the first 2 cards, and block one of the 3 rows. They then reveal the 3rd card and choose to block off one of the 2 remaining rows. After that they reveal the 4th card and see what resources (and how many corruption points) they end up with for that turn and then play out their resources.

2. Bluffing / Social Deduction games - my group played a bunch of games like Citadels, Dark Moon, and Deception: Murder in Honk Kong and had a great time doing it.

I didn't pick up a ton of new games in 2017 - most just bought expansions for games I already had. But I did pick up Fairy Tale, and it was a hit with the group for a light / fairly quick card drafting and hand management game.

>Were there any games of 2017 that you thought would be good but disappointed you?

Fortunately I didn't have any buyer's remorse on games I purchased so I lucked out there. Mostly I backed Kickstarters for things I have / had a very good idea I'd like. I recently received up Exodus: Event Horizon. I should be getting Empires of the Void II and Helionox Deluxe before the end of the Month, and I'm awaiting Too Many Bones, and Near & Far + Mines of Amber as well.

Go for it user. I think a lot of board gamers would love to see some good reviews of games based on their mechanics and how well they work together / overall player agency. I think most people bright enough to play some of the heavier games out there can think for themselves and determine if they're having 'bad-wrong-fun' for themselves. I liked the reviews from "All The Games You Like Are Bad" guy because he got straight to the point and tended to stick with here's what the game does, rather than preach about things other people can figure out for themselves. His reviews tended to be 20 minutes or less.

I know 'Dem Feels' user. I got the Mare Nostrum expansion which adds new heroes and another player to the mix which means I have more chance of getting to the table with my group. :)

>What were your top 3 games of 2017? (Games that you liked or played the most.)

>Tavern Masters
Came in at the end of the year. Instant hit with group. May not have legs into 2018 because it's pretty lucky but it probably got a couple dozen plays in december (Largely because it's fast enough to be played multiple times in a row). I'm not sure I *like* it amazingly well, but the best game is the one that makes it to the table.

>Ghost Stories
Fucking solid, glad I finally got around to playing/acquiring it, since my group freeking loves Co-ops

>Shogun
Not just because it's a fun area control game with direct conflict (that I actually own, unlike Kemet. t. Sad user), but because it may finally be the game that gets the guy who always fucking requests Catan to request something instead of Catan. TI3 tried, but was just too long, Shogun comes in at the same 1-2 hours and pushes (former) Catan Guy's buttons better than Catan.

Top 3 games

I got my hands on Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, and really enjoyed my time with it. So much so that I'm having trouble playing any more of it, since I'm torn between holding off on continuing the stories without my game group, and trying to introduce it to my other group. In short, I don't want to spoil the experience, so I'm being too cautious.

Picked up Tak, and it quickly found a nice little niche as a quick but surprisingly intuitive system (though that may be because we introduce the components in steps: first, we play 3x3 with just placement and movement, then we explain walls, then we go to 4x4.) I actually have yet to play with capstones.

I've been enjoying Dresden Files Cooperative Card game as well. I think it's really interesting because it completely destroyed our group the first 2-3 plays, but we haven't lost a game since, even when teaching it to new players.

I think he's making a distinction between high functioning and low functioning.
Speaking of Euros, is Voyages of Marco Polo good? I want to try a nice dice placement game and I honestly enjoy the silk road trading theme.
Have you gotten to play Mare Nostrum at all? I really want to try it sometime.

>Ghost Stories
>Shogun

Damnit Anons! You aren't supposed to be leading me into temptation. I've heard a lot of good things about Ghost Stories, and I already have Shogun, Sekigahara, and 3 Kingdoms on my wish list.

>Have you gotten to play Mare Nostrum at all? I really want to try it sometime.

I have not - my gaming group may have as few as 3 players or as many as 8 on a given game day, though we average about 5 to 7 most game days. I've been slowly introducing more complex games to my group and they've been enjoying them so far. I really want to get Core Worlds, Helionox, Mare Nostrum, and Empires of the Void II to the table in the next few months.

Ah, well tell us how it goes when you do. Core Worlds too, that one has been on my radar.

>What were your top 3 games of 2017?
Scythe
and that's it. I got a new job so unfortunately I didn't have much time to play anything.
I guess I also played Eldritch Horror and Terra Mystica, but even though I love both they are older games that I've been playing literally since their release so putting them on the top 3 of 2017 list would be cheating

actually pretty good with amazing aesthetics, but ameritrashfags will tell you otherwise. Also pretty cool to not see commies paired with bears for once

>Deception: Murder in Honk Kong
how did you go around the murderer showing the game master his clues of choice without other players immediately figuring out who it was by the sound of his movement?
inb4 just don't listen lmao. My group is autistic enough to forgo the 'fun' part of actual deduction in order to 'win' the game just by knowing who it is

We had a problem with one player doing that as well. The solution was that no one start with their hands or body up against the table to eliminate the "I felt the table move to my left or right". As for the 'sound' issue. I simply talked in a moderately loud voice the entire time while the murder was choosing their evidence. They point to the cards without touching the table top. Once they're done moving I then tell the group that they can open their eyes. A little drumming 'for tension' on the table top by the 'forensic scientist' while narrating the above discussion can further discourage all but the most blatant cheating.

Isn't Ghost Stories meant to be stupidly difficult?

What's terra mystica like?
Is it a solitary game?

What are some good modern area control games? Stuff like Kemet and Scythe and Inis and such.

Inis and Scythe came out in the last two years.

I finally got a chance to try out my copy of Botom of the 9th with a friend. It's tougher and more exciting then I thought it would be. When we finished, my friend immediately got on Amazon and bought himself a copy, I'll consider that a success

What's the best sci-fi game I can get for 30 - 50 Britbux?

It's not solo.

As that you don't interact with other players.

Yes, and?

They're modern.

It's highly interactive. Sometimes the best move is anti-terraforming to fuck with your neighbor.

Yes, and I'd like to get to know more than just those three. What else is out there that falls in the modern area control category?

From what I've seen it looked like everyone could just do his own business in a corner of the map without interacting too much with others, like scythe.
What are common strats to win?

>From what I've seen it looked like everyone could just do his own business in a corner of the map
They could, but they'd be giving up easy power points.

>Speaking of Euros, is Voyages of Marco Polo good?
Nah, it would have been good if they did their job properly and made all the characters balanced. Right now, there's one character that gets fucked by everyone else and is guaranteed to be last place unless everyone else is braindead. There's also 1 or 2 characters that are a cut above the rest.

>Speaking of Euros, is Voyages of Marco Polo good?

I think it's fantastic. It's been a hit with my group and everyone else I introduced it to. Very fun and thinky gameplay with barely any downtime for the players. You should watch a couple playthoughs on Youtube to get a feel for the game.

Out of the two, do you prefer Agricola or Caverna?

Then, with no restrictions, what is your favorite worker placement game?

Agricola, I think... I enjoy having to tailor your strategy around the cards you draft more than having all options available for everyone. It's less fiddly too.

My favorite worker placement is either Keyflower or Viticulture. Keyflower is more confrontational, and the expansions add aton of replayability, Viticulture feels more laid back and relaxing.
Ah, and Dungeon Petz is fantastic too, much more of a tense brain burner despite the friendly fantasy theme.

A key mechanic of Terra Mystica is the ability to leech power from other players whose territories you border. When they build or upgrade in a space, any other players adjacent to that space can gain some power, in exchange for some VP. Taking advantage of your neighbors growth and managing this power income can play a huge role in the game.

I'm a big fan of dice worker placement games, as long as there's incentive for both high and low rolls. For me, Alien Frontiers did this really well and is still one of my favorites.

Should I get this?

Shit I meant this. Quantum.

Pic Unrelated isn't a very good game.

Looks like I posted in the dying bgg thread, rate my collection?

Yes.

This takes up far less space than you'd think.

my copy of Azul just arrived today.
and now im just waiting on Mansions of Madness 2nd ed.

this year of tabletop is looking great already.

...

You're account name is "Trolling" isn't it?

How is Troyes?

I actually kind of want to dip into like, "what's the point of this game" both as intended by the designer and as experienced by the player, and how the mechanics highlight or don't highlight that. And just anything notable along those lines.

Basically there isn't any market for articles like this but I'd like to write something about An Infamous Traffic (and a little bit about Pax Pamir), about Betrayal at House on the Hill and about Here I Stand along those lines.

Is Onitama worth buying?

Check out COIN games. They're kind of area control and they're not for everyone but if you're gonna like them you're gonna love them.

Do you have a partner you'll play with all the time? Do the two of you not want to take the time/make the effort to become great at chess? If you answered yes to both then ya, it's a good buy.

I think it is. It's a short game that's easy to learn and plays fast.

>time/effort to become great at chess
How has this anything to do with Onitama?

Do you really not understand the parallel between chess and onitama?

He's saying chess is the better game, and Onitama's only good for casual play

That's oversimplifying things but ya, basically. Chess is in the upper echelon of 2 player games for a reason. If you don't want to learn that game (and no one would blame you if you don't) then Onitama is great. But not as good as chess.

That's the point I was trying to make.

>but it seems the majority of euro players are either min-maxers or autists, both are horrible to play with.
Gee I wonder why

I've been watching "Best Play" reviews, which are all under a minute and go to the "it's like this and you do this" instead of 50 minutes of rules.
The downside is that their audio quality is shit and there's few games reviewed.

Onitama is chess lite. Only have five pieces and every game they will be able to move in different ways, this makes every game play differently so there's no metagame to study like there is in chess. I really like how you can win by either capturing you opponent's "king" piece or the space the king started on, that reduces the likelihood of ending in ties.

If you want the feeling of chess without the baggage of knowing optimal strategies, Onitama may be a good fit for you.

Yeah, it's good.

Reposting my collection. Ask me about any of them. I also have Fortune and Glory and Flashpoint, not pictured.

nah. everyone is gonna have to find at least one fuckbuddy and try to build near him.
the game is highly interactive but almost all interactions come in the form of taking from the same limited resources(shared power actions, land), predicting the order in which the opponents will go for them, and sequence your rounds in such a way you will get screwed less and screw more of what they want to do.

but people enjoy comedy sketches, they are ready to watch them since 10 extra enjoyable minutes to decide on a 50€ purchase is worth it, and youtube pays for each minute anyway.

i forgot to tell you: gaia project is terra mystica 2 in space and everyone who played both thinks gaia project > terra mystica unless you really really dislike space theme.

Hello user. It'll be much easier for folks to rate / ask about stuff in your collection if they can actually read the image. This was easy and took less than 20 seconds in paint.net (google "download paint.net" for the free tool).

As for questions: How is?

Near & Far
Andor
& Escape From Colditz

A bit too ameritrashy for me, but nice. I think you are/used to be a RPGer.

Funny, we got quite a lot of games in common.

Pretty alright.

>finally acquire a complete Heroquest through various job lots
>when my non-Veeky Forums friends come back home for weekends or Christmas, we usually play a few games if we get a night
>always a giggle, like the time they had to rescue Sir Ragnar and the Elf decided to "walk through walls" to him, only to trip over his own shoelaces when the alarm got raised and have Sir Ragnar die without the rest of the party even seeing him
>this year we didn't play it at all despite me hauling it along a couple of times, as we just played Carcassone and FIFA

Not bad. I mean, there's some garbage in there as I believe you'll find in any collection but you've also got some real gold and at least one "Impossible to find" grail in Yggdrasil.

Sorry Bro, perhaps your friends have outgrown Hero Quest every time the group gets together to play. I've got 2nd Edition Talisman, but I certainly don't expect the group to play it more than once every 2 or 3 years. It's OK once in a while for grins and giggles, but it's definitely not a 'good' game.

Cheers

Near and Far is good as a game but I think it shines as a short campaign if you play it over several times with the same group. The game itself plays fast. I wouldn't call it a worker placement, because you only have one worker. It is definitely a race game, with multiple paths to points. The new players, there seems to be a dominant strategy (rush bandits), but as we've played more, I can't do that without losing anymore because there are ways to defeat that strategy.

Andor is a good solo game, and an interesting multi player puzzle, but multi player - it is hard, I'd say impossible, without someone quarterbacking hard. A variant I've used with multiplayer is to make it so that Gors (the basic monster type), don't increase the game timer until there are two of them in space 80 (that makes sense in game context). It gives you the chance to kill them, and still be a little bit sloppy in your teamwork, while not being unfun due to the very strict timer.

Colditz is great. It shows its age and the rules here only have minor changes (original rules are included as well), but it is fun and tense. I'd say 4 or 5 people is the optimal number. Enough that the guards don't have to feel like they are picking on someone. I usually shorten the game by 10 rounds, because if someone hasn't escaped by then, or they make an attempt and fail, those extra rounds aren't going to help, it will just drag the game on.

On my way home I stopped in an LGS to look around and I found a copy of Wiz War on the shelf. I've been looking months for it and I've had three failed transactions on boardgamegeek and ebay trying to buy it so I snagged it without hesitation yesterday. I'm pretty excited to finally have it!

Thanks for the feedback user. I backed the Near & Far / Mines of Amber KS and I'm looking forward to it. I think it'll work just fine with my regular gaming group. As for Andor, I'll hold off as I have several solo games - Nemo's War will be a long time before I explore it all - and Colditz will probably be a hit if I can find a copy.

Nice! Someday I might pick up a copy of Magic Realm without spending an arm & a leg.

Everyone I know who has played Gloomhaven has loved it. Can someone please explain the extreme appeal of the game?

There isn't a better dungeon crawl. It's sold as having a deep, immersive story. It's a legacy game.

>Can someone please explain the extreme appeal of the game?

A campaign with something like 95 scenarios, side missions, as characters complete their main objectives they retire and unlock new character classes for the player to explore. Its got a hell of a lot of content in the box.

Any other Fa/tg/uys or Ca/tg/irls going to PAX South? I'm heading there to spend 3 to 4 days doing nothing but Board Gaming and eating / drinking to much. :)

Well my biggest disappointment of 2017 was definitely Twilight Imperium 4. And by that I mean the chucklefucks whom I gave my money to in order to pre-order a copy, and still haven't gotten any into stock.

I don't know what the flying fuck is going on with the supply of this game down here in Australia, but it's a fucking mess and everyone I know is pissed because only about half of the retailers seem to have gotten any. Pretty sure I'm not getting my pre-order bonuses either.

I preordered mine from a local supplier in NZ and he ended up with at least copies, including the preorder bonus, which he wasn't expecting. And it only cost me $220 NZD (about 200AU) because he gave me a 20% discount for being a regular purchaser.

meant to say at least 3 copies

I don't really understand why would buy Twilight Imperium 4 if you have any previous edition of Twilight Imperium.

Yeah I don't know what the fuck happened, but my local Toy World (fucking TOY WORLD) has a copy, but some cockheads in Melbourne or wherever can't get their shit together long enough to find a copy of the game. FML.

I don't have any previous edition, and I was hoping to play a game over the Christmas break with friends. Looks like that's not going to fucking happen this year. Fucking NSW cuntbags.

If you have previous versions, it's more reason to. It improves nearly every aspect of the game, which was already great. Some of it could be houseruled into TI3 but not all, and the politics deck is much better, and commodities, tech tree are really good too. Plus the components are way better.

muh shock troops

They were just another example of the bloat in TI3. I liked the extra politics from SotT, but I don't miss it in TI4. I don't miss mercs. I don't miss space mines. I don't miss colonies or refineries. I don't miss having only 40 good political cards out of 100. I don't miss leaders. I don't miss the game slowing to a crawl whenever someone played Technology.

There were so many tiny, blink and you'll miss them, rules in TI3 that it's good they have removed some of the fluff for TI4.

Expansions will be good though. Looking forward to some mechanized units, and I'm going to guess they are going to look at having alternate paths to victory, other than VP.