What sort of Board Games do you Play (1 Viewer)

[Northgun]

Has anyone tried out the game castle panic or the farming game?Sent from my SPH-L710 using HTF mobile app

 

[DaveF]

I don't consider A2A a board game. If you are into that tho, try Cards Against Humanity.

Open your mind, Neo. I mentioned Dominion. It's a card game (no 'board' involved.) But if you like 'board games', particularly those with a strategy bent (vice verbal, trivia, or artistic intelligence) it's a great game

 

[Jason Charlton]

I don't consider A2A a board game. If you are into that tho, try Cards Against Humanity.

I played CAH for the first time a couple months ago with some co-workers. Don't play that game unless you're totally comfortable with the people you're playing with. It was freaking hilarious and a fantastic game to "just play" with food and drinks. I hadn't laughed that hard in a looooong time.

 

[Ockeghem]

Open your mind, Neo. I mentioned Dominion. It's a card game (no 'board' involved.) But if you like 'board games', particularly those with a strategy bent (vice verbal, trivia, or artistic intelligence) it's a great game

Dave,Yeah, I probably shouldn't have included Milles Bornes since it isn't a board game. By the way, I also love Clue.

 

[Ejanss]

On the Retro game side, i was recently in a discussion about how we first got our art education as kids; I'd mentioned that I'd learned who Monet and Toulouse-Latrec were from "an old board game where we Monopoly-traded postcards of famous paintings from the Chicago museum", and discovered I wasn't the only one who'd grown up playing Masterpiece.
That, and a couple years ago, I had to search all over eBay for a copy of Careers because my sister wanted to have a copy on the shelf for her kids--Even though it'd been off shelves for seven years, and last seen in a heretical "girl power" version.

(I don't even know if they still have the upgraded version of Outburst, with those little filtered Family Feud lists that everyone had to guess. We had an early copy, but never dug it out since it still used a heavy wooden cribbage board to keep score.)

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Scott, I got so good at Ricochet Robots that nobody would play it with me anymore. I believe there's a new edition either on the way or recently released.

I played Cards Against Humanity recently. It's essentially Apples to Apples but with the most offensive cards imaginable. Right after, we played Cyrano, which is a poetry-writing game. Let's just say that our poems were. . .interesting.

Jacob, my son and I play Castle Panic. It's an excellent combo of co-op and competitive play; plus, you can get kids to play by telling them it's a "tower defense" game. What do you mean by "the farming game?" Agricola? There are tons of games with a farming theme.

I have seen that Stock Market add-on for Monopoly, but haven't played it. I'm not a huge fan of any variant that adds cash to the game, since that causes it to drag on longer. The Cityville Monopoly game is actually a pretty good variant -- it's not just Monopoly with a Cityville theme; it has some interesting rule changes that make for a faster game.

Monopoly Hotels is a nice little 2-player contest.

 

[Northgun]

I really enjoyed playing Castle panic with friends. It was the first co-op board game I have ever owned. I'm looking into finding more of those since I have some friends that won't play competitive games that they lose at lol. Heres a link to The Farming Game, thats literally what they called it. http://www.amazon.com/Weekend-Farmer-WF100-Farming-Game/dp/B00004UDWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379614072&sr=8-1&keywords=the+farming+game The game was a lot more fun than I expected. I bought it based on reviews. You run a farm and have to buy land, equipment and such. Throughout the game things happen to you that you can't control and the first person to a x amount of money wins.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott, I got so good at Ricochet Robots that nobody would play it with me anymore. I believe there's a new edition either on the way or recently released.

Aaron,I often will say something like "31" -- and then not remember the way I envisioned the paths in my mind when I said the number! Not good.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Oh, I've been there.

 

[DaveF]

I recommend "No Thanks" as a closer. It's an easy, light, and fast game. A great one to wrap up a game night with a few quick rounds.http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12942/no-thanks

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Despite its ironic title, I agree.

 

[JohnMor]

Anyone ever played the card game Guillotine? Highly enjoyable kick-off or end to a game night.http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/116/guillotine

 

[Walter C]

I used to love playing Chess and Monopoly. But will never play Monopoly ever again, since an argument always erupts over house rules. Same reason why I don't play Uno anymore.

It has been a long time since I played an actual person in chess.

 

[DaveF]

I used to love playing Chess and Monopoly. But will never play Monopoly ever again, since an argument always erupts over house rules. Same reason why I don't play Uno anymore.

It has been a long time since I played an actual person in chess.

Play Settlers of Catan
http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/17-04/mf_settlers?currentPage=all

But part of the reason we don't play much Risk and Monopoly as adults is that those are actually poorly designed games, at least in the German sense. Derk Solko, a garrulous former Wall Streeter who cofounded the Web site BoardGameGeek.com in 2000 after discovering Settlers, explains it this way: "Monopoly has you grinding your opponents into dust. It's a very negative experience. It's all about cackling when your opponent lands on your space and you get to take all their money." Monopoly, in fact, is a classic example of what economists call a zero-sum game. For me to gain $100, you have to lose $100. For me to win, you have to be bankrupt. Gouging and exploiting may be perfect for humiliating your siblings, but they're not so great for relaxing with friends.
Monopoly also fails with many adults because it requires almost no strategy. The only meaningful question in the game is: To buy or not to buy? Most of its interminable three- to four-hour average playing time (length being another maddening trait) is spent waiting for other players to roll the dice, move their pieces, build hotels, and collect rent. Board game enthusiasts disparagingly call this a "roll your dice, move your mice" format.
Unfortunately, Monopoly still dominates. "It's the Microsoft of our world," Solko says. "If I could wave a magic wand and replace all the copies of Monopoly out there with Settlers, I truly think the world would be a better place."
German-style games, on the other hand, avoid direct conflict. Violence in particular is taboo in Germany's gaming culture, a holdover from decades of post-World War II soul-searching. In fact, when Parker Brothers tried to introduce Risk there in 1982, the government threatened to ban it on the grounds that it might encourage imperialist and militaristic impulses in the nation's youth. (The German rules for Risk were hastily rewritten so players could "liberate" their opponents' territories, and censors let it slide.)
Instead of direct conflict, German-style games tend to let players win without having to undercut or destroy their friends. This keeps the game fun, even for those who eventually fall behind. Designed with busy parents in mind, German games also tend to be fast, requiring anywhere from 15 minutes to a little more than an hour to complete. They are balanced, preventing one person from running away with the game while the others painfully play out their eventual defeat. And the best ones stay fresh and interesting game after game.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Settlers was great in 1998 but there are so many better games available now.

Walter, what sort of house rules are there in Uno? There doesn't seem to be much room for that!

John, I've played Guillotine many times and agree that it's a fun filler.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Monopoly also fails with many adults because it requires almost no strategy. The only meaningful question in the game is: To buy or not to buy? Most of its interminable three- to four-hour average playing time (length being another maddening trait) is spent waiting for other players to roll the dice, move their pieces, build hotels, and collect rent.

That is false (as illustrated by good players winning tournaments). Monopoly is a trading and negotiation game. And no way does it take 3-4 hours if you aren't using house rules.

 

[Sam Posten]

Good point!

I used to love playing Chess and Monopoly. But will never play Monopoly ever again, since an argument always erupts over house rules. Same reason why I don't play Uno anymore.

It has been a long time since I played an actual person in chess.

Actually I used these two very examples when I used to teach intro to computers when discussing how computer programs work and things like APIs develop. Everyone knew how all the chess pieces move (a few even understood castling!) But nobody could agree on what happens when you land on free parking and all agreed that the official rule (nothing happens) sucks. Without structured rules chaos exists.

 

[DaveF]

That is false (as illustrated by good players winning tournaments). Monopoly is a trading and negotiation game. And no way does it take 3-4 hours if you aren't using house rules.

Unfortunately, no one taught me how to play Monopoly professionally as a kid. And every game for 30 years was tedium as the Wired article described.

Settlers was great in 1998 but there are so many better games available now.

I still love Settlers (and played some good games this weekend). It's still got a blend of player interactions that few games have. Many current, favorite games (like Stone Age, 7 Wonders, Dominion) don't have the interaction the Settlers motivates among players.

What I want are some more good two-player games. 7 Wonders turns out to not be a good 2 player. The Settlers 2-player variant is too fussy.

Stone Age is fantastic as is Dominion. I need to pull out Ticket to Ride; haven't played that in a while.

 

[Walter C]

Walter, what sort of house rules are there in Uno? There doesn't seem to be much room for that!

Some of them include Stackies or Pile-Ons, and the definitions of these terms may differ from person to person. Some people insist that these are the norm of the game, whenever I tell them that they can't put down more than 1 card down per turn. One would even get downright nasty about it. At that point, I just decided, to never play again, which is too bad, because it used to be my favorite game.And a few times, I even played cutthroat Uno, which allows a player to go out of turn, if they are quick enough, to put down a matching card, if I remember correctly.

 

[DaveF]

And a few times, I even played cutthroat Uno, which allows a player to go out of turn, if they are quick enough, to put down a matching card, if I remember correctly.

I learned that variant as "Speed Uno". After a player has played, all players can play the identical card if they get it in before the next normal player goes. It's best played with a bunch of college kids