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

[DaveF]

Haven’t been playing a lot lately. Haven’t been able to get together with friends due to them being busy or me traveling.

Played some more Quacks last weekend, trying out the Alchemists expansion with the two sides of the play board. Haven’t played with the Witches yet. But several games in and we like the Alchemists.

Have been playing Castles of Burgandy a bit. It’s an older game, but it’s a classic and I’m into it. It’s a nice conventional Euro, the only really weakness is it sputters out in the final couple rounds.

And got a round of New York Zoo in. Haven’t played since last year. It’s not perfect, but it’s a solid polyominol game when the mood strikes.

 

[Pnochichi]

I wasn't expecting it, but the blockbuster game was a laugh riot. We had a blast playing with the kids. Replay value is obviously limited without being able to add new movies but highly recommended for a group party game kind of event.

 

[BobO'Link]

I love Castles of Burgundy but can't get it to the table often. So far it's my favorite from Feld. I have 6 he's done and there are a couple of others I really want to add to the collection - overall I tend to enjoy what he creates.

I *still* need to get Quacks to the table. I have the Witches expansion and keep stalling on the Alchemists one as I want to play the base game first. I'm pretty sure we'll like it but I've made that mistake before - getting a base game and several expansions before playing only to find I was the only one who liked the game so it sits unplayed. I tend to be just a bit less zealous about loading up on expansions these days because of that - unless a game has a solo mode in the box (or someone's created one independently that has received decent reviews/comments).

School was out the past couple of days (ice/sleet on the streets) so since I was working from home I thought I'd get in a couple of board games (I was updating servers/systems which is mostly lots of "monitoring" a screen - at the office I'll watch board game reviews or movies while doing those). Didn't happen... but I *did* get in lots of TV/Movies so that makes it easier to ignore those today and tomorrow for board games.

Trying to decide what to play today - I'd like to get in another round of Underwater Cities (and play it right this time) but with that impending Target sale I really want to get Spirit Island on the table to decide if I "need" the Jagged Earth expansion. It's currently sold out but could come back in stock during the sale.

 

[DaveF]

I want to buy expansions for a good game ASAP, having been burned by taking it slow and expansions going out of print.

 

[DaveF]

Also, Quacks is a great game. One of the best new games of the past couple years. How have you owned it and not played it yet? So easy and fun.

 

[BobO'Link]

Also, Quacks is a great game. One of the best new games of the past couple years. How have you owned it and not played it yet? So easy and fun.

Because it's not soloable and my group (daughter and her 3 kids) don't come over as often as a year or two back (and you guys know my wife refuses to play *any* "modern" board games at all). They used to come over almost every night for supper (working single mom so having supper for everyone was a big deal) and we played games at least once a week. She got a live-in boyfriend a couple of years back (great guy and he likes board games - a plus) and the 18yo developed an interest in cooking (says he wants to be a chef and preps over half their meals) so now they just don't come over very often. The oldest grandkids (15 & 18) are also at a point where they'd rather spend time staring at phones/computer screens than hanging out playing games. What's rather annoying is I spent quite a bit of time setting up a dedicated game area, that they were *all* excited to see, and it's only been used twice and then only with 2 player games. We keep saying we need to get back to a weekly game night but it's just not happened. It doesn't help that my daughter appears to have "long haul covid" and has had it twice (in spite of being vaccinated). She pretty much stays wiped out/exhausted most of the time.

My 10yo granddaughter, my current primary game buddy, says she wants to play Quacks but there are so many unopened games that she gets a bit overwhelmed if we decide to play a new one or something else catches her eye so we play that instead. It doesn't help that there are a couple of dozen games she *really* likes and tends to ask for them more than a new-to-her game - and I get that.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Wish I/we got into board games (a lot more) w/ ours kids and extended family (here in NYC area)... but alas... much too late to get that going now that nearly all kids are 14-to-early-20s -- still have a couple nephew/nieces very young, but they're usually too busy and/or far (enough) away these days...

Pretty much none of the other adults in our extended family would be all that interested, except maybe a brother-in-law whom I hardly ever see anymore (and would probably be rather stubborn and mostly only care about childhood nostalgic games)...

_Man_

 

[BobO'Link]

My son is a board gamer - and lives ~4 hours away. We get together every 4 months or so for a couple of days and manage to get in a handful of games but he has 3 kids, ages 5-9, which means less "adult" game time although his 8yo is starting to get into more advanced type games (the 9yo doesn't care much for board games but the 5yo loves them too - at least we both have modern games for that age group to play with her).

His wife is somewhat a gamer and will play a few things with him but not so much the heavier games he and I enjoy. She home schools their kids and is always looking for new/better board games that support that and that aren't the typical roll-and-move games most of us grew up on. They *do* play some of the typical US kid games - Candyland (thankfully they've all outgrown that one), Go Fish, and Kerplonk specifically, but they also play Catan Junior, Ticket to Ride: First Journey, Planet, Sleeping Queens, Dragonwood, Dragomino, and other similar games. The 5yo can be quite cut throat in some of the games we play with her.

None of my in-laws are board gamers by any stretch. The "heaviest" thing most of them play is Uno. At one gathering a couple of years back I got out Formula-D thinking it'd be one I could get some of them to play as it plays up to 10, is fairly light, and easy to teach/learn. Nope - just my grandkids and one cousin's kid played. When we finished that and put it away they all got out Uno and played *several* times.

 

[Pnochichi]

My 10yo granddaughter, my current primary game buddy, says she wants to play Quacks but there are so many unopened games that she gets a bit overwhelmed if we decide to play a new one or something else catches her eye so we play that instead. It doesn't help that there are a couple of dozen games she *really* likes and tends to ask for them more than a new-to-her game - and I get that.

Having a 10-year-old myself that loves to play games either just the two of us or as a family (4) and sometimes bigger groups on game nights, I'd love to know about your granddaughter's favorite games. Always looking for new games for my little one. He's pretty easy since he just really likes to play, but it's always good to have things that really fit his age while still being fun for everyone.

 

[Pnochichi]

Tonight's session was kingdomino. It's a great intro to resource placement games for the kids. It plays very fast and teaches you the basics of thinking ahead when placing tiles. I really like the mechanic of chosing a high value tile in one round puts you at the end of selection process in the next round. Its also kind of cool that you don't get your tiles from one round until you select your tiles in the next round, so you have to think ahead a little more and consider both the tiles in your field and the tiles from the previous turn that you haven't collected yet. Perfect for the kids to learn the style of play before moving on to more complex games.

I assume it will get a few playthroughs and then get replaced with a better version of the concept. It we will keep it around to teach this style of play to newbies when they come over .

 

[BobO'Link]

We really like Kingdomino, so much so that I ordered Queendomino when it came out (the Dice Tower guys call it a "gamer's version of Kingdomino"). And I can't get Queendomino to the table. It's been nixed (mostly by the 2 younger grankids) as being "too different" from Kingdomino (it's really not all that different and mostly just adds a new mechanic - but they've not yet felt the need for that). They (the 10 & 15yo) thought it would simply be the same game with more/different tiles - and it *can* be integrated into Kingdomino to do just that (build a 7x7 grid instead of 5x5 with 4 or fewer players *or* add a 5th/6th player with 5x5 grids) though I've not done it.

We have the Age of Giants expansion which works with both Kingdomino and Queendomino. It has a new mechanic (the Giants), some end game scoring tiles, adds a 5th player to the mix (or 7th if both games are combined), and includes a very nice tile tower. It might be worth investigating instead of a "better version." We've not yet played this either (yeah... I know...). One day I'm going to insist on either this or Queendomino.

I'm reading/watching mostly good things about Kindomino: Origins and that it's a very good replacement for the original game. Since I have the first 2, I don't know that I want to add it as it doesn't sound like it truly adds/changes enough (especially owning both original games and the Giants expansion) to justify a 3rd version of the game.

 

[Pnochichi]

Queendomino seems like exactly the next step game I was talking about the kids growing into. We will give kingdomo a few more sessions to make sure it sticks and, if so, we will give queendomino a try to add a bit more complexity into the mix. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Sam Posten]

We have played kingdomino origins once and like so many sequels it veers too far from the simplicity of the original that you have to wonder “what were they thinking?” It’s not a bad game but it’s too radically diffeeent from the original. The good will that they get by getting KD lovers to the table will be decimated when they discover it’s a much more complex game.

 

[BobO'Link]

Having a 10-year-old myself that loves to play games either just the two of us or as a family (4) and sometimes bigger groups on game nights, I'd love to know about your granddaughter's favorite games. Always looking for new games for my little one. He's pretty easy since he just really likes to play, but it's always good to have things that really fit his age while still being fun for everyone.

Sure! Here are some of the 10yo's favorites:

Sushi Go! - A very nice card drafting/set collection game. I like it for a game or two but that's it though both the girls (the 10yo and her 15yo sister) will play game after game. I got the 15yo a copy of Sushi Go Party! for Christmas a couple of years back (she specifically asked for it). It's a "better/improved" version of the game that lets you put different groupings of cards into the deck (kind of like Dominion) to create unique groupings. I like it better *but* it really drags things down to play one group of cards and then reset with a different group (you have to break all the cards used down into their groups and pick the new ones). Both come in a tin box (blech) with no option for a cardboard box.

Parfum - I think this one's OOP. She absolutely loves this one (and has been commenting the past week or so that we "need" to play it again). It's a dice drafting, bag building, type game. You pull scent tiles from the bag to place on the board. Each has specific dice types to be able to purchase and add to your tableau. Using your actions you either select dice to roll hoping to earn a specific scent for your perfume stack or sell a completed perfume to a client (also blind drawn), earning points. It plays fairly quickly and isn't too complicated. We can usually get her mom to play (but her brother and sister never have been around when we've played this one).

Micropolis - Another that may be OOP. This one's similar to Kingdomino in that you're drafting tiles in a bidding order. This time the tiles create a circle around a central stash of ant soldiers. First tile in line is free, to get the 2nd you put one of your ants on the first, etc. Tiles have tunnels on them that connect. You earn points by connecting tunnels to group items, having queen ants, commander ants, longest tunnel, and placing your ants in special areas. Also plays fairly quickly.

Ticket to Ride - Pick a version/map... She's been playing this one since she was 5 (called it "That chugga choo choo game") and it's also a family favorite. Initially when she played we did so without the tickets but over time those have been added. You used to be able to count on her to grab any locomotive (wild card) that hit the card row - and she'd hoard them until we pretty much said "OK... you *have* to put some trains down this turn!" She's gotten quite good and we now always play with the tickets. I have just about every map released (all but Poland, which was a UK only release and I'm not paying that much) and every full game release (except for Marklin as it's OOP and stupidly expensive and the US Anniversary edition, also OOP and more than I'm willing to pay). That includes the more recent "small box" versions (TTR: New York, TTR: London, and TTR: Amsteram). Her favorite (mine too) of the small box versions is TTR: London. Those play quickly (15 minutes or so) and can be *very* cut throat with super tight maps.

The Quest for El Dorado - This one's also quite high on her favorites list. It's a racing game with deck building. It has a modular board which makes for a huge number of maps possible (there's a BGG user who posted a "book" of 50+ maps that his group play tested). The deck building portion is rather unique. You purchase cards from a specific market row and there's a limit of 3 of each card. Once a type is depleted you put a new one, from a group of 12 or so, in its place. Each card type improves your hand (a limited hand of 5 cards but you can keep the ones you don't play on a turn and simply draw back up to 5) in some manner. We got her mom to play with us and she, too, liked it. It's also one I really enjoy and she does quite well with it. Once she figured out what each card type can do she became quite aggressive with her selections.

Harry Potter: Hogwart's Battle - A deck building coop game where you play one of the principal characters from the books/movies and attempt to defeat a group of "villains" from the books/movies with each round (book). It plays in 7 rounds with each representing a book in the series. It introduces new cards for drafting and new bad guys, with their respective damage cards, and locations pulled from the respective book for each round. Each character has a unique starting deck that can be supplimented by purchasing cards from the "market" area. The students in the box are Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. The first expansion adds Ginny Weasley (and a 5th player) and the other adds Luna Lovegood (and both add 4 more levels/cards/etc. to the base game). It starts out fairly easy but ramps up with each level as you *add* villains to the group each time. That also makes each book/round/level longer. It's a solid coop game that doesn't seem to fall victim to the "Alpha Player" syndrome quite so much (and it helps that we discuss the options and work out together what we feel is best - basically, I guide but let her drive more often than not so she feels more invested).

Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers - She, her brother, and sister, all started playing "modern" board games with base Carcassonne. I have all of the published expansions and many of the mini-expansions plus most of the stand-alone versions that've been released. Hunters and Gatherers is their favorite flavor. It's the same but different enough to feel like a new game. I introduced them to this one when they got to where they understood farmers and how to manipulate them for scoring. This version rewards the player who can worm their way into someone's stream/field or complete a forest for another player.

Sagrada - A game I almost didn't purchase as it sounded like it'd be too much like Azul. It's not. It's a fun and quick dice drafting game where you place the drafted dice on a special "window" in specific ways to get points. Those specific ways can change every game as it's randomly pulled from a stack of inserts for your "window." Another surprise hit.

Azul - Yep - she likes this one too, though not as much as Sagrada. In this one you're drafting tiles from a limited selection and placing them on a player board in a specific manner.

Ascension - More deck building (yeah, we like that mechanic). This time you're racing to get the most points by purchasing point cards from the center row and defeating monsters in the center row. Those purchased cards make your personal deck stronger over time. As there are many sets/sub-sets of this one I recommend the one linked above (it's the first set released and supports up to 4 out of the box) *or* Ascension: Eternal, the most recent "beginner" set (plays 2 out of the box), a less expensive way to test the waters and it combines easily with any of the other sets.

Star Realms - Yep, another deck builder. This time you're purchasing the best cards from the central row and attacking your opponent hoping to knock them out before they knock you out. She'd watched her sister and me play this one frequently and couldn't wait to join in. It's mostly a 2 player game (there are variants for 3 or 4 but...) and plays very quickly. There are 4 versions of this one. The original (linked), Colony Wars (a stand-alone expansion), Frontiers (another stand-alone expansion that supports 4 players out of the box), and a updated version of the original which includes everything from the first game, supports 4 players, has a small expansion, some coop challenge stuff, and a board for the center row (unnecessary but nice). It's a good way to get your feet wet with this one but is usually twice the cost of the original set. A plus is the box insert looks like it'll hold most of the currently released content (the other 2 stand-alone sets for sure) which is a plus if you go for the other sets.

Barenpark - A very fun polyomino tile laying game that her mom also really likes. It *can* have a bit of AP due to tile placement so be aware of that. I have the Bad News Bears expansion but we've not played with it yet (I think Dave has so maybe he has some insight on that one).

Draftosaurus - Pull a specific number of wooden dinosaurs from a bag, draft one for your park, pass the rest to the person next to you. There's a single die *one* person rolls to determine exactly *where* on the boards you must place your drafted dino and that person doesn't have to follow the die placement mandate. The die passes with the dinos so everyone gets equal turns rolling the die. Each dino pen has different requirements for occupancy/scoring, and the boards are double-sided with different scoring methods on each side (everyone plays the same side though). The dinos are very good quality with each being a different shape (and all of one shape are the same color) and it plays very quickly. My 8yo grandson loves this one.

Letters to Santa (aka Love Letter) - A Christmas themed version of Love Letter. She absolutely loves this one. Biggest issue is getting everyone else on board as it's best/better with more players (I prefer 4). I usually bring this one out if we have some non-gamers at the house and decide to play a game.

Gingerbread House - Tile laying/set collection/contracts. You draw a tile from a pile and place it on your player board. What you cover with that tile provides resources you use to purchase cards (the contract) for points. The board is constantly rising and you have limitations on just where that tile can be placed.

Marvel United - a coop game with miniatures where you're a group of Marvel heros attempting to take down the selected villain. It has a fun, and unique, card playing mechanism. We were surprised that we really enjoyed this one (we're not much into coops and not Marvel fans - I got this as a review copy - we liked it enough that I've ordered the newer X-Men stand-alone expansion).

Photosynthesis - She and her sister both really like this one. It's a somewhat abstract game where you're growing trees (3-D standees no less) for points. BUT - as those trees get larger they can block the sunlight, putting trees behind them in shadow and restricting their growth. And the sun moves around the board constantly changing the direction of the shadow. You must be careful to not block your own trees while casting shadows on your opponents crop. Lots of fun.

Santorini - She really likes this one but struggles with it a bit. It's a very abstract 3D area control type game that can be quite challenging.

Trash Pandas - A dice rolling, hand management, set collection, push your luck card game. It's surprisingly lots of fun and plays very very quickly.

Point Salad - Another set collecting card drafting game. Yet, it's unique and lots of fun. It also plays fairly quickly.


There are a few others we've played and she seems to enjoy but those above are the ones she'll ask for the most.

 

[DaveF]

Barenpark -- great polyominal game. We've got the expansion and also like it. It adds some good extra complexity. We haven't played it in a while. But that's kinda the nature of board games.

 

[Pnochichi]

we have isle of cats on the way since my youngest is obsessed with cats. Is it worth it to get barenpark as well since they seem very similar?

also just ordered sagrada in the target 3 for 2 deal since it looked very cool to my oldest.

 

[DaveF]

Barenpark is a better game than Isle of Cats.

 

[BobO'Link]

I have Isle of Cats but we've not played it yet. I *almost* didn't order it because it sounded somewhat similar to Barenpark - but a deal came along...

I punched and bagged Quacks of Quedlinburg *and* the Herb Witches expansion last night. I was pleasantly surprised that both fit the main box without issues. I was (still am) in a bit of a quandary about how to bag all the chips. I finally settled on a single bag for each number as that seems to need the fewest bags while still being somewhat easy to separate out for play (and I'm not even sure about doing that). It just seemed to be more of a chore to bag each color separately. Once I manage to get a few plays I'll know for sure and may then look at some type of storage solution (though most of the ones I've looked at just don't seem all that good).

I kind of like the BGG store storage solution:

A separate box for each color (no, doesn't include the chips) and the lid turns into a holder for the "books." That sells for ~$35 after shipping is added. Still a bit on the expensive side IMHO - but if you play frequently might be worth the expense. I *do* like it better than the storage solution from Folded Space:

It's two layers for the chips/player bits, the boards go on top, and the bags roll up and go on top of the expansion boards at the top of the box - plus sells in the $14-$20 range (it'll also hold the Alchemists expansion). Still - it doesn't look nearly as nice or convenient as that one from the BGG store.

I also looked at the upgraded chips from the BGG store vs. coin holders. Both are a bit on the expensive side (~$82 incl. shipping for the BGG chips vs. ~$50 for enough coin holders) unless you really play the game a lot so that's up in the air for now.

Here's what those BGG chips look like (these are the main game - there's a 2nd set for Witches):

Those look incredible! BUT the price!! That's more than I paid for the game and expansion!

 

[DaveF]

My wife bought the BGG token replacements and they’re fantastic. She also got a nice quality laser-etched, wood storage solution that we like. And also some nicer third-party potion bags that are super great.

That said, I’m not sure I’d recommend spending $100 on replacement parts for a game you don’t actually play!

 

[BobO'Link]

BGG sells upgraded potion bags as well (currently OOS):

They look very nice and I *do* like that each player's bag is color coordinated - but the ones that come with the game are quite nice themselves.

And while I *do* like all the blinged out components I absolutely will not purchase them unless we *really* like the game.