When I host a game night we often play the heavy games first, the before everyone goes home we have just enough time for a cool down game. One set is adult nerds like me, the other gamer set is my nieces and nephews.
So could you all suggest some good 45min to 1.5 hour games? A game like Ticket to Ride is perfect, but no one outside of my wife and I like it. Adult geek group is into heavy RPG stuff. Thanks and looking forward to suggestions!
I like Discworld: Ankh Morpork quite a bit. I haven’t played it two players, but it is quite simple, pretty accessible, and very nerdy. If you are a Discworld fan it’s particularly good, but still good even if you’re not.
60 - 90 minutes (YMMV):
Lords of Waterdeep
Imperial Settlers
King of Tokyo/New York
Airlines Europe
Sentinels of the Multiverse (if they are truly geeky and like superheroes).
Diamonds (card game)
All these choices were thinking 3 - 4 players (not two).
RPG Like:
Shadowrun Crossfire (cooperative deck builder with some RPGness). My 20 year oldish kids like it a lot. Though really need four players.
I second porousnaykin on Discworld: Ankh Morpok but I am a fan of the series and agree knowing the books really does help make one enjoy the game more (though it is not necessary to know anything to play the game). I have only played it with three. My family enjoyed it but all have read, listened, or watched Discworld.
This is my bailiwick. Unlike, I think, many of the boardgamers on this forum, I am always looking for light strategic games without a big time commitment. The only thing better than a boardgame that plays 2-4 in less than an hour is one that plays 6 or more in the same time!
Machi Koro
Roll Through the Ages
Dominion
Eminent Domain (maybe a touch longer)
Bang! (I think I’d recommend the dice game these days over the older card game)
Forbidden Desert (co-op)
Metropolys (in print?)
Witch’s Brew (in print?)
If you ever expect to have more than 4, Shadow Hunters and 7 Wonders are no-brainers.
Colossal Arena
Glory to Rome
Citadels
Nexus Ops
7 wonders is pretty awesome.
I personally like Machi Koro especially as a Gateway Game but I think it is slightly broken and needs an expansion to fix its weaknesses. Certain strategies like Red Cards become obvious after a couple plays. I read that there is an expansion that reduces these problems.
I think as it stands now if you do not overplay it and play it causally it is fine especially non- gamer friends or family.
I’ll second King of Tokyo and add Small World (any version).
Citadels and King of Tokyo are great suggestions, too. Personally, I think Small World takes consistently longer than an hour unless maybe you’re a bunch of serious pros.
I can kinda agree with that. The red cards can become really punishing, although I think there are strategies to counteract them a bit (e.g., buy bakeries to offset the penalty of the cafe, spend money more often than you save it and build up to a big payoff roll to get your expensive stuff, buy red cards yourself!). But, yeah, I’d like it if they were tempered a bit.
One reason I would recommend Machi Koro, actually, is that I think the promise of future expansions will make the game really, really great by adding variability to every game in a Dominion-like way. Can’t wait to get my hands on the first expansion, which I think is called The Harbor.
Yes, multi expansions for Machi Koro will add longevity in a similar fashion like Dominion did by mixing up the choices.
I wanted to add Nexus Ops is a great game and Eminent Domain is very good with two players; I actually prefer it that way (I have only played it without the expansion).
I think Castles of the Mad King Ludwig may be considered in this category for four players. I have heard good things about it and purchased hoping to play it soon.
I haven’t played enough of it to say that it’s great yet, but Among the Stars is for 2-4 and can certainly be played in less than an hour.
I have the latest kickstarted version of Among the Stars but have not tried it yet. I am a bit overwhelmed at all the extras I received and really do not know where to start. :)
Ogre without the GEV expansion.
Monopoly if you want to break friends and families up.
Olympus (not pos)
Euphoria If everyone knows it you can play a 4 player game in 45 minutes.
Ave Caesar
Race for the Galaxy
Jamaica
One Night Werewolf (because who can play just one game)
Infamy if people know the game (first play will be 1.5 but after that you play in an hour.