I suppose that makes sense.
You’re welcome.
6 adventures in budget. Some of the best they’ve made.
If she likes Star Wars they have a new one of those in the 3 adventure sets too. I haven’t played it, because it is sitting wrapped under a tree right now.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Of those boxes, I tried the kid nightmare one, it was pretty cool.
Sherezade, Wizard of Oz, and the Dinosaur are all better, and worth the price of the boxes on their own. My favorites of the entire genre.
They have an Alice In Wonderland/ Sherlock Holmes/ 8bit Video game set that is also superb, but Sherezade is still my favorite and these are more universal I think.
I have not. I’m not really into these sort of puzzles, either in videogames or analog form. I got this stuff out of my system banging my head against Sierra games in the 80s and 90s. :)
-Tom
How many hours of gameplay are you hoping to get for that $50?
At least 30,000
LOL.
6-8 hours would be nice.
I got your back Jeff
Those run 90min to 2 hours each, depending.
It was a genuine question that’s actually really important, since you’ve said you’re on a budget, and these games are disposable. There is no replay value.
But thanks for the snark, sorry for trying to help.
It wasn’t snark at all. I was just trying to be funny, that’s all. Sorry about that.
I would second this recommendation, JP. It’s readily available through local gaming stores and Amazon (and in your budget range!), the base box game is a lot of fun, (and works with groups or solitaire) and if it clicks there are themed expansions.
One caveat: you need a smartphone or mobile device to play/pass around. It’s pretty forgiving as a technical thing – Android 4.4 or iOS 8.0 (both are circa 2013 operating systems, and anything newer obviously also works).
We’ve found that longtime gamers and non-gamers alike really get engaged by the game.
Has she tried Among Us? :)
Fair enough :)
Getting four of the Exit games will fit your budget, should give you about that much entertainment, and they are IMO the best of the bunch when it comes to the exit room games. But there’s a couple of things you should be aware of:
I don’t think the plan of having her play with you, and then later play again with her friends at college would work. It’s not very fun for either side. The player who has played the scenario before realistically can’t really do or say anything without giving away the twists.
And in addition to that, the Exit series is designed for you to destroy the components while playing. It’s possible to work around with various kludges, but honestly it’s not a great experience unless you have a photocopier.
If you’re looking for something more in the “detective mystery” rather than “exit room mystery” style, I have mini reviews of everything I’ve played in that genre in the detective games thread.
Basically the Consulting Detective games are still the gold standard there, and some of the box sets should be readily available. Do not get the Jack the Ripper one, it’s pretty disgusting and not fun to play at all. Playing every scenario in a box should be a good 25-30 hours, and if one player has played before it’s not the end of the world since they can just go and chase one of the other plot threads without spoiling the game for the others.
Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game is probably the most successful of the new games. It’s got some problems, but is a pretty compelling experience despite that. It’ll be about 15-20 hours, and all the scenarios basically have to be played with the same players. A new player will not be able to effectively enter the game in the middle of the campaign. So it’s another one where I don’t think it’d be something she can take to college after playing with you.
I’ll anti-recommend Chronicles of Crime.
I’m going to get the 3 pack that includes Scheherazade, and will get an Exit one too.
Did either of you play Exit Secret Lab? She’s going into biotech and I was wondering if this was one of their better or worse ones. Otherwise I’ll go with Orient or Cabin.
Thoughts?
I didn’t. I’ve played most of the others in that period, but not that one specifically.
Cabin was good, Orient was superb. I strongly recommend that one, but of course theming is important. I haven’t played an Exit game I consider bad, or even mediocre like the Nautilus Trap Unlock was. And the Secret Lab is firmly in the middle of the BGG rankings (which I find do broadly fit my opinion on them).
The Cabin was very good though, not quite Orient, but one of the better ones.
My honest suggestion is if you think the theming would really grab her, go ahead and get the Lab. If you want what is, IMO, the best adventure released in either series yet (that I’ve played), get Orient.
OK, went with the Orient :)
Thanks all for the help. Will keep Consulting Detective and Chronicles of Crime on my register for future gifts.