Chris, Pandemic comes in a smallish box and is an excellent cooperative game. Forbidden Island is an easier and shorter version of the system, and is in even a smaller box.
Otagan
2962
We try to not be too strict about this one, but generally my group understands that they can say one of three general things:
- I can help a lot.
- I can help a little.
- I can’t help at all on this one.
That allows you to communicate a fair amount without being overly specific and serves the general purpose of the guidelines. The main thing is to make sure nobody ever refers to cards by name or number with regard to skill checks, and to also make sure nobody devises a system where they communicate their cards using non-number phrasing (not much = 1, a little = 2, etc.) As long as everyone is being reasonable about that and playing in good faith, then this usually isn’t an issue past the first game or two.
For the loyalty cards, do like was indicated above and have everyone look at them at the same time for a fixed length of time, counted out loud by a player. Never let people hold them in their hands but have them face down on the table somewhere as you indicated.
I’m not sure a better suggestion exists than Citadels, but I’ll try (be sure and look at the official variants for 2-3 players I linked above because for certain groups they can be lifesavers).
With 4p you have a great setup for Tichu (better rules explanations are all over the net, the ones in the box are not so great), which I think is one of the best silent partner/climbing card games out there with a really broad audience. Haggis is the 2-3p variant that works best IMO, but I don’t regard it as anywhere near as successful. Tichu is the kind of thing that you can make long nights out of and recurring contests, and it gets even better when you can throw in the dynamic of two couples and mess around with it (guys against girls, couples vs, etc).
Dixitis a hell of a lot of fun and also works great with a few drinks (while it comes in a normal boardgame box, all you really need are the cards and the tokens). You basically look at these fantastically illustrated but ambiguous cards and come up with short phrases that are vague but not too vague to describe it. Then everyone looks at their hand and tries (often with astonishing success!) to find something that fits your phrase. Then you shuffle and everyone guesses which they think you were actually talking about when you said that. You get the most points as the current player if some but not all guess your card (just right!), and no points if all or none guess your card. The successful bluffers also get points.
Corsari is a great vaguely piratey game (again, online rules translations are your friend) with a heap of strategy and a fun mechanic (boning other players with lots of stowaways if you can finish early) but a decent risk involved in getting there.
Other than that, Cartagena (I play with the included Tortuga open hand rules for minimal randomness) and For Sale! are two of my preferred fillers, also very portable.
Personally, I think Death Angel is a good game but it’s one that I’d be unlikely to spring on non-gamers and therefore I find it less versatile in the weekend trip category. It’s just a bit too unorthodox in its design and theme-reliant for its appeal, which is great with the right crowd but doesn’t make for an easy sell.
We’re right on that gamer/non-gamer line. I think anything with shooting and moving little guys around might be a tough sell.
I know it’s the wrong thread, but any games with a pass and play iPad version could also work very well.
How portable is Battlestar Galactica? We’re all big fans of the show.
Well, it’s still definitely a card game, it’s just that if you don’t dig Space Hulk/Aliens kind of things it might seem like much ado about nothing. But man, for a bunch of cards that fit in a tiny box they really nailed the whole close combat with xenomorph thing.
I know it’s the wrong thread, but any games with a pass and play iPad version could also work very well.
BURN THE HERETIC.
I fit the game and both expansions into the core game’s box by inverting the insides, but it’s definitely a full 3x12x12 boardgame with a good heft to it when you have all of the stuff in there. It also requires a decent sized table to accommodate it. Might work, but I think you’re getting into mission creep territory here.
I fit the game and both expansions into the core game’s box by inverting the insides, but it’s definitely a full 3x12x12 boardgame with a good heft to it when you have all of the stuff in there. It also requires a decent sized table to accommodate it. Might work, but I think you’re getting into mission creep territory here.
Chris, for hot seat multiplayer on the iPad definitely get Carcassonne. It is the best implementation of any board game on that device that I’ve seen and it’s pretty easy to learn. Even if your group doesn’t like it the game is great in both single player and online multi modes. Through the Desert is also solid and works well on the iPad. They sort of limit it by reducing it to four players max but it doesn’t seem like that will be a problem for you.
Battlestar is probably the best game I own but it sounds horrible for your trip. It’s big, there are a ton of pieces and cards, you really need to be paying attention to everything going on in that game even when it isn’t your turn (actually one of my favorite things about it) and frequent trips away from the board can really throw it off. If you can find an opportunity to play it uninterrupted with a decent sized playing area, though, it’s a fantastic game. Sounds like you guys would love it.
So I know it’s not the recommended way to play it, but I felt the group we had last night would have a good time with a six player game of Arkham with three new players and one guy who had played just once before. I had three friends in from out of town who could only make it over one night on their trip and I really wanted them to see the game, plus I just got done incorporating all of the expansions (but only mythos cards from the base game and Dunwich). Everyone at the table has known each other for a long time and were really into the theme and RPGs in general so it turned out to be a lot of fun even though turns took a while. We called the game at 2AM with 3 gates sealed and Y’Golonac’s doom track at around 8/12 but I’m pretty sure we got three new Arkham converts in the process so I’m calling it a win.
I sort of love how that game doesn’t scale very well. Most of my games are with 2 or 3 players so they’re very tough and we lose a lot. Every once in a while it’s cool to get a big game of run-and-gun Action Cthulhu going on.
Dean
2970
Our go to games for that sort of thing (friendly to non-hardcore gamers) are San Juan and Guillotine. Both are addicting in that you can play 2 or 3 games back to back, and usually someone immediately says, “Again?”
I once spent Christmas eve playing Guillotine until 4am. The other two people just could not get enough and by the end I was begging to go to bed.
They’re both card games, and come in small boxes.
Is this the first time Dixit has been mentioned in the thread (I’ve only been following the thread for the last fifteen pages or so)? This is a great game, and if you have a group of creative people, then all the better.
They’re coming out with a sequel to Dixit in a few months that expands the game to go up to 12 players and adds new cards, etc. My girlfriend and I are picking it up, for sure.
Sorry to derail the thread from recommendations for Chris, but I take any chance I can to promote Dixit.
I was also recommended Dixit as a game my young daughter might enjoy.
It’s been around here before, but yeah. That sequel sounds great, and I hope it works out.
Small World for the iPad is supposed to be very good. Sadly, the iPad version of Ticket to Ride does not currently support pass and play.
EDIT: The latest patch for Ticket to Ride adds support for pass and play!
I’ve played a couple games with 7 and a couple games with 4, and I definitely prefer the 4-player version. It seemed to move faster, and it was large enough to get the feel of competing with someone you can’t directly influence, while still feeling like I was playing with everybody at the table. With 7, I just got the sense of someone way off on the other side of the table doing his own thing.
Of course, the first time I played was with 7, and we were all still learning the rules and taking turns so that everybody could follow what was going on. That might’ve affected my enjoyment of it.
JM1
2976
Funnily enough I just played a “test” game of 7 Wonders on my own, to see how it played. What a fantastically smooth experience - only ever needed to check the rulebook to clarify some icons (which you only need to do once) and to check the scoring at the end. I’m super-excited at the thought of introducing this to our group, given that both Agricola and Citadels seemed to hit a sweet spot in terms of mechanics.
I saw the Leaders expansion was in stock - does anyone have any experience with it?
I just bought Leaders and I’m hoping to get in a game with it tomorrow, but Nerath and Battleship Galaxies (and possibly Chaos x5 players) will have to take precedence. My read of the rules is that it adds a more strategic component to a very reactive game, which is a net positive to me.
I also picked up Battleship Galaxies tonight and played it solo to try out how it handled. It’s pretty sweet, like a much simpler Battlefleet Gothic. The rules are easy to pick up and tight, and the models are cool looking. I think I have a winner, here.
Just added this in today’s Ticket to Ride update:
[INDENT]Pass-and-Play: you can now play alongside up to 4 of your friends with your iPad! Select the “Pass & Play” option when creating a game, and tap on the characters to add players. Tap on the character’s name to enter your friends’ names. You can even mix real players and robots for added challenge! Tap again on a character to toggle the “BOT” icon.
Pass the iPad to the next player when his/her name is displayed. You can view the actions taken by others on their previous turn by looking at the icons in each character’s panel at the top of the screen. If a player claimed a route, tap and hold on his/her panel to highlight this route and see the cards that were played. [/INDENT]
Vesper
2980
Sold my collection of Magic cards to my gaming store tonight, and getting product was worth 2x as much as cash so I picked up a few board games:
Conquest of Nerath
Small World: Underground
Ascension: Return of the Fallen
I would have gotten Battleship Galaxies but they didn’t have it - ordered from CoolStuffInc instead.
So much gaming goodness! I’m really impressed by how Conquest of Nerath looks. Great components and the rules look fun - anxious to try it.
