Recommend me a board game?

jpinard · 2011-12-12T18:44:06.000Z

Mysterio:

If you’re like me and have considered painting your minis, yet wouldn’t know where to start, have you checked out this Painting plastic minis - A “how to” guide for beginners thread on BGG? I’m close to running out and purchasing the supplies listed in that thread and giving it a go! Painted minis add so much to a game.

Wow, that is quite a massive post. I think I might try it too if I can find a way to simplify the colors. Would you be up to doing a thread cataloging your adventure?

Mysterio · 2011-12-12T19:00:50.000Z

After agonizing over Guards! Guards! A Discworld Boardgame, I decided not to keep it in my cart, even though it’s on sale. I just couldn’t convince myself to go against the popular opinion for the type of game it is (the “rule book” made my eyes bleed). But I still wanted to jump on Fortune and Glory: The Cliffhanger Game while it’s on sale, since I know my girlfriend will love it (and hope my gaming group enjoys it). Regardless, I’ll have a blast playing it solo!

So there I was, left with a sub-$100 cart looking for some games to fill the $50 gap. I thought, “Let me see what’s appealing on my CSI wishlist.” While scrolling down the list, I glanced at Eclipse’s graphic, bummed that pre-orders for it had sold out weeks ago. Right before Eclipse scrolled off the page, though, I noticed the normal “Email me when back in Stock” checkbox wasn’t listed. In its place was a quantity of 1 available for pre-order! ZOINKS! I added that sucker to my cart in record time and checked out without hesitation!

Eclipse will likely be a tough sell to my girlfriend (but word is it plays very intuitively, so maybe not), but, given it’s current BGG rating (8.47) and amazing buzz from Essen 2011, I couldn’t pass it up. Worst case scenario? I sell it for much more than I paid, since the 2nd printing won’t be available until April 2012.

God bless you, Guards! Guards!, for giving me such a lengthy pause, as I would never have been positioned to snag Eclipse otherwise!

Mysterio · 2011-12-12T19:02:58.000Z

jpinard:

Wow, that is quite a massive post. I think I might try it too if I can find a way to simplify the colors. Would you be up to doing a thread cataloging your adventure?

Sure! I first have to convince myself to purchase the tools and materials. Baby steps is my excuse, as painting minis still intimidates me. :-)

Don_Quixote · 2011-12-12T23:01:55.000Z

JoshL:

Yeah, I just put it on my wishlist, and I normally hate dungeon crawl games (except Magic Realm, which I suppose technically isn’t a dungeon crawl). But I’d love to find one that both doesn’t suck and can be realistically taught and played in an evening. And my gamer group all LOVE “Through the Ages”, so it should be an easy sell. Oh, and the rules are available on BGG, which is a plus.

Any idea how realistic the 2.5 hour time is?

Well, in my post above, I laid out that initial rules reading/setup took 1.5 hours, and the subsequent 2-player (simple) game took another 1.5 hours. That game lasted exactly 2 Rounds (each day or night is 1 Round). Most scenarios last 4-6 Rounds. I imagine with practice, a 4-6 Round game with 3 players will be about 3 hours (at least for my group), with 4, a bit longer.

Don_Quixote · 2011-12-12T23:09:22.000Z

apost8:

For what it’s worth, I’ve played both, and I strongly prefer The Resistance. All the additional resource management and thematic elements in BSG are unnecessary chrome for me, where the real fun is trying to figure out who the Cylon is. The Resistance is just that bit.

It’s nice to see someone else around here that dislikes BSG. This board really has a hard-on for that game (though I know that’s not what you said), and while I’m not the type to beat my drum every time it gets mentioned, I occasionally do like to see my view echoed, even just a little bit. ;)

Eduardo_X · 2011-12-13T06:15:33.000Z

Don Quixote:

It’s nice to see someone else around here that dislikes BSG. This board really has a hard-on for that game (though I know that’s not what you said), and while I’m not the type to beat my drum every time it gets mentioned, I occasionally do like to see my view echoed, even just a little bit. ;)

I really did not have fun when I played BSG. I never watched the show, and the game took forever. It seemed way to long for what seemed like a repetative game.

Lizard_King · 2011-12-13T06:19:35.000Z

Don Quixote has a hard-on for hivemind hard-ons. I recommend airlocking him.

Bahimiron · 2011-12-13T06:19:36.000Z

Don Quixote:

It’s nice to see someone else around here that dislikes BSG. This board really has a hard-on for that game (though I know that’s not what you said), and while I’m not the type to beat my drum every time it gets mentioned, I occasionally do like to see my view echoed, even just a little bit. ;)

It’s ranked the 18th best board game on BGG, so I’m not sure you can really file this as an issue specific to QT3.

Mike_Cathcart · 2011-12-13T07:24:06.000Z

It’s also awesome and you guys are poopyheads.

Reldan · 2011-12-13T08:49:23.000Z

BS:G ranks highly for a number of reasons.

Theme - nails this quite well, and even moreso with the expansions
True Co-op - it’s a true co-op game instead of being a team vs. the board game. The difference is that a team game can be masterminded by the best player to the extent that the additional players are a bit superfluous (this is where it outshines Arkham for me, since both games are rich with theme)
Traitor Mechanics - Has some of the best traitor design out there

The game is a best-in-class for co-op games. The genre may not be for everyone, but what it does, it does quite well.

Reldan · 2011-12-13T08:50:27.000Z

BS:G ranks highly for a number of reasons.

Theme - nails this quite well, and even moreso with the expansions
True Co-op - it’s a true co-op game instead of being a team vs. the board game. The difference is that a team game can be masterminded by the best player to the extent that the additional players are a bit superfluous (this is where it outshines Arkham for me, since both games are rich with theme)
Traitor Mechanics - Has some of the best traitor design out there

The game is a best-in-class for all of these. The genres may not be for everyone, but the many things it does, it does quite well.

jellyfish · 2011-12-13T09:56:52.000Z

Maybe it ranks so high because everyone votes for it twice .

Nightgaunt · 2011-12-13T10:04:29.000Z

Aaaaaalmost bit on CSI’s deal on Labyrinth: War on Terror. Every time I go to buy that game, I get cold feet: is this too hardcore for me?

I’m basically a Eurogamer. I don’t play many games longer than 2 hours. I like Pandemic, Caylus, Kingsburg. I hear lots of great things about the card system that underlies Labyrinth, Campaign Manager, etc. and I’m curious about it. I’m really intrigued by the subject matter. But will it actually get played? Coupled with the fact that I rarely play 2 player games, I haven’t quite been willing to pull the trigger.

Anyone want to talk me into or out of this game?

Eduardo_X · 2011-12-13T10:15:23.000Z

I recently picked up Twilight Struggle, and I can’t say enough good things about it. It takes about 3 hours, but those are all active hours. I think Labyrinth is similar, so I would say GET IT. Also, Labyrinth is possible to play solitaire.

Here’s a good video about the differences between the two. Video.

Vesper · 2011-12-13T10:45:18.000Z

Supposedly, Eclipse is hitting stores this week. Seems to be out of stock for pre-order on many mailorder places, so I’m curious how hard it will be to find. On a whim, I’m going to check after work.

aganazer · 2011-12-13T11:02:18.000Z

Vesper:

Supposedly, Eclipse is hitting stores this week. Seems to be out of stock for pre-order on many mailorder places, so I’m curious how hard it will be to find. On a whim, I’m going to check after work.

Every time I see a new post in this thread I jump on it hoping that its news and impressions about Eclipse arriving at people’s home.

I heard it will arrive at distributors on the 15th so I’m not going to count on anything before the 16th. Then again I could be wrong. Its worth a look. :P

Mysterio · 2011-12-13T11:04:55.000Z

Vesper:

Supposedly, Eclipse is hitting stores this week. Seems to be out of stock for pre-order on many mailorder places, so I’m curious how hard it will be to find. On a whim, I’m going to check after work.

That’s why I snagged the one copy that popped up on CSI’s website as fast as I could. It’s shaping up to be GotY. I hope you’re able to snag a pre-order online or at a local store.

mkozlows · 2011-12-13T11:10:35.000Z

Is it really that rare? There were like four copies at the boardgaming thing I went to last month. Maybe I’ll try to actually play it this time…

dtolman · 2011-12-13T11:14:39.000Z

Vesper:

Supposedly, Eclipse is hitting stores this week. Seems to be out of stock for pre-order on many mailorder places, so I’m curious how hard it will be to find. On a whim, I’m going to check after work.

A few retailers posted on boardgamegeek that Distributors are only getting it middle of this week. I wouldn’t check retailers until Thursday at the earliest.

apost8 · 2011-12-13T13:12:35.000Z

Don Quixote:

It’s nice to see someone else around here that dislikes BSG. This board really has a hard-on for that game (though I know that’s not what you said), and while I’m not the type to beat my drum every time it gets mentioned, I occasionally do like to see my view echoed, even just a little bit. ;)

Well, while I don’t particularly care for BSG, I’m not going to call any else’s enjoyment of the game wrongbadfun. I realize there are many people who value theme in a game much more than I do, and I can see that from that point of view, BSG would have some appeal. For me, though, as I’ve matured as a gamer, I’ve found that it is the mechanics which primarily determine whether I enjoy a game or not, and it is mechanics which drive my purchasing decisions.