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camel up 2e has nicer production values and interesting additional rules that can be ignored for an experience that replicates 1e (the poorly-named “crazy camels” as well as the partnership cards, which make it a more interactive experience at high player counts), but the updated logo makes it pretty unambiguous that the game is entitled camel up, so it’s a wash which version is better
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Nov 21, 2022 20:05
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| # ? Jun 5, 2024 22:18 |
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|¯amel |_up
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Nov 21, 2022 20:07
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Played Tigris and Euphrates yesterday and it’s still the GOAT. Also tried the Driving table in Superskill Pinball Ramp Up and goddamn it’s a hard table to play properly. Having to set up for a round 3 big point turn by doing rounds in the test track seems really where the big points lie, especially if you managed to get to x4, but getting to there is so hard. Really enjoyed it though, my favourite table so far.
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Nov 21, 2022 20:11
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Hollandspeile's Hollandays sale started today! I ordered Dinosaur Gauge and Heading Forward, which also gets me a copy of the freebie game Watch Out! That's a Dracula!. I'm very excited to play all three.
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Nov 21, 2022 20:14
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Frozen Peach posted:Hollandspeile's Hollandays sale started today! I ordered Dinosaur Gauge and Heading Forward, which also gets me a copy of the freebie game Watch Out! That's a Dracula!. I just picked up Westphalia from a facebook buy and I'm excited to try it. Just have to trick 5 friends to play it instead of diving right into trains or civ.
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Nov 21, 2022 20:15
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FirstAidKite posted:|¯amel This.
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Nov 21, 2022 21:06
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Ineptitude posted:Any recommendations for board games for a family with kids aged 5 and 7,5? My 6yo loves King of Tokyo, Forbidden Island, Ticket to Ride and Monopoly. She loves but doesn't quite understand Agricola and Sushi Go. Chess and Go are also popular. My 2yo loves Go Away Monster. Edit: My 4yo enjoys but doesn't quite understand all of the above. My 6yo is my game-liker, probably because she learned at our pre-pandemic adult game nights. PerniciousKnid fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Nov 22, 2022 |
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Nov 22, 2022 03:30
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FirstAidKite posted:|¯amel Seconded. A very fun game for all ages. Someone else also recommended Kingdomino, which I can confirm is good and accessible
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Nov 22, 2022 05:03
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|¯amel |_up
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Nov 22, 2022 05:07
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My older kids (7 and 9) absolutely love Coup. They've also recently been really into Horrified, Downforce, Haunted Mansion and Bohnanza. Couple years ago they got into the Pokemon card game. Rules are simple for early readers and easy to pick up. I constructed some sorta balanced decks around themes and just keep a dozen of them built and ready to go.
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Nov 22, 2022 05:41
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Thanks all for the suggestions! Lots of interesting suggestions to look into. One topic that i don't see mentioned is i feel that there is a fundamental requirement that "family boardgames" needs to also be interesting for the parents. I have played several games with my kids that are entirely kid oriented and they are dreadfully boring and simple. They also rarely provide learning opportunities for the children. Throw a dice and move the amount of squares; first to the goal wins, those types of games.
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Nov 22, 2022 10:02
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Triskelli posted:The only complaint is that Ticket to Ride is simple enough, I would have just jumped to TTR: London or TTR: New York. I was mostly looking on the back of the boxes and TTR First Journey looked to have shorter routes than the other games, mostly length 2-4, while some of the other games had routes of more than twice that. Not knowing much about the game i assumed it would be easier for kids to be able to see solutions.
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Nov 22, 2022 11:52
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Ineptitude posted:I was mostly looking on the back of the boxes and TTR First Journey looked to have shorter routes than the other games, mostly length 2-4, while some of the other games had routes of more than twice that. Not knowing much about the game i assumed it would be easier for kids to be able to see solutions. Oh, wasn’t trying to give you heat! On a further look First Journeys looks fun enough, with less word dependence. It should be a good fit for your kids. First Journeys is the same basic game, but you are only claiming routes instead of scoring points. The versions I mentioned, London and New York, fit your requirement of having routes of length 4 or less while also having points to score. Might be ones to put on the wishlist later. Ineptitude posted:One topic that i don't see mentioned is i feel that there is a fundamental requirement that "family boardgames" needs to also be interesting for the parents. I have played several games with my kids that are entirely kid oriented and they are dreadfully boring and simple. They also rarely provide learning opportunities for the children. Throw a dice and move the amount of squares; first to the goal wins, those types of games. Oh no doubt, it’s a big reason why dexterity games (Animal Upon Animal, Rhino Hero)are usually recommended. But all the recs I’ve seen in the thread so far are engaging puzzles for adults as well as kids, most of them just have easy to explain rules or tight decision spaces. Triskelli fucked around with this message at 12:25 on Nov 22, 2022 |
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Nov 22, 2022 12:09
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Well I'm not sure how many of you are aware of this game, but I just received a copy of Lost Worlds today, which is pretty cool! It's a playbook single combat/dueling game, made by the creators of Ace of Aces, which uses a similar system. Unfortunately, LW has a woefully generic naming scheme, which I'm sure contributed to it never being as popular as Ace of Aces. I mean, how is 'Lost Worlds' a good name for a game about two people/creatures duking it out? Not to mention the names of the characters! "Man in Chainmail with Sword and Shield" isn't exactly an iconic household name. And "Adventure Set 1" doesn't really put you on the edge of your seat, waiting with bated breath to hear more about this tale of heroics!   Also, as it's an old set, not only did I get the game+starter characters (I have another on the way. Man with Short Sword and Dagger. I know I know, it's highly controversial for me to get both him and Skeleton with Scimitar and Shield!) but I also received not one, but TWO vouchers entitling me to 10c off the characters' corresponding miniatures! (10c EACH, not even combined! Wroah!) Anyway, there actually seems to be a pretty good variety of characters/monsters (like, a guy in plate, a big troll with a club, a gargoyle with a sword, etc) which all handle differently, sort of like how the different fighters handled a bit differently in AoA. I'm looking forward to trying it out, in any case! I liked Ace of Aces back in the day (I actually have that somewhere too, now that I think about it...) so I've always found these playbook games to be quite cool. No idea how many others own/play it though, these days!
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Nov 22, 2022 12:19
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I always wanted this game; it showed up in ads in Dragon. It's "just" an iteration on Choose Your Own Adventure books, but those too were super innovative in the early 80s. These days, I'd rather do character (or airplane) duels as a card game.
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Nov 22, 2022 13:27
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homullus posted:I always wanted this game; it showed up in ads in Dragon. It's "just" an iteration on Choose Your Own Adventure books, but those too were super innovative in the early 80s. These days, I'd rather do character (or airplane) duels as a card game. Yeah, they always seemed like a cool idea to me. I think they also did a wild west one too, from memory? (Probably plays almost identically to Lost Worlds, really) And true, a card game could potentially do the same thing in a smaller package. I'd certainly be interested to know if any exist!
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Nov 22, 2022 13:54
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I haven't played it but "(or airplane)" makes me think of Air, Land, & Sea. Is that the sort of thing you're getting at?
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Nov 22, 2022 14:08
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Looking up Lost Worlds, today I learned that Queen's Blade spawned from licensing LW so they're indirectly responsible for an extremely horny anime franchise I guess.
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Nov 22, 2022 15:11
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Ineptitude posted:Thanks all for the suggestions! This is totally key. I play with nieces and nephews but yeah I loathe Sheriff of Nottingham, the branded versions of Codenames are terribly unfun if you're e.g. not Harry Potter obsessed and playing with kids who are, and playing Galaxy Trucker with kids has somewhat ruined Galaxy Trucker for me.
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Nov 22, 2022 15:40
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Got Cthulhu: Death May Die to play with a couple friends and we're having a blast. Got through the first two scenarios with a party of 4 pretty easily, hoping the difficulty picks up just a bit. Also got Journeys in Middle Earth, which is fun but WAY more fiddly. The first game I genuinely think I need plastic inserts to organize all the little cards with. Also, thank god we figured out how to cast the app onto a nearby TV or it would have been miserable to keep juggling the device between people. Hope it gets to be a little more natural as we play more.
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Nov 22, 2022 16:41
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I bought a cheap mini pc and monitor for app driven games. Bit more of an investment but far easier to use when you can just pass a mouse around, especially for things like Mansions of Madness where there are on screen puzzles.
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Nov 22, 2022 18:16
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Someone is trying to write an AI bot to play Diplomacy, including all the negotiation, and it got written up in Science. https://twitter.com/ml_perception/status/1595070329227206656 It won't really be a proper Diplomacy bot until manages to destroy multiple lifelong friendships with other bots as a result of its play.
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Nov 22, 2022 18:44
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Quote-Unquote posted:I bought a cheap mini pc and monitor for app driven games. Bit more of an investment but far easier to use when you can just pass a mouse around, especially for things like Mansions of Madness where there are on screen puzzles. That's a sweet idea. Something like the Samsung Freedom projector would be perfect (but no longer cheap)
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Nov 22, 2022 20:26
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FMguru posted:Someone is trying to write an AI bot to play Diplomacy, including all the negotiation, and it got written up in Science. It data-mines the people it's playing with in order to spill secrets to the other players to have them first attack each other, then ruin the friendships as a result of the secrets.
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Nov 22, 2022 20:33
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Perry Mason Jar posted:I haven't played it but "(or airplane)" makes me think of Air, Land, & Sea. Is that the sort of thing you're getting at? I was expanding my statement to include the other original game, Ace of Aces. But really, X-Wing is the closest modern exemplar. The simultaneous dial action selections are functionally equivalent to playing a card that says the same thing.
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Nov 22, 2022 20:44
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Not a Children posted:Also got Journeys in Middle Earth, which is fun but WAY more fiddly. The first game I genuinely think I need plastic inserts to organize all the little cards with. Also, thank god we figured out how to cast the app onto a nearby TV or it would have been miserable to keep juggling the device between people. Hope it gets to be a little more natural as we play more. I’m working through this too now, just got both big expansions to add to enemy variety. It gets pretty natural, just shuffling those tiny cards every round is a lil tedium, but I like it as a conflict resolution mechanic. Get yourself a business card holder, it really helps organize everything in all these sorts of tiny deck games. This style: https://www.amazon.com/MaxGear-Multiple-Acrylic-Business-Holders/dp/B071X6K9D3
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Nov 22, 2022 21:07
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Major Isoor posted:Yeah, they always seemed like a cool idea to me. I think they also did a wild west one too, from memory? (Probably plays almost identically to Lost Worlds, really) Check out Wild Blue Yonder, it’s not a 1:1 but it’s a good quick playing dogfighting card game.
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Nov 22, 2022 23:32
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I need to make some room in the board game collection. I have yet to get either Brass to the table. I plan to hold onto one of them though, because I look forward to playing it. Which Brass should I get rid of? BGG has Birmingham rated more highly than Lancashire. Agree/Disagree? Do you agree that there is no reason to really have both in my collection since they aren't different enough to warrant it?
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Nov 22, 2022 23:41
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That is one of the most "it depends" questions. If you're getting games like splotters and the like to the table, they're both good heavy economic games. If your group (or you) much prefers: Slightly softer edges, a bit more control and fallback for getting into a corner, don't want a game potentially decided by a very significant dice roll (effectively): go Birmingham Slightly sharper edges, more focused on interconnected incentives, being blocked is harsher: go lanc I think they're both good and different enough. Lots of people prefer birm for being less harsh. Lots of people prefer lanc because they think the softer edges ruined the game. I much prefer lanc but would happily play birm.
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Nov 22, 2022 23:50
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Mighty Eris posted:Check out Wild Blue Yonder, it’s not a 1:1 but it’s a good quick playing dogfighting card game. Oh, very interesting! I've never heard of it to be honest, but I'm very curious about it now. Thanks for that!
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Nov 22, 2022 23:52
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Brum is more likeable or approachable, Lancs is sharper. Shows the change in attitude about how much you should kick the player in the teeth. I prefer Brum, and I expect a non-Brass fanatic like you will do the same.
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Nov 22, 2022 23:52
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Is there a good, modern semi-coop/hidden traitor game that's not Nemesis, Unfathomable or Dead of Winter? Have access to all of those and want something new
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Nov 23, 2022 00:06
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Have been hearing good things about scapegoat
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Nov 23, 2022 00:16
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King Burgundy posted:I need to make some room in the board game collection. I have yet to get either Brass to the table. I plan to hold onto one of them though, because I look forward to playing it. Yeah, I love Brass so will always keep both of mine. But in my view - especially if you've had trouble getting it to the table - keep Birmingham and let go of Lancashire. I would struggle to pick one over the other, but that's only because my wife and I have played tons of Lancashire (OG Brass before the reprints) and it definitely has both a higher rules overhead (a few special rules/exceptions) and really requires multiple plays to sing. One of the big differences between the two is the setup for Birmingham is more dynamic, which has a big impact on the value of different locations and influences strongly how the player networks will be built out. One of the reasons I much preferred OG Brass over Age of Industry is that over many plays you REALLY internalise the map; the fixed layout means you look at your starting hand of cards and start translating that into how you lay the groundwork for a long term strategy. Early choices of other players then really influence your subsequent decisions because over several plays you get a strong handle on the limitations and opportunities offered by moving into different areas of the board. The key thing about Brass is that you generally can't really action a strategy by yourself in isolation of what other players are doing, you need to decide what you're going to compete on and what you're going to complement/take advantage of - other players networks, resources, shipping opportunities etc. That's where the 'tightness' comes from - the fixed nature of the board means the main variability you need to manage is what other players are doing (and to a lesser degree, what cards you have, but that's pretty flexible in practice IF you think ahead). Birmingham has a more variable setup which strongly influences how attractive certain locations and areas of the board are, which means you can't rely on an internalised knowledge of the map as much (although its still a major factor) - this makes it friendlier to new players and slightly reduces the experience factor, which is a big deal in Lancashire. Other changes to the game also make it harder to get locked out of a strategy, which is definitely possible in Lancashire if you don't stay flexible or shift gears early enough when things are going south. But it's still tight compared with many other games. I enjoy both a lot but unless I was playing with people at very similar experience levels I'd pick Birmingham every time, especially with completely new players. Lancashire really shines if you're going to play it 10x times in a row with the same people. I also slightly prefer the industries/shipping set, I find them clearer in terms of costs and benefits compared with the Birmingham ones (and again, this helps with the 'tightness' factor - I can more easily understand the relative position of the other players) - but this might just be an artefact of me having played Lancashire much more than Birmingham. However, Birmingham is still Brass and will also hold up for infinite plays; they are both fantastic. If you love it you can probably always pick up Lancashire again later?
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Nov 23, 2022 01:29
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I don't love Brass but I prefer Lanc over Birm. The system works better with more constraints.
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Nov 23, 2022 02:33
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uncle blog posted:Is there a good, modern semi-coop/hidden traitor game that's not Nemesis, Unfathomable or Dead of Winter? Have access to all of those and want something new Mind MGMT e: Well it's more like secret movement not secret traitor PRADA SLUT fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Nov 23, 2022 |
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Nov 23, 2022 03:01
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uncle blog posted:Is there a good, modern semi-coop/hidden traitor game that's not Nemesis, Unfathomable or Dead of Winter? Have access to all of those and want something new I enjoyed all of those and have also recently really enjoyed A.D.E.L.E, Mind MGMT, and Whitechapel if the Allvs1 is something you're keen on. If not, then good hidden traitor games I've played recently that really worked well - The Thing Infection at Outpost 31: this is basically Dead of Winter but plays in a MUCH shorter time and condenses everything down just to the basic lying and backstabbing. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Betrayal Legacy - the only version of Betrayal I enjoyed tbh. And a sort of tangential option - King's Dilemma was pretty cool semi-coop and at the same time with your individual goals. Requires same game group over whole campaign, and you don't want to do it with less than 4-5 players. Thoroughly enjoyed this one (and have signed on for the sequel too)
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Nov 23, 2022 04:06
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silvergoose posted:Have been hearing good things about scapegoat Scape Goat is good but it's also very light and is more competing with things like Coup rather than BSG/Unfathomable.
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Nov 23, 2022 04:08
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Yeah, ok, thanks all. Based on the comments I think I'll purge Lanc if I'm getting rid of one. Although, now I'm thinking I'll purge elsewhere initially and try harder to get them to the table.
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Nov 23, 2022 04:24
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silvergoose posted:Have been hearing good things about scapegoat Scapegoat is amazing, but it's not semi-co-op. It's a full reverse hidden role game, in that you know that almost everyone else at the table is town with 100% accuracy. The two hidden roles are your target's role and your own role. One of you two is town and the other is scapegoat. So most of the game is trying to figure out if you are town and need to gaslight the scapegoat, or if you are the scapegoat and are currently being gaslit by the entire rest of the table into thinking you are town.
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Nov 23, 2022 06:24
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