Board Games 5E: I thought I was having fun but it was my brain tricking me

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Board Games 5E: I thought I was having fun but it was my brain tricking me

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jmzero: Jul 24, 2007

canyoneer posted:

Spirit Island spirits as Tom Waits songs.

Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves - What's new pussycat?

# ? Sep 1, 2023 17:50

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# ? Jun 6, 2024 04:23

Stickman: Feb 1, 2004

SelenicMartian posted:

Who's Chocolate Jesus?

Maybe Lure of the Deep Wilderness or Devouring Teeth Lurk Underfoot, depending on what you focus on?

And no one has stated the obvious for Downpour Drenches the World�

# ? Sep 1, 2023 18:02

Jewmanji: Dec 28, 2003

Doesn�t Lure have to be Come On Up To The House?

# ? Sep 1, 2023 19:50

Admiralty Flag: Jun 7, 2007; to ride eternal, shiny and chrome

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2022

BoDaN -- Walking Spanish
Fathomless Mud of the Swamp -- Rain Dogs (well, rain otters, close enough)

# ? Sep 1, 2023 21:36

doctorfrog: Mar 14, 2007; Great.

I'm looking for some board game recommendations to be used by a psychologist who works with tweens and teens. Is this the place to ask?

I loaned my copy of Love Letter, and she liked it, but she wants:

something more complex than Love Letter, though Love Letter is a major step in the right direction
target audience is most often 13 through 16 years old, many of them female and not board game players
a relatively mature theme. The age range above is turned off by stuff that looks too kiddie, or too patronizingly girlie.
a game that, if the kid played board games, could see herself playing them with their friends, preferably not something a family traditionally plays together (like Chess or Catan or Monopoly)
novel in appearance or mechanics to hook a teenager who is normally glued to a phone
fairly quick to teach, under fifteen minutes I'd say, and the less teaching time the better
playtime max: shorter than a therapy session (45 minutes). breakdown should be under 5 minutes. setup time is more flexible, say under 15-20 minutes.
playtime minimum: it'd be good to have options that are (total playtime) 20 minutes (icebreaker game), 30 minutes and 45 minutes, depending on the goals of the session, and the client's abilities
competitiveness/player interaction: gameplay must require consideration of other players' moves, but should not be so cutthroat that it's a turnoff to a casual player
games that require thought, are social, are exciting (doesn't have to be all three)

yes (and these are mostly short games, we want ones that are in this vein, but need more 30-45 minutes playtime):

Love Letter (very quick to teach and play, theme too youthful and simplistic)
High Society (good 20 minute icebreaker)
Kingdomino
Monopoly Deal
Sushi Go and Sushi Go Dim Sum (really on the edge of being too kiddie/family friendly)

no:

Zombicide (too drat long to set up and breakdown, too bloody and hopeless for novices)
Lost Cities (fits the criteria, but honestly not much fun)
Agricola (too bleak and complicated)
Tiny Epic Galaxies (dull theme and gameplay)
Planted (too fiddly and theme lacks a hook; too solo-ish)
most standard deck card games (not novel enough appearance)

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:00

Perry Mason Jar: Feb 24, 2006; "Della? Take a lid"

Player count(s)?

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:23

Malt: Jan 5, 2013

doctorfrog posted:

I'm looking for some board game recommendations to be used by a psychologist who works with tweens and teens. Is this the place to ask?

I loaned my copy of Love Letter, and she liked it, but she wants:

something more complex than Love Letter, though Love Letter is a major step in the right direction

target audience is most often 13 through 16 years old, many of them female and not board game players

a relatively mature theme. The age range above is turned off by stuff that looks too kiddie, or too patronizingly girlie.

a game that, if the kid played board games, could see herself playing them with their friends, preferably not something a family traditionally plays together (like Chess or Catan or Monopoly)

novel in appearance or mechanics to hook a teenager who is normally glued to a phone

fairly quick to teach, under fifteen minutes I'd say, and the less teaching time the better

playtime max: shorter than a therapy session (45 minutes). breakdown should be under 5 minutes. setup time is more flexible, say under 15-20 minutes.

playtime minimum: it'd be good to have options that are (total playtime) 20 minutes (icebreaker game), 30 minutes and 45 minutes, depending on the goals of the session, and the client's abilities

competitiveness/player interaction: gameplay must require consideration of other players' moves, but should not be so cutthroat that it's a turnoff to a casual player

games that require thought, are social, are exciting (doesn't have to be all three)

Azul, Splendor, Junk Art, Men at Work, Unmatched, Dice Throne, Cascadia, Skull.. this list is just me looking at my shelves of what I would grab to teach and play in the above scenario.

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:24

Perry Mason Jar: Feb 24, 2006; "Della? Take a lid"

Parks, Modern Art, Wavelength (there's also a free app with cheap purchasable decks), Captain Sonar

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:26

papasyhotcakes: Oct 18, 2008

Perry Mason Jar posted:

Player count(s)?

I would guess two, seeing as it probably for individual session but party games for group therapy sessions is an interesting thought as well

Maybe patchwork?

papasyhotcakes fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Sep 1, 2023

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:28

Stickman: Feb 1, 2004

Cartographers would fit except for interaction. At two players we usually use the solo rules for monster placement so there�s no interaction at all. It�s still plenty social if the table is willing to share drawings or discuss strategy!

E: I�ll second dice throne too

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:33

Aramoro: Jun 1, 2012

The Mind or The Crew maybe? Or Scout for something competitive

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:35

canyoneer: Sep 13, 2005; I only have canyoneyes for you

Seconding Unmatched. It has the best artwork of any game I own.

7 Wonders Duel, Coup, Agricola:ACBAS (less bleak and fiddly), Whitehall Mystery

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:36

Azran: Sep 3, 2012; And what should one do to be remembered?

Trying not to repeat what everyone else's suggested already

Santorini
Splendor Duel
Carcassonne Hunters & Gatherers (it's real pretty, omit the fishing huts if you want to make it simpler)
If High Society was okay, maybe Hanamikoji is too? The big central cards and action tokens certainly make it feel different from a regular card game

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:38

Magnetic North: Dec 15, 2008; Beware the Forest's Mushrooms

doctorfrog posted:

I'm looking for some board game recommendations to be used by a psychologist who works with tweens and teens. Is this the place to ask?

Welcome to the thread! It certainly is the right place to ask this kind of question. You haven't mentioned a desired player count, but since you list games that take between 2 and 8, I'm going to guess most will be fine. I'll give a very quick and dirty description of each, but please forgive if it's a little jargon-y.

Codenames: A team-based word game where players one member of each team is attempting to get other players to guess words among a 5X5 grid. It's terrific. Best at 4, 6, or 8. It also comes in a Pictures version and several branded ones.

Just One: A cooperative word game where everyone works together to write clues so one player can guess the hidden word. It's super light, but it's tons of fun. Plays 1-7.

Insider: A hidden role game where everyone is playing 'Twenty Questions' except on player secretly already knows the answer. The real goal is to find out who is the insider, while the insider is trying to not get caught. It's a modern classic. Plays 4-8 but best at around 6.

Wavelength: A team-based clue giving game, but with a tactile twist. One member of a team will be given something like "Hot/Cold" and has a big plastic dial which will have a position on it. They need to give their teammates a clue that will help them set the dial to the right position. It's "vibes the game" and I have had a ton of fun with it. You probably want 6 or 8, but you can just horse around with it at 4 and play as one team or something.

Cascadia: A tile-placement game where you build habitats for wild animals into patterns. I've only played this one once, but I liked it, and it's super incredibly popular.

Games I have not personally played but are thread recommended and should fit this need:

Tiny Towns
PARKS
Scout (possibly out of print at the moment, the hype is hot hot hot on this one)

Some other recommends that teenagers might not like as much, but are good games that I have played:

The Crew or its (probably superior) sequel The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
The Mind
B�renpark
For Sale (Not sure if this one is in print)

Also, every game mentioned by someone so far looks like a good choice to me, and I second basically all of them. However, there is one thing to be cautious of: you'll want to research the player count for these games. For instance, Patchwork is 2 player only, like Chess or Go. Whereas a game like Captain Sonar will say 2-8 players on the box, but it really wants 8 players and isn't suggested with less than 6 despite technically being playable.

The links I've provided are to a website called BoardGameGeek, which is the world's largest database of board games. On that site, it can tell you the player count and suggested player numbers for basically any game.

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:42

Anonymous Robot: Jun 1, 2007; Lost his leg in Robo War I

doctorfrog posted:

I'm looking for some board game recommendations to be used by a psychologist who works with tweens and teens. Is this the place to ask?

I loaned my copy of Love Letter, and she liked it, but she wants:

something more complex than Love Letter, though Love Letter is a major step in the right direction

target audience is most often 13 through 16 years old, many of them female and not board game players

a relatively mature theme. The age range above is turned off by stuff that looks too kiddie, or too patronizingly girlie.

a game that, if the kid played board games, could see herself playing them with their friends, preferably not something a family traditionally plays together (like Chess or Catan or Monopoly)

novel in appearance or mechanics to hook a teenager who is normally glued to a phone

fairly quick to teach, under fifteen minutes I'd say, and the less teaching time the better

playtime max: shorter than a therapy session (45 minutes). breakdown should be under 5 minutes. setup time is more flexible, say under 15-20 minutes.

playtime minimum: it'd be good to have options that are (total playtime) 20 minutes (icebreaker game), 30 minutes and 45 minutes, depending on the goals of the session, and the client's abilities

competitiveness/player interaction: gameplay must require consideration of other players' moves, but should not be so cutthroat that it's a turnoff to a casual player

games that require thought, are social, are exciting (doesn't have to be all three)

yes (and these are mostly short games, we want ones that are in this vein, but need more 30-45 minutes playtime):

Love Letter (very quick to teach and play, theme too youthful and simplistic)

High Society (good 20 minute icebreaker)

Kingdomino

Monopoly Deal

Sushi Go and Sushi Go Dim Sum (really on the edge of being too kiddie/family friendly)

no:

Zombicide (too drat long to set up and breakdown, too bloody and hopeless for novices)

Lost Cities (fits the criteria, but honestly not much fun)

Agricola (too bleak and complicated)

Tiny Epic Galaxies (dull theme and gameplay)

Planted (too fiddly and theme lacks a hook; too solo-ish)

most standard deck card games (not novel enough appearance)

I�m making an assumption that you�re looking for 2-player games, in which case I think Unmatched is a great recommendation. I would also recommend Summoner Wars 2nd Edition, Onitama, and Jaipur.

# ? Sep 1, 2023 22:52

Jedit: Dec 10, 2011; Proudly supporting vanilla legends 1994-2014

doctorfrog posted:

I'm looking for some board game recommendations to be used by a psychologist who works with tweens and teens. Is this the place to ask?

I loaned my copy of Love Letter, and she liked it, but she wants:

something more complex than Love Letter, though Love Letter is a major step in the right direction

target audience is most often 13 through 16 years old, many of them female and not board game players

a relatively mature theme. The age range above is turned off by stuff that looks too kiddie, or too patronizingly girlie.

a game that, if the kid played board games, could see herself playing them with their friends, preferably not something a family traditionally plays together (like Chess or Catan or Monopoly)

novel in appearance or mechanics to hook a teenager who is normally glued to a phone

fairly quick to teach, under fifteen minutes I'd say, and the less teaching time the better

playtime max: shorter than a therapy session (45 minutes). breakdown should be under 5 minutes. setup time is more flexible, say under 15-20 minutes.

playtime minimum: it'd be good to have options that are (total playtime) 20 minutes (icebreaker game), 30 minutes and 45 minutes, depending on the goals of the session, and the client's abilities

competitiveness/player interaction: gameplay must require consideration of other players' moves, but should not be so cutthroat that it's a turnoff to a casual player

games that require thought, are social, are exciting (doesn't have to be all three)

Mysterium has everything you want except competitiveness, although it does have player interaction as the Ghost is playing to the Psychic(s) mindset and they in turn are encouraged to empathise with the Ghost. Mature theme (murder), interesting appearance, simple mechanics, expands out to groups but isn't traditional fare, allows for role reversal. A two-player game shouldn't take more than 20-25 minutes, if the Ghost knows what they're about, and setup/teardown are 5 minutes each.

# ? Sep 1, 2023 23:06

Triskelli: Sep 27, 2011; I AM A SKELETON
WITH VERY HIGH
STANDARDS

doctorfrog posted:

I'm looking for some board game recommendations to be used by a psychologist who works with tweens and teens. Is this the place to ask?

I�ve had surprisingly good luck introducing Condotierre to less rabid gamers and the latest version has a dedicated 2p mode but can play up to Six. And although it�s not really a board game, Liars Dice is a great social bluffing game that can be played with as many people as you have d6s.

Triskelli fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Sep 1, 2023

# ? Sep 1, 2023 23:17

Bottom Liner: Feb 15, 2006; a specific vein of lasagna

Triskelli posted:

Condotierre

Especially if you pull out the 2nd edition cards that overcomplicate the brilliance of the original. Fantastic game. That and The Crew are my go to games for this kinda thing.

# ? Sep 1, 2023 23:38

Azran: Sep 3, 2012; And what should one do to be remembered?

Same, I don't understand why but Condottiere has always been surprisingly popular with non-gamers.

# ? Sep 1, 2023 23:51

Cthulhu Dreams: Dec 11, 2010; If I pretend to be Cthulhu no one will know I'm a baseball robot.

100% of people who I've played the kind with that also regularly see a psychiatrist have described the Mind as their ultimate nightmare, so maybe skip that one given the target demographic.

My picks are:

Codenames
Azul
Wavelength
Skull
Junk Art / Men at work (men at work looks less cutesy)
The Crew Deep Sea.
Edit: Condotirre is excellent

Edit: my partner suggested Treaure Island, might be a bit long

Cthulhu Dreams fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Sep 2, 2023

# ? Sep 2, 2023 01:38

Kerro: Nov 3, 2002; Did you marry a man who married the sea? He looks right through you to the distant grey - calling, calling..

I feel like Regicide would be a pretty good fit too, if they're open to co-op. Even better that you can just try it with a regular deck of cards.

# ? Sep 2, 2023 01:40

doctorfrog: Mar 14, 2007; Great.

Thanks guys, super helpful. What a great intro to the thread!

I'm going to go through these and weed 'em out and I'll be back for more if my doc has feedback.

Yeah, it's minimum two folks, solo is ok (doubles as a co-op session, with up to, say four players total. Games that are best with 1, 2, 3, or 4 are all acceptable.

# ? Sep 2, 2023 03:09

BonHair: Apr 28, 2007

As predicted, I couldn't keep up with the thread, but I wanna say thanks for the podcast recommendations. I'm currently going for Game Brain, which feels very good for my tastes. I also listened to a bit of So Very Wrong About Games, which was okay but after a few episodes I didn't really feel like binging it...

Anyway, for teenager recommendations, Jaipur should get a mention, it's a fun little two player thing with good interaction. Also I think Pandemic is fantastic for newer gamers, even if it's a co-op.

# ? Sep 2, 2023 08:26

Quote-Unquote: Oct 22, 2002

Marvel Dice Throne?

# ? Sep 2, 2023 08:53

Jiro: Jan 13, 2004

Not going to support a channel with that many issues going on before there's something definitive happening about it. :commissar:

Jiro fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Sep 2, 2023

# ? Sep 2, 2023 20:35

Magnetic North: Dec 15, 2008; Beware the Forest's Mushrooms

Jiro posted:

https://youtu.be/StdUwfhFtt4?si=H1rFfPB_tAbzti-M

My comrades rejoice for now we have more Communoply, a Salinist Communist twist of Monopoly that removes all that terrible Capitalism! It's a fun video to have play in the background while you're doing other things as with most NRB House Rules videos.

Just a reminder: one of the main personalities (Adam) on NRB was outed as possibly being an abuser for the second time (the first predates his involvement here). Mentioned in this crosspost.

Now, that person does not seem to appear in this second vid. The first vid (which contains the alleged abuser, from before his admin leave over this issue) was hilarious. It was not just standard American jokes about communism about deprivation, but were related to actual historical Soviet happenings.

I bring this up just so whoever reads this knows and can make your own decision. I'm kind of waiting to hear of more decisive action on NRB's part before I watch again, but I have no idea what the efficacy of any action would be here.

# ? Sep 2, 2023 20:57

canyoneer: Sep 13, 2005; I only have canyoneyes for you

Admiralty Flag posted:

BoDaN -- Walking Spanish
Fathomless Mud of the Swamp -- Rain Dogs (well, rain otters, close enough)

Can't believe I forgot "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me"

# ? Sep 2, 2023 21:37

Jiro: Jan 13, 2004

Magnetic North posted:

Just a reminder: one of the main personalities (Adam) on NRB was outed as possibly being an abuser for the second time (the first predates his involvement here). Mentioned in this crosspost.

Now, that person does not seem to appear in this second vid. The first vid (which contains the alleged abuser, from before his admin leave over this issue) was hilarious. It was not just standard American jokes about communism about deprivation, but were related to actual historical Soviet happenings.

I bring this up just so whoever reads this knows and can make your own decision. I'm kind of waiting to hear of more decisive action on NRB's part before I watch again, but I have no idea what the efficacy of any action would be here.

Oh what the gently caress, really? I had absolutely no idea. gently caress. Sorry everyone I'll edit it out.

# ? Sep 2, 2023 21:44

MrChris: Dec 19, 2009

For relatively straightforward and fast-playing games that are good for board game novices, I'd second the recommendations of Cascadia and Parks. They're both good nature-themed games. Of the two, I'd say Parks is probably the easier game to learn and teach, and also more competitive and interactive, since players can and will block each other from obtaining the resources they need. Cascadia feels more puzzle-like by comparison; there, you're trying to score points by figuring out how to place your terrain tiles and animal tokens in the configuration that will get you the most points, and there's not as much player interaction except that you and your opponent are drafting tiles and tokens from the same pool.

Another possibility I'll suggest that I haven't seen mentioned is Kanagawa. It's a game where the players draft cards to create these old-fashioned Japanese landscape paintings. Players earn points for adding cards to their painting, as well as by collecting diploma tiles that require the painting to contain certain elements (like a certain number of trees or a particular combination of animals.) It's pretty simple to learn and teach while still requiring players to make some tricky decisions about how they're going to earn points, plays fairly quickly, and has a nice appearance and table presence. Finally, and this is a major factor in why I'm recommending it here, it takes about two minutes to set up or break down once you know what you're doing.

# ? Sep 2, 2023 22:42

Perry Mason Jar: Feb 24, 2006; "Della? Take a lid"

Is asking fans to send nudes the entirety of it?

# ? Sep 2, 2023 22:46

Magnetic North: Dec 15, 2008; Beware the Forest's Mushrooms

Perry Mason Jar posted:

Is asking fans to send nudes the entirety of it?

If this is in relation to the NRB controversy mentioned above:

First off, I hadn't heard that one :staredog:

Any links to receipts on this one?

Secondly, there are accusations of abuse from an ex-girlfriend who ceased to be on NRB due to their unwillingness to distance themselves from Adam. The link I gave above eventually links here (cw: abuse) Reddit thread with screenshot

# ? Sep 2, 2023 23:07

Perry Mason Jar: Feb 24, 2006; "Della? Take a lid"

Magnetic North posted:

If this is in relation to the NRB controversy mentioned above:

First off, I hadn't heard that one Any links to receipts on this one?

Secondly, there are accusations of abuse from an ex-girlfriend who ceased to be on NRB due to their unwillingness to distance themselves from Adam. The link I gave above eventually links here (cw: abuse) Reddit thread with screenshot

The only receipt for it is Gnarly Carley saying "same pattern" (or something like that) - bringing to fore the likelihood that he did that again. That is, that was the issue some time ago, he apologized (in an over the top and pandering way - he wrote an entire article!), and so if she's alluding to something the same or similar it would be that. So, yeah, it's old news become new again, but post-apology so it's worse.

Edit: yeah that link has the Carley comment with the reference to past doings ("copy and paste" not "same pattern" so, definitely soliciting nudes, then?), which I didn't click until after posting. I heard about Brooke leaving the show and heading back to the states also, but reasons remain unclear. Silly seems like exactly the kind of creep who would cosign or allow Adam's own creepy behavior, probably has plenty of the sort himself, so that doesn't surprise me really.

Perry Mason Jar fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Sep 2, 2023

# ? Sep 2, 2023 23:30

Azran: Sep 3, 2012; And what should one do to be remembered?

Kanagawa is kinda messy to learn in the first place and the ink pot systems is a bit tough for non-gamers to wrap their head around IME

# ? Sep 2, 2023 23:54

Father Wendigo: Sep 28, 2005; This is, sadly, more important to me than bettering myself.

Has there been any recent news out of Asmodee? Embracer shuttered one of its VG studios and did a round of layoffs at another a few days ago.

# ? Sep 2, 2023 23:59

Magnetic North: Dec 15, 2008; Beware the Forest's Mushrooms

Father Wendigo posted:

Has there been any recent news out of Asmodee? Embracer shuttered one of its VG studios and did a round of layoffs at another a few days ago.

I haven't heard anything lately, but that's probably because Gen Con news is taking up all the mindshare.

# ? Sep 3, 2023 08:41

Bottom Liner: Feb 15, 2006; a specific vein of lasagna

The optimistic outlook is that Asmodee and Embracer already gutted much of their board game divisions so there can't be much left to pinch pennies from, certainly not enough to make a dent in that multi-billion loss or whatever it was.

# ? Sep 3, 2023 09:01

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

I saw some Lorcana in the wild yesterday. I assume Ravensburger is going to print this poo poo into not being worth anything to collector�s? I thought about buying and leaving sealed for a few years in hopes it will follow MTG and Pok�mon early sealed product, but Ravensburger is likely more consumer friendly than WOtC, right?

# ? Sep 3, 2023 15:40

Magnetic North: Dec 15, 2008; Beware the Forest's Mushrooms

djfooboo posted:

I saw some Lorcana in the wild yesterday. I assume Ravensburger is going to print this poo poo into not being worth anything to collector�s?

In the Fringe CCG thread (which is the de facto Lorcana thread until someone makes one, I guess), the chatter sounded like the opposite was true, and they were not going to print close to demand. That would imply it'll be strangled by speculators instead of smothered by oversupply.

# ? Sep 3, 2023 16:46

Jabor: Jul 16, 2010; #1 Loser at SpaceChem

Magnetic North posted:

In the Fringe CCG thread (which is the de facto Lorcana thread until someone makes one, I guess), the chatter sounded like the opposite was true, and they were not going to print close to demand. That would imply it'll be strangled by speculators instead of smothered by oversupply.

My takeaway from that thread is that they do intend to print enough to satisfy demand, it's just going to take some time to get there (because ramping up production is expensive compared to just keeping it in print for longer). I don't see them leaving money on the table while demand is still there.

But don't expect them to print so much that it ends up in the desert next to the ET cartridges.

# ? Sep 3, 2023 17:04

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# ? Jun 6, 2024 04:23

Bottom Liner: Feb 15, 2006; a specific vein of lasagna

Even with Ravensburgers puzzle production and all this was always the big red flag for them having an insanely hyped TCG license. They're not WotC or even Asmodee-FFG. They're loving Ravensburger.

Edit: their website right now

Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Sep 3, 2023

# ? Sep 3, 2023 17:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Board Games 5E: I thought I was having fun but it was my brain tricking me

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