I saw my friends playing Seasons yesterday. I didn't get a good look at it, all I saw that it was an Asmodee/Libellud (Dixit) game. The artwork looked cool, and they seemed to have a good time. From what my friends tell me it's a drafting game with cards and dice. It seems interesting enough. I may just pick it up. Anyone else heard anything?
Also got Viva Java on Friday. I completely forgot what this game is all about. I read the instructions and got excited about playing. Jeremy also read the instructions and watched the tutorial video and was excited as well. We tried to get our friends to play, but they didn't feel like it. Lame. Next time. I really want to play this game.
This game looks perfect for the FRC. It's tailored for the best play with 7-8 players, while the 3-5/3-6 players have different variants and additions to the game. It's a semi cooperative game with negotiations. That sounds totally up the FRC alley.
Looks like this thread has quieted down a little.
Just got a pay-rise, and im looking to invest in some new sweet games. Does anyone have any recommendation to really good games that has been released in the last 2 years or so worth spending my precious pounds on?
Even though everyone is all googly-eyed over Eclipse, I think the main question people forgot to ask was: What sort of games do you like? Are into? Already own? Mechanics? Answer those, I'll give you a decent answer.
Also, what is your price range?
Also, I haven't played Eclipse. I don't plan on buying it, and my friends don't own it.
I playtested a near-final prototype of Viva Java and loved it. I would absolutely try to make it an 8 player game.
Heard almost nothing but love about Seasons from every gamer I trust. Only people who didn't like it were gamers who are not into heavy card management and interaction, so it's not a universal appeal type game, but I think it'll be a hit with most gamer circles.
They spelled it weird. No space between Viva and Java, so the game is actually VivaJava, but me (and everyone else on the planet) keeps typing it as Viva Java.
I got to play VivaJava once this weekend with seven people. Enjoyable, but very fiddly, and it took 150 minutes to play when the box said 60. I want to play again with fewer people, because it felt kind of arbitrary in that large group with so many noobs (including myself) - the player who was on the most winning teams has a large advantage, but it can be very difficult to attach yourself to a winning team. A lot of your success is tied up in everyone else's success.
Just got a pay-rise, and im looking to invest in some new sweet games. Does anyone have any recommendation to really good games that has been released in the last 2 years or so worth spending my precious pounds on?
The last two years have been very good for gamers, last year especially. What type of games do you like? Fast casual? Deep Euro? 4+ hour dudes-on-a-map? Miniatures? Card games? At least shout out some games that you've enjoyed in the past and you'll get some recommendations on where to move from there.
Well, I like deep euro, being European and all. But most of my Hardcore gamer friends live back in sweden. I rarely get the chance to play a game with more that 3 or four GOOD players on a day to day basis unfortunately. I like boardgames mostly, dont mind cards too muchas long as I dont have to collect them. No miniatures. I like stuff like Puerto Rico and Diplomacy. But also more relaxed stuff like Arkaham, Mall of Horror, RoboRally or Couriers. I love Carcassonne with expansions thrown in.
Eclipse
Looks fantastic, it IS 70£ (112$) on UK amazon though. You wanna ship a copy over here?
I got to play VivaJava once this weekend with seven people. Enjoyable, but very fiddly, and it took 150 minutes to play when the box said 60. I want to play again with fewer people, because it felt kind of arbitrary in that large group with so many noobs (including myself) - the player who was on the most winning teams has a large advantage, but it can be very difficult to attach yourself to a winning team. A lot of your success is tied up in everyone else's success.
Let me guess did you play Ticket to Ride with me at the same event? Team Asia got creamed but nice to meet you even though we forgot to exchange information.
Played a bunch of the new Android: Netrunner game, which is awesome. Both the theme and artwork are just outstanding. Also played Glory to Rome. I had never played the original, which supposedly had horrible artwork, but was a great game, and the new version has good art, and the game did not disappoint. It's kind of a mix between Innovation and Race for the Galaxy. I'm looking forward to playing it again. Just this past weekend, I tried out the new Spartacus boardgame, which I was very hesitant about because it's based on the new TV show and I'm skeptical of any licensed property, especially one based on a Starz show, but it turns out that the game is really good! There are all kinds of fun mechanics (intrigue and making deals, auctions, and combat), and not only is the game good from a gameplay standpoint, but thematically, the game shines as well.
Well nothing, here are my picks of 2011 and 2012 for you:
Deep Euros: Ora et Labora, Trajan Medium Euros: Castles of Burgundy, Village, Belfort Light Euros: Lords of Waterdeep, Discworld: Ankh-Morpork
Fun & Light: King of Tokyo, Deadwood, Smash Up
More Thematic: If you like Game of Thrones, the revised edition that FFG put out is fantastic and a must-buy. You said you liked Arkham Horror, so I would recommend the new version of Descent, or the D&D Adventure Series games if you want to stay co-op.
I would avoid Mansions of Madness even though it's got a direct tie to Arkham Horror. MoM is fiddly to a point of costing you your sanity, which may be the point of the game.
If you want a really good deck-builder that hasn't been getting its fair share of buzz, try Core Worlds. I hear Eminent Domain is quite good as well but it's fallen through the cracks for me. Rym & Scott did a show on it earlier this year.
If you like Diplomacy, you should check out Article 27. I can't endorse it b/c I haven't played, but it looks right up the alley of players who like making deals and yelling at each other. Same publisher as Core Worlds so maybe get a deal on shipping?
Let me guess did you play Ticket to Ride with me at the same event? Team Asia got creamed but nice to meet you even though we forgot to exchange information.
Mentioned it in IRC, but I was the guy in the maroon t-shirt. Never got to game with you, but I figured out who you were by googling the photos thread here after I got home. I'll be going to more open gaming events in the future, I'm sure we'll run into one another eventually.
Finally played a round of Viva Java last Friday. It was a 6 player game. It took a while for everyone to get it going, but it turned out to be real fun.
I don't know if we'll ever get an actual 7-8 player game. More than likely we'll get 4-6 players. I have yet to check out the intern cards or read the rules, but it seems interesting enough.
Research is so important. Research first, then Blend. That seems to be the best strategy. Also make sure to play your Purge Roaster token at the right time to get the best bean combination during the travel phase.
We also played more Cards Against Humanity, but this time with the variant of the random invisible player: it was one of my porcelain lucky cats. He ended up kicking all our asses. He had like 7 cards before I could even get one. It made me sad.
So, I played Eclipse with roommates who aren't really boardgamers (I recommended Carcassonne or Puerto Rico, but they wanted to play it) and it was a rousing success! I was initially kind of worried I wouldn't be able to teach a game that I'd only played once, but Eclipse's mechanics are relatively straightforward once you wrap your head around the resource management.
I turtled in the beginning and built no ships, while the other two players went to war. At the end, I broke my treaty with the second player and invaded her undefended territories, managing to eke out a win (yay neutron bombs / genocide!)
The one strange thing I found with the game is that it's possible to draw no lower/mid-tier research until the late game, which effects everyone's playstyle really weirdly. Players either end up with unbalanced economies, or sacrifice research points for money/materials only to fall short late game. That, combined with bad luck on exploration, can really hurt a player (as the third place guy found out).
The high randomness and incredibly crazy possible options are definite detractors for new players. When we played with five (and I also sort of shared some more general statistical notes and heuristics that might not be immediately obvious) at PAX that seemed to work alright. But with less players and almost no experience, it's quite possible to get a bad game.
That said, after a LOT of games you learn that you can deal with almost anything.
The guys over at >Games have put up the kickstarter for their 3rd expansion to Sentinels of the Multiverse. It's a fun fixed deck coop game that my people enjoy, not terribly hard on the mind but enjoyable.
Do you guys know of any good, fun 2-Player games? It needs to be generally portable, and shouldn't require much (if any) initial setup. Theme is always a plus, too!
Do you guys have any other good ideas? I saw Smash Up, and it seems like it'd be the perfect type of game, though I heard that 2-Player is sub-optimal.
Do you guys know of any fun portable 2-Player games? It shouldn't require much (if any) initial setup, and a good theme is always an added bonus.
MTG
I don't think the winky is necessary, as far as ad hoc two player games go MtG is one of if not the best game around. You just have to ignore the "money the wasting" part.
Comments
Also got Viva Java on Friday. I completely forgot what this game is all about. I read the instructions and got excited about playing. Jeremy also read the instructions and watched the tutorial video and was excited as well. We tried to get our friends to play, but they didn't feel like it. Lame. Next time. I really want to play this game.
This game looks perfect for the FRC. It's tailored for the best play with 7-8 players, while the 3-5/3-6 players have different variants and additions to the game. It's a semi cooperative game with negotiations. That sounds totally up the FRC alley. Even though everyone is all googly-eyed over Eclipse, I think the main question people forgot to ask was: What sort of games do you like? Are into? Already own? Mechanics? Answer those, I'll give you a decent answer.
Also, what is your price range?
Also, I haven't played Eclipse. I don't plan on buying it, and my friends don't own it.
Heard almost nothing but love about Seasons from every gamer I trust. Only people who didn't like it were gamers who are not into heavy card management and interaction, so it's not a universal appeal type game, but I think it'll be a hit with most gamer circles.
http://www.dicehatemegames.com/vivajava
Edit: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/103660/vivajava-the-coffee-game
Eclipse
Looks fantastic, it IS 70£ (112$) on UK amazon though. You wanna ship a copy over here?
Deep Euros: Ora et Labora, Trajan
Medium Euros: Castles of Burgundy, Village, Belfort
Light Euros: Lords of Waterdeep, Discworld: Ankh-Morpork
Fun & Light: King of Tokyo, Deadwood, Smash Up
More Thematic: If you like Game of Thrones, the revised edition that FFG put out is fantastic and a must-buy. You said you liked Arkham Horror, so I would recommend the new version of Descent, or the D&D Adventure Series games if you want to stay co-op.
I would avoid Mansions of Madness even though it's got a direct tie to Arkham Horror. MoM is fiddly to a point of costing you your sanity, which may be the point of the game.
If you want a really good deck-builder that hasn't been getting its fair share of buzz, try Core Worlds. I hear Eminent Domain is quite good as well but it's fallen through the cracks for me. Rym & Scott did a show on it earlier this year.
If you like Diplomacy, you should check out Article 27. I can't endorse it b/c I haven't played, but it looks right up the alley of players who like making deals and yelling at each other. Same publisher as Core Worlds so maybe get a deal on shipping?
Oh yeah, and Eclipse is worth all the money.
I don't know if we'll ever get an actual 7-8 player game. More than likely we'll get 4-6 players. I have yet to check out the intern cards or read the rules, but it seems interesting enough.
Research is so important. Research first, then Blend. That seems to be the best strategy. Also make sure to play your Purge Roaster token at the right time to get the best bean combination during the travel phase.
We also played more Cards Against Humanity, but this time with the variant of the random invisible player: it was one of my porcelain lucky cats. He ended up kicking all our asses. He had like 7 cards before I could even get one. It made me sad.
I turtled in the beginning and built no ships, while the other two players went to war. At the end, I broke my treaty with the second player and invaded her undefended territories, managing to eke out a win (yay neutron bombs / genocide!)
The one strange thing I found with the game is that it's possible to draw no lower/mid-tier research until the late game, which effects everyone's playstyle really weirdly. Players either end up with unbalanced economies, or sacrifice research points for money/materials only to fall short late game. That, combined with bad luck on exploration, can really hurt a player (as the third place guy found out).
That said, after a LOT of games you learn that you can deal with almost anything.
The Duke, when it come available for sale.
Oshi (but not as portable)