I'm looking for Board Game suggestions. What are you favs?

[Evoman]

I love playing Settlers of Catan and the expansion, but lately I've got a hankering for something new. I have a bunch of party type games (Balderdash, Dirty Minds, Cranium, etc) but I'm really looking more for a strategy game. I went to this cool Game Store and they had a bunch of neat looking games.....everything from lord of the rings games to vampire games to zombie games to war games. But I don't want to buy an expensive game and then not like it. That's why I wouldn't mind a suggestion or two.

What games do you guys like that you can recommend? Any favourites (you can also include party-type games of course)?

[KitchenWitch]

1. Do you have Risk?

[Evoman]

9. Don't have it, but I play it with my buds.

No point in me buying it.

I like it okay, but I'm looking for something less mainstream, I guess.

[NightWatcher]

2. scrabble

rather pedestrian sounding, I know, but still one of the best

[Evoman]

15. I suck at scrabble...one of my worst games.

My vocab isn't even that bad, but I just don't know how to play well. My girlfriend always makes these 4 letter words and gets a billion points with them, and I write a nice, long word and get shit points. I've got no scrabble game (I do own it, I just don't pwn it).

Edit: I should see if Pwn is in the scrabble dictionary.

[Midlodemocrat]

3. Monopoly and Clue are our favorites. Love, love, love Clue.

[flvegan]

4. Nobody will play Monopoly with me any more.

I'm brutal. I'm like...Rove when I play. I love it.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. I'm like that with Risk.

Not one of my family members will even think about playing me. They suck.

[RobinA]

105. Risk Does It To Me

Risk definitely turns me into a combination of Rove and Attila the Hun. First time I ever played it was with my boyfriend at the time and his roommates. I was high on acid for the very first time and lost track of the bongs. I still won. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, but knew I liked nothing better than kicking butt with my armies and my instincts took over. Any other time pot makes me not care. Nothing could quell my bloodlust. So much for more peace if women were our world leaders.

[Evoman]

10. Nobody plays Clue with me. I'm ridiculously good at it.

What I like to do at the end is tell everybody what cards they are holding. Freaks em out, since I really don't think people play beyond their cards.

[Lethe]

38. CLUE is the best

people think CLUE is some dumb board game, when in reality it's more like poker. When you get really good CLUE players together, there's all kinds of bluffing and posturing and fake-outs. It's really great. Half the fun is playing mind games with your opponents.

[Evoman]

49. I don't know anybody who plays clue well.

Like I said, most of the people I've played actually just pay attention to their cards, and whatever cards are showed to them. They then mark off said cards until they guess it right.

I can't even bluff because they don't even know or care that I'm doing it. I haven't EVER lost a match since I was 12 and I started understanding the logic.

It's crazy.

[bigwillq]

25. That's because you think if you keep playing it

you may actually get one.

:rofl:

[MrSlayer]

6. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a good one.

Of course it literally takes months to play and is complicated to the extreme.

[derby378]

7. Risk, Abalone, Go, Pente - and now I've just discovered Khet

Khet is actually a form of laser chess that's played with a real gameboard and real lasers. I have yet to play a game of it with anyone (we've been tending to a new kitty), but I'm eagerly anticipating the first game.

Abalone is approximately 15-20 years old, but it's a game that's beautiful in its simplicity.

[harmonicon]

8. I love Risk - it's my favourite

On the slightly more complex side is a game called Civilization that is really good, and far more complicated, but sometimes fun, is Axis and Allies.

[WinkyDink]

11. CandyLand.

[justabob]

12. Axis and Allies

It's like Risk, only more so. It is a great game, but it requires a lot of time.

[sniffa]

37. A&A makes Risk look like checkers

Best board game evah!

[justabob]

40. lol - agreed

I don't have anyone to play it with, so I haven't gotten to play in a long time. If you are ever in the DFW area.... :)

[cemaphonic]

47. It's fun and epic scale, and a good bridge between family and grognard games.

But I think it is awfully unbalanced. Although the common house rule forbidding Russia from attacking on the first turn goes a fair bit towards fixing that.

[Robeson]

41. Great game. With five cats in my house, it has become increasingly....

...hard to play...;-)

[justabob]

42. I can imagine :)

I hadn't even considered the cat factor till you mentioned that.... I haven't tried to play since I adopted my four.

[Evoman]

13. Anybody ever play GO? It's old chinese game. Awesome as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(board_game)

[derby378]

18. I have a Go board at home

But I haven't played Go in years.

[pokerfan]

27. I've been playing Go for thirty years

I have a board and about a dozen books.

[Evoman]

31. Since I've only had the chance to play a couple of times at Christmas, I'm sure you would kick my

ass. Thirty years...wow.

[pokerfan]

35. I'm pretty rusty

but one of the best aspects to Go is built-in handicapping that allows players of widely disparate skill to play an enjoyable game.

[pokerfan]

104. Machine implementations are getting better

"The Many Faces of Go" is the 2008 World computer go 19x19 and 9x9 champion, 2002 World Computer Go Champion, 1998 World Computer Go Champion, and ten time US Computer Go Champion.

This is a screen shot I just took. I had the computer play against itself because I'm too embarrassed to post one of my actual games.

http://www.smart-games.com/manyfaces.html">

http://www.smart-games.com/manyfaces.html">The Many Faces of Go, version 12

[Fire Walk With Me]

14. Jumanji.

Bring insect repellent.

[kentauros]

84. And an axe

you know, for the man-eating plants :P

[deucemagnet]

16. lol, as soon as I saw the thread I was going to suggest Settlers of Catan.

I've never played any of the expansions, though.

on edit: Have you tried to play Settlers with the Volcano or Catlantis rules?

[Evoman]

19. No...I don't even know what those are!

I've played the Seafahrer expansion, and the new Traders and Barbarians expansion. I've also played the 6 people expansion.

What I really like about Traders and Barbarians is that there are a bunch of really small changes that add some flavour without changing the fundamental game. There are about 6 things you can change, one at a time or all at once. One game will add fishing, but the game stays the same. Another will add barbarians and trading, that makes the game a lot more complex. It's awesome and highly recommended.

I liked Cities and Knights, but I don't own it. I found it changed the game way too much though, made it too complex....part of the pure awesomeness that is Catan is the simplicity.

[deucemagnet]

23. I found a few links

For the volcano variant all you have to do is print out the rules and the volcano tile at this page.

http://www.geocities.com/spanky2001/thegames/Volcano.html

The volcano is rich in gold, but it occasionally erupts and destroys your settlements.

I couldn't find a link for the "Catlantis" rules, where tiles are removed as as the doomed island of Catlantis slides into the sea, but it looks like they published a variant of the game with those rules.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/21046

[cemaphonic]

17. Carcassonne

Fun and nuanced strategy game that has enough "beer and pretzels" to it that non-boardgamers often still enjoy it. If you like Settlers of Caatan, you will probably like it. Ditto for The Amazing Labyrinth, although that one is a bit simpler and more luck-based.


For party games, Apples to Apples is my favorite. I'm very fond of 1000 Blank White Cards, but you need the right kind of crowd for that.

[Evoman]

20. Was that made by the same guy as Settlers?

Sounds familiar....bet you I've seen it at chapters.

[cemaphonic]

45. nah, some other German game designer.

There seem to be a bunch of them around.

A couple other fun and fairly casual ones are Ticket to Ride and Bohanza.

[ghostsofgiants]

21. I have a friend who is a board game nerd.

We've played a bunch but the only one I remember the name of is Pandemic.

[madinmaryland]

22. I'm still waiting to kick Lynnesin's and Midlo's asses in RISK!!

:hide:

[begin_within]

24. Scattergories is fun and makes you laugh.

It's not a strategy game or even a board game but it's always fun for a small get-together. We never fail to get laughs out of it.

[VenusRising]

26. We really like the Lord of the Rings game.

The best thing is that when you buy the Friends and Foes expansion, the ways of winning increase and the game play varies much much more. We haven't gotten the Sauron expansion, though.

http://www.amazon.com/Fantasy-Flight-Games-Rings-Boardgame/dp/B00005O0F4

[Evoman]

32. A co-op game?

I don't know...its sounds fun, but my friends and I are all about kicking each others asses. Lol...we'd probably sabotage each other and Sauron would get the ring the first turn.

[VenusRising]

34. LOL!

There is always a way to sabotage in that game. But yeah, the point is to defeat Sauron.

[rucky]

28. Puerto Rico. Ticket To Ride. Carcassone. Apples to Apples.

all slam-dunk winners.

Read the reviews on www.funagain.com - they're extremely thoughtful and reliable.

[rucky]

29. Puerto Rico is the bestest game ever made.

along with Settlers

[Evoman]

30. Man, thats sounds just right up my alley.

I'll look for it next time I go to the game store.

[cemaphonic]

43. Puerto Rico is a bit hardcore though.

If you don't already have some boardgamer pals, it can be hard to find people to play it with.

It is pretty fun though.

[rucky]

80. Ticket to Ride has more mainstream appeal, for sure.

But if there's a store in the area that sells Rio Grande games, chances are there's a group you can hook up with pretty easily for the more geeky games.

I lost my weekly game night when I moved, and haven't been able to get anything together within 20 miles of me, though.

[pokerfan]

33. Acquire (by Avalon Hill)

Now published by Hasbro.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquire

It's a great game. Similar to Monopoly in that the goal is wealth creation but much more abstract with a greater emphasis on skill.

Try to find a used version as Hasbro cut some costs that were really detrimental to the look and feel of this classic game.

This is the one you want:

[Lindsey]

36. I have a group of friends and we've been getting together on a

somewhat regular basis for years. Our favs. are Scattergories, Taboo, Gestures, Scruples, Pictionary, and I'm sure some more that I can't think of now...

[lizziegrace]

39. Apples to Apples

can be played with as few as 3 people. The more the better though. We played it with Thomcat, ZodiakIronfist and VenusRising on NYE last year. It was hysterical.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

94. seconded, that is a big favorite at my house as well.

[bluedeminredstate]

96. My teenage daughter and her friends adore that game.

Apples to Apples is reasonably cheap too so if you don't like it then you're not out too much dough.
I love Taboo because it realy makes you expand your vocabulary and can be hilarious.

:hi:

[Broken_Hero]

44. Sorry, Chess, Checkers,

Risk, Stratego, Pictionary, Yahtzee(sp), Life, and Trivial Pursuit.

[kentauros]

60. Ever played Tri-Ominoes?

For eight hours straight? (ten pm to 6ayem) :P

[Broken_Hero]

67. Nope, never heard of it before

I do enjoy playing domino's though, although I only play with double 6's...I tried playing with double 9's, and I spend 99% of my time counting dots, feels like back in 3rd grade math class....

[kentauros]

72. Tri-Ominoes is pretty cool.

I think it came out in the 1970s because I remember playing it that far back.

Here's the instructions page for an idea what it's like:

http://www.pressmangames.com/instructions/instruct_trio-ominos.html

I've never seen double-9s. I guess you would just have to learn the patterns of the dots to recognize the higher numbers instead of always counting them. Treat them like symbols :)

[AwakeAtLast]

89. My family used to play Tri-ominoes at every gathering

My grandmother was ruthless, LOL!

[kentauros]

90. Sounds like you need to resurrect the tradition.

And become ruthless yourself (I wonder where Ruth is...?) :P

[Lethe]

46. Dungeons and Dragons!

the best game evah!

[kentauros]

55. Although not really a board game

it is close to the various card games like Nuclear War/Nuclear Escalation, Naval Battles, Magic the Gathering (never played it, so that might not be right) and Grass.

DnD was my gateway drug into all these other cool games :P

[Evoman]

58. Ever play the old school Hero Quest?

It was sort of a D and D game..the player character(s) were an elf, a warrior, a wizard, and a dwarf. You had to make your way around a dungeon and monsters controlled by the "DM".

It was cool.

[kentauros]

64. No, but I have played one of the superhero games

I had a guy that was like whatshisname in Xmen and could control EM fields and energy :D

I also played with several friends that were good at creating their own systems. I only know of one of them being published, but I'd have to look it up.

Ever play Aftermath? Great post-apocalypse game :)

[Evoman]

69. Never did. Is it a board game?

I played D and D type pencil and paper games when I was young, but my friends and I were never really into them. Now, I don't know anybody who still plays those games. Well, that's a lie...I know some, but I just don't want to hang out with them lol. No offense intended, of course. I'm sure there are plenty of Dand D players who bathe regularly and eat Doritos out of the bag and not off their shirts.

[kentauros]

74. The DnD geeks these days are often IT and Helpdesk people

so I would guess regular bathing is a requirement for that kind of job ;)

The others I mentioned are pencil and paper games. I haven't played them in years, either, as the last group broke up for various reasons and I never heard any of them playing again. I would guess that most of them are online gamers now.

I still enjoy the pencil/paper games as it's good for having a low-key party, like the board game parties :)

Every time I bring up Nuclear War, I want to get people together to play it. If only I knew enough in-person friends again... But basically, every person is their own country, with propaganda, population, warheads and delivery systems. All of that is randomized so you can have more warheads than missles, not enough people to survive a first strike and so on. Players form temporary alliances, some legitimate, others are just subterfuge. It's a great game for today's world

[Lethe]

102. yeah i had Hero Quest when i was a kid

it was pretty cool. the combat was easy cause the dice were special made for the combat system. good intro to more complex DnD-type games

[cemaphonic]

48. There's always Diplomacy, if you have some friends you wouldn't mind not talking to for awhile.

[Evoman]

50. Risk, Diplomacy and Monopoly. Three games that can potentially lose you friends.

For some reason, Settlers causes a lot less friction. However, I played with a guy (gf cousins husband) that fucking cheated at settlers. I could have killed him...especially since he was so bad at cheating that it insulted my intelligence. The only reason I didn't call him on it is that we were staying at his house and I didn't want to cause waves. I can't stand cheating.

The only thing I ever cheat at is cards. I fucking hate playing card games, so I will try to cheat to amuse myself and practice my sleight of hand. It also stops people from asking me to play again in the event that I do get caught (the only exception to this is poker. I never cheat at poker if we're playing for stakes).

[kentauros]

57. You've never played Nuclear War then

especially with the "If I can't win, nobody wins!!!" option on the 100megaton warhead and the triple-yield result on the spinner :P

[rucky]

78. or want to get out of a relationship.

it's the perfect way.

[Drunken Irishman]

51. Naked Twister.

[Evoman]

52. I've seen it done....you know, it's just not as sexy or fun as it sounds.

[Drunken Irishman]

54. It is when I'm involved. ;)

[Arugula Latte]

53. Blokus

My kids love it; I love it. Each player fits variously shaped pieces into a grid to maximize their own pieces while blocking others.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

87. I love that game! Shall we play online?

http://www.blokus.com/online-game/

I'm Dirtbag and I'm in table 34234 in the Training room.

[Inchworm]

56. Cribbage

mainly because I do not know anyone that plays it, and the last time it was regular was in a regular bar up north in the early 90s.

:hi:

[Broken_Hero]

59. Oh damn, ditto...I forgot about Crib

I haven't played it in ages...probably ten years or more....its so easy to play, yet so many seemed petrified of learning.

[Evoman]

62. The one game I hate above all others.

I hate card games (except maybe poker) so cribbage is the LAST game I ever want to play. When people bring out their crib boards, I shudder.

I just don't get!

But your definately not alone...everybody else seems to like it.

[Inchworm]

63. typical response

:rofl:

That's why I miss my old bars :D

:)

[Zomby Woof]

61. Trivial Pursuit

There's a new 25th Anniversary Edition now out, which adds some bonus features to jazz up the game, such as extra spaces on the perimeter which alter the rules for that segment of the board.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

65. Hi Zomby..

My favorite too. Only because I win almost 100% of the time - Now I have my 9 year old son with the photographic memory on my team... Dates? No problem - I ask da' kid... It is now an invincible duo.

I loves me some Trivial Pursuit. (I have won tournaments and I am serious about this game.) Monotony is for those trapped within the box.


______________________________
xoxo
QoC

[Zomby Woof]

68. I have a similar win percentage

Although there has been more emphasis lately on the "almost", lol. Lifelong trivia junkie. My wife keeps urging me to try out for Jeopardy. Sony Studios is a short drive from here... hmm... :-)

[QueenOfCalifornia]

71. I get that too

---- Just go on Jeopardy and end this once and for all...

I know I would choke up and be a disaster on TV... I KNOW IT. I am okay on my couch with a glass of wine and my flipper thing in my hand... On TV... Wooooo - Not so good.

I think that Wheel of Fortune is the game show for me... (I am creepy good at that too...????) The money is better and you don't have to make yourself be nice to Alex Trebeck.

[Evoman]

66. I gave a friend the 80s version of it. She was very excited and we played it right away.

I freakin' stunk at it.

The only other version that I played "regularly" was a version so old, it asked obscure questions about sports and politics in the 70s. Sufficed to say, I don't get much enjoyment out of it. I tend to like games of skill, with a little luck involved to shake things up. Trivia games and card games really aren't my style.

Those DVD trivia games bore the hell out of me. Especially the one I played once about Harry Potter. Read the books, but I don't fucking know which Hogwarts room Harry Potter pissed blood into after being beat by a Livershot spell!

[Zomby Woof]

70. I understand

Play games to meet your strengths. Although I enjoy strategy games too - but know of none beyond what has already been suggested. Chess is my personal favorite. :-)

[Evoman]

73. LOVE chess. LOVE it.

I find people are really insecure about playing it though. I LIKE playing people who are better then me, because it gives me a chance to see things I may not have seen and learn something. Most people I know don't play very well so they refuse to play me, even though I like the practice. I'm not even that good, but people think I am. It's sad, but to get a good game, I have to play online. But it's not the same. Especially since people online have no etiquette and will jump out of a game when they feel they are losing.

[Zomby Woof]

75. I am a middle tier player

Playing someone better is good exercise for the reason you mention, but I have also found I beat players better than me at least once, when they underestimate me after the second or third time, lol. Lesson: Never get complacent, no matter how much more skilled you may be than your opponent.

Chess is good discipline. It helps me with my attention span and concentration, beyond the usual benefits of mathematical/spatial thinking, and the exercise of getting inside your opponent's head and assessing their strategy.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

77. I am not really

good at chess.

I just don't play it enough to get good. My husband is a naturally good chess player - he just knows the next move. But I kill him in trivia... :)

[MrCoffee]

98. The only proper response :thumbsup:

[pokerfan]

76. Hex is a pretty cool game invented by John Nash (A Beautiful Mind)

It looks like Go at first glance and indeed it can be played with Go stones. The board however, is a hexagonal grid of any size, provided that it's regular.

http://tinyurl.com/dan8ht">Hex (board game)

The goal is to create an unbroken chain connecting the two opposite sides assigned to you while your opponent tries to do the same with the other two sides.

http://tinyurl.com/dan8ht">

[AirmensMom]

79. Ticket to Ride

You build train routes across the country (USA). The strategy is to build all your routes and block your opponent's. Up to 5 can play. It also comes in a Europe version and I think Germany and something else.

[mykpart]

81. Fairly simple game called Wahoo!

It's similar to Pachisi or Sorry. It's fast moving and will get everyone shouting, and while you need a brain to play it well, it's not too intellectual.

[Z_I_Peevey]

91. I'd so love to have a genuine Wahoo board--

I remember my parents playing that game with friends back in the early 60s.

[Orsino]

82. Talisman and Kill Doctor Lucky are our favorites...

...generating hours of laughter, cussing and back-stabbing.

Looking forward to trying A touch of Evil: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/35815

[cemaphonic]

100. Oh yeah, Cheapass has some good ones

Kill Dr. Lucky and Give Me the Brain are probably the best ones.

They also have one that plays a lot like Apples to Apples called The Big Idea.

[Orsino]

101. I have, but have never played, the Cheapass Kill Doctor Lucky...

I had to jump when I learned of the board-game version: http://paizo.com/titanicGames/v5748btpy7ppe

It's awesome.

[CBR]

83. Power Grid...

I am a board game nerd. Power Grid, San Juan, Carcassone, Ticket to Ride, Thurns and Taxis are all great games. Power Grid is the best and easy to learn.

[RebelOne]

85. Chinese Checkers. I loved that game when I was a kid. n/t

[HopeHoops]

86. Dance of the Witches, Quarto, StratoChess, Hijara

[LaraMN]

88. Balderdash!

It's the most funnest ever!

[surrealAmerican]

92. It's a card game, but ...

... I highly recommend Fluxx. It's a lot of fun with a group. You can even get blank cards for adding in your own ideas, and it's the kind of game where you will get your own ideas.

[rucky]

93. Fluxx is a blast.

and kids can play, too.

[FedUpWithIt All]

95. It is not exactly a board game but Othello is one of my all time favorite games. n/t

[BurtWorm]

97. Not a board game, but a very fun word game if it's still available.

I think the version I have is out of stock, unfortunately. It's called Anagrams.

You take turns turning over letters from a big pile in the center of the table. If you can make a word with any or all of the overturned letters, say the word and take the letters. But if someone can make an anagram of your word using all the letters, they can say it and steal the word from you. Furthermore, if you can make an anagram with one of the upturned letters in the center and one of your opponents' words, you can steal their word from them at any time. And they can steal it back if they can make an anagram from that word or from that word plus a new letter from the center of the table.

It's a nerve-wracking game, but very amusing as you and your opponents try to come up with anagrams that are actual words.

[Strong Atheist]

99. Wizwar and Roborally.

Wizwar is THE ultimate beer and pretzels game. Roborally has art by Phil Foglio. Need I say more?

[Lethe]

103. anybody remember Crossbows and Catapults?

[kath]

106. There's a website called Board Game Geek (or some such) that gives reviews and ratings of games.

There are also some lists out there (I think at that site?) of Top 10 Games You'd Take to a Desert Island that are fun to read and may give you some ideas. Also a site called the Game Cabinet.
Also an annual German award called Spieles de Jahr (not sure of the German spelling) that goes back 20 years or more.