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[Doombear]

Hi Board game GAF! First of all, amazingly lovely new OT. Nicely done.

I just had a question, well, looking for suggestions really. I was always in to board games as a young kid, and eventually... just sort of lost the group of kids and people that played them with me. I also shifted to video games more back then.

Anyway, I have recently been having a lot of fun introducing my daughter (almost 11 now) to some newer board games. She of course played plenty of the classics when she was even younger. Sorry, Life, Sorry Sliders, Candyland, we have a handful of old games around. Even this one... but now that she is a bit older she has her own tastes. We have, in the last year or so, had a lot of fun with King of Tokyo (she loves the art style, and loves anything slightly anime in appearance), Forbidden Island, and Hanabi. Most recently we spend our time with Marvel Dice Masters as I lucked out with a base set.

We also play with her mother, but that is less often as we haven't found a game that she likes enough to draw her in (she doesn't love cutthroat games as much as commerce or cooperative games). So ideally if suggestions are great for 2 players, but ok for 3 that would be best. If not, 2 players is just fine.

Sorry for the ramble, just hoping for some feedback!

Some that I am leaning towards/seem interesting:
Tanto Cuore (she saw this last night at our local boardgame shop and instantly was drawn to the characters/style of course, just not sure how fun it would be for her?)
Steam Park
Machi Koro
Seasons
Forbidden Desert (though obviously not going to be as fun if all 3 of us aren't playing...)

I have been watching Doomtown: Reloaded as well...

 

[Affeinvasion]

I'm not sure I'd want to play this with my daughter...

But *shrugs*

I don't know how Steam Park is with 2 but it looks like a fun game. Seasons is one of my favorite games but it can get a bit complex with all of the card play. Overall, though, it's a great game for 2, 3, or 4 players.

 

[BattleMonkey]

And its pretty awful game also.

 

[Doombear]

I'm not sure I'd want to play this with my daughter...

But *shrugs*

I understand and can appreciate why some parents might be concerned, but as mentioned she is well versed in her anime (nothing extreme of course) and those are just breasts right? The artwork seems pretty standard as far as that goes. Anything in the actual gameplay that is inappropriate?

And its pretty awful game also.

This, however, much more likely to steer me away from the game. I had absolutely no knowledge of the game before we saw it in-store and she rushed over to see what it was. I watched a review that compares it to Dominion clone. I just wondered if, in the end, she may have more fun with Dominion.

Also should have mentioned she plays Pathfinder ever other weekend with a group of her friends, and they were talking about rotating in Mice and Mystics. Looks pretty great...

 

[Phinor]

Memoir 44 is a great introduction to the Commands & Colors system. It's probably the most simple, but if you're interested into conflict or war gaming, it's a great starter. Once you kind of master the mechanics, I highly recommend Battles of Westeros or Battlelore 2.0, which both use the same basic ruleset as Memoir but add a lot of depth and satisfying complexity.

I've been thinking of going from Battlelore 2.0 to Memoir 44 but I'm just not sure, I kind of dislike both how dice heavy the combat system is, and how much you rely/how restrictive the movement cards are. I'm weird and prefer World War/real life over fantasy setting so is there any other not-too-heavy Memoir 44 type game out there that perhaps isn't quite so dice heavy or has a different movement/unit activation system? Also would be nice if the game was still available. I've been browsing through some light-medium war game lists and it seems like just about every game is already out of print and no longer available via retail market.

 

[hat_hair]

And its pretty awful game also.

Tanto Cuore is a better game than Dominion, for many reasons. If the art won't bother anyone playing, go for it, but you might want to look at a full set of the cards before making that decision.

 

[Karkador]

Tanto Cuore is a better game than Dominion, for many reasons. If the art won't bother anyone playing, go for it, but you might want to look at a full set of the cards before making that decision.

How is it better than Dominion?

 

[hat_hair]

How is it better than Dominion?

Mostly the added ideas.
There is an extra deck of Private Maids which, when hired, are set aside and provide a permanent benefit, such as an extra draw, an extra action, or the ability to steal cards out from other people's decks.
There are two direct attack cards which can then be used to counter these Private Maids, either by giving negative points or blanking their special abilities and point values until a certain condition is met. These cards are bought and use immediately, meaning that if someone starts running away with the game, other players can team up to take them down.
There are more cards in the set that provide points as well as being action cards, thus allowing more routes to victory. More options for points means the game rarely devolves into "Get to 8 cash as soon as possible then buy Provinces until you win". This is further supported by the slight change in costs of the basic currency cards. instead of 0,3,6, they cost 1,4,7, which makes higher values harder to reach.
Certain cards can also be taken out of your deck, much like the Island card in Dominion Seaside, and can provide point bonuses depending on the sets you get.
The expansions then add further routes to victory, such as the building cards and the Reminiscence cards, which cannot be acquired normally, but require certain combinations of cards to be discarded from hand during your action phase.

Overall I just find Tanto Cuore to be more interactive and have more tactical options available at any one time. The way the theme and art style dominate any discussion of the game can be tiring. I understand that it's not for everyone, but I genuinely feel that the game is an improvement over Dominion.

As an aside, I also wish the game wasn't quite so risque, as I'm unlikely to ever play it with my parents, who do enjoy Dominion. I would feel weird pulling it out with my family, but not with my friends.

 

[Doombear]

As an aside, I also wish the game wasn't quite so risque, as I'm unlikely to ever play it with my parents, who do enjoy Dominion. I would feel weird pulling it out with my family, but not with my friends.

Just to be clear, it is just the art that is risque on some cards correct? None of the gameplay mechanics? I really know nothing about the game other than you are hiring maids to take care of an estate and battling other players doing the same. She can handle the human form, but if there are other implications besides a bit of extra flesh then I would reconsider.

That said, the art alone would keep me from playing with my own parents.

 

[hat_hair]

Just to be clear, it is just the art that is risque on some cards correct? None of the gameplay mechanics? I really know nothing about the game other than you are hiring maids to take care of an estate and battling other players doing the same. She can handle the human form, but if there are other implications besides a bit of extra flesh then I would reconsider.

That said, the art alone would keep me from playing with my own parents.

Yeah, the game lends itself to risque humour, but at most you're going to get innuendo from the players.
The currency is called Love, so you hire Maids with your Love, and then the Chambermaids can be sent to your Private Chambers, which is just an area next to your deck.
As for the human form, there is a character in the Romantic Vacation expansion who literally wears a see through top, breasts on full display. That's the only card to go that far, though.

 

[AstroLad]

Tanto Cuore is alright (played the iOS version), but I would put it slightly above the Cryptozoic deckbuilders in terms of quality. Maybe it gets better with the expansions. In terms of a janky deckbuilder I like Ascension a lot more.

 

[EYEL1NER]

So pumped! Funagain had Marvel Dice Masters starters in-stock and I scored two of them (one for me and another for my coworker). APO shipping required USPS, so it was an extra $14 on top of the $15 ea, but that isn't too bad. If anywhere else gets them in-stock soon, we would still be paying more than anyone back home would in shipping. We are both okay with $22 for a starter at the moment.

Bought Fortress America today and got Castle Ravenloft in the mail. That draco-lich mini is definitely cool...

 

[Neverfade]

Tanto Cuore is a better game than Dominion

To contribute to the thread: Francis Drake is in stock at CSI. Small print run confirmed. Get it now if you want it.

 

[Karkador]

The way the theme and art style dominate any discussion of the game can be tiring.

I think theme and art will dominate the discussion of many deckbuilders, though. Consider that there are a ton of deck-building games now, each of which have their own twist/improvement/complication to the standard Dominion formula. I'll take your word for it that Tanto adds some interesting things to the standard Dominion game, but so does every other deck builder. In many cases, it seems the reason someone will pick one over another is because of the theme, which some deckbuilders do better than others.

 

[Neverfade]

A huge point of contention for me is that more = better.

I've played a dumb fucking amount of deck builders in the past 5 years and I always come back to kiss the Dominion ring.

 

[Doombear]

Maybe I made a mistake by including Tanto in my list =P I wasn't intending for that to be the main focus of my question. I will definitely look more closely into Seasons then, Affeinvasion, I already liked the look of it from a distance.

Personally, I don't think complexity is that much of an issue. She isn't adverse to learning to be able to play, but the game has to hook her with something to make her WANT to learn it if that makes sense.

We recently played both Dungeon Roll and Boss Monster, and Boss Monster was just too much (for both of us almost) but Dungeon Roll was perfect. To be fair, I found that watching a "How to" on Boss Monster was worlds better than trying to make sense of the instruction booklet. I mentioned Mice and Mystics earlier though, and have heard that the complexities and levels of gameplay in that game can slow it down. To the point of making it boring as you are constantly looking up what does what and it takes you out of things. That is not what I want.

 

[EYEL1NER]

I've got Tanto Cuore on my phone from when the iOS version was free a little while back. I try it out every now and then, but I haven't played Dominion or any games like it, so I can't say that I know what I am doing enough to enjoy myself. As for the theme, I don't really care for it (I would rather have Barbarossa's theme than maids and stuff) but its whatever. If I enjoyed the game I wouldn't be ashamed to play it in front of people or anything.

 

[hat_hair]

Maybe I made a mistake by including Tanto in my list =P I wasn't intending for that to be the main focus of my question.

You mentioned that Forbidden Island was good. Have you looked into Pandemic? It's another role based co-op game with a built in time limit, where you try to save the world from a bunch of horrible diseases. It's always gone over with everyone I've played it with.

 

[Neverfade]

You mentioned that Forbidden Island was good. Have you looked into Pandemic? It's another role based co-op game with a built in time limit, where you try to save the world from a bunch of horrible diseases. It's always gone over with everyone I've played it with.

At least I can agree with this. FI falls on the other side of the spectrum: 'not enough'. Pandemic is a large upgrade.

 

[Lambtron]

I've never posted in this thread since most of my board gaming is done via a friend. He owns hundreds of games, and we have played a ton of great stuff. I got in on the Galactic Strike Force Kickstarter and I'm so excited to play it this weekend. GSF & Mario Kart 8. I am hype.

 

[fenners]

I've never posted in this thread since most of my board gaming is done via a friend. He owns hundreds of games, and we have played a ton of great stuff. I got in on the Galactic Strike Force Kickstarter and I'm so excited to play it this weekend. GSF & Mario Kart 8. I am hype.

Just because you don't /buy/ the games you play, doesn't mean you can't post These days, I'm picky about what I buy, but thankfully my kidless friends aren't.

 

[Pau]

I get so frustrated by deck building games where some of your cards are filler like in Trains or Dominion. Ascension though. <3

 

[Angst]

I've been thinking of going from Battlelore 2.0 to Memoir 44 but I'm just not sure, I kind of dislike both how dice heavy the combat system is, and how much you rely/how restrictive the movement cards are. I'm weird and prefer World War/real life over fantasy setting so is there any other not-too-heavy Memoir 44 type game out there that perhaps isn't quite so dice heavy or has a different movement/unit activation system? Also would be nice if the game was still available. I've been browsing through some light-medium war game lists and it seems like just about every game is already out of print and no longer available via retail market.

You should take a look at Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear.

It's my first "real" war game and thanks to its very intuitive rule book and how the firefights are set up it's been very easy to learn (compared to other war games with 300+ page rulebooks).

The movement/activation system is not similar to Memoir '44 at all. Like you I was trying to find a good war game to start with and I didn't really like the dice system of Memoir '44 so I ended up with CoH.

I will write some more detailed impressions of CoH later, but my experience with it so far has been stellar!

 

[Icefire1424]

You should take a look at Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear.

It's my first "real" war game and thanks to its very intuitive rule book and how the firefights are set up it's been very easy to learn (compared to other war games with 300+ page rulebooks).

The movement/activation system is not similar to Memoir '44 at all. Like you I was trying to find a good war game to start with and I didn't really like the dice system of Memoir '44 so I ended up with CoH.

I will write some more detailed impressions of CoH later, but my experience with it so far has been stellar!

CoH has always intruiged me, but I'm pretty sure the next wargame I'll be moving on is Tide of Iron. Too many excellent reviews here and on BGG to not at least check it out. That, and something about having a bunch of miniatures to move around a board.

 

[Faiz]

I get so frustrated by deck building games where some of your cards are filler like in Trains or Dominion. Ascension though. <3

That's a big part of my problem with Dominion as well. I understand the strategy that it's intended to bring to play, but it feels frustrating. I'll happily play when people want to, and I'll have fun, but I really prefer Ascension... And really look forward to trying out Star Realms as well.

 

[joelseph]

Your highest Hanabi score ever.

Go.

Spoiler

If you answer 30, we are no longer friends

Mine: 18. New to the game. Loving the mental gymnastics.

 

[Palmer_v1]

Your highest Hanabi score ever.

Go.

Spoiler

If you answer 30, we are no longer friends

Mine: 18. New to the game. Loving the mental gymnastics.

24 in the single game I've played of it.

Spoiler

not a fan

 

[CoconutTank]

Your highest Hanabi score ever.

Go.

Spoiler

If you answer 30, we are no longer friends

Mine: 18. New to the game. Loving the mental gymnastics.

23. We managed to get 3 of the colors to 5 cards and the other 2 to 4 cards each. Was very exciting!

 

[Icefire1424]

Your highest Hanabi score ever.

Go.

Spoiler

If you answer 30, we are no longer friends

Mine: 18. New to the game. Loving the mental gymnastics.

What's a Hanabi?

Spoiler

Braces for impact.

 

[osu61303]

Anyone going to Origins in Columbus, OH in the next couple of weeks?

Enjoy seeing all the board game love.

Have a weekly/biweekly board game group that plays pretty much everything. Currently in rotation is Zombicide, Takenoko, Bruges, and Power Grid. All good!

Trying to decide what to snag up at the convention, haven't kept up on what is "new" and harder to find online.

 

[StoOgE]

Do you have the number?

Booth 2538.

I'll be in the back back corner.

 

[Faiz]

So over the last week a new printing of Caverna started making its way to retailers.

As expected, I was past the cut off for pre-orders through CSI. But they are also still taking preorders for the May/June time frame. I'm hoping that means they expect more shortly. Hoping .

 

[Experien]

Oh look, WizKids announces a new Dice Master game, Dungeons & Dragons, while we still can't buy the first one.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

Oh look, WizKids announces a new Dice Master game, Dungeons & Dragons, while we still can't buy the first one.

whoa! nice! I love DiceMasters. I will be buying this for sure.

edit: sucks that the first run is still sold out though. hopefully Wizkids can get on it.

 

[ultron87]

I wonder if that'll be playable against the Marvel game.

Edit: Looks like yes- https://twitter.com/Elliott_Games/status/472416778942185472

All of the Dice Masters games are compatible, but each one has some features that are unique to the particular brand.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Oh look, WizKids announces a new Dice Master game, Dungeons & Dragons, while we still can't buy the first one.

They can't make the boat move any faster. They're on the way.

 

[Keasar]

I am wondering if it wouldn't be fun to try and check out a wargame past Memoir '44, just hard to decide which when there are so many like Tide of Iron and Conflict of Heroes.

 

[mercviper]

Your highest Hanabi score ever.

Go.

Spoiler

If you answer 30, we are no longer friends

Mine: 18. New to the game. Loving the mental gymnastics.

24. Always run out of time when we get close. 26 if you add in the rainbow set.

 

[Doombear]

Oh look, WizKids announces a new Dice Master game, Dungeons & Dragons, while we still can't buy the first one.

>.> Speaking of, one of the 3 local shops here has been seeing more Starter Sets come in this week. One had 20 that were gone in a day and the shop near my house just got 6 in today. Lucked out and nabbed one for my daughter so now it's on. Nearly finished with my custom play mat too!

 

[BattleMonkey]

Oh look, WizKids announces a new Dice Master game, Dungeons & Dragons, while we still can't buy the first one.

They are going to shove everything into this Dice Masters line aren't they? Wonder if DC Dice Masters is soon too, as well as Kaijudu, and then any other random stupid property they license like Heroclix.

 

[Karkador]

Maybe the math of upscaling the Dice Masters production and marketing works out better if they produce different types of sets rather than more of the same.

 

[Affeinvasion]

They are going to shove everything into this Dice Masters line aren't they? Wonder if DC Dice Masters is soon too, as well as Kaijudu, and then any other random stupid property they license like Heroclix.

What did you expect? Wizkids' business plan is market saturation. (Pacific Rim clix were cool, though. Don't hate.)

 

[EYEL1NER]

Bought two X-Wing core sets today. Hoping that those will be "enough" for me to have fun for a while without feeling like I have to buy more minis. I did tell a coworker who is in Denmark today to check some out for me. He called and said he was on his way to a mall with a board game store and did I want him to look for anything. I told him to look for Manila and then also to check on an X-Wing and Tie expansion; if they were under $12 US buy them. I doubt a store there would be selling them for that low, but I don't know what the board game scene is like there or what the EU pricing structure is like for games. So if they are cheaper than I can get online, get one each and if not, then I'll pass for now.

 

[Keasar]

I am wondering if it wouldn't be fun to try and check out a wargame past Memoir '44, just hard to decide which when there are so many like Tide of Iron and Conflict of Heroes.

Follow up, have anyone played Heroes of Normandie? I saw the Kickstarter a long time ago and thought it looked fun but was strapped for money. Maybe it would be a natural step up from Memoir '44?

 

[sasimirobot]

Got my Chinese version of "For Sale" today. Cheapest game so far coming in at 0.81$US, before shipping. But sometimes you get what you pay for, and while the cards themselves are decent, the betting "chips" might as well be made of tissue paper.

No problem for now, just ordered some poker chips to replace them and will try my first game tonight. Also hope to try my first 3 player game of pandemic. Excite!

 

[Neverfade]

Bootleg copy.

 

[Faiz]

Last night I dreamed that I actually did receive a copy of Caverna, but when I got it felt really light.

Instead of wood pieces it contained post-it pads shaped like stone, wood, donkeys, etc. I was so mad!

 

[TumblingHippo]

My gaming group is big into co-op games. We like Pandemic, Firefighting Diceroll Extreme (now with dog), Defenders of the Realm, and Ghost Stories/Yggdrasil. We also are very fond of games like Arabian Nights.

So that said, is there any reason we shouldn't pick up Eldritch Horror?

A couple people in our group are wary of the length of it (but we play games like Arabian Nights and Myth no problem...) and none of us really wanted to play Arkham, but still loved the idea of it.

 

[Neverfade]

I like Eldritch a lot. You addressed length, so if that's not a problem, I say go for it. It makes the Arkham universe pretty palatable.

 

[Dreavus]

Got a chance to try "once upon a time" the other night. Pretty cool game! Not terribly competitive or anything, but I think that's the nature of a story telling game.

Our second story was waaay better than our first. And we found asking that "story teller" to elaborate on certain points (like when trying to lay a card that felt "unearned") was a good way to both make the story more entertaining, and also allow for more chances for other players to get a card in edgewise.

In some ways it actually reminded me of table-top RPGs (especially from a DM perspective). Thinking on the fly, taking suggestions, and incorporating it all into a cool story are, in many ways, what both games are about.