Smallworld’s lovely. Though I don’t think it works anything like as well with 2 players- in a larger game, I love the ebb and flow but it doesn’t work that well in a duel imo.
Just mentioned it in the other thread but we played a whole lot of Splendor recently, what an excellent little game. Really like the blend of reactive and strategy, and the early game vs late game economy thing. Marks off for its poor card design though, especially for colourblindness suitability- I’ve a feeling the Marvel cash-in version is the exact same game just with better distinguished colours and better readability.
And it’s probably over a year since I recommended London to everyone, but if you like economy builders then London is awesome.
Smallworld is bloody amazing.
So easy to learn and set up, so much depth.
Reminds me of Bloodbowl in a way as you develop an affinity for certain races and learn how to use them to your best tactical advantage.
Only played as a larger group a few times, quite enjoying the 2 player setups, look forward to giving it a go with a larger group.
It’s superb, up there with Port Royale as our favourites.
Loving the Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective game.
But….playing it on my own. Everyone else finds it boring.
Huge Holmesian so I love it tbh.
Bought but not played:
Pandemic.
Gloomhaven – Jaws of the Lion.
Arkham Card Game currently giving me nightmares.
And if you fancy a little selfish, self indulgent pleasure, get 80 Days and Overboard by Inkle on your Tablet/Phone.
Absolute genius and well worth the money.
Really fancy Sleeping Gods.
It’s that or the Carcassonne Big Box next.
Has anyone invested a large chunk of their life into Gloomhaven?
I keep hearing really good things and me and my two gaming buddies are up for it…. But it seems pretty serious!
Or are there any stepping stone games to build us up to it?
Jaws of the Lion as mentioned by Rusty yesterday is supposed to be a lighter, streamlined version of Gloomhaven (and doesn’t cost the GDP of a developing country).
Carcassonne Big Box 2022 arrived yesterday.
My word, I can see why it’s so popular, should have bought it ages ago tbh.
Two games in, Mrs S has opened the gin and declared ‘Nessun Dorma’ until she wins. 😀
This is going to be another Small World/Ticket To Ride/Port Royal – easy to learn, impossible to put down.
Also got the original Pandemic for Christmas, really looking forward to that one.
On the rare occasion I’m not completely shattered Brass has had a few plays. It’s not a casual game. Really, it hurts, but so rewarding.
Off this weekend, Sat, Sunday night and Monday.
Cougs (and anyone else local), fancy a games session?
Cougs (and anyone else local), fancy a games session?
YES!
Christ on a pogo stick, I’ve only been asking you since pre-covid.
Carcassonne Big Box 2022 arrived yesterday.
My word, I can see why it’s so popular
I have the old-style Big Box. A lot of the later expansions are diminishing returns but you can often just go “hey, moar tiles” and ignore the additional rules if you like. I rarely play without the Inns & Cathedrals set beyond ‘my first game’ even if you ignore the I&C rule changes (which are minimal anyway).
Took me a while to work out where everything should go in the box, but I enjoy that sort of thing!
What a delightful game. She’s beaten me now,so honour is satisfied.
We’re pub quizzing tomorrow (Crooked Billet in Worsthorne if you fancy it, 8pm) but weekend sounds great.
We ok to bring a couple of people?
What day is best for you?
Christ on a pogo stick, I’ve only been asking you since pre-covid.
No one has yet accepted my speaker cable pizza and beer challenge.
And I’ve offered that one for over 10 years.
I got Wingspan for Christmas and have been playing a lot it’s brilliant. Bit of confusion at the beginning as the rules aren’t to clear but a couple of videos later we realised it was actually quite simple.
Carcassonne Big Box has had an absolute battering in our house since Lock Down No.1. We ended up getting the Czech language version and downloading the instruction. We call the large double points meeple “Big Dave”. I think that this should be made compulsory.
Can’t be arsed with a lot of the expansions and the rest have all morphed into the main game. Inns and Cathedrals, Mage and Witch, Flying Machines, the one with Crop Circles, Pigs, the Builder and river extension always get used. We have the Towers, but only use it to hold the card decks. The Bandit one is too confusing, ferries is too fiddly and The Princess and Dragon nearly caused a punch up, so doesn’t get out anymore.
We got Small Worlds and an expansion off ebay last week for £30. Only played it once, so can’t judge as we were learning as we went along.
Ticket to Ride Europe is still my favourite. Port Royal is great too, but the wife and kids have played it more, so I get slaughtered every time.
Ticket to Ride Europe is still my favourite. Port Royal is great too, but the wife and kids have played it more, so I get slaughtered every time.
We got this last year based on reviews/hype and all agreed it was just plain dull. I get the mechanics and the aim, and I guess if you play it with enthusiasts them it’s probably okay, but doesn’t do it for us.
Has anyone invested a large chunk of their life into Gloomhaven?
I keep hearing really good things and me and my two gaming buddies are up for it…. But it seems pretty serious!
Or are there any stepping stone games to build us up to it?
Similar position a year ago. Wanted the full fat GH but couldn’t justify the outlay, the table space or the time to play it. So we got Jaws of the Lion and it’s a bloody good intro to GH. The first 5 scenarios teach you the core elements and are an excellent example of how to onboard players.
Monkey jnr and I smashed through the first 7-8 quests in a few days and loved the combat mechanics. However, the core gameplay is too similar/repetitive with each quest, the story does nothing to engage you, and there are quite a few stats/bits of admin to manage.
I started looking around for an accompanying app over Xmas because I wanted to give it another go and found Gloomhaven Helper. Unfortunately the mobile apps have been taken down after the dev fell out with the GH founder, but the Windows version is genuinely excellent in the way it manages stats/admin. Saves a lot of time and faff.
Using the app we did a few more quests but still can’t get past the repetitive gameplay. I reckon playing it with fans would be cool because combat is brilliant and it calls on you to adjust your tactics when things go awry.
JOTL often available for £35 or so. Bargain IMO, even for full RRP.
GH recently available for £95 from Chaos Cards.
I’ve had my eye of FrostHaven for a while, and reckon I’ll snap it up one day and just sit and stare at the innards!
On the back of this thread I’ve got a decent shortlist of games to add in future. Thanks to all with suggestions/recommendations, brilliant thread. We got Ticket to Ride Europe at Christmas and it went down well with the adults, less so with mini-a11ys (7 and 10), so I think I need to add the First Journey version. Dobble and Exploding Kittens both sound great too.
Not a board game, but Grabolo’s gone down extremely well with my kids who’re infuriatingly good at it. Slight carnage playing it out and about when on holiday – I’m very grateful the tables on the ferry were secured firmly to the floor, and not really one to play on the train…
@spacemonkey – thanks for the Gloomhaven feedback. sounds like it has pro’s and con’s. Isnt Frosthaven the same as gloom just in a different environment?
We got Splendor over the holidays based off this thread and agree it is excellent! Not played too many times yet but really enjoyed it. Still haven’t worked out the best tactics whether to try and build coins early and save for higher value cards or keep picking up the low value cards to discount the higher ones. Have tried both and haven’t won either way yet!
Quick/Easy but fun ‘board game’ (card game) I’ve had for a while… Exploding Kittens. Great fun especially with the expansions. I’ve got the EK party pack (2-10 players) plus Zombie, Barking and Streaking Kittens expansions. Just Imploding to go!
Back before Christmas (black Friday I think) I ordered Plague Inc. (reverse Pandemic) but never turned up and was refunded 🙁 and Gyrating Hamsters. Another card game like EK but that’s also great fun.
My 10 and 7yr olds love both.
Other half paid for me to buy the newest game as a birthday present, but haven’t played it yet (next Friday at games night!) namely Bonfire. Looks proper cool but cant comment on game play yet.
Gloomhaven, I played Jaws of the Lion first, but I definitely prefer Gloomhaven. There is a new helper app called Xhaven- really helps with setting up and running the monsters, and helps with table space, if that’s an issue. Gloomhaven is fantastic. However I haven’t finished it, since my old game group fell apart 🙁 . I’ve started playing Gloomhaven Digital this week, holy crap, it’s even better than the board game!
I preordered Frosthaven, but it has since doubled in price, so I may not get it.
Other current games with my new gaming group are lighter, they want to play Eclipse, but they’re not ready. So we’re playing Kingdomino, Flamme Rouge, Ethnos, Quacks of Queddlingburg, Skull and King of Tokyo. I’m gradually upping the complexity building up to games like Bloodrage, Terraforming Mars and Eclipse.
@spacemonkey – thanks for the Gloomhaven feedback. sounds like it has pro’s and con’s. Isnt Frosthaven the same as gloom just in a different environment?
FH is the sequel, with similar – but streamlined – gameplay, and more focus on resource gathering and town building, ie a bit leaner but also bigger.
Get JOTL and see how you get on with it. You’ll pretty much get your money back if you decide to sell it.
I’ve started playing Gloomhaven Digital this week, holy crap, it’s even better than the board game!
Yep, on steam. It’s a full implementation of Gloomhaven.
Frosthaven is identical to Gloomhaven (minor rules tweaks) – with an added town building/resource management phase, so I would say it’s more involved than Gloomhaven!
My 8 year old has shown a massive interest recently in D&D, she’s never played and getting other people involved has become a challenge. But I found this on Amazon so grabbed it for her birthday (I can’t wait till February so we can play it)
Got her a book too and was very pleased when I offered to read her a book about a Fairy Gymnast but she refused in favour of her Dungeon Academy book……I’ll have her painting a 2000 point Dark Angel army in no time
Our group are halfway through the Masks of Nyarlathotep RPG campaign, having survived Peru, New York, England and about to embark for Cairo. It’s taken about 7 months so far, playing roughly once per week. It’s very investigative and we’ve all nearly died at various points, but our keeper is cool and we all have a laugh.
I’m also playing the Undaunted series of games, (Normandy, North Africa) solo mostly, though I have a Stalingrad campaign running too. One of the best light war games system out there!
We got Small Worlds and an expansion off ebay last week for £30. Only played it once, so can’t judge as we were learning as we went along
Which expansion Harry? Any good?
We got the River World, it’s great, but we like the base game just as much.
Still getting to grips with Carcassonne, had the farmers and the river added in tonight – might try another expansion tomorrow.
Loving it.
As for Gloomhaven, Jaws of the Lion is delightful, based on a quick run through but I’m not sure we have time for the full game.
I’d love to have a go at Sleeping Gods, but again, commiting to a six month campaign is hard as an adult!
Mind you, my Middleton mates are still playing the D&D campaign we started at 14.
Serge Perchmaster, chaotic neutral cleric, ’nuff said.
Conquest cost = bits of cardboard already on the region +2 (usually).
You can’t decline AND move, declining is your entire turn (unless you have a power that says otherwise).
I’ve got Small World, Underground, Realms, and (I think) all of the race expansions). I really fancy Small World of Warcraft, it’s in Game for like half price at the moment.
