What's your favorite Board Game?

[Greg David]

I've heard great things about Agricola, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. It's kind of a hefty investment for a game I haven't played yet.

[Richard Dickson]

Yeah, my friend dropped about fifty bucks on it. Shogun set him back $70. But the games have so many well-desgined quality components, it's usually worth it.

[bendrix]

Playing the Battlestar Galactica game was the first time a licensed product forced me to reappraise the source material. Didn't care for the first season on first watch, and now I'm blazing through the third, all because of the fun times we've had with the game. The moral choices and damned-either-way scenarios make for an engaging experience that most of my friends, who are not avid game players, find irresistible.

[Greg David]

Battlestar Galactica is probably the best licensed property board game I've seen. The rampant paranoia it creates, combined with the feeling of oppressive doom from the five death clocks ticking down really creates some great situations.

In our last game, we ran the first half with no Cylons at all. At midpoint, two players turned out to be Cylons. They managed to so successfully turn the rest of us against each other that all the humans somehow wound up in the brig while the Cylons fucked up our shit for the rest of the game. Actually, I've played four times, and I haven't seen the humans pull it out yet.

[Greg David]

My group is currently semi-obsessed with Dominion. It's nothing but a big box of cards. The mechanics are a bit like a collectible card game in which you build your custom deck on the fly, while playing. It's very easy to learn, and plays very quickly; most games are under an hour. I highly recommend it.

[bendrix]

Originally Posted by Greg David

Battlestar Galactica is probably the best licensed property board game I've seen. The rampant paranoia it creates, combined with the feeling of oppressive doom from the five death clocks ticking down really creates some great situations.

In our last game, we ran the first half with no Cylons at all. At midpoint, two players turned out to be Cylons. They managed to so successfully turn the rest of us against each other that all the humans somehow wound up in the brig while the Cylons fucked up our shit for the rest of the game. Actually, I've played four times, and I haven't seen the humans pull it out yet.

My friend's girlfriend, who we barely know, was playing Starbuck the first time she played and kept asking to see the rulebook to "get the hang of being a pilot." She then waited until the board was full of raiders, said, "By the way, I'm a Cylon," and flipped over her Super Crisis Card. Every single raider that came with the game was put on the board. She fucked us up hard and won within two turns. She gained our respect that night.

[ryoken]

"Risk"...because i'm old inside.

[MoonBaseNick]

Originally Posted by Greg David

I haven't seen this one mentioned yet:



It was first released in 1962, and there have been several editions, but the one pictured above is the best. The new edition went back to cheap 2d cardboard counters. Fuck that. I want plastic buildings.

I've played this over my last spring break (no plastic buildings, all cardboard) The game was fun as hell! Time to find your kick ass plastic building version.

[Greg David]

Originally Posted by ryoken

"Risk"...because i'm old inside.

I'm old on the outside, and I have yet to ever play Risk. I know, it's bizarre.

[Princess Kate]

The single greatest board game of all time.

Accept no substitutions, this is the real deal.

[Martin Savage]

Originally Posted by bendrix

My friend's girlfriend, who we barely know, was playing Starbuck the first time she played and kept asking to see the rulebook to "get the hang of being a pilot." She then waited until the board was full of raiders, said, "By the way, I'm a Cylon," and flipped over her Super Crisis Card. Every single raider that came with the game was put on the board. She fucked us up hard and won within two turns. She gained our respect that night.

Interesting. Haven't played this, and since the last time I wrote in this thread, haven't bought anything. I'd like Tide of Iron, but this one seems fun.

[bendrix]

Originally Posted by Martin Savage

Interesting. Haven't played this, and since the last time I wrote in this thread, haven't bought anything. I'd like Tide of Iron, but this one seems fun.

My non-game-playing friends who are BSG fans are addicted. In fact, they're coming over tonight to play. if you like the series, there's very little chance you won't enjoy the game. Plus, it's made by a company based in the Twin Cities, so you'll be helping my local economy out.

[Judas Booth]

I may have to join you in one of those gaming sessions, bendrix (if the offer is still open). The game sounds like a blast.

[Martin Savage]

Originally Posted by bendrix

My non-game-playing friends who are BSG fans are addicted. In fact, they're coming over tonight to play. if you like the series, there's very little chance you won't enjoy the game. Plus, it's made by a company based in the Twin Cities, so you'll be helping my local economy out.

I'm a big fan of A Game of Thrones, another Fantasy Flight game. I like their product, but A Game of Thrones really is fun with 5 or 6 players, and not less. How's things on BSG's side. Tide of Iron has a 2 players options, which is attracting. I'm guessing BSG works with a lot of people, and 4 is a magic number that's always easy to fill. It's the 5th or 6th person that's tough to find.

I'm a BSG fan, but I'm always weary of property games in any shape or form, so I rely on WoM.

[bendrix]

Originally Posted by Martin Savage

I'm a big fan of A Game of Thrones, another Fantasy Flight game. I like their product, but A Game of Thrones really is fun with 5 or 6 players, and not less. How's things on BSG's side. Tide of Iron has a 2 players options, which is attracting. I'm guessing BSG works with a lot of people, and 4 is a magic number that's always easy to fill. It's the 5th or 6th person that's tough to find.

I'm a BSG fan, but I'm always weary of property games in any shape or form, so I rely on WoM.

Well, like I said, the board game made me a fan of the property, where I wasn't before.

There is a two-player variant that is still pretty fun. You don't get as much suspense because there's less chance of the other player being a Cylon, but the basic goals and mechanics are all the same.

Out of maybe six or seven plays total, I've only played with more than four twice. It's very adaptable.

[Ludwig]

Originally Posted by bendrix

Well, like I said, the board game made me a fan of the property, where I wasn't before.

There is a two-player variant that is still pretty fun. You don't get as much suspense because there's less chance of the other player being a Cylon, but the basic goals and mechanics are all the same.

Out of maybe six or seven plays total, I've only played with more than four twice. It's very adaptable.

I noticed there is a Pegasus expansion out for the BSG boardgame now... anyone taken it for a spin? I love how the game forces you into deciding between two rotten choices CONSTANTLY.

[bendrix]

Originally Posted by Ludwig

I noticed there is a Pegasus expansion out for the BSG boardgame now... anyone taken it for a spin? I love how the game forces you into deciding between two rotten choices CONSTANTLY.

I played it at a friend's. I like a lot of it, but the added objective (getting humans off New Caprica) fell a little flat for me since I had yet to see those episodes. Pegasus, the ship, adds more firepower in space battles and an Execution mechanic--the character executed is removed from the game and the player chooses another character.

Playing Cylon Leaders is a novel twist. You infiltrate the fleet, affecting skill challenges by playing Treachery cards and by toying with the other players' hands. You also get a special win condition. I played Caprica Six and was dealt "Show Them Their Destiny" as my goal: the humans had to win, but their Population and Morale scores had to be within two points of each other. I lost in the very last round when the player playing the Admiral decided to eat the Population for a winning jump, which took Pop to 2 when Morale was 5. So even though you start out the game with all the players knowing you're a Cylon, your win condition could align with the Humans'. Though they don't know that.

So now that I've finished up the series (one of the Cylon leader character cards completely spoiled that s/he even was a Cylon for me) and have a better handle of the rules of the game, I'll probably pick the Pegasus expansion up soon. You definitely want to play the standalone game without the expansion when teaching it to new players, though.

[Richard Dickson]

I know one of my friends has this in their collection. I'll have to have them bust this out on one of our game nights. If I can get them to stop playing Agricola, that is.

[Ludwig]

Originally Posted by bendrix

I played it at a friend's. I like a lot of it, but the added objective (getting humans off New Caprica) fell a little flat for me since I had yet to see those episodes. Pegasus, the ship, adds more firepower in space battles and an Execution mechanic--the character executed is removed from the game and the player chooses another character.

Playing Cylon Leaders is a novel twist. You infiltrate the fleet, affecting skill challenges by playing Treachery cards and by toying with the other players' hands. You also get a special win condition. I played Caprica Six and was dealt "Show Them Their Destiny" as my goal: the humans had to win, but their Population and Morale scores had to be within two points of each other. I lost in the very last round when the player playing the Admiral decided to eat the Population for a winning jump, which took Pop to 2 when Morale was 5. So even though you start out the game with all the players knowing you're a Cylon, your win condition could align with the Humans'. Though they don't know that.

So now that I've finished up the series (one of the Cylon leader character cards completely spoiled that s/he even was a Cylon for me) and have a better handle of the rules of the game, I'll probably pick the Pegasus expansion up soon. You definitely want to play the standalone game without the expansion when teaching it to new players, though.

Oooo, yeah the whole game should come with spoiler warnings! I am glad there are people deciding to check out the tv show based on their experience with the game, but 2/3rds of what makes the game fun could ruin the show for new viewers :P

Richard, what is this "Agricola" game you speak of??

[bendrix]

Originally Posted by Ludwig

Oooo, yeah the whole game should come with spoiler warnings! I am glad there are people deciding to check out the tv show based on their experience with the game, but 2/3rds of what makes the game fun could ruin the show for new viewers :P

I knew I was tempting fate, though, as anyone should when playing a game which hews so closely to the source material. If there were no spoilers in the game, it would not have been nearly so interesting--or even possible. My urge to try out the expansion won out to preserving my spoiler-free innocence.

I will say, though, that the standalone game does an excellent job of spoiling only what is absolutely necessary. Yeah, you see who the "bad" Cylons are--the ones who never become major characters before they're outed. But the Crisis cards that the players resolve are specific enough to remind players who have seen those episodes and flavorful enough to intrigue the relative newbies.

I'll reiterate, though, that BSG virgins probably won't be all that interested in this. And anyone who's enough of a board game geek to enjoy a game of this complexity for the rules alone will probably have seen the show already, making the point moot.

[Richard Dickson]

Originally Posted by Ludwig

Richard, what is this "Agricola" game you speak of??

Here:

Originally Posted by Richard Dickson

-- Agricola, the game that ended Puerto Rico's five-year run as the top-rated game at Board Game Geek. This is definitely not for beginners -- the sheer number of pieces and cards is overwhelming to begin with. Players compete to build farms, and game actions can only be taken once per turn, so you have to really carefully consider not only what you want to do but what your opponent might be building towards. The goal is to score as many victory points by not only improving your farm, but by diversifying what you produce, since you lose victory points for empty spaces on your farm and for every item you don't grow. Took us a while to get the feel for it but it was worth it.

[Ludwig]

Sooo, it's like Farmville on Facebook, but BETTER? SOLD!

[Richard Dickson]

Never played Farmville, but I'm pretty sure it's miles beyond that.

[LisaNY]

I am a Monopoly girl through and through. And not any "new" version. Original recipe, Atlantic City NJ version, bitches! (Although, to be fair, I'd be very interested in the Beatles' version if it ever came my way.)

Originally Posted by Mattioli

Lastly, what's up with the new Monopoly where you don't even have to count and exchange money? You just slide your little credit card majigger through the scanner and it adds or removes money. I blame this for the dumbening of America!!!

I hate this. For me, any version has to be the original. Paper money, one player acting as the banker, the pile of money on Free Parking.

And I'm also in love with Trivial Pursuit, although I'd fully expect Miss Zooey to whup my ass if we ever played.

I did have one TP near-triumph that I still hold over my family's head to this day. Spring of 1985 - Me, my mom and my brother playing against my sister and my oldest brother. It's a tiebreaker question. Mom, bro and I have the choice of history or entertainment. I tell them, "If we go with entertainment, we win, because I ace the entertainment questions." They didn't think I could do it, and my brother convinces my mom to go with the history question. I protest, I get out voted, so we go with the history question - which my brother promptly biffs, so my sister and my oldest brother win. I said, "Just out of curiosity - read the entertainment question to me to see if we'd have won." My oldest brother flips the card over and reads, "What is the name of David Bowie's son?" My mother - can I just tell you? - instantly gets this "Oh, shit..." look on her face because she knows I know. I look at my mom and brother with murder in my eyes, and yell at them, "ZOWIE BOWIE, YOU DOPES!!!" Oldest bro flips the card back and says, "Yup - Zowie Bowie, you guys would have beat us if you had listened to Lis." I think I just brought this up again to my mother a couple of months ago.

[Jacob]

Man. I can't play Monopoly anymore. I learned some major life lessons from that game. For example, I realized that not everyone makes choices based on any logic outside of "I just don't want you to win." When good business was replaced by biased, emotion-driven trading, Monopoly went from being fun to being unhealthy. Someone would make a bad trade, and it would become a game of Clue. The lights would go out, and when they came back on, little brother was unconscious in the bathroom near a wrench.

Anyone still play Snakes and Ladders? I may be old fashioned, but that game still gets my motor revving. Just when you think you made it to the top -- GOD DAMMIT. Those sneaky fucking snakes.

[Ludwig]

This game has been around for awhile, but I just picked up Runebound plus a few of the small expansion packs that go along with. It's fun, sort of like WoW in boardgame form, but more brutal. It actually plays a lot like the old Mertwig's Maze game, except stabbing your friends in the face is encouraged, and there are actual quest lines and whatnot. Far less humourous, but equally as fun IMHO. I really like the fact that you can purchase new sets of adventures (everything is done through the use of cards in this game) for little to no money. And given that it's a fantasy flight game, there are surprisingly little amount of tokens/pieces. Which in my mind is a plus given that the WoW board game requires you to have a full 8' by 4' table just so you can lay out your character cards and all of the piles of crap you need :P

And holy shit Agricola is like $100.00 dollars here!!! I want to get it, but damn yo!

[Richard Dickson]

There's a hell of a lot of material in Agricola. There's several main game boards (each about a foot long), then there's five player boards that are a little smaller. There's three decks of cards used for different variants of the game -- one that doesn't have a lot of direct interaction with players, one that has a lot of "you get X when another player does Y", and a third that adds an element of "players must pay you X to do Y". There are also cards for occupations and improvements, cardboard counters to represent your house, and tons of wooden counters that represent your family, resources, animals, fences and stables. So you're getting quite a bit for the price.

There's also an expansion out that adds forests and moors to your farmstead that have to be removed before you can expand into them. Horses are added, and you also have to account for heating your home.

[Ludwig]

Originally Posted by Richard Dickson

There's a hell of a lot of material in Agricola. There's several main game boards (each about a foot long), then there's five player boards that are a little smaller. There's three decks of cards used for different variants of the game -- one that doesn't have a lot of direct interaction with players, one that has a lot of "you get X when another player does Y", and a third that adds an element of "players must pay you X to do Y". There are also cards for occupations and improvements, cardboard counters to represent your house, and tons of wooden counters that represent your family, resources, animals, fences and stables. So you're getting quite a bit for the price.

There's also an expansion out that adds forests and moors to your farmstead that have to be removed before you can expand into them. Horses are added, and you also have to account for heating your home.

From what you and others have been saying, this sounds like a must-have, so I imagine that I will be picking it up at one point. I may have to find a different gaming group though, as unless there is a chance to facestab each other my current group loses interest fast.

[Richard Dickson]

Originally Posted by Ludwig

From what you and others have been saying, this sounds like a must-have, so I imagine that I will be picking it up at one point. I may have to find a different gaming group though, as unless there is a chance to facestab each other my current group loses interest fast.

The "basic" deck (the E deck), there's not a lot of buddy-fucking in it. Each deck consists of different occupations and improvements that have various game effects, and the basic deck has mostly cards that just affect you and your holdings. But there's the fact that each turn, each possible action can only be done once. So say you've been building up to buying something that requires wood, and there's only one space available on the board that lets you get wood. Well, if I go before you, I could easily take that wood just to keep you from having it. Then someone else who goes before you buys the thing you were trying to get. Now you're strategy is out the window.

The other two decks (I and K) have plenty of backstabbing. Things like "Every time you harvest grain, I take one food from you, since I own the grainery."

[Richard Dickson]

Oh, and Ludwig, I saw it on Amazon for $49.93 and free shipping. Not sure what that would translate to in Canada.

[Ludwig]

Originally Posted by Richard Dickson

Oh, and Ludwig, I saw it on Amazon for $49.93 and free shipping. Not sure what that would translate to in Canada.

Between 100 and 5000 dollars depending on the exchange rate : ( But good idea, I keep on forgetting to check used. The shipping will be a bicth but may still end up cheaper :P