Any board gamers here?

There are many board games that have very well designed solo components so you can play them on your own. Is that something you'd like to try?

Speaking of old school games, I've never ever been able to understand how Cluedo and Backgammon works.
 
More a pen and paper RPGer than board games. Traveller, DnD, RuneQuest, etc.

Although I do have a weak spot for military board games.

Really enjoyed DnD when I was younger but am not part of any group that plays it these days. The experience is also heavily dependent on a good DM too.

What kind of military games, you mean world war themed or modern type war theme?
 
I enjoy Catan (haven't played it in some time) and Carcassonne, which is faster and easier, with more flexible player count. I have a huge soft spot for Risk, and have since I was a kid - I don't care how monotonous and dice dependent it can be, it's one of my favorite games and I can outlast most people at it!

There are actually some exciting permutations of Risk, the coolest is Risk Legacy, which has unique army factions, a persistent game world and a bunch of if-then rules with additional cards and game rules. It's a very clever turn on the typical game.

And then, the mother of all board games, I have Gloomhaven, but I haven't gotten brave enough to play it yet! Look it up, it's intimidating in person. But promises to marry pen and paper roleplaying and board gaming rather well.
 
Catan is fun. Haven't played in a long while.
Pandemic too.
I used to like RISK in my teens.
Lots of backgammon and chess.

I want to try throw, throw burrito.
Won't have the staying power as some of the classics but probably good for a laugh or ten.
 
I enjoy Catan (haven't played it in some time) and Carcassonne, which is faster and easier, with more flexible player count. I have a huge soft spot for Risk, and have since I was a kid - I don't care how monotonous and dice dependent it can be, it's one of my favorite games and I can outlast most people at it!

There are actually some exciting permutations of Risk, the coolest is Risk Legacy, which has unique army factions, a persistent game world and a bunch of if-then rules with additional cards and game rules. It's a very clever turn on the typical game.

And then, the mother of all board games, I have Gloomhaven, but I haven't gotten brave enough to play it yet! Look it up, it's intimidating in person. But promises to marry pen and paper roleplaying and board gaming rather well.

I'm going to get another box of RISK asap.
 
Risk Legacy sounds like fun. If you can get hold of it, TAC is very nice - like ludo, but on massive steroids, with nice additional mechanics that make you think; it's a team game, too - but that precludes playing alone.

If you like quirky games, Munchkin can be quite a bit of fun, especially when playing with expansions and house rules ... And for nerds, Hanabi offers a great challenge (collaborative, short and mid term memory heavy, with lots of clever tactical options - though, but rewarding).

I was into RPGs and MTG (Magic the Gathering) when I was younger - big time, as far as the latter is concerned. Even played national championships ... but that was a long time ago.

M.
 
I enjoy Catan (haven't played it in some time) and Carcassonne, which is faster and easier, with more flexible player count. I have a huge soft spot for Risk, and have since I was a kid - I don't care how monotonous and dice dependent it can be, it's one of my favorite games and I can outlast most people at it!

There are actually some exciting permutations of Risk, the coolest is Risk Legacy, which has unique army factions, a persistent game world and a bunch of if-then rules with additional cards and game rules. It's a very clever turn on the typical game.

And then, the mother of all board games, I have Gloomhaven, but I haven't gotten brave enough to play it yet! Look it up, it's intimidating in person. But promises to marry pen and paper roleplaying and board gaming rather well.

I've never played Carcassone but I know it's a very popular staple in board games. I have also noticed the rise of Legacy games, they've got it in Risk, Pandemic , Betrayal, and others now. I've only just placed an order for regular Pandemic, it should arrive in the mail this week.

And yes, Gloomhaven. I've got my eye on that, AND the other big open-ended board game Mage Knight. They're so expensive though! But I know they're well worth the value.
 
Catan is fun. Haven't played in a long while.
Pandemic too.
I used to like RISK in my teens.
Lots of backgammon and chess.

I want to try throw, throw burrito.
Won't have the staying power as some of the classics but probably good for a laugh or ten.

A colleague bought Throw Throw Burrito. She played it with a friend who managed to smack her in the eye with the burrito. No permanent damage.
 
Risk Legacy sounds like fun. If you can get hold of it, TAC is very nice - like ludo, but on massive steroids, with nice additional mechanics that make you think; it's a team game, too - but that precludes playing alone.

If you like quirky games, Munchkin can be quite a bit of fun, especially when playing with expansions and house rules ... And for nerds, Hanabi offers a great challenge (collaborative, short and mid term memory heavy, with lots of clever tactical options - though, but rewarding).

I was into RPGs and MTG (Magic the Gathering) when I was younger - big time, as far as the latter is concerned. Even played national championships ... but that was a long time ago.

M.

It's actually the coop/team games that lends themselves very well to solo gaming. I just looked up TAC and it does say there is a solo component to it.

Munchkin! That has had so many variations to it. I jumped on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles version because it was on sale. Still haven't had a chance to play it yet. I also jumped on Hanabi.

I'd love to check out MTG but I don't like the idea of the 'chase', it kinda feels like it's not an even playing field because of it. I did buy 'Legendary', the Big Trouble In Little China version (also because it was on sale), it works like MTG as I understand it, but it's self-contained so you don't need any other cards for balanced play. You must've been pretty good at it to compete in the National Championships. Have you seen the documentary Enter The Battlefield? I quite enjoyed that.
 
What I've learned in the past month is that board games have evolved a lot over the past decade into an artform in some cases. If any of you want a compelling and genuinely moving board game experience, have a look at these two critically acclaimed games which I only discovered recently:



This War Of Mine

This is a war game, but you don't play as soldiers or generals. You instead play as the collateral, ie. survivors in a (fictional) city caught in the middle of war (actually, it's based on the Siege of Sarajevo). It was originally a computer game, a lot of research went into the game design and the designers attempted to provide an almost realistic experience of what it was like to survive as everyday regular people in the middle of a conflict. It can be a very moving and striking experience.

and


Holding On: The Troubled Life of Billy Kerr

In this game, Billy Kerr has just suffered a heart attack and he has only days to live. Each player plays a nurse who looks after Billy in palliative care. The nurses must ensure that Billy is comfortable but are also tasked with finding out what is keeping Billy holding on. He has some unresolved issues from his past and if he dies too soon the nurses will not learn about what exactly that is. This is another game that can be a moving experience.
 
I'd love to check out MTG but I don't like the idea of the 'chase', it kinda feels like it's not an even playing field because of it.
You're right there with that. However, for casual players, there are plenty of pre-built decks, even sets with two of them, so playing outside the tournament circus doesn't have to be too competitive. Anyway, I'll definitely break out the decks (I still have dozens of them around) to entertain myself. Thanks for the incentive :2thumbs:

M.
 
That looks like a serious game. 240 minutes playing time, according to BGG. Four hours!! We're talking a major Warhammer 40K campaign. Is it the historical aspect that draws you to it or would you be as happy running a Warhammer campaign?
Very much the history. That, I might add, is one of my simpler (!) and shorter (!!) games. But I'm nothing compared to an Advanced Squad Leader player. Those folks are hardcore.
 
You're right there with that. However, for casual players, there are plenty of pre-built decks, even sets with two of them, so playing outside the tournament circus doesn't have to be too competitive. Anyway, I'll definitely break out the decks (I still have dozens of them around) to entertain myself. Thanks for the incentive :2thumbs:

M.

There are pre-built decks yes, but I really should stick with the finite Legendary decks because MTG could turn into a drug if I dipped my toe into it ....
 
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