Board Gamers, show us your loot! (2 Viewers)

[One Eyed Dollar]

My daughter is 8 and my son is 11. I also have Mice and Mystics (a precursor to Stuffed Fables) and want to play that with them, but it's still a bit much for my daughter (both in difficulty and interest level). I think the theme of Stuffed Fables will appeal to her more, and it looks a little easier to play.

Do you have Castle Panic? My son likes that a lot and we got it when he was about 9. The Wizard's Tower expansion is great too, but do the base game before you jump into that.

 

[v1pe]

My daughter is 8 and my son is 11. I also have Mice and Mystics (a precursor to Stuffed Fables) and want to play that with them, but it's still a bit much for my daughter (both in difficulty and interest level). I think the theme of Stuffed Fables will appeal to her more, and it looks a little easier to play.

Do you have Castle Panic? My son likes that a lot and we got it when he was about 9. The Wizard's Tower expansion is great too, but do the base game before you jump into that.

Yeah, I've thought the same about Mice and Mystics. My son and I have played Arcadia Quest a few times, but it's too complicated for my daughter. But all of my kids love the game due to the minis, which is what interests me about Stuffed Fables.

Yes, we do have Castle Panic and my son used to love that game, it's a great suggestion. If I were to name his favorite games it would probably go something like Castle Panic, Star Realms, Flashpoint (Fire Rescue), Clank, and Arcadia Quest.

I tried to get Gloomhaven going with a couple of friends but they weren't really into it. Unfortunate because I really want to play it! I really need to find 1-2 guys to get a campaign going.

 

[v1pe]

I got into hobby board games somewhere around late 2012 or early 2013. I had played Catan for years on and off and loved it, just didn't really realize there was a whole world of games out there I was unaware of. Played some Ticket to Ride with friends, then Dominion with some other friends and then I thought "huh, I bet there's more of these out there". A quick google search had me pouring through Dice Tower youtube videos and combing BGG and I was hooked. Race for the Galaxy was one of the first hobby games I ever purchased (still one of my favorites) and it rolled on from there.

The last 1-2 years I have re-kindled my love of Poker, for which I partly blame PCF, so I haven't played as many board games...but we still play as a family about once a week and I get together with friends about once a month to play something.

I started trying to log all of my plays sometime in 2013, here are some fun stats:

1047 total plays
255 unique games
H-index 13 (means that 13 games have been played at least 13 times...you can tell that I enjoy playing new stuff if given the option)
67 plays in 2013
316 plays in 2014
367 plays in 2015
167 plays in 2016
74 plays in 2017
24 plays in 2018 (pathetic!)

I think I have a photo of my collection somewhere on my phone...I'll edit it in if I find it.

Missing the kids have shelf and a couple of big games I have elsewhere, but this is most of them...

And a pic of my oldest thinking over a game of Five Tribes

 

[MaxB]

These are from last fall ... I've added quite a few since then

Alien Dice, Badass Riders, Battle Goats, Bears Vs Babies, Big Bang, Bridges to Nowhere, Bullets and Teeth, Burger Battle, Burgertime, Button Men,
Butts in Space, Cadaver, Cards Against Humanity, Click Click Boom, Cogs and Commissars, Crypt, ElemenZ, Erect7, Exploding Kittens (and expansion), Final Boss, Fireball Island(with expansion), Gearworks, Girl Genius, Goin Nuts, Gorus Maximus, Gyrating Hamsters, Harem Combat, Home on Lagrange, Inoka, Legendary Showdown: Pres Edition, Loot, Matryoshka, Monster Highway, Ninjitsu, Oh Shit!, Out of the Woods, Petrichor, Pinball Showdown, Robot Lab, Songbirds, Space Park, Spookre, STEM , Superhot, Supertall, Sushi Go, Take the Gold, That's Not Lemonade!, Tiny Epic Zombies, Unimo, Uno, XYbrid, Zombie Dice, Zombie Doctor

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

This is my stash I keep at work for lunchtime games, either solo or with a co-worker that's also in my Gloomhaven group. The plastic card case has Love Letter: Batman in it. I got the rolled up giant mouse pad recently for $10 on Groupon, and it's great for rolling dice for One Deck Dungeon.

 

[anotherdaydown]

I've got a weekly group playing Gloomhaven right now, just played last night. We're about to retire our starting characters.

I just ordered Stuffed Fables because it was super cheap on Amazon the other day, and it gets delivered today. I'm excited to play that one with my kids. My son likes games, but my daughter isn't into them as much so far. I'm still trying to find one that really grabs her. Apples to Apples Junior is her favorite so far.

How are you liking Gloomhaven so far? I haven't gotten it to the table yet.

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

How are you liking Gloomhaven so far? I haven't gotten it to the table yet.

It's cool! Not the best game ever, but it's a lot of fun. The size of the game and the sheer amount of stuff in the box and the many hours of gameplay for the price is an incredible value. For the complexity of the game, it's incredibly well balanced. We've had numerous scenarios that we've just barely won. Last night I was surrounded on 6 sides and only staying alive because I kept turning invisible, which was going to end the next round, and I was going to be slaughtered. But the scenario goal was to kill the boss, and my friend just barely took her out with his attack and the scenario was completed. The combat is cool and different with the way you have to manage your cards instead of rolling dice. And it's a ton of fun unlocking things along the way. Last night we got our party's reputation up to 10, which unlocked a new class. And the town leveled up so we can buy cool new items in the shop.

That said, there are definitely some negatives. The SU&SD review on youtube is very fair.

• The game is slow to play. There's a lot of potential for analysis paralysis as you decide how to use your cards. And you spend a lot of time flipping over modifier cards and placing tokens for damage and effects, etc.
• The monster AI is kind of dumb sometimes. This is just a drawback to playing a game like this as opposed to having a Dungeon Master. Sometimes the monsters around the corner just stand there and do nothing because they can't see anybody, while you're busy slaughtering their allies.
• It does start to get repetitive after a while even though each scenario is a little different. I'm looking forward to retiring my character and trying a new class.

Honestly, for the amount of time involved I'd rather be playing D&D because I like roleplaying too, but Gloomhaven is a fun hack-and-slash dungeon crawler, probably the best of its kind. Except for HeroQuest of course!

 

[anotherdaydown]

It's cool! Not the best game ever, but it's a lot of fun. The size of the game and the sheer amount of stuff in the box and the many hours of gameplay for the price is an incredible value. For the complexity of the game, it's incredibly well balanced. We've had numerous scenarios that we've just barely won. Last night I was surrounded on 6 sides and only staying alive because I kept turning invisible, which was going to end the next round, and I was going to be slaughtered. But the scenario goal was to kill the boss, and my friend just barely took her out with his attack and the scenario was completed. The combat is cool and different with the way you have to manage your cards instead of rolling dice. And it's a ton of fun unlocking things along the way. Last night we got our party's reputation up to 10, which unlocked a new class. And the town leveled up so we can buy cool new items in the shop.

That said, there are definitely some negatives. The SU&SD review on youtube is very fair.

• The game is slow to play. There's a lot of potential for analysis paralysis as you decide how to use your cards. And you spend a lot of time flipping over modifier cards and placing tokens for damage and effects, etc.
• The monster AI is kind of dumb sometimes. This is just a drawback to playing a game like this as opposed to having a Dungeon Master. Sometimes the monsters around the corner just stand there and do nothing because they can't see anybody, while you're busy slaughtering their allies.
• It does start to get repetitive after a while even though each scenario is a little different. I'm looking forward to retiring my character and trying a new class.

Honestly, for the amount of time involved I'd rather be playing D&D because I like roleplaying too, but Gloomhaven is a fun hack-and-slash dungeon crawler, probably the best of its kind. Except for HeroQuest of course!

Thanks for the info and Pros/Cons! I watched the SU&SD review right after they posted it. Happy to hear it's a blast. Now to get it to the table...

 

[toad94]

Except for HeroQuest of course!

 

[Mr. Cheese]

Some impressive collections!

@Poker Zombie have you played the Classic Battletech that you own? If so how do you like it? Been thinking of getting one of the new box sets that just came out but I've never played any of the board game version before.

 

[FDLmold]

I love the board gaming and poker chip set hobbies, because it is intended to actually USE the objects in question. That's why I don't collect stamps or sports cards or coins or art or mint condition sneakers. The only other hobby I might pursue in addition someday is firearms. I don't have any daughters, only sons, so my need for guns is not what it might have been.

You can barely make out the hot dog roller on the right, but it is there. Yes, that is The Last Supper wallpaper border. We surmise this game room used to be a Christian day care. When I apply the man cave treatment to the area, Jesus and his disciples will be coming down. The previous owners did leave us some extra. I have half a mind to cut a piece and frame it.

Games closer up. The shiny one in the top middle is the expansion for Coconuts. Most of my game desires are expansions. I'm looking very much forward to the Food Chain Magnate, Feast of Odin, Caverna, Space Base, and Dice Forge expansions. The only new game I'm looking into much is Eclipse 2nd Edition, maybe the Clank! legacy game.

When I host my meetup, it looks like we'll need one table for games and one for poker.

 

[timinater]

Yes, that is The Last Supper wallpaper border. We surmise this game room used to be a Christian day care.

Was going to ask...

I have half a mind to cut a piece and frame it.

Was going to suggest...

Any yes, the crossover is interesting. My wife's very much non poker playing friend saw my poker table and said "oh my god this would be amazing for board games...you can pick things up!"

 

[v1pe]

Anyone venture to list their top 5-10 games (currently)? Here's my top 5-15 based on my BGG rated games (these are all 9s or 10s, in my collection):

Sort of in order, but not really:
Agricola (even better with Farmers of the Moor)
Terraforming Mars
Race for the Galaxy (2 players, with expansions) OR Roll for the Galaxy (3+ players)
Ticket to Ride (any version but USA really, prefer Europe for beginners and Switzerland or Nordic Countries for 2 players)
Tzolk'in
Terra Mystica
Hansa Teutonica
Glass Road
Great Western Trail
Eclipse
Kanban
Hansa Teutonica
Star Wars: Imperial Assault (campaign)
Baseball Highlights: 2045
Mottainai

 

[FDLmold]

Best Games Ever:

Die Macher w/5 players
Food Chain Magnate
Union Pacific
Great Western Trail
Catan w/4 players
Dungeon Petz
A Feast for Odin
Wits & Wagers
Bohnanza
probably 18USA, but I haven't played it yet, but it looks in all ways superior to 1817, and 1817 is fantastic
Modern Art

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

Some of my favorites right now:

Gloomhaven
Lords of Waterdeep w/ expansion
King of Tokyo is fun with the kids and friends. I got the Power Up but haven't tried the evolutions yet. That looks fun.
Samurai Swords will always be a favorite, for nostalgia and because I think it still holds up pretty well.
Dominion is great. Haven't really explored the expansions yet.
LOTR (Knizia's early co-op game)
Love Letter - Archer and The Hobbit are my favorite versions
Organ Attack! - my wife likes this webcomic and ordered the game and it's quite fun
One Deck Dungeon - this is a fun lunchtime solo game and I'm working through a campaign right now.
Medieval Academy - I bought it on clearance at Miniature Market and I enjoy it a lot. It's extremely easy to teach, but there is a lot of strategy to the scoring. And it plays fast without much downtime waiting for your turn.

When I designed my poker table I got out several games and measured the boards to make sure they'd fit, including Samurai Swords and Castle Panic. It gets used for games and Legos more than poker.

 

[FDLmold]

Samurai Swords will always be a favorite, for nostalgia and because I think it still holds up pretty well.

When I designed my poker table I got out several games and measured the boards to make sure they'd fit, including Samurai Swords and Castle Panic. It gets used for games and Legos more than poker.

I played the Shogun version of SS, way back in the day. Good game. There can be some turtling in the corners and some static board position, but I've enjoyed all my plays. Good choice.

My poker/gaming table design this summer will be much like yours. Measure some games, make sure they fit, then build!

 

[FDLmold]

I played Quacks of Quedlinburg this past weekend. That's my favorite new game in a while. Really solid.

 

[MacGrad]

I scaled back on my board games a lot over the past couple of years -- it was tough to play some of the more strategic games when certain spouses would attend "games night", as they wanted more simple games... "Cards Against Humanity" actually killed my interest in getting together for games, since that is what one person wanted to play all the time.

Now, I've got a few games for when I play with my 8-year-old, and others for when I play with my teenage daughter:

Colt Express
Mole Rats In Space
Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters
Manhattan
Zooloretto / Aquaretto

Quelf
Strain
Power Grid
La Strada
Twilight Struggle

(And I've got an edition of Supremacy hiding somewhere with the alternate resource deck and the "Warlords and Pirates of the Neutral Zone" expansions.)

 

[MacGrad]

I played the Shogun version of SS, way back in the day. Good game. There can be some turtling in the corners and some static board position, but I've enjoyed all my plays. Good choice.

My poker/gaming table design this summer will be much like yours. Measure some games, make sure they fit, then build!

I loved those old Milton Bradley games: Axis & Allies, Shogun, Fortress America... the only one I never owned was "Conquest of the Empire".

 

[markleteenie]

I'll have to get a pic later, but here are some of the games in my current rotation:

• Terra Mystica/expansion - one of the best of all time!
• Campy Creatures/expansion soon!
• Bohnanza
• Caverna
• Farlight
• 7 Wonders/expansions
• Coup
• Betrayal at House on the Hill - just got it and haven't played it yet, but I'm hyped for it!

 

[v1pe]

I'll have to get a pic later, but here are some of the games in my current rotation:

• Terra Mystica/expansion - one of the best of all time!
• Campy Creatures/expansion soon!
• Bohnanza
• Caverna
• Farlight
• 7 Wonders/expansions
• Coup
• Betrayal at House on the Hill - just got it and haven't played it yet, but I'm hyped for it!

Have you played Gaia Project yet? I've only been able to play once but it seemed like a fantastic game that improved on the TM formula.

 

[FDLmold]

Have you played Gaia Project yet? I've only been able to play once but it seemed like a fantastic game that improved on the TM formula.

I'm playing that in a month.

 

[Chris Flynn]

So do we have enough players interested to do a PBEM game?

 

[Poker Zombie]

Some impressive collections!

@Poker Zombie have you played the Classic Battletech that you own? If so how do you like it? Been thinking of getting one of the new box sets that just came out but I've never played any of the board game version before.

I played Battletech extensively throughout college, but after leaving college I could never get enough people together for a game. It was one of my favorites (Top 5 at least) at the time, and I developed quite the reputation that still comes up when I meet the old collegiate friends.

By and large, most of the games in our catalog I have played.

We do have a section of the library that we call "So you want to be a game company", and most of those games have gone unplayed. Mrs Zombie and I both worked for a couple of game companies, and at conventions aspiring game designers would give us free copies of their games to review. I think they were hoping that if the game was good enough, we would buy it from them and publish it - which was never going to happen. In fact we could never even show them to the bosses because they didn't want to be accused of "stealing" an idea'

Anyhow, most of those games were full of exploitable rule loopholes or were otherwise broken, and within the first 2 minutes reading the rules you knew. If you cannot spellcheck or use proper grammar, you probably haven't given enough thought to the angles that could be shot in the game. Still, we kept (most) of the games, because sometimes you never know. Mrs Zombie had one of the original playtest versions of some little game put together by her math professor. The game is now known as Magic: the Gathering.

 

[FDLmold]

Mrs Zombie had one of the original playtest versions of some little game put together by her math professor. The game is now known as Magic: the Gathering.

The word "had" is such a terrible word to see in that sentence. I read an article once about playtesters hoarding certain cards because they liked them so much. Oh to get into a time machine and hit up Origins in Texas in 1993 and buy some in shrink boxes of Alpha.

 

[MacGrad]

View attachment 248059

As long as it wouldn't get me on anyone's "Do Not Trade" list, I'd be interested.

 

[luckroy]

It's out of style, but Puerto Rico is still amazing.

 

[18xx Board Gamer]

A recent game of 18VA. The chips in the lower right corner are unlabeled Majestics, the game owner's favorites.

 

[FDLmold]

18VA, is that the one with coal trains?

 

[18xx Board Gamer]

18VA, is that the one with coal trains?

Yes