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Back to the Board - Carcassonne
Heartless Gamer writes to mention a feature on Grimwell online looking at the great board game of Carcassonne. Yet another terrific title from Rio Grande, the article takes a look at a possible introductory title for someone who might not have played a more serious board game. From the article: "Once you place a farmer, you can't get that follower back. The question thus becomes, do you play it now while the field is empty or do you wait, hoping your opponent won't claim the field the following turn? Farms can mean big points at the end of the game but could also mean missed points during the game if you run out of followers to play. The game plays smoothly once the players are briefed on the rules. Turns fly by and games complete relatively quickly. The only trick area of gameplay is ensuring players placing farmers are not overlapping other farmers. There can be a lot of land tiles between farmers, so a keen eye is required to ensure the rules are followed. Fortunately, the rule book has plenty of examples to help the players out."
I like this game a lot. Some other favorites are Settlers of Catan[And its two expansions], Age of Mythology [The boardgame], Betrayal at House on The Hill, Arkham Horror, Power Grid, and Puerto Rico. Check the games out if you want something new to sit down and play with your friends... we're hooked. -TKSV
For deep, engrossing, widely variable strategy, try Puerto Rico. It's different every time you play it. For more of a "get in your opponents' way" kind of experience, I'd recommend Power Grid (yes, there's an English version). Finally, if you're into path-building but want a bit more ramdomness in your game, try Settlers of Catan. All good, all German. We used to play these games all the time at lunch at a place I worked a while back, and it's one of the things I miss most about my time there.
"In a 32-bit world, you're a 2-bit user. You've got your own newsgroup, alt.total.loser." -Weird Al
This is a great game for people looking for games in the Catan/Amun Re/etc style but with quicker gameplay and simpler rules without sacrificing much of the "heart" in theses games.
The best thing is that it can be played 2 player. It's best with 3-5, but it's still enjoyable with 2.
This is a great game, and it's fun for 2 players or as many as 5 (you can get a sixth color in an expansion) -- plus it only takes 45 mins or so to play. The rules are simple enough that you can bring this out at a party and get a game going quickly. Another great game along these lines from Germany is Alhambra. Of course, Settlers of Catan is a classic too.
Others have mentioned Puerto Rico, and The Settlers of Catan, which are awesome games, but I always find myself coming back to the old school wargaming goodness of Titan which, even though it is an elimination game with a completely different style and feel as all of the newer, more slickly designed games that are all the rage now, nothing beats throwing a fistfull of dice around to really get the blood pumping. It even has a free java implementation.
"Remember, there never were pineapple-almond cookies here."
Hey, I agree that these are great games, but the article seems to be about games for beginners. Puerto Rico and Tigris and Euphrates certainly do not fit in these category. I think however that great games like the different flavors of carcassone, and even El grande, and Power Grid are great for beginners and seasonned players alike. Settlers of Catan is really cool if you play with the Cities & knigths expansion, but a bit lame (IMHO) without, that is a lot of rules to stomach for a starting player. My favorites also include Caylus (yes, I like both Puerto Rico AND Caylus;) and Princes of Florence, but I would recomend neither to starting players.
A great place to look for games is boardgamegeek that as listings by ranking, number of players, etc..
That being said, anyone wants wood for sheep?
I can play this with my daughters (10 and 5), and the ten year old wins about one third of the time, without me holding back too much. It's a wonderful family game, for people ages 5 and up.
I agree there's not the depth of Settlers, but this is a great game.
As an experienced player this is sometimes the case, but usually there are a few places to put a tile which will help you in the long term. For beginners however it's more interesting as you discover new ways to steal cities, expand fields etc. Carcassonne has too much randomness to have lots of depth, but it's super approachable and hence great for beginners/children. It's the gateway drug of german board games!
[Pruneau
Brettspielwelt (BoardGameWorld in German) has been online for a really long time and has around 40-50 various Rio Grande games which one can play multiplayer via some java applet and standalone client.
Check the Wikipedia entry on them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BrettspielWelt and here is the English portal: http://www.brettspielwelt.info/
My favorites are Carcassonne(of course!), Peurto Rico(games can be VERY LONG though), and Tichu.
Carcasonne is an excellent entry point into the world of strategy board gaming. The rules can be learned in about 15 minutes, but it takes many games to really get a sense of winning strategies. It is also infinitely replayable, since the board is different every time you play. Truly, one of the great games of the last few years.