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2006 Board Games Gift Guide
SlantyBard writes "As per previous years, the Morning News has published their annual guide to Good Gift Games. You can also always check out BoardGameGeek's gift guide to boardgames or Funagain's all time top bestseller list for great gifts for your family and friends." From the Morning news post: "Occasionally I'll play a new game so elegant in design that I'll come away amazed that it hadn't been thought of before. Hey! That's My Fish! is the most recent example. Sixty small hexagons (each showing one, two, or three fish) are assembled into an ice floe. Players then place their penguins onto the board, and play begins. On a turn, a player moves one of his penguins and then claims the hex the penguin just vacated, scoring points for the fish shown thereon. The ice floe slowly melts as more and more hexes are taken. Eventually there will be no more legal moves, and the person with the most fish wins. It's extremely simple and remarkably strategic."
Step 1: Get the Wizards of the Coast catalog
Step 2: Open it to a random page and put your finger down
Step 3: Order that
One of the best games for a group that there is. Not strictly a board game, but certainly worth getting.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
I still play board games when me and my siblings all congregate at a single house. A favorite for a few of us is Monopoly. However, I've been in search of a game similar to this but more complex. The most important thing I'm looking for is the outcome of the game depending more on strategy and less on chance. Anyone know of any such board games?
since the article didn't offer one :
p ages/pha6017.htm
Its from Mayfair games :
http://www.mayfairgames.com/
and they use friggin frames so this is the best link i can give. using the main page you can find it in the a-z listing.
http://www.mayfairgames.com/shop/product/phalanx/
If you look like your passport photo, you're too ill to travel. - Will Kommen
These two are mandatory for any board game collection.
I usually don't like boardgames that take hours to read the rules. I just want to sit down and play it once in a while.
When I was at some friends house this weekend we played Cartagena, a very simple but intresting game!
Has anybody else played it?
My blog: http://www.redcode.nl
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disclaimer: I've been known to store numbers in my ass for which to dig out when quantities are required.
Oh, I get it now. When YOU win, it's "good strategy"; when I win it's "luck". Shut up and roll. 11? Oh good, that's Illinois Avenue and I have three houses on it.
Ticket to Ride - Outstanding quality and very fun to play.
Acquire - Great fun
Nuclear War - A simple and wonderfully addictive card game.
Great game to make you think - www.perplexcity.com - They have a board game out, but I cant find the link from work unfortunately. Anyone care to google-linkage for me?
Thanks
There's enough crap out there that encourages everyone to "go for the win". If you're buying board games, especially for kids, I'd suggest looking into some cooperative games (check out Family Pastimes). I've been trying to get into these for a while, but unfortunately my friends have never been into them (they refer to "Our Town" as "Communist Monopoly"). But whatever, it's worth a look.
I didn't even know they still made that Scotland Yard game. I had a lot of fun with that when I was a kid. I'd also recommend CAG. Plus if you love strategy and have some hours to kill I'd highly recommend Advanced Civilization or Diplomacy. In my opinion Diplomacy surpasses Risk because the only element of chance involved is your opponent.
There are many tongues to talk, and but few heads to think. -Victor Hugo
I've played the game Apples to Apples many times, and what I love the most about it is that you have enough cards for practically everyone at the party to play, especially if you have all the special sets combined into one large set. There have been times where we've had 10+ people in a circle, all playing the most absurd things that they have in their hand. Plus, I love how if you are the judge, you can choose *any* criteria you want for voting the best one.
There's one house rule that we always use, and this always makes for more entertainment: we play two descriptor cards instead of just one. Trying to match one thing is ho-hum, but trying to match two adjectives makes the game much more interesting.
There's also Go, one of the oldest and coolest board games in existence.
Lots of places sell equipment.
It sounds strangely derivative of a game called Isolation.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1875
http://i7.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/7d/d9/edec_1.JPG
This is the best game I've ever played: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12333 It's a two player recreation of the Cold War. Remember Chris Crawford's "Balance of Power"? It was kind of the inspiration for this game, but this is much more fun than that game ever was. (Still no reward if you blow up the world though :-) ). You won't be sorry if you get a chance to check it out - I'm addicted myself.
1. Chez Geek/Goth
2. Apples to Apples
3. Killer bunnies
4. Things
5. Munchkin (any)
6. Settlers
7. Illuminati
8. Hacker Deluxe Edition
9. Ninja Burger
10. Maharaja
I own more but this is what gets played the most!
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Hear, hear! It is one of the best board games I have ever played. It's a little complicated if you're learning by the book (better for somebody to show you how), and it can take a while if you've got indecisive people in the group. I only wish there were a two-player version, so my wife and I could play when there's no company. My in-laws like it, my family likes it, my friends like it, and it's extendable to up to 6 people.
The default victory condition is to own or control at least 1/2 of the property values once all properties are owned. Each piece has alternate victory conditions and special powers. In addition, properties can be razed/rezoned with the appropriate graft. Bribery and backstabbing are expected, and even cheating is allowed, with a mandatory Go To Jail if caught; though we usually don't allow cheating in our games.
Rereading your request.. this isn't necessarily less chancy, but it is more strategic. And definitely more advanced.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts.
Time's Up is my current favorite board game (although, I guess, it's really more of a card game). Great for large groups and lots of fun. The only real problem I have with it is that it requires an even number of people (it's teams of two). Great fun.
War on Terror the board game: a satirical board game from Terror Bull Games: http://www.waronterrortheboardgame.com/
From the FAQ:
Q: But isn't it a bit tasteless?
A: That depends on your taste. Personally, we think the actual "War on Terror" is in pretty bad taste. This is
just a board game.
Are Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne. Both have yet to fail me. I have brought these games to people who are used to Monopoly and Scrabble. They fall in love each and every time.
A few of my friends used to play monopoly every night, until we discovered Settlers.
In Monopoly, we found people largely traded once, built up, and crossed their fingers. If you made out in the deal-making frenzy you won, if not, it's a long slow ride to death.
In contrast, in Settlers, trades were made almost every turn and the last five minutes of the game are usually very close. In a race to 10 points, it wasn't uncommon to have 2 people with 8, one with 7 and one with 9 and have the 7 point person win on his/her next turn. Since the object is no longer to bankrupt anyone, trades are seen as mutually beneficial and a little less cut-throat.
Our group has since played one game of Monopoly. (For the record, I find settlers less complicated than Monopoly...the rules are certainly shorter.)
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
It's a card game, not a board game, but Bang! is definitely a lot of fun, quick to set up and clean up, and fairly easy to catch on.
Remember, open source is free as in speech, not free as in bear.
Ha, if you click that link from here you still get the slashdot message.
Then you can click it within the message.
If you're looking to buy something that was made this year, I can't recommend Yspahan enough. Wonderful game with plenty of strategy and narrow decision-making to curb those who are prone to analysis paralysis.
"You're never ready, just less unprepared."
Do people really still play Monopoly? I liked it when I was a kid and there was nothing better around, but the last 15 years have given us a multitude of far superior games. Monopoly and Risk are obsolete.
They were 20 years ago, but not anymore. They suck in comparison to just about any game that has been released since.
...although the fact that I play competitively makes me biased.
Those three would be great choices to get introduce people to boardgaming. Heroscape, crack for boys and their fathers.
If I had to name two must-have board games, they'd be Go and Chess.
Interestingly, both predate Risk and Monopoly by a couple years.
Episode #18 of The Spiel, our podcast about board games, is a Holiday Gift Guide.
Over 50 recommendations for gamers of all ages and games of all flavors. From games less than $10 to budget busters, we've got you covered.
Download directly from our site or via RSS or iTunes.
Comments, questions, or suggestions are always welcome: stephen@thespiel.net
Happy holidays!
Stephen
co-host and creator of The Spiel