Conquer Club

So, this is apparently some kind of Risk site. Presumably then, we're all here because at one point or another we decided that we wanted to play some kind of online boardgame. But, how many of us play boardgames in real life?

Me, I'm a really big boardgames fan. My bookshelf is topped by a small selection of some of my favourites and once or twice a week I head into central London to trounce lesser minds at hundreds of different games. There's something about face-to-face interaction that internets risk-mongering just fails to deliver. Is this a pastime that anybody else here is into? If so, what are you playing? I know that Mr Pimpdave is a big Memoir '44 fan (a game I really want to try someday), but what about the rest of you?

Personally, my favourite games are:

Dominion (and its expansion, Intrigue) - Possibly my favourite of all games, it's a clever card game that plays quickly, gives you plenty of interesting choices to make each turn, remains tense throughout, lets you assemble MTG-esque mega-combos with which to demonstrate your genius and crush your opponents, and often throws up opportunities to screw-over multiple opponents at once.

The Settlers of Catan - The perennial family-favourite, while not the best game in the world, it's pretty good for providing nice simple negotiation shenanigans that you can enjoy with a drink, and also containing a couple of hidden sharky moves with which to do-over the unwary.

A Game of Thrones LCG - Possibly my most geeky tipple. It plays a bit like Magic:TG (but is fundamentally a better game), though it's free of the shitty 'blind buy' cash-sink marketing model that blights its older cousin, with all the cards being available to just buy off the shelf. Pretty difficult to find opponents for in the UK, but possibly my favourite game of the moment (and the one I most wish I got to play more frequently and which I wish I knew more people who played)

Race for the Galaxy - A deep card game with fuck-tons of replayability, multiple ways to win, and plenty going on at any one time. That said, I have to deduct some points from it because it doesn't give you many ways to slap down other players or to backstab succesful players.

Arkham Horror - Long, winding, in many ways pointless, and with results hinging largely on chance, it sounds like it should be total rubbish. However, its theme is good, and with a few beers, a decent gathering of other players, and a heft dollop of in-jokes this one becomes a quality game. That said, you play it more for the banter and silly voice-over opportunities than for tactical gameplay.

The Game of Thrones Boardgame - Totally unlike its card-based cousin, it's basically a lot like Diplomacy, only with a few extra bells and whistles to make sure it retains the tension up until the very end and doesn't bog down into a dull guessing game once the first couple of players are eliminated.

Carcassonne - Another well-known classic. I like it mainly because it's easy to explain to new players, so you can spring it on unsuspecting friends/relatives that whose brains wouldn't be able to cope with more sophisticated games. Basically it's a lot like a jig-saw with points and a couple of ways to bugger up other people's plans... which I like.



So there you go, boardgames in real life, I love them. What about everybody else? What else does everybody else play? Or are you all solely computer-based gamers?

Monopofuckinly is the best in my opinion, well right after Candyland. I always wanted to play Candyland while on acid or something. I mean, if you already see colors what the f*ck else is out there? Clue is the shit. Col. Mustard in the library with a goddamn lead pipe. RISK is the shit of course. And there's this fuckin weird ass game called The PokeMon game. Also Don't break the Ice, I don't know if that's really a board though. And let's not forget Stratego that was a pretty good game as well. Pardon my language though, I like to do what I say though.

I want to try Arkham Horror

Try Acquire

Also, I'm really good at losing at chess, especially to wayward Croats.

Dominion's good, I've played it a few times and yes, it's a great combination of strategy and chance.


Some all time favourites I've come across:

Betrayal in the House on the Hill (I think that's the name), it's somewhat aged, but very good. In the first phase of the game the players explore a house by moving their figures onto unexplored spaces revealing new tiles in the process, strange events may occur and mystical artifacts may be found, at some point one player will turn on the others and phase two begins. The betrayer has one goal and the other players have an other, this goal may be "kill the other one(s)", but doesn't have to. In all there are some 50 scenarios so the game has a lot of replay value. It's a mixture of roleplaying (little), adventure(some) and strategy(phase 1:little, phase 2:quite a lot), I can only recommend it.

Small World You control a people, to get points you eventually (i.e. within a round or 3) need to let your people die out. Then you get a new people to control and collect points with until it's better to let them die out. One of the funniest games I've come across, with possible combinations like: diplomatic trolls, flying giants, heroic skeletons and underworld elves. Also: the map is small, very small, so small that by round 2 you practically will have to attack some other player to gain points, but they won't really mind because they're planning to let their people die off soon anyway. I realize it's not really a game that can be well explained over the internets, it has to be played (or at least seen).

Time's Up, everyone gets a number of cards, each with a name on them, sort out two you don't want in the game, put the others in the middle, mix them all. One player draws one and tries to explain what person's name is on the card to their teammate, by any means, descriptions, biographies, riddles, sounds, gestures, if the teammate gets it the team gets a point. When thirty seconds are up the next team gets to go and so on until the heap of cards is through. Second round, same cards same names, but you're only allowed to use one word to explain the name, gestures are also allowed, but that one word gets really important. Third round, still the same cards, but you may only use noises (no melodies!) and gestures to tell your teammate what name's on the card you just drew. The concept is extremely simple, but the game itself usually requires a lot of creativity and attention to details, especially if you have Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and Darth Vader in the cards at the same time. Or the pantomime difference between two folk singers.

MeDeFe wrote:

Small World You control a people, to get points you eventually (i.e. within a round or 3) need to let your people die out. Then you get a new people to control and collect points with until it's better to let them die out. One of the funniest games I've come across, with possible combinations like: diplomatic trolls, flying giants, heroic skeletons and underworld elves. Also: the map is small, very small, so small that by round 2 you practically will have to attack some other player to gain points, but they won't really mind because they're planning to let their people die off soon anyway. I realize it's not really a game that can be well explained over the internets, it has to be played (or at least seen).

I gotta try and find this game .. it sounds great!


I am pretty much stuck with on-line gaming now, though my oldest likes Clue and a new game Doodle dice.

Globetrotters is awesome. An old boardgame but it's still as fun. You can win in one go, but it's extremely rare.
Cluedo is also one of my favourites. I have Cluedo nights with my friends, which is fun.
Chess is the ultimate game.

I love boardgames, I have loads. I don't get to play them enough, though recently I've discovered a few locals who like em too, so things are looking up (Rude things!)
A recent favourite is Narnia Risk, supposedly a kids version of RIsk. The rules are far more complicated than the classic, and the gameplay is very dissimilar. One quirk which I'd introduce into the original if I still was with my old crowd who gamed all the time is that the equivalent of the territory card is dealt at the begining of the turn, and that's the teritory you have to attack if it's not already owned by your side.

As a family we often play "Apples to Apples" and "Fluxx". Recently we aquired the "python and the grail" version of Fluxx.

Skittles! wrote:Globetrotters is awesome. An old boardgame but it's still as fun. You can win in one go, but it's extremely rare.
Cluedo is also one of my favourites. I have Cluedo nights with my friends, which is fun.
Chess is the ultimate game.

Yeah, I used to play that game. Haven't for a long time, though.

My favorite board games are:
Risk
Settlers of Catan (with or without expansions)
The Construction Game
The Oilman Game

jonesthecurl wrote:I love boardgames, I have loads. I don't get to play them enough, though recently I've discovered a few locals who like em too, so things are looking up (Rude things!)
A recent favourite is Narnia Risk, supposedly a kids version of RIsk. The rules are far more complicated than the classic, and the gameplay is very dissimilar. One quirk which I'd introduce into the original if I still was with my old crowd who gamed all the time is that the equivalent of the territory card is dealt at the begining of the turn, and that's the teritory you have to attack if it's not already owned by your side.

As a family we often play "Apples to Apples" and "Fluxx". Recently we aquired the "python and the grail" version of Fluxx.

Don't know the ages of your kids, but I found Doodle Dice (you roll dice to make up different combinations of doodles on cards you draw -- think Yatzee, but with cards that add strategy and variation) and Quirkle (you have to match rows of tiles, either by color or shape -- dominos with several twists) to be easy enough for all but the youngest kids (rated 6 and up), but interesting enough to keep me from being mind-numbingly bored.

I am amazed at the number of board games people list as favorites, but I never even knew existed.

My question is why aren't the Game of Thrones games available for online play? Martin has a blog that he keeps up with, you'd think he'd be all over an online version of these games.

I need online games - my friends and wife are not nerdy enough to enjoy a card or board game based on a fantasy book.

thegreekdog wrote:My question is why aren't the Game of Thrones games available for online play? Martin has a blog that he keeps up with, you'd think he'd be all over an online version of these games.

I need online games - my friends and wife are not nerdy enough to enjoy a card or board game based on a fantasy book.

Well actually there is an online knocked off version of the AGOT Board Game available for play (in the same way that CC is just a knocked off version of Risk). Personally, I found it a bit slow over the net because of the number of different auctions etc that need to be completed each round. But that said, if you want to give it a try then go check out waroftherealm.com

As for the card game (which fucking rules) you can do all the usual 'Vassal' modules to get an online interface going on. I don't know how many opponents you'd be able to find online... but technically interwebs AGOT-LCG games are possible.

Heck, they're probably something I should look into myself... despite London being rammed with people who like playing every other boardgame under the sun, the AGOT-LCG seems to be something that only the yanks are getting 'on board' with. Unlike every other game I've ever played, I just can't seem to find plentiful nearby opponents for it for love or money.


PS. If you're living in Philly (as your location alleges) and are looking for people to play AGOT-esque games with, then this thread might help you: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/408207

I play boardgames at least a couple times a month. Carcassone is good, and I am planning to play Game of Thrones boardgame soon.
Other good ones:
Agricola- this seems to be popular here in the states. Farming, resource management.
Pillars of the Earth- building a cathedral
Ra- easy for beginners. Based in ancient Egypt- collect monuments, gold, rivers, etc by bidding against other players.
Power Grid- another bidding game, with city building. Build your cities and make sure you have enough power plants to power them all.
Zooloretto and it's various versions - you have a zoo and collect animals , but you only have so many enclosures. Extra animals go into the barn. (you can't mix animal types).

http://www.boardgamegeek.com is a great site for researching games and finding groups in your area.

It's always a pleasure to sit around with family or friends and play board games.
Some favorites through the years:
Rail Baron(Avalon Hill)-One of the original rail games. Basically Monopoly on rails.
Ra(Rio Grande)-Easy to learn bidding game
The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game-One of my favorites. A beer and pretzel game where having laughs is more important than winning. Fun with 6 people as you place bets and sometimes even try to have your horse lose to win wagers. This is a British board game that took a while to get. Nothing like watching a player cheer for your horse to win and watch his face go blank as you throw the race a space away from the finish line.

One I haven't played for years, and which I apparently don't have a copy of, is Avalon hill's Circus maximus, in which Ben hur-type chariot races are run. Although the pieces are only cardboard and the rules are overly complicated, it is usually only minutes before just about anyone is completely immersed n the atmosphere, trying to whip the other drivers, force them to take a corner too fast, or make them run over a wreck.

My current favorites:

Diplomacy. If you like absolute dastardly cut-throat and hilarious fun, this is the game for you. But be aware...it can actually be easy to create real-life enemies if those you're playing with don't buy into the "everyone gets stabbed, so expect it and enjoy it" concept of this game.

Chess

Balderdash

When our kids were still around, we also played Apples to Apples...a very fun family-type game.

jonesthecurl wrote:One I haven't played for years, and which I apparently don't have a copy of, is Avalon hill's Circus maximus, in which Ben hur-type chariot races are run. Although the pieces are only cardboard and the rules are overly complicated, it is usually only minutes before just about anyone is completely immersed n the atmosphere, trying to whip the other drivers, force them to take a corner too fast, or make them run over a wreck.

Still have my copy in the closet hidden away including Diplomacy.

Woodruff wrote:My current favorites:

Diplomacy. If you like absolute dastardly cut-throat and hilarious fun, this is the game for you. But be aware...it can actually be easy to create real-life enemies if those you're playing with don't buy into the "everyone gets stabbed, so expect it and enjoy it" concept of this game.

Of course! Diplomacy, how could I forget about this? Though you either need to reserve a whole day for it and play turns of 45-60 minutes, or make the turns 1 week long and play by email.

MeDeFe wrote:

Woodruff wrote:My current favorites:

Diplomacy. If you like absolute dastardly cut-throat and hilarious fun, this is the game for you. But be aware...it can actually be easy to create real-life enemies if those you're playing with don't buy into the "everyone gets stabbed, so expect it and enjoy it" concept of this game.

Of course! Diplomacy, how could I forget about this? Though you either need to reserve a whole day for it and play turns of 45-60 minutes, or make the turns 1 week long and play by email.

I play a lot via email these days, but when I lived in Reno, there was a big group that would get together every couple of months or so in San Francisco for a weekend game.

Axis and Allies is amazing. I have classic and Europe and both are great. Me and my friends made a WWI setup for axis and allies Europe and it is great.

captainwalrus wrote:Axis and Allies is amazing. I have classic and Europe and both are great. Me and my friends made a WWI setup for axis and allies Europe and it is great.

Oh yes, absolutely...a tremendous game and one of the first war-ish board games I ever played (even before Risk).

Only problem with it is that it takes SO BLOODY LONG to set up and get going.

Woodruff wrote:

captainwalrus wrote:Axis and Allies is amazing. I have classic and Europe and both are great. Me and my friends made a WWI setup for axis and allies Europe and it is great.

Oh yes, absolutely...a tremendous game and one of the first war-ish board games I ever played (even before Risk).

Only problem with it is that it takes SO BLOODY LONG to set up and get going.

Confirmed, plan for 4-5 hours in all.

Meh, Diplomacy is ok I guess.

My real gripe about it is that it's only fun for the first couple of hours while everybody is still alive and a credible threat to everybody else. After a couple of good 'stabs' the tension tends to go out of the game a bit and you end up with two monolithic alliances (or worse, players) just leaning against each other until something breaks. So you set up a game that's going to take 4 hours, have mad fun for the first two, then spend the second half essentially just doing admin to play out the inevitable.

It's why I love the Game of Thrones board game so much. It's got a similar diplomacy-esque way of doing battle and a similar 'backstabs and negotiation must occur' kind of gameplay, but because of the way it's designed it stays tense right up until the final turn (or, at worst the penultimate turn), meaning that you play for 2-3 hours, but don't lose the fun halfway through.

scrabble!