Clearly there’s lots of y’all waiting in the wings, so let’s reactivate this community with an easy question!
Spirit Island ❤️🔥
omg Spirit Island was hard on our group, but maybe that was just bc we were all too high. the coordination/“everyone takes their turn at the same time” rule gave us analysis paralysis, trying to find the optimal way to synergize our powers. By turn 3, there was so much happening on the board that it took us 45 min just to settle on a plan. We had to call the game early, and to this day idk what the endgame is like 😭
Definitely give it another try! And don’t spend much time coordinating - just take care of your own board as much as you can before asking for help
that’s good advice. my friend still has the game, so i’m sure our crew would be down to take a crack at it soon.
I’ll start:
Our group has been playing lots of Splendor and Flamecraft whenever we don’t feel like learning a new game. They’re both basically the same game with different themes. With Splendor, we’ve been playing around with the expansions, which add cool new elements to what is otherwise a fairly simple economy game. I think we’ve only dug into the Cities expansion so far, but i keep pushing to try out the other ones.
Splendor is a great one. I always bring it to introduce to newer gamers. The rules are simple enough, but after a few turns, it all clicks and they get hooked on the engine building.
100%! It’s become one of my faves, one of those rare games that appeals to the board game nerd in me while still being appealing to people like my partner, who is a little more green with board games.
I am having a great time playing Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion with my SO. It’s easy to set up and the game introduces you gently to gloomhaven rules. The scenarios are very nice to play. We can’t wait to play the next scenario when we finish one!
I’ve never played any Gloomhaven (cost/size is daunting 😅) but I’ve just backed Buttons and Bugs as a bit of an ease in and the fact that it’s solo. Do you think Jaws of the Lion would be as satisfying solo?
The cost and size is daunting but it makes up for the variety of scenarios and enemies. The game box is literally filled with stuff with almost no empty space left.
On one hand playing solo requires you to play two characters so the decisions will get more complex as you have two characters to think about. On the other hand they made a digital adaptation of the board game where it plays exactly like that: you play two characters. And people seems to like it. So perhaps it’s not so bad after all.
Personally I think I would miss the interactions with my partner if I were to play solo. Both the “we did such a good move the two of us” and “wtf did she do?” moments 😄
The campaign and character progression however is very entertaining - it would be the same playing solo.
Friend took Guillotine on summer camp and it was lot of fun. Enough strategy, interesting action and disgusting context.
I prefer pocket sized games, I always take Saboteur, someone takes BANG! …
I’m always trying to get my friends to play Treasure Island. It’s a great asymmetrical that has everyone drawing on the map like madmen. It always comes down to the wire as to which side is going to win.
I’m loving the MicroMacro: Crime City series. Not the sort of games you can play over and over again, but I love games where you have to use actually use deduction and logic to solve mysteries.
Maybe a bit late on this one, but Catan! I’ve known about it for years, never owned it myself, and have only really played in the past weeks. Especially the Knights expansion, it feels like it almost adds a cooperative aspect? That we want to make sure we have enough knights before the pirates come, but still wanting to be the one with the most
Wingspan, here. Lots and lots of wingspan at my house.
Everdell! I know we’re a few years “late” to this fad but we picked it up at B&N for 50% off after last Christmas and have played it tons ever since. It’s very pretty, pretty simple, and quite replayable.
Twilight Imperium 4th edition. We first got it on the table 2020, and are terrible on keeping the playtime down. Actually, we are generally bad at the game, but it is sooo much fun.
Gale Force 9 2019 Dune. Avalon Hill 1979 Dune had been a staple among my group for decades and GF9’s update just made it better without destroying anything that made it the classic that it is.
You haven’t lived until you’ve won a game of Dune with a Bene Gesserit prediction victory after carefuly machinating the course of the game for seven turns.
