2000-9 in board/tabletop games

Trends? Grand theories? Top tens?

My favourite thing I played was Arkham Horror.

Oh man. I have a lot to say on this.

Does anyone have anything good to say about tabletops this decade? I sort of feel like they all became determined to be MMORPGs but worse, because, y'know, humans.

While like at the same time the indies all became, like, Unknown Armies and Grey Ranks, and were books written by and for people who preferred reading the sourcebooks. Not that that's a bad thing, necessarily!

I've been playing a heavily modified WoD with friends about once a week. It's been modified into a Cyberpunk theme, and it's really an awesome experience. It's like improv acting more than gaming, tho there are dice + such.

In general, my participation in tabletops this decade has been leaning towards performance/improv or psychoanalytic/process work and away from gaming (which is an urge that is far more satisfied by my Xbox and DS).

While like at the same time the indies all became, like, Unknown Armies and Grey Ranks, and were books written by and for people who preferred reading the sourcebooks. Not that that's a bad thing, necessarily!

ha this is pretty true but how many nerds spent more time reading ad&d dm guides than actually playing ~ kinda think this has always been the case

last good indie i played was dogs in the vineyard. interested in what "pyschoanalytic" games ur playing mordy - gestalt of yahtzee? - i mostly play tabletop games for a kind of group xp u cant get even playing vidgames online. played A LOT of munchkin, bang, sabeteurs, &c they all fulfill a niche that i dont get w/videogames.

i didnt really play tabletop games until recently so i have no real perspective on the decade in games - biggest thing for me is d&d 4e lol

some of the ones I've played recently (with or without expansions)
Power Grid
Galaxy Trucker
Ticket To Ride (nordic countries)
Acquire
Pandemic
Ra
Twilight Empirium 3rd ed.
Small World
Crokinole
Hive
Saint Petersburg
Citadels
RoboRally
PitchCar
Bang
Sabateurs
Guillotine
Werewolves
Snow Tails
Runebound 2nd ed.
WoW the board game
WoW the miniatures game

Monopoly, The Game of Life... those old games are crap to me now

Does anyone have anything good to say about tabletops this decade? I sort of feel like they all became determined to be MMORPGs but worse, because, y'know, humans.
― Gravel Puzzleworth, Tuesday, October 6, 2009 9:48 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

this decade is thriving with good tabletops. when you compare games to MMOPRGs then you are referring to what the gaming society calls American games. the Euros are fantastic.

ayo lorax is pandemic any good? ive been wanting to give it try. out of that list which are your faves?

Pandemic is excellent. Lamp, last game I played that is kinda like that is Nicotine Girls.

Pandemic is good. The bio terrorist expansion isn't very good. Pandemic has lots of table talk which makes for a good social gaming experience.

Power Grid and Saint Petersburg are pretty good Euros that I would recommend. I went through this websites list of top games when I came up with the list I posted above. There are plenty more games I need to try out.

I like RoboRally and it has been updated a bunch since it first came out a long time ago
I really want to play Galaxy Trucker again (and play all 18 or whatever rounds). Both of these games require some sense of speed/dexterity and spatial management. They are strategy games though.

then again, you can get the pandemic expansion with the bio terrorist and just leave that out.. the other new cards are fine.

saint petersburg played pretty unbalanced ime that and zombies were probably my least favorite games i played

mordy that looks interesting - i mostly play (w/ the exception of d&d and really thats not much of an exception) low to no role playing games and i dont no how it would work w/ my friends ~ only dude that i no that was in to those kind of games moved to england

I think there are a few "broken" (unfair) cards in Saint Petersburg or maybe just the expansion. You can always leave them out. But I am under the impression that it is a balanced game.
SmallWorld, which is really lovely and quite enjoyable, seems to have a bit of an unfair advantage to whoever goes first.

Yeah the rise of Euros ("monopoly is dead 2 me" crowd) is a big story for sure - weird how Settlers of Catan was such a big trailblazer!

My favourite Euros I played were Race For The Galaxy, Louis XIV & Antike - I really liked Punct too but that's more Eurabstract.

I totally, totally don't understand the continuing huge popularity of Munchkin.

From Lorax's link (the BGG top 20):

Puerto Rico: Everyone loves this and I find it *really* boring - I have zero patience for games where you pretend to be a merchant and try to make money, it's just a really dull premise to me!
Dominion: Really fun! Feels post-MTG in a really positive way.
Tigris & Eurphrates: Strongly recommend this, especially if you like the area-control mechanic. Maybe my favourite here?
Caylus: If I have four hours, I'd rather play Arkham.
Race for the Galaxy: This is filler perfection, *love* this. Maybe the only game on this list where the best player in a 4p will win 40% of the time rather than 80, which is a big virtue for me.
Princes of Florence: Weirdly satifying! The sense of progress in this is really tangible, like you might not win the race or anything but the sense of your influence growing still feels really good.

I have lately become interested by Trail of Cthulhu, a new-ish roleplaying game based on the same background as Call of Cthulhu. I think it is meant to be a bit more pulpy and a bit less based on hoping you get lucky with the library use rolls.

Gravel - I was like you the first time or two I played Puerto Rico, but something just clicked with me and I have been finding it fun now. Maybe winning a load of games in a row helps. It is more interactive than it initially appears, as you have to do a lot of gauging what roles the other players want you to take and so on.

just on role-playing games generally, is there some kind of RPG renaissance on right now? I have seen a lot of what look like minor-interest games out there, suggesting the market is big enough to bear them.

i enjoyed playing the Gloom card game does that count?

I have seen a lot of what look like minor-interest games out there, suggesting the market is big enough to bear them.

I think there's an incongruity between the amount of books sold (which seems pretty healthy, judging by the shelves at Orc's Nest/ Gameskeeper / other Local Games Shops I have seen), and the amount of sessions actually being played and advertised, which doesn't seem to nearly bear it out? I might be wrong!

I love Ticket to Ride. We have also been playing a shit ton of Carcasonne lately, with the Traders and Builders expansion, and we finally managed to finish the Battlestar Galactica board game which is pretty fun once you get through the long, convoluted rules.

For two players, we have Lost Cities and Catan the card game, although if I play the latter right before bed, I end up dreaming about it all night, which is stressful.

I like this thread!

I want to play more board games : /

J's former boss is a huge HUGE board game enthusiast and she hosts a quarterly game night that we have been attending. I'm basically WAY out of my league, but it's still fun to have a regular play date and to get a chance to check out new games in a friendly environment or to play games that we usually only play with two or four players with a bigger group.

Gravel - the imbalance between games bought and games played has always been high, especially for RPGs.

I'm so excited, my friends are going to throw my stag n doe party in 6-8 months (not getting married til 2011) and the theme I asked for is booze & board games. I have 3 or 4 versions of Trivial Pursuit and not much else so far.. Will mine this list for ideas...

One of my friends did have a game themed stag party. In lieu of stripping him naked and tying him to a lamp post, we just kept making sure he came last in every game. Great days, Gay, great days.

haha! I don't think we'll end up playing any games at the party, but I expect to receive a few as gifts (unless my friends get lazy and just all buy booze.) Thinking of creating a registry so people can see what I like (my friend had the same theme and I found it so difficult guessing what to buy her). What are the classics every house should have? I've got Monopoly, Life, umpteen Trivial Pursuits (but I still want the latest one.. and the Beatles one..) and Scrabble.

On this list the only one I have played is the BSG game - that WAS a lot of fun but don't know if I'd play it again tbh. Any good DVD-based board games I should look into? I've never really been into RPGs unless it's related to a movie/TV show (there must be a LOST board game..) Mostly into trivia, any suggestions?

I'd add Boggle to that list of classics, finefinemusic, but that just might be in my house. :)

Can't count the number of friends we've hooked on Ticket to Ride in the past year. The Europe board and rules are very well-balanced, it's held up really well.

I'd stick with Puerto Rico for a few games before making a call on it, Gravel, though if you don't like the merchant concept, it's probably not going to suddenly appeal to you. Though I find Princes of Florence has sort of a similar concept.

Ordered SmallWorld and am eagerly awaiting its arrival!

Oooooh, Ticket to Ride looks great! Puerto Rico looks pretty interesting too. I am immensely out of the loop, it seems. I never see these kinds of games in Canada - but maybe I am not looking hard enough.My fiancee works for the railroad so it would be very necessary. I think he'll also insist on Risk, which I didn't care for (but haven't played for ten years).. Boggle is a good idea too. Hmmm, and Yahtzee maybe too.

Ticket to Ride has become something of a gateway game like Settlers of Catan, to get my friends who aren't that into board games into playing heavier stuff. It's fun to play, pretty easy to learn, but plays differently each time and rewards players for strategy. Can't be recommended enough. For Puerto Rico, I'd recommend playing with someone who owns the game first and can teach you, I'd imagine it's a bitch to learn just off the bat. Took me 3-4 games to learn everything, even while playing with my friend who could remind us of the rules mid-game.

I would love to learn more about new board games, so I am glad you guys are discussing that. imo the design of that Board Games Geek is overwhelming, ugly, and impossible to navigate.

I have a friend who has Settles of Catan and is always talking about it.. perhaps I'll have to invite him & his wife over to check it out! Sadly I don't think I I know anyone who has Puerto Rico - none of my friends are particular board game fanatics - unless the aforementioned SoC-owning friend has it. Boo.

the theme I asked for is booze & board games

FFM that is freaking awesome.

Yeah, Ticket to Ride is great!

Another fun gateway game: Incan Gold - super-accessible and you get tents!

Vinnie OTM about Settlers and Ticket to Ride being perfect gateway games. The game duration for both is pretty perfect, too. I think Carcasonne works in that vein, although it might be a "next step" game, I don't know.

I really love Settlers of Catan, but we don't own it because we try to just buy games that work for two players. Our only exception is the BSG board game because we are BSG stans of the highest order.

I bet there is a LOST board game out there. As the son of our regular game night host remarked, "Where there's a fandom, there's a board game."

LOOK AT HOW FUN TICKET TO RIDE IS:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3397/3499094330_958b035d63.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3591/3498278451_ff1ec7f050.jpg

(Yeah, idk, I sincerely suspect Puerto Rico is really good, the two times I played it was with people who knew the price-chits and I didn't so I never really felt I had a chance. OTOH I really like San Juan & find it super fun so...)

Abbot a game I'd think you'd REALLY like is Niagara!

You get to push shit off a WATERFALL:

http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic99064_md.jpg

Oh man I love spying on this thread but I have nobody to play board games with :(
Too much time with super-competitive step-grandfather campaigning to beat us all at games we don't know the rules to has got the rest of the family groaning at the mere thought of board games, and I don't think mr spacecadet would be the board game type.

Does anyone go to board game festivals? My ex-coworker (sadly I'm no longer in the same area) would head off about this time every year to go to one in Germany. Sounded kind of awesome. Plus autumn in Germany = FEDERWEISS (v. sweet wine that they can't export since it can't be corked), but that's for another thread.

i think i've become somewhat addicted to the online incarnation of settlers.

(apparently I mean Federweißer)

that waterfall in Niagara looks a bit like an arse.

more fun games: Family Business. Each player has a gang of gangsters and is trying to have members of the rival gangs exterminated. It plays really quickly, takes any number between three and six, is piss simple (i.e. you can play it when drunk) and is a load of violent fun.

Germany is Boardgaming's "big in Japan"

finefinefine: I think 'Bang! The Bullet!' would be a great party game. Or 'Werewolf'. And if your party doesn't mind acting and pure goofyness you could try 'Quelf'.

thanks for all these cool ideas, Lorax! and thanks Abbott! I'm pretty excited. I've got loads of kitchen accessories and stuff like that, what I really need to build my nest is a badass entertainment centre!

In Bang! you get cards that say birra or whisky. Whenever someone uses one you could make it so they have to chug :)

Bang! is super fun and really easy to teach/learn.

pandemic sounds exactly like something i'd want to play, i wonder if my nerdy friends have a copy between them

thomp, ready when you are!

ah, i didn't see i then had to accept an invitation to the same game i just invited you to. this site is not user-friendly

that's my fault, actually - your invitation was for the 13-size baord, which is all technical and stuff - the 7-size one is the fun cut-and-thrust one, so I rejected your invite and sent a new one.

Compleat Strategist is pretty much the only big game store in NYC, as far as I'm aware.

Too bad it's not more heimish.

Thomp and I played approx 378246 games of this yesterday - come join us!

I like the section of old abandoned RPG rulebooks in the Compleat Strategist, that's the good bit imo.

i'd like to note that i won none of those games, so if anyone wants some cheap points challenge 'thomp85'

WYPS hype!

Hi Mordy!

Games are fun!

Btw, have any of you played Mafia online? I play at Mafiascum.net.

(It's like an old camp game, but it's a lot more interested when played on forums.)

I like mafia - never played it online, though! I'll check it out.

Can you see my messages on LG, btw?

Yeah. I accepted your two game invites.

BTW, if you go to 'waiting room' and challenge AI-ranka (still board size 7 and normal rules), you can add games against an ai that moves instantly, which is really valuable when you're learning.

Ok, I clearly do not fully understand the win condition for this game.

Oh. Now I get it. I should've read the rules before I started playing.

does anyone like Ingenious?

lol it's called Mensa Connections in the UK.

mordy i have found it massively hard to tell when other ppl are approaching a win

I think thomp has beaten me :(

I don't totally get the conditions under which a chip flips colors?

Your 'move' may go through any number of opposing tiles. Of these, you may choose one, and flip it.

That big board is too big for me at the moment, Thomp. I resigned.

I have to say I'm liking the big board a lot more. I can't really think ahead very well on the small board.

I'm happy to play on a bigger board! The 'championship' is played on size 13, monthly cups are played on 10. I slightly prefer smaller sizes so I don't enter the championship but you should if you do; it's tiered so you'll be well matched.

In the past few years I've really rekindled my love for the old Games Workshop fantasy boardgame TALISMAN. There's a new 4th edition out now, but I don't like the look of the Photoshop art as much as the old hand drawn stuff.

Also, special shout out to Facebook Scrabble!

I think the next game I'm gonna buy is Arkham Horror.

loool i bought ^^^ it on saturday it... has a lot of pieces

pandemic is ultrarad but winning on the highest setting is nearly impossible - oh also mordy theres kings game in brooklyn although theyre more for ccg and vg

Question about Arkham Horror: Does it have any writing or note taking or anything like that?

a: no but - everything is kept track of using tokens or cards but in larger groups/for simplicity its sometimes easier to keep track of certain things ($$, stats) using p&p. tbqf its a p fiddly game im not sure how much use im going to get out of it

One thing I love about Pandemic is how non-intensive it is. You can just sit down and play a game.

Is pandemic good with 2 players?

Yes! My wife and I played it last night. We lost, but it was lots of fun.

Pandemic is excellent. Short and to the point and challenging. Unlike Arkham Horror which when I played it just went on and on and on (maybe people I was playing with though).

thomp or gravel will play wyps w/u bros

o_O I've played 40-odd games of Arkham horror and never needed pen and paper for anything. It is fiddly but it's really fun; you need to get into the ATMOSPHERE I guess.

Lamp I'm down for that! Come to little golem!

lol i am - just noticed both of u had accepted already - just let me look up how to play

Lamp I *really* recommend that you start some games (on a normal-rules setting) with the AI-ranka bot - it'll give you the idea really quickly.

Arkham Horror is fun but the rules don't work in my opinion - needs to be run with a rules variant to make it right.

Yeah there's a nasty slowdown near the end - but we normally play with expansions and don't get anywhere near the endgame before being crushed :)

Lamp are you there? I keep sending u messages!

There's a variant that basically flips the pace of the game - instead of starting out frantic and slowing down as it goes if you survive, the game starts out kind of calm but gets intense by the end. Makes it much better, in my opinion. You can find it here: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/70828/changing-the-flow-of-the-doom-track

Doesn't that make it loads easier? I guess not on a basic-set, but we play with Dunwich & Innsmouth - it's the new gates that screw us over & they basically don't stop coming, you never really get time to seal the high-volume locations and relax.

FWIW I found the exact same problem with pace at first - there was a crummy period when we'd worked out where to seal first and felt like we'd basically won or lost every game by move 4 - but the gatebursts & double-dooms & etc definitely put paid to that.

Yellow Kid - do you allow people to use Mandy / the Polar guy?

We just used random investigators, but I don't remember any of them being problems. But then like you said we mostly used the basic set. What do those characters do that's so unusual?

http://www.arkhamhorrorwiki.com/Mandy_Thompson urghhh - I think the cleavage went to the designers' heads.

I'll definitely recommend those rules to ppl using the basic set in future - I like them!

Mordy, what's your Strat-O-Matic question?