So I’m kind of on a new kick. It’s a very young kick, but nonetheless it’s a beastly kick I’ve been meaning to mount and ride into the sunset for years.
BOARD GAMES.
Not like Monopoly or Life or any of those (although I do play a mean Monopoly game. ALL HAIL THE THIMBLE.) but I’m talking fantasy-esque board/card/dice games. Hell, I’m so new to this I don’t even know what to call them. Anyway, like I said I’ve always been intrigued but never had the gusto to drive myself to a store, immerse myself among strangers and, like, learn how to play in fear I’d be a cockblock.
But a few days ago I found a wild hair up my ass and thus recruited a friend to march with me to Barnes and Noble. (The Seattle area has a TON of awesome comic/board game/gaming stores, but right smack downtown has diddly squat.) The mission was simple; find a co-operative board game we could both learn and struggle through together. Unfortunately the game section was teeny-tiny at B&N, but this little, sexy gem called Elder Signs was beckoning me. It wanted my babies; I wanted its. I wanted it so I put a ring on it.
Two hours later we found ourselves completely and utterly mentally exhausted BECAUSE LEARNING THE RULES OF NEW GAME REQUIRES BRAINPOWER. But at the same time it was fascinating and exciting, you know? And Elder Signs has turned out to be nothing short of a really fucking good time. I love how the game is co-operative and requires immense group planning and strategic talks before every move, not to mention it’s freakin’ brutal.
Thus, this current kick of board gameage was born. So ladies and gentlemen, if you can recommend any cooperative board games I would be in your debt. I love me a good fantasy game, and I’ve heard Lord of the Ring is really good. BUT I DON’T KNOW. Thanks for any suggestions! <33333
At PAX East I picked up Sentinels of the Multiverse. It’s a 2-5 player cooperative card/board game where the players team up to defeat a villain. It’s really easy to play and very fun!
WOOHOO! Thanks for the suggestion!
No problemo brosephine :)
Sentinels is Awesome. King of Tokyo is incredibly fun, The Duke for strategy is great. Marvel legendary is an awesome deck builder (start with 7-8 cards, then acquire new ones to grow your deck…with Marvel characters!). Rampage (based off the old VG) let’s you break stuff which is always fun. So many great board games…awesome that you got into the hobby. I’d recommend The Dice Tower and Watch it Played youTube channels…they’re awesome. And board game arena lets you play some games online for free…help you get a feel if you like the mechanics or not. If you need anything/want recs don’t hesitate to hit me up on FB…. Welcome :)
– Andrew Esposito
I have been getting into board games more and more over the past few years. One of my favorites has been “Power Grid”. Objective is to be the person who can power the most cities by the end of the game.
Awesome. Thank you!
Was recently introduced to Betrayal at House on the Hill at a tabletop night we had. Game can be highly complicated, but ultimately was quite fun. You can watch a vid of it on Wil Wheaton’s TableTop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MINNKyE4fjs
Been wondering the same question myself. What interests you more: board game style or card game style?
Soooo many games. Pandemic is a GREAT coop game. And I could list like 30 other good ones. Small world is a huge one for me right now. Dominion is a classic at this point. Settlers, ascension, race the galaxy, I could go on and on. Boardgamegeek.com is your friend
Pandemic! A lot of people have recommended that one. I’ll have to get it!
Arkham Horror by far. Team up with your buddies to clear the city of demons, and try to make sure you don’t get devoured by an Elder God. It’s even set in the same universe as Elder Signs, plus there’s a ton of expansions so it never gets old. Dozens of Elder Gods to be devoured by too, a new challenge each game!
WOOHOO! Thanks! I saw that one! YAY! :D :D :D
I’ve been on a huge board game kick over the past year. My top 5 right now are Terra Mystica, Le Havre, Castles of Burgundy, Lewis and Clark, and Bruxelles 1893. If you haven’t already, you should definitely hit up boardgamegeek and check out their top 100 list for some ideas of great games. Also look at Rahdo’s youtube channel for gameplay run-throughs. Welcome to the awesome world of board games!
Woohoo! thanks man!
lol. Most people call them table top games…board games are the monopoly and life type games. But Settlers, or as most people call it, Catan. Best game ever! I’ve played hundreds of games, never gets old. Acquire is also a great game, if we’re not playing Settlers, we’re usually playing that, though it’s tough to find a quality version…I’ve heard the ones that are readily available pretty much suck.
YES! Table top. That’s the word I was thinking of. Thank yoooooooou!
Board games have been coming back! Now that the console games pretty much can’t support split-screen. Young kids have to resort to other forms of entertainment. Board games or card games being the next best choice. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Board Games played on TableTop, especially Smash Up!, Munchkin and Small World!
I remember seeing Munchkin! Yeah, it’s a nice change of pace. :) Thanks for your input!
Played Settlers of Catan for the first time, last weekend while in Boston. I think its a great one for starters and long-time players. Pretty popular amongst all crowds and lots of fun!
Thank you! :D
Was already mentioned, but to push that further: Arkham Horror
Takes definitely time to learn the rules, but soooo worth it!
Awesome. Thanks!
Magic: the Gathering.
WARNING, however: it has a tendency to rampantly consume your cash.
So I’ve heard. Hmmmm. ;)
Bang! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang! is a favorite of mine. Really good and fun. It’s not cooperative though. Puerto Rico and 7Th Wonders are also pretty good :D
Thanks! :D
Watch a few of Wil Wheaton’s TableTop episodes on Geek & Sundry for more coop games. Your 1st pic is a damned good start tho.
Yeah? It’s something I just grabbed off of the interwebs. XD
Watch TableTop while it’s raining (oh,SNAP, you always have rain) & then hit the spring garage sales.
If you can make the trip to AFK Elixirs and Eatery in Renton, they have a board game night on Tuesday nights.
Elder Sign was one of the first games I picked up when I got back into boardgames, still sees a decent amount of table-time. If you’re still keen on cooperatives, give Pandemic and Space Alert a go. Pandemic has good player interaction, in the vein of Elder Sign, and Space Alert is frenetic panicky yelling as things go bad quicker than you can fix’em… good fun!
If you’re stepping into something with a little more teeth, a little more ‘conflict,’ try either Beowulf The Legend or K2; both are well-designed examples of what cool ideas are being expressed in boardgames nowadays. Beowulf is a nice way to start playfully smacking your friends, as there is no player elimination, so everyone is in it til the end. K2 seems simple enough, until your climbers are stuck on the face of the mountain freezing to death and the other players are yelling at you to get out of the way so they can summit and win the game. Lots of player interaction!
I recommend Shut Up & Sit Down for getting into this scene. Here are two posts that are phenomenal.
First, a short intro to boardgames for your skeptical or curious friends…
http://www.shutupandsitdown.com/videos/v/intro-boardgaming/
Next, a bit longer piece, but a well-presented look at the scene.
http://www.shutupandsitdown.com/blog/post/susd-present-board-gamings-golden-age/
Have fun!