Board (Bored?) Games!

[Tawmis]

So... I am not afraid to say it. Over all, I dislike board games. I find them pretty boring, because it feels repetitive ... How many times can you go around a Monopoly board before you lose your mind?

The last year, I've been introduced to two really great games...

BANG! The Dice Game - is a very fast, action paced game that lasts about 15 minutes, and it's non stop fun and really intense!
https://www.amazon.com/Da-Vinci-DVG-910 ... +dice+game

The other game I recently learned of was ONE NIGHT ULTIMATE WEREWOLF... This is a game about listening to see who says what - and seeing who the liar(s) are - and trying to find out who among you - if any - is the werewolf! There is an App for this game (so that you don't need an Announcer that's normally required) - so that way everyone can play (and the App is free, and includes ALL versions of the game, expansions, etc).
https://www.amazon.com/Bezier-Games-ONU ... 2QP9EKVKCP

[BBP]

Oh I love games!
Monopoly is actually a game designed to be boring until the end, I don't get why that's popular. Game Of Life, terrible. Key To The Kingdom, looks great but is nothing but luck.

But I have been on a Cluedo messageboard for years. I love Rummikub too, and checkers/chess etc.

[Rath Darkblade]

Ooh, Cluedo (or "Clue" in the USA) is fun. Unfortunately, much of it has to do with luck... for instance, you can be sure that - say - Professor Plum did it in the Hall with the Dagger, but if you're on the other side of the board, you'll be too late before someone else makes an accusation.

On the other hand, quite a lot of it has to do with deduction and so on.

Chess and checkers is lots of fun, as is backgammon. I've played chess for decades - ever since I was 4 or 5, in fact - and have played in tournaments (i.e. under time limits) for many years. It can be very competitive and very psychologically tough, even brutal. For instance, if you're playing a good player and he springs a trap on you, you're then defending in a worse position and sweating, and thinking how you can find your way out and get back on equal terms or even to spring a trap on him, etc. On the other hand, if he spots your trap and gets out of it, then it can be risky - because you've compromised yourself and made it easier for him. So there's lots of risk involved, and you're weighing up whether to take the risk or whether to try to defend and just hold on. Then the strain of defending can take its toll on your mind and tire you out, which would make it easier for your opponent to win - or, if you're tough yourself and can stand it, your opponent might tire out first and let you back into the game. It can be quite complicated, but great fun.

Speaking of risk - I believe we haven't mentioned Risk yet, or Stratego...

[BBP]

You can accuse anywhere in Cluedo of course. In Dutch rules you roll with 2 dice and are allowed to stay in a room as long as you want (there's a limit to secret passage use though) which decreases the luck element.

You know, I never could figure out how Backgammon works...

Chinese Checkers is great too!
What else? Ehm... let me get back to that when I get home...

[Rath Darkblade]

BBP, have you tried either of these before?

Risk

Stratego

[BBP]

Sure!
Haven't played Risk in a while. As you know it has lots of little bits. One day my sister decided to take that game and others to her home in Amsterdam, but we had to travel a long way by bus together first. During which the box opened and numerous armies and cards had escaped. We found a lot back, but one card is still missing:
the Middle-East.
I didn't like it much, too much dice rolling.

Stratego is the game I always lost as a kid, until I made this strategy, then I beat my sister with it and now she won't play anymore.

I'm back home now, so I'll check my game closet and update the PDFs to the Sierra wiki.

[Datadog]

LOVE Ultimate Werewolf! A friend of mine used to host a non-app version of this game at his parties.

These couple years, my wife and I befriended a board game couple who introduced us to a lot of really addictive strategy games. If you don't mind a slight learning curve and you really enjoy competitive gameplay, I really recommend these ones:

Settlers of Cataan: Apparently this one is Board Games 101, but it was new to me. Basic idea is that you assemble a random board and then forage/trade for resources in order to build towns and roads all over the island. Once you get 10 points, you win. Sounds boring when I say it out loud, but after the first time I played, I really wanted to go back and try again. It's a simple concept with a lot of strategies.

Betrayal at House on the Hill: A bit more of a steeper learning curve, but the general idea is that you pick a stat-based character, send a group of people into a haunted house, and then gradually build the board as you explore. Then, when you draw the right card, a haunting begins and one of the players is revealed to be the traitor. And the traitor will then follow a randomly-drawn story from the manual and the other players will have to fight them and their horde of zombies/demons/dragons/vampires/etc. Last time I played this, I got turned into a werewolf, and then promptly turned my wife into a werewolf so we could hunt down our friends together.

Survive - Escape from Atlantis: I pick this one as the best "screw over your friends" game I've played. Each player has ten people on a sinking island. Every turn, a piece of the island disappears, gradually dumping everyone in the ocean. Everyone has to use boats or swim for shore, all the while, sending sharks, whales and sea monsters after each other. Highly recommended, easy to learn, and fun to play.

[BBP]

We've only just unearthed our Escape From Atlantis, would you believe it?
Basic premise if you don't know the game at all: it's a game board with hexagonal squares. In the middle you assemble pieces of an island. Then you put your pawns on there. In my older game, there are 12 per person. And you put down 2 to 4 boats depending on the number of players. On your turn, you may move your pawns 3 moves in total (a swimming pawn may move only 1), then you break off a piece of the island, on the bottom of that is a picture of a sea monster, boat or whirlpool, and you act accordingly. Sea monsters may gulf up boats and/or people, a boat will give you an extra boat, and a whirlpool kills all the islands, boats, monsters and pawns around it.
A pawn isn't safe until it's on one of the corners.
Players on their turn move their pawns, break off the island and move one of the sea monsters. It usually depends on your game environment what you do with the sea monsters. If you play kind and move them out of the way, you're likely to have a boring game, and only be able to save about 50% of the pawns on the board. There's not going to be much left once you'll let the seamonsters play!

We bought a 60s James Bond board game second-hand years ago - without instructions.
Last week I found a version with instructions. Turns out to be a luck-based mission game.

[Rath Darkblade]

I played Munchkin (a card game) a few times a while back. It's a very fun game.

[Tawmis]

Oh I love games!
Monopoly is actually a game designed to be boring until the end, I don't get why that's popular. Game Of Life, terrible. Key To The Kingdom, looks great but is nothing but luck.
But I have been on a Cluedo messageboard for years. I love Rummikub too, and checkers/chess etc.

A lot of games are just luck, when it comes to board games.

Ooh, Cluedo (or "Clue" in the USA) is fun. Unfortunately, much of it has to do with luck... for instance, you can be sure that - say - Professor Plum did it in the Hall with the Dagger, but if you're on the other side of the board, you'll be too late before someone else makes an accusation.
On the other hand, quite a lot of it has to do with deduction and so on.

I've always loved CLUE, as a game, no matter how bad I am at it. I think because it's relatively quick; and it's not just rolling dice and going around a board. You, and everyone else is interacting with one another to find out the Who, Where and Weapon. (And it's odd that I like the game, considering, I am generally, believe it or not, a very anti-social person).

Chess and checkers is lots of fun, as is backgammon.
Speaking of risk - I believe we haven't mentioned Risk yet, or Stratego...

I used to love Chess; but like CLUE, was just never good at it. I wasn't smart enough to see things through ahead of time; but for some reason loved the strategy of it anyway.

And RISK is awesome; especially these days with all the different versions of RISK. The downside however, is RISK can be a REALLY long game. There was a time, me, my friend Charles, and Mike, and Mike's step dad, Clyde - began a game of RISK at like 5pm. We had to put it on hold at 2am, and continue the next day at like 8am which still lasted until about 2pm. (And by then, we were just being suicidal in our attacks to end the game).

Sure! Haven't played Risk in a while. I didn't like it much, too much dice rolling.

Never played D&D have you?

LOVE Ultimate Werewolf! A friend of mine used to host a non-app version of this game at his parties.

It's such a fantastic game. So glad to see someone else has heard of it.

If you get a chance, I highly recommend BANG! the Dice game... Seriously.

Settlers of Cataan: Apparently this one is Board Games 101, but it was new to me. Basic idea is that you assemble a random board and then forage/trade for resources in order to build towns and roads all over the island. Once you get 10 points, you win. Sounds boring when I say it out loud, but after the first time I played, I really wanted to go back and try again. It's a simple concept with a lot of strategies.

My work has a gaming club; this game is always played. (I don't go anymore, but still on the mail list).

Betrayal at House on the Hill: A bit more of a steeper learning curve, but the general idea is that you pick a stat-based character, send a group of people into a haunted house, and then gradually build the board as you explore. Then, when you draw the right card, a haunting begins and one of the players is revealed to be the traitor. And the traitor will then follow a randomly-drawn story from the manual and the other players will have to fight them and their horde of zombies/demons/dragons/vampires/etc. Last time I played this, I got turned into a werewolf, and then promptly turned my wife into a werewolf so we could hunt down our friends together.

I have this game; opened it up, read part of the rules, and closed it. It seems to have a pretty massive learning curve; I am sure once you play it, it's easy. But man. Everyone always talks about how awesome this game is. I may look on Youtube on how to play it.

I played Munchkin (a card game) a few times a while back. It's a very fun game.

It's a pretty silly, brainless, but fun game.

[BBP]

The key to Clue is to not just be content with what the opponents show you on your turn.
Keep track on who has what card, don't just tick it off.
Keep notes of who hasn't got a certain card.
Later on you may learn enough information to see what happened in earlier turns, and gain even more information from that.
So write down every turn.

If you have Scarlet, Lead Piping and Conservatory, opponent A asks for Plum, Lead Piping and Conservatory, and opponent B shows a card, you know opponent B must have shown Plum.
If opponent B then asks for Plum, Candlestick, Conservatory and opponent C shows a card, you know he must have had the candlestick because you have Conservatory and B has Plum.
If opponent C then asls for Plum, Candlestick, Library and player A shows a card, it must've been the library.
If player A on his first turn asked for Scarlet, Dagger, Library and nobody shows cards, you know the library is not new information he got; but keep a close eye on Scarlet and Dagger.

If player A cannot show any of the cards Peacock - Wrench - Ballroom, make a note of that. If in the same example game as above A is asked by C for Plum - Wrench - Ballroom and shows, you know it must have been the wrench, since B has Plum and A didn't have the ballroom.

Miscellaneous: there's an advantage to being the first to ask questions, so be Ms Scarlet;
Moving around opponents by suggesting them is a nice way to get them out of the way of a crime scene;
Keep a card, preferably a suspect (unless it's you) hidden ; don't show that one until you have to.
Remember everybody has a fixed number of cards.
Remember your opponents aren't stupid,if you have time, try to keep track of what they know.

And that's about it. No way can you summarize chess strategies like this!

We just started a round of Clue at the Clue forum!

[Tawmis]

The key to Clue is to not just be content with what the opponents show you on your turn.
Keep track on who has what card, don't just tick it off.
Keep notes of who hasn't got a certain card.
Later on you may learn enough information to see what happened in earlier turns, and gain even more information from that.
So write down every turn.

Oh, rest assured, I write everything down... and do exactly this:

If you have Scarlet, Lead Piping and Conservatory, opponent A asks for Plum, Lead Piping and Conservatory, and opponent B shows a card, you know opponent B must have shown Plum.
If opponent B then asks for Plum, Candlestick, Conservatory and opponent C shows a card, you know he must have had the candlestick because you have Conservatory and B has Plum.
If opponent C then asls for Plum, Candlestick, Library and player A shows a card, it must've been the library.
If player A on his first turn asked for Scarlet, Dagger, Library and nobody shows cards, you know the library is not new information he got; but keep a close eye on Scarlet and Dagger.

If player A cannot show any of the cards Peacock - Wrench - Ballroom, make a note of that. If in the same example game as above A is asked by C for Plum - Wrench - Ballroom and shows, you know it must have been the wrench, since B has Plum and A didn't have the ballroom.

And sometimes it pays off, sometimes my CLUE book looks like two pencils engaged in bloody war, and bled lead all over my paper.

Miscellaneous: there's an advantage to being the first to ask questions, so be Ms Scarlet;

Weird. Is it in the rules that Ms. Scarlett goes first? We've always done, roll the D6 and whoever has the highest roll goes first, then clockwise from that person.

[Datadog]

I have this game; opened it up, read part of the rules, and closed it. It seems to have a pretty massive learning curve; I am sure once you play it, it's easy. But man. Everyone always talks about how awesome this game is. I may look on Youtube on how to play it.

I can see that happening. The worst part about the game is figuring out the battles, and I always dread it when a newcomer becomes the traitor because then we have to keep explaining to them how to defeat us. It's worth getting over the curve just to give it a few goes, though.

One I just thought of is Dead of Winter. In this one you play as a group of survivors in the middle of a winter zombie apocalypse. Each player controls 2 survivors, you hole up in a shack, and you each take turns going on supply runs, setting up barriers, trying to reach different objectives each round, all the while hoping you don't roll a zombie bite. And while the goal is to survive the winter in ten rounds, each survivor is given a secret (sometimes traitorous) objective, meaning you have to determine if your fellow survivors are trying to help you or planning to kill you. Learning curve is about medium on this one, but one game can last up to three hours.

[BBP]

Game has progressed like mad at the Clue(do) forum. At my second suggestion nobody could disprove.

[Tawmis]

So along the lines of CLUE...

So I've made mention of my love of the movie CLUE (and my dislike of the idea of a remake) - and while flying to Cancun, I had filmed the clouds in the sky, which then reminded me of the opening of CLUE... which led to... this... very random silliness. My friends have a HORROR podcast that they do; so I posted it on their Facebook page. Other than myself, Maico, and my wife (Amiee), the other names mentioned are either a part of the Creepy Kitch podcast or active members on their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/thomaslogue/vi ... 987044783/