Official CAG board/card game topic. From Dominion to Battlestar we gots it all!

The one thing about Tobago to keep in mind is that it's a somewhat light game (as far as euro's go) but it doesn't feel like a short game. I recall 1.5 hours for 2 player games, granted a lot of that was learning.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']The one thing about Tobago to keep in mind is that it's a somewhat light game (as far as euro's go) but it doesn't feel like a short game. I recall 1.5 hours for 2 player games, granted a lot of that was learning.[/QUOTE]

Yeah most things I read generally made it sound like the game would take at least an hour to play, but we do not have many long/lengthy games right now that we like so it might be a nice change of pace. As for light vs heavy in general we prefer light, so no biggie.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Anyone ever played Tobago? My wife has a birthday coming up and I think I am going to get it for her. She is a big fan of clue and when we watched a review for it awhile back she got excited because she thought it kind of looked like a deeper version of clue.[/QUOTE]

Logic-wise it's nowhere near as deep as clue, but I do like Tobago a lot. It's got a great system for finding the hidden treasures, and the board and pieces are all very cool.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']I semi-recently got Reiner Knizia's Medici from amazon.com, entirely because I got the iPhone app and like it a lot. Anyway, it's great and a pretty nice looking game too. FYI, the game you get does not look like what's pictured at amazon (or at least not how it was depicted when I ordered - haven't checked since). It looks much better and is more like the iPhone app, in terms of look. The scoring is a little cumbersome to do by hand at first, I have to admit, but I'll get better with time. Really it's more trying to explain the scoring that's cumbersome. I've got friends coming over Friday and will play it with them then. Only played it once with family so far. I'm going to print a scoring summary sheet with a bit more detail then the manual, as understanding what you're working toward, score-wise, is pretty important.[/QUOTE]

This is demanded weekly at my board game night. They've worked out the early bugs, and the game is really fun once the difficult-to-grasp scoring gets worked out. Love the art, the music, and most of all the simple, yet deep gameplay.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Does Tobago work well as a 2 person game though, or do you really need 3 or 4 to play?[/QUOTE]

You can certainly play with 2, but it gets more interesting when you're splitting up treasures with more players
 
I picked up Mr. Jack a couple weeks ago. We've only had a chance to play it once, but I liked it. I think the wife's going to need another time or two to really dig into it.

I haven't picked up any other full games, but in the meantime, I've been grabbing the following iphone versions to try things out.

  • Neuroshima Hex
  • Kinzia's Samurai
  • Roll Through the Ages
  • Button Men
  • Ingenious
I've had a good time with all of them. I'm really starting to want an iPad for all the board gaming stuff, but I don't know that I can justify a $600 digital board game table :lol:
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']I picked up Mr. Jack a couple weeks ago. We've only had a chance to play it once, but I liked it. I think the wife's going to need another time or two to really dig into it.

I haven't picked up any other full games, but in the meantime, I've been grabbing the following iphone versions to try things out.

  • Neuroshima Hex
  • Kinzia's Samurai
  • Roll Through the Ages
  • Button Men
  • Ingenious
I've had a good time with all of them. I'm really starting to want an iPad for all the board gaming stuff, but I don't know that I can justify a $600 digital board game table :lol:[/QUOTE]

we are in the same position. I really do not understand why more board games are not ported to Steam, XBLA and PSN. If I could pick up virtual versions of my fav board games for $5-$15 a pop id buy dozens.
 
I'd love more xbla boardgames. The problem is, it's REALLY hard to find someone on live willing to play a game for extended period of time. Catan was a good example of that - rarely would you end a game with real players.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']I'd love more xbla boardgames. The problem is, it's REALLY hard to find someone on live willing to play a game for extended period of time. Catan was a good example of that - rarely would you end a game with real players.[/QUOTE]

I really do not mind having to play with A.I, if anything I preffer it. If I could get Catan, Carc, Small World, Blokus, Ticket to Ride, Summoner Wars, Tzaar, Yinsh, Lost Cities, Qwirkle or any of my other fav games with no online just A.I id be thrilled.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']I really do not mind having to play with A.I, if anything I preffer it. If I could get Catan, Carc, Small World, Blokus, Ticket to Ride, Summoner Wars, Tzaar, Yinsh, Lost Cities, Qwirkle or any of my other fav games with no online just A.I id be thrilled.[/QUOTE]

Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and Lost Cities are all on XBLA with AI. Blokus, Catan, and Carcassone have good ipod/iPhone implementations (especially Carc). From what I hear, the iPad version of Small World is fantastic. I love having these other ways to play available. I just wish I had that iPad to get the best of them.
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and Lost Cities are all on XBLA with AI. Blokus, Catan, and Carcassone have good ipod/iPhone implementations (especially Carc). From what I hear, the iPad version of Small World is fantastic. I love having these other ways to play available. I just wish I had that iPad to get the best of them.[/QUOTE]

Problem is that I view the Xbox and Iphone as huge wastes of money. The RRoD led to me giving up on the 360 a long time ago(it is stupid to keep buying the system over and over), and the Iphone is just ridiculously over priced. I am not paying $300 to play board games on a tiny screen.....
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Problem is that I view the Xbox and Iphone as huge wastes of money. The RRoD led to me giving up on the 360 a long time ago(it is stupid to keep buying the system over and over), and the Iphone is just ridiculously over priced. I am not paying $300 to play board games on a tiny screen.....[/QUOTE]

ipod touch? :lol: That's what I have right now, anyways, and I'm loving it on the boardgame front. Just picked up Kingsburg today since it was on sale. The AI seems a bit easy, but I like the gameplay (once I figured it out)
 
I finally got to play Ticket to Ride (and Ticket to Ride Europe) this weekend and really liked them. Does anyone know if there's an active online community for the XBLA Ticket to Ride? Trying to decide whether to buy it on XBLA, or go with the Days of Wonder download (PC/Mac) version. I'm guessing the latter has the more active community, but I don't know. Both offer a few expansions and seem to be the same price.
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']ipod touch? :lol: That's what I have right now, anyways, and I'm loving it on the boardgame front. Just picked up Kingsburg today since it was on sale. The AI seems a bit easy, but I like the gameplay (once I figured it out)[/QUOTE]

How much did it run you? In general most of the ipod touches I have seen have been grossly overpriced for what they are. I got my current 8 gig walkman for like $35 and when I looked at Ipod touches at the time they were still like $200! If I could pick one up for around $80ish id gladly pay double the price for the board gaming abilty...but paying 5-6x as much is insane.

@crunch - Last time I played TTR on XBLA there were not many people online, do not know if that has changed or not. HOWEVER if you go to the site of the game maker(Days of Wonder)they have a way that you can play online with your PC. Last time I looked the downloadable PC version on their site was free when you registered your game on the site.
 
Well, mine (32gb 3rd gen) was technically free. My dad got one, thought it was too complicated, and gave it to me in exchange for my older ipod. If you don't mind an older generation, you might be able to snag one for $100-$150. I hadn't realized how much even older models were still going for. Kind of ridiculous. I suppose if you're not upgrading anyways, it's probably not worth it, but I've really enjoyed being able to play these games anywhere whenever I have ten minutes or so. Maybe if you "accidentally" dropped your current mp3 player in a garbage disposal, you could make a convincing case for a new ipod touch? :twisted:
 
The iPod touch is not just an mp3 player. Comparing it to an MP3 Walkman is a bit silly IMHO.

I did check out Days of Wonder's site. I think I'm going to go that route for online Ticket to Ride. The download version also has solo vs AI. Not sure how good that is.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']The iPod touch is not just an mp3 player. Comparing it to an MP3 Walkman is a bit silly IMHO.

I did check out Days of Wonder's site. I think I'm going to go that route for online Ticket to Ride. The download version also has solo vs AI. Not sure how good that is.[/QUOTE]

The vs A.I was ok. As for the Ipod...yes, I know it does apps and games as well, but realistically it is not enough to justify paying several times over the expense of a normal MP3 player. I mean is playing quicky games and apps truely worth paying 5x as much?
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']The vs A.I was ok. As for the Ipod...yes, I know it does apps and games as well, but realistically it is not enough to justify paying several times over the expense of a normal MP3 player. I mean is playing quicky games and apps truely worth paying 5x as much?[/QUOTE]

It depends on what you want the device for. If all you want is to play MP3 (or other file-format music), then obviously it doesn't make a lot of sense to buy an iPod touch. Anyway, this has gotten off topic.

On topic, I hope Days of Wonder brings their games to the iPhone/iPod touch. Seems like an obvious thing to do.
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and Lost Cities are all on XBLA with AI. Blokus, Catan, and Carcassone have good ipod/iPhone implementations (especially Carc). From what I hear, the iPad version of Small World is fantastic. I love having these other ways to play available. I just wish I had that iPad to get the best of them.[/QUOTE]

The iPad version of Small World is amazing, but it's limited to AI vs. or a 2 player game, at least for the time being. Even with that limitation, it rules.

Medici on the iPad is so awesome that it hurts. Up to 6 players, and great graphics and sound.

Is the iPad/iPod Touch worth it for board gaming alone? Probably not. Is it worth it for everything else rolled in? I sure think so.
 
FYI: There's a free expansion (Necromancer Island) to Small World available in limited quantities at local game stores. It's free with the purchase of either the base game or the new Be Not Afraid Expansion. I'm likely finally going to pick up Small World since my local place set aside the freebie for me.
 
I ordered Dominion off amazon a few days ago. Looking forward to it getting here, finally got tired of playing it at a friends house only, so took the plunge.
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']FYI: There's a free expansion (Necromancer Island) to Small World available in limited quantities at local game stores. It's free with the purchase of either the base game or the new Be Not Afraid Expansion. I'm likely finally going to pick up Small World since my local place set aside the freebie for me.[/QUOTE]

*runs around like a chicken with his head cut off*

Ok I am seriously that excited right now. A new expansion, a box to keep all these extra expansion chits in , another limited edition expansion for ordering the first AND AND AND on top off all of that Small World is now playable on their website! I have enjoyed having an online version of Ticket to Ride for awhile but Small World online = 10x better.
 
Picked up Small World today (along with my freebie) and gave it a go with my not-so-much-a-boardgame-player friend. It wasn't the most exciting game as we were figuring things out, and we probably didn't play it 100% correct, but now that I have my feet wet, I'm looking forward to giving it some more playtime.
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']FYI: There's a free expansion (Necromancer Island) to Small World available in limited quantities at local game stores. It's free with the purchase of either the base game or the new Be Not Afraid Expansion. I'm likely finally going to pick up Small World since my local place set aside the freebie for me.[/QUOTE]

You can also get it free with purchase of Be Not Afraid through the Days of Wonder store, and they give you the missing catapult piece from the other. Not terribly exciting, but good if your local shop doesn't happen to have this available. I got them delivered the other day, now I'm just waiting for my group to play it! They both look like fun.
 
Borders was having a 33% off sale on all boardgames, so I picked up a copy of Risk 2210. While I was really eyeing a Game of Thrones, I've been weening a few friends into board gaming and wanted to keep it simple.
 
[quote name='plasticbathmonki']Borders was having a 33% off sale on all boardgames, so I picked up a copy of Risk 2210. While I was really eyeing a Game of Thrones, I've been weening a few friends into board gaming and wanted to keep it simple.[/QUOTE]

Heh I love the episode of King of the Hill your sig is based on....I may have to watch that now.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Picked up the new Civilization but still no time to play it.[/QUOTE]

When you do play it let us know! I am a huge Civ fan, so I am interested in the board game!
 
Got Qwirkle for my b-day over the weekend. I quite enjoyed it. It's a bit tougher than the colors and shapes on the box would leave you to believe.
 
Had some early Christmasing yesterday. Came away with Castle Panic, 10 Days in Europe, and Pandemic. Played a solitaire game of Castle Panic to get myself acquainted before I try it out on other people, and it was pretty cool. Think tower defense as a board game, and add in some co-op.
 
[quote name='Over easy']What's everyone's opinion on the Dominion expansions? I got the original and am looking to add more.[/QUOTE]

Well it depends on what you are looking for. Personally all I wanted from Dominion was more cards, but the expansion packs added more/new rules/ways to play the game which was the last thing I wanted. I never bought any of them because to us Dominion was always a fast/simple game with a basic premise, we just wanted more cards to play with...not a whole new rule set with every expansion.
 
Played Dixit with my wife, my sister, and her husband last night. Everyone loved it. I was looking for something to supplant Apples to Apples and the like as a party game (I hate party games in general because they usually require you to act dumber than you are), and this nailed it. The artwork is beautiful, and the game requires you to be clever and creative. If anyone here is looking for something to play with a group of 4-6, grab this game. Here's a good video review
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Well it depends on what you are looking for. Personally all I wanted from Dominion was more cards, but the expansion packs added more/new rules/ways to play the game which was the last thing I wanted. I never bought any of them because to us Dominion was always a fast/simple game with a basic premise, we just wanted more cards to play with...not a whole new rule set with every expansion.[/QUOTE]

As I said earlier, I got the Prosperity expansion. I haven't opened it yet because it really wasn't the one I wanted. I really wanted Intrigue, because like you said, I want more cards. I don't need a whole new set of rules. But I feel bad because my GF bought it for me. So we'll see what happens there.

I've played Ticket to Ride: Europe two nights in a row now. I like the game, still getting a feel for strategy and such, but I have a feeling this will be the game of choice for a while now. Well, depending on how the whole Dominion thing works out.
 
I got Ticket to Ride and the 1910 expansion for it (which is a nice improvement for sure), as well as Reiner Knizia's Samurai for Xmas. TTR is an awesome game and it's pretty accessible such that my kids can play it too, plus they like the trains. :)

RK's Samurai is a really beautiful game, and a great game, and while it's not nearly as easy to get the strategy for, my kids 8 and 9.8) seemed to have fun with it anyway. Not sure if that will last. One big problem was that I foolishly let my 8 year old help punch out the counters and one of them ended up with a ripped backing. :( Rio Grande Games' website says they'll replace a damaged piece for free, though not sure if this qualifies since we damaged it. Hopefully they're lenient.
 
The only game I've played since Christmas is Ticket to Ride: Europe. Pretty fun game, goes by quick too when you have people familiar with it.
 
I think the main Dominion expansions that add "new rules" are Seaside and Alchemy. Intrigue adds more cards and a lot more player interaction, Prosperity adds more cards and lots of money - I was getting hands with 10, 12, 15 or more money to spend with no problem - but I don't recall too many new rules.
There's a free, no-frills, single player with AI version you can download and play to try all the decks, I can't remember its name but I can look for it if you want.

I got Simpsons Scene It [huge Simpsons fan] and Space Hulk: Death Angel for Christmas. Space Hulk is a lot of game in a little box, and plays 1-6 players co-op to travel through a spaceship infested with aliens. It's sort of a pain to set up, but actually plays pretty easily and in less than 45 min if people know how to play. You're somewhat limited, each combat team only has three actions to choose from [Attack, Support, Move/Activate], and you can't do the same one you did last turn; and each of them has some special feature [one character can attack three times, another team can counterattack as a defense], so there's definitely some strategy to it. So far I'm 1 and 1; victorious [with two marines left, out of six] in the solo, and got slammed in the final round of the two player game.
Simpsons Scene It is, well, exactly like it sounds.
 
[quote name='dtcarson']I think the main Dominion expansions that add "new rules" are Seaside and Alchemy. Intrigue adds more cards and a lot more player interaction, Prosperity adds more cards and lots of money - I was getting hands with 10, 12, 15 or more money to spend with no problem - but I don't recall too many new rules.
There's a free, no-frills, single player with AI version you can download and play to try all the decks, I can't remember its name but I can look for it if you want.

I got Simpsons Scene It [huge Simpsons fan] and Space Hulk: Death Angel for Christmas. Space Hulk is a lot of game in a little box, and plays 1-6 players co-op to travel through a spaceship infested with aliens. It's sort of a pain to set up, but actually plays pretty easily and in less than 45 min if people know how to play. You're somewhat limited, each combat team only has three actions to choose from [Attack, Support, Move/Activate], and you can't do the same one you did last turn; and each of them has some special feature [one character can attack three times, another team can counterattack as a defense], so there's definitely some strategy to it. So far I'm 1 and 1; victorious [with two marines left, out of six] in the solo, and got slammed in the final round of the two player game.
Simpsons Scene It is, well, exactly like it sounds.[/QUOTE]

OOOOO I did not know they did a Simpsons scene it! Outside a video game themed scene it that sounds about as up my ally as up my ally gets!
 
If there's one near you check Kohl's, surprisingly enough. Their scene it games are 11.99 or so now. You might have to dig through tons of Twilight versions. It's on the website too, but in the stores [at least that I saw] they have the Deluxe edition, which has pewter tokens and a few more trivia cards, I think.
 
I read somewhere that this is how they grouped all the Dominion games:

Casual/little to no TCG experience/money based:
Dominion
Seaside

Hardcore/TCG experience/interaction based:
Intrigue
Alchemy
Prosperity

It seems like it's all based on style and preference of play. Anyway, I ordered Seaside from Amazon since it was only $21. If I like it enough, I'll pick up the other expansions in due time.

Also, I played Battlestar several months ago, and it was a great. Turned out one of my friends was also a fan of the show, which helped getting my other friends hooked on the TV series and the game. Context and background helps tremendously in getting new people to play.
 
[quote name='plasticbathmonki']Tomorrow night will be my first stab at Dominion. Any tips that I should know? The rules seem very straight forward.[/QUOTE]

Biggest tip I can give is focus on cards that combo together. There is no point in being able to draw 50 cards if none of them provide you with money. Balance things out between drawing cards, getting coins and playing cards. Also get rid of your low coins when possible and buy the high coins. You are better off having 1 3 point coin then 3(hell id even say 4-5)1 point coin. Reason being is you do not want to use a card that lets you draw 3 new cards and get flooded with crappy 1 point cards.
 
Well I ended up returning Dominion Prosperity. Well, it was ordered from Amazon, so it's gonna take a while, but I plan on getting Intrigue once everything is sorted.

Lego Creationary is a fun little party game, especially if you like Legos. It's a little slower paced than say Pictionary, but it's more enjoyable just for the building aspect.

Simpsons Scene It is also very fun if you like those games and the Simpsons.
 
So I got a chance to run through Dominion a few times. All-in-all, I enjoyed it. The rules are simple enough to run through without any confusion. The only card I'm not particularly fond of is the Moat. I think my group is going to establish a table rule that you have to discard it if you use it as a reaction. It just seems weird that you hold on to it after you play it. Other than that, a good time was had by all.
 
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