Checkmate, Bitches! The Chess and other Board Games Thread

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Sun Mar 31, 2019 6:01 pm

That's a pretty good selection with varied mechanics.

I've played Small World. I had fun, but after a handful of plays I was ready to move on. Even with all of its potential expansions to the board and races, it's a bit repetitive.

I've heard nothing but great things about Flash Point. Coincidentally, a buddy of mine mentioned he acquired it recently and was excited to play it with his step-kids.

I wouldn't be turned off by a 3-4 hour game like Eldritch Horror, or any game for that matter. Usually it just means there is a deliberate long term set of objectives built in with enough options for players to be really involved in the necessary long term strategy of it all. It's immersive and fun. Look into Terraforming Mars. It takes a few hours, but is sooo worth playing.

Be turned off by The Campaign for North Africa . That looks like the most unnecessary game ever created.

My plays these past couple weeks:

[+] spoiler: Railroad Rivals - Tile flipping game with an auction and stock mechanic. You have to connect sides of tiles with common train companies and then "deliver" cubes to increase their worth. Ultimately, a bit stale without the expansion because of "runaway leader" issues.

Skull King - a pirate themed Spades. Super fun and swingy with wild interaction.

Brass: Birmingham - Late 1800s route building and economic game. Build, upgrade, and sell your industries, amongst other things. Will probably be the 2018 Game of the Year in Board Game Geek.

Mountains of Madness - Light co-op game where everyone arrives to and slowly ascends a mountain, collecting relics, and eventually escapes by plane. Hysterical in that each turn each person has to adhere to a "madness" card that only they can know. It affects how you'd interact with other players. Example: "Only talk with your tongue touching the roof of your mouth."

Just One - Party game where a player chooses a number that corresponds to a word. All other players write one word as a clue for that player to guess the word. The catch? If players choose the same "clue" word, then it's disqualified.

Mombasa - Medium-Heavy game where you buy into corporations expanding their influence in Africa. Lots of things to do and pay attention to. It was a long game, but very, very fun.

Captains of the Gulf - Pick up and delivery game set in the Gulf of Mexico where you fish for crab, shrimp, and oysters. Unfortunately, this game was created by a friend of the dude I played with and definitely needed some stuff added to it. It literally had copycat turns in the first few rounds and didn't enable varied strategies. The concept was neat, but it was fiddly.

Wits and Wagers - Party game where a question is read with a numbered answer. (Ex. What is the total amount of presidents who are left handed?) Then each player writes a number down -- whether it's an answer they think is right or another to throw others off. Each number is arranged numerically on the table and every player wages $100 and $200 on what the correct answer will be without going over. (Price is Right style) Like 15 questions are asked and the person with the most money wins.

Also, I've made friends with a couple dudes who have a well known boardgaming podcast. (Brawling Brothers, if you're curious) Met them at a meetup at the local board game pizzeria and got to talking. Very likely I'll appear on an episode in the future. So that's cool. They are trying to get me to go to Columbus in June for Origins Game Fair, but I'm already running Ragnar Niagara a week and a half prior and I think that week my girlfriend's brother is coming to visit.

blundercrush · Post by **blundercrush** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 6:45 pm

Root is a game I've recently picked up, and it is currently my favorite game and one of the greatest board games i've ever played. It's a multiplayer PvP game where each faction has a completely different set of mechanics in how they gain points. However, because each faction plays differently, if you have 3-4 people of similar skill level, the game can change completely based on what faction you play, who you play against, and where you are relative to other players in turn order.

In a lot of multiplayer games like this, it's really easy for 2 people to get ahead and just feast off of the 3rd person, but in this game, if someone is determined to mess you up, there is almost no chance you can actively fight off 2 people. So you are incentivized to help even the person who's behind, because you know they can help the other person. The other person also knows that, and will help the person behind as well, to help make sure the third person doesn't actively help against them. This fosters a certain amount of cohesion amongst all 3 players, but everyone is still fighting one another to (what feels like) a quick end game. Most decisions can be thought about during other players turns, so you aren't just spending your entire turn figuring out what you want to do (the exceptions to this become extremely noticeable when they do pop up).

The art is awesome. This game is really dark and morbid in it's mechanics, but the art and color really help bring it to life and take the edge off. The theme is woodland animals battling for domination of the forest (think Redwall the book series) (the river otters are basically slave traders, the cats are the Empire and the Birds are...well not the rebels. The Woodland Alliance are ostensibly the rebels, but when they rebel they blow everything and everyone up). There is no back and forth when trading, you are just forced to exchange when the game calls for it.

The game is definitely not perfect. It is a really advanced game. I can't really recommend it for kids under 14-16 depending on the kid (or frankly for anyone who hasn't really played board games before). The last turn in a tight game can drag on for what feels like forever. All of the players being on approximately the same skill level is SUPER important for the enjoyment of this game, or if there is someone who is better, they have to play it in such a way that they don't just crush the other 2 people. The decision trees get complicated in a hurry, and can feel overwhelming at the start (though the mechanics themselves are pretty simple, and you get a board that you can just follow step by step to go through your turn)

TLDR: Super awesome, deep board game. Cute woodland animals fight to the death. Don't recommend complete noobs

(quick edit: if you decide to pick this up, there are definitely official rules balances from the developers to help fix the game, a new expansion is coming out soonish with the fixes included)

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:36 pm

Well, BC, have I got news for you!

There's a day left to hop on before it ends.

Edit:

Root cleaned up huge in the Board Game Geek 'Golden Geek' Awards including game of the year.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:16 am

Amazon sale today
https://www.amazon.com/s/browse/ref=gbp ... 4e1c0efebe

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:19 am

Yup, coincides with every last weekend in April because that's the typical "International Tabletop Day." However, Geek and Sundry decided to bogart the day and change it to June 1st because they're better than us.

Targi is a fantastic 2 player game.

Kingdomino is a great family game.

Game of Thrones Catan is really good at that price.

Twilight Imperium is SUPER good at that price.

Wasteland Express Delivery Service isn't too bad at that price.

Only thing on my list that I see is Auztralia. It looked interesting when I saw the Heavy Cardboard playthrough. However, I have so many unplayed games that adding that one seems like water money.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:23 am

I'll be in Columbus, Ohio in June for Origins Game Fair.

My board gaming podcast friends are having their "Mashup Meetup" with other board gaming podcast friends. I was invited along so I figure why the hell not?

Cool thing is that they have military pricing for the 5 day event of $35. So I'm excited.

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:01 pm

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:16 am Amazon sale today
https://www.amazon.com/s/browse/ref=gbp ... 4e1c0efebe

Thanks for the heads up. And your comments too, Johnnie. 8 new games/expansions on the way.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:05 pm

Niiiice. That's what I like to read!

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:13 pm

Same. Grabbed Kingdomino on your rec.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:02 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:23 am I'll be in Columbus, Ohio in June for Origins Game Fair.

My board gaming podcast friends are having their "Mashup Meetup" with other board gaming podcast friends. I was invited along so I figure why the hell not?

Cool thing is that they have military pricing for the 5 day event of $35. So I'm excited.

All that getting shot at (verbally)by hostiles (superiors) finally paying off!

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:52 pm

Free same-day shipping from Amazon. When you absolutely need your new games right away.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:28 am

You made some excellent choices.

Scotland Yard is a really cool hidden movement game. Castle Panic is a great "defend the tower" co-op. And Takenoko is great for set collection and route making with a fun theme.

I have not played Pandemic: The Cure, but I've played other Pandemics and that's probably the best "gateway game" the hobby has.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:47 am

phxgators wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:52 pm Free same-day shipping from Amazon. When you absolutely need your new games right away.

My local game store has free same-day pickup.

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:30 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:28 am You made some excellent choices.

Scotland Yard is a really cool hidden movement game. Castle Panic is a great "defend the tower" co-op. And Takenoko is great for set collection and route making with a fun theme.

I have not played Pandemic: The Cure, but I've played other Pandemics and that's probably the best "gateway game" the hobby has.

Yeah, we really enjoy the standard Pandemic. We've got a 6 foot long sofa table with two shelves, it was 75% full of games before this. Now just have to find the time to get to these.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Fri Apr 26, 2019 12:21 pm

phxgators wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:30 pm
Johnnie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:28 am You made some excellent choices.

Scotland Yard is a really cool hidden movement game. Castle Panic is a great "defend the tower" co-op. And Takenoko is great for set collection and route making with a fun theme.

I have not played Pandemic: The Cure, but I've played other Pandemics and that's probably the best "gateway game" the hobby has.
Yeah, we really enjoy the standard Pandemic. We've got a 6 foot long sofa table with two shelves, it was 75% full of games before this. Now just have to find the time to get to these.

Just curious, how is Pandemic: The Cure different from the original, which involved curing a pandemic?

I think I'd like to try the Save the Roman Empire version though. And the whole concept of cooperative games is awesome.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Fri Apr 26, 2019 2:07 pm

I was seriously trying to come up with an RSmith joke, but couldn't.

Looks like this version is dice based:

The Rome one does look pretty cool. I own Iberia. Its theme revolves around the Spanish Flu and has incredible artwork.

Co-op games are really cool because it gets non gamers into playing games. There's no stress on the newer player to "attack" friends or get worried they are making the wrong move.

But they can suffer from a "quarterbacking" problem where there's an always obvious optimal move and then personalities can take over and make the game less fun.

I highly suggest Black Orchestra in that case. I chatted upthread about it, but it's a co-op where you're a Nazi trying to plot to kill Hitler. The way the game was developed they remove aspects of quarterbacking (not making moves obvious) and creating stress within the game that everyone feels. Plus the flow of the game is storyline based with historical events. I had a great time and we killed Hitler.

Another co-op I've heard really, really good things about is Spirit Island. I haven't played, but it looks really cool. You play as a spirit on an island (huh, weird) and everyone uses their asymmetric powers to protect the inhabitants from Invaders.

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:04 pm

Gonna need a new shelf

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:11 pm

What I have in 4x4 and 2x4:

https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/kallax-shel ... -00360144/

I suggest hitting up Board Game Geek and the board games subreddit too. There are others that might be more to your liking.

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:21 pm

We're actually hoping to finish part of our basement later this year. We've got an area along one wall that's about 10 feet long and about 16" deep that's perfect for some shelves for our games. Leaves plenty of room for growth too.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:45 pm

phxgators wrote: ↑Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:04 pm Gonna need a new shelf

Nice little collection!

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:43 pm

phxgators wrote: ↑Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:04 pm Gonna need a new shelf

That's fantastic.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon May 27, 2019 11:13 am

This is awesome. Matthew Mercer is the best.

duff · Post by **duff** » Mon May 27, 2019 1:04 pm

That was great. You could see Colbert going back in time.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Jun 05, 2019 1:57 pm

Two things:

1) I'll be in Columbus, Ohio next week to attend Origins Game Fair with my friends who podcast and their extended group of podcasters. I'm super excited. My first Con and all 5 days for military is only $35 for entry.

2) Fuck Trump. Trump’s tariffs could ruin the American board game industry

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 10:34 pm

Origins Game Fair in Columbus was awesome. From the exhibit halls, the location, the general but and atmosphere, everything. The show was just expertly done.

I got to meet basically all the YouTube and media stars in the hobby and I got to see some new games coming out soon and play lots others.

Plus, since my friends are podcasters, I didn't have to really spend money on anything. They get copies for review and then talk about them. So now I get to play all of these to assist with that. Darn!

A couple takeaways from my first Con:

Not every game is just available to buy. There were a couple games I would've purchased on the spot, but they weren't available for purchase. I get that building buzz and hype are a thing, but it seriously wouldn't have killed a couple of these publishers to have advanced copies for sale. Many of these games come out in a few weeks.

The crowd in boardgaming is many levels better than the Magic: The Gathering crowd. In terms of diversity, inclusivity, and general cleanliness. Plus, you can wander in and play games with random folks without anxiety. I was at an after hours meet up checking out games just randomly on tables and stumbled upon a teach. They asked if I wanted to play and boom. I learned a brand new game (well, to me - Navegador) and made friends. Everyone is so damn nice and welcoming.

There are SO MANY DAMN GAMES. It's a gift and a curse. A gift because there is never an ultimate be all, end all game that you have to own (because other games will have the same mechanics), but it sucks because FOMO is real. There might be a game that sells out, becomes a sleeper, and never had another print run. (Like Ginkopolis or Clockwork Wars. Those go for some $$$)

There are 2 games that I wholeheartedly endorse and suggest you buy when available: Hadara and Smartphone Inc.

The former is a cool card drafting and tableau and civilization builder game with a unique "pinwheel" mechanic and an ancient history theme.

The latter is a networking, economical and logistical game with a neat variable action mechanic where you build up your cell phone corporation. There will be a Kickstarter for it soon and after that closes, it'll be published for the masses.

Also, holy shit was Columbus awesome. That city is a hidden fucking gem and vastly underrated. North Market was phenomenal in and of itself.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 5:26 am

Two things:

1. Did you meet Wil Wheaton?
2. That’s a new thing with Columbus because...it sure didn’t use to be.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:38 am

#everytabletopinnewmexicolooksexactlylikethis

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:42 am

tennbengal wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 5:26 am Two things:

1. Did you meet Wil Wheaton?
2. That’s a new thing with Columbus because...it sure didn’t use to be.

1. Neither he, nor Becca Scott were there. But Charisma Carpenter randomly was. I walked up to her and said "I know your brother Troy in Tucson." and we shot the shit for twenty minutes.

2. Having never been, I don't have a reference, but yeah. Gentrified hard over however many years like every other city then. There are parts of Boston thanks are completely new to me when I go back.

rass wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:38 am #everytabletopinnewmexicolooksexactlylikethis

Except that one is in Ohio, tho.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:46 am

So did you travel with that runner?

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:27 am

I've had a great time in Columbus on multiple occasions.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:40 am

rass wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:46 am So did you travel with that runner?

Runner? I assure you that none of my board game friends work out.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:11 am

Johnnie wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:40 am
rass wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:46 am So did you travel with that runner?
Runner? I assure you that none of my board game friends work out.

Bahahaha

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:17 pm

Today I Learned:

Bed, Bath, and Beyond sells board games:

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/ ... =typeahead

Looks like you can get the very sought after Wingspan as well -- possibly for 20% off with free shipping.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 8:00 am

So this summer we have been aggressive at the library checking out games. Some thoughts

1.) Gloom (2nd edition)- Funny, interesting dynamic, not much for the game play.
2.) Bunny Kingdom. Really like this one. My favorite of the summer. Bet this would be way better than 1 v 1. Would consider buying this
3.) Raptor- Not one I would buy but a decent quick game with my son.
4.) Mole Rats in Space- Not that enjoyable but good game to play with my 9 year old nieces.
5.) Lords of Waterdeep : board game--This game probably gets better after a few plays and better understanding of the rules
6.) Munchkin- Understand why this game has tons of versions/add ons. Fun.

Checked out but did not play
Dice Forge
Seasons
Terraforming Mars
One Night Ultimate Daybreak
Smallworld- My son really liked this one when playing with his cousin, but I did not get time to play.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:15 am

Lords of Waterdeep is the quintessential worker placement game and one of the best gateway games for the genre. The cell phone app is also outstanding, but be sure to download it when it drops in price. It's easily one of my most played games and the expansions are necessary once you've played and understood the base game.

You're right that as you play more you'll get better. You start to look for quests that give cubes which allow you to chain quests together. And you also realize that white and purple being more 'scarce' means that your lord at the beginning of the game might be a detriment compared to other lords.

Terraforming Mars is a must own and you definitely need to try it. Although I will tell you, you'll have to budget about 3 hours for gameplay. We've played lots of times and it's never quick. Even when you remove the cards from the deck suggested in the rule book we still get to 2 hours between 3 of us.

-=-=-=-=-=-

This is what I've played recently:

Arboretum - Fun littlle rummy variant with tough decisions
The Fox and the Forest - 2 player spades variant, quick to learn and easy to play
Copenhagen - Polyomino (Tetris piece) game where you build house fronts. Really neat spacial relation puzzle with good strategy. Plus very colorful.
Rococo - Euro game about making suits and dresses. It's out of print and really sought after. (I ended up trading a couple games to get my copy on Board Game Geek.) There's hand management, set collection, and good long term strategy for accumulating victory points. Highly recommend this one.
The Revolution of 1828 - 2 player, abstract 'tug of war' where you try to collect the most delegates in the presidential election of 1828, the first real election with mudslinging. It was ok, but I couldn't grasp it immediately.
War Chest - Played a 2v2 game. You have certain character types that have particular skills. They are represented as poker chips on this diamond shaped board. You have to attack your opponents and capture areas with your marker. It's a good game, but again couldn't grasp the strategy and called it 'checkers with more steps.' No one else agreed with that, but ok.
Finca - Pretty cool set collection game that features a rondelle for acquiring fruit on the island of Mallorca. You trade in sets for victory points. If you can find a copy, definitely play it.
Space Base w/Shy Pluto Expansion - Everyone loves dice rolling game and this one sneaks in as a suitable one because it provides enough to mitigate shitty rolling. Every roll on every turn can be points or credits and you are constantly engine building on your game board. The expansion provides a small campaign that introduces new cards, dice, and scenarios.
Orleans w/Invasion Expansion - Classic Euro game that, w/expansion, becomes cooperative. Never played before, but really, really enjoyed it. There is so much going on and lots to do. Resource collection, dudes on a map, reaching in game milestones, bag building, etc. Really awesome game.

Also played Bargain Quest and Scythe. Both were decent, but I'm tired of writing. Both were really good and I want to play them again.

(Tomorrow at game night I'll be teaching Clockwork Wars. And I've also backed Isle of Cats on Kickstarter. I'm waiting for Smartphone Inc to pop up on there and I'll back that too. And next month I'll get Irish Gauge and Sorcerer City in the mail.)

Edit.

Scythe is $40 at Walmart right now because Scythe was $40 for Prime Day. Unreal deal considering MSRP is $90 and the absolute lowest I've ever seen it, exempting an anomaly like a big coupon discount at Books-A-Million, is $42.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 10:47 am

A chess grandmaster quietly rose to the top until a cheating scandal sent his career down the toilet

Apparently, this is a no-no during a tournament.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 10:49 am

Meant to bump this and mention I saw this last week.

Need Johnnie to review it.

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:15 pm

I've seen mobile versions of board games mentioned here a few times. Does anyone have a few good suggestions for games that are single player and/or can be played offline? Have a flight coming up at the end of the week and would love a new way to pass the time.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:46 pm

rass wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 10:49 am Meant to bump this and mention I saw this last week.

Need Johnnie to review it.

Target exclusive, right? I'm wet. Target + Board Games = 💦💦💦

phxgators wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:15 pm I've seen mobile versions of board games mentioned here a few times. Does anyone have a few good suggestions for games that are single player and/or can be played offline? Have a flight coming up at the end of the week and would love a new way to pass the time.

As mentioned, Lords of Waterdeep. Excellent.

Others: Suburbia, Splendor, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Ticket To Ride, Pandemic, Through The Ages, 7 Wonders.

Here's a Reddit post too. The comments will have the goods too.

https://meeplelikeus.co.uk/top-ten-best ... apps-2019/

ETA:

It was actually reviewed. Hahaha.

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:49 pm

Awesome, thanks Johnnie!