"New" Board Games

[ShakeNBakes]

Originally Posted by Evil Robot from Berzerk

Any recommendations on good party games, for a group of 10-12 people? So far I've got Cranium, the new Taboo, Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, Scattegories, and Wits & Wagers. Wasn't too sure if Apples to Apples looked all that fun or would fit our number of people.

Apples to Apples is a great game. And it gets even funnier after a couple cocktails.

Another good one for a group is Catch Phrase (not sure if it's already been mentioned). We usually play dudes vs ladies, and it gets pretty intense.

[Person Man]

We got Shadows Over Camelot for Christmas, and played it twice. It's a fun game, where each player takes the role of a Knight of the Round Table trying to win quests to earn White Swords. Quests that are lost earn Black Swords. When there are 12 or more swords in total, the game ends and the group wins if there are a majority of white swords, and lose if there are more or the same number of black swords. There are a few other ways the knights can lose, which makes it feel like you're never safe even when the team is doing very well.

In addition, one of the players may have randomly been assigned the role of Traitor. His objective is to conceal his identity while working to make the team lose. This adds a great element to the game.

The only quibble is that there are a lot of rules, and the rulebook is quite confusing. We played it once with a smaller group, and we did a lot of things wrong. The second time we played with a larger group, and I tried to explain it in a simplified way but they got lost before I was halfway through. The learning curve is quite steep, but once we felt like we knew what we were doing it was a lot of fun. The basic actions on each player's turn don't take very long so once a plan is set in motion the pace of playing is great.

If you like board games enough to get past the confusing rules, I highly recommend it.

[strategygamer]

p-man, i disagree about camelot.
even without a traitor, it is very difficult for the "good guys" to win, since you have to do the "bad thing" every turn, and some of the "bad" cards are really nasty. if the "good guys" can get the holy grail finished then you have a chance. i haven't played it in years so my memory may not be perfect, but i remember it was impossible for the heros to win.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by strategygamer

p-man, i disagree about camelot.
even without a traitor, it is very difficult for the "good guys" to win, since you have to do the "bad thing" every turn, and some of the "bad" cards are really nasty. if the "good guys" can get the holy grail finished then you have a chance. i haven't played it in years so my memory may not be perfect, but i remember it was impossible for the heros to win.

We've played it a few more times since Christmas, and the more we learn about it, the better we do. We've won once, with no traitor, and another time we very nearly won despite getting horrible luck with the "bad" cards and having a traitor.

You really have to coordinate everyone's actions for maximum benefit, and certain knights are more suited to go on certain quests. If the team is going after the grail, Arthur should always be there. Kay is best for fighting siege engines.

One thing I've been reading is that it gets easier the more players you have, because there are more cards that do something good for every player than there are cards that do something bad to every player.

[otley]

I picked up "Loot" and "Bananagrams" from various family members this Christmas. Loot is great, easy to learn, and quick to play. Bananagrams is still sealed in the banana-bag.

[3.14]

I got Pandemic, a cooperative board game that involves racing around the world trying to clamp down on disease outbreaks while finding cures. I'm not a huge fan of cooperative games, but this one's pretty good.

I also got a German card game, Sticheln, which we're enjoying.

[Tim><]

Originally Posted by Ultimate Anyone?

Any other recommendations for good 2 player games that have the potential to be expanded to 3/4/5 players?

(And I'm not looking for "technically it works for 2 players, but it's not that great" game - Killer Bunnies seems to fit in that group.)

I never saw this thread. I'm a board gamer (own 50+, have played 150+). My favorite game is a card game called Race for the Galaxy. It plays fantastically as a 2 player game, but up to 4 can play for a fantastic time as well. There is an expansion out for the game that allows solo or 5 player play. Solo is a different game - some people love it, but I'm not a big fan. The next expansion will add a 6th player.

I haven't read this whole thread, so it may have already been mentioned. There is a website - boardgamegeek.com. This is the definitive online resource for boardgamers. There are tons of information on all boardgames. Games are ranked as games and as wargames. There are more than 10K active users. There is even an online marketplace. You can find reviews, descriptions, rules clarifications, variants, pictures, etc . . . With this resource, you will have little need to post here for boardgame questions - although you always can if you want an actuary's opinion.

[Tim><]

Oh - and games are also rated based on the number of players playing. For example, Power Grid is a Top 3 game - but is not a good game with 2 players even though the rules allow for it.

[Tim><]

Originally Posted by strategygamer

no. for the most part they don't exist. i honestly can't think of a game that is good with 2 but can be played with more than 2.

3 games that I play regularly are good with both 2 players and more.

1) Race for the Galaxy - in print
2) Dominion - in print
3) Goa - rare and hard to get

There is a thread somewhere in boardgamegeek that addresses this very question.

[Tim><]

Originally Posted by Rockhound

Anyone played Caylus with 2?

I have. I should add it to my list of games for 2 or more, but some people say Caylus plays best with 2.