Gaming

I recently got the Stardew Valley Board Game for my birthday and it's a blast. I was never really in to board games, but I always wanted to play one that is cooperative rather than competitive. Stardew Valley still manages to be a thrilling experience and quite a challenge (at least for a novice like myself).

It might be Marrakech now that I think about it. It's not too time taking and friendly to casual players yet not completely luck based. Also placing the rugs just feel so good. Are there other board games that comes with neat little items like Marrakech?

Lately our group has been playing a lot of Betrayal at House on the Hill, wish I would have got a copy of Betrayal Legacy when it was in print. Other ones in the current rotation are Root (which I adore), and Call to Adventure. I really want to give Twilight Imperium a go, but I haven't convinced enough friends yet haha.

I mainly play abstracts nowadays for their quick setup/cleanup time - Yinsh, Hive, Blokus Duo are some of my favorites.

I really like BattleCon, a fighting game-inspired card/board game that did a really good job translating the mindgames and oki into a turn-based format. They had an online version of it but sadly halted development because they couldn't figure out how to monetize it.

I also love me some good ol' Riichi Mahjong. There's a group that brings tiles to fighting game tournaments since these are becoming cons in disguise, I got some nice hands at Combo Breaker this year.

Wiz-war!!!

Maze runner, spell slinging, death match, capture the flag game... Summon stuff, blast people, and capture treasure. Seriously so fun.

It was printed in the 90s, 2013, and is getting a less favorable reprint pretty soon.

Unfortunately I don't play as much as I use too, there are only 2 of us now, so mostly we play card games now. When the kids were still living at home - I think the Classic Clue board game was probably what we played the most. Risk, and Monopoly were also in the mix quite a bit.

We've really been enjoying Distilled a lot. It's really engaging. The irony is that it's really hard to play while drunk, but the theme of the game is distilling alcohol, so you have to drink while playing... Right?

I've also found a little indie card game called Wizards of the Grimoire that is absolutely fantastic. It scratches that Mtg itch, but without all the being poor part.

For several years we regularly played my roommates Battlestar Galactica Game. Sadly now I don't have the group for board games anymore.

I really enjoy playing Hanabi. It's a collaborative card game.

Magic Maze is a collaborative game that’s always fun. Everything is done in “silence” because you’re unable to consult with each other to escape the maze. Warning is that it could get quite chaotic

For consistent fun: Codenames, The Resistance, Secret Hitler

Recent board game which I really enjoyed: Takenoko. I loved the change in game phases.

Most chaotic fun I had years ago: Captain Sonar!

A game which has been unexpectedly evergreen for my friends and I is called Infiltration. It's a cyberpunk heist game set in the same universe as Netrunner. It's cooperative and competitive, you enter a complex where the room order is random (determined by the placements of room cards which start face down) and you move through stealing data. You have to escape before the alarm dial goes off, only those who get out are eligible to win and the winner is the one with the highest value of data stolen. So do you press your luck and delve deeper, or make for the exit before your allies do?

I love it because it's a good length (about an hour), has enough randomness to feel different every time but enough tools for strategic lootin and shootin.

Really enjoying Glass Road at the moment, want to check out more Rosenberg, but they're all out of stock and the big boxes seem extortionate on UK eBay. Have pre-ordered Nusfjord, reprint hopefully arriving in September :/

My favorite, and most played game is absolutely Arboretum.

It plays quick, it's small enough to stash in a bag, it's easy to teach, and it feels like it has endless play and variation. The game also lets me do one of my favorite things in a board game, which is let me go for high risk high reward "shoot the moon" strategies. Absolutely lovely bit of tension and backstabbing fun, but concentrated all into the reveals right at the end so it doesn't drag the entire experience. Great at every player count, especially at 2 players which is important given that most of my board gaming is just with my wife.

Plus you get to look at lovely art of trees while you playing (with the original edition at least, the newer one has worse art IMHO).

Frosthaven! We’ve also really loved playing Quacks of Quedlinberg - it’s a great one for friends who are less into board games

Never been much for boardgames, but the one I've always loved is Atmosfear. We had the old DVD version when I was a kid and it was just great.

It never takes too long due to the timer. No playtrough is the same due to the randomisation. And the way you need to work together against the evil guy on the DVD or everyone looses, while having work against each other to win over other players is just so well done. It's also complex enough to stay interesting, but not too complex to make it hard to play for non-die hard boardgame players.

I have a huge shelf of shamepportunity (see what I did there? Now no one can correct me! 🤣) what I like vs what I get to play with my friends/SO vary greatly.

Some of my favorites

• Undaunted Normandy
• Trails (my SO and I play this one a lot at bars)
• Tak, a lovely abstract strategy game
• Spire's End and Spire's End Hildegard
• March of the Ants
• Cosmic Frog

My group isn't really into board games, so we like 5 Minute Dungeon. The 5 minutes is a limit using a timer, and it's co-op so it's everyone against the clock.

I've fallen in love with Arkham Horror The Card Game. It's difficult and can be played solo if I really feel the need.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/arkham-horror-the-card-game/

We love Villainous. Azul is awesome, I quite enjoy Quacks of Quedlinburg myself.

My favorites shift far too often, but Twilight Imperium and Merchants & Marauders are aleays ones I get to the table when given the chance.

For a newer board game I like Ticket To Ride, especially the Rails and Sails edition but I'm most partial to the old Avalon Hill games like Titan and Merchant of Venus.

Carcassonne and Rummikub.

I have very little experience with board games so I'm using this thread for ideas to try out. But I did play Betrayal and liked it so I'll say that one is my favorite.