board game thread

[morg176]

hey all.

what is your favourite board game. no batteries required (remember those days)
what makes a fun board game? what makes a crap one?

I have kept an eye on the generally available board games ever since i have collected transformers. And they sometimes get rebranded but alas they never change.

what would be a cool board game?

Share your thoughts

[Kazza]

Me and my friends have recently discovered (probably 7 months ago) a board game called Arkham Horror, each game takes a minimum of 3hrs to play and odds are against players in which even after 3hrs, everyone loses.

Here is more details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Horror

Strategic thinking and teamwork along with alot of luck is required to win.

[Lord_Zed]

Your preaching to the choir mentioning Boardgames to me, I'd rather play a "good" boardgame with friends then some fancy online multiplayer video game any day.

Ok so I hope you weren't planning on talking about childhood games like Trouble and Battleship because I don't even rate them.

Having said that I'm talking about those slightly more intricate boardgames that you want find on a toystore shelf.
What makes a good boardgame for me would be setting, strategic mechanics, a finite duration and a limited element of chance.

To elaborate, a game should tell a good story, be it a simulation of a war, a dungeon adventure, or even a schoolyard fight (yes played one like that).

A game should have some sort of strategic decision making mechanic, when your choices affect the outcome. How to use your resources for example.

A game needs a finite duration, certain games I've played can be prolonged forever by canny players, that's bad, finite lives, or a turn track or limit is needed.

A game should have some element of chance so that even the most cunning plan can go wrong, however it should not be to overbearing.

I have too many favourite board games, I'm currently fond of Small World (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40692/small-world) which is a game in which you try to conquer the land and earn the most money with armies of strange fantasy races, however the abilities of the races are randomized so you have to use your abilities to maximum effect and spend your troops wisely to earn the most gold.

Another great game Pandemic (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic), where four players work together to save earth from a deadly pandemic. each has a different specialty to use. A deck of cards determines the spread of the deadly virus, and time is limited as any moment you could draw a deadly pandemic card sealing earths doom. Either everybody wins or everyone losses.

An example of a bad game would be Monopoly in all it's forms. The game is entirely chance driven, the dice roll is the be all and end all of the game, and I don't know if the game has fans but I get little satisfaction when someone has to pay me money because they just happened to end up on the square with my deluxe hotel, bleh! I've never seen that game finished it always just devolves into arguments.

A while back I put up a thread suggesting a boardgames day in town at the board games cafe in Market City, so if you would like to have a go at some fun game then let me know, I only got two responses last time. I'd like about 4 players that's a good size for Smallworld, Pandemic, Chaos in the Old World maybe even A Game of Thrones.

I really want to play Battlestar Galactica one day, but can never seem to find enough people to play.


Me and my friends have recently discovered (probably 7 months ago) a board game called Arkham Horror, each game takes a minimum of 3hrs to play and odds are against players in which even after 3hrs, everyone loses.

Here is more details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Horror

Strategic thinking and teamwork along with alot of luck is required to win.

I hear good things about Arkham Horror, though I have heard it takes ages to play. Would still like a go.

[Kazza]

Your preaching to the choir mentioning Boardgames to me, I'd rather play a "good" boardgame with friends then some fancy online multiplayer video game any day.

Ok so I hope you weren't planning on talking about childhood games like Trouble and Battleship because I don't even rate them.

Having said that I'm talking about those slightly more intricate boardgames that you want find on a toystore shelf.
What makes a good boardgame for me would be setting, strategic mechanics, a finite duration and a limited element of chance.

To elaborate, a game should tell a good story, be it a simulation of a war, a dungeon adventure, or even a schoolyard fight (yes played one like that).

A game should have some sort of strategic decision making mechanic, when your choices affect the outcome. How to use your resources for example.

A game needs a finite duration, certain games I've played can be prolonged forever by canny players, that's bad, finite lives, or a turn track or limit is needed.

A game should have some element of chance so that even the most cunning plan can go wrong, however it should not be to overbearing.

I have too many favourite board games, I'm currently fond of Small World (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40692/small-world) which is a game in which you try to conquer the land and earn the most money with armies of strange fantasy races, however the abilities of the races are randomized so you have to use your abilities to maximum effect and spend your troops wisely to earn the most gold.

Another great game Pandemic (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic), where four players work together to save earth from a deadly pandemic. each has a different specialty to use. A deck of cards determines the spread of the deadly virus, and time is limited as any moment you could draw a deadly pandemic card sealing earths doom. Either everybody wins or everyone losses.

An example of a bad game would be Monopoly in all it's forms. The game is entirely chance driven, the dice roll is the be all and end all of the game, and I don't know if the game has fans but I get little satisfaction when someone has to pay me money because they just happened to end up on the square with my deluxe hotel, bleh! I've never seen that game finished it always just devolves into arguments.

A while back I put up a thread suggesting a boardgames day in town at the board games cafe in Market City, so if you would like to have a go at some fun game then let me know, I only got two responses last time. I'd like about 4 players that's a good size for Smallworld, Pandemic, Chaos in the Old World maybe even A Game of Thrones.

I really want to play Battlestar Galactica one day, but can never seem to find enough people to play.



I hear good things about Arkham Horror, though I have heard it takes ages to play. Would still like a go.

It is indeed a long game to set up and play, you gather items per turn and with each turn you choose to gather items be it magic spells, weapons, defeating monsters and collecting clue tokens to close dimensional gates (this is the main goal to prevent the ancient one from summoning which usually equals automatic lost).

Players have to make observational risk in regards to closing gates or just letting the ancient one being summoned or switching from objective 1 to objective 2 based on the situation. And when players end their turns, a story card is drawn upon location with a variant or rewards and consequences based on location.

But basically this game can be a real pain in the ass as the chance factor is based on dice rolling with number 5 and 6 meaning the action you choose to do is successful 1-4 equals fail. So even fighting the ancient one or closing gates, one must throw dices equal to players ability and number of throws they can make, character cards and enchant cards increase throws while other factors can decrease. e.g. closing a gate requires 5 success and your character has the ability to throw 13 dice but the gate your closing has a minus 2 factor, leaving you with 11 throws.

It is a really fun game once you get the basics and when you do win, there is such a sense of collective accomplishment. BTW more players make the game even harder, but same time more fun.

The game also pits the odds against you, where every end of turn after all players have acted there is a mythos card drawn that is always (95%) negative, this range from preventing you from using enchant, weapon cards or only the number 6 being a success, and stuff that really d**ks you.

[GoktimusPrime]

TRANSFORMERS MONOPOLEEEEEEE! :D

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/yourmum.jpghttp://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Board%20Game%20Meet%20January%2016%202008/boardgamemeet1.jpghttp://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Dark%20of%20the%20Moon%20Premiere/meet_dotmprem3.jpg

My other board games include:
+ Transformers Stratego
+ Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game (it has a board too)
+ Transformers Battle For Cybertron
+ Transformers Chess

Board games I would like to see would include:
+ Transformers Shougi (c'mon TakaraTOMY - do eet!)
+ Transformers Scrabble (nigh impossible since Scrabble is owned by Mattel :()
+ Transformers Miniatures (using the same rule system as Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons Minis - which would be very much possible since WotC is owned by Hasbro - do eet!).

Rampage and springah playing the Beast Wars game
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Board%20Game%20Meet%20January%2016%202008/boardgamemeet3.jpg

[Lord_Zed]

TRANSFORMERS MONOPOLEEEEEEE! :D



No not the evil one, burn it, burn it!!!!!!!!

The other games have some merit, but not Monopoly it is the the Antigame.:p

[Sam]

Me and my friends have recently discovered (probably 7 months ago) a board game called Arkham Horror, each game takes a minimum of 3hrs to play and odds are against players in which even after 3hrs, everyone loses.

Here is more details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Horror

Strategic thinking and teamwork along with alot of luck is required to win.

I have this game, but need to find the time to play!

Apart from this one I enjoy "Last Night on Earth".

[GoktimusPrime]

No not the evil one, burn it, burn it!!!!!!!!

The other games have some merit, but not Monopoly it is the the Antigame.:p
Go directly to Garrus-9. Do not pass the red arrow on Combat Deck. Do not collect 200 Shanix.

[snaketales]

I used to live and breath Car Wars back in the day. Dont know if it was more fun playing or designing the vehicles.

[Lord_Zed]

I see Car Wars as more of a tabletop game than a board game.

I make the distinction only because if we start talking about tabletop games then that's another huge can of worms for me.

I just finished two days of gaming at the convention held by my local gaming club. One day of Infinity a strategic Ghost in the Shell like sci-fi skirmish game, and today Malifaux a alternate earth Victorian/old west skirmish game which uses cards instead of dice. Two great games, great weekend, but so very beat now.

[5FDP]

The Game of Dracula (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1956/the-game-of-dracula) was my favourite back in the day. Still have it MIB!


The first player to suffer Dracula's bite becomes the "green vampire" and dons the green vampire's face mask.

I cut up one of my Transformer tech spec decoders to attach to the eyes of the mask making them red :D Of course, I would never do that now... being a vintage item and all :p

[morg176]

what about the standard monopoly/ conect4 games that hug the store shelves. which of those are your favourite? what type of games should they make?

[Lord_Zed]

I played Zombicide (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113924/zombicide) for the first time tonight. So awesome players have to work together as archetype Zombie survivors to complete the mission and escape town. As you kill zombies the players get exp and become more powerful, but so do the zombies.

I played Nick (an added extra from the Kickstarter) a cop who bears a striking resemblance to John McClane, and sure enough he managed to dig up a whole arsenal searching buildings. Dual wielding pistols, being tough and hurling molotov's leaping away in slow motion (at least that;s how I imagined it).

Fun!


what about the standard monopoly/ conect4 games that hug the store shelves. which of those are your favourite? what type of games should they make?

To be honest those games weren't even fun when I was a kid. I did however like Horror House. My friend had it and it was a bit of a gimmick game, however there was enough flavour in it to make it fun.

[Kazza]

I played Zombicide (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113924/zombicide) for the first time tonight. So awesome players have to work together as archetype Zombie survivors to complete the mission and escape town. As you kill zombies the players get exp and become more powerful, but so do the zombies.

Crap, my friends and I were beginning to make a new boardgame based on Zombie survival and take elements of Arkham Horror, but seems like it'll be too similar to this game sigh:rolleyes: Have you played Risk? Thinking about purchasing it soon.

[Deonasis]

I like Settlers of Catan.. the dynamic board won me.

But for short mind games I like the tile game Six and 4-player Pentago.

[BigTransformerTrev]

My sister who's in her 50's has never played video games since the Atari 2600, but got addicted to her sons Zelda games back on the N64 and then the Wii. So when I saw this in a shop yesterday I just had to grab it for her:

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b615/BigAngryTrev/P1030583_zpsqzqsdmxq.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/BigAngryTrev/media/P1030583_zpsqzqsdmxq.jpg.html)


She's really chuffed! Her sons grown up and lives in Melb now so she's really looking forward to cracking it open and playing it with him next time he comes home to visit :)