Board Games!

[mykonian]

Some of my friends want to play Settlers of Catan with me. Any good tips?

Oh and I think they want to play Catan: Cities and Knights too. Strategies would be awesome.

Base game? Build cities. They rock. Don't focus on sheep (wool, whatever you call it). Numbers around 7 are cool, but don't mean everything. Getting good numbers all over beats having one 8 and 2 3's. The maths are rather simple. Having the same numbers is cool, esspecially if they form a part of something you can build (ore-grain or wood-stone).

Cities and Knights? Strategies are a little less defined here. A couple of green cards are amazing, blue cards are very cool as well, yellow are okayish in general. They'll explain you how you can get those cards. Don't let your cities die, so have a knight around at least. Place your knight around the fields which are very important for your income, and use him to get the robber away (or at least to threaten you'll do it if they place the robber there, so they won't use it on you or your most important fields).

Overall: Trade even if you don't need it immediately. If someone offers you a resource you generally lack since you have bad numbers on those, for something you will get often enough, don't hesitate. If you think they'll give more then one resource for one of you, don't hesitate to ask, argue why it's only fair (they'll be getting their village/city etc, and you are

helping

them). In general, be a nice person. People like people who trade easily, and if the rest of the players lock up, that means you'll be getting the good deals.

Don't

trade with the bank if you can help it. 4:1 isn't worth it, 3:1 still isn't, 2:1 may have exceptions when you are ahead and nobody wants to trade with you, but in general it's just a bad idea.

Don't go overeager on the knights, they are cool, they give victory points, but they don't net you a lot of income. Even in cities and knights, cities are awesome, though less so then in the base game. If you can build

anything

, don't hesitate. Every resource spend will give you an advantage.

[mykonian]

Dominion arrived a couple of weeks ago now, been playing it in the weekends with the family. Generally, I've never had trouble with the game being really boring. The problem is, the better people play, the more the game gets determined by that small move in the 3rd round or so. The big advantage is that compared to other games with the same depth it's very quick. You'll never get the same feeling of joy as in other games perhaps, it's more a calm battle of wits after which you and your opponents shake hands on the nice game you had, I guess.

[UberNinja]

Some of my friends want to play Settlers of Catan with me. Any good tips?

Oh and I think they want to play Catan: Cities and Knights too. Strategies would be awesome.

Base game? Build cities. They rock. Don't focus on sheep (wool, whatever you call it). Numbers around 7 are cool, but don't mean everything. Getting good numbers all over beats having one 8 and 2 3's. The maths are rather simple. Having the same numbers is cool, esspecially if they form a part of something you can build (ore-grain or wood-stone).

Cities and Knights? Strategies are a little less defined here. A couple of green cards are amazing, blue cards are very cool as well, yellow are okayish in general. They'll explain you how you can get those cards. Don't let your cities die, so have a knight around at least. Place your knight around the fields which are very important for your income, and use him to get the robber away (or at least to threaten you'll do it if they place the robber there, so they won't use it on you or your most important fields).

Overall: Trade even if you don't need it immediately. If someone offers you a resource you generally lack since you have bad numbers on those, for something you will get often enough, don't hesitate. If you think they'll give more then one resource for one of you, don't hesitate to ask, argue why it's only fair (they'll be getting their village/city etc, and you are

helping

them). In general, be a nice person. People like people who trade easily, and if the rest of the players lock up, that means you'll be getting the good deals.

Don't

trade with the bank if you can help it. 4:1 isn't worth it, 3:1 still isn't, 2:1 may have exceptions when you are ahead and nobody wants to trade with you, but in general it's just a bad idea.

Don't go overeager on the knights, they are cool, they give victory points, but they don't net you a lot of income. Even in cities and knights, cities are awesome, though less so then in the base game. If you can build

anything

, don't hesitate. Every resource spend will give you an advantage.

Thanks! I will be sure to save this message and use it when we start playing.

<3

[Thesp]

What are some staple board games? I've heard some people mention Settlers and Puerto Rico as possibilities, but what are some solid games that everyone should have in their collection? (And I don't mean Monopoly and Clue).

I recommend Settlers of Catan, though everyone else doesn't necessarily. A pretty good guide could be the Speil des Jahres winners. I'm not familiar with Niagara, Torres, or Villa Paletti, but everything else from 1993 onward is solid.

I find Settlers mildly amusing enough to play it once in a while, Carcassonne is pretty junk in my opinion, but I'm a huge fan of 7 Wonders which I have yet to tire of and recommend highly; I'm intrigued by the expansion(s) as well but haven't gotten it yet.

I enjoy 7 Wonders: Leaders a great deal and recommend it for those who like 7 Wonders. It won't make you like the game if you didn't already, but it adds a bit of variety to an already great game.

I disagree with the hate for Settlers of Catan. It's still one of my favorite games, and is an excellent gateway game. It will be what you make of it, and some people don't care for it (which I understand), but the interaction it allows with the tension and trading can be great.

Some of my friends want to play Settlers of Catan with me. Any good tips?

Oh and I think they want to play Catan: Cities and Knights too. Strategies would be awesome.

Start with the base game first. Play it about 3 times before trying Cities & Knights. C&K can be overwhelming if it's your first time. The base game is not. (That said, C&K is by far my favorite way to play Settlers.) As far as advice goes, watch what you're trading, but don't hesitate to trade. Trading almost always benefits the two players who are trading to the detriment of the other players at the table. And make sure you have a reason you're trading for something.

also does anyone want to teach me twilight struggle
i'm pretty certain it's my next purchase and i kinda get how the game works from reading the manual a lot but i haven't really had experience with it

If you take a trip out to Jackson, MS, I'll do it gladly!

TBQH, I'm a little "ehhh" looking at Resistance & Cosmic Encounter... thoughts on these games?

Also that Dominion question still stands

The Resistance will go over well with people who like mafia, and seems to be an easier way to grasp the mechanic of hidden traitors. Cosmis Encounter works great with 5-6 people who are actively involved. If you don't have that, it may bomb.

I like the First Game setup in Dominion for teaching new players. there appear three different approaches you can take to victory in it.

And as much as I love Puzzle Strike, Dominion is considerably more accessible.

[hasdgfas]

BSG (can I enjoy it w/out watching the show?)

If my group's any indication, you'll like it so much that you start watching the show(which reminds me that I really need to finish that last season of it)

[Debonair Danny DiPietro]

I find Settlers mildly amusing enough to play it once in a while, Carcassonne is pretty junk in my opinion, but I'm a huge fan of 7 Wonders which I have yet to tire of and recommend highly; I'm intrigued by the expansion(s) as well but haven't gotten it yet.

I enjoy 7 Wonders: Leaders a great deal and recommend it for those who like 7 Wonders. It won't make you like the game if you didn't already, but it adds a bit of variety to an already great game.

There are people who don't like 7 Wonders?

[Staeg]

I find Settlers mildly amusing enough to play it once in a while, Carcassonne is pretty junk in my opinion, but I'm a huge fan of 7 Wonders which I have yet to tire of and recommend highly; I'm intrigued by the expansion(s) as well but haven't gotten it yet.

I enjoy 7 Wonders: Leaders a great deal and recommend it for those who like 7 Wonders. It won't make you like the game if you didn't already, but it adds a bit of variety to an already great game.

There are people who don't like 7 Wonders?

Well, adults? Not any I know of. But it's not a game for children.

[xRECKONERx]

there appear three different approaches you can take to victory in it.

What 3?

Also: any point in buying the TTR expansions? They look like just slight mods on the same game to me

[Thesp]

there appear three different approaches you can take to victory in it.

What 3?

Also: any point in buying the TTR expansions? They look like just slight mods on the same game to me

Only if you really like TTR. (We do, and have most of the expansions.) They are different takes on the same theme, with minor variances to keep things interesting. I prefer the Marklin map (and Europe is my least favorite), but I seem to be in the minority on that. I haven't tried the India map yet.

[xRECKONERx]

Hah. Europe is definitely more time-consuming than the base USA map with the tunnels and ferries. I quite enjoyed it on Europe, though I think getting more familiar with the map will make it even more enjoyable. Right now it's a bit overwhelming with how many different routes there are and how long it takes to get places. Why do you dislike the Europe map so much?

[xRECKONERx]

By the way -- at what point in TTR do you pick up more tickets, usually?

[PeregrineV]

The only board game I ever even try to play anymore is Axis & Allies. Although we did have a rousing game of Life during Christmas!

Also may have an opportunity to buy some old Avalon Hill war-type games. Any recommendations on the best ones to look for?

[mykonian]

By the way -- at what point in TTR do you pick up more tickets, usually?

ASAP

[Regfan]

Boggle.

[saulres]

I've found Settlers to be enjoyable for the non-gamers. To prevent boredom on replay we shuffle up the tiles and numbers.

Base game? Build cities. They rock.

That only works if you get the resources to do it. The randomness of dice means your initial strategy may not pan out, so you have to be flexible.

Having the same numbers is cool, esspecially if they form a part of something you can build (ore-grain or wood-stone).

But it sucks if that number doesn't come up. I try to avoid duplicate numbers unless they're for logical pairings (lumber and clay or wheat and ore) and spread out my numbers more so I'm more likely to get

something

on every roll.

[xRECKONERx]

By the way -- at what point in TTR do you pick up more tickets, usually?

ASAP

I've been waiting till I finish one route and close in on the second.

[mykonian]

I've been taking another one as soon as I didn't think it likely that my route's would get blocked soon.

[xRECKONERx]

http://www.vassalengine.org/index.php

anyone messed w/ this at all?

[UberNinja]

Boggle.

I love Boggle! There's not really a board though, haha

[Drench]

http://www.vassalengine.org/index.php

anyone messed w/ this at all?

i actually downloaded that the other day as part of my previously stated oh-my-god-how-do-i-twilight-struggle-argh
arkham horror is apparently on there as well which excites me slightly

as for how it works, you have to download the modules yourself but it's practically a two-click thing
haven't played any games on it but it should work out i guess maybe?

[mykonian]

I've found Settlers to be enjoyable for the non-gamers. To prevent boredom on replay we shuffle up the tiles and numbers.

Base game? Build cities. They rock.

That only works if you get the resources to do it. The randomness of dice means your initial strategy may not pan out, so you have to be flexible.

Having the same numbers is cool, esspecially if they form a part of something you can build (ore-grain or wood-stone).

But it sucks if that number doesn't come up. I try to avoid duplicate numbers unless they're for logical pairings (lumber and clay or wheat and ore) and spread out my numbers more so I'm more likely to get

something

on every roll.

Yeah yeah, dice are random. Still, if you have the chance... you want to build cities. You want to increase the chance of you building cities as well.

Further, again, dice are random. But having a hand full of stuff sometimes beats having a halffull hand always. Esspecially at the start this works, after which you should spread out anyway and consolidate.

[Thesp]

Hah. Europe is definitely more time-consuming than the base USA map with the tunnels and ferries. I quite enjoyed it on Europe, though I think getting more familiar with the map will make it even more enjoyable. Right now it's a bit overwhelming with how many different routes there are and how long it takes to get places. Why do you dislike the Europe map so much?

I do not like the limited number of long tickets in Europe, nor do I like the station concept. I still enjoy it, but not as much as the others. (That said, I doubt I'd turn down a game!)

By the way -- at what point in TTR do you pick up more tickets, usually?

What mykonian said:

I've been taking another one as soon as I didn't think it likely that my route's would get blocked soon.

On the US map, if I'm going heavily in the East, I'll often do it early so that my next tickets will help dictate what routes I take to my first locations.

[saulres]

But having a hand full of stuff sometimes beats having a halffull hand always. Esspecially at the start this works, after which you should spread out anyway and consolidate.

See, this is why Settlers is such a great game. You have your strategy, I have mine, and each are equally viable, depending on the layout of the board and the initial placements.

I have tried in some games to build cities first, and at least once or twice have gotten screwed by that because by the time it came to start spreading out, all my egresses were blocked. I had to rely on development cards to get any more points.

[Thesp]

there appear three different approaches you can take to victory in it.

What 3?

I forgot to answer this: Villages & Smithies, Remodeling lots o' crap, and Militas 4eva seem to be the most common three approaches, each interesting in their own ways.

[xRECKONERx]

Ewww, militias.

Hey Standstill, if you can find a good module and learn to use it I'll pay something on Vassal with you.