Board Games!

[Sudo_Nym]

Plus you need 8 players for Diplomacy.

[hasdgfas]

Plus you need 8 players for Diplomacy.

You don't

need

8 players, but more players definitely helps.

[mith]

7 players, not 8.

(And there are other maps for other player counts - AnicentMed is quite good for 5, for example. I've never been thrilled with any of the options for playing with fewer than 7 on the standard map.)

[Sudo_Nym]

7 players to play, and one impartial to be the game master.

[xRECKONERx]

Does the game come with other maps?

[mith]

7 players to play, and one impartial to be the game master.

This isn't really necessary face-to-face. Though it does help.

[mith]

Does the game come with other maps?

No; the alternate maps (and variant rule sets) are available online, you'd have to print them somehow to use face-to-face.

[Sudo_Nym]

There's even an Octarine variant, for people who like Discworld, like myself.

[Claus]

You probably should play on the standard map for a bit before trying new ones A cool part about diplomacy is trying to figure out strategies that exploit the map, and you can't do that without a few games on the same map under your belt

[Brandi]

Sudo, have you and your sister played that alien game at all since we last saw you?
I really think next time we play, we should make a few inhouse rules.
Such as "no winning the game with hugs"

[Sudo_Nym]

Not really. Too much school time to play games lately. And there is a rules patch that needs to be made- diplomacy is way too easy in that game, and very hard to stop. Hugs is too easy; you should at least have to fight sometime.

[xRECKONERx]

I don't know... is it even worth it to go with Diplomacy if we can only get like 5 people to play it?

I've also heard good things about Risk 2042 & the Starcraft board game for good war games.

[hasdgfas]

I don't know... is it even worth it to go with Diplomacy if we can only get like 5 people to play it?

I've also heard good things about Risk 2042 & the Starcraft board game for good war games.

5 is fine for Diplomacy. It's obviously better with a full group, but I've played plenty of games with just 5 people.

[Sudo_Nym]

There are rules for playing with less, but I've never found Diplo worthwhile with less than the full seven.

I'm not a huge fan of risk, but I've played the Godstorm variant, and that's pretty good. I've heard good things about 2042 as well.

[mith]

I don't know... is it even worth it to go with Diplomacy if we can only get like 5 people to play it?

I've also heard good things about Risk 2042 & the Starcraft board game for good war games.

My recommendation would be to print out a copy of the Ancient Med. map, get some markers for fleets and armies, and try it out print-and-play style.

[mith]

5 is fine for Diplomacy. It's obviously better with a full group, but I've played plenty of games with just 5 people.

Did you play with the recommended setup (eliminate Italy and Germany)? I've never played it that way, but it has always seemed to me an unsatisfactory solution, with the big gulf between E/F and A/R/T.

[Magister Ludi]

I was always interested in {Settlers of Catan, Diplomacy, and the Game of Throne board game}

I might get one, but I am unsure which one is actually better in play, as they all look interesting enough from the outside. Thoughts, recommendations?

[hasdgfas]

5 is fine for Diplomacy. It's obviously better with a full group, but I've played plenty of games with just 5 people.

Did you play with the recommended setup (eliminate Italy and Germany)? I've never played it that way, but it has always seemed to me an unsatisfactory solution, with the big gulf between E/F and A/R/T.

Definitely the recommend setup at least once. It had some issues, but most people weren't complaining and felt it worked out fine. We thought we'd probably change it up the next time, but just for a change of pace.

[hasdgfas]

Ludi: What do you think of randomness?

[mith]

In other news, BGG.con is 98% sold, if anyone is still thinking about pulling the trigger.

Also, if anyone would like a perspective on board games from some familiar faces, we have a weekly discussion group on BGG which was originally mostly scummers (now about half). GCL Mafia.

[xRECKONERx]

Diplomacy takes like ten hours to play and is much simpler in its rules. Game of Thrones takes about 2-3 hours to play and has complicated rules but once you get it it is a ton of fun. Catan is really shallow in its strategies but is a quick and fun "I have thirty minutes to kill" type game.

Having not played Diplomacy yet I highly recommend GoT.

[Magister Ludi]

Ludi: What do you think of randomness?

Don't mind it that much, I think some fun can be derived from it. I have always loved card games (of all sort, TCG and just a deck of cards) and randomness is highly prevalent there. Plus, after studying Brownian motion and etc., randomness is highly interesting. So I say, it is a slight plus for me if randomness is involved (obviously there is a breaking point though)

[Magister Ludi]

Diplomacy takes like ten hours to play and is much simpler in its rules. Game of Thrones takes about 2-3 hours to play and has complicated rules but once you get it it is a ton of fun. Catan is really shallow in its strategies but is a quick and fun "I have thirty minutes to kill" type game.

Having not played Diplomacy yet I highly recommend GoT.

ahh great, thanks. I always imagined catan as a longer game. And with the addition of the tv show, people are really getting into GoT, which could make it easier to get people to play the board game.

[xRECKONERx]

For the people who have been to BGG.con, is it worth the money? Do they give out free stuff, or what is it like? What do you do at this con? What about this convention makes it worth the $500 for the hotel room and $700 for the plane tickets?

[Seraphim]

Diplomacy takes like ten hours to play and is much simpler in its rules. Game of Thrones takes about 2-3 hours to play and has complicated rules but once you get it it is a ton of fun. Catan is really shallow in its strategies but is a quick and fun "I have thirty minutes to kill" type game.

Having not played Diplomacy yet I highly recommend GoT.

ahh great, thanks. I always imagined catan as a longer game. And with the addition of the tv show, people are really getting into GoT, which could make it easier to get people to play the board game.

I have not played Game of Thrones.
Catan is a fantastic "gateway" game because it's relatively simple, fun, and easy for new players to pick up. 30 minutes is a bit of understatement; average game length for me has been around an hour to 90 minutes. I have never had a game longer than two hours though.
Diplomacy is a lot of fun if you have a lot of time to burn and is good if you have players who can't meet up for a substantial amount of time. It's a really good forum game because turns happen simultaneously.