The Board Game Thread

[TripletDaddy]

This sounds familiar. I get a kick out of sabotaging the games because I have zero interest in them and the in-laws get super pissed off.

My FIL proclaimed himself to be one of the best Monopoly players. I didn't really care one way or the other, but he started in with this whole "let's play and I will prove it" nonsense.

I was very indifferent, but he started telling my wife that I was too chicken to play him. In reality, I didn't care whether he was the best Monopoly player. I didn't want to spend 4 hours finding out.

FIL started getting upset, so my wife agreed that we would all play. I played under protest. After a little bit, I proposed a sweet trade wherein I gave my wife everything and she gave me like $5. Something like that.

I guess even the world's best Monopoly players get rattled.

[MarkGrace]

I played basketball.

This is how I feel. If my bros in law want to get together for a game, we should just go in the back yard and play hoop. That way I'm perfectly willing to join in their fight.

[Surfah]

Man some of you here remind me of the dorks that had running games of Risk going on the mission and would get together and play all day on P-day each week.

I played basketball.

[MarkGrace]

My FIL once got really angry at me when playing Monopoly for giving all my money and property to my wife in exchange for almost nothing. He accused me of something or other and then got up and walked away, really angry. It was pretty funny. I think I actually laughed, which made him even more angry.

This sounds familiar. I get a kick out of sabotaging the games because I have zero interest in them and the in-laws get super pissed off.

[TripletDaddy]

I'm not judging boardgames by Risk, it's just an example of a boardgame that I am occasionally forced to play. The in-laws also play Settler's, Diplomacy and Modern Art, and I've been forced to sit through those as well.

They are boardgame nuts, and when I was new to the fam I would join in their games, even though I could barely stand it. Now that we've been married for five years I very, very rarely give in to playing boardgames with them. I will say that I enjoy the family fights that inevitably occur as a result of their games. LOL. They get in fights over boardgames.

I can't stand playing any games with my in-law family. They don't play by the rules, make up new rules, get up in the middle of the game to go do something else ("hey, let's take a break for an hour or so because I am going to go over to my friends house..."), sometimes stop playing altogether halfway through a game, and if the game is at night, they always wind up giggling about nonsense and then saying, "I'm getting really punchy! ha ha h ha!"

My FIL once got really angry at me when playing Monopoly for giving all my money and property to my wife in exchange for almost nothing. He accused me of something or other and then got up and walked away, really angry. It was pretty funny. I think I actually laughed, which made him even more angry.

[MarkGrace]

Except that risk is a boardgame.

Velveeta is not a french cheese.

Haha...I actually wrote that very thing in my post but then deleted it before submitting.

[MarkGrace]

I'm not judging boardgames by Risk, it's just an example of a boardgame that I am occasionally forced to play. The in-laws also play Settler's, Diplomacy and Modern Art, and I've been forced to sit through those as well.

They are boardgame nuts, and when I was new to the fam I would join in their games, even though I could barely stand it. Now that we've been married for five years I very, very rarely give in to playing boardgames with them. I will say that I enjoy the family fights that inevitably occur as a result of their games. LOL. They get in fights over boardgames.

[TripletDaddy]

Judging boardgames based on playing Risk is sort of like basing a judgment of fine French cheeses on your sampling of Velveeta.

Except that risk is a boardgame.

Velveeta is not a french cheese.

[ERCougar]

I can think of few things less entertaining than playing board games. If not for my wife's family, I don't know that I would ever play them. But alas, I will again be subjected to a three hour game of Risk on Christmas Eve this year. And of course that will be followed by the requisite taunting when I am the first player out -- as if I somehow gave a shit about board game.

Judging boardgames based on playing Risk is sort of like basing a judgment of fine French cheeses on your sampling of Velveeta.

[MarkGrace]

I can think of few things less entertaining than playing board games. If not for my wife's family, I don't know that I would ever play them. But alas, I will again be subjected to a three hour game of Risk on Christmas Eve this year. And of course that will be followed by the requisite taunting when I am the first player out -- as if I somehow gave a shit about board game.

[RobinFinderson]

Has anyone played Caylus or Shogun yet? Shogun is supposed to be based on the same mechanic/system as Wallenstein, just with a different theme. I'd be interested to hear opinions.

I have played Shogun a couple of times, and remember enjoying it. It is sort of a mix of a lot of different game mechanics -- area majority, bidding, and a little bit of the old school war games (Axis and Allies?) for people like me whose friends won't play those war games. It is one of those games where each player has a handful of actions that he can take any turn. Once you play an action, you can't play it again until you have worked through the rest of your actions. There is also a cool tower the determines the outcome of battles. You collect all of the armies of two states and drop them in the top of the tower. The winner is the person who has the most cubes come out the bottom (some get trapped in the tower). It isn't as luck-driven as something like Risk, however, because as your cubes get stuck in the tower, they become increasingly likely to pop out of the tower in future battles, so they aren't entirely lost.

[ERCougar]

Just finished our M44 game and while I'm geeked out on games, I'm giving a recap. We played the Liberation of Paris, standard rules. I always have to play the Axis because my son can't handle the moral duplicity involved. I sent a few suicide units in on my right flank, they were ignored because of lack of command cards, and took out a few tanks in the jumbled mess. He regrouped and made me pay with his remaining tank units. I sent another suicide sortie into the armored units on my left flank, again successfully taking out a few units. The battle then came down to the German artillery unit in the center against repeated Allied infantry assaults. I took out one more unit, but he had me down to one gun, which if he takes out, he wins. He didn't have the roll for it and I countered on the left flank, and with a lucky roll and his lack of retreat options, took out a final armored unit for the win. So, Paris continues under the control of the good General von Choltitz, and I'm speaking German on my mission to France.

If that's not a good afternoon of fun with a 7yr old, I don't know what is.

[ERCougar]

That's what we do as well. Our kids love it. I'm intrigued by the idea of playing Memoir with my son, I hadn't thought of that as being a game a younger kid could pick up but while reading this thread I pitched him the idea and he wants to learn it over my Christmas break. Thanks for the inspiration.

Someone asked about Ticket to Ride--my opinion on TTR is that it's a fairly light, easy, and entertaining game but certainly not as elegant as others out there. We use it with our friends when we're feeling brain dead. I think on my BGG profile it's my lowest rated game, but for families I'd give it a solid recommendation.

Has anyone played Caylus or Shogun yet? Shogun is supposed to be based on the same mechanic/system as Wallenstein, just with a different theme. I'd be interested to hear opinions.

Agreed on Ticket To Ride. Personally, I like it but don't love it, but it's one of those games that about anyone can pick up and will like, so it makes my favorites list. Transamerica is another train game that's even lighter. I would never play it with a group of gamers, but with some new friends, I can guarantee they'll like it.

Heard great things about Caylus, but I've been trying to buy games I can play with my kids lately--it's easier to justify the obsession to my wife.

What's you BGG profile? I haven't filled out any rankings on there, but I'm curious to see yours.

[ERCougar]

I lived there for about a year in 06-07, yes. I'm in UT County now. I think those of us who are interested should do a game night.

I had Modern Art and Acquire but ended up selling them, mostly because I couldn't get anyone to play them with me. My wife didn't care for either, I enjoyed them both. The good thing about selling Acquire though is we had a copy of one of the more recent reprints in quite good condition, and it had sold out several months previous from all stores. I sold it on da Bay for $85. We're thinking about selling our Cities and Knights stuff as I'm one of those who prefers just the basic game when we play it.

I don't know if you knew this but the one good game store we had here (in Cedar City) closed just after we moved here.

My wife likes Modern Art. I love Knizia's games, but a lot of the themes seem "pasted on". I think Modern Art is an exception. LOTR:Confrontation is another exception. We now have a group that loves Modern Art, so it comes out a lot.

Acquire's a little less popular, as some people just don't love the financial theme. You also have to have the right people who just play on feel, and not on counting everyone's stocks, or this game can really drag.

I'm all for a game night. I think we talked about doing it before, but it got dropped. We need to get Finderson in town. Maybe coordinate it with a BYU game so everyone's around.

[OhioBlue]

I've played this with my 6-yo and just excluding the farm rules. Not quite as good, but still fun.

That's what we do as well. Our kids love it. I'm intrigued by the idea of playing Memoir with my son, I hadn't thought of that as being a game a younger kid could pick up but while reading this thread I pitched him the idea and he wants to learn it over my Christmas break. Thanks for the inspiration.

Someone asked about Ticket to Ride--my opinion on TTR is that it's a fairly light, easy, and entertaining game but certainly not as elegant as others out there. We use it with our friends when we're feeling brain dead. I think on my BGG profile it's my lowest rated game, but for families I'd give it a solid recommendation.

Has anyone played Caylus or Shogun yet? Shogun is supposed to be based on the same mechanic/system as Wallenstein, just with a different theme. I'd be interested to hear opinions.