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Banza

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Review 3 games and receive a total of 40 positive review ratings.
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Go to the Ticket to Ride page
Go to the The Settlers of Catan page
Go to the Carcassonne page
Go to the Dominion page
Go to the Bang! The Bullet! page
Go to the Alhambra: Big Box page
10
Go to the Munchkin page

Munchkin

24 out of 44 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Deluxe version comes with a nice board and player pawns. Cards themselves are well made and have fun art and effects.
-Random nature makes it possible to catch up if you fall behind
-Up to six players
-Fun light hearted gameplay makes it enjoyable for a wide variety of players

Cons:

-The simpler rules are easy to teach, but with so many cards and so many effects its a little overwhelming for some players
-Highly competitive
-So random that it’s difficult to tell if you made the right choice or not

Summary:

My wife hates this game because it’s so random and complicated that she has a hard time following the rules. I love it because its hilarious and fun. I recommend getting the deluxe version, however you will want to see the game on table top to see if it’s something you’d be interested in.

10
Go to the Carcassonne page

Carcassonne

53 out of 64 gamers thought this was helpful

This game is the first game that brought meeples to the board gaming scene. That alone should be reason enough to get this game, but here’s a quick overview of the game:

Pros:

-Super easy to learn and play
-Quick rounds
-Seemingly simple yet complex strategy
-Up to 5 players
-Great components: meeples, tiles, scoreboard
-No paper or calculators required to score the game
-Small portable box

Cons:

-End of game scoring takes a long time, particularly farms
-Victory is heavily dependent on drawing the right pieces

Summary:

This is my usual go to game when I’m introducing new gamers to the hobby. Its easy to setup and rounds go quickly. It’s also a very visual game so the strategy is easy to pick up. I highly recommend this game for your collection.

10
Go to the Alhambra: Big Box page

Alhambra: Big Box

16 out of 22 gamers thought this was helpful

I originally bought this version because I thought it was the one used in the table top episode for Alhambra. The edition Wil Weaton has was actually a limited edition version that’s tough to get a hold of. This version includes the original print of the game, plus a bunch of expansions (not exactly sure, about 5 or so). Even though most players have a good time playing the original, we’ve never once moved on to the expansions, so I can’t really review them. What I can say is you should probably buy the original version of the game first, and work your way up from there.

Regarding the original game, here’s my quick review:

Pros:

-Easy to learn, yet compelling strategy
-Good quality cards, wood pieces, pretty score board, and a nice bag for the card board pieces
-Up to six players
-Medium play sessions (60-90 minutes)

Cons:

-Theme is a little confusing (Egyptian? Arabic? Spanish?)
-Scoring is time consuming and complicated for a casual game

Summary:

This game is great for newer gamers and six player sessions. I’ve played it about 10 times and have enjoyed it each time. I recommend the original version should be in your collection, but the big box version is a bit too much.

10
Go to the Dominion page

Dominion

68 out of 77 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Great quality cards. Box has a nice sorting system to speed up setup.
-Fun mechanics. You get a great feeling when you build an efficient deck.
-Newer gamers usually like it. I’ve only played with one person who didn’t have fun.
-Up to six players if you buy the intrigue expansion.
-Randomized set of community cards each game increases replay value.

Cons:

-Lack of a combat system. Competition is more in the way of sabotage and/or racing to get the most victory points.
-Original game only allows for up to 4 players.
-Cards only being readable top to bottom means you have to come up with a way for all players to be able to see all of the cards. We bought a lazy susan just for this game.

Summary:

My father in law always wants to pick this game when we’re deciding what to play, and wants to keep playing game after game. On the other hand my cousin was bored and didn’t care for it. Despite that, most gamers tend to enjoy this game, making Dominion a good introductory game. Personally I think it’s just plain fun and a great addition to your collection.

8
Go to the Bang! The Bullet! page

Bang! The Bullet!

73 out of 81 gamers thought this was helpful

The original version of this game has a few pieces that aren’t included with the bullet version:

-Personal boards for each player to organize play area
-Cardboard bullet markers for hit points

It’s important to know that these components are NOT included with this version. Instead of using bullet markers, you use a card with bullets on it that you slide up or down. Furthermore there’s no board to organize your play area so you just do this the best way you can.

The bullet version does however give you the following:

-Really cool container
-Expansion cards that change up the game slightly and allow for an additional player (up to 8)

At first I missed the components from the original, however having a single package for all of the expansions is worth it, and the game doesn’t really suffer from missing the extra components.

That’s it for the differences, now my opinion of the game itself:

Pros:

-Fun theme and concept that appeals to most players. Who doesn’t appreciate a spaghetti western?
-Guess the role mechanic is actually pretty challenging and keeps the game interesting
-Easy to teach
-Supports up to 7 players (8 with the expansions)
-A couple fun cards that add variety to the turns (dynamite, gatling, saloon, etc)

Cons:

-Miss and beer cards make the game drag on longer than it probably should
-Colors and art are a little bland
-Symbols can be a little vague and ambiguous. Reference cards are missing some symbols.
-Game suffers a bit in smaller groups (4-5 players)

Summary:

This is a really fun party game, and this specific version is a good one. Sticking with the basic version is probably fine, however I highly recommend you add this game to your collection.

10
Go to the Ticket to Ride page

Ticket to Ride

23 out of 37 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-New and casual players love “the train game”.
-Pretty board. Plastic trains are well made. Cards are small but are good quality.
-Simple rules, yet enough depth to keep my interest
-Quick turns

Cons:

-Not deep enough for tons of relays with advanced gamers
-Card hoarding can be a bit of a problem sometimes
-Only 4 players. The game doesn’t feel right with only three, and if you have a bigger group you need to play something else or split the group.

Summary:

This is the game I suggest to all new board gamers. I still enjoy playing it. My only issue really is the four player requirement.

10
Go to the The Settlers of Catan page
26 out of 30 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-High quality components. Not a big fan of cardboard pieces but they’re well made and used appropriately. Cards are made well and aren’t bent the wrong way. Wooden pieces are excellent.
-Hybrid of deep and light gameplay that will provide an enjoyable 60-90 minute session.
-Randomized board allows for higher replay value.
-Expansions available to increase variety.
-Great intro game for new players. Players new to the hobby will find that it’s like monopoly but more enjoyable.

Cons:

-Setup takes awhile. This part may intimidate some new players.
-Seasoned gamers tend to be bored of this game (including myself). Granted there are exceptions. There are Catan tournaments after all.
-Game relies a bit heavily on the trading mechanic for player interaction.

Summary:

This game got me into the hobby so it will always have a special place in my heart. If I’m playing with newer gamers that like Monopoly, I’ll break out this gem. Otherwise, this game doesn’t get much play. Most of the casual gamers in my group prefer Ticket to Ride, and the more advanced players have all played Catan to death. Despite that, I recommend having this and the six player expansion in your collection.

10
Go to the Zombie Dice page

Zombie Dice

13 out of 16 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Easy to learn and teach
-Easy to play and keep score
-Fast rounds
-Well made dice and container for the game
-So random that losing isn’t a huge deal

Cons:

-No built in score keeping
-A little too simple for long play sessions
-So random that winning doesn’t feel like an accomplishment

Summary:

This game is great quick fun. The dice roll randomness is both a curse and a blessing about this game. Winning or losing doesn’t matter at all. I liked the brain score keeping that was done in table top, however the basic game doesn’t include anything for score keeping. We have a mini whiteboard that we use for this and other games. Overall it’s good filler.

8
Go to the Memoir '44 page

Memoir '44

60 out of 67 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Good components. Miniatures a little small so some of the guns and soldiers may be a little bent, but they still look great. Cards and cardboard pieces are sturdy. Everything is easy to pack up.
-Multiple scenarios you can put together from the book.
-Gameplay mechanics are not cumbersome to get through (no measuring, simple damage calculation, etc)
-Fun two player.
-Eye catching. Played this at a club house one time and it got a lot of interest from people passing by.

Cons:

-Box says you can have up to six players or more by playing in teams, but this isn’t really true. If each player had their own sets of cards and their own turns, this could be true. However the reality is you’re basically all playing one side and one person will inevitably dominate the decision making.
-Not that easy to learn. Compared to warhammer it’s easy but this is a different class of game. It’s not that it’s difficult its just a little complicated.
-Setup time is almost as long as the game takes to complete.

Summary:

I always have fun with this game. The only problem have is remembering all of the little details after not playing for a few months. And because its only a two player game and takes awhile to setup, it doesn’t get much play. Despite that, my wife and I want to play a “campaign” where we play all of the scenarios in the book overtime and keep a long running score to determine who wins the war. Great game.

7
Go to the For Sale page

For Sale

82 out of 129 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Easy to play, fast to teach
-Game ends quickly, serves as good opener/filler game
-Pretty card and box art, with a few amusing cards

Cons:

-Cards seem to always be bent the wrong way and feel cheap.
-Initial currency is cardboard coins
-A little too simple, not particularly compelling

Summary:

Good filler/opener game with pretty components that feel a little cheap. Fun but not particularly compelling.

5
Go to the Wits & Wagers page

Wits & Wagers

7 out of 17 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Good quality components
-Quick to teach, game doesn’t feel slow
-Interesting for a party game

Cons:

-Questions are all numbers that can only be guessed (by design I’m sure)
-Betting isn’t based on anything other than even more guessing

Summary:

Everyone at our party seemed to be having fun but by the end of this game I was so bored that I was playing games on my phone while waiting for people to finish betting. Seems to be good for some people but not for others.

8
Go to the Love Letter page

Love Letter

61 out of 86 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Super portable. Since everything stores in a pouch you can throw it in a bag without damaging the cards or score pieces.
-Quick to teach, short rounds.
-Simple yet fun strategy

Cons:

-Game name and backstory makes it seem like men shouldn’t be playing it.
-Max player count of 4

Summary:

I love this game as a warm up but for some reason no one else in my group does. I’m not sure if it’s the name or the theme but it’s hard for me to find other players.

8
Go to the 7 Wonders page

7 Wonders

34 out of 46 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Fun with the minimum of 3 players.
-Supports up to 7 players.
-Beautiful art on the cards and player boards.
-Simple yet deep strategy. There’s usually several strong options on a given turn.
-High replay value. Different player specializations allow for a wider variety of experiences.

Cons:

-Card board money (not that big of a deal).
-Scoring system requires paper and calculators.
-A little on the long side for the type of gameplay.

Summary: I’ve had some great times playing this game and highly recommend it.

7
Go to the Formula D page

Formula D

31 out of 40 gamers thought this was helpful

Pros:

-Supports larger groups (up to 10 players)
-Visually appealing
-Low skill, high strategy
-Fun variety of characters in the advanced game

Cons:

-Slow paced. It’s a race car game, yet it doesn’t really feel like a race.
-Cars are low quality. I understand they need to be small but I was disappointed by the quality.
-Faceless generic characters in the basic version.

Summary:

Fun for a big group but not as much fun as I thought it’d be. I don’t regret buying it but I don’t see it getting much play in our group.

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