We want to add more depth and purpose to our game exploration quests so that they are more than a list of random games to explore. Moving forward, each group of explorable games will be a guide to help all types of gamers learn more about a genre, mechanic, theme, etc. (ie: guide to… gateway games, deck building games, one vs many games). Our first will be a Guide to Cooperative Games.
The guide will recommend one or two cooperative games that are ideal for a specific gamer type. Another way to think of it would be to ask yourself:
“What are the best cooperative games that a [gamer type] would enjoy?”
We would love to hear your recommendations and thoughts! Feel free to recommend games that aren’t in this list, even games that aren’t on our site yet. Just make sure to recommend games that are in print and readily available. Also, please share a brief explanation for why the game is great for a specific gamer type.
Below is a rough list (nothing set in stone) to get the ball rolling… Please take a look and then share your thoughts. Thanks!
Family Gamers
Flash Point: Fire Rescue
Castle Panic
Forbidden Island
Social Gamers
The Resistance: 3rd Edition
Hanabi
Strategy Gamers
Casual Gamers
Avid Gamers
Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
Defenders of the Realm
Power Gamers
Level 7 [escape]
Alcatraz: The Scapegoat
Arkham Horror
Space Alert
I would add Betrayal at House on Haunted Hill to the Casual Gamer list. It is an Arkham-lite type game. Many scenarios are included and a random person turns traitor in the middle of the game. It is fairly self-explanatory, easy to get into and has a Clue-like feel in how you move about and explore the mansion.
And Sentinels of the Multiverse to the Avid Gamer list. Intense card play, tons of replayability from the Heroes, to Villains, to Environments. This is not a game for the faint of heart. It will take a lot of coordination to make any headway.
I would recommend Mice and Mystics as one that would appeal to family gamers. It seems to be an excellent cooperative story-telling game that offers a unique theme and is light enough for younger audiences.
A Touch of Evil would also work for Casual Gamers. It has an interesting theme, yet the rules are light enough for players that aren’t accustomed to complicated rulesets. The large variety of heroes and villains offer a great deal of replayability, and there are competitive options, as well.
Lastly, D-Day Dice is a good one for casual gamers. There is obviously a lot of luck involved due to the dice, but players have to choose carefully how to spend resources, how to share among the members of the team, and when best to move their units as the game progresses. The randomness of the dice and the variety of available “battlefields” offers lots of opportunities for repeat play.
Elder Sign is also a good addition as a cooperative game, but I think I would rank it as an avid gamer style of game. The dice mechanic doesn’t require a whole lot of room to play, and it is more forgiving than Arkham Horror is at times.
It might be worth separating Co-ops that have betrayal or a traitor in them such as The Resistance, Shadows over Camelot, and Battlestar Galactica into a subcategory. And semi-cooperative such as Mage Knight or Alcatraz.
There are also many fantasy / adventure game coops such as the Dungeon’s and Dragons board games, and the majority of the Flying Frog catalog.
As for additions to the list above I would add Sentinels of the Multiverse (the new version) and Ghost Stories. Sentinels would work for a variety of gamer types (family, casual, avid), has fantastic artwork, an engaging theme and solid game mechanics. Ghost Stories would be more suited for strategy gamers and is one of those games that is so fun that you are OK with losing (which is good because it will happen more times than not).
With full and absolute certainty I say that these two you are practically forced to be cooperative:
- Arkham Horror
- Shadows over Camelot
Besides, I think they are the best that explore the theme of teamwork and cooperative.
Pandemic
Fortune and Glory can also be played cooperatively.
You and your team of intrepid explorers try to get more gold/treasures than the Nazis or Mobsters.
This is probably most fun for Casual or Avid Gamers.
I would also recommend “Agents of SMERSH” as a cooperative family game. It’s light yet has a story-telling aspect to it. Overall, your list of family coops looks good.
Ghost Stories seems very popular as well, but I’m not sure if it falls under Avid or Casual.
Space Hulk: Death Angel is more of an avid cooperative card game yet fast.
I’ve really only just discovered coop games not too long ago, so I can’t really contribute here, but I’m excited to explore many of the suggestions you guys are throwing out. I love the genre and play the heck out of Lord of the Rings: LCG, and would love to have a few more of the same type of game in my arsenal.
@b0bb33z3r
You should definitely look into Sentinels. This and LotR are very similar in their feel. There are obvious differences (theme of course, and some mechanics, and fixed vs variable decks) but the concept of all representing different heroes, fighting against a common set of minions with a little environmental effects thrown in for good measure is common in both games.