[This is such a great discussion, I’m gonna keep it at the top for another week, then we’ll go back to “What are you playing” next week.]
I thought I’d switch up this weekend’s discussion a bit…
For me the board game hobby has always had an underlying quest of finding those “holy grail” games that me and those I play with look forward to playing over and over again. Those games aren’t the same for everyone, since each individual and group is unique. I’ll share a couple of mine, and look forward to reading what other games are shared in this discussion.
The Resistance
Probably the most enjoyment I’ve ever gotten out of $15. We don’t always know how many will show up on our game nights, and whenever we’ve got five or more, we always break this game out. Our group just can’t get enough of the craziness that ensues with everyone trying to get their points heard (whether truthful or not!).
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game
We were skeptical of this game at first. We thought it sounded like each game you play you’d be doing the same thing over and over (close locations, find & defeat the villain, rinse, repeat). What we discovered was a game where you’re working closely with your friends to make it through epic adventures. There is a perfect balance of risk/reward as well as being your own force in the game while also working together as a team. This is a game we’ll be playing for a long time!
What “holy grail” games have you discovered, and why did they end up being such great games for you and those you play with?
I have a couple (or three) of games that I just want to play again and again. I guess you could call them my “go to” games.
– Fortune and Glory: the Cliffhanger Game – After I got this game, I found that I can play it again and again, and enjoy it every time. Winning or losing, I definitely want more.
– DungeonQuest – I like the chance to enter the Dungeon and hope to grab some loot and get back out. Sure I have died much more than I have escaped, and find myself cheering on others that have a chance to make it out alive once I have perished.
– Blood Bowl – This is my “chess”. I enjoy playing teams of against each other on the field. Moving your players up and down the field to score a touchdown or prevent one. Fantasy races against each other in a battle to win the day on the field.
I think those are my main go to games. I seem to fall back to those the most.
My list would include “Lords of Waterdeep”, “Settlers of Catan”, “Ticket to Ride-Europe”, and “Settlers of Canaan” (a settlers of Catan variant). Settlers games are a lot of fun for my wife and other non-gamers or casual gamers. They also find Ticket to Ride as a fun game also. Lords of Waterdeep gets a little deep for some casual gamers, Especially those that don’t play longer games. I would rather play Memoir 44 or Tide of Iron, but my wife won’t play “those” games.
A few for me, those games that have tremendous replayability top my list, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Mysterium, Five Tribes, and Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards. I really seem to gravitate towards games that set up the same, but the experience of each game is so different with all the same components in play.
Martian Dice has become that end of gaming day/night game that is just fun. My brothers have dubbed it the “chicken” game, cause in our game, if you take chickens first, the tanks come after us big time, almost guaranteed.
The Resistance, and it’s “big brother” Avalon would have made my list but two things happened. 1st was multiple plays were people weren’t trying to play the game or were trying to power game too much. 2nd was Coup. the deduction in Coup is nice, and the players get to choose when and how they bluff. It works well with 3-6, and is not terrible with only 2.
But the biggest Holy Grail game for me has been Takenoko. This has worked well with gamers, non-gamers, and even my 8 year old niece. It’s engaging and plays well 2-4. Everyone I have played with has liked the game, and multiple people picked up a copy after a single play to add to their collection.