Let's talk about board games

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  • #616692

    …and card, dice, dexterity, puzzle, word, and party(/social) games

    (I think that about covers it).

    (As usual, the mention of a game is not a recommendation.)

    I’m thinking of making a thread in which I recommend games

    to check out, and I’ve got a few questions for you nice people.

    You don’t have to answer all of them (or any of them, for that matter).

    Would you be interested in such a thread?

    Are you likely to be playing with people of varying ages

    (probably children), or with people close in age?

    Are you likely to be playing with one other person,

    with a few people, or with more than a few people?

    What price would you consider cheap for a game?

    What price would you consider too high for a game?

    What themes (what a game is about) would be interesting to you

    or to those you would be playing with? (For example, science fiction,

    historic (ancient or recent), the old west, war, a specific war, specific pop-culture things (based on a book/movie/video game/etc.),

    trains (so many!), horror(/zombies/Cthulhu), farming, industry, fantasy, civil services (police/fire/medical), politics, crime, pirates, racing, espionage, animals,planes, sports, that’s way

    too many examples, just stop already, okay, fine.)

    What content would make a game inappropriate as far as you’re concerned?

    (Lookng at the last question, you can probably see why I have to ask.)

    Would you be willing to lie in a game?

    (This matters for negotiation or bluffing games.)

    How mean is too mean for a “take that” game

    (games like Sorry!/UNO/Mille Bornes, in which players usually

    work toward a goal while doing things to chosen other players

    to stop them from winning)?

    How much mathiness is too much?

    How complicated is too complicated, and how simple is too simple?

    Which sounds more appealing – all strategy, all luck,

    more strategy, or more luck?

    Do games in which you must be creative on the spot sound like a bad idea?

    Would you be more interested in games in which the players compete for more points or to reach a goal first, or games in

    which the players must directly attack other players to win?

    (Settlers of Catan – competitive / Risk – confrontational)

    How long do you want games to be – what’s usually too long?

    (Games that are really short are meant to be played multiple times.)

    What are some games you enjoy already, and can you point out

    anything in particular about those games or the experience of

    playing them that you enjoy?

    Would you be interested in:

    Co-operative games (the players play together against the game)?

    Solitaire games (for 1 player)? (Many co-ops can also be played solo.)

    Dexterity games (games that rely on physical speed or skill)?

    Party/social games, which are often less involved and/or

    more about the players than the game elements (example: Apples to Apples)?

    Word games (games which the player with the best vocabulary often wins)?

    (Let the silence resound… Maybe just until the kids come back.)

    #1113756
    TheGoq
    Participant

    “What are some games you enjoy already, and can you point out

    anything in particular about those games or the experience of

    playing them that you enjoy?”

    I love backgammon, people think since its a dice game its mostly luck this is false there is a great deal of strategy involved, I play rather aggressively taking off many pieces while risking having pieces open i like the one on one aspect and for good or bad I am extremely competitive I do not like being one upped it spurs me to try harder.

    #1113757
    Yserbius123
    Participant

    TOO MANY QUESTIONS!

    In the past decade, the world has seen a kind of renaissance of board games. The world has long moved past Monopoly and Stratego and standard entertainment fare. There are literally hundreds of new games coming out every year for every type of person in every conceivable genre. It would take me hours to even begin answering your questions, there’s just so many factors that go into it.

    I’ve seen the frum oilem only partially embrace it (Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan are somewhat popular in heimishe homes) which is surprising considering that the content of most of these games is rather benign by moral standards and very few have any issues in regards to Shabbos. What annoys me the most is the frum publishing companies that make their own games just slap a few extra themes (“reskins”) on boring old existing titles like Candy Land when there’s so much potential for so much more. Seriously people, look up your local tabletop game store (yes, such a thing exists) and ask for a recommendation. Barring that, head out to Barnes and Noble and ask them.

    I like games that are short (30-60 minutes), don’t involve too much luck, and can be played with 2-4 people. Right now my family is really enjoying Forbidden Island which is a co-operative game where everyone has to work together to collect treasures on an island before the water rises too high.

    I have a few others on my “I want to play” list. There’s Hanabi, a co-operative game where everyone can see each others cards, but not their own, and have to tell the other players what they have in their hands, but the rules prevent giving away too much information.

    Then there’s Sabotuer, which works in large groups. Everyone works together to dig for the treasure, except for one or two people who have to prevent the others from finding it. And no one knows who they are, so it often devolves into a shouting match of accusations and counter accusations.

    #1113758
    skripka
    Participant

    i love scotland yard. very good family game.

    never play battleship against me, who ever heard of boats not moving when shot at?

    #1113759
    takahmamash
    Participant

    never play battleship against me, who ever heard of boats not moving when shot at?

    Years ago, when my youngest was, well, young, she played Battleship with a friend of ours who came for a Shabbat meal. At some point, he said that her ship setup was impossible, because he had no more places to try. It turned out that she had been moving her ships around throughout the game.

    She’s now 19, and we still remind her about that from time to time.

    #1113760

    The Goq:

    people think since its a dice game its mostly luck this

    is false there is a great deal of strategy involved

    While you’re right in some cases, I don’t think backgammon is

    one of them. Although how you play does matter, for two players

    with equal levels of knowledge, it comes down to luck.

    Here are 2 experiments you can try:

    1. Play a good number of games against an opponent who agrees to

    play as conservatively as possible, and see who wins more games.

    2. Play a good number of games, recording how many times in each

    game each player rolled a double 3 or more (unless they weren’t

    able to move at all with it). See how many times the person who

    rolled more of them won that game.

    I play rather aggressively taking off many pieces

    while risking having pieces open

    Sounds like you might like push-your-luck games (or those that

    allow for such a playing style). I guess I’ll add that to my list.

    i like the one on one aspect and for

    good or bad I am extremely competitive

    Two-player strategy games (perhaps abstract ones like backgammon).

    Already on the list.

    <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

    skripka:

    i love scotland yard.

    You might like Mister X, which is kind of a modernized version

    which I’ve seen describes as “Fury of Dracula without the combat,”

    and I know that one’s really well-thought-of. I don’t know much

    about the game, but hidden-location games are on my list now.

    never play battleship against

    Anyone who’s figured out that you should simply cover the board in

    diagonal lines, allowing more space between them once the smallest

    ship is eliminated, if you don’t know this yourself.

    Anyone who insists on… that goes >here.<

    (Anyone at all. Play something else.)

    #1113761

    This thread wasn’t meant for you, Yserbius! 🙂

    I wasn’t going to bother making the speech,

    but thanks for doing it.

    TOO MANY QUESTIONS!

    I suppose you’re right. I’ll have to correct that.

    In the past decade

    Let’s call it two decades, shall we? Torres, Tikal, El Grande, and

    6 nimmt! (all by Wolfgang Kramer), Bohnanza (by Uwe Rosenberg),

    Union Pacific (by Alan R. Moon), Vinci (predecessor of Small World),

    The world has long moved past [mass-market games] … I’ve seen the frum oilem only partially embrace it (Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan are somewhat popular in heimishe homes)

    I’m led to believe that the situation isn’t too much better

    among non-Jews, where those games (and a few others, like Pandemic)

    have also managed to get a spot in standard retail stores.

    Seriously people, look up your local tabletop

    game store (yes, such a thing exists)

    I don’t think it does in Lakewood.

    …and ask for a recommendation.

    And then get it online for less.

    I like…

    You can just look at the family games chart you-know where. Be off. 🙂

    (Googling those last 2 or 3 words doesn’t find it – sad, isn’t it?)

    By the way, have you heard of Forbidden Desert ?

    Then there’s Saboteur

    A lot of hidden-role party games sound like they might be hard to play if

    you can’t lie. I suppose I should ask a halachic authority about that…

    #1113762

    (Mods, can I ask you to turn my first post into just a link to this one?

    http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/lets-talk-about-board-games#post-588885 )

    I’m thinking of making a thread to recommend board games (etc.) to check out,

    and I’ve got a few questions (to try and figure out what to do first).

    Are you interested in games to play with your friends (teenage or

    older), with your family (ages 8 and up), with younger children, or

    with just one other person?

    What price would you consider cheap, and what price just too much?

    How long a game is too long for you?

    How much detail would you want about any game being recommended?

    Would you prefer that a game be as uncomplicated as possible?

    Are you interested more in games that are more about luck or strategy?

    Which of the following sound more interesting to you than the others?

    Puzzle-solving / Racing / Sports / Physical skill / Words / Logic / Memory

    Fighting with other players / Competing for points or to reach a goal

    Playing a game without other people (as you might a video game)

    Working with other players against the game instead of each other

    Games that are more about the players than the game (think Apples to Apples)

    Can you name a few games you’ve enjoyed, and perhaps what

    it is about those games you would say causes you to enjoy them?

    (Maybe it’s still too much…)

    #1113763
    amazing jew
    Participant

    this idea that games have to be a certain way is ridiculous we should all play different games as for which game you play that is your decision

    #1113764
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    While you’re right in some cases, I don’t think backgammon is

    one of them. Although how you play does matter, for two players

    with equal levels of knowledge, it comes down to luck.

    True, luck can turn any game of backgammon — but that’s why you play a match and not just a single game. (Plus, the doubling cube adds quite a bit of non-luck-based strategy).

    If the two players are truly equal players, then, over the long haul, they’ll each win about 50% of the matches they play, which is how it should be. If not, the skill of one will definitely that percentage over 50%.

    The Wolf

    #1113765

    (That last post was about backgammon as played formally

    in tournaments, in case anyone was wondering.)

    (Let’s call it two decades, shall we? I take that back.)

    #1422552

    In response to >this<:

    Nothing… for the right audience. Is that audience here, though?

    #1423000

    1421922 (again) and 1422620:
    Can you teach those games in 3 minutes (to someone
    who hasn’t played a trick-taking game before)?
    Can you play those games with 8-year-olds?

    #1424035

    Also, in bridge’s case, it only supports a single player count (4).

    These issues don’t make them bad games, just not the ones I’d tell
    people about first, and they are in any case quite well-known.

    (Would either of you care to make a thread explaining trick-taking
    games to those among us who didn’t grow up with MS Hearts?)

    #1480178

    Is anyone interested in games with a seasonally appropriate Egyptian theme?

    #1480810
    Midwest2
    Participant

    Glad to see that there are now games that are not competitive, and don’t involve handling fake money on Shabbos. I grew up playing chess, but gradually drifted away from it because I don’t have that killer instinct to win and I hate to lose. Maybe I should look up Settlers of Catan. We also played Monopoly, which was sort of crass, but what we really played were card games, usually variations on rummy. Even the littlest ones could play, because an older kid would help them out. Board and card games can be very inclusive for the whole family or crowd if people aim to enjoy the game, not just be the one to win.

    #1480845

    I’d recommend against Catan (both as a first “modern” game and in general).
    I can try to recommend something if you tell me how many players you’ll
    probably have and their ages.
    (Do you specifically want a game that’s not competitive, whether because
    it’s cooperative or because it’s just too random to be taken seriously?)

    #1480871
    Toi
    Participant

    Rummikub. Only, always, forever.

    Ya, I’m a shtikkel fan.

    #1481021
    Midwest2
    Participant

    Competitive games don’t lead to happy groups. Someone has to lose, and they’re not happy about it. And since no one wants to lose there can be arguments, hard feelings, and generally not a good feeling to take away from the gathering. Anyway, in real life we cooperate far more than we compete, so we have more skills for the game.

    #1481782
    👑RebYidd23
    Participant

    So what you’re saying is that cooperative games are good if you’re a group of sore losers?

    #1484620

    What was that you were just saying about “if people
    aim to enjoy the game, not just be the one to win?”

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