SF&F board games

[Brown Rat]

The description of this forum focuses on RPG games, and most of you are talking about computer games, so I apologize in advance for asking . . . but does anyone play the non-RPG board game Settlers of Catan, in any of its versions? I'm an addict.

To make up for my non-RPG question, I'll ask about a RPG board game: have any of you played the board game based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Most TV-inspired board games are lame, but the Buffy game is actually fun.

Or Solarquest? Either the original or the Apollo 13 version?

Or Lunar Rails?

Or Merchant of Venus?

(I am now imagining a deafening silence. )

[Azathoth]

(I am now imagining a deafening silence. )

I'll get out the crickets. To answer your question - I don't play board games at all. I choke on the pieces.

[dwndrgn]

I've always been interested in trying these. My biggest complication is my hubby who is my natural games partner (naturally ) and he isn't a fantasy fan at all. However, he does like strategy games like Risk and the like. So I've been tempted to get one to try it out but they are a little pricey to take the risk that he'll lose interest (gets bored easily) before it even starts if it is too complicated to set up and get started. Any thoughts on games I might start with for a newbie and an easily bored newbie? I love games and hubby doesn't like to play most of the games we have as I'm usually pretty good at trivia and scrabble and the like - so he feels defeated before he even starts. I figured a strategic game like this he might get into, but I'd like to have us crawl before we walk

[Jason_Taverner]

I love board games. At the moment playing decent, warhammer quest and monopoly. I've never played Settlers of Catan but its supposed to be amazing. Our gaming group isn't active at the moment the main man is moving house so once he settled I expecting to start up again.

[SkywardShadow]

I play a lot of board games. Catan is fun, if a tad simple for my tastes. I have played a ton of Solarquest in the day, though I didn't even know there was a different version, I'll have to look into that.

I really love the A Game of Thrones boardgame... it's quite worthy of it's namesake.

[Brown Rat]

Dwndrgn, the hubby would probably like Catan. Even when it's not a player's turn, the player has things to do. The basic strategy is simple, so you can start playing without reading endless rules, but it allows for complexity later,
as you become more familiar with the game.

Skyward, will you please talk more about A Game of Thrones? I'm going to google it right now to see what it is, but I'd like to hear why you love it. I'm always looking for new games.

Jason, what's Decent?

[Jason_Taverner]

sorry brown rat I mis-spelt. The game is Descent: Journeys in the Dark . A very much action based dungeon crawl. It has thousand of parts, even coins for the money you make. 16 plastic miniature heroes and huge monsters to take on. Very little role play

[dwndrgn]

Originally Posted by Brown Rat

Dwndrgn, the hubby would probably like Catan. Even when it's not a player's turn, the player has things to do. The basic strategy is simple, so you can start playing without reading endless rules, but it allows for complexity later,
as you become more familiar with the game.

Thank you ever so much! I just might have to make this a gift to ourselves for Christmas!

[Brown Rat]

Jason, does the DM in Descent have to make up the scenarios? Or is it sort of like the old Hero Quest, which came with scenarios?

[Jason_Taverner]

comes with own scenarios but the DM adds new tasks with his random encounter cards, trap cards and treasure. A lot like old heroquest but the PC's are great. The range of miniatures is great, from standard to orc to massive dragons. Game playing surface is like warhammer quest but more detail and about 3times the size.

[Brown Rat]

That sounds good, Jason. And I found more info about the board game Skyward mentioned, A Game of Thrones. If I can convince my gaming buddies that we should purchase both games and try them out, I'll let you know what we think. Thanks for the tips!

[SkywardShadow]

Sorry for the long wait on my reply.

I think most games break down into a combination of two types. Chess, and Dice. Most are some combination of the two, made up of random luck versus strategy and chaos (chaos simply being the term used for not knowing what your opponent is going to do).

I really enjoy A Game of Thrones for it's lack of dice rolling and luck.

[Joel007]

It was the simple board game D&D that got me into the computer RPGs. However, dice rolling for the 10000th time gets on my nerves, so now i let the PCs handle the semantics and just give the orders

best board game ever was diplomacy!

[Trey Greyjoy]

Just saw this post. My wife and I play the Buffy game! There is actually a bit of strategy involved. Its quite fun.

There is a board game based on George Martins ASOIAF series that Im dying to get also!

[Brown Rat]

Hooray, Trey! I'm delighted that you're playing the Buffy game. Which one of you gets to play the villains, and which one gets to play the scoobies? Or do you trade roles each time you play?

Skyward, what does the board look like in Game of Thrones?

Joel, the last time I tried to play Diplomacy, my brother kept pissing me and the rest of us off because he broke deals with everyone. I'm one of those "let's be nice" people who sticks to her agreements--which makes me ridiculously unsuited to play Diplomacy. (Grrr.)