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2004 Board Games Gift Guide
Posted by
michael
on Tue Dec 07, 2004 03:22 PM
from the monopoly-doesn't-cut-it dept.
from the monopoly-doesn't-cut-it dept.
The Morning News has come out with a nice guide to good gift boardgames, while Funagain Games has the list of the 2004 Board and Card Games of the Year (and the runners-up). Like a bowling ball with your name engraved upon it, these make great gifts for your significant other. Any other suggestions for good adult boardgames?
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Do not pass "Go" (Score:5, Insightful)
Me: still a Go newbie but loving every minute of it.
Re:Do not pass "Go" (Score:5, Insightful)
It's amazing how simple the game is, yet the best computer programs in the world only play at an intermediate level at best.
Parent
Re:Do not pass "Go" (Score:3, Informative)
It has been a while since my AI class. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here.
Re:Do not pass "Go" (Score:5, Informative)
Before I go on, I have to point out that I only have a deep interest in AI, I haven't actually started my post-grad coursework in it yet (hopefully next year). So my information might not be 100% correct (I look forward to someone correcting/supplementing my post). I should also add that I play Go on occasion, but I suck at it...
Go does have a very large branch factor, so brute-force techniques to playing well are nearly impossible (or take WAY too long to compute). Chess doesn't have a large amount of branching (relative to Go), so brute-force is actually somewhat effective. But the real problem comes when trying to actually write an AI that makes decisions instead of exhausting all possibilities.
In Go, there is a very large amount of information to process. The relative strengths of each player in each position of the board, the aggressiveness of the other player, common move patterns, and of course the number of possible outcomes of an action. Simply put, Go is simply too complex to represent and analyze in a simple manner.
It's my understanding that successful Go programs work by simply looking up common scenarios in a large database of pre-programmed moves, supplementing that with some basic neural network pattern recognition, and then narrowing down decisions with a brute force attack on a reduced set.
Parent
Re:Do not pass "Go" (Score:3, Insightful)
On the flip side, it's actually easier to teach than chess (fewer rules, no difference in the pieces), so it fits a guideline in the article ("can be taught within five minutes") much better than most, if not all of the games in the article.
Incidentally, if you do get a board, you
Re:Do not pass "Go" (Score:4, Interesting)
Incidentally, "claim the middle, threaten as much space as possible" are valid Go strategies, too.
Parent
Re:Do not pass "Go" (Score:3, Informative)
Lots of nice feature-rich linux clients support it.
You sunk my Scrabble Ship! (Score:3, Funny)
Apples to Apples (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Apples to Apples (Score:4, Informative)
Works best after a case or two when the phrase "Pressing wood into sheep" takes on whole new meanings.
Parent
Adult Boardgames? (Score:4, Funny)
Twister.
But for the love of God, put away the engraved bowling ball before you start. (Trust me on this.)
Re:Adult Boardgames? (Score:4, Interesting)
That would be the "goatse game". I think I'll pass.
For our wedding, my wife and I registered for, and received, Rock'em Sock'em Robots, Operation, Connect Four, Mastermind, and a few other classic games. They are still fun. We are planning on having a party where you have different game stations, and everyone visits various stations. If you win, you stay at that station (and do a shot). If you lose, you have to go to a different station. (and probably do a shot) Games are much more fun when there is drinking involved.
Parent
What! No Risk? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What! No Risk? (Score:3, Insightful)
Ob. Simpsons Quote (Score:5, Funny)
Homer: You sunk my Scrabble-ship!
Lisa: This game makes no sense.
Homer: Tell that to the good men that just lost their lives.
Heroscape (Score:4, Informative)
Heroscape! (Score:3, Informative)
Settlers of Catan! (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/viewitem.php3?gameid
Re:Settlers of Catan! (Score:3, Interesting)
There's a java version with AI bots at http://settlers.cs.northwestern.edu/ [northwestern.edu]. Although sometimes the servers get clogged and you cannot get on, there's also a mirror linked at that site.
Betrayal at House on the Hill (Score:3, Interesting)
Lord of the Rings (Score:5, Informative)
Graphically, the game is gorgeous. The boards, cards, etc. are all extremely well done.
Re:Lord of the Rings (Score:3, Informative)
Other Kniza games I'd reccomend:
* Through the Desert (think multiplayer Go, but this may be quite hard to find, as I don't believe it's been reprinted yet)
* Samurai
* Schotten Totten/Battle Line (two player card games, and quite portab
Mensa Recommended games . . . (Score:3, Informative)
Past winners of the Mensa Select seal can be browsed by year here [mensa.org]. Have some fun while exercising your brain.
Previous winners include Taboo and Magic-The Gathering.
Balderdash (Score:3, Informative)
Without Balderdash, I never would have known that vagitis means "what my wife is going to do to me when I get home" and that a shittah is "a ghetto toilet".
"Diplomacy" from Avalon-Hill is a must-have (Score:4, Interesting)
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q= diplomacy+board+game&btnG=Search [google.com]
Re:"Diplomacy" from Avalon-Hill is a must-have (Score:4, Funny)
And the Evil Turkish Empire is about to learn what happens when he crosses both Russia and Austria every turn for two game years... we finally got him flanked!
Parent
Settlers of Catan (Score:3, Interesting)
May not be intellectual but fun regardless (Score:3, Funny)
Extensive list (Score:5, Informative)
Pretty much lists everything you won't find at a local wal-mart.
cheapass games (Score:5, Informative)
a) The games sound like fun. Sure, who's going to advertise their games as totally boring and stupid? No one. But, Kill Doctor Lucky [cheapass.com] and Deadwood [cheapass.com] to name two I remember, have funny concepts and sound interesting to play.
b) They are CHEAP. And, seeing as to how most board games I've owned have been played about 3 times, max, the money spent seems much closer to the value derived than the $50 it costs for a lavishly wood-crafted board game.
Again, I don't know much about the product so don't come crying to me if they suck, but I'm probably going to risk a few bucks on them this year.
Fluxx (Score:5, Informative)
In the latter category was in which the player who won, wasn't even there! I played a card which basically caused everyone to play all the cards in their hand. One of the guys got up to answer the phone right before it became his turn. We played for him (since he had to play everything anyway;-) and the *&$*#&*&#*($&%**#&$^%*@&$ won.
Mindtrap (Score:5, Interesting)
A black dog stands in the middle of an intersection in a town painted black. None of the street lights are working due to a power failure caused by a local storm. A car with two broken headlights drives towards the dog but turns in time to avoid hitting him. How could the driver have seen the dog in time?
Re:Mindtrap (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Mindtrap (Score:5, Funny)
The ping-pong ball is on fire.
Parent
Re:Mindtrap (Score:4, Funny)
The gerbil is on fire?
Parent
Classic Battletech (What Else?) (Score:3, Informative)
Okay, so technically, it's not so much a boardgame as it is a religion and a Way of Life, but is there any geekier reason to throw dice and push things about a tabletop?
Be a Cheapass... (Score:5, Informative)
All their games are imaginative, fun and, best of all, cost next to f-all. It's refreshing to see someone trying to be fresh about game styles.
Personal favorites:
Unexploded Cow - a poker-style game involving incinerating BSE infected cattle in French minefields...
The Great Brain Robbery - Get your Zombie out of the runaway train by stealing brains with special abilities.
Bitin Off Hedz - even works for kids - a standard-ish board game where dinosaurs race to extinction.
They're so cheap you can afford to take a risk anyway.
Settlers of Catan (Score:3, Informative)
Only one game for me... (Score:3, Funny)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/075284
Well, it is a card game, but I would suggest this. (Score:3, Informative)
It's a great game and you never get the same play out of a round twice.
My favorites (Score:3, Interesting)
Here's a list of games that I play a lot (in order that I think of them):
- Settlers of Cataan (and Seafarers expansino)
- Carcassonne (and many expansions)
- Game of Thrones (with Clash of Kings Expansion)
- Risk: Godstorm
- Ticket to Ride (great for people new to gaming)
- Bang (great for large groups of 6-8)
- St. Petersburg
- Diplomacy (can cause you to hate your friends!)
Here's a few games that are good for 2 players:komi
PUERTO RICO PUERTO RICO (Score:4, Informative)
Then, I discovered why. Every person that I've introduced Puerto Rico to gets hooked. Here's a list of reasons why I'm a fanboy about it...
--) No waiting: When other people take their turns, all players must make decisions.
--) Creepily well-balanced. There is no (to my knowledge) "power move" or "race for a certain card" that lames out the game.
--) Incredible replayability: each time you play is different
--) Minimized randomness: Randomness exists in only a SINGLE aspect of the game. Everything is else is based on seating and "what are my opponents likely to do".
--) Fast games: You can play it three times in an evening. Crucial.
Zillions of Games (Score:3, Interesting)
Munchkin! (Score:5, Informative)
Very fun, quick game.
Days of Wonder (Score:4, Informative)
Mystery of the Abbey is like a thinking man's/geek's version of Clue. Instead of that boring ole rag of a board game, you get an intricate and well designed whodunit that has strategy and tactics involved as to who finds out what and how to play the game to win. This is a favorite in our household and whenever we have a gettogether it's the first board game pulled out.
Ticket to Ride is another Days of Wonder production, designed by a frenchman I believe, who ironically created a game about US train lines around the early 1900's. You have a set # of trains and must build them in tandem across the country. You must connect certain cities according to your "tickets" you recieve at the beginning of the game, always giving you a goal and with multiple paths to each city there is strategy involved as far as how you connect them and by what color (each route is defined by color). It gets more in-depth and is very fun/interesting and fast paced to boot. The younger kids in the family really like this one as its color-based, easily followed, and easy to learn.
As far as other games, we love card games. Bang! [twilightcards.com] is hands down the best multi-player card game I've ever played. Take that as you may, but I've played my share and it is awesome stuff. When a friend/family memeber asks us what we want to play, it's always Bang! Great mechanics, interesting roles to play, fun and funny to boot. There are some expansions to it (about a dozen cards each) to throw some variety to the game, but we've not needed those just yet. This is an absolute must-buy.
Queen's Necklace is another Days of Wonder production and is very cool. I know, a guy saying that playing a card game based on jewelry is cool, but it's a blast and is still fun with just 2 players (me and my wife play it occassionally). Easy to learn, hard to master, plenty of strategy and lots of enjoyment to be had.
Lastly I'll mention that Cheap Ass Games [cheapass.com] is a treasure trove of goodness, particularly Kill Dr. Lucky. This is a game that happens -before- Clue. Instead of figuring out who died and how, you actually get to kill that person! Of course, he's the luckiest guy ever, so it takes awhile and each person chases the good Doc around the mansion in an attempt to finally kill him in a variety of ways.
I think my favorite "Foiled!" card that showed up as I tried to Kill Dr. Lucky said something like "And suddenly...you felt not so fresh."
Hilarious, fun, and cheap!
Hope this helps
Re:Trivial Pursuit (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Trivial Pursuit (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Trivial Pursuit (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Trivial Pursuit (Score:4, Interesting)
Ironically, Trivial Pursuit is a Canadian invention. Chris Haney worked as a photo editor at the Montreal Gazette, and Scott Abbott was a sports journalist for The Canadian Press. A good history of the game can be found here [about.com]
Parent
Re:Trivial Pursuit (Score:3, Funny)
Most Americans would say the same thing.