Board Games

[Lions]

A couple of weekends ago my daughter chose her current favorite: The Game of Life. I think of it as a poor man's Monopoly, a pretty simplistic game that's very dependent on luck (and another pet peeve: you really don't know who's ahead until its over).

I actually think that last bit is one of the better features of the game. The fact that it's not strictly a race and it's hard to tell who's winning keeps everyone's interest. Monopoly eventually devolves into a slow death with whoever's way ahead of everyone else.

But.... my revelation in this gaming session was watching my daughter play. First of all, she insisted on being the banker, in charge of all the money. Then, she proceeded on playing as a true wheeler dealer entrepreneur and won the game handily. I just sat back at marveled at how she had -- without any coaching -- mastered all parts of the Game of Life, and quietly wished she does as well at the game of life.

This is very cool.

[klewis]

I picked up Puerto Rico and Ticket to Ride for the iPad. Both are highly recommended. I feel both games have been faithfully translated over to the iPad. The only missing component is multiplayer flexibility - both do offer it but it will never compare to the traditional tabletop multiplayer counterpart.

The great thing about the iPad board games is that there are no pieces to clean up or set up! Another bonus is that the game calculates all the scoring for you. It's also refreshing to play the game by yourself against AI opponents since finding some people in real life to play might be a chore (at least it is for me lol).

[Arroyos]

… finding some people in real life to play might be a chore (at least it is for me lol).

I hear ya, Kevin. I've always thought finding people in real life was a chore.

[Lions]

I found Guillotine while packing up my house this weekend. It's been added to the first post above.

[Bill]

I picked up Puerto Rico and Ticket to Ride for the iPad. Both are highly recommended. I feel both games have been faithfully translated over to the iPad. The only missing component is multiplayer flexibility - both do offer it but it will never compare to the traditional tabletop multiplayer counterpart.

The great thing about the iPad board games is that there are no pieces to clean up or set up! Another bonus is that the game calculates all the scoring for you. It's also refreshing to play the game by yourself against AI opponents since finding some people in real life to play might be a chore (at least it is for me lol).

I didn't know there was an iPad version, though I'm not surprised. I bought Ticket to Ride tonight and played a couple quick games. I like it!

[klewis]

I didn't know there was an iPad version, though I'm not surprised. I bought Ticket to Ride tonight and played a couple quick games. I like it!

Glad to hear you liked it! There's quite a few board games that have been ported over to the iPad.

• Catan
• Small World
• Carcassonne
• Tikal
• Samurai
• Bang!
• Kingsburg

That's just a short list but there's plenty of them on there. So far, I've found the iPad to be a nice medium for board games especially for those solo plays aka "quick fixes". It's also a nice way to experiment with some alternate strategies.

[Bill]

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I'll give some of those a try. I'm going to try to talk my wife into playing Ticket to Ride tonight.

[Leones]

I know that GMT is working on an iPad version of Twilight Struggle and several other titles too.

[Bill]

I'm pretty addicted to Ticket to Ride now. It's so convenient on the iPad. I can play during commercials. If something interrupts you, you just set it down and come back to it. Awesome.

I taught my daughter to play it today. On our second game playing together against the computer, we set the top record since I started playing (160). I've played online a few times too to get some practice against real people.

[klewis]

Dominion will be coming to the iPad this winter as well. It looks the iPad has proven to be a good medium for board games

[klewis]

I hate do double post but I wanted to ask if anyone has built a rotation of board games (or rather a single one) for the winter months?

I haven't played board games in awhile aside from my iPad... but I think winter and the holidays make a good excuse to expose board games to your friends and family.

My friends and family enjoy Dixit; it's a very casual game that is easy to pick up and one round does not last for hours.

In light of the Dominion online thread, I'm toying with the idea of trying to teach Dominion to my friends and family. Another consideration is Arkham Horror. Haha, I'm a little scared to teach anyone that game. I have a hard time myself remembering the rules or the setup.

What is your rotation right now? I haven't really been in the board game loop since 2010. So, I am unsure what are the hot new games in 2011 - though I have heard good things about 7 Wonders. Do you have any recommendations for casual gamers? I would prefer games that do not require many people - perhaps 2-4 players. I'm thinking of perhaps Settlers, or Carcassonne, or Small World.

[John]

Hey Kevin, you should join us for PEBA Sunday night online Dominion games! We'd love to have you.

[klewis]

Hey Kevin, you should join us for PEBA Sunday night online Dominion games! We'd love to have you.

Actually... you know what? I might be able to attend for the next few weeks. It does fall around dinner time on the Pacific coast but I might be able to work around that. I can try this Sunday

[Lions]

We've been introducing some friends to more casual games, and we usually start with Settlers or Ticket to Ride. Zooloretto has also been pretty popular to introduce people to, and is one of those games that is a lot simpler to play than it is to explain.

The other game I've had some success teaching people, but which tends to be a bit harder to play, is Robo Rally. The concept is easy and the rules are simple, but in practice, it can be a bit difficult for people who are less inclined to think spatially.

While I like Dominion a lot, it's not entering my list of games to teach newbies. The game mechanics are a bit less inclined to the casual/new gamer, IMO.

[Coqui]

Here's our current rotation:

Dominion (and we have the Intrigue expansion set)
Ticket to Ride Europe (plus 1912 and Alvin & Dexter expansions)
Monopoly Go! card game Monopoly Deal card game
Life
Guess Who
Clue
Strat-o-Matic (2004 season)
CandyLand

Life, Guess Who, and CandyLand are, of course a nod to having younger game players. Strat-o-Matic is currently an affliction that only my 12yo and me share. I'm sure that in time the 6yp and 4yo will be sucked in. Am I wrong to see all weekend long playoff-style tournaments in my future?

Monopoly Go! Deal is a fun little Monopoly-branded card game that is cheap (probably no more than $5.99) and surprisingly satisfying from a strategy standpoint, with game mechanics that are simple enough to grasp that kids catch on quick. It also has the added benefit of beiong able to knock out a series of three quick games in 15-20 minutes. A perfect stocking stuffer for kids who like games.

Related, I was pretty proud of my 12yo last night. He hammered both my wife and me in Ticket to Ride, using both expansion sets, despite having the worst hand of Destination Tickets of the three of us. He came up with a pretty creative way to win, showing real promise as a strategist. Fun stuff.