Shiny Doom Forum

[Jastermereel]

So I was thinking...one of these days a new board game is going to find its way into our little collective's collection, but, to improve the odds that it be a frequently replayed one, I thought we might vet it a bit.

To that end, lets use this thread for discussing new possibilities. To kick things off:

Thunderstone: Dragonspire
A deck-building game in the style of Dominion, but built around a dungeon-crawl theme. Dragonspire is a standalone expansion to the original Thunderstone that, by most accounts, improves the original's gameplay and rule clarity. 2-5 Players
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/85897/thunderstone-dragonspire
RPS Review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/05/14/not-cardboard-children-thunderstone/

Small World
A world-conquest game (like Risk) but with a mad-lib array of races and, instead of taking a single faction, you use several as civilizations rise and fall. Apparently while side has a unique ability, it's all quite well balanced. 2-5 players.
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40692/small-world
RPG.Net Review: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/14/14282.phtml

7 Wonders
Develop a culture to its peak to create one of the 7 wonders of the world. Some similarities to Dominion in the card-structure, but with different mechanics and goal systems. 2-7 players.
BGG Page: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68448/7-wonders
RPS Review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/10/02/not-cardboard-children-quinns-not-quinns 14:40 into the video

Fluxx
A card game with ever-changing rules. At first, it's simply "Draw one, play one" without even a specific goal, but with each card played the rules change and build on one another. Simple, portable, and a favorite of game communities since its arrival. 2-6 players.
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/258/fluxx

Cyclades
Competitive combative strategy with a Greek myth theme. 2-5 players.
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54998/cyclades
RPS Review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/11/13/cardboard-children-cyclades

Red Dragon Inn
A card game focused on the subterfuge used to win a game of cards over drinks in an inn. Instead of playing a round of cards, you play to manipulate the game. 2-4 players.
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/24310/the-red-dragon-inn

Illuminati
Like Flux, is a fairly old standard of lesser known american games (I think I got to play an old copy of it once in college), which plays off of conspiracy theories. It's a tile connecting game (though very different from Carcassone) about amassing and applying influence though each player has a unique goal. 2-8 players.
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28/illuminati-deluxe-edition

Comments? Other suggestions? Likes and dislikes about what we already play?
_________________
The old Jastermereel account seems to have been killed in an unfortunate email changing accident. I am an illegal clone manufactured on a little known island state off the coast of...well...never you mind. Pretend nothing happened and you won't have to face the combined wrath of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and the League of Awesomeness.

[Jastermereel]

One for younger audiences:

Shadows in the Woods
Played in a dark room, one player moves a small candle around model trees while others try to find ways to move little dwarves around the forest while staying in the shadows.
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1070/waldschattenspiel
RPS Review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/19/cardboard-children-shadows-in-the-woods/#more-120777

And another because you all should be reading Rock Paper Shotgun's Cardboard Children columns.

Libertalia
Pirates! If I need say more, it's a card and deck based game, but is also more complex. The description seems to have a vibe with elements of Bang! and Dominion.
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125618/libertalia
RPS Review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/09/02/cardboard-children-libertalia/
_________________
The old Jastermereel account seems to have been killed in an unfortunate email changing accident. I am an illegal clone manufactured on a little known island state off the coast of...well...never you mind. Pretend nothing happened and you won't have to face the combined wrath of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and the League of Awesomeness.

[Jastermereel]

Another edition of world's lonliest thread!

This time, with a game I've actually played (other than Flux or Illuminati) (where I was last night instead of on google-hangouts with you people).

Citadels
Citadels is a smallish game (like Bang!) but works for 2-8 players. The play is simple and the strategy involves a fair amount of guessing who is who (like Bang!) but it changes each round. As an added bonus, it doesn't take up much space (like Bang!) so it works well for travel. The group I was with had 2 people out of 7 who knew the game and it took no time at all to teach and play.

The basic idea is that you're trying to build structures. The first to 8 ends the game (but doesn't necessarily win (like Ticket to Ride)). However, each round begins by choosing a role from a small deck of eight cards. Some give you extra gold to buy a new building, others help you find more buildings, and some...some just let you screw other players over (Assassin and Thief just can't play nice? Can they?). So each turn you have to balance what you want to do, with what you want to avoid having happen to you; sure you could be the king and get a little extra gold and get first pick of who you're going to be next round, but people just like killing or stealing from the king, so maybe that's not a great idea.

If the game pile seems to feel a little stale, and we're looking for another fast game (like Bang!...or the occasional round of Dominion or Munchkin) I'd suggest this one highly.

BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/478/citadels
_________________
The old Jastermereel account seems to have been killed in an unfortunate email changing accident. I am an illegal clone manufactured on a little known island state off the coast of...well...never you mind. Pretend nothing happened and you won't have to face the combined wrath of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and the League of Awesomeness.

[Jastermereel]

Ok. So it looks like I'm not the only one reading the thread.

Guess that means I'll need to keep it updated a little more with interesting ideas for the future.

Infiltration
Made by the creator of Dominion, Infiltration is a sci-fi themed game built around corporate espionage (yes, like Shadowrun), but, unlike Dominion, it has a shared randomized play space as you and your other raiders explore the building. The goal is to get as much data as you can and get out before the alarm level goes too high and everyone left inside is captured. 2-6 Players.
BGG Page: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/118063/infiltration
RPS Review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/07/08/cardboard-children-infiltration/#more-114912
_________________
The old Jastermereel account seems to have been killed in an unfortunate email changing accident. I am an illegal clone manufactured on a little known island state off the coast of...well...never you mind. Pretend nothing happened and you won't have to face the combined wrath of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and the League of Awesomeness.