# Recommend a good fantasy boardgame?



## Empyreus (Nov 1, 2004)

hi gang.  i've been thinking about picking up a good fantasy boardgame to play on those nights the whole group can't make the game.  i have talisman 3rd edition and love it (why are those expansions so hard to find and so expensive??), and was hoping to find something similar yet different. 

any good recommendations?  older games are fine too, as i'll most likely try to pick something up on ebay.  

thanks a lot!

empyreus


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## Jesus_marley (Nov 2, 2004)

You could try looking for Hero Quest or Dragon Strike.

Hero Quest was successful enough that it spawned some expansion sets while Dragon Strike only had the original release although it did come with a really cheezy 30 minute instructional video.


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## David Howery (Nov 2, 2004)

if you can find a copy of TSR's old Divine Right game, get it... it's pretty good...


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## Frost (Nov 2, 2004)

Try Dungeoneer.... granted, it's technically a card game, but it's NON-collectable (there are two versions you can get and combine if you wish).  Plus, it plays like a board game, the cards create the board.


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## Particle_Man (Nov 2, 2004)

I would recommend Lord of the Rings, a cooperative board game that is good!  (and the artist actually did some storyboard art for the movie!  Some of the "character" cards look like the relevant actors!)  One expansion set, Friends and Foes, is also good.  The other expansion set, Sauron, is technically good, but ruins the cooperative idea by having one person play Sauron.  I guess that is technically closer to D&D, or the Buffy board game for that matter.

An old Board game called Dungeonquest was pretty good, but requires a lot of set up (lots of decks of cards to shuffle -- they have a random coffin pile, a random corpse pile, etc.).


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## ssampier (Nov 2, 2004)

Any of these games still available?

I immensely enjoyed the Hero Quest game back in the day.


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## John Crichton (Nov 2, 2004)

It's not fantasy but Settlers of Catan is a classic and one of the best games ever created. That's what my group plays when not RP-ing.


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## mojo1701 (Nov 2, 2004)

John Crichton said:
			
		

> It's not fantasy but Settlers of Cattan is a classic and one of the best games ever created.  That's what my group plays when not RP-ing.




Great game. I love Catan. I second this.


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## Particle_Man (Nov 2, 2004)

Lord of the Rings is still available, and I am pretty sure Settlers of Cataan is (and it has a LOT of expansion sets).  Don't know about DungeonQuest or any of the others mentioned so far.

Oh, you know one old old boardgame that is cheezy but fun would be Dungeon!  Each character is in a race to get treasure from rooms, and each room has one monster (or trap) and one treasure.  Powerful characters need more treasure.  The dungeon has  6 colour coded levels of difficulty, so weak characters go in the easy rooms and powerful characters try the harder rooms.

Another fun cheezy board game is Wiz-War.  You play individual wizards trying to kill each other and steal each others' treasure chests (which will also kill the other wizards).  Lots of spells in your hands.  

I don't think Dungeon! is printed anymore, and I am not sure about Wiz-War.


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## stevelabny (Nov 2, 2004)

i've love to check out the new Heroscape, but I keep forgetting to go read reviews. 

Settlers of Catan is close enough to being fantasy, and one of the best games ever. I know that I'm calling my homebrew world Catan just to make my players annoyed 

There's also a relatively new boardgame based on George RR Martins Game of Thrones that got good reviews when it came out and should take up a whole session. (Although, again, I havent played it)

Tikal has the exploring theme, but the game doesnt rate more than an OK from me.

If you have the room, and dont mind playing like a kid, Crossbows and Catapults is the best fantasy game ever. One day, I will own this again. Although its not exactly a BOARD game


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## Particle_Man (Nov 2, 2004)

Oh, there is a fantasy train-track building game called Steel Dragon, if you want to go that way (at least I think it was called Steel Dragon).


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## Fast Learner (Nov 2, 2004)

Here's a good BoardGameGeek GeekList of fantasy adventure type games:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listid=3651

And a little broader list of fantasy-themed games:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listid=4616

And about a jillon fantasy themed games, most every one ever made:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/catbrowse.php3?id=10

Click on the game's name (in every case) for more information, pictures, reviews, etc.

Love the 'geek!


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## Dougal DeKree (Nov 2, 2004)

*Board Favourite*

We liked to play "Titan" by Avalon Hill Games, but it surely is out of print now.


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## CCamfield (Nov 2, 2004)

Frost said:
			
		

> Try Dungeoneer.... granted, it's technically a card game, but it's NON-collectable (there are two versions you can get and combine if you wish).  Plus, it plays like a board game, the cards create the board.




Seconded.  

There are actually these sets now:

Two 4-player sets:

Tomb of the Lich Lord - undead-themed crypt dungeon
Vault of the Fiends - dungeon with a sort of "mad magician/scientist inventor" theme

and two 2-player sets (half the number of cards):

The Haunted Woods of Malthorin - self-explanatory
The Den of the Wererats - city/sewers

But you can combine whatever sets you want to.  I've got only the first two, and would like the rest, as it seems like there are some new and interesting card ideas in them.


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## Mercule (Nov 2, 2004)

John Crichton said:
			
		

> It's not fantasy but Settlers of Cattan is a classic and one of the best games ever created. That's what my group plays when not RP-ing.



Excellent game.  Carcasonne has replaced Catan as the boardgame-of-choice in my group.  It plays a bit faster and is slightly lower impact, which is good for the couple of spouses who play with us.


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## Kaledor (Nov 2, 2004)

My brother and sister in laws like to get together to play fantasy games all the time.  They don't like rpgs, nor do they like strategic/conquest games.  So, I've had to develop a small cache of low-conflict, low-rpg, high fantasy games.

These aren't really board games (they're more like card games... but they're not collectable cards games... no other expansions to buy).

*King of Elves
*Guillotine (hope I spelled that right... the french execution device that lopps off heads).
*Apples to Apples (okay not a fantasy game... but still interesting to a group that doesn't want to roleplay).
*The Great Dalmutee (not really THAT fantasy... in fact the first time I saw this game, it was a drinking game in college called President and Pee-on)
*Castle (not really my favorite... too easy)

*RoboRally (the only board game they like... but it is a bit too much strategy for them)

Anyways, I guess it really depends on the use of the game in question.  I'm always looking for new games that are a "good mix" of strategy, fantasy, and chance...   It's got to have enough strategy to keep me (and my brother) happy, but enough chance and strategy that you can ignore to keep the wives and the brother-in-laws happy...  It be so much easier if they just played DnD 

(if you're looking for a good fantasy game that is an rpg in disguise and you don't mind sacrificing a few hours to learn and teach the rules AND then a few more hours to play the game... then Magic Realm is a good fantasy game with lots of rpg elements and lots of strategy, but enough random exploration that anyone would be happy).


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## Kaledor (Nov 2, 2004)

Empyreus said:
			
		

> i have talisman 3rd edition and love it (why are those expansions so hard to find and so expensive??), and was hoping to find something similar yet different.




Does anybody know where I can pick up Talisman (any edition) or Talisman Dungeon?  I used to love the original game (ed 1 I assume) and really think that it might work for my strangely mixed group.

I've also been thinking of picking up Settlers of Catan.  For those that have played and liked it (sounds like there's quite a few) Can it be played with 2 people?  Is it a fun game for 4?  About how long is the average game?


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## John Crichton (Nov 2, 2004)

It can but it is best with 4.  You can also buy the 2 player version.

The average game can last anywhere from one hour to much longer.  Ours average about 90 minutes (give or take 10), depending on the amount of table talk/food/beer being consumed.


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## DMScott (Nov 2, 2004)

Empyreus said:
			
		

> any good recommendations?  older games are fine too, as i'll most likely try to pick something up on ebay.




Divine Right would be my pick if money was no object - fantastic game, but it'll probably set you back a fair amount since it's a collector's item nowadays. I keep hearing about plans to republish it, but none of them have come to fruition so far.

Another blast from the past that I've seen on some game store shelves is "the Best of Dragon Magazine Games". It was a compilation of games published in Dragon way back when (80s and early 90s, IIRC), you get something like 5 games at a pretty reasonable price. One of them is "File 13", a classic Tom Wham game that's worth the price of admission on its own.

A more current recommendation is anything by Cheapass Games (http://www.cheapass.com/). The cost is low enough that they're basically disposable if you get one you don't like, but that's generally not a problem since they're pretty darn good games.


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## Angel Tarragon (Nov 2, 2004)

I believe the 2 player version of Settlers is more played with cards than a board. I may be wrong.


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## Cthulhu's Librarian (Nov 2, 2004)

DMScott said:
			
		

> Divine Right would be my pick if money was no object - fantastic game, but it'll probably set you back a fair amount since it's a collector's item nowadays. I keep hearing about plans to republish it, but none of them have come to fruition so far.




Actually, Divine Right was reprinted in a limited edition 25th anniversary edition. Our group bought it for one of our players birthdays a year or two ago. It's officially sold out now, but you can get it some places (Noble Knight Games has it in stock for $59.95)

http://www.rightstuf.com/divine/

http://www.nobleknight.com/ProductD...cturerID_E_291_A_CategoryID_E_13_A_GenreID_E_


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## Templetroll (Nov 3, 2004)

Particle_Man said:
			
		

> Oh, there is a fantasy train-track building game called Steel Dragon, if you want to go that way (at least I think it was called Steel Dragon).




Iron Dragon.  Cool railroad game with neat fantasy elements built in.  We have it and it is a blast to play.


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## CalicoDave (Nov 3, 2004)

There's a fairly new game out called Runebound  by Fantasy Flight Games.  It's gotten some good reviews and seems to get compared to Talisman quite often.

When my group can't play DnD we usually play Settlers of Catan, Bang!, and/or Puerto Rico!

Boardgamegeek is a really good resource when researching games to get.


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## Shallown (Nov 4, 2004)

Runebound is a great fantasy game though there are a few equipment cards that are rather iffy in how powerful they are. Settlers of Catan And Star farrers of Catan are both excellent games. I have the 4 and 6 player versions for both. We play them a good bit when we don't game.

Dungeoneer is also a blast even though I have only played it once.

Later


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## Orius (Nov 4, 2004)

ssampier said:
			
		

> Any of these games still available?
> 
> I immensely enjoyed the Hero Quest game back in the day.



 Hero Quest's been out of print for years.  You can still find it on eBay, though some of the expansions cost a lot.


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## ssampier (Nov 6, 2004)

*Any like HeroQuest?*

I knew HeroQuest was out-of-print (and unlikely to be reprinted because of trademarks issues with Games Workshop). Is there any games that have a  similar feel to HeroQuest?


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## John Crichton (Nov 6, 2004)

ssampier said:
			
		

> I knew HeroQuest was out-of-print (and unlikely to be reprinted because of trademarks issues with Games Workshop). Is there any games that have a  similar feel to HeroQuest?



 Warhammer Quest is basically the same thing.


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## reapersaurus (Nov 8, 2004)

HeroScape is a new minatures board game put out by Hasbro, from the designers of BattleMasters, etc that is getting RAVE reviews.
I strongly recommend it. It is a very fun, very simple to play but solid rules, with something for everyone, genre-wise.
Seriously, it's known to "bring out the kid in everyone."
It has the best quality miniatures for the price anywhere, a revolutionary interlocking tile/terrain system, and is insanely customizable. For only $40.
I can't believe more boardgamers on ENWorld aren't playing this.
Read the Boardgamegeek page full of praise for this wonderful new game.
I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed.


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## devilish (Nov 8, 2004)

reapersaurus said:
			
		

> HeroScape is a new minatures board game put out by Hasbro, from the designers of BattleMasters, etc that is getting RAVE reviews.
> I strongly recommend it. It is a very fun, very simple to play but solid rules, with something for everyone, genre-wise.
> Seriously, it's known to "bring out the kid in everyone."
> It has the best quality miniatures for the price anywhere, a revolutionary interlocking tile/terrain system, and is insanely customizable. For only $40.
> ...




Actually saw a commercial on TV for it this weekend -- it did look
cool!  They show you pulling characters(miniatures) out from 
different time periods to wage war.  On the list...


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## John Q. Mayhem (Nov 15, 2004)

LotR Risk is fun. Significant strategy differences from normal Risk.


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## mojo1701 (Nov 15, 2004)

John Q. Mayhem said:
			
		

> LotR Risk is fun. Significant strategy differences from normal Risk.




Yes, this is quite true. There's a normal version, and a "Trilogy Edition." Which one do you have, John?


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## John Q. Mayhem (Nov 15, 2004)

Normal. I think the only difference is the map, but I've only played Trilogy once.


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## JoeGKushner (Nov 15, 2004)

Dungeoneer is fun. I have all four packs.

Risk Godstorm is supposed to be a blast. I have 2120 and it's fun.

Not fantasy, but Apples to Apples is a great game.

Ditto on Settlers.


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## mojo1701 (Nov 15, 2004)

John Q. Mayhem said:
			
		

> Normal. I think the only difference is the map, but I've only played Trilogy once.




Besides the fact that different strategy comes ino play for holding certain continents, there are also some extra ring cards (the worst 



Spoiler



are the two cards that say "If a good force controls Minas Tirith, gain 10 batallions" and "If an evil force controls the Black Gate, gain 10 batallions"


).


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## Desdichado (Nov 15, 2004)

You could play D&D.  

*badump bump*

Also, Blood Bowl's a bit of a niche product, but I like it as a fantasy boardgame quite a bit.  In fact, I'm part of a Blood Bowl league currently.


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## Kanegrundar (Nov 15, 2004)

I've been on a huge boardgame kick recently.  Here's my picks:

Easy to find games:
Runebound: Great game that is farily similar to Talisman, but since it just came out in the last year it won't break the bank to buy a copy.  Very fun.

Heroscape: I bought this one on a whim and I'm loving it.  I've downloaded and written up stats for many of my D&D, Mageknight, and Star Wars minis to use in that game. 

Battleball: It's a farily simple little "future football" game.  It's pretty fun, and it's super quick to play.  Plus, it comes with some pretty cool sci-fi-like miniatures.  Plus, Toys R Us and Kay Bee Toys have been selling it for under $10!

Betrayal at House on the Hill: Not technically a fantasy game, but it's great fun anyway.  The whole traitor twist in the middle of the game coupled with a LOT of different scenarios make for a lot of replayability.

Now the Hard to find games:
Talisman: Good luck in finding anything other than the 3rd edition set for sale at a LGS.  Even then, it's still $70.  As for finding any of the expasions they're all for earlier editions (no official expasions for 3rd Ed.), and they sell for well over $100 on Ebay if you can find them at all.  If you can find a copy and afford it, do so.  It's simple and lots of fun.

Warhammer Quest: This is GW's more super-advanced Heroquest game.  This is another that is going to be very hard to find at a good price.  However, it's probably the best game that GW has ever put out.  Lot's of great plastic minis, and some excellent rules to boot!

Hero Quest: Good luck in finding a complete copy and finding a copy for under $75-100.  However, it's still a great hack and slash dungeon delve game.  Easy to set up and play.

Hope that helps,
Kane


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## ShadowDenizen (Nov 15, 2004)

I'll second the listings for "Runebound", "Dungeoneer", and "Iron Dragon", and the "LotR" games (expansions and all.), and "Betrayal at House on the Hill."

May I also recommend:
--Cthuhlu 500 (awesome card-game about car-racing, Cthulhu style!)
--ARkham Horror (Cthulhu board game: long OOP, but being re-issued.)
--"Game of Thrones" (and the expansion "Clash of Kings")-- one of my current favorite games. Suprised no-one mentioned this already!
--"War of the Ring": new LotR board-game. AWESOME bits.
--"Star Wars: Queens Gambit". Depsite the crapitude of the prequels, this is a cool game.

I'll try to think of some others, if you need them.


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## John Crichton (Nov 15, 2004)

Joshua Dyal said:
			
		

> You could play D&D.
> 
> *badump bump*
> 
> Also, Blood Bowl's a bit of a niche product, but I like it as a fantasy boardgame quite a bit.  In fact, I'm part of a Blood Bowl league currently.



 You are a lucky man.  If there was a Blood Bowl League around here I would join in an instant.  The one that I was fortunately enough to participate in was loads of fun.


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## The Other Librarian (Nov 15, 2004)

John Crichton said:
			
		

> You are a lucky man.  If there was a Blood Bowl League around here I would join in an instant.  The one that I was fortunately enough to participate in was loads of fun.




I agree.  My games and mini's are gathering dust.  It's high time the Crookback Cut-Throats (Skaven) were given a chance to do their thing again! 
 

Blood Bowl was also cool 'cos you could have the fun of painting GW army, with only minimal expense, at least compared to the big army stuff.


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## ShadowDenizen (Nov 16, 2004)

> If there was a Blood Bowl League around here I would join in an instant. The one that I was fortunately enough to participate in was loads of fun.




It's probably a ways out of your way, but round my area (Boston, Mass.), my FLGS (www.dangerplanetgames.com) has Blood Bowl Leagues twice a year (or so.)  If you're ever in the area, give me a holler, I'd be happy to give you a match against either the "Deephold Dwarves" or the "Berkleyshire Bumblebees"-- the Halfling Team that went 4-4 in the last league!!)


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## Particle_Man (Nov 16, 2004)

Shallown said:
			
		

> Settlers of Catan And Star farrers of Catan are both excellent games. I have the 4 and 6 player versions for both.




Just a warning.  Although I love the 4 player Starfarers of Catan, the 6 player version has a flaw.  They added a "Travellers" planet that gives an uber ability to the first player to land there.  Which means that the 6 player game is now less about resource allocation and much, much more about "get thee first to the travellers' planet, at all costs!"  I guess that could be house ruled, though.  

Also, be VERY careful with the plastic rocketships.  They break way easy.  Don't put the engine boosters on the rockets at all, I'd say.


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## Jhamin (Nov 17, 2004)

If you want light fun, try Munchkin or it's variants.  
Its a card game simulating a role playing game.  It helps alot if you are or know a couple of real munchkins.  It's filled with cards like "Loan Comic collection to DM, gain 1 level" and the Plutionium Dragon.
It's sort of about helping the party, but it is mostly about kicking in doors and looting bodies until you get a higher character level than your buddies.

Slighty more complex, try Betrayal at the House on the Hill.
It is basically a session of Call of Cthulu in a box.  In each of the games the players start out exploring a haunted house.  As the omen cards pile up, eventually a "haunt" starts.  You check which of the 50 end-game scenarios has started.  One player (determined by scenario) turns on the others and gains power over the house and it's assorted monsters while the other players get various ways of winning/getting away/surviving according to the scenario.
Best of all, the game only takes about an hour once you know the rules so you can even whip it out if somebody is going to be late for an RPG.

If you are ok with a 8 hour game, the new Axis & Allies is pretty fun.  The rules are different than the old version from the 80's & 90's.  The Axis actually have a good chance to win & naval combat is alot more important.


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## TheAuldGrump (Nov 17, 2004)

Okay, here goe:
Frag by Steve Jackson Games
Kill Doctor Lucky
Get Out
Give Me the Brain
Lord of the Fries
Huzzah! (All by Cheap Ass Games)

And a pretty fun minis game that plays fast - Modheim by Games Workshop. Curently the rules are available free at http://specialist-games.com/mordheim/default.htm If you already have minis it is pretty quick to get into and play.

The Auld Grump


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## Zog (Nov 18, 2004)

Puerto Rico is a great one.

Vinci is one I haven't seen mentioned - rise and fall and rise of empires across europe - solid fun game.

Twilight Imperium is a great Sci-fi wargame, similiar in genre to Axis&Allies.
And there is a fantasy version, Battlemist which is also fun.

Iron Dragon is fun - you get a great game, and a fantasy world with one purchase.  It would be trivial to run a D&D game in the world of Iron Dragon - you have a map, kingdoms, towns, goods produced in each town, trade routes, and a short description of each kingdom.


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## CCamfield (Nov 19, 2004)

Zog said:
			
		

> Puerto Rico is a great one.
> 
> Vinci is one I haven't seen mentioned - rise and fall and rise of empires across europe - solid fun game.




Probably because it's not fantasy?   But I agree these are very good games.


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## John Q. Mayhem (Nov 20, 2004)

There's an Iron Dragon novel that's been sitting on the shekf of my local thrift store for ages. It's got a blurb about being based on a new game.


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## Storminator (Nov 20, 2004)

Citadels is a pretty good fantasy game, in a Puerto Ricoesque kind of way. And the artwork on it is simply awe inspiring.

If you can get ahold of copy, get Incognito. It's a super-Clue game, set in Vienna, and it's fantastic.

PS


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## PieAndDragon (Nov 20, 2004)

*has a quick look at board games shelf*

- A Game of Thrones from Fantasy Flight Games. Good strategy game, although best with 4 or 5 players [enough to play D&D with anyway]
- Runebound, also by FFG. If you liked Talisman, you may well like this
- Munchkin in all its card game forms
- Tongiaki, a fantastic little game which is easy to play and caters for 2-6 players
- Colossal Arena [siverline games] is a rerelease of an older game which is quite frenetic and fun
- Pirate's Cove [Days of Wonder] plays well from 3 to 5 players with a nice mix of strategy and luck.


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## velm (Nov 21, 2004)

how about the DRAGONLANCE boardgame? if they still make it, that is.  
If not, just go for the old standby of AXIS AND ALLIES, not quite fantasy, but hey.


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## RedShirtNo5 (Nov 21, 2004)

I guess this makes me a grognard, but the original Car Wars.

Has anyone tried the newer edition, _Car Wars Card Game_?

-RedShirt

p.s.  Ditto on Settlers, but ask to inspect the contents before purchasing.  The box I got was missing pieces!


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## SteelDraco (Nov 21, 2004)

RedShirtNo5 said:
			
		

> p.s.  Ditto on Settlers, but ask to inspect the contents before purchasing.  The box I got was missing pieces!



Was it, by chance, missing all the cities? I had somebody return one of those at work recently, and am wondering if it's a consistent problem they're having.

As to board games... most of what I'd recommend has already been mentioned. Settlers (and its expansions) are, hands down, the best board games ever made. Starfarers I'm not as big a fan of, just because the trade planets are overpowered, and make the game not about empire building, but racing to the alien races.

The Game of Thrones board game is a lot of fun. It's a more entertaining version of Risk, really - the strategy is more in-depth, and gameplay moves along better without Risk's excessive and tedious dice-rolling. And it's quite a bit of fun if you're playing with people who've read the books. When I played, the Lannister player kept trying to make deals and alliances, and nobody would help him. It was fun.

Talisman is available again from GW, after years of being out of print. It's $70, so it's probably not worth it, but it is a good game. I'm much happier with the $5 I got at a flea market years ago, with the Dungeon expansion included.

Munchkin, Ninja Burger, and Chez Geek are all quite a bit of fun, though they're really more card games than board games. An excellent way to spend some time, though.

Illuminati is what my gaming group plays when we don't have a full group. The old non-CCG version, from Steve Jackson Games. We always have a good time with that one. We always lose to the guy who owns the game, but that's more or less expected.

If you've got the time, the D&D minis game is actually quite a good little game as well. Not really board, but still a fun way to spend a missed roleplaying session.


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## Bill Scott (Nov 21, 2004)

Concerning Heroscape, which I'm thinking of picking up at my local Toys R Us, how is it played? 



			
				Kanegrundar said:
			
		

> Battleball: It's a farily simple little "future football" game.  It's pretty fun, and it's super quick to play.  Plus, it comes with some pretty cool sci-fi-like miniatures.  Plus, Toys R Us and Kay Bee Toys have been selling it for under $10!




I second this suggestion. BB is a great game, especially if you can get for that price, that is nearly guaranteed to please the football and scifi fans. I bought three sets, one for me and two for my nephews, for $15 each at the local KMart.

Blood Bowl is awesome if you play with just the basic game. It gets spendy when you buy the other teams

Zombies!!! is another great game, in my opinion, that is cool to play when the full group does'nt show up. It's tile based, so the board changes each game, and the rules are easy to learn

Warhammer Skirmish, which I call WH Lite, is great because you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on minis and take hours to paint them to get a good game going


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## Mystery Man (Nov 21, 2004)

I'll 3rd Battleball. I got that for my son last year and it is a _lot_ of fun. I'll be getting Heroscape for him this year.


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## RedShirtNo5 (Nov 21, 2004)

SteelDraco said:
			
		

> Was it, by chance, missing all the cities? I had somebody return one of those at work recently, and am wondering if it's a consistent problem they're having.



Nope, in my case it was all the field terrain hexes (i.e., the card from which you would punch out the tiles).   As far as I can tell, everything else is present.  I bought it last weekend, and am hoping to return it today.

-RedShirt


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## ssampier (Nov 21, 2004)

*all look great, fun for the Holidays*



			
				detomo said:
			
		

> - Munchkin in all its card game forms




Sounds fun! I always loved Dork Tower comics (John Kovalic is a cool guy), so I can imagine the hilarity of the card game.



			
				detomo said:
			
		

> - A Game of Thrones from Fantasy Flight Games. Good strategy game, although best with 4 or 5 players [enough to play D&D with anyway]




I love the books. This one is also at my local hobby shop. It is kinda expensive though ($54 locally), so it'd put a strain my Holiday budget.




			
				detomo said:
			
		

> - Runebound, also by FFG. If you liked Talisman, you may well like this




I've never played Talisman, but I loved HeroQuest. Any similarities between Talisman and HeroQuest? Different can be good, however. Any online store that sells this? I may want to take a look.


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## Fast Learner (Nov 21, 2004)

Runebound at Funagain (will price match any competitor)

Runebound at GameSurplus (great people, friends of mine)

Runebound at Gamefest (great boardgame news section as well)

Runebound at Fairplay Games (will price match any competitor)

Runebound at Time Well Spent (tie for 2nd best price, will price match any competitor)

Runebound at Boards & Bits (tie for 2nd best price, will price match any competitor)

Runebound at Boulder Games (best price)

I noted the 2nd best price places because they may have cheaper shipping (and the price difference between them is only 50 cents), plus most of the folks there price match.

Also worth noting that A Game of Thrones is $32.80 at Boulder Games. And remember the price matching.

I love to support my FLGS and I commonly do, but there's such a difference between AGOT's retail price of $50 and the online price of $33 that it's hard to justify spending the difference. (Not impossible, just hard.)

(EDITED to add price matching info.)


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## Kanegrundar (Nov 22, 2004)

Bill Scott said:
			
		

> Concerning Heroscape, which I'm thinking of picking up at my local Toys R Us, how is it played?




It's like a lot of skirmish games.  First you decide on a point total for the scenario (fi you don't go with one of the pre-made scenarios), draft your forces and then setup the battlefield.  

Setting up the battlefield is a bit of a pain, but the system is pretty malleable to whatever you want to build.  There are all sorts of hints and tricks to building land bridges and caves with the set at www.heroscape.net if you want/need some help.

The game plays very much like Hero Quest (the old MB boardgame).  Each mini has a set number of attack and defense die.  If you roll an icon on the attack die, it counts as a hit unless the defending player rolls icons on his defense die.  Plus, most units have special powers that add another layer of depth to the game.  

It's one of those easy to learn and tough to master games.  Granted, mastering the strengths and weaknesses of each unit isn't too tough with the basic set, but there are expansion packs (non-collectible, so you know what you're getting when you buy a pack) coming next month that will add snake-men, robot snipers, romans, and some new unique units to the game.  

All in all, Heroscape is a sound buy.  Plus heroscape.net has all sorts of conversions for minis from D&D to Star Wars to Warhammer (FB & 40K) on their site for use in HS.  

Adios,
Kane


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## dogoftheunderworld (Nov 23, 2004)

*Okay, so it's technically a card game...*

Hack!


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## Bill Scott (Nov 25, 2004)

Thanks for the in depth answer and the link, Kanegrundar. It does look and sound like a great game. It looks like I'll be getting two sets, maybe three, within a couple weeks.


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