# Board games you own and would recommend



## bobthehappyzombie (Jul 11, 2008)

I've not noticed this section before is it new?


Blokus Works best with 4 players, it is very simple to play but savagely difficult to win.
Ta Yü I love this game, it is better two player than 4, it has an unusual concept for scoring which makes for facinating game play... I have yet to master this to my satisfaction.
Puerto Rico there is a thread dedicated to this game, and it deserves the attention.
Shadows over Camelot A co-op game that doesn't suck surely not!
Ticket to Ride: Europe my fave of the series, this game is a great game to play with non gamers simple sraightforward fun.
Race for the Galaxy this little card game blew me away, 40 mins to play, no waiting and excellent depth.
Power Grid Only played this new aquisition a few times, but it shapes up nicely.
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery Losely based on the computer game, it works really well, plenty of paths to victory.
Marvel Heroes Only played a few times, nice feel to the game seems to manage to balance the teams pretty well.
Tigris and Euphrates is good, simple to play, complex to win.
Settlers of Catan and all it's many expansions is a little cracker, the knights and cities expansion adds a lot to the game, but also adds another layer of complexity, so not everyone is in favour (personally I love it)
Railroad tycoon is expensive but worth it... as it goes if you buy all the settlers stuff it will set you back about £150 so that's not exactly cheap either, though it's modular so you needn't get it all... at once.
Arkham Horror yes it's another cool co-op game!
I have a fondness for Scotland yard which is very simple yet strangely intense.
Bohnanza is a bean farming game,  which sounds dull but is great fun.
Star Fleet Battle Force is a suprisingly good little game, especially for all you SFB fans whom no longer have days to dedicate to fighting space skirmishes.

Oh Kremlin not a game I own any more but still a good solid game, and quite a good laugh.
I love Nuclear war and it's expansions, though it is just plain daft, it's not the greatest game mechanically.
... so many games, I'll no doubt come back with more ... SFB that would be a post in itself..


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## meomwt (Jul 11, 2008)

I'd give a shout out to Lost Empires, a Knizia game of exploration (actually a card game of suit building with some nice tactical choices and a clever delay-the-game-end mechanic), Kill Doctor Lucky (a pre-Cluedo game of assassination, back-stabbing and too-tight hats), and Carcassonne (tile-laying game with considerable tactical depth).


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## scitadel (Jul 11, 2008)

I will not add my own list of games here, that's way too long. I'm just going to go with what people have not mentioned that I'd suggest:

Kingsburg - lots of fun development game. It's a nice balance between an Ameritrash (lots of dice rolling) and Euro (you use the dice rolled to allocate to advisors to get their favours to build your city). Mid-level strategy game.

Louis XIV - brain. hurt. Very intense brain burner Euro with just the right amount of luck and extreme strategy. Plays in an hour or so, but no more than a few games at a time can be played.

Through the Ages - if you like Civ, you'll love this.  Such a good civilisation building game.

Gloom - more fun than anything else; it's a card game with a few little neat tricks but nothing spectacular. Nice and amusing on Halloween though.

Coloretto - so, so fun. Card driven game, short and can play fast and highly tactical with some strategy. Very easy to learn.

San Juan - Puerto Rico done with cards pretty much. Strategies are slightly different and set-up time is much shorter.

Descent - probably my favourite RPG / co-op dungeon crawler board game. Highly amusing, but much better with the Well of Darkness and Road to Legend (campaign) expansion.

Order of the Stick - you'll need to adjust the game slightly to make it replayable (too long for what it is) but still fun. Definitely more for the fans though.

I could go on but I'll stop now.


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## bobthehappyzombie (Jul 11, 2008)

Descent is an excellent game, and the campaign game is very much D&D lite.
I found the OotS game to be a real disappointment.
I love the comic but the game blows..

I am fond of Bang as well though it works best with 5 or more, it is good end of evening game, I couldn't get the expansions anywhere, are they still available? (on there own as opposed to in a pack with the original set)

Anyone played Agricola yet? it is the game of the moment I believe.


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## Nifft (Jul 11, 2008)

*Quoridor* (unambiguous name, google it). Very fun abstract two-player game. Perfect for your inner competitive bastard.

Cheers, -- N


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## Nyarlathotep (Jul 11, 2008)

Gotta agree on Arkham Horror being a great game. The co-op aspect is a lot of fun and while we've probably played 20+ games, I've never had one go the same way twice. I'm also a fan of the fact that it's difficult to win at (even more so with the various expansion packs).

Descent seems like a lot of fun, but my problem with it is the time it takes to play a game. Our experience is 5 - 6 hours to play it out.


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## Croesus (Jul 11, 2008)

bobthehappyzombie said:


> Star Fleet Battle Force is a suprisingly good little game, especially for all you SFB fans whom no longer have days to dedicate to fighting space skirmishes...




I have this, but I haven't been able to convince anyone to give it a try. I also have a couple of the new Fed Commander boxes - same problem, no players. 



bobthehappyzombie said:


> I love Nuclear war and it's expansions, though it is just plain daft, it's not the greatest game mechanically.




My first gaming group got into this when it first came out (early 80's ?) and we had a blast. My current group mostly yawned, which I just don't understand. 

An older game I recommend is *Rail Baron* by Avalon Hill. Basically Monopoly with railroads, it's an excellent three and four player game. That's another my first gaming group played to death - I have the beat up copy to prove it.  Be warned, even seriously used copies go for big bucks on eBay. This is one people tend to hang on to.


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## greatamericanfolkher (Jul 11, 2008)

Blokus is great, bit if you want a slightly easier time of it Blokus Trigon is also fun.


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## Agamon (Jul 12, 2008)

The Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game - before they actually play it, so many people that tell me, oh, a zombie game, yawn...I think it's now the most popular game I own.

Blood Bowl - Best played in a league setting, smashing heads and scoring TDs, building your team, lotsa fun

Notre Dame - Easy to learn game with different point gathering strategies, personally, I like those types of games.

Bang! - Awesome game for bigger groups (7-10), easy to pick up for non-gamers, good non-party game party game.

Stone Age - Don't yet own, but really, really want to.  Fun resource collecting game.

Galaxy Trucker - Crazy fast-paced, don't-check-your-brain-at-the-door game.  Fun to play, win or lose.

Wasn't a big fan of Kingsburg.  Can you say, analysis paralysis?  And the best strategy, roll good and take the queen as often as possible, whoever does that, wins.


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## Asmor (Jul 12, 2008)

Ra and Tigris & Eupgrates (linked in first post) are my two favorite games. I highly recommend both of them.

Citadels is a great game for large groups. It scales well with anywhere from 4-8 players.

Ca$h 'n Gun$, Werewolf and, if you're feeling adventurous, Die Kutschfahrt zur Teufelsburg are all great social games.

Fairy Tale which combines booster drafting, from Magic, with set collection, is a really fun game.

Modern Art is another favorite of mine, a very intense but varied auction game.

Starcraft: The Board Game and World of Warcraft: The Board Game are both great games, though expensive and the time commitment required for each can limit how often you'll actually get to play.


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## smetzger (Jul 13, 2008)

Ticket to Ride - build railroad routes accross America to gain points.  Easy to learn, hard to master.

Carcassonne - tile based build medeival walled cities and surrounding country side.  Again easy to learn but hard to master.  Very easy to play, the scoring at the end is the only complex part.


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## CoatRackOfDoom (Jul 13, 2008)

I'll definitely concur on several of these - my own collection includes my current faves: Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne.

I also very much enjoy Apples to Apples, when I'm playing with people who don't dig the strategy and tactics (though strategy really is part of it, for me)

By the by, *does anyone know* where I can get a PDF of the Settlers of Catan , travel edition rules?  I bought the game in Austria while on vacation, and it didn't include an English translation...


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## Nifft (Jul 14, 2008)

CoatRackOfDoom said:


> I also very much enjoy Apples to Apples, when I'm playing with people who don't dig the strategy and tactics (though strategy really is part of it, for me)



 It's a great game... but it's hardly a board game! 

Cheers, -- N


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## radferth (Jul 14, 2008)

I recommend Runebound, if you have a few hours to kill, and want to play a cross between D&D and Candyland.


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## Philotomy Jurament (Jul 14, 2008)

Some of my favorites are:

Arkham Horror
Fury of Dracula
Blokus
Ticket to Ride: Europe
Lord of the Rings + Friends & Foes
Bonaparte at Marengo
Shipwrecked

My kids also enjoy Zombie Fluxx and Figaro.

I also like games like:
Flying Colors
Three Battles of Manassas
ASL
A Victory Lost

But I don't know of any other players near me (and I don't enjoy online or PBeM play).


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## Committed Hero (Jul 15, 2008)

Fury of Dracula is fun, like Scotland Yard with a better system of hidden movement.  And vampires.

War of the Ring is awesome for 2 players.  You feel like you're in the books - but you can change them.


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## Calico_Jack73 (Jul 15, 2008)

Space Hulk - I was thrilled to discover that my mother still had my old Space Hulk boxed set and it was still in pristine condition.  Probably my absolute fave of all time.


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## Nebulous (Jul 16, 2008)

Nyarlathotep said:


> Gotta agree on Arkham Horror being a great game. The co-op aspect is a lot of fun and while we've probably played 20+ games, I've never had one go the same way twice. I'm also a fan of the fact that it's difficult to win at (even more so with the various expansion packs).
> 
> Descent seems like a lot of fun, but my problem with it is the time it takes to play a game. Our experience is 5 - 6 hours to play it out.




Agreed, Arkham Horror is one of the classics of all time.  Descent is good, but it takes too long to play IMO, and really, 4e D&D is the same thing now but only better.


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## knightofround (Jul 17, 2008)

Risk 2210 is my favorite boardgame by far. All the other version of risk eventually get stale or stupid, but there's so many different ways you can play 2210 that it never gets boring. Other boardgames its easy to figure out the "win" strategy and it becomes stale after that. However, with 2210's deliniation of land, naval, and space territories, as well as an expertly designed resource scheme really make it stand out. It does a great job of balancing luck vs. tactics.

Civilization/Age of Empires board games didn't cut it for me, even though I love the computer games. Not enough action. War of the ring was kinda meh, but I really enjoyed Lord of the Rings Risk with the expansion added. The original LotR-risk sucked by itself, but the addition of the south makes the game much more balanced and interesting. Settlers was good for awhile, but eventually got old. Puerto Rico always seemed kinda stale to me. Axis and Allies...cool idea but poorly pulled off.


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## Asmor (Jul 17, 2008)

knightofround said:


> Risk 2210 is my favorite boardgame by far.




Risk 2210 is definitely way better than plain ol' Risk, though not saying much. I've got a friend who's obsessed with it, though (your name's not Skye, is it?)



> All the other version of risk eventually get stale or stupid




I've heard good things about Godstorm, but never tried it.



> but there's so many different ways you can play 2210 that it never gets boring. Other boardgames its easy to figure out the "win" strategy and it becomes stale after that.




Wow, man, you really need to try some new board games... It sounds to me like your board game experience is limited to the Toys 'r Us games section. Not saying there's anything wrong with Risk 2210 (well, there is, but I'm not saying it ), but from that comment it sounds to me like you're missing out on a whole world of board games.

I suspect that you might enjoy the Starcraft boardgame. It's expensive, but worth it, and more importantly from what you've said I think it's up your alley. Let me know if you're interested in trying something a bit different, though, because if you're looking for well-balanced games with low luck, high strategy, and many avenues of victory, there's a lot of euros that would fulfill those criteria.


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## MerricB (Jul 17, 2008)

Top 10 games presently...

#1: Twilight Struggle
#2: Power Grid
#3: San Juan
#4: Advanced Squad Leader
#5: Last Night on Earth, the Zombie Game
#6: Tigris and Euphrates
#7: Caylus
#8: Roma
#9: Notre Dame
#10: Thebes

Cheers!


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## HellHound (Jul 17, 2008)

Asmor said:


> Risk 2210 is definitely way better than plain ol' Risk, though not saying much. I've got a friend who's obsessed with it, though (your name's not Skye, is it?)




Huge 2210 fan here too. Even started on a website for it, and have one of those oversized plexiglass boards for the game that I won at GenCon in 2001 or 2002.


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## Jan van Leyden (Jul 17, 2008)

meomwt said:


> I'd give a shout out to Lost Empires, a Knizia game of exploration (actually a card game of suit building with some nice tactical choices and a clever delay-the-game-end mechanic), [...].




Lost empires is a great little two player game. Note that this year's Spiel des Jahres is Knizia's Keltis, which has many parallels to Lost Empires, somthing like Lost Empires for four people.

By the way, it's the first time Rainer Knizia recieved this award.

Huldvoll

Jan van Leyden


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## CountPopeula (Jul 17, 2008)

Asmor said:


> .Starcraft: The Board Game and World of Warcraft: The Board Game are both great games, though expensive and the time commitment required for each can limit how often you'll actually get to play.




Just out of curiosity, and totally off topic, but how sturdy are the miniatures in the WoW board game? Since the WoW minis game is going to be 40mm scale, I've been thinking more and more about picking this up, but i don't know if the quality of the minis is worth it


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## Asmor (Jul 17, 2008)

CountPopeula said:


> Just out of curiosity, and totally off topic, but how sturdy are the miniatures in the WoW board game? Since the WoW minis game is going to be 40mm scale, I've been thinking more and more about picking this up, but i don't know if the quality of the minis is worth it




Just so you know, they're not painted, and come in 3 colors each: red. green and blue. The quality of the plastic is decent. It's not as bendy as the D&D minis plastic, so it's more likely for these to break, though the only problems I've had were with a few of the flying minis in Starcraft having snapped off their clear plastic bases during shipment, a common problem, but FFG was very good about replacing them promptly). I wouldn't call it brittle, though. If you don't mind garish colors or you're willing to paint them, go for it.


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## Philotomy Jurament (Jul 18, 2008)

I just played Dungeon Twister, and was surprised to find that I really enjoyed it. I say I was surprised because dungeon crawly games usually just make me wish that I was playing D&D, instead (e.g. Talisman, Dungeon!, Hero Quest, Runebound, et cetera).  Dungeon Twister has a lot more strategy, and little randomness.


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## CountPopeula (Jul 18, 2008)

Asmor said:


> Just so you know, they're not painted, and come in 3 colors each: red. green and blue. The quality of the plastic is decent. It's not as bendy as the D&D minis plastic, so it's more likely for these to break, though the only problems I've had were with a few of the flying minis in Starcraft having snapped off their clear plastic bases during shipment, a common problem, but FFG was very good about replacing them promptly). I wouldn't call it brittle, though. If you don't mind garish colors or you're willing to paint them, go for it.




Yeah, i paint almost all my own minis, I play Anima, Warmachine, and 40K. I even tend to repaint/touch up heroclix. I'm glad to hear they're not bendy, that's what I was afraid of, I was hoping for hard plastic, not like the rubbery Star Wars/D&D minis. Much easier to paint something that doesn't bend. I'll have to check it out, if I'm not mistaken it averages out to less than 50 cents per mini. Although I only really want the Horde characters and the murlocs, but that's my problem.


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## Asmor (Jul 18, 2008)

CountPopeula said:


> Yeah, i paint almost all my own minis, I play Anima, Warmachine, and 40K. I even tend to repaint/touch up heroclix. I'm glad to hear they're not bendy, that's what I was afraid of, I was hoping for hard plastic, not like the rubbery Star Wars/D&D minis. Much easier to paint something that doesn't bend. I'll have to check it out, if I'm not mistaken it averages out to less than 50 cents per mini. Although I only really want the Horde characters and the murlocs, but that's my problem.




Just so we're clear, it's not as hard as the plastic used in Warhammer (which I'd definitely describe as brittle). So somewhere between Warhammer's hard brittle plastic and DDM's soft rubbery plastic.


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## stonegod (Jul 25, 2008)

RoboRally Fun with crazed robot racing. The more dangerous the map, the better. 

Betrayal at House on the Hill Its every horror movie that every happened in an abandoned house. Coop, but with an eventual secret traitor. Works better with the errata; one of our most requested game.

Haven't played Arkham, which I read is in all ways better; but I'd like a comparison for one who has played both.


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## Rakor (Jul 25, 2008)

I like Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition. If you like six-eight hour games of galactic domination. 

Ricochet robots is a great one which plays un unlimited number of people in zero minutes to an hour. 

Betrayal is the most successfuly game I've ever brought to a table. 

Hey Merric, I like your taste and advice, Twilight Struggle is at the top of my list of things to get.


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## Angel Tarragon (Jul 27, 2008)

Trump. A fun, fast paced game of monetary politics.


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## Philotomy Jurament (Aug 5, 2008)

I recently acquired Power Grid, and can heartily recommend it as one of the better Eurogames I've played.


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## chromeraven (Aug 5, 2008)

I was beaten to the punch on Betrayal at House on the Hill.  After a move, it's the only game I still have, and you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands.


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## MerricB (Aug 6, 2008)

Rakor said:
			
		

> Hey Merric, I like your taste and advice, Twilight Struggle is at the top of my list of things to get.




Thanks.  I've played a lot of boardgames in the last 2-3 years. 

I enjoy Twilight Imperium, although it's one of several big games I own, so it doesn't hit the table so much. 

Cheers!


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## deadplayer (Aug 6, 2008)

scitadel said:


> I will not add my own list of games here, that's way too long. I'm just going to go with what people have not mentioned that I'd suggest:
> 
> Kingsburg - lots of fun development game. It's a nice balance between an Ameritrash (lots of dice rolling) and Euro (you use the dice rolled to allocate to advisors to get their favours to build your city). Mid-level strategy game.
> 
> ...




Good reviews. Thank u,


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## johnsemlak (Aug 7, 2008)

Surprised *Battlelore!* hasn't been mentioned before now.  Love this game.  I own the game and all the expansions but unfortunately the expansions have dried up lately.

I like *Descent *but it's replayablity to me seems a bit weak, it seemed to get repetitive, though it might be worth trying the expansions.

I'll definitely agree wiht those who support *Bang!*  Great game.  The expansions might be avialable in stores in product called 'Bang the BUllet', and Bullet shaped cone that contains the main game and all three expansions.

Also love *Twilight Imperium*.  

A fun game once and awhile is *Cash and Guns*.  Plays real fast.  It's a great moment when you look up and all the other players are pointing a gun at you.

My wife and I have played the *Settlers of Catan* card game several times.


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## MerricB (Aug 7, 2008)

johnsemlak said:


> Surprised *Battlelore!* hasn't been mentioned before now.  Love this game.  I own the game and all the expansions but unfortunately the expansions have dried up lately.




Yeah. I enjoy BattleLore, although I don't play it that often. I thought it began weakly, but improved greatly once they released the medieval lore rules. Both the Hundred Years War and the Scottish Wars expansions are fantastic.

Cheers!


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## Gundark (Aug 9, 2008)

Nyarlathotep said:


> Gotta agree on Arkham Horror being a great game. The co-op aspect is a lot of fun and while we've probably played 20+ games, I've never had one go the same way twice. I'm also a fan of the fact that it's difficult to win at (even more so with the various expansion packs).




Arkam horror is a fun game and we play it and have several of the expansions. However I will say that the game's big flaw is that it doesn't ajust well to increased number of players. 1-3 players will find it extremely hard, 4-5 will be about just right, 6+ will rule the game. It can be played up to 8 players.


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## MerricB (Aug 10, 2008)

Gundark said:


> Arkam horror is a fun game and we play it and have several of the expansions. However I will say that the game's big flaw is that it doesn't ajust well to increased number of players. 1-3 players will find it extremely hard, 4-5 will be about just right, 6+ will rule the game. It can be played up to 8 players.




You scale it by adding expansions. 

Cheers!


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## Gundark (Aug 10, 2008)

MerricB said:


> You scale it by adding expansions.
> 
> Cheers!



Maybe we're just experts at it by now...while the expansions have raised the bar, I still find my original claim still valid (agreeably less so)


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## Staffan (Aug 17, 2008)

Gundark said:


> Arkam horror is a fun game and we play it and have several of the expansions. However I will say that the game's big flaw is that it doesn't ajust well to increased number of players. 1-3 players will find it extremely hard, 4-5 will be about just right, 6+ will rule the game. It can be played up to 8 players.



Have you looked at the errata? There's some stuff there about adjusting difficulty due to more/fewer players. Notably:


If you have 5+ players and open a new gate, you get two monsters from it instead of one.
If you open a gate where there already is one, you get monsters equal to the greater of (number of players) and (number of open gates).


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## Sparky (Aug 17, 2008)

One boardgame and a number of cardgames that I lump into the same category.

*Boardgame*
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation - An elegant and beautiful marriage of Stratego and LotR lore. The rules are fantastic (almost every 'what happens if' questions is noted in the rules, it was like the designer was sitting right there) and easy to pick up. 2 players only.

*Cardgames*
Guillotine - Darkly humorous and fast game where you and your opponents are rival Executioners at the guillotine trying to put together the 'best' collection of heads.

Fluxx - The rules start simple, Draw 1/Play 1. After that, it's anyone's game. There are some fuzzy debatable rules (well, *I* don't think there's any ambiguity, but others aren't so clearsighted as I am  ), but you can address them as they come up. Doesn't hamper play in any way.

Fist of Dragonstones - Or as we like to call it, Dragonst Ones (because of the title art on the box). Fun bidding game with an interesting mechanic for resolving rounds - the cards determine the order of play with each 'role' that the players assume determining when in the round they go. If you want to go first, be sure to snag the The King, he doesn't grant you any benefits other than the benefit of taking an action first (which can be good). It's been a while since I played it, there's a city building element as well, with certain edifices giving you bonuses and protections from other players machinations. Really good.

*Cardgame I've only played once, but it was fun and is worth a mention just for the name*

Who Stole Ed's Pants? - I think this one's out of print. It's a little hard to get your head around at first, but very fun when you do. Witnesses rise and fall in credibility and suspects bend over backwards to incriminate others. As to who stole Ed's pants? It's whoever is framed up for the job, not necessarily who's actually guilty. Some mysteries are best left unsolved.


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## juggler434 (Aug 17, 2008)

A few of my Favs
Axis and Allies: both the Milton Bradley and Avalon Hill editions are great, I don't like any of the spin offs though.  Europe and Pacific were ok, D-day was horrible in my opinion, and I havn't played the two most recent ones.

Battlelore: A great two person game that doesn't take long to play with great online support.

Betrayal at the House on the Hill: Great, used to play this game by candlelight all the time.  Good fun, especially if you get into it.

Settlers of Catan: Another great game that you can get gamers and non-gamers to play together.

Another bumb for Arkham Horror, great co-op game.

Mall of Horror: I kind of stumbled upon this one, an omage to Dawn of the Dead.  Its a game of surviving a zombie attack in a mall by stabbing your friends in the back.

Zombies: A more shoot em up tile zombie game with lots of expansions that keep promising to be the last one.

These are just a few of my favs, the ones I felt deserved to be mentioned here.


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## MerricB (Aug 17, 2008)

juggler434 said:


> Zombies: A more shoot em up tile zombie game with lots of expansions that keep promising to be the last one.




I used to enjoy Zombies, but I found it just becoming slower and slower and more tedious each time I played it. Instead, I now really recommend _Last Night on Earth: the Zombie Game_, which is exceptional. 

Cheers!


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## Gundark (Aug 18, 2008)

MerricB said:


> I used to enjoy Zombies, but I found it just becoming slower and slower and more tedious each time I played it. Instead, I now really recommend _Last Night on Earth: the Zombie Game_, which is exceptional.
> 
> Cheers!




Seconded


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## juggler434 (Aug 18, 2008)

MerricB said:


> I used to enjoy Zombies, but I found it just becoming slower and slower and more tedious each time I played it. Instead, I now really recommend _Last Night on Earth: the Zombie Game_, which is exceptional.
> 
> Cheers!




I have to admit, I never played Zombies past the first expansion, but I will definatly check out Last Night on Earth


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## PieAndDragon (Aug 20, 2008)

Top 10 for me (in no particular order) would be

A Game of Thrones
Warrior Knights
In the Year of the Dragon
Agricola
Sitting Ducks Gallery
Race for the Galaxy
Britannia
Puerto Rico
Amun-Re
Wiz-War


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## juggler434 (Aug 23, 2008)

Thanks for the recommendation for Last Night on Earth.  I just played my first game and had a blast.


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## stonegod (Aug 24, 2008)

juggler434 said:


> Thanks for the recommendation for Last Night on Earth.  I just played my first game and had a blast.



Ditto. When my wife turned my farm girl so my QB had to run up and dose her with gas to win the game, I knew I had a winner.


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## MerricB (Aug 26, 2008)

juggler434 said:


> Thanks for the recommendation for Last Night on Earth.  I just played my first game and had a blast.




I'm glad to hear that. It's a pretty stunning game IMO. Apparently the publisher has a new game (A Touch of Evil) that may be even better. 

Cheers!


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## John Q. Mayhem (Sep 17, 2008)

Tannhauser is a lot of fun, despite some little problems (hand-to-hand combat feels kinda overpowered, and it's a little odd for more than 2 players). Demonologist Nazis vs. allies with alien tech reverse-engineered from Area 51. Also, President Electro-Edison!


LotR Risk is a ton of fun, lots of replay value (especially if you enjoy making little variants and scenarios).


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## Mathew_Freeman (Sep 23, 2008)

Bohanza is an outstandingly fun game of bean trading that has never failed to pull people in.

Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the magic carrot is a very good game for socialising - the trick appears to be to not actually try to win! The longer the game lasts, the more fun it is - we've played with people who are determined to 'win' and it tends to mean shorter, less interesting games.

RoboRally is also lots of fun - very hard to predict!


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## Asmor (Sep 23, 2008)

Tallarn said:


> Bohanza is an outstandingly fun game of bean trading that has never failed to pull people in.




I'm a fan of Bohnanza, but my fiancée dislikes it strongly...

It takes a lot of getting used to, not being able to rearrange the cards in your hand.



> Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the magic carrot is a very good game for socialising - the trick appears to be to not actually try to win! The longer the game lasts, the more fun it is - we've played with people who are determined to 'win' and it tends to mean shorter, less interesting games.




I like Killer Bunnies strictly for the craziness of all the expansions. Every card and bit just barely fits into the original blue box, when you take out the insert (see attached pic).

The game has some glaring problems... First, it tends to take way, way too long. I'm not a huge fan of it in the first place, and I flat out refuse to play with more than 3 other players.

Second, there's a lot of major ambiguities. A lot.

Third... Shuffling the game is... an experience. Generally, the only way to shuffle it is to clear off an entire table and get all the players to push the cards around the table for a while.

All that said, I still enjoy the game on occasion, and I'm glad to have it.


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## Angrydad (Oct 8, 2008)

Nifft said:


> It's a great game... but it's hardly a board game!
> 
> Cheers, -- N




Apples to Apples is fun, but does grow kind of tiresome after a while. Darth Vader and Batman are basically trump cards if my brother or I are the judging player. If Hitler was a possible card I suspect he'd be a trump too, just cause it could result in some terrifically tasteless descriptions.


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## Asmor (Oct 9, 2008)

Angrydad said:


> Apples to Apples is fun, but does grow kind of tiresome after a while. Darth Vader and Batman are basically trump cards if my brother or I are the judging player. If Hitler was a possible card I suspect he'd be a trump too, just cause it could result in some terrifically tasteless descriptions.




Uhh... Hitler _is_ a card. And yes, he is often a trump card.


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## Angrydad (Oct 9, 2008)

Asmor said:


> Uhh... Hitler _is_ a card. And yes, he is often a trump card.




Sorry. It's been a long time since I last played that game, so I don't recall who's in it and not. I'm pretty sure "Cuddly" fits Hitler to a tee.


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## Geoff Dale (Oct 15, 2008)

*Board Games*

My all-time favorite board game has got to be Diplomacy (face/face or email).  Other very good ones are Blokus and Scotland Yard and Ticket to Ride (mentioned already), and Kingmaker and Spies.  I also liked original Squad Leader and Starship Troopers back in the day.  The kids love Apples to Apples.


Geoff


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## Verdande (Oct 16, 2008)

I love Descent. I've played a couple times with just me and my girlfriend (who I managed to con into being the Overlord... *cackles). I control three heroes at once, and she tries to slay me over and over. She's really competitive, and sometimes I have to stop the game and try to make peace with her so she'll talk to me. When I kill her monsters, sometimes she'll hit me, and I'm dodging little minis left and right. Like I said, she's super competitive when we play games. Good thing I am, too.


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## Brain (Oct 16, 2008)

Lots of great games mentioned already.  Here's my top 10

#1: Titan 
#2: Game of Thrones, A 
#3: Twilight Struggle 
#4: Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit 
#5: Taj Mahal 
#6: Himalaya 
#7: Maharaja: Palace Building in India 
#8: La Città 
#9: Power Grid 
#10: Caylus 

The Titan reprint is supposed to come out this year (though it has been pushed back repeatedly)


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## Shade (Oct 24, 2008)

A few, in no particular order...

Last Night on Earth
Talisman
Carcassonne
Citadels
Power Grid
Arkadia
Pirate's Cove
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Game (an all-time favorite)


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## Gundark (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm gonna add "A touch of evil" to the list. Good game, very much like Arkham Horror mechanics wise (this is a good thing). And very much like Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" in the feel of the game.

I've played it twice, so if you have any questions fire away.


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## ejja_1 (Nov 2, 2008)

*Just a quick couple....*

Talisman if you have the time. ( my friend had an older edition with all the expansions, so play can take several hours.)
otherwise quick and amusing:
Ninja burger
Munchkin
Flux


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## Demongirl (Nov 7, 2008)

ejja_1 said:


> Talisman if you have the time. ( my friend had an older edition with all the expansions, so play can take several hours.)




1st Edition if you can afford to drop the money on it. I don't know why but the later editions just seem lacking for me.


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## Angel Tarragon (Nov 11, 2008)

spam reported.


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## scitadel (Nov 11, 2008)

Mmm... I'll add Galaxy Trucker to this list. Very fun and a must get as far as I'm concerned.


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## El Mahdi (Nov 13, 2008)

Asmor said:


> World of Warcraft: The Board Game




That's not a boardgame, that's just D&D 4E.

(seriously, before anyone goes crazy I am just kidding)




To the subject:

I don't have it anymore but _Kingmaker_ was one of my favorite boardgames (my game box was accidentally left in Korea when I pcs'd - long story - don't ask).

I don't know if it's even made anymore.  I did a Google search and the only places I found it were on E-bay and Board Game Geek.  When I was stationed in England we'd even play this at work on slow nights.  The last time I saw it for sale anywhere (and where I bought it) was in the giftstore at Warwick Castle (around 1995/6).  If you can find it at a decent price, this game is definitely worth the time and money.


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## Lord Zardoz (Jan 6, 2009)

*No mention for Illuminatti?*

While I would not be surprised to find that it is not overwhelmingly popular, I am surprised to see that Illuminatti by Steve Jackson Games has not once been mentioned.

Asymetrical gameplay:  Each player is given two ways to win, either gain control of a specific number of groups (determined by the total number of players in the game), or meet the secondary goal.

Interference:  Each player is able to try to interfere or aid in another players attempt to control a group.  You may even opt to switch sides partway through.

Open Gameplay:  There are two rules in the game that stand out.  First, any deal you can come up with in the game is explicitly allowed by the rules.  This allows trades, bribes, and outright extortion.  The second rule is that no deal is binding unless it takes place immediately.  You can offer to sell a group later for money right now, and then later decide not to hold up to your end of the bargain.

Humor:  When you can have Videogames in control of the International Communist Conspiracy, which are attempting to take control of Virtual Pets with the assistance of Orbital Mind Control Lasers and the Post Office, you know you have a winner.

The only downside is that the game has a tendency to get bogged down from working all the modifiers to an attack out (not unlike a high level 3.5 combat).  Roll 2d6, roll less then attack power - defending resistance (11 and 12 always fail) is easy.  But then you factor in alignment interactions, unique card powers, and transferable power, and it can get cumbersome.

END COMMUNICATION


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## Asmor (Jan 6, 2009)

Lord Zardoz said:


> Open Gameplay:  There are two rules in the game that stand out.  First, any deal you can come up with in the game is explicitly allowed by the rules.  This allows trades, bribes, and outright extortion.  The second rule is that no deal is binding unless it takes place immediately.  You can offer to sell a group later for money right now, and then later decide not to hold up to your end of the bargain.




That's the case in pretty much every game which allows free wheeling and dealing... ever.


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## Brain (Jan 6, 2009)

El Mahdi said:


> That's not a boardgame, that's just D&D 4E.
> 
> (seriously, before anyone goes crazy I am just kidding)
> 
> ...




What I hear (from a friend who enjoyed kingmaker) is that the new version of Warrior Knights has similar elements.  I enjoy the game and would recommend it.


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## MerricB (Jan 6, 2009)

scitadel said:


> Mmm... I'll add Galaxy Trucker to this list. Very fun and a must get as far as I'm concerned.




Galaxy Trucker is an exceptional game. However, I find myself playing more of the designer's other game: _Through the Ages_, which is unbelievably fun. Well, both are - different audiences, though. 

Cheers!


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## Lord Zardoz (Jan 7, 2009)

Asmor said:


> That's the case in pretty much every game which allows free wheeling and dealing... ever.




Possibly true, but I have yet to see any other game that has that particular kind of rule.  I am sure they exist, but I am not aware of them.  Which other ones are you aware of that are worth having on this list (or may already be on this list)?

END COMMUNICATION


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## Jasperak (Jan 7, 2009)

Geoff Dale said:


> My all-time favorite board game has got to be Diplomacy (face/face or email).  Other very good ones are Blokus and Scotland Yard and Ticket to Ride (mentioned already), and Kingmaker and Spies.  I also liked original Squad Leader and Starship Troopers back in the day.  The kids love Apples to Apples.
> 
> 
> Geoff




I can't believe it took 57 responses to get to Diplomacy. I guess I just play games with pricks


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## Asmor (Jan 7, 2009)

Lord Zardoz said:


> Possibly true, but I have yet to see any other game that has that particular kind of rule.  I am sure they exist, but I am not aware of them.  Which other ones are you aware of that are worth having on this list (or may already be on this list)?
> 
> END COMMUNICATION




Monopoly is the obvious answer. I don't play a whole lot of games where trading is a big part, but one that I do play on occasion is Bootleggers. You can certainly do that in Settlers of Catan (e.g. Ok, I'll trade you my 2 wood for a sheep now and another sheep later when you get one...). Colosseum... Hell, even Risk (I won't attack you this turn if you don't attack me next turn). I've never played Diplomacy, but I'd be shocked if that wasn't the case there as well.

In general, I don't think there's _any_ game where non-immediate deals are enforced by the rules. It would be a nightmare to keep track of.


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## Lord Zardoz (Jan 7, 2009)

Asmor said:


> Monopoly is the obvious answer. I don't play a whole lot of games where trading is a big part, but one that I do play on occasion is Bootleggers. You can certainly do that in Settlers of Catan (e.g. Ok, I'll trade you my 2 wood for a sheep now and another sheep later when you get one...). Colosseum... Hell, even Risk (I won't attack you this turn if you don't attack me next turn). I've never played Diplomacy, but I'd be shocked if that wasn't the case there as well.
> 
> In general, I don't think there's _any_ game where non-immediate deals are enforced by the rules. It would be a nightmare to keep track of.




I suppose your right, though I would have to say that some of those examples do not strike me as being as interesting as Illuminati since outright extortion has no place in Monopoly or Settlers.  I do not think Risk qualifies since I do not think the rules as written support giving armies to other players.  The combination of any deal being valid with the option of outright extortion is what really sets Illuminati apart, though I expect Diplomacy allows for the same kind of play.

END COMMUNICATION


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## Asmor (Jan 7, 2009)

Lord Zardoz said:


> I suppose your right, though I would have to say that some of those examples do not strike me as being as interesting as Illuminati since outright extortion has no place in Monopoly or Settlers.  I do not think Risk qualifies since I do not think the rules as written support giving armies to other players.  The combination of any deal being valid with the option of outright extortion is what really sets Illuminati apart, though I expect Diplomacy allows for the same kind of play.
> 
> END COMMUNICATION




You should give bootleggers a try. There's a lot of cards in that game which are a lot more powerful if you _don't_ use them and just hold them in your hand. "Gee, that's a nice still you got there... Be a damned shame if something were to happen to it..."


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## darkwing (Jan 10, 2009)

It's not a board game, but I really like Race for the Galaxy.


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## Asmor (Jan 10, 2009)

darkwing said:


> It's not a board game, but I really like Race for the Galaxy.




Don't worry, card games are generally rolled into the board games category.


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## Ahzad (Jan 10, 2009)

A smattering of board games in no particular order that I own and our gaming group enjoys.

Arkham Horror + expansions
Tide of Iron
The Great Space Race
Robo Rally
Sanctuary (based on the Thieves World novels)
Kill Dr. Lucky
Last Night on Earth + expansion
Tomb
Tannhauser


Same thing for card games

Killer Bunnies
Cold War: CIA vs KGB
Star Fleet Battle Force
Nodwick
Girl Genius
Lunch Money + expansions
Inn Fighting
3 Dragon Ante
Creatures and Cultists


To pick our favorite in each category it would be Arkham Horror and Killer Bunnies for the win!! My groups loves both games and if it gets out that I'm hosting a Killer Bunnies game I can easily pull a dozen folks or more wanting to come and play it.


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## bobthehappyzombie (Jan 19, 2009)

Played Dominion just the other day.... 6 times on the bounce ooooo that is a good game, the different scenarios really effect the way the game plays out.
I recommend it to all.


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## MerricB (Jan 19, 2009)

bobthehappyzombie said:


> Played Dominion just the other day.... 6 times on the bounce ooooo that is a good game, the different scenarios really effect the way the game plays out.
> I recommend it to all.




Yeah, it's a great game.

Cheers!


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## Wrathamon (Jan 25, 2009)

Hey Merric
I own A touch of Evil and have only played it once but it played very well and my gaming group liked it. They actually had more fun on the 1st play then Last Night on Earth... which the beginner scenario isnt that much fun. LNoE fun kicks in on the other scenarios. If you check out Fly Frog Productions they have some web content for last night on earth and touch of evil. you can also order new boards for last night that look more like the expansion boards.


my gaming group seems to always play these games

Battlestar Galactica
Pandemic
St.Petersberg
Colossal Arena
Citadels
Race for the Galaxy
Fury of Dracula
Through the Ages
Power Grid
Dominion
Kingsberg
Mall of horror

games i wish we played more
Mystery of the Abbey
War of the Ring
Battlelore
Cosmic Encounters
Collosium
Axis & Allies (the new anniversary edition is awesome)


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## FriarRosing (Jan 27, 2009)

Gundark said:


> I'm gonna add "A touch of evil" to the list. Good game, very much like Arkham Horror mechanics wise (this is a good thing). And very much like Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" in the feel of the game.
> 
> I've played it twice, so if you have any questions fire away.




I was wondering, how is the soundtrack for the game? I've played Last Night on Earth, and I found the music to be pretty awful. Is this one any better?

Also, is movement based on dice rolls? That always frustrated me about Last Night on Earth, but I suppose there it makes some sense.


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## Draz (Jan 27, 2009)

Most of my favorites have been mentioned ...

As far as Risk variants go, I definitely have to put in a word for GodStorm.  I haven't tried 2210, but GodStorm was the next project done by the same design team.  I definitely like it much better than LotR Risk.  Among its many great features, my favorite is that, when you lose a big battle, you can at least console yourself by thinking of how you will soon rule the Underworld as your troops continue their eternal warfare. 

Though I sadly don't own them all, I'll add a supporting vote of approval to:


Carcassone - relatively quick, easy to get not-as-serious gamers to join in and try out
Settlers of Catan - elegant simplicity of design
Bohnanza
Puerto Rico - though I remain convinced that it's not terribly well balanced (Haciendas FTW), it's fun
Guillotine
Diplomacy - easy to make up fun variants; I like my LotR variant of this
RoboRally
Also should be noted:


ancient game, decades out of print, but my childhood memories classify it as "actually pretty good": Scavenger Hunt
more of a party game than a strategy game, but definitely requiring brain cells: Set


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## FriarRosing (Jan 28, 2009)

Also, a quick question, does anyone have Colosseum? Is it any good? I'm looking to expand my board game collection, and it kind of caught my eye. I'm thinking it or El Grade, since the same guy seems to have been involved in both?


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## MerricB (Jan 28, 2009)

Sandwich said:


> Also, a quick question, does anyone have Colosseum? Is it any good? I'm looking to expand my board game collection, and it kind of caught my eye. I'm thinking it or El Grade, since the same guy seems to have been involved in both?




It's pretty, but the gameplay isn't as good as it should be. You'd be better off getting Princes of Florence, which is a very similar game but a *lot* more fun. 

Colosseum, alas, drags.

Cheers!


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## Asmor (Jan 28, 2009)

I've only had the opportunity to play Colosseum twice so far, but I have to respectfully disagree with Merric. I think it's a great game!

The rules could use a bit of work (the game ground to a halt while we tried to figure out what happened if someone won an auction other than the person who placed the lot up for bid, and finally settled on an interpretation of the rules which really weren't clear about this very common and important event), but the game play's very good.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Jan 29, 2009)

I love the Mayfair railroad games- especially Empire Builder and the ones based on it, like the fantasy version, Iron Dragon.

The Avalon Hill classic, Acquire, is another favorite.

RoboRally is high on my list as well.

I enjoy Star Fleet Battles, Starfire, Battletech and (the mechanically similar) Crimson Skies.

I also have a collection of older games that I simply love- classics like The Awful Green Things from Outer Space, Risk, Stratego, Dungeon, Life, Clue, Monopoly, and the "Bizarro-world" Monopoly homages Go For Broke and Public Assistance.

I have a whole bin of minigames dating back to the 1970s that I love as well- Cheapass Games' Kill Doctor Lucky and others; Metagames' Ogre/G.E.V., Melee/Wizard, Car Wars, Hot Spot, Chitin, Helltank/Helltank Destroyter (and many more); TSR's They've invaded Pleasantville, Revolt on Antares, Vampire and Saga; TFG's Ultra-Warrior and Robots!.

Then of course, there are all those little games that used to appear in Dragon- like Flight of the Boodles.


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## EdPovi (Jan 31, 2009)

Race for the Galaxy and Dominion have been getting a lot of play lately. It seems fun and quick are a good combination. 

I also tend to like more involved games and some of my favs are:
Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization
Axis & Allies: Anniversary Edition
Twilight Imperium 3e

The Euro games I like include:
Power Grid
Argicola
Puerto Rico


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## FriarRosing (Jan 31, 2009)

I'm going to recommend Valor and Victory, which is a quick, fun little wargame you can download for free online. I just played it for the first time last night, but it seemed pretty darn cool. Also it's free.


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