Board Games

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Hateyou

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Gotcha, just hadn’t heard it used before. I just say complex or if not complex, light, sounds like it’s interchangeable.
 
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Phazael

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Crunchy is more specifically rules for rules sake, in some ways. A game can have simple rules but be very complex (Chess). Nemesis, especially with all the bells and whistles, has a lot going on in in, much of which may never directly impact the outcome of the game. The best comparison I could make would be to compare a game like Beyond the Sun (excellent game, btw) with Eclipse and Twilight Imperium. All are principally resource management space empire expansion games. Beyond the Sun has very simple core rules and all of its mechanics get used and are important in every game. Eclipse is a step up, with more asymetry, card decks to represent challenges in unknown systems, and a more complex tech upgrade system. And Twlight Imperium has a bunch of political mechanics and turn management that you might not even tough in a given game, but its all there. All are great games with a lot of depth in the same genra, but TI is "crunchier" because it has a lot more moving parts to accomplish the same thing.

It really a matter of personal preference if you want all the extra mechanics to work with/manipulate. Our group is fairly middle of the road, but my wife will not touch anything on TI with a ten foot pole. She can be talked into Eclipse occasionally and loves Beyond the Sun (our whole group does). I tend to like more crunch in my games. But funnily enough Pipeline is a game she really likes, because as crunchy as it is it can be knocked out in two hours if you know the game. So our group tends to do the crunchier games less frequently, unless they are quick to play or really well done (Terraforming Mars is a good example), because we would rather bang out two or three games of Cthulhu Wars or Root (Medium to medium low crunch), even though a game like Khamet is much more balanced and sound.
 

Warr

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the vid makes it seem way way too crunchy. 8000 different things to take out and put back
Yeah this was on Kickstarter and I didn't back it for that reason. If I want the Darkest Dungeon experience, the video game does it so much better in this case. Plus it's a metric fuckton of minis and I'm running out of room for games like that.

I did buy a set of the alternate hero sculpts to paint up. Those will be a sweet project.
 

Bodhy

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Played Catan for the first time, thought it was great. I took a long hiatus from board games, it's a shame they've been occluded by the contemporary social media obsessed information age. Great workout for the mind.

On the to play list:

1.Gloomhaven.

2.Pandemic.

3.Fallen Lands.

4. Campaign for North Africa, at some time in my life. Maybe when I've got two weeks to do literally nothing but play the game, lol.
 

Guurn

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Must people that don't like playing Catan say that because they've played it a billion times. I'm in that camp. My buddy bought the ultra deluxe version just as I hit the wall on it, I think he's still salty about it

Pandemic is an amazing game and I still play the Iberia version solo every now and then. IMO that's the best version. People that don't like straight co-ops hate it though. Gloomhaven is great as well but it really needs the book of maps like JotL. Setup takes too long. I haven't played Fallen lands.

If you like conflict games there are a ton of great choices. Inis, Blood Rage (I love it), and even something like Root would fit that bill
 

Djay

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Thinking about getting a friend a themed boardgame for his 40th. Looks like Dune: Imperium, War of the Ring, and Star Wars: Rebellion have good reviews/scores on BoardGameGeeks, but I'm worried they're all too intense. We might get a game in while I'm visiting, but not sure he'd get use out of them after I leave. Maybe Small World of Warcraft would be a possibility?

Any thoughts on those games? Or some other nerdy licensed game that might be more casual friendly?
 

Hateyou

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Thinking about getting a friend a themed boardgame for his 40th. Looks like Dune: Imperium, War of the Ring, and Star Wars: Rebellion have good reviews/scores on BoardGameGeeks, but I'm worried they're all too intense. We might get a game in while I'm visiting, but not sure he'd get use out of them after I leave. Maybe Small World of Warcraft would be a possibility?

Any thoughts on those games? Or some other nerdy licensed game that might be more casual friendly?
1665751909949.jpeg
 
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Phazael

Confirmed Beta Shitlord, Fat Bastard
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Thinking about getting a friend a themed boardgame for his 40th. Looks like Dune: Imperium, War of the Ring, and Star Wars: Rebellion have good reviews/scores on BoardGameGeeks, but I'm worried they're all too intense. We might get a game in while I'm visiting, but not sure he'd get use out of them after I leave. Maybe Small World of Warcraft would be a possibility?

Any thoughts on those games? Or some other nerdy licensed game that might be more casual friendly?
The games you listed are good, but very long and fairly complex. War of the Ring is an all day affair and Star Wars Rebellion is a similar commitment. See Horus Heresy, Eclipse, and Twilight Imperium for similar experiences.

Good licensed theme games that are not too crunchy and can be played with as few as two players:
Star Wars Outter Rim - Basically a very trimmed down Firefly. Very thematic and can be done in under two hours.
Master of Orion Card Game (the Galeforce 9 one)- Surprisingly fun and has some good depth and can be done in under an hour.
Cthulhu Wars Duel- Cheap and with enough sets can be played as the full game. Plays about an hour with two people.
Back to the Future- Tough, but fair. Very thematic.

If you don't want something licensed, but a game thats deep with minimal rules, here are some of our groups all time favorites:
Beyond the Sun- Arguably one of the best space themed games we have ever played. Even with four people its runs about 90 minutes and it is never boring.
Alien Frontiers- Similar style, but more confrontational in some ways.
Evil High Priest- Play either box separate or both together, its a decent game with tons of replayability.
Seven Wonders- All time classic that supports up to seven players and is deep with or without the extras (Cities is all you really need), playable in under an hour.
 
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Hateyou

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Thinking about getting a friend a themed boardgame for his 40th. Looks like Dune: Imperium, War of the Ring, and Star Wars: Rebellion have good reviews/scores on BoardGameGeeks, but I'm worried they're all too intense. We might get a game in while I'm visiting, but not sure he'd get use out of them after I leave. Maybe Small World of Warcraft would be a possibility?

Any thoughts on those games? Or some other nerdy licensed game that might be more casual friendly?
There’s a Marvel Dice throne now if you really want something licensed and easy to play/fun. There’s non licensed too that you can mix and match with it. Any of the 2 or 4 box sets would be good.

I recommend these a lot because they’re fast setup, easy rules, lots of fun combinations of matches, works well with 2,3,4 people, and even non board gamers really like it.
 
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Djay

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Thanks...I did look at Back to the Future. Not sure how he feels about that franchise, but it does look less intimidating. I think it was cooperative, too, which might be a good way to go. Probably easier to get his wife and/or parents in on a playthrough.
I'll look into Dice Throne, too.
 

Mizake

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Thinking about getting a friend a themed boardgame for his 40th. Looks like Dune: Imperium, War of the Ring, and Star Wars: Rebellion have good reviews/scores on BoardGameGeeks, but I'm worried they're all too intense. We might get a game in while I'm visiting, but not sure he'd get use out of them after I leave. Maybe Small World of Warcraft would be a possibility?

Any thoughts on those games? Or some other nerdy licensed game that might be more casual friendly?
If your friend is new to board games, I would not recommend any of the games you have listed. In fact, unless your friend is already into board games, I wouldnt recommend one as a gift. Who is he going to play with? Does he have other friends besides yourself that he can game with? If you insist on a board game gift for a neophyte, I would suggest one with a solo mode in case he doesn’t have a group.

As far as themed game…..:what is he really into? From what you mentioned it looks like he likes a lot of pop culture/fantasy stuff, but is there a certain movie/book, etc that he really likes?
 

Djay

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If your friend is new to board games, I would not recommend any of the games you have listed. In fact, unless your friend is already into board games, I wouldnt recommend one as a gift. Who is he going to play with? Does he have other friends besides yourself that he can game with? If you insist on a board game gift for a neophyte, I would suggest one with a solo mode in case he doesn’t have a group.

As far as themed game…..:what is he really into? From what you mentioned it looks like he likes a lot of pop culture/fantasy stuff, but is there a certain movie/book, etc that he really likes?
He's played board games before (I remember specifically my friends getting a game back before 2005...I thought it was Resident Evil, but can't find anything like that, so maybe Doom?), but that's why I came here to ask for other options after seeing how intense those games looked; I don't know that he has people that are very likely to play with him now, so something that might get his wife interested would be a boon.
I'm getting him a copy of the 40th anniversary of Phase 10 because it's his 40th, but that's more of a joke gift (even though I'm sure people will probably be more willing to play that) and I want something a little less casual for him.
Dune was a book he was reading and enjoying when we lived together which was why I found that game originally as I was looking for Dune stuff he might like. LotR and Star Wars were movies we watched in the theater together. He played World of Warcraft for a bit, mostly while I was still hooked on EQ, but he was big on Starcraft, too.
I could easily just get him Pandemic or something, but trying to work in something more personal, which is why I landed on those properties.

I mostly landed on board games because I know it's the type of thing he likes, but also the type of thing he probably doesn't already have or others would think to get for him.
 

Mizake

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I would go for something lighter, for sure.

If he is into Marvel, I would second Hateyou Hateyou 's recommendation and get Dice Throne, picking whatever heroes/villians he's a fan of. It's basically glorified Yahtzee so it's easy to learn and play. It's one of my favorite games to play with my friends, I haven't met a single person that didn't like it when I introduced them to it. The only downside is you can't play it solo.

If he's into D&D/fantasy stuff, then I would recommend Arcadia Quest or Descent Legends.

If he's into zombie stuff I would recommend Zombicide 2.0

If he's into pulp fiction/weirdness I would recommend Shadows of Brimstone.

If he likes mystery I would recommend Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective.

These are games I consider more entry level with easier to understand rules - Shadows of Brimstone bordering more towards more convoluted rules and a bit harder.

I like LOTR: Journeys in Middle Earth, as it reminds me of Mansions of Madness (another game I like and I would recommend).....it is app driven, and the rules are a bit more difficult to wrap your head around if you aren't a gamer, but I find it to be a good time whenever I've played it.
 
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If you’re looking for a game to play with normie friends and family (and even females), I don’t think anything beats Cat Lady
 

Hateyou

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Anyone looking for something for family night check this out. Extremely simple rules but really fun. My 8 yo had the rules down within ten seconds, and absolutely loved the game.

Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza https://a.co/d/caM19Qk