Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

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Carpet_pissr
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Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Carpet_pissr »

Amazon is having a pretty nice sale on board games currently (Buy one, get one 50% of select titles, here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/r ... 1&plpage=1" target="_blank),
and I have already bought Pictionary Jr. and 7 Wonders for Christmas this year.

However, we generally stay at my sister's house for a few days around Thanksgiving, and wanted something to take with us.

IF AT ALL possible, I would prefer recommendations based on the age range of my kids, which is 3 - 9 (with the 6 year old and the 9 year old being the most interested of course, so technically I guess we can drop the 3YO altogether).

Last year I bought "Forbidden Island" which NO one liked for some reason.

Here are some of the titles I am considering in case anyone has these:

Whoowasit?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UK ... PDKIKX0DER" target="_blank

Castle Panic
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IU ... PDKIKX0DER" target="_blank

Blokus
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P0 ... PDKIKX0DER" target="_blank

Qwirkle
http://www.amazon.com/MindWare-M32016-Q ... ds=qwirkle" target="_blank

Ticket To Ride
http://www.amazon.com/Days-of-Wonder-DO ... et+to+ride" target="_blank

Bang!
http://www.amazon.com/Da-Vinci-DVC-9100 ... words=bang" target="_blank!

Dixit Journey
http://www.amazon.com/Asmodee-DIX04ASM- ... it+journey" target="_blank

Thanks in advance for any input!
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Isgrimnur »

Ticket to Ride is cool. And it is highly extensible with map-only packs in addition to the four full-game versions.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by stessier »

At Octocon I've played Castle Panic, Blokus, Qwirkle, and Bang. I saw Ticket to Ride on Table Top. I'd get Ticket to Ride. Castle Panic would be second and Blokus third. I'm not sure how well the kids would do with the deduction involved in Bang.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Boudreaux »

Agree with stessier's top three, if not necessarily in that order. Castle Panic is simple to learn yet challenging, even my 4-year-old can play it. Blokus is fantastic for spacial thinking, and works for kids and adults both. Ticket to Ride is a classic.

Bang! has two knocks against it. It uses symbology almost entirely, and for some people this can be really confusing (20 minutes in - "what does this symbol mean again?"). Secondly, it has player elimination, so someone can die early and be out of the rest of the game. Couple that with the fact that some people can really make this drag, and Bang! becomes really group-dependent.

Dixit is fun, but again only with the right group. Qwirkle is okay, but requires a lot of paper scorekeeping and IMO Blokus is far superior and faster. My kids have Whoowasit?, and while they enjoy it this is pretty much a kids-only game. If you're looking to play with them, I'd pass on it.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by coopasonic »

Boudreaux wrote:Bang! has two knocks against it. It uses symbology almost entirely, and for some people this can be really confusing (20 minutes in - "what does this symbol mean again?"). Secondly, it has player elimination, so someone can die early and be out of the rest of the game. Couple that with the fact that some people can really make this drag, and Bang! becomes really group-dependent.
Hint: The Resistance is included in the sale.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by SpaceLord »

coopasonic wrote:
Boudreaux wrote:Bang! has two knocks against it. It uses symbology almost entirely, and for some people this can be really confusing (20 minutes in - "what does this symbol mean again?"). Secondly, it has player elimination, so someone can die early and be out of the rest of the game. Couple that with the fact that some people can really make this drag, and Bang! becomes really group-dependent.
Hint: The Resistance is included in the sale.
The Resistance: Avalon is better, imo. You can play the base game with Avalon, but Merlin turns a great game into an awesome game:

Merlin is a “good” guy, and knows who all the traitors are. However, if the good guys win, the traitors get one collective guess on who Merlin is. If they’re right, they win. So Merlin has to be careful, because if it’s obvious who Merlin is, the good guys can’t win at all.

To make it even better, if playing with Merlin, you should try playing with Percival. Percival knows who Merlin is, but not who the bad guys are. Merlin does not know who Percival is, however. So Percival should attempt to sacrifice himself for Merlin, but, again, if he’s too obvious, the bad guys will suspect he’s Percival, not Merlin.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Of your choices, I'd also go with Ticket to Ride.

It's the very definition of a family game: no disturbing imagery whatsoever, some of the easiest to teach rules you could possibly find in a strategy game, and what child doesn't love trains? The only suggestion I would make for the first few games with your 6-yr-old would be to perhaps omit the Destination Tickets to maximise clarity and lower entry-complexity when first teaching the game. But once they're comfortable with the basics, you should have no trouble adding them back in. And as Isgrimnur points out, it is highly extensible with map packs and such, but even the vanilla game has no shortage of replayability.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Carpet_pissr »

If it makes it easier for you guys, let me clarify that it's a "buy one, get one 50% off" sale, so technically I need two. So far, Ticket to Ride is one choice, and now just need to narrow it down (leaning towards Castle Panic, but Blokus is in the mix still).

Are the ratings on Board Game Geek pretty trustworthy?

I was going to list the ratings according to that site, but it appears to be down for now.

And out of curiosity, does anyone have Forbidden Island and like it? It seems to be highly rated and reviewed, but not one of us that played it like it for some reason (from kid, to teen to adult). We all love Catan, and I bought Carcassone (based on the fact that we love Catan) for my wife, since she was the one that introduced Catan to me way back in 1999 (she had the German version, so she had to translate everything for me), but no one will play it with me!
Last edited by Carpet_pissr on Mon Nov 25, 2013 4:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by stessier »

Ah, I thought the other games you mentioned were part of the first 50% off. My only knock against Blokus is the spatial reasoning needed to make it challenging to play as a family. In terms of the rules, it's probably the simplest in the list. I'm just not sure youngins would do well at it. Castle Panic is pretty fun though. You probably can't go wrong with either one.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by SpaceLord »

Carpet_pissr wrote: And out of curiosity, does anyone have Forbidden Island and like it? It seems to be highly rated and reviewed, but not one of us that played it like it for some reason (from kid, to teen to adult). We all love Catan, and I bought Carcassone (based on the fact that we love Catan) for my wife, since she was the one that introduced Catan to me way back in 1999 (she had the German version, so she had to translate everything for me), but no one will play it with me!
The newer "Forbidden Desert" is by the same designer, and is better in every way, imo. It's a tad more complicated, but it's one of the best co-op experiences out there.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Carpet_pissr »

Boudreaux wrote: My kids have Whoowasit?, and while they enjoy it this is pretty much a kids-only game. If you're looking to play with them, I'd pass on it.
Do they also happen to have Enchanted Forest or Labyrinth (also made my Ravensburger)?
http://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Ench ... 688&sr=1-3" target="_blank

http://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-2644 ... 688&sr=1-1" target="_blank

Both of those Ravensburger games are rated higher (considering Amazon reviews) than Whoowasit?, but are not included in the BOGO 50% deal for some reason (but also, they are much cheaper).
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by coopasonic »

Ravensburger's Labyrinth (qualifying it because there are about a dozen games by that name) is somewhat interesting, but a bit simple. My kids (4,7) never showed much interest.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Chrisoc13 »

I know you've already nailed down ticket to ride but one question about it: Is ticket to ride Europe available or only ticket to ride? If Europe is in the sale I would highly suggest getting it over the usa version. If it isn't the usa version is really good too so no big deal.
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Re: Let's play

Post by Carpet_pissr »

Chrisoc13 wrote:I know you've already nailed down ticket to ride but one question about it: Is ticket to ride Europe available or only ticket to ride? If Europe is in the sale I would highly suggest getting it over the usa version. If it isn't the usa version is really good too so no big deal.
Nope, unfortunately.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Chrisoc13 »

Well the usa version is good too. It just has those stupid mini cards. So frustrating.
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Re: Let's play

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Chrisoc13 wrote:Well the usa version is good too. It just has those stupid mini cards. So frustrating.
Less so in 6-9-yr-old hands, however.

Oh, and Castle Panic for game #2. Since it is a cooperative game, your 6-yr-old should be able to play with a little help. Most kids'll get a kick out of the idea of defending a little cardboard castle being assaulted by goblins, orcs, and trolls. Once your kids have got the hang of it, it’s also easy to adjust the difficulty level, and even the level of cooperation, with a few simple tweaks.
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Re: Let's play

Post by Boudreaux »

Chrisoc13 wrote:Well the usa version is good too. It just has those stupid mini cards. So frustrating.
The inexpensive 1910 Expansion solves that.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Chrisoc13 »

Boudreaux wrote:
Chrisoc13 wrote:Well the usa version is good too. It just has those stupid mini cards. So frustrating.
The inexpensive 1910 Expansion solves that.
Yep well worth the money. My wife loves train games so we have everything they've ever made for ttr. It's a bit ridiculous actually.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Daveman »

TTR: Europe also has a much better distribution of tickets... USA games, even with the expansion, can often come down to who drew the better selection of tickets.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Archinerd »

Blokus is awesome. However, its a bit abstract and although a 6 and 9 year old can play it, I don't think they are old enough to really appreciate it.

Do you have Robo Rally? My nephews keep requesting that one.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Archinerd wrote:Do you have Robo Rally? My nephews keep requesting that one.
I was also going to make that suggestion, as it's always been a firm favourite with children in my experience. But alas, Roborally does not appear to be included as part of the BOGO50%-off sale on Amazon.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Carpet_pissr »

Thanks, all! I read all the comments, and appreciate every one. I decided on TTR and Castle Panic in the end.

I might pick up the mentioned 1910 expansion as well if the game is well received.

Do not have Robo Rally, but looked it up, and looks excellent. Maybe next year!
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Daveman »

If Castle Panic is well received, or if they think it's just OK... the Wizard Tower expansion for that game is a must-have. In fact, I believe that is probably the best expansion for a base game I own. It really adds a lot to the game without adding much in terms of complexity. It does make the game a lot harder to win though.
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Re: Let's play "Which of these boardgames should I buy?"!

Post by Carpet_pissr »

So Santa brought both Castle Panic and Ticket to Ride, and what with all the craziness the past month, we have only just now played Castle Panic (just me and the 9YO, though at some point in the late game, the 6 and 3 YO showed up and started "fiddling" :D).

REALLY liked it! It also showed me that my kid is if not already, definitely going to be smarter than her old man...GREAT SUCCESS! :D I tended to suggest moves to her at first, really dominating the decision making, then I saw her light up and start making her own decisions, and finally backing up those decisions (when questioned) with sound logic, and even things I hadn't considered.

Excellent, excellent game IMO, and we just played once.

Thanks again, all for the feedback. Now to try Ticket to Ride with her. Seven Wonders has still not even been opened! Santa went a little crazy with the board games this year.
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