Octopus Overlords

First post here but gonna jump right in and ask for some advice

I run a small indie studio making digital games which are often based on existing board and card games. Just curious if you guys have any suggestion on games you think would be suitable for digital, either because of mechanics or just something you don't often get to the table and would like to be able to play against an AI or online.

Also, when (if) you play digital board/card games is it mainly on PC or mobile and do you prefer to play against the AI or online against human opponents?

Not sure which board to PC games I'd buy. Probably longer games, generally, if only because I can enjoy a long game but getting together with folks for long games is nearly impossible nowadays.

I do mainly PC but I'm Luddite and a Philistine.

I would look for AI first, mainly because if I am going to be play with honest to goodness people, my preference to sit in the same room, with a physical game, and pretend I am a social being. Also if I think there are several tabletop matching services out there already like brettspielwelt and TableTopSimulator.

Edit:

And welcome to OO.

Welcome!

As opposed to Mortis, I almost exclusively play these games on my phone/tablet.

Playing against other human opponents would be ideal, though it depends on the game. Even so, I would likely only buy a mobile version of a board game if it also included an option to play against the computer.

In general, I feel that board games that don't rely on a lot of dice rolling make for better digital games. Also games that take a lot of set-up and/or don't make it to the table often because they are complicated. So maybe something like Mage Knight would work well?

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:Also games that take a lot of set-up and/or don't make it to the table often because they are complicated.

AKA game Zarathud loves. And I concur. The more fiddly bits that you have to keep organized the better suited a game is for becoming an ap. So there's one thing we have in common.

King of Tokyo plus all the expansion bits for Versus Other Humans.

Human/AI opponent: Evolution

I'm an odd duck in that I still prefer the tactile feel of a board game, even when a digital version is available and includes more than its analog parent.

hepcat wrote:I'm an odd duck in that I still prefer the tactile feel of a board game, even when a digital version is available and includes more than its analog parent.

This.

Although the opportunities abound to play digital versions of board games, I have little desire to play AGAINST OTHER HUMANS. I want the face to face interaction when I play against another person.

That said, I do love a good game port on my tablet, playing against the AI or against the game in the case of a co-op. Ive logged tons of hours with Ticket To Ride, Elder Sign, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Forbidden Island, etc.

hepcat wrote:I'm an odd duck in that I still prefer the tactile feel of a board game, even when a digital version is available and includes more than its analog parent.

Not that odd of a duck. There is a sense of, I don't know, satisfaction I feel when I'm moving miniatures around a board or the feel of the cards as I deal them out. I do enjoy a great many computer games of course but I have an appreciation of the craftsmanship that went into my X-Wing miniatures or the thickness and design of the chits in my Conflict of Heroes Awakening the Bear wargame along with the artistry of the game board. Having finally brought Warhammer Quest, An Adventure Card Game to my table I feel quite a bit of suspense as I flip over a card revealing some treasure or doom. In many of the board games I own I'm left to fill in the narrative which is the mark of a good board game.

Now there are a few apps that do a good job such as the Sentinels of the Multiverse or the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. Also, Ticket to Ride is a lot of fun on the iPad.

I am lumped in with the crowd that likely wouldn't play a board game on a mobile device vs someone. I have played Summoner Wars and it worked, but when I stopped I didn't miss it. I have played things like Elder Sign, Star Realms and now Cthulhu Realms solo. For me having the AI help me understand the game rules, which helps me to understand how to play the actual board game. This was my plan with Heroes of Normandie as well, never realizing there was 37lb of cardboard in the base game box - the AI does a great job of handling all the details for the electronic version.

Loved Catan on the Xbox, wish it was ported to the tablet/pc.

I would love seeing Arkham Horror ported.

LOL, Mortis. I do enjoy complex systems.

Many Fantasy Flight games would work. Economic games with markets and bidding. Games where the decisions require tracking with fiddly bits.

Ygdrassil is a good game that I cannot imagine playing in person after the app. Keeping track of the tiles drawn/added to different bags was a pain with cardboard, but awesome when the app did all the work.

Twilight Struggle is similar, but it's such a great game that I would still play in real life.

Probably my top 3 choices would be Duel of Ages II, Arkham Horror and Chaos in the Old World. Terra Mystica comes close but the game bits really work well after you play a few times.

Man, I need to break out Duel of Ages 2 again. Every time I play, some ludicrously hilarious scenario arises and I end up laughing out loud.

I would mainly be interested in digital versions of board games for mobile / tablet. I already have a range of board games that I own that I can play digitally via Vassal / Tabletop simulator. The selection of games I can play on my phone (on Android) is much more limited.

I would love to see a digital version of any of the 1 v many games. Mansions of Madness, Imperial Assault, or even something like Furry of Dracula. These games are all great but have a lot of fiddlyness to them which could be improved through automation.

I would love to find a Sheepshead app. I grew up playing the card game and don't get to play it much since fewer and fewer people play it. There are a number of variations, so it would be cool if the app could let you pick which variation (black queens, jack of diamonds, leasters...). It would also be neat if it had an extensive tutorial since it is a game with a few nuances.

Thanks everyone, lots of useful opinions and information here. Personally I quite like to play more abstract games against other people as long as it supports asynchronous play - so where it is easy enough to get an overview of the entire game from just looking and the board, make your move and then move on to the next opponent. Anything else where the game tells more of a story I probably rather play against the AI (or afk if I can of course). Getting people to stay together for a whole session online is pretty hard unless you know who you're playing with and a massive problem if you develop smaller game without a massive player base.

VisibleNils wrote:Getting people to stay together for a whole session online is pretty hard unless you know who you're playing with and a massive problem if you develop smaller game without a massive player base.

That is kind of a key point. Online connectivity is a must but I would never play a board game online with people I don’t already know.

The reason for playing board games digitally is that it’s often difficult to get 4-5 people together during the week, so a digital outlet is a big help. (see tabletop-simulator)

Another key feature should be the option to save a game in progress and continue it with people at a later date.

Lordnine wrote: Another key feature should be the option to save a game in progress and continue it with people at a later date.

Yeah this is pretty essential too. Even with digital games I (and a lot of friends) can't play until kids are asleep, and so starting around 9ish means it's difficult to finish a lot of games in one sitting. Being able to save and pick up where you left off is huge.

I still wish FFG had done X-Wing with digital in mind from the start. They could have done it similar to Krosmaster where each physical ship has a code that allows you to own it digitally as well, then it wouldn't cut into their sales. I really like this aspect of Krosmaster, I buy the figures once for real and have them both on my table and the internet.

Harkonis wrote:I still wish FFG had done X-Wing with digital in mind from the start. They could have done it similar to Krosmaster where each physical ship has a code that allows you to own it digitally as well, then it wouldn't cut into their sales. I really like this aspect of Krosmaster, I buy the figures once for real and have them both on my table and the internet.

That would make a lot of sense actually, if they also did it the other way around and integrated an order fulfilment service with IAPs so you could buy thing in-game and have the models arrive the day after I reckon people would find it pretty easy to spend (even more) money...

While I prefer playing board games in person, I would say that complex games and games with lots of set up/clean up time are good in digital format. Another is games with campaigns, where you have to play with the same group of people through multiple play sessions (eg, Risk Legacy and the like) - of course, there's a big risk with that kind of game to begin with, if one or more people don't enjoy the game and don't want to play it multiple times. Also, longer games, where a save system is useful.

I would say games with a bluffing mechanic are weaker digitally (they can work, but in general the mechanic works much better in person).