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The best board games of 2016

arstechnica.com

71–80 of 84 posts

Re: The best board games of 2016

#71

Nice to see The Networks by Gil Hova on this list. I've been working on developing a couple board games for a couple of years now, and at the start of that campaign, I ran into Gil Hova's Bad Medicine on Kickstarter. On a whim, I sent him an email through his website asking for some advice about creating board games, not really expecting much of a response. What I got was a 4-page email of well-thought-through answer…

Do you have permission to put them on a blog ? Would love to read some of it.

Re: The best board games of 2016

#72
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3 whole pages... Today's active grognard community of hex based (and other) military sims with their 60 pages of manuals for MBT/Panzer or the COIN series games are providing plenty of pressure from the other end to keep things level. To say nothing of the guys with a lineal yard of book shelf space of pathfinder rulebooks or binders full of advanced squad leader and federation commander... I'm just saying theres man…

I also have to suggest Love Letter for a simple quick game. Something which is enough luck based that you can win the first time but has enough strategy to make it more entertaining.

Would 3rd Love Letter, also suggest Sushi Go Party. Plus it's a gateway drug to the excellent 7 Wonders.

Re: The best board games of 2016

#74
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think Catan is particularly complex. I play casual rounds with friends all the time.

Catan is more complex (but less complicated) than Monopoly.

What are your definitions for "complex" and "complicated"?

Re: The best board games of 2016

#76
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Catan is more complex (but less complicated) than Monopoly.

What are your definitions for "complex" and "complicated"?

Monopoly has less strategic depth but more rules. Or at least feels that way to me.

Re: The best board games of 2016

#77

I believe the best board games are timeless, as with music, books and many movies. I'm not too hip on the latest from the last few years, but ones I'd recommend: Diplomacy. Axis & Allies (some variants more than others). Liberte. Illuminati. Ticket to Ride. ASL (esp SK's by MMP). Carcasonne. Empire Builder. Acquire. Puerto Rico. Dominion. Empire of the Sun. Uno. Fluxx.

You can't tell which ones are timeless until a few years have passed.

Re: The best board games of 2016

#78
post #9

Anyone think recent board games are becoming unnecessarily complex and deeply strategy based? It could just be what I've seen from my friends but a lot of the times you can tell from the box art and title alone that you're going to need tiles, tokens, cards a 3 page manual and a practice round before you can even start. For me, that's a slog. It's too hard to hold conversation or focus on anything other than the game…

Yeah I"m with you. I hate games that take forever to learn the rules, to get going, that cause mass confusion, that require extreme amounts of patience. I usually pass out from fatigue or the alcohol.

Not fun at all and things get too tense.

Re: The best board games of 2016

#79

I believe the best board games are timeless, as with music, books and many movies. I'm not too hip on the latest from the last few years, but ones I'd recommend: Diplomacy. Axis & Allies (some variants more than others). Liberte. Illuminati. Ticket to Ride. ASL (esp SK's by MMP). Carcasonne. Empire Builder. Acquire. Puerto Rico. Dominion. Empire of the Sun. Uno. Fluxx.

You can't tell which ones are timeless until a few years have passed.

agreed. reason I shy a way from putting much weight into any recomms about games which came out in last few years. the newbs-think-crackers-are-steak effect. my own list here vary from prob 50+ years ago to 5 years ago. yet still memorable or enjoyed within last year. prob lots more left out

Re: The best board games of 2016

#80
post #9

Anyone think recent board games are becoming unnecessarily complex and deeply strategy based? It could just be what I've seen from my friends but a lot of the times you can tell from the box art and title alone that you're going to need tiles, tokens, cards a 3 page manual and a practice round before you can even start. For me, that's a slog. It's too hard to hold conversation or focus on anything other than the game…

Not necessarily Jenga-simple, but I've also come to realize that I'd much rather play 2-3 rounds of a 30 minute game with friends than try to get through a 120 minute round of one game where it's not clear if we're playing correctly or how we're doing in the game.

In this regard I (we) have had a lot of fun with King of Tokyo (the Power Up! expansion is cheap and IMO required). There is also the newer King of New York that supposedly fixes some balance issues (and a Power Up! to that as well).

I've also heard good things about 7 Wonders.

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