A New Era of Board Games
posted 22 Mar 2020
I have been getting into modern board gaming via some friends at work. We have a group that plays every Tuesday/Thursday, and I have been very impressed at the variety of games, and how much more fun they are than the old school, Parker Brothers style family games that was previously my only exposure to the board game world. Here are some games I have really enjoyed playing lately (in no particular order)
The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Quacks is a push your luck game where each player is competing to make the best potion by drawing random ingredients out of your bag. Draw too many bad ingredients and your potion explodes, penalizing you by limiting how you can score points for that round. It’s one of the most thrilling games I have played, with every draw eliciting some extreme emotion (elation or despair). The game comes with loads of configurations for extremely high replay ability. There are a good amount of rules though, so while this is a load of fun, the higher barrier of entry stops this from being a real easy family game. Highly recommend this game though, it might be my all time favorite.
Gloomhaven
Gloomhaven is a big box RPG kickstarter game. Play occurs on a hexagonal map, with characters using ability cards for actions and movement. The core of the game revolves around how you use your cards, when to recover them, and when to “trash” a card for a big time ability. Cards also double as your stamina; being out of cards is the same as being out of hit points - you are out of the scenario. It’s a really cleaver system that we have had a lot of fun with, and is too much to explain here, so loop up a how to play video if you really want to know more.
The box for Gloomhaven truly is massive. The amount of detail the designer went into is incredible. The maps and pieces and character abilities (and really everything else) are very impressive. I play regularly with a group of 3 from work, and nearly every session we comment on the quality of the game.
Istanbul: The Dice Game
Istanbul has a great mix of luck and strategy. The main resource generation mechanic is rolling dice. This leads to a dynamic of never quite being able to plan ahead. Instead, you have to make the best out of whatever the dice gave you that round (there are mechanics for re-rolling some dice, which is where some of the strategy comes in). Play lasts for about 40 minutes. When the game ends, almost all players are usually within one turn of winning, which is great! It means the game is well balanced and everyone feels like they have a chance.
Coup
Coup is a version of those social deduction games like Mafia or Secret Hitler. I am very bad at social deduction games. I am very bad at lying, so I don’t enjoy being locked into a high stress secret role for 30-40 min. Typically, everyone at the table quickly deduces who I am, so the round is not very fun for anyone else either.
Coup is different. In coup, there isn’t two teams and two roles. Every player has a set of secret abilities that is somewhat fluid throughout the game. Anyone can claim to use any ability, and it is up to the other players to call someone out for using an ability they might not have. Games are very fast (typically 5 minutes), which means if you mess something up, it’s very low pressure. You’re just out and can jump in on the next one. It also leads to a good amount of metagaming, which I enjoy much more than social deduction.
Medium
Medium is a really fun party game that is quick to explain and grok. A team of 2 lays down cards with one word on them. The goal is for the players to “mind meld”: say the word that is the “medium” between the two cards they played, out loud, at the same time. It leads to some real exciting moments when you get an obscure link correct, and some hilarious moments when the two players were going in completely opposite directions. As an inexpensive game (something like $20), this is a real solid family game that’s definitely worth a try.