Need co-op board game suggestions

So yeah, this is a shameless self-promotion, but I'm going to be doing a series of write-ups on a bunch of cooperative games on my gaming blog. I've been doing a ton of cooperative gaming lately, including Arkham Horror, Lord of the Rings, Defenders of the Realm, Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft, and Pandemic just to name a few! I'll probably post here with thoughts as I put them up on the blog as well.

I'm hoping to try out Castle Ravenloft with friends tonight, just did a few solo sessions and it seems pretty good. Sort of captures the high concepts of 4e D&D combat while wildly simplifying it.

Also, for fans of Pandemic, if you enjoy a fantasy theme, check out Defenders of the Realm. It uses a nearly identical mechanic but you are heroes fighting off four different bad bosses and their minions. Think Pandemic with dice Fun stuff even if the graphic design could use some work.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

So yeah, this is a shameless self-promotion, but I'm going to be doing a series of write-ups on a bunch of cooperative games on my gaming blog.
...
Also, for fans of Pandemic, if you enjoy a fantasy theme, check out Defenders of the Realm. It uses a nearly identical mechanic but you are heroes fighting off four different bad bosses and their minions. Think Pandemic with dice Fun stuff even if the graphic design could use some work.

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm definitely interested in the game but not sure if I feel like paying $60 for what sounds like a very similar game. I don't want to say it's a ripoff of Pandemic without having played it myself, but from reading the rules a large number of the core mechanics seem identical.

It may be an awesomely fun game - I've even played Pandemic with friends where we called the red cubes vampires, yellow ghouls, black werewolves, and blue mermen. So I dig the fantasy theme, but I'm not totally comfortable paying more for a game which may have been a ripoff.

Hopefully my local game store has a copy I can demo sometime soon, but if anyone else has played it and wants to share I'm curious to see what others think.

Put together my thoughts on Castle Ravenloft, the new D&D board game. Overall the game is a lot of fun but is a much lighter gaming experience than I think some will want from a D&D themed board game. Don't go in expecting 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons: the board game. What you get is a fast, simple, light dungeon crawler. It is quite a bit of fun - and fairly challenging - but I think it is as much an experience as it is a game. We've already had some pretty memorable moments with the game which is pretty much all I want from it!

The great thing about the game is that it's all scenario based and can easily be modified to behave pretty much however you want - if you are into that sort of thing. I have no doubt the community will run wild with this one.

Wizards has a second one - Wrath of Ashardalon - coming out this winter. My guess is the base rules will be identical, just with different bits and scenarios. After that I won't be surprised if Wizards starts to tweak the ruleset a bit with future releases. Castle Ravenloft is a pretty solid first attempt but not without its faults; I think with a little more work Wizards could have a seriously awesome dungeon crawler on their hands.

By the way, Betrayal at House on the Hill is being reprinted and should be available fall 2010. The reprint will incorporate the errata from the previous version, so no more underground lake on the upstairs floor.

Itsatrap wrote:

By the way, Betrayal at House on the Hill is being reprinted and should be available fall 2010. The reprint will incorporate the errata from the previous version, so no more underground lake on the upstairs floor.

Awesome! I've been interested in this one for a while, but the insane prices on the secondary market quickly cooled my ardor.

Put some thoughts on Defenders of the Realm. At first glance it seems like Pandemic with a fantasy theme. The mechanics are extremely similar - collect colored cards to defeat generals, minions spread across the land when too many are in one location, etc. I think it has enough different to let it stand on its own though. I especially like the overpowered hero abilities, makes it so you feel like you are always contributing something to the team and doing cool stuff. There's also a fun little competitive aspect where one person is essentially declared MvP.

It does take longer than Pandemic, so time will probably be the biggest factor for many. I don't mind the extra length and think the dice-based combat makes the game more "exciting" than Pandemic's more predictable system. Upcoming expansions also look to add all sorts of cool new mechanics to the game, separating it even further from Pandemic.

Unfortunately the game is like many other Eagle Games and has some highly questionable graphic design decisions. Still, overall I'm very much a fan. It's not going to be as much of a sure-fire hit as Pandemic but it is a lot of fun with the right group.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

Put some thoughts on Defenders of the Realm. At first glance it seems like Pandemic with a fantasy theme. The mechanics are extremely similar - collect colored cards to defeat generals, minions spread across the land when too many are in one location, etc. I think it has enough different to let it stand on its own though. I especially like the overpowered hero abilities, makes it so you feel like you are always contributing something to the team and doing cool stuff. There's also a fun little competitive aspect where one person is essentially declared MvP.

It does take longer than Pandemic, so time will probably be the biggest factor for many. I don't mind the extra length and think the dice-based combat makes the game more "exciting" than Pandemic's more predictable system. Upcoming expansions also look to add all sorts of cool new mechanics to the game, separating it even further from Pandemic.

Unfortunately the game is like many other Eagle Games and has some highly questionable graphic design decisions. Still, overall I'm very much a fan. It's not going to be as much of a sure-fire hit as Pandemic but it is a lot of fun with the right group.

Good to know! Your reading seems to jive with most of what I've seen on 'the geek' and elsewhere. Since I already have Pandemic and Forbidden Island, I'm happy to gift this to my buddy and his wife and get the occasional game in.

Nice write-up. I just picked this up, along with a copy of the Red Box ('cause it was pretty, and $20). Never played D&D, but I've been looking for a co-op board-game, and my usual group doesn't have much of a tolerance for really long games. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try it out soon.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

Put together my thoughts on Castle Ravenloft, the new D&D board game. Overall the game is a lot of fun but is a much lighter gaming experience than I think some will want from a D&D themed board game. Don't go in expecting 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons: the board game. What you get is a fast, simple, light dungeon crawler. It is quite a bit of fun - and fairly challenging - but I think it is as much an experience as it is a game. We've already had some pretty memorable moments with the game which is pretty much all I want from it!

Looks similar to Descent.

I have Descent and 2 expansions. I love it, it's like DnD without the roleplaying and just straight up fighting/looting.

MacBrave wrote:

Looks similar to Descent.

At a glance it might, but the two really couldn't be more different. Descent has one player taking the role of Overlord and controlling the monsters, whereas Castle Ravenloft is purely cooperative with monsters controlled by a set of AI scripts. Ravenloft is also a far more simple game with tactical decisions coming in the form of how to deal with events that come up, when to explore, etc. In a way it is sort of more about the adventuring aspect and less about tactical combat. Descent is all about tactical combat. Ravenloft also plays significantly faster than your normal Descent scenario, unless you are doing individual dungeon levels from Road to Legend/Sea of Blood.

I really enjoy Descent but mostly prefer it using the Road to Legend rules. Ideally you want the same set of players running through that session to session, though, so we don't get to play it much. I did some up with some rules to do sort of a quick-and-dirty dungeon romp using Road to Legend dungeon levels and leveling up but that still takes several hours to get through. Ravenloft is great for its flexibility (2-5) and fast play time.

Next on the list is Fury of Dracula, a semi-cooperative game where one player is Dracula trying to hide from the team of vampire hunters. If you've played Scotland Yard it's basically the same concept, just more involved.

When Fury of Dracula clicks it is a ton of fun. There's a really clever hidden movement mechanic for Dracula and it gracefully handles what happens when the hunters pick up his trail. The game is at its best when Dracula manages to run around for a couple of days undetected or losing the hunter's trail. When it works it is awesome. My main complaint is that the game is really driven by Dracula, so poor play on Drac's part or lucky card draws by the hunters that give them early insight to his location can take a lot of the fun out. Often you'll reach a point where it's inevitable Drac will lose and it's just a slog as the hunters try to finish him off.

Combat also really sucks, which is too bad. The game is really pretty slick and fun and then they tacked on an overly complicated rock-paper-scissors variant. It's not a bad combat system, just poorly presented (always have to relearn how it works) and I think it tries a little too hard to be clever.

If you like hidden movement games, though, Fury of Dracula is lots of fun. If nothing else it is a seriously gorgeous game. When it works it's a blast, just know that the level of fun seems to vary from game to game.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

Next on the list is Fury of Dracula, a semi-cooperative game where one player is Dracula trying to hide from the team of vampire hunters. If you've played Scotland Yard it's basically the same concept, just more involved.

When Fury of Dracula clicks it is a ton of fun. There's a really clever hidden movement mechanic for Dracula and it gracefully handles what happens when the hunters pick up his trail. The game is at its best when Dracula manages to run around for a couple of days undetected or losing the hunter's trail. When it works it is awesome. My main complaint is that the game is really driven by Dracula, so poor play on Drac's part or lucky card draws by the hunters that give them early insight to his location can take a lot of the fun out. Often you'll reach a point where it's inevitable Drac will lose and it's just a slog as the hunters try to finish him off.

Combat also really sucks, which is too bad. The game is really pretty slick and fun and then they tacked on an overly complicated rock-paper-scissors variant. It's not a bad combat system, just poorly presented (always have to relearn how it works) and I think it tries a little too hard to be clever.

If you like hidden movement games, though, Fury of Dracula is lots of fun. If nothing else it is a seriously gorgeous game. When it works it's a blast, just know that the level of fun seems to vary from game to game.

I'm really enjoying your blog

Just found a site some guy created in a weekend that might be of interest.

Find A New Game

Put in a game you like, and a game you hate (optional), and it'll find games you might like.

not sure if there's a more up to date board game thread kicking around but this one seemed appropriate - i'm sure this must have come up in some other thread before, but in any event...

Rab Florence just posted about Mansions of Madness on RPS and it looks freakin' awesome...doesn't do ME any good unfortunately, since trying to find anyone I know willing to play anything more complex than monopoly is like pulling teeth

however, still tempted to grab it just for a miniature Shoggoth alone

On a related note, would it be worth picking up Arkham Horror - considering it would be mostly a solo affair for me (see previous comment about everyone I know fleeing in horror whenever they see more than two dice )? Been sorely tempted on several occasions now but keep thinking I'll probably never get enough use out of it to justify the cost.

I think Demiurge just picked up and played Mansions, and judging by his twitter feed, his group was less than enthusiastic. I think a couple of 'em had problems with the mechanics.

Certainly games of this type (read: lots of intertwining mechanics and loads of pieces) require someone know the game pretty well when you head into play. I can't imagine opening the box and trying to play right out of the gate for something this big and complex.

I get my copy early this week and will try to play a few games over the week/weekend and will share my thoughts.

HedgeWizard wrote:

I get my copy early this week and will try to play a few games over the week/weekend and will share my thoughts.

Be sure to let us know what you think! I'm very curious about Mansions of Madness, but neither myself nor anyone else in my gaming group are sold on it enough to pick it up.

The whole "one person has to be the DM" thing with Mansions of Madness is what's keeping us away. Descent barely gets played around here and that's one of the reasons. Plus the whole solving puzzles thing sounds...odd. Until I start seeing a lot of glowing reviews from people I trust, I'll stick with Arkham Horror, thanks.

stevenmack wrote:

On a related note, would it be worth picking up Arkham Horror - considering it would be mostly a solo affair for me (see previous comment about everyone I know fleeing in horror whenever they see more than two dice )? Been sorely tempted on several occasions now but keep thinking I'll probably never get enough use out of it to justify the cost.

Just a few hours after you posted this I did exactly that. I bought it on Amazon and it doesn't arrive for a couple days but I'll post back here after I get it if you're interested. I read a lot of posts on the internet that recommended it as a solo game so I'm not too worried about it. The fact that you can play it as a full blown single player game or play it as a multiplayer game where you control every character adds to the variety, too.

Looks awesome! Unfortunately the game time (2 hours to finish it, according to bgg) is going to turn off my friends and family from playing.

I need better friends.

gregrampage wrote:
stevenmack wrote:

On a related note, would it be worth picking up Arkham Horror - considering it would be mostly a solo affair for me (see previous comment about everyone I know fleeing in horror whenever they see more than two dice )? Been sorely tempted on several occasions now but keep thinking I'll probably never get enough use out of it to justify the cost.

Just a few hours after you posted this I did exactly that. I bought it on Amazon and it doesn't arrive for a couple days but I'll post back here after I get it if you're interested. I read a lot of posts on the internet that recommended it as a solo game so I'm not too worried about it. The fact that you can play it as a full blown single player game or play it as a multiplayer game where you control every character adds to the variety, too.

Actually I just caved and finally ordered a copy as well

HedgeWizard wrote:

I think Demiurge just picked up and played Mansions, and judging by his twitter feed, his group was less than enthusiastic. I think a couple of 'em had problems with the mechanics.

Certainly games of this type (read: lots of intertwining mechanics and loads of pieces) require someone know the game pretty well when you head into play. I can't imagine opening the box and trying to play right out of the gate for something this big and complex.

I get my copy early this week and will try to play a few games over the week/weekend and will share my thoughts.

I have a copy and while it remains unplayed I did not find the rules to be particularly complex. They are certainly less difficult than Arkham Horror, as there is little upkeep between rounds and there are less modifiers overall. The two parts I think might not sit well with some groups is the puzzle aspect, which adds on a little "mini-game" component. While novel it can also seem like it might be a bit tacked on. The other problem is a long setup time as everything needs to be carefully placed before the game starts.

stevenmack wrote:
gregrampage wrote:
stevenmack wrote:

On a related note, would it be worth picking up Arkham Horror - considering it would be mostly a solo affair for me (see previous comment about everyone I know fleeing in horror whenever they see more than two dice )? Been sorely tempted on several occasions now but keep thinking I'll probably never get enough use out of it to justify the cost.

Just a few hours after you posted this I did exactly that. I bought it on Amazon and it doesn't arrive for a couple days but I'll post back here after I get it if you're interested. I read a lot of posts on the internet that recommended it as a solo game so I'm not too worried about it. The fact that you can play it as a full blown single player game or play it as a multiplayer game where you control every character adds to the variety, too.

Actually I just caved and finally ordered a copy as well

I think AH lends itself to solo play quite well -- it's pretty easy to use as many investigators as you like, as long as you don't mind the upkeep required.

imbiginjapan wrote:

The two parts I think might not sit well with some groups is the puzzle aspect, which adds on a little "mini-game" component. While novel it can also seem like it might be a bit tacked on.

Tacked on? In a Fantasy Flight game? Good heavens! (Seriously, I more or less expect "tacked-on" bits in every FFG game I see nowadays)

edosan wrote:

Tacked on? In a Fantasy Flight game? Good heavens! (Seriously, I more or less expect "tacked-on" bits in every FFG game I see nowadays)

Personally I think it's a neat idea but I can see why some people could be turned off. The concept of the game is to create a light narrative experience. The puzzle aspect is a more engaging way to get the players involved in their own success than more dice rolls. If you hate puzzles, I guess you could use some other mechanic to represent the locks and obstacles. Roll x number of successes or something, I don't know.

If you don't mind the idea of "one person is DM", I just picked up Catacombs, and it's AWESOME. It's another example of the ever-popular DungeonCrawl/crokinole mashup.

Each monster is a disk, as are the players. You move and attack by flicking the disks exactly like crokinole. Different enemies are different sized disks, and there are special abilities that can be played (by good guys and bad guys), but at it's heart, it's a flick-skill game with tactics overlayed. Good, good times, with excellent opportunity for mocking, if your group goes for that.

imbiginjapan wrote:
edosan wrote:

Tacked on? In a Fantasy Flight game? Good heavens! (Seriously, I more or less expect "tacked-on" bits in every FFG game I see nowadays)

Personally I think it's a neat idea but I can see why some people could be turned off. The concept of the game is to create a light narrative experience. The puzzle aspect is a more engaging way to get the players involved in their own success than more dice rolls. If you hate puzzles, I guess you could use some other mechanic to represent the locks and obstacles. Roll x number of successes or something, I don't know.

As someone who used to love the original CoC Pen n' Paper game that sounds right up my alley - it'd be an uphill struggle trying to persuade anyone I know to sit still long enough to play it though, more's the pity. Somebody make a PC/XBlive version, stat!

I've had a really good time with Red November. You're gnomes on a sinking submarine, and have to work together to survive an hour until rescue comes. It can be fairly hilarious as everything catches fire.

bfiggins wrote:

I've had a really good time with Red November. You're gnomes on a sinking submarine, and have to work together to survive an hour until rescue comes. It can be fairly hilarious as everything catches fire.

It's like a short, funnier BSG.

wordsmythe wrote:
bfiggins wrote:

I've had a really good time with Red November. You're gnomes on a sinking submarine, and have to work together to survive an hour until rescue comes. It can be fairly hilarious as everything catches fire.

It's like a short, funnier BSG.

Minus the traitor mechanics, of course. Though you can steal the diving suit and abandon ship, leaving everyone else to their fate, if you're that kind of player.

New member of the forums, and I randomly came across this thread when looking for co-operative board games. DESTINY!

Anyway, looking to pick up a co-op board game that I can play with my parents (who are both older) as well as with my brother and his wife. I think Red November fits the bill (even if Pandemic sounds cooler to me!). It takes place on a submarine (my Father loves movies/books about subs) and looks like the easiest game to get into for co-op board games. It also sounds like there's a good amount of randomness which I love.

Just wanted to check with those of you who may have experience with Red November: sound like a good plan? To recap: first cooperative board game (I'm no stranger to competitive board games) and playing with both parents and friends.