Epic game of PowerGrid tonight. Sorry I had to bail right after. Hopefully were building a solid repertoire of both games and gamers here and it gets easier and faster as we go!
Had a great couple of games of San Juan last night. Looking forward to next Wednesday!
Enjoyed the power grid game last night. (brankin on BSW)
I know we had some interface hiccups and I hope it didn't sour the game for anyone. Rabbit mentioned that he hadn't played it on BSW in at least 6 months and it has been closer to 2 years for me. It really is an excellent game (it's ranked #5 on BGG for a reason) and I encourage people to give it another try.
I did a quick look on board game geek and see that there are pages of strategy articles, many focused on new players. Here's a link to one, but there are others as well. (Advice for new Power Grid player)
FUNKENSHLAG!
Power Grid
First time I played Power Grid aka FUNKENSCHLAG on BSW. Clunky interface caused just about everyone to have their own flawed round. If anyone finds a better version of it online, let us know. It's a great game with enough people to make the bidding war and the land grab interesting.
Stone Age
Where did we play Stone Age? It was a much more forgiving interface, although still not trouble-free. The game took us a couple of hours which kept me up way past my bedtime. I'd like to play it again, though. The game, itself, has a great aesthetic appeal. Everything looks good and most of it just makes sense. It can be easy to underemphasize this aspect of a game and focus just on gameplay, but I think it has a lot of bearing on how "fun" I perceive a game to be. I love the Race for the Galaxy gameplay, but the iconography and business of the cards makes it a less "fun" game for me.
I've still got high hopes for our boardgame group. As much as I miss my face-to-face group, this has some real advantages:
* No commute time - I put on my headset and I'm ready.
* Easy to try something new - I've played two weeks and have played two new games (and it really only takes 1 playthrough to get a handle on UI and rules enough to play at a more normal pace).
* Easily accommodates varying group size - My face-to-face group would often be stymied when a player had to cancel last minute and the games we had on-hand didn't really suit a smaller group.
* Larger pool of players - I hope the group continues to grow so that we can have multiple games running to suit varying interests and skill levels.
* No mooching of my snacks - Y'all aren't rooting through my pantry eating up all my chips, yo.
A couple of thoughts about making the game night run more smoothly:
* Log into the Steam group chat room in case there are Vent issues or in order to match up people who need a game.
* Could we set up a couple more boardgame Vent rooms (or even generic rooms) and maybe a boardgame lobby room? Meet up in the lobby and "get a room" when you're ready to play.
* Rabbit's suggestion of logging into BSW and watching the week's games ahead of time to pre-load assets is a time saver.
* Any other suggestions?
Thanks again for making this happen.
So bumbed I didn't make it last night. Went over to a fiend's place to play test his new game. Suffice to say, it was way broken and wasn't much fun.
I'll certainly try and make it next week, or drum up support during the week. Power Grid is one of my favorites, but doesn't get pulled out of my collection all that often.
[don't edit on an iPad]
Great games last night! Both Power Grid and Stone Age were a blast, though long!
Some notes -
- I think "FUNKENSCHLAG!" Should be our group's official motto. Kind of like "For Boogle!" for board game nerds.
- Games definitely went longer than expected. I think part of the problem here is that even three "official" games per week is too much. We came in expecting to play Stone Age, and then because of the amount of people we had decided to go for Power Grid, which some people hadn't learned. To solve this and reduce time, I propose a two pronged approach:
1) Reduce the amount of "official" games per week to one. For example, if this week was Stone Age, we play Stone Age. If we have 6 people and Stone Age only supports 4, we can split and play two games with three people. If people don't know the rules, they can play something else.
2) Cycle through existing games more. I don't think there's a need to have a brand new game in every week. So far we've played 7 Wonders, Puerto Rico, Pandemic, San Juan, Power Grid, and Stone Age. That's a pretty good list to cycle through for a little bit. Playing games more than once is a good thing, otherwise you play so many new ones that you forget how to play that first one you played.
- Definitely need more Vent channels. I'll PM TheWalt about it.
- Agreed that going in Steam chat is nice both so people can post links to sites and rules, and in case you have problems with vent or come late and want to know what's going on. I have both windows open, and I try to let those who come late know who else is looking for a game or what games are ending soon.
- Learning the interface is definitely also something that stalls the game. BSW is the worst for this. This will only get better over time, though - especially if we stick to point 2 above.
So with all that said, I'm going to suggest that next week's game once again be Stone Age. Only 4 of us got to play it last night. Should be faster this time around with more people familiar with the interface. The site we played it on was Board Game Arena
I'm on vacation next week so I won't be there, but have a blast!
Druidpeak wrote:Let's try again next week for a Eurozone GWJ Board Game night. I have an early, and long, day tomorrow, so I can't hang out much longer. Hit me up for a game if you see me idling on steam.
I told my wife that no one showed, and received the nicest pat on the head and sympathy sigh I've ever received from her.
There's a lot of sarcasm and little jabs in our interactions.
Argh, my fault!
When you said 8pm, I obviously assumed 8pm my time, forgetting you are an hour ahead. Reading posts for actual content does not seem to be my forte.
I'm available most of the rest of this evening, just need to comfort the wife after her long day and then I can play.
No worries, we'll give it a go again next week. Maybe this time I can get it up on the Steam group calendar more than an hour before the event
I need feedback for what are the best times for folks. Also, if Wednesday isn't a good day for you, what day works best?
Good games, Yoreel, Mantid (sorry you only got to play one). Aside from some expected interface-y misunderstandings, I think things went well - though I heartily endorse the idea of sub-Board Game channels.
San Juan is excellent - I'm glad I finally got to play. It's kind of a cross between Citadels and RftG, both of which I like.
I'm looking forward to Stone Age!
Power Grid was fun. I completely wrecked my game in the first turn, though, so I was pretty much just observing and goofing around for the rest of the game. I agree with Dysplastic in that I would like to cycle through the games we've played for a couple weeks. Right now, I've only played Seven Wonders and Power Grid, and now that I've figured them out, it would be fun to play them for real.
Agree on sticking to a core game. Listen to dysplastic for he is wise. Although, there aren't a lot of new games coming out every month, so well have pretty core list soon enough anyway for repetition.
Torq wrote:Eurozone GWJ Board Game night.
No worries, we'll give it a go again next week. Maybe this time I can get it up on the Steam group calendar more than an hour before the event
I need feedback for what are the best times for folks. Also, if Wednesday isn't a good day for you, what day works best?
Wednesday is fine for me, and the 8pm time slot is actually fine, as I'm usually in the door from work around then.
Wednesday is good for me at 8pm GMT too. All being well, I'll be there this wednesday coming. 
I would like an invite to the group
I would like an invite to the group
Invite sent! In return, you can tell me what anime your avatar is from. I'm drawing a massive blank for some reason.
schleproque wrote:I would like an invite to the group
Invite sent! In return, you can tell me what anime your avatar is from. I'm drawing a massive blank for some reason.
I'll answer - it's an Adipose from Dr. Who
Ahhhhh... it's been awhile. I now understand why I couldn't think of an anime.
I think I have Wednesday evening clear for some online board gaming action. Because I'm addicted, my game of choice will have to be Race for the Galaxy.
What is the medium of choice? Keldon's AI or Board Game Arena?
Hello, I just heard about the group and I'd love an invite:
User: Mugio
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/7...
I love BSW and am happy to teach or play any of the games I know:
Carcassonne
7 Wonders
Settlers
Caylus* (still a novice but I know the rules and have played 10+ games which means I'm still a novice)
Dominion (some of the sets, I'm a bit behind)
Puerto Rico
... and more!!
* As a side note, Caylus is brilliant.
Hello, I just heard about the group and I'd love an invite:
User: Mugio
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/7...I love BSW and am happy to teach or play any of the games I know:
Carcassonne
7 Wonders
Settlers
Caylus* (still a novice but I know the rules and have played 10+ games which means I'm still a novice)
Dominion (some of the sets, I'm a bit behind)
Puerto Rico... and more!!
* As a side note, Caylus is brilliant.
Invite sent.
* As a side note, Caylus is brilliant.
Caylus is indeed a great game and the one that kicked the worker placement game mechanic into high gear. Once more people are comfortable with Stone Age, I would definitely suggest that we move up to Caylus.
Hey, can I get a Steam group invite please?
I'm EU and actually Wednesday night is my regular RPG night :s but I'd like to be in the group to hop on with like minded peeps who might be interested!
Scheduled the EU Wednesday night board game event on Steam.
8 PM GMT .
This thursday will be another early and long day for me, so I may not be able to participate Wednesday night. In case I don't make it, have fun!
Hey fellas,
I am posting here in slight fear because I dont own or play any board games but I want to change that. Don't know of another thread to post this in so here we go.
My wife and I have people over a couple nights a month and are thinking about board games playing a part in that. We are beginners so I would like to know a couple that would be great fun and easy to learn.
So far I am thinking of Settlers and Dominion but I am unsure of Dominion for beginners. Again, I also have no idea how any of these games work and would love to have a good time with everyone.
Help!
Be not afraid. Do you have some mobile device? Catan on IOS is brilliant and. Great way to learn. Check the top of the thread for a Bunch of great learning resources too.
Dominion, the base box at least, is definitely simple enough to explain to beginners, especially if you start your first few games with the recommended setups which uses simple cards and highlights all the basic mechanics. Just don't try to start with Intrigue (the other stand-alone Dominion box) which is definitely designed for experienced players.
Here's a list of gateway games based on an extensive poll conducted earlier this year. 100 Best Gateway Games
I'm pretty much in agreement with the list. Since you indicate that you are not a board gamer yourself, here are my recommendations.
Ticket to Ride - Easy to learn and teach, nice pieces, competitive but doesn't become too cut throat until people get more experience with it.
Wits and Wagers - Fun game combining trivia and betting. Also good because less emphasis is put on having the right answer, you just need to know/figure out who the smart people are. Also, is available at Target.
Pandemic/Forgotten Island - Very similar mechanics. Co-operative games where the players are working against the game system. I like the theme of Pandemic better (fighting off diseases spreading around the planet), but IIRC, Forgotten Island's mechanics may be slightly easier to learn and teach. Pandemic as least (don't remember about FI) has the ability to adjust the difficulty.
For Sale - A nice quick card game that is easy to learn/teach. The game play is focused on auctions and real estate and the artwork is light but engaging.
Dixit - This one is a little quirky. It's easy to learn and teach, but the game play is not for everyone.
Since you say you're new to games, I'd recommend one or more of the above before moving on to Dominion.
Ticket to Ride - Easy to learn and teach, nice pieces, competitive but doesn't become too cut throat until people get more experience with it.
I think transamerica is far easier to teach, and more forgiving.
Wits and Wagers - Fun game combining trivia and betting. Also good because less emphasis is put on having the right answer, you just need to know/figure out who the smart people are. Also, is available at Target.
A bit of a party game, but good for a group of "not sure about this" non-gamers.
Pandemic/Forgotten Island - Very similar mechanics. Co-operative games where the players are working against the game system. I like the theme of Pandemic better (fighting off diseases spreading around the planet), but IIRC, Forgotten Island's mechanics may be slightly easier to learn and teach. Pandemic as least (don't remember about FI) has the ability to adjust the difficulty.
I'm an outlier, but I really don't like FI. Pandemic is far better, but can be a bit tough to really learn from the rules. Super easy if someone teaches you or you watch a video.
For Sale - A nice quick card game that is easy to learn/teach. The game play is focused on auctions and real estate and the artwork is light but engaging.
A new one! Must try. I think Reiner's Modern Art is a great intro to these core mechanics. I'd toss No Thanks in there for instant to teach but really strategic card mechanics.
Dixit - This one is a little quirky. It's easy to learn and teach, but the game play is not for everyone.
A bit of a story game. Not all that much "game" here but its worth owning JUST for the artwork. An inspiring game, literally.
Help!
Trailer Park Wars. Party game that offers many opportunities for maliciousness. It has been a hit for get togethers with some of our neighbors.
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