Non-mainstream Board Games

[XIII]

New games genres are on the rise in the form of German style and Cooperative Board Games. Rather than the highly competitive grudge matches of traditional games, they tend to be far more social and cooperative.

I just finished buying the whole Catan series and love it but am looking to learn and share about other less mainstream, unique, and obscure board and card games. Preferably foreign in origin like Carcassonne and such. Anywho, anyone got Catan questions, feel free to inquire.

[The Schaef]

Card games:
Dominion - catalyst for an entire genre of "deck-building" card games
7 Wonders - more like a "booster draft" card game than a "deck-building" game
Race for the Galaxy - steep learning curve but a good development game over the hump
Core Worlds - it won't be out until the end of the year but worth the wait.
Puzzle Strike - "deck-building" game with chips
Quarriors - "deck-building" game with dice

Cooperative games:
Battlestar Galactica - fantastic co-operative board game, with a traitor aspect a la Werewolf
Shadows Over Camelot - a less-complicated but less-satisfying co-op-with-traitor game, themed after King Arthur
Star Trek: Expeditions - light but fun co-operative board game
Pandemic - strategic co-operative board game, brilliant design with variable player powers
Forbidden Island - lighter version of Pandemic, themed on a treasure hunt instead of curing diseases

Lighter Games for the Whole Family:
Zooloretto - light game where players collect animals and build their zoo
Long Shot - a light, fun horse racing game that takes no time to play.  Probably not best if you don't want to encourage even pretend gambling.
Ticket to Ride - light rail game for those who do not drink the Martin Wallace Kool-Aid
Trans-America - a 15-minute rail game for those who think Ticket to Ride is too long and difficult

Strategy Games:
1960: The Making of the President - brilliant 2-player card-driven area-control strategy game
Le Havre - heavy strategy game around trading goods and manufacturing along a port
A Castle for All Seasons - kind of a cross between Caylus-style worker placement and Puerto Rico-style role selection
Alien Frontiers - dice-based area control game
Ad Astra - what Starfarers of Catan probably should have been.  Minor role selection and easier movement between systems in the same space-themed development genre
Fresco - Kind of a hybrid between role selection and worker placement, as you collect paints and combine them to score points on the board, with beautiful fresco artwork on the board underneath the point tiles

Worker Placement Games:
Stone Age - a lighter title but a fun play, with a good set of options
Caylus - heavy but dry.  Three hours with a full table
Agricola - a nice in-between from the other two.  Very highly rated on Boardgamegeek

Economic Games:
Power Grid - good supply-demand mechanic for pricing resources, while building plants interconnecting the country
Wealth of Nations - more abstract but more pure, includes economies of scale and trading among players

Some more competitive games:
Starcraft - deeply strategic card-driven combat board game
Memoir '44 - card-driven light wargame, simulates key battles of WWII, tons of expansions.
Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit - great Star Wars game using a system similar to Memoir

Hope that helps.  I'll leave it at that.

[Rawrlolsauce!]

Monopoly - Only for the true gamers.

[OpenFaceBreadSandwich]

Bang- Aside from the beer Awesome

[XIII]

Monopoly is still one of staple games when I can find people to play. I have these two t-shirt with the Monopoly Dude saying "Thats How I Roll" and "You just got Own'd". Monopoly is my blood.

[Professoralstad]

Monopoly is still one of staple games when I can find people to play. I have these two t-shirt with the Monopoly Dude saying "Thats How I Roll" and "You just got Own'd". Monopoly is my blood.

Monopoly destroys families.

Seriously. There is an engaged couple at our church that were politely asked to leave her parents' family cabin after the spat they got into over a game of Monopoly. I think they've since patched up their own relationship and their relationship with their families, but they will no longer play Monopoly ever again.

[XIII]

The only punch I ever threw in my life was due to Monopoly. Its brutal but its still a classic.

But thats why I am more attracted to German Style which focuses less on competition and encourages more socializing. Especially cooperative style. Still, I play Catan with some characters who play just absolutely nasty. Nicest guys ever but they show no mercy when playing and spoil the game for new players or anyone just wanting to play for fun.

Frankly, I considered the Redemtion community I knew, including the national tourney people, too be of similar ilk. All seriousness and can't even so much as make eye contact let alone say a friendly word.

Thats why I look into non-mainstream games and want to share and learn about some new ones. Has anyone played Carcassonne?

[BubbleBoy]

Frankly, I considered the Redemtion community I knew, including the national tourney people, too be of similar ilk. All seriousness and can't even so much as make eye contact let alone say a friendly word.

Sadly, I have found the same thing. It's hard to have fun in this game anymore, but I still try.

[The Schaef]

Frankly, I considered the Redemtion community I knew, including the national tourney people, too be of similar ilk. All seriousness and can't even so much as make eye contact let alone say a friendly word.

Which is why I have strongly advocated after-hours gaming at these events, and in particular, the year Ohio hosted the national tournament, we had games going on at all hours of the night.  There was at least one night when I left the rented ballroom at 3am and there were still people playing games.

[XIII]

The game ended for me after Warriors. I loved the inclusion of artifacts and the angels plus the new abilities. While I still bought into Apostles, that was what killed the game for me. It became too serious with its uber-detailed special abilities and deeper stratagem. I like games with deep stratagem but Redemption nose dived for me with its insistence of needing a Pharisee, Sadducee, Elder of Jerusalem, etc. This enhancement works only if the character once knew a guy who talked to someone who once saw St. Paul...and is female. It just slowed play down for me and led to too many discussions over rules.

Out of the Cactus games, I enjoyed the Mission the most as it used discipleship, evangelism, and church planting concepts.

Anywho, all just my opinion.

[Professoralstad]

The game ended for me after Warriors. I loved the inclusion of artifacts and the angels plus the new abilities. While I still bought into Apostles, that was what killed the game for me. It became too serious with its uber-detailed special abilities and deeper stratagem. I like games with deep stratagem but Redemption nose dived for me with its insistence of needing a Pharisee, Sadducee, Elder of Jerusalem, etc. This enhancement works only if the character once knew a guy who talked to someone who once saw St. Paul...and is female. It just slowed play down for me and led to too many discussions over rules.

Out of the Cactus games, I enjoyed the Mission the most as it used discipleship, evangelism, and church planting concepts.

Anywho, all just my opinion.

While the uber-detailed special abilities common in Apostles are nowadays less common, and abilities have become more streamlined, I do agree that the game has emphasized the role of various roles in the game (Pharisee, Disciple, Babylonian). I guess people can have their opinions about that, but I think it's a good thing.

As for the seriousness of the game that makes it unfun for some, that's what makes it appealing to others. People can play a game that may at first seem like just another lame Christian rip-off from the secular gaming world, but then find it's a competitive, strategic game that serious gamers can play. However, tournaments can be really fun, especially bigger ones during off hours, where games are played, people go out to eat and have conversation, and friends are made. I have never been to a tournament like the one you described, and I'm sorry that has been your experience. I'd encourage you to give it another try, but I just bought all of your cards, so...

But seriously, we hope that even if you don't play the game at all, perhaps you'll at least find here a group of online friends, who you can have interesting discussions with, as long as you are willing to be prepared for the occasional overly silly or overly serious post.

[XIII]

Hmm, its true. I can't very well give it another try as you bought all my cards. I am quite ok with that Card games of any type just dont have the same appeal to me anymore and I am in a board game phase now.
 
Actually, as soon as our business is finished, I am moving along. I got to go sell a bunch of Star Wars stuff, antiques, and furniture next.

But sweet nostalgia...many games played, many good times had.

[Minister Polarius]

Is it a testament to how long I've been out of the tournament circuit or to how different the SE is that I am utterly baffled at descriptions of Redemption tournaments/players being leveled on this thread?

[Professoralstad]

Is it a testament to how long I've been out of the tournament circuit or to how different the SE is that I am utterly baffled at descriptions of Redemption tournaments/players being leveled on this thread?

Well, considering that XIII has likely been out of the tournament circuit since almost before I was in the tournament circuit (I'm guessing that since the last set he bought was Apostles and the fact that he's from PA means that his last tournament was likely '03 Nats in Pittsburgh--he can certainly correct me if I'm wrong) then I'm guessing it has more to do with his perception of people that long ago. I guess it really depends on your personal attitude as well as that of the people you are around during a tournament, but I have never had a tournament experience like what he describes, and I would venture to guess that a majority of players (at least on the boards) feel the same way.

[Alex_Olijar]

Wait, he's from PA? Maybe I should have paid 75... I didn't want to go that high without knowing who he was... No offense to XIII, I'd rather be safe than sorry since Redemption is just a game anyway.

[Professoralstad]

Wait, he's from PA? Maybe I should have paid 75... I didn't want to go that high without knowing who he was... No offense to XIII, I'd rather be safe than sorry since Redemption is just a game anyway.

He friended (sorry Firefox, it'll be in the OED soon enough, if it's not already) me on Facebook as a means of having multiple avenues of communication regarding the deal. His profile says he's from Coatesville, PA, though as he's stated, he just moved back from living overseas the past couple of years.

[Alex_Olijar]

Interesting. That's actually not too far from where I lived until I was 10 in Delaware. He might have attended the King of Prussia National tournament in 1999 (I think).

[XIII]

1999, that was it. I was at the King of Prussia. Man...that was ages ago. Anyways, don't take anything too much to heart. I'm from a by gone era of the game in which almost all my deck is out of print and probably not considered tourney playable. But if you want to know what that time was like, Warriors had just broken the scene and brought game changing stuff. Redemption went from a rather dull game to exciting and people were nuts about getting cards. I saw adults twist kids arms to get all the good cards from their collection. Trading little 10 year olds a bunch of uncommons for their Michael the Archangel or something. That was my tourney experience. Some nice chaps, though.

By the time Apostles came, some new people joined my Redemption community and shared the same attitude of a no fun, serious gaming attitude.

Most of you new players dont even know what the game was like back in the day. The super awesome game winning cards were anything with a special ability or being over 2/2. Womens and Warriors brought fun but after that the game changed too much for me and I didn't want to compete with the players who kept buying more and newer. Rares, Ultra-Rares, mixed brigades, fortresses, etc. etc. etc. All with players who would do anything to get the best, be the best. There was no going back to the simpler times.

But you seem like a cool cat Jordan. So I'm glad you can have them. So many years spent playing it. Kind like selling a part of my childhood. Hence why I did hold back two cards...two nonsignificant cards. Stephen and Sarah. My fiance and I's names. I'll keep them for my kids one day to show them what daddy use to play with when they tell me to buy them a PlayStation 8 or something.

 

[Professoralstad]

1999, that was it. I was at the King of Prussia. Man...that was ages ago. Anyways, don't take anything too much to heart. I'm from a by gone era of the game in which almost all my deck is out of print and probably not considered tourney playable. But if you want to know what that time was like, Warriors had just broken the scene and brought game changing stuff. Redemption went from a rather dull game to exciting and people were nuts about getting cards. I saw adults twist kids arms to get all the good cards from their collection. Trading little 10 year olds a bunch of uncommons for their Michael the Archangel or something. That was my tourney experience. Some nice chaps, though.

By the time Apostles came, some new people joined my Redemption community and shared the same attitude of a no fun, serious gaming attitude.

Most of you new players dont even know what the game was like back in the day. The super awesome game winning cards were anything with a special ability or being over 2/2. Womens and Warriors brought fun but after that the game changed too much for me and I didn't want to compete with the players who kept buying more and newer. Rares, Ultra-Rares, mixed brigades, fortresses, etc. etc. etc. All with players who would do anything to get the best, be the best. There was no going back to the simpler times.

But you seem like a cool cat Jordan. So I'm glad you can have them. So many years spent playing it. Kind like selling a part of my childhood. Hence why I did hold back two cards...two nonsignificant cards. Stephen and Sarah. My fiance and I's names. I'll keep them for my kids one day to show them what daddy use to play with when they tell me to buy them a PlayStation 8 or something.

Glad that you think I'm cool (but I hate cats, so I take that as an insult). 

[The Schaef]

I'm praying this doesn't turn into a whole nother thing, again, but the King of Prussia tournament was in 2001, just after the release of Apostles.  I was also at that tournament.  The nationals were hosted in Ohio in 1999.

At the 2000 Nationals, our first attending, Warriors was all the rage, and the mindset at the time was that the game pre-Warriors was basically a glorified version of War, and post-Warriors, the game was divided into two types of players: the ones who played Fight-by-Numbers decks, and the ones who were eliminated from the tournament by noon the first day.

[XIII]

Suppose that is why I lasted till day 2 and won half my games. I always designed my deck to go for a play by the numbers in "actual" battles but mostly waste my opponents deck and win effortlessly in the end game. Course never having played "real" players, I fine tuned my deck after the tournament. I perfected the deck even more with the select apostles I wanted and remained undefeated among my peers even when they had Patriarchs and I was still playing mostly Women/Warriors (with a handful of apostles). Brown Brigade for the win. Favorite combo was playing minimally by only going for rescue attempts with Gabriel to cherry pick card dangerous offense but mainly defensive cards out. Then just stall every rescue attempt with my defense, making them discard after a bit. Then when either mid to late game comes and they have their army of heroes out, I just wait for an attack. 3 cards from my hand. Usually Athaliah or Wicked Thief plays right from my hand. I get priority. I play ignorance to weaken all their heroes 4/4 and since usually I still have priority, I play seige to bring them all in to die. Sure there were counterdefenses but I had my own. Usually by mid game I had killed almost every hero in a deck, made them lose a ton of cards, and pave the way for me to finally go offensive. Out of my 100 card deck, probably 70 of them were Defensive cards (including sites, artifacts and such)

At least I think thats how I played. Only been nearly a decade since my last game.

[The Schaef]

No, I'd say that is probably exactly how you played.  From 1999 through 2006, with variations on which defense to hammer the opponent, that's how nearly everyone played.

[Alex_Olijar]

No, I'd say that is probably exactly how you played.  From 1999 through 2006, with variations on which defense to hammer the opponent, that's how nearly everyone played.

And to think, people complain about Disciples and The Garden Tomb now.

[The Schaef]

Since Reds and Herods haven't been working out for me, I'm contemplating blowing the dust off a King Hezekiah offense again and see how that goes.

[XIII]

Anyways, done now. Jordan owns it all.

Well, Jordan, you got all the contacts to message me and call me and whatev until our business is finished.

Im outta here. Happy trails ya'll.

[Professoralstad]

Since Reds and Herods haven't been working out for me, I'm contemplating blowing the dust off a King Hezekiah offense again and see how that goes.

I don't know Schaef. King Hezekiah might be a bit to mainstream. He has one of the best abilities in the game now:

"May band to the best Hero in the game, or some other Heroes that don't really matter."

[Red Dragon Thorn]

King Hezekiah doesn't band to Thaddeus... Or Joseph... Or Ahimilek...

[Professoralstad]

King Hezekiah doesn't band to Thaddeus... Or Joseph... Or Ahimilek...

And none of those three are the best hero in the game, now are they?

[SomeKittens]

King Hezekiah doesn't band to Thaddeus... Or Joseph... Or Ahimilek...

And none of those three are the best hero in the game, now are they?

No, but he can't band to Susanna either.

[Professoralstad]

King Hezekiah doesn't band to Thaddeus... Or Joseph... Or Ahimilek...

And none of those three are the best hero in the game, now are they?

No, but he can't band to Susanna either.

She's so last year.