Players: Paul A, Peter, James, Phil, Rachel, Sarah, Gareth II, Paul D, Dan, Tash, Andy, Jon, John
Apparently the best way to get a dumb beast to learn something new is to make simple, repetitive commands in an authoritarian tone, and to periodically reward it with treats. And the best way to punish ill behaviour is also with a stern voice, which makes me wonder that the only difference between the two is the tasty snacks. Does this then mean that fat dogs are smarter dogs, or simply better behaved? And what does this have to say about our own inept attempts at explaining games at IBG? Come to think of it, I don't think I can remember the last time I played a game without there first being a rules explanation for the benefit of at least one person at the table. What does it all mean then? As usual, I have no idea beyond enough rambling to fill the preface to this week's blog with a tenuous link to some rules explanations of debatable clarity at this evening's club night. Here we go then!
Deep Sea Adventure (thanks Paul A)
We started with Deep Sea Adventure, which was so awesome there were
two copies. Undoubtedly fun, even as I was drowning mere feet from the
surface. (It is uncanny that you can turn your diver about, figuring
"plenty of time to get to the surface" and then watch the air vanish in a
flash.)
7 Wonders
On arrival I was greeted with a choice of jumping into a game of Kingdom Builder that had just got underway, Replacing James in Greenland but halfway through what looked to be a long and dense rules explanation, or to add yet another player to a burgeoning game of 7 Wonders. Seeing as Paul A had neglected to bring along any tasty treats with him I opted to lead whatever faction it is that gets extra resources in this popular set collecting game. Having said some things in the week's Q&A that seemed to stir up no small amount of defensiveness it was of course predictable that I would have an hilarious failgame by doing almost the opposite of what I usually do, whilst Tasha stormed to a convincing victory by (yes that's right) playing lots of green and not much red at all. Excuse me now while I get back to this pot that urgently needs a bit more stirring...
Tasha: 80 gazillion, John, Gareth II, Sarah, Andy: something respectable, Dan: egg on my face.
Time of Soccer
Another run out for the young lad, coming off the bench again to dazzle with his twinkle toes and nutmeg the defenders before chipping the goalie with a nice stepover (or something) At the end of ninety minutes with another sixty minutes overtime it was Spain 1 Germany 0 in the footie game designer cup, they were all over the moon and sick as parrots in this game of three halves.
Tasha admitted to a certain pervading sense of cluelessness regarding some of the game elements, specifically coaches and endgame scoring, and although he started with the equivalent of Ronaldo, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho in attack his rather leaky defence was his ultimate undoing. Dan and Andy (who had been paying closer attention to the rules) had a more balanced approach with Andy focussing on a better scout and stronger team in the early game and Dan utilising coaches to get the most out of his second rate long-ball hoofers. The league was close right to the finish with Andy just pulling away in the penultimate game to take the honours and Dan struggling in an awful season finale to be pipped into third place by one of the neutral teams despite having been league leader for most of the game.
Both Dan and Tasha were knocked out of the cup in the first round but then Andy managed to throw it all away in the final to some lower league team that had slain every giant before it.
Andy was this seasons Chelsea and Dan was typical old Arsenal, whereas Tasha did his best to emulate the mighty Scunthorpe.
Kingdom Builder (thanks Jon)
After last week's question about abstract games, Jon was reminded how
much he enjoyed this one. Paul was a reasonably easy recruit and Phil
& Rachel were given little choice by Jon.
The mission cards were: build a large settlement area; connect location hexes; build 3 settlements in a row.
Phil
and Rachel hadn't played before, but got the gist pretty quickly. Paul
spread out from the middle of the board and quickly joined up 2 areas of
settlements, joining several location hexes in the process. Rachel had 2
big areas but was putting down settlements at a rate of knots, having 4
special ability tiles that enabled her to place extra tiles.
Phil
found himself a little spread out in a couple of different areas, but
managed to place next to all the citadels. Jon had a plan to join lots
of locations together, but failed when Paul and Phil both cut him off -
let's pretend it wasn't on purpose...
Rachel finished the game whilst
the other players still had plenty of settlements left. As expected,
Paul had won (although not by as any points as was expected) and the
other 3 players couldn't have been closer.
Awesome game that is going in the bag again next week, whatever any of the naysayers nay-say...
Paul 56; Jon 49; Rachel 48; Phil 48
Greenland
We have a trio of reports for the first landing of Phil Eklunds big Essen release from last year. By the way, what on earth is going on in that box cover? What is that Walrus doing to that poor man??
Paul A: Greenland is an absolutely archetypal Eklund piece and I
think I got only a few rules wrong. James had little fun but was a good
sport about it, Peter accumulated huge piles of loot and walked away
with the game. I teetered on the edge of extinction several times but
tamed a husky, failed to hunt a seal and left some hardy Eskimo
descendants in North America. So, a typical game.
Peter:
Paul did a fantastic job of explaining a rules-dense reasonably
unintuitive game. Greenland is pretty epic in terms of its ambition and
the story it tells. It demands a few plays to get to grips with it,
first play is really about learning. I can see how it can lead to
frustrations when you hit an insurmountable wall as James did. And I
only won as I remembered a rule which you told us, but which you
subsequently forgot (fire is worthless at the end)!
I'd love to play again one day.
But a slightly less enthusiastic tone from James:
Played Greenland with Paul and Pete...
lets cut to the chase... I
didn't enjoy the game much... And as it took about 3 hours from end to
end it was pretty much the whole evening (apart from a quick copy of
games of spyfall at the end that were fun as ever 
)
I'm
pretty sure I played badly... That's almost guaranteed true. It felt
like the dice were screwing me early, but in retrospect I can see how a
better analysis of the initial setup and I couldve have strategised
differently to improve my chances.... But I don't get to play games
enough to allow games of this length enough of a learning curve so I can
start to enjoy the game... If I need to get several games of a 3 hour
game under my belt before it starts to make sense then it's not for
me...
Way too much dice luck required, difficult to plan ahead as
the event cards were ruthless, about twice a long as it should be for
the experience, and quite repetitive as well... It has a few nice ideas
such as the glacier movement across the board that restricts options as
the game progresses, but not enough to rescue the faults...
I
read another review that covers similar ground to me and so saves me
having to type more. I suspect this guy had the same experience as me...
Quote:
I
too struggled with the length of this game. We played a 3-player game
with 3 very experienced gamers, and while it was our first play, it took
nearly 2.5 hours.
The game boils down to little more than trying
to roll triples over and over while deciding which card you actually
have a shot at acquiring on your turn. And once you get ahead, you
inevitably get smashed down (or watch your opponent get smashed down
through no action of your own) by a nasty event card.
Manage to
roll triples on your turn? Great. You just earned 8 VPs. Even after all
your modifiers you failed to roll a single one? Great. You just wasted
an entire turn, and you likely have some elders and hunters die.
I
just don't see the appeal to this sort of game IF it's going to take 2
hours. If this was a 30 minute filler, wonderful. I could understand.
But to slog through a game as punishing and swinging as this one for
120+ minutes... no thanks.
Ps. Sorry Paul... I know you love this game !! Don't hold it against me
Also played this evening: Spyfall
IBG Q&A
On our Boardgamegeek guild page James has
initiated an open Q&A session with a new question each week. Feel free to
play along at home, and even if you are not a regular IBG attendee you are more
than welcome to join in with your own answers!
Last weeks
question: "Slightly different approach to this weeks question... but I thought it might be fun as everyone likes to make lists…
Rank the 10 games below from most to least favourite and feel free to add some comments to explain yourself.
• Dominion
• Ticket To Ride
• Kingdom Builder
• Machi Koro
• 7 Wonders
• Agricola
• Carcassonne
• Nanuk
• For Sale
• Small World
(and
yes I have picked very different games, but all are amongst the most
played at the club over the last few years, or well-known enough that
most people have had a chance to play them)"
Get ready for some controversy this week folks!
John B: "Interesting list as it includes my favourite ever game and also the game
I consider to be the worst in the BGG top 550 (At least of the ones I
have played)
1. Kingdom Builder (About as perfect as a game can
get. Simple rules, quick play time, massive re-playability, and much
deeper game play than is at first apparent)
2. 7 Wonders (pretty much matches the same criteria as Kingdom Builder, but with a bit less variety and depth)
3.
Dominion (I wish they had not released the expansions quite so fast,
as I could not keep up. Hardly played it since Seaside, though I have
been playing it a lot online since they included it in the card games
humble bundle)
4. For Sale (Great little filler that does not outstay it's welcome)
5.
Ticket To Ride ( I am counting this as the whole family as I don't much
care for the base game, there is not enough going on for me. The later
additions of tunnels, ferries and all of the expansion maps are much
more attractive to me)
6. Agricola (I appreciate it's a good
game, but I have not played it enough to ever be able to not spend 95%
of the game trying to feed my family. I must have built some of the
worst farms ever built. I don't feel I need to ever play it again now I
have Caverna, much more fun and I can build pretty good farms with it)
7. Carcassonne (It's OK, but if I want a tile laying game I'll choose Alhambra over it every time.)
8.
Machi Koro (Never played it due to my general dislike of most of the
hot Japanese games I have played. Put it 8th as I really dislike the
other two games.)
9. Nanuk (Just really not my type of game)
10. Small World 
(my comments on BGG for this 'game', 'Exciting entertaining and fun are
just three of the words I would never use when talking about Small
World. Boring, turgid and dull come much more to mind. Dreadful excuse for a game.')
"
Dan: "Can I rank Nanuk first and everything else as a zero..? Actually that's a bit harsh, I do quite like some of these.
Let me put you on speed-dial!
• Nanuk:
This goes top because it is simply awesome. Every game I've played has
been filled with riotous laughter, groans, and taunts as the hunt cards
are slowly flipped over. It's more than a great game, it's a great time,
and in the context of this list Nanuk has six fish and two Inuksuks in
hand and is going to bluff out of your fish hunt just because.
I like you but let's just stay friends, m'kay?
• Agricola:
What's this you say? Angrikoala so high up the list? Is this man
feeling alright? What does this mean for all of sanity's sake??
Well,
I've played far more of this than many of you might imagine despite
only sitting down to it twice at IBG and my chronic condition of
cube-allergy. I find that there is an awful lot wrong with the game but
the core design is still great despite the intervening years, multitude
of ever more ridiculous bonus decks, and Uwe's determination to redesign
into ever more complicated games with even less compelling themes
(coming soon: "Lamppost" the economic lamp placement game about
bringing light to obscure Bavarian country lanes). Agricola is a good
solid game, and I can understand it's popularity.
• 7 Wonders:
You can totally script this game. I'm certainly no expert but I do tend
to score highly and win a lot, and I'm starting to feel like I am just
cranking the handle on this one these days. Collect the green cards.
Build your Wonder in the early game. Focus on money above production.
Exploit free builds. Respond to military aggression rather than
instigating it. And so on, and so on, etc.
Let's do lunch sometime.
• Carcassonne:
I really think the base game needs the traders tiles and the builder
meeple to come into it's own, every other bit of expansion material can
go in the bin where it belongs. But I much prefer Carc: The Castle which
distils everything great about the superior two player game and turns
the dial up even higher with new mechanics tailored around direct
head-to-head play. So I'm ranking Carc lower than it probably deserves
because I think that offshoots from the base game have outgrown the
parent design.
• Ticket To Ride: Similar to Carcassonne above,
once you've sampled the European, Nordic, or (my favourite) Asian
versions the base game just seems so flat and uninvolving by comparison.
• Small World:
My kids like to play this sometimes, I think it's nice but a bit
procedural. I've never really felt the sabre-rattling tension that
usually comes with Dudes-on-a-Map games when playing this. The strategic
choices of troop placement and movement are very limited and the timing
of when to go into decline has always seemed terribly obvious, so it's
all a bit thin in the end.
Don't call me; I'll call you...
• Machi Koro:
This one just doesn't jive with me at all. I'd consider giving it
another whirl with the Harbour Expansion that people are raving over.
• Dominion:
I think Dominion is okay when played at a really good pace, but slow
games are total torture. I didn't like any of the expansion decks that
were foisted upon me either, and ultimately found the gameplay to be
very lightweight and repetitive. It's telling that the entire concept of
Dominion was based on a mechanic used in CCGs and has now gone full
circle by becoming a simple mechanic in other board/card games.
• For Sale:
This filler had a few outings in the early days of the club. It's okay I
guess but I think we just played it right out of it's limited scope to
entertain, and there doesn't seem to be a spark that has kept it going
as a regular filler.
Sorry, what was your name again?
• Kingdom Builder: Haven't played it and don't have the inclination to do so.
"
Noel: "Happy days a list..
Kingdom Builder - enjoyed loads of plays of this at the club. Lots to think about and quick playing.
For Sale - top filler and family game
Agricola - Still to play the 'live' game (with Phil and Andy) but enjoy the basic game on the iPad
Nanuk - I agree with Dan!
Ticket to Ride - havent played this for a while but keen to do so again
Carcassone - havent played this for a while and sort of keen to do so
Machi Koro - enjoyed it initially but samey and a good start kind of kills the game
7
Wonders - dont know the game well enough to have any interaction with
other players and always seemed a bit clunky for a gateway and rather
play something else with proper gamers
Dominion - rather play Trains
Small World - rather play anything"
Paul M: "1) Carcassonne
Instantly pick-upable and with many levels from friendly play with kids to viciously competitive play with boardgame elders!
2) Agricola
Again
not tricky to pick up and with different levels of complexity. Two
player with all the cards being devilish while four players with no
cards just plain satisfying
3) 7 Wonders
One
of the first boardgames I bought. A lovely concept with quick gameplay.
The only issue being a lack of two player option and many more than
three players leaves you subject to luck in terms of who you sit next to
and what their strategies are.
4) Ticket to Ride (but play the Europe version!)
Simple, colourful and fun. The Europe version is less competitive as bridges allow you to use other people's routes.
5) Small World
I
think playing this against Jon left me traumatised. The way he
manipulated my friend and ally Arturo to rally against me was
devastating 
6) Dominion
I've
just not played this one enough to compete at the club. I.e. Gareth
trounced me multiple times in the Botanist! (Whoops that was R&KBGs)
7) For Sale
This one just doesn't do it for me. Theme not fun enough and gameplay too simple.
Don't know these at all:
• Kingdom Builder
• Machi Koro
• Nanuk"
Gary: "1. Agricola - just the dog's bollox (if a bit mentally exhausting)
2. Kingdom Builder - very clever and very replayable
3. Dominion - though only with lots of expansions mixed in
4.
7 Wonders - I like it with three when it is pretty tactical, with more
it's much more random but it gets marks for playing up to so many
5. Carcassonne - I agree that the builders expansion is essential. Also a great iPad game
6. Ticket to Ride Europe - there is not a lot to it but it is good for a quick iPad game
7. Machi Koro - it is ok, but very overrated
8. For Sale - only played once and Didn't leave much of an impression
9. Smallworld - only played on iPad when it is ok but I don't have any desire to play in person
Never played or even heard of Nanuk!
"
Paul A: "1. For Sale: it's a game design I admire and the only one of the
"buy stuff with which you buy stuff" games that I feel works. Or at
least that I can play competently.
2-5. Ticket To Ride, Kingdom Builder, Carcassonne, Small World:
a.k.a. "games i play on my tablet while on the way to work". All
simple, elegant games which just enough depth to engage, not so much as
to frustrate. If that sounds like damning with faint praise, it isn't.
6. Machi Koro:
didn't think much of MK basic, but the Harbour expansion has opened it
right up into an interesting and vicious game. Maybe too vicious - the
last game I played, one of my opponents rage-quit. It can be very unfair
...
7. Dominion: I think it's a very clever game ...
that I haven't played a lot. Hardcore Dominion players have turned me
off the game a bit, but I appreciate the idea of the game and wish I
could play it with other newbies.
8. 7 Wonders: I should
really like this more, because there's good flexibility in the game, it
ends in a fixed amount of time, it's reasonably balanced. But I always
look for something else when it's suggested.
9. Agricola:
I had a terrible first two games of this early on and have never gone
back. Belatedly, I've come to realise that maybe the game isn't that
bad, but it's impossible to get a play of it against opponents who
aren't beard-stroking mumblers who have memorised all possible
strategies. Hence, no fun for a neophyte and I can't be bothered getting
good at a game just to enjoy.
Haven't played: Nanuk"
Soren: "Spooky - this (quoting Paul A) almost exactly matches my opinions - saves me a lot of typing.
Let
us play casual, incompetent Dominion - and my Galaxy Trucker rethemed
version is much better than the medieval or whatever crap the real theme
is supposed to be."
Peter: "What a great selection of games you chose to rank.
1. Agricola - Inspiring and perspiring. This is stress defined.
2.
Dominion - With a bunch of expansions and a completely random kingdom
card draw this game really has unlimited re-playability and is never
even remotely the same twice over. Amazing.
3. Ticket To Ride - So apparently innocent and simple, so actually evil and cut-throat. Africa map is insanely nasty.
4.
7 Wonders- there are not many good Euro-games for 6 or 7 players that
don't have a ton of down-time, but this is a great exception.
5. Machi Koro - A hugely entertaining game. Those asshole dice!
6. Kingdom Builder - wonderful, fast and always interesting
7.
Carcassonne - I know people who play this aggressively but I like to
play passively and communally on a Sunday afternoon in front of a
roaring fire. A relaxing game.
8. For Sale - terrific, elegant
and clever. And in its original format available in the smallest of
card boxes, ideal for taking everywhere.
9. Small World - Not a fan
10. Nanuk - Never heard of it."
James: "• Ticket To Ride
The base game is one of the
lesser interesting variants, but still the best gateway game out there.
Got me into the hobby, and never fails to hit the mark with newer gamers
• 7 Wonders
Great
design, one of the better games of the last 5 years… Reminds me I
really need to get the last expansion as it played really well when we
tried it at Essen.
• Carcassonne
Never enjoyed this
initially face to face… but on the iPad it’s one of the best. After
overdosing on the iPad I’m now playing the boardgame again with my son
and enjoying it immensely … need to include the River and a few of the
expansions to add complexity.
• Machi Koro
Better with the adapted rules, big hit with everyone I’ve played with… Simple rules, cute game-play… really love this game.
• For Sale
One of the best fillers, really needs 5 or 6 thought to shine, so doesn't always get played
• Small World
A
game of psycology when played with more than 2… it’s important not to
get dragged into unnecessary battles. Jon seems to excel at this… never
trust him EVAR !
• Nanuk
Great end of
evening filler, but I do prefer other social games over this…
resistance, saboteur, spyfall, one night werewolf, diamant etc.
• Dominion
Introduced a genre but one of the least interesting
variations now that many other games have improved on the basis
mechanic. I prefer Trains, Arctic Scavengers, Paperback etc… unlikely to
ever play this again.
• Agricola
Didn't enjoy this when
played... but I'm sur eI'm missing something and need to give this
another try. I’m with you Paul in wanting to play this with other
newbies to avoid being thrashed by the experienced crowd… Let’s have
game sometime at the club 
• Kingdom Builder
Nah. Really jsut a varioation on Go
with some pictures of a landscape and a few cards... A dry themeless
abstract… much prefer Through the Desert for this kind of experience as
it also has cute camels… don’t understand all the love."
Neil: "For me I'd happily play Ticket To Ride (excepting the US map), Machi
Koro, Agricola, Carcassonne, Nanuk and For Sale every day of the week.
They're so different I don't find it sensible to rank them.
Machi
Koro got so much hype that it didn't stand a chance. It's never
professed to be anything other than a dice rolling, set collecting,
light game. It has gorgeous artwork and everyone's involved on everyone
else's turn, simple. The Harbor rules have extended game play hugely and
make it maybe a little long now but I'll defend it forever. You should
have been with us in the hotel in Essen when James first cracked it
open, such a treat, especially as the majority of his Japanese games
became rebranded Ferry games.
Of the others the two fillers are
genius, For Sale is brilliantly simple and stands way ahead of most
fillers in that you can try and win the game rather than just going with
the luck. Nanuk is a great crack, great fun, works so well with a large
number of idiots goading each other on, always happy to finish a night
off with this one.
Love the variations of both Ticket to Ride and
Carc. Little tweaks here and there and they make for some great games
with 2, 3, 4 or 5. Some lovely versions; Switzerland, Nordic &
Africa for T2R, and The Castle, New World and Hunters for Carc.
The
Gric: I'd marry Rosenberg tomorrow. We could live somewhere in the
backwaters of Germany and play games all day long. No doubt the sex
wouldn't be up to much but you can't have everything I guess.
Kingdom
Builder. I was SO anti this after my first few plays and then bought it
and into it. Still wouldn't rush out to play it though. For me there is
a pretty huge first player advantage - maybe I've just played against
Noel too often - and then too much luck for me in a game that I think
takes itself too seriously. I like the abstract/solitaire nature of it,
but how someone who's played so many games loves it as much he does I
don't comprehend! He's usually spot on with his opinions too, sorry
John!
Haven't played either of the others. Traded away Small
World having sorted all the fiddly bits. Prefer the Trains theming of my
deck builders too so can't imagine trying Dominion.
Imagine if we all agreed on the order and there was world peace.. right, back to dreaming of Uwe.
"
Paul D: "I love the idea of the list James - maybe you can do some more of these?
My take on it is as follows, having bubble sorted them. However there
are no games on this list that I'd shy away from playing - I like them
all and have certainly enjoyed every one of them.
1 - Ticket To Ride
Such
a simple, classic, elegant game I love it. Al;ways a bit different,
good amount of jostling for position. Played it with my 72 year old
Aunty and she enjoyed it (although did insist on spreading all her cards
over the table) and I could easily play this with some hard core gamers
and no complaints.
2 - Kingdom Builder
I struggle to
see how people don't love this game, but each to their own, even the
misguided ones! Loads of variety, good interaction, simple rules but a
huge amount of depth. Simple and beautiful too.
3 - Machi Koro
I
agree that this game has its flaws, but at its best it's hard to beat
for a lightweight intro / semi thinky. Great design. And I like Japanese
stuff. Better with the expansion and I'm sure possible to get round the
flaws.
4 - Carcassonne
Another utter classic. I've
only played a few variations of this but it just works. Love the look of
the map when it's finished too. And I REALLY liek the city expansion
(much more than hunters and gatherers).
5 - 7 Wonders
Nothing to say about this that hasn't already been said apart from that I like it.
6 - Agricola
I
don't give this game enough kudos, or play time (don;t tell Andy or
Phil I said that). It is a great game but I don;t usually find on a
wednesday that I have the brain space to give it the attention that it
deserves.
7 - Dominion
Very good, but probably usurped
by Trains for me, especially with Rising Sun, so I doubt I'll play it
too much again, but hey, that doesn't mean it ain't a fine game.
8 - Small World
I'm
terrible at this game. Never come close to winning. Even more so than
normal. It is a game I enjoy but I'd enjoy it even more if it wasn't for
the fantasy theme, which I now a lot of people love.
9 - Nanuk
Lots
of fun and I enjoy it, but very light hearted so I'd rally only play it
after an evening of other stuff, and then not every week. But good all
the same.
10 - For Sale
Good, but it's a filler.
"
Natasha: "All-time classics: 1st equal:
Agricola
This game changed
the hobby. Puerto Rico pioneered the idea that you can play your own
game and build a tableau that you can enjoy, without worrying overly
much whether you won or not. But, you know, the abstraction wasn't
total. For instance - you ship for points. In Agricola - the shift was
completed. It's a game where you can have fun building a farm, feeding
your family and generally creating stuff, and be utterly crap, and have a
great time, and after consulting the abstract scoring chart, have
precisely 3 seconds of "oh well" because you lost. It is the daddy of
that whole genre of games, now, where the winner is obscured, unless you
know where to look. On the flip side, for advanced players, you can
still be brilliant and satisfied with your game and lose - because
someone else optimised their cards better than you, and there's no shame
in it. This is a measure of greatness in a game. "I played fantastic
and lost, and I'm cool with that, let's play again some time." Awesome.
Something for designers to aspire to.
Ticket to Ride
This
game changed the hobby, too. How many millions sold? If there's a game
that can finally sweep Monopoly from the supermarket shelves it's this
one. It is the single best gateway game I have ever played. It is simple
and fun and doesn't outstay its welcome and (like Agricola) has that
concealed victory condition thing going on which means you can be losing
like crazy and still enjoy it. I have never played it with a non-gamer
who didn't like it. Gamers will often "meh" at this, and from a gamer
perspective there is an awful lot wrong with it, but damn, it is the
never fail gateway game, and for that it's a 10+ bravo, well done from
me.
3rd place: 7 Wonders
Love this game, don't agree
with Dan that it is "solvable", strongly consider that to be groupthink
and wish him luck with his strategy against some of my friends. Quick
and dirty with depth. V strong.
In the middle:
Nanuk (great fun party game and a great example of its genre)
Kingdom Builder (like playing a spreadsheet, which, don't get me wrong, is enjoyable)
For Sale (not sure it is humanly possible to be any worse at this game than me, but I can be a "big man" and say it's OK)
Machi Koro (like Wrigley's - it's chewy and passes the time but after a while it suddenly, all-at-once, loses its flavour)
Dominion (I'm going to say - best with 2? And you don't hear me say that very often)
The "Uma Thurman" award for everyone says you're fit and sexy and the hottest and bestest actress evah but I just don't get it: Carcasonne
Last place and I hope you die in a fire: Small World
Vinci and me are down the pub, and Small World is NFI.
"
Jon: "As I own most of these games, I thought that I’d better throw my inconsequential thoughts into the ring…
Ticket to Ride 
Assuming
we're not just talking about the original game (which is probably one
of my least favourite of the series), this stands out for me as the
great 'gateway-plus' game. I can play several of the maps with serious
gamers and have a very satisfying experience, or play Europe with my 2
young daughters and have an equally fun time. And Switzerland / Nordic
are great with 2-players, so not a bad choice to play with the wife
either!
Kingdom Builder
Where's
the love, people??? With the expansions (Nomads and Crossroads) thrown
in, I think that this is almost a perfect 45 minute game. It has huge
variety, and although it is basically an abstract dressed up in a pretty
frock, I don't care - I enjoy it!
Small World
With
the right crowd, this is a fantastic game for all manner of devious
trash talking. And with the Tales and Legends expansion, it ascends to
an even higher plain.
7 Wonders
Few
games play so well and quickly with any number of players up to 7.
After the first (rather confusing) game, it can be played really quickly
and, despite what others say, there are a number of ways to win the
game, with a focus on Science being only one of them! Looking forward to
trying the Cities expansion which adds a bit of interaction with
players other than your immediate neighbours.
For Sale
I
played this with my kids for the first time last week, and it reminded
me of just how brilliant this old filler is. Quick to explain (don’t
bother explaining the second half of the game until you get there);
tricky bidding decisions; very little luck; and some nice psychological
decisions in the second half. The perfect filler in my book.
Carcassonne
One
of the first 'proper' games that I played, and it still brings immense
satisfaction to play it with family, friends and non-gamers alike. Needs
the Inns & Cathedrals, and Traders & Builders expansions to
really shine and I probably prefer the Castle and City versions more
than the base game, if truth be told.
Machi Koro
Well
I bought it recently so I must like it a bit! Definitely better with
the expansion and the “10 deck” rule, although I admit it does need the
odd house-rule to stop things freezing up at the beginning. Still tends
to end with someone building a specific engine then getting exactly the
roll that they need to score big bucks in one go, but as long as you go
into the game knowing what to expect, then it’s really enjoyable. Lovely
artwork too.
Nanuk 
I
really enjoy this game, but it is very ‘crowd-dependant.’ With the
right crowd it can be an awesome experience, with loads of trash talk,
outrageous claims, cheers at the appearance of polar bears and much
laughter. With a less-engaged group, it tends to fall apart a bit,
because the actual game can’t really hold its own weight outside of the
personalities of the players. Then again, neither can many similar
bluffing games (Resistance / Mayday Mayday / Saboteur), so it’s probably
not the game’s fault…
Dominion
When
it first came out (yes I was alive then…) this was enormous, and
rightly so, because of the novel ‘deck-building’ mechanism. However, the
lack of any theme, and repetitive gameplay reduced it to an i-Pad
distraction for me (I play it more than any other game on the i-Pad due
to the speed that you can play when it’s in an electronic form). And, as
others have noted, Trains has become Dominion 2.0, and I’d happily play
that every week….
Agricola
When
this first came out, I really enjoyed my first few games (the ‘family’
variant without a lot of the cards) with Barry and Gareth, as we
explored it together. However, when all the cards got introduced, my
brain couldn’t cope with all the choices and it became a bit of a mental
chore to me. I think that says more about me than it does about the
game, though, which is a superb design. But then along came the 2-player
Agricola: ACBAS. Now that is a game that really does float my boat!"
This weeks question: "We all like to win, but what games do you play, that you love to play, but could care less about winning….. (obviously for Paul, this is every game… else he’d never turn up 
)"
Chosen whilst Dan was visiting the little boys' room (or else he would probably have vetoed it...)
so I turn over games fairly rapidly if they don't entertain. At the
moment I guess it's most probably Castles of Ludwig and Imperial
Settlers that I like to play and I'm looking forward to Thunderbirds
arriving in the summer. I'm starting to get a little bored with
Sentinels as it's kind of collapsing under it's own weight, but I have
played some games recently with just the base game characters that were a
lot of fun and reminded me of how good a game it can be.
(not that I'm scarred by my one play of this game at all.......)
" 
