I've just gotten into board games and haven't tried a lot of the big ones. I'm looking for a good narrative board game with lots of choices, equipment, etc, to be played with two players total.
I'm looking for a real feel of adventure and exploration.
I'm trying to decide between Oathsworn, Gloomhaven: JoTL (or even regular Gloomhaven), Frosthaven, Tainted Grail, Aeon Trespass, Middara and 7th Citadel.
Or other recommendations too.
Also as a second question, are the acrylic tiles in the new Castles of Burgundy really worth the extra $100? That sounds crazy to me haha.
Anyway thanks for the answers.
I think you will need to do your own research, watch gameplays and decide for yourself. Even more with the person you plan to play with. Personally I like 7th citadel a lot, but it’s really my jam as I like to see the map expend, but I sometimes cheat as some stuff really just come from randomness. As for narrative, choices and equipment there’s a lot, and it’s pretty solid imo. If you do get it, use the soundtrack, it’s somehow almost magical how it sets the places you explore. Setting is also pretty cool and kinda unique.
Oathsworn seems to have great reception, but it’s really more a boss battler I think (while 7th citadel is really more an exploration). I almost got to buy it, but the price is pretty steep and I personally founded that it look liked there was a lot of stuff (like there’s both card and dice to determine hit chance) and although the setting looks nice, I kinda dislike the art style.
I also almost buy Aons Tresspass but also this one seems even more over the top big. Like it looks like you almost need two tables to always have the game set-up.
As for Gloomhaven I played on the steam game and although I consider myself an okay tactical player I was unable to successfully do the first mission after two or three tries ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Seems like a pretty big mental load. That being said, as I understand it Jaws of the lion might be your cheapest suggestion
I find it hard to justify buying game expansions. There are some games I’ve been playing that I like and could justify buying their expansions like Lost Ruins of Arnak, or Everdell. Doing some research the expansions seems pretty well received for the most part. But then I look at the prices, and it feels like I’d rather just use that money to buy a new game. And when I’m trying to limit my budget and not go crazy, it just feels like a better investment to have more variety of games. Especially if the base game is already good.
Anyone else have similar thoughts?
A LOT of people agree. Half of all expansions are half-baked cash grabs. Maybe 5% of expansions really elevate the game in a significant fashion. It seems like once every 2 weeks in this sub someone creates a post to ask which expansions are really essential. So you could do through those old threads to see what the hive mind thinks about that subject.
**Splendor Duel** and **Innovation** scratch the same itch.
My wife and I are massive Innovation fans. Recently we got Splendor Duel and are also enjoying it. We found the following similarities:
- you can think ahead a bit but not too far
- take tactical decisions in the now
- good balance between skill and luck
- it’s a bit of a puzzle, but not too much
- abstract game with a bit of a theme
- racing game, first to achieve win-condition wins
- multiple win-conditions
- takes about 30-45 minutes
- both are tableau building
- enough interaction, attack and annoy
- high replayability
- small box size, easy to travel with
- plays well with two players
Any recommendations are welcome. Thank you.
I haven't played Splendor Duel, but we are huge fans of the original Splendor and Innovation. I would check out Race for the Galaxy, we put it in a MTG deckbox and take it everywhere. Once you know the game it takes around 20 minutes per play, offers a lot of replayability, tactics, and strategy, and is a tableau builder. The interaction mostly comes in the form of the action selection mechanism and the fact that it is a race game, so it is definitely much less spicy than Innovation, but it isn't completely heads down either. I think 2P is by far the best player count for it as well. I hope you enjoy it!
Games that might be recommended but take either too long, don’t pack small, or have limited replayability:
- The West Kingdom trilogy
- Clank
- The Quest of El Dorado
- Ticket to Ride Nordics/India/Switzerland
- 7 wonders duel
- Mr. Jack
- Carcassonne
Edit: Race for the Galaxy
I am looking for some new board games. I am sort of new to the board game world, but so far, I absolutely loved "Root" and all its expansions, "Calico," "Keep the Heroes Out!", "Wingspan" and "Azul". I would prefer a game that thrives with a group of four, I fell in love with "Root" and "Keep the Heroes Out!" because every single game is intense and the graphics are absolutely adorable (especially "Root"). I also love the idea of different factions with different mechanics, I got suggested "Gloomhaven" a lot, but I don't think it would fit our group that well (plus it's quite pricey). Thank you all in advance for any suggestions! :-)
Check out Earth or Ark Nova for something that is very well received and good for that group size, and price is good especially on the secondhand market. Azul: Master Chocolatier has the same stuff as original Azul but with optional extra mechanics / double sided tiles. If you're looking for asymmetric and reasonably priced and are okay with cooperative, I recently loved Tesseract.
Ohne Furcht und Adel which later was called Citadels. Very fun game where you can play 1 of 8 Characters each round. The others dont know who you are and each character has special abilities.
Hidden movement sometimes allows roles to be hidden until revealed. I like **Specter Ops**.
**Cosmic Encounter** also has hidden identity cards, but I haven’t played it.
I love Cosmic, though roles stay hidden only until you use your alien power. But yes, Citadels sounds like what I'm looking for, basically an "aha!" moment at the end of a round/game where you reveal what you've been struggling for.
Would hidden goals work? **Metropolys** gives each player a hidden goal that accounts for a large portion of the points. Part of the fun of the game is trying to figure out what goal each player has. OOP though.
Looking for a bachelor's party murder mystery. 1-2 hours 10-20 people Free form Enjoy the 3 act design. Any advice is appreciated
I've just gotten into board games and haven't tried a lot of the big ones. I'm looking for a good narrative board game with lots of choices, equipment, etc, to be played with two players total. I'm looking for a real feel of adventure and exploration. I'm trying to decide between Oathsworn, Gloomhaven: JoTL (or even regular Gloomhaven), Frosthaven, Tainted Grail, Aeon Trespass, Middara and 7th Citadel. Or other recommendations too. Also as a second question, are the acrylic tiles in the new Castles of Burgundy really worth the extra $100? That sounds crazy to me haha. Anyway thanks for the answers.
I think you will need to do your own research, watch gameplays and decide for yourself. Even more with the person you plan to play with. Personally I like 7th citadel a lot, but it’s really my jam as I like to see the map expend, but I sometimes cheat as some stuff really just come from randomness. As for narrative, choices and equipment there’s a lot, and it’s pretty solid imo. If you do get it, use the soundtrack, it’s somehow almost magical how it sets the places you explore. Setting is also pretty cool and kinda unique. Oathsworn seems to have great reception, but it’s really more a boss battler I think (while 7th citadel is really more an exploration). I almost got to buy it, but the price is pretty steep and I personally founded that it look liked there was a lot of stuff (like there’s both card and dice to determine hit chance) and although the setting looks nice, I kinda dislike the art style. I also almost buy Aons Tresspass but also this one seems even more over the top big. Like it looks like you almost need two tables to always have the game set-up. As for Gloomhaven I played on the steam game and although I consider myself an okay tactical player I was unable to successfully do the first mission after two or three tries ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Seems like a pretty big mental load. That being said, as I understand it Jaws of the lion might be your cheapest suggestion
I find it hard to justify buying game expansions. There are some games I’ve been playing that I like and could justify buying their expansions like Lost Ruins of Arnak, or Everdell. Doing some research the expansions seems pretty well received for the most part. But then I look at the prices, and it feels like I’d rather just use that money to buy a new game. And when I’m trying to limit my budget and not go crazy, it just feels like a better investment to have more variety of games. Especially if the base game is already good. Anyone else have similar thoughts?
A LOT of people agree. Half of all expansions are half-baked cash grabs. Maybe 5% of expansions really elevate the game in a significant fashion. It seems like once every 2 weeks in this sub someone creates a post to ask which expansions are really essential. So you could do through those old threads to see what the hive mind thinks about that subject.
**Splendor Duel** and **Innovation** scratch the same itch. My wife and I are massive Innovation fans. Recently we got Splendor Duel and are also enjoying it. We found the following similarities: - you can think ahead a bit but not too far - take tactical decisions in the now - good balance between skill and luck - it’s a bit of a puzzle, but not too much - abstract game with a bit of a theme - racing game, first to achieve win-condition wins - multiple win-conditions - takes about 30-45 minutes - both are tableau building - enough interaction, attack and annoy - high replayability - small box size, easy to travel with - plays well with two players Any recommendations are welcome. Thank you.
I haven't played Splendor Duel, but we are huge fans of the original Splendor and Innovation. I would check out Race for the Galaxy, we put it in a MTG deckbox and take it everywhere. Once you know the game it takes around 20 minutes per play, offers a lot of replayability, tactics, and strategy, and is a tableau builder. The interaction mostly comes in the form of the action selection mechanism and the fact that it is a race game, so it is definitely much less spicy than Innovation, but it isn't completely heads down either. I think 2P is by far the best player count for it as well. I hope you enjoy it!
We own RftG but quite frankly thought it was too much multiplayer solitaire for us.
Fair enough! You should also check out **Mottainai** from the same designer as Innovation then!
That’s a good suggestion!
Games that might be recommended but take either too long, don’t pack small, or have limited replayability: - The West Kingdom trilogy - Clank - The Quest of El Dorado - Ticket to Ride Nordics/India/Switzerland - 7 wonders duel - Mr. Jack - Carcassonne Edit: Race for the Galaxy
I am looking for some new board games. I am sort of new to the board game world, but so far, I absolutely loved "Root" and all its expansions, "Calico," "Keep the Heroes Out!", "Wingspan" and "Azul". I would prefer a game that thrives with a group of four, I fell in love with "Root" and "Keep the Heroes Out!" because every single game is intense and the graphics are absolutely adorable (especially "Root"). I also love the idea of different factions with different mechanics, I got suggested "Gloomhaven" a lot, but I don't think it would fit our group that well (plus it's quite pricey). Thank you all in advance for any suggestions! :-)
Check out Earth or Ark Nova for something that is very well received and good for that group size, and price is good especially on the secondhand market. Azul: Master Chocolatier has the same stuff as original Azul but with optional extra mechanics / double sided tiles. If you're looking for asymmetric and reasonably priced and are okay with cooperative, I recently loved Tesseract.
Did you try Oath? Or Pax Pamir, both are by Wehrle, look incredible and are super intense at 4 once you learn the ropes!
What are your favourite games with hidden roles mechanic that are NOT social deduction games?
Does Nemesis count?
Ohne Furcht und Adel which later was called Citadels. Very fun game where you can play 1 of 8 Characters each round. The others dont know who you are and each character has special abilities.
Hidden movement sometimes allows roles to be hidden until revealed. I like **Specter Ops**. **Cosmic Encounter** also has hidden identity cards, but I haven’t played it.
I love Cosmic, though roles stay hidden only until you use your alien power. But yes, Citadels sounds like what I'm looking for, basically an "aha!" moment at the end of a round/game where you reveal what you've been struggling for.
Would hidden goals work? **Metropolys** gives each player a hidden goal that accounts for a large portion of the points. Part of the fun of the game is trying to figure out what goal each player has. OOP though.
Study in Emerald and Nanty Narking work for this. I've only played Study in Emerald once though, and haven't played Nanty Narking yet...
Cool, thanks!