Christmas Board Game

[TheFaQQer]

In my experience, the 2 games most likely to cause an argument are Monopoly and Pictionary.

If you want a family game, Articulate is ok. [edit: actually it's a lot of fun - you end up p*ssing yourself laughing]

Articulate is good.

I bought the new version of pictionary last year for my folks - you use magnadoodle things rather than pencil and paper, which makes it harder to draw anything in any detail.

Cranium is good, too.

[PorkPie]

I've just bought one called "innuendo" from Marks and Spencer for a fiver. Its not very big, not very hard, it comes in a red box, but should satisfy the whole family.

[RSoles]

Cashflow 101?

[DodgyAgent]

Try this one

http://www.havebettersex.co.uk/produ...3864e11d4703f0

[EternalOptimist]

I recommend Drang nach Osten, Longest day(avalon hill) , Highway to the reich (SPI) or Empires in arms

[thunderlizard]

Carcasonne comes highly recommended (though it's a bit strategic for my liking).

[Board Game Geek]

I'll suggest a few from our own armoury of 88 Board Games....

From Top Ranking First.

1. Settlers of Catan

In Settlers of Catan, players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine the current production on the island. Players collect raw materials to build up their civilizations to gain enough victory points to win the game. This game is a Spiel des Jahres (German game of the year, 1995) winner, primarily because of its amazing ability to appeal to non-gamers and gamers alike. This is the boardgame that revolutionised the boardgame industry and said to people "Actually, it's ok to play board games again".

Some of my outer circle friends consider 99% of the board games I play too "geeky" but, without fail, they all love this one. It's a surefire winner.

SoC has been a top ranking board game ever since 1995.

"For 3-4 players ages 10 and up."

Details :
Gaming Report
Board Game Reviews

2. Puerto Rico

The players are plantation owners in Puerto Rico in the days when ships had sails. Growing up to five different kind of crops: Corn, Indigo, Coffee, Sugar and Tobacco, they must try to run their business more efficiently than their close competitors; growing crops and storing them efficiently, developing San Juan with useful buildings, deploying their colonists to best effect, selling crops at the right time and, most importantly, shipping their goods back to Europe for maximum benefit.

A novel game system lets players choose the order of the phases in each turn by allowing each player to choose a role from those remaining when it is their turn. No role can be selected twice in the same round. The player who selects the best roles to advance their position during the game will win.

Another favourite of the non-boardgame crowd (basically because it doesn't have little toy soldiers etc, and no combat). A highly tactical game with lots of choices and ways to win, allowing for multiple strategies to succeed.

Boardgame Reviews

3. Corsairs

Rival corsairs search the seas for galleys loaded with booty, which they will board and loot. To overtake and loot a galley, the pirates need sufficient provisions. But a player needs a strong crew to keep others from taking one's catch away.

This is definitely a beer and pretzels card-based game for up to 4 people. It's a fun game, with some important tactical decisions, but not too many :-)
Players compete against each other to capure ships. Arrrrr me hearties...

Board Game Reviews

4. Transamerica

A very simple railway game. Each player has a set of 5 cities strung across the US that need to be connected by rail. Players place either 1 or 2 rails each turn. The player who can make the best use of the other players' networks is generally victorious.

Sounds easy. Everyone gets 5 cards at the start, denoting 5 random cities in the US. Each person tries to build a contigous network across the US to link all 5 of their cities.

The trouble is, other people are building rail routes across the board as well.

The only way to even stand a chance of winning is to "piggy-back" off their network, which means you connect to their network and they to yours. You can now use their track to get closer to your objective. The same holds true for them as well. Then suddenly a 3rd player links to your network...and it gets tense because everyone is a lot closer to their random cities...

Board Game Reviews

5. Goa

Goa is a strategy game of auctions and resource management.

The setting is Goa at the start of the 16th century: beautiful beaches, a mild climate, and one of the most important trading centres in the world. Competing companies deal in spices, send ships and colonists into the world and invest money. Are you on top or at the bottom? It depends on how you invest your profits. Will you make your ships more efficient? Enhance your plantations? Recruit more colonists? Only a steady hand in business will help.

Each turn begins with an auction phase where each player gets to auction one item (and the starting player two items). The first item being auctioned has the right to go first the next turn (along with a card that gives an extra action). If you buy your own item, you pay it to the bank. If someone else buys the item you sell, they pay you.

After the auction, players get three actions to improve their plantations. Actually, plantations are one of the things that can be bought at the auctions, and doing so is necessary to get anywhere. There are five different types of spice plantation, and different spices are needed for different things.

Each player has a board showing their advancement for various things: getting ships, planting new spices, getting colonists, etc. The more a player advances along one track, the better one is doing that particular action. The further you get along a certain track, the more points that track is worth at the end, and there are also rewards to the first player that reaches the last two levels along each track. On the other hand each player normally needs to [something] the actions for all the tracks, so it's not necessarily a good idea to concentrate on just a couple of them. Goa is a game that gives plenty of opportunity for tough decisions, since one always has at least one action too little.

Board Game Reviews

There are tons of other boardgame out there, and plenty to choose from apart from the usual Monopoly, Scrabble, etc.

My top choice would be Settlers because it will get used again and again...and a 4th edition is now imminent.

[chef]

fantastic,

settlers is definately top of the list, Rio and transamerica also look quite good.

Thanks all, much appreciated

Next question (really to BGG), where is the best place to buy board games from?

[Board Game Geek]

I found settlers of catan on amazon..

Settlers at Amazon

For the more broader games (that Amazon wouldn't stock) plus games like Settlers, this mob are pretty handy too.

http://www.leisuregames.com/

they do mail order plus have a shop at

Leisure Games
100 Ballards Lane
Finchley
London N3 2DN
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8346 2327
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8343 3888

We are open :
Monday to Friday: 9.30am to 6.00pm
Saturday : 9.00am to 5.30pm


HTH

[Lucifer Box]

fantastic,

settlers is definately top of the list, Rio and transamerica also look quite good.

Thanks all, much appreciated

Next question (really to BGG), where is the best place to buy board games from?

These guys - http://www.iguk.co.uk - have a good online store for the more speciality games (they have the new edition of Settlers for £21.49 delivered.

Settlers is an excellent choice, but I would also recommend Tigris and Euphrates. A great building game from the same mould.

Dynasties and Cultures clash, 300 years before Christ. EUPHRAT & TIGRIS from Reiner Knizia,

A game that takes you on a trip back to the times of the ancient Sumerians.

Each player must ensure that their own dynasty grows and prospers, at the expense of others if necessary!

They each have four figures to help them in this, King. Priest, Trader and Farmer. Each player's aim is to develop their small initial colony into a large, powerful kingdom. But the amount of fertile land is limited, so growth is only possible by expanding into neighbouring kingdoms.

The way to win is by balancing your growth, developing all four aspects of your civilisation equally.

* 3-4 players
* 12+

I would not, however, recommend World in Flames unless you are planning playing until the New Year (2009).