What is the best alternative to Sheriff of Nottingham?

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score 13 · Answer 1

Gloomhaven

Top Pro

Character classes are distinctly unique

Each and every class represented in-game has their own deck of cards. These cards feature skills and abilities that are entirely unique to that specific class. Whether you're attacking, moving, or looting - each class carries out these actions with their own distinct style. Thanks to the sheer amount of variety offered between the classes, no two ever feel alike, and you're guaranteed to get a unique game experience based on the class you select. See More

Top Con

Takes a long time to set up

Setting up the board between each scenario is very time consuming as pieces have to be carefully arranged according to diagrams, cards have to be shuffled and placed into multiple piles, and character boards have to be configured. This process tends to take much longer than other similar board games. See More

Top Pro

Intense card management

Cards in Gloomhaven represent all of your attacks and movements, as well as determine the order these actions will take place. Furthermore, every class in the game has their own unique deck of cards. Most of the cards have unique and complex mechanics, but they all follow a simple rule when brought into play: you must choose whether to play the top action (attack) or the bottom action (movement). Once a card is played, it goes into a discard pile. However, by "resting" a few turns and sitting out of the action, you can put them back in your hand. Managing your cards each round and trying to get a victory in every scenario can be a very intense experience. Knowing when and how to use an card in your hand results in some really tense play where some tough, on-the-fly decisions have to be made. Do you attack or move? Do you save this attack for a tougher enemy later? Is this card worth playing now? Is it worth resting to retrieve cards?, etc. See More

Top Con

Cumbersome game box

The game box is huge and all the pieces don't always fit neatly back inside. This could make transporting the game a hassle. It's heavy, large, and has many various parts and pieces. See More

Top Pro

Exciting enemy encounter variations

There are a whopping 45 different enemies and 12 bosses. Each enemy in the game has their own unique stats along with combat modifiers such as additional damage. As such, each enemy acts and performs differently. Additionally, monsters can be set to various difficulty levels and scale based on how many players are in the encounter. All of this combined allows for a huge amount of variation, and keeps each encounter feeling fresh and exciting throughout numerous game sessions. See More

Top Con

Expensive due to being out of print

This game, while popular, is no longer in print. If you're looking to add it to your collection, you should be able to find it on Amazon or various board game hobby sites, but it normally carries a high price tag. See More

Top Pro

Heavy immersion in the world thanks to events

Outside of the dungeon crawling, there are Road Events and City Events that can occur. Road Events take place when traveling to a new location, whereas City Events happen when you visit the city of Gloomhaven. These events present players with unique and interesting situations and choices, such as meeting a traveler, running into monsters, or finding a new quest. The choices you make during events also influence the course of the story and may provide you with a buff (or debuff) for your upcoming dungeon crawl. These additional story elements help the world-building along, as they take place during what would be otherwise mundane things (such as traveling a road, or visiting town) and make it easy to stay connected and feel like you're a part of the game world at all times. See More

Top Con

Not good for short gaming sessions

While it's possible to play one scenario at a time, the story and encounters are best appreciated and experienced as a full campaign which will play out over several long sessions. Additionally, the board takes quite a while to set up between scenarios, which isn't great when you only have limited time to play. See More

Top Pro

Easy to understand

Although the sheer size of the board, tons of cards, and numerous game pieces/tokens make the game appear intimidating, it is quite easy to understand the basics after a short amount of time spent playing. This is due to its clearly defined rules, detailed cards/iconography, and the clean visual presentation of the game board. See More

Top Pro

Players can join and leave at will

A game can still run at maximum efficiency, even with a "revolving door" of players. Monsters can be set to scale based on the number of players, so if your friend suddenly has to leave mid-game, it won't be a huge detriment to the group. Players can also drop in or leave the game at any point, as it's easy to add or subtract players to the party between scenarios. It's all the little details like this that make it a great game to play with a group of friends who all have varying amounts of availability. See More

Top Pro

Can play solo

Even if you can't find anyone to play with, the game is able to be played solo. You can still tackle events and dungeons solo, progress your character, and enjoy the story without the need for a game master or even a group to play with. This makes it a great choice when the the urge to dungeon crawl strikes, but nobody is available for a long play session. See More

Specs

# Players:1 to 4

Play Time:60-120 minutes (per scenario)

Age:12+

See All Experiences

13 0

score 11 · Answer 2

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition)

Top Pro

Excellent game design

Like Risk, but with more planned strategy in stead of luck by throwing dice. Tactics are planned out ahead of time (instead of turn by turn in Risk) and then they are laid out turn by turn depending on placement. See More

Top Con

Takes a long time to learn and play

The gameplay is very deep and interesting, but it involves a lot of mechanics and rules. You only have a certain amount of action tokens, and you can't always use the more powerful actions (you need to be a certain rank on the track), and there's a bunch of other things you need to think about constantly. There are tons of little mechanics you need to learn first before you can actually enjoy the game (and that will probably take a playthrough or 2, which is about 5 hours...especially if you're reading the rulebook). See More

Top Pro

Nerve-racking

The game is extremely intense. Shouldn't be played on an empty stomach! See More

Top Con

Flares can be fustrating

As one of your action tokens, you can use a flare, which interrupts another action token of an opposing player. While useful, they do nothing besides slow down the game (for example, if the Lannisters keep flaring the Greyjoy's ships then they're stuck where they are and the Greyjoys can't do anything about it, essentially rendering them useless). See More

Top Pro

Good replayability

Every time it is different, more or less players matters a lot in the gameplay which effects how the game plays each time. See More

11 0

score 9 · Answer 3

Chess

Top Pro

Classic

It's been an important mode of entertainment and education for more than a thousand years. See More

Top Con

Chess serves no real purpose outside itself

Top Pro

Improves decision making ability

Top Pro

Boosts memory

You are constantly forced to come up with new offensive strategies or defencive strategies, based on what your opponent is doing. Since there are practically infinite ways to play any situation, you will have to think several moves ahead and remember various possible scenarios that might play out in any possible strategy. See More

Top Pro

Chess can be an enjoyable obsession

Top Pro

Widely available

And if you can't find a chess board, pieces, and even another player, you can make your own. See More

9 0

score 8 · Answer 4

The Resistance

Top Pro

Unlimited replayability

While there is little variation game-to-game (for example, there will always be two spies when five or six people play the game, and the mission sizes are always based on group size), it's the circumstances, such as which missions are chosen and who participates in them, that change each time. This allows it to be played over and over and over again without losing any excitement. See More

Top Con

Requires at least five people to play

Due to its design, a bare minimum of five players is required to play. This is especially unfortunate in situations where you have three or four people together who really want to play this. See More

Top Pro

Great social experience

Even though logic is very useful when determining whose a spy, The Resistance is more about being able to bluff, trick, and sway others. As such, players are always actively engaged in discussions and trying to outplay and outsmart each other. This creates a very social environment which allows the game to thrive. See More

Top Con

Not great for shy or quiet gamers

The very nature of The Resistance often sparks loud debates with accusations and bluffs at every turn. If you are the quiet type, you may feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed in this kind of environment. See More

Top Pro

Creates a boisterous and entertaining atmosphere

Players are often very loud and active during gameplay. When everyone gets into the game and starts trying to figure out who the spies are, things can get really fun with theories and accusations flying everywhere. Overall, The Resistance creates a very exciting and entertaining atmosphere full of suspense and bluffing. See More

Top Pro

Short game sessions

It's designed to be played in three to five rounds, with the entire session lasting about 30 minutes. See More

Top Pro

Rules are incredibly easy to understand

There are zero complex rules or systems weighing this game down. It's incredibly easy to pick up and play, and new players will understand it immediately. This makes it an excellent game for everyone. See More

Top Pro

No one excluded until the end

All players remain active and get to participate until the game ends. This is great since there's no way to mess up or have to sit out and watch your friends play. See More

Top Pro

Perfect for large parties

While The Resistance is flexible and able to be played with as little as five people, the best results are achieved when played with six or more players. Each and every player is engaged and working together to determine who the spies are, which means all members of the group will be able to participate from start to finish. This makes it an excellent game for parties when you want to include everyone. See More

Specs

8 0

score 7 · Answer 5

Agricola

Top Pro

Easy to explain, but very difficult to master

The basic premise in Agricola is simple: players take one of their two starting people and, in turn order, use it to select an action. Once an action is selected, it can not be chosen by other players. After everyone has placed their first worker players place their second, again in turn order, followed by 3rd, 4th, and 5th, if applicable. However, the difficulty in Agricola comes from the relatively limited number of action slots available and the sheer number of things players are trying to accomplish over the 14 rounds of the game. See More

Top Con

Can be a very punishing game for new players

Even players who love Agricola regularly joke that its name should be Misery Farm. This is because everything that you fail to do will cost you points, yet it is very difficult to do some of everything. This means that new players have a very low chance of beating someone experienced since they won't fully now what to expect as the game goes on and how to plan for it. See More

Top Pro

Has expansions that can add more depth and variety to the game

Players can purchase the expansion, Farmers on the Moor, to add more gameplay options and strategic depth or they can purchase additional card packs to add variety to the minor improvement and occupation decks. This helps keep the game from getting stale and encourages multiple plays to try and experience everything this game has to offer. See More

Top Pro

High player interaction for this type of game

The very limited number of actions available to take each round, combined with most resources only being available at 1 or 2 spots means that players are regularly interfering with eachother's plans and constantly being forced to reevaluate their strategy after an opponent blocks them. This leads to high amounts of player interaction and keep you very engaged in the game instead of focusing solely on your player board. See More

Specs

Weight:3.63/5

# Players:1-5 (Newer edition -up to 4, All Creatures Big & Small - 2)

Play Time:30-150 minutes

7 0

score 7 · Answer 6

Dead of Winter Crossroads

Top Pro

Exciting risk-reward system

Sometimes performing an action can be risky. Typically, when moving or attacking you need to roll the 'exposure die' (you could get frostbite, receive a zombie bite, or have nothing happen). This means that it can be risky moving around to different locations. Each location has its own strengths and weaknesses, with some being very rewarding. Deciding whether or not the move is worth the risk makes it a very exciting system where you'll always be weighing the benefits and drawbacks of every single movement. See More

Top Con

It may be long and slow, with unexperienced players

As with many board games, new players may have trouble comprehending all the rules. Additionally, sometimes tough decisions need to be made. Newer players won't be aware of the nuances behind every choice and may need things explained to them. See More

Top Pro

Lots of tough choices to make on a personal level

All players attempt to survive together, fending off zombies, gathering supplies, and working towards a common goal. However, each player also has their own secret side-objective ranging from saving the most survivors to hoarding certain items and even betraying the group. Playing for the survival of the group while also juggling your own secret goals can result in many tough personal choices. Do you share resources with the group or keep them for yourself? Do you go off and scavenge supplies for personal gains even it means leaving the group weakened? Do you save that survivor or just let them die because it's one more mouth to feed? See More

Top Con

Limited actions, especially towards end game

Some of the rules and effects completely discourage movement, such as an unlucky exposure roll that could cost you the game. Near the end game, zombies may fill up in an area and make it very difficult to clear them out, effectively reducing the map size and your access to resources. See More

Top Pro

Survivalist theme of the game is very well integrated

The survivalist theme shines through in each and every tough decision, gameplay system, and objective the game throws at you. Most of the world is dead, the environment is extremely hostile, there are zombies everywhere, and one wrong move can be the difference between survival and death for you and/or your group. Do you work towards the goal of the group, or do you sabotage them for personal gains? Do you hoard resources or share? There is an endless list of choices that have to be made. Overall, it really feels like a true survival situation that sucks you in. See More

Top Con

Predictable enemies

The zombies are very predictable. You know when and where they will spawn, as well as who they will attack. See More

Top Pro

Random scenarios and decisions add replayability

There are a couple of gameplay mechanics that add a very random and deadly element to the game that really affect how the game plays out. Since they are completely random card draws, each game session will be unique its own way. At the start of each player's turn, another player draws a 'crossroads' card for that player. Each crossroads card has a trigger - sometimes it is triggered by an action that they player could take, where they are located, or which players are in the game. These cards typically offer a choice between two options, and can drastically sway the game for better or worse. Also, each turn a 'crisis card' is flipped, showing the current crisis for that turn. If the players can't work together to overcome the crisis (or the betrayer sabotages it) really bad things happen which put the whole group in immediate danger. See More

Top Pro

Unpredictable actions help keep things exciting

Most actions (searching, moving, etc) are based on a random dice roll, making it very difficult to plan ahead. Instead of a set number of actions per turn, you get one dice plus one additional dice for each character you control. Based on what you roll on the dice, you will be able to perform various actions. Since you're working within the constraints of each roll, each turn will present new opportunities or setbacks. This helps things stay exciting throughout. See More

Top Pro

Great for quick games

Each game lasts about one to two hours, making it a great game for when you want to get involved in deep game that doesn't overstay its welcome. See More

Specs

# Players:2 to 5

Play Time:60 - 120 minutes

Age:13+

See All Experiences

7 0

score 6 · Answer 7

Stratego

Top Pro

Simple to learn but utilizes much strategy

Stratego's rules are pretty easy to learn but the beauty is there is so much strategy involved that each game can have wildly different outcomes. Being that there is so much choice in how to strategize every game there is truly a limitless amount of fun to be had. See More

Top Con

Character pictures have to be manually placed

The character pictures have to be manually placed on each individual plastic board piece, which is time consuming and really should have just been done at the factory. See More

Top Pro

Creative thinking and playing the other player take a large role

Players can arrange their troops however they like which begins a game of strategy but also a game of playing your opponent. By trying to trick or manipulate the other player the game becomes more in depth as a match of will. See More

Specs

# Players:2

Play Time:45 Minutes

Age:8+

6 0

score 5 · Answer 8

Heroscape

Top Pro

Good design

The game includes all kinds of well-designed figures, a various terrain tiles, and a bunch of different terrain accessories that make up the big 3D landscape. The characters are a blend of fantasy, sci-fi, history, mythology and all kinds of other genres. Terrain tiles can range from grass to swamp, to lava, to snow and other types. What’s more, they can be stacked on top of one another to create hills. See More

Top Con

Takes up a lot of room

The landscapes tend to get quite big and, unfortunately, there is no convenient way to store the tiles and character figures unless you spend some extra cash on boxes or other forms of storage. See More

Top Pro

Play time decided by the players

The play time highly depends on the scenario chosen and the size of the playing surface, but since the game encourages customization, players are free to choose a scenario that's easy and quick to play through and construct a smaller battlefield to accommodate it, for example, "last team standing " on a small surface. See More

Top Con

Long set up and take down times

Depending on the scenario, the setup might take as long as the scenario itself. A basic setup could take anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes. This is because of how big the playing surface can be and how many pieces and accessories it consists of. See More

Top Pro

Can be built to fit any group

Heroscape can make both a decent 1v1 or 2v2 tournament and a massive party attraction. Although the game is best balanced to be a game for 2-4 players, if you have more sets you can create a map that can potentially scale up to any group. Moreover, all ages are welcome, so it can be a great family game as well. See More

Top Con

Expensive

The sets, expansions and accessories tend to cost a lot of money mostly due to the game being out of print since 2010. See More

Top Pro

Simple rules

This is one of the games that fits the description of “Easy to learn, hard to master” quite well. The basic gist is quite simple - in their turn the player chooses an army card, moves the pictured figures and attacks with the figures. Movement is done based on the “Move number” on the card and attacking is done by rolling the attack dice based on the “Attack number” on the card. Players alternate turns until the game is over. The win condition is chosen by the players There are a few more detailed mechanics, but they are very easy to understand, because they link to the physical aspect of the game. For example, an enemy is in line of sight if the figure is "able to see it" from its position - if there's a huge dragon figure behind a mountain and its head is poking out, then the soldier further back on the hill has line of sight. Another example - if a figure physically can't fit somewhere, then it can't move to that tile - a dinosaur figurine won't fit under a small bridge over a river, so it can't go there. The basics of the game are not hard at all, the rules are simple enough even for children, it’s suited for ages 8+. See More

Top Con

Out of print

The game has been out of print since 2010. See More

Top Pro

Great customization possibilities

The game offers a lot of customizability both in terms of playing surface and the game itself. Since the playing surface is fully customizable, you can either create it from instructions (found in the game guide or online) or arrange the construction pieces however you want. Because of this every game can be different in some way – you can, for example, relocate a hill, place a river and do much more. Though the game offers a scenario booklet with some basic scenarios, that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative and make up your own objectives, manipulate some of the rules or add house rules. See More

Top Con

Inconsistent theme

The terrain is customizable enough to create a running theme, but units are more difficult. Some people might enjoy the idea of heroes from all kinds of genres clashing in one big game, others might be thrown off by historical characters like samurai and cowboys battling alongside werewolves, robots or vampires. See More

Top Pro

Well-made materials

The game materials have a relatively high production quality. There’s no need to worry about game components not being able to sustain normal wear and tear or an accidental drop here or there - the hexagonal pieces and the painted character figurines are made out of durable plastic. The character figures are also quite flexible - bending swords, legs and hands of figures doesn't leave a lasting problem. The paint job of the pieces is also well done and paint won't wear off even when rigorously scraped. See More

Top Pro

Active community

Despite the printing of the game being discontinued in 2010, there’s still a very active community at https://www.heroscapers.com/ that are keeping the game alive. There are forums for custom units, local gaming events, online Heroscape games and more. Since sets and accessories tend to cost a lot of money, some dedicated fans even banded together to create https://www.allthingsheroscape.com/, offering a selection of, as the name suggests, all things related to Heroscape – figures, terrain sets, expansions, etc. See More

Top Pro

Can be visually impressive

Some fans of the game have even gone out of their way to design huge and beautiful battlefields, spanning many tables. A lot of great creations can be found on the internet - some examples. See More

Top Pro

Fun to set up

The setting up of the game is another game itself and it makes for a good family / friend activity. It could be compared to LEGO construction – you attach the hexagonal pieces together to create whatever playing surface you want or just follow an instruction. The pieces smoothly link together and don’t accidentally come apart, so there's no need to worry about a small accident ruining your hard work. Since the playfield is quite big, everyone can join in creating the landscape. Some people could even get more excited to play while seeing the battlefield grow and imagining how fun the nearing game could be. See More

Specs

# Players:2+

Play Time:15min - 1h+ (per scenario)

Age:8+

Setup Time:20-40 min

See All Experiences

5 0

score 4 · Answer 9

Spyfall 2

Top Pro

Can be mixed with Spyfall 1

It will add more locations and make the game harder for experienced spies. See More

Top Con

Heavily dependant on the team's playfullness

Not talkative or extremely serious people will definitely make the game an ordinary mafia challenge. See More

Top Pro

Allows for really big parties (12 players max)

Top Con

Highly trivial if played in 3 or 4

It is very easy to reveal the spy in small teams. See More

Top Pro

An interesting twist on a Mafia-style game

The spy doesn't try to kill everyone, but to find out where he or she is and to blend with others. This unleashes the player's creativity in asking and answering in that way that only villains will understand it See More

Specs

# Players:3-12

Playing time:5-12 mins for a round

Setup time:3 mins

4 0

score 15 · Answer 10

7 Wonders

Top Pro

Easy to learn

No matter the player's skill level, 7 Wonders makes for an easy to learn and play game. See More

Top Con

Most player interaction is limited

Most player interactions can only be conducted with the people directly sitting next to you. This can include passing cards, borrowing resources from your neighbors, etc. These kinds of actions can only be taken with the person to your immediate right or left. As a result, it sometimes feels like some of the players (especially those across the table) have no direct impact on each other, especially in larger games. See More

Top Pro

Player scalable

7 Wonders easily adjusts to support anywhere from 2-7 players, making it great for both small and large groups. See More

Top Con

Iconography can be tough to learn

There are many different symbols to learn and keep track of, and this is the source of most learning woes for newer players. See More

Top Pro

All players play until the end

Points aren't added up until the end of the game, so even if you are losing badly, you won't be ejected from the game or forced to sit out. Everyone can participate for the full duration. See More

Top Con

Mistakes compound over time

In 7 Wonders you can really hurt yourself in the early game. Mistakes tend to be overly punishing and may be difficult to fully recover from. A long term strategy is necessary from turn one onward if you want to succeed. See More

Top Pro

Requires planning and strategy

When choosing your card for play that round, you may pick a card that will benefit you directly (such as one that will give you a building upgrade or money), or you can simply pick a card that you know your opponent wants to prevent them from bringing it into play. Additionally, if you want to play a card that requires resources you don't have, you can "borrow" resources from your opponent. In exchange for using their resources to play your card, you give them valuable currency to use later. You'll have to weigh whether it's worth giving them currency to use their resources knowing it could come back to hurt you later. This constant trade off of helping and hindering creates some interesting situations among players where you have to determine what the best possible long term move will be while also considering the moves of those around you. See More

Top Pro

Stays exciting thanks to 3 different card decks

Each of the three ages has its own unique deck of cards. Each time you pass into a new age, a brand new set of cards come into play. These new cards build on the progress you made in the previous age. For example, resources earned in the first age can be used to build new buildings in the other ages. This helps gameplay feel exciting and fresh as the game progresses, with lots of new options becoming available for expanding your city. See More

Top Pro

Highly replayable

There's always an opportunity to try something new every game Each player has their own game board which represents one of the Seven Wonders of the World. These boards clearly lay out the production resource and benefits of each Wonder. You can also choose to play the game using the board's A side or B side. Whichever side you choose drastically changes how that particular Wonder can play certain cards. Additionally, since this a card game with resources and other variables, no two play sessions will ever be alike. Cards will always be dealt and played in a random order, and how you play these cards will vary based on your Wonder and your personal resources/currency situation. See More

Top Pro

Super quick gaming sessions

This is an excellent choice for a quick gaming session, as most games only take around 30 minutes. This remains true even if there are seven players. See More

Specs

15 1

score 13 · Answer 11

Cosmic Encounter

Top Pro

Every game is unique

The basic rules of the game are background noise. The alien powers, both individually and as they interact with each other, determine the dynamic of each game you play, and each dynamic is radically different. For example, you can try different races and alien powers each time you play, and the way to mix and match them is almost limitless. This makes every game feel different than the one before it. See More

Top Con

Can cause arguments

Due to the nature of the game, which has you working with others and then turning against them in the same breath, it can create some situations where people are going to feel used or mistreated. This can result in a lot of fighting or arguments, especially when playing with easily offended people. See More

Top Pro

The social component of the game requires you to strategize with other players

It's almost impossible to win on your own. When attacking or defending, you will get the chance to ask for allies on your turn, or assist others when they are engaged. Allies can help you win the attack or defense, but they will also gain benefits if successful. It is a team-based game, although each player is out for themselves in the end. One of the neatest parts of the game are the negotiate cards - instead of laying down an attack card you can try to negotiate. If you both play negotiate cards, you have 1 minute to come to an agreement which can include creating new colonies, trading cards, or virtually anything. If the players don't come to agreeable terms within a minute, they both suffer a hefty penalty (4 of their ships are sent to the warp). See More

Top Con

Unbalanced

In situations where all players gang up on just one single player. See More

Top Pro

Potential for very satisfying, creative plays

With so many unique combinations of alien powers and the fact you can form unstable alliances with other players, there's so many ways to get creative. For example, knowing when and where to pick your battles. Perhaps two other players just had an epic battle and now they're down a few ships - it would be the perfect time to swoop in and try to colonize their planets when they're weakened. Perhaps you have a special power that will give you an edge in a certain fight against another player. By paying attention to what's going on around you at all times, skillful tacticians will find all kinds of extremely clever or amusing plays to be possible. See More

Top Con

Some alien powers are difficult to parse

Some of the cards have walls of text that look intimidating at first, and may take a slow read and group discussion to really figure out. Thankfully, the alien powers are divided into three sets based on "difficulty" which translates roughly to "difficulty to understand, and how much it disrupts basic gameplay." Green (easy) cards are usually simple enough that a child of 12 or so can understand them. See More

Top Pro

Great illustrations on the cards

Illustrations on Alien Power cards are beautifully rendered and imaginative. Each one features full color, hand drawn creatures that are distinctly unique and look like something out of a sci-fi movie. See More

Top Con

Might be hard to teach

This is one of those games that has to be played to be fully understood. As such, it can be hard to teach someone. It will take new players a few rounds to start understanding. See More

Top Pro

You have some influence over the theme of each game

At the beginning of each game, players are given 3-4 alien powers to choose from, usually taken at random. However, if you were trying to put together a specific theme - for example, a war between certain aliens races, or a battle using only certain powers - you can manually select the set of powers available to each player. This allows you to generate personalized games that have specific story to them or heavily revolve around a particular strategy or resource. See More

Top Pro

This is an exercise in social dynamics as much as a board game

Working with or against other players, forming unstable alliances, and negotiating with other players creates some situations which will test your real world social skills. See More

Top Pro

Excellent expansions

There are six expansions which not only add a minimum of 20 new alien races with new powers each, but they also brings unique gameplay mechanics to the table. For example, Cosmic Conflict adds space quake hazards, and Cosmic Alliance adds new rules for teams and expands the game to 7 players. See More

Top Pro

Not as complicated as it might sound

After you play one or two games, the basic mechanics become trivial to work with. Additionally, you only have to worry about learning as many alien powers as you have players in the game, so your personal knowledge and experience with the powers can grow slowly over time. Most alien powers take a minute or two to really understand, then the fun begins of finding creative or unique ways to develop strategies around them. See More

Specs

# Players:3 to 5

Play Time:60-120 Minutes

Age:12+

See All Experiences

13 1

score 3 · Answer 12

Descent: Journeys in the Dark

Top Pro

Accessible and easy to learn game systems

While the actual rule book may not be the most organized manual in the world, the gameplay systems themselves are very simple to grasp, even for new players. Thanks to being both intuitive and easy to follow, anyone can join in on the fun. Descent uses basic dice rolls for most actions, and how many actions you can take per turn are clearly defined based on your hero class. Movement along the board is handled in a grid like fashion with each tile denoting a certain distance. There is never any second guessing of whether or not you're in range to help a friend or attack an enemy. If you can roll dice, follow a tile based board, and understand a few simple rules, you can easily play this game. See More

Top Con

One player will always have to be the "bad guy"

Unless using the mobile app, which may very well ruin immersion for some, there is an evil overlord role that needs to be filled by a player. This is the player that makes decisions and takes actions for all the monsters. As such, this can be the source of many arguments. It can get especially bad when someone feels like they are being constantly targeted or singled out by the overlord. See More

Top Pro

Blends competitive and co-operative game play in one game

The premise is pretty unique in that one player takes on the role of an overlord while all other players act as the heroes who attempt to clear the dungeon. The overlord and the heroes play against each other in a turn-based setup. The overlord is the one responsible for controlling the monsters and other pitfalls that the heroes will face. The overlord also has access to many powerful spell cards which can be played during their turn. The heroes work together to clear the dungeon of monsters and work towards the victory condition for their quest. Since the main evil force is player controlled, it creates some really interesting situations not often seen in other boardgames such as monsters being able to play strategically and dealing with spell effects that aren't random. See More

Top Con

Physical quality isn't the best

The game cards and board are flimsy and wear down rather easily. After only a few games, the wear and tear will be noticeable. See More

Top Pro

Engaging and replayable full campaign mode

Each 60 to 90 minute game consists of a single quest, however there is a campaign mode where heroes can take on a series of story quests while also learning new skills along the way. This is a great mode for that true epic adventure feeling. If you find a hero you enjoy, you can grow and develop this character over time similar to a standard RPG game. Additionally, no two campaigns will ever be the same. There are 8 different classes to select from, and you can pick and choose the quests you do, which adds a lot of replayability. See More

Top Con

Rules can be confusing

While the game systems themselves are rather easy to pick up and learn, some phrasing on the cards and within the rulebook is a bit cryptic, which may result in confusion when first starting out. See More

Top Pro

Appealing, clean presentation

Everything is laid out cleanly on the board so it's easy to keep track of the action. Each player has their own cards with all usable actions and skills neatly presented. All heroes and monsters have game pieces that can be moved around the board, so it's easy to be aware of your surroundings and plan your next attack. The health system uses special token pieces that are used to keep track of your health. Being able to see your health physically raise and lower to keep track of your damage taken is a nice touch. See More

Top Con

Disorganized rulebook

It's usually easier to find the information you need with an internet search since the rulebook itself is tough to navigate. It's arranged alphabetically by rule rather than organized in a manner that would align with the game flow. See More

Top Pro

Can play solo with the mobile app

There's a mobile app called "Road to Legend" that lets you play this game solo. The app works by taking over the overlord role. It even has multiple difficulty settings so you can get as much of a challenge as you crave. It's a great way to play when you have no friends available for a gaming session. See More

Top Pro

Bitesized quests for quick fun

Each short gaming session consists of one quest with its own victory condition and two encounters. They are quick to play when you're looking for something fun to do for an hour or so. See More

Top Pro

Lots of expansion packs to keep the fun going

The makers of this board game have added over ten expansion packs which feature new monsters, quests, campaigns, heroes, and re-balanced mechanics. Even after you've extensively played the vanilla game, there's plenty of ways to extend the fun and keep playing a game you enjoy. See More

Specs

# Players:2-5 players

Play Time:60-120 minutes

Age:13+

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3 0

score 3 · Answer 13

Battlestar Galactica

Top Pro

Hilarious party interactions due to hidden cylon players

The game is at its core cooperative. However, the fact that there is at least one Cylon in every game, the distrust between players provides interesting party dynamics. See More

Top Con

Needs a few playhthroughs to learn all the rules

With 3 expansions, which add their own rules and mechanics, fully understanding all the game rules can take some time. See More

Top Pro

Well reflects the series' atmosphere

If you are in atmosphere while playing a board game - this is the one to go with. The heavy use of the Battlestar franchise gives a sense of depth that is missing from other similar types of games. With the extra expansion available there is even more depth and atmosphere added to the game as well. See More

Specs

# Players:3 to 6

Play Time:120-180 Minutes

Age:10+

3 0

score 3 · Answer 14

Ice Cool

Top Pro

Often leads to memorable moments

The game can lead to some awesome moments because of the little penguins. Depending on where you hit the penguin, it will move differently. For example, if you flick the head of it, it will make the penguin jump. This can lead to some crazy trick-shots where someone manages to jump over walls. You can also flick them on the side, which will make the penguin spin. By doing this you could spin through multiple rooms and gather a lot of points or catch several penguins on the same turn. See More

Top Con

Has a learning curve

Ice Cool is quite skill-based and requires practice on flicking the penguin pawns to get them to go where you want to. The rulebook has some tips, but the techniques can only be learned by playing the game. A new player won’t do well against a player who has already played a bit. See More

Top Pro

Easy to set up

The gameboard of Ice Cool is big, but it’s quite simple to set up. The playing surface consists of five boxes that all fit in the game’s box. You connect them in the correct places, all of which are marked with colored dots on the edges of the boxes. After that you take the little beige colored fish tokens and place them in the marked spots to keep the gameboard in place, and you’re good to go. See More

Top Con

Luck-based scoring

Catching penguins and gathering fish to get victory points in Ice Cool requires skill, but the values on the fish cards you get range from 1 to 3, which means that even if you’re good at the game, you can lose because of pure chance. Someone could potentially score the same amount out of one card as you with three cards. See More

Top Pro

Easy to learn

Ice Cool is very straightforward, it all revolves around flicking little penguin pawns. Doorways will have fish pegs attached to them, when you flick a penguin through it, then you’ll receive the fish and get to draw a fish card that gives you victory points. Each round one player will be the hall monitor who will try to catch other penguins and gather their student ID’s by hitting them instead of gathering fish. The round ends either when the hall monitor has gathered all ID’s or when someone has gathered all three fish tokens. The game ends when everyone has been the hall monitor. The player with the most points on their fish cards wins. See More

Top Con

Only one layout

The gameboard can only be arranged in one way, so the game can get quite repetitive in this aspect. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful design

Aesthetically Ice Cool looks very impressive. The playing surface is a 3D school consisting of five different rooms that feature many little details all over the walls – maps, fish, basketball hoops, etc. Everything has a blue, cold-looking color scheme, which kind of mimics an igloo. The cards also have some great artwork on them. The ID’s are two-sided for boys and girls. Each colored penguin has a different look and style. The fish cards depict, you guessed it, fish. The bigger the point value, the bigger the meal. See More

Top Pro

High quality components

The components of Ice Cool are very interesting and well-made. The game’s playing surface is made of five 3D boxes that all fit in the game’s box. The player tokens are four penguins made of hard plastic that are weighted in the base so that they keep wobbling when hit. Throughout the game players gather fish tokens, which are nice and small wooden pieces similar to pegs. There are also some cards in the game – ID cards and fish cards, which are all made of durable cardstock. See More

Specs

3 0

score 3 · Answer 15

Eclipse

Top Pro

Design encourages replayability

You will never play the same game of Eclipse due to randomness of the tiles you and your opponents draw, the various strategies you can use, and the seven possible player races. The map will be different every time. The gameboard is made of multiple hexagonal tiles and it’s built out as the game progresses when players choose the “explore” action. There are three decks of hexes, the one you draw from depends on the direction you’re exploring in. For example. if you move away from the galaxy center, then you draw from the third-level hex pile, which contains less goodies than the second and first level tiles. The closer you go to the center, the bigger are your chances for loot. If you don’t like the tile you draw, you can discard it, but this’ll still make you lose an action. See More

Top Con

Luck-based combat

The combat is based on rolling dice and drawing tiles after the combat is over. While the luck element of rolling dice is sort of taken care of because of the customizable battleships, the tile drawing part can be very unfair. Basically, once the battle is finished both parties draw a number of tiles that depends on the amount of destroyed ships. These tiles all have different victory point values, but you can only claim one. What this means is that you can lose a battle and still claim more victory points than your opponent from the single tile you draw. See More

Top Pro

Amazing blend of Euro and Ameritrash mechanics

Eclipse is a "best of both worlds" mix of two different boardgaming genres. The game has a strong theme, player combat, unique factions, and some elements of luck that define the American style while still having plenty of the European-like resource gathering, individual development, and possibilities of no player conflict. See More

Top Con

Not very accessible to new players

The game isn’t too difficult, but it’s a long game that requires a lot of explaining and a lot of setup, which can be a huge turn-off for beginners. Running over the rules and the various situations will take around 20 minutes, and you will still need to explain a lot during the game itself because there’s a lot of stuff that requires managing. New players will have a noticeable disadvantage. See More

Top Pro

Allows for many different playstyles

There are many possible ways to get points and win the game. Some players choose to take the militaristic approach and win by defeating the other players in combat, others choose to stray away from trouble and gain points by developing technologies. You can also earn points from exploration, colonization, diplomacy, and more. Players can choose to play a human (Terran) faction or choose one of the six unique alien races. All six Terran factions share traits, but the aliens differ from one another. Race-specific traits give bonuses in specific actions, for example, trading for different rates, more movement flexibility, science or colonization bonuses, etc. See More

Top Con

Art style won’t suit everyone

Eclipse has a sci-fi space theme that features aliens, technologies, spaceships, and everything in between. Since this is a pretty popular theme almost anywhere, be it books, games, or movies, to some people this might appear generic, bland, and kind of uninteresting. See More

Top Pro

Customizable battleships

Unlike other similar games, Eclipse offers players an innovative battleship customization feature. At the start everyone’s ships are basically the same, they can move, shoot, and have one health point. After you’ve amassed some of the “materials” and “science” resources, you can start upgrading them to different types and adding new components either in empty spaces or by overwriting existing ones. There are many types of components – reactors, weapons, shields, hull, targeting computers, and engines. By mixing these you can create any ship you want, be it a well-balanced one or something completely ridiculous. You can make your ships into flying tanks able to sustain tons of damage and slowly chunk away the enemy, or instant death machines able to one-shot anything. See More

Top Con

Expensive

The cost of a new copy of Eclipse ranges from $80 to $130 dollars. See More

Top Pro

Surprisingly simple

Eclipse looks a lot harder than it actually is. The structure of the game is quite straightforward, and the combat is easy to understand. The game lasts nine rounds, each round has four phases – action, combat, upkeep, and cleanup. Most of the game is spent in the action phase, where players exchange turns performing one action until they’ve all passed. At the cost of an influence disc you can explore, influence, research, upgrade, build, or move. You can do as many actions as you want, but you’ll have to pay upkeep for every influence disc after the first one in the upkeep phase. The combat phase consists of dice rolling to resolve any battles, be it player vs player or player vs NPC. Combat is initiated if two characters are on the same hex during combat phase. It is done by rolling a six-sided dice. Every 6 is a guaranteed hit, ever 1 is a miss. Whether the rest of the numbers deal damage is influenced by characteristics and equipment of battleships, which can also decide which ship attacks first, how many dice are rolled per ship, and how much victory-point tiles will the participants be able to draw after combat. See More

Top Con

Can easily make a mess

Even the tiniest shuffle of the gameboard will displace the tiny cubes and influence discs used to keep track of resources and actions. This is not only annoying but can also mess up the game because someone might place the cubes back incorrectly and give themselves an advantage. See More

Top Pro

Satisfying to see progression

At the start all players are spread out on their own tiles one tile away from the galaxy center. As the game progresses they take actions and discover new tiles around them with planets to colonize that get filled up with the respective player’s colors. Moments later the players are overlooking a big, colorful gameboard filled with colonies and battleships of all sizes. See More

Top Con

Long setup and takedown times

Eclipse is already a relatively long game, but a lot of extra time is required just to prepare the game and to tidy everything up after you’re done. This is mostly since there is no official way to store the huge number of components. Setting up for the first time can easily take around 30 minutes, and if you don’t have some sort of convenient storage then it can still take 20-30 minutes for the next matches. After you’ve set up and played your game, you still must calculate in approximately 10 minutes just to put everything back in its place. See More

Specs

# Players:2 to 6

Play Time:60 - 180 Minutes

Age:14+

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3 0

score 10 · Answer 16

Terraforming Mars

Top Con

Games can feel very long and drawn out

The sheer amount of things that need to be tracked is fairly high, and continually grows in complexity as the game goes on. Keeping track of cards in play, actions, awards, milestones, map, resources, money, etc. can lead to some intense calculations. Most players will want to carefully ponder their strategy each turn, and the end result is a game that often seems like it comes to a grinding halt. See More

Top Pro

Exciting feeling of progression

The constant anticipation and sense that you're working towards a goal is very pronounced. At the start of the game, you'll have limited money and resources, but as the game progresses and these resources accumulate, you can start to do more and more things each turn. Seeing your strategy slowly start to pay off as your corporation grows, and knowing you'll soon have the resources to unleash your big play helps to keep you excited for the next round. See More

Top Con

Not suited for large groups

Regardless of how many players you have, getting the oxygen, temperature, and ocean levels to their goal level to satisfy the win condition is the exact same. The more players you add to this equation, the longer the game will take as each person has to contemplate and think their strategy each turn. As such, this game is best played in only very small groups and doesn't lend itself well to larger parties. See More

Top Pro

Theme and gameplay gel well

Top Con

The board is flimsy

The game board itself is very thin cardboard with no linen finish, and tends to dent easily. After enough wear and tear, the game tokens/pieces won't stay in place due to the lumps and pockets that form in the cardboard. The board must be handled carefully at all times due to its low quality or you risk damaging it. See More

Top Pro

Huge amount of strategy

Juggling your resources, money, and production against your opponent's actions as you try to satisfy the win conditions (getting the oxygen, temperature, and ocean coverage to their desired levels) can be pretty intense. Always having to think several turns ahead will definitely appeal to people who like a game that makes them strategize and prioritize. Choosing which cards to buy each round, what to spend your resources on, and how to terraform the planet without giving too much leeway to your opponents creates plenty of situations to outplay others. See More

Top Con

Game pieces are cheap and wear down easily

The little game cubes (the tokens/pieces that represent resources) are coated with a metallic finish that chips and wears away easily. This leaves you with some rather ugly game pieces with flaking and peeling paint, especially in the corners. See More

Top Pro

Loads of replayability

There are over 200 unique project cards in the game that represent all of the terraforming projects available such as introducing plant or animal life, greenhouses, new buildings, and more. Since you'll be drawing random cards in a random order each time you play, each and every game session turns into a unique experience. Even if you've seen a card in a previous session, the conditions on the board (oxygen levels, temperature, and ocean coverage) will most likely be different than the last time you saw that particular card, meaning you'll be calculating the cost vs. benefit of playing that card in a brand new way. Additionally, each player-controlled corporation has its own specialties. Some examples are being able to substitute certain resources for money, or perhaps having an increase in production for specific resource. Each one plays dramatically different from the others, so something as simple as choosing a new corporation on your next playthrough will change your strategies. See More

Top Pro

Great balance in the game systems

The win condition states the oxygen, ocean levels, and temperature must reach a certain level. However, all three of these parameters are interconnected with one another, meaning you'll have to focus on all of them rather than just trying to brute force one. For example, if you want to build a water production facility, you will need at least 2 ocean tiles in play. But in order for those ocean tiles to come into play, the oxygen and temp will first have to be satisfactory. Overall, the game systems are very deep and complex, but the takeaway is that everything has a condition that needs to be met that is reliant upon all three parameters. This results in a very balanced experience where you need to pay heed to everything equally if you want to succeed. See More

Top Pro

Lots of great expansions

There are several expansion packs which add new moons and planets for you to terraform. The rules and game flow is the same as the vanilla game, but they add new cards and corporations. The most interesting twist is that the board layouts are completely different for each expansion - with heat sources, oceans, etc in vastly different spots. They are an excellent addition that take the fun and excitement of the base game while giving you an all new playing field full of new possibilties. See More

Specs

# Players:1 to 5

Play Time:120 minutes

Age:12+

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10 1

score 2 · Answer 17

Clue

Top Pro

Had a movie made out of it

There is a Hollywood movie licensed from the game Clue called Clue. It stars Tim Curry and is frankly fantastic. Go and watch it if you have not already. See More

Top Con

2013 edition has new rules and is too easy

Stay away from the 2013 edition as the board has been changed to where all rooms can be reached in a single dice roll (way too easy) as well as rules have been tweaked so more of the cards are known from the beginning (again, making the game too easy). Last but not least the character names have been changed to make them more "hip". See More

Top Pro

Worthwhile lessons for kids to learn

Through the playing of the game Clue children can potentially learn that criminals always get caught for cimes commited as well as learn the process of elimination. See More

Top Pro

Different editions

There are three different editions to choose from, CLUE THE CLASSIC MYSTERY GAME, CLUE GAME 2013 EDITION and CLUE GAME. See More

Specs

# Players:3 to 6

Play Time:45 Minutes

Age:8+

2 0

score 2 · Answer 18

Star Realms

Top Pro

Spectacular combos, endless strategies

The cards and various factions allow for spectacular combos to be put into place. See More

Top Con

Strictly a two-player game

May not work for groups of friends looking to play the same game. To add more players, you'd need to buy another deck. See More

Top Pro

Very fast play time allows for either multiple plays in a session or a quick round between longer games

As players continue to build their decks the amount of damage they can do with any given hand scales dramatically so that this game rarely takes more than a half an hour to play one round. This makes it an excellent game to fill small bits of time whether between games at a game night or waiting for food at a restaurant. See More

Specs

Weight:1.97/5

# Players:2

Play Time:20 min

2 0

score 2 · Answer 19

Food Chain Magnate

Top Pro

Incredibly tense gameplay

Each round in Food Chain Magnate players have the opportunity to compete for various milestones such as first to market a burger, first to hire 3 employees in one turn, or first to cook a pizza. These milestones are only available until the first turn a player completes them, after which point they are removed from the game. However, they provide very powerful bonuses to the players that reach them, leading to very tense rounds as players try to be the only one to unlock their preferred milestones while also completing the milestones that opponents unlock that round. See More

Top Con

In Food Chain Magnate mistakes tend to compound over time

Because of the heavy strategy emphasis in FCM there aren't many opportunities for players to recover from particularly bad mistakes, leaving them far behind the other players as the game progresses. See More

Top Pro

Food Chain Magnate provides an excellent gaming experience focused around short term tactics and long term startegy

Food Chain Magnate has no randomness from things like dice or random card draws, instead, all of the information in the game is clearly presented on the table at all times for all players to see. This means that players win or lose based on how well they are able to play the game, not based on chance. To succeed, each player will need to find the right mix of tactics and strategy to build their empire. See More

Specs

Weight:4.19/5

# Players:2-5

Play Time:120-240 mins

2 0

score 2 · Answer 20

Arimaa

Top Pro

Easy to learn

Arimaa is a game suitable for both young and old, it was made to be intuitively simple but with a lot of depth. Even the setup follows this premise - you set up the figures in two rows like in chess, but you can place them in any way you like. The rules are simple – in your turn you have four actions. You can either move a figure four times, move four figures one time, or do any combination in between. All figures can move forwards, backwards, and sideways apart from rabbits who can’t go backwards. You can use two actions on a stronger piece to push or pull your opponents’ weaker figures. These stronger figures also “freeze” adjacent weaker pieces, preventing them from moving unless there’s a friendly piece next to them. If a figure happens to walk into one of the four trap squares or get pushed/pulled into one without a friendly piece next to it, then it is removed from the game. The first player to get a rabbit to reach the opposing side wins. The game can also be won by removing or immobilizing all your opponent’s rabbits. See More

Top Con

Requires constant engagement

Arimaa can get out of hand quickly because there’s pretty much no way of predicting how future turns will play out. This is because it’s significantly harder to pinpoint four actions that your opponent might do as opposed to one action in similar games to Arimaa. Due to this the game requires the players to continually pay close attention to what they’re doing, which isn’t inherently bad, but can be a bit problematic for people with shorter attention spans or for people who don't want to take the game too seriously and just play it for fun and socialize meanwhile. See More

Top Pro

Active online community

The official site of Arimaa is quite lively and features reviews, downloads, the latest news, an active public forum, and much more. There’s even an online gameroom, so you can play Arimaa against computers or other people in either turn-based or real-time games. There are many people online, so it shouldn’t be a problem to find a game. See More

Top Con

Quite long to play

A game of Arimaa is very unpredictable and can often lead to a very long session. The time can vary between 15 minutes and 2 hours, so it’s not great if you’re looking for something that you can quickly grab and play through. See More

Top Pro

Can be played with a chess set

In case you don't want to purchase the gameboard made by Z-Man Games, you can use the components of a regular chess set. It also helps if you have four coins to mark the trap squares. You probably already have the equipment you need. See More

Top Pro

Fluid gameplay

The 4 moves per turn gives Arimaa's tree of possible moves a very high branching factor. (It was invented for AI programmers as a game more difficult to program for than chess, but easier than Go). You can't think several turns ahead like chess (the space of possibilities is too big), instead you have to think in terms of distances and capabilities, giving Arimaa a very fluid feel. See More

Specs

# Players:2

Play Time:15 - 120 Minutes

Age:10+

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2 0