I’m having trouble finding a Board Games thread that isn’t older or solely for 2020 new games, so I’m starting one.
We received Parks (a National Parks game using hikers for tokens) for Christmas. It sounded kinda cheesy, but the four of us gamers here really liked it from the first time we played it. For reference, we also like Sushi Go Party, 7 Wonders, Terraforming Mars, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Call to Adventure, etc. This is a game with 4 rounds (seasons) where you collect resources and visit parks. It takes about an hour to play with the four of us, but will likely go more quickly as we learn it more. Because the hiking paths and various cards vary, no two games are the same making it a combo of strategy and luck.
It says it’s for 2-5 players, but I think it would be quite crowded and more difficult with 5. I think 3-4 is likely best. Two of my sons played it together and said with 2 players it’s more of a chess match.
Just putting it out there for consideration should anyone be looking for a game.
What new (to you) games have you found (doesn’t have to be from Christmas)? We’re always interested in knowing about others for when we want to add one into our fold.
I’m not that much of a boardgamer, but my adult kids and their spouses are. They also got into birdwatching during pandemic. Someone on the site suggested Wingspan, and I gave it to the four of them for Christmas–figuring they’re sometimes bubbled so they can share it, and decide which household will hold onto it. They played a round the next evening for the first time–H and I were there and kept the 2 year old busy so they could play. It looked really complex to me, but they all seemed to like it a lot.
The Parks game sounds a bit like Ticket to Ride. My family enjoys that.
My family also loves Tokaido, in which a traveler has to make his way from Kyoto to Edo and collect various things along the way. It’s a cool game because there are no dice. The player has to choose where to stop, and that affects his next move. It’s very interesting watching how each player evolves a unique strategy to win (or lose, haha.) Every game is unique. It’s also very lovely to look at. It’s not a new game, but I think a lot of people haven’t heard of it. It is pretty easy to learn.
We saw a lot of new Catan extension packs the other day. Not sure what the latest is, but that’s always a good game.
Your goal is to get points and they can be gotten by visiting National Parks (cards - great scenery on most of them), taking pictures, or getting critters, plus everyone gets one strategy card that can add points if you meet the requirements. You get all of the above by exchanging tokens you pick up on the trail (suns, trees, water, and mountains).
It’s been taking us around an hour to play with 4 of us playing, but we’re still figuring out strategy and admiring cards as they get turned up. I think once we truly “know” the game we can cut it down to about 40 minutes. Some of the time is resetting between seasons (4 seasons), but that’s not much - a couple minutes each.
It sounds like we’ll have to consider Tokaido - esp when I want to surprise one of mine with something I’m positive they don’t have already. Birthdays will start coming in 3 months.
I got a game called Herd Mentality and the family (the small group I had this year) played it this year on Christmas afternoon-- it was easy to set up and play – a fun way to have a few laughs and pass some time. (Although I kept calling the game Herd Immunity – wishful thinking I guess LOL).
Any suggestions on board games, beyond chess or backgammon, for two players? I tend to enjoy faster moving games the most. We enjoyed a number of games (ticket to ride, settlers, code names, rummy cube) when the kids were here, but looking for some for the two of us.
I got DD’17 Hues and Cues because she is a graphic designer and we all say she “majored in colors”. It has 480 gradient blocks of color and you try to get the others to guess the right block (or close to it) with one or two word clues. Very different game but we all (4 college age and 2 parents) had fun. Much friendly debate once the answer was revealed. Ironically, DD’17 lost most of the time. She hopes to play with her design class friends someday.
H and I usually stick to the old standbys like Racko (we require a run to call it), Sequence Dice, and Yahtzee when it’s just the two of us. We haven’t found new games that do well with just two, but youngest and his wife like playing Terraforming Mars with just the two of them. It’s not quick though. What one does is quick once one knows the strategy, but not the whole game.
Son and I played Wing Span with just us two. It was the first time through so we (me mostly) were learning the rules but interesting and very fun. Supposedly can play solo also. It’s not a fast game but I’m sure the more familiar you are with the rules and strategies it speeds up considerably.
King of Tokyo is really fun and pretty fast moving. Played it at my kid’s house. Easy to learn. There were three of us but game says 2-6 players. Probably best with more than two though.
If you like Scrabble/word games then Quiddler is a great card game that can be played easily with 2-4 people.
My D thinks 7 Wonders Duel is the best 2 player game and the Amazon comments seem to agree. I have not played it, but ordered it last week when it was on sale.
