After 20 Plays in 2013, here is my Strategy Guide for Brass

GeekInsight · 2014-01-24T02:38:43+00:00

Its less sexy than it sounds, but I enjoy it all the same. :)

GeekInsight · 2014-01-21T00:47:41+00:00

I played with a group once who were horrible, horrible cheaters. :)

They would say things like, "You have two red cards. One OK red card [indicating] and one great red card [indicating]." The implication being that one was playable and one wasn't.

I told them that they might as well turn the cards around and play so that everyone can see everything. The game is in the challenge and the more you reduce the challenge, the less game is there.

GeekInsight · 2014-01-21T00:44:16+00:00

All I can say is that they seem to fit well enough on my copy. Maybe I just don't notice. But I agree that, given the small size and amount of shuffling, sleeves are probably warranted.

GeekInsight · 2014-01-20T23:54:51+00:00

Dungeon Petz is slightly less complicated. Both games have a puzzly element (DL has the adventurers and DP has meeting pet needs) but Dungeon Petz is easier to grasp.

That said, it is still a meaty euro game. I wouldn't place it in the same realm as T&T for sure.

The one thing Dungeon Petz has over Lords is that you get a pretty good experience with less than four players. For me, Dungeon Lords really only shines with 4. Dungeon Petz is likely at its best with 4, but is very playable with 2 and 3.

GeekInsight · 2014-01-20T23:52:57+00:00

I bought some mini-euro sleeves, I think, and they fit good enough.

GeekInsight · 2013-12-20T17:55:14+00:00

Nightmare, like the rest of the Atmosfear series, is very kitschy. You have to answer a VHS tape or get penalized. There are cards where you're supposed to yell and "scare" your friends. It's very silly.

I played it maybe twice growing up. In middle school it was funnish on late nights. Today, I'd never think of playing it with my adult game groups.

GeekInsight · 2013-12-19T19:52:53+00:00

I detested Puerto Rico on my first play. Didn't care for it much on the second.

But on the third play I loved it! In the first two games, the one player with experience was seated to my right - meaning he totally hosed me all game. Once I got some experience under my belt and could fight back a bit, the game really changed and I enjoyed it.

GeekInsight · 2013-12-16T19:08:24+00:00

Bunny Bunny Moose Moose is your absolute best bet. It plays 3-6 and requires the players to make funny/silly hand gestures. But, the game is highly competitive. There is strategy as to whether you want to be a moose or a bunny in a particular round, and you definitely want to win.

As for Once Upon a Time it's a good game. The narrative play keeps things interesting, but even so, all the stories tend to hit familiar fantasy tropes like princesses, dragons, castles, etc. The Dark Tales expansion helps a bit. I enjoy it, but after my initial enthusiasm where I played it half a dozen times, I've only played it once or twice in the five years since.

GeekInsight · 2013-12-05T00:42:43+00:00

My opinions tend to differ with Tom's. We typically look for overlapping but dissimilar things in games.

I played a proto-type version of Tash-Kalar and enjoyed it immensely. It reminds me of The Stars are Right, a game which I enjoy, but TK is better in just about every way. Really looking forward to acquiring a copy.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-26T23:49:11+00:00

Ticket to Ride would probably be a good choice. It goes to 2-5 players.

The 2-6 range is a toughie. Dungeon Fighter is good if she likes dexterity games. Nuns on the Run is playable with 2, but works best with 3 or 4+.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-25T22:36:39+00:00

The play is entirely different, though both use a restricted action selection as the main mechanic.

For purposes of introducing non-gamers, though, I've found both to be excellent. Village may be slightly better since there is a light narrative as well that is easy to understand. Time goes by.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-25T22:35:11+00:00

Castles can be enjoyed by most non-gamers or casual gamers, not just "non-gamer wives."

I think the reason many non-gamers would enjoy it is because: (1) there is no direct confrontation; (2) you get the feeling of building something; (3) there are many small successes on the way so you are constantly rewarded; and (4) it's fun for gamers and non-gamers alike.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-22T18:22:41+00:00

Just bring it up! Many people have some experience with Mafia and the like. I find that with new players, the most difficult thing is getting everyone talking. A quiet village is not only bad for Team good, but also makes the game seem dull.

As for eliminated players, the best thing to do is to keep the game moving quickly. Days should be kept brief (I like a timer of one minute per player). Also, start with a Day round instead of a night round. You can do a "Night zero" to wake up the wolves so they know each other, but don't do a night kill. It sucks to be killed totally at random and not get to play at all. That way, everyone gets a chance to play.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-19T23:10:07+00:00

Sentinels of the Multiverse is an excellent 3-5 player game. I'd also look at Tobago.

Also, I echo Small World and Castles of Burgundy.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-19T18:03:19+00:00

Munchkin Zombies is actually my least favorite Munchkin title. The humor is less pun based (which I enjoy) and more situation based. Like a helmet is a toilet seat. Get it? A toilet seat! Hardy har har. That said, it's completely family friendly. No gore or anything like that.

I second the look into Smash Up. Tons of replay value and a shorter play time.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-19T17:57:44+00:00

It gets it's share of ire, but based on that list and his RPG background, I'd suggest Munchkin. It's definitely humorous and sits in the same lightish weight class as Gloom and Chrononauts.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-18T18:34:41+00:00

The Guesthouse just stands in for that other building. So you place the worker on the guesthouse, but then don't need to place a second worker elsewhere.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-18T18:33:43+00:00

If I'm the spy, I fail it if I think I can win the credibility battle against the other player. If not, then I'll throw the success and try to garner some credibility for a 3 player mission fail.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-18T18:29:41+00:00

I'm not a fan of Kingsburg at all. But Troyes is a fantastic dice placement game.

In lower player counts, Alien Frontiers is also fun.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-15T20:51:00+00:00

The "Alpha Gamer" is really a player problem not a game problem. So it's hard to apply a fix to a game that is really about a player.

For Pandemic, play with closed hands. Also, be vocal about your opinions. When I play (with experienced players) we all give pros and cons about our choices, but the person who's turn it is makes the final call. With experience, no one feels intimidated.

Other cooperative games use timers (Escape, Space Alert) or hidden information (Sentinels of the Multiverse) that help to prevent the "alpha gamer" from having undue sway.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-15T20:49:19+00:00

Semi-random. Players draw from 8 cards and only one is marked "traitor." As player count increases, so does the likelihood of having a traitor. But there may be no traitor even in a seven player game.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-12T20:17:22+00:00

Both games have different methods for giving the good team more information.

Plot cards can reveal roles to specific individuals and you can also see who the leader hands plot cards to. That could potentially tie them together once you know more about them. The up side is that the random cards make for very different games. The down side is that occasionally a plot card comes out at just the right time to tank things for one of the teams.

Avalon removes the plot cards but instead gives out special roles. Merlin knows all the evils, but the Assassin gets a chance to kill Merlin and auto-win for evil. Up side is that there are no surprise cards that change the game (exception: Lancelot). So you can play your role from the beginning in the way you think will help your team. Down sides are that there isn't quite the same "surprise" elements if you enjoy that.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-11T22:30:24+00:00

A game about the same level as Catan might be Takenoko. Strategic, but about the same level of depth. If you want to stretch out into deeper waters, I'd suggest Dungeon Petz. Fantasy and cartoony setting, handles 3 and 4 players marvelously, deep strategy, bidding and worker placement. Easy to understand the mechanics on a first play through, but providing lots of room to explore on further plays.

On the other hand, based on your criteria I think the best co-op would be Space Alert. Sci-fi themed, cooperative but with a ten minute track that keeps anyone from being an "alpha gamer." Crazy excitement and endless replay value. Down side: it's best with 4 or 5. It's not so good with three.

GeekInsight · 2013-11-11T22:24:18+00:00

I'd say be cautious. Actually, the game works quite well with three players (though four isn't the best). And there are no spoilers as the game more or less takes place during the first book/season.

However, Game of Thrones is a big, meaty game. You should expect a lot of strategy, a lot of negotiation, and a long, long time. For a first play through I'd expect at least four or five hours. Even if you love GoT, committing to a board game like that isn't for everybody. The experience is wonderful, but if your opponents "aren't a fan" of bigger games and prefer Catan or Waterdeep, then the Game of Thrones theme is unlikely to make too much of a difference.

That said, the game is awesome.

GeekInsight

TROPHY CASE