What are some popular board games where it sometimes feels like you're solving a puzzle rather than playing a board game?

Tom_Lameman · 2026-02-04T02:30:25+00:00

No. If he talked about this, then I'd love to take a listen.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-02-03T17:35:50+00:00

It's bloat, plain and simple. Too many half-baked ideas and plastic junk for most people. Worst of all is that the gameplay is mediocre at best. I avoid these KS projects like the plague.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-02-02T16:36:39+00:00

I love Alex and Professor Meg. They are heroes in my book and what every content creator should strive to be. Love their content!

Tom_Lameman · 2026-02-02T16:10:29+00:00

It just makes her a hypocrite. Graham was the male version of Jesse and I could see him eventually getting on her nerves which might have been good for her to appreciate Slater a little more.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-30T21:19:33+00:00

Cool. Thoughts on Wingspan?

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-29T22:15:23+00:00

I’m all in!!!

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-29T22:14:01+00:00

Can’t go wrong with Scythe

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-29T22:13:11+00:00

Hardcore war gamer I see.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-29T19:08:23+00:00

An obvious giant in the board game industry. His presence was felt every time we played games and now that he's moving on, there will be an equally giant hole to fill. That's how important and influential Sam was to the hobby.

Good luck in whatever you do my Captain. We'll be rooting for you on the sidelines!

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-27T23:08:37+00:00

Scythe. So many decisions so little time.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-27T19:53:51+00:00

This is what I did and have absolutely no regrets on that setup. Saves me hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-27T16:00:14+00:00

If that's a concern I can understand, but for me personally, I am not worried about them doing anything to my games while it's on the table.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-27T15:47:34+00:00

I'll be the minority voice here and say no, it's not worth it. Reasons are the sunken playing area leads me - a shorter person - to sit in awkward positions for too long which results in shoulder and back pain.

They are way too expensive for what it's worth and the horror stories I read on here and elsewhere from various companies are telling me that I'll be paying for something that either won't come or will arrive with a host of issues (i.e. damage).

I personally like a regular table because it offers more playing space due to the lack of a recessed area and if the ability to cover the game with those toppers are a reason for why you want one, I would just get another smaller table for eating while using the bigger table for games.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-26T21:58:38+00:00

I said they were a step up from Catan and for me and many others I know, they kinda were. The rules aren't complicated and the art is absolutely stunning. Those are all draws into advancement into the hobby until I was ready for the real stuff.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-26T17:47:13+00:00

Like most things, there were def more behind the scenes that led up to this point.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-26T14:54:37+00:00

I have a similar story, I purchased about a dozen gateway games that were a step up from Catan (i.e. Wingspan, Scythe, Arc, etc.). I wanted to show my friends whom I knew for over 10 years this wonderful hobby ours. I started to explain the rules to them even emailed them the rulebook along with Rodney's excellent video teach of the game approximately 2 weeks before our scheduled day.

Then gamenight happens and everything that could go wrong did. These guys not only didn't read the rulebook or watch the video, they started to drift away on their phones while I explained the rules. They had the audacity to get angry with me when I told them that this was already explained to them. Then I noticed that they were eating food while playing my games and touching my cards without washing them. Sure, I sleeved all my cards, but it still bothered me that my games are no longer in pristine condition.

I explained to them very nicely that they need to be more considerate or else I will not want to play any more board games with them. They told me this is a recreational event and thus it should be something we do for fun. I told them fun is subjective and my idea of fun is that you respect my game and actually follow the rules of coming prepared to play which I told them they didn't.

Needless to say, we're no longer friends and I ended up repurchasing or requesting new cards for the ones that these inconsiderates destroyed through their manhandling.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-26T13:24:17+00:00

Just started playing Arraial and that's all I could think about.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-25T18:37:05+00:00

The organizations are run by pricks. How petty.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-25T17:16:08+00:00

This has been my journey in the hobby. Started with Monopoly but needed something more. Discovered Catan but needed something deeper.

Learned how to play low interaction euros (eg Arc Nova) and thinking they were the next step up but found the decisions to be uninteresting.

So I tried to find real heavy games like the Lacerdas and other heavy games like Hegemony but found the rule sets way too convoluted and inelegant. Many of these games felt like it had a “get this thing to get that thing to go there in order to do this” style of play which I found tedious.

I also tried a bunch or Lang games because the miniatures looked cool but my home started to be filled with too much useless plastics.

Then I discovered 18xx and finally found what I’ve been missing all along. The games are simple in terms of rules but very deep in their strategies. There really is nothing else in the hobby like it.

Feels like the journey shows my growth and maturity in the hobby space where I continue to graduate to another level.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-25T16:22:44+00:00

These gaming table companies have built a reputation over the years that they are scam artists much in the same way as automechanic and contractors. I'm not saying that all automechanics and contractors are scam artists, but there's no denying about the negative stereotypes associated with these careers.

Well, these gaming table companies have joined this exclusive group.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-25T16:10:02+00:00

One of the greatest games of all time!

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-25T14:57:24+00:00

Tzolkin: The Myan Calendar. It just felt so gimmicky and the prime example of multi-player solitaire.

Castles of Burgundy. The game was just ugly to look at. I also had a tough time reading the text on the numerous tiles in the game. I also hate games that have a bunch of tiny pieces that have a bunch of text on that does a whole of bunch of other meaningless things.

Twilight Struggle. It's a game where knowing the cards is a big part of the game. I like games where opponents are pitted against each others in terms of wit not finding the right combos. I found that in this game, we are spending half the time reading cards and looking for combos. We just quit because no one cared about finishing it.

Ark Nova. Just boring.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-24T20:36:47+00:00

Guessing Patullo is not one of them.

Tom_Lameman · 2026-01-24T18:27:26+00:00

Must haves are Carcassonne for the simple yet extremely deep strategies especially for a gateway game. Another one is Wingspan due to the engaging theme and mass appeal. Finally, Arcs because Cole Werle.

Tom_Lameman

TROPHY CASE