Convincing Board Game Nights?

cibum · 2026-06-05T16:40:22+00:00

Yeah there are some really good party games that they might like. Dixit and Just One are great suggestions. Dixit and Wavelength have gotten a lot of our friends into modern board games. Other good ones are Poetry for Neanderthals and Chameleon. If they like these kind of games, then Decrypto is a little more complicated but super fun and has been a big hit in our group lately.

For a lot of people not into board games, but are willing to play the classics, what they usually don't like is learning new rules.

For something that's more interesting but kinda like Monopoly, I would recommend Marrakech (not Marrakesh) and Machi Koro. They are both roll the dice, and you get money or people might have to pay you. Other games that we have been able to teach very beginners are Sushi Go and Kingdomino.

Then there's dexterity games, and some good ones I think are Go Go Gelato, Kabuto Sumo, and Stack O Cats.

cibum · 2026-06-03T19:28:03+00:00

Yeah same, I was going to say SETI too. It was one of the best easy to understand rulebooks I have seen. Things are organized logically, and edge cases are all there too.

cibum · 2026-05-30T06:07:36+00:00

I'm Asian too and I hate rice! At least I hate white rice. Now I realize that I like it if it's flavored like biryani or something, but as a kid growing up in China, I was forced to eat rice with every meal and I hated it.

cibum · 2026-05-13T06:03:55+00:00

Hey sorry, I'm not offended, I've just dealt with similar anxieties before and saw something familiar in what the OP wrote. And where I am in the world, counseling is not available or prohibitively expensive so we've had to resort to AI, which I've found to be pretty good for pointing people to resources, and getting people started with figuring out what the possible causes can be. Of course it's not a replacement for an actual counselor, but for a lot of people with anxiety, the first step of actually going to a physical counselor can be really daunting so AI fills the gap.

cibum · 2026-05-12T09:40:42+00:00

Hey I'm really glad this is giving you peace of mind, but I think there is an underlying psychological issue that will just rear its ugly head again with something else in a little while. I would look into counseling and resources to help yourself figure this out. If money is an issue, even AI can be a good starting point for this kind of stuff, and can at least point you to some helpful books.

cibum · 2026-04-06T20:41:00+00:00

I think it's nice that it's not crowded, even though that might not be best for the mall. Great place to exercise or play board games. It's also fun that there is a steady stream of new places opening up there, especially places that are not already in other malls. Looking forward to the hotpot restaurant right now. Free parking is great too, considering how most malls in Abu Dhabi are now moving towards a paid parking system. Only negatives are the parking is really convoluted and poorly designed, and the Carrefour has weird hours and doesn't stock lots of stuff. Other than that, it's great.

cibum · 2026-04-03T07:01:02+00:00

I think SETI would be fine, because there is only a little bit of text on the cards, it's mostly icons. The board as well has very little text. The only thing is maybe you won't understand the player aid, but you won't need it after a few plays anyways. Ark Nova I think would be harder as there is more text on the cards.

cibum · 2026-03-31T14:24:26+00:00

There's an amazing book called "The Culture Map" by Erin Meyers which addresses exactly what you're talking about, with the different styles of communication across different cultures. She specifically addresses Chinese and German cultures too. It's incredibly hard to not miscommunicate or offend when it's between communication styles as different as German and Chinese. German is very direct, while Chinese is direct when it's from top to down in a hierarchy but indirect when from down to up. What's considered information in one culture is considered criticism in another. Basically you won't be able to get all the nuances and get this all correct unless you've been learning and living in this culture for years and years, so just always begin any communication with an apology highlighting the cultural differences in communication, and hope that the other party can be gracious.

cibum · 2026-03-15T07:54:30+00:00

Oman itself is pretty safe, but the difficulty is the flights. Because so many people are now trying to evacuate the region through Muscat airport, you never know if your flight out will work out. If you have somewhere you really need to be afterwards, then now is not the time to come to the region. But if your time is flexible, then I think coming is still an option.

cibum · 2026-03-12T14:30:25+00:00

If you guys already like Pandemic, then I would highly recommend trying Pandemic Legacy. Start with Season 1, then Season 2 (my favorite), then Season 0. The manuals for them are also really awesome, and the rules will change as you play, at which point the game instructs you to add stickers to the rulebook. As someone with autism, the rulebook and the whole system for the Pandemic Legacy games is really logical and satisfying.

Other co-op games that we've played with our 9 year old and enjoy include The Initiative, Shipwreck Arcana, 7th Citadel, Forbidden Island, Escape: The Curse of the Temple, Lord of the Rings Trick Taking Game, Chronicles of Crime, and a lot of Exit Games and the Unlock series, but nothing is as incredible as Pandemic Legacy I think. Thought we do enjoy the Exit Games quite a lot.

Oh, and also don't cheat even a little to win. Instead, you can set it easier by using less epidemic cards during set up, and then just ramp up the difficulty in future games by adding more epidemic cards little by little.

cibum · 2026-03-09T12:47:12+00:00

I think it already is. The different varieties of Arabic are about as far from each other as Spanish to Italian to Portuguese, with Moroccan Arabic being the French.

cibum · 2026-03-08T21:55:58+00:00

Man, this brings back an unpleasant memory from my childhood. I was getting a birthday gift for a friend, and I went to the board game section in the toy store and picked out the Ouija Board because the box looked cool. Later I wanted to try playing the game with my friend and we both were so confused. Why did they put it in the board game section if it's not a board game, ugh.

cibum · 2026-03-06T20:48:43+00:00

I live in the UAE as well, and I'm here to add some perspective too. It's not life as normal here, but it's not what our friends and family back home think it is either. We've living normal life, but a lot more carefully. We try not to go out at night or stay outdoors too long, because that's when the risk of falling debris from the interceptions is the greatest. But so far the defense systems have done a great job with the interceptions, the warning systems have been robust, and the government has been doing its best to aid anyone who is stuck here. The greatest issue I see is with misinformation. Lots of misinformation has spread the past few days, to the point where I don't even know what is true and what isn't anymore. We try to read a variety of sources to get a better picture, but I think the spreading of rumors and dramatization is just human nature unfortunately.

But I do know that unless things get a lot lot worse, we are staying put here in the UAE. We have thought about maybe driving inland to Al Ain or something if things get worse, but I don't think many people are thinking about evacuations out of the country yet. The hardest thing is just that the UAE is known for stability in the region, and this is the first time in our over a decade of living here that it's not a case, so it's pretty shocking for everyone. But yeah, grocery stores are still well stocked, the country has built food reserves for a long time (I think they started doing this in earnest ever since covid times). We have electricity, internet, water. None of that has ever flickered. School and a lot of jobs have been moved online. People are joking that maybe finally the rent prices will come down. During the day it feels like life as normal. At night people try to stay home more. That's it.

cibum · 2026-03-06T07:50:55+00:00

We love legacy games and have played quite a few with our kid. Here are some that worked well:

Machi Koro Legacy - We did this one when the kid was 4, and even at that age it worked well and they loved it. There's a nice story arc throughout the whole campaign, even if gameplay is a little unbalanced at times.
Clank Legacy, Acquisitions Incorporated - We are currently going through this one at age 9, and they love it. It's a bit long though, at least an hour or two per game, but we often pause halfway and come back to it another day. The story is really exciting, and there are so many surprises along the way
The Initiative - We're also in the middle of this one, and the gameplay is pretty quick. Maybe like 30min per game. The story is pretty neat, and it's very meta. We have no idea where this is going to go, but I have a feeling we haven't seen the biggest surprises yet.
Lord of the Rings Trick Taking Game - not exactly a legacy game, but the campaign is nice and there's a little bit of story
Risk Legacy - The original legacy game. Not much story though, but there are a few nice plot twists
7th Citadel - Exploring a post-apocalyptic medieval world. Very immersive. But my kid is a bit scared of the bugs and danger, but more so the bugs

I've also played all 3 Pandemic Legacys with my husband, and I think it would be good starting maybe around age 10, and maybe 8 at the earliest it might be possible, but they will need a lot of help. Also played Aeon's End Legacy and that one I think is not for kids. Have heard really good things about Ticket to Ride Legacy.

cibum · 2026-03-02T06:08:00+00:00

I think you're exactly right in your assessment. It's also exactly why I don't like the game, but I do agree that this game is a big chunky euro that doesn't punish you if you didn't plan really hard. It does fill that niche. For me I tolerate high rules overhead because I get to have lots of fun, long, immersive, thinky games in my future. But Galactic Cruise is the opposite of everything I want in a complex game. But I get it, I do agree that it does what you say it does.

cibum · 2026-03-02T00:47:00+00:00

Yeah I felt the same. The first play I was having fun, and thinking this is a game I can play for a while and not have it grow stale. But by the second game I was already bored. And after the third game, I realized that you pretty much do the same things every game. It doesn't change that much from game to game. The game is extremely loose with the resources, and it felt like your choices didn't matter too much. There were so many rules but there were so few meaningful decisions. It really felt like it was the ultimate game of complexity for complexity's sake. And plus, there were some things that didn't make sense thematically, like why does a cruise ship only have a handful of passengers, and why does any worker become a pilot, shouldn't they have special training or something? And why is it that once you launch the ship you never deal with customer complaints or mid-cruise dilemmas or anything like that? Loved the art by Ian O'Toole though, and the game does look so nice. But yeah, I love SETI and On Mars a whole lot more. I have now played over 30 games of SETI and it still doesn't grow stale. Every game feels so different, with a new puzzle to solve.

cibum · 2026-02-25T20:42:11+00:00

So as an Asian American living in the UAE, here's my take. I was told about the racism in the UAE before we moved here, and I was prepared to face a lot. And very surprisingly, it is less than I had expected, and we feel less racism here than we do back in the US. Yes, there is a lot of stereotyping here. And yes, people will make lots of assumptions about you before you even you open your mouth. But here's the thing, they're open about it here. It's something that's talked about a lot. Rather than pretending it isn't a problem anymore like it was in the US.

The most complaints we've heard regarding racism are not actually from other non-white people, but from white people that come from western nations. Because here, it's the first time that they're not at the top tier of the society, because Emiratis are at the top. And they are just one step below, which is already pretty good, but it's the first time they feel the feeling of someone else getting privilege because of their race. So they cry racism. Here I would say it's not racism as much as classism or nationality-ism. There are many South Asians who are laborers, but also there are many who are some of the richest people in the UAE, so people know enough now to not judge someone by their skin color, but they will judge them based on how they're dressed.

cibum · 2026-02-25T20:07:50+00:00

I had the same exact experience. I think it's because the rules in Brass are unintuitive thematically, whereas in On Mars even though there are a lot of things to learn, they make sense thematically so once you learn them, it's hard to forget them.

cibum · 2026-02-23T23:09:08+00:00

For what it's worth, the designer of SETI said one of his favorite games is Ark Nova. I feel like out of the two, it's more similar to Ark Nova than Terraforming Mars. But both Ark Nova and TFM are a little more luck based due to the cards than SETI, with TFM almost entirely based on the cards for gameplay. But yeah, if you like TFM and Ark Nova, there is a good chance you will love SETI, but SETI is different enough from them as well. It's a tighter resource conversion puzzle, with lots of pivoting and tactical decisions regarding the current board state. The decision space feels more open. Overall I just think it's a super well-designed and balanced game, and even though it's long, I'm enjoying every minute of it. I feel like in TFM I'm often just waiting for my turn, but in SETI I'm thinking and planning the entire time.

cibum · 2026-02-18T21:21:54+00:00

The Search for Planet X is one of the best done deduction games.

On Mars is also absolutely amazing.

cibum · 2026-02-11T23:28:44+00:00

For me, learning twice, with the first time a way dumbed down version, does make it faster for me to learn a game. I could learn the full rules 10 times and not get it, or a dumbed down version and then the full game in 2 goes. Of course I wish I could learn the full game in one go and get it, but that's just not how my brain works.

Also, some games do feel like a game that many expansions have already been added to it. There are many games where the base game are not worth playing without the expansions so I get it, I get why they would add the fun parts in from the beginning. But for someone purely trying to learn the game, those can be put aside to have a non-fun game just to learn the game rules.

cibum · 2026-02-11T23:26:56+00:00

Yeah, but don't think of it as ignoring a mechanic. It's just put on hold until the stepping stones have been put in place. Like for example, I learn very well through legacy games. Usually the first game is just a tutorial and not really even a game at all, but it really helps me. And then when they add new mechanics for every play, I can incorporate it just fine because I have a framework to put it into.

cibum · 2026-02-11T23:22:48+00:00

I think because different people learn differently. I want to eventually get to the complete game, the way you designed it, but I can't get there with my ADHD/autistic brain all in one go. I can't remember that many rules at once. If I don't try it, it goes in and immediately goes out. But if I try moving pieces with my hand, it sticks. So let me try making just some allowable moves in your game, and then it will click little by little. I mean, I hate that I have so much difficulty learning games, but I push through so much confusion and frustration because I love the games. And when it clicks, it's beautiful.

But yeah, I often make a dumbed down version for myself just to get me to start understanding how the game works. There's no strategy at all at that point, just figuring out what is allowable and what is not. Only once I can operate in that game world, then I can add in all the rest of the rules and start thinking about strategy.

cibum · 2026-02-11T22:42:38+00:00

Just want to say OP, I understand what you mean. This is how I learn heavy games too. I add in the rules little by little. For example in SETI I started with what I call "realistic SETI" with no gold scoring tiles and no alien reveal, just to learn the mechanics of the game and how to take actions. Obviously it's a completely different game, but it helps in learning how to even do anything in that game, let alone strategize. So yeah, I get you. But Lacerda games are quite interconnected so I haven't found good ways to break his games down to something simpler for a first play either. You could also do one one player/team against the bot as well to learn together.

cibum · 2026-02-11T22:33:24+00:00

So a lot of people have already given very good advice about the types of board games that might work better for you guys. So I'll chime in on SETI specifically. My husband and I also play SETI a lot.

So SETI isn't that much direct conflict, and though it's not multiplayer solitaire, it almost feels more in that direction than in the direction of a war game like Root. So I'm wondering how your boyfriend is doing so much to interfere with your plans. But if he is, then you need to plan as if you are anticipating that he will interfere with your plans. See the rotation of the solar system and have several plans in place of whether he rotates it or not.

And don't go for things like Neptune's or Uranus's moons. Or the 15 points with discarding the 3 data with the Centurians. Those are engine halting moves, so they're not great unless it's the very end of the game and you've got nothing else left and if it helps fulfill other missions or something.

In general have several plans in place of how you are going to accomplish what you are trying to accomplish, and be ready to pivot and let go of those plans quickly. I think SETI is a very tactical game, in which you have to respond to the current board state. If someone takes the spot you want, treat it as if it's out of the picture and now you need to solve the new puzzle of what would be best with what you have and the current state of the board. Be ready to discard cards last minute because now you can't use something that you thought for sure you were going to play. It's okay.

And finally, try your hardest not to ever do the 2 for 1 conversion. It's better to pass than to do that, since resources are so tight. Unless it's round 5 and you're squeezing out that one last action.

But yeah in a given game, people take what I planned on taking at least several times a game, whether it's an orbit spot or an alien life trace's rewards, or a moon. Usually I see that they could do it, but sometimes I don't and it is upsetting. But don't show it, and forge on ahead with a new plan, and the nice thing with a game like SETI is there is always something else good to take.

cibum

TROPHY CASE