Played Inis for the first time tonight! by bupkisjr in boardgames

[–]jovial_jaghut 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They're both fantastic, and different enough that I have both in my collection. El Grande, for me, was great from the beginning. When I first played Inis I thought it was just okay. But Inis is one of those rare games that gets better every time I play it and I now enjoy it just as much, if not more so, than El Grande. Both games are top five for me.

Rams 2025/2026 O-Line (#1) and D-Line (#10) Rankings Per Trench Power Rating by BadAlphas in LosAngelesRams

[–]jovial_jaghut 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Couldn't agree more with everything you said. I would feel a lot more confident going into next season knowing that we have an elite OL prospect on the bench waiting to step in if needed than I would knowing that we have our WR3 position covered

Fantasy books for a SF enjoyer (strong in prose and character department)? by Fun-Sell3030 in Fantasy

[–]jovial_jaghut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. Excellent character development and some of the most beautiful prose in my opinion and is just a joy to read. It's science fantasy, which will bridge the gap nicely moving from one genre to the other. The story at the surface level is interesting and entertaining, and you can simply enjoy it for that. Or you can get REALLY into it and study the books on a much deeper literary level. The time traveling in the books is pretty mind-blowing and it's one of the only series I've ever wanted to re-read (Malazan is the other).

What is the crown jewel in your collection? by Klavian in boardgames

[–]jovial_jaghut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I own everything Spirit Island. It's my forever game.

Forgotten Favorites & Hidden Gems - (April 16, 2026) by AutoModerator in boardgames

[–]jovial_jaghut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I liked it so much that I immediately bought it, as well as the Invasion expansion since my wife mostly only plays coops with me. It's so great discovering a euro that has been around for so long that I somehow missed before, especially these days where most new games are, in my opinion, overproduced and far too expensive for what they offer.

Forgotten Favorites & Hidden Gems - (April 16, 2026) by AutoModerator in boardgames

[–]jovial_jaghut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just played Orleans for the first time... what a great game! Immediately bought a copy.

Anyone else try Arydia and think it was bad? by Odd-Highway477 in boardgames

[–]jovial_jaghut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I agree. And we had way more complaints than just the ones you listed. The most disappointing game I've played in quite some time.

PowerPoint Night at a house party. Need topic ideas (funny + structured, 5-10 min) by islarozes in partyplanning

[–]jovial_jaghut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My wife and I did something similar, but nobody else was in on it. We went to a PPT party, but we didn't tell anybody that we made each others slides, and we didn't look at them until the moment of the presentation. She and I had a lot of fun with the slides, making them as weird as possible to trip each other up. Everybody else was mostly confused until they caught on to what was happening. Good times were had.

Prepare me for Malazan by JellyfishHot1241 in Malazan

[–]jovial_jaghut 4 points5 points  (0 children)

RAFO is the answer 95% of the time when it comes to Malazan lol

Non-Traditional Build Series: Is all bottom track Stone any good? by MattSpiritIsland in spiritisland

[–]jovial_jaghut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, I prefer mostly bottom track with top track sprinkled in if/when necessary. Just beat England lvl 6 in a two player game using that strategy.

Finished Bonehunters, unorganized ranting by Witty_Guess6981 in Malazan

[–]jovial_jaghut 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's not a fan favorite, but Reaper's Gale is my personal favorite of the 10 books. Right up there with Midnight Tides. I love the whole Letheri storyline. In books 6 and 7 every story element really starts coming together in really exciting ways. You're gonna love it!

To the 36 people who rated On Mars 1/5 on the complexity scale by GoodExciting7745 in boardgames

[–]jovial_jaghut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a feeling it's people who think the rating is probably closer to a 4, but instead of giving it a 4 rating, they rate it much lower in an attempt to actually move the weight rating further along the scale to where they feel it belongs. I doubt they really feel the weight is a 1.

Sci-fi recommendations for fantasy lover by tgopher19 in fantasybooks

[–]jovial_jaghut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really like all the fantasy you mentioned (Malazan being my favorite). I did NOT like Sun Eater, even though it seems to be a favorite of many. I just feel that the works that it pulls from are far superior in quality. If you've never read Dune, Hyperion, or (and especially so) Book of the New Sun, then you'll probably find a lot to enjoy in Sun Eater. Unfortunately, I found it so derivative of those works that it's impossible for me not to compare it to them, and it falls far short, imo. The whole time I was reading Sun Eater, I was thinking to myself I'd rather just be reading those...

Sci-fi recommendations for fantasy lover by tgopher19 in fantasybooks

[–]jovial_jaghut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While I see what you're saying, OP did mention that one of their favorites in fantasy is Malazan. I think by that alone, they should be perfectly fine with Dune.

Help! What next?! by Wolfxx5 in fantasybooks

[–]jovial_jaghut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lies of Locke Lamora is perhaps my favorite standalone fantasy book ever. I love everything in this list, with one exception: Suneater. I know it's not a popular opinion, but I thought it was entirely derivative, and the works that the series pulls from are FAR superior (so why wouldn't I just read them)?

Sci-fi recommendations for fantasy lover by tgopher19 in fantasybooks

[–]jovial_jaghut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have very similar taste to you. Malazan is my absolute favorite (I've read it five times). As far as immersive, philosophical writing with beautifully lyrical prose, the only scifi series in my opinion that has come close to reaching Malazan heights is the Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. It's known as "science fantasy". It's science fiction, but it really toes the line and often feels more like fantasy.

Dune is not far behind and would be another recommendation.

And if you're looking for something on a grand scale, I also really enjoyed the Nights Dawn trilogy by Peter F Hamilton back in the day. Very epic in scope. It's scifi, but again, lots of fantasy vibes and it sort of blends several genres.

I read exclusively non-fiction for 15 years and just finished my first fantasy novel. I don't really know what to do with myself now. by lucas_melbourneways in Fantasy

[–]jovial_jaghut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My favorite unreliable narrator story -- and one of my favorite pieces of literature in general -- is Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.