What Board Game Are You Currently Playing?

[Gurei-Ornery]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

DS covered my thoughts on Race for the Galaxy pretty well. I like the second expansion as well, though (though I don't do the takeover rules), but that's just because I love all the Rebel military cards it adds. I love going military.

I tried to get into Race for the Galaxy based on Dad_Scaper's input last year. I don't know why, but it didn't click for me. My gaming buddy at work loves it and we played a few times, but nothing. I downloaded the game from BGG and played against the computer 20-30 times and still nothing. I think it is me.

These posts have given me the drive to give RftG another shot. It is not possible that Dad_Scaper is wrong. I know it is me. It's always me.

[Eclipse]

Originally Posted by Jormi_Boced

Maybe, but I already have a couple of other minis games to keep me busy and the price of the Warmahorde minis scares me

While I won't say they're cheap by any means, the game isn't comparably all that expensive compared to WH/40k. No small part of that is the same rule that makes Malifaux cheap; you just don't need as many figures. More than Malifaux of course, just not as many as the GW stuff.

[Scapemage]

Originally Posted by Gurei-Ornery

I tried to get into Race for the Galaxy based on Dad_Scaper's input last year. I don't know why, but it didn't click for me. My gaming buddy at work loves it and we played a few times, but nothing. I downloaded the game from BGG and played against the computer 20-30 times and still nothing. I think it is me.

Thanks for the information Dad-Scaper, Bats, and G-O. Getting people to play a game again is really important for me, and I like games in which I can enjoy with 2, 3, and 4 players. I'll hold off on RftG for now.

[1Mmirg]

Just a quick note, fwiw, I think RftG excels as a group game. I think it is one of the best 2-player games out there, but because so much action is simultaneous there is very little drag in a group game. With 5 people who all know what they are doing, it is a tremendous game, imo.

That said, everyone here is right that it is a hard sell, for whatever reason. It is just enough beyond intuitive that people balk at it. I love it, but it is hard to get people to play it.

[chas]

House Baratheon (Battles of Westeros) and Memoir 44 Equipment Pack are now available! I'll perobably be getting both next week or so. Yay!

[Hahma]

Originally Posted by 1Mmirg

Just a quick note, fwiw, I think RftG excels as a group game. I think it is one of the best 2-player games out there, but because so much action is simultaneous there is very little drag in a group game. With 5 people who all know what they are doing, it is a tremendous game, imo.

That said, everyone here is right that it is a hard sell, for whatever reason. It is just enough beyond intuitive that people balk at it. I love it, but it is hard to get people to play it.

I've tried it a couple times and had issues with the symbols and felt like a dope having to continuously ask about them. It didn't help that we played with expansions, so that was kind of jumping in with 2 feet and having more crap to figure out instead of getting the feel for it first and then progressing with the new stuff from the expansions.

Also, that was the first time I had played a game with the "role" mechanic, so that was something new to me as well. Since then, I've played Eminent Domain a few times and just tried Puerto Rico for the first time. In those games, the "role" mechanic made more sense to me than the time I tried RFTG.

I think that the game would be easier to learn if you owned it and could look over the rules several times and also study the iconography. Going in blind with people that have played the game hundreds of times is intimidating and makes a person feel bad for holding them up.

[Gurei-Ornery]

Originally Posted by Hahma

I've tried it a couple times and had issues with the symbols and felt like a dope having to continuously ask about them. It didn't help that we played with expansions, so that was kind of jumping in with 2 feet and having more crap to figure out instead of getting the feel for it first and then progressing with the new stuff from the expansions.

Also, that was the first time I had played a game with the "role" mechanic, so that was something new to me as well. Since then, I've played Eminent Domain a few times and just tried Puerto Rico for the first time. In those games, the "role" mechanic made more sense to me than the time I tried RFTG.

I think that the game would be easier to learn if you owned it and could look over the rules several times and also study the iconography. Going in blind with people that have played the game hundreds of times is intimidating and makes a person feel bad for holding them up.

You nailed Hahma. I think it definitely helps with RftG, to have a certain comfort level gained by the familiarity of owning the game. If your just playing for the first time, this game gives you the feel you aren't doing anything correctly, of course until you win.

[1Mmirg]

Originally Posted by Hahma

I've tried it a couple times and had issues with the symbols and felt like a dope having to continuously ask about them. It didn't help that we played with expansions, so that was kind of jumping in with 2 feet and having more crap to figure out instead of getting the feel for it first and then progressing with the new stuff from the expansions.

Also, that was the first time I had played a game with the "role" mechanic, so that was something new to me as well. Since then, I've played Eminent Domain a few times and just tried Puerto Rico for the first time. In those games, the "role" mechanic made more sense to me than the time I tried RFTG.

I think that the game would be easier to learn if you owned it and could look over the rules several times and also study the iconography. Going in blind with people that have played the game hundreds of times is intimidating and makes a person feel bad for holding them up.

Exactly. It has a learning curve and unless you have patient players teaching you, it's hard to pick up. I think it's flat mean to try to push a new player into it with a group of experienced players.

It's not so bad when you all are new. And once you have someone in your group who can "crack the code" and help you see the patterns in the icons--which make the help guides become so much clearer--it can be tough.

I don't teach it to anyone, ever, unless I've first played San Juan with them. I think of it as San Juan "advanced"--like a game variant that you should play after you play the "standard" San Juan.

Talking about it makes me want to play again. May be time to see if my wife it up for another run at it, it's been a little while.

[Hahma]

Well I must say that the guys I was playing with were pretty patient and helpful, but it was still hard seeing them figure out what they wanted to do right away and make quick decisions and I was struggling to still figure it out. They tried, but it didn't click for me and since I've never played San Juan yet, it didn't help matters.

I understand that people that "get it" really love the game. Maybe someday I'll try again, but there are so many other games we play and lots of people in our gaming group (usually 8-15 show up on Monday nights, 15-20+ on special Saturday events), so if people want to play RFTG, there will be other people and games for me to play with.

[Jim]

Originally Posted by 1Mmirg

I don't teach it to anyone, ever, unless I've first played San Juan with them. I think of it as San Juan "advanced"--like a game variant that you should play after you play the "standard" San Juan.

speaking of, San Juan is now available on iOs. No asynchronous play (online at the same time or AI only) but it is still a good implementation. I have been playing it while stuck here in the airport waiting for my much delayed and rescheduled Gen Con flight. (as well as playing Carcassonne with theGuru while he is also stuck in the Seattle airport waiting...)

[IAmBatman]

I was about to mention San Juan (which I love and even got my non-gamer mom and sister to love) as a great gateway game for Race for the Galaxy as well!

Scapey - you definitely should consider San Juan. It sounds like one that might work for your crowd! It was really one of the first non-Heroscape gamer games I cut my teeth on.

[Scapemage]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

I was about to mention San Juan (which I love and even got my non-gamer mom and sister to love) as a great gateway game for Race for the Galaxy as well!

Scapey - you definitely should consider San Juan. It sounds like one that might work for your crowd! It was really one of the first non-Heroscape gamer games I cut my teeth on.

I'll keep it in mind for the future. The next game I;m getting will likely be Smash Up, so it'll be a bit before I get anything else.