Help me spend my $$$--Boardgame suggestions-Part 2

[Ranior]

I'd suggest Ticket to Ride, allows 2-5 players, and its easy to teach and play. Almost anyone enjoys playing it, plays within an hour.

I also own Thunderstone and would back that suggestion as being pretty fun as well.

[Dad_Scaper]

Bang!, if he'll have 4+ players. I've heard Cash & Guns is better, but I'm not familiar with it so I couldn't say.

If he's not going to min/max everything and lurk on BGG I'd recommend Dominion. If he's going to dig the fantasy theme I'd say Thunderstone.

Thunderstone takes a long time compared to Dominion. It drips with theme and the game play is somewhat less elegant, as hands get more and more cluttered as the game goes on.

On the other hand, I think the Dominion base set, on its own, does not stand up over time, if players begin to realize there are relatively few Kingdom cards in that one box that actually *matter*. If they will be happy to play over and over without finding Big Money decks and the @#$!ing menace that is the Chapel, then Dominion is a great choice, maybe the best.

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[LilMoochie]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

Bang!, if he'll have 4+ players. I've heard Cash & Guns is better, but I'm not familiar with it so I couldn't say.

I haven't played Bang!, but I have played Cash & Guns. Cash and Guns, while fun, is not terribly deep. It's the sort of drinking/party game you play after Cranium but before "I've Never." It doesn't lend itself to complex analysis and while that's a fault, it's also part of its charm.

I bought it for my dad for his birthday and while everyone had fun, it wasn't one that people asked for again.

[Dad_Scaper]

Originally Posted by LilMoochie

I haven't played Bang!, but I have played Cash & Guns. Cash and Guns, while fun, is not terribly deep. It's the sort of drinking/party game you play after Cranium but before "I've Never." It doesn't lend itself to complex analysis and while that's a fault, it's also part of its charm.

I bought it for my dad for his birthday and while everyone had fun, it wasn't one that people asked for again.

I'll agree that that's a fair characterization of Bang! as well.

A lot depends on the 15 year old. I recommended that because, assuming the number of gamers is there, I thought it would be a fun, easy game when AKDen is not around.

If the gamer in question is capable of more, I'd recommend Dominion. The weirdness of deckbuilding and recycling your discard into your deck can be explained over the phone, if necessary.

If he wants theme and has larger blocks of time to play and might also be doing research on the side - let's say, a chess player - I'd go with Thunderstone.

If he would like something abstract, these days I am a big fan of Hive.

Summoner Wars is, of course, awesome, but appears to be too expensive.

[Onacara]

Elder Sign from Fantasy Flight Games...fun..easy to learn and you can play solo. You can get it for about $25 from most online retailers