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What other Analog Games do you play?

Started by Andy Kitkowski, April 06, 2006, 02:47:49 PM

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Andy Kitkowski

I'm not talking computer games here (because I'll open that op to another thread), I'm specifically thinking non-digital only.

Settlers of Catan is always a favorite with my group.
We tried Seafarers of Catan but it didn't have the staying power for us.

BANG!, the awesome pseudo spaghetti-western card game, has infected like THREE local gaming groups. It's a hell of a lot of fun.

I'm really loving Memoir '44, it's the only strategy game (like Risk or those Avalon Hill bookcase games) that I've been able to get into, because it's fast, fun and easy. When I brought it to my weekly group, one guy was "meh" and the rest loved it. I recently picked up the Eastern Front expansion, but haven't had a chance to play it yet. Highly recommended, as it's a  quick skirmish game that lasts anywhere from 20 to 30/40 minutes, no more.

I play GIPF every once in a while. I like abstract boardgames, but only if they end quickly.

I loves me some ZENDO (which makes use of the Icehouse Pyramid set), it's like a visual lateral thinking puzzle. mondo, Mondo, MONDO!

-Andy
The Story Games Community - It's like RPGNet for small press games and new play styles.

Ben Lehman

I'll play anything once.  I played a ton of fun board games with Clinton when I visited him in New Orleans and I'd love to get another chance at some of those.

I am a massive fan of Ticket to Ride (original, not expanded), Puerto Rico, Modern Art, and Zertz (one of the GIPF series.)  Basically because I can play them in under an hour, I'm rewarded for strategy but I'm not massively punished for a single blunder.

I'm fond of Cosmic Encounter as long as I'm playing it with the right group of people.

I love card games: Poker, Bridge, Hearts, Spades, Casino, Klondike, Russian, and Rummy.

I like Chess and Go and Mahjong in theory but I'm not good at them in practice.

I'm hoping to learn some modern and traditional Chinese games while I'm here this time.  I already sorta-can-play Big Two, and I'd love to learn Chinese Chess.

yrs--
--Ben

Jason Morningstar

We play the hell out of Apples to Apples around here, as you well know, Andy. 

Second the Memoir '44 love.  We need to do the Overlord Kursk some time.

My wife's a nut for Scrabble, and I adore The Very Clever Pipe GameSettlers, of course.  I just got Cosmic Encounter and want to play it some more.  Oh!  And Ticket to Ride (I, too, prefer the original, Ben).


Ben Lehman

Oh!  Apples to Apples!  That's like the best game ever!

yrs--
--Ben

Warren

Boardgames:
Ticket to Ride & Ticket to Ride:Europe are firm favorites. I'm thinking of picking up Memoir '44 soon too.

Monopoly, the Card Game has been dragged out on a few occasions.

I also play Formula Dé and a homebrew air-racing variant of the same.

Other "family" games (Pictionary, Articulate, Trivial Pursuits, Jenga etc.) are brought out at most of my family gatherings as well.

Plus, I'm looking for a 1st Edition set of Space Hulk, after mine got destroyed whilst at University. That was a cracking game.

Wargames:
I try to get some DBA (Ancients), Crossfire (WW2 Infantry), Full Thrust (Space), Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings and a heavily-drifted version of Canvas Eagles (WW1 dogfighting) games in when I can too.

I also play quite a bit of low-stakes Texas Hold-'Em (face-to-face, I can't stand Internet play) if that counts. I used to play some Bridge, but I haven't done so in years.

Troy_Costisick

Heya,

I have a montly poker group.  But besides that I play Yahtzee and Rook.

Peace,

-Troy

Jon Hastings

My all-time favorite games are probably Acquire and Bridge, but I don't get to play either one enough.

I used to be a big wargamer, stopped because they were too time-consuming, but started up again once I discovered Columbia Block Games, like Hammer of the Scots and Crusader Rex (my current favorite).

Graham W

Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble are favourites. We played Balderdash recently while drunk. Oh, and I'm rather fond of a game called Spy Alley, and I was given Devil Bunny Hates The Earth at Christmas, so I'm keen to try that too.

Graham

Brendan

I'm a Days of Wonder addict, and it's an expensive habit.  It's kind of like a preference for only imported crystal meth.  Ticket to Ride was the starter, of course, since which my Tuesday group has played and loved Pirates' Cove, Mystery of the Abbey and Shadows Over Camelot (probably that last one more than anything else).

We try a lot of other games too, but I just haven't found another brand that provides that kind of consistent, reliable fun.  Settlers of Catan has stayed in the closet since we played it twice and got bored.  We recently got Reiner Knizia's Colossal Arena, which is great but gets downright hateful with more than three players.  WotC's Great Dalmuti and Guillotine are both light, quick fun, but there's not a lot of depth there (not that there should be).  Twilight Creations' Zombies!!! really should be fun, but the sheer odds against any of you and the lack of cooperative mechanics kind of block that.  (Hmm...  maybe a homebrew could correct the problem.)

Jared A. Sorensen

The last analog games (nerd) I've played were:

Jungle Speed
Blokus (2-player version)
Lost Empires
Colossal Arena
How fast can I get to work when it's snowing?

The last one was a bitch, but I won!
jared a. sorensen / www.memento-mori.com

GreatWolf

First, allow me to link to this thread, which is similar in nature:  http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=19335.00

Now, to contribute.

I love my analog games.  In fact, Friday night gaming is frequently board gaming, played with Ralph Mazza and Keith Sears.

Pretty much anything by Reiner Knizia, but especially Ra, Tigris & Euphrates, Amun-Re, and Blue Moon.  I particularly enjoy Blue Moon because I get my Magic fix without Magic prices.

I've recently discovered Wolfgang Kramer's Action Point trilogy (Tikal, Java, and Mexica) which are nifty.  I've commented that a Knizia design feels like the game is occurring in some mental space which is represented by the board, whereas the Kramer AP games feel like the game is actually on the board.

El Grande is also much fun.

Kris Burm's GIPF series is absolutely genius.  I figuratively camped out on the doorstep of the local gaming store to buy PUNCT when it came out, and now I'm eagerly awaiting the last potential pack.  Six abstracts, all wonderful, and they link together?!?!  I love it.

Indeed, I get a certain amount of my fix online, especially PBEM.  For those who are interested, here are some sites:

Boardgamegeek:  has PBEM Tigris and Euphrates and Kingdoms (well, it's the German name)
SpielByWeb:  has PBEM Tikal, Amun-Re, Hoity Toity, Wallenstein, Bus, Reef Encounter, and soon El Grande!
Richard's PBEM server:  has lots of games, including PUNCT, DVONN, ZERTZ, and YINSH

I'm always looking for new opponents in lots of different games, so PM me if you're interested.

Seth Ben-Ezra
Dark Omen Games
producing Legends of Alyria, Dirty Secrets, A Flower for Mara
coming soon: Showdown

joshua neff

My wife, my daughter and I all love Pirate's Cove. We even got my mom--who isn't much of a game player--to play, and she liked it. My friend Gregg came over and played with us--we played two games in a row, and he's asked to play again. I'd like to get Ticket to Ride and some other Days of Wonder games. If only they weren't so expensive!

I played Bang! a couple of times and would like to get that one, too.

My wife and I play Scrabble from time to time. And we've been known to play a few hands of Gin Rummy.

Sometimes, my wife and daughter and I will play Monopoly Jr., which is more fun than regular Monopoly (it plays faster).
--josh

"You can't ignore a rain of toads!"--Mike Holmes

Jon Hastings

Quote from: GreatWolf on April 06, 2006, 03:54:36 PM
  I've commented that a Knizia design feels like the game is occurring in some mental space which is represented by the board, whereas the Kramer AP games feel like the game is actually on the board.

That's a very cool way to look at it: I usally think of it as: with Kramer, figuring out the "topography" of the board is an important part of the game, whereas with Knizia (most of the time) the board is there more to track progress/keep score/etc.  A lot of Knizia "boardgames" work work okay as card games, but this is not so with most of Kramer's games.

Per Fischer

I could play board games every day if only my family would let me.

I adore the German game Die Macher (about German elections), and also Puerto Rico, One False Step for Mankind and my homemade version of Dune.

I also have (and play when ever possible) Flat Top, Advanced Civilization, Empires in Arms and Acquire, and my newest buy Pizza Box Football. I play Go (badly) and Chess (better). I wish I had Formula De. And Battlestations.

My friend Aaron taught med the Go-like game Cathedral, which I really liked.

Per
Per
--------
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Mike Holmes

I've never played English Canal Barge Trivia (as far as I know, Tom Wham owns the only copy in the world).

Other than that, I think I've played everything except for that game that came out yesterday. Maybe we can play it this weekend.

Mike
Member of Indie Netgaming
-Get your indie game fix online.