I’m trying to get back into board games again as my kids get older. I’m looking for some recommendations for good new board games, probably within the last 5years. I’m particularly looking for recommendations from people that’s are many normal sources.
I like bluffing games like Sheriff of Nottingham and One Night
Card building games from Dominion to Villagers
Strategy games like Cyclades
Coop games like Dead of a Winter
Pattern games like Azul
Short games like love letter and Mint Julep
probably staying away from Gloomhaven or similar really long games right now?
Got any recommendations?
'Aye Dark Overlord!' would probably be fun for you and your kids. It's an improvisation based card game, where you basically all play as little goblin/kobold minions of a Dark Overlord, who have just returned from yet another failed mission of his. You are all standing before the Dark Overlord (DO), trying to explain how the failure isn't your fault. The mechanics are very simple. You start the game by drawing a card, and whatever item/person/event is on the card, the first person has to incorporate that into their excuse for why it's not THEIR fault. You try and bullshit your way through a reason as best as you can, and then if the DO (played by another person in the group) is at least not annoyed by your answer, it moves to player 2, who draws a new card, and they have to simultaneously continue with player 1's story thread, and incorporate the new card as well. If the current player stumbles with their words, or mutters, or makes a really lame reason, they get a "Glare" card from the DO. The first person to gain 3 Glare cards, loses, and is killed as the person actually at fault. If you play again, that person is now the new DO, and you repeat.
So for an example, lets say the first card drawn is a princess. So goblin 1 explains how they were going along, and the plan was working great, and then this really pretty princess showed up! And well, you know how much goblin 2 over there is in love with princesses!! So it's his fault! goblin 2, then draws a card, and it's a dagger. "Oh but you see Dark Overlord! When she appeared, I noticed she had a dagger on her hip, but it wasn't any normal dagger! Oh no!! I could tell, from the way the...sun glinted off it, that it was clearly magical!! And I know you, oh glorious and powerful Dark Overlord, had given us a standing order to gather all magical items we came across for your horde!! So I was just following your orders! It's goblin 3 *points accusatory finger at other player* that messed everything up! Not me!!" goblin 3 draws a card, and it's a bridge. ".......um.....uh...well you see........." DO gives them a Glare card, pushing them close to losing, etc. The cycle repeats.
I personally thought this game would make for a GREAT drinking game, where if you get a Glare card, you take a shot, since as everyone gets more intoxicated, the excuses will become more insane, but also hilarious.
Let's see, coop games. I'd text my best friend, who literally has a room stacked with various board games that we play regularly, but he works 3rd shift and is currently asleep. But, there is a plethora of Marvel board games out there, and there is a particular line that allows for some coop in their playstyle. I think it's the "Legacy" or maybe it's "Legendary" subtitle for the game line? I'll try and text him this afternoon when he wakes up for clarification. But they are deckbuilder games, where you pick various heroes from Marvel, and you and the other players try and keep a series of villains from taking over the city on the board. It's technically a competitive game, in that if you win, you are supposed to tally up which of you got th emost points (by beating villain cards which have values), but we never really bothered with that part, and just tried to beat the villain scheme. Some of them can be super difficult.
There is another Marvel based game, that is WAY more cooperative, where you can get cards that directly help allies in various ways. The Legendary game line isn't that cooperative as I can recall, but there are a LOT of different boxes of that game line out there, so it's hard to say. Some are more coop than others.
I actually REALLY prefer the coop games, because I don't really have fun with games designed to dick over my friends in some competitive way. I'll post again with more data on this, as I sadly haven't hung out with those guys in almost a year due to covid. But yeah, we used to play various board games on a weekly basis, as my friend LOVES them, and is constantly buying new ones to try out. And we focused on coop ones for a while given my preference for them.
