Welcome back to another episode of “Pile O Games!”
A Recap
Let’s do something different in game reviews! Let’s start with a stack of games on a tabletop. Any ol’ stack? Well, we’ll tie them in somehow. Like when you’re headed out to a game night and you dig into your collection for a certain set you want to play. And then let’s all guess the theme. C’mon, it’s player interaction! “Name that Pile!” – it could be anything from “Area Control Games” to “Games designed by Antoine Bauza”, or “Games for 6 Players”. There’s no telling what pile we’ll make!
A New Pile Emerges
Can you Guess the theme that ties this pile together? Shout it out in the comments or tweet @LeagueGM
The Votes are In!
See the results!
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What the League Says
Just some early discussion on the pile to get the conversation started.
Bang!
(BGG rating: 6.7)
Peter:I think Da Vinci games might need to pay me as an ambassador for the number of people I have introduced to BANG! (entire offices, college dorms, etc) It’s probably my #1 rated social game experience ever.
Brad:BANG! is fun when played occasionally, but is a bit chaotic for more regular table time.
Christina:It’s… all right? I’m not a fan of how easy it is to gang up on people, though, and like King of Tokyo, you really gotta have another game waiting in the wings for eliminated players.
Jeff:I am still waiting for the BANG! ambassador, Peter Vaughan, to introduce me to this game.
ChristianI can’t say I’ve ever watched people play and thought, “I’d like to play that”, but I’ll generally try any game once so… maybe in the future.
KelseyI am not in Peter Vaughan’s office or college dorm, so I haven’t played yet.
Peter, take 2:Sigh, there go ambassador residual checks. Looks like my job isn’t done yet!
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Coup
(BGG rating: 7.3)
Jeff:So is this just Resistance and Love Letter with some extra components and mechanics?
Peter:Very smart and simple and yet subtly complex in strategy. Great replay value, a ton of laughs. Could easily win my vote for best game of the year in 2013 if I hadn’t produced a game in 2013 myself. (
wink!)
Christina:This is the kind of game I have to play really early in the evening or else the sneaky part of my brain goes to sleep. I want to try it, though.
Brad:Amazing amount of game from so few components. If you like to bluff you must play this.
Christian:I watched it go by on Kickstarter thinking “I already have and enjoy Avalon, why get this”… then later heard it’s not exactly the same with different images, so I feel I might have missed something.
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King of Tokyo
(BGG rating: 7.5)
Brad: Giant Monsters, special powers, chunky dice – SCORE! This game is so much fun, while being quick to play and easy to teach.
Peter:LOVE this game. My only complaint (non variable characters) was solved by the expansion. Richard Garfield is a master designer, crafting one of the best games ever packed into 20 minutes.
Christina:It’s a nice easy “popcorn” game. Nice, but not filling. And you have to have another game waiting in the wings when you get eliminated.
Jeff:This is one of the best player elimination games I have ever played! I love destroying other monsters for control of Tokyo!!
ChristianThis is easily one of the best games to pull out for a quick to learn and anyone can play game.
Mike:Okay, I enjoyed my first time playing, but the people I was playing with didn’t really get it. I haven’t been able to convince them to try again since! But I have grand visions of it being my go-to “we don’t have enough time for Ticket to Ride”-game.
Kelsey:If you don’t mind watching kids cry when they’re monster gets destroyed, it can be fun.
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Shadow Hunters
(BGG rating: 6.9)
Christina:I enjoy it! I think hidden identity games work best when the mechanics are simple like Shadow Hunters, because then the focus is on how you can communicate better with your teammates next time.
Peter:Recently played this game and enjoyed it – especially how hidden information is passed between players. I don’t enjoy the theme as much as BANG!, but it does succeed to move along smoothly. Curious if the hardcoded abilities and factions becomes too obvious after many plays.
Jeff:For some reason I am always the schoolgirl when I play this. What does that say about me?
Christian:For some reason Jeff is always the school girl when he plays this. I wonder what that says about him.
Mike:Not all that difficult, really. Turn on a light behind you. Look down. Shadow found. Hi!
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Betrayal at the House on the Hill
(BGG rating: 7)
Christian:I love this game. It’s one of my most favorite Ameritrash (said with love) games. The theme is thick and the variable endings make it endlessly replayable. If you have the old red boxed version like me, download the updated books for less broken games.
Peter:I’ll say this, it’s broken as hell. Ooh, maybe that’s what the haunted house wants? So yes, with 50 different endings, it’s unbalanced and can vary wildly. But it’s fun and it is a great gateway game.
Brad:Great fun as an event game around Halloween, but it probably would show its flaws if it were put into a more frequent play rotation.
Christina:Horror’s not so much my thing, so haven’t played it.
Jeff:Played it once, yes it’s broken as Hell. Will not play it again.
Mike:On my to-play-someday list. I’ll need the right group of people, and what, like, $70? But definitely looking forward to it.
Kelsey:Almost bought it once just to play, then I saw the price and put it back on the shelf.
Christian’s comment from Shadow Hunters applies here too:For some reason Jeff is always the school girl when he plays this. I wonder what that says about him.
Monopoly
(BGG rating: 4.5)
Dan:The only one of the bunch I have played and although I’ll play it, it isn’t a go-to for me. My son loves it.
Peter:Once I found the vast world of games, I have never once thought about playing Monopoly again. Let’s face it, it’s roll and move, 3-4 hours of play and random luck. Yawn. But it’s still sold today after 80 years and is part of our culture, more than any other game – surely something we can learn from this legend?
Brad:I haven’t played Monopoly for a decade or two, and not since learning the correct rules. I feel like I should play it the right way some time, but I’m not sure I’m going to choose that experience over any number of more enticing games.
Christina:I don’t think I ever finished a game of Monopoly as a kid, but I did love the little dog.
Jeff:If I could sell half as many copies as Monopoly of any game I publish, I would be content.
Christian:I own the Star Wars edition. I’m always either Darth Vader or R2D2. It’s still Monopoly, but I get to say things in the Emperor’s voice like “you… want this don’t you” when taking the last blue property.
Mike:Recently had a Monopoly game night with a whole group of friends, when the latest “cat” playing piece came out. I actually enjoyed it – the first hour of it. Then Kelsey unfriended me.
Kelsey:This game makes me angry and then I lose friends.
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