It seems odd to me that an online CCG forum would not have a board for non-computer games. So I thought I would see what other board and card games people enjoy playing in the RL.
My friends brought back a bunch of stuff from GenCon, but I have not had much opportunity to try the newest games. So here are some of the more recent games that we (probably the royal "we") have enjoyed.
Sentinels of the Multiverse - Cooperative superhero beatdown card game
Funded by a kickstarter from a group that I think is local to me, we have enjoyed this game since we first tried it. They just released a new edition with better card stock, play balance, and production. They have released two expansions for the game so far with another in the works. As much as I hate suggesting not to buy from your Friendly Local Game Store, the deals on Kickstarter are just too good.
Each player selects a superhero to use, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. You also select a villain to face and environment in which to face them. With all of the different characters and environments, each game feels different, so there is tons of replayability.
If you enjoy cooperative games and superheros, then you will likely enjoy it.
Lords of Waterdeep - A DnD board game with a Euro feel?
Released by Wizards of the Coast, you can only tell this is a DnD game because it says so on the box. It shares nothing in common with the other DnD board games like Castle Ravenloft. It is all action and resource management like a lot of Eurogames. While I am baffled why WotC stamped a DnD theme on this game, it is a really solid game and a lot of fun. It has one aspect I do not enjoy, but I almost always look forward to a game.
Ora et Labora/Le Havre/Agricola - The height of Euro hype
The newest successor to Agricola is Ora & Labora. While I have only played it once, I enjoyed the game, but I am not familiar enough to know how it compares to its two older brothers. All three are great games and give the same feeling of "too much to do, too little time" that is so common in Eurogames.
Descent: 2nd Edition - Dungeon crawling at its finest
Fantasy Flight's second release of Descent is much more like a DnD game, than Lords of Waterdeep. Just like any dungeon crawl, you explore, kill monsters, pick up treasure, and level up; they all work basically the same. What makes the second edition so much better than the first is that it has fewer pieces, so set up is faster; the dungeons are smaller, so play is faster; and the quests have objectives beyond "kill monster X", so there is more strategy; there is also a much better feeling of "leveling up" as you can spend experience to acquire new skills. The fact that they added a conversion kit which allows you to use all the monsters and characters from the first edition is just gravy.
If you liked the idea of the first Descent more than the actual game, than this iteration might be more up your alley.
That should be a large enough wall, but I would love to hear what games others are playing.
