r/boardgames

for example i can't help but think Eclipse (2020) basically just took Twilight Imperium (2017) removed some of the disliked aspects (minimum playtime 8hrs long), and doubled down on the fun parts (space combat)

TI is still one of the GOAT boardgames but I think publishers realized people don't want to buy games that are 8hrs long so its not their best selling game (fantasy flight even said this in their space cats documentary), so are more optimizing for wider playerbase

Now Arcs (2024) has come along and people say it scratches a similar itch. Bit of a creative destruction of newer games replacing older games of similar genres I suppose?

Another Example

Blood on the Clocktower innovated on the social deduction genre by eliminating player elimination (a mechanic every player dislikes) so that every player "still matters" until the end. The script building system is a design architecture that allows infinite replayability and community-led design. BoTC has pretty much left every other social deduction game in the past.

I have started to notice this pattern as newer games come out.

Modern board games are often just better than old ones, since designers often study past games to inform new games.

The only exception is when older games are renewed, like obviously TI has improved greatly since first version in 1997 to fourth edition in 2017 and remains a masterpiece.

What a fun show with great production value that was! You just know Wil loves boardgames as much as anyone here the way he talks about them. His short but well explained intro to the game they are playing. The little side bits where the players tell the audience what their plan is, just great! As far as I know there isn't really anything like it either. Sure there are some "watch us play" shows and they are fun in their own way. But nothing with the charisma of Wil Wheaton's Tabletop as far as I know. Wil, if per chance you are seeing this, thank you for all the fun episodes and we miss the show!

We've all seen games where playtime on the box is way off. My question is which games in your experience are have the most difference between listed playtime and actual playtime

In qaucks, we just played a game where i decided to end my turn before reaching any victory points. Everyone else got 1 victory point. Starting on the 2nd round I was still at 0. The rulebook doesnt clarify if a player who is at 0vp should get a rat tail or not. Does anyone know the answer to rhis?

My winning move was waiting for a second crab to fish out the last mermaid out of one of the discard piles.

I've heard it's quite rare to win like this. It was our second game :D

Hey, just a quick one, I heard Lords of Vegas is a really good game, but I can't find anywhere that has it in stock, let alone if it's even still in production anymore. I absolutely don't follow anything regarding production of board games, but I'd love to pick it up if there's absolutely anywhere that has it. Any pointers?

"Dig In" says "Any climber may strike 1, gain 1 grip, and anchor."

I have a character by a green crystal and striking 1 would kill them. Could I just gain grip and anchor instead?

Looking around for the most unique Deck Construction (like in TCGs, CCGs and DCGs) games! Either in terms of mechanics, theme or monetisation model. (Digital games are also fine, although I know this sub isn't about those).

I'm somewhat tired of the standard creature-battler of MTG, Yugioh or Pokémon (however, if they do something really interesting despite that, I won't mind). Everyone is doing it.

Mana systems are also quite boring in my opinion. The cards in your hand/deck are already a limited resource, no need to add to it! (again, if it's doing something interesting despite that, I'll gladly take a look)

I'd also like to take a look at some non-predatory distribution models. I dislike the late stage capitalism side of the hobby, promoting consumerist and speculative values to take advantage of. Barring the average person from entering the game and enabling p2w basically.

This isn't necessarily a critique, just me looking for something new and clever solutions to existing problems.

I've been thinking about what makes negotiation mechanics work well in board games. I've played Cosmic Encounter quite a bit and really enjoy it, but I often find the negotiation isn't as central as I'd like. Deals can sometimes feel optional rather than essential.

For those who've played a range of negotiation-heavy games, what do you think makes a negotiation game truly great? Which games do you think have the most interesting diplomacy, alliances, and deal-making, and what mechanics make those interactions feel meaningful?

Ordered the game awhile ago. It was brand new in box. Just got it to the table though and during setup there was one missing red castle.

Is there anywhere I might be able to get just that piece? Also want to get the premium chips but those are easy to find obv.

Super bummed, I really hate mismatched stuff so I don’t want to print one or something.

I am going on a backpacking trip for three weeks and I was thinking of using a board game as a tool to meet new people during my trip. The board game needs to be small and portable, it needs to play well with a big group, have rules that can be explained in 2-3 sentences and create nice group moments. Any suggestions?

Is this something that people do regularly? I have a game in development and have built it online using my software skillset, and it’s pretty much in a table top simulator format, but the advantage being there’s no need to download or pay for anything to access it, it’s available as a browser game.

Im only a couple of weeks off from having it ready for play testing but wanted to see if this is something people are more likely to
be interested in as they can play it at home against friends online completely for free.

It’s also a way for me to gain valuable playtesting data without having to spend hundreds of $$ to get a physical prototype and then have to change it all again anyway.

I've had this idea on my mind, and wanted to see other board games that execute on it. I'll take John Company as the one game I know that does this.

Players can get certain positions within the game's company: chairman, director of trade, manager of shipping, etc. Whoever controls a given position may take certain unique actions related to that position.

The position can later be lost (and with it the ability to do those unique actions), and then obtained by a different player.

What would you call these kinds of mechanics? And do you know of more games that utilize them?

Im a moderate fan of the channel, and whats them from time to time. When to see if they had anything new and saw that the last video was 5 month ago.

Does anyone more invested than I know if they quietly shut down or if something else happened?