Game Night Tomorrow

Hey everyone!

Tomorrow is our regularly schedule game night!  6:30 PM!  The Church at Severn Run!  8187 Telegraph Rd, Severn, MD 21144!  

Bring your favorite games that you got for the holidays and we'll have a great time!

Hoping to see everyone AND some new people!

Upcoming Session Dates

Hi everyone!

You may have noticed that if our sessions continued on the scheduled dates, we'd run into a few conflicts.  First, the fourth Friday of November is the day after Thanksgiving and I suspect many people (myself included) will be travelling.  Second, the fourth Friday of December is Christmas Day - obviously we aren't having it on Christmas.  So, to alleviate these conflicts, I have changed the dates of game nights in November and December.

We will be meeting on the following nights:

November 13th (this is the normal first meeting of November)

November 20th

December 4th

December 18th

These will all be at the normal 6:30 PM time and go to roughly 11:00 PM.  I will be getting a key from the church soon which means that 11:00 PM will become a bit softer of a cap if we want to go later.

For this upcoming session on November 13th, we will be featuring a very unique kind of game:  ASYMMETRICAL games!  Most games are symmetrical, meaning that all of the players have the same options available to them (mostly) and are all trying to achieve the same things.  For example, in Monopoly all players are trying to earn the most dolla billz.  In Settlers of Catan (or Catan as the cool kids call it now) everyone is trying to earn victory points.  In the games I will list here, players not only have unique abilities, but in most cases also are trying to achieve victory in different ways.

So, here are my top 5 favorite asymmetric games!


5.  Eclipse

Eclipse is a very fun space exploration game (4x).  Each players takes control of a unique alien power, each of which has very different special abilities.  While in this game players ultimately have the same victory conditions, the way these different aliens play out is vastly different, particularly when adding in any of the expansion aliens.  It's a great combination of both economic and conflict gaming and can play as many as 9 players with the expansion, which actually isn't as tedious as it initially sounds!  This is a great game and while the buzz has died off a bit it is still excellent.

4.  Letters from Whitechapel

This game is one of the most played games for my wife and I the year we got it - she loves deduction games and I love any game she wants to play.  We played this a lot with a variety of player counts and generally had a great time.  Our only problem is it can definitely get long, particularly if the investigators are methodical and slow, which the game requires to an extent.  In this game one players plays as Jack the Ripper, slowly terrorizing London, and the rest are the police investigators.  Each round Jack commits a murder and must return back to his hideout before the police are able to either surround him or accurately guess which space he is currently on.  It is a very tense game, particularly for Jack, as he races home and tries to avoid the police.  Each round he must return to the same location so the cops can slowly triangulate where exactly he's going.  Great game!

3.  Specter Ops

Since receiving Specter Ops, our famchallenging for the agent and we have a losing win ratio as such. Very fun game and very easy to learn and play.
ily has barely played Letters from Whitechapel.  That's because Specter Ops has all but replaced it for us.  The primary reason for this is it can be played in half the time.  Now, despite a similar sounding game, it really feels pretty different as this is much more fast paced.  In this, one players is an agent sneaking around some facility, trying to complete objectives.  The rest of the players are hunters trying to find and kill the agent before he can escape - think Metal Gear Solid the boardgame.  It's fast paced and tense as the hunter ducks around corners, uses special weapons and abilities, and does his best to outsmart his opponents.

2.  Terra Mystica

Generally I tried to keep games on this list that had variable win conditions, but honestly there's only so many that I own and are reasonably lengthed for this game session (hence Here I Stand not being on this list, nor any of the COIN games).  This is the quinitissential 'special powers' Euro-game.  Players each take on a different (very different) fantasy race, each with very unique powers and player boards, and try to gain the most points by expanding their civilization in this ever changing world.  Throughout the game players will shape and change the terrain features of the world, making it so their race can flourish
.  There is a lot of strategic and tactical thinking and next to no luck present in this game.  This is a heavy game and with four players can run a bit long, but it is a very deep and rewarding experience nonetheless.



1.  Fury of Dracula

Okay so I'm cheating by putting this as number 1 as I actually haven't played it yet, but I expect to before next Friday and I'm 99% sure this will become my favorite asymmetric game (aside from Here I Stand).  It has everything I want - one vs. all mechanics, deduction, a cool creepy theme, a really cool sounding name, lots of powers and narrative events, and plus it looks awesome.  The new third edition by Fantasy Flight just released and it looks amazing.  One player is Dracula, the others are vampire hunters trying to track him down and kill him before he can take over all of Europe with his evil, brooding ways.  These are sparkly vampires with skinny jeans, they're cool, traditional vampires ready to do all sorts of bad things, but be super cool doing them.

Of course any games are welcome, particularly if they match theme!  Bring some games, bring some friends, and be ready to game on November 13th!

September 11th Session Preview

Greetings!!

This upcoming Friday will be our regularly scheduled gaming session at 6:30 PM at The Church at Severn Run.  We are very excited to kick off September and the fall season with some games.  We've been very happy about the attendance over the summer months as people travel and hope to see everyone mor
e regularly now that summer is coming to a close and fall is upon us.

To correspond with the turning seasons, we will be featuring games that involve seasons in some capacity!  As had been done in the past, below are my person top five favorite games that involve seasons:

5.  Kingsburg

Kingsburg is actually a game I'm getting just a touch burnt out on because we've played it so much.  This is my go-to 'next level' game.  In other words, if I'm gaming with people who have become comfortable with games like Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and the like, then this is the game I'll teach them as it's just one step above those games in complexity.  Honestly, it's easy enough that I could probably use it as a gateway game, but there's just a little bit more planning involved in those other games.  The game itself is very fun, particularly with the expansion - players roll dice and then use those dice to influence various advisers in a fantasy ruler's court.  The goal is to collect resources and use them to build structures, both for the purpose of gaining points but also to gain special powers.  The game is played over five years split into seasons and in the winter of each year a monster attacks the town - hopefully you've built the necessary defenses!


4.  Agricola

This is an extremely beloved game in the gaming community and still rests in the top ten of BGG's rankings.  I believe it spent some time as #1 several years ago but could be mistaken.  In this game, players take control of farms in the 14th century, which doesn't sound particularly exciting, but it really is.  The game is somewhat puzzly and is certainly a challenge, particularly as every harvest season you have to feed your family or you take 'begging cards,' which are essentially negative points.  Resources are tight and so is are points in this game!


3.  Viticulture (Collector's Edition)

I was fortunate enough to back the Viticulture Collector's Edition on Kickstarter and have been thus blessed with a beautiful edition of this game and its expansion, Tuscany.  This game is fantastic - players take control of Vineyards and tussle to be the most influential.  They grow grapes, make wines, upgrade their tools and buildings, and sell their goods.  It's a really tight game with an exciting point-based conclusion.  The expansion really increases the quality of the game as well, including the awesome metal coins.  The game is worker-placement based and the placement options change with each season.



2.  Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island

This is my favorite pure cooperative game.  It is based on the book Robinson Crusoe, though it also ties into other similar novels, including the Swiss Family Robinson.  In fact, some of the scenarios also are based off of films like King Kong and Indiana Jones.  Player team up to survive on a remote, tropical island, trying to survive and complete the mission prescribed on the scenario card.  Some of the scenarios are quite challenging and the game's mechanics tie in incredibly well with the theme.  One of them is that each round, depending on the season, weather dice are rolled to simulate monsoons and snow storms.   This is a really fun game.

1.  Caverna

Finally, we have my favorite season-based game:  Caverna.  Caverna is Agricola's sequel and, in my opinion, is its superior.  I really enjoy the sandbox nature of Caverna, where there are a plethora of options and each game beckons to try something new.  In this game the players are
Dwarven cave farmers trying to make their way in the world.  Not only do they develop farms as in Agricola, but they also build mines and rooms inside of their cave dwellings.  There are endless combinations of rooms and strategies to try out and try build the best Dwarf farm.

In addition to these games we'll have the full table available as well with games to borrow.  And of course, don't feel limited to these - bring whatever you want to play and have fun!!!

See you all on Friday,

Lee

8/14 Session - It's Convention Season!

Greetings friends!

This time of year is one of the most exciting for gamers - it is convention season!  The two biggest American conventions occur during the summer months with Origins in Columbus, Ohio and Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Thousands of gamers go to these events and play new games, see events, meet designers, and generally spend a lot of cash on the latest games.  It is also worth noting that going on right now in Lancaster, PA is the World Boardgaming Championships - a great little convention that gets a lot of help from members of GCOM, the Games Club of Maryland (to which we are proud members).  If you're ever free in August and want a closer, less populated convention this is a great one.

Whether you've gone to these conventions or not, we're going to be treating this as a chance to bring the newest games you've picked up to game night!  You're of course welcome to do this anyways (and probably already do if you're a regular), but this week in particular I think it'd be great to bust out some of the latest games of 2015!

As a preview for some of the available games, here are some of the new additions to the Nicholas Family game collection....

Specter Ops

Specter Ops is a fantastically exciting game!  One player plays the "Agent" and the rest play the "Hunters."  The Agent runs around secretly trying to complete objectives and escape while the hunters are trying to kill the Agent.  The Agent does not appear on the board but the Hunters do and can only see him if the Agent is within line of sight.  This game is everything we hoped it would be - it is action packed, there are special player abilities, and the components are very well done!

Forbidden Stars

Forbidden Stars is one of the highest rated games released this year!  Published by Fantasy Flight Games, it is an epic space conquest game.  This game is very much the spiritual successor to the classic Starcraft Board game.  It features smaller army and fleet counts and a very interesting, deck-building based combat system.  Players can upgrade their actions available to them and each faction is completely different in its units, combat cards, and special abilities.  The miniatures are also different for each faction and look fantastic.  This game can be long - 2-3 hours with three players, 4 hours or so with four, but very much worth it.


Just as a final reminder, this upcoming game night is on August 14th, not August 7th.  Remember, we meet on the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month - not every other Friday.

What games did you get this summer?  Post them in the comment and bring 'em to Game Night!

7/24 Game Night!

Hi everyone!

I hope this finds you having a delightful summer and that you've enjoyed the past couple of sessions!  I have been absent for a little while due to my summer travel schedule (I'm a teacher and take full advantage) however that time has now passed and will be at game night for the foreseeable future, including this upcoming session!  As such, we will be having a theme and showcasing some featured games!

Now, this theme is going to seem a bit self-serving and that's fair - it absolutely is.  However, if you're married you understand that you take every opportunity to add some brownie points to the bank.  This upcoming session just happens to be on me and my wife, Beth's, anniversary - our fifth year!  Don't worry, we plan on finding a different day to celebrate so I'm not blowing her off to play games (otherwise I'd have to live at the church).  However, since that is the day, our theme for this upcoming Friday will be my wife's favorite games (they're mostly good).

So, without further adieu, here are Beth's Top 10 Favorite Games:

10.  Dutch Blitz

I'm not going to lie to you, I do not like this game.  It's kind of a weird, cultural thing from my wife's PA Dutch-ish heritage.  It's kind of like solitaire, but with more people, and really fast.  You are trying to clear your stack of cards out before anyone else does.  You then get points for the different cards you've played and (the people who don't finish point lose points for cards still in their stack).  After several rounds whoever has the most points wins (or you play to a set limit).  It's fast and if you're into light card games (I'm not) you'll probably enjoy it.


9.  Defenders of the Realm

This is the only cooperative game on Beth's list of her favorite games, probably due to her tendency to be ridiculously competitive.  This game gets some flak for being 'too similar' to Pandemic, but I don't think that's fair.  This game has players taking control of typical fantasy-esque classes (mage, paladin, knight) to defend the realm (go figure) from baddies.  Orcs, demons, zombies, and dragons are all besieging Monarch City (at the same time, no less!) and their leaders must be killed.  This game can be challenging, especially when using the Dragons expansion, and it is quite fun.  It also plays up to 6 which is pretty high for a cooperative game.

8.  War of the Ring

This game is so high because my wife and I are big Tolkien fans.  It'd probably be higher if we actually played it more often.  Nonetheless, it is a great game and one we both love.  This game technically plays 2-4, though it's really a two-player game that they allow you to break into teams.  One side plays the Shadow, the other the Free Peoples.  The Shadow wins by either conquering the world or corrupting the Ring-bearer, the Free Peoples win by either defeating the Shadow in military victory or destroying the Ring (more likely).  It's a beautiful game that genuinely captures the spirit of Tolkien - an impressive feat!

7.  The Resistance: Avalon

The Resistance: Avalon is a fast social-deduction game in which players are attempting to complete missions for King Arthur.  Unfortunately, some of the players are secretly evil and are working to thwart the missions.  This game is pretty quick and does not involve player-elimination (unlike its counterpart, Ultimate Werewolf).    There are also some interesting roles that come with the game, including that of Merlin - who knows everyone's allegiance but has to remain hidden himself from the evil players.

6.  Carcassonne

This is a light tile-placing game.  It has been a fixture in the gaming community for over a decade.  There are dozens of expansions and variants and rightfully so - it is very fun.  Each turn you lay a piece down, try to complete 'features' on a map, and score points.  It sounds kind of boring but it's really very fun.

5.  Splendor

Splendor is one of the most popular games of 2014!  Many people thought it should have won the Spiel des Jahres in 2014, however Camel Up took the prize instead.  This is an incredibly basic card game in which players are buying cards with cool jewels.  The cards make buying further cards easier, wit the goal of buying more expensive cards asnd collecting sets.  Easy, fun, and fast.

4.  Trajan

After a series of shorter, more simple game, we get Trajan - a heavy Euro!  Trajan is a game that is supposedly about the Roman empire, but honestly the theme is pretty pasted-on.  By Stefan Feld, this game involves a very interesting mechanic that is similar to the classic game mancala.  Players manipulate beads to determine what actions they take by moving them around a wheel.  It's very interesting and thinky!    This isn't her favorite Feld game, nor is it mine, but it is a very good one.

3.  Ticket to Ride: 10th Anniversary Edition

And here we have Beth's favorite gateway game!  You probably know what Ticket to Ride is.  There are trains.  There are cards.  We have the 10th Anniversary
Edition.  Good times.

2.  The Castles of Burgundy

The Castles of Burgundy is Beth's favorite Stefan Feld game (who is her favorite designer).  This game, like his others, is a bit light in the theme department, but makes up for it with extremely strong mechanics.  In this game, you are developing a 15th century estate in France.  You're building farms, buildings, developing science, and shipping goods.  It might sound a bit boring, but this is a great game.  There is dice-rolling, tension, and some very interesting scoring mechanics.


1.  Five Tribes

And finally we have Beth's favorite game - Five Tribes!  This won many 'strategy game of the year' awards this past year and rightfully so.  It was my personal favorite game of the year as well.  This is a fantastic and beautiful game by Bruno Cthala in which players manipulate meeples in (another) mancala-esque way to earn the most points.  The strategies are varied, there are unique powers that can be bought, and the components are gorgeous.  Its hard to describe this game in a way that actually communicates how much fun it is!   If you haven't tried it, you absolutely should!

Well there you have them!  Beth's top 10 favorite games!  She has pretty good tastes.  As always, you are more than welcome to bring and play your own stuff - especially since she might not even make it!  Nonetheless, if you seem some games here you've been hankering to learn or play, we'll definitely have them available for you.

Invite your friends and family and hopefully we'll see you on Friday!

-Lee

4/24 Featured Games - Games for Large Groups!

Hi Everyone!

Before I get to our upcoming session I want to take a brief moment to mention that we are now officially a meeting site for the Game Club of Maryland (GCOM).  GCOM is the largest state-wide gaming club in the entire country and has meeting site all across MD as well as PA, DE, and VA.  It's a great group and should provide even more advertising!


Our next gaming session will be on 4/20 at the regularly scheduled time.  There is another church event that night (Family Movie Night) that will be using our normal space.  As such, we will be using the children's area atrium - the part of the atrium outside the bathrooms.  This is right next to the normal spot and is still a very large, accommodating area to play games in (and slightly more convenient for using the bathrooms!).  Please don't let this prevent you from coming!


Since we'll be using a smaller space I thought this would be a great time to feature games that play larger groups - thus we can have more people around each table and save some room.  At first I was thinking there wouldn't be as many games to choose from, but there are actually a reasonable amount that accommodate at least six, and not just party games!  Last time I did the feature in the form of a 'Top 10' and while I don't want these features to be just my personal favorite games, it seemed to be a popular format, particularly over at boardgamegeek.  It's also more fun to do!  Since our game group's library also happens to be my personal collection, it doesn't seem completely unreasonable.

So!  Without adieu, here are my ten favorite 6+ player games as well as a number of others that you can expect to see on Friday, 4/24!

10.  Camel Up

Camel Up won the 2014 Spiel de Jahres (German Game of the Year Award - it's a big deal) and is a great game.  Despite many people not thinking it deserved the award it is in fact quite fantastic as long as you know what to expect.  In Camel Up people are betting on a camel race.  The race is quite silly - when the camels land on the same spaces of the track, they climb on top of each other and who ever is highest is considered to be winning.  It's very random and there's little in the form of planning - but that's what makes it so fun!  You pick a camel you think could win and root that it does!  Few game evoke the atmosphere this game does and it plays up to eight people!


9.  Viticulture

Viticulture is  Euro-game (meaning it is more about resource management and strategic planning) in which the players take control of vineyards.  Throughout the course of the game the players place workers and attempt to have the most prestigious vineyard - marked by victory points.  They plant seeds, grow grapes, convert them to different types of wines, build buildings, and more.  It's a very fun Euro and is not particularly complicated.  I haven't played it with six and I suspect with that many it may be a little slower than ideal and it will be very competitive.  I like this game a lot and I own the Collector's Edition which means the components are amazing.   The new edition just came out and is definitely worth a try.

8.  Cosmic Encounter

Cosmic Encounter is a delightful game where players take control of different alien races.  The first person to take control of five different foreign planets (meaning other players home planets) is the winner.  The gameplay is very simple - the person whose turn it is draws a card to see who they attack, they invite any players they want to ally with them, and then the offensive and defensive players play a card from their hand - whoever has the highest total between the number shown on the card and the number of ships being sent is the winner.  It sounds simple and not terribly exciting, but what makes the game is all of the alien races.  I have one expansion and so in my set there are around 90 different aliens.  Over 150 have been released and all have different and unique ways to 'break the rules.'  The game is light and fun and full of laughs.  It also can play up to 6 with the expansion I own and more if you own more expansions.

7.  Letters from Whitechapel

In the opposite direction from Cosmic Encounter (which is light and often funny) is Letters from White Chapel - a game in which 1-5 players take the roles of police officers tracking down Jack the Ripper (who is played by a player as well - thus it plays up to 6).  Jack plots his paths through the streets of London after committing murders and the police use teamwork, wits, and deduction to track him down before he can get to his hideout.  This game can get thinky (and a bit long) but is my absolute favorite deduction game.  The seemingly heavy theme is very tastefully done (it's not graphic or gorey at all) and the board and components are very nice.  If you like deduction, this is one you have to try!

6.  Power Grid

If we were simply ranking my favorite games this would be really high as I very much enjoy Power Grid.  I don't think it's at its best per say with six players (the most it plays) but it is still very good.  This classic came out originally in 2004 and has been extremely popular in that time.  I own the recently released deluxe edition and enjoy it very much.  Players own a power plant company and are trying to be the first person to own a set number of power plants across a map (either North America or Europe) and also be able to power them (the number changes based on player count).  The game features several interesting and interlocking mechanisms including auctions, resource management, and more.
5.  Ultimate Werewolf 


Ultimate Werewolf is the only game I own that will play over 70 people at one time (which is crazy).  It is very much like the popular card game Mafia - players have secret roles and the entire game is based around deducing which ones are bad.  In this case, players are either Villagers or Werewolves.  There are further special abilities within these two camps but the basic idea is that each nights the werewolves secretly discuss and decide to kill somebody.  Each day the villagers try to figure out who the werewolves are and vote to kill somebody.  If somebody dies they're eliminated from the game.  The villagers don't know who anybody is - the wolves know who each other are.  It is a game of social deduction that is very fun.  We will be trying to get a large-ish (hopefully 15-30 or so players) game of this going around 10:00 PM on game night so if you're interested in joining, plan for your games to end at that time.

4.  7 Wonders

7 Wonders is a card-drafting game in which players are building up their civilization.  It is played over three rounds and each round has several turns.  Players have a hand of cards and get to pick one card out of their hand to put into play.  That hand then passes around the table and the next turn they do the same thing with a new hand of cards (which was handed to them from the player in the opposite direction).  Different cards give you resources or points or other special abilities and by the end of the game you want to have the most points.  It is civilization themed so there are things like aqueducts, mines, military, trade routes, and more.  It is a somewhat easier game and with the expansion plays up to eight players.  It is a classic and is very worthwhile.

3.  Eclipse

Eclipse was easily the hottest game of 2012 - everyone wanted to play it!  Since then it's popularity seems to have fizzled a bit, but I think it is still a fantastic game.  It is an epic 4X space game in which players are exploring the universe, expanding their empires, fighting other players, discovering technologies, and developing their economies.    Each player plays a unique alien race that has different special abilities and you can further customize yourself by adjusting the blew prints for your different ships with various weapons, engines, shields, computers, and more.  This is a great space game and can play anywhere from 2-9 players (with the expansion).  I think it's great with as many players as possible!

2.  Telestrations

Telestrations (the party pack that I own at least) plays up to twelve.  It is by far the funniest game I own.  I didn't put a lot of party games on this list because most of them play at least six, but I made an exception for this because it is by far my favorite.  This game is the telephone game meets pictionary - a player draws a word, then the next player writes what he thinks the first player drew, the following player draws that guess, which is again subsequently guessed by the following player.  By the end the original word is extremely convoluted, usually in incredibly hysterical ways!  This game is great for a laugh and one that anyone can play!

1.  Battlestar Galactica

Finally is one of my absolute favorite games - Battlestar Galactica.  I love games with an element of deceit and I think that BSG is still the absolute best at it.  If you've seen the show you probably can guess the premise but if not, that's okay!  It's still a great game even without having seen the show.  Most of the players are on the same team but one or more (depending on player count - two with six players) are secretly Cylons (robots that look like humans) that are actively thwarting the crew.  There are many opportunities for sly coercion and deception and that's what makes this game so great.

There are a host of other games that play 6+ that are also great, particularly in the party game genre, so please bring you favorites and share those as well!  Write your favorites in the comments if you'd like!

Invite your friends and family and hopefully we'll see everyone out on Friday!

4/10 Recap

Greetings everyone!

This past Friday, April 10th, we had our regularly scheduled session.  As it was only our second session and came on the heels of Easter services at The Church at Severn Run (where are group was announced to over 2,100 people!) we featured and play many a gateway game.

We had just over thirty people come and play games with us, including many new people.  We had a lot of families come which is fantastic and Game Night at Severn Run is never meant to just be for experienced gamers.  While we were playing Caverna another family was playing Yahtzee and that is great.

Some of the gateway games we played included Lords of Waterdeep, Ticket to Ride, and Carcassonne.  We also played some more gamer's-games such as Galaxy Trucker and Caverna.

I was very excited about the evening's activities and the enthusiasm shown! If you didn't make it out tonight hopefully we will see you next time!

Many Blessings!

-Lee

April 10th Featured Games - Gateway Games

Greetings everyone!


GSR's next gaming session will take place on Friday, April 10th, at the usual meeting time.  This is
the day right before Will Wheaton's declared holiday - Tabletop Day (which is 4/11)!  A day devoted all around the world to playing tabletop games and since while we're playing games on Friday night it'll be Saturday morning somewhere, we're totally going to say that we're participating!

On this session we will be starting a trend that is likely to continue - featuring a certain theme.  These themes will be in no way mandatory - if you don't like the theme, bring whatever you want and play whatever you want!  They are simply a fun way to get certain games to the table and give people a chance to invite certain friends or look forward to playing a game they've been meaning to learn.

Our first week is a very intentional theme: Gateway Games!  Not only have I been trying to advertise online as much as possible, but GSR will appear in the bulletin and via flyers to well over a thousand people at the Church at Severn Run's Easter services and so I'm hoping that we'll have many new people showing up, some of which will likely be unfamiliar with modern board games.

"Gateway Game" is a term used to describe games that are great for people new people to modern gaming.  For example, if your cousin has only ever played games like Monopoly and Clue then teaching him Ticket to Ride, a terrific gateway game, will likely be a much more successful affair than teaching him Terra Mystica (which is a superb game, but is far too complicated for a newbie).  It's very easy to turn people off to gaming if we start them on something that is out of their league and that is the last thing we want to do at GSR!

Below are my personal ten favorite gateway games that I own (or somebody in the group owns).  This is by no means an exhaustive list and I highly encourage you to bring your own and share what you like best in the comment section of this post.  As I said, this not mandatory - if you really don't want to play gateway games, you absolutely don't have to - feel free to bring and play Terra Mystica!  That being said, you can count on us having these easily available and you'll likely be able to find a game of at least a few of them.

#10 - Hanabi

Hanabi is a small little card game that plays completely cooperative - everyone is on the same team.  Anywhere from 2-5 players group up to take on the roll of Japanese fireworks technicians who have befuddled the show and mixed up the fireworks. That sounds kind of strange, but essentially it's a simple card game where you are trying to get the cards organized in play in ascending order based on a suit.  There are five colors and they each have cards showing numbers one through five.  In order of lowest to highest (and grouped by color), these cards must be played in the display. Sounds easy, right?

The catch here is that you cannot look at your own cards, only everyone else's - you play with the cards facing away from you.  On your turn you have a choice - tell somebody something about their cards or play one of your cards.  You only have so many clues your team is allowed to give, though, so if you aren't efficient with them you won't do well and there'll come a point where somebody will have to play a card blind, possibly resulting in the game ending.

Who's it good for?

This game is great for people who are used to playing card games.  I love teaching co-ops because as the teacher I'm not teaching the game then immediately competing to beat the people I just taught - I get to help them as a team-member.  This one is a bit different in that regard because you can only give clues on your turn, but you still get to help them through the mechanics.  This one is also very small and light.  Sometimes new players are overwhelmed and intimidated by a big board and lots of pieces - this is just a hand of cards that have colors and numbers.  This is a game that I think genuinely anyone can play.

#9 - Dominion

There was a time when Dominion would have been significantly higher, however I, like a lot of gamers, have 'gotten over' Dominion.  I remember a day about three months into owning it where a buddy and I played five games in a row.  I haven't played five games of Dominion over the course of the past two years.  That being said, it is still very popular, has about six hundred expansions, and is a great gateway game.

This game is a deck-builder.  Everyone starts with the same hand of money cards and victory point cards and is able to buy additional action cards from the same pool of cards.  Over the course of the game, though, people will be buy different cards and their entire deck will become very unique.  You are trying to get the most victory point cards, the best of which cost significantly more than you can afford at first, so you need to build up a good engine in your deck in order to eventually be able to purchase them.

The symbols on the cards are very readable and generally speaking it's a pretty simple game to teach.  New gamers like this a lot and about half the time I've taught it the folks who've learned have immediately gone out and bought the game.

Who's it good for?

I would bring this out for people who may have played a few new games but not any deck-builders or even people who used to play games like Magic: The Gathering or the like when they were younger.  Most of the people I've taught it to have already played a game or two of Settlers of Catan or something similar but that doesn't mean a total newbie couldn't also learn it.

#8 - Small World

Small World is a game that I've never been a huge fan of personally but I recognize as a game that is great for introducing people to the hobby.  In this game you take control of a fantasy race that has a randomly generated special power.  For example, some games you'll have "Stout Hobbits" or "Dragon-Riding Dwarves," but in the next game it will be "Undead Hobbits" and "Seafaring Dwarves."  Most of the combos are amusing and also provide for interesting uses.

Having chosen your race, you send their armies out into a world that is far too small, trying to conquer as much land as possible.  At the end of your turn you get points based on how many territories you control plus any bonuses your race may provide.  As the game progresses you'll likely get to a point where you have over-extended yourself, at which time you can send your race into 'decline.'  Essentially you abandon them (but still get points for areas they control, however you can no longer move them) and choose an all new race, getting to start afresh with a new army and new special abilities.

Who's it good for?

If somebody comes up and says "I like Risk or Axis & Allies" then this is the game I'll pull out.  It really isn't all that similar to those other games other than the fact that you are trying to take over territories.  It is far less luck driven and far shorter - even with five players you're looking at less than 90 minutes.  With less players you'll have an even shorter game.  The artwork is great, the theme is appealing and functional.  This is really a good gateway for people who want a game with conflict and armies.

#7 - Carcassonne


Carcassonne is a simple game that is most similar to dominoes.  All of the players are putting together tiles to form a drawn middle-age era map containing cities, roads, monasteries, and farms.  On your turn you draw a tile and place it, making sure that the edges line up with whatever is on the board.  After placing it, you have the option of placing one of your meeples (little wooden people) onto one of the tile's terrain features - whether it's a field or a city or a road or a monastery.  As soon as that feature has been completed - meaning it is totally closed off on all sides - you score points for that as long as your meeple is on it and nobody has more meeples there than you.

It is a very straightforward game of tile laying and I like it a lot as a gateway game because there is nothing hidden.  When you draw a tile on your turn everyone can see it which makes it easy to explain the tile to a new player.   It also is relatively short as long as the players don't take too long on their turn - you can easily get a game knocked out in 45 minutes.  We also own both the very pretty Winter Edition as well as the Big Box containing five or six expansions.

Who's it good for?

This is a pretty general game - there's not really a certain camp I'd assign this one to.  I'd probably teach it to somebody with no strong inclinations one way or the other to gaming - perhaps after somebody's played a game of Hanabi or something on par with that I'd pull out Carcassonne.  It generally goes over well, though sometimes new players get confused with how scoring works.  This game is also one where it takes a couple of plays to really recognize good strategy, which is great.

#6 - The Resistance: Avalon

One of my personal favorite mechanics in games is when you get to lie to your friends - I love games that involve bluffing, particular in the context of everyone working on a team except for one or more 'traitors.'

The Resistance (or the version we own, The Resistance: Avalon) is a game in which most of the group is working together to complete quests on behalf of King Arthur.  Some of the players, however, are secretly working for Mordred and are actively working against Arthur.  They know who each other are but the good guys do not.

Each round one player is the 'leader' and gets to choose a number of people (as indicated by the board) to go on a quest.  If the group agrees on the selection, all of the chosen party members secretly play a card - the card either says "Success" or "Failure."  Those cards are shuffled together and revealed - if all of them say "Success" then the quest succeeds!  If any of them say "Failure" then the quest fails.  There are five total quests in the game - if the bad guys cause three of them to fail, they immediately win.  If the good guys succeed at three of them, they are near to victory.

The biggest catch is that one of the good guys is a special role - Merlin.  Merlin knows who everybody is, including the bad guys, however they do not know who Merlin is.  If, upon completing three successful quests, the bad guys can figure out who was Merlin, they ultimately win.

Who's it good for?

I'd play this with almost anyone - really it's a party game more than anything else.  There are few components and most of the game is simply weeding out who is being dishonest.  Generally it is easier to play these kinds of games with people who all know each other as then its easier to tell when people are lying, plus you feel less guilty about pulling the rug over a complete strangers eyes.  Games of The Resistance generally last around 15-20 minutes and the games supports anywhere from 5-10 players.  This is a good one for just about everybody.


#5 - Lords of Waterdeep


Lords of Waterdeep is probably the most complicated game on this list.  It's still on the relatively simpler side of things, but it is somewhat meatier than Carcassonne or Hanabi.  In Lords of Waterdeep you all take power of various factions of power in the Dungeons and Dragons based city of Waterdeep.  You spend your turns placing 'workers' on various spaces in order to recruit different types of fantasy figures -
mages, priests, warriors, rogues.    You then spend these people to complete various quests cards, which show you which combinations you need.

There are other things to do - building structures that open up more and better actions, playing 'Intrigue' cards which give various bonuses, and more.  The game uses a mechanic called 'worker placement' where each turn you get to place one of your workers on a space, do the action, and then nobody else can go there.  This means you're always trying to go first and figure out what everyone else going to do because chances are at least one spot you want will be blocked.

This is a very popular mechanic which is why I like this game so much - it is a very simple way of teaching worker placement while still being a superb game.  It's worth noting the game Stone Age is probably just as good at teaching this and could easily fill this role.

Who's it good for?

I'd probably reserve this for somebody whose played at least one other game on this list or for somebody who really is into fantasy themes.   Even though it's D&D, the theme is pretty pasted-on.  It really could be any fantasy kingdom - Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Pathfinder, etc.  If you have a buddy that's into those types of things, then this is a good starter game for him.


#4 - Sushi Go

Sushi Go is probably the dark-horse on here.  Most people would probably agree with the rest of the list but I suspect a lot of people wouldn't but Sushi Go on here, especially so far up.  However, I think this is a great little introductory card game.

In this game people are assembling a meal of sushi... Or something.  It really doesn't matter - you're playing cards with sushi on them to try and get the most points.  The game is played over the course of three rounds.  Each round everyone gets a hand of cards and simultaneously chooses one, adding it to their display area in front of them.  They then pass that hand of cards clockwise and from their newly acquired hand of cards everyone simultaneously chooses a card, adding it to their display.  This continues until all of the cards are gone, thus completing one round.  Cards are then scored depending on what they do.

This mechanic is called 'drafting' - where you have a bunch of things to choose from but only get one and are hoping that you get cards that compliment it.  It is a mechanic found in a lot of more complicated games and is one of my favorites.  This game presents it very simply and with a very cute, appealing theme.

Who's it good for?

Anybody.  I can't think of a person I wouldn't teach this to.  It's easy, it's fun, and it's fast.  We always play multiple games in a row.  We bought this for my wife's sister and her husband and taught it to them (they're not gamers) and they have since taught it to multiple people who have all loved it.  The caveat here?  I don't own this game!  Let me know if you do because I'd love to be able to teach this at the next GSR!

#3 - Pandemic (or Forbidden Island)

Pandemic is currently one of the most popular games on the market.  A few years ago it was republished by Z-Man games in a fancy new edition and has subsequently seen now four expansions come out.  It is one of the highest rated cooperative games on boardgamegeek.com and is very beloved in the gaming community.  It also makes a great gateway game.

In Pandemic everyone is on a team trying to save the world from four diseases which have broken out all over.  Each player has a different role and is working together to cure all of the disease before a variety of conditions occur which cause the players to lose.  Again, it is cooperative which means teaching it is great because everyone is on the same side.  Also, it is a theme that almost anyone can get on board with - saving the world!

Matt Leacock, the designer, also designed a smaller game that is extremely similar called Forbidden Island.  Forbidden Island is also a great gateway game, particular for younger players, and is more or less the same game but instead of fighting diseases the players are trying to escape a quickly sinking island.  I do not own this one but if anyone has it this would be a great one to teach people as well.

Who's it good for?

Pretty much anybody.  I have taught this to a lot of people and it's always gone over well.  The game fosters teamwork from everybody and is easy to get into.  It's a great, all-around game for new gamers as well as veterans.



#2 - King of Tokyo

If there is any game on here I feel that I could teach to anybody, it is this one.  I've taught it to middle-aged adults.  I've taught it to nine-year old students.  Experienced gamers love it as do people who've never played a game before.

King of Tokyo has every player take control of a giant monster (think cheap knock-offs of Godzilla, King Kong, and others) and is fighting for control of Tokyo.  Each turn a player rolls giant, fun dice in the style of Yahtzee - roll once, reroll twice, then resolve what is showing.  You get to punch each other, heal yourself, earn points, and buy power-ups.  It is very simple and it does not take long.

Who's it good for?

Everybody, but especially younger gamers.  If a bunch of kids stream down from youth-group, this is the first game I would teach them.



#1 - Ticket to Ride 

The final game we'll be featuring is the game
I feel is by far the best gateway game - Ticket to Ride.  This game came out in 2004 and has sold over 1,000,000 copies, which is an absurd number for a board game.  It is a very simple game where players draw colorful train tickets and play them in sets to put their trains on a board which is a map of the United States (though there are various versions with different countries/continents).

At the end of the game players get points for 'tickets' they've completed (cards encouraging them to connect two cities) and whoever has the most points is the winner.  It's very easy to learn and is incredibly fun.  It only takes 60 minutes and plays just as well with two players as five players.

Even better, Beth and I own bo
th the original and the 10th Anniversary Edition which is the same game but with beautiful components - a giant board and unique, painted trains for each color.

Who is it good for?

Anyone who can breathe.  Seriously - this game is great and I've never known somebody not to enjoy it.

Conclusion

If you actually read all of that, kudos!  I am excited for our games group to progress and if you can't tell I'm very excited about gaming!!  Again, this list is not exhaustive and it was hard to narrow it down
to ten games.  There are plenty of games that could easily have been on this list that I will also be bringing and happy to teach!  Let me know what you think of the list in the comments and let me know what your favorite gateway games are.

Invite your friends and families as this will be one of the best Friday's to bring new people - though we try to be accommodating to newbies any time.

Many blessings and hopefully we'll see you on 4/10!