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Incline Co-Op boardgames

FeelTheRads

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Apr 18, 2008
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Dixit has mechanics? lol

Oh and yes, fuck euros. Milking cows or whatever theme slapped over some autistic and most of the times simplistic system.
But it's tiiiiiight. Well, so was your mum's asshole.
 
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Kingdom Death: Monster is quite the board game. It is actually a lot like a GM-less pnp game. Oh, and it has a story - a very intriguing one to boot. Essentially the entire game is somewhat of a metaphor for human despair and perseverance in a universe that is uncaring at best and malevolent at worst. The entire world is cloaked in darkness and has an infinite plain of stone faces for a floor, with occasional patches of terrain, such as towering piles of lanterns which are one of the few light sources around. Humanity - about a dozen men and women - wakes up in the middle of nowhere with dried ink over their eyes and are immediately attacked by one of the many horrors lurking in the darkness, which serves as a tutorial boss. Afterwards, the humans make a home around one of the lantern piles, and the game proceeds in three phases: the settlement phase where the survivor rest, and develop their civilization; the hunt phase where the survivor choose and track down a quarry that they will hunt for food and resources; and the showdown phase, where the survivors battle the monster in glorious, deadly turn-based combat.

The settlement phase is interesting because besides crafting items and doing downtime actions, you also develop your civilization's culture. For instance, you can invent/discover pottery or family or religion. Occasionally there are milestones that occur when a certain condition has been triggered: for example, the first time someone dies you must decide if your civilization will eat their dead or honor them. Every year random as well as preset events occur, the latter usually advancing the story of the game. Frequently their outcomes vary widely depending on player decisions or the results of die rolls, so no campaign is quite the same.

The combat is great. There are no trashmobs, only boss-type enemies (although a few can summon smaller monsters to assist them). Each monster has a randomized stack of AI cards which determine their behavior. Every time the monster is hit, a card from the hit location deck is drawn. Certain builds can attempt to target and disable individual weak spots, which may permanently cripple the monster, sometimes disabling their attacks: for example, getting a critical hit on the White Lion's paw will sever it, causing it to stare at the stump sadly instead of attacking every time an AI card prompts it to do a grab. The combat is similiarily visceral to player characters, who can get knocked down, take brain damage, become insane, and lose body parts like no tomorrow. Overall, the success of a showdown depends largely on preparation, as using specific equipment against certain powerful enemies as a must, but there is a component of luck and a great deal of tactics as well.

The manual is essentially a gorgeously storybook that the players are encouraged to read together. One is not allowed to skip pages - much like a good video game, KDM is meant to be learned and explored as you play. Typically you will draw a card, which will reference a page in the manual, which in turn will give you some story, perhaps choices or rolls to make, and then usually instruct you as to the next action you should take. I'm sure there are other games that have an actual, somewhat non-linear plot like in this game, but I am not aware of any.

The best part about the game is that it can be played as something like a solo party-based CRPG. There are no special rules for co-op play, each player simply controls one of the four members of the hunting party (or less if you ran out of population), so you are not penalized in any way for going in solo, except of course that you will not be able to share interesting moments with your friends. I would actually go as far as to say that the game is basically a better version of Darkest Dungeon when played this way, at least in the sense that it has much better combat, story, and less grinding than DD.

The game is very expensive if one can even find it in stock, so really the best option is to play it using Tabletop Simulator. The core game and all of the expansions are available as free mods, with scripting support to make setup/teardown very easy. If you do wish to play it, I'd advise against reading/watching much about it. This is the one board game that can be spoiled for you, and is enjoyed more if one knows as little about it as possible. Truly remarkable game.

The following overview is pretty low on substance but conveys the tone and uniqueness of the game somewhat well:



EDIT: Oh, and don't bother with Dark Souls: the Board Game. Absolutely boring grindfest and the game's best, most advertised feature - the boss battles - basically use shallower, more confusing version of KDM's boss battle mechanics.
 
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RedScum

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Couple of Good co-op games:

Mage Knight - HoMM or Kings bounty-ish game which includes co-op scenarios. Heavy on rules and a bit long, it's pretty much all about min-maxing the cards in your hand every turn while killing monsters, exploring the world, recruiting new units and get some sweet rewards along the way. Play with max 2-3 players.

Eldritch Horror - already mentioned, Indiana Jones meets Lovecraft.

Robinson Crusoe - Get wrecked while trying to survive as castaways on an island. Never managed to complete a scenario yet *sigh*.

Dead of winter - Also already mentioned, but a cool game nonetheless. Semi co-op with traitor mechanics in a zombie apocalypse.

Will also mention Arkham Horror the card game, but not played it enough yet. Seven times is the holy number etc etc.
 

FeelTheRads

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Only autistic people (in a literal way, not a lol-le-autism-meme way) are those that judge dixit by is mechanics.

This video actually makes up 95% of what my post is based on. Dixit? Dominion? That's just edgy. Eclipse?! Come on.
They're fun to watch, but when I browse their top 100's, I get the impression they generally value huge game boxes with oversized plastic miniatures higher than tight mechanics.

Dixit is as much of a boardgame as solitaire is a computer game.

Also, one can only take so much wooden cubes (when every fucking game uses them), miniatures are welcome.

Mage Knight

A good mix of euro and ameritrash. A man's game. And since this is about co-op games, the co-op part really shines with the Lost Legion expansion. In the base game it was not that great if I remember correctly, but the game is great to play competitively or even solo.
 
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Snorkack

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Only autistic people (in a literal way, not a lol-le-autism-meme way) are those that judge dixit by is mechanics.

This video actually makes up 95% of what my post is based on. Dixit? Dominion? That's just edgy. Eclipse?! Come on.
They're fun to watch, but when I browse their top 100's, I get the impression they generally value huge game boxes with oversized plastic miniatures higher than tight mechanics.

Dixit is as much of a boardgame as solitaire is a computer game.

Also, one can only take so much wooden cubes (when every fucking game uses them), miniatures are welcome.

What are you trying to prove here? Those are two different sentences commenting on two different aspects. You can substitute 'tight mechanics' with 'engaging gameplay' or even 'fun' in general, if that helps you comprehending.
As for the wooden cube vs. miniatures: It's a bit like saying 'Fuck this cRPG if it doesn't run at 1080p 60Hz'. It's Steam review level of idiocy.
 

RedScum

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Yeah the Lost Legion scenario(s) is good and especially the co-op one, If you like Mage Knight that expansion is a no-brainer.
 
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Kitchen Utensil

Guest
Robinson Crusoe is great
Ghost Stories
Space Hulk: Death Angel - The Card Game (best solo game, ok co-op)
 

Galdred

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Only autistic people (in a literal way, not a lol-le-autism-meme way) are those that judge dixit by is mechanics.

This video actually makes up 95% of what my post is based on. Dixit? Dominion? That's just edgy. Eclipse?! Come on.
They're fun to watch, but when I browse their top 100's, I get the impression they generally value huge game boxes with oversized plastic miniatures higher than tight mechanics.

Dixit is as much of a boardgame as solitaire is a computer game.

Also, one can only take so much wooden cubes (when every fucking game uses them), miniatures are welcome.

What are you trying to prove here? Those are two different sentences commenting on two different aspects. You can substitute 'tight mechanics' with 'engaging gameplay' or even 'fun' in general, if that helps you comprehending.
As for the wooden cube vs. miniatures: It's a bit like saying 'Fuck this cRPG if it doesn't run at 1080p 60Hz'. It's Steam review level of idiocy.
These are proper playing pieces:
pic326466_md.jpg

Cubes and miniatures don't hold enough information.
This is even better, as it allows the stats of the characters to change during the game:
IMG_9585.jpg


I find it much more convenient than browsing through a pile of reference cards to get the stats of a goblin in most Ameritrash game with miniatures.
 

Matalarata

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Eclipse is one of the best boardgames ever. Tight design, asymmetric (or symmetric if you prefer it) races, simple mechanics that are easy to understand and hard to master. Science, economy and production are wonderfully implemented. Combat is extremely simple but ship design makes up for it. The closest a board game has ever been in capturing dat sweet MOO feel. Dissing on it just because it's euro is pure edgelordry.
Disclaimer, I'm euro and I usually find ameritrash game more entertaining.
 
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SausageInYourFace

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Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. My team has the sexiest and deadliest waifus you can recruit. Pathfinder: Wrath
So, how many of these coop board games are actually fun to play single player?

I heard Mage Knight is pretty good solitaire, as should be Eldritch Horror and the LotR card game. Others like Andor don't really seem to work that well on their own. Any recommendations on that account?
 

Kitchen Utensil

Guest
So, how many of these coop board games are actually fun to play single player?

I heard Mage Knight is pretty good solitaire, as should be Eldritch Horror and the LotR card game. Others like Andor don't really seem to work that well on their own. Any recommendations on that account?

Depends on what you expect your experience to be like.

For me, Space Hulk: Death Angel is the perfect solo game. It's quick, tight, difficult, has a good amount of randomness with sufficient mechanics to mitigate bad outcomes (most of the time). It is quick to set up, plays in around 30 to 45 minutes, requires a lot of decision-making but not too much to be AP-inducing. Different team compositions, event cards and locations offer great replayability which is enhanced even further with the print on demand expansions. It also oozes as much thematic atmosphere as a card game possibly can.

Ghost Stories feels somewhat similar, as it's equally difficult and requires similar amounts of decisions as well as time to setup and play. I don't like the theme as much and it's less portable.

On the other end of the spectrum is Robinson Crusoe, which is also a good solo game, but requires about the same amount of time to setup alone as the other two would for a whole session. That's too much for me for a solitaire board game most of the time. And then there's still a significant amount of randomness which can potentially end your game early. That works very well for me if the game plays fast, but not in a game as big, lengthy, heavy and fiddely as Robinson Crusoe.

Other solo games often recommended are Friday, Onirim, Race for the Galaxy (needs an expansion for solo mode), Pandemic, Arkham/Eldritch Horror, Arkham Horror - Card Game, Elder Sign, Forbidden Desert and Forbidden Island, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Mage Knight - Board Game, the Dungeons & Dragons Board Games, The Lord of the Rings Card Game, Zombicide, Gears of War - Board Game, and Euros like Agricola, At the Gates of Loyang and similar games.
 
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Snorkack

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So, how many of these coop board games are actually fun to play single player?

I heard Mage Knight is pretty good solitaire, as should be Eldritch Horror and the LotR card game. Others like Andor don't really seem to work that well on their own. Any recommendations on that account?
Honestly I prefer video games when noone else is around to play. There are exceptions tho:
Scythe (originally not coop game, but one of the best games of the last few years) has a pretty darn good solo mode, the Automa, which is controlled via a separate AI card deck and some movement rules that sound unintuitive at first but are in fact quite smart. Provides a good challenge with four different difficulty levels.

Gloomhaven solo is nice, too, thanks to the persistence mechanics. Although setting it up for just one run is a p.i t.a. and some stuff like initiative number guessing or secret goals doesn't work in solo play ofc, which is quite a bummer.
 

FeelTheRads

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Hey, you can play Mage Knight solo in Vassal. If you don't want to be a sad lonely loser spreading out a full board game to play all alone.

But seriously, it's much more convenient.
 

Kitchen Utensil

Guest
Honestly I prefer video games when noone else is around to play.

Yep, especially if the games are very complex with a lot of micro-management and long setup/tear down. When you play with others that whole process of handeling the physical bits becomes part of the social experience and is not quite as bad as when you have to do it all alone. I really prefer a CPU to handle that stuff for me. In small doses it can also be relaxing though, as long as it doesn't detract from the game, which is mostly the case for smaller card games like Space Hulk, Onirim or Friday.

There are exceptions tho:
Scythe (originally not coop game, but one of the best games of the last few years) has a pretty darn good solo mode, the Automa, which is controlled via a separate AI card deck and some movement rules that sound unintuitive at first but are in fact quite smart. Provides a good challenge with four different difficulty levels.

Hm, I've heard quite a lot of praise for Scythe and its solo mode recently. How long would you say does a session including setup take and how involved is that micro-management aspect? I reckon you have to move a lot of pieces around the board especially for the AI?
 

Snorkack

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Nah, on the contrary, the AI requires not that much maintenance. It doesn't even have a player mat like humans do. Basically, each turn you draw a card for the ai, then it gets a bunch of stuff, then it moves a bunch of stuff around, all depending on what's on the card.
Once you figured out how ai movement works, I'd say that all in all a session takes you less than an hour, including setting up and tearing down.
 

Kitchen Utensil

Guest
Okay, that really sounds promising. I'll have to investigate this a bit further, but I'd really like to try a new solo boardgame. Thanks for the suggestion. :salute:
 

RedScum

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I've played Mage Knight solo once and it was OK. Not a big fan of playing boardgames solitaire since I play them more for the social part that I don't really get from computer games. But I can see the appeal from it, my friend has played scythe solo a couple of times now and he enjoys it.
 

sser

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Wrath of Ashardalon is definitely fun as a sort of D&D-lite co-op romp. The game does a good job of toggling difficulty in the setup, too.
 

Kitchen Utensil

Guest
Only autistic people (in a literal way, not a lol-le-autism-meme way) are those that judge dixit by is mechanics.
It is a fucking game. How else would you judge it for?

Well, that's the thing with party games: most of them are very light on the rules and mechanics side, so the enjoyment they provide depends for the most part on the social interaction within the group; more than on good, tight or intricate mechanics. I think theme is also more important than mechanics in the party game genre (or more specifically, that the group enjoys the theme).
 
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Lurker King

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Well, that's the thing with party games: most of them are very light on the rules and mechanics side, so the enjoyment they provide depends for the most part on the social interaction within the group; more than on good, tight or intricate mechanics. I think theme is also more important than mechanics in the party game genre (or more specifically, that the group enjoys the theme).

Ok, but the
enjoyment in the social interaction you have playing the game relies on the mechanics. A game with a good theme without decent mechanics is broken.
 

J1M

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Watched a few of their videos. They keep on mocking the games I love the most, guess they are not really fond of euro style board games like I am.
Well, to be fair some of their criticisms are motivated by butthurt because some boardgames are overrated or have an unjustified cult status. They are not infallible but they are really knowledgable players. You should at least try their recommendations. I tried Pandemic because of them and I don't regret.
Couldn't you have acquired a Pandemic recommendation from literally anyone else? It's basically baby's first coop game. Just as Dominion is the standard first deck-building game.
 

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