Which game is it and what did you not like about it?
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Being a fan of engine/tableau builder, Wingspan really disappointed me. It’s not a bad game. It a very nice game, but the flow is average, at most.
Depicts some interesting ideas that push me to buy it with it’s first expansion (goal board, mix of engine and tableau building) it’s hugely luck based and the fact this game is rated 8+ on BGG, that tends to rate games mostly on advanced mechanisms and long run, is still a mystery to me.
I give it 5 plays with different peoples. Yet, I had no fun at all (I mean, zero… Watching flies around was the funniest part of my last game, sadly)… Then I played 51st State, which is a very good (yet not awesome) engine builder and have instant fun from start to end. The feeling of controlling things.
There are some highly rated games on BGG, and while I like some better than others, the ratings never seems off to me. Like “mmh, OK, I see why peoples like it”. But this offset has never been so huge with Wingspan.
So yes, I have it on my shelf, I watch its wonderful box like a disturbing mirror of my gaming tastes, knowing it’s praised by many, but I could almost try to find another table just when someone come up with the idea, while I usually really force myself to play games with different peoples because I know you will make peoples happy.
First time in my 20y of gaming, and it makes me feel so weird.
Thanks for reading me.
I wanted to like Wingspan but, like you say, it’s maybe something with the flow that just turns me off. Same for Parks. Maybe I’ll make do with just ogling the cards (because the art/graphics are gorgeous in both) vice playing with them haha
The only saving grace for Wingspan fore are the achievements in the digital version. I enjoyed having some bizarre setups needed to unlock the chievos and as a result I got better at the game I feel and was able to sort of get around the luck of the draw style.
What sent Wingspan into the stratosphere of popularity was more tapping into the non gamer middle age market with articles like the NYTimes.com at the time spreading the word.
Had it not pulled a Wii (a term I use when a company attracts a new demographic) I imagine Wingspan would have hovered around or above Viticulture popularity.
Had it not pulled a Wii
A good expression for the situation. Wingspan’s success is definitly to a large part because of it’s accessibility. Every problem you have (no cards, food, eggs) has an immediate, guaranteed and obvious solution. Everything you CAN do improves your position. And if you play on the blue side there is barely any direct competition in the game. There’s no way to shoot yourself in the foot. There is no requirement to plan ahead.
But it does have some potential to plan ahead, optimize and compete for those who want to.
It also doesn’t fall into any of the typical setting tropes like fantasy or sci-fi that might put some people off. It’s production values are pretty enough to catch some eyes.
as a result I got better at the game
Reminds me Pokemon Stadium and Star Realms. The fast pace of digital versions improve your skills very quickly and gives new perspectives to the games. Maybe Wingspan is simply to slow paced for me.
One Deck Dungeon is another one where I had this experience. The ability to easily experiment with undo and retry has helped me get better at the game on the table too. And I am not sure that I’d have tried two-handed solo otherwise which is a fun way to play the game.
Getting into tableau/engine builders games. Any recommendations?
Wingspan is still worth checking out especially since it’s so easy to try on BGA. There is a reason it’s so popular, it works well for many people. Everdell is another very popular one with great production. Kinda falls into the same camp in that it often shows up on these “popular games that didn’t work for me” lists but it’s quite good for what it is.
On the smaller side Wild Space can be a good entry point. Small box, inexpensive, very easy to play, fun combos.
Or if you want to jump straight into the deep water and go for the best that’s Lorenzo Il Magnifico for me. Deus is another one I like a lot but that has a map component too.
Settlers of Catan is one of the worst board games ever made. I will die on this hill.
you wont die alone on it. I am with you. So far, whichever game is on display together with Monopoly, Risk and Cluedo Harry Potter is doomed from the start
Hey! Risk europe is amazing !
Risk. Just rolling the dice and let the highest one win would be an equally well designed game.
It’s a shame that risk Europe is so good and so connected to the name risk.
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This is a board game community;)
For me this is Lost ruins of Arnak. The game is a sort of deckbuilder but it never feels like it. It also left us with the impression that you need to min/max from turn 1 and there is only a limited way to victory. Its on our list of games to resell. Do not understand the appeal
This is the same for me. Feel like a collection of half-baked attempts at mechanics from too many other games. The five turn limit is to short to do anything interesting with them, and makes it so the winner of the game is basically decided after turn 1. I like the theme and there are lots of games that are technically worse, but it just feels kinda mediocre and dull.
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I don’t know why people are downvoting you (if that’s what it’s called here). I LOVE Hollow Knight, probably one of my favourite games, but I can understand it’s not for everyone. I had a similar reaction to you with Hades, which made me realise I don’t enjoy Roguelikes and Roguelites, no matter how popular and beautiful they are.
Edit: Ah I just realised it’s because we’re in an instance for board games. My bad!
That’s hilarious - hades is one of my favorite games of all time lol we’re dead opposite
“New Phone Who Dis?” From the WhatDoYouMeme people. I imagine it sells regularly, but going in with low expectations for a judge-picks-card game this one somehow makes it really hard to think up of humor.
The sentences are longer and specific you can’t let your imagination run wild.
Obviously a cash in but felt like such a beyond low effort
The whole genre is overplayed. Apples to apples was great for kids, cards sold well because of the adult themes but even now it’s a pretty cringe game. Everything else is riding the same wave with no originality added to the concept.
I feel there is still life in it, like with Superfight. It encourages debating to the judge and pairs cards directly with each other granting more interaction.
And if you count Dixit/Mysterium/Obscurio as a judge/committee pick game I would love to see more people take a stab at judge pick games
But it is a shame Superfight seems to be dwarfed by other mass market games.
Super fight is a fun spin on the genre, as it Dixit. Keep in mind they mix things up though, rather than rebrand apple to apples.
Superfight doesn’t have a prompt to answer. It is pairing cards and having groups dictate.
Dixit is actually something I’ve noticed people with autism enjoy. My cousin is autistic and we played a demo at a LGS and she loved it because she could pick the hint freely. She could tell a poem, or pick one word, or even a song. She loved mixing it up. So we got her a. Copy for Christmas with a couple expansion packs.
She went to a group home with other autistic children a couple times a week to help with socialization. She took her game once and it was a very popular game. The workers there said everyone loved it.
Both of those games introduce a twist to the genre. The change the rules. That’s what makes them fun. Whereas Mysterium and Obscurio I would say don’t fall into the genre because it’s not a judge of what card fits better. It’s a series of hints to an answer. Those games have a correct answer where others do not.
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Was really disappointed in this one. It’s utterly beautiful but feels so shallow that it hurts. I was hoping the classes would be more in depth, there would be reputation systems with class mates and factions out in the world. I hoped your actions would have more impact rather than it being a beautiful painting that told you a linear story.
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This is a board game community ;)
Catan and King of Tokyo. Catan was I think the first “modern” board game I was introduced to and it did not click at all. King of Tokyo wasn’t awful but given how popular it was at the time, I was expecting more. I’ve only played them once, to be fair, so it’s a bit hard to get into details but they’re the 2 that come to mind!
I had great hopes for King of Tokyo but realize it’s one of those rated because of the production + reach the masses.
You should not expect more from KoT than a funny and visually appealing confrontation game. The more players you have the funnier it is.
As young teens KoT was amazing
Fuck that robber
Catan just feels weird. The thing is - and I kinda validated that recently by watching highlevel competetive play of the catan base game, but: You only have like 2-4 meaningful decisions in a game. The rest is just follow through and dice.
And these things aren’t that hard to see at a decent level. And when you make these decent decisions, you mostly just win. Even with the robber, there’s limited counterplay to these good initial choices. This makes it hard to play casually as well once you know the good things.
I also do not like Catan. Tired of getting pigeon holed in resources and then having to convince another player to trade when I have no real bargaining power.
You’re right, Catan sucks. Tokyo is much more interesting with powered up
Same with me and Catan. I generally do not like resource-hoarding “competitive” games anyway, and Catan did not help that.
Rising Sun is without a doubt my greatest disappointment in boardgaming. Everything went utterly wrong.
I love Blood Rage and love the japanese setting themes. When I learned a Blood Rage successor with a japanese setting was coming out, I was mega hyped. I read the rulebook, talked with my group, it seemed like a very nice fit. I ended up paying more than 200 euros for my Kickstarter pledge.
We played the game and we absolutely hated it. No one even wanted to give it another shot. I don’t remember exactly what went wrong, but the teaming up + betrayal actions were a big turnoff for us. We played as 5 which meant someone was always left without a partner.
No big deal, the game was hot and it wasn’t hard to find a buyer on BGG market. I shipped the game in the original packaging to the new owner but DHL sliced the package in half. The game ended up really badly damaged and I had to give a partial refund to the buyer.
Lesson learned, I never gambled on a big Kickstarter project again.
On the plus side Blood Rage is a dead seller at our store compared to Rising Sun which still sells out at wholesale for months on end
Probably quite lukewarm at this point, but Gloomhaven. Too much effort to set up and manage, losing often is annoying, losing often with no consequences for losing is even more annoying. It always felt like it would be better as a video game, and guess what? There is one now. It’s probably good.
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Didn’t know that some of these were turned into board games.
Santorini. I played it with my wife at our LGS a few years ago. The game was over too quickly, and it didn’t feel too rewarding.
