They had it above the shelves behind the buyers desk and it had been price cut. Persons who owned it maybe opened it and played it once or twice and stored it away. Definitely gonna play it with my friends for the laughs.

its getting to a point where some people are genuinely getting upset with each other. like literally last night it like got BAD, like BAD BAD. we were playing blood on the clock tower and people were accusing some girl of being bad even though she was saying she want, ect ect. long story short, her boyfriend stepped in and took it too personally and three guys ended up like screaming at each other in the event space we were playing at. idk how to deal with this kinda situation, like i love my boardgame friends but its like idk this is crazy and stressful.
i know some people are going to say "just get new friends" or like "you should play with different people" and i would seriously but i live in a small town and i dont have anyone to play with, and when i play on tabletop simulator i never find english speakers. sorry rant, i just dont know what to do about this situation

Was tired of the two discard piles sliding apart and allowing the pesky crab players to get a reminder of what's in the piles before choosing one.

I was intimidated to try Castles of Burgundy or Dune Inperium, but once I actually played them, I found them surprisingly easy to learn and play. The boards were intuitive and your options are clear by just looking at it.

On the other hand, Concordia is quoted to be a simple and elegant game with lots of strategy and it's weight is simmilar to CoB and DI, but I just could not get the hang of it and found it confusing. I was either completely broke, or i had mone and no resources, or lots of resources but no money to build. Also the order in which you should play or biy cards was not as clear as in CoB or DI.

Brass Birmingham is a different kind of beast. It's the nr. 1 game on BGG, but I remained confused even after watching several begginer tips and strategy videos. Maybe i'm just bad at economy games and have to accept that.

Either way, what other medium-heavy games were you intimidated by, but once you tried them, you got the hang of them quickly because there were intuitive and deceptively easy to learn?

I’m not sure how I feel about it. For a game that hits the table mostly at conventions, this seems cool to be able to get through a game faster. But, for me, the table interaction, voting on decrees, making verbal deals, and opportunities for roleplay are part of what make it epic.

That gets lost online.

I'm looking for a new board game for my group of 3 or 4 players, and I've narrowed it down to four candidates. Rather than just asking "which one should I buy", I'd really appreciate your help ranking them for our specific group, and I'll explain below what we like, what we've played, and how it went.

These preferences aren't in any particular order; I'm just listing what comes to mind. Personally, I've enjoyed most of the games we've played, but I'm trying to find something that fits the group's preferences as well.

What we're looking for:

• Player interaction and conflict. We enjoy having the option to fight, compete, interfere with each other's plans, or otherwise interact directly with other players.
• Multiple paths to victory. Ideally, there should be different strategies and ways to win, whether through military conquest, political influence, points, or other mechanics. We like having options rather than feeling forced to follow one optimal strategy.
• Meaningful decisions and strategic depth. We enjoy games where you have to think things through, adapt to the situation, and figure out how to get yourself out of a difficult position.
• Uncertainty until the very end. We don't like games where someone makes a strong move early on and it's immediately obvious that they're going to win. Of course, this depends on the players too, but we'd prefer games where the outcome remains uncertain until the later stages and there's still room for comebacks.
• Limited language dependency. One player in our group isn't very comfortable with English, so games with lots of complex text on cards, tiles, or player boards might be a problem. Basic English is fine, as you can see from the games we've played successfully, but advanced or lengthy card text would be best avoided. Sometimes he dont play so this is not a must, also for example in inis once he understood all of the cards that were in game there was no problem
• Easy setup and teardown. We'd prefer something that doesn't take half an hour to set up or put away.
• Relatively easy to learn, difficult to master. We don't mind strategic depth, but we'd appreciate rules that are reasonably quick to teach and learn.
• Miniatures are a plus! Not a requirement, but we definitely appreciate a game with nice miniatures.

Games we've played and enjoyed:

• Inis: We really like the interaction, area control, tactical decisions, and the fact that the game can end in different ways. You can never be completely sure how things will unfold.
• Terraforming Mars: We enjoyed the strategic options and the different ways to develop your engine and score points.
• Dune: Imperium: We like the mix of worker placement, deck building, combat, and the different strategic decisions you have to make.

Games that didn't quite click with our group:

• Ankh: Gods of Egypt
• Disney Villainous
• Spirit Island (this is actually one of my personal favorites, but it wasn't a great fit for the group as a whole)

The four games I'm currently considering:

• Scythe
• The Old King's Crown
• Tigris & Euphrates
• Hansa Teutonica

What I'd love your help with:

1. Ranking them in the order you'd buy them for a group like ours, and why.
2. Cutting any of them from the list if you think they:
   • are too similar to each other, so owning both wouldn't make sense,
   • clearly don't fit the preferences above,
   • or are too close to the games we already enjoyed (so it wouldn't add anything new) or to the ones that didn't click (so it would likely fall flat too).
3. Suggesting a fifth option if you think there's something that fits us better than all four. I'm genuinely open to it.

If you've played any of these at 3 (most of the time) or 4 players, I'd especially love to hear how they held up at that count. Thanks in advance!

I wanted a list and/or a comparison of the biggest ones (El Grande is the perfect example of a game I like in this specific genre). But with so many of them, euros, wargames with dice, or a hybrid of those two, I just want to have a few. With the second printing of Avalon: The Riven Veil I want to consider options before thinking about backing the game, and see if it lives up to the hype.

My board game group plays multiple games in a night and usually doesn't repeat/overlap games from week to week. I've noticed a trend emerging on the types of games we play as we start vs end the night.

• Opener: Something quick and light while people settle in. Easy to join mid-game, ideally under 15 minutes.
• Main event: The bigger game everyone came for.
• Closer: Something short and fun/less competitive to end on a high note.

Running a few game tables recently made me realize the opener matters more than I thought. A good one gets people talking and settles the “I’m not a game person” crowd before the main game starts.

What’s your go-to opener? And do you have a closer, or does the night just end when the big game does?

My most recent opener was Jackbox (not a board game but same impact), main was Catan, and ended with Wavelength.

I hope the information here can be of use to hobbyists who are interested in elegant board games with moderate-to-high player interaction.

Those wishing more information on classic-style eurogames might be interested in joining the OG German Game guild on BGG Even if you don’t want to join the guild, you might want to bookmark their upcoming game thread

Non-crowdfunding news:

From 25th Century Games: Ra retail version is back in stock in North America.

Playte seems to be leaning into classic-style eurogames. Hellas (from Dorra), Sardegna (from Dorra), Big Shot (from Alex Randolph) and Birth of the Post (from Seyfarth) are four that I am aware of. I think Playte also plans to release a new copy of Carolus Magnus (from Colovini). I am not familiar with all of the Playte games that are currently in print and it is possible that many more are classic-style eurogames. So, feel free to provide more info in the comments (or DM me) if Playte has more classic-style eurogames in print.

Playte’s games can be hard to find in NA, however, I do think that Playte maintains a presence on eBay, so that may be worth checking out.

A new version of Knizia’s Stephenson’s Rocket has been announced by Secco Games.

Mr. B Games will be releasing a new version of Moon’s Union Pacific

From Bitewing: Gold Country (from Knizia) should be available in retail now.

Crowdfunding news:

From Mighty Boards: Mighty Boards has announced that they will be crowdfunding Rebirth II (I THINK this is a standalone game but it might be an expansion).

From Allplay: Allplay has announced the forthcoming Through the Mountains, a “sequel” of Knizia’s Through the Desert. The same crowdfunding campaign will also feature a deluxe version of Through the Desert.

From APE Games: Crowdfunding campaign ended, and fulfillment expected in 2027: Medici Traders, Medici the board game, Medici the card game, Medici the Roll & Write, Whale Riders the board game and Whale Riders the card game. All of those games were designed by Knizia.

From 25th Century Games: Crowdfunding campaign ended, and fulfillment expected in 2026: Rheinlander and Ra the Dice Game. Crowdfunding campaign ended, and fulfillment expected in 2027: Tigris & Euphrates. All three games were designed by Knizia.

From APE Games: Crowdfunding campaign ended, and fulfillment expected in 2027: Mexica (from Keisling and Kramer), Bridges of Shangri-La (from Colovini), Gheos (from René Wiersma) and Reel Rivals (from Kramer)

From Bitewing: Crowdfunding campaign ended, and fulfillment expected in 2026: Arribada (from Hovakimyan) and Seagrass (from Bejamin & Gilbert). An upcoming crowdfunding campaign for Escar-Go! (formerly Excape, Exxtra, and Rapido) has been announced.

From Ghost Galaxy: Crowdfunding campaign for Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation (from Knizia) has ended. The game should reach backers before year’s end.

Note: most (perhaps all) of the games in the crowdfunding campaigns listed in this post will be sold at retail.

If anyone has more updates related to the world of classic-style eurogames, feel free to drop them in the comments.

UPDATE: thank you all for your thoughtful recos and responses. I think I have been influenced to skip this release, since it seems there are better options available and the gameplay for this is quite long for an experience that doesn’t appear to be worth it.

I’ve started getting into the board gaming hobby over the past 4-5 years and been interested in adding an area control, exploration, war game to my collection. I’ve been interested in Wroth, Blood Rage, Ankh and Andromedas edge, but haven’t pulled the trigger on any of them. Now I’m seeing Avalon pop up on game Gamefound and it’s an awesome theme and looks like it has a great production value, which is important to me.

Since I probably only want to get 1-2 of these types of games for my collection, I wanted to see if gamers who have experience with these types of games and have played Avalon feel like it is worth the hype compared to some of the other titles in the space. Thanks!

Learned how to learn games, but struggle how to really explain how to play the games. I try going from how to win and basically work backwards but end up missing some stuff or my partner having zero clue what I'm explaining.

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is excited for the upcoming fair next week!

For those of us attending, preparation is the key - plan is made, hand luggages are emptied, bank accounts are already whimpering - it’s gonna be a ton of fun.

I got my tickets way in advance, and for all 4 days. And yet, unfortunately, life decided to get in my way. In the end, I won’t be able to visit during the 1st day.

If you know someone who is interested to visit on 22.10, feel free to send me a message :)

Otherwise, I wish everyone to have an amazing time at the fair next week <3

Bought the main game and a couple expansions and am LOVING it so far. Saw the legends expansion and snagged it thinking I'd get more AI cars to race against but apparently the 6 extra cars for it aren't included in that expansion? They're not available from their site either? How are you supposed to get them? I got orange white and purple from the other expansions but no idea how to get cyan pink and the last color?

i never played boardgames until this year, (besides like splendor and catan) but someone introduced me to Cosmic Encounters and I CANNOT STOP PLAYING, literally its the only thing i can think about. but i dont own the game and my cousin is moving like 2 hours away and i seriously dont know how to find people to play with, im hoping this subreddit can help. everyone seems super friendly. how do u guys usually find people to play with?

I had an awesome time playing the original kabuto sumo for about 20 games. Then I learned all the characters and the game started feeling really repetitive. I find it boring now and instead of being excited to play it, I feel like I’m wasting time.

I did genuinely enjoy the game as I was first learning it though. Has anyone played both? Does sakura slam with its slight amount of increased depth make it interesting again? Or is it another game that will be fun for a bit before getting repetitive.

I usual put the little cardboard tokens and plastic pieces and stuff in Ziploc bags so I don't have to sort through a big mess whenever I open a game box, but I was just curious what other folks do. A few times when I've bought used games from eBay, the ziploc bags that the bits and bobs were in were like yellow and kind of tacky feeling so I'm wondering if that's not a great idea after all.

I just finished the game with my wife. We had fun, but only got the killer on 3rd attempt. So after the game I naturally started to look online for clues and facts we've missed which pointed to the official solution. But the more I compare the intended logic to the actual game materials, the more it feels like the game has a design flaw. I'm posting this here with genuine curiosity, hoping someone will prove me wrong :)

Eva

As I understand, the main argument against Eva is that she lied about her alibi regarding where she was and what she was doing around the time of the crime, supposedly disproven by the flood.

1. There is no evidence proving she lied about her location.
Eva (video): "Friday evening? Oh... I wasn't here at all. I went to the mountains right after work, to Beskydy. In the East."

Her bank statement shows her only Prague purchases were on Friday, Oct 6th at 8:57 AM and then Sunday, Oct 8th at 6:24 PM. Nothing contradicts her claim that she left the city for the weekend. Or is there anything we missed?

2. Discrediting her activities relies heavily on speculation.

Eva (video): "I go most weekends. (...) I cut the grass and take care of the garden a bit."

It’s unclear whether she’s implying she mowed the lawn this specific weekend or she's simply describing her typical habits on these trips.

If it's the latter, you can't really say she's lying or evading our question because we don't know what the original question was. If it was "Where were you on Friday evening" (as implied by 1.), then she did actually answer it, and the story about how her weekends usually go was just a conversational filler.

If it's the former, the argument still falls apart on the "Torrential Rain in the East":

• The weather report is far too broad. Drawing any conclusions from a storm report covering half the country is unrealistic. Unless the report named Eva's specific village, it doesn't disprove her story. Severe weather is notoriously localized - one town can be flooded while a neighboring one stays dry, and I know this from my own experience.
• The sole connection between the flood and Eva is the single word "East", mentioned in both her video and the newspaper. If this connection was supposed to be a crucial clue, I feel the creators pushed it too far with how incredibly easy it was to miss, and how completely inconclusive it is on its own.
• Unless of course the players were supposed to break the fourth wall and solve the case through meta-reasoning ("The writers included a weather article for a reason, so it must be important").

I understand she's not the "smoking gun" type of suspect, but what we got was nowhere near making her the suspect, let alone justifying an arrest. We actually thought that she only stole the gold, but the murder was committed by someone else.

Sarah's death

As I understand it, Sarah died after falling from the upper floor onto a metal rod protruding from the base of a statue downstairs. However, the evidence supporting this is riddled with inconsistencies.

1. The autopsy report is contradictory and jumps to conclusions.

• It states the rod was "protruding from a wall," which contradicts the actual crime scene photos showing it anchored to the statue's base.
• It asserts that the victim being "pushed onto the rod with considerable force" supports deliberate homicide. While the bruising points to a struggle, force alone doesn't prove intent; it could just as easily have been an accident.

2. Nothing suggests the statue and Sarah's office were on different floors.

I only found two references to Sarah's office's location:

Crime Scene Report: "Victim's office adjacent to the crime scene."

Incident Report (fire): "Dr. Sarah Mandl (...) has an office on the 2nd floor (adjacent to crime scene)"

To us, word "adjacent" refers to areas next to each other, not across different floors. Without any floor plans, the reasonable reading is that the statue area and the office are on the same floor. That creates a huge mechanical problem: in the photos, the top of the rod is positioned higher than the entry wound. A standard push on flat ground couldn't cause that puncture angle - she would have to be thrown or lifted and slammed down, which would require strength presumably only possessed by suspects ruled out by other evidence.

This essentially left us without any plausible explanation of the way she died, and we were leaning towards some kind of unexplained accident.

Now the cherry on the top. Let’s assume that the statue WAS located on a lower floor, and she DID fall from upper floor down to where the statue sits.

• Did Sarah haul dozens of kilos of gold to upper floor for no reason, and Eva came to take it directly from her?
• Or are we supposed to believe they started the fight near the statue, somehow waltzed their way up a flight of stairs mid-fight, only for Sarah to get pushed over the edge and fall onto the statue?

Neither scenario makes much sense to us, and the first one is somehow disproved by Sarah's final video when she states she was the one that approached Eva.

3. There are strong hints that the gold was hidden by the statue.

Now, to be fair, there is a scenario where the above wouldn't need to happen - that is if the gold, fire and renovation would be on the upper floor, and the statue was on lower floor. We found no evidence supporting this. On the contrary:

Crime Scene report: "(...) statue, which has been removed in connection with ongoing restoration work following recent fire damage".

It makes no sense to remove a statue on floor X if the fire happened on floor Y. The crime scene photos showing damaged floorboards right by the statue’s base support that this is where the fire was set and where the restoration work was ongoing. The natural conclusion is that the gold was stashed near the statue and that's where Eva found it. Alternatively, Sarah would have to:

• ignite fires on multiple floors - a highly risky move, never once hinted at in the game materials.
• tear down the floor on 2nd floor by herself - then she wouldn't need to start any fire in the first place.

A vague and anti-climactic reveal

Sarah (final video): "She pushed me. And I mean, what are the f\**ing odds... But I just remember warmth and quiet."*

That’s all we get. No mention of falling, no clarity on the mechanics of the death - just an ambiguous non-explanation.

It honestly feels like in early version of the game, the creators initially had the rod coming out of a wall, realized late in production that the logistics didn't quite work, and hastily altered the details without fixing the conflicting documents.

I actually found some compelling clues pointing to a different culprit, but I will leave them out for now, as this post is already quite long. Thanks for staying till the end :)

Is it worth getting? I play Jaw of the Lion and thought it was fine, but never finished it. I do like these ultra slimmed down versions of larger games. This is currently $20, worth it? And an expansion is about to drop too.

Brotherwise games have released a new kickstarter for a war game set in Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere. I was wondering if anyone here has played the demo on Tabletop simulator, and if so what do they think?

A coworker and I are trying to figure out a game from his past. He says it was out in 2014-16 and was about picking locks. Says it had multiple plastic locks with a large one in the middle. Says it used dice. Might’ve had a metal pick. Does that ring any bells for anyone?

I'm asking this because I'm really interested in their upcoming reprint release of The Thing TBG, as well as another of their games in late pledge, No More Dead: New York.

But, I already have one of their games backed, The Eternaut TBG, and two and a half years have passed since the end of the campaign and it still has not entered production. Their excuse is that the tariff problems hit them very hard.

So, have any of you participated in any previous campaigns for this company? Are you satisfied with the final result of their games? If I have to wait an extra year, I'll wait, I have no problem with that, as long as the final product is of a quality that justifies the wait.

Have 2 days of relatively uninterrupted board gaming. I am eager to play Lost Ruins of Arnak (complete) with the Leaders expansion and everything thrown in. I also want to play Dune Imperium with Rise of Ix expansion. I like that both games share some mechanics. I own and have played both. Which should be played first and should they be played back to back or on seperate days. Not looking for which is better. Thanks for any input.

Sorry for the long rant ahead, but my friends are getting wayyy too competitive about board games and i honestly dont know what to do about it

like I love playing games with my friends but its gotten to a point where nobody can just lose normally anymore, someone loses a game and suddenly everyone has to discuss on how they lost, who made them lose, whether someone was fixating on making them lose, etc. like last week we were playing Catan and one friend got REALLY upset because another player wouldnt trade with him. he kept saying that it was "obviously personal" and that they were throwing the game just to stop him from winning.

then yesterday we played wingspan and the same thing happened and it got worse, one of my friends got blocked fomr getting a card and he just lost it. Nobody was even cheating or doing anything weird. It was just someone taking a card before him, he started saying that people were against him or whatever and everyone started arguing

the worst part is that i dont even think these people realize that it shouldnt be taken this seriously. Like yeah competition is part of the fun but sometimes it just gets too much and it feels like a full blown tournament lol. I dont want to stop playing with them either bcs theyre the only people i play board games with, and finding another group is pretty hard where im from.