c/board-game-geeks

Finally taught a 10 minute trick to new players and they won 3 games in a row

Wrote off Gloomhaven for two years until a buddy forced me to play it

I assumed cooperative board games were just lighter stuff where one person ends up quarterbacking the whole thing. My friend Mark in Denver brought his copy over and made me sit through a full scenario. The legacy system and hidden objectives actually forced everyone to stay involved. Has anyone else been surprised by a game they ignored for a long time?

After 20 years, I finally tried a cooperative board game and I'm converted

I've always been a competitive player. Risk, Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, that was my thing. Last month my nephew brought over Pandemic and insisted we give it a shot. I figured it would be boring with no winner. We lost twice, but the third game we beat it by one turn. The tension was real and we were all cheering together. Has anyone else had a change of heart about a type of game they always dismissed?

Hot take: arguing house rules at the table ruins more games than bad design ever could

I was at a friend's game night last Saturday and this guy Mike kept pushing his own rule changes for every game we played. He wanted to skip the trading phase in Catan and then tried to make us play Dominion with a shared hand. I thought he was just being difficult until he said that house rules make games more personal and fun. But the rest of the table was clearly annoyed and the whole night felt awkward. It got me thinking - when do house rules actually improve a game versus just messing up the balance the designer intended? On one hand I get that customizing rules can fix broken stuff or speed things up, but on the other hand it feels like cheating when you change core mechanics. Has anyone else had a house rule debate that killed the mood at your table? What's the line between tweaking for fun and just breaking the game?

Used to always host game nights with beer and snacks, now I just put out water and pretzels after three people spilled drinks on my copy of Twilight Imperium

Ever since that last session where a whole IPA soaked through the board and all the faction sheets, I've gone dry and boring with the table setup - anyone else had to tone down their game night spread to save their collection?

Told me to stop sleeving my cards... big mistake

Last month at my local meetup in Austin, Dave the veteran player said I was wasting time on card sleeves for a $20 game. Now my copy of Splendor has a nasty coffee ring on three development cards and they're practically unplayable. Anyone else ever ignore good advice and regret it later?

Thought that fancy dice tray was dumb... until I actually used one

My buddy brought over this $60 wooden dice tray with a velvet bottom for game night last month. I laughed and said it was a waste of money. Then I rolled my dice and they kept falling off the edge of the table or knocking over my cards. After watching him use it for 10 minutes I grabbed it and honestly it changed how smooth the whole game felt. Anyone else have a game accessory they were dead wrong about?

Noticed a guy at my FLGS pulling empty boxes off the shelf

Was browsing the clearance section at Atomic Goblin Games last Saturday. Saw this dude grab 5 big box games, walk to an empty table, and just pull out all the components. Then he put the empty boxes back on the shelf. He was collecting pieces to fill his own custom storage solutions. Kinda genius honestly. Anyone else find missing bits from secondhand games drive you crazy too?

A friend told me I was hoarding board games and it hit me hard

Last month my buddy Mark came over and saw my shelves crammed with 50+ games I hadn't touched in years. He said, 'You're not a collector, you're just a hoarder with fancy boxes.' That stung lol. I ended up selling 15 games on Facebook Marketplace and used the $200 to buy a few games my group actually plays. Has anyone else had to trim their collection because of a harsh comment?

Caught a board game night host rearranging our player order after we left

Last month at a weekly meetup in Portland, the host kept winning after we switched spots at the table. I found out later he was secretly reseating people based on who he thought would slow down his main rival. Has anyone else seen someone mess with seating to rig a game?

My copy of Wingspan got coffee spilled on it at a game night and I thought it was ruined but turns out sleeving the cards saved most of them

This happened last Friday at my buddy Mark's place. Someone knocked over a mug and it soaked through the box onto like 20 bird cards and the scorepad. I freaked out at first. But I had sleeved all the cards a month ago after my dog chewed a corner off a Root card. Just wiped the sleeves off with a damp cloth and they were fine. The scorepad got wrecked though. Had to borrow someone's phone to tally points the rest of the game. Anyone else ever sleeved cards just for spill protection and had it actually pay off?

Saw a group playing Twilight Imperium at a coffee shop in Denver for 8 straight hours

Walked past this cafe near downtown yesterday and there they were. Full table of 6 people, maps spread out, snacks everywhere. The barista told me they show up every Saturday at 9am and dont leave until at least 5pm. Ive only played that game once and it took us 6 hours with 4 players. Anyone else have a local spot where people camp out for marathon board game sessions?

Used to think deckbuilders were all the same but Dominion and Star Realms play completely different at the table

Dominion's slower engine building clicked for me after a friend showed me how much faster Star Realms forces you to adapt each turn, and now I keep a copy of both in my bag.

Had a game night derail because a player didn't know the rules

I was hosting a game of Root at my place in Portland last Friday. One guy kept making illegal moves for three rounds before anyone spoke up. I had to pause everything, pull up the rulebook, and walk through the woodland alliance scoring system step by step. Playground felt awkward for the rest of the night. Has anyone else had a newcomer throw off a complex game like that?

Appreciation post: I finally stopped buying board games on impulse

I used to walk into a game store and grab anything with cool art or a fun name. Must have wasted over 200 bucks last year on games that hit the shelf once and never got played. Then I started a rule where I watch a full playthrough video and read reviews before buying anything. Now I wait a week and ask myself if I'll really get it to the table. Anyone else have a system to keep from buying games you never play?

Just had a full game night derailed by a missing rule book

We were 45 minutes into a 4-player game of Scythe last Saturday at my dining table and realized no one knew how combat resolves, and the guy who brought it forgot the rulebook at home. Ended up googling a PDF on my phone and arguing interpretations for 20 minutes before just quitting early. Has anyone else had a game session fall apart because of a missing manual?

Hit level 40 in my solo board game log after 8 months

I started keeping a log of every solo play back in January and just passed 40 entries this weekend. Has anyone else tracked their plays like this and noticed patterns in what you actually enjoy replaying?

Just learned the hard way why you don't buy cheap dice sets on Amazon

I ordered a 20 pack of polyhedral dice for $12 after seeing a deal. Looked fine in the pictures but when they showed up the d20 was visibly lopsided. Rolled it 50 times and got a 1 or 2 like 30% of the time. Whole group wasted a night blaming bad rolls before someone noticed. Anyone else get burned by those mystery dice bundles?

Found a trick for storing games vertically without inserts sliding everywhere

I tried using those little silicone jar gripper liners under the box lid and they actually kept everything from shuffling around, does anyone else have a cheap fix that works better?

Sold my copy of Terraforming Mars after one play of Ark Nova

I had Terraforming Mars for about 3 years and played it maybe 10 times. It was fine but always felt like it dragged a bit. Then a friend brought over Ark Nova last month and wow, it just clicked way better for me. The action card system is way more flexible and the zoo theme is fun. I mean, I know both games are about engine building but Ark Nova just feels less repetitive. Has anyone else switched from one big game to another and felt like it was a straight upgrade?

I was dead wrong about solo board games always being boring

Tried playing Wingspan alone after swearing off solo modes for years and actually enjoyed 5 rounds of bird collecting more than most group games I've played this month... has anyone else found a solo game that surprised them?

Hot take: Board game sleeves are NOT worth it for every game

I grabbed a copy of Terraforming Mars from a thrift store and didn't bother sleeving it, and after 3 plays the cards started showing edge wear and it bugs me every time I shuffle. Has anyone here regretted sleeving a game or is that just me being weird?

Shoutout to the guy who taught me the Catan robber is NOT a punishment tool

So I was at this game night last Saturday in Denver and this guy pulls out Catan and I'm already dreading it because I play super aggressive with the robber. Like I always put it on whoever has the most points or the best port, thinking that's how you win. Well this quiet dude in the corner, after I robbed him for the third time, just calmly says 'you know the robber is best for blocking resource flow long term, not just hurting the leader.' I legit laughed at first but then he explained how he watches what people are trying to build and cuts off their supply of whatever they need most. Tried it on my next turn and suddenly the guy who was crushing it on ore couldn't build cities anymore. It flipped my whole brain. Now I actually watch what tiles people are hitting instead of just being petty. Has anyone else had a game mentor just casually drop a strat that changes how you play forever?

Took me 3 hours to set up a Catan tournament bracket

I run a small monthly game night at my local library and last week I tried to organize a 16 player Catan tournament. I figured I could just wing it with a whiteboard and some markers. Three hours later I was drawing and erasing brackets trying to make sure nobody played the same person twice. Next time I'm just using a free online bracket tool from the start. Has anyone else wasted a whole evening on tournament logistics for a simple game night?

Pro tip: That $15 dollar store card game turned out to be a legit hit at game night

I walked into a dollar store last weekend looking for snacks, not board games. My buddy Dave kept saying we should try something new instead of our usual Catan rotation. I grabbed this dusty box called "Don't Get Got" for like 15 bucks thinking it would be a joke. Turns out it's actually a really clever party game where everyone gets a secret mission to do without the other players catching on. We played it for 3 hours straight and people were literally hiding under the table to complete tasks. The production quality is garbage and the cards are flimsy, but the gameplay itself is solid. Has anyone else found a surprisingly good board game from a random place like a thrift shop or gas station?