Board games - luck, thinking or logic?

Quote: MelvinList

And I like the game ALIAS, very cool, you can always have fun with friends

The above answer to a bridge puzzle got me thinking what level of skill do people like when playing board games. I'm based in UK but board games are massive in Germany (and cheaper!). If you really into board games there's an annual fair in Essen.

Personally I like playing a genre of board games called 18xx and get together with friends every month. Ticket to Ride is an enjoyable type of game which has some logic but has some luck on cards drawn. I have Race For The Galaxy on my laptop (see below). At a board games weekend I once played CodeNames with two teams of 5 most the night.



References:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1823/1829 - railways try to build routes and improve revenue; some games are about route building other about the stockmarket, this was the first 18xx and has led to many other versions (e.g.1870 and 1856 are based in US or US/Canada).
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames - this works best with two multi-person teams of similar thinking.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9209/ticket-ride - there is a genre of these, but you can be lucky with your initial routes; fairly easy to explain to beginners.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28143/race-galaxy - great card game that has various strategies based on your starting hand, subsequent draws and sometimes what others are doing - you can try it using download via http://keldon.net/rftg/~
https://www.spiel-messe.com/en/ - massive annual games fair, try them, buy them (usually cheaper) - well worth a visit, warning it can be expensive buying all those games you like the sound of but never get round to playing!

The more "thinking" that is involved in a game, the more I am turned off by it. I like games that are mostly luck.

I actually came here from BGG so enjoy all of the above. I do prefer the euros though. There's some luck to them but you can usually overcome it with solid strategy. Plus they generally take only an hour to play.

When I was a youngin, I could kick any adults ass in Candyland. As an adult, I haven't won a game in years. Strange how that worked out.

Of the games CP mentioned, we play Ticket to Ride and Codenames. If you like Codenames, you might want to check out Mysterium. Completely different theming and game play, but a similar concept of trying to guess things using less than ideal clues. It's kind of like Codenames meets Clue (Cluedo) at Picasso's house.

Our game nights (usually us and another family) are more about the social aspect. We usually play the easier to understand games: Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Century: Spice Road. However, if the wives decide they would rather chat and the kids are asleep or otherwise occupied, my friend and I will pull out something like Dominion or Settlers of Catan. We've even been known to play a bit of Cribbage!

Quote: billryan

When I was a youngin, I could kick any adults ass in Candyland. As an adult, I haven't won a game in years. Strange how that worked out.

So the adults let you win as a kid. Same as most adults do with kids in Candyland.

Quote: unJon

So the adults let you win as a kid. Same as most adults do with kids in Candyland.

It's been a while, but isn't Candyland 100% luck? Not only that, aren't all players' outcomes predetermined by the shuffle? It's hard to let someone win if you don't have any decisions to make in the game.

Quote: Joeman

It's been a while, but isn't Candyland 100% luck? Not only that, aren't all players' outcomes predetermined by the shuffle? It's hard to let someone win if you don't have any decisions to make in the game.

sure. If you always take the top card . . z

You should try playing "Ants in the Pants" with a 6 year-old. When it's over you'll feel like you've been hustled by "Fast Eddie" Felson.



I remember reading some article explaining why kids are such naturals at these types of games and then slowly lose the skill as they age.

Quote: TigerWu

The more "thinking" that is involved in a game, the more I am turned off by it. I like games that are mostly luck.

The exact opposite holds true for me.

Well, I just learned the board game I played in college is now notable.

Quote:

PanzerBlitz is a tactical-scale board wargame of armoured combat set in the Eastern Front of the Second World War. The game is notable for being the first true board-based tactical-level, commercially available conflict simulation

My family plays Wits and Wagers. It really is a fun game that almost anyone can play.