German-style Board Games

[surfer]

Started with Ticket To Ride (still a good game to play with guests, very easy to pick up and is always competitive)

moved on to Carcassonne (still my favorite, a very aesthetically pleasing game, just bought the Bridges, Castles & Bazaars expansion (which I havent played yet). Any other expansion suggestions?

I just bought Agricola, which I am still trying to figure out. I mainly started this thread because the rules are very confusing, and written pretty poorly imo, so I'm having to look online for other resources. Any suggestions?

I'm also looking for other games that are playable for 2 persons (that rules out Settlers afaik) I've also had recommended to me: Powergrid, Cathedral (which just looks cool). Any other suggestions?

[Gaendaal]

What do you mean by German-style?

My favourite board game, by a mile, is Arkham Horror mainly because it's a co-op survival horror board game based on the work of Lovecraft. Even without the numerous expansions it's a pretty wild game. With the expansions? Hoo boy...

[surfer]

What do you mean by German-style?

That is generally what they are referred to over here in the states:

German-style board games are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, indirect player interaction, and physical components, which are frequently wooden player tokens or markers.[1] The games emphasize strategy, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than military themes, and usually keep all the players in the game until it ends. German-style games are sometimes contrasted with American-style games, which generally involve more luck, conflict, and drama.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-style_board_game


I've heard of Arkham Horror, is it possible for 2 players?

[Gaendaal]

Oh, never heard the term before but I can see the distinction.

You can play Arkham Horror with 1 player upwards to about 5 or 6. Gets very unwieldy after that.

[diederich]

I really love these games with the right people. My brother in law is a huge huge fan and has a ton of them. We played Seven Wonders and Tobago over the holidays. I don't know many two player games unfortunately, although I can't recommend Dominion highly enough. It's a card game, so not german-style, but everyone I know who likes the german-style/strategy board games loves Dominion.

boardgamegeek.com is of course the best resource for this whole world.

[esquilo]

QUARTO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarto_%28board_game%29) is a very good and entertaining "german style" (whatever that means) 2 player game.

[joeperucki]

I'm not a big game player but I enjoy Gobblet Gobblers with the kids - I believe it qualifies per the definition. Like tic-tac-toe with a little added complexity. I'd have to check but not sure if you can scratch the faces off the pieces - I'd prefer them to look like the minions from Despicable Me.

[surfer]

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id= ... rPromoArea

Mo Rocca on European-style board games

[Gaendaal]

Picked up Mansions of Madness the other day, to supplement epic Arkham Horror sessions with a slightly quicker game.

Looks great. Modular playing area, narrative structure lead by a GM, actual figures instead of card markers, in-game puzzles to solve.