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What My Non-Gamer Friends Think of My Games
Jeff Bowen
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Brooklyn
NY
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These ratings are an average from about 15 different non-gamer friends and relatives including my brother, sister-in-law, teenage cousins, party girls, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends...the works. Not all of them have played every game, but I had them all give me feedback based on the games I've put them all through. I'll continue to update the list as more games hit the table or as some of the ones below make a return to the table.

6 being the highest rating and 1 being the lowest, based on their feedback and me scrutinizing their gameplay.

I've gotten to know which friends will dig which games. Hopefully this'll help you as a starter guide for your NGFs. It is my hope that every game finds a proper audience in someone.

The "Friend Quote" is just because an outsiders point-of-view can be refreshing at times. The "Replay Chance" is the percent chance of whether I think I'll be able to get my NGFs (non-gamer friends) to play again.

Please add your comments based on your experiences with non-gamers who've ventured into world of some of these games.
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1. Board Game: Agricola [Average Rating:8.25 Overall Rank:2]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 5

FRIEND QUOTE:
"So the cow can live inside my house? As a pet? Really? A pet cow? Inside a house?"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Honestly, I was not expecting this to gain as much favor as it did what with all the nerdy bits inside the box. We played the family variant (which, sadly cannot be listed in the Family Games category on BGG) and people picked it up fairly quickly. One of the greatest aspects of Agricola is you can pretty much explain/teach as you move along. It's also not a cutthroat kind of game, which my NGFs tend to lean towards.

REPLAY CHANCE: 85%
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Ray F
United States

California
Im thinking about getting this. Its your 2nd favorite game i see, do you think it will go over well with my game group? They have played TTR, Pandemic, and Settlers of Catan, and all faired pretty good.They actually dont care for TTR too much anymore, although they only played it a few times. Age group is mid 30's for all of us, my wife and I and 2 female friends.
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  • Edited Wed Mar 2, 2011 2:31 am
  • Posted Wed Mar 2, 2011 2:31 am
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Jeff Bowen
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I would recommend it. The family variant in the game is very playable and newbie friendly. However, the normal game with all the cards provides more interaction. Though Agricola is a bit more dense, if your group has played TTR, Pandemic and Catan, they can handle this.

ADDED NOTE:
I wish that I had the animeeples and all the other goodies that come with... well Agricola: The Goodies... I think they would make the game a lot more fun for NGFs.
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  • Edited Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:57 am
  • Posted Thu Mar 17, 2011 5:22 am
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Ray F
United States

California
Thanks for your response. Im definitely going to get it, and some generic meeples to boot.
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  • Posted Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:44 pm
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Joe F.
United States
Seattle
Washington
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One of my friends has become a little obsessed with this game, but I'm sure it's just a coincidence that she's also a big fan of the Harvest Moon video games.
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  • Posted Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:32 pm
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2. Board Game: Puerto Rico [Average Rating:8.26 Overall Rank:3]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 5

FRIEND QUOTE:
"I feel like I'm part of the plot of a great film."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Overall the NG feedback is that PR is so successful because the theme matches the mechanics, the bits are pleasing and there's a good balance of interaction and strategy.

REPLAY CHANCE: 80%

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Yoki Erdtman
Sweden
Södertälje
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Wow, this is great news, I just ordered the game. My experience with introducing this to non-gamers come from my sister in-law trying to get her parents and her husband to play this with her, and them balking at what a dull brain-burner it was.
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 1:27 am
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Richard Clarke
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The problem with this is experienced players will annihilate new players. I think it works best if a group all learns the game together.
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  • Posted Mon Jun 2, 2008 1:11 am
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Dan
United States
San Francisco
California
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My bro introduced me to PR a few months ago. In that time, I've discovered I'm a boardgamer at heart. It was a fried twinkie for our family and the first bite led us down a path to morbid obesity. We play Agricola more now, but this started us (and especially me) down a path of no return!

Liquid awesome--although I have to admit, we played pretty poorly too until my bro told us we were being suckered by taking mayor and craftsman too much.
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  • Posted Fri Jan 2, 2009 11:10 pm
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Bill Plumley
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I have to agree with this one. It takes people a bit of getting used to, with the action selection process and such, and the selling and shipping of goods can put people off at first, but the couple times I've sprung this on non-gamers, it's been a great hit.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 3, 2010 5:04 pm
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John Riddles
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Ames
Iowa
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Opposite experience here. My NGF seem to grasp the rules alright, but are pretty clueless as to what constitutes a good action.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 3, 2010 7:21 pm
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3. Board Game: Power Grid [Average Rating:8.09 Overall Rank:5]
Jeff Bowen
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Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 4

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Holy crap! This plant is amazing! It puts out so much and requires nothing."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
This one sort of split down the middle with several people really enjoying it and others finding it too dry.

REPLAY CHANCE: 65%
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Pieter
Netherlands
Maastricht
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Is is dry. That is no reason not to enjoy it.
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:05 pm
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Bill Plumley
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Even the non-gamers I've sprung this on who go on to lose miserably admit it's a good game. I haven't really ran into anyone finding it 'dry', but I could see, just with the theme and art style, how it might get to someone. I, and my non-gaming friends and family, find it rather charming.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 3, 2010 5:08 pm
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Lee Ambolt
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Linus Per Ambolt 13.12.2010
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this is one of the funniest things I've read on BGG today, though probably not in the way you would hope.
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  • Posted Thu Apr 29, 2010 1:53 pm
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Lee Ambolt
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Flyboy Connor wrote:
Is is dry. That is no reason not to enjoy it.


this is one of the funniest things I've read on BGG today, though probably not in the way you would hope.
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  • Posted Thu Apr 29, 2010 1:53 pm
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Lee Ambolt
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Longbow wrote:
That's plenty of reason for some. It's called "preference".


this is also one of the funniest things I've read on BGG today, in contrast to the guy who you replied to, it IS in the way you hope. Good work longbow!
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  • Posted Thu Apr 29, 2010 1:54 pm
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4. Board Game: Caylus [Average Rating:7.97 Overall Rank:10]
Jeff Bowen
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Brooklyn
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FRIENDS RATING: 2

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Really? We're still being read the rules?"

CONSENSUS:
I love this game, but alas I'll be having to seek out gamers only to play with me.

REPLAY CHANCE: 15%


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John W
United States
Sacramento
California
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I wouldn't try to run gamers through this - but your "non-gamer friends" actually finished a game?

You are way underestimating your friends if they even thought to play with you ever again after making them sit through this one....
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 9:10 am
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Daniel Persson
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I just don't recognise this reaction at all. I got the game together with my gf, who previously had played carcassonne only. Now, while this may put her out of the NG category she was still in every way very much of a beginner. But she absolutely loved it, and didn't even complain about the amount of rules, not that much any way.

Later on I used it to introduce some real NGFs of mine to board games and they too got really in to it. Sure, I had to be a total bitch about the rules for the first 15 mins or so but after that no-one dailed to get it. And the structure with the castle building slowly expanding the number of options made everyone realise that there aren't that many hard decisions to make. Not until you reach the last section anyway..

But it would be weird if it appealed everyone, though... cool
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  • Posted Mon Dec 22, 2008 8:38 am
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Bernard Hopkins
England
Durham/Darlington
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Chris Sjoholm wrote:
I taught a couple of neighbors how to play Caylus. One of them bought his own copy and plays it with his non-gamer wife and some of their "couple" friends. [jealousy]Stupid neighbor...[/jealousy]


That’s a very polite story your neighbour has spun told you.
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  • Posted Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:52 pm
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Keith S.
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This was pretty much my friends'/family's reaction to Agricola. I like the game, my wife thinks it's ok now that she's played through it, and there are a couple of D&Ders for whom the rules are a walk in the park, but the casual gamer crowd took one look at the bit count and the font size of the rulebook and went "uh-uh".
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  • Posted Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:26 pm
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Peaceful Gamin'
Canada
Vancouver
BC
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after two hours at a gamer's tables here was our quote:
"What, we're *still* not done?"
And we like the full 5h edition of Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization...
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  • Posted Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:22 am
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5. Board Game: Dominion [Average Rating:7.95 Overall Rank:11]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 6

FRIEND QUOTE:
"You should make a card called "Musical Youth" that requires players to pass a duchy to the left hand side."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
After about 3 minutes of easing into it, this caught on. The Seaside Expansion seems to be the NGF friendliest of the expansions. Alchemy is probably the least. This will slide up there with Ticket to Ride and Settlers as one of the greatest gateway games of all time, IMO.

REPLAY CHANCE: 100%
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Rich Johnson
United States
San Ramon
California
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This game is great to teach. ABC - Action, Buy, Clean up.
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  • Posted Tue Feb 8, 2011 5:08 am
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Tim Courtney
United States
Newark
Delaware
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I thought it meant "always buy chapel."
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  • Posted Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:52 pm
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P. Rehberger
United States
Burlington
Wisconsin
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Alternatively box cards?
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  • Posted Sat Jul 9, 2011 7:09 pm
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Bryan Meyers
United States
Bellingham
Washington
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thumbsupthumbsupthumbsupthumbsupthumbsup on your friends quote.
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  • Posted Thu Feb 23, 2012 2:35 pm
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Peaceful Gamin'
Canada
Vancouver
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shuffle shuffle shuffle
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  • Posted Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:21 am
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6. Board Game: 7 Wonders [Average Rating:7.95 Overall Rank:12]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 6

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Oh my god, that seagull is going to catch on fire."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Quick, easy to learn, and great strategy. The constant offensive/defensive decisions are precisely balanced.

REPLAY CHANCE: 100%
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Rich Johnson
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San Ramon
California
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This one has been a big hit for my non-gaming friends also. They are usually befuddled through the game until the scoring happens. Then I can see their eyes light up as they realized what worked and what didn't, and they are usually eager to give it another go. The short length is good too.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:42 pm
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7. Board Game: El Grande [Average Rating:7.89 Overall Rank:13]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 4

FRIEND QUOTE:
"What's this big black thing for again?"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Another one that leaned more towards people liking it, but a few were bored the whole time.

REPLAY CHANCE: 65%
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Rob Herman
United States
Cleveland
Ohio
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Quote:
"What's this big black thing for again?"


If you have to ask, you'll never understand.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:33 pm
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Randy Brown
United States
Manchester
New Hampshire
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Fad23 wrote:
And speaking of that, has anyone noticed what the king resembles? I was playing with a few gay players and I made a reference that wasn't going to leave anyone's minds very quickly...


You mean Darth "You can be my Daddy anyday" Vader? What's so wrong about that?
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  • Posted Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:51 pm
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Neil Figuracion


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"You can be my daddy any day"? Um, I suppose on the geek, that would be expected. Nah, I'll just suggest that it resembles a certain kind of stopper.

Although if the king were Darth Vader, that would explain tons about this game.
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  • Posted Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:04 pm
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Coen Velden
Germany
Geldern
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Fad23 wrote:
And speaking of that, has anyone noticed what the king resembles? I was playing with a few gay players and I made a reference that wasn't going to leave anyone's minds very quickly...


I suppose you were referring to the "Buttplug" ?
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  • Edited Sat Jan 23, 2010 1:46 pm
  • Posted Sat Jan 23, 2010 1:45 pm
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Jake Waltier
United States
Seattle
Washington
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Fad23 wrote:
And speaking of that, has anyone noticed what the king resembles? I was playing with a few gay players and I made a reference that wasn't going to leave anyone's minds very quickly...

Try Blue Moon City sometime.
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  • Posted Sun Oct 31, 2010 2:25 pm
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8. Board Game: Race for the Galaxy [Average Rating:7.87 Overall Rank:14]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 1

FRIEND QUOTE: "Wait, what do the red numbers mean?"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Wow, this was a real bomb with my non-gamer friends - especially after several had played Galaxy Trucker.

REPLAY CHANCE: 10%
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Mark Casiglio
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Shelton
Connecticut
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I've seen this referred to as the "Anti-Gateway Game" and I heartily agree. Nice game, but not something to spring on new gamers.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:19 pm
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V L
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Virginia
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brianr529 wrote:
I find it surprising to hear so many people find RftG's iconography to be confusing/obtuse - when I was learning, they made perfect sense to me, and I even marveled at how easily I could learn the game just from checking the player reference sheet alongside my hand of cards. Oh well - "in heaven, everything is fine / you've got your good things, and I've got mine"



It isn't too bad until I start looking at the nuances of worlds by color, color border, color fill, etc...

Then I always get confused. I want the graphic designer who made 7 Wonder's cards to redo RfTG's so I could have a chance at enjoying Race. And I'm a gamer. Of course, just because I'm a gamer doesn't mean that I will like every game or this particular game. I like the idea of race and much of the gameplay. I just can't get over certain aspects and I know my group would have even less tolerance of it.

And for the record I like San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dominion, 7 Wonders but I think I have yet to find a good multiplayer space game. Eminent Domain will eventually ship to me though and hopefully that will be the one.
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  • Posted Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:36 pm
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V L
United States

Virginia
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GetFunkadelic wrote:
dagibbs wrote:
I'm not surprised at this one. Way to much finicky symbolism to learn for someone new.


The symbols are dreadfully poor and the game has no interaction, so it's easy to see why non gamers dislike it. I find the same reaction from non gamers and gamers whenever this has been thrust upon different groups. It plays like everyone is playing a game of chess with their own computer opponent but they are all seated with laptops at the same table and the first one to win against their computer opponent stands up and announces it and then everyone else shows their chessboard to the rest and starts over again.



I do see the interaction (there's more than you think at first) but I also have trouble with it. It requires being able to understand somebody else's board and guessing what they might play. Then hoping your right and trying to benefit from that. I can barely understand my own board. So I rarely understand anybody else's. Or if I took the time to it would slow down the game too much.

When I got 7 wonders for it's simultaneous gameplay, quick but still with depth, and great card design awesomeness...


Well let's just say that to play Race I'd need a new printing with new symbology that makes sense to me. Hopefully it would still make sense to the people who love the game too.
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  • Posted Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:43 pm
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V L
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_Getting_Old


I think the explanation to why some people get it and some don't is something like that south park episode. To some the game symbols will always look like "poo" or effectively, "like too much work to understand".

And the next step is gauging whether they could get anyone else they play games with to understand it.
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  • Posted Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:56 pm
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Kenneth H
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Oddly enough my fiance's non-gamer mother loves this game.
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  • Posted Thu Feb 9, 2012 3:38 am
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9. Board Game: Tigris & Euphrates [Average Rating:7.88 Overall Rank:15]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 1

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Oh my god, so many decisions I don't really care about."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Eeks. My NGFs really weren't having this one at all. Many complained of headaches afterwards.

REPLAY CHANCE: 10%
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Bruno Valerio
Portugal
Aveiro
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You're friend RoX!

I share his/her opinion about T&E.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:57 am
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River Williamson
United States

Maryland
Jimzik wrote:
RED for an internal fight and the color of the matching LEADERS for an external attack. WHY is this such a hard concept to grasp????????



Uh... you lost me.
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  • Posted Fri Feb 26, 2010 4:39 pm
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Francisco Alcala
Mexico
Leon
Guanajuato
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I agree with your friends. Even as a gamer, I find this game terribly boring, confusing, and pointless. It is also the only Knizia's games I dislike so far.
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  • Posted Fri Apr 2, 2010 5:18 am
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Eric Mock
United States
Hilton Head Island
Unspecified
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I love this game. It is probably my favorite game. But, I have heard all manner of negativity about it.

I think the one main problem that people have with this game is the fact that you are a symbol, and NOT a color. That one point seems to go against all our gaming instincts, and slow (if not stall) any decision-making process and the resultant understanding of the game itself.
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  • Posted Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:25 am
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David Seddon
United Kingdom
Congleton
Cheshire
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I think it's great, but it is very heavy on tactical play - I couldn't say there's too much strategy as the game changes so quickly and it's also very vicious so if you play it with non-gamer friends they're not going to like that - i expect they'd hate something like High Society for the same reason.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 15, 2012 4:47 pm
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10. Board Game: The Princes of Florence [Average Rating:7.75 Overall Rank:26]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 6

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Drunk people stumbling out of that Lab are going to fall right into your lake"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
This one surprised me when it went over so well. I thought it might be to heavy, but it wasn't. NGFs really liked the theme of this.

REPLAY CHANCE: 90%
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Mark Casiglio
United States
Shelton
Connecticut
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I find PoF is very accessible to new gamers who are open to trying a heavier game. I think it's because of the lack of direct conflict. People feel safe in trying out their options without worrying about being wiped off the board.
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  • Edited Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:21 pm
  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:18 pm
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Damian Evans
United States
Spokane
Washington
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The trick is explaining that a works can become Florin and/or VPs. The way its explained in the rules confused many people that I've tried to teach.
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  • Posted Sun Aug 31, 2008 4:32 pm
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Lincoln Fraga
United States
Hacienda Heights
California
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game_boy wrote:
pkreynolds wrote:
especially for mon-gamers

Here we just call them Jamaicans.


LMAO!!!!! My eyes are waterin'...and I think I peed myself a little!!
laughcrylaughcry
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  • Edited Tue Feb 1, 2011 6:21 pm
  • Posted Tue Feb 1, 2011 6:19 pm
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David Seddon
United Kingdom
Congleton
Cheshire
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I'm surprised here. This is very dry.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 15, 2012 4:47 pm
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Scott Olson
United States

Washington
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I'm going to have to give this one a try with my NGF's. Maybe even my wife, god-forbid.
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  • Posted Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:28 pm
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11. Board Game: Goa [Average Rating:7.76 Overall Rank:30]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 4

FRIEND QUOTE:
"I like this. In fact, I like this a lot."

CONSENSUS:
This game (like Ra) was well-liked by several NGFs and somewhat disliked by several others. If I assemble the right group again, this one will be a success I'm sure.

REPLAY CHANCE: 70%

2011 UPDATE:

FRIENDS RATING: 2

FRIEND QUOTE:
"I wanna Goa home."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Tried this a couple of times on a new group and it's just too damned dry now for the NGFs.

REPLAY CHANCE: 30%
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Darren M
New Zealand
Nelson
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I'm surprised this one went over fairly well with non-gamers ... a lot of people (even many gamers) feel it's pretty dry with little interaction.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:47 pm
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Nevin Ball
United States
Dallas
Texas
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That tickles!
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Quote:
FRIEND QUOTE:
"I like this. In fact, I like this a lot."


What did he/she/they like about it?
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:28 am
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Steve Wagner
United States
Kenesaw
Nebraska
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This isn't that hard to teach people. The rules are terrible, but if you got someone that knows this game really well, teaching it isn't that hard.
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  • Posted Sun May 4, 2008 6:43 pm
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Damian Evans
United States
Spokane
Washington
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nexttothemoon wrote:
I'm surprised this one went over fairly well with non-gamers ... a lot of people (even many gamers) feel it's pretty dry with little interaction.


I feel that way and I normally don't mind dry games.
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  • Posted Sun Aug 31, 2008 4:40 pm
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12. Board Game: Pandemic [Average Rating:7.62 Overall Rank:43]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 6

FRIEND QUOTE:
"You guys have never seemed so helpful to me."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
This is a nice change-of-pace from the typical board game. The co-op play is well-balanced and people were on board with this almost immediately.

REPLAY CHANCE: 95%
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Scotty Dickey
United States
Brandon
Mississippi
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This one worked with gamers and non-gamers alike. I can't wait to try it with my parents. They will love it.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 2:49 pm
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Bill Plumley
United States
Sun Prairie
Wisconsin
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A truly splendid game for gamers and non-gamers alike. The only thing to be careful of is if you have people who don't like losing, because losses in this game are fairly regular, if not inevitable in some cases.

Younger non-gamers (heck, about anyone) can learn a bit of geography. The game plays to its theme beautifully. There's plenty of tension. You truly have to work as a team. And, in the right crowd, there's plenty of tongue-and-cheek humour about things like sanitation habits and the ways in which diseases spread.

And hey, with Swine Flu still in our minds and air supply, it's hard to find many games more topical than this one.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 3, 2010 5:18 pm
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Cameron Chien
United States
Rancho Cucamonga
California
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While losing is inevitable, it doesn't hurt as much when you all lose together.

Cameron
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  • Posted Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:11 am
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David Seddon
United Kingdom
Congleton
Cheshire
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No surprise. Try them with Forbidden island, too.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 15, 2012 4:48 pm
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Scott Olson
United States

Washington
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I've found this one to be very NGF friendly as well. They all get so excited towards the end of the game.
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  • Posted Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:29 pm
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13. Board Game: Railroad Tycoon [Average Rating:7.68 Overall Rank:50]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 1

FRIEND QUOTE:
"We have to eat lunch or I'm going to kill someone."

CONSENSUS:
I enjoy this one a lot, but I just couldn't get it to click with anyone. NGFs of mine much prefer Ticket to Ride.

REPLAY CHANCE: 10%
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David Seddon
United Kingdom
Congleton
Cheshire
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I prefer TtR myself...and I like most of the games on the list.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:52 am
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blaise st-laurent
New Zealand
Wellington
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This one was very daunting to my NGFs, but now we play it all the time. Why? My thoughts:

1) when we started, we decided there were too many rules, so we cut the ones that seemed the most "tacked on" out: Western Link, Tycoons and Cards. BIG MISTAKE! These are essential to changing peoples strategies and recognizing big risks with big rewards

2) we started late one night, and didn't realize that it was going to be a very long game.

3) the concept of 3 rounds per turn was frustrating to those most used to settlers, but we got a printout of the turn sequence from here and that's made life a lot easier.

Now they can't wait till i get Rails of Europe!

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  • Posted Mon May 26, 2008 10:38 pm
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Bill Plumley
United States
Sun Prairie
Wisconsin
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Ticket to Ride isn't a train game cry It's just a game that has trains as a theme. The same thing could've been accomplished with airports around a country, with plastic planes connecting different airports. Or bus stops. Or planets with hyperspace gateways. Or computers, with plastic 0's and 1's.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 3, 2010 5:25 pm
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Regards,
United States
Springfield
Oregon
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I've played it once and I enjoyed it, as I recall. But it's a board game based on a simulation video game. It REALLY shouldn't be compared to Ticket to Ride, unless you are very specifically looking for locomotive board games.
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  • Posted Mon Nov 29, 2010 12:02 pm
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Jay LaFountain
United States
Coldwater
Michigan
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I thought it was as board game based on Age of Steam.
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  • Posted Sat Mar 5, 2011 10:22 pm
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14. Board Game: Ra [Average Rating:7.58 Overall Rank:52]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 4

FRIEND QUOTE: "Shouldn't Ra be an acceptable Scrabble word?"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
One of many strong hit or misses with my NGFs. All the ladies dug this one. Something about the auction mechanic is well-liked by the bulk of my lady-friends. See Modern Art below.

REPLAY CHANCE: 60%
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Lou Seelbach
United States
Huntington
West Virginia
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Why would you need RA when you have AR?
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:39 am
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Daniel Persson
Sweden
Uppsala
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unixrevolution wrote:
I think it'd be fun to try scrabble with just game titles.


Well, good luck playing that with your non-gamer friends devil oh, just a small house rule, nothing to worry about...
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  • Posted Mon Dec 22, 2008 8:53 am
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Dan Lokemoen


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When I try to get female friends to play an auction game, I refer to it as "shopping." Even though they realize I'm joking it actually helps sell the whole idea, and in that light, I think they perform better in the game -- they look for bargains, which is what a good auction bidder does. I gues you could say that this is insulting, but I don't see shopping as a 'lower' activity than bidding at an auction. I think you can often make a game more intuitive to a newb by putting aside the theme, and couching activities in the right language.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:01 pm
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Nick O'Leary
United States

New Hampshire
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Trust me, I want to play RA all the time. It comes up.
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  • Posted Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:41 pm
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Regards,
United States
Springfield
Oregon
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Ra, worth two points? Man, if you're resorting to that in Scrabble, you're not gonna win anyway......
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  • Posted Sun Mar 6, 2011 7:25 am
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15. Board Game: 1960: The Making of the President [Average Rating:7.65 Overall Rank:55]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 5

FRIEND QUOTE:
"I still can't believe there's not an option to assassinate someone?"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Introducing this in such a politically charged time in the US was a good move. Played with two teams of two and that proved interesting, fun and challenging as well.

REPLAY CHANCE: 80%
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Preston Fuller
United States
Ashland
New Hampshire
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Quote:
Played with two teams of two and that proved interesting, fun and challenging as well.


Wow, I never thought of that. With non-gamers-gamers mix this may work. I could see two couples playing this way.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:35 pm
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Dan4th Nicholas
United States
Cambridge
Massachusetts
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Oh dear god!!! *grovels* I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!!!

I can't *believe* you got non-gamers to even begin to tackle 1960. Not that it's not a good game: it's really awesome. But it's so intimidating! Geez!

You must have the Charisma of a Cult Leader, to talk your friends into trying some of these games, let alone finishing them.
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  • Posted Thu Apr 17, 2008 12:42 am
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Rob Bradley
United States
Belleville
Wisconsin
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1960 is a simple game.

No really, All that you have to do is break it down into the cube mechanic. And pretty much everything is based on that mechanic. After they are comfortable with the add/remove cubes, everthing else is easy.

If you are worried that you are losing their attention, play the first turn with just campaigning and events. Don't bother even mentioning the debates or election day until you need to add a card to campaign strategy.

Turn two, introduce the options for advetising/issues track/ and momentum and everything else.

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  • Posted Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:00 pm
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Joshua OConnor
United States
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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dan4th wrote:
Oh dear god!!! *grovels* I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!!!

I can't *believe* you got non-gamers to even begin to tackle 1960. Not that it's not a good game: it's really awesome. But it's so intimidating! Geez!

You must have the Charisma of a Cult Leader, to talk your friends into trying some of these games, let alone finishing them.


I was SURE my wife would get into the theme of this one in an election year. Wrong!
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  • Posted Wed Jul 2, 2008 7:52 am
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The Fiend
United States
Avon Lake
Ohio
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????? RR TYCOON was too long and daunting but they loved THIS!
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  • Posted Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:00 am
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16. Board Game: Ticket to Ride: Europe [Average Rating:7.55 Overall Rank:66]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 6

FRIEND QUOTE:
"That poor little girl hates her mother for dressing her like that. That ticket she's holding is good for one free slapping of her mom."

CONSENSUS:
It's Ticket to Ride. What's not to like for NGFs? Now with little wedding steeples.

REPLAY CHANCE: 100%
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Scott Olson
United States

Washington
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No question here. Easiest game to get on the table.
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  • Posted Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:30 pm
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17. Board Game: Galaxy Trucker [Average Rating:7.52 Overall Rank:70]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 5

FRIEND QUOTE: "Space junk rulez!"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
NGFs tend to enjoy the first couple of rounds, but grow tired if I make them play on.

REPLAY CHANCE: 85%
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Ugur Dönmez
Netherlands
Hoofddorp
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Quote:
NGFs tend to enjoy the first couple of rounds, but grow tired if I make them play on.


Actually, that was how I felt about this one too...
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:09 pm
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Plague World Cylon
United States
Shelton
Connecticut
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Quote:
NGFs tend to enjoy the first couple of rounds, but grow tired if I make them play on.

I've run into the same response with gamers. Of course, one of those gamers said he would play it again sometime...
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  • Posted Fri Apr 18, 2008 2:34 pm
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United States

Virginia
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I don't care for the game, Nertz because I don't like "speedy grabby games".

From what I remember of Galaxy Trucker there's a speedy grabby element.
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  • Posted Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:59 pm
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Lenny Corbett


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I have found the opposite to a lot of people: the first round goes so quick and the ship building is so fun that everyone wants to keep playing for more and more rounds. Each round doesn't take very long only about 20 mins max.

I read before I got it that a lot of people played the first round and enjoyed it well enough but didn't really feel like playing beyond that. This is ridiculous because the first round is so short and the ship is so small. The game becomes more exciting in the later rounds with the harder cards and larger ships.
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  • Posted Thu Feb 16, 2012 2:00 pm
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18. Board Game: Ticket to Ride [Average Rating:7.49 Overall Rank:74]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 6

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Let's play "Trains Across America" again!"

CONSENSUS:
What can I say? Folks just dig the simplicity balanced with strategy and fun.

REPLAY CHANCE: 100%
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Drew Spencer
United States
Tucson
Arizona
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I once had someone come into the store where I work: "Do you have the game Train?"
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:49 am
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Tegs
Australia
Canberra
ACT
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tkbates wrote:
If there was an Australasian version, I'd buy it like a shot.


You can get an Australian print and play version here: http://esquisses-felines.chez-alice.fr/aventuriers_du_rail/t...

I printed out the board (on 6 A3 sheets, then trimmed) and the cards and it works really well. I find I use slightly different strategies to the original because there are a lot of long routes and not many short ones (plus there's the split routes). Of course, most of the "stations" are probably actually cattle stations, not actual towns (plus there's no Tassie, my home state), but it plays really well.
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  • Posted Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:49 am
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United States
Springfield
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SwingCorey wrote:
Mr Bassman wrote:
harman_smith7 wrote:
All of my friends call this one "Trains Across America" as well.


They'd better be careful when ordering it online or they may end up with TransAmerica instead.


and that would be a bad thing because....?


Gah. For a moment I thought you were talking about the movie TransAmerica, which would be the start of a very different conversation.
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  • Posted Tue Dec 14, 2010 10:23 am
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Anson Bischoff
United States
Salt Lake City
Utah
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Best Gateway Game!
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  • Posted Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:37 pm
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Ryan S.
United States

Idaho
"Come, Let the Quest begin..."
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billsayswow wrote:
The tragic thing about this game is that I'm the only one amongst my group of friends who really doesn't care much for this game. I mean, I like it, but there are so many options that we all enjoy. Somehow, though, we always come back to this one.


I'm in a similar position. Don't get me wrong, the game can be fun (only with 4-5 players and absolutely cutthroat play), but there are so many other options I'd rather play.

It does what it's supposed to do very well, which is offer a great gateway game experience. While I like the fast and cutthroat play it offers, I wish the mechanics and theme were...related. It just seems stale to me. I guess I grew out of this or grew away from it.
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  • Edited Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:17 am
  • Posted Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:16 am
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19. Board Game: Dixit [Average Rating:7.50 Overall Rank:78]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 6

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Pink? I can be pink?! There's never a chance to be pink! I'm taking pink."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
The NGF group I played with really loved this one. They loved looking at the cards and they loved that I explained the rules in about 30 seconds. Highly variable, too. -- we played our second game using only movie titles for the cards.

REPLAY CHANCE: 100%
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Peaceful Gamin'
Canada
Vancouver
BC
designer
Looking for a playtester/editor/translator for your cool new game? Contact us, we're free (but we ask to be mentioned in the acknowledgements, and a copy of the game would be a nice gesture, but not necessary).
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jepp, good game for everyone.

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  • Edited Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:27 am
  • Posted Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:27 am
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20. Board Game: The Settlers of Catan [Average Rating:7.50 Overall Rank:85]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 5

FRIEND QUOTE:
"I feel totally nerdy playing this. And I like that feeling."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
It is a mystery to me how this one really does seem to be accessible for non-gamers. I enjoy it myself, so no complaints.

REPLAY CHANCE: 80%
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Yoki Erdtman
Sweden
Södertälje
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I've introduced this to lots of non-gamers, and all but my mother enjoyed it. This is a game that NGFs even request to play.
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 1:35 am
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David Dawson
United States
Champaign
Illinois
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My mom likes it, she actually won when we played yesterday, her, me and my brother. That probably affects her enjoyment of it, lol.
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  • Posted Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:45 pm
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Garth
Canada
Calgary
Alberta
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So the moral of the story is to let mom or mother-in-laws win the first game and then they're hooked?whistle
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  • Posted Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:53 pm
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V L
United States

Virginia
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Classic.
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  • Posted Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:00 pm
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Scott Olson
United States

Washington
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I don't know about NGF's. Easy to play but they get frustrated when no one will trade with them.
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  • Posted Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:32 pm
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21. Board Game: Carcassonne [Average Rating:7.46 Overall Rank:89]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 5

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Bonjour Monsieur Meeple de Rouge. Get off my rue! Maintenant!"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
There are usually several people around who truly love this game, so it will reappear with frequency I'm sure.

REPLAY CHANCE: 85%
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Darren M
New Zealand
Nelson
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First there was Settlers... then Carc and all it's variants... then TtR and now Pandemic. Those seem to be the "Big 4" for introducing the hobby to non-gamers. If one of those 4 don't do the job then there likely isn't much chance.
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:02 am
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Springfield
Oregon
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In both games you seek to amass a certain set of cards in your hand, and then once you have the right set, you can discard those cards in order to lay pieces down on the board. Both games use a board that is comprised of point-to-point networks, and both games require you to manage your own network by spreading across the board in a connected way.

Blocking is possible in both games, but it's actually a secondary characteristic. It's not the thing that truly makes the two games similar, at least to me.
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  • Posted Thu Mar 1, 2012 10:04 am
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Kenneth Hon
Hong-Kong

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Radien wrote:
Blocking is possible in both games, but it's actually a secondary characteristic. It's not the thing that truly makes the two games similar, at least to me.


Personally, when I am playing TtR, blocking is the primary characteristic. In a sense, blocking is the major way you interact with (or defeat) your opponents in TtR; whereas in Catan, you trade and negotiate, and you may also block.
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  • Posted Fri Mar 2, 2012 6:02 am
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kennethhon wrote:
Personally, when I am playing TtR, blocking is the primary characteristic. In a sense, blocking is the major way you interact with (or defeat) your opponents in TtR; whereas in Catan, you trade and negotiate, and you may also block.

Well, I've always said that Ticket to Ride feels like "Catan Lite" to me. Catan without the trading and negotiating aspect seems to fit the description of a whittled-down version of Catan.

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  • Posted Fri Mar 2, 2012 9:15 am
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Kent Coil
United States
East Rochester
New York
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Yeah I guess I see more similarities now. I think for me, the dice rolling and trading aspect of Catan just give it a completely different feel compared to Ttr. I think of both as "lite."
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  • Posted Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:15 am
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22. Board Game: In the Year of the Dragon [Average Rating:7.49 Overall Rank:97]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 2

FRIEND QUOTE:
"We're not going to play that Dragons in Asia game again are we?"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
This one was much to dry for everyone. I like the mechanics, but this is a gamer's game, IMO.

REPLAY CHANCE: 15%
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David Gibbs
United States
Ypsilanti
Michigan
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[quote]"We're not going to play that Dragons in Asia game again are we?"
[/quote]

If they're talking about this as an again, they're clearly no longer non-gamers. You've long converted them, whether they know it or not, and whether they identify as gamers or not.
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  • Posted Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:29 pm
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John Squires
United States
Brooklyn
New York
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This game is too nasty for most gamer's too. Tough choices throughout. Do I let those tiny clowns gut me with their rusty knives or try to escape over the razor-bladed-slip-and-slide?
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  • Posted Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:04 pm
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Scott Olson
United States

Washington
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I agree, everything is too negative. It's so frustrating how many people you lose since you got blocked out of rice.
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  • Posted Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:33 pm
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23. Board Game: Notre Dame [Average Rating:7.45 Overall Rank:102]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 4

FRIEND QUOTE:
"France sort of resembles a Pizza, doesn't it?"

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
Another hit or miss game. Several loved it, several not-so-much. I hope to sneak it out again with some new people.

REPLAY CHANCE: 45%
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Paul Imboden
United States
Chicago
Illinois
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MidKentGamerUK wrote:
it just kinda plods along with an air of carefree mediocrity...


This is a theme for this year, I swear. This, YotD, Agricola... not terrible games, but God if I understand why they're getting the raves.
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  • Posted Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:02 pm
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24. Board Game: Acquire [Average Rating:7.41 Overall Rank:106]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 4

FRIEND QUOTE:
"I'm killing you. Just killing you."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
This appeals to the NGFs who like the money games.

REPLAY CHANCE: 75%
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Scott Straub
United States
Milwaukee
Wisconsin
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Oddly enough, my NGFs have all LOVED this game, while many of the same people thought TTR was so-so. Several of them have attempted to buy it themselves only to find it's out of print and goes for $80+ on ebay!

I had to resort to not bringing Aquire just to get some of them to try something else!
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  • Posted Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:10 pm
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Nathan Woll
United States
Farnham
Virginia
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I agree that this always seems to be a huge hit with NGF. Maybe it's the theme, or the fact that the most money wins.
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  • Posted Sun Oct 5, 2008 1:58 am
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Richard Rowan
United States
Redmond
Washington
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I find new gamers dig Big Boss a lot more.
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  • Posted Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:39 am
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Bill Plumley
United States
Sun Prairie
Wisconsin
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Amongst my group of non-gaming friends, this is probably our most-played game. It's cutthroat, ruthless, messy, and reduces everyone to an incessant counting of each other's holdings. If you spring this on the wrong people, I could see certain people severely disliking it. It's a mean game and, while basic, is highly analytical. It's also a game where there's almost never a clear winner until the very end, and even then, you find yourself counting the small bills to see if you just eek past.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 3, 2010 5:41 pm
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25. Board Game: Modern Art [Average Rating:7.36 Overall Rank:118]
Jeff Bowen
United States
Brooklyn
NY
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FRIENDS RATING: 6

FRIEND QUOTE:
"Some of these paintings are ugly. But that usually means they'll be more valuable...like fashion."

GENERAL CONSENSUS:
All plays of this game have been fun. This one has been requested several times from friends.

REPLAY CHANCE: 95%
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Stan Dueck
Canada
Delta
British Columbia
I heartily agree. This has been by far the most well accepted game that I have played with non-gamers. Some were even considering buying it.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:20 pm
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Muz Fish
Australia
Canberra
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Did you find that for no good reason your group would take against one artist?

I've played this with four different groups now and every one developed an irrational hatered for Cristian P.

Modern Art plays well with non gamers, but I am not sure of its replay value with more experienced gamers in that they pretty soon work out what something is worth. A couple of closed auctions had only $2,000 separating the highest and lowest bid.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:09 pm
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Harald Korneliussen
Norway

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My mom, who usually declines the invitations from her four game-playing children, loved this one.

And yes, she really disliked Cristin P's images - but that didn't mean she didn't make a lot of money from them!
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:06 pm
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The Seal of Approval
Austria
Vienna
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Duh. Showing the box was all I needed to do, and suddenly they'd play just about everything else.

I haven't managed to play this game a single time, and that's counting game nights with people who'll play just about everything else
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:47 pm
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Charlie Sheppard
United States
Seattle
Washington
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The amazing thing about Modern Art is that it works both as a party game and as a gamers' game.
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  • Posted Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:35 pm
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Jeremy Fridy
United States
Kent
Ohio
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This is my favorite Euro game, and a favorite at game club.
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  • Posted Sat Jan 1, 2011 12:08 am
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Stephen Schaefer
United States
Columbus
Ohio
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A couple games I'd be curious to see reactions to:

The Settlers of Canaan - This might go over better than Zarathustra or whatever it's called. But who knows, they still might like vanilla Catan better.

Cutthroat Caverns - If they like co-op a la Shadows, and they like pressing their luck a la Diamant, I wonder how a co-op-slash-screw-your-neighbor game would go over.
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  • Posted Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:36 am
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Luis
Spain
Madrid
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Have you ever heard of Identik? It's a drawing game but it's the very only party game the most hardcore gamers of my group have positively liked, even some of the ones who despise drawing, and it has been a true blast with non-gamers.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:16 pm
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Slick Mick
Australia
Brisbane
Queensland
I decided to get into gaming after 20 years absent. Had grand plan to convince non-gaming family and friends to join me. From this website picked Ticket to Ride and Shogun (because couldn't get Wallenstein) to get started.

Had a tough time convincing my family to play, but they were immediately hooked (ie addicted) on Ticket to Ride. We play a family-friendly version where we warn when going to finish - even deliberately pull cards for a few rounds to allow others to finish routes, and ignored tunnels and ferries initially. (Have since introduced requiring locomotives for ferries, but yet to introduce requiring extra cards for ferries.)

But Shogun... omg it was TERRIBLE!! I love playing Wallenstein online, but actually playing on the board was just boring. I think it would only work with really competitive people??
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  • Posted Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:57 am
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Christopher Walker
United States
Portland
Oregon
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A hilarious list. Kudos!
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  • Posted Sat Jul 9, 2011 6:54 pm
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David Webb
United States
Little Rock
Arkansas
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An excellent list! Also tempts me to getting a few more of these. Many thanks!
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  • Posted Sat Feb 11, 2012 6:12 pm
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