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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   938 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 2, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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One of my New Year's Resolutions was to pick up playing board games. The primary goal here was to stare at screens less and engage more face-to-face with friends. This is working great, and I recommend it to anyone else with the same general goal! I picked up Wingspan and one of its expansions and my wife and I have been having a great time playing it even when we don't have anyone else to play with. Throw on a Spotify playlist with some bird-centric theming, pour a birb-on, draw some cards, and you have a pleasant evening.

What are you playing these days? What should be my next purchase to add to a very thin game library? My current inclination is towards Ark Nova, which BoardGameGeek users score highly and recommend specifically for two players.

What sort of metrics are you looking for when adding to your collection? Great at Two-player? Strategic Depth? Complexity? I ask because Ark Nova is a pretty big jump from Wingspan. It's a much more complex, strategic game, much closer to it's spiritual predecessor Terraforming Mars.

It does play great at two player. My stats tell me out of the 12 games I've played of it, 80% was at 2p and average game time was ~2.5/3 hours If you want something closer to the Wingspan level of complexity I'd recommend:

  • 7-Wonders Duel
  • Splendor Duel (much better than the original)
  • Azul (also scales well for when you want to play with others)
  • Everdell (Another worker placement like Wingspan)

If you want to scale in complexity, I can personally vouch that these are all amazing plays at both 2 and greater play counts

  • Ark Nova
  • Brass Birmingham
  • Spirit Island (Cooperative)
  • Frosthaven (Cooperative campaign)
  • Inis

Good recommendations. I also appreciate your username, Schoolman.

Only question: how is 80% possible? 12 games isn’t divisible by 5.

how is 80% possible? 12 games isn’t divisible by 5

technically 83% 10/12. I find it easier to just round.

I also appreciate your username, Schoolman.

Thanks, I suppose Bakker fans would be more common among this forum's participants

It's a much more complex, strategic game, much closer to it's spiritual predecessor Terraforming Mars.

Yep, that's the goal. We're enjoying Wingspan, but I'd love something to dig into that has substantially higher weight and complexity, particularly if it's two-player friendly. I think my wife will enjoy the same (she says she would!), but we'll see.

Thanks for the recommendations!

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