# Has anyone played or have an opinion about...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Boardgames\ **Created:** [30 September 2020 11:50 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683 "2020-09-30T11:50:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 40
**Author:** ![apcshields](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/apcshields/32/1058_2.png) [@apcshields](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/apcshields)\ **Post date:** [18 May 2026 15:55 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/782 "2026-05-18T15:55:57Z")
@Marx I’ve been considering [Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/459990/cats-knocking-things-off-ledges) as a birthday present for my almost-11-year-old, but I’ve been a little put off by its BGG ratings. We frequently fail to get her birthday games played consistently, and she doesn’t like longer or more involved games unless they are cooperative, so I had hoped that something lighter might work better for her. But is there any game _there_? ---
**Author:** ![Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/marx/32/28667_2.png) [@Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Marx)\ **Post date:** [18 May 2026 16:23 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/783 "2026-05-18T16:23:57Z")
@apcshields Yes. It’s not a deep or thoroughly strategic game by any measure, but it is fun. Now, a couple warning caveats: 1. I love Dexterity Games. I find them great equalizers across age, skill, and experience. My favourite it probably **Ice Cool** due to how silly it is coupled to a relatively satisfying teach, but I love a lot of the genre ( **The Fuzzies, Flick 'Em Up, Dro Polter, Ascending Empires, Go Cuckoo, Rhino Hero Super Battle, Nekojima, Catacombs,** and **Team3** are all currently in my collection, and I like all of them). 2. It’s not cooperative. There _are_ cooperative dexterity games that I have enjoyed ( **Nekojima** has a coop mode is the only one in my collection right now, aside from the optional coop expansion for **Catacombs** I haven’t tried yet, but I used to have that one about building a temple… uhhh… **Menara**! It was pretty good), but CKTOL is competitive. It’s good, but like many games of its ilk, it’s fueled by hubris more than anything else. Like the Fuzzies or Go Cuckoo, the joy you get out of the game is a direct correlation to the effort and pride you put into it. I find them great because I am always swinging for the fences: this results in faster games for everyone, because I either lose big or win big and it encourages other players to take risks they might not otherwise. 3. It’s inexpensive, and the game is legit adorable and has great components. And it’s small. I might suggest **Go Cuckoo** is “better” as a pure hubris-dexterity game, but I am very happy I picked up CKTOL, and I’ve played it… 4 or 5 times at this point and had fun each time. I nabbed it for $20CAD, and I think it’s a very solid choice at that price. It’s not a $50 game, though (whereas **Ice Cool** , which I also got for $20, I would happily pay $50 for and still say it’s a great game). So, yes. It’s good. I would also say that any BGG rating in the 6s tends to be polarizing: it’s an indication that people either like it, or they don’t (unlike 7s, which everyone likes and some people love). It’s a gamble, but if you can find it for a relatively good price, it’s a low risk gamble. Oh, make sure you have a steady, sturdy table to play on. I hope that helps? EDIT: The game itself is very straight forward. There are two types of platform: small round ones that take 1 leg, or long rectangular ones that take 2 legs. Legs are either long or short (so you can take a rectangle and 2 long legs, or a round and 1 short leg, for example). You must place the tier so that the top doesn’t rest on another platform, but other than that you can kinda do anything (start a new cat tree, build under the existing one, link two together, etc). Each platform has a type of toy displayed on it (fish, catnip, pizza, or mouse). Once you’ve built your new platform, you have to use these tweezers to place your cat anywhere that doesn’t already have a cat. it doesn’t have to be the highest point, or the platform you just built, but the cat must move, and there can’t be another cat on the platform it moves to. Then, using the tweezers, you place a toy of your choice on the same platform as your cat. Then, using the little Paw Tool (which is adorable), you have to push the toy off your platform so it lands on another platform (without hitting the table). You score 1 point for every “level” (short leg height) the toy fell, +1 point if the toy landed on a platform displaying that toy (so a pizza pushed from a platform that is 1 tall leg and 1 short leg above the platform it landed on would score 3 points, unless that lower platform displayed pizza on it, in which case it would be worth 4 points). First player to 10 points ends the game, at which point every other player gets 1 more turn to try and beat them, and then highest score wins. Best score I’ve seen was 15 points (total), and the best single round score I’ve seen was 8 points (3 tall legs and a short leg above the target, and the platform was the right type). There is strategy, and a lot of ways to nudge the game in your favour (literally and metaphorically). You can “trap” another player’s cat with the table legs you place. You can aim for another player’s toy when you drop your own to make it less likely you will bounce. You can go for safer targets (building a lower tier so you can push something down from a more stable position) or you can try and balance precariously so that the _next_ player has a tougher time. Anyway! It’s good! ---
**Author:** ![apcshields](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/apcshields/32/1058_2.png) [@apcshields](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/apcshields)\ **Post date:** [18 May 2026 18:45 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/784 "2026-05-18T18:45:30Z")
Thank you! That’s very helpful! ---
**Author:** ![RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rogerbw/32/3_2.png) [@RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RogerBW)\ **Post date:** [21 May 2026 17:49 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/785 "2026-05-21T17:49:14Z")
I’ve played **Meadow** and I’m afraid it didn’t grab me. First and lower-complexity game, and there was nothing offensively wrong with it, it just… didn’t grab me. Felt like a 45 minute game that took two hours. ---
**Author:** ![apcshields](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/apcshields/32/1058_2.png) [@apcshields](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/apcshields)\ **Post date:** [21 May 2026 22:46 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/786 "2026-05-21T22:46:14Z")
That’s sad. But no game is for everyone! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Griffster77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/griffster77/32/1048_2.png) [@Griffster77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Griffster77)\ **Post date:** [18 June 2026 10:06 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/787 "2026-06-18T10:06:34Z")
Is Flip 7 with a Vengeance worth getting? I’ve played Flip 7 a few times on BGA and enjoyed it and I’m looking for a card game to get my father in law for Father’s day (well, as a suggestion for my wife to get him!) Is Flip 7 with a Vengeance worth the extra few quid? Also happy to take other small card game recommendations. Ideally ones that play with 2 (which I know Flip 7 doesn’t). ---
**Author:** ![Griffster77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/griffster77/32/1048_2.png) [@Griffster77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Griffster77)\ **Post date:** [18 June 2026 10:19 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/788 "2026-06-18T10:19:33Z")
Point Salad maybe? ---
**Author:** ![RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rogerbw/32/3_2.png) [@RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RogerBW)\ **Post date:** [18 June 2026 10:39 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/789 "2026-06-18T10:39:59Z")
Hmm. It’s tricky. I have both original F7 and F7V and which one I play depends primarily on the mood of the table. F7 is more of a cheerful party game like a simpler _Quacks of Quedlinburg_, while F7V is more confrontational and therefore slightly more complex. My mini rules cover both games so that may help. [Roger's Pocketmod rules](https://tekeli.li/pocketmod/) _Sea Salt & Paper_ has become my pocket game that I take to non-gaming gatherings, pushing out _Red 7,_ though I’d still recommend both. ---
**Author:** ![Griffster77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/griffster77/32/1048_2.png) [@Griffster77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Griffster77)\ **Post date:** [18 June 2026 10:47 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/790 "2026-06-18T10:47:45Z")
I’ve got Sea Salt and Paper so not that. F7 sounds the better option then - mother in law and wife not really into confrontational games! 🙂 (this is why I get to play so few games as wife and in-laws are my usual gaming group apart from a fortnightly group in the village - which also tends towards the easier games!) ---
**Author:** ![SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/steveb_uk/32/26030_2.png) [@SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/SteveB_uk)\ **Post date:** [18 June 2026 12:10 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/791 "2026-06-18T12:10:07Z")
Yes, the reputation is that _vengeance_ is a little nastier. ---
**Author:** ![Phil](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/phil/32/1508_2.png) [@Phil](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Phil)\ **Post date:** [18 June 2026 12:54 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/792 "2026-06-18T12:54:19Z")
> [@Griffster77](#): > > Also happy to take other small card game recommendations. Ideally ones that play with 2 (which I know Flip 7 doesn’t). You might find ideas here: > [@Good two-player games](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/good-two-player-games/1580): > > Inspired by Chess Month, this is a listing of games that only cater for two players (or that you think are at their very best with two) with quick summaries. I will Wikify this opening post, so please feel free to contribute! At Least a Bit Chesslike [Hive](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2655/hive) (John Yianni): hex board formed by the pieces you play. [Onitama](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/160477/onitama) (Shimpei Satou): 5×5, 5 pieces each, moves restricted by cards. [The Duke](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36235/duke) (Jeremy Holcomb, Stephen McLaughlin): 6x6, place wooden tiles, different moves shown on each side, fli… As well as a bunch of 2p suggestions from SUSD and NPI: [Search results for '"two player" in:title order:latest' - tekeli.li forums, including unofficial SU&SD discussion](https://discussion.tekeli.li/search?q=%22two%20player%22%20in%3Atitle%20order%3Alatest) ---
**Author:** ![Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/marx/32/28667_2.png) [@Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Marx)\ **Post date:** [18 June 2026 13:20 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/793 "2026-06-18T13:20:59Z")
As memory serves, **Scout** (and by extension **Dnup** ) have 2 player modes, and Scout is great. **The Crew** has a really interesting and straightforward 2-player system that works quite well, but it is still better woth 3-5 players. **Cat in the Box** is great, but the scoring and rules are a touch complicated for a lightweight, and it can be rather mean. Other than that… **Sushi Go**? I haven’t tried it at 2, but I suspect it’s functional, and very good with 3+ players. ---
**Author:** ![SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/steveb_uk/32/26030_2.png) [@SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/SteveB_uk)\ **Post date:** [8 July 2026 18:52 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/794 "2026-07-08T18:52:48Z")
A friend has said: “I’ve been exploring big, epic games recently and I’m after recommendations: things in the vein of Twilight Imperium, the kind that fill a whole day (8 to 10 hours). The catch: I don’t want anything too war gamey. I’m much more interested in negotiation, politics, scheming and storytelling than pushing counters around a hex map. For context, I’m a big RPG person, so anything with strong narrative energy is a bonus.” Every “epic” game I can think of is a wargame with counters on a map, even if it also has hours of negotiation. Does anyone have ideas that fit this? (I mentioned Outer Rim / Firefly / Xia, Arkham Horror / Mansions of Madness / Eldritch Horror, bidding wars like Ra or Zoo Vadis. Very long negotiation: Blood on the Clocktower, 70’s DUNE but it’s very much counters on a map too. Arcs and Oath but not “Root” as that’s literally a troops on a map game. Molly House and John Company 2nd and Pax Pamir 2nd. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rogerbw/32/3_2.png) [@RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RogerBW)\ **Post date:** [8 July 2026 18:57 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/795 "2026-07-08T18:57:56Z")
Star Trek Ascendancy looks wargamey but that’s only one of several things going on. Might be worth considering at least. ---
**Author:** ![SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/steveb_uk/32/26030_2.png) [@SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/SteveB_uk)\ **Post date:** [8 July 2026 19:02 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/796 "2026-07-08T19:02:43Z")
6-hour talky games used to include Battlestar Galactica, does anyone know if **Unfathomable** is good? ---
**Author:** ![Captbnut](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/captbnut/32/21513_2.png) [@Captbnut](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Captbnut)\ **Post date:** [8 July 2026 19:02 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/797 "2026-07-08T19:02:56Z")
I’ve never played it, but **Diplomacy** sounds like it might fit? **Votes for Women** is a 2 player war game, but the theme makes it not feel like one. A lot of _ **18xx** _ titles are long and are very interactive. There are a lot better people than me to advise. **Dominant Species** is another long, highly rated game that I’ve never played. ---
**Author:** ![SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/steveb_uk/32/26030_2.png) [@SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/SteveB_uk)\ **Post date:** [8 July 2026 19:04 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/798 "2026-07-08T19:04:25Z")
Very much **Diplomacy** , but it’s too wargamey for them. Totally fits on the “all day negotiating” though. ---
**Author:** ![RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rogerbw/32/3_2.png) [@RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RogerBW)\ **Post date:** [8 July 2026 19:09 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/799 "2026-07-08T19:09:29Z")
I’ve played _Unfathomable_ once and it seemed like a very awkward fit for its theme. One might do better to track down a copy of _Dark Moon_ instead. Ooh, _Sidereal Confluence._ ---
**Author:** ![Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/marx/32/28667_2.png) [@Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Marx)\ **Post date:** [8 July 2026 19:26 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/800 "2026-07-08T19:26:41Z")
Yeah, **Sidereal Confluence** is an excellent recommendation (as well as the easier, more streamlined **Empires** , although I haven’t played that one). **Archipelago** , if you can find a copy, would be a great fit. **New Angeles** is very good too. It has troops, but they aren’t used against other players… sorta like Pandemic Fall of Rome, but with more backatabbing. If you want to lean into the betrayal mechanics, **Dead of Winter** is a banger (but _long_ until you are used to it). Oh, and those huge, ridiculous trading games might be worth a look ( **Western Civilization** and **Eastern Civilization** , played together as **Mega Civilization** ). I don’t _think_ they have armies? I think they are just trading. I think. **The King’s Dilemma** (and possibly the new sequel, **The Queen’s Dilemma** ) definitely scratch that itch. The original is very good, although the final scoring at the end of the campaign is a little chaotic, we had fun throughout. ---
**Author:** ![lalunaverde](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/lalunaverde/32/28591_2.png) [@lalunaverde](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/lalunaverde)\ **Post date:** [8 July 2026 19:32 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683/801 "2026-07-08T19:32:48Z")
Cole Werhle’s games sounds like the great fit. **John Company** was just the thing I was thinking. **The King’s Dilemma** fits the bill as well. [Previous page](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683.md?page=39) [Next page](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/has-anyone-played-or-have-an-opinion-about/1683.md?page=41)