The expensive games recommendation list

Boardgames
21

Cthulhu: Death May Die and Tales of the Arabian Nights / Tales of the Arthurian Knights come to mind.

C:DMD is really good – an enjoyably ludicrous experience which builds to a crescendo by design. If you try to collect it all, it’s going to be very expensive. I have the original set and one of the expansion gods, and that’s all I’ve felt the need to buy to date.

I think TOTAN would not be worth it for many people; but if you understand what you’re getting and are keen, then it’s a gorgeous production in a pretty sparsely populated genre. TOTAK is perhaps even more beautiful as a production, but I’ve only watched others playing it, and I don’t have much insight as to how it compares.

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22

That sounds to me like “I’ve no interest in parting with my copy, but if you were going to offer me so much money that I’d have to change my mind, here’s what that number would be.”

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23

Sleeping Gods is an expensive game I’m curious about, if people have thoughts on that one.

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24

Oh that didn’t appear on my list because it’s on the sell pile.
It is a very pretty story telling game that tries to include gameplay systems that completely failed to entice me. The choose your own adventure part seemed pretty cool though, if you like that kind of stuff as boardgame. It wasn’t quite as frustrating as 7th Continent but I only played a few sessions before it became so long since the last session, I would have needed to start over…

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25

This ‘while’ is due to me having kids and not having time to play. I am really keen to try independent monsters. No matter how small or great or old they are. I particularly want to try the independent cats and giant albino penguins.

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26

I thought Sleeping Gods looked great, and bought a second hand copy, but only played a couple of times. I’d thought it would be an intriguing game of exploring an enormous world (which it kind of is), but hadn’t realised there was loads of fighting pretend monsters, with combat systems and points and stuff, which is completely not my kind of thing in any way at all, so I sold it on very quickly. It seemed very well done though as far as I could tell. If you like that sort of thing. Which I don’t.

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27

This thread very much makes me think this.

I bought 2 copies of Gloomhaven, resuable stickers, solos scenarios and a wooden insert. Played nearly 300 scenarios all the characters including ‘x’ and enjoyed it so much. I’m now done with and have no enthusiasm for ever playing again but that doesn’t change it as my most played game of the last 15 years a d a favourite game ever. Despite shelling nearly £300 that’s come down to about £1 a play. For Lacerda games I bought 3 probably about £90 each with postage. Lisboa was my most played but I was done after a bit over 10 games. For most euros to get the amount of game time I think I would have to have bought a lot of smaller games.

We have already covered Gloomhaven. But I have some games where I’ve bought expensive and it’s often the selection where my favourite and most played has come from.

Let’s start with Cthulhu Wars. Love it. So much depth that the base game with just the 4 factions has years of play. High Priests though is a mandatory addition.

When I was buying in I spent around £400 to get a hard back rulebook, extra factions and the library map. I have played toms since and was even given the bits to round out having everything. And I do mean everything. Including the extra big Cthulhu done by Fenris Games before they fell out with Sandy Petersen. It’s so exciting, combines strategy and tactics with reading your opponents. It has ebbs and flows, wild blows and stirring come backs. I think it’s tons better with the giant toys than is he’d gone with his original plans of tiddly monsters. Wonderful and no regrets even with the huge amounts of space it takes up. I first played after it was delivered off ks one so that’s around 10 years ago. It’s still good and in fact getting better with age. Total value for money.

The other best game of all time contender that has cost me a ton is Spirit Island. It’s so good. Many here have extolled on it. I have played so much that Nature Incarnate has become my favourite expansion as I love the hit of extra complexity. I have all of it bar the foil spirit panels. I think if I only owned this and Cthulhu Wars I could play games still for the rest of my life

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28

Oops. I have those. Could. Not. Resist. :innocent:

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29

I’m a fan. I think it’s a very solid dungeon-delver, stronger storytelling and progression than Gloomhaven, but worse combat (which is unfair… Gloomhaven’s combat system is kinda its raison d’etre and is extremely strong).

Downsides: the game doesn’t tell you what you need to do to win until you lose… you know you need to get back home, but there are multiple ways to get back home and unless you are very, very lucky, you’re not going to find a “good” ending until you’ve stumbled into at least one (or possibly two) “bad” endings. Which is unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker.

Oh, and as much as I like most of the mechanics and writing in the game, it doesn’t really explain why you get to do everything a second, third, or fourth time while retaining all of the knowledge (but none of the gear) from previous runs. Which, as a lover of FTL, doesn’t really bother me, but I can get why some people wouldn’t be crazy about it.

I haven’t tried the sequel, but a buddy I trust has and says that it’s generally stronger, but he hasn’t played it nearly as much as the original. As I am currently wading through Frosthaven, I kinda get it… FH is unquestionably better than GH, but I played GH into the dirt and I’m just not as excited about FH. I dunno why. It’s better but not as exciting? Anyway, I suspect Sleeping Gods Distant Skies to have that problem.

Oh, I wanted to mention my favourite thing about Sleeping Gods: the game (almost) always rewards you for trying. In many games of its ilk (including my favourite, Descent, or GH or HeroQuest or whatever), if you try to do a thing and fail, nothing happens or, even worse, something bad happens. Often these tests are arbitrary (“You see some red birds in the distance. Do you shoot an arrow at them?”) and you are punished for picking the “wrong” decision without ever really knowing any method for finding the “right” decision aside from getting lucky/unlucky (“You did fire an arrow? Oh, they’re dragons and everyone loses 5 health… oh, you didn’t fire an arrow? They were tasty, tasty Chickenhawks and everyone would’ve healed 3 damage and earned 4 coins…”).

Sleeping Gods constantly rewards you. Whether you pass or fail a test (and you almost always know the pass/fail conditions), you get the same reward. If you fail, you take some damage (which is finite), but you still get the reward. The game is constantly encouraging you to try things. Push that button! Punch that monster! Climb that cliff! You know that if you try, you will be rewarded… but if you fail too often you might lose the game. It’s great.

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30

Forgotten Waters feels like this. And my brain is thinking there’s another one I own that does it too. “You see an old woman…” Helper or formidable enemy? You’ll only find out when we punish you.

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31

Sounds like something out of Tales of the Arabian Nights, or maybe the Arthurian Knights one.

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32

I quite like Forgotten Waters’ method, although it might just be that I like the writing. The game is silly and light enough that the random punishment feels to me like part of the package, but I can see how it might be annoying.

33

I would include Galactic Cruise, Pampero, and Speakeasy.

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34

I am very excited for Speakeasy!

35

Aha, just seen Earthborne Rangers in Forbidden Planet for £100 (with a small sale discount), I thought I remembered it was one of the ones that started off expensive.

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36

Yeah I think varies a lot depending on where you pick it up from. Seems cool, I can’t tell how long the story(?) lasts based on what I’ve read about it previously.

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37

I end up preferring Arkham Horror the Card Game but thats another expensive one if you do go for the whole thing

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38

Compared to around 2020, when Gloomhaven and A Feast For Odin were considered Top 10 of all time, are there any £100+ games that you consider essential?

Not just “I like this one” but “this will be the jewel of your collection”?

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39

Where I live, a lot of games cost that with shipping, so yeah. The most recent was Indonesia, which cost me €109,63 (at least: still need to see if that gets taxed). Probably paid similar for Roads & Boats 20th anniversary.

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40

I gave my copy to the local games charity :grimacing:

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