As usual, it’s the ends of the bell curve that are most interesting. But maybe hit the dead center as well:
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What games have a really great idea, an inescapable hook, yet fall flat on delivery (e.g., recent comments on War of Whispers)
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What games should not work. There’s no hook. You’d rather stick your head in a sea leopard’s mouth than try to persuade your fellow players why they are going to have fun - yet it just comes together alchemically? The games where you have to say "let’s just start and you’ll see?
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For the middle - do any games come to mind that make a promise and then just nail it?
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I played Jekyll and Hyde for the first time about 10 days ago. 2 player trick taking should not work, but I think J&H nails it.
Bohnanza is one that looks weird initially, but 10 minutes in everyone desperately needs a green bean.
To be controversial; the hook but fall flat (for me anyway), anything by Cole Wehrle
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I frequently see this, and I’m still a bit curious. But, having read the rules, seeing how one player is assigned to the edges (win <=3 or >=10) and the other to the middle, my heart just sank. Fox in the Forest, where either player can aim for either, you can bluff, you may well pivot midway, and hitting that perfect 9 tricks is so beautiful yet so dangerous… I couldn’t live without it!
How do the special powers work in J/H?
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The first played colour card is the weakest, second is middle and last played is the strongest. That’s an interesting wrinkle in itself.
One potion resets that, another potion makes you swap cards from hand and I can’t remember what the last one does.
Trying to keep balance is known to be harder than aiming for the edges; it’s hard to keep a lid on things for 3 rounds.
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Understandable, though. I’m not keen on buying his games blindly - except for AIT 2nd edition. And I’m happy owning a couple of his
I don’t think Rosenberg’s games should work. The whole worker placement systems he created are pretty simplistic (albeit very streamlined) and you can even transfer your knowledge on how his system works from one game to another, mostly. The themes are often these rural setting where you build a farm or a village. It sounds like the dullest thing ever.
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I like the idea of building a farm or a village! It sounds far from dull to me!
Concordia? I suspect “We’re going to build some houses and do some trading of stuff like bricks and cloth” might not sound to everyone like the prelude to a delightful couple of hours, but…
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Quacks is a bit alchemical. Even having played it it’s hard to explain why it’s fun. Often the best fillers do this as well.
Like Love Letter: You draw one card, and then either discard it or the one you already had. You kind of guess what other people are holding. And when the (17 card) deck is empty, the high card wins…
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Container - people in the club who don’t know Container initially often thought that it’s one of the dullest sounding games ever, but then find themselves trying to wrestle with the multiplayer supply chain.
Monikers - I explain the game. They’re like “…okay”. We play the first round. They’re like “…okay”. Then the 2nd round happens where we play with the same deck
Same. I grew up on Harvest Moon. From the success of Stardew Valley it seems that theres a strong romantic sentiments about it
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18XX the start is great, but somewhere in every game I’ve played. It flips and becomes dull.
I think L.L.A.M.A. works way better than it should. Sure, there isn’t much of a choice in the game, but the twist is great!
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A few that come to mind have obviously proven themselves now but when they were first published they were total “WTF that works?” for me
- The Mind–sorting cards without talking?
- The Crew–cooperative trick taking?
- Hana-Bi–I can’t see my cards how am I supposed to…
On a different note Dorfromantik did not introduce me to any new concepts but I couldn’t quite imagine how just placing tiles (and I knew the computer game before) could lead to a satisfying game… but surprisingly it is.
At the other end of the spectrum I can’t think of anything right now. Maybe later.
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As I’ve thought about this Sheriff of Nottingham keeps coming to mind. I’ve tabled it twice and neither time did it really pop. I think it’s dependent on the right meta? But your group may or may not find that meta.
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I feel that the 2 rounds thing with SoN is too short to create patterns for people but that means that the game drags if you add more.
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Whereas Hanabi is all about building the meta, and once you’ve built it you might as well sell the game IMO.
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I think for Sheriff of Nottingham to shine, it requires an established group meta. And I’ve noticed that more often than not, the group meta tends to take a while to establish (and often leads to some weird developments)
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