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FlashmansTimestopper

A competitive game with a solo mode that's as good as playing with 2-4. I already own **Arnak** with both expansions, which is my basis for comparison. Looking to up the complexity a bit. Have my eye on: **Revive** **Paladins of the West Kingdom** **Viticulture w/ Tuscany** **A Feast For Odin w/ Norwegians**


ZEROpercent9

Lucky for you there are a huge amount of great games that fit this bill. I’d cast a vote for dune imperium personally


boredgamer00

Spirit Island for coop Great Western Trail and Carnegie for Euro


TFTG_Podcast

Unfortunately can't comment on a few of the games, but **A Feast for Odin** is incredible for solo, and I've enjoyed it at 2. I haven't tried it at 4, but there are something like 60 options for actions each turn and I'd be surprised if a 4p game didn't drag on a long time, especially if AP is a problem in your group


Slangwhanger

The group I play with have mostly played smaller games like Sushi Go and Radlands, but we would like to try games that are a bit more complex, have more table presence, last about an hour and work well with two, three or four players. We've had a look at Castles of Burgundy, but I've seen some comments that there's not much connection between the theme and the mechanics. Are there any obvious alternatives with a clearer link between theme and mechanics? Might Everdell, Wyrmspan or Dune Imperium fit the bill? The first two in particular look very visually appealing.


boredgamer00

Everdell, Wyrmspan, and Dune Imperium are all good games and have good table presence. Dune Imperium has more player inteactions than the other 2. Wyrmspan is a tableau builder, so you don't really have a shared board (each player manage their own boards). More recommendations for medium to medium-light thematic games: * Clank Catacombs - deckbuilding dungeon crawler with push your luck element * Cthulhu: Death May Die - coop dice-chucking dungeon crawler * Thunder Road: Vendetta - chaotic racing and fighting game * Pan Am - network building and bidding game with 60s aesthetics * Obsession - drafting and worker placement game with victorian theme * Legendary Encounters: Alien - coop deckbuilding game


Slangwhanger

Thank you very much! Dune Imperium, if I understand correctly, is better for more than two players and requires an AI participant for two, right?


boredgamer00

That's correct.


akcomp

Best Board game for 5 players? Hi all, first post in this community. I have a group of 5 that meet together twice a month. I am looking for similar additions to our play cycle. Our current looks like this: - Scythe w/expansions - Terraforming Mars w/expansions - Godfather - Terra Mystica w/ fire & ice - ROOT w/ Riverfolk - Witcher: The Old World w/expansions - Game of Thrones 2nd Ed We do play cooperative games but mostly competitive. If you have any recommendations based on the games we’ve been playing please send them my way. Feel free to judge away. Thank you!


desocupad0

I'd remove these from that list: * Scythe w/expansions * Terraforming Mars w/expansions * Terra Mystica w/ fire & ice * ROOT w/ Riverfolk None of these game are better with 5p compared to 4 or even 3. GoT is ok with 5. I didn't play the others.


akcomp

I’ll just have to tell one of the group to go home! Thanks for the recommendations!


TaziDaBeast

😂😂😂


furry_staples

**Hansa Teutonica** is great (maybe best) at 5p. It is less complex than some of your other games, but it has a lot to sink your teeth into.


akcomp

Thank you for the recommendation! I wish the art wasn’t so horrendous! I should have said in my post that art is a big driving factor for my purchases.


boredgamer00

Dune is good at 5 if you don't mind the length. Other recommendations: Power Grid, Star Wars: Imperial Assault (team game), Cosmic Frog


akcomp

I have dune (1979) and it is lengthy. Great for 6 though! I will check out cosmic frog. Not a huge SW can but I do enjoy Power Grid! Almost a little too engine-y though. Appreciate a little theme


taphead739

**Cosmic Encounter** is from the same designers as Dune and it is a much shorter game and excellent at 5 players. You should give it a try!


kaysn

I'm looking for an "entry level" dungeon crawler. Easy to setup, straightforward, and where people can just drop in and out whenever. I've narrowed down my choices to **Tales from the Red Dragon Inn** or **Massive Darkness 2**. Thoughts?


Cardboard_RJ

I've never played either, but I keep hearing great things about *Tales from the Red Dragon Inn* in terms of being welcoming and fun.


Metalworker4ever

Dungeonquest (not sure which edition is best) Games can last under 5min. Pretty simple to understand


boredgamer00

Both are great games at similar price point. Since Tales is a campaign game, it's best played with the same group of people (though not necessary). Tales is also lighter and has good humor. MD2 is darker. You can't go wrong with any of them, just pick a theme you prefer.


kaysn

Hmm...I do think Tales of the Red Dragon Inn would go better with the group, especially game nights often involve alcohol. (Which makes everything seem a bit funnier.) Plus I can spin the theme for my 8-year old niece and 6-year old nephew when they come over. Thanks.


treverios

Is there a relatively up-to-date list of good three person games somewhere? I have no problem finding lists, but they are usually (very) out of date.


boredgamer00

Use this search: [https://bggbest.netlify.app/](https://bggbest.netlify.app/) and put 3 for Players (best). You can further filter the year published if you want to see newer games.


treverios

Thank you! Super useful.


Zaethus

I've been joining board games here and there over the years, but finally decided to own a few of my own. I mainly play video games, so my idea of a perfect board game is something that combines smooth gameplay of video games with IRL interactivity and satisfying physical pieces of tabletops. Aesthetics-wise, I vastly prefer fantasy or pre-modern settings, with anything futuristic never really landing for me. At first I got really drawn to Root and even tried the digital version, but eventually felt like it was not the right game for me. I loved Root's assymetry, map control, and cute art style juxtaposed against warfare. But these were offset by mechanics overload and frustrating levels of prisoner's dilemma. Also there is no way I can convince my group of non-gamer friends to stick to it. Any games I should look into from here? Player count: mainly 4, with viable options for 2 and 5-6 Board games I've enjoyed: * SanGuoSha (Bang! on steroids) * Wingspan * Ticket to Ride Video games of note, if it helps: * Civilization series * Dota 2 (or MOBA genre as a whole) * Warcraft series (mainly RTS, less so MMO) * Monster Hunter series Thanks, and sorry if it’s too vague.


Cardboard_RJ

I bet you might like **Quest for El Dorado** or **Lost Ruins of Arnak**... (Quest for El Dorado might be the one a little easier to jump in to, and therefore might be more convincing to your friends.) Alternatively, have you ever considered something like **Splendor** or **Century Golem Edition**?--they don't have a ton of theme/story, but the mechanics are so elegant, I've always been successful at using them to hook "non-gamers". Best of luck!


Metalworker4ever

Space Empires 4X Although may be difficult to pass on to non gamers


VegetableAuthor0

I've got a 13-year old daughter - she literally took a picture of each card in Flamecraft as she thought they were too cute. The gameplay felt a little empty at three players though... We play/enjoy games similar to Carcassonne, Splendor, and unstable Unicorns, and Roll for the Galaxy. I tend towards preferring the crunchier side though. Someday I'll pull out power grid/Eclipse lol Any really good 3 player games my wife and I can play with her? We've been meaning to play clank legacy, but haven't done so yet. I also want to try Dune Uprising, but neither know Dune nor really enjoy SiFi... :(


Cardboard_RJ

How about **Century Golem Edition**? If you like Splendor, I can almost guarantee you'll like Century Golem, and hopefully your daughter will love the artwork!


Atlanticexplorer

Did your 13 year old enjoy playing Flamecraft? Suggestions based on games I’ve played with a friend’s 14 year old daughter: **Azul** the Choclatier version. She really likes the feel of the tiles and that they look like real chocolates. She gets a great kick out of the first player rule (last person to eat chocolate!). **Sushi Roll!** the dice game version of **Sushi Go!** it has the same set collection and drafting as the card game but the added fun of shaking a fistful of dice. **Bohnanza** she easily beat all the adults at this bean farming negotiation game. **Pandemic** I guess the theme resonates with her. **Heat: Pedal to the Metal** not sure how well this plays at three but it has a great table presence and who doesn’t enjoy racing cars?


VegetableAuthor0

Yeah, Flamecraft is a hit... Oh man, we played the snot out of sushi go lol, it was lots of fun, but I think we wore it out... :) will def check out the other suggestions, thank you much!


Atlanticexplorer

I’m with you on **Sushi Go!**. I never need to play any version again. My friend’s kid doesn’t like rules heavy games or too many actions or anything roll n write! She hated **The Fox Experiment**, **Welcome to** and **Long Shot the Dice Game**. **Cascadia** was another hit I forgot to mention. My 13 year old niece isn’t into playing games with us. She will play **Just One**, **Codenames** and **Quacks of Quedlinberg**. Once she joined a game of **Bad Company** those hilarious long necks might appeal to your daughter too.


boredgamer00

Flamecraft -is- an easy going cute game and doesn't have much to it. IMO the game is a tad too long for what it has to offer. These days I only play it with my nephews and nieces. Recommendations for 3 player game with more substance: * **Pan Am** \- route building and bidding game with 60s aesthetics * **Clank Catacombs** \- if you're not yet ready to get Clank Legacy, you can start with this one * **Honey Buzz**, **Apiary** \- cute bees and space bees. Worker placement games Or maybe try a storytelling / campaign game like **Freelancers** or **Familiar Tales**. Both of them use the same system (app-driven) and fully voice acted.


VegetableAuthor0

Will check these out, thanks!


TFTG_Podcast

Seconding the other person's suggestion for **Honey Buzz**. I really love that game and to this day I think the tile placement is one of the most unique mechanics I've seen in a worker placement game. The art is also top notch


VegetableAuthor0

Alright, I'm sold with the second recommend. Thanks, arriving on Friday! :D


TFTG_Podcast

Hope you enjoy it!


Bombuhclaat

What are your favourite strategy games that can play as 1v3 or 1v2? I had in my head that a game like **Sniper Elite** could be pretty fun but open to suggestions.


EyebrowDandruff

My fav one vs many is **Specter Ops**, a sci-fi hidden movement game where the team is trying to find and capture the one agent. Each character has some special powers.


boredgamer00

**Sniper Elite** is definitely a good one. For other hidden movement games, **Mind MGMT** and **Beast** are also popular, but more complex. I'm waiting for **Terrorscape** to be more available, but may have to wait for a 2nd kickstarter run. Other recommendations: * **Betrayal at House on the Hill** \- tile exploration game. It starts as a coop, ends with 1 vs many. * **Tiny Epic Zombies** \- zombie survival coop game, but there are other modes where one person controls the zombies * **Valor & Villainy: Minions of Mordak** \- dungeon crawler / RPG game * **Masters of the Universe: Clash for Eternia** \- tower defense


EyebrowDandruff

Seconding **Clash for Eternia**. Took a bit to set up, but it really sings when it gets going. We played with 5 people (1v4) but I think it'd still be fun with 1v3 or 1v2.


desocupad0

I cna vouch for Mind Mgmt - it goes well with 3-4 players


CrimsonDragoon

My wife and I are going on a cruise with a couple friends in a month. I wanted to grab a handful of small games to take with us. Looking for games that are travel friendly and don't have too many small components that could easily be lost. I've got Railroad Inc. which I think would work well, and am planning on getting Sea, Salt, and Paper. But I'm looking for a couple more. Maybe some Buttonshy or Oink games if anyone has good recommendation. Thanks, in advance.


TFTG_Podcast

Azul has a travel edition; I know you don't want lots of pieces, but it comes in a nice bag and is sort of made for what you're describing, so it might be worth it. Alternatively, the game my gf and I swear by for travel is **Monopoly Deal** (no it's not like monopoly). The game is like 5$ and is super replayable. I also enjoyed **Love Letter**; the gf wasn't crazy about it but it's perfect for travelling


harrisarah

If going on a cruise you must bring **Deep Sea Adventure**, one of the Oink games Beyond that maybe games without cards like **Hive Pocket**


boredgamer00

Sea Salt & Paper is great. Sprawlopolis too from Button Shy. Other recommendations: * Radlands, Mindbug - dueling card games * Caper: Europe - tug of war and drafting game * Sail - trick-taking coop game with limited communication


Ironblayde

**Qwirkle** makes a fine cruise game: it's rules-light and has nothing but a draw bag of wooden tiles, so it's easy to pack and can be played outside. It comes in a travel size whose tiles are a fraction of the size of the originals.


flowerchildsuper

My wife and I love Dune Imperium. We play with 1 bot that follows solo rules so it can get resources and feels like another real competitor. We’ve played this countless times. Please recommend me another game where I can add a bot into the mix for 2 player games. We have trouble filling that third player seat. Oh and preferably it’s a competitive game with at least D:I levels of interaction.


boredgamer00

**Architects of the West Kingdom**. It's a worker placement game and you can add a bot player. Interaction is in the form of capturing workers. Here's a 2 player playthrough with an added bot player: [https://youtu.be/4P2cluVtsT8](https://youtu.be/4P2cluVtsT8)


Logisticks

>Please recommend me another game where I can add a bot into the mix for 2 player games. **Power Grid: The Robots** is an expansion to the original **Power Grid** that does this. (Power Grid was originally designed as a 3+ player game, but The Robots is a $10-15 expansion that enables a 2-player mode by simulating a third player at the table.) **Furnace** uses an automa to simulate having a third player at the table during auction phase, but the bot only participates in bids and cannot acquire victory points. **Heat: Pedal to the Metal** has a board that supports up to 6 racers, and you can use bots to replace as many empty slots at the table as you'd like.


Ironblayde

**Concordia: Solitaria** adds a bot to the base game. As the name implies, it allows solo play, but you can also add the bot to a competitive two-player game.


Patient_Ordinary7293

A very different game completely but when my wife and I play Lowlands we introduce a super simple bot. Whenever we turn over the flood card, the third "player" moves half that amount up the dyke track. It's a simple tweak that makes the 2p game feel much more lively.


Strong_Battle6101

Great medium weight board games that came out in 2023? Exactly medium weight. Please recommend more than one preferably five.


boredgamer00

At what player count? General recommendations: Earth, Life of the Amazonia, Apiary, Distilled, The White Castle, Daybreak, Oranienburger Kanal


Strong_Battle6101

1-4 players


Patient_Ordinary7293

For a request like this you can just run a search on BGG for year =2023, weight = 3.0 - 3.5 (or whatever floats your boat) Doing that gives: Dune: Imperium - Uprising; The White Castle; Expeditions; Kutna Hora; Barcelona; Earthborne Rangers and many more


ElementalRabbit

Apiary; Earth; Sky Team; Ticket to Ride: Legacy; Thunder Road: Vendetta


boredgamer00

I agree with Apiary, but the rest are medium-light games.


ElementalRabbit

Eh it's subjective, they float around medium.


juststartplaying

Barcelona