http://tabletop.geekandsundry.com/episodes/

Great to watch episodes of tabletop and see a game in action before buying it.

The card games they play aswell are pretty good and can go along well with a board game.

At my gaming nights we usually play 1 board game, 1 card game and then some poker.

Well, thanks... :D

I dislike Dominion because it's too easy to optimize. There's always someone who has played it before, who knows the cards by heart and knows exactly what they are going to do. Such people make getting into the game very difficult, which is why I've only played the game once or twice and now avoid it like a crotch rot.

Seven Wonders is more fair in this respect, I think. It's also easy to learn and carry around. Also, each session doesn't last very long so you can change players and seating order frequently - and if you're losing, you know the game will be over in a minute so it's not so bad.

Arkham Horror is nice, partly because it pits the players against the system instead of each other. There are plenty of expansions, and I strongly advise you to buy one or two of the bigger ones and a few small ones - do NOT buy all of them, because it's hopelessly expensive and there'll be too much shit to lug around. Anyway, most of the action takes place on the original game board even if you have all of the expansions; having three extra boards just idling at the side is inane.

However, the very best board game we regularly play is Chaos in the Old World. I don't know anything about Warhammer, so don't worry if you don't, either. Four players are required (a fifth one can join if you buy the expansion, which is also recommended), one game takes about two or three hours (i.e. not too much), and the game balances luck and skill pretty well. It's also possible to keep on playing even when you're losing, if only to make sure someone else doesn't win, which is pretty cool when you remember games like Eclipse, where recovering from a devastating situation is purely impossible.

btw, just out of curiosity, what do you guys think of Battlestar Galactica expansions? I've heard that Pegasus is pretty gamebreaking.

I've played it a couple of times but it just makes an already long game even longer and isn't that good. We normally play the original and ignore the expansion. Which I must have played 15-20 times last year. Which is a fair amount considering we are only able to get together once a week if that.

Decisions, decisions... I've already enrolled to board games night in local store that's gonna be in next two weeks. I will definitely write here how it went afterwards ;-)

BSG is really good, particularly with 5-6 players. Avoid the expansions...they do add some nice parts, but they add even more complexity to the game and just turn it in to a slog.

Ghost Stories is terrific. The art on everything is fantastic. It isn't that tough to learn, though there are a lot of symbols and you'll be referring to the rulebook to remember what they mean. Also, it is HARD. This game hates you. If you like that and want a challenge, buy it. If you don't and think you'd get frustrated and pissed off, avoid it like a plague.

I will also second the suggestion a few posts up for Chaos in the Old World. It actually isn't that complicated a game, but each of the 4 players is a completely different power with completely different abilities.

( Yay! One of my friends owns Ghost stories! Guess what's coming just after my finals :D)

Well, you could say the same about chess or almost any strategic card game, but that's not my impression of Dominion. Dominion offers a wide spectrum of different strategies to try and no guarantees that one strategy will be the winning one in a given game. It also takes a bit of luck, but unless a game is based on pure chance, you can't expect to beat veterans on first or second try (although it's not impossible, just unlikely).

I understand that first impressions have greatly affected the way I perceive Dominion and that refusing to play it doesn't really give it a fair chance to redeem itself.

Whatever the case, the person who introduced me to the game was the creepiest person I've ever met, so I always feel subconscious dread when I hear the word "Dominion", not unlike the feeling I get when I see the person in question. Not the game's fault, really.

To be fair, the title makes it sound like a villain's game on top of it. I wonder when we can expect the "Evil Dominion" and "World Dominion" expansions ... :D

I like board games but I don't get a chance too often because I don't know many people who are into it and those who are live too far away (like different county far). My brother and his wife are into board games though, their favourites being Settlers of Catan and Carcassone. Apparently Carcassone IS quite a good choice. And I also really recommend Settlers which I've played a lot by now. It feels random and unfair at times but you can make up for even some seriously bad luck (proven by an engineer-friend of my brother who has won every single match they have played with him).

Personally I was more into Warhammer and it was always easy to find other players for that one - friends and family played it a lot and additionally those shops that offer both the "hardware" and organize tournaments can be found almost anywhere. I quit playing it when I seriously started making music, though. I just don't have the time and money to do both - well, not while also being into video games. :B

You don't live in a city? Because in every city should be at least one gaming club. Even in Torun there are two big board games shops that let you play with people for free, and play many games avaible in store for free also. (the one I was checking out is offering 150 titles for free to try in the store)

Also, I think every student's dormitory should have game club. Well, I haven't even left my house since yesterday and I already found few my friends living nearby who play and are very willing to introduce me into board gaming :-)

You should search, dude!

Well, I do live in a city (Warsaw to be exact) so it should indeed be easy to find some place like that but at least for now I don't have the time / am not in the mood for joining a club of that sort (either way my interest in board games isn't THAT big). I'd rather want to play something with friends or my GF and another couple but it's quite hard organizing that kind of stuff currently with everyone being busy with their jobs, some people (like my GF) having a full time job and going to university at weekends. Usually we only end up meeting in pubs drinking beer. :P