Great to see others here who really like board games.
I have quite a few (ie: too many) board games at home, enough that some don't get played even though I really like them. But the one new-ish game that I've got and really want to talk about is Catacombs.
The game has a really simple concept: four heroes are going down into a dungeon, clearing out bad guys from a bunch of rooms before getting to the boss monster where there is an epic showdown. One player controls the bad guys, while other players work together as a team to control the set of heroes. All in-game characters are wooden discs, and to make them move or attack you literally flick the pieces across the board to bump into opponents or to give friendly discs a push in the right direction.
Even though the basic concept is simple enough that anyone can play, the game has a lot of interesting character. Every hero and enemy has different special abilities - ranged attacks, poison attacks, defensive ability, being able to do more than one action each turn, magical spells, special items, etc - so the game never gets boring and feels like it's just repeating itself.
Anyway, I think the game is really awesome and have played it multiple times with different groups (sizes/ages). If you ever get the chance, check it out.
The new edition pictured above was a KickStarter project last year. Backers got their games delivered in August (?) for Europe, while North Americans were a month or so later. My copy arrived in late September, and has been my most played game since then.
According to the publisher, retail copies are in transit to North American distributors now, so it should be showing up in stores and online retailers very soon - probably in the next week or so. I have no idea how it's being handled in Europe.
Two caveats:
There is an older edition with a black box and very different artwork. It's still very fun despite being quite ugly. Contents have also been improved (bigger boards and more stuff) in the latest edition. So even though you might find the old version available, I'd recommend the new edition if possible because it's a big improvement.
The publisher also said that the game is sold out at wholesale - so I guess that distributors and retailers have purchased all available copies? There should be a reprint eventually, but if you see a copy in stores and it seems interesting then don't wait for too long. Hard to say how big the print run is.
I want to do research on board games that have Tactics in them. I'm planning to get Ludo but I heard of other better games like Risk.
I'm also looking for this game called Mensch ärgere dich nicht. Any idea which clone is better? Parcheesi or Ludo?
Not entirely sure what you mean by "Tactics", so if my suggestions below don't help then please elaborate.
My understanding of the main differences (which isn't perfect):
Parcheesi - uses two dice for movement, must move pieces through safe squares and into the center square to finish
Ludo - uses a single die for movement, must move pieces through safe squares and into the center square to finish
Mensch ärgere dich nicht - uses a single die for movement, fewer spaces on the board than Ludo, each player has a set of safe squares that they must move pieces into to finish the game (similar to Trouble in North America)
These games all come from the same family. The most important change, in my opinion, is the different number of dice. Using two dice in Parcheesi speeds up the game and adds some (needed) complexity in the decision space. Using a single die increases the amount of luck and slows the pace of the game... which is why I consider Parcheesi the best of those options.
However, if you are really interested in tactical dice games then I would recommend looking into Backgammon instead. There seems to be a lot of luck involved initially, but smart players will almost always beat newcomers because there is a good deal of skill required to play well. (It's also worth the effort to learn how the doubling cube works once you understand the basic mechanics.)
For something a bit lighter but still very interesting from a tactical perspective (and better suited for larger groups of players), try finding a copy of "Can't Stop". It's a great game for understanding dice-based statistics and tactical choices. It's also a very fun dice game to play with friends.
And if you aren't tied to dice, then you might consider trying Pente. It's still a classic game, very easy to learn, but creates some very interesting tactical choices. As an added bonus, you can easily play this game a goban if you have one available or with a self-printed board and some flat beads.
I'm not a big fan of Ludo and related games. However, they are classics for a reason and worth looking at.
@ejamer: That sounds like a lot of fun. Where can I purchase this?
Apparently just arrived in stores. I'm sure it'll be available from many places soon, but here is one possible link: http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/222198
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Topic: Board Game General Disscusion
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