The best strategic board game?

[stotzi]

In addition to playing CC my friends and I like to play boardgames. I'd like to buy a new one.

So what's the best strategic boardgame for you (excluding risk, of course )?

[deathcomesrippin]

Game of Thrones. No dice. Which makes it awesome.

[kizkiz]

Twilight imperium with all the expansions. Awesome tactical game, politics between players, and always close.

[deathcomesrippin]

Twilight imperium with all the expansions. Awesome tactical game, politics between players, and always close.

This too.

For a quick and easy game, Race for the Galaxy is cool if you are into card games. it plays somewhat CCGish, but you dont need to buy booster packs or anything, one deck does it all. Very fun and quick to learn.

[Dukasaur]

Avalon Hill's Stalingrad.

One review: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4651/stalingrad

The rules are fairly straightforward. The strategies are extremely deep. Stalingrad is by far the most thoroughly and deeply analyzed board war game. Furthermore, the game preserves interest for players at a wide range of levels. Stalingrad is a good game to use to introduce players to hex-based war games.

Any Avalon Hill game is top-notch, but people who have played a lot of them rank Stalingrad either at or near the top of the list.

[DoomYoshi]

Avalon Hill's Stalingrad.

One review: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4651/stalingrad

The rules are fairly straightforward. The strategies are extremely deep. Stalingrad is by far the most thoroughly and deeply analyzed board war game. Furthermore, the game preserves interest for players at a wide range of levels. Stalingrad is a good game to use to introduce players to hex-based war games.

Any Avalon Hill game is top-notch, but people who have played a lot of them rank Stalingrad either at or near the top of the list.

You can get the DOS version on all abandonware sites.

Third Reich is better, especially the newer versions (they really cleaned up the front rules). All of these games are more involved and will take a full afternoon.

(not GOT)

Axis and Allies is decent if you want something similar to RISK, but only slightly more complex.

Acquire is a great one. It is amazingly simple to teach, and the strategies are simple but single moves can totally throw the game.

Civilization (the game that Civilization was based on)* is really fun, but only if you can consintently get 5-6 players (which is true of many of these games).

Blood Bowl is a classic, but takes the right group of people to really get into.

There are tons of Chess variants and GO games too, which for the more analytic minds, will keep you engrossed for hours.

As a kid, my favorite was always Hero Quest which isn't very strategic and is tough to find in good condition, but if you get a chance to play, take it up.


*In an interview in Civilization Chronicles, Sid Meier says that he never played the board game until after he wrote the comp game, but in a much earlier interview for the original Civilization strategy guide, he admits to it being his main inspiration. And seriously, the tech tree has some particularly striking similarities.

[Army of GOD]

Settlers of Catan or A&A

[Lootifer]

Settlers of Catan or A&A

Settlers is a fun negoitation game, but there isnt a huge depth of strategy to it. Also the business model of continual, and expensive, expansions is kinda lame.

[BigBallinStalin]

Settlers of Catan or A&A

Settlers is a fun negoitation game, but there isnt a huge depth of strategy to it. Also the business model of continual, and expensive, expansions is kinda lame.

Eh, it's a great game if you play with humans face-to-face. Online, it's very lame. I love the wheelin' and dealin' of that game. The strategy arises from what you can arrange with your fellow players/enemies. It depends on the players' skills. (if they're cognizant of when marginal benefits approach marginal costs, then they'd cease coordination. That game depends on (1) how well they're cognizant of this, and (2) other player's persuasion--for better or worse. The strategy arises from the diplomacy, which is dependent on at least 3 teammates of 4-5. That's the key. Having all 5 skilled is superb.


Puerto Rico is also a great game.

[Frigidus]

Puerto Rico is also a great game.

Agreed, simple in concept but complex in execution. I guess this one wouldn't be considered a board game, but Dominion is an outstanding deck building game. If you really like it there are more than enough expansions to keep you permanently entertained.

[MeDeFe]

I'll second both Dominion and Race for the Galaxy. Both of them are outstanding games.

If you can get 4 or more players on a regular basis you might want to look into Junta. Diplomacy, lies, trickery, backstabbing, upholding and breaking of deals, using other players against each others, that game really has it all.

[deathcomesrippin]

Dominion is awesome. I only need the Hinterlands and the latest expansion and I have them all.

[HardAttack]

my vote goes for strip poker





P.S. Card games counted to be a type of board game ?

[stotzi]

Wow, some interesting and inspiring answers so far!

Some of the games you mentioned I already own: Settlers of Catan, Axis and Allies, Puerto Rico, Hero Quest.
Also I have played Thunderstone at a friends, which should be something like a clone of Dominion. But from what I've read, Dominion might be better - through the expansion sets alone. Thunderstone, well, hasn't really fascinated me very much.

Yes, card games count, too! I love playing the Lord of the Rings LCG, Warhammer: Invasion (I just bought the Cataclysm expansion set, I am eager to test it!!) or the Game of Thrones card game (but I don't like the deckbuilding mechanism of GoT LCG too much, because to play it in an interesting way, you need a lot of expansion sets and every player should have the basic game, because of the free choice of plot cards and the choice of neutrals).

I can contribute Mage Knight to the discussion, which is really a good board game for players, who liked the old DOS game Warlords on PC.

Currently a friend has borrowed me the Game of Thrones board game - I am very curious about it and will most likely try it the coming weekend!

I have to google the other games you mentioned!!

[Ray Rider]

Eclipse is an awesome game, definitely my favorite strategy board game. More complex that Risk or Catan, shorter than Axis and Allies or Diplomacy, similar to the computer game Civilization/Sins of a Solar Empire in the form of a board game. It incorporates, technology research, exploration, military upgrades, war, diplomacy, and economics all in one. I would highly recommend it.



http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/72125/eclipse

[TA1LGUNN3R]

Cribbage.

[Lootifer]

Settlers of Catan or A&A

Settlers is a fun negoitation game, but there isnt a huge depth of strategy to it. Also the business model of continual, and expensive, expansions is kinda lame.

Eh, it's a great game if you play with humans face-to-face. Online, it's very lame. I love the wheelin' and dealin' of that game. The strategy arises from what you can arrange with your fellow players/enemies. It depends on the players' skills. (if they're cognizant of when marginal benefits approach marginal costs, then they'd cease coordination. That game depends on (1) how well they're cognizant of this, and (2) other player's persuasion--for better or worse. The strategy arises from the diplomacy, which is dependent on at least 3 teammates of 4-5. That's the key. Having all 5 skilled is superb.


Puerto Rico is also a great game.

A fun game you might like (and its cheap and cheerful) is a card/token game called "For Sale". A bit like Blackjack in that it can be played perfectly with card counting without huge amounts of complexity, but if you play it with a couple of beers and play it casually then its loads of fun. Its a simple auction game.

[jay_a2j]

Hands down Axis & Allies! It's RISK on STEROIDS!