Made a board game sale list for Prime Day, figured I'd share. Bolded prices indicate all-time low on CCC:

• 7 Wonders | $28.99 | 3-7 players | ~30-45 Minutes | 7.8 on BGG - This is a fantastic game to introduce people to "tableau building" and "card drafting." If you're not familiar, a tableau is the cards in front of you that are part of your "engine" going forward, usually you will add cards to it that add synergy to your strategy. Card drafting is when players have a hand of cards, choose one, and then pass to the person next to them. This game can fit up to 7 and it doesn't really bog the game down. I'm not in love with this game, but at this price I think it's a very fair offering for a game that once taught and played once, flows really nicely and makes for a great game to drink and talk while playing rather than being buried in thought about what to do.
  
  
• 7 Wonders: Duel | $17.81 | 2 Players | 20-30 Minutes | 8.1 on BGG - This is a 2 player adaptation of 7 Wonders and it's quite a great version. Instead of card drafting by passing hands, there is a "market" that opens up further as more cards are chosen in which players take turns choosing from. It offers an intense 2 player back and forth of "chicken" in a way that flows nicely and culminates in a satisfying, even if sometimes mean, ending. Often credited as one of the best 2 player games out there, especially with expansions.
  
  
  
• Agricola | $32.89 | 1-4 Players | 30-150 Minutes | 8.0 on BGG - I have never played this but you can find lots of excellent discussion about this on BGG and /r/boardgames. Ultimately it's a beefier board game about managing your farm to take care of your family. Sounds thrilling right? Well apparently it really is. It's currently rated the 25th bestboard game of all-time, and is often mentioned among some of the great games out there. This is an excellent price for this game new, so if there's any interest, go watch a review of two.
  
  
• Carcassonne | $19.99 | 2-4 Players | ~30 Minutes | 7.4 on BGG - This is an excellent tile laying game for gamers and non-gamers alike. It's simple to teach, takes almost no time to set-up, and can easily be expanded to fit 5 players. If you end up loving this, there are many expansions for it to add depth, or silliness, whichever you prefer. This has become a staple in my circle of friends who don't really play board games because it's so approachable.
  
  
• Isle of Skye | $24.35 | 2-5 Players | 30-50 Minutes | 7.5 on BGG - I've never played this, but it's been on my list for a while as a tile laying game with more complexity than Carcassonne. I don't know much about it, but this is a great price and those with Irish heritage might love the theme. Edit: Well this is embarrassing, Isle of Skye is in Scotland, sorry for that.
  
  
• Pandemic: Fall of Rome | $27.99 | 1-5 Players | 30-60 Minutes | 7.8 on BGG - This is a variation of the much beloved game Pandemic. In this variation, you and up to 4 other players are taking control of Roman armies to defend against the oncoming tribes attempting to take over a weakened Rome. You will use your unique powers and randomly drawn cards to work together with the other players in this cooperative game. If you've played base Pandemic you will know what to expect, but this version has some cool thematic changes that have many reviewers calling it the second best iteration of the Pandemic series.
  
  
• Patchwork | $17.84 | 2 Players | ~20 Minutes | 7.7 on BGG - This is an excellent 2 player game using spacial skills to build out your quilt in a sort of "Tetris" way. You need to manage buttons (currency) and time to efficiently build your quilt with as little empty spots as possible. It's a darling of the community and designed by the great Uwe Rosenberg. People meme about it because it's often recommended, but there's a reason why it is.
  
  
• Photosynthesis | $21.11 | 2-4 Players | 30-60 Minutes | 7.2 on BGG - I've never played this, but it's quite a nice looking game on the table. It's about growing trees while using a limited amount of sunlight - or that's how it's been described to me anyway. I've heard that this game can get pretty cutthroat, especially at higher player counts, because of how limited the board space gets.
  
  
• The Castles of Burgundy | $19.20 | 2-4 Players | 45-90 Minutes | 8.1 on BGG - One of the finest board games I've ever played in spite of the ugly art and theme of it. Visually, I find nothing about this appealing, but the gameplay is so fantastic that I fell in love with it immediately. You have 25 turns in which you are using two dice each turn which are used to make decisions on how to build out your board to gain victory points. The actions are mostly easy to understand, and you're never screwed over by a bad roll because bad rolls can be mitigated via worker resources. There is a good amount of strategic depth to it, minor "meanness" in "screwing over" opponents, and I mostly feel happy with every round - it's a rare game of satisfaction each turn. My only complaint is that the yellow tiles are all unique which turns into a lot of, "What does that one do?" which is mitigated with player aides you can find on BGG. Warning, new print coming out this year that may or may not make the art look better, but the new print will have all expansions. With that said, for $19.20 this is a no-brainer if you want something more complex than something like Catan.
  
  
• The Quest for El Dorado | $19.99 | 2-4 Players | ~45 Minutes| 7.6 on BGG - This is a great deck-building racing game to get to El Dorado first. It's simple to learn and honestly my only complaint is that the game takes up a lot of space. The map is completely variable and there are some official variants in the book, as well as many others on BGG on the files section. If you enjoy the concept of building a deck to race through the treacherous lands to get to El Dorado, this is a great game. Warning, there is a new edition coming out with new artwork, so you may want to hold off.

oh this is perfect. An excellent exercise.

$100 to buy games on Amazon with a newbie who has specific needs.

Ok so we're looking to minimize card games, adult players, 2+

1. Alhambra - $30 - it's a fun game and it gets our requirements right out of the way. it's more than just a card game there's a board, there's tiles to play with, A nice amount of physicality. it's new player friendly and works with 2 players.
   
   
2. Last Night on Earth - $45 - Again going hard on the requirements here. It may be totally cheesy and it might not last a long time in your collection but if you're gonna get this game better to get it when you're young in the hobby so you'll have the most fun. It's team based but works with one player teams. It's a zombie game with a lot of mini zombie figurines to play with. It's a lot of fun to play with.
   
   

3. Blueprints - $30 - I want a dice game in your library and in my head the first game is King of Tokyo which is an excellent game but I don't know how useful it is for two players. Blueprints is easy to learn fun to play and performs well with two players.
   
   -------
   At this point I'm about $5 over maybe a little more because i think i rounded down a few. I might have been able to switch a few things to get more games in but I wanted quality games that minimized or compensated for cards. Plus all of these games play 2 or more pretty wel.
   
   -------
   
   Honorable Mentions:
   
   Jaipur - $35 - For a couple I think one of the best beginner games is Jaipur. It's a two player card game with a welcoming theme that's easy to learn and yet when you play it's as difficult as your opponent makes it. The games aren't long so even when you want to try and experiment with headgames you're not investing too much into it.
   
   Looney Pyramids aka IceDice - $9-15 - Now obviously the one to get is the Ice Dice. It's two "stashes" for $15 vs 1 for $10. Ideally you want three stashes and you can play the most excellent "Space Chess" like game Binary Homeworlds
   
   Bananagrams - $15 - Bananagrams is an excellent party game if you have the tablespace. Honestly this is the singular reason I haven't played my copy yet. It's light it's fluffy, it's fun.
   
   Splendor - $30 - Splendor is an excellent game. Nothing feels good as holding the poker chips in this game. It's a nice strategy game with a dash of tactical planning if you want. You could substitute it for Blueprints and still have excellent picks. Very fun quick game. But it is card heavy.
   
   Word ARound - $15 - Now most people probably haven't heard of this charmer. It's cheap, it's probably best as a party game. I happen to like the look of it but no doubt it'll burn out as you become familiar with the words a bit.
   
   -------
   Race for the Galaxy
   
   I happen to love that game. If you're ever stuck may I recommend this awesome video tutorial.
   
   Modern Table Gamer
   
   Also don't forget you can play online at BoardGameArena. Some people might be recommending Roll for the Galaxy the new spin off game. I haven't played it yet but I found the Miami Dice episode about it to be very enlightening. Both Tom and Sam speak highly of the game especially in comparison to the original game.
   
   -------
   Ticket to Ride
   
   Excellent game I hear for two players you want the Switzerland/India map
   
   -------
   Agricola
   
   I think this might be a bit heavy for new players
   
   
   -------
   Eldrich Horror/Castles of Burgundy
   
   While I have played CoB i don't know it well enough to judge it. I didn't have a great time with my play but it was just one time. I hear lovely things about Eldrich especially compared to Arkham.
   
   -------
   
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You could go all in with an awesome collection of Cards Against Humanity!

It requires you to have a pretty twisted sense of humor but it's a ton of fun with friends.

You could check out Firefly the Game.

If you're a fan of the space opera, this is one of the more enjoyable games I've ever played.

If you really don't mind blowing 300 bucks, there's the Star Wars X-Wing miniatures game!

You take control of a spacecraft in the Star Wars universe and each game is like an episode of a Star Wars tv show, with a clear goal and twists and turns along the way as you try and accomplish that goal. The miniatures can get pricey but 300 bucks would get you started on a pretty sweet collection if you buy the smaller ships.

300 bucks would also get you started with the world's greatest trading card game: Magic the Gathering!

This classic card game has been around for over 20 years, features thousands upon thousands of cards to select from and, just like chess, takes 10 minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. For 300 bucks you could both have a gaming mat, plenty of dice, a kick-ass card collection and more than enough to start building multiple decks. Heck, you can just go and buy pre-made decks from a plethora of websites. Check out Youtube for suggestions on what formats you might enjoy, but kitchen table Magic the Gathering is VERY satisfying for two people.

Of course, if you really want an epic adventure, you could check out the bigger, meaner, older cousin of Magic the Gathering, and maybe the most infamous table top game in the world: Dungeons and Dragons!

A little more effort than most, but hugely rewarding if you have a colorful imagination and don't mind some simple math (most games requre SOME math, just look at Monopoly), and you have decades of books to explore, and many are available for pretty cheap from both used book stores and your local library (hopefully). This is a hobby that lasts for the rest of your life.

Like Dungeons and Dragons but want a more easy and accessible game to start out? How about [Muchkin!] (http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jackson-Games-1483SJG-Munchkin/dp/B004U7JJWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1462113434&sr=1-1&keywords=munchkin)

We're talking dungeons...dragons...knights in shining armor and a LOT of fun. It's a good start for tabletop gaming.

Of course, Tabletop gaming is pretty extensive when it comes to choices. Here are a few more to check out:

The Game of the Century: Settlers of Catan

Spooky fun with Arkham Horror!

Big Adventures: Small Heroes... Mice and Mystics!

Survive the Zombie Apocalypse with Dead of Winter!

Of course, like Levar Burton says, you don't have to take my word for it. Here is the awesome Wil Wheaton's Youtube series, Tabletop! He plays with his friends so you don't have to! This series is amazing at helping to decide which tabletop game might be best for your playing needs.

Need a little help deciding if Magic the Gathering is right for you? How about Spellslingers on Youtube! Game Guru Day[9] plays Magic with his friends. Not only is this a super easy way to learn the game, it's a lot of fun to watch.

Need a little help understanding Dungeons and Dragons? Give Critical Role on Youtube a listen!

Luckily, you happened upon a time where tabletop games are going stronger than ever so...good luck!

This is extraordinarily thorough. So thorough in fact, that you should also consider board gaming. Reading this, it just makes a lot of sense for you. I think board gaming would fit you like a glove.

1. Video games have moved away from couch co-op. You've made a great list here with a lot of solid points, but I doubt you would have ever reached your conclusion, had you considered board games. Keep Talking is certainly a good entertaining game, nothing against it. It's just, that game feels plucked like a needle out of a haystack. Like you've biopsied out a very small node from inside a large mass.

You don't really have this problem with board games. Literally every single board game in existence is designed to be played with people immediately around you. I hesitate to use the phrase "played co-operatively" simply because most board games are NOT co-operative - though there are notable exceptions like Pandemic or Ghost Stories. Both great games.

Board games use human beings as the engine the game runs on. That's not to say board games pit intellects against each other in some sort of valid competition of "who's the most smartest", but to say: humans are social machines and will surprise you with their grasp of system thinking. If I have five or six people in the room with me, I'd prefer the game that we're playing to exist in the head-space between us rather than on some electronic device.

People have come over to my house in the real world. Why not play a game with them that also exists in the real world? I can play videogames over online multiplayer until I'm blue in the face. Just last night I reinstalled Bad Company 2 and played with a few old college roommates. If I had those old friends over to my house, we'd play a board game. It seems crazy to me that someone has taken the time to drive over to your place and you set them down in front of a computer.

2. Because boardgames have always been designed around a social experience taking place in the real world, they're just better at it. This is definitely subjective. You can feel free to disagree with me all you want, but there are mechanics that I just don't see in videogames. Sure, I could load up Gremlin's Inc and replicate what is probably the best roll n' move game I've ever played, but roll n' move is a Monopoly era game genre. Board games can move past this.

You can't play Two Room's and a Boom on a machine. You can't play Bid n' Bluff games like Liar's Dice, Sheriff of Nottingham, or social deduction games like Coup or Love Letter. You can't play physical dexterity games like Jenga (still great fun btw), Flick em' Up, or Catacombs.

There are just games that play better with groups of people because they exist in the real world and make use of humans as the operating system.

3. Board games are much more open to much more people. I don't know about you, but in my experience board games are just more accessible to a wider range of people. I'm maybe going to get a round of Mario Kart out of the adults in my life that love me, but I've sat down with people over 50 and had a great time with Ticket to Ride. At family reunions I've enjoyed Dominion with young children and grandparents alike. Settlers of Catan, Blockus, and Carcassonne are all genuinely fun games I played to death with my family.

How crazy is that? I would really look forward to playing one of those games with my whole family. I can't think of even one videogame that fits that criteria.

4. Perhaps most simply, there are incredible games that just don't exist in videogame form - even though they could. Is the total conversion mod for Crusader Kings II not giving you that full heady Game of Thrones experience? Why not just play Game of Thrones. This is probably my favorite game and it's just not on computers. I can imagine a version of Cosmic Encounter played over online multiplayer, but why? It already exists in perfect form. If I want to play El Grande, or Arctic Scavengers, or Lords of Vegas - well . . . those games just don't exist as videogames.

5. Just honorable mentions. Seven Wonders. Splendor. Blueprints.


TL;DR. There are a ton of great board games out there and if you actually are struggling to think of something that you and your friends can enjoy together in the same room - maybe give it a shot rather than lament the lack of couch co-op in videogames.

1. You can use pretty much anything for figures. You don't need actual minis to play. If you still want tot go that route, there's a couple options. The first option is to grab a box of Paizo's Pawns. They're meant for Pathfinder, but they're just pictures of monsters printed on card stock slotted into a plastic base. The Beastiary box is $36 on Amazon right now. The other option is to buy miniatures for creatures as you need them. There's no real "complete" set of minis and they are much more expensive than pawns or flat tokens for obvious reasons. If your players really want models of their characters, they can opt to have them made or find ones that are "close enough" for their taste. For maps/boards, you can draw your own on paper. Get a pad of 1" grid paper and draw your dungeons on that. Most pre-made D&D modules will have gridded maps that you can replicate on your own paper. A slightly more expensive option in the short term is to get a dry/wet erase battle mat. Use vis-a-vis markers to draw your map, then a damp paper towel to wipe the lines away when you want to put down a new dungeon. Battle mats are expensive on Amazon. Maybe try to find one in your local game shop?
   
2. The core rulebook has options for this. Basically there's three ways to do stats: Array, Point Buy, and Roll. In Array, you are given a specific spread of stats from the book and you decide what attributes to put those values into. In point buy, you have a set number of points (27) that can be dropped into stats, but it isn't always a 1:1 increase. As stats get higher they cost more points to buy. You can use a Point Buy Calculator to plan characters. For Rolling, you roll a number of dice and that determines your stats. What dice you roll is up to you, but the two most common ways are 3d6 per stat with no re-rolling or 4d6 keep highest 3 with no re-rolling. For beginners, I would recommend the Array option for stats.
   
3. Ok, so it sounds like you have nothing invested in the system so far, so here's the stuff you absolutely will need: The D&D 5th Edition Players Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide. These three books have everything you and your players need to play a full game. However, none of these have pre-made adventures for you. You will either have to make it up as you go along, or buy pre-made adventure modules. If you're worried about being able to tell a story on your own, I heartily recommend grabbing a pre-made adventure module and running that before you try anything homebrew (homebrew meaning made entirely by you) The two that are widely regarded as the best out so far are Storm King's Thunder and Curse of Strahd. Read their synopses and pick one to run.
   
4. No, but a "Session 0" where you create characters and set the tone/expectations for the campaign is a very good idea, especially when you're just starting out. If you can, make the Player's Handbook available to all of your players before you begin the game, so that they can start getting an idea of what kind of character they want to play. Then, during Session 0, make your characters together as a group and talk about what each person wants from the game. What kinds of things interest them and what stories do they want to tell, that sort of thing. Pay *close* attention to what they say. As the DM, it's your job to help them tell their stories and explore topics they're interested in. Most players, however, will not tell you exactly what they want, instead they'll tell you something related to it. For example, if a player says that their character is descended from an ancient tradition of spellcasters and takes proficiency in the history skill, then they're probably interested in the history of the world even if they never told you that's what they're interested in. This is what game masters will typically refer to as a flag.
   
5. Generally speaking, all of the classes in D&D are pretty well balanced, especially before you start adding extra supplements. The Dungeon Master's Guide has rules for awarding treasure to players. Use them. Keep in mind every player and their class when awarding magic items. For example, a +1 sword is a great, useful upgrade to a Fighter, but is nearly worthless to a Wizard. There's tables for awarding magic items in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Those are great guidelines to help you think of how to give out magical equipment, which will be the deciding factor of if a player gets overpowered or not. If you only hand out magic weapons and armor and one player in your group is a fighter, then they will naturally be overpowered. It's also really easy to fall into the trap of just handing out stuff that is really useful in combat but isn't very useful elsewhere. Keep utility items in mind and hand those out just as often if not more so than magical weapons. Give players utility items and support them using those items in weird situations.
   
6. The Player's Handbook gives you a guideline for each class's starting equipment. After that, players may spend their gold in towns to buy additional gear (but not magic items!) As for quest rewards and other loot, the Dungeon Master's Guide has rules and tables for that sort of thing.
   
   As for #7, I've got a whole list for you.
   
   

• Read the player's hadnbook and the dungeon master's guide cover to cover. Make notes in them, bookmark them. If you're making up your own scenario, read the monster manual too.
  
• Read adventures cover to cover before running them. Important advice for them may be further back than you might think. Read the adventure several times.
  
• During play, if there's a rules question, make a judgement call on it, then make a note to look it up later. Ruining the momentum and pacing for something just to make sure you're following the rules isn't fun for anyone.
  
• You are the final arbiter of the rules. If a rule in the adventure or rulebook is ruining your fun, toss it out. This is an RPG where you can just ignore encumbrance rules.
  
• Buy a Pound o' Dice. You'd be amazed how often having extra dice is useful. By buying one of these 100-die packs, you get at least one full set (1 each of 4/6/8/10/12/20) for each person in your group and extras for higher level rolls.
  
• Don't discount online tabletop services, even for in-person games. Having big maps is just not feasible in my apartment, but setting up a map to display on a TV works great.

My list would include a variation of games

Code Names - $16

Sushi Go - $10

7 Wonders - $26

Tsuro - $19

Castles of Burgundy - $27

Total: $98

Explanations:

First, I want to preface these selections: our play group varies in size from week to week with anywhere from 4-10 players averaging 5-6. So, we often get caught "splitting the party." That's fine at times, but sometimes, we all want to jump in on one game together because splitting up feels bad man^TM since we're all there to socialize in addition to playing games.

As such, I wanted to include games that ran the gamut and for the most part games that scaled well from 2-X players.

First, Code Names. Now, we've played this game so many times, we actually purchased the expansion Code Names Deep Cover which is a fun variant which adds tons of more playability. This is the go-to "party" game as, for our group, Cards Against Humanity has grown a bit stale. At least it hits the table much less frequently than in years past. Code Names is easy to teach, easy to understand and difficult enough for some of your more entrenched board gamers. In general, I find this a great starter to transition from your Milton Bradley games everyone knows (and hates) into board games that offer sustenance.

Secondly, I offer Sushi Go (cheating a bit here as you'll probably have to buy a couple copies for larger groups or just get Sushi Go Party). Sushi Go is our groups go-to game to introduce games that use a drafting mechanic and to teach that board games can be cute, fun, and delightful while also requiring strategy, maths, and a bit of hope (our group tends to dislike dice-rolling games so for the most part, we stick to games where we can mostly "control" our own fates - YMMV). This game is super quick, so you don't get bogged down at the table for hours. I feel for new board gamers, quicker games are a MUST as many people may not be able to handle the length many of our Beloveds require.

7 Wonders comes next. We tend to introduce this game right after Sushi Go as the mechanics are super similar and the newer players feel like they already know what's going on for the most part. There will be questions, there will be some confusion and oversight, but this game follows easily and feels like a natural step up from Sushi Go and gets players right into the mix of heartier board games. Oh, and I could personally play 7 Wonders every week, especially with all the options offered through the expansions Cities, Leaders, and Tower. The interchangeability of these expansions has kept this game on our table long past many others and continues to bring it back. Again though, YMMV as we all have different tastes.

Tsuro, our board game palatte cleanser. This is another quick game which offers a lot of replayabiliity with minimal rules learning. Aside from those positives, the artwork is what sent this board game over the top for me. I am mesmerized by the board, the tiles, and the pieces each time we open this. This game offers a quick break between your heavier meeple-laiden board games so even after we've surpassed "newb" status, we often come back to this.

Castles of Burgundy I included as a final game because ultimately, we need a game with a strong theme and wonderful mechanics which offer replayability from a more traditional Euro point of view. This game really surprised me. I loved it the first time we played it, and though it may not hit the table but once every other month due to time constraints, it always feels like reuniting with an old friend. It offers a setup for further Euro games and sets the scene on what's really out there in weightier board games. I know there could be other games that fit this description, but at the price, this game is amazing for what it offers.

And that's the list. I know there are many criticisms of these games and I don't devalue those. All my favorites have points in them where they fall a little flat at times, or don't elicit the enjoyment I thought they might, but many times, it's usually my perception and frame of mind. I can often come back months later with renewed enjoyment for them, so trust me, I know there are imperfections; I just choose to ignore them for the post. These games, while some may take a bit longer to learn, offer a great springboard into board games and offer the new player a slow wade into the pool without feeling too slow or drab as one might feel with something like Settlers of Catan. Will I stand by this opinion in 5 or 10 years? We'll see.

~rings doorbell wearing a bright, over-enthusiastic smile~ Oh, hello friend. I hear you and your friends might be interested in getting started on the road towards board gaming! This is excellent news! There are many excellent resources to help guide you and yours towards many fun-filled experiences with friends and family. ^Please, ^don't ^be ^afraid!

~Whips out a bunch of pamphlets, waving them at you~ I would recommend checking out the /r/boardgames community here on reddit, especially this wiki post on what games you should try if you're new to modern board games. It's got a ton of great suggestions with descriptions to help you figure out if you might actually enjoy the game. That wiki and the subreddit itself also have tons of easily accessed info for you, if you need. They can even help you find your nearest FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store)!

Also you might check out some reviewers like Shut Up & Sit Down, who are my favourites and have a ton of articles and video reviews, or The Dice Tower, who have lots of videos of lists and reviews like the one I linked that can give you some ideas of what to get. (Sometimes way too many ideas... ~waggles her overly long games-to-buy list~) SUSD even has a great Intro to Board Games video for people who are hesitant or starting into the hobby and don't quite know what it's all about or where to start - it's a few years old, but still very relevant, and I recommend any of their videos. I find them hilarious.

And if you decide you're really getting into the hobby, you might start visiting the marvellous, dank morass that is BoardGameGeek, aka BGG or 'the Geek'...

As for recommendations straight from me... The hardest and best thing with board games is everyone likes something different? But I find one can't go wrong most of the time with these:

• Pandemic
  
• Survive! Escape from Atlantis
  
• Takenoko
  
• Forbidden Island
  
• Colt Express
  
• Jamaica
  
  Most of these are fairly simple and relatively short, but they're all fun starter games that are easy to pick up and play, and I've never known anyone to not enjoy themselves when I've brought out any of these. I often do game nights with different mixes of friends, to which I will usually bring an Ikea bag full of games, and there's almost always at least one or two of these particular games in that bag. I'm pretty sure they're all in print, too, so they shouldn't be too expensive!
  
  Also, if you guys are looking into tabletop RPGs but don't know where to start with that, and you don't have anyone who knows how to DM/GM handy, the newest edition of D&D has a Starter Set out - it's a pack that includes dice, pre-rolled characters, a starter rule book and a pre-written starting adventure. I will always recommend Red Boxes/Starter Sets, D&D does a great job with these and makes it really easy for you to get into it, even if no one in the group is familiar with rpgs to begin with.
  
  tl;dr - Board/card games are amazing, there's lots of resources out there for you, I hope I didn't scare you off with my enthusiasm. Welcome to tabletop gaming!
  
  ^Edit: ^Now ^with ^more ^links!!

A few games I like that would probably fit the bill:

Spot It. Super fun game, easy to learn and quick to play. Not the deepest game but it's lots of fun for all ages and a nice quick game to play when you want something short or as a break between longer games. Good for any number of players.

Dixit. A storytelling game. Each turn one of you is the "storyteller" and tells a short story (one word to a sentence) about it. Everyone else picks a card from their hand that they think fits the story. The cards are mixed up and everyone guesses which one the Storyteller had. The interesting scoring mechanic is the storyteller only gets points if some people don't guess right. If everyone or no one guesses right, the storyteller gets no points and everyone else gets points. Plus, if it's not your turn but someone votes for your card, you get points. The cards can be somewhat crazy and surreal but are definitely safe for a 9 year old. The game is a fun casual game.

Ticket to Ride. Fun game where you lay out train routes. You can block people's routes and you will be angry at whoever does that to you. Only takes 5 people though.

Tsuro. Another somewhat shorter game. You take turns laying tiles and moving your Dragon along the path they create trying to stay on the board. Near the end of the game it gets hectic and you might end up knocking each other off.

TransAmerica. A train game like Ticket to Ride but faster and a little less complex. Rounds go quickly and it has an interesting scoring mechanic. Each round you lose points if you don't connect to your cities and the game ends when someone is at zero. The winner is whoever lost the least points.

7 Wonders. A fun game that involves playing cards that you draw from a hand you pass around. Takes up to 7 people but might be slightly too complex for the 9 year old.

Shadow Hunters. A hidden roles game where you will be on teams but you won't know who's on your team. Throughout the game you try to figure that out and it can get very competitive. Again might be slightly too complex for the 9 year old but maybe not.

Castle Panic. This game is slightly different because it is a cooperative game. All of you play against the game itself to try and defend your castle and defeat all the monsters. It's a pretty fun game.

There are a ton of other good games but I'll stop for now since I've probably listed too many as it is. Two things I'd recommend to try to find new games that your family might like beyond these. First, see if there's a board game store near you. A lot of them will have board game libraries where you can go in and try out the games at no charge. Most (in my experience) are pretty friendly to newer players. Second, check out TableTop. It's a show hosted by Wil Wheaton where he explains games and then plays through them. My wife and I used it as a good way to see new games that we might be interested in without having to buy them sight unseen, since boardgames can be expensive. The demo part of the show has sold us on a bunch of games (several of which are listed above). Hope this helps and enjoy the family game nights.

I think I might have some great ideas, I could also help you make some of the things. You come make a set of these coupons, except the boyfriend versions. You know, cook, clean, date night, movie night ect. If she likes little cute things made, you can make her an Alphabet book which each letter having to do with something about why you love her and a little explanation. For example, A - Amazing "you are always so amazing" or something like that. You could give her the gift of a culinary class, which is always fun. You get to learn to cook, cook, and eat the food you make. Another really cool gift is learning to fly My girlfriend and I did this yesterday for our 2 year anniversary and it was amazing! You can also take her on a camping trip! There are some really cool trails if you live in California. I can personally recommend Skyline to the sea trail it is a beautiful trail and leads directly to the ocean on the beach. It's really amazing. Near the end of the trail, there are bus stations you can take to nearby towns like Santa Cruz. If your girlfriend likes nail polish, i know many girls like a way to display them. I just made my girlfriend a Hello Kitty nail polish rack I'm sure she would appreciate it. Its pretty easy to make and I have no woodwork experience. Another great idea might be to start a window herb garden. It makes great decoration and you can use it for cooking! If you have some old mason jars around you can use those. You can also make custom coasters for you drinks. You can take pictures of you two together and glow them on to some cork board and cut them into little squares, you then apply some clear waterproof seal spray or paint. You can also make a little note about her and your love using candy keywords. If she likes to wear jewelry, you make this simple display/holder which looks good and is easy to make. If you guys want some board games for the place for when friends come over Settlers of Catan is an AMAZING game, if you get the game you HAVE to get Cities and Knights easily the best expansion. The game is a must buy for anyone really. You can also make her a mixtape of your favorite songs, its old fashioned but it will be appreciated, i promise. As a general gift idea, for out of the blue, you can make your girlfriend a period care package, put the mixtape, maybe a heating pack, chocolate, her favorite movie on a dvd, some of her favorite snacks in a box. She'll love it.


I have tons of ideas, if you need anymore more specific or need help making some of the stuff (guidance or advice) just send me a PM. Thanks for doing this spidey :P

I can understand why you would come here, but to Monopoly is to board game nerds what Call of Duty is to video game nerds. Many a time have we here on /r/boardgames told people "I like to play board games" only to get the painful, cringe worthy response, "Oh, like Monopoly?"

I in no way mean to criticize you for enjoying Monopoly. Board games are awesome, and anyone can like any game they so choose, however, you may find that many people here very much dislike Monopoly and don't want much to do with it.

I would suggest instead, you get your hands on a "designer" board game (they can be quite cheap!) and join us in the wonderful hobby that is board games. Generally regarded as "the" starter game, [Catan] (http://www.amazon.com/Mayfair-Games-MFG-3071-Edition/dp/B00U26V4VQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1462063793&sr=1-2&keywords=settlers+of+catan) is loads of fun, provided you have 2-3 friends to play it with and a little under 40$ to spare.

As a personal recommendation, my first board game that got me into the hobby was [Betrayal at House on the Hill] (http://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-At-House-Hill-2nd/dp/B003HC9734/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462063949&sr=8-1&keywords=betrayal+at+house+on+the+hill). Again, all it takes is a few friends and a little under 40 bones. I personally like this game due the board game being totally unique every time you play it and with 50 different stories to play, I'd gladly play a game right now, and I've easily had 30+ playthroughs.

Of course, you could go with an even easier "start-up" cost and go with another favorite of mine, [Love Letters] (http://www.amazon.com/Alderac-Entertainment-Group-5104AEG-Letter/dp/B00AGJ4HC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462064185&sr=8-1&keywords=love+letters). This one is exceedingly simple to learn and very quick to play and only requires one friend (though I find it a lot more fun with three or four friends (preferably drunk ones ;))). To top it all off, it isn't even ten dollars, I'd bloody send you a copy if it got you into board games, lol.

Anyway, I kind of started to ramble a bit, but it's a mega fun hobby and you should definitely get into it.

Just spitballing some ideas for you here from what we've loved!

Board games - we've found a lot of fun playing board games together. In our early days of marriage, we would play some fun and lengthy games together. You can set it up on a table and even with all the distractions of kids come back and take turns every few hours. Some fun games we've played together:

• Pandemic - it's you two against the bad guys. It's a great team game and no one gets competitively aggressive because you're on the same team.
  
• Settlers of Catan - a fun game but it it can be competitive. Basically you build villages and stuff - slightly complex but plenty of YouTube videos explaining how it works!
  
• Ticket to Ride - A simpler game, but fun none-the-less. Easy to pick up!
  
• Agricola - The wife and I played this like crazy our first two years of marriage. We would set a board up and play for hours. You can pick it up in 15 minutes or so from YouTube videos. Lots of fun!
  
  Reading books - something we have fun doing is reading a book together. You could get an exciting best-seller top read and massage her back the entire time she reads it out loud to the two of you. We've bonded a lot through this. Find something exciting and you've got it made!
  
  Computer games - I enticed my wife into my world to play computer games with me. And now she LOVES it. How we got there was I massaged her back while instructing her how to play a game. It took a few days, but she became hooked. And now we have two computers setup in the same room and we play Team Fortress 2 together quite frequently. We've had quite a few Friday nights of pizza + wine + Team Fortress 2 until the AM hours. There's many games you can experience together. Seriously one of the best things that ever happened to our marriage in recent months.
  
  App games - For a season we played Words with Friends together. You can each download the app and play against each other in the same room. We would go to a coffee shop and just sit there playing against each other. There are a lot of multiplayer games out there you can casually play together.
  
  Anyway, there's some ideas! What we've found is that we're always changing - just keep trying new things and the fun and excitement will stay alive!

Well, as far as silly card games go, I'm partial to We Didn't Playtest This At All and Fluxx which support 2-15 and 2-6 players respectively. Both games can be really quick or take a while, but I've always found them to be great fun, and they both have a bunch of expansions, if you find that you like them.

Of course, if you want to delve into the world of board games, I'm a big fan of co-op games like Castle Panic and Pandemic. In Castle Panic, you work together to defend a castle from oncoming hordes of monsters and in Pandemic you need to cooperate to keep viral epidemics under control while finding a cure. Castle Panic is great fun, a simple game, and easy to get into, but I've never found it an easy game to win which keeps it fresh. Pandemic is a bit more complicated, requiring a lot of strategy and cooperation, and it can be brutally difficult at times, but that just makes winning all the more satisfying.

If you and your friends like a little friendly competition, I'd suggest something like 7 Wonders or Bang!, which was the game that got me started down this path. In 7 Wonders, you draft cards to build a civilization and compete for victory points. It may seem a little complicated at first, but once you play a game or two, it really starts to shine. In Bang!, you enter the wild west where one of you is the sheriff, and the rest of the players are deputies, outlaws, or renegades, each with their own win condition. The thing with this one is that everyone's role except the sheriff's is hidden. You can play Bang! with as little as 3 players, but it really only gets good if you have 5 or more.

If you want to do some research on your own, check out /r/boardgames or http://boardgamegeek.com/ which has a pretty comprehensive database of all the board games out there with ratings and reviews.

Sorry for the unoriginal suggestions but they are unoriginal for a reason.

Tiny Epic Kingdoms. The game might have been over hyped just a bit but it's still an excellent portable game that has a lot to offer.

It's light enough for new boardgamers and is an excellent introduction to the 4X genre which most newcomers haven't played or even knew existed!

Citadels. The box it usually comes in is way too big for the game. It's a deck of cards, a bag of coins, and a starting player token. I love this game. It's simple to learn and yet really deep and strategic. Plays well from 2 to 5 players. Don't even try 6 or 7 even though it's possible. It drags the game down to a halt.

Hanabi. Excellent excellent strategic game. Very simple to learn, cheap, tiny package. A deck of cards and a handfull of tokens. Plays excellent with 2 to 5 players.

Jungle Speed. Really fun dexterity game. Bunch of cards and a wooden "totem". Most editions come with this small bag.

Hive Pocket. Such a great game you can play nearly anywhere. One of my very favorite games. Only 2 players though.

Most would tell you that Love Letter is a good choice. Personally I never liked it. Neither did my GF or my friends to be honest. But it's so widely recommended it's probably worth the risk.

But don't buy the Kanai Factory Limited Edition (the black and white box)! Most reviews will tell you the gameplay doesn't differ (a lot) but that one card that is different makes all the difference in the world. If you plan to buy Love Letter buy the Tempest edition. It's also a lot more compact.

Wow, we have a similar taste in games, Awesome. I can't believe you actually expect me to suggest just one game with soo many great games that I have played... and so many more I have yet to play.

1st off some games you don't own but are on your wishlist and you should definitely get asap, since they are the go to games my friends and I play when we get together. Given they are on your wishlist I assume I don't have to describe them to you. Lords of waterdeep, a fun easy to play D&D game, Star trek Catan if you want something a bit different from regular Catan, and Dominion.

Ok. Now games you don't know about... How about a couple categories and 1 game per cat. so I don't ramble on too much.

Fast and Easy: King of Tokyo You and your friends are monsters trying to take over Tokyo. Roll some dice, attack your friends, but mostly just try to survive till the end. It's easy to set up, learn, and get going not so easy to win.

Slow, Complicated, strategic, with lots of pieces, and fun, but may make you want to stab a friend by the end: Twilight Imperium This game take a long time to play... seriously like a whole day. So maybe not the best for a board game night. If you can get a day with friends to play it, I would say it's worth the time. Basically you build a universe, pick a race to play as, and then proceed to form alliances or start wars with everyone else. With a healthy dose of backstabbing those alliances so you can win :p Use resources to build a fleet of ships and an army of troops then try to take over all of space while defending all your new territory. Moves are turn based so your plot to take over a planet can be ruined by a friend blocking your path or crippling your fleet.

The only real downside is the time it takes to play the game. We usually have to set aside a saturday to play. Getting started around 11-noonish and finishing up around 6-7. That said nothing is quite as satisfying as moving an entire fleet of ships to take over everything owned by your neighbor.

oh I forgot to add SPPrincesa is the goddess of all things board games.

1.) Something that is grey.

Silver is grey, right? ;)

2.) Something reminiscent of rain.

When I think of rain I think of cuddling up with a good cup of coffee.

3.) Something food related that is unusual.

Coffee chocolate Not that weird... but pretty amazing.

4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!)
Bones for my dog because he hates being alone!

5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it!

I haven't read this yet, but it's supposed to be amazing!

6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!

This book

7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...)

meow.

8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it.

I don't think any nail polish is useful, but I love this color

9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?

Shawshank Redemption Come on, it's amazing. And sad. And Stephen King.

10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.

These would be particularly useful because I could keep my hair out of my face so I can see zombies better to kill them!

11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals.

skip for now

12.) One of those pesky Add-On items.
Apparently you can straighten your nose with this interesting little item Ohhhh, China.

13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why?

This book is the most expensive item on my list. Dream item? Nah. A kindle would be my dream item, but not feasible to have on list right now.


14.) Something bigger than a bread box.

This big enough?

15.) Something smaller than a golf ball.

This ring is itty bitty!


16.) Something that smells wonderful.

This air freshener. Mmmm



17.) A (SFW) toy.

Amazon lists this as a toy, so I'm going to have to go with that!

18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school.

These would be great to hang papers and reminders up on the fridge.

19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.

I'm obsessed with books, so uh... most of my wish list. Or this bookmark that symbolizes all that is books.


20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand.

I'm sure you've seen this but come on! It's John Snuhhhh!

Bonus! Oregon Fruit

Fear cuts deeper thank swords! Thanks for the contest. =)

$15 - Codenames is a great party game where you have to use one-word clues to communicate to your teammates which words you must guess in order to win. It's a race against time because both teams are trying to find all of their words first, but one word is an assassin, and by choosing it, your team loses immediately. It's creative and stressful. Really fun, for $15.

$33 - Ticket to Ride is a classic that lots of people love. It's relatively simple, and has up to five friends placing trains on tracks, trying to complete their routes around the US. It teaches quickly, has some opportunities to mess over other players, and is pretty and plays fast.

$30 - Splendor is a fast, strategic, card-buying game. Players take turns grabbing gems to eventually purchase cards, that act both as points and gems. It's great and hilarious in hindsight, because you realize everyone sat in utter silence for a half hour, because for some reason, Splendor makes people quietly brood and think and be silent. Occasionally, you might take the last gem someone else needed, and they burn inside, sometimes letting out a long, long sigh. It's a wonderful, pretty, well-produced game.

$22 - Sheriff of Nottingham is a 3-5 player, bluffing, negotiation game. Players try to get chickens and apples into town, while smuggling extra goods and contraband. Player rotate as the sheriff, and must be bribed with goods or coins, because if the sheriff decides to check their bag, and they lied about the contents, that player loses what they lied about. It's sweat-inducing, and makes for lots of riotous laughter and shouting. Also beautiful and easy to learn. Great game.

Join us over on /r/boardgames because that's where I learned a lot about modern board gaming. It's an amazing hobby that's growing quickly.

Board Game Sale

7 Wonders | 3-7 Players | 30-60 Minutes | BGG Score: 7.8, 48th highest ranked game | Rules Complexity: 2/5, Strategic Depth: 2/5 | $27

I like 7 Wonders because it's a game that can get a lot of people to the table, without any added length per player. It's a card drafting/tableau building game where players take simultaneous turns playing cards in order to make their "empire" stronger. It's a great entry point for new board gamers as it will likely be one of the first tableau building games you play, which is a common game mechanic in the board gaming world.

• Card Drafting - By card drafting I mean this, players will start with a hand of cards, take one to play, and then pass to your left or right depending on the round. This offers a tough decision of what to take to make your standing better, while also offering the tough decision of trying to keep key cards away from your opponent that you're passing to.
  
  
• Tableau Building - A tableau is the area in front of you where you've played cards that give you permanent bonuses. In this game a card played into your tableau may give you permanent resources, ability to build buildings for free, or other valuable benefits. These are openly shown which will add to strategic decisions when you're drafting.
  
  ____
  
  Other Sales or Notable Buys
  
  Ticket to Ride
  
  Love Letter - ZMan Edition | 2-6 Players | ~20 Minutes | BGG Score: 7.7 | Rules Complexity: 0.5/5, Strategic Depth: 1/5 | $12
  
  This is a new implementation of the classic card game Love Letter. The game can be taught in 5 minutes or less, and is played until someone scores 4 points. This version adds new roles and allows for 6 players, up from 4 with the original. Every player starts with 1 card, at the start of their turn they will draw a card and play a card face up. The cards all have unique abilities that will help, or hurt your chances to trying to secure your delivery of the love letter to the princess. If you're the last person standing, you gain the favor. Each round plays in about 2-3 minutes. There's some luck involved, and it's a fun "bar game." Tons of fun in a cheap package that comes in a nice looking bag.

I started off playing the tabletop Dungeons and Dragons board games like The Legend of Drizzt, Castle Ravenloft, and Wrath of Ashardalon. These games are great because you can play with anywhere between 2-5 people and you don't need a dungeon master. They come with around 40 plastic miniatures, board pieces, premade adventures, and everything else you need to get started, and they're great because you can mix the pieces between the games if you buy more than one.



These games are great because they can get you into D&D without all the set up and keeping track that you have to do with a regular game.

Once you've played one of those a few times you should move on to real D&D. I suggest doing this by trying to finding a starter set for the edition you want to play, or, even better, by finding a friend who plays.

Now this is only really if you want to play D&D and that's just what I'm suggesting because that's what I have experience with and I know it's a lot of fun. If you, or anyone, chooses to start playing D&D or any game I would suggest buying your materials from a local game shop instead of online. If you can afford it (prices will probably be a little higher) and you can find one near you it's a great investment. Not only can you ask the employees for advice, but often there will be a ton of great people willing to play with you, as long as you sort through the neckbeards of course. Also you'll be supporting those local shops, and you'll help keep them in business, which helps paper and pen RPG's survive, and helps everyone have just a little more fun.

Good luck and happy dragon slaying!

I own all of these (plus quite a few more), and enjoy playing them regularly. Prices are approximately accurate at places like Target, walmart, Amazon, etc. Most games below can be played by up to 4-6 players (some more), but all support a minimum of two. (An important distinction, as many games require 3 or more players.)

$5-10:

• Scrabble/Monopoly are fun if you're both into the classics. For some reason, these are both almost $20 on Amazon, but I've seen them for under/around $10 each at Target/Walmart.
  
• Scrabble Slam (card game) - sets Scrabble on it's ear and adds some adrenaline.
  
• A copy of Hoyle's Rules of Games and a deck of cards.
  
• Uno - One of my favorites - An absolute staple, and works with as many people as you want, though you might want to add a second deck for more than 4-5.
  
• Phase 10 - kind of like a cross between Uno and Rummy.
  
  $10-20:
  
  Here, we start getting into some really interesting ones...
  
  
• Munchkin - One of my favorites - Like pen & paper RPGs? This makes fun of them ALL in a way only a true gamer would get. Plenty of expansions if you get bored.
  
• Guillotine - You're each executioners during the French Revolution, trying to collect the most prestigious heads.
  
• Gloom - You're each one of up to four tragedy-ridden families. Play misery-inducing cards on your family to make them as unhappy as possible before you shove them off into the hereafter, and play happy puppies and fluffy bunnies on your opponent to do the opposite.
  
• Fluxx - The rules are the cards you play. Start with 3 cards, then draw 1 and play 1 each turn. Oh, but now it's draw 3 and play 1, so you'll need to draw 2 more to catch up. Now it's draw 3 and play 5, so play 4 to catch up, except that someone played inflation, so it's draw 4 and play 6... etc.
  
• Citadels Out of the hundreds of games I've played over the years, this is the only one I've seen that claims to have "intrigue"... and really does. Play the role of various nobles, each with different abilities, to gain gold, build cities, and steal from/assassinate your opponents to prevent them from doing the same. The catch? You each play different roles each turn, and the roles are chosen part randomly, and part secretly, so that no one knows who is who until it's too late.
  
  $20-30
  
  
• Carcassone - One of my favorites - Lay down tiles to build cities, roads and farmland, and place your followers to claim them for points. Just because you lay something down doesn't mean someone else won't claim it instead, and claiming it doesn't ensure that you keep it. Lots of strategy involved, and plenty of expansions if you want to change gameplay. Good for up to 5 players, or more with expansions. Has some similarities with Settlers of Catan, to be mentioned shortly.
  
• Chez Geek, House Party Edition - You're all college kids in a dorm, trying to get the most slack points with fun/cool things to do, while reducing slack points in your opponents with annoying cards like car alarms (no sleep), the drunk friend (drinks all your slack-gaining booze), etc. The basic game is under $20, but it's worth it to buy the House Party Edition for $25, as it includes some expansions and extras.
  
• Illuminati - I haven't played this yet, but from what I've read, it's a blast. By Steve Jackson Games, the makers of Munchkin.
  
• Kill Dr. Lucky - Here's a quote from the rules: "You have hated Dr. Lucky for as long as you can remember, and you've been secretly awaiting this perfect chance to do the old man in. Maybe he destroyed your dry cleaning business; maybe you think he's the leader of the vampires. Perhaps he's the only person standing between you and the family fortune. Or maybe his cat just keeps peeing in your shrubs. Whatever your reason, its good enough to push you over the edge, and now you absolutely can't wait to take the lying old bastard down!"
  
  
  $30-50
  A bit pricier here, but some very interesting gameplay is to be found.
  
  
• Settlers of Catan - One of my favorites - no game shelf is complete without it - Build roads and settlements using the tradable resources provided by the areas around your settlements, and the roll of the dice. Note: This is not a two player game. I made an exception here because it rocks, but unfortunately you'll need a third wheel to play.
  
• Dominion - One of my favorites - I grew up with Magic: The Gathering, but disliked always having to buy new cards to be competitive. Gameplay is somewhat similar to Magic, though instead of plinking away at your opponent's health, you are gaining victory points. Also, Dominion includes all of the cards you will need for up to 4 players, and you "build" your deck (similar to Magic), by buying new cards every turn.
  
• Ticket to Ride - Build your train routes across the US (or Europe, if you get that edition) without revealing your destination, because your opponents might cut you off!
  
• Small World - Kind of like a cross between Risk and... something else. Control territory to gain gold, using various races with special abilities. Send your races into decline (continuing to own the territory until it is taken), while expanding out with your new race. Knowing when to send a race into decline makes all the difference.
  
• Red November - You're a bunch of drunken gnomes on a doomed submarine. Put out the fire by shunting the flooded compartment to the burning one, but now there are two flooded compartments and you have to pump them out while the engine has a problem and oh my god it's the kraken. INSANE gameplay, but can be stressful. This has skyrocketed in price (from $30 to $50), probably because they're about to release a revised edition, so the old one is out of print. You might want to wait a month for the new version to come out before you buy this.

1. A mug! How is this cake related? Because you can make microwavable cake in a mug!
   
2. So, I didn't even know who Simon Pegg was. Apparently he starred in Shaun of the Dead, which I haven't seen, but it's apparently a romantic zombie movie!
   
3. J.K. Rowling's new book. DYING TO READ IT
   
4. You could totally use the sticks from these lollipops as chopsticks!
   
5. Animal print animal costume!
   
6. Purple!
   
7. My favorite game!
   
8. Nerdy fantasy books are my guilty pleasure
   
9. Lots of tools!
   
10. The Lion King!
    
11. Cascading hangers! My closet would be so compact and organized!
    
12. Dorky as it may be, coloring is my hobby!
    
13. SO MANY OPTIONS. I'm an art history nerd, a Disney nerd, a cat lady, an X-Files nerd, and a history dork--there are so many options for nerdy hahaha.
    
14. Organic extra virgin coconut oil!
    
15. Water bottle!
    
16. You wear a necklace!
    
17. Murder by Death is hilarious!
    
18. "Pearl" beads!
    
19. Willow. Because what do you find in a garden? Plants! Trees are plants. And what is a willow? A tree! This is totally, 100% gardening related. Promise.
    
20. This isn't the thing I want the most, but it's seriously one of the coolest, dorkiest, most amazing items on my wishlist. It's something I could never justify buying for myself, but I REALLY love it--one day it will be mine!
    
    You're going to buy yourself this super interesting book!
    
    Happy happy cake day :D
    
    If I win, anything I linked OR anything from my wishlist would be an amazingggg prize :) I love everything on my wishlists!

1. You NEED to get a board game collection when people come over to your house! My husband and I have an awesome collection of old-school video games and over the past year we've really gotten into board games. It wasn't until we got some really good board games that we had friends coming to visit more constantly! The Resistance is a great 5-10 player game and 7 Wonders is a beautiful 3-7 player game full of strategy. With the right group, Cards Against Humanity is hilarious.
   
   
2. DOES PIXAR COUNT?! I have so many Monsters Inc plushies! :) I also love Aladdin! Great movie, loved growing up with the tv show, and a prince with some personality! WOO!
   
   
3. A pug napping with a teacup pig <3
   
   
4. Happy early birthday! PIXELCHARKATTACK
   
   I also just caught up on all of the Adventure Time episodes recently. OMG SO GOOD! I like how it went from silly, incoherent adventures to a legit, interesting story line!

• Wish List: Cell Phone because my phone is like 4 years old-ish it does all these odd things and it's annoying and I'd like a new one.
  
• ACCESSORIES!!: Bow I love bows and America.
  
• Arts and Crafts: Rub 'n Buff I need this for an art project I am doing. They are camos and it would make them look nice.
  
• Books!: Venus in Fur: A Play This play looks amazing! When I saw a clip of it on the Tony Awards I wish I could have seen it. I am DYING to read it!
  
• Clothes: Petticoat For my Dalek dress.
  
• Cool nail polish: Hunger Games collection 2012 I just love all the earth tones, I don't have like any of them at home and I love the Hunger Games.
  
• Everything is Awesome!: Prism I want to use it to hopefully get a job that I really want.
  
• Makeup: Black lipstick I don't know where mine is and I really love black lipstick.
  
• Movies: Anchorman 2 I LOVE ANCHORMAN! Have you heard my ringtones?
  
• Table Top Games: Betrayal At House On The Hill THIS GAME LOOK AMAZING AND I KNOWWWWWWWWWW MY FRIENDS WILL LOVE IT! I NEED TO PLAY!!!!!!!!!

First, I'd recommend that you keep the box and all of the components in good condition, so you can consider re-selling it once you're done with it. The Red Box seems to be out of print and is selling for far above its $20 MSRP, and if you can recoup some of the money you spent on it to buy some resources that will have more lasting value, it might be worth it (depending on how highly you value your time), since you will have little use for most of the contents of the box once you're through with the initial adventure.

Or, if it's not too late, you may want to cancel your order. The Starter Set is a relatively gentle introduction to D&D, but not necessarily the best one and certainly not the cheapest.

To prepare, you might want to read, and have everyone else read, the quick start rules. You can also have the players choose pre-generated characters from that document and print off the corresponding character sheets. The Red Box method of character creation involves running through a solo "choose-your-own-adventure" book, which you might not want to do 3 or 4 times in succession for each of your players. Note that the the quick start rules uses slightly different versions of the character classes presented in the Red Box, but the characters/systems are compatible.

You will not immediately need to create your own group adventure, as one is included with the Starter Set.

Also, as an alternative to the Starter Set, /u/Dracoprimus posted a bunch of links to free adventures. You can also choose to run one of these adventures after you finish with the Red Box.

However, neither those those links nor the Red Box will not give you the resources needed to build your own characters or advance them past level 2, nor do they contain the info a DM needs to create his own campaign, or extensively modify an existing one. For that, I recommend getting the following resources (buying some of the books used may yield a good savings):

• Heroes of the Fallen Lands (alternatives/supplements: Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, the 4e Player's Handbook)
  
• The 4e Dungeon Master's Guide (alternative/supplement: the 4e Rules Compendium)
  
• The Monster Vault (buy a new or like-new copy so you can be sure you get all of the included components)
  
  With those three products, you have everything you need to run a level 1-30 campaign. A D&D Insider subscription can substitute for those resources to a large extent, and supplement them with tons of content, but it's most useful as a convenience and reference. I would still recommend getting the core books even if your group has a DDI sub.
  
  On top of that, a few game aids are nice to have:
  
  
• A blank, reusable flip-mat, like the Paizo basic flip-mat, plus some dry- or wet-erase markers.
  
• Alternatively, a 1" gridded easel pad, which you can probably get at an office supply store.
  
• Enough dice for everyone. Bulk dice like Chessex Pound O' Dice can be a good way to go.
  
• Tokens or character markers. The Monster Vault and Starter Set include some. You can make your own, buy miniatures or products that come with miniatures, like the Descent board game or the Legend of Drizzt, or WotC's Dungeon Command games.

It's Friday, I'm happy about that. I'm looking forward to things settling down a bit this weekend. I slept in until 7 am this morning which is nearly unheard of. I still feel like I am getting sick <insert grr face here> but I feel better than I did yesterday. So hopefully I'm on the mend. The funeral yesterday was beautiful, it felt like a really splendid farewell to a much loved person. Really beautiful, but it is time to wipe the tears. Because there are hungry goats and chickens outside that are getting antsy. I better get on with it.

Randomness for Friday!

Simon's Cat and a squirrel. [Video less than 2 minutes]

A short lesson on Chemistry, starring silicon. [Video less than 10 minutes]

This week in the American Civil War

Here are some DIY ideas from Pintrest using recycled materials.

Learn how to make scrambled eggs

A game to add to your wish list Forbidden Island Here's Will Wheaton and his friends playing it on Table Top [Video 30 min]

That is all folks, have a fantastic Friday and enjoy your weekends!

I'm a huge Pathfinder Fan. Plug for /r/Pathfinder_RPG

The best things about Pathfinder are the huge amount of choice it gives its players, and the sheer amount of content that's available for free online.

You can play Pathfinder casually with your friends without spending a single cent (You should probably buy dice though if you're not using a VTT).

Sites like d20pfsrd and The Archives of Nethys have nearly all of the rules available online, and you can play the game with your friends over the internet using a VTT like Roll20. If you're playing IRL, I'm going to recommend these great class-specific character sheets by Dyslexic Studeos.

I should note that if you want to play Pathfinder Society Organized Play, you will need to own physical books for each rule your character uses. I don't play PFS as I find some of thier rule restrictions limiting, and It's much more fun to just play with my friends.

Also, if I could recommend one product for a new group of players, I'd recommend you buy the Pathfinder Beginner's Box. It contains everything needed to get started, and a simplified ruleset that's easier for newer players to latch on to.

EDIT: I just realized that you asked for thoughts on the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game and not the Roleplaying Game. I've only played this a few times, and we got a lot of playtime and sessions out of the Rise of The Runelords set. There's a subreddit for this game too: /r/Pathfinder_ACG

Ticket to Ride

I am surprised nobody's done this one yet! It's a ton of fun: an award-winning, train-building strategy game... which, yeah, sounds sorta /yawn, but you use routes all over the US, and you can play with just two (my husband and I play it often). It's already such a pitched battle with only two, I'm not entirely sure how more could play. But they do have various expansion packs for all over the globe, which is kinda cool.

Why it's the greatest:

1. Learn geography and routes! Perfect for the zombie apocalypse, when you need to know how to get from coast to coast if avoiding highways!
   
   
2. It's a lot of fun. It's a race to see who can lock down terminals and complete their routes first (if you want to play competitively), or if you play cooperatively, it stretches your creativity in how to build routes. You can even both win for differing things, like longest unbroken route can win in a game, as can whomever finished all their card tasks first.
   
   Give it a look, you might enjoy it!

It was just one we picked up and all absolutely loved.

In maybe 2014 one of my buddies sort of randomly got this game of thrones game as a gift, and we all started playing it and had a lot of fun with it (big GoT fans). That was really the first time we ever played an actual board game together. None of us were ever really huge tabletop gamers, but played a bunch of video games together, played deck building strategy games like MTG and Hearthstone, and are big fantasy readers. Two of the guys in this group actually did briefly get into Warhammer (I think that's what it was/is called) for a year or so when we were in college. I guess that would be considered Tabletop gaming as well.

Then a couple years ago, my sister introduced me to Catan when she was visiting. I bought my own copy the next day, and we decided that it was substantially better than the GoT game, and switched to Catan. We played it as often as we could until we all dispersed. We hadn't even really started playing any of the expansions yet, so I'm ecstatic to even start playing those.

Certainly the biggest draw in doing TTS is just the wide number of other games that we could also end up finding and playing in the same environment. One of my other buddies and I had always wanted to experience a game of D&D and were pretty stoked to see that even that exists here.

I would love to hear your favorites or recommendations based on this "synopsis" of our group, haha.

Edit: for the record, I posted this before the lasybugs thing took off

You're not going to make any great progress on a PC build for that price. Besides, PC tech is changing so quickly, you shouldn't buy any one piece of it until you can buy all of it.

If you're looking for X1 games, I'm a huge fan of Destiny, but it's not for everyone. If you're looking for more of a sure hit, check out Shadows of Mordor or Dragon Age: Inquisition.

If you want to change things up a little, here are some of my favorite purchases (I'm a minor Amazon addict):

• The best thermos you've ever seen
  
  
• A super high quality door-hung b-ball hoop (you'll want to buy a nerf ball with it, the one it comes with is dangerous to valuables in the room)
  
  
• One of the best board games ever made
  
  
• A classy and useful EDC knife (there are lots of options on this front, /r/knifeclub has great recommendations)
  
  Check out my sub /r/everymanshouldhave for more recommendations like this. It's not super active of late, but it has some great suggestions if you look at the history

Wow, she sounds like my kind of girl. My GF really likes model planes. Something like this is a good starter model if she has never tried model planes before. It's not a very good way to introduce someone to the hobby, but down the road if she's interested and more experienced, she can get FPV systems, which put a camera in the cockpit of your model plane and fly it from a first person perspective. Another good idea in the realm of flying might be a basic simulator set-up for a computer like this (this one is just an example, I'm not well versed enough in these to give a specific model recommendation, so you should do some research on your own to find the best one).

When it comes to board games, there's so, so many great ones. Its hard to really recommend one because there are so many vastly different games that are ideal for different people. One that everyone seems to like is Ticket to Ride. My GF happens to like Pandemic. One of my favorites is Dominion. Head over to /r/boardgames (maybe with a little more info about what she likes?) and you'll get a ton of great recommendations if you are interested in going the board game route.

I'd like to try my hand at answering your question about how to get into D&D, hopefully providing some extra insight and assistance along the way.

Both D&D and Pathfinder (one of its largest and most successful competitors) offer boxed sets to get started playing the respective games--in fact, this tradition of "all in one" box sets goes back to some of the very earliest days of D&D and its famous blue/red/gold/black books like Basic and Expert.

D&D 4th Edition (D&D4E) is the latest completed version of D&D, and represents a very significant evolution from what came immediately before. It has a heavy tactical focus, a very broad array of balanced character classes, some great online tools for managing your characters, and there's great ways "in" like the Encounters games hosted at many comic shops and game stores across the US. Since it heavily emphasizes the basic rules of "Striker / Defender / Leader / Controller" in combat (that is, someone to do lots of damage, someone to soak up enemy hits and hold them in place, someone to keep the other party members strong and focused, and one more person to affect and hamstring large numbers of foes at once), it can be pretty easy for a group familiar with other RPGs or even videogames to quickly segue into the proper roles.

You can start playing 4E today by buying The Essential Starter which contains just enough rules, characters, and game pieces to get started playing with a group of friends. The game pieces/maps are there to help track your characters' positions in combat relative to the monsters they'll face; 4E's heavy tactics focus makes this a virtual necessity.

---

Pathfinder was started in some ways as a response from the move from 3rd/3.5E D&D to 4th. Some players feel that 4E overemphasizes tactics, party balance, and simplified roleplaying mechanics to the detriment of the game, and so Pathfinder branched off of the open-source elements of the 3.5E ruleset and became its own, tweaked and rebalanced version of that game.

Pathfinder focuses heavily on character customization, a heavy "simulationist" element (e.g., there are very detailed rules for things like getting a job, building castles, going to war with other empires, alcoholism, etc.!), and compatibility with the very large amount of 3E/3.5E material available, in addition to the many Pathfinder-specific books that have been published in the last 4 years.

The Pathfinder Beginner Box, much like the D&D4E product above, contains just enough game pieces, character classes, and rules to get started on a basic adventure with other new players.

----

Unfortunately it's worth noting that both of these products are currently sold out on Amazon itself, and the third party sellers that do have them are a little more expensive, so you might want to wait to purchase them.

-----

Both games rely on similar basic assumptions, tools, and modular rule systems:

Basic Assumptions: Players control [usually] one fantastical hero each, and each hero is primarily defined by their "class." Quintessential fantasy tropes are covered: powerful and hardy Fighters; sneaky, thieving, dangerous Rogues; arcane spellslinging Wizards; and devout, healing Clerics. Each game also has more specialized classes, like 4E's shapeshifting animal-like Wardens and its spell-shooting Seeker archers and Pathfinder's bomb-making Alchemists and Western-style Gunslingers.

Fantasy races are also represented in both games, from nimble, mystical Elves to hardy, gruff Dwarves, from sneaky, affable Halflings to brutish, powerful Half-Orcs. Many other specialized races are also available in each system.

The players make their way through the world by describing what they do to a Dungeon Master, who in turn describes what they see and controls the plot, other characters, villains, and indeed, the world itself. In some cases, the players may simply explore the DM's world, learning and investigating, but sooner or later, a challenge is bound to ensue.

Both games provide rules for engaging challenges through combat and "other" skills. In either arena, the games calculate the effects of random chance and risk through the use of dice rolls. Even the greatest warriors can sometimes miss a slippery foe, and not every cut from a sword is immediately lethal; similarly, even an expert thief is sometimes stymied by a lock when pressed for time, but even such failures won't always necessarily set off the trap hidden within.

By rolling dice, players and the DM factor in this random chance. Then, bonuses and penalties are applied based on logical factors (as outlined in the rules). A strong warrior is more liable to hit--and hurt--with his sword, while a nimble thief is better able to evade attacks and dexterously pick locks. Running across a dungeon floor might normally be simple, but if it's covered in ice, the chances to slip and fall are far higher. Casting a spell from memory might normally be taxing--but altogether doable--for a wizard, but doing it while being attacked by a swordsman is all the harder.

Success or failure is then calculated against some target "difficulty"--either a set number (e.g., hitting a bandit in Leather Armor might always require an Attack roll of 16 or higher, after bonuses and penalties are applied) or against an opposing roll (e.g., a thief attempting to hide in the shadows in the middle of combat will be opposed by the general perceptiveness of the enemies he hopes to evade).

Successful resolutions to a problem--either by defeating the enemies before you or by overcoming the intellectual and physical challenges of a puzzle or mystery--rewards players in the form of fabulous treasures and experience points. If enough of the latter are accrued, characters gain levels, unlocking potent new abilities, while enough of the former is gathered, characters might become rich enough to buy a castle or even a kingdom!

----

Tools: Both games rely on polyhedral dice. These are often referred to as dX, where X is the number of sides on the die. d4s, d6s, d8s, d10s, d12s, and d20s are very common. The smaller dice are often used to calculate the damage of weapons or spells (the tiny d4 for a Dagger represents the unlikelihood such a simple weapon has of dealing a killing blow, while a massive greataxe's d12 showcases how a spot-on hit with one could fell even a mighty man in one hit). If multiple dice should be rolled at once (e.g., a Wizard's Fireball becomes more powerful as he grows in level, adding more and more d6s to the damage it does), then a number may be affixed before the "d" to showthat: 2d6 means to roll two 6-sided dice and add their results.

The most important die in both systems is the d20; it is used as the primary generator of entropy in tasks with a random chance to succeed. To attack, you roll a d20 and add your attack modifiers, then compare it to your opponent's "AC" (armor class) to see if you succeed. To climb a sheer cliff, you roll a d20, add your skill and strength bonuses in climbing, and then compare it to the "DC" (difficulty class) of the cliff. To hide from sight, you roll a d20 and add your stealthiness and dexterousness and compare it against your opponent's Perception roll, to which he or she has added their own bonuses.

In both systems, 1s and 20s are often treated specially, particularly in combat. A 1 is generally seen as an automatic--and sometimes cataclysmic--failure, while a 20 is not only an automatic success, it's a chance for a spectacular success (e.g., in combat, it might be represented by a "critical hit" that deals far more damage than a normal strike would on average).

Other common tools are character sheets, game pieces, and maps. Character sheets, either the official ones from the publishers or fan-made ones or even your own, are essentially standardized ways to format and showcase your character's abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and current status in an easy-to-read, quick-to-reference format.

For instance, characters' HP (hit points, a measure of their health and haleness that can be reduced by disease or combat damage) are often prominently placed, since it's such a vital number. Characters' abilities (e.g., strength, dexterousness, intelligence, etc.) are also tracked here, along with skills, possessions, and even magic spells.

Maps and game pieces, as before, provide a convenient way of tracking combat; if a special attack can only be used on an opponent whom you're flanking with an ally, being able to definitively state where you stand is important. Most maps are measured in 1" squares that typically represent 5 feet in the game world, and most game pieces fit into said squares (although pieces representing large creatures may be bigger!).

----

Modular Rules: Both games come with a central rulebook (the Player's Handbook for D&D4E or the Core Rule Book for PF) that describes, in essence, how character creation, combat, skill usage, death, advancement, and general adventuring are handled in the game. These basic rules, however, are designed to be expanded upon. The small selection of races and classes presented in said books are supplemented by many more in subsequent volumes (e.g., Player's Handbook 2 and 3 or the Advanced Player's Guide, respectively), and additional rules for things like running the game (Dungeon Master's Guide/Gamemastery Guide), monsters to face (Monster Manual/Bestiary), fantastical treasures to acquire (Mordenkaiden's Magical Emporium/Ultimate Equipment), and more (e.g., Ultimate Campaign, a book about kingdom-building) are also written. Both games are meant to grow with your needs, but most of it is optional.

Heres a copy and paste of a previous comment I made

> I'm about to show you something amazing. You want to hang out with your friends and family and just have a great time playing games?

> Try board games! I know what you're thinking, "Monopoly is for kids!" That's ok we hate monopoly too!

> The world of board games has come so far since then.

> Give some of these games a try

> Ticket to Ride: A classic gateway game where you are trying to lay down tracks between cities.

> Pandemic: A co-op game where you and are friends are working together to fight diseases as they break out world wide!

> Resistance: If you like lying to your friends this game is for you! The resistance movement aims to overthrow the government, but there are spies among you aiming to sabotage your movement.

> Codenames: This game won the biggest board game award this year. It's a hilariously fun word relation game.

>These are all "gateway games" they are easy to play and understand. But most importantly they are fun! You can even get Ticket to Ride and Pandemic at some Walmarts!

I would add Cosmic Encounter as an amazing game too. Not too complicated but it is incredibly fun

Cutthroat Caverns is a fun semi co-op dungeon crawling card game and supports 5 players. - It says 14 and up, but I've played it with 10yr olds before. The 8yr old may need a little help with it.

Forbidden Island only goes up to 4 players, but Forbidden Dessert goes up to 5. - Box says 10+ but it's fully co-op and an 8yr old could totally do it.

King of Tokyo plays up to 6 and is a lot of fun. There's a slightly more advanced King of New York as well, but I actually prefer KoT and it's super accessible to kids and adults.

You could try a dexterity game like Flick 'm Up which plays up to 10 people. It's a fun game and the kids would probably really like it. It's a bit on the pricey side, but the component quality is great.

Also, check out /r/boardgames if you need more suggestions.

There are two currently popular versions of Dungeons and Dragons: 3.5 and 4th edition. 3.5 is (obviously) the older edition, but a lot of people still play it because they thought the rules system was more complex and interesting than 4th edition. However, 4th edition is better ballanced and far easier to play.

Pathfinder is also a good alternative to both, as it takes the 3.5 rules and updates them to be more balanced and easier to play.

Pathfinder and 4th Edition both have starter sets for ~$25 and ~$17 respectively. These are great options, and a wonderful way to try out the game without dropping a ton of money on books.

1. Cake or birthday related - For keeping my birthday suit clean
   
2. Simon Pegg - You've got red on you
   
3. A book you are eager to read - Anxiously awaiting its release
   
4. Eating Utensils - Emergency rations need no utensils!
   
5. Animal - Jacque Moosteau fits this!
   
6. Purple - Flameless Lavendar candle!
   
7. A game - I have a whole Tabletop list, but Catan will suffice
   
8. A guilty pleasure - Thai tea, yum
   
9. A Tool - Weights are a tool for a healthier me!
   
10. Something from your childhood - Darth vader sheet set... that I want... even though I'm 36.
    
11. An organizational item - Stackable pyrex dishes organize my food mess
    
12. Hobby - Yarn, for my crochet habit
    
13. Nerdy/ Geeky - I have a whole list, but this TARDIS Nyan cat shirt should suffice
    
14. Something Natural - Mmmm Good Earth tea
    
15. Green - Green lame for stripes for my Columbia shorts
    
16. Something you wear - Tap shoes! Again, for Columbia
    
17. Funny - This is funny if you've seen LOST
    
18. Beads, Bees or Beans - It's no longer available, but still on my list - this fabric reminds me of Bees!
    
19. Gardening - Mooquet came from the garden
    
20. Your absolute favorite item on your wish list no matter the price. - This is one small piece to a big Columbia puzzle for me, I can't wait until our October show!!
    
    Happy happy cake day!!!!
    
    I hope that this is what you'll be getting for yourself because mason jars are SUPER useful in tons of ways! :D

We played a couple of one-shot scenarios at PAX Prime. To be honest, I felt like it was a dumbed-down version of Descent or Super Dungeon Explore. If you're looking for a DnD style game, I really don't think this is it. You would be better served by any of the Dungeons and Dragons boardgames. Castle Ravenloft, Legend of Drizzt or Wrath of Ashardalon

Since your deck is also your hitpoints, the better player you are, the less variety you will see. For example, we had one payer who was doing amazingly well, rolling high and never taking damage. For the entire game she only drew two cards, so her playable hand NEVER changed (or least not in any real significant manner).

The roleplaying opportunities are almost non-existent, and it really isn't breaking any new ground for mechanics-based combat. I honestly think the only reason a lot of people are enjoying it is because of the name tie-in with "Pathfinder". Without that logo on the box, it's really not that compelling of a game.

It does have an ongoing campaign, and that is pretty compelling. Character development and seeing your characters grow in skill and gain new abilities is always fun. (That's the "gateway drug" for MMOs, after all!) But there really isn't enough game here to make it worthwhile.

/r/gametales

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About This Subreddit##

Epic sagas, dastardly backstabbing and emergent metagaming. This subreddit is not about describing prescribed game plots. It is a place to recount unexpected, significant, or humorous events that have happened in-game. Creative problem solving. Unexpected interactions. Sweet revenge.

Both computer gaming stories and pen & paper RPG stories are welcome here.

You may also like…###

Tabletop game event stories

4chan's Traditional Games - Some of our top rated tabletop stories are from 4chan

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/r/DnDGreentext > Great RPG Stories
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Thisisnotatrueending Giant /tg/ archive. (Use the options on the left and tags to search)

/r/rpghorrorstories - Tales of things going terribly wrong around the tabletop

Video game event stories

/r/storiesofwar - Heroic gaming war stories with an emphasis on FPS games

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Creative writing

/r/LifeasanNPC - Stories written from the perspective of computer controlled characters

/r/3d6 - Help tabletop gamers to create interesting characters

Reddit-based text adventures

/r/WayfarersPub - Reddit's online tavern for player characters to meet and interact

/r/YouEnterADungeon - Group adventure writing featuring lengthy descriptive posts

/r/textventures - A more concise version of the above. Old school text adventures, against a real person

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  User Flair You may choose a suggested flair or edit your own flair.
  
  

  These tabletop RPG tales are great - how do I get into it?##
  

  
  Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is a cost-effective introduction to the well-received latest edition of the archetypal RPG (Free PDFs)
  
  Pathfinder is a modification and extension of D&D 3.5. The Pathfinder Beginner Box is widely regarded as a great RPG introduction.
  
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The Angry GM did a very good article recently on metagaming. (If you're unfamiliar with Angry, he has a very different style than most gaming writers. If you're able to get past his "f&%$s" and "s@#&s," you'll find some very well researched and reasoned advice, and some good humor as well.)

I've been actively DMing for about four or five months now, and one of my players is the group's original DM and a DM for a Roll20 group. She uses the more prevalent definition of "metagaming," while I use Angry's, and it's been an interesting transition in the group.

Essentially, if the players are able to come to the correct conclusion about a major part of the storyline, while circumventing all of the deflections and delays I had put in their path (as happened recently), I don't see any reason to punish that. I rewarded that player with additional XP for clever thinking, even if I had to jump well passed what I had planned. If the bard knows a monster's weakness, they probably heard about it in some ballad. If one player acts on information on another player that they haven't formally discussed in character at the table, well, they've been traveling together for the better part of a year in game; the characters must have talked about it in the would-be-boring travel scenes that I gloss over.

As far as the monster inventory situation is concerned, I recommend getting some Pathfinder Pawns (I've linked to the two boxes I have on Amazon). They let you surprise your players with a huge variety of them. If you go on Paizo's website, you can buy printable versions for cheaper. The art is pretty good, and it's hard to beat the variety you get for your dollar.

In the end, everyone has a different playing style. I prefer to resolve differences when I can. Encourage some frank, open discussion at the table and away from it. If you can't resolve your different styles with your roommate, it might be best if they don't continue with the group. The overall group's fun level is really the deciding factor.

Today I was out at dinner with some friends having a great time and laughing when some drunk guy got randomly offended and thought my friends were laughing at him. He tried to get into a verbal dispute with us but his friends calmed him down. He wound up buying us a round of tequila shots (our choice of brand) and then actually paid for our entire meal. We all wound up getting along and drinking for a bit haha. It was ridiculously generous! On a side note: As a student, its finals week....but I was informed today as an employee that I won't have to work at all this week so I can get my work done and study!!! So I'm super relived about that.

Also, I've never played this but I've been told that I must. I figured this would be a great game to play with my roommates.
You don't have to click this link and do anything for me, this is a really really nice gesture you're offering. But since you're offering...haha

I have found that the [Pathfinder Bestiary Box] (https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Publishng-Inc-Pathfinder-Pawns/dp/1601255616) offers great value for monster miniatures.

It might be worthwhile to spend a little more on player miniatures, as they are used more frequently. Reaper and some other sites offer a pretty good selection. (Players often buy these for themselves)

A battle mat is a great investment, although you can also use paper.

Sound like you already have the core rule books.

The rest of the game comes from the mental creativity of the players and the DM. Don't worry too much about the physical supplies. You could spend $10,000 and still run a terrible game. You could have nothing but pencil and paper and run an amazing game. I recommend that you just dive in and start playing. Not everything will be perfect, but you will figure things out as they come up.

I fully expect to hear about the flourishing Jeddah D&D scene in the coming months. Good luck and happy gaming.

Some folks will recommend, eBay and similar but I really don't want to get into that. If you do, good luck. I'll point you to some new products instead of used items.

Though not the best deal per figure, the easiest way to get pre-painted figures are from the official D&D and Pathfinder blind boxes. Each ranges from $15 to $17 and each has one "Large" (or "Huge" in the case of the D&D Giants boxes) figure and three "medium" or smaller figs. Overall the painting quality is satisfactory, but not as good as if you painted them by hand with basic wash techniques.

If you want specific single figures, the Reaper Bones figures are competitively priced. Paizo and Wizards both liscence official painted and unpainted figures through Wizkids. Though they are slightly more expensive than Reaper Bones, they also have ones that match the exact appearance of official creatures.

If you want the cheapest price per figure, check out the MtG Arena of the Planewalkers board games (there are currently two plus one expansion released). The figures in here are mostly unpainted but they are lower quality molds than the other things I'm linking here and the bases are larger than 1" diameter. I think they're 1.25".

The Dungeons and Dragons board games are $40-70 depending on the seller and they have official sized unpainted figures. Each has a variety of 40 to 45 figures that are probably 75% medium sized creatures and the rest large, plus some have a single huge sized boss creature. There are currently four of the ones with co-op dungeon delves which also include nice dungeon tiles, plus the latest Assault of the Giants which has "Large" sized giant figures, but is not a dungeon delve and so it has a regular game board that's a map of the sword coast rather than dungeon tiles. The ones I recommend you check out are Wrath of Ashardalon, Temple of Elemental Evil, Castle Ravenloft, and The Legend of Drizzt.

The Descent series of board games has really nice detailed figures that look more ferocious than most of the monsters included above. The fit on a 1" grid and the games include 1" grid dungeon tiles too, but they are more expensive than the above D&D board games for a similar concept game with fewer total figures.

D&D Attack Wing figures were very expensive at MSRP because each pack had lots of extra cards, tiles, and tokens for the attack wing game. However, they are as nicely painted as the D&D blind boxes (the chromatic dragons are particularly nice) and the price is falling because they are going out of production and some places are clearing out their inventory -- so keep an eye out. The sets with ground units have standard 1" bases but flying units like dragons have clear bases that do not fit a 1" grid nicely.

The Dungeons and Dragons "Dungeon Command" series of games have somewhat recently gone out of production, but the pre-painted figures were of standard quality for D&D figures and they had large dungeon tiles in each box. They are at the point where they have been out of production long enough that the price has started to rise on amazon and the like, but you might be able to fine them for cheap at smaller retailers and second hand.

Do your guests already like board games? I love them but in my experience getting people to learn new rules is like pulling teeth, especially when it's out of a rule book. Unless your guests are well-seeded with experienced/enthusiastic gamers who are willing to teach the rules, I'd stick with games that people probably know or have rules for kids. Scrabble, Monopoly, checkers/chess/go, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, Candyland and decks of cards (perhaps with chips). I would also consider party games like Balderdash, Taboo, Cranium, Charades, Fishbowl, Telephone Pictionary which are really fun in groups. Maybe you could designate a charismatic friend as a "Master of Games" or something to form groups and get the ball rolling on the pen-and-paper games.

If you have a geekier group that likes more modern/European board games, there are a few games I think are totally worth a try. I'd look into: Red Dragon Inn (my FH says it might be too complicated but I think it's approachable), Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Dixit (I haven't played this but my FH says it's like Apples to Apples with pictures), Castle Panic and Fluxx in all its many varieties. Settlers of Catan is a bit more complicated but people are more likely to be familiar with it. It might not be great for newbies but I can't pass up the opportunity to plug Pandemic which is a fantastic cooperative game.

If you like this game, I recommend Tsuro. It's a board game that is almost identical to this flash game. It has won a handful of awards and is short, easy to teach, and awesome. I can even play it with in-laws who are pretty board game averse. It can handle up to eight players though the most I've ever played with was six. More players can be an absolute blast.

It's even pretty inexpensive so it might make a good wish list item as the holidays are approaching, etc.

I don't mean to hawk stuff. I'm completely unaffiliated with the game and I'm not linking an Amazon resale or anything like that. I just was surprised that nobody had pointed this out for people yet and thought that I might try to help you all find a nice little ~$20 gift idea. Come to think of it...

Oooh, I looooove board games. From what you're describing I feel like Ticket to Ride could work really well; there are a good amount of instructions but they're pretty easy to follow along with (it's mostly for scoring purposes).

For something way more light/fun, there's also Sushi Go! or Love Letter -- they're both card-based games that look deceptively simple but are never played the same way twice. My wildcard choice would be Carcassonne, which is definitely more of a hard sell -- you build a Medieval French town with picture tiles -- but I promise is really, really fun. Again, the scoring is where it gets slightly more complicated, and it can be intimidating-looking, but the game is really fantastic. Lots of strategy and luck needed, and it's a really unique experience.

Whatever this is for sounds like it'll be a lot of fun!

Awesome! I love how the organs look wet and sticky to the touch!

To readers who want this mini: I can't find it on Amazon, but it is Gravestorm the Dracolich from the Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game. If it comes guaranteed in a booster or on it's own, I can't find it... but it's also past 4 in the morning here, so that may be a factor!

SO, let's take a quick look at the Castle Ravenloft Boardgame. Looking for Dracolich minis, I'm seeing most sitting at around $18 (and I couldn't find this particular one). The game box I listed is around $52. Almost three times the price!

However.

The box comes with 5 hero figures, 7 villain figures (Gravestorm is one of those, and that base he sits on is slightly larger than the bottom of a Rockstar can, so massive), and 30 monster figures, for a total of 42. So that's about $1.50 a model. These are high quality models, on par with Reaper or Nolzur's. They do not come prepainted, but with the paintjobs I've seen on some prepainted minis, I'd say that could be a pro, a con, or just a neutral to you, depending.

Honestly, if you're going to paint it, I'd get some paint tips from /u/GreedoLandooo, because as you may have noticed, his looks pretty wizard.

But wait, there's more! It also comes with 41 dungeon tiles! What are those, you didn't ask? Those are a bunch of interlocking tiles, compatible with any tiles from any of the D&D boardgame sets (Ravenloft , Wrath of Ashardalon , Legend of Drizzt , Temple of Elemental Evil, and Tomb of Annihilation , the last one being the only one I don't own, and that only due to money issues at the moment.)

Here are 11 together , Here are, uh...more than 11, I'm tired, fight me about it..

Everything you see in that second pic comes in the box, except for that upside-down box that says "One Night". I have no idea what that is, but I'm assuming the people who took the photo use it as a dice rolling area.
EDIT: Those minis you see on there have regulation-size bases, about the size of a quarter, to give you a sense of scale.

You may have noticed cards and tokens galore. As it turns out, this board game is also a board game! The heroes have abilities they can use, monsters have different attacks and tactics depending on player positioning, there are magic items, traps, etc. Some people really enjoy the board games. I found them neat, but I really just wanted the minis because of the quality and the tiles because...c'mon, really easy dungeon setup. Most D&D boardgame tiles are not doublesided, so you can either preconstruct a dungeon for buds but leave undiscovered ones flipped over for "fog of war", or handle it like the board game does, drawing new tiles from a stack when a player enters discovery range. Surprises for the party and you!

Also, I'm going to list all the minis that come in the set. Gravestorm is the largest in the box by far, but each board game comes with some big guys. Ashardalon has Ashardalon, the Red Dragon, I believe Drizzt comes with a massive Balor, etc.

So, mini contents of Ravenloft:

Allisa, Human Ranger

Arjhan, Dragonborn Fighter

Blazing Skeleton x3

Count Strahd, Vampire and general villainous jackass.

Flesh Golem. This guy is a bit on the large side, but not as big as the Dracolich.

Gargoyle x3

Ghoul x3

Gravestorm, Dracolich.

Howling Hag

Immeril, Eladrin Wizard

Kat, Human Rogue

Klak, Kobold Sorcerer. I'm very fond of this guy.

Kobold Skirmisher x3

Rat Swarm x3

Skeleton x3

Spider x3

Thorgrim, Dwarf Cleric

Werewolf with bladder issues, I assume.

Wolf x3

Wraith x3

Zombie x3

Zombie Dragon. Not Gravestorm. This is a smaller dude.

Now a picture of the whole happy family

And finally, if you would like to buy from the D&D official site, you can find it here for $65.

I agree with /u/raisedbynarcoleptic - you need a structured non-threatening activity with the kid. Start with all four of you, don't suddenly take the scared kid out alone.

Honestly, I'd wait six months before bringing up the potential for marriage. Wait until you and he have had a conversation, he's smiled at you, and he's volunteered something positive about you to his mother. Also, STOP TEACHING HIM, if you haven't already. Move him to another teacher or studio. Stop muddying those waters.

I'm a board game person, so here's what I would do:

• Buy 2-3 board games for him for Christmas for his mother to give to him.
  
  
• He and his mother play the games for a few weeks until she knows what his favorite is.
  
  
• You and your son learn that game. (or all the games!)
  
  
• You and she get all four of you together for a tournament over a few weeks with silly prizes. Out of six times, the overall winner gets five bucks and a silly hat. That sort of thing. (NOTE: Some teenagers would flat-out refuse to play cheesy board games with their parents, but it sounds like he is close to his mother and not a particularly brash kid, so you might get some buy-in.)
  
  
• Start having weekly game nights.
  
  
• After a few successful game nights, suggest playing a game that's 2p only and then have the winners play each other.
  
  
• Let the kids play against each other.
  
  
• Once that has been shown as non-threatening, suggest kids against adults - parent v. kid.
  
  
• Finally, suggest mixing it up and have you play against him. Direct interaction, but in the same room as the others.
  
  
• If that goes well, have his mother schedule a multi-hour thing on the same day that your son is busy with another friend. Ask his mother to fret and wring her hands about leaving him alone so much. Volunteer to go to a cafe with the kid and play whatever his favorite game is.
  
  
• First time alone with him! Keep it low-key. No talks about the future. No talks about family or feelings. Just stay in public and play a game together and go home. Maybe buy him some sort of mountain-of-sugar drink.
  
  And so on.
  
  The hobby doesn't have to be board games, of course, but that is the general outline of how I'd recommend handling it with a kid who literally shakes at the sight of you. Excruciating baby steps.
  
  Games I'd recommend for this:
  
  
• King of Tokyo ($33)
  
  
• Betrayal At House On The Hill ($34)
  
  
• Uno ($5ish anywhere)
  
  
• Sorry! ($12ish anywhere)
  
  
• Carcassonne (out of stock at Amazon but usually $25ish)
  
  
• Ticket To Ride (out of stock at Amazon but usually $35ish)
  
  
• Bohnanza ($14)
  
  
• Castle Panic ($22) (Has Star Trek and Zombie versions!)

It costs money to play ongoingly? You can't just buy a board or set or play or whatever?

Wow. No wonder it tends to be reserved to hardcore fanatics.

I know some German games can be expensive, initially, but even Settlers of Catan is just $35 on Amazon

And they do have expansion packs, but you absolutely don't need them to play a full, fun game.

I can't imagine playing a game that you had to keep buying new stuff for in order to really participate at a decent level.

I play guitar, and people might say these card games are a hobby like that, and that spending money on new cards is no different from continuously spending money on new guitar gear and pedals.

But even there, you don't actually need anything beyond an acoustic guitar or an electric and a basic amp if you want to learn. You absolutely could play just those things for 5 years before buying a single pedal while teaching yourself how to play. Apart from maintenance like new strings and the odd setup (if needed at all), you can just pay once and play - forever.

But it sounds like people have to keep buying better cards in order to keep playing the game, because everyone else is also trying to get an edge by buying better cards?

That sounds like a way for a hobby to make you broke, rather than enrich your life.

please let G0ATLY be safe this year

Halloween is my favorite holiday... But it hasn't always been my luckiest. One year I went all-out at a Boo & Brew party and spent hours with a friend wrapping myself up in gauze that I had specially stained the week before so I could be a mummy. It looked great! The only thing was that I couldn't do a trial-run with it, so about an hour or so into the party I started to unravel. I wasn't wearing much underneath, no one was in a position to drive, so I hopped the first bus back to my place to borrow a roommate's naughty baseball outfit. I didn't care what I looked like, I just wanted to get back and party.

So I get back to the party... and notice that I can't bend over. The dang thing is so short that if I bend over my booty will immediately show and I did not have on bloomer-style underwear. I guess when I first it on I was too rushed/tipsy to notice. Spent the party sitting at a bar table. Still had an awesome time.

What I wouldn't change about myself- I am constantly reflecting on myself to make sure that I am constantly improving as a person to be the ultimate person I want to become, and I am always looking to experience new things to broaden my horizons. I don't really know anybody else that spends so much time worrying about the person they're becoming, but each year my hard work causes me to love myself more and more :) (this coming from someone who spent a good decade being suicidal... I'm gonna toot my own horn and say I'm damn proud of my progress).

I'm dying to play this game everyone on Reddit talks about.

Hi, Ricki! My name is Claire! I am 26 and after finishing my second bachelors degree, I'm starting in about month as an RN on a pediatric cardiology unit!! I'm so excited. I love Harry Potter, Doctor Who and Game of Thrones as well. I think I'd be a Hufflepuff, how about you?? I've just started watching Justified and I'm really enjoying it. I currently live in NYC however I am moving in a few weeks. I'm pretty nervous about it but can't wait to get started on the next step. I love to play board games and take walks with my friends.

I'd love to be surprised by something but if you want some direction...I'd love this!

I commented on here earlier, but the thing I recommended was already listed. xD Sooooo Imma suggest some board games!

If you like deck-building games, Dominion is a classic. I didn't think I would like it, but the premise is pretty simple, so it's easy to pick up.

I like the Chinese version of Bang which is called SanGuoSha. It's not always in-stock on Amazon in English; I think right now all the ones offered are in Chinese. I think the characters and items are a little more complex than Bang's, which is why I prefer this version, but Bang is good as well. :)

I also like Betrayal at House on the Hill. It usually makes for a unique experience each time. You explore a haunted house with the other plays, picking up different omens along the way until you trigger "the haunt." The thing is, the haunt varies depending on the character who triggered it, the omen that it was triggered with, and the room it happened in! So there's tons of different haunts making for awesome replayability!

Also, I gotta throw in a recommendation for Lifeboat. Lifeboat is pretty entertaining. The premise is that you're on a lifeboat with the other players. You're trying to get to shore. The person with the most points wins. Each person "loves" and "hates" another player. If the person you love survives, you get bonus points. So you want the person you love to survive and the person you hate to die, but you also don't wanted your loved one to get more points than you otherwise they would win...

Each character has different skills/strength/HP. You get to pick an item card (point items. weapons, health) every round in order. First person gets first pick, but the last person controls the boat. You can choose to switch places with someone, trade with someone or mug someone, or row the boat (you draw 2 navigation cards and pick 1 to add to the stack). If you fight someone (e.g. you want an item but they won't give it to you), all players can join on either side, and the total side with the most strength wins while the other side loses health.

At the end of a round of turns, the navigator picks from the navigation cards drawn from rowers. Those cards dictate who goes overboard and loses health. If a navigation card has a seagull on it, you get closer to shore. 4 seagulls = game over.

It's a super fun game, but be careful who you play with... Some people get REALLY angry or upset when shit goes down. Some people really hate that there's no enforcability... Like if you say you'll trade someone an item but don't go through with your end like a douche, you can do that. Buuuuut I guess if you make too many enemies, people won't take your sides on fights and could work together to kill you first.

Hope this helps!

I love camping/outdoor stuff too and I've gotten a lot of fun gifts over the years. Here's a few that I think any outdoor lover would enjoy.

Flint fire starter
Compact camping hammock
Camping Tomahawk (Seriously, me and my friends had so much fun learning to throw this)

If you're really stuck you can always just take a trip to REI, that store is like candyland for the outdoor lover, although they can be expensive. Camelbacks, lanterns, oudoor cookware, and all other cool stuff can be found there.

If you're leaning towards a gaming gift that can be harder unless you know what he needs, and most parts for a gaming computer are probably going to clear your budget. But you mentioned he likes GoT so I could reccomend the Game of Thrones - Board Game. I've played this and it's a lot of fun.

I met Chris Hardwick a few weeks ago at a show in Baltimore, he was super nice and took pictures with my husband and I. My palms got super sweaty cause I was nervous! I've had a crush on him since I was a kid (now 26)! It was awesome, and everything I dreamed it would be... well for the most part! He complimented my owl necklace (that someone gifted me from RAoA) and I showed him my Star Tours button like a total nerd, haha! He's amazing, and very down to earth!

I've also met the band Rooney 3 times (they're not super famous, but I've loved their music since I was 14 or 15. The first time I met them, my sister parked in the wrong garage in DC and her car got locked in. We were waiting outside and the band walked up to us and talked to us for about half an hour. The second time I met them they had a show in Baltimore and I made my friend miss her curfew to wait around back and say hello. It was worth it because Rob (the lead singer) gave me a big hug and picked me up! AWESOME. I even got to smooch him on the cheek.

this game is cool but I also love surprises!

I think you should make this. I know it's not a cake but it's sooooo sinfully good. You can throw a candle on it.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

This game would provide hours of happiness for me and my friends.

Thanks for contest.

Munchkin. its technically a card game, but not a complicated one like magic the gathering or anything. it has pretty simple rules like a board game. the cards are hilarious, and they come in a bunch of different themes and expansion sets if you like it.. this game is totally a hit a parties, especially for stoners. i cant stress enough how goofy the cards are. the premise is you are like an adventurer going into a dungeon. the cards are various peices of treasure, loot, equipment or abilities. (no complicated rules like dungeons and dragons either) just epic fun.

Lunch Money is another card game along the same lines, sort of. you play as little catholic schoolgirls beating each other up on a playground, and the cards are various moves and combo breakers. great game to get some rediculous shit talking going.

Play around with the tiles a bit to see if you like them! You can go as deep down the rabbit hole as you want, to be honest. The common consensus is that simple eraserboard tiles/maps work great as the workhorse for drawing out combat areas. These kinds of tiles are really useful because you can simulate line of sight/closed doors/etc by not placing down your tiles until your players advance further in. And you can draw features on the tiles to represent things in the area that are important.

I like to incorporate these blank tiles with other terrain that I've made or purchased as a way to make "filler" tiles. Say you have some city tiles that work for an encounter, but you need a walkway between two buildings or you need an alley between two buildings or something. You can place the blank tiles down, then place your city tiles on top and tell your players "the white space is an alley between these two buildings." Or in a recent game I had a small shrine in the wilderness where the party was attacked by a predator that was stalking them. I set up my blank tiles and put the terrain that represented the shrine on the table. Now the blank tiles represented the forest around the shrine.

I think it's better to start with stuff like this than it is to spend a bunch of money/time on Dwarven Forge or Hirst Arts specially made terrain. Over time, if you have the money and interest, you can eventually build up a collection of whatever kind of terrain you want. But for now, start with things that will be useful almost all of the time and are relatively cheap.

If you're looking to go three dimensional with your terrain/accessories, I can't recommend papercraft terrain like Fat Dragon Games makes enough.

As far as minis go, you have a LOT of options. WotC sells blind-box miniatures boxes that have decent quality, prepainted minis. And there are sites like Miniature Market and Troll & Toad where you can buy the specific miniatures you want. You also have a massive variety of unpainted miniatures you can use. The D&D officially branded Nolzur's miniatures are high quality and well-regarded. I also highly recommend the Reaper Bones line of minis. The quality is slightly worse than the Nolzur line, but the variety and price are difficult to argue with.

One option I don't see mentioned enough are "flat" miniatures. Pathfinder has a box set of popular monsters printed on cardstock that you put on stands to represent what the players are fighting. I've also seen plastic versions of these which I have never purchased, but Sly Flourish speaks highly of. If you do some googling I'm sure you can find tons more resources for printable "paper miniatures."

Hope this helps!

Here's another one:

Betrayal at the House on the Hill
http://www.amazon.com/Wizards-Coast-266330000WOC-Betrayal-House/dp/B003HC9734/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324230230&sr=8-1

It's fucking terrific. Not exactly the same as Epic duels, but it's party and family friendly.

The setup is you select a character, then start exploring the mansion. As you build the mansion (you are all on the same team), the mansion begins to try to seduce each player. The weapons and artifacts you carry to defend yourself all happen to be haunted/cursed.

After several turns the mansion gets larger and larger much like carcassonne. Eventually, someone gets seduced by the mansion... and here's where the game turns amazing.

The betrayer grabs the betrayal rulebook and goes into another room. The rest of the group open the survival rulebook. Both have independent objective based on what happened to the betrayer.

there are dozen and dozens of scenarios... a little girl may become the pawn of dracula, who arises out of the graveyard and begins stalking the survivors. A shitload of spiders may erupt from the basement and the betrayer be telepathically controlling them. All manner of stuff.

This game is solid up until the shit hits the fan and then it becomes AWESOME. The betrayer usually becomes crazy powerful and has a weakness unknown to them. The survivors generally have an alternative way to win that is complicated and requires teamwork. GREAT party game.

Settlers of Catan is great fun, I also highly recommend adding the expansions like Cities and Knights.

Dominion is another great card/board game you should check out. It's simple to learn but offers a fair amount of depth, pretty elegant design.

If you want to go all out I recommend checking out the The Game of Thrones Board Game it's pretty hardcore but amazing.

We Didn't Playtest This at All. I bought it after seeing it mentioned in /r/boardgames/. I loved the one-star reviews on Amazon from people who didn't understand the game.

It's an absurd party game. The first time I played it in my 6-person group, we played six rounds. I lost the first five rounds before it was even my turn to play (but that's OK because you often get to take an action during other peoples' turns). In the sixth round, I played one hand only because I got to go first, and I was out before it became my turn again. It is still hilarious, inexpensive fun.

I especially love the cards that make players lose if they utter certain words during the game. I was the first to lose with that card, so I spent the rest of the round assassinating people by engaging them in conversation.

Helpful tip: play the game with people you enjoy being around. If your gaming group is composed of only people you know through gaming, forget it.

I have the following set, it should suit your needs:

• https://i.imgur.com/sOSE4Zj.jpg
  
  Here is price information from Amazon, for what is included:
  
  Item | Amazon Price
  --- | ---
  The Bigger Blacker Box | $15
  Cards Against Humanity | $25
  Cards Against Humanity: First Expansion | $10
  Cards Against Humanity: Second Expansion | $10
  Cards Against Humanity: Third Expansion | $10
  Cards Against Humanity: Fourth Expansion | $10
  
  You can "complete" the set by ordering expansions Five and Six on Amazon.
  
  The Bigger Blacker Box case has enough room to fit both additional expansions, if you take out the foam spacers. It also comes with black dividers, for helping organize.
  
  I have not done this, btw, but apparently if you cut open a specific place inside the lid of the Bigger Blacker Box, there is a special card inside. Something about big black cocks, naturally.
  
  Purchase price on Amazon for all of these items is $80 total. I will offer my set at $70. It is in excellent condition. We've only used it on two occasions.
  
  Also, I know people are probably wondering why I don't offer a larger discount. $70 for a used CAH set might seem "not generous enough". Here's my perspective though. a) This is a pretty comprehensive collection in excellent condition (most of the cards have never been used) and well organized, b) I don't care if I sell it or not, c) I suspect you might be interested in completing the collection anyway, and this collection gets you 80% of the way there, and d) you have a tight timetable.
  
  I live downtown. I work from home. PM me if you're interested, my schedule is flexible.

YTA because it's no fun for everyone else if you only stay in a game if you're winning.

But, I'd recommend expanding your games to cooperative games like Pandemic (my absolute favorite!) or Betrayal at House on the Hill. This is a great list of cooperative games and you can read reviews on Amazon.

If you're playing a cooperative game, then you and the people you play with are on one team working together against the game itself. I'm pretty competitive (not one of my more charming traits), and cooperative games have been a great addition to my game nights. They're also built in a way that is much more exciting - things can change for better or worse at any time, and losing doesn't drag out. I have fun even losing with cooperative games.

Uhhhh. Pandemic is a good game if you want to lose horribly. I'd recommend Forbidden Desert instead. Many similar mechanics. A lot faster. Fewer "Welp, we lose in 5 turns and there is nothing we can do to stop it" issues. And it doesn't suffer as badly from the "Table Captain" problems. It still HAS them but not as badly.

My personal recommendation for a fun competitive game that's relatively easy to learn and doesn't suffer "You fucked me over!" annoyances? 7 Wonders. Another good choice in this theme would be Ticket to Ride. This also has the benefit of actually being available at Target or Walmart, so you don't have to try and find a hobbyist store or order it online. King of Tokyo and Tsuro are both fun, easy-to-learn games as well. I've seen all of these at Barnes and Noble, so depending on what you have locally, they can be easily found.

Interesting idea. There are some good six-player games that might constitute an adventure.

Betrayal at House On The Hill is a game that follows the tropes of horror B-movies, exploring a haunted house until eventually someone at random becomes the bad guy and has to try to kill everyone else. Maybe a little mature for the younger kids, but it's one of my favourite games. Review here, although he's kinda critical of it in a way I think is unfair. It's a lot of fun, it's just more that you're watching the story unfold than actually using great skill to win it. Which is great for new players.

Escape the curse of the temple is a chaotic co-operative game in which all the players are exploring a temple, Indiana Jones style, trying to roll dice to beat challenges. The twist is that everyone's playing at once, rolling dice as fast as they can and getting curses like being unable to talk or keeping one hand on their head. Here's an entertaining review.

Flick 'Em Up is a cross between a western and Subbuteo. You flick your characters and little wooden bullets about in a Spaghetti Western town made of wooden blocks. It's actually probably a fantastic gift because it comes in a lovely wooden box and the whole thing's so tactile. Review here.

7 wonders plays to 7 players with a few expansions making it play to 8. It is a quick game to play and the time to play actually does not increase with more players. I'd say 45 minutes for 8 players is about right.

It is pretty easy to explain, with a lot of different strategies available, some of which aren't even obvious your first 5 times playing. You'll see one strategy dominate, then you'll all try that same strategy next game only to find the reason it dominated was because no one else was going for it.

It's a drafting game. You have a hand of, say, 10 cards. From that, you pick one of them that you can play, and pass the remaining 9 to your left (or right depending). Everyone reveals what card they picked and show they can actually play it, then you pick one from the 9 remaining...etc. You do this for 3 'ages'.

Setup consists of shuffling 3 decks of cards and dealing X to each player (depending on # of players). The longest part is taking out the cards that are for a certain number of players, but this usually only happens for the first game as the # players probably doesn't change between games. It really only takes about 5 minutes to start a new game.

Oh, bonus...you're looking at $31 with prime available.

There are a lot of expansions already that will make the game more interesting if it starts to get stale.

-----------------------------

Saboteur plays up to 10 and has basically no setup time. There are a majority of good guys and a minority of bad guys in each of 3 rounds. Good guys are trying to find gold. Bad guys are trying to stop this...and also trying to not get caught.

I don't think it's nearly as deep as 7 wonders...but it does have a traitor mechanic similar to resistance (except no one knows who is good/bad). I thought the game was OK...nothing great. I only played once, but I felt like there was just not enough strategy, mostly luck. If you want, you can try it out at BoardGameArena for free!

----------------------------------

Avalon as you said seems like a logical choice. It really is, based on what you like. I think it's a strict upgrade to base Resistance. I don't think you'll be upset picking that one up.

Listener and Humanis's links are excellent.
If you're serious about trying it out, you can pick up the Beginner's Box; I have it, and it's a fantastic introduction to Pathfinder. It comes with a Player's Handbook and DM's Guide of sorts. Not the "full" Pathfinder game, but excellent at getting the basics down.
Once you get your feet wet (whether it be just with the free options, or after the Beginner's Box) you can pick up the Core Rulebook and Bestiary and be good to go!
I'd suggest picking up some of the Pathfinder Modules to start on- they do an excellent job of setting the tone and style for how Pathfinder is to be played. I suggest Master of the Fallen Fortress because it's free and a great place to start. Not much RP or real story, but it's a simple short intro to combat and environmental hazards.

Paizo's Bestiary box for Pathfinder has 250+ unique creatures in, and I think a little over 300 total. Almost all of the creatures are found directly in the DnD 5e Monster Manual. It is a little bit of an expenditure but 35~ bucks for a solid base of creatures to build off of is worth it in my opinion.

Printable Heroes is an awesome option as well.

Reaper Bones are gonna be just about the cheapest plastic minis you can buy that are still good quality. Their bases are not based on 1" diameters however so be aware.

Hero Forge is an awesome mini designing website for when you need a truly amazing, customized mini to add oomph to your campaign.

You need a good, basic knife set! (You could get by with a chef's knife, paring knife, and bread knife, but this is a great deal.) My husband's a chef, and these are some of his favorites because they're sharp, durable, and lightweight (and pretty!)--which is of the utmost importance if you're doing a lot of cutting. He uses them at home and at work. Pretty much everyone in our family has some!

You also will need a slow cooker! My mom was an RN for over twenty years, and she used one all the time when working long shifts.

And last but not least, you'll need this fabulous game to entertain your guests--because having a party on your own terms is awesome!

you're a big girl now!

Here's what I'd do if I had to rebuild a collection from scratch for $1k trying to have a wide variety of play styles:

7 Wonders $32.99
Agricola $45.79
Battlestar Galactica $39.97
Carcassonne $30.02
Carcassonne Inns & Cathedrals$15.71
Dixit $22.65
Dominion Big Box $69.18 Prosperity is one of the best expansions; Alchemy is not, but you're pretty much getting it for free in this set.
Eclipse $61.49 It wouldn't be a board game library without a 4X game, and I think Eclipse is the best currently.
Eldritch Horror $40.47 - I love Arkham Horror, but Eldritch streamlines a lot of the fiddly rules of the original.
Formula D [$41.96] (http://www.amazon.com/Asmodee-FDUSASM-Formula-D/dp/2914849648/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1395757676&sr=1-1&keywords=formula+d)
Gloom $17.98
Guillotine $13.52
King of Tokyo $30.19
Love Letter $9.34
Memoir 44 $47.43
No Thanks! $9.98
Pandemic $31.65
Power Grid $32.27
Puerto Rico [$31.20] (http://www.amazon.com/Rio-Grande-Games-195RGG-Puerto/dp/B00008URUT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395756360&sr=8-1&keywords=puerto+rico)
Race for the Galaxy $24.11
Resistance, The $17.99
Roborally $37.49
Settlers of Catan $37.99
Telestrations $19.99 Awesome and funny party game. My friends and I eventually tire of Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity, but seldom do so with this.
Ticket to Ride $37.24
Ticket to Ride 1910 Expansion $18.21
Tsuro $24.22
Twilight Struggle $49.98
Village $35.47
Wits & Wagers $19.99

That comes up to $946.47; room for a couple more expansions or another game.

if this if what you bought you should know it's an amazing board game (one of the best ever IMO) and I'd love to teach you guys how to play. But to be fair it take a bit to understand, takes long to play (3-5 hours) and really becomes fun when you have 4+ people playing.

So while it's amazing it has a few requirements to be able to fully enjoy.

Either the Pathfinder Beginner Box or the D&D Red Box Starter Set will give you everything you need to start playing a simplified version of the full games, all in one box. Buy it, invite friends over, unwrap the box, start playing.

The rules are written in such a way as to let players get started immediately, but the person running the game (the Dungeon Master or Game Master) will probably want to look through it for a few minutes beforehand.

If you like the tutorials, you might move on to the full games. I like Pathfinder, so I'll focus on that one.

If you want to play the "full" Pathfinder game, you don't need the Beginner Box, instead you need:

• One copy of The Core Rulebook
  
• One copy of The Bestiary
  
• One set (or more if you want) of polyhedral dice, such as this.
  
• One character sheet per player [PDF]
  
• Some pencils
  
• Some tokens to represent characters and monsters (pennies, nickels and dimes will do)
  
  All other books you will see listed are optional: they provide more options, more content, more ideas. Don't buy them until you need more. You may never.
  
  You only need one set of books and dice, but having more copies will make life easier. It's totally optional. All of the important Pathfinder content is available for free on the internet in multiple locations, so technically you could skip the books altogether if you needed to. In practice it's nice to have a hard copy.
  
  Also, there are thousands of RPGs out there you could play instead of D&D or Pathfinder, but I would say try them after you've gotten your feet at least slightly wet.

I used 1"x1" paper squares I cut out myself with numbers on them at first. Then when I had some money, I bought the Pathfinder Pawns for minis. I use them for 5e so they don't match up perfectly, but it's enough to just tell my players "This is X monster" or whatever. Someone else is probably going to mention this too, but if you want miniatures for characters or whatever, boardgames like Talisman or the DnD ones are your best bet for cheap-ish minis. You get a bunch (For example, Talisman comes with ~14 minis your players can use) for relatively less than you'd pay to get them individually.

Maps wise, if you have access to Photoshop (never used GIMP) you can make grid lines overlay on whatever you draw. You can also find these online or in stores. 1" square graph paper is good if you don't want to buy a Chessex Battlemat, though I'd highly recommend it and some wet-erase markers. Those things last for years and they're super useful if you don't mind wiping off the map a few times a session.

In addition to checking out here, I would poke around the local gaming shops. Rolling Gnome is probably a good spot to try.

Also, think about what type of game you're looking to play.

Are you wanting high fantasy, high magic, sort of like a mix of harry potter and Lord of the Rings?

Or maybe something more intrigue focused, like Game of Thrones?

Are you wanting to keep sci-fi and fantasy separate, or are you ok with a blend?

Are you wanting to solve puzzles, get into fights, or...?

What degree of complexity/customization do you want from your characters? (The simpler the system, the more same-y the characters are; as a converse, the more customization you can bring for characters, the more fiddly little rules come into play.)

All of these are significant considerations.

Now, I might be a bit biased in suggesting The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, but it offers absurd customization, has an excellent beginner package, and all of the rules are 100% free (and available online.)

D&D 5e, on the other hand, has a significantly simplified system. This isn't a bad thing; it vastly reduces the amount of math needed while leveling up or changing what items your character uses regularly. This can make things easier for newer players, and reduce the overhead mid-fight if you have one or two people who have built batman-like. Additionally, 5e has a much...flatter power curve, and is better for a fantasy setting with less magic.

Board games are the best games...! I have a group of friends (about 10 people) that loveee playing board games, so I've tried quite a few..! Though having only 2 people for the board game is really limiting, I think most games are like 3 minimum TqT

I'm not sure what your budget is but I'm going to list a few that I've enjoyed (I'm a gamer that played RTS and TD games too! P.S. you should check out sanctum 2 on steam for an interactive tower defense game)

My first suggestion would be

Betrayal at the House on the Hill: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Avalon-Hill-266330000WOC-Betrayal-House/dp/B003HC9734/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452695169&sr=8-1&keywords=Betrayal+at+the+house+on+the+hill

• It's ideally for 3-6 players because the premise of the game is to explore the house as much as you can before the 'haunt' starts, and when the haunt starts one of the players will become a traitor that tries to kill the other players. To win the game, the survivors kill the traitor or vice versa.
  
  
  Jaipur is a card game recommendation, but it's for 2 players!
  
  
• http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54043/jaipur
  
• It's like a merchanting game :D I'm sure as someone who played RTS games you know how to manage resources... this is a testament to learning how to balance trade-offs with rewards
  
  
  Agricola is another good game!
  
  *http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260/agricola
  
  
• It's a bit expensive online though, you might be able to get it cheaper at a local board game store
  
• It's another strategy type game, you get 2 turns per round to act for you and your spouse. It's similar to the settler of catan except you have only 14 rounds before the game finishes.
  
• You have to choose between expanding your house, making babies, collecting food and resources, another fun way to balance your resources :D
  
  Most of these games are pretty short if you want it to be!! Check them out for sure!

I agree with counseling. Even if you don't absolutely need it, it still helps to talk to someone who is paid to help you understand yourself.

I went to the counseling center because I couldn't pick a major and they helped me figure out what I enjoyed doing etc.

I also went another time when I was having a fight with a friend and I just wanted someone to give me perspective on the situation and help me be a better communicator.

People go to counseling for things other than depression. I used to not know what counselors were, but they are sort of similar to psychiatrists.

What are your interests? What is your major? I can give you tips on how to pick student organizations based on your interests. I had a hard time picking student organizations at first. Student organizations are an AMAZING way to meet people. Heck, my alma mater just had a reddit meet up this past week. You can meet people through reddit. Have you been talking to people at your school on their subreddit and asking for their advice?

It is scary, but you have to try new things even if they make you uncomfortable. Not everything will work out, but you will eventually meet people if you try different strategies and change your ideas about how to meet people.

Edit: Don't be afraid to try new things. Say yes to hanging out with people and doing somethings that is unfamiliar. Say yes to almost everything. If I was a freshman again I would probably have Netflix parties, GOT parties, or play CAH or Settlers of Catan. I would also have used yelp.com to check out new places nearby. I got really into hiking when I was in college. I wouldn't have guessed I loved to hike as much as I do. I also started going to markets and swap meets a lot. You have to try new things and push forward.

Other people are scared too.

It might be making you depressed because your reality is not living up to your expectations and you don't know how to cope, and you are still in shock because you left your family and friends. Have you ever seen that Expectations vs. Reality scene in 500 Days of Summer? You have to learn how to make your new reality work for you. It takes some time to get used to not seeing your friends so much, but if you find new ones, then the transition will be easier. Don't be afraid to invite your friends to come visit if they are within a three hour distance. I visited my friends at their dorms and apartments a lot, we went to different colleges throughout Southern California. I've been to 8 or 9 campuses I believe.

I would really like to play a game that you can play with only two players. Right now all of the games my husband and I have are for 3 or more players, but sometimes it is hard to find a third player, and we would like to have some games to play ourselves. I played Dominion once with a few people but I would like to get it myself so I can try playing with just two people. I also would like to try Forbidden Island since you can play that with two players as well. An interesting thing is that I decided to get a PhD at 30, so I am older than most people in my grad program. Elephant Barber!

Hey Paul,

Happy early birthday! I'm a Capricorn too, and this feels very Capricorn to plan ahead like you're doing.

I wouldn't worry about the B:G ratio, as long as you have some fun and friendly people in the mix you guys will have a great time. Be sure to have little snack/food or drink stations for people to mingle and mix.

Have you considered playing games? My friends and I are obsessed with this game One Night Ultimate Werewolf: https://www.amazon.com/Bezier-Games-ONUWBEZ-Ultimate-Werewolf/dp/B00HS7GG5G. It's kind of like mafia where you have to find and kill the werewolf in the mix - essentially it's a game where you lie to your friends.

Also if you have an xbox or Apple TV, the Jackbox Game set: http://jackboxgames.com/ is awesome. There's a mix of different games where people use their phones/ipad/whatever to submit answers so nobody has to be the point person to organize the game. I've started crying from laughing so hard at this game because people's personalities can really show through.

The goal of a party is for people to have fun / get to know each other so encourage (but don't force) fun interactions.

My favorite white card is from the Pax East 2013 Pack C, but that's not on Amazon anymore (I guess someone actually paid the ridiculous amount the seller was asking for, or the listing was removed), so my favorite card from an available expansion is from the First Expansion.

Insatiable bloodlust

1. Because I love the word 'insatiable' and Darren Hayes has a song called "Insatiable", which I love.
   
2. Because I have some bloodlust. I think classic vampires are sexy, I'm intrigued by weaponry and I like knives in a kinky way, I want to make my own blood jewelry, and I kinda sorta maybe wish I could just lose my shit on someone for a price. An extremely high price and in a very extreme circumstance and to a very willing volunteer.
   This card gets chosen by me almost every time someone plays it when I'm czar.
   
   I made this card as a nod to one of my favorite /r/firstworldproblems post. It's so true and everyone can relate!
   

• I should note that this is the first blank card I've filled out, because I'm not great at thinking of awesome things to write. It took me three years to write anything on any of the blank cards in my Apples to Apples games, and I just wrote things like "penis", "clitoris" and "shit" because I was drunk and just wanted something on there (plus A to A was getting tired with all it's innocence, lol).
  

  
  

  Thanks!
  

  -)

There are a lot of versions of Werewolf, but one of those versions is One Night Ultimate Werewolf.

I guess I'm only a fan of certain Euros (and I REALLY like those, like Le Havre), and I just wasn't a big fan of TM. BUT I have still only played it with 2 players, which is not supposed to be a good idea.

Anyway, I hope you like the games you get!

Most non-gamers prefer cooperative games.

Here are a couple of my favorites:
Pandemic - https://www.amazon.com/Z-Man-Games-7021ZMG-Pandemic/dp/B0013OBXG2
Forbidden Island - https://www.amazon.com/Gamewright-317-Forbidden-Island/dp/B003D7F4YY

Alternatively:
Descent is great for taking a step into rpgs/hack & slash - http://www.theboardgamefamily.com/2013/01/descent-journeys-in-the-dark-second-edition-board-game-review/
Or you my check out the other games reviewed here:
http://www.theboardgamefamily.com/all-game-reviews/cooperative-games/

Settlers of Catan is fantastic for people who like dice games and is a fun competitive game. Another great crowd game is SuperFight.

If you like more racy fun & games: Cards Against Humanity or Joking Hazard are awesome.

Edit: Formatting

Try the D&D board games (Castle Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon, Legend of Drizzt). Mechanically, they aren't D&D, but they do mirror several aspects of it in abstract tones.

Arguably closer to D&D in terms of playstyle, though not there by any means, is Fantasy Flight's 2nd Edition Descent: Journeys in the Dark. It's exciting, offers campaign play, involves dungeon crawling of a sort, and offers a chance for one player to "Overlord" against "hero" players, the latter of which controls one or more characters who gain equipment, abilities and so forth as the campaign progresses. Great fun and probably your closest shot at getting her into a D&D boardgame without making the jump to D&D itself.

My girlfriend and I play all of the following games together on a regular basis, and we enjoy all of them. I enjoy watching TableTop, and that is where I found most of these:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4F80C7D2DC8D9B6C

Carcassonne is a multilayer Strategic Tile Laying game that is really good for 2 people: http://amzn.com/B00005UNAX

Ticket to Ride is an awesome multilayer game that works for 2 players: http://amzn.com/0975277324

Formula D is a really fun tabletop racing simulator that also works pretty well for 2 people: http://amzn.com/2914849648

Stratego works well if you want a chess like game that's a fairly different than chess: http://amzn.com/B0045OV9IO

Citadels, Tsuro, and 7 Wonders might be good for you guys to try.

Citadels is a game that can handle 2-8 players, and the structure of the game is rather different, making for more replayability, for differing numbers of players. http://amzn.com/158994030X

Tsuro is a simple but fun game (and the guys that make it are good people). http://amzn.com/B002SQBB3O

7 Wonders is a nice balance between strategy, complexity, and ease of play. It can seem complex at first play, but it doesn't take long to figure out and is a lot of fun. http://amzn.com/B0043KJW5M

I don’t even watch the show but I can confirm, it is one of the most fun board games I’ve ever played. It relies very little on rng so you’d think it would get stale, but it does have rng elements and enough unknown factors that it never seems to. They also have an expansion that adds House Arryn and Targaryen and I haven’t played it but my brother had it and I’ve heard great things. If you have a friend with it, try it out. If not, go to a board game cafe to test it out. If you are willing to spend money already because you’re that confident of the quality here’s a link.

The other guy said a lot of what needed to be. You post a lot in the normal /r/games subreddit - so this description might be akin to telling /r/games that a generic and clunky platformer (like many licensed games) is an amazing idea. Video games have deeper strategy, storytelling ability, or simply opportunity for fun than that. Board games have deeper strategy, storytelling ability, and opportunity for fun than things like Monopoly or Life.

There is, however, and entire GENRE of boardgames which involve the board being made. It's called Tile Laying. I suggest you check out Carcassone (Here's Wil Wheaton playing it). There's also Escape: The Curse of the Temple which involves a soundtrack, rolling dice merely as fast as you can, and working together, as well as your "build the board as you go" idea. Super-popular and most-viable-for-title-of-modern-classic game The Settlers of Catan which you have likely heard of also involves a modular board that is not the same every game. Here's an entire list on the Board Game Geek.

In fact, you'll probably find that most of the "modern" games being played by people will not have your traditional idea of a game board. Dominion is played entirely with cards and is like a self-contained game of Magic every single time. Cosmic Encounter simply gives you some cardboard planets to defend and then you're off in an interspecies race to take control of the galaxy. And so on.

As the other guy said, there's a lot of good ideas in your suggestion. The "build the board as you go" idea is so good it's one of the most dominant mechanics in modern gaming :) Action cards are also a pretty common mechanic. But, some of the least popular ideas in modern gaming: losing turns and player elimination (getting knocked out, last man standing), roll and move (roll a die, move to space, do what it says). Losing turns means you don't get to play and... well you are playing the game to play. Player elimination is the exact same. Roll and move is too screwy and random for most people - eliminating way too much skill.

"Victory Points" are the most common way to get around the player elimination. Your idea has an extremely solid base idea and could make a great, short game with adjustment to this mechanic IMO. If being near the end of the plank is undesirable, how about you get one Victory Point for every piece of the board you are away from the edge at the end of your turn? The person that "falls off" the edge gets 0 points but is not eliminated from future proceedings. The person that's doing the best will get a whopping 7 points for their turn, or something like that. Play until no more board pieces are left and then tally them up!

As for the roll and move, perhaps you have a certain amount of movement that you automatically do each turn. For example, you automatically move 3 spaces down the board each turn. However, various ways of placing the board (perhaps placing some bits together combos), or certain action cards, can reduce this. You still don't move, but you don't move by the effect of gameplay, instead of "losing a turn".

I heard that Love Letter is a pretty decent game. I've never gotten the chance to play but would love to add it to my game collection! My BF and I are just starting to get into board games and we've been building a collection so we can start hosting game nights :) I can't wait to host our first one! :)

My favorite game is probably Pandemic, though the expansions are a little over your price limit :)

Depends, are you looking for actual miniatures, or are you just looking for representations of monsters? Because Pathfinder makes a decent box set of bulk monsters for $50. They're called Pathfinder Pawns, and they're basically cardboard standees. This box is less than $50 for 300 paper miniatures, and is as cheap as you're likely to find, especially if you value your time.

As for bulk miniatures, the D&D board games like Wrath of Ashardladon, Castle Ravenloft, and Legend of Drizzt are all fairly good sources of actual 3d miniatures, but they are unpainted. Aside from that, Reaperminiatures.com does have some cheap packs of unpainted miniatures, but overall, no miniature company truly sells in "bulk" that I've noticed.

For throwaway undead, I use these while I wait for actual undead miniatures to paint. They're a bit smaller, but you can't beat that value.

Aside from that, if you're looking for actual painted miniatures, good luck! The only pre-painted ones I really see are either on E-bay as second hand, or the random "loot box" style of package such as here.

I love painting miniatures, and do some quality work depending on how detailed you want to commission. I am actually in the process of updating my Etsy shop with prepainted "sets" of miniatures. Any questions, ask away!

I rarely care for the monster menagerie minis, they thend to have awful quality and paint jobs. Which for mass produced painted minis, I guess its to be expected.

If you want some minis that aren't bad at all, while not painted the Reaper Bones minis and the Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures are two really nice lines for their prices, and for the most part are quite durable. Overall though they can be more expensive than the random box minis, but they tend to me quite worth it.

One thing that you might be interested in is Hero Forge while they are not cheap, you can custom make your own humanoid minis, which is always a nice surprise for PCs. I don't recommend their $15 plastic though, like I said it can be kinda pricey for minis.

EDIT: I almost forgot! Pathfinder Beastiary Box is great for bulk cheap figures. There not minis, but it can sure beat paying $30 bucks for that one monster.

These things are the best Warm chocolate melting cakes

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Hope you have a happy birthday

~$10 thingy

I hope you feel better!
Hopefully this cute gif of puppies might cheer you up!
Cards against humanity would definitely cheer me up because it's so fun to play!
Cheer up, buttercup

Your two links will work. You're correct, it does seem very confusing. There's so many printings of Catan at this point, but the only major differences between 4th and 5th editions of the game is the artwork. Everything else is the same.

If you want a game that can include pretty much everybody at a lower price point, I would recommend Codenames. It plays from 4 up to pretty much unlimited and is a great casual game where people can chill and play as they see fit.

I celebrated Christmas with my family!!! I would love the [Cards Against Humanity: First Expansion Pack] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005JFNE8G/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_9?colid=26SWLD702LW5B&coliid=I36SGZ40Y653GC) I love CAH!!

Thanks for the contest!!!!! It would be super useful to me because I've been sad lately and this always makes me smile.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

As a huge fan of both board games, and The Walking Dead, I feel obligated to enter! Almost impossible to pick just one game, but I'll limit myself to two:

7 Wonders is a great game, and the expansions add some pretty cool extra aspects to it

Betrayal at House on the Hill i super fun, and is infinitely replayable.

Here is my handwriting!

I'm excited to see your post, because I was going to write something similar. In particular, I wanted to link to the five geek social fallacies which is all about why nerdy gamers feel obligated to include socially awkward friends at the table, even when they're disruptive. And then, I wanted to suggest that OP transition this high-anxiety friend over to a different social event, and your suggestion of board games is perfect. Board games do not require role play in which a socially awkward person bungles the social interactions. Here are some of my favorites that seem to work well with socially difficult people:

• Dominion (a deck building game -- start with 10 cards, mostly cards to buy stuff, and spend the game buying up more cards that give you extra actions or cash -- what's extremely cool is that the cards you buy are varied, so one game might feel very different from the next game).
  
• Rummikub (you gain 14 tiles and must put them down in runs of color or number -- this is great for aspergers types, because it goes at your own pace, and someone who can envision adjusting all the numbered tiles on the board/table can sometimes on a single turn get rid of tons & tons of tiles in an epic reconfiguring of... everything).
  
• Sequence (team-based card game that involves putting down cards on a game board to form lines, sorta like Connect 4, but involving teamwork, so if someone nervous doesn't want all the pressure on himself or herself, there will be teammates to help in this game).
  
• Munchkin (a joke game based upon D&D but without the social interactions... perfect).
  
• Carcassonne (a slower game that involves making "kingdoms" by placing tiles, pretty good for someone looking for low-pressure).
  
  Good luck OP!

Thank you, oh venerable Daemon Primarch.

After looking it up, it seems like a game I would have played with my 40k buddies. Not really the kind of thing I'd play with my fiancée. For just the two of us I'm thinking either cooperative games, or fairly quick to play. Things like Ticket to Ride or Pandemic (just going off descriptions and reviews).

We also play games with a few siblings and/or couples, but none of them gamers, per se. Games like [The Resistance] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Resistance-Dystopian-Universe/dp/B008A2BA8GG) or [Coup] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GDI4HX4/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1448982177&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&keywords=Indie+Boards+%26+Cards&dpPl=1&dpID=41UHjXzUbiL&ref=plSrch) have been dabbled in, with great enjoyment. Cards Against Humanity as well. So I'm doubting anybody would be up for something as intense as Game of Thrones. But thank you for your offer.

A mini is a mini. It doesn't matter what system it's for. You can use a highly detailed, hand painted mini, or you can use a rock from the ground.

The absolute best bang for you buck: the Pathfinder Starter Box. It's around $35 on Amazon right now. You get 80 cardboard minis, mostly monsters, but a solid mix of male/female race/class combos too. Plus, you get dice, a dry erase mat, simplified rules, and more!

As for individual minis, Heroforge is pretty highly recommended, but they're not cheap. Expect $20+ for a single mini, but it is completely customizable!

If you want to really invest, get a cheap 3D printer and print your own stuff! I've had a Micro 3D printer for several years, and it still works great! You can find files for most DnD monsters thanks to an artist named Miguel Zavala.

Otherwise, just head to your local store and talk to the people there. Minis can go from $0.10 to several hundred dollars. I'd say you should expect to pay a few dollars for an average mini.

Certainly (in general) the more pieces the game involves, the more costly it's going to be. There's definitely something to be said for having epic games with the immersion that the board and the pieces bring, but I'm also a fan of a number of more compact games.

They're mostly cards with maybe a couple chits, but they're all fantastic and bring a different experience. It's nice having a lower price point, taking up less room, and being more travel friendly -- especially when you're building a collection with friends and playing at each other's apartments/homes.



Game | Price | # Players
---|---|----
Love Letter | $6.84 | 2-4
Fairy Tale | $17 now; I picked it up for $13 | 2-5
Resistance | $15.13 | 5-10
Coup | $13.13 | 2-6
Hanabi | $10.13 | 2-5
Citadels | $19.95 | 2-7
Innovation | $18.30 | 2-4

My picks because they are 1) easy to learn for all skill levels and can be played in less than 1 hr. Whoever is running the tournament should have game master who is VERY familiar with the games and has actually played multiple games themselves.

• Munchkin Deluxe -- It actually has tournament rules you can print out
  
• Sushi Go Party! - Bracket system works best
  
• Zombie Dice - This is a push your luck game
  
• [Santorini] (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roxley/santorini-learn-it-in-30-seconds-play-it-for-life?ref=rxly) You can teach someone in 2min but there is a lot strategy to win
  
• [Splendor] (https://www.amazon.com/Asmodee-SCSPL01-Splendor-Board-Game/dp/B00IZEUFIA) -- A game last 30min max
  
• Love Letter or Coup
  
• Qwirkle Board Game
  
• 7 Wonders
  
• Quadropolis - Easy rules, it is a puzzle game but can finish in 30 to 45min

A high quality coffee mug that won't spill as you take it all over campus and sit it on those stupid tiny chair-desk surfaces with all your notes/laptop. These are great, for example..

Party games are great for making friends and unwinding. I hear good things about Codenames.

If you know where they go, maybe a gift card to nearby cafes/restaurants or movie theater.

A good backpack.

Headphones.

Subscription boxes

A gift subscription to Audible. I'm in grad school, and during all my years of college I really missed reading for fun. But I always have so much academic reading that I feel super guilty reading anything optional. Audiobooks fixed that. I can now listen to books while I commute, do chores, etc, and I'm now getting to consume so much fiction guilt-free! It's been a game changer.

Have you heard about Codenames?

It's a pretty new game but has become very popular in a very short time. The fact that BGG (which is not known for appreciating casual games) has it as the #20 board game overall, and #1 party game, is a testament to how good the game is. Or you can check out the Amazon page for more reviews (4.8 out of 5 stars with 800 reviews) and answers to some questions.

Even if the 5 year old can't read yet, they can join in the discussion about whether a word would fit or not, so I think it's something everyone can enjoy.

I think it can be reinforced this way, but I feel that a lot of the asking of "why?" can be important for students, albeit annoying at times for teachers, and that may not come up in the same way with games(Though it also might).

Beyond this, there are students who do desire to continue with mathematics after the basic high school curriculum, and many of them do not really know that until after they complete some higher-level math courses like Calculus. So the math is still important.

That being said, I love bringing games in to the classroom. Though I typically stay away from anything advertised as a "math game." Instead, I bring games that I like, but in which mathematical concepts can be found. Some examples I've used in class include: Set, Mao, The Great Dalmuti, Settlers of Catan, and Formula D.

Hey! Thank you for the contest!

This limited edition Sherlock set would be so cool. I love the extras that come with special edition stuff and the Sherlock and John busts are neat!

We just played this on New Year's Eve. It was a fun strategy game that sobered us up some. Ha! We need more adult board games in our house. Don't get me wrong, I love playing Gooey Louie as much as the next mom, but...

And last, but not least... These beautiful babies. I've had them on my list for a while because I can't quite get to the point where I feel okay splurging and spending that much on Converse. I was kind of (foolishly) hoping the price would drop. But anyway, they are pretty snazzy shoes.

I can't wait to see what you find!

Edit: Well, son of a biscuit, the Sherlock set went up to $129 today. Those bastards. So I retract that one. As replacement, I have realized that unless I update my movie collection my daughter will not be seeing any Disney classics. I have all the old vhs ones and didn't bother updating as the boys got older because we weren't planning on more kiddos. Maybe you need some Disney blu rays, too? I especially love The Jungle Book and Alice in Wonderland. And Fantasia. :)

The lans I go to are too small to really bear much advice to you on the questions you listed.

Where I can provide some insight is in the types of table top games you should consider. Lots of folks (in the lan community) have been exposed to traditional pen/paper stuff like DnD. If you're looking to spice things up a bit, consider trying out some of the modern board games that are out. I'm sure some of your attendees will have already been exposed to these, but for the rest that haven't, they'll probably strike at least an interest or a few questions. BoardGameGeek has a list of the top board games out right now, some of which you might not have heard of. Settlers of Catan, Dominion, Race for the Galaxy, Carcassonne are some of the most popular. They're flashy, they're interesting, and they're usually under an hour (if not usually under 45 min) to play. They're an up and coming type of gaming that's spreading fast among the table-top/CCG/comics folks.

Edit: In retrospect, I kinda seem like a fanboy for this post, but holy shit they're really awesome games.

A lot of people enjoy Catan for its "playing the players' aspect. Masters Gallery is perfect for that, quick to learn and as bonus modestly priced.


Resistance is social game where some of the players are randomly and secretly selected to be counter agent spys. Great for competitive groups that want to see how well they can lie/scam each other. Down side, you will see how well your best friends and SO's can lie to you.


If they enjoy the economic aspects Black Gold is a hidden gem. You get to be cut throat oil wild cats just before the big companies roll in. It is monopoly with its big boy pants on and also include great oil well pieces.


I like a lot of expensive games but I enjoy a lot of the modestly priced one just as much and for a new collection I would start there.

If you are referring to this one https://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-Board-Second/dp/1589947207 then yes.

If you really love board games and you have enough friends that would embark on the journey that is the GoT board game, def buy it. My friends and I play it a few times a month. It's a very complex(yet at the same time simple) board game. It takes about 4 hours to complete, however. If you don't think you'll have enough people to spend the time and brainpower on the 4 hour game I suggest buying the expansion packs which are for four players. If you try to play the original version with 5 or 4, it won't end fairly due to the open lands being too easy for southern house to snatch up.

Overall... yes. It rules.

We use dot us these Training Swords in my medieval combat class!

They also make a Shield

This steampunk flavored Cryptex Flash Drive might be appreciated! Useful and stylish in a similar vein to this Steampunk Watch
As for board games, I recommend Shadow Hunters, Splendor, and Coup

For tabletop games, you could get him A Nice Set of Color Coded Diece

When it comes to video games, this Retro Arcade Console Desk Toy could be a great work passtime with 200 games! Alternatively if you have a fridge or a metal workspace, Magnetic Tetris! for idle hands


Hope any of these help haha

Wow.. this is very generous of you. :)

I'd give you my lucky pickle as a token of my admiration, but I ate it just now. :x PICKLE SURPRISE!

If possible, I'd love to have the Cards Against Humanity card game. It's only $25, so to reach the price range you could include the first, second and maybe even third expansion set for a total of $55? :)

Or just the main card set and spend the remaining $25-35 on someone else here? :) Either way... you're incredible for it! <3

Maybe look into "Love Letters". Its a Card Game that is fairly quickly played but also easy to learn and play. I usually take it with me when i go out with friends to lunch/dinner just so we have something to do instead of playing on our phones. Its quite fun too though. Check it Out here! $9.77 Amazon Prime.

EDIT 2: Completely forgot Codenames, which is easily the biggest hit in my collection with non-gamers. Amazon link

I would recommend, in this order:

Splendor- Portable (just take the stuff out of a box and put it into a much smaller box), very small learning curve, 30-45 minute play time tops.

Dominion- again, it's just a bunch of cards, so you don't need the whole box. Pretty much the same specs as above.

Both of the above are "Engine builders" where the objective is to accumulate parts (metaphorically) early in the game that will be able to generate a lot of points later in the game. Then you need to time your transition into point-grabbing appropriately in order to win. Splendor is little less black-and-white, since you can start point grabbing right away, but it's all about finding that sweet spot.

Forbidden Desert is a nice cooperative game that comes in a pretty small metal tin.

Sushi Go is very portable, as portable as it gets. But it's also exceedingly simplistic. Still fun though.

Coup is a top notch bluffing game. Also very small natively.

Love Letter is a bluffing game as well, but not as good as Coup (IMO)...Coup is meaner which I like.

Citadels was one of the games that got me into the hobby, but I don't care for it much anymore.

/u/r2d8 getinfo

EDIT: Forbidden Desert: r2 is going to keep my spelling error up for all to see...little bastard.

ok that is a good thing to know lol

so I will pick 80$ and you pick 20$ :D

3DS Game

Book

Card game

that should be about 80$

Thank you for the super gift chance! :D you are the best!

This is really interesting, I'm going to have to get the game.. I'd heard it was good but didn't realize it worked like that.

My combat system is kind of similar - you can order units to Move, Harass, Assault, Defend, and Support (there are some special actions that are effectively sub-orders, like Defend Air, Recon Support, etc.). The results are essentially a rock-paper-scissors type affair, but are heavily affected by other factors (terrain, experience, morale, health, equipment, etc.) to the point that you could have scissors beating rock in the right circumstances.

I hate stacked units, the best thing about Civ V was removing them, and it made warfare a lot more fun (small, quick, era-locked games make for a really fun tactical game). The problem is that you can carefully execute your turn to maximize every units potential - making it feel like a puzzle game rather than a strategy game.

I have a turn-clock, which introduces a skill element and forces you to prioritize - that's something I really like about Blood Bowl, as it turns quite a clinical tactical game into a more risk-based strategic game.

Right.. I think I might have some Amazon vouchers incoming over Christmas. Just to be clear, this is the game?

Munchkin might be a bit much if your friends aren't 'board game people,' its bit more involved compared to a party game like CaH.

I've been having a lot fun playing Codenames at parties. It's easy to learn and it's flexible with regard to the number of people that can play.

Telestrations is another good party game, it usually degrades into raunchy territory quickly.

EDIT: And I just saw there is an adult version of Telestrations. I may have to get that.

You guys are bee-you-tee-mous maximus today indeed!! As always, of course :)

If I'm dreaming big, then this is what I would ask for - it sounds like such an awesome game, and board games are my favourite way to spend quality time with my boyfriend. It sounds like a ton of fun, we actually went looking for it for an anniversary gift to each other, but we couldn't find it anywhere locally so we put it on the back burner.

Under $20, this guy - it's an inside joke, there are a group of us who play "minion" to my friend's "mad scientist", so it makes me smile.

C'mon...gimme three cheers for rasta and the numbah man, two of my favourite people in RAOA :)

>So you like a modular board, player interaction, different win conditions (each viable at different times), and player interaction...

If you like those things, and you also like strong narratives then I'd suggest Betrayal At House On The Hill. It's a fantastic procedurally generated game, whose board and win conditions is different every time you play! The game is semi co-operative, where everyone works together through the first stage of the game before a player is revealed as an antagonist with their own set of win conditions.

The games setting is a mysterious old victorian house, where the players are a "scooby-doo"-esque group of characters investigating it one dark evening. The narrative changes every game based on where players are in the house when certain events happen, and stories range from lovecraftian terror to Stephen King like horror.

It's very replayable and creates some great tension both at the challenge of winning but also among the players themselves. I love this game! Give it a look!

I first have to say how beautiful you are! And also, thank you for the contest!

Gift One: I love the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and just got Collection One for my birthday so I would just love to get Collection Two to complete the series!

Gift Two: This gift is the game Munchkin by Steve Jackson Games. I've been wanting to play this game for a while now and would really appreciate getting it! :D

Thanks again for being amazing people!

HAPPY CAKE DAY!!!! I hope that it has been faboo and awesome for you!

Here is my item or this one if you wish, it's purple!!

Thanks for the contest!

Edit: I just saw that today is my cake day too! Yay for us!

My suggestions for fun two player games that have a small footprint are below. I haven't tried playing these in a pub, but I think they should work.

Love Letter - I played this at a party recently and enjoyed it. There are various themes, including a munchkins variant.

Pass the Pigs - I used to bring this game with me on plane trips because it is compact and playable on a tray table.

Toss Up - Fun dice game, simple rules, could be turned into a drinking game if you are so inclined.

Timeline - Lots of different versions of this game, all have to do with history, but you can pick different topics, and even combine packs.

Exploding Kittens - random fun, there is also a NSFW version that is full of boob/penis/poop/etc jokes.

Hanabi - I have the tile version of this, which is a little bulkier, but is much more drink and food resistant.

Are you doing a remote game, with players that can't get together? Cause if not, I'd go with a mat, preferably double sided with both grid and hexes, so you can support multiple games and modes. You don't need proper minis (though those are particularly nice for players to have something for there character), when I first got a mat, we used chess pieces. You can also find free printable paper minis that look pretty good. If you want something a bit more durable, I'm like Pathfinder Pawns, the stands in it are great for paper minis too.

Overall, my group has greatly preferred grid combat. Since everyone knows the distances and sizes of everything, it makes the game feel more tactical and less arbitrary. And it is just cool to see everything laid out.

If he likes Coup, I would recommend The Resistance, it's like Coup, but more in depth - and it can fit a large number of players.

Ticket to Ride is a pretty popular game, and there's a wide variety of expansions/versions (Even a 1910 US expansion).

I've not played it, but Lewis and Clark has a historical theme, and shares elements with the games he likes.

If he is into gaming you can't go too wrong with a steam gift card.

Just techy in general an amazon echo dot is an great for a techy and is ideal for your price

An amazon fire tv stick or Chromecast might be a good idea

If he is into Electronics and/or emulating he may like a Raspberry Pi (basically a tiny computer that you can do DIY electronics on or setup to play old nintendo games on). You could even setup the emulator for him and load him some games if you wanted to link here (pm me if you want to do this and need help with the install etc)

Board games could be a good idea if he is a gamer but it would depend on what kind of board games he likes. Some good ones of the top of my head though. Ticket to Ride, Coup or Catan

Apples to Apples, Dixit, Jungle Speed, Pictionary, Anomia, SET, Loaded Questions, and Jenga are a few that come to mind where the adults wouldn't necessarily have an advantage over the kids. Also Fluxx and We Didn't Playtest This are both hilarious card games that would be perfect for kids in that age range, but I have a blast playing them with other adults on a regular basis too; Spaceteam looks like another good one but I haven't personally played it. If you're looking for more involved strategy games, Ticket to Ride and Carcassone would be fine for that age, just require more of a learning curve. Cranium and Quelf are silly games that involve a variety of tasks (drawing, acting, singing, trivia, etc) and although they're supposedly aimed at adults, kids love them too (just skip cards that are too hard; or you could also consider the kids' versions of both games, Cranium Cadoo and Quelf Jr.). Uno (or Crazy Eights with a regular deck of cards) is always a classic, and you can always play charades or the category game!

edited to add: not sure about a good choose your own adventure story, but Mad Libs are always fun!

Chessex mega-mat or similar is a very worthy purchase for quickly drawing battle scenes.

I used LEGO figures but I had a huge collection. I'd save your money until you're ready to buy proper figurines for everyone -- find a cheap or free solution in the meantime. Getting proper miniatures is a huge plunge.

You can also check out Pathfinder pawns.

Hm... I'm not sure what to do about transitioning into a Fallout RPG system. I'll share with you what's worked for me to acquaint new-comers to tabletop games:

• Buy one of these: One, Two, Three, maybe Four
  
  
• Schedule a "game night" where your group just picks up and plays one of those games. Work together to understand the rules and the process and gauge the how much fun everyone has doing these sort of games.
  
  
• After a few games nights, ask your friends if they're interested in trying something a little less pre-made. Buy this and upgrade your game night.
  
  
• After a few sessions of that, if all goes well and the general consensus is positive, expand your game night to your desired game system.

Hey! It sounds like the Game of Thrones board game is exactly what you're looking for!

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-The-Board-Second-Edition/dp/1589947207

It's territory based, and has army placement themes similar to Risk, but it is so much more complex, and there are a ton of really really interesting, fun mechanics added in.

I had heard good things, and when my rooomates and I decided to buy it, it instantly became one of our favorites!

I had the opposite problem, where my players would sit and talk and strategize and talk about every move together like it was a co-op game and every turn would take 2+ minutes.

So I came down strict with the actual rules of the game which is that your character is allowed to speak for 6 seconds during your turn and only during your turn.

This made the game move a lot more quickly, and it still allowed them to communicate together as they'd shout out things to each other during battle.

Questions out of game like "would I know player X was just stabbed?" would not count, as this is out of character and is a general out of character question about the game world... asking what their character would know. Stuff like that is always fair, IMO.

I think if you see this as a problem that needs fixing, you should sit your players down and talk about it. I'd look into picking up a cheap/easy co-op game like Forbidden Island (https://smile.amazon.com/Gamewright-317-Forbidden-Island/dp/B003D7F4YY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506451508&sr=8-2&keywords=forbidden+island), (which is like the easy version of Pandemic, a pretty popular board game), and have them play that together to get used to working together and communicating a bit more.

However, if it's not actually a problem... meaning their fun is not being diminished by it... then I wouldn't worry too much about it and just think about folks like me who have the opposite problem and how the grass is always greener.

Check these out. They're a great for noobs learning to play. It's simpler and needs no DM. Great way to get your feet wet and learn the basic mechanics. I took one when i deployed and used it introduce new players to the game.

https://www.amazon.com/Wizards-Coast-Dungeons-Dragons-Ashardalon/dp/0786955708

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Legend-Drizzt-Board/dp/0786958731/

If you still want to dm, these are great supplies to get started:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ (i highly suggest you get this)

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Spellbook-Cards-Accessory/dp/0786966726/r (i find these really helpful)

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Spellbook-Cards-Arcane/dp/B01MRVJ1TB/

Also, check out your local gaming store. They are a great resource. Also ask about Pathfinder, which was created based off of D&D

7 Wonders is a great game too. My group just recently started playing this one, and we are really enjoying it. Still haven't picked up any of the expansions yet, but looking forward to them. Another game that might be good to start out with is King of Tokyo, or if you don't mind waiting until October you could get the next installment King of New York. We also like Smash Up as of late, and it is easy to learn as well.

That sucks. Make sure you treat yourself to a small cake/slice of pie from a local bakery, mmm'kay? Happy birthday to you, and remember that it's not because people don't love you, but because everyone's busy and sometimes even the important dates slip their minds. At the very least I love you. In a creepy way.


Definitely don't need but really want - Cards Against Humanity First Expansion because sometimes the original just isn't big enough.

I have never found anyone that didn't like Settlers of Catan. It takes more thinking than your basic Monopoly or Clue game, but is by no means dry or full of intense strategising. It's ultra fun. Carcassone and Munchkin as well. Yes, they look nerdy, but I have many friends from various walks of life (from the jock to the hipster to the nerd) and they all love these games.

The dice linked will be good enough as each person will probably have two sets and you can roll and add up but if you need to make large rolls I use a dice rolling app named “Dice Ex Machina” it’s on IOS and I believe android and google store.

Regarding minis the 2d cutouts are quite nice and easy to use there is also a kinda blandish minifigure collection

SCS Direct Fantasy Creatures Action Figure Playset - 90pc Monster Battle Toy Collection (Includes Dragons, Wizards, Orcs, and More) - Perfect for Roleplaying and D&D Gaming https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746TKNSL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_n8apDb6TPTRBB

And the cutouts

Pathfinder Pawns: Bestiary Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601255616/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_h-apDbW0DB1MW

The mats you’re talking about sound great, I would probably just buy those

And the monster stats can be found on the website I linked, they can be printed or just used from the site and I would go out and got a pack of coloured markers to draw on the mats

This website has almost all monster and spell stats

• I could bring fresh basil marinara pasta! It could be a main dish OR a side. :)
  
  
• It would take me about 8 hours and 40 minutes to get there if I drove, or a few seconds if I traveled by map.
  
  
• A song for the playlist :)
  
  
• As for a game, I can bring an expansion pack for CAH? Or a poker set?
  
  
• I don't know /u/Pinalope4Real very well :)
  
  
• I promise to be nice to your neighbor.
  
  

I caught myself reminiscing about Catan today; a year has passed since I last saw those I play the game with, last February I left for a semester in Chile and when I returned I had to immediately return to my university for the fall semester. Because of this I have been separated from my two brothers, our family friend (practically the fourth sibling), and my partner, all of whom live in a variety of different places and are not easily joined. The game not only represents the fun times I haven't had with them for awhile but also that despite how malleable a relationship may be, despite that during any given game a few of us may gang up on another or try to take someone down with us if we think we're loosing or are riotously laughing at what is transpiring the end result is always a stronger friendship. That's catan.

Regardless, I'll be happy to 'em all during Thanksgiving. I've missed all of their birthdays so there's more than Catan to catch up on.

Slate_Slabrock wrote:

The problem with board games is that they're really tedious with more than 4 or 5 people - especially if you've got people who are new to the game. Between setting everything up, going over the rules, and all the other stuff you'll be hard pressed to get a good game of Settles of Catan going. At least with my friends, anyway.

That's why we like We Didn't Playtest This At All. There are no points, no complicated objectives, nothing of that sort. Your one and only objective: don't lose. And there are so many ways to lose. Every part of the game is spelled out on the cards so it's super-easy to pick up as a new player. It's great in large groups, the games are quick, it's hilarious, and it gets exponentially better when the alcohol starts flowing.

For maximum shits and giggles, turn it into a drinking game.

also, unlike Cards Against Humanity, the point of the game isn't to be as super offensive as possible



-------
Edit from 2013-07-26T19:32:35+00:00

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The problem with board games is that they're really tedious with more than 4 or 5 people - especially if you've got people who are new to the game. Between setting everything up, going over the rules, and all the other stuff you'll be hard pressed to get a good game of Settles of Catan going. At least with my friends, anyway.

That's why we like We Didn't Playtest This At All. It's probably the most straightforward game I've ever played. Your one and only objective: don't lose. And there are so many ways to lose. Every part of the game is spelled out on the cards so it's super-easy to pick up as a new player. It's great in large groups, the games are quick, it's hilarious, and it gets exponentially better and more chaotic when the alcohol starts flowing.

For maximum shits and giggles, turn it into a drinking game.

also, unlike Cards Against Humanity, the point of the game isn't to be as super offensive as possible

For Gift One I would choose the Ticket to Ride For my Husband. I know how much he has been wanting it. For Gift Two I would pick Spirited Away For my son, who's birthday is coming up and he is a huge Studio Ghibli fan. So, C'mon...gimme You both are wonderful for being so generous, I'm sure you look Smashing! Thanks! :D

Will make you giggle

I'm sure it's pretty obvious as to why.
CAH is the greatest! :]
Thanks for the contest!

EDIT: GIGGLES!

The Chessex Wet Erase mat is the one I use and all my DM friends use (in various sizes). that being said, you'll want a pack of these bad boys, because the fine point really does help.

For minis, they're pretty expensive off that bat so everyone advises to buy them slowly as you need them. Reaper bones have a lot of cheaper mini sets for starting out which are great. Personally I buy a few of the most common enemy and the main bad guy for each campaign. A good and cheaper alternative are pawns that you can use while you build your collection. Or, just print small pictures of monsters and tape them to a coin or washer to make fast minis that have colored pictures.

For cheap/fast 2d terrain, check out papercraft. A lot of people fold and draw on paper or cardboard to make terrain, or you can print out pictures of stuff and add it to terrain. Here is an example from u/cardboard-DM (who makes awesome stuff).

Best of luck!

I looked into a couple of options.
First are the DnD Board games. These are about the cheapest pre-made minis I found. Here

The second option was 3D printing. You can definitely get more bang for your buck, but there's a larger up front cost. You can get a low end 3D printer for something like $200-$300.

Third option was the Pathfinder Pawns. Not great, but they're cheap for a lot of them. Someone linked some printables elsewhere in the thread. These are nice because it's good art and a fairly high quality print. Downside is you're probably going to want two boxes. There's not quite enough of anything to cover large groups of mooks. Here

Fourth option I've seen is LEGO. Check out /r/legodnd for more ideas. If you have a bunch of stuff laying around, that can give you some ideas for stuff to do.

Overall, I think 3D printing is the way to go in the long run. It just requires a larger initial investment. It's also dependant on you finding or making your own patterns. The upside is it's fairly cheap and it's the most flexible option. You can 3D print pretty much anything you want. You also have the benefit of making scenery in addition to minis.

In addition to looking to hook-up with existing gamers (and you should definitely check out that store), ask your existing friends if they'd be interested in playing. With something like the Pathfinder Beginner Box playing an RPG can be as easy as picking up a new boardgame.

I've spent 99.9% of my gaming (over 20+ years) playing with friends I made outside of gaming. (Often by recruiting players who had never played an RPG before.)

Pick up the red and purple editions of Roll for It! It's a nicely portable dice game that is accessible for all ages and gaming-experience levels. They each play 4 players, there are rules for combining them for 8-player games. Alternatively, the Deluxe Edition has everything you need for 8 players.

I also highly recommend One Night: Ultimate Werewolf, which can play up to 10 players. You can play the whole game in 5 minutes and there is a companion app that guides you through the whole thing. High replay value, as well.

We Didn't Playtest This is a silly party-style game that goes very quickly. Players get knocked out based on the rules of the cards, and many of the rules stack throughout the game. Can play any number of players.

Oh sure! It's a good gateway drug type of game, and there's a wealth of fun little social games that are objectively better that I encourage people to explore.

Edit:

For example and for consideration:

codenames

werewolf

love letter

My facorite game is... this! It seems to be a neat game on the cheaper side of board games (who the heck prices these things, they are sometimes more expensive than video games!). 5 to 10 players is perfect, as we usually have about 5-7 people during our get togethers.

Thanks for the awesome contest, new, used, refurbed doesn't matter to me!

)

> Let's have some holiday tips!

My plan is to focus on the people and not food. I'm hoping to get a lot of visiting in and play some family games. I bought a game called Codenames, which is supposed to be really fun according to reviews. A few other fun games we play are Phase 10, Farkle, and Bananagrams.

Have a great day!