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My New Favorite Store . . . . Plus, Christmas Game Recommendations
Coyote Blog ^ | December 10, 2012 | Warren Meyer

Posted on 12/10/2012 11:04:11 AM PST by 1rudeboy

My New Favorite Store, and I Haven't Even Been There. Plus, Christmas Game Recommendations

In my high school days, I used to play a lot of wargames from Avalon Hill and SPI. I once spent an entire summer playing one game of War in Europe, which had a 42-square-foot map of Europe and 3500 or so pieces. Each turn was one week, so it was literally a full time job getting through it in a couple of months.

All that is to say I spent a lot of time hanging out at game stores, particularly Nan's in Houston (a great game and comic store that still exists and I still visit every time I am in Houston). I play fewer wargames now, but I still like strategy games that are a bit more complicated than Monopoly or Risk. But it is hard to find a game store with a good selection (if there is one here in Phoenix, I have not found it).

But I definitely want to try this place -- the Complete Strategist in New York City. Click through for some good game pr0n.

His list of games is good, though I have never played Gloom and I have never been a huge fan of Carcassonne. Ticket to Ride is an awesome game and is perhaps the most accessible for kids and noobs of either his or my list. If you recognize none of these games, it is a great place to start (there is also a great iPad app). To his list of games I would add:

All of these games tend to present simple choices with extraordinarily complex scoring implications. In most cases, one must build infrastructure early to score later, but the trade-off of when to switch from infrastructure building to scoring is the trick. Five years ago Settlers of Catan would have been on any such list, but it is interesting it is on neither his nor mine.

Once you catch the bug, there are hundreds of other games out there. My son and I last summer got caught up in a very complex Game of Thrones expandable card game. Recommended only for those who love incredible complexity and are familiar with the books. There are also a couple of games I have liked but only played once so far. My son and I last summer played a fabulous though stupidly complex game of Twilight Struggle (about the Cold War, not hot vampire teens). This is considered by many to be one of the greatest war / strategy games ever. We also tried Eclipse (space game, again not the teen vampires) which we liked. I have played Le Havre and Puerto Rico as iPad apps. They were OK, but I think the fun in them is social and the of course does not come through in the iPad app. In the same vein, tried to play Agricola with my kids and they were bored stiff.

Update: When in doubt, research it on Board Game Geek. Their game ranking by user voting is here.


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Hobbies; Music/Entertainment
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To: Colonel_Flagg

It’s always important to be the owner of Nuke War in your crowd of gamer friends. I myself have never played a game where I didn’t go first.


21 posted on 12/10/2012 12:50:43 PM PST by discostu (Not a part of anyone's well oiled machine.)
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To: 1rudeboy

Myself, I was a “Wizardry” and Ultima junky on my Apple //e. Modern stuff, blowing things up, I like the basic game of “Continuum,” sort of like an online team version of the old “Spacewar” game, some “Anarchy Online” and I love “World of
Tanks.” My best tank is the basic, no-frill Sherman with the 105mm gun, I won the game for my team with that a few times.


22 posted on 12/10/2012 12:52:13 PM PST by Nowhere Man (It is about time we re-enact Normandy, at the shores of the Potomac.)
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To: tomkat

Freecell is fun too.


23 posted on 12/10/2012 12:54:35 PM PST by Nowhere Man (It is about time we re-enact Normandy, at the shores of the Potomac.)
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To: 1rudeboy
Here's my all time favorite. I wonder if we could get seven people together for a Freepmail round??


24 posted on 12/10/2012 1:00:05 PM PST by Notary Sojac (Only liberals believe that people can be made virtuous via legislative enactment.)
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To: discostu

You are a true aficionado, and a reader of the rules. :)


25 posted on 12/10/2012 1:06:33 PM PST by Colonel_Flagg ("Don't be afraid to see what you see." -- Ronald Reagan)
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To: 1rudeboy

Have you tried Total War series - it’s a computer game, but provides both strategic and tactical down to the individual unit for a number of historical eras.

I wasn’t able to do much RPG when younger due to be out in the boonies and very few others interested, but was able to find a few others once I hit college and the fleet...good times.


26 posted on 12/10/2012 1:37:50 PM PST by reed13k (For evil to triumph it is only necessary for good men to do nothing.)
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To: Colonel_Flagg
Rail Baron. The best game ever to play when you’ve had a few.

Spent many a weekend playing Rail Baron. For shorter terms we did a lot of King Maker. And for real short terms Acquire. I also liked Star Fleet Battles but never really found a good group.

27 posted on 12/10/2012 1:45:16 PM PST by John O (God Save America (Please))
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To: Political Junkie Too

Speed Circuit was a blast!


28 posted on 12/10/2012 1:48:01 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy

Jutland!


29 posted on 12/10/2012 1:51:35 PM PST by fattigermaster
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To: fattigermaster

Jutland was fun, too, although my brother traditionally plays German . . . and I would get shot to pieces.


30 posted on 12/10/2012 1:53:28 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: bravo whiskey

Now, wait a minute. In the 60s the AH boxes were clearly labeled for 10 years and up. Do you really want to confess that here?

(I also started playing AH games in the 60s at 9 years old - Battle of the Bulge... good times)

The NappyOne


31 posted on 12/10/2012 2:01:05 PM PST by NappyOne
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To: NappyOne

My mom bought me PanzerBlitz when I was in 7th grade.


32 posted on 12/10/2012 2:06:33 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: NappyOne
My first game was a brand new Richtofen's War.

-PJ

33 posted on 12/10/2012 2:10:53 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: Nowhere Man
Yes it was, thanks !

I'm actually not a 'games' kinda guy, and had never played that one, even tho it's been lurking on this 7 machine since purchase .. lol

34 posted on 12/10/2012 2:12:46 PM PST by tomkat
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To: John O

I never played Kingmaker, but always wanted to try. SFB was another one but the ship charts always put me off.

This from a guy who has the overrun FP formula in ASL committed to memory. Who knew.


35 posted on 12/10/2012 2:29:50 PM PST by Colonel_Flagg ("Don't be afraid to see what you see." -- Ronald Reagan)
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To: 1rudeboy

Panzerblitz, or as we liked to call it, “Panzerbush”. I loved the idea of gaming at that scale. Then came Squad Leader and Advanced Squad Leader, and hundreds of pages of rules in fine print. Good stuff. About the time ASL came out I ran out of time to spend on gaming. Maybe after i retire in a few years ...

Cheers,

The NappyOne


36 posted on 12/10/2012 2:37:10 PM PST by NappyOne
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To: Political Junkie Too
Outdoor Survival. -PJ

Yeah, that was it! I just looked it up on Amazon. They actual have a listing for it and some used copies reasonably cheap. I might have to order a copy for old times sake.

37 posted on 12/10/2012 3:34:26 PM PST by apillar
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