SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Is anyone else out there a table top gamer? I keep heading further and further down this rabbit hole.

So, I am super excited to have picked up the Mistborn: House War game this past weekend at Game Storm. I love this book series and the game play looks interesting. Hopefully it is not theme over substance (I am looking at you, Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Board Game).

I may also have Pillars of the Earth headed my way from an online order.

I've got my eye on a few others:

The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game
War of the Ring
Arkham Horror: The Card Game


Just wondering - does anyone else have any experience with some book-based table top games (other than RPGs - that is a whole other world of commitment).

Valerie wrote: "Is anyone else out there a table top gamer? I keep heading further and further down this rabbit hole.

So, I am super excited to have picked up the Mistborn: House War game this past weekend at Gam..."

The Dresden Files card game seemed pretty simple, and was more fun if you'd read the books, I think. The Arkham Horror games are good if you like longer games and some rule needling...I don't think I've tried the card game, but the full game is good.

If you like strategy games with fiddly bits, Star Wars: Rebellion was awesome. I don't like either, actually, and even I was getting caught up in the tension while doing my own thing! Very well done.

Miskatonic School for Girls is very fun and based, of course, on Cthulhu as well. Big Book of Madness was a lot like off-brand Harry Potter and I enjoyed that one a lot, too.

Err...yes, I play a lot of board games lol >.>

I've been playing the GoT board game (2nd ed.) a lot since last fall. It's great for anyone who likes strategy games, especially if you know the characters. Some of the people I play with only watch the show, but they still enjoy it.

Hello fellow gamer!

I am a huge Dresden fan, which is why I have not purchased the game. I am so afraid it is all theme and little substance. Of course, that didn't stop me from jumping all over the Mistborn game this weekend.

We own the full Arkham Horror game and it is a bit of a beast. We've only played it once as two players and, just no. I suspect that with more players, I will quite enjoy it. Since moving out west, we are trying to find the right people to try it again with a larger group. By "the right people", I mean those who have the patience and interest to learn and play such an intricate game.

Some recent reviews indicate that the Arkham Horror Card Game is supposed to be the same concepts, but with more streamlined game play.

I love strategy games, but I tend to be hit or miss on area control. I either love them or don't care for them. It is hard to say that I hate a game, because I will play just about anything.

I am now looking up Miskatonic and Big Book on Board Game Geek. Thanks for adding to my wish list. :)

I think they made Gwent into an actual card game from the Witcher series. I would love to have a few of those sets and someone to play with.

Anna, that game looked a lot like Risk to me. Is it better than Risk?

Valerie, agreed about Arkham! We have, like, intentional days where That Is What We Do. Lol. I'd be curious to hear if the card game was in fact easier. I'd check out some game play on Rebellion.

It was pretty cool. It's an asymmetrical game (imperials v. rebels) where rebels are trying to finish missions and keep their base hidden, while imperials are just looking for dog fights and attempting to blow up the base. It was cool that they managed to have a lot of fan service without making it a gimmick.

You are so welcome about the other two ;-) LMK if you end up getting/liking them!

Allison wrote: "Anna, that game looked a lot like Risk to me. Is it better than Risk?"

There's actually a GoT edition of Risk :D but I've never played it, nor the original, so I can't say.

Anna wrote: "Allison wrote: "Anna, that game looked a lot like Risk to me. Is it better than Risk?"

There's actually a GoT edition of Risk :D but I've never played it, nor the original, so I can't say."

Oh haha! That would make it hard to say. Okay, is GoT game fun and/or time consuming? Is it more than just marching armies?

Sarah wrote: "I think they made Gwent into an actual card game from the Witcher series. I would love to have a few of those sets and someone to play with."

I love the Witcher videogame. The book was meh, but I'd love a game in the world! I'll have to check it out.

Right now we are on a can't-buy-until-we-play break. We got a little crazy with post holiday sales, so we had like 20 game we had not yet played. We made our way through most of them before Game Storm (my never-ending respiratory infection derailed our efforts).

Since we were so close, we lifted the ban, and then got crazy at the con and with some Coolstuffinc.com promos, so we re-instated the temporary purchase ban.

We seem to have very little self control when it comes to games. But, like books, there are so many games and so little time!!!

Allison wrote: "Okay, is GoT game fun and/or time consuming? Is it more than just marching armies? "

Very much yes to all. It's best when there are six players, and it takes hours. There's a lot of strategy obviously, but also making alliances with other players. Anything goes, I've fooled people into spending all their money on something and then taken advantage of it. And been punished severely by annoyed siblings :D The rules actually encourage you to lie and cheat. It's very complicated at first, but once everyone knows how to play, it's loads of fun. It's not something you can try out once to see if you like it, it takes at least a few times to learn most of the rules. We've been successfully bringing new people in, since everyone else already knows the rules, but in the beginning it was frustrating when we had to keep checking everything.

Valerie wrote: "Right now we are on a can't-buy-until-we-play break. We got a little crazy with post holiday sales, so we had like 20 game we had not yet played. We made our way through most of them before Game St..."

haha! Man, I wish you were on this coast! My strategy is only to buy games that I'd play with my spouse just the two of us, or that friends with larger collections don't already have, but which we're sure we really like. (Or the ones we like but that they don't want anymore lol). So far, I only need two cabinets for them. That means we don't have a problem, right? It's not like I've started kickstarting games. *hastily closes Kickstarter*

Anna wrote: "Allison wrote: "Okay, is GoT game fun and/or time consuming? Is it more than just marching armies? "

Very much yes to all. It's best when there are six players, and it takes hours. There's a lot o..."

Okay, cool. So there's an economy and an element of bluffing, too. Maybe I WAS confusing it with the GoT Risk...

I do like economy games and bluffing games...

I have a Princess Bride themed version of Monopoly.

Lol Melanie...my son got the Super Mario version for Christmas hahaha They don’t play ones from books but they do have some weird ones with too many rules. There’s one where they buy and sell wheat and other things and it’s really strange. I have no idea when they bring it out. We only ever had Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly and UNO and Snakes and Ladders and that. Oh and Oz Quiz which is like Trivial Pursuit but with all Aussie questions.

Do any of you watch board game reviews and playthroughs on YouTube? I’ve bought a few games based on what I’ve seen there.

I like Wil Wheaton’s TableTop (https://youtu.be/87B1Wlz8fMo) and Dice Tower (https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCiwBbX...). There’s also a kid-centric one whose name I forget at the moment, but I’ve used it as a resource for buying games for my young cousins.

Edit: this one for Dominion https://youtu.be/g6T3641ZTsQ

We have a few LotR-themed games but once we established they were purchased to humour me and no one else wants to play them (we had the reverse experience with my wife buying a Civilization board game) we just buy our games based off "likelihood of enjoyment" rather than intellectual property licensing.

I used to play a lot of GOT board games but the complicated rules deterred more people joining in especially female players. It also took super long time, I once did a ten hour and despite all the coffee and food it was really tiring. Kind of enjoyed the multiple strategizing, alliances and whatnots, as well as the part during a wildling attack where all have to combine resources. Due to lack of players (which made us only played four houses-boring) we now played more simple and faster games instead like this one:
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en...

My other interest.

Here is a ridiculously inclusive list of board games based on novels: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameca...

And some suggestions, including several already mentioned:

There are several Dracula based games:
--Fury of Dracula https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1..., a very good hidden movement game in which Dracula tries to evade the hunters.
--And a two player game from the Kosmos series, Dracula https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga...

A number of games are based on the GOT franchise, including collectable card games and board games.
--The most notable is probably A Game of Thrones: The Board Game https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1.... A classic. Long and involved with lots of back stabbing and broken alliances.

There are a ton of Lovecraft Cthulhu based games:
--The most well known is Arkham Horror https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga..., which is clunky with a ton of rules and a huge time commitment, but quite a gaming experience
--A wee bit more streamlined is the more recent Eldritch Horror https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga...

And based on Ken Folet’s Knightsbridge series:
--Mentioned already is Pillars of the Earth https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga...
--And then there is the sequel World without End https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga...
--And the two player version: Pillars of the Earth: Builders Duel https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga...

From Dune comes:
--Dune https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga... An old game with alliances and treachery. Long out of print and nearly impossible to find.
--Rethemed and more recent is the Fantasy Flight Games version, Rex: Final Days of an Empire https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga...

And a miscellany of others:
--Tales of the Arabian Nights https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga..., more story telling than game really, this one is a real trip. In all senses.
--Robinson Crusoe https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga..., a very tough cooperative game
--Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2..., more puzzle solving than board game really.
--Discworld: Ankh-Morpork https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga...

Silvana wrote: "I used to play a lot of GOT board games but the complicated rules deterred more people joining in especially female players."

We've had a few ladies join our fun and they've been magnificent! Two of them won on their second play, and some of the dudes who play every time have yet to win a single game. One of them brought his girlfriend last time (she's one of the winners) and she told me he'd warned her that I'm too good at the game, although it's really not true. To be fair he's had to play the harder houses more often than me, since we always randomize who plays what, except I get to cherry pick every once in a while, being the one who brings the game.

I also feel like I need to add that part of the fun of this game for me and my siblings/friends, is that it's one of the very few subjects we're all interested in at least on some level. So the book/show talk adds to the fun, and we almost take on the personalities of someone from the house we're playing. Which is why I always choose Tyrell when I get to pick, because Olenna forever <3

Anna wrote: "Silvana wrote: "I used to play a lot of GOT board games but the complicated rules deterred more people joining in especially female players."

We've had a few ladies join our fun and they've been m..."

That is great! So far I only know one enthusiastic female player in my club (it is an ASOIAF fan club) but she moved outta town. The other one simply is not interested, and there's another who just let her boyfriend tell her what to do.

I always played Martell because it is my House. If there were only four players, I always picked Greyjoy. Stark is the most boring of them all. You just had to guard Moat Cailin and you're good. That's why we always put the least experienced player as in the North lol. Haven't played the other expansions. Maybe they have a Targaryen now? or Tully?

Anyway, we all felt the game was too tiring and decided to chat instead or play other faster games (including some Harry Potter ones). I guess our fanclub is more an all-around geek club now, not just ASOIAF.

We always give new players Baratheon, Tyrell or Martell, depending on how many players there are. I agree that Stark is boring, fortunately I've only had to play twice in the North. My order of preference is Tyrell/Martell, Baratheon, others.

I don't drink at all, but I've participated in trying to find GoT themed red wines for the others to drink while playing. Once I was charged with buying the wine, and was asked to bring Wolf Trap, but they were out, so I had to find something else. I spent an hour at the liquor store trying to find something remotely related, and at one point three employees were trying to help me :D I finally picked something called Rully, asked to borrow a black marker, and wrote a huge T on top of the R. One of the employees then told me it was a good choice, since he felt Tywin would like that wine.

So I'd like a Tully expansion to go with that wine, thanks!

Donald wrote: "We have a few LotR-themed games"

Oh I forgot those. We've got a LOTR one, which is kind of fun until you get bored. It's the one where everyone plays together as hobbits against Sauron. Then we have a Hobbit game, which is very boring and stupid. Something about collecting gems and reaching Smaug.

We've also got a His Dark Materials game, but that one was so stupid we never finished the first game.

Edwin, good call on Rex and Arabian Nights! Totally slipped my mind. Rex is another "stock up on food and lock the doors" kind of game. I think one time we went for 10 hours and still had like 3 turns left. (In fairness, we DO drink, and most of our game friends are also our chat and joke friends, so table talk sometimes/always slows down turns a bit.) Arabian Nights is definitely interesting, though if I'm honest I found it a liiiittle clunky. Still had fun.

I love Eldritch Horror. It doesn't take ages to set up and play like Arkham Horror does, and much like Pandemic it's fun to lose, and to try and figure out how to outpace humanity's quick-approaching downfall next time around...

Ah, it is good to see that there are some fellow boardgamers out there.

Anna wrote: "I agree that Stark is boring, fortunately I've only had to play twice in the North."

I kinda like Stark. It is a more subtle house to play. I found the key is to protect your southern land borders around Moat Cailin and your western sea from Greyjoy, which allows you to then sneak down the eastern seas to grab The Eyre and the area around it. You are then set up to make a final, sudden and sneaky stab at the area around King's Landing and Dragonstone. Very, very fun game.

Allison wrote: "Arabian Nights is definitely interesting, though if I'm honest I found it a liiiittle clunky. Still had fun. "

I found it less of a game and more a "long strange trip". The fun is in the whacky stuff that happens to you as the game progresses, and alcohol can definitely enhance the experience. That and the right mindset.

Allison wrote: "Rex is another "stock up on food and lock the doors" kind of game. I think one time we went for 10 hours and still had like 3 turns left. (In fairness, we DO drink, and most of our game friends are also our chat and joke friends, so table talk sometimes/always slows down turns a bit.)"

Yeah, this one gets brutal with the right, or wrong players. LOTS of scheming, secret and not so secret alliances and back-stabbing. This too is not a game for everyone. The pinnacle for this genre, in my mind, is Twlight Imperium. Epic and amazing in all respects.

Trike wrote: "Do any of you watch board game reviews and playthroughs on YouTube? I’ve bought a few games based on what I’ve seen there.

I like Wil Wheaton’s TableTop (https://youtu.be/87B1Wlz8fMo) and Dice Tow..."

Yeah, I have bought a couple of games after watching them played on 'Table Top'. Ticket to Ride, Zombie Dice and Scotland Yard.

In addition to the above, you may also like the following.

Elder Sign - A friend calls it "Cthulhu Yahtzee." You can play it on iOS, Android, and Steam in place of or in addition to the cardboard version.

Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne - Same basic mechanics as Cosmic Encounter, but the GOT houses are better balanced than the Cosmic Encounter races.

Don't Mess With Cthulhu - Hidden teams, social deduction. It takes about 10 minutes so a few plays in a row are common.

A Study in Emerald - Based on a Neil Gaiman short story, it's an alt-history mashup with Sherlock Holmes and various anarchists fighting against the Great Old Ones. It takes about three hours, and players have to be ready for a long and complex rules explanation up front.

Mansions of Madness - Another Lovecraft-inspired game. An app is required to play. I would choose this one over Arkham Horror or Eldritch Horror.

Yggdrasil - A Norse mythology cooperative game. It's out of print, but keep an eye open for a reprint or opportunity to play someone else's copy. There was an app version, but I think it's no longer available.

Blood Rage - Another Norse mythology game. It's one of the best area control games I've seen. It avoids the gang-up-on-the-leader problem with most multiplayer games of that category.

Anna wrote: "I don't drink at all, but I've participated in trying to find GoT themed red wines for the others to drink while playing."
There's a pretty good range of GoT beers out there as well, but I've never been willing to pay the premium (licensing _plus_ the Australia exchange rate/shipping) to give them a proper try.

http://www.ommegang.com/got/

I hadn't seen that before, although there are other GoT wines floating around the internet. But sadly none of the ones I've seen are available here in Finland, or are way too expensive. And its actually more fun to try and find something suitable that's not purposely themed. I do love how this one's named!

Allison wrote: "That means we don't have a problem, right? It's not like I've started kickstarting games. *hastily closes Kickstarter*..."

We finally broke down and got a 4x4 Kallax last year and it is almost at full capacity. We have some "small" games on the top. I've only Kickstarted a few games that I've played at Cons and enjoyed the game and the creator. Well, except for American McGee's Out of the Woods. My inner fangirl got the best of me on that one.

I wish you were out here so we could convince you to play with us. We try to buy mostly games that scale down to 2 players, but we love playing with 4 - 5 players (depending on the game). We finally have roped in one of Jeff's co-workers for regular 3-player gaming.

Sigh. The struggle is real.

Trike wrote: "Do any of you watch board game reviews and playthroughs on YouTube? I’ve bought a few games based on what I’ve seen there.

I like Wil Wheaton’s TableTop (https://youtu.be/87B1Wlz8fMo) and Dice Tow..."

All the time. We have started watching game overviews when we play a game for the first time to help us clarify the rules.

Wil Wheaton's TableTop helped to propel my addiction, I mean my hobby, into overdrive.

Edwin wrote: "My other interest.

Here is a ridiculously inclusive list of board games based on novels: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameca...

And some suggestions, including several alre..."

Edwin, that list is awesome. Thanks for sharing. I have sorted it by rank and might be adding a few to my wishlist. ;)

Chris wrote: "Blood Rage - Another Norse mythology game. It's one of the best area control games I've seen. It avoids the gang-up-on-the-leader problem with most multiplayer games of that category. ..."

I didn't even think about the Norse Mythology angle! We just picked up Blood Rage this past weekend at Game Storm. If I think in those terms, Odin's Ravens is a fun and quick 2-player game.

Glad to see so many table top gamers on here. I am always open to good board game suggestions. Thanks for the input, everyone.

While not literature-related, we picked up the Dragonfire game recently and played through the quick start game to get the mechanics down last night. While the quick start is not a great module, I am super excited about playing this one further. No longer having time for a full D&D campaign, this feels like it will scratch that itch in a lighter format.

I have no idea what this game is or who this guy is, but YouTube’s algorithm suggested I watch this and I’m glad I did, as it’s a hoot. I legit LOLed a few times.

“Oh no! Mormons!”

https://youtu.be/Cx8sl2uC46A