Hi everyone, I thought I’d say hi in this new community as a new moderator. I’m Foon (she/her), and I love table top games. My partner and I have been gaming a lot in the past 5 years or so, and we have a bunch of friends that turned into boardgamers too, and boardgamers that we turned into friends. So on average we get almost a game a day in.
I’m excited to discuss all things tabletop gaming with you all. Some of my favourite games are Gloomhaven/Frosthaven, Spirit Island, Aeon’s End, Terraforming Mars.
What are y’all’s favourite games?
Howdy!
I’m a game designer and mostly play gateway games with the kiddos though also love Scythe, Terraforming Mars (lately Ares Expedition) and several others when my son-in-law is in town.
Happy to have a place to talk design here 😊
Ah it’s wonderful you get to game with your kids! (that’s why gamers have children, right? To play games with them? kidding, obviously)
What sort of games do you design?
My published games are Nightfall (and its expansions), World-Z League and an upcoming deckbuilder via Universal Studios that’s manufacturing now.
Unpublished I have an abstract on time travel and a real-time card game about competing food trucks that I co-designed with my son-in-law.
(we have 8 kids so certainly some should take after me right? lol)
Hot dang 8 kids?! You can even play big group games with just your immediate family!
I don’t think I’ve played any of your games, but I took a quick look and they seem pretty cool. What’s your favourite part about designing games?
LOL yep, player count is definitely a consideration :D
My favorite part is working out the mechanics of a game trying to create something new and fun. I almost always start with a mechanical idea that I think on for a long while as I piece together supporting mechanics toward a playable game and part way through that process a theme will generally emerge that aids in finalizing the mechanics.
Are you born of the great goddesses Foo, Oo, and Oon?
EDIT: It was rude of me to ask that without being on topic and contributing to the conversation. I’m usually doing table-top role playing games these days. Usually powered by the apocalypse or fate core, but Fiasco 1e is a favorite of mine to introduce people to the concept
I’d never heard of these goddesses, but after a quick search I’m seeing they are from the Magic Tavern podcast? Is it fun?
But sure, I’ll be a goddess 😇
What makes Fiasco 1e your favourite for introductions?
Yup! It’s a fun podcast set in the magical fantastical land of Foon! I always have to warn people though that it does replicate the feeling of three friends meeting new people in a bar very well in that there’s a lot of nonsense banter. I personally love that, but I can understand why if someone finds that slow pacing where it takes half a year for a basic plot point to be driven forward infuriating that they might not like it, and might be better served by Mission to Zyxx.
As for why Fiasco 1e? It’s the copy of Fiasco I own, primarily, and it actually seems like 2e is superior in every way for introducing new people to role playing or at least alternative systems to DnD. Fiasco has a ruleset that is super easy to get people to grok quickly and get into the actual role playing and improv elements of TTRPGs without bogging them down with what armor class is.
Glad to see this get up. Hopefully we’ll get more diverse rpg discussions than just D&D and derivatives :)
That’s the plan if I have any say about it! D&D and OSE are still major games though, so prepare for at least a little bit of that.
I am and will always be grateful for D&D bringing people into the hobby, but there’s so much cool stuff out there!
Hi, I’m Hunted.
I’ve been into tabletop gaming for a couple years now. We had a group of friends that we had over weekly for some board games, then Covid hit, and we haven’t really picked it back up on any determined schedule. In the midst of that though, I picked up playing TTRPGs, and those have been a big hit. I’ve finished a few adventures now, primarily in the Pathfinder 2e system, and am just rounding out a level 1-20 AP named Agents of Edgewatch as a player.
As far as favourite games I’ve played, I’ve always enjoyed Mysterium, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Codenames, but am no stranger to card games like Skip-Bo, Swipe, and Phase 10.
Oh of course, I forgot to mention TTRPGs! Would be excited to read more about various RPG systems. I’ve only ever played D&D 5e, I’ve been in 2 separate campaigns for the past 5 years (although one is on hiatus for a few months). I do enjoy it a lot, but it does make me wonder what else is out there. It’s just been difficult to make the plunge and attempt something new…
Would you recommend Pathfinder 2e to someone like me (for trying out in a oneshot or a few sessions)?
If you get into PF2 know that it does everything DnD does, but different (and much better imo). So try not to get frustrated with things at first because I’ve seen that from a lot of 5e players who go into it bringing their 5e expectations.
Also teamwork is critical. In 5e everybody is a one person army after level 5 or 6 and teamwork isn’t really needed unless forced by the DM. In PF2 you won’t be able to land a hit on certain enemies unless you coordinate with teammates to lower their AC with various techniques and abilities.
Also, since there’s so much customization with PCs during leveling everybody in the party could make a human fighter and end up with WILDLY different characters by level four or five.
I could talk for a while about it, but since switching away from 5e I’ve been much happier. I’d say start with the core rulebook stuff first and then add books from there. Going with all of them right out of the gate might give some analysis paralysis because there are so many player options.
Happy to discuss more though, I’d love to get as many people as I can to not only try what I feel is a better system but one not owned by WotC. Paizo is unionized and doesn’t send Pinkertons to peoples homes so I like them a lot more lol
Yeah I’m a bit hesitant to try to switch exactly because of what you describe. I worry that everything is just going to be frustrating because we can do the same things, but just have to do them differently. We did discuss making the switch in our group (exactly because we want to step away from WotC and it seems to offer great gameplay), but ultimately it’s up to the DM. I do know they bought a whole lot of source books already, so who knows, maybe soon.
I would love to try different systems for oneshots I run, though, but then to start with I think they need to be very different from D&D 5e so I don’t get things mixed up. Any suggestions? 😊
I think as long as you’re aware of those differences it should go a lot smoother for you. Just try to let go of the “well I’ve always done it this way” which I know is easier said than done. I like to bring up familiars as a good example between the two systems. Apologies if this comes across as over explaining or anything, just wanting to be clear and I really love this system lol
In 5e, I’m sure you’re familiar, you cast the Find Familiar spell and pick from a list of stat blocks provided by RAW or by your DM. Boom, you’re done.
In PF2 though, you create your own familiar from scratch, and you can do it every day. So it’s a little more involved but it feels truly unique to you and your imagination since there’s no limits on what it can look like. Here’s a link to the rule itself (another bonus to PF2 is they host all the rules online for free), but basically all you need to know is:
Each day, you channel your magic into two abilities, which can be either familiar or master abilities. If your familiar is an animal that naturally has one of these abilities (for instance, an owl has a fly Speed), you must select that ability. Your familiar can’t be an animal that naturally has more familiar abilities than your daily maximum familiar abilities.
So if we’re making an Owl familiar like they show in the rule description, you’d select Flier and one other ability you want your familiar to be able to do such as the Speech which would allow it to speak a language you know. Or, you could pick Manual Dexterity if you want it to be able to do more fine tuned motor skills. Some classes and feats you select will allow you to pick more than two abilities if you want to make your familiar more powerful. So you could as you level up have that Owl familiar with the Flier, Speech, Manual Dexterity, and then combine that with Lab Assistant for a perfect recreation of Merlin’s Archimedes 😄
Or you could choose any other number of abilities to take your Owl familiar in a different direction, like Burrower for example. No reason you can’t make a tunneling Owl, because why not? It’s your familiar!
Things like that, people say it’s more complicated and I guess you could say that it is because there’s more options. But I feel it’s still very intuitive, easy to pick up and gives players soooo much more empowerment over their characters.
I would love to try different systems for oneshots I run, though, but then to start with I think they need to be very different from D&D 5e so I don’t get things mixed up. Any suggestions? 😊
I have a looooot of systems I could recommend tbh lol
To help narrow it down are you looking for something of a specific genre like scifi, fantasty, post apoc, etc?
Actually, I’ll throw one right out of the gate that you might like based on the vibes I’m getting from your comments and you can start today if you wanted. It’s an indie solo journaling RPG called Apothecaria (Link here). You play as a witch in a village that makes potions for the villagers that come to you. You go through week by week to forage for ingredients, brew the cure they need, and sell it. Instead of dice it works based on a normal 52 card deck of cards and what happens is based on the card you draw. I only recently started trying solo RPG’s like this but it’s been a fun one.
Let me know if you want more recommendations based on if you want something more fluffy or more crunchy or if there’s a specific genre you’re interested in. I love talking shop 😄
Just try to let go of the “well I’ve always done it this way” which I know is easier said than done.
Definitely easier said than done… I’m sure I’d really struggle with that.
I think the Familiar example is a great explanation. It really does sound much cooler. In 5e, you don’t really get a whole lot of meaningful choices after level 3 or so.
It’s an indie solo journaling RPG called Apothecaria
Based on this description, you seem to have picked up my “vibes” pretty well :D It sounds super cute. I’m not sure about the solo aspect, though. I generally don’t enjoy solo gaming as much, and especially TTRPGs are something I do with friends.
But generally, I like whimsical and cute settings. I’m much more of a fantasy person than scifi. Also not looking for dystopian worlds, right now that’s not something my group would handle well. Also a big fan of strange creatures (for example the Feywild is my favourite realm in D&D) and animals. Generally looking for more wholesomeness. More “Help the Forest Queen and her pack of magical forest creatures get rid of the creeping blight in the forest” rather than “A cabal of evil people has released a monster that’s set to devour all the poor people”.
Edit: Also, a strong bonus would be tight rules. With little ambiguity. So players can have clear expectations of the consequences of their actions, rather than just “GMs discretion”.
Does that help at all? I’m excited to learn about new systems.
I am basically permanently obsessed with Spirit Island.
Such a good game, right?! I really like how different games get with the different spirits and adversaries. It’s also one of the few games I enjoy playing solo.
Do you use any of the expansions?
Yeah – while I have a deep and abiding love for Ocean, most of my favorite spirits are from Jagged Earth, I think. I kind of like playing the ridiculously complicated ones to figure out how they work, like the Hummingbird one.
I like both “solitaire” solo and play two-handed by myself. They’re different kinds of challenges, which is nice. Most of my board game friends aren’t local so I’m basically constantly on the lookout for things that work well solo.
Yeah some of my favourites are from JE too, I particularly like Finder and Downpour. And Lure of the Deep Wilderness, although it’s very much dependent on which adversary we’re playing against. Although I have a lot of love for the base game spirits too, especially when we’re introducing new people to it I tend to play one of my staples Rampant Green or Thunderspeaker. And of course Ocean is awesome, though someone else tends to snap that up quickly!
awesome to see this space!
I love ttrpgs, although I largely modify Ironsworn: Starforged (which I saw mentioned in another comment!) so that my partner and I have something to play as a duo, with our various worlds we’ve created and character cast. I haven’t played with a group in years, although I’d like to, I just struggle on the people front of it, and math isn’t something I’m great at.
I…collect a lot of them, too. I used to run a play-by-post AU of a video game world with a system I hacked together, for about 8 years. roughly two bookcases full of games, both ttrpgs and board games, then about 10gb of ttrpgs and related things.
my favorite board game is Pandemic Legacy, I’ve grown very fond of Season Zero and I’m working through it with someone else when they have time. Settlers of Catan is another favorite, but I feel like a lot of people like that one. I don’t get to play board games often though.
would card games also be welcome here?
If you have any other duo hacks, I’d be personally interested! I’m currently trying Wushu with a friend, but I’m always open to learning new systems.
As far as card games, I don’t see why not. We haven’t had a chance to sit down as a mod team yet though, so I can’t speak for anyone else. It’s frustrating that there’s no tag system at the moment so people can filter out what they want and don’t want to see.
Hi!!! I haven’t been playing games very long (not even a year) but there’s SO many I want to play. So far, I’ve enjoyed Tokaido, Century Spice Road, and Cryptid Cafe. Have 7 Wonders but haven’t played yet. Looking to get more into solo gaming as I don’t have many people to play with :/
Ooh I like Tokaido a lot! It has such a serene feeling to it. I have it’s successor, Namiji, which is also a great game.
My favourite solo game is Spirit Island, it’s a pretty complex cooperative game with lots of variability. You play as nature spirits (for example the Ocean, Earth, River, Lightning) trying to defend their island from the invading settlers. All the spirits are really different with their own unique powers. The rules aren’t that complicated, but the decision space is huge. It plays really well at all player counts, and it’s one of the few games where I think true solo (i.e. 1 spirit only, instead of playing the role of multiple players yourself) is a cool experience.
Ooo Tokaido has a sequel??? I can probably get my son to play that. I’ve gotten several recs for spirit island, added to my wishlist!
It’s not so much a sequel I guess, as a reimplementation of many of the mechanics. This one is themed around taking your boat around the sea, collecting fish and panoramas, and releasing your wish boats into the ocean. It’s a lovely game!
Hello!! Nice to meet and read everyone’s lists.
Here are some of my favourites (mostly kinda older games haha)
-Terra Mystica
-Glass Road
-Agricola
-Food Chain Magnate
-Carcassone
-Keyflower
Carcassone! I love that game, haven’t played in years!
Even with all the fancier games that have come out since, it still holds up!
I’ve been playing Starfinder and Shadowrun lately for RPGs,l. For board games, Terraforming Mars, 7 Wonders, and I’m absolutely terrible at Wingspan but it’s so pretty I don’t care
One of my old Pathfinder groups is currently talking about converting to 2e. I got all the books with the Humble Bundle a few months ago and have been going through them a bit. One thing I like is that it’s a lot more different from Starfinder than 1e is, I have a hard time going back and forth on those two rulesets.
Aeon’s End is one of our top games as well! My wife and I have beaten every nemesis except for maybe 3 of the newer expansion ones. It’s such an amazing system but I think we’re going to have to call it quits soon since we’re running out of space to store it all! I think I finally have it all stored in both Legacy boxes and the “Past and Future” box.
Unfair is our other favorite and probably the first “scary game” (her words) that she got really into. We play it a bit nicer than intended. I actually proposed to my wife with this game (and the help of the designer) with a custom card!
Everdell is probably number three. We got it as a Christmas gift one year, played it probably eight times in a five days, and ordered whatever expansions we could get our hands on.
Ah yes, we have the exact same problem with Aeon’s End storage. I think we have all the content minus one set of promo cards, and indeed it takes 3 boxes to store everything! I think AE might be our most played game, we have played it probably >200 times 😅 Have you also tried doing the bosses on increased difficulty levels? I like how it really changes the strategies you have to use for some of them.
We have not just yet. We got “caught up” on beating every Nemesis just before our child was born a few years ago, but that’s definitely on our radar when we have some more free time to just leave it set up (and not worry about a kid eating charge counters!)
What has been your favorite expansion/series of content? I really liked this latest with Past and Future just giving us brand new characters far enough before and after the main story, and a few of the new mage powers are really cool. I think prior to that, we really enjoyed The New Age wave.
hi! i haven’t been playing tabletop games very long, but its really fun! i play pathfinder 1st and 2nd edition, i really like creating and running dungeon crawls ^_^
Hello!
I’ve went though a stint where I just didn’t want to play boardgames. Largely because a lot of them are competitive and I don’t like the vibe that usually brings out of me. Recently, my housemate and I grew our collection of co-op games. I have to say that the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars - A Pandemic System Game” is our favourite so far. We only played it a few times and…failed on all counts! It’s a Pandemic game and we haven’t played the system much so we haven’t figured out the best way to work around it. I do look forward to figuring that out!
As for TTRPGs. Oh man…for group play, I would say the Genesys system (EDGE/FFG Star Wars RPG…yeah, there’s a pattern 😉 ). But I’ve shifted away from group play and into solo play. Ironsworn: Starforged, as a system, is my favourite. Not a huge fan of the setting but there are people working on addons and mods so it wouldn’t be hard to adjust. I also plan on making an attempt at solo-playing SWRPG/Genesys. I’ve noticed a lack of solo-play podcasts for that specific system so that’s something I plan on doing in the near future!
I also have a ridiculous amount of TTRPGs I’ve…collected over the years. The two I definitely want to play, solo or group, is Cities Without Numbers and Eclipse Phase 2e. I really like the cyberpunk + future tech settings and haven’t had a chance to really play a game like that. Maybe a one-shot once upon a time.
I think that’s all I have to share for now! I’m excited to see and chat about this stuff with y’all 😄
I really feel you with respect to competitive games. We occasionally play some with a group of friends, but at home it’s basically always cooperative games.
I don’t know this Star Wars Pandemic game, but in general the Pandemic games are really solid. The mechanisms get a bit stale after playing a lot in my opinion, so the only game by the same creator we still get to the table is Thunderbirds.
If you’re at all interested in legacy games, I can highly recommend Pandemic Legacy: Season 1. It was the first legacy game I played and it was an amazing experience.
I remember hearing about it but the prospect of not being able to replay it turned me off. At least, that’s what I gleaned over the years. I vaguely recall someone posting a picture of them framing the board when they were done with the game (campaign?)
Maybe I got the wrong impression? I suppose I should take another look-see.
I haven’t played that much Pandemic, really, so the mechanics have yet to get old for us 😅
I get that! I felt the same hesitation with “you can only play it 12-24 times and then never again, what?!” but honestly I’m so happy we took the plunge anyway. I don’t know about you, but many if not most games in my collection I haven’t even played that many times…
I haven’t played that much Pandemic, really, so the mechanics have yet to get old for us 😅
That’s great! I mean, they’re good mechanics, so I’m glad you’re enjoying them. They just get recycled in all the other games lol.
Hi! I play a lot of RPGs (with the exception of DND, for some reasons)… And I mainly enjoy thematic/narrative games (so, no “Germans” for me, even if the distinction is losing meaning day by day!)
What’s your favourite thematic/narrative game?
I think that the best one is Arkham Horror LCG by MJ Newman. It really blends together game mechanics and narrative feeling (ludonarrative harmony, as she describes here fo example: https://www.bewaretheblackcat.com/post/behind-the-curtain-enemies ). In short, you are not simply moving cards or pulling out tokens, but you are really living an adventure.
Then there is War of the Ring, really conveys both for the Free People and the shadow player a super thematic experience, while being a tight and ruthless wargame.
Those two are the peaks (for us). But I can name many other which we enjoy. Among the new ones, there is a very nice pirate game,
forbiddenEdit: Forgotten waters (sorry, autocorrector). I also enjoy the games by Jerry Hawthorne (mice and mystics, comanauts, stuffed fables, …).And many, many others (dune conquest, for instance, or star wars: imperial assault, …)
Hiya! I myself have been playing D&D5E for about seven years now and Pathfinder 2E for about two. As for board games, my favorite are Betrayal at House on the Hill and Mountains or Madness.
Have you run through many adventure paths in PF2e? I’m just starting up a local game where I’ll be GMing Abomination vaults after already playing it as a player. Always on the lookout for tried and recommended APs though.
I’m currently running through Skull & Shackles from PF1E in PF2E, but I’ve also picked up the first book of Strength of Thousands and I got the Kingmaker books for my birthday.
did you get the conversion to 2e from that discord server? (I dont remember which)… I’ve always heard good things about that AP, and since I’m beginning to close in on the end of the one I’m running, I’m trying to keep my head up for what’s next.
I’ve run Age of Ashes, which… needs some massaging, and if you’re interested, I would recommend a pretty heavy rewrite of book 1 to reframe the motivations of the PCs. Once that is done, I think the AP would be magnificent. But without it… it’s a little weird.
Quest for the Frozen flame is awesome, and I’m dying to run it as more of a “one month interlude between games”.
