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The most ...... game. (According to ratings comments.) >> 25 lists in one!
Joe Grundy
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Over time I've cached all the ratings comments for about 400 games. This includes almost everything in the top 200, and the 200 most rated games. Hopefully this captures 400 games of "most interest".


(I've been gathering and using this data to do Word Frequency analysis for the "10 Word Review" series.)

This list shows games which, for a given word, have the most frequent uses of that word in user ratings comments.

Notes:
There are various filters and substitutions applied.
eg "strategy" includes "strategies", "strategic", "strategize" etc.
eg words which are preceded by negatives in the same sentence are not counted
(ie "not", "no", "isn't" etc.)

For the 10 Word Reviews I check all the contexts, but for this list that would have been an obscene amount of work to add to the hours already spent, so apologies in advance for anything that slipped through.

Enjoy!

(And maybe some of these might even be vaguely useful. Who knows.)


Edit and APOLOGY: I've rechecked my cache. It seems my cache contains the ratings comments from the top 200 games, and 200 other commonly rated games most of which support 2 players.
:blush:

This doesn't kill the general concept or utility of this list, but obviously there are some large gaps. Due to this oversight on my part, I will reproduce this list again with a fuller set of games. This, alas, won't be ready within the next few days but rest assured it will happen.
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Posted Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:39 pm
Edited Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:51 am
1. Board Game: Loopin' Louie [Average Rating:7.05 Overall Rank:233]
Joe Grundy
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FUN

The most common word in all ratings comments, and when it comes down to it the heart of gaming for most of us, is "fun".

Here's some games which most commonly inspire us to say, "that was fun"...

Loopin' Louie
PitchCar
Fearsome Floors
Pit
Dancing Eggs
Igloo Pop
Wiz-War
The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game
Apples to Apples
Clue: The Great Museum Caper
Category 5
Jungle Speed
Pictionary
Drunter und Drüber
Liar's Dice
Survive!
Pick Picknic
Ubongo
Bohnanza
Kill Doctor Lucky
The Downfall of Pompeii
Crokinole
Can't Stop
Winner's Circle
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot
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Edited Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:13 pm
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Chris Bailey
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I played Kill Dr Lucky once and the word that I kept thinking of was "Painful."
Joe Grundy
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MattDP wrote:
No Ra? Seems a bit unlikely.
Ra comes up about halfway down the "fun" list, and a little less than average on the rate of "fun" comments.
Chad Krizan
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Senor EvilMonkey
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The most (and indeed only fun) I've had with PitchCar was watching the missus nearly tip over when she underestimated the weight before trying to pick it up. Other than that a few of us spent a minute or two idly flicking wooden pucks before realising we just didn't care about playing the game... Mind you, it was only £40 :shake:
Tim Mierz
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unixrevolution wrote:
ixnay66 wrote:
I played Kill Dr Lucky once and the word that I kept thinking of was "Painful."


You're not supposed to actually eat the rat poison card.


Rat poison? I love rat poison!
2. Board Game: Dancing Eggs [Average Rating:6.74 Overall Rank:714]
Joe Grundy
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SILLY

Whether you reckon "silly" is good or bad, here's games most spoken of with this term...

Dancing Eggs
Loopin' Louie
Igloo Pop
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot
Wiz-War
Techno Witches
Drunter und Drüber
Beyond Balderdash
Apples to Apples
Cranium Hoopla
Nuclear Escalation
Fearsome Floors
Pickomino
Gulo Gulo
Funny Friends
Pit
Bohnanza
Kill Doctor Lucky
Evo
Time's Up!
Pick Picknic
Talisman
Shear Panic
RoboRally

(I'm glad to see there's a huge overlap with "fun"... we're not all stiff shirts :p)
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Edited Sat Sep 8, 2007 12:15 pm
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Dan Shirley
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Wot, no Fluxx?

I understand it wouldn't appear under fun, but it's definitely silly...

:p
Kristof Tersago
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Seems like a lot of games are just fun in a silly way.
Thomas Tholén
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Whaaa? Where's Cash 'n Guns?
Ask Me About the Global Geek Photo Album Project (Erik Warnes)
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06070809
For Sale is, in fact, the perfect filler game.
John Brier
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For Sale is the Roger Federer of filler games, deal with it
Chris Shaffer
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verandi wrote:
For Sale is the Roger Federer of filler games, deal with it


Who?
Martin Sarnecki
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verandi wrote:
For Sale is the Roger Federer of filler games, deal with it


As in, ignore it? Right-o.

:)
Cody Walker
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I bought into all the hype about For Sale being the best filler game on the market. After multiple plays with different groups of gamers, I can honestly say that it has lived up to the pressure and then some.
4. Board Game: Clans [Average Rating:6.63 Overall Rank:500]
Joe Grundy
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ABSTRACT

This list is filtered. Only games not actually tagged as Abstracts are shown...

Clans
Shear Panic
Morisi
Carolus Magnus
Richelieu
Taluva
Medina
Attila
Tigris & Euphrates
Samurai
Ghosts!
Trias
Magna Grecia
Ideology: The War of Ideas
Venture
Kingdoms
Mexica
Vinci
El Caballero
Reef Encounter
Attika
Hansa
Dungeon Twister
Web of Power
Cartagena

Cartagena has one fifth as frequent "abstract" comments as Shear Panic (#2 on the list). Clans has twice as frequent "abstract" references as Shear Panic!

Note there are 22 games that are actually tagged "Abstract" in the games database which have more comments about "abstract" than Shear Panic. The top 5 of those are GIPF, DVONN, Ingenious, Othello, ZÈRTZ
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Edited Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:16 pm
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Russ Williams
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Heh, that one's interesting indeed.

I played Clans once long ago and barely remember it; I really ought to check it out again.
Gary Webster
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I'm surprised that one of my favorites, "Through the Desert," isn't on this list; it gets a lot of those kinds of comments. I do think that Russ ought to play Clans again. I find it to be a very good game with a lot of very tasty tension throughout.
David Bohnenberger
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050608
Not surprised to see a bunch of Colovini games here.
Phil Harding
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Clans often gets called 'abstract' it seems. I haven't played it, but from some reading, is it really any more abstract than say the Carcassonne series? Or maybe meeples just bring the theme more to life than huts.
David Harmon
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Phil81 wrote:
is it really any more abstract than say the Carcassonne series?


I'd say yes, it is. The key here is if you completely removed the theme of the game, would it still remain pretty much the same? Clans, pretty much yeah. Carcassonne, not so much.
Kris Verbeeck
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gary_webster wrote:
I'm surprised that one of my favorites, "Through the Desert," isn't on this list; it gets a lot of those kinds of comments. I do think that Russ ought to play Clans again. I find it to be a very good game with a lot of very tasty tension throughout.


It falls in the catagory : Abstract strategy. So I believe this is the reason why it is not on the list.
Thomas Tholén
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Heimlich? Whoa, psychotic family...
Joe Grundy
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Bad News [bnw] wrote:
Heimlich? Whoa, psychotic family...
Heimlich is a pretty light and simple game. I've played it with non-gamers more than gamers. Why "psyhcotic"?
Aaron Sapp
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My 4 y.o. has the top two and loves them.
David Harmon
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You know, I don't find Carcassonne to be a very good gateway, it (or I) just can't generate interest, maybe I'm just not explaining it very well, but no one I've taught carcassonne ever got excited about playing it again. Am I the only one with this problem?

(funny, it was my gateway game)
Bruce Glassco
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I used to introduce games with Settlers, but it's too long and drags in the middle -- turns can go by when you don't feel you're making any progress. And Carcassone has those fiddly farmer rules, plus some people just don't like it. Ticket to Ride is THE gateway game now. I've never played it with anybody who doesn't want to play it again soon after.
Brian Newman
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Buh? No Transamerica? That's the perfect gateway board game.
Steve Mohr
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True, Transamerica is the perfect gateway. Especially as a multigenerational game. Easy game mechanics, quick game play, shorter length.
7. Board Game: Stratego [Average Rating:5.94 Overall Rank:1826]
Joe Grundy
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STRATEGY

So which games have us commenting on the range or depth of strategy?

Stratego
Kahuna
Hex
Backgammon
Othello
ZÈRTZ
Clans
Puerto Rico
The Princes of Florence
Tigris & Euphrates
Princes of the Renaissance
Cartagena
Hive
StreetSoccer
Web of Power
Hey! That's My Fish!
San Juan
Yspahan
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation
Lord of the Rings - The Confrontation: Deluxe Edition
Saint Petersburg
Cathedral
Taj Mahal
Europe Engulfed
Dungeon Twister
Go

This list is slightly tricky. If you include all the comparisons to the game Stratego, a certain pair of LotR games move to the top of the list. (I didn't.)

btw I'm not at all surprised to see Backgammon so high on this list.
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Edited Sat Sep 8, 2007 12:48 pm
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Dane Peacock
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Hmmm, after looking at the top seven or so on the list, maybe I'm not such a strategy gamer after all...
Karis Shem
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It's funny to find Yspahan under 'STRATEGY' and 'LUCK'...
Keep in mind that the word strategy is used both in the generic sense and in the contrast to tactics sense.
Edited Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:28 pm
Craig Viau
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Princes of the Renaissance

My all time favorite game. Demod this at the last convention and got huge interest. The depth is incredible, amazing negotiations, tactics, strategies, bidding etc. This game has almost everything I love.

The rules are also suprisingly short 4 pages of large type. My opponents kept commenting on how much you had to think about. The alliances are constantly shifting depending on which cities are at war.

Craig

Corin Friesen
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hmmm... maybe the info hear is put correctly according to the stats, but it sure doesn't seem like it. Come on... perfect (or nearly perfect) information games should be at the top of this list.

And yes, Go should be tops. Better than Hex.
Mark Haberman
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Battle line has "Tactics" cards, no? I would guess that accounts for it being at the top of the list, as well as Schotten Totten for not having them.

Not that they aren't great games!
Joe Grundy
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habermanm wrote:
Battle line has "Tactics" cards, no? I would guess that accounts for it being at the top of the list, as well as Schotten Totten for not having them.
That seems to be correct, yes.
Matt Thrower
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I'm surprised to see that Titan makes this list and not the strategy one. One of the often-remarked pleasures of the game is the way in which it requires an input of both skills from the players.
drew woodworth
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No Descent: Journeys in the Dark? How about Chess? That game is the definition of tactics.
Kris Verbeeck
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jgrundy wrote:
habermanm wrote:
Battle line has "Tactics" cards, no? I would guess that accounts for it being at the top of the list, as well as Schotten Totten for not having them.
That seems to be correct, yes.


the newer edition of Schotten Totten has tactics cards; Luckily i named it special cards in my comment :)
David Bohnenberger
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050608
I can understand StreetSoccer being on the "Tactics" list, but "luck"?

My favorite tactic in StreetSoccer is to roll a six.
Darrell Hanning
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0506070809
Quote:
If Formula De is such a lucky game, how come the same people always win?


In my almost 10 years of experience wtih the game, I've seen two kinds of players of Formula De:

1) those who learn to downshift early and upshift coming out of the turn, and have their engines blown up by other players rolling a 20,

2) those who don't learn shifting, and have their engines blown up by other players rolling a 20.
Bernd Caspers
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Sackmandan wrote:
If Formula De is such a lucky game, how come the same people always win?

I forget who it was, but I think it was a golfer once said, "It's funny, the more I practise, the luckier I get."


The same could be said about Streetsoccer.
Cwali, the designer of Streetsoccer, was able to dominate the championships of Streetsoccer over at www.littlegolem.net for a long time until finally some of the best other players got up to his level of skill.

Yes, it is possible for an unexperienced/unskilled player to beat a high skilled one in a single match or 2 at any time if they get lucky, but in the long run the skilled player will win far more matches.
Edited Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:10 am
Kris Verbeeck
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surprised to see
settlers of catan and can't stop next to each other.

The luck factor in catan kills it for me. But this soon will be solved as my deck of dice is arriving soon.

And while luck is a factor in can't stop it is not so high a factor as you might think. There is an article on the geek that gives you a good idea when you have to stop or throw once more.

Depending on the circumstances you could stop earlier (when you have an healthy lead) or have to take more risks (when you are a good way behind)
You also have to take in account what opponents you are facing. If you are playing against real risk takers I would take an extra throw when I'm near to the top.
Eirik Sandaas
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To be fair, any game simulating soccer needs some element of luck. All soccer fans have seen their team loose a match against a weak opponent, even when their team have most of the play and a lot of good goalscoring opportunities, but ends up loosing their keeper to a crazy injury with all subs used, or have their best midfielder sent of for a late tackle which goes horribly wrong, or go 0-1 down with 3 minutes to go when a tuft of grass makes the ball change path on a low shot. Not to mention harsh referees that suddenly see an infringement in the penalty zone, and give a penalty where other refs just had ignored the situation.

Soccer is part luck, so a soccer game must be part luck.
10. Board Game: San Marco [Average Rating:7.28 Overall Rank:149]
Joe Grundy
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MECHANICS

Apparantly I should take my car to San Marco, where they have the best mechanics. (Or actually, maybe that's where the most commentable mechanics are.)

San Marco
Dos Rios
Niagara
Jenseits von Theben
Queen's Necklace
Neuland
Trias
Hunting Party
Call of Cthulhu CCG
Die Händler
In the Shadow of the Emperor
Yspahan
Santiago
Fairy Tale
Ys
Industrial Waste
Amun-Re
Evo
Wallenstein
Feurio!
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Edited Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:19 pm
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12. Board Game: Travel Blokus [Average Rating:7.21 Overall Rank:185]
Joe Grundy
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TWO PLAYER

You get a fair way down this list before you aren't looking at either games being compared to their multi-player cousins or else games in the Kosmos Two Player series. But there you have it...

Travel Blokus
Starship Catan
Carcassonne: The Castle
The Settlers of Catan Card Game
Flowerpower
Jambo
Babel
Odin's Ravens
Mystery Rummy: Jekyll & Hyde
Lost Cities
Under the Shadow of the Dragon
Kahuna
Battle Line
Fjords
Schotten-Totten
Richelieu
Balloon Cup
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation
Ta Yü
Kupferkessel Co.
Mr. Jack
Rosenkönig
Cathedral
Hellas
Attika
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Edited Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:31 pm
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Three In A Row
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Would have been interesting for you to do the same as you did with abstracts and omit the two player only games.
Joe Grundy
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celtic wrote:
Would have been interesting for you to do the same as you did with abstracts and omit the two player only games.
Absolutely a good idea. When I do the full top 1000 list I'll exclude the 2P only games from the 2P list, and also exclude the 3P only games from the 3P list.
13. Board Game: The End of the Triumvirate [Average Rating:7.09 Overall Rank:294]
Joe Grundy
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THREE PLAYER

The first entry here is extremely apt, though it also works with two I hear.

The End of the Triumvirate
San Marco
Carolus Magnus
Flaschenteufel
Ta Yü
La Strada
Wyatt Earp
British Rails
Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization
Web of Power
Raj
Alhambra
El Caballero
Here I Stand
Big City
Citadels
San Marco
Taluva
High Society
Clans
Queen's Necklace
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Game (US)
Friedrich
Kingdoms
In the Shadow of the Emperor

I had a hard time resisting running this list just a little longer. Then a little longer again. Peppered in the next dozen entries are Hansa, Blue Moon City, Ra, Antike, Carcassonne, Samurai ... ... so I sort of resisted since otherwise I just would've run the list out to 50+
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Stephen Brakman
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Always find it funny how subjective complexity is. Caylus vs. Magic Realm is akin to kindergarten vs. grad school. :p
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Edited Mon Sep 10, 2007 3:25 pm
Stephen Brakman
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Agreed, SFB and ASL have a special place in the masochistic complexity universe.
Matt Thrower
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Magic Realm absolutely deserves to head up this list. Never before have I come across a game that offered so little for so many rules.

Republic of Rome in second position means it might well have to come off my wishlist - I think I better check out a copy of the rules before putting down the money.
Peter Walsh
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Speaking as one of the newly enlightened - Magic Realm is not as complicated as folks make it out to be. It is well worth figuring out and can be played using Realmspeak (a Java adaptation) which makes it easy to work through things that don't seem clear in the rules.

Republic of Rome really isn't all that complicated either. It's more like Diplomacy to the extent that you can know the rules but be left asking...OK but now how do I play to win?

ASL, Empires in Arms, A World at War (not on the list) or Rise of the Roman Republic (also not on the list) are far more complicated than either MR or RoR. That being said, you're not going to get your average gamer to play any of these.
Robert Wilson
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Brakman wrote:
Agreed, SFB and ASL have a special place in the masochistic complexity universe.



hahhah they are my 2 most played games recently!
Jesus A. Perez
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¿Samurai easy to learn? I think is not the first option to show a new gamer
Matthew M. Monin
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Samurai is exceptionally easy to learn. It's just not easy to score.

-MMM
Matt Thrower
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Octavian wrote:
Samurai is exceptionally easy to learn. It's just not easy to score.


I think you may be confusing the phrase "easy to learn" with the word "dull". ;)
Corin Friesen
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Blokus should be on top of this list. Or actually, War. ;)
Louise Holden
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. Roads and Boats will be comments on how little downtime there is- looks like all the others are there for having lots.
All Glory To The Hypnotoad!
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thesedarkdice wrote:
Citadels? Methinks someones playing with the wrong people. Now, is it me or everyone else?

I had the same reaction. I actually find very little downtime in Citadels.
Chris Shaffer
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I thought there wasn't any down time in Citadels.

Then I played with a new group, in a seven player game. It took hours. It was agonizing.

Now, I only play Citadels 2 or 3 player. I enjoy it, but I pretty much refuse to play it with 4 or more.
Peter Drake
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06070809
When I was in grad school, we talked a non-gamer friend of ours into playing a game with our group.

Then we decided to play Axis & Allies.

And we had her play Japan.

Some two hours later, she finally got a turn...
Kris Verbeeck
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TheCat wrote:
I thought there wasn't any down time in Citadels.

Then I played with a new group, in a seven player game. It took hours. It was agonizing.

Now, I only play Citadels 2 or 3 player. I enjoy it, but I pretty much refuse to play it with 4 or more.


I had a 6 player game with four people playing quick and 2 people playing agonizing slow.

You could have a decent meal if one of the slow players was king and you were first or last to act. The problem with citadels is that you don't have a lot to do until it is your turn.

BTW the slow playing got trashed.

17. Board Game: TAMSK [Average Rating:6.93 Overall Rank:404] [Average Rating:6.93 Overall Rank:404]
Joe Grundy
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