Table Top Gaming

[SheWhoRoars]

Hey guys, I'm hoping to try to get into table top gaming this summer with a couple of my friends, and I know that I've seen a couple of you guys talking about games that you play, and I was just wondering if you guys had any suggestions for ones to play!

[tnitnetny]

My family and I have been playing a LOT of Pathfinders. It is a Dungeons and Dragons based game that only uses cards and dice. You don't have to keep numbers, role play (unless you want to), or spend a ton of time on it. We find each "campaign" takes only 1-2 hours. It is a lot of fun and we love it.

[funkymonkey]

I love Settlers of Catan; it's good for several players.

[blackmageheart]

Last year I got into Warmachine, a wargame. It's very steampunk and has loads of characters both human, non-human and automaton. It also has loads of backstory and stuff like that.
I used to play Pathfinder and some Call of Cthulhu too.

[Eliste]

So... are you talking table top roleplay or board games? I'm assuming you're talking about board games, so will answer based on that. If you want role play options, ask.

Pandemic- cooperative, awesome, and you try to save the world. Has a lot of replay value and there's expansions to make it more interesting when you get to grips on the basic.
Flashpoint- You're all firefighters trying to save people. Cooperative again. Not quite as good as Pandemic imo, but still a lot of fun and good for replay.

I like the two above the best because of the cooperative element. I really like cooperative games as there isn't the same kind of antagonism and nobody walks away feeling crappy. You either all win together or lose together. It also helps when you've got someone prone to cheat in your group as they can only try to cheat FOR you as well. For non-cooperative games, I like these:

Love Letter- stupidly simple but really elegant game. Love it.
Avalon- There's a couple of versions of this with different themes- including a BSG one I think. Its basically a more structured version of the Mafia game I played as a kid.
Ticket to Ride- also available on ipad. You build trains. There's several versions of this with basically different maps. I've liked all I've played.
Small World- cute, funny, love it. also available on ipad.

All of the above are kid friendly too so would suit family play!

[SheWhoRoars]

Thank you for all the suggestions!!! I'll have to go and start doing me research on these :3

So... are you talking table top roleplay or board games?

What's the difference between the two?

[smoni]

You might also like:

King of Tokyo - dice rolling game where the winner is the best monster
Dominion - fantastic deck building game
Carcassonne - one of the original Euro style board games, very easy to pick up

[Eliste]

So... are you talking table top roleplay or board games?

What's the difference between the two?

Board games involve, as it sounds, a board. Sometimes they just have cards or dice, but usually involves a board with bits and pieces that you play with. Monopoly is a very generic (and bad) board game. Most board games (except RISK and Advanced Squad Commander) are designed to be played and finished in one sitting.

Roleplaying Games (of the table top variety) technically don't require a table. Each person creates a character, following the rules of the particular game, and then usually one person is a GM or Games Master. The Games Master creates the scenario and plot and narrates what's going on to the players who then say what their character would do in that situation. The classic example is Dungeons & Dragons. Most RPGs involve pen & paper, dice, and lots of imagination.

Essentially, its like an improvisational storytelling but there are rules. And there are a million options for different worlds. For example:
Vampire- grim dark of night, everybody is a vampire, all is angsty. Also comes in werewolf, faerie, and ghost flavors.
D&D- classic hack and slash fantasy with orcs, elves, etc. Think Lord of the Rings. Pathfinder is a very popular branch off from D&D.
Call of Cthulhu- scary monsters will drive you all crazy. Can be done many ways- as a psychological horror, or just terror, or actual monsters eating your face.
The genres really range, so there's something for everybody- sci fi, fantasy, noir, army based, magical, real world, etc. There are also a number of roleplaying games based off of tv shows or popular books- Firefly, Dresden Chronicles, and Buffy are the ones that immediately come to mind.

If you want to read something utterly adorable but that also shows how even D&D can be made easy enough for young children to play, I highly recommend this. Its super cute, and actually is a pretty good way of figuring out how games like this run. In ways, they're almost like choose your own adventures.

If you're interested in quality pre-written games of various different settings, I recommend the database at www.irishgaming.com. They have some excellent con scenarios which are all designed to be played in 2-3 hours. Oh yes, that's the other thing. Roleplaying games often end up being something that people play on a regular basis. There are pre-written "campaigns" for many settings which is basically "here's the plot, here are some NPCs, here's how to GM it" so its very easy for the GM.

[Yurtle]

You might want to check out the web show Table Top with Wil Wheaton. You'll get a good idea of different games and how they work from that show. Assuming you can stand Wil Wheaton.

[Kareesh]

Thanks for the links, Eliste! I loved reading the one about the little girl. Gives me ideas for when my little one is old enough to do that.