LogFAQs > #934407429

I still don't like bluffing games. Never have.

Azul - That is definitely a modern classic. It's also one of my go to gateway games. Casual gamers and even non-gamers seem to grasp it pretty quickly and almost everyone I've played it with has enjoyed it and wants to play it again. I think the best measure of a good gateway game is the number of people that went out and bought the game after playing it. The top 3 for me following that criteria have been Ticket to Ride, Azul, and Sushi Go Party.

Scythe - I love Scythe so much. I totally get how some people feel misled when they see the game set up and expect the game to be an alternative universe cold war game with epic battles, but I love everything about it. I appreciate that fighting battles is beneficial - but only to a certain point. I think it balances military value a lot better than most games - especially Through the Ages. I absolutely love Through the Ages, but if you ignore Military in that game, you will lose and you will likely get absolutely crushes. I like it when a game gives you the option to fight with other players if you want to, but doesn't require it to win.

Specter Ops - I would like to play it, but still haven't yet. It looks like a super-powered version of the old 80s game Scotland Yard.

Fireball Island - One of my friends in middle school owned this and it was my favorite game back then for several years. The same friend picked up the rebooted version and it really is a game of pure nostalgia. Objectively, the gameplay is simple and kind of dull - it's still just a roll (draw) and move game. But the nostalgia aspect makes it somewhat fun. If you didn't play this as a kid, I don't think you will enjoy it very much now.

Anachrony - Turbopun mentioned Anachrony. I've only played it twice. It's a long, deep worker placement game, but it's awesome. It's deep and seems really complex, but once you understand that the time paradoxes are basically just loans you need to pay back, it becomes less confusing. The game feels like it has a real story arc the way it builds toward the meteor crash and then you need to draw people into your faction as the board falls apart. It takes a while to play, but I would really love to play it again.

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Yay - BkSheikah is the guru champion of awesomeness.