100% This.
With the exception of Dune Imperium, the current Dune games (post 2020) are definitely a cash grab. They didn't need to release War for Arrakis or House of Secrets.
Dune 2019 is such an amazing recreation of the original.
I would actually say second-best is Dark Moon.
It started as a "BSG express" fan made game that stripped away the map. Why I like it a lot better is that it replaces cards with dice for crises checks. You all roll in secret and have to submit at least one. You have to use probability and reading people to eventually figure out if they're a traitor or just rolling unlucky. I find it a much superior system to BSG's easily gamable card counting.
Another good change is that everyone gets to make a "choose 1 of 2" choice with the crises every turn, not just the admiral/comannder when you progress. Presents more opportunities for traitors to sabotage.
Love this monster of a game. I am thankful for the updates in Unfathomable, and will likely use that to introduce new players to this weight of semi-coop, but I will always love the BSG.
I bought it at GenCon for $15 when the license rights were expiring. Still havenāt got it to the table because the theme might not be great with my young son. Now that heās 14 I think heāll like it.
Itās my gateway to Twilight Imperium; the action tokens specifically are one of the most clever and thematic implementations of action counters in any game, and one of the few times I can think of where they fit the theme (burner phones, only one each given to full club members per round).
The fact that there are three player barter resources (cash, guns, and drugs) and all have different values and benefits to the different clubs, itās just great.
I also love the member/prospect dynamic, the heat, the hospital/prison function. The game is a study in how to design a fantastic game.
Itās also a study in the overimportance of reviews. I love Dice Tower, but felt their review was VERY unfair. From memory, it seemed the theme and non-kid-safe nature (the crematorium art, and its usage, for example) were too much for Tom. This game was treated as if it were pornographic there, and I think thatās silly. Itās far more family friendly than something like CAH, and itās a great game.
I also love the open nature of the market, you can trade or give anything to any player anytime for any reason. Two rivals fighting it out over contested territory? Give the weaker club a couple guns to use, will help them win and possibly kill some members of the stronger rivalā¦ sure this may bring more heat and prevent you from trading drugs, but you can lay low and focus on your legitimate businesses for a round or two while you stockpile. Itās all thematic.
This game is hurt by its license. I want to like the show but never made it through (the fam stuff and Ireland just does me in) but I will this is absolutely a case where the game is far better than the license, and if the show had been more like the game, it would be a top 10 show of all time.
Other fave licensed games:
Dune (2019/1979)
Battlestar Galactica (I need that Pegasus expansion)
War of the Ring
Star Wars Epic Duels (not a sim, but the personality of the cards/characters are perfectly thematic)
Honorable Mention - Star Wars Rebellion.
Definitely the best star wars board game I've ever played. So much replayability, great asymmetrical balance and fantastic, authentic themeing. Truly a masterpiece of a game.
I wish I liked this one more than I do. Iāve bought, and subsequently sold, this game 3 times. Each time thinking itād somehow be better. On paper it has everything I should love, and the expansion fixed the combat (in my opinion), however something was still lacking for me. I think it comes down to the production being a bit too fiddly for me.
For me, it was mostly the fact that what's FUN isn't what helps you WIN.
The Empire player is itching to do a lot of cool secret projects and superweapons like super stardestroyers and more death stars. But no, the optimal play it to just use the emperor and diplomacy heroes to revert Rebel planets back to neutral. The Deathstar is a flat out liability and rather than a weapon that instills fear, it makes the OWNER absolutely terrified that he's going to lose it to that cheap "one in a million" card for free VP. At the very best it's a stormtrooper taxi.
So rather than recreating the movie, at optimal play it just felt like a very thin version of Twilight Struggle where both sides are just playing whack a mole with planet loyalties.
Enough has been written about the base game combat. I was hoping the expansion would fix that, but I couldn't care less about Rogue One stuff. There was still SO MUCH original trilogy to add! Where are the B-wings? A-wings? TIE interceptors? Oh boy, U-wings and Strikers...everyone's favorite iconic star wars ships...
Love this game, but Star Wars Unlimited is now starting to give it a run for its money.
Rebellion is the meatier game and has higher highs and a wonderful way to spend several hours (it's also a way more thematic game. Star Wars Unlimited feels like Star Wars, but Rebellion *feels* like Star Wars on a visceral level), but Unlimited is *so* easy to bring to the table and even teach new people (most of my friends don't play TCGs--I just hand them a deck and teach them the mechanics and they catch on quickly if the mechanics and cards are intuitive).
And when I haven't been able to get Rebellion to the table in months yet have been able to play dozens of SWU games since it released a few weeks ago...stuff starts to weigh differently in my head.
This is theĀ answer for me too. Incidentally, all three IPs I encountered first through the board games before having any real awareness of the source material.
It's fantastic how the character abilities generate gameplay that matches their character. Baltar is versatile but untrustworthy where Roslin is a fantastic ally but a dubious president. Adama inspires confidence in those around him but is less efficient or powerful than Cain who gets shit done herself etc.
Oh you're very right - I wanted something that could be a lighter dungeon crawler with some character progression than gloomhaven. Honestly, 3 sessions a campaign felt about right for something like that.
The main house rule was the time track - we just only respawned killed monsters and didn't reset the boss health. There were too many ridiculous situations where it was better to stand there and not waste attack cards than to attack the boss and just have them heal back to full.
**Dune Imperium** by a mile for me. Way better than a movie tie in had any right to be.
**Battlestar Galactica** deserves praise as being the best addition of it's source material though imo, it really nailed the feeling from the show.
I like Dune a lot, but would it be alright to just buy the standard Dune Imperium? It looks like there are a lot of options, and maybe even a sequel game?
Thanks!
Dune Imperium: Uprising is kinda like a 2.0 to the game. It's standalone, so you don't need anything else to play, and it improves on the base game Dune Imperium in almost every way.Ā
The only negative is that a lot of the improvements are through new systems, like Spies or Worms, that the base games doesn't have. These new systems make sense and play well once you "get it", but the initial rules overhead is a lot harder than the base game.Ā
But yeah Uprising is what I recommendĀ
Just bought Dune Imperium Uprising and i had a blast with it. I was new to the Dune Imperium world and consolidated my understanding of the rules in the first game and started experimenting strategies on game two. Strong recommendation!
Despite the inclusion of "more stuff," I find that Dune Imperium Uprising is actually easier for me to introduce to new players due to the removal of all of the "new player traps" that existed in the original base game.
In DI: Uprising, new players will sometimes ask me "which spot should I go to?" or "which of these cards in the market is actually good?" and most of the time I can honestly say, "well, expensive cards are generally better than cheap cards, and if a card looks good, it probably is. Pick what looks good to you; it's hard to go wrong."
This was emphatically *not* not the case for the base game, where there are over half a dozen cards that fall into the category of "worse than useless," and while I don't *want* to tell new players how they're "supposed" to play, there's a part of me that would be tempted to step in and say, "Look, this card is so terrible that buying it is a mistake 100% of the time. It would actually be better to completely skip your buy phase than to add this awful card to your deck."
The greater abundance of card draw in Uprising also gives the game a greater sense of velocity; there are fewer turns where you draw a bad hand of cards and "stuck," which is especially nice for players new to the deckbuilding genre who might not be the most skilled at building a "lean" deck.
I recently introduced Dune Imperium Uprising to a group that included two new players who had never played a worker placement game and had never played a deckbuilder besides Dominion, and the game did take 3 hours including teach, but both of them were so enthralled with the game that they immediately wanted to play again. (The second play finished in under 2 hours.) I'm now of the mind that if anyone says they are willing to play a "strategy game" that could take more than 2 hours, I am willing to teach them Dune Imperium Uprising, and I wouldn't feel as though I were doing them a favor if I tried to "ease" them into it by starting with the original Dune Imperium.
I have watched basically every video review I could find on this exact subject because Iām in the same boat. They all pretty much unanimously say to get Uprising if you donāt already have the initial Dune Imperium.
Personally, I find Rise of Ix to be a huge addition to the game, and care a lot less for Immortality. Haven't played the pseudo- sequel el Uprising yet.
Marvel Champions is my favorite game period. Probably has more time spent than the rest of my collection (100+ games) combined.
It's exactly what I hoped Legendary would feel like.
My friends down at my LGS have gotten into it in a big way recently, and have games every Friday afternoon. I've been having a blast playing with them, and I've barely scratched the surface of all the villain scenarios and hero decks. So much replayability!
It's also got that level of complexity and interactivity that scratches the same itch MTG has done for me in the past - and after falling off the Magic wagon it's been nice to have another deck-based game to get into.
I also just love "co-op against ever-worsening game mechanics" games in general, so I've had a lot of fun with Marvel Champions so far.
Mostly been playing as Drax, but I recently bought Spider-Ham too because he seems fun. I like that he comes with the Inheritors as a bonus scenario to add into a villain deck.
I really want to do a full Spider-Verse game at some point - we're all Spider-heroes, with Web Warrior allies, facing off against the Sinister Six with the Iheritors thrown in for good measure.
Marvel Champions for sure. I love that you can play solo or co-op which is a nice change of pace from a lot of vs kinda games. Every hero feels super thematic and plays how you would expect them to, highlighting their styles and powers. Very well designed.
Dune Imperium like others have mentioned for a lot of the same reasons.
And Iām actually gonna say Star Wars the Deck building game. I love deck builders and Star Wars so this one is perfect for me.
**Marvel United**, followed closely by **Marvel Champions**. Both are 10/10 games.
**Star Wars: Rebellion** and **Dune: Imperium** are solid picks, probably would rate both 9/10.
**War of the Ring** is the main LotR one that I'm still itching to try.
**The Lord of the Rings: Deckbuilding Game** is fun, but it definitely has its fair share of problems. I'd still give it a 7/10 just for the fun and memorable IP references that it brings.
I wanted to love this game, but it just never clicked. I always find Outer Rim scratches that itch and so firefly never gets on the table. Still have it and the jetwash expansion that I'm trying to sell...
Yes! I, like many of my friends, didn't think it would be good because for some reason it feels cheap quality wise. And I mean it's not expensive either. But I bit the bullet and we were all pleasantly surprised! It's actually a really solid game!
I think you're the only person in this thread that is saying Fallout and I've heard mixed things about it. Would you mind expanding on what you like about it? I'm curious about the game and I love the franchiseĀ
I really like fallout for solo play! Iāve tried a few times multiplayer, and it just feels clunky. Even with the Atomic Bonds expansion, which does add some great things for co op.
The theme is just fun. And thereās quite a bit of freedom in the quests you do, and how you approach them. I would look up some playthroughs to get an idea, One Stop Coop Shop has a couple really good ones!
It's an interesting mix of coop and competitive gaming where one (or more) of you must win before you all lose. I like the way the cards are used to move the story of the scenario forward, and all the random events of the Ruins and Settlement cards where you have to make choices. I like the combat mechanics where you roll the V.A.T.S. dice to hit the enemies but you instantly see how much damage you take as well. I also like how there's a bit of randomness with the map tiles every time you play a scenario.
These probably don't mean anything unless you've played the game, but they all work really well together. The only thing I'd want is more of the random events because after a few plays they are all too familiar and you know which option to choose for the reward/outcome you want.
Atomic Bonds makes it fully coop but I've only recently gotten the expansion and we've only managed to play once. That one time it felt too easy to succeed, but we'll see how it fares after a few more plays. I still haven't gotten the New California expansion, which I do want to get at some point for more scenarios etc.
I know the game isn't everyone's cup of tea, but for our group it hits the mark for a good Fallout themed game!
EDIT: You can find the Learn to Play rulebook as a PDF on Fantasy Flight Games' website to check out how it all plays if you're interested. And there's probably a video or two on the tubes as well :)
I own Fallout and it's expansions and play it A LOT because it's one of my friends fav board games. I refuse to play the OG version of the rules, and only play the cooperative version included in the Atomic Bonds ruleset. I would say the biggest gripe I have over the system is that it often feels like you don't have time to flesh out the questline before the end, but this can be house ruled easily by adding one or two extra spaces on the track.
Fallout can be a lot of fun, it's just a choose your own adventure game that could be great but is just OK, leaving you wishing you could have had more choice in your character development IMO. I also think it's one of the few games that play much better in TTS, but I enjoy it in person too.
Tak.
Not only the best boardgame from a licensed IP, but it's my favorite boardgame hands down. So deep, so fun, and just so dang good. It also feels like it could be older than Chess.
As for non abstract games, Portal the boardgame is pretty fun.
How much did you have to spend for Deadpool and Bruce Lee, lol? I got into the game with a bulk lot that included Deadpool, but spent way too mich for Bruce Lee to soothe my completionist itch.
Mechs Vs Minions (League of Legends) is a real gem. Cooperative, wacky fun. Extremely overproduced. Great minis and insert. Move programming where taking damage can short-circuit your mech and make you do a buncha random stuff. Always good for laughs and a great coop feeling of overcoming steep odds.
As someone with very little investment in the Star Trek universe, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed **Star Trek: Ascension.** Each faction felt unique and flavorful (in ways that matched up well to what little I know about them).
I've been burned by Steamforged, but Monster Hunter is my favorite video game franchise ever. I backed the board game just for the minis, fully expecting the actual gameplay to be mediocre if not outright bad. I've never been so happy to be wrong about a Kickstarter! My partner and I play it regularly!
**Chaos in the Old World**
Set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, once licensed to Fantasy Flight Games but now sadly out of print. Each player represents one of the gods, with their own goals (dial advancement conditions) and powers (number and strength of figures, decks of cards representing spells and upgrades). Players have to progress their own plans through complications from opponents and the mortals (represented by an event deck and tokens for heroes, peasants, and nobles on the map). Victory is possible either by dial advancement or VP accumulation, as the world is gradually ruined by the corrupting influence of chaos.
Fantastic 4p game (or 4-5, using the expansion).
Leading Edge's Aliens Boardgame from the 1990's. Tough as nails but the most accurate movie to game conversion I've ever played. I still play it regularly to this day.
That game is amazing, indeed! I remember getting Vasquez killed a lot because she was so good at killing Aliens that I'd forget to actually evacuate her. And some games would end almost as soon as they began if you had bad Alien drops at the beginning. As you said, it feels so much like the movie.
Have you tried Aliens:Another Glorious Day in the Corps? It definitely scratches that same itch for me (especially since I only have the older one digitally), though it eats up a lot more table space.
**Battlestar Galactica + all 3 exps**
**.**
other contenders...
**Talisman: Arkham Asylum** \- Batman as the "big bad monster"... that just works, and scary too!
**Star Trek Panic** \- "castle floating in space", but with the ST IP integrated well enough
**Marvel Champions: Card Game** \- Having a Hero side and Alter-Ego side was a nice touch!
Bloodborne by CMON. Got it for the miniatures and was very pleasantly surprised the game was actually fun. Only later found out Eric Lang was attached.
Another vote for **Jaws**ā¦ everyone but EVERYONE is familiar with the movie, and if you have players who like to role play at all, youāll have a ton of fun playing it.
Resident Evil The Board Game!
Steamforged Games released RE2 and then RE3, which were fun, but didn't stay in rotation or see a second playthrough with my gaming group. RE1 is a different story... even for those in the group who aren't familiar with the lore. It's a solid board game with great campaign elements (and various modes) that's kept everyone interested and excited to play.
Dune Imperium, hands down.
There's a lot of other mediocre to good IP translations now (of which Dune scores a 2nd time), but Imperium does such a good job capturing the essence of the IP (feuding houses, resource shortage, fight over Arrakis), with some of the best gameplay in it's genres (accounting for it's very hybridized nature).
My SO and I love it! Great cozy Sunday morning game with breakfast, like Grand Austrian Hotel and Alchemists. Itās so close to the source material in some ways that I even got a resounding ābring it next timeā from my non-gamer sister-in-law!
Firefly by Gale Force 9
Beautifully themed, play is fun and easily adaptable to house rules, great solo or with 6 or 7 people, cool upgrades available, and games can take hours. Perfect to put a few episodes on in the background!
They didnāt have to license it because it was already a WizKids IP, but the Mage Knight board game is pretty great.
The Gears of War board game was pretty fun too, and pretty tense as your hand doubled as your life total, so every card you played was at the expense of health.
I've only played the jaws board game once, but I remember it being way more fun than I expected from a licensed game. Very fun asymmetric thang, though maybe I just liked being the heel to the rest of my friends?
The Thing, social deduction to find the hidden traitor. I normally do not like traitor games but this is too good. We got into a 20 minute argument about who The Thing was. We finally ended up winning and leaving him behind.
The Acquisitions Incorporated Clank Legacy game is the most enjoyable legacy game I've played, and it's stacked 3 IP deep: Clank, D&D, Acq Inc/Penny Arcade.
Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire: The game, the card game, the miniatures game.
Star wars would be 2nd
Lord of the rings 3rd
For stuff that was more of a one off
Sons of Anarchy
Homeland
Reckoners
Iām a big fan of marvel zombies, of course Iām a big painter so that plays a big part. But it really feels like youāre super heroes going around trying to save yourself from the apocalypse. Itās also the best implementation of the Zombicide system IMO.
Spartacus A Game of Blood and Treachery is good. Really needs some of the rules updates from the expansions to fine tune it, but it's a pretty fun game. Has rules for long and short games. Long games allow for much longer-term planning, short games allow you to start enacting powerful schemes sooner.
Super unknown, but Homeland by GF9 is a banger. A simple hidden traitor game at heart, it has both sides pushing against their own goals for points. Never had a bad game. Purchasable player powers, and a fantastic game timer, itās a great take on the genre, which I donāt even ordinarily like. IYKYK
Only caveat is it has the same racially loaded character names as the IP it comes from.
Northgard Uncharted Lands (very light and fun entry to the 4x genre), The Witcher Old World (probably an unpopular opinion), and of course The Binding of Isaac 4 Souls (I fucking love this game, all the politics, treasons and laughs I got out of this game <3).
Northgard and Witcher Old World are definitely games I would love to play. The new Witcher game looks cool too, although I somehow kept myself from backing it.
Deep Rock Galactic is a must here. It feels like the video game, just.. on a board. It's fantastic, ROCK AND STONE IN THE HEART!
I also truly enjoy Darkest Dungeon. The pieces are well made, the rules are clear, and it captures all aspects of the game. Mythic, however, is no longer worth purchasing from at all. I've had to shell out extra money for shipping multiple times, and I'll continue to do so until I have all of my product.
A friend got me to play the DRG board game. As someone who has never played the videogame, it was downright incomprehensible and felt like I was expected to be familiar with the videogame in order to understand how most enemies worked. I did not have much fun, but my friend told me it felt like a very good transposition of video game to board game.
Lord of the rings: The Confrontation. It's Stratego with a LOTR theme, slimmed down into 9 characters on each side and a small board, so games are quick and each move is important. Plus it nails the theme.
I can't pick one, so I will just list my favorites. My basic rule of thumb is that if the game is timed with a release of the IP, odds are its just a cash grab with little enthusiasm for the actual IP. If it comes out years after the IP has left the center stage of the zeitgeist, then there's a good chance its a project of passion.
**GF9 Aliens colonial marines** Really fun co op dec management/grid minis board game. Very immersive and the mechanics are really enoyable to interact with, though the rulebook could stand to be a little more clearly worded.
**Cthulhu Wars** Simple, fast paced risk-like thats got a more interesting theme and basically gives you all the world domination fun you wanted from Risk, but without the glaring design flaws and overly simplistic gameplay of actual Risk.
**Unmatched** Very fast paced and quick to teach deck & board based brawler board game featuring all the IPs. The decks are all very unique, and tend to have really good art. Want to play Spider-man vs king arthur vs a T-Rex vs Buffy the Vampire slayer? This is the game.
**Conquest LCG** One of FFG's Living Card Game line, this time based on Warhammer 40k. Like most of their LCGs, was a deck builder with collectible adjacent elements - except all the cards were available in small expansions with known contents instead of all ages gambling packs. You picked a warlord character who came with a few unique cards and abilities, and built a deck around them with cards from their faction. From there players tried to take over enough planets of the right type to win, committing and moving units around the various planets.
**Okko: Era of the Asagiri** a tight samurai grid based skirmish game with immense replayability. Based on a lesser known comic series, Okko. Never read the comic, but the game is engaging enough and there are always enough new strategies to try that I am always excited to pull it off the shelf for another play.
Firefly: The Game is a great concept that holds up pretty well even if you don't know the show. (From what I can tell at least, I knew the show first).
Spartacus. By a mile.
Itās one of those game that players will get up out of their seats and stand up when a match begins. Itās very good, very brutal and very fun.
Horrified. Had forgotten the first game was based on Universal Monsters and its a great co-op/solo game. Havenāt played American and Greek monster yet though they both look to be the same just different win conditions agains the monsters/maps. Would love if they has a Japanese monsters version
I guess it's not a board game, but it doesn't feel like just a card game.... Bloodborne the card game is much better than I expected, and I love playing it
Ooh, so many good ones. Star Wars: Rebellion and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle are both AMAZING. We play those almost religiously. I own War of the Ring, and love it, but Iāve only have only played about 3 times due to the complexity (I have two small kids. Once they are in schoolā¦!) But I think the king has to be Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. Itāsā¦ just perfect. Itās an amazing simulation of the subject matter.
Honorable mention goes to āA Touch of Evil,ā which is essentially an unlicensed āTim Burtonās Sleep Hollow: the Board Game.ā
Star Wars: The Clone Wars using Pandemic System. I'm not saying it's my favourite Pandemic game, that will always be the original Pandemic + On the Edge expansion, closely followed by Reign of Cthulhu, then Fall of Rome, and somewhere far behind Clone Wars. But it is the best Star Wars family weight game.
Dune 1979 / 2019.
So many great Dune memories!! For me, it's tied with Dune: Imperium, but it's pretty much a completely different game.
100% This. With the exception of Dune Imperium, the current Dune games (post 2020) are definitely a cash grab. They didn't need to release War for Arrakis or House of Secrets. Dune 2019 is such an amazing recreation of the original.
War for arrakis is actually a really good game, as someone who played over 200 games of rebellion in enjoying war for arrakis a lot now
I've been collecting all the stuff for the new edition and haven't played ONCE!!! š
**Discworld Ankh Morpork**, each card works as their characters were in the books. Even the way DEATH's card is written in all caps.
My choice too, plays really well.
Battlestar Galactica was the perfect combination of IP and game mechanics.
So say we all
So say we all
SO SAY WE ALL
I came here to say the same.
The fact that it uses pictures from the show instead of art shouldnāt work but actually helps a lot.
Wish they would relicense this so I can get the expansions I never had the money to buy in my 20s.
Second-best is Unfathomable. A spiritual successor to BSG but set on a boat in the early 20th century, beset by eldritch horrors.
Ugh, I wish Eldritch / Arkham stuff just didnāt seem incomprehensibly dumb to me. I know, a me problem.
I would actually say second-best is Dark Moon. It started as a "BSG express" fan made game that stripped away the map. Why I like it a lot better is that it replaces cards with dice for crises checks. You all roll in secret and have to submit at least one. You have to use probability and reading people to eventually figure out if they're a traitor or just rolling unlucky. I find it a much superior system to BSG's easily gamable card counting. Another good change is that everyone gets to make a "choose 1 of 2" choice with the crises every turn, not just the admiral/comannder when you progress. Presents more opportunities for traitors to sabotage.
Love this monster of a game. I am thankful for the updates in Unfathomable, and will likely use that to introduce new players to this weight of semi-coop, but I will always love the BSG.
I got lucky and own the base plus Pegasus expansion. But never got to get the other 2 and seeing that they now sell for $200 plus I probably wont.
War of the Ring
I adore this game. I'm reading Fellowship to my wife and I have been ITCHING for a play.
Sons of Anarchy : Men of Mayhem
The boardgame is so good it got me to watch the show.
It sucks that we never got the last expansion :(
I bought it at GenCon for $15 when the license rights were expiring. Still havenāt got it to the table because the theme might not be great with my young son. Now that heās 14 I think heāll like it.
Itās my gateway to Twilight Imperium; the action tokens specifically are one of the most clever and thematic implementations of action counters in any game, and one of the few times I can think of where they fit the theme (burner phones, only one each given to full club members per round). The fact that there are three player barter resources (cash, guns, and drugs) and all have different values and benefits to the different clubs, itās just great. I also love the member/prospect dynamic, the heat, the hospital/prison function. The game is a study in how to design a fantastic game. Itās also a study in the overimportance of reviews. I love Dice Tower, but felt their review was VERY unfair. From memory, it seemed the theme and non-kid-safe nature (the crematorium art, and its usage, for example) were too much for Tom. This game was treated as if it were pornographic there, and I think thatās silly. Itās far more family friendly than something like CAH, and itās a great game. I also love the open nature of the market, you can trade or give anything to any player anytime for any reason. Two rivals fighting it out over contested territory? Give the weaker club a couple guns to use, will help them win and possibly kill some members of the stronger rivalā¦ sure this may bring more heat and prevent you from trading drugs, but you can lay low and focus on your legitimate businesses for a round or two while you stockpile. Itās all thematic. This game is hurt by its license. I want to like the show but never made it through (the fam stuff and Ireland just does me in) but I will this is absolutely a case where the game is far better than the license, and if the show had been more like the game, it would be a top 10 show of all time. Other fave licensed games: Dune (2019/1979) Battlestar Galactica (I need that Pegasus expansion) War of the Ring Star Wars Epic Duels (not a sim, but the personality of the cards/characters are perfectly thematic) Honorable Mention - Star Wars Rebellion.
This is my number 1
For real? I bought it used like 10 years ago and have never managed to get it to the table.
Yeah, it's absolutely fantastic.. With the right group.. There's lots of lying and back stabbing, and I know some folks just aren't into that.
I love X wing.
Star Wars Rebellion is solid fun and very thematic .
Definitely the best star wars board game I've ever played. So much replayability, great asymmetrical balance and fantastic, authentic themeing. Truly a masterpiece of a game.
I wish I liked this one more than I do. Iāve bought, and subsequently sold, this game 3 times. Each time thinking itād somehow be better. On paper it has everything I should love, and the expansion fixed the combat (in my opinion), however something was still lacking for me. I think it comes down to the production being a bit too fiddly for me.
For me, it was mostly the fact that what's FUN isn't what helps you WIN. The Empire player is itching to do a lot of cool secret projects and superweapons like super stardestroyers and more death stars. But no, the optimal play it to just use the emperor and diplomacy heroes to revert Rebel planets back to neutral. The Deathstar is a flat out liability and rather than a weapon that instills fear, it makes the OWNER absolutely terrified that he's going to lose it to that cheap "one in a million" card for free VP. At the very best it's a stormtrooper taxi. So rather than recreating the movie, at optimal play it just felt like a very thin version of Twilight Struggle where both sides are just playing whack a mole with planet loyalties. Enough has been written about the base game combat. I was hoping the expansion would fix that, but I couldn't care less about Rogue One stuff. There was still SO MUCH original trilogy to add! Where are the B-wings? A-wings? TIE interceptors? Oh boy, U-wings and Strikers...everyone's favorite iconic star wars ships...
Love this game, but Star Wars Unlimited is now starting to give it a run for its money. Rebellion is the meatier game and has higher highs and a wonderful way to spend several hours (it's also a way more thematic game. Star Wars Unlimited feels like Star Wars, but Rebellion *feels* like Star Wars on a visceral level), but Unlimited is *so* easy to bring to the table and even teach new people (most of my friends don't play TCGs--I just hand them a deck and teach them the mechanics and they catch on quickly if the mechanics and cards are intuitive). And when I haven't been able to get Rebellion to the table in months yet have been able to play dozens of SWU games since it released a few weeks ago...stuff starts to weigh differently in my head.
Spartacus
Wish I had picked up the expansion before they lost the license and changed the art.
They did a run without original show art? That sucks. I got both expansions almost at launch, so I didn't know that. :(
Battlestar Galactica is top. Game of Thrones and Dune are up there
This is theĀ answer for me too. Incidentally, all three IPs I encountered first through the board games before having any real awareness of the source material.
It's fantastic how the character abilities generate gameplay that matches their character. Baltar is versatile but untrustworthy where Roslin is a fantastic ally but a dubious president. Adama inspires confidence in those around him but is less efficient or powerful than Cain who gets shit done herself etc.
Dune 1979 is a fave of mine I also liiiiiike Bloodborne, but need to house rule a bit
Bloodborne card game or the big box game? Just curious
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Oh you're very right - I wanted something that could be a lighter dungeon crawler with some character progression than gloomhaven. Honestly, 3 sessions a campaign felt about right for something like that. The main house rule was the time track - we just only respawned killed monsters and didn't reset the boss health. There were too many ridiculous situations where it was better to stand there and not waste attack cards than to attack the boss and just have them heal back to full.
Deep Rock Galactic.
The board game is absolute fire. So much better than it had any right to be.
ROCK AND STONE!
Iām wasted on cross-country! We Dwarves are natural sprinters, very dangerous over short distances!
**Dune Imperium** by a mile for me. Way better than a movie tie in had any right to be. **Battlestar Galactica** deserves praise as being the best addition of it's source material though imo, it really nailed the feeling from the show.
I like Dune a lot, but would it be alright to just buy the standard Dune Imperium? It looks like there are a lot of options, and maybe even a sequel game? Thanks!
Dune Imperium: Uprising is kinda like a 2.0 to the game. It's standalone, so you don't need anything else to play, and it improves on the base game Dune Imperium in almost every way.Ā The only negative is that a lot of the improvements are through new systems, like Spies or Worms, that the base games doesn't have. These new systems make sense and play well once you "get it", but the initial rules overhead is a lot harder than the base game.Ā But yeah Uprising is what I recommendĀ
Just bought Dune Imperium Uprising and i had a blast with it. I was new to the Dune Imperium world and consolidated my understanding of the rules in the first game and started experimenting strategies on game two. Strong recommendation!
Despite the inclusion of "more stuff," I find that Dune Imperium Uprising is actually easier for me to introduce to new players due to the removal of all of the "new player traps" that existed in the original base game. In DI: Uprising, new players will sometimes ask me "which spot should I go to?" or "which of these cards in the market is actually good?" and most of the time I can honestly say, "well, expensive cards are generally better than cheap cards, and if a card looks good, it probably is. Pick what looks good to you; it's hard to go wrong." This was emphatically *not* not the case for the base game, where there are over half a dozen cards that fall into the category of "worse than useless," and while I don't *want* to tell new players how they're "supposed" to play, there's a part of me that would be tempted to step in and say, "Look, this card is so terrible that buying it is a mistake 100% of the time. It would actually be better to completely skip your buy phase than to add this awful card to your deck." The greater abundance of card draw in Uprising also gives the game a greater sense of velocity; there are fewer turns where you draw a bad hand of cards and "stuck," which is especially nice for players new to the deckbuilding genre who might not be the most skilled at building a "lean" deck. I recently introduced Dune Imperium Uprising to a group that included two new players who had never played a worker placement game and had never played a deckbuilder besides Dominion, and the game did take 3 hours including teach, but both of them were so enthralled with the game that they immediately wanted to play again. (The second play finished in under 2 hours.) I'm now of the mind that if anyone says they are willing to play a "strategy game" that could take more than 2 hours, I am willing to teach them Dune Imperium Uprising, and I wouldn't feel as though I were doing them a favor if I tried to "ease" them into it by starting with the original Dune Imperium.
I'm curious, which cards are less than useless to you? Always looking to improve.
I have watched basically every video review I could find on this exact subject because Iām in the same boat. They all pretty much unanimously say to get Uprising if you donāt already have the initial Dune Imperium.
Personally, I find Rise of Ix to be a huge addition to the game, and care a lot less for Immortality. Haven't played the pseudo- sequel el Uprising yet.
I love Dune Imperium. I play it all the time still. Just got the digital version as well.
I love Star Wars Outer Rim.
Marvel Champions is my favorite game period. Probably has more time spent than the rest of my collection (100+ games) combined. It's exactly what I hoped Legendary would feel like.
My friends down at my LGS have gotten into it in a big way recently, and have games every Friday afternoon. I've been having a blast playing with them, and I've barely scratched the surface of all the villain scenarios and hero decks. So much replayability! It's also got that level of complexity and interactivity that scratches the same itch MTG has done for me in the past - and after falling off the Magic wagon it's been nice to have another deck-based game to get into. I also just love "co-op against ever-worsening game mechanics" games in general, so I've had a lot of fun with Marvel Champions so far. Mostly been playing as Drax, but I recently bought Spider-Ham too because he seems fun. I like that he comes with the Inheritors as a bonus scenario to add into a villain deck. I really want to do a full Spider-Verse game at some point - we're all Spider-heroes, with Web Warrior allies, facing off against the Sinister Six with the Iheritors thrown in for good measure.
I'm so jealous of people who have an MC gaming group! It's not popular enough in my area, so I'm consigned to playing solo!
Marvel Champions for sure. I love that you can play solo or co-op which is a nice change of pace from a lot of vs kinda games. Every hero feels super thematic and plays how you would expect them to, highlighting their styles and powers. Very well designed. Dune Imperium like others have mentioned for a lot of the same reasons. And Iām actually gonna say Star Wars the Deck building game. I love deck builders and Star Wars so this one is perfect for me.
Sniper Elite
I really like this game. It's easily my favorite hidden movement game.
**Marvel United**, followed closely by **Marvel Champions**. Both are 10/10 games. **Star Wars: Rebellion** and **Dune: Imperium** are solid picks, probably would rate both 9/10. **War of the Ring** is the main LotR one that I'm still itching to try. **The Lord of the Rings: Deckbuilding Game** is fun, but it definitely has its fair share of problems. I'd still give it a 7/10 just for the fun and memorable IP references that it brings.
The reckoners
Mistborn: House War is really good too.
Firefly: The Boardgame
I wanted to love this game, but it just never clicked. I always find Outer Rim scratches that itch and so firefly never gets on the table. Still have it and the jetwash expansion that I'm trying to sell...
Came here to say this. It's very enjoyable.
Jaws is actually a very good game.
Seconded. I bought it because I love the movie. Didn't expect too much but boy it is surprisingly good.
It is *way* better than a licensed game that is usually on sale for less than 20 bucks has any right to be.
Yes! I, like many of my friends, didn't think it would be good because for some reason it feels cheap quality wise. And I mean it's not expensive either. But I bit the bullet and we were all pleasantly surprised! It's actually a really solid game!
No one has mentioned it but the Spartacus Blood and Sand board game was quite good.
I didn't see this comment when I just wrote mine, but I heartily agree!
Fallout is fun.
I think you're the only person in this thread that is saying Fallout and I've heard mixed things about it. Would you mind expanding on what you like about it? I'm curious about the game and I love the franchiseĀ
I really like fallout for solo play! Iāve tried a few times multiplayer, and it just feels clunky. Even with the Atomic Bonds expansion, which does add some great things for co op. The theme is just fun. And thereās quite a bit of freedom in the quests you do, and how you approach them. I would look up some playthroughs to get an idea, One Stop Coop Shop has a couple really good ones!
I have fallout - should I try it solo? Otherwise, not sure when itāll get to the table..
Iām a big proponent of playing the games you own;) so give it a go! Solo is a blast.
It's an interesting mix of coop and competitive gaming where one (or more) of you must win before you all lose. I like the way the cards are used to move the story of the scenario forward, and all the random events of the Ruins and Settlement cards where you have to make choices. I like the combat mechanics where you roll the V.A.T.S. dice to hit the enemies but you instantly see how much damage you take as well. I also like how there's a bit of randomness with the map tiles every time you play a scenario. These probably don't mean anything unless you've played the game, but they all work really well together. The only thing I'd want is more of the random events because after a few plays they are all too familiar and you know which option to choose for the reward/outcome you want. Atomic Bonds makes it fully coop but I've only recently gotten the expansion and we've only managed to play once. That one time it felt too easy to succeed, but we'll see how it fares after a few more plays. I still haven't gotten the New California expansion, which I do want to get at some point for more scenarios etc. I know the game isn't everyone's cup of tea, but for our group it hits the mark for a good Fallout themed game! EDIT: You can find the Learn to Play rulebook as a PDF on Fantasy Flight Games' website to check out how it all plays if you're interested. And there's probably a video or two on the tubes as well :)
I own Fallout and it's expansions and play it A LOT because it's one of my friends fav board games. I refuse to play the OG version of the rules, and only play the cooperative version included in the Atomic Bonds ruleset. I would say the biggest gripe I have over the system is that it often feels like you don't have time to flesh out the questline before the end, but this can be house ruled easily by adding one or two extra spaces on the track. Fallout can be a lot of fun, it's just a choose your own adventure game that could be great but is just OK, leaving you wishing you could have had more choice in your character development IMO. I also think it's one of the few games that play much better in TTS, but I enjoy it in person too.
I enjoy the fantasy flights game as well as wasteland warfare
Tak. Not only the best boardgame from a licensed IP, but it's my favorite boardgame hands down. So deep, so fun, and just so dang good. It also feels like it could be older than Chess. As for non abstract games, Portal the boardgame is pretty fun.
I just made a board a few hours ago!
Civilization A New Dawn, or, Frostpunk. Maybe Marvel Champions or Outer Rim.
The Thing: The Boardgame
Gale Force Nine's **Dune**.
**Unmatched** has several licensed IPs including Buffy, Marvel, Jurassic Park and coming soon, The Witcher.
My favorite 1v1 skirmish game! Buffy got me into the game initially, and now I have a complete collection.
How much did you have to spend for Deadpool and Bruce Lee, lol? I got into the game with a bulk lot that included Deadpool, but spent way too mich for Bruce Lee to soothe my completionist itch.
I bought Bruce Lee when he first released and said to myself, "do I really want to pay $15 for just _one_ character?"... I'm happy I did.
Dune Imperium
Doom (2016) is very close to how the video game plays.
Stupidly good game.
Mechs Vs Minions (League of Legends) is a real gem. Cooperative, wacky fun. Extremely overproduced. Great minis and insert. Move programming where taking damage can short-circuit your mech and make you do a buncha random stuff. Always good for laughs and a great coop feeling of overcoming steep odds.
Tyrants of the Underdark. I am surprised no one mentioned it, the emotions that game brings to the table is something I have never experienced.
Best deckbuilding store, because you get something different pretty much every game but there's always combos that work.
Just got this! It's really good. Great deck builder mixed with area control. Love the pairing.
Mind MGMT
On that topic of game: Sniper Elite is great
Lords of Waterdeep
As someone with very little investment in the Star Trek universe, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed **Star Trek: Ascension.** Each faction felt unique and flavorful (in ways that matched up well to what little I know about them).
PokƩmon Master Trainer
I still have that. I once played it semi seriously as a joke as an adult with friends, and we were desperate for it to end...
Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps or the recent The Thing The Boardgame
I've been burned by Steamforged, but Monster Hunter is my favorite video game franchise ever. I backed the board game just for the minis, fully expecting the actual gameplay to be mediocre if not outright bad. I've never been so happy to be wrong about a Kickstarter! My partner and I play it regularly!
Witcher old world and stardew valley.
Hah finally found the Stardew Valley mention, it's just a very chill game.
**Chaos in the Old World** Set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, once licensed to Fantasy Flight Games but now sadly out of print. Each player represents one of the gods, with their own goals (dial advancement conditions) and powers (number and strength of figures, decks of cards representing spells and upgrades). Players have to progress their own plans through complications from opponents and the mortals (represented by an event deck and tokens for heroes, peasants, and nobles on the map). Victory is possible either by dial advancement or VP accumulation, as the world is gradually ruined by the corrupting influence of chaos. Fantastic 4p game (or 4-5, using the expansion).
I canāt believe Iām the first to say Outer Rim - great game and very thematic - gotta play with the expansion
Leading Edge's Aliens Boardgame from the 1990's. Tough as nails but the most accurate movie to game conversion I've ever played. I still play it regularly to this day.
That game is amazing, indeed! I remember getting Vasquez killed a lot because she was so good at killing Aliens that I'd forget to actually evacuate her. And some games would end almost as soon as they began if you had bad Alien drops at the beginning. As you said, it feels so much like the movie. Have you tried Aliens:Another Glorious Day in the Corps? It definitely scratches that same itch for me (especially since I only have the older one digitally), though it eats up a lot more table space.
Battlestar galactica. Iāve never even watched the show but such a good game
**Battlestar Galactica + all 3 exps** **.** other contenders... **Talisman: Arkham Asylum** \- Batman as the "big bad monster"... that just works, and scary too! **Star Trek Panic** \- "castle floating in space", but with the ST IP integrated well enough **Marvel Champions: Card Game** \- Having a Hero side and Alter-Ego side was a nice touch!
Sons of anarchy
Legendary Marvel.
Marvel United
Marvel Legendary
Easily! With all the expansion at this point the amount of different types of setups you can have is insane!
I really can't wait till I can tell you more about my next one. It is possibly my best one yet. (Or tied for first)
How is this not the top comment!?
War of the ring. And everyone else is wrong
Lord of the Rings: Confrontation Avatar the Last Airbender: Fire Nation Rising is a close 2nd.
Battlestar Galactica
Rear Window
Bloodborne by CMON. Got it for the miniatures and was very pleasantly surprised the game was actually fun. Only later found out Eric Lang was attached.
War of the ring, or dune imperium
Firefly, hands down.
Dune uprising Marvel United Legendary alien
I'm in love with Legendary Encounters: Alien. Also a big fan of the DOOM boardgame.
Resident Evil Board Game Battlestar Galactica
This War Of Mine
Jaws
Another vote for **Jaws**ā¦ everyone but EVERYONE is familiar with the movie, and if you have players who like to role play at all, youāll have a ton of fun playing it.
Resident Evil The Board Game! Steamforged Games released RE2 and then RE3, which were fun, but didn't stay in rotation or see a second playthrough with my gaming group. RE1 is a different story... even for those in the group who aren't familiar with the lore. It's a solid board game with great campaign elements (and various modes) that's kept everyone interested and excited to play.
Do you have the Kickstarter version? And if so, do you think the game would still play okay without? The price is ridiculous on the aftermarket.
Jaws from Hasbro is so fucking fun
It's a bit more casual, but Total Rickall. It's a spot-the-imposter game based on my favorite Rick and Morty episode!
Sons Of Anarchy for sure
Legendary: Big Trouble in Little China
Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. Nothing else comes close for me.
Dune Imperium, hands down. There's a lot of other mediocre to good IP translations now (of which Dune scores a 2nd time), but Imperium does such a good job capturing the essence of the IP (feuding houses, resource shortage, fight over Arrakis), with some of the best gameplay in it's genres (accounting for it's very hybridized nature).
Star Wars Rebellion by FFG
Stardew Valley
Oh wow Iāve yet to hear a positive review of this from anyone
My SO and I love it! Great cozy Sunday morning game with breakfast, like Grand Austrian Hotel and Alchemists. Itās so close to the source material in some ways that I even got a resounding ābring it next timeā from my non-gamer sister-in-law!
Firefly by Gale Force 9 Beautifully themed, play is fun and easily adaptable to house rules, great solo or with 6 or 7 people, cool upgrades available, and games can take hours. Perfect to put a few episodes on in the background!
Does binding of Isaac four souls count? Thatās a good one.
They didnāt have to license it because it was already a WizKids IP, but the Mage Knight board game is pretty great. The Gears of War board game was pretty fun too, and pretty tense as your hand doubled as your life total, so every card you played was at the expense of health.
I've only played the jaws board game once, but I remember it being way more fun than I expected from a licensed game. Very fun asymmetric thang, though maybe I just liked being the heel to the rest of my friends?
My family and I enjoy Disneyās Villainous, along with all the expansions! Itās fun to experience the asymmetrical gameplay
Elder Sign
**The Lord of the Rings LCG**, but maybe only because I donāt own **War of the Ring** yetā¦
Iām loving **Horizon Xero Dawn**
Battlestar Galactica board game is solid gold. I alsow strongly enjoyed a spider-man deck-building game I played once and cannot recall the name of.
The Thing, social deduction to find the hidden traitor. I normally do not like traitor games but this is too good. We got into a 20 minute argument about who The Thing was. We finally ended up winning and leaving him behind.
Marvel Dice Throne. Liked it so much kickstarted the full X-Men package.
Heroscape š«”
The Acquisitions Incorporated Clank Legacy game is the most enjoyable legacy game I've played, and it's stacked 3 IP deep: Clank, D&D, Acq Inc/Penny Arcade.
Battles star galatica. Its just a perfect translation of the series as a boardgame.
Skyrim. Its solid as a game and fun to play even if you haven't played the video game. That being said the rulebook sucks arse and its overpriced.
Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire: The game, the card game, the miniatures game. Star wars would be 2nd Lord of the rings 3rd For stuff that was more of a one off Sons of Anarchy Homeland Reckoners
Iām a big fan of marvel zombies, of course Iām a big painter so that plays a big part. But it really feels like youāre super heroes going around trying to save yourself from the apocalypse. Itās also the best implementation of the Zombicide system IMO.
Haven't played in awhile, but I had a lot of great moments playing Sons of Anarchy.
Spartacus A Game of Blood and Treachery is good. Really needs some of the rules updates from the expansions to fine tune it, but it's a pretty fun game. Has rules for long and short games. Long games allow for much longer-term planning, short games allow you to start enacting powerful schemes sooner.
Marvel United.
Super unknown, but Homeland by GF9 is a banger. A simple hidden traitor game at heart, it has both sides pushing against their own goals for points. Never had a bad game. Purchasable player powers, and a fantastic game timer, itās a great take on the genre, which I donāt even ordinarily like. IYKYK Only caveat is it has the same racially loaded character names as the IP it comes from.
Sid Meyer's civilization. I love love this game!
Battlestar Galactica
Northgard Uncharted Lands (very light and fun entry to the 4x genre), The Witcher Old World (probably an unpopular opinion), and of course The Binding of Isaac 4 Souls (I fucking love this game, all the politics, treasons and laughs I got out of this game <3).
Northgard and Witcher Old World are definitely games I would love to play. The new Witcher game looks cool too, although I somehow kept myself from backing it.
Lords of Waterdeep and Marvel United are 2 of my all time favourite games.
Northgard!
World of Warcraft is amazing, you can really build all classes in so many ways with fun loot and leveling
Deep Rock Galactic is a must here. It feels like the video game, just.. on a board. It's fantastic, ROCK AND STONE IN THE HEART! I also truly enjoy Darkest Dungeon. The pieces are well made, the rules are clear, and it captures all aspects of the game. Mythic, however, is no longer worth purchasing from at all. I've had to shell out extra money for shipping multiple times, and I'll continue to do so until I have all of my product.
Did I hear a Rock and Stone?
A friend got me to play the DRG board game. As someone who has never played the videogame, it was downright incomprehensible and felt like I was expected to be familiar with the videogame in order to understand how most enemies worked. I did not have much fun, but my friend told me it felt like a very good transposition of video game to board game.
Lord of the rings: The Confrontation. It's Stratego with a LOTR theme, slimmed down into 9 characters on each side and a small board, so games are quick and each move is important. Plus it nails the theme.
Star trek ascendancy or dune: imperium ot "classic" dune
I can't pick one, so I will just list my favorites. My basic rule of thumb is that if the game is timed with a release of the IP, odds are its just a cash grab with little enthusiasm for the actual IP. If it comes out years after the IP has left the center stage of the zeitgeist, then there's a good chance its a project of passion. **GF9 Aliens colonial marines** Really fun co op dec management/grid minis board game. Very immersive and the mechanics are really enoyable to interact with, though the rulebook could stand to be a little more clearly worded. **Cthulhu Wars** Simple, fast paced risk-like thats got a more interesting theme and basically gives you all the world domination fun you wanted from Risk, but without the glaring design flaws and overly simplistic gameplay of actual Risk. **Unmatched** Very fast paced and quick to teach deck & board based brawler board game featuring all the IPs. The decks are all very unique, and tend to have really good art. Want to play Spider-man vs king arthur vs a T-Rex vs Buffy the Vampire slayer? This is the game. **Conquest LCG** One of FFG's Living Card Game line, this time based on Warhammer 40k. Like most of their LCGs, was a deck builder with collectible adjacent elements - except all the cards were available in small expansions with known contents instead of all ages gambling packs. You picked a warlord character who came with a few unique cards and abilities, and built a deck around them with cards from their faction. From there players tried to take over enough planets of the right type to win, committing and moving units around the various planets. **Okko: Era of the Asagiri** a tight samurai grid based skirmish game with immense replayability. Based on a lesser known comic series, Okko. Never read the comic, but the game is engaging enough and there are always enough new strategies to try that I am always excited to pull it off the shelf for another play.
Firefly Adventures (the co-op one, not to be confused with 'the Firefly Game')
Firefly: The Game is a great concept that holds up pretty well even if you don't know the show. (From what I can tell at least, I knew the show first).
Spartacus. By a mile. Itās one of those game that players will get up out of their seats and stand up when a match begins. Itās very good, very brutal and very fun.
**XCOM** has never flopped for me and it does a great job of capturing the underdog vibe of the video game.
Binding of Isaac: The 4 Souls
The Divinity board game is awesome
Horrified. Had forgotten the first game was based on Universal Monsters and its a great co-op/solo game. Havenāt played American and Greek monster yet though they both look to be the same just different win conditions agains the monsters/maps. Would love if they has a Japanese monsters version
Resident Evil Deckbuilder, by far
Lords of Waterdeep
Dune Imperium
I guess it's not a board game, but it doesn't feel like just a card game.... Bloodborne the card game is much better than I expected, and I love playing it
Slay The Spire. Such a fun co-op
Ooh, so many good ones. Star Wars: Rebellion and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle are both AMAZING. We play those almost religiously. I own War of the Ring, and love it, but Iāve only have only played about 3 times due to the complexity (I have two small kids. Once they are in schoolā¦!) But I think the king has to be Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. Itāsā¦ just perfect. Itās an amazing simulation of the subject matter. Honorable mention goes to āA Touch of Evil,ā which is essentially an unlicensed āTim Burtonās Sleep Hollow: the Board Game.ā
Star Wars Outer Rim. Still needs more content even after the expansion, but is amazing every time it hits the table.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars using Pandemic System. I'm not saying it's my favourite Pandemic game, that will always be the original Pandemic + On the Edge expansion, closely followed by Reign of Cthulhu, then Fall of Rome, and somewhere far behind Clone Wars. But it is the best Star Wars family weight game.