I want to buy a new strategy board game. Recommendations?

Question

Caylus and Agricola sound interesting but I know very little about either.

Answer 1

Research the games at boardgamegeek.com and get input from many other gamers.

Without knowing what other strategy games you own, my first recommendation would be Puerto Rico.  It is highly rated and 100% strategy.

Research highly rated games based on mechanism.  For example, area control games like El Grande and Age of Empires III are very good, if you like the mechanism.

I love many strategy games but found Caylus to be somewhat convoluted.

Answer 2

It would help if we knew what kind of games you like...  do you like deep, heavy games? Do you prefer short or long?

Do you play with other gamers, or are your friends non-gamers?

With a bit more info, we could give more meaningful answers.

PS.. Caylus and Agricola are both great games.

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Instead of Caylus, you could try Pillars Of The Earth. It has some similarities to Caylus, but is less complicated, and much shorter.

Other games you may like are:

Puerto Rico (A classic - Looks more complicated than it is)

San Juan (card game version of Puerto Rico)

Power Grid (Remarkable game - Lots of little rules and steps to keep track of, though)

Alhambra (A good tile laying game - works best with 3)

Elasund ( A spin off from Settlers Of Catan - Very confrontational - A little tougher to learn, but well worth it)

Ra (One of the best auction games - Plays well to 5 players)

Blue Moon City ( Works well from 2 to 4 players - Beautiful graphics too)

Acquire (The best finance game. Found companies, then profit when they merge with bigger companies - A classic)

Finally, have a look at www.boardgamegeek.com

Any game in the top 50 is worth a look

Hope that helps!

Answer 3

Puerto Rico is one of the highest rated games on boardgamegeek.com.

But be warned:  I tried this game and did not enjoy it.  it is complex.  If you like complexity it may be up your alley.

Carcassonne is an excellent game and has plenty of expansions if you get tired of the vanilla version.  Thurn and Taxis is also a lot of fun, as is If Wishes were Fishes.

Answer 4

Power Grid is a favorite of mine.  It's a bit meatier then St. Pete and SoC, but it's not really that hard.  It would probably also be faster with only three players.

Answer 5

I can recommend Swarm. A set with 2-player, 3-player, and 6-player boards is only $20.00 plus shipping.  Swarm is an abstract strategy game with easy rules (you can learn the basics in 5 minutes). Pieces stack and unstack on strategically placed spaces to allow players to increase their defense, or mount an all-out attack.  For your group the 3-player board would be great.  If you are near Fort Wayne IN, it can be found at "The Keep."  More info can be found at the links listed.

Answer 6

Sure. Everyone talks about Boardgame Geek but who will provide a link? http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browser.php...

Answer 7

I will start with Twlight Imperium as my suggestion for your next investment! Playability is great and strategey is in every step. Each game the board and results will be different and then add the expansion once you are comfortable.

Otherwise pop over to BoardgamesRus starting with strategey games from AvalonHill (before Hasbro), then 3M games.

BoardgamesRus has great condition older versions and out-of-print games. I would also suggest Ebay for SPI Games as well as more Avalon Hill games....but again watch out for shabby remakes under the same Title put out by Hasbro after they bought up the rights to both these and many other companies.

http://boardgamesRus.com

Answer 8

Caylus and Agricola sound interesting

chess ,carums ...........