Desert Island Games...

Just to get a sense of what everyone's fave game is...

Imagine you're stuck on a desert island; you have food, drink, shelter, and friends. What one single game would you take with you, to occupy your time until rescue?

X-Wing! Obv

Same question applies to X-Wing and Netrunner, and many others: can you take every part of the game ie. all expansions, cards/ships etc., or just one box of the stuff eg. the core sets?

I was assuming I could. Would not be worth it for just the core set. I'd have to construct the rest out of sticks

Interesting question! It would depend a bit on which friends I was with... I suppose I'd want something with significant replayability. The kind of things that come to mind for that are Dominion, Trains and Betrayal at House on the Hill. On the other hand, perhaps it would be my only opportunity to play some significantly long games (that I haven't found time for in life so far) like Through The Ages, Twilight Imperium or even Risk Legacy. And, of course, thematically the best choice would be Robinson Crusoe!

But, at the moment, I think my choice would be Sentinel Tactics. I haven't played it a great deal yet (hoping to change that in the new year) but I really enjoy the systems it has going on for powers and combat and there are plenty of scenarios to while away many a day hiding from the sun.

Probably X-wing for me as well (assuming I can have all of it). Just has the most re-play value. But, as Paul says, would very much depend on who i was with. Badgering my friends to play X-wing for eternity would be no fun at all :-(

I would normally have said Avalon. However, if we include them, with the new KS expansions, I think it would have to be The Resistance for me (though I actually prefer the Aurthurian theme).

To take the question as "what game could you play over and over again indefinitely", my answer would be a game you could never stop learning. X-Wing/Netrunner/whatever are of course good choices, but ignoring expandable games and looking at single games that actually come in a single box, you could consider incalculably complex games such as Go, Chess/Shogi, Bridge etc. (games that ask you to read people like Poker or Avalon are also maybe suitable for being "incalculably complex", in a different way). I can't think of any single modern board games I've played at the club that feel like I could play them forever, though.

Maybe something like Advanced Squad Leader is complex enough?

Sam wrote:I can't think of any single modern board games I've played at the club that feel like I could play them forever, though.

It's an interesting point about incalculably complex games. Perhaps the closest are some of Knizia's games like Tigris & Euphrates or Ingenious? Actually, Tash-Kalar looks like it might fall into this category too (but I've not played it yet).

Am I alone on the island?

Good post Sam.

Yeah, games with perhaps fewer, and more simpler rules, but with emergent complexity. That's what really appeals to me. Games like that allows you to use your own creativity to come up with different strategies. I tend not to like games where you need to memorise a lot of different cards etc, much prefer to be given the basic building blocks, if I'm then able to combine them creatively, and try different things etc.

Aneurin wrote:Am I alone on the island?

It's up to you, you can be, or your can have as many people as you like, who are all really cool people, and love playing your favourite games!

Jamie wrote:

Aneurin wrote:Am I alone on the island?

It's up to you, you can be, or your can have as many people as you like, who are all really cool people, and love playing your favourite games!

So the real question is... do I *have* to get rescued from the island?

Well that's easy then - twilight Imperium 3rd edition with 7 other people. That should last until we are rescued. Especially the long game.

Now that's got me thinking, who fancies a game in the new year?

Aneurin wrote:Well that's easy then - twilight Imperium 3rd edition with 7 other people. That should last until we are rescued. Especially the long game.

Now that's got me thinking, who fancies a game in the new year?

It's on my must-play list, so yes! Do I need to attend a 10-week lecture course to learn the rules first?

Aneurin wrote:Well that's easy then - twilight Imperium 3rd edition with 7 other people. That should last until we are rescued. Especially the long game.

Now that's got me thinking, who fancies a game in the new year?

I'd be up for a crack at it

I think for me it might be Once Upon A Time. Although that may be cheating as it's not the game aspect of it (such as there is) that I'd be taking it for, but the infinite stories we would generate with it.

For an actual game game, I'd go with Scrabble or Netrunner (with all the cards ever), because I can't see that I'd ever get to the end of the possibilities with those. With a lot of games, I can see that I could get tired of them if I played them enough, although that's not to say that they're not great anyway. I'm loving Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective but of course I couldn't have it as a desert island game.

Of course Pitchcar would be good, too. Or, depending on who I'm on the island with, Twister.

Race for the Galaxy. I'm not sure it's my favourite game, but I can and have played dozens of games of it in a row without getting bored. In the same way that Terminator 2 isn't my favourite film, but is still the one I'd take to a desert island because I can happily watch it over and over again.

'Now I know why you humans cry' - gets me every time.

Aneurin wrote:Well that's easy then - twilight Imperium 3rd edition with 7 other people. That should last until we are rescued. Especially the long game.

Now that's got me thinking, who fancies a game in the new year?

Looks very interesting, I'd like to give a go too.

PaulG... Can you host 1 weekend in january? Name the date I'll bring the game . It'll take all day... Ive got permission as it's been months since I played last.

It can play 8... So room for more.

I'd take Robinson Crusoe. Not only is it thematically suited and has multiple scenarios but it can be played solo when I've eaten the rest of the castaways, erm, in case the rest of the castaways tragically die or something...

Aneurin wrote:PaulG... Can you host 1 weekend in january? Name the date I'll bring the game . It'll take all day... Ive got permission as it's been months since I played last.

It can play 8... So room for more.

Yes, happy to! The only Jan dates that work for me, though, are either the 10th or 11th. Any good?

BeardyTom wrote:depending on who I'm on the island with, Twister.

Snap.