Had a fun afternoon playing various games with my group yesterday. Initial thoughts on each (links are to Boardgamegeek):
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Skull & Roses. Simple gambling game with agonising decisions. Definitely a good filler with simple rules and a lot of stress for the players. I folded far too often.
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Samuri Spirit. Co-op game. We're all samuaris saving a village from evil ninjas. If you get two wounds you transmogrify to your power animal (I went for the bear, obviously) for extra strength. Great opportunities for co-operation and sharing of powers to those who need them, but despite our best efforts the village was still overrun by the bad people. Oh well.
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Secret Hitler. Variant of the 'Resistance' mechanic with a president choosing a chancellor and the players voting on that combination. If approved, the pres draws three policy cards, discards one, and hands the other two to the chancellor to decide which to enact. Policies are either 'liberal' or 'fascist' - you need 6 liberal ones for freedom to triumph. One player is Hitler but he doesn't know who his fellow fascists are. He can also seize power and win. I didn't fall asleep, but everybody wrongly thought I was Adolph. Must speak up more.
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Spyfall. I like this. Everyone's in the same location with a particular role, expect for the spy. For instance, the location is 'beach' and my role is 'lifeguard'. Each player asks questions and answers in character trying to work out who is the spy. The spy has to work out where everyone is. Rounds are timed to 8 minutes. This could work at Cottage or on the board, with suitable amendments.
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Formula D. Roll-and-move racing game. Change gears for to go faster (ie, use larger dice) but be careful you don't damage your wheels, engine, suspension, or gears as you take damage around the track. Within seven people it was surprisingly fun and tense.