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As with many games of this type, epic gameplay comes with complexity, a learning curve and long play sessions. Anyone know of boardgames that deliver something

As with many games of this type, epic gameplay comes with complexity, a learning curve and long play sessions. Anyone know of boardgames that deliver something big from a minimal set of rules and items? I wouldn't mind exploring a dungeon in 10-15 minutes with a random stranger on a train.

tomkha 9y ago
"Belying the imposing double-sided and icon-laden player aids, the gameplay of The 7th Continent is so straightforward that you could start a new player off with almost no explanation. Do an action, draw some cards, see what happens next."
- JohnKacz 9y ago
  And the mechanism of being able to save a game solves the long play time problem assuming you could continue to play other times with the same person(s).
hellbanner 9y ago
You're probably better off asking & browsing on http://boardgamegeek.com/ http://boardgamegeek.com/ . You can filter by playtime, mechanics.
dep_b 9y ago
We play 7 Wonders with a lot of new players. "Play a card every round" isn't too hard to explain. Just make sure you're using the vanilla wonders not the ones with complex bonuses. More than once new players could win their first game. There's a Duel version for random strangers on trains and such.
- soneca 9y ago
  I played 7 Wonders Duel and it is not that simple. Maybe the mechanics, but you have to have at least an idea of what strategy and tactics to use for it to be any fun
  - dep_b 9y ago
    No experience yet with the Duel variety. Regular 7 Wonders would be one age of explanation, then the second age without explaining and finally some explanation around the Guild cards again by the third age. The second game would be without explanation.
headcanon 9y ago
It seems this one would be what you would want - you simply draw a card and perform the action it says. Discover the game as you go - sounds simple enough to me.
soneca 9y ago
For the use case of playing on a train, if it is literal, you should play a board game that doesn't need a board. A great one IMO is "Hive". It is abstract, so no story or narrative, but it is easy to learn the moves, very portable, easy to play on any surface and can be very deep in its strategy.
dec0dedab0de 9y ago
Check out Forbidden Desert, it seems complicated at first, but one person who knows the rules is enough to get everyone going right away.
- jamesrcole 9y ago
  but not something for "10-15 minutes with a random stranger on a train". From memory games of it take more like an hour, and you need a reasonable-sized flat surface to arrange tiles and other components on. https://boardgamegeek.com/image/1660694 https://boardgamegeek.com/image/1660694 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136063/forbidden-desert https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136063/forbidden-desert
scj 9y ago
I haven't played this, but given the title, you might want to look at Five Minute Dungeon. Tiny Epic * (there are several games in the series) might be good. Although it does not meet your time requirements, it has few pieces and is portable. The random stranger part is tough though. Even simple games take minutes to explain (Hive is an example another user gave, which is a great portable game, but it would take about 5ish minutes to explain the rules). It is also likely that you'll win any competitive games against a new player. Much as I want to promote board games, if you are looking for portable fast games, the app store is probably going to serve you better.
canremember 9y ago
Honestly, chess fits your description perfectly. Easy to learn the rules, rich gameplay, and easy to play on the go.
chitresh 9y ago
Can't say that it delivers big, but the game Jaipur[1] can be fun. It is a two player game, takes about 20 mins and the rules are simple enough to be explained in under two minutes. As for the items - it uses cards and coins and shouldn't be too hard to handle on a train. [1]: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54043/jaipur https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54043/jaipur
tom_usher 9y ago
I've not come across anything that I would call 'epic' from a minimal set of rules, but some of my favourites that you can throw in your bag, teach in 2 minutes and play in 15: Welcome to the Dungeon/Dungeon of Mandom - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150312/welcome-dungeon https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150312/welcome-dungeon Love Letter - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129622/love-letter https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129622/love-letter Hanabi - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi No Thanks - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12942/no-thanks https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12942/no-thanks Archaeology - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191300/archaeology-new-expedition https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191300/archaeology-new-e... Linko/Abluxxen - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153065/linko https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153065/linko
adamredwoods 9y ago
If you're looking for a "dungeon crawler" that plays quickly, check out: Dungeon Roll https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/138788/dungeon-roll https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/138788/dungeon-roll Dungeon Dice https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136192/dungeon-dice https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136192/dungeon-dice 5-minute Dungeon https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/207830/5-minute-dungeon https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/207830/5-minute-dung... Pathfinder: The Card Game (although a bit long) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133038/pathfinder-adventure-card-game-rise-runelords-base https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133038/pathfinder-advent... Shadowscape https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/200359/shadowscape https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/200359/shadowscape Dungeon Twister https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144525/dungeon-twister-card-game https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144525/dungeon-twister-c...
- UweSchmidt 9y ago
  Thanks for your, and everyone else's, replies, I'll check them all out!
- JoshTriplett 9y ago
  Seconding Dungeon Roll. It can be played solo, but it's a lot of fun with 2-3 people. (With more, it gets rather boring for anyone not either playing or running the dungeon.)

tomkha 9y ago

"Belying the imposing double-sided and icon-laden player aids, the gameplay of The 7th Continent is so straightforward that you could start a new player off with almost no explanation. Do an action, draw some cards, see what happens next."

JohnKacz 9y ago
And the mechanism of being able to save a game solves the long play time problem assuming you could continue to play other times with the same person(s).

hellbanner 9y ago

You're probably better off asking & browsing on http://boardgamegeek.com/ http://boardgamegeek.com/ . You can filter by playtime, mechanics.

dep_b 9y ago

We play 7 Wonders with a lot of new players. "Play a card every round" isn't too hard to explain. Just make sure you're using the vanilla wonders not the ones with complex bonuses. More than once new players could win their first game. There's a Duel version for random strangers on trains and such.

soneca 9y ago
I played 7 Wonders Duel and it is not that simple. Maybe the mechanics, but you have to have at least an idea of what strategy and tactics to use for it to be any fun
- dep_b 9y ago
  No experience yet with the Duel variety. Regular 7 Wonders would be one age of explanation, then the second age without explaining and finally some explanation around the Guild cards again by the third age. The second game would be without explanation.

headcanon 9y ago

It seems this one would be what you would want - you simply draw a card and perform the action it says. Discover the game as you go - sounds simple enough to me.

soneca 9y ago

For the use case of playing on a train, if it is literal, you should play a board game that doesn't need a board. A great one IMO is "Hive". It is abstract, so no story or narrative, but it is easy to learn the moves, very portable, easy to play on any surface and can be very deep in its strategy.

dec0dedab0de 9y ago

Check out Forbidden Desert, it seems complicated at first, but one person who knows the rules is enough to get everyone going right away.

jamesrcole 9y ago
but not something for "10-15 minutes with a random stranger on a train". From memory games of it take more like an hour, and you need a reasonable-sized flat surface to arrange tiles and other components on. https://boardgamegeek.com/image/1660694 https://boardgamegeek.com/image/1660694 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136063/forbidden-desert https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136063/forbidden-desert

scj 9y ago

I haven't played this, but given the title, you might want to look at Five Minute Dungeon. Tiny Epic * (there are several games in the series) might be good. Although it does not meet your time requirements, it has few pieces and is portable. The random stranger part is tough though. Even simple games take minutes to explain (Hive is an example another user gave, which is a great portable game, but it would take about 5ish minutes to explain the rules). It is also likely that you'll win any competitive games against a new player. Much as I want to promote board games, if you are looking for portable fast games, the app store is probably going to serve you better.

canremember 9y ago

Honestly, chess fits your description perfectly. Easy to learn the rules, rich gameplay, and easy to play on the go.

chitresh 9y ago

Can't say that it delivers big, but the game Jaipur[1] can be fun. It is a two player game, takes about 20 mins and the rules are simple enough to be explained in under two minutes. As for the items - it uses cards and coins and shouldn't be too hard to handle on a train. [1]: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54043/jaipur https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54043/jaipur

tom_usher 9y ago

I've not come across anything that I would call 'epic' from a minimal set of rules, but some of my favourites that you can throw in your bag, teach in 2 minutes and play in 15: Welcome to the Dungeon/Dungeon of Mandom - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150312/welcome-dungeon https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150312/welcome-dungeon Love Letter - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129622/love-letter https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129622/love-letter Hanabi - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi No Thanks - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12942/no-thanks https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12942/no-thanks Archaeology - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191300/archaeology-new-expedition https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191300/archaeology-new-e... Linko/Abluxxen - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153065/linko https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153065/linko

adamredwoods 9y ago

If you're looking for a "dungeon crawler" that plays quickly, check out: Dungeon Roll https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/138788/dungeon-roll https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/138788/dungeon-roll Dungeon Dice https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136192/dungeon-dice https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136192/dungeon-dice 5-minute Dungeon https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/207830/5-minute-dungeon https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/207830/5-minute-dung... Pathfinder: The Card Game (although a bit long) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133038/pathfinder-adventure-card-game-rise-runelords-base https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133038/pathfinder-advent... Shadowscape https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/200359/shadowscape https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/200359/shadowscape Dungeon Twister https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144525/dungeon-twister-card-game https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144525/dungeon-twister-c...

UweSchmidt 9y ago
Thanks for your, and everyone else's, replies, I'll check them all out!
JoshTriplett 9y ago
Seconding Dungeon Roll. It can be played solo, but it's a lot of fun with 2-3 people. (With more, it gets rather boring for anyone not either playing or running the dungeon.)