The NEW New Boardgames Thread

[crazy canuck]

Agreed! that would be very interesting.

[Oexmelin]

Any recommendation for a three player board game? It's not a frequent player count in my group.

[The Brain]

Any recommendation for a three player board game? It's not a frequent player count in my group.

Generally for three players I think coop (or semi-coop) is a good choice, if the group enjoys such games.

[frunk]

The two that come to mind for me are Maria and End of the Triumvirate.

[Darth Wagtaros]

King of Tokyo?

[The Minsky Moment]

WW2 strat games can usually be divided Allies, Axis, Soviet.  Anything from Quartermaster General to World in Flames.  Triumph & Tragedy and Churchill are both recent releases tuned for 3.

[Oexmelin]

Maria is a great game, and great idea - but with this specific configuration of players, we tend to focus more on different styles/types. 

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Maria gets more play with students, because it's mostly young men who join our historical board game nights. This group is faculty (usually 4 or 5), and it's usually made up of specialists of much older periods (and, in fact, a majority of women), who tend to get less interested by WW2 or, indeed, wargames: two archeologists, a specialist of 20th century women's history, a medievalist, and I. I've had a lot more success with economic conflicts or competition envisioned in a different "way" (e.g. Tammany Hall, Hansa Teutonica) but I am unsure how these play at 3 players. Maybe Inis?

Interestingly, it was the same back in the US, albeit with a different group of faculty + their partners. As a result, I tend to have very few WW2 games. It may indeed reflect the relative indifference towards military history in academia.

[Oexmelin]

End of the Triumvirate[/url].

I've been meaning to try that. No one in our group owns it though.

[frunk]

Hansa Teutonica works fine at 3 players.  I don't really like the game but I've played it with 3 and it works just as well as with more.

Other ideas:
Indonesia
Slay the Spire: The Board Game - Only if everyone has played the computer game, otherwise there will be way too many concepts to explain.
Revive, Ark Nova - I think both of these are better with 3 than 4, way too slow at 4.

Most Tom Lehman games work well at 3 player, Race for the Galaxy, Dice Realms, Res Arcana, Phoenicia.
Phoenicia is unique in that it's an auction game that works well over its full player count range (2-5).

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Maria gets more play with students, because it's mostly young men who join our historical board game nights. This group is faculty (usually 4 or 5), and it's usually made up of specialists of much older periods (and, in fact, a majority of women), who tend to get less interested by WW2 or, indeed, wargames: two archeologists, a specialist of 20th century women's history, a medievalist, and I. I've had a lot more success with economic conflicts or competition envisioned in a different "way" (e.g. Tammany Hall, Hansa Teutonica) but I am unsure how these play at 3 players. Maybe Inis?

Manifest Destiny might be a good choice then.  I haven't played it yet, though, since I can't find two other people willing to.

[bogh]

Triumph & Tragedy is fun (it sort of breaks at some point, but until then).

Brotherhood & Unity depicts the three way conflict between Serbs, Croats and Muslims in Bosnia. Highly recommended.

[Oexmelin]

Triumph & Tragedy is fun (it sort of breaks at some point, but until then).

Brotherhood & Unity depicts the three way conflict between Serbs, Croats and Muslims in Bosnia. Highly recommended.

Thanks! We have a lecturer whose PhD thesis was on the war in Yugoslavia. I think she'll be eager to try.

[Oexmelin]

Hansa Teutonica works fine at 3 players.  I don't really like the game but I've played it with 3 and it works just as well as with more.

Other ideas:
Indonesia
Slay the Spire: The Board Game - Only if everyone has played the computer game, otherwise there will be way too many concepts to explain.
Revive, Ark Nova - I think both of these are better with 3 than 4, way too slow at 4.

Most Tom Lehman games work well at 3 player, Race for the Galaxy, Dice Realms, Res Arcana, Phoenicia.
Phoenicia is unique in that it's an auction game that works well over its full player count range (2-5).

Thanks!

[bogh]

Brotherhood & Unity plays really well and has lots of historical interesting bits. Designed by a local with a very strong grasp of the war and some of its peculiar dynamics.

Pax Pamir plays well with three as well. And again with a slightly esoteric theme.

[Darth Wagtaros]

I almost wanna play this. But not enough to actually play it.