Board Gaming - Codenames, Star Fluxx and Coup
I've got a few small games for you today. All of these are shorter and filler style games, though depending on your group could be the gaming component of a non-gaming based gathering.
Codenames
Codenames is a quite fun game where 2 teams attempt to discover which of the words their leader is trying to get them to select. It has a spy theme to it, and the words are supposed to be the codenames that the agents are hiding under, and the 2 teams are racing to discover their assigned set of agents to uncover, without uncovering the assassin, and preferably without finding too many civilians also.
Set up for the first round we played
The theme is fine, but it is pretty much just pasted onto the game. A leader for each team knows the map and can only speak when it's their turn to give a clue, and then should only say the single word clue, and a number. The team mates then discuss what they're thinking and make a decision on which words the leader is meaning, while the other team (not their leader) give 'helpful' suggestions to distract them, even though the other team have no more idea which words are being referred to so could be actually helping, or just distracting.
about half way through the round with both teams having found 4 of their targets
With the right group of people, this game is a lot of fun, and can get quite noisy. I've not had any groups where it didn't work, but some were less enthusiastic about it than others, which can make it less enjoyable as a whole.
It plays 2 teams, and while it can work with just 4 players (2 per team), it's far better with more. I think 4 or 5 per team is best.
Star Fluxx
Fluxx is a card game with changing rules and goals. A game of it can take between 1 turn and over an hour, and is quite a chaotic and random game.
Star Fluxx adds a space theme to it, using imagery that refers to many of the space based science fiction and fantasy worlds, including Doctor Who and Star Trek. I think it does the best job of applying a theme to the game of any of the themed versions, not changing the game much at all, while having something different to offer, such as some equipment that gives special powers, and creepers (bad things) that affect the equipment so it's no longer functioning.
my keepers at some point in the game. The pink Goal "We need more power" wants an energy crystal and an engineer. Current rules are Draw 4, Play 1.
At the start of the game everyone has a hand of 3 cards, and the rules are 'draw 1, play 1'. There are many cards that change the amount you draw, play, and limits on things like hand size, or the amount of keepers you can have. Initially there isn't a goal at all, but once one appears, it will tell you what you need to win. Usually it's 2 specific keepers, but sometimes it's 2 from this group, or occasionally a keeper and a creeper. Unless a creeper is needed for the goal, you can't win with one, even if you have the other requirements, so they're mostly bad to have.
It's a fun, usually quick, and very light game
A selection of cards from the deck
Coup
As much as I'm not a fan of these style of games, I keep playing them as so many other people like them. I also seem to be enjoying them more than I used to, but still wouldn't choose to play them when there is time for something else, but because they take <10 minutes a round, they're often filler at the end of a session.
In coup, you have leadership roles, ranging from a duke, to a captain, to a contessa. You start the game with 2 roles, and you just do an action which implies what role you are claiming to have, such as I take tax (3 coins), which implies that you are a duke. Anyone can challenge you for this action. If you were lying you discard one of your roles. If you were telling the truth, you show the role and they discard one of their roles. You then add your discovered role to the remaining deck and draw a new role.
If you ever have 10 or more coins, you have to stage a coup, by which you pay 7 coins and kill someone's role. You can choose to do this once you can afford it also, but early on it's more likely you'll get to 10 than stage an early coup.
When both your roles are eliminated, you are out of the game, and when only 1 player has any roles remaining, they win.
Previous Board Gaming Posts
Ticket to Ride: Europe
Clank and Tiny Epic Quest
Dungeon Petz
Paperback and Alhambra
Concordia and Barenpark
Zombicide and Mall of Horror
DC Deck Builder and Machi Koro
Lords of Waterdeep and Once you go Blackmail
Medici, Head Chef and Splendor
Hmm... Codenames sounds like it could be interesting. We have Coup and Regular Show Fluxx and those are both good games, but I haven't played Codenames before. They do sell it in our local games shop though (where they actually have board games nights too - that's how I discovered this side of board games in the first place - there's a lot more out there than what you see if you only see the sorts of board games in the shops that sell everything rather than just games).
Have you played Avalon? That's a good one if you like stuff like Coup with a bit of bluffing, lying and deceit. You need at least 5 people to play Avalon though, unlike Coup.
Absolutely. Some of the 'sells everything' places have started having some newer games, but only ones that have hit some critical level of popularity and often staying power. Specialist games stores are far better sources for what games are out there, and many have games nights too, or can let you know where some local games nights are.
I have played Avalon, but like I said in the Coup section, they're not my sort of game. They do fill in a bit of time though, which can be useful.