Buy Settlers Of Catan

Long John Silver:

Have you tried these games?

Descent: Journeys in the Dark – A tile-based board game in which one player plays the part of the monsters in a dungeon and the other players play the adventurers in search of treasure. Tile pieces allow the players to build any type of dungeon they want, and there are several good dungeon maps included in the base set and each expansion. This is the closest you will ever come to a role-playing adventure game like Dungeons & Dragons. The learning curve is very high, however, and games generally last many hours, so dedication is important.

Dominion – A card game with a medieval theme. Each player starts with a small deck of cards, and tries to build his or her deck during the game with more powerful cards that make the deck work better. Everyone has access to the same pool of cards, so no one has an advantage. Players must eventually collect cards worth victory points, and in the end these victory points are all that count. The player with the most victory points in his or her deck at the end of the game wins. Of course, the VP cards do absolutely nothing during the game except take up space in your deck. Definitely a great strategy card game, and the rules are fairly easy to learn.

Return of the Heroes – An adventure game in the style of Talisman in which characters move around a tile-based board and complete quests to earn rewards. Each player must complete his or her main quest before taking on the boss monster. The player who defeats the boss wins.

Runebound – An excellent board game in which players play adventurers who roam the countryside in search of fame, fortune and adventure. Game mechanics include weapons, armor, other helpful items, movement restrictions, combat against various monsters on four different difficulty levels, and an ultimate quest the players have to complete to win. Despite the detail of this game, the rules aren’t too difficult to learn. There are plenty of expansion sets available in case you get bored with the base game.

Smallworld – A fantasy-themed game in which various races of humanoids (dwarves, elves, trolls, etc.) fight among each other for control of a finite land mass. Each player plays a different race of people with different abilities, but as races go into decline, players will take on the role of a different race. Players score points depending on how much land they control and sometimes depending on the different abilities their particular race possesses.

Thunderstone – Another fantasy-based card game in which players build their decks with more powerful cards so they can take on the monsters in the dungeon. Each monster is worth victory points depending on how powerful they are. Game mechanics such as leveling up characters, buying weapons, and bringing enough sources of light to be able to see in the dungeon (not enough light brings penalties in combat) are all represented in the cards.

These ought to keep you busy for a while. – LJS

LudoRex:

I don’t roleplay but if I did I would choose GURPS by Steve Jackson Games. The game is now in its fourth edition so all the kniks have been worked out. It is supported by its publisher with dozens of world books covering all genres: fantasy, westerns, super heroes, science fiction, etc. You can even sample the game for free by downloading GURPS Lite here: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/