chemslayer

Not really, there's an older angel and we just got OTJ Jace that both care about turn #, and the mentioned Gemstone Mine for starting player. Really this was probably just acorn for power reasons, an evolving wilds that either scries or untaps probably isn't broken but could be

I play it on the deck all the time and it's fine, graphics turned down to potato but they still look decent, and the FPS stays good in all but the most insane of situations (I play on difficulty 8/9, so I'm experiencing the most enemies possible). Only "hard" part is there's no aim assist for controller so the high precision weapons like snipers are harder to use, but that doesn't stop me from trying haha

They are definitely called workers in the version I have from 2015 or so, must've been a change they made soon after release

And isn't the price much higher etc...

Haha, I did have that exact thought when I was posting 😅 Although imo the barrier to entry is lower for the base game, and once I know I like a game I don't mind spending, so that's my idea behind it.

I did bounce off AHLCG the first time, and even sold it off. The "starter decks" they give you are god-awful and it really does feel like you're at the mercy of random bullshit, but once you learn enough to deckbuild half decently (or look up the "better starting decks" published on Arkhamdb) the game feels much more rewarding, and the amount of nonsense you can get up to is amazing. There's still the occasional bad luck (it is Arkham after all), but the game and strategy feels much more in your hands.

Didn't even think of trying Spirit Island on TTS, maybe I'll give that a go to see how I like it!

Haven't tried Spirit Island yet! To be honest, the big price tag kind of scares me from casually trying it(esp since I hear the consensus is you want the branch & claw xpacs too to really make it great).

It might be cheating since it is only sorta a board game, but my favorite is the Arkham Horror LCG. So much content, each campaign has its own quirks and twists, and the deckbuilsing is incredibly deep, especially with the experience leveling up system. One of my favorite board games overall

Not personally a fan of 7 Wonders, while I enjoy drafting as a mechanic I don't feel like it has enough heft to make an entire game out of it.

I LOVE 7 Wonders duel! The gameplay and decision trees get really interesting, and especially playing against the same opponent repeatedly whole metas and strategies develop and get beat and repeat. Never tried the xpacs, as I feel the base game is so tight and interesting and I worry about adding extra bloat into such a lean system

Ooo tough choice! I'd go with either Prosperity or Dark Ages, for complete opposite reasons.

Prosperity has a lot more support for "big" plays (big money, big actions, big engines), along with platinums and colonies, so it can be a lot of fun to get up to much more nonsense than usual.

Dark Ages on the other hand, lends itself to more grindy, clever engines. The themes of trash value, as well as low-cost stuff and ruins, really lets you get into the mud and grind a pile of dirt until it miraculously creates gold. The addition of shelters to replace the starting estates is really fun too, and gives the starting deck a little more oomph and utility.

Back to the wall, I guess I'd pick Dark Ages, as I love me a battle of attrition. But either of these are great, and tbh any of the original expansions are wonderful! (I can't give an opinion on the new age expansions since I own none of them)

Knocked out some Dominion! I have all the original cycle expansion, plus the 2nd edition updates. First game was crazy, Platinums/Colonies, Tiara, Pirate, Tide Pools, all lead to crazy and big plays. Second game was grindy as hell, only trashing was Lookout and Jack of All Trades, and only draw or action engine was doing nonsense with Trail. First game I got to try Tournament though, which is a really interesting power-curve throughout a game.

Comfort is my #1. I gave away my gaming PC because being able to play games on the couch, or in my bed, or outside on the hammock is fantastic.

Next is portability. Not only for the above, but the ability to travel and everything without compromising my gaming ability is huge. It's helped my homebody self get out and visit more interesting places, since I have the comfort blanket of my games with me.

Controls are third. The medley of buttons handles so much, and the dual track pads are both versatile and make typing at reasonable speeds possible. Plus the ability to remap anything and to make virtual menus has made features that wouldn't be accessible on normal controllers very easy.

Right?? I'm so mad the "trade row" style of Ascension is what took off instead of the "market" style of Dominion. It makes sense from a developer side as it's much easier to just make a stack of cards and let the variance balance the powerful stuff for you, but the ability and satisfaction to make long-term strategies makes market superior to me IMO.

If you haven't heard of it Aeons End is another fun deckbuilder that uses market-type randomization. It's cooperative and features enemies so it's not too similar to Dominion, but it's a fun time!

You are not alone

My my, how ominous 😶

Actual answer, first game would be Dominion (assuming I can bring my xpacs): tons of variety, is just fun, and in extremis it's a lot of kindling if it comes to it 🔥

For my second answer, I'm going to say Mage Knight. It's long and in-depth, has several game modes including both co-op and competitive, and if my islandmates are too concerned with stuff like "finding food" the solo is fantastic. This is a true island game, as I never play it usually, but with nothing to do and infinite time it seems perfect