Thanos Rising
Theme: Thanos is trying to collect the infinity stones he'll use to complete his gauntlet. He and his minions try to destroy heroes and collect stones. Players start with a team captain and try to recruit heroes and defeat villains all while trying to keep Thanos from getting the stones.
Difficulty: Low. This is a great game for beginners, and younger players. That said, my experienced adult gaming group loves this one too.
Mechanics: Dice rolling
My thoughts: This is the game that finally convinced my ten year old to play board games with me. It's very easy to learn, quick to set up, and basically involves rolling a bunch of dice. If you are new to coop games, if you have younger players you want to get involved, or if you want a game that can generally be enjoyed in 45 minutes, this is the one for you. The images on the cards are taken from the Marvel movies, so that adds a fun familiarity that appeals to everyone who plays this game.
Psst... There's also a Harry Potter version called "Death Eaters Rising."
Here's a five minute how to play video to get you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4cGib2lG9A
Horrified
Theme: Hollywood movie monsters are terrorizing a village and you are monster hunters trying to subdue them and save the town.
Difficulty: Low, but adjustable. You can fight one monster or up to four, depending on how confident you are.
Mechanics: RPG-ish. You each choose a character with a different ability and use that ability and your moves to chase down the monsters or save villagers.
My thoughts: This was an impulse buy from Target, and it's now one of the group favorites. Again, this is a simple game to learn, and it doesn't take long to set up. The monsters have different requirement to defeat, so the different combinations make this game a lot of fun. And the colors are beautiful.
Here's a short seven minute how to play video to get you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhP2n9QQ8Hg
Sentinels of the Multiverse
Here's one for the pros.
Theme: Superheros fighting super villains. It's a lot of fun to guess what superhero each character is based off of... (i.e. Guise is definitely not Deadpool, cough, cough)
Difficulty: High-ish. It's not so much that it's difficult, so much as there is a LOT to keep track of. Seriously, between keeping track of damage bumps and reductions, start and end of turn effects, and interruption mechanics, this one is rough. Not hard to understand, just a challenge to track. BUT you can get it on Steam, and the computer will track it for you! Yea!
Mechanics: RPG-ish. Each character has its own deck, and you can play equipments and ongoings in addition to the one-shots you can play. You'll notice a difference someone who favors healing vs someone who concentrates on damage and looks at health as just another resource to be spent.
My thoughts: This is my sister's FAVORITE game. If you see me at a con near Ohio, my sister is with me, and you are welcome to join us in a game. Replayability is super high because of the thousands of combinations between heroes and villains. It's somewhat of an investment because of all the expansions, but it's worth it. Especially if you get it on Steam (although if you do get the electronic version, you can't get the fan-made expansion The Cauldron).
Here's a five minute how to play video to get you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA2kZVzUpGE
There you have it. Now grab yourself a game and go have some fun!
JB
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