Here's some of the games we've been known to play, and some information about them. Below the games, you'll find some general information about games at Games Club.
This list is by no means all-inclusive - this is just a small sample of the many games available to play each week.
We welcome new games - we'll try anything once. If it's a longer game, e-mail the list ahead of time so you can gauge if there be enough interest/people willing to stay that late.
Wargames
- Classic Battletech - the re-released game of tactically dubious giant robots blowing each other up with laser beams. Half the fun is designing your own robot to get blown up! We've recently begun running games every other week. If you don't know how to play, rules can be taught, and introductory rules are available at the official site.
Board Games
- Battlestar Galactica - Colloquially known as "Shadows Over Caprica," this cooperative boardgame includes at least one Cylon player whose goal is to make the humans lose - but the Cylon players may not know they're on the other team until halfway through the game! Thematic and amusing, but can potentially run for a few hours. (BoardGameGeek) (Wikipedia) (Official site)
- Settlers Of Catan - a resource gathering game, often used as an introduction to German-style boardgames. Very popular and accessible to casual and hardcore gamers alike. Games generally run around an hour, although they can take two hours or more if the dice are not being friendly and/or all players have poor initial setup choices. Playing with an experienced and forgiving player can alleviate the latter. Takes 3-4 players. An expansion allows for a bigger board and up to six players, but this will of course make the game longer. (BoardGameGeek) (Wikipedia) (Official site)
- Arkham Horror - a cooperative "everybody vs. the game" boardgame set in the universe of H.P. Lovecraft. Complicated and can be time consuming (two to three hour games are not uncommon) but very thematic and (now) well-balanced. Takes 2-8 players, but can take a very long time if you go much beyond 5. (BoardGameGeek) (Wikipedia) (Official site)
- Alhambra - an abstract game with a thin theme of building the Alhambra. A turn management game at its heart, much of the game revolves around deciding which of the available turn actions is the most beneficial. Has a luck component, although it is far less pronounced than in, for instance, Settlers of Catan. Takes 3-6 players, but more players leads to more downtime and more "No, I needed that piece!" moments. (BoardGameGeek) (Wikipedia) (Official site)
- Puerto Rico - considered by many to be one of the best German-style boardgames currently in existence. Victory is achieved through colonizing and developing the island of Puerto Rico, generating raw materials, and shipping them back to the old country. Has a very small luck component (initial setup, first player choice, and the available plantations on any given turn), but enough to make each game resolve differently. Plays in 60-90 minutes. Takes 3-5 players, but is best with 3 or 4 as the fifth player dramatically slows down the game. (BoardGameGeek) (Wikipedia) (Official site not linked as it is in German)
- Ticket To Ride - a light, accessible route-building game. Players collect colored train cards, which are used in sets to place correspondingly colored track between cities. The goal is to complete more (and more valuable) secret routes than anyone else before someone uses all of their track. Competition comes through the fact that only one player (with some exceptions) can build any given connection between adjacent cities, and secret routes can only be completed using your own track. This can lead to a fairly harsh experience for a light game, and was addressed in the sequel Ticket To Ride: Europe. Plays in about an hour. Takes 2-5 players, but due to rules restrictions is very cutthroat with 2 or 3 players. (BoardGameGeek) (Wikipedia) (Official site)
Collectible Card Games
- Magic: The Gathering - the granddaddy of collectible card games, now in its approximately seven billionth edition and still going strong. Buy packs of fantasy-themed cards, make a deck out of them, use it to beat someone else's deck. There's always a room full of Magic players at Games Club meetings, and they hold the occasional draft tournament. Game length is heavily dependent on deck composition. Originally and ideally a two-player game, rules exist for playing with more.(BoardGameGeek) (Wikipedia) (Official site)
- Vampire: The Eternal Struggle - originally titled "Jyhad," this was Wizards Of The Coast's second foray into collectible card games, though they abandoned it around 1996. It has since been resurrected by White Wolf Games, who are actively supporting and releasing new card sets for the game. The game is set in White Wolf's "World of Darkness," and mostly focuses on the political machinations of, well, vampires. An excellent all-around multiplayer collectible card game. We have at least one tournament for V:tES every year, sometimes more. Game length is dependent on number of players - about an hour for 3 players, adding 30-60 minutes for each additional player. Does not play well at all with two players, and going past 5 players is asking to be there all night. (BoardGameGeek) (Wikipedia) (Official site)
Does the club have any games of its own?
Not at this time, due mostly to lack of storage space (see next question.)
What happened to the "games closet" in Auditorium D?
Short answer: it was renovated out of existence.
A little history on the games closet for those who aren't aware: several years ago - when we were still the Cornell Strategic Simulations Society - the Games Club was a bit more structured than it is today. We had membership fees, an annual convention, and our meetings were held in Auditorium D (now Lewis Auditorium) in Goldwin Smith Hall, where we had a closet to store our games.
Unfortunately, the contents of that closet were damaged by a flood, and most of the games were destroyed. Those that were still intact were divided up amongst various members. Shortly afterwards, the use of that closet was lost due to the renovation of Auditorium D. There is no longer any closet space available in Goldwin Smith Hall, and it was considered not worthwhile to try to find a space in another building.
So how do I find games to play?
If you bring a game, you'll probably be able to find somebody to play it with you. You can also use the mailing list to organize players. There's several members who always bring a few different games to play. Chances are, even if you don't have any of your own games, there will be something new and fun to try if you show up to Games Club!