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Tableau Builder Rumble
- BaronDonut
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So, I'd love to hear what your favorite tableau builders are. I know Res Arcana is getting a lot of buzz, and I'm interested in 51st State (tho it seems whenever I'm ready to pull the trigger on that one it's out of print). Yr thoughts?
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I know 51st State gets a lot of love around here, but I kinda hated it. I tried the base game, that second set I forget the name of and the Master Set, not a one sat well with me. Awful UI and the whole thing felt like more work with less fun in comparison to what else is out there. I don’t like Imperial Settlers, either, FWIW.
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(I do agree that Alien Artifacts definitely has problems and isn't worth playing.)
Gizmos isn't bad as a much lighter tableau builder, but I'm not sure it's got that spark that makes you itch to play it.
I want to give Res Arcana a try, but I'm not really a Race/Roll fan so I'm hesitant to buy it.
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Some non-traditional picks: Innovation sort of has tableaus but it's so chaotic that I hesitate to call it one. Mottainai has you ramp up but it tends to be ludicrously fast and games can just end sometimes. Chudyk games are just kind of Chudyk games. The Networks is cut from a similar cloth, in that your tableau pieces decay constantly and you need to replace them periodically over the course of the game.
I'm one of those weirdos that prefers San Juan to RFTG. I'll happily play Race whenever but San Juan's role selection just feels better to me. The most recent edition with the packed in expansion cards added some nice variety. Way easier to teach to people too.
51st State is definitely my favorite though. If I'm going to line up a bunch of cards and convert a bunch of resources there's no game I would reach for sooner. It's my favorite game in the Portal-game-with-3-lines family. I actually don't mind Alien Artifacts and Imperial Settlers is fine, but 51st is the best of the lot. Great card variety, large ranges of ways to launch up the VP track, tons of potential for interaction, best art, the whole 9 yards. I love how fast the game ramps up (faster than the other two) while still providing the full experience of going from a cave with a box of scraps to a ludicrous ultra-efficient engine.
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- GorillaGrody
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For more players, I like London. I have the old version, not the new. It feels like the last of the uncontroversial Wallace games
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- Michael Barnes
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Etc. but I really think Res Arcana May be the best one I’ve ever played. It gets right down to business and unlike so many others in the genre it plays a full arc- none of that “ended abruptly when it was getting good” stuff. And it’s a total package in 30-45 minutes.
Runner up would probably be RFTG. Lehmann is the master of this kind of game.
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I like Imperial Settlers bestest, though.
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I've played Imperial Settlers a bit. The reviews I read on it said, be careful, this game can get mean, but there wasn't anywhere near as much tableau interference as I had hoped.
I played Macao recently, and, yeah. At the other end of the scale from where I like my tableau to be, with its random of assortment of brown personalities/shops with actions that translate into - get extra cube - trade one cube - get 1 VP - actions and personalities that you could completely redistribute without making a difference to any thematic tie-in.
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Pax Renaissance is probably top cookie for me. I like Profirana alot, but this is quicker and easier in play, and actually more of a true builder rather than take that. I bought London 2nd ed because it looked pretty but have not yet played it. I have San Juan, which I also prefer to Race, I used to own Fleet, which i liked more than it deserved. Glory to Rome is my preferred Chudyk.
I have played 51st state, i was neither wowed nor offended by it.
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I really want to try Kashgar, though the opportunity hasn't presented itself. Res Arcana too.
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RFTG: Stupid learning curve on all the little symbols, so playing with a new person is awful. I don't really like the role selection in this -- being able to block people is better than trying to predict what other people will do so you can tag along for the ride.
Through the Ages: I don't really think of this as a tableau builder because of all the other little bits and bobs, but it probably qualifies. I can't imagine ever playing this again in person now that the app is out. The app is perfect. The physical game is intolerably long.
The Bloody Inn: Fantastic theme, super fun. Has options for both a long game and a short game (adjusting the size of the deck); long game is much more fun -- the game is so punishing and actions are so tight that the short game ends while you still feel like you're spinning your wheels.
Innovation: Eh, I dunno. Too much junk flying all over the place, feels more like a "do some stuff and see who wins" rather than building a grand strategy. I'm sure Eugene would tell me I'm missing the elegance and subtlety.
High hopes for Res Arcana, but y'know.... we'll see.
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- san il defanso
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For the multiplayer solitaire versions I'd go Roll for the Galaxy.
I like this genre a lot.
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