/v/boardgames usually has some great recommendations for newer and less-traditional tabletop games.
Is there a v/boardgames yet? I enjoyed it at the other place...
I don't think Settlers would classify has unknown anymore. My measuring stick would have to be it's availability at big box retail stores (Target, Wal-Mart). My friends and I play Splendor, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Forbidden Desert a lot. One of my favorite older classic boardgames is Sequence that a lot of people seem to have never heard of. When the nerd stars align we bust out Twilight Imperium 3 and bbq and play all day. It's only happened a couple times but it is so great when it does.
[–] DOCTORMURDER ago (edited ago)
Saboteur! It's a card game where you use cards to build a mine to find treasure. The catch is that some of the players are working against the others but you don't know who. It's cheap, quick to learn, easy to carry, and a ton of fun with a lot of people (up to 12 if you have the expansion).
Edit: BGG has a great description:
In Saboteur, each player takes on the role of a gold-digging dwarf or a saboteur who wants to hinder exploration of the gold mines — but each player knows only his own role, so the digging may or may not go as planned!
Each turn, a player either lays down a tunnel card to dig from the start card toward one of the goal cards (or potentially away, if a saboteur) or plays an action card to help or hinder someone. If the diggers manage to find the gold hidden under one of the goal cards, then the diggers share the loot found there; if the gold can't be reached before the deck runs out, the saboteurs profit instead. After three rounds, the player with the most gold wins.
[–] thedecalodon ago
Empire builder and those of it's ilk. basically building trains around various parts of the world (America, Europe, China, Russia/USSR, etc.) and other worlds (Colonized mars, Colonized moon) Really good game play for those interested in strategy
[–] centipeedle 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago (edited ago)
Battlesheep! And easy to learn and quick game that's fun to play with friends.
Wiz-War! You're a wizard battling your friends for dominance.
Cosmic Encounter! Probably my favorite of the bunch. You and your friends are competing alien races trying to colonize as many planets in your galaxy as possible, and races have unique special powers to help with this. My favorite part is you can form alliances with other people to help with space battles. Alliance rewards don't have to be limited to 'in-game' things either, so you can ask your friends for money, food,
sexual favors...Smallworld! Similar premise to Cosmic Encounter but with fantasy races trying to control territories. There is no alliance forming but you're also not limited to one race the entire game.
If you're ok with tabletop RPGs instead of just board games I have some suggestions for those too.