Game night disaster with Catan taught me to ditch cutthroat play

I was at a friend's apartment in Austin last Friday when someone grabbed the longest road from me right before I could win, so I flipped the whole board and now I only play cooperative games like Pandemic.

3 comments

3 Comments

brooke_jones5d ago

Going from "flipped the whole board" to cooperative games sounds like a huge swing, but I get it. My group switched to co-op board games after a similar Catan meltdown, and now we actually finish our game nights without anyone leaving early. Pandemic Legacy ended up being our go-to since losing together actually brings us closer instead of making someone mad.

singh.harper5d agoProlific Poster

Wait, @brooke_jones, didn't you say earlier that you actually liked the drama from competitive games? I swear I remember you posting that competitive risk taking was half the fun. Anyway, totally agree on co-op games being a lifesaver after a blowup. Pandemic Legacy is solid, but we found that Forbidden Island works better for us since it's simpler and doesn't take as long to set up. Have you tried that one, or are you just sticking with the legacy style?

val_shah4d ago

Hang on, I gotta gently push back on something. You said Pandemic Legacy ended up being your go to, but that game is actually NOT purely cooperative like the original Pandemic. It has hidden traitor mechanics and secret objectives that can cause some REAL drama if people get competitive about it. I've had a few game nights where someone's secret role got revealed and it caused almost as much tension as a Catan board flip. Forbidden Island you mentioned is a MUCH better choice if you want zero backstabbing and just a chill "we all win or lose together" vibe.