That was one of the appeals of the game to me. I really like a game that is simple to learn the rules of but difficult to master and play well. Elysium is another as is Agricola. All good games but to really make them sing, you have to understand the game and anticipate a good deal in advance.

Your particular tastes are more in common with my wife's preferences. She wants something more than Monopoly or Life, but less than those games. Dominion, Ticket to Ride, Alhambra, Thurn & Taxis, Lords of Waterdeep, Libertalia, Stockpile, PI, Amerigo, Seven Wonders, and a ton of others fall into the category. So you'll have plenty to choose from.

And tonight the Dominion gauntlet continues with Prosperity.

No, that's not it, exactly. I guess I would disagree that it's simple to learn the rules of Terra Mystica. And more than rules, it's also just learning the... 'bones', I guess. In contrast, I feel like Agricola is very straightforward in terms of not just rules but also being able to look back and see where you went wrong. From the first time I played I was able to identify things I did poorly or situations I needed to handle better. Meanwhile, in Terra Mystica, I just don't really have that same sense.

It's definitely not a rules thing - I'm probably the best person I know at learning and digesting rules [/brag]. It's the process of learning what the decision points are and how they affect the game. I'm sure I would get there with Terra Mystica, but there's just so many other games to play that a) aren't as long and b) are easier to get into.

Yeah, and the last game I played (3P) I was all by myself on my own little continent. The last turn I literally finished 20 minutes before the other two players.

I haven't ever played Tigris and Euphrates, but I'll have to look into it.

On the topic of board games, I recently purchased Steam Works because it happened to be on coolstuff's daily sale when I was getting something else, and it looked interesting.

I think it's now my favorite worker placement game. (which is admittedly not my favorite type of game, but that makes me more excited to find one that I really like.)

You use your workers to build machines to get victory points, but once a machine is built, it becomes a legal space for anyone to place a worker. Using another player's machine grants them points and advances the game toward the end, so it's actually very interactive.

Prosperity is maybe my favorite Dominion Expansion.

I had a dream last night irl that I caught two mafia without using powers but people were still voting for me, saying I was mafia. So frustrating.

Wow, sounds like you dreamt that you were Mal. Were you wearing a pink silk shirt in the dream? Were you singing U2 at karaoke???

Seaside and Prosperity probably add the most to the game without ruining it. I can't say the same for most other sets (I'm looking at you, Intrigue and Alchemy!), though the latest set I've played is Cornucopia (which is not terrible).

Dream. Sounds like reality for me.

Hehe, so Cornucopia was actually last night. I remember at one point my dad, wife, and brother banned me from using certain cards, one of them being the jester. Prosperity is now on deck. Seaside is by far the best though I'm fond of Hinterlands, Dark Ages, and Adventures as well. Prosperity is ok, but the power creep makes it best as a standalone to me. Curious, what's your beef with Intrigue? It's not the best but it's nowhere near the crapfest that Alchemy is. Seriously, I may have different likings for the various expansions, but Alchemy is the only one I just don't like all together. And didn't we rank order the expansions in another chit-chat thread? I feel like we did.

Dark Ages is KING.

We did, though my preferences have changed. I think for a long time I've actually liked Alchemy, and recently I've grown to hate it.

Intrigue has interesting action cards in it, but it has quite a few attack cards that are outright stupid. Torturer and Saboteur are easily a couple of the worst cards in the game. I won't even play if Saboteur is in the mix. Seriously. Will not play. I've endured close to 10 games with it already, and I feel that this alone should grant me all sorts of favors from spiritual beings or whatnot. I've done my time!

And then there's the non-attack cards that are just kinda...meh. They're good if you have a specific set of other cards in the game, and if you don't, they're meh. Trading Post? Interesting, but meh. Shanty Town? A card that seriously doesn't work properly unless you're taking a forever-turn?

There's good cards in there, don't get me wrong. I just remember when I was first starting out with Dominion, and Seaside has just come out, and I was staring at the giant divide between Intrigue and Seaside, and I've never forgiven Intrigue for being a pile of garbage in comparison. Now that umpteen sets have come out and Seaside is still pretty much the best, perhaps I should re-evaluate that position.

You still haven't gotten your eyes checked, I see.

Quit dreaming you're me, Jack. It's really not worth it.

Funny: I think Intrigue is way superior to the base set.

Not that you would know You Souless Genetic Fluke!

(What? He's a lefty ginger. I'm just summing up and reminding him he needed that soul to have dreams.)

I'm not soulless.

I have PLENTY in my collection.