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Table top games with good incomplete information?

Galdred

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Incomplete information is something I really miss when playing tabletop games, compared to computer game.
Cards are a way to circumvent the issue, but card based board games usually do not lend themselves that well to bluff (which is somewhat ironic).
Block games seem like an interesting take, but how do they solve the reconnaissance issue (ie, how do they allow you to spend resources to scout and negate the fow of war)?

X-Wing has a nice bluffing element, but I am looking for a more "fog of war"-y element.

Which game would you recommend me? I play mostly team games (ie 1 vs 2-4, or 2 vs 2...).

Has anyone tried The Fog of War?
 

Temesis

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We'll this may be a bit duh, but Ticket to Ride series handles incomplete information kinda well. You don't know exactly what kind of connections to other players are making. Not a wargame though :p

Also many traitor games do this very nicely in my opinion, such as Battlestar Galactica. You don't know who's a cylon or not, or who put which card to the crisis pile. However, this info can be deduced.
 

Lord Rocket

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the only block wargame I've played is Quebec 1759, from Columbia Games. Scouting is handled by a special unit on the French side only and is not available to the pommies at all. Since you can only order one group of units per turn the resource cost is your ability to do anything else that turn. You are now reading another short declarative sentence.

Moonbase Alpha - a counter game - has an interesting mechanism where all troops are mercenaries and therefore nobody knows their exact stats until they're tested in battle (one side of the counter has no stats printed on it), although you get a general idea of what you're getting based on the troop type symbol (ie. infantry, armoured etc.). It also has a action system where you place four counters around the map, one of which is a decoy, and move units in the order printed on the applicable counter, so there's both a nice bluffing game and the need to anticipate your opponent's turn order when attempting to pull off more complex manoeuvres. Unfortunately the action and combat systems together strongly encourage massing troops, which feels a bit weird for a game that is ostensibly about sooper sekrit guerilla warfare, so I'm not as enthusiastic about this one as I may seem. But it is a good game.
 

Galdred

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We'll this may be a bit duh, but Ticket to Ride series handles incomplete information kinda well. You don't know exactly what kind of connections to other players are making. Not a wargame though :p

Also many traitor games do this very nicely in my opinion, such as Battlestar Galactica. You don't know who's a cylon or not, or who put which card to the crisis pile. However, this info can be deduced.
I was more refering to wargames and "ameritrash games" ;)

That said, I like games with traitors like Battlestar Galactica, but it is not the same kind of deception.

I haven't played many block wargames, much less games with FOW, but I found this thread: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1107404/games-have-fog-war-mechanic

Out of this list, Space Empires 4x seems very tempting, but the bookkeeping and fidldliness seem a bit high.
 

spectre

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For card games, try Android Netrunner. This one's actually big on mind games.
The corporation plays most of its cards face down and it's the hacker's job to discover what's on the table.
It's possible to play it safe, but more often than not you have to take calculated risks.

You're hacking secure server, approaching the first level of countermeasures. They are not activated.
You do not know what they are. Do you want to go deeper?
 

Galdred

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For card games, try Android Netrunner. This one's actually big on mind games.
The corporation plays most of its cards face down and it's the hacker's job to discover what's on the table.
It's possible to play it safe, but more often than not you have to take calculated risks.

You're hacking secure server, approaching the first level of countermeasures. They are not activated.
You do not know what they are. Do you want to go deeper?
I have it actually. It is one of my preferred LCG indeed, but I am too lazzy to remake the decks and follow the meta.
 

spectre

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Yep, it's a bit of a bother. I'm three cycles behind myself, but I re-crecated the Core Set 2.0 with the cards that I already have and it looks like a fun environment to dick around in in a more casual manner.

Galdred while not in the same league, you may look into Arkham Horror LCG.
It's a cthulhu themed coop game with some exploration - locations are played face down and are somewhat randomized.
I only played a few introductory games on Tabletop Simulator, so I'm not sure how random it really is and how many games they are good for.
The tutorial scenario only had a few rooms, but the next scenario had a whole town along with a bit of forest.

Turns out I'm not a big fan of coop games without betrayal mechanics, but if you have a bunch of folks who are good with banter and get the setting,
it might be a nice rpg-lite, especially if you diddle around with the rules to make custom scenarios.
 

Galdred

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Are there rules for a drafting mode for netrunner?
That would make it worthwile to get more cards without having to build decks between games.

Turns out I'm not a big fan of coop games without betrayal mechanics, but if you have a bunch of folks who are good with banter and get the setting,
it might be a nice rpg-lite, especially if you diddle around with the rules to make custom scenarios.

I'm in the same boat. Pure coop wirhrout traitor bores me. I'd play the Descent Overlord/Imperial Assault Imperial player over it any day of the week. The only one I found tolerable was Mage Knight. I'll have to give Descent v2 against the computerized app overlord a try, though.
 

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