Aw, too bad you don't want co-op. Awesome set pieces? Amazing core mechanic/concept? Pretty easy to pick up and go again? Kingdom Death: Monster. (it does have an insane rule book and insane price tag, though. The book is mostly because you can play a campaign, and so it keeps unlocking new stuff as you go)
So many co-ops I know are clean and direct and great; Pandemic, Forbidden Island, and Forbidden Desert, for a few off my head.
Ah! I got one. I can not say enough things about how amazing Tsuro is, or Tsuro of the Seas (which you can buy the latter and play both versions using it). That has a strong 'screw your neigbhor' CAPACITY to it, but you can easily play with a gentleman's agreement not to try to hurt one another (which is how I play 100% of the time, and always instruct my table to play) and it's just as fun if not more. It also only has the following rules: Play a path before you. Follow the path. Do not go off the edge or strike another player. That's it.
Ok, I have to jump in here. I own Cthulhu Wars (kickstarted it and cut that 200 price tag by more than half due to early bird pledge camping) and I have a few things to say about this game.
I say this honestly. It is by far one of the best games in my collection. Even the "non-gamer" friends who have played love it and want to play more.
Visually the thing is obviously stunning. The monster pieces are large and crazy detailed. The map is great to look at and super easy to understand at a glance. Mechanically speaking, the game is super tight. I only own the 4 base factions (I am strongly considering a 5th expansion faction however, any more than that and id be forced to buy the 6-8 player map which im not doing), and those 4 factions are so incredibly different to play and all balanced really nicely. The flow of the game is one of my favorite parts, and it becomes really easy to teach people how to play because of how fluid the turns are. A simple remind card lets you know what actions you can take on any turn and the cost (there are not that many of them to be confused by). Once you get into the first round, even the newest of gamers will have a strong grasp on how the game works and what they need to do. Each faction is given goals to reach in order to gain spellbooks (which you need to have to win anyway), so you never have those moments of "ok…so what do I do now?" This is especially great for newer players as the factions themselves guide you well into the specific playstyles (for instance, Cthulhu/Green has a lot of goals related to battles and killing other units which is the factions strong suit).
In the end, CWars is an area control game at the heart of its central mechanic. It's a fairly simple game at it's core that has a ton of depth and strategy once you get into it. Due to how tight the mechanics/game balance is and how stunning the game looks visually on the table, I highly recommend this game even at the $200 price point.
If you want something that looks amazing, does a mechanic very well, and pays out when players act in-theme, I’d suggest keeping an eye out for Dragoon. I picked my copy up at PAX East, but they sold out and are in the process of ordering more.
It’s an action-point strategy game that feels like what you would get if you took Tactics and distilled it down to the absolute essentials. I have no problem saying that, for me at least, Dragoon is better. Up to four players are dragons trying to claim gold from human villages that pop up randomly on an island. Cards provide special powers.
In a sense, there is some screw-your-neighbor going on as players are competing to grab gold from a limited number of villages, so there will be claiming and counter-claiming. However, this mechanic balances out very well among all the players and the ultimate victory condition is a race to a certain amount of gold (which is always appearing on the map) rather than a battle between players. Big swings are possible all the way until the end, so the trailing player is never really out of the game.
Thematically, it might seem like the game is abstract-ified enough to be rather thin. However, the game really rewards aggressive, bold moves - so when my wife and I teach it to new people, we often end up encouraging them to “just BE a dragon!” We find that it fits quite nicely.
Also, the game pieces are made of metal and all the artwork is very stylish.
As an aside, the GTG folks know them. I understand that Craig helped them out with some logistical advice. I’m glad he did, because now I have another awesome game!
Tsuro is really fun and definitely seems to fit what you’re looking for. I would second this recommendation. Haven’t played Tsuro of the seas but that looks fun as well.
I can tell you, it's the same game, but you're a boat instead of a dragon…
And then there's dragons who are flying around casually destroying everything in their path. The game is INSTANTLY stressful, with the fun of paths being unmade as dragons decimate them. The meta concept is you're playing Tsuro as boats, and meanwhile a Tsuro game of dragons is happening ON TOP OF YOU. They move randomly based on the roll of 2d6.
@Craig - not yet, mostly because I haven't seen a Cthulhu-themed game which isn't complicated (Elder Scrolls seems to be the least so), so I assumed Fate of the Elder Gods would be similar. I'm take a look through the playtest materials though to give it a fair shot.
@eviltoon - Tsuro sounds nice but maybe too simple. The game description says games only take 15 minutes. I usually want to spend about an hour on a game if I'm taking the trouble to get it down from the shelf.
@Trajector - Dragoon looks interesting, but I'm a little confused by the talk in the reviews of how gorgeous everything is. For what I can see of the pix, the colors are all some combination of washed out white, orange, red, and teal. The components look like something you'd see in a game from the 1950s. I must be missing something.
No superhero games, huh? I've been casting a covetous eye on Heroes Wanted, the game where you build goofy characters with two cards which determine the character's name and power (Boss Cactus, or Franken-Skunk, or Eternal Star). Can't tell if it's actually a good fit for my criteria or not though.
I've only played it once, but there wasn't enough there to make me interested in playing it again. Hopefully Andy can give you his thoughts on this, as he's played it more than I have and seemed to enjoy it more.
Tsuro in my group makes for a good "while we wait for the stragglers to arrive" game. It's simple, but fun.
You might take a look at Guilds of Cadwallon. It has some issues, but it's simple and enjoyable, with interesting figurines and very pretty (perhaps too pretty) tiles. The catch is that I found that it didn't really shine until we added the 5-8 player expansion (which increases the board size from 3x3 to 4x4 or 5x5 in addition to adding more room for players).
Also, I'm not sure that it meets your criteria, but have you looked at Betrayal at House on the Hill? Flavor through the roof, and pretty simple mechanics (mostly), although it is mostly cooperative.
Mm…not going: to lie, it almost sounds like you want to play lords of waterdeep? Mechanically it’s a worker placement game with a handful of standard actions, and players can build buildings to get access to more actions. Thematically, you’re all various dukes and nobles and such in a dnd city, and you’re gathering rogues and priests and warriors and such to send them on quests. Each quest requires specific character combinations to complete for points.
Heroes Wanted is very much about messing with the other players.
I really, really like the central mechanic of Heroes Wanted – how cards are both actions and blocks and the interesting choices about when to rest and how to make interesting combinations. There are also interesting choices about whether to go for your own points or interupt what other people are doing.
The theme of the game feels like it's going to be a silly, light game. It's not. It's sort of medium weight, with a lot of things going on and a fair number of bits, but still dressed up in B-movie, D-list superhero camp.
I can see what you mean about the colors. The comments probably come from:
The fact that most of the pieces on the board are solid cast metal, with neat shapes. I love the underbite-y, hunched-shoulder standing dragons.
The graphic design on the cards, which you do spend a long time looking at, is excellent. The pictures are sort of minimalist two-tone depictions of dragons doing various active things.
Fortunately, I think the gameplay and theme are a good fit for what you want, if you can deal with (or paint over!) the colors.
Admittedly, Arabian Nights is less of a board game and more of a junior RPG with a board. You wander around the map, have various encounters, choose your reaction to the lonely prince, mad enchanteress, or burning house that you've encountered, and then find out what happened. There is basically no strategy envolved as predicting the results of your actions is mostly impossible, but the flavor is great and while it shouldn't be brought out too often, it is definately a lot of fun. The pieces are decorated cardboard cutouts on stands, which isn't amazing, but the art on them is pretty good. And it's a lot of fun encouring the House of 100 Closets, or visiting the Rainbow Lake.
There's very little player interaction, except for reading to each other from the "Book of Tales" where the stories are found, so there is very little opportunity to "screw your neighbor". But some of the statuses, like crazy or ensourcelled give other people control over your actions, which depending on your friends means you'll wander off into the far corners of the world, or try and court every sad prince, crazy princess, and crafty vizier you encounter. But since it's all random, forcing you to do stupid things is usually more entertaining than it is harmful.
Arabian Nights is very much a "it's good if you like it" sort of game. If you come into it with false expectations you will probably hate it, but if don't mind letting chance take control of your fate you will have a grand time.
While not a popular game by any means, I enjoyed my time with Heroes Incorporated. When I first got it, I wasn't really into it, but as I've gotten older and played more and more games, I find myself pining more for cleaner, more euro-y destinctions in my games. Sometimes. Either way, I think Heroes Incorpated got shafted a bit by the public. It's a neat take on super hero gameplay. By all descriptions, the game of Heroes Incorporated sounds boring, but in actual play it's not!
You get two supers (of original design) on your team and you're basically trying to get more media attention than your rivals to get the funding needed to become official Super Heroes for Whatever Town (I can't remember the name of the city. It's generic)! Actions are simple, vary slightly based on your hero selection, such as the stealthy tech guy comes with an added gagdet ability, or the chance to make clones with clone guy, or fly with fire lady, etc. I'm a bit rusty. It's been almost a decade. Anyway, totally worth checking out, at least. As a bonus, it's incredibly cheap to pick up. No miniatures, just cardboard standees. The SUPER expansion is also a keen addition. Probably necessary, actually. The only take-that is playing Super Villains on other player's encounters, and even then, it's not so much to screw anyone, as if they fail they'll gain a token to make a further turn better for themselves, but they are currently delayed an action.
That said, I've enjoyed Heroes Wanted, and the silly set-up belies the more concentrated game play. What's keen there is the crazy variety, with each scenario even having it's own board! I've only played two separate scenarios, each a few times, and it's mostly a blast. True. Not necessarily what you're looking for.
If you'd ask this question a couple of weeks ago, I might have recommended checking out the kickstarter for Sol: Last Days of a Star.
It's a strategy game about harvesting energy from the sun before it goes supernova. Beautiful pieces and board artwork. Simple almost-abstract ruleset but deep mechanics and player interaction, with a customizable level of take-that. A couple of unique ideas that make it stand out from a lot of other games.
Obviously not produced yet. The makers don't currently have any fixed plans for retail (maybe >G want to talk to them down the road?), so maybe it'll never have a wider release. If it sounds interesting, I'm sure you could talk to the creators about getting in a late pledge - nothing has gone to print yet.
Hopefully Andy can give you his thoughts on this, as he's played it more than I have and seemed to enjoy it more.