I recently played this goofy game with bunnies in outer space. Quite amusing, and made we wish that I still smoked pot, because it probably would have been the coolest thing ever.

http://www.amazon.com/Playroom-Entertainment-Killer-Bunnies-Starter/dp/B0002V82O8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1246895240&sr=8-1

But then again, I don't get out much ;)

Interesting...

How would you define a 'Designer' game? Surely all games have a designer...

Or are Gucci and Ralph Lauren stocking collectible card games now?

I don't know, it's what they're called.

I think it is to difference from "publisher games".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designer_board_games

Wikipedia has no entry for 'Designer Board Games' - it redirects to an article about German board games.

What I don't like about games like Dominion and Agricola is that it's just a bunch of people playing solitaire together. Interaction is what I like about board games, much more than just resource management and worker placement.

El Grande, Cosmic Encounter and Shogun are excellent for that and I am looking forward to trying Game of Thrones.

I think he means the smaller European (read German) board games as oppossed to mass market Hasbro games. We play the Euro games alot in the Cincy Boardgamers. I have quite a few in the closet including the original Ticket to Ride, Settlers, Robo Rally, and my all-time favortie card enhancment game, Nightmare Chess. When played on a 4-player chess board, it is the ultimate in backstabbing and sneaky moves.

@ gjdip

I haven't found Dominion to be like that at all.

Cards like Militia, Witch and Spy allow you to screw your oponents, and different tactics can be more effective against other tactics. I haven't played Agricola.

@ Jamie: From that article: "Because most of these games feature the name of the designer prominently on the box they are sometimes known as designer games."

@Xapi: True, these cards provide some interaction but you can have decks without them. And then there's always The Moat. Try going for nothing but the money and then buying victory points when you can afford them. With beginners and even intermediate players you'll win every time.

Well, I kinda did that on my first game, (My tactic was: Workshop - grab a silver; Mine, change silver into gold) and I lost because I waited too much to start buying VPs.

Cosmic Encounter is my favorite. Lots of variation. Can be quick games or long games. Lots of optional rules to tailor the game to you and your friends' tastes.

Beware though, this game comes in several versions. First there was the original Eon version with a dozen or more expansions. Then Mayfair put out a new consolidated version with a single More Cosmic Encounters expansion. This is the version I play. Then Avalon Hill (Hasbro) put out a dumbed down version that just ruined the whole concept.

But I've heard that someone is going to be re-releasing it and supposedly the good version. I sure hope so because otherwise you have to pay $200+ to get a used copy of the Mayfair version on ebay. Hopefully this does happen because it was a good game.

More information can be found here:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/15

Fantasy Flight Games have released a version that is very good. That's the one I've played. Here's a nice review: http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/?p=102.

The Avalon Hill version is on sale at my local game shop and I'll get it when it goes down to $5 or so just to get the components.

I lucked into a copy of the Mayfair version a year or so ago. Just been checking out several reviews on the FFG version and sounds like I should pick it up and the Mayfair version can take a rest.

Agricola has really grown on me. I played it for the first time the day before I played diplomacy for the first time. I will say that there is more interaction in Agricola than I first thought, although it really isn't apparent until you've played several times.

Here is a link to an article type thing that I wrote comparing Diplomacy and Agricola. As you can tell from this post my opinion has changed a bit on Agricola since the time when I wrote this.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/34555

Haha, I hope this is the only place where you have to write this: "Feeding my family was a real struggle for me." :-)

Ive got some friends who are really into Rio Grande games (the largest maker of non mainstream board games) i cant recall all the names but they are fun(if a bit heavy on the set up time!)

i'm not so sure rio grande is the largest anymore. there are several publishers that are pumping out a lot of games. Fantasy Flight Games is probably as big as rio grande

I play a lot of these when I can (not that often). For the longest set up time, Twilight Imperium III + Expansion. That takes real commitment just to get everything ready.

Puerto Rico, Carcassonne, Thurns and Taxis, trans america, alhambra, tigrus and euphrates

not to mention games other people already said are good.