MicroGames.

[YHWH]

Like these ones right here.

Has anybody played any of these? Which ones did and didn't you like and why? Which ones do you want to try most?

I haven't played any except the Ogre reprint: "Ogre Pocket Edition". I'm really happy with it!

Compared to a full sized board game it:
-was cheap enough to buy "blind" just as an experiment
-doesn't take up a lot of physical space
-was fast to learn
-plays at a fast pace
-has nice strategic depth to it. (I feel like there's a knack to it and I haven't mastered it yet)

I feel like it has replay value on par with a typical full sized board game despite being less than one tenth the cost. It reminds me of basic D&D in a way, tight and efficient.

Speaking of Basic D&D, Tom Moldvay designed one: Revolt on Antares. I'm curious to try that one! Grognardia and Jeff's Gameblog both seem to like it.

[greyarea]

I've played a few of them: Ogre, Car Wars, and Awful Green Things; The Creature that Ate Sheboygan and Stargate; Revolt on Antares, Saga, Icebergs, Attack Force, Star Viking, and Barbarian Prince. (Hmm, that might be more than a few). I owned Icebergs and Car Wars back in the day. A friend of mine had quite a few.

Most were lots of fun. Agreed that they were tight and efficient, like basic D&D.

[YHWH]

Nice! Which ones are good and which ones are duds? Does Revolt on Antares live up to the hype?

[seneschal]

Melee and Wizard were my introduction to role-playing. Also played WarpWar, Sticks & Stones, Ice War, and a little Ogre. I foolishly traded them away during my college and post-college years. I always wanted to play The Creature That Ate Sheboygan but never got the chance. Firefly Games' Monster Island sort of fills the same niche. These inexpensive titles were the perfect gateway to science fiction and fantasy gaming. Wish there was something like them were still available today. Legends of the Ancient World is the closest I've found.

[gentleman john]

Rivets is a good Ogre-lite game. WarpWar still scratches an occasional tactical itch. However, I really like Trailblazer, which is a game of interstellar trading and economic warfare between rival merchant clans. It still works as a method of underpinning more military space games.

[greyarea]

Nice! Which ones are good and which ones are duds? Does Revolt on Antares live up to the hype?

I don't recall any being duds. I played the heck out of the two I owned.

I don't recall Revolt on Antares enough to say. I recall liking it but it was one of my friend's and I might have played it only a few times. Car Wars, Ogre, and Icebergs are the ones I recall the best -- partly because I've played Ogre and Car Wars in the last twenty years, and partly because I played Icebergs solo a lot back in the day.

[by_the_sword]

I played a few of the TSR minigames. Saga and Vampyre were my favotites. Revolt On Antares provided me with names for many a Traveller Character for years afterward. I played Car Wars as well, which was fun.

My biggest issue with the games was that the small cardboard counters usually got lost.

[greyarea]

I found my copy of Saga! woohoo