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Had to pick between a coop game and a competitive one for game night last Friday
I was setting up our regular Friday game night with 6 friends, and I couldn't decide between Pandemic and Catan. Pandemic is cooperative and everyone loves working together, but Catan gets people trading and yelling. I went with Pandemic because two new players were coming and I figured it'd be less intimidating. Turned out to be a good call - the new folks jumped right in and we beat the game on normal difficulty in 45 minutes. But three people said they missed the trading and backstabbing of Catan. Has anyone else found a good middle ground game that works for both types?
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wesleypatel1mo ago
I grabbed Dead of Winter for that exact problem last year. It's got the coop feel of Pandemic with hidden objectives that let people screw each other over.
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Dead of Winter is fine but it does not really solve the problem you are talking about. The hidden objectives just make everyone paranoid and half the game is people sitting there trying to figure out who is lying. That can be fun with the right group but it is not the same as the direct trading and arguing you get in Catan. With six people Dead of Winter can drag on too long and the new players might feel lost trying to keep track of who is who. If you want something that mixes cooperation with actual back and forth competition, Forbidden Island is a better bet. It is co-op like Pandemic but way shorter and the tension comes from the island sinking, not from secret betrayals.
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