Trashdome: Nexus Ops vs Survive! Escape from Atlantis

We're back again, this time it's family game night and we're looking to play something instead of Risk. What do you choose?

Nexus Ops: Avalon Hill's classic from 2005 with a terrible reprint in 2012 by FFG

or

Survive! Escape from Atlantis: Parker Brother's classic first published in 1982 with an excellent reprint in 2012 by Stronghold Games (and then a few more recent versions since).

The family needs to game this holiday, what does the Trashdome say they should play?

Bonus question: I've never played with the Survive! expansions, do I need dolphins in my life?

Nexus Ops is tops.

I'm going to vote for Survive! I know folks often don't appreciate its meanness but to me that's a feature not a bug. I also love how it's kind of hard to tell how to be as mean as possible thanks to the hidden points. The game is nothing but player interaction and hilarity. Played in the right spirit this game is amazing.

Nexus Ops is good but something about its complexity/theme makes it an odd duck for me. It's slightly too complicated for a true family game but not crunchy enough for any adults I game with. It's still a great game and one I wished I played more.

If anyone needs an actual holiday family game suggestion, Taboo! is my pick. The rules are super simple and everyone I've played with has a blast with it.

Vote: NEXUS OPS. Simple and pure.

If the family can handle the extra complexity, Nexus Ops all the way. Otherwise Survive!

I think if you and the gang are the mindset of "family game", then Survive is probably the better pick, since it's less confrontational (no direct combat) even though it's still quite competitive (dumping family members into the water for the sharks.) Nexus Ops is a wargame. If the fam is into that, that's cool and that's the easy pick. Otherwise, Survive is the better choice.

If this is a Trashdome about which is the better family game, Survive. If you're talking which is the better game overall, Nexus Ops.

I was trying to use the family game framing to justify comparing these two games but you've struck at the heart of the Trashdome; it's really about what you think the better game is. I still enjoy the discussion!

Survive hits the table a hundred times more and generally everyone that I put it on front of loves it. Nexus Ops is obviously great too but I gotta give the nod to Survive, especially in a family context.

Another vote for Survive. Theme and overall appeal make this way easier to get played. Works as a drinking game.

For a family game night it;s survive every time! Nexus ops is too much game for most families.

I have the original Surivie US release, and it's a super fun light game.

But for my game geek game night it's Nexus Ops all the way. I've never had anybody not like it, or ever had a bad game of it. It had all the right elements at the right time for my group. The bits are great with the glowing(ish) pieces, the theme is neat, it's the right amount of game (complexity) and the game doesn't overstay its welcome.

I'm on board with :

Family game night: Survive
Gamer Game Night: Nxus Ops.

Escape From Atlantis/Survive, 100%, is the perfect game. It is flawless.

Nexus Ops is fun and all, but it’s no Survive.

I like Nexus Ops, but I have such good memories of playing Survive! with my sister's college friends during Christmas.

Survive! hands down.

I enjoy Survive, but I own Nexus Ops.

Vote Survive.

I don't have anything to add to the discussions above, as they point out the merits of both very well.

If Risk is what you're replacing, then Nexus Ops is the obvious choice. I like Survive well enough, but especially when playing with more players I think it's the sort of game it can be hard to win on purpose. I feel like there's just more latitude to actually play well in Nexus Ops.

I will also say that the 2012 FFG reprint of Nexus Ops is graphically not very nice looking, but it's basically the same game at least. I actually think it's only a little worse than the original 2011 Stronghold Survive, which I think is a pretty ugly game as well with lots of graphical issues of its own.

Vote: Nexus Ops