Everything including the kitchen sink... but with special attention paid to board games, Jesus Christ, my family, being a "professional" (and I use that word loosely) Christian, and the random firing of the 10% of the synapses I'm currently using.
A really well-thought-out "dudes on a map" game that subverts the ever-present turtling problem with a varied set of rewards for attacking other players.
Tips & Tricks:
Hordes of cheaper figures can work just as well as a few expensive figures - and sometimes even better.
This is the rare combat game that works well with 2, 3 or 4 players.
I know I said it in the previous section - but it's worth saying again: turtling does NOT work in this game. ("Turtling" is emphasizing heavy defense and little or no offense, in hopes of getting your opponents to exhaust themselves fighting each other and/or throwing themselves against your defenses in vain.)
Extras
The FFG edition (2nd edition) evidently contains some variant stats for the units as well as some extra tiles and an alternate middle hex - but I haven't played it and am perfectly happy with my H/AH original edition.
There's a new edition with new art coming from Renegade Games Studios this summer... with a molded plastic Monolith (and some of the rules variants from the FFG edition).
Have a massive multiple armada space battle... in 60 minutes. With almost no luck.
Tips & Tricks:
Important safety tip: I was a long-time playtester on this game... it's not my baby but it certainly feels like it.
I do wish the colors of two of squadrons in the blue fleet weren't so dang close. I need to use a Sharpie to mark one of them.
Like Catan, initial placement is important. You have to make wise choices based on your special power and your judgement about the relative aggressiveness of your closest foes.
Extras
I wrote an ode to joy about the publication of Battle Beyond Space on my blog back in 2009.
The inscription on my "thank you for playtesting" copy of the game...
While I didn't like Klaus Teuber's attempt to make Anno 1503 deeper via an expansion - I thought it was bloated & made the game much too long - I think his 2nd attempt at a similar game was very, very successful. And that's Anno 1701, which feels like a cross between Catan & Anno 1503.
Tips & Tricks:
There are lots of options to harvest victory points (which can win you the game) - but you can't try to do all of them.
The island tile sets are nearly identical - the brown ones are just farther from the starting point.
Extras
Sadly, this game has never been published in English - there are some translation issues but they shouldn't be an insurmountable barrier.
Not liking Catan does not necessarily mean you'll dislike Anno 1701 - give it a try!.
My hot take: I think this design informed the design of Catan: Explorers and Pirates... they share a number of very good design ideas.
This is the second of five games on my top 100 list designed by Klaus Teuber.
A fast-moving game of space conquest with built-in variety and room for great tactical play. And I love the cover art.
Tips & Tricks:
Thanks to the modular board format, the game works like a charm with 2, 3 or 4 players.
The combat system is pro-attacking... wise players will take advantage of this to slow down opponents, even if it doesn't directly benefit your plans for placing quantum cubes.
Learning how to use the "free" ship powers is the key to playing well. They are easy to overlook in your first play.
The technology cards may seem out of balance at first - but each card can be very helpful when paired with the right strategic and tactical play. I'm constantly finding new ways to combine card powers and ship powers.
When I say "fast", I'm not kidding. A long game of Quantum lasts an hour.
Extras
I haven't written much about Quantum - which is really too bad. It's a great, great game.
The Void expansion - which was available through the BGG shop - is a nifty addition to the game.
A city-building game that does three things really, really well: 1) it plays cleanly, 2) it uses the Age of Steam braking system in a way that doesn't make me want to throw myself out a window, and 3) every player ends up with a city/neighborhood with it's own personality.
Tips & Tricks:
Over-obsessing about goals early can cause real problems in creating the proper engines to get income and population growth.
Hate-drafting is possible here - if for no other reason that you need another lake to generate some quick cash.
The game is (except with five players) almost perfectly pitched for playing time - you have enough turns to do interesting things but not so many turns that the game wears out its welcome.
In some ways, the 2 player game is more swing-y than the 3 or 4 player game... because of the number of tiles you don't see in the game. (I still really like as a 2 player game.)
Extras
There is are two expansions for Suburbia - I really like Inc. for adding borders and other interesting twists. Five Star is a little clunky but it's the only way to add a fifth player.
The new edition is available now... along with a single box that contains both previously mentioned expansions plus Nightlife and two smaller sets of tiles.
I love the expedition mechanic at the heart of the game. There's nothing quite like it... (well, this isn't altogether true - but look in the Extras for more on that.)
Tips & Tricks:
Travel bucks are a relatively scarce currency that aids you in game play and must be managed VERY carefully.
Watch the number of arrows left in each expedition - other players can run them out to keep you from certain sections of the board.
There are a variety of options in how loops work - we like the "place anywhere on the loop" one - but you should give them all a try.
While the game will work with 2-6 players, it's best with 2-3.
Extras
The designer (Wolfgang Kramer) actually revised his classic Ravensburger game (Wildlife Adventure) which became Expedition - and then he gave it a big tweak and turned it into a children's game (Schatzsucher). While I haven't played Schatzsucher, I've enjoyed my couple of plays of Wildlife Expedition (and still kick myself for not picking up a copy back when you could find them at zoo gift shops).
There were some rules changes for National Geographic Expedition edition - I only played once but I didn't like them. Frustratingly, I don't remember what I didn't like!
designer: Asger Harding Granerud & Daniel Skjold Pedersen
Print Status
in print
Why It's On The List
Riffing on the same basic system as Flamme Rouge (also a great game), the designers created an even more interesting and fluid early '60s racing game, complete with customizing your cars, multiple tracks, weather conditions, and even a coherent way to play a season of races.
Tips & Tricks:
Management of your engine heat is crucial... I've seen more than one game won simply by one player having enough heat left to boost his final shot at the finish line.
The base race system is solid - but the game floors it when you add in the additional modules.
The Legends module allows you to run non-player cars - I recommend it highly to have full field.
Extras
The first expansion (I'm guessing, since there's room in the original box insert for another expansion) has just been released - Heavy Rain. It includes new tracks, a new car, and new upgrade/championship/event cards.
follower of Jesus, husband, father, "pastor", boardgamer, writer, Legomaniac, Disneyphile, voted most likely to have the same Christmas wish list at age 58 as he did at age 8