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.
The name implies the genius of the design - with a six card hand, you aren't simulating a whole baseball game... you're just showing us the highlights. Set in a future timestream where robots are batters and pitchers have cybernetic arms, this wonderful game melds deck-building with hand management in clever and interesting ways.
Tips & Tricks:
Drafting well is key... and part of that key is paying attention to the types of players your opponent is drafting.
Losing a game on your way to the World Series can be beneficial, if you stack your team with popular players that enable to get higher quality draftees.
While I'm not a fan of the three player variant in the rulebook, the 2 player game is great and the 4 player tournament is amazing with four experienced players.
Extras
The expansions that add players have some nice twists - but the coaches and ballpark expansions are just for variety (aka non-essential).
I haven't seen a copy of the reprint (yet!) - but all of the expansions are included in the box.
This is the third of three Mike Fitzgerald designs on my top 100 list.
Flip your standard adventurers v. monsters around and put players in the role of harried dungeon masters trying to fend off sticky-fingered heroes. Add loads of RPG and WoW-related humor... and tie it together with an almost perfect melding of mechanic and theme.
Tips & Tricks:
My original impression of Dungeon Lords is that it only worked with a full complement of four players. I'm happy to say that I was wrong. My oldest son and I really enjoy playing two player - there are some interesting decisions in choosing actions for the non-player dungeon lords.
The Festival Season expansion makes the game a little longer & adds some more wrinkles... but they're really good wrinkles and worth the time if you like the game system.
You MUST pay attention to what other players can and cannot choose as actions to avoid losing an action.
CGE published a blinged-out version of the game (Happy Anniversary) - I spent too much money getting the pieces to upgrade my set, but the Anniversary set is just so darn cool.
Final warning: a 4 player game with the expansion fills up a dining room table - but it looks good doing it.
Extras
I'm really proud of my review of the Festival Season expansion... I think I managed to capture the humorous tone that adds so much to this game system.
The game that launched the European "game" invasion... the first true "franchise" game for Kosmos & Mayfair... a game so simple & yet so innovative that it could inspire devoted play with almost any crowd. This infinitely variable game of trading & building is still a personal favorite, even when way too many gamers have left it behind.
Tips & Tricks:
There are lots of strategy guides out there - the best I've ever seen was compiled by Scott MacPherson - and I republished it so you could find it:
While your first game may take 90+ minutes, it's not unusual for experienced players to knock out a game in 60 minutes or less. A lot of that depends on how quickly trading goes and how "aware" the people you're playing are - example: it doesn't matter how many times you ask for "brick", if we haven't rolled it in two rounds, it isn't there for trade. Sigh.
Our local group prefers playing 5 player with the slightly larger board and the "build around" rule.
Extras
The picture above is my well-worn but well-loved original German Die Siedler von Catan collection - which includes (pictured) the base game, Seafarers, Cities & Knights, the first twohistorical boxes, "The Book", and "The Chocolate Market"... and the 5/6 player expansions for all of the big boxes. Not pictured are Settlers of the Stone Age, Struggle for Rome, Rise of the Inkas, Candamir, and the original Starfarers (with the resin figures!). And let's not forget the numerous official country and state maps, a plethora of official variants, and even some oddball scenario maps created nearly 20 years ago and released at Essen by various folks. I've loved Catan for a very long time.
I wrote my Unofficial Guide to Catan back in 2007 - but the basic information is still pretty helpful, if not complete due to age. (Part 2 focuses on Catan spinoffs; Part 3 is a 2010 update of Part 1.)
I also wrote about my visit to the very first CatanCon.
Most recently, I wrote a review of Klaus Teuber's memoir, My Journey to Catan.
Despite not being a particularly big fan of Dune (the books or the movies), the game manages to combine deck-building & worker placement to evoke the feel of the Dune universe in an incredibly playable format.
Tips & Tricks:
One of the things I like best about the game is the ability to adapt your tactics/strategy to the character you are playing and the ever-changing board situation.
You don't have to win every conflict - in fact, sometimes the smartest thing you can do is let two other opponents duke it out and save your troops for a later battle.
The House Hagal mechanic (an AI deck) makes sure that 2 player games have enough filled board space without complicating the game unnecessarily.
I've played the game at all player counts (1-4 players) and enjoyed them all.
Extras
The Rise of Ix expansion has some great twists/additions to the game... highly recommended.
The Immortality expansion adds yet another layer of complication - but does add new ways to spend/use resources. Only for advanced players.
The solo design uses the House Hagal deck to create two feisty AI opponents... highly recommended as a solo game.
The app (available as part of the Dire Wolf games app) automates the House Hagal deck and helps walk you through set-up... as well as offering some alternate play modes.
I've played Dune: Imperium - Uprising a couple of times solo... it's working in the same basic space but adding some interesting changes to how the system works. (It also offers a 6 player team mode.)
The Bloodlines expansion mostly expands Uprising - in some intriguing ways.
I reviewed a 3D printed insert for Uprising & Bloodlines for the Opinionated Gamers site created by Play Mode.
This is the second of two Paul Dennen designs on my list.
designers: Dave Chalker, Brett Myers, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobsen, Brian Neff, Jim Keifer, and Noah Cohen
Print Status
in print
Why It's On The List
A classic 80s roll'n'shoot received a substantial and extremely-thoughtful re-imagining to turn it into a game worthy of the moniker "a tabletop version of Mad Max's Fury Road". Plus, it's loads of fun.
Tips & Tricks:
While randomizing the road boards is fine, it's not a bad idea to avoid some of the more vicious/difficult ones (I'm looking at you, Scenic Route... and you too, Bunker.)
You can play with five players - we certainly have! If you do, I'd recommend using The Parking Lot as your starting board. (The Carnival of Chaos expansion adds a fifth "normal" team of cars.)
The Big Rig is an absolute hoot to play - but we still haven't seen it win a game.
Save the crew leaders and Choppe Shoppe cards - use them once you & your friends have a couple of games under your belts. The ability to evaluate how useful a crew leader or car modification will be based on the terrain you're facing is much easier once you have a feel for the game.
Extras
This is decidedly NOT a Euro game – there are way too many die rolls, tile flips with potentially horrible consequences, chain reaction events that can hurt or help you in your quest to win, etc. Everyone I’ve taught the game to has – with that understanding – enjoyed it immensely… but if your gaming tastes run more in the “think-y/crunchy/puzzle-y” direction, this is probably not going to be a good fit for you. Thunder Road: Vendetta is a game filled with improbable events and great stories… and while there are tactical decisions to be made, the amount of random tiles and dice rolls definitely slide TR: Vendetta towards the “experience game” end of the scale.
Back in 2010, I actually had the original game as #96 on my top 100 games list for that year.
I like the Carnival of Chaos expansion a lot but given the choice, I'd rather play the road race version of the game.
There is a simplified version on the way (Ignition!) as well as a second expansion with campaign elements (Interstate of Decay).
If anybody wants to get me a decadent completely over-the-top stupidly expensive present, the 3D terrain pieces for Thunder Road: Vendetta from Adrena Creative are at the top of my wish list.
This is the third of five (5!) games on my top 100 list designed by Rob Daviau, the second of three by Justin Jacobsen, and the first of two by Noah Cohen and Brian Neff.
Normally, I’d balk at a game with a non-random combat system and heavy intertwined mechanisms – but the theme of defeating the Voidborn is so tightly woven into the design & flow of the game that I find myself lost in the world and the puzzle of trying to expand my civilization’s capabilities whilst fending off the encroachment of mind-altering evil.
Tips & Tricks:
You have to know two things about this game going in: first, there's a LOT going on and it's going to be overwhelming. Second, for as heavy as it is, it's not a tremendously long game - 2 hours as a solo game and 3 hours or so as a two player competitive game.
I don't care if you're the savviest gamer in town, you should NOT skip playing the tutorial. It's an actual game with an excellent guardrail system that gives you a pretty full tour of the complex game system without sending you down a railroaded pathway.
It takes a bit to get used to the combat system. Remember: the "battles" in this game are multi-year wars, not a single battle. (It's a highly abstracted and non-random system... but it works well in the context of the game.)
All but two of my plays of Voidfall have been solo - and that system (which is similar to the cooperative system) works like a charm.
Extras
The copy pictured is the Galactic edition - which has cool miniatures and lots of other bling. The underlying game engine is strong enough not to need the bells & whistles.
Yes, I've already backed the upcoming expansions (Resurgence and The Last Novarch) as well as the "sister" game in the Voidfall universe, Revenant.
This is the fourth of four games on this countdown with design work from Dávid Turczi and the second of two games from Nigel Buckle... not to mention the second of two games designed by this team!
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
