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.
This 3D re-implementation of Matt Leacock's classic Roll Through The Ages did not impress me on my first play... but subsequent plays changed my mind. It's not the same game with cuter bits - it is a different (and more confrontational) game with limited amounts of certain buildings and the ability to bleed your opponents if you choose to pursue that route.
Tips &Tricks:
Important safety tip: don't forget the final phase of each turn, which is Extort. Simply using all your resources won't prevent pain (you gain disaster points instead).
Corollary to the safety tip: in a 3 or 4 player game, you could potentially get hit multiple times in the Extort phase. Plan accordingly.
You can't do everything - but you should at least build a walled area and put some valuable buildings in it (since they are doubled in a completed walled area).
Extras
I consider the Rivers & Roads expansion essential - not only does it add some very interesting new buildings and the titular rivers & roads, it also adds cards for the middle of the table that are much easier to see and understand about the cost & power of each building.
I also own all of the Collector Set expansions... which add a variety of tricky twists to the system. They're not cheap (I used leftover Christmas money to buy them) but if you're enjoying the game system, they're pretty nifty.
The solo mode works well... and building a little working medieval city is very satisfying.
Bag-building and whimsy combined to produce an easy-to-teach press-your-luck game that has been 100% successful with everyone I've introduced it to.
Tips & Tricks:
You need to look at what powers are available - and remember that you can't do everything.
Not worrying about scoring for the first couple of rounds is sometimes worth it for the rat-tail catch-up mechanic.
Extras
I like both of the expansions... though they make the game a little trickier to teach and get into for new players. I'd recommend you wait on Herb Witches and/or Alchemists until everyone at the table has a game or two under their belts.
I have two nifty add-on things for my Quacks collection - the splendid GeekUp Bits tokens (seen in the picture) thanks to a very good friend (King Bob!)... and the Folded Space organizer.
I don't love the new cover for Quacks - but I'm not angry about it. (And I haven't actually played with a new edition, so I have no thoughts on whether it's better or worse.)
This is the second of two games designed by Wolfgang Warsch on the countdown.
designers: Richard Ámann, Thomas Vande Ginste, Viktor Péter, Wolf Plancke, and Dávid Turczi
Print Status
in print - sort of? (it was primarily a Kickstarter product)
Why It's On The List
Crunchy dice-drafting decisions are coupled with oodles of thematic elements across a four game system with gorgeous production values.
Tips & Tricks:
The four games ("episodes") that make up the series are related to each mechanically - each uses a dice drafting mechanism that is placed to activate a variety of actions. But, in practice, each game develops in very different ways as the objectives of the overarching story create intriguing new puzzles for players to struggle with.
The story is a like a fever dream mash-up of LOST, Jurassic Park, and Stargate - but the team makes it work with evocative card & board art as well as really nice miniatures.
The solo system is impressive - not particularly simple to learn but thematically strong and clever to play against.
Objective for 2026: finally play the Chronicles box that connects the four episodes together!
Extras
I purchased a nearly pristine used copy of all three boxes from the BGG Marketplace (thank you, kind sir!)... our hobby can be a really wonderful sometimes.
Mindclash Games has specialized in these sprawling 'heavy' games with splendid production. No surprise - there's another Mindclash game coming on the countdown.
This is the seventh new-to-the-top-100 game on the countdown.
This is the second of four games designed by Dávid Turczi on the countdown.
The best of the customizable dice games out there... and it moves along at a furious pace as you develop your little medieval realm.
Tips & Tricks:
Much like Dominion, being able to look at the collection of special powers/die faces available in the game and make a coherent plan for development is a key to victory.
When there are "attack" die faces in play, you want to make sure you have some defensive capabilities... as the combination of attacks + winter can put you into a death spiral (and hasten the end of the game).
Extras
The Trade expansion is very, very good - and incorporates a version of thesolo & cooperative rules that designer Tom Lehmann posted on BGG.
This is the fourth of seven (7!) games designed by Tom Lehmann on the countdown.
A dexterity game that more about physics than perfect dexterity... and more about the fun of building (and accidentally destroying) a huge house of cards than about tricking your opponent into making a bad move. And, yes, it's a kids game - but it's been successful with pretty much every person I've taught it to.
Tips & Tricks:
Not getting "cute" with your early builds will lead to a more stable base and a MUCH taller building.
The game is random enough (you roll both to see how far your hero climbs AND to win battles against other heroes) that you should not take it seriously.
The only person worth setting up for a fall is the player who is currently highest up on the tower - if they lose, everyone else wins.
Extras
This is part of the very successful Rhino Hero family of games from HABA... the original Rhino Hero is both highly portable and a lot of fun to play. I haven't played the other games.
Picture includes Owen (my younger son's good friend AND fellow Unmatched fan).
This third iteration of the Great Western Trail engine has the right combination of elements to appeal to me - a bit more money in the game that opens up new strategies, two different ways to use sheep (selling & shearing), and an "expansion" board that makes more sense than Rails to the North (from the original game).
Tips & Tricks:
The solo automata is brilliantly designed and offers a competitive game and a relatively low level of player upkeep/overhead for this heavy a game.
There is not a single correct strategy - so much is dependent on what is happening in the game state and you need to constantly adjust your expectations while still planning for future turns.
I avoided playing the original Great Western Trail for a long time – even though I really enjoyed some of Pfister’s designs. My first play was very good – but I just didn’t see who I could get to play it with me. The new versions being released piqued my interest – but not enough to pull the trigger until GWT: New Zealand… and boy howdy, I’m glad it did. There are a number of changes to the base game – though the basics are still the same. It’s as if they took GWT and the Rails to the North expansion, smushed them together, added some clever twists to “loosen” the game up a bit, and then did a better job with the graphics than the previous versions.
Extras
I've only had the opportunity to play GTW:NZ solo and two player - I'd like to try it with 3 or 4 players, but the game time would increase pretty seriously.
This is the second of three games designed by Alexander Pfister on this countdown.
I've described Mr. President as "a solo role-playing game for people interested in domestic and international politics" – and I stand by that statement. (I’m Mark Jackson, and I approve this message.)
Tips &Tricks:
For a game that takes 5-10 hours (not including set-up and tear down), it's a pretty tactical game. Much of the time you're simply reacting to the craziness of the world around and trying to keep all of your plates spinning.
The advice in the rulebook is spot on - "you win the game by doing well at domestic politics; you lose the game by doing badly at foreign affairs."
Extras
This is an overwhelming design - but GMT has gone out of their way to make it playable and enjoyable - especially with the clean-up they did with the second edition.
GMT is currently working on a digital version of the game that will solve the combined problems of "table-eater" and "game length" for some folks.
I wrote a preview of Mr. President in the form of a press briefing/interview for the Opinionated Gamer site.
I heartily recommend the 3D-printed storage system created by PrintablesByCaren... it makes it so much easier to find the right chits when playing.
The developer of the game (Mike Bertucelli) was a long-time member of the gaming group I ran in Central California and a great guy to game with.
This is the sixth new-to-the-top-100 game on the countdown.
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
.jpeg)
