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.
designers: Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson (solo system design by David Digby & Dávid Turczi)
Print Status
in print
Why It's On The List
Take the basic deck-building combat design of War Chest and ground it in the theme and combat tactics of WW2... for this old AH/SPI wargamer, it's the best of both worlds. It feels like the best games of Squad Leader without the long playing time or the rules headaches.
2200: Callisto takes the battles into space as beleaguered miners face off against an evil corporation.
Tips & Tricks:
It has all the feels of a classic wargame - with the deck-building system that adds fog of war and command & control issues with extremely low fiddliness.
So far, scenarios in all three boxes are well-balanced... even those with asymmetric objectives. (Note: I've played completely through Normandy and Callisto and about halfway through North Africa.)
Like any squad-level combat game, cover is important.
Lessons learned in the Command & Colors games work here as well - try not to strand units in indefensible positions.
Both 1940s boxes reflect a solid understanding of the different kinds of WW2 tactical warfare they work to portray - impressive.
Extras
The Reinforcements box not only adds new units and scenarios for both of the original boxes - it also adds a complete storage system for both games... and, more importantly for my purposes, a sophisticated solo system that is challenging and makes pretty solid tactical decisions.
Callisto not only makes the sci-fi setting work (including adding mech units to the battles)... it also uses multiple pre-built mapboards which makes set-up much quicker. (It also has a solo mode in the box.)
I decided to lump these three games together as their systems are very similar - even though each one can stand as a game on its own.
I'm hoping to finally play Undaunted: Stalingrad later this year - I've got the game & the possible opponent... we just need to carve a very long weekend to take on the campaign!
This is the second of two David Thompson designs on my list... and the first of four Dávid Turczi designs.
I've finally reached the top ten songs... and interestingly enough, two songs feature Steve Taylor on lead vocals and two songs written by The Call appear. Not to mention the fourth song on the countdown from a single album ends up at number one.
I've loved this song from the minute it started playing on the cassette player in my car that first time… but it's taken on a particular resonance in the last decade or so with so many folks I know who pushed down their long-held beliefs and principles in the name of dominion and power.
Am I boring you? / I could say more / We were headed for somewhere, but that was before / You traded in your peace sign / For a finger
As a kid who was an awful baseball player with a loving dad, I took this song as nearly autobiographical for years. Then, one day, I realized it was about the love of God... and that my dad had done an amazing job of modeling that for me.
Baseball caps and bubble gum / "I think there’s a hole in my glove" / Three-and-two, life and death / I was swinging with eyes closed / Holding my breath / I was dying on my way to the bench / But none of it mattered after the game / When my father would find me / And call out my name/ A soft drink, a snow cone, a candy bar / A limousine ride in the family car / He loved me no matter how I played / He loved me no matter how I played
Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth was the last album on Rich's initial record contract - and since the first two albums had not blown the doors off, Rich and his producer (Reed Arvin) were pretty sure this was gonna be the end. So, they decided to make the album they wanted to make... covering Dougie Maclean's "Ready for the Storm", for example. But there was a praise song ("Awesome God") on the album that got HUGE radio play and changed the trajectory of Rich's career. But it is the same song - this song! - that grabbed Andrew Peterson (see #13 on my list) and stands out to me as Rich's best work.
So if I stand, let me stand on the promise / That You will pull me through / And if I can't, let me fall on the grace / That first brought me to You / And if I sing, let me sing for the joy / That has borne in me these songs / And if I weep, let it be as a man / Who is longing for his home
This song is how I became aware of Kansas back in the day… and it still holds up. (I've continued to follow the career of Kerry Livgren - he's put out some amazing albums with his band AD.)
Taken from 1 John 2:16, Mike Roe and the band created an unbelievably honest look inside their hearts... and ours.
Well, I see something, and I want it, bam / Right now / No questions asked / Don't worry how much it costs me now or later / I want it, want it, baby, and I want it fast / I'll go to any length, sacrifice all that I already have and all that I might get / Just to get something more that I don't need and Lord / Please don't ask me what for / The lust, the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life / Drain the life right out of me
So, lots of online sources credit "Man of No Reputation" as a Rich Mullins song - probably because it appears on The Jesus Record which was released by the Ragamuffin Band after Rich's death. But it's not Rich's song - it was written by Rick Elias, who performed it on this record... and in MANY concert appearances with Rich & the Ragamuffin Band. Rich loved the song and would insist that Rick sing it.
He was a Man of no reputation / And by the wise considered a fool / When He spoke about faith and forgiveness / In a time when the strongest arms ruled / But this Man of no reputation / Loves us all with relentless affection / And He loves all those poor in spirit / Come as you are / To the Man of no reputation
This classic 80s rocker by The Call (covered by Russ Taff) has been my personal anthem as I've faced church conflict and struggles over the last 30+ years. Hearing Russ sing it again a few weeks ago with tears running down his face was a gift - I too still believe.
But I still believe, I still believe / Through the shame and through the grief / Through the heartache, through the tears / Through the waiting, through the years / For people like us in places like this / We need all the hope that we can get / Oh, I still believe!
Some songs just feel like the artist has been following you around and wrote your life story. For me, this is that song.
And I saw you licking your wounds / And I saw you weave your cocoons / And I saw you changing your tunes for the party line / And I saw you welsh on old debts / I saw you and your comrades bum cigarettes / And you hemmed and you hawed / And you hedged all your bets / Waiting for a sign / Let's wash our hands as we throw little fits / Let's all wash our hands as we curse hypocrites / We're locked in the washroom turning old tricks / Deaf / And joyless / And full of it
Though the album came out in 1986, Tonio K's masterpiece of a love song ended up on a mixtape I created for my soon-to-be wife in 1989. It's still "our song". (Bonus factoid: Maria McKee of Lone Justice is singing the backing vocals here.)
Now I can tell / You're so afraid / You've been lied to and taken for granted / And treated like some kind of slave / I'm not after your freedom, I'm after your heart / And I know it's gonna happen / And I knew it right from the start
the original game is out of print... it was re-published as Iwari in 2020 but that seems to be OOP as well
Why It's On The List
An extraordinarily simple game of brinksmanship as various monastic orders struggle to influence medieval Europe. Quite possibly one of the best three player games ever designed.
Tips & Tricks:
Make plays that enable you to put pairs into your hand - since they act as wild cards.
Tricky scoring tip #1: advisors only help if you win/tie on both sides of the connection. Don't get in a war you can't win - you're only helping the other guy.
Tricky scoring tip #2: don't take all but one building site in a country - you leave a spot open for one player to collect a lot of points w/a single play. You only need a majority in a country to garner all of the points.
There are a couple of expansions - both are print & play: The Vatican (which is ok) and Kardinal & Konig: Das Duell (which does a great job of making Web of Power work as a 2 player game).
Extras
One complaint: a direct translation of the German name (Kardinal & Konig) would have been much better name than Web of Power... it would have been "Cardinals & Kings".
Web of Power was reprinted as China - with some board & rules changes. I like the original better. (I have not played another reprint - Han - nor the aforementioned most recent version, Iwari.)
Sadly, Michael Schacht's site for playing Web of Power/China online is now defunct - but you can still play Iwari on BoardGameArena.
Here's what I wrote about Web of Power for The One Hundred: personal & "official".
This is the first of two Michael Schlacht games on my list.
Knizia at his dice-y best... it's an excuse to make gladiator movie jokes & beat on your friends for fun & profit.
Tips & Tricks:
It's OK to make a crazed run at a dangerous animal on your turn - esp. if you're down to your last 1-2 gladiators in a group. If you win, you get the big "kill". If you lose, the points don't go to another player.
You don't need to have a bunch of spears or tridents, just more than the other player. Don't get obsessed with them.
Shields are good... there are only 8 in the game. You should draft shield-bearers first.
Extras
There are people who've run computer simulations to figure out the best possible teams for the game - ignore those people. They suck the fun out of everything.
This is the fourth of five (5!) games designed by Dr. Knizia on my top 100 list for 2026... and the second one in a row in front of Keltis: Der Weg der Steine.
The most straightforward of the Lost Cities/Keltis family - and incredibly portable.
Tips & Tricks:
When playing with 3 or 4 players, don't start lines in all five colors.
It's easy to forget about blarney stones in your first game - don't. The penalty for going short on them is steep.
In German, the name means "the way of the stones." The "Mitbringspiel" is a rough equivalent of our "travel games" - it literally means "bring with game".
This was republished as Lost Cities To Go in 2018... but I've never actually seen a physical copy of it.
Since the publication of Der Weg der Steine, there have been other very good Lost Cities family games... my favorite of the newer bunch is the Lost Cities Roll'n'Write.
This is the third of five (5!) games designed by Reiner Knizia on this countdown.
Yes, I'll be the first to admit there can be some wild swings of luck - some card combos are unbelievable in their massive synergy - but one of the real joys of the game is discovering those, whether you get to do it yourself or watch someone else find the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And the card-splaying mechanic is just cool.
Tips & Tricks:
One of the great temptations in Innovation is the "I need to do something IMPORTANT every turn" longing... it can talk you into cranking up a Dogma action that helps others more than it helps you. Watch out.
The game is very good with 2-3 players... if you want to play with 4, you should use the partnership rules - they're a lot of fun.
Extras
I can not recommend the first expansion (Echoes of the Past) highly enough - not only does it introduce some nifty new mechanics to the game (echoes, forecasts & bonuses) but they also finally put all of the special wonder info on the new player mat.
I like the Figures in the Sand expansion, but it makes play even more complicated.
There are new rules for how to integrate the expansion cards into the game... evidently, it is to help with upcoming expansion plans. While I didn't have any problems (except a lengthy set-up/deck shuffling issue) with the original expansion rules, these work great and reduce set-up time. (This note is primarily here for folks like me who own the earlier edition of the game.)
I've been able to play the newer expansions finally (Artifacts & Cities)... and while they're great for completionists, I don't personally need to upgrade to own them.
If you're new to the game, however, the Innovation Ultimate box is your best bet.
The implementation on BGA is really solid... a great way to play if you have trouble getting this one to the table in "real life".
Imagine a three-way collision between the Mad Max films, an auction game and a worker-placement city-building game. Throw in a little Notre Dame-ish fend off the invaders (marauders instead of rats)... and allow players to use people as currency in the auctions as well as workers to keep your post-apocalyptic settlement running.
Tips & Tricks:
The artwork is evocative without leaning too hard into the dystopian grimness… and the iconography is very clear once you get the hang of it
I’ve found that it takes players 2-3 rounds (roughly half a game) to get acclimated and then they’re ready to defend their very tiny barb-wire encrusted empire.
The auctions are double-layered... they are "get to choose first" auctions for buildings and for equipment. In addition, the winner of each auction gets a small bonus, and the loser gets a penalty.
Extras
I've been working on a review (complete with fiction sections) of Armageddon for years now... short version: I think all of the elements fit together to make a really satisfying and enjoyable game experience. I have to give you the short version because I can't find the document with my fiction sections any longer.
I also think this is a criminally over-looked game... and I said as much in a really good Opinionated Gamers article you should check out.
This is the first of two games on this list designed by David Thompson. (If I remember correctly, this was David's first published game!)
Klaus "I'm makin' a mint off the isle of Catan" Teuber managed to make a Wild West themed Euro game that uses a press your luck element to create some really great suspense.
Tips & Tricks:
Poker is where you can lose the most ground if you're pushing to the front - make sure you've got a poker player in your hand.
The game is shorter than you first anticipate... be ready for it end slightly quicker than you'd imagine the first time you play.
Just because everyone else is spending big money does NOT mean you need to spend big money - payday is rough if you've got a lot of notes out there.
Extras
Another game that was never published in English - but the components are language neutral. (The name of the game means "Merciless", btw.)
One nice thing - it will NEVER go longer than 45 minutes (there are three different game "timers" - and at least one of them is guaranteed to go off by that time).
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
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