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 fourth installment of my top 100 songs - and, yes, there's two songs by the same artist off of the same album. (The whole album is just that good - even 40 years later.)
There are some great break-up songs… but none that make me laugh as hard as this one - "Sorry when you want to yell I just can't hear your shouts / Now I live so far away, wish I could help you out / But I realized I'm no punching bag, and I know you hate that / So now you'll have to do without, or get yourself a cat".
This pop-y highly danceable song about confusion and hope lands not because Chevy Chase is in the video but because of the stunning musicianship on display.
I first heard David Wilcox on an NPR radio show performing some of his songs in the studio… and promptly drove to a record store and bought his album. Such an amazing storyteller.
There's a lot of mystery about the title of this song (which was relegated to the Rattle & Hum album without appearing in the film)… but this declaration of love (to God? to a woman?) grabs me.
Yes, another song off "Romeo Unchained"… this plaintive song about the loss of a relationship has been covered by a number of folks (Glen Burtick, ALIAS, What If, etc.) but I still think this is the best version.
I've played this over & over and I'm still intrigued each time. How far can I push my luck? Should I play aggressively or defensively? For such a simple game, it continues to draw me in. (Probably doesn't hurt that the production of the game is gorgeous.) Now, it's not that I win all that much. My wife is a pro... and my oldest son gets better every game we play.
Tips & Tricks:
I know some people don't like the big cards or the board... but I do.
Good Lost Cities play is based not only on the cards you draw but also on the play of your opponent. It is a game about reading their plan as much as executing your own.
Lost Cities spawned a whole series of games:
Keltis & it's uglier cousin, Lost Cities: The Board Game (I enjoy them both)
Keltis: Die Orakel (which I have not played)
Keltis: Der Weg der Steine (which I like a lot... hint hint)
Keltis: The Dice Game (so-so)
Keltis: The Card Game (decent - but I like Lost Cities better)
Lost Cities: Rivals (which is very good!)
Lost Cities: Roll'n'Write (which is decent as well)
Extras
Here's a link to what I wrote about Lost Cities for The One Hundred...
This three-handed trick-taking game resets trump on each and every trick - and yet the unique scoring system (with bargain piles and junk piles) is surprisingly easy to understand. It's just difficult to play well!
Tips & Tricks:
There is a memory element to the game - but you can refresh your memory between hands.
The game will play with four players - but three is the number you really want.
Don't be ashamed of a low score - it took me 2-3 games to get a positive score.
Extras
This game also ended up on Chris Wray's 20 Favorite Trick-Taking Games list for 2024 over on the Opinionated Gamers site. "If I could pick one game that is undervalued by those newer to the trick-taking obsession, it is Bargain Hunter. The game is a masterpiece!"
not sure it's in print, but relatively easy to find copies online
Why It's On The List
One of the best examples of a game design integrating theme & mechanics - drawing tiles from the bag "feels" like archaeology. As well, the use of the "time cost" mechanic makes the game fluid & gives each player a plethora of tactical options.
Tips & Tricks:
The tile bags are a marked improvement over the card decks from the original version of this game, Jenseits von Theben.
If you're not going to collect the lecture series cards, just make sure no other person hoards them - that's some big points out there on the rubber chicken circuit.
I like to jump out with one or two quick expeditions to harvest a few easy artifacts (and have a variety of colors for the various exhibitions) - but there's something to be said for making sure you have a couple of assistants & shovels before you do any serious digging.
Don't forget about the bonuses for highest level of research into each site!
the name means "Magic Sword & Dragon Egg" - and it's a fantasy-themed game of auctions, negotiation and engine-building that has won my two sons over
Tips & Tricks:
There are two basic truths you must remember in order to play Z&D well:.
remember that you can negotiate - but never trust that the player following you in the turn order will honor your deal
remember there is a certain level of engine-building that must be done in order to be successful - just saving up energy to zap monsters for victory points will not win you the game
I am a huge fan of both expansion boxes - they add some great twists to the base system that increase the variety of paths to victory. They do, admittedly, add some length to the game.
A cleaner and more accessible take on the excellent zoo-building game Ark Nova (by the same designer).
Tips & Tricks:
Hate drafting (taking a tile that might benefit someone else) is an option in this game. I find it most helpful when my range (the set of tiles I can select) doesn't have anything useful for me.
Remember - "bad" tiles can be used to trigger scoring on some tiles and placed as open space when the opportunity arises.
Any game that involves guys riding dinosaurs into combat around a volcano is totally worth my time. The fact that it's stupidly fun just makes it even better.
Tips & Tricks:
Sometimes, it pays to decimate a particular type of dino (raptors, for example)... so you can use their cards as wild cards for other dino types with more firepower.
Whatever happens... no matter how bad you want revenge for a sneak attack... remember the win condition - when one player is knocked out, the player with the most dinos left wins. It's "all too easy" (thank you, Lord Vader) to get preoccupied and give the game away to satisfy a thirst to beat on the guy who's been hitting you.
Extras
The literal translation of the game's name is "The Battle of the Dinosaurs"... but I've always called it The Battle of the Dinosaur Riders.
Yes, I've badgered the good folks at Restoration Games to take a close look at re-imagining this game.
This is the first of two games on my countdown designed by Stephen Baker... who is also the genius behind the flawed but wonderful Battle Masters (currently being re-imagined by Restoration Games as Battle Monsters).
There was a 2 player variant in the original 7 Wonders box... but it wasn't particularly interesting. Enter 7 Wonders Duel, which managed to capture the drafting "feel" of the original game but work perfectly for 2 players.
Tips & Tricks:
There are three ways to win: military, science, and points... focusing on military or science can force your opponent to fight to stop you - and short circuit their plans.
Wise use of money is key to winning - being cash poor gives your opponent freedom to leave cards out that you can't use.
The combination of yellow (commercial) cards and burning cards for cash (increased by each yellow card you have) can be an effective strategy to deny players important cards while increasing your coffers.
Extras
The picture above includes the excellent Pantheon expansion... and there is second (also excellent) Agora expansion. I've never played them at the same time, as one son like Pantheon and the other likes Agora.
There's a print'n'play solo mode that works - but there are better solo games out there (and on this list).
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
