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 is my favorite of the Mystery Rummy series... mostly because it feels a bit like Canasta (possibly my favorite standard deck card game) in how difficult it is to hide key cards from your opponent(s).
Tips & Tricks:
In my opinion, this is the easiest of the Mystery Rummy games to teach to non-gamers.
While MR: Al Capone is a great 2-handed game and a wonderful partnership game, it drags on way too long with three players.
Don't give up... it is possible to fight your back into the game, even after a bad hand. (Just one of the reasons I love this game.)
Extras
Here's how I rank the Mystery Rummy games currently...
Despite an off-putting box cover, this is a tremendous two-player game of building gardens that can be played "friendly" or "cutthroat"... and enjoyed both ways.
Tips & Tricks:
You must use the "community garden" area wisely - ignoring it will simply allow your opponent more space to plant with.
Wait to use your "weeds" (you only have three of them) until your opponent has filled up enough of his side of the board to make them painful.
Pay attention to how much space you'll need to get a flower bed to the next point level - there's no use making a bed of five flowers when they're worth the same as a bed of three flowers.
Extras
This is a game that begsfor a reprint... preferably using the GeekBits concept.
Here's what I wrote about Flowerpower for Game Central Station (my old website).
while it's not currently in print, you can find some of the versions in the secondary market pretty easily
Why It's On The List
The ultimate "I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you" game... which plays up to 8 players and always provides a splendid time for all involved - even if Hugo the Ghost tags your players.
Tips & Tricks:
Don't put your folks close to each other - you need to spread them out a bit.
Starting next to an open door is always a good idea.
The game works well at all player counts... but is best with 5+ players.
I think the older versions of the game are better - while the newer versions feature some twists, the original Ravensburger game is hard to beat.
Extras
Here's what I wrote about it for my Kid Games 100 list back in the day.
This is the fourth of five (5!) Kramer designs on my list.
I'm as surprised as anyone that a game about distilling liquor is among my favorites - seeing as how I don't drink. But both the production and the design of the game are excellent and it's a lot of fun to play.
Tips & Tricks:
After multiple plays, I'm convinced that there is not a single path to victory... you can focus on aging spirits or putting out stuff that isn't aged or some kind of mixture. The trick is doing it efficiently.
It's easy to forget about bottle collections and objectives your first few games... but both are solid sources of points.
The trickiest thing to learn in the game is how to deal with aged spirits you don't sell prior to the endgame. (The excellent player aid card walks you through it - but it's not something that easily sticks in your brain.)
Extras
The Africa & Middle East expansion mostly just adds more variety to the game... while the Cask Strength expansion has four different modules that complicate game play.
Yes, I backed the Cocktails expansion... it's due later this year.
This is the tenth new-to-the-top-100 game on the countdown.
The drafting is similar to 7 Wonders and the tile-laying feels like Suburbia. But that misses some of the innovations that make NEOM more than just another chip off the old blocks.
Tips & Tricks:
The game uses a “bomb” draft item (Flood, Fire, Crime Wave) in each era that hurts others but denies you a turn... and the decision on whether to play or pass this can be really tricky.
The initial “seeding” draft of cornerstone tiles does more to set strategy than the similar Leaders expansion in 7 Wonders.
I know this gets said a lot in game descriptions - but there really are multiple pathways to victory.
Extras
The game is designed for 3-5 players... but the addition of a Fields of Green-like 2 player variant (that works well) and a solo packet variant (that I love) expands chances to get it to the table.
My initial rules read of NEOM (prior to seeing the game) made me think it would be an interesting but difficult to play 7 Wonders knock-off. I’m happy to say that the first day I taught/played (a few weeks after Essen 2018), I was proven wrong… and ended up playing it 3 times in one day. As soon as it became easily available in the U.S., I jumped on a copy… and it’s now in regular rotation here at Chez Jackson.
Solo play: I typically play 2-3 games of this at a shot… since once you’ve got it laid out, it’s easy to reset and try again. I’ve defaulted to play with all the tiles in, which offers more variety and some interesting decisions since you know that you can (sometimes) wait for the tile you need.
It's a very-straightforward tile-laying game that can be give a lot of layers (esp. by using the expansion) or kept simple, straightforward, and very family-friendly with the base game.
Tips & Tricks:
Like many game where players draft from a common pool, timing is extremely important.
As well, this is a game that rewards the Tetris-y spatial skills of looking at a piece and being able to mentally flip it about to find the optimal placement.
The addition of the goals (both from the base game and the expansion) vary up the mental puzzle really well.
Extras
The storage solution in the base game is, well... not very good. I love the Folded Space insert I bought that fits both the base game and The Bad News Bears expansion into the box.
The expansion adds extra goals, an additional piece of land per player for building, grizzly bear enclosures, and tramways. I think the tramways here are much better implemented than in the designer's Cloud City game.
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
