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.
I have always described this game as "similar to playing Dungeons & Dragons with a DM who hates your guts" - it's a short (no more than an hour...and often shorter!), brutal & intensely fun experience game/dungeon crawl.
Tips & Tricks:
While I appreciate what Fantasy Flight did in reprinting Dungeonquest, I wasn't a fan of the goofy combat system they loaded onto it or the seriousness they added to the proceedings by transporting the game into their Terrinoth universe. (Part of the charm of Dungeonquest is the off-beat dark humor - which I attribute to the unique blend of Swedish designer & British publisher.)
That said, I have not played the Revised Edition reprint... which has better buzz than the earlier version.
If you manage to track down a copy of the original game + the two expansions, consider yourself incredibly lucky. It took me nearly 8 years to find the expansions - and even then I had to replace some of the missing miniatures from the used copy I bought.
The FFG edition includes some of the expansion stuff - so if you can find that at a reasonable price, it's still a good deal. (But look on BGG for alternate ways to do combat that don't slow the game down.)
We have a house rule... you can't win by simply surviving (running in a couple of spaces & running right back out). You must find SOMETHING of value - and no, a potentially poisonous healing "potion" does not count.
Do not under any circumstances (a) get too attached to your character, or (b) take the game too seriously. It's just a rousing chance to roll dice, fight monsters & generally find creative new ways to die.
Extras
I still have trouble believing that I haven't written more about Dungeonquest. I will have to remedy that... someday.
Queen Games released Dragonquest in 2022... while it shares a designer (Dan Glimne) and the same basic concept (trying to survive a dungeon), I cannot recommend it. It's processional and not a lot of fun to play.
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,
You can play with five players - we certainly have! If you do, I'd recommend using The Parking Lot as your starting board.
The Big Rig is an absolute hoot to play - but we haven't seen it win a game yet.
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.
This is the fourth of six 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.
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.
My last game of Catan was 4 player Cities & Knights... and it was over in 90 minutes! (And I won!)
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.
Take the basic card combat idea behind Star Wars: Epic Duels... add in the brilliant LOS board configuration system from Tannhäuser...and infuse the game thematically with a "mix of characters across time & reality" vibe from Heroscape... and then do a top-notch production job... and you've got Unmatched.
Tips & Tricks:
One of the biggest issues in Epic Duels (the need of some characters to turtle for multiple turns in order to make decent attacks) is fixed here... both by better balancing the decks AND by instituting a "getting to the end of your deck" penalty.
Each character/team has different strengths and weaknesses... you cannot play each character the same way and be successful.
The character receiving the least love out of the gate was King Arthur... but I've managed to pull off some wins with him by playing the cards in his deck, not the cards I wish he had.
Some of the newer boxes (and there are a LOT of them) have more complicated decks - but I'm happy to have the variety in play styles and characters.
Extras
Restoration Games announced last year that they are putting two Unmatched sets “into the vault” – Cobble & Fog and Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot. Both of these sets will not be reprinted when the current stock runs out. The good news? On Twitter, Justin Jacobsen clarified that “vaulting” these sets was more like the old Disney film/VHS system, where something could come back out of the vault. That said, there’s no promise that the boxes will return to print – just that they are not permanently shelved.
Due to the expiration of publication rights, the Restoration Games Unmatched vault already contains the Jurassic Park, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Deadpool, and Bruce Lee sets. While Deadpool & Bruce Lee are impossible to find in retail (and have been for quite a while), the other sets are still available - so if you're interested, it's time to pick them up.
Some quick thoughts on the various boxes - all of which are stand-alone expansions:
Robin Hood vs Big Foot - the best introduction if you're not sure about the series... two great characters and two great maps
This is one of the sets that will not be reprinted when it runs out of stock... so if you're interested, go pick it up now!
Cobble & Fog - two more great maps with four excellent characters - though three of the four characters are not quite as straightforward to play
This is another one of the sets that will not be reprinted when it runs out of stock... so if you're interested, go pick it up now!
InGen vs Raptors - my least favorite map, though both characters are fun to play
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - two more excellent maps... don't love the Buffy character in 1v1 play but otherwise a fan of this box
Volume II - a great map and four excellent medium-difficulty characters
Bruce Lee - a solo character (no map) that's a lot of fun to play
Marvel: Redemption Row, Marvel: Hell's Kitchen, Marvel: Teen Spirit, and Marvel: For King & Country - I like the creativity in the Marvel maps and the figures are incredible. Due to some balance issues across the set (my sons both swear that Bullseye is "way OP, dad" and I'm not sure we've ever seen Elektra win), I like these better for 2v2 play. (Note: I love the teen heroes in Teen Spirit... and I haven't seen a production copy of Brains & Brawn yet, which was a great deal of fun to playtest.)
Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze! - we hated the playtest... .but Restoration knocked this one out of the park and it's one of my favorite cooperative games of the last few years (and the heroes are playable in head-to-head fights as well!)
Sun's Origin - only a single play with this set so far... the map is brilliant
Slings & Arrows - these are not beginner characters... but there's not a bad hero in the set (and the theme comes through beautifully [speaking as a former English/theater major])
My boys & I have been playtesters on a number of Unmatched sets: Vol. II, the Marvel boxes, Tales to Amaze!, and Slings & Arrows. We've also playtested some of the upcoming material (including - I think - the announced Witcher boxes).
I've written a number of reviews about Unmatched for the Opinionated Gamers site:
I'm currently working on a review of Slings & Arrows (the Shakespeare-based box that was just released)... and depending on life & how things go, I'll also be reviewing Sun's Origin and Marvel: Brains & Brawn.
This is the fourth of six (6!) Rob Daviau games that will appear on my top 100 list this time around... and first of three Justin Jacobsen games.
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.)
This is the second of two Paul Dennen designs on my list.
Despite my attempts to avoid Terraforming Mars for a number of years, this game sucked me in. It combines hand management, resource management, engine-building, leeching off other players work, racing to complete goals, and even a bit of take that. And it works.
Tips & Tricks:
While I get why some people like it with a full complement of five players, I think I enjoy it more with 2-3 players or as a solo game.
Resist the urge to throw everything into the game for first-timers... there's a lot to process. It's also helpful to explain why you are doing what you are doing during their first game - just not in an obnoxious manner.
It's important to build the engine you have/draw rather than the one you wish you had. It's a long enough game that wishing you were doing something different can make seem unending.
Extras
There are a LOT of expansions for this game system - I own all of them. The only two I think are really necessary, though, are Prelude and the Hellas/Elysium alternate map.
Thanks to the generosity of a good friend, I also own the 3D pieces... and they are a delight.
I would recommend a better individual play mat for each player than the one provided... something that makes it less likely that a table bump would end the game.
I like Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition - which feels like they cross-breeded Terraforming Mars with Race for the Galaxy - but it really needs the expansions to shine.
A think-y, puzzle-y dungeon crawl that's dripping with theme and story. The designer (Andrew Parks) mixes deck-building with tactical movement on the board to create a rich world for competitive, cooperative, and solo play.
Tips & Tricks:
Dungeon Alliance is not for the faint of heart - there's a lot going on here - but it's incredibly involving. In complexity, it is in the same range as the Mage Knight Board Game.
Speaking of Mage Knight (which I used to own)... I think they're both brilliantly designed games, but Mage Knight didn't hit the table after I got Dungeon Alliance.
While the game works with up to 4 players, there is a substantial increase in playing time with that many players. We have liked it better with 2 - smaller dungeon, less down time.
It really shines as a solo game as well.
Extras
Both expansions are highly recommended: the Champions expansion and the Adventure Packs... and there is at least one more planned expansion on the way!
If you'd like to see more about the intricate stories behind the game, there are two webcomics that keep growing from the Quixotic Games team - I'm just going to link to the very interesting design diary about the comics on BGG.
Yes, it's another combination of worker placement and deck-building... but don't let that fool you. The gameplay is well-thought-out, the artwork/graphic design is gorgeous, and there are meaningful timing and resource management choices throughout.
Tips & Tricks:
Don't lock into a single strategy based on how the last game ended... the game situation can change drastically depending on player choices and the various random decks, so you need to be prepared to react to the game in front of you.
Sometimes, a card is more valuable for the move icon than the special power - one of the tricks of the game is making sure you realize when that is..
The double-sided board (bird temple and snake temple) is a really nice touch to vary up play and tactics.
Extras
The Expedition Leaders expansion is an excellent addition to the game - adding to the variety without overwhelming the game system. The specific special powers of each adventurer are well-balanced.
I played The Search For Professor Kutil solo campaign twice... and while I think it's excellent, you don't need the campaign to play a really enjoyable solo game with Arnak.
The Missing Expedition expansion takes the Search for Professor Kutil and turns it up to 11. The campaign can now be played solo or as a two-player cooperative game.
Smoosh Dungeonquest and Ascension together and you'd get something close to this fantastic deck-building dungeon crawl... with the very clever “clank” mechanic binding the two together and acting a game timer and source of tension.
Tips & Tricks:
While there is a lot of witty color text, it’s small and doesn’t make the cards more difficult to read.
The graphic design of the cards is really smart – they have used consistent iconography and clear text instructions to make it easy to understand what the card does for you, even when you add in the expansion cards.
The expansions have been packaged well in appropriately sized boxes... and have all been worth their cost as far as enjoyment and variety goes. (Better than you can say for some franchises - I'm looking at you, Adrenaline: Team Play DLC and Carcassonne: The Catapult.)
Extras
You can read my Welcome to the Clank-iverse overview of most of the expansions available for Clank!... and includes Kulkmann's homebrewed rules for a Clank! campaign. (I say "most" because Adventuring Party appeared after I wrote the article.)
Clank! In! Space! is excellent as well... with a slightly higher rules overhead.
My boys and I loved Clank! Legacy. It is longer per game by about 50%, but we had a blast.
Most recently, we've enjoyed Clank! Catacombs... a stand-alone game with a variable dungeon made of tiles.
The picture includes heroes from various expansions as well as the different versions of the "boss" marker... and the monkey idols. There's a really serious monkey obsession on the part of the designers.
There's actually a really nice free app from Renegade that has a solo mode for Clank! which works well.
This is the first of two games on the countdown from designer Paul Dennen.
designers: Rob Daviau, Alan Roach, & Craig Van Ness
Print Status
VERY out of print
Why It's On The List
This is possibly the best licensed game out there - certainly the one with the best combination of "toy factor" and "solid gameplay"... and it's based on the weakest film in the Star Wars franchise. It manages to capture the best parts of a bad film and make a splendid game.
Tips & Tricks:
The Trade Federation is slightly easier to play... but with two experienced players, the game is pretty well balanced.
If you're playing the Naboo side, you MUST use every Anakin card possible to push the timer. (This is really the only "can't miss" bit of strategic advice I can give you.)
Extras
This is not the only good Star Wars game (I also like Outer Rim & X-Wing Miniatures & Imperial Assault) but it's certainly the best. (Note: I have not yet played Armada, Legion, or Shatterpoint...)
The Risk: Star Wars Edition published in 2015 is a similar but NOT identical design... Nat Green has an excellent article on BGG comparing them.
Here's what I wrote about The Queen's Gambit for The One Hundred
This is the fourth of six games co-designed by Rob Daviau on this countdown... and the first of two co-designed by Craig Van Ness. (Please note: Rob heaps praise on Craig for doing the lion's share of the work on Queen's Gambit.)
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.
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 both boxes seem to be well-balanced... even those with asymmetric objectives.
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 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.
I'm really looking forward later this year to Undaunted 2200: Callisto... bringing the system into a sci-fi setting.
This is the second of two David Thompson designs on my list... and the third of four Dávid Turczi designs.
Michael Schacht takes the central game mechanic from his card game Coloretto & develops it into a full-fledged board game with delightful artwork & theme. And then, if that wasn't enough, he keeps expanding that world (thanks to the SdJ win) in some very intriguing ways.
Tips & Tricks:
I didn't like Zooloretto particularly the first time I played it... that, as you can see, has changed. (The theme drew me back in, btw.)
Lots of people like Coloretto better than Zooloretto - they're wrong, of course, but I think that's more a function of "liking a clever mechanic" versus "liking a clever mechanic in the midst of a thematic & enjoyable game".
Zooloretto spawned Aquaretto - which was ranked #199 for me on this year's list. Aquaretto is the more gamer-friendly of the two - there's more potential for a new player to mess themselves over with bad tile placement.
The plethora of large & small expansions can be confusing - but I like how you can tailor the game to your personal tastes.
The game is best with 3 or 4 players... 5 has a little too much downtime (if you're using any expansions) and 2 is bland.
If you're going to play Zooloretto & Aquaretto together, you should only play with 3 players... or with Michael's 6-player partnership variant.
Extras
I wrote an extensive post about Zooloretto & the various expansions entitled Renovating Your Zoo(loretto) for this blog.
I translated the Big Boss variant from Michael Schacht's site - it's used w/the Zooloretto: Boss expansion.
One of the proudest moments of my life - my son, Braeden (who was 7 at the time), created a really great variant idea for Aquaretto - and Michael Schacht published it on his website! Check out the Touch Pool...
The picture above shows a game with all the expansions in (the white meeples are workers from Zooloretto: Boss).
A solo "wargame" that is brimming with thematic touches (from the event deck to some of the unusual ship choices)... and an impressive level of variability created simply by changing Nemo's objective.
Tips & Tricks:
Nemo’s War was designed as a solitaire game – everything from the unidirectional layout of the board to the theme of the game scream “low player count”. That said, there are variants in the rule book to play with more players… my one play with more players worked fine, but at its heart, it's a solo game.
Nemo’s War reminds me a bit of old school wargames – ships have attack and defense values, there are a lot of dice rolls, and there is even a printed CRT on the board for the various actions. At the same time, it incorporates action expenditures, bag draws, ways to mitigate bad die rolls, etc. from the more modern game designs.
Each objective demands different play styles and trade-offs, which I find endlessly fascinating. So far, I’ve proven to be the most successful at exploration – while all-out war with the nations does not seem to be my forte. I must also note that I play on the lowest difficulty setting – I cannot imagine cranking this up to the highest level… I’d be fish food in a few turns.
The game runs about 90 minutes now that I’ve internalized the rules and the order of play – it isn’t unusual for me to play a couple of times in a night if I’m stuck in a hotel on a business trip. And I’m always eager to play it again.
Extras
There are multiple expansion packs available - I sprung for all of them. The Bold & Caring pack adds 2 new objectives, which makes the game even more varied.
The Journey's End expansion is well worth your time & money! (Of course, if you're just jumping into the game, the Ultimate Edition has all the content along with really great rulebooks integrating all the expansion content.)
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 begs for a reprint... preferably using the GeekBits concept.
Based on the recommendations of others gamers (especially fellow Opinionated Gamer Chris Wray), I splurged on the Everdell Complete Collection without ever having played the game. As you can tell by where I placed this on my top 100 list, I don't regret that decision.
Tips & Tricks:
Everdell is a combination of worker placement and tableau building... all in service to the creation of a world filled with anthropomorphic forest critters. The whimsical and beautiful card and board art makes the game even more enjoyable to play.
The seasons mechanic has a number of interesting strategic considerations - since by not moving into the next season, you block other players from certain worker placement spaces.
While the game will play five players, we've found it most enjoyable at 2-3 players.
My sons' favorite expansion is Spirecrest (which add the large animals and the trek across the mountains)... I'm partial to New Leaf (which adds the train station and all the visitors).
Timing is everything in Everdell...
Extras
The production of the Everdell Complete Collection is stunning - the only problem is how dang big the box is.
Picture above includes both Mistwood and New Leaf.
There are two solo modes: Rugwort (which is mildly entertaining) and Mistwood (Nightweave & her spider crew) that really shines. I’ve barely scratched the surface of the personalities, plans, and plots available in the Mistwood expansion.
BTW, Chris Wray posted a weeks worth of Everdell reviews that are a great read if you’re interested. (These reviews pre-date the newest expansions, New Leaf & Mistwood.)
Gorgeous production coupled with easy gameplay... a classic theme (trains!) coupled with a classic Rummy set-collection mechanic... just as playable with 2 as it is with 5.
Tips & Tricks:
Playing with 3 or 5 players is MUCH more cutthroat than playing with 2 or 4, due to how crowded the board can become.
Figuring out the "choke points" on any map is an important step in choosing tickets both at the beginning of the game and as you take ticket turns later.
We have a house rule that players can keep taking turns while someone decides on tickets as long as their action is to draw cards or take tickets. If a player is going to play to the board, they must wait until the ticket-taker has made their decision.
Most importantly, this is an excellent "gateway" game for non-gamers.
Extras
There are a number of expansions & stand-alone versions of the game. I'm partial to the 1910 card expansion - as well as...
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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