The Beautiful Game(s) [Classic Remix]

A decade ago, I wrote a post about soccer board games... so, with the US Men's team playing Uruguay tonight and both US men and women playing in the Olympics later this month, I figured it was a good time to revisit and update my thoughts. 

Soccer was the first sport I ever felt semi-competent at as a kid... which probably has a lot to do with my enjoyment of the game, particularly played at major international tournament level. It's the only sport I've ever "officially" coached. (Note: I coached Under 6 soccer, which is kind of like saying, "I herded cats while they played with a white ball & got distracted by their surroundings.")

I'm not a great soccer player - I don't have the stamina, the coordination or the willingness to practice to get better in those areas. I can handle the ball & can "see the field," which means I was (once upon a time) a passable midfielder. (And by "passable midfielder", I mean "I was slightly better than having no one playing the position... but only by a small amount".)

Soccer, by the way, is probably the easiest of the team sports to teach to young kids. While I used to enjoy watching my sons play the royal mess that is T-Ball, those kids out on the diamond have no idea what they're doing and/or why. But as long as you can sling up two goals, mark the edges of the field & get a decent ball on the ground, you can play soccer. (You may not play it well, but you can play.)

All of this is introduction to my "real" topic, soccer board games. There are a LOT of soccer board games available (Tony Ackroyd over on BGG has an extensive older Geeklist entitled Kick Off & Goal! that contains 70 of them). I haven't played nearly that many... but that won't stop me, of course, from commenting on them. (Some of the games I'll highlight don't appear on Tony's list, which hasn't been updated in about a decade.)

I'll be listing the games in my order of personal preference.

Streetsoccer

This is a backgammon-ish 5-on-5 soccer game that plays quickly (25 turns) and is incredibly simple to learn. Don't let that fool you - the folks who are good at the game are REALLY good at the game.

It doesn't so much simulate soccer (like Pursue the Pennant attempts to simulate baseball)... instead, it uses a simple dice-based mechanic to simulate the feel of a soccer game - and does so brilliantly. In fact, it's not only my favorite soccer game, it's one of my favorite games, period. (It was #53 on Top 100 list this year.)

Like playing backgammon, winning at Streetsoccer is as much about the position you leave yourself in as well as pushing hard to score. 

Eleven: Football Manager Board Game

Eleven is more football (soccer for those of us here in the U.S. of A.) team management (including stadium improvements, hiring & firing staff, and dealing with the mercurial decision-making of your board of directors) than playing soccer games... but don't worry, you'll play six matches over the course of the game (and even more if you're using the International Cup expansion.)

While there are some tricky parts (understanding how/when to flip jerseys, for example), the game itself works like a charm and is great fun to play, especially if you are (like myself) a fan of Premier League soccer. Match play is important – but Eleven is much bigger than winning matches… it’s actually an economic/management game.

Since the game this re-design was based on (Club Stories) was a solo game, it is not a surprise that this works splendidly for a single player. However, I wouldn’t suggest trying to throw all of the expansions in at one time – that’s my single play for this year (so far) and it was a bit much. (I do plan on mixing the international players into the regular deck for more variety moving forward… but ditching the airline/recruiting mechanic.)

There's an excellent review of Eleven on the Opinionated Gamers site - which I didn't write but you should still read anyway.

Magic Number Eleven

I've only had the chance to play this game a single time... but I was very impressed with how it using a tile-laying-like mechanic to simulate the build-up of soccer play. There's enough randomness to feel like an actual soccer game (I got a penalty trying to stop an overwhelming attack - then my goalie managed to block the penalty shot!)... but not so much that it overwhelms intelligent play.

I'm not sure where you find a copy except the Pluto Games site (which shows that they are waiting for restock.) 

Subbuteo

Much more popular in Europe than here in the States, this flicking game of soccer is a lot of fun to play - but I don't have regular access to a copy. The tiny round-based players are tricky to learn how to flick well... but experienced players can do magical things with them. (For example, the gentleman who taught me how to play and pretty much relegated my team to 3rd Division in a single game.)

You can play at a relativelysimple "just get the ball in the goal" level... or the game has a sophisticated set of systems for dealing with fouls, throws-in, PKs, and the like.

Soccer Tactics

This is a dice-based game which is played in real time (stopwatch included) and has a nice fluidity to the game (once you get past the tik-takky stuff in the rules). It has a bad reputation due to [a] a ill-conceived design choice to put the scoring spinner in the middle of the board (which has been solved by the addition of a scoring die), and [b] by the less-than-congenial relationship that the company has had with BGG.

The game usually runs a little long... so it didn't hit the table often enough to justify hanging onto it and was traded away in the Great Game Purge of 2013. I'd still be happy to play it - but I no longer have a copy.

Finale

Finale was only published in German in the 2-player Kosmos line and  is very much out of print. It borrows the rotating card mechanic from the Settlers of Catan Card Game combined with a set of tactics cards to create a pretty nice simulation of coaching a soccer team. Fouls & injuries are a little too common, though.

The problem with the game is that it's a tad fiddly, what with all the marking & turning of player cards. I've got my copy up for trade, but I like it enough that it would take a really good offer for me to part with it. It even managed to survive the Purge - but I'm thinking that mostly due to lack of interest.

Lego Soccer

I have 3 different sets thrown together, so I can make a pretty large field. Sadly, it's cooler in theory than it is in actual play... the field is stable but the players sometimes pop right off their bases as you try to make a play. But, hey, it's Lego!

Note: while many games were sold in the aforementioned purge (back in our 2013 move) and even more were sold earlier this year... I still have Lego Soccer. 

---

Sadly, I have never played The World Cup Game... not for lack of trying.

Sixty is the New Fifty-Nine

Yep, it's happened. With yet another trip around the sun, my personal odometer has turned over and I am, as the title of the post implies, sixty years old.

When I was younger, 60 sounded really, really old... and sometimes the aches & pains of my aging body remind me that younger me wasn't completely off base. But most of the time, I feel like my attitude about life is younger than my physical age.

This week, I've found myself reflecting on the past six decades of my life.

• I spent nearly half of my life in full-time vocational ministry as a Southern Baptist youth minister, church planter, and pastor... then spent nearly a decade without preaching until last year. 
• Shari & I just celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary - I'm so incredibly thankful that she said "yes" so many years ago and has been my companion and best friend through all the high & lows of life.
• I've been a dad for more than a third of my years on this planet - Braeden is 23 and Collin is 19 - and I could not be prouder of who they are as young men. (I'm really looking forward to our road trip to Gulf Games together next month.)
• Speaking of board games, I'm honored to have friends scattered around the country (and the world) due to my involvement in this hobby. I've had the privilege to playtest a wide variety of games (Heroscape, Suburbia, Unmatched: Battle of Legends, etc.) and review countless others for the Opinionated Gamers site and this blog.
• I've had a lot of different jobs in addition to being a pastor - I've worked in a call center, I've flipped hamburgers (back in the "my McDonalds uniform was made of polyester" days), I've served on a packaging line, I've ghostwritten material for multiple books, I've done data entry/payables (back in the Lotus 1-2-3 days), I've worked for the State Legislature in IT, I've consulted on a book on board games for Klutz Publishing, and I currently have spent more than a decade working for the Tennessee Department of Education.

Most importantly, I've been a follower of Jesus for almost all of my life. I made a profession of faith at the age of seven... and I'd love to tell you that it's been smooth sailing ever since. But that would be a lie. In Andrew Peterson's song, "The Good Confession", he describes his younger self with these words:

Through the years

I barely fell;

I mostly dove right in.

I drank so deep

From the shallow well

Only to thirst again.

Still, His grace is real. Over and over, I've experienced the love of God calling me to follow Him - not as a punishment or as a penance for my mistakes, but as a deeply loved child and friend. 

On this day, I'm pausing to remember how thankful I am for all of the things that have shaped me - both the wonderful gifts and the incredible difficulties. I have things I wish I'd have done differently - times where I should have made a better and/or different decision - but I have no desire to rewind the clock. 

The Return of Heroscape

In November of 2010, I posted a sad goodbye to a game system that I'd not only collected & played, but also playtested. Hasbro chose to end the Heroscape line after releasing four master box sets, thirteen waves of figures, three boxes of large figures, a wave of flagbearers with custom dice, and four boxes of special terrain over six amazing years. 

Well, as Mark Twain once (purportedly) said, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Because, unless Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast has manufactured the terrain out of some kind of special plastic that they can detonate by remote control and/or they've hired the Taelord & the Minions of Utgar to swoop down on game rooms 'round the world and steal back the stacks of miniatures, we can still play this wonderful game. (BTW, this would be the most effective use of Taelord & the Minions. In other news, Taelord & the Minions would make a great rock band name.)

And we did play... a lot. (I would like to issue an apology to Taelord the Kryie Warrior, who I've made fun for a very long time as an over-costed and relatively useless figure. It was Taelord & the Minions that helped me defeat my son's Gorillanator/Krav Maga army last night... as pictured here.)

In the summer of 2022 - nearly twelve years later - Hasbro began to hint that they were "getting the band back together" and reviving Heroscape. My initial excitement grew cold as the Avalon Hill/HasLab teams made a number of off-putting choices in their crowdfunding campaign: using Discord as the primary tool to release information, choosing to release the set as a single $250 Vanguard edition box, not giving a painted option (even for those willing to pay more), the garish day-glo color of the mini renderings (whether or not they would have looked like that in the end), focusing on faction groups rather than Valkyrie Generals, etc.

I fully admit that 'old skool' Heroscape players (like myself) probably had our $$ and painted minis expectations out of whack - in 2004, the original Master box (Rise of the Valkyrie) cost just $40 and you darn near needed a hand truck to get it out to your car. And I think that the attempted shift to "factions" as an organizing principle was in order to make entry for newbies easier - a noble goal.

That said, the crowdfunding campaign was unsuccessful... and Avalon Hill announced:

What’s next for HeroScape?

Our unfortunate answer is… nothing. As we said during the campaign if this project doesn’t meet its goal, we won’t be able to produce Age of Annihilation. That has not changed. HeroScape as a project will be shelved, and there are no current plans to attempt a resurrection at this time. The Avalon Hill team will refocus our efforts on the exciting games we currently have coming soon…

As I wrote that fall: "And with that, I truly thought that we could stick a fork in any more Heroscape."

I am so very glad I was wrong.

It was just seven months later that Renegade Game Studios announced a "licensing arrangement" with Avalon Hill/Hasbro to take the work that had been done on Heroscape and make this game system viable again. 

In October 0f 2023, Renegade hosted their first Heroscape livestream - introducing us to some of the team of folks who responsible for pulling a "Free Willy" and releasing Heroscape from captivity. (OK, that's a pretty weak metaphor/pop culture reference hybrid... my apologies.)

They dealt forthrightly with a number of questions:

• Yes, they are still working with the folks at Hasbro and have a positive established relationship there.
• They have all of the inherited stuff from Hasbro and are currently doing their due diligence.
• It was not 100% finished when it was turned over to the Renegade team… so there’s lots of work to do.
• The lore/story direction of Heroscape will be led by the Renegade team.
• They plan to use all of the content from the HasLab campaign – though likely not all of it on “day one”. (We'll talk about that more in a minute.)
• Yes, the game will be backwards compatible.
• There are no historical figures in the current waves.
• They will not be reprinting the ‘classic’ sculpts/figures.
• None of the molds still exist for the old stuff.
• However, personas from the past could reappear (there was a lot of hinting around about Raelin).

And, in a very classy move, they were honest about whether or not they could do painted figures. Simply put, they hadn't made the decision yet - but they were exploring options.

My reaction was very positive:

By the time Renegade’s new wave of Heroscape stuff hits the street, it will have been 20 years since Frank Branham emailed me and told me to head to the closest Wal-Mart with $40 in hand and pick up a copy of Rise of the Valkyrie (the first Heroscape Master Set). Over the next six years, I bought, traded for, and/or was given at least one of each release – and in many cases, multiples of certain figure and terrain packs. They currently reside in three rolling cases in my office closet – waiting for my boys to get home from college to set up some serious battles in my new game room.

I am smack dab in the center of ONE of the target audiences for Renegade’s new Heroscape material. Note: I said ONE of the target audiences – but for the game to be successful, they need to bring in a lot of new players who don’t have a deep connection to the game Hasbro released between 2004-2010.

So, please take my reactions and suggestions that follow with a rather large grain of salt – I’m speaking as somebody who left this up in his game room for weeks while my sons, their best friend, and I played a 6000 points per side epic battle most afternoons after school. 

I’m really happy about the multiple packaging options… I think that was one of the most grievous errors with the crowdfunding campaign.

I get that painted figures are going to be a stretch – I hope that there is an option to get painted figures, as I’d like them to blend with all the figures I already have. But, I understand if that’s not possible.

My wish list for “historical/trope” figures: pirates, cavemen (let one of them ride a wooly mammoth!), post-apocalyptic biker gangs, skeletons, Mouse Guard-ish heroes, and bear cavalry.

In general, I think Renegade’s approach has a better chance for both short-term and long-term success.

 

In March of this year (2024), the actual details of Wave 1 (yes, there are waves!) of the new Heroscape era were shared on a livestream from the Renegade team. There would be a Master Set (entitled Age of Annhilation) as well as a smaller "intro" Battle Box (entitled Battle for the Wellspring) and the first of a series of Terrain System boxes, The Grove at Laur's Edge. 

Most importantly for those of with (a) a large Heroscape collection, and (b) the miniature painting skills of a 4 year old with anger issues, they announced that Renegade is releasing "premium paint" versions of each box with figures. 

Here's the wild thing about these new boxes - they are using the same basic character designs from the failed Avalon Hill/HasLab crowdfunding attempt. I wasn't the best reporter with this initial reveal - I didn't even realize it. (It took a comment from one of our readers at the Opinionated Gamers site to point it out.)

Let me see if I can show why I didn't recognize this fact. (I'll use my favorite squad from the Wave 1 releases, the Frostclaw Paladins.)

In the first picture (from the crowdfunding campaign), the figures are both a single color AND rendered where the back left mini is very difficult to see and the front left mini is lit so he's difficult to figure out. (Yes, I know that those were digital concept art.) In the second picture, not only are the minis painted, but they are positioned where it's easier to see each of the figures. 

Additionally, the rollout from Renegade included a developed website with character bios and army cards - making it easier to see the connections to what had gone before and the nifty new ideas that the both Avalon Hill and Renegade has been working on. (Well, and a way to preorder the new stuff - which only makes sense.)

In other news from the March event, the team let us know that any promos created (two were specifically mentioned - Sgt. Drake & Shiori) would not be exclusive. Promo figures will always eventually be available through Renegade's online store. 

In June 2024 (ahem, last Friday - to be exact), Renegade hosted yet another livestream to showcase the Wave 2 releases. This wave focuses on Army Expansions (two of them) and Terrain System boxes (two of these as well). The Army boxes (under the sub-title Revna's Rebuke) include the Kryie Warriors box and the Iron Lich Viscerot & Necrotech Wraithriders box. The Terrain System boxes are the Lands of Valhalla (filled with - no surprise here - a lot more land tiles) and the Waters of Valhalla (more water tiles).

I wrote about this last weekend:

I honestly don’t know what I expected from Wave 2. Back in the day, the first follow-up to the original Master set (Rise of the Valkyrie) was a set of 4 figure boosters, followed the next year by the first large figures box and the first terrain box. That’s not the direction Renegade has chosen to go – but I can’t say I blame them for avoiding the blister pack booster system.

What seemed like a good idea back in 2004 – three packs of mostly common squad figures and a pack of unique heroes in each release – meant that collectors/players picked up multiple copies of the common squads and only a single copy of the hero pack. That left stores – both big box and FLGSs – with extra stock of a single pack. In big box store cases, some inventory systems confused those remaining packs as stock, thus meaning they didn’t reorder. For FLGSs, it was inventory that ate up shelf space and overhead.

All of the figures in Revna’s Rebuke (both boxes) are unique heroes or squads – that means you don’t need multiple boxes as you can’t field multiple copies of these heroes/squads in an army. No leftover blister packs; no wondering how many packs will I really need to field an awesome [fill in the blank] fighting force. (I am still looking for second packs of Ashigaru spearmen and riflemen… but any time I’ve found them, I haven’t been willing to plunk down that much cash.)

I think that this direction is a long-term good idea. The terrain expansions are going to be excellent for newer players – access to big chunks of terrain without being scalped on the secondary market for stuff from 20 years ago. (Did I mention this year is the 20th anniversary of Heroscape? More on that in a minute.) The army expansions will add to wave 1 releases… but also connect nicely to the older figures/armies that those of us who’ve been playing most or all of those two decades can get behind.

Better yet, Jordan & Lee confirmed that Renegade has Heroscape releases planned out into early 2026… and they’ll be revealing Wave 3 in October!

OK, Great... How Do I Get My Hands On This Wonderful Stuff?!

Pre-orders for both Wave 1 and Wave 2 of Heroscape are currently open at Renegade Game Studios' webstore. Please remember that mixing both Wave 1 & Wave 2 boxes into the same order will mean they will not ship until October 2024 (shipping date for Wave 2).

The street date (aka "when will Wave 1 show up in your friendly local game store [FLGS]") is August 29th. Pre-order should arrive in early-to-mid-August. Orders placed to be picked up at GenCon are available as well.

Wave 1 pre-orders will also receive the Sgt. Drake promo figure as a part of their order.

Really important fact I don't want anyone to miss: Heroscape terrain & figures can be used with other boxes & sets - both current and past. 

WAVE ONE

The Battle for the Wellspring Battle Box has 6 figures as well as 31 terrain pieces (including a Wellspring water tile), 2 Laur trees, and a single glyph... and all the material (dice, wound markers, etc.) needed to play Heroscape. Four scenarios are included in the box. 

• Unpainted set (figures will have wash to highlight detail): $45
• Premium painted set: $65

The Age of Annihilation Master Set has 20 figures as well as 23 Laur wall terrain pieces, 74 terrain pieces, and 11 glyphs... and all the material (dice, wound markers, etc.) needed to play Heroscape. Nine scenarios are included in the set.

• Unpainted set (figures will have wash to highlight detail): $125
• Premium painted set: $225

The Grove at Laur's Edge Terrain System has 3 Laur trees plus 6 Laur underbrush pieces as well as a set-up guide. A Heroscape Master Set or Battle Box is required to be able to use this expansion.

• No figures, so a single price point: $50

WAVE TWO

The Kryie Warriors Army Expansion has 5 Kryie Warrior figures as well as their army cards. A Heroscape Master Set or Battle Box is required to be able to use this expansion

• Unpainted set (figures will have wash to highlight detail): $45
• Premium painted set: $65

The Iron Lich Viscerot & Necrotech Wraithfriders Army Expansion has 4 figures (the huge Iron Lich mini and the Necrotech Wraithriders squad) as well as their army cards. A Heroscape Master Set or Battle Box is required to be able to use this expansion

• Unpainted set (figures will have wash to highlight detail): $45
• Premium painted set: $65

The Lands of Valhalla Terrain System has 63 terrain pieces for use in building battle maps... including the first 24-hex sand pieces produced for the Heroscape line. A Heroscape Master Set or Battle Box is required to be able to use this expansion.

• No figures, so a single price point: $70

The Waters of Valhalla Terrain System has 24 single hex water terrain pieces, 6 wellspring terrain pieces, and 5 3-hex water terrain pieces for use in building battle maps. A Heroscape Master Set or Battle Box is required to be able to use this expansion.

• No figures, so a single price point: $30

Some final thoughts:

• There is an unboxing video available now... thanks to RenegadeCon last week.
• The link goes straight to the part of the video with Heroscape stuff.
• The hosts are relentlessly cheerful... but the unboxing is still cool. 
• There is also a painting guide video... again, thanks to RenegadeCon.
• While I applaud their effort, there are not enough videos in the world to make up for my complete lack of miniature painting skills.
• I really don't write much about the plans for organized play (since I'm not really a tournament guy)... but there's an impressive amount of organized play support coming for Heroscape.
• The best place to keep up with information about the game and the upcoming releases is https://renegadegamestudios.com/heroscape-home. Of course, you can access the webshop that way... but there are also pictures and information about each of the figures. In the future, even more resources will be available through the site.

OK, I've typed long enough. Time for me to get back to building a huge 2v2 battle map I'm tentatively naming "Swamp & Thunder Road".

I have not received a review copy of any of the new Heroscape material - I just really love the game and am incredibly excited to see it back in print. I did receive some promo figures, a couple of Volcarren Wasteland boxes, and a wave of figures as a "thank you" for my work as a playtester. (I also received a very cool Heroscape T-shirt which fit 42 year old Mark but isn't as kind to nearly 60 year old Mark. But I still have it hanging in my closet.)

#1: Memoir '44 (Mark's Top 100 2024)

Memoir '44

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 192
• rating: 7.5
• published: 2004
• designer: Richard Borg

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• The best (and best supported!) of the Command & Colors games... it combines a wonderous toy factor (plastic army men & tanks!) along with remarkably evocative recreations of WW2 battles. This is the perfect collision of all the eras of my gaming life: it's got enough warfare &; tactics for the chit-pusher in me, the gorgeous plastic bits remind me of the day we cracked open Axis & Allies for the first time, and the speedy gameplay fits my current lifestyle. The plethora ("si, Jeffe") of scenarios is a definite point in favor of Memoir '44, as well as one of the cleverest 'fog of war' mechanisms ever - the command deck.

Tips & Tricks:

• Memoir '44 is splendid right out of the box... though the first couple of scenarios are probably the weakest and don't show off the game as well as they could. (They do a good job of getting players used to how the game works.) Don't give up on it until you've played some of the later scenarios.
• There are a LOT of expansions... and I personally own at least one or two of each of them. (Point of fact: my Memoir '44 collection weighs over 30 pounds now.) There are no duds in the set... though probably the least valuable to a casual player is the Terrain Pack.
• BoardGameArena has an excellent implementation of Memoir '44... which explains why I've played so many games of it in the last year or so.
• My favorite way to play is 2 player Breakthrough (using the Breakthrough deck included in the Winter Wars expansion). Close behind that is playing in Overlord (multi-player team) mode or playing a campaign (using one of the Campaign Books).

Extras

• I've written a number of reviews (review copies provided) of Memoir '44 expansions over the years:
• Breakthrough
• Winter Wars
• Campaign Book Volume 2
• Equipment Pack
• Memoir '44: The Chattanooga Open
• Here's what I wrote about it for The One Hundred - both personally & for the group.
• This last week was the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. We must not forget all of those who gave their lives to end Nazi tyranny and genocide. 

#2: Race for the Galaxy (Mark's Top 100 2024)

Race for the Galaxy

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 78
• rating: 7.7
• published: 2007
• designer: Tom Lehmann

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• After you climb the iconography mountain to figure out the game, Race for the Galaxy is an amazing adventure in hand management & reading your opponents' mind - made even better by clever card design & interaction as well as great sci-fi art.

Tips & Tricks

• Learning Race for the Galaxy can be a bit of a chore - of course, since I've ranked it #2 on my list, you know I think it's worth it - but there are some things you can do to make it easier.
• First, don't add any of the expansions.
• Second, the first time you play, play two games in a row.
• The first game should be open-handed & use the preset hands from the base game.
• The second game can be "normal".
• Third, don't get obsessed about winning your first few games. Use them (they're short!) to explore the gamespace & see how cards can work together.
• There are five expansion sets available for Race for the Galaxy, all of which add numerous cards to the deck:
• The Gathering Storm (which adds a fifth player, goals & a robust solitaire system)
• Rebel vs. Imperium (which builds on the previous expansion, adding a sixth player & rules for takeovers)
• The Brink of War (which builds on the previous two expansions, adding prestige & the prestige/search action)
• Alien Artifacts (Alien Artifacts does NOT build on the previous expansions but instead is meant to be combined solely with the base game. It adds a fifth player & a new mode of play in which you explore the Alien Orb.)
• Xeno Invasion (the newest expansion - again, a stand-alone addition to the base game that adds the potential for a non-player adversary attacking all players.)
• There is another Xeno expansion planned... but it is waiting on some production issues.
• Between the iOS app powered by Keldon's AI, the version of Keldon's AI online, and BoardGameArena, I'm comfortable estimating that I've played Race against an AI and live players over 3k-4k times.
• My favorite way to play is 2 player advanced with goals & prestige... and no takeovers.

Extras

• I'm surprised how little I've written about Race for the Galaxy - evidently, I've been too busy actually playing the game to blog about it!
• This is the seventh of seven (7!) Tom Lehmann games on my top 100 countdown!

#3: Return to Dark Tower (Mark's Top 100 2024)

Return to Dark Tower 

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 268
• rating: 8.3
• published: 2022
• designers: Tim Burrell-Saward, Rob Daviau, Isaac Childres, Noah Cohen, Justin Jacobsen, & Brian Neff

Print Status

• available

Why It's On The List

• A completely immersive cooperative game that utilizes the "gimmick" of the tower beautifully, integrates the app into the game in ways that make the game more playable, and doubles down on the usual gorgeous production from Restoration Games.

Tips & Tricks:

• There are not many games that work well across all player counts - Return to Dark Tower breaks that rule. 
• The Alliances expansion seems to work better with 3-4 players, but I don't think we've played it enough at lower counts to be sure of this.
• Solo play is great... except you need to build a barrier of some kind on the opposite side of the tower from you when the game starts spitting skulls out in that direction.
• Everything is important: fulfilling quests, buffing heroes, defeating monsters, cleansing skulls... and you can't do all of it. Wisely choose to send the best equipped hero to do a chore... rather than make decisions solely based on proximity to a task.

Extras

• While we enjoy the Alliances expansion, the more recent Covenant expansion has been a group favorite - and it's not just the cool monuments or the extra heroes. The whole package is chockful of new twists for an already incredible game.
• I've written a good bit about Return to Dark Tower:
• Return to Dark Tower OR How I Learned to Love The Tower - the story of how I decided to back the Kickstarter
• I Was Victorious - A Return to Dark Tower Review - my glowing review after five plays the first weekend we had the game
• Return to Return to Dark Tower - An OG Re-Review - 14 plays later, I came back and added a lot to the original review
• It's not strictly necessary... but the Dark Hordes box of "bad guy" miniatures makes the game even cooler on the table. 
• My younger son has played with folks at a convention who have 3D-printed extra stuff (including tiny red LED lights inside them) to bling it out even more!
• This is the sixth of six (6!) games designed by Rob Daviau on this countdown... and the third of three for Justin Jacobsen... and the second of two for Noah Cohen & Brian Neff.

#4: Clash of Cultures (Mark's Top 100 2024)

Clash of Cultures 

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 465
• rating: 7.6
• published: 2012
• designer: Christian Marcussen

Print Status

• the original edition is out of print... but the new edition (which includes the impossible to find expansion and a number of tweaks) is available

Why It's On The List

• My favorite civilization-building game... the free-wheeling tech-tree and relatively simple mechanics make for an excellent play experience with 2, 3 or 4 players.

Tips & Tricks:

• Playing an online game of the Tresham version of Civilization a couple of years ago makes me like Clash of Cultures even more. The tech tree decisions are more interesting, the random events aren't earth-shattering, and the gameplay has more variety. I'm pretty much done with classic Civ.
• There are multiple ways to win Clash of Cultures - we've had games that focused on military build-up and games where trade was king. The direction of the game is often affected by the layout of the board.
• The expansion is highly recommended for the original edition - it not only adds cavalry & elephants & extra buildings, it adds historically based civilizations to the game. But good luck finding a copy.

Extras

• I have played the new edition - finally. (And I now have a copy.) It contains the expansion material from the original and streamlines some of the other rules/components to speed up the game (slightly). I need a few more plays under my belt but I think the new version is better.
• I have not written a lot about Clash of Cultures... I need to fix that!

#5: Heroscape (Mark's Top 100 2024)

Heroscape 

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 487
• rating: 7.4
• published: 2004
• designers: Stephen Baker, Rob Daviau, and Craig Van Ness

Print Status

• out of print... but not for long (see below)!!!

Why It's On The List

• Heroscape is the ultimate blending of board game & miniatures game... and, in a slick move that allowed them to make lots of cool figures, a great blending of genres, as all the characters are warriors sucked through time & space into the world of Heroscape. So, you've got Matrix guys & Braveheart & dragons & robots & kung fu monks & gorillas with guns. (And while kids can start with this one at 7-8 years old, there's enough going on that you keep playing it well into your adult years - in my case, age 59 & counting!)

Tips & Tricks:

• While I have a complete set of figures (including many double & triple sets of squads) as well as two of each terrain expansion, I'm a relative lightweight in the realm of serious Heroscape players.
• A tough side effect of our huge life change back in 2013 (three states/two moves/most of our stuff still in storage) had been the boxing away of the Heroscape armies... which was mitigated by three rolling carts... and solved by moving into a new house with enough space for a dedicated game room and adjacent office (which is technically also a game room).
• When designing boards, remember that "it looks cool" and "it plays well" can be totally different things.
• If you get a chance, find someone and play this. (Alternately, watch garage sales & the BGG Marketplace and start your own collection!)
• If you can wait until August 2024, new Heroscape terrain & figures are coming!

Extras

• I've written a BUNCH about Heroscape over the years... probably the best post to start with is Heroscape for Beginners (and Robo).
• I've chronicled a number of our massive battles - complete with pictures!
• Swarm of the Marro - September 2007
• Defeating the Marro Invaders + Heroscape Update - October 2007 
• Battle Royale + Battle Royale: National Heroscape Day + The Battle is Over - October 2008
• Marvel vs. the Citizens of Valhalla - April 2009
• Paddling Down the River of Blood - August 2010
• Arena of Doom - December 2010
• In 2010, I wrote a goodbye letter to Heroscape when Hasbro ended the line... of course, a much deeper remembrance was posted by Colby Dauch on the Heroscapers.com website.
• More recently, I've written about the revival of Heroscape courtesy of the good folks at Renegade Game Studios:
• Heroscape In New Hands: The RenegadeCon Panel (October 2023)
• The Gates of Valhalla Swing Open... Again: The Return of Heroscape (March 2024)
• I'll be covering the Heroscape Wave 2 reveal for the Opinionated Gamers site on June 14th... and will be following up with a review of the new sets as soon as I get my hands on them!
• This is the fifth of six (6!) designs on my list by Rob Daviau... and the second of two designs by Craig Van Ness and Stephen Baker.

#6: Fast Food Franchise (Mark's Top 100 2024)

Fast Food Franchise

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 7,267
• rating: 6.3
• published: 1992
• designer: Tom Lehmann

Print Status

• really out of print

Why It's On The List

• Imagine if the designer of Race for the Galaxy decided to take making a roll'n'move that both gamers & non-gamers could love... that combined some very Monopoly-ish elements with tactical board play. And then you can wake up & play it, because this is actually Tom Lehmann's first game design!

Tips & Tricks:

• Despite initial appearances, all of the companies are viable options for strategies to win Fast Food Franchise. (Some require you to open a second company - particularly those that grow quickly but don't generate cash from other players.)
• That said, you must watch your cash flow - relative both to your own building needs and the increasing costs of paying your competitors.
• Rookie mistake? Not advertising.
• There are two expansions that exist (note: I don't use the word "available"): 2 more companies (Tacos Today & Noodles to Go)... and a set of old skool fast food worker hats for each of the companies.

Extras

• Fast Food Franchise was one of the 138 Games to Play Before You Die over on the Opinionated Gamers website.
• Here's what I wrote about the game for The One Hundred.
• I talked with Tom a few years back about the chances of this getting reprinted... he is continuing to try to make that happen, which will make a number of my friends very happy. (But don't hold your breath.)
• This is the sixth of seven (7!) games designed by Tom Lehmann on this countdown.