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.
A really well-thought-out "dudes on a map" game that subverts the ever-present turtling problem with a varied set of rewards for attacking other players.
Tips & Tricks:
Hordes of cheaper figures can work just as well as a few expensive figures - and sometimes even better.
This is the rare combat game that works well with 2, 3 or 4 players.
I know I said it in the previous section - but it's worth saying again: turtling does NOT work in this game. ("Turtling" is emphasizing heavy defense and little or no offense, in hopes of getting your opponents to exhaust themselves fighting each other and/or throwing themselves against your defenses in vain.)
Extras
The FFG edition (2nd edition) evidently contains some variant stats for the units as well as some extra tiles and an alternate middle hex - but I haven't played it and am perfectly happy with my H/AH original edition.
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 fifth of seven (7!) games designed by Reiner Knizia on this countdown.
There had been cooperative games before this one... but Knizia broke the mold and created a sprawling (and gorgeous) cooperative masterpiece that reflects the tensions & storylines of the books in a highly abstracted way. And my wife likes it.
Tips & Tricks:
There are three expansions to the already meat-y base game...
Friends & Foes (which added Foes as well as two new "locations" - boards - to work through) - yes, it did make the game longer by almost half.
Sauron (which added several different ways to play the game, including a "one player - Sauron - versus everyone else" variant that works like a charm)
Battlefields (which added another board for each location... and is highly abstract... I played once and then sold it for a ridiculous amount of money.)
Suggestion: don't combine the Friends & Foes and Sauron expansions - it's just too darn long.
I've played 65+ games of this... and will happily play it again if someone asks. Especially my wife.
Some days, you just need an excuse to toss dice into a box and hope for the best. Other days, you want to chuck those dice as hard as possible. This is your game.
Tips & Tricks:
I first experienced the complete insanity of the "wing a die into the arena at high velocity in order to knock both dice out of play and force the next player to roll all their dice" tactic while at a weekend gaming event with the Cincinnati crew of the Opinionated Gamers... then made the mistake of telling my older son about this "strategy". Now, when playing with him, I feel like I need goggles and a helmet.
When playing tournament style (one 'game' per player and total scores over multiple games), it's better to finish 2nd than to go out early in a blaze of dice-rolling glory.
Extras
The picture above show Strike (the Harry Potter edition) next to Impact: Battle of Elements... the main difference is the shape and depth of the arena. My boys like Strike better while my wife prefers Impact. I'm happy to play either of them.
I'm not convinced that the magic/elements rules found in the Harry Potter version and in Impact: Battle of Elements actually add anything helpful to the game.
I considered Roll Player a playable but not particularly compelling game until two things happened - (a) I realized I had been taught the rules incorrectly, and (b) the first expansion appeared. Now it's still a game of dice manipulation and bundles of theme, but you don't feel like half of your turns are "take a die I don't want & throw away a card for 2 gold pieces."
Tips & Tricks:
You cannot do everything... unless the dice fall exactly right - and they won't. "Let It Go" is the theme song of Roll Player.
Correctly assessing the value of your resources (gold, experience, etc.) is a key skill... gold can be used when fighting monsters to buy extra dice, so don't blow it on something that's only going to be worth a point.
Extras
I would deem at least one of the two boxed expansions as "must have" - Monsters & Minions and/or Fiends & Familiars. Seriously - they add the extra dimension of monsters to fight and a Big Bad at the end, which gives the game more options and more narrative arc.
Yeah, it's a Tetris-y game that's reminiscent of the designer's game FITS... but the legacy design is top notch. It also has a potato chip quality - we seldom play just a single game... it's more common for us to 2-3 games in a set.
Tips & Tricks:
Paying attention to what buildings are left is a key skill to being successful.
Make sure you pay attention to what is and isn't scoring during a particular game.
Losing a single game in the legacy campaign isn't so bad - the advantages for a last place player is worth a loss or two.
Extras
There's a roll'n'write version of this game on the way (which I'll admit I'm kind of excited about).
This is the third of seven (7!) game designs on this countdown from Reiner Knizia.
An odd and possibly disturbing theme (the volcanic destruction of the Roman city of Pompeii) turns to make a very nice tactical placement & movement game... along with a healthy helping of "throw your neighbor under the metaphorical bus".
Tips & Tricks:
Do not neglect the power of family members - use your cards wisely to set yourself up to place extra "dudes" on the board.
Easy to miss rule: if an area is filled, you can use those numbered cards as wild cards BUT you can't place family members when you do that.
Tactics is totally dependent on who's playing... I've been in games where folks didn't mess each other over (much) and scores were high, and I've been in games where filling the volcano with pieces seemed like the goal.
Extras
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this game not only worked as an "adult" version of Midnight Party - but also worked great with my then (gamer) 5 year old son as a 2 player game. (He's 16 now and still enjoys it.)
I have The Dancing Flames expansion (created by designer Morgan Dontanville) that adds a couple of twists to the lava draws... I like it a lot.
Designer Wolfgang Kramer took his classic 6 Nimmt game & converted it into a delightful hoot of a board game - and one I'd rather play than the original card game.
Tips & Tricks:
One of the key decisions in the game is "when do I buy more tiles"? Making that decision correctly gives you a better chance at victory.
There is actually more visible information in Tanz than in a standard game of 6 Nimmt... and the ability to pull back tiles when you step in the poop can really mess with what happens next.
Extras
You do not need to have played 6 Nimmt/Take 6 in order to understand "The Dance of the Bulls". Everyone is pretty clear that you don't want to step in the poop.
A new 6 Nimmt board game was released in Germany back in 2019... while I enjoyed it, I like this one better.
This is the second of three Wolfgang Kramer games on this countdown... and weirdly it's right next to another of his designs (#68 - Downforce).
The latest (and most player-friendly) version of Wolfgang Kramer's multi-decade run of card-based auto racing games... produced with class and panache by the team at Restoration Games.
Tips & Tricks:
Crazily enough, Downforce actually works at multiple player counts... I prefer 4 or 5 players, but it's playable at 2-3 and at 6.
Bidding wisely for your car(s) is important... which requires that you (a) properly assess the cards in your hand, and (b) be willing to pick up an 'extra' car cheap in any game with less than 6 players.
Betting is tricky - it's usually wise to bet on a car you can help scoot along - even if it isn't your car.
It's also a good idea to tank the early leader post first betting post... as you'll tank some early bets as well.
Extras
I have owned 4 of the previous games in the series - the original (and non-auto racing) game, Tempo; Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix; the excellent NASCAR themed Daytona 500; and the direct "father" game, Top Race.
My boys and I were playtesters for the Wild Ride expansion.
This is the first of three games on my countdown designed by Wolfgang Kramer... and ably assisted by Rob Daviau (in his second of eight designs in the 100) and Justin Jacobsen (in his second of three designs).
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.
This is the first of two games on my countdown designed by Stephen Baker... who is assisting Restoration Games in restoring the classic Crossbows & Catapults.
A small box card game about railroad building across Africa (the title translates as "From the Cape to Cairo") that packs a wallop - the sealed bid auctions are only half of the game, as you struggle with when to invest precious cash into building rails instead of giving your opponent a gift.
Tips & Tricks:
The value of a card is not determined by how cheap it is to build across it - the number of track symbols makes a HUGE difference, particularly if you're trying to catch up.
Saving a decent amount of $ (20-30?) for the your end-game lunge can work... but if everyone is doing that, it can cancel out.
Extras
I love that Adlung managed to pack such a great game into such a small (30 minute) playing time... and I miss the utter crapshoot that was buying the small Adlung card games. (Were you going to get something interesting and playable, or something - not?)
The rules translation of Vom Kap was a bit tricky - but once you get it figured out, it's a keeper.
A city-building game that does three things really, really well: 1) it plays cleanly, 2) it uses the Age of Steam braking system in a way that doesn't make me want to throw myself out a window, and 3) every player ends up with a city/neighborhood with it's own personality.
Tips & Tricks:
Over-obsessing about goals early can cause real problems in creating the proper engines to get income and population growth.
Hate-drafting is possible here - if for no other reason that you need another lake to generate some quick cash.
The game is (except with five players) almost perfectly pitched for playing time - you have enough turns to do interesting things but not so many turns that the game wears out its welcome.
In some ways, the 2 player game is more swing-y than the 3 or 4 player game... because of the number of tiles you don't see in the game. (I still really like as a 2 player game.)
Extras
There is are two expansions for Suburbia - I really like Inc. for adding borders and other interesting twists. Five Star is a little clunky but it's the only way to add a fifth player.
The new edition is available now... along with a single box that contains both previously mentioned expansions plus Nightlife and two smaller sets of tiles.
Similar to Arctic Scavengers(#88 on this countdown), Trains is a direct descendant of Dominion... but the addition of board play to build your track network makes it much more appealing to me.
Tips & Tricks:
As with any deckbuilder, one of the most important skills is correctly assessing which cards and/or combos of cards will work the best to accomplish your goals. Randomly buying cards will not be a successful strategy.
Waste management is really important in Trains - figuring out how to clean the gunk out of your deck to allow you to do more things is a matter of careful timing (and a bit of luck).
Extras
There is one stand-alone game/expansion for Trains - Rising Sun - as well as the Coastal Tides expansion (which simply adds more cards).
There are also two map packs which add alternate boards... one of them was relatively easy to find; the other was a multi-year search that was finally rewarded in the remainders bin of an aging game store.
I strongly recommend using the route bonus objectives (which appear in Rising Sun & Coastal Tides)... they add additional objectives to the game which give other alternatives for players to pursue.
The love child of The Starfarers of Catan and the Settlers of Catan Card Game... it may well be stronger than either of the games that birthed it.
Tips & Tricks:
This is an economic game - if you mess up your cash flow, you will not be able to win.
This is also a memory game - you cannot play well if you don't work at remembering where various planets are in the four space sector dates.
You can't hyper-focus on one scoring path - it leaves too much for the other player to expand and it's a self-limiting strategy. (Advice from my oldest son.)
Finally, this is a two player game... though I think (from a bit of reading & researching) that Klaus Teuber's newest game, Norderwind, is a multi-player implementation of this system.
Extras
There are three print-and-play expansions for Starship Catan: The Space Amoeba, The Asteroid & The Diplomatic Station. I have very nice versions of the first two (thanks, Clint!) and enjoy them both. (I haven't played the third one yet.)
I have actually have a signed copy of the German version of this game from the first print run that I won - a prize possession that I can't actually play.
This is the fourth of seven (7!) games on this countdown designed by Klaus Teuber.
Another Vlaada design, ripe with humor and clever game play. A real-time scramble/spatial puzzle (building your starship) is followed by a Dungeonquest-like run-in with the game system, which is conspiring to keep anything good from happening to you.
Tips & Tricks:
Clean starships don't only win you points, they save lives. And starships. And cargo.
The rulebook is a work of comic genius. (This is not unusual for CGE games - which is probably one of the reasons I tend to love them.)
It is tempting to teach players this game with all of the expansions (there are TWO big boxes plus an extra set of starship boards and a Missions box)... this is bad. The game has enough going on that newbies should learn on the base game.
Extras
I wrote a mini-review of the The Latest Models for the Opinionated Gamers website.
The iOS app is fantastic - especially the campaign mode.
There is a new edition published this last year... I haven't had a chance to play it yet.
Since my oldest son borrowed my copy of Galaxy Trucker, I didn't have a chance to get a good picture... so, I'm using an excellent photo from Gary James.
This is the first of two games on this countdown designed by Vlaada Chvátil.
Well, it certainly looks like a cute kid game, doesn't it? Pretty kid art, little wooden jockeys with interchangeable wooden horses, nifty little wooden fences... but don't be fooled. This game is "mummy, daddy, don't touch it's Ee-vil" in a box. (A very cute box, mind you.) OK, maybe it's not pure "Time Bandit-y" evil.... but this is not Candyland, people. This is a no-holds-barred steeplechase where each space can only hold one horse & landing on another player sends them back to the first empty spot.
Tips & Tricks:
With the delightful bits & simple game play, this game is easily accessible to kindergarten-age kids & up... with the important warning that the potential for hosage in this game really sets off some kids emotionally. (You know what I'm talking about... the kid who can not take something going wrong in his game & melts down like a Milky Way on a dashboard in the Mojave Desert.) I should also note that this warning doesn't just apply to kids - sadly, most of the adults who have this tendency aren't able to recognize it in themselves.
The box says this plays with 2-5 players... and while it works with all of those numbers, it's best with 4-5 so that there's a lot of jockeying for position.
Extras
One final word: this is an excellent game for kids. The bits encourage imaginative play and the simple "gotta figure out what the other guy is gonna do" process is an important decision-making skill. But it's also an excellent filler for adults, whether they're gamers or complete newbies. Simple rules + hosage + quick play = fun.
Yes, the theme is a bit creepy (you're the witch in the Hansel & Gretel story - inviting storybook creatures to, ahem, dinner)... but the spatial problem of building your house using the extra-thick tiles is fascinating.
Tips & Tricks:
This is a game where thinking ahead can be very helpful... you need to work to set yourself up to have multiple solid moves rather than just thinking of your next victory.
Like many Euro games, with experience you can be watching other players to see what choices you can make that will (a) help you, and (b) hinder them. The key is to focus your early games on learning how to help yourself succeed instead of focusing on stopping other players.
Extras
This is the first of two games on this list designed by Phil Walker-Harding.
A lovely implementation of the Jules Verne-inspired theme (getting from place to place while using time wisely) that allows for both hare & tortoise strategies to play out.
Tips & Tricks:
Buying cards at the right time is as valuable as getting re-rolls... use your coins wisely.
Use the detective not only to keep people from moving forward but also to force them to move in ways that cost them time.
On the flip side, don't let the appearance of the detective rush you into decisions that will cost you more time than the penalty for ending your turn with him.
Extras
There is another enjoyable game on the same theme from Wolfgang Kramer - Around the World in 80 Days - which has a different but also unusual movement mechanic..
Six players is a little much in this game - but it works. I like it best with 3-5 players.
A dexterity game that more about physics than perfect dexterity... and more about the fun of building (and accidentally destroying) a huge house of cards than about tricking your opponent into making a bad move. And, yes, it's a kids game - but it's been successful with pretty much every person I've taught it to.
Tips & Tricks:
Not getting "cute" with your early builds will lead to a more stable base and a MUCH taller building.
The game is random enough (you roll both to see how far your hero climbs AND to win battles against other heroes) that you should not take it seriously.
The only person worth setting up for a fall is the player who is currently highest up on the tower - if they lose, everyone else wins.
Extras
This is part of the very successful Rhino Hero family of games from HABA... the original Rhino Hero is both highly portable and a lot of fun to play. I haven't played the other games.
Rhino Hero Super Battle is currently ranked #2 on BGG list of Children's Games.
A push-your-luck game that (a) works with up to 8 players, and (b) has an incredibly high number of "should I go for it!?"moments in light of its short [15-20 minutes] playing time. I've played Diamant with gamers, elementary school kids, Bible study groups... and even with a group of groomsman at a wedding rehearsal - and each time has been a success.
Tips & Tricks:
It works with 4-8 players, but it really shines with 6-8.
You must adjust your tactical decisions based on the number of players - money is much more plentiful in games with less players.
Extras
Incan Gold is the revamping of this game - and will work just fine - but I don't like the production quality nearly as much. (Granted, Diamant - the German edition of this game - was price-y for what you got in the box.) The little cardboard crates are better than the tents - and dropping meeples is much cleaner than choosing cards.
I do, however, like the addition of artifact cards to Incan Gold.
The most recent edition (now back to the original Diamant name) has the higher component quality of the original. (At least that's what I can figure out from poking about the internet.)
This is the first of two games on this list designed by Alan Moon. (Well, co-designed.)
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
