Support NeoGAF

[zulux21]

If you're interested in putting together a list of your top board games, Tom or Eric or someone else on the Dice Tower crew mentioned their use of this Ranking Engine on pubmeeple that's neat for making up your top 10/100/ns! It repeatedly gives you two of your listed games and you choose which of the two you like more (or equally like), then it spits out the rankings.

having to make my own lists or locate lists to use with it make it to much of a pain to use

 

[daevv]

If you're interested in putting together a list of your top board games, Tom or Eric or someone else on the Dice Tower crew mentioned their use of this Ranking Engine on pubmeeple that's neat for making up your top 10/100/ns! It repeatedly gives you two of your listed games and you choose which of the two you like more (or equally like), then it spits out the rankings.

Very cool! I just hit 1000 plays of 171 different board/card games this week. Will give this a try to see what happens.

 

[BassForever]

We clearly need a gaf battlecon meet up

 

[Blizzard]

I got my Trials of Indines KS pledge in and we played a few games. Power creep not so much but just some of the unique abilities. One of the master characters is a fortune teller and you deal yourself a spread of 6 tarot cards (out of 10) facedown at the start of the match. End of beat each time you flip one up and you get the effect on it the next beat. Thing is, about half of them are dependent on being positioned next to faceup cards, and she has styles that allow her to look at facedown cards and swap positions. So you are fighting oyur fight while trying to position and flip the best tarot cards for the next beat at the same time. Once you flip your final card you keep that one, pick up the rest, shuffle with the left over from start of game and deal 5 new ones facedown. She was a very fun character.

Thanks. I guess that character isn't available outside the KS pledge then, darn.

 

[-tetsuo-]

I wasn't delivered Trials of Indine yet, but what you describe is what I love about the BattleCON. You would expect that kind of game with that many character, to all look kind of same, but it's really far from the truth ( at least based on what I own, Devastation and Fate ).
Too bad I have so few opportunity to play it. :'(

I haven't played enough game to make a decent top 10 tbh, and even then I wouldn't know how to choose. Like the one I played the most is Tick to ride ( europe, but I gifted Germany and UK to my mother & I yet to play those ), but that's not because it's my favorite, but because it's one which work with pretty much everyone, from 8 to 70, which is a strength in itself. Battlecon is the opposite, it is a personal favorite, but at the same time it's also the hardest to get on the table and I play it like 2 times a year.

BattleCON was like the perfect storm for me. I used to run a game store that was heavy into the fighting game scene and a lot of those guys transitioned to BattleCON real easy. I have played well over 100 matches myself lol

Thanks. I guess that character isn't available outside the KS pledge then, darn.

I am sure they will be available sometime later. I was able to get all the promos at Gencon this year at the LVL99 booth.

 

[cooltrainer]

I don't think the BGG rankings are that useful anymore, if it ever was. Games need to be reevaluated periodically which never happens on that list.

Here's my list for right now:

1. One Night Ultimate Werewolf - I don't play it as much as I'd like but when I have a good group no game can match how fun it is.
2. Concept - I've been able to pull this one out with so many different kinds of people and make them really engaged and interested. It can strike a great balance between funny and clever.
3. Dixit - This game is more subdued than Concept but the artwork is always interesting to look at and watch people come up with intriguing clues
4. Hanabi - The co-op aspect of this is really interesting. You have to put some trust in other players and make tough decisions.
5. Junk Art - A great dexterity game. Interesting looking pieces draws in a lot of people and lots of great moments of smug satisfaction when someone makes a perilous placement.
6. Settlers of Catan - I don't know what it is about this game but it just seems to work. An easy to learn Euro with a lot of interaction that leads to funny moments.
7. Battle Line - A 2-player Knizia game with simple rules and tough decisions.
8. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - Very immersive. You can really get into character and feel like a detective. The cooperation/discussion makes great bonding moments between friends or couples.
9. Zendo - I think the inductive logic you have to use in this game is very interesting and not many games have this. I also really like mine because I made it out of paper and it looks pretty cool.
10. Cosmic Encounter - The game always goes in weird unexpected directions. High variation but still enough strategy to not feel totally random.

 

[AstroLad]

I really enjoy the topic of BGG rankings even though it drives some people batty. I personally think there is a lot of import to trying to do a 'good job' on them because so many rely on them, especially casuals just looking for 'top games' who happen to stumble upon BGG. Now ratings are more important than rankings (even I rely on ratings to an extent), but it's all related.

Old games vs. new games is really interesting. I used to be more cult of the new/thinking new games very often 'replaced' older ones, but I don't think that to be quite as much the case anymore unless mechanics are super outdated. Like in gateways especially stuff like Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride deserve spots today. I find a lot of the newer games to not necessarily just be flat better, and often actually overdesigned and undertested (nearly every KS game is guilty of this). So I kind of like having a mix, and actually the only thing that really sticks out to me is the flavor of the month stuff from KS that clearly wasn't fully tested but people don't realize right away and that initial hype carries the game way higher than it should be. I'm not even gonna call any single game out, because even games guilty of this have merit so I don't want to make anyone defensive, but it is a very common phenomenon nowadays that a game will be hugely hyped and highly rated for a year, then found to be deeply flawed, then abandoned entirely. If every single BG content creator you follow is hyping something, chances are it's this type of game.

 

[CreatureX3]

1. Pandemic Legacy
2. Pandemic
3. Onirim
4. Too Many Bones
5. Deep Space D-6
6. Apex Theropod
7. Star Realms
8. Hive Pocket
9. Amerigo
10. Tsuro of the Seas
11. Run, Fight, Die

Edit: Forgot about the amazing Star Realms!

 

[jayTOH]

Finally got around to playing the new Longsdale in Revolt story expansion for Oh My Goods over this weekend! Played four games total: the first two chapters in a two-player game, then the same two chapters in a solo game.

Not good with words so I'll use Blizzard's great review and just add my SPOILER-PRESENT comments to it since we played about the same amount:

OK, here are my initial thoughts on Oh My Goods! Longsdale in Revolt. This is hard to review because it has 5 or so chapters, and each chapter has solo and multiplayer modes, and some chapters have multiple versions.

This review is only partial. I've played chapters 1-2 in both solo and multiplayer, for anyone wary of spoilers. I'll try to spoiler anything super specific. In particular, I played chapter 1 (multi and solo) and chapter 2 (3 times solo, 1 time multi but messed up a rule).


Overall:
It seems promising but has some frustrations. I reserve judgment.


Pros:

• One neat new mechanic is auto-producing building(s). No chains and the good doesn't seem to accelerate anything, but it's nice if you get one early because you can get some reliable income.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about these cards yet, or at least the first one introduced which essentially gives you 2 gold every turn. The problem with this card (and other market buildings) is that is costs 8 gold, and in the early game, that's a lot of gold to lose. It's pretty tough to recover from, especially in a more strictly timed game. It is a cool mechanic, though, and I'm hoping to make more use of it in later chapters!

• Another new mechanic is buildings that enhance other buildings. I won't spoil the exact mechanic but it's a way to make things more reliable.
• Event cards aren't pure RNG, at least in the chapters. You stack a deck where for example, 3 events happen in a random order, then 5 events in a random order, then a guaranteed final event.
• Solo doesn't seem like an afterthought. At least one of the first two chapters was quite challenging, and the designer himself said so. It does involve RNG but some of the events seem intended to help mitigate that.

Solo is definitely challenging! Easily won the first chapter then didn't quite make it in the second. I know exactly why I lost, though. I had the market building which lets you draw 3 cards in the first phase if your hand is 3 or lower, so I banked on taking advantage of that. Like I mentioned, market buildings (and probably that auto-producing buildling) in the early game (especially the first round) will probably set you up for failure--they don't produce goods, so you're stuck with your 1-gold-producing charburner and barely, if any, gold leftover. I couldn't recover in time after having wasted a good 3 rounds, and only used that market building twice in the game, but I didn't do so terribly IMO; only lost by 11 points.

• The chapters introduce new cards bit by bit, and the way they're introduced is neat: They typically show up in dedicated stacks that everyone can buy from, like assistants. You can pick whatever color you want from these stack so you can strategically plan for assistant matching. Once the chapter is done, the new cards are randomly shuffled in as usual for future chapters.
• You can buy a building AND hire an assistant in the same turn now, which means you don't feel as restricted.
• Some events let you free-run production chain(s) to encourage that mechanic. However, the extra final turn is gone, and everyone instead just gets the free-production-run mechanic for all buildings once the endgame triggers (see cons about the endgame for how this triggers).

Cons:

• The tuckbox is really bad compared to the normal box. You're probably going to want a new box if you care about your cards unless you put them in carefully.
• The quick setup and organization of the base game is severely hampered if you're playing any of the chapters (I'm not sure about the all-inclusive final version since I haven't tried it yet). Any given chapter has two different event deck setups for multiplayer or solo, and involves looking for small corner numbers to pull out say, #15, #18, and #19 to randomly shuffle into part of the stack. There's also a story card in addition to the setup card (and a different one for solo), and in the middle of a chapter you typically have to add some extra cards to the table.
• It's even more involved if you ever mix chapters, like playing chapter 2 multiplayer with someone and then trying to personally play chapter 1 solo. You have to go through the entire shuffled deck of like 100+ cards and remove certain cards to go backwards. I recommend keeping multiplayer and solo in sync for this reason.

Yep, setup is a drag when you're switching between chapters and player counts. I'm thinking about using a houserule where I'll just keeping the decks as is, then skipping/redrawing cards if they don't belong. This'll definitely mess up shuffles and card draws, but RNG is RNG so it wouldn't bother me.

• For the first two multiplayer chapters, RNG felt like a significant factor despite the luck mitigation cards. The chapters thus far are set up such that in multiplayer, you need to produce certain types of goods or you get a massive point penalty (in singleplayer you outright lose if you don't meet your quota). The problem is that even with repeated hand cycles, you might never get the valuable chain you need, while your opponent may easily get all 3. This ties into the next item, which is...

Can't add anything useful about multiplayer RNG since I've only played 2 games, but both of them were really close games. In the second chapter, especially, I got a sweet combo of buildings for chain producing, and my opponent didn't. She did, however, complete the side quest (yes, there are side quests!) and I couldn't focus on completing that, so that helped bring the game closer than it would have been, final score being 22-20.

• The number of turns is fixed, unlike the first game. Thus far this seems to be 9 multiplayer turns and 10 singleplayer turns. If you have bad luck, it can basically be impossible to meet a quota in this amount of time, even with event cards helping. It's not a huge negative but the weight of time pressure definitely is on you, since you can't significantly hope for bad luck to slow your opponent down so you can catch up, once they have a lead.
• Character cards are a new mechanic. These are quite rare (only 4 in the entire game?) and if you draw them into your hand, a bonus happens. On one hand, one of these gives a small boost to everyone and a bigger boost to you. That seems reasonable. The second one I've seen, however, gives a huge boost to one player that nearly guarantees you can produce, and nothing whatsoever to anyone else. That seems stronger. This probably feels bad when it happens, but weirdly they hardly ever seem to come up. In 6+ games of multiplayer and solo, I've literally never seen anyone play the chapter 1 character card. It has been eaten by facedown goods decks or discarded by being drawn for the market display every single time. So thus far, these have been meh except for occasional solo use, but at least they haven't popped up often.

Regarding character cards, I think the 2 we've seen so far are pretty balanced, but I favor the you-draw-3-everyone-else-draw-1 card. Having a bigger hand size means you have more options to (chain) produce, build, and redraw (potentially getting more character cards!) which is really good! The other card will give you a really good chance to produce 2 goods (or up to 4 if you have a couple assistants) which is definitely strong in the end game, but before that it's only pretty good.

As for drawing these cards, we've been more blessed by RNG and have seen them played at least twice every game! We tend not to stockpile goods on our buildings until the last couple of turns, so they always get cycled in the draw deck, which we go through really quickly since we also recycle our hands almost every turn lol

Conclusion: loving it so far and looking forward to the rest of the chapters and playing the all-inclusion mode!

 

[fenners]

Top tens? Ugh, tough. My set is likely going to have some quirks, and older than most. In no particular order:

Race For The Galaxy - I've played it more than every other game combined, I suspect, and I'll still play it any time I can.
War of the Ring - captures the scope & scale of the books while allowing players to tell great stories each time.
Twilight Struggle - Immense back & forth game, with every decision tough.
Eclipse - Best stab at a space exploration game, mixing the 4x theme but in a managable format.
A Study In Emerald - messy, hard to teach, but an amazing mix of theme & mechanics. Wallace hasn't made a great game since.
Scythe - the ultimate incremental empire builder. Quick turns, but lots to do, with lots of theme.
Through The Ages - the ultimate civ game.
Food Chain Magnate - closest thing to cult of the new on my list. Just a great engine builder + nail biter of a competitive game.
Steam/Age of Steam - the core system is an incredible engine builder, with every decision important for getting your economy/influence right.
Ticket To Ride - still the best noob game out there.

Notable mentions - Arkham Horror, Rise of Empires, Mare Nostrum, The Gallerist, No Thanks, Agricola.

 

[EYEL1NER]

1. Pandemic Legacy
2. Pandemic
3. Onirim
4. Too Many Bones
5. Deep Space D-6
6. Apex Theropod
7. Hive Pocket
8. Amerigo
9. Tsuro of the Seas
10. Run, Fight, Die

Aww fuck, that reminds me that I'm still waiting/hoping for the Exotic Predators booster from the second Kickstarter so I can actually play the game. I guess I can still play the first edition version that I have though.

 

[zulux21]

Top tens? Ugh, tough. My set is likely going to have some quirks, and older than most. In no particular order:

Race For The Galaxy - I've played it more than every other game combined, I suspect, and I'll still play it any time I can.
War of the Ring - captures the scope & scale of the books while allowing players to tell great stories each time.
Twilight Struggle - Immense back & forth game, with every decision tough.
Eclipse - Best stab at a space exploration game, mixing the 4x theme but in a managable format.
A Study In Emerald - messy, hard to teach, but an amazing mix of theme & mechanics. Wallace hasn't made a great game since.
Scythe - the ultimate incremental empire builder. Quick turns, but lots to do, with lots of theme.
Through The Ages - the ultimate civ game.
Food Chain Magnate - closest thing to cult of the new on my list. Just a great engine builder + nail biter of a competitive game.
Steam/Age of Steam - the core system is an incredible engine builder, with every decision important for getting your economy/influence right.
Ticket To Ride - still the best noob game out there.

Notable mentions - Arkham Horror, Rise of Empires, Mare Nostrum, The Gallerist, No Thanks, Agricola.

heh in general you and me would not get along.

there are a couple games on your list including notable mentions I might play (i'm always up for Race for the galaxy), but I think you have most of my "never fucking again." games on your list with Agricola and Eclipse lol.

 

[Palmer_v1]

I've seen some videos of it, and it looks pretty good but I still don't get what makes the game so amazing. Any reason what makes this game special?

Also, what were they thinking with the box art, I first though this was a grim Cowboy shoot off game, not a cow trading market game.

There's just a lot of variety in how you can score points and win. Every game can go a bit differently depending on which buildings get used, and where they're placed. Almost every turn has choices that matter.

 

[antiquegamer]

Aww fuck, that reminds me that I'm still waiting/hoping for the Exotic Predators booster from the second Kickstarter so I can actually play the game. I guess I can still play the first edition version that I have though.

I don't think you ever going to get it, I heard the company folded last year and they were shopping for buyer for the game.

 

[toddhunter]

#1 game is cards against humanity ... when drunk, with friends who are into it and a cute girl you are trying to hit on laughs at your selections.

Aka why board game rankings really do not work because they depend so heavily on who you are playing with. This is almost impossible to capture in a way that works for others unless you just go for mediocre.

 

[EYEL1NER]

I don't think you ever going to get it, I heard the company folded last year and they were shopping for buyer for the game.

A media group named Ragnarok bought the game and anything else DieHard Games was working on, like Promethean Wars, earlier in the year. I was looking into what the most recent news was a week or two ago and Ragnarok signed a deal with another company to have them publish their games. That new company, Nocturnal Media, just had their founder/owner die over the summer and hasn't been too talkative since then. I'm not super-hopeful but the possibility is there; worse-ran compaigns than this have worked out in the end.


Here's a thread talking about the problems with both of the Apex Kickstarters, the Kickstarter that Ragnarok ran and hasn't ever fulfilled, Nocturnal getting involved, and the owner of Nocturnal dying: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1777185/some-word-ragnarok-publishing-regards-kickstarter/page/2
Apex has certainly had a tough run of things.

 

[Leunam]

My copy of Dark Souls came in. I've primed the four player characters and I'll be putting in some work on them all week. Shame the plastic is so soft, I've got two bent weapons in just these guys but I guess that's what you need to do for lower costs in minis.

 

[AstroLad]

Oh man my mind is so blown just trying to think of a Top 10. Poor BGG algorithm....I'm going to exclude LCGs and CCGs even though Netrunner, Star Wars: Destiny, and Arkham LCG would probably otherwise be 1, 10, and 4 on the list respectively because it is hard to compare them sometimes.

For these, I only noted expansions where the lack of those specific expansions would knock the game down several rungs.

1. 7 Wonders (w/ Cities) : Drafting is my favorite mechanism in all of gaming, and nowadays I really favor light-mediumweight games with some crunch that can be played fairly quickly, so I have to have the top spot to 7W. Cities is needed to splash in a bit of variance and variety though.
2. Race for the Galaxy (w/ The Gathering Storm): My first non-light modern game and our first gaming obsession. We played probably 100+ games of this in our family when we first got into it, and the app has made me realize that it still holds up today. I never got into that Prestige or Takeover stuff though, which added too much accounting, so would specifically exclude later expansions to justify this rating.
3. Carcassonne (w/ Inns & Cathedrals and Traders & Builders): I'm glad Carc got a shout out on the last SU&SD podcast for being shockingly deep and rewarding. I think you have to play it 3-4 and with the listed expansions to really have it be an all-timer, but once you do it's really remarkable. Works as a gateway, but not one of those gateways where you just grin and bear it. Has more tactical depth and interaction than most 'heavy' games that labor to create these things.
4. Pandemic: The Cure: More a general slot for the whole series, but The Cure is really the one that jibes best with us. The sense of agency created by rolling dice really does help solve the Alpha Gamer issue with regular Pandemic, and the challenge on Normal difficulty is really perfect.
5. Blood Bowl: Team Manager : The game that should have been forgotten the week it came out, and yet has somehow stuck out as one of my top games over the years. It's hard to explain just how brilliant the mechanisms of BB:TM really are, but I've yet to see a game that better combines what's really a Euro (almost area control?) base with raucous theme and insanely swingy plays and combos emblematic of the most fun Ameri-style games.
6. Legendary Encounters: Aliens: Deckbuilding is my second favorite mechanism, and I could put lots of games in the Top 10, but this is just the tightest one and the only one to really do co-op deckbuilding great. Tremendously thematic missions while still having all the staples of a good deckbuilder.
7. Innovation (2p only): Such a love-it-or-hate-it game, but this is now the go-to for my wife and me when we want a bit of a deeper 2p experience. The play and counterplay available and shifting with every action is really rewarding and exciting. If you've played it 3-4 and felt it too chaotic but still were interested by the gameplay, you owe it to yourself to try it with 2.
8. Castles of Burgundy : My sole hardcore Euro on the list I think, but always such a surprisingly delightful game. It was to work so hard to overcome its dreadfully boring presentation, and yet it does. I've played several other point-salad games, but this is the one that actually comes out feeling like it has character and some real impact to the choices.
9. Hanabi: Gets a huge bump for being such a perfect quick-fix game. I think this really depends on your playgroup, but for me this has been massively successful with almost everyone I've introduced it to.
10. Ticket to Ride : Pennsylvania: So, so many choices for this final slot. But like Carcassonne before it, giving a tip of the cap to a game that you can play with your grandparents and your game group, and have a great time either way. Pennsylvania really did a good job mitigating some of the more boring playstyles the original encouraged (hoarding cards) and added just enough complexity with the train shares to bust it out of pure filler territory into something special.

Honorable Mentions: Elder Sign (w/ Gates of Arkham), Legendary: Marvel, Ghost Stories, Oceanos, Bang! The Dice Game, Mysterium

 

[-tetsuo-]

You ever play Shadowrun Crossfire Astro?

 

[EYEL1NER]

I've finally decided to learn how to play Pixel Tactics. I just watched a couple vids of it and am close to ordering new editions of the first two core sets (so I can have the updated cards with the current iconography/keywords). I'll have to shop it around and see who'll give it a shot with me. After getting it played a couple times, I'll buy the three Mega Man boxes so I can at least be current again (except for the league play promos).

 

[AstroLad]

You ever play Shadowrun Crossfire Astro?

Yeah -- really enjoy it! Tricky part is that it's a game that benefits I think from playing almost weekly and I haven't been quite able to pull that off -- it's been more 2-3 games here and there every few months. I almost don't think of it as a deckbuilder because the way you get cards you buy immediately really gives you huge control over everything.

 

[antiquegamer]

My copy of Dark Souls came in. I've primed the four player characters and I'll be putting in some work on them all week. Shame the plastic is so soft, I've got two bent weapons in just these guys but I guess that's what you need to do for lower costs in minis.

Sometimes dip them in hot water help. I didn't care enough to try to fix it though now that I finished painting them I sort of regret it because my poor Warrior is fighting with bend axes.

 

[-tetsuo-]

Yeah -- really enjoy it! Tricky part is that it's a game that benefits I think from playing almost weekly and I haven't been quite able to pull that off -- it's been more 2-3 games here and there every few months. I almost don't think of it as a deckbuilder because the way you get cards you buy immediately really gives you huge control over everything.

Yea I mentioned it because Alien probably was my favorite deckbuilder before I played Crossfire. I love how ridiculously tight the whole thing is. Very rare do you get a game where 1 more money or 1 more starting card in hand can make such a huge difference. I do also like the difference it has compared to other deckbuilders, like cards going to your hand instead of your discard. You need that huge control or you are definitely going to lose like everytime lol

 

[witchedwiz]

I'll pass..
I've resumed hardcore bgg-ing since less than one year, and I'm still scrapping by to get all the supposedly wonderful games of the last 5-6 year hiatus.. my top ten list would be too flawed
Plus like astro my background is deckbuilding, so I would risk rating lcg too high

 

[Olorin]

If you're interested in putting together a list of your top board games, Tom or Eric or someone else on the Dice Tower crew mentioned their use of this Ranking Engine on pubmeeple that's neat for making up your top 10/100/ns! It repeatedly gives you two of your listed games and you choose which of the two you like more (or equally like), then it spits out the rankings.

I tried this method and it works quite well. I probably forgot about a bunch of games, and there are also many games I haven't played enough to have a good opinion yet. But here's my current top 10 according to that method:

1 - Scythe
2 - Pandemic Legacy
3 - Legendary Encounters: Alien
4 - Stone Age
5 - Clank
6 - Blood rage
7 - Takenoko
8 - Champions of Midgard
9 - Dominion
10 - 7 wonders

 

[elyetis]

BattleCON was like the perfect storm for me. I used to run a game store that was heavy into the fighting game scene and a lot of those guys transitioned to BattleCON real easy. I have played well over 100 matches myself lol

Lucky you. I really only play battleCON with my brother who visit 2 times a year, and an old school friend I usually see around christmas. Well it's not like I only do 1 match each time that happen, but still it makes for a game I don't play much.
That being said it's on me, I really should try to find/make a group of player around where I live, but even then it won't be the easiest game to get on the table I think. It would also allow me to play Gloomheaven and KDM in group, because I'll likely be limited to playing them solo when I get them.

 

[CreatureX3]

Oh man my mind is so blown just trying to think of a Top 10. Poor BGG algorithm....I'm going to exclude LCGs and CCGs

Nice list! But I think you should include the LCGs and CCGs as they are games that you like and rank higher than others on your list. Thanks for sharing!

 

[-tetsuo-]

If I have included LCGs and CCGs Richard Garfield would join Vlaada as a double designer in my top 10

 

[CreatureX3]

A media group named Ragnarok bought the game and anything else DieHard Games was working on, like Promethean Wars, earlier in the year. I was looking into what the most recent news was a week or two ago and Ragnarok signed a deal with another company to have them publish their games. That new company, Nocturnal Media, just had their founder/owner die over the summer and hasn't been too talkative since then. I'm not super-hopeful but the possibility is there; worse-ran compaigns than this have worked out in the end.


Here's a thread talking about the problems with both of the Apex Kickstarters, the Kickstarter that Ragnarok ran and hasn't ever fulfilled, Nocturnal getting involved, and the owner of Nocturnal dying: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1777185/some-word-ragnarok-publishing-regards-kickstarter/page/2
Apex has certainly had a tough run of things.

Luckily I learned about Apex after the kickstarters through Grey Board Gamer youtube channel play-through. I bought my copy plus expansions from CoolStuff. It's really too bad the original designer got in over his head with kickstarter problems, as the game is a fun deckbuilder with a great theme and his artwork is amazing.

 

[TerminalDogma]

I'll pass..
I've resumed hardcore bgg-ing since less than one year, and I'm still scrapping by to get all the supposedly wonderful games of the last 5-6 year hiatus.. my top ten list would be too flawed
Plus like astro my background is deckbuilding, so I would risk rating lcg too high

I'd be interested in seeing this list. The group I'm finally getting together has mostly only really played deck builders, so that seems to be our go to. We all used to play Magic: The Gathering together, touched on Ascension when it first came out, and have played a lot of the DC Deckbuilding game. Recently we've gotten into the Arkham Horror LCG, but I haven't spent the money for more than one core box so that's not really going to be something we play together as a group.

 

[ultron87]

I can't order mine. Too many are too situational to a specific situation or group of players.

Pandemic: Legacy
Codenames
Ra
Sushi Go
Trains
Monikers
Resistance: Avalon
Dominion
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Skull

Also Magic, but that doesn't really count.

 

[Blizzard]

It's hard for me to pick just 10, especially the order, but my top 10 games would probably include things like:

1. Race for the Galaxy + The Gathering Storm (no other expansions)
2. A Feast for Odin
3. Dominion
4. Gloomhaven
5. Valley of the Kings
6. Oh My Goods (verdict out on expansion)
7. Viticulture EE + Tuscany EE
8. Libertalia
9. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
10. Tiny Epic Galaxies

I'd put Robinson Crusoe and Scythe as well, but I'm only allowed 10.

 

[-tetsuo-]

My list certainly was not in order. Except for GOAT game Mage Knight.

 

[daevv]

I used that Pub Meeple site last night and put in a list of only the 170+ games I've played from BBG. It took close on 1000 matchups and one hour to give me my top games played.

Top 10

1 Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game
This game has it all for me. Deckbuilding (squadbuilding) between games, hidden movement, rolling dice and dice modification, bluffing, great minis for collecting, and light strategy. I only play casually as chasing the "meta" and tournament play can burn you out. Only played in two actual tourneys. Have well over 100 plays of this and each game takes about an hour.

2 Chinatown
This game with four people is great. Open negotiation between all four leads to some crazy trades and sometimes hurt feelings. Helps if you play it with people you know. Not recommended with three players as one usually gets left out during the trading phase. Shut up and Sit Down has a excellent review worth checking out.

3 Power Grid
I did not expect to like this one as auction games are not my thing. I find whoever goes first in auction games usually get the best items. This changes that as new power plants come out after each buy. You still get some bidding back and forth but there is always a better plant.

4 Twilight Struggle
Got into this one late and have not played it too many times but love it. I've only played with my brother inlaw and during every game we always stop and marvel at how the game has no downtime. For the full 2-3 hours you are engaged. Being a amateur history/war buff makes the theme stand out. The Steam and iPad app helped also move this one up the list.

5 Baseball Highlights: 2045
This is the surprise on my list. As a traditional baseball fan I did not think I would like it based on the fact there are robots and future tech involved. Once you stat playing you don't think about that stuff. You just micro manage your team through some games then the world series. Buying and selling players. We play with four people in a mini tourney each time. Been meaning to check out the app for this one too.

6 Lords of Waterdeep
One of my first board game buys after getting into the hobby with Catan (89th on my list). It was my first worker placement game. It's great with the expansion. Easy to play and teach. The D&D theme is the hardest thing for people to get over when trying to teach to new people. D&D still has a uber geek stigma in most parts. iPad app and the newly released Steam version helped also move this one up the list.

7 Puerto Rico
I'd like to think I'm good at the game but after reading some analysis and threads on BBG I know I'm not. We only play this with four. It's another game that keeps everyone involved as you make your role selections and build your tableau. Again the iPad app contributes to this being so high.

8 The King Is Dead
Looking for the best three player strategy game? Look no further. Eight cards and eight turns make this area control game the most thinking you'll do in 30-40mins. It plays 2-4 but 3 is the sweet spot. It's a cheaper game too. Worth checking out.

9 Love Letter: Batman
The added rule where you get a victory point for getting a correct Batman guess has made this the best short 2-4 player filler game to hit my table. The original and it's variants are good but will never be played again thanks to this version. The first couples night/play with my wife game on the list.

10 7 Wonders Duel
I've only play this with my wife. It's quick 30min game that again keeps both players engaged the whole time. After hitting almost 30 plays the games have balanced out to be very close in points each time. We actually see some War or Science wins happen now too. We have the expansion but have not tried it yet.Great couples game.

 

[Blizzard]

I forgot 7 Wonders Duel. :| 10 spots is too few.

 

[Taborcarn]

I made up this list on a BGG thread a month or two ago. It may be a little different now but I'd have to think about it some more.

1. Terra Mystica
2. Legendary: Marvel
3. Brass
4. Millennium Blades
5. Scythe
6. Orleans
7. Food Chain Magnate
8. Voyages of Marco Polo
9. A Feast for Odin
10. Yokohama

 

[Daedardus]

I forgot 7 Wonders Duel. :| 10 spots is too few.

Just do a Top 5 Co-op, Top 5 Strategy, Top 5 Worker Based,...

 

[betapeter]

My list:
1. Above and Below
Mechanically kind of clunky but I'm in love with the tone and whimsy of Ryan Laukats worlds. The adventure book and gentle euro hooks has won over everyone I've introduced it to.
2. Waggle Dance
Accessible worker placement, shaking a fistful of bees (dice) doesn't get old. Play it down the pub with my bee keeper friend all the time.
3. Scythe.
Talked about a lot already. Easier to play then you'd think.
4. Arkham Horror.
In my mind still the definitive H.P experience in games. The new card games good but Horror still has the dense rpg experience I prefer.
5. Battles of Westeros.
1 vs 1 war game, fiddly components and out of print but captures the feel of medieval combat. The campaign book has a great pace and captures the feel of the books.
6. Dobble.
Barely a game? But works great as a social hand grenade, a good way to meet new people.
7. Bang!
The first social deduction game I played, loved the theme and the easy setup. My friends and I played it every weekend for a year.
8. Dead of Winter.
Lots of story, dash of social deduction. A great big puzzle in the table for everyone to chew on.
9. Last night on earth.
I treat the zombie player role more like a GM, not a lot of depth but really makes the players feel like their in a 80's zombie movie.
10. Escape from the aliens in outer space.
A hidden movement game, with dry erase mazes and changing roles. Genuinely tense. Best played with the Alien soundtrack and a joint.

 

[Experien]

Oh man, pub meeple is taking forever! Guess that means it is thorough.

 

[Neverfade]

War of the Ring (ok this is def #1. It's literally perfect)
Inis
Innovation
Twilight Imperium
Blood Bowl Team Manager
Concordia
BSG
Le Havre
Chaos in the Old World
Troyes

Ok, I answered all ~1100 comparisons on that site and its now time to compare the machine generated top 10 vs my gut feeling:

1 War of the Ring Collector's Edition
2 Twilight Imperium (Third Edition)
3 Innovation
4 Inis
5 Blood Bowl: Team Manager – The Card Game
6 Battlestar Galactica
7 Chaos in the Old World
7 Concordia
9 Troyes
10 Middle-Earth Quest


Stunningly close, only Le Havre dropping out and Middle-Earth Quest popping in.

I'm ok with that.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Posting top 10s...well OK

In no particular order

Android: Netrunner - The only game I play weekly.

Agricola - It was the first game to really capture the attention of my wife and I. Love it and will play it whenever I get the chance.

Plato 3000 - Got this for free when I backed the Glory to Rome Kickstarter. I think I have played this more than GtR. My wife and I love it.

London - Another favorite of my wife and I. The two player, Ben-Luca, variant is a must and really does wonders to make this a tight two player experience.

Grand Austria Hotel - Fucking LOVE this one. The dice drafting mechanic feels fresh. I'm also really terrible at the game will lose 9/10 but I still love it.

Battlestar Galactica - I'd rather play this as my "Social Deduction" game than 90% of current social deduction games out there. The only other one that I would ask to play is Crossfire...because Crossfire is dope.

Blood Bowl: Team Manager - Real shame that this is going to disappear and become harder to find. If you've played Smash Up, this game is like Smash Up if it was actually a fun game.

Dungeon Lords - I love this game so much. Everything just clicks with me from worker placement to the puzzle of fighting the heroes that are storming your dugeon. It just speaks to me.

Through the Ages - I love Civ games and this is my favorite of all that I have played. Yes it's abstracted. Yes it has no map. But it still feels like the best tabletop representation of Sid Meyer's Civ.

Merchants and Marauders - The best Pirate game out there. Extremely thematic, multiple paths to victory, and fun as hell to play. Downtime be damned.

 

[Blizzard]

Breaking the trend with a non-list post, I finally got to play Viticulture EE + Tuscany EE today. Previously I had only tried Viticulture EE by itself.

I like the Tuscany additions with one exception: Since the rules recommend not scoring victory points for the influence map with 2 players, that area seemed rather pointless in 2-player mode. I placed a star on it, my opponent placed no stars, and I felt like it was basically a wasted action for me since it only draws 2 lira or 1 card.

I got crushed by 8 points, but I also had a hard time remembering all the additions. I kept forgetting to get bonuses (drawing an extra card for the cottage when moving into the fall is the hardest thing).

 

[-tetsuo-]

Man I spotted a copy of Middle Earth Quest in a pic a game shop put up on facebook. It was near the bottom of one of their shelves under stacks of other games. They posted it because they were having a 30% off sale so naturally I went to go pick it up. Someone else must have spotted it before me because the guy told me that someone had bought that copy not 15 minutes before I got there

 

[Experien]

My top 10

1 Star Wars: Rebellion
2 Near and Far
3 Lords of Xidit
4 Simurgh
5 Star Wars: Destiny
6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past
7 Xia: Embers of a Forsaken Star
8 Tortuga 1667
9 Mission: Red Planet (Second Edition)
10 Room 25: Season 2

 

[fenners]

heh in general you and me would not get along.

there are a couple games on your list including notable mentions I might play (i'm always up for Race for the galaxy), but I think you have most of my "never fucking again." games on your list with Agricola and Eclipse lol.

Haha I play a lot more than just euros, it only looks like that from my favourites.

 

[betapeter]

My top 10

How are you finding Near and Far? I've only done the tutorial map but liking it so far, are you playing it legacy-style?

 

[Experien]

How are you finding Near and Far? I've only done the tutorial map but liking it so far, are you playing it legacy-style?

I've played it twice in the arcade mode and enjoyed it. Got one Campaign started but we have only played one game (2nd game this week) but I really love the freedom of it. Campaign seems to have interesting links from quests going forward.

Will try the character campaign later with my gf.

 

[Goldenroad]

Still doing Top 10's?

1. Twilight Struggle
2. Castles of Burgundy
3. Dutch Blitz
4. Le Havre
5. Carcassone
6. Pandemic
7. Dominion
8. Splendor
9. A Few Acres of Snow
10. 7 Wonders Duel

harder than I thought...I feel like Jaipur should be one there somewhere and Takenoko...considering how much I play both of those.

 

[ultron87]

Oh yeah, Twilight Struggle. Maybe I should put that on my list, since I have played it a ton on the app verses a friend and really enjoy it. I think it'd be on the list specifically as the digital version though, since I never really want to play it physically?

 

[Daedardus]

Breaking the trend with a non-list post, I finally got to play Viticulture EE + Tuscany EE today. Previously I had only tried Viticulture EE by itself.

I like the Tuscany additions with one exception: Since the rules recommend not scoring victory points for the influence map with 2 players, that area seemed rather pointless in 2-player mode. I placed a star on it, my opponent placed no stars, and I felt like it was basically a wasted action for me since it only draws 2 lira or 1 card.

I got crushed by 8 points, but I also had a hard time remembering all the additions. I kept forgetting to get bonuses (drawing an extra card for the cottage when moving into the fall is the hardest thing).

What do you think of the components quality and the added gameplay benefits of the expansion? Is it worth €30 extra compared to the Viticulture EE?