One of my goals this year is to get through a good chunk of my unplayed board games. You can see how that started out in the month of January here. And I already knocked two more off of my list of games to be played, or shelf of shame or shelf of opportunity in February.

This is going to be a list article, with all my unplayed games ranked. But before I dive into that, I want to talk about some of the terms that I just used. Mainly shelf of shame and shelf of opportunity. They are the same term phrased in different ways. Let’s dive into them and then the big list of games to play.

Shelf of Shame vs Shelf of Opportunity

This is a term that I’ve heard thrown around for a few years now. The idea that games on your shelf have this title. First off, I think this is kind of silly. Games that you haven’t played don’t have a special spot in existence. Now, maybe they do have a special spot on your shelf, but they aren’t held in any sort of light. They are just a board game.

But the first term I heard is Shelf of Shame. The idea behind this is that you feel bad since you haven’t played all your games. This is silly. I go back to my talk about collection versus a hobby. Know what you have on your shelf. For me, board games are a collection and a hobby. That means it’s fine to not get to every game quickly. They are part of my collection. But I play them, as they are part of my hobby as well, and hobbies get used or worked on.

Then came the term Shelf of Opportunity. Shelf of Shame is very negative, and opportunity sounds much better. But I, again, find this not much better. Yes, they are games that you play eventually. And yes, it spins it in a positive light. But both terms keep a focus on the fact the games aren’t played.

What Do I Call Them?

I call them what they are. Board games to be played. A board game is just an object. In labeling them either way, it places power on that object. Yes, one puts it in the light of a game being an opportunity for something new, and new exciting opportunities are good. But it leaves the pressure on actually playing the game.

Like I said, I play games. I buy games. Board Games are a collection and a hobby for me. I own games that might take a long time to get played. Campaign games where I play one at a time or two, and I am already playing two. Those wait for when I have time, and that is okay. I feel like the label places a cloud, no matter what label, over the games, and in the end of the day, games are just games.

If I never play a game in my collection and it collects dust for five years. I shouldn’t feel bad about leaving that opportunity out there. I most definitely shouldn’t feel shame. It is a game and I play games. So I play other games and not the game that is sitting there. I am still enjoying the hobby without playing every game I own.

So Why Write This Out?

I gave myself a challenge at the beginning of the year. Not because I feel guilt about games that I haven’t played. But because it is fun to play games. And I want to play games, I want to experience new games, and I want to cover new games.

For me, my challenge isn’t to get all the games off the shelf. It isn’t because I feel like I miss out on an opportunity. And I care not about shame from it. For me it’s about trying new things and almost making a game out of it. If I don’t make it by the end of the year, I don’t care. I play these for fun.

Unplayed Board Game List

124	Monza
123	Dinosaur Tea Party
122	Hey, That’s My Fish!
121	Danger Park
120	The Faceless
119	8Bit Box
118	The Terrifying Girl Disorder
117	Boy Band Builder: The Card Game
116	Starship Samurai
115	Unicornus Knights
114	Copenhagen: Roll & Write
113	Journey: Wrath of Demons
112	Cowboy Bebop: Boardgame Boogie
111	Detective: City of Angels
110	The Ravens of Thri Sahashri
109	Shadows in Kyoto
108	Ascension: Immortal Heroes
107	Pioneer Days
106	Imperial Settlers: Roll & Write
105	Quarto
104	Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game
103	Escape the Room: Mystery at the Stargazer’s Manor
102	Mesozooic
101	TAGS
100	KeyForge: Call of the Archons
99	Vault Wars
98	Mage Knight Board Game
97	Shadows of Kilforth: A Fantasy Quest Game
96	Sentinels of the Multiverse
95	Narabi
94	Quadropolis
93	Jamaica
92	Heaven & Ale
91	Silver & Gold
90	This War of Mine: The Board Game
89	Boomerang
88	Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition)
87	MonsDRAWsity
86	WWE Legends Royal Rumble Card Game
85	Shadowrun: Sprawl Ops
84	Boomerang: USA
83	Palm Island
82	Blueprints
81	Specter Ops
80	HEXplore It: The Forests of Adrimon
79	Crash Octopus
78	6 nimmt!
77	InBetween
76	Heroes of Terrinoth
75	Codinca
74	Formula D
73	Arkham Horror (Third Edition)
72	Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar
71	Everdell
70	The Table Is Lava
69	Star Wars: Unlock!
68	Cockroach Poker
67	Drawn to Adventure
66	Matcha
65	Mariposas
64	Tannhäuser
63	Air, Land & Sea
62	Shakespeare
61	Foodies
60	Papillon
59	Valor & Villainy: Minions of Mordak
58	Flick of Faith
57	Rhino Hero: Super Battle
56	Doodle Dungeon
55	The Bloody Inn
54	Wingspan
53	Welcome to New Las Vegas
52	Welcome to Dino World
51	Camel Up (Second Edition)
50	Arboretum
49	Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive
48	7 Wonders Duel
47	The Dragon Prince: Battlecharged
46	Paper Dungeons: A Dungeon Scrawler Game
45	Yggdrasil Chronicles
44	Forgotten Waters
43	Mythic Battles: Pantheon
42	Catacombs & Castles
41	Adventure Land
40	Space Base
39	Chronicles of Crime
38	Fleet: The Dice Game
37	Raiders of the North Sea
36	Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game
35	Reichbusters: Projekt Vril
34	Bloodborne: The Board Game
33	Time of Legends: Joan of Arc
32	The 7th Continent
31	Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write
30	The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
29	Land vs Sea
28	Heroes of Land, Air & Sea
27	Champions of Hara
26	Floriferous
25	Folklore: The Affliction
24	The Fox in the Forest
23	The Quacks of Quedlinburg
22	Res Arcana
21	Western Legends
20	Mechs vs. Minions
19	Cthulhu: Death May Die
18	Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor
17	Black Rose Wars
16	Descent: Legends of the Dark
15	Betrayal Legacy
14	Loup Garou
13	Under Falling Skies
12	Nidavellir
11	Sea of Legends
10	Middara: Unintentional Malum – Act 1
9	Deep Madness
8	Lost Ruins of Arnak
7	The Ratcatcher: The Solo Adventure Game
6	Solomon Kane
5	Roll Player Adventures
4	Nemesis
3	Dwellings of Eldervale
2	Terraforming Mars
1	Destinies

Let’s Talk About the List

124 Games on it, and my goal is to get it down below 100 by the end of the year. You add in a bunch of Kickstarter games coming in, and you can see why it is a big list and also a challenge. And of course, then, there are campaign games on the list. If we look at campaign style games, I think we’re sitting at 14 on the list. And that is a lot of games to play through a campaign of, so that isn’t going to happen. Though, with Sleeping Gods coming off the list to start the year, it will some over on Malts and Meeples.

There are also some kids games on the list. Right now, I don’t think I will play those this year. Monza looks fun, but the toddler isn’t quite ready for it. But the toddler is also three, so who knows, maybe by the end of the year, we can play those games a bit more. But right now I’m not expecting to.

I also think it’s important to note that a lot of big games are at the top. Those are the ones that I’m most excited to play and cover. And some of them should be getting played soon. Probably after this weekend I’ll be lining up a time to get started playing Roll Player Adventures.

To go along with that, there are a lot of solo games as well. I could play, in the top 20, around 75% of them solo and some of them are solo only games. So I need to start knocking those out first, because they are high on my list. That won’t be how I get under 100, though.

Final Thoughts

I think that it is fine to challenge yourself to play your unplayed games. I think it is fine to limit how many unplayed games you own. When that becomes the focus or the obsession, I think that is when we start to lose the focus on what we are doing. Or when tie to it other emotions, like shame.

When I see people post about clearing their shelf of shame, I am sure it feels good for them. But on the flip side, in the comments, you see people feeling guilty about their unplayed games. I am not that way. I don’t feel guilt over that. And you shouldn’t either.

This is an odd article, I wanted to talk more about the games, and I will soon. But before I could do that, I think it is import to talk about the shame or guilt that can be thrown around in the hobby. Not always intentionally malicious but always harmful.

Also, let me know what game you think I need to try first. What is your favorite on the list that I have too low, or that you know I would like or should try?

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