And if you want to know the criteria that I’m using, or the conversation starting point, you can read that article here.

Set Collection Games I Own

As normal, two lists one for set collection games that I own and have played another for set collection games that I own and haven’t played. Because that latter group is likely going to be kept completely.

Set Collection Games I Own and Have Played

• Ticket to Ride
• Ra
• Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala
• Sagrada
• Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition
• Flamecraft
• The Isle of Cats
• The Lord of the Rings
• Sushi Go Party
• Forest Shuffle
• Roll Player
• The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth
• Arboretum
• The Castles of Burgundy
• Calico
• No Thanks!
• Biblios
• Meadow
• Faraway
• Nidavellir
• Imhotep
• Canvas
• Century: Golem Edition
• Potion Explosion
• Yahtzee
• Aquatica
• Point Salad
• Creature Comforts
• Daftosaurus
• Let’s Go! To Japan
• Jump Drive
• Castle Combo
• Parade
• River of Gold
• Rock Hard: 1977
• Paper Dungeons: A Dungeon Scrawler Game
• Circus Flocati
• Archeos Society
• Ohanami
• River Valley Glassworks
• Comic Hunters
• SpellBook
• Floriferous
• Astra
• Ecosystem
• Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive
• Marrying Mr Darcy
• Stonespine Architects
• Quiddler
• Pixies
• The Isle of Cats Explore and Draw
• Via Magica
• Tesseract
• Charcuterie
• Butterfly
• Metrorunner
• Gasha
• Trinket Trove
• GAP
• Ramen! Ramen!
• Birds of a Feather: Western North America
• ICECOOL Wizards
• Chop! Chop!
• Featherlight

Set Collection Games I Own and Have Yet to Play

• Ark Nova
• Everdell
• Star Realms
• Tokaido
• Endless Winter: Paleoamericans
• Targi
• Clank Legacy
• Abyss
• Mosaic: A Story of Civilization
• The Vale of Eternity
• Distilled
• Wonderous Creatures
• Cockroach Poker
• Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar
• Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
• Monumental
• Fantastic Factories
• Deep Regrets
• Eleven: Football Manager
• Trio
• QE
• Cities
• Blue Prints
• Silver 7 Gold
• Oak
• Spirits of the Forest
• Skulls of Sedlec
• Books of Time
• Isle of Trains: All Aboard
• Maple Valley
• Four Gardens
• Marvel: Remix
• Pokemon Splendor
• Santa’s Workshop
• Cascadia: Rolling Hills
• Fika
• Goblin Vaults
• Jurassic Parts
• Longboard
• Senshi
• Boomerang
• Paper Safari
• Zoo-Ography
• Isle of Night
• Properitea
• Sunrise at the Studio

What Set Collection Games Are Leaving

Firstly, the list is massive. I will not mention them all. In particular with the stuff that I have yet to play. I likely should get rid of some of those, but there are ton in there. And I should mention too, I removed some from the list because they aren’t really set collection or because I talked about them before.

Now that we know that the ones I haven’t played are staying, let’s see if there are any that are easy to say they are leaving. I suspect it is going to be tricky because so often set collection is a secondary mechanism in the game. You might score your points off of that, but it’s how you get the sets that is the interesting element of the game.

To highlight this element, we have Sushi Go Party! and Ecosytems. Both are drafting set collection games. But Ecosystems uses a tableau building element for it as well. So they both stay as they do different things.

Easy Leave

The first one leaving is ICECOOL Wizards. This is a fun game, but it’s just less fun than regular ICECOOl. So that one is easy to get rid of because I’d rather play regular ICECOOL.

Another one is going to be Circus Flohcati. The issue with some of these games leaving is more that while they are fun, I’m just less apt to play them. I like Circus Flohcati, it’s just not likely to get played.

Another one is Charcuterie. Again another game that is fairly fun, but it’s almost more hassle to teach the rules than it is to play the game. And the game is extremely light when you get down to it. So the scoring and rules don’t feel like they match up with the game.

Archeos Society is on the pile to leave as well. It is a game that I’ve played at two and I thought it was fairly boring at two. The whole question is when do you collect your set and give the other player access to more cards. And then which tracks do you go up on. But neither of those things are all that interesting as you play it.

Finally, Astra is leaving. It is one that I’ve played on BGA a few times now and it is always just okay. I think the concept is cool, you fill in stars, but the actual execution of the game is meh. It doesn’t feel like fun actions when you take them.

Easy Staying

A number fall into the category of easily staying. You can look at my Top 100 Games this year and last year to see some of the games that I love. But maybe some less obvious ones, Draftosaurus is just a fun game that I enjoy. And there are a lot more, Ohanami, Let’s Go! To Japan, Arobetum and a ton more that I don’t want to list them all. Though I know I should.

What About The Rest?

But let’s instead talk about some that are at the edge of this list. Mainly I want to talk about any set collection games that are similar in their other mechanisms. That is the area where I think I can find games to get rid of potentially. Because while I might enjoy them if they do the same thing, is there one that I want to play more than the others.

And honestly, that is something that I’m finding hard to keep track of right now. Mainly because there are so many differences in how the games play. The one that is probably the biggest maybe for me right now is SpellBook. And the reason that it is a maybe is that while there are a bunch of different sets of cards that you play with, the plays actually seem to be pretty similar as you go. I wish it felt like a more interesting variety in what you were doing. So I think it’s going to leave.

Two others are Biblios and Faraway. Faraway is because I don’t know when I’ll play it in person. I say that, but I like it two player, so I think that I can get it to the table. For Biblios it is more about I haven’t played it in a long time. I like the game quite well, but is that enough to keep it around. Mainly, is it a game I am apt to play again. So while Faraway is going to say, Biblios is going to leave.

Final Thoughts

With how long that list of games is, I was hoping it’d be fewer games to keep. But there is such variety. Some mechanisms are more similar in their games. And while set collection is just set collection, how you do it is very different a lot of the time. And for that reason it is easier to justify keeping a lot of them. How you collect a set is not all equal.

What is your favorite set collection game?

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Though, I think a lot of gamers like to collect types of games that they like. I might say sometimes for the intellectual property or theme. But other times because they just love that type of game. So they play that type of game a lot and they want to own them. That is a valid reason to own them. But it’s not going to be one I talk about coming up here.

What Do I Mean Same Type of Board Game?

First off, let’s define what I mean by that. I mean two different things, and possibly both can be true about a game. The most common is a game with a similar mechanism to it. So that might be that it is a drafting game, deck building game or trick taking game to name a few examples. The other might be that it fits an overall theme of game in some way. By that I mean an adventure game or a filler game. These give you a feel of doing something in particular or a niche in particular of gaming.

Reasons To Own the Same Type of Board Game

Variation

Variation is the first thing that I want to talk about. This means that while a central mechanism might be similar or the theme or feel of the game might be similar they do something differently. So when you decide to pull a game off the shelf you are making a choice between the differences in those games.

Example 1: Stars of Akarios and ISS Vanguard

Both of the above are big space adventure games. But Stars of Akarios is going to give you some exploration but a lot of it is going to be tactical space combat. On the flip side, ISS Vanguard is going to be a lot of planetary exploration and ship management. So while you might get that big grand adventure feel, they vary how you do that.

Example 2: Fox in the Forest and Fox in the Forest Duet

Now we are narrowing down here. Both of these games are two player trick taking games. The difference is one is competitive and one is cooperative. And that is variation on what you are playing.

Variety

The next thing is similar but do you want variety in what you are playing. Meaning if you place a certain style of game a lot do you want variety in what you are playing and when you play it. I find if I play a certain game a lot to fill a particular niche in my gaming, it’ll often get left be the wayside and sold. But if I rotate the games, a game is more apt to stick in my collection.

Example 1: Filler Games

I think that filler games are a great example for this. I own probably 20-30 filler games that are just small box fillers. Why, because they travel very easily with me. And because they travel so easily that means that I can take different games to play with my family. And the same with game night, it makes it easy to pull out of a different one. But, for example, we played Tsuro a ton. And because we played it a ton my wife and I got board of that as a filler game. Tsuro didn’t become a bad game, we just got burned out and tired of it.

Example 2: Trick Taking Games

Much like filler games, I think it would be easy to play a trick taking game over and over again until you burn out on it. Because these games are shorter to play, generally, you might play a couple of games in a sitting. But if you play the same game over and over and over again it starts to become stale. The example of this for me would be Hearts or Euchre on the computer. They are fun, but I played them so much that I am somewhat burned out on them, or at least I was.

Player Count

This one I think is more obvious than some other ones. But I do want to clarify a few things about it. A lot of games I might say player count matters on. But it is possible for a board game to say that the player count is 1-5 and another one of the same style of game and mechanisms to say 1-5 as well and to still be worthwhile having in your collection. What I mean is, what is a game best at for player count. Sometimes a game might say that it plays great at 5 but that takes a 45-60 minute three player game to two hours.

Example: Nidavellir

Now, this is just a single game but it serves my example well. I dislike Nidavellir as a two player. Or it is probably more honest to say I find that it is more fragile as a two player game. But as a three or four player game I love it. So while it has bidding, open drafting, and set collection, I will not play it at two. So I want other games two fill in that player count.

Complexity

Another question is how complex a game is. Because sometimes a game might give you a similar feeling or use a similar mechanism but might be complex at different levels. And for that reason it might create a lot more difficulty to get a game to the table and for that reason you might play it with a certain group or situation versus another game.

Example: Aeon’s End versus Astro Knights

Both of these are cooperative deck building boss battler games. There are some differences to them, but I think that one is easier to table than another. In particular, Astro Knights is a simpler game to teach and play, in my opinion. Some of that is because there is less work to get it to the table. The deck that you set-up to buy from in the game is much faster and simpler to do. I also think that it is a bit more streamlined with understanding the heroes.

Game Length

The final one I have for the list is game length. Now I mention game length with player count. And that can be a factor with that as well. But sometimes it matters less with player count and more with how long you want to mess around with that mechanism or how much time you have to play a game. If I want to play a trick taking game and I have ten minutes versus forty minutes that is going to change the game that I play.

Example: Hero Realms vs Clank! In! Space!

Which do I pick when I want a short deck building game? Clank! In! Space! even at two players can take a while. Especially if the players are playing safe and trying to get the best treasure and not rush the end of the game. On the flip side, Hero Realms is a fast two player head to head battler of a game. And it escalates quickly in the deck building. So while a game can draw out a little bit because of healing, it is shorter and faster to play.

What Deck Building Games Do I Need?

So let’s run down my game collection here. In particular, I want to talk about deck building games because that is a style of game that I love. But do I need all of them that I own? First off, let’s create a little list of the deck building games I own. I likely will miss some, but here is that list.

• Clank! Adventure Deck Building Game + Expansions
• Clank! In! Space! + Expansions
• Clank! Catacombs + Expansions
• Clank! Legacy 1 & 2
• Ascension + Expansions
• Xenoshyft: Onslaught
• Xenoshyft: Dreadmire
• Hero Realms
• Aeons End + Expansions
• Aeons End Legacy 1 & 2
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Mistborn
• Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle
• Anng’s Destiny
• Nightfall
• Thunderstone Quest
• Tanto Cuoro
• Star Wars: The Deck Building Game
• Astro Knights

So let’s start out, a few that are safe on the list because I just need to play them. So when I run through everything games like Clank! Legacy, Aeon’s End Legacy 2, Anng’s Destiny, Nightfall, Thunderstone Quest, Tanto Cuoro and Star Wars: The Deck Building Game are all safe.

Variation

Variation is going to make a few more safe on the list. Firstly, Lost Ruins of Arnak is a great example of game that is safe. While there is a deck building element to the game it is more of a worker placement and resource management game, or at least as much of that as it is deck building.

Likewise, Mistborn does unique things with it’s powering up mechanisms and that is going to make it a bit more unique than some. And it has a solid solo and cooperative mode to it as well which makes it versatile. But it’s mainly the the metal burning system and leveling up that make it varied from other deck building games.

A question should be asked about Astro Knights and Aeon’s End. While there are some differences, mainly how the market works, the game mechanisms are pretty similar. But each of them has their own niche. I am apt to pull out Astro Knights when I want to introduce someone to deck building but Aeon’s End is less likely. And I think I’d play Astro Knights at a higher player count as well, though it does have the same issue as Aeon’s End.

Game Length and Player Count

I am lumping them together here because they often times are the same thing. So Hero Realms and the Star Wars: Deck Building Game are interesting because they are both two player. Do I need to two two player only deck building games. I say that, but I own to make Hero Realms a solo deck building game as well.

Then I also look at games like Clank! (all versions, Xenoshyft, and Aeon’s End, all games that are bigger deck building games that are going to take longer to play. So do I need them all. In particular I am looking at Clank! because I own so many different versions. Aeon’s End I do as well, but since I own them they can mix and match. Clank! Adventure Deck Building Game, Clank! In! Space! and Clank! Catacombs do not mix and match, so it is a question if I need them all.

Complexity

Now complexity is a spot where I look at it and I think, Ascension is likely safe, but not maybe all the expansions for it. Ascension is a good straightforward deck building game. If I want to just introduce the concept of deck building the base game works wonderfully. But some of the expansions add a bunch more to the game. And while they are stand alone so I don’t need to mix them in, or I can use just them, it does make it harder to get to the table sometimes.

Am I getting Rid of Any?

Honestly, I think I am. Just in this moment, I think I talked myself into getting rid of Clank! The Adventure Deck Building Game and Clank! In! Space!. Why, because while I really like both of them, I think I am just going to play Clank! Catacombs. And if that is the case, why am I going to keep all of them around?

As well as Hero Realms. That one or the Star Wars: Deck Building game is on the chopping block. Now, I know that I said I haven’t played the Star Wars game. This upcoming Tuesday I am likely to have a friend over for gaming. And since it is going to be two of us, that is going to be a chance to get the Star Wars: Deck Building Game played. If I like it, I think that Hero Realms is going.

Upcoming Series

I need to get rid of more games from my board game collection. So that means I need to prep more games for selling. So why not use this framework, clump games together, and see which ones maybe should leave the collection. It’ll kind of be like the culling videos that I did a few years ago, and I might actually turn it into that as well for the Malts and Meeples YouTube channel. So join me on this journey.

Is there any way that I should consider whether or not game overlap is needed or not?

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So You Want To Sell Your Board Games?

I don’t have hard and fast rules for this, just some suggestions, because really that is more useful than any sort of rules. Your situation for selling games is going to be very different than mine is. I live in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, a large metro area. What is near me might be hours away for you, but hopefully there is some useful in this.

But where do you start?

You start at your shelves. Look what is on there that you haven’t played in a long time. This drops into the side of culling games from your collection. I just want to say that is where you start and now that you’ve started pulling games off your shelf to sell, you are ready to go.

Next I want to ask:

– Are there Game Stores in your area that buy used?
– Are there used book stores in your area that buy games?
– Do you want to use Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist?
– Do you want to have a garage sale?
– Are you willing to ship games?

Local Game Store

These are all starting points for where you can sell. For me, I do a mix of most of those, or at least the first two. Most of my games, I sell to my LGS (Local Game Store) for store credit which I immediately use to buy some more games. Now, that doesn’t free up too much space on my shelf, but often a little bit of space. But I also know that an LGS buying games is not that common.

The amount of work that goes into buying a game is pretty high, so if there is one in your area, I suggest supporting them. But understand, with the work they do with piece counting, it might not be the best price option out there for you.

Book Store

If you just want to move them quickly, book stores are often a great spot. Where I’m at Half-Priced Books will buy a lot of different board games and sell them. The downside to selling here is that they are even less likely to give you market value.

Book stores aren’t always where people would look for a game, and they want to do volume of sales because, well, people sell books more often than board games. So their model is built on getting in and getting out books fast and having that inventory that turns over quickly. While that is what most businesses want in general, it does mean if people aren’t coming specifically for board games, they will value them less.

Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist

If you want to get the best money this is likely going to be your best bet. Though, I am talking about this as local pick-up right now. You can certainly ship with both of them. The big thing with both of these is the amount of leg work that there is. You need, especially for Facebook Marketplace to take pictures, write up a description and figure out what you want to price it at.

And figuring out what to price it at can be tricky. The best bet is to go on eBay and look to see what other people have asked for them. But not even that, there are listings where people want to a ton that just won’t sell. Battlestar Galactica is an expensive game but if you want $200 for the base set, it won’t sell. Instead look at the recently sold items to get your pricing.

All of this should seem like a lot of work, and it is, but it is also the spot where you will make most of your money. And in fact, the next two options will likely be as much work probably without the payoff. So let’s move onto them.

Garage Sale

If you have enough, just create your own sale. A garage sale with a lot of games, advertised on some board game selling groups in Facebook or posted about anyways, is another way. Even Board Game Geek threads for the area that you live in are a great spot to post.

Now, this might seem like it’ll be as effective the issue is that you need to be able to target your buyers. Will the person who is looking that specific game show up? A garage sale is going to target the gamers who are either looking for a deal or just there to browse to see if you happen to have something that they want. But it is a solid way to get rid of games, especially if you can share enough to target buyers and get the hobby gamers to show up.

Ship Away

Now, finally you can sell games anywhere if you are willing to ship them. This is very much like that Facebook and Craigslist part that I wrote, except now you have added in more work for yourself. You need to figure out shipping.

Now, this doesn’t have to be too bad. A fair number of games, especially smaller will fit in more standard sized boxes and therefore be more of a consistent shipping price. That is not going to be the case for a lot of games, though. A lot of games are going to cost a fair amount to ship.

Another thing to note is that buyers now need to factor two numbers, game price and shipping price into their purchase. While this is what you do on eBay or the likes as well, it does determine some for a buyer. If you offer a $45 game at $25 with $15 shipping is that worth the $5 difference for someone buying it new. It depends on what you can find for shipping but it might mean that game prices have to be cheaper or shipping might need to get added into the game cost.

So Which Is Best?

Honestly none of them are the best or worst options. If you need to sell stuff fast and don’t care as much about maximizing your money, a LGS or Book Store are great. However, that is less money overall. If you want to make the most money, you are doing this to make room, then list them yourself. Especially if you don’t care if it takes two weeks or a month to sell them all.

For me, I generally sell to my LGS. It is the easiest for me, but I am going to be doing a Minnesota Tabletop Market in a week. This is basically the Garage Sale idea, but instead of me having to put the work into advertising what it has. Now, that means I don’t know what it has, what the prices are. But it gets people through the door, not me, which is nice.

This is something available to me because I am in a city and someone else wanted to put on the work. For you, if you want to try or find that. But, most likely it’d be you running it. Which I think for some people, that’d be fun, but it is also a lot of work. It’s important to think what will work best for you in your area.

Other Resources

Now, I am not an expert on this. If you are interested in more on selling games and shipping, I recommend you checkout BoardGameCo on YouTube. Also BoardGameCo the company buys games used to sell again. So if you don’t have an LGS in your area, that is another option.

Also, if you go to conventions, head to BGG (Board Game Geek). Often times trades or sales can be arranged with other attendees with a bit work. But, it would give you a bigger audience without needing to ship games.

How have you found to sell board games?

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What Board Games are Leaving?

There’s no chance that I’m going to remember all of them. Mainly because, like I said, there are 17 games on the pile to get rid of. And surprisingly, there are several from my Top 100 games of all time. I won’t go into detail on why they’re leaving, I do in the video, but most of the time it is because I have others in the same genre or style that I will always play over it.

Claim

Two player trick taking game. I enjoy it, it can be a little bit swingy, but the game plays fast. So that randomness or the luckiness of the game doesn’t bother me much. It is more that for two player trick taking games, I now prefer Fox in the Forest and Fox in the Forest Duet.

Hanabi

Hanabi is a game with a fun concept. You have a hand of cards and you are trying to get them played out in order. But you can’t see you hand of cards. You only get and give clues. I like it for that, but it’s one I’ve played 10-15 times, I don’t pull it off the shelf anymore. For a game where you don’t know what is in your hand, I prefer Letter Jam now.

Skulk Hollow

Skulk Hollow is consistently in my top 100 games of all time, and I suspect it might stay for a while. But it is leaving my collection. Not because I am getting Maul Peak, the sequel, but because it just doesn’t get played. If I want to play a two player game, I pull others out first.

Tsuro

Tsuro is the poster child for, I liked this game, but I’ve played it enough. It’s a good filler game that can play a lot of people. But I went through a number of games like that. So Tsuro can find a new home.

The Terrifying Girl Disorder

The Terrifying Girl Disorder, I picked this one up because of the title and the artwork. And both still are still intriguing to me. But it’s been a long time on my shelf and I have yet to play it. It is one that I wouldn’t mind getting to the table sometime before I get trade it, just to see, but not enough to make sure it happens.

Call of Cthulhu: Living Card Game

I got this one recently, and now it’s leaving. It’s not because I’m not curious about it. I like the idea of a living card game around the Call of Cthulhu theme, but I already have Arkham Horror LCG and Marvel Champions LCG, I don’t want to try and track down old things for it. So as much as I’m curious about it, I know I will get sucked in.

Shadows of Kyoto

Shadows of Kyoto is another in the Hanamikoji themed game. But this one has more of a Stratego feel. And honestly, that’s why I’m getting rid of it. The whole hidden thing, trying to find your opponents, or maybe take them out, it’s not as interesting. And it’s two player, so why play it over Hanamikoji if I want a two player only game?

The Grimm Masquerade

Hidden role game that I find to be a good amount of fun. What I don’t love as much as that it’s a bit long. If I want to pull out a game where we’re trying to figure it out, then I am going to play two games of Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, if not three. And that’ll take the same amount of time and is just more fun for me. It’s a situation where I have another game I’ll always pick first.

Inbetween

Inbetween is another two player only game. You can see that I’m clearing out a number of those. One that I wanted to play because it had a Stranger Things-esque theme to it. But two player push and pull game as you fight over characters one to the “upside-down” and one to the “real world”. So, I could play it, but I don’t feel like it over Hanamikoji.

MonsDRAWsity

MonsDRAWsity is a party game that I picked up cheap, learned the rules to it, and then I realized that I wasn’t going to enjoy it as much. It is a party game of drawing what you think a character looks like based off of a description. That’s fun, but then voting on which one looks closest, that is way less fun. Any party game where it’s a vote or picking a favorite, it’s hard to keep those in my collection.

7 Wonders Duel with Pantheon

Yet another two player game. 7 Wonders Duel is just a game that’s been on my shelf for too long. I know it’s supposed to be a very good game. But the theme isn’t that interesting to me, I think 7 Wonders is just okay at best. And I have Truffle Shuffle that works for two person drafting, same with Ohanami.

Quiddler

A word game that has a 5 Crowns type feel to it as you build out bigger and bigger words or multiple smaller ones. It’s a fine word game, but like most word games, the bigger vocabulary, the better you do. It’s one I’ve played, had fun with, but I’m not going to pull it off the shelf again.

I think that’s 11 total games, so I’m missing six from the list. I guess that’s a sign that I’m not that interested if I don’t remember them. I’ll add them on in a separate article when I can look at them again.

The Drink

Just a cream soda and Orange Jameson mix again. Still a very good drink that goes down easily. One that I’d recommend. Though, as we were talking about in the chat yesterday, it’s not nearly as good straight. It’s a whiskey that I’d say needs to be mixed.

Upcoming Streams

I think Part 7 is going to be the end of going through my collection. And I want to do that on Wednesday. When we’re going to get back to playing some games. Probably some more roll and writes, or smaller solo games for a little bit before diving into the next campaign. But right now, I’m guessing I have 30-40 games and expansions that I’m getting ready to cull.

If you want to know when I go live, you can go to the Malts and Meeples YouTube channel, subscribe, and click the notification bell. That’ll let you know when I go live or schedule a video.

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What Board Games Are Leaving?

So two updates from last time to start us off.

Second Chance

I said there was a decent shot that one ight get a second chance, and sure enough it did. Second Chance is back on the shelves. It’s one my wife is tempted to play solo, and it’s a roll and write that she can easily teach. So, as a small game, it’s back on the shelf.

Specter Ops

This is the one that I missed in the video. It’s one that I want to play, but I think that other people I know own it. Plus, it’s a one versus all game, harder to get to the table. And while in theory I like the idea of a hidden movement game, I haven’t played any yet. So maybe I should keep it for that reason, but it is leaving the collection.

Unicornus Knights

Now onto the new ones. Unicornus Knights is one that I picked up pretty cheap a while ago. And I did that because of Sam Healy liking it on the Dice Tower. And I won’t lie, the concept is interesting. You are shepherding the princess around, letting her fight and win when need be but keeping her from taking damage and avoiding spots at others. I tried to learn this one a while ago, and it is intriguing still, but I know I’m not going to play it over other newer games.

Nidavellir

Speaking of newer games, the next two are pretty new. Nidavellir just didn’t hit for me. I wanted something more after a couple of plays, I felt like I understood the game. And Maybe Thingavellir would help, but I’m less than certain on that. It just feels like a good, accessible, set collection game. But I have other games like that. Yes, the bidding is different than say Sushi Go Party’s drafting, but not enough. And not enough variety for me.

My Farm Shop

This is another one that I had fun with, but I had a feeling wasn’t going to stick. And after a handful of plays, it just felt too much the same. Now there are ways to change it up, but not enough. The game is very simple in a Machi Koro style or roll and everyone gets something. So you build up your engine and turn good into coins and points. Is it better than Machi Koro, maybe, but then again I don’t have Machi Koro in my collection either.

Upcoming Streams

There was no drink, so section for that.

But I did plan on streaming tonight. However, I am not sure that is going to happen. Family is coming into town tomorrow for the holiday, which is why no streaming on Wednesday. But there is still more to get ready for them.

But following week, I’ll be back with some streaming. I plan on doing at least two streams the following week. If you want to know when I go live, you can go to the Malts and Meeples YouTube channel, subscribe, and click the notification bell. That’ll let you know when I go live or schedule a video.

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I started this process last week, so you can catch up here.

Which Board Games Are Leaving?

So this is going to be a bit of a Point of Sale as well, now in these articles. Mainly because I think that those leaving are the most interesting to talk about. Mainly because I don’t consider a lot of the games to be bad games that are leaving my collection.

I am also going to catch up this time on the ones from last time as well that are leaving. Mainly because I decided to talk about culling games last time.

Arkham Horror 3rd Edition

This is one that I am mainly getting rid of because I have other Lovecraftian games. And Arkham Horror has been sitting on my shelf for a while. If I have a bigger group to play with, I’m likely going to pull out Mansions of Madness, or Cthulhu: Death May Die. If I’m playing solo, I want to play Arkham Horror LCG (Living Card Game). Arkham Horror 3rd Edition just kind of falls into the category of a game I should play but it’s leaving.

Arkham Horror LCG Packs

Now, I just said that I am keeping Arkham Horror LCG, so then why is it here? These are just the plastic packs, basically little bits of story to add onto the main big boxes. I have several of those big boxes and I can play through those without the extra story. And I do need to do that. Plus Fantasy Flight just changed their model from monthly plastic packs to releasing all the extra content in a big box. It’s a one time hit, so when I’m ready for one, I can grab that.

First Martian

First Martian is a game that I actually enjoy quite well. But it falls into the category of a game I enjoy, but one that isn’t hard to get back. And one that I believe a friend still has, so I can play their copy. But this is a space Robinson Crusoe style game, tied in with the book the Martian for a lot of the feel. So a hard survival game. It is fun, there is a campaign that I want to play. But I can get it back when I’m actually ready to do that.

Heroes of Terrinoth

This one, you got to see me pick between it and the game it is based on, Warhammer Quest. And I went with Warhammer Quest. Mainly, the setting is more interesting for me, and I definitely don’t need both in my collection. This does look like a solid solo game, but also can be gotten back for not that much.

Lord of the Rings: Sauron Expansion

Yup, I’m getting rid of an expansion. Though, now I’m wondering if I could fit it all into the base box. If I can, then maybe I won’t get rid of it. The reason that I am planning on getting rid of it isn’t that it’s not a good expansion, it is, but it takes a cooperative game and turns it into a one versus all. And the one is playing a different game in some ways. I want or generally like one versus all games that are easy to pass around who is the one. I feel like this expansion it wouldn’t be as easy, especially considering I haven’t played it in a long time.

The Drink

So last night I tried Orange Jameson for the first time. It is a very orange forward whiskey, so at least the name doesn’t lie. But it’s only okay as a sipping drink. I think compared to normal Jameson, which is also only okay for sipping, so much of the whiskey flavor is lost. Some of that is how strong the orange flavor is, but I’m not sure, it seems like they tweaked it so that the whiskey flavor is lost.

I do want to try it again tonight, and to mix it with cream soda. Basically creating an orange creamsicle because that sounds amazing and a better use for the whiskey. What other cocktails or mixed drinks do you think would work well with Orange Jameson?

Upcoming Streams

So my original plan for these “Should It Stay or Should It Go” streams was every other Monday. I think that might be changing to every Monday now, or shooting for that a bit more. I do think it’ll be determine week by week if I stream on Mondays but I’m having a lot of fun with these streams and it gives me good things to think about with my collection.

But Wednesdays are going to be consistent for sure. So this week and next week I will be playing some one off games. I might try and learn a new game to stream on Wednesday, though, I do want to try out the solo mode for a few games, and I have a few roll and write games that I can show off. Let me know what you’d like to see, some smaller card games, or some roll and writes.

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Culling Board Games

The premise is pretty simple, what games are in my collection that are taking up space which I don’t like or I know I’m not going to play again. The execution is harder. I like board games a lot. For me, I like to keep a collection that has a lot of games in it. I have the shelf space, but that shelf space is filling up and as I talk about at the start, I have games from crowdfunding that are coming in. So I need to find more shelf space.

So what made me decide to stream some of this. Firstly, it is more content on the channel, and I hope that seeing what I have in my collection gives you an idea of what I like in gaming. To go along with that, it keeps me motivated to go through my collection. It would be easy for me to just skim it and find a few games. Going through Kallax cubby by Kallax cubby I now am forced to look at each game. Plus there are a few other content creators who talk about it a lot.

I mention them but Max from Tablenauts has a saying of ABC, Always Be Culling. And because of that and the games I have coming, it is time for more. I need to go through my collection and cull. Plus Alex from BoardGameCo does a video showing what is leaving his collection. I wanted to be different and go through my whole collection.

The Drink

So last nights drink was finishing off a bottle of Suntory Whiskey. It’s a Japanese whiskey and an enjoyable one. I didn’t talk about it too much, but it is part of my goal to drink through/clear up room in my liquor cabinet. I’d like to get less stuff in there, since some of the alcohol has been sitting there for a while. It was something I drank more before having a kid, stuff for mixed drinks really stand out, and now, I lean towards just sipping drinks.

Upcoming Streams

So next upcoming stream is on Wednesday with a start time around 8 PM Central. I’ll try and get the video up a bit sooner than I did with this one so you know it is coming. But what will I be streaming? I am going to do a play of Spire’s End. It is a story driven game, kind of a campaign game, but one I can generally play in a single sitting.

The next few weeks on Wednesday it won’t be a campaign game. I want to get through some other games that can be played solo. I also want to create more time for just chatting as I play. Campaign games tend to be harder to chat while playing. Mainly, they tend to have a whole lot more going on in them. So expect a few roll and write games and smaller games to get played. Any you think that I really need to try?

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Plus I unbox a new board gamer order with had four expansions in it. And I go off on some tangents, not about beer this time, but about a board game that stayed in my collection.

The Topic

I wanted to touch on getting rid of board games, because it is a popular topic. And well, I hope that I can add some insight to the conversation. When I see these videos, too often, it comes off as bragging that people have nice and trim collections. This is very much a pushback on a previous mindset of having a massive board game collection.

But, to me, neither of these are healthy. I think there are good reasons to get rid of board games. But showing off that you are better, that isn’t a good reason. That is a seemingly responsible thing that actually creates barriers to entry into our hobby. New gamers often buy a lot of games, I know I did, and I still do. So when they see people getting rid of games they feel like they are doing it wrong.

I go with a few different reasons to possibly get rid of a game.

1. Other Games in the Same Category/Genre I like Better
2. Space
3. Don’t Have the Right Group

You can find out more why in the video.

Unboxing

Expansions for three different games were unboxed last night. You can see the Point of Order that I did for these games and posted yesterday. I’m excited for all of these expansions. I think most so I’m excited to get Terraforming Mars to the table. It’s a bigger more complex game than Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, and I’m interested to try that.

The Beer

Another can of Spray Tan from Outstate Brewing up in Fergus Falls, MN. This is really a go to summer beer. It is tart and has a good flavor that works really well on a hot day. During the summer in Minnesota, I tend to drink mainly sours and IPA’s with a few other random beers thrown in. Just because it helps cut the hot and humid. During the winter, on the other hand, it still can be IPA’s and Sours, but very often I will dive into the big porters and stouts that feel like more of a hearty drink during the cold.

Upcoming Videos

So only for sure one video coming up in the next week and a half. Two weeks from now I’ll be back with another Top 10 list, and I think I’m going to do my Top 10 either Family/Gateway games or Roll and Writes, haven’t decided what which yet.

And on Wednesday, 8 PM Central, I’m going to be streaming the second chapter of Aeon’s End Legacy. I’ll probably miss, though, next Wednesday’s stream because of having family in town.

Though, I do plan on putting out another 3 Reasons Buy/Not Buy video. You can find all the videos in that series on this playlist as they come out.

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Culling Games

This is sort of a Marie Kondo thing that has been everywhere. The idea is to downsize the things that don’t give you joy. Though, people often take it too far. They clear out a ton of things in their lives and then realize that they wanted some of that or have to get some of it again. This is very true in board games as well.

There most definitely is something freeing about getting rid of stuff. Having too much stuff can feel oppressive and overwhelming. And people often get on a roll of culling games or things from their life. With board games people often use the standard of, have I played this recently, which isn’t a great standard. But they do other things as well, do I like other games better that do the same thing is one of them.

Let’s talk about these two standards for culling.

Have I Played This Game Recently

I don’t like this standard, some of it is because I probably have enough games and expansions to play one game a year without repeats or close to that. But even without that, let’s look back at the past 14 months. How many party games have gotten played, how many social deduction games have gotten played? The answer is, probably not that many for a lot of people. So while people have had time around their house to go through and cull collections, if it is based off of play, there are certain games that just won’t be played.

Taking this logic as well, some games, Heroes of Land, Air, and Sea for example, will get played less often for me. It is a big long game. If it gets played once every two years, that’s often enough for that game, I think. For some people they’d play it more, but for me that isn’t going to be the case. Still, it’ll stay in my collection as a 4X fantasy game.

But let’s go onto a way I like better for culling games.

Do I Have Other Games I like Better, That Do The Same Thing

What does this one mean? Let me give you an example. Splendor is a very simple tableau and engine building game. I think it’s okay, I wouldn’t pull it off the shelf. If I want that engine building experience, I have Space Base, Century: Golem Edition, and Homebrewers that I like better as engine builders. So I will pull them off the shelf first. Now, in all fairness, I haven’t gotten rid of Splendor, but this is an example of one that I could cull. If it wasn’t one that my wife liked a lot and can teach herself, I’d probably get rid of it.

The concept is basically, would I reach for this game on my shelf over other games of the same type? Ask me if I’d reach for a game like Claim over Gloomhaven, no, I wouldn’t. At least most of the time I wouldn’t. But they are two massively different types of games. So compare within a type. Gloomhaven versus Sword & Sorcery is a good example. I wouldn’t pick to play Sword & Sorcery again over playing Gloomhaven again. So I ended up selling Sword & Sorcery.

How Do You Downsize Without Culling?

There’s one main way that you can downsize stuff. And that’s condensing boxes which can be done in a couple of ways. With small games it’s about removing them from the oversized boxes, or moving expansions and everything into fewer boxes. Let’s dive into each of them.

To A Smaller Box

This is one that I actually haven’t done yet, but I could do with a number of games. I know of it more from The Dice Tower where they have a lot of small games in photo boxes, basically hard plastic shells, and then those in larger photo storage boxes, so you can get a lot of small games in.

Going to small boxes works because of how sales and shelf space work. A small game is going to get overlooked more often on a shelf of a store. People will glance over it and buy the bigger game that costs more. So companies smartly so, put stuff into boxes that take up more space and catch more attention.

However, at home, I don’t have all the shelf space in the world. So a game in a bigger box than need be, that eats into how many games I can reasonably fit. Now, that might be a sign to cull some games, but fairly often smaller games getting culled barely helps this situation. Instead, you can store more small games compactly by putting them into photo cases or something like that to free up room.

All To One Box

This is the one that I tend to do, which is look to see how many boxes I can get rid of for my board games. Often times inserts that are well done, or poorly done, will eat up room within a box, and then you get an expansion for a game. The biggest one I can call out for this is Marvel United. They had great inserts, but that means that there were 8 total boxes. By removing inserts and moving stuff around, I easily fit it into 3 boxes. I went from 8 game boxes to 3 boxes. That’s a huge difference when it comes to shelf space.

I am going through my collection to see what I can do that with. I’ve found some other games, all the small expansions for Aeon’s End can fit into their respective big boxes, so that frees up room. But beyond that, eventually I’ll be able to put Aeon’s End into even fewer bigger boxes. Ascension went from 3 boxes down to one by adjusting the an insert, and I can probably even make it fit better by completely removing the insert and creating one of my own for the game.

This is a really easy way for a lot of games to free up a chunk of room. It kind of goes that shelf space thing again. Some games will take up more space if you keep your expansion box. Just condensing down a handful of games frees up a lot of space. With that said, it also means you need to know how and where the expansion stuff is to split it out, which sometimes is easier said than done. So that is a downside, but some games like Marvel United or Sentinels of the Multiverse or even Marvel Champions it doesn’t matter much.

How Do You Downsize Space Without Culling Games?

Are there any other ways that you can free up space, without getting rid of games? A lot of gamer habits, putting sleeves on cards and upgrading games with fancier bits can cause it to take more room. But are there other ways to make games take up less room that you’ve found? I guess trimming boxes shorter so that it more accurately fits what is in side would be a way as well, but I haven’t heard of people doing that. Let me know your ideas in the comments below.

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