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

My Tableau Building Games

As normal, we split it into games that I’ve played first and then games that I haven’t played yet in my collection.

Tableau Building Games I’ve Played

• 7 Wonders Duel
• Lord of the Rings Duel for Middle Earth
• 7 Wonders
• Splendor: Pokemon
• The Castles of Burgundy
• Arkham Horror The Card Game
• Marvel Champions
• Dwellings of Eldervale
• Forest Shuffle
• Res Arcana
• Meadow
• Space Base
• Faraway
• Castle Combo
• Furnace
• Aquatica
• New Frontiers
• Jump Drive
• Ancient Knowledge
• Starship Captains
• Village Rails
• Call to Adventure: Stormlight Archives
• Cafe Baras
• Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition
• Pixies

Tableau Building Games I’ve Yet To Play

• Everdell
• 3 Ring Circus
• Ark Nova
• A Feast for Odin
• Revive
• Beyond the Sun
• Targi
• Endless Winter: Paleoamericans
• Vale of Eternity
• Expeditions
• Fantastic Factories
• The Bloody Inn
• Raising Robots
• The Witcher: Path of Destiny
• Andromeda’s Edge
• Earth

What Stays and What Leaves?

This is a tough list to really do because they are so unique. A lot of the time there is a pretty big difference between a scoring tableau game and an engine building tableau game. So as I’m looking at the list, it’s hard to say that I should keep this one or another one. Plus sometimes they didn’t really do a great job of putting like games on the BGG list. For example, Terraforming Mars, on the list, Ares Expedition, not on the list. New Frontiers is a tableau building game, but Jump Drive wasn’t part of that list. So I hope that I caught everything, but I’m sure some where missed.

What Is And Easy Leave?

So when we look at the list the ones that I have yet to play, those are generally going to stay. That means that we’re looking at what I’ve played for easy games to leave the collection. It’s not an easy list to pick from. I only have one that is an easy leave from the list. And that is I’m going to be getting rid of 7 Wonders Duel. Mainly because I own Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth. Yes, they are different, but I’m most apt to pick the Lord of the Rings themed one to play.

The other one that is going to leave is 7 Wonders. Now that might be surprising, but I bought I copy and I just don’t play it. If I want a big group drafting game, I go with Sushi Go Party! For that reason while 7 Wonders offers something quite different, it just isn’t going to stick in my collection.

What Is An Easy Stay?

Now for easy stays, I definitely am keeping Lord of the Rings Duel for Middle Earth and then both of the LCG’s on the list from Fantasy Flight Games. I know that I want to keep one of Dwellings of Eldervale and Andromeda’s Edge, but having not played the latter, I don’t know which I want to keep. I’ve heard the latter is the better game, but I like the theme for the former more so.

Space Base, Forest Shuffle, Castle Combo, Castles of Burgundy and Ancient Knowledge easily make the list as well. As does Call to Adventure: Stormlight Archives.

Everything Else

Now let’s touch on everything else and this is where I need to find a few to cut. Do I need Jump Drive in my collection if I play it on BGA so much? I had actually put it in the too sell pile but then I brought it back. And I want to keep it and New Frontiers because I really like both of them. So they stay, though with Jump Drive, it’s tempting because of BGA.

One that it tough for me is Meadow. I like Meadow a lot, but it’s also one that I play less often. I think that this means I just need to play it more to keep it in the collection. The same can be said for Res Arcana. I need to play it more because I really do love that game.

Furnace is going to leave the collection, I’ve decided. Mainly because it’s okay at two players. And I think that I am most apt to play it at two players. Because of that it should leave the collection I think. Another one that I love the theme of but thought the game play was okay so it’s going to leave is Cafe Baras. Mainly it’s super cute, but a bit too simple for my tastes. Even as a game to play with my kid, it’s not quite interesting enough.

So The Tableau Games That Are Leaving

Just to recap we have Furnace, which I really enjoy but less so at two. Cafe Baras is a bit too simple and 7 Wonders Duel is a game that has been replaced by Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth. And 7 Wonders is getting kicked out because it’s the secondary drafting game for big groups for me.

I think that there will be others to leave once I play more. But it’s tricky getting all the tableau building games to the table. Some I maybe shouldn’t keep, like Res Arcana just because when will I play it again.

What is your favorite tableau building game?

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Top 5 Epic Fantasy Board Games

5. Super Fantasy Brawl

This one is the fastest of these games in this group, but one that is a ton of fun to play. You take in some fantastical characters into a battle arena to see which group will win. It’s not just a drawn out fighting game, it’s a quick and punchy fighting game with goals that you need to think about as well.

And the game play for Super Fantasy Brawl is very simple. You have three activations you can do on your turn. Each one for different colors of cards that you might have in your hand. So it’s possible to have less, but very rare. And those activate cards that match their colors, as I said, so you might activate the same character more than once.

If this was just a knock out the enemy game or just a get goals game, I don’t think it would be as fun. But having both elements in the game, it creates a nice bigger experience. And you can get some epic turns where you start by completing a goal and then knock out your opponents character for a big swing.

4. Dwellings of Eldervale

Next up is the only euro game on the list, though some others might have euro tendencies. Dwellings of Eldervale is about building out a map, fighting monsters, fighting other players, and dwelling. The combat isn’t complex and the itself isn’t that complex but it has those cool moments. And that’s what I look for in an epic game.

One of the coolest parts is that each color you can be has their own faction powers. So you get to do things and break rules in ways that other players can’t. And not only does each color have it’s own faction, they have factions, on each side of the board to pick from. So the game comes with a ton of combinations for how you play.

3. Roll Player Adventures

Roll Player Adventures is one that I’m going through right now and loving. The game offers great story and an interesting puzzle with how you play. If you’re familiar with Roll Player, in that game you basically roll up RPG style characters. In Roll Player Adventures you take those characters through an adventure.

The adventure is great, much bigger and weirder than I’d have expected. But the game play makes it a lot of fun as well, not just the story. It’s built around collecting cards to manipulate dice. As you come across a challenge or a battle, you take dice and need to get them to the right numbers and colors. You seed what you have with colors based off of attributes, but the number is the roll of a die. So how that goes, no one knows, and you need to use your cards to try and get that to what you need.

2. Oathsworn

Oathsworn is the one that I’ve played the least of it. But it deserves to be on the list from what I’ve played. You battle monsters, explore cities, and do a lot of interesting things. One thing I like about the game is how it’s split into two parts. You have a story portion and then a combat portion. On my space game list I had one like that as well, ISS Vanguard, though split differently.

The story portion is going to help you know what’s going on in the world and goals to have. It might give you a bonus to it as well for that combat that is coming up. Or at least help you avoid bad things. And then you get into a boss battle combat. And in that battle you play down cards that flow around your character board, and draw cards or roll dice to see how big a hit you can do, or if you do hit.

Plus as a campaign game, the game offers a lot of epic to it. I think that campaign games lend themselves well to epic. And Oathsworn offers an epic campaign, but not one that is too long.

1. Gloomhaven

Finally we have Gloomhaven. And this one is interesting, because I think that the original Gloomhaven was epic in scope of each scenario but lacked some of the epic story nature that I expect from a big epic fantasy campaign game. It might be getting fixed in version two of Gloomhaven which I’ll likely pick up the upgrade pack for.

But Gloomhaven does have a big story to it, it’s just not as ingrained as some stories. And it also really does provide those epic scenarios. All of that with a really cool system of playing down two cards each activation. You use one of them for a top action and one for a bottom action. When you pick the cards, you know what you want to do. But as the round goes on, if you don’t go fast enough, what you want to do might change. Overall just a great system.

Final Thoughts

As I wrap up the themes that catch my eye, it’s worth noting that there are plenty of themes that interest me. I talk about epic fantasy or epic sci-fi, and those always catch my interest, but I like fantasy and sci-fi in general. Or something odd like The Bloody Inn where you are killing and hiding the dead bodies of guests from the cops to see who can make the most money. It’s a silly premise that is very interesting.

Like any game it still needs to have a good review. Or there needs to be something mechanically that gets me interested in the game. And all of the games on the list, I’m interested in for more than just the theme. Though, a theme and great cover might get me looking at it sooner rather than later.

What’s your favorite epic fantasy board game?

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Top 10 Games at Gen Con

10 – Dwellings of Eldervale

Dwellings of Eldervale has been on my shelf for a while. And I even own the fancy version with the monster bases that make noise and all the nice tokens for it. But I never got around to playing it. This is one of those games that I grabbed a spot so I could learn how to play the game versus because I was interested in the game. I knew I was already interested int.

And the game did not disappoint. I enjoy the worker placement in it. And I like how each person starts out a little bit differently with their plans. The game has a good amount going on to it. And you need to think about everything that you are doing. But it doesn’t feel overwhelming. I got through a decent chunk of a game, probably 4 rounds, but we still weren’t near the end of it. I want to get it to the table and play it again. And I want to try some of the other factions out there to see how they are.

9 – Twilight Inscription

I signed up for this event late. Learn how to play probably the biggest roll and write game out there. And set in the world and style of something like Twilight Imperium, it should be the biggest. It was a learning event, which I think is worth noting for this game. I suspect it will move higher the more I play it.

Twilight Inscription has you doing a bit of everything. And it has you mainly focused on your own board. It is interesting and I appreciate that there is a little interaction. It comes in the form of combat where you compare against the players next to you. But it also comes in the form of racing to the capitol planet and goals. So a few points of interaction that takes a mainly solitaire game and turns it into something more.

This roll and write won’t be for everyone. It is two hours and it is huge. But if you are looking for a hefty game, I think that Twilight Inscription could work for you.

8 – Village Rails

Village Rails, not really a follow-up to Village Green, but feels a bit like it. I think, after one play, I slightly prefer Village Rails. Village Green does an interesting thing where you need to think about rows and columns. With Village Rails you think about how you complete train routes. That is a bit simpler in what you are doing.

But the game isn’t too simple. You need to balance placing train tracks down to get routes that score well with placing down engines to score points. It gives you enough to think about without locking you in as much as Village Green does. I think that’s the big difference. Village Rails feels less restrictive in what you are doing.

7 – Long Shot: The Dice Game

Another roll and write game, but the last one on the list. And I do think that as I play Long Shot: The Dice Game, it could move higher on the list. Long Shot: The Dice Game is a horse racing and betting game. At the end of the game, you want to have the most money, pretty simple.

But how it works is interesting. You roll two dice and that determines which horse moves forward. But on each horse card, it can activate other horses to move them around the track as well. So while one horse could run away with it, you still are moving horses racing for 2nd and 3rd. And then you have the concessions stand where you can fill in. And there you can manipulate horses, pushing some further back or others further ahead. It works nicely and is simple to get a grasp of.

6 – Lost Ruins of Arnak

Another one, like Dwellings of Eldervale, I own this one. But I hadn’t gotten around to playing it. There is something about learning euro games without playing them that is a bit harder. Probably just means that as I learn I should mess around with the board. Because Lost Ruins of Arnak is not a hard game to learn, and it’s a game with great decisions in it and a lot of fun.

I like how Lost Ruins of Arnak blends a few things. You have your worker placement that’s about exploring, fighting monsters, but really about getting resources to move up a research track. Then you have your deck building. You want to get cards that help with resources and fun moves to let you get more points. Finally, you have that research track which you go up to get even more resources, but generally to help you in your exploration. And the adventure theme works well.

5 – Batman: Everybody Lies

It’s hard to rank Batman: Everybody Lies, especially only off of the prologue. I now have played case one as well, and that was fun as well. So it could move up, but also when I do my Top 100 you’ll never see it. This is basically Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game, with a few differences, and it’ll get lumped with that. But here, it gets it’s own spot.

Like I said, this is basically Detective. You still read cards, look up files and investigate everything that is going on. But with Batman: Everybody Lies, you are also having personal objectives that you need to think about. And information that you might find out as Catwoman that you need to decide if you share or not. I don’t find it that big a twist or one that you need to lean into. It’s a solid twist and the Batman theme works well in the system.

4 – First Rat

First Rat is the type of game that I wouldn’t try normally. See my comments about not learning Euro games easily. First Rat is a euro game where you are trying to build your rocket, score points and get rats to the cheese moon.

The game works better than that sounds, though. And that sounds very cute. So when I say the game works better, I mean it’s very good. Mainly because you have multiple of your rats climbing up this ladder or path. You can move one up further by itself, up to 5 spaces. Or you can move slower and move two rats, ending them on spots that are the same color to basically take both of those actions. There is more going on, but the game is that balance of simple actions but tough decisions when taking those actions.

3 – Oathsworn: Into the Deep Woods

Another one that I own. But I don’t blame myself for not getting this one to the table before. It came on the Tuesday before I left for Gen Con, so I had less than half a day with it around. And it is nice to learn a game from people who know it, granted, we only learned half of the game at Gen Con.

Oathsworn is a big adventure boss battling game. In Oathsworn you first do an investigation and story phase. Then once that is done, you dive into combat. This combat might be harder or easier depending on how you did in the previous part. I got to try out the combat and it is fun. I always talk about it, but being able to pick cards that remember that has been flipped before, or rolling dice, or a combination of both, makes the game feel different. I do wish I’d gotten the minis for the bosses now though.

2 – Ready Set Bet

Then we have Ready Set Bet. I actually suspect as I play more of these games most often, this one might drop. That isn’t to say that the game will get worse. But Ready Set Bet is easy to understand and get into right away when you play it. It is a real time racing game where one person is calling a horse race. They roll dice and move horses forward. Everyone else is betting in real time.

The fun of the game comes with the excitement of seeing how horses are doing. Trying to grab spots early that could pay out well, or maybe waiting longer and getting worse spots. Or when the long shots, the horses that move on a 2 and 3 or 11 and 12 start moving up and all of a sudden they are in the mix. I expect a good caller makes it more exciting but no matter what it should be a fun party game.

1 – Paint the Roses

Paint the Roses takes my top spot. This game is maybe harder to explain without the board than some of the more complex games. Basically it is a deduction game. Each person has their own card. The easy ones are all about color combos. The harder ones could be shapes or really hard ones shapes and colors combined.

On your turn you put down a tile from your four choices. You do so in a way to try and give the best clue possible about the card that you have. For example, if I had two red roses, I could put a red rose tile next to two other red rose tiles. I then put two cubes on it because I’ve made two matches that work for my card. And anyone else can put cubes on it as well if it works for their card. Then you guess, and you have to, about someone’s card and hopefully you can figure out the right answer.

Whatever you do the queen will move as she tries and catch you. And you better hope you get it right because that’ll move your forward at least keeping pace with her. If you get it wrong, she’s going to start catching you, and with an Alice in Wonderland theme, if she catches you, it’s off with your heads.

Final Thoughts

I think that the Top 10 do stand out. Through some of the ones that just missed, Meadow, Fit to Print, and Flamecraft, they could end up pushing into that list if I got to play a full game of them. Probably the closest to being the list that surprised me for missing it was Hero Realms as I got in a full game play. It again could move up, I want to play it more because it is such a simple game but I love deck building. And the fantasy theme works for me.

Overall, I played a lot of fun games. I think down through my 21 (which includes three games I’d already played), I’d happily play them again. Even my 22 is not bad, but I’d consider owning all the ones above it. The 22, Let’s Dig for Treasure, it one that I’d gladly play if someone plopped it on the table at a bar. But that’s where I see that game.

If you could play one of my Top 10 games, which one would it be?

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Games Played at Gen Con 2022

Lost Ruins of Arnak

There are a few games that I have had on my shelf where I need to play my copy. Lost Ruins of Arnak from CGE was one of those games. And I got to play two games of it at Gen Con, including one full game. Needless to say, and if you saw the video, I liked it. It is a good game with interesting worker placement, light deck building and a great theme. I was worried that it might be more worker placement than I want, and while everything is mechanical, the theme makes it fun.

Ready Set Bet

This is one that is new, not even out yet. Ready Set Bet is a real time horse racing and betting game. One person is the caller who rolls the dice and shouts out horses as they move forward. The other players, in real time, are putting down bets on horses and trying to make the most money. You can rotate who the caller is, but the game goes so fast, and it is a fun role, that when I played it one person called.

This is a great con game. Everyone is around the table getting excited and shouting or getting into it. And you almost need to stand around the table so you can toss in your bids. It’s clever and fun and plays fast. And I could see getting this one and playing it a few times in an evening and having a great time.

Jekyll vs Hyde

This one I played twice as well. Jekyll vs Hyde is a trick taking game but with a twist or two. Firstly, it’s two player with one person being Jekyll and the other Hyde. The person who is Jekyll wants to keep the number of tricks as even as possible. Win too many or lose too many and Hyde advances on the board to the monster side. The Hyde player wants to get that difference up to get across the board. It is a fun idea and feels different, plus who top suit is determined for a trick is interesting as well. Not a two player trick taking game I need, but one I’d gladly play.

First Rat

First Rat has a silly but great theme. The moon is obviously made of cheese and you are rats trying to build a rocket to get to the moon. It is an interesting game where you are pushing your rat meeples up a track. You can push one up fast, unlock more rats or you can go slower and try and combo getting resources to build your rocket.

What you do on your turn is simple. You move one rat up to 5 spaces, or two rats up to 3 spaces as long as they end on the same color. But just that is a great puzzle. Plus how you pick what you do and what you’re going for works really well. It is a game that I wouldn’t have tried if it weren’t for Gen Con.

Draftosaurus

A game I already know I love and I own everything for. This was later one of the days at the con. I wanted to play a game but most of the bigger ones were either shut down as they take too long or already in the swing of things. Draftosaurus was easy to just sit down and play. The game is so light, but still it’s a lot of fun to play.

NFL Five

One that I demoed and came home with because if you demoed you got a demo copy. This is basically a way to sell packs of football cards, and specific ones, for the game. I describe it was rock paper scissors but instead of there being a tie option, you just need to watch. So it’s a guessing game that you can mess around with a little bit. It’s very light and just fine, but it was free and it was open for demoing so why not give it a shot.

Catapult Feud

Another one I own, this was me wanting to set down my bag after I bought Burncycle. Catapult Feud is fun, it’s fun building the castles and launching balls to try and knock it over. The game is barely there, but the toy factor is so high, who even cares.

Fit to Print

This is one that I believe was on my too demo list. Fit to Print is about making your best front page for a newspaper and scoring points based off of that. It was fun, and interesting because of the real time aspect to it. You start out picking out tiles which are articles, pictures, and ads for your paper. Then when you’re ready you try and set-up your layout as fast as possible to score the most points.

The game is simple and fun, and the real time element that didn’t bother me. I think because the feeling wasn’t intense. I had three minutes to do everything. But I never felt like there is too much time pressure on it. Nor is it like Fuse where it is always counting down. It’s fast moving and light fun, but the real time doesn’t add stress.

Spicy

Spicy was a bit of a miss for me. This is a bluffing game where you put down cards of different spices and they need to go up in numerical order, though you can skip numbers, but always ascending. You need to call out when someone lays down a bluff. Playing with masks makes the game trickier. And at three it was just okay. For me, the concept of the game and what it pulled off was less interesting than a bluffing game like Skull.

Galaxy Trucker

Here’s another game with a real time element that I like. I wanted to demo the new version of it, which I did. And I don’t really feel the need to upgrade my copy. Nothing seemed to have changed too much, so might as well keep what I have. I enjoy Galaxy Trucker because again it’s a real time game or a game with real time elements, but one that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And then if you are lucky, you can build up your ship so it won’t blow up, if you are lucky.

Let’s Dig for Treasure

A push your luck game. This one is very simple, you pull cards until either an evil skeleton gets you or pull up two worm cards. But you can bank your points whenever you want. The artwork on the game is fun, and as the person who demoed it said, it’s a restaurant or bar game. One that’s small enough you can take it along and pull out and play easily. Not much thought or strategy to it, but it works well enough.

FYFE

This is a random game that I got to try because the table was open. It reminds me a bit of Village Green and Calico. You are putting down discs to complete different scoring objectives in rows and columns. But you need to think about rows and columns so that you can score as many things as possible. It gets tricky as you start to have limited options to fill in and now which thing do you think it’s more likely to be able to get and score. Not one I needed to add to my collection but not a bad game.

Knights of the Hound Table

This is a small game that I was tempted to pick up. Knights of the Hound Table is a head to head battler. You put down one hound as an attacker, one as your defender, and one for their power. Then you compare, take damage and buy cards to improve your deck of hounds. The artwork is cute on the game, the game play with picking which power to use is interesting. Better for a small box head to head game than I expected.

Village Rails

I mentioned Village Green, Village Rails is from the same company and it shows. You are making rail routes to score points. Keeping track of where the tracks are going is trickier than what is in Village Green. But you don’t have the column and row scoring in Village Rails. So it is slightly easier, I’d say, and just as fun. Plus the artwork on the cards is amazing and the game itself felt pretty relaxing. A small box game I’d want to add to my collection.

Coatl

Not a new game but Coatl is about building out your best Coatl to score points. The game play is fine, it is basically collect pieces then build out your Coatl. I wish that the game would move slightly faster than it does because of how light it is. The toy factor is fun, but that is not enough for me to really recommend this game. It is more going to be one of those fine gaming experience that I’d play again but wouldn’t seek out.

Flamecraft

Flamecraft was only there for demo, I was kind of hoping it’d be there for sale. But Flamecraft is a worker placement game with dragons. You are trying to collect resources to improve shops and end up with the favor in the end. How you play is simple, you either go to a place and collect resources or to fulfill a contract. What makes this game is the artwork. I wish I had backed it for that, and now that I’ve played it, at least a few rounds, I suspect I’ll add it because of how cute it is.

Starship Captains

A new game from CGE, I snuck my way into a game the first day. And I got to play the full game which is nice. It is an action selection game where you build up a little bit of an engine, fly around, and try and complete contracts and defeat space pirates. The game moves quite fast, I would say too fast, though that’s probably a good sign that it leaves you wanting to do more and to try again to do even more.

Meadow

Meadow is one that I knew I wanted to see because it’s pretty. But looking at it and watching the GloryHoundd play of it, I thought it likely wasn’t for me. You can watch their video below. But the game itself was fun to sit down and try. I’m still torn on it because it’s a very thinky and pretty game. I am worried that AP would set in too much if I picked it up. I even found myself having to think through what I was doing for a bit. It’s one I’d love to try again though.

Asking for Trobils

Another one that was played on the GloryHoundd Youtube channel. You can see that play below. A worker placement game that is very light but a good amount of fun. You are basically building up traps and things to get Trobils which are worth points. Two players was fine with the game, I feel like it’d do a bit better with more and with a tighter board where you bounce each other more.

Twilight Inscription

One of the big games I wanted to try out at Gen Con. This is a 2 hour roll and write game based in the world of Twilight Imperium. It delivers on what it promises. And I don’t think that the game is too difficult to follow. There is just a lot later in the game when you get a ton of resources to spend and figuring out how to do that in the most efficient way.

The game comes with four boards. So you activate one board each time, whether combat or exploration, or whatever else they might be. And you do need to do a bit of everything, but you can really focus in on how you want to score your points. A fun game that I want to add to my collection.

Dwellings of Eldervale

Another game that I own but I hadn’t played. Sitting down at Gen Con is a great way to learn a game that you don’t know or you want to know more about. Dwellings of Eldervale was a lot of fun to mess around with. The core game play is fun for it and I like that this is a worker placement game but it feels so much bigger than that. You can do a ton of big things and just have fun with it. And there is no trading in the Mediterranean.

Oathsworn: Into the Deep Woods

And yet another game that I own. Oathsworn just came in before I left for Gen Con. I was almost tempted to move it to the top of the queue but Stars of Akarios First. We didn’t do the city and story part of the game. I say city, it could be different map locations where the story is happening. But we got into the combat and that was fun.

What I really like is how you can push your luck. You can draw cards for hits and you can pick how many to draw. You can roll dice and pick how many to roll. The more you roll of the white dice the more damage you can do. But at the same time the closer you are to busting.

Hero Realms

Hero Realms is one that I played day one and bought day two. And I even got crushed when I played it. But I really enjoyed the lighter deck building of the game. And I thought that it worked well for what it is. Plus it’s a two player game and battler game that is easy to learn. And the deck building combos are not hard to understand. I picked up the cooperative expansion as well which will be fun to mess around with.

Batman: Everybody Lies

I actually got this to the table last night again. But I did a prologue for it at Gen Con at an event. I’ve written and talked about it twice before. See my Highlights here for more information. But this is basically the Detective system with Batman theme from Portal Games.

The biggest change to it is adding in hidden personal goals. It means you might advocate for something for your character that you might not otherwise think about. Or that you might suspect is a red herring because it’ll answer a question for your character. It still is not competitive and the main focus is on the main case. But because of that personal goal it makes it different to play via Zoom like I did last night.

Long Shot – The Dice Game

I almost forgot that this was at Gen Con. But I’m glad I didn’t. A horse racing roll and write game, Long Shot is a lot of fun. I even picked up a copy to bring home. In this game you roll dice and move horses forward around the track. At the same time you are putting bets on horses, filling in spots on your board, and trying to be the person who has the most money at the end of the game. The whole track and physical board element of the game makes it feel different and the game isn’t that complex.

Caesar’s Empire

This is another one of those sit down and play a game because I needed something to do. And Caesar’s Empire is a just fine game. You basically are building our routes to get to cities and score points. The two player game needs a slight rules clarification, possibly. But the whole idea is that you can build off of other people’s roads. Is it worth it to get some points if you are giving them more points. All you do is build onto routes each turn. The game is okay, not one that I’d recommend that highly.

Paint the Roses

Paint the Roses is a great deduction game. It is hard to explain, I feel, without the board but with the board it is easy to explain. The general idea is that you’re trying to get the garden perfect and not have the queen of hearts take off your head. But each of you have a hidden (or multiple throughout the game) things that the queen wants. It might be two red roses next to each other or a diamond and heart shaped topiary next to each other.

You place a tile on your turn and then everyone puts down their clue tokens if it matches. So if I have two red roses and I place down a red rose next to two others. I put down two cubes. Basically giving information that I have two matches. And everyone puts down their clues. Then you need to make a guess on someone’s card. If you get it right you move ahead and the queen of hearts moves ahead one. If not, she moves head faster. Really great puzzle that I want to play again now.

Mythic Mischief

Probably one of the hotter games of the con, I got to play Mythic Mischief in a two versus two game. I suspect I’d like it better as a one versus one game. I also suspect I’d like it better in the blitz mode where you only can take so much time to do your turn.

Mythic Mischief is an abstract game with some fun powers and cool characters. But it’s also a game that induces a ton of AP (analysis paralysis) and for me that knocked the game a lot. The game just isn’t heavy enough to make it worth the amount of time and thought. If I want something like that, I want a big game, not this lighter heavily produced game.

Final Thoughts

I did what I wanted to do, I played a ton of games. I believe that is maybe up to 29 plays and 27 games? But either way, it is a lot and I had so much fun with it. I do want to do a Top 10 list of all of those games, see which my top ones were. So expect to see that tomorrow most likely.

What were the top games that you got to see if you went to Gen Con? And in particular, which ones were the top you got to play or demo?

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With FOMO, it’s about controlling a desire for what you want to back. But in this case, you know you want to back that game on Kickstarter or Gamefound, but what level do you decide to back it at, and what should you be looking out for?

What Are Common Crowdfunding Pledge Levels?

So, before we talk about what level to back at, let’s talk about common levels. Because there are a few that I would say you see fairly often.

Retail

This is going to be the version of the game that will hit retail.

Game Play

This is going to be a pledge level where you can get everything that might have anything to do with game play. So, more cards, this level, and expansion, this level of pledge.

Deluxe

At Deluxe, it is going to contain the fancy pieces. It might not have all game play but it’ll have upgrades pieces like metal coins, screen printed meeples, things like that.

Retailer

This is not the retail level, the retailer level is if you want to get access to the pledge manager and order several for a store.

Print and Play

Print and Play is going to let you get the game without getting the game. You get the files for the game that you can print off and use. This is pretty common for roll and write games, or small card games.

What To Consider When Picking A Pledge Level?

There are a few things to consider when picking what level you want to pledge a game at. But we’ll start with one of the big ones, how much game play content do you actually need? And then what will add enjoyment to your experience.

How Much Do You Actually Need?

This is a bit of a FOMO thing, but how much do you really need. At this point, you know you want the game but is it worth getting everything for the game? And not even at the side of FOMO, how much will you actually play. Do you feel like you’re missing out, or is this just going to be more stuff that you will have sit on a shelf?

I know that there are some games out there, where having more makes it harder to play. I believe it’s the Sator Box for Black Rose War that there is just so much to sort through that it’s almost impossible to get it to the table. So you don’t want to end up with too much stuff that it makes the base game harder to table as well.

So look at how much you get in the pledge. Let’s talk about the opposite of the Sator Box, Marvel United has a ton of stuff in it, but that doesn’t change how easy it is to play the game. You grab a character, villain, locations, and go. The only thing that might be slower is finding the minis. And the variety makes the game even more fun to play. So consider how much you actually need.

Will It Make The Game More Enjoyable?

This one pertains more to stuff like the deluxe version of a game. Metal coins are cool and all, but will it make the game more enjoyable? Minis are cool, but are they going to make it more enjoyable than standees would? The answer to those questions might be yes. It might make the game more immersive than it was before and give you a better experience.

On the other hand, much like all the game play content, it might make the game harder to get to the table. Do you pull three boxes off of the shelf now instead of when you pull one off the shelf? And is that going to make you more likely to pull it off the shelf?

I like when games, like Dwellings of Eldervale, give you deluxe components that fit in the main box. I don’t need to worry about grabbing anything more, just the one box. And I’m not sorting through deluxe and regular components to find what I need. I think that’s a smart way to do it. It does mean I have regular components I can’t use.

On the flip side with Dwellings of Eldervale, if you didn’t get deluxe, you end up with empty space in your box. And that’s an issue as well because I don’t want stuff sliding around. Now there are holder for the deluxe bits but they are empty, so to me that’s a bit odd, I’d prefer a smaller box in that case.

So, What Level Should I Pledge At?

For me, the place I start is at the game play level. I look to see how much it is going to cost to get everything for game play. And sometimes I’ll back at that level and other times I won’t. It depends on cost and how much there is.

But for me, game play is always the starting point at where I look. With game play, you know what you are getting the whole of what you can play around with. And some games don’t need everything, I can give some examples here.

Going back to Marvel United and Marvel United X-Men, I don’t need fancy tokens. The extra thick location tiles, not interested. But I do want all the characters because the game is easy to play even with everything.

On the flip side, when I backed Primal, I didn’t back extra monsters, I just got the base game. Yes, the different monsters will behave differently. So I am missing out on game play content. But I also get a lot. And I don’t think that I need that extra variety. I’d take it because the monsters are cool, but I don’t need it.

Crowdfunding Pledge Level Final Thoughts

The milage on what you pick might be different for you than me. I do think it’s important to look at what you get in the game play level and decide on how much you need. I will also say, don’t back the retail level. If they are planning on going to retail, get it there, and get free shipping if you go through an online retailer.

The only reason, I see, to back at the retail pledge level instead of getting it at retail would be to support the company. And I do approve of that reason. I back stuff from Indie Board and Cards for Aeon’s End and now Astro Knights that will come to retail, why, because I want to support the company and get it slightly sooner.

How do you decide what level to pledge at?

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124-101

100 – 76

75 – 51

50 – 26

Unplayed Board Games – 25- 1

25: Folklore: The Affliction

Folklore is a campaign game that’s been on my shelf for quite a while. It’s one that I know I’ll likely need to play solo to get played so it might show up on the Malts and Meeples YouTube channel coming up here. But it’s basically an RPG type game in a box. Like a HEXplore It, it is going to give more of that die rolling feel you’d expect from a pen and paper RPG. Plus it’s about vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, fun stuff that I like.

24: Fox in the Forest

The smallest game in this section, Fox in the Forest is a two player trick taking game. I recently played the cooperative version of it and had a lot of fun . Fox in the Forest is competitive but one that works really well with two. I believe it balances out some of that by making taking all of the tricks a bad thing, so no shooting the moon. Or it needs to be done in a specific way. I like trick taking, just need to figure out which trick taking games will stick in my collection.

23: The Quacks of Quedlinburg

Another not huge game, The Quacks of Quedlinburg has been a really popular game over the past few years. It is a bag building game, by that I mean you add things to a bag, in this case cardboard tokens. And then you draw them out, and you are trying to make your potion grow. But if you get too many bad ingredients in there, it explodes and you get fewer rewards. But the further you push down the track of adding ingredients, the more points you get.

22: Res Arcana

Res Arcana is an engine building game. It’s a smaller one though with a limited number of cards and the main goal of the game is to figure out how to turn out points. You do that through artifacts and spells and things that you might get out in front of you. The question of the game is, who can get their engine running the best.

21: Western Legends

Western Legends is back into the big games, not a campaign, but a massive sandbox game. In this game you play in the wild west and you can be a good guy bringing in trouble makers, delivering cattle, things like that. Or you can be a bad guy, rustle cattle, rob the bank, and things like that. And you can switch in the middle of the game. Western Legends lets you do anything in the pursuit of points and create your own wild west story.

20: Mechs vs Minions

Mechs vs Minions is an interesting game because it’s created by Riot Games. They are known best for League of Legends, and now Arcane a Netflix show set in that world. Mechs vs Minions is kind of set in that setting, from what I can tell. But it’s a programming wave where you set your Mechs on a path where they can take out the minions. The game plays in scenarios and it might be kill everything or it might be get this objective and get back out. It’s fully cooperative, and one that has been a grail game for me.

19: Cthulhu: Death May Die

I like Cthulhu, don’t know if he likes me. But Cthulhu: Death May Die is a game, kind of in the vein of Arkham Horror and Mansions of Madness, but this time from CMON. And it’s about investigating, fighting cultists and other horrors, and getting to be just insane enough that you’re powerful enough to kill the elder god at the end. Or maybe you’ll just go mad completely or die. I like the theme, and the difficulty level of the game looks really challenging.

18: Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor

Speaking of a game that looks challenging, Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor, is a 4x game in a fantasy world. I already had a game like that on the list, Heroes of Land, Air and Sea, but this has a twist on this. You don’t fight against each other. Instead, you all need to end with better scores than the two bad factions to win the game. This cooperative nature of the game really drew me to it. Because it’s not just everyone do better, but how do I do well enough but also don’t hinder your chances.

17: Black Rose Wars

Black Rose Wars is an intimidating game to get to the table. There are lots of cards in the game, and it’s actually another programming game. Like Mechs vs Minions you’re deciding what you do. But with this one, it’s a free for all. You are summoning monsters to the board, laying traps, slinging spells, and blowing up rooms. The first mage to a certain number of points, I believe, wins the game. But it’s more about the crazy and powerful things that you can do which makes me want to try it.

16: Descent: Legends of the Dark

Another big game, Descent: Legends of the Dark takes up basically a full Kallax cube by itself. And the box says Act 1 on it. This is going to be a story driven dungeon crawler of a game. But it’s from Fantasy Flight, so they used what they knew from their apps for Mansions of Madness, Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth, and more to make even a better app. This really helps with the fog of war or not knowing what’s behind a door as you play. I’ve done a demo, but not enough to count as a play.

15: Betrayal Legacy

Betrayal Legacy is a game that’s been on my too play list for a while. It has two great things about it, first it’s a legacy game, and I love legacy games an their progressing story. Secondly, it’s based off of Betrayal at House on the Hill. A game that I know isn’t balanced, but it is still a game that I love. Not too many games do horror too well, and Betrayal often feels like a horror movie in so many great ways. So I’m excited to see what can be done with a bigger story.

14: Loup Garou

Now we’re looking at a game that is a book. Loup Garou from Van Ryder Games is a game in that you go through and make choices. You play as a character and they have stats. But in a lot of ways, it’s a choose your own adventure. It’s a graphic novel, so you read the text, look at what you can do, and that determines where you flip to. I don’t know why, since I got this at GenCon in 2019, I haven’t just played this. It’s solo only and it’d be easy to get through, probably with dying. I need to play this ASAP.

13: Under Falling Skies

Another solo game, Under Falling Skies was added to my collection more recently. This is almost Space Invaders the game. But it seems really intriguing as a puzzle, plus there is a comic that comes with it and a mini campaign. You place down dice in the game to activate different things. The trick is that the weaker things won’t do as much, but the stronger things, alien spaceships descend faster. It’s finding when you’re perfectly ready to do that one big thing, from what I can tell.

12: Nidavellir

Another smaller box game on the list. Nidavellir is a set collection and auction game. And there is one reason it is so high, and it’s not the Norse Mythology. But it is because of how the auction works. You have five coins. You use three of them to bid and two are at the bottom. If you put a zero as one of your bids, you can trade in the higher of the two left over coins to get the value of the two left over coins. So you can upgrade your money as you go. When do you tank a bid, taking whatever is left, to do that.

11: Sea of Legends

I think from here on out is all big games, or mainly. It isn’t all campaign games, though. Sea of Legends isn’t a campaign game, but it is an epic story game of pirates. What drew me to this game, besides wondering about the story the game promises, is three things. Those three things set up your story, but at the start of the game, you pick a Captain, a Nemesis and a Lover. And that all determines your story. So you end up with a lot of variability. Plus it’s pirates and adventure on the seas, so it’s a theme that I love and look for in board games.

10: Middara: Unintentional Malum Act 1

This one could be higher on the list. Middara does a lot of things that interest me. It is a campaign game. It does fog of war well. There is massive amounts of story. The theming is crazy space, fantasy, anime, all things that I’m down for. And let’s face it, I could just say it’s anime because a lot of anime is space fantasy and crazy. But this one looks really cool to get to the table and massive to get to the table. I need to find a group to play this one with.

9: Deep Madness

Deep Madness is a game that I can blame on Rolling Solo. This is a game that is not easy to track down, mainly because it was just on Kickstarter. And I own almost everything for it, but I haven’t played it. The madness should give you some idea as to the sort of game, but what I like is that this is set on a deep sea base. And monsters are coming in and have wiped out everyone. The corporation who built the base is now sending the team down to figure out what is going on. It’s a theme and horror that I love so much, I just need to play it.

8: Lost Ruins of Arnak

Now we’re back from campaign style games. Though, Deep Madness can be played as a scenario, but they are kind of linked. Lost Ruins of Arnak is a deck building worker placement game. I like deck building, and worker placement isn’t my normal thing, but not bad. Lost Ruins of Arnak just has a cool Indiana Jones vibe to it that drew me in. And I think the deck building and theme will make it work well for myself and my group.

7: The Ratcatcher: The Solo Adventure Game

So when I said that there might be one smaller game left, this is it. It’s an interesting game in that it’s a solo only game, three of them on the list, but it’s a big box. It honestly feels like a bigger box than the game should have. In this you are trying to catch rats and get cheese. If the rats get too much cheese, now a big bad rat comes out onto the board, and things are going to get scary. It’s again a solo game, so one that I should get played.

6: Solomon Kane

Back to massive games, Solomon Kane is one that’s been on lists of games that I want to play for a while. But some of that was also that I wanted to buy it. It came and went on Kickstarter while I wasn’t too active there. And it’s been delivering last year and now wave two this year, and I managed to get wave one stuff for it.

In Solomon Kane you don’t play as Solomon Kane, you play as virtues guiding him. And I think that concept is interesting. You can play it solo with one super virtue, or each player gets a virtue in a multiplayer game. And then you take him through stories. Really interesting with how it works with not controlling the main character.

5: Roll Player Adventures

Kind of a cheat for the list, I really like Roll Player Adventures, but I’ve only kind of played it. Roll Player Adventures, I got to play a demo of it at GenCon in 2019 while they were still doing playtesting of the game. But the game is a blast, and the story, I like, because it isn’t too heavy. It’s a big story game set in the Roll Player world, but also a dice manipulation game when you drop into combat.

I know I’m going to be diving into this one soon. So I’m excited to get it to the table. I ordered the character backstory pack for it with the special quests that you can get from it for each character. I think that is going to make the whole thing even more immersive, which is great.

4: Nemesis

Another horror game, Nemesis is, from what I’ve heard, the closest you can get to Alien the board game. There is an alien infestation on your ship, and you need to complete your objective and then take out all the aliens or launch yourself out in an escape pod. But you don’t want the aliens to get to Earth, that’s for sure. But you want to end up there, so can you get the engines to launch you there.

3: Dwellings of Eldervale

Another non-campaign game, in fact a number aren’t in the top, but they are big games. Dwellings of Eldervale is that. This one really interested me because it has giant monsters, but also you are doing worker placement. But I really like how the worker placement works. You unlock new workers but also your workers become your dwellings. And when you pull back workers they do things as well, so it’s not a waste of a turn to pull back workers.

2: Terraforming Mars

Super high on the list and a big game in how long it takes and how big it plays, Terraforming Mars is so high because I really like Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition. I know that the games are different, there is more take that or randomness, and area control and you have a much bigger board that you’re using in Terraforming Mars. But I really want to play it and see how I like the engine building that goes on in that game.

1: Destinies

Finally, we have Destinies. Destinies is a game from Lucky Duck Games where you are playing through a story, but unlike a lot of story games, this is competitive. And each of you is trying to complete a destiny of yours. And it is a race to see who can complete theirs first. What interests me are some of the mechanics a roll over a certain number to get successes is cool. Plus you can manipulate that. But also that you need to pay attention to the story on other people’s turns because they might find something to help you.

To me, that’s a good game in that it’ll keep you engaged with what everyone is doing. Even if I’m not taking my turn, I need to know what you are doing as well. I might not be actively interacting with anything, but I still need to pay attention. And if a game can do that, I really want to play it.

Final Thoughts

That’s the whole list, all 124 of them. I could have had one less if I counted my playtesting of Roll Player Adventures. But also, that is a game that’s extremely high on my list for wanting to get played. Definitely a lot more big games up here. Though, I think outside of the campaign games, most of them can get played. And I could see, if things fall right, even getting one or two of those to the table this year. Like I said, I think Roll Player Adventures will be getting played soon.

Which one would you play first?

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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

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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And let’s not forget that is one of my goals. I think I own 130 or so games that I haven’t played yet. That is more than I like. Now, some of them are campaign games, they are trickier to get to the table. But by the end of 2022, my resolution, which you can find here, was to be down to 100 games I own and haven’t played. I’d love for it to be even lower than that, but 100 is the target. But let’s get to the list.

10 Games I Want To Play

10. Catapult Feud

I know, I keep on talking about this game. But I really am excited to play it. Like I said, I am even thinking about just building a castle and shooting stuff at it. And this one, even though it’s a two player game, is going to get set-up at game night and we can play as teams.

I don’t know that I need to talk about this one much. It is just building a castle and knocking it down. I can imagine setting it up and playing it multiple times during the evening. Or just having fun building a massive castle (though I can’t get too massive yet) and then knocking that down.

9. Res Arcana

This is one that’s been on my shelf for a little bit. I think I haven’t played it because the rules make it seem a bit challenging to learn. It might be a game where I need to set it up and play a hand to figure out what is going on. But it is an engine building game and a race to 10 points, I believe, So the idea is interesting to me. I like a good, fast, engine building game.

8. The Crew: Deep Sea Adventures

Another game that I really should have played. I actually just gave away the first version of the game as a Christmas gift because I really don’t need two of them. But The Crew is a cooperative trick taking game. That is an interesting concept in and of itself. And for me, trick taking is a genre that I like, but not one that I have a lot of.

How it works is that there are challenges put forth. It might be something like, I can’t take a trick that has a 1 in it. You need to get get the red three, and so on. Then, with limited communication, we have to make it work so th at we can get all of the cards to the right people. It’s a bit like The Mind, but with more of a game to it.

7. Mechs vs Minions

Now we get into a bigger game, Mechs vs Minions has been on my kind of grail game list. By that I mean a game that is harder to find but you really want to find it. Well, I got it with Mechs vs Minions. It might not be the top game on that list, that is still Battlestar Galactica, but it is on there.

This is a cooperative game where you program out what your robots do. You are mainly trying to kill waves upon waves of minions. But beyond that, each scenario has objectives as well. I think in the end you fight a giant boss, but I really don’t know. This is just a massive game that looks fun, and it isn’t a campaign game.

6. Lost Ruins of Arnak

Another game that I probably should have played sooner is Lost Ruins of Arnak. Now I am even debating about waiting until I can get an expansion for it. The expansion makes it so that you start out differently than any other person. You have a special power and I believe special cards in this deck building worker placement game. All of that sounds amazing to me, hence maybe waiting.

But like I said, this is a deck building worker placement game where you have a theme of exploring the lost ruins of Arnak. You improve your deck, gain resources, and fight guardians along the way. But like most Euro style games, this is all about getting as many points as you can by the end of the game. The theme looks to be there, and the aesthetic on the game is amazing.

5. Dwellings of Eldervale

Speaking of another amazing looking game, we have Dwellings of Eldervale. This is another worker placement game that is dripping with theme. You are exploring the lands, building out dwellings, and everything just gives you this big world that you are in. Plus, you are grabbing spells, unlocking new meeples, and getting cards that give you improved powers.

It looks really interesting. I don’t always love worker placement, but worker placement with giant monsters you can fight, I’m there for that. Plus then the engine building aspect interests me a lot. I enjoy engine building as mechanic. I like trying to make something work so I can be more efficient than you can be.

4. Under Falling Skies

This is a solo only game, well, maybe two player but really a solo game. It reminds me of the old video game Space Invaders. In that you try and blast alien ships out of the sky. Here you are doing that too, but you are doing it with dice placement. And the better a die you use, the faster the aliens are going to advance upon you. It’s really a question of when you can time out that perfect hit.

And there is a campaign in this game as well. It’s one that I might play on the Malts and Meeples YouTube channel because it’d be decent to stream. And it is a shorter campaign. That means that I can get through it quickly. Of course, though, I’m streaming Sleeping Gods first, starting tonight.

3. Destinies

Another game that I’d consider streaming is Destinies from Lucky Duck Games. This is an app assisted game where you are trying to fulfill your destiny. Originally called Time of Legends: Destinies, this game has similar minis to those in Time of Legends: Joan of Arc, it was just a legal dispute that messed up that naming.

This looks like a really thematic story driven game. You are trying to get your own destiny taken care of before the other players do. So that is a cool thing as well. Most story driven games like Destinies are going to be cooperative. But in Destinies you are trying to beat your opponent to getting your destiny first.

2. Deep Madness

Another one that I’ve considered streaming. Now, thinking about it, I think this might be one that I just get to the table solo for fun. It is kind of campaign game, but more so it’s a scenario driven game. And it is a horror themed game, which I really like. Honestly, every time I think about it I want to watch The Sphere which it reminds me of, I don’t know why I haven’t.

But to me, this game has a lot of cool things about it. You are fighting monsters. Each scenario has more of an objective to it then that as well. You might need to kill the monsters, but killing all the monsters won’t be your end objective. That is one knock I have on Gloomhaven, too many of the scenarios are just “kill all the monsters”. I like it when games can ratchet up the tension by having it be more than just fighting waves of monsters.

1. Terraforming Mars

Finally we have Terraforming Mars. And now, I could have put other games on the list for sure. I wanted to do a variety of games. And every time that I see Terraforming Mars, I want to try it out. This is a massive, and pretty ugly looking, engine building game. You are Terraforming Mars and trying to do the best job at it.

The reason, also, this one is at my top spot is because I really like Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition. I know it is the more streamlined simpler card version. But I want to see what the big brother is like of it. And I suspect that I’m going to like it a lot as well. It just seems cool with what it is and how it’ll work. And I can see myself going down a dangerous rabbit hole if I like it and getting the giant box that makes the game look better.

Which of the Games To Play First?

That’s the question as always, and let’s face it, this list, I tried to change it up some. I could have done a big box list and a smaller box list. I have games like Nemesis, Solomon Kane, Middara, Roll Player Adventures, and Heroes of Land, Air, & Sea that I want to play. I also hae small games like Blank, Matcha, 6 Nimmt, and No Tanks I want to play. So it’s not like I’m at a shortage of games. I can see some like Catapult Feud, or Res Arcana getting to the table potentially faster,. Or in the case of Catapult Feud, to the floor.

And of course, something like Under Falling Skies, Destinies, Deep Madness, or Dwellings of Eldervale could get played sooner. Why, because I can play them solo. So that makes them easier to get to the table as well. I think that I might try and learn Under Falling Skies soon here, have it be a game that I can play while putting on a football game in the background.

Which one would you want to get to the table first?

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The Games

Well, no spoilers like last time, the list will be at the bottom for those who don’t have time to watch the whole video. But let’s talk a bit about how I picked these games. This is a bit different than a lot of lists. The other two I’ve done, they were cooperative games and small box games. A game is either in a small box or not, though small can be debated. And a game is either cooperative or not. Or at least it has a cooperative mode anyways. For this list, it was my choice of what I had on my shelf.

There was an even split of cooperative and competitive games on the list which surprised me. And if you know my taste in games, there were five campaign style games on the list. Though, that’s only half the list, I thought I might have picked more. And there were some games that I left off the list that definitely could have made it.

So they are honorable mentions that I didn’t mention, but Forgotten Waters and Dice Throne Adventures are two of the top ones on that list. Lost Ruins of Arnak , Yggdrasil Chronicles and Detective: City of Angels also could have made the list. I skipped games like Vienna Connection because while I haven’t played it, I have played Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game which is the same system.

The Beer

Last nights beer was a local one again. This time from Lift Bridge brewing, it was a Kolsh beer, Lemon Bar flavored. It is an okay beer. I saw lemon in the name and I was excited for it, but like the pink lemonade beer that I had from Tin Whiskers a stream or two ago. While a lemon bar should be sweeter, the sweetness basically overwhelmed the lemon flavor. The lemon should have been a stronger punch of flavor with a sweet finish versus what it was to make it a more enjoyable drink. Still, for a hot summer day, I think it’d be a solid option, just not the first one I’d reach for.

The List

1. Nemesis
2. Dwellings of Eldervale
3. Middara: Unintentional Mallum Act 1
4. Clank Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated
5. Reichbusters: Projekt Vril
6. Solomon Kane
7. Deep Madness
8. The Reckoners
9. Kohaku
10. Heroes of Land, Air, & Sea

Upcoming Streams

So a few options for what’s coming up next. No Monday stream next week, but I’m thinking some reviews and maybe a topic instead of a Top 10 for my next stream. So let me know what topic sounds good.

And on Wednesday, I think my plan is to play Railroad Ink Challenge, but I had so much fun playing Aeon’s End last Wednesday that following that up, I mght actually start playing Aeon’s End Legacy two handed for a bigger playthrough. Let me know your thoughts on that, I as I learn how to play it, I might have some polls for whom I should play as.

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10. Sonora

You’ll see that a lot of these can be played two players if I wanted to. Sonora even works just fine two players, but I think it’s just more fun to play it in a bigger group. I’ve played it three players a few times, but I want to play it 4 player and really see how it works with a little more craziness of more and more discs being flicked into the middle. This is one that I should pull out solo or two player again anyways. But Sonora, I’m looking forward to being able to introduce this roll and write game with flicking to some friends.

9. Tokyo Highway

This is not going to be a list dexterity games, but it could be, if I had that many. I only have 5 really, and only three of them are on that list. Tokyo Highways is a game that looks amazing on the table. I call it a piece of artwork when it’s done or nearly done. But man, it looks so good with the roads intertwining. For obvious reasons we can’t play it in a big group and while you could probably play at two players, the game feels like it’s the best at more because you have more roads to interact with.

8. Blood Rage

Card drafting is a mechanic that I guess could work on something like TTS, but playing a physical version of a game is just more fun. Blood Rage has card drafting, it has that simultaneous card play for combat, there are just a lot of things that wouldn’t work as well digitally. And definitely wouldn’t work trying to play it over Zoom or something like that. I really love Blood Rage so it was a bummer to have picked up not that long before the pandemic shut everything down and not get it to the table. It does also require the right group, some of the more casual game night players wouldn’t be interested, and it’d take up a bunch of the game night.

7. Tags

This is one that I picked up during the pandemic hoping that I could make it work via Zoom. I’m still not sure that I can’t, it does seem possible, but it also seems, with the times element that it’d be a little bit too chaotic to work that well. This is one that I’m excited to get around the table with a big group of players and just having a blast with it. I like the game for it’s speed and replayability.

6. Camel Up

Another one purchased during the pandemic, Camel Up is a big silly racing game that has you rolling dice, moving camels and betting on who you think is going to win. You control all the camels as a group so no one player is going to have their camel left behind. And all sorts of wackiness can ensue as the camels stack, and if you move a lower camel all the ones on top of them move with them as well. It’s just looks like a silly good time that I want to get to the table.

5. Draftosaurus

Draftosaurus works better with more players, but could be played at two. But you are also passing around handfuls of dinosaurs which is not very distancing. But, it’s a fun fast game that I want to play again. I really think this game, as you play it, feels like a roll and write game. There is zero writing and the rolling just determines where you can place the dino meeple you are drafting that turn. But the feeling is that of a roll and write as you place those dino meeples into pens and try and score the most points that you can. Super light, super fun and one that you should probably be vaccinated to play with people outside of your house.

4. Potion Explosion

Now, I have played this one twice not that long ago, I think it was in February. But I want to play more Potion Explosion and not just more at two players, but with a bigger number of players. The game is just a blast to play and the toy factor on it is amazing. I want to get it to the table and share the joy of this one. Plus, with one turn between your turns the board doesn’t change up that much. More people keeps more variety going in what you will be able to pull.

3. Skull

Skull is yet another one that I picked up during covid. However, I have played this one a number of times before. Skull is a bluffing game. You put down cards, eventually someone will start the bid and then whomever wins has to flip over that many cards (coasters) without hitting a skull. The trick is you have to start with your own pile and flip all of those first. So do you bluff that you don’t have a skull in your pile, push up the bid and hope that someone outbids you and then hits your skull. Just a fun game that you could probably make work via something like Zoom, but it’d be different and you need to see both the cards and the people which would be tricky.

2. Letter Jam

I’m not sure you could make this one work physically via something like Zoom. People need to see everyone’s letters but their own, which makes it a mess. For that reason, I really want to play it in person again. Beyond that, I think I’ll love this game even more the more that I play it and it is already way up there in my top 100. The concept is just so simple and fun and I like word games. Definitely one that will get to the table as quick as it can because of how much fun it is.

1. Ice Cool

The final one is my final dexterity game on the list, Ice Cool, I doubt anyone is surprised it made the list. I love this game. It is just silly fun for adults and kids. I loved playing it seriously at GenCon, I loved playing it in a nice goofy way around the table at my house. And since I can play it with 8 people, that is even more awesome. It is a great game to wrap up a game night with, or even to just play throughout most of a game night. The flicking is fun, and you get great shots sometimes and not so great shots other times.

I’m sure that most board gamers have a list of games that they want to play. Honestly, 10 is no where near enough to make my list. I have new to me games like Heroes of Land, Air, & Sea, Dwellings of Eldervale, Lost Ruins of Arnak, I could play Marvel United with more people, Forgotten Waters, The Reckoners, and oh so many more. Plus there are classic game night games, like Sushi Go Party that I haven’t played in a while and Wits & Wagers, though that one I could bring back via Zoom.

What game do you want to get to the table the most again?

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