Top 10 Games to Start A Board Game Collection

10. Super Mega Lucky Box

This is a roll and write game that is basically bingo. The reason that this is lower on the list is only because there are a good number roll and write games that can work. In this one you are filling in sheets of numbers and as you get in rows and columns you get bonuses. It’s light, it’s easy, and it’s a lot of fun. Plus, there is more strategy than you’d think as you pick more cards to fill in.

9. Ohanami

Ohanami, and a few on here, are because they can remind you of other games. Ohanami has a bit of a Rack-o feel to it, but with interesting scoring. You are drafting cards, first of three drafting games on the list, and then adding them to columns. It also needs to decrease or increase the number in a column which can be a bit tricky.

But what makes this one good for a game to start a collection with is the scoring. You only score some things certain rounds. So blue cards you score every round but they are worth fewer points. Green only the 2nd and 3rd rounds and grey only the last round. Plus then pink at the end of the game. So it’s interesting strategy as to when you want to draft cards.

8. Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

This one might surprise some people, but I think a good campaign game is not a bad thing to have. And Jaws of the Lion teaches you how to play, slowly adding in rules over the first few scenarios. And it allows for deeper strategy as you go. I think that it’s on the heavier end that I’d look for if I were getting into board games. But it is pretty accessible and for someone who really wants to jump in that good big option.

7. Just One

This one you can swap out, though I’d say less easily than the roll and writes. But more so, some people just don’t want party games. Just One, I think, is different enough that it works really well. But I also get why someone might not want a party game in their collection. Or that people might already have party games. Just One is different as it’s a cooperative party game, though. So I think it works better because of that and because it’s just less random.

6. Sushi Go Party

Another drafting game with Sushi Go Party. This one is on the list as it offers simple set collection. It has great artwork, and for a drafting game, it has good variety. An issue that I have with some other drafting games no longer in my collection is the variety. I don’t think I’d recommend Sushi Go, but Sushi Go Party means that it can stick around for a really long time in a collection.

5. Sagrada

Sagrada is the last drafting game on the list. The reason I have this one here is that it’s a pretty game, there is some complexity that can be added in with which tools you use, but generally it’s not hard to table. And you can scale up in difficulty as you go. And it sells itself when you pull it out and put it on the table. The dice are great, the game is just fun and it even scales challenge level for players as well.

4. Small World

Small World is one that sticks in my collection because I play it still every couple of years. But it’s that game that is the Risk replacement for the collection. And one of two really in your face games on the list. The next one is coming up soon. Small World is all about battling over areas on a board, scoring points, but doing so with crazy class and power combinations. It’s also a game where if one person is beat up on, well, they go into decline and come back onto the board with a new combo and beat everyone else up. It’s a game of laughter and slaughter.

3. Dice Throne

I originally had King of Tokyo on the list. But I now think that Dice Throne is the better option. There is more going on but less going on in this head to head battler (or King of the Hill). It’s basically battle Yahtzee with powers and abilities for the characters you are battling with. And the fact there are so many characters out there, you can start by buying a box or two, or getting the Marvel 4 character box, and add on from there. And the game is so mix and match as well, it’s great.

2. Pandemic

Pandemic, a classic cooperative game, makes the list as well. I think that this one could also be Pandemic Legacy Season 1. It’s a good campaign option, but base Pandemic gives you more replayability and unlike my other campaign game, Pandemic Legacy can only be played once through per game purchased.

But Pandemic is a game about stopping disease outbreaks across the world and looking for cures. The cooperative nature of the game can mean that one person takes over and tries to run everyone’s turn, but push back on that. Pandemic is a great one in that most people can pretty quickly grasp it and be doing well and discussing and working together.

1. Ticket To Ride

Finally we have Ticket to Ride. Yes, I don’t have Catan on the list. I think that Catan is a solid game but Ticket to Ride has stayed on my shelf and is unlikely to leave. This set collection, route building game is just a classic at this point. And it’s a classic where there aren’t expansions. I don’t play it that often but it’s one that I won’t say no to playing and I think for a lot of people, Ticket to Ride stays around for that really accessible game to play.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of board games that could make up a great start to a collection. Like I said, there isn’t really a right or wrong way to start it and that’s part of the fun of it. I considered games like Century: Golem Edition, Potion Explosion, Kohaku, and others for some relaxing games. Or party games like So Clover or Medium. There are really a ton of great options. And who knows you might be so excited you just want to start with 10 campaign games (not recommended).

Which game would you want to start if you were building your collection for the first time?

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What Board Games Are Leaving?

This time the games were in a number of different categories that are leaving. Some of them I was very excited for but as time has gone on my excitement has waned on them. Others are just classic games that I don’t play anymore. And I think that’s one thing I’m noticing about having bought a lot of games over the years. Stuff that I don’t get to quickly, that is more likely to fall out of my current taste in games.

Sentinels of the Multiverse

This is one that I didn’t buy too long ago. I mainly bought it because it was on a great sale. I think I got the base game and something like 16 or 17 expansions for about $80. My plan is to try and sell it for about the same amount. I thought I’d give it a whirl because it looked cool, but when it comes down to superhero themed games, I’m going to pick Marvel Champions over it.

Dice Throne Adventures

This one is only kind of out the door at this point. Again, it’s another one that I’d really like to get played. But with middling reviews for this Dice Throne expansion, that makes it into a cooperative game. I’m not that excited to try it anymore. Add in the fact that I love Dice Throne as a two player head to head battle or king of the hill fighting, it’s hard to want to try a new way to play it that’s so different.

Merchant’s Cove

Merchant’s Cove, a game in my Top 100 games, and could still easily be there this upcoming year or longer, also leaving. The reason for that is it’s a very big game, a very light game, and there’s a learning curve, but not a bad one, each time you pull out and play a new character. I love the level of production on the game, but it makes it harder to table.

Uno

Uno is not a fun game, it’s a classic game. And when I started my collection, I wanted to own a number of the classics. Now, there are other very simple games that I have that I’d play over Uno. Add in that Uno can take no time or forever to play, it’s just not worth it.

Phase 10

Phase 10 is another classic game, one that I don’t hate, but also one that I am not that likely to play again. If I do play it, it’ll be with my parents who have a copy. Phase 10 is a fine game that takes too long because it doesn’t progress. I want to replace mine with 5 Crowns. A game that does a similar thing with getting sets and runs, but with a more limited game length.

Chess

Chess is yet another classic, and one that I feel like I should have. But the game is not one that I play, so do I keep the tin around and let it take up space on a game shelf? Or do I let it go to someone who is excited to get a decent looking all wooden chess set? I think it’s smarter to let it go to someone else enjoy it and if or when I want to get a new chess set, I can always do that later.

8-Bit Box

Another game I picked up with store credit, and one that I really wanted to play when I got it. But then my interested in it waned over time because it’s learning basically a new game for each one that I’d pull out of the box. The whole 8-Bit arcade game thing, that’s pretty cool, but if it creates a barrier to entry, well, then it ends up leaving my collection.

Karuba: The Card Game

Grabbed this one from a local Goodwill, I wasn’t thinking about it, thought it was the board game. Should have been obvious that it was different. I wouldn’t mind giving it a whirl, it’s more that I’m trying to find that thrift store gem, and this wasn’t it.

Cat Cafe

Added to the pile last night from a section I’d already gone through. Cat Cafe is a fun enough roll and write game. And it has some cool things that I don’t mind with drafting dice and then a shared die that’s left. But the game feels like it should do more. And I don’t like the end game trigger. You get more points for completing towers and the first person who completes three ends the game.

The Drink

Islay Storm again for me. Finished off the bottle of this Scotch from Trader Joe’s. It’s a really good Scotch for the price it’s at, and a very peat forward Scotch. I really enjoy peat in my Scotch, so this is always a good one when I make it to Trader Joes.

Upcoming Streams

So what comes after this. Well, it’s going to be some smaller games being streamed up through the end of the month. Start of May, I want to kick off another campaign game. And I might be playing through some Perdition’s Mouth, or I have a few others that I’m considering as well.

But I do want to maybe play through more Paper Dungeons, I had fun playing two games last time. But I have a few other games, Village Green, Dinosaur Island Rawr ‘n Write, Welcome To Dino World, and others that I can play solo as well. And two of those are ones that I want to try out to see if they’ll stick in my collection.

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?

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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What Board Games Are Leaving?

There are four games that are kind of leaving, or potentially doing so, let’s go through those first. Mainly, I remember those off the top of my head. One for sure is leaving, but also staying. One might come to live at work. And two I need to check on to see if they will leave.

Boomerang USA

Boomerang USA is kind of leaving. I got it on a good sale and then realized I had Boomerang already for a roll and write game. I don’t need two copies of what are basically the same game. Just Boomerang USA is a US map and regular Boomerang is Australia, which makes more sense.

Quarto

This is the one that is going to work to see about. It is a solid abstract game. I like the concept of it when I played it. You pick the piece your opponent places down. What keeps me from loving it is that after two plays, the game didn’t feel like it’d be that different. I want to try it at work because it is a fast game. So might work better in that setting. I just know I won’t play it at home more.

Quoridor

This is a game that I have enjoyed. And I think Quoridor is one that is great for a lot of people. It’s a simple abstract game that gives you some real clever plays. The issue is my group has “solved” it. By that I mean we always make the last possible person block. And honestly, it is not that much fun when you stick the block with the last person. I could see it being better now at two than four, but not one that is going to stick around, I don’t think.

Second Chance

This is a game that has had a dramatic fall for me from my original top 100’s to being outside of it this past year. Second Chance isn’t a bad game. I suspect that it is one my wife is likely to save. My issue with it is that I’ve played it a lot. I’ve gotten my phone with it and I am ready to move on from it. Patchwork Doodle does something similar and offers more choices.

Deadly Doodles (1 & 2)

Deadly Doodles is a solid little roll and write game. It takes a dungeon crawl idea and makes it extremely simple. And that’s why it is leaving. I think the expansion adds in more, but it has a lot of expansion boards. And with those boards, you need to learn more and it is harder to get to the table. I would say, there are probably too many extra boards. Plus, Paper Dungeons has knocked this one down for me. Similar concept, but Paper Dungeons is a more interesting game.

Photosynthesis

This one was tough to say that it was leaving. I like it as a good abstract game, but I knew I was starting with that cube, and I knew it just wouldn’t make the cut. The game is gorgeous. 3D cardboard trees look amazing. And I like how mean the game can be. I am trying to get my trees to grow better and faster than yours and block your trees from getting light points to spend as action points. The game looks less mean than it actually is, and I am keeping another game like that.

Ascension: Immortal Heroes

I have three versions of Ascension. I thought that I’d maybe play them all more often than I do. And I guess, that is three versions of Ascension that I am keeping. But I can get them all into one box, so they are sticking around. Immortal Heroes, it seems fun, but higher player count doesn’t add much to me. And I don’t know that I need any more Ascension than what I already have.

Welcome To New Las Vegas

I own Welcome To, which I love. I own Welcome To The Moon that I want to try. But Welcome To New Las Vegas, I was really excited for. I am not so excited anymore. The game looks good, but it looks like too much to me. It’s a two sheet roll and write game, which I don’t mind. But it feels like a lot of busywork without the fun theme of Welcome To. So I don’t think I need all three of the games in the line. And Welcome To The Moon with it’s campaign, that is more interesting.

The Drink

Just an Old Fashioned again. This time, though, I made it with rhubarb bitters. Now, I am out of rhubarb bitters. I really like the flavor of rhubarb, it grapefruit, and lemon are probably the bitters that I always want to have on hand.

Upcoming Stream

So, next Monday, I plan on streaming. I will not be streaming next Wednesday. I have family in town so I won’t be around on Wednesday. Monday, I am planning on doing more of the Should It Stay Or Should It Go series.

And I have to say, I am pleased with the amount I found again for the chopping block. Granted, a few might be going back. I think there is a decent chance that Second Chance is saved because it is so accessible. And it is a fun game. For me, I won’t complain if it is, because I don’t mind it. It is just one that I like to play now versus one that I want to pull off the shelf myself and play.

Which one would you save? Which one would you get rid of?

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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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My Experience

Now, I’ll start off by saying, I am not the only person I know who owns board games that I play with. I have friends who own other games and different games. I don’t try and repeat games that they have too often. Though there are some, Root for example, that I want my own copy of but I do own a lot of the games that we play.

For me, I don’t consider this to be a bad thing. If “Friend X” owns a game and I want to play it but they aren’t around to play it, or I want to introduce it to a different group, I can’t if they own it. Now this isn’t a problem too often, but something like Mysterium which I think would be great around Halloween and I wouldn’t have minded playing last game night, I couldn’t because I don’t own it. I’d be introducing it to a new group but I couldn’t because I don’t own it.

I also don’t mind because I have the space to store the games. Granted, that space is filling up a fair amount, but there is still space for some more and I rotate games in and out because, that makes sense. If I were a collector, I’d have to reconsider what I was doing, but I’m a gamer first and a collector second when it comes to board games.

The Disadvantages

This isn’t to say that being the main game buyer doesn’t have some disadvantages, it does. Mainly the space and money involved. Like I said, I rotate games out of my collection, this generally lets me buy new games. And that’s a lot of fun to be adding new games into my collection, but I also make the decisions, generally, on what leaves.

When I look at a game in my collection, I ask myself, will I play it, but more so, will I pull it off of the shelf to play. There are some games that I look at and I know I won’t. Will I pick to play Splendor, the answer is no. But as the owner of that game and the owner of games for my group do I need to keep it around? That one stays around because my wife likes it, otherwise I’d have gotten rid of it.

But what if it’s someone who I only game with sometimes. If it is their favorite game am I going to keep it in my collection for the two times a year that I might play with them and that they’d request that I take it off the shelf? It is using up real estate in my collection. Often one thing that I do is if I am going to get rid of a game that someone else might like, I’ll offer to sell it to them, give them first crack at it. Yes, it means they need to bring it, but it means I have more funds and space to get more games.

It also means that you’re lugging more games around. If you’re the only one with a big collection in your group, you need to bring a variety of games to the game nigh, or host. And if you don’t have a specific theme or focus for what game you want to play, you can lug around a whole lot of games that you don’t end up playing. That sounds like not that big a deal, but if you don’t know what big game you might play, it is a lot.

The Advantages

You always have the game to play whenever you want is the biggest one. You don’t need to ask someone to bring something, you already have it. Now, that means that people ask you to bring things, but I don’t consider that a disadvantage, in fact it can help you know what games are likely to get played so you don’t need to bring as many.

I also like it because it means that I always have games to introduce people to. Now, I might have my go to games that I use, but I don’t always have to use the same ones. If a person likes a certain theme, I can pick out that theme to play with them. I have the variety of games always at hand for whenever I want to play.

And really for me the sharing the hobby part is the biggest thing. If I have a game for most any and every occasion, it means that the hobby can continue to grow. It means that I’ll have new people to play games with. That means that the other more complex games or different games that I want to play will get played more often. This is really the case with campaign games as well. If I have a campaign and I can get new people into gaming, I have more people to play those games with. And if I don’t have the games I can’t do that.

How To Balance Board Game Buying

One issue is that people can expect you to have everything. Or they will want you to keep that one game that they like or get more like it. Obviously that’s not really feasible, so how do you keep from just having stacks of games around that people might want to play?

The first big thing is to rotate your collection. Now, maybe you are a collector and you just want to keep stuff. I don’t think that everyone needs to be a collector though. I have around 300 board games. Do I need to add another 300, it doesn’t make sense. If I have 600 board games I won’t play all of them. In fact in my challenge this year, I’ve played around 70, so that’s not that huge a percentage.

I could have 600 games but I’d still probably only play 70-100 of them a year, that means, assuming no overlap it’s going to be 6 years to get through all of them. That’s unreasonably long. I most likely won’t be playing only unique games. Most likely I’ll be playing the same 70 to 100 games most years.

Next, ask for help in buying games. When Frosthaven came to Kickstarter, I knew it was a campaign game that I wanted to play. I also had a specific group I played Gloomhaven with. Those people will be who I play Frosthaven with as well. So I asked them to chip in a little money. When I got Charterstone to play with a group, we decided to split the cost. The same thing happened with Risk: Legacy.

For getting something like the newest version of Ticket to Ride, I wouldn’t ask. But a campaign game, and extended shared experience with a specific group, ask. People might say no, and then you have to decide if it’s worth it. Or they might say yes and gladly help.

Are you the game owner/buyer in your group? Is there someone in your group who is?

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Calico is a game that I’ve only recently gotten to the table for the first time. I haven’t done a full review on it, but I feel like I get the game to some extent. You can see my Beyond the Box Cover for Calico – here. This game has a cute theme and great artwork. For some people, the theme might not do it, but for me, I really enjoy it.

What Game Should I Talk About Next?

Let me know in the poll below what game I should talk about next.

All of them I think will be interesting and probably the next six or so that I talk about. Which is the one that you’d prefer to see sooner rather than later?

What’s Coming Up Next

So for Malts and Meeples, we have on Monday at 8:30 PM Central a conversation about Crowdfunding. What is good value, what might not be, how I pick the games I back and whatever questions you might have.

On Thursday at 8 PM, not the day change from Wednesday. I am going to be streaming more Aeon’s End Legacy that I’ve been for the past few weeks.

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Support us on Patreon here.

The Collection

Numbers

A’s – B’s – C’s – D’s – E and F’s – G and H’s – I, J and K’s – L’s

M’s

Mage Knight Board Game

This is one of the most popular solo board games out there, which is why I picked it up when I could used. This is not the ultimate edition that has all the expansions, just the base game. From what I know of it, it’s a quite heavy game made even heavier by a fairly poorly written rule book and a tutorial that kind of tries to teach you the game but doesn’t do a great job at it, but it was a lot of things that I like, Deck building being one of them and it is said to have an RPG like feel as well. It’s one that I need to spend some time learning and get to the table.

Status: To Be Played

Magic: The Gathering

This was one of the games that kind of got me into modern board gaming again, or helped me diversify my gaming because the group that I joined in with. Magic is a good deck construction game that I don’t get to play all that often anymore. In fact, I sold off the majority of my cards, but I still had to keep a few decks around because I know that eventually I’ll play it again, especially Commander. I think I kept three or four commander decks around because that style of playing can be expensive, but you only need one of each card in the deck. And it allows you to deck build in more interesting ways.

Status: Played

Mansions of Madness: Second Edition

I like my Arkham games from Fantasy Flight, but Mansions of Madness: Second Edition is my favorite. The game play is really enjoyable as you are playing through an app guided scenario. Since it’s app guided, it means that the game will be different each time that you play it, or could be, which is a lot of fun as well. And the scenarios are really different, some have just trying to stop a summoning in a mansion while others have you running around trying to escape a town that’s been already taken over, and there’s a scenario with time travel as well. Fantasy Flight has done a lot of things with the game which gives it a lot of replayability.

Status: Played

Mariposas

Last years big hit of a game was Wingspan from Elizabeth Hargrave, and she followed it up this year with Mariposas. Mariposas is a game about butterflies and their migratory patterns, which doesn’t sound that interesting, but the game play itself looks very interesting. You push as far north as you can all while sill needing, in the last season, to get all the way down to warm weather again to score more points. So it’s a push and pull of which objectives you want to get and which ones might be worth passing on because of how you’re set-up. It seems like clever game play and is an interesting theme, though not the only butterfly themed game that I have.

Status: To Be Played

Marrying Mr. Darcy

Sometimes you just want to play a light filler game about finding your ideal suitor in Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice. And sometimes you mix in the undead expansion if you want to play Pride, Prejudice and Zombies. This game is one that my wife actually picked up on Kickstarter, and it’s been a hit at the table. The game, I will say overstays it’s welcome a little bit considering how simple it is, but it does always provide good laughs as you try and set-up your best match and hope not to end up an old maid. The humor in the game is solid as well, it is just a bit too long for what it is.

Status: Played

Marvel Battleworld

Marvel Battleworld is kind a game. In a lot of ways it is more collectible than anything else, but not really being collectible. You are rolling dice to defeat enough locations before Thanos gets them. But the game is mainly about these Thanos Stones, something made up for the game, which are basically just a blind bid pack. You crack them open when you beat a Thanos Stone location and you have a new hero that you can play with. The heroes do look great, and the game play is meant for kids, so it’s not a knock on it, it’s about getting you to buy more packs for the kids in hopes that they get their favorite character, like frog Thor or cat Captain America. And there are rarer packs to sucker in the adults. But it’s a fun five minute little game thing, which is what it looks like.

Status: Played

Marvel Champions

Continuing the run on Marvel games we have the game that if I split it up into expansions as well, it could have been it’s own post. Marvel Champions is a deck construction card game where you are taking a hero up against a villain in a scenario, or multiple heroes in multiplayer. This is another Fantasy Flight game and is a living card game, which means that they are releasing new things for it all the time. I have 11 expansions for it, but you don’t need them all, or really any, there is a lot to play with in the base box, and after that you can just pick and choose your favorite heroes to get. What I really like about this game is that you go back and forth between your hero and alter-ego side, so Spider-Man and Peter Parker, for example. If you are in the Peter Parker form, the bad guy won’t attack because they don’t know who you are, instead they’ll scheme a way. But on the flip side, they attack and scheme less, so you need to balance it out so that you can beat them.

Status: Played

Marvel United

The final Marvel game on my list, this one is a simple cooperative game (all the Marvel games are cooperative). But Marvel United has amazing Chibi figures. This game has a ton more expansions coming with it sometimes in 2021, but just the base game is enough to get started with. This is a very straight forward game of dealing with a bad guy who is scheming away. But it has a really cool twist. On your turn you play down a card and use it’s actions and the ones from the card played before you. So it is that super hero team-up feel that people think of from the Avengers films.

Status: To Be Played

The Mind

The Mind was everywhere last year. It was a simple game that showed up and was very polarizing. Some people consider it less a game and more of an activity while other people say it’s a great game. For me, it’s an okay little bit of filler. In the game you play down cards in ascending order, not that tricky. But you can’t speak, so you have to be in everyone else’s head trying to guess what they have and wait it out before you play. I’ve only played The Mind a little bit, and I don’t need to play it that often. It’s an okay sitting around and drinking game, but overall just an okay time and it will fall flat at times.

Status: Played

Munchkin: Zombies

If you asked a lot of people what some of their first games to get into board gaming were, I’d expect a lot of people to say some version of Munchkin. I played base Munchkin first, but the version I got was Zombies. In Munchkin, you are kicking down doors and fighting monsters while everyone one else is trying mess you up. The game is very much a take that game and for that reason isn’t going to be for everyone and really isn’t even for me anymore. I keep it on the shelf because it is a good introductory weight game, and nostalgia at this point.

Status: Played

Alright, that’s all of the games that I own which start with M. There are a number of them, though not as many as starting with L. What is your favorite game that starts with the Letter M? What game should I add to my collection starting with M?

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Numbers

A’s – B’s – C’s – D’s – E and F’s – G and H’s

I, J and K’s

ICECOOL (and ICECOOL 2)

Yes, that is how the name is listed on Board Game Geek, so I’m going with that. ICECOOL was a flicking game, that I forget where I stumbled across it, probably the Dice Tower, and what was interesting about the game is that not only were you flicking the penguins, not something that I had done before, but the box formed the penguin high school that you were flicking the penguins around. Just how the different parts of the box formed the board and stuck to together was cool. Add in ICECOOL 2, now you can play with up to 8 people, you can either do the normal way with hall monitors trying to catch the students ducking out of class or race around the board if you want another mode to play. The game is a ton of fun, and has always been a smashing success at game nights.

Status: Played

InBetween

Another game that I know I learned about on the Dice Tower, this is a two player only game that has a theme that reminded me of Stranger Things when Sam Healey would talk about it. This game has one person playing the InBetween or basically the upside-down nd the other person playing the real world. There are a group of people, and you are trying to put your influence on them and make it so that the people go to your side and not your opponents, So it’s an interesting tug of war sort of game as you try and figure out through card play how to influence that. That concept really drew me to the game, and the them, because playing a Stranger Things game, basically, sounded like a lot of fun.

Status: To Be Played

The Isle of Cats

This game has cats, that’s a selling point, but it also has your drafting cards and playing down polyominoes, think Tetris sort of pieces, which are the cats onto your ship, all the while trying to create “families” of like colored cats to score points. Plus you have objective cards, and there are sections on the boat that you need to fill up. But you have to be able to pay for this call, so you get baskets to pick up the cats you have to pay for, you have to pay for the cats with fish, because fish lure cats into baskets, and you have to pay fish for the cards that you draft that you decide to keep. There’s a lot going on in the game but all of it seems to flow together quite well.

Status: To Be Played

Just One

Party games can be hit or miss for me, but Just One is a really good game. Firstly, it’s cooperative, which I think can be an issue with other party games. I get that something like Cards Against Humanity or Apples to Apples are supposed to have the in jokes created, but it eventually just becomes people playing those in jokes because they are funny versus because they are trying that hard to win, even games like Stipulations, which I also like, eventually has people starting to put down the same jokes. Just One, however, since it is cooperative, has people focused on helping the group by coming up with a good one word clue that hopefully no one else will have. I also like how those clues work so well, one word, if it’s duplicated by someone else, you can’t see either clue. That really ups the ante for people putting out unique clues which makes guessing the right thing harder, but maybe with all the clues together a more obscure clue will make more sense.

Status: Played

King of Tokyo

My only K game as well, King of Tokyo was one of the earlier games I got. You’ll find that a lot of the earlier games are one’s that I saw on Wil Wheaton’s TableTop show. This was one that looked like a lot of fun, and still gets played probably a couple of times per year. The game works well because it is a nice simple step up from other games. You are rolling dice Yahtzee style and either getting numbers for points Farkle style, getting punches, getting energy (think currency), or healing up. Now there are more rules, but for the most part the punches and the points are what you really care about because you can either win by knocking everyone else out or by getting enough points. That’s one thing that I really enjoyed about the game is that you have two options to win as well, that wasn’t super common or possibly even a thing, in the games that I’d played before.

Status: Played

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