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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This begs to ask, do all board games need expansions? And what makes a good expansion? Or even, what is an expansion? So let’s start there and work our way back.

What Is A Board Game Expansion?

An expansion basically a way to get additional content into a board game without printing a new game. There are second editions or ultimate editions of games that come out. These might have the expansion content in them. But normally publishers just put out expansions so that they can add in more content to their games.

What Makes A Good Board Game Expansion?

This question is harder to answer. Expansions can do a lot of different things. Expansions can just add more stuff into a game. I’ll try and give examples of all of them. There are ones that add new game play and ones that add more players as well.

More Players

The ones that are more players are simple. Lords of Hellas has a 5th Player expansion. Heroes of Land, Air, and Sea adds in a lot of players, three total in the two expansions. So you can play with a way higher player count than the base game. These are pretty straight forward in what they do. Catan was actually one of the first games to do that. They got a 5th and 6th player for basically every version of the game.

More Stuff

The next easiest one is the expansion that just adds in more stuff. This is something that doesn’t add any new rules or game play, it just gives you more of what you’ve already had. Dominion is the prime example of this. While the rules might change slightly, a lot of the times the cards can just be shuffled in with no problem. You don’t need to teach anything new, it’s just more variety in the content. Silver Amulet, Coin, Bullet, and Dagger add in new cards that behave differently, but you can learn them by looking at the card.

More Rules

The final one is the one that adds in more content. This basically always adds in rule changes as well. Lords of Hellas has this as well with the different player counts. It adds in a different statue with how things connect. But also games like Claim with the reinforcements and different suits and how they play. This is almost just the more stuff with Claim, but since the cards don’t teach it, I need to. Ascension and Dominion both do this as well. They will give you more stuff for the game but also some of that requires teaching new rules.

All of those can be good, but some of them aren’t always great. adding in a player can make the game go much longer. Or it can increase downtime in turns. Adding in more stuff for an engine building game can mean the engines can’t be built. Adding in more rules increases the complexity of the game and makes it harder to get to the table. So it depends on the expansion and the game if it works or not.

Do All Board Games Need Expansions?

You can probably guess my answer to this, but it is no. All board games do not need expansions. In fact, not all expansions improve the board game you are playing. I tossed out a few negatives that can occur. And they can take a good game to a poor game depending on what they do. Now, on the flip side, they can also improve games. They can add in needed content.

An example of improving would be Horizon Zero Dawn. Now I am just doing this one off of what I’ve heard. The base game box is fine, however, the amount of game play in that box is very limited. You need the Kickstarter expansions to get enough game play into it to make it a really big and more enjoyable experience.

Or Marvel United, it adds in more content and easy to get characters to the table. I can grab any character and play. I can grab any villain and play. Having the massive variety of characters means that the game has something for everyone. Marvel United X-Men even adds in more that you can do. Being able to play as a villain because of Marvel United X-Men takes it from being a cooperative game even.

So yes, they can be good. And I really do recommend expansions for games that you love. However, look into them, there are expansions that won’t help the game. And while I’d love to see a ton of expansions or have a ton in my collection, I can only really add them for the games that I really love.

What is your favorite board game expansion?

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