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

My Trick-Taking Games

Let’s start out by just listing off the games. And these are the ones that I own and I maybe have played.

Played:
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
The Fox in the Forest
Cat in the Box
The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game
For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game
The Fox in the Forest Duet
Scahdenfreude
9 Lives
Rebel Princess
Pumafiosi
Matcha

Unplayed:
Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard
Ghosts of Christmas
Jalape-NO
Lunar
Pies
FORK
The Six of VIII
No Loose Ends
Tricky Kids

The Unplayed Games

To start off with, the unplayed ones are staying. In particular Ghosts of Christmas, Tricky Kids, No Loose Ends, and The Six of VIII are ones that I really want to get played. I could say that maybe FORK, Lunar, Pies, some of those might be redundant to the other trick-taking games that I have in the played section. But the thing is, I want to get these played to know for sure. And the good think about trick-taking is that most of the time they are easy to get played.

The Played Games

Now let’s talk about the played games. And I think that I might mainly disappoint myself. But I think I’m going to be keeping most of them if not all of them. Because while a few of them do duplicate things, like cooperative play, I think they are different enough and fit different reasons to keep them in my collection.

Cooperative Trick-Taking

For the cooperative ones let’s talk about the difference. Firstly Fox in the Forest Duet is two player only. And it is not about winning certain objectives to advance. The other two are both about objectives. But with the Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game, that one is a “campaign” of sorts. Or at least it feels like it has more story to it. The Crew is a campaign as well in that you can ramp up the difficulty, but it is easier to jump into a higher level without feeling like you missed some of the game.

Bidding Trick-Taking

Now this is where a few things could maybe move over time. The bidding trick-taking games might feel a bit more the same. Right now I just think of two that are in the played section with 9 Lives and Cat in the Box. And Cat in the Box does something different completely where you can short suit yourself whenever you want because nothing has a suit. That is a step more than 9 Lives. But, as I play others that have that bidding for how many tricks you take, I could see 9 Lives leaving.

Two Player Trick-Taking

Finally, let’s talk two player trick-taking. And this is where I think I maybe should get rid of a game. I’m not sure that I need Matcha and Fox in the Forest and Fox in the Forest Duet. Now, the question is which one is going to stay. I think that Matcha is really interesting but it’s maybe a bit harder to teach. For that reason that is probably the trick-taking game that should leave.

Final Thoughts on my Trick-Taking Games

This is obviously not ideal. I want to clear out more games. Though this isn’t because I don’t want to keep all the games around. It is more a situation where I need more space for games and culling and going through my collection helps with that a lot. But smaller games are easier to justify. But with trick-taking, I want to go through this list again after I knock off a handful more of the games on the list. Because I think that a number of them might get culled.

Why will they get culled then versus now? Because I want to come up with what my favorite five to eight of them are. Some I know will always stick around, Rebel Princess for example, but others are good but I’m not 100% sold that they’ll stick around like Cat in the Box. But I want to spend more time with my trick-taking games, and then I’ll revisit them.

Next time I want to look at my drafting games.

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Five Types of Board Games To Play With Non-Gamers

Now, I am going to skip a bit one, mainly because some of these will fall into that same category or they can. But cooperative games are always good. Often times people don’t like games because they played Monopoly and Risk as a kid and had bad experiences with that. So competitive games are kind of a trigger for a bad time, but turning it on it’s head and everyone working together is great.

Escape Room Games

Let’s start out with board games that are escape room or puzzle games. These are going to feel really unique to players. And this is a situation where the games are cooperative as well, so players are going to like it for that, potentially. But it is also going to feel not like a normal experience. A game like Micro Macro Crime City where you explore a map and spot a criminal or crime across a map in a “Where is Waldo?” style experience is going to be unique.

Or there are the Exit and Unlock games. These are going to give you more of the puzzle feeling that an escape room might be. And there are a lot of people who do escape rooms who might not board game. So it’s a good branch between an activity that some people might like and a board game. Or even things like Sudoku and Crosswords and Cryptograms that people do for a brain teaser activity daily will help them be interested in an escape room style of game.

Trick Taking Games

Next up for a type of board games is trick taking games. This one makes a lot of sense because even if people don’t play too many games, they often at least know Hearts from the computer. So trick taking games are a nice safe and soft entry into more board games.

Now it might seem like this isn’t really an entry point, but it is. It is because there are so many variations or board gamer type things done with trick taking games. Things like The Crew make it cooperative, so that is interesting. Or there is Schadenfreude where you want to come in second to score points, but you also don’t want to go over forty points. And Rebel Princess which is just hearts, but there are powers and rules change each round. So it is going to feel familiar but there are a lots of trick taking games that add in more.

Dexterity Games

Next up is Dexterity Games. These are great board games to use when you have a variety of ages and a variety of interest. Why, because they can become a funny good time or a really tense time, it’s up in the air, literally, depending on the game that you decide to play.

A game like Ice Cool or Pitchcar are going to be more on that funny good time as you either have Penguins who are skipping class to get a fish snack and trying to avoid the hall monitor as you flick them around. Or you are racing around a track in Pitchcar. Either way it’s lighter and more of the excitement comes from someone making a great shot.

Then you have a game like Menara. This is going to be a stacking game, but unlike others, say Jenga, where you are removing things and the person who knocks it over loses, this one you are building up the tower, kind of like Jenga, but it’s cooperative. So you want to complete a target objective before it gets knocked over. And that is going to provide that cooperative and dexterity that can make it easier to play.

Roll and Write Games

The next time of board games are roll and write games. Now, with this one be careful. There are roll and write games that are very complex. But there are a lot of easy ones as well. And you want to target those that are a step up from Yahtzee. That is why they are on the list. People know Yahtzee, so it is going to be familiar to them. And a roll and write will seem less intimidating.

I think that something like Ganz Schon Clever (That’s Pretty Clever) can be a great option. There is a bit to learn in scoring, but for the most part it’s a fast and easy teach. Or a game like Metro X where you fill in tracks, that could bed good. And Mind Space or Qwixx over simpler game play but with just that little bit more for it. There are a ton out there, so a lot of good options.

Drafting Games

Finally are drafting games. This, like Roll and Write Games, you need to think about a little bit. I don’t know that I’d jump straight into Seven Wonders. But there are great games out there like Sushi Go and Draftosaurus that work really well. And the themes help those games.

The reason I think these board games work well is that you all go at once. There isn’t that downtime. And you learn as you go, often times with these games. Often, I feel like, for a competitive game, you get the question, what’s a good strategy. Or, I don’t know what to do. Drafting games I often find you get the question, but the answer is pick something for the first card. And as options get fewer it is easier and becomes more reactive. So I say often times the first card doesn’t matter.

And because you play all at once it means that games are often shorter. A game of Draftosaurus, for example, is maybe twenty minutes if people are really slow. So it’s great to play once and then play again.

Final Thoughts

These are just some of the types of games. I think there are a lot of types of games that can work for people to try for a new game. One important thing, though, is to remember that not everyone is going to like every type of game. So try some things and see what works, and ask people why they maybe don’t like board games. And then if you want to try, try and find something that’ll avoid those things they don’t like.

What types of board games do you introduce to new prospective gamers?

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And for other ideas check out the previous lists.

Two Player Games
Campaign Games
Solo Games
Party Games
Welcoming Games
Medium Weight Games
Thematic Games
Deck Building Games

Trick Taking Games

For Northwood!

We’ll start off with the most unique trick taking game. This is one that already is on a list, but it deserves to show up twice. For Northwood is a solo trick taking game and if that sounds odd and unique it should. How do you make a solo game work for trick taking?

Firstly, you play against the game itself. But it’s not just about getting the most tricks. You need to win at different forest locations all which require a specific number of tricks to be won to succeed there. If you succeed you gather points and allies to use at other locations. Because you play against a random card, you need to use different helpers, you start with a few, to limit or increase the number of tricks you win so you succeed at the location.

The game itself is a great challenge. But then it also comes with some challenges that you can do as well. So once you are done with the regular game and feel comfortable with your strategies in that, let the game challenge you even more.

The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

The next one on the list is The Crew. I put down Mission Deep Sea, but you also can pick the space one. The Crew is a cooperative trick taking game. And you need to complete certain objectives to win each hand. However, you are not able to communicate which is going to be provide a bit of a challenge.

I like how it works because the challenges change for each hand. And for Mission Deep Sea they can change each time you play a certain level or hand. And it might be that I don’t want to win any blue colored cards. You need to win the red six. And another person has another thing they need to do. So how do you play out the hand to keep me from getting any blues. How do we get the red six at the right spot? That is the challenge in this game, and without communication it’s a fun puzzle and really teaches you trick taking strategy around how to win and lose a trick.

Fox in the Forest

Now we get to one of the two two player trick taking games on the list. Fox in the Forest is a head to head game where you want to get points by winning certain numbers of tricks. Win too many it can be bad, win too few, well the points vary across the range. So how can you manipulate the tricks and your opponent to get the number you want.

I enjoy the strategy of not always going for the most tricks. In fact, if you shoot the moon, so to speak, that can be bad. I also like how in the game, you do more than just play cards for their number. Some cards have powers as well. This might let you swap cards with your opponent, or change what the trump suit is. It offers a good puzzle to see how you can control what is going on so you can lock in that number of tricks.

Rebel Princess

Next up is the newest one on the list. It came out in the United States at Gen Con this year. And I really enjoy this game. It’s shot up my list of games that I always want to pull out and play because of h ow enjoyable it is. And because it’s probably the most familiar of the games on this list.

Rebel Princess is just Hearts in disguise. But it is a really good disguise. Like hearts you don’t want to take a certain suit, in this case the princes, because you are princesses and you are rebels. So you want to avoid them if you can. And you certainly want to avoid the frog prince, in the animal suit, because that’s a lot of proposals that you’ll have coming your way.

So all of that is normal, but let’s talk about what isn’t normal. Each player has a princess that they can use once per hand that gives them some sort of power. It might change the number of the card they play, or steal leading a trick, or several different things. And at the start of each hand how you pass the cards and some other rule are added to the game. It might be that you will win the trick if you are furthest away from the card led out. Or it might be the lowest card wins the trick and even more oddness as well could happen. All of those things make the game silly fun and good.

Claim

Finally another two player trick taking game. I believe there is a way to play with more, but this one works really well at two. Claim is played over two hands. And instead of counting tricks, you want to get majority in the suits. But each suit has it’s own power and the first hand you play, well it’s not going to help with that majority too much.

The first hand is going to be about building your second hand. You play out cards to win a new card from the deck of cards. And it might be a face up one, or it might be face down. If you win the trick you get the face up card. So sometimes you want to lose that trick because the face up card isn’t that good. But you also are taking the tricks that you win, because sometimes those cards will help later or give you some other ability to use right then.

The second hand plays out more like a traditional trick taking game. But you are trying to still get that majority. And again, there are a lot of powers and abilities of the suits that you need to keep track of. Like some suits just beat others, so you need to be aware of that. Or sometimes if you lose with a suit, you still get to keep that card you played to help get majority.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoy all of these games and there are a lot more that I want to play to get onto the list. So let me know your favorite trick taking games. And are there any from this list that you want to add to your holiday list or maybe you want to give to others this holiday season?

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Top 5 Trick Taking Games

5. 9 Lives

9 Lives is a bidding trick taking game. There are a few different types of trick taking, and this is going to be in the vein of ones where you bid to see how many tricks you take. But I found there to be some interesting elements to the game. It’s a race to 9 points or whomever has the most points after 4 rounds.

But there is an additional twist to the game. As you play and win tricks you pull a card from that trick. This is good and strategic because you want to win the number of tricks you bid on. You might need a high number to win more. Or you might want to lose a trick instead.

4. Fox in the Forest Duet

Fox in the Forest Duet is a two player cooperative trick taking game. And that in itself is unique. But I appreciate how it does it. You want to move the fox token and collect all the leaves from the forest. To do that you need to vary who wins tricks because cards have paw prints on them, and how many paw prints there are is how far the fox moves. So if it is one away from my edge of the board, I want to win only if I can move one. Otherwise I want to send it back you way. So can you win in three hands or not is the question?

3. Rebel Princess

A new one for me, and you can read my review of it here. This one is a Hearts style trick taking game. So I appreciate the feel of that because I few up playing Hearts on the computer. But it more than that because there are special powers and abilities. Each player gets a Princess that gives them a power which always seems game breaking. And each round there is a new unique power that comes out which vastly changes how you play the game.

2. The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

Next up is The Crew, I’ve only played Mission Deep Sea but I love what it does. This is a cooperative trick taking game. But it’s cooperative with missions. So you want need to not win a trick while another person might need to win two sevens and I need to win a trick with a blue and a green card. And with limited communication we need to make that work. I love that element of the game, trying to get it to work. And if people know trick taking, it is easier, but still, missions can be very hard.

1. For Northwood!

Finally is a solo trick taking game. Yes, you read that right, my #1 is a solo game. And with trick taking you expect that it’s going to need people to interact and play off of each other. But no, For Northwood offers the trick taking experience in a solo game. You need to react to what the deck is flipping out. But don’t worry, you have friendly forest creatures helping you. And it isn’t about just winning as many tricks as you can. You need to win a specific number to get access to more friendly woodland creatures, and to score points.

Final Thoughts

I like trick taking a lot. I think that people will call out some of them like Ghosts of Christmas, Cat in the Box, Fox in the Forest and more that I should play. And yes, I should play them because I own most of them. I want to have a trick taking day just to play trick taking board games and enjoy them. But I haven’t set-up a time for that yet.

Also missing from the list are some classic games. I mentioned Hearts but I also played Euchre growing up as well. Both of them mainly digitally which was fun. Classic trick taking still often holds up. And I’d still sit down and play either of the games.

What are your favorite trick taking games?

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Games to Play with the Kids

Ice Cool – This is a dexterity one and I’m going to lean in that direction. A lot of kids games aren’t that fun for kids because they are very simple. But Ice Cool is a great dexterity game that works with kids of a lot of different ages. Who doesn’t want to make a cool shot as you try and get a penguin around a high school? Probably some people, but they’re wrong, and this one because that’s mainly what the game is, is really simple to play.

Beat the 8-Ball – Another one that works well with kids. Beat the 8-Ball is a simple game as well, most games for kids should be. But it’s also one that’s fun for adults. The game is basically a big game of chicken. There is an 8-Ball coming down a funnel, you want to be ahead of the 8-Ball but not the first person ahead of it. So how long can you wait? If you’re the first person ahead of it, no points, but if you’re after it, negative points.

Games with the Whole Group

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong – The young kids are in bed and now you want a big group game. But a lot of the big party games are not that fun, like your classic Taboo or Catch Phrase. If you want something with a bit more on it and a lot of fun, try Deception: Murder in Hong Kong.

This is a game of figuring out who the killer is. But one person is helping the murder to throw suspicion in other directions. Another knows who did it but not how but they don’t want to get caught. And someone is sending up reports to try and help point everyone in the right direction. It’s really a bit social deduction game, but with more going on because you always have a stream of real information.

Wits & Wagers – If you want a more classic party game, Wits & Wagers is a great choice. This one plays a pretty high number and is a trivia game. Now, normally I don’t recommend trivia games. But this one works. Two things that make it work are that it’s a numbers based game. So every answer is a number which everyone is guessing. So that automatically helps set a range. Then you bid on whose number you think is right. If you’re right, you win money and you want to win the most money. So even if you know nothing about, let’s say baseball, if your uncle does, you can bid on their answer.

Games with Family

Sagrada – Again, the young kids are in bed. You want to play a game, but you don’t have enough for want to break out a party game. That’s the type of game I’m looking at here. Sagrada is a good choice because it’s pretty but also it has some choices to it. You are drafting dice to make a stained glass window. But you can’t have the same number or same color next to each other, except diagonally. So can you make the best stained glass window?

The Crew – A lot of the older generation, so into their 60’s and 70’s now, or older, grew up with some of the more common games being trick-taking. Well, The Crew is going to give some trick-taking without them having that much of an advantage at it because it’s cooperative. Each round objectives are given or drawn depending on the version you have. You need to complete those, and generally a specific person needs to complete them.

So using trick taking knowledge you now need to figure out how to empty out hands the right way so that all the cards are played out. But I might need to not take a trick with pink in it. You might need to take the first trick, how can that all be set-up?

Happy Holidays from Nerdologists

With those suggestions, I just want to say a big Happy Holidays to everyone. Thank you all for reading and joining with me. There are more articles queued up and ready to go next week as I start to look ahead to 2024.

Do you find you have any family traditions that are nerdy that you love? For my family, it is board games, we generally play an evening or two around Christmas and New Years. But let me know yours.

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This year we are digging deeper, or being a bit more thematic, depending on how you look at it, but what are the Top 12, you know 12 days of Christmas, for each category. I’m going to get through them all quickly over the next two weeks, so join with me on making your list and checking it twice.

Board Game Holiday List – Top 12 Stocking Stuffers

List is in no particular order.

12. Orchard

Orchard is the only solo only game on the list and a fun one. The game is pretty simple, you are taking two cards and stacking them onto an existing card. Where you cover up a card, matching fruit trees, you place a die. And the more layers you can get, the higher that die value goes. But because you are getting random cards, it makes it tricky to layer them too deep. Can you create patterns that are easy enough to build on. Because you can “cheat” twice, but that blocks off those non-matching spots from being built on.

Orchard is a great little solo game. And it does two things that I like. Firstly, it does make you think, because you want to figure out good ways to stack the cards and cover up parts of the other ones. But at the same time, you are limited in options, so you can’t over think it too much. And it is a fast game. You play out nine cards total, so you can sit down and play a number of times in a single sitting.

11. No Thanks

No Thanks is more of a classic game in terms of how long it’s been around. But it’s one that holds up really well. It is a push your luck game of trying to get cards with the fewest points possible on them. You have chips which you can use to say “No Thanks” to a card, so a 22 is flipped you pass on it, but then everyone else does too, and you keep on putting chips on it until someone takes it.

Why would you take it, a few reasons. You might be getting low on chips. All the chips on it come to you so that means you can pass on higher numbers. Or because there are enough chips on it, because chips are worth -1 points to your total at the end of the game. If there are 11 chips on it, now that 22 is only worth 11 points, when you take it. Also, it might be part of a run. If you have the 20, 21, and 22, you only score the first number of a run. So getting the 22 doesn’t change the fact you’re scoring 20 points, plus you got some chips.

It’s a light game, but really fun to play. And it is an easy one to pick up as well, which I really enjoy. Of course, it also comes in a really small box, just some chips and cards, so easily fits into a stocking.

10. The Crew: Deep Sea Adventures

The Crew, either version, is a great option, as it and the next one are both cooperative trick taking games. This works best if you are playing with more than two, the one is a two player game only. But The Crew: Deep Sea Adventures, is going to give you a series of challenges. It starts out easy and then builds up over time as you level up doing better, the challenges become harder.

The first game you might have something like, the person who takes the challenge needs to win the green four. That is pretty easy, but requires some thinking. It becomes trickier a few challenges down the road when a person needs to win the green four. Another person can’t win any pink tricks, and maybe a third person can’t win the first two tricks. How do you figure all of that out at once with limited to no communication.

9. Fox in the Forest Duet

The Fox in the Forest Duet is also trick taking, but for two players. Limited communication, you are trying to move a fox around a board and pounce on leaves. How far the fox moves is based on the difference in fox paws of the winning card to the losing card of the trick. And the fox always moves towards the winner. If you can collect all the leaves in three hands, you win the game.

Again, this works because of limited communication. It also works because if you go off the board, you block off a space on the board. Now you are even more limited in where you can move. So any mistake might push you off the board again, and too many times you lose. But until then the board becomes even tighter. That might seem very challenging, but you also can manipulate the trump suit and other aspects of the game with powers on the cards. So can you get that balance right?

8. Similo

Similo is one of two party games that work well as a stocking stuffer. In Similo one person is a clue giver to get you to narrow in on their card and eliminate the ones that aren’t their cards. But it’s not as easy as you think. If you get one pack, say historical figures, you are using other historical figures to say if your card is or isn’t like other historical figures.

And the first round isn’t too bad. The other players just need to pick a game to eliminate. But the next round it’s two, then three, and finally four. And by the time you eliminate four that is going to only leave two options. And the clue giver can just play down a card to say if their card is or isn’t like that figure. It can get even more challenging. Maybe you have historical figures out on the table, but now you give clues with animal cards. Is or isn’t Bonaparte like a bear?

7. Floriferous

Floriferous is one of a few very pretty games on the list. This is a drafting game and a bit bigger because of how it works. Now, don’t worry, it’ll fit in a stocking just fine, but in terms of what you are doing, you’ll need to think more. The game is set-up in columns and players are drafting a card from a column at a time. That might be a flower card, or it might be a scoring card. Say, a card that says I get 1 point per daisy at the end of the game. Each time you take a scoring card you pass on a flower, and vice versa.

Plus, there is one really cool mechanic in the game. The drafting isn’t too different from something like Point Salad, just missed the list, but as you draft you place your color on the column where you took the card. The higher on the column, the sooner you’ll be drafting next round. So maybe you take a flower that is just okay for you because the next scoring card is perfect for you. Or do you hope that you can draft it later? The game can be a bit mean, but mainly it’s pretty.

6. Arboretum

Arboretum on the other hand is a very mean game. You are picking up cards and then building out numerical rows of trees. It really only matters that you start with a low number of a tree type and end with a high number of that tree type. As long as the number in between count up, you are going to be doing great. But, of course there is a twist.

To score a type of tree you need to have the highest point value of that tree remaining in your hand at the end of the game. If you don’t, well, then you don’t score any points. So you have to hold onto cards, which means that you might not get as many points but you do that to guarantee that you can get any points. That is where the game is mean, you might have a great collection of trees of one type, but if I have the most at the end of a game, you can’t score it.

5. Medium

The other party game on the list, Medium is in the biggest box out of all of these games, or at least the squarest box. In Medium you try and get the most points by matching words with the other players, on your round. But it’s not as easy as guessing what word they’d write down to a question. Now, instead you both play out a word, well, let’s give an example.

If I play out the word “stick” and you put out the word “wind”, we need to come up with a word, and the same word that links those two together. I might say “kite” if you say “kite” we both get a point tile from the highest point section. If I instead say “rustle” and you say “kite” now we try again with the new words. It’s a great party game that leads to a lot of laughs.

4. Ohanami

Ohanami is another drafting game on the list, but this one is more simple than something like Floriferous. In that one you think about how or when you are going to draft next round and when to draft scoring. Here you are just drafting two cards at a time to put them in columns in numerical order. You can only ever add to the top or bottom of a column though.

There are two areas that this game offers some really interesting fun. The first being the scoring. In the first round only blue scores and only a few points. But any blue you get scores each round those few points. Green scores more but only the second and third round. And grey only the last round. And finally pink only scores the last round, but the more you have the higher that they score.

The other area is when you “flip” columns. Now you don’t flip over the cards, but you want to keep numbers close together. But as one columns low gets closer to to another columns high when do you make the jump so that instead of going up 40, 42, 43, do you jump it up to 52 or even 62 going past a 60 in another column so you can optimize your points. Wait too long, you will score lower, do it too soon, you might lock yourself out of being able to play certain numbers.

3. Hero Realms

Hero Realms is another bigger game on the list, only in the number of cards that the game has. Size wise, it’ll easily fit into a stocking. Hero Realms is a deck building game and a head to head fighting game. You buy cards to either get money to buy more cards or to deal more damage to your opponent. Your goal, get them to zero health.

One thing I really like about Hero Realms is how quickly it ramps. You can play a strategy where you gain a lot of life to keep from dying, but you don’t take long to buy powerful cards. So even with health starting at 50 or 60, you can deal out 10-15 damage by turn five. And when you can deal 20% of someone’s life total in a turn, you need to build up fast.

It doesn’t do a ton unique. If you can combo factions you can get more money or damage. We see that in a lot of deck building games. But for a small one and a good two player one. Hero Realms is tough to beat. And I haven’t played Star Reams to compare.

2. Silver

Silver I think makes the list fairly often. This is a bluffing game, kind of, mainly it’s a hard to explain game. In Silver you have a village of cards in front of you. You know what two of them are to start the game. And you need to manipulate them to get as few points as possible in your village.

The fun bit comes from each card having it’s own power. It might be allowing you to peak at another card. Or it might be giving your opponent a higher value card into their village. The whole thing is that tricky puzzle to figure out. And the round doesn’t end until both 0 cards are face up in a village or someone calls for a vote.

To call for a vote you need to have less than your five cards in your village and the only way to get rid of a card from your village is to trade two of the same number. So there is some sneaky strategy with that as you might trade out two lower numbers for a slightly higher number if you can then trade out even more next turn. How you do that with all the cards is a lot of fun.

1. Age of War

Finally we have Age of War. This one is a die rolling game that has been out for a while. But it’s a good little game of set collection, push your luck and trying to get as many points as you can. In Age of War you roll dice to get symbols that match those on different castles. If you match all of the castle that you are going for, then you get to take it. However, even when you take it someone can steal it from you, it is just a bit harder.

But if you get all of a type of castle though, red, green, etc. you flip them over. That makes them worth slightly more points. But the big thing, is once they are flipped, they can’t be stolen. So that means that you end up with direction as to what you want to do in a good way. And it also means that you might really want to “fight” someone else on your turn to get their castle that’d complete your collection, of course they might do the same to you.

Happy Holidays

Hopefully this list gives you some ideas. There are a ton of good small box games out there that work wonderfully for stocking stuffers. I could have picked probably 12 roll and write games which is why I haven’t done that. Since I can pick 12, well that is going to be the next list that I create. A lot of those will work on both lists but it’s fun to split them up.

Let me know what sort of game lists you want to see covered. And my goal is to do a good 8-10 of them so you have a ton of options, probably around 100, for different games. But depending on who you are buying for, or asking for a gift from, you’ll be able to find a list that works for that.

Happy Holidays!

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Checkout 100 through 91 first here.

Top 100 Games 2022 Edition 90-81

90 – The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

I really enjoy trick taking games, though not a ton of them make the top of my list. The Crew: Mission Deep Sea makes the list for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is a cooperative trick taking game. So everyone works together to complete certain objectives. That is fun, but it is also fun because I can play the same scenario over again and I’ll have different objectives. That’s something that made me like it better than The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine which was fixed.

Buy on Cool Stuff Inc

89 – Too Many Bones: Undertow

Too Many Bones, a bit game from Chip Theory Games, is one that I think will move up higher as I get more characters and get it to the table more. I like it every time I play, but it’s a beast and I need to relearn the rules. But Too Many Bones is generally a tactical fighting game where you level up characters as you go. Eventually you face off against a big boss. What you level up are stats but then also unlock new dice and abilities to use. And then I like that fact that the characters aren’t normal. The Gearlocs aren’t cute, but what they do is different than a lot of standard fantasy games.

Buy on Chip Theory Games

88 – Downforce

Downforce is an interesting light and quick betting game. In this game you buy a car, race that car, and then get your points, or money, for who you place a bet on, where they finish, and where you vehicle finishes. There is one thing, there are more, but one in particular, that is so clever though. As the cars race along, that is done by people playing down cards. The cards have a list of car colors and how far they move. If you plan it well you can get a car trapped and slow it down, which offers more strategy than you’d expect from the game.

Buy on Miniature Market

87 – Fruit Picking

Another one that has been on the list before and another lighter game like Downforce that way. But otherwise it is more like Mancala with set collection. You move seeds around, figuring out how to land on spots where you can either get a lot more seeds or you can buy different fruit. All you are trying to do is figure out that puzzle as quickly as possible. And of course, to land in the right spot to get those fruit and collect your sets.

Buy on Amazon

86 – Atlantis Rising

Atlantis Rising is new to the list, and a very good cooperative game. As I say in the video, it’s almost an introductory or welcoming cooperative game. In this game you are trying not to keep Atlantis afloat, but as it sinks, get off the island by making technology and end up in another realm. What I like is how the board shrinks as you play, parts sink and you lose some of the better options for going out. Of course, if you want to more likely get what you need, you go out to the end of an peninsula, but there is also a great chance it’ll sink and you get nothing.

Buy on Miniature Market

85 – Flamecraft

Flamecraft is one of the prettiest games out there with all the cute dragons. But it’s a fun light game to play as well. It is a very good welcoming game because of the artwork, but because there isn’t too much going on as well. You are either adding dragons to shops to get resources on your turn, and use powers of the dragons or shop. Or you are completing goals and gaining points. It’s such a friendly game that is a lot of fun to play and look at.

Pre-Order on Miniature Market

84 – Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Arkham Horror: The Card Game has fallen for me a lot. Mainly because I just don’t play it or have someone to play it with consistently. For me, it is a fine solo game, but I like it better multiplayer. In this game you are an investigator looking into some strange mystery, probably dealing with an elder god or some great old one. Of course, that means weird things can happen, and Fantasy Flight Games has done a great job of putting something together that uses the cards to create really unique experiences.

Buy on Miniature Market

83 – Village Rails

Village Rails replaces Village Green for me on the list. So another new game. It is still laying out things in a 3×3 grid, but now you’re trying to connect routes and score points that way. Plus playing out train engines to get even more scoring opportunities. What I like about it though is that the route building is a bit simpler to grasp than how the greens work. It’s a solid filler style game, I’d say, where it offers good decisions but not that long a game play time.

Not Out Yet

82 – Isle of Cats

The Isle of Cats from City of Games, is a great big polyomino game where you are rescuing cats. The same for the Explore and Draw which I’d maybe rate higher but hadn’t rated yet by the time I did my list. In both you are filling up a boat with cats, trying to get families – colors of cats- next to each other on the boat. And then there are objective cards as well that you can draft and give you more end of the game scoring. There is a lot to the game but it’s a fun one to play both versions of it.

Buy on Cool Stuff Inc

81 – The Lost Expedition

The Lost Expedition is another one that has been on my list for a long time and has dropped some lately. Mainly because it got played a lot and there is less to see. But I still enjoy The Lost Expedition a lot. Mainly because it’s a cooperative game that is hard or even impossible for one player to really run for everyone. You’re trying to find the lost city of Z and explore along different paths every day. When making that path, each person needs to make the decision themselves and can’t discuss with other players. Eventually you make it, or often times you run out of food and your guides all perish.

Buy on Miniature Market

Upcoming Streams

Next Monday the Top 100 Games 2022 Edition continues. You can find the video below for that one. If you want to join live, it’ll be at 8:30 PM Central on Monday. Only week where it might not happen at that time is October 31st as it’s Halloween.

Then on Wednesday, it is time for more Stars of Akarios. This is assuming my internet is back by then. If not, I’ll tweet it out. But you can find that link here. The following week I will be out of town so no Stars of Akarios. But hopefully you are still having fun, and most likely there is a fair amount to catch up on after seven games.

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How To Play – The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

Like I have said a number of times at this point, this is a cooperative trick taking game and it is one with limited communication. The game is done over two parts really. Firstly, you go to the level that you are playing, and you deal out challenges. Then you play a trick taking game with getting the challenges completed.

With challenges, how many you need to do is determined by the level you are on. Now, it doesn’t go up as a 1 to 1 challenge level. So level 30 is not 30 points worth of challenges. But it balancing for that, making each level harder, by adding in other challenges as well or limiting communication even more. If you are picking from the deck of challenges you then divide them up with the first player choosing if they want or want to pass on them. Eventually all the challenges will be assigned.

Then, with limited to no communication you play out your hand of cards. The main challenge of the game is getting the challenges completed. It might be winning a trick with 22 or 23 points worth of cards. Or it could be winning the blue six and the green eight. Or not taking a trick with a five in it. There are also a number that are about winning specific tricks or not winning specific tricks like the first or the last. If you complete it, you move up a level.

What Doesn’t Work

I don’t have many knocks on the game. I think that one issue some people might have is restarting from the beginning. The rules might want you to restart, and while the challenges will be different, the game won’t be as exciting. Lower level challenges, after you’ve beat higher level ones, might seem too easy for a group. And jumping into a higher level with a new group might be too hard for them. But if you are fine starting again with new groups, it won’t be bad.

It also has that how much communication can you accidentally have for the game. Someone who wears their heart on their sleeve, you will know what they have. Granted, this is true for most trick taking games, but I think with a cooperative nature and less general table chit-chat happening, it might be more obvious. This will be an issue for some players, but most groups I doubt it will be. It, for me, is just part of the game.

What Worked

I like the challenges and how the system works. In the original version of the game, The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine it is a set rule for each level as for what the challenges are. For The Crew: Mission Deep Sea the challenges are variable. You only need a certain number of points of challenges. So it might be six points, and that could come from two cards or six cards depending on how you pull it. That means, to the issue of it being less challenging early on, it will be variable.

It also changes it up in other ways. And I think that adds some of the challenge to it as well. There is one level where no one can have two more 9’s won at a time than anyone else. It is a cool twist on the game just because while that is fewer challenges than some levels it is harder. It also means that it doesn’t feel like you repeat yourself like I was talking about. So even within the game it provides different challenges.

Who Is It For?

I would say it’s for two groups. The first being fans of trick taking games. Even if you know games like Euchre or Hearts, this is going to feel different. The cooperative nature makes it very different. I also think that is a huge selling point. If I am very good at trick taking, I likely will beat you because I know trick taking theory and it’ll be less fun for you. Where as with The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, being cooperative means that we work together and it’s a teaching and learning tool for trick taking.

Finale Thoughts on The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

This is a very enjoyable game. I wonder how long it’ll stick around for me, but I suspect that it might stick around longer than some other games. Mainly because of the variability in it’s play. The tension, at least in the early missions isn’t always that high. Especially for something like “win the first two tricks” being your only challenge. Yes, you do need to pick someone who can do that, but generally someone can.

But as you get in further and the challenge level goes up and you get more challenges, it is a really fun game. I like my cooperative games, and this one works well. I think it’s one that could hit the table more because of that also. The cooperative nature really does make it better for teaching.

My Grade: B+
Gamer Grade: B
Casual Grade: B+

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124-101

100 – 76

75 – 51

Unplayed Board Games 50 – 26

50: Arboretum

This is an abstract game about planting trees. What interests me so much in this one is that you play out cards to build up your arboretum, and you score points for having trees go in ascending order. But in order to score a type of tree, you need it in your h and at the end of the game. So do you risk it that you might not get a tree of the type you need in order to complete a longer route and score more?

49: Call To Adventure: The Stormlight Archive

Call To Adventure comes in a few different flavors. There is the base game which is generic fantasy. That has an expansion for Patrick Rothfeuss Kingkiller Chronicles. And while I do like that series, I knew there was a Stormlight Archives version coming out, so I waited for it. I love the setting of the game, and I think a game where you are building up your characters story is cool.

48: 7 Wonders Duel

I got this one a while ago using store credit after a trade. And the game I think is going to be fun and probably better for me than 7 Wonders which I think is just okay. This does a lot of the same things, drafting, fighting, and science, but all in a two player package. And you can win by doing more than just getting points. Though, points are one way to win. Get one of each science card, you automatically win. Push the combat all the way to your side, automatically win. I like that a lot.

47: The Dragon Prince: Battlecharged

And now we’re back to another IP (intellectual property) that I really like. The Dragon Prince is a great show. And this is a two player battling game. You put together games of characters to face off against each other in battle. Looks some like Super Fantasy Brawl with card play determine a lot of what you do.

46: Paper Dungeons: A Dungeon Scrawler Game

It’s one of a couple roll and writes on this part of the list. Paper Dungeons as it says is a Dungeon Scrawler. So it is going to give you a bit of that dungeon crawling feeling all while being in a roll and write package. I hope that between it, Doodle Dungeons, Deadly Doodles (which I know I like) and Drawn to Adventure, I’ll have some fun adventure focused roll and writes.

45: Yggrasil Chronicles

This is a bigger box game, some of that though, is because it comes with a tree. One that you put together, and then it’s a cooperative game where you are trying to protect Yggdrasil, possibly, my knowledge of this one is limited. But the game looks like a lot of fun, and I know that the original is really challenging. Plus a giant 3d tree that rotates is cool.

44: Forgotten Waters

Forgotten Waters is a campaign game that I wish I played already. It’s gotten bumped down the list a little just because I’m playing more in person. But it was a good one that could be played via Zoom. In this game you are pirates on a crew working together through an adventure. There is voice acting for the story, and overall just seem like a fun time. And it uses the Crossroad card system from Dead of Winter that I love.

43: Mythic Battles: Pantheon

Definitely a big game here. I don’t have the whole Kickstarter, just the base game and Pandora’s box and that is a lot. It’s another one of those head to head battling games, like The Dragon Prince or Super Fantasy Brawl. This one is pitting Greek gods against each other. And what really intrigues me about this one is how you can pick up trees, as a god, and use them as a weapon. So the terrain is very much in play.

42: Catacombs & Castles

We go from an epic minis game to a one versus all dungeon battling game where you flick discs. And that is what intrigues me. I like dexterity games, and Catacombs & Castles seems like a lot of fun. It also seems a bit more complex, otherwise might be higher on the list. But I think if I learn the game it’ll be pretty easy and fast to teach.

41: Adventure Land

While I’ve gotten a lot of games based off of Sam Healey’s reviews on the Dice Tower, I have less based on Tom Vasel’s but Adventure Land is one. In this game you are taking out adventurers trying to get treasure. And they move across the board right and down. That means if a treasure shows up to the left or higher on the board, you might not be able to get it. So how to balance that out getting the best treasure, but still hanging back?

40: Space Base

This falls into that category of Foodies, Machi Koro, and My Farm Shop. A game where you roll dice and no matter what you get something. I like those games, and this is supposed to be the most gamer version of that. It gives you a lot to think about and you can build up some powerful combos while you try and get points. And you have more tracks to control and keep track of.

39: Chronicles of Crime

This is a deduction based game that I’m confident I’ll love. Chronicles of Crime, from Lucky Duck Games, uses an app that you can scan cards with to interrogate them and so you can actually look around the crime scene. The concept is cool and while the cases sound a bit less in depth than Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game, it might work better for some people because of that.

38: Fleet: The Dice Game

Roll and write game and actually dropped further down the list than I’d have guessed. Fleet is a game about building up your fishing fleet and scoring as many points as you can. I’ve heard that it’s great for combos, which I love in roll and write games. And it’s also more complex. I think that it is going I’m going to play solo pretty often.

37: Raiders of the North Sea

Possibly the highest true euro game on the list, Raiders of the North Sea has you building up your crew and taking them out to plunder lands. What intrigues me so much about this one is that your turn you put a meeple on, and take a meeple off. You can’t do the same one twice in a row, so it gives some interesting strategy to the game. And as you push out further and plunder, you lock some meeples to those locations, but get stronger ones back.

36: Horizon Zero Dawn

Based off of the Playstation video game, Horizon Zero Down doesn’t take you through the story of the game, but it puts you out on hunts against monsters. I’m excited to see how this game works, I really like the video game, but need to play it more. And I like the idea of just going out on a hunt, and it being a scenario and then done. It’s a bigger minis game, but not a campaign.

35: Reichbusters: Projekt Vril

Now we’re onto a campaign and Reichbusters is one that I picked up because it looked like so much fun when GloryHoundd YouTube Channel played it. And I think it’s going to be amazing. I need to get the errata cards taken care of, but sneaking into bases in WWII and finding all sorts of crazy experiments going on, it’s very Hellboy. And that theme is just fun, plus it’s not just kick down the door and shoot the board game.

34: Bloodborne

Another video game board game with Bloodborne. Another one that it is a bigger game but doesn’t play over a massively long campaign. I believe this one comes together over three different plays. Or it might just be that’s how the chapters, that are in the box, come out. Still, fantasy, fighting monsters and bad guys. Story going on, and from CMON, I suspect I’m going to enjoy this one.

33: Time of Legends: Joan of Arc

And another big box game. Time of Legends: Joan of Arc is almost a miniatures game more in the lines of a Warhammer where you takes two armies up against each other. But it does away with all that measuring. And it comes down to scenarios, there are characters, NPC’s, that you can interact with. And it’s time of legends because it takes the legends from the Joan of Arc time period and historical records, so it can add in dragons and things like that.

32: The 7th Continent

The 7th Continent has been on my shelf for a while. And I need to get it played before The 7th Citadel comes in, because I suspect I’m going to like that one better. In The 7th Continent, you wake up on a continent cursed, and need to explore and find a way to break your curse. I’ve heard that the first one is tough and takes a lot of time to play. Mainly so you learn the continent, but as you do the other ones, you have more of an idea of where to go.

31: Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write

The final roll and write for this list, and might be the final one overall. Dinosaur Island is a big game about building out a dinosaur park with a lot of euro mechanics. The Rawr ‘n Write is similar in that you’re building out a park. And you are trying to breed dinosaurs, it just does it in a roll and write version. So I’m very excited to give it a go. Supposed to be a heavier roll and write as well.

30: The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

The Crew is a cooperative trick taking game where you have limited communication. And while there is a space version, the Mission Deep Sea is supposed to help improve a few things. Mainly because you have missions, Mission Deep Sea makes them variable. The space one they are set. I like trick taking, and I need to play more of them.

29: Land vs Sea

Land vs Sea is a tile laying game where you are trying to complete areas of land or sea. But I care about completing land areas where as you care about sea. And the tiles are four sided, so having two in your hand gives you a lot of options. I wonder if this might replace Carcassonne when I play it. A tile laying game, but one that seems like it could be simpler.

28: Heroes of Land, Air & Sea

Now we’re back to a big game with Heroes of Land, Air, and Sea. This is a massive 4x game where you’re taking over lands, exploring new locations, fighting your opponents and building up your power. Twilight Imperium 4th Edition is a massive 4x game as well that I’d love to play set in space, but Heroes of Land, Air, & Sea just spoke to me as a 4x game I wanted to own.

27: Champions of Hara

Champions of Hara is a pretty big game, and one that seems like it will be quite unique. It seems unique because all the characters seem unique, and I like that about it. It has a fantasy feel to it, but it isn’t fantasy in the normal way. And I believe that you play the game in two parts. The first part is competitive. Then the second part, really second game, is cooperative where you work together to complete the winner of the first games story.

26: Floriferous

Final one for this part of the list is Floriferous. A set collection flower game, this one looks amazing. The artwork is great, and I like the mechanics, or how they sound. You basically draft cards from the columns. But as you draft, you place your pawn next to the spot. So the higher in the column, the next round, is going to go, then the next. Plus you are drafting scoring cards, great ways to get more points, but you’ll go last in the next round.

Final Thoughts

One more list of this, and then you’ll know about all the games i need to play. I actually had a game night this past weekend and I didn’t play any new to me games. I did have a few pulled out. But with the group, and player count, not all of them would have worked.

This part of the list also had a lot of big games in it. And while some of them might be harder to get to the table, even something that is more campaign like Reichbusters, you can play on off scenarios. So I should be able to get a number of them to the table. And some of the roll and writes, probably all of them, can be played solo.

Which one should I play first from this chunk of the list?

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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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