My Top 50 Games (as of Jan. 1 2014) Part 5 10-1

Welcome back to my top 50 games list as of the start of 2014.  My top 10 has 6 of the same games as last year.  Even then, 4 games make their debut in my top 10.  I'd wager that there won't be another year with more than 4 new games in my top 10.  I played a lot of amazing games for the first time in 2013, and I think the amount of new games on this list reflects that.


#10 Article 27  New

Article 27 is a pure negotiation game.  Everyone is trying to get their way, but most of the time, no two players want exactly the same thing.  Each round is 5 minutes of chaotic negotiation, but oh my, what a fun 5 minutes.  I really enjoy Article 27 because the game plays quickly, but it packs a big punch in that timeframe.

#9 Star Wars: X-Wing  Down 4

X-Wing drops for a couple of reasons.  The main one is further down on this list, but the second is really the lack of support from FFG.  Production is constantly delayed, and they don't communicate with the fans.  Their tournament support is a bit lacking in comparison to another company.  The other big reason is that I want missions and/or a campaign.  Dogfights are fun in X-Wing, but they aren't everything that I want to experience in the game.  The game is still a lot of fun, but others are more fun.

#8 Incan Gold  Up 1


Incan Gold gets a bump because I played it a lot in 2013, and I really enjoyed every play of it.  It's a really fun push your luck game that I rarely win.  I usually run at the same time as someone else, run too early, or run far too late.  Still, the game is quick, and has a lot of laughs and good tension throughout.

#7 For Sale  Up 3

For Sale moves up because it's become a game I can play with anyone.  It's not a super deep game, but there are still important choices to make every turn.  It plays blazingly quick, around 20 minutes, which is the perfect filler for me.

#6 7 Wonders  Down 3


7 Wonders moved down simply because I'm playing it less.  The game is still a lot of fun, but I feel like I'm missing something when I play it.  There's still a lot to the game that I haven't delved into, so I need to get it back to the table for that.  It's a good design in my mind, with a lot of ways to win.  Adding in Leaders and Cities has given me a lot of variety, and I'd be happy with the game exactly as it is.  Of course, more wonders add variety, and another expansion might give me that little something I'm missing, so I'm not really sure.  Anyways, I enjoy 7 Wonders.  It's one of my go to games for a larger gaming crowd.

#5 King of Tokyo  New

King of Tokyo is a great dice chucking game.  I'm a sucker for any game where I get to roll lots of dice and use them to do something.  What better thing to do with your dice results than rampage Tokyo and attack the other monsters?  The game does suffer from player elimination, especially if you go out early, you can be waiting around for awhile.  Even then, KoT is a fun game to watch, so I don't mind that too much, but others might.

#4 Ticket to Ride Down 2

Ticket didn't really move down in my opinion, it's just that #2 and 3 jumped over it.  Ticket to Ride is a really fun, yet simple train game.  The game is fairly simple, with only 3 choices on each turn, but how players utilize those choices makes a huge difference in their game.

#3 Resistance: Avalon  New

I picked this up on a whim.  I played normal Resistance, and wasn't a big fan, but after watching a play through of this online, I thought it just might work.  Turns out I was right, and 50 plays in 2013 later, it's #3 on my list.  I mainly play it on Friday nights with a larger group, and we get really into the game.  We play at least 3 times every meeting, which has led to some discoveries of tells.  It has turned us all into better liars, which probably isn't the best thing in the world, but we've all promised to use those powers for good, not evil.

#2 Star Trek: Attack Wing  New


This is the aforementioned game that knocked X-Wing down.  Yes, the model quality is worse than X-Wing by a wide margin, but that pales to the enriched gameplay and missions that exist in the game. The tournament support has been fantastic, and more amazing things are coming this year.  I came into the game with a lot of skepticism, thinking it would essentially be X-Wing in Star Trek colors, but boy was I wrong.  The gameplay is so much deeper, with a lot more options in squad building and actual game play.

#1 Cosmic Encounter No Change

Cosmic holds on to the #1 spot, though it almost lost it to Star Trek.  Cosmic is a game I love every time I play it, and there is never a bad game of Cosmic.  I know it isn't a game for everyone, but for those people who enjoy a bit of chaos, and having to work together, but find the opportune moment to make a power play, this is the game for you.




What did I learn in 2013?
The biggest thing I learned is that there are great games coming out all the time.  My personal gaming tastes are changing all the time, and just about any game could find it's way onto my list.  My top 5 games have almost nothing in common as far as mechanics go.  I like them all for completely different reasons.  To me, that's a great testament to my desire for variety.  Stay tuned for this list next year.  I'm sure many things will change again.

My Top 50 Games (as of Jan. 1 2014) Part 4 20-11

Welcome back to my top 50 games list as of the start of 2014.  Part 4 has a few more surprises.
5 games make their debut in the 20's.


#20 Flash Point: Fire Rescue  Up 6

Flash Point is one of the simpler co-op games, but I really enjoy it.  The theme flows throughout the game.  There's always a certain amount of tension since fire can spark up anywhere on the map.  I have most/all the expansions, so I have plenty of ways to play this game.  It hasn't been right for every group, but it's a game I can teach to just about anyone and they have a basic understanding of how to play based on real life ideas.

#19 Legendary: A Marvel Deckbuilding Game  New

Legendary makes its debut on this list because it has a neat twist on the co-op game.  Everyone wins or loses the game together, but there is essentially an MVP on the winning side.  Now technically, someone wins more, but I've played it as an MVP situation.  I enjoy the variety of superheroes in the game, and how each seems to do something unique.  The game rewards cooperation, but it also allows players to make their own decisions which is important in any co-op game.

#18 Hanabi  New


Hanabi makes my list because it is unlike any game I've ever played.  This is a puzzle game where everyone has a lot of knowledge, but no one has perfect knowledge.  Discussion is very limited, every clue matters, and players have to pay attention to everything, both spoken and unspoken.  A perfect game is obtainable, but it's really challenging.


#17 Alhambra  New


Alhambra is an older game, but I find it refreshing and challenging even today.  It just missed the cut last year, coming in at #48.  I was able to play it several times in 2013, which is why it moved up drastically.  I have the big box, which means I have over 20 modules which means I have a lot of replayability in the box.  Alhambra is one of the few games that my entire family will ask to play.  That alone makes it worth rating highly.

#16 Love Letter  New


Love Letter is truly a minimalist game.  It has 16 cards, and 13 cube tokens.  Even though the components are low, the game packs a punch.  Love Letter is played over several rounds, with the winner of each round getting a token, and the overall winner being the player to get a certain number of tokens first.  The game has a good combination of luck and strategy.  Sometimes there is nothing you can do, but most of the time, you're going to have some chance to win a round.


#15 Escape: The Curse of the Temple  New

Escape is the most tense 10 minutes of gaming you can play.  It's a realtime co-op dicefest.  Players have to work together to get gems, and then get out of the temple before time runs out.  If even one player is left in the temple at the end, everyone loses the game.


#14 Shadows Over Camelot Down 6


Shadows drops because of its length.  I did get to play it 3 times in 2013, but each time I realized that the game takes too long for what it is.  If I could get Shadows down to an hour, it would be even higher on this list.

#13 Battlestar Galactica  Down 7

BSG probably wins my award for game I wish I played more but can't/don't.  The game is so hard to teach to new people.  It really is something you have to go through once in order to understand how to play, and even then the game is complicated.  There are a lot of moving parts, and often it's too much for multiple new players to understand.  As such, this game sits on my shelf looking sad.

#12 Star Trek Fleet Captains  Down 5


Such a good game that I don't get to play.  It's hard to have a situation where I have 1 or 2 other people who want to play a long game.  Fleet Captains isn't the longest game, but it is a deep game with an immersive theme.  I love Star Trek, as you'll see in my Top 10, and Fleet Captains feels like Star Trek to me, but this game has a lot going

#11 Dominion Down 7

Dominion trends down for the second year in a row.  Here's my issue with Dominion right now: the game is big, it isn't easy to get new players into the game because experienced players will typically win the game running away.  I have enough Dominion cards to play almost forever without ever playing the exact same game.  I still enjoy the game, especially with people who know what they're doing, but I have a hard time holding myself back when I play with new gamers.

My Top 50 Games (as of Jan. 1 2014) Part 3 30-21

Welcome back to my top 50 games list as of the start of 2014.  Part 3 has a few surprises as far as placement goes.  3 games make their debut in the 20's.

Without further ado, the games!

#30 Can't Stop  Down 15
Can't Stop is a great push your luck dice game.  It fell on my list because I haven't played it in over a year.  I don't own it, so it's not really under my control.  The design is simple and straight forward, but I love the anticipation that each die roll brings.


#29 Kingsburg  Up 6
Kingsburg moves up due to more experience with the expansion.  The game really offers a lot of choice, even with limited dice rolls.  Yes, you can get messed over by terrible dice rolls all game long, but for the most part, you'll be able to do something on each turn.  The more I play Kingsburg, the more I realize the depth in the game, and the different paths to victory.


#28 Fleet  Down 12
Fleet is still a really really good game, but I need to expansion to keep it fresh.  The game has become a bit samey to me.  I don't think there's necessarily one dominant path to victory, but there are several key things that you need to do in order to succeed, and once you get those things together, you're really hard to stop.  I know that the expansion is going to change a lot of things, or at least add a lot of options, which will prevent some of those main paths.  I enjoy Fleet, especially with new players, but in order for the game to stay up here again, I need the expansion to be excellent.


#27 Takenoko New
I received Takenoko from my BGG Secret Santa, meaning I haven't had it long.  The first time I played the game, I really enjoyed it.  Every time I've played it subsequent to that, I've enjoyed it.  That level of enjoyment demands a place on this list.  I'm not sure where Takenoko will settle, but this seemed like a good place to start.  Takenoko is a very approachable game that starts off simple and gets more complex as you go along.  There are 5 options on any given turn, and you get to do 2, so you're not overwhelmed with choice, but you're also not too limited.  I really enjoy how everyone has to interact on the board, but everyone has their own goals.


#26 Eight-Minute Empire New
If you read my review of Eight-Minute Empire you'd know that I enjoy the game, even though the title is a bit of a misnomer.  This game is more like 15-20 minute empire.  Still, it's a very well designed game, and it works well in a short amount of time.  The game has two ways to score points, but they're directly related.  On your turn, you purchase a card that has a symbol on it, and then you do the action listed on the card.  At the end of the game you get points for sets of symbols, as well as points for areas controlled on the board.  It's a really tight game with several key decisions, but it's also over quickly, so one bad move doesn't leave you losing for hours.


#25 Forbidden Desert  New
Spoiler alert, Forbidden Island is gone, and Forbidden Desert has taken over.  Forbidden Desert isn't the most challenging co-op game, but is by no means easy.  The player powers are easy to understand, but making the best use of the combination in any given game is a true challenge.  Make no mistake, Forbidden Desert is a lot more difficult than Forbidden Island.  Sun beating down on the players will account for a lot of lost games.


#24 Small World Down 6
Small World is still a very enjoyable game for me.  I enjoy the variety of races and powers.  I also enjoy the player politicking that goes on to try to cut down the leader.  The only reason it dropped a bit was due to newer games taking higher spots.  Small World is a great game for Risk players looking for something a little shorter and something with a lot more variety.

#23 Dixit  Down 11
Moving down due to lack of plays and a lack of desire to play.  Don't get me wrong, Dixit is still an excellent party game, and my go to game for a very creative group. The problem is that I don't have the creative mix of people that I had in college.  Dixit truly takes a group of diverse thinkers to make it work as well as it can.  That's one of the things that makes it a great party game.  It serves as a way to get to know someone, but more importantly, learn how they think, and also discover some of the random connections that people have.

#22 Roll Through the Ages  Down 11

Down due to lack of excitement.  I still think that RTtA is a great game with a lot of choices to make.  It's one of those games that I want to play more to really explore different strategies.  The problem is that I don't have other people who want to go down that path, so it tends to sit on the shelf while other games get played.

#21 Pandemic  Down 8
Pandemic is an enjoyable game for me, but it moved down because the newest expansion essentially requires the new version of the game, and I'm really opposed to that.  Now, I still enjoy what I have, and I will happily play Pandemic with what I have.  The game is fine, but it gets a bit samey after awhile.  My plays of it have drastically decreased over the last couple of years.  It can suffer from one player telling others what to do.  Fortunately, in my group, there are two of us who offer opinions and then leave the final choice up to the player.  That system has worked well for us, though it's not perfect by any means.

My Top 50 Games (as of Jan. 1 2014) Part 2 40-31

Welcome back to my top 50 games list as of the start of 2014.  Part 2 has some ups and downs, only 1 new entry, and a lot of good games.

Without further ado, the games!

#40 No Thanks  Down 17
No Thanks is still a great card game in my book.  A fair bit of this drop is due to newer games.  The game can be a bit lucky in terms of what cards get pulled out, but I still have fun playing it.  I think I've said everything I can say about No Thanks in my review and the previous 2 editions of this list.  It's a game worth owning.


#39 Survive: Escape from Atlantis  New
Survive was one of those classic games that I heard a lot about, but didn't get a chance to play until early 2013.  When I did, I really enjoyed the gameplay.  Sure, the game can be mean, it can be lucky, and you can be completely out of it rather quickly, but it's a very fun game.  Weird stuff is going to happen to your guys, they're going to get eaten by sharks, just accept it.  It's a relatively quick game that lets you be mean if you want, but also requires a certain amount of cooperation in order to do well.  I appreciate the balance there, and I will never turn down a game of Survive.


#38 Tsuro  Down 18
I'll be brief here.  Nothing really changed with Tsuro.  I still enjoy the game, but there are other games in the same niche that I currently enjoy more.  It's still a challenging puzzle, but I've found that most games end in very similar ways.  I'm curious about Tsuro of the Seas in terms of added gameplay depth and variety.  Perhaps something to try out in 2014.


#37 Carcassonne Down 13
I still really enjoy Carcassonne, the problem is that I have no one to play with these days.  I guess that's partially my fault, since I don't take the game to game night often, but it's also a pain to separate and teach.  Sure, the basic game is fairly straight forward, but start adding in expansions and things go crazy, plus the game gets longer.


#36 Seasons Up 2
Seasons made it's debut on my list last year because my first few plays intrigued me.  I didn't play it a lot in 2013, but each time I did, I enjoyed it more than the previous time.  The game plays out differently each time.  Drafting cards at the start of the game is key to keeping the game balanced and varied.


#35 Rattus  Down 21
This is tied for the biggest drop on my list.  I probably had Rattus overrated last year, and perhaps a bit underrated this year.  I only played it once in 2013, so that contributes to the drop.  I can't really put my finger on why Rattus dropped so much.  I still like playing the game, but it's not something I bring out all the time.


#34 Wits and Wagers  (Original, Family, and Party) Down 6
Wits and Wagers essentially holds steady in the middle of the pack.   It's a good game, but has situational uses.  I'm not apt to pull it out at a game night, yet parties are often too big for W&W.  This is still my go to trivia game, I just don't have a lot of trivia players in my game groups.

#33 Catacombs  Down 16
Down due to lack of play.  I really want to play this again, but it's not a good set-up for my Monday night group.  Catacombs is a lot of fun to play, even though it can run long at times.  I stopped buying expansions for it since I have more than I've been able to play, and more than I will be able to get tired of even if I played it once a month or more.

#32 Formula D  Up 7
Formula D gets a rare up movement in the rankings this year.  I continue to enjoy this game every time I play it, even if it's usually with the basic rules and a short 1 or 2 lap race.  I really enjoy the strategy of trying to plan ahead for corners, and the way players have to take some risks in order to get ahead.  I think I've only crashed out once, but that's typically because I'm in the top 3 and not needing to take a lot of chances late in the game.

#31 Risk Legacy  Down 2
Just a little drop here for Risk Legacy.  I finally won a game this past year which was a welcome sight.  My group is still only through 6 games, and unfortunately we're not likely to finish it any time soon.  Risk Legacy took basic Risk and added a lot to the game.  The gameplay itself is still really basic, but all the extra things that go into this game make it a lot of fun to play.  I also appreciate the faster playtime, most games last around 60 minutes, which is the perfect amount of Risk for me.

My Top 50 games (as of Jan. 1 2014) Intro and 50-41

Welcome to my top 50 games list as of the start of 2014.  Since I have last year's list to compare with, I'll be talking about the changes in positions. There are 18 games new to the list, 10 games fell off the list, and a whopping 25 games moved down, but more on that later.

I plan on making three posts per week for the Top 50 list, one on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so tune in often.  For games that were on the list last year, I'm not going to talk much about their gameplay, but rather about why they moved up or down.  My sister will also be discussing her Top 25 games to give you another perspective from a more casual gamer.

Without further ado, the games!

#50 Qwixx  New
Qwixx was nominated for the 2013 SDJ, which doesn't always mean that it's a great game, but it means that it is accessible.  Qwixx is a dice game where everyone can use part of the active player's roll, but they're not required to.  It has choices throughout the game, but the game always comes down to luck of the dice.  A fun filler type game.  It should be out in the US in the next couple of months, so definitely worth looking into.  If you're a fan of Yahtzee or other light dice games, this is definitely worth a look.


#49 Agricola New
Agricola has been sitting in my top 60 or so since I started doing these lists, but something kept me from moving it up.  It's a big game, so not everyone will play it, but it is enjoyable.  It can be a mean game, and it's a very tight game (meaning you always want to do more than you can).  The game does tell a story through the actions.  You start with two farmers who can take actions such as fishing, clay making, gathering food, building fences, etc.  There are multiple ways to win the game, but also multiple ways to lose.  Most of the expansions are unnecessary unless you've played the game dozens of times.


#48 This Game is Bonkers  Down 29
Bonkers moved down for two reasons. First, I only got to play it once or twice, which just isn't enough.  Second, I played a lot of other light games in 2013 and they are better than Bonkers in my mind.  I still like the game, and I will always play if someone suggests it.


#47 Zooloretto/Aquaretto New
Zooloretto was #55 last year on my list, but I'm counting it as new since it wasn't actually on the list.  Zooloretto is a game about building a zoo.  There is set collection and some bonuses for filling certain areas, but mostly it is a game about getting animals of certain types and maximizing the points.  Aquaretto plays very similar, just with water animals.  The game does reward experience, but it doesn't require it.  I recently played with three others who had never played and the game was close, which made it enjoyable for everyone.


#46 Eclipse New
This is the first 4X game I've played, and wow, what a game.  There's a lot going on, and it takes awhile to play, but it's a great experience.  This is an all afternoon/evening sort of game, especially with a lot of players, but it has something for everyone.  There are alliances, tech trees, economic decisions, warfare, backstabbing, and much more.  There are so many options in this game, that I've yet to feel like I'm playing the same game twice.  There are certain avenues that are helpful to pursue, but nothing is absolutely mandatory in the game.


#45 TransAmerica  New
TransAmerica is a light version of Ticket to Ride with a cooperative spin.  There's still a competition to complete your cities first, but you have to help others along the way.  I enjoy the game, even though it can be frustrating when no one builds near your cities.  I think the game is better using the included Vexation expansion, which gives each player 3 tracks in their own color that only they can travel along.  This adds some more strategy to the game, and makes people build around.  Vexation adds some time to the game, but I think it makes it a better game.  That being said, I enjoy both.  I think Vexation is better, but I will gladly play base TransAmerica with new players.


#44 Settlers of Catan  Down 19

This year, Catan drops not because of lack of plays, but because of better games taking its place.  The biweekly group I started attending began as a Catan group, and now we've only played Catan twice since I started introducing other games.  Catan is still fun, but it's not something I want to play often, and I rarely go "let's play Catan."  I have enjoyed Star Trek Catan, which adds some powers which makes for a faster game and an added layer of strategy.


#43 1960: Making of the President  Down 16
Down due to lack of play.  I just don't have someone to play long 2 player games with right now.  This is an amazing game, it just doesn't see table time for me.  I might try getting my cousin into this game, since I think he'd enjoy it.  I've found both sides to be balanced.  Sure, one side can have a better draw sometimes, but I've found that those things even out over the course of the game.

#42 Eminent Domain  Down 21
I'm actually predicting that this will go back up next year.  It's falling because I need the expansion that's supposedly on it's way to me as we speak.  The base game is fine, but everyone plays the same way, and it gets old fast.  EmDo has also been hurt by the fact that I haven't been able to play the full game (with Tech) since I've been teaching new players in my most recent plays of it.

#41 Power Grid  Down 5
Not a huge drop here, as you can see from other games dropping down.  I actually played Power Grid with my cousin and we both enjoyed it.  There are some flaws, especially for new players, but I enjoy Power Grid, and it's moved up to keeper status for me.  I no longer own any expansion maps.  While I can appreciate the variety they add, I don't play the game enough to justify owning them.