I'm going to put together a top ten list for my favorite board games. This list will be for my all-time favorites, and I will re-post the list whenever it changes. Here we go!
10. Fauna
9. Snow Tails / Formula D
8. The Castles of Burgundy
7. Empire Builder
6. 51st State
5. Hansa Teutonica
4. Navegador
3. London
2. The Resistance
1. A Few Acres of Snow
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
2011 End-of-Year Dimes
I started in the hobby actively logging every time I played a board game. That was in November of last year. This list is not totally accurate because I fell off the wagon for a few months and stopped logging. Also, since I tend to forget to log plays in the middle of a night of gaming, some of them are most definitely forgotten. After this list I shall post my fives for the year. At any rate, here are my dimes from 2011:
Dominion - 50 plays
I really enjoy Dominion, while understanding that it's not the deepest of deep games. What it is, though, is a fun little quick optimization and combo exercise that I find enjoyable in good company. Luckily for me, my parents got into the hobby through this game and love it. So every time I visit them or they visit us, Dominion tends to hit the table. When I was a child we would sit around and play rummy as a family, enjoying not so much the game as the time spent with family, I think. Dominion is like that, but with a better and more fun game. The different combinations of all the different possible cards makes this enjoyable to try to figure out the best way to get those victory points.
Crokinole - 30 plays
Crokinole is great fun. What got Crokinole played so much in 2011 is the same thing that got Dominion played so much, it's quick and easy. The rules are quick and I can introduce this one to almost anyone. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dominion and Crokinole top this list in 2012 as well.
Eminent Domain - 23 plays
This one got a LOT of play in a short time. While I'm suspicious of it's long-term depth, since the wifey loves it and it takes about 30-40 minutes, we'll sometimes play this one twice in a row. While these days Erin (my wife) and tend toward hour-or-so long Euros when we play 2-player stuff together, I imagine this will get some play in 2012.
The Resistance - 18 plays
I LOVE this game. I love it so much it replaced Battlestar Galactica for me. I gave away BSG and its expansion because I can't see ever wanting to play that game anymore over The Resistance whenever I have the requisite players. It's a tiny game, in a tiny box, easy to teach and an absolute blast to play with the right players. Everyone should have this game in their collection. I can't imagine the $15 it costs for this game being considered too much for the experience you get.
For Sale - 17 plays
This light auction game got its plays due to it being one of my very first go-to games for introducing others to the hobby. My parents, my game groups, everyone likes this game and rarely turns it down. My in-laws had absolutely no experience with hobby board games, and I think might have even been a tad intimidated by the seemingly complex rule-sets, but this game got them into it. Now they own this and Ticket to Ride.
San Juan - 17 plays
I have and likely always will have a warm spot in my heart for San Juan. It was one of the first "deeper" games that Erin and I learned and explored together in a 2-player setting. We would take the toddler to a playground and just play San Juan while he played. In truth, we probably played this over double this amount, and I missed the logs since we played this out in public mostly. We don't play this game much anymore and mostly keep it for nostalgia, since it was fired by the next game on the list, Race for the Galaxy.
For the rest of the list, I'll just list the games. Maybe I'll get reviews up on every game on this list in the next few months.
Race for the Galaxy - 14 plays
51st State - 12 plays
London - 12 plays
No Thanks! - 11 plays
7 Wonders - 10 plays
Can't Stop - 10 plays
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - 10 plays
...and that completes my list of dimes for 2011. This list is mostly composed of games I enjoy, even love - but there are a few games that I wouldn't mind not even owning, and only keep around because they get played (as evidenced by their placement on this list!).
Games on this list that I LOVE:
Crokinole, The Resistance, Race for the Galaxy, 51st State, London, Can't Stop
Games on this list that I like and don't mind playing:
Dominion, Eminent Domain, For Sale, San Juan, No Thanks!
And, games on this list that I don't like all that much at all:
7 Wonder, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
-Jiiri
Dominion - 50 plays
I really enjoy Dominion, while understanding that it's not the deepest of deep games. What it is, though, is a fun little quick optimization and combo exercise that I find enjoyable in good company. Luckily for me, my parents got into the hobby through this game and love it. So every time I visit them or they visit us, Dominion tends to hit the table. When I was a child we would sit around and play rummy as a family, enjoying not so much the game as the time spent with family, I think. Dominion is like that, but with a better and more fun game. The different combinations of all the different possible cards makes this enjoyable to try to figure out the best way to get those victory points.
Crokinole - 30 plays
Crokinole is great fun. What got Crokinole played so much in 2011 is the same thing that got Dominion played so much, it's quick and easy. The rules are quick and I can introduce this one to almost anyone. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dominion and Crokinole top this list in 2012 as well.
Eminent Domain - 23 plays
This one got a LOT of play in a short time. While I'm suspicious of it's long-term depth, since the wifey loves it and it takes about 30-40 minutes, we'll sometimes play this one twice in a row. While these days Erin (my wife) and tend toward hour-or-so long Euros when we play 2-player stuff together, I imagine this will get some play in 2012.
The Resistance - 18 plays
I LOVE this game. I love it so much it replaced Battlestar Galactica for me. I gave away BSG and its expansion because I can't see ever wanting to play that game anymore over The Resistance whenever I have the requisite players. It's a tiny game, in a tiny box, easy to teach and an absolute blast to play with the right players. Everyone should have this game in their collection. I can't imagine the $15 it costs for this game being considered too much for the experience you get.
For Sale - 17 plays
This light auction game got its plays due to it being one of my very first go-to games for introducing others to the hobby. My parents, my game groups, everyone likes this game and rarely turns it down. My in-laws had absolutely no experience with hobby board games, and I think might have even been a tad intimidated by the seemingly complex rule-sets, but this game got them into it. Now they own this and Ticket to Ride.
San Juan - 17 plays
I have and likely always will have a warm spot in my heart for San Juan. It was one of the first "deeper" games that Erin and I learned and explored together in a 2-player setting. We would take the toddler to a playground and just play San Juan while he played. In truth, we probably played this over double this amount, and I missed the logs since we played this out in public mostly. We don't play this game much anymore and mostly keep it for nostalgia, since it was fired by the next game on the list, Race for the Galaxy.
For the rest of the list, I'll just list the games. Maybe I'll get reviews up on every game on this list in the next few months.
Race for the Galaxy - 14 plays
51st State - 12 plays
London - 12 plays
No Thanks! - 11 plays
7 Wonders - 10 plays
Can't Stop - 10 plays
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - 10 plays
...and that completes my list of dimes for 2011. This list is mostly composed of games I enjoy, even love - but there are a few games that I wouldn't mind not even owning, and only keep around because they get played (as evidenced by their placement on this list!).
Games on this list that I LOVE:
Crokinole, The Resistance, Race for the Galaxy, 51st State, London, Can't Stop
Games on this list that I like and don't mind playing:
Dominion, Eminent Domain, For Sale, San Juan, No Thanks!
And, games on this list that I don't like all that much at all:
7 Wonder, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
-Jiiri
My New Blog
This will be my new spot to talk about shit. Fun shit. Any fun shit I want. Mostly I'm planning on writing some board game reviews, but there may be video games and other fun shit here as well. I just love games, and have since I was a tiny wee lad. I also enjoy writing, and want to improve in that area as well. So, here we are.
Jiiri
Jiiri
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