Top 10 (also included: Likes and Dislikes)

To start off today's post, I am going to show you a picture of my game shelf:

 

Pretty cool, huh? :)

I have acquired a lot more than this (and most of those are on their way out the door), but these are the keepers, the favorites, the golden games.  Even among this motley crew, a number of these games stand out above the rest, at least for now.  Instead of highlighting all the reasons why I like these particular games above the others, I decided to simultaneously describe my general likes and dislikes in gaming (in an effort to stay positive, only one dislike is shown for every two likes).  So, without further ado, here is the list.

#10 Space Alert

I enjoy both cooperative games and competitive games, but I prefer co-ops to be of short duration.

I dislike games that contain unappealing artwork or little aesthetic appeal.  Yes, it is a silly criticism for a game to some people, but for me the whole experience is part of the game, including the artwork or atmosphere.

#9 Combat Commander: Europe
I love games which cause you to suspend reality for a while.  When you actually care about what happens to your pieces, the game has done its job in my opinion.

#8 Churchill
Negotiating with multiple players is a wonderful social experience to me.   In many games with more than two players, this can greatly enhance the fun of the game.

Games with one dominant strategy or one single unbreakable path to winning need not apply for a spot on my shelf.  They allow for little creativity or cunning.

#7 Sekigahara: the Unification of Japan
In general, I prefer two player games over multi-player games.

#6 Keyflower
Games with variable set-up and lots of random elements are welcome in my collection, as long as winning the game is not pure randomness!

I generally don't find games with themes of magic, adventurers, or other highly-fictionalized themes enjoyable.  I also avoid games with vulgar themes (like Cards against Humanity) or demonic, evil themes.

#5 Commands & Colors: Napoleonics
As may be obvious by now, military, political, and wargames are my favorite board gaming entree.

#4 Kingdom Builder
Both long and short competitive games are fine with me.  The important thing for me is that the game engages me the whole time.

 I hate multi-player games in which the decision as to whether I get a meaningful turn or not is determined by some random uncontrollable factor, like a die roll.  (This criticism doesn't apply to two-player games.)  Such games often overstay their welcome.

#3 Liberty or Death: the American Insurrection
Complex, deep thinking games with one way to win but with an uncertain path to get there have a place on my table and on my shelf. 

#2 Napoleon's Triumph
I love games that are a blend of strategy and tactics.

I don't like many games which try to fabricate a story in a forced way (like many games that literally tell stories on all their cards or with each action that you take).

#1 Dominant Species
I love asymmetric games in which each faction or side plays uniquely or wins differently from the others.

Re-play or Replayable?

Good evening!  Today's post is a little different.  I felt like blogging today, but I have only played a few iOS games since the last post (all the same one: Kingdom Builder).  The game got me thinking about replayability as a factor that I and others take into account when making a board game purchase.  (There will actually be another post later on my other factors, like a likes and dislikes kind of post.)

Note: These are just my rambling thoughts.  I don't think I can actually answer the question I pose.

Now, of course, everyone has their own reason for playing games.  One thing that I enjoy in most of my games is the aspect of friendly intellectual competition that accompanies them.  However, this requires that I have the chance to explore the game to a deeper level.  The game should be replayable.

"What makes a game replayable?"
That's a great question!  Each game seems to do this differently.  I'll list a few examples below with an attempt to highlight one factor that makes the game replayable.  (This is not meant to be exhaustive, by the way.)

Variable Victory Conditions

 

Like in Kingdom Builder, which got me thinking about replayability today, some games have victory conditions that change from game to game.  In this example, scoring points will come from your ability to meet the conditions on the indicated cards for that particular game.  This could make even the same combination of boards a different game from previous iterations because the strategy you will take to pursue victory must change with your conditions for scoring!  This is not even mentioning another thing that this game does to add replayability (modular boards).

Variable pieces

Similar to the game above, where you have to change your strategy to ultimate achieve victory, games like Suburbia force you to adapt to the game in various ways.  This game has a pool of pieces that will be used during each game, but, in a single game, you will not use them all!  You should prepare for particularly powerful combos while also understanding that they may not show up and you will have to make it work with something else.  

Variable Card Decks

Like the others, Fire in the Lake causes players to adjust their strategies as the game is played.  However, while victory conditions are no different from game to game, your path to victory will probably change drastically.  In this game, cards increase replayability in two ways: 1) they determine player turn order, so you may have new opportunities arise if you and your "teammate" can make the most of your temporary advantages, and 2) they bring with them often powerful events, which can force you to make some extremely tough decisions based on the current state of affairs.  In addition, not all of the cards will be used in a game.

Hidden Pieces

 

In Napoleon's Triumph, and certain other military/wargames, pieces are allocated by the players at the beginning the of the game into army groups.  The identities of the units is known to the placing player, but unknown to the opponent until they are engaged in battle.  While this doesn't sound like it will make the game super different each time, the placement of your pieces will in part determine your strategy for the battle - and whether you can foil your opponent's attempts to counter you.  Good luck figuring out whether those blocks standing in your way are one-strength infantry or the elite Guard units!

Your Opponent

  

Last, but not least, you cannot underestimate the replayability that a good opponent brings to a game like Hive.  They will keep you on your toes and force you to rethink the way you play the game, leading to new strategies and novel ways to use your pieces. 

Hive Mind

Welcome back!  Today's post is pretty short.  This weekend's plays were of a phenomenal little game called Hive against a good friend but new opponent.  We played several times, of which I have posted two pictures below.

 

In case you are familiar with the game and are wondering about the queen bee for black, she is underneath the pesky white beetle.

One of the nice things about this game is that it can basically be played anywhere, even on a local park table.  We were not responsible for the defacing of the table by the way.

This game ended in a tie!

The game is pretty simple.  I won't go into too much detail, but basically you have two choices during your turn.  Either put pieces into play from your hand or move with pieces already in play.  Your objective is to surround the opponent's queen bee.  We played the game multiple times and had a blast!  My opponent got quite good at it, and I expect we will have more intense games in the future!

Escape the Curse of the Temple on the 17th

Disclaimer: All names used represent actual people, but as will be usual on this blog, I have changed their names for their privacy.

For the opening post of this blog, I want to showcase one of several games that we played today. Drumroll please...

Escape, the Curse of the Temple

 

This picture is not actual gameplay (it is too difficult to get a picture during the game).  Several 6-player games of Escape the Curse of the Temple were played.  What an exhausting game!

Escape is a simple game in concept.  You must roll symbols on a set of dice to place gems on pedestals and escape the cursed Mayan temple.  It is completely cooperative, so all players work together to win the game.  However, there is a catch: you have only ten minutes!  The game comes with a soundtrack to play spooky music and alert the players to certain events in the temple.

All the players involved had a blast!  All three games ended as losses for the players.  In the first game, two players failed to escape, one after going back to assist a fellow expedition member (let's call the person that needed help Sonic).  In the second game, three players failed to escape after Sonic again got stuck pretty far away from the exit and the other two went back to help.  The last game ended terribly.  All the players remained in the temple when it collapsed, including Sonic.

This game is one of my most played games.  It is quick, easy to learn, and fun to play.  It also has several expansions, which can be combined or mix-and-matched to provide a unique and challenging game each time.  

Well, hopefully you enjoyed the first post.  There will be many more to come of all different types!