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Author Topic: List your current top ten  (Read 9892 times)
ghost
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on: December 14, 2020, 09:05:26 AM

I thought it might be a fun exercise for folks to list their top ten games.  I like to see what other people like.

Here's mine:

1.  Le Havre-  I love this game so much with 2 or 3 players.  It gets a little wild and wooly with 4 or 5, because there will be rounds you only get one action.  But to me, this is the penultimate heavy resource conversion game. 
2.  Brass:  Lancashire-  I have the older version, when it was just "Brass".  I love the scoring mechanisms of this.  It's thick, and has a lot of little rules to futz with.  I have some poker chips that I use for money.  This is great game.
3.  Barrage-  I guess a lot of people ate it on the kickstarter for this, and the production is simultaneously shite and great.  But, at the heart of the matter, I love the game and how the production oriented workers are handled, with the turntable.  This can be super mean, which is weird for a newer euro.
4.  A Feast for Odin-  Man, this game is my thing.  I love the pentomino deal for scoring, and I love how wide open it feels.  There is "feed your people" game, but doesn't feel as bad as Agricola. 
5.  Fields of Arle-  Another Uwe game.  This one I like because you can upgrade the available spaces to improve the quality of the action you are taking.  And I like the way the animals score, which is different than in his other games. 
6.  Twilight Struggle-  The big daddy.  The way the events are used for the other player when you use their cards for operations points is really cool, and then having the single outlet to burn them in the space race is also cool.  It's tough to do a tug of war two player game and have there be tension, and this game nailed it.  It deserves the reputation it has accumulated. 
7.  Lorenzo il Magnifico-  I like the tableau building, and I like how the dice are used.  I also like the excommunication feature, and how you can choose to burn resources to avoid the punishment, or just eat the punishment.  It is a nice length, and plays well at any number of players. 
8.  Innovation-  this is wild, swingy, and not something that you can always have full control over.  I really only play it with two players, as with more it turns completely into the wild west of games.  It's so interesting to play, though, and I just love it. 
9.  Azul-  I don't typically like abstracts all that much, but this is a beautiful and well thought out game.  It works well at all player counts, plays fast, and looks beautiful.  I can play it over and over.  It does get a little mean, once you've figured out the nuances.
10.  Viticulture Essential Edition-  The worker placement in this game is excellent.  You have to play with the newer edition that has the big meeple.  This may be the most thematic worker placement game I have played.  I usually only play with the basic board, but the expanded action board is awesome too.  The production is excellent. 
schild
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Reply #1 on: December 14, 2020, 06:00:59 PM

I don't even want to make a top 10 list in 2020. This year bit ass. I don't lke fuckin anything. As such, here's ten games that make me feel. Also, just log into Discord to talk about boardgames. IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

This Guilty Land - what a tight little nugged wrapped in the most depressing theme imaginable. I have the Vote sitting on the shelf, but haven't gotten a chance to play it. I imagine it's just better?

Reign of Witches - Let's just continue on with the Hollandspiele love. This is baby's first Pax game. Which is utterly amazing since Eklund is out there completely fucking up Pax Viking. Also it's the first Pax game with clear and concise rules while STILL doing nearly everything a Pax game does.

Tainted Grail - The sad big box bastard of a campaign game, perfect for 2020.

Crystal Palace - A knife fight in a phone booth at any player count.

Pax Renaissance - I am but 4 games in and dare I say I like it as much as...

Pax Pamir - probably my number 2 game of all time.

18Chesapeake - Only have two games under my belt but I have many feelings now for 18xx games. I don't want a lot of them but I want a handful on the more medium end of the spectrum. This is one of the things I'm most looking forward to coming out of the pandemic. Which brings me to...

The King's Fucking Dilemma - I have two campaigns running and they're both on ice until we all have vaccines. What a load of SHIT.

It's a Wonderful World - Yeah, it's light. But it's the best draft then start your engine game I've played by miles. Expansion email went out this morning for shipping, so it's on my mind again.

Hellenica - I've only played this once, but I want to play it more? It's basically a 3x. Which the bg world needs more of.

I really can't wait for the pandemic to be over. TTS is trash.
Mosesandstick
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Reply #2 on: December 16, 2020, 09:35:04 AM

I'm going to provide a "current" top 10 list, which basically means it's all 2-players games while we're dealing with covid. We don't own 10 2 player games either, yet. We'll see in 9 days.

There are also a couple of others we've played that I could add, such as the Exit! and Unlock games, but we've only tried a couple out. We also need to play more Hive and Jaipur before we can rank them.

1. Codenames Duet - Finding word connections is fun, if wordplay and pattern matching is your kind of thing. It's pretty quick to set up, play and pack up. Though my partner ends up spending a lot of time waiting for me to think awesome, for real
2. Patchwork - Fun game, with a good balance between building up your own patch and making moves that make your opponent's life more difficult. It also marries tesselation and resource building mechanics pretty well. Another quick one to play, though it requires a bit of space.
3. 7 Wonders Duel - Great interpretation of the 7 wonders mechanics. It's a regular in our play cycle.
4. Pandemic Legacy (Season 1) - Don't think there's much I could add that hasn't already been said.
5. Escape Tales - Our favourite escape game so far, with reasonable puzzles and a good enough storyline.
6. Arkham Horror LCG - Strategic, difficult and story based, we've enjoyed the mixture Arkham brings, though I'm doing all of the deckbuilding. Two main criticisms would be the pricing and LCG format, as well as the big difference in replaying secnarios.
6. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle - A real mix of fun and annoying in this game. Good use of the the theme.
7. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - A game with nearly no rules and that is probably better played ignoring most of the ones it does have. The good cases are definitely fun to play.
8. D&D Dungeon Mayhem - Super quick but nearly entirely luck based. Probably works better with more than 2 people.

lamaros
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Reply #3 on: December 16, 2020, 07:56:13 PM

Top whatever lists are always flawed, but here's some that come to mind for me.

Indonesia - such an amazingly good game. Need to force more people to give it a go.
1849/89/30 - still dedicate a lot of my gaming time specifically to 18xx, and these are my favs.
Monikers - best party game.
Time of Crisis - not played as much as I wish but I love the combo of this with the deck building.
Railways of the World & expansions - family favourite, enjoying it again now we aren't playing every week.
Gloobz - best simple non thinking game.
War of the Ring - rarely play it but still love how it sits in my mind.
Go - I'm shit, game is art.
The Resistance - still don't think there a better social detection game.
Catan - friends favourite. Best beer game. Familiarity helps.
Jaipur - enjoy this online and in person. Perfect balance of skill and random.
Clash of Cultures w/ expansion - dunno, normally have fun. Actually has a map.

I got bored of pax renaissance quickly. It's good, it works. But eh. I enjoyed the first game of Kings dilemma, but some weren't into it, might be a slog to turn that around.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2020, 08:02:31 PM by lamaros »
ghost
The Dentist
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Reply #4 on: December 17, 2020, 05:30:30 AM

1849/89/30 - still dedicate a lot of my gaming time specifically to 18xx, and these are my favs.

What would you recommend as the best intro 18xx that plays okay with three players? 
lamaros
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Reply #5 on: December 17, 2020, 12:24:13 PM

1849/89/30 - still dedicate a lot of my gaming time specifically to 18xx, and these are my favs.

What would you recommend as the best intro 18xx that plays okay with three players? 

1889, but it's always best to learn from someone who has played the game, if possible.
schild
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Reply #6 on: December 17, 2020, 04:40:13 PM

1849/89/30 - still dedicate a lot of my gaming time specifically to 18xx, and these are my favs.

What would you recommend as the best intro 18xx that plays okay with three players? 

1889/Shikoku as mentioned and will be on Kickstarter soon. Or 18Chesapeake.

Both are on 18xx.games.

Also, 1860/Wight just entered alpha there.
ghost
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Reply #7 on: December 23, 2020, 07:04:20 AM

I have 1860.  I think I'll start with that, then. 
schild
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Reply #8 on: December 23, 2020, 07:51:35 AM

I wish I had 1860 :( :( :(
lamaros
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Reply #9 on: December 23, 2020, 04:41:31 PM

1860 would be a realllly weird place to start.

I wouldn't recommend it.
schild
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Reply #10 on: December 23, 2020, 05:57:56 PM

Please note I did not RECOMMEND 1860. That was another comment that it just entered alpha as its known for playing well at low player counts. 18Ches & 1889 are still the rec in that post.
ghost
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Reply #11 on: December 26, 2020, 03:03:21 PM

I have the following:

1860
1856
1846
1830
schild
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Reply #12 on: December 26, 2020, 03:39:54 PM

legit didn't even know you had anyone to play train games with
ghost
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Reply #13 on: December 26, 2020, 03:47:09 PM

I have three kids that really like games.  The oldest two have taken to beating the shit out of each other with Twilight Struggle. 
schild
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Reply #14 on: December 26, 2020, 06:30:54 PM

That'll do it.
lamaros
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Reply #15 on: December 27, 2020, 01:56:10 PM

I have the following:

1860
1856
1846
1830

I'd start with 1830. If that doesn't click 1846 (though I find that a bit more chromey, euroy, and less fun). 1856 is a variation on 1830, and less simple.
Khaldun
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Reply #16 on: August 26, 2021, 06:44:53 PM

My fam group bombed out on Gloomhaven--they just hated it. I've been trying the Steam version and I kind of think I hate it too. There's just no fun in it at all--do exactly the one thing or you fail. It's like chess. It's clarified for me some design precepts--if there's no RNG at all, I don't like it. If there's no room to do multiple things tactically and still (improbably) do ok, I hate it.
eldaec
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Reply #17 on: August 27, 2021, 01:59:36 AM

On the other hand, lack of RNG is why I like gloom haven. I've barely played any of it because of the absurd overhead of all the bits but his has exactly the right amount of randomness in the cards. Card randomness has a massive advantage over dice, in that the designer can more easily tweak exactly how he wants the RNG to function, also it usually makes a game feel less about the random chance, because the moment of the draw is usually less the centre of attention than a roll of dice.

For me dice are a tiresome abstraction that sure, sometimes there is no better solution for. But they are never desirable in themselves.


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Sky
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Reply #18 on: August 27, 2021, 08:18:01 AM

My fam group bombed out on Gloomhaven--they just hated it. I've been trying the Steam version and I kind of think I hate it too. There's just no fun in it at all--do exactly the one thing or you fail. It's like chess. It's clarified for me some design precepts--if there's no RNG at all, I don't like it. If there's no room to do multiple things tactically and still (improbably) do ok, I hate it.

I'm waaay on the side of RNG. I don't mind a simple game with rng; I dislike even a grand, well-designed game that doesn't allow for rng.

That's why I love KDM, it's got designed AI card decks, allows for player customization, but at the end of the day you still have to put the rubber to the road and get those lantern 10s. I've never gotten tired of the thrill of 'natural 20' or the horror of rolling 1's. I'm not a gambler, but I'm sure that's the part of my brain that satisfies.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2021, 08:20:45 AM by Sky »
schild
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Reply #19 on: August 27, 2021, 04:01:52 PM

My fam group bombed out on Gloomhaven--they just hated it. I've been trying the Steam version and I kind of think I hate it too. There's just no fun in it at all--do exactly the one thing or you fail. It's like chess. It's clarified for me some design precepts--if there's no RNG at all, I don't like it. If there's no room to do multiple things tactically and still (improbably) do ok, I hate it.


Gloomhaven fuckin sucks.
Falconeer
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Reply #20 on: September 17, 2021, 11:12:58 AM

do exactly the one thing or you fail.

I don't think you are playing Gloomhaven right.

schild
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Reply #21 on: September 17, 2021, 12:01:35 PM

do exactly the one thing or you fail.

I don't think you are playing Gloomhaven right.
No, that sounds correct. The one thing is the Most Correct thing and the game really doesn't like you deviating all that much. Sure you can do things a little different but for the most part the difference is how much pepper you apply rather than salt.
Falconeer
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Reply #22 on: September 17, 2021, 11:44:14 PM

Again, not at all. I know far too well how different is the energy we are willing to put into any debate but that's completely inaccurate. Gloomhaven certainly has that "puzzle" element which can lead to such a feeling, but it's a puzzle that can be solved in many ways. There's a reason why there are multiple classes, which already negates the concept that there's only one way to do it, or different builds for said classes, which again negate, and finally personal experience, which is playing the game many many times with friends who all picked random shit, and still managing to make it work.

There is absolutely a random element. The dice is replaced by damage cards, which are almost exactly like a die, and so are the enemy actions. And finally, and very important, players are NOT supposed to plan their specific actions together (as per the rules) which means
a) a high degree of randomness as opposed to planning everything which is non fun and also creates a table-leadership where some players are just pawns in the hands of the house strategist
b) proof that most of the maps can be won in many different ways.

"Do exactly one thing or you fail" is 100% wrong in Gloomhaven, it certainly shows that the game did not click with the player but it could be easily applied to any game or video game ever with just a small adjustment: "Kill enemies before they kill you or fail. This game sucks."

schild
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Reply #23 on: September 18, 2021, 11:35:18 AM

You're right, it's not do exactly one thing or you fail. Particularly if you look at the literal description instead of the spirit of it, which is pretty obviously "doing less efficient things leads to failure."

It's not a "puzzle" element. It is a puzzle. Yes, the pieces can vary because it's a board game. But pretending its some grand dungeon crawl worthy of its fame is absolutely absurd.

It's just a puzzle game with shitty art and a narrow success band for any individual skirmish.

Grats on being well-balanced as a puzzle, I guess.
eldaec
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Reply #24 on: September 18, 2021, 05:28:06 PM

The shitty art is the thing I have the hardest time with. I like gloomhaven but if the art is going to be that bad I'd have prefered it to as an abstract.

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Khaldun
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Reply #25 on: September 19, 2021, 04:18:57 PM

Schild's right here. Sure, technically, I'm sure there are several ways to solve a given board, but basically, there's one highly optimal path and maybe two suboptimal ones, and even a few suboptimal turns and that's all she wrote. Which is fine in a roguelike but it's not really what I take Gloomhaven to be doing.

I'm kind of baffled by the game's reputation. I think it has nice design and kind of sucks to play.
eldaec
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Reply #26 on: September 19, 2021, 04:33:42 PM

Wheras I have no problem with it being a puzzle.

I don't think it is fair to say it is about finding one optimal route. But it is certainly about puzzling out one valid route.

It is a much more complicated Andor.

"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular ­assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
Khaldun
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Reply #27 on: September 19, 2021, 06:39:29 PM

Sure. I'm glad for the people for whom that is their jam. It's just that it was clarifying: that is not my jam.
schild
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Reply #28 on: September 20, 2021, 10:20:41 PM

Quote
It is a much more complicated Andor.
I would argue nobody should want this.
Gimfain
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Reply #29 on: September 21, 2021, 12:35:58 AM

Main problem I had with gloomhaven is that it had classes that completely broke any resemblance of game balance which was further increased by items that was simply too powerful. There were insanely quick aoe CC and instagibs which in many ways ignored increasing enemy levels since enemies didn't get to act. In the last third we started to go for suboptimal builds and avoided the worst offending cards  and that together with some interesting encounter designs made it more fun. The standard 3-4 room scenarios remained dull though.

When you ask for a miracle, you have to be prepared to believe in it or you'll miss it when it comes
schild
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Reply #30 on: September 22, 2021, 07:20:17 PM

Quote
This Guilty Land
Reign of Witches
Tainted Grail
Crystal Palace
Pax Renaissance
Pax Pamir
18Chesapeake
The King's Fucking Dilemma
It's a Wonderful World
Hellenica

Time to revisit this:

I can no longer do rankings just by game, but I will include entire game systems here:

18xx
COIN
Splotter
Cole Wehrle
Level 99's Big Dumb Offerings (MB, Empyreal, Argent)
Kingdom Death
It's a Wonderful World
Tainted Grail
Pax Renaissance
Spirit Island
Cthulhu Wars

i'm sure that's 10 or so
Riggswolfe
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Reply #31 on: October 18, 2021, 10:20:34 AM

Main problem I had with gloomhaven is that it had classes that completely broke any resemblance of game balance which was further increased by items that was simply too powerful. There were insanely quick aoe CC and instagibs which in many ways ignored increasing enemy levels since enemies didn't get to act. In the last third we started to go for suboptimal builds and avoided the worst offending cards  and that together with some interesting encounter designs made it more fun. The standard 3-4 room scenarios remained dull though.

Our groups problem with Gloomhaven was it quickly got very repetitive. After you figured out the best builds you realize each "dungeon" is almost exactly the same with a few minor differences like "go pull this lever in addition to killing all enemies" and they all really boiled down to "do all this stuff before you run out of cards and you win. Don't and you lose." and it was just sort of a slog to play. "oh look, another dungeon that is 3 rooms and our mission is...kill everything."

"We live in a country, where John Lennon takes six bullets in the chest, Yoko Ono was standing right next to him and not one fucking bullet! Explain that to me! Explain that to me, God! Explain it to me, God!" - Denis Leary summing up my feelings about the nature of the universe.
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