Dice games are a really mixed bag, suffice to say, there are a lot of really bad ones.  In fact up until the last couple of years I doubt I would have been able to scrape together 5 dice games I actually liked.  That however has definitely changed in recent years.  Not only are there a lot of great quality dice games out there, some I would even categorize as reaching well beyond the simplicity that is usually associated with the genre.

Enjoy the list

1. Roll For The Galaxy

While the review is still pending, I can give you a preview, in short, I loved it.  In fact Roll For The Galaxy inspired me to make this list.  It is effectively everything I love about Race For The Galaxy, but with dice.  Its far simpler to learn and play then its predecessor, yet maintains that intensity and theme that makes Race For The Galaxy such a fun game.

I love the fact that despite beyond a dice game, there is actually a tremendous amount of control over the game.  You are not going to lose this game because you “rolled bad”, it’s definitely a strategy game, one that rewards clever players.  My absolute favorite aspect of Roll For The Galaxy is that it brought to the foreground that mind reading aspect of Race for the Galaxy, being far more prevalent here.  You really want to guess right about what your opponents are going to do and what they want you to do so you can throw them for a loop or when the tables are turned leverage their actions on your turn.

Absolutely fabulous game, I was hesitant to try it and I’m very glad I did, it really earns its interstellar stripes.

2. Nations The Dice Game

Its no secret that I’m a big fan of Civilization building games, both Through The Ages and Nations are in my collection not to mention many others like Twilight Imperium.  Unfortunately when it comes to replicating civilization building games in dice form there are a lot more disappointments out there then pleasant surprises (I’m looking at your Roll Through The Ages!)

Nations The Dice Game however was not only a pleasant surprise, it’s become one of my favorite games to play on Yucata.de where I have at least 3-4 games going at any given time.  Oddly its one of the few games on this list not on my shelf yet, a problem I will be remedying in short order.

Now I will admit, this was one of those games that sort of grew on me over time.  It wasn’t love at first sight, but I definitely consider this one of the best dice games out there not only doing justice to the genre of civilization building but in its own right being a fantastic strategy game.

3. Star Wars: Destiny

Of course Fantasy Flight Games needs to have a moment in the sun on this list too, but well deserved.  Star Wars: Destiny despite disappointing me horribly for being a CCG rather than an LCG, still earns its rank in the number 3 slot.  Really well constructed design that pits classic and new heroes and villains against each other in a weird abstracted format where the Millennium Falcon can for some reason attack Darth Vader?  Whatever, Its weird but its a really well designed, very easy to learn, quick and dirty and just plain fun.

Now I will admit I’m not a collector, this is strictly an online affair for me so perhaps I’m cheating but I simply can’t get over the CCG thing with this game, especially coming from FFG where they have this wonderful, proven LCG concept.  Oh why or why did you do this to me FFG!

4. Dungeons and Dragons: Dice Masters

The Dice Masters series is one of those oddities where the game didn’t win me over until I found the right theme for me.  I tried the various super hero versions and it just didn’t do it for me, not until I tried Dungeons and Dragons.

Call it nostalgia or nerdiness if you like but I love D&D and while I consider the mechanic to be fun, its really the thematic representations and how it flows through the game that I love in D&D Dice Masters.  It really captures that D&D essence and its an absolute blast to pit a variety of D&D factions and monsters against each other.  It conjures up imagery and sings thematically.  There is nothing quite like dropping an Owl Bear to counter that pesky Elf Wizard!  Quick, simple, really the perfect filler.

5. King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo is a take that game, one that is so simple and so to the point and so thematically perfect that I can’t help but add it to this list.  You roll dice and attack the guy who foolishly decided to be in the middle.  Its just fantastic and while I would say of all the games on this list, this is the only one that I can say with 100% certainty will work with any group, any time.  This is not a gamer’s game, its a game for everyone, making it an easy add to anyone’s collection.

Honorable Mentions

We really need to squeak in a couple of honorable mentions, it would be criminal not to.

Kingsburg
I didn’t put it on the list because strictly speaking you can make a fair argument that its not a dice game but a worker placement game, an argument that justly kept it off the list.  None the less, I think its a fantastic game and while it was culled from my collection it had nothing to do with the quality of the game and everything to do with the tough standards I have for my personal shelf.  A really great game, one I highly recommend to new comers and while its “dice game” status is questionable, I still think it deserves mention.

Voyage of Marco Polo
Another questionable choice for a dice game list, but Voyage of Marco Polo is a game I like mainly because of the dice.  I think its such a clever way to make use of a dice mechanic and while it definitely leans more towards the Heavy Euro zone, its clever dice mechanic design cannot be ignored!

 

Well its official, its 2017 and the apocalypse has not come yet although thanks to Donald Trump you won’t have to wait too much longer. In the meantime, we may as well presume that the human race will survive another year and talk about games coming to us in 2017.

So here is my list of top 5 most anticipated games of 2017.

Rising Sun by CMON

I absolutely love Blood Rage, it was definitely the sleeper hit of 2015. Eric Lang is an amazing designer in his prime but anyone who knows me knows that while I appreciate all themes, when it comes to my list of favorites medieval Japan definitely has to be at the top of the list. Rising Sun is dubbed the spiritual successor to Blood Rage based in Medieval Japan and that combined with being an Eric Lang games makes this an auto buy! Eric Lang has recently tweeted that the game is complete and is now in development, the final stage of testing and preparation for release. I’m giddy with excitement!

The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire by CMON

I said he was in his prime but Eric Lang is really more like on literal fire making his second appearance on the list with The Godfather. Now I love mafia stuff but mafia games like Star Trek games are typically very bad. My hope here is that Lang behind the wheel The Godfather can be to mafia games what Fleet Captains was to Star Trek games. I’m already in love with the concept and the art work, so assuming Lang is the genius we all know he aspires to be, the addition of fantastic gameplay should not be a problem. Really have high hopes for this was, I want to wack people!

Tau Ceti: Planetary Crisis

A game by unknown game designers, published by an unknown publisher, Tau Ceti’s is yet another among a sea of games that attempts to re-invigorate the 4x space game genre. Now the odds are against it here but the reason I put Tau Ceti on the list is because I really like that “Archipelago” of players competing against each other, but having to cooperate on certain elements in the course of a game. In the case of Tau Ceti, players are effectively trying to do all the usual expansions, technology research, trading and politics that you might find in games like Twilight Imperium, but at the same time they must deal with the crisis that take place on the different planets and colonies in the Tau Ceti system or deal with the consequences for failing to do so.

I love the concept, I don’t know that these designers and publishers are going to be able to pull this off, but they have done a great job of creating a solid concept and developing nice visuals for a game of this type, so it just leaves the really important work of actually designing a good game. I will definitely be keeping an eye out on this one.

Raise Your Goblets

Ok this one caught my eye mostly because of its original (I wish I thought of that) concept. Basically it’s a game where players are sitting around the table drinking from goblets in an imaginary kingdom and the goal of the game is to poising each other by slipping special poison tokens into each other’s goblets. Like a scene from Princess Bride the goblets will be shifted around, players can put antidote into their own goblets as defense and a few other little quirky bits of randomness. It’s a bit of a funny party game for shits and giggles but like is often the case these simpler “focus on fun” type of games usually go over quite well and it could end up being the Sheriff of Nottingham of 2017.

Terra-forming Mars

Ok this is actually a game that is already released but it was received so well by the time I had heard about the awesome concept of a game of terraforming planets, it was already out of print. For those of us that missed the train, we have to wait for god knows how long for the next printing. The game is very pretty, great concept, already getting amazing reviews, people are raving about it like it’s the second coming of Christ. Very excited!

Perhaps the most common theme among gamers is that we are all in a way all amateur game designers. Most us dream of creating a game from our own imagination or based on our own theories on game design, or simply concepts we think would make a great game. I don’t think I have ever met a gamer immune to this very natural instinct. That said I do believe that the only way to truly be a game designer is to experience the widest range of games possible. I firmly feel that there are certain games on the market today that are so unique and so expressive in terms of what can be done with game design that they absolutely must be played by all would be game designers. I would imagine there is a brick ton more then what is on this list, but if you have aspirations, this is probably not a bad place to start. Enjoy the list!

REX: Final Days of an Empire

There was a time when REX actually lived in my top 10 best games of all-time list and for good reason. It’s an amazing design. It’s effectively a remake of the classic DUNE which stands out as one of the very few games in recorded gaming history that was released in the 70’s and is still has a place in modern gaming. This should give you a pretty good clue about how distinct its design is, very few game designs can stand the test of time like this.

REX is a fantastic and very unique area control game with special powers, unique victory conditions and is infused with player interaction mind games as a non-mechanical, very natural, caveat that actually carries the game far beyond appearances or rulebooks. It is a unique blending of mechanics, theme and gameplay that draws out a very unique gaming experience you will not find in games often. I do believe it takes a very special lot to appreciate this game and I will admit that doing research to determine whether or not you will like this game is insufficient. In fact even playing it once or twice is insufficient. This is one of those games you will have to play 5 or 6 times before you you really recognize what its really about and why it is without question an objective work of genius… yes, I just turned an opinion and stated it as a fact, that’s how certain I am that like it or not, REX (aka DUNE) is a piece of board game design brilliance not to mention history, a true original among a flood of imitators and pretenders. I’m not surprised at all to see this game continue to get attention decades after release.

REX is definitely a must include for any board game design education, not only is it an amazing game to play it boasts a lot of great lessons for a would be game designer.

The Duke

I would argue that chess is a must play classic, a core concept game for basic board game design that every game designer should explore. To put it simply Duke is effectively an expansion for chess, or perhaps more accurately, chess 2nd edition. A game that arguably increases the complexity and challenge while maintaining that elegant simplicity of the classic. Duke turns things 3 dimensional mechanically creating a far wider and more intriguing gaming experience than the classic chess, more than that though while abstract as chess is, it oddly feels thematic. It has that Ancient Art of War feel to it, as if you are in a war tent playing a game with a fellow commander while you wait for the real battle to start. Its exercise for the brain and an absolute must play for would be game designers.

Duke has been reprinted in a few different ways but it never really caught on which I found strange given how purposefully unique it is. You don’t see it played anywhere and while I think it might be partially because it’s both an abstract game and a two player game making it kind of niche, being rather boring to look at probably doesn’t help much either. I mean we are talking wooden tiles here, not exactly a game with modern board game pazzas! But I would argue that if you released Chess today, no one would care to play that either for the same reason. To me The Duke Is an absolute must play if you plan to be a game designer if for no other reason than to show you just how much power couple of lines of rules can have. This is a perfect example of less is more design.

Star Trek: Fleet Captains

While there are a lot of different types of thematic games out there one could use as a way to exemplify and learn from on how theme and gameplay merging together is done right, to me, there is no game out there that does it with more precession than Star Trek: Fleet Captains. You often hear the term X or Y franchise in a box, well this is Star Trek in a box, but not just the shows but the very essence of the shows, movies and experience that is the Star Trek franchise.

This is a perfect combination of just the right mechanics, just the right art, just the right strategic flicks and pazzaz, fidly vs. functional and nerdy but not wordy design. It captures the very soul of Star Trek in a board game and if you are a proper trekie you will really get it when you play fleet captains. Which really brings the point home, there isn’t a card, miniature, tile, action or mechanic that doesn’t scream “STAR TREK” in this game. If you’re a Trekie this is an absolute must have, but if you’re a game designer trying to figure out how to bring theme to life in a board game, you won’t find very many examples that do it better than fleet captains. An absolute must play for game designers trying to get their head around how to infuse theme into their games.

Galaxy Trucker

I think one element of board gaming most game designers actually fail to understand is that playing a board game isn’t just about the game, it’s also about the evening and the people you spend it with. Games are supposed to be fun, they should put a smile on your face and while I would argue that there is a time and place for “haha” funny, Galaxy Trucker is a great example of how to fuse fun “haha” funny and “fun game” into a single box, inside of a single product. Unlike party games that try to draw out fart humor, Galaxy Trucker creates laughs by creating memorable moments in game that has just enough strategy to attract board gamers, but not enough to discourage non gamers. It’s really a great example of how to blend the world of gamers, non-gamers and how to create a game that will enhance an evening without making it about only gaming.

While I have heard of people who don’t like Galaxy Trucker, in my personal experience every person I have ever introduced the game to has absolutely loved it. I think the brilliance in the design is not its mechanics, but its flip on a basic premise of gaming in general. One thing that Vlaada Chvatil is amazing at is looking at game design from a perspective of experience rather than gameplay. For example in Galaxy Trucker you build a ship in a timed phase creating a bit of a frantic panic, while in the execution phase players lose control almost entirely and just watch the game unfold. It’s a very unique gaming experience. You would be hard pressed to find a game on the market that comes even close to something like it. Being able to tap into that “spark”, that ability to see what others miss is what separates a brilliant game designer like Vlaada Chvatil and everyone else. Sure you might or might not appreciate Galaxy Trucker, but you can’t deny that it’s a truly unique design and if for no other reason than that, as a would be game designer you must check this game out.

Love Letter

Game design comes in all shapes and sizes, but I truly believe that if you want to be a great game designer you should be able to take a small amount of mechanics, a couple of lines of rules and create a sensational game. Another example of less is more design, Love letter is essentially a dozen cards and a couple of tokens, yet it creates a truly strategic, dynamic, thinky and fun gaming experience. I actually think that being able to create a game like Love Letter is a test to see if you will ever be a good game designer because if you can’t create magic simply, you’re not going to do it when creating a more complex game. That’s just the reality of it and I firmly believe that even the most complex games are actually nothing more than mini designs (mini games) put together to make a grander game. So the ability to create simply and intriguing mechanics is really an important skill to develop as a gamer designer. I have personally seen a lot of gamers design games and it’s always the same story. They create a lot of fancy components and art but in the end the game itself is a slog fest that suffers from too many mechanics, too many rules and way too much weight to be functional. The ability to simplify is what separates an amateur from a pro. Love Letter is a perfect example of that in action.

Le Havre

Le Havre is a stone cold classic Euro game that does something very few games are able to pull off. It creates a very deep, strategic, very heavy and very thinky game yet manages to do it using a rule system that can be explained in under 30 seconds. In Le Havre you can take one of two actions every turn. That’s it, that’s the entire game. Either you take some resources, or place a worker. That is the entirety of the rules explanation you need to give before starting the game, yet by the end of the game your brain will be fried as you try to navigate the two impossible strategic decisions that must be made to win.

It’s a perfect example of economic simulation done right as well and I think that more than the simplicity of the mechanic is the reason to study Le Harve as a game designer. Economic simulation and resource management is the one place I see a lot of game designs having immense problems. In fact for most games I have played, including most beloved classic Euro’s often praised for their brilliance for their resource management and economic simulations are almost always way too complex, way too fiddley and ultimately far too easily exploitable. Which is why so many of the Euro classic are what I call puzzle games, where they are good, until you solve the puzzle, at which point it’s just a matter of repeating the same actions each time you play. Puerto Rico comes to mind as a good example of a horribly failed resource management and economic system design. Sure the first few times you play your trying to figure out the puzzle, but once you have that aha moment every game of Puerto Rico you ever play in the future will be exactly the same. There is a definitive “best way”, “best moves” approach to the game.

Le Havre is not the world’s best game (though I love it), but it is definitely the world’s best example of economy simulation done right and for that reason anyone looking to understand how good economic design works, this is a fine example and a really good place to start thanks to its simplicity.

Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island

Ok first I will admit this is not my favorite game. Generally I’m not a huge fan of cooperative games, but we aren’t here to discuss what I like, so much as we are here to discuss objectively good designs and Robinson Crusoe is certainly brilliant if anything. I honestly have a hard time describing it, other than to say if you want to become a game designer, you must play this game because if you do, becoming a game designer will be easier for you.

There are so many great lessons about how to do it right in this game in terms of timing of mechanics, creating tension, putting players to tough choices and just a staggering amount of dynamic replay ability inside what amounts to a static game. The manipulation of cards and effects, the sort of thematic link to effects and just general capturing of atmosphere are all exemplified in this design. If you’re a fan of cooperative games and plan to design cooperative games, Robinson Crusoe is an absolute must.

Twilight Imperium

Many aspiring game designers dream of creating an epic, that big box super game that just does everything. Well let me just tell you that after nearly 3 decades of board gaming I can count on one hand the amount of games (game designers) that have come out in that time, that managed to pull this off. Truth is that most big box epics are actually epic failures. There really are very few success stories in this area and while there are plenty of games that will try to wow you with miniatures and their sheet size, mechanically speak I have never played one that is even in the same league as Twilight Imperium. It is the best EPIC level game on the market today and it is so by a margin so wide, there is nothing to look at in the rear view mirror.

This complex beast of a game does exactly what you want an epic to do, wows the living shit out of you with immense attention to detail and an amazing level of balance given the sheer amount of complexity in the game. It’s a galactic civilization building game that brings to life the entire genre reminiscent of the 4x PC games of old like Masters of Orion and Galactic Civilization. If you plan on creating an epic, in particular a space epic, Twilight Imperium is an absolute must play. It is one of the best examples of Epic done right on the market today.

Shogun (Dirk Henn version)

I’m not a big Dirk Henn fan to be honest, with the exception of Shogun I don’t like any of his games, but with Shogun he really nailed it. Shogun aside from its German twin Wallenstein is a truly unique game with design elements that you will not find anywhere else before or since. The use of the Cube Tower as a combat resolution mechanic, the pre-planning action phase, the unique order of play sequence it all combined produces one of the most fascinatingly strategic and simultaneously infuriatingly chaotic games I know and god I love it for that very reason. For a game designer this is an absolute must experience as it will show you just how far out of the box you can go despite the constraints of design that we sometimes feel we exist in. It really shows how you can take something seemingly gimmicky and actually give it purpose and fit it into a game so that not only is it functional but oddly thematic. Dirk Henn really tapped into that “I’m a general giving orders” theme found in Shogun, while still remaining true to the Euro roots on which the game is based. I don’t know that Dirk Henn is a brilliant designer, but he definitely had a brilliant moment when he made this game. One of my all time favorites!

Ticket To Ride

Ok so this last one is a simple game, a classic at this point but it’s also an amazing lesson of mechanic theft done right. See in game design, most of the greatest games, the truly genius ones that seem to proliferate beyond the cult board gaming culture into the mainstream are buried in classic design that was simply stolen. Ticket to Ride is a perfect example of that. What you’re looking at here is Gin Rummy. It’s really that simple. The designer took an old classic card game, added a game board with train pieces for scoring and created one of the bestselling games of all time since Monopoly. Here is the thing… it’s an awesome game. I have played Gin Rummy, I hate it, I love this game. It’s the same mechanic. Can you explain that?

This is why you really need to play Ticket to Ride as a game designer, there is magic in there and deciphering and understanding what that magic is, is very important if you want to be successful as a game designer.

It’s time once again to update my top 10 best table top games, without question my favorite article to write each year. I’m not entirely sure why I find it so entertaining, but most gamers find themselves saying “oh that’s my favorite game”, on a regular basis, but I think few take the time to actually think about that comment, assess it and put it to paper. Perhaps it’s a bit obsessive of me, but I don’t care.. so here we go.

First just a re-cap of the list from last year (October 2015)

1. Star Wars X-Wing
2. Game of Thrones (The Board Game)
3. Star Wars: Armada
4. War of the Rings
5. Twilight Imperium (3rd edition)
6. Nations
7. Star Trek: Fleet Captains
8. Fury of Dracula (3rd Edition)
9. Kemet
10. Shogun (Queen Games Edition)

Now right up front I want to say that all these games as far as I’m concerned are fantastic and while at this point in the article I’m yet to make my list, I can say with certainty at least half of them will probably remain on the list, perhaps more. Those that fall off the list, aren’t getting kicked out of bed for being bad, but rather simply fall out of favor for younger newer models.

Ok here we go!

1. Star Wars: X-Wing

This was actually a tough call for me this year which is not to say that I don’t think X-Wing is not one of the best games ever made (it is) but because my recent review triggered a close up and objective look at the game and as you can see below (3 out of 5 Stars) it did good but not great, at least not as great as a number one spot would suggest. In fact almost every other game on this list would probably score close to or higher using my rating system.

In the end though top 10 lists aren’t about how they review, but about how much I like to play them and despite any flaws I still rather play X-Wing than any other game on this list. It is simply put, my favorite game.There is a lot of stuff on the board, but this game takes place largely in your head.

X-Wing continues to be the dynamic, thematic, chaotic Star Wars infused dog fighting game it has always been. I love it, plain and simple. I will say that at this point my interest in X-Wing is less competitive, outside of the 100 point standard death match and more about creating cool thematic experiences. I favor scenario based games, high point counts, alternative rules and in particular I have fallen head over heels with Epic play. I think it’s a testament to X-Wing’s longevity that not only is it replay-able years after release, but within the scope of the game there are different ways to play it. It’s this refreshing of the game that I think raises X-Wing above the rest.

2. Game of Thrones: The Board Game

Another unyielding game that refuses to drop down on the list is my beloved Game of Thrones. I didn’t get many opportunities to play it this year and I considered dropping it a bit but the truth is that, despite the lack of table top opportunities this year, I rather play it then anything below on the list. It simply deserves to be here. Game of Thrones is like a favorite cousin you don’t see very often but each time you get together you realize how much you have missed him.

There are very few games out there that increase my heart rate and offer up intensity in fat slices like this one. Game of Thrones is a roller coaster of emotion, stress and simplicity in a sea of complexity. It is in my humble opinion one of the most challenging games to win at and it’s because so much of the game play exists in the meta-mental state of the players. How much they trust you, what their gut tells them about your eyes and body language. It’s far less a game about mechanics and strategy and far more a game of social and mind games.

It’s one of FFG’s oldest games and it’s one of its best, this is an experience no gamer should pass up and if you are actually are a fan of the franchise, this is simply mandatory.

3. Game of Thrones: The Card Game 2nd Edition

Ok you might get the sense here that I’m a Game of Thrones fan boy but the truth is that I actually like these games far more than the show and this particular card variation while in the same spirit of psychological mind games like the board game I actually like it more for its amazingly thematic and tactical gameplay. Deck builders are usually not my thing, but Game of Thrones The Card Game has revitalized the genre for me.

I think what really drives this game is the fact that it’s a multiplayer versus card game and the fact that it’s subtle where deck building while important isn’t the driving force but rather the combination of card play and tactical thinking is. This isn’t a game of big explosive plays, but rather one of chipping away at each other through cleverly executed chess move, one piece at a time, grinding away towards the win.

This card game really slapped me across the face and sprung on my list like a cracked out squirrel and while I find this does happens every year for a couple of games on my top 10 list, games that sky rocket to great heights usually deflate and fall off with the same intensity. Still right now this new bundle of joy is occupying a lot of my brain space not to mention rapidly emptying my bank account. Fantastic game that deserves to be played if you love challenging multiplayer versus games, but in particular if you have a group of Game of Thrones fans at home who will appreciate the intricate political scheming replicated in card game form you find in the tv show and books.

4. War of The Rings

Like Game of Thrones the board game this game is a bit of a dust collector of my collection, I rarely get to play it but when I do I’m reminded exactly why this game has a permanent space on my shelf despite having a box so big it could knock you the fuck out. It is the Lord of the Rings story in a game, not part of the story, the whole god damn thing from Frodo to Mount Doom and everything in between.

I suppose I’m being a bit unfair to some of the games below this spot that I play considerably more often, but the truth is that I would with no hesitation drop what I’m doing at any point in my day to play this game. I actually open the box and read the cards and manual a couple of times a year wishing I had the opportunity to bust it out so while the opportunities to play a long 2 player game don’t come up often for me, the desire for them is reason enough to have it on this list. Love it, always have, always will.

5. Through The Ages: A New Story of Civilization

The remake of the classic has not only inspired me to play this game again, but the improvements have legitimately took this game from a good game I like to pull out every long once in a while to a game I will happily play any time. Yes, it’s long and complicated as fuck, it’s a pain in the ass to teach and it can be quite tough to find people willing to blow off 4-5 hours playing a deep euro driven resource management simulator but the truth is that this game is made for guys just like me.

The improvements in this latest version are not only mechanical, solving some of the most disliked, turn off, mechanics, but it joins the 21st century in quality components and visual appeal. The old edition largely got the standard “it looks stupid” response from people and rightfully so, the old version looked like a damn prototype, but this new deluxe, visually enhanced Through The Ages has the sex-appeal that triggers people to try it and the refreshed mechanics that inspire that “aha” moment to keep trying it. If you doubt that, look at Board Game Geek, this game will be number 1 before the year is out, I guarantee it and it’s no surprise to me, it has the chops to be a fantastic, albeit it deep and complex board game. Plus it’s Sid Meier’s civilization in board game form, thematically driven by a universally beloved genre of gaming.

6. Twilight Imperium

My staple standard number one game for years remains on the list for the same reasons it’s always been there. Never has there been a better 4x, Master of Orion inspired, science fiction civilization builder and I doubt there ever will be one this good. TI3 is the definitive science fiction galactic everything game and with the two expansions it has grown to become one of the most complex and dynamic games..period… in existence.. period..

It’s heavy as fuck and that might explain why it’s a rather niche game but I make no apologies for it and neither does FFG. It’s made for the veteran gamer who wants to get in knee deep into some serious gaming and isn’t fazed by a 6 hour endeavor to find that ultimate experience. It’s a blow out hit and at this point a golden classic, the graduation game that takes you from an amateur to a pro.

7. Star Wars: Armada

This one is steadily dropping off my radar but I still have an affinity for it that can’t be denied. It’s a deeply strategic and tactical miniatures game and while I find it rather exhausting by comparison to the simplicity of my beloved X-Wing, every once in a while I want to drag out X-Wings big brother and rock it capital ship style.

FFG has done a fantastic job of supporting this game and it’s largely thanks to the influx of new and interesting ships this games dynamics have already grown beyond the grumblings of competitive meta, something I wish I could say about X-Wing. It’s richness and in your face theme brings it to the point of a story-telling game because the battles are always memorable and epic which really hits that Star Wars G-spot.

It deserves all the praise I can give it and it’s slip from the list probably has to do with the fact that I’m always put to the split test between playing X-Wing and Armada, a contest in which Armada rarely comes out on top. It’s not Armada’s fault that I love X-Wing over everything else, but it does suffer for it. Great game though and it’s in no danger of losing its shelf space on my wall of Star Wars glory.

8. Fury of Dracula (3rd Edition)

I think if it wasn’t for the recent re-print this game would have fallen off my top 10 by now but there is absolutely no denying that the new edition has re-vitalized this game for me. Sticking to the classic formula this mind-fuck simulator has players chasing the elusive Dracula around Europe in an effort to slay him, a simple concept, with a fantastic theme.

I have always loved deduction games but in my humble opinion this is really the only one that never becomes stale nor are there any real tricks or puzzles to solve here. It’s too dynamic for that and I think it’s largely why it stands out so well over a sea of mediocre deduction games.

I will admit that this game has a lot of nostalgic value to me and that probably helps keep it on the list, but I honestly believe if I were to review it today it would out-perform most of the game on this list using my rating system, especially this new edition. Love it, live it!

9. Dead of Winter

Holy shit, I can’t believe I’m putting this game on my list in particular since the first 3 or 4 times I played I thought it was kind of Meh. I actually think the true sign of an amazing game with strong longevity is if it slowly grows on me. Dead of Winter had a big impact on me this summer during one of my gaming groups epic summer weekend board game nights. We ended up playing it back to back twice and it stands out as two of the best gaming experiences I have had in recent memory.

I love that cross-roads system, those story’s really bring the game to life but ultimately it’s that betrayer mechanic that really brings this game home. You have so much psychological fuck you going on in this game that it just pulls you out of your seat and creates atmosphere so thick it almost feels like you’re actually experiencing the bloody zombie apocalypse.

Love it, it deserves this spot, despite my own disbelief, it really just knocked it out of the park for me.

10. Shogun (Queens Games Version)

Holding on for dear life, the number 10 spot was defiantly disputed but in the end all I had to do is reminisce about game nights gone past to choose this one out of the line-up. It’s about feudal Japan, and it’s about that two part mixture, one part thinky-contemplative game and the other part, an explosive shock inducing frenzy.

I just love how this game is constructed, it’s got that wonderful easy to learn hard to master core, it has the euro style strategic (control your fate) puzzle, but dynamically linked to the shocking amount of randomness that will have you throwing your hands up in victory or despair. This might explain why many Euro gamers hate it and many Ameri-trash gamers hate it as it is a true merging of an unholy union, but I love bastard and this wretch owns that badge of honor with pride.

I have always had affection for this game and really these types of games in genera that is hard to explain, but despite not getting much play these days it remains one of my all-time favorites.

The Fallout

Yes every year there is fallout as games drop off the list and I feel compelled to explain why.

NATIONS
Yes there was a time when I favored this over Through The Ages and it was largely because it was a more approachable, easier to teach, more streamlined and above all else a faster civilization building game. In the end though I don’t think there was room in my top 10 for two civilization building games, in particular two games that had so much in common, but more importantly I had to honestly ask myself, which game is better. In light of the re-vitalized Through The Ages, having played them both several times in recent sessions it was clear to me that while more complex and time consuming, Through The Ages is simply a better game. I still love Nations and if this was a top 20 list it would certainly be on their somewhere, so its fallout isn’t a break up, but more like the game just became my chick on the side.

Star Trek: Fleet Captains
This one didn’t fall from grace, it was in stiff competition for the number 10 spot and while ultimately I chose Shogun, it sits firmly as a number 11. This story driven adventure game in the Star Trek universe will never be displaced, but there are only so many games that can be in the top, 10 to be exact, so it had to take a bullet. Still love it and will gladly play it, for a Star Trek fan this is still the best there is and I say this in light of new Star Trek adventure games being released this year. Frontiers has nothing on Fleet Captains.

Kemet
Another casualty, this one fell a bit further for me then the others but I suppose it’s more because “light warfare” is just not something that competes well in my current game state of heavy gaming. Every game on my list is a beast of one form or another and Kemets light hearted nature while I certainly I have nothing against just doesn’t have the legs to stand with the big boys. I will still happily play it and I actually highly recommended if you are looking for a simple fun wargame, I actually think this is one of the best around, but it’s novelty has worn off on me a bit.