Its time once again to refresh my top 10 best table top games of all time list.  Its been an exciting year, the last time I did this was back in August of 2016 and a lot has happened since then.  In fact, I think this will probably be one of the most significant updates to the list I have ever had with a ton of changes and several new games arriving to the list.

I do want to say one thing about this latest list, much like everything in life, my gaming preferences are driven by new experiences and while I don’t consider myself a cult of the new type of gamer, I do believe that in the last few years the gaming industry has improved in so many ways and there are so many new game designers and design concepts being introduced that it was inevitable that I was at some point going to experience a changing pallete.  I think this list is a reflection of a culmination of experiences over the last 2 or 3 years, but it has only now sort of arrived.

Ok no sense in stalling any further, lets get to the list.

1. Through The Ages: A New Story of Civilization

Making its second official appearance on my top 10 list and driving up to number one, this is perhaps the most jarring and biggest surprise even for me.  The truth is that I have always loved the Sid Meier PC game series Civilization, as long as I can remember being a gamer I have been playing it.  I have also been on a never ending search to find the perfect board game version of the game, a road ripe with disappointments.  Finally I find Through The Ages, a game that brings that PC game feel to the table.

Now why was 1st edition never on my list?  The truth is that while the changes in the 2nd edition are subtle, they were vital and they brought the game out of that weird space it existed in for a long time. I always liked the game, but I just felt that the 1st edition was so ugly and so unforgiving and stringent that it was impossible to bring it to the table with anyone but the most die hard fan, to the point where people didn’t want to try it based on appearances alone.  This new version changed all that.

With new visuals, streamlined rules and important design fixes it brought this classic game out of the closet and while I won’t say it made it mainstream, it did make it a lot more approachable.  I was able to get it to the table, I got plenty of excitement and requests to play it again.  Its now part of the line up of games I can pull out to my gaming group without getting a lot of groaning and moaning.

For me personally it grew on my slowly, very slowly in fact, but when I consider this list I always think to myself, if I had a chance to play any game right now, tomorrow or next week, what would it be.  Through The Ages is now that game.  I would rather play this one on any given day then anything else and as such it simply belongs in the number one spot.

Its a brilliant game that demands a lot, while maintaing that spark of thematic presence culminated with years of PC gaming and a sense of nostalgia.  I absolutely love it the feel of this game and I’m happy to put it at the top of my list.

2. Star Wars: Armada

When it comes to FFG games, there are always going to be a few on this list, but if you had asked me a year ago that Star Wars: Armada would dethrone X:Wing on this list I would have laughed.  What can I  say, While Star Wars: Armada was having an epic year with awesome new ship releases, not to mention the fantastic campaign box, X-Wing was floundering with weird and out of character releases like a Rebel Tie Fighter which left the game wanting.  X-Wing was just not that exiting anymore, the power creep and ambush tactic releases just made it less fun to collect and play.

In the meantime Star Wars: Armada has finally grown into the epic capital ship combat miniatures game we have been waiting for, it took a while, and there was a lot of waiting but its here, its amazing and with recent announcements, its definitely going to get even better.  I love this game and while I consider it a bit exhausting, requiring regular breaks, I can’t think of a whole lot I rather being doing on any given game night.

3. Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

My review of Lord of The Rings: The Card Game might have offered some clue that it would make an appearance on my top 10 list but to be frank and honest the first time I tried this game I was sure I wasn’t going to like it, let alone have it make my personal gaming shelf.  To make it into my top 10 list in the top 3 spot is nothing short of amazing.

Its a cooperative card game set in the Lord of the Rings universe, for me personally this is a mixed recipe as I tend to not like cooperative games,  I’m usually luke warm on most card games and while I like the Lord of the Rings universe, I’m not what you would call a super fan.  In the end however there were three key factors that really allowed this game to break out and become not only among my favorite games, but hands down the most played game on my shelf this year.

First is the fact that the game can be played solo, not something I ever thought I would do for any other reason than the occasion boring night or to test a deck, but it turned out I love it.  In fact I have played this game solo an almost obsessive amount of times and I never seem to tire of it.  Secondly is the fact that the story elements of the game are vibrant, engaging and addictive.  Not a month goes by where at least some of my fun money doesn’t go to a new adventure pack or expansion set.  I just love how everything is strung together and each new adventure pack offers new mechanics, new angles and in many cases an entirely different approach to the game as a whole.  Finally and perhaps most importantly this is without a doubt one of the most challenging games I have ever played.  Each quest adventure is unique, offering new puzzles to solve, puzzles that you solve via intricate deck building, tactical play and often a little bit of luck.

I absolutely adore this game, I travel no place without it and on any given weekend I often find myself pouring a glass of wine, lighting a candle and spending my evening shuffling cards.  A well deserved appearance on this list.

4. War of The Rings

I claim to not be a huge Lord of the Rings fan, yet there are two LotR games on my list and both are here largely because of their amazing connection to the Middle Earth story’s theme. I have said this countless times, but this is Lord of the Rings in a box and there is no other game on this list that has as rich and has as engaging gameplay linked to the theme as War of The Rings.   Without question of one of the best adventure/war games in existence, no serious LotR fan or board gamer can live without this on their shelf.  A Classic!

5. Blood Rage

This is a game that has been on my “must review” list for quite a while but every time I play it, while I absolutely love it, I don’t feel quite ready to define it in a review.  Suffice to say however its appearance on my top 10 list should give some indication of how this review is going to go.

One of the most intriguing strategic games of the decade, Blood Rage blends the fine tuned and thinky mechanics of Euro Games with a thematic, Ameritrash appearance and while I would not call this an overwhelmingly thematic game, it has it were it counts and it looks beautiful on the table.  For me personally though this game is all about gameplay, with endless strategies,  mind games and an astonishing amount of replay-ability, Blood Rage is without question E. Langs masterpiece.

6.  Game of Thrones: The Card Game (2nd ed.)

For a guy who is “not that into card games” this last year has definitely changed my mind about a lot of games. While we see it drop on my list, its definitely not an issue with the game.  This is one of the most intense, challenging and thinky games I have ever played.  It draws out not only the advanced gamer in me, but it pulls out the emotional inner child as well, one that wants to kill you in all manner of horrible ways.

Much like the books and show, Game of Thrones the card game is a game of deceit, a game of maneuvering and above all else a contentious, confrontational game of war, one fought not just with the cards but with all of the mind games you can muster.  I both  love and love to hate this game, its as infuriating as it is rewarding.  A must own for any serious card player, but really for any gaming group that loves to get in each others face.

7. Game of Thrones: The  Board Game

Another GoT game on my list, this one effectively accomplishing the same thing as the card game but in a more direct and perhaps classic way.  Its a game of control, both of your emotions and the battlefield, one in which players jockey for position of power through alliances, betrayals and outright war.

GoT is the Diplomacy of my generation, one that taps into the same basic concept mechanically but draws on a modern theme that is both relevant and super fun.  Now I will say this about GoT the board game, you really need to play this with friends, this is not what one might call a family game or a game to play with work colleagues or at a local game store.  Its a bit too personal, you are going to be doing things that are out of character for a typically morale person.  Telling someone that you will help them and then screwing them the next moment is a normal part of the game, in fact its a very good strategy in many cases.  That’s not something you want to do to someone who signs your paychecks or baptises your kids if you get my drift.

To me however this is the perfect game and while it is truly a rare occasion that we actually get around to playing it, its always a memorable one and looking back at the years of gaming I have personally done, I can very vividly remember the many great moments this game has produced.

8. Star Wars: X-Wing

X-Wing takes a pretty dramatic fall and truth be told it has not only fallen out of favor for me personally but in the last year has all but disappeared for the majority of my local gaming group.  There was a time when my only question when it came to gaming events was, when is the next X-Wing game night, but today I have cooled my jets and haven’t touched my figures since K-Wings were released.

I often wonder why that is and while I haven’t come up with anything concrete, I do believe a part of it is simply the fact that I have played it so much that its simply played out.  That happens to games, even games I love.  I don’t think my opinion about the positive qualities of X-Wing have changed any, I can certainly say that I don’t love all of the releases that have been put out this last year but that has always been the case since the very beginning.  I think in the end I just played it too often and too much, certainly not a bad quality for a game and I do know that games that held my attention for as long as X-Wing did tend to come back around.  Its certainly in no danger of being culled from my collection, I love it, but some of the fire has been vented through the plasma manifolds.  I do believe some of the issue is that i’m often put to the test when it comes to purchases and right now I’m far more excited about getting Armada miniatures then I am about X-Wing.

In either case, it had a good run, I still love it and if you have not played it yet, all I can say is, what are you waiting for.  It was a fantastic experience for me, so it still comes highly recommended to newcomers.

9. Empires: Age of Discovery

A new comer, or perhaps more accurate to say, a late comer given that it has been out for the better part of a decade as Age of Empires III is Empires Age of Discovery.  This little Euro style worker placement game is without question one of the best of its kind.

My review of the game says everything I really have to say about it, other than to mention that the fire is still hot, I’m always aching to play it and every game I have had at this beauty it has been absolutely fantastic.  Its just one of those  A+ titles no one should miss.

10. Shogun (Queens Games Version)

I love it when an old game that I have loved for years is introduced to new players and suddenly it just comes back around again like its fresh and new.  Shogun is without question one of my absolute favorite games and I love watching new players discover it.  The nuances, that split style environment of quiet contemplation followed up by explosive action is just something you don’t want to miss.

In my humble opinion this is one of the best designed games of all time, its simultaneously clever, strategic and “roll the dice and see what happens” fun, while being built into one of my favorite themes, medieval Japan.

 

The Fallen & Honorable Mention

Certainly the biggest drop out this time around is Twilight Imperium, a game that has been on this list for over a decade,  it was a tough decision for me to finally remove it.  The truth of the matter is that I haven’t played this game in well over 2 years at this point (maybe more) and while I certainly have a desire to, I’m not losing any sleep over it.  Its a classic, its an epic and its amazing but with a 6 hour time frame, high level of complexity and a big table space requirement its an event game to say the least.  For me part of the issue as well is that I don’t have a good core TI3 group anymore and this game is just not that much fun when your a veteran and your always facing novices.  It takes several plays to fully understand this game and turn yourself into a challenging opponent and right now I don’t have the group willing to invest that kind of effort into TI3, so it sits on my shelf and collects dust.  I would never get rid of it, I always have and always will love it, but it no longer belongs on this list.

We say good-bye on the list to Dead of Winter and Fury of Dracula.  Now Dead of Winter I’m not all that surprised, it was an infatuation, a hot love affair if you will.  I still enjoy it and think its a great game but its definitely not long term top 10 material.  Fury of Dracula on the other hand was a tough choice.  This is a game that has been along with TI3 on the list for a decade, but while I would never say an ill word about it, it just doesn’t have the chops to stand up among the rest of these giants.  When games move up, something has to go!

There are a number of games however that were definitely up for consideration for the list.  The first that comes to mind is Fleet Captains, a game that fell off when I made my last list, but man its still so strong.  Among the most thematic games I own, I love this game not just for its amazing gameplay and tightly connected theme but for all its nostalgic glory reminding why I’m such a huge Star Trek  fan.   That said however there are a few faults with the game that can’t be denied.  Component quality is a bit disappointing for one and there are several mechanics that are a bit wacky and unclear.  Still to this day I’m not 100% certain I’m playing it right.  Definitely a great game though, in particular if your Trekie!

Roll For The Galaxy was also considered and actually may still make the list in the future.  I discovered this game quite late, its been out for quite a while but man it had an instant impression on me.  I have always been a fan of Race For The Galaxy but there was always something about its logic that just didn’t sit right.  More than that though its just a real bitch to teach. Roll for The Galaxy clears up both the logistics and the difficulty to teach while simultaneously holding on to everything that makes Race For The Galaxy a great game.  In the end though I couldn’t bring myself to put a dice chucker into my top 10 list, not that there is that much luck in the game but it just feels wrong somehow, in particular among a list of games like Through The Ages, Star Wars: Armada and Blood Rage.

Well that’s it for this years updated list, at least for now.  I always have and will continue to update this list anytime I feel its run its course, but for now…. Gamersdungeon out!