This year I finally played enough games to create a decent Top 100 Games of All-Time list. Part of what helped me reach this milestone was new app releases and heading to my first game convention, SHUX '17. I was also able to knock quite a few games off of my 2017 Top 75 Games I Want to Play list. Most significantly, there was a new #1 game that toppled my longstanding favorite Twilight Struggle.
Just a bit of background on how I came up with the rankings, first I looked through all the titles in the Top 2200 Games of All-Time on BoardGameGeek during the last week of 2017 and listed all the games I had played enough of to warrant ranking. Then I used the Board Game Ranking Engine on Pub Meeple to compare all the games in my list. After the engine spat out its ranking, I reviewed it and re-ranked a few games as I saw fit. Anyway, onto #100-91!
#100 - Bohnanza
Before Agricola, there were beans. This Uwe Rosenberg set collection game came out years before he transitioned into heavier worker placement games but is still popular today. It has been awhile since I played this game but I remember liking it and recently played the new two-player Duel version.
This is a quick social deduction game that really seems to depend on the group playing. I had the chance to play this game at SHUX '17 with the designer, which really helped me gain a better appreciation for the mechanics. There are definitely some great moments that can be generated through jaw-dropping reveals, but overall the game might be a bit too chaotic for me.
This hidden character game didn't do well for my group the first couple times, but I see the potential through the chaos. I recently played Secrets, which seems to be a refined version of this game that may have ranked higher if it had been in the Top 2200 on BoardGameGeek at the time.
#100 - Bohnanza
Before Agricola, there were beans. This Uwe Rosenberg set collection game came out years before he transitioned into heavier worker placement games but is still popular today. It has been awhile since I played this game but I remember liking it and recently played the new two-player Duel version.
#99 - Two Rooms and a Boom
This is a quick social deduction game that really seems to depend on the group playing. I had the chance to play this game at SHUX '17 with the designer, which really helped me gain a better appreciation for the mechanics. There are definitely some great moments that can be generated through jaw-dropping reveals, but overall the game might be a bit too chaotic for me.
#98 - Mascarade
#97 - Onirim
I was really surprised when I played this solo game at how much I liked it. Although I prefer solo games with a bit more depth, it is a fun puzzle to solve and the app makes it a good way to pass the time. With more plays I could see it climbing the ranks but there isn't much time in the day to fit in solo abstract games.
#96 - Dominion
The deckbuilding game that blew up the industry and like many was my first introduction to the mechanic. I like that the base game is really easy to learn and the fast pace of the game, in addition to the mechanic of balancing your deck with valuable but useless victory point cards, but the theme is really lacking for me and so my interest has waned.
#95 - Carcassonne
The deckbuilding game that blew up the industry and like many was my first introduction to the mechanic. I like that the base game is really easy to learn and the fast pace of the game, in addition to the mechanic of balancing your deck with valuable but useless victory point cards, but the theme is really lacking for me and so my interest has waned.
#95 - Carcassonne
The classic tile-placement gateway game. It makes for a light distraction and the expansions help to add some depth, but there is a but too much luck for me in the tile draw. Okanagan: Valley of the Lakes has replaced this for me as my gateway tile-placement game but did not meet my ranking criteria (currently sits in the #3000s).
#94 - Le Have: The Inland Port
Although definitely an optimization game that is thinly related to Le Havre, there is something appealing about this short, two-player game. I think this is the weakest of Uwe Rosenberg's two-player redesigns, the warehouse used to track goods is really interesting and should be brought to other games.
#93 - No Thanks!
This is a fun filler game where you are collecting cards with point values but the winner is the player with the least points. There are interesting mechanics, such as negative point chips you can use to pass on cards and that the lowest card in a consecutive string of numbers is the only one that counts. One of my go-to fillers as it is very easy to learn.
#92 - Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition
One Night Ultimate Werewolf has pretty much replaced this longer, drawn out game for me unless there are more than 10 players. I have many memorable experiences playing this game, but the need for a moderator and player elimination seems to be an outdated way to play social deduction games. Still, some of the roles seem interesting if I ever could play with them - especially those Masons.
#91 - A Game of Thrones: Hand of the King
This is a pretty straightforward set collection game that is heightened because of the theme that actually suits the game quite well. It is slightly longer than I would like for a filler game, but it really is a good gateway because of that IP integration.
#93 - No Thanks!
This is a fun filler game where you are collecting cards with point values but the winner is the player with the least points. There are interesting mechanics, such as negative point chips you can use to pass on cards and that the lowest card in a consecutive string of numbers is the only one that counts. One of my go-to fillers as it is very easy to learn.
#92 - Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition
One Night Ultimate Werewolf has pretty much replaced this longer, drawn out game for me unless there are more than 10 players. I have many memorable experiences playing this game, but the need for a moderator and player elimination seems to be an outdated way to play social deduction games. Still, some of the roles seem interesting if I ever could play with them - especially those Masons.
#91 - A Game of Thrones: Hand of the King
This is a pretty straightforward set collection game that is heightened because of the theme that actually suits the game quite well. It is slightly longer than I would like for a filler game, but it really is a good gateway because of that IP integration.
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