I Need This Board Game...

# of Players:  5-75 Playtime:  30-60 Minutes Core Mechanic:  Deduction Theme:  Werewolf Type:  Party Weight:  Light Year:  2014 Rating: 7.5* This was the first social deduction game that I played and the most memorable social deduction moments may have come from playing this game - and I may never play it again. I'll elaborate on that more in a bit, but it in no way reflects on the quality of the game, which is very, very good. This game opened up the entire genre to me which is now a party staple and most deduction games can probably trace a big part of their game back to Werewolf. I might have played Mafia a couple times with a deck of regular playing cards, which is very similar to Werewolf, but the fact that I'm not certain just shows how much of an impact Werewolf had by comparison. There are two teams in this game - Werewolves and Villagers. The goal for the villagers is to eliminate the werewolves while the goal for...

Terraforming Mars: Colonies Another expansion for a great engine-building game, I don't know the details but Venus Next was good and Prelude looks like fun, so I can only assume that this will keep adding to the replayability and depth. King of Tokyo: Monster Pack - Anubis I haven't played any of these new monster packs that have been released since the second edition of King of Tokyo was released, but I think the game is straightforward enough that it doesn't matter if I have to be excited about the next. The buzz is that Anubis is better than the other two and it definitely seems a bit more unique than King Kong or Cthulu. Discover: Lands Unknown This isn't exactly a game that is new to me, but it completely fell of my radar until I started seeing it in stores and I had no idea what it was until I looked at the description again, so I'm going to count it. Anyway, what will draw gamers into this is likely the fact that each copy of the game is diffe...

# of Players:  3-6 Playtime:  0-30 Minutes Core Mechanic:  Voting Theme:  Story Type:  Party Weight: Light Year:  2008 Rating: 6.5* When I first started playing board games, this was the party game that everyone was talking about. As I was new to board games, I got swept right into the hype. Amazing artwork combined with seemingly solid mechanics, it definitely appealed to me more than the popularity driven games of Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity. However, the biggest problem I saw was myself and that I could not picture myself as a creative or clever person and that could potentially hold back my enjoyment of the game. Each player has a set of cards with wacky illustrations on them. Each round, one player, the storyteller, will select one of his or her cards secretly and put it face down in the middle of the table and say a word or phrase that has to do with the illustration on the card. The other players will then...

# of Players:  1-7 Playtime:  2-3 Hours Core Mechanic:  Worker Placement Theme:  Dwarves Type:  Euro Weight:  Heavy Year:  2013 Rating: 9* This was easily my most anticipated release of 2013.  Somehow I had not heard much about it until it was about to come out, but I was first in line at my FLGS to pick up a copy.  And when I picked it up, I was shocked at how heavy it was - it was likely the densest board game box I had ever picked up.  This only added to the hype and I could not wait to play it.  I mean, I had loved every Uwe Rosenberg game I played so far, right? Caverna can be best described as Agricola 2.0. The game is played over twelve rounds where you will be using workers to take actions using the same worker placement mechanic. Instead of being themed to farming, your workers are now dwarves who, in addition to doing farming are also exploring caves, mining, and going on expeditions. Similar ...

# of Players:  1-100 Playtime:  0-30 Minutes Core Mechanic:  Roll-and-Write Theme:  City Building Type: Family Weight:  Light Year:  2018 Rating: 8.5* Roll-and-write games in general entered 2018 with enormous buzz and hype. Welcome To... was probably the roll-and-write game that was making the most noise. Although it didn't end up being the first one I played, it definitely made its mark and is in very strong contention for the best one I have played. It is easy to learn, quick to play, has a fantastic theme, and I personally really enjoy city-building games and this gives game gives a very light city-building vibe that is enough to scratch that itch. The theme of the game revolves around being planners for a few city blocks in the 1950s. Seeing the cover for the first time immediately made me think of Food Chain Magnate - not a bad way to make a first impression. The game falls into the roll-and-write category, although for t...

# of Players:  3-8 Playtime: 0-30 Minutes Core Mechanic:  Deduction Theme:  Western Type:  Party Weight:  Light Year:  2013 Rating: 8.5* Bang! The Card Game was one of the first social deduction games I played besides Ultimate Werewolf. I really liked the game when I first played it, especially enjoying the variety of weapons and characters. However, after a few games that went on way too long for what the game experience warrants, I began noticing some of the glaring flaws that could emerge. Since then, I have been exposed to a much wider variety of deduction games, such as The Resistance and One Night Ultimate Werewolf, that I have found to be much more enjoyable. Then I heard that this game was released and that it condensed the Bang! experience into a much shorter, and ultimately much more fun, package. There are three teams in this game competing with each other.  First, there are the Sheriff and Deputies, who mu...

For a brief recap of how I came up with my list, refer back to my previous post: 2018 Top 100 Games of All-Time - #100-91 Here we go with #50-41! Top 50! #50 - Magic Maze A great co-operative game with unique mechanics that will have you banging the table in frustration during but celebrating loudly when you are able to accomplish your objectives. Each player controls all of the characters on the map but can only move them in one direction and cannot communicate their plans with the rest of the players. Innovative is the only word I can use to describe it! #49 - Meeple Circus An amazing dexterity game that has a very unique circus theme and generates a lot of laughter and good times with each play. This was my first introduction to dexterity games and now I am keeping an eye out for the next one that will be a hit the way this one has been for my group. #48 - Jaipur A fun and quick little two-player trading game with cards that works better than you think it w...

# of Players:  2-8 Playtime:  30-60 Minutes Core Mechanic:  Deduction Theme:  Submarine Type: Party Weight:  Medium Year:  2016 Rating: 8* In 2016, when it came to party games, this was the one that I could not stop hearing about. The thought of one of my childhood games, Battleship, turned into real-time mayhem sounded amazing, but the only problem is that the game works best with eight players, which would be really difficult to accomplish considering the size of my regular gaming groups. However, I was determined to get this played, so I eventually was able to find a few people to do so. In this game, you have two teams, ideally with four players each. The two teams will be sitting across from each other with a divider to separate them down the middle. The goal of each team is to locate the opponent’s submarine and sink it. Each team is made up of four roles, so you can see why eight people are ideal because if you have less...

# of Players:  2-6 Playtime:  30-60 Minutes Core Mechanic:  Programming Theme:  Western Type:  Family Euro Weight:  Light Year:  2014 Rating: 7.5* This 2015 Spiel de Jahres winner slipped under the radar for me when it first came out. I didn't even know that it had won until the app came out and I looked into the game further. At first glance, it didn't seem like it would be my sort of game as I am not too fond of the idea of programming games, even though this may have been the first programming game I played. However, the theme and components were very appealing and it was award-winning. Would this family euro convince me that programming games were better than they sound? The goal of the game is to have the most loot at the end. Each player controls a character with a special power that slightly alters the rules of the game and all of these characters are on a train. Each player is dealt a hand of cards from their personal d...