For a brief recap of how I came up with my list, refer back to my previous post:
2019 Top 100 Games of All-Time - #100-91
Here we go with #90-81!
#90 - Decrypto (New)
I heard a lot of great things about this party game, which many people had described as an evolution of the super popular Codenames. So when it was being played at SHUX '18, I made sure it was the first game I played. The first round had me confused as I struggled to understand the concept, but as soon as that second round came about, I was hooked in and can see that with more plays, this will climb higher and higher and possibly dethrone Codenames? I think there is definitely more strategy and the metagame that develops around coming up with new words to describe four core words is very interesting, as you want to make sure your clues are hard enough that the opposing team has difficulty guessing your four words, but easy enough that your own team isn't thrown off. A very fun word game that in the end is nothing like Codenames at all.
#89 - Villainous (New)
There is potential for this to become the next big gateway game. I was first in line when it was released, based on the positive early reviews and the Disney IP. Although I have only played it a handful of times, it has been very engaging and fun and full of expansion potential. In this game, players take on the roles of different classic Disney villains, each of whom has a endgame victory condition that must be met to win. Each of these conditions are unique, which means that this is an asymmetric game, which is an ambitious design to attempt for this target audience, but it works. The gameplay is reminiscent of the action selection board in Scythe, which is also novel. The game is a bit more challenging than most gateways, especially because of the asymmetric nature, but the Disney IP is what is going to appeal. Most IP games are just themed versions of boring big box store games, but this far transcends that stereotype and is a fantastic offering for new and veteran gamers.
#88 - Barenpark (New)
Roll-and-write and legacy games are some of the most prolific new releases in recent years, but another new category that has taken the industry by storm is polyomino games, led mostly by Uwe Rosenberg with games such as Patchwork, Cottage Garden, and Feast for Odin. Other designers have come along as well to hop on the bandwagon and one of the most popular has been Barenpark. I finally was able to land a copy of this highly sought game and although it might be a bit too simple for me, it is an excellent gateway game with its fun theme and straightforward rules. I prefer the complexities and harder decisions in the Uwe Rosenberg games, but I can't deny that this game is fun and in general much more appealing to casual gamers. I can't wait for the expansion which hopefully will add a bit more to the game.
#87 - Paperback (January 2018 - #54 --- ↓33)
A fun mash-up between deck-building and Scrabble, this game really surprised me. This game is likely my leading gateway deckbuilder as the theme is appealing to most, or at least many will be familiar because of Scrabble, and the rules are easy to grasp. It also gives people who have a good vocabulary a decent edge even if they are new to deckbuilders. It has dropped because I have not played it as much in recent times and I was playing a lot of its follow-up Hardback, which did not make the Top 100 cut. Hardback is a bit more strategic but loses the streamlined nature of the original as a result and for once I did not appreciate the more difficult option. Maybe with more plays my mind might change.
#86 - Castles of Burgundy (New)
This game has always been on my radar, especially as it very steadily climbed the rankings over the year into the Top 10 on BoardGameGeek. Now it sits just outside the Top 10, but its rise has been an incredible feat. It has been called Stefan Feld's masterpiece and it actually ended up being the first Stefan Feld game I have ever played. I came close to playing it the year before, reading the rules and getting super excited, but the opportunity did not pan out. However, I found that it was on Boiteajeux and made sure it was the first new game I tried out. I was underwhelmed. Though the mechanics and use of dice is quite interesting, I find the game a bit boring, especially as the theme does not really come together for me. Instead, I am just doing what I can to maximize points when placing tiles and whatever images are on the tile goes right past my head. There is good strategic depth, but perhaps the game was way overhyped for me.
#85 - Indian Summer (New)
As I mentioned earlier, polyomino games are huge and another one I got around to playing this year was Indian Summer. The second in the trilogy by Uwe Rosenberg, wedged between Cottage Garden and Spring Meadow, the latter of which I have not played yet, I really enjoyed the puzzle that this one presented. It plays completely different from Cottage Garden and in some ways feels like a roll-and-write. The use of the polyomino shapes with holes in the center for bonus opportunities provides an interesting decision space when you have to decide whether to select pieces that fill more squares or pieces with holes that can grant you access to the bonuses. In some ways, I think it is lighter than Cottage Garden, which is actually why it ranks lower. Still, it is a lot of fun and one I would be happy to play again and again to explore it further.
#84 - Baseball Highlights: 2045 (New)
I am not a fan of baseball at all, but heard really good things about this board game about baseball set decades into the future where there are robot, cyborg, and human players mixed together. In essence, it is a very tactical card-driven game spread over several "mini-games" of baseball. During each mini-game, you need to try to predict what your opponent will do to stay one step ahead of him or her and hopefully end up with the most hits to win that round. In between rounds, you are able to buy new players to add to your roster and power-up your team. I really like two-player games because of their tactical nature. The theme also works well by setting it in the future and using robots and cyborgs to add more interesting potential match-ups. Over time, I could see this fall since, as I mentioned at the start, I don't like baseball, but the game mechanics were good enough to debut on this list.
#83 - Reef (New)
This game was hyped as the new Azul for the year, especially as it was being released by the same publisher and it felt like they were heavily pushing this game. It also came from the same designer as Century: Spice Road, which helped add to the anticipation. The game is much simpler and a lot less cutthroat, which makes it more ideal for a family game. In fact, the game play is so straightforward I was able to more or less teach my four year old son how to play, although I had to give some strategic pointers. However, that is not meant to detract from the game as it there is quite a bit of depth and with more plays I think it could climb higher. The production values are arguably higher than Azul, with the coral pieces having good weight and nice color. Azul is a better game, but I think this has better traction as a gateway game.
#82 - Flamme Rouge (New)
I was very excited to play this game, especially after the enthusiastic Shut Up & Sit Down review and seeing it played a lot at SHUX '17. However, it would be a few months more until I got my own copy to play. It is a fantastic racing game and I think the first one that I have played, but easily my favorite now that I have played a couple more. The slipstream mechanics work very well, as does controlling two different cyclists to create interesting strategies and dynamics. This is a game that works best with more players to create more chaos and slipstream opportunities. I am really interested in the Grand Tour mode, which allows you to chain races together and carry over exhaustion. If I get a chance to play this version of the game, I think it could easily climb higher as the game is already so much fun.
#81 - At the Gates of Loyang (New)
This was the third game of Uwe Rosenberg's "harvest trilogy", the other two being the classics Agricola and Le Havre. This one seems to have been overlooked and I have to admit that I had done the same. However, when I saw that it was on Yucata, it was one of the games I knew I had to try and I was pleasantly surprised by the game. First, it is not a worker placement game, which is a refreshing change of pace. Though it uses the familiar harvest mechanism for growing your vegetables, the way you draft market stalls, fields, helpers, and customers is unique. The scoring track is also very interesting as you are almost guaranteed to move ahead each turn, but to push a bit farther ahead takes a lot of effort and planning. In the end, it is not one of my favorite games by him, but a solid experience nonetheless.
2019 Top 100 Games of All-Time - #100-91
Here we go with #90-81!
#90 - Decrypto (New)
I heard a lot of great things about this party game, which many people had described as an evolution of the super popular Codenames. So when it was being played at SHUX '18, I made sure it was the first game I played. The first round had me confused as I struggled to understand the concept, but as soon as that second round came about, I was hooked in and can see that with more plays, this will climb higher and higher and possibly dethrone Codenames? I think there is definitely more strategy and the metagame that develops around coming up with new words to describe four core words is very interesting, as you want to make sure your clues are hard enough that the opposing team has difficulty guessing your four words, but easy enough that your own team isn't thrown off. A very fun word game that in the end is nothing like Codenames at all.
#89 - Villainous (New)
There is potential for this to become the next big gateway game. I was first in line when it was released, based on the positive early reviews and the Disney IP. Although I have only played it a handful of times, it has been very engaging and fun and full of expansion potential. In this game, players take on the roles of different classic Disney villains, each of whom has a endgame victory condition that must be met to win. Each of these conditions are unique, which means that this is an asymmetric game, which is an ambitious design to attempt for this target audience, but it works. The gameplay is reminiscent of the action selection board in Scythe, which is also novel. The game is a bit more challenging than most gateways, especially because of the asymmetric nature, but the Disney IP is what is going to appeal. Most IP games are just themed versions of boring big box store games, but this far transcends that stereotype and is a fantastic offering for new and veteran gamers.
#88 - Barenpark (New)
Roll-and-write and legacy games are some of the most prolific new releases in recent years, but another new category that has taken the industry by storm is polyomino games, led mostly by Uwe Rosenberg with games such as Patchwork, Cottage Garden, and Feast for Odin. Other designers have come along as well to hop on the bandwagon and one of the most popular has been Barenpark. I finally was able to land a copy of this highly sought game and although it might be a bit too simple for me, it is an excellent gateway game with its fun theme and straightforward rules. I prefer the complexities and harder decisions in the Uwe Rosenberg games, but I can't deny that this game is fun and in general much more appealing to casual gamers. I can't wait for the expansion which hopefully will add a bit more to the game.
#87 - Paperback (January 2018 - #54 --- ↓33)
A fun mash-up between deck-building and Scrabble, this game really surprised me. This game is likely my leading gateway deckbuilder as the theme is appealing to most, or at least many will be familiar because of Scrabble, and the rules are easy to grasp. It also gives people who have a good vocabulary a decent edge even if they are new to deckbuilders. It has dropped because I have not played it as much in recent times and I was playing a lot of its follow-up Hardback, which did not make the Top 100 cut. Hardback is a bit more strategic but loses the streamlined nature of the original as a result and for once I did not appreciate the more difficult option. Maybe with more plays my mind might change.
#86 - Castles of Burgundy (New)
This game has always been on my radar, especially as it very steadily climbed the rankings over the year into the Top 10 on BoardGameGeek. Now it sits just outside the Top 10, but its rise has been an incredible feat. It has been called Stefan Feld's masterpiece and it actually ended up being the first Stefan Feld game I have ever played. I came close to playing it the year before, reading the rules and getting super excited, but the opportunity did not pan out. However, I found that it was on Boiteajeux and made sure it was the first new game I tried out. I was underwhelmed. Though the mechanics and use of dice is quite interesting, I find the game a bit boring, especially as the theme does not really come together for me. Instead, I am just doing what I can to maximize points when placing tiles and whatever images are on the tile goes right past my head. There is good strategic depth, but perhaps the game was way overhyped for me.
#85 - Indian Summer (New)
As I mentioned earlier, polyomino games are huge and another one I got around to playing this year was Indian Summer. The second in the trilogy by Uwe Rosenberg, wedged between Cottage Garden and Spring Meadow, the latter of which I have not played yet, I really enjoyed the puzzle that this one presented. It plays completely different from Cottage Garden and in some ways feels like a roll-and-write. The use of the polyomino shapes with holes in the center for bonus opportunities provides an interesting decision space when you have to decide whether to select pieces that fill more squares or pieces with holes that can grant you access to the bonuses. In some ways, I think it is lighter than Cottage Garden, which is actually why it ranks lower. Still, it is a lot of fun and one I would be happy to play again and again to explore it further.
#84 - Baseball Highlights: 2045 (New)
I am not a fan of baseball at all, but heard really good things about this board game about baseball set decades into the future where there are robot, cyborg, and human players mixed together. In essence, it is a very tactical card-driven game spread over several "mini-games" of baseball. During each mini-game, you need to try to predict what your opponent will do to stay one step ahead of him or her and hopefully end up with the most hits to win that round. In between rounds, you are able to buy new players to add to your roster and power-up your team. I really like two-player games because of their tactical nature. The theme also works well by setting it in the future and using robots and cyborgs to add more interesting potential match-ups. Over time, I could see this fall since, as I mentioned at the start, I don't like baseball, but the game mechanics were good enough to debut on this list.
#83 - Reef (New)
This game was hyped as the new Azul for the year, especially as it was being released by the same publisher and it felt like they were heavily pushing this game. It also came from the same designer as Century: Spice Road, which helped add to the anticipation. The game is much simpler and a lot less cutthroat, which makes it more ideal for a family game. In fact, the game play is so straightforward I was able to more or less teach my four year old son how to play, although I had to give some strategic pointers. However, that is not meant to detract from the game as it there is quite a bit of depth and with more plays I think it could climb higher. The production values are arguably higher than Azul, with the coral pieces having good weight and nice color. Azul is a better game, but I think this has better traction as a gateway game.
#82 - Flamme Rouge (New)
I was very excited to play this game, especially after the enthusiastic Shut Up & Sit Down review and seeing it played a lot at SHUX '17. However, it would be a few months more until I got my own copy to play. It is a fantastic racing game and I think the first one that I have played, but easily my favorite now that I have played a couple more. The slipstream mechanics work very well, as does controlling two different cyclists to create interesting strategies and dynamics. This is a game that works best with more players to create more chaos and slipstream opportunities. I am really interested in the Grand Tour mode, which allows you to chain races together and carry over exhaustion. If I get a chance to play this version of the game, I think it could easily climb higher as the game is already so much fun.
#81 - At the Gates of Loyang (New)
This was the third game of Uwe Rosenberg's "harvest trilogy", the other two being the classics Agricola and Le Havre. This one seems to have been overlooked and I have to admit that I had done the same. However, when I saw that it was on Yucata, it was one of the games I knew I had to try and I was pleasantly surprised by the game. First, it is not a worker placement game, which is a refreshing change of pace. Though it uses the familiar harvest mechanism for growing your vegetables, the way you draft market stalls, fields, helpers, and customers is unique. The scoring track is also very interesting as you are almost guaranteed to move ahead each turn, but to push a bit farther ahead takes a lot of effort and planning. In the end, it is not one of my favorite games by him, but a solid experience nonetheless.
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