We’re back with another fantasy draft, as we keep on moving down the BoardGameGeek top games list. If you’re not familiar, we’re each picking a standalone collection of five games before our picks get stolen out from under us. Want to win a $50 gift card? You’ve got to vote on whose collection is best! Before we get the knives out, we talk about Raiders of Scythia, and Ankh: Gods of Egypt.
Board game science is a delicate process, but thankfully BOB’s here to help, in another BGB Battle of Board (Games)! This week, we’re pitting our favourite science fiction themed games against each other. That’s fifteen sci fi games, which we’ll put in a fact based ordered list, ready to submit to the journal of your choice. Before we pollute space, we talk about Riverboat, Bug Council of Backyardia, and Rocketmen.
We often talk about the burden of rules, and how in some of our favourite games, they just get out of the way. But when is that burden worthwhile; what makes the price of a heavy rules overhead worth paying? Before we maximize our returns, we talk about Crash Octopus, Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, Imperium: Classics, and Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile.
Now we’re getting into the thick of it, in fact some are calling it the most ambitious Part II released in any medium. It’s the Board Game Barrage Top 50 Games of All Time! We’re in our thirties (even if we wish we weren’t) and it’s full speed ahead. That’s forty(ish) more games, and ten spots closer to the grand finale. Now that we’ve got this train going, there’s no stopping it.
It’s an awful notion, but bear with me. What if you lost your entire board game collection, and had to rebuild it from scratch? Here’s the catch, you only have one hundred dollars. We try to predict what the Red Tank would do, before he talks us through what makes the cut, and why. Before we rebuild, we talk about 5211, Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan, and Cóatl.
Blessed are the forgetful, because they don’t have to play memory games? After all, games with a strong memory component often get a bad rap in the hobby. We look at some of the reasons why very few games want to test your memory, and just to be otherwise, we discuss some of our favourite games that do. Before we walk our mind palaces, we talk about Fort, Under Falling Skies, and Tellstones: King’s Gambit.
It’s award season when we say it is, so we’re looking back at the Golden Geek Awards, The Dice Tower Awards, and the Spiel des Jahres nominees. We offer our thoughts on their picks, and how wrong they are. I mean, Wingspan winning “Best Four-Wheel Drive SUV” just seems a bit much. We also talk about Battlestar Galactica, Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small, Paladins of the West Kingdom, and The Boss.
Once loved board games will often circle back into the limelight with reprints, but we’re also starting to see a lot more get remasters and remakes too. We take a look at this trend, and discuss some re-imaginings our favourite board games, whether it’s a full on new version, or just a new coat of paint. Before we re-re-re-repeat, we talk about Cities: Skylines, Colorful, and Maharaja.
Look, digital gaming is great and all, but there are some games that either don’t lend themselves well to the format, or aren’t available. Whatever the reason, there are lots of games that we’re itching to play once the world returns to normal. It’s a top five countdown! Before we start scratching, we talk about Exit: The Game – Sunken Treasure, Pandemic: Rapid Response, and Stockpile.
Mark Rosewater, head designer for Magic: The Gathering, defined three player archetypes back in 2002, and we figured it’d be fun to see how we can apply them to, not just board games, but your three beloved hosts. We look into what makes a Timmy, Tammy, Johnny, Jenny, or Spike tick, and try to find some board games each might like. Before we profile ourselves, we talk about FlickFleet, Québec, and Ra.