My Top Nine Board Games
Recently, I saw a post on Instagram #mytop9boardgames. It was a hard decision, but i finally figured out what my top games were. Read on to find out what made the list.
In no particular order: Tzolk'in, Terra Mystica, Caverna, Scythe, Takenoko, Lords of Waterdeep, Ascension, Mystic Vale and Goa.
Tzolkin: The Mayan Calendar
Czech Games Edition
This is a worker placement game that is very high on my favorite list. If I had to choose, this might be my current favorite game. The board is incredible. There are massive gears that you put together like a puzzle to construct the complete board. Gamers that have the patience to paint their boards astound me. The intricacies on that board are insane.
On your turn you can either place a worker, or take one off. There are temple tracks, technology tracks, monuments and buildings that you are vying and racing toward. Each different component adds an infinite replay-ability to the game. The game only lasts one full year. Make your decisions quickly. I am a sucker for the crystal skull mechanic. It gives you victory points (VP) and up on the temple tracks. I promise you, play this once and you will add it to your favorites list.
Expansion: Yes. Tribes and Prophecies. This game adds some messed up factors to the base game. I am not sure how I feel about it. I've only played it twice. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
Terra Mystica
Tzolkin: The Mayan Calendar
Czech Games Edition
This is a worker placement game that is very high on my favorite list. If I had to choose, this might be my current favorite game. The board is incredible. There are massive gears that you put together like a puzzle to construct the complete board. Gamers that have the patience to paint their boards astound me. The intricacies on that board are insane.On your turn you can either place a worker, or take one off. There are temple tracks, technology tracks, monuments and buildings that you are vying and racing toward. Each different component adds an infinite replay-ability to the game. The game only lasts one full year. Make your decisions quickly. I am a sucker for the crystal skull mechanic. It gives you victory points (VP) and up on the temple tracks. I promise you, play this once and you will add it to your favorites list.
Expansion: Yes. Tribes and Prophecies. This game adds some messed up factors to the base game. I am not sure how I feel about it. I've only played it twice. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
Terra Mystica
Feuerland Spiele
One of the hardest games I've ever played. The board is an open world with different landscape tiles and waterways. The character you choose determines the landscape tile that you will use to create your town. You place buildings, receive workers, and make money/power on each round. In this one, turns continue until each player has "passed."
So much depends on what other players do in this game. Long-term strategy is a must, but it can be derailed in the blink of an eye. I think I have played this maybe a total of 5 times and I have not won a single game. Not even come close. This last time I played was my best game and I was playing with one of the Fire and Ice expansion characters. I will continue to play, with the hope that one day I can win.
Expansion: Yes. Fire and Ice. I enjoyed the new characters. They are difficult to play with but add an interesting element to the game. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
Takenoko
Czech Games Edition
How cute is this game? Seriously. In this game you are in Japan, tending to lovely little bamboo gardens. You have a Panda invading your garden and eating your plants.
Unlike the two games price, this game has a large amount of luck attached to it. On your turn you role a die. Depending on the outcome of the die, you take two actions. You can pick new tiles, move the gardener, move the panda, or pick new cards. Each card is work VP. The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins.
The game is fairly easy, but it is so much fun and so beautiful. Its a new favorite among my friends. We've been playing it a lot lately. I really love the bamboo plants and how they stack.
Expansion: Yes. Chibis Expansion. I have not played this. A wife and kids for the panda. Sounds fun. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
Scythe
Stonemaier Games
I hope you have a big table and a few hours. How do I describe this game? Think Risk, but with giant mech robots and some of the best expeditions you will come across in gaming.
Its 1920's Europa in this game. Like Terra Mystica, the character that you are assigned determines the section of the board you play with. On your turn you can take two actions on your play mat. One character allows you to take the same action twice, which is really helpful. There is a factory at the center of the board that everyone races to. Why? You get an extra action that you can add to your turns. It can give you extra resources and money and other items.
I have fantastic friends who bought me the realistic resources and metal coins for this game. They really do add to it. As you journey across the landscape and build your mechs you also have the ability to fight the other players. This can get dirty. So, so much fun.
Expansion: Yes. Two so far, with one final expansion coming soon. Invaders from Afar adds new characters, while The Wind Gambit adds flying ships. I've only played the Invaders but I loved it. I own Wind Gambit, but we have not had the opportunity to play it. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
Caverna: The Cave Farmers
Lookout Games
Uwe Rosenberg is a fantastic game designer. You know him from Agricola. Which is very similar to this game. A worker placement / adventuring game about Cave Farmers. Two main sections of your board are the farmlands and the cave. You building dwellings that help you earn VP and can convert resources to feed your family. The farm lands are also a great place to get food to feed your people. I hate feeding workers, its annoying.
Another game that highly depends on what other people do. Each turn you place your worker on a spot on the board. Claiming the reward or benefit. If another player chooses where you wanted to go, you have to think quick on your feet. Caverna adds an adventuring element that helps you gain resources and actions quickly. There is a lot to manage in this game, but its super fun.
Expansion: Not that I know of. Its pretty all encompassing on its own. I know there is a travel edition of sorts. A 2 player Cave vs. Cave. I have not played that.
Lords of Waterdeep
Wizards of the Coast
I'm not a D&D player. Lords of Waterdeep is as close to D&D as I will ever get. A worker placement/quest game that is highly replayable. The randomness of dealing out a lord gives it this ability. I love this game and its easy to learn and even easier to teach to newcomers.
You get a certain number of agents to deploy depending on the number of players. Its a turn based game. For example, in a 3 player game you start with 3 agents in your pool, and one reserved on the board for the 5th round. Starting player places an agent on a spot on the board, then the next player, and the next player. You go back to the starting player to place their next agent. Play continues this way until all agents are placed. They then return home and play begins again.
You gather resources to complete quest cards. Your lord gives you extra VP depending on the certain type of Quests, or other special functions printed on the card. You can also attack other players with Intrigue cards. Mandatory quests will also slow other players down if you want to keep them from completing their quests.
Expansion: Yes. Scoundrels of Skullport. This expansion has 2 different options. The Undermountain and Skullport. I am not a fan of Skullport - it adds corruption into the game, giving you negative points for certain moves. I don't like that. Undermountain is great and has fantastic new buildings, quests and lords. I will give Skullport another chance soon. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
GOA - A New Expedition
Z-Man Games
I have never won a complex strategy game in my group of fellow gamers. I've been trying for years and they are just so good that I never win. Until Goa. Goa gave me first victory and that's what earns it a place on my favorite games list.
Goa combines auctions and resource management. The ability to have starting player is essential in this game. You will also want to have a lot of money. The game is set in the 16th Century. You are mining spices on your plantation and shipping it around the world.
You begin by bidding on starting player. Whoever gains starting player has an extra advantage by giving them an extra item to auction off and extra action in the action phase. There are tiles in the center of the table. The starting player chooses a tile that they will be auctioneer of. Placement follows clockwise, each player has to choose an adjacent tile to the one chosen previously. Then starting with the first tile, auction begins. Player 1 bids on starting players tile, the next player has to increase by at least a dollar. When it gets back to starting player they can allow the highest bid to pay them, or buy it themselves for $1 off the highest bid. This continues until all tiles are bought and paid for.
The next round is the action phase. Each player has 3 actions this round to found a colony, produce, and a few other options. The starting player gets a 4th action. You move along tracks and collect resources as you go along. I highly recommend getting a money generating tile early in the game if you can. This is a great game. Unfortunately, I may never own a copy as it appears to be out of print and is really expensive on Amazon.
Expansion: Not that I know.
Ascension Deck Building Game
Stone Blade Entertainment
Much in the way that you are either a Star Wars or a Star Trek, I feel you can be either a Dominion or Ascension. I have played both, but Ascension wins the deck building award for me.
You lay out of the board in the center of the table. You shuffle the deck of monsters and heroes and place 6 cards in the center row. These are the cards that you will spend your runes and attack points to buy and add to your deck. On your turn you can spend your runes on either heroes in the center row or Mystics and Heavy Infantry that are available until they are depleted. If you don't have enough combat in a turn to kill a monster in the center row, you can always kill the cultist - worth 2 VP. Heroes and monsters give you special abilities, runes or combat.
Depending on the number of players, you have a pool of VP. Once that is gone, the game is over. There is a great app edition that I play all the time. If you also play, start a game with me - mspear7338.
Expansion: Yes. Since starting in 2010 - this game has released 12 expansions with a new one set to be released this year - Delirium. You do not need to own the base version to play the expansions. That is what is great about Ascension. You can play each expansion stand alone, or combine it with any other expansion. Online I play them all at once, its chaotic, but the app keeps track of things for you.
Mystic Vale
Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)
Another deck builder that I only recently found thanks to my friend Josh. You really need a play-mat for this. The cards are clear and you actual build them up with cards you buy from the center.
You can also buy vale cards that give you additional resources or money each round. There is an element of luck due to the shuffle. Your more powerful cards may not make it out very often, especially if you press your luck and happen to spoil. A new mechanic to deck building that I like. If you have more than 3 red trees in your field, you spoil and your turn is over. The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins.
Expansion: Yes. There are multiple expansions for this game. I wouldn't even really call them expansions, so much as sequels that play along with. Once you shuffle the cards in from an expansion, there are no discerning marks to tell them apart. They are forever part of the main deck now. The latest expansion gives you space to hold the entire game in one box. You need to own the base version to play the expansions.
Have fun and PLAY MORE GAMES!
One of the hardest games I've ever played. The board is an open world with different landscape tiles and waterways. The character you choose determines the landscape tile that you will use to create your town. You place buildings, receive workers, and make money/power on each round. In this one, turns continue until each player has "passed."So much depends on what other players do in this game. Long-term strategy is a must, but it can be derailed in the blink of an eye. I think I have played this maybe a total of 5 times and I have not won a single game. Not even come close. This last time I played was my best game and I was playing with one of the Fire and Ice expansion characters. I will continue to play, with the hope that one day I can win.
Expansion: Yes. Fire and Ice. I enjoyed the new characters. They are difficult to play with but add an interesting element to the game. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
Takenoko
Czech Games Edition
Unlike the two games price, this game has a large amount of luck attached to it. On your turn you role a die. Depending on the outcome of the die, you take two actions. You can pick new tiles, move the gardener, move the panda, or pick new cards. Each card is work VP. The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins.
The game is fairly easy, but it is so much fun and so beautiful. Its a new favorite among my friends. We've been playing it a lot lately. I really love the bamboo plants and how they stack.
Expansion: Yes. Chibis Expansion. I have not played this. A wife and kids for the panda. Sounds fun. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
Scythe
Stonemaier Games
I hope you have a big table and a few hours. How do I describe this game? Think Risk, but with giant mech robots and some of the best expeditions you will come across in gaming.Its 1920's Europa in this game. Like Terra Mystica, the character that you are assigned determines the section of the board you play with. On your turn you can take two actions on your play mat. One character allows you to take the same action twice, which is really helpful. There is a factory at the center of the board that everyone races to. Why? You get an extra action that you can add to your turns. It can give you extra resources and money and other items.
I have fantastic friends who bought me the realistic resources and metal coins for this game. They really do add to it. As you journey across the landscape and build your mechs you also have the ability to fight the other players. This can get dirty. So, so much fun.
Expansion: Yes. Two so far, with one final expansion coming soon. Invaders from Afar adds new characters, while The Wind Gambit adds flying ships. I've only played the Invaders but I loved it. I own Wind Gambit, but we have not had the opportunity to play it. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
Caverna: The Cave Farmers
Lookout Games
Uwe Rosenberg is a fantastic game designer. You know him from Agricola. Which is very similar to this game. A worker placement / adventuring game about Cave Farmers. Two main sections of your board are the farmlands and the cave. You building dwellings that help you earn VP and can convert resources to feed your family. The farm lands are also a great place to get food to feed your people. I hate feeding workers, its annoying.
Another game that highly depends on what other people do. Each turn you place your worker on a spot on the board. Claiming the reward or benefit. If another player chooses where you wanted to go, you have to think quick on your feet. Caverna adds an adventuring element that helps you gain resources and actions quickly. There is a lot to manage in this game, but its super fun.
Expansion: Not that I know of. Its pretty all encompassing on its own. I know there is a travel edition of sorts. A 2 player Cave vs. Cave. I have not played that.
Lords of Waterdeep
Wizards of the Coast
I'm not a D&D player. Lords of Waterdeep is as close to D&D as I will ever get. A worker placement/quest game that is highly replayable. The randomness of dealing out a lord gives it this ability. I love this game and its easy to learn and even easier to teach to newcomers. You get a certain number of agents to deploy depending on the number of players. Its a turn based game. For example, in a 3 player game you start with 3 agents in your pool, and one reserved on the board for the 5th round. Starting player places an agent on a spot on the board, then the next player, and the next player. You go back to the starting player to place their next agent. Play continues this way until all agents are placed. They then return home and play begins again.
You gather resources to complete quest cards. Your lord gives you extra VP depending on the certain type of Quests, or other special functions printed on the card. You can also attack other players with Intrigue cards. Mandatory quests will also slow other players down if you want to keep them from completing their quests.
Expansion: Yes. Scoundrels of Skullport. This expansion has 2 different options. The Undermountain and Skullport. I am not a fan of Skullport - it adds corruption into the game, giving you negative points for certain moves. I don't like that. Undermountain is great and has fantastic new buildings, quests and lords. I will give Skullport another chance soon. You need to own the base version to play the expansion.
GOA - A New Expedition
Z-Man Games
I have never won a complex strategy game in my group of fellow gamers. I've been trying for years and they are just so good that I never win. Until Goa. Goa gave me first victory and that's what earns it a place on my favorite games list. Goa combines auctions and resource management. The ability to have starting player is essential in this game. You will also want to have a lot of money. The game is set in the 16th Century. You are mining spices on your plantation and shipping it around the world.
You begin by bidding on starting player. Whoever gains starting player has an extra advantage by giving them an extra item to auction off and extra action in the action phase. There are tiles in the center of the table. The starting player chooses a tile that they will be auctioneer of. Placement follows clockwise, each player has to choose an adjacent tile to the one chosen previously. Then starting with the first tile, auction begins. Player 1 bids on starting players tile, the next player has to increase by at least a dollar. When it gets back to starting player they can allow the highest bid to pay them, or buy it themselves for $1 off the highest bid. This continues until all tiles are bought and paid for.
The next round is the action phase. Each player has 3 actions this round to found a colony, produce, and a few other options. The starting player gets a 4th action. You move along tracks and collect resources as you go along. I highly recommend getting a money generating tile early in the game if you can. This is a great game. Unfortunately, I may never own a copy as it appears to be out of print and is really expensive on Amazon.
Expansion: Not that I know.
Ascension Deck Building Game
Stone Blade Entertainment
Much in the way that you are either a Star Wars or a Star Trek, I feel you can be either a Dominion or Ascension. I have played both, but Ascension wins the deck building award for me. You lay out of the board in the center of the table. You shuffle the deck of monsters and heroes and place 6 cards in the center row. These are the cards that you will spend your runes and attack points to buy and add to your deck. On your turn you can spend your runes on either heroes in the center row or Mystics and Heavy Infantry that are available until they are depleted. If you don't have enough combat in a turn to kill a monster in the center row, you can always kill the cultist - worth 2 VP. Heroes and monsters give you special abilities, runes or combat.
Depending on the number of players, you have a pool of VP. Once that is gone, the game is over. There is a great app edition that I play all the time. If you also play, start a game with me - mspear7338.
Expansion: Yes. Since starting in 2010 - this game has released 12 expansions with a new one set to be released this year - Delirium. You do not need to own the base version to play the expansions. That is what is great about Ascension. You can play each expansion stand alone, or combine it with any other expansion. Online I play them all at once, its chaotic, but the app keeps track of things for you.
Mystic Vale
Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)
Another deck builder that I only recently found thanks to my friend Josh. You really need a play-mat for this. The cards are clear and you actual build them up with cards you buy from the center.You can also buy vale cards that give you additional resources or money each round. There is an element of luck due to the shuffle. Your more powerful cards may not make it out very often, especially if you press your luck and happen to spoil. A new mechanic to deck building that I like. If you have more than 3 red trees in your field, you spoil and your turn is over. The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins.
Expansion: Yes. There are multiple expansions for this game. I wouldn't even really call them expansions, so much as sequels that play along with. Once you shuffle the cards in from an expansion, there are no discerning marks to tell them apart. They are forever part of the main deck now. The latest expansion gives you space to hold the entire game in one box. You need to own the base version to play the expansions.
Final Thoughts
What a fun exercise this was. I love to play board games and deck building games. My collection has grown in the past few years since I really got into. Just this weekend, I got to play a few of these as it was international tabletop day. We had a great time! I recommend each and every game on the list.Have fun and PLAY MORE GAMES!
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