ive been playing board games with my friends weekly at a cafe for about 10 months now.
but our work terms are over and we're all going back to our different schools.
having played over 40 different board games together, yesterday we celebrated our final board games night by revisiting a variety of memorable board games
personally, i have played over 75 board games and given them some rough scores on that page.
this webpage will cover my top 10 board games.
i love casual games like decrypto, splendor, codenames, and bananagrams. they are some of my favourite games ever,
but this list will focus on the more in depth or advanced board games that take time to learn and play.
lets begin
10
clank!
in clank! you play as a bilbo baggins and you go into a castle/caverns to go find loot and come back out to escape from a dragon that is constantly pursuing you.
you compete with other players who are also playing as bilbo baggins', and the winner is the bilbo with the most and best loot.
the game is a deck builder, but it is played on a board. the deck you build determines how mobile, sneaky, and powerful you are, while also potentially giving you additional loot.
one thing i love is how you take damage: the more loot you carry, the more likely you are to "clank" and make noise, alerting the dragon.
when the dragon attacks, you have to put a number of your cubes equal to the number of your clanks into a bag, and then cubes are drawn out of a bag.
if your coloured cube is drawn, you take damage. contextually, this means the loudest player is the most likely to get damaged by the dragon,
but it is not guaranteed. deckbuilding games are great for controlling and managing randomness,
and the fact that damage is also controlled randomness makes games very strategic and exciting at the same time
| things i love about clank! |
|---|
| -your character progressively getting stronger with the deckbuilding mechanic |
| -simple to play, great game to get people into advanced board games |
| -there is randomness, but it is manageable and controlled to a degree |
| -the length of the game is player dependent, determined by the player who escapes the castle first |
| -deckbuilding will guarantee every game is different |
| -thematic game design makes the experience immersive and fun |
9
keyflower
in keyflower, you're a community leader, managing workers and auctioning for tiles to build your community bigger and better than your opponents.
players compete by placing their workers on tiles or to auction for a tile to add to your community.
other players can visit tiles in your communities, which benefits both the visitor and the owner
boats with new workers come by every round, and players also auction for boat picking order.
in the end, everyone has a bustling community with many tiles, and the community with the most points (from the tiles) wins
one thing that is very unique and makes for a fantastic mechanic is that no one is assigned a player colour 8 viticulture viticulture is a worker placement game where you run a wine estate in tuscanny, and you have to age and sell the finest wines for points there are a lot of great mechanics in viticulture. there are also a lot of strategies to approach. 7 near and far near and far is real cool. in this game, you are a leader and must recruit a team of adventurers, if there's anything near and far does amazingly, it would be immersion 6 wingspan wingspan is an awesome game where you run an aviary for birds this game is beautiful. every bird card has a real life bird painted with extreme detail. 5 dinosaur island if jurassic park was a board game, it would be dinosaur island. this game is amazing, as there are so many cool elements found in many different types of board games, all combined into one. 4 lords of waterdeep lords of waterdeep is set in the universe of d&d, and you play as a leader of a faction. this game's design focuses on good mechanics and pacing and it really shows. 3 everdell if there was ever a game that was a work of art, it would be everdell. everything in everdell is amazing for thematic immersion. 2 terraforming mars terraforming mars is an engine building strategy game where every player runs a corporation that contributes to making mars habitable and sustainable. this game is amazing. there is a ton of depth to everything, while actions are relatively simple 1 spirit island spirit island is a cooperative board game in which powerful spirits work together to prevent their island from being ravaged by foreign invaders the design, depth, and gameplay of spirit island is amazing. i love how all the spirits have very interesting playstyles. honorable mentions some other board games that were great but not in my top 10. thanks for reading! click here to go back to the castle homepage
all the coloured workers are used by everyone, and instead players can keep track of their plays by the side of the hexagon tiles which they place their workers.
workers in this game also play in an interesting way. if a tile is visited by a certain colour, only workers of that colour can be placed on that tile
maybe they are racist or something, but it certainly makes the game strategic with an added element of denials and colour monopolies.
things i love about keyflower
-simple yet complex, lots of things to keep track of and plan out
-coloured worker mechanics is awesome, as game develops, certain colours will change in value to certain players, even though they are inherently the same
-visiting other communities or having players visit your communities adds another layer of dynamics to the game
-tiles in your town can be upgraded with resources, gives a constant feeling of becoming stronger
-building rivers and collecting boats is coooool
you do everything, from hiring workers, building upgrades, planting grapes, crushing grapes, aging your wine, and even choosing how early you want to wake up.
the player who earns the most points from selling their wines, giving tours, and visits from seasonal visitors by the end of the game wins.
my favourite aspect of viticulture is the figuring out how to maximize your wine aging and filling orders with the wine.
at the end of every year (in game round), all your grapes and wine will age,
thus making cheap wine early, and leaving it in your cellar for many rounds will result in a very valuable wine
however, when you fill orders, sometimes the wine that is requested is a low age value,
thus keeping a wine in your cellar for too long without selling it can result in over aging, and when selling it, you will have a lot of missed value
making the wine itself is also a very fun and long process, requiring players to build up on their farms, collect grape seeds, plant the grapes,
harvest the grapes, crush the grapes, and age the wine to the needed value.
things i love about viticulture
-everyone is assigned a special mom and dad at the start of the game, and they give you bonuses. yay family!
-many different approaches to gain points, but is ultimately centered around making wine and filling orders
-everyone gets a "grande" worker, who can strong arm his way into any worker placing space. oh he chonky
-clear snowglobe like game pieces, really satisfying to place and slide them around on your wine/grape board
-having so many directions to take your estate makes the game very dynamic overall in strategies and approaches
-intense planning and quick maths, aging wine mechanic makes you think 5 rounds in advance instead of playing round by round
venture out of town with them, to see how far you can explore and deal with quests and encounters.
you collect gold, gems, and food, and you use all of this to upgrade your gear, purchase items and artifacts, and hire more adventurers.
points are earned in many ways through small objectives, such as your artifacts, hired nomads, number of camps set up, and a lot more.
the player with the most points wins and is the best adventure leader.
this game has so much going on for it. so many rules and details to get you immersed in the world
my favourite thing is that this game comes with a whole story book with quests to read and play out like a choose your own adventure book.
there are so many stories that get created while playing in this fantasy setting.
players go on differing adventures, build up different teams, have different gear and artifacts, and different reputations
instead of a board, you get a whole picture book of different lands and worlds to explore on each play.
there's a whole campaign side to the game, with custom character creation, and i have yet to explore any of it.
i really want to buy this game and explore it fully.
things i love about near and far
-so much detail and effort packed into the world of this game
-lots of goals to focus into in your game, whether you want high reputation, the largest team, the most trade routes, the best gem production, etc.
-storybook and campaign modes to explore, makes this game extremely replayable and always different/exciting
-you start the game with a cute doggo/cat who is very versatile and stays by you the entire game
you collect food to feed birds, have them lay eggs, and produce cards to get even more birds
birds have their own unique effects and the more birds you have, the more points and power you have
the player with the most points at the end of the game wins
there's something so satisfying about collecting a multitude of different kinds of beautifully painted birds,
then having them perform their effects throughout the rest of the game.
the game itself is very simple, with 4 actions to choose from every turn, but as the game goes on, the actions become more nuanced and complex
wingspan is a great game to get people more into advanced board games because of how the game's complexity gradually increases throughout the game.
things i love about wingspan
-beautiful art and components, like the bird feeder dice tower and the wooden dice
-actually educational regarding birds and their species. details like their wingspan's, size, and habitats come into play
-eggs look like cadbury mini eggs, nice!
-great sense of progression for players as the board game goes on
-mechanically very well designed, rewards players for planning turns and future moves carefully
this game is played in many phases, where you collect research and dna, invest in dinosaur exhibits, stores, and specialists,
assign workers tasks to create dinosaurs, improve your labs, and improve your security,
then open your park and hope that the dinosaurs don't break loose and kill your humble patrons.
you gain more points for having the most exciting park, and at the end of the game once certain objectives are complete,
the player with the most points generated from their park wins
and the overall theme of the game is amazing, you get to design and run your very own dream jurassic park.
it's very rewarding to populate your park full of dangerous dinosaurs, and seeing more and more people visit your park
and then as the danger of your park increases, your security has to become more and more tight, because the dinosaurs will eat the park visitors!
things i love about dinosaur island
-dinosaurs!
-lots and lots of colour, visually appealing board game with an 80s vibe
-fun thematic shops and attractions to add to your park like a nacho stand called "DNAchos"
-very fun to see your park grow and get more visitors
-bouncing from board to board at each phase, each having a different gameplay style keeps the game fresh and addicting all the way through
-friggin dinosaurs!!
the game is a worker placement game and it is very well designed.
as a faction leader, it is your responsibility to use your workers to get quests, gather adventurers for them, and complete the quests for glory and upgrades.
you gain points primarily from completing quests, and you win by having the most points
the board and actions are all very simple to understand, and the game flows very well because of it.
one mechanic i really like is buying a building, which will add another placement for workers to the board.
just like keyflower, both the owner and visitor of these placement spots benefit when a worker is placed there.
another great mechanic is the quests themselves. they are all different and give different kinds of rewards, such as more adventurers,
lots of points, or on going bonus effects, which can all dramatically change how the game plays out, and influence what kind of strategies players will pursue.
things i love about lords of waterdeep
-the simple game design makes the game very easy for anyone to get into
-lots of quests that vary in power and difficulty to complete, ultimately makes each game interesting and fun every time
-players buying buildings and increasing the actions available on the board is a great mechanic
-simple design but lots of in depth strategy and planning involved to maximize your point earning
-the limited amount of placements for workers makes decision making very important, and opens up a lot of player interaction
everdell is a worker placement woodland critters game, where you build a settlement of buildings and critters.
players are limited to 15 slots for buildings and critters, which are collected as cards and played with resources
each card has point values, as well as an effect that greatly shapes the direction of your strategy and gameplay.
the player with the most points after all players have completed a full year (4 rounds represented as seasons) wins the game
although gimmicky, the giant standing tree literally adds a whole dimension to the game, and serves as an immersive deck holder.
not only is the art and board very beautiful, the resources themselves are amazing too.
the logs are made of wood, the resin is shiny and transparent, the stones are smooth and glossy, and the berries are squishy.
the game is also played in a way that the players only advance to the next season (round) when they are ready to.
although the game is in turns, advancing the the next round is an action itself, and can be done whenever a player wants to.
this means you will always be able to do every action you want to without fear of the game ending prematurely.
things i love about everdell
-beautiful art direction, honestly the most impressive looking board game i've ever played
-worker placement is great, lots of engine building to be made from the cards in your settlement
-critter cards have a lot of personality
-the objective cards all subtly tell a story, and it's very cute when you contextualize it
-never feel rushed or pressured to complete your actions in time, since the game length is 100% player dependent
-components and resources are wonderful and unique
-really fun combo card mechanics, where each critter has an assigned building
as you work together to make mars habitable and sustainable over generations, the corporations compete to be the best,
through points earned from their completed projects, and environmental contributions, and city/greenery development.
you complete objectives such as increasing the temperature, oxygen, and number of oceans on mars, and once all of those objectives are completed, the game ends.
each corporation has a unique power and that makes their focus different compared to others.
for example, ecoline corporation focuses on plant generation and will most likely increase oxygen more than other corporations
helion is a heat focused corporation, and will generate more heat and increase temperature more than others.
players are able to recieve projects to complete, which increases their production and resource gain, or puts more presence on the board.
the amount of unique and fun projects certainly makes the game more interesting as well.
maybe you have a ton of microorganism focused projects that synergize with each other, generating points through biology,
or you become a city developper, and make massive amounts of cities, increasing your income, and winning you related awards and milestones.
the amount of strategies to be done, mixing with the ultimate shared objectives of terraforming mars among all players is absolutely fantastic.
things i love about terraforming mars
-tons of strategies to focus on, lots of excellent moments of decision making
-game is quite scientifically thought out, and a lot of cards are awesome to think about thematically
-generations only end when all players pass, letting you complete everything you want to with your resources, with no pressure or fear of the game/round ending before you're done
-there's a "pets" project card. who doesn't want cute puppies in space cities?
-fantastic meshing of competitive player interaction with individual engine building
-start the game with a barren planet of emptiness, end with a beautiful, city-populated, green planet, inhabitated with wildlife and interesting locations
-the game is competitive and strategic, but you can't help but feel a sense of teamwork and contributing together to make a beautiful planet
the players control spirits, who spread their presence, gain powers, and use those powers, fighting alongside the island tribe of "dahans" to scare off invaders.
the invaders keep coming, building on, and destroying the lands, so you must constantly fend them off, generating and spreading fear to make your goals easier.
each spirit has their own unique powers and playstyles, and the powers spirits obtain are different each game.
the players win if they either destroy enough of the invaders, or generate enough fear to fully scare all the invaders away.
spirits lose if their presence is completely destroyed, the land is fully ravaged and blighted, or if the invaders have been present for too long.
they also have different ways of synergizing with each other and the various power cards you pick up.
the invaders are relentless, but their actions are always laid out in front of you.
players have to work together to minimize the impact and destruction the invaders will cause, and every round is a fun puzzle
there's a lot of planning and optimizing, as you discuss with your team mates what you can do, and what they could do, and figuring out ways to combine your powers.
every game of spirit island has been fresh for me, and on top of that, there's ways to increase difficulty,
giving your invaders different properties, powers, and increasing their potency.
i also love the two winning objectives that coincide with each other, generating fear, and killing off all invaders.
the more fear you generate, the more versatility in combat you'll have, and the more combat power you have, the more fear you will generate.
there are also different variants, to spice up the main rules of the game if you want a new and fresh take for your next playthrough
things i love about spirit island
-every round is a fun puzzle of minimizing destruction/casualties of your spirits presence and the dahan tribe
-fear and combat are seamlessly correlated with each other, awesome design!
-many different spirits with many different playstyles, and when you combine them, you get even more variety
-difficulty and variance can be adjusted to whatever the player desires
-invader actions being mapped out reduces reliance on luck, and more on strategic planning
-there's an ocean spirit who moves with waves off the coast, and eats up invaders for energy by drowning them
-lots of variety to be found through combining different powers
-start the game as a little spirit, gently shoving invaders around. end as a scary godly presence, destroying entire colonies of invaders in one action
above and below
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