And we're back for the second half of my most surprising games list. My #10 through #6 picks can be found HERE in case you missed it. Let's just get into the Top 5, shall we?
#5: Blood Rage
So in my humble and often nerdy life, I've set certain boundaries that I refer to as "Nerd Limits". This arbitrary term refers to anything that I consider too nerdy for me, and a line of nerdiness that I will not cross. I don't judge others for crossing this line, but it is just my limit. Some of these things include: LARPing, Magic the Gathering, and miniature gaming (Warhammer 40k, etc). I looked at Blood Rage and the HUGE amount of miniature figures and immediately thought: "I'm never going to play this game, this isn't for me".
This is a very small sampling of what comes in the box and I was absolutely convinced that I wanted nothing to do with the game.
And then I played it. Someone had a copy that they had meticulously painted and looked absolutely beautiful, and my curiosity got the better of me. I was expecting epic battles, measuring sight-lines, maintaining armies, and what I got was a really interesting, complex drafting game. Yeah, there was fighting, but it certainly wasn't tedious or too mean, in fact fighting was a much smaller portion of the game than I envisioned considering the monsters and Viking theme. Sometimes you just have to buy into the hype and not judge a book by its cover.
And then I played it. Someone had a copy that they had meticulously painted and looked absolutely beautiful, and my curiosity got the better of me. I was expecting epic battles, measuring sight-lines, maintaining armies, and what I got was a really interesting, complex drafting game. Yeah, there was fighting, but it certainly wasn't tedious or too mean, in fact fighting was a much smaller portion of the game than I envisioned considering the monsters and Viking theme. Sometimes you just have to buy into the hype and not judge a book by its cover.
#4: Sequence
Although my other half doesn't particularly love board games, she humors me from time to time with some of my more complex games. On multiple occasions she had brought up the game Sequence and I found a cheap travel copy on sale somewhere so I surprised her by picking it up. It should be noted that Sequence was a game she had played as she was growing up and my expectations were somewhere between Monopoly and Scrabble; which is to say that I wasn't expecting much.
However, Sequence was actually a very enjoyable, relaxing game that had enough strategy to keep it interesting with enough luck involved to make sure you aren't over-thinking every decision. It's kind of like Connect 4 with playing cards? I guess? Either way, I was expecting something awful and I ended up with a game that is rather enjoyable, can't ask for anything more than that.
However, Sequence was actually a very enjoyable, relaxing game that had enough strategy to keep it interesting with enough luck involved to make sure you aren't over-thinking every decision. It's kind of like Connect 4 with playing cards? I guess? Either way, I was expecting something awful and I ended up with a game that is rather enjoyable, can't ask for anything more than that.
#3: Paris Connection
Full disclosure about Paris Connection, I've only played it one time so my opinion could change. However, that one time really surprised me. As I get more and more into the hobby, it's rare to come across a game that I don't know much about. All I knew about Paris Connection is that it was relatively cheap, relatively simple (regarding rules), and was about trains.
I guess it shouldn't surprise me at this point, but I really enjoy when games are simple to learn and play but offer quite a bit of depth and strategy. Spoiler Alert: this idea will be coming back later. This is typically referred to as "elegant" game design in the board gaming world and Paris Connection is the epitome of this idea. You literally have two actions: lay some train tracks, or swap your trains with trains of another color. It's so damn simple but the game itself has a wealth of decisions, features player manipulation, statistics, playing the odds, everything I want in a board game in about 30 minutes with minimal rules. Also, it has adorable train meeples!
I guess it shouldn't surprise me at this point, but I really enjoy when games are simple to learn and play but offer quite a bit of depth and strategy. Spoiler Alert: this idea will be coming back later. This is typically referred to as "elegant" game design in the board gaming world and Paris Connection is the epitome of this idea. You literally have two actions: lay some train tracks, or swap your trains with trains of another color. It's so damn simple but the game itself has a wealth of decisions, features player manipulation, statistics, playing the odds, everything I want in a board game in about 30 minutes with minimal rules. Also, it has adorable train meeples!
Rarely have I been so surprised at what a game like this had to offer, hence it's well-earned spot at #3.
#2: Terra Mystica
Ok, maybe this one is cheating a little bit. Terra Mystica has been in the Top 5 games on BoardGameGeek, a website that is the go-to resource for everything board gaming but looks like it's from the 1990s. I knew going into this game that it was highly regarded and yet I was blown away.
I often compare board games to going to the movies, and this is no different. Every once in a while you go see something and it just sticks with you; you want to see it again or you just ponder what it all means for hours or days after you see it. Terra Mystica had the same effect on me. After the game, I spent so much time thinking about the game: what I could do differently, what race I wanted to play next time, what new strategy I could use, how I could optimize this special power, etc etc.
I often compare board games to going to the movies, and this is no different. Every once in a while you go see something and it just sticks with you; you want to see it again or you just ponder what it all means for hours or days after you see it. Terra Mystica had the same effect on me. After the game, I spent so much time thinking about the game: what I could do differently, what race I wanted to play next time, what new strategy I could use, how I could optimize this special power, etc etc.
The game is about as unthematic as you can believe, you don't ever feel like you are a fantasy race terraforming a planet to fit your needs, but the mechanics of the game are exactly what I want in a game. You have a wealth of actions to take, several different paths to victory, you have to contend with other players for territory and opportunities, and it all blends together in a beautifully complex experience that is everything I want in a game.
I wasn't surprised that the game was good; I knew a lot of other gamers thought this game was fantastic. What was striking and surprising was simply how much the game affected me and continues to affect me. Seriously, I want to play this game right now.
I wasn't surprised that the game was good; I knew a lot of other gamers thought this game was fantastic. What was striking and surprising was simply how much the game affected me and continues to affect me. Seriously, I want to play this game right now.
#1: The King is Dead
Remember when I said that the idea of a simplistic game with a lot of depth would come back up in this list? Here it is. The King is Dead is a reimplementation of a game called The King of Siam, so you could use either here, but this is the version I have played.
The King is Dead has the highest ratio of depth and strategy vs. components and rules that I have ever encountered. Each person has a set of 8 cards that are identical that they can choose to play at any point during the 8 rounds of the game. Each of these cards lets you manipulate the state of a board to try to give you a majority of territories controlled. This sounds a little dry, and it is, but my goodness this game burned my brain.
The King is Dead has the highest ratio of depth and strategy vs. components and rules that I have ever encountered. Each person has a set of 8 cards that are identical that they can choose to play at any point during the 8 rounds of the game. Each of these cards lets you manipulate the state of a board to try to give you a majority of territories controlled. This sounds a little dry, and it is, but my goodness this game burned my brain.
I've played games that are enormously complex and difficult that last 2 or 3 hours and none of them did to my brain what this game did. Every decision or lack of decision you make in this game matters. The experience is tense and calculating; and as a reminder, the game manages this with minimal rules and components.
I was expecting a game of fluff for 30 minutes, maybe a little bit of strategy, and was confronted with one of the most exhilarating gaming experiences I've had in my time playing board games. It was one of the few games I've finished and immediately knew I had to play again. As the kids say, it went from 0 to 100 real quick.
I was expecting a game of fluff for 30 minutes, maybe a little bit of strategy, and was confronted with one of the most exhilarating gaming experiences I've had in my time playing board games. It was one of the few games I've finished and immediately knew I had to play again. As the kids say, it went from 0 to 100 real quick.
Well that's all for this list, feel free to let me know what your most surprising game you've ever played was as well as any suggestions for future lists or articles and questions you may have for me. Thanks for reading!
Well that's all for this list, feel free to let me know what your most surprising game you've ever played was as well as any suggestions for future lists or articles and questions you may have for me. Thanks for reading!