I do a lot of top 10 lists and articles on games that are accessible to a wide range of people, games that I could probably take out and teach just about anyone that hasn’t played a game outside of the childhood classics. I do this because I’m very interested in getting people into gaming, because I think it’s a worthwhile and rewarding activity in a time where people’s necks are forever craned down to look at a phone. But I digress.
In this top 10, I will be taking a look at my own personal collection and talking about the games I love to play. This isn’t necessarily a list of the 10 best games that I own, but rather my 10 favorite games out of my collection. I can look at games and appreciate how well they are put together and how good of a game it is without liking it myself, but that is not the case here. These are simply my favorite games (that I own).
In this top 10, I will be taking a look at my own personal collection and talking about the games I love to play. This isn’t necessarily a list of the 10 best games that I own, but rather my 10 favorite games out of my collection. I can look at games and appreciate how well they are put together and how good of a game it is without liking it myself, but that is not the case here. These are simply my favorite games (that I own).
Honorable Mention: Dominion (With Seaside or Prosperity Expansion)
Dominion is the grandfather (or great-great-grandfather at this point…) of all deckbuilding games. The base game, without expansions, is a very solid game but can get sort of “blah” after a fair number of plays. The game really shines when you add in a couple of the expansions, with my favorites being Prosperity and Seaside. Why do they make the game better? They really force you to look at how the cards interact with one another, forcing you to really try to solve the game based on the 10 cards that are available. You may have more money in Prosperity, but you might buy more junk that clogs your hand; this leads to a need for balance in your approach.
#10 Pastiche
If you’ve read most of my reviews and even some of my lists, you know that I’m a sucker for component quality. If I open the box and you are just slapping me in the face with high quality pieces, I will probably give your game the benefit of the doubt. Pastiche is one of those games. A game about painting might sound boring, but the way they include the theme in the mechanics is wonderful. You have to match paint splotches together to get certain colors of paint that you use to complete paintings. Some of them are easy to obtain, some of them are incredibly difficult. The interplay of getting just the right colors that you need is a delightful little puzzle that really makes this game standout.
#9: Pandemic
My first foray into the world of cooperative games (and getting demolished by a game…) came courtesy of Pandemic. That initial realization when you’re playing your first tense game, trying desperately to cure these diseases that are spreading across the world, knowing that you have to let some bad things happen in order to have a chance is priceless. The game ultimately draws me in because it forces you to adapt to different events, to predict what will happen, and mitigate the damage that can occur on a given turn all while offering a sliding difficulty scale and different roles to play.
#8 The Manhattan Project
This game is an interesting juxtaposition of one thing I love in games, and one thing I hate. First, I love engine building: the concept of having a way to generate resources consistently in order to achieve a task. However, I hate unnecessary attacking between players. However, it comes together and makes great thematic sense in The Manhattan Project. Players are racing to develop and test nuclear bombs, which lends itself perfectly to other players bombing their buildings (ruining their engine) in order to jump ahead in the process. By using my favorite mechanic, worker placement, this game is the perfect blend of fun and frustrating in a few different ways that I enjoy immensely.
#7 Viticulture (With Tuscany Expansion)
Remember that whole “sucker for component quality” thing? It strikes again. Viticulture and Tuscany have some of the BEST components I have ever seen, including wooden pieces in shapes of trellises, roosters, and wine bottles, and even metal coins in the shape of Italian lira. So what about the game? In direct contrast to The Manhattan Project, this is probably the happiest game I own. Nothing bad ever happens to your vineyard in Viticulture, it never burns down, you never lose crops; if you do poorly in this game, it’s not because the game caused it.
The reason I included the Tuscany expansion in the title is that it simply takes a decent worker placement game and adds enough to give it some real meat. It adds several different modules that you can pick and choose from to add complexity to the game. I’m usually not a huge fan of expansions to board games because I think they can be unnecessary cash grabs, but this one is really needed to take the game to the next level.
The reason I included the Tuscany expansion in the title is that it simply takes a decent worker placement game and adds enough to give it some real meat. It adds several different modules that you can pick and choose from to add complexity to the game. I’m usually not a huge fan of expansions to board games because I think they can be unnecessary cash grabs, but this one is really needed to take the game to the next level.
#6 Alhambra
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from playing a bunch of different board games in the past year and change, it’s that I love games where you are building things. From my first tile placement game, Carcassonne, to Alhambra, and then another game further up on my list, the idea of starting with nothing and building up a city or something similar is just so rewarding. Alhambra is a mixture between a tile placement game and a set collecting game as you purchase tiles and place them in your city. The reason this game is so fun is trying to maximize the points you are getting by positioning your tiles just right to allow you to continue building, while also maintaining a continuous wall around the perimeter of your city which gives you bonus points.