| After watching The Dice Tower's latest Top 10 video, I felt inspired to put my own twist on it. While I like hearing the games they chose, I felt I have played enough to generate my own list from the almost 40 worker placement games I've played. |
Worker Placement might be my favorite mechanic in board games and I will probably give any game with it a shot. For this list, I did not include games in which Worker Placement isn't the main focus, like Mombasa. Also, I decided to include Dice Placement games in this list because I think they are close enough to warrant inclusion. Enough of the babble, let's get to my list!
#10: Caverna: The Cave Farmers
Caverna is an off-shoot of Uwe Rosenberg's first big foray into Worker Placement: Agricola. It's frankly shocking how similar the games are while feeling so different. Where Agricola rewards efficiency, punishes poor play, and includes diversity in card drafting, Caverna offers a sprawling sandbox-type experience where players can use different play styles to head toward victory.
The game does suffer a bit from being almost too wide open and probably isn't for players who are looking for direction from the get-go. The amount of options can be a bit overwhelming, but that freedom is also what will bring players back. Maybe this time you are going to focus on farming but next time you are going to go adventuring, or mining, or a mix of all three. It's expensive but that box is packed full of both components and game.
The game does suffer a bit from being almost too wide open and probably isn't for players who are looking for direction from the get-go. The amount of options can be a bit overwhelming, but that freedom is also what will bring players back. Maybe this time you are going to focus on farming but next time you are going to go adventuring, or mining, or a mix of all three. It's expensive but that box is packed full of both components and game.
#9: Rajas of the Ganges
Probably the newest game on my list, Rajas of the Ganges is an innovative twist on Worker Placement. While the primary mechanic of the game is Worker Placement,Rajas utilizes dice as currency, includes tile placement and route building, and a unique game ending mechanism. This game features two victory point tracks going in opposite directions around the board, and the game ends when one player gets these tracks to overlap.
Standard Worker Placement is pretty stale at this point so games that really mess with the original recipe really interest me. I found the management of multiple currencies and the various worker placement spots to be a fun balancing act. I've only been able to play this one a couple times, but I'd be thrilled to get it on the table more often.
Standard Worker Placement is pretty stale at this point so games that really mess with the original recipe really interest me. I found the management of multiple currencies and the various worker placement spots to be a fun balancing act. I've only been able to play this one a couple times, but I'd be thrilled to get it on the table more often.
#8: Last Will
Games with wacky themes are great, and Last Will certainly delivers on that front. Instead of working to get points, you are playing as someone that has to spend as much money as possible by living the best life in order to win the inheritance from your rich uncle. While this is mostly abstract in the game, you are buying and selling property, going out to events, and trying to chain things together to make them as expensive and extravagant as possible.
While the Worker Placement isn't super involved in this game (there are times you only have one worker during a turn), the choices to make can be agonizing and can make or break your strategy. The combination of wacky theme, solid mechanics, and a bit of a puzzly approach really lets this game shine. Fair warning, it's language independent so the symbols can be a bit overwhelming for new players.
While the Worker Placement isn't super involved in this game (there are times you only have one worker during a turn), the choices to make can be agonizing and can make or break your strategy. The combination of wacky theme, solid mechanics, and a bit of a puzzly approach really lets this game shine. Fair warning, it's language independent so the symbols can be a bit overwhelming for new players.
#7: A Feast for Odin
Oh boy, if you thought Caverna was overwhelming with options, let me tell you about A Feast for Odin. This game features a whopping 60+ available action spaces and improves upon the sandbox feel of Caverna. While the number of options seems overwhelming, the general gist of each action is the same in each row, they just get better if you use more workers. Which is another plus of the game, choosing not only which action you want to take, but how many workers you want to use to accomplish something: Maybe you don't want to use two workers but someone took the cheap space, or maybe you want to use four workers to get a better shot at pillaging. I'm just saying, options abound.
A Feast for Odin Action Board
So what else makes A Feast for Odin solid? How about a patchwork-style mechanic on your player board? Not only do you need to do normal resource management stuff, you also need to cover up a board full of negative points. Like a lot of Rosenberg games, Odin does have a phase to feed people, but this is probably the least stressful and most fun of all the varieties. This game can be overwhelming and analysis paralysis is a definite concern, but if you're looking for sandbox-y worker placement, this is your game.
#6: Viticulture
(AKA Viticulture: Essential Edition)
Viticulture is probably the only game on this list that is good on its own, but sings with the expansion: Tuscany. The original game is a wonderful classic-style Worker Placement with a few thematic touches that really enrich the game experience. Your wine and grapes age after each year, you receive different rewards if you go later in the round (sleeping in vs. waking up early), and you even get to have different visitors that alter how you can do things in the winery you're running.
Viticulture Base Game Board
Viticulture with Tuscany Board
So what does Tuscany do? It's a modular expansion that can potentially add new workers, an area control element, but most importantly contains an extended season board. In the original game, you go through two phases, summer and winter. The expanded board makes this different by adding a spring and fall phase. This sounds like a small change, but it really adds a new dimension to the game. I'd suggest this for people looking to get into Worker Placement games, but are most importantly looking for an intriguing theme.
#5: Dungeon Petz
The winner for the most deceptively complicated game on this list, or any list for that matter, goes to Dungeon Petz. The theme is pretty batty: You are raising young monsters to sell to potential dungeon masters against heroes. Very much a tongue-in-cheek look at the back story to the many popular dungeon crawlers.
What makes Dungeon Petz interesting? The Worker Placement is pretty standard but tense and features a really interesting bidding mechanic for turn order. However, the meat of the game is really in trying to take care of the needs of your pets. You will draw cards that will hopefully allow you to keep your pets entertained, fed, enclosed, and even control their waste (poop). It sounds silly and it is, but this game will really burn your brain and doesn't reflect the cuteness shown on the cover.
What makes Dungeon Petz interesting? The Worker Placement is pretty standard but tense and features a really interesting bidding mechanic for turn order. However, the meat of the game is really in trying to take care of the needs of your pets. You will draw cards that will hopefully allow you to keep your pets entertained, fed, enclosed, and even control their waste (poop). It sounds silly and it is, but this game will really burn your brain and doesn't reflect the cuteness shown on the cover.
#4: Targi
You don't see many worker placement games that play well at 2 players, but Targi is designed for exactly that situation. This game uses a really interesting approach to Worker Placement in that you take spots around the outside of a card grid, but you also get to take the action of the card where your workers intersect. This makes for an incredible tense game as you can claim a row and hope your opponent doesn't claim the column of the action you want.
I can honestly say that Targi is one of the most tense games I've played. The constant pull of trying to deny your opponent while working to accomplish your goals makes for a rewarding head-to-head experience. This game can be hard to find, but if you're not afraid of a little indirect interaction and a lot of tense moments, Targi is probably the premiere 2 player Worker Placement game.
I can honestly say that Targi is one of the most tense games I've played. The constant pull of trying to deny your opponent while working to accomplish your goals makes for a rewarding head-to-head experience. This game can be hard to find, but if you're not afraid of a little indirect interaction and a lot of tense moments, Targi is probably the premiere 2 player Worker Placement game.
#3: Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
Out of this list, Tzolk'in is the game that requires and rewards careful planning. The approach to Worker Placement in Tzolk'in is pretty straightforward: You either place one or more workers, or you call them back. The twist? You place them on a rotating set of gears that change what action you take when you call your workers back.
So not only do you have to think about what action you want to take, but how long you need to leave a worker out there before you can recall. Also, if you put out all your workers, you must recall at least one, so you can't just throw them out there and wait. Add in the fact that you have to accumulate enough food for your workers and you have a game that is just a masterful puzzle. This isn't really a casual game, you're going to have to figure out what you want to do pretty early and stick to the plan.
#2: Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia
Euphoria was probably the first game where I heard the theme and had to have the game. In Euphoria, you are in a dystopian future and you need to keep your workers both happy and dumb, because if they get too smart they will run away from you. While the theme isn't quite as thick as I wanted, there are so many small touches in this game that reinforce the theme if you're paying attention.
In Euphoria, you use the same mechanic as Tzolk'in in that you either place a worker or recall them, but this game uses dice as workers. Some spaces give different rewards based on the dice roll, but the really interesting twist here is the "bumping" mechanic. Unlike most traditional Worker Placement games, taking a spot doesn't necessarily mean it's off-limits. In this game, you can take the action if you really want to, but you will have give another player their worker back and saving them a whole turn.
Euphoria probably isn't objectively the best Worker Placement game, but the combination of dice, a fun theme, and the variability of your potential starting factions really makes this game a winner for me.
In Euphoria, you use the same mechanic as Tzolk'in in that you either place a worker or recall them, but this game uses dice as workers. Some spaces give different rewards based on the dice roll, but the really interesting twist here is the "bumping" mechanic. Unlike most traditional Worker Placement games, taking a spot doesn't necessarily mean it's off-limits. In this game, you can take the action if you really want to, but you will have give another player their worker back and saving them a whole turn.
Euphoria probably isn't objectively the best Worker Placement game, but the combination of dice, a fun theme, and the variability of your potential starting factions really makes this game a winner for me.
#1: Keyflower
And now we finally get to my favorite Worker Placement game, Keyflower. But let's be honest, Keyflower isn't just a Worker Placement game. It's a beautiful blend of Worker Placement, Auction/Bidding, Tile Placement, Route Building, with some elements of Area Control, Pick-up and Deliver, and even Memory. Phew, that's a lot of stuff, the game probably feels bloated, right? WRONG!
The beauty of Keyflower is that none of the elements of the game are difficult to understand on their own, but trying to get it to all intermesh and figure out what to do is such a satisfying brain-burning experience. One of the interesting elements of the game is that the workers are different colored, so using a yellow worker, either in bidding for or using a tile, locks that tile in so that EVERYONE has to use yellow there. So while everybody starts with a mixture of workers, you can try to keep track of who has the various colored meeples as they are hidden behind a screen.
The beauty of Keyflower is that none of the elements of the game are difficult to understand on their own, but trying to get it to all intermesh and figure out what to do is such a satisfying brain-burning experience. One of the interesting elements of the game is that the workers are different colored, so using a yellow worker, either in bidding for or using a tile, locks that tile in so that EVERYONE has to use yellow there. So while everybody starts with a mixture of workers, you can try to keep track of who has the various colored meeples as they are hidden behind a screen.
I can rant about how much I love Keyflower all day, but I will also concede a few flaws. This game is nearly impossible to do well on a first play as it's just not possible to see how the game flows and plays out until it's over. The engine building is dependent on the tiles that were acquired, so being shut out early can lead to disastrous consequences later. Also, the game doesn't give players any direction. While that's a plus for a lot of people, it can also be overwhelming as someone is just trying to figure out how all of this business fits together.
I don't think Keyflower is for everyone, but if you really enjoy interlocking mechanisms in a game and having a lot of freedom about how to build an engine, it's a near ideal game. It's tense, it's engaging, and it scales well from 2-6 players, which is a rarity in heavy Euro-style games.
I don't think Keyflower is for everyone, but if you really enjoy interlocking mechanisms in a game and having a lot of freedom about how to build an engine, it's a near ideal game. It's tense, it's engaging, and it scales well from 2-6 players, which is a rarity in heavy Euro-style games.
Well that wraps it up for my list. Hopefully you enjoyed reading about some of my favorite games and I'd love to hear about your favorite worker placement games as well!