Here are Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3 of this series. Below is Part 4 of Our Favorite Games.
Aubrey Bell
Dave Fair
I tend to like longer, meatier games, but shorter games are good if there is variety or interesting decisions. The best games offer tense decisions and multiple paths to victory, as well as a variety of things to do while you play. They also reward long-term planning and strategy over luck.
My top 5 (right now) are: Age of Steam, Roads & Boats, Agricola, Dominion, Race for the Galaxy.
Two games do deserve special mention:
18xx & Descent: Journeys in the Dark ... Despite only having played 2 different 18xx titles, I am very interested in playing more, and playing them more often. They are everything I like in a game, and rising quickly on my radar. Descent, with the Road to Legend expansion takes me back to my old days of playing D&D in my basement. It's a really fun romp and would be in my top 5 if it played a bit faster.
Noreen Fair
- Railroad Tycoon
- Ticket to Ride - USA 1910
- Dominion
- Agricola
- and in what we call a no-brainer, taking the #1 spot is: Tichu
(Reprinted from my blog.)
# 5 - Railroad Tycoon - In Railroad Tycoon, the goal is to create a network of awesome-looking railroad lines allowing you to ship goods longer and longer distances while taking advantage of numerous tactical scoring opportunities that crop up. There are multiple routes to victory and agonizing choices throughout.
#4 - Princes of Florence - In Princes of Florence, players are Renaissance patrons seeking to inspire craftsman and artists to create great works on the player’s manor. An auction for landscapes, builders, jesters and various cards leads off each round followed by the purchase of buildings, freedoms, other cards and the playing of Work cards. Once a work is created, the player must decide whether to take the proceeds in cash to assist in future auctions or to sacrifice the cash to gain victory points, a fiendishly tough decision. The player whose works gain the most prestige is the winner.
A sophisticated theme and a wonderful blend of many different mechanics make Princes of Florence challenging and satisfying. Player interaction is mostly limited to the auctions that start each round but the auctions can make or break your strategy; depriving an opponent of a crucial element of his Work can cost him the game. What I really love about POF is the necessity of intricate plans to produce the highest possible value work at the right time and managing your resources to make it happen. It’s a juggling act, but a heck of a lot of fun.
#3 - El Grande - El Grande is the quintessential “area control” game where players place their Caballeros in Spanish provinces, hoping to have multiple majorities when scoring occurs after every third round. There’s virtually no luck, so skill in taking advantage of which action cards are revealed each turn to manipulate Caballeros is key.
El Grande is an awesomely balanced five player game, undoubtedly one of the best five player games we play. Each turn calls for tactical decisions to maximize your action, while simultaneously keeping all of your competitors at bey. Pulling off a double-whammy of taking control of a province while simultaneously knocking an opponent off his perch in another province is incredibly satisfying.
#2 - Euphrat & Tigris - In E&T, the players represent the very first civilizations rising in the fertile crescent. You place your leaders on the map and build civilizations with farmers, traders, priests, and government tiles. Build adjacent to another civilization and you may go to war with potentially devastating results. Civil war is also possible as leaders clash. Build a monument and receive a steady income of victory points, but be careful; too many riches can draw the attention of greedy enemy leaders looking to usurp your position.
The oldest game on my list, E&T is the masterwork of my favorite designer, Reiner Knizia. In the original Hans Im Gluck version, the pieces are beautiful and fantastic, and the play is tense and brain-burning. You have almost limitless options and on any given turn while you play what you think is your best move, you’re almost certain that there’s a better move you could have made.
#1 - Taj Mahal - In another Knizia gem, players represent different political factions in India. Play cards to establish your position in various areas, hoping to build palaces in the current province. Leave the battle when you’re in the lead to collect your prize. Leave when you’re behind and get nothing. Establish chains of palaces for big points or collect province tiles and score when collecting resources.
Taj Mahal is seemingly a one-note game. The mechanics are fairly simple. You do the same thing for 12 rounds and then whoever has the most points wins. So, what’s to like? Turns out, everything.
Taj Mahal is one of the most tense games I play. There’s a definite poker aspect as you play chicken with the other players, hoping they’ll back off while you’re in the lead. Are you bluffing or do you have the cards? Heads-up contests between two or three players can be absolutely devastating to those who stay in too long and end up with nothing. Other times you go in hoping to take one quick palace and end up taking most of the province. Rarely in a game does accurately reading your opponents pay off such large dividends. Best with five players, Taj Mahal is simply a great gaming experience.
Steve Lollis
I'll give a go at these every convention, schedule permitting (sometimes with success):
Memoir '44
Battle Cry
Battlelore
The Stock Car Champions Racing Game (McGartlin Motor Sports)
Alhambra
Ra
Medici
Hammer of the Scots
Imperial
Tikal
Agricola
War at Sea
Wits and Wagers
Other that I'll play in a heartbeat:
Showmanager
Chinatown
Dominion
Um Reifenbreite
Can't Stop
El Grande
Wallenstein
Three that have recently hooked me that could move to the above list:
Le Havre
Steel Driver
Tinner's Trail
No Tom, Confucius didn't make my list!
Next time, I'll summarize all the results. -- Bob
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