Current Top 10 Boardgames

Adam has been bugging me about making an updated top 10 for a while several years so I figure now is better than never. Side note, I am not sure there is really an order here. The reality is, I enjoy these games over all other games in our collection and would likely choose to play these before choosing others. It simply depends on my mood. That being said, I jotted down this list one day when I was covering study hall so my mood that day determined the order. Just know that these are my current favorite top 10 games.

10. Quacks - This game is a push-your-luck game. For game noobs that just means that you are trying to draw the most possible chips out onto your board without passing the maximum amount of points on the chips. I enjoy this game because it is not super think-y and offers ample time to have conversations during the game. However, there are things that you can choose during the game, giving it some strategy. For instance, you do get to choose what chips you are purchasing to put into your bag that you draw from. There is an expansion that also gives you a few bonus actions to consider paying tokens for that also adds a little more complexity. Overall though, this game is not super complicated and could even be a gateway game if you have a good teacher. This game is good at two or more players.

9. Tether - Let me start by saying that while I love this game, Adam has beat me the last several times we played. That annoys me, so it may be a while before I pick it again so he forgets his strategy and I have a better chance of winning. This game plays quick, but is also very strategic. If you ever played the game called tether as a kid (the one with the ball on a string attached to a pole), then you can understand the feeling of this game. You are trying to lay cards out to get points, but you don't want to lay down something that will set the other person up to get more points. It's quite a bit of push and pull. I enjoy the complexity level for the time amount. Only downside is that it takes up a lot of table space. This is best at two players.

8. Galaxy Trucker  - This game is in real time which means that there aren't turns. Everyone plays at the same time. That is probably why I like it so much. Basically you are building a spaceship that can maneuver through a deck of events that covers moving through space, carrying goods, fighting aliens and space pirates, and avoiding meteors. Once you finish the deck, you build another spaceship with a total of 4 spaceships throughout the game, each getting bigger with each round. This game is not like other games in our collection and I really enjoy it. This game is fun at four players.

7. Caverna - With this game, you will start to see a building theme as that is one of my favorite game features. In this game you are a cave dweller trying to build your cave property and go on adventures. There is some interaction in this game in worker placement as you can block others from actions. I love that there are lots of ways to win this game. You can win by being a warrior going on adventures or by simply building the best farm. This game is fun for two players or more though I prefer not more than four.

6. Castles of Burgundy - In this game you are choosing tiles based on a die roll and then placing those tiles in a small "waiting room" so to speak until you can place them on your board with another die. This game has ways to make connections so that you have multiple actions on a turn. As a round progresses there are less choices to make as tiles are chosen so game play is also fairly quick yet has quite a bit of strategy. This game also offers different ways to win. Its's really about being more efficient than others with your decisions. This game is fun with two players or more. 

5. Lorenzo il Magnifico - This game is another worker placement game. In this game you are choosing cards from different towers for different costs. You can only play one of your colored workers in each tower and if someone else is in that tower the cost goes up, so you have to think about what order you need to do things. This game plays quickly and is good at two or more players.

4. Obsession - This game gives me Downton Abbey vibes. You are playing as a family trying to become more wealthy and more cultured while putting on events for people to attend. This game also has a building aspect where you are purchasing rooms for your home at the end of your turn. I love the theme and the game really feels thematic. I enjoy this at two or more players.

3. Heaven and Ale - This game is super simple, yet strategic. Your turn is simply moving forward and selecting a tile to purchase until you make it around the board. You place that tile on your board on the sunny or shady side and pay cost dependent on which side you chose. The scoring is a bit wonky at the end so you need to have some understanding of how that works to help you make decisions throughout the game. I enjoy how simple the game is overall and like it at two or more players.

2. Forest Shuffle Dartmoor  - The interesting thing about this game is that Adam probably wins 75-80% of the time and I still like it. I can be a bit of a sore loser even after years of trying not to be. Even though I lose a ton, this is one I choose over others regularly. The game is just fun. You are drawing cards or playing cards on your turn making turns pretty quick and simple. The game is pretty and every game is different because during setup you pull out a certain number of cards based on player count. This game is fun at two or more players though it takes up a ton of table space.

1. Terraforming Mars - This game really is my top pick.  You are purchasing and playing cards all while trying to build up your resources so that you can terraform Mars. Adam 3D printed the tiles so it makes the board look pretty awesome by the time the game is finished.  I enjoy the decisions that I have to make and overall game play. It's very strategic and fun to build up the board. This game is fun at all player counts.

There you have it. My current top 10. Took me forever to sit down and right it and took me forever to finish.