15 Big boxes to keep

Boardgames
#1

I’m getting frustrated with having to move boxes to access boxes in my collection, so I’ve decided to remove some games from my big box shelf.

The problem is I can’t decide which ones. As the title suggests I have room for about 15. My big box count currently stands at 24, so I need to lose 9 games. But which nine? I’m coming here for everyone’s thoughts as you’re a friendly bunch.

Current seven that are staying due to nostalgia/availability/best game ever

  1. Ticket To Ride
  2. Power Grid
  3. Power Grid: Collectors Box
  4. Power Grid: Collectors Box 2
  5. Carcassonne (big box 6 in a normal box)
  6. El Grande: Decennial
  7. Quantum

Other games

  1. Babylonia
  2. Beyond the Sun
  3. Brass: Lancashire
  4. Faiyum
  5. Glass Road
  6. Great Western Trail (2nd Ed)
  7. Hansa Teutonica Big Box
  8. Junk Art
  9. Keyflower
  10. Modern Art
  11. Pan Am
  12. Quest for El Dorado
  13. Ra
  14. Rallyman GT
  15. Survive: Escape from Atlantis
  16. The Estates
  17. Wavelength

For the genuinely dedicated, full collection here - https://www.boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/raged_norm

So what would you keep on shelf of 15 out of that lot?

2 Likes
#2

It seems like asking a stranger to pick the color you paint your bathroom, but I’m game (pastel green, by the way)

Kept

  1. Ticket To Ride
  2. Power Grid
  3. Power Grid: Collectors Box
  4. Power Grid: Collectors Box 2
  5. Carcassonne (big box 6 in a normal box)
  6. El Grande: Decennial
  7. Quantum
  8. Babylonia
  9. Brass: Lancashire
  10. Glass Road
  11. Great Western Trail (2nd Ed)
  12. Hansa Teutonica Big Box
  13. Modern Art
  14. Ra
  15. Rallyman GT

Culled

  1. Junk Art (admittedly your only dexterity game)
  2. Pan Am (it’s a bit too Ticket to Ride, yeah)
  3. Faiyum (cult of the new hype?)
  4. Wavelength (as much as I like λ, there are smaller box party games that work well enough)
  5. Beyond the Sun (too new to occupy those valuable spots)
  6. The Estates (this game is flimsy; I still love it though)
  7. Survive: Escape from Atlantis
  8. Quest for El Dorado (deck-building isn’t broadly represented which leads me to think it may not be a favorite mechanism; there are better, more-Knizia Knizias)
  9. Keyflower (for many people, this is a once-a-year game)
#3

I don’t have strong feelings about most of these games (i.e. they aren’t really my sort of thing, or I haven’t played them at all). I would certainly keep Rallyman GT since it’s one of my favourites and good both as a gateway game and for long-term play. For Modern Art, have you considered switching to the Oink Games small-box version?

#4

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16344921914857221900104612312003072×4096 1.78 MB

Terrible exposure, but more of a sage green tile in our bathroom. So you could be onto a winner.

But desparate times call for these sorts of measures. I may yet decide it’s the Kobayashi Maru and I can’t win.

1 Like
#5

I had that and didn’t like it as much

#6

So basically you can keep 8 of the bottom set?

Well, I have no idea if my tastes match yours, but going on what is regarded as a stone-cold classic / recent big hit, I’d say keep:

  • Beyond the Sun
  • Brass: Lancashire
  • Great Western Trail (2nd Ed)
  • Hansa Teutonica Big Box
  • Quest for El Dorado
  • Ra
  • Rallyman GT

And 1 more that you can’t do without from:

  • Babylonia
  • Faiyum
  • Glass Road
  • Junk Art
  • Keyflower
  • Modern Art
  • Pan Am
  • Survive: Escape from Atlantis
  • The Estates
  • Wavelength
3 Likes
#7

Only manage to eliminate 7.

2 Likes
#8

Part of my interest in asking

1 Like
#9

I am throwing in my 50 cents… I’d probably get rid of the ones easiest to reacquire, in case you change your mind, or that other people close by have a copy of that you can access with relative ease (gaming group, relatives, close friends, etc)

And also, I don’t think my copy of Brass: Lancashire is that big.I know there are two sizes going around, maybe trade for the smaller size?

4 Likes
#10

Brass: Lancashire
Great Western Trail (2nd Ed)
Hansa Teutonica Big Box
Junk Art
Modern Art
Quest for El Dorado
Ra
The Estates

I really like BTS. If you’d culled it in the summer you’d have made a fortune. That and Rallyman go because they’ve both got good adaptations on BGA.

GWT is my favourite game, Quest is fantastic and can be played with anyone. Brass and Hansa are all time classics. Only played Ra online, but am very keen to get the reprint. Modern Art is a game that always has us in stitches. Not played Junk Art (forgotten I’d kept it on the list tbh!) It’s supposed to be good though. Also not played The Estates, but those that like it really like it.

However, looking at that list…Pan Am, GWT, Babylonia, Beyond the Sun, Hansa Teutonica, Faiyum and Wavelength must have all been bought within the last 2 years or less so I think I’d buy more shelves!

2 Likes
#11

The three Power Grid boxes in the must-keep list just has me thinking of this tweet:

image

:stuck_out_tongue:

7 Likes
#12

Big as in it can’t sit on my small game shelf. I already have the slim version

Rationally I should get rid of at least one, but none of this is rational.

Unfortunately not an option, we’re already at max shelf capacity. Any room we do find will be a home office for the totally not in plan WFH job my wife got.

If someone did offer me the £100 I kept offering it up for I’d have sold it.

3 Likes
#13

Brass, keyflower, and wavelength.

2 Likes
#14

I won’t weigh in on a full portfolio, but I will say that:

Babylonia
Beyond the Sun
Hansa Teutonica
Keyflower
Quest for El Dorado

These seem like games that have dozens if not hundreds of plays in them. If you are Cutting down and looking for a collection that has the most life possible, these seem like the ones that will give your collection as a whole the most mileage (kilometerage? Is there a European version of that?)

Modern Art: Can you replace it with a smaller Box version?

Great Western Trail: I really enjoy this game, but every time I play I have a sneaking suspicion that the next game won’t be as good. That hasn’t come true yet, but I feel like like there’s something not quite right. In fact I get this with all of Pfister’s titles. (Except Isle of Skye)

1 Like
#15

From the bottom list I’d keep:

Beyond the Sun
Brass: Lancashire
Hansa Teutonica Big Box
Junk Art
Keyflower
Modern Art
Wavelength

Based entirely on those being games I like, plus a couple that I’ve never played but have heard good things about!

2 Likes
#16

All useful data points.

1 Like
#17

I find myself agreeing here almost exactly. I am not sure if I wouldn’t keep Babylonia over Ra. I have not even played GWT but I hear good things. Get the Oink version of Modern Art and rebox The Estates into a smaller version :wink: Glass Road is hard to cull but I have only ever played once at SPIEL so it goes.

PS: miscounted, so The Estates can stay :wink:

2 Likes
#18

Pick each up and say the phrase “I want to teach this to another person”

See how you feel.

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#19

No, don’t make me that!

“If I find someone else, preferably several people, who already love this game as much as I do, and we put it in a weekly rotation along with all the other games I love just as much, and play them all with all our endless free time, under these ideal circumstances, do I want to keep this game?”

This is the question I ask myself.

8 Likes
#20

One of my lottery win dreams is to professionalise boardgame playing.

I’d pay people I like some money to play games with me.

5 Likes