I have also been wondering if this is the golden era.
I also think Modern art is much better than Contemporary art, and I’m aware that having an extra 50 years for the best works to rise to the top and the chaff to be forgotten makes for a purer set that is presented to me today. Maybe in 10 years the current era will look just as good, with a set of timeless gems and a bunch of forgettable mediocrity no longer in the frame.
My lowest-ranked games from this time period that I both own and like:
2006: -
2007: Galaxy Trucker
2008: -
2009: String Railway - I was so happy when I found this in the Airecon bring and buy for a tenner.
2010: Hansa Teutonica
2011: A fake artist goes to New York
2012: Coup
2013: Citrus
2014: Hyperborea - The second board game that my husband ever bought.
2015: Barony - The first board game that my husband ever bought!
Several of these aren’t very low ranking at all. My collection is very skewed towards the last 10 years, since that’s how long I’ve been hobby gaming. I guess more of my older games are “classics” which have hung around because of how good they are.
While I agree with you that over time the mediocre fades giving a false perception of how good an era was, I was very much referring to a time in my life. I hope retirement sees me with good gaming buddies assuming I get there. I’m about to lose almost all my gaming time soon so anything will seem amazing to my game starved brain.
Also I think I currently have the best gaming group I’ve maybe ever had currently, that’s worth more than any era of game design so that will always influence the view of games. I hate Concordia, possibly because of who I played it with, so there’s always tons of caveats.
KIDS? Promotion? Planned arson insurance fraud?
Once again, I own a number of games in this time range that have yet to be played.
War of the Ring 2nd edition
Mage Knight
Five Tribes
Race for the Galaxy (though have played on BGA)
Troyes (played on BGA)
Targi
Kemet (though I have the B&S version)
Game of Thrones 2nd edition (but I have played someone else’s copy once)
Space Alert
Small World
Dungeon Lords
The Resistance (played someone else’s copy of Avalon)
Blood Bowl: Team Manager the Card Game
Mice and Mystics
Flash Point: Fire Rescue (though just purchased this on Friday and counting it as a Christmas gift)
Deus (not owned yet, but ordered)
Deep Sea Adventure
FUSE
Star Wars: the Card Game (on the sell pile)
Black Fleet
Risk: Star Wars edition
Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space (played on Tabletop Simulator)
The King is Dead (2nd edition though)
Cutthroat Caverns
Il Vecchio
League of Six
Loopin’ Chewie (I mean, I messed with it a little, but haven’t played it with others)
Survive: Space Attack!
Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion
Mai-Star
Shadows Over Camelot: the card game (on the sell pile)
Pandemic Legacy Season 1
7 Wonders Duel
Concordia
Orleans
Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Lords of Waterdeep
7 Wonders
Patchwork
*Hansa Teutonica (Big Box version)
Codenames
Pandemic
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures game
Istanbul
Jaipur
Castles of Mad King Ludwig
Dead of Winter
Splendor
Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building game
Hanamikoji
Isle of Skye
Shogun
*Galaxy Trucker
*Dungeon Petz
*Fury of Dracula 3rd edition
Arboretum
*Letters from Whitechapel
Mysterium
Takenoko
Ghost Stories
King of Tokyo
*Firefly: the Game
Sheriff of Nottingham
Lords of Vegas
*Mansions of Madness
*Libertalia (Winds of Galecrest version)
Sushi Go
Coup
*Mr. Jack
Escape: the Curse of the Temple
Tokaido
Love Letter: Batman
Space Hulk: Death Angel
The Bloody Inn
Maquis
King of New York
*Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt
*Catacombs 3rd edition
*Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft
*Mr. Jack Pocket
*The Big Book of Madness
*Loony Quest
Welcome to the Dungeon
Samurai Spirit
Royal Visit
Crossing
Black Gold
Munchkin Cthulhu
Exploding Kittens
Munchkin Zombies (technically, this is my brother-in-law’s game)
Munchkin Booty (sell pile)
Munchkin Legends (sell pile)
The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin (sell pile)
Munchkin Impossible (sell pile)
Previously owned: Hanabi - it just never clicked for my wife or anyone we tried to play it with, so it went in the SHUX math trade.
Again, going by only games I have played, the best three games from this decade would be Concordia, Lords of Waterdeep, and Lords of Vegas. All easy to teach and play, play in a reasonable amount of time, and are just fun.
Similar, but think sink hole
Ahh, home ownership
I was going to say, still sounds like kids.
Favorite Games by year:
I didn’t have a lot to choose from in 2006. Traders of Osaka is good, but I don’t think it’s great. Meanwhile 2010 was a really tough choice (Firenze, Haggis, Hanabi, Lords of Vegas…)
Games I most want to try from each year: