Topic of the Week: 30 Game Collection

Boardgames
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OK, I hope everyone is still with me. We are going to bring together the last 6 weeks or so to tie a bow into it.

I’ve been throwing out categories for board games, less about mechanics or designers and more about dynamics, mood, tastes, duration, etc. Based on how you’re feeling, who you’re playing with, and what they like.

I know it’s not the only way to slice things, but it is A way. And I think, bringing it all together, it gives a pretty well rounded collection.

I, for one, have enjoyed seeing how each of us has taken a different tack in some of these categories (except Spirit Island.)

So I’m going to put it on you, now, to make that well rounded collection.

Here’s the ground rules:

  • 30 games
  • I’d recommend you start with 2 games in each category, with a four game “slush fund” to add other categories meaningful to you or stack your favorite categories. That structure might make this a bit easier. But…
  • The only real rule is minimum 1 game in each category. If you know what you want, you can skew your distribution even further.
    –
  • Now, there’s no police here. If you want to call Food Chain Magnate a skirmish game, because it’s mean, and Bohnanza a social game, because there’s a lot of table talk, do it. Those are your choices for those sessions, when you want to fight or focus more on the people at the table.
  • If you want to swap out my categories for ones you think are better… there’s still no police. Do it your way!

Here are the categories I’ve outlined for us:

  1. Duel: Light
  2. Duel: Heavy
  3. Duel: Epic
  4. Social: 2-5
  5. Social: 6+
  6. Filler
  7. Quickteach
  8. Light
  9. Medium
  10. Heavy
  11. Epic
  12. Skirmish
  13. Campaign/Co-op/Scenario

Looking forward to seeing the different shapes these collections will take!

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This is going to take me a while, so I’m just going to post what comes to mind right now and fill it out later

Mottainai
Twilight Struggle
Napoleon’s Triumph
Pictomania
Stationfall
Light Speed
Go
Indonesia
Roads & Boats
Pax Pamir 2e
Space Alert
Galaxy Trucker
Tigris & Euphrates
Innovation
Condottiere
Modern Art
Mage Knight
Race for the Galaxy
High Society
Dominion
Glory to Rome
John Company 2e
Kingdom Builder
The Great Zimbabwe

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Can’t do it, which is why I have a rather larger collection. I’d probably go for just one examplar of each major mechanic I care about — so just one deck-construction-duelller (probably Ashes), just one cooperative take your turn then the thing gets worse (Flash Point Fire Rescue), etc.

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Ok, off the top of my head, will try and fill in categories later. I don’t really buy games by their category.

Ra
Ginkopolis
Ghost Stories
Biblios
For Sale
Arboretum
Deus
Isle of Skye
Concordia
Dogs of War
Eternal Decks
Dorfromantik
Cthulhu Death May Die
The Search for Planet X
The Lost Code
Knarr
Trajan
MicroMacro Crime City
Dixit
Red 7
Incan Gold
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
Cacao
Medici
Modern Art
That’s Pretty Clever
So Clover
Nova Luna
The Key: Murder at the Oakdale Club
Skull

Most of these would be in the categories Co-op, filler, light, medium

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Ok, my 30 are:

Food Chain Magnate
Indonesia
The Great Zimbabwe
1889
18Mex
Mottainai

Cthulhu Wars

Burano
La Granja
Iki
Keyflower
Clans of Caledonia
Seasons
Trains

Tindahan
Anansi
Hanamikoji
Hanabi

Paris Connection
Attika
Murano

6 Nimmt!
RoboRally
PitchCar
The Climbers
The legend of the Cherry Tree that Blossoms Every 10 Years

Spirit Island
Helionox Deluxe
Primal the Awakening
Mage knight?

I’ve put them in my own groupings which maybe aren’t fully articulated.

I also agree with @RogerBW about ai fully can’t which is why I own more. However engaging in this hypothetical is fun for thinking about games and how and why I play them.

I can see @Acacia ‘s rational for his categories but they just don’t suit me. 6 duels just is far too many for me.

There are some really tough cuts. Chicago Express and Prussian Rails both just miss out. ChiEx was in there but just got swapped out for Trains as the closest to making it. First Class also I’d like to add to my list but not quite enough to boot and there’s maybe another 25 from my collection I wouldn’t like to not have anymore.

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I love this! Here’s my list (which includes some games I don’t own or haven’t even played, but from reviews seem to be the best for the category). Very difficult to get it down to only 30.

Duel: Light
Lost Cities
Shobu (I prefer it to Onitama)

Duel: Heavy / Crunchier
Santorini
Netrunner

Duel: Epic
War of the Ring 2nd ed

Social: 2-5
Ra

Social: 6+
Blood on the Clocktower
Hot Streak (replacing Ready, Set, Bet)

Filler
Spots
Flip7

Quickteach
High Society
Crokinole

Light
Canvas
Cascadia

Medium
Earth
Obsession
Viticulture
Everdell
Heat: Pedal to the metal

Heavy
Pax Pamir 2nd

Epic
Dune

Skirmish
El Grande
Inis
Unmatched (probably Cobble and Fog)
I hear good things about Iwari
I also hear Cthulhu Wars is one of the best Dudes On A Map these days? (how I wish I’d got Chaos In The Old World)

Campaign/Co-op/Scenario
Marvel Champions
Fortune and Glory
Eldritch Horror
Dorf Romantik

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Duel: Light

  • BattleCon

Duel: Heavy

  • Weiqi/Go

Duel: Epic

  • War of the Ring

Social: 2-5

  • Zoo Vadis
  • Intrigue

Social: 6+

  • Monikers
  • Hot Streak
  • Goodcritters
  • Avalon

Filler

  • Pitchcar

Quickteach

  • Push it!

Light

  • Chicago Express
  • Prussian Rails
  • The Estates
  • Bridges of Shangri-La
  • Ride the Rails
  • Fresh Fish
  • Dutch InterCity
  • South African Railroads

Medium

  • The Great Zimbabwe
  • Stephenson’s Rocket
  • Innovation
  • Glory to Rome
  • Age of Steam
  • Guards of Atlantis

Heavy

  • Pax Renaissance

Epic

  • Indonesia
  • Food Chain Magnate

Skirmish

  • CTHULHU WARS :fire::fire::fire:

Campaign/Co-op/Scenario

  • Escape: Curse of the Temple

I guess you can change one or two depending on the weather/mood, but this sounds really good. You cna see where my games are concentrated

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So my process for imaginary sub collections is as follows: exclude all the games I have already decided I will not be keeping. Sort by rating and go from the top down. After that I will assign „categories“. I have excluded my wallet games and any PnP games (I don‘t have that many). I can hide the couple of great wallet games inside the Frosthaven box. I only made a handful of changes after my initial selection: Frosthaven & Innovation got in late

In general I tried selecting games that have legs either proven to me by my own play count or from hearsay (Innovation is a very aspirational entry, I have yet to find an opponent to play my copy with me)

As for the „rest“ (light-medium-heavy): as seen on that thread for me this category solidly occupies the „medium“ space, I have no „light“ or „heavy“ categories that aren‘t also Fillers, Quickteach games or epic. Of course we could debate if Dune Uprising is heavy or if Revive qualifies as such.

More than a few games made the cut because of their excellent solos. I have annotated which games I play solo.

  1. Spirit Island (Coop, Epic, Solo)
  2. Daybreak (Coop, Solo)
  3. Frosthaven (Campaign, Epic, when we have time again…)
  4. Obsession (Medium, Solo)
  5. Planet Unknown (Medium, plays 6!, Solo)
  6. Clank! Catacombs (Medium)
  7. Revive (Medium, Solo)
  8. Terraforming Mars (Medium, Expansion All-in = Epic, Solo)
  9. Leaving Earth (Epic, Solo)
  10. Pax Pamir 2 (Epic)
  11. Dune Uprising (Skirmish?, Solo)
  12. Robo Rally (Skirmish)
  13. Inis (Skirmish, very aspirational but seeing the images for the new expansion….)
  14. Star Wars Outer Rim (Skirmish)
  15. Mistborn Deckbuilding (Duel Light, Coop, Solo)
  16. 7 Wonders Duel (Duel Light)
  17. Tash Kalar (Duel Heavy)
  18. Oranienburger Kanal (Duel Heavy but actually only a solo for me, I need one Rosenberg)
  19. Innovation (Duel, I‘d say Heavy. So far aspirational)
  20. Imperium:Foo (Duel Epic, will really only play Solo)
  21. Cryptid (Filler)
  22. Die Crew (Filler, coop)
  23. Trailblazers (Filler, Quickteach, Solo)
  24. Harmonies (Filler, Quickteach, Solo)
  25. Space Base (Quickteach, this is in precisely because of the broad appeal I have found when teaching it to non-gamers. I enjoy it but if it was me alone I‘d probably have another game in this spot.)
  26. Cascadia (Quickteach, Solo)
  27. Dixit (Social 2-5, personal favorite, Detective Club is probably the better choice)
  28. The Gang (Social 2-5, Coop)
  29. Just One (Social 6+, Coop)
  30. Codenames (Social 6+, my box includes Duet → Duel Light)

A few games that didn‘t make the cut: Hardback, Beacon Patrol, Concept, Winter Kingdom, Beyond the Sun (currently Revive is occupying that spot), Iberia or Fall of Rome for my Pandemic iteration… none of my small card games seem to have made the cut: no Bohnanza, 6 nimmt, That‘s not a hat… they are all good but not good enough. Although for personal culling attempts I am currently excluding smallbox games: those always fit somewhere.

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I’d love to see that version then!

And I forgot one important ground rule:
only one copy of Roads and Boats can be included.

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I literally almost posted a list that contained 30 instances of “Roads & Boats”. Foiled again!

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  1. Duel: Light
    Jaipur
    Hanamikoji

  2. Duel: Heavy
    Inhuman Conditions
    Star Realms

  3. Duel: Epic
    War of the Ring
    Sekigahara

  4. Social: 2-5
    The Gang
    The Crew Deep Sea

  5. Social: 6+
    Ito
    Decrypto

  6. Filler
    Dea Sea Adventure Boost
    Dro Polter

  7. Quickteach
    Colt Express
    Scout

  8. Light
    Take 5
    No Thanks!

  9. Medium
    Galaxy Trucker
    Terraforming Mars
    Dune Imperium Uprising
    Heat
    Thunder Road Vendetta

  10. Heavy
    Space Alert
    Descent Legends of the Dark

  11. Epic
    Twilight Imperium IV
    Dune
    Mage Knight

  12. Skirmish
    Eclipse 2nd Dawn
    Inis

  13. Campaign/Co-op/Scenario
    Journeys in Middle-Earth
    Imperial Assault

… that might be 31. Close enough. If I have to drop one, it’s Dune Imperium.

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In reality, I reject your categories. But, as a table exercise:

  • Duel: Light
    • Baseball Highlights: 2045
    • Ashes
  • Duel: Heavy
    • BattleCon
  • Duel: Epic
    • Falling Sky: Gallic Revolt Against Caesar
    • Roads & Boats
  • Social: 2-5
    • Bring Your Own Book
    • Sheriff of Nottingham
  • Social: 6+
    • A Fake Artist Goes to New York
    • Celestia
  • Filler
    • Coffee Roaster
    • ICECOOL
  • Quickteach
    • Castles of Burgundy
    • Concordia
  • Light
    • Unmatched
    • Men at Work
  • Medium
    • Petrichor
    • Cthulhu: Death May Die
    • The Networks
    • Grand Austria Hotel
  • Heavy
    • Kanban EV
    • High Frontier 4 All
    • Clinic: Deluxe
    • Millennium Blades
    • Spirit Island
  • Epic
    • 1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties
    • The Hunters: German U-Boats at War, 1939-43
  • Skirmish
    • AuZtralia
    • Root
  • Campaign/Co-op/Scenario
    • Aeon’s End
    • The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
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For some, like @Simfers this probably isn’t enough. But if 2p is a rare count, one might choose things like Castles of Burgundy, Great Western Trail, Race for the Galaxy that play really well at 2 but do double duty with other slots as well!

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What would your categories be?

  1. Roads
  2. Boats
  3. Trains
  4. Solo
    …?
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Broadly speaking:

  • Light Solo
  • Medium Solo
  • Heavy Solo
  • Epic Solo
  • Children/Family
  • Aspirational

With, likely, various different subcategories under “Aspirational”

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Relephant. Especially the kids section. That’s been a growing demographic.

Edit: haha growing demographic I just saw it.

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It’s only fair to subject myself to the same pain I inflicted on all of you. I have to remind myself that no one is actually going to make me get rid of some of the games that fell “below the line” here. 30 isn’t enough, but I must say I would find this a killer collection.

  1. Duel: Light: Race for the Galaxy, Patchwork
  2. Duel: Heavy: Castles of Burgundy, LOTR: The Confrontation
  3. Duel: Epic: Fields of Arle, War of the Ring
  4. Social: 2-5: Love Letter, Anomia
  5. Social: 6+: One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Codenames
  6. Filler: Tichu, Silver
  7. Quickteach: Concordia, First Rat, Agricola
  8. Light: Lords of Vegas, Lords of Waterdeep
  9. Medium: Keyflower, Isle of Skye, Ginkgopolis, New Frontiers
  10. Heavy: Kanban EV, Carnegie
  11. Epic: Indonesia, Eclipse Second Dawn
  12. Skirmish: Tigris & Euphrates, El Grande, Cyclades
  13. Campaign/Co-op/Scenario: Star Wars Outer Rim, Spirit Island

Phew. I could play those for a long time.

Some of the hardest cuts: Air Land & Sea, Jaipur, Grand Austria, Polis, Ra, Coup, Skull, Inis, Dune:Imp, Jump Drive (But if RFTG and New Frontiers are in…), Settlers, Quacks, Quest for El Dorado, GWT, Le Havre, La Granja (Carnegie kind of stood in for La Granja, Pipeline, and Troyes to ease the parting for all of them), Great Zimbabwe, Nusfjord, Furnace, Formosa Tea, Brass.

I thought I could cut some categories down to 1 to make room for those but I couldn’t.

As I said, phew.

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Also, just curious, thinking through what is the highest and lowest ranked game on my list (per BGG) as a measure of something.

War of the Ring at 8, Spirit Island at 10, CoB at 16, and Eclipse at 18 are all on there. So somewhat aligned with the popular bois.

Formosa Tea at 3,121 was just below the line… but then it’s Silver at a moderately respectable 2,104 for lowest ranked that I considered Pantheon. Anomia 1,780, Neom 1,544, then New Frontiers at 842. That feels somewhat sparse for the contrarian picks.

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Well, let’s see what I can come up with.

Duel: Light - Unmatched, LotR: Duel for Middle-Earth, Lost Cities
Duel: Heavy - A Gest of Robin Hood, Undaunted 2200: Callisto
Duel: Epic - War of the Ring, Star Wars: Rebellion
Social: 2-5 - Coup, Mysterium
Social: 6+ - The Resistance, Night of the Ninja
Filler - Crossing, Batman Love Letter
Quickteach - Sushi Go, Courtisans
Light - Lords of Vegas, Lords of Waterdeep, Quacks of Quedlinberg
Medium - Concordia, Tyrants of the Underdark, Taverns of Tiefenthal, Vampire the Masquerade: Vendetta
Heavy - Spirit Island, Great Western Trail
Epic - Twilight Imperium 4th, Nemesis, Mage Knight
Skirmish - Inis, Tigris and Euphrates, Thunder Road: Vendetta
Campaign/Co-op/Scenario - Star Wars: Imperial Assault, Marvel Champions

So some are just guesses, as I haven’t played them, but overall a pretty solid list of games I really enjoy or really expect to whenever I get to play them (like, I haven’t played either of my Duel: Epic choices). And some games could go in other categories, but there’s justification for where I put them.

I note the lack of a “Solo” category, but there’s overlap there with many of the other categories, so I’m letting it slide.

Honorable Mentions: Shogun, Everdell, Hanamikoji, Ethnos, Orleans, Hansa Teutonica…wow, this could go on for a while…

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I just used solos to fillout other categories. I’m still thinking which segmentation i would have created for creating a small all purpose collection.

edit: here is my current segmentation which may have expanded in a few minor ways during these discussions (mostly I am including fighting games under their own tag now and I introduced teachable as another tag see below)

  • Solo (aka solo I enjoy playing)
  • good-at-two
  • activity (party games that are played with no defined end f.e. Just One or Dixit)
  • group games: 6+ player count
  • travels well
  • 4 weight segments (feather, light, medium, heavy)
  • 3 time segments (short, medium, long)
  • Fighty
  • cooperative
  • dexterity/action
  • campaign
  • teachable (I know the rules well enough to teach without additional prep time, this includes both Cascadia and Spirit Island)
  • box sizes (wallet, small, medium, large, giant. I use these when culling. small games have better chances to stay)

I am tagging games or using filters by weight or play duration to get a look how many games in my collection are in each segment.

I can combine time and weight filters with f.e. good at two to segment duel games further

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