Top 50 Games: 50-41
This is something I have been wanted to do for awhile. I feel I have played enough games to put this list together and be confident that the games I have picked are deserving of their spot on the list. I want to start off by saying that every game on this list is amazing. Each of these games are in our collection and make up the top 10% of the games we own. I also want to stress how minimal the gap between each of these games is. The list is also constantly changing and evolving based on what I am playing at the moment. All that being said, l am excited to share these fantastic games with you so let’s jump into the first 10!
50. Coffee Roaster
Designer: Saashi
Publisher: Saashi & Saashi
Player Count: 1
We talk so much about how board games bring people together in fantastic ways, but my number 50 is a game that you can only play solo. Solo games seem foreign to some of us, but they have been around for a long time. I remember my grandmother playing Solitaire with a deck of cards when I was a kid. Solo gaming can be relaxing and a nice way to get some gaming in when you don't have game night planned. Coffee Roasters is a game about brewing the best cup of coffee you can. It is a bag building game which has the player pulling pieces from a bag to roast coffee beans, add sweetener, and adjust the flavor of their brew. I love the unique theme of the game and it integrates very well with the game play. Of course it doesn't feel like brewing a cup of coffee, but you can see how the mechanics simulate what it would be like to roast and brew the perfect cup. This is the only solo game on my list with my second favorite, Under Falling Skies, just missing the top 50 at number 51.
49. Dice Throne
Designer: Nate Chatellier, Manny Trembley
Publisher: Roxley
Player Count: 2-6
Dice Throne is basically battle Yahtzee and man is it fun. I really love this game at 2 players, but it can be played in teams to raise the player count to 6. The down time with more than two players is a little bit too much for me, but it is still fun working together with your teammates to finish off the other team. If you were a fan of Mortal Kombat from the video game world this is similar. With season two of the game there are now 16 different characters to choose from. Each of them have their own unique abilities and decks that you will trigger by rolling dice throughout the game. The characters are well balanced and very rarely has the game not come down to the last few turns to see who can survive.
48. Architects of the West Kingdom
Designer: Shem Phillips, S J Macdonald
Publisher: Garphill Games, Renegade Game Studios
Player Count: 1-5
Architects of the West Kingdom is a worker placement game that offers some unique twists on the old mechanic. You are still placing your workers out on the board to get resources or take certain actions, but in this game you have around 20 works to use throughout the game. The action spots on the board multiply their benefits based on the number of your own workers you have in that spot. The ability to capture another players workers from places and eventually put them in jail is great. There are unique starting characters for each color which will change up how many resources you start with or how many workers you have access to at the beginning of the game. It might even set your status on the virtue track which provides access to some underground markets if you can stay low enough. I love Architects of the West Kingdom and all that it brings to worker placement.
47. Castell
Designer: Aaron Vanderbeek
Publisher: Renegade Game Studios
Player Count: 2-4
This game makes my brain melt every time we play it. There is so much to consider and do in order to perform well in the game and I love it. It is another game with a very unique theme. Each player is in charge of a group of castellers which are performing in shows across various locations. The castellers in your group are recruited from spots on the board and you must train them in specific skills in order to perform during the shows. You are moving around the board to each location in order to train in these skills and prepare yourself to be in town for the events. Each show will require a certain type of casteller in order to participate and the better you perform the more points you will acquire. A very unique game with a unique theme that I think should get more attention.
46. Space Base
Designer: John D. Clair
Publisher: AEG
Player Count: 2-5
Space Base is a game that keeps everyone at the table engaged the entire game. The game is designed so that each player is invested in the rolls of the other players around the table. Whether it is your turn or not you have a chance to gain something from the dice that are rolled. This is what makes Space Base shine for me. I always feel like I am involved and so does everyone else. In this game, every player starts with the same 12 cards in their base and dice are rolled to activate them. The cards give you more money, or points, or income. The money is used to buy more cards to make your base different from the other players and allows you to active more abilities. The fun part is each time you buy a new card the old card becomes an activation that might happen on another player's turn. Each game of Space Base feels unique and keeps me wanting to play it more and more.
45. Paper Tales
Designer: Masato Uesugi
Publisher: Stronghold Games
Player Count: 2-5
Paper Tales is a drafting game similar to the popular 7 Wonders. The similarities stop there for the most part, however. The artwork in this game is fantastic. It all revolves around this "paper" style that I have not seen before. It does take a few games to get the hang of how the game works which I think is what makes it less popular than 7 Wonders. Each player has a tableau of cards they can build in front of them each round. The cards will provide some effect, either points, money, or strength. The position you place the cards in your tableau have a great effect on how combat works, as well as, some of the special abilities. I do think that if I get to play this one more it will move up my list pretty high, but for now it sits at 45.
44. Flamme Rouge
Designer: Asger Harding Granerud
Publisher: Stronghold Games
Player Count: 2-4
As I was making this list I realized how much I like racing in board games. Flamme Rouge is one of those racing games which has a cycling theme. It is such a simple game that has so much strategy and calculated risk wrapped up in it. You essentially play two cards each turn and that is it. Those cards determine how far each of your racers move that turn. Where the game really shines is in the drafting and blocking of the other racers on the track. Then you bring in the fatigue mechanic and it adds a whole new level of strategy. Players will want to stay close to the front, but not take the lead to keep their riders from getting too tired. I have seen many different strategies in this game and each one seems to be viable to try to win. There is an expansion that adds more tracks and additional players to go up to 6 in a race. This a nice simple racing game to give a try, especially if you enjoy cycling as well.
43. Everdell
Designer: James A. Wilson
Publisher: Starling Games
Player Count: 1-4
Everdell is another game towards the bottom of this list that I think could easily move towards the top with more plays. First lets talk about the production. It is off the charts good and the artwork takes it up another notch. I love just looking at this game while its being played. Underneath all the pretty stuff is a very thoughtful and tight design. I like games that make me feel like I have so much I want to do, but not enough time and Everdell does that very well. You will have a very limited amount of actions in this game if you don't plan your turns and get a good engine going. I can't wait to play more Everdell and see how high it climbs up my list.
42. Just One
Designer: Ludovic Roudy, Bruno Sautter
Publisher: Repos Production
Player Count: 3-7
The only "party" game on my list is Just One. While I do enjoy other party games it is normally not my style of game. However, Just One does something special. It takes the normal party style game and make is completely cooperative. This changes the entire dynamic of how the game plays out. Everyone is working together and it takes the usual "take that" part of party games out of play. Just because the game is cooperative doesn't mean it isn't competitive. It is still hard to perform well in the game as a group. In Just One each player is given a dry erase board and a marker. One player will draw a card and choose a number, which is associated with a word. The rest of the players must write a one word clue to describe the word that was chosen. The trick is, any clues from the other players that match are removed from the game. This makes the selection of clues more creative. The player who selected the card must then guess the word with the clues that are left. We have had so much fun playing this game and I hope to get it to the table more soon.
41. PitchCar
Designer: Jean du Poël
Publisher: Ferti
Player Count: 2-8
Rounding out this first ten is the first dexterity game on my list, PitchCar. This is a game that everyone can play. The rules are simple, flick your car (disc) around the track before everyone else. That's it. There are so many track combinations and different expansions to add in jumps, loops, and more. The game takes a bit of skill and some luck to do well, but this is one of those games that everyone gets into. Even if a player is in last place and has no chance of winning the entire table is cheering them on and hoping they get through the small space, or around that corner, or over the jump. Some of my best gaming memories involve this game and that's just one of the reason it makes my top 50.
