Something I’m noticing as I go down this list is a surprising number of these games I haven’t really played since the last time I made this list. Yet, when I compare them against the other games I’ve played, they’ve left a mark on me. There is some recency bias going on here, where the games I’ve played more recently appear higher on the list, but I feel like all of these games have an enduring quality to them. They’ll be in my top 100 for quite some time.
70 – War Chest
My favourite thing about War Chest:
The variability and asymmetric nature of the game just delights me. There are 16 units in the base box, and the game starts with a draft to give each player 4 unique units to try and wrest control of the map with. I love two player games, and if I had a partner who was really into two player head-to-head games, I know I’d be playing a LOT more War Chest.
69 – Switch & Signal
My favourite thing about Switch & Signal:
The namesake mechanic of moving the switches and signals. Every junction can only have two directions open at a time, and there’s only 7 open signals that you need to share between all the stops on the board turns this pick up and deliver coop game into a juggling act.
68 – For Sale
My favourite thing about For Sale:
The two act nature of the game where winning auctions in the first act directly assists you in claiming properties in the second act. It’s one of my favourite pure bidding games, and the travel edition ensures that I can play a game anywhere.
67 – Eclipse
My favourite thing about Eclipse:
I don’t harbour a great love for 4x games in general, but Eclipse is pretty special. The part I like the most, aside from the economy engine running the whole game, is the technology tracks. I love unlocking special abilities and upgrading my fleet to earn the strategic edge in combat. That is, until some jerk just rolls 4 6’s on their first shot and decimates my fleet. As frustrating as dice can be as a combat resolution mechanism, it sure did get 4 fairly reserved grown men standing and shouting, a feat not many euro games can accomplish.
66 – Earth
My favourite thing about Earth:
The tableau is by far my favourite part about Earth. I like playing cards and seeing the field grow, I like putting cubes and trees on the cards, and I love the cascade of actions when all the cards of a colour that I’ve played a lot of get to trigger. It feels like you’ve won the lottery, if the lottery paid out in soil and compost.
65 – The Great Heartland Hauling Co.
Previous Rank: 48 | Full Review
My favourite thing about The Great Heartland Hauling Co.:
The multi-use cards in a pick up and deliver game, coupled with the strict hand limit ensures that players can’t just stock up their hand of cards with the colour they want to pick up and deliver the most valuable resource every round. I like the push-your-luck aspect of having a hold full of pigs and digging for more pig cards so you can make that delivery next round.
64 – Caverna: The Cave Farmers
Previous Rank: 72 | Full Review
My favourite thing about Caverna: The Cave Farmers:
I like that Caverna is more open than it’s non-fiction counterpart Agricola. Having a whole second side of the board to dig a home out of without taking over your farming fields lets me breathe a little easier in each game. Also, with all the houses being available each game, I do enjoy that I can formulate a plan ahead of time, and be reasonably sure that I’ll be able to execute on that plan.
63 – Cascadia
One of my favourite new-to-me games in 2021
My favourite thing about Cascadia:
I love the 10 different scoring objectives. 5 are from the animals, which each animal scoring in different ways (and each type of animal has 4 different variants), plus each of the largest terrain groupings score points too. Cascadia pulls you into a thousand different directions, but still offers enough flexibility that you rarely feel stuck.
62 – Millennium Blades
My favourite thing about Millennium Blades:
Millennium Blades achieves something really special. It takes me back to my TCG playing, anime watching youth. What really makes Millennium Blades special for me isn’t the unique and amazing gameplay, but the theme and references to dozens of childhood favourite games and anime.
61 – 10 Days in Europe
Previous Rank: 46 | Full Review
My favourite thing about 10 Days in Europe:
It’s just so fast and easy to play, making it perfect for introducing to people who haven’t been exposed to the wild world of board games. Also, my partner really loves it, and will request to play it, which gives it a special ranking in my books.
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