I know a lot of people use the PubMeeple ranking engine to generate their top X lists, but I’ve gotten to the point in my gaming career where that tool is almost unusable for me. Comparing 500+ games takes thousands of matchups and takes literal hours to complete.
What I do to make these lists is go through BGG and sort by all the games I’ve played, then give them a ranking from 1 – 10. I then export the list, sort the games by their ranking, and then take each respective number and figure out the order within that segment of games. What really shocked me was learning that I have some games that I’ve rated an 8 that didn’t make it onto the top 100 list. There are so many games out there that even great games don’t crack my top 100!
But my feelings are always changing, so maybe if they see another play, they’ll work their way into the list the next time I do this.
90 – Regicide
One of the best new to me games of 2021
My favourite thing about Regicide:
I love that the components for the game is just a generic deck of cards, and yet the way you interact with the game is engaging and exciting. Making the royalty cards bosses to be overcome, and every suit a special ability is some special, out of the box thinking that I really appreciate.
89 – Power Grid
My favourite thing about Power Grid:
The resource market brings me so much joy. The ebb and flow of fuel that dictates which plants can produce energy is easily my favourite thing about Power Grid. I’ve only played this twice, and haven’t played it in over 5 years, but it obviously left quite the impression on me to remain on my top 100 list even through years of not playing it.
88 – Le Havre
My favourite thing about Le Havre:
How dynamic the gameplay is with different players. When I played a 2 player game with Otter, we were absolutely rolling in resources. When I played a 5 player game, most rounds each player only gets 1 action, so you really have to make them count. I really enjoy that Le Havre not only works at low and high player counts, but that the experience is so different.
87 – Inis
My favourite thing about Inis:
The quality of decisions grow as the group gets more familiar with the cards. In the first game, the draft is somewhat important, but after everyone has a game under their belt, every card you take feels monumental. Handing your opponent a hand of cards that you know could cripple you is delicious.
86 – Underwater Cities
My favourite thing about Underwater Cities:
The interplay between the cards in your hand and the actions on the board. It’s tight, but not too tight. Gently nudging you from doing EXACTLY what you want to do, and doing what might be the most efficient thing, feels great. I love having to decide between the action on the board I want to do, but not having a card, or, having a card that I really want to play, but don’t have an action on the board that benefits me.
85 – Quadropolis
My favourite thing about Quadropolis:
The whole game revolves around the central mechanic. There’s a grid of building tiles that require you to a worker with a number along the edge of the board to claim the tile that many spaces in from the edge, and place it into a matching space on your player board, with points being awarded for certain things being adjacent to other buildings. There are two modes of play, one gives everyone a set of numbers for them to use, the other pools all the numbers together into a common supply. I literally cannot tell which mode I prefer, both are so amazing to play, and this central mechanic is genius.
84 – SCOUT
One of my favourite new to me games in 2022
My favourite thing about SCOUT:
The double-sided cards mixed with the mechanic of not being able to re-arrange your cards does allow the space for some clever play. I keep expecting to get bored of playing Scout, but it’s been a joy every time I play.
83 – So Clover!
One of my favourite new to me games in 2022
My favourite thing about So Clover!:
I like arguing with my friends over which words could possibly connect with the clues they’ve given us and agonizing over what clues to give. How do you connect the words Quilt and Sausage? Homemade! I love word games like Just One and Codenames, as you’ll see further on down this list, and I feel like So Clover sits right up with them, which is an impressive feat. There’s a lot of word-based puzzle games out there, and breaking into the top spots is an accomplishment.
82 – MicroMacro: Crime City
My favourite thing about MicroMacro: Crime City:
The amount of details in the map is astounding. Over the course of all the missions you’ll be pouring over the map for hours, and while it starts to feel familiar, you’re constantly discovering new people and new situations that you must have missed the last four times you were investigating a certain area. Discovery is something I’m always craving, and MicroMacro: Crime City delivers on that front.
81 – Pandemic: Fall of Rome
Previous Rank: 70 | Full Review
My favourite thing about Pandemic: Fall of Rome:
The way the barbarians march gives an amazing sense of impending dread. Unlike base Pandemic, where new hot-spots can pop out anywhere, Fall of Rome has a great progression to it. Tribes you ignore slowly follow their path towards Rome, giving the game a great thematic feel.
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