Last week I started looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games. I looked to see if I had the game in my collection and talked a little bit about each one, if I could. At the end of the first ten games I only owned 3 of them, for a paltry 30% ownership rate. Today I will cover games ranked from 90 up to 81 and see if I can improve that ratio.
For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag.
90: Pandemic
Released 2008
I was surprised to see this come up so low in the top 100 rankings, and then I remembered that it’s one of the cousins of this game that shows up much higher. This game shines in so many ways. At the core it’s a hand management game, but it’s also a cooperative game…a concept that blows people away if they have only ever been exposed to traditional board games. It’s easy to each, awesome to play, and a challenge every time we bring it to the table. I have even “blinged out” my copy of Pandemic with a Biohazard Containment from The Broken Token. I have taught this game at game day lunches. It’s a fantastic game, and if you don’t have it in your collection I can’t recommend it enough.
89: Paladins of the West Kingdom
Released 2019
This is a part of a series, and at the moment I don’t own any of them.
88: Dominion
Released 2018
Own it! I managed to pick this up for a song via one of the many board game trading groups on Facebook. (I quite literally met a guy in a parking lot and due to social distancing rules let him load the games in my vehicle and paid him by putting cash on the bumper.) I haven’t played it yet, but as much as Pandemic is considered a “Must have” for a modern board game collection, Dominion is right up there too. Well, in fact; it’s rated exactly one step above. 😉
87: Trajan
Released 2011
I don’t own this game, and don’t currently know anything about it.
86: Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases
Released 1982
Wow, if the BGG database is correct, this is now the oldest game on the top 100, having been released initially in 1982! I don’t currently own this game though.
85: Tigris & Euphrates
Released 1997
…and another older game (1997) makes the top cut! This is yet another top 100 game that I don’t know about…or own. I’m starting to feel left out…
84: Raiders of the North Sea
Released 2015
Now this game I don’t own, but I read about it quite a bit. It is often compared to other top 100 games (like Champions of Midgard as a viking themed game). People will ask the Internet, “Should I buy ‘X’ or ‘Y’?” and the answer invariably is, “Why not both?” 😆
83: Roll for the Galaxy
Released 2014
I love dice! I have bags and bags of dice from my Dungeons & Dragons days, and anything that uses custom or unique dice is attractive to me. For that reason I do own this game (yay!) and not only that but I’ve actually played this game more than once. 😆 My son likes to play this game because he beats me all the time…
82: On Mars
Released 2020
Back to the newer games, with (if I have been keeping track correctly) our first 2020 release. I don’t often talk about game designers…mostly because I really don’t care who designed my game as long as it’s fun to play. 🙂 But the designer of this game Vital Lacerda has something of a following, primarily based on one of his stronger hits, Lisboa. I picked up this game and…wow. There are bits and parts and cards and lots of parts to move around. BGG gives it a weight of 4.61 (out of 5) which makes it one of the most complex games that I own! I haven’t trying playing it yet, but I am looking forward to it as it offers a solo mode that gets good reviews.
81: Codenames
Released 2015
This is a super fun game, and we enjoy playing it (with larger groups) quite a bit. I think it’s the first party game on the top 100. It’s a great game for “parents versus kids” because it’s fun to watch how different generations approach the strategy of the game. If you haven’t figured out yet, yes, I own this one. Whereas On Mars tilts the sales at a beefy 4.61 on the complexity scale, Codenames comes in at 1.3! It’s a nice, light, easy party game.
The tally so far:
Games Mentioned: 20
Games Owned: 8 (40%)
Getting better! After the first 10 games I was sitting at a 30% ownership rate. With the additional ten games (of which I own five) I’m now up to 40% ownership. Where will it go from here? Well I know, but you’ll have to come back next week to read the next installment. See you then! 😎