Its time once again to update my top 10 list of best board games ever, its been quite a while since the last one and this year I’m determined to be bold.

One aspect of a top 10 list like this is that its the one thing I do on this blog that I don’t really put through any filters, another words, its just my gut that I rely on.  However looking at my list from last year I realized two things.

First, some of the games on that list while I love them I don’t play much anymore, which is not a reflection on what I think about it, but rather a reflection on my gaming groups preferences and the impact of that classic discussion ”what are we going to play”.  I think games on this list should not only be popular with me, but popular with the various gaming friends I have.  After all, if I love a game no one wants to play, does it belong on the list?  Its a tough question, which I have tackled when making this list.

Secondly, I think some games may be here more out of nostalgia then anything.  Nostalgia goggles are a thing, it can be hard to push games off a ”my favorites list” because of how much fun I had with them 5 years ago, but if I have no interest in playing them anymore do they really still belong on the list?  This is another tough question which I have tackled when making this years list.

First lets look at the list from last time I updated it.

1. Through The Ages: A New Story of Civilization
2. Star Wars: Armada
3. Lord of the Rings: The Living Card Game
4. War of The Rings
5. Blood Rage
6. Game of Thrones: The Living Card Game 2nd Edition
7. Game of Thrones: The Board Game
8. Star Wars: X-Wing
9. Empires: Age of Discovery
10. Shogun (Queens Games Version)

Last years list to me still represents some of the best board games around without question.  It’s clear to me that when I made the list last time, I was really doing it without any filters, for example X-Wing and War of The Rings are both on here, yet I have not played either of these games in about 2 years at this point and probobly several years since I played it with any regularity.  There are also some games on here I was really hot and heavy on at the time, for example Empires: Age of Discovery I was playing quite a bit at the time, amazing game but I really had to review whether or not it belonged on this years list.

This year I’m going to do this in reverse order starting with number 10… and here we go.

10) Great Western Trail

Putting Great Western Trail on my top 10 list is a bit of a quandary for me.  Considering how much shit I have given to games like Russian Railroads, Terra Mystica, Voyage of Marco Polo and other heavy Euro victory point smorgasbord games, putting one on my top 10 list that is very much in line mechanically with those types of games is contradictory if nothing else.

In my defense however, I’m not a gaming snob, I will play anything and not be ashamed of liking anything when I do, so if I like a Euro victory point smorgasbord game, even if its not typical of me, so bloody be it!

Great Western Trail to me is among the best Euro Games I have played from a mechanical perspective.  Like most Euro games that shamelessly either just copy/paste existing mechanics and add another theme or re-use slightly altered versions of already existing mechanics, Great Western Trail does considerably less of that while  squeezing in a considerable amount of unique flavor of it’s own.  I think the theme, though light in application fits the game perfectly and the game is really very re-playable with a lot of cool dynamic elements that will have you re-thinking your strategies from game to game.  I also really love the fact that its an entirely different game at 2 players, 3 players and 4 players, yet each player count is as fantastic as the next.  Its really almost like Great Western Trail is 3 different gaming experiences depending on player count.

As far as I’m concerned this one earns its stripes for this list, its a pretty a-typical game compared to what I usually go for, but if a game is great, its great, I don’t care what genre or style it is.

9) New Angeles

There are 3 games that have dropped off the list this year opening the door to new arrivals, Great Western Trail was one, New Angeles is the other.  In the last year, board gaming hasn’t really been at the top of our gaming groups agenda.  I have spent a great deal of time playing living card games, namely Lord of the Rings, while simultaneously my gaming group has been very focused on RPG’s and to a smaller degree miniature games. Still there were some gems I discovered this year and New Angeles was without question the big surprise this year.

This game was a hit with my group like no game has in years, we were like moths to a flame to this take on the cooperative betrayer genre, the only real shock to me is how little attention it gets.  There are many competitors in this genre, Dead of Winter and Shadows Over Camelot just to name a couple, but to me this blows them all out of the water.  Hands down the best in its class, New Angeles is the rising star in my list and I fully expect that it may rise further in the future.

8) Shogun (Queens Games Version)

This is a game that has consistently hung on in my top 10 list since I started it and while all the games on this list earn their stripes, this is without question my most consistantly loved and played game.  It gets pulled out a couple of times each and every year like clockwork, it always fires on all cylinders and I can’t imagine making this list without Shogun on it.

It’s also the one game on this list where people are often like ”Shogun?  Really?”, as if they are understanding why I might like it, but calling it best of all time is a bit much.  To me understanding why this game is on the list is all about your attitude towards gaming.  What is it that you are looking for.  Some might say strategy, clever mechanics, theme and I would agree, but to me above all else is the fun factor.  How much do I enjoy playing the game, how much fun do I have and Shogun to me represents everything I love about board gaming.  It has strategic, thinky, contemplative moments, burst out and cheer moments and laugh out loud moments all built into a single game using one of my absolute favorite themes, Medieval Japan.  I can’t think of a game that is more complete as a gaming experience than Shogun.  It’s a staple of my collection and a staple of this list, earning it’s ranking with pride.

7) Blood Rage

Dropping from the number 5 spot, Blood Rage remains firmly the only game at Gamersdungeon.net to ever receive a perfect review score, its a design masterpiece in my humble opinion.    So why is it not number 1 on my top 10 best board games of all time.  Well, because this is my list, it’s not about what is best, its about what is my best, my favorite.  My relationship with Blood Rage is one of respect, appreciation for design, art, theme and it’s general near perfection, but that doesn’t make it the first game I want to play every time board games get pulled out.  It’s an amazing game, it has its place in this list because its earned it, but I can think of at least 6 games I rather play over this one.

Still it’s worth pointing out that in my humble opinion, if your a game designer and you want to learn how to do it right, you will never find a better example.  Eric Langs Blood Rage is nothing short of a masterpiece in board game design, it’s our Mona Lisa.

6) Twilight Imperium: 4th Edition

Twilight Imperium returns to my top 10 list after it’s 3rd edition finally dropped off after not only being on my list since I started it, but for several years being in the top spot.  3rd editions departure stemmed from the fact that, after nearly a decade of playing the game, spending hundreds of hours on it, it finally sort of played itself out.  When it fell off the list it was not seeing any table time years at a time and its general weight, size and complexity no longer had me reaching for it in anticipation.

The resurgence here is largely do in part to evolution of Twilight Imperium in 4th edition, the streamlining that went into the new edition, the amazing art and perfections of the original mechanics all prompted me be to buy and play this one again.  Of all the games on this list, I think at this moment I want to play this one more often than I get the opportunity to, it even prompted me to attempt to create an entire separate gaming group around it.  Because it still suffers from the weight, size and complexity as did 3rd edition, it makes it difficult to get to the table.  Still I think its earned this spot on the list, Twilight Imperium is to me the ultimate 4x board gaming experience, nothing else comes even close and while its a very niche game, because of it’s depth of play and sheer epic gaming experience I have brought it back from obscurity into my top 10 list of best games.

I caution anyone considering buying it to really research it and make sure you have the player group for it, their is no worse feeling than having this amazing game collecting dust on your shelf, but given the opportunity, its an absolutely fantastic game, a vastly improved edition over the last one.  I can’t wait to play it again.

5) Star Wars: Armada

Star Wars Armada has had a rather fluctuating history in my personal gaming preferences and on this top 10 list.  This is less a reflection of its quality and the simple fact that miniature gaming, while I love it, tends to be hot and cold over time.  One thing that separates Armada from all other miniature games that I have tried is that it comes back around, both for me personally and in my gaming group.  We go back to this one time and time again and while the time in-between cold time is always longer than the hot time when I’m actively playing it, it remains in my consciousness at all times.

Armada is a tough, complex and deep miniatures game, it has a way of exhausting me but I relish the periods of time when I’m heavily into it trying to build that perfect list or play that perfect match.  It’s also the game that has given me the greatest rewards for my commitment as I constantly improve at it and have managed to get several wins in what was once game I only ever lost.

For me personally, if you are going to spend the money on a miniature hobby, it should be a game that is deeply fulfilling and satisfying, Armada is that game for me.  It’s what I would call the perfect miniature game for a guy like me who isn’t exactly chomping at the bits to paint and assemble mini’s.  I want to play miniature games, but I’m not a hobbyist. I also want the game to have true depth and Armada does all that for me using the magical Star Wars franchise.

4. War of the Rings

It’s a bit heartbreaking to watch this one collect dust on my shelf, especially since my opinion of this games quality is unchanged, it remains the single best two player gaming experience I have ever found.  A heavy, complex and involved 2 player game however is just not a filter that makes an appearance in my gaming schedule.  My gaming circles are growing not shrinking in size and as opportunities to game pop up its becoming rarer and rarer that there is just two players ready to spend 4 hours involved in a heavy game like War of the Rings.  The result is that I haven’t played this beast in well over three years at this point which makes it hard to justify keeping it this. high in this list.  Strictly speaking I questioned whether or not it should be removed from the list entirely but the truth is that, even though I haven’t played it in a long time, it changes absolutely nothing about the fact that I want to.

War of the Rings is not only an epic masterpiece for two players, it’s also without question one of the most unique gaming experience you can have.  Thematically rich, strategically deep, beautiful to look at and mechanic perfection.  Its nothing short of a tragedy that I don’t get to play this game more often.

3) Game of Thrones The Board Game

Rising on the list, Game of Thrones is a game with raw, unfiltered, human emotion and infused energy.  This is a game that brings out the beast, it will have you feeling angry, frustrated, vengeful, wrathful and murderous and while some might associate that as negative energy, to me for a board game to draw that out of you is a beautiful thing.  You need to play this game in the safe space of friends who can quickly forgive you raising your voice and being spiteful but it’s a gaming experience unmatched by any other game I have ever played.

Like War of the Rings this is a deep, complex and heavy game, but because its a 6 player game the growing size of my gaming groups means it see’s more opportunities to hit the table.  Not as much as I would like of course, but still, it certainly earned the right to rise on the list.  Oh and one more thing, its crazy thematic to the point you actually feel like you are a character in the show and everyone at the table will eventually morph into the plight of this middle age world becoming the darker version of themselves.  Just awsome!

2) Through The Ages: A New Story of Civilization

I’m a sucker for civilization building games and Through The Ages, while to me technically not the most approachable (see Nations for something more reasonable), has that hard, heavy purist spirit, a game really made for fans.  It’s a slow methodical thinker, but thanks to its strong online support this last year coming to Steam and Ipads, I have played this civilization epic hundreds of times at this point and it just keeps getting better.  I wish I had more oppertunities to play it at the real table, but still, its such an amazing game and the digital implementation is so good, I can’t be anything but grateful.

Its slip to the number 2 spot was a hard call, I was really struggling deciding between this and my number one pick, but to me, every game in this top 10 list is, strictly speaking in the “amazing” category, so I had to go with my gut here.

Lord of the Rings: The Living Card Game

Perhaps the biggest turn around of any game I have ever owned has to be Fantasy Flights, Lord of the Rings the living card game.  First time I played it I thought to myself, meh, its ok.  Today as I write this not only is it the most played game in my collection, it’s also the game I have sunk more money into than any other.

I absolutely love this game from top to bottom, it’s a rare week I don’t pull out any one of the dozens of expansions or quests in my collection.  This single game takes no less than two shelves for all the stuff I own for it and I’m constantly trying to scratch nickles together to get more stuff.

Easily one of the best collectible card games I have ever been involved in despite its less traditional cooperative genre footprints.  Between the amazing deck building options, seemingly impossible challenges and its fantastic art work this is without question in my mind the most rewarding game you can play on the market today.

Drop Outs

Inevitably everytime I make this list some games drop off the list and I feel obligated to explain why.

Star Wars: X-Wing is probably the most notable, once a holder of the number one spot, it has been slowly slipping down the list and finally falls of this year.  To me, at this point X-Wing has become too bloated and full of holes thanks mostly to some terrible expansions that brought in components and mechanics that derailed it from its original vision and the reason I loved this game so much.  I still enjoy playing it with certain house rules in place to fix some of the issues, but thankfully FFG agrees with my assessment and has announced that this year we will see X-Wing 2.0.  2.0 promises to return the game to its dog fighting roots and hopefully the new version will bring this one back to the table and perhaps even back to this top 10 list.  I loved my X-Wing when it was younger, but in its current state, I can’t bring myself to dust of the miniatures anymore.

Game of Thrones 2nd Edition (LCG) is another that falls off the list, this is largely due to two facts.  One is that it really wasn’t fully embraced by our gaming group so table time is rare.  This coupled with the fact that I never really took the plunge fully just means I don’t spend much time thinking about it or anticipating to play it.  I still think its a fantastic game, but a person can only collect so many collectible games and this year I found that both Arkham Horror LCG and Star Wars Destiny made it into my collection not to mention Star Wars: Legion and my always expanding Lord of the Rings LCG.  So GoT LCG has taken a back seat, but this is not a reflection on the games quality, I consider it a really great, thematic card game well worth your money.

Finally Empires: Age of Discovery.  I think if this was a top 11 list, it would firmly hold the number 11 spot.  This is an amazing game and it was a really struggle to pick between this and Great Western Trail.  On any given day I might swap this one back in, I gave it to Great Western trail almost on a coin toss between the two to be honest.