Time for the irregular post talking about my quest to play the BGG Top 100. As usual, there are a few new additions to my list, new additions to the list as it was when I started, and some games that I had previously played that are no longer on the list.
Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: I feel much the same about this game as I did it's predecessor. I like it, but am not too sure it is the right game for me. I love deeper games like this, but am not great at planning ahead. I play too impulsively, and that makes this style of game a bit of a slog for me. Still, it was a good game and deserves a higher rating than my own personal preferences would have done otherwise.
Great Western Trail
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: This is a great game. I love the combination of deck building/management with the movement along a board. Similar to Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure, but also not. The multiple paths to victory, as well as multiple paths along the board, make this game have a lot of depth and replayability. Every time I play this, all of the players try different strategies. Every time, those strategies play close enough to each other to seem viable. This is a strong game that I always enjoy.
Mechs vs. Minions
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: I held off on getting this for a long time due to the theme. I have no interest in League of Legends, and little love for game that have minis (due to the increase in cost for what I feel is a purely aesthetic addition). But, it made its way to the Top 100, so I had to try it. It took me a while to get it due to high cost, until my previous update to this Quest where I was informed of a new printing. I have to say, I absolutely loved this game. I love the way the programming works. I love how the rules walk you through the game in a very easy, but not coddling, way. In fact, when I played this, my friend's 8 year old daughter was able to join in and play the game with little-to-no guidance. A very good sign when a kid can play while the adults still enjoy it.
Eclipse
My Rating: 9
Thoughts: This game had been on my shelf for far too long. Every time I tried to get it to the table, something went wrong. Either the game looked like it would take too long, or something else more new and shiny came out, or I couldn't get the minimum 4 players I wanted to try it. Finally, I did get to play. It was well worth the wait. I really enjoy how this gives me the feel of TI3, without the politics. While I would love more politics in the game, I was happy with the shorter playing time and close enough feel.
Kingdom Death: Monster
My Rating: 10
Thoughts: I was not expecting to like this game as much as I did. I love the look of it, and the theme is pretty in line with things I enjoy. I was intrigued by the controversial nature of aspects of the game. But, it is pretty much a minis game, and those are not my thing. But, this somehow rises above that. The AI for the monsters is pretty interesting. The incredible variety of hit locations and detail on how individual actions play out is amazing. On top of this, the game itself is really simple in the mechanics for the battles. All of that would have made this game a solid 8 or 9 for me alone. But, then you get the to settlement building and the deep story from that. This is by far the most interesting aspect of the game for me. I love the choices, and how they have an effect on later games and battles. I would love to see this system taken and re-themes to something more family friendly (or at least PG-13) so this game can reach a larger audience.
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: Another game I didn't think I would enjoy. It turns out the movement and combat in this game is much more intuitive than I am used to in a wargame. I liked the thematic feel of it all, and the look of the minis is pretty sweet. I wouldn't buy a copy myself, since I am not about to get into something collectable or with that much customization. But, I would not be against playing with friends more often.
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases
My Rating: 6
Thoughts: I really wanted to like this game. I didn't. I just couldn't quite get myself engaged with it enough to care, or finish. I do feel I need to give it another chance, possibly with the right group of friends. Some day.
Santorini
My Rating: 7
Thoughts: As with many things that require planning ahead, I don't always enjoy abstract strategy games. I love the concept of them, and am always amazed at the elegance of a well designed one. I even make attempts to play them more often than other games I am no good at, simply because of how beautiful and simple they can be. That said, Santorini has such a different feel to other abstracts that I loved every second of it. I was even able to plan out my moves ahead in a more effective manner than usual. I still lost, but I felt god about it regardless.
Pandemic Legacy: Season 2
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: I will be honest, this rating is based on a single session of the Prologue and January (with a win). I have yet to see a lot of the game and how it evolved. However, I still think I will be sticking with this rating. I love how it ties in to Season 1's story. I love how it is a different game than existing Pandemic games. I love how it is more customizable up front, and am excited to see how the game and board evolve as the months go on.
Alchemists
My Rating: 10
Thoughts: This quickly became one of my favorite games after a single play. I am a huge fan of this style of logic puzzle. I am also a lover of worker placement. So, this game is a great synthesis of two things I like. I avoided it at first due to the required app. I have a general distrust of any game that requires an app to play. This is due to a number of apps I really loved that are no longer playable due to a lack of support. I didn't want to buy a game I would not be able to play in the future if the app was suddenly taken down. But, I took the plunge anyhow, and do not regret this decision. The only issue I have with the game is that it is hard to teach the logic portion of it. If you do not already have a good foundation in how to solve this style of puzzle, the specifics of this game will be difficult to grasp.
Gaia Project
My Rating: 9
Thoughts: The sequel to Terra Mystica. This games goes feel a lot like its fantasy themed cousin, but is still unique. I don't like this game quite as much as the original, but still think it is a pretty solid game. I like the plastic components, and feel the entire thing looks just as great as I would have expected. My issue was twofold. First of all, I had a hard time with understanding the Gaia Projects themselves. This I blame on the person teaching the game, since he sort of explained it in a quick and dirty way that didn't stick in my head. When I went back to read the rules later, I realized how simple this action is (and how much it would have changed my strategy). The other, more real, issue is with how building works This game basically takes the shipping aspect of the original and makes that the default. As a person who rarely ever uses shipping in my Terra Mystica games, this made the experience a little less fun for me. Not a flaw with the game, but an issue that does affect my enjoyment.
Clans of Caledonia
My Rating: 9
Thoughts: It took me a while of seeing this game played at my regular meetups before I was able to get it played. A combination of games filling before I could get in, or other games catching my eye instead. However, I made an effort to get this one checked off my list the last time i gamed. I was so glad I got to try it. As many have said, it is similar in feel to Terra Mystica while still being different. I actually think this game is more Terra Mystica than Gaia Project, which is the game actually based on that original. I love the player boards and different shaped meeples. I love how the sharing bonus works. I love the living market. I loved everything about this game. Even better, my oddly flawed strategy ended up netting me a decent score. I gained almost no points all game long, then shot up at the end due to the endgame scoring. Definitely wan to play again.
As of this writing, I have 7 more games on the Top 100 in my collection unplayed, 1 on order, and 8 I need to find. Feeling pretty good about these numbers.
Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: I feel much the same about this game as I did it's predecessor. I like it, but am not too sure it is the right game for me. I love deeper games like this, but am not great at planning ahead. I play too impulsively, and that makes this style of game a bit of a slog for me. Still, it was a good game and deserves a higher rating than my own personal preferences would have done otherwise.
Great Western Trail
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: This is a great game. I love the combination of deck building/management with the movement along a board. Similar to Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure, but also not. The multiple paths to victory, as well as multiple paths along the board, make this game have a lot of depth and replayability. Every time I play this, all of the players try different strategies. Every time, those strategies play close enough to each other to seem viable. This is a strong game that I always enjoy.
Mechs vs. Minions
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: I held off on getting this for a long time due to the theme. I have no interest in League of Legends, and little love for game that have minis (due to the increase in cost for what I feel is a purely aesthetic addition). But, it made its way to the Top 100, so I had to try it. It took me a while to get it due to high cost, until my previous update to this Quest where I was informed of a new printing. I have to say, I absolutely loved this game. I love the way the programming works. I love how the rules walk you through the game in a very easy, but not coddling, way. In fact, when I played this, my friend's 8 year old daughter was able to join in and play the game with little-to-no guidance. A very good sign when a kid can play while the adults still enjoy it.
Eclipse
My Rating: 9
Thoughts: This game had been on my shelf for far too long. Every time I tried to get it to the table, something went wrong. Either the game looked like it would take too long, or something else more new and shiny came out, or I couldn't get the minimum 4 players I wanted to try it. Finally, I did get to play. It was well worth the wait. I really enjoy how this gives me the feel of TI3, without the politics. While I would love more politics in the game, I was happy with the shorter playing time and close enough feel.
Kingdom Death: Monster
My Rating: 10
Thoughts: I was not expecting to like this game as much as I did. I love the look of it, and the theme is pretty in line with things I enjoy. I was intrigued by the controversial nature of aspects of the game. But, it is pretty much a minis game, and those are not my thing. But, this somehow rises above that. The AI for the monsters is pretty interesting. The incredible variety of hit locations and detail on how individual actions play out is amazing. On top of this, the game itself is really simple in the mechanics for the battles. All of that would have made this game a solid 8 or 9 for me alone. But, then you get the to settlement building and the deep story from that. This is by far the most interesting aspect of the game for me. I love the choices, and how they have an effect on later games and battles. I would love to see this system taken and re-themes to something more family friendly (or at least PG-13) so this game can reach a larger audience.
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: Another game I didn't think I would enjoy. It turns out the movement and combat in this game is much more intuitive than I am used to in a wargame. I liked the thematic feel of it all, and the look of the minis is pretty sweet. I wouldn't buy a copy myself, since I am not about to get into something collectable or with that much customization. But, I would not be against playing with friends more often.
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases
My Rating: 6
Thoughts: I really wanted to like this game. I didn't. I just couldn't quite get myself engaged with it enough to care, or finish. I do feel I need to give it another chance, possibly with the right group of friends. Some day.
Santorini
My Rating: 7
Thoughts: As with many things that require planning ahead, I don't always enjoy abstract strategy games. I love the concept of them, and am always amazed at the elegance of a well designed one. I even make attempts to play them more often than other games I am no good at, simply because of how beautiful and simple they can be. That said, Santorini has such a different feel to other abstracts that I loved every second of it. I was even able to plan out my moves ahead in a more effective manner than usual. I still lost, but I felt god about it regardless.
Pandemic Legacy: Season 2
My Rating: 8
Thoughts: I will be honest, this rating is based on a single session of the Prologue and January (with a win). I have yet to see a lot of the game and how it evolved. However, I still think I will be sticking with this rating. I love how it ties in to Season 1's story. I love how it is a different game than existing Pandemic games. I love how it is more customizable up front, and am excited to see how the game and board evolve as the months go on.
Alchemists
My Rating: 10
Thoughts: This quickly became one of my favorite games after a single play. I am a huge fan of this style of logic puzzle. I am also a lover of worker placement. So, this game is a great synthesis of two things I like. I avoided it at first due to the required app. I have a general distrust of any game that requires an app to play. This is due to a number of apps I really loved that are no longer playable due to a lack of support. I didn't want to buy a game I would not be able to play in the future if the app was suddenly taken down. But, I took the plunge anyhow, and do not regret this decision. The only issue I have with the game is that it is hard to teach the logic portion of it. If you do not already have a good foundation in how to solve this style of puzzle, the specifics of this game will be difficult to grasp.
Gaia Project
My Rating: 9
Thoughts: The sequel to Terra Mystica. This games goes feel a lot like its fantasy themed cousin, but is still unique. I don't like this game quite as much as the original, but still think it is a pretty solid game. I like the plastic components, and feel the entire thing looks just as great as I would have expected. My issue was twofold. First of all, I had a hard time with understanding the Gaia Projects themselves. This I blame on the person teaching the game, since he sort of explained it in a quick and dirty way that didn't stick in my head. When I went back to read the rules later, I realized how simple this action is (and how much it would have changed my strategy). The other, more real, issue is with how building works This game basically takes the shipping aspect of the original and makes that the default. As a person who rarely ever uses shipping in my Terra Mystica games, this made the experience a little less fun for me. Not a flaw with the game, but an issue that does affect my enjoyment.
Clans of Caledonia
My Rating: 9
Thoughts: It took me a while of seeing this game played at my regular meetups before I was able to get it played. A combination of games filling before I could get in, or other games catching my eye instead. However, I made an effort to get this one checked off my list the last time i gamed. I was so glad I got to try it. As many have said, it is similar in feel to Terra Mystica while still being different. I actually think this game is more Terra Mystica than Gaia Project, which is the game actually based on that original. I love the player boards and different shaped meeples. I love how the sharing bonus works. I love the living market. I loved everything about this game. Even better, my oddly flawed strategy ended up netting me a decent score. I gained almost no points all game long, then shot up at the end due to the endgame scoring. Definitely wan to play again.
As of this writing, I have 7 more games on the Top 100 in my collection unplayed, 1 on order, and 8 I need to find. Feeling pretty good about these numbers.