The Bottom 20: My Most Played Games #100-81
At the end of August, one of my Twitter friends posted a challenge. It was simple. Tweet about something you are passionate about for 100 consecutive days. Well, one of my greatest passions is board games, but committing to anything for 100 days is hard! Like really hard. So, I knew that if I was going to be successful, I wanted to tweet about board games, but I knew if I had to try to do something more than writing a couple of hundred words for a tweet then I probably wouldn't make it. So I knew ranking my top 100 games was probably too much work to get started and trying to play a different game every day for 100 days and tweet about it was out of the question.
And then it came to me. Why not review my most played games? I mean, since I started recording plays in 2015, I've played 672 different games. So the top 15% must be relatively interesting games, right?! Well, that was at least the hypothesis when I set out and, twenty days in, I'm pretty happy with the results.
How it Works
On August 25th, I screenshotted my top 100 most played games. Starting with #100, I am tweeting my way to #1 one game at a time. Every twenty days, I'll post a summary blog that nicely organizes all of my thoughts into one place with links to the games on Board Game Geek. One final note, this is not a ranking, so some of the games that I've played the most aren't my favorites, but when we get to one of my top 10 games on this list. I'll be sure to let you know 😉
Without any further ado, the bottom 20.
8 Plays
#100 | Regicide | 8 plays
Introduced to me LAST WEEK (mid-September 2021) by Dan Thurot, Regicide is easily the newest game in my top 100 most played games. I played it for the first time on Saturday night and we played it back to back 5 times! Regicide can be played with a standard deck of cards, but, if you're like me, you're bound to fall in love with it and start searching everywhere for a copy to support Badgers on Mars. I'm always so impressed when someone is able to do something new with a standard deck of cards and Regicide doesn't disappoint. My favorite part about Regicide is the tension between the strength of a multi-card play—through combos and companions—and the risk of having a dangerously low number of cards in your hand, which is effectively your health pool. Often it's worth the risk, but pray that a buddy has a diamond card to top you off. All of that to say, Regicide is a solid card game and I'm glad it snuck into this. Check it out! Update: At the time of this post, we've now played Regicide 31 times! Needless to say, we are addicted.
#99 | Mysterium Park | 8 plays
Mysterium Park (MP) is the distilled and further developed version of its predecessor Mysterium (higher up on this list). MP is a co-op party game where one player gives Dixit-style cards as clues to the other players in an effort to help them correctly deduce the culprit. Like many clue-dependent party games, the fun comes from knowing your players and reacting on the fly to the ways that they are interpreting your clues. The faster playtime and simplified ruleset are the big winners for the reimplementation and my sisters adore this game. So I assume there are many more plays in my future. If you are looking for a light after-dinner game for a group of six, MP is a great option!
#98 | Aurelian, Restorer of the World | 8 plays
Amabel Holland is one of my favorite designers to follow in the hobby. Not only are her games top-notch, but she always has a deep understanding of her topic, and often her insightful and illuminating commentary is reflected in her designs. Aurelian is one of the solitaire games from her three-cup chit pull series and, at least for me, it is very hard 😅. I jumped into this one because I read that it is her most polished take on the system yet and I love the way that the chit pull system works. The game clock is tight and adds tension to the already meaty decisions presented by the menu of actions and chit pull responses. Needless to say, I have yet to "legally" win the day and capture the title of "Restorer of Worlds."
#97 | The Rise and Fall of Galactic Empires | 8 plays
This is a really odd entry into this series of tweets because this game is still in development. In fact, it may forever be in development 😅. This is one of my dearest friend's games and, whether or not this game makes it to market, it is noteworthy because it represents a turning point in my gaming life. My first play of this prototype was in December of 2015 and it was during that play that I encountered board game development for the first time. It may not be a direct line between this game and the work that I now get to do in the board game industry, but there is no doubt in my mind that The Rise and Fall of Galactic Empires sparked something that has led to where I am today. Thanks, Adam for seven years of friendship made richer by playing, critiquing, designing, prototyping, and developing board games. Unlike the king that inspired this game, your humility and kindness are some of your greatest assets. So to that end, may your many works be remembered and cherished.
#96 | Aeon's End | 8 plays
Aeon's End is unique in the fact that most reviewers I've heard talk about the game praise the same handful of qualities. I think that this is a product of a well distilled and developed game design. Aeon's End knows exactly what it wants to be. It's a cooperative dungeon crawl deck builder wherein you only fight the final boss. The deck-building twist is that you never shuffle your discard pile, so the order in which you discard is the order in which you will eventually draw cards back into your hand. The player order is decided by a 6 card deck wherein the players make up four activations (varying number of turns depending on player count) and the "nemesis" gets two. After that, it's a strategic, spell casting slugfest where players are trying to take down the boss before their demise. It's relatively quick and has a seemingly unlimited amount of expansions at this point. So, if you end up falling in love with the game, there is a lot of content to play through. Another great cooperative with a fairly quick playtime.
#95 | Five Tribes | 8 plays
This is one of the games we stopped playing because my wife destroys me at it and I'm a bad sport 🤣 Just kidding, she is very good at this game but honestly this one fell behind a couple of our other favorite 2-player games because the setup is a bit of a beast. For those unfamiliar with Five Tribes, it's an excellent 2-player game and a too-long 3-4 player game. There is a really interesting turn order auction that can be manipulated for some really cool combination play and the mancala mechanic makes for some very juicy decisions. We really should make a point of getting this one back to the table again soon!
#94 | Yokohama | 8 plays
One of the things that I am realizing as I look back on this list is that this eight-play zone seems to be the average life span of a game that we enjoyed quite a bit, but didn't love. The puzzle of Yokohama is interesting because, on top of attempting to collect resources and take actions as efficiently as possible, there is also a spatial planning component due to the way that you can navigate the "board". In Yokohama, the "board" is made up of interchangeable, large rectangular tiles, that are seeded randomly during setup. On your turn, you place cubes on different tiles, which allows you to move onto or through them. When you stop at a location the power of your action is dependent on how many cubes you have placed onto that tile ahead of time. That makes for a very thinky puzzle that has a nice build over the course of the game. Most of our plays were at 2-player and we found it to be quite satisfying at that player count. We haven't played this game in two years, but talking about it makes me want to play again soon.
#93 | Catan | 8 plays
When my parents moved me into the dorms for my first year at university, they gave me a copy of Catan and a benediction to go forth and start my own game collection. Needless to say, I've played Catan countless times and like many others, it was my first introduction to Eurogames. So, by the time I started recording plays in 2015, I had grown my collection considerably and was only playing Catan when requested. Most people reading a tweet series on board games are probably familiar with Catan, so in short, Catan is a race to ten victory points accomplished by settling and developing a suspiciously empty, yet abundant island. I don't play Catan much anymore, but when I do you can bet your bottom dollar that the probability will never be in my favor 😅
#92 | Teotihuacan | 8 plays
This game had a relatively short shelf life for us. We played it a few times right away and enjoyed the crunchy decision space that required you to move and carefully upgrade your workers to get as much production out of them as possible. But the more we played, the more we questioned the cultural insensitivity and complicated assertions resulting from the intersection of the game's theme and its mechanics. On top of that, the rules for Teo were fiddly enough that even when playing regularly, we would miss a rule or have to spend time digging through the rulebook to make sure we were getting things right. This is the first game from this series that I would recommend interested or curious readers to pass on or at least approach with eyes wide open.
#91 | Dead of Winter | 8 plays
I tend to enjoy social deduction and hidden alliance games, some of which are further up this list, but I hate the hidden traitor mechanic in Dead of Winter. So we just simply play without it 😅 And without that small blemish, we quite enjoy Dead of Winter. We like the tension of the infection die and the narrative twist of the Crossroads deck. We also like the push your luck opportunities that show up in a couple of different places. If we are looking for a 60+ minute coop with a dash of narrative flair, Dead of Winter is one of our go-to games.
#90 | Brass: Birmingham | 8 plays
Brass Birmingham is a deceptively deep game. The turn sequence seems pretty straightforward, play a card and do an action, but make sure that you know how you are going to spend the rest of the cards in your hand because if you haven't thought that far ahead, you're probably going to find yourself a couple of dollars short and you'll have the privilege of taking an unplanned loan. On top of being a top-notch design, the Roxely team knocked the production of this title out of the park. The iron clays are now a go-to board game currency option for many and the dark, industrial art style found throughout the components is stunning. If you enjoy route building and hand management, Brass: Birmingham is a must-play.
#89 | 1849: Sicilian Railways | 8 plays
Oh boy, this is the first of many #18xx on this list :) It's only been about 3.5 years since I started playing 18xx games and to say that I am smitten with them is an understatement. 1849 is an interesting entry into the 18xx family because of the plethora of divergences from the family's progenitor, 1830. It features two types of track tiles, hex trains, extremely high terrain cost, and a wonderful twist on the last stock certificate for each company all of which makes this title a favorite for many. I tend to believe that with the right teacher any 18xx game can be used as an introductory game, but if you are just getting started and you don't have a seasoned group I wouldn't recommend 1849 as your first foray into the genre. Instead, I'd recommend playing a pickup game of 1889 online at 18xx.games or picking up a copy of 18Chesapeake for all-aboardgames.com. Both titles I use as teaching games and are higher up on this list.
9 Plays
#88 | Ticket to Ride: Europe | 9 plays
Ticket to Ride (TTR) is another one of those games that I have been playing for way longer than I have been recording plays. Base TTR, Carcassonne, and Dominion were the games that my now wife and I played two-player during our study breaks while at university. We got to the point where we could setup, play, and put away any of these three games in under 30 minutes. Needless to say, these three titles mean a lot to us, even though we don't play them as much anymore, and the number of times played is... A LOT! With that quick note out of the way, let's talk about TTR: Europe. TTR has a lot of expansions, but both the base game with its USA map and TTR: Europe are stand-alone games which means either provide all of the components to play other expansions. I chose to keep TTR: Europe as my standalone "base" game for three reasons: 1) The train station mechanic introduced in TTR: Europe provides a nice alternative to blocked routes, which is great for new players. 2) The big points destination card that is dealt during setup gives new players a great starting goal. 3) I prefer the variety of geography and route types present in the European map. Little things, but if you're thinking about picking up a copy of Ticket to Ride, I'd recommend starting with TTR: Europe instead of base Ticket to Ride.
#87 | 1882 | 9 plays
Typically, when people talk about the #18xx genre they group the games into one of two styles: operational or financial. I tend to enjoy the operational side slightly more than the financial, but only barely. Of the financial games, 1882 is my favorite. 1) I love the unique privates because they add decisions and aren't always used in just one way. 2) The tile roster is brutal more often than not I find myself wishing I had a tile only to find out that there aren't any left. 3) The designer, Marc Voyer, added neutral station tokens to the game, which are fantastic. Basically, they allow a company to place a station in a city that everyone can use, which helps keep some of the key locations available. Then he added a company that has no station markers of their own but instead treats all neutral tokens as their tokens. So cool. If you like financial 18xx games like 1830 and haven't tried 1882, do yourself a favor and try it out on 18xx.games.
10 Plays
#86 | Ticket to Ride: New York | 10 plays
And two days later, Ticket to Ride is back on the most played list. This time the much shorter version, Ticket To Ride: New York. In TTR:NY, you build taxi routes through Manhattan trying to complete as many destinations as possible. Huh, if that sounded just like regular TTR, then you'd be correct. TTR:NY is basically the same game just smaller. In shrinking the number of player pieces, route distances, and number of transportation cards drawn in a turn. Alan Moon and the Days of Wonder team managed to distill the essence of full TTR down to a 10-15 minute game. Some will find this version of TTR a bit too chaotic and quick for their tastes, but for me, it scratches the same itch in a quarter of the time and leaves me wanting to play again. This is also a great way to play TTR with younger kids because there are still good decision-making opportunities, but a shorter playtime means that it is better suited for short attention spans.
#85 | Abandon All Artichokes | 10 plays
Like Regicide, Abandon All Artichokes took our household by storm. With an average playtime of ~15 mins, this brilliant deck wrecker and its adorable art just keeps hitting our table. The gameplay is simple and streamlined, obviously a new generation game that learned a lot of lessons from older games in the deck-builder genre. It's also a great game to teach new players because most of the rules are on the cards, it's interactive, and it's fast enough that you can play a learning game and then turn around and play again. I highly recommend Abandon All Artichokes by Emma Larkins from Gamewritght Games.
#84 | Schotten Totten | 10 plays
Aw, the first Kinizia classic on this list. Schotten Totten is effectively a card-driven game of tug of war happening across 9 locations. Each turn you strategically play one card to bolster your position. The player who secures 3 adjacent locations or 5 in all wins. It's quick and simple but provides just the right amount of meaningful decisions for its weight. Also, if you're looking to spice things up a bit there are special cards that can be added to the game to give it a little more room Plus the art in the Iello Games edition is great. This is a great option for a couple of gamers looking for some light after-dinner fare or a quick filler.
#83 | Sushi Go Party! | 10 plays
Sushi Go Party! Is one of those games that I recommend to anyone who is just getting started in the hobby. It just has so much going for it: cute art, easy rules, huge player count( 2-8), quick playtime (20 mins), and the box says ages 8+ but I've had success playing this with a 5-year old. Side note: if you play with a 5-year old they are bound to collect all of the pudding cards, so keep an eye on your family's dessert monger 😉 The gameplay is simultaneous so there is no downtime and pick-n-pass drafting is a great mechanic to learn for future games. Always a crowd-pleaser, Sushi Go Party! from Gamewright Games is a must-have as far as I'm concerned.
#82 | On Tour | 10 plays
There are a lot of roll-and-write games out there and On Tour is my absolute favorite. Thematically, in On Tour, you are a band manager trying to put together the best tour route for your band. During each player's turn, they flip three cards and roll a pair of d8 dice. Then each person at the table has to take both numbers made up by the dice (Ex. A 3 and a 6 become 63 & 36) and place them in one of the regions indicated by the cards. The game ends when every space is filled with a number and the winner is the person who can string together the highest amount of spaces wherein the next space's number is equal to or more than the previous space (Ex. 3 -> 5 -> 21 -> 21 -> 34, etc). On Tour is easy to learn, so much fun to play, and the naming of the bands is one of my favorite parts. I actually started recording band names in my BGStats app and looking back on all of the names people have come up with is hilarious (see some here). Anyway, if you're looking for a new roll and write, check out On Tou!
#81 | The Game | 10 plays
I live in Seattle, but the rest of my family—parents, 3 siblings, and a brother-in-law—live within one mile of one another in a suburb of Boise, ID. So when my wife and I visit everyone converges at my parent's house and we basically hang out and play board games the whole time. Usually, it's around the holidays, so I come bearing gifts, in the form of board games of course! Well, once in a while a game just scratches the perfect itch for the group and we play it over and over again. The Game was that game for us last Thanksgiving (2020). We played it nine times in three days! The Game is a cooperative card game where the group is collectively trying to play out all 98 cards. The trick is that you can't communicate about the cards in your hand and cards must be played to one of four columns, two of which are ascending from 1, the other two depending from 100. If a player can't play, everyone loses! It's puzzly, tense, and so addictive.
Alright, there they are, the bottom 20 of my most played games. If you thought this list was interesting and you want to follow along as I continue to reveal my 100 most played games, be sure to follow me on Twitter or enter your email below to be notified when I post the next 20.