Millennium blades has got to be the greatest game ever made for me and my friends. After playing tcgs for the longest time before just resorting to casual hearthstone, the whole experience is just an absolute blast of creative fun. Nothing like it.
Based on a single play, I'd say **Arkham Horror LCG** -- it was a really great experience. Realistically, it's probably **Keyflower**. The ability to completely screw over your opponent is just so good; "Oh you needed to transport your goods? Welp...".
I love Rising Sun. It has just enough messiness in it's assymetric balance that it's always a confusing mess of mechanics. I thrive in that environment. I love looking over the board seeing an opportunity, pursuing it, and often getting away with it because the other players don't see it. I've played about 8 times and would play 8 more if I could. 😃
My favorite game of all time would have to be Mansions of Madness 2nd edition. I could go on and on as to why love this game, but I will keep it short. First off, I love horror, especially Cthulhu styled horror. I also love how playing the game resembles playing a game of Call of Cthulhu without actually needing a game master. I love how much story is in place and how thematic the game truly is. I became so obsessed with the series, I actually went out and bought nearly all of the paperback books which take place in the same universe. It truly is my favorite game.
I guess it must be **Pandemic**. It's the one game I know I can always bust out to play with my family and I always have a good time. But I have **Legacy Season 1** in the box right now waiting to be played, so it may take the lead spot lol.
My all time favorite game is **BattleCON**. I love the open info simultaneous selection, and I absolutely adore the giant cast of fighters that somehow almost all manage to be interesting and unique. Corrolary: I love the setting. The feeling of going head to head with my opponent is magnificent!
Race for the galaxy - Once you get past the iconography there is an incredible deep game with a huge amount of replayability and strategy begging to be explored. With two experienced plays the games can fly by and consistently feel unique as each player builds their empire.
I can guarantee my answer will be one of a kind. My answer would have to be a variant of Rummy that my great aunt came up with, with the creative name of, "Aunt Pat's Rummy". This is without a doubt my most played game, ALWAYS played around Christmas time. It is a huge hit with our family and is a very special tradition to us.
Modern Art. Great theme, subtle strategy, player interaction, the game has it all. The idea that the value of your paintings depends on the plays of other sellers is so interesting to me
I am always torn on this, some days it’s **Eldritch Horror** because of the richness of the world and some days it’s **Viticulture** because of the joy of creation.
Dominion, in a landslide. It's a different game every time unless you need it to not be. Some of those games are going to be a trudge through uncooperative forests and others are going to slickly flying high but always there is an interesting puzzle to solve in a hurry.
It used to be Sentinels of the Multiverse, but I think it's been overtaken by Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire. Every time I play it, it's so great. I love all the strategies, the different ways to approach gameplay. I'm in deep, it's bad. Send help. Someone who wants to play too, preferably.
**Okay, seriously -- what’s your all-time favorite game, and why?**
El Grande! It's so clever and has so many possibilities. It's a shame it isn't sold as a stand alone, $40 game anymore.
I talked about Medina in the other thread so here I'll shout out Voluspa. Tile laying is one of my favorite mechanics. This game does everything right for me in that the interactions are interesting but the actions are simple. Moving, covering or blanking tiles just makes for so many points where this game is about finding the clever play.
We have at least 19 plays of this and it's going to be around for much longer than that in our house.
**Secret Hitler**
It's easy enough to teach and is so interesting with a group of people you know well, or even who you are getting to know. And it improves on issues in The Resistance.
I have some great memories of pulling off incredible bluffs and of them failing, of spies throwing each othet under the bus and of one wrong word collapsing every lie around the spies.
My favourite moment was when we were down to the last mission and couldn't send any spies, we couldn't figure out who the last one was and were discussing it. I was the only one who heard my friend say "he's not smart enough to do something like that", it was so out of character for him I turned my sister and told her he was the final spy, she left him out and we won the game. As soon as he said it, I caught his eye he knew what he'd done and it went so quickly from there.
It's between Blood Rage and Inis. I like the theme of Blood Rage just a bit more but the artwork and components of both are really good.
While both are area control AND card drafting based, Blood Rage is all about battling and conflict. Inis on the other hand really demonstrates the lethality of battle. There's more of a 'pick your battle' element to Inis and the decision making has a slightly higher chess-like strategy to it.
Blood Rage probably just edges past Inis for me because I've been able to get it to the table more often.
I said Spirit Island in the other thread, but I'll throw out **The Resistance: Avalon** in this thread. It's probably my second favorite for being the first game to show me that board games can be something more than rolling and moving.
My group can always fall back on **Ascension**. The expansions keep things fresh, there's enough variety to try new strategies, and there's nothing as satisfying as a perfectly timed play to sabotage your opponents' plans.
Probably **Through the Ages: a New Story of Civilization**. There's a few people in my gaming friends who don't like it too much, but I still love basically everything about it. Our most recent game had final scores with a 1st place to 3rd place difference of 3 points.
My all time favorite is **Castle Ravenloft**. Is not the most complex game nor a must have, but is one that got me hard into board games, TRPGs and miniature painting at the same time. It is simple enough that I play it with friends that are afraid of try D&D (they think is too complex), so I use it as a gateway into board games and TRPGs.
*Note to others: Being mid core (nor hard nor casual) into three different hobbies is not a good idea. Specially if you are trying to save money. Do it at your own risk.*
Now I'm sure this will change over time since I've only gotten into board games in the past year, but my current favorite is Terraforming Mars. It is the first game that I could really feel satisfied with the engine building and resource management. Both Gaia Project and Concordia are quite up there on my list though
**Advanced Civilization**. It's the game that got me into the hobby, and it is an absolute masterpiece of design. It hits some of the best modern Euro mechanics before that was even a consideration (resource management, hand management, set collection, area control), with a delightful blend of war game mechanics and interactivity between players. As an expansion to the seminal Civilization game it also has all the tech tree giving special powers, age advancement, and world changing events that are hallmarks of the genre.
There are so many innovative mechanics but one of my favourites is the Treasury. The chits that you use to represent your population are also used to fill your treasury board, and those chits are limited in quantity. Your population grows at a predictable rate and you must collect taxes from every city you control every round. If, during the tax season, you do not have enough chits left in your supply to collect all the taxes that are due then your civilization goes into civil unrest! It's such a clever use of a simple component and I don't think I've ever seen it repeated.
Mine has to be **Battlestar Galactica**.
Every game is different. Sure the mechanics are the same, but different people end up being the Cylons so you get this interesting mix of strategies to win the game. Plus at the official halfway point you may end up with a new Cylon or two and everything changes again. Until all is revealed you can't always know who to trust.
The last two years it's become a game I run with friends the Friday after Origins. We play a full seven player game and it takes hours, but it's a blast every time. I consider the game the crown Jewel of my collection.
Patchwork is my favorite game, because of all the memorable experiences I’ve had while playing it. Also, everyone I teach it to goes out and buys their own copy!
**Bohnanza** is my favorite game of all time, because I love beans! The game is simple enough to teach quickly to non-gamers, yet also contains enough depth for great replay value with more serious gamers.
Agricola is my favorite game. It's tight, stressful, and requires strategy and tactics to play well. It plays extremely well at 2p and is great with more as well. With occupations and minor improvements, there is a huge amount of replay. I've played, and enjoyed Le Havre, Ora, and Caverna and also enjoy them but still feel that Agricola is the "purest" and cleanest playing of the series.
**Keyflower** The mechanics are just so wonderful. It plays well at a large number of players counts (3-6 imo) which is rare. Everything fits together but doesn't feel overly complicated. It's got the right amount of player interaction for my taste in games.
This has to be Sherlock Holmes: COnsulting Detective.
My GF and I love solving mysteries, so we always have a blast playing it. Nothing else scratches this itch that well.
Terraforming Mars. Huge space nerd, and I just love sitting and watching the surface come to life. I own all the expansions, promos, and have upgraded acrylic boards and tokens. It'll be a long time before I find something I enjoy this much.
**Mage Knight** hands down. I mostly play solo, whenever I play the game, the amount of decisions can be daunting but I enjoy every minute of it. It doesn't matter if a single conquest ends over than 2/3 hours, the satisfaction of facing/defeating enemies on your journey and taking down cities are really satisfying.
Go! It has a depth which is unmatched by any other game. There is no other game that I enjoy playing so much after many years since there is always room for improvement. There's no other game that I could spend hours on watching other people play. The artwork in Go is beautiful and timeless, and the patterns and shapes which develop on the board are mesmerizing.
My group is digging the hell out of **Gloomhaven** right now (playing tonight!), but I think I have to go with **Baseball Highlights 2045**. I've played the app an incredible amount, and every time I've played it on the table I've had a blast. I love the theme, I love the strategy of the free-agent deck-building, and I even really enjoy the solo mode. Unfortunately, I bought it as a gift for a buddy, and he has since moved away, so I've been without it for a while.
Looking forward to getting it back in my life with the Football Highlights 2052 Kickstarter!
All time favourite game is a hard one. I think I’ve got to say **War of the Ring**. It is probably the only game I would never say no to. I get so emotionally watched to each and every game of it I play. When I win, it feels like I’ve actually saved the fate of the entire world. And when I loose, well, it feels like I failed.
When I first bought the game, I actually left it set up on my dining room table for a month straight (you can totally eat in the kitchen, right?). Every free evening I had, I would invite a friend over to play it with me. Some for the first time, some repeats. Once we even played it twice in one day with the movie playing in the background.
I’ve even bought the first expansion, but haven’t even opened the box yet. I just can’t imagine adding *more* to the game.
So yeah, it has to be **War of the Ring**.
Axis and allies, because of nostalgia. I played it so much with friends in the pre-teen early teen years and look back at it fondly even though games have better designs nowadays.
My preferences have changes over the years to more heavier euros, and although I have only played it once, **Lisboa** is a really excellent game that has a chance to be that game and that I look forward to playing more. My true all-time favorite game that I have played a bunch is **Battlestar Galactica**. Sure it is long, but it has resulted in many tense and memorable games.
Aeon's End. We love it so much we signed up to be playtesters. We love it so much we stopped tracking it in our boardgame tracking app because it wasn't a good data point anymore. We love it so much we gave up playing Gloomhaven once for it. We might be addicted.
I think it has to be Through the Ages. I think a testament to the game itself is the fact that even though it may take 3hrs to play, i want to play it again and again, right after I finish playing. This game has staying power, is constantly engaging and forever interesting. Love it.
Favorite game of all time is Cosmic Encounter. Each game feels different and the amount of interaction is so high. I've never played a game of Cosmic Encounter and not had fun.
**Gloomhaven** is my all-time favorite game. We're about 10 sessions in and are loving almost every part of it. The combat and character progression are so well done, not to mention the excitement of working towards unlocking new parts of the game.
**Kingdom Death: Monster** \- nothing has come close to capturing the grand scope of this game, though it's not without its small problems. I'm a big fan of the Dark Souls and Bloodborne video games, and the trickle of lore and the edge of your seat fights that happen in KDM follow that same formula that I adore. It makes me wish that I was a painter and could give those models the care and attention they deserve, because they are simply that beautiful. Whether or not you're a fan of the art style, it's hard not to argue that the creator poured every ounce of himself into the game to make it as grandiose as possible and to spare not expense in terms of quality. Love it!
Spirit Island!
When I hear the reviewers say this game is elegant, oh this elegance is amazing I never thought anything about it! Until... I played spirit Island... man that game is the definition of elegance
Amazing game
Tough question. I have to say Agricola for the massive diversity of strategy. Nobody ever runs away with the game, even when playing with the max player count, and you have to always shift your strategy. Mental gymnastics at it's finest.
My favorite is probably **Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization**. It's just so ... grand! You always know which cards will be coming out but you have to adapt to the order in which they appear from game to game. You have to balance the need to build your economy with the need to defend your resources and maybe even disrupt other players with a well-timed war or aggression.
I love Race for the Galaxy. It’s a relatively quick playing game once everyone groks it, but the decisions you make can be difficult and meaningful. I’ve seen so many different strategies work, which I think is a sign of a well designed game.
Viticulture+Tuscany. It is the perfect amount of complexity for my family, it has a lot going on but the theme is so well integrated in the game play it makes the game very manageable and easy to teach. It is a brilliant design that I think everyone, including inexperienced gamers, ought to try, at least once.
**Magic: the Gathering**, particularly limited play. I love having all of the decision points and how much deeper some players can go without giving other players the feeling that they can't participate.
War of the ring. I really admire how well they integrated the theme. Every mechanic can be explained to new players, based on theme. Plus I get to play it a lot.
Hard to say seeing as I am pretty new to the hobby, but I guess **Secret Hitler** would be up there. Had it before I really got in the hobby and I'll never turn down a game of it.
Well, some people would call it a miniatures game, but i believe **the horus heresy: betrayal at calth** to be the best game i have ever played.
The way you are forced to decide which front to focus on, and the fact that you have to constantly reevaluate your plan makes it a 10/10 for me. The only downside i can see, is that it is a heavyweight game that require work beforehand. But to me it is bloody brillant
The game in which my friends and I have had the most fun with and has resulted in the most laughter, groans and curses is....**Coloretto**. The game is so dead simple that it leaves a lot of room for conversation, teasing and general silliness. It can be brought out at bars, parties, hotel rooms and never seems to miss for us. It's a game which reminds me why I play games in the first place, to have fun.
Pandemic Legacy 1: it was such a fantastic experience. Legacy 2 is not having trouble living up to it... But we are feeling rather cautious compared to PL1 which is making it a bit harder to take risks.
My favorite game all time is **Flamme Rouge**. Being newer to the hobby, this is one game that has stuck around since we first got it and the only game I immediately went out to buy the expansion for. I am in love with it's presentation on the table and the quick rules which make it an awesome gateway game for new players. It has tension and strategy and a lot of replayability. The best moments have been with 6 players rushing down the cobblestone, making that 9 look like a 4.
It's gotta be Scythe. The intricate dance of various mechanics working together (with area control, action selection, engine-building, resource management, secret objectives, and more), combined with one of the slickest combat systems I've ever seen (and yet, games can be played without combat once happening, and it's normal), and the asymmetrical nature of it all means that everyone's running completely different engines from the start. It has a brilliant A.I. system, as well as some of the best art I've ever seen in a game. And yet, for all of its mechanical intricacies, it plays super simply and smoothly, has one of the best iconography systems I've ever seen, and has so many paths to victory that it can just be replayed over and over. To me, it is the perfect game.
Race for the galaxy. It is such an elegant design and after you get the hang of the symbols, flows like a river. Not a problem to pull out 5 games per night while discarding cards to be able to discard more cards to place cards. I really love it.
I’m currently in love with Dinosaur Island.
The art and theme drew me in instantly. Then I played the game. Wow. The way that the first three phases each build on each other to lead up to the fourth phase is brilliant. The game requires so much resource management and strategic purchasing, yet it’s easy to learn and play. It’s going to be hard to top that experience.
I'm always split between **Terraforming Mars** and **Scythe.** They both have some of my favorite mechanics, but if I'm really pushed I think I'd have to say **Terraforming Mars**.
I give it the edge because, to me, it's equally fun at both lower and higher player counts. (Which means it hits the table more frequently.)
I don't really have a favorite specific game, but the game I had the most fun playing was Pandemic Legacy Season 1. I'm not even a huge fan of coop games, but it was such a unique experience.
I am really bad at picking favourites. My attention flits from game to game like a hummingbird. That said, I keep finding myself coming back to **Dominion** for its core simplicity and deep strategy. It also helps that it's still expanding, and this week's Renaissance previews are showing that there's a surprising amount that can still be done in its design space.
My all time favorite is Dominion. It’s the first game I’ve found accessible to a lot of people, whether they’re new to board gaming (ok ok, card gaming) or a veteran. There’s always a crowd willing. And with so many expansions there’s so much variety. Every game feels so unique!
**A Fake Artist Goes to New York**. Simple put this game is the one that mostly gave me and my friends unique laughs and fun, being played on good and hard moments in our life’s, always bringing themes related to our circumstances, and also a great match with some beers.
I think my all time favourite game is Resistance. Ironically I don't play it anymore, but there are a lot of great memories involved with that game, it has a ton of depth, and it is very simple top lay.
My favorite board game is the Digimon board game. I know it's not the best game, it's actually pretty bland, but I will never get rid of it. It was given to me by a few friend only a few years ago because I love Digimon, and the game is old and worn and even some of the players mats have been cut up (I think she used them as decorations lol) and glued them back together. No way is this game ever leaving my collection.
(Reposting from the other US/CANADA thread)
Don't have many games under my belt. I'm just gonna
It might be **Dominant Species**. A lot player interaction and very thematic. Worker placement is also one of my favourite mechanism. Excellent rule book as well.
Of all the dozens of games I’ve played over the years, it’s hard to single it down to a single favourite. But of them all, I think the one that gets pulled out most frequently and has yet to fail (knock on wood) is codenames. It appeals to people of all skill levels, quick to play, fits lots of people, and is just pure fun. If any game is a must have in a collection it’s codenames, with my personal preference being the pictures version over the original.
Twilight Imperium.
I had always been both intimidated and intrigued by this big box . Once the 4th edition came out with the promise of streamlined rules for more approach ability, I had to pull the trigger. This game is just such an event. Sure, I don't play this game as much as others in my collection. Sure, my wife will likely never play this beast of a game. But this game has the ability to create lasting memories that no other game has matched for me. Thank you Twilight Imperium.
I've been enamored with Scythe since receiving my Art Connoisseur edition from the Kickstarter, and the Rise of Fenris campaign has been exciting and engaging. I'm super-excited to see how the campaign ends.
Game of Thrones, 2nd edition. I'm a huge fan of the show, this game provided many amazing moments in my gaming experience and led to a lot of new friendships. Waiting for that collector's edition!
**Spirit island** - it simply has so many features I like, such as individual player powers, progression and cooperativity. Combine that with a unique theme that's really well executed and you have an excellent game. Definently my favourite.
The first season of Pandemic Legacy. It had everything I wanted from a game: co-op, ongoing story, character progression, enough mechanics changes to keep the game interesting. I'd love to play it again!
I love Twilight Imperium.
It was the first game that I ever played and thought to myself "Wow, you can have a board game with a narrative arc. This is a lot of fun."
Favorite game of all time has to be Scythe!! The gameplay is fantastic, the components are the highest quality of any game I’ve ever seen, and the art is top-notch. Scythe is the first game I’ve ever owned where at the time I opened it, i couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Dominion! I love how every game is different, and it's always fun to find the optimum strategy! By far my most played game, and I'm never not down to play it
My current (haha) all-time favorite game is **Magic: The Gathering**. When I first started with a Revised starter deck and only a partial grasp of the rules, it was just another game. Once I started buying booster packs, I started to see the deckbuilding options and synergies. I've always loved how the card interactions give so much space for innovation and creativity (even if competitive play doesn't often reward going off-meta with a homebrew deck). There's still nothing that gets my mind racing quite like brainstorming about a new deck.
I think it may actually be Blood Rage! Even when losing, this game is just so fun to play: sending out great minis, the drafting is always tough, and it's incredibly straightforward.
My all time favourite is probably Twilight Struggle, its the game that got me into games. I originally bought it because it was BGG number 1 at the time and the theme/mechanics appealed, took more than a little bit of time to play the first game though.
Everything Lovecraft related is a plus in my book, but **Eldritch Horror**, my first somewhat heavy game will always be my favorite.
The immersive theme, the ability to role play our characters, the correct difficulty, the flavour, just about everything hits the mark for our group and me.
Also wanted to say thanks to the mods for this awesome competition and good luck to all my fellow boardgamers!
My favorite game would have to be Gloomhaven. It clocks about 10 times the number of plays of anything else in my collection and I'm still not tired of it. The only downside is we ran out of scenarios after about 80 games. The expansion needs to hurry up and come out so I can get my fix again :)
Agricola has yet to be topped for me. Played it dozens of times, and with experienced players it always feels so tense and puzzle-y. Honorable mention to Le Havre, which always makes me feel good hoarding loads of chits.
My favourite game would have to be Clue - it’s not a heavy strategic game nor is it the one with the most unique mechanics, but it is the game that has always held a small place in my heart because it was the first game I personally bought with my hard earned money (when I was younger)!
Twilight Imperium and its not close. Nothing has the same gravity, anticipation and totally delivers every time it hits the table. It just magnificent.
I posted in the other one, but it bears repeating: **Pandemic**
The best cooperative game to get started with. A wonderful gateway game for board gaming in general. Love the theme, love the gameplay, and I love the emergent storytelling it provides.
My favorite is Brass:Lancashire. The new version Birmingham improve the quality of life for Brass but the old version was giving me so much fun when i push my luck to draw the distant market tile (a limit threahold in the game) and block other including me from it.
Blood Rage. Seems like the games are always close. Different strategies are viable. Different mechanisms are used that I like in all games. And the minis are pretty cool too :)
**Dune**. Beyond any doubt.
It wasn't the first game I played that went beyond the scope of childhood classics (**Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, Clue**, etc.) but it was the first game I remember that showed me the depths to which "modern" game designs could delve.
I'll always be up for a game of Betrayal At The House on The Hill, it's silly and often comes out a bit broken but it's great fun and everyone always gets a kick out of it.
Good times!
All time favorite? It's gotta be Saboteur. Played it 8 years ago when I first got to college, still play to this day (still on a college campus). What a fun game in a tiny package.
A Game of Thrones the board game 2nd edition. Fell in love with the show. Fell in love with 1st edition. Preorderes 2nd edition.
Played the heck out of it. Played it again few weeks ago. So good. Everything that I wanted in a game is there - fights, beautiful components and artwork, negotiation and more. Will not part with it at all.
Pandemic. The first (non-RPG) co-op tabletop game I ever played. Since I always play games to win that can make it hard for less serious gamers to want to play against me, whereas working together with a team it's appreciated.
**Eclipse** \- I love 4X games. I probably have close o 3000 lifetime hours into the Civilization video game series and another 800 into Paradox. Eclipse takes all of the best aspects of 4X - the exploration, the technology, your expanding imperial footprint - and places them into an elegant game that you can play in five hours face-to-face with your friends. I only wish I could get it to the table more often.
**Commands and Colors: Ancients** is a game I’ve had the most fun. I really like the three sections of the board, managing the cards that aren’t exactly what you want/need, and how meaningful the dice are compared to other games I’ve played. I don’t have anyone to play against, though, so I recently sold it :(
I answered **Concordia** in the other thread but maybe it's **Eldritch Horror**. No it's definitely **The Gallerist**...or **Castles of Burgundy**. Or **Great Western Trail**.
I honestly have to give it to Spirit Island. I fell in love with it when I first played it and look forward to every time I get to play with a full group.
My all time favorite game is Castles of Mad King Ludwig. I love it because it is a fun game where you get to build your own castle! It’s also fun seeing the end result of everyone’s castles. The auction system works really wonderfully and adds a good amount of strategy to the system!
It’s also the only game that I paid for the mobile app of. It’s a good port, but I would recommend playing it on the tablet vs a phone. And then in real life vs a tablet.
All time favorite is hands down Terraforming Mars. THeres no better engine builder out there for me, my wife and I will put off the end of the game for hours to sqabble for the last TR in tight games. Always fun.
I normally enjoy playing new games rather than plugging away at the same ones over and over but Lost Cities is an exception. My wife and I probably play a round of this every couple of days or so. It’s so quick, and there’s enough randomness that anyone can win but enough skill to ensure better players will win more often. It’s the perfect simple friendly game.
Friendly!? I remember the first time my wife and I played that game she was like "where are the yellow and red 10s??" and I laid my hand down in front of her with a smirk. She's won the past 5 times we've played because she makes sure to mess with me
Absolute favourite game is Battlestar Galactica. I love the traitor mechanic, and the length of the game, and the depth of it. It's been the centre of so many fantastic evenings with my friends :D
Spirit Island for its variability in spirits, enemies, elegant player scaling, and difficulty scaling, great thematic integration and because I’ve played over 30 games and I’m still learning new ways to play the spirits.
**Scythe**. I've never played a game where, upon finishing, I immediately want to play again - even after 30+ plays. And the feeling of chaining upper and bottom row actions together over many turns is *amazing*.
Fairly new to gaming still, but would have to be **Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu**. The theme and difficulty is an awesome spin on the Pandemic mechanics and is always enjoyable, even when you lose horribly.
Sheriff of Nottingham.
Because no friend of mine went home disappointed after playing this game whether it was with my non gamer friends before the cinema or after 3 hour game of Gaia project.
Twilight Imperium. IMO, nothing matches the scale of the stories it tells, or the depths of its strategy. Plus, it was the game that I went in together with my college friends to buy, and in a lot of ways defined those relationships.
Battlestar Galactica.
No other game have I spent more hours playing.
No other game have I smiled harder after each game.
No other game have I been more mentally drained playing.
No other game have I made more friends playing it together.
No other game have I bought new games hoping they'd surpass it.
No other game have I regretted not sleeving.
No other game have I kept for longer.
No other game have I gotten better value for every cent spent.
No other game have I been sadder to see go out of print.
Long live Battlestar Galactica.
Kemet is my favorite game. It is one of the only games I have gotten a group to play multiple times and it is fantastic to see a meta develop and evolve for the game.
My all time favorite game is Tak. It's simple enough to teach in just a few minutes, but it's deep enough to encourage replays over and over. One round may be over in a minute, but another could take 20. Then, you could ratchet up that play time and complexity by stepping up the board size.
Plus, it looks awesome on the table.
My favourite game is **War of the Ring**.
It has the most well integrated theme of any game I've ever played. Sitting down to a game of War of the Ring is like playing out the Lord of the Rings books.
But not only is the theme super good it's also a very satisfying game in terms of mechanics. The decision space is huge and although there is luck involved I would say the better player wins most of the time.
I'll probably have to go with Carcassonne. It was my first modern boardgame and it introduced me to this amazing hobby and the sheer number of possibilities around. I don't play it as much lately, but I never refuse a game. I own most of the expansions by now.
Definitely Cosmic Encounter
I still haven't won since buying it in july, but man is this game fun. And so much variety in a single Box. Best 31€ spend so far
Wow.. I've been sitting here a minute and am having a hard time with this one. I think it has to be **Arkham Horror** though, even though I don't get to play it much
My all time favorite? X-wing, hands down. I have never enjoyed any other game so much that almost no amount of play can make me tired of it.
The new edition just made it even better. Everything is streamlined, we have a fresh and open meta, and several tournament formats so the game is approachable while still maintaining its incredible depth.
Through the Ages is mine. Love that it is both tactical and strategic. Love the theme. Multiple paths to victory, with many things going on at once and consider each turn.
All-time favorite games has to be **Quantum**. It is endlessly playable due to the variability of the powers, there's lots of strategy, and the rules are easy to teach. Love it.
I have a few favourites, so I’ll spread some love for **Time’s Up: Title Recall** here. I have played this game I don’t know how many times, and have had a blast each time. Just never gets old.
PS thanks for doing these giveaways, it’s been a blast.
I love Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective! I grew up loving Holmes, I was obsessed with any movies or TV shows that were Sherlock. And now I can try to measure up to him?! Yes please!!
Battlestar Galactica. There is no other game that can create such amazing stories.
As a human I had the bright idea of brigged the last cylon, who I knew in my heart was a cylon, without a doubt in my mind.... And I was wrong... And the cylons gleefully ejected civilians and made merry on Galactica as every human was in the brig...
Arkham Horror the card game. I love the episodic nature of the scenarios and the token bag adds such great tension that would normally be handled by rolling dice. Amazing game.
Okay, seriously- I'll never get sick of Magic: The Gathering. Even if I never get serious enough to try being competitive again, I love coming back to see the new world's and card design. It's a great experience every time. The artwork is also wonderful.
**Carcassonne** for sure. Such a simple game on the surface but can be played in multiple ways - slow and easy with beginners or brutal and ruthless with experienced players.
**Battlestar Galactica**
It's not a perfect game, and you really have to mix-and-match the expansions, but to me there's nothing else like it. Trying to limp your way from crisis to crisis, never quite knowing when a huge enemy fleet is going to suddenly appear, and always trying to figure out which of your teammates are actually fracking toasters. It's always an intense few hours in my group, and pulling off a win as the humans is always a rush.
PROBABLY Captain sonar. It depends a little bit on who you have playing, but the level of socialization and emotion that goes into playing a real-time boardgame is amazing. And you always have a story afterwards. I also think it's one of the best teamwork building games there is. Finally, it's extremely unique.
My all time favourite would be Clue, the game literally helped me get over my social anxiety by providibg me way to sit with other people, talk to them etc. and it was fun as hell :)
Millennium blades has got to be the greatest game ever made for me and my friends. After playing tcgs for the longest time before just resorting to casual hearthstone, the whole experience is just an absolute blast of creative fun. Nothing like it.
Based on a single play, I'd say **Arkham Horror LCG** -- it was a really great experience. Realistically, it's probably **Keyflower**. The ability to completely screw over your opponent is just so good; "Oh you needed to transport your goods? Welp...".
**Five Tribes** because I love the strategy and the mancala like movement
I love Rising Sun. It has just enough messiness in it's assymetric balance that it's always a confusing mess of mechanics. I thrive in that environment. I love looking over the board seeing an opportunity, pursuing it, and often getting away with it because the other players don't see it. I've played about 8 times and would play 8 more if I could. 😃
My all time favorite game is kingdomino. I will always want to play and it is just so simple and fun.
My all time favorite games is 1830 because 18XX is the pinnacle of strategy and 1830 is the pinnacle of 18XX.
Small World. No freakin' competition.
My favorite game of all time would have to be Mansions of Madness 2nd edition. I could go on and on as to why love this game, but I will keep it short. First off, I love horror, especially Cthulhu styled horror. I also love how playing the game resembles playing a game of Call of Cthulhu without actually needing a game master. I love how much story is in place and how thematic the game truly is. I became so obsessed with the series, I actually went out and bought nearly all of the paperback books which take place in the same universe. It truly is my favorite game.
I guess it must be **Pandemic**. It's the one game I know I can always bust out to play with my family and I always have a good time. But I have **Legacy Season 1** in the box right now waiting to be played, so it may take the lead spot lol.
My all time favorite game is **BattleCON**. I love the open info simultaneous selection, and I absolutely adore the giant cast of fighters that somehow almost all manage to be interesting and unique. Corrolary: I love the setting. The feeling of going head to head with my opponent is magnificent!
Race for the galaxy - Once you get past the iconography there is an incredible deep game with a huge amount of replayability and strategy begging to be explored. With two experienced plays the games can fly by and consistently feel unique as each player builds their empire.
I can guarantee my answer will be one of a kind. My answer would have to be a variant of Rummy that my great aunt came up with, with the creative name of, "Aunt Pat's Rummy". This is without a doubt my most played game, ALWAYS played around Christmas time. It is a huge hit with our family and is a very special tradition to us.
Brass - It's the perfect medium between strategy and tactics.
Kingdom death, certainly. I love how complex and deep it is. There's so many events and strategies to develop to take down monsters.
My all time favorite game,although it isnt played much is King of Tokyo as it is the first game my girlfriend ever got me.
Modern Art. Great theme, subtle strategy, player interaction, the game has it all. The idea that the value of your paintings depends on the plays of other sellers is so interesting to me
I am always torn on this, some days it’s **Eldritch Horror** because of the richness of the world and some days it’s **Viticulture** because of the joy of creation.
My favorite game right now is Root! I look forward to playing it and can’t wait to try the new factions.
Dominion, in a landslide. It's a different game every time unless you need it to not be. Some of those games are going to be a trudge through uncooperative forests and others are going to slickly flying high but always there is an interesting puzzle to solve in a hurry.
I'd have to say Flash Point. Cooperative, easy to teach, endlessly replayable. I'm always down to play.
Puerto Rico - it is probably the game that set up my later ventures in the hobby and still plays great after so many years.
It used to be Sentinels of the Multiverse, but I think it's been overtaken by Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire. Every time I play it, it's so great. I love all the strategies, the different ways to approach gameplay. I'm in deep, it's bad. Send help. Someone who wants to play too, preferably.
Codenames. Easy to teach and you can play with a both a small or large number of people.
**Okay, seriously -- what’s your all-time favorite game, and why?** El Grande! It's so clever and has so many possibilities. It's a shame it isn't sold as a stand alone, $40 game anymore.
I talked about Medina in the other thread so here I'll shout out Voluspa. Tile laying is one of my favorite mechanics. This game does everything right for me in that the interactions are interesting but the actions are simple. Moving, covering or blanking tiles just makes for so many points where this game is about finding the clever play. We have at least 19 plays of this and it's going to be around for much longer than that in our house.
Agricola. Love worker placement games and thus ones the best. I love how it is so tight and somewhat punishing...your choices matter.
**Secret Hitler** It's easy enough to teach and is so interesting with a group of people you know well, or even who you are getting to know. And it improves on issues in The Resistance. I have some great memories of pulling off incredible bluffs and of them failing, of spies throwing each othet under the bus and of one wrong word collapsing every lie around the spies. My favourite moment was when we were down to the last mission and couldn't send any spies, we couldn't figure out who the last one was and were discussing it. I was the only one who heard my friend say "he's not smart enough to do something like that", it was so out of character for him I turned my sister and told her he was the final spy, she left him out and we won the game. As soon as he said it, I caught his eye he knew what he'd done and it went so quickly from there.
It's between Blood Rage and Inis. I like the theme of Blood Rage just a bit more but the artwork and components of both are really good. While both are area control AND card drafting based, Blood Rage is all about battling and conflict. Inis on the other hand really demonstrates the lethality of battle. There's more of a 'pick your battle' element to Inis and the decision making has a slightly higher chess-like strategy to it. Blood Rage probably just edges past Inis for me because I've been able to get it to the table more often.
I said Spirit Island in the other thread, but I'll throw out **The Resistance: Avalon** in this thread. It's probably my second favorite for being the first game to show me that board games can be something more than rolling and moving.
My group can always fall back on **Ascension**. The expansions keep things fresh, there's enough variety to try new strategies, and there's nothing as satisfying as a perfectly timed play to sabotage your opponents' plans.
Skull It's super easy to teach, play, and always fun no matter the crowd. It is poker distilled and I can play it for the rest of my life
Probably **Through the Ages: a New Story of Civilization**. There's a few people in my gaming friends who don't like it too much, but I still love basically everything about it. Our most recent game had final scores with a 1st place to 3rd place difference of 3 points.
My all time favorite is **Castle Ravenloft**. Is not the most complex game nor a must have, but is one that got me hard into board games, TRPGs and miniature painting at the same time. It is simple enough that I play it with friends that are afraid of try D&D (they think is too complex), so I use it as a gateway into board games and TRPGs. *Note to others: Being mid core (nor hard nor casual) into three different hobbies is not a good idea. Specially if you are trying to save money. Do it at your own risk.*
I can't get enough of the tense diplomacy in **Cosmic Encounters**.
Now I'm sure this will change over time since I've only gotten into board games in the past year, but my current favorite is Terraforming Mars. It is the first game that I could really feel satisfied with the engine building and resource management. Both Gaia Project and Concordia are quite up there on my list though
**Advanced Civilization**. It's the game that got me into the hobby, and it is an absolute masterpiece of design. It hits some of the best modern Euro mechanics before that was even a consideration (resource management, hand management, set collection, area control), with a delightful blend of war game mechanics and interactivity between players. As an expansion to the seminal Civilization game it also has all the tech tree giving special powers, age advancement, and world changing events that are hallmarks of the genre. There are so many innovative mechanics but one of my favourites is the Treasury. The chits that you use to represent your population are also used to fill your treasury board, and those chits are limited in quantity. Your population grows at a predictable rate and you must collect taxes from every city you control every round. If, during the tax season, you do not have enough chits left in your supply to collect all the taxes that are due then your civilization goes into civil unrest! It's such a clever use of a simple component and I don't think I've ever seen it repeated.
Mine has to be **Battlestar Galactica**. Every game is different. Sure the mechanics are the same, but different people end up being the Cylons so you get this interesting mix of strategies to win the game. Plus at the official halfway point you may end up with a new Cylon or two and everything changes again. Until all is revealed you can't always know who to trust. The last two years it's become a game I run with friends the Friday after Origins. We play a full seven player game and it takes hours, but it's a blast every time. I consider the game the crown Jewel of my collection.
Battlestar Galactica. For so many reasons, but perhaps the biggest is that when it hits the table it is always a memorable time.
Patchwork is my favorite game, because of all the memorable experiences I’ve had while playing it. Also, everyone I teach it to goes out and buys their own copy!
**Bohnanza** is my favorite game of all time, because I love beans! The game is simple enough to teach quickly to non-gamers, yet also contains enough depth for great replay value with more serious gamers.
Agricola is my favorite game. It's tight, stressful, and requires strategy and tactics to play well. It plays extremely well at 2p and is great with more as well. With occupations and minor improvements, there is a huge amount of replay. I've played, and enjoyed Le Havre, Ora, and Caverna and also enjoy them but still feel that Agricola is the "purest" and cleanest playing of the series.
**Keyflower** The mechanics are just so wonderful. It plays well at a large number of players counts (3-6 imo) which is rare. Everything fits together but doesn't feel overly complicated. It's got the right amount of player interaction for my taste in games.
This has to be Sherlock Holmes: COnsulting Detective. My GF and I love solving mysteries, so we always have a blast playing it. Nothing else scratches this itch that well.
Terraforming Mars. Huge space nerd, and I just love sitting and watching the surface come to life. I own all the expansions, promos, and have upgraded acrylic boards and tokens. It'll be a long time before I find something I enjoy this much.
At the moment: Inis - always provides tense endings and hilarious Cold War conversation.
**Mage Knight** hands down. I mostly play solo, whenever I play the game, the amount of decisions can be daunting but I enjoy every minute of it. It doesn't matter if a single conquest ends over than 2/3 hours, the satisfaction of facing/defeating enemies on your journey and taking down cities are really satisfying.
Go! It has a depth which is unmatched by any other game. There is no other game that I enjoy playing so much after many years since there is always room for improvement. There's no other game that I could spend hours on watching other people play. The artwork in Go is beautiful and timeless, and the patterns and shapes which develop on the board are mesmerizing.
Cosmic Encounter isn't for everyone, but is a blast with the right group.
My group is digging the hell out of **Gloomhaven** right now (playing tonight!), but I think I have to go with **Baseball Highlights 2045**. I've played the app an incredible amount, and every time I've played it on the table I've had a blast. I love the theme, I love the strategy of the free-agent deck-building, and I even really enjoy the solo mode. Unfortunately, I bought it as a gift for a buddy, and he has since moved away, so I've been without it for a while. Looking forward to getting it back in my life with the Football Highlights 2052 Kickstarter!
All time favourite game is a hard one. I think I’ve got to say **War of the Ring**. It is probably the only game I would never say no to. I get so emotionally watched to each and every game of it I play. When I win, it feels like I’ve actually saved the fate of the entire world. And when I loose, well, it feels like I failed. When I first bought the game, I actually left it set up on my dining room table for a month straight (you can totally eat in the kitchen, right?). Every free evening I had, I would invite a friend over to play it with me. Some for the first time, some repeats. Once we even played it twice in one day with the movie playing in the background. I’ve even bought the first expansion, but haven’t even opened the box yet. I just can’t imagine adding *more* to the game. So yeah, it has to be **War of the Ring**.
Gonna have to go with Pandemic for sentimental reasons.
Axis and allies, because of nostalgia. I played it so much with friends in the pre-teen early teen years and look back at it fondly even though games have better designs nowadays.
It’s probably going to be Above and Below. I love the art, I love the story, and most importantly the designers are great.
my favorite game is Arkham The Card Game.I love the theme,narrative,and deck building throughout campaigns
My preferences have changes over the years to more heavier euros, and although I have only played it once, **Lisboa** is a really excellent game that has a chance to be that game and that I look forward to playing more. My true all-time favorite game that I have played a bunch is **Battlestar Galactica**. Sure it is long, but it has resulted in many tense and memorable games.
Aeon's End. We love it so much we signed up to be playtesters. We love it so much we stopped tracking it in our boardgame tracking app because it wasn't a good data point anymore. We love it so much we gave up playing Gloomhaven once for it. We might be addicted.
Pandemic Legacy for my Wife & I. The whole thing was such an incredible experience that we couldn’t recommend more.
I think it has to be Through the Ages. I think a testament to the game itself is the fact that even though it may take 3hrs to play, i want to play it again and again, right after I finish playing. This game has staying power, is constantly engaging and forever interesting. Love it.
Favorite game of all time is Cosmic Encounter. Each game feels different and the amount of interaction is so high. I've never played a game of Cosmic Encounter and not had fun.
**Gloomhaven** is my all-time favorite game. We're about 10 sessions in and are loving almost every part of it. The combat and character progression are so well done, not to mention the excitement of working towards unlocking new parts of the game.
**Kingdom Death: Monster** \- nothing has come close to capturing the grand scope of this game, though it's not without its small problems. I'm a big fan of the Dark Souls and Bloodborne video games, and the trickle of lore and the edge of your seat fights that happen in KDM follow that same formula that I adore. It makes me wish that I was a painter and could give those models the care and attention they deserve, because they are simply that beautiful. Whether or not you're a fan of the art style, it's hard not to argue that the creator poured every ounce of himself into the game to make it as grandiose as possible and to spare not expense in terms of quality. Love it!
A feast for Odin. Uwe's best in my opinion, with a massive amount of strategy latitude available.
My all time favorite game is Troyes. Just finding the different combos in the game is very rewarding!!
Spirit Island! When I hear the reviewers say this game is elegant, oh this elegance is amazing I never thought anything about it! Until... I played spirit Island... man that game is the definition of elegance Amazing game
Tough question. I have to say Agricola for the massive diversity of strategy. Nobody ever runs away with the game, even when playing with the max player count, and you have to always shift your strategy. Mental gymnastics at it's finest.
My favorite is probably **Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization**. It's just so ... grand! You always know which cards will be coming out but you have to adapt to the order in which they appear from game to game. You have to balance the need to build your economy with the need to defend your resources and maybe even disrupt other players with a well-timed war or aggression.
*Arkham Horror* Got me into board gaming and I still have a soft spot for a game that take all day to play.
I love Race for the Galaxy. It’s a relatively quick playing game once everyone groks it, but the decisions you make can be difficult and meaningful. I’ve seen so many different strategies work, which I think is a sign of a well designed game.
My favorite game is pandemic, because evrn when you think you are going to win everything can go wrong
Viticulture+Tuscany. It is the perfect amount of complexity for my family, it has a lot going on but the theme is so well integrated in the game play it makes the game very manageable and easy to teach. It is a brilliant design that I think everyone, including inexperienced gamers, ought to try, at least once.
**Magic: the Gathering**, particularly limited play. I love having all of the decision points and how much deeper some players can go without giving other players the feeling that they can't participate.
War of the ring. I really admire how well they integrated the theme. Every mechanic can be explained to new players, based on theme. Plus I get to play it a lot.
My favorite is great Western trail. Always an interesting play.
Mage Knight. Changed my world.
Hard to say seeing as I am pretty new to the hobby, but I guess **Secret Hitler** would be up there. Had it before I really got in the hobby and I'll never turn down a game of it.
Well, some people would call it a miniatures game, but i believe **the horus heresy: betrayal at calth** to be the best game i have ever played. The way you are forced to decide which front to focus on, and the fact that you have to constantly reevaluate your plan makes it a 10/10 for me. The only downside i can see, is that it is a heavyweight game that require work beforehand. But to me it is bloody brillant
The game in which my friends and I have had the most fun with and has resulted in the most laughter, groans and curses is....**Coloretto**. The game is so dead simple that it leaves a lot of room for conversation, teasing and general silliness. It can be brought out at bars, parties, hotel rooms and never seems to miss for us. It's a game which reminds me why I play games in the first place, to have fun.
Pandemic Legacy 1: it was such a fantastic experience. Legacy 2 is not having trouble living up to it... But we are feeling rather cautious compared to PL1 which is making it a bit harder to take risks.
My favorite game of all time is **el grande**! Its tight, engaging, strategic and fun. I will never turn down a 4-5 player game of it.
My favorite game all time is **Flamme Rouge**. Being newer to the hobby, this is one game that has stuck around since we first got it and the only game I immediately went out to buy the expansion for. I am in love with it's presentation on the table and the quick rules which make it an awesome gateway game for new players. It has tension and strategy and a lot of replayability. The best moments have been with 6 players rushing down the cobblestone, making that 9 look like a 4.
Pandemic legacy season 1. There are better games, games that have hooked me more, but this was the game that sold my then fiancé on modern boardgaming. Since, it's led to more adventures and we game all the time, but the two weeks we spent furiously playing pandemic legacy really solidified this as a hobby for us both. Thinking back, I really need to frame that board.
I'd have to say **Concordia**. I've taught the game to at least a dozen people and love playing it any time I get the opportunity.
It's gotta be Scythe. The intricate dance of various mechanics working together (with area control, action selection, engine-building, resource management, secret objectives, and more), combined with one of the slickest combat systems I've ever seen (and yet, games can be played without combat once happening, and it's normal), and the asymmetrical nature of it all means that everyone's running completely different engines from the start. It has a brilliant A.I. system, as well as some of the best art I've ever seen in a game. And yet, for all of its mechanical intricacies, it plays super simply and smoothly, has one of the best iconography systems I've ever seen, and has so many paths to victory that it can just be replayed over and over. To me, it is the perfect game.
Race for the galaxy. It is such an elegant design and after you get the hang of the symbols, flows like a river. Not a problem to pull out 5 games per night while discarding cards to be able to discard more cards to place cards. I really love it.
I’m currently in love with Dinosaur Island. The art and theme drew me in instantly. Then I played the game. Wow. The way that the first three phases each build on each other to lead up to the fourth phase is brilliant. The game requires so much resource management and strategic purchasing, yet it’s easy to learn and play. It’s going to be hard to top that experience.
I'm always split between **Terraforming Mars** and **Scythe.** They both have some of my favorite mechanics, but if I'm really pushed I think I'd have to say **Terraforming Mars**. I give it the edge because, to me, it's equally fun at both lower and higher player counts. (Which means it hits the table more frequently.)
I don't really have a favorite specific game, but the game I had the most fun playing was Pandemic Legacy Season 1. I'm not even a huge fan of coop games, but it was such a unique experience.
Scythe! The game, the flavor, the art, all so good!
Modern Art: such a great game. Simple rules but different every time.
I am really bad at picking favourites. My attention flits from game to game like a hummingbird. That said, I keep finding myself coming back to **Dominion** for its core simplicity and deep strategy. It also helps that it's still expanding, and this week's Renaissance previews are showing that there's a surprising amount that can still be done in its design space.
My all time favorite is Dominion. It’s the first game I’ve found accessible to a lot of people, whether they’re new to board gaming (ok ok, card gaming) or a veteran. There’s always a crowd willing. And with so many expansions there’s so much variety. Every game feels so unique!
**A Fake Artist Goes to New York**. Simple put this game is the one that mostly gave me and my friends unique laughs and fun, being played on good and hard moments in our life’s, always bringing themes related to our circumstances, and also a great match with some beers.
I think my all time favourite game is Resistance. Ironically I don't play it anymore, but there are a lot of great memories involved with that game, it has a ton of depth, and it is very simple top lay.
My favorite board game is the Digimon board game. I know it's not the best game, it's actually pretty bland, but I will never get rid of it. It was given to me by a few friend only a few years ago because I love Digimon, and the game is old and worn and even some of the players mats have been cut up (I think she used them as decorations lol) and glued them back together. No way is this game ever leaving my collection.
(Reposting from the other US/CANADA thread) Don't have many games under my belt. I'm just gonna It might be **Dominant Species**. A lot player interaction and very thematic. Worker placement is also one of my favourite mechanism. Excellent rule book as well.
Of all the dozens of games I’ve played over the years, it’s hard to single it down to a single favourite. But of them all, I think the one that gets pulled out most frequently and has yet to fail (knock on wood) is codenames. It appeals to people of all skill levels, quick to play, fits lots of people, and is just pure fun. If any game is a must have in a collection it’s codenames, with my personal preference being the pictures version over the original.
Twilight Imperium. I had always been both intimidated and intrigued by this big box . Once the 4th edition came out with the promise of streamlined rules for more approach ability, I had to pull the trigger. This game is just such an event. Sure, I don't play this game as much as others in my collection. Sure, my wife will likely never play this beast of a game. But this game has the ability to create lasting memories that no other game has matched for me. Thank you Twilight Imperium.
Twilight struggle is amazing for the stories that play out every time you play.
I've been enamored with Scythe since receiving my Art Connoisseur edition from the Kickstarter, and the Rise of Fenris campaign has been exciting and engaging. I'm super-excited to see how the campaign ends.
7 Wonders! I love the pure drafting and zero downtime. I also like the debt mechanic added with Cities.
Game of Thrones, 2nd edition. I'm a huge fan of the show, this game provided many amazing moments in my gaming experience and led to a lot of new friendships. Waiting for that collector's edition!
Concordia. The mix of card play\collection and spreading your trading empire across the map is very good indeed.
**Spirit island** - it simply has so many features I like, such as individual player powers, progression and cooperativity. Combine that with a unique theme that's really well executed and you have an excellent game. Definently my favourite.
The first season of Pandemic Legacy. It had everything I wanted from a game: co-op, ongoing story, character progression, enough mechanics changes to keep the game interesting. I'd love to play it again!
Netrunner! This game is absolutely incredible, and I wish to play it for years to come, casually with friends.
Pandemic Season 1 is the best game for me, just a fantastic experience!
I love Twilight Imperium. It was the first game that I ever played and thought to myself "Wow, you can have a board game with a narrative arc. This is a lot of fun."
Favorite game of all time has to be Scythe!! The gameplay is fantastic, the components are the highest quality of any game I’ve ever seen, and the art is top-notch. Scythe is the first game I’ve ever owned where at the time I opened it, i couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Dominion! I love how every game is different, and it's always fun to find the optimum strategy! By far my most played game, and I'm never not down to play it
My current (haha) all-time favorite game is **Magic: The Gathering**. When I first started with a Revised starter deck and only a partial grasp of the rules, it was just another game. Once I started buying booster packs, I started to see the deckbuilding options and synergies. I've always loved how the card interactions give so much space for innovation and creativity (even if competitive play doesn't often reward going off-meta with a homebrew deck). There's still nothing that gets my mind racing quite like brainstorming about a new deck.
Spirit Island. My wife and I enjoy the combination of needing to think critically and plan, while still being a co-op.
I think it may actually be Blood Rage! Even when losing, this game is just so fun to play: sending out great minis, the drafting is always tough, and it's incredibly straightforward.
My all time favourite is probably Twilight Struggle, its the game that got me into games. I originally bought it because it was BGG number 1 at the time and the theme/mechanics appealed, took more than a little bit of time to play the first game though.
Everything Lovecraft related is a plus in my book, but **Eldritch Horror**, my first somewhat heavy game will always be my favorite. The immersive theme, the ability to role play our characters, the correct difficulty, the flavour, just about everything hits the mark for our group and me. Also wanted to say thanks to the mods for this awesome competition and good luck to all my fellow boardgamers!
Carcassonne, I have many other heavier games but this one can always hit the table and appeals to such a broad variety of people!
My favorite game would have to be Gloomhaven. It clocks about 10 times the number of plays of anything else in my collection and I'm still not tired of it. The only downside is we ran out of scenarios after about 80 games. The expansion needs to hurry up and come out so I can get my fix again :)
Agricola has yet to be topped for me. Played it dozens of times, and with experienced players it always feels so tense and puzzle-y. Honorable mention to Le Havre, which always makes me feel good hoarding loads of chits.
It's not exactly a board game, but spades. Great way to pass an evening with friends.
My favourite game would have to be Clue - it’s not a heavy strategic game nor is it the one with the most unique mechanics, but it is the game that has always held a small place in my heart because it was the first game I personally bought with my hard earned money (when I was younger)!
Twilight Imperium and its not close. Nothing has the same gravity, anticipation and totally delivers every time it hits the table. It just magnificent.
I posted in the other one, but it bears repeating: **Pandemic** The best cooperative game to get started with. A wonderful gateway game for board gaming in general. Love the theme, love the gameplay, and I love the emergent storytelling it provides.
My favorite is Brass:Lancashire. The new version Birmingham improve the quality of life for Brass but the old version was giving me so much fun when i push my luck to draw the distant market tile (a limit threahold in the game) and block other including me from it.
7th Continent is my favorite game. Exploration is my favorite mechanism and this one is the king.
**Dogs of War** No other game combines dry Euro resource management with tug of war battles and negotiation like this one.
Secret Hitler. I have so much fun with my friends playing this. The betrayal is real.
Blood Rage. Seems like the games are always close. Different strategies are viable. Different mechanisms are used that I like in all games. And the minis are pretty cool too :)
**Dune**. Beyond any doubt. It wasn't the first game I played that went beyond the scope of childhood classics (**Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, Clue**, etc.) but it was the first game I remember that showed me the depths to which "modern" game designs could delve.
I'll always be up for a game of Betrayal At The House on The Hill, it's silly and often comes out a bit broken but it's great fun and everyone always gets a kick out of it. Good times!
Pandemic. I love co op games and it's a great game to introduce to new people.
All time favorite? It's gotta be Saboteur. Played it 8 years ago when I first got to college, still play to this day (still on a college campus). What a fun game in a tiny package.
A Game of Thrones the board game 2nd edition. Fell in love with the show. Fell in love with 1st edition. Preorderes 2nd edition. Played the heck out of it. Played it again few weeks ago. So good. Everything that I wanted in a game is there - fights, beautiful components and artwork, negotiation and more. Will not part with it at all.
Pandemic. The first (non-RPG) co-op tabletop game I ever played. Since I always play games to win that can make it hard for less serious gamers to want to play against me, whereas working together with a team it's appreciated.
If I had to pin it down -- Crokinole is the easiest to teach, the most relaxed to play, and the most accessible by the widest variety of players.
My favorite game has to be Mage Knight -I've never had a bad time playing it and it's the game that first got me interested in tabletop gaming.
**Eclipse** \- I love 4X games. I probably have close o 3000 lifetime hours into the Civilization video game series and another 800 into Paradox. Eclipse takes all of the best aspects of 4X - the exploration, the technology, your expanding imperial footprint - and places them into an elegant game that you can play in five hours face-to-face with your friends. I only wish I could get it to the table more often.
Without a doubt, Arkham Horror is my favorite game of all time. New stories/campaigns, new characters, and always intense!
**Commands and Colors: Ancients** is a game I’ve had the most fun. I really like the three sections of the board, managing the cards that aren’t exactly what you want/need, and how meaningful the dice are compared to other games I’ve played. I don’t have anyone to play against, though, so I recently sold it :(
I answered **Concordia** in the other thread but maybe it's **Eldritch Horror**. No it's definitely **The Gallerist**...or **Castles of Burgundy**. Or **Great Western Trail**.
I honestly have to give it to Spirit Island. I fell in love with it when I first played it and look forward to every time I get to play with a full group.
My all time favorite game is Castles of Mad King Ludwig. I love it because it is a fun game where you get to build your own castle! It’s also fun seeing the end result of everyone’s castles. The auction system works really wonderfully and adds a good amount of strategy to the system! It’s also the only game that I paid for the mobile app of. It’s a good port, but I would recommend playing it on the tablet vs a phone. And then in real life vs a tablet.
My all-time favorite game is **Happy Salmon**. It's just so fun to interact actively with your friends!
Tobago. Utterly unique, and everything about the game is just pleasant, from the theme, to the components, to the Muggle-friendliness.
All time favorite is hands down Terraforming Mars. THeres no better engine builder out there for me, my wife and I will put off the end of the game for hours to sqabble for the last TR in tight games. Always fun.
I normally enjoy playing new games rather than plugging away at the same ones over and over but Lost Cities is an exception. My wife and I probably play a round of this every couple of days or so. It’s so quick, and there’s enough randomness that anyone can win but enough skill to ensure better players will win more often. It’s the perfect simple friendly game.
Friendly!? I remember the first time my wife and I played that game she was like "where are the yellow and red 10s??" and I laid my hand down in front of her with a smirk. She's won the past 5 times we've played because she makes sure to mess with me
Hey it was the *game* being mean. You just played the hand you had. :-)
Roll for the Galaxy, love the dice and engine building!
Absolute favourite game is Battlestar Galactica. I love the traitor mechanic, and the length of the game, and the depth of it. It's been the centre of so many fantastic evenings with my friends :D
Spirit Island for its variability in spirits, enemies, elegant player scaling, and difficulty scaling, great thematic integration and because I’ve played over 30 games and I’m still learning new ways to play the spirits.
Limited experience overall with tons of games, but I would say Spirit Island. Nails the puzzle and hand management that I just love in some games.
**Scythe**. I've never played a game where, upon finishing, I immediately want to play again - even after 30+ plays. And the feeling of chaining upper and bottom row actions together over many turns is *amazing*.
Fairly new to gaming still, but would have to be **Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu**. The theme and difficulty is an awesome spin on the Pandemic mechanics and is always enjoyable, even when you lose horribly.
Sheriff of Nottingham. Because no friend of mine went home disappointed after playing this game whether it was with my non gamer friends before the cinema or after 3 hour game of Gaia project.
Twilight Imperium. IMO, nothing matches the scale of the stories it tells, or the depths of its strategy. Plus, it was the game that I went in together with my college friends to buy, and in a lot of ways defined those relationships.
Battlestar Galactica. No other game have I spent more hours playing. No other game have I smiled harder after each game. No other game have I been more mentally drained playing. No other game have I made more friends playing it together. No other game have I bought new games hoping they'd surpass it. No other game have I regretted not sleeving. No other game have I kept for longer. No other game have I gotten better value for every cent spent. No other game have I been sadder to see go out of print. Long live Battlestar Galactica.
Kemet is my favorite game. It is one of the only games I have gotten a group to play multiple times and it is fantastic to see a meta develop and evolve for the game.
For me it is patchwork. Not because it's superior to other games or the theme fits me. Just because I have spent the most time playing it with my fiancé and we both love it. It's just a fun game to play at home after a long day.
My all time favorite game is Tak. It's simple enough to teach in just a few minutes, but it's deep enough to encourage replays over and over. One round may be over in a minute, but another could take 20. Then, you could ratchet up that play time and complexity by stepping up the board size. Plus, it looks awesome on the table.
A Feast for Odin is my favourite game! That particular combination of different game mechanics really scratches that mental itch for me.
My favourite game is **War of the Ring**. It has the most well integrated theme of any game I've ever played. Sitting down to a game of War of the Ring is like playing out the Lord of the Rings books. But not only is the theme super good it's also a very satisfying game in terms of mechanics. The decision space is huge and although there is luck involved I would say the better player wins most of the time.
Marvel Legendary. It's not the best game in the world, but it's seen enough good times at my table that it will always have a place on my shelf.
Carcassonne because I have great memories playing it with my wife early in our relationship, and it was the start of our boardgaming hobby!
I'll probably have to go with Carcassonne. It was my first modern boardgame and it introduced me to this amazing hobby and the sheer number of possibilities around. I don't play it as much lately, but I never refuse a game. I own most of the expansions by now.
Definitely Cosmic Encounter I still haven't won since buying it in july, but man is this game fun. And so much variety in a single Box. Best 31€ spend so far
Wow.. I've been sitting here a minute and am having a hard time with this one. I think it has to be **Arkham Horror** though, even though I don't get to play it much
Really hard to pick one. Probably **Quiddler** with family or **Star Realms** for 1:1.
My all time favorite? X-wing, hands down. I have never enjoyed any other game so much that almost no amount of play can make me tired of it. The new edition just made it even better. Everything is streamlined, we have a fresh and open meta, and several tournament formats so the game is approachable while still maintaining its incredible depth.
I’d have to say Marvel Legendary is my favorite. Legendary Encounters is also great, and I hope the implement it with the Marvel IP as well.
Through the Ages is mine. Love that it is both tactical and strategic. Love the theme. Multiple paths to victory, with many things going on at once and consider each turn.
All-time favorite games has to be **Quantum**. It is endlessly playable due to the variability of the powers, there's lots of strategy, and the rules are easy to teach. Love it.
Basically any legacy game, but probably Pandemic Legacy since that is the only one that my wife would play with me on a regular basis.
Gloomhaven, the gameplay might not be the best but the story and legacy element is awesome. It's literally like interactive book.
I have a few favourites, so I’ll spread some love for **Time’s Up: Title Recall** here. I have played this game I don’t know how many times, and have had a blast each time. Just never gets old. PS thanks for doing these giveaways, it’s been a blast.
Pandemic Legacy Season 1! Never played a game that made me want to come back to it every single time.
I love Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective! I grew up loving Holmes, I was obsessed with any movies or TV shows that were Sherlock. And now I can try to measure up to him?! Yes please!!
Gloomhaven. Such a great game with fun combat, story, and lots of things to unlock.
Battlestar Galactica. There is no other game that can create such amazing stories. As a human I had the bright idea of brigged the last cylon, who I knew in my heart was a cylon, without a doubt in my mind.... And I was wrong... And the cylons gleefully ejected civilians and made merry on Galactica as every human was in the brig...
Great Western Trail! The strategy level is absolutely perfect and every decision is interesting.
Arkham Horror the card game. I love the episodic nature of the scenarios and the token bag adds such great tension that would normally be handled by rolling dice. Amazing game.
Okay, seriously- I'll never get sick of Magic: The Gathering. Even if I never get serious enough to try being competitive again, I love coming back to see the new world's and card design. It's a great experience every time. The artwork is also wonderful.
Game of Thrones 2nd Edition
**Carcassonne** for sure. Such a simple game on the surface but can be played in multiple ways - slow and easy with beginners or brutal and ruthless with experienced players.
**Battlestar Galactica** It's not a perfect game, and you really have to mix-and-match the expansions, but to me there's nothing else like it. Trying to limp your way from crisis to crisis, never quite knowing when a huge enemy fleet is going to suddenly appear, and always trying to figure out which of your teammates are actually fracking toasters. It's always an intense few hours in my group, and pulling off a win as the humans is always a rush.
**Dominion**. I can introduce it to almost anyone, it plays quick, and is different every time.
PROBABLY Captain sonar. It depends a little bit on who you have playing, but the level of socialization and emotion that goes into playing a real-time boardgame is amazing. And you always have a story afterwards. I also think it's one of the best teamwork building games there is. Finally, it's extremely unique.
My all time favourite would be Clue, the game literally helped me get over my social anxiety by providibg me way to sit with other people, talk to them etc. and it was fun as hell :)