This post continues on from A Sentence About Every Game I’ve Owned Part 1. I’ve copied this list from BoardGameGeek, and I’m sure I’ve probably missed some stuff. Games in red, I’ve since moved on. Games with links I’ve written reviews about! So – here is a short comment on every game I’ve ever owned.
Keyflower (2012) – I got Keyflower on a whim shortly after it was released. I ended up enjoying it immensely and to this day it’s one of my favourite games. I especially love it at 6 players.
King of New York (2014) – I was given this as a gift shortly after I sold my copy of King of Tokyo, and never ended up playing it.
King of Tokyo (2011) – I enjoyed this game but it wasn’t really something I would choose to play, so I moved it on to make space.
Kingdom Builder (2011) – I was very excited to play this when it was released as I was very much into Dominion at the time and out is from the same designer. I did play it a fair bit but ultimately it feels to me like something is missing. I reluctantly sold this a few years ago and honestly haven’t thought about it since.
Kingdomino (2016) – I very much like Kingdomino. It’s so simple yet really engaging and fun. It lives at work and occasionally comes out on a rainy lunch for a few games.
Kogworks (2007) – I got this game pre ‘boardgame life’. It’s actually a very fun two player abstract. It also lives at work and sees similar play to Kingdomino.
Krosmaster: Arena (2012) – I got suckered into buying this one year at CanCon because of the flashy figures and amazing board presence. I didn’t really enjoy Arena but kept it for a bit because I was keen on Krosmaster: Quest which promised a cool looking dungeon crawler game. It kept getting delayed and the company seemed to be looking pretty dodgy… I ended up cutting my losses and selling Arena.
Ladies & Gentlemen (2013) – This is probably my favourite large group game. I have great memories of playing this with friends and the hilarious role play that the game generated. The idea of a game with teams of two that play separate games (the Ladies and the Gentleman’s games) and come together at the end is highly unique and I really enjoy it.
Leaders of Euphoria: Choose a Better Oppressor (2017) – Played this a couple of times and just didn’t find it interesting, or really remarkable in any way. I can hardly remember it. It’s a shame because the theme is really entertaining. I traded this away.
Leaving Earth (2015) – I saw this game (is it even a game?) being played at a meetup and was instantly drawn in by it. It’s like all my simulation dreams rolled into a weird game like experience that can be shared with friends. I absolutely love the problem solving and heavy maths elements of the game.
Leaving Earth: Outer Planets (2016) – Picked this up after a few games of the base. It’s interesting in how it extends the game. I would say that I don’t necessarily think it improves the game as it makes it quite a bit longer to play. Despite this, I’ve got good memories of long (like 6+ hour) rounds of this with friends.
Lewis & Clark (2013) – I played this game once several years ago at a meetup and since then it had sat in the back of my mind as something I would been keen to play again but never got around to. A few months ago it came up on the local second hand pages at a bargain price and I picked it up. Played a few times since and it is a pretty good engine building race game.
Lisboa (2017) – Sought this one out after missing the Kickstarter (and having previously owned and enjoyed The Gallerist and Vinhos). I’ve only played it 4 times as it’s a big game, but I’ve found it to be my favourite Lacerta to date and look forward to more plays in the future.
Lords of Waterdeep (2012) – What a classic. Picked this up on its release at the recommendation of my local game shop. I very much enjoyed it and it saw a lot of play back in the day. It still comes out every now and then. We have a house rule for this one: If you don’t read the flavour text on a card, the action doesn’t count!
Lords of Waterdeep: Scoundrels of Skullport (2013) – Bought this for the 6th player add-on but the corruption mechanic is pretty interesting too. We love nothing more than complaining about our debts and accusing the debt free players of not playing as a team.
Lorenzo il Magnifico (2016) – This only recently became readily available in Australia and I got it after having played it a few years ago and enjoying it then. I like how brutal the gameplay is. You only get so few actions throughout the game, though I do like how making a mistake is not the end of your game, most actions give benefit.
Love Letter: Batman (2015) – Got this because of Batman but realised I’m not a fan of Love Letter so I gave it away to a friend.
Mad Zeppelin (2010) – I hardly remember this game. It looked cool and I got it pretty early on in my boardgame life. I gave it away because it just wasn’t great.
Mafia de Cuba (2015) – I played a friends copy of this game and found it to be a really fun and unique social deduction game that allowed for some entertaining roleplay. I got my own copy so I could play with my family and they very much enjoyed it.
Magic Maze (2017) – Magic Maze is a cool game with an interesting mechanic, but unfortunately it suffers from multiple plays. Once your group has played a few times and learnt the game, the initial feeling of chaos and confusion is gone and the gameplay is rote and mechanical. (The same thing, I feel applies to Captain Sonar and Pandemic).
The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire (2016) – Check out the review for more detail, but I find this game hard to love. It does everything right but just feels lacking somehow. I might keep it but I’m not sure at this stage.
Mars Open: Tabletop Golf (2018) – Found this while browsing at my local game store and I’m glad I grabbed it! A super fun dexterity game that is simply golf … on Mars!
Mascarade (2013) – Got this game while I was really into Coup, as it’s vaguely similar. Tends to be very chaotic, and just not really as fun. We never played it anymore so I sold it on.
Mechs vs. Minions (2016) – I was given this game as a gift and at that point had only heard the name of the game and nothing else about it. For a game that was developed ‘outside’ the boardgame industry this is an amazing experience, production, gameplay and just everything about it is superb.
Meeple Circus (2017) – I like dexterity games and was very excited to get my hands on this one after seeing pictures of it. I was not disappointed, it’s a very fun experience.
Merchants & Marauders (2010) – Bought this on a whim several years ago. I really like the gameplay (sandbox, pirates, sea battles, what more could you want!) but it’s long and we haven’t played it much. I can’t part with it though!
Montana (2017) – This is a really great quick and light worker placement game with a TON of bits! Check out my review of it.
Mystic Vale (2016) – I was pretty intrigued by the idea of this game so I eagerly picked it up when it was released. While a cool idea, the gameplay isn’t really that great. I prefer Dominion. Once you’ve played it a few times it almost feels like the creating a card thing is more limiting than innovative.
Mythotopia (2014) – I think this was the first Martin Wallace game I played. I really like the way it combines deck building and area control and the highly unique battle system and victory condition.
Near and Far (2017) – I’ve been getting into story driven games more lately and was keen to play Near and Far as a campaign game with my friends. We got about half way through and were all really enjoying the story part but the gameplay was a bit weird. It felt odd to be playing it competitively. Around this time the expansion was announced (with a co-op mode) so we decided to put our adventures on hold.
Near and Far: Amber Mines (2018) – Unfortunately haven’t gotten around to resuming our adventures yet. Hopefully soon!
New York Slice (2017) – This is a clever ‘I cut you choose’ game. I really like the theming and think it’s a good fun filler game.
Oh My Goods! (2015) – A big game feel with a small deck of cards. Haven’t played this for a while but it takes up little space!
Onirim (2010) – Not really sure why I got this. Had fun playing it once as a co-op but then moved it on. I did like the little figure.
Oregon (2007) – This was one of my first games, and we played it a fair bit when I got it. It eventually got replaced by newer games and we stopped playing it, but I still have good memories of it!
Orléans: Deluxe Edition (2015) – Was lucky to pick this up a year or so after the Kickstarter unopened from someone who decided it wasn’t for them. I’ve played it several times since and I always forget how good a game it is. I really like the ‘bag building’ mechanic and the point salady nature of the game.
Pandemic (2008) – I only still own the game because I feel like I have to. 2 seasons of Pandemic Legacy and several games of regular Pandemic on … I am so sick of this game. Once you’ve played it too much it’s just formulaic brute force probability mitigation which is SO boring.
Pandemic: The Cure (2014) – This is actually a surprisingly good dice game. I quite liked it but it just wasn’t interesting enough for me to keep around.
Pocket Imperium (2013) – I picked this up because of it’s great name. Surprisingly it is actually a really great 4-ish X game that fits in a tiny box and takes around an hour to play. The game is very streamlined and quite fun!
Potion Explosion (2015) – After seeing this around online for a while I bought it when I finally saw it in a game shop. After the initial hype wore off I found it sort of boring so I sold it on.
Power Grid (2004) – Definitely a classic. The first time we tried to play this we couldn’t figure out the rules so we gave up. It was later taught to us by someone who knew how to play already. Always happy to play this, it’s a great economic strategy game.
Power Grid: Australia & Indian Subcontinent (2013) – Got this to play the Australia map. It’s hilarious that all the text is upside down.
Power Grid: Factory Manager (2009) – I really wanted to love this game because on paper it’s everything I would like in a game. Making a production chain, optimising, growing. Unfortunately it doesn’t really translate well to a boardgame, I’ll stick with Factorio to scratch this itch.
Power Grid: The First Sparks (2011) – Good enough game but rarely played it. I did like the pieces, they were particularly nice.
Pretense (2015) – This is an interesting little metagame that you play along while you are having a games night. Everyone gets a role card (something like, get someone to pass you the rulebook). If you achieve your goal you take the player’s card who let you achieve the goal and continue playing. Last one standing wins! It’s very funny, makes everyone paranoid all night.
Puerto Rico (2002) – I was given the anniversary version of this as a gift (and gave away my old copy). It’s a very good game and I still like to play it every now and then.
Quarantine (2013) – I was keen to try this out because it seemed like an interesting game but in the end it just wasn’t that great. I think (like Boss Monster) it sort of tries to emulate tower defence but just fails at it.
Quarriors! (2011) – I excitedly got this game when I discovered it because it sounded really quite cool (dice deck building!). I liked it enough that I moved on to Dice Masters when it came out and sold this. Dice Masters ended up not being that great, and in retrospect, while Quarriors was quirky it wasn’t really that great either.
Raiders of the North Sea (2015) – Took me a while to play this but as soon as I did this year I saw why it’s a ‘must have’ game. A great gateway worker placement that can be upgraded with the below expansions into a deeper game.
Raiders of the North Sea: Fields of Fame (2018)
Raiders of the North Sea: Hall of Heroes (2018)
Red November (2008) – This is just a really great game, especially for a big group. The time system is very interesting and being a co-op everyone can get involved for the whole time. It’s really got that sinking submarine feeling with everything going wrong the whole game!
Reign Absolute (2017) – This is a prototype game I picked up at PAX this year. It’s very interesting, I’m keen to see its full release.
The Resistance (2009) – This was the game that got everything started for us in terms of party/social deduction games. While it is a great game I’m not sure it will get played much any more if at all, there are a few other games that improve upon the format in my opinion, the main one being Secret Hitler.
Rhino Hero (2011) – A quick and fun dexterity game. Nothing special though.
Rivals for Catan (2010) – Got this a long time ago. It was an interesting enough card game but just not that memorable.
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island (2012) – A fun and challenging co-op. I think I’ve only won this game 2 or so times out of at least 10 plays. It’s very punishing but really interesting and engaging.
Roll for the Galaxy (2014) – One of my favourite dice games. This one is interesting to me in that the gameplay is pretty simple but explaining how it works is really challenging.
Roll for the Galaxy: Ambition (2015) – Adds some good new mechanics to RFTG
Root (2018) – This game was a bit of a surprise. I really like it! Check out my review.
Root: The Riverfolk Expansion (2018) – The Riverfolk and Lizard Cult are very interesting factions. I think they bring a lot to the game. Plus, 6 players games are lots of fun!
Samurai (1998) – This is a really good area control game that is played using extremely simple mechanics. Good to play to wind down after something more intense.
Samurai Sword (2012) – Got this because it promised to be Bang! but without player elimination. While it is that, I realised that I just don’t really like Bang!.
Santorini (2016) – This is such a great ‘chess like’ 2 player game. I’ve also enjoyed it with three and four players too. I actually think it’s pretty fun without the god powers, but they do provide an interesting twist on things.
Scoville (2014) – I had this game on my wishlist for a really long time before I was finally able to get my hands on it. It’s certainly a favourite. The theming is great, the gameplay is interesting, and it is always a very different game.
Scoville: Labs (2016) – Despite having played Scoville many times I’m still yet to have broken out this expansion.
Scythe (2016) – Backed this in the original kickstarter and I quite like the game. Unfortunately it seems a bit hard to get to play it these days. Check out my review!
Scythe: Invaders from Afar (2016)
Scythe: The Rise of Fenris (2018)
Scythe: The Wind Gambit (2017)
Secret Hitler (2016) – I really, very much like this game. I think it fixes several of the issues The Resistance has, streamlines gameplay down to a party game level, and constructs hilarious situations through its mechanics. Good to see it’s finally widely available.
Secrets (2017) – Another good hidden role social deduction game. I think Secrets take on deduction is interesting (keeping secrets isn’t so much as important as revealing them) and the card play is also very fun and mechanically interesting. Amazing pieces too!
Seven7s (2015) – I backed this on Kickstarter because I liked the designer’s previous game but this one was kind of very average.
Sheriff of Nottingham (2014) – While a fun game, I didn’t really find it overwhelmingly great. I moved it on.
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective (2017) – Enjoyed this game and played through a few of the scenarios. It was good fun. Recently a few newer games have come out that do the same thing in a better way and I’m wondering if I should ‘upgrade’ rather than playing through the rest of the scenarios.
Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn (2017) – Having not played Civilisation on the PC but really liking the general idea of the games I picked this up and was really impressed. The gameplay is streamlined and simple but you really feel like you are building an empire and fighting to secure your borders. Looking forward to some expansion content for this in the future.
Skyward (2017) – Was introduced to this game by the designer at PAX and picked up a copy there. It’s my only signed game! Interesting mechanics and lovely artwork.
Small World (2009) – I actually bought this because it was a ‘famous’ game and I found it cheap second hand. Had a few fun games of it but it just wasn’t really my thing so I moved it on again.
Spot it! (2009) – This is such a great filler game. It’s basically snap but with a brain burning pattern matching element. I found the mathematics around how the cards are constructed is really interesting as well.
Spyrium (2013) – This was a mechanically interesting worker placement and engine building game but ultimately didn’t have anything special about it that made me want to keep it.
Stone Age (2008) – We played this game a lot when I got it 8 or so years ago, but eventually ‘outgrew’ it. I sold it because it was no longer getting played but I still have good memories of the game.
Suburbia (2012) – This game looked like it would be something I would love, and I wanted to, but it just didn’t give the right ‘Simcity‘ feel. Too much book-keeping, not enough city building.
Sushi Go! (2013) – Simply a classic. Drafting boiled down to its rawest form. A great introductory game.
T.I.M.E Stories (2015) – This is such a great storytelling game. Its ended up getting a lot of use as I’ve lent it out to several friends who have all played through the scenarios too.
Switching Gears (fan expansion for T.I.M.E Stories) (2016) – Despite the amateur photoshop this was actually one of the best scenarios I’ve played, including the official ones.
T.I.M.E Stories: Expedition – Endurance (2017) – Lovely art on this one but probably the weakest story and puzzle wise.
T.I.M.E Stories: The Marcy Case (2015) – A few interesting puzzles in this one. Felt distinctly different which was cool.
T.I.M.E Stories: Under the Mask (2016) – I think this was my favourite one. The world felt so rich and it had a few good puzzles and twists.
Tanto Cuore: Expanding the House (2010) – I got this because I heard it was basically Dominion but the victory cards didn’t clog up your deck. Mechanically nice but feels kinds of weird to play. Someone offered to buy this from me and I happily sold it.
Terra Mystica (2012) – This is one of my top favourite games. When I first got it was is a big step up in complexity for my game group but we figured it out and really got into it.
Terra Mystica: Fire & Ice (2014) – One of the most memorable gifts I’ve received. The gifter individually wrapped almost the entire contents of the game. It was pretty hilarious! Adds some cool (and hot) new races to the game.
Terror in Meeple City (2013) – This was a fun dexterity game, but ultimately didn’t get played anymore and was in a very large box. It was a reluctant sale.
Thurn and Taxis (2006) – A good game, I liked it but it wasn’t really something I wanted to play more of.
Ticket to Ride: Märklin (2006) – This is the version of Ticket to Ride that I have. I like it because it has full size train cards.
Tiny Epic Kingdoms (2014) – This is a good 4x game that fits in a little box and has a lot of stuff going on. I’m less of a fan of the later Tiny Epic games (too tiny) but I like this one.
Tobago (2009) – This was my first ‘modern’ game. I picked it up at a convention I’d gone along to with a friend because the box looked cool. I’ll still happily play it to this day, it’s a really unique and interesting treasure hunting game!
Tortuga 1667 (2017) – A great game where players are on teams trying to get the most treasure but you aren’t exactly sure who is on what team. I enjoy how this game regularly devolves into petty mutinies and everyone forgets about the treasure part.
Tuscany: Expand the World of Viticulture (2014) – An essential expansion! (not sure what this says about the original game though). The 4 season board is SO much better than the two season board. I’ve played this several times but still haven’t tried out all the modules.
Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar (2012) – This game is well known for it’s unique gear based worker placement system. I really like the planning and strategy the gear system involves. I think once I managed to time everything right so I picked up all my workers on the last turn.
Unlock! Escape Adventures (2017) – I liked this lot of escape room games. I think the EXIT games are probably an improvement though, as the app was a bit odd.
Vinhos Deluxe Edition (2016) – Picked this up after liking The Gallerist. It’s a much more straight forward game and I quite like it. It’s all about action optimisation. The art is fantastic.
Viticulture (2013) – Great worker placement game. The only thing I don’t like about the game is the ‘race’ style win condition.
Western Legends (2018) – Xia in the Wild West. I’m really impressed with this game, I think it really captures the right feel and there are so many things to go around doing. It’s pretty fun to suddenly decide to become an outlaw and rob the bank after just depositing your gold there.
Xia: Embers of a Forsaken Star (2017) – An important expansion for Xia. Embers fixes several issues and just makes for a generally more enjoyable experience when playing Xia.
Xia: Legends of a Drift System (2014) – This is one of my favourite games. I love how crazy it is and we really enjoy getting a bit into the roleplay of the game. The open sandbox world is well implemented and even though the luck factor is high, the game is just so enjoyable that it doesn’t matter.
Yamataï (2017) – This game looked great but didn’t really play that great for us. Turns took a really long time (I feel like having such a large decision space is poor design) and one of my friends who is colourblind really struggled to play it. I sold it after a couple of plays.
Zombie Dice (2010) – Never play this anymore. It’s small though, so not really an issue.
That’s it! I’m quite happy with my excessive amount of boardgames. I try to move games on when I feel I no longer want to play them but as time goes on I’m getting to have more games I want to keep. I’ll soon reach the point where I’ve run out of space and will only be able to get new games when I get rid of old ones. We’ll wee what happens then! Thanks for reading, be sure to subscribe!
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