2013 Top 42 Part 2 (35-29)

Welcome back to my Top 42 list. For part one, click here

#35 Kingsburg  Down 8
Kingsburg is another victim of lack of plays, but I also think the game is starting to show it's age.  I still like rolling dice and deciding what to do with them, but it seems like most people play the same strategies every time, even with the expansion.  I think I'd like to play it more with less than 5 people, as I think that would free up the board a bit and give people more variety in the ways they can play.  It is still a fun game for people who like dice as well as some strategy.  I'm still up to play Kingsburg just about any time, since it is



#34 Black Friday New

The first, and only, of the games introduced to me from the weekly gamenight.  That's not to say that other games have been bad, but Black Friday stands above a lot of them.  Black Friday is a stock market game, with a fair bit of math, but not so much that it makes your head hurt.  The game is really about knowing when to buy stock, and when to sell.  It's about managing your money to be able to buy silver(the victory condition) at the right time for the right price. Players have to work together to drive up/down the price of stocks, but there's always the luck of the draw when it comes to market adjustments.


#33 Space Hulk: Death Angel The Card Game Down 16
This is the biggest drop that managed to stay on the list.  It's been hurt by some better co-ops coming into play, but more on those later.  It's also not a theme that everyone enjoys, so it's hard to pull out frequently.  I still enjoy the challenge that Space Hulk presents, but it's a game that I have to be in the right mood to play, and that mood doesn't strike often with the right group.




#32 Lost Cities  New
This is the first of the two player exclusive games on the list.  It's also a classic card game that's been around since 1999, but I didn't get a chance to play it until this past summer.  I've only played a handful of times, but there are a lot of interesting choices to make for a little card game.  There are risk-reward elements to the game, as well as a good deal of interaction with your opponent.  Well, interaction might be a bit strong, but you do have to evaluate what your opponent is doing, and plan your card discards accordingly.  All in all, a quick two player game that is easy to get into, and fun to play.



#31 Ultimate Werewolf  Down 10

As I was looking at the movement from last year to this, Ultimate Werewolf was the big shock.  I don't like this game any less than I did last year, yet it dropped down 10 spots.  I think I had it a bit overrated last year, and some more time to think it over is brought it to a more stable spot.  It's a really fun group game, but I struggle to have the right group for the game.  Still, with the right group, this game is a blast, and a unique social psychology experiment.  Perhaps I'm hurt by often wearing a red shirt, and the Star Trek notion does the rest of the work.

#30 Scary Tales  New
For what is essentially a dice game, Scary Tales is a good deal of fun.  It isn't very strategic, instead it falls into the tactics genre.  It's not a very good game with two, but with 3-5 people it's a neat game to spend about 30 minutes playing.  I really like it at the end of a game night to finish things off, and have some fun rolling dice.  The theme is easy to get into, even if it's not immersive.  It's probably not going to be anyone's favorite game, but I have a lot of fun playing it.





#29 Risk Legacy  Down 6
Yes, this is still Risk, and yes, it is still not Risk.  Legacy still offers a lot of variety to normal Risk.  The packets change the game in really interesting ways that make all players adapt.  The reason it's dropped is because we haven't been able to play it as much as I would like, which leads to about 15 minutes of rules refreshing.  Also, it seems like people are settling into their comfort areas after 5 plays, but I have high hopes that a packet or tray will change that up.  This is still the best way to play Risk, but it is still Risk.  The dice determine a lot, but solid tactical play is rewarded as well.