State of the Collection Part 7

Today we look at the last shelf in my collection.  It's kinda a catch all shelf with a lot of card games, some prototype supplies, and some extra expansion boxes.

Ratings are out of 6.

NP - Not played
1 - Ready to trade/sell

2 - Considering trading/selling, willing to give another chance

3 - Might trade/sell, not my favorite, but has a time and place to play. Perhaps is around more for others than myself.

4 - I like the game but there's something that stops me from liking it more.  Maybe I don't get to play it often enough, maybe there's a minor irritation with some rules or the way something works.  

5 - I enjoy the game. It works well in most situations. I would be hard pressed to let it go, but it could happen in the distant future.

6 - Love the game, keeping it, never letting it go.

• Crappy Birthday - NP
• Ouits - NP
• Pirateer - NP
• Risk 2210 - NP
• Scrabble Slam - NP
• Settlers of Canaan - NP
• Slamwhich - NP
• Squarrels -  NP

• Clue Express - 2.  I didn't dislike the game, but nothing made me have to play it again.  

• Munchkin - 2.  I just did a review of Munchkin, so my expanded thoughts are there.  The short of things is that Munchkin needs changes for me to enjoy it.  Most of the time, I'd rather play just about anything else, or at least try to introduce a new game to people who like Munchkin.

• Sorry Express - 2.  Very luck dependent game with no real opportunity to strategize.  

• Yahtzee Hands Down - 2.  I don't remember much about this game other than it being very dependent on the cards that you draw.  I recall it being a lot like Yahtzee with cards instead of dice.  It's just not interesting enough for me to want to play.

• Catan Dice - 3.  This game does a great job of capturing the feel of Catan and transporting it to dice.  Trading doesn't exist, but that keeps the game moving.  There are opportunities to use certain abilities, and knowing when to use them is a key aspect to the game.  It's not an amazing game, but it does scratch that Catan itch for me.

• Give Me the Brain - 3.  This is a very luck driven card game, but it has just enough strategy to keep me interested.  Sure, you can go the entire game without getting the brain, which makes it essentially impossible to win, but most of the time you're in with a chance.  

• Martian Dice - 3.  This is another push your luck dice game.  There aren't tons of choices, but there are enough that the game stays interesting.  I like this better than Zombie Dice because there is a cap to how many points you can score in one turn.  The game leads to a lot of laughter, groans, and general silliness.  

• Monopoly Deal - 3.  I don't love the game, but it is a decent card game.  It has a lot of take that moments, but not too many that you hate the other players.  The game will also eventually end, which is an improvement over standard Monopoly.

• Monopoly Express - 3. Speaking of Monopoly variants, here's the dice version.  I actually like this as a push your luck dice game.  It's not amazing, but I actually enjoy playing this game.

• Fjords - 4.  This is a 2 player tile laying and area control game.  It has many layers of strategy which I appreciate.  I bought the game for my mother, and she's yet to lose which is a good thing in my book.  It's been awhile since I've played, but it's a game where I enjoy the challenge.

• Ultimate Werewolf - 4.  This is the best large group social game that I know of.  The only downfall to the game is that I rarely get to play it.  True, that's not the game's fault, but since it doesn't really shine until you have 8 or more players, it's hard to play often.  Still, with the right group, there is no other game that I'd rather play.

• Dominion (w/ all expansions) - 5.  I really enjoy playing Dominion.  I think the game is well designed, and it has tons of variety.  The game is an excellent blend of skill and luck.  Sure, it's a pain to store and transport, but I like the game, and will play it whenever I can.

And we're done!
For now....

I'm going to do my best to not buy anything for the rest of the year.  I know I'll be buying X-Wing Wave 3 minis when they come out, and I might buy Forbidden Dessert, and of course Cosmic Storm, but I'd like to save up for Secret Santa and actually have a wishlist for that.