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My Board/CCG Game Listing

I really got into gaming the spring of 2004 when I picked up Settlers after hearing about it and playing it with gnocatan.sourceforge.net. So for all you developers out there, a free version of your game online can lead to a purchase. Anyways, when I moved to denver in fall of 04, I started playing every Tuesday night with DenverGames.com, and I haven't looked back. Below is my listing, containing almost every game I've played, and my thoughts. Some may be a bit preliminary, but that's how they stand as of right now. I try to link up to boardgamegeek.com so you can get some more info incase you're unfamiliar with any of the games listed. Also, feel free to e-mail me if you have comments on my ideas about a game.

Last Update: 01-26-2005

Hold 'Em Poker Own	I think this is my favaorite by far. I read up on it allot, I mostly play online right now, but hands down the mind games here are the best. Some days the cards screw you, and that has to be my biggest complaint. Not catching a hand at all for 2 hours can make a sitting crap, but with no-limit catching that hand and milking it is great. There are no gimmies even with pocket aces, so it's a balance between milking someone and taking the hand before or after the flop. I haven't caught low-limit, but any real poker game (Omaha, etc. ) is worth playing.
Go Own	It's official, I'm obssessed. I'd still play poker if I had one game for the rest of my life, but if I had two, it'd be these two. There's a reason why some of the older games are classic. This game is great. A good mix of long term strategy, plotting out the board, and tactics to keep it is needed to be good. I think some people think a bunch of white and black stones and a board is too bland, but this game is great.
Shadowfist Own	I enjoy this CCG allot and am very happy to have my wife getting into it. The game really starts with deck construction, your plan and strategy for a game. Next, it moves into actually executing the plan, and then learning and tweaking your decks. Rinse and Repeat. Good mechanics and multiplay make this a gave.
Puerto Rico Own	This game may move down a bit, but it's definately a winner. Very little luck in the game at all, and it only affects what crops you can grow, this game all about using what you're opponents will do and doing things that hurt their plans. I think my biggest complaint is that the strategies seem to bit bland, some buildings like wharf are unbalanced, but it's a great game none the less. It will probably stay in my top 10 certainly.
Chess Own	This game was dethroned by Go, but the debate isn't over in my head. I don't play enough of this anymore, but it's great for the some of the reasons Go is. I love how you can get all these different games when it's all based on player choices.
A Game of Thrones	This war game beats Risk hands down. Not much fun 1 on 1, and weak on come back ability (a strong suit of Shadowfist), but a solid game if all players know what they are doing. Very little luck here, mostly just when large events you know are coming occur. Do you see a pattern.
Santiago	Another game I just played last night. Some luck but I don't think it every breaks you and give it to someone else. This game relys allot on working with others but against them at the same time, kind of simmilar to Acquire but more with others.
Giganten	This was another great surprise. I never really know what to think of a game until I play it. Hehe. Anyways, I did horribly, but I think I would enjoy another 20 of this game easily. I'm not sure how I feel about the wild cat oil wells, but you can probably win a game wihtout them. Great fun.
Acquire	This game was a bit overrated on hype. I played it again and thought about it. I think a larger selection of tiles might be the only thing to help it. I don't know how that affects long term effects of the game, but buying stocks and watching what others do is key. I definitely think a little luck can ruin it. I hear it's best at 3-4 peeps, which may be. I'll rerate it after a few 3p games.
Keythedral	I only played this game once but building and beating opponents to building makes it a good one. My biggest complaint is that the top two rows are the luck of the draw and you probably have to guess and hope you're right early on. I still think it's good though, and it has some very interesting mechanics. Maybe this one belongs under Settlers, but we'll see.
Settlers of Catan Own	This game is slowly sliding but it certainly won't fall off my great games to play list. I rank the Cities & Knights and Seafearers expansions the same as this. It's a good game, but it's got it's limitations. The dice can screw the best plan, but if you play the high probabilities and a variety of numbers you'll be good. Like hitting an 8 and a 6 if it works out versus two 8s. I can almost always go for a game.
Edel, Stein & Reich	These type of games where you figure out what everyone one will do with little apparent clue are some at which my wife seriously excels. It's a good game, maybe worse than Settlers, but good strategy and trading/bluffing. I'd play it again.
I'm tempted to break this into a lighter game top-10 as these are really good games when you want something good but fun, or two play with kids who might not be able to play games requiring more thinking and strategy.
Trans-America Own	This has to be my favorite light game. Good cards help, but you can win with the four corners. The key is letting the other players work for you and working only for yourself. You have to watch what others are doing, but this one is allot of fun.
Colorette	This game has grown on me. Good strategy, another one where luck will almost never screw you in a 4 player game. A good one to play when you want something light.
Fearsome Floors	This game was allot of fun. The only complaint I really have is that it does have a bit of a king maker effect with how the last few people kind of decide where the monster goes. Actually, I don't know how much I'd replay this game, but it is fun once in awhile.
Guess Who	This is a solid game even if a bit simple. I think this could easily be one of the first games any kids play. We just got it for my two brother in-laws (6 & 4) but it's still fun to play as adults. I think it boils down to a luck guess or an efficient binary search, but it's a fun game, and you out guessed me, not out drew or rolled me here.
Clue	This game isn't really all that light, lighter than the ones above, but it is fun and strategy plays enough of a part for me to like it.
Hoity Toity	Another guess what everyone is doing game and my wife kicks it's butt. I don't know why I don't like it more, strategy seems to make or break it, I just suck at these types of games. Still, I'd rather play edel, Stein, Reich for the type, there's just something about the mechanics. But maybe I'll change my mind later.
Now we have my playable but not great games. I will play all of these, but would much rather avoid them and play one of the games above. Owning them is not a priority, although I do have some.
Risk	The classic war game, this one is a perfect example of the type of luck I don't like. I've heard reducing the strength of the cards makes a long term siege better, but bad dice will just screw you, especially early on. With a better battle system, this game would probably jump up quite a bit. But I'd rather have a good game of thrones instead. That's a thought, maybe I'll have to work on the strategy.
Hearts Own	I played this card game allot for awhile. It's pretty fun, and I think spades, Youker(Is that right?) and some others would fall in here. Not something I'd want to play all the time, but good to mix it up.
Speed Own	This is a fun game, all though it's all about quickness and not strategy. I think a real game is about strategy, but it's fun. Nertz would go here, but I think it's a bit more interesting when laying down cards rather than higher and lower.
Richochet	Another enjoyable game. I'm not good at it at all, but it's a fun quickie. A different type of thinking too.
Category 5 Own	I got this game thinking it was better and because it was a good deal. It's fun, well themed, and some okay strategy. But it's allot of luck based on the cards you are dealt. A point was made last night that over the course of a game it should balance, and maybe, but the verdicts still out. As of this moment I'd rather play Colorette.
Liars Dice	This was pretty good for a dice game. I don't like one rule of the game, but it does have some interesting mechanics and a bit too much luck. I'd really rather play Poker than this.
Okay, now we have just plain bad and ugly games. In my opinion you can just roll dice here.
Monopoly	This has to be one of the most popular games where the luck of the dice will make or break you. Against a good player, no amount of trading or building strategy can save you from hitting someone 3 times, and having them miss three times. Why play? Let's just let the computer play and tell us who one, blahh.
War	Okay, maybe it can get worse. War in it's essence, as a game just stinks. Maybe playing with my daughter when she's 3 will be okay. Especially slap-jack where you slap the pile at times. But it's all in the shuffle, ugh, not a game, at best a teaching tool.