The Tablestop 100 - #50-#41

Sorry for the delay of this, I will try to keep these updates more on time...

Today I break into my Top 50, these games keep getting better..

#50

SHADOW HUNTERS - A game night staple for many months, this hidden role game is unique in theme and execution. Players can be on one of three different teams - Hunters, Shadows and Neutrals, each character has a win condition. The Hunters will be fighting to destroy the Shadows and vice versa, while the Neutrals have very unique ways to win. One big problem, you don't know who anyone is, so you may be attacking a team mate or someone who wants to die. A great silly fun way to warm you up on a game night as you can have upto 8 players battling it our.

#49

TINY TOWNS - Players compete to build up their towns in the most efficient way to score bonuses from the variety of buildings available to them. This light weight game has an enjoyable puzzle to how you place the building resources to be able to complete a building in your town. Creating combos of scoring buildings is satisfying and the mechanics are easy enough to teach to the newest of players.

#48

CARTOGRAPHERS - Here is another game that gives you the feeling of being creative while working on a puzzle, this flip and write has you mapping out a new land. You get to create the landscape using the shared cards and each season ends with scoring for certain objectives that change each game. Even though using the same cards every turn players drawn maps will often end up looking very different as their world grows before them. Such a complete package of a game in surprisingly small box.

#47

ANACHRONY - This game is all about timey-wimey worker placement, players are factions competing over the limited resources the world has to offer, but you have the opportunity to get resources from the future, as long as you don't create a paradox by  not having them available as the game moves forward. This heavy euro features great strategic planning from round to round as you make sure you have enough to survive while your faction grows.

#46

LEGENDARY ENCOUNTERS: ALIEN - The first in the Encounters series of Legendary games, this is by far my favorite. Through the deckbuilding and the way the incoming threats move through the facility toward you it really does amazingly well in capturing the essence of the movies. Each card scan and flip has you on the edge of your seat as you work your way through the Alien series of movies. There is even an option to have one of the players working against the rest of the team as a corporate puppet for Weyland Yutani. 

#45

LORDS OF XIDIT - A great darkness has fallen over the land and mythical beasts are rising up to destroy the villages. Players are competing to be the greatest hero of Xidit by roaming the lands, recruiting villagers and defeating the creatures. All this is achieved through programming your actions each round, which can often lead to situations where you don't get what you want as other players are a step ahead of you. I really enjoy the clever end scoring goals which force you to balance your choices as you play, this game makes sure you have to be aware of what your opponents are up to each turn. It can be very interactive and satisfying.

#44

ROLL FOR THE GALAXY - The eternal choice between Race and Roll. For me I have to give it to the tactile nature of Roll. I love rolling the dice and planning out how to use them, hoping that the other players trigger the actions I need. It is great at giving you that clever feeling when all your plans fall into place each round, as you build up your space empire.

#43

THE LOST RUINS OF ARNAK - I haven't gotten to play many releases from 2020, but I did pick this one up and my few plays have hit that right spot for me. The combination of worker placement and deck building flows together smoothly, the feeling of exploration as you add in more locations on the map and then figuring how to move up the discovery track can leave you with great satisfaction. I especially love how the card market is handled as the game progresses, emphasizing the discovery of powerful lost treasures.

#42

THE VOYAGES OF MARCO POLO - I remember this as one of my earlier experiences in heavier styled euros with complex mechanics, well I thought so at the time. The dice placement around the board is great, as you try to make the most out of your rolls each round. Your explorers head out to the east along the varied amount of roads, each with their own goals of places to visit, turning in trading contracts along the way to help. Then the unique player powers that all seem broken, but all work fine when pitted against one another, speaks to the balance of this game.

#41

HASPELKNECHT - Hardly the most exciting theme of coal mining in Germany, but this game really surprised me and every play has left me wanting to play again. What sets it apart is the action selection method as players have to choose from colored disks to trigger certain actions. The ultimate goals having you mining out coal with the help of technologies that you can build up during the game from a board that can vary from game to game. I recommend checking this one out.

NEXT STOP: See you next time as we move onto the next ten games..