TableStop's Top 100 Games - #100-#91

Seems like the past year came and went, I did not get into the mode of posting more often or sparking joy, 2020 needs to be the year forgotten and lost. 2021 needs to be year we return to normal, or close to and get back in that groove.

I want to start the year, although belated, with my Top 100 games of all time, of course with usual caveats - I have not played everything and there is so much I would love to play, that could be a whole other Top 100. I know I have said in the past it is hard to equate placings for games I love, other than perhaps the top few games, but I found myself with a little extra time and pubmeeple's game ranker was close at hand. So as of the end of January 2021 what follows is my favorite hundred games, so let's begin...

#100

LORDS OF WATERDEEP - This was my very first encounter with worker placement and one of the few games that got me into the hobby. This is still a fantastic entry level game, with simple rules. You are competing Lords in the DnD universe trying to gather up party members to complete quests, the rounds go quickly and it has two great expansions that add a little more depth to the simpler gameplay. This will always be a goto game to teach new people in the hobby and those transferring over from RPGs.

#99

THE QUEST FOR EL DORADO - From prolific game designer Reiner Knizia comes this great race game. Players are explorers headed into the deepest darkest jungles in the search for the legendary city of El Dorado, using card play and deck building you must be the first to reach the gates. Yet another game to teach newer gamers, easy and smooth gameplay.

#98

TRAMWAYS - Blending into his own world of Small City, Alban Viard feeds on his experience of creating expansion maps for Age of Steam and gives it his own full blown take on pick up and deliver. In this your actions are chosen from a hand of cards that you draft each round, but the stand out for this game for me is the unique turn order bidding that can control your destiny in this. 

#97

BLUE LAGOON - A brilliantly colorful abstract game as players compete to claim items across the islands on the maps. It is easy to teach and has great depth with the clever use of the two main game phases, Exploration and Expansion. Where you place your villages during the opening phases can affect how well you can compete in the second half of the game. With many ways to score and quick turns this is a gem of a game.

#96

TAKENOKO - You see there is this panda and he loves to eat bamboo, much to the annoyance of the Emperor's head gardener who is just trying to grow the bamboo in the correct patterns to impress his boss. With gorgeous components you really feel like you are growing out a bamboo garden and each player is working on set collection goals to win the game. Simple and smooth, with a cute theme.

#95

SAGRADA - Following in a theme of games that just look beautiful on the table comes this dice drafter that has you trying to complete the best stained glass window. Placing dice based on color & value you try to score points based on open goals on the table. Easy to teach and another great introduction to modern gaming.

#94

AZUL - I keep doing this, great components lead the way but it's the simple to teach gameplay that will get people around the table for this one. On player's turns they draft tiles to place onto playmat so that you can decorate the palace, bit don't get too many tiles or they may break costing you precious points.

#93

THE GRIZZLED - The first co-op game on my list, Grizzled is themed around the harrowing horror of being in the trenches during World War One. Fighting against seemingly impossible odds, players have to work together with limited communication to successfully complete missions. 

#92

DECEPTION: MURDER IN HONG KONG - This social deduction game is one of the best out there, players take on hidden roles as detectives investigating a murder although one of them is the murderer trying to escape being caught. Each round there is a Forensic Scientist who must give limited information clues to the rest of the players at the table to help them figure out the truth. This plays quickly and often ends in great discussion as players try to work out who among them is to blame.

#91

FIRST CLASS - Taking a little influence from his earlier game Russian Railroads, Helmut Ohley has designed a great card drafting game that allows players many options on scoring the points needed to win. Further depth to the game is added by having several decks of cards from which you choose two each game to blend together to help create the card pool. A great overlooked game.

Join me in a couple of days for #90-#81...