Welcome back to the TableStop, here we are getting to this third stop in this trip through my favorite 100 games. This day we march on through #80 to #71.
#80
NEAR AND FAR - Of all the Red Raven games I've played this is certainly the pinnacle in story telling and combing that with a euro style game. Players are adventurers, building up their parties and going out on adventures in search of the Last Ruin. Had a wonderful time playing through this with my family and we still have other content to go back to check out, so much in this box. Plus they have just announced a sequel 'Now or Never' to look forward to.
#79
#78
THE ISLE OF CATS - We must save the cats, and only the cats! Lord Vesh is on his way to the island to destroy everything and they must be saved, players must compete to load up their boats with the many varieties of cats. To implement all your actions and even setup scoring, players will draft cards into hands each round and depending on how you play them you can collect cats, setup end game scoring or find the treasures hidden on the island. The central puzzle is placing the cats, which are all polyomino shapes, onto your boat in the most efficient way.
#77
TICKET TO RIDE - One of the first games I played when getting into the hobby, this game is still the backbone of many a game night and introduction to the hobby for many others for me. This entry encompasses all versions of the game, United Kingdom being my favorite expansion and Europe being my favorite base board. But as it is essentially the same game across all versions I am putting them all together.
#76
HANSA TEUTONICA - The cover and art for this game screams dry themeless euro, and I can not argue that point. But beyond that is a great puzzle of a game, as players are working to build up influences on trade routes across Germany. You have to upgrade your skills which in turn opens up your available worker pool. Love this game and picked up the big box recently which contains the expansion maps that tweak some rules.
#75
TRICKERION: LEGENDS OF ILLUSION - One of the heaviest games in my Top 100, this pure strategy game puts you in the role of turn of the century magician. You have to collect the resources and hiring assistants to help you set up your great illusions, then you have to find the time to perform them. What I have loved in my plays of this is the ability for me to set an end goal and work towards that, elevated by many chances for you to find satisfaction in setting up the correct illusions at the right time. This game is so well balanced and nuanced.
#74
ROLL PLAYER - In this game you are rolling up your character for a DnD campaign. By drafting dice you are building up their stats, your choices may be influenced by your role, backstory and traits that you have. They even created expansions that allow you to use these characters against enemies. Thunderworks have created their own universe of games and each one is brilliant.
#73
THE CLIMBERS - You can be forgiven for thinking this is a dexterity game, it isn't that. It is a free standing puzzle as the climbers fight to become the person on the highest spot on the wooden block tower. Each turn you can move up, move blocks or even use your special ladders to get to high points. Not only a great competitive puzzle, but it looks great as your tower builds ever taller.
#72
EUPHORIA: BUILDING A BETTER DYSTOPIA - This contains one of the best implementations of a theme to mechanics that I've ever seen in a game. Players have dice that represent their workers, the numbers rolled is how intelligent they are, the higher the roll the more likely they will rebel from you as they become aware of how you are using them against their will. Keep those workers dumb! The goal is essentially a race toward influence over the dystopian world of Euphoria, the first player to attain all their goals wins.
#71
DINOSAUR ISLAND - It's Jurassic Park in a box. Build up your ultimate dinosaur theme park and compete to get people to come view your exhibits, but be cautious to improve security or you may have dinos escaping and killing your visitors. Players will draft dice to collect the needed genes to develop new dinosaurs, then hire workers to improve your park and scientists to create the creatures in the labs. This is such a bold and colorful game, that while it doesn't take itself to seriously it still offers a great gaming challenge to all.
NEXT STOP: See you all on Saturday to take the next look at #70 through to #61..
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