The Tablestop 100 - #40-#31

Good day to all you! There may be a little delay on these last couple as I'm working on something special and different for The Tablestop 20.

Today we run on upto #31, let's get dug in..

#40

ON MARS - So this isn't my favorite Lacerda. Yet. Also, it isn't my favorite game about terraforming on Mars. Yet. But it certainly has the potential to move up the list once I can get it to the table some more. As with most of Vital's designs it is very complex and has great depth of strategy that encourages working on many different aspects. Really looking forward to getting this beast back on the table.

#39

SHERLOCK HOLMES CONSULTING DETECTIVE - Through clever story telling and use of deduction this game, at times, can really emulate the feel of being the greatest detective. You read through newspaper articles, read between the lines while questioning suspects and often makes those big leaps of logic that you often read of Sherlock doing to solve the crime. When the cases are cohesive this is a marvelous game that causes discussion, arguments and rabid note taking. Wonderful!

#38

THE MANHATTAN PROJECT - This worker placement is a literal arms race of game. Seriously, the game ends when one player has made big enough bombs and won the cold war. The main action mechanic of placing or picking up workers I have always loved, there is a great decision space in the timing of picking up your workers and fully refreshing that workforce, especially when time is of the essence. 

#37

LE HAVRE - I feel I have lost interest in alot of Uwe Rosenberg games, perhaps I need to get to player them more, but through all that it this one that stands out to me to have the best of all his designs. A single worker placement decision each turn and which port you are going to take goods from is all you have to do. But it is how you combo off those things, building buildings or ships, upgrading or sell resources and as always making enough food to feed your people at the end of a round.

#36

ARGENT: THE CONSORTIUM - Dumbledore is dead, and now you need a new headmaster! Hold on a second that's not right, but it could be. This game has players taking on the roles of teachers in a wizarding school, working on getting the votes for the mostly hidden Consortium to make them the head master. As with many Level 99 games, there is an abundance of variety in this game. Player powers can vary, the worker powers can change, the layout school can change dramatically from game to game. Such a great production and balance of variety.

#35

WINGSPAN - Props goes to first time designer Elizabeth Hargrave for this one, and a stellar production from Stonemaier Games. This engine builder themed around bringing birds into your aviary brings join to new gamers and has enough depth to keep the more strategic minded involved, plus thanks to the awesome artwork it is wonderful to look at. This is definitely a game that should be in everyone's collection.

#34

LA GRANJA - Blending influences from Stefan Feld, this great euro has great elements melded into one. Multi-use cards, that can be production for goods, or workers, or carts of items to ship off to market. Players will compete to get the best choices of dice during a round of drafting, then battle for the best market stalls to sell goods to earn them points. I do love it when I am rewarded with points for doing little things and this game succeeds in that.

#33

ROCOCO - What a wonderfully different theme, area control though dress making, as players will be competing to make the biggest splash in several different ballrooms before the end of night fireworks on the roof. A gorgeous reprint from Eagle Gryphon has really heightened an already stellar experience. There is a deck building mechanic to build up a hand of action cards to help you achieve the dress making success that you crave, which as always is satisfying. 

#32

SPACE BASE - Who doesn't love a good dice game??! Taking a resource gaining mechanic from the similar Machi Koro but upping the stakes by having players gain bonuses off other player's rolls. Expand you reach across the stars, upgrade your ships and create colonies as you race to the gaming ending goal. Much like Manhattan Project this is another game that uses a game end trigger I enjoy, a goal score giving the game that race feeling as you build up your space empire.

#31

TRAGEDY LOOPER - A complex one vs all game of cat and mouse deduction. One players is the Mastermind attempting to control the events to create a Tragedy. Their opponents are the Loopers, time traveling heroes trying to fix what is going wrong, think Quantum Leap without Ziggy and also you get to do it over and over. With the information players gain each loop they try to decipher the cause of the events from a possible list of scenarios and characters. It is worth putting in the time to learn this, as long as you have a good Mastermind to make the experience more enjoyable. A totally unique game.

NEXT STOP: Heading into the last third...