My Top 50 Board Games – Part 1: #50-#41

Introduction to the list

These are my favourite 50 board games at the present moment.  However, I will readily admit that some games here are fairly new (especially in the 40s and 30s) and may lose polish over time, or rise up to be higher up over time.  There are also many more games I have not had the opportunity to play which could gain spots in the list in the future.  But at this point, these are the 50 I have come up with.

Please comment below on any of the games in this list if you have played them as well.

Note:  Some of these are card games.  As long as they are widely accepted as being within the board game milieu, they count for this list.  However, games with a standard 52  card deck were not considered.

50. Lost Cities

A great, easy game for two players. I do wish the theme came through more, but the dynamics of the card playing is fun.

 

49. Kingdom Builder

I haven’t played a whole lot of this, but I really like the mechanics behind it of how to grow your kingdom and the restrictions you have to do so. I also like how you have to accomplish various goals.

48. Blokus

This is a great abstract which has a lot of strategic depth to it. Knowing which pieces to play when, which area to spread out to, which areas to close off. Easy to teach, fun to play.

 

47. Terra Mystica

I am not so well acquainted with this one, but its future prospects are why its on the list. I can see this being a favourite after a few more plays. Its got some really neat interlocking mechanics and different ways to do things. It just seems to work so well together.

 

46. Eclipse

Like Terra Mystica this is a game I have only played briefly, but in which I see a lot of potential. The cube-based economic system is really neat, and the ship building provides a lot of flare. Add this to the exploration aspect (which is always something I love in games) and this is a pretty awesome space game.

 

45. Dixit

Dixit is a fun little party game which works for most people. Some may be turned off by the “create a story” aspect, even if its only a phrase or word you need to come up with. I will usually prefer other party games, but this one is pretty good, and the artwork is neat.

 

44. Scrabble

I don’t forget the classics. Scrabble is awesome, I don’t care what any “cultists of the new” say. Theres just something about sitting down to a comfortable game of scrabble, testing your own personal vocabulary, and trying to grab those triple words scores.

 

43. Confusion

A really cool idea where its a chess-like game, but only your opponent can see how your pieces move. You must try to deduce your piece’s movements in order to figure out what then can do. Nifty.

42. Risk Legacy

I love Risk, and have since I was a teenager. But I will admit that these last few years becoming more acquainted with designer games has led me to face the fact that Risk, while still great,m has problems. As such, it has just barely missed the cut for this list.

Risk Legacy however, this is one I can gladly throw on the list and make myself feel good that Risk was included in some way, shape and form. I wasn’t sure what I would think of Legacy when I was first invited to play, but I fell in love with it. The idea is so cool; the map changes from game to game, accomplishing goals allows you to open new packages and new rules. Such a great concept which led so some outstanding gaming experiences. One in particular was when the last large package was opened…. but I wont spoil what was in it.

41. Pit

It may be over 100 years old, but its still a blast. And if you play without the bell, you’re doing it wrong. This is probably the loudest game in my collection, with people screaming numbers all over the place, frantically trading cards and pulling their hair out when they dont get what they want. This is what a good time party gaming looks like.