You know, a lot of people are constantly asking me what my favorite board games are. “Rico,” they say, “you’ve opened our eyes to some of the best board games on the planet, are there any other undiscovered gems we should be playing?” I’m inundated with constant badgering like this, so I’ve decided to compile the ultimate top ten list of all time – my favorite board games – right here on Inkwaste for your reading enjoyment.
#10. Monopoly
One of my favorite games from my childhood, I still contend that I’ve never lost a game to anyone.
#9. Scrabble
A great game, I’ve been playing an online version lately called Scrabulous. If you have facebook, you can play Scrabulous against me…but you better not cheat (looking at you, Gumdrops)! There is a variation of this that I also like to play which uses only the letter tiles. It’s called “Speed Scrabble” – do a google search to get the rules.
#8. Chess
Another game I’ve been playing since I was a kid, and just started getting back into after managing to get myself on the board of directors of a non-profit organization that teaches chess to underprivileged kids.
#7. Caylus: Magna Carta
This is a fun game, though I’ve only played it a few times. It’s a card game based on the board game Caylus, and plays very much the same with a few exceptions to speed it up. Lots of fun.
#6. Ticket to Ride
I call it “The Train Game”, and this one is a blast – especially for families. My parents picked it up right away and we’ve played it many times during family gatherings.
#5. Carcassonne
A tile-laying game that’s as fun as it is intense. Combine the base game with it’s many, many expansions and you have a long night ahead of you jumping for joy with every completed city, road and “CLOISTER!”
#4. Arkham Horror
This one pits its players against the board game itself – i.e. everyone is on the same team. If you like games about monsters and dimensional gateways in a neat ‘noir’ style, than this is the game for you.
#3. Duel of Ages
What can I say about Duel of Ages? What other board game could you find Beowulf fighting against the Martians fighting against a gang of drunken Mexicans? This game takes almost as long to set up as it does to play, and it supports any number of players on each of the two teams.
#2. The Settlers of Catan
Regarded as one of the greatest board games ever made, Catan has grown to include two expansions, a card game, a dice game and a few online and XBLA versions. Pick this one up and begin your lifelong love affair with great games (and settling an island full of wheat, wool, brick, lumber and ore).
#1. Puerto Rico
My all time, number one favorite game of all time. So many options, so many things to consider as you pick from up to 7 roles to play on your turn each round. Build up your city and production fields to create a powerful island of Puerto Rico, shipping or selling your corn, indigo, sugar, tobacco and coffee for profit and prestige.
There you have it, the ultimate top ten list of my favorite board games. If you don’t feel like going out and buying them, just give me a call. I’m only a car ride/flight away.
