Board Game Shelf

Tabletop bangers

Five-star legends only here.

Memoir ’44

I have spent hundreds of hours recreating battles from World War II on the tabletop in this game. Modular, easy to learn and so much content (including the expansions and fan-made scenarios) that most casual players will unlikely need to do the same scenario twice.

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Star Wars: Rebellion

A more recent discovery that had me hooked from the first go. Easily the best game available in the Star Wars universe. The way the turn system combines with the limited roster of characters from the pool game time adds tons of replay-ability. The asymmetry of players’ starting strength and objectives means nobody feels like they’re winning until they’ve won.

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War of the Ring: Second Edition

Combining my favourite book, favourite films and favourite board game genre into one comes with very high expectations. War of the Ring did not disappoint. It’s everything I wanted it to be and more. What seem like small decisions early on can snowball into very different long-term strategies which makes each time I play it feel unique.

The learning curve for new players is steep and the game could be just as fun with some mechanics simplified or even wholly removed but, win or lose, I’ve never not had fun.

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Terrific

Guaranteed to have fun with any of these.

Twilight Struggle

I simultaneously love and despise this game – it’s the Thai massage of board gaming. A rewarding experience in the long term if you can endure the immediate pain.

An excellent game deserving of its place in the BGG hall of fame. The steep learning curve and low accessibility keeps this from 5-stars, but I’ve had many hours of fun simulating alternative Cold War history here.

Recommend learning with somebody familiar with the game to get over the learning curve – but prepare to lose a lot. Lack of card memory and poor openings can be brutally punishing.

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Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation

So, so good! A relatively new discovery for me, despite being more than 20 years old. This will be on the bangers list if it remains as much fun after a few more playthroughs. Balanced, dramatic and – judging by the custom setup rules – very replayable.

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Solid

Would play again. Not the stuff of legend, though.

Pandemic

Very accessible. Tons of replay value. Always have fun. Easily the best co-op game I’ve played and the superbly balanced system keeps you gripped until the last turn.

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