Saturday, April 8, 2017

Obligatory End of 2016 Post Part IV: Top Interests of 2016: Top 10 List (Games 6-10)

Alright, now we move on to my top 10 game interests from 2016 that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to play.  These are all games that I’d love to check out at some point and many of them may end up on my shelf at some point.  Before I continue with the post feel free to check out the links below to catch up on parts 1-3 of my “End of 2016” posts.  The first is my play statistics from 2016, the second is my “Late-ies” Awards for 2016, and the third is my honorable mentions of 2016 games that I have yet to play.




Alright, now that everyone is back, let’s move on to the main event!  These are games 6-10 of my top 10 game interests from 2016.  My next post will be the top 5 games that I’m interested in but until them, enjoy the bottom 5…which all look great!



Star Wars: Destiny is a dice-rolling, two-player, battle card and dice game that takes place in the Star Wars universe.  This game is designed by Corey Konieczka and Lucas Litzsinger and is published by Fantasy Flight Games.  The game uses hand management, dice rolling, and variable player powers as its primary mechanisms in the 2-player battle card and dice game.


This is a collectible card/dice game where each player will build their deck of cards and take the dice that go with them.  They are given a certain amount of points which they will use to “buy” the cards with which they’ll build their deck.  The players are given different colors which are equal to force users, military, and rogue agents.  Each player will then battle with their dice to defeat the other’s characters.  This game has been a huge hit for Fantasy Flight Games and they have apparently done the license proud.  I am quite excited to try this game out and think it looks like a really fun head-to-head battle game.



Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails is a train game where you are trying to make the most efficient routes and score the most points throughout the play.  The game is designed by Alan R. Moon and is published by Days of wonder.  This game uses set collection, route building, and card drafting as its primary mechanisms in this reimagining of the classic original, Ticket to Ride.


In this game the players have to draw cards which they will in turn play in order to lay down train routes and score points.  They want to complete their ticket cards which gives them specific routes and points that they can score is they are able to finish the card.  This game adds in boats and harbors to the mix.  I’ve heard that the game is a little more luck driven than the original Ticket to Ride but we don’t really care.  In the last year it has become one of our most played games and we’d love to get this version at some point and I figure it is just a matter of time till we do.



Islebound is a pick-up-and-deliver, nautical themed game in the world of Arzium where you are building up your harbor and sailing the oceans.  This game is designed by the triple-threat, Ryan Laukat and is published by his company, Red Raven Games.  This game uses pick-up-and-deliver, area control, tableau building, and exploration as its primary game mechanisms and does it all in a beautiful world.


This game finds players exploring the oceans in their ship along with a small (at least to start) crew who will help them along the way.  Throughout the game you will be able to gain more crewmembers, build up your harbor, use the power of sea serpents, trade at will, and conquer and raid towns.  When you conquer towns you get their action for free while the other players would have to pay you to complete the same action.  The game allows you to either go the way of the trader/merchant or the way of the conqueror/pirate.  I really like Ryan Laukat’s games and honestly don’t think this will be any different.  I am looking forward to trying out this beautifully crafted game.



The Colonists is a Euro-style game where you are building up your colony and gaining points in the process.  The game is designed by Tim Puls and published by Lookout Games and Mayfair Games.  This game uses worker placement, variable power, tile placement, hand management and card drafting as its primary mechanisms as you are attempting to create the best colony.


This game finds each player taking on the role of the mayor of their particular colony as they are developing it into a bustling town.  The main goal for the mayor is to have full employment in his little colony thus making it more efficient as he moves around the board to create new jobs, educate people, and build homes in order to raise the population of the town.  This is primarily done with worker placement and action selection.  This is truly an epic game as it can last over four hours if you’re playing with four people!  It is separated into four different eras which can take up to an hour to play and get longer as the game goes on.  I really want to try this game out and love that it attempts a save mechanism so you don’t have to play an entire four hour plus game in one sitting.



First Class: All Aboard the Orient Express is a card-drafting game where the players are creating trains and rails with their cards.  This game is designed by Helmut Ohley (designer of Russian Railroads) and published by Z-Man Games and Hans im Glück.  This game uses card drafting, route building and set collection as its primary game mechanisms as you building your trains and train network.


This game has each player taking on a vague role as a train company (I think?) and building up your network of rails and trains.  The goal is for the players to get the most points while thdcey are building up their personal tableau.  I’ve heard that this is basically the card version of his previous game, Russian Railroads.  The biggest difference between the two games would have to be that First Class really uses card drafting to pick cards and build your tableau.  Considering the fact that card drafting and tableau building are two of my favorite mechanisms, I guess it was just waiting to go up high on this list!

Well, there you go, games 6-10 off of my top 10 interests from the games in 2016 that I haven’t played yet.  These games all look really good and I’d love to try them out!  Well, come on back soon and I’ll have up my final 5 games from 2016.  Until next time, game on!

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