http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/121408/trains
In the 19th century, shortly after the industrial revolution, railways quickly spread over the world. Japan, importing Western culture and eager to become one of the Grand Nations, saw the birth of many private railway companies and entered the Golden Age of railways. Eventually, as a result of the actions of powerful people and capitalists, many of these smaller companies gradually merged into larger ones.
In Trains, the players are such capitalists, managing private railways companies and striving to become bigger and better than the competition. The game takes place during the 19th and 20th century in the 2012 OKAZU Brand edition, whereas the 2013 AEG/Pegasus edition is set in modern times, with bullet trains, freight trains and more. You will start with a small set of cards, but by building a more effective deck throughout the game, you will be able to place stations and lay rails over the maps of Osaka, Tokyo or other locations. The trick is to purchase the cards you want to use, then use them as effectively as possible. Gain enough points from your railways and you will ultimately manage the most powerful railroads in modern Japan!
I may as well quote a noted board game blogger from his Top 6 Board Games of 2013 list.:It's Dominion with a board. However, I like it better than Dominion. And I like Dominion. The Waste cards, which give you extra cards that do nothing in your deck, are a nice addition. The waste cards come whenever you do something that helps you with points such as building rails on the board, getting points cards and placing stations. You have to balance the points you are scoring with it with the waste you are getting. The different combos of cards that are available per game can change the strategy.
9. Encore
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2879/encore
Suppose your team gets the word "red"... you now have to come up with at least 8 words of a song with the word "red" in the lyrics. If you do... the other team is in the hot seat. Can the other team do the same? It goes back and forth until one of you blows it.
Ummm, I get to sing! No duh this is in the top 10!
8. Telestrations
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/46213/telestrations
"Each player begins by sketching a TELESTRATIONS word dictated by the roll of a die. The old fashioned sand timer may limit the amount of time they get to execute their sketch, but it certainly doesn't limit creativity! Time's up! All players, all at the same time, pass their sketch to the next player, who must guess what's been drawn. Players then simultaneously pass their guess -- which hopefully matches the original word (or does it??) -- to the next player who must try to draw the word they see -- and so on."
"Telestrations contains eight erasable sketchbooks and markers, a die, a 90 second sand-timer and 2,400 words to choose from."
Telestrations is my favorite party game. I suck at drawing, that is no secret. But that makes the game even more fun! Telestrations is Pictionary with the game of telephone. Rarely a game goes by without a lot of laughs. This game works even with people you do that know. Party games usually suffer if not played with friends, but this works every time. I even have a very popular instragram series of #guesstheTelestration ( by very popular I mean one of them got 5 likes)
7. 7 Wonders
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68448/7-wonders
( Wow, Board of Games has ads on Board Game Geek now?)
You are the leader of one of the 7 great cities of the Ancient World. Gather resources, develop commercial routes, and affirm your military supremacy. Build your city and erect an architectural wonder which will transcend future times.
7 Wonders lasts three ages. In each age, players receive seven cards from a particular deck, choose one of those cards, then pass the remainder to an adjacent player. Players reveal their cards simultaneously, paying resources if needed or collecting resources or interacting with other players in various ways. (Players have individual boards with special powers on which to organize their cards, and the boards are double-sided). Each player then chooses another card from the deck they were passed, and the process repeats until players have six cards in play from that age. After three ages, the game ends.
In essence, 7 Wonders is a card development game. Some cards have immediate effects, while others provide bonuses or upgrades later in the game. Some cards provide discounts on future purchases. Some provide military strength to overpower your neighbors and others give nothing but victory points. Each card is played immediately after being drafted, so you'll know which cards your neighbor is receiving and how his choices might affect what you've already built up. Cards are passed left-right-left over the three ages, so you need to keep an eye on the neighbors in both directions.
Though the box of earlier editions is listed as being for 3–7 players, there is an official 2-player variant included in the instructions.
7 Wonders is a wonderful game. It's the rare game that plays just as well with 3 as it does 7. Card drafting is among my favorite mechanics in a game. I won't say it's a good gateway game. It is not because of all the iconography. It is however a game all people becoming gamers should play. It's perfect for someone a few months in but I think it's a mistake as someone first or second "legit" board game ever. The expansions only add to the game, especially Leaders. Cities isn't as good but is underrated by most. The short playing time is nice as well, this game fits a lot of niches.
6. Trajan
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/102680/Trajan
Set in ancient Rome, Trajan is a development game in which players try to increase their influence and power in various areas of Roman life such as political influence, trading, military dominion and other important parts of Roman culture.
The central mechanism of the game uses a system similar to that in Mancala or pit-and-pebbles games. In Trajan, a player has six possible actions: building, trading, taking tiles from the forum, using the military, influencing the Senate, and placing Trajan tiles on his tableau.
At the start of the game, each player has two differently colored pieces in each of the six sections (bowls) of his tableau. On a turn, the player picks up all the pieces in one bowl and distributes them one-by-one in bowls in a clockwise order. Wherever the final piece is placed, the player takes the action associated with that bowl; in addition, if the colored pieces in that bowl match the colors shown on a Trajan tile next to the bowl (with tiles being placed at the start of the game and through later actions), then the player takes the additional action shown on that tile.
What are you trying to do with these actions? Acquire victory points (VPs) in whatever ways are available to you – and since this is a Feld design, you try to avoid being punished, too. At the Forum you try to anticipate the demands of the public so that you can supply them what they want and not suffer a penalty. In the Senate you acquire influence which translates into votes on VP-related laws, ideally snagging a law that fits your long-term plans. With the military, you take control of regions in Europe, earning more points for those regions far from Rome.
All game components are language neutral, and the playing time is 30 minutes per player.
Yes, yet another Feld game. Surprise surprise. I love the mancala mechanic in this game. So much to think out, you need to think moves and moves ahead. You can do that move but then you won't be set up to do the next move you want because the mancala doesn't work out. It's another game where I like to try all parts of the point salad. Today, I'm going to just eat the tomatoes (Senate track), one day I'll just eat bacon bits (Military). Of course, you need to eat multiple points of the salad to win ( taste good). This analogy doesn't work, right?
5. Hanabi
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi
Hanabi — named for the Japanese word for "fireworks" — is a cooperative game in which players try to create the perfect fireworks show by placing the cards on the table in the right order. (In Japanese, hanabi is written as 花火; these are the ideograms flower and fire, respectively.)
The card deck consists of five different colors of cards, numbered 1–5 in each color. For each color, the players try to place a row in the correct order from 1–5. Sounds easy, right? Well, not quite, as in this game you hold your cards so that they're visible only to other players. To assist other players in playing a card, you must give them hints regarding the numbers or the colors of their cards. Players must act as a team to avoid errors and to finish the fireworks display before they run out of cards.
Hanabi is the best co-op game out there. The instructions are simple. Build a fireworks show by placing cards in number order. But to master it is hard. Because you don't need to just master it, the other plays have to master it as well. A second level clue is wasted on someone who won't understand it. You need to think why someone would give you a clue. The game is about getting the most cards played with the least clues possible. I've been part of one perfect game and hope to be part of another. With rainbows this time!
4. 7 Blunders
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/895830/7-blunders
Here are my rules for 7 Blunders:
Use all of
the same rules from 7 Wonders with a few small changes
- You cannot discard a card for 3 coins unless you have no other legal play. Show your hand to person who passed them to you to verify. Building your wonder counts as a legal play. So if you can build your wonder, you cannot get 3 coins
- When playing a card you must use the least expensive way to buy it. For example if you have a trading post, you must my resources from that neighbor first. You cannot pay your neighbor for resources that you already have to use. If you have the Caravansary or Forum ( or the Alexandria equivalent), you must use it. If you have a prerequisite (“chaining”) card, you must use it.
- Wild Science (from Wonders or guilds) must be scored in the best manner possible.
- Lowest score wins. Tiebreaker most coins
Other minor situational rules
- If one is to build the same card twice, the normal house rule is to chuck the card for three coins. However since that is a “good” play in this game, the wrongly duplicate card gets a 4 point penalty in Age I & II and 6 points in Age III
- Halicarnassus – there must be at least one card in the discard for you to use the power on this wonder
- Babylon Side B 2nd Stage – Must use the power if built. Must verify they cannot build the 2nd card to get 3 coins.
- Olympia Side B 3rd Stage – Must choose the highest scoring guild (for yourself)that your neighbors own
- Olympia Side A 2nd Stage – If built, you cannot throw away a card for 3 coins if you have not used your free card action that Age yet. Otherwise, you are not forced to use the power each age.
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