In a few days I’ll have the pleasure of attending my favorite game convention, Geekway to the West, here in St. Louis. It’s basically 4 days of playing tons of different board games with friends and strangers.
My brother and his fiance are coming into town for the convention, so I look forward to hanging out with them. I’m also going to spend some time helping people with the play-and-win copy of Scythe I donated.
But most of all, I want to play new-to-me games with new people. It’s good for me as a designer to play a wide variety of games, and it’s good for my company for me to have table time with fellow gamers. So that’s my focus.
I’ve been keeping a list for a long time of games I want to try out for the first time at Geekway. If you’re attending the convention and want to play one of these games with me, just hunt me down in a few days so we can play it.
In no particular order, here are the top 10 games I want to play for the first time at Geekway:
- Isle of Sky
- Steam Time
- Egizia
- A Castle for All Seasons
- Fuse
- Black Fleet
- Lost Legends
- Broom Service
- Above and Below
- Medieval Academy
Honorable Mentions: HOPE, Legends of Andor, Rex, Clash of Cultures, Shakespeare, Merchants and Marauders, War of the Ring, Nexus Ops, Glen Moore
In your opinion, are there any of these games I should prioritize over others?
Not a fan of Merchants & Marauders. I would skip it. Plus, IIRC there is a copy in the Game Nite library, so if you want to play it and have some time you can pop over there some time and get in a game (the Meetup nights are good)
Your list is exciting! Medieval Academy was a nice surprise for me when I played it last Month at PlayModena. I’m sure the game will take a spot on your “favourite game mechanic” video series for the turn reset mechanic. I can’t wait to play Isle of Sky too! Have fun Jamey!
Glen More is a beloved classic that is OOP in the US, so if you have a chance to play it, maybe you should. Tableau building with an innovative rondel.
Isle of Skye is pretty good. Egizia is fantastic.
I had fun playing Isle of Skye at Tabletop day, Recommend a practice round with the rules first. It’s random draw, bidding mechanic, and tile laying work together very well in a way I have not seen before.
Thanks for your comments and suggestions! This is very helpful to help me prioritize the list.
Jamey, my group wants to play Andor and Above And Below, so if we plan on playing it I’ll tap you. For Merchants & Marauders, I played two years ago and thought it went a bit long. It’s a sandbox game, like the PC game, and while the wide-open mechanics of it (you can do any number of things while in a port, and in fact should do as many as you can) were interesting, it took a while to get going.
See you at Geekway!
Awesome, that sounds great about Andor and/or Above and Below!
I just picked up Above and Below a couple weeks ago and we’ve played it a few times with 2 and 4 players. My girlfriend and I don’t care for it with only 2 players, but with 4 it can be pretty fun. It’s not nearly as story-focused as say, Arabian Nights, but it also plays much more like an actual board game. It’s definitely fun, although we found it also suffers from feeling a lot like it ends just as you’re starting to get going.
I’d also jump on War of the Ring if you get a chance – that one can be pretty epic, whether you’re a Tolkien fan or not. It is a bit of a long rules explanation though, so plan an extra big chunk of time for that.
Hey Jamey, let me know if you want to set up a game of WotR. It’s at the top of my list and I’d be glad to bring my copy.
Thanks Michael! I’d love to play. You don’t necessarily have to bring your copy, though, as Geekway will probably have one in their library. I wouldn’t want you to lug it around all day. 🙂
Kyle: That’s good to know about Above and Below–thank you. As for long rules explanations, I’m usually fine with just getting a few key rules and jumping into the fray. 🙂
I am looking forward to Geekway. There are just a ton of great games this year. Scyth at the top of course. Also very curious about Blood Rage. I have played/own about half of your list. Above and below would be at the top for me. Followed closely by broom service.