Every six months I update my top 10 favorite tabletop games list. For this list, I looked back at most of my top 10 videos over the last few years for games that were ranked 1 and 2 multiple times (for any type of list, most of which focus on a specific mechanism), and I ranked those games for this list.
There are many great games from other publishers that won’t make the list even though I’m fond of them, and Stonemaier Games products aren’t eligible due to extreme bias on my part.
The previous list is here. I tend to cycle through favorites, hence why I do this every 6 months, but that also means that there are previous favorites that may completely drop off the list for 6-12 months.
Honorable mentions: Cat in the Box, Blob Party, Just One, So Clover, Fantastic Factories, Rumble Nation, Space Base, Caution Signs, Cartographers, Terra Mystica, Lords of Waterdeep, Dune Imperium
My Top 10:
10. Let’s Go to Japan
9. Duel for Middle-earth
8. Quacks
7. Forest Shuffle
6. Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game
5. Skull King
4. Ark Nova
3. Ra
2. The Gang
1. Planet Unknown
What are a few of your favorite games right now?
My friends said after seeing your list that it’s great to see an accomplished designer having lighter games in his top 10 and I agree.
My top 20 include in no particular order Ark Nova, Obsession, Lisboa, Troyes, Tapestry, Space Base, Ra, Modern Art, Darwin’s Journey, Ezra & Nehemiah, Pirates of Maracaibo, Planet Unknown.
My son’s favorite games are Trekking the World and For Sale Autorama
My daughter’s are Roll Player and Wingspan.
That’s neat to hear! Thanks for sharing your picks. 🙂
Thanks for sharing Jamey! I tend to lean toward games that are easier to setup as well. It’s great to see someone else that shares a love for Skull King as much as I do! Easily the most played game I’ve ever played.
I had to share my list of favourite games since we share a lot of the same which I found super interesting! Top 10 is tough for me, but here’s my top 25 (not including the games I’ve designed or Crokinole which is debatably a board game).
1. Skull King
2. Wingspan
3. Welcome To…
4. Port Royale
5. Scout
6. Ra
7. Quaks
8. Kinfire Chronicles
9. That’s Pretty Clever
10. Bruxelles 1897
11. Las Vegas Royal
12. Thunder Road Vendetta
13. LOTR Duel
14. Gloomhaven
15. Rebel Princess
16. DC Deck Building Game
17. Patchwork
18. Sushi Go Party
19. Dale of Merchants
20. Kingdomino
21. That’s so Clover
22. Vegas Showdown
23. Personal Preference
24. HEAT: Pedal to the Metal
25. Just One
Favourite Stonemaier Games:
Wingspan & Tokaido (although admittedly I need to try more!).
A full top 25–that’s impressive! I like a lot of games here, and I see a few I need to try (Dale of Merchants and Personal Preference).
Dale of Merchants my wife and I really enjoy at 2p. It’s the definition of cozy.
Personal Preference came out in 87’… but they have an updated version if you can get your hands on it. Still is one of the best party games out there! The conversations that it invokes are simply the best.
I’d love to see a top 10 of your favourite game mechanics!
For example;
I find the mechanics of Bruxelles absolutely flawless as it has a perfectly balanced tug of war feel. I like how you can bid high or low and get the card you want, but the higher you bid can give you potential higher benefits later in the scoring phase.
In Port Royal, the simplicity of using the backs of the cards for money is also genius and works so smoothly. This game hits our table so much due to it being so quick to setup.
Thanks! Have you tried Port Royale the Dice Game? I really enjoyed my first play of it a few months ago.
I actually have a series of 3 videos where I talk about my top 10 favorite mechanisms (three separate top 10s):
https://youtu.be/wNzr2HMVLTk?si=sOENJ98TAqjL4aYh
https://youtu.be/GMZC9wM2z-A?si=gxZ-pxEHCRzIGieA
https://youtu.be/hnnzBp9l-p8?si=s0YsVWQcvEh7FSP-
I’m so glad that I said something, thank you for sharing! I totally agree with your top 30 game mechanics. It actually is hard to believe that there are so many types of mechanics when you break it down that way. From a designer’s point of view, I love hearing about others’ perspectives on these mechanics and what people love about them.
I haven’t even heard of Port Royale the Dice Game, but I will definitely have to check that one out now.
Just want to say thank you Jamey for being so present in the community and for what you contribute to the world of board games!
Thanks Colter! I appreciate you checking out those videos. I had fun filming them. 🙂
Jamey,
I’m currently enjoying Firefly, 10th Anniversary Edition and Darwin’s Journey.
Cheers,
Joe