My Top 10 Favorite Heavy Board Games
Today I discuss my top 10 favorite heavy games, the arbitrary threshold for which I've set at a weight of 3.2 or higher on the BoardGameGeek scale. These games are a combination of rules complexity and the amount of mental capacity needed to play.
Viewer picks: Root, Terraforming Mars, Dinosaur Island, Ark Nova, Scythe, Ezra & Nehemiah, Spirit Island, Voidfall, Agricola, Viscounts of the West Kingdom, Grand Austria Hotel, Star Wars Rebellion, Arkham Horror, Mage Knight, SETI, Power Grid, Great Western Trail: NZ, Black Forest, Anachrony, Gloomhaven, TI4
Honorable mentions: Star Wars: Rebellion, Nemesis, Great Western Trail, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, Underwater Cities, Sidereal Confluence, Raising Robots, Ora et Labora
Stonemaier Games: Scythe
Top 10
10. Sleeping Gods
9. Russian Railroads
8. Caverna/Agricola
7. Power Grid
Heavy gamer (Kari)- A Feast for Odin: Every choice feels crunchy and the possibilities feel endless. There are so many different techniques and strategies that can lead to victory so every play feels unique. It's especially satisfying to watch the negative points on your player board disappear as you place your tiles. Other picks: Gaia Project and Nucleum
6. A Feast for Odin
5. Clans of Caledonia
4. Tzolk'in
3. Terra Mystica
2. Dune Imperium Uprising
Solo gamer (Aryn) - Civolution: Roll and assign dice to do various actions such as mining, procreation, exploring, and play cards in this robust civilization themed game from Stefan Feld. A relatively simple to run AI makes this one of my favorite heavy games to return to! Other picks: The Elder Scrolls Betrayal of the Second Era, SETI: The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence
Family gamer (Skiler) - Here are 3 games that meet the 3.2 threshold, but honestly I haven't played them with my kids yet as they are only 10, 8, and 6. So while I think these would be great to play with families I would most likely recommend them for ages 13+. Ark Nova - This is one of my favorite games in any category! You get to make a zoo! There is a huge variety of amazing animal cards, from a Sloth Bear to a King Cobra! You'll use a really neat action selection system to decide whether to build your animals enclosures, work on conservation, do research, gain sponsors, and more! It will take some effort for families to learn this game, but it is so worth it! Other picks: Raising Robots, Paladins of the West Kingdom
1. Ark Nova
previous video: https://youtu.be/IyEU_VWwR40?feature=shared
00:00 - Introduction
01:50 - Top 4-10
14:08 - 3
15:14 - 2
16:23 - 1
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podcast link: https://stonemaiergames.com/about/podcast
Intro animation by Jeff Payne https://vimeo.com/jaaronpayne
