Board Game Faves

Board games are another of Pal's recent hobby developments and, since they usually require more than one person to play, Pal of course doesn't get to play them nearly as much as Pal wants (unless Pal is playing via boardgamearena with friends (and strangers) online, or otherwise online).

I think here I'll make a directory of select games from my gaming library and link to pages where I write about individual games if I feel like it.

To Do List:

Longer write ups for different games,
Photos of different games,
Pages for different games?
Etc

[[MAJOR WIP IN PROGRESS. LAST UPDATED 8/24/2024.]]

Faves I

Games that I've taken on trips with me because I absolutely love playing them with friends.

Space Park

In Space Park, players take turns controlling rockets and visiting different locations to earn crystals that they can then use to complete badges and thus earn what is needed to win: XP (Explorer Points).

This game can be played multiplayer with up to four people, but also optionally as a solitaire game.

Martian Chess

Martian Chess is an abstract strategy game me and my sister tend to describe as a bit more complex than checkers, but less complex than chess; it can be played with (theoretically) up to 6 players if you print up the modular board and piece it together. Otherwise, you use half a chess board for 2 players and a full chess board for 4. For 3 and 5, you use the printed modular board pieces as well.

The aim of the game is to get the most points before someone empties their side of the field first. You gain points by capturing your opponent's pieces, which are valued anywhere from 1 to 3 points. The twist, though, is that once your piece crosses to your opponent's side of the board, it no longer is your piece, and control of that piece transfers over to your opponent.

Basically: you do not control pieces, but instead a side of the board, and thus any pieces that enter your side of the board!

This is a fun game to play when you have 2-4 players you want to game with; I've played this at 2, 3, and 4 players and thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth of it each time. It's one of my sister's favorite games to play too, and she likes to suggest we play it whenever we have people over for game night.

Above is a photo of Martian Chess set up for two players.

Trio

Trio (known as Nana in the original Japanese) is a fun family friendly party game in which you're pretty much playing go fish and a memory game at the same time. I've even heard it called "Gamer's Go Fish" in some circles!

This one's been a goofy hit whenever I've brought it out (gomen to Nathan specifically for the one time I failed at explaining some of the rules rip), and a fun time with kids too if you need a game to play with kids.

Love Formula

This game is a bit goofy, but I got it at an anime convention once and like to bring it to anime conventions to play with my friends because it's a silly "shipping" type game. Love Formula is a card game with hand management and open drafting mechanics; each player drafts cards like one would draft at a TCG draft, then plays their cards to try and get their couples together while sabotaging the dates of other player's couples.

Sabobatage

Sabobatage's a boba-themed card game I love playing with my boba-loving friends. Plus, it's got a punny title! It's pretty simple conceptually and mechanically: you're running a boba shop, you're trying to play cards to make drink sets, and you're sabotaging your opponents' drinks. It's a fun sort of casual time if that's the type of game you're looking for.

I own the second edition seen above, and none of the expansion packs.

Faves II

Other favorite games that I physically own that I've taken, for example, to play when visiting my long distance partner, or play frequently with my family.

Avant Carde

A fun deck-building game reminiscent of Uno in that you match the colors or numbers of your cards to each other, but different in that you match them solely to your own cards played from your hand drawn from your individually built deck. Numbers 1-7 also possess powers that vary depending on which set of Patron Powers you use.

This game also possesses a solo mode, which I've played mostly on easy for fun. Otherwise, I played this when visiting my long distance partner, and found it a fun experience when played multiplayer as well. Some of the Patron Powers from the Parisians took us a bit to get used to. Even so, we enjoyed the variety of it.

Homeworlds

While I have yet to play this physically and have only played on Board Game Arena and Homeworlds Live, I'm putting it in the physically owned section because I 1) use the components to play Martian Chess and 2) keep bringing it along in case I can entice someone someday to play it with me.

Homeworlds is a complex two-player abstract strategy game I've seen described as something along the lines of "a game to space opera warfare as chess is to historical warfare."

See below for the pieces included in the Homeworlds box.

Fluxx Series

Fluxx

Fluxx is a card game you either love or you hate; I fall into the "love it" category, and have luckily found people in real life willing to play with me. I've also played 100 games of this on Board Game Arena.

Star Fluxx

One of my favorite versions of Fluxx because of the added layers of complexity when it comes to Keeper Abilities and Surprise Cards and the like.

Holiday Fluxx

Holiday Fluxx is a nice variation on the base game of Fluxx that serves as a good introduction to Surprise Cards.

Other Fluxxes

Fluxxes I own but have yet to play include Martian Fluxx and Monster Fluxx. I picked up Monster Fluxx as a souvenir while sightseeing after a convention. One of the best souvenir finds from that trip... now if I could only get around to playing it!

Unplayed Games

Games I am dying to play but, as there are too many games to play, have not seen any play (yet) at my game nights.

Spicy

TBA.

Aurum

TBA.

Allegra

TBA.

Campy Creatures

TBA.

Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition

TBA.

Unowned Games

Games owned by my friends and others that I've played and enjoyed.

Jabba's Palace

The preferred version of Love Letter among my circle of BFFs.

Cards Against Humanity

Cards Against Humanity is a well known party game card game where you use cards with phrases to fill in the blanks on other cards. Should I be surprised by the amount of people who own a copy of Cards Against Humanity?

Board Game Arena

Games I've played a ton of exlusively or almost exclusively on Board Game Arena.

Forest Shuffle

TBA.

Forbidden Island

TBA.

Technically, I played this game for the first time at a convention with a friend and my sister. Otherwise, all my plays for this game have been online on Board Game Arena (typically when I've had my free months of being able to start premium tables.)

CuBirds

TBA.

Draftosaurus

TBA.

Martian Dice

TBA.