Number 9

And number nine is….Risk. I really don’t have all that much to say about this game. Risk is the classic game of world domination. I almost didn’t put this game on my list but I’ve simply spent too many hours playing the many versions of this game to not place it here. This game also comes in many different “flavors” (from original to several different Star Wars versions) that each add a few rules to make the game more interesting. I would go into more about the different versions but my buddy Derek has already covered that in his BLOG, http://cardboardcarnage.blogspot.com/. I’ll just state that the classic trilogy Star Wars and RISK Godstorm are my favorite versions. I’ve actually come to dislike the original version of Risk because the last ten or so games of Original Risk that I have played have all played out about the same way.

If someone has played only one conquest board game in all likelihood it is this one (probably because Risk is the grand-daddy of today’s territorial conquest games).
Here is one game that I know I can get a game in without having to explain the rules to people (and then listen to them whine if I forget something…read the fracking rules yourself then). I should have more to say about the next game on my list but like I said I really don’t have much to say about this game.

Number 10

As a general rule I do no longer enjoy the whole collectable game thing. In fact, it has been several years since I’ve even been willing to look at a new collectible game. I had no intention of playing Monsterpocalypse (especially when you consider the fact that I do not even like giant monsters) but after seeing the game in action I knew that it would soon find a place in my gaming room, even if the game is sold in blind packaging. It had been a long time since I had played a game that people would yell and cheer as we knocked down buildings by throwing giant monsters through them.

Monsterpocalypse has some of the most innovative mechanics that you will ever find in any CMG. The game is simple enough that you can easily teach almost anyone but deep enough to keep the attention of a more experienced gamer. The way that dice flow from your monster pool to the unit pool is very elegant and works as a balancing mechanic between the powerful monster and the small units. I also like the fact that the game is balanced enough that you really don’t have army building. You simply pick out a monster, grab some units and play. I even like all of the factions except for one, the Shadowsun Syndicate, and I really hate them (so of course I keep getting them in boosters). There are 6 different factions in Monsterpocalypse, each of them based on or stolen from various cult references.

Martian Menace - H.G. Wells War of the Worlds type invaders
Planet Eaters - your basic Japanese space aliens from anime
G.U.A.R.D - Towering Mechs that remind me of Power Rangers
Terrasaurs - Godzilla, in all different shapes and sizes
Lords of Cthul - I shouldn't have to tell you. This one speaks for itself!
Shadowsun Syndicate - Futuristic powered up Ninja's we reckon

Monsterpocalypse is a bit new to make this list but the game is just so great. My ten year old son really likes this game and I have even been able to get some people to play it that don’t generally play miniature games. Playing a game of this is a wonderful way to kill an hour or two and I’ve had a lot of fun with it.

top 10 Introduction

It was suggested by one of my friends that I write a top ten list that includes my favorite games of all time. After putting some thought into it I now have a list that I’m pretty happy with. There is one game that I really wanted to put on the list but just couldn’t. That game is 40K. It was the first miniature game that I ever played and I truly loved this game back in when I first started playing it in 2nd edition (great fluff, wonderful miniatures, and good game mechanics). Unfortunately over the years Games Workshop has destroyed this game for me. When the company came out with 3rd edition, the game changed from a game about strategy and tactics to a game so simple that a six year old could learn how to play it. It also hasn’t helped my opinion of the game system that a new edition comes out every three or four years. I even built a Space Marine army for my son and an Orc army for me in 5th edition but after three games I kept finding myself just wanting to play something else (almost anything else actually but Warmachine kept really coming to mind). I still love the models and fluff but no matter how much I try to like the game I just can’t. It is strange that even though I don’t really want play this game anymore I still want to buy models for it (I think it’s a disease). Well, I’ll start on the main list tomorrow.