With all those numerous games that we've played it is almost impossible to not only choose three but ten out of them! It's been a hard and heartbreaking choice to notify all those games that didn't cut it, but someone had to do it. These are our top favored choices
We've separated our choices because although they might align a bit, they are for different reasons. :D
Ana: - Why do I love...
Dixit (3rd place) - Because it is one of the first ever party games we've played and we really love. Especially because we had initially printed out a Print'n'Play version and adjusted it to be playable for everyone. It reminds me of our beginnings and I really love that for just one card you can think of infinite terms. It is also great because it's very playable with kids.
Zlatko - Why do I love...
Dixit (3rd place) - Because this game is simply for anyone and can be explained in four sentences: Here, take these cards. Pick one of them, imagining a term for something you see on it. Now put it face down and say your term out loud. Others need to put down one of their cards which mostly resemble of your term and then you shuffle all cards, place them face up, and guess.
The artwork is shiny. I just get lost in the cards finding out new cleverly put details. We love to play it with our kid 'V' and hopefully in a few years little 'M' will join us because it goes on a whole different level with kids imagination.
Ana: - Why do I love...
Race for the Galaxy (2nd place) - Because when you get into the rules it is a perfect intro game. It's excellent for all kinds of players and has really simple components. The art is special and unique pulling you into the thematic story. I really love games with huge decks of various cards just like this.
Zlatko - Why do I love...
Race for the Galaxy (2nd place) - Because this is the game that I have thought of numerous strategies for, learned the cards, and still Ana beats me to a pulp most of the time!
One of the drives for me in any game is to get better at it however many times it takes me to do it. And with this game it's a 'too-easy-to-play' but a bit harder to get into, and most definitely a hard game to master. At times we play it for days, but then we make a long pause, and have to relearn the rules. Luckily there are videos to speed things up and help us remember.
The game art is imaginative and each card paints a picture of 1000 words. What I mostly love about this game, which was a wow moment for me when we first played, is that the cards are both assets and currency. So, when you want to get one card, you have a cost for it (which can be modified through the other cards) which you pay with the number of other cards. Such a simple yet magnificent idea. I am not sure if this game introduced the concept, but for me it's the first.
Ana: - Why do I love...
Scythe (1st place) - Because it is one of the most balanced games we have played and also one of the first that introduced our friends to the world of games. This is the reason that we all love it and play it with special place in our hearts. There is also a lot of replayability because every game is different.
Zlatko - Why do I love...
Scythe (1st place) - Because whenever I think of a board game Scythe always comes to mind. When I got the game for my birthday years ago it knocked me off my feet, the game just clicked. The theme is right up my alley. The mechanics are great and one of the first things you notice while opening the box for the first time (and mostly all others) is the list of game testers, which is immense.
By all standards this game inspires me to make games better and with more passion. It moved the bar pretty high. It also holds a dear place in my heart because it brought us many amazing gatherings and turned some of our friends into boardgamers.
