Top 10 Week: Top 10 Board Games (That I Own)

 Welcome to my Top 10 Week here at Nachos Grande.  Each day will be a different Top 10 list.  I hope you enjoy!

For today's Top 10 List, we return to the same topic I did last year - the Top 10 Games (That I Own).  Despite 2020 being basically a wash for actual board game playing (for the most part), I did manage to acquire quite a few new games this year and so I figured it was time to redo my Top 10 Games list.

Note:  I've provided Amazon.com links for most of the games discussed in this list.  If you plan to do any shopping on Amazon (for games or otherwise), I'd certainly appreciate it if you clicked through my link...every bit of financial help that I can get via advertising is appreciated, especially at this time of year!  All images are courtesy of Amazon.com as well.

Without further ado, let's get to this year's list!

Top 10 Board Games (That I Own)

#10.  The Mind 

The Mind is an incredible co-op game that I pretty much guarantee will have people saying "one more time" immediately upon the game's end!  The game is also incredibly simple to explain:  There are cards numbered 1-100.  Each turn, a specific number of cards are dealt out to each player.  The goal of each round is for all players to rid their hand of all their cards by playing their cards on a single face-up pile in the middle of the table with all cards going in ascending order.  The catch?  No one can talk.  There are a couple of other special cards but that's the general gist of the game.

The concept is incredibly simple and it probably doesn't even sound like much of a game based on my explanation...but trust me, this is an easy stocker stuffer choice for anyone who likes to play games (from serious gamer to complete gaming novice).

#9.  Cash 'N Guns / Codenames 

Much like last year, I'm cheating here by combining two games that ostensibly have nothing to do with each other.  In this case, the one common thread is that both are party games.  Last year, I paired Codenames with Sheriff of Nottingham as the two party games for different groups of people.  Based on a few plays of Cash 'N Guns, I think that game might be a superior party game over Sheriff.  Codenames is still great - one of the "modern classics" of board gaming and a game that everyone should probably own in their game collection.

#8.  Godspeed 

Full disclosure here, I've only played this game once and it was about six months ago.  I bought this game off of Kickstarter but you can find it on Amazon for much less money than what I originally spent!  The game is ostensibly a worker placement game with an auction mechanic.  I definitely need to play the game a few more times before I can feel 100% confident it's a Top 10 game but it makes the list this year since I really didn't get a lot of opportunities for game playing!

#7.  Skull 

Skull was my #2 game in last year's list and while it's definitely slipped down my list a bit for 2020, it's still an undoubtedly awesome game.  The basic idea of the game is it is a player elimination game using bidding and bluffing.  Rounds play quickly and almost always come down to the "final flip" of the included coasters.  For more information about this one, I recommend you give my review of Skull a quick read!

#6.  San Juan 

Sometimes a classic game gets overlooked by the latest thing or flashier games but over time it's definitely true that great designs will win out!  San Juan is one such gem - it's an older game (by modern board game standards) and it's admittedly not the most exciting looking game...but if you give it a chance, you'll be smitten by its game systems and sharp design.  This game was #10 on my list last year and now it's moved up the list a bit.  Like I said, sometimes flashier things are more attention grabbing but San Juan has proven to me to have lasting strength!

#5.  Magic:  The Gathering 

Magic is a collectible card game that's been around for a long, long time (it was something I played back when I was in high school even).  While I definitely don't keep up with the latest sets anymore, I do enjoy digging out my old cards and throwing some spells around every now and then.  

#4.  Robinson Crusoe 

Another newcomer to this year's list, Robinson Crusoe was a Christmas present for me in 2019.  One of my co-workers and I managed to get this game to the table three or four times throughout 2020 and the game hasn't disappointed yet.  The game itself is a co-op game where you basically have to survive living on a dangerous island all while completing some sort of scenario specific task.  I've only played this game at the two player count but at that count I'd say it's quite challenging (in a good, fun way).  The only reason this game isn't higher is that about halfway through the year I started playing a better two person co-op game!

#3.  Welcome To 

One of the most recent board gaming "crazes" is the roll-and-write genre.  While Welcome To techinically isn't a "roll" and write (since there are no dice), it is a "flip and write" style game.  The general idea is that you are a 1950s town planner and you are trying to plan three perfect streets.  The game is quick and can play any number of people (each player needs a copy of the score sheet and that's it).  This is a good one to play over Zoom for those doing holiday gaming while in quarantine (only the host would need a copy of the full game).

#2.  Dinosaur Island / Totally Liquid Expansion  

Last year, Dinosaur Island (with it's Totally Liquid expansion) was my #1 game.  This year, it falls one spot to #2 on my list.  The game is a worker placement game with a dice drafting component as well.  I highly recommend getting both the base game and the expansion for the best experience...and if you can find the Kickstarter dinosaur meeples, all the better!  

#1.  Gloomhaven:  Jaws of the Lion 

A brand new number one on the list!  Gloomhaven:  Jaws of the Lion is one of the few new games from 2020 that I have actually had the opportunity to play a fair bit of.  Basically, Jaws of the Lion is a scaled back (but still rather epic) version of the super massive (and super popular) Gloomhaven.  The game is co-op and can play 1-4 players.  Each player plays his or her own character and every character is completely unique.  The neat thing about this particular dungeon crawler is that the game is entirely card driven, there are no dice at all!  Lots of fun decisions and a wonderful mix of scenarios and goals make this an easy choice for my #1 game for 2020.  

Since this is my second year running doing this list, I figured it'd be worth looking at the games that fell off my Top 10 list from 2019.  Those games include:  Isle of Skye, Forbidden Island, One Deck Dungeon, Rage, Sheriff of Nottingham, Love Letter, and Splendor.  

For me, I'd still recommend any of those games as well - with special mention going to Rage, Love Letter, and Splendor as really good, yet really simple games.  

That does it for this particular Top 10 list.  I should note that there are plenty more games that I like that didn't make my Top 10 (7 Wonders, Coup, Wizard, Jaipur, Rivals for Catan, Cockroach Poker, Gentes, and Bang: The Dice Game just to name a few)!  Now though, I'd love to hear about some of your favorite games!