Ten Games

Surprisingly not included. 

Nerd Nighter Nate Owens posted an interesting question on his blog this morning: "Could I reduce my collection to just 10 games?" I think it's a fascinating exercise, and it's tangentially related to Jones Theory, which states that we should keep only the best game in each genre/style in our library, so as to play only the best games.

I'm occasionally asked what my favorite games are, and the answer is quick for me: "Betrayal at House on the Hill and Battlestar Galactica". These are numbers 1A and 1B, but I don't play them often because they require a specific type of play group (great friends!) and a specific atmosphere (relatively quiet, a place where folks can pay attention for 2-3 hours). When I started to answer the "ten games" question, I assumed I'd list both of these, but I surprised myself by omitting one.

The "rules" are that each game can have as many expansions as necessary included, and they all count as one item on the list. For my sanity, I'm not including my Magic: The Gathering cube as a game, as it occupies a different place in my gaming life and frankly, I'm writing the article so I get to cheat a little bit.

Without further adieu, my list of ten games that I'd keep in my library:

Medici, by Reiner Knizia

I was told by my friend Marcelo to buy Medici, sight-unseen, immediately after meeting him at Texicon in Fort Worth, Texas. I’d only just met Marcelo, but we bonded quickly over our mutual love of Smash Up and Lords of Waterdeep, so I took his advice and picked up this wonderful game about shipping goods in Renaissance-era Florence.

I’ve gotten this game to the table again and again, and it’s one of my 2-3 “go-to” games for a group of 5-6 players who don’t have the time to learn a long game, but want something deeper than a “party” game like Wits & Wagers or Cards Against Humanity.

If you’ve got a love for bidding games, being a trading lord, and a little math, read on!