I wrote at the start of February about classic board games that I’ve never played, and what better way to end February than to turn that question around? I’m writing today about eight classic board games that I’d always be happy to pick up and play should the opportunity arise.
The criteria remains the same as in the last post: These games must be released before 2013, and it must remain well-considered today. There’s almost certainly a slew of other games that should be on this list, but I had to cap it somewhere.
Alright, let’s get to it!
Bohnanza (1997)
What makes Bohnanza a classic?
Bohnanza is a game about trading and growing beans. If that doesn’t make a game a classic, I don’t know what does. But really, Bohnanza has endured because it’s a clever design. It’s really all about not being able to reorder your hand, having to plant the first card from your hand every turn, and only being able to maintain two (or potentially three) fields at any given time.
Why I love Bohnanza
Trading in this game is as much about optimization as it is actually gaining value out of trades.
[…]
What’s happened since Bohnanza was released?
Bohnanza has had great staying power, and there was a 25th anniversary edition released last year. There are a number of expansions and stand alone games in the series, as well as a number of games that are both. Good fun!
Carcassonne (2000)
What makes Carcassonne a classic?
This is one of the enduring designs in modern board games. It’s simplistic each turn, with a handful of options to choose from. Each of those gives you a cascading array of options in future turns. There’s depth in Carcassonne.
Also, Carcassonne gave us the meeple. So, you know, there’s that.
Why I love Carcassonne
Where do I start? It’s the depth. It’s that it’s a game that will prompt you to adjust your strategy game after game. It’s farmers, it’s the rage when you draw 13 roads in a row, and it’s the feeling of understanding when you finally start to use those roads to control the fields. I’ve played this game so many times, and the expansions still feel like novelties — the base game really is all you need.
What’s happened since Carcassonne was released?
Oh, wow. So much. There’s a Star Wars themed Carcassonne. There are out-of-print spin-offs, and there are spin-offs that newly received reprints. There are ten expansions. There’s even a cooperative game, Mists over Carcassonne, that I can’t wait to get my hands on. There’s just so much Carcassonne, and none of it is as good as the first game was, but much of it is still very good.
Dominion (2008)
What makes Dominion a classic?
Everyone’s going to have a different answer for this, but Dominion is a classic for me because it brought a genre to life. Was it the first game with deck-building? It actually appears not to be the case, but without Dominion, we wouldn’t have thousands of other games. Originating a genre with such staying power and still somehow remaining relevant yourself? That’s a real accomplishment.
Why I love Dominion
I’ll tell you, I think it’s mostly that you can take suboptimal strategies (optimizing for recycling your deck very quickly, for example) and still have a blast. That’s huge.
What’s happened since Dominion was released?
Like I said, deck-building as a genre is only around because of Dominion’s influence. Would we have bag-building games? Maybe! But we can’t be certain. Games that feature deck-building, bag-building or pool building account for roughly 20 percent of games in the BoardGameGeek top 100. That’s pretty remarkable.
There are also a ton of Dominion expansions. A ton.
Kingdom Builder (2011)
What makes Kingdom Builder a classic?
The gameplay is timeless. When you pull out Kingdom Builder and explain the rules, they click. It’s extremely elegant. (Insert a GIF of the Dean from Spy x Family yelling about elegance here, future me. Thanks.) [Note to self: I don’t think GIFs are great in email. Sorry.] This is a game I want to teach and want others to experience.
Why I love Kingdom Builder
I actually wrote about this two weeks ago, so if you don’t mind, I’m just going to link to that. Thanks!
What’s happened since Kingdom Builder was released?
Actually, only one game, Winter Kingdom, and four expansions have spun off from Kingdom Builder. That’s not nothing, but it does make it a little unique among this list.
Lost Cities (1999)
What makes Lost Cities a classic?
After 24 years, Lost Cities is still fresh, interesting, and drawing in new players. In an industry that seems dominated by huge boxes, intense gameplay, and a high price tag, Lost Cities is anything but. It’s just a deck of cards, and you’ll try to play them roughly in order. Obviously there’s more to it than that, and that’s where the beauty of the game rests.
Why I love Lost Cities
This is one of my top two-player games of all time, and it manages to feel tightly competitive without feeling aggressive. I will always play Lost Cities with you if you ask, so long as I have the game with me and 15 minutes of time.
What’s happened since Lost Cities was released?
Not a lot here until fairly recently. There are a few spin-offs, including a board game and a roll-and-write game, but small, simple card games have a bit less potential for expansion.
Pandemic (2008)
What makes Pandemic a classic?
This is the game that introduced so, so many people to cooperative board games, and while it’s not the first game to do so, it’s definitely the most prominent.
Why I love Pandemic
Everything about Pandemic speaks to me. I love cooperative games, and I love having to optimize for problems not yet known, and I love the feeling of puzzling through solutions. There’s just so much I love about Pandemic.
What’s happened since Pandemic was released?
Pandemic has had some of the best spin-offs out there. Pandemic Legacy? Incredible. Pandemic: Iberia? Maybe better than the original! The list goes on for a while.
Power Grid (2004)
What makes Power Grid a classic?
This game of commodities, auctions and networks remains a heavyweight in the field. It combines those three aspects into one really compelling package.
Why I love Power Grid
I love turn optimization. I love thinking about future turns and planning those out, especially as the game gets tight toward the end. I don’t always love doing that when it’s in a one-on-one capacity, but in a group when every player has varying needs, I can’t get enough.
What’s happened since Power Grid was released?
We got a bunch of Power Grid maps for a number of years, but I don’t think there’s much to be done other than that.
Through the Desert (1998)
What makes Through the Desert a classic?
Is it really just the pastel camels? It might be. But it’s the 25th anniversary of Through the Desert’s release, and I think it just genuinely holds up really well. Having a striking visual appeal? That’s just the cherry on top.
Why I love Through the Desert
There’s something nice about turns that feature just a couple actions, as in Through the Desert. By building your lines of camels incrementally, you can react to changes in the playing field, and you can adjust your goals accordingly.
Also, yeah, it’s really satisfying to plop down a pastel camel.
What’s happened since Through the Desert was released?
This one’s weird. It wasn’t available easily for quite a while, then it got a nice reprint, then it wasn’t available again. It’s the oddest thing, because this game is great. I’m glad I have a copy, but I want everyone to have a copy. If they want one, I mean.