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Rick Baptist
United States
Redlands
California
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Previous Top and Bottom lists:
#1-5 Strategy Games - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/1205/the-top-half-of-m...
#6-10 Strategy Games - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/904/the-bottom-half-of...
#1-5 Thematic Games - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/469/the-top-half-of-my...
#6-10 Thematic Games - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/384/the-bottom-half-of...
The "Top and Bottom" blog series has been the most popular of my entries so far, but I wonder if people are really interested in what Family Games I like. Regardless, after posting my recent Top Strategy Games, BGG user Friendless ran me through his *incredible* Extended Stats tracking site and told me exactly what my favorite games REALLY were! I wasn't surprised at all to see that the games I play the most are the titles that are going to appear here. While I usually enjoy a good euro or Ameritrash title, perhaps my favorite way to spend my time gaming is with a good light-strategy game that I can play with a huge variety of folks. For me, gaming is a lot about the social experience, and in my experience all of the games in this list have the ability to be played with a LOT of different kinds of people. Let's get this list started with #10, and my apologies to those games that just didn't quite make it: Finca, Lord of the Rings, Archaeology: The Card Game, Winner's Circle, Dominion -- all great light-strategy games that I highly recommend even though they didn't make the Top 10. Onward!
#10 - FITS
Tetris. Okay there, I said it. Now that we got that out of the way, let me try and explain to you why FITS is a terrific game and deserving of #10 on this list. First of all, I am directly responsible for four sales of this game (including my own copy). Once people play it, they want it -- especially non-gamers, because I think it really harkens back to their childhood and the simplicity of gaming. The components don't hurt, either. Our family is a puzzle-loving family, so this was a complete no-brainer when it first came out. To date, we've played FITS over 20+ times, we've printed out all the expansions, and I fully expect to always have this game in my closet. I think I've played it with every member of our family, too -- even the most non of the non-gamers. I'm not sure what else to say here. Barnes & Noble even carries it (it's hidden back in the kids section for some reason, but it's there). If you don't own FITS, you're missing out on a great opportunity to play games with people that you usually wouldn't be able to.
#9 - Zooloretto
I never thought that a game about creating your own zoo and filling it with animals would be so enthralling. I also didn't think that such a fluffy theme would lead to some of my most memorable absolutely-cutthroat moments in gaming! Zooloretto is a true winner for me because it embodies everything about this category that I like -- accessible from ages 6-99, fun and easy to play/teach, works with every group. If you haven't played Zooloretto, you're probably doubting the last part there, "works with every group". Of course it works great in a "family" setting, and you can even work together to try and help each other get their zoos populated. But I'm here to tell you that building a zoo brings out the evil in every last person. I've had my own mother kill off one of her own animals so I couldn't get it. I've had my Ameritrashing group take Zooloretto to a whole new level, with players grabbings trucks they didn't need to torment others and laughing maniacally as the other wept. If you read this blog, you know that I'm a big fan of Michael Schacht and his games. This is one of his best in my opinion. If you like having fun, I highly recommend Zooloretto.
#8 - Bohnanza
My introduction to Bohnanza was memorable for a lot of reasons. It was Christmas of 2008 and I was just starting to become the budding little modern gamer that I am today. So wouldn't you know that my sister-in-law and her husband, as non-gaming as they get, brought over Bohnanza that Christmas to teach us how to play! I'll never forget seeing the cards and thinking, "Oh no, what are they making me play." Little did I know that Uwe Rosenberg was the designer and that a game about planting freaking beans would be this good. You'll find that I'm not a big fan of card games -- setting up a board and separating pieces out is one of the main draws to gaming for me -- but this is so much more than a card game. The mechanics of the game strike me as genius every time I play. Simple to learn but really fun, we've played this game almost 25 times since I've recorded plays, and that includes plays with all of the FITS crowd I mentioned above. The art is silly and fun and the theme, even if it's BEAN PLANTING, seems to work with everyone. A true winner and a great representative in the category of "Games that other people like playing that you would like too." And if you want to spend time gaming with your families, that is a VERY important category!
#7 - Forbidden Island
Time to do some geek bragging here. I played the first copy of this game in existence! I really did! Matt Leacock was out at our local Strategicon convention as a Guest of Honor and brought along the first and only copy of Forbidden Island at that time. I had read about a low price point before going to the convention, so I was floored when I saw the actual components included. Probably the best "bang for your buck" award of all time. And that's not just for the components -- the game is terrific, too. I often want to pull out Pandemic with family or the kids (spoiler alert there) and sometimes the group I'm with is just not ready for that kind of jump. I've had absolutely no problem playing Forbidden Island with the kids. Believe it or not, the only problem I had with the game was trying to teach it to a 26-year-old who was completely clueless the entire way through. I guess you can't win them all. But beyond Miss Clueless, I think this game is an absolute gem and for what you pay for, it's one of the biggest no-brainers that we gamers have.
#6 - The Downfall of Pompeii
Yes, a game themed after thousands of people dying a hot lava death is #6 on my Family Games list. If that bothers you, just pretend this is actually just the Light-Strategy list with no kids in sight. But really, think back to your youth for a second -- who doesn't like to throw dad into the volcano? I know my kids do, in fact, I'm not sure I've had a chance to win this game with them yet, because I'm usually roasting in my fiery grave. And hey, I used to LOVE playing Fireball Island, so my parents are just as bad as I am! Anyway, Pompeii is designed by the same dude that did Carcassonne, but that's only apparent in the second part of the game when the volcano's lava is spreading over the town. In the first part, you're populating the city by playing matching cards and making housing decisions. The card deck is pre-constructed before the start, so there is a timed trigger to when the volcano actually erupts and the moving in becomes the moving out. I think Pompeii is fabulous -- the theme is a blast and the game does a great job in being a light-strategy powerhouse. Above all, your kids will just enjoy watching you burn. And I'm fine with that.
     
Tune in next time for 1-5 of the list, and eventually I'll take the five seconds to take a picture of my game closet, the 15 seconds to load it on the computer, and the 30 seconds or so to put it on BGG. Thanks for reading.
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Keep playing...
Now I'm left wondering what 2 games it might be???
When I showed them Two by Two the rejected it because it was the same theme as Ark! UGH.
