Some Games in our Collection

Below, in no particular order, are some of the better games in our collection. The links on the game names go to the boardgamegeek.com page for that game.

• Acquire — Click the photo for an enlarged view
  One of the best games of the 20th century, Acquire was one of Sid Sackson's greatest. A simple description might be: a cross between Scrabble and Monopoly, without all the spelling. But that doesn't do this elegant game justice. Place tiles on the board to form hotel chains. Connect hotel chains to create a merger. Buy stocks in the hotels you think will win big. The board changes every turn, so buy wisely!
• Crisis! — A great card game of bluffing and oneupmanship. Each player assumes the role of a superpower nation, and everyone pledges to disarm their military (yeah right!). China has called for disarming nuclear submarines, but do you try and discard the "1000 peasants waving pitchforks" card instead?

• Settlers of Catan — Click the photo for an enlarged view
  More than any other game of the last ten years, Settlers is the one responsible for popularizing gaming as a hobby among adults. It's sold millions of copies around the world, which was virtually unknown for a game not aimed at kids. There's a fantastic balance of skill and luck as you trade with, badger and coerce your fellow players in a race to colonize an island. There might not be any fighting in the game itself, but that doesn't mean everyone's going to play nice!

• Kingmaker — This classic Avalon Hill game was originally from England in the early '70s. It's complex, and long, but loads of fun if you like the idea of being the power behind the throne, and occasionally chopping off the head of the reigning monarch.
• Master Labyrinth — Find your way through the shifting labyrinth and collect the ingredients for your magic potion. Every turn you get to change the board itself by moving part of the labyrinth to cut off your opponents, or to open up a path for yourself. A simple and very clever game.

• Survive! — Click the photo for an enlarged view
  This was the first game that showed me board games could be more than just rolling a die and moving along a path. It's also the only game you'll ever play where you can devour the other players with a sea serpent, how cool is that?! Easy enough for kids, but loads of fun for everyone, a classic!

• Scotland Yard — A co-operative game, at least for some of the players. Someone plays the fugutive Mister X. Everyone else works together to capture him. The hard part is, Mister X's piece is only shown on the board five times throughout the game, and the other players have to deduce where he might be by what London transit tickets he has used.

• Carcassonne — Click the photo for an enlarged view
  A fun little tile laying game, with surprising depth. Each player places roads, cities, fields and cloisters each turn to build the game board. Place a follower on a tile to score points later on when that part of the board is completed. Kind of like a competative jigsaw puzzle, Carcassonne is a very engrossing and fun game.
• Globetrotters — Jet and sail around the world, collecting the keys to cities and having adventures. If you like travelling, you'll get a real kick out of Globetrotters. There's so many choices of what to do on every turn, and who can resist the mini Thomas Cook Travellers Cheques? They sure beat Monopoly money!
• Diplomacy — The game Risk has a little strategy and a lot of luck. Diplomacy is 100% strategy, and that includes negotiation strategy since you cannot win without the help of your neighbours. Everyone negotiates with each other about what should happen on the next turn. Then everyone writes down their moves. The moves are then all performed simultaneously, and conflicts are resolved. An extremely elegant and simple design produces one of the greatest games of the 20th century. It's also the favourite game of prolific designer Greg Costikyan.