116) Ticket to Ride

I can't believe it took this long to play this game. This is a classic game that everyone seems to know about. The game play is fairly straight forward. Initially each player starts with two or three route cards that give you bonus points for connecting two different cities (or negative points if you fail to do so).  Then players take turns choosing from one of three actions: Draw track cards, play track cards to build a train route, or draw additional route cards. Once someone has played all but a few of their trains onto the board the game will end.

Playing with my trains before starting

Getting clogged up in the middle

Finished most of my routes

This game is great for all ages and all skill levels. There are tons of expansions and different maps, but for the most part these are very similar to the base game. This game has great tension between wanting to collect more cards and thus have more flexibility in building larger routes and wanting to be the first person to play somewhere so you don't get blocked. Just in writing this review past games come to mind that had different strategies and opportunities to block and chances to do this and that... The fact that this game has left me with so many fun memories is a good sign.

110) Romans Go Home

In this game you're trying to win different towers for victory points. Each round 6 towers are available to be conquered. Each player draws six cards and lays them upside down in columns corresponding to the towers. Then each player flips up the first column of cards, checks card abilities and assigns the tower to the player with the highest valued card. The winner of the tower removes all their face up cards then the next column of cards is flipped.

Team McRed ready for action

Waiting for a few more cards to be played

Example cards

Not enough points to win

I enjoy the challenge of trying to plan ahead when initially laying your six cards out. You have to consider what other players will do and attempt to find synergy between your cards allowing you to collect the more valuable towers. I expect after 5-10 plays the strategy starts to get a bit repetitive, but I really enjoyed playing this and would recommend it.

96) Through the Desert

This is a fun little game thats easy to learn. The initial set-up has each player in turn placing one of their camels on the board until all camels have been placed. Then on your turn you place two camels of your choosing next to any of your corresponding colored camels. You're collecting points along the way and scoring points at the end based on areas you've enclosed.

Team meeting before starting 

Placed and ready to conquer

Wish I had gotten more of these during the game

Board is developing

This game is really easy to learn and doesn't take too long to play. There is limited strategy involved although you do have to hedge your bets for future plays and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. The primary strategy or skill in this game is seeing those opportunities. I would recommend giving this one a try. It leaves me with the feeling that I could do better and thus want to play again, but it doesn't fill the deeper need for a more complex strategy game.

93) Airlines Europe

This game has a special place in my heart as it was one of the first games that I actually spent time studying and getting good at. Oh how quickly that knowledge goes away as my most recent play will attest to. In this game you're increasing the value of different airlines by purchasing new flight routes (playing cool airplanes onto the board). Additionally, you're competing with other players to have the most stock in these airlines. There are three semi-random scoring times that pay out based on the value of each airline and who has the most stock in these airlines.

Just getting started

Cool bits

My stocks

Nearing the end

This game has great tension in trying to get one more action in before the scoring occurs. Of course if you're too greedy you'll get punished, but without a little risk you'll have trouble pulling ahead of everyone else. This game is incredibly easy to learn as there are only 4 actions to choose from on your turn, but mastering how to balance what you do when is a challenge. Great depth in strategy that comes from easy to understand rules makes for an all around great game.

82) Samurai

This is a quick game thats easy to learn and fun to play. Essentially you're playing a tile and drawing a new tile in an attempt to collect the three different black pieces on the board.

Which tile to play?

Samurai

The coveted three-piece spot

I like this game because its not super heavy, but still allows for some strategical thinking. It's great to pull out if you want to introduce people who don't normally play strategy games to the genre without overwhelming them.

65) Catan: Cities and Knights

This game is super popular for many reasons. Number one would probably be that its most people's introduction to longer strategy games and that creates a soft spot in ones heart. Also, it has city building, exploring, resource management, and so many other things that are just awesome in a game. People just love this game and you have to give it credit for that. My goal here is to give this game a fair shake, because I'm not really that big a fan.

Ready to start

Blue road, green road, game over?

Cryptic wheat

Fiddly-bit heaven

I think my number one complaint about this game is that you're rolling dice to determine whether or not you can do things on your turn. There's more to it then that (probability and trading savvy), but if your numbers are rolled less frequently then other players numbers you probably lose, and there's always that person sitting there not getting the good rolls who gets to watch everyone else play. I'm sure there's other things that I don't like about this game....but, if you haven't played this game then go play it, because its the roots that have allowed countless people to become gaming nerds and there's no arguing with that.

62) Smash Up

Quick and easy game with tons of re-playability. There are a bunch of different themed sets of cards. Each player gets two sets of themed cards to make a deck. Players then play actions and minions in an attempt to conquer various bases worth points.

The box says it all 

My deck ready for action 

Ninjas and plants!

Who doesn't want a dread gazebo.

I would recommend this game as a light card game that teaches card interaction. It does feel a bit random in that you have limited control when it comes to planning ahead. Players have so many ways to destroy, steal, move, and otherwise just mess with the cards you've played, which limits the amount of strategy one can have. The board state is often completely different at the the start of your turn then it was when you finished your previous turn. Despite this, the anticipation of the ultimate combo that blows everything out of the water would keep me coming back for more. So, thumbs up this one for a quick filler game.

60) Clans

Another quick and easy filler game. Each person is secretly assigned a color and the goal is to have your color score the most points throughout the game. On your turn you move all the huts from one location to an adjacent location. When this results in the huts having no adjacent huts that group is scored.

Just getting started

The board in all its glory

Very mobile huts

End game

This game is great as a quick filler that doesn't require a lot of thought. Initially it can suffer from some AP as there are so many moves and no clear signal that one move is better then another. As people start to realize this the game speeds up and subsequent plays would be quick. Overall its quick to learn and its fun having the mystery of not knowing what colors each other player is.

58) Uptown

This is a quick game thats easy to pick up. On your turn you place a tile on the corresponding row, column, or 3x3 grid that corresponds to the tile and then draw a new tile. The goal is to have the least number of unconnected groups of tiles.

Orange's secret tiles

Just getting started

Captured a few

Final board

I enjoy this game for a quick (less then half hour) game that isn't to taxing on the brain. The game above was a two player game, which is fun and gives you quite a bit more control over what you're doing. I do think it plays better with 4 though. This game also does a good job of introducing the idea of area control in games.

27) Coloretto

This is a fun game that plays quite quickly and is really easy to teach. Very simply, you're collecting sets of the same color. You get increasingly more points the higher the amount of each color you get, however you are only allowed two score three colors at the end of the game, the rest count against you.

4-player game

Keeping my options open

So much negative

Great filler game that everyone I've played with has enjoyed.

24) Hey, thats my fish!

Quick, fun, easy to learn...what more do you need. This is a light filler game and everyone I've played with has enjoyed it. I ended up playing a two player game, which I felt was a bit more strategic then with more players, although the chaos of a 4-player game is equally enjoyable.

Travel size 

Fish are ready

Penguins are ready

Islands are imminent

Not happy on an island of one

17) Sushi Go!

This game is great fun. It's quick to learn and super easy to play. It's a great way to introduce people to the drafting mechanic. And the cards are so fun with all those smiling sushi! Two thumbs up for this game.

Cards are so cute

part of a 5 player game

Squid = 9 points, Yum!

Winning score card

14) Trans Europa

This is a quick, easy, light game that everyone seems to enjoy. It's a great filler if you only have 15 minutes to play. There is some strategic thinking, but I think a lot of the strategy comes in figuring out where people are going and capitalizing on having others build routes towards the cities you need to complete.

Shuffle them up

A few turns into a game

So close you may as well be on that train

City requires for one round

When in doubt play with the pieces