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A Gaming Life
BGG Top Games – 5101 – 5200
A day’s delay, so I hope nobody’s gone blue holding their breath for this post.
I’ll try to do better next week!
These Boardgame Geek century of boardgame rankings posts are still getting some great reactions for me.
Always love it when somebody in the online media actually tells me that they’re enjoying these!
So we’ll keep going on that front.
We’ve crested the halfway point of the Top 10,000 games and we’re on the down curve, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some good games here.
In fact, there are!
Not awesome (at least of the games I’ve played), but definitely good.
I’ve replaced the previous two experiments of games that I was following to see just how they would go with two new ones from games that hit last week’s list.
First, Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains continues its rise, though not quite as fast as the last two experiments were moving, so these may be short-lived.
When last week’s post went live, this game was at #4995.
I’m writing this on Monday and it’s already up to #4669.
Not bad for 5 days!
As this posts Wednesday morning, it’s now at #4567, so it’s moving pretty good.
The other experiment was the new Stonemaier game called Duel of Meloch, but this one may be a one-and-done anyway.
I figured that an exciting game combining Scythe and Expeditions would move really quickly up the charts.
When last week posted, it was at #5034.
As of Monday, it’s only at #5002.
Some movement, but not a lot.
Now it’s #4967, so maybe not something to keep following?
It’s going pretty slowly.
Anyway, we may be getting back to just talking about games in general soon.
This week’s century can be found here.
Of course, as always, if you’re reading this in the far future where there are flying cars and post-human people wandering about, they might have moved!
This week I’ve played three and don’t own any of them, though there is a fourth with the usual Smash Up caveat.
We’ve hit our introduction limit so let’s get st
Read MoreI’ve Got a Crush on You – Cassette Crush: Mixtape Masters Review
I normally don’t do Kickstarters for games out of the blue, sticking with tried and true companies and game series that I enjoy.
For some reason, Cassette Crush just reached out and grabbed me as a relatively quick card game brimming with 80s and 90s nostalgia, and forced me to back it (yes, it was at gunpoint, but it was a good gunpoint!)
After realizing that the name was similar to another game, it morphed into Cassette Crush: Mixtape Masters (I actually don’t remember what the original name was, but it was something about a mixtape), and it recently arrived at my door.
And wow does the nostalgia factor pummel you quickly, if you’re of the age where you were actually making mixtapes as a lovestruck teenager or 20 year old (full confession, I made a mixtape for a woman when I was 25. I am…nowhere near 25 now).
Cassette Crush: Mixtape Masters (and I will not be typing that whole name again, so just assume) is a 30-45 minute card game where you are essentially recording a mixtape for your secret (or maybe not so secret?) crush back in the 80s or 90s (I think most of the song parodies are 80s? But I’m not sure).
The song parodies really make this game if you are of a certain age. If you’re not, well…the game itself is good enough but it will definitely lose something in the translation.
Before I forget, the game was designed by Rob Newton with artwork by James Churchill. It was published by Talon Strike Studios and while Boardgame Geek shows it as 2024, that’s when the Kickstarter went live.
I just received it a few weeks ago, in September 2026.
Read MoreFilthy Cards – Dirty 7s – App Solo Play Review
Sometimes when you’re sitting in line somewhere and you just don’t want to doom scroll BlueSky or read your e-book that you’ve got on your phone, you just want a little mindless phone app action instead.
That’s when you might want to give Dirty 7s a try.
When app developer Shawn Teskey asked me if I wanted to try this game and review it, I mentioned that I probably wouldn’t be able to do a review of the online multiplayer due to lack of opponents and time to play real-time online games.
He said he was fine with that, so this review is just for the solo version of the app (which is available on iOS and Android, and on the web as well).
This card game can be quite vicious if you really put your mind to it, and there’s a bit of innuendo in the app that I’m not sure if it was intentional or not (so I’m not sure what I think about it, actually).
What’s the game and what the heck am I talking about there?
Let’s take a look at it.
Read MoreBGG Top Games – 5001 – 5100
We’re now on the downward slope heading to the 10,000 level of games ranked on Boardgame Geek.
Yet there are still some decent ones down here!
That just goes to show you that a low-ranked game does not necessarily mean it is bad.
Of course, the ones I’ve actually played in this century put the lie to that (except one caveat), so maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon.
Even going this far down the rabbit hole, I’m still enjoying writing these and I hope you’re enjoying reading them.
Let’s check in on our two experiments that have been going through these posts, though I think this may be the last week for them.
The Game Makers ended last week at #2641 and I’m starting this post way late, on Monday!
Right now it’s at #2603, which means it’s still moving up, but in almost a week it’s only gained 38 spots.
At the time of this posting, it’s at #2587 and I think it’s time to stop following it.
It may still keep creeping up, though. Maybe check back in a few weeks?
How about Wingspan Pocket?
Last week it ended at #1331.
This week, on Monday, it’s at #1283, again not a huge jump.
With it being at #1247, I think it’s time to stop this one too.
Still some steady growth, and I will definitely (eventually) make it into the Top 1000, if not higher.
Definitely the last week for both of these.
Which will give me more room to talk about other stuff!
This week’s list is here, though keep in mind that, as usual, if you come to this post in a year or two, the numbers and games will likely be completely different.
It’s like magic!
Or the passing of time, take your pick.
I’ve played two of the games this week and don’t own either, though one additional game is actually a standalone expansion so I guess it counts and would make three (and one I own).
I’m at my introduction quota, so let’s begin!
Read MoreCombat Commander Pacific – After Action Report – Scenario M3 – Rebuked at Rabi
Some games of Combat Commander are kinetic romps where both sides are attacking, taking losses, taking over territory, maybe losing territory.
And some aren’t…
Not that they aren’t fun.
Combat Commander is always fun.
But some of the games just start out slow, have a really kinetic and exciting middle, and then settle down into a “will I be able to get a cool event that will save me?” stalemate (funny, “Stalemate” was last month’s scenario!).
Wait, “stalemate” sounds like neither side is winning.
I’m actually talking about a “hold on for dear life and hope nothing bad happens” versus “hope something really good happens for me.”
Welcome to another tale from the Combat Commander ladder, administered by the magnificent Patrick Pence, he of Patrick’s Tactics & Tutorials fame.
You should check that out if you want some great Civil War game videos!
Once again we are in the Pacific theater of Combat Commander instead of the European theater, meaning we have some rules to remember that haven’t been used in 10 months or so.
Yes, including the fact that fixing your weapon actually activates you so that you can’t actually use it that turn, which I’d forgotten in September!
This month’s opponent was Dwight P, another repeat opponent. This time it was in a Mediterranean scenario back in June 2023, though I haven’t written about it because it was a pickup game rather than a Ladder game, and I had decided not to write about it for some reason (some of my pickup games I do write about).
Anyway, it was nice to meet up with Dwight officially for this scenario.
Sides were chosen at random right before we started, so I had no idea how to prepare!
This month’s scenario takes place during the Japanese invasion of New Guinea, with an Australian counterattack against some Japanese forces defending their initial landing points.
(don’t forget that you can click on a picture to blow it up)
The Japanese (white – me) set up first, up to 10 hexes from the left side of the board.
The Australians (tan – Dwight) then set up 2 hexes from the right side.
The little area of huts on the bottom left where some Japanese forces are situated is worth one point, but Objective 3 (the road hex where there’s one lone Japanese team in the back) is worth 5 points.
One big special rule is that the bridge across the steam doesn’t exist, so those two hexes are stream hexes (bad cover, takes a lot of movement points to enter).
The second special rule is that Level 2 hexes don’t exist. They are considered Level 1.
So there’s basically two low hills with a lot of jungle on both sides with a gully in between with a stream.
I set up a blocking force down on Objective 1 and the majority of my force (including the bunker and 3 foxholes, which are set up after the Australians set up) in the middle, where I thought they would have decent line of sight to most of the gully.
That was wrong.
Dwight then set up a sizeable force in the middle, but an even more sizeable force at the bottom, ready to run through the jungle and sprint past all the heavy guns that wouldn’t be able to see them much.
I should mention the other special rules before we continue.
Winslow, the Australian Hero, sets up in hex O10 with the Thompson SMG. He didn’t take part in any of the actual fighting, but he was instrumental in causing a lot of havoc among the Japanese.
More on that later.
The other big one is that, since the jungle was less dense in this coastal area of New Guinea, if the line of sight just goes through one jungle hex, it has a 4 hindrance rather than being blocked.
We used that one a lot.
Which one of us was I talking about at the top of this episode?
Let’s find out.
Read MoreFriday Night Shots – Games That Grabbed You on First Look
It’s another Friday night, so time for some stream of consciousness writing about a boardgame topic that makes me happy.
What better thing to do on a Friday night?
Tonight, with a little bit of whiskey added to the mix, I’d like to talk about games that just grabbed you when you first saw them.
This isn’t on the first play. Once you’ve played it, you already know whether you like it or not, or at least want to play it again.
No, I’m talking about games where you happen to see it, either in action on a playthrough, or just hearing about it and then doing a little research. You look it up, take a look at how it appears on the table or in the rulebook, and say “I have to try this.”
This isn’t even saying it’s a game that you end up liking (though in the case of what I’m talking about below, that will happen).
You may finally play it and say “you know, I really should probably wear pants to game days.”
Oh, and also “you know, maybe this game isn’t really for me after all. But it looks cool.”
I’ve had this happen a few times in the last couple of years, where I see a game and then just get all excited about it.
Twice in the last couple of weeks!
So I’ll start with those.
Read MoreBGG Top Games – 4901 – 5000
We’ve hit the 5000 mark in our examination of the Boardgame Geek game rankings, one century of games a week, and it feels quite cool, actually.
I’ve really enjoyed doing this series, and it has kept me consistently writing as well, which is another benefit.
It also has a few fans who participate almost every week (some do it on Discords channels that I’m in, rather than posting on the blog), which makes me very happy.
I plan on continuing this until somebody tells me to stop, so there you go!
I know I said last week that I’d probably stop at least one of the two experiments that we’ve been following, but there was some big growth this week, so maybe not!
First, The Game Makers was at #2773 when last week’s post went live.
It’s now Saturday and it’s already jumped up to #2679.
That’s almost 100 spaces and it hasn’t even been a week yet.
Now it’s at #2641, which is a pretty good jump from last week.
Maybe it’s time to keep this experiment running, at least for another week.
Secondly, Wingspan Pocket was at #1453 and really slowing down last week.
However, it’s now Saturday and it’s already up to #1383.
Not as big of a boost as The Game Makers, but it is something!
With it now being at #1331, which is another 100+ jump.
Another week, then?
Both are living on borrowed time, but so far the borrowing is working.
This week’s century of games can be found here.
The usual caveats apply, though.
If you’re coming to this post after there’s a new US president, then it will most likely have changed!
Unless that happens tomorrow…
I have played four of them and own (or previously owned) two of those played games.
Not a lot! But better than last week.
Anyway, I’m over word budget, so let’s begin!
Read MoreNew to Me – September 2026
September looked like it was going to be very dry in the “new to me games” system, with only one going into the last two weeks.
Once again, Abi saves the day!
Getting five new to me games played in the last two weeks made it so I actually had something to write about, which was great.
I was even able to stave off another revolt from the Cult of the New to Me members, because while four of the games were pretty new, two of them were at least a decade old.
That’s old in game terms!
They actually held a celebration for me.
That made me really uncomfortable, though.
They should follow my lead, not worship me like that.
I’m not that kind of cult leader.
Anyway, without further ado (all of my ado was destroyed in some falling tower anyway), let’s get started!
Read MoreFriday Night Shots – Games Where the “Extras” Make the Game Better
We’ve all played those games before.
The games where just sitting there playing the game, using the mechanisms (card drafting, worker placement, whatever) and you just think “this isn’t really that different than (fill in the blank) and it’s kind of boring.”
But then there’s those games where you feel that way, but there’s just something about this particular game that grabs you for some reason.
In looking at it, there’s really nothing special there.
Can we add something to this to actually make it worth playing?
That’s what I’m talking about when I say “extras.” It’s either something that you add to it as players (I’m not talking about an app, which would be totally different) that makes the game enjoyable when it otherwise might not be, or it’s just the theme.
Sometimes the theme itself carries the day, and sometimes you have to use a little more effort.
Of course, the ultimate example of this for me is Rock Hard 1977, where players are fledgling rock stars wanting to make it big in the music business.
Read MoreSeptember 2026 Gaming
My September gaming wasn’t quite as huge as August, but it was still pretty good.
For a while there, I thought my “new to me” games would amount to one, but then Abi showed up for a couple of Sundays and I was then set.
Which also made me think, especially listening to podcasts like Boardgame Hot Takes, that maybe I should play more live “new to me” games on Boardgame Arena so that I could get exposure to them and be able to count them (since I don’t count asynchronous plays).
That’s how many podcasts and reviewers do their reviews, playing online (though usually with their friends and not randoms like I might be doing).
Anyway, my “new to me” cred was established with six games (which I will talk about next week) and I did manage a respectable number of games played in September even with a couple of weeks at work where we didn’t play much of anything.
Stupid vacations/surgeries/meetings/etc
I played more games in September than I played in August, though I didn’t have quite the same number of plays as I did that month.
That’s because hitting the end of the feature film era, I only played Final Girl four times. I will get to the vignettes I have waiting soon, though.
In other words, not a bad month!
I played 22 games in September for a total of 30 plays (as compared to 33 plays of 20 games last month).
Here’s the list of games played.
And here’s that list in grid form.
Many thanks to the wonderful BG Stats app, including the fact that they’ve upped the maximum number of games in a grid, so convention months will no longer require two pics!
There were a few games where it was my first play in a while, so I will highlight those here.
Though for the new to me ones, take a look at my post next week (the Cult would not be happy if I talked about them ahead of time).
Read More