BGG Top Games – 2301-2400

Each week when I do these BGG Top Games posts, I comment about how things are getting a little thin down here in the 2000s.

It’s like you’re scuba diving and suddenly your air tank is reading as near empty and you don’t know how you got there.

However, I usually get a pretty good post out about it!

If I do say so myself. I know many of you may disagree.

However, I have to say that this week’s is truly the bottom of the barrel so far.

It’s not all bad, but it’s mostly uninteresting, and that’s even some of the games I’ve played!

This is not a symptom of how getting down deeper is going to keep getting worse.

I’ve taken a peek at what I’ll be talking about next week, and it’s a huge step up from this one.

I still think these posts are fun, though.

They continue to spark discussion about lesser-known games among my friends and readers.

Here’s the list I’m taking this from. Keep in mind that things can change, especially if you’re reading this years in the future (I hope I’m around that long!)

In this century, I own (or have owned) only two of them, and have only played three!

So I’ll talk briefly about those three and then get on to what I might want to play in the future.

Maybe.

(I maybe play in the future. No “maybe” I’ll talk about them. You can’t get rid of me that easily)

This century seems to have a large number of 1st edition games where the second one has come out to high acclaim relatively recently, which is kind of interesting.

That, and the sequel to a game that I own and love, but can’t find this actual one.

With all of that, let’s begin

The first game I’ve played is Harbor (#2326), a relatively small game from the now-defunct Tasty Minstrel Games.

I played it a couple of times and it was…fine.

It’s a worker placement game, or more like a worker movement game, because you are placing your worker in a spot and then moving it each turn to do something else.

Maybe gain some resources? Maybe making a trade? Or maybe spending the many resources gained to build a building.

I last played this game in 2017, so it’s not a surprise that I remember almost nothing about this game.

It does have an interesting mechanic in that as you use resources to build things, the value of the resources used drops while the value of others rises.

The buildings are worth points and you can get points in other ways too.

Can you tell it’s been a while?

I wouldn’t be opposed to playing it again, but I remember it was kind of lackluster.

The next game that I’ve played is actually a recent new to me game that will show up on my March New to Me post in early April, but I’ll briefly mention it here.

Light Speed: Arena (#2353) is a real-time, very quick game where you are taking your 6 (or more or less depending on player count) and one at a time from a shuffled pile, playing your ship out onto the table inside a pre-sized area of the table in order to try and destroy other players’ ships or bases.

The game uses an app and each 10-second round, you have to turn over a ship and place it.

You’re trying to point the lasers on your ship towards an opponent’s vessel and not your own, because accidental self-kills are a thing!

After all ships have been placed, you use the app (which uses your camera) to essentially record the playing surface, and then the app proceeds to execute all of the firing and destruction.

The app will then give you the points for each player.

It’s actually quite cool!

This is roughly a 5-minute game, so you can play multiple times like we did.

I’m not a fan of real-time games, but this one doesn’t offend me too much.

You’re essentially trying to make sure your lasers line up with other players’ tiles, which is easy enough to do.

If you need something really quick, this isn’t a bad choice.

Finally, I’ve played La Granja: Siesta (#2365), the roll and write version of La Granja, but I played this one first.

I’m ok with roll and writes, but they’re not my favourite genre of game.

I played this one time back in 2018, so again the memory is really foggy on it.

It’s kind of a roll and write, except that players are drafting dice rolled on each turn rather than rolling their own.

Of course, when you roll, you get first dibs.

You’re collecting resources, using helper special effects, building barns to store goods, and sometimes taking a much needed siesta!

Despite the fact that the title specifically says you won’t be.

I seem to recall that the game was fine. I wouldn’t mind playing it again just to refresh my memory, but it’s not a deep urge or anything.

And that’s it! That’s everything I’ve played in this century.

How about games of note or that I might want to play?

Claim 2 (#2319) is the sequel to a 2-player trick-taking game that I love (Claim, duh).

This one has more suits and factions so you can broaden your Claim games!

It’s a standalone sequel to Claim, so you don’t even need the base game to play this one.

I’ve been keeping my eye out for it because I like the first one so much.

You’re essentially dealt 13 cards and are playing a standard trick-taker with the other player.

You lead a suit (faction) and they must follow it if they can. Otherwise, they can play anything.

The winner of the trick gains the card that’s up for grabs (which was already revealed, so you can choose not to win the trick if you really don’t want it) while the loser takes the top card of the deck.

These will be used in the 2nd round for your hand.

But each faction has a power of some sort, which will affect the game.

In the original, for example, all Dwarves played in the 2nd round went to the loser of the trick.

You’re trying to win the majority of as many of the 5 factions as you can. Whoever wins the majority in 3 factions wins the game.

I don’t know what the powers in the factions in Claim 2 are, but I’d love to try it!

Great Western Trail: El Paso (#2352) is a slimmed down version of the classic Great Western Trail, in almost half of the playing time!

I have actually played this one on Boardgame Arena once, but even something like this, I think I need to play it on the table first because it didn’t make enough sense to me for me to play it even remotely well.

You’re still taking on the role of ranchers trying to get your cattle to market.

You’re trying to build buildings as well as extend the railroad, all in 60-90 minutes instead of double that!

It seemed pretty cool because it does give you a feel of the original but maybe a little less complex.

I’m pretty sure at least one of my friends has this, so maybe I will get it to the table sometime.

Then I’ll have played 4 in this century!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Rommel in the Desert (#2379), the original block wargame of World War II North African combat between the Germans and the British.

This game is a classic, so I’m told, and let’s blurb this so you can see it too!

“Rommel in the Desert simulates the experience of command. The real problems of generals have nothing to do with shuffling combat factors to get a perfect 3-1 attack while the enemy waits passively to be overwhelmed. Rommel gained many of his victories by employing speed, daring, and surprise.

In this game, as in the desert campaign, the events of the battlefield are often subordinate to the battle of wits and nerves between opposing commanders. A good grasp of strategy will help, but foresight, nerve, and instinct are the crucial elements of success.”

Not to mention that you can now play this on Rally the Troops!

Maybe I’ll get a game of this in one of these days.

Finally, just noteworthy and not something I necessarily want to play, is the first edition of John Company (#2393).

This game’s 2nd edition is really well-regarded and I don’t know how it compares with this one.

Does this one have a lot of fans?

It’s down here in the 2300s, but that doesn’t mean anything because apparently this is a big, long game with lots of negotiation and stuff.

Which means it’s kind of niche.

However, since the 2nd Edition is ranked #215, I’d say that most people have moved on from this one.

Let’s blurb this one, and then one of my friends can come in and tell me how the 2nd edition is.

“John Company attempts to tell the story of the British East India Company from the inside out. Players will steer their dynasties through the company’s history, vying for position, power, and prestige. The goal of the game is simple: Use the Company and the Company’s trade to secure your place in society back home. To this end, you guide your scions through their careers, exchanging favors for positions in London or plush colonial posts. Players collectively control the Company, facing tough budgetary decisions and conflicting interests. Should a Governor conduct a campaign to expand company holdings or invest in his region’s infrastructure? Perhaps the honest tax revenues would be better diverted to expand his summer estate back home…

As the game continues, the Company may face open rebellion in India or outright failure as it grapples with increasingly bold attempts at regulation from the British government. It’s even possible that the Company’s trade monopoly will be revoked, leaving the players to form and operate their own trading firms. Each game offers a huge range of possibilities, informed chiefly by the decisions the players make. In addition, players can tailor their experience by using one of the three tournament scenarios that cover the Early, Mid, and Late Company that can be played in about 90 minutes. The game also offers a full campaign game that will take players from 1720 to 1857 in an evening.”

And that’s about it!

I told you this one wouldn’t be as long as the others have been.

One thing I noticed about this century is that most of the games are from 2024 or before, with many being much older than that.

That pretty much means there are few games (maybe Light Speed: Arena?) that are up and comers, moving out of here.

Instead, most movement will be minimal, though there is some.

Last week’s B-17 fell into this century, actually, so I could talk about it again if you want.

No, please come back!

Hopefully these posts are bringing some eyes onto these forgotten games, and maybe somebody will remember they own one and break it out?

I don’t know, but I can tell you that next week’s post will be much better, because I’ve actually played quite a few of them.

For now, what do you think of these? Anything you might want to try out, if you haven’t already?