This is all Scott Tullis' fault. He's the one who originally asked the question (back in 2001) - and after seeing the response, I ran with it. Thanks especially to the spielfrieks list for their input He said: "I thought it would be interesting to see a list of older forgotten games that are favorites. In particular, games that didn't receive many awards, are rarely mentioned by this group or other groups, yet remain favorites. This could inspire some of us to reach into the back of our closets and try some of those dusty games that we only gave one or two tries." So, read on and be 'inspired'!
The following games are divided into 5 categories: 4 different grades (A, B, C & F) for games the Conductor has played and feels semi-competent to render an opinion on... and one pile of stuff I haven't played but feel honor-bound to include. (And, yes, this is a rather arbitrary way to divide up these games... but if you've been around the Station a while you know the Conductor has a tendency to do crazy stuff like that.) Enjoy!
Grade "A" Forgotten Games These are games that I, Mark Jackson, the Conductor of Game Central Station and arbiter of All That Is Good and Right With The World, have played and found to be utterly charming and enjoyable. If I didn't own them most of them, I'd buy 'em... or at least make sure friends of mine own them so I can play them regularly. Proceed at your own risk. Andromeda (Abacus/Rio Grande)
recommended by Scott Tullis, Bruno Faidutti & Scott Alan Woodard
SCOTT T.:This one has taken a beating for being random (which it is). I have had a lot of fun every time I played it!
SCOTT W.: This is one I often request for our regular Game Nights. Yes, it has a random aspect, but it is truly a fun game. The cosmic ashtray is a neat little device.
(Conductor's Note: I'm a big fan of this one... despite it's randomness, it has a certain charm.) Ausgebremst (ASS)
recommended by Mark Johnson & Mark Jackson
MARK JOHNSON: Ausgebremst is my current favorite racing game. It's so very quick, you can play 3-lap races back-to-back. The use of "computer players" to fill out a full six car race works surprisingly well, and offhand I can't think of another game that does this. I'm a tiny bit concerned that the pole position gives too much advantage, but that's a nit. Having so many track combinations in the box is a real bonus, too. It's made my copy of Detroit/Cleveland GP obsolete.
(Conductor's Note: This is a less attractive but meatier re-do of the way-too-expensive Ave Caesar... but you can fix the unattractive part by buying a set of Micro Machines to replace the cardboard pieces provided!) Broadway (TSR)
recommended by Mark Jackson & Alan How
ALAN: A game that always felt underrated, but provided some tense finishes. Das letzes Paradies (Frankh)
recommended by Mark Jackson, Scott Tullis & Mark Johnson
SCOTT: A Knizia game about bidding for real estate. Uses a very clever bidding mechanism - blind bidding, but the winner pays the amount bid by the second highest bidder. This game plays fast, works well for 3 and 4 players and I have found it to be great fun.
MARK JOHNSON: It was one of the first Euros I was introduced to, through a gamer at my old job. I liked it, we played a few times, and only later did I start to hear about its dreadful reputation... I still like it. It's an extremely unforgiving game. I've described it in comparison to Acquire, actually...only imagine that the Acquire tiles are auctioned rather than drawn randomly. Working capital is key in both games. Some tiles are much more valuable to certain players, and you may have to bid defensively. If you don't, then the player gets a lot of money, which only enables him to dominate subsequent auctions and race to victory. If this were a 2-hour, perhaps even a 1-hour game I would be turned off. One slip and you're stuck watching the rest of the game go by. But it's only 30 minutes, short enough to try again after you've learned your lesson, and small enough in scope to track everything that's going on (not individual cash holdings, but everything else.)
(Conductor's Note: I've only played it 3-player, but I found it be quite tense & very interesting. I will grant that it may win an award for "Most Over-Produced Game of All Time" - wooden coins, wooden tree markers, huge board, huge box, chunky wooden property markers, etc.) HeadQuarter (Theta)
recommended by Frank Branham
FRANK: Theta's best game, and one of my favorite 2 player games. This might be more in the obscure favorites. It's Mine (Winning Moves)
recommended by Frank Branham
FRANK: Yeah, people rave about Ra, but this is basically the same game with a faster and lighter mechanic---but still highly similar. And I prefer it to Ra. Lowenherz (Goldsieber/Rio Grande)
recommended by Ben Baldanza, Mark Jackson & Andy Latto
BEN: A great 4-player game that always gets praise but rarely gets mentioned.
(Conductors's Note: This is one of the greatest overlooked games of the last decade...) Marracash (Kosmos)
recommended by Scott Tullis & Greg Schloesser
GREG: This is a neat auction style game which I always enjoy. Sadly, it doesn't come to the table often enough. I still wonder about the design of the pawns, however ... they have this small protrusion on the bottom which causes them to easily tip over. Metropolis (Ravensburger)
recommended by Greg Schloesser
GREG: In my opinion, this is one of the very best city building games as it involves negotiation and deal making. Plus, the buildings don't actually yield payoffs until the end of the game, so their value can (and does) change as other buildings are constructed around them. Palermo (Piatnik)
recommended by Mark Jackson & Stven Carlberg
MARK: a Linie 1/Streetcar-like game of gangsters & protection money that works VERY well... build the city of Palermo then race to make your collections... the trade-off between making money & getting it done quickly keeps the second half of the game interesting! Stimmt So (Queen)
recommended by Greg Schloesser
GREG: Fast, stock collection game with international currencies related to the various markets. Don't be turned off .. this really has nothing to do with the stock market and isn't really a business game. Wiz War (most recent edition by Chessex)
recommended by Alfonzo Smith
ALFONZO: I was going to mention Wiz War but I forgot.
(Conductor's Note: We played again just last night - and as always, had a hoot. Alfonzo's right, though - this classic is easy to forget in the avalanche of games that have followed it. Here's hoping the promised "deluxe" re-do/7th edition is still on the way!)
Grade "B" Forgotten Games These are games that I, Mark Jackson, the Conductor of Game Central Station and self-proclaimed King of Quirky Fluff Games, have played and found to be fun but not worth selling off members of your family f or. Take this with a grain of salt. Ace of Aces (Nova)
recommended by Alfonzo Smith
ALFONZO: Simple, fast and fun dogfight. You can play it over the telephone! El Caballero (Hans Im Glueck/Rio Grande)
recommended by Greg Schloesser & Dan Blum
GREG: This one is a real brain-burner, but the downtime caused by excessive analyzation has prevented it from reaching the table. Evergreen (Goldsieber/Rio Grande)
recommended by Scott Tullis, Dave O'Connor & Scott Alan Woodard
SCOTT T.: This one got horrible press when it first came out. I played it once and then put it away (probably a little influenced by the bad press). The theme of the game is marginal, I admit. But once I got it out a few months ago, the Liberty Gamers group has played it at least 3 more times since. It was requested at our last meeting. I like the use of the turn timer - wish more games would include something like this.
DAVE: with the full group of people this game is a lot of fun and very fast paced. My only complaint is the running down of the timer for the next guy, trying to eat into as much of his time as possible; it seems there's always one guy at the table who wants to squeeze out the last grain of sand so the next guy has absolutely nothing. Meanwhile everyone sits around and twiddles their thumbs.
(Conductor's Note: I've found this one worked well with non-gamers. As in Scott's case, my first experience of this game was weak - we didn't use the timer - and nearly turned me off the game. Subsequent playings show it to be better than it's bad rep.) Flying Carpet (Ravensburger)
recommended by Frank Branham
FRANK: I've always been fond of this old Ravensburger game. Grand Prix (Ravensburger)
recommended by Mark Jackson
MARK: the one from the 70's, not the new kid's game... a racing game which emphasizes the team aspect of Formula 1 racing... the only random element is the starting grid... the art looks a bit like Um Reifenbreite... the game play is excellent - enjoyed by both gamers & non-gamers! Groo (Archangel?)
recommended by Greg Schloesser
GREG: Although I've tired of this due to repetitive play, it remains popular with our group. Several prefer it to Ohne Furcht und Adel, to which it somewhat compares.
(Conductor's Note: I'm not sure I buy the comparison to Ohne Furcht - I actually think it's Settlers filtered through the demented minds of Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones [the creators of the comic book, Groo]... and that's a good thing.) Igel Argern (Doris & Frank)
recommended by Tery ?
TERY: Simple, light, silly, but still a favorite. Maybe it's those cute little hedgehogs zooming around the board... Kuhhandel (Ravensburger)
recommended by Tobias Bende & Bruno Faidutti
BRUNO: One of my all time favorites, but I don't consider it forgotten. It's very popular here. Palmyra (Blatz?)
recommended by Mark Johnson
MARK: Palmyra is certainly one of my forgotten favorites. The brilliance of the amphora stocks and "price track" to handle supply & demand, coupled with limited knowledge (your hand of cards) about which way the market will drift, makes it my favorite economic game. Ransom (designer: Phil O'Neill)
recommended by Stephen Glenn
STEPHEN: Phil O'Neill's fine little building/negotiation game. It comes in a videotape box and plays in about an hour. No excess fat in this game -- Greg Schloesser has a review at his site. Well worth tracking down. Space Walk (Ravensburger)
recommended by Bruno Faidutti
BRUNO: A great and nasty racing game that went totally unnoticed. Spies (SPI)
recommended by Greg Schloesser & Jonathan Degann
GREG: I've always been a big fan of Spies. It actually has the feel of a 'German' style game, although admittedly a bit more 'fiddily'. After all these years, it is still one of my favorite games. Sadly, it doesn't hit the table all that often.
JONATHAN: Ironic to hear it described as SPI-like, because Spies was an experiment by SPI to create a rule set that was UN-SPI-like. The rule set fit on a single piece of paper, and avoided the detailed cases of their typical game. It was designed to be learned as you go, with the rules for the chits printed separately, so you'd only refer to them as they came up. Still, the game is more complex than just about any German game described here. While the rules are less voluminous than Die Macher, the game is certainly more fiddly, as chits move around and require all sorts of comparison checks. Still, it's reasonably quick to get into, and after a game turn or so, people should "get it". Targui (Jumbo)
recommended by Bruno Faidutti
BRUNO: I rate it as the best "Risk-like" game. Vino (Goldsieber/Rio Grande)
recommended by Greg Schloesser
Grade "C" Forgotten Games These are games that I, Mark Jackson, the Conductor of Game Central Station and "Gamer of the Cloth" (thanks, Glenn!), have played and found to be... well, acceptable. I wouldn't walk across the street to play most of these but I wouldn't gnaw my own leg off to get away from them. Move on cautiously, gentle reader. Bazaar (3M)
recommended by Alfonzo Smith Big Boss (Franckh)
recommended by Peter Sarrett & Alan How
ALAN: Sort of two dimensional Acquire, given a third dimension by the height of the tower blocks created. We tried this a few weeks back... and it played well. Dolce Vita (Hans Im Glueck)
recommended by Scott Tullis & Bruno Faidutti
SCOTT T.: I find this card game by Reiner Stockhausen to be great! I like the playing time (about 1/2 hour) and the various strategies it offers. Having played it with various groups, I still haven't found anyone who didn't like it.
(Conductor's Note: I would be one of those people... sorry, Scott. Still, I can understand the appeal of Dolce Vita to others. I'd also recommend playing three rounds no matter how many folks are playing - a variant I learned from Greg Schloesser.) Elfenwizards (White Wind)
recommended by Bruno Faidutti
BRUNO: The only White Wind game you can still find at a correct price, and one of the very best IMHO. A much nicer game than Quo Vadis. Facts In Five (3M/Avalon Hill)
recommended by Tery ?
TERY: Another great game that we never play.
(Conductor's Note: This is Advanced Scattegories... which may be an unfair comparison, as FiF came first. Not bad but kind of an 'egghead' game.) Kingmaker (Avalon Hill)
recommended by Geoff ?
GEOFF: We used to play this time and time again....I may take it down to the club to see if time has been nice to it...I doubt it!
(Conductor's Note: I'm with Geoff... we used to play this one a bunch - in the late 70's, for crying out loud! I was wearing Angel Flights and silky shirts with flowery prints... so there was no accounting for my tastes at that time. It's awfully 'fiddly' and prone to bogging down in some ugly, game-lengthening kind of ways.) Password (Milton Bradley/Endless Games)
recommended by Dave Bernazzani & Glenn Kuntz
DAVE: I'd say PASSWORD would be one of my favorite older games. I'll admit to watching a fair share of it when I was younger and still occasionally catch re-runs on the Game Show Network. It's a fantastic partnership game and one I almost always want to play. A single set has about 700 words and there were dozens and dozens of different editions produced over the years starting with the early 1960's. The very early edition words are VERY difficult (like the word "cad"!) and so having a mix of older editions with newer ones allows you to tailor it to skills of the people playing. Copies of various editions go for a few dollars on ebay.
GLENN: here were 26 editions by MB, and there's a newer edition out by Endless Games. Copies are can also be found at flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores, etc. I never noticed any difference in difficulty between the editions, except that the last MB ed. (25th) was fairly easy, as it was a "best of" the first 24. Haven't played much of the EG edition, so I can't comment, except that it's 4x the price of the previous editions (with only a 10 year gap). With some people we've played it with very often, we've actually developed some tactics and strategies (and accompanying house rules.) Razzia (Ravensburger)
recommended by Scott Tullis
SCOTT T.: This is almost like Adel Verplechtet for up to 8 players. Very random - yes. But quick and fun and has the big advantage of being excellent with 7 or 8 players (and plays in about 1/2 hour). Often requested by Liberty Gamers group. Silberzwerg (Queen)
recommended by Dave O'Connor & Bruno Faidutti
DAVE: When this game first came out a few guys at SVB loved it and bought copies, but I haven't heard too much about it since. I happened to play it last night having not played it in a while and found it to be a lot of fun still.
BRUNO: A very good variation on the Adel Verpflichtet system. Speed Circuit (Avalon Hill)
recommended by Geoff ?
GEOFF: Played it loads...Ran the game by post for 6 years...(2 laps each of 8 circuits..)
(Conductor's Note: Again, Geoff, we're talking disco era gaming here. There are MUCH better race games around - heck, we didn't know it, but there were much better race games around THEN!) Tycoon (Jumbo?)
recommended by Scott Tullis, Dan Blum & Ben Baldanza
BEN: A good game that got lost. Vernissage (?)
recommended by Greg Schloesser & Andy Latto
Grade "F" Forgotten Games These are games that I, Mark Jackson, the Conductor of Game Central Station and Proud Double Owner of the title "Mr. Friendly", have played and found to be horrificly bad. Run out in front of an 18 wheeler to escape playing them bad. Willing to play Magalon again bad. I'm not kidding here. Carat (Queen)
recommended by Stephen Glenn, Dave Bernazzani, Frank Branham, & Stven Carlberg
STEPHEN: I'd been looking to trade for this Derk Henn game for ages. For the components, the price is a bit *out there*. I just recently acquired a copy through trade and I couldn't be happier. This is a terrific multi-player abstract tile-laying game.
DAVE: I think this is a very fine game - but I might only play it with 2 players from now on. It definitely had a multi-player problem depending on what the player to your right did and it had a total kingmaker situation at the end where one player couldn't win but could have decided between any of the three other players. It was a bit of a downer as the game broke down to us pleading who should win - I think we just didn't play the last piece and called it a draw.
FRANK: I sort of like this one. But it plays rather better with 3. More control, and controlling the neutral color to hose other players makes the choices just gray enough to make the game interesting.
STVEN: I like it, too. "Terrific" might be overstating it, but we know how you like to exaggerate. It's a nice game of numbers with a simple rules set that generates interesting play, the board is pretty, and it's pleasant. Certainly it has increased my respect for Dirk Henn as a game designer.
(Conductor's Note: Does the phrase "Your mileage may vary" mean anything to you? Whoof... played this one once, anticipating gaming goodness -- instead found tile-laying boredom, mostly obvious decisions, and the classic "player on my right is an idiot" problem.) Nuclear War (Flying Buffalo)
recommended by Alfonzo Smith
ALFONZO: Laughter and the end of the world! How can you beat that?
(Conductor's Note: I'd rather be dragged over hot coals while playing Chess - a game I detest - than be sucked into another game of Nuclear War and/or Plague & Pestilence.)
Forgotten Games I've Never Played These are games that I, Mark Jackson, the Conductor of Game Central Station and Keeper of the Butt Pillow (don't ask), have not played and know little or nothing about them. Still, I'll probably find myself commenting on a couple of them. Go figure. 6 Day Race (?)
recommended by Alan How
ALAN: A minor classic race game, with some great movement mechanisms that if you screwed up on, meant you would not finish the race. Really good game. Bantu (Parker Brothers)
recommended by Herb Levy, Jonathan Degann & Frank Branham
HERB: Great 1955 Parker abstract involving staggered movement around a circular board and NO DICE! Movement based strictly on a pawn's position vis a vis other pawns!
FRANK: Think about it as a game for those who find Hare & Tortoise a trivial bit of fluff. And freakishly amazingly sophisticated for a game from the time period.
JONATHAN: I've played Bantu a couple of times, and preferred it with the wrong rules, based on the first time I played it. The correct rules, I believe, are that you cannot pass a piece. I found that the game can lock up that way. I preferred it where pawns may pass through others. Of course, doing so often leaves a pawn vulnerable. The essence of the game is that pawns are racing around a circular track. Each player has four of them, numbered 1-4. Normally, a pawn moves the number of spaces printed on it. However, when it begins its movement in a shaded area (which run radially through concentric tracks), the pawn moves the total of all numbers for pawns in that shaded area. Like backgammon, an isolated pawn, landed upon, is sent back to its start position. Pawns numbered "4" must travel the entire track, pawns numbered "3" start 1/4 in, and so on.
(Conductor's Note: According to Kevin Maroney, Bantu is described in detail, with a board, in Dave Parlett's Oxford History of Board Games.) Burp (?)
recommended by Bruno Faidutti
BRUNO: Civilization meets Bausack. A great idea, and a good game.<P> Cold War (SPI?)
recommended by Greg Schloesser Der Fliegende Hollander (Parker Europe)
recommended by Greg Schloesser Double Quick (?)
recommended by Frank Branham
FRANK: Scrabble on methamphetamine. One of my favorite word games. Formel Fun (?)
recommended by Geoff ?
GEOFF: Used to play Breaking Away... we now play Formel Fun because it's a smaller box than Johnny Harringtons edition and nicer bits than Lambournes edition. Fresh Fish (2F)
recommended by Ben Baldanza
BEN: 2F's best game by far and always a brain burner. Frontier 6 (?)
recommended by Kevin Whitmore
KEVIN: Monopoly-like game of the old west. Rob banks, rustle cattle, and even raise sheep. Cute bits and family fun. Gangsters (Avalon Hill)
recommended by Tery ?
TERY: Not forgotten at the World Board Gaming Championships, but we haven't played it in more than a year, and I don't notice any session reports that mention it. The Great Khan Game (TSR)
recommended by Stephen Glenn & Kevin Maroney
STEPHEN: War Rummy?
KEVIN: That *is* a great game. It plays quickly, too. The problem is that it takes too long to explain--the last time I played it with a bunch of new players, it took over 45 minutes to get started, and the game itself lasts only about 90.
STEPHEN: Also, the decision to put a game with 120 cards in a very *flat* box was a weird one. Takes about eight rubber bands to keep it all together. Jitters (?)
recommended by Tery ?, Jonathan Degann, & Aaron Weissblum
TERY: On your turn you roll the lettered dice and flip over a card, which will have a crossword style pattern on it. Using the dice you rolled, you must create this pattern with words. Once you succesfully complete a card, you can choose to end your turn and take the points or you can try another card. The 2nd option is risky, because if the timer runs out before you finish the additional card, you get 0 points. The cards have a range of difficulty, so there is a certain risk in trying to get additional cards, but you can score big if you make it. The annoying timer adds to the pressure.
JONATHAN: There was a time when I was entirely addicted to Jitters. It's a great solotaire game. I used to play to try getting through the entire deck in a certain number of rounds. The decision to take another card (knowing that if you don't make it, you score zero for the whole round) has a "Can't Stop" feel to it - only you're playing a game of skill, and you're playing against a timer.
AARON: Great little game. Has a good "press your luck" element as well. Best for two in my opinion since you only do stuff on your turn. Kangaroo (?)
recommended by Frank Branham
FRANK: It is a bit slow and puzzle-ly, but this is my favorite Chinese Checkers variant, and a really good abstract game. Kimbo (Parker Brothers)
recommended by Herb Levy
HERB: Another Parker abstract (from 1960). Players begin with four pawns, one in each corner of the board. They also have little plastic "fences" that they can place and move around the board to 1) create obstacles and 2) act as walls so that pieces may bounce off them and change direction! The object is to get all four of your pieces into the center square. Easy - and brilliant! Kremlin (Avalon Hill)
recommended by Geoff ?
GEOFF: Played this so many times we were photocopying the photocopies in order to get the sheets for influence points! Kunst Stucke (?)
recommended by Bruno Faidutti & Frank Branham
BRUNO: A la carte is only strange... Kunststuecke is strange, and plays very well.
FRANK:I do adore Kunst Stucke... [but] A la Carte is very silly, incredibly random, but the cooking theme works as a silly game. London Cabbie (?)
recommended by David Mitchell
DAVID: I have a strange game that I bought for $3 from a yard sale called London Cabbie about 20 years ago. I have seen it for sale at British sites but no where else. It is a maze of one way and two way streets representing London. You have a cab and some passengers are placed around the board (card driven). You race to pick them up and drop them off elsewhere (also card driven). There are two traffic snarls that miagrate around the board that block traffic. You can bring another cab on after you aquire enough money but you have to split your movement allowence (20 spaces i think) between them. The more cars there are the better the game as you can not move through a car so if blocked you will always be looking for other routes to your destination. It is very chaotic, there is a lot of downtime between turns and the game lasts 2+ hours but it is always a lot of fun. Mr. President (3M)
recommended by Herb Levy
HERB: In my opinion, the best US Presidential Election game ever! Issued originally as a rummy like card game from the Decor Note Company in 1960, bought by 3M and released in a bookshelf edition in 1965 and then refined, redesigned and updated in 1967 and 1971. (I prefer the 1971 edition.)
(Conductor's Note: This is another game high on my "gotta play" list.) Mystic Wood (Ariel/Avalon Hill)
recommended by Alfonzo Smith
ALFONZO: Fantasy themed acquisition race that has the overrated, overbloated Talisman beat. Regatta (Avalon Hill)
recommended by Geoff ?
GEOFF: One of my favourite Hill sports games. Everyone else hates it though...They have no taste! Rheingold (Jumbo)
recommended by Ben Baldanza & Bruno Faidutti
BEN: This older Jumbo game is never mentioned as a classic or a must-have, but it is excellent. Rich Uncle (Parker Brothers)
recommended by Herb Levy
HERB: This was a Monopoly "spin-off" using the character of Uncle Pennybags (better known today as Mr. Monopoly) as the "glue" for a stock market themed dice game! Has the same kind of excitement as Can't Stop (and this is high praise from a Sacksonite like me) but the theme, which you'd think would get in the way, actually enhances play! And to think, the game first appeared in 1946! (with editions appearing in 1955, 1959 and 1965!) A pretty successful game both in playability and in a commercial sense.
(Conductor's Note: Herb's got me sold - I gotta find me a copy of this one.) Square Mile (Milton Bradley)
recommended by Herb Levy
HERB: Another sophisticated Milton Bradley game with gorgeous components (lots of molded plastic buildings), this time with a real estate and land development theme. Players first zone the square mile of land, then purchase lots and then build on them for profit. Summit (?)
recommended by Jonathan Degann & Herb Levy
JONATHAN: A game from the sixties, which inspired by the Cold War (I think). It needs some fiddling with the rules, but is way ahead of its time. When a scoring card appears in Summit, players do have the immediate opportunity to flip their mills over to make them scorable. So you never get "surprised" as you do in Union Pacific. The catch in Summit is that mills either produce new units or they produce victory points (and are called "factories"). Once you flip 'em to produce VP's, they don't go back. 1964. Sheesh. Who was the seer that invented this game?
HERB: Agreed that Summit was a good one, sophisticated before its time. Vertigo (Eurogames)
recommended by Alan How
ALAN: Reasonably good resource/insufficent choices game that was pretty challenging a few years back. Wildcatter (JC Productions)
recommended by Herb Levy
HERB: From the mid 1980s, this is a large boxed (with nice components - oil derricks etc.) that deals with drilling for oil. Unlike King Oil or Gusher, there is no derrick to place into the board. This is more a Monopoly variant and die rolls are used to determine successful drilling but the die rolls change based on the likelihood of finding oil in a given area. A surprisingly amount of decision making and excitement. Word Whizz (?)
recommended by Bruno Faidutti
BRUNO: My favourite word game. Yacht Race (Parker Brothers)
recommended by Frank Branham
RANK: Another of those fairly sophisticated PB games. It is basically the same as Regatta, but with some random event cards to seriously increase the luck element. In other words Regatta::Yacht Race as Speed Circuit::Formula One. Zankapfel (YSK)
recommended by Alan How
ALAN: I loved the big red apple and the way the game board movement played out. In fact, this must come out next week for a fresh airing!<P> | | As I began to rebuild the Station, I decided to ask some friens for a new set of "forgotten" games. Brian Walker, the editor of Games International, commented that technically these games weren't actually forgotten. (He's right, but I still like the name.) Dave Arnott suggested: "Overshadowed Games... or And Also Games... or something. They Deserve to Come Out and Play Again..." (Dave's right as well - these do deserve to come out and play again.) So, here's the 2004 version of "Forgotten Games," this time simply in alphabetical order.
Forgotten Games 2004 Attila (Rio Grande/Hans im Gluck)
recommended by Stven Carlberg Big City (Rio Grande/Goldsieber)
recommended by Bill Ellard & Dave Kohr
BILL: One of my first German games, and still a presonal favorite. Simple enough to use as an introductory game for newbies. Outstanding bits. Plays quickly. Just enough decisions to make it interesting.
DAVE: There is a lot of luck-of-the-draw in this one, but for me it's more than balanced out by the "fun factor". Unfortunately it seems to have fallen way out of favor with the locals, not too long before I actually bought a copy of it.... Big Deal (Amigo)
recommended by Nick Sauer
LARRY: Big Deal was less well received. It has some good ideas, but we found both downtime and luck of the draw to be problems. It seemed as if it could be fixed with some small changes, but none of us really felt strongly enough about the game to come up with one. Big Shot (Ravensburger)
recommended by Eric Martin
ERIC: Not really forgotten from my point of view, as I purchased this game only this year, but I'm surprised not to have learned of it earlier. Big Shot has the "debt spiral" appeal of Age of Steam, but with a much shorter playing time. I can see where people might view it as too calculating, but I've enjoyed the hmm-ing and haw-ing as players decide whether to take on yet another $10 million in debt and trying to fathom what strategy they might have while placing ownership cubes.
DAVE VA: Good call! This is a game I debated putting on my list or not. I ultimately chose not to, because I have been promoting it as a decent game for some time. In other words, I haven't forgotten it, even if others have. I especially like it with 3 players, where the ability to use dummy colors to create ties and win territory for yourself when you're behind adds a little something to the depth. Bridges of Shangri-La
recommended by Frank Hamrick, Ted Cheatham, Jeremy Avery & Jim Cobb
FRANK: I will add one more to the "Forgotten" list - although it is a relatively new game. The 2003 release - The Bridges of Shangri-La. It might be better to put this one on the "was never on the radar" list. It just went completely unnoticed by the gaming community, yet is one of my favorites. True, it's a bit of an abstract with a pasted on theme, but the decision making and the turn angst are very high (IMO). I would say this and the aformentioned Capitol are definetly the two games I love most that I can never get played.
JEREMY: I had to get through 2 horrible playings where I had no idea what to do next, and I had to also try and forget the bad graphics. Once I finally did, I found an absolutely intriguing tactical game that will present about 10 desireable actions for every one allowed. Capitol
recommended by Frank Hamrick, Rick Thornquist, Matt Baldwin, Larry Levy, Bill Ellard, Tom Vasel & Ted Cheatham
FRANK: I know of no other game that has so much turn angst for me! You always need to do far more than you can on a given turn. The game has so many things I enjoy: auctions, bluffing/guessing where your opponents are going to place their building, territorial control, very little luck (no dice, good control of the cards you hold if you play the variant).Further, I love the wooden bits that comprise the floors and roofs of the buildings. The mechanic of building before you place them on the board is also very intriguing, as buildings must comply with building codes, and others may beat you to a spot - wasting all your resources on a building that cannot be placed. Despite its exceptional play and my enjoyment of it, I haven't been able to get my group to play it in the past couple of years! In fact, it's been nearly three years since it was last played.
PATRICK K: What's even sadder is that there were piles and piles of Capitols being fire-saled at Essen 2004 by Heidelberger for a measly 7.50 Euros a pop. And there weren't very many being bought even so. Heck, they were even giving a copy away to each customer who bought 100 Euros or more worth of games from them...
RICK: I think it's just a superb game with lots of strategic possibilities and lots of interaction. I think there are two reasons why it doesn't get played more often. First, I have so many new games to play - the old ones pretty much get the short shrift. Second, it plays only up to four players. It seems I mostly play five player games these days unless I plan specifically to have a session with four.
MATT: Wow, that's crazy: Capitol was my first thought too. I enjoy playing it WHEN I'm playing it, but when I scan the shelf for soemthing to bring to the table my eyes just kind of skip over it. And when I scan the shelf idly, when I'm NOT specifically looking fro something to play that instant, I always think "man, why don't I play more Capitol?"
LARRY: I agree that Capitol is a great and underrated game. It's not forgotten by our group because it still comes out occasionally. Not as much as I'd like, but it's always harder for games that play only with four to get table time. But what variant are you talking about? I'm not aware of any.
FRANK: It's been so long, I've almost forgotten. But, without looking at the rules, I think it has to do with refilling your hand with cards at the end of the turn. It seems that the original rule had each player in turn drawing all 6 of his cards before the next player drew his six. We play that each person draws one card in turn until each has drawn six. Then, those who can draw more, continue to take one each in turn until all have their max. There is still luck, but it seems to be somewhat mitigated by each player getting their cards equally during the turn. It also makes choices a bit more agonizing, because you know you are leaving other cards for the next player.
STVEN: For some reason Capitol didn't entertain me. In theory it's lots of things I like in a game, but in practice I found it tedious. Not sure why.
PAT B: Because you're a very smart man. To everyone who listed Capitol as a forgotten game ... HELLO!! There's a reason for it!!!! ;-) Das Amulett (Goldsieber)
recommended by Dave Vander Ark
DAVE VA: Although hopefully the new release in English will help this one stage a comeback. Not the most balanced game, but a ton of fun. It's also an auction game that Theresa (Dave's wife) will play. I have to like that in a game. El Caballero (Rio Grande/Hans im Gluck)
recommended by Jonathan Degann & Ted Cheatham
JONATHAN: I think that this turns out to be longer and more involved than people want to get into. It always seems so much EASIER to just pull out Carcassonne, even though it is just a shadow of El Cab. Plus, everyone already knows how to play Carc.
TED: Again, another great game with lots of options. At the time, this was the best $13 for a game you could spend. This one needs to come out more often.
DAVE K: I don't really miss this one much. I agree it was a great bargain, and it's a very challenging game. But the "fun factor" just was never there for me, this one was more of a brain-burner that burned me out. I own a copy but plan to sell it. El Grande (Rio Grande/Hans im Gluck)
recommended by Jonathan Degann, Ted Cheatham, & Bill Ellard
JONATHAN: For the longest time this was THE GAME. Yet I haven't played it in a year. I think that the expansions and variants, ironically, hurt it a bit. There's a part of me that doesn't want to play the vanilla game, as excellent as it is, but there is more overhead in playing the alternatives. Plus, I feel it is fixed at 5 players.
TED: Played with 4 and it was amazingly good. I was surprised as I had always held out for exactly 5. Some expansions are fun but in no way needed.
DAVE K: I think this is a really great game, but I don't know how to play it. I'd say it hasn't really been forgotten locally, it still seems to come out fairly regularly at Bay Area Games Days. Empire Builder (and the other 'crayon' rails) (Mayfair)
recommended by Bill Ellard
BILL: Some in our group refuse to play these games because (a) they're long, and (b) there's not enough player interaction. I think 3-4 four of us would like to pull one out again (INDIA RAILS gets mentioned the most), so maybe I'll bring it to one of our sessions beforre year's end. Empires of the Ancient World (Warfrog?)
recommended by Bill Ellard
BILL: I like this for the same reason I like MARE NOSTRUM, but we haven't played this Martin Wallace design in over two years. Time to bring it out again. Die Neuen Entdecker (Kosmos/Mayfair)
recommended by Stven Carlberg Freibeuter (Kosmos)
recommended by Dave Vander Ark
DAVE VA: This is just a good, solid game. The theme is pretty thin, but the game works well and moves along briskly. Works with kids ages 8 and up. Industrial Waste (Hans in Gluck/Rio Grande)
recommended by Brian Leet
BRIAN: I always really enjoy this game, but it is not generally well respected. While there is a fair amount of luck, the game plays quickly, the theme is amusing, and everyone is always kept involved. I have found that it does reasonably well with non-gamers once you surpass the hurdle of the all the cards being icons without any text. The decisions to be made are usually quick but offer the occasional agonizing moment. Overall a good introductory level "capability building" game in the vein of Princes of the Renaissance or Goa, but with a lighter touch.
DAVE K: I liked this one, in my one playing of it, but it disappeared off the table since then so I never got to try it again! It's Mine (Winning Moves)
recommended by Susan Rozmiarek, Stephen Glenn, Larry Levy, Richard Vickery, & Nick Sauer
SUSAN: Does anyone remember this little gem by Reiner Knizia? My extended family loved this one. Even my mother, who usually only plays checkers, was willing to play it. My hand starts twitching just thinking about it. Our copy has been buried and forgotten for years at the bottom of a stack on our shelves. What a shame.
STEPHEN: This is a fabulous game. It does for Ra what San Juan does for Puerto Rico -- allows you to enjoy the basic system without investing as much time and/or mental energy. I also have the Simpson's version, which features doughnuts instead of the weird, glowing balls [!] of It's Mine.
LARRY: I actually prefer it to Ra, since it doesn't have the latter's problems with "if I guess right on how the Ra tiles come out, I win, if I don't I lose". But I really haven't found the right crowd to play it with. I figured it would click with my old gaming crowd, who prefer lighter games, but they were singularly unimpressed. But I fully intend to keep it in the collection.
RICHARD: Yes - one of my favourites. Fun, fast but with a bit of thinking.
NICK: An excellent choice that I immediately wanted to kick myself for not remembering. It's a great little Knizia game that seems to me should get more play than it does in any of my groups. La Citta (Kosmos/Rio Grande)
recommended by Brian Leet & Dave Kohr
BRIAN: Tense and interesting game of managed growth. I particularly like the way you get incomplete information about the future but also need to be careful of too much immediate success. The balancing act between expectations, limited actions and how you are affected by opponents' decisions is wonderful. I expect that it gets less play than I would like partially due to playing time, but it really isn't that long for what you experience.
DAVE K: This game really hits a sweet spot for me. I like it because it's strategically challenging (at least, it challenges me!), there's a modest but not overwhelming amount of luck, it's meaty and lengthy as German-style games go, and the mechanics match the theme extremely well. It's a bit like Settlers in that you're trying to build up your own position, and your main interaction with other players is competition for stuff you all need. But it feels more cutthroat than Settlers because you actually steal people from other players' cities. Lord of the Rings (Kosmos/Fantasy Flight)
recommended by Bill Ellar &, Dave Kohr
BILL: Saw a lot of play when it first came out. Expansions didn't see as much play as original. The 'cooperative team' mechanics are not very popular with a few of our more intense gamers.
DAVE K: I find this one less of a strategy game and more of an enjoyable group exercise. Still, it's one of my favorite TGOO's. This one sold a million copies (the most ever, for a Knizia design), and I seriously doubt that the majority of people who own it and enjoyed playing it have truly "forgotten" it. Lowenherz (Rio Grande/Goldsieber)
recommended by Jonathan Degann & Ted Cheatham
JONATHAN: Great game but SOO mean and stressful. I get heartburn everytime I think of taking it off the shelf.
TED: Yes, a great game that was not given its due. Manhattan (Hans in Gluck/Mayfair)
recommended by Ted Cheatham Mare Nostrum (Eurogame)
recommended by Bill Ellard
BILL: I like this one a lot, but it hasn't seen any play for over a year in our group. Marracash (Kosmos)
recommended by Dave Vander Ark & Stven Carlberg
DAVE VA: Another good, solid game. Less than an hour to play, not too hard for non gamers, and usually a fairly close finish. Medieval Merchant (Goldsieber/Rio Grande)
recommended by Stven Carlberg & Craig Berg
CRAIG: I love this game, but for whatever reason it never comes off the shelf. Mexica (Ravensburger/Rio Grande)
recommended by Craig Berg
CRAIG: Another one I've gotten out recently, re-read the rules, carried to a couple of game conventions and STILL haven't played. It is one of my favorite "light heavy" games. It is easily my favorite of the Tikal/Java/Mexica series. Serenissima (Eurogames)
recommended by Jonathan Degann
JONATHAN: I think this is a brilliant game, but at 3 hours, it is pushing the envelope of what people will accept. I think that now that our group is again big enough to often support two tables, I may bring this out again. Siesta (Goldsieber/Kosmos)
recommended by Jim Cobb
JIM:I think Siesta is another game that never got the attention it deserved. The confusion in the English translation of the rules seemed to have doomed it when it first came out, but it's an excellent game! Stephensons' Rocket (Pegasus/Rio Grande)
recommended by Ted Cheatham, Anye Sellers, Larry Levy
LARRY: Stephenson's is one of my all-time favorites, Anye, but I can never manage to get it onto the gaming table! We'll definitely have to try to scare up a couple of other players (although I understand that the game also plays very well with two).
DAVE K: I remember playing this one a few times back when it came out, and being totally bewildered as to the strategies. And I still am, because it totally disappeared from the gaming table in the last few years. I think Age of Steam is the culprit. Taj Mahal (Alea/Rio Grande)
recommended by Bill Ellard
BILL: Still one of my favorites games of all time. Marvelous design, with all the tension of Mexican stud poker combined with board play. 4-5 years ago, we played this game almost every session.. Many in our group find it too intense, and don't seem interested in it anymore.
DAVE K: Another game that disappeared from the table before I had a chance to figure out any good strategies. Tikal (Rio Grande/Ravensburger)
recommeded by Chris Brua & Bill Ellard & Dave Kohr
CHRIS: I love the game -- the whole exploring / adventure thing combined with the mental gymnastics you do each turn to optimize your points (or potential for points) given the few action points you have. Still, it never seems to hit the table anymore. A bit too long, maybe? Too bizarre a dichotomy of randomn tile draws combined with methodical expenditure of action points? Perhaps. Has it been overshadowed by newer exploration games? That is probably the gist of it for me. The allure of exploration is finding something new, and so I seldom think of playing a old friend like Tikal when so many new exploration titles like Goldland, Tahuantinsuyu, Jenseits von Theben, and many others keep popping up. Or maybe I'm just fickle. ;-)
DAVE K: One of my all-time favorites, but a lot of people never liked it because of the potential for downtime if you play with people who spend too long on their moves. Torres (Ravensburger/Rio Grande)
recommended by Bill Ellard
BILL: Another fine design that got a lot of play in our group until a few years ago. Now that Rio Grande is re-releasing it with new graphics, I'll sneak it back on the table for to entice those who've never played it and may be interested in buying the new version. TurfMaster (?)
recommended by Susan Rozmiarek
SUSAN: This used to be a popular choice for six or more players. I never see or hear it suggested or mentioned anymore, including within my own gaming group. While it is a bit long for what it is, it deserves to make an appearance on the table more often than it has for the past couple of years. Tycoon (Jumbo)
recommended by Nick Sauer &, Larry Levy
NICK: It is a Wolfgang Kramer collaboration that was published by Jumbo in 1998. Great game that suffered from a moderately poor rules set. The game is actually quite simple once you learn it. We have actually been playing this one a bit recently.
LARRY: No argument with you about Tycoon, Nick. It's not forgotton by our group, as we play it as much as we ever have. It's an excellent financial game and definitely deserves to be better known. Urland (Doris & Frank)
recommended by Dave Vander Ark
DAVE VA: We played this several times when it was first published, then sort of left it. We played it again a few weeks ago and had a great time. I've had several people in my group ask when we will play it again. That's a good sign. I like the theme, I like the challenge of making the right decision among the options you have, and knowing you are probably guessing wrong. I also like the way you are forced to sit out and watch, because it adds to the angst you have on your turn. Better get it right, you don't get to act next time around! Ursuppe (Doris & Frank)
recommended by Dave Kohr
DAVE K: Nobody has mentioned Ursuppe, does this mean you're playing it or you've forgotten it? I see it on the table from time to time at Games Day. I really like it, but only twice have I actually had a chance to play it. Vino (Goldsieber/Rio Grande)
recommended by Dave Kohr & Stven Carlberg Vinci (Eurogames?)
recommended by Dave Kohr & Stven Carlberg
DAVE K: I think this is the best entry in the "Civ lite" competition, ahead of "Empires of the Ancient World", "Mare Nostrum", and of course "Civ: the Boardgame". Among the locals, it seems to have the most staying power, since it's the oldest of these 4 and it still gets onto the table as much as any of them.
A Final Note Stven Carlberg wrote me an e-mail as I was working on this page: "A few weeks ago I did a geeklist entitled Long Languishing Unplayed on much this same subject. I listed 22 good games I hadn't managed to play at least since January 1, 2004. After doing the list, I've gotten to play games of Vinci, Vino, and chess." | |
