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Marshwiggle92Level 73

690 / 1,719 xp

I am a Kansas farm boy, currently living and working in rural El Salvador.

I am primarily a solo gamer. I do enjoy playing multiplayer games, but, since having moved away from those I used to game with, I have turned more and more to solo gamer. As I have grown in my life as a solo gamer, I have come to regard it super highly. No longer is it merely a poor substitute for multiplayer gaming, but, almost, a preference.

My main interest is heavier games that I can play solo. I am particularly fascinated by games with strong historical themes. My top 5 as of of the end of 2020 are:

Joined 15 months ago
BGA Wiki Contributions: 82
Played Forbidden Island 44 days ago
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Rating Summary (125 Total)

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Forum Posts

Breakdown of the BGG top 100 by year.

by Marshwiggle92 | updated 32 days ago

7 | 13 comments | [+]

Good morning one and all.

I have heard, here and in other corners of the internet, a fair amount of "complaining" of the fact that the top 100 on BGG is skewed towards older games. And, truthfully, they don't seem to have any sort of dynamic system. I understand BGA is trying to be more dynamic in their rating system, and that is something I am appreciative of. But, I am also interested in more static systems such as presented by BGG.

Anyways, I decided to go through the top 100 on BGG and break it down by year. I sorted it by the published year, according to BGG. This is sorta weird, because it feels like there are a number of games that should be considered to be published a year or even two after the "official" published date.

Anyways, without further ado.

2020: 2 games. Highest is number 15 with #Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion.

2019: 10 games. Highest is number 21 with #Wingspan.

2018: 9 games. Highest is number 3 with #Brass: Birmingham.

2017: 11 games. Highest is number 1 with #Gloomhaven

2016: 13 games. Highest is number 4 with #Terraforming Mars.

2015: 13 games. Highest is number 2 with #Pandemic Legacy: Season 1.

2014: 6 games. Highest is number 24 with #Orléans.

2013: 4 games. Highest is number 18 with #Concordia.

2012: 7 games: Highest is number 11 with #War of the Ring: Second Edition.

2011: 4 games. Highest is number 14 with #The Castles of Burgundy.

2010: 3 games. Highest is number 58 with #7 Wonders.

2009: 1 game, number 82 with #Dominion: Intrigue.

2008: 4 games. Highest is number 45 with #Le Havre.

2007: 3 games. Highest is number 19 with #Brass: Lancashire.

2006: 1 game, number 44 with #Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization.

2005: 3 games. Highest is number 9 with #Twilight Struggle.

2004: 1 game, number 38 with #Power Grid.

2003: 0 games. The highest rated game from this year is #Yinsh at number 182.

2002: 1 game, number 27 with #Puerto Rico.

2001: 0 games. Highest ranked game from this year is #Dvonn Board Game at 466.

2000: 0 games. Highest ranked game from this year is #Princes of Florence at 177.

This gives us 96 games. The remaining games are:

1997 #Tigris & Euphrates number 90.

1995 #El Grande number 72.

1982 #Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases number 94.

1876 #Crokinole number 67.

Anyways, so there are several observations I draw from this list.

It looks like 2015 and 2016 were really strong years. They both have 13 games on the top 100, this means that between them they have over 25% of the top 100 games on BGG.

I am surprised at how high newer games are scoring. 2019 has 10 games????

2020 however has only two games. I do wonder if when lockdown restrictions ease up and allow more in person multiplayer games if there will be more 2020 games to make the cut. There are also some 2019 games that really weren't in broad circulation until 2020 that did make the cut for the top 100, #The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine and #Marvel Champions: The Card Game are the two examples that come to mind.

I did especially notice three older games that were the number 1 game on BGG for a while. These games are still ranked pretty high, in fact, they are still ranked higher than any other game from that year or from before. The games I am thinking of are:

#Twilight Struggle this is a 2005 release and is at number 9 overall. There isn't a game in front of it that is less than 10 years newer than this game. that is fascinating to me.
#Puerto Rico was the king of BGG for awhile after it came out in 2002. Today it is still ranked highly at number 27 overall. If it came out today, with today's graphic design and theme sensibilities I believe it would hit the hotness, and skyrocket up the charts. It is a truly great mid-weight euro.
My last one here is ranked 90 overall, and it is the 1997 hit release, #Tigris & Euphrates. The next newest game in the top 100 is 5 years newer. I still here/see people talking about raving about this game. I wish it would come back into print. *Edit.... I when I wrote this part about Tigris & Euphrates I forgot about the 1876 hit #Crokinole. That is quite a bit older than 1997, and it is ranked higher, at number 67.

Anyways, I am really curious to see how the BGA rankings will shake out as the user base continues to grow, and the number of rankings continues to increase.

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My year as a gamer.

by Marshwiggle92 | updated 5 days ago

6 | 22 comments | [+]

I wanted to give a brief rundown of my year as a gamer.

At the beginning of the year I had two New Year's resolutions:

I resolved to begin logging all of my plays. This I did mostly do. I know that there are plays I forgot to log, and that is ok, but it has become a habit for me. That was my goal with this resolution.
I also resolved to complete a 10x10. I didn't get it done. Not even close. It is true that the pandemic did take several trips from me, trips where I had been hoping to play a lot of games. It is also true that I got into a bit of a lazy rut during the worse of lockdown where not even gaming looked good. But, ultimately, me not completing my 10x10 was 100% my fault. I should have been able to get it done.

In 2020 I played, so far, a total of 90 plays with 21 unique games.

This year I bought, won, kickstarted, or preordered a total of 18 games and 3 expansions this calender year. This was the year of my first kickstarter, #Pax Pamir (Second Edition) That was the perfect first experience for a kickstarter. It delivered a beautiful product, and only a few weeks late in spite of a worldwide pandemic.This is also the year that I discovered online retailers. I had always just bought my games on Amazon. But, this is the year I started using GameNerdz, Cool Stuff Inc., and, Miniauture Market. I would say that my experience with these retailers, especially GameNerdz, have made so that I never look on Amazon first. Amazon is now the place I will go if I can't find what I want anywhere else.

As I look back on this year, I think that I have grown a lot as a gamer. This is the year I got into historical games. GMT changed for me, I went from shaking my head at their artistic choices, to actively seeking out their games. I remember earlier this year telling someone, I think it was @philryuh, that I had no interest in realistic space exploration in games. Then I watched a teach and play of #High Frontier 4 All and bought it, along with the three expansions that they have designed so far. I am further very interested in #Leaving Earth and #SpaceCorp. This is also the year that I went from aggresively disinterested in "real train games" to very interested in "real train games." In fact, my current number 2 of all time is an 18xx. This is the year that I went from mocking those who spent over $100 on #Roads & Boats to wondering if I should be buying it. Honestly, if the box wasn't so big, I would have bought it. There are still parts of our lovely hobby that I am disinterested in. But, that being said, I think that this year I have learned to enjoy the experience of playing a game and exploring its systems instead of just looking for the "fun" in games. I think that where I find my pleasure in gaming has perhaps shifted a little bit.

So, I mentioned that I feel like I grew in terms of games that I am interested in. Their are, however, two categories of games that I have liked very much in the past, but have slipped a bit for me, especially this year.

The first of those category is Euro games. I still like euro games, I will even seek specific games in this category out. I used to love euro games. Those used to be my favorite. But, more and more, and am interested in theme, even to the point of simulation. I find the euro games that I seek out are those that are tremendously thematic. I love #Agricola (Revised Edition), that is a euro game, and I find it tremendously thematic. So, this is the year that I really stopped being interested in a euro because it is a euro. I still have love some themeless euro's, #Puerto Rico for instance, but the bar for me to buy a euro is now higher. Again, that is not saying that I hate euros. I just bough #Underwater Cities not long ago. I don't expect it to be a thematic game. But, with what I have heard about it, I expect it to be a great game.

The second category that has slipped are coop games. As a general rule, I don't want to play coop games multiplayer anymore. I am fine playing them solo. I am fine playing some of them multiplayer if there are new players, or if the other players really want to play a coop game. But, for me, when I buy a coop game, I want to only play it solo. I need to justify my purchase on the basis of solo only play.

This is the year that I also went from being a solo gamer by necessity to being a solo gamer by choice. I used to think that whenever I have other players around I will stop solo gaming. But, this year, I went to wanting to play games solo. I still want to play games multiplayer. But, I also actively want to play game solo instead of multiplayer.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, I think I joined BGA in October(ish) of 2019. This is the year that I have feel I have formed friendships and been accepted into a community of the fine folks here. I love interacting with y'all on the forums, in the dm's, via email, and all the other ways we have connected. I know that these virtual friendships can be a little ethereal. But, that doesn't mean that they haven't been super valuable to me. So, thanks to y'all, you know who you are, so I will only name two of you. @philryuh and @trentellingsen, thanks for making and running this community. It is thanks to you two that all of the rest of us can enjoy each others friendships and support.

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The game everybody likes but you.

by Marshwiggle92 | updated 2 months ago

6 | 22 comments | [+]

Do you have rules that govern collection size?

by Marshwiggle92 | updated 17 days ago

5 | 27 comments | [+]

My personal top 10 games at the end of 2020

by Marshwiggle92 | updated 33 days ago

5 | 20 comments | [+]

So, I have made my top ten lists for the end of the year. This was, at least partially in response to @philryuh's call for top "x" lists. I made two lists, my first list was a "top 10 of all time" as of right now. And the second one was my current top ten solo games. I have decided to share them as forum posts, with some commentary. In this post I will briefly explore my top ten games as of right now. If you wish to see my list, that can be found here.

So, I made this list with Pubmeeple's ranking engine. This is a interesting engine, and one that I appreciate, but, I am still not 100% sure that it is the best way to rank my games. I should also state that I have not played all of these games at all player counts. But, I am assuming that for any of these games I am playing at the my favorite, so far, player count. Anyways, without further ado, here's my list.

Coming in at number 10 we have #Innovation. Last year this came in at number 6. This is a great game. It is very much a game that can feel swingy, chaotic, and unpredictable. But, when one has played it sufficiently one can start seeing the order in the chaos. One can start seeing how even the most depraved strategies can be blocked. This is a game that seems to break many many rules of good game design, and shines, partly because of that. I will say, that I do like it much much better at 2 than at 3 or 4.

At number 9 we find #Root. This is the darling of the forums. And, has been a darling in the greater boardgame community ever since it came out. I only recently got it, and so it is new to the list. I should also say, I have only played it solo, with the better bot project pnp solo mode. I honestly do like it. And at this moment it does come in at number 9. However I feel like I don't have quite enough experience with it, and it could easily go up or down quite a bit in next years list.

My number 8 is #Race for the Galaxy. This fell from the number 4 spot last year. This is a absolutely brilliant tableau building game. Add to that the fact that it is blisteringly fast, especially as a two player game, this is a game that I don't think will ever leave my collection. I do really stink at it, and I still love it. I like it at all player counts, but two is my favorite player count.

Number 7 is #Spirit Island. It was number 2 on last years list. I really like this game, and for a brief period of time I think it was maybe my number 1. Newer games, however, have come along and bumped it down. But, there is a deeper issue. This is a brilliant game, but it sometimes feels too coldly mechanical. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to see it continue to slip downwards. However, it is still a very solid number 7. I have only played it solo, my favorite way to play it is with 3 spirits. But, I enjoy it with every spirit count.

Coming in at the number 6 slot is #Scythe. This was my number 1 for several years. Last year it was still at number 1. This is a good game. In many ways this is sort of a perfect game for me. It's fast, it's strategic, it's tactical, it's fun, it's just great. I think that it slipped for two reasons. Lack of playtime in the last year, and the fact that I have acquired other games I simply enjoy more. I enjoy it at all player counts, but my favorite is 4 players.

My number 5 is #Star Trek: Frontiers. This is a reskin of #Mage Knight, and I have only ever played it solo, nor do I have any desire to play it with anybody else. Last year this came in at number 3, so it is close to the same spot as last year. This is just a wonderfully big, meaty, deckbuilding, puzzly game, and it is richly rewarding to play. The setup is a bit annoying, and that keeps it from hitting the table more.

At number 4 we find #Pax Porfiriana. This is new to this years list. I have only ever played this game solo using Ricky Royals's improved solo variant. I love the period of the mexican revolution, and the stories that this game tells are truly wonderful. The cardplay is clever and engaging. The interaction is off of the charts. The art is a bit "messy" but I honestly like it.

My number 3 is #Pax Pamir (Second Edition). This is also new to the list. I love this game, but I honestly didn't know if this or Pax Porf would score higher. I have had a lot higher highs with Pax Porf, but I have had lower lows as well. However, every play I have had with Pamir has been a huge success. Also, as a solo player, and I have only played this solo, the solo opponent in Pamir is much more engaging. I can also not ignore the pure tactile delight that this game offers in comparison to Porf.

My number 2 is another game that is new to the list. This game is #1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties. This is another game I have only played solo. And, it has a bunch of things that I don't think I generally enjoy quite as much, I am not a big fan of the theme, I don't like "beat your own score variants" and that is basically what this is, The setup is very fiddly, etc.... But the puzzle that this offers is really really engaging. This has been my biggest surpise of the year. I got it as a gamble, and I honestly expected to enjoy it, but I didn't expect it to be in my top 10. But, here it is at number 2.

And now, my current number 1 game of all time, #Navajo Wars. This is a solitaire wargame. It has one of the most engaging enemy A.I.'s that I have ever seen. The theme is beautifully realized. I love the theme. The cardplay is wonderful. The feeling of struggling to maintain your own distinctive culture in the face of overwhelming colonisation. All of this is hugely rewarding. I also like that the them is a bit subversive. It is a about the colonial period in the american southwest, but it is told from the perspective of those that suffered from the european influence. This is a brilliant game.

So, what fell off my list from last year?

#Agricola (Revised Edition) was number 7 last year. This year it came in at number 14. The main reason for the fall is new games.
#Fief: France 1429 was number 5 last year. This year it came in at number 11. The only reason it fell off was because of new games. I also haven't played it in the last year, so I think it would have fallen some anyways, though it would have stayed in the top ten.
#Power Grid came in at number 8 last year. This year it was at number 12. New games is the reason it fell.
#Dominion: Second Edition came in at 9 last year. This year it was number 13. It too is the victim of new games.
#Acquire was my number 10 last year. This year it came in at number 19. It too suffered from the new game syndrom. But, there were some other games, like #Power Grid and #Deep Space D-6 that rose in comparison to this old classic.

Predictions for the next year.

I have a lot of games in the states that I haven't gotten a chance to play yet. I also have a number of games that I have preordered or kickstarted that have a potential for entering my top ten. I don't know what my top ten list for next year will look like, but I do expect to see a lot of change. Just to let you know the games that I have, or have coming, I will make a list here. I full expect to see 1 or more of these in my top 10 next year.

#High Frontier 4 All

#Pax Emancipation

#Pax Viking

#Pax Renaissance: 2nd edition

#Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain

#Conquest of Paradise

#Imperial Struggle

#Gaia Project

#Underwater Cities

#Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island

#Cloudspire

#The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth

#Porta Nigra

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Engine building, is it a mechanic?

by Marshwiggle92 | updated 2 months ago

5 | 46 comments | [+]

So, this is a little bit in response to the recent post by @Skurvy5, lauding the joys of engine building. And, to be clear, I am not knocking that post..... I think it was a good post, and I believe that it fits well into this weeks challange. But, my question this morning is, Is engine building a mechanic/mechanism?

BGG famously does not have engine building as a mechanism. This outraged many people, including myself, upon discovering that fact. I considered it almost a criminal omision. However, as time has gone on, I have gradually come around to not having it as a mechanism. This is why I didn't include it in my list of favorite mechanisms here.Otherwise it would have been my favorite mechanism.

I have not read the "official" encyclopedia that defines all the mechanisms. And, I have not really studied why Geoff Englestien has declined to list it as a mechanism. The following thoughts are purely my own.

I think that the problem with having engine building as a mechanic is that it generally going to be another mechanism. For instance. I would argue that currently the vast majority, or maybe all, tableau builders are engine builders. In fact, if you go the bgg page for tableau building this is what it says:

"In Tableau Building games, each player has a visible personal array or tableau of components (cards, tiles, player boards, etc.) which they purposefully build or manipulate throughout the game by spending actions and/or resources (including opportunity costs) and which determines the quality, quantity, and/or variety of actions to which they have access throughout the game.

The array is not merely a place to store resources, to plan out actions, to store a puzzle which must be manipulated, or something that impacts VP's. It impacts the quality, quantity, and/or variety of actions which are accessible to a player. This means that some games may include an array or a tableau but not really be a tableau building game."

This really does sound like it is describing a engine builder, especially where it mentions, "the quantity, quality, and/or variety of actions."

If we consider the games that are popularly considered engine builders, including the ones mentioned in the recent post by @Skurvy5,we discover that they engine building parts of them are tableau builders/manipulaters. This even includes games like #Scythe. In scythe your tableau is your player board, and you are manipulating it to change the "quantity, quality, and/or variety of actions."

I don't think that most deck builders are engine builders, but, if they are than that compounds the problem. If all deck builders are encapsulated in some form or other of tablaeu building/manipulating, you could perhaps argue that engine building is a subset of that. But, if deck building, or other mechanisms, also have engine building, then it quickly feels like the mechanism is too big. For a the breakdown of mechanisms to be helpful it must be discreet enough to be helpful, it has to be broken down to a the smallest common denominator. If this is a mechanism that spans other mechanisms, it goes from a game mechanism to a game type. By game type I am refering to how we refer to the boxes we put games in, I am refering to terms like "confrontational" or "multi-player solitaire" or "euro" or "ameritrash."

So, in my way of thinking, either engine building is tableau building, in which case, that terminology is actually a little more helpful than engine building. Or, the term engine building is to big to be used as a mechanism. And should be used as a box like any of the multitudes of other terms we use.

Also, to be clear, I do think that engine building exists. I even think it is a helpful term. I just don't think it should be defined as a mechanism.

So, what do you think. Do you think is mechanism? Or, do you think that it isn't?

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Recent Comments

11 Upcoming 2021 Board Games On My Radar | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter2 days ago |

I am really eager to see the Oath solo play. It is zany enough that I think it might be great, or it might be a total bust. Either way, I am interested.

11 Upcoming 2021 Board Games On My Radar | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter2 days ago |

I assume the comment I made before you posted this counts?

11 Upcoming 2021 Board Games On My Radar | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter2 days ago |

Good deal, I am actually not on the P500. It had already made the cut when I found out about it, so I decided to get it in retail.

Fair is Fair: A Funfair Review | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter2 days ago |

For some reason I didn't know this existed. I knew about #Unfair.... But, not this.

Marshwiggle92 Supporter2 days ago |

I really am interested in #The King is Dead: Second Edition. It's gorgeous, and the gameplay looks great.

Upcoming Changes for Board Game Atlas - What Do You Think? | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter3 days ago |

Looking forward to seeing that.

Game Page Speed Improvements! | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter3 days ago |

I did pull up a game page this morning, even before seeing this, and I did notice it did seem faster, so, thanks.

11 Upcoming 2021 Board Games On My Radar | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter3 days ago |

Several of these are very much games I'm interested in.

#John Company (Second Edition) has been on my radar for a long time. I started wanting 1e about the time it was not available any more. I'm still waiting to see their final proposal and the price. But, I am nearly certain to back this when it hits Kickstarter.

Of course I'm excited for #Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile. But I'm scared it's not for me. I really need to see some more playthroughs, especially solo. I really can't get a good idea of this one from the rule book.

#Tinners' Trail is something I'm quite interested in. I've long been intrigued by Wallace, but have yet to play any. I do believe this remastering will include a solo mode, so that is interesting for me.

#Burncycle the thing that scares me about this one is the cooperative aspect. I find myself leaning further and further away from co-ops.

#Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition I'm sorta interested, but I am waiting to hear more.

Another game I'm super excited for is #Border Reivers. This is designed by Ed Beech, and is a bit of a continuation of the system he used in #Here I Stand and #Virgin Queen. It's a historical period and place I live. It supports solo play. And, it's a wargame with wooden animeeples.... What more could you want?

What would you recommend I get with the remains of my BGA giftcard win? | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter3 days ago |

Oooo, I love this sort of question. After a quick perusal of your collection, I think I would probably try to hold out for #Scythe.

It is unlike any other game in your collection. I don't know if your wife would like it or not, but especially if you can get your group interested in it.... That would be great. And, even for solo play, it's solid. The AI has a learning curve, but it's a good solid game.

Root Bots | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter4 days ago |

That is cool, I will have to check some of these out.

Upcoming Changes for Board Game Atlas - What Do You Think? | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter4 days ago |

Way to go.

Also, a possible reason for the downtick in traffic has to do with people getting back to work after the holidays, and, in the US, preocupation with political climate.

KS Underwhelming At The Moment? | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter4 days ago |

I don't know what it is for you. I think for me it becomes less interesting as I refine my tastes. As my tastes become more particular, it becomes harder to be tempted by stuff that doesn't fit in my wheelhouse.

Roxley Announced a New Game Called Radlands | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter4 days ago |

Yep, I looked into it a bit, and while I think it looks interesting I don't think it looks like it is for me.

What "normal" jobs should have games themed around them?

by Marshwiggle92 | updated 3 days ago

2 | 8 comments | [+]

A minute to learn - A liftetime to master... | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter5 days ago |

Many old/traditional abstracts very much fit this... But, for modern games, I don't have quite as many. I would say that #Dominion can be that way. You could also check out #Shobu. I have played it only once.... but, it seems like it would fit this criteria.

R0land's Rambling Reviews: Heroes of Land, Air, & Sea | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter5 days ago |

I loved the introduction to this review.

For quite awhile this has been a game I really want to play, but not quite sure I want to own it. I don't think your review actually pushed me to the "own" side of the spectrum.... But, it certainly pushed me closer to the "own" side.

Board games that scale well at any player count | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter7 days ago |

#Race for the Galaxy. My favorite count is 2, but, I love it at all player counts. I have only gotten to play #Pax Pamir (Second Edition) solo, but I have heard that it is good at all player counts as well.

Edited to add #Dominion and #Catan.

Game Testers Wanted | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter7 days ago |

Not currently residing in the US, but I do wish the best sort of success for you and your game.

Scythe with 7 players | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter7 days ago |

I think 4 or 5 is my favorite player count for Scythe. I am amazed at how you seem to enjoy stretching the boundries of games like this. Keep it up.

A Whole New World - Board Game Genres You Haven't Tapped Into | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter8 days ago |

That is interesting.

A Whole New World - Board Game Genres You Haven't Tapped Into | Comment

Marshwiggle92 Supporter9 days ago |