Cards on the Table: A Community-Voted Board Game Breakdown

So, as I might have already stated on this channel, I have been attending, albeit sporadically at best, a hobbies club that has a thriving group of board game aficionados. It’s not that I do not enjoy my sessions there but rather that circumstances do not allow me to attend more frequently. Having said that, my interactions with some of the members has been very enriching in terms of my board gaming hobby.

Take for instance the above chart. This is essentially the result of a series of polls posted to the Club’s dedicated board games group, which was initially aimed at offering more exposure to the board games found in the club’s library. It also helped me to get a better feeling of what other members like or dislike when it comes to board games, while at the same time it made me reconsider my position on the titles proposed.

I may or may not agree with the final rankings, but they are a snapshot of majority consensus on the subject matter. There are titles I never quite encountered but most I have at least heard about if not actually played. Let’s now have a look at what made it onto this info-chart

Party Games

Best Party game went to Codenames, and I think that, while I am not a fan of party games to begin with, I must agree that Codenames offers an interesting challenge despite its “Party” label.  It’s also a very valid icebreaker when it comes to social gatherings. Whenever I managed to get this game to the table, the interactions between players were always interesting and the overall feeling was one of enjoyment. It is also a very simple game with very simple rules, meaning that it allows largish groups to get down to the business of playing without lengthy tutorials at the beginning. It’s one of those games that you can really learn by playing.

The “Worst” party game went to Trial by Trolley; a game I never crossed paths with. However, a quick online search informed me that Trial by Trolley is a dark comedy party game where two teams place innocent, guilty, and modifier cards onto tracks to convince a rotating Conductor to run over the opposing side. Reviews appear to believe that It’s a great fit for larger groups who love absurd moral debates and dark humour, but a poor choice for players sensitive to morbid themes or those who dislike subjective, argument-driven winning conditions. This kind of explains why it totally went under my radar. I am not into these types of games, and neither are most of the club members who voted in this poll.

The “Best Artwork” for a party game went to The Sheriff of Nottingham (TSoN). I did get a chance to play this one, and it turned out pretty well. It does however depend on how willing the players around the table are to play the game. By this I mean actually immerse themselves inthe quirkiness and (to some extent) the bluffing. I think that I can safely place this game with social deduction games and the like. While not strictly speaking such a game, TSoN rests on trying to outwit others into smuggling goods without getting caught by the Sheriff. The version I played has great artworks and for this reason I get why it won the “Best Artwork” category in the polls. An interesting anecdote here is that I got to know about this game through a web series (Tabletop) whose contents were curated by Will Wheaton, an actor who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek the Next Generation and who is still popular to date. 

The Classic “Love Letter” won the “Hidden Gem” category, and I think it is really one gem of a game. This is a game which thrives at higher player counts. It’s super simple, plays quickly and rewards keen deduction. It’s fun to play and never overstays its welcome. In my books, that makes it a very good party game. Furthermore, the actions are well described on the cards themselves, so you are never truly at a loss on what action to take in your turn. It reminds me a bit of Citadels, but much lighter and quicker to get into. I can honestly say that I agree with this selection. Interestingly enough this game has a Japanese origin. The Author, Seiji Kanai, founded his own self-publishing brand in 2006 with a mostly local distribution of games of his own design. Many consider him the designer who kickstarted the micro game fad defined by using the least components possible which is a defining feature of Love Letter. 

Two Player Games

This is a category I am quite familiar with. Growing up, two-player games were what we had running around the house. There is also something quite intimate about sitting down and playing with just one other player. However, at least where I am concerned, I need to feel comfortable with the player across the board, precisely because my focus would be on that player specifically for the whole duration of a match. 

The two players, tile laying game “Hive” won the “Best” category and I tend to agree here. However please note that the pollsters were focusing on games found in the club library also there were limitations. I can think of a good half dozen 2-player games I like better than Hive...but Hive is a very good choice and it is the best in the collection under scrutiny. Hive feels a bit like chess, a bit like draughts or checkers and is “board-less”. Ther is in fact no board to play on, just the hexagonal, chunky tiles, each with a specific type of associated movement capability. Your objective is simply to capture the Queen Bee, think of this piece as a kind of chess King. Then there are other insect tiles which you take turns to play or move. However, moves must be executed in such a way as to never break the continuity of all other pieces laid, collectively termed the Hive. 

I have played quite a good few rounds of this game over the years, and though I am not a Hive master, I still enjoy this little game a lot when it is presented to me. For this reason, I am trying my heart out to get my youngest to play this game as I believe it is an excellent logical and spatial puzzle.

The “Worst” two player game went to “King of Tokyo Duel”. In recent years we have been getting two-player versions of a long list of classics. Some turned out spectacularly well like Seven Wonders Duel (2015), Lord of the Rings Duel (2024), Splendor Duel (2022), not so for others who tried the same format. “King of Tokyo Duel” is one of them. Very briefly, detractors of this game note that “King of Tokyo Duel” strips away the original’s chaotic "King of the Hill" tension in favor of a dry, fiddly, and heavily luck-dependent tug-of-war. I have tried to play and appreciate the original King of Tokyo and even though it is arguable better than “duel”, I don’t like it either. Stands to reason, the “duel” version was not going to fare any better with me. 

Having said that, the original King of Tokyo is a high-player-count game in the sense that it plays best with a full table. It’s all about nudging out your opponent’s Kaiju from Tokyo and sticking around the city long enough to earn the points necessary to win the game. It is however very swingy when it comes to actual play as it relies heavily on dice rolls. If your health is low and you happen to roll few or no hearts (which equate to health), you’re toast. Likewise, if you really need to be bashing at your opponents and you roll no “claws” on your turn, you lose an important opportunity. This kind of corroborates the impression of some online reviewers.  

The “Best artwork” for a two-player game was won by “Toy Battle”. This is a very new title (May 2025) and quite frankly I have not played it yet. Despite my lack of first-hand experience, critics seem to adore Paolo Mori’s Toy Battle, describing it as a charming and breezy tactical skirmish. It appears to capture the essence of lane-based combat in a rapid-fire tug-of-war that is both highly replayable and brimming with clever positional tension. While I cannot get myself to justify buying it, I may be inclined to try it out one of these days. Specifically because I already own some reputable work from this designer, titles like “Ethnos”, “Fall of Rome” (built on the pandemic engine) and Captain Flip, which I have found to be very well designed and, more importantly, enjoyable. Will let you know if I do. 

If you love Chess, the “Hidden Gem” in this category is right up your alley. “The Duke” is a clever abstract strategy challenge where you manoeuvre wooden pieces across a grid to corner the enemy commander, with each tile flipping over to show a fresh movement capability after every action. Personally, I am not fond of it and would rather play something like Onitama, If I am feeling in a “chess” mood. Still, I do appreciate why some may find this game intriguing to the point of calling it a hidden gem.

Short Games

Flip 7 secured the title of "Best" short game, a decision I strongly hesitate to support. In my view, it is first and foremost a party game, despite technically qualifying for the "short" category. Having played it on several occasions, I have noticed that the overall experience depends entirely on the company. The game tends to amplify individual personalities; difficult players often behave poorly, whereas a group of good sports can create an enjoyable and entertaining atmosphere. Having experienced both settings, I found the game highly frustrating when playing with difficult individuals. On a positive note, it serves as a helpful litmus test for determining future gaming companions. For these reasons, although I recognise it is in fact a short game, I cannot endorse it as the "Best" in this category.

The worst short game from among those in the club library was awarded to Zombie dice. Here I tend to agree. Zombie Dice is a lottery, a kind of Yahtzee dressed up in a Zombie theme. It has no depth and gets repetitive quickly. Not much else to say here other than that I fully agree with the final award for this category.

The “Best artwork” for a short game was won by Codex Naturalis...and yes, I own this pretty thing. Cards come with gold foil, the iconography and colour palettes used are gorgeous and the game play is nothing “short” of intriguing (pun intended). It's witty, compact, and really brings the chill to the table without putting you to sleep. Whenever I play this game, I feel engaged, but not to the extent that I cannot hold a sociable conversation with the others at the table. It’s a great game to bring to the table on a quiet Friday evening, perhaps with a favourite drink and some nibbles. 

The “Hidden Gem” category was awarded to Santorini. Santorini is visually very appealing with its plastic white tower components and blue toppers. I have had this game in my collection for quite some time, and I must say I have enjoyed playing it whenever I have had the opportunity. At a very simple level, it feels like a Connect-4 derivative puzzler but in 3D. However, to stop at that would be unfair to this little gem. Santorini shines when the God power cards are used. Each God card breaks the rules in some way or other and makes the game intensely more intriguing. It’s also simple to teach, so it's very attractive for casual or younger player groups. Most definitely a hidden gem.

Long Games

This is a category which was the hardest to score, I think. I am also of the opinion that even the slightest shifts, in terms of proposed titles, will affect the outcomes. This is what I believe happened here, especially for the Best long game category. First let’s consider the nominees and what was left out.

Nominees for “Best” Long Game were as follows

• Nemesis
• Talisman
• Terraforming Mars
• Slay the Spire
• Spirit Island
• Valheim

From this list, Valheim (2025) is among the newest entries. Nemesis on the other hand, while a 2018 title was purchased only earlier this year and got to be played quite frequently over the preceding months.  So players had a chance to get a proper feel for the games nominated. However, and this I think was an oversight, games like “the Castles of Burgundy” and “Dune Imperium” were not even nominated. These latter games would have most certainly garnered some points had they been included but maybe the other members do not agree with my definition of “long” game or some other bias kicked in when the titles were nominated. That said, and based squarely on the titles nominated, Terraforming Mars came first with Slay the Spire a close second. I do not fault these choices, based solely on the list of nominated games. Both titles are phenomenally good and accessible. They are both of medium complexity and straightforward to bring to the table. I therefore agree with Terraforming Mars in this category, though I would have liked Slay the Spire to win, as I feel that it is marginally more approachable as a game. 

When it came to “Worst” long game, the nominees were different and included: - 

• Unicornus Knights
• Suburbia
• Talisman
• Spirit Island 
• Islebound

I have to admit that my familiarity with these specific titles is somewhat limited, having only experienced two out of the five listed. Naturally, my past encounters led me to cast my vote for Talisman as the least enjoyable option here. It seems I am not alone in this sentiment, as nine fellow voters concurred, officially crowning Talisman the "Worst" long game. 

To be frank, the game feels like an artefact of a bygone era, predating the modern board gaming renaissance. The original Talisman was in fact published in 1983 when I was an 11-year-old, the same age as my son Neil is today. Back then, I recall playing it fondly with some friends who owned a copy and young me enjoyed it. So when years later I came across the revised 4th Edition from “Fantasy Flight” games, I grabbed a copy. I don’t regret it, mind you, I still consider it a piece of gaming history. 

Talisman relies heavily on the archaic "roll and move" system, peppered with some D&D-inspired combat. Much like the classics of old, movement is dictated by the luck of the dice, with specific spaces triggering various events. Compounding the issue is the total lack of any built-in mechanism to limit the game duration. Consequently, matches can become incredibly tedious if players struggle to progress from the outer regions of the game board toward the centrally positioned Crown of Command. Board game design has evolved significantly since then, and it’s quite understandable why today's enthusiasts might recoil at the prospect of playing this title under its original rules.

The “Best Artwork” for a long game award, the club members chose “Slay the Spire”. I must here admit that this board game is a gorgeous adaptation of the digital counterpart of the same name and originally published by Megacrit games. It's a “rogue-like” game and is considered quite tactical and very punishing. For those not familiar with the term, A rogue-like is a subgenre of digital games defined by procedurally generated levels, turn-based grid gameplay, high tactical complexity, and permadeath (permanent death). The genre is directly inspired by the 1980 mainframe game Rogue, hence “Rogue-like”. Yet, despite its appellation as a tough nut to crack, it appears that players still enjoy engaging with this board game as much as with the digital adaptation. In addition to the mechanics inherited from the digital game, the board game version of “Slay the Spire” also introduced a nifty cooperative mode of play that allows up to 4 players to challenge the spire together. I have played this physical adaptation three times to date and I look forward to the next time. Great game, not just a good looking one.

For the final “Long game” choice, as well as the “Hidden Gem” category, the interesting Ark Nova won first spot. I have never played this game though I have sat through a session on one occasion. In Ark Nova, you take on the role of a zoo manager, designing a modern, animal sanctuary to house species from across the globe. By building enclosures, introducing animals, and funding vital conservation projects, you must balance your zoo's commercial success with its environmental impact in order to win. The premise feels heavy from the onset, and quite frankly it is. Not that it is difficult to come to grips with after a couple of rounds, but rather that there is a lot going on and a full game can indeed take you two-and-a-half to three hours to complete. It’s long but those who love it find it extremely rewarding.

Looking at the final infographic, I realised something important: while shiny new releases are always tempting, players still regularly return to older games. It is not just about nostalgia; a genuinely good game keeps resurfacing, no matter when it was published.

Games like Talisman might look like relics from another era, but much like Monopoly, it keeps getting revised, rethemed, and updated. Even though it was voted the "worst" long game in this poll, it clearly still holds value. That value is simple, it does not demand intense focus or complex logic. It is just a fun game using classic fantasy tropes that brings friends together for a few hours. It comes from an era before powerful computers and endless digital media, when board games filled the gap and relied on the players' own imaginations.

Overall, the poll offers a fascinating look at our club's gaming preferences. It is interesting that Codenames, an older title, beat out newer party games like Flip 7. It is equally surprising that Flip 7 won over stronger contenders, for the short games category, like Santorini. This suggests members either did not overthink their suggestions for those categories, or simply value short games and two-player titles less than ones requiring more time and engagement.

If you go strictly by these results, our members clearly favour long games and party games, putting far more thought into nominating and voting for them. Two-player and shorter games are recognised as great options, but mostly as backups when a main game cannot get to the table. That feels like a very fair assessment of how we play.

Until next time.