i am infodumping about tabletop games you cannot stop me

┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴ i am emerging .. i am asking you to play board games with me.... you are telling me you dont know that many games.. i am sitting down with several large volumes of information i store in my brain specifically for tabletop gaming. i am telling you about my special interest that i inherited from my equally autistic father. we are having a bonding moment. 

for those of u that know me irl...... if u like any of these i am happy to play them with u (i am begging silently) just message me but uh yeah here's a list of a few of my favorite tabletop board/card games, in no particular order 

RETURN TO DARK TOWER

A 1-4 player revamp of the now-dead 80's game Dark Tower, which was the first board game in the US to include a computerized component, iirc. The tower had a keypad for players to press depending on their progress within the game, and the tower reacted accordingly. Very impressive for its time. 

I was introduced to this game maybe a year ago when it arrived on my dad's doorstep after having pledged for it on Kickstarter a year beforehand. I think it's my favorite board game right now, but it is very convoluted and takes at least an hour and a half for 4 players to complete it. Not to mention it's easy to lose, so if winning is most of the fun for you get over it maybe play something else.

the premise: you work cooperatively with the other players (or alone) to try and take down the adversary who is enacting an evil scheme within the walls of the Dark Tower. You have six months (approximately 50 turns) to complete the main quest, which usually involves collecting and spending a large amount of resources, while also managing other time-sensitive quests and fighting enemies. Lots of resource management. 

The defining feature of this game is its unique technological aspects - not just the tower, which I can't get into explaining without spoiling some of the fun, but also its app interface, which makes managing all the tasks and enemies infinitely easier. 

overall I give this game a 10/10, this checks all the boxes for me. I enjoy games that are long but that also stay exciting when it isn't your turn. 

ANIMALCHEMISTS

A 2-5 player card game that is short and sweet with really cute art. 

I found this game at Ragecon 2022, I got to play it with one of the developers and I enjoyed it so much I impulse bought my own copy.

the premise: you are an animal-alchemist (get it?) trying to craft potions to turn into spells. These spells can help you or hinder your opponent. The end goal is to have the most points (accumulated supplies, potions & spells) by the time the very last spell, time stop, is crafted by someone at the table. 

This game uses hand-management and resource collection elements; you only get one action per turn, so you have to weigh your options and decide if you want to craft something for your benefit or take from the limited resource pool - there's only a small amount of everything available to craft, and once a resource is used it is discarded. This makes for short, fast but fulfilling gameplay. It's the kind of thing I would carry around in my backpack for friends, if I like, had a life and friends who went to the same school as me.

I give Animalchemists a 9/10. I love it but I usually prefer longer games.

CALICO

A 1-4 player board game about building the best quilt for the most cats.

I was also introduced to this game at Ragecon. It's very cozy but somehow still infuriating (in a good way. mostly).

the premise: you have the outside frame of an unconstructed quilt, with tiles of varying patterns and colors. You have to group certain tiles by color, pattern, or uniqueness to earn points. There are long term goals which you get rewarded for at the end of the game, that are the most challenging, but there are also smaller goals throughout the game that can earn you bonuses (cats that sit on your quilt).

Calico has a carcassonne-esque element in that all the tiles that you place down are drawn at random out of a blind bag, and you're also competing with other players to get the tile you need first. This tips it over the chance-y side of strategy and pattern games, but it's fun. 

overall Calico gets a 7.5/10 for me. I get too frustrated at it sometimes. But it has cats so, bonus points.

QUACKS OF QUEDLINBURG

A 2-4 player board game of chance with a heavy pool-building element.

I have been playing Quacks for years, and it's the first board game I've ever owned my own copy of. It's pretty convoluted and there's a learning curve, but it's honestly so much fun when you get into the swing of things.

the premise: you and the other players are charlatans, quack doctors, and snake oil merchants, trying to brew your own secret potions to yield the most points without letting your pot 'explode.' Points go toward your final score at the end of the game, but are also your buying power each round when you get the chance to add new ingredients to your pool. 

My favorite aspect of this game is that each round is self-paced, so all players are drawing blindly from their pool into their pot at the same time, buying resources at the same time, etc. It really helps the pacing of the whole game, and it's fun to see who can last the longest without exploding or yielding to avoid one. 

I give Quacks a 10/10. It's shorter than Dark Tower but still has a formidable ruleset and is really just generally exciting to play.

SAGRADA

1-4 player (6 with an expansion) board game where you arrange dice by number and color to construct a stained glass window.

This is another one I've played for a long time with my family. It has a few expansions that add some fun elements to the game, but honestly it's just as good on its own. I play this by myself sometimes.

the premise: everyone gets a layout or pattern plan for their 'window' as well as some goals that will yield points at the end of the game. Depending on these goals and the pattern, players need to pick the best-suited dice for their window out of a set that is rolled at the beginning of the round. Similar concept to Calico, but with more room for planning (and backup-planning).

This is definitely one of the most aesthetically pleasing board games I've played, and for me it's a perfect balance of using focus but not too much brain power. 

I give Sagrada a 9/10. I like rolling dice and I like the visual components, it only gets a point docked because I get bitter when I inevitably run out of luck and get left with a few empty spaces in my otherwise beautiful window at the end of the game. 

FLIPTOWN

A 1-4 player board game with a fun wild west theme.

I have only played this game one time, at Ragecon, with its creator. By the time I did the kickstarter was already closed so I haven't played it since because I cannot get my hands on a copy of it. I am not mad about this at all. I am so normal and not upset. and normal 

the premise: earn stars by exploring the wild west and marking checkpoints on your personal board, collecting resources while avoiding getting arrested. There is no direct competition between players, just the knowledge that everyone is trying to have the most points at the end. It also implements an interesting mechanic where your scores for each round reflect on a small poker hand that you can potentially use to earn bonus points - unless other players have a better one.

Fliptown is peaceful but not simple, and it was really fun. I think it might be more of an old person game considering I ended up playing it with a bunch of 60+ year olds when I found the table at ragecon but I dont really care I already dress like I could be someone's grandfather.

I give this game an 8/10, points docked for the inane act of closing the kickstarter 2 months before I knew the game existed. I may never get to buy my own copy because the creator told me he wasn't planning to release it to retail sellers. homophobic if you ask me

ANYWAYS thank u for indulging me. im giving you a big kiss. 

tell me if u want more games content cause I can talk about Potion Explosion, Foundations of Rome, Otrio, Wingspan, Petrichor, Furnace, u get my point. I can keep doing this for a while. but my arthritic hands are yelling at me so you're safe for now. mwah