I have 42 unplayed board games and card games in my collection (and a few more on the way!). That is a shocking amount, as it is surely more games than most people own. However, I happen to own 418 board games, card games, and board game expansions. This means I have played 89.95% of my collection. I think that is a pretty reasonable stat.
However, I realize that my stats are skewed as I am not counting expansions in the listing of unplayed games. If I did that my percentage would get way worse. For example, I own 27 Age of Steam expansions which are separately listed on BGG. This means I have over 50 expansion maps for that game. I will never end up playing all of these. Yet, I have played Age of Steam over 20 times. In order to make myself feel better, I am not listing these maps as unplayed games.
Anyway, my goal should be to buy fewer games and play more of the games I own. This is the typical plight of the game collector. Perhaps if I make my list more public (say post it here once a month) I will feel more accountable to my unplayed games. It’s worth a shot.
So, here they are. Check it out and let me know if there is anything I absolutely must try. And if something on the list totally sucks I’d like to hear about it. Especially if you actually know me and understand my gaming tastes.
Without further ado:
Attribute – a fun-seeming party game that I recently purchased for $2. I’ll have to get this one to the table during an upcoming trip to the beach with friends.
Augsburg 1520 – I bought this to complete my Alea mid-size box collection. Enthusiasm has been lacking for playing this title, even though it is supposedly decent. It probably receives no love because it is a classic boring Euro title.
Bali – a curious early release from Uwe Rosenberg which seems interesting.
Banque Fatale – this very old school Stefan Dorra title is in my collection because Dorra (my favorite designer) created it. I imagine it will be played once and then left to collect dust.
Barbarossa – an SdJ winner from Teuber? I should play this one at the beach as well.
Border Reivers – the rare first release from Reiver Games. I probably purchased it since so few titles exist, rather than because I actually want to play it.
Dampfross – another SdJ, this time with a train theme! I own the black box re-release with extra maps. I also have a bunch of obscure maps not listed on BGG.
Die Säulen von Venedig – It looked neat and I bought it cheap. We shall see.
Die Sieben Siegel – Another Dorra card game.
Die Sieben Weisen – looks a little obtuse but is necessary for my Alea small-box collection. I am only missing Royal Turf.
Die Siedler von Nürnberg – one of the few Settlers of Catan variants that looks worthwhile.
Doge – I bought it for $5 and have never been compelled to play it.
Drunter und Drüber – blowing up outhouses! Another SdJ winner! How have I not played this yet?
El Caballero – a supposedly complex tile placement game related to El Grande. I’d like someone else to teach me this one.
Elk Fest – a fun flicking game for two players. Another title for the beach perhaps.
Entengrütze – I actually translated this with my friend Elise, since no English rules seemed to exist. I should upload this to BGG.
Flandern 1302 – this game looks boring. I think I got it in Tanga trash. Buy it from me now.
Frontiers – I picked this up in a trade to satisfy my miniatures game itch but have not managed it yet.
Funny Friends – looks like it is right up my alley, but my German copy is preventing me from learning it well enough to teach.
Giganten – I have wanted to play this for ages. I should make this a priority to remove from this list.
Go Nuts – cheapo Target clearance purchase. I may end up giving this one to some friends.
Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage – I bought this because I felt like I should own it. However, I realize more and more that long wargames are not really my thing. I should probably sell it, but if I would have one card driven wargame in my collection, it should probably be this one.
Heimlich & Co. – more SdJ goodness. This seems like a decent game for a high player count.
Himalaya – it looks so cool! I have the expansion as well and would use it on the first play.
Im Wald da sind die Räuber – this game has a mechanic in which you can find a girl and take her “into the blackberry bush”. Enough said.
Java – super heavy AP game. This is a bad idea for me. I will only play this as a 2-player with a very tolerant friend.
Krieg und Frieden – one of the first games I snagged of German eBay. I am still very curious to try this one and will use the Stuart Dagger variant rules.
Machu Picchu – got this one in a bulk purchase from Germany. I have visited Machu Picchu and loved it, so this one has stayed in the collection.
Maharaja: Palace Building in India – suffers from the “decent game but doesn’t stand out” problem that prevents me from learning it or getting it taught to me. I should plan an India-themed game night.
Mammoth Hunters – a much maligned Alea large box release that probably suffers because it was released following Puerto Rico. I doubt this game is amazing but it does look fun.
Mississippi Queen – an SdJ winning race game! Maybe hasn’t stood the test of time, but I am very interested in trying it.
Mythgardia – I purchased copy 98/100 from the first edition as an investment. Perhaps it will pay off? I may play the game but am not dying to do so. I would prefer to try it with someone else’s copy.
RailRoad Dice – this looked neat so I bought an autographed 1st edition copy from a friend for a cheap price.
Railroad Dice 2 – then the following year I bought this supposedly improved version of Railroad Dice from another friend!
Roads and Boats – my mom purchased this for me one year as a Christmas present. My geek account paid for itself right there! I would like to learn this game from someone else, preferably at a convention like BGG.con.
Saba: Palast der Königin – this game is visually incredible. The few reviews I have seen are rather ho-hum, but the awesome three dimensional design was too much to resist.
Salamanca – another Dorra game that I suspect is under-rated. This should go high-up on the list to play.
Steel Driver – a recent purchase that should be played immediately! I enjoy Wallace’s train/econ games and hope to like this one too.
Ticket to Ride: The Dice Expansion – this looks kinda silly but seemed worth a shot. I would never have purchased it but managed to pick it up in a trade.
Um Reifenbreite – one more SdJ award winner that is supposed to be one of the best bicycle racing games.
Volle Hütte – yet more Dorra! This one is about luring people into clubs and pubs in order to participate in a number of activities. It looks pretty cool.
Wyatt Earp – a mystery rummy game that seems intriguing. It must be kept as it is part of my Alea small-box collection.
A not particularly interesting chart of my unplayed games compared to the total amount of games in my collection.
There you have it. My unplayed games. It is kind of embarrassing!
Augsburg 1520 – “classic boring Euro title”: yup.
Drunter und Drüber – Very playable despite weird theme.
El Caballero – Contrived. Only famous because it was the successor to El Grande.
Flandern 1302 – “this game looks boring. Buy it from me now”: No. It’s boring.
Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage – Great game, but only if you both read the rules beforehand and leave plenty of time to play.
Thanks for the comment Iain. Out of the titles you listed I am most interested in Drunter… I think the odd theme makes it even more interesting to me! I know Hannibal is a great one, but I just can’t seem to invest the time and energy needed to get something out of it.