Review of the boardgaming year 2017-18

A collated list of games we have played is tabulated below. The list is primarily aimed at providing me with a detailed record of my boardgaming activity, so that I can spot and understand trends and favourites. It also sparks my enthusiasm for games I overlooked and want to play more of. The first figure is the number of times a game made it to the table, whereas the superscript number is the number of actual games played.

No Games played	Boardgame
823	NMBR9
819	Schotten Totten
813	Lost Cities
7	Paperback
613	Azul
69	Carcassonne
46	Ticket to Ride – Europe
46	Parade
37	Patchwork
36	Sushi-Go (incl. Party)
35	San Juan
35	Roll for the Galaxy
34	Quadropolis
3	TransAtlantic
25	Bang! The dice game
25	Oh, My Goods!
24	Hey, That’s my Fish
24	Mind the Gap
2	Battlelore2
2	Parfum
2	Century Spice Road
14	Splendour
13	Metro
12	Colt Express
12	Citadels
12	7 Wonders
12	Catan
12	Bloomin’ Gardens
12	Onitama
12	Kingdomino
1	Fleet
1	Cash ‘n’ Guns
1	Kemet
1	Concordia
1	Canalmania
1	Minerals
1	Lost Cities Boardgame
1	Pikoko
1	Pesky Gnomes
1	Ice Cool
1	Photosynthesis
1	Cottage Gardens
1	Backpacks and Blisters
1	Ra

 

In sharp contrast to my wargaming activity, this year has seen a bumper crop of boardgames played with a wide range of differing games. Elaine and I have played many more two player games and these feature strongly in the above list i.e. Schotten Totten, Lost Cities, Patchwork etc. Some multiplayer games translate into good two player versions i.e. Paperback, NMBR9, Azul etc.

Elaine has had winning year, especially with NMR9 and Schotten Totten, which were not games I thought she would enjoy or excel at. Whereas Paperback was a predictable favourite for her, and surprisingly Roll for the Galaxy also went down well.

The perennial favourites (Ticket to Ride, Carcassone etc.) remain popular, and think these have been joined by Century Spice Road and Quadropolis. Surprisingly, Dominion did not get played this year. I was glad to get certain games on the table, particularly Kemet and Fleet, both will hopefully make further appearances. I’m also sure that Onitama will be played more in the coming year.

A few games disappointed (Cash ‘n’ Guns, Pikoko, Lost Cities Card Game, Pesky Gnomes), whilst others hold future promise (Minerals, Concordia, Photosynthesis, Cottage Gardens).

So, a good boardgame year; very enjoyable with mixed results, no-one won too often and all had a good time. I’m looking forward to the coming year.