Steve’s Top 100 Games of All Time 81–90

I return to my top 100 Games of All Time with 81 through 90.

*Note This article contains an Amazon Affiliate link as an ad.*

Introduction

Every year around this time I set out to do my Top 100 Games of All Time. I use Pub Meeple to sort the games by how much I want to play them. Once the list is formed I don’t look at it. I will glance at the next ten after I finish one list. Other than that, I don’t know how this is going to go. It’s fun for me to be surprised by how the list shakes out.

90: Zombicide

Publisher:CMoN Global and Guillotine

Designer: Raphael Coimbra, Nicolas Fructus, Edouard Guiton, Mathieu Harlut, and Eric Nouhaut

Previous Entries: Appeared on the list last year when I switched to a top 100 at 97.

Zombicid is a game of survival in the zombie apocalypse. You are searching the map, fighting hordes, and gathering gear in an attempt to accomplish missions. There’s a ton of dice chucking in this game and it is a ton of fun. There are a lot of variations of Zombicide. You can play the base system which is set in a present day urban environment. There’s a western version, fantasy, science fiction, there’s one based on the movie The Walking Dead, and a new crowdfunding project just went up for pirates. There are even variations based on the Marvel Zombies and DCeased comics where you play superheroes fighting super zombies, or the other way around. The rules are constantly being tweaked so things that might have been a problem in the beginning have been ironed out over time. Tons of fun.

If you’d like a copy of this you can purchase it here.

89: The Others

Publisher: CMoN Global and Guillotine Games

Designer: Eric M Lang

Previous Entries: Appeared on the list at 28 and slowly dropped since then.

In the Others, you are a team of people who have banded together to deal with the end of the world. Revelations has occurred and the Seven Deadly Sins walk the earth. The game is one versus many and one person plays the sin and its minions while everyone else is the protagonist. I say protagonist because they are made up of mercenaries, former gods, monsters, and killers. One of the things I love about this game is that both sides have a real chance to win. It never feels like either group is beat out. Evil has the advantage at the beginning and “good” gets stronger as the game goes on. But neither is ever eliminated from winning at any point.

88: Disney Villanious

Publisher: Ravensburger

Designer: Aaron Donogh, Prospero Hall, and Brian Kirk

Previous Entries: Started at 28 and dropped to the 50s until this year.

In Disney Villainous you take on the role of one of the iconic bad guys from the various animated films. There’s also a Marvel and Star Wars version of this, though they aren’t compatible. Each player has their own deck of characters, locations, and objectives that are custom to them and their story. You feel like the villain you’re playing. I have a ton of great stories from this game. I haven’t gotten it to the table in a bit and I think that’s why it’s fallen off.

If you’d like a copy of this you can purchase it here.

87: Dream Crush

Publisher: Mondo Games

Designer: Sonny Day and Biddy Maroney

Previous Entries: Appeared on the list at 87 last year for the first time.

Dream Crush is a party game where you are trying to pick a date from a collection of possible matches. Each round you’ll add a card to the possible candidates that are all red flags of varying degrees. You choose which one you’d date and then vote who you think the others would pick. Everyone reveals their choices and points are awarded. The game is tons of fun with candidate cards having very funny photos set for them. The different attribute cards create memorable personalities in the best worst way possible. There is a variant of the game where you play the candidate cards face down and reveal them at the end of the game to see who you picked. This can be fun, I like both ways myself.

If you’d like a copy of this you can purchase it here.

86: Pandemic

Publisher: Z-Man Games

Designer: Matt Leacock

Previous Entries: Appeared last year at 94.

Pandemic is a cooperative game where you are playing members of the CDC working to cure four different disease outbreaks across the world. You work to gather cards, exchange them with other players, and use sets to develop cures. Then you have to move around and distribute the cure. All of this while the diseases spread over and over, causing massive outbreaks, and infecting nearby cities. There are multiple ways to lose the game and the only one to win is to cure all of the diseases before it gets too far. My favorite way to play Pandemic is the legacy versions, and if I were placing this by those it would be a lot higher. But, you can’t replay those. Base Pandemic is a fun puzzle and I enjoy getting it to the table whenever I get a chance.

If you’d like a copy of this you can purchase it here.

85: Viticulture with Essentials

Publisher: Stonmaier Games

Designer:Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone

Previous Entries: Appeared last year at 77.

Viticulture is a worker placement game about running your own vineyard. You’ll send out your workers, take part in the various jobs of the vineyard, create wines, grow grapes, give tours, and fill orders. You’ll be placing your workers out over the seasons, trying to organize your choices in order. I have a lot of fun with this game. There is a calming quality to it for me that lets me work out what I’m doing as I play. I enjoy running the vineyard and making the wine. The essentials version has some things that were originally included in expansions and I think they all make the game better.

If you’d like a copy of this you can purchase it here.

84: Everdell

Publisher: Starling Games

Designer: James Wilson

Previous Entries: Entered the list last year at 74

Everdell is a worker placement and tableau building game where you are sending workers to gather resources so you can construct buildings and recruit workers into your town. You can also complete objectives to help boost your score. Part of what I like about this game is that some cards can be brought into play for free if you have other cards. This makes resource management a bit easier, if you can get the right cards. However, the deck is fairly large so it can be difficult to get the cards you need. You can’t plan on it, but you can get lucky and can manipulate it a bit with different cards and abilities.

If you’d like a copy of this you can purchase it here.

83: Wyrmspan

Publisher: Stonmaier Games

Designer: Connie Vogelmann

Previous Entries: Came in at 28 and hung around that point until this year.

Wyrmspan is a nature game based on the Wingspan engine. Here you are part of a dragon watching society. Each round you’ll dig out caves, populate them with dragons, make sure you have the necessary resources to care for them, and explore the caves to gather resources, points, and other benefits. All of that somewhat matches the experience of Wingspan. A couple additions here include a dragon watching society that offer different bonuses and goals you can go after while playing. I’m honestly surprised to see it here. I would normally call this one my favorite of the three games; including Fin and Wing. I haven’t checked the list to see where the other two are, so I’m curious where they’ll show up. Of the three I think this is the most crunchy, rules wise. Though, my favorite part is the dragon watching society. I like how it helps to focus how you play.

If you’d like a copy of this you can purchase it here.

82: Betrayal at the House on the Hill

Publisher: Avalon Hill

Designer: Dave Chalker, Banana Chan, Noah Cohen, Bruce Glassco, Brian Neff, Will Sobel, and Jabari Weathers

Previous Entries: The Legacy version came in at 8 with the non-legacy version hanging out in the 40’s

Betrayal is a semi-cooperative game of exploration and traitors in a haunted house. Every game starts with the main hall, second floor landing, and a basement you can’t reach. Each round you’ll move through doors and find new locations which come with events, items, and omens. The omens have the potential to trigger the haunt that causes the end game. When the haunt happens you’ll look at the omen that triggered it and the room it was found in. The haunt can have one player turn against the rest, have a hidden traitor, and even have everyone working together. I’ll be honest, the game is a bit uneven and a bit brittle. The haunt triggering at the wrong time can cause a disastrous end game. Even still, it’s usually funny and offers a great story. My version of this game is the legacy version. It’s playable once you’ve finished the campaign and I enjoy running through my custom copy of the game. There are a couple different versions of the game, a Dungeons & Dragons version with more cooperative scenarios and a Scooby Doo version that’s great for families..

If you’d like a copy of this you can purchase it here.

81: Endless Winter: Paleoamericans

Publisher: Fantasia Games

Designer: Stan Kordonskiy

Previous Entries: Came in at 32, dropped to the 70s and hung out there.

Endless Winter is a worker placement game where you are leading a tribe during the ice age. This is one of those games where you have a lot of options. The mechanics are simple, but what you choose to do with them can get away from you. You can explore the tundra, hunt animals, build monoliths, and a lot more. Every time I play this game I want to try something different. I have a ton of fun working with all of the different processes and bits.

Outro

There we are, the second set of ten games. I’ve looked at the next ten games and we’re going to be talking about a little horror, a little adventure, and a bit of superheroes.

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Until next time, stay safe and be well.