George Alexander
Cincinnati, Ohio

Cosmic Encounter (with expansions)

I like games where you can "break the rules" and each player has a special ability that shapes their strategy and tactics. This game is the standard as far as those two things go. The sheer variety alone makes this game my all time favorite.

Another game I love for the variety of player options as well as the sheer irony that can result from the power structures that emerge (e.g. "The Alcohol & Tobacco Companies control the Boy Sprouts?!").

Do you see a pattern emerging here? ;-) Again, each player has a special ability and they are very well balanced. Many different ways to achieve a victory.

OK, a departure from the above. I like the simplicity of this game, even if there is limited interaction between the players. Some of the various variant rules can address this, though. A fun, if somewhat less challenging, diversion. The only real drawback to this game would be how to get new crayons when one is stranded on a desert island.

I don't know why I like this game so much, but I do. Again, simplicity of form that yields some difficult choices.

Desert Island Board Games Index