Dream Factory was reprinted in Poland as "Tytus, Romek i A'Tomek", based on a cult Polish comic book. And in that game you create comic strips for Tytus and Co. Great game, as this is also one of my favourite comic books. I still remember when I got Book XIV of the series from my Mum, back in 1980. :)
Blue Moon City is a favorite of my family. Definitely a lighter game, but it hits the sweet spot for us as we are, for the most part, lighter weight gamers. We really enjoy this game.
I love the simplicity of Samurai and was really glad to see it get a reprint a few years back. Its also a great gateway game and I've even successfully brought it out at family gatherings. I tell people the only skill you need to play this game is the ability to count to ten. But the strategy can do decently deep in just calculating what tiles your opponent might have left as well as just how many of each piece they have.
Knizia is hit or miss for me but his hits are really good. Lord of the Rings is still one of the definitive co-op games out there, Great Wall of China is an impressive small box game with a deep game inside, but I think his favorite of mine would have to be Star Trek: Expeditions, perhaps his most thematic game and the game that tops my list of "Games It's a Crime There's Not More Additional Content For".
I'm a little surprised how little love Ingenious gets at The Dice Tower, especially considering how much Tom and Zee love abstract games. On BGG it ranks higher than most of the games on this list, so it seems like it is definitely a Top 10 Knizia game.
Winner's Circle and Samurai would definitely be high on my top 10 Knizia games list. WC in particular is one of my favourite games as there's something about it that triggers that happy little 5 year old in me. Lost Cities, on the other hand, would make my top 10 pointless games. I didn't like Battle Line as much as I thought I would, but it's far better than LC. Lastly, I haven't played nearly as many games as Tom, but T&E, to me, is one of the most brilliant designs ever. I'm in awe of Reiner Knizia. All his games automatically make my "must at least try list".
For real. And just in case you want to be killed even more badly, you can pick up the Sauron expansion, which is just ridiculously brutal and completely unnecessary for already challenging game.
You missed my favorite game, Loot. I also like Battle Line and Lost Cities (both are only two player games) but Loot is a solid 3-6 player game with unlimited replay value, fast and fun and easy to learn.
A designer I've played enough of to make a top 10 1 Ra, 2 Tigris and Euphrates, 3 Samurai, 4 Modern Art, 5 Stephenson's Rocket, 6 Formula Motor Racing, 7 Lost Cities, 8 Taj Mahal, 9 Merchants of Amsterdam 10 High Society Loads I've not played of course, including all of Tom's top 3.
After seeing #10-#2 I was almost sure Modern Art was going to be #1! Really surprised it didn't make the list, but I can forgive it based on the fact that LotR Confrontation was on there. That's a really underrated game that gets more and more fun the more rounds you play vs the same opponent.
Yeah, so many games should have made this list. Ra, Ra The Dice Game, Lord of the Rings, Indigo, Qin, Samurai, Master's Gallery, Money, T&E, and Beowulf: The Legend would have been my top 10.
I own Tigris & Euphrates, & Indigo, & Times Square by Knizia. I'll probably be getting Lost Cities: the Board Game, & I'm interested in trying Through the Desert (& the Lord of the Rings: Confrontation too).
Well... I'm surprised to see lost Cities and battle line over Tigris&Euphrates... They are great games indeed, but I think my ranks would be reversed. Ah, and this is just my point of view, Through the desert is just a thematic multiplayer simplification of Go. Sorry, but I kinda prefer the original one ;)
1. Modern Art is my 25th favorite game. I love thw pure auction game. It is really fun for me. 2. Ra is 27th favorite game of all time. I liked it so much I bought a copy, but it has slid down a little as I play it more. 3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is my 77th favorite game and has replaced the LoR co-op game. 4. Ra: The Dice Game is my 103rd favorite game. More of Ra, but lighter. 5. Lord of the Rings co-op: no longer on my top 100 as it has been replaced, but I enjoyed this game before I was a board game hobbyist, as I got the game when I was a LoR fan. 6. Res Publica: This is a fairly fun game, but wanna try the new theme. Sadly this has dropped because the person teaching me the game had messed up the rules in 2 games I played. It needs more correct plays! 7. Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is fairly solid as I am a fan of Stratego. Honorable mentions: The Quest for El Dorado: This is high on my "to play" list! The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: part 2 of the co-op Hobbit game!
I'm sure all your games are good, Tom... BUT... you left off "Condotierre", and "The Age of War", two games that are considered "small" and maybe even fillers but there's a lot of game in two small boxes.
