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How To Categorise A Game Collection
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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I've got a lot of unplayed games in my loft. Too many. And there's more games on my wishlisht too.
In order to sort this out I sat down and had a good old think about what each game that I was looking at actually achieved for me - what gaming itch did it scratch when I played it? For example I'd been looking at buying a whole lot of games that could be loosely classified as "Empire Building Games" but really how many games in that mold did I need?
After applying this to a few oversubscribed categories in my collection, I started to think it might be interesting just to see how I felt about categorising other games. There's been a bit of a debate going on recently about how a lot of the popular games on the 'geek are very similar and how "Ameritrash" fans like myself prefer to play a wider range of games. So I wanted to see if I really was playing a wider range of games. I'd be interested to know whether you think there's a lot of overlap here - if you wanted to define things differently there's certainly a lot of mediumweight combat and negotiation games, because that's what I favour, but I do feel that the different categories fulfil different requirements. I also feel that across my different categories I've selected a wide range of different approaches and mechanics - in some cases that was the very reason I selected some games over others.
So here's the result. In each entry I've listed the category, what I seek to get out of games in that category followed by the two or three games that I feel best represent what I want from that category. I've then listed a few good looking games I rejected from the category with a brief reason as to why. Some of these rejects are marked with a * - they're games I own but am considering getting rid of after this reclassification.
You should note I've not played all the games on this list. Those that I haven't I've arrived at a classification for after careful research here on the 'geek.
So, in no particular order, my categories are:
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
-
Multiplayer Historical Wargames
With these games I want to be able to sit down in a group and relive a portion of military history. I want to be able to apply real-life military tactics with success, be rewarded for building a grand strategy and learn some history into the bargain.
First Choice: Friedrich
Friedrich just looked too good to ignore. History practically oozes from the box from the penpics on the side to the historical basis for the event cards. It's also pleasingly simple but covers basic military principles like supply and control surprisingly well. The real seller for me was the tension between allies needing to support each other but find the resources to go for an individual win.
Second Choice: Shogun/Wallenstein
How can you not have a game featuring a dice tower? Just too many things have been said about this game to ignore. The one thorn in this particular dish is that I try to avoid games with foreign-language components so I'd buy Shogun over Wallenstein - but Wallenstein to me has the more interesting history.
Third Choice: Napoleon (The Block Wargame)
I wanted a block wargame in my collection and this seemed the only real choice as I tend to avoid two-player only games and this is the only historical multiplayer one available. Happily for me it's also a class game with a real feel for Napoleonic tactics about it.
Rejects
Struggle of Empires: Too similar to CotE which is also on this list
Sword of Rome: Looks great, but too long ever to see the table.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Light Wargame
What I'm looking for here is a combat game that's fast, tense and simple but offers fixed scenarios so the players can try out different tactics against each other.
First Choice: Space Hulk
This is the epitome of what I'm after here. It's fast playing and bum-clenchingly tense and the rulebooks offer a variety of interesting scenarios that have real replay value. It's almost a shame it doesn't have a historical theme.
Second Choice: Memoir '44
A nice light combat game with enough of a historical theme to it to make it feel like as much a historical wargame as anything else. The combination of dice and cards driving the game is a nice system, well regarded by other 'geeks.
Rejects
C&C: Ancients: Too much like Memoir and I prefer the theme of the latter.
*Block Mania*: Too chaotic by far.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Diplomatic Wargame
These games are as much about deal-making as they are about conflict - they force players into making and breaking alliances in order to win the game. Here I'm looking to combine some serious tactical play with psychological reading and manipulation.
Note that although it might seem Diplomacy belongs here, when I really thought about it I had to put it in a different catgeory! It's further down the list.
First Choice: A Game of Thrones
I'm still reading the novel this is based on at the moment. I'm not entirely sure I like the novel but I'm pretty sold on the game. Cleverly balanced and with some interesting side mechanics this looks like a winner in this department.
Second Choice: Borderlands
I have to be honest - I know very little about this game except that it clearly fits in this category and is well-regarded by a number of my geekbuddies. Since I've managed to make this up as a print and play copy I don't see I've got much to loose 
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4.
Board Game: Genoa
[Average Rating:7.33 Overall Rank:147]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Trading Games
In these games I want the pleasure of verbal sparring, wheeling and dealing without the treachery component that comes with oh-so many negotiation or co-operation games.
First Choice: Traders of Genoa
What else could it be, really? The clever double-blind dealing and scoring mechanic just makes this the epitome of dodgy dealing games!
Second Choice: Bohnanza
A light, fast playing, family oriented trading game which satisfies a whole different demographic to Traders while retaining the essence of bartering and dealmaking.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Screwage Games
Sticking one over on an opponent is one of gaming's great satisfaction. Some games just excel at providing players with opportunities to annoy, stich up, or otherwise impead the progress of other players by adopting a variety of interesting mechanics.
First Choice: Citadels
A game with vast screwage potential that sits in your pocket? What more could you want! The potential for endless revenge-style play is just fantastic.
Second Choice: Survive!
Absoulte chaos, but tons of fun. The concept of the nasties that the players need to avoid being controlled by other players is just great, and the hidden pawn values keeps the tension high.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Analytical Games
Not often, but sometimes I want a game to be really hard work. I want to be challenged. I want something that's solid mental effort with little randomness or table talk.
First Choice: Puerto Rico
I've said it before and I'll say it again - the fantastic thing about PR is the way it manages to be a heavy game without feeling like excessive effort. It's focus on the minutiae of tactical play without loosing the need for demanding decision making is just great!
Second Choice: Tigris & Euphrates
The gamers game? The Knizia classic? Does much more need to be said?
Rejects
Age of Steam: Too much time needed to get into.
Power Grid: The catchup mechanic is just vastly annoying.
Ursuppe: Feels strangely mechanical and uncontrolable.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Lightweight Family Game
Short, fun games with limited (but definate) strategic depth and simple rules. Games you can teach and play with fairly young children but that still have family-wide appeal. Needs to limit violence and screwage potential in order to maintain that appeal.
First Choice: Ticket to Ride: Europe
Any of the TtR games would do here, they're the aboslute epitome of what this is all about. I picked TtR:E because, well, I'm European. It's already proved a potent tool for teaching kids geography without them knowing.
Second Choice: Ra
I originally looked at Ra as an auction game. Then I realised I already had a bunch of games in my collection that had auction mechanics so maybe I didn't really need it. But it stil appealed and when I really thought about it, the reason was that it fitted beautifully into this category.
Rejects
*Carcassonne*: Gets boring very fast indeed
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Mediumweight Family Game
A game which has wide appeal but has decent strategic depth and some opportunity for conflict play. The sort of thing you might bring out after dinner for non-gamers. Also suitable for older children.
First Choice: Settlers of Catan
I love this game because it balances so many interesting play factors: there's strategy and tactics and decent dollop of player interaction to top it off with.
Second Choice: Railroad Tycoon
An absolute spot-on contender for this category - challenging, but with enough random elements to stop it being a brain burner, a mishmash of interesting mechanics that nongamers won't have seen before and as a bonus everyone loves the look of the bits.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Oddball Themes
Sometimes games just don't quite do it in terms of play and mechanics but you feel driven to play them because the theme is so appealing.
First Choice: Blood Bowl
Luckily with this game it does hit the spot with play and mechanics plus it has a goofy theme to boot! What's not to love? Mechanically it's more like the games in the "light wargame" bracket than anything else but ... it's not one. The potential of long term league play is also hugely attractive.
Second Choice: Evo
I like dinosaurs. Doesn't everyone? I also happen to be a keen student of evolutionary biology. Really not a game I could ignore, in spite of all the claims of mediocrity.
Third Choice: Dragon Pass
This is a hex and counter wargame in a mess. Most of the rulebook consists of exceptions and a large portion of the gameplay is trying to guess which stacks are hiding dangerous units. But I'll always have a soft spot for it because it's the game that got me interested in gaming and because it's so choc-full of wacky monsters and bizarre ideas.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Party Games
Games which are designed to actually make you laugh with the play. Should require skills that have nothing to do with the usual strategy and tactics of the games 'geeks tend to favour.
First Choice: Beyond Balderdash
This is a complete scream of a game. It runs on the basis of call my bluff where someone reads out an obscure word and everyone else makes up definitions for it - then there's a round robin where everyone tries to pick the right answer. This version features a variety of other categories. It's quite a long game but, on several occasions, I've known large groups of drunken people demand a rerun after a riotous round of this game.
Second Choice: Taboo
The premise for this games doesn't sound much fun but it's surprisingly difficult and surprisingly amusing. One of my all time funniest game moments involved playing this: for the word "ambulence" the questioner decided to give the clue phrase "you're going home in a fucking ..."
Rejects
Pictionary: Fun, but just too time consuming.
Dingbats: As often annoying as it is entertaining.
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11.
Board Game: Titan
[Average Rating:7.08 Overall Rank:317]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Play by Email Games
These games actually play better by email than they do face-to-face and they allow you to get a little bit of that sweet gaming fix every single day.
First Choice: Titan
Titan is pretty much my favourite game ever. But the play time is just a killer with more than two, and with just two Titan looses much of it's charm. So I usually have several PBEM games on the go at once.
Second Choice: Diplomacy
Again, it's the play time that forces this excellent and compelling game into the PBEM category. I used to think it was loosing something playing this by email - it's more interesting to try and read your opponents face to face. But then a fellow 'geek pointed out that not only does email exchange better model diplomatic interaction in the 19th century than face to face meetings but it also stops you spying on who else your opponents are talking to in the game which can be a real giveaway of your carefully crafted plans. So PBEM it is.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Horror Games
You have to have some games to play at Halloween right? These games don't share any particular mechanics but sometimes there's a gaming itch that only the undead can satisfy.
First Choice: Fury of Dracula
There's little to be said about this outstanding game that hasn't been said already. It's the number one pick in this category because it practically drips horror off the board - the all powerful dracula lording it over puny hunters who must work together to try and survive.
Second Choice: Black Morn Manor
Possibly the ultimate haunted house game, this gets the horror thumbs up because of a neat mechanic that can see a player switching sides from the heroes to the haunters in the blink of an eye. A game in which you really can trust no-one.
Rejects
Zombies!!!: Too random, and fails to capture the theme well.
Arkham Horror: Just too clunky to do justice to lovecraft.
Betrayal at House of the Hill: Often dull, often considered broken.
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13.
Board Game: Zilch
[Average Rating:5.74 Overall Rank:5772]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Filler Games
Short, quickfire games that can be used to fill time between main courses or as the round off to a game evening.
First Choice: Zilch
The ultimate push-your-luck game and requires nothing more than five dice and a pencil and paper to play. We devised an elaborate scoring system with various symbols to indicate degrees of courage or wimpiness during the compilation of a particular score.
Second Choice: Liar's Dice
A very popular bluffing game that we use to decide who get's to pick the next "proper" game. Perhaps requires a bit too much skill and attention for a genuine filler, but lots of fun.
Rejects
Can't Stop: Fails to do anything Zilch doesn't do quicker.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Word Games
I like word games I like to be lexically challenged once in a while - it's a whole different play experience to anything else. They also have traditional wide appeal to all sorts of people.
First Choice: Scrabble
A no-brainer really. Need I say more?
Second Choice: Boggle
Surprisingly challenging and offers huge replay value in a quick game that's easy to learn.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Resource Control Games
These are games where players are fighting over control of resources with greater control meaning more income which can be then used to increase the power of the forces at your disposal. Games like this usually have runaway leader problems, but hey, they're fun. A lot of similarities with light wargames but the lack of scenarios and chance to buildup forces makes for a totally different play experience.
First Choice: Nexus Ops
It has random setup, terrain effects, differing resources with different advantages, fast play, genuine tactics and a nice mechanism for helping with the runaway leader problem. Want more? Well, the dayglow miniatures are just a bonus.
Second Choice: Conquest of the Empire
The resource control aspect of this game is neat enough with the concept of leaders and cohorts guaranteed to make for interesting play. But the real goody with this one is the dual rule set - it can double as a "multiplayer historical wargame" anytime you feel like it.
Rejects
Attack!: An inferior cousin to CotE
Viktory II: Looks good, but just too pricey to ship from the US
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16.
Board Game: Dune
[Average Rating:7.63 Overall Rank:87]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Empire Building Games
Similar to the above but with the crucial addition of trading and diplomatic elements which are as important (at least) as the warfare on your path to victory.
First Choice: Dune
Possibly the best-balanced variable powers game ever, this is just breathtaking in the way that it weaves interdependencies between the various mechanics, goals and variable powers.
Second Choice: Mare Nostrum
The only game, ever, that seems to have come close to the impossible promise of the two-hour civilisation game.
Rejects
Warrior Knights: I own the GW copy of this which is just a bit too long and clunky. The reprinted FFG version might give Mare Nostrum a run for it's money in this category though.
History of the World: The idea of running different civilisations in the same game just seemed too weird and gamey.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Backstabbing Games
These share a lot of similarity with screwage games in that the satisfaction comes mainly from stitching up other players. The big difference is that in this class of games, the stiching up comes in the form of verbal threats and reneging on deals rather than using the mechanics to get one over on your opponents.
First Choice: Bootleggers
Looks like a genuinely successfuly Euro-american hybrid which captures it's theme perfectly, not least in the way it encourages players to undermine, threaten and browbeat each other at every opportunity.
Second Choice: Kremlin
An OOP classic guaranteed to induce paranoia and loss of trust in any gaming group!
Rejects
*Junta*: Great game, but too long and needs too many players.
End of the Triumverate: Looks fantastic but three-players only is a real turnoff. However, I could see this possibly replacing Kremlin if the latter continues to be hard to find.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Co-operation Games
Not, you'll note, co-operative games! These are competetive games that encourage the players to co-operate some of the time and fight some of the time - very short term alliances and deals are the order of the day here, and you can't afford to hold grudges.
First Choice: Santiago
The idea of players competing to bribe another player directly with resources is pretty unique and pretty compelling. This has some delightfully difficult decision making in addition to the co-operative aspect. Could go in the "Mediumweight Famly Games" category but I've put it here because the negotiation element is what makes it stand out - it'd be pretty pointless otherwise.
Second Choice: Cosmic Encounter
I haven't played this game for years and I don't have very fond memories of doing so, but it's enduring popularity has made me want to give it another chance. Sadly for me I've turned my game group off it by telling them how bad I used to think it was - but I'll get them round someday.
Rejects:
Republic of Rome: Waaay too long.
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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Adventure Games
When I'm playing a game like this, I want the feel of an RPG in a boardgame.
First Choice: Dungeonquest
An astonishingly fast and entertaining game for this category, gameplay usually involves watching everyone die rapdily in a variety of ghoulish and amusing ways. For the more steadfast and the lucky there's the draw of a game with a variety of different characters who can build themselves up over the course of the game - if they live long enough!
Second Choice: Mertwig's Maze
Bit of a left-field choice I suppose but hand on heart I do think this is an enormously fun game. Some of the card text has me in stiches. And it is, basically, RPG-light in a box with added jokes. Assemble a party. Go on quests. Aspire to become the next king. The fun little sub-boards are also a nice touch.
Rejects
Descent: Far. Too. Time. Consuming
*Advanced Heroquest*: Worthless without a long-term time investment.
Dungeoneer: Too complex for quite a random game.
Return of the Heroes: Looks a bit like a glorified race game.
*Talisman*: Old and clunky.
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British Columbia
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