My Five Year Evergreens
Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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Every year about this time, I compile a new list of games to help me keep a visual record of what I play throughout the year. I also take the opportunity to look at all of the unplayed games in my collect. Sadly, this is way to many (200+) and would take way too much work to make a Geeklist about.
However, since it has been five years since I started keeping records of my games played on the Geek, I started looking at some of that information. I was somewhat interested in games that I have not played since being played in 2004. Sadly, that is a rather short and uninspiring list. Then I looked at the games that have been played at least once a year in each of the last five years. That gives me a list of 23 games that probably says a lot about who I am as a game-player.
For the record, those 23 games account for 428 plays out of 2369 as of today. Total played for each ranges from 5 to 55 with an average of 18.6
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1.
Board Game: Africa
[Average Rating:5.97 Overall Rank:2112]
Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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This was my very first Knizia game, which launched me into a love-affair with Knizia games that has started waning in recent years. It was also part of my very first order from Funagain Games. I've enjoyed it ever since I got it with many plays logged before 2004. Initially, those plays were with my wife. More recently, my eldest daughter has taken a liking to it, resulting in many plays over the past two years. Sadly, and somewhat surprisingly, it is the only Knizia game to make this list.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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I picked this up as part of an order of German imports from Gamefest back in the day when there was a lot of useful information there. In fact, much of what is Boardgamenews today started out over there. They also had a really good selection of used games at one time. Still, this game was bought because of its recent SdJ win. It's been a favorite ever since, particularly of my wife. Sadly, though it makes this list, it has not been played all that much in recent years.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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No surprise that this one is on the list. This is one of my favorite games -- one of the few that I give a 10 to. This one seems like it has always been difficult to get a hold of for long periods of time. I grabbed one as soon as I could from Funagain. One of only three games on this list to make it to 20 plays without help from games with the kids. If only I could play this more.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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This is something that is going to be a familiar site on this list -- one of the Mayfair crayon rail games. This is not my favorite of the series -- I find that it more prone to wild swings of luck than most of the games -- but my wife really likes it. Still, I am happy to play it. I actually managed to pick up a tubed version of the game from Sentry Box in Canada. I did not understand my amazing good fortune for a year or two afterward.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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I find I enjoy this game more and more as time goes by. I'm really not sure why as I would not expect to particularly like or enjoy a game with such a heavy dose of negotiation. However, against all odds, I do. We've taught it to many of our friends, many of whom have gone on to buy their own copies. This gives us plenty of opportunities for play. For the record this was also part of that first order from Funagain.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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This was a part of the German game order from Gamefest that included Alhambra. The idea of the game was intriguing to me and has been racking up the plays ever since. It hasn't hurt that in the last couple of years, my second daughter has taken a liking to the "lizard game" (likely because of the green box) and pushed the number of plays to a ridiculous level. For those interested, I've also picked up Zooloretto and the first batch of expansions.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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We picked up a copy of this at the local Toy 'R' Us for our eldest daughter for Christmas when she was three years old. It has seen a lot of play since then as both she and her younger sister have loved it. However, this year, it was only played once, so it seems likely that it will make it through 2009 unplayed. While I will not mourn its passing, there are far worse games I could be playing with them.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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I was introduced to this game by my good friend Jared and loved it immediately. Of course, by then, I had already fallen in love with Empire Builder, so maybe that is not so much a surprise. To me this game really is essentially a train game at its heart. Maybe that is no surprise given its descent from Alan Moon. I picked this one up in one of my first few orders from Time Well Spent.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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My buddy Jared introduced this one to me in 2001. My first game was a five-hour, three-player monster. But I was immediately hooked. I wanted to play again as soon as I could. When I got home, I got on Ebay and found a cheap copy ($12) for sale. I played it host of times before recording games on the geek. Of the games on this list, it is second only to Settlers (and that just barely) in number of plays not boosted by children. This is another of the few games I have rated a 10.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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After my love affair with Empire Builder soldified, I became aware that there was a whole series of them. I began tracking them down at that point. This one was picked up with several others in an order from FineGames (better known for wargames). While a lot of people seem to think this is the best of the bunch, my opinion is somewhat less positive. Still, it is solid enough to get played every year for five years -- and likely for several to come.
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11.
Board Game: Fluxx
[Average Rating:5.72 Overall Rank:4313]
Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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Another game I was introduced to by Jared. I warmed to it immediately. While there are times that it can get long and annoying, I still find it a pleasant enough distraction. Amazingly, it gets played (barely) once a year. Just enough to keep it on this list. Incidentally, it was also in my first Funagain order.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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I'm not sure if this came from Gamefest with Coloretto or not, but it made it into our home about the same time, so it is very likely. This game was my first introduction to the excellent customer service by Jay at RGG as this edition came with the wrong colored pigs. Needless to say, I was sent a brand new copy shortly after getting in touch with Jay -- way to go Jay! This has always been a game played primarily with the girls without the rule that you can lose vegetables -- though I have always played as though I would lose mine. They have now developed enough planning that I am going to have to make them play with the correct rules in the future.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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My friend Jody brought this to a get-together of ours as a sort of gag gift for another friend who really liked the Groo comics. It turned out to be a hit among the rest of us, which resulted in me being given a copy later. By extension, this entry includes the expansion as I have never played the base game without it.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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This is another one of those games from my first couple of orders from Time Well Spent. I am actually somewhat surprised to see it here. I don't really care for "reaction" type games, so I don't tend to suggest them -- and I own few. Still, there is something about the bell that my girls absolutely love. That is what drives this game to continue getting played.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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This was a gift to my children at Christmas in 2003. While it is pretty mindless, it has one of the most awesome randomizers in all of gaming -- the ice cream scoop in the picture. This is another one that the girls seem to be growing out of which means it may not make the list next year.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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Like many of the kids games on this list, the interest in this one seems to be waning. Unlike the other pure children's games, this one got two plays last year. Perhaps it will survive another year of being played? At any rate, this one was bought from Time Well Spent as a joint birthday gift to the girls in 2004.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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This is one of my favorite games in the crayon rails series. Unfortunately, my wife has a hard time wrapping her head around it and the names are a royal pain. Still, it manages to get played once a year. Not sure where this one came from, though my guess would be Time Well Spent.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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Another game I really like that has been played with a lot of different groups and enjoyed. Unfortunately, it has a tendency to become scarce for long periods of time, particularly around 2004 when I picked up my copy off Ebay. By extension, this entry also contains the First Extension, as I have never played my copy without it. And I mean the first extension that came in the brown corugated cardboard box with no jump. I think I bought the very last one that Funagain had in stock.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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You know, I've never actually played my copy of this game by the rules. The first plays of this game are of another person's copy. The later plays came when my girls noticed the princess on the box and the jewels inside. We now play a modified version that is quick and a lot of fun with them. Still, they seem to have lost some of their interest in this one.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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This is probably my least favorite of the games in the rails series. Well, maybe I like it better than Agent of Change, but that is not saying much. Still, it is my least favorite of the mass-produced maps. Still, it will likely continue to get its one play a year for quite a while.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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Now where would I be without this one on the list? Unlike many people, I've never burned out on Settlers, so I still enjoy playing it. In fact, this past year, it has enjoyed something of a renaissance at my house with many more plays than usual. For the curious, I prefer vanilla Settlers to all of the other flavors out there. For several of them, the gap is pretty large. Anyway, I was introduced to this in 2000 but did not get my own copy until 2003 (in my first order from Game Surplus) because it did not come with two-player rules.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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I picked this one up for cheap along with several other games from an Ebay vender back in late 2003 or early 2004. It has seen rather steady play by the girls over the years, but this has dropped off this past year. It may not make the list for six in a row.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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Another of my 10 rated games that I just do not get to play enough. Fortunately, I have a couple of friends who really make an effort to see that some of the old favorites still get played. I hope this can make a similar list next year. AS an aside, I sure was happy to be able to get the German version of this back when Funagain had plenty laying around or there would be even fewer plays recorded.
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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There are a few games that were very close to making this list. The following four games, to my surprise, had no plays in 2008, thus ending their streak:
British Rails
Lord of the Rings
Puerto Rico
St. Petersburg
The following nine games had their streak cut off at some point before 2008, but have been played every year since that hiccup. So they, too, were played in four out of five years:
Carcassonne
DVONN
Heroscape
Iron Dragon
Mamma Mia
Mississippi Queen
Pico 2
Ticket to Ride
TransAmerica
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Stephen Smith
United States
Columbus
Mississippi
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Of course, the games on this list are limited to those I owned or had access to back in 2004. There have been many to come into my collection, or even be published since then. The following ten games have been played at least once in each of the last four years, so could make a five in a row list in January 2010:
10 Days in the USA
Category 5
Formula De
India Rails
Keythedral
Loco!
Nippon Rails
No Thanks!
Pick Picknic
Railroad Tycoon
Some of these are a shoo-in.
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Posted Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:04 am
Clemson
South Carolina