Nick Olszyk’s Top 20 Tabletop Games

Nick Olszyk’s Top 20 Tabletop Games

Occasionally, I dip into other hobbies besides movies. I've gotten into tabletop gaming in a big way over the past nine months and would love to share some great games with you. Here are my top 20 best tabletop games:

1. Redemption, CCG

          This is easily my favorite game. It’s my favorite theme (Christianity) combined with my favorite game type (CCG). It’s 2^nd oldest to Magic as the longest lasting CCG that’s still in print and still adding expansions. It’s easy to learn but still complicated enough to keep things interesting. Love, love, love this game.

2. Smash Up, Deck Shuffling

          Werewolves and sharks and aliens and dinosaurs and ghosts and time travelers. What’s not to love? It’s easy to learn and has a fast gameplay with dozens of expansions and combinations.

3. Dice Masters, Dice

          This is a dice version of a CCG, and the dice are amazing. It has a Yatzee style feel with awesome characters from Marvel, DC, TMNT, and others.

4. Star Realms, Deckbuilding

          I’ve played Star Realms both with cards and the mobile app more than any other game on this list. It’s quick and fun. The space theme is also one of my favorites.

5. Star Wars Collectible Card Game (Decipher), CCG

          This was the first serious game I played as a kid. It’s a bit complicated, but the cards are amazing. The game play is really thematic as you battle your opponent with favorite characters at memorable locations.

6. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, Deckbuilding

          This is an interesting combination of deckbuilding and campaign genres as you play through the seven books of the series. The mechanisms match the theme perfectly as you cast spells, engage allies, and defeat Death Eaters.

7. Epic, LCG

          Everything good about Magic the Gathering condensed down into a twenty-minute creature bash without the thematic and mechanical problems.

8. Munchkin Collectable Card Game, CCG

          A somewhat parody of CCGs (my favorite genre), it also has solid game play, great humor, and a great array of material. 

9. Legendary: Marvel, Deckbuilding

          This game is like Dice Masters, except as a deckbuilding game with a coop aspect. As you’ve probably guessed, I love superheroes, so this was an easy sell.

10. Telestrations, Party

          Telestrations, like the name implies, is telephone with pictures. Since 95% of the population can’t draw more than stick figures, it’s hilarious. The game is so fun, we have never kept score.

11. Sushi Go! Party, Card Drafting

          Cute pictures of my favorite food with a fun rummy style game. Draft combos of sushi to make the most epic sushi dinner (and get the most points).

12. Munchkin, Dungeon Crawl

          Munchkin is a fun meta-game with great humor and cool combinations with a lot of "take that."

13. The Catholic Card Game, Party

          Can you relate to NFP woes, Patrick Madrid talks, Pope Francis interviews, and Michael Voris’ hair? If no, this probably won’t work for you. If yes, this game is a TON of fun.

14. Red Dragon Inn, Take That Style

          The goal is to not pass out drunk. Enough said.

15. Sagrada, Abstract Strategy

          This game is just beautiful; the dice are some of the best in any game. You draft dice and place them in your window Sudoku style.

16. Dixit, Party

          This game is like Apples to Apples but with much better artwork. The mechanics are a bit thinkier too because you want one other player to guess your card but not everyone to guess your card.

17. Love Letter Premium, Micro-Game

          Try to court the lovely princess with only 16 cards.

18. King of Tokyo, Dice

          Giant monsters duking it out over the Tokyo skyline? What’s not to love? With chunky dice, nice standees, and Yahtzee-style dice rolling, easily a fun family game.

19. Commissioned, Area Control

          This is a great game for my New Testament or Church History students. It involves spreading the faith as an apostle across the known world in the 1^st century. There are lots of interesting mechanisms including area control, coop play, deckbuilding, and tons of strategy with a great theme.

20. Apples to Apples, Party

           Matching leads to hilarity. Adjective: Silence, Winner: Helen Keller

Honorable Mention: Dominion, Fog of Love, Forbidden Island, Go, The Nightmare Before Christmas CCG, Pitch Car, Raptor, Tales of Arabian Nights, Kingdominio, Arcadia Quest, Terror Eyes, Tsuro, Tides of Madness, Chess, Shark Bite