Board Games Played Most in 2011
Our family had a great time playing lots of new board games and card games in 2011!
We also had a great time playing games that we’ve had for years.
In fact, it’s very relaxing to play a board game that we’re familiar with rather than always learning rules to new games. Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing all the new games that come out every year and learning how to play these fun games. But at times, it can feel like more work rather than relaxation. And to kids, familiarity is very comforting. So we make sure to intersperse both new and old games throughout the year.
So what are the board games that we played most in 2011?
Knowing what board games and card games we played most might be difficult if we didn’t have such a cool tool from BoardGameGeek.com (BGG) that let’s us track our game plays. Of course, most families that enjoy playing games, just play and don’t worry about recording what they play. But I guess that’s why the site has “Geek” in the name. For some reason, I find it cool to track things. And when there’s a tool for tracking game plays, and I can have access to it on my mobile device, why not record it?
You may have noticed in our right-hand sidebar a list of “Recently Played Games”. This little widget is pulled from the tool on BGG showing the last 5 games we’ve played. Pretty cool!
We can also run reports from the tool to find out what games we play most in a given period of time. Of course, since I’m not around all the time, I don’t keep track of what the kids play with each other or with their friends. So this list is what I (dad) have played the most in 2011. And while I’ve played a number of games with friends, you can bet that the majority of my game playing is with the family.
98 Different Games played in 2011
Ok – this is crazy to see, but I played as many different games in 2011 as I did in 2010 – 98!
That’s a lot of different games to play in 1 year – close to 2 different games per week. I knew we’d played a lot of different games, but to hit the exact same number as we did in 2010, is strange to believe.
So out of those 98 different games, which did we play the most?
5 and Dimes
One of the standard reports in the BGG tracking tool is the “5 and Dimes” report. This is a report that categorizes the games played 5-9 times (5s) and those played 10 or more times (dimes). So you can see at a quick glance which games fall into those most played groups.
Here’s my list of 5 and Dimes for 2010:
Dimes:
- Hive – 30
- Memoir ’44 – 25
- Dominion – 24
- Dominion: Seaside – 24
- Dominion: Intrigue – 18
- Dominion: Prosperity – 14
- Ticket to Ride – 10
Yep – Dominion is on there a lot. I could have lumped all the Dominion games into one category, but it’s also great to see which expansions I pull from the most.
Fives:
- Spot It
- Martian Dice
- Pentago
- Shake ‘N Take
- City Square Off
- Quarto
- Say Anything Family Edition
- Rack-O
- Bug Out
- Lemming Mafia
- Ligretto Dice
- Fastrack
You’ll notice that a lot of games on this list are shorter games, rather than long strategic board games. And that’s just fine because a lot of family game time needs to be caught in the moment. If the kids are ready for some fun, light games that don’t take too long, then by all means, that’s what we’ll play. Take the time with them and have fun when you can get it!
And here’s looking forward to another fun year playing games with the family!
Who knows – maybe this year we’ll surpass more than 100 different games played in 2012!
P.S. If you’re interested in keeping track of games you’ve played, I’d suggest you check out the tool on BoardGameGeek.com.
They do have some really cool stats tools at boardgamegeek. A lot of my dimes last year were games that a preschooler could play like Candyland and Memory (Memory was my most played with 117 times). Other than that I had a lot of plays of Dominion and expansions like you. I also played a lot of 7 Wonders.
A couple of questions for you, did you get anything at the end of the year (say for Christmas) that you think is likely to be a five or dime for 2012? Also were there any games you would have liked to have played more in 2011?
They do have some really cool stats tools at boardgamegeek. A lot of my dimes last year were games that a preschooler could play like Candyland and Memory (Memory was my most played with 117 times). Other than that I had a lot of plays of Dominion and expansions like you. I also played a lot of 7 Wonders.
A couple of questions for you, did you get anything at the end of the year (say for Christmas) that you think is likely to be a five or dime for 2012? Also were there any games you would have liked to have played more in 2011?
Aaron – that’s a good question.
From the way the week after Christmas went, Ninja: Legend of the Scorpion Clan may make the list for 2012. It’s been hot with the boys and I expect us to post a review for it within the next couple weeks.
I don’t expect Fortune and Glory to make the list this year, not for quality issues, but because of game length expected around 3 hours.
I think Reverse Charades Junior Edition may make the list and definitely the Hive expansions pieces will fit in nicely in our Hive games this year that should make the list every year. And Dominion Cornucopia will most likely make the list as well.
What would I have liked to have played more of in 2011?
* Memoir ’44 – I’ve just been really taken by that game and am currently evaluating expansions. I never expected to play/enjoy a “war” game. But this one is so simplified and full of fun mechanics that I like in a game – good balance of luck of strategy (card draws and lucky die rolls mixed with strategic choices on moving troops).
Others that I would have liked to play more of this year?
* Power Grid
* Battlestar Galactica
* Code 777
* RoboRally
* Bang!
* Nuns on the Run
* Rattus
* 7 Wonders
* Gloom
* Zooloretto
Aaron – that’s a good question.
From the way the week after Christmas went, Ninja: Legend of the Scorpion Clan may make the list for 2012. It’s been hot with the boys and I expect us to post a review for it within the next couple weeks.
I don’t expect Fortune and Glory to make the list this year, not for quality issues, but because of game length expected around 3 hours.
I think Reverse Charades Junior Edition may make the list and definitely the Hive expansions pieces will fit in nicely in our Hive games this year that should make the list every year. And Dominion Cornucopia will most likely make the list as well.
What would I have liked to have played more of in 2011?
* Memoir ’44 – I’ve just been really taken by that game and am currently evaluating expansions. I never expected to play/enjoy a “war” game. But this one is so simplified and full of fun mechanics that I like in a game – good balance of luck of strategy (card draws and lucky die rolls mixed with strategic choices on moving troops).
Others that I would have liked to play more of this year?
* Power Grid
* Battlestar Galactica
* Code 777
* RoboRally
* Bang!
* Nuns on the Run
* Rattus
* 7 Wonders
* Gloom
* Zooloretto