7 Best Board Games from 2004
Now that we’ve rolled into 2014, we’re taking a look back at the best board games published 10 years ago – in 2004.
This post is actually inspired by The Dice Tower podcast, of which we contribute to from time to time. If you’re familiar with The Dice Tower, you’ll know that they frequently look back on great games from X # years ago.
Because with thousands of board games, card games, dice games, and party games coming out each year, a handful rise to the top. And oftentimes, new games create a lot of hype when they first come out, but they then lose steam as the years pass. So looking back, 5, 10, 15, and 20 years it’s easier to see which games stand the test of time and are truly considered great board games.
Most people don’t really care when a game was published. They just care about how much they enjoy the game.
But when making game buying decisions, they also care about how long they’ll be able to enjoy a game. Will it get old after playing it a number of times. That’s why it’s great to see which games have been out for years and are still enjoyed by so many.
With that, let’s take a look back 10 years and see which board games still shine as fantastic!
Best Board Games from 2004
While recording our segment for best games of 2004 for The Dice Tower, we noticed that 3 of our Top Favorite Board Games were published in 2004!
1. Ticket to Ride
The first board game on our list shouldn’t come with any surprise. Ticket to Ride has become a staple in so many homes around the world. What caught us by surprise was that it was released only 10 years ago. With how big an impact it’s had on the board game industry, it seems like it’s been around longer than that.
In the board game world, Ticket to Ride is frequently labeled as the defacto “gateway” game. A “gateway” game is one that hooks people into the hobby. It’s a game that’s easy to dive into and enjoy which then leads to the discovery of so many additional great modern board games.
Ticket to Ride is that kind of game. It’s a fantastic family board game that’s easy to learn, has great game play, has a good balance of strategy and luck, plays in under 45 minutes, has great components, and is enjoyed by people of all ages.
2. Memoir ’44
Memoir ’44 tops my list as Best Board Game of 2004. Whether I’m going off number of times played or which game I’d gladly play any time, Memoir takes the cake.
When I first heard about Memoir ’44, I wasn’t drawn to it because it was a “war game”. Finally I decided to “try” it, and I was hooked. I love the many scenarios, the different regions of the board, and the decision challenges, all tempered with the luck of the dice rolls. We’ve only had it a few years, but we’ve added a number of expansions along the way. Love it!
3. Power Grid
While Memoir ’44 gets the higher nod on my list because of how much I’ve played it. But Memoir games are also played in under 30 minutes. That’s not the case with my next favorite board game – Power Grid.
I love Power Grid for its brain-burning good time. It may last a couple hours, but with my mind constantly engaged in the game, I hardly notice the time. Whether it’s making the right move in the power plant auctions, keeping an eye on the supplies & prices of resources, watching what resources my opponents need, planning my expanding network with increasing connection costs, all while minding my place in turn order to make my moves at the right time – I love the challenge.
The only downside to Power Grid is that it’s better played with more players. And it can be tough to get a group of willing players to sit down for a long brain burner on a regular basis. Good thing there’s Power Grid – Robots…
4. Ingenious
When you first see Ingenious you may think it’s just a simple children’s game. Sure it’s a simple tile placement game, and kids will have fun just matching tiles from what they draw, but by throwing in a unique scoring element and game winning condition, you’ll find yourself putting a lot of thought into each move to get the best result.
This colorful, tile-placing game with its unique scoring is best with 4 players, but works very well with 3 as well.
5. Tsuro
Tsuro is a very simple board game that’s great to play when you’ve got 6, 7, or 8 people looking for a light game to play. The game is all about trying to keep your piece on the board while trying to force the others off the board. Each turn you place a path tile in front of your piece and then move your piece to the end of the path. Nice and simple – good, light family fun.
6. Gloom
It’s a light-hearted game with silly situations that’s a lot of fun to play and laugh along the way.
But the best part of the game might be the cards themselves!
Transparent cards are awesome!
7. No Thanks!
We haven’t posted a review of No Thanks! yet, but it’s another great card game for 3 to 5 players. Players compete for the lowest score and don’t want to collect cards (numbered 3 to 35). If players don’t want to take a card, they place one of their chips on the card and let it go on to the next player. However, once the chips start piling up on a card, it becomes tempting to take because chips are worth -1 point.
When a player takes a card, they also get all the chips piled on it. So taking a high numbered card may turn out beneficial once the chips pile up. Players also start the game with a limited number of chips. If a player runs out of chips, they won’t be able to pass and will have to take the card.
There’s one scoring twist: Runs of cards only score points for the lowest number in the run. So if a player has the 18, 19, and 20 cards, they’ll only get 18 points for the 3 cards combined. But if they don’t have the 19, they’ll hit 38 points (18 + 20). Ouch.
Play until all the cards are gone, add up the point value of the cards and subtract chip points. That’s all there is to it.
What board games and card games are on your Best Games of 2004 list?
I can probably just say amen to your list. The games I’ve played from 2004 that I’d put on a top games list are already on your list except for Fairy Tale. I have several crappy games that I wouldn’t put on my list.
I find it interesting that Cranium: Ziggity came out in 2004 and it, like Gloom, had transparent cards (although it was not fun). There must have been something in the water.
Aaron – We haven’t played Fairy Tale or Cranium: Ziggity. But based on your feedback, we’re fine to skip Ziggy.