This is our fourth entry in our list of 50 modern classics, those games we think hold up as shining examples of game design over the past two decades.  We discussed the aims of this list in our first entry, but in short, we are trying to identify modern classics that stand the test of time and are worth trying.  You can find links to the rest of the series at the bottom of the page.

We detailed our methodology in our first entry, but to recap, each Opinionated Gamer was allowed to vote for 15 games (from a list of more than 100 nominated) released between 1995 and 2015. We left the criteria for selecting games to the individual, with my only request being that the games picked be subjectively good (i.e. the writer liked the game) and a little objective (i.e. they’re well regarded and available in the modern hobby).

Without further ado, here are the games that made #20 to #11 on our list. Continue reading →

This is our third entry in our list of 50 modern classics, those games we think hold up as shining examples of game design over the past two decades.  We discussed the aims of this list in our first entry, but in short, we are trying to identify modern classics that stand the test of time and are worth trying.  You can find links to the rest of the series at the bottom of the page.

We detailed our methodology in our first entry, but to recap, each Opinionated Gamer was allowed to vote for 15 games (from a list of more than 100 nominated) released between 1995 and 2015. We left the criteria for selecting games to the individual, with my only request being that the games picked be subjectively good (i.e. the writer liked the game) and a little objective (i.e. they’re well regarded and available in the modern hobby).

Without further ado, here are the games that made #30 to #21 on our list. Continue reading →

This is our second entry in our list of 50 modern classics, those games we think hold up as shining examples of game design over the past two decades.  We discussed the aims of this list in our first entry, but in short, we are trying to identify modern classics that stand the test of time and are worth trying.  You can find links to the rest of the series at the bottom of the page.

We detailed our methodology in our first entry, but to recap, each Opinionated Gamer was allowed to vote for 15 games (from a list of more than 100 nominated) released between 1995 and 2015. We left the criteria for selecting games to the individual, with my only request being that the games picked be subjectively good (i.e. the writer liked the game) and a little objective (i.e. they’re well regarded and available in the modern hobby).  

Without further ado, here are the games that made #40 to #31 on our list. Continue reading →

Over five years ago, this site published its list of 138 games to play before you die, and last year, we published a list of 10 games we’d recommend new gamers play first.  But we’ve never published a list of classics, those games stand the test of time as shining examples of modern game design.

In today’s marketplace, where thousands of titles are released each year, finding good games can be a challenge.  It’s easy to find lists of recent hot games: we in board game media do a great job of appeasing the cult-of-the-new.  But what are some modern classics that are worth trying? What not-so-new games stand the test of time? What classics do we keep coming back to?

We had 25 Opinionated Gamers vote, with just under 100 games receiving votes.  Most of the people voting have played thousands and thousands of games, and as a group, we’ve written thousands of reviews over the past couple of decades (or longer in some cases).

Due to the length of the series, we decided to write about our findings in five articles, discussing the top fifty games.  This article will discuss #50 to #41. We have an additional article coming every day this week, plus a recap at the end with some interest statistics. Continue reading →