Mechanics - Variable Player Powers

 Yes, Variable Player Powers: They're Player Powers That Are Variable

The time has come, the blogger said,
To talk of many things.
Of player powers, variations,
And the fun that they bring.

As evident by the title of today's post, and the goofy rhyme below it (I'm a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland), today's post is about variable player powers. First we start with the BGG Definition of Variable Player Powers: "Variable Player Powers is a mechanic that grants different abilities and/or paths to victory to the players. Player powers may change throughout the game, as in Small World or Sunrise City."

I think that actually casts a bit too wide of a net as I think that "different paths to victory for the players" would more fall under an "asymmetric win objectives" category. However, as that category is linked with the "Variable Player Powers" category, for today's purposes, I'll include it in as an option with some of the games that I list below. I think that a better way to describe "Variable Player Powers" would be to note that each game players have the option to choose (or have chosen for them) a set of asymmetric powers that allow them to interact with the game in different ways than the other players that play the game as well. This may be an extra set of actions that a player could take, alteration on the base rules for the game, or even add a completely different starting capability for the player.

With this list (and potentially going forward) I would like to highlight ten games that aren't necessarily going to be very well known to offer a few more options of games with player powers. There's the obvious games like Everdell (player powers were added with the Bellfaire expansion), Scythe (not my favorite, but it's highly rated here on BGG), and Pandemic, so I want to point out a few more that might be a little less known, without repeating any of the games that I've written about on previous posts.

I also included a new category, "Pitfalls to watch out for," in this list to include some caveats when playing the game. Every game has both good and bad parts to it that might be enjoyed by one person, but disliked by another. It's my hope with this, I'll be able to share some potential difficulties that could be experienced by players while the game is played and help prepare you for what to expect.

I'm going to list the games here on the list in no particular order, making sure to not include games that I've previously included on past lists. I'm not certain how many of these lists that I'll be able to write without duplicating, but for this one at least, I want to note a few games that I haven't discussed here on this blog before. Keep in mind also that I'm also going to note only games that I've personally played. There's a ton of games out there with variable powers (Ark Nova, Gloomhaven, and Dune: Imperium all are within the top 10 on BGG, but I've never played them) and while I am not including any of the top 10 games, there will be a few within the top 100-1000 games. I hope you find a game or two that you've never played before and enjoy the list below:

#10 - Magic Maze

BGG Ranking: #687 (7.0 score)

What kind of player powers are there? Players are given a card with a series of directions and/or abilities that they use to move the shared pawns on the board. During the game, these cards can be switched with other players resulting in new powers that another person had previously.

Total Plays: 32

What I Like About It: Magic Maze is my most-logged game here on BGG and that's for quite a few reasons. I have done a short blurb on the game on a previous post detailing real-time mechanics (which I might revisit to do a Top 10 list for), but I wanted to highlight it here as well because I love the game so much. During the game, each player is given a card which details a set of actions (or action depending on the group size) that they are use to move each of the four pawns around the ever-growing board. Due to the cooperative nature of the game, players are tasked with moving each of the pawns together to their respective weapons and then escape the mall (the board) with their loot. This is all carried out under a strict time limit with the caveat that all players cannot talk to one another unless specific actions are taken.

It ultimately results in a high-paced, frantic and stressful game where players are attempting to multitask with one another to accomplish the shared mission. The slow addition of pawn powers adds in additional mechanics that players must contend with and the rule that players have to shift their player power card to the left each time the timer is reset adds another level of depth to the game and requires significant concentration for the players to eke out a win.

The game itself is also super short, making it easy to reset the board and start from the beginning of the game once it has been completed. Due to the small number of movable items included with the game (more get added with expansions, but it still remains fairly easy to set up and teardown) it is able to be set up and torn down in several minutes at most. Rounds typically last no longer than 10-15 minutes, making this the ideal game to play when there's not much time to play a game but a good cooperative experience is needed.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: Magic Maze is stressful. There's no way to get around that. Because the entire game is done with a strict time limit (I believe that the timer is about 2 minutes long, but it can be flipped to add more time during the game), as well as done without talking unless in specific situations, it can result in some frantic, and sometimes anxiety-inducing gameplay. If real-time mechanics are not your thing, avoid Magic Maze because that's the primary mechanic of the game.

Magic Maze is also fairly easy to teach, but there are a few rules that are outlined in the rulebook that might be confusing to first time players. I would recommend reading through the rulebook and playing the initial first scenario included in the game as it's a bit more forgiving and helps new players understand what is going on. There is an optional rule to allow talking during the first game and I would also recommend allowing that during a player's first game as it helps with comprehension. Be patient with new players as the game is very tense at times, but once players get it, it's an extremely fun game. I've had some of the most fun frantically smashing the "Do Something" pawn in front of a friend who's not doing his necessary action to get us out of the mall and laughing about it after the game finished.

#9 - One Night Ultimate Werewolf

BGG Ranking: #594 (7.1 score)

What kind of player powers are there? The entire game is built around variable player powers. Each player is randomly assigned one role that allows them to perform an action (or none at all) during the "night" phase of the game.

Total Plays: 19

What I Like About It: For a time, this was my favorite game ever to play. I was a huge fan of playing "Mafia" growing up during long school bus rides to and from field trips and ONUW recaptures that nostalgia in a fantastic, easy to learn, quick to play package. The constant switching of the roles in the game during the "night" phase makes for some really fun social deduction and has resulted in some hearty laughter as the person who thought they were a werewolf at the end of the night finds out that their card had been switched for a normal villager card.

Players are each assigned one of 13 roles that are chosen at the beginning of the game with three more cards placed in the center of the board. As the night phase progresses, players may switch around cards of other players, look at other cards, or even see if other players are werewolves by looking at one another. When the night ends, players then have five minutes to determine who they think in the group is one of the two werewolves and vote after the final timer goes off. If the villagers correctly guess the identity of the werewolf, they win, otherwise the werewolves have correctly cast aspersions and win the round.

Rounds are fast and the free app that has been put out by Bezier Games helps with narration and even explaining the roles' actions during the night. Add in an expansion (One Night Ultimate Werewolf: Daybreak) or a sequel (One Night Ultimate Vampire/One Night Ultimate Alien) for even more possible roles and chaos during the night. It's a fast party game that is fantastic to play with a group of friends who know each other well (or even don't know one another well) that can be played with groups from 3-10 people.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: Because this is a party game, ONUW is designed with a group of more than two people to play with. While the game states that it plays 2-10 people, it must be noted that all players should be able to reach the other cards of each of the other players and cards in the middle. For this reason, I have found the ideal player count sits somewhere in the 4-6 player range, although a larger group has worked with the right space.

ONUW is also a social deduction game so keep that in mind when looking to play the game. If you're not up for having your best friend lie to your face about not being a werewolf, this might not be the game for you. ONUW is a lighter game and quick to play, so I have found it best to bring out at the end of a party when there's not much time for a longer game.

#8 - Journeys in Middle Earth

BGG Ranking: #112 (7.9 score)

What kind of player powers are there? At the beginning of the game, players choose their character that they will play for the entire campaign. Each character has varying powers that allow them through the game to support other players, fight enemies, and even sway the tide of the battle during the campaign.

Total Plays: 8

What I Like About It: I'm a big Lord of the Rings fan and Journeys in Middle Earth really takes me back into the world of the books. While only four of the six included characters in the base game are canon (and Bilbo technically wasn't part of the fellowship), it still is cool having some additional characters included to play with. Because the game is a campaign, it can be played with a single person playing multiple characters, or with multiple people each playing their own character.

The card drawing mechanic for determining success while playing the game is also interesting as player decks are updated and changed throughout the campaign, sometimes in positive ways and other times in not so positive ways. As players earn experience during the campaign, they are able to change the makeup of their deck, including new cards or changing out old cards for new ones. The dungeon crawl style of the game allows for a constantly changing and updating map as players move through the world of Middle Earth and experience characters from the world of JRR Tolkien.

With two major expansions and a few smaller expansions out, Journeys In Middle Earth has quite a bit of content that is available to play through for people. It's a really neat idea with growing characters and because the game is app-based, the layout of each of the missions is different every time and allows for some variability on playthroughs. As I found out with two separate campaigns that I was going through, just because one individual was a traitor the first game doesn't mean that they will be the second game. It was nice having a different experience and choices made by the players often have ongoing consequences for the rest of the campaign.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: As I noted above, the game is completely app-enabled. While it can be played on a tablet, phone, or computer, it does require one of the three in order to be playable. With many board games now requiring an app to play, it does beg the question of how to play the game if an individual does not have access to any of the technology required. I do appreciate that the app does much of the work for the players, but again, it does require a computer/tablet/phone to play the game. Without any of those items, the game is unplayable, which is slightly frustrating.

There's also the addition of DLC that's available for purchase within the game. Players can purchase another campaign for the game for ~$7 which is fantastic for another 10-12 hours of content. This is a bit of a double edged sword since it does represent more content to play through, players do also have to pay an extra cost for it. While it's not fully priced like the expansions which usually are $90 and $80 MSRP, this represents a small cost for additional content. However, it does beg the question about what should be included in the base game or added at a later time to the game. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, but it could get costly if more and more developers choose to go this route. It's happened with video games and I don't want to see board games get bogged down by ongoing costs and microtransactioned to death.

#7 - Dead Cells: The Rogue-Lite Board Game

BGG Ranking: N/A (Not yet released)

What kind of player powers are there? Players each choose one of four (six with the deluxe version) characters to play as that each have their own powers to influence elemental effects on enemies, reduce damage, or even sew chaos among enemies at the beginning of combat.

Total Plays: 5

What I Like About It: I love Dead Cells, so I'm going to be up front with that. I've sunk several hundred hours into the game and I've still got more to unlock. Even with each run in the game taking close to 45 minutes, the constant tantalization of unlocking "one more thing" continues to pull me back for more.

The board game seeks to pull that "One More Run" idea directly from the video game and put it on the table. Dead Cells has been brought to the table by the excellent Scorpion Masqué who also designed Sky Team, so they have a high pedigree. After playing the game several times on Tabletopia, I can absolutely say that Dead Cells feels just as good on the table as it does playing on the screen. It excellently encapsulates the desire for "one more run" and despite being punishingly difficult, I never felt as if my runs was in vain. The Boss Cells that I earned on the run allowed me to purchase new cards for my deck, add new weapons, and overall allow me to power up for my next run.

There's also a fantastic solo version included that has a solo companion that fights alongside the player during the game. The companion can be upgraded throughout the run and players are encouraged to keep their faithful flying sword healthy and fed lots of enemies to defeat. There are so many shoutouts to the video game that I'm super excited for and the Serenade (the flying sword that will accompany solo players) is one of my favorites.

While the game has not yet been fully released to the public (it had a wildly successful Kickstarter in June of 2023) there is a version available to play on Tabletopia that has the first two biomes (and a boss!) available to try out. The game is slated to arrive in backer's hands around November of 2024, so keep an eye on the blog around that time for more coverage of the game when I get my paws on it!

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: In trying to be objective about the game, I realized that it's definitely hard for me to say anything negative since I love the video game so much and have only played the digital version of the game.

Obviously, since I have only played the digital version of the game, I don't really have much in the way to note how it will play over a long period of time. It's designed to be played over a series of runs (devs have noted that it's probably going to be around 20+ runs for players to beat the final boss which opens up new possibilities) that can be "saved" after the run is completed. I'm excited about what that means for my solo plays, but nervous about what potential downfalls there could be with that system.

It also should be noted that the game can be easily reset to start from the beginning, allowing players to unlock the items, cards and other hidden things in the game if they want, without any kind of "upgrade" or "reset" pack. While players who don't have an intimate knowledge of the video game might find it a bit daunting at first, I am hopeful that the game will be good enough to gain some traction and become a highly rated game here on BGG.

#6 - Apiary

BGG Ranking: #504 (7.9 score)

What kind of player powers are there? Players each choose a separate faction at the beginning of the game. With 20 separate factions that players can choose from, there are a wide variety of potential powers that are available to play with, allowing for a large amount of variability.

Total Plays:4

What I Like About It: Apiary takes every mechanic and cranks it to up to 11. I saw a review that noted that the game has wildly different powers and doesn't feel balanced at all and that's the best part about it, and I would have to agree. Each player power has such a wildly different action that it can do and with the constant upgrading that players can do with their hive ship, can result in huge swaths of actions that a player can take on their turn.

The game is unapologetic in how much it allows players to do and I absolutely love it. I have a good friend who doesn't like Everdell because of the lack of resources and I took it upon myself to find a game where you can go whole hog on resources and just obtain a whole bunch of them, and I found that in Apiary. The game has a constant flux of decisions that players are able to choose during their turn and because of the clever worker "bumping" mechanic, there is no location that is unable to be visited, which is a clever twist on most worker placement games.

The included solo automa in the game is also excellent and really feels like playing against a human opponent. The deck is extremely well designed and uses clear symbols to help the player know what next step the AI will take on it's turn. As much of my hope with a solo version of a game is to feel like I'm playing the game against a human opponent, and the included automa cards in Apiary really feel like a tougher version of a player (while also reducing the length of the game with harder levels of the AI).

The idea of "Space Bees" shouldn't work, and yet Apiary takes that idea and implements it extremely well.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: One thing that was noted by my wife Sarah when playing the game is that the number of options to play is overwhelming in the number of choices that can be made in one turn. When teaching her how to play the game, even though it includes an amazing player guide, she still felt overwhelmed by the number of things that could be done during the game resulting in her not having a great strategy during the game. I'm hoping this is solved with more plays of the game, but for now we haven't played another game together since it was so overwhelming for her. And this is from the girl who loves Everdell and all the options that it provides.

#5 - Dungeonology: The Expedition

BGG Ranking: #5042 (6.7 score)

What kind of player powers are there? Each player character chosen to proceed through the dungeon has various powers that make their study of the environment and/or stealing information from others easier. The game features an "exalted" status for all characters as well resulting in extra powers when the character card is flipped to that state. Additionally, all characters have variable stats resulting in different strategies for plumbing the depths of the dungeon for each character.

Total Plays: 5

What I Like About It: Dungeonology is a really interesting game with the players tasked with exploring the local dungeon to not fight monsters, but rather learn about the civilizations that make the dungeon their home. Players are tasked with taking their scholar through the dungeon to gather information about the monsters who live within, or failing to do that, steal information from other players in order to obtain enough to submit their thesis. However, exploring the dungeon is not without it's dangers and players might encounter a dungeon boss who can both hinder and help the scholars on their search for knowledge in the dungeon. At the end of the game, the player who has earned the most points with their thesis is the winner and crowned the next Professor of Dungeonology.

I was gifted the "All In" Kickstarter version of this game back in 2023 by a really generous BGG user and have thoroughly enjoyed the game enough to place it on my 10x10 challenge. It presents an interesting twist on the dungeon crawler and rather than having players fight monsters to earn experience, they are fighting one another to learn as much information as possible about the dungeon. Players perform stealth checks with a combination of cards and player stats to gain information, but be warned, other players can hinder their attempts by playing their own cards to add additional stealth requirements, which then in turn allows the active player to respond (if able) to the sabotage.

What I have found to be most clever about the game is the implementation of optional rules that can be played with the game. While the game itself is complete without the addition of these four extra rules (five with the Rocca Civetta Expansion), they do add depth and additional strategy to the game if chosen to be played with. Additionally, the components of the game are very well designed, with player boards being double layered to place the chosen character on the board, and dungeon rooms double layered as well for each of the information cubes to be placed on without fear of moving them. Each of the characters and boss (more bosses are added with the expansions) have their own well-designed plastic miniatures and the cards (of which there are many) have a fantastic linen finish to them, giving the entire game a premium feel.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: First and foremost, Dungeonology is big. As the game is a dungeon crawler, it easily takes quite a bit of space when the dungeon is fully explored, plus player boards and the university board, which takes some table space. While not as much of a table hog as Dinosaur World, it is equivalent to about the size of Everdell, meaning that smaller tables wouldn't be able to handle the size of the game. With that size, there also is setup, which can take some time based on how many additional rules are being played with and how many expansions are being used.

Leading directly into my next point, the expansions for the game are numerous and while I wouldn't say that they are necessary, the additional updated rulebook in the Rocca Civetta expansion does allow for further clarification on many of the rules contained in the base game. Plus the expansion adds in a solo mode as well, which is not included in the base game. I would hesitate to say that the base game needs the Rocca Civetta expansion, but it certainly assists with fleshing out the game with additional bosses, a campaign mode, solo mode, and a better rulebook.

Also note that with the additional rules, the game does gain some additional depth and can be daunting to teach non-gamers. Even the base game itself is considered to be a 3.17 weight on BGG, putting it squarely in the "medium" weight category. I personally took a few games to fully understand each of the rules due to further clarification needed on the rules since it could be a bit dense. However, there are quite a few options for player guides here on BGG, so I would highly recommend on checking those out if you choose to purchase this beast of a dungeon crawler.

#4 - For Science!

BGG Ranking: #4048 (7.1 score)

What kind of player powers are there? As this is a cooperative game, each player board has a power that either helps with creation of the "molecules" looking to be studied, or assist other players in their attempts to create them.

Total Plays: 11

What I Like About It: I love that this game takes the basic concept of "how do we make a game using kid's wooden blocks" and runs with it. The game is a dexterity, cooperative, real-time tower building game that tasks players with coming up with a cure for a major disease over the course of 15 minutes. During this time, players have to build towers using cards that are drafted, either for the main board or for their own personal board to work towards a cure that is created by various style tangrams earned by players during the game.

On paper, the concept sounds ridiculous, but in reality, especially since the game is interspersed with fantastic tongue-in-cheek humor, it works fantastically well. The constant pressure of attempting to build towers with ever growing potential issues makes for a fun time as players are required to "verify" if their fellow player's towers meet all the requirements on the cards chosen. The game is often interrupted with shouts of frustration as an unstable tower comes crashing down due to the sometimes ridiculous connections required by cards. It's a frantic, fun and frankly completely off the wall experience that I would highly recommend to bring to any board game table.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: The game does require an app to help with some of the events, although it can be played completely without the app and only a 15 minutes timer if players prefer. I have my own thoughts on games that require an app to play, but this nicely toes the line of adding some functionality but not being required to play the game. Additionally, the game is dexterity and real-time, which might not be all players cup of tea so to speak. I personally found the challenge of building various block towers fun, but it's not for everyone. Additionally, because players are using blocks to build towers, a stable surface is required, making this game one that should be played at home rather than on the go.

#3 - Jaws

BGG Ranking: #971 (7.1 score)

What kind of player powers are there? Players can either play as the titular shark (who has his own powers) or the three main characters of the movie, Brody, Hooper and Quint, each of whom has their own set of abilities that they can perform during the first act. The second act sees the three main characters perform relatively similar actions, but each human character gets a varying set of weapons, resulting in different actions they can take.

Total Plays: 3

What I Like About It: I love the idea of playing a game as the titular shark and attempting to eat as many people as I possibly can before I get caught. Unfortunately for me, every time I've played, I have been one of the human characters so I have yet to go on my killing spree as the giant, man-eating shark.

The game very accurately captures the spirit of Jaws (the original movie, not one of the horrid sequels), escalating the tension of trying to determine where the shark is and where it will attack through both acts of the game. It's also extremely well balanced between the players and the shark and each time that I have played, generally the second act results in both sides having similar hands of cards to work with. I love the idea of giving benefits to one side based on the performance that is done in the first act, especially since it rewards clever play, in the second act. The more swimmers the shark manages to eat in the first act, the more benefits he gets in the second act and vice versa; the fewer swimmers the humans let get eaten, the more weapons they have to fight the shark on the boat.

The constant "where is the shark" that the human players have to contend with truly encapsulates the spirit of the movies and results in some very fun "cat and mouse" gameplay through the entire game, even in the second act of the game. The production value of the game as well is fairly well done, with a fantastic wooden shark indicator and clever double-sided player boards for each of the humans to be used in both acts. While some movie-tie in games can be a pure money grab, it is evident that the folks at Ravensburger truly had a love for the first true summer blockbuster and distilled it well into a very well-designed asymmetric game.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: The game itself is designed around a player count of 2-4 players, but ultimately works best with four players. With two and three players, one person plays Jaws and the rest of the players are left controlling the three human characters. With a four player count, each plater is able to focus on one character, performing tasks for their own character without having to think about coordinating three separate (or two in a three player game) characters. It makes for a more balanced game and adds more tension as despite the humans attempting to work together, there can be some miscommunication resulting in the shark getting an advantage.

The game itself also feels a bit short. While the run-time of the game runs an average of 60 minutes, it can feel like there should be a bit more to the game in my opinion. I love the quick nature of the game and being able to choose between Act 1 on Amity Island, or Act 2 on The Orca if players don't have time for a full game. I just wish that there was a bit more to the game after playing a few times. I'm not entirely sure what could be added since the game does play very well, but I want it to be just a bit more time in the world of Jaws. Maybe that's a good thing since it keeps me wanting to come back for more, but I can't help but wonder if having a satisfied feeling after concluding would leave me wanting more as well.

#2 - Project: ELITE

BGG Ranking: #665 (8.0 score)

What kind of player powers are there? Each player chooses a character that has their own weapons, movement, and capabilities while fighting the horde of enemies that comes flooding at them each round.

Total Plays: 1

What I Like About It: I've talked about this game quite a bit in my previous post that I linked above about real-time mechanics, but I grew up playing a ton of Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games like Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Age of Empires II. Project: Elite takes that essence and distills it into an excellently crafted board game where players are tasked with fighting an endless horde all while attempting to fulfill objectives and escape via the extraction point, all the while attempting to prevent the alien masses from getting to the extraction point. It's a high-risk, high-reward game that requires players to manage the influx of horrors stemming towards them with a series of dice rolls that allow them to move, shoot, and obtain necessary intel all while the aliens move towards the players or the exit.

It's a constant press of movement, shifting of priorities, communication and management of the enemies through the entire game. While players can get upgrades to their characters, the enemies too see the introduction of boss monsters that represent additional hazards and can potentially derail player strategy if allowed to remain in the game before another boss spawns. While the game isn't as heavy as many strategy games that are played on the table, the real-time element allows players to have a constantly shifting priority and requires excellent communication to ensure that the powerful player characters aren't crushed by the tide of incoming aliens.

Project: Elite does an excellent job of balancing the game with giving players powerful characters that can mow down multiple enemies with a single dice roll, but also placing the characters under constant pressure with the influx of new aliens each round. Rounds take place over two minutes with time in between to spawn more aliens on the board and upgrade weapons and choose how to proceed through the next fast two-minute round. It's a fast-paced power fantasy that can easily take a feeling of accomplishment and turn it into horror when the aliens spawn in one of their own Elites to counter your own.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: This game is fast and requires quick, immediate thinking when dealing with the alien hordes as they advance during the real-time rounds. Players who find themselves paralyzed by decisions should be warned that the game doesn't allow for "analysis paralysis" during the real-time portion of the game. Communication is also key when playing this game, so making sure to discuss strategy both while during the real-time portion and in the aftermath while the aliens take their own turn is very important. Players should be prepared to not have much time to think and have to react to dice rolls quickly while playing Project: Elite in order to ensure a victory.

#1 - Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island

 

BGG Ranking: #90 (7.7 score)

What kind of player powers are there? Players choose from one of four players to play as, each with their own set of actions that they can take to make life on the deserted island easier. Each one has a different strength for one of the main actions as well as an item they can build during the course of the game that is tailored toward the character.

Total Plays: 1

What I Like About It: Robinson Crusoe is not a game for the faint of heart. With a hefty rulebook and potentially disastrous consequences that could take place during the game, players have their work cut out for them when learning to play the game. It's a heavier game (sitting at a 3.81 on BGG at the time of writing) which requires players to know what direction to take their play with. I was fortunate enough to play with a veteran of the game who helped us to navigate potential pitfalls of the game, but having played it for the first time this year, I could absolutely see some of the dangers that could occur when first learning the game.

I love the theme of it too, having loved reading the original book of Robinson Crusoe as a kid. It truly captures the feeling of being stuck on a deserted island, attempting to survive everything that nature can throw at someone, including animal attacks, weather, and lack of food. Robinson Crusoe is not a forgiving game, but once players have some idea about how best to play it, the game allows for an immense feeling of accomplishment when that final objective is completed.

Pitfalls to Watch Out For: Each character has their own strength and while a complement of four players allows for all four characters to be used, players should discuss with one another to perform tasks that suit their character best in order to accomplish the goal of the scenario. This game is not easy to learn, nor is it very forgiving if a mistake is made during the game. A mistake at the beginning of the game could have disastrous consequences mid- or even endgame resulting in an overall scenario loss and due to a longer playtime of 60-120 minutes minimum, this could make for a very long, costly game that ultimately results in failure.

Yet for those who are willing to learn what Robinson Crusoe has available to them, it presents an excellent, deep game with significant replayability for anyone who would like to attempt to survive on this unforgiving island.

Final Thoughts

That's all I have for today! I hope that you enjoyed some different games from the last few "Top 10" lists that I've been posting. I could have absolutely included Clank!, Everdell and Thunder Road, but I wanted to write about a few more games than the ones that I continue coming back to week after week. Variety is the spice of life and while there's a reason that these games are so highly rated, I do want to point out a few more games that I've had the pleasure to play in the hopes that they are attempted by everyone who reads this blog.

It's been interesting writing about games that wouldn't necessarily hit my Top 10 every time, but upon reflection on many of these, I realize that I need to give them another chance, or I would like to play them again because I had so much fun with them. There's only so many times that one can reference the top 100 games without getting boring, so I thought I'd spice it up a bit with a few lesser known games (and some that sit on the top 100). I've found it refreshing with lists here on BGG when lesser known games are suggested as it's always interesting to see what else is out there to play.

Share your thoughts: What are your favorite player powers in a game and why? What games with player powers do you like that you don't feel have gotten much attention? With player powers, there's always the potential pitfall of balance issues. Do you like games that attempt to balance out those powers, or do you find it fun to play games where powers are wildly unbalanced, requiring different strategies for each one? In a game where character/faction choice doesn't affect the story (unlike Jaws), what would you say the ideal number of potential characters/factions to include in the game is?

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*Originally posted on BoardGameGeek on 8/4/2024*