This page is my "nickel and dime" list of games played during 2007.  The way a game gets on the list is very simple.  If I played it 10 or more times it goes on the dime list and if I played it five or more times (but less than 10, of course), it goes on the nickel list.  I've had a lot of fun over the past year keeping track of my gaming experiences.

    In 2007 I played, according to my records, 360 games.  The month I played the most games was June (58) and the month I played the fewest was September (9).  Now, the games on this list aren't necessarily my favorite games, although I must like them to have played them so much.  They just happen to be the ones I played the most.  I'm going to start with the 5's and count down to the game I played most in 2007.  Where there is a tie for number of plays the games are listed alphabetically. 

    At the end I'll list a few "honorable mentions" as well as make some closing comments.

14.

Agricola
(5 Games)

    Anyone who follows Essen buzz has heard about Agricola.  It is the darling of this years Essen attendees and an excellent game, too boot.  I am a big fan of designer Uwe Rosenberg, who is generally known for his light and fun card games like Klunker, Nottingham, and Schnäppchen Jagd.  This, however, is quite a step up in terms of weight and design complexity from those games.  In Agricola, each player tries to manage his medieval farming family to grow and develop.  In addition to a central board depicting actions each player has his own player board where he will build his house, plant crops, raise livestock, etc.  The game has a lot more to do with Caylus than it does with Klunker.  It is a deeply engaging game with lots of potential options.  In addition to the board play, each player receives 14 of over 300 different and unique cards that can be used to improve his holdings for that particular game.  Talk about replay value!

    However, there are a couple caveats to the game.  The first is that it contains cards and boards which are very text heavy and the text is all in German.  Without spending some time doing paste-ups or at least card sleeves with translations I'd say the game would be difficult to play.  Fortunately, Z-Man Games will be producing an English version of the game which should be coming out in April or May.  I'd recommend waiting until then to purchase the game.  It is certainly what I am doing.  My other caveat is that the game does depend, to some extent, on the cards that are dealt to the players.  Now I've seen commentary that the cards are all well balanced, and I'm sure they are, but you can't tell me that in a game where each player gets only 14 of what are essentially over 300 unique cards some are not going to be better (or work better in combination) than others.  I just don't buy that and, in my experience, it hasn't been true.  So if you are the kind of player who is going to be bothered by that, maybe you should avoid this game.  But you're missing out if you do!

    I'm sure that Agricola will make this list for next year, if only because 2008 will see the release of the English language edition.  My challenge will be to not overplay it before the English version is released, to the point that my interest has shifted on to newer things.  

13.

Arkadia
(5 Games)

    This is the 2007 release from one of my favorite designers, Rüdiger Dorn.  A few of Dorn's earlier titles, favorites of mine, are Goa and Louis XIV, so I was excited to get my hands on this game.  While it is a solid design and very enjoyable, it doesn't live up to the pedigree of its predecessors, in my opinion.  It really isn't fair of me to judge the game in this fashion, but that is how I feel, so there you have it.  I do like the game just fine, but I haven't suggested it in a while and I haven't seen too many other folks playing it either.  

    The game does have nice components and a pleasant tension that derives from the scoring mechanism.  Players can score four times during the game and must gauge when to score so that it helps them more than their opponents.  That is what the game is all about.  It is more accessible than either Goa or Louis XIV, but also seems to lack their depth.

    While I'd be happy to play this game if someone else really wanted to, I doubt you'll see it on this list next year. 

12.

Zirkus Flohcati
(5 Games)

    Now this little card game has really stood the test of time.  It is almost perfect as a filler or to play with kids.  In fact, the reason it made the list this year is that I used it to entertain three young girls over Christmas who were waiting for the boring adult conversations to finish.  They all had a great time playing and you know what, so did I.  It is nice to find a game that adults and kids can play together, and this set-collecting "push your luck" game is certainly one that fits the bill.  I have many newer fillers that I'm looking forward to playing, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this game on the list for next year.

11.

Leonardo da Vinci
(5 Games)

    This game takes the action selection system of Caylus and combines it with a very tight planning system for what I feel is a very engaging game.  It is absolutely vital, though, that you look ahead and plan not only your current turn, but pretty much the whole outline of your game.  This tends to make the game a little bit on the heavy side, and it is not too far from being described as a "brain-burner".  If you prefer more tactical play that focuses only on the current situation without looking too far downstream, this is not the game for you.  Honestly, it is not the game for me everyday, either.  But, when I do have an urge to play a game where a "master plan" for success must be formulated and implemented, this game does the job.

    Reactions to this one have been mixed, though, and mostly negative among my local game group, so I doubt I'll have the chance to get this to the table 5 times in 2008.  I'm not sure I'd even want to try, so my prediction is it won't be back next year.

10.

Struggle for Rome
(5 Games)

    Who would have thought that yet another Catan game would have made this list?  Yet hear it is!  Struggle for Rome significantly alters the Catan system so that the game, while somewhat familiar, really does stand on it's own two feet.  This Catan is all about movement, but you never build roads, and the only way to make a settlement is by conquest.  I found this to be a very refreshing take on the system and enjoyed this game quite a lot.  However, with so many new Essen releases being available so early in the year, I don't expect this game to make a return to the list.

9.

To Court the King
(6 Games)

    I am quickly becoming a Tom Lehmann fan.  This is the first of three of his games that will appear on this list.  It is a reasonably quick dice game that some have dubbed "Yahtzee: The Gathering" which I think is a great description.  In the game your roll dice which allow you to purchase personality cards.  Each personality card, in turn, either gives you more dice or presents you with ways to manipulate the dice you roll.  In the end, the player that can make the best roll in the final round is the winner.

    To Court the King is a game I'd like to get back to the table at least a few times in 2008.  I'd like to give it a try with my family, too, although all the special character powers would probably be too much for their tastes.  Still, my prediction for next year is that it will not make the list.

8.

Trötofant
(6 Games)

    This is a completely silly children's dexterity game with a hilarious gimmick.  Each player uses a party-streamer as an elephant's trunk to snatch branches from a slowly rotating tree.  If the branch is empty it is worth points for the snatching player.  But, if the branch has a mouse on it, it is negative points and must be dumped off in front of an opponent.   Totally ridiculous fun and it takes longer to set-up than to play.  I think there is a decent chance this game will make the list next year simply because if I bring it out even once, I'll likely play it five times.  That is basically an investment of 10 minutes including set-up and explanation.

7.

Vikings
(6 Games)

    I was a little surprised to see this game on the list because when I first played it I wasn't particularly impressed.  Since that time, though, I have grown to appreciate it more to the point where I now consider it to be quite good.  It really is a typical Euro where the theme has, really, nothing to do with the gameplay, but for whatever reason that just doesn't bother me here.  I think the game is clever and has just the right amount of luck to it.  You can blame the luck when things go badly and take personal credit for success when things go well.  What more can you ask for?  I'd like to play this a few times in 2008, but I'm sure I won't play it enough to make this list.

6.

Notre Dame
(7 Games)

     Any new Alea release is almost sure to make this list and Notre Dame is no exception.  I honestly was a little behind the curve on this game as I had been offered a chance to play it several times before I finally actually got to sit down and play.  Ah, too many games, too little time.  In any event, Notre Dame is a fine offering in the newly developing "shortage" genre of games.  You are punished for not covering all areas and you are deliberately given insufficient resources to do so.  Some people don't like the game for this reason, but I don't mind it.  This designer's follow up game is also a shortage game and has just been released by Alea, so I don't expect to see Notre Dame on the list next year.

5.

Race for the Galaxy
(7 Games)

    The second Tom Lehmann design to make the list this year, Race for the Galaxy is a re-themed and re-worked version of Tom's submission for the Puerto Rico Cardgame.  It has several similarities with San Juan and Tom and Andreas collaborated on San Juan's development so that is no surprise.  I think I like this game much better than San Juan, though.  I guess maybe I am a sucker for the theme or the uniqueness of the cards, but I just think the game is a little bit more engaging than San Juan.  However, despite having a lot of icons on the cards, the game is not difficult and is not long, either.  This is one I do expect will make a return to this list in 2008, as I am by no means done playing it and it's quick play time will mean it'll have a lot of opportunities to hit the table.

4.

Yspahan
(7 Games)

   I suppose another trend I noticed in gaming in the past year has been a crop of new games that use dice.  For a while there, no self-respecting eurogame would come near a die, much less have handfuls and handfuls of them the way Yspahan does.  I think this is one fine little game and the dice are used to wonderful effect.  Unfortunately, I played it enough this year that it will likely not make the list next year.  I feel it could be a "gateway" game, though, and am putting this on the list to try out with my family as well.

3.

Phonecia
(9 Games)

    Phonecia is the third and final Tom Lehmann design to find a spot on this list.  It is a reworking and streamlining of one of my all-time favorite games, The Scepter of Zavandor.  I am just a huge fan of engine building games, generally, and if you can take a wonderful engine building game like Scepter and streamline it to play in half the time you've got it made, right?  Well, kind of.  This game plays fast and runs lean, maybe a little too much so.  However, that being said, I do really like it.  I'd don't know if it will make the list for next year or not.  I think it has a decent chance, because of its length, but I'm afraid my local gamers might be a little burned out on it.  Only time will tell...

2.

Zooloretto
(10 Games)

    I played this game for the first time in late March and picked it right away as the SdJ winner for 2007.  I was right.  This is one fine little game that takes the basic Coloretto concept and makes it much more interesting and strategic.  The cute zoo construction theme appeals to virtually everyone and it is capable of being enjoyed by gamers and non-gamers alike.  I'll be trying this one out with the family, as well, and I'm reasonably sure they'll like it.  I just got the Zooloretto expansions as a Christmas present, so my guess is that this game will make the list for 2008.

1.

Through the Ages
(14 Games)

    Through the Ages, my most played game of 2007.  I can't complain about a gaming year in which I got to play this 14 times.  This game is simply superb and quickly became one of my favorites.  It takes at least 3 hours to play, usually a little more, and yet it hit the table more than any other game.  Folks, that is a sign that I like this one an awful lot.  In 2008 the game is going to see a much needed reprint and be in much wider circulation, so I expect there will be lots of people discovering this wonderful game for the first time.  To them I say, enjoy!  You are going to have a blast!  Because of the re-release, I am going to go ahead and predict that Through the Ages will make this list again next year.  It really is that good.  Personally, I'd limit my games of it to three players maximum, but that is a minor issue.  If you are looking for a truly epic feeling game of engine building and development, this is the one for you.