Board Game Geek's Top 25 at Council of Five Nations

Board Game Geek's "Top 25" Event Track

Last Update:  Sunday, Sept 25, 2011

We’ve gone out of our way to recruit GMs for the most popular games.  The Board Game Geek ranking is one good way for us to gauge that, and we’re well represented.  BGG favorites all weekend long!

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• Friday Afternoon 2pm Games (Slot A)
• Friday Evening 7pm Games (Slot B)
• Saturday Morning 9am Games (Slot C)
• Saturday Afternoon 2pm Games (Slot D)
• Saturday Evening 7pm Games (Slot E)
• Sunday Afternoon 3pm Games (Slot G)

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Friday Afternoon  2:00-6:00 PM  (Slot A)

Through the Ages
A-Board-3 * $ 2
Game Master: Mike Rogozinski * 6 Players * E10

Through the Ages is a civilization building game. The goal is to develop your civilization, not to destroy other ones. Military strength is just one aspect of your nation, as well as population, production or science. It is up to you which aspect you will concentrate on, more or less, but you should not underestimate any of them while building your civilization.

Victory is achieved by the player whose nation produces the most culture during the game. However, there are many ways to produce culture: through religion, literature or drama, by building wonders, by utilizing cultural persons, etc. Considerable amount of culture can be gained even via wars or aggression. Beginners encouraged.
Link: Board Game Geek Page

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Friday Night  7:00-11:00+ PM  (Slot B)

Dominant Species
B-Board-4 * $ 2
Game Master: Bill Dickerson * 6 Players * E10

90,000 B.C. -- A great ice age is fast approaching. Another titanic struggle for global supremacy has unwittingly commenced between the varying animal species.

Dominant Species is a game that abstractly recreates a tiny portion of ancient history: the ponderous encroachment of an ice age and what that entails for the living creatures trying to adapt to the slowly-changing earth.

Each player will assume the role of one of six major animal classes -- mammal, reptile, bird, amphibian, arachnid or insect. Each begins the game more or less in a state of natural balance in relation to one another. But that won't last: It is indeed "survival of the fittest."

Through wily action pawn placement, players will strive to become dominant on as many different terrain tiles as possible in order to claim powerful card effects. Players will also want to propagate their individual species in order to earn victory points for their particular animal. Players will be aided in these endeavors via speciation, migration and adaptation actions, among others.

All of this eventually leads to the end game -- the final ascent of the ice age -- where the player having accumulated the most victory points will have his animal crowned the Dominant Species.

But somebody better become dominant quickly, because it's getting mighty cold....

Beginners encouraged.
Link: Link to Board Game Geek page

Power Grid
B-Board-9 * $ 2
Game Master: Brian Gass * 6 Players * Teen14

Ever want to run the power company? Here is your chance. Will you use nuclear energy and glow in the dark? Or maybe you will take the "green" approach and generate your power with wind or solar fusion. Exactly how much is a barrel of oil these days? Players will buy their Power Plants, build their cities, buy resources and provide electricity to the people! The player than can provide power for the most city is the winner! A favorite on Board Game Geek Beginners encouraged.
Link: Board Game Geek Page

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Saturday Morning  9:00 AM - 1:00 PM  (Slot C)

Agricola - All Pimped Out! * Agricola
C-Board-5 * $ 2
Game Master: Carey Bostwick * 5 Players * Teen14

Come Play Agricola!!! Ranked #3 Board Game by Board Game Geek. In Agricola, you're a farmer in a wooden shack with your spouse and little else. On a turn, you get to take only two actions, one for you and one for the spouse, from all the possibilities you'll find on a farm: collecting clay, wood, or stone; building fences; and so on. You might think about having kids in order to get more work accomplished, but first you need to expand your house. And what are you going to feed all the little rugrats? I have pimped out my copy with wooden pieces that are a very cool addition to the game. I also have the expansion, Farmers of the Moor, that we can use if we play with only experienced players. Beginners encouraged.
Link: Board Game Geek page

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Saturday Afternoon  2:00 PM - 6:00 PM  (Slot D)

Steam: Rails to Riches * Steam
D-Board-3 * $ 2
Game Master: James Wilhelm * 5 Players * Teen14

Steam is a train game in which players attempt to gain victory points by delivering goods from one city to another. Players first build a network of rails to connect cities and then move goods, represented by cubes, from a city where a good begins play to a city that demands that good. The more links the good along (a link being a connection between one city and another) the more points the player will gain. However, two forces have to be contended with on your way to building a rail empire. First, building rails and locomotives is not cheap, so a player's income has to be carefully balanced. Second, there are other players vying to deliver the same goods that you are, and it's been my experience that they're not necessarily interested in letting you deliver them first!

Steam is a basic to intermediate train game by Martin Wallace that serves as an excellent introduction to the basic cube-moving genre. It's a rework of Age of Steam and closely resembles Railways of the World and Railroad Tycoon. It takes a couple hours to play and is one of three train games I'm running intended to introduce interested participants to rail games that are a little on the heavier side. Barring unanimous agreement from the participants, the basic rules will be used. Beginners are welcome and the rules will be taught. Beginners encouraged.
Link: Board Game Geek entry
Link: Mayfair Games page

Dominant Species
D-Board-4 * $ 2
Game Master: Rodney Sheldon of Carnage Gaming * 6 Players * Teen14

The Ice Age is quickly approaching. The species of earth are locked in a struggle for domination of the planet. You will control one of the six animal classes: Mammal, Bird, Reptile, Amphibian, Archnid and Insect. Players will need to be able to utilize such actions as adaptation, migration, and competion. They will also have the opportunity to lay waste vital elements needed by the other animals and bring on the Ice Age thru glaciation. As Darwin said...only the fittest can survive! Beginners encouraged.
Link: Board Game Geek Link

Twilight Struggle
D-Board-5 * $ 2
Game Master: William Walker * 4 Players * Teen14

One of the most popular games in the gaming world, ranked #1 on BoardGameGeek, Twilight Struggle is a two-player card-driven board game covering the entire Cold War. One player controls the United States and the other plays as the Soviet Union. Both players try to get their influence into key regions and countries of the world. Game mechanics cover the space race as well as nuclear tensions, with the possibility of World War III ending the game always hanging over the two superpowers. Twilight Struggle is an intense game not for the faint of heart, but one you will never forget! Beginners encouraged.
Link: BoardGameGeek page
Link: Review
Link: Download the Rules

Puerto Rico
D-Board-9 * $ 2
Game Master: Jessica Kent * 5 Players * E10

The players are plantation owners in Puerto Rico in the days when ships had sails. Growing up to five different kind of crops: Corn, Indigo, Coffee, Sugar and Tobacco, they must try to run their business more efficiently than their close competitors; growing crops and storing them efficiently, developing San Juan with useful buildings, deploying their colonists to best effect, selling crops at the right time, and most importantly, shipping their goods back to Europe for maximum benefit. Beginners encouraged.
Link: Board Game Geek Page

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Saturday Evening  7:00 PM - 11:00+ PM  (Slot E)

Dominion
E-Board-5 * $ 2
Game Master: Michael Moon * 4 Players * E10

Dominion, the customize as you play card game. Grow your petty holdings by investing in shops, servants, land, and treasure. But wait, you aren't the only lord seeking to become a monarch. Others will be vying for the same resources. In the end, the lord with the largest number of holding, victory points, will rule the Dominion. Beginners encouraged.
Link: Dominion on Board Game Geek
Link: Dominion at Rio Grande Games
Link: PDF Copy of the Dominion Rules

7 Wonders
E-Board-6 * $ 2
Game Master: Robin Toll * 7 Players * E10

Lead one of the seven great cities of the Ancient world. Exploit the natural resources of your lands, take part in the eternal march of progress, develop your commercial relationships and assert your military might. Leave your mark in the history of civilization by building an architectural marvel that will transcend the ages to come.

7 Wonders is an easy-to-learn card-based development game that lets you build your empire through the ages. Play will include the Leaders expansion. Beginners encouraged.
Link: BoardGameGeek
Link: Publisher's Site
Link: Download the Rules (PDF)

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Sunday Afternoon  3:00 PM - 7:00 PM  (Slot G)

Tigris & Euphrates
G-Board-3 * $ 2
Game Master: David Cuatt * 4 Players * E10

Regarded by many as Reiner Knizia's masterpiece, the game is set in the ancient fertile crescent with players building civilizations through tile placement. Players are given four different leaders: farming, trading, religion, and government. The leaders are used to collect victory points in these same categories. However, your score at the end of the game is the number of points in your weakest category, which encourages players not to get overly specialized. We will be using the newest edition of the game, and if time permits we will play both the original and advanced games. Beginners encouraged.
Link: Link to Board Game Geek page

Dominion
G-Board-4 * $ 2
Game Master: Michael Moon * 4 Players * E10

Dominion, the customize as you play card game. Grow your petty holdings by investing in shops, servants, land, and treasure. But wait, you aren't the only lord seeking to become a monarch. Others will be vying for the same resources. In the end, the lord with the largest number of holding, victory points, will rule the Dominion. Beginners encouraged.
Link: Dominion on Board Game Geek
Link: Dominion at Rio Grande Games
Link: PDF Copy of the Dominion Rules

Through the Ages * NEW
G-Board-6 * $ 2
Game Master: Mike Russman * 6 Players * E10

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