Hey, all. This is Matthew Baldwin, and I wrote the linked article. I'd like to address a couple of comments I've seen mentioned here.
First, all of the games on this list were released in the year 2004. Older games, like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, etc. were on previous lists and that's why they don't appear.
Second, I agree that this guide does not list "best games" -- it's not intended to, as I hope I made clear. My favorite games include Puerto Rico, Age of Steam, Power Grid, Tigris and Euphrates, etc. But if you give Age of Steam as a gift to a non-gamer they will never, never play it. (Unless you play it with the first four times -- and if you're going to do that haven't you really just purchased a game for yourself?) Worse, if they do play it, there's a very good chance they will give up halfway through and become completely disenchanted with the hobby -- the next time you pull out Coloretto at a bar they might recoil, fearing another "complicated game." Trust me: I gave out my share of "Princes of Florence" before I realized this fact.
G3s are games that bridge the gap between what people are familiar with and the best games out there. Ticket To Ride, for instance, has a core system that people immediately understand (since it's essentially a modified rummy), but adds a board element that's reminiscent of, say, Wildlife Adventure, or even the 18xx series. Get them hooked on that and you can spring Amun-Re on them next year.
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Go Away Monster: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/6714
Hey, all. This is Matthew Baldwin, and I wrote the linked article. I'd like to address a couple of comments I've seen mentioned here.
First, all of the games on this list were released in the year 2004. Older games, like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, etc. were on previous lists and that's why they don't appear.
Second, I agree that this guide does not list "best games" -- it's not intended to, as I hope I made clear. My favorite games include Puerto Rico, Age of Steam, Power Grid, Tigris and Euphrates, etc. But if you give Age of Steam as a gift to a non-gamer they will never, never play it. (Unless you play it with the first four times -- and if you're going to do that haven't you really just purchased a game for yourself?) Worse, if they do play it, there's a very good chance they will give up halfway through and become completely disenchanted with the hobby -- the next time you pull out Coloretto at a bar they might recoil, fearing another "complicated game." Trust me: I gave out my share of "Princes of Florence" before I realized this fact.
G3s are games that bridge the gap between what people are familiar with and the best games out there. Ticket To Ride, for instance, has a core system that people immediately understand (since it's essentially a modified rummy), but adds a board element that's reminiscent of, say, Wildlife Adventure, or even the 18xx series. Get them hooked on that and you can spring Amun-Re on them next year.