SIX BOARD GAMES THAT CHANGED
THE HOBBY
Author: Sean Jacquemain - September 17, 2020
Edited from the original version in www.dailyworkerplacement.com.

When it comes to board games, we’ve come a long way since the days of Monopoly and other conventional titles. Starting in the mid-90s, there has been a kind of renaissance in the world of gaming, with countless new titles coming out every year and, for a brief period, some get a lot of attention and make it onto “must-have” game lists. But, except for a rare few, not many games have real staying power and as time passes, it’s on to the next big thing.
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However, over the past several years, a select number of those “must-haves” titles have had such a tremendous impact that they changed and inspired the direction of an entire industry. These games either introduced an idea or mechanic that had never been seen before; or, they were so engaging and entertaining that they captured the hearts and minds of fans from around the world. The following is a list of some of the games that have had the kind of impact that would forever change the face of modern gaming.

Catan

For many people, myself included, Catan was the introduction to modern gaming. It featured many different novel game elements, like resource collection, trading, involvement on other players’ turns, and no player elimination. Catan wasn’t the very first “Euro” game to make it to North America, but it certainly was the most successful and was responsible for opening up many people’s eyes to what gaming could be. It’s a fun game to play and is a great way to introduce new players to the hobby.

Carcassonne

I like to refer to Carcassonne (the game that gave us meeples) as competitive puzzle building. Players collectively add tiles to a growing kingdom. They feature fields, roads, cloisters, and castles, and these features must match up when you add a tile. Roads must connect to roads, castles to castles etc. As you add a tile, you can also add one of your meeples. In castles, they become knights; in cloisters, they’re monks; in fields they are farmers, and on roads, they are thieves. And how they are scored, depends on where they’re placed. Most come back to you when the feature is closed, but farmers stay on the board for the duration of the game. Carcassonne is one of the first tile-laying games and definitely the most successful. The game itself has had a lasting impact on the hobby, with dozens of expansions and different ways to play. Perhaps its biggest contribution to board gaming is the little figure that has become synonymous with the hobby.

Pandemic Legacy

Although it was preceded by Risk Legacy, Pandemic Legacy is where the idea of a legacy game really took flight and took the gaming world by storm. Until recently, it was the number one ranked game on Board Game Geek, slipping all the way to #2. The idea behind a legacy game is one that is not played in a single session but is returned to again and again. Aspects of the game will remain the same, but some things will be changed forever. Legacy games introduced altering or even destroying game components; something that was hard to swallow at first for gamers that like to keep everything in pristine condition, but also surprisingly satisfying. Pandemic Legacy completely revolutionized the way game nights could be approached, without it, titles like Seafall, Charterstone, Rise of Queen’s Dale, and many more would never have been attempted. It seems like the legacy trend is slowly down, or at least evolving, but there’s no denying the impact it’s had on gaming.

Dixit

At a time when the majority of games coming out were dry, mechanics-based Euros or dice-chucking, area controllers, Dixit showed that a game could be successful based on art, imagination, and communication. This was such a unique title for its time, I think, despite winning the Spiel des Jahres, it doesn’t get the full recognition it deserves. Dixit taps into your creative side and forces you to think about how you share your ideas. Many games since have used a similar approach, like Concept, Codenames, Hanabi, Mysterium, Obscurio, and many more. Games like this exist in a neutral area between competition driven titles and themeless abstracts. It was a genre of game that a lot of people were clamouring for and one that continues to grow and expand today. Not everyone is going to love a Blood Rage or a Castles of Burgundy, at least not all the time. It’s nice to know there are a whole ton of options for them when they want to exercise their artistic communicative side.

T.I.M.E. Stories

There were certainly narrative games before T.I.M.E. Stories, but there was never anything as immersive and cinematic as this time travel game from Space Cowboys. You play as agents of T.I.M.E. Each scenario tasks you with going back in time to solve some sort of impending calamity that threatens the time-space continuum. When you travel back, you inhabit the bodies of receptacles; people who lived during that period. As you move from location to location, you lay out new card panoramas that you can explore. Some locations may hold clues, others, challenges that will test your strength, dexterity, or even your charm. Everything you do costs you time, and when your time for the mission runs out, you travel back to the exact moment when you started it. You continue the mission, but now with more knowledge. If you opened a closet on the previous run and someone was waiting inside to jump you, on this run, you know they’re in there, lying in wait. T.I.M.E. Stories is an exciting, sci-fi, Groundhog Day-style adventure. It paved the way for a whole new genre of games.

Ticket to Ride

With dozens of international awards (including the Spiel des Jahres), and over 8 Million games sold, the Ticket to Ride series is one of the most popular modern board game series ever launched. Released in 2004, this beautifully illustrated title has players embark on a cross-country train adventure, where they compete to claim railway routes connecting cities in various countries around the world. The game is simple-to-learn, fun-to-play, and keeps players engaged by requiring continuous strategic thinking and a dose of opportunism. But, despite keeping players on their toes, Ticket to Ride won’t overwhelm the uninitiated, one of the reasons it appeals to both new and seasoned players, and why it is often referred to as a “gateway game”. Since its initial launch, publisher, Days of Wonder, has released several editions and variations of the game, including Europe, London, New York, Rails and Sails, First Journey, Amsterdam, and more.

Note from Asmodee Canada

We agree with Sean! While there are many games that have inspired the hobby over the last couple of decades, these are a few of the titles that have had a lasting impact and staying power. These are also some of the titles that appeal most to new players. But don’t take our word for it! Check them out for yourselves. With our Print & Play program, you can download free printable versions to see how you like them and whether you agree that they are worthy of the Game Changer title.