Long Shot – John Collings

Top Twenty Game of 2024

It was another great year of traveling the world, and reading excellent pieces of literature. Combine this with a full time job, and you would think that I would not have enough time for another hobby, but I enjoy nothing more than sitting down with a group of friends to play a game. I have been extremely lucky in this capacity for I was able to play 72 different games over the course of the year. I have taken that list of games, ran them through the Pub Meeple engine in order to put together this list of what I consider the 20 best games I have played this year. Here is what I think those games to be, and how their position has changed from the list last year:

20. Scythe (Down 2)

This is an amazing area control, economic game set in a post-World War I landscape in Eastern Europe. The mechanics of this game are phenomenal, and it is one of the more complicated games to be found on this list. Because of its complication, it makes it hard to get to the table, and to find people who are willing to play it. It also takes at least a couple of hours to play a game. I enjoy the time that I get to play the game, but because of the limited times that I get to play it, it ranks lower on the list.

19. Smash Up (New)

This is a game that has been introduced to me a few time over the years. I usually play it once with the person that introduced it to me, and then I instantly forget about it. Well, I ended up purchasing the app this year, and I find myself drifting to it often. It can be frustrating at time with the powers that come with some of the factions that you can mash up together, but it also fun being that frustrating player that makes everybody’s life a nightmare during a game. I can see myself playing this more of the course of the next year.

18. Stone Age (New)

I don’t play many worker placement games, but this one has become one of my favorites. There are many ways that you can find those victory points to make it a fun puzzle to engage with. It also has just enough luck thrown in to make any game interesting enough to not now what will happen in the end. My favorite part is that you need to use two workers in the hut in order to make another worker. Thematically it works, and overall, it is just a fun game to play.

17. Unmatched (Down 13)

I know that this game markets itself that it can be played by up to four players, but it really sings when played by only two. The game has great asymmetric characters that are balanced well, and they keep on adding new characters are environments to bring new battles to life. It is my favorite chess match, and I am always excited to see what new characters they will bring out. I usually play it on the app, and I would love for them to add more characters through that medium, but I am still enjoying the twelve that can be found there.

16. Cascadia (New)

This was an impulse buy I picked up over the summer while hanging out in Oregon. Since I have gotten it, it has made it to the table on numerous occasions. It is relatively easy to teach, and it looks like it would be an easy game to master, but in fact, it has a great puzzle within its simple design. I also love the fact that it comes with different levels of the puzzle, so you can always challenge yourself with something a little more difficult. I can see this one moving up on the list in following years.

15. Pandemic (Down 1)

Easily one of the best cooperative games ever made, but it has one flaw with it. In order to play at the level that it is designed at, you need to have a group of people who understand the game enough and are willing to have those discussions that the game is designed to have. If you do not, what happens is that one person starts to quarterback, and it becomes just one person playing the game. I will admit it that I tend to become the quarterback, and my goal is to have fun not tell people what to do. Because of this, I usually play this game by myself, and it still brings me a lot of enjoyment as I try to save the world from various threats.

14. Dungeons and Dragons (Down 9)

Just like last year, I have to say that I know that this is not a board game, and some people will believe that it should not be on this list. To those people, I would say that any time I can get a group of friends together to laugh and enjoy the story that we unfold, it is considered a game. I am on the third year of this campaign, and it is starting to wind up. We have played together for so long together that we know each others’ characters and quirks so well that the role-playing aspect has taken over the general game play. It has been a fun group, and I will be sorry when we wrap up the story. I hope that I can find another group to play with next year that is as tight as this group. It is because of this that this game will always find a place on this list.

13. Raiders of the North Sea

I know that there are a lot of other Garphill Games out there that people are always talking about, and I start every new year vowing that I will try another one of them, but then the year passes and the only one I have played is Raiders of the North Sea. I have not even played any of the numerous expansions that can make this game a more complicated one. Despite this, I still love playing this game. I got the digital version of it to play while traveling through Iceland, and now every time I play it, I am reminded of that trip. It is a great worker placement game, and I can only see the playing of a different Garphill Game getting me to move it off of this list.

12. Castles of Burgundy (New)

I know many people have this game as their top spot on their favorite games of all time, so I made the effort to try it out this year. I can see why this gets that distinction from so many people; it is a great game with mechanics that I have never seen anywhere else. It is having a little bit of a revival at this time because of a new edition that has come out which makes the game look spectacular, but the original game is just as good. The long game play makes it hard to get to the table at times, but it is always a joy when it happens.

11. Arkham Horror: The Card Game (Up 4)

I had heard that it was a great game to play with people but most people liked to play it solo. There was going to be a lot of times when I would be by myself, and I wanted a good solo experience for those lonely nights, so I picked this game up. I am glad I did. It has many different scenarios that you can play through and each of them have their own little challenge with the same rule set. The scenarios are even fun to play through more than once as the outcomes change as you go through them. This is one that will always be on my shelf, and I can’t wait to play through more stories as they come out.

10. Long Shot (New)

I bought this game for a trip that I was going to take with a group of friends, and then we didn’t go on that trip. I had this game that was supposed to be great for bigger groups of people, and now I could only play it with my wife at my house, so I needed to find a bigger group of people to play it with. This is when I brought it to the pub, and I found that group quickly. This became the game that I would always bring to the pub, and it really started to shine when we played it with eight people. I love this game, and I love how the final race becomes a crazy race that nobody knows who is going to win. It is always a hit, and I have found very few people who have not enjoyed it.

9. The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine (Up 1)

I will lump both of the Crew games together because they work off of the same mechanic, and I am still surprised how collaborative a trick taking game can be. Last year I included the Deep Sea Nine edition of the game which I do believe is slightly better. This year I hopped back to the original, The Quest for Planet Nine, because I have been playing it more often with the groupI have played with for four years, and we are at the 43rd mission. We hope to finish it in the next couple of months, and I have no idea what type of feeling that will give me. This is a great game, and it is easy to bring to the table because once people get into its addictive nature, it ends up getting played all night long.

8. Everdell (Down 1)

Everdell will always hold a special place in my heart. It was 2020, and we were stuck in our house. We needed something to do or we were going to go crazy. I had done some research on modern board games, and I had discovered this one. It was a new way of thinking about games for me, so I picked up a copy of it. Instantly, it became the thing that we did during the long evenings to help us make it through the pandemic. We might have overplayed it, and it sat on the shelf more lately than it has in the past. Still, we bring it out, and I am quickly reminded of it brilliance, especially when you add an expansion or two. It is the game that got me back into the board game hobby, and I will always appreciate the way it helped me through a difficult time of my life.

7. Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile (Down 4)

This is not a game for everybody. The rules are expansive, and it is hard to teach people how to play the game because of it. There is also the problem of the game evolving after each play as the cards change, thereby, changing the way the game is played. But I have been lucky to find a group of people to play with that is enjoying the history that we are creating with the board. When the moment of that history is dramatic, and the group is adding to creating that history, this game really sings. It is hard to get the group together to play, but it is fun every time I am able to make it happen.

6. Clank! In! Space! (New)

I know that this list does not reflect the fact that I have been getting into deck-building lately, but one deck-building game stood head and shoulders above all the others that I played this year, Clank! In! Space! I loved the way the game combines this famous mechanic with a push your luck element. I was lucky enough to play this version of the game as well as the original Clank! Both are great games, but I do like the space version better. The deck of cards is more diverse, and allows for more fun combinations. Still, if you only have the opportunity to play the original, it will still be a lot of fun.

5. Eldritch Horror (Up 3)

This game is Pandemic on steroids with a better story it tells. It is a lot more complicated than Pandemic, and a game of Eldritch Horror is an epic adventure with twists and turns as you try to save the world from a Lovecraftian apocalypse. I have been able to move beyond the base game to play a couple of the expansions to this game, and it makes the game a lot tougher, but also a greater story. I do not mind if I lose against the game because it turns the story into this amazing tragedy that would be worthy of the big screen. It is not a game for everybody, but I will happy join in whenever it is being offered up to play.

4. Imperial Assault (Up 2)

I have always enjoyed this game, but I have always had a hard time finding people to complete the campaign with me. That changed this year. I now have a group, and we are halfway through the campaign. It is fun to see how the characters get more powerful as you move you way through it, and the scenarios are nicely balanced. It also creates a nice story in a light RPG setting that does not rely to heavily on the rules. I am excited to see how it will all end as a couple of the main baddies have already popped up, and there are a couple more exciting adventures planned. The goal is to finish on May the 4th, and I know that it will not disappoint.

3. Root (Up 6)

This is an amazing game and I am starting to feel comfortable playing two of the factions, the Eyrie, and the Marquis. I still struggle how to make the other two work in the base game, and I know that there are other factions out there just waiting to be learned. I love how well researched each faction is, and how well they balance each other out. Any game of Root is up for grabs just as long as the people playing know how to play. That is the biggest problem with this game. The learning curve is so high that getting it to the table with people who know how to play is almost impossible. But it is such a good game that when you find those people who know how to play, it becomes one of the best games you will ever play. As I learn more about this game, I can see it taking over the number one spot eventually, but for now, it will reside happily right here.

2. Isle of Sky

This is still one of my favorite games to get to the table. I always keep a bottle of scotch on hand so when it does get to the table we can play it the way that it is meant to play. I still have not gotten bored of the base game even though I have the big box version of it with all of the expansions available to me, but still the variance that happens with the base game makes me happy. It also moves at a nice pace, so there is always something to do as the game progresses. And if it ever slows down, there is always the scotch to take a sip off of.

1 Chinatown

I know that there are a lot of board game enthusiasts out there who will be surprised by this pick with all of the problems that come along with this game. It has been repackaged three times, and they still have not taken away the obvious prejudice on the board, and it would take a quick reskinning of the game to solve this problem. From my understanding, this has happened with the game, Waterfall Park, but I have not been able to play this version of the game. Until I do, I will still play this game. I never laugh so hard when playing this game, and I never end up winning. The rules are so simple, but the game play is so intense that it makes it easy to get to the table, and most people who love the act of negotiation love to play this game. I will have to hunt down that new version of the game to see if I can get over the problems that come with this game so I can continue to enjoy it guilt free. Otherwise, I still think it is too good of a game to ignore completely.

Long Shot: A Review

Ever since I got the game Log Shot, there have been times where I am sitting around with my friends, and someone now asks if we can race horses. I know exactly what they mean even though they never seem to be able to remember the name of the game in which we race horses. It is a forgivable mistake because once we start playing the game, we get so lost in what is going on that we never bother to look back at the box where the name of the game is, and get more excited about which horse is going to win. It has gotten so fun that it has now become a frequent companion of mine when I go to the pub because the more people that come and play the game, the more exciting the game becomes. It has become a game that gets to the table often and I have not complaints with ever buying it.

So what makes this game so great? Why is a it a hit with so many people? Why should you consider getting this game to add to your collection? Well, here is my review of Long Shot to answer all of these questions and maybe a few others you might have concerning this roll and write pub game designed by Chris Handy that has brought me so much pleasure.

THEME

You find yourself at the horse track with twelve bucks in your hand and two tickets for two of the horses before the races begin. This is when the race begins, and while it is going on there are a lot of choices that can be made along the way that will manipulate the end result of the race. What appears to be a simple horse racing game really starts to shine because Chris Handy made the focus of the game on the gamblers and not the horse racers. The atmosphere really starts to shine the bigger the group gets when playing the game, and I really start to take on the role of the gambler as I get excited with each roll of the dice. It is so much fun that I find myself drawn to watching the game even when I am not playing the game.

Rating – 10

GAMEPLAY

Long Shot can trace its heritage back to Yahtzee, but this is more exciting than the game that sits on the back shelf of your childhood home. It is one of many roll and writes that can be found now-a-days in game shops, but this one is unique in its game play that it stands out among the others. Each person on their turn rolls two dice, one eight-sided and one special six-sided. The eight-sided die decides which horse moves forward on the track, and the six-sided decides how far that horse moves, but the numbers only go up to three on that die with more ones than twos or threes. It sounds pretty simple and it becomes a race game that you would play when you were just learning how to play games to learn your numbers, but then the choice comes in and it complicates the race.

Every player has a wipe board in front of them, and based on the eight-sided die’s roll, they have five choices of what to do with that number. The first thing they can do is buy a horse. If that horse gets first, second, or third place, the owner makes money. They can also take a jersey action. They can mark one of the other numbers on the horse whose number was rolled. By doing this, every time that number is rolled, the numbers with the marks move forward one as well. There is also the option of placing up to a three dollars bet on the horse’s number who was rolled. This needs to happen before the horse crosses the red line on the track because after that no more bets can be placed on the horse. This is unless someone takes the helmet action which allows them to bet on the horse at any time before it crosses the finish line. The last action that a person can perform involves a matrix that opens up many new tricks that manipulates the race. Each of these decisions leads to a path that might make any player the most successful gambler in the game, but depending on which horse crosses the line, first, second, and third, it could also bring about their demise. It is these choices that keep this game fun and exciting until the final moments of the race.

Rating – 9

ARTWORK

After the horses are allowed out of the gate, there is an absurdity to every race that is run in this game. If Clau Souza came in and designed the art around a realistic approach to a racetrack, I do not think that this game would have the same appeal. The cartoony jockeys and horses add to the absurdity of the race as it takes place.

Each of the cards that are given to each of the players also adds to the fun. It does make you feel like you are standing in the crowded bleachers looking down at the horses as they race around the track. Also the laminated card was a nice addition because it allowed for the fun of erasing marks and adding them to the matrix that is in front of you. There is something satisfying about this approach to a roll and write game, and it cuts down on the waste that can sometimes be found with these games.

When I first saw the race track, I was a little disappointed. I couldn’t wrap my head around how to keep all of the horses on the track and make them fit. It looked too bare and something that was rushed just so there could be a track that the horses could run on. This quickly changed after the first race. As soon as the horses spread out over the track, the race came to life, and what was bare and uninteresting instantly became exciting to watch. It add to the flavor of the excitement of the race, and it just showed how all the pieces came together in harmony to create a fun game.

Rating – 10

INTERACTIVITY

I first got the game because I was going to be traveling with a group of six, and I thought this would be the perfect travel game. I was a little worried about the higher player count because of having to wait for your turn. Unfortunately, the travel that I was hoping to get out of the game did not happen, but I did get to play it at two and four player count. Oddly, I found that when more people played the game the more exciting it got, and the more people cheered for the individual horses. This is when I decided to bring it to the pub with me one night, and we ended up playing with eight people. This was when the game really sang. Everybody was excited about their turn, and were so engaged in what was happening on the tiny board that I was surprised that a game that was not a party game could work so well on a higher player count. It didn’t hurt that we had a waiter constantly bringing us more beer, but despite this fact, it has become my favorite pub game, and accompanies me a lot when we go out for a beer or two.

Rating – 10

EXPANSIONS

I am a sucker for expansions. It allows a game to find new life if I start to get bored with it. Most of the time they add new rules to add to the complexity of the game, and Long Shot is no exception. There are four more sets of horse cards to mix up what can happen in any given game, and then there is also a Track Events expansion. The horse sets do add a little change to the game, but I am completely satisfied with the three sets that come with the game, and I have not even come close to becoming bored with them after multiple game plays. The Track Events expansion adds one more choice that players can take per die role, and there are eight different ones. I will be honest that I have not come to play any of these as well. I have not found a reason to play them. The base game works so well that I do not feel the need to add to the complexity of the game. It would also make teaching the game, which I find I do a lot, also a little more difficult. There is already enough choice in the game that I do not think that I would need to add more. In other words, I am sure that the expansions are fine, but the base game is so great that I do not think that it is necessary to buy more to enhance an already perfect game.

They do allow you to buy all of the expansions together in one large pack, or if you just one of the various horse sets or the Track Events expansion, you can get them separately for a reasonable price. It is nice to know that these expansions are out there, and I might get around to purchasing them someday. I just am not there yet. I am enjoying the game too much in its original inception.

Rating – 6

OVERALL

I absolutely love, Long Shot: The Dice Game. I am excited every time that I get to bring it out to the table, and I have yet to meet someone who has not enjoyed it as well. It is an easy game to learn how to play, and easy game to teach. The learning curve is so simple that anybody can win the first time they play, but it is thinky enough that you do not feel as if you are being cheated if you lose. It encapsulates what it would be like to go to the horse races as each running of the horses brings to life the excitement of that moment without having to lose real money when you lose. The more people you bring into the game, the more exciting it gets, and it will always have a place on my shelf. This could be the most fun I have ever had playing a roll and write game with a group of people.

Rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars.

(This rating reflects my feelings about the expansions being unnecessary. I will come back a revisit this some day as I am planning to add the expansions to my collection in December. The game is great. Go get it today.)