The ten by ten concept is simple, at the start of the year choose ten games and commit to playing each of them ten times over the year. Let's face it, we're all guilty of the 'Cult of New', we can't wait to rip off the shiny cellophane and start popping those new games! Sadly, this does mean that some older gems get left behind, or, in our case, buried behind a pile of new stuff.
This is the first year I have made the ten by ten commitment and I thought the half way point of the year was the perfect time to have a look at it.
In January I sat down with Rob, my husband and therefore primary gaming partner and we came up with a list that included games we both liked and we thought would be achievable.
7 Wonders, this was one of the first games we introduced our friend Katie to, therefore it got a lot of plays at the time. However,it has got left behind as we have introduced her to tougher challenges! This had both our votes.
Seasons, a fairly new one for us that went under our radar at the time. We've played it a lot online but felt the physical version needed more love. Again, votes from both of us.
Star Realms, believe it or not, we don't get much play from 2 player games as we often have friends round or else use a 2 player evening to learn something ready to bring it to a bigger table. Rob is a big fan of deck builders so this was our first choice using that mechanic. Another one that gets a fair bit of online play but we thought a nice opportunity for us to have some quality one on one game play.
Russian Railroads, I'm a massive euro and worker placement fan, whereas they tend to make Robs head hurt! This is one I know he enjoys and it has a very unique and interesting scoring mechanic. Definitely my pick!
Bruges, there are a lot of great Stefan Feld games to choose from and Castles of Burgandy tends to be the one that always gets pulled out. Bruges has some harsh hand manipulation that makes it a toughie at times. Another of my picks.
Alhambra, this used to get a lot of plays but has been pushed to the back of the shelf of late. Easy to play but hard to strategise at times. Tile placement can be key but you're also reliant on seeing the right tiles when you want them and hoping no one else grabs them before you get a chance to. Another joint pick.
DC Deckbuilder, as i said earlier, Rob likes his deck builders so there was bound to be a couple of them on this list! Works the same as Dominion but with great DC artwork. Robs pick.
Ticket to Ride, another classic that has got left behind and deserves some love. We got the tenth anniversary edition which is truly a work of art and a joy to play. Beautiful components and a big board which makes spotting your routes a lot easier. Joint decision.
Kingdoms, a hugely under rated little game from Reiner Knizia, simple to pick up but tough to master and most certainly not a friendly game! See my overview here:
Smallworld, a great area control game (a mechanic we didn't already have in this list!) and beautiful artwork, trouble is we have a lot of expansions with no sensible way to store all the tiles therefore it doesn't come out often enough. This was a good excuse to get it to the table regardless. Someone needs to do a good component box for it!
Of course, the Cult of New has held us back and at half way through the year we are only 32% into our ten by ten with a mounting pile of games in shrink that need tackling! I think we need to dedicate a weekend to this list of fine games and rack these games up!
