A constant problem for many board game lovers is the issue of space. Tabletop is an endlessly enjoyable pastime, but one that can take up more than its fair share of shelf space. With so many games competing for attention designers and publishers often create their games with bulky boxes designed to stand out in the shops rather than sit comfortably in your home collection.
In One Cube Collection we’ll be speaking to industry insiders, asking them for their essential games for a low-impact collection. The concept is easy: as many games as you can fit into a single Kallax shelf (the discerning gamer’s shelving). If space was short what would you keep? What would you let go? If you were forced which games could you see yourself playing again and again?
This week we’ve asked Peter Blenkharn, Managing Partner of ITB, to cut down the office collection into a single shelf. From over 200 games cut to just seven, here’s Peter’s timeless favourites:
Eight-Minute Empire
This game is one of the first small box games I ever played at Thirsty Meeples in Oxford when I was a student. It’s a pretty game, as well as one that contains a lot for the size of the box. Everything here is done really well and I love to return to it whenever I can.
I’ve played Star Realms literally hundreds of times, and this standalone sequel improves a lot on the base game. It’s great for people unfamiliar with games, and can still hold the attention of seasoned hobbyists too.
I really enjoy Pandemic as a gateway game, and Pandemic Iberia makes an excellent attempt at improving on the formula and showing that artwork can make a big difference in contributing to the overall enjoyment of a game.
Small World is a solid game. Always entertaining and a great all-rounder for most players, I would happily play this again and again.
Scoville satisfied the worker-placement itch in this group. It’s not necessarily the heaviest example of the genre, but is an overall really satisfying product, with a theme and mechanics that are easy to grasp but can also provide a lot of depth.
Netrunner
Netrunner is an all time classic, and one of the best card games I’ve ever played. The learning curve is a bit heavy, but the way the mechanics interact with other is awesome, and it results in amazing replayability.
One of our favourite games by an independent publisher. I am fascinated by the theme of an Antarctic expedition, and Pleasant Company Games have done an amazing job of making the experience feel challenging and tense.
Do you have your own One Cube Colletion you’d like to share? Do you know a member of the community you’d like to hear from? You can send all your feedback to communications@itbboardgames.com. Or Tweet us!
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