Desert Island Board Games

Two weeks ago I mentioned that I am organising everything as I prepare to move country soon. One thing that needs to be decided is what I will bring with me and what I will leave behind. This is hardest for me when it comes to board games. Over the years I have built up a large collection but it would be impractical if I brought them all with me. However, what if I would have to restart my collection and could only bring five games with me on my move, what five games would I bring and why?

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion – First things first, with moving to a new country I won’t have my regular game group any more so I want to have a game I can play solo whenever I have the mood to play something. My favourite part of Gloomhaven is the hand management system, so much so that it has been quite influential for me in our design of Wheel to Wheel Racing.

Flamme Rouge – It’s no secret that Flamme Rouge is one of my favourite games. I have probably played this game more than any other game I own so it is a no brainer to bring it with me. The biggest advantage to bringing Flamme Rouge is the flexibility the Peloton expansion offers. In this expansions they introduced rules for AI opponents so whether I am playing alone, with my girlfriend or with a group this is always one of the first games I take off my shelf.

Dixit Odyssey – Dixit was one of the first games I bought after I really got into the hobby. It became so popular among my friends that we had to buy multiple new decks of cards as we grew too familiar with what we already had. I think this game is perfect for anytime we have visitors over and want to play something light and quick.

Railroad Ink – I actually bring this game with me most places I go already since the box is so small and I am always up for playing it. I had never played a roll and write game before Railroad Ink but I am now hooked. It also helps in the decision that this is currently my girlfriends favourite game and we play it together online often rolling the dice on camera as we both have our own score sheets.

Fog of Love – Since I will mostly be playing either alone or with my girlfriend then I should take a game designed specifically for two players. What game is more perfect to play with your partner than a game that classes itself as a romantic comedy in a board game. We played through the tutorial a long time ago and I am curious to see what gets added into the later storylines.

In picking these five games I wanted to give myself enough diversity for different occasions and also pick games that I could play multiple times. If you could limit your collection to just five games which five would you pick?