TDG: Cody's Top 100 Games 2026 (#60-51)

0:04 Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the discriminating gamer. You know, I got threequarters of the way through one of my wife's audio books, and then I accidentally deleted it. I'm never going to hear the end of it. Ladies and gentlemen, today we're going to go ahead and take a look at my top 100 games of all times, number 60 through number 51.

0:36 All right, ladies and gentlemen. So, we're getting further along in the list. We're completing the first half right now. So, let's go ahead and take a look then at uh my top uh well, my my number 60 through 51. Uh jumping right into it. Uh at number 60. Now, this is one that kind of surprised me because I have it that I did not have it on the list the last time I did my top 100. And I'm wondering if I just it was there and I didn't see it. I went over it, but I couldn't see it because this has been a game that I have loved and loved and loved for years. I think I bought my first um set of it starter set in I think 2013 or thereabouts. Really enjoyed it. But this is from Fantasy Flight Games. Star Wars X-Wing. Star Wars X-Wing is a great miniatures game. Uh, this was this is really my first miniatures game. First miniatures game I ever played. But of course, you have all the different star fighters, the X-wings and the TIE fighters and B- wings and A- wings, TIE bombers, all these different star fighters. And then you can get up to the Millennium Falcon and eventually they had like the Corelian Corvette and you had some bigger ships. It was a very, very, very fun game.

1:42 Uh, I have got this all packed away in one of my crates over there. And a couple years ago, for the first time in years, I got it down. I played it. I introduced it to my wife and we played it. She really got a kick out of it. It's such a fun and simple game where you got the little templates, you got the dials to determine where you're going to move, put the dial face down, then you reveal one at a time and you you move it. You're trying to, of course, get yourself into the firing arcs and take down your enemies. You roll die. Very fun game. I always really enjoyed X-Wing ever since I started playing it. Haven't played it nearly enough lately. I should get it out again. We should play it some more. I think her kids would really get a kick out of it, too. But that is number 60. That is Star Wars X-Wing. That is from Fantasy Fly Games. But number 59 is a game that again, it's Fallen. It was number 16. In fact, I if I recall correctly, I played this game um right before I made my list. And I played it two or three times right before I made the list. Absolutely loved this game.

2:36 Haven't played it in a while, but it's still over there. It is still a fantastic game. This is my number 59. Versailles 1919 was my number 16. This is from GMT Games. Essentially, this is a game where uh you take on the roles of kind of the the great powers of Europe and you're trying to score uh different issues, right? You got different issues coming down. You're trying to kind of through area control, you're trying to score these. And what's cool is you get them in front of you. you've scored them, but different hot spots around the world can flare up and then that issue can go back into contention and everybody can try to get their hooks into it again. So, nothing's quite cut and dry in this game, but it's a some great history here. Really well integrated into gameplay. So, that is from GMT Games. That is my number 59, Versail 1919.

3:28 My number 58 is also from GMT Games. This is a game that just came out a couple years ago, so it wasn't on the list. uh 2001 but this is my number 58 prime minister. So prime minister from GMT games and this kind of goes I guess hand inhand with versail 1919. Prime Minister takes place in Victorian London Dizraeli Gladstone all the other major figures and of course Queen Victoria and essentially this is a four-player game. Uh you can play it with fewer and I have played it with fewer and it's fine but it shines at four players. But if you in a four-player game you've got the two parties. You've got the Liberal and Conservative parties, but there can only be one winner. So, there's kind of a coopetition element in this game. And you've got the two uh you know, members of a party. Uh there there's there's tension there because they want, of course, to do better than than their opponents, but what you're trying to do is be the prime minister by the time the game ends. And what's [clears throat] cool here is you've got all these different issues on the board and you're trying to move them around so that when elections come up, you will score the most seats and you'll have the majority. Your parties in power because your party has to be in power for you to be prime minister, right? But then once you're in power, all these different issues come up and they may they may significantly alter the board in important ways and sometimes in unforeseen ways. But again, this is another game that really, really well integrates the history of the time into really fun and exciting gameplay. So that is Prime Minister. That is my

5:00 number 58 from GMT Games. My number 57 is a game that actually just came out last year. Was a game that I kind of was not expecting, but when they announced it, I was like, "This is going to be awesome." And spoiler alert, it was awesome. This is from Days of Wonder Battle for Hoth. Battle for Hoth is a great game where you've got the rebels and you got the Empire and you are fighting a commands and colors game uh on Hoth from the Empire Strikes Back. So, you know, Commands and Colors games are great. You've got the center, you got the left flank, and the right flank, and you play cards to activate units there and to attack your enemies. And it's so fun seeing this in a Star Wars universe. And you've got the different leaders. You got Princess Leia and Darth Vader and Luke and Han. They have cards that allow you to do kind of special things and have special abilities, which is really quite quite fun here, too.

5:51 Now, I like this game well enough on its own, but what's cool is if you have two copies, which I have two copies, you can play kind of the grand scenario. You can actually play um this massive map and that is just a truly epic game. Really, really, really love uh Battle for Hoth. I love Commands and Colors games, and this one does a great job. So that is number 57. Star Wars Battle for Hoth. That is from Days of Wonder. My number 56 is a game that fall a little bit. It wasn't my number 47 the last time I did it. It's been a while since I played it, but it is another fantastic game. And this is another Commands and Colors game. This is Commands and Colors Napoleonics from GMT Games. Uh Commands and Colors Napoleonics. Um for a long time I considered this to be my favorite and we'll kind of see how that's changed, but I really loved it. uh you you just the base game and there's a ton of expansions out there but just the base game has some great battles between you know the French and the British um Spain and up through Waterlue and what's cool is you've got uh you can do things in here like form squares right if there's a cavalry attack uh your infantry can form squares to protect themselves and so there's some great historical and thematic stuff that goes on there um but great gameplay, great card play. I just love Commands and Colors, and it's fun seeing it in this Napoleonic era. So, that is uh my number 56, this is Commands and Colors, Napoleonics. That is from GMT

7:22 Games. My number 55, this is a game that again uh I think it just it came out this year, but I did a preview video for it last year and it is tremendous fun. This is G.I. Joe Risk Special Missions. So, this is a risk game and yet in many ways it almost feels more like an access and allies game although there is already a G.I. Joe Access and Allies game. Uh, this from Renegade Game Studios and it is a a game that uh a risk game where you've got different objectives on the board. You've got, you know, units that are kind of sliding down a track that that then become available to you. But what's cool here is you can actually like Cobra can have like hidden units on the board and they can just kind of pop up and augment their forces. It really great thematic uh stuff going on here. Different missions that you know you can fulfill and try to get points. Really fun. Now this is another one that is a four-player game and I've actually only ever played this game as a threeplayer game. Um but I would like to play this as a full four-player game at some point because it is really awesome.

8:25 Again, I love G.I. Joe. I love love love the the the theme here, but just the integrate and the gameplay is just so much better. I I thought it would be good. It was better than I thought it was going to be. So, that is my number 55, G.I. Joe Risk Special Missions from Renegade Game Studios. Now, my number 54. This is a game that's actually fallen quite a bit. It was my number 14 the last time I played it, but this is a game I have played a few times in recent years. I played it with Ray and Al. played it with my um wife and stepdaughter. I really enjoyed I I've always enjoyed this game. To me, this is one of the great area control games of all time and it's never gotten the love it needed. But this is uh number four for uh number 54. It was my number 14. Cordier by AEG. Cordier or Cordier. Um this is such a great game where you're trying it. It's it's another Tempest game. I mentioned Dominire in the last video, but this is a great game where you are courters at the the queen's court and you are trying to influence the different ministers and people around her by putting cubes there and if you can influence them enough, you can fulfill petitions and you fulfill petitions and you gain points.

9:36 But there's public petitions you can fill and you also have secret private petitions that you can fill. And so it's a very fun area control game. It's a game of you have cards that can manipulate the board. So, there's a little bit of take that here as well. It's great. I love the artwork. I love the theme. And I really, really love the gameplay. Like I say, one of the best area control games I think that's out there. That is number 54. Cordier was my 14. That is from AEG. My number 53 was not on my list last time, and I think I actually got this game, the first edition of this game, right after I made my list. Uh, but this is just a phenomenal, phenomenal game. This is my number 53, Company of Heroes from Bad Crow Games. Company of Heroes is based on the video game, but it is a great World War II kind of squad level game, but it's still kind of got that video game almost cartoony kind of feel to it. And I really really enjoy it. Uh because, you know, you're leveling up and you're you're buying new and advanced weapons, but you got little trays. The production on this is just out of sight. you've got um three-dimensional terrain that you can get for it and you're and you're you're engaging in combat. It's kind of a deterministic combat and except you get a role. You just assume somebody's got line of sight, they hit you. So, you essentially just kind of roll defense dice and um determine whether or not that hit actually is not blocked or with cover.

11:00 Beautiful game. Beautiful game and great great fun. I actually did the Kickstarter. I got the second edition. I have not yet played it with the second edition. That's something I keep meaning to and it's just something I I haven't been able to get a chance to do, but I really want to do it. Uh that is my number 53, Company of Heroes. Uh that is from Bad Crow Games. My number 52 is a game that um the original edition I really enjoyed. I always had a fun lot of fun with the original edition. I eventually gave it away. Um but I but I really did enjoy it. And then I was really really excited because when I was down in Texas, they announced they were coming out with like a new edition and I was super excited and they kept pushing it back and they kept pushing it back. So even though they said it was going to be out like I think within a year while I was in Texas, I actually moved back to Salt Lake. I was there for a year and then I was in Wyoming before I actually got it.

11:48 But this is from Whiz Kids, my number 52, Clash of Cultures Monumental Edition. Clash of Cultures is one of the great civilization building games. It is a great game where you've got kind of hidden terrain that you're uncovering, but you're building cities and monuments. And what's cool with your cities is they're they're kind of these little modular pieces. And other players can kind of try to culturally attack you and replace your colored piece with one of their colored pieces. So, it's still your city, but they are kind of dominating it culturally. U but then of course there is combat. You're building military units. And there is tech tree. You got this beautiful dual layered tech board and you do that. And what's cool with the monumental edition is first of all, it's a beautiful production, but you've also got a lot of um different factions that have unique faction abilities and stuff that this was an expansion. Now it's baked into this monumental edition.

12:41 It is such a good game. It's great. I played this I think it I think it plays two to four and I think I played it at every player count and I've enjoyed it at every player count. Fantastic game. Beautiful to look at and tremendous fun. So, that is my number 52, Clash of Cultures, Monumental Edition, and that is from Whiz Kids. All right, my number 51. Uh, this is one that was not on my list last time. It just came out. I was in Wyoming, I think, when this came out. So, it was after I did my last list. Um, this is a game and in some ways it's kind of like Clash of Cultures. It's another civilization building game, but it takes it a completely different direction. And I actually had a bit of trouble deciding which one I liked more. In the end, I just decided I'll put Mosaic as my number 51. Mosaic, a story of civilization. This was from um Forbidden Games. Uh but this is just such a beautiful game and a very fun game. Essentially, you're kind of uh getting these different cards to to this is how you build tech and how you advance. But on the board, of course, you have military units. You don't have conventional combat in this game, but you they they still matter. You're trying to score the different regions periodically through the game, but just the civilization building in this game is amazing. It's very different from a lot of different games. This is a Glen Drover design, and I really, really enjoyed this one quite a bit. Again, beautiful production. This is like physically a heavy game, too. This is a massive game, but it's absolutely

14:11 beautiful. You can actually get I think the regular version isn't quite so big, but I've got the like the the deluxe version which is great components and really good gameplay. So that is my number 51. That is Mosaic and that is from Forbidden [sighs] Games. All right, ladies and gentlemen, what do you think? Do you like the games on this list? Do you not like them? Should they be higher, lower? Are they good where they are? Tell me what you think. I really like to hear back from you. So please, please, please leave a comment here on YouTube, on Board Gamegeeek, on Facebook, on X. I love love love to hear your comments. So, please go ahead, leave those. Also, check out my other channel that is Cody Carlson, PhD where we talk about military history, books on history, fun things like that. I even post some of my lectures there. Please go ahead if you uh would I would really appreciate it if you would subscribe to that channel as well. It would mean the world to me. And then, of course, if you do like what we do here, please consider clicking on the super thanks button and leaving a tip. You know, I am close personal friends with 25 letters of the alphabet, but I still don't know why somebody again. AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GOING.

15:17 And I don't know where I've been. IT'S A LONG TIME AND I'LL BE DYING. Once a year I wind up in the pan that I love to fight, but I don't ever win. It's my mind got me IN

15:48 the 10 drops roastery. Roasting some coffee. Um I'm going to do I think maybe 20 lbs. uh so that I'm I can stay awake for your next video. Um but congratulations, dude. Uh impressive work. Impressive body of work. Pressant body.