Top 50 Board Games of 2018 - 15 to 11

#15 Techno Bowl: Arcade Football Unplugged (2017)
Synopsis
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love all kinds of sports. Techno Bowl is based on a pixelated video game which simulates American Football (and badly at that).   American Football, with its series of downs and set plays tends to lend itself to table top adaptation. Techno Bowl therefore amps up the fun and arcade aspect of American Football and glosses over the more simulation aspects of the sport.   While this will annoy some, Techno Bowl manages to abstract the game of Grid Iron but in that abstraction creates a believable game. It is also a tonne of fun and fairly simple.   The pixel art and play on word (players and teams) just add to the charm. Techno Bowl is just 90 minutes of unadulterated fun!
Number of Players:	2
Recommended Play Time	90	Minutes
BGG Rating:	8.6	/10.0
BGG Rank:	2 614	/91 000
Complexity Rating	2.65	/5.00

#14 1775: Rebellion (2013)
Synopsis
From the outside, 1775: Rebellion is a game that would send my friends and family looking for their pre-made excuse book. But surprisingly 1775: Rebellion is the exact opposite – Academy games are hitting these light strategy war games out of the park, both as a game and an educational tool.   1775: Rebellion is a game for 2 or 4 players based on the American War of Independence. Players control one of the four factions (Militia, Continental Army and British, Loyalists)  and two ‘teams’ (Americans or British)  in the war with the simple goal of controlling the majority of colonies by the end of the game.   The interesting aspects of this game is the movement system, where a player can move their team member’s cubes along with their own and a variable length game conclusion to keep the game tense.   Once you have played the streamlined simplicity and fun of 1775: Rebellion you will not only want to play again, but you will have learned a great deal of world history.
Number of Players:	2 to 4
Recommended Play Time	90	Minutes
BGG Rating:	7.7	/10.0
BGG Rank:	269	/91 000
Complexity Rating	2.26	/5.00

#13 Secret Hitler (2016)
Synopsis
Secret Hitler is a social deduction game for 5 to 10 players in the vein of ‘The Resistance’.   Secret Hitler is set prior to World War Two during the Nazi overthrow of the Weimar Republic. One group of players will play as the Fascists while the other players will try to maintain the government as Liberals.   What ensures is a great game and thematic game of politics and intrigue. The central part of the game is the election of two players (one as chancellor and one as president) whose job it is to pass fascist or liberal bills.   The game is finally balanced and a lot of fun, as my family will attest. The theme of the game may be understandably uncomfortable for some but this stuff happened and the fascists in the game are depicted as literal monsters (as they should be).
Number of Players:	5 to 10
Recommended Play Time	45	Minutes
BGG Rating:	7.6	/10.0
BGG Rank:	183	/91 000
Complexity Rating	1.70	/5.00

#12 Carcassonne: Winter Edition (2012)
Synopsis
Carcassonne is a tile laying game which players score points for putting their ‘meeple’ on fields, roads, cloisters and cities.   It needs no introduction so I will not labour on it here.   Carcassonne is a perennial favourite for its simple rules, short play time and map building aspects. It’s definitely fun for the whole family and has a lot of replayability. For those reasons alone it deserves its lofty position!   Why the winter edition do you ask? Well…being originally from Adelaide (Australia) the winter edition seemed a lot more bearable than the mere insinuation of summer in the original Carcassonne.
Number of Players:	2 to 5
Recommended Play Time	40	Minutes
BGG Rating:	7.5	/10.0
BGG Rank:	811	/91 000
Complexity Rating	1.82	/5.00

#11 Acquire (1964)
Synopsis
Acquire is a true classic, conceived all the way back in 1964. It was one of the first games I had as a child. Unlike others I was actually intrigued and interested by the look and premise of a game (a stock market trading game).   Acquire always had been a family favourite – the speed of play and the simplicity. The concept of the game was to be the richest which is an easy objective to understand for all.   Apart from the above, the reason why Acquire comes so high on my list is because I enjoy watching the board (city) grow. I enjoy imagining, when I start a corporation, that I am sitting in the top floor office behind a big wooden desk making the calls. Then throughout the game I watch as the corporations of my friends and family rise and fall, each with their own imagined story (that I make up). This is the key to Acquire to me – the (my) dream of being the now outdated version of ‘successful’ and the (as a child) simplicity that came with that.   Acquire has truly stood the test of time and that is good enough for me!
Number of Players:	2 to 6
Recommended Play Time	90	Minutes
BGG Rating:	7.4	/10.0
BGG Rank:	214	/91 000
Complexity Rating	2.51	/5.00