My Top 5 Games that Have Grown on Me

Welcome to this week’s gaming post! I wanted to mix up this week’s content by discussing a few games that have grown on me over time. These are games that I liked initially, but it took more plays to fully appreciate them. I don’t necessary like the number one game on this list more than number five in terms of my all-time favorites, rather I’ve ordered these games by how much I like them now compared to when I first played them – think of it like a “Most Improved” award. So without further ado, let’s jump into the games.

Dominion was an early addition to the collection when I first started getting into modern board gaming, but I was never eager to bring this one out regularly, aside from the occasional play. Dominion is the classic, pure deck-building game that all deck-builders are compared to, and there are plenty of examples of Dominion’s influence on modern designs, including Dune: Imperium. However, it wasn’t until the last couple of years, and after I picked up the Prosperity expansion, that I came to really appreciate the design. Now I find myself pulling this one out more regularly when I’m looking for a quick and light experience. While I’m happy with what Prosperity includes, who knows, maybe if I pick up more expansions in the future, Dominion will keep rising up my rankings.

I added Scythe to my collection not long after it released back in 2016, and while I really liked the art and components, I was never drawn back to the game because of its mechanisms. I would occasionally get this one played, but after a game of Scythe, I would usually set it aside for a while. And while I’d always heard great things about The Rise of Fenris expansion, I could never justify it when I only played the game occasionally. I finally purchased the expansion relatively recently during a Game Nerdz Deal of the Day sale and played through the entire eight episode campaign over a few sessions. I found that I appreciate the game more now than before playing through Fenris, and I encourage you to read my first blog post where I share some of my thoughts on the Fenris campaign if you’re interested. While I imagine my enjoyment of Scythe now has a lot of that has to do with what Fenris added, I also think I appreciate the core mechanisms (an engine-building euro) more now than back then. I’ll have to see where Scythe settles after the experience of Fenris starts to fade, but I’m glad to have gotten back into Scythe as a result of Fenris.

I enjoyed my first play of Everdell, but I never understood the hype for the game. Yes, the game’s artwork, theme, and components are all very cute, but to me, the game was mostly just another worker-placement, tableau building game. I decided to finally pick it up during a sale, and now I really enjoy playing just the base game with my partner. While the card luck can be slightly frustrating at time, I’ve found that the game doesn’t overstay its welcome at lower player counts and is easy to jump back into. While still a worker-placement, tableau game, I’ve found that I’ve preferred Everdell recently compared to others of the same type. Could that be because of its adorable theme? Partially, but I also imagine I’ve grown to appreciate the gameplay more, and while not necessarily innovative, the mechanisms are smooth and quick. I’ll have to see how Everdell holds up with more time and plays, but I’ve grown to appreciate the game for more than just its cute creatures.

Another game that I couldn’t understand the hype for was Dune: Imperium. The art and components in the base game aren’t anything stellar, and when I first played the game, I hadn’t read any of the Dune books or seen the movies, so I wasn’t drawn to the theme. I also found the deck-building to be frustratingly limited. However, after picking up the first expansion, Rise of Ix, and with a few more plays, I’m certainly enjoying the game more now than initially. I’ve also come to understand more of the deck-building strategies and being more selective on which cards I decide to add to my deck. I will say, watching the movies did help with context too. While I still much prefer Lost Ruins of Arnak to Dune: Imperium, the game has grown on my over time, and I do really enjoy the game now.

Onto another extremely popular game: Wingspan. I actually didn’t really enjoy my first play of the game. I found the birdfeeder dice tower to be incredible frustrating, and while I think the artwork is pretty, I’m just not that into birds. Similar to Everdell, I think I’ve grown to appreciate the game more for what it is. Also, I found the Oceania expansion fixed many of my criticisms of the game (easier to get food tokens and balance the egg-laying strategy). I mostly enjoy Wingspan now at lower player counts so it doesn’t drag; I have no desire to play Wingspan with five players, and certainly not at six or seven with the Asia expansion. Finally, since I already own Wingspan with Oceania, I don’t have much desire to pick up Wyrmspan. Overall, I’ve found that I’m bringing Wingspan out more often now than when I first acquired the game, and I’ve come to enjoy the satisfying engine-building mechanisms in the game.  

Lastly, of the games I’ve discussed on this list, Paladins of the West Kingdom was the one I initially liked the least, which is why it occupies the number one spot on my list. I played a three-person game that went on far too long, and I just didn’t find the mechanisms all that interesting. However, once I brought the game out to solo more often, I started to appreciate and enjoy the game more. The solo mode in Paladins is one of the better implementations of an AI I’ve seen. It’s easy to pilot, while still smart enough to take actions similar to what a real player would do. I’ve found that I’ve been able to knock out plays much faster solo, while still getting almost the same experience as a multiplayer game. Also, once I started to understand how the mechanisms linked together, I came to better appreciate the design. Even now, I’d be cautious to play the game at three players and certainly not four. But as a solo or two-player game, Paladins of the West Kingdom has certainly grown on me quite a bit.

With that, I’ll wrap up this week’s post! I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the games I’ve mentioned, future content, or format in the comments section below, and let me know which games have grown on you. Happy gaming!