If you are any kind of attentive person on my facebook/xanga site, you may notice me talking a LOT about board games, which as Ryan Steiner pointed out, is a little like someone saying their hobby is fruit; most people aren’t even aware that can be a hobby.

I’ve loved games my whole life (ask my sister, whom I forced to play Risk with me many times), but that love was thrown into the stratosphere within the last year, after I discovered what a rich world of gaming there is out there. It turns out that in this case, Europe is years ahead of us; in Germany especially, there is a thriving board game industry, that generally focus on clear rules, short playing times (think about 90 minutes), low luck, and beautiful components. American companies pick up the rights to these games, translate them, and release them stateside. Because of that whole process, and because the games are already developed incessantly before they are ever released, this isn’t a cheap hobby. Prices range from about 25 bucks (for Carcassonne) to 70 (for Agricola), and that’s not taking into account the numerous expansions and additions that get released all the time. But if you play the game 10 times (most you’ll play more), it’s probably worth it. Besides, people don’t usually bat an eye at spending 50 bucks for a video game, and board games won’t become obsolete in 3 years.

I got into the hobby because pretty much everyone likes games of some kind (there are of course exceptions), but have largely burned out from playing Risk, Life, Monopoly, and the ilk. I compiled the below list for two reasons:

• First off, I know people get tired of reading about my latest obsessions on my blog, but this is definitely one that I like to share. I’m hoping this list can just kind of get all my gushing out of the way, and let me focus on my own life, which some people just prefer to hear about. I don’t know why; this is much more interesting.
• Secondly, I really like telling people this stuff. It’s not a difficult hobby to enjoy, but it’s intimidating to get into, and people don’t often know where to start.

To that end, here is a list of 10 games that I think you all should try if you get the chance. I own (or will own) them all. To give you a better idea of what you might want, I’ve kind of classified them all based on how “heavy” the games are in the strategy department. Keep in mind that all of these games can be learned by about everyone, because the rules are usually pretty streamlined. The difficulty is how deep the strategy is in these games. I also included the name of the principal designer, because I like stuff like that, and because the designers are treated like authors in this hobby. These aren’t my favorite games, per se, but rather ones that are good introductions to the appropriate complexity people are looking for.

So without further ado, 10 games you HAVE to try

Lighter Fare:

Ticket to Ride (2-5 players, by Alan R. Moon) - If anyone asked me to name one game they should buy, Ticket to Ride would, without a doubt, be my recommendation. The game involves collecting sets of colored cards to claim little routes between cities on a map of the US. Those routes are worth points, and the high score wins. It has simple rules that can be taught to just about anyone, but enough depth to still feel fresh and fun even after all the games I’ve played. As an added bonus, there are numerous versions. I’ve played Europe and Switzerland, but for my money the best buy is the original game, on a map of the US.

Carcassonne (2-5 players, by Klaus-Jurgen Wrede) – A whole mess of tiles and little wooden men: that’s what you get in the Carcassonne box. The tiles all have different features of countryside on them, and when they are connected they form castles, fields, roads, etc. that you can get points for by claiming them with your men. The tile draw makes the game different every time, and it’s light and simple, but with a solid core of strategy. I would recommend getting a couple of expansions as well (there are loads of ‘em), which make the tile draw a little better, but also make the game a wee bit more complex. This is Hope’s favorite game, and she has the ability to beat me soundly at it. This is also a bargain of a game, usually going for about 25 bucks.

Citadels (2-8 players, by Bruno Faidutti) – It’s not uncommon to have a group too big for most of these games. Citadels covers that problem nicely by accommodating up to eight players. Players take turns selecting different roles that allow them to have a certain power for that round. They can then build districts in their cities, and so forth. Since no one knows who is which character, there is a lot of bluff and double-guessing, and the game can get pretty cut-throat. Don’t play if you are the type to get unpleasantly competitive.

No Thanks! (3-5 players, Thorsten Gimmler) – This is the cheapest game on this list, and definitely the easiest. It has about three rules, and most of them boil down to a crucial choice: do you take the bad points to get the good points on it, or do you place a good point on it and pass it off to the next person? The game plays in about 10 minutes, is consistently fun, and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Middle of the Road:

Ra (3-5 players, by Reiner Knizia) – The rules to Ra are actually quite simple: either place a tile on the board, or start an auction for the tiles already there. However, the strategy is pretty subtle, and being able to truly determine which lots of tiles are valuable to whom is a skill I haven’t fully developed yet. However this is a terrific game, short but deep, with a snazzy Egyptian setting that, while cursory, looks great. (This game recently went out of print, since the company that printed it, Uberplay, went under. It should be reprinted before the end of the year though, by Rio Grande Games).

El Grande (2-5 players, by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling) – Attention Risk player: Risk is boring and long. Better to play El Grande, where player jockey for majority in numerous Spanish territories. Different action cards allow for some fairly ruthless interaction, and this game is one where you only succeed at the expense of everyone else. The components look sharp too, with a giant wooden “king” and even a nice pressboard “castillo.” Rules aren’t too difficult, but new players will spend a lot of time deciding what they want to do, because there are a lot of possibilities.

Shadows Over Camelot (3-7 players, by Serge Laget and Bruno Cathala) – Non-gamers aren’t usually familiar with cooperative games, where all players play against the game itself, and win or lose as a group. The best one out there is Shadows Over Camelot, where players are knights on quests, trying to save Camelot from the forces of evil. The twist it adds is that of a traitor, who is secretly trying to throw the game. Unlike other coop games, Shadows depends on the players for the game’s difficulty. An “always-win” strategy is much harder to find, because so much is secret. That’ll drive some really hardcore gamers nuts, but it adds to the game’s replayability, and it’s not to be missed. The components also look terrific, with beautiful illustrations and playing pieces.

Heavy Stuff:

Power Grid (2-6 players, by Friedemann Friesse)– The miracle of Power Grid is that the game works at all. It feels kind of sewn together from different games, and it has numerous little rules that keep it working, and can’t be forgotten. But my word, does it work well. Players take charge of power companies, building plants, fuel, and connections to cities. That sounds as dry as any theme out there, but the game actually moves quickly, has some heavy strategy, and is loads of fun. There is never enough room, money, or fuel to do everything you want to do, and planning is important. I can’t say enough good things about this one.

Puerto Rico (3-5 players, by Andreas Seyfarth) – Puerto Rico looks like one of the most boring games ever, with loads of pastel-colored cards and little cardboard counters. Don’t let it fool you; it’s a subtle game, where every rule interacts with another one. Because of that, it’s tough to explain without hands on demos. The rules aren’t too tough (most tricky stuff is right there on the pieces), but to set up your colony, ship crops back to the old world, and build more buildings, and to do all this well, requires a number of plays to master. It’s worth the trouble though, and I recommend it highly.

Agricola (1-5 players, by Uwe Rosenburg) – I got this game less than a week ago, and I've already played it six times (although two of those plays were a friend's copy). Agricola is an all-around huge game. The box itself is about 5 lbs., consisting of some 9 boards, 300 wooden pieces, and over 350 cards. It’s not for the faint of heart, but those who brave it will find something really special. Players build farms with resources, grow crops and animals, and raise a family so that more work can be done (after those kids have been fed, of course). Like many of these games, the rules aren’t tough, but the options and variety of strategies are staggering. Not only that, but the 350 cards all grant little bonuses to the individual players, like lowering the cost to build things, that sort of thing. Each card is different, and players only get 14 at the beginning of the game to choose from, so the game changes every time. There's even a solitaire version when you wife is sick of playing with you. *ahem* I’m still new to it, but it's a special game.

So there's my list. Seriously, all of these games are terrific, and really worth the trouble and money it'll take to get them. They are pretty widely available from online retailers or local hobby stores. Check around. I'll write more about the rest of my life soon enough.