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The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to remember all its boardgames. We live on a placid island of kickstarters in the midst of black seas of new game mechanics combination, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. Let's journey back to forgotten eras when a single, simple game mechanic was innovative enough to make a game enjoyable.
First, to get it over with, let me declare that I won't mention The Settlers of Catan. We'll cover games at least two decades old, rating them by how old they feel, their success, and their evolution over time (i.e., number of expansions).
Betrayal at House on The Hill (2004)
In a gloomy clearing of a dead forest, rumors speak of a remarkable mansion. This sign of life amidst deathly emptiness fills wanderers' hearts with both relief and unexplained tension. Once, a group of brave fools, each with their own reasons, ventures into this no man's property. As they explore the endless maze of wonder and wealth, strange things begin to happen. The place itself seems to drain life and sanity from everyone around. Soon, their goal shifts from exploration to survival, and they realize they must work together. What they don't know is that one of them has different plans for all of them…
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a great exploration game where each player controls a character, combining forces with others to explore the mansion and equip themselves until the endgame. As the game progresses, players witness strange omens hinting at the unnatural essence of the place. Each revealed omen increases the chances that something horrible is about to happen, until it does. When the end comes, a sophisticated mechanism turns one player into a traitor, suddenly revealing their secret goal. With dozens of different endgame scenarios, players not only don't know who the traitor is, but also can't prepare for the upcoming end.
A shadow out of time : 6/10
It is a classical exploration game, where you control a character, wandering around and drawing tiles and cards to see what happens. The game's theme is excellent, and the betrayal mechanism is unique and great fun. However, it does feel heavily inspired by old-school role-playing games, adapted for board game format, in this writer's honest opinion. You can identify this game’s age with ease.
The cult of the House on The Hill: 9/10
If any game was meant to be a cult classic, it's this one. It's one of the best thematic games, where you can feel the tension constantly increasing over time. Plus, you have a cursed house on a gloomy hilltop. This game has always attracted dedicated fans, and for good reason.
The creeping expansion: 5/10
There are some expansions, but honestly, the game has so many different endgame rules and scenarios that the need for additions isn't that great. It does, however, have a good number of spin offs if you prefer to play in a different setting. The geekier nostalgia seekers can try Betrayal at Baldur's Gate, for example. There's also a legacy version of the game, and a few more variants.
Overall: 7/10
It can provide a very tense and thematic game night, or a very funny one, depending on your playing group. You always have the feeling of venturing into the unknown, and it's a big plus that almost no two games are alike. A cool old cult game to try, if that's what you're into.
Drakon (2001)
Inside the dark layer of the mighty dragon, conveniently named Drakon, you and your fellow heroes are trapped. The dark cruel dragon decides to toy with you as he sends you all to his cursed, ever-changing labyrinth forcing you to battle one another for scraps of his vast treasure. Soon enough you discover this task is not simple at all, as the rooms in the labyrinth are unreliable. They tend to… change…
In this tile-placement game, each player controls a hero and holds a small hand of room tiles. On your turn, you can either add a room to the dungeon or move your hero to an adjacent one. These rooms are anything but ordinary: they swap, push, teleport, steal, and even mind control other players. The first player to collect 10 coins emerges victorious.
Though the rules are simple, the variety of rooms ensures that no plan is safe. A seemingly innocuous room added by another player can disrupt your carefully laid strategies.
A shadow out of time : 6/10
The gameplay itself is very simple. The theme of the game offers a nostalgic throwback to the role-playing days of the 1980s. In fact, I personally have three different games on my shelves that revolve around a group of adventurous heroes trying to survive in a dragon's lair. While Drakon may not offer a vast array of rules or game pieces, it still provides a rich and engaging experience.
The cult of Drakon : 5/10
While Drakon may not be as well-known today as it once was, it certainly hasn't been forgotten. In fact, it has received three expansions over the years, with the most recent one released in 2015.
The creeping expansions: 1/10
This game have no expansions.
Overall: 6/10
I personally really like this game. It is unexpected, fast-paced, and with some mild retro D&D feel. The game is old enough to be “new” to new gamers, but the mechanism and gameplay does not feel archaic.
Munchkin (2001)
While we may pretend to care about things like theme, player interaction and good gameplay, deep down, we all have a primal desire: to amass as many power-ups, level-ups, treasures, and to kill or backstab anything that doesn't fit into that category. Luckily for us, we have a game specifically made for this – Munchkin!
This card game is all about reaching level 10. You gain levels by encountering monsters, fighting monsters from your own hand, using items, or even selling treasures. A turn is simple enough: draw a random card and resolve it. You need to gather items, monsters, and other goodies to level up before your opponents. You can help other players fight monsters in exchange for some of their loot, or even sabotage them by throwing something heavy at their head during a fight and then offering assistance for a hefty price (please don’t do it off play though, as it might be illegal at curtain countries). Every monster you kill instantly grants you a level-up. In essence, it is all about becoming the biggest, baddest munchkin in the land.
A shadow out of time : 7/10
Despite being released in 2001, Munchkin doesn't feel dated. While the original game might have a slightly retro D&D vibe, the countless expansions and themes have kept it fresh and relevant. The gameplay itself holds up well against modern light card games.
The cult Munchkin : 7/10
I'll admit, I don't see as many Munchkin enthusiasts today as I used to, but the game still has a solid fanbase. It's kind of a cult game (Munchkin Cthulhu anyone?), with plenty of fame back in the day. The game is still popular enough to be actively developed these days, 23 years after it was originally published.
The creeping expansion: 10/10
This game is endless. It's still going strong today, with more expansions on the horizon this year. Many of these expansions are standalone, allowing you to customize this ridicules card game to your preferred themes . Want to be a Super Munchkin? A South Park Munchkin? Maybe you more of the Disney Munchkin type? Or perhaps you decide that the most suitable hack and slash card game should be about cows? Whatever it is, you name it, and they already published an expansion about it.
Overall: 7/10
The game does what it meant to be. It's stupid and fun, and besides the great card descriptions and illustrations, it's playable and enjoyable. One thing that bothers me is that the card content sometimes tends to be adult-oriented, which is a shame because otherwise it would be a great game for younger kids. I personally had a blast playing it as a teenager, and rediscovering it recently, I found it still holds up well. (My favorite expansion is Munchkin Cthulhu, by the way.)
Carcassonne (2000)
This game is set in medieval french, and if fits well, because the game itself is an ancient euro (got that?). You’ll enjoy the beautiful historic landscapes as you build a town tile by tile, claiming it with meeples.
It's a simple tile-placing game: just draw a tile and place it logically on the table. It could be part of a road, the walls of a city, or even a monastery. The twist is that when placing a tile, you have the opportunity to place one of your meeples on it. You must be strategic because the role of your medieval French meeple depends on where exactly on the tile you place it. Place it on a road, and it becomes a robber—but be careful, you won't score points if the road connects to another player's! It could also be a knight defending your city, but you’ll only earn points if the city is completed by the end of the game, and so on.
A shadow over time: 6/10
When I was younger, I thought a euro game was simply “a game with meeples”—mainly because of this game. Its gameplay is excellent, with just the right amount of strategy, and it's very easy to learn. However, I feel that if it were published today, it would probably need more rules and complexities to stay relevant. The game does feel a bit dated to me. Nevertheless, it’s still enjoyable, even for experienced players who are used to more intricate games. I can easily see myself pulling it off the shelf 15 years after I first bought it.
The cult of Carcassonne: 7/10
This game was a huge success and remains popular today. It has inspired numerous fan-made expansions, countless official ones, and even an annual world championship held in Germany. The dedicated fan base ensures this game will continue to thrive for many years to come.
The creeping expansion: 9/10
There’s plenty to explore here. The core mechanics of the game are very flexible, allowing for simple expansions that don’t add too many new rules, like the popular Inns & Cathedrals. However, there are also more complex add-ons, such as Traders & Builders, which introduce goods, resources, and additional mechanics to the game.
Overall: 8/10
This game is a classic for a reason. It’s the kind of game that, when you finish, you’re always surprised by how much fun it was. It appeals to a wide range of players of all ages and skill levels, despite its simplicity. Plus, there are plenty of expansions to keep it fresh over time.
Honorable Mentions
As I said, I’m not going to mention Settlers of Catan, for various reasons. One of the classic old games games that holds a special place in my heart is Citadels (2000), a card game where players take on different roles each turn to build their own piece of land. Ticket to Ride (2004), with its numerous expansions, is another timeless game—you’d never guess it’s been around for over twenty years. Lastly, I have to include Through the Desert, because no discussion of timeless games is complete without at least one design by Reiner Knizia.