In the year of 2022 one of our goals is to eliminate our board game shelf of shame (our unplayed games). When we were all stuck at home during the start of the pandemic, we played a ton of board games. And then we bought a bunch of new board games. And then life resumed, leaving many of those games sitting on a shelf still in their shrink wrap. Not all the games on this list are the result of being stuck at home. Some of these board games have been sitting around for years. Others were gifts that just haven’t been played yet. Whatever the reason, it’s time to unwrap them and get them to the table!
Join us as we play through our board game shelf of shame. Below (in no particular order) is the list of titles on our shelf. As we play them, I’ll post our thoughts and link them here.
- Barenpark
- Patchwork – America Edition
- Shadow in the Forest
- Beez
- Quacks of Quedlinberg
- Meepleland
- Sheepy Time
- Project L
- Taverns of Tiefenthal
- Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition
- Tasty Humans
- Cascadia
- Funfair
- Atlantis Rising 2E
- Paleo
- My Little Scythe
- Karuba
- Century Endless World
- Century Eastern Mountains
- Azul: Summer Pavilion
- Wild Space
- Maglev Metro
- Tiny Epic Pirates
- Suburbia 2E
- Tumble Town
- Ticket to Ride
- Sagrada
- Atheneum: Mystic Library
- Raiders of the North Sea
- The River
- Shelfie Stacker
In case you’re wondering how some of these games have remained on our shelf of shame, I’ve included a few notes for some of them below!
Barenpark: A polyomino board game with a zoo theme is definitely appealing to us. This game seems very similar to New York Zoo (which we love), and because of this, we’ve selected other board games to play first. Anyone out there play both? Which do you like better?
Patchwork: I have no idea why we haven’t played this yet. 2022 is the year!
Shadow in the Forest: We bought this with Sheriff of Nottingham during a massive sale at Target. This is a game that seems best played at night when it’s dark. Somehow, we’ve just never found the right time to play it. Easily one of the oldest games on the shelf of shame.
Quacks of Quedlinburg: Really looking forward to playing this one. I’m not looking forward to punching all the cardboard that’s waiting under this lid though. I’m also certain I’ll feel the need to upgrade those cardboard pieces.
Meepleland: I bought this as a gift for my daughter, then I decided she would like Takenoko better, so this got stuck on the shelf of shame. Love the theme park theme, can’t wait to play it. Blue Orange games makes a number of our favorites!
Sheepy Time: This is a newer addition to the shelf of shame, and one that I think my kids will love once we get it on the table.
Project L: I missed the kickstarter for this one. Then I saw it in retail and immediately grabbed it. Wasn’t about to miss out on this one twice! I love the letter L, and I love Tetris. Soon, Project L. Soon.
Taverns of Tiefienthal: I’m probably most curious about this board game. The feedback for Taverns is so mixed, I have no idea if we’ll like it or not!
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition: So I love space. Terraforming Mars is a game I’ve always wanted to play, but could never justify it. Just never seemed like a board game that would play well with our family. Way too fiddly and heavy for most of us. Ares Expedition might be just perfect.
Tasty Humans: Hmm… Not sure what to say here.
Cascadia: I kickstarted Cascadia and then added Calico to my pledge. They arrived on the same day, and Calico got opened and played first. Cascadia was diverted to the shelf. I’ve already decided Cascadia will be the first game to be opened and played for this challenge!
Funfair: I was intrigued they made a less hostile version of Unfair. The theme is one we like (see Meepleland above). Waiting for a fun time to introduce this one to my husband as it seems like my kiddos won’t enjoy this as much! Lots of reading on cards can put them off.
Atlantis Rising 2E: I so desperately wanted this game to play with my family. My kids love forbidden Island, and this seems like a more interesting version of that (theme wise). I actually backed the Kickstarter for the expansion to get a copy, but instead of backing the expansion, I pledged for just the base game. I waited, and waited, and then it finally arrived over the summer just as the kids went back to school. So shelf of shame it was. Boo.
Paleo: A prehistoric co-operative family game. This screamed “buy me,” so I did. I’m hoping this appeals to my son (our reluctant gamer). Fingers crossed.
My Little Scythe: This was actually gifted to my daughter a few years ago. I didn’t think she was ready for it then, but she’s more than ready for it now. I finally tore the shrink off this board game a few days ago so I could start painting the miniatures (also a reason for the delay in playing). I’m going to be honest – painting Gloomhaven miniatures is easier.
Karuba: Honestly, it’s a mystery why this is still on our board game shelf of shame. It looks like a perfect game for us.
Century Golem: I love that they rethemed Century Spices. There is no chance my kiddos would play the spices version, but golems, absolutely. We own all 3 of the Century Golem games. I love that you can mix and match them to create different experiences. We have only played 1 (Century Golem Edition) so far. It’s like Splendor, with a little something extra.
Azul: Summer Pavilion: I’ve heard people say this version of Azul is better than the original. I picked this one up on sale and just haven’t been able to get it to the table yet. Now I’m hearing there’s a new hotness called Queen’s Garden. I’ll just say no. At least until this version is played!
Wild Space: Looks great. Bought this as a gift for my son. Had second thoughts. Shelf of shame. Ended up gifting him Machi Koro 2, and after playing it, I’ve got regrets about that too, but that’s a whole different story.
Maglev Metro: I love, love, love the look of this game. Those clear tiles left me no choice. I had to bring this one home.
Tiny Epic Pirates: I kickstarted this game last year with the hope my son would find it interesting. He plays fewer games, so it takes time to get to the ones I’ve earmarked for him.
Suburbia 2E: I grew up playing (and loving) SimCity. Any board game that gives me that vibe gets my attention. I wonder if it will feel like I’m building a city when I finally get it to the table?
Tumble Town: Again, it’s the building vibe I like about this game. Instead of creating a city out of tiles like Suburbia above, I’ll one day get to create buildings using dice!
Ticket to Ride: Believe it or not, we’ve never played the original Ticket to Ride. How is this even possible? We own My First Ticket to Ride, and Ticket to Ride New York (both great for different reasons). I picked this up at a deep discount towards the end of 2021 mainly because I just wanted to see what all the fuss is about.
Sagrada: I was holding a copy of the original Azul in one hand and Sagrada in the other. I picked Sagrada. I’ve played Azul. I know that’s a great game, let’s hope Sagrada doesn’t leave me with regrets. This has also been collecting dust for a long time. Again, no clue why it hasn’t been played. I even grabbed the 5-6 player expansion for it.
Atheneum: Mystic Library: I love the library theme of this board game. I was actually looking at Biblios, but the theme seems pretty slapped on and irrelevant. Let’s hope Atheneum doesn’t disappoint.
Raiders of the North Sea: A Viking worker placement game. How could this not be a hit with my family?
The River: I was looking for an easy (introductory) worker placement game that I could play with my daughter. The River seems to have a lot of questionable reviews. Nobody seems to hate it, but nobody really loves it either. Curious how this will play.
Shelfie Stacker: When you have a board game shelf of shame, how is it even possible to resist a game about collecting board games. It was bought as a joke for some family fun, but I really do hope it provides us with real entertainment!
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