10x10(x5) Challenge, Part One
I have a habit of buying board game apps whenever I see them on sale. The financial commitment is so much lower than buying physical boxes, and there's no resulting organizational challenge to get them on a shelf. However, they've started stacking up all the same, in a digitally housed folder of shame.
I set a challenge for myself to help curb spending and make sure I was getting value from my purchases. I decided that before buying another app, I would complete a 500 game challenge: I would choose 50 game apps, and play them 10 times each. 10x10 challenges are somewhat common. I went with 5x this level, both because apps can be solo and much faster. And, I was sort of stunned that I had over 50 apps...
I've been tracking my progress using a Google sheet. I originally had a "wins" column as well, but as someone with a low "need to win" motivation, I kept forgetting to log wins. As of this writing, I've played 22 different games for a total of 132 plays. Here are the games I've played 10 times so far:
I didn't own a physical copy of any of these games. Maybe that's why I was swayed to complete 10 plays of these first. 6 Takes!, Exploding Kittens, Metro, Mille Bornes, Tides of Time, and Treasure Hunter were mostly played on my phone. Galaxy Trucker, Onitama, and Raiders were played on my tablet.
I think of Metro as "better Tsuro". There's a bit more strategy to consider, and a little less luck. Exploding Kittens was mostly boring for me. I imagine the "take that" mechanic that runs this game would be more engaging in person. Mille Bornes is also a "take that" game, but I found it easier to enjoy. 6 Takes! is a great back pocket game: easy to teach and play just about anywhere.
Galaxy Trucker can involve some (a lot of?) luck, but Onitama is pure strategy. Galaxy Trucker has the most content, in the form of a campaign mode. Tides of Times is beautifully animated, but relies too much on hate-drafting for me to enjoy it.
Treasure Hunter would be interesting to play in person. I've played at different AI levels, but I wonder if people would play the same as a computer. Raiders was one that I played the app, then got my friends to play, then bought a physical copy. That sort of undermined the financial intent of the challenge, but it's also one I think I'll play the most. The app has a short campaign mode, the AI provides a decent challenge, and is designed to bring depth and life to the game board.
Best of the lot: Raiders of the North Sea
Best quick game: 6 Takes!
Most likely to delete: Exploding Kittens