If you've listened to The Library Police podcast, you'll know that I'm a bit obsessed with board games. Indeed, when I began writing out a list of all the games that I've played, I quickly began to thing I have a problem. By the time I finished, I knew that I had a problem. But, it's the nature of people with journalism degrees they aren't actively using to make random lists on the internet, and Josh, Rachel and I have discussed the various board games that I feel should be in everyone's collection. As I post these, feel free to leave a comment telling me just how wrong I am. I will take it VERY personally.
So, without further ado, the first entry on this completely inarguable list of the best games of all time goes to....
So, without further ado, the first entry on this completely inarguable list of the best games of all time goes to....
#20: Galaxy Trucker
A huge part of why I love this game so much can be traced to the way I learned it. A friend had us laughing halfway through the rules, which went ahead and set us up for the most important thing to understand about Galaxy Trucker: This game is in not about winning. It’s about losing in the most hilariously spectacular fashion imaginable.
Galaxy Trucker sees players frantically trying to assemble spaceships. Not elegant, Enterprise-esque starships, but the kind of thing you’d imagine would be the result of five drunk aerospace engineers set loose in a junkyard. Your ship will have holes in the hull, be horribly underpowered, lacking the most rudimentary of defenses, and have barely enough crew to point it in the right direction. Oh, and once it’s built? You’re going to take it through asteroid fields infested with pirates, space plague, slavers, and more. But not to worry, with a little pluck and courage, you’ll make it through with a story to… nah, I’m just kidding. You’re probably going to get smashed to pieces.
Galaxy Trucker is the board game equivalent of a demolition derby, and it’s one of the funniest experiences I’ve ever had playing a game. It’s one of two games on this list that manage something truly special: Winning is almost incidental. The joy of watching your friend’s jalopy of a spacecraft get mashed into debris is what Galaxy Trucker is really about.
- Dietrich Stogner
Galaxy Trucker sees players frantically trying to assemble spaceships. Not elegant, Enterprise-esque starships, but the kind of thing you’d imagine would be the result of five drunk aerospace engineers set loose in a junkyard. Your ship will have holes in the hull, be horribly underpowered, lacking the most rudimentary of defenses, and have barely enough crew to point it in the right direction. Oh, and once it’s built? You’re going to take it through asteroid fields infested with pirates, space plague, slavers, and more. But not to worry, with a little pluck and courage, you’ll make it through with a story to… nah, I’m just kidding. You’re probably going to get smashed to pieces.
Galaxy Trucker is the board game equivalent of a demolition derby, and it’s one of the funniest experiences I’ve ever had playing a game. It’s one of two games on this list that manage something truly special: Winning is almost incidental. The joy of watching your friend’s jalopy of a spacecraft get mashed into debris is what Galaxy Trucker is really about.
- Dietrich Stogner
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