The Pinnacle Ludism List

380 plus board games that define the philosophy, aesthetics, and design of the Ludism game movement

Dec 21, 2021

An interactive art piece that was lost in time

I been playing board games since Doom: The Board Game. I don’t call any of these games “tabletop games,” as this is a semantic flaw. Realize, that this must imply that the net world is superior to the meat world and that the true definition of a game can only exist in net space. Games exist in front of us. Video screens, digital technology, and computers cannot surpass the Anthropocene. Humans play games. Without such technology, we will always play sports and board games.

Now they say “Where is the board in card games?” I reply, “Where is the table in tabletop games?” The concept implies we need a table, not a floor, to play an umbrella term of games right in front of us. As if all sports are actually “ball games,” and the physical reality is a subjective choice, not a reality. “Tabletop games” is not just a pretentious definition, but denies human nature in favor of subculture and neoliberal ideology. It’s as pathetic as calling all board games “analog.” (There is no machine, or Skynet AI, controlling us).

My answer to this soy boy consumer culture is Ludism. Ludism is a radical subculture influenced by hippy aesthetics, new-age philosophy, and random and unbalanced game design. Eurogames omit the sense of player interactivity. There must be an interaction between two human beings. There must be negotiation, diplomacy, adaptability, and random modulation, to produce pure creativity. The player expresses himself, and the game changes every new session.

This game design philosophy matches the abstract aesthetics that remind us of the psychedelic. A poor game is like Root, with its non-interactive gameplay, and cringe CalArts aesthetics. A great, Ludic game is Cosmic Encounter. Cosmic Encounter is the greatest board game of all time and will lead the Ludic revolution.

I can dedicate an entire list to game design literature. But perhaps collecting, reading, and playing board games is superior to buying stuffy books on Julius Evola or Hegelian socialism. A board game is not only its rulebook, but a collection of material things, or a Gesamtkunstwerk what art truly can be. Rules are only the expression of the game. It’s how the human mentors and lawyers control the play and interface.

I could also go on about how I have a deep hatred towards the board game cafe, or why the fuck people eat food while they play a board game (and who would eat McDonald’s while playing Go?). These are all depraved and decadent values. I understand some people treat Ludic games like drugs, and playing a board game can produce a vision of ecstasy. But I have standards. I hate dumb people. Ludism is a board game vanguard. An avant-garde movement about an Oulipo style of board gaming forgotten by the bourgeoisie.

The following is a list of board games I have played at least once, or own a copy of. I believe I played more than 500 board games. Previously in my Ludism book, I have criticized the BoardGameGeek consumer class that brags about owning more than 1,000 or 2000 board games. It’s not possible to play that many games daily, let alone play any of those games a second time. If there are 365 days in a year, and someone brags about having more than that number, obviously they could play a new game every day for a year. But they don’t, and that’s why these people are dumb.

This pinnacle list of Ludism is close to 400, and it will be updated when I feel like it should. If you want to start a board game collection, please only use this list as your ultimate checklist. This is a superior board game list. You could play these games for the rest of your life.

Don’t judge a game because it’s NeoPets, but see it as nothing more than numbers and shapes. Ask, “What is the program behind all of it?” Each board game is like a single computer program. How can they be judged? What does this machine offer? This is about design.

The following machines inspired me. And I wish more people knew about this kind of art, as opposed to the gay shit out there like Terraforming Mars or The Settlers of Catan. Klaus Tueber is a good designer, but Catan is a joke. Every other game sucks.

And fuck video games too, unless they are digital interpretations of board games.

Have fun with this list. Click on the title and see if the game is something you would buy. Ask me personally what I think about each one. I have an opinion on each machine. I already reviewed a majority of these games, here at this link.

I will convert you to Ludism.

You can also read more about Ludism from my articles: "Post-Elegance: Experimental Aesthetics In Tabletop Game Design," "On Design Research and Game Design," "Ludism: The Board Game Religion," "My Board Game Collection," and "Future Pastimes and Cosmic Encounter."

…Now, on to the list…