When would you say the Golden Age of board games was?

Peak FFG was Arkham Horror, Descent, and TI3...for better or worse. So that’s like 2004-2005. Their quality has varied wildly since.

I'd pick 2004-2008, then.

Michael Barnes wrote: Peak FFG was Arkham Horror, Descent, and TI3...for better or worse. So that’s like 2004-2005. Their quality has varied wildly since.

Android was a little later than that, and despite the flaws, I have a great deal of respect for the FFG that published it. And Kevin Wilson, for the vision to create it.

Android was totally a vanity project that his big successes at FFG allowed him to do. Kind of his Blue Velvet.

2004 - 2010 was good for Days of Wonder as well, publishing some of their heavy hitters in that slot. There were big games being published but it was still a cottage industry, an industry where you had a few key players, boardgaming rock stars of a sort, producing some really interesting stuff. Production quality was high off of cheap Chinese labor.

And games were frikkin' cheap. GamesSurplus.com and its buddies were selling games 40% off of retail with free shipping and no sales tax. You could pull in a well built Euro for $24. It was almost an impulse buy, something you could afford to do once a week if you wanted.

Michael Barnes wrote: Android was totally a vanity project that his big successes at FFG allowed him to do. Kind of his Blue Velvet.

And I'm thankful for that, not other more common FFG-style board game.

Michael Barnes wrote: Ha ha remember when you either chose from Battle for Hoth or Epic Duels since you couldn’t afford Queen’s Gambit, and everybody was like “I wish their were more Star Wars games...”.

I know you're joking, but I really do wish there were more Star Wars games! At least more normal multiplayer board games, not minis games, 2P wargames, or mass market garbage. I was looking through games to bring for May the Fourth, and it was STILL just Epic Duels.

I was hopeful for Outer Rim, but it looks like a rehash of so many other "adventure" games.

Yes, Outer Rim is very mediocre.

Sagrilarus wrote:

Matt Thrower wrote: So: about 2010?

That's about when I was thinking. I thought 2005-2010 when I first saw the question.

Yeah, this time period gave me some favorites - Heroscape (which got me back into board games to fit Frohike's criteria) and Race for the Galaxy, Dominion, Small World, Summoner Wars. Plaid Hat probably would have jumped on the KS bandwagon if they waited another year or two to publish anything I bet.