Top 5 Worker Placement Board Games

And here is the best one among the many we played: Caylus 1303. It has great strategy, plenty of fun and replayability. Simple fun with few pieces.

[@Berndr]

yeah that is probably the most underrated one, this is gonna sounds stupid but I dislike the artwork and puts me off from playing it even though the gameplay is great

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

I've not played Caylus 1303, only the "base" original Caylus. My understanding is that 1303 kind of streamlines the whole thing and makes for something shorter and a bit more intense. I think that'd put it up in the top for me personally, as Caylus was one of the first hobby games I ever played, so kind of holds a special place for me.

[@christianstrain806]

All great picks! Good games.

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

Thanks very much! Glad you enjoyed!

[@troyphillips8113]

1. Tzolk'in 2. Lost ruins of Arnak 3. Endless winter 4. Raiders of Scythia 5 . Atlantis rising Worker placement is my second favorite mechanic with my number one being Deck Building.

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

Thanks for sharing your picks! Very nice ones as well. I've had Lost Ruins, Endless Winter, and Raiders on my wishlist for a good while now; unfortunately not sure if or when I'll be able to get my hands on them. Here's hoping. Everything I've read about them has been great and someday I want to have them at the table.

[@TheRealWookieman]

Nice list. My favorites of the genre are Everdell, T'zolkin 😉, Architects of the West kingdom, Targi - perfect 2player worker placement - and Village

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

Thanks so much! I've not heard much about either Village or Targi - I'll have to read up on them and see what I can do to try and give them a whirl.

[@TheRealWookieman]

@@DannyCGamingFandomandScience Do it! Both are sone german classics. Village has a slight morbide theme, but i love it & Targi is one of the best 2player games ever

[@TheRealWookieman]

@@DannyCGamingFandomandScience Do it! Both are sone german classics. Village has a slight morbide theme, but i love it & Targi is one of the best 2player games ever

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

From what I've now seen on BGG and around the YT, they do both look awesome! I've added them onto my ever-extending list of games to hopefully eventually try sometime maybe :P

[@stupidusername20]

I really don't know why Stone Age is so beloved. I think it might be that it's the entry level worker placement? I agree that it isn't the number one. Wondering if Caylus or Russian Railroads were considered?

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so about Stone Age :D ! I agree that it's likely because it tends to be touted as "gamer's first worker placement". As I mentioned, not bad by any means, but I personally enjoy others more. I've not played Russian Railroads, so can't say much about it other than it would probably knock into the top if I played, based on what I've read. Seems like a solid pick, but to be honest I'm not a big fan of the seeming obsession with rail systems in board games. Caylus was on my short list of picks, as well. Another classic example and one of the first hobby games I ever played. Because of that, though, I think my memory has me thinking it was a bit too complex for "early stage" gamers.

[@montyfarris]

Top 5 1) Viticulture w/ Tuscany & Rhine Valley 2) The Godfather Corleone's Empire 3) Lewis & Clark The Expedition 4) Fallout Shelter 5) A Fistful of Meeples 5 I want to try Architects of the West Kingdom Rajas of the Ganges Le Havre Red Outpost Champions of Midgrad

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

Thanks so much for sharing! Very interesting picks - from my perspective it seems Viticulture kind of sticks out in a high level of complexity (especially with the expansions) compared to the others. Some of the others I've played (Godfather, Architects, Le Havre, Champions) and generally enjoyed them, but not enough to get them to my personal list. Is there a particular theme or other mechanic you look for in the games? Most aren't "classically" touted worker placements, though none are inherently bad, to my knowledge at least. Just curious as to you ideals :)

[@montyfarris]

Theme(Post Apocalyptic/Zombies/IPs/Gangster/Food/Outlaws/Pirates/Deception/Heist/building or managing Towns & Landscapes, Theme Parks, Non-typical Racing)and artwork pulls me in more than just the mechanics in games, but sometimes the pretty art is deceitful or the theme/mechanics dont click in my head. Then there are game i really enjoy with basically no theme/artwork like Azul & The Crew

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

I certainly go for theme and mechanics over aesthetics, personally, theme in particular as well. I do agree 100% that the "new coat of paint" concept can very much only serve to make something appear good when underneath it's just bad. That's the main reason that I don't focus on looks as much.

[@Haldurson]

I never played a worker placement game until fairly recently, and so far I've mostly enjoyed them. But I haven't played a lot of them. One of the very first Worker Placement game I played was Century: A New World, and I loved it from the first time I played it. So it inspired me to maybe try more of them. I guess it's not looked at as positively as other worker-placement games (I'm not sure why). I love it, but I get that YMMV. I love Century: Spice Road, but (because this is so different) I actually would rather play A New World. I have yet to play it combined with any other Century game. More recently, I played Everdell, and while I still prefer Century: A New World, this one also can be fun. I found, though, that it loses a lot when playing on the app. I have to play it with other people. The app is perfectly fine. It just doesn't fulfill any of the social positives that I get out of board gaming. It's also definitely heavier than Century, so I'm very reticent to introduce it to my current gaming group. It LOOKS like a very light game because of the whimsical artwork and the big tree in the center of the board (if you choose ot play with it, and many don't). At first glance, it looks like a children's game, or at least, a family game. But it's anything but, in actual practice. But it IS a really beautiful game, one of the most physically beautiful games that I've ever played. Off topic: I did FINALLY manage to get Cosmic Encounter to the table after many years away from the table, last weekend. I've been trying to do that for a long time, and I Finally succeeded. And it was a great success. I did have to do some coaching (like reminding people that they really did not want to invite me to ally, etc.) But they were all able to get the general idea of the game by the end. It was a 6-player game, only green-alert aliens, no flares, no other special rules -- and only two people won (neither of them was me lol because I warned people not to make really fatal mistakes, because it would not have been fun to win in that way). And everyone had a great time. I'm having people over again in a week, and I'm thinking of going for a theme of cooperative games for the holidays (because the closest any of my other game get to a seasonal theme is Dead of Winter, and I know for a fact that one or maybe 2 of my players would opt out if that was the game). I figure that Co-ops are as close to the spirit of the season as I can get, short of doing some shopping.

[@DannyCGamingFandomandScience]

The Century "series" is an awesome intro to worker placement; properly popular as they should be. I personally like the series but it doesn't crack the top for me. Everdell is an interesting one, as well. Really shot up in popularity and has stayed there for a good number of years since. I personally have not played it with the app so can't speak to it, but I do have the recently done Complete Collection big box thing. I also agree that the whimsical artwork makes it kind of inauspicious and easier than it actually is. I appreciate the challenge myself and have enjoyed the relatively few times I've played it. Good times. Most importantly, YAY COSMIC!!!! So glad that it went well! It's a good idea to keep things light initially re mechanics but most important that folks had fun. I always worry that it tends to be hit or miss, and kind of jealous that you had it as a hit :P . Agreed on doing the co-ops for holidays as well. There's enough fighting going on around the various dinner tables :D