More on The Magic Rat

I knew Jason Sato through the AZBoardgamers. He was a very enthusiastic gamer that enjoyed games of nearly every type - he often referred to himself as an old school wargamer, though he also enjoyed eurogames, the so-called ameritrash games, collectibles (he played a lot of Hero and Horror Clix), trivia, and lots of old school card and board games. Over the last couple of years, I often looked to Jason when considering picking up older games, as he would offer his opinion, but he understood that not everyone felt like he did about games, so he'd give you enough information that you could make an informed decision on your own. He'd often mention that he liked a game, but after a few playings, the game got repetitive or boring, so when I compiled my top ten list for the AZ Boardgamers I payed attention to what he enjoyed playing and made a point to try a number of them. Jason was almost always willing to play a teaching game and point out the tactics and strategies as you played that first game (and he let you flounder on your own after that ;) ). I also discovered that he enjoyed Backgammon and he and I played on and off during the course of the last year. I had hoped that we'd get a chance to play some online after I moved and I'm saddened by the thought that I will never get that chance.

Here is his list of top 25 games.

1. Puerto Rico
2. Princes of Florence
3. El Grande
4. Age of Steam
5. History of the World
6. Union Pacific
7. Through the Desert
8. Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers
9. Backgammon
10. Acquire
11. Liar's Dice
12. Empires of the Middle Ages
13. Up Front
14. Ingenious
15. Keythedral
16. Little Round Top
17. Power Grid
18. San Juan
19. Dune
20. Java
21. Fresh Fish
22. 1830
23. Age of Renaissance
24. Medieval Merchant
25. Hare and Tortoise