#13: Bohnanza

Who would have thought that a guy with the name "Uwe" could get so much mileage out of a pile of beans? This card trading game is one of the great "gateway" games - recently, I (Mark) had some of my college students tell me about playing what they called "The Bean Game" with some friends and loving it. And if you like Bohnanza, there are plenty of expansions for it! [Mark: Highly recommended by me: High Bohn, which, oddly enough, adds Cosmic-like powers to the game. And I like it anyway.]

Joe Huber: "With either the first expansion or High Bohn, preferably. The best trading game around. Oh, and the best hand management game too."

Greg Aleknevicus: "The finest trading game ever invented, it comes as close to perfection as I can imagine. From the production to the player involvement scope for desperate deal-making, Bohnanza has it all. It has never failed to appeal to any group I've introduced it to. I'll be taking this one with me to the grave."

Dave Arnott: "It's a negotiation game, but without all that ill-will that most negotiation games can generate. Add on some ingeniously novel mechanics in a compact card-game design and you've got a solid winner."

Jeremy Avery: "I have played this near 100 times by now. And I still don't get tired of it."

Peter Sarrett (on High Bohn): "High Bohn is the best expansion for any game, ever. It enhances the base game in a transformative way while preserving the essence of the original gameplay. Brilliant."