Having unplayed games in one's collection is probably quite a common phenomenon among boardgame hobbyists, especially among people with large collections. There are some games in my collection that were bought a long time ago and still have not been played. There are some which I have doubts I will ever play. There are some which I am hoping to play in the not-so-distant future.
Advanced Third Reich was bought in Hong Kong, maybe around 2000. This is one of only two wargames in my collection (the other being Wilderness War. In the boardgame hobby, the term "wargames" usually refers to hex and counter wargames. They are usually quite complex. They are usually played on a paper map with many hexagons, and they usually have many small square cardboard pieces representing armies. At the time I was rather naive and thought no games could be much more complex than Axis & Allies and if I could handle the complex (I thought) Axis & Allies I could handle anything. How wrong I was. I made two attempts to read through the rulebook and failed twice. Forget about even setting up the game. This one, I see zero probability of ever playing in future. Maybe I just try to keep it for another ten years and try to sell it at a high price on eBay because it is out of print. Unplayed status: approximately 7 years. Likelihood to play: 0%.
Wilderness War was bought in 2003. This is also considered a wargame, but it is in a slightly different genre, called card-driven wargames. Players play cards to take actions (like moving troops or attacking) or to make certain events occur. I bought this after reading positive reviews. I did manage to go through the rules. It is less complex than Advanced Third Reich, but more complex than anything I have played before. I think there is a chance that this will get played. Unplayed status: 3.5 yrs. Likelihood to play: 20%.
Struggle of Empires was bought in 2004. This game is for 3 to 7 players, but I suspect you need at least 5 to make it interesting. This is a Euro-style game, but is on the complex end of the spectrum. I think the likelihood of playing this is less than Wilderness War because of the number of players needed, and not just any player but gamers who are OK with the complexity and length. Wilderness War only needs 2 players. Unplayed status: 2.5 years. Likelihood to play: 5%.
I guess I can't really say I have not played A Clash of Kings. This is an expansion to A Game of Thrones. This expansion introduces 9 independent additions to the base game, and you can mix and match them when playing the base game. One of these additions is the introduction of House Martell, to allow a 6th player to play. The base game supports 3 to 5 players. I have only played A Game of Thrones once, with 4 players, and I used the harbour component from the A Clash of Kings expansion. So, in a way, I have played A Clash of Kings. However, I think the most important element in A Clash of Kings is House Martell. The best way to play A Game of Thrones is with 5 players. Considering that this is a long game (3-4 hours) and is war-themed, I don't think I have much chance of getting 6 players together to play this. Unplayed status: 2.5 years. Likelihood to play: 5%.
On a more positive note, it is highly likely I will play Caylus. This is a 2 to 5 player game, and I think 2 player is an OK way to play. 5 player is probably too long. This is a Eurogame, but it is one of the longer and more complex Eurogames. Unplayed status: 6 months. Likelihood to play: 99%.
Die Macher is a game about German politics and elections. It is a very long and complex Eurogame, more so than Caylus. It is considered a classic (it was first published in 1986) and is well respected among Eurogame hobbyists. I am very keen to play this, but it needs at least 3 players. It is believed to be played best with 5 players, but I hope it will be good with 3 players. I have made a concise reference sheet for it. I have taken it out twice to set up and mock play. I am just waiting for Chee Seng to visit KL again so that I can play this grandfather of Eurogames with him and Han. Unplayed status: 3 weeks. Likelihood to play: 99%.
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