My Five Favorite Worker Placement Games

Ultra-Tiny Epic Kingdoms

As the name suggests, this game is ultra tiny. Just about the size of a standard deck of cards, plus a d12 if you wanna play solo mode. While it does admittedly stretch the definition of worker placement, I still love it too much to not include. Despite the size, this could be put in the same category as 4X games like Twilight Imperium.

Players score points by building towers, discovering new magic, controlling territory, and engaging the battle. Each player has a unique ability and the map is different with every game. When considering the amount of fun per cubic inch, Ultra Tiny Epic Kingdoms might literally be the best option available.

Everdell Farshore

Everdell Farshore is just one of many games under the Everdell umbrella, just like My L’il Everdell. But, considering I’m a sucker for anything nautical, this one’s my favorite in the series.

Similar to the namesake game, players will be gathering resources in order to build different buildings in order to build their engine. But, Farshore has several new systems to give more things to do. Players can go in treasure hunts, sail form island to island, and even battle against pirates in the solo mode. If you’re a fan of Everdell, then Farshore is all that and more.

Lost Ruins of Arnak

Of course, I love Indiana Jones as much as the next millennial. But to be honest, I was never a huge fan or anything. So I’m not quite sure what it is about Lost Ruins of Arnak that draws me in so much. The mechanics are great and the gameplay is fun, so that might be it, I guess.

This is a game where the worker placement is only part of the story. Players also need to manage how they will get into the depths of the jungle. Whether by foot, car, or plane, pushing deeper into the depths of the jungle is the only way to discover the real legends of the hidden temple.

…OH! I just realized why I love this game.

Alchemists

Even though I said this list is in no particular order, that doesn’t mean I don’t still have a favorite. And this is it. Alchemists is a criminally underrated game. Some games claim to have a deduction element, but so few games really lean into that as much as Alchemists.

You remember those logic puzzles? The ones where it’s like, “John has a dog and lives in a red house” and “The person in the green house doesn’t like cats.” Basically everyone I ever met hates them, but not this guy! I love them and that’s the main mechanic of Alchemists. If you like those logic puzzles, you will love this game.

Pan Am

You gotta love a game with a theme that’s a little out there. We had the era were zombies were popular, then Cthulhu was everywhere, and now it seems like nature games are the big thing. So when a game like Pan Am says “You get to invest in an airline company!”, I applaud them for trying some thing different.

Pan Am is really straight forward. There’s no weird mechanics or systems you haven’t seen before. But, here, that’s a good thing. It’s a game that fine tunes the mechanics into a really solid level of gameplay, rather than experimenting with something new that might be hit or miss. No matter the wort of player you are, if you like worker placement games, I can be confident you will like Pan Am.