Whilst i am not an avid board game collector i do like to dabble especially with the model based combat style games and so here are my favourite few that i have kept over the years.

1. Hybrid (by Rackham)

A head to head mission based battle game with two main factions to provide the variety in gameplay approach. The human faction called the Templars of Hod are led by the Venerable Ambrosius, a wise man gifted with mysterious powers, and the box includes three Purifiers and their Seneschal, formidable warriors trained for special operations. Facing these fighters of Light is the Heresiarch’s spawn: four Pests of Flesh prowl the corridors in search of victims. Three Hybrid represent the prototype of the ultimate warrior as imagined by Dirz himself a long time ago and the huge and terrifying alchemical perfection the Aberration. Nothing seems to be able to stop this living nightmare, which has the strength of a war machine and the speed of an unpredictable storm.

2. Warhammer Quest (by Games Workshop)

Each player takes the role of one of four brave adventurers, initially the Barbarian, Elf, Dwarf, Wizard to test their courage in search for wealth and glory. They enter a dark and forbidding dungeon and will be attacked by monsters such as Orcs, Goblins, Skaven and Minotaurs, but other perils lurk in the darkness scurrying venomous things like spiders, deadly pit traps, and decayed tunnels that cave in at the slightest touch. If you complete the quest the players will be rewarded with gold, treasure and artefacts of magical power. This is a co-operative game if players are to win. There is no single board, instead, the different rooms and corridor sections are clipped together to make a dungeon that is different every time you play. There are loads of extention characters and monsters you can add as expansions.

3. Ticket To Ride (by Days Of Wonder)

Clearly not a wargame or even model based but very enjoyable and with elegantly simple gameplay, Ticket to Ride can be learned quickly and provides players with intense strategic and tactical decisions as you balance completing the most routes while also blocking your opponents. Players collect cards of various types of train cars they then use to claim railway routes in North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn with additional points to those who fulfill destination Tickets and to the player who builds the longest continuous route. The tension comes from being forced to balance greed and fear of losing a critical route to a competitor. What is great is that you never quite know who is winning right until the final round is complete and routes are declared. Our family favourite.

4. Space Hulk (3rd edition by Games Workshop)

From the depths of space an ancient vessel drifts slowly towards the Imperium of Mankind. Within its confines, untold thousands of Genestealers slowly emerge from hibernation. The Space Marines must enter the cramped corridors and tomb-like chambers of the ancient ship to defeat this alien menace. Space Hulk is a model based board game for two players, recreating the battles fought between the Space Marines and Genestealers. One player commands the Space Marines as they carry out deadly missions in the ancient Space Hulk, and the other commands the horde of Genestealers opposing them. Space Hulk's fast-paced rules simulate the tense atmosphere of a mission deep inside the cramped confines of a derelict space hulk, where split-second decisions are needed for victory.