These are best "main course" strategy board games I've played. There are separate lists for party games, filler games, co-op games, kids games, and two-player games to check out.
Place a tile and build the landscape. Fun and relaxing. The Hunters and Gatherers and South Seas variants are equally good. LOVE!
Pass the cards and make the best decisions to build your wonder and gather points. LOVE!
Manage and trade to harvest the most valuable bean crops. LOVE!
Roll the dice to gather resources, then buy huts and fertility idols. LOVE! For a great similar game, check out Lords of Waterdeep.
Use the power of bingo to quickly build your Roman Empire. LOVE!
Pass the cards and choose the best additions to your awesome space station. LOVE!
Pick the best dice for the highest points in your building. LOVE!
Get your people off the sinking island while sending the sharks to kill your neighbors.
Out-think your opponents by sending out the craftiest pirates to get you the best share of the loot.
Build the greatest city while everyone else tries to stab you in the back.
Bid your way into controlling your party of survivors to visit the sites that'll score you the points.
A dice rolling brawl of monster mayhem.
Bargain and thieve to create the pointiest (?) empire on the island.
Fill your hand with gold and actions to buy the most land. Also fun with the Intrigue, Prosperity, Seaside, and Cornucopia expansions. And something similar but different enough, check out Valley of the Kings.
Get your settlements in just the right spots to maximize their value.
Connect cities to get points and block your opponents rail lines. Better with the 1910 expansion.
Buy the most valuable rooms to build your own castle.
Take a journey on this road and collect the most valuable sets of cards.
Create (and eat) the kind of bamboo garden that will fulfill your objectives before everyone else.
Use dice placement to find and sell archaeological artifacts to make the most money. I also really liked Above and Below by this designer.
Roll and use power ups to claim the most valuable planets for your galaxy.
Choose one building to add to your city every round to get the best point combinations.
Everyone gets the same tiles, but you gotta use them the most efficiently to get your Indiana Jones to the treasure.
