The worst game that you’ve probably never heard of is The Campaign for North Africa, which is so complex it wasn’t even properly playtested before release. It’s big:

It’s hard to exaggerate The Campaign for North Africa’s reputation for being complicated. It might be the most intimidating tabletop game ever put to print, and it is without question the most demanding of all old-school wargames.

We can only barely describe its scale. But for starters, here’s a comparison. A typical game of Monopoly takes between 60 and 90 minutes. Axis & Allies goes for about three hours. The monstrous 1979 wargame The Longest Day can take 100 hours.

The Campaign for North Africa takes 50 days … without breaks. And you need 10 players. If you and nine friends play it as a full-time job for eight hours per day for five days a week, you’re looking at 30 weeks.

In games you’ve probably heard of, my least favorite is probably The Settlers of Catan, because once someone is winning, you tend to just sit and watch as they crush you.