It has been another great year of gaming. I have played over 80 different games this year, and many of them new to me. I have also been able to play many campaign to their finish, and have gathered with many friends over the year while creating new ones through this hobby. This list has come out a little later than I would have hoped for because of travel, and the time it takes to put this list together. Once again, the list is comprised of my choices when put into Pub Meeple, the on-line service that helps me rank the games I have played. I have also placed next to them how their position has changed based on last year’s list, and it is always fun for me to visit this list every year as I hope it is fun for you to look at it as well.
20. Oath (Down 13)
This is not an easy game to get to the table, and it requires finding a group of people that would like to play it on a regular basis. Even when I do get it to the table, we have to review the rules again, and play with how fiddly they are, but I love the fact that this board creates it own history, and is an amazing way to tell stories. The last game I played told the greatest story out of any that this board has presented to me which makes me want to get it to the table more often. It sits here because I have moved away from my regular group, and I have not found that new group to play it with yet.
19. Dungeons and Dragons (Down 5)
This is the game that occupies the most of my time, and I really do enjoy the moments that I get together with my fellow players, and continue to experience our campaign. I did finish up one campaign this year, and started a new one, both with different parties. I also took up the mantle of being a Dungeon Master for the first time, and it does switch how I look at the game. It forces me to know more about the game than I ever have before, but I think I am doing a good job of adjusting, and there have been a couple of moments that have really stuck out in our campaign so far.
18. Scythe (Up 2)
This is another game that does not get to the table easily, but every time it does, I enjoy the experience whether I win or lose. The blending of area control with worker placement and Euro gameplay tells the perfect story of an alternative universe where mechs rule over the landscape of a post-World War I eastern Europe. There is not another universe of a completely original IP that captures the imagination of the players as well as this one, and I love the stories that
17. Sagrada (New)
I have been playing this game for years on my tablet. It has always been a fun little puzzle to ponder while traveling the world, but I had never played a physical copy of the game before. This year I came across a used copy of the game in outstanding condition in a 2nd and Charles store with the expansion included. Since then I have gotten this game to the table on numerous occasions and it is just as much fun using the physical copy as it does with the digital one, and the table presence is amazing as the colors of the dice really pop out. I can easily see this becoming a staple in my game play over the years.
16. Sylvion (New)
Recently I have gotten into solo gaming, and though it does not dominate my collection. Even though I have picked up a couple of news ones over the last couple of years, this was the first one that I have owned. It sat on my shelf for a couple of years, and I had forgotten about it, but I brought it out this year to play again. I had forgotten about how much I love this game. It is a great card game with big choices, and a story that unfolds as you play. I have not played all of the games in the Oniverse, but this is my favorite one, and can easily see it never leaving my collection.
15. Raiders of the North Sea (Down 2)
I first downloaded a version of this game to play while taking a trip to Iceland, and it has been a regular go to since. It is the first game that put Garphill Games on the map, and since its publication, they have created many other games that other consider the favorites. I have never had the opportunity to play any of these games, and I always want to explore them every year. Maybe this next year will be the one that gets me to try another one of their games, but until then Raiders of the North Sea is a great game to play.
14. Root (Down 11)
This is another game that I have never been able to physically play, and I have only played online versions of it. Just like the other Cole Wehrle game on this list, I could only imagine that it would be extremely difficult to get to the table because of its asymmetric game play makes it a difficult teach. Still, I have met many people who have spent the time to learn this game, and they all have it as one of their favorites. This is the year that I hope to get to play a physical version of this game and know the joy that comes from moving these cute woodland creatures around the game board. Until then, it still holds a prominent spot on my games of the year list.
13. Azul (New)
On an impulse buy, I picked up a travel version of Azul this year. I have played it a couple of times before, and have always enjoyed it, but it never was one of my favorite games. Since I have bought the travel version of the game, and have gotten to learn more about the strategy behind the game, I started to understand the genius of this abstract masterpiece. The travel version is a great way to enjoy this game, and it has always found a place in my suitcase ever since I have bought it. I have no idea how I have lived so long without it.
12. Everdell (Down 4)
This is always a comfort game for me. It is the game that got me back into the board-gaming, and when I have gotten a couple of expansions that allow me to make this game as simple or complex as I want it to be. I still believe that it has some of the best artwork in any of the games I have ever seen, and the cosy way that you build a small village for critters makes it a perfect addition to any collection that will have most people wanting to join in to play. I do not ever see this leaving this list by the sentimental factor that it holds with it.
11. Challengers: Beach Cup (New)
I usually do not like party games because they are usually silly and they do not have much strategy behind them. There is also a lot of sitting around, waiting for your turn, and after a while, they start to bore me. That is why I was so surprised when I was given the opportunity to play this game. It is a deck building game where you rotate around the room and play all of the people in a one on one game. It was surprisingly fun, easy to learn, and had enough strategy behind to make it feel like you were playing a real game. It has made me re-evaluate party games, and got me into the deck building games more than I have played in the past.
10. Long Shot
Speaking of party games with a little bit of a bite, Long Shot: The Dice Game easily ranks as the highest for me. Once again, this is not your typical party game. In fact, I think this one operates better in a pub than an actual party. It is not as fast as Challengers, but people really get involved in the horse that plays out in front of them. It is a goofy game with the perfect artwork to accompany the silliness, and it actually plays better at a high player count than other roll and write games. It also is small enough that it works well as a travel game, perfect to bring with you on those long trips.
9. Pandemic: Legacy Season 1 (Up 6)
Pandemic has always topped my list as one of the best cooperative games ever created. I have spent a lot of time playing it on my tablet, and I actually prefer to play it by myself because I have a habit of quarterbacking the game and ruining it for other people. Along comes a chance to play the legacy edition and it helped to alleviate this problem because each new month presents a new challenge with it. I loved this way of playing the game, and I might hunt down the other seasons to see how they breathe new life into a game already love.
8. The Crew: Deep Sea Six (Up 1)
After finishing the Search for Planet Nine the year before, I did not think that I would play the Crew again. Then I ran into new friends that had a copy of Mission Deep Sea. I had played this a couple of times and always considered it the better version of the game, but with them, I was able to push through a lot of the missions though we did not complete the whole campaign. I still consider it the best cooperative game out there, making it impossible to have anybody quarterback the game, and everybody has to play their part. It is also the most inventive use of the trick taking mechanic I have ever seen. This is a great game, and I can see it popping up again on the list next year.
7. Imperial Assault (Down 3)
I have played the opening missions for this game on numerous occasions, looking for a group of people that would want to play through the whole campaign. This last year, I found that group of people and was able to play through the whole campaign. It was a blast, and as they powered up, I was able to throw more dangerous things at them. It ended up being a great lite version of role playing, and dungeon crawling all set in the Star Wars universe. It made me want to try out some of the other campaigns that are out there, but I do not know if I will get the opportunity because I now have to find another group that might want to play the game. It took me years the first time around, and I expect that this could happen again.
6. Bunny Kingdom (New)
This was another game that was introduced to me by going to a game night. I did not know what to expect with this, but when I started to play, it became apparent that this cute game about carving out a bunny kingdom on a grid was more complicated and strategic than the artwork implied. I really fell in love with the game quickly, and we played it a couple of times that night. I won both the times I played, and that is not why it makes it so high on this list this year. I loved the fact that I took different paths to victory both times which showed me the depth that this game possessed, and I am sure it could get higher if I am given the chance to play it more often in the upcoming year.
5. Arkham Horror: The Card Game (Up 6)
This has been the game I go to when I want to play a good game, and there is nobody around to share the experience with me. I love the fact that it is complicated, has many different scenarios with their own intricacies making each one feel unique, and it tells a great story in the process as well. I have not dumped a lot of money into this game yet because the two campaigns I own have been perfect enough to keep me happy. I have played them each a couple of times, and I have not gotten bored of them yet. I have also found others who want to play the game as well, so it might change its place on my shelf as a solo game to a collaborative campaign style game that might change my view of it in the coming years, but as for now, it is easily one of my favorite games to play on a dark night when I have nothing better to do.
4. Heat: Pedal to the Metal (New)
I was never much one for racing games, but ever since this one made it to the store, I had an interest in playing. It was more about the deck-building then it was about the race, but when I finally played it, I found that the race is what really brought this game to life. The deck building is a brilliant way to get you to feel what it is like to be an F1 racer. It causes you to put together a nice balance between collecting the cards, speeding ahead, and trying not to lose control of your car. It also comes with different racetracks that if played together creates a mini-campaign. This game was an unexpected surprise this year, and I can’t wait to play it some more adding in the more complex additions that the game comes with.
3. Isle of Skye (Down 1)
This is still one of my favorite games. I love the feeling of piecing together my little corner of this Scottish island while connecting things to make it as pretty as it can possibly be. I know that this is not the strategy you should employ to play this game, and every time I start a new game, I think to myself that I won’t do this, but in the end, I always have to make it look pretty. The combination of the bidding and the variety of the challenges makes this game quick-paced and different every time I play it. It will take a lot to remove this game from this position on my list. My only complaint is that you need at least three people to play, and I think it works better at higher player counts, so I don’t get it to the table as much as I would like to.
2. Final Girl (New)
I went out searching for a new solo board game, and decided on Final Girl and decided on the Happy Trails Horror feature as my first box. I didn’t know how much it would get me hooked, but the simplest of games in this series had me playing it at least once a week. I have since expanded to the Panic at Station 2891 feature, and even just having two has given me enough material to keep me busy for a long while. I love the fact that you can change the final girl that you are playing with, or place a monster in a different location, giving the places their own feel. It is completely immersive and I feel as if I am in the horror movie that I am playing. I know I am hooked and will keep adding features as I play this game more and more.
- Chinatown
I know that this game is out of print, and has been reskinned recently, but I still love the original Chinatown. It is a simple game that can be taught in five minutes, but it is the simplicity of the game play that opens the game up to a complex fun interaction with the other people at the table. It is a pure negotiation game, and the interaction is what brings me back to this game again and again. I have introduced it to so many people, and every time we play, we laugh so hard about the negotiations that take place. I do not care if I win or lose, I just want to negotiate. This is why this game has taken the number one spot again this year.
John Collings 