Were they new games?
Were you surprised with how much you enjoyed one of them?
Did you test out a new genre of boardgame this year?
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My group’s rotation this year has been:
- Agricola. Kind of the go-to that we played a ton during COVID.
- Century (Golem Edition) with one of the expansions
- Everdell. Good tableau building game, but with fairly low interaction.
- Wingspan. We enjoy the expansions, but nectar is definitely a little too good.
- Wyrmspan, definitely our group’s biggest game of the year. Great twist on Wingspan.
- Rising Sun. Hit or miss with the different players. The alliance mechanic makes it feel really tough for an odd number of players, unless people are in the habit of breaking alliances.
- Fractured Sky. Really fun one that takes a bit to get rolling, but it’s one of the more games of partial information I’ve played.
- Power Grid. We got all the expansions that we’d missed over the last decade. It’s still super solid, and it turns out playing on a map other than China means that so much is left up in the air, it’s hard to go in with a pre-planned strategy.
- Moonrakers (with every expansion released so far). Some players prefer the PvE thing, Moonrakers Luminor, but they wish they had more in there, with more varied challenges and an endless mode. I have Moonrollers, but it’s a tough sell when one player is very wary of dice rolling in games.
- Five by Five. A small Kickstarter I backed a long while ago. It’s simple and neat, and can be played with family members.
With my cousins, it’s definitely a bit more casual.
- Not Enough Mana, a drinking game. This one can get out of hand if you don’t use a strong enough drink, or durdle if the drink is too boozy. Gotta find the right drink for your group.
- Heroes of Barcadia. Just a really good excuse to sit back and roll some dice and have a few beers without needing to pay too much attention.
Forgot to mention, we have some games that have been purchased but not played yet!
Root looks really cool with the asymmetric factions and the number of expansions available.
Windward looks interesting, but I haven’t gone through the rules of it yet.
I’m personally looking forward to Brink next year, from IV Studios. They put a lot of care into their games, and I think my group may enjoy the format of it more than Moonrakers.
You can try out Brink on Tabletop Simulator right now. I managed a playthrough not long ago, it definitely needs a “test run” for everyone to get familiar with the rules, I felt like a lot of things felt too expensive or didn’t feel balanced but I’m guessing we didn’t know how to optimize our turns well enough. It doesn’t have the same kind of player interaction that Moonrakers does but I’d play it again
I’ve gone through the quick overview, but haven’t played any. My friend group has some people who aren’t into PC games, so I haven’t really tested it out over there.
Our group really likes to find ways to make optimal plays with small advantages that eventually can snowball, so I’m hoping the exploration and randomization will help shift things up game to game, while the voting and stuff can result in good bluffs and social interaction.
Moonrakers is in my top three favorite games, and we love Century Golem and Wingspan. I’ll have to try out Agricola and your other recs 'cause we seem to have similar tastes
Moonrakers is way up there for me personally. I enjoy the cooperative elements and the deckbuilding, even if there isn’t too much politicking, just bargaining.
Agricola is a tableau style game where you’re upgrading your farm, but it feels very tight. It feels like you have to use each turn to it’s highest efficiency to just keep up with the harvests, let alone get ahead. And when someone takes an action on the board, no one else can use that action for the rest of the round, meaning it’s always a contest to get first player of a round and secure the spots you need. No direct player interaction or deal-making, just a lot of making the best decision for yourself while keeping an eye out for someone else who may want the same action.
Agricola and Brass: Birmingham. I really like both of them, specially the former. I’m relatively new to board games, and they seemed intimidating, but in fact are easy to learn and enjoy (not so easy to master! :D)
Mansion of madness is still my favorite. Have played so many rounds with different people. With beginners and experienced people.
Nemesis was pretty fun. It’s a semi-cooperative game in the alien universe where you can stab the other players in the back.
Iki is the one, man that game is both deep and speedy
Enjoyed quite a few this year, many new! Here are some standouts.
The worms game is as chaotic as the video game. Great beer and pretzels fun.
River Valley Glassworks was great fun. Awesome toy factor with the moving river.
Davy Jone’s Locker: the kraken awakes was great fun, though movement felt very limited.
Overall a fun year. I hope to get more boardgame time next year.
Terraforming mars!
Fit to Print
Because a game designed to make you hurry means you never have to wait for indecisive players!
Endeavor: Deep Sea is very good Castle Combo and Harmonies are small games that I really enjoyed
Merlin!
A Feld that I did not know existed.
2-3 hour first play through on Saturday.
Good choices and options on every turn.
Has a round table, Excalibur, a chalice(grail) , and knights/serfs etc. Fun theming.
