My Top 3 Games of 2025

 My top 10 games of 2025

 

I have put together my top 10 games for 2025.  Note that these are games that I have played for the first time in 2025, not necessarily games that were released in 2025.  With all the games that I already have, I got another 22 games plus expansions last year.  Some were gifts, some were purchased at the thrift stores, and some were new.

This was my lowest year for playing new games.  We didn’t get together and play games at all, and I did not manage to play any of the solo games that I still have unplayed.  I will need to put a lot more effort into getting some played this year.

 

The new games were: Absolute Emperor, Blood Bowl: Gutter Bowl, Disney Villainout: Treacherous Tides, Freakz!: Mutant Murder Machine, Frostgrave 2nd ed, Hairfoot Jousting, Lion Rampant – second edition, Marvel United – Spider-geddon, Men of Bronze, Ragnarok, Stargrave, Star Trek Away Missions, The Doomed, Unmatched – Battle of Legends – volume 3, Unmatched – Bruce Lee vs Muhammad Ali, Unmatched – The Witcher – Realms Fall, Unmatched – The Witcher – Silver & Steel, Unmatched Adventures – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Uno – Show Em No Mercy, Wars of the Republic, Xenos Rampant.

 

 

The ones I picked up not new were:

Illuminati Crime Lords ( which was one of my grail games)

 

 

A lot of these did not hit the table this year.  Some games from previous years were finally played.

 

Games that I played for the first time that did not make my list were:

3 – Arschmallows – It has a similar gameplay to an extended blind 31, with special powers on some of the cards.  It plays okay but was nothing special.

 

2 – Uno – Show Em No Mercy – Surprisingly fun for an Uno game.  With the stacking rules and the Take 10 and Miss a Turn cards, this one plays a lot faster.  If a player’s hand becomes larger than 25 cards, they are out for the round.  This would still be lower on the list if more games were played.

 

1 – Sorry! Sliders – A Crokinole variation using Sorry pawns with Rebound-like rollers in their base.  There are 4 game variations and 4 board set up variations.  It plays pretty fun.  This was the big hit of the year.

Shopping at the Sentry Box

 We did a road trip in August to Vancouver Island and  back for my niece’s wedding.  We drove straight there but took our time on the road back.

While coming back through Calgary, we made sure to stop in at The Sentry Box – a very large game store.  Their prices may not be low, but their selection is unmatched.  They often have a deep selection of older products that are still in stock. 

 

It is not complete.  I wasn’t able to fill everything from my want list, but I did find a lot that I have not been able  to get.  They did not have the Lion Rampant expansions The Crusader States, and A Viking in the Sun (not published by Osprey but rather the University of Edinburgh).  I did get The Last Samurai Rebellion expansion for the Men Who Would be Kings.

 

They had a bunch of forces for Silver Bayonet.  I was very tempted, but ended up spending my budget elsewhere.  I also looked at the Hairfoot Jousting figures and, if they had had all six from either faction, or even all twelve from both, I probably would have bought them. 

 

They had no Dust Tactics, Batman Miniatures, or DC Universe figures.  These were a long shot though.  I did not find any model kits in the time I had to look.  While they did have some older video game systems, they did not have any Intellivision at all.  I also did not find any of the Fallout Factions sets, else that would have probably made my stack.

 

 

I was hoping to pick up a bunch of older codices for Warhammer 40,000.  I did find the eighth edition Ork codex for $20, as well as five books in the Psychic Awakening campaign for $10 each.  Out of the nine books in the campaign, I previously only had the first book.  The remining three books I have since picked up online.

This has given me a bit of a boost towards filling in some gaps in my 40K editions.  I have picked up the Chapter Approved 2018, and 2019 editions, as well as the eighth and ninth editions of the Tyranid codex from Facebook Marketplace.  I will keep an eye out locally and try to fill in more gaps, especially as the new edition drops next year.

 

I bought the Goblins team for Blood Bowl.  This has been scarce to find.  With the Orc team on my painting table, I figured that the Goblins could be painted concurrently.  I grabbed the new Gnome Treeman as well.  I am tempted by the idea of putting together the stunty teams for a league, if I can out together the time.

I finished up with the Warriors 2 and Wizards 2 sets for Frostgrave.  These are the female characters in very multipart sets.  No one locally carries them and they are tough to find online.

All together I spent just a bit over $300 dollars in a bit over two hours.  It made a very happy little game stack.

 

My top 10 games of 2024

 My top 10 games of 2024

 

I have put together my top 10 games for 2024.  Note that these are games that I have played for the first time in 2024, not necessarily games that were released in 2024.  With all the games that I already have, I got another 21 games plus expansions last year.  Some were gifts, some were purchased at the thrift stores, and some were new.

 

The new games were: Blitz Bowl – Ultimate Edition, Blitz Bowl – Ultimate Edition season two, Burrows & Badgers, Combat Arena: Clash of Champions, Disney Villainous: Sugar and Spite, Groo: the Game 2nd edition, Gretchinz!, Kobolds & Cobblestones, Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing game, Reality’s Edge, Star Wars Villainous: Revenge at Last, Tantrix, The Pikeman’s Lament, Tiki Topple, Top Trumps Match, Unmatched – Slings and Arrows, Unmatched – Sun's Origin, When Nightmares Come.

 

The ones I picked up not new were:

Codenames*, Dust Tactics, Sorry Sliders.

 

A lot of these did not hit the table this year.  Some games from previous years were finally played.

 

Games that I played for the first time that did not make my list were:

 

11 – Movie Trivia – Each team gets 10 cards, each with 8 questions on them.  They take turns asking the other team a card, and the highest score wins.  It was a bit simple for our group, as we see a lot of movies.

 

 

 

10 – Top Trumps Match – We had the Harry Potter version but they all play the same.  You have to try to make a bingo line using the pictures on blocks that you push back and forth through a grid.  It is okay.  It plays pretty quick.

 

9 – Something Wild: Villains – Bitty POP!  This is a simple game and it comes with a tiny POP! figure of Maleficent.  It played pretty simple, and can be combined with the other versions to give it more cards.

 

8 – Tantrix Gobble – You are trying to make valid Tantrix plays to be the first to finish your stack of tiles.  There are no turns, you just rush to play them.  While the speed element might be fine for the younger crowd, I prefer the original version of Tantrix,

 

7 – Exploding Minions – This is a Minions variant of Exploding Kittens.  You play cards and manipulate the hands in order to be the last one around after all the other players have exploded.  It is a quick play.

 

6 – Combat Arena – a simple combat game set in the 40K universe, and comes with 5 figures.  The cards tell you where you can move and attack.  It is played on a tight board and goes pretty quickly.

 

5 – Tantrix – Each player picks one of the four colored lines.  Then they take turns laying tiles connecting the lines.  The player with the longest line or completed loop (loops count double) wins.  This is a classic that still holds up well.  And the thick plastic tiles has a good feel to them.

 

4 – Groo the Game – 2nd edition – A card game where you are trying to build up your village.  You can also build up your army to defend your village and attack the other villages.  However Groo can wander into your town and destroy both your buildings and army.  The new edition has very large, indented dice, and includes the cards from the expansion.

3 – Dune (Parker Brothers 1984) – While it does not have individual player powers, or as much depth as the Avalon Hill version, this one also does not take 4-8 hours to play.  You move your three characters around two tracks, collecting spice and combat bonuses.  You are trying to attack and defeat the other house characters but be careful how you calculate your attacks as, once started, the duels are to the death.

 

2 – Unmatched – Little Red Riding Hood VS Beowulf – Unmatched is a remake of the Star Wars Epic Duels or Transformers Armada system.  This is the first of the new versions that we have played.  I do like the simplified movement, and ranged attack determination based on the Tannhauser Pathfinder system.  Both character decks seem wildly overpowered in their own right, and yet play fine against each other.

 

1 – Tiki Topple – You are playing cards to rearrange the stack of tikis, trying to get your tikis to the top to match the order on your scoring card.  It plays like a streamlined Guillotine.  The little plastic tikis are pretty cute.

My top 10 games of 2023

 

I have put together my top 10 games for 2023.  Note that these are games that I have played for the first time in 2023, not necessarily games that were released in 2023.  With all the games that I already have, I got another x games plus expansions last year.  Some were gifts, some were purchased at the thrift stores, and some were new.

 

The new games were: Chosen Men, Don’t Look Back – second edition, Gelatinous, Marvel Splendor*, Marvel Villainous: Twisted Ambition, Marvel Villainous: We Are Venom, Scooby Doo: Betrayal at Mystery Mansion, Silver Bayonet, Spectre, Star Wars Villainous: Scum and Villainy, Unmatched – Brains and Brawn, Unmatched – For King and Country, Unmatched – Teen Spirit, Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze, Warhammer 40,000 – tenth edition - Leviathan.

 

The ones I picked up not new were:

 

 

A lot of these did not hit the table this year.  Some games from previous years were finally played.

 

Games that I played for the first time that did not make my list were:

10 – Boggle Jr – a very simple version of the regular game for young kids. 

 

9 – Stay Alive – I had seen this one as a child but had never played it.  You have to move sliders and try to drop your opponents’ balls while keeping your balls from falling into the holes.  It does play pretty well. 

 

8 – Draftosaurus – is a quick drafting game using dinosaur shaped meeples instead of cards.  You draw 6 dinos from a bag and place them on your own board to score depending on the areas and number of dinos in them.

 

7 – Trash Pandas – a quick card game for up to 4 players where you play as a raccoon digging through trash cans for leftovers.  It combines set collecting with push-your-luck.

 

6 – Cover Your Assets – a card game for 4-6 players where you try to make sets of assets cards but your topmost pile can always be stolen.

 

5 – Gelatinous – is basically a gamer version of LCR.  There is no decision making or strategy involved, you just roll your dice, move them depending on what you rolled, and then continue until someone wins.  The green sparkly dice are very pretty though.

 

4 – Pokemon Jr Adventure Game – a very simple RPG for young kids, with a very preprogrammed path.  It would have been much better enjoyed if we had been able to get to this ten years ago, but was still fun.

 

3 – Munchkin – The Nightmare Before Christmas – it is our first Munchkin game played.  It is a dungeon crawl kind of game with a heavy take-that element.  It was a bit slow to start but picked up as we got the hang of it.  I don’tknow if it is different from the regular Munchkin but the rest of us were at level 9 when someone won.

 

2 – Dust Tactics Revised Core – I was finally able to play the introductory scenario.  The rules seem pretty basic once we got the hang of it.  I was glad to finally play this as I keep buying forces for it.  It seems like there will be enough depth to satisfy that miniatures battle need.

 

1 – Blitz Bowl – I also got to play this with someone who had only played Blood Bowl online.  The players and rules are somewhat similar to Blood Bowl but a lot more simplified.  It took me a few turns to get used to the differences but then it really played quickly.

 

New editions

 There are a few editions of games that I play (or collect) that have come out with a new edition.  Some of the most revised have been Car Wars, Warhammer, Warhammer 40K, Blood Bowl, and Space Hulk.

 

Some of the newer small games that I have picked up have done well enough for a second edition.  Sometimes this happens even before I get a chance to get the original to the table.  A few of the Osprey Wargame series have had this happen like Lion Rampant, Gaslands, In Her Majesty’s Name (confirm name).  Of these three I have only picked up the new edition of Gaslands so far. 

 

I even picked up Frostgrave on sale before the second edition came out.  I have picked up most of the older expansions but have not gotten the new edition yet.

 

 

There are three more new editions that are coming out this year.  One for a game I have not played.  One for a game that I have played.  One for a game that I used to play.

 

I have not yet played Street Wars NYC but am in the midst of painting some gangs for it.  I will probably pick up the newer edition, and look forward to a few clarifications on the rules.  There are also two more gangs that I need to pick up, so far.  I will probably not back the kickstarter if there is one but will pick it up afterwards.

 

I have played Don’t Look Back solo already.  The rules could certainly use some tightening up, but the game seems quick, and plays well for the theme.  I have picked up a bunch of the expansions but had been putting off getting the extra rules when I heard that they were going to release a newer edition.  They are running a preorder right now of their site, and I have already ordered the Tier 1 level – with the new book and new Core Heroes, and Killer boxes.  I did not get the Tier 2 level with the extra expansions and terrain, as I will get the expansions later and this will already be pushing the duty limits.

 

Warhammer 40K will be pumping out a new 10th edition.  I haven’t played since probably the 3^rd or 4th edition but have been picking up the new editions as placeholder sets.  I have not gotten much of 8^th edition codices, or any of the 9^th edition though.  Since it seems like this edition will probably be Tyranids vs Primaris Marines, I will probably get this as well.  It sounds like they might release the rules for the armies online, at least to start, so this would be a good time to get back into it.

 

My top 10 games of 2022

 

 

I have put together my top 10 games for 2022.  Note that these are games that I have played for the first time in 2022, not necessarily games that were released in 2022.  With all the games that I already have, I got another 13 games plus expansions last year.  Some were gifts, some were purchased at the thrift stores, and some were new.

Again I failed to play ten new games.  I did get two solo plays in this year.  I brought a couple of solo games to the table a few times (Firefly Adventures, and Big Trouble in Little China) but was unable to find the motivation to figure out how to play them.  This was also the year with the fewest new game purchases but also the first year I did not manage to play any of the new games purchased.

 

The new games were: All’s Quiet on the Martian Front, Castles in the Sky, Disney Villainous: Bigger and Badder, Dust Warfare, Gamma Wolves, Marvel Villainous – Mischief & Malice, Pulp!, Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side, Street Wars NYC, The Men Who Would be Kings, Unmatched – Battle of Legends Volume 2, Unmatched – Hell’s Kitchen, Unmatched – Redemption Row.

 

The ones I picked up not new were:

Dust Tactics Revised Core

 

None of these hit the table this year.  Some games from previous years were finally played.

 

 

7 – Codenames: Pictures – we’re still not a huge fan of the Codenames system – where you have to give clues to your team about which card to pick, and more importantly, not pick.  My wife preferred the pictures to the words in Codenames, while I prefer the words.

6 – Button Men: Beat People Up – we used to love Button Men back in the day.  It is a simple battle game using dice.  The new game has the characters printed onto cards instead of buttons.  It didn’t play as well as I remember but that could be due to the other player who was new to the system.

5 – Gold Town – I was finally able to print out the components for this game and played through it solo.  It is more about miners going to town to cash in their gold and get supplies than gunfights.  The rules are pretty detailed to go through but it plays pretty well after the first few rounds.  It doesn’t seem to overstay its time and will be worth giving it another try with more people.

4 – Marvel Splendor – it plays similar to the regular Splendor game with a few modifications.  The Marvel theme does make this more likely for us to pick up.  I am sure that there is more to this game that we have not figured out yet but we do look forward to playing it more to try to figure it out.

3 – Disney Haunted Mansion: Call of the Spirits – a simple, quick card game where you try to collect sets of ghosts without collecting too many haunt cards.  The player who collects the most haunt cards loses their largest set. 

2 – Don’t Look Back – a horror movie skirmish game.  The rules are a bit jumbled, but I was able to play this solo.  It seems like it should be a pretty fun fit for our group.

1 – Transformers Armada: Battle for Cybertron – This is based off of the Star Wars Duels system, and more importantly the new Unmatched system.  It is a simplified skirmish game using cards.  It went over well with our group so we should be able to play some of those as well. 

 

Making Gold Town

 Whitewash City: Gold Town – The Mining Town game is based in the old West but it is more about the experience of a miner visiting the local town than about shoot outs. 

 

I have had the Gold Town CD for over a decade and haven’t got around to making a playable copy.  This changed recently.

 

I printed out everything with my ink tank printer, and glued many of the sheets of pieces to medium weight chipboard and cut them apart with an Olfa knife. 

 

The Task Cards were printed onto 100 lb cardstock with the backs printed on the reverse.  The Gold Cards were printed on 100 lb cardstock and the backs were printed on a separate sheets and the two parts were glued together and then cut apart. 

The money was printed out on pastel printer paper and cut with a paper cutter as was the Gold Cards and Task Cards.

 

My top 10 games of 2021

I have put together my top 10 games for 2021. Note that these are games that I have played for the first time in 2021, not necessarily games that were released in 2021. With all the games that I already have, I got another 16 games plus expansions last year. Some were gifts, some were purchased at the thrift stores, and some were new. 

 For the first time since I started tracking these back in 2013, I failed to play 10 new games this year. I only played 7 new games and 4 of these I played solo. There are another 6 games that I could have played solo but I did not find the time for them. Some of these require are the miniature skirmish games and require a larger space to set up terrain and I did not get around to clearing the space at the end of the year to play them. 

The new games were: A Billion Suns, Blitz Bowl 2, Disney Haunted Mansion – Call of the Spirits, Disney Villainous – Perfectly Wretched, Don’t Look Back, Frostgrave, Ghost Archipelago, Marvel Villainous – Infinite Power, Space Marine Adventures – Doomsday Countdown, Space Marine Adventures: Rise of the Orks, Unmatched: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Unmatched: Deadpool, Unmatched: Little Red Riding Hood vs Beowulf, Warhammer 40K – 9th edition – Indomitus. 

 The ones I picked up not new were: Shadow War: Armageddon, Slide 5 

 A lot of these did not hit the table this year. Some games from previous years were finally played. 

 My top 7 is: 

 7 – Forbidden Desert – We’ll have to play this again to see if it was just the group we played with or if it isn’t as good as we had heard. 

 6 – Pandemic: Hot Spot – North America – It plays like a streamlined game of Pandemic. It is over very quick but the timing is very tight. I won a solo game with two characters but would have lost due to cards in two turns, or due to another outbreak. 

 5 – Slide 5 – It has a bit of a Connect 4 feel to it, with the addition of being able to shift rows that are already on the board. It is a fun enough light game. 

 4 – Roller Coaster Tycoon – Visually this is an impressive game with the roller coasters, and rides. Game wise, it is pretty simple, but wraps up before it starts to drag. 

 3 – Space Marine Adventures: Doomsday Countdown – I played this solo. This has the figures for the enemy team instead of just tokens. But the set up is a bit fiddly. This was the last of the three Space Marine Adventures games that I played. 

 2 – Space Marine Adventures: Labyrinth of the Necrons – I was able to play this solo. It is a good, simple way to expose people to the Warhammer 40K universe without being too much of a drain. The Marine figures are quite lovely, but the Necrons are only tokens. 

 1 – Space Marine Adventures: Rise of the Orks – I played this solo as well. It has plastic Terminator figures and tokens for the Orks forces. It is the only one of the three Space Marine Adventures games that contains a game board. This doesn’t allow as much modularity but I found the gameplay the best of the three. It is the only one of the three that does not have a campaign so might not have the legs for a lot of repeated play.

Top 10 Games of 2020

 

I have put together my top 10 games for 2020.  Note that these are games that I have played for the first time in 2020, not necessarily games that were released in 2020.  With all the games that I already have, I got another 20 games plus expansions last year.  Some were gifts, some were purchased at the thrift stores, and some were new.

2020 was quite the odd year.  Even though we spent most of the year quarantined, and our entertainment and social obligations were limited, we did not play a lot of games.  I am going to have to put more effort in playing through more of the games with a 1 player variant in the new year.

The new games were: Batman Miniature Game 2nd edition – The Dark Knight starter, Blood Bowl Second Season, DC Universe Miniature game, Fallout Shelter, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, Gaslands – Refueled, Godzilla: Tokyo Crash, Pandemic: Hot Spot – North America, Rebels and Patriots, Speed Freeks, The Fantasy Trip – Melee/Wizard, Unmatched – Battle of Legends, Unmatched – Bruce Lee, Unmatched – Cobble and Fog, Unmatched – Jurassic Park – Ingen vs Rapors, Unmatched – Robin Hood VS Bigfoot, Warhammer 40,000 – 9th Edition Recruit starter, Zona Alfa.

 

The ones I picked up not new were: Clue Mysteries, MLB Sports Clix.

 

A lot of these did not hit the table this year.  Some games from previous years were finally played.

 

Games that I played for the first time that did not make my list were:

Legends of the Old West – basically Specific Fish.  Apparently also known as Authors.

 

13 – Fluxx: the Board Game – I found that it slows down the wackiness of Fluxx too much.  The extra complexity of moving the pieces to get the pairs for the goals becomes too much when mixed with the randomness of the rest of the cardplay.  Other players mentioned that they liked it better than the card game.  Further plays may improve. 

 

12 – Kong: Skull Island – This is not a good game.  There are many pieces on the board which serve no in-game purpose – like the wall, ship, Ann, building, and the Kong figure.  There is not much to the first part of the game where you try to capture Kong, and less to the second part of the game where you move around a circle and try to land on one of three spots when it also does not contain an airplane.  None of the 3D parts of the game have any play value, but it does make the game look like it should be more.  The mix of cardboard used in the building and ship is frustrating.  Still, it’s over quick enough, and I would play again if the kids really wanted to.

 

11 – Geek Out! – a trivia game where they don’t actually give you the answers.  You need to agree on the answers or have some way of looking them up.  Seems like it could play very quick or very long depending on the skill of the group.

 

10 – What Do You Meme? – Another game where you have to choose from among the other player’s submissions using pictures for the first card.  It includes the option for Freestyle – which allows the player to submit their own meme, a feature I did not care for.  It was a hit with the younger crowd but, I still prefer Apples to Apples.

 

9 – Skip-Bo – very similar to Double Solitaire but can play more players.  For what it is, I prefer Double Solitaire.

 

8 – Disney Treasure Planet – a kid’s game in two parts.  The first is a quick modified roll and move to get to the planet.  The second part, to escape the planet, is brutal.

 

7 – The Incredibles – a simple kid’s game where you make your moves to collect a controller and get close to the omnidroid to deactivate it.  At the end of your turns, you drop a dice down the chute and the pieces that get hit by it move back.  Simple game but an impressive board. 

 

6 - Bommerz over da Sulphur River – I was able to play this solo.  Easy enough but a lot of dice rolling.  Would be better against an opponent.

 

5 – Century – Spice Road – another engine builder, with some lovely metal coins. 

 

4 – Star Wars Destiny – a collectible dice and card game.  It’s fine but a bit too complex for a gateway game.  It’s not bad once you have it explained to you but some people find it hard to pick it up from the rules alone.

 

3 – Fallout Shelter – A worker placement game based on the App.  There are a lot of rules for the different situations but, by the second turn you pretty much have it down.  It moves along quickly and does not drag on too long.

  

2 – Monopoly Empire – It streamlines much of the play for up to 4 players.  It removes the player elimination, and shortens the length significantly but does away with houses and hotels.  It’s a nice version to expose those people who are anti-Monopoly to a version that might be fun enough to get them to try an actual Monopoly game.

 

1 – Samurai Jack: Back to the Past – You play as one of 5 sidekicks helping out Jack against Aku.  You have to move along a path, collecting support cards and keeping Jack company.  If left alone, Jack loses a bit more sanity to Aku.  If Jack loses all his sanity, you all lose.  You play three rounds of the path, fighting a boss at each round, with the final boss being Aku.  The sidekick with the most honor wins.  It takes a bit to get used to, and the rules could be a bit clearer – a lot of rules are only mentioned in the examples.  The figures are great.  As a fan, it’s a great experience.

 

Top 10 Games of 2019

My top 10 games of 2019

I have put together my top 10 games for 2019. Note that these are games that I have played for the first time in 2019, not necessarily games that were released in 2019. With all the games that I already have, I got another 25 games plus expansions last year. Some were gifts, some were purchased at the thrift stores, and some were new.

The new games were: Big Trouble In Little China, Button Men: Beat People Up, Combat Arena, Disney Villainous, Disney Villainous: Evil Plans Ahead, Disney Villainous: Wicked to the Core, Dracula’s America: Shadow of the West: Forbidden Powers, Dune, Jurassic Park Danger, Justice League Strategy Game, Outremer: Faith and Blood, Saurai Jack: Back to the Past.

The ones I picked up not new were: Anomia, Conspiracy, Crash Tackle, Euchre, Gangs of Commorragh, Lexigo Rush, Loopin’ Chewie, Ninja Burger, Shogun (Lakeside), Snake Oil, The Collectors, Trespass.

A lot of these did not hit the table this year. Some games from previous years were finally played.

Games that I played for the first time that did not make my list were:
Get the MacGuffin, Han Solo Card Game, Jaipur, Yahtzee Texas Hold ‘em.

12 – Sagrada – Looks very pretty. You have to choose from the dice rolled and place one into your scoring grid. But, like Catan, if not explained fully, you can be messed up right from the start. The play is okay.

11 – Snake Oil – another game where one player has to choose from among other player’s submissions. In this one, the first player draws a consumer, and the other players have to use two of the cards in their hands to come up with a product that person would like. Unlike most of this category, your submissions are not secret, you actually get to pitch them to the judge.

10 – Splendor – Another classic resource building game. You collect gems in order to buy cards with gems on them. This allows to buy more cards so that you can buy more expensive cards with points on them in order to get enough points to win.

9 – Anomia – One of the Mensa select games. You flip over cards and if you match symbols with someone, you have to give an example from the topic on their card before they give an example of the topic on yours.

8 – Perpetual Commotion – Plays like G’Nertz or Dutch Blitz except the Aces and Kings are replaced by Starts and Stops, both of which are wild. It comes with cards for up to 6 players, but you can get extra decks for up to 10 – which would be insane. There are slight scoring variations but it tends to last a bit long if played to 150.

7 – Take the Train – a quick card game for up to 6 players. You try to play all your cards first by building on routes. The simple rules could be a bit more clear about some of the odd situations, but the game plays quick enough to try any questions both ways until you can agree on any questions. A lot of the game depends on your original deal but it still fun and simple enough for mixed groups.

6 – Unspeakable Words – A word game where playing too many larger point words may end up losing you the game. Letters are scored by the number of angles on them. You have to roll your score or higher on a d20 or you lose one of your adorable Cthulhu statues. If you lose all of them you are out of the game but, while you are down to your last one, you are considered insane and can spell gibberish words. Seems a bit short but keeps everyone feeling like they have a chance.

5 – Trespass – an old Lakeside game. One player has to move one of their 9 red pieces to the top of a column. The other player can move their 4 black pieces to block while their sole yellow piece can actually remove the red pieces. It’s quick, simple to learn, and feels like it needs just the right amount of strategy for such an easy game.

4 – Domination – An older control game (also known as Focus). You move your pieces and the top piece on a stack controls it. The setup is a bit precise but it plays pretty well. Definitely looking forward to trying a few more times.

3 – Zooloretto – A set collection game where you are populating a zoo. It’s pretty simple to explain and quick to play.

2 – Disney Villainous – A lovely looking game where you play as the villains trying to achieve your goal first. Each villain has their own decks so the theme stays very true. It starts with 6 villains and already has two expansions of three each so the combinations are quite high.

1 – Cathedral – A two player area control game. It has a very GO-like feel to it that I like. It’s fast but makes you want to play again and again.

Car Wars - sixth time the charm?

I'm really torn. I've played Car Wars from the pocket edition in the eighties, through the 5th edition. Playing both with friends and at conventions. Playing the highways, arenas, and races, Convoy, and The Car Wars Card Game.

I like the saving of investing almost $200 (Canadian) instead of $500 to get most of it. But the game seems so radically different from the versions I remember. I'm not sure if anyone I used to play with would play this version. I'm not sure if I need to be the one to buy everything from this version in order to play.

Based on the videos, I don't like the car design compared to what I remember. I don't like the control panel compared to the old record sheets. I don't like the forced upsizing and do not like the look of the cars (too much Battlecars compared to the old artwork). The game play in the videos with the special dice compared to the old modifiers seems a bit cold to me.

Still, it is a really good price.

Gangs of Commorragh - acquired

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been watching ebay for a copy of Gangs of Commorragh. I figured that I could always buy a copy of the rules for about $30 and buy the figures later from Games Workshop for $120. Most of the non-figure sets were either too expensive (over $100), or did not include the box.

I was finally able to find a few complete sets that weren’t much more than the cost of the ones that were just rules plus the cost of the figures. I bid on a few but they exceeded my limit.

But persistence paid off and I finally won an opened but complete set for about $100 including shipping. That was totally in my price range. It came and seems more than complete. It looks like it has double sets of reference guides, Get Started booklets, assembly guides, and packs of dice.

I can cross another set off my list. Now I have to save up for Blackstone Fortress.

Top Ten Games - 2018

I have put together my top 10 games for 2018. Note that these are games that I have played for the first time in 2018, not necessarily games that were released in 2018. With all the games that I already have, I got another 29 games plus expansions last year. Some were gifts, some were purchased at the thrift stores, and most were new.

The new games were: Axis & Allies & Zombies, Batman Miniatures Arkham Campaign, Blitz Bowl, Broken Legions, Deathwatch: Overkill, Domination, Downforce, Downforce: Danger Circuit, Dracula’s America: Shadow of the West: Hunting Grounds, Firefly Adventures: Brigands and Browncoats, Gaslands, Get The MacGuffin, Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars, Highlander board game, Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse, Poseidon’s Warriors, Santorini: Golden Fleece, Space Marine Adventures: Labyrinth of the Necrons, The Horus Heresy: The Burning of Prospero, Through the Desert, Unspeakable Words, Zombies!!! 14: Space Bites, Zombies!!! 15: Another One Bites the Dust.

The ones I picked up not new were: Bommerz over da Sulphur River, Forbidden Island, Lawmen of the Old West, Take the Train, Tetris Dual, Tetris Link.


A lot of these did not hit the table this year. Some games from previous years were finally played.

Games that I played for the first time that did not make my list were:


14 – Dutch Blitz – seems very reminiscent to G’Nertz or Nertz. I like the idea that it can play 4 people but it seems like a bit more confusing compared to the original.

13 - Iron Man 2: Game of War - really doesn’t seem like there is much to this one. I didn’t pay much so didn’t expect much but it only seems a little bit better albeit much quicker than classic War.

12 – Patchwork – This plays okay but is only for two players. I wasn’t impressed with my first play of it. I may need another play to see if I’m missing something.

11 – Tetris Dual – it is basically an electronic version of two-player Tetris Link with a modified scoring. Tetris Link does it better. It also loses a few points as the sound effects cannot be turned off.


10 – Sleeping Princesses – A simple game for kids. There is a bit more to it to keep adults somewhat entertained.

9 – Monopoly Hotels – Not a great game but kind of a neat little filler. The hotels are a bit overproduced but they do look nice. Only for two players.

8 – Queendomino – A bit fiddly to pick up for the first play. The scoring is a bit involved. But once you get the hang of it, it plays pretty well.

7 – Neopets – Adventures in Neopia – a simple kid’s game with a bunch of minigames, some random, some dexterity.

6 – KUUDUK – a deceptively simple card game. It looks like it comes from the 70s but there is something there. It can play with a larger number of players.

5 – Battleship Express – a nice variation which does away with the grids and pegs and uses dice. It allows to up to 4 players and has two levels of play.

4 – Veritas – It seems pretty simple enough once you get a few rounds in. But once the monasteries start burning, a runaway leader can easily occur.

3 – Super Mario Bros. Power Up Card Game – nice in that it can handle up to 8 players. We tried it with 3 but found that there was not a lot of gameplay. We tried again with 5 players and found that it really sings with the extra people. One of them mentioned that it is similar to Chase the Ace but with added powers.

2 – Tetris Link – A vertical linking game. It is quick and scales well from 2 to 4 players. Easy to pick up and explain.

1 – Downforce – It’s has the extra complexity of betting layered on to Daytona 500. It also has rules for a more streamlined version without the auction or betting that plays well with new or younger players.

Avengers - graduation

After my Avengers Alliance facebook game ended last year, I finally started playing the Avengers Academy game. Based on the recommendation from cosplayer Riki Lecotey from Riddle's Messy Wardrobe.

I like it very much. I started with the second edition about a few challenges in and, after a slow start, have gotten deep into level 7 out of 8. They just announced that it too will be shutting down at the end of February. They gave a big pile of rewards to help to complete the quests and get the remaining characters.

New GW boxed sets

So there are more boxed sets coming out from Games Workshop. Since they use the same figures as their regular lines, they are a lot more expensive than an introductory game would be.
Some I am able to pass over easily. With the close of the Warhammer World I was able to make a clean break and did not get any of the Age of Sigmar sets. Although I do have to admit that the Night Haunts in the new AoS boxed sets look very tempting.
Skipping Age of Sigmar made it easy to skip the new Warhammer Quest set, as well as the Shadespire boxed game.

The new Necromunda looks very good. I had the old set and might be tempted but there is so much of the new set, with the gangs, and terrain, and all the rule sets that I will probably pass on it as well.

I am definitely going to take a pass on the new Titans sets. With the new scale and the amount of figures needed, I am not going to be able to afford it. If they come out with Tyranid Biotitans and one of my friends gets the main set, I might be tempted, but would only get some if one of my friends has the main set.

I still haven’t picked up any of the boxed sets or rules for the newest 40K edition yet. I’m still likely to get it, but am not in any rush as I will have a lot of codices to pick up. The choice is harder with the three boxed set levels to choose. The smallest set is only $50 but the set with the Hardcover rules is $180.

Kill Team seems like it might be a good way to ease back in to 40K. But there are already 2 big box sets for it as well as a lot of figures. I will likely pass on it as well. The second box set with the Rogue Traders is very tempting though.

Speed Freeks is the new Ork racing game. It comes with 2 vehicles, 6 bikes, and a bit of terrain. So far, it isn’t really grabbing me.
As I do have figures for an Ork army, the vehicles would probably help to bulk it out. To get the boxed set (2 big vehicles and 6 bikes) plus the other 4 big vehicles would cost $400 though. It is not one I would rush out and get but I might have to pick it up due to the pricing. It is not quite as good a deal as the Gangs of Commorragh box was but it is still cheaper than getting the figures alone.

I am already getting a fair amount of the new Blood Bowl stuff. I have the boxed set, the extra rules Almanac, two big figures (Ogre and Troll) and two of the extra teams (Skaven and Dwarves). I will definitely get the Undead team, and probably the Elves, and Dark Elves.

When they advertised Warhammer Quest Blackstone Fortress, I was figuring it would be an easy one to pass over. But, even though it is called Warhammer Quest, it is really a 40K game than an Age of Sigmar one. The figures look good so I might have to pick it up. I just hope they don’t start churning out expansions for it like they did for Kill Team.

New new Age of Sigmar

The last two sets of Warhammer were placeholder sets for me. The 7th edition Dwarves vs Goblins starter is still on sprues and I haven’t even opened the 8th edition Elves vs Skaven starter yet. Even though, as an undead player, Nagash was a big character for me I didn’t get the End Times books either.

When they went to Age of Sigmar, it was a clean break for me, and I didn’t pick up anything from it. I’m not a big fan of the new names, and I think the Stormcast Eternals look too much like Space Marines. I’m not even tempted by the new sea elves. Two years in, they are doing a second edition.
The new starter set includes Night Haunts which look very pretty. It’s very tempting.

I do have to say that, in packing away some of the older sets, I saw the starters again. As well, I recently went through some older figures that I was in the process of painting and saw that I have 10 halfling archers, a hot pot artillery set, 20 dwarf slayers, 10 dwarf crossbowmen, 10 dwarf hammerers, as well as some vampires and necromancers, ghouls, and zombies all in various states of base coats. Since the Empire and the Bretonians didn’t really make the jump from the old world, and I’m not a huge fan of the new fire dwarves, I’m not sure how quick I am to finish them.

Deathwatch: Overkill - acquired

I was finally able to save enough to get a copy of Deathwatch: Overkill. It took a lot longer than I had hoped due to the spike in gas prices cutting into my discretionary funds. In the meantime, Gangs of Commorragh has been discontinued and has disappeared from the shelves and online.

I was in the area, so I had popped in to the local Games Workshop. I would have picked up the Gangs set now and pushed back the Deathwatch but they no longer had the Gangs set. The Deathwatch: Overkill had been boxed up to send back to the main office but he dug it out for me. It had a bit of shelf wear on the corners but at least it was here.

Gangs of Commorragh was going to be the next on my list but, if it’s out of print, I may try to save up for the Horus Heresy: Burning of Prospero or get some of the other Blood Bowl teams. Or I might try to get some more figures from Knight Models for the DC Universe Miniature game.