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.
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