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.
