It’s been a while since I’ve written an actual blog for the page and thought it was time for an updated Top Ten Games list. Although I have been posting on a semi regular basis on social media (when time allows it), I hit a bit of a hobby slump in the past couple of months but I’m now getting back into it. I have managed to play over 50 games this year (at the time of writing) some of which have been many times. As with last year’s list, I’ve featured lots of them on my Sunday (not so) Solo Game posts so you might have an idea what will appear on the list. A lot of the games featured this year have been acquired in the past twelve months but the honourable mentions are stacked with previously featured games or variants of them.
First of all, the honourable mentions this year that did not make the list mainly appear due to their similarity to games on the list that I personally rate higher and I prefer the games on the list. Of course, this is my personal preference and some people might agree/disagree with my choices but feel free to say what your choices would be for the games you have played this year. I know people will say why is Gloomhaven on the honourable mentions list? The main reason is that I played Jaws of the Lion a lot last year and it featured high on the list and it wouldn’t be fair on the high quality of games on the list.
Honourable Mentions.
In no particular order, those games are:-
Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Warhammer 40k 2nd Edition. Star Wars Legion. Terraforming Mars. Elder Sign. Rolling Realms. Dune: Imperium. One Deck Galaxy. Gloomhaven.
10. Tiny Epic Dungeons -Gamelyn Games.
By far the hardest Tiny Epic game to find but I managed to find it in Waterstones. Tiny Epic Dungeons is a dungeon crawler that fits into a small box that is packed with cards and meeples. The gameplay is simple; draw dungeon tiles and explore while facing off against many goblins and other creatures in a race against time. Yes, this has beat Gloomhaven onto the list as a dungeon crawler but I have my reasons. This size of the box, the ease of gameplay and the randomness of the game itself gets my vote because of the replayability. There is another Tiny Epic game coming up which is totally different in gameplay.
9. Tiny Towns – AEG.
A Christmas present from last year which got a lot of plays early in the year, Tiny Towns is a town building game which uses cards and resources to create a town. The gameplay is simple but requires a lot of planning to fit the buildings in your town that are needed to score points. The highest score is the winner of course but there are things that can deduct your points so you have to plan carefully.
8. Tiletum -Board and Dice.
A random, last minute purchase from UK Games Expo in June (Books of Time had sold out), Tiletum allows you to explore Europe in the heart of the Renaissance. You are merchants travelling round Europe fulfilling contracts as you go. The main goal is to build up enough resources to construct Cathedrals in different cities before your opponent does. A great dice management game that helps you gain resources and perform actions to score point to win the game.
7. Tiny Epic Galaxies – Gamelyn Games.
The Tiny Epic game that started my collection. This game is so much fun and got a lot of plays in the summer. As with TED, everything you need comes in a small box and is fairly straightforward to play. The idea is to explore different planets by turning over cards and collecting the resources before your opponent claims the planet. The game scales nicely in solo mode as you are able to select the difficulty you want to play. Each colour plays differently to allowing for different combinations to help you win.
6. Twilight Inscription – Fantasy Flight Games.
A huge roll and write game based on the Twilight Imperuim mega game from FFG. The idea is to explore the Galaxy with your chosen faction and establish your own Empire whilst competing against other factions for resources. This resource management roll and write is huge and has enough components for up to eight players. I’ve only played this solo but the premise is exactly the same, build your Empire up before the AI builds their one up. The components are top quality as you’d expect from FFG and the rule book is easy to follow as it teaches you as you play. This could see the table a lot next year.
5. Planet Unknown – Adam’s Apple Games.
One of the games I wanted to find at UK Games Expo was Planet Unknown and it was hard to find. After seeing a demo copy earlier in the day, I hunted for it and found it a lot cheaper than I expected. This planetary exploration game combines resource management with Tetris. Yes, Tetris! Each of the planetary pieces are represented by different sized pieces not dissimilar to Tetroninoes. The addition of a spinning Space Station which distributes the pieces gives a randomness to the game that you cannot predict. You collect resources and terraform a planet through tile placement to go up the different tracks needed to win the game. I enjoy this game so much and offered a lot of replayability especially with the randomness of the pieces.
4. Dice Theme Park – Alley Cat Games.
Another bargain I picked up from UK Games Expo is Dice Theme Park after missing out on it last year. Another dice management game where you get to build your own theme park and guide the tourists round to gain points and build up your money to make the park bigger and better. As well as dice management, the tile placement of different attractions that change every turn allow for different combinations to be played. Objectives also add to the gameplay as you are competing against rival park owners. This has been played a lot this year and is one of my go to games if I want a quick game of something.
3. Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition – Stronghold Games.
It’s Terraforming Mars so what can I say. An early purchase in the year that alters the gameplay of the original by introducing a new way of playing. The idea is still the same but plays slightly different in only offering certain actions available each turn making resource management vital. The added expansions offer a lot more gameplay including a six player version and Crisis mode where you have to save a terraformed Mars from disaster. This was always going to appear high on the list as TM is one of my all time favourites but that’s a whole other list. With TM: The Dice Game being released, next year could see a third year for the game appearing on this list.
2. Final Girl – Van Ryder Games.
A true solo game based on the horror genre of films places you, the Final Girl, in scenarios where the killer is trying to succeed in their goal. You are out to put an end to their schemes before you die. The premise of this game is fantastic. You buy a core set with all the components then purchase feature film boxes that can be interchanged with each other to enhance and extend replayablilty. With two seasons already available and a third coming next year, this game is going from strength to strength.
1. Earth – Inside Up Games.
My number one game of the year and deservedly so, goes to Earth! This has been a very popular game this year and has been selling out everywhere and for a good reason. Your job is to create an ecosystem on an island using different animals and plants available to you. The combinations the game offers is huge which adds to replayability. The solo mode plays just like the main game which doesn’t happen very often as solos modes adjust gameplay slightly. So why is it my number one game of the year? The concept of creating an ecosystem on Earth using over three hundred cards offers so many combinations, strategies and is always evolving which enhances replayability. The artwork is stunning and the components are fantastic too. The game is well presented and simple to play with easy to remember rules which is why I enjoy playing it.
That brings me to the end of my top ten games of the year. What will appear on next year’s list? Could it be any of the 24 games for ‘24 that will be appearing soon?
What are your top ten games of this year?
Tabletop Tales 