End of Year & Top 100 (2024)

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70 — Concordia

2022 #35
2023 #71

We still haven’t gotten expansions to the table, though I think we used an alternate map last time. Still a great, streamlined economic Euro with really fun hand management.

69 — Civilization: A New Dawn

2022 #19
2023 #28

A bit of a drop for this one. Despite that, I really enjoy 90% of this game. But seriously, who thought, “We’ve got a great game, but you know what combat mechanism would be perfect for a nice modern game? How about Talisman!” Anyway, the core mechanism is great, I love how streamlined the game is, and the expansion really made the game feel more complete. Just… why this combat?

68 — Village Rails

2023 #50

50 was possibly too high of a first showing last year, but I was surprised to see it as high as 68 this year. We recently played it again, and I just love the simplicity of the design and how tough the decisions are. And it’s a very satisfying game; you’re juggling all sorts of goals with every turn, hoping things will all come together in the end. And when they do, it’s amazing. Like Concordia, it’s a game that does a lot with very little.

67 — Xia: Legends of a Drift System

2023 #99

I had kind of suspected this might drop off the list, but at the end of the day, I do enjoy the sandbox nature of it, and it has really solid ship customization. It’s still incredibly random at every turn, but at least it’s not overly long (though not quick by any means). It has never overstayed its welcome for me.

66 — 7 Wonders

2022 #45
2023 #23

This game bounces all over the place for me, apparently. It’s a classic drafting game with a fun theme (not that it’s very thematic) and great expansions. Armada is probably my favorite expansion; moving up an interactive track is very satisfying, and the islands are a neat addition.

65 — Yedo

2022 #4
2023 #10

I was a bit surprised by the drop, but the length has made it a challenge to play as often as I’d like. And the new edition makes so many great improvements. Still a great game, just tough to pull back out.

64 — Raiders of the North Sea

2022 #11
2023 #17

Another sudden drop! I think in this case, there are some specific games that have stolen some of the limelight from Raiders: very similar weight and playtime but a little more streamlined. Raiders is great with both expansions, but that means extra setup and more table space.

63 — Vikings: Scourge of the North

New in 2024

I mentioned my unusual taste in games that have light wargaming elements, well, here’s a light wargame! It’s a little adventure game with a handful of scenarios, and the first one is actually pretty short. It’s got a lot of dice rolling, and the combat encounters can be very random, from small easy fights to larger, powerful armies: it’s random. But for me, this game has a lot of charm in the right places. For one, the historical setting is very much my thing, and the adventuring style of it also really appeals to me. This is one of those cases where I just don’t mind the amount of randomness. Note: printings of this were very rough, and players had a lot of problems with it, but they updated it, and the version I have is much better. The rules have corrections and clarifications, and they smoothed out the difficulty some more (especially sailing).

62 — Viticulture Essential Edition

2022 #76
2023 #41

It’s fallen a little, but it’s still a really solid worker-placement Euro. I’d still primarily recommend it with Tuscany. The base game just doesn’t have the same depth to it, but it’s fun either way.

61 — Cartaventura

2022 #12
2023 #43

A steady drop on this one for now. I still enjoy the series, though their lack of NA availability is annoying. They’re in English, but Kosmos seems to have lost interest in bringing them over. I haven’t played all of them yet, so I’m still hoping some of them have a bit more mechanical depth to them. But it’s still a really neat, unique game series. There’s just nothing else out there that explores history like this series.

Top 100: 60-51
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

5 thoughts on “End of Year & Top 100 (2024)”

    1. It’s mostly the rules that are listed in the rulebook, but there are a couple of extra variant rules in the Wizard’s Companion (including how to generate a point threshold for winning). It’s very easy to run.

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