End of Year & Top 100 (2025)

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90 — Yokohama

2022 #60
2023 #32
2024 #80

This has continued to drop from not playing, but I can still remember a lot of it. Still aren’t many games that use the worker-movement mechanism. There’s a lot of other neat aspects of the game, like the sometimes really powerful tech cards you can get, and racing to nab some of the limited opportunities on the board. It’s a really good game, but even with more plays, I’m not sure if it’s going back up in the future. There have been some great Euros coming out the past couple of years.

89 — Destinies

2022 #7
2023 #53
2024 #39

This is another that may not make it back up with more plays, but I think it might hang on if I get some solo plays in. The stories are really fun, and the core system is nice and streamlined, but for me, it relies a touch too much on the app. The app does a lot, which can be neat, but feels like it interrupts the game too much. Another game, previously hinted at, reaches a more comfortable balance, for me.

88 — Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition)

2022 #42
2023 #49
2024 #92

Still hanging on. This is probably now a classic dungeon crawl, and was the moment that FFG figured out the whole app-driven thing with the co-op scenarios. The writing was not great, but the adventures were fun. It’s been a long time since this has hit the table, and I don’t really know if it’s coming back out at this point, but who knows. There are a lot of dungeon-crawls and adventure games, these days. A shame FFG fumbled the not-3rd-edition-3rd-edition.

87 — Dune: Imperium

2022 #98
2023 #27
2024 #89

Despite still not getting around to trying the new version or the expansions, the tight resource management and worker-placement has stuck with me. I really expected it to fall off the list, but here it is. There’s so much competition for games getting played, it’s hard to say if this one will come out next year in some form.

86 — Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North

2022 #99
2023 —
2024 #44

After playing more 51st State this year and trying to love it, it just made me appreciate Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North even more. It really fixed the swingy-ness of 51S. And the decks can play wildly differently with entirely unique mechanisms, in some cases. For me, this is the pinnacle of the series, so it hangs on another year.

85 — Cascadia

2022 #77
2023 #54
2024 #79

I was a bit surprised that this still hung on as well as it did, but the pacing is so great, and the tile-laying is so satisfying. I’ve only played the base-game, but I’d be interested in seeing what the expansion can do. Still, it might continue its slow slide down over time. I just don’t think this one’s quite an ever-green for me.

84 — Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island

2024 #77

We’ve gotten this back out some more, though it is tough; it’s so much setup, so many rules (with a not-amazing rulebook), and not quick. That said, the scenarios can also be good or bad. We played one in October that wasn’t great. The system is still solid, with really tight resource management, and lots of opportunities to push your luck. I don’t know if it’ll ever feel easy to bring back out (certainly not easy to win), so who knows where it’ll be next time.

83 — Civilization: A New Dawn

2022 #19
2023 #28
2024 #69

I got to try out the solo mode this year, which works pretty well and gives a good challenge. It gets very aggressive in the late-game. I still need to try the fan-made version which includes the expansion, though. The expansion really improves a lot of the game, but the base game is still fun. The card “river” is really interesting, and I appreciate the variety of ways to work towards victory. Aren’t many civ-themed games these days, so New Dawn has stuck around for another year.

82 — Village Rails

2023 #50
2024 #68

Somehow, this one and Civilization ended up back-to-back again. Village Rails is such a streamlined tile-laying game with a super tight economy, and tough goals. Getting just one train line to score well is really satisfying, but every once in a while, if you get exactly what you need, several train lines can score well.

81 — 7 Wonders

2022 #45
2023 #23
2024 #66

Been a while since we last played, but it’s an old favorite. I love card drafting and tight economies, and this has both. For me, Armada is an always-include expansion that adds a good amount more depth and variety. The wonders in these games have never really felt as impactful as they probably should, though, given the name of the game.

Top 100: 80–71
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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