End of Year & Top 100 (2025)

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70 — Yedo: Deluxe Master Set

2022 #4
2023 #10
2024 #65

And now a heavy Euro that actually has theme! This also made it to the table this year, though our combination of decks seemed to have thrown some things out of balance. Not everything seems to scale as well as it could; we had missions that used a lot of weapons, but with only 3 players, there are fewer weapons in circulation among players, so less trading and less getting what we needed. But still a great game. Will this ever get a reprint?

69 — Raiders of the North Sea

2022 #11
2023 #17
2024 #64

This one’s more or less hovering in the middle. It didn’t make it to the table this year, but it’s still a great, clean Euro. It’s not one I’d play without the expansions, though; the base game was a little repetitive and simple. Haven’t tried it solo yet, so maybe it’ll see new life as a solo game for me.

68 — IKI

2022 #8
2023 #12
2024 #32

Hard to bring this one out, unfortunately. My brother doesn’t like it, and my friend is kind of in the middle. So I’d have to pick it, but only for 2-players. Maybe I’ll try to squeeze it in at some point. It’s a fun mix of economic game, worker movement, and set collection, with a bit of push your luck with the fires.

67 — 스플렌더: Pokémon (Splendor: Pokémon)

2024 #52

I was kind of expecting this to drop more, but Splendor is still a really good game, and the Pokémon version makes some strong improvements. It’s still got a bit of resource drafting and set collection, but now the sets feel more impactful with evolutions, and the noble tiles are replaced with something actually interesting! I think this needs to come out again soon.

66 — Tokaido

2022 #6
2023 #31
2024 #76

Still hanging on! I haven’t yet gotten the new reprint, but almost (the base game was out of stock when I went to buy it with the expansion, so it’ll have to wait a bit). I really want to try the solo mode, because I’ve loved the app, but the app never got the expansions. Still a classic.

65 — Age of Steam

2023 #84
2024 —

It was a while before we got this back to the table (despite my friend having a trainload of maps for it), but we played a couple times this year. It’s fun exploring all the weird maps for the game and how they change things up so much, it feels like the game should break but somehow doesn’t. Some maps are a bit more chill, while others crank up the tightness and competition.

64 — Viticulture Essential Edition

2022 #76
2023 #41
2024 #62

Another that’s still hanging on. Though, this is really Tuscany doing the heavy lifting this time. The base game is fun, but would definitely not still be on here. The additional seasons, changes to some of the actions, and the extra bits of stuff help curb the randomness of the decks and give a bit more variety to the game. I don’t really see it moving up, but it’s probably going to remain a favorite for some time.

63 — Golden Dragon Gamebooks

2023 #38
2024 #99

I expected it to fall off, but it went up! Really, I just love gamebooks, and these are super easy to pull out and get lost in. Barely any rules to fuss over, simple mechanics, but lots of choices of where to go and what to do in many situations.

62 — Scythe

2022 #83
2023 #59
2024 #47

Still not gotten to Fenris. Sadly, I learned that the app isn’t getting the update the devs were hoping, so it’s kind of dead in the water for now. The physical version’s still great, and we have plans to get it played some more next year. I had hopes for Expeditions, but Scythe is the clear winner for me. Far more interesting resource management and tension on the board.

61 — Trickerion: Collector’s Edition

2023 #97
2024 —

It finally got back to the table earlier this year, and things clicked even more for me. It’s still kind of exhausting to play, but the build-up is really satisfying. Getting those level 3 tricks, especially getting to do them multiple times, is huge. Still a pretty long game, though. Not one I think will hit the table often.

Top 100: 60–51
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