I played 24 board and card games in 2013 that I had never before played. That's probably a record for me. Most of them were games that I played either during PAX East 2013 or The Gathering of Friends. I found some good ones too, with five of the games ending up in my top ten favorite board games. Here they are:
- Kingsburg: Kingsburg is a mostly abstract game in which players bid for spots on a board, and then through those spots get various benefits. The benefits affect your funds for future bidding as well as a number of other things. I only played once, and that was nearly a year ago, but I liked it well enough. I'd give it three out of five stars.
- Ninja: Legend of the Scorpion Clan: This one I loved, and you can see a better description in my favorite board games post, but it pits ninja player(s) against guard players in a sneak vs. triangulate game. Five stars.
- Rattus: For a game about The Black Death in Europe, it's actually very good. This is a worker placement and role selection game with very good mechanics. I played it at PAX, and I would be very willing to play it again. Three stars.
- Rex: Rex is a complex game, and as I understand things, it's a reskin of an old and very popular Dune board game which can't be republished for reasons of licensing. The various factions are asymmetric and very well balanced, and in addition they all stick very well to the theme of their story faction counterparts in the Dune universe. I enjoyed the game, and would play it again, but I wouldn't be that into playing it frequently. Three stars.
- Sentinels of the Multiverse: I played this one a couple times at PAX and once at tGoF. I really like it. It's a cooperative card game in which players act as superheroes battling a supervillain. I should probably get a copy. Four stars.
- Bohnanza: Bohnanza is a fairly simple matching card game with novel mechanics. It's been a long time since I played, and so I don't remember much, but all the cards are different varieties of bean. Odd, but also oddly fun. Three stars.
- Dixit: You've probably seen Dixit as played on Tabletop. It's practically a party game, but it has more than anything else to do with knowing the other players well enough to gauge who will get what inside references and who won't. Goal? Look at the picture and say a phrase that will cause some people to guess the correct card, but not everyone. Three stars.
- Galaxy Trucker: I've only ever really played Galaxy Trucker once, and that was at PAX East. I'd be giving it four stars instead of three if not for the timed building element. I hate to feel super-rushed during a game. Galaxy Trucker has a lot of things going on: build your ship, haul stuff, deal with smugglers and meteor showers, and make some money. It's fun, but it's no longer on my wishlist. Three stars.
- Citadels: A card game I played at PAX East. All about role selection. I don't remember it very well, but I enjoyed it. Three stars.
- Qin: Qin is an abstract placement game about placing colored pagodas in the right pattern. I've only played once. There's obviously a lot of strategy involved, but I can see the game getting old very quickly. Two stars.
- Castles of Burgundy: A very dry game with no randomness. There's a lot of that at tGoF. I wouldn't outright refuse to play again, but I didn't love Castles of Burgundy, Two stars.
- Rampage: Rampage was fun. It's based off of the old monster smash-everything video game from the eighties. But it's a dexterity game, and as a general rule, I don't love those. Two stars.
- Escape from Atlantis: Although the game has apparently been around forever, I never played it until this year. I really like it. Place your meeples, each of which is secretly numbered on the bottom with points, and then try to get them off the sinking island in time. You can swim or take a boat, but the boats have only three seats each, and in moving one you may be helping your opponents. Sharks can eat swimmers, but not those in boats. Whales don't hurt anyone, but they capsize boats. And the sea serpent is slow, but destroys everything. Four stars.
- Tzolk'in: When I first saw Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar, all I could think is how insanely complex it looked. It seemed to take an hour for someone to explain the rules. But by the end of the game, I got it. And I kind of liked it. Not sure I'd want to own a copy, and I'm not going to try to explain the rules here, but it's a fun game. Three stars.
- Sleeping Queens: I got this one for Lia, and she likes it. It's a kids card game for sure. I'm not even sure I should be listing it here. But I am, so deal with it. For a kids game, it's tolerable. Certainly better than Chutes and Ladders. Two stars.
- Last Night on Earth: After I saw Last Night on Earth on Tabletop, I had to get a copy. I did, and it's a good game, but I'm not loving it how I wanted to love it. The zombie player(s) always seem to have the advantage - I'm not sure whether the game is designed that way or not, but it seems to me to be the case. Three stars.
- Lost Cities: I found this one at The Gathering of Friends, and immediately got a copy. It's very simple, but so very fun. Too bad it's a two-player only game. The theme is of funding expeditions to various locales. These are done by playing cards from your hand onto one of the five colored slots. Cards must be played in order, and you must draw and play/discard each turn. The game ends when the cards are gone. Some clever math goes into the scoring. It sounds boring, but it's actually a fun game full of agonizingly difficult decisions and gambles. Five stars.
- Dominion: Intrigue: Dominion might be my favorite game - it's certainly among my top ten. I got the Intrigue expansion this year, and I think I've only had a chance to actually play it once. But I'm hungry for more plays - it's a great game. Five stars.
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark: This one is the winner this year. Descent has replaced D&D amongst my group of friends now that we all have kids and very busy lives. It's not a RPG, for sure, but it's a passable substitute for now. Five stars.
- X-Wing Miniatures: When I first played X-Wing Miniatures, I was struck at how similar it is to Steve Jackson's Car Wars. You get less customization for sure, playing with cards rather than sketching out your vehicle on paper and calculating its weight. Sadly, the customization aspect was probably my favorite component of Car Wars. The movement and turning using a measuring device on a table rather than a board is where it becomes most similar to Car Wars. Anyway, I'd almost rather play Steambirds. Two stars.
- Boss Monster: Boss Monster really isn't a bad game. I think it was a kickstarter game. I played it, I liked it well enough, I just think it'd get old really fast. Two stars.
- Innovation: I didn't like Innovation at all. I was edging between one and two stars here. Innovation is a card game with somewhat complex and very random mechanics. I'd say that it's a better game than Flux or Munchkin, but not nearly as good as most of the card games I'd rather play. Two stars.
- Tsuro: Quick and simple. Tsuro is like the board game version of the old video game snake, but with beautiful art on the board and pieces. Three stars.
- Cthulhu Gloom: After seeing Gloom on Tabletop, I saw the Cthulhu-skinned version and decided it sounded perfect. So I bought it. Now I'm thinking that the vanilla version might be more to my liking. It's good, but I don't know how often I'll be into playing. Two stars.
That's the list. I'm not sure who's interested in reading this, but now I've at least got it up on my blog for future reference.