2017 was another solid year in gaming with more than 3400 games being released (according to BoardGameGeek). While I didn't play even 1% of those games, I played quite a few of the new hotness games and have compiled a list of them here. As a note, my #10-#7 are games I have only played once, and as such might rise higher as I play them more often. Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Games of 2017...that I actually played.
#10: Lisboa
By far the heaviest game I played this year, with a whopping 4.47/5.00 weight rating on BoardGameGeek, Lisboa is the latest in designer Vital Lacerda's repertoire. Lacerda likes to design crazy deep, yet thematic games like The Gallerist, Vinhos, and Kanban, and Lisboa is no exception. This game is a bear to learn, but once you get the hang of the turn structure it really shines. The way the actions and sub-actions interlock in this game is a master class in heavy game design, but your head will certainly be burning afterward.
The reason this game is so low on the list is that it will only come out sparingly because it's such a difficult teach and it's a lengthy, brain-burner. I want to get in multiple plays and explore the depth of the game before it sneaks up my top list of the year and of my favorite games of all time. However, if you like extremely deep, engaging, and well-produced games, this one is certainly worth a few hours of your time.
#9: Indulgence
Indulgence is a small trick-taking game from Restoration Games, a company that is quickly becoming one of my favorites (and not the last one of this list). Their shtick is taking old games and updating them to a more modern style and production, and boy does this one deliver. While the game has virtually no theme, it's a brilliant trick-taking game in the vein of Hearts and Spades, but with no explicit trump suit.
The rules of the game change each round and always offers a chance for one player to "shoot the moon" against the other players to achieve the highest score for a crazy benefit. This is a perfect game for someone who is looking to bring traditional card players into the board gaming world. This would probably be higher on my list if I got to play it a few more times.
The rules of the game change each round and always offers a chance for one player to "shoot the moon" against the other players to achieve the highest score for a crazy benefit. This is a perfect game for someone who is looking to bring traditional card players into the board gaming world. This would probably be higher on my list if I got to play it a few more times.
#8: Dice Forge
Moving on from deck and bag-building games like Dominion and Orleans, Dice Forge is a fantastic dice-building game. However, instead of acquiring multiple dice over the course of the game like Dicemasters, you keep the same 2 and actually pop off the different sides to upgrade your personal dice. While it's sort of gimmicky, the game is actually a really interesting twist on the building genre.
I was worried that removing the different die faces was going to be fiddly and time-consuming, but it really wasn't a big deal. Instead I was pleasantly surprised by an interesting game that allowed me to customize my dice to the play-style I wanted to play. I'd like to see how it holds up over multiple plays, but I would be delighted to play this one again.
#7: Rajas of the Ganges
Firmly in the camp of "I didn't know anything about this game going in, but I ended up loving it", Rajas of the Ganges was my surprise game of the year. Whenever you give me a worker placement game with some interesting twists, I'm always interested and Rajas does exactly that. The game uses dice as a currency, but not in terms of dice placement like Kingsburg or Euphoria, you gain and spend dice as if it was money but the dice face will matter.
In addition, the game has two competing "victory point" tracks, money and fame, operating in different directions and the game ends when one player has those two paths cross. While that doesn't seem like a huge change, it was actually a really interesting change to the timing of the end-game, as well as a refreshing end-game trigger. Throw in some elements of tile-laying/city-building and racing and you have yourself an absolutely fantastic mid-weight Euro that I'd love to own.
(Note: If I hadn't only played this once, it would probably be at #2 or #3 for the year)
(Note: If I hadn't only played this once, it would probably be at #2 or #3 for the year)
#6: Azul
Off the heels of fairly simple, abstract-ish games like Splendor and Century: Spice Road is Azul. The biggest difference between those games is that Azul can be mean. Like, really mean. At it's core, it's a tile-drafting game in which you are trying to add certain shapes onto your board. The game is engaging and easy-to-learn, which is a huge plus in today's world.
The production quality on the game is excellent, the tiles are thick bakelite plastic and the art is very pleasing for an abstract game. The only thing keeping this game from going higher is the aforementioned meanness. Of no fault of anyone, you can end up getting hit with up to 10+ tiles and a huge negative hit that can effectively take you out of the game. Without that downfall, the game would probably skyrocket up my list but, as it stands, it is the lowest of the games I've played multiple times this year.
Stay tuned for part two!
Stay tuned for part two!