by Mat Thomsen
I don't play a lot of new games. I even avoid "new to me" games when I can. Of course, there are always games that catch my eye and pique my interest. I never mind learning those games, but spending time learning a game that I may or may not like is a gamble I'd rather not take. Especially when
Fleet is sitting in my bag six feet away. As a result of these tendencies, my "best of 2017" list is pretty anemic -- I just haven't played that many -- but I thought it was worth sharing my thoughts and experiences since many of this year's "best of" lists raised the standing of several titles in my "want to play" rankings. Hopefully, this list will do the same for some of you.
One thing that should be obvious right away is that I'm pretty slow on the uptake. I don't follow release schedules or seek out new Kickstarter campaigns. This year, more than any prior one, I've sat back and waited for the cream to rise to the top and really get a sense of which games consistently get mentioned by players and reviewers with whom I tend to agree. In that way, I found this year's "best of" lists more helpful and interesting than in other years.
HERE is the link to part one where I discuss my thoughts on this year's blockbuster legacy games.
Anyway, here are the games that were released in 2017 that I played and liked the most.
Anachrony (in my collection): This game had a lot of expectations to meet after the incredible experience that
Trickerion offered. I'm happy to say that, even though the theme is not as completely immersive as Trickerion's, Anachrony's world is a fascinating one that looks amazing. And while its mechanics are not as integrated with the theme as they are in Trickerion, the race against the impending doom of an asteroid's impact and the use of time travel as resource-lending both work really well. They are both sources of great fun. This game is a pretty standard worker-placement game, but it can be a bit tough to teach due to the extensive iconic language. But, as with any system of icons, once you speak the language, the game becomes quite intuitive. It's also an incredible table hog, which I rarely count against a game, but thought it was worth mentioning. I'm not a minis guy, but I do love plopping down those cool-ass exo-suit minis on the board. Yeah, this game is great. I hope to play it again soon.*
Champions of Midgard: Valhalla (in my collection): I came very close to getting rid of Champions of Midgard several times. I got really upset several plays in a row where a bad roll cost a player the game. It was too long a game and it took too much action-investment to obtain your dice warriors to then get wiped out in a single battle. I love everything about how this expansion changes this game. It went from a game I no longer wanted to play, to one that is terrific fun. The Valhalla tokens you earn for lost warriors is an excellent thematic element that seamlessly fixed the base game's biggest problem. Bravo gang! The second expansion
The Dark Mountains, in combination with Valhalla, offer new placement locations, warrior dice, monsters to fight, and upgraded components, which all combine to rocket this game up my list of favorites. One of the best expansions I've played and among the best of all time.
Nemo's War (second edition) (in my collection): Wow! What an experience this game is! I was so hesitant to cough up the $70 to back this game on Kicksarter. In order to be sure, I went back and listened to the episode of The Long View podcast where Geof Gambil and Joel Eddy discuss this game at length. The way they talked about this game convinced me it was a unique gaming experience, and they were right!! What's more, their experience was with the first edition that used a paper board and came in a plastic bag (all due respect to
Victory Point Games, who has made lots of great games produced on a budget)! This edition is a triumph! The production is stunning! Not only is the art design gorgeous, it's incredibly user-friendly, with every important rule reminder, action description, and order of operations printed directly on the board without detracting from the overall aesthetic. Just awesome. I highly recommend this one if you have any interest in a solo gaming experience that tells the story of a different adventure with each play. Another bravo from me for this one.
Downforce (in my collection): I've only played this game once, but as soon as I watched the first game play/review video for this one, I thought it could be one I like. I'm glad to report this game did not disappoint. I should say that I love quick-playing, betting games, so this one will not be for everyone. It scratches the same itch as something like
Auf Teufel komm raus, but plays faster and is also a bit easier to teach -- not that teaching the other is particularly problematic -- this one is just very streamlined. I also think it looks great. Bright colors, easy-to-read cards and fun-to-move plastic race cars bring this game up a notch for sure. I was glad to discover that an expansion is being released shortly. Looking forward to more plays of this one.
LYNGK (in my collection): I'm thrilled with the current state of abstract games in our hobby. So much innovation and creativity, and so many smart designs. For 2017, Azul is the obvious one that first comes to mind (my verdict is still out on Azul - it did not blow me away after one play), but in the past two years alone, we've seen Santorini, Onitama, Tatsu, NMBR 9, Pyramid Arcade, Tak, Dragon Castle, Kerala, and
Omiga (worth a look). The most famous modern abstract games within our hobby have been from the GIPF series, and many of us thought that the series had come to a close with its last release TZARR, ten years ago. What a surprise it was when this game was released. The first thing I need to get out of the way is that the tactile nature of all the GIPF games, but this one in particular, make them fun to play. Stacking those smooth, colorful, and perfectly-weighted discs is nothing if not satisfying. But LYNGK is a really good game aside from that. While the puzzle can twist your brain up pretty good, the play time stays short, and turns remain brisk. This is the third game I've played in the series and it sits just behind YINSH, which remains the series' best. My one gripe is the silly giant box. If only they kept the size of the boxes from the rest of the series. Big bummer for shelf show-offs like me.
Coldwater Crown (on my wishlist): Another game I've only played once, but really enjoyed. It's interesting to me when designers give players one action on their turn. The Gallerist does it, as does Concordia. These three games have differing levels of complexity, but I respect the challenge it must be for designers to make one-action turns work in games like these. There is actually a lot going on in Coldwater Crown. Types of fish, their weight, locations to catch them, types of bait, and specific objectives are all considerations the player needs to make on their turn. This game adds another dimension to the one-action turn mechanic by making players choose between adding or removing tokens to trigger separate actions. It's interesting and fun. Unfortunately, the theme gets a bit lost in the mechanics, but the gorgeous art helps. I'm not sure this game is great, but I know it's good and I want to play it again.
Dinosaur Island (status TBD): Here is an example of learning a new game I was not particularly interested in where the gamble paid off. For me, excess hype works against a game. If everyone is clamoring how amazing a game is before it's even released, I tend to end up avoiding the game all-together. I figured this game was another Kickstarter feeding frenzy that resulted in a super-hyped, over-produced, but mediocre game. So I'm here, hopefully with enough humility, to admit I was wrong about this one. This is a good game -- potentially great. I feel it belongs in the same family as Trickerion and Anachrony. Games where the theme comes through beautifully while offering meaningful, interesting, and fun decisions at the same time. It's also a huge table hog, but, as I stated earlier, I don't count that against a game. I did feel like the buying phase bogged down and made the game drag while everyone had to read every upgrade, specialist, ride and attraction before making one of two purchases. But, the different parts of the game do come together nicely, and the building of your park does offer a great sense of satisfaction . . . even if your park doesn't win (I lost big :(). One small thing though -- there is NO reason for those coins to be that big and heavy. Yeesh! Odd complaint I know. I don't think I'll own this one any time soon, but I'm looking forward to playing it again soon.
Majesty: For the Realm (status TBD) - This game may not last ten minutes in my collection if I end up with a copy, but after one play, I definitely wanted to try it again. I think that a game this quick, attractive and simple is a good thing to have around. This is the type of game I could play with my parents' friends, who are card and traditional board game players. I was curious to see how the designer would follow-up Splendor, which is not a game I like. While I feel the games are not similar at all, I do feel it offers an interesting bridge between Splendor and Century: Spice Road, and I think it's better than both. It's certainly prettier and easier to play, which really is saying something given how easy those two games are. It's playtime is also much shorter than both.
Halloween (status TBD) - This is more of an honorable mention. I only played it once, and we didn't play the last round to the end. While aspects of this game I found to be a counter-intuitive mess, I found others, the theme and aesthetics in particular, to be irresistible. I also quite enjoyed how the action selection mechanism worked on your player board. This game did not get a fair shake when we played so I'd love another crack at it.
Mint Works (pre-ordered with Mint Delivery KS) - This game is just so clean and quick that I had to give it some love. Such clever and creative art design that oddly works for me where games like Deck Building: The Deck Building Game don't. That game comes across as gimmicky to me. As I said, it's odd because a game in an Altoid tin is among the most gimmicky things I've seen in this hobby. Wherever your gimmick scale lands, this game was fast to learn and fun to play. Looking forward to breaking it out again soon.
Here are the games from 2017 that I have not had a chance to play and most want to try:
Bärenpark - finally played
Cottage Garden and had a great time. Everything I've heard about Barenpark convinces me that it's better.
NMBR 9 - another attractive abstract I'd love to play
Wasteland Express Delivery Service - Ben and Matt have yet to reach the bar they set with Fleet. I've heard lots of good things about this one.
Whistle Stop - trains and stocks in a 90-min game. Lots of check marks here.
Merlin - I love Feld, but he's been hit-or-miss the last few years. Not sure this will beat out Luna. From what I've seen, they appear to do similar things.
878: Vikings – Invasions of England (owned but unplayed) - I'm a big fan of 1775. Looking forward to seeing that system tweaked and in a different historical era.
Meeple Circus - I love the circus theme. This also seems to have a nice balance of dexterity and puzzle. May end up buying this one.
Indian Summer - as I said above, I loved Cottage Garden. I also love fall in New England. This game is incredibly nice to look at.
Fast Forward: FEAR - I love quick-playing card games and this one strikes my fancy. Could be a one-trick pony that doesn't hold up to repeated plays, but I'd like to play and find out.
Isle of Skye: Journeyman - I played a lot of
Isle of Skye toward the end of the year and the more I played, the more I liked it. I think this expansion could change the game too much, but I love what I've seen so far. Really curious about this one.
Lazer Ryderz - It comes in a retro VHS box for crying out loud!! The game seems like it could be fun. Perhaps an example of flash over substance. We'll see at some point I guess.
Bali - I love
Rapa Nui enough, and this version might actually be attractive enough to own both.
That's my recap of 2017. It's nice to be back in the swing of things and excited about board games again after a summer and early fall less focused on them. I'll try to remember to comment here if/when my "want to play" games hit the table. Until then, happy gaming everyone and happy new year! And as always, thanks for reading!
*The same day I spent writing this blog, I ended up getting Anachrony to the table. AWESOME game!!
