I played over 50 new(to me) games this year. Here's what I thought of them.

Splendor... I didn’t like it at first, but it grew on me. I like it best with three, which is a weird player count. The theme is downright terrible in my opinion. I would rather it just be themeless game honestly. I’ll still play this every once in a while, but I’ve learned I don’t like engine builders all that much, but if you do this is one of the most highly regarded and I suggest giving it a try.

Azul...I avoided this for too long. Great mix of strategy, luck and skill, though I find myself really only playing online these days because setup is kind of chore and the boards are a bit fiddly. I also find that not many people I’ve played with in person have liked this game nearly as much as me. Strangely, I don’t find myself very interested in playing any of the sequels.

Lost cities...The hype is real for two player games. There is a lot of interaction for a two player competitive card game. Choices your opponent makes genuinely effect you and I love the fact that you can kind of stall out the game when you want. Every game I’ve played I always feel like I just need one more card. It’s difficult without being impossible and it has a great balance of skill and luck. Even after over 50 games I still want to play. This game has legs.

Kingdomino... another game that grew on me. Nice, easy fun. Anything less than four players is kinda weak though. I won’t say it’s a great game, but it’s one of those comfort games for me that I play when I just don’t want to think that much, but still want to have fun playing.

Sprawlopolis... Great design, great reviews, but I’m just no good at these types of games. Haven’t won yet solo or pairs. It seems kind of impossible to me, but I’m a bit dense. Also, I’m just not into solo gaming.

The Shipwreck Arcana... It took me a few plays, but once I figured out what this game was trying to do it became more interesting. I wouldn’t take this as a party game with the family and expect it to do well, but if you have a group who likes deduction games this is a decent one. It does lend itsself to quarterbacking, so if you have one in your group be aware. It’s also more difficult as you add players. Sadly, as I’ve played more types of games this year than ever before I’ve realized I don’t like logical deduction games so this one doesn’t make the cut. However, If you have a small group that likes that type of game I would recommend it.

Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries... If you like TTR and can’t get a lot of people to the table buy this game. Such a great design and made perfectly for 2 or 3. Great new rules really add to the strategy and theme. It’s tough to find truly great games for two players, but this one will stay on the shelf for a long time.

The Grizzled: At Your Orders… I want to love these games but it’s impossible as written and the easy rules make it too easy. If someone can show me how to play this correctly I will be forever in your debt.

Lifeboat... Big nope on this one and I thought I would love it so much that I way overspent for an out of print game. Any game where doing nothing on your turn is a good decision is a bad game. They tried to make it a highly interactive game, but the consequences of interacting are too severe.

Dig Down Dwarf...the most average, kinda boring game that isn’t terrible. Roll some dice, take some gems, drink some beer. Try not to eat the gems even though they look delicious.

Fox in the Forest... At first I thought this was a gem. Turns out it got boring pretty quick. This type of game is pretty much the reason I don’t play traditional card games. It feels very samey in a short amount of time.

Fox in the Forest Duet... Just a worse version of an already kind of boring game. The co-op feels like a chore.

Codenames Duet...Such a great two player representation of the full game, plus you can add the cards into your full codenames edition. Highly rated. It’s hard to find truly engaging two player games and this one works so well. It’s easier if you’ve played the original version, but not difficult to understand if you haven’t.

Skull... It took me a few plays to understand what this game was trying to do, which is weird because there is virutally no complexity. Once I played my first truly fun game it became a staple at parties and family get-togethers. This is now a favorite that I’m glad I didn’t give to the thrift store. One small gripe: I wish I could find the old Skull and Roses version. I love the artwork of the current print, but some of them are hard to differentiate when dealing out the coasters. The first version has fake “gang” names printed on them to make it easier and I still love the art.

The Crew: Mission Deep Sea...I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority here, but I like the first one better. The original is quite possibly my favorite game of all time, so MDS is still a fantastic game that I love, but I don’t view it as a direct replacement for the original. Let me be clear: this is a great game you will love if you love The Crew.

Trails... This game was not fun and I don’t get the hype. I felt like I was moving up and down the board without much choice, and the choices I had didn’t seem to be that important. I just didn’t see anything unique or interesting about this game.

Coloretto... very simplistic game. No real decision making. Sadly, fewer players is better as it allows you to actually do a bit of meager planning, but it’s still a boring game. I love simplistic, elegant design, but this misses the mark. I feel like this is good design poorly implemented. There has to be a game out there like this, but more stable and strategic, but with a good deal of luck that scales well with more players. If you know of any let me know in the comments.

Cloud city... Great idea that doesn’t pay off. It’s just boring to play. Solitare game and I would never want to play the physical version with all those light, tiny, plastic pieces.

Quacks of Quedlinburg... Maybe I’m just high on Quack, but this is a great game. Complex enough to play many times and simple enough to get going on the second play. It has a catchup mechanism that makes poor players think they’re in the game even though they’re not. This is great for me because I usually lose. Great theme and components that match. My only negative is that some of the books aren’t great. I’d rather just pull out random books. Also it finishes at 45 min once you get it internalized.

Lost Cities roll and write... Another good representation of Lost Cities. A decent amount of intensity, choice, and player interaction- at least for a roll and write. This has grown on me and become a really solid choice, but it’s really only good for three or four players, which gets downgraded for me.

Welcome To… My first flip and write. It works very similar to the roll and write’s I’m accustomed to, if a bit more complex. After a few games I started to internalize it and I’m happy with the variation provided by the more complex choices. It’s a solid game that a lot of people like much more than I do. It’s fine, but it fills the same roll as some others that I like better.

Burgle Bros 2... This is one of the more complex games I’ve played(as I said I don’t get very complex). Setup and takedown is a chore. This is one box I actually wish was bigger so I could just throw all the pieces into sandwich bags and call it a day. Getting it back together is like putting together a puzzle. Anyway the game…is really fun and engaging. The basic premise is pretty easy to pick up after one play and there is an option for legacy play, which adds some replayability. I will mention that at the end of the game the act of trying to stay away from the bouncer without anything left to uncover feels a lot like a chore.

Cross Clues. This game was pretty bad and my group loves word deduction games. It has very little structure and feels a lot like a party game for kids. There’s no real point system or penalties for wrong guesses. Quite frankly, it doesn’t even feel like a game. Not only that, the 50’s theme is tacked on for no concievable reason.

Herrlof-- I’m constantly on the lookout for games great for two players and even with the lack of truly good options, this one doesn’t make the cut. There’s nothing really exciting or unique about this trick-taker. With all the other options this one belongs on the heap.

Can’t Stop…I like nothing better than simple, elegant design and this fits that description. In fact, you could play this game with a piece of paper and a few pennies if you want and I find that somewhat endearing. It’s a great push your luck dice roller, but my only complaint is that three players is pretty much the only count I want for this game. I’ve done it with two and four and neither option is very appealing. At least for me, it’s difficult to find exactly two other people to play a game with, so as much as I like it this will probably remain an online only game for me.

Colt Express… I could only give a couple plays to this game. It’s quirky and unique, but I didn’t find myself wanting to come back to it.

Twin Palms… I’ve cooled on this game considerably. It plays well with odd player counts, which is nice, but I don’t think it’s doing anything special that most trick-takers haven’t already done. I do love that you play two cards on each trick and it offers a way to play at several different levels of complexity. Don’t get me wrong- I like this game, but the market for trick-takers is so crowded that I would choose several others over this.

Sharp Shooters… This was a thrift store find from someone in my play group and it turned out to be a surprise hit. It’s a dice rolling push your luck game and what I like about it is the fact that you don’t really want to use your dice to start the scoring, only to end it. There’s virtually no strategy, its basically just rolling dice and hoping for the best so it’s not going to make any top ten lists, but it’s a solid party game. As a bonus, you don’t need the rolling tray that it comes with so it becomes much more modular if you want to take it on the go. If you end up playing it often you can upgrade the cheap plastic coins for good poker chips to feel like a real high roller.

Camel Up…. This is a skillfully designed betting game. It’s mostly luck based, but the game gives you a feeling of agency through several options on your turn so it doesn’t feel like you’re doing the same thing every turn. It’s broken up into several separate legs as well, so it’s not just the final outcome you are betting for or against. The fun of seeing your chosen camel getting out in front and the anguish when it lands on a -1 is laugh out loud fun. Best part is this game is fun as hell with four, five or six. This hits the table nearly every game night and it’s the first game we introduce to new players.

Nope...This is an interesting concept- kind of a reverse card shedding game where you want to be the last one with a card still in hand. It’s easy to learn and there are some interesting cards that provide a wrinkle in the game to keep you guessing. It’s not amazing, but I won’t turn down a game. My favorite thing about this game has nothing to do with gameplay though. The card stock is the finest of any game I’ve ever played. They feel bomb proof. I play a lot of card games and if every one of them decided to make a new version with these cards I would re-buy every one of them. The colors are intense and a bit gaudy for my taste, but it’s a game built heavily around color so they did a great job with the components even if the colors do burn out my rods and cones.

Fleet the dice game… If you like roll and writes this game lives up to the ratings. It’s complex enough to offer several paths to victory, but easy to internalize after a couple plays. The theme is well connected to the mechanics and it plays quickly even with the max of 4 players. It’s become one of my favorite roll and writes and gets lots of play with my regular group.

That’s pretty clever… I could almost write the same thing here as Fleet. Several paths to victory and elegantly complex. It’s abstract so if you need theme I would go elsewhere since there are so many options, but this is a shining example of the genre that I think everyone should have. It’s an instant classic that will be fun forever and a great introduction into the genre.

Hanabi… I didn’t find this game as inviting as a lot of people. It’s a neat concept with players not being able to see their own cards, but there is a fine line between playing as a beginner with other beginners and moving on to games with experts. It becomes a game of strictly observed nuance that I find off-putting. Playing in person can be frustrating if not everyone is playing like an emotionless robot, but if you’re casual like I am and don’t care to enforce those strict rules then you gain too much information from reading your teammates and the game is too easy.

Cartographers… It’s inclusion on most of the top roll and write lists is warranted. Interesting Tetris like mechanism and a decent amount of player interaction. It’s replayabilty suffers in my opinion because their aren’t enough scoring cards. After only a few plays you’ve seen them all multiple times. I’ve purchased most of the expansions, which gives you new maps and some new perimeters to work within, but almost no new scoring cards. I wish the expansions came with at least 4 new ones. Bonus points for being just as good with two players as it is with five.

Lowdown… Interesting little roll and write that reminds me a lot of Sudoku. Nothing that’s going to get a ton of good reviews or show up on any lists, but it’s solid. Bonus points for utilizing tiny dry erase boards instead of a clump of paper.

Downforce… This game has a devout following, but I couldn’t get into it. It feels pretty bland to me. You play a card, some cars move, the game is over. I’m sure there’s a lot of strategy and great design that I’m not seeing, but after about ten plays I’m still not having fun.

Roll for it… This is fun filler. Even as someone who plays almost entirely filler games, this is filler even for me. It’s kind of mindless dice rolling without much strategy, but I won’t turn down a game and it’s good for new gamers.

Tranquility….This game seemed like a winner to me until I played it several times. It’s one of those co-op games that’s more difficult than fun, but if it were easier it wouldn’t be fun. I’ve played about 20 games and never won. Every time is very close though, it keeps you thinking you might be able to win. If I played with the same people every time, soon enough we’d solve it and win. It’s at that point that the game loses all interest for me.

Twice as clever… A really great follow-up to That’s Pretty Clever. It adds just enough complexity to differentiate it from its predecessor without making it overly complicated like...

Clever Cubed…. Which is pushing the boundaries a little too far for me. It’s clearly meant for Clever masters. Try explaining this game to someone unfamiliar with the other two.

Sushi go party… This is a great game that has it all. A little strategy against a little luck. Player interaction that is cut-throat enough to be fun without being rage inducing. Their are enough menues to give it a ton of replayability and you don’t even have to use the provided menues. If you make your own it still works perfectly. My only gripe is setup vs. game time. It takes a few minutes set up and a game only lasts about 10 minutes when everybody knows how to play.

Liar’s dice… Solid casual/family/drinking game. My group enjoys this game when new people who aren’t that familiar with board games show up. Or when we’ve had a few drinks. My only gripe is that the dice rattling in the plastic cups is deafening. We play it enough that I bought quiet cups.

Castles of Burgundy dice game… In my search for the best roll and writes this kept appearing on lists throughout the internet so I gave it a good try. I can see how others would like it, but it just fell a little flat for me. It’s not a bad game, it’s just that there are a bunch of other roll and write’s I’d rather play. I don’t think it’s just me either. I’ve played with several different people and no one has asked to bring it back to the table.

Splito…I’m kind of pumped to see this get an english language release(hopefully this year). A very interesting semi-cooperative card game where you have to cooperate with the players on your left and right in order to meet certain conditions, while also competing with them for total points. This may be the game with the most player interaction I’ve seen. That interaction should be much more fun in person than it is on BGA, but it’s still a great online game.

Tournament at Avalon…This has turned into one of my favorite trick taking games. It’s almost entirely luck based and super swingy so if that turns you off don’t play this game. The way this game can take you from first to last is devastating and for me that swingyness is really fun. It also has a lot of player interaction in the form of forming loose alliances or ganging up on the leader. This is a love or hate game that I personally love.

Long shot the dice game… After seeing a lot of great reviews for this game I was highly disappointed. A game simply doesn’t last long enough to build any of the strategic options given. They are all highly intriguing choices, but none of them can be filled out in the one lap provided. I’m considering adding a house rule of two laps to see if it makes a difference.

Roll and bump…This has become without a doubt my favorite dice roller. Yes, it’s luck based, but there is definitely a good deal of strategy as well. Bumping your opponents feels incredibly good, and getting bumped sucks. There is more than one way to play and win this game, which gives it a ton of replayabilty. I think this is just a better version of Yahtzee. I’m so hyped that a new version is being printed this year and I’m pretty sure it will show up at every family get-together and game night for a while.

Pumafioso… A great trick taking game with a little more strategy than most. Simple, clean, elegant design from Reiner Knizia in a small box. It took my group a few plays to come around, but it paid off and it now hits the table most game nights.

Yinsh… I haven’t played a perfect information 2 player abstract in ages because I don’t like them. I got this one because I thought my wife might like that kind of game and Yinsh is one of the highest rated 2 player abstracts of all time. Tough decisions, planning your attack and defense, and thinking two steps ahead are all required by this very well designed game that lives up to its ratings. I will play this game until one of us is overwhelmingly better than the other at which time I will lose all interest and never want to play again even if I’m the better player. If you like 2 player abstracts and haven’t tried this one it’s probably a must buy.

Gang of Dice… This is a great little dice roller that pushes the limits of push-your-luck. Not only are you rolling against the perimeters on the cards, you are also rolling against your opponents. Another clean, elegant design by Knizia. Unfortunately this game isn’t being sold in the US yet. I hope that it’s inclusion on BGA signifies that it will soon be released here.

Jekyll vs. Hyde… After trying a bunch of two player trick takers I may need to entertain the idea that I may just not like them as much as I would like. It’s a good game, but like most in this category it doesn’t have legs. I played this game about a dozen times and after that I could put it away forever and never shed a tear. I don’t know why, but there’s nothing bringing me back to this style of game.

Ready, Set, Bet… This falls into the same category as Camel Up in terms of the excitement and panic that a race brings, yet in a much different way. It’s the closest thing to actually betting at a horse race I’ve ever seen and it’s brilliant. There are several varieties of bets that gives this game a lot of replay value. An instant classic for my group. We’ve never used the “house” scorekeeper and always use the app so that everyone can play, which I highly recommend.

Bandada… A great game for two that my wife and I are loving. There is a lot to keep track of due to how the game is scored and trying to keep track of your own ever-changing score and your opponents’ is challenging and fun.

Caper: Europe… Another great two player only game. The constant push and pull within this game is fantastic. You are constantly trying to maintain dominance over one place, while trying to stop your opponent from gaining a foothold anywhere else. The card buying mechanism is also great and makes you manage your resources or go broke, leaving you unable to buy anymore gear or thieves, which you are always in desperate need of.

Piraten Kapern… Nothing special with this one. It’s a push your luck dice roller with no player interaction. The addition of cards that dictate what you want to roll and the possibility of losing points gives it a bit of depth, but it’s a party dice game. I would argue that it’s a one for one replacement of Farkle so if you like Farkle you will probably like this better.

Green Team Wins… A fun party game much like Just One, except the opposite. You want to have the most popular answer at the table. There are three categories of simple questions that everyone has to answer and the most popular answers get to be on the green team, which is how you score points. It’s great to have a game like this that plays up to 9 and is simple to learn, fun to play.