Top 50 Games: 20-11
20. Welcome To…
Designer: Benoit Turpin
Publisher: Deep Water Games
Player Count: 1-100
Roll/Flip and write games have become very popular over the recent years. Most people know the classic Yahtzee, but Welcome To.. take this concept to new heights. I think this is the best game in this genre. In Welcome To… you are all creating estates, building fences, and scoring points for houses along three streets in a neighborhood. The game can play with any number of players without taking any additional time to play. It also has many themed expansions, such as, Halloween, Christmas, and Doomsday. I have a ton of fun introducing this one to people.
19. Arboretum
Designer: Dan Cassar
Publisher: Renegade Game Studios
Player Count: 2-4
Ths is a small card game where players are each building their own arboretum. Score the most points by creating an arboretum that includes different paths of trees. This game will force players to make some tough decisions about the cards they have in their hand. The cards you play, discard, or keep in your hand have a tremendous effect of the outcome of the game. I love this game for two players.
18. Fantasy Realms
Designer: Bruce Glassco
Publisher: Wizkids
Player Count: 2-6
Another small card game that provides a ton of fun. This is Kristina and my most played game in our library. The game plays very quickly and we almost never just play once when we get it out. In Fantasy Realms each player is trying to build the highest scoring hand. The cards will play off of each other providing bonuses and penalties depending on the suit or name of the card. I wish there was more content for this game because I just want more Fantasy Realms. One of the best card games I have played.
17. Century: Golem Edition
Designer: Emerson Matsuuchi
Publisher: Plan B Games
Player Count: 2-5
The is one of my favorite games to introduce new people to the world of modern board games. It has just enough complexity to keep people interested without a ton of rules to remember. The Golem Edition also looks amazing, which makes people stay engaged in the game. If you are new to gaming and want to introduce more of your friends to board games, I highly suggest this one. If you are a seasoned gamer and have not tried this yet what are you waiting for? Fantastic game.
16. Ethnos
Designer: Paolo Mori
Publisher: CMON
Player Count: 2-6
Ethnos could have been as popular as games like Ticket to Ride or Catan if not for its generic fantasy theme and boring artwork. Despite what it looks like, Ethnos is fantastic. I have played it again since making this list and know for sure it will move up next time I do something like this. I wish they would make a second edition or a retheme to get this out to more people because it really deserves it.
15. Sub Terra
Designer: Tim Pinder
Publisher: Inside the Box Board Games
Player Count: 1-6
Sub Terra has one of my favorite endings in any game. This is a co-op about a group of explorers in an underground cavern trying to escape. The board is built, using tiles, as the players explore through the cavern. You are never quite sure what may be around the next corner so sticking together is key. The game uses a deck that acts as a time limit. Once this deck runs out each action the players take requires a die roll in order to keep playing. This part of the game can be extremely tense if there are a few explorers close to the exit. Such a great experience each time we play it.
14. Raider of the North Sea
Designer: Shem Phillips
Publisher: Renegade Game Studios
Player Count: 2-4
Raiders of the North Sea is a worker placement game where Vikings are building up their crews and invading nearby lands to collect the spoils. The game has a unique form of worker placement in which you place a worker to take an action and then pick up another worker from a different location to take a second action. It also uses different colored workers to active certain spaces. This game does a great job of forcing players to build up their Viking crew and gather resources before allowing them to venture out and pillage the towns. The game has 3 expansions that make this game an epic adventure each time it is played.
13. The King is Dead: Second Edition
Designer: Peer Sylvester
Publisher: Osprey Games
Player Count: 2-4
The King Is Dead is brilliant game. Each player has 8 cards they can use throughout the entire game. These cards will manipulate the three factions in locations around the board. Each action allows the player to take influence in one of the three factions that will determine which faction they want to win at the end of the game. It is such a simple concept, but each and every card played will change the outcome of the game drastically. Probably the best game to be released in 2020 and will most likely move higher up my list in the future.
12. Viticulture Essential Edition
Designer: Jamey Stegmaier, Alan Stone
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Player Count: 1-6
Another worker placement game for this list. Viticulture takes the theme of making your own wine and puts it into a board game. Players are growing vines, pulling grapes, making wine and fulfilling orders to gain the most points and come out on top. You really do feel like you are running a winery while playing this game. The game gives you the flexibility to run your winery exactly how you want. Do you wan to focus and fulfill easy orders or do you want to work up to fulfill bigger and ultimately more valuable orders sacrificing quantity. Excellent game that I think everyone should give a try at some point.
11. Aquatica
Designer: Ivan Tuzovsky
Publisher: Cosmodrome Games
Player Count: 1-4
Aquatica combines many of the elements of other games that I enjoy into one. Each players is trying to grow their underwater kingdom by recruiting new characters and buying or conquering locations. The game is a great intro to engine building, similar to Century Golem Edition mentioned earlier. This adds a bit on the Century concept, but it still retains that simple rule set. The game also looks amazing on the table.
