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Here again, another year, and another awesome 52 weeks of gaming. With another 52 more to come, I thought I'd look back on some fond ones.
I've played A LOT of games over the course of the year and (if you know me) I like them all!! It is hard to narrow down my No. 1 game or for me to say which is the best. So instead of a ranking system, I'm just going to present games which I felt were noteworthy and definitely deserve more play time.
Note that these are games which were published and played (by me) in 2016.
To avoid lop-sided plays, a minimum of 3 plays are required to make the list too.
Non-Board Games are also not included in this list, although they do get a special mention further down.
Also noted below are some which "Almost made it to the Top 10" These were games that I felt should have been there, had it fit the above criteria, or just a little shy below the mark.
I now present Pavvo's Top 10 Board Games of 2016 (in no particular order) The text links will take you to the Boardgamegeek page for more info and rules.
Click the links here to jump directly the sections below
Enjoy!
If you ever played ANY kind of collectable card game, this game will really resonate with you! I was very skeptical when I heard that they managed to distil the ENTIRE aspect of a collectible card game into a board game format. This included not only the tournament scene, but also the trading, buying/selling aspect, as well as the opening of boosters, building your deck and collection! Imagine my surprise when I first played it. The tournament phase was simple, short and elegant. The entire "meta" behind deck building, trading/selling, buying of boosters were also beautifully captured! Truly an awesome gaming experience!
A friend and I first encountered 2 guys playing Guardians when we were walking around the halls of GenCon at 1am in the morning. The game itself looked pretty ordinary and the mechanics were straightforward. The game combined drafting with variable player powers and card building. The theme was cool; school kids beating up monsters. What really sold me on this the ability to shift your deck focus to how the game is being played out. We also spoke to (and played with) the designer himself and got little insights on his process.
A Game of Thrones: Hand of the King
A very light little game that captures the theme of the series brilliantly. The artwork was top-notch albeit a little "cartoony" but the gameplay was solid. Move Varys around, trying to influence characters from the different houses. The theme of the game is heightened by the use of the special character cards which you get to play after you influence the last member of each house.
One of my best buys in Gencon! EVERYBODY fights EVERYBODY! This game is best played in groups of 6 - 8. With 3D tables, the term "flip-table" took on a literal meaning in this game! The game even came with wooden chairs, mugs, barrels and even rugs to yank! Great fun!
While this is the 2nd version of the game, it is on my Top 10 for 2016 as this is the FIRST version I've played. The 2nd of Fantasy Flight Games to incorporate the use of a digital device as it's core game play (The other was XCom, which also made my Top 10 last year). The use of the app enhanced the story-telling aspect of this game while providing progression throughout the experience.
A nifty little "city-building" game. The unique mechanic is really in how you select the type of buildings you want to build. This, in turn, has a similar effect on where you build it. Combined with the myriad of ways and strategies you can adopt, this board game really seemed to grow on me.
One of those games where you have to play it to like it. Saw it at Gencon but didn't really get a chance to play. Luckily a friend bought it and we played it during our gaming sessions one evening. This is NOT your typical dexterity game. While there is an element of building and a fair amount of dexterity, the cards and different game modes really made the game stand out!
Kickstarted this early this year as Star Realms was a pretty cool game. Didn't expect anything different. Was I wrong! The mechanics were very similar to the aforementioned game, the fantasy theme really blew this one out of the park for me. I really can't explain it, but I did have A LOT more fun with this, as compared to Star Realms. I guess the theme really helped. My only regret was not backing the character decks! I have just ordered them and hope they make it here soon!
Yet another re-implementation. The original was a fun little drafting game - one which, while entertaining, would never make my top 10. This reimplementation however, added the one thing that pushes it from a casual game into one which takes a bit more thought and attention - Variety. The ability to mix and match sushis to form a completely unique and different game each time, added tons to the fun and replay-ability.
While the actual publish date for Santorini is 2017, a lot of people (myself included) managed to play it in 2016! The basic game (without god powers) itself is such a joy to play and invokes a lot of decision making (and "sabo-ing"). Throw in the various God Powers and the longevity of the game is preserved while adding tons of strategic and tactical implications! Don't be fooled by the player count, this is essentially (and best-played as) a 2 player game.
Almost made it!
While I'm sure the following will inevitably end up on MANY people's Top 10 list, they almost made mine! I will attempt to summarise all of them in one paragraph below. The reason why they did not make it to the list above is simple - I have only played them once! and my criteria above did state that the games needed to be played at least 3 times for it to make the top 10. I'm sure that with more plays, they will find a place in the list above.
Terraforming Mars, Scythe, Cry Havoc, Islebound
Ask anybody what their Game of the Year is, and I suspect it will be one of the 4 above. Really awesome games; just sad that I only managed to play each one once! Terraforming Mars was joy and will be well-loved by card gamers and people who like variable card powers. Scythe was awesome! A 4X-ish games with farming and mechs (how often do you see that!) Cry Havoc is one of the most intense area-control game I've played (BEST, and probably should ONLY be, played with 4 players! Islebound is a sort-of sequel to another one of my favourites last year - Above and Below. The story-telling aspect, combined with island exploration is really a joy to play.
Alas, I can only hope I get to play more of these in the year to come!
Honorable Mentions
The following were also some games which held my attention throughout the year (or part of) but could not be included for various reasons.
Star Wars: Destiny, Blood Bowl 2016, Sweet Spot, Arkham Horror: The Card Game, Pathfinder: The Adventure Game
Ah, the multitude of games which grace my gaming palette this year! Tried out multiple Star Wars Destiny games in GenCon (for the promo). Can't wait for it to get here! It is on this part of the list for 2 reasons (1) I have yet to get my hands and give it a real go. (2) It is collectible!
Blood Bowl was a welcome sight this year! Played the heck out of it when I was studying in Australia a while back. Really awesome games with lots of ups and downs! While the 2016 reimplementation sparked interested and drive back into the game, it is not a "NEW" game in the sense that the ruleset is basically more than 10 years old!
While trapped in the Indianapolis Airport, a fellow Singaporean introduced me to this nifty little game he designed - Sweet Spot. Small package and light theme aside, the game is fun and really entertaining. Looking forward to this one in 2017!
I usually don't play board games solo, but I thought I'd give it a try with Arkham Horror. I finished all 3 story missions with TWO different characters! That's 2 times more than I thought I'd ever play. Also finished it twice with 2 players and once with 4. This really deserves a spot in ANY top 10. And with 2 mini-expansions coming out before the end of the year, and a host of campaigns in 2017, it looks like this will make the list again next year!
After a year of waiting, (We first found out about it in Gencon 2014), the Pathfinder Ipad game was released. While not in the list for obvious reasons, the game is finally complete when the last pack of the Rise of the Runelords campaign was released in late December. While riddled with bugs, the game is still one of the most fun experiences I've had with an adventure card game on an Ipad. Check out some of my playthroughs here.
Thanks for reading so far! There you have it, my list of games I've enjoyed in 2016! Here's to awesome 2017, with more thrills, spills and chills in the new year!!
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