Well, the Top 25 of all time are done for this year, and it's time to move on to more regularly scheduled programming. I started this series with a couple other games that both rank in that list: The Castles of Burgundy and That's Pretty Clever!

Designed by: Dan Cassar
Art by: Philippe Guérin, Chris Quilliams, Beth Sobel
Released: 2015 from ​Filosofia Éditions and Renegade Game Studios, among others
​Primary Mechanisms: Hand management, Set collection, Pattern building
MSRP: $21.99

Components Review: It's really just a deck of cards. That's it. Not much to review, but the art is very pretty in the white box edition I have. 

Theme Review: You're technically supposed to be building an arboretum by laying out cards in paths...but the theme falls away quickly as you're just counting suits and numbers. 

Weight Review: If you're familiar with more traditional card games, this isn't really a huge step up in complexity from something like euchre or spades, but it doesn't have much in common with those...it's perhaps more in the line of something like a canasta, but meaner. The reason this game pushes above the 2.0/5.0 complexity scale on BGG is because of the extra rule of having to hold on to cards for the ability to score at the end.

Mechanisms Review: You begin the game with seven cards, and you will always have seven cards throughout the course of the game. Each turn, you will draw two cards (either face-up from one of each player's discard pile or face-down from the top of the deck), play one to your tableau (to the left, right, above, or below any existing card), and discard one. That's the whole game, at least on the surface. However, there are a few nuances that make the game super tense. First, you score for the longest contiguous formation starting with the lowest number and ending with the highest (extra points for starting with a 1, ending with an 8, and for having a run of four or more cards in ascending order) in any given suit. Then, in order for you to score anything, you must have held back the highest value of that suit; if you didn't, you score nothing (the only exception of which is, if one player has the 1 and an opponent has the 8, the 8 is treated as value 0). It's tricky as you try to guess what your opponent has saved. 

Re-playability and Price Review: Because the number of cards shuffled into the deck varies by player count, this game scales very well and never offers the "same" experience twice in the way that traditional card games don't. But this game rewards repeated play, much like traditional card games do as well, even if the rule set isn't ultra dynamic. And, if you play with the same people a lot, you start to become aware of tendencies, which keeps it interesting and tense. The rules teach is relatively simple, except the illustrations in the rule book are a little confusing on first glance. In terms of price, I think you can probably find this for below MSRP most places, and it's worth it, especially as a tool to introduce traditional card gamers to the world of hobby board games. 

Overall Rating: 8/10

Well, we've made it yet again. A lot of familiar titles, here, from last year, and finally some stability. Can't wait to see what next year brings! In case you missed them:

• Honorable Mentions
• 25-21
• 20-16
• 15-11
• 10-6

5. Everdell
BGG Rank: 30
Last Year's Rank: 5
Designed by: James A. Wilson
Art by: Andrew Bosley, Dann May
​Released: 2018 from Starling Games

Well, I've written about Everdell before, and it's holding its same spot in the Top 5 of this list, so I must really love it...and I do. So does my partner; it's her number 2 game of all time. It's gorgeous, and the components are very tactile; the worker placement and seasons timing is great; and the combo chain of buildings and critters is just the bees knees. I can't say much more about this game other than it's just absolutely a blast. We've played this game probably close to 50 times and never get tired of it, and it scales well from 1-4 players. If you are curious, do yourself a favor and grab it.

4. The Castles of Burgundy
BGG Rank: 17
Last Year's Rank: 3
Designed by: Stefan Feld
Art by: Julien Delval, Harald Lieske
Released: 2011 from Alea and Ravensburger

Well, this is an old one but a good one. I won't dive too deeply into the mechanisms, as you can read about that, here. But the action selection and chaining from just two dice per round is superb. This one has a fantastic app implementation as well and is getting a gorgeous new production that actually looks nice. But, yeah, it's a Stefan Feld point salad game, and I absolutely love it. I'll never sell my copy, and I can't be more evangelical about this game. If I had $100 to spend on board games and that was it for the rest of my life, half of it would go to buying this gem. Everyone I've ever taught it to loves this design, and I don't see it dropping out of the Top 5 for many years.

3. A Feast for Odin
BGG Rank: 22
Last Year's Rank: 4
Designed by: Uwe Rosenberg
Art by: Dennis Lohausen
Released: 2016 from Feuerland Spiele and Z-Man Games

Well, this one and Castles flip-flopped spots from last year, and that's just because I got to play this one more than last year, mostly due to the fantastic implementation on Board Game Arena. I've played at all player counts (1-4), and I can confidently say that it is Uwe Rosenberg's magnum opus. Don't get me wrong, this game has a lot going on, but it's not nearly as hard to pick up as it looks to be when set up on the table. I can't recommend it enough, even though it's a bit pricey, but you get so much stuff in this one box. Some people swear by The Norwegians expansion, but I'm very happy with my base game as is. This one isn't going anywhere on my list.

2. Lisboa
BGG Rank: 59
Last Year's Rank: 2
Designed by: Vital Lacerda
Art by: Ian O'Toole
Released: 2017 from Eagle Gryphon Games

Ah, yes, Lisboa. This game, my favorite from Lacerda, is a beast to teach and learn, but once you do, it's simply the best board game ever made, in my opinion...it has a chance to be my number 1 someday. For those who don't know, Lisbon, Portugal suffered a devastating earthquake in 1755, followed by a tsunami and days of fires around the city. You take on the the role of Portuguese entrepreneurs working with the prime minister, the king, and the master builder to rebuild the city. It's also the most thematic euro game I've ever played, and mechanically it's so rich that I can't stop playing it. All around incredible experience.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
BGG Rank: 147
Last Year's Rank: 1
Designed by: Nate French, Lukas Litzsinger, MJ Newman, Caleb Grace
Art by: Various
Released: 2011 from Fantasy Flight Games

Well, here it is, number 1 again. I own everything for this game, and I haven't gotten tired of it after nearly eight years of playing. It's my most played game, and I love the deck construction challenge of each quest. There's too much to go into mechanically, as it's pretty complex all things considered, but now is a great time to enter into it if you're at all curious, as Fantasy Flight is re-releasing the game in a revised packaging that's more friendly to game stores and new players in terms of purchasing. I'm a massive Lord of the Rings nut, and this one really hits the spot thematically and mechanically for me. Will it ever be dethroned? I'm not certain, but I don't ever see it dropping off this list...ever.

​Credit: All images come from Boardgamegeek.

Here we are...the Top 10. If you haven't seen the rest of the list, check it out here:

• Honorable Mentions
• 25-21
• 20-16
• 15-11

10. Bitoku
BGG Rank: 541
Last Year's Rank: --
Designed by: Germán P. Millán
Art by: Edu Valls
Released: 2021 from Devir

Well, this is the cult of the new talking, as this game didn't even enter my collection until August 2022, and when I got it, it didn't leave my table for a week. It's that good. Nothing new, necessarily, in terms of mechanisms, but the blend of card play, contract fulfillment, dice placement and manipulation, and going up tracks is so satisfying. The solo mode is a bit of a bear to learn, but it's great. The art is stunning...the production is insane, and it's not even a kickstarter game. Just all around an amazing package and worth checking out if you're into medium-heavy games that score a lot of points. I also expect that, as more people own this game, it will rise in BGG ranking.

9. Ark Nova
BGG Rank: 4
​Last Year's Rank: --
Designed by: Matthias Wigge
Art by: Steffen Bieker, Loïc Billiau, Dennis Lohausen, Christof Tisch
Released: 2021 from Feuerland Spiele and Capstone Games

Okay, so this is literally the elephant in the room. This game came out late in 2021 (many didn't get their copy until 2022, either) and has already made the Top 5 of BGG. It's that good, though. The action selection mechanism of having a conveyor belt of five action cards that continually change in power is an absolute delight, and there's also tile placement, tableau building; it's a lot, but it's incredible. I love the theme of building a zoo that's centered around conservation and selling tickets to help sponsor more conservation projects. It also borrows from Rajas of the Ganges in terms of the score track. Just a brilliant design from first-time designer Matthias Wigge. I'll be eagerly awaiting his next game.

8. Paladins of the West Kingdom
BGG Rank: 64
Last Year's Rank: 9
Designed by: SJ Macdonald, Shem Phillips
Art by: Mihajlo Dimitrievski
Released: 2019 from Garphill Games and Renegade Game Studios

Well, this one is holding its place in the Top 10 (up one spot from last year) after the hotness took it by storm this year. It's the second in the West Kingdom trilogy (which is all excellent, by the way) and definitely the heaviest in terms of rules. There are six different colors of workers that all fulfill different functions, and the puzzle is trying to eke out bonus workers to extend your turn by one action at a time while managing your resources to make sure you can keep going. The solo mode is excellent, though I also wouldn't want to play it at more than two players, either, so that's something to think about. 

7. Cascadia
BGG Rank: 60
Last Year's Rank: --
Designed by: Randy Flynn
Art by: Beth Sobel
Released: 2021 from Flatout Games and Alderac Entertainment Group

Wow, can't believe this one has made it into the Top 10. It's definitely the lightest game in the Top 10, and it's one of the newer ones as well, but I am always down to play Cascadia, and so is my partner. It also scales well from 1-4 players with a breezy setup and relaxing gameplay of entangled drafting of habitat tiles and animal tokens. I cannot recommend this game highly enough for the whole family, and it's also worth noting that it won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres, which is the equivalent of the Academy Awards of board gaming. 

6. The Gallerist
​BGG Rank: 63
Last Year's Rank: 8
Designed by: Vital Lacerda
Art by: Ian O'Toole
Released: 2015 from Eagle Gryphon Games

Another Lacerda title in the mix, here, up two spots from last year and barely missing out on the Top 5. This game is probably the best introduction to the heavy euro designs by Lacerda, in my opinion, though that may change with Weather Machine dropping later this year (2022). At its core, it's a worker placement game with only four spots and eight possible actions, but the meat of the game is figuring out how to leverage those actions as well as bonus actions when some other player kicks out your gallerist or your assistants to gain bonus actions by spending influence that you've accrued through attracting visitors to your gallery, buying and selling paintings, and promoting artists. Dripping theme, The Gallerist will maintain a spot here for a while, I think.

Credit: All images come from Boardgamegeek.

On we go! Getting closer to the Top 10 with this one. If you haven't seen the rest of the list:

• Honorable Mentions
• 25-21
• 20-16

15. Root
BGG Rank: 28
Last Year's Rank: --
Designed by: Cole Wehrle
Art by: Kyle Ferrin
Released: 2018 from Leder Games

​This might be a controversial pick in terms of where I rank it, because for many, this is a lifestyle game that dominates the table for weeks at a time and would top many lists. It's the biggest deviation from what I normally play, which is why it isn't a little higher, as it is very conflict-forward and has a heavy amount of player interaction on a central board. It really is a war game disguised by cute art, and that's generally not my bag, but Root is incredible. The asymmetry is wild, and each game plays out slightly differently. Plus, there's an incredible app that has one of the best tutorials for what is, in my opinion, a very rules-heavy game and expansions galore that add variability and solo/cooperative play. It might climb higher if I can get it to the table with four players consistently.

14. Roll for the Galaxy
BGG Rank: 115
Last Year's Rank: --
Designed by: Wei-Hwa Huang, Thomas Lehmann
Art by: Martin Hoffmann, Claus Stephan, Mirko Suzuki
Released: 2014 from Rio Grande Games

This one made it to the Honorable Mentions list last year, and I'm still sort of kicking myself for not just pushing it into the Top 25. Thanks to a fan-made solo mode and an amazing app implementation, this has become one of my most played games ever. The value for this is also off the charts, as that many custom dice and thick cardboard tiles in one package would never be priced anywhere near $60 anymore. At its core, it's an engine building game with dice as the driving component to develop tech, settle the galaxy, and trade or consume goods. Each color die has a different distribution of faces, so your probabilities are built around this action selection. It's simply superb.

13. CO2: Second Chance
BGG Rank: 695
Last Year's Rank: 12
Designed by: Vital Lacerda
Art by: Ian O'Toole, Paula Simonetti, Giacomo Tappainer
Released: 2018 from Giochix.it and Stronghold Games

Down one spot from last year, CO2: Second Chance makes its way on the list for the second straight year (and I've written about it before) from my other favorite designer, Vital Lacerda. This is pretty much the heaviest cooperative game I own, but it's so good. Mechanically, there's a lot going on, so I won't try to explain it all here, but the production value is amazing, and the theme is very good: trying to curb carbon emissions by building sustainable energy plants around the world. Each action you take is integrated into the theme, and I couldn't disagree more with BGG users; this game deserves to be rated higher. I should also note that this game can be played solo, cooperatively, or competitively, which gives it some nice re-playability. 

12. Spirit Island
BGG Rank: 11
Last Year's Rank: 17
Designed by: R. Eric Reuss
​Art by: Various
​​Released: 2017 from Greater Than Games

One of the first risers that appeared on last year's list (up five spots), Spirit Island is perhaps the pinnacle of cooperative game experiences. The theme is so juicy, too, as it's explicitly anti-colonial in that you play as spirits aiding the native Dahan people repel colonial invaders. There's so much in this box, with different scenarios, adversaries, and spirits to explore. I think, to put my finger on it, the reason it's risen so much in my estimation is that I finally got to play multiple spirits at the same time instead of just true solo, and that experience was the best brain burn ever. Win or lose, this game is absolutely incredible, and the presentation helps quite a bit with stunning art and clearly defined components. Chef's kiss. Might eventually crack the Top 10.

11. Wingspan
BGG Rank: 24
Last Year's Rank: 6
Designed by: Elizabeth Hargrave
Art by: Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo, Natalia Rojas, Greg May, Beth Sobel
Released: 2019 by Stonemaier Games

I still can't believe Wingspan isn't in my Top 10 anymore...it's almost upsetting to me. This is my partner's all-time favorite game, and it hits our table a lot. I've also mentioned this several times on the blog. I also have the app, which is a fantastic implementation, so it's just constantly in the ether of my gaming life. It's a relatively light action selection, engine building game, but it's just gobsmackingly gorgeous, and it never really overstays its welcome, even at higher player counts. The solo mode is fine, thanks in part to the Automa Factory, but it's not my favorite solo game. I think I let it drop a bit because this is, ultimately, my list and not my partner's, so it just got edged out by a few more heavier euros.

​Credit: All images come from Boardgamegeek.  

Here we are with the next installment of games. I'm cranking these out a little faster than in the past, as I'm feeling a little bit sheepish because I haven't posted in around nine months. At any rate, if you missed it, here were the Honorable Mentions and numbers 25-21.

20. Scythe
BGG Rank: 16
Last Year's Rank: 11
Designed by: Jamey Stegmaier
Art by: Jakub Rozalski
Released: 2016 from Stonemaier Games

While somewhat of an outlier on the list, as it has elements of tactical combat, Scythe is still excellent and an efficiency puzzle at the end of the day. In other words, despite the plastic figures walking around the board threatening battle, it really is a deterministic resource management and action selection game, which are both things I tend to enjoy. The solo mode utilizes the Automa system, which is par excellence in terms of solo designs, in my opinion, and the multiplayer game is very tense with a lot of re-playability in the base box. Can't get enough of this one, even though it's fallen a few spots.

19. Nusfjord
BGG Rank: 331
Last Year's Rank: --
Designed by: Uwe Rosenberg
Art by: Patrick Soeder
​Released: 2017 from Lookout Games

Yet another new game on the list (and yet another title from Uwe Rosenberg), Nusfjord has all the worker placement goodness that famed designer Rosenberg is known for but without the rules complexity found in some of his heavier games. Indeed the appeal to this one isn't novel mechanisms but the fast setup and gameplay. Plus, the solo mode is really excellent and can be played in under a half hour once you know the rules. Set in the small town of Nusfjord, Norway, this game is about fishing, pleasing the village elders, and building up the town. Nothing flashy, here, but a rock solid game that's on the lighter end and very underrated, in my opinion.

18. The Isle of Cats
BGG Rank: 106
Last Year's Rank: 7
Designed by: Frank West
Art by: Dragolisco, Frank West
​Released: 2019 from The City of Games

Well, this one took a bit of a tumble from my Top 10 last year, and not for any discernible reason other than some newer games have just edged it out. Definitely one of my favorite polyomino tile placement games of all time, though. Combine that with some smart card drafting and quick gameplay (5 rounds), this one is a mega hit in our house and will probably be on this list for many years.

17. Rajas of the Ganges
BGG Rank: 148
Last Year's Rank: 13
Designed by: Inka Brand, Markus Brand
Art by: Dennis Lohausen
Released: 2017 from HUCH! and R&R Games

Rajas falls into a similar category as Nusfjord in the sense that there's nothing particularly innovative or new mechanically, but it's just absolutely rock solid. Well, I suppose that's not entirely true; the scoring in this game is very different than most games in the sense that you're balancing two tracks and trying to get your markers to intersect. But, yeah, dice manipulation, tile placement, worker placement...all the good stuff in a vibrant production with a ton of eye-popping art and color. Absolutely love this one, even though it's down a few spots from last year.

 16. Agricola
BGG Rank: 42
Last Year's Rank: 16
Designed by: Uwe Rosenberg
Art by: Klemens Franz
Released: 2007 from Lookout Games

Well, we come to the oldest game on this list, and yet another game from Uwe Rosenberg. Many consider Agricola to be his best game ever, and competitive play is still very popular. Side note: I have the Revised Edition (2016), which strips out some of the card bloat of the original base game and updates the components to better quality. Yall, I can't get enough Agricola on the table (but it doesn't rank higher because it doesn't get played all that often anymore). It's so tight, such a stressful game, but it's so worth it to see your farm develop and play occupations and improvements to just barely be able to feed your growing family. While the worker placement is fairly straightforward, there is a ton of pre-planning that goes into this game to form a winning strategy. I think it's good at all player counts. It's also worth noting that it has stayed at the same rank as last year.

Credit: All images come from Boardgamegeek. 

Alright, everyone, I hope you managed to check out my Honorable Mentions as well before diving right in. If not, no worries! Without further ado, I'll get into the list and comparing it to last year's as well.

25. Carpe Diem
BGG Rank: 349
Last Year's Rank: 10
Designed by: Stefan Feld
Art by: Lalanda Hruschka
Released: 2018 by Alea and Ravensburger

While this one has fallen a bit, it's still clinging to a spot in the Top 25. It's a great game from one of my favorite designers of all time, and I think it manages to hold a spot mostly because my partner adores this game, so it gets brought out relatively frequently. It's a pretty breezy tile-laying game that falls firmly in the mid-weight category, and with a lot of ways to score, you always have a sense of accomplishment with this one. Plus, it plays in about 40 minutes or so, which is always a positive. Boardgamegeek users and I disagree significantly on this one, as I think it's one of Stefan Feld's best designs and deserves to climb the overall rankings.

24. Ganz Schön Clever
BGG Rank: 149
Last Year's Rank: --
Designed by: Wolfgang Warsch
Art by: Leon Schiffer
Released: 2018 from Schmidt Spiele and Stronghold Games

I've definitely written about Ganz Schön Clever a ton in the past, and the entire series is fantastic (Twice as Clever, Clever Cubed), so this is a bit of a cheat, as it stands in for a trilogy of games. Last year, it landed on the Honorable Mentions list, mostly because I thought it was too light of a game to have in my Top 25...how wrong I was. This is easily one of the most influential games on this list, as it definitively changed the roll-and-write genre forever. The series remains one of our most played games in our house, and I've had to re-buy the first game in the series because I ran out of score pads. Excellent value for an excellent game as well.

23. Hallertau
​BGG Rank: 260
Last Year's Rank: 15
Designed by: Uwe Rosenberg
Art by: Lukas Siegmon and Klemens Franz
Released: 2020 from Lookout Games

Hallertau is a heavy hitter as a pretty complex resource management and worker placement game (you might see a theme, here), but a vast majority of it is simultaneous play, so it never really outstays its welcome. Though I will say that it has sort of inexplicably fallen eight spots due to just other games getting played more and new titles pushing it down. However, it's also from my favorite designer, Uwe Rosenberg (well, there are two favorites...more on that later). What makes the game special, though, is that you can play cards and combo them at any time, even if it's not your turn or if it's the middle of a phase -- simply delicious. It has a pretty boring theme of hops farming and building up a community center in Bavaria, but it's very autobiographical to the designer, which gives it a little flavor for me, anyway. 

22. Lost Ruins of Arnak
BGG Rank: 32
Last Year's Rank: --
Designed by: Mín and Elwen
Art by: Ondřej Hrdina, Jiří Kůs, Jakub Politzer, František Sedláček, Milan Vavroň
​Released: 2020 from Czech Games Edition

Well, here we are, further up the list and another newcomer. This game is hodgepodge of mechanisms - worker placement, light deckbuilding, and resource management/conversion - but it's a brilliant game that plays quickly and consists of a bunch of micro turns so there's very little down time. I've played this solo and multiplayer (mostly online on Board Game Arena, as the implementation is excellent and a major factor for why it's on the list), and it never disappoints. The theme is pretty loose (exploring an uninhabited island to research a once great civilization), but it's pleasing all the same, as it tends to shy away from the problematic colonial exploits that some euro-style games can glorify, even inadvertently. 

21. The Magnificent
BGG Rank: 730
Last Year's Rank: 14
Designed by: Eilif Svensson, Kristian Amundsen Østby
Art by: Martin Mottet
Released: 2019 from Aporta Games

Another one that's sort of gotten pushed out of the upper echelon is The Magnificent. It's still a brilliant dice drafting, action selection game where you score a ton of points, though. While the theme is virtually nonexistent in terms of connection with the mechanisms, the art is simply stunning. It's worth noting that I've never once won the solo mode of this game, and I still love it to bits. While it's slowly working its way up the BGG rankings, I think this is a super underrated gem.

Credit: All images come from Boardgamegeek.

I did this last September, and I didn't expect there to be much change, as I didn't acquire as many games this year as last year, but there has been significant shakeup. If you're curious where things ended up last year, you can view the Honorable Mentions, 25-21, 20-16, 15-11, 10-6, and 5-1.

So, as the title indicates, I'll be (yet again) ranking my favorite 25 games. The ranking criteria are generally a combination of the following: how many times I've played a game, how much my partner may or may not care for it, how often I would like to get it to the table, and my overall feelings on it. This first post showcases a few games I adore but just missed the cut, and some of them were on the list last year.

Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun is a dice drafting, action selection game set in ancient Egypt that centers on the position of the sun hitting the obelisk on the central game board. The position of the sun will have dice that are pure, tainted, or forbidden according to color, and you must balance the pip values of each pure and tainted die on your player board. Each of the six actions around the obelisk is interconnected, and the puzzle of being as efficient as possible with only 16 total turns is really a brain burner in the best way. This one will probably creep into the Top 25 at some point, but it hasn't hit the table more than a handful of times, yet.

Next up is Hadrian's Wall, which is easily the most complex flip-and-write game I've ever played, but it's well worth the effort to learn. It is also the most combo-tastic game I own in which monster turns occur when placing a single worker and marking out a single box triggers a chain reaction of other boxes getting crossed off. So satisfying. I think this might also be top 25 material with more plays, but one of the reasons it stays off the list is that, like Tekhenu, I've only played it by myself so far. 

Blue Lagoon is a title from acclaimed designer Reiner Knizia, and I've written about it on the blog before. I'll probably do so again, as it has tremendous value, especially for families. At its heart, it's a tile laying game with a sprinkling of route building, set collection, and area majority, but the rule set is ultra light. I've played this at all player counts and even taught it to my mom. 

Viticulture: Essential Edition made it onto my Honorable Mentions list last year. Unfortunately, my partner doesn't care for it much, so it doesn't hit the table except for solo play, which is both breezy and challenging at the same time. It's an incredibly clean worker placement, engine building game with a great theme (winemaking), so there's not much to dislike, here. I imagine it will hold a spot here for some time to come.

Lorenzo Il Magnifico was actually ranked #18 last year, and it's dropped simply because it hasn't been hitting the table much. This is another tight one in the vein of Tekhenu in terms of a limited number of actions (24, to be precise) over the course of the game. It's a pretty straightforward worker placement, tableau building game, but the twist is that all players' worker strengths are determined by dice values rolled at the beginning of a turn. Perhaps one of the euro-iest of euro games, it remains a favorite and will probably always be flirting with the Top 25.

Credit: All images come from Boardgamegeek.