My Top 10 Boardgames Published in 2024

     

Here's a look at my 10 favorite games published in 2024.

(Or else made available in North America so late in 2023 that there was no way to really play them before the calendar flipped.)

#10

RED DUST REBELLION

I've just scratched the surface here, but I already like (a lot!) what I see. Yes, this is another COIN game from GMT—volume 12, if you can believe that—but this one being fictitious makes possible a host of things we haven't seen elsewhere. From truly asymmetric factions (The Church of the Reclaimer is a blast—and a brain twister—to play) to semi-random storms that'll hit your forces hard unless they head for cover, this is a brave new world for the COIN series.

#9

JEKYLL & HYDE VS SCOTLAND YARD

Before The Crew, nobody thought a co-operative trick-taking game was possible; nowadays, it seems there's a new one every other month. Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard is a two-player game to boot, and a damn clever one, where players try to manipulate the number of tricks they win so that Jekyll/Hyde makes it home before the police can catch him. Rotating trump suits and the occasional potion will keep players on their toes—almost as much as the title character.

(You can read my flash review here.)

#8

ALTERED

I thought I had weaned myself off collectable card games back in the day, and this year I tried two new games that confirmed those feelings: Star Wars Unlimited (yawn) and Lorcana (visually superb but mechanically generic). Then I gaveI Altered a shot and ended up purchasing two booster boxes. It runs on very innovative gameplay, killer visuals, and nothing short of a revolutionary publishing plan. I'm very much looking forward to what's on the horizon.

#7

DUCTH RESISTANCE: ORANGE SHALL OVERCOME!

Orange is a solo/co-op game of resistance in the Netherlands during World War II. Several scenarios require players to dodge German checkpoints, smuggle supplies (even people!) into dangerous locations, and resort to violence when there's no other way. An impressive system and overall package, and from a first-time designer, no less.

#6

SKYRISE

A cutthroat bidding game about building a city in the sky, with simple rules that pave the way for tense and rewarding gameplay. I played the game this was based on—Metropolys—once, years ago; I never felt the need to play it again. But Skyrise elevates (ha!) the action and makes everything shine.

And while there's no denying the deluxe version is seriously overproduced, it does look great on the table.

(You can read my flash review here.)

#5

WOLFPACK
I tried a few submarine games over the years, but they were either too convoluted or else too much "on rails" with few player decisions and an experience that felt more like watching the game happen around me.

Wolfpack hits the sweet spot: Despite the game's XX pages of (generously illustrated) rules, it's easy to get into a routine of going out on patrols, spotting juicy merchant ships, arming and firing torpedoes... and also evading escorts, dealing with crew injuries, putting out sub fires, fending off flooding and performing a dance of death with depth charges on a daily basis.

What's not to like?

#4

NORMAN CONQUESTS
Not only did this fifth volume in the Men of Iron series convince me to take the plunge, but I enjoyed it so much that I promptly tracked down the four first volumes and am eagerly awaiting #6. The game offers tactical medieval battles with just the right amount of chrome to give you something satisfying to bite into while never overstaying its welcome. 

Just make sure you leave your units room to retreat. You'll thank me later.

#3

OXONO

One of those abstract two-player games with minimal components, a cerebral look, and that ubiquitous "place four pieces in a row" victory condition, Oxono almost looks like a toy. Until you play (and lose) your first game, that is. Players move an X and an O totem, both acting as poles around which you can play a corresponding piece (X or O) in your color. It's those pieces you're trying to align, in any colors. So you win if you put the fourth X in a row/column of Xs, or the fourth O in a row/column of Os, no matter who placed the first three. You can't imagine how challenging—and addictive—that is until you've tried it.

#2

BOMB BUSTERS

This is one of those rare cooperative games where the alpha player problem (running everyone like puppets in an otherwise solo game) cannot happen, because the whole thing revolves around secret information everyone is trying to deduce from the occasional clues put up by their partners. Your bomb squad needs to defuse bomb after bomb by cutting pairs of like-numbered wires: one facing one of your friends (and whose value you're not always sure of) and one facing you. 
And whatever you do, DONT' CUT THE RED WIRE!

(You can read my flash review here.)

#1

DOWNFALL

Last year's #1 entry (Mr. President) began thusly: "The most complex and longest game on the list..." And I'm forced to recognize that it's also the case this year. I might have to seek treatment.
Downfall is kind of a monster game that eats up an entire table (or two) and whose short scenario lasts six hours. Hey, playing the last act of WWII ain't a walk in the park! But the game flows so wonderfully and without any downtime that I find myself transfixed, for however long the whole thing takes.

It is a stunning design that I can't wait to play again.

(You can read my review here.)

* * *

DISAPPOINTMENTS
I define disappointments as games I expected a lot from, and which failed to deliver. Here are the "top" three from 2024.

I rarely post negative reviews of games on this blog (life's too short!) but my feelings were so negative in the case of Heat's first expansion that I couldn't do otherwise. (So here it is.) I wasn't disappointed: I was thoroughly pissed off.

In short, I thought they did everything completely wrong, making Heavy Rain the worst expansion I've come across in 30 years of boardgaming. It almost deserves an award just for that.

This one is kind of a mild disappointment, in that I expected great things from this narrative game, and in the end only got "things" that were more often than not on the right side of fun without really making me feel like I'd need to replay the campaign, or get my hands on eventual sequels. Fun enough to borrow from a friend and try once, I guess, but that's pretty much it.

I think it's the first time a game from GMT ends up in this section of my yearly Top 10, and it breaks my heart. I had high hopes for I, Napoleon, but the decision space ended up being way too narrow for my taste. And I really wish there were just one or two lines of historical text at the bottom of each card, so that I could at least learn new things if I'm not actively choosing stuff.

A pity.

* * *

STRAGGLERS
Let's end on a high note with three games that would have made my Top 10 had I encountered them back in the year when they were published.

Scout is the second trick-taking game on the list this year, and deservedly so. It's a clever, twisted and fun little bundle of joy—you should see that diminutive box—you can carry anywhere, that plays great with any number of players (including two!) and that will surprise and entertain anyone you ensnare with it.

Two abstract games on the same list might be a first, but I won't shy away from my admiration of this as-clever-as-it-is simple (and elegant) little game. Move a piece according to the pattern highlighted on one of your three cards, then give that card to your opponent. THAT'S IT. And since there are oodles of different cards (did I mention expansions?), no two games are ever alike.

Mandala is one of those games that feels so classic, so elemental, that you can't help but think the design already existed as a traditional thing played by generations past. Right? Nope: made up by two guys a few years ago.

But no matter how (not) old the game is, it's a splendid example of a simple system yielding remarkable depth. 

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