TOP 20-11

 

20. Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 +1

Publisher: Renegade Games Studios
Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 30-60 minutes
Mechanisms: Deck Building, Open Drafting, Push your Luck, 
Sleeves: TCG 63,5x88mm

Clank is a great deck building game on its own. I play it every chance that I get…but it wouldn't be this high on the TOP list without the legacy version. We loved the changes that the legacy system provided and the new additions to the deck from game to game.

 

19. Century: Spice Road

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 +1

Publisher: Plan B Games
Players: 2-5
Playing Time: 30-45 minutes
Mechanisms: Action Retrieval, Contracts, Hand Management, Open Drafting
Sleeves: BST 70x120mm

Such a simple premise to this game and yet so much fun if you like the feeling of »improvement«. Every turn you have a hard decision between scoring or improving your hand etc…

 

18. Pathfinder Adventure Card Game

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 +1

Publisher: Paizo Publishing 
Players: 1-4
Playing Time: 90 minutes
Mechanisms: Cooperative Game, Deck Building, Dice Rolling, Hand Management, Multi-use Cards, Variable Player Powers
Sleeves: TCG 63,5x88mm

This is a campaign game that really awards you for the time you put in. Your hero at the end of the game is a demigod compared to the rusty sword wielding character that you started with. The multi-use cards combined with the deck being your life, puts you in a tough spot. Should you discard a card for the extra damage or should you keep your HP high?

 

17. The Game: Extreme

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 +1

Publisher: NSV
Players: 1-5
Playing Time: 20-30 minutes
Mechanisms: Communication Limits, Cooperative Game, Hand Management
Sleeves: EUR 59x92mm

If you like numbers, this is a fun activity that will make your brain work. This game makes you experience a variety of feelings in a very short time as you succeed or fail together.

 

16. 51st State: Master Set

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 SAME

Publisher: Portal Games
Players: 1-4
Playing Time: 60-90 minutes
Mechanisms: Hand Management, Action Chaining, Engine Builder, Open Drafting, Variable Player Powers
Sleeves: TCG 63,5x88mm 

One of the first tableau/engine builders that I've played and still one of the best ones. Once your engine starts humming, the game moves into this special action chaining phase where you just do more and more actions and you get a lot of satisfaction with the »state« that you've built.

 

15. Unlock! Series

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 SAME

Publisher: Space Cowboys
Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 45-75 minutes
Mechanisms: Cooperative Game, Escape Room, APP 
Sleeves: BTR 60x112mm,

The best series of escape rooms for me any my gaming group. The game has interesting scenarios from historical to futuristic and fantastical…The usage of APP for some very fun and interesting puzzles adds the cherry on the cake.
If you are looking to enter the escape room games genre, Unlock is the way to go.

 

14. Everdell

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 -1

Publisher: Starling Games
Players: 1-4
Playing Time: 40-80 minutes
Mechanisms: Action Chaining, Contracts, End Game Bonuses, Open Drafting, Worker Placement
Sleeves: MEV 44x63mm, TCG 63,5x88mm

By the end of the game everyone will have a lovely forest village full of interesting buildings and lovely creatures, but only one will play the game the longest by chaining action after action and collect some points with each move. An amazing game that is also beautiful on top.

 

13. KeyForge: Call of the Archons

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 -5

Publisher: Ghost Galaxy
Players: 2
Playing Time: 15-45 minutes
Mechanisms: Hand Management, Take That
Sleeves: TCG 63,5x88mm

Keyforge simplified the concept of duelling card games and still kept the game every engaging. The idea that you get a random deck and play with it just puts the cherry on the top. I don't feel bad that I don't want to construct better decks while playing Keyforge.

 

12. Cthulhu: Death May Die

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 SAME

Publisher: CMON 
Players: 1-4
Playing Time: 90-120 minutes
Mechanisms: Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Scenario Game, Variable Player Powers
Sleeves: STN 57,5x89mm, TOSCD 88x100mm, BST 70x120, 

A massive cooperative game that has plenty of replayability where for each game you combine a scenario + a boss + different characters. With KS exclusives, there is almost unlimited combination.
The game looks just as all other dice fest games from CMON, but this one is much more strategic where you should avoid fights as time is of the essence. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of dice rolling and big bad boss fighting in each game.

 

11. Dragonkeepers

SPOT: 2024 >> 2025 SAME

Publisher: KOSMOS
Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 20 minutes
Mechanisms: Hand Management, Push Your Luck, Set Collection 
Sleeves: BLC 70x110mm

I was pleasantly surprised by this small and yet deep game. Playing and drawing cards lets you push your luck while still lets you keep some control. It's not just luck… it's skill!