A list composed by chefarista, with recommendations and contributions from the Hitherto gaming community

pictures and general description text provided by publishers, with personal opinions intertwined

Party Games

Sound box

4-7 players | 35-40 min | ages 8+ | Horrible Guild - Hitherto Staff Favorite Party Game of the Year! JUST RELEASED!

Sound Box is a co-operative party game for 4 to 7 players in which you listen to your friends performing weird sounds as they try to make you guess all sorts of concepts!

At the beginning of each round you place Sound cards on the board and draw a numbered token from a bag to discover which one is assigned to you. Take your time to come up with the perfect sound to represent your card: you will have to imitate that sound to suggest your concept to the Guesser. If you are the Guesser, instead, your job will be to listen to the sounds performed by the Soundmakers. Prepare to laugh hard!

Stella: Dixit universe

3-6 players | 30 min | ages 8+ | Libellud

I like to explain this as a version of Dixit for those that don’t like coming up with creative phrases themselves. Also, this version is a little easier to play with a younger ones, as sometimes clues tend to be too specific. And another awesome reason to get this: You can play it as Dixit too! (one of our starting line games)

ready set bet

2-9 players | 45-60 min | ages 14+ (friendly to ages 8+) | Alderac Entertainment Group

Want to have a real time betting experience in the comfort of your own home? THIS IS IT! Watch the horses race and bet at just the right time for the largest payout! Richest player wins. An application is available so everyone can bet, or one person can roll the dice and call, which is a blast as well.

Fun Facts

4-8 players | 30 min | ages 8+ | Repos Productions

Fun Facts is a simple and enjoyable cooperative party game that promises crazy laughter and bizarre stories about your friends... and yourself!

How do you play?

• Players are all asked a question... For example: “How long is the perfect nap?” Each player secretly writes their answer on their arrow. On the other side (visible to all players), they write their first name.

• Once all players have written their answer, everyone takes turns placing their arrow in order, depending on how they think the other players have answered. “I’m sure that Grandma loves naps! I must have written a number lower than hers.”

• After everyone has placed their arrow in the center of the table, reveal everyone’s numbers. They must be placed in order from smallest to largest. Any arrow that’s out of order is removed. Each remaining arrow represents a correct response and earns a victory point.

• After 8 questions, count your final score and record it on the Record of Legends!

Hand to Hand Wombat

3-6 players | 15 min | ages 7+ | Exploding Kittens - JUST RELEASED!

Exploding Kittens new release! Players work together in teams with their eyes closed to either repair or sabotage three stacks of square towers before time runs out. The goal is to figure out who’s working against you, and get opposing players out of the game before it’s too late.

Ransom Notes

3-6 players | 30-90 min | ages 17+ | Evan & Josh’s Very Special Game Company

A creative party game for making hilariously terrible sentences. Players respond to outlandish situations like "Tell someone you've clogged their toilet at a party" with just their limited pool of word magnets, leaving even master wordsmiths no choice but to create awesomely horrendous phrases. With hundreds of word magnets included, every round is always fresh, wildly creative, and tears-streaming-down-your-face funny.

Each round, the player judge picks a situation and players try to come up with the best answer from their pool of magnets. Each is presented and the judge picks a winner. The game ends at a pre-determined number of rounds the player with the most points wins.

FAMILY GAMES

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

1-5 players | 60 min | ages 14+ | Z-Man Games

The Grand Army of the Republic is in continuous conflict with the unending waves of Count Dooku’s droid battalions. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars – A Pandemic System Game, stand together as legendary Jedi against the Sith Lord and his Separatist forces. Utilize each character’s unique abilities to cut down swarms of droids, complete missions across the galaxy, and use the power of the Force to battle iconic villains across four exciting scenarios.

Lots of variability in this game, gorgeous minis, and a personal favorite in the whole Pandemic series.

Namiji

2-5 players | 45 min | ages 8+ | Funforge - RELEASES DECEMBER 2nd

In Namiji, you are fishers from the Japan of yesteryear, navigating south of the Japanese archipelago, a few kilometers from the famous Tokaido road. You will need to have a fruitful day at sea to win the game.

To do this, you will have the opportunity to contemplate magnificent marine species, to fish with a line or a net to fill your racks with colorful fish, and haul in your crustacean traps.

You can benefit from stops to improve your fishing equipment, and you will also have to contend with the gods of the sea by setting offerings afloat, or by fulfilling their wishes that they express during your contemplation with the Sacred Rocks, for which they will reward you.

Namiji is the spiritual sequel to the best-selling and award-winning Tokaido but is a standalone game with its own set of unique rules and gameplay mechanics.

Flamecraft

1-5 players | 60 min | ages 10+ | Lucky Duck/Cardboard Alchemy

Artisan dragons, the smaller and magically talented versions of their larger (and destructive) cousins, are sought by shopkeepers so that they may delight customers with their flamecraft. You are a Flamekeeper, skilled in the art of conversing with dragons, placing them in their ideal home and using enchantments to entice them to produce wondrous things. Your reputation will grow as you aid the dragons and shopkeepers, and the Flamekeeper with the most reputation will be known as the Master of Flamecraft.

In Flamecraft, 1-5 players take on the role of Flamekeepers, gathering items, placing dragons and casting enchantments to enhance the shops of the town. Dragons are specialized (bread, meat, iron, crystal, plant and potion) and the Flamekeepers know which shops are the best home for each. Visit a shop to gain items and a favor from one of the dragons there. Gathered items can be used to enchant a shop, gaining reputation and the favors of all the dragons in the shop. If you are fortunate enough to attract fancy dragons then you will have opportunities to secure even more reputation.

A gorgeous production with whimsical art. Very friendly, engine building family game.

Star Wars Villainous

2-4 players | 50 min | ages 10+ | Ravensburger

The Villainous hit series extends into the Star Wars universe! Each player takes control of one of five Star Wars characters: Darth Vader, Asajj Ventress, Kylo Ren, Moff Gideon, or General Grievous. All have their own evil plan to accomplish and this is a race to be the first to win!

Smash Up 10th Anniversary

2-4 players | 30-45 min | ages 14+ | Alderac Entertainment Group

Smash Up celebrates 10 years with an all-new set including new factions, a new way to play, and lots of goodies for fans of the game!

The set will also include special items such as a Goblin collector coin, the 10th Anniversary Art Book, the all-new Big Base mode of play, and more!

King of Monster Island

1-5 players | 45-60 min | ages 10+ | iello Games - JUST RELEASED!

Cooperative King of Tokyo? One of the most popular and recommended games out there gets a re-skin in a very powerful monster way. Say no more! This will be on every gamers wishlist, and we can’t wait to play ourselves.

Azul: Master Chocolatier

2-4 players | 30-45 min | ages 8+ | Next Move Games

Do you need an Azul in new clothes? Maybe not, but… This version is exactly the same as base game Azul, but there is a small variant where a few of the drafting tiles can be flipped to shake things up a little bit (not a lot and nothing complex). Very easy on the eyes and a gorgeous set of colors. I’ve been telling people if you don’t have base game Azul yet, pick this up. If you are an Azul collector and/or LOVE Azul, go ahead and add it to the collection. And, if you like flipping games, pick this up and keep it in shrink. Limited printing and I’m pretty confident it will be worth more than it’s selling for down the road.

Disney’s Sorcerer’s Arena: Epic Alliances

2-4 players | 35 min | ages 13+ | The Op

Honestly, this is one of the most under-rated games right now. Not in terms of people rating it low (it has high ratings!), it should just be getting so much more attention than it has. Pick your favorite 3 Disney characters (hero or villain!) and mash up a team in a battle royal! Each character has a different deck of cards and you can find some really fun synergies between these characters. Two expansions have been released that can add even MORE characters to the mix. This game scales in complexity. Rulebook is awesome and basic version is easy for younger kids to play, but it is a very intense and interesting game of strategy and the full level. Seriously - check this game out! My only wish in this game is if they would release a miniature pack of all the characters so I can paint them (insert heart eyes emoji). That would be a dream, but would also make this game more expensive so I see why they didn’t do that. (Seriously OP, please make a mini pack!). The acrylic standees are great and colorful tough, just a painter talking here.

Popcorn Dice

2-6 players | 10-20 min | ages 7+ | Van Ryder Games

Popcorn Dice is a fast & fun dice game for the whole family! Roll your dice to pop your popcorn, but careful not to let it burn. Each popcorn rolled is one point and double pops are worth two, kernels go back to be rolled again. If you roll 4 burnt popcorns you bust and don't score any points for the round, but you can mitigate them by using a double pop to cancel a burnt pop. After each roll, decide to stop and score or press your luck and roll again.

Score 30 points or pop the perfect bowl of popcorn (all pop or double pop results) to win!

Heat: Pedal to the Metal

1-6 players | 30 min | ages 10+ | Days of Wonder - JUST RELEASED!

Days of Wonder Studios returns with a HUGE HIT! My favorite racing game now. I expect this one to stay in the game collection. The base box was made for more expansions to add and a few more players! I’ll be getting it all. Various ways to play this game. The most detailed version involves upgrading your car with new cards to draft with unique abilities, but you can play the simple version and it’s a blast on its own. Reminds me of the old video game Super Off Road as you level up your truck and a “boost” like nitro as you race. Be careful not to spin out though! You can race a single course, or you can put together your own event day with a series of races for a season. Way to go DOW!

Marvel Dice Throne

2-4 players | 30 min | ages 8+ | The Op

Marvel Dice Throne is a fast-playing, dice-rolling combat game that lets players battle as their favorite Marvel heroes in one-on-one duels, team battles, and free-for-alls! Based on the smash success Dice Throne, this Marvel Dice Throne 4 Hero Box puts players in the roles of Scarlet Witch, Thor, Loki, and Spider-Man, each with their own set of dice, player board, and unique deck of cards.

Attack your opponents and activate abilities with dice rolls, accumulate combat points, and spend them on action cards that allow for ability upgrades such as Scarlet Witch’s Chaos Magic and Spider-Man’s Invisibility. All 4 heroes are compatible with the entire Dice Throne ecosystem.

Challengers!

1-8 players | 45 min | ages 8+ | Z-Man Games - JUST RELEASED!

Challengers is an interactive Deck Management game with an original tournament gameplay style for 1-8 players. Play individually or with a group of friends!
Each round, each player improves their deck with new characters and battle against new opponents. 75 distinct characters with more than 40 exciting effects create a unique experience every game!

Trekking through History

2-4 players | 30-60 min | ages 10+ | Underdog Games

In the game, you go on a three-day tour of human history, traveling thousands of years in a time machine to experience great moments from our past. The game takes place over three rounds, each representing one day of your trip. Each day, you visit a series of historical events, spending a different number of hours at each. On each turn, you choose to visit one historical event, and spend a certain number of hours doing it. Doing so will yield benefits, like checking off items on your itinerary for points, and earning Time Crystals so you can bend the space-time continuum on future turns. Along the way, you’ll also score points for visiting historical events in chronological order. The player with the most points after three rounds wins.

Two-Player Games

Splendor Duel

2 players | 45 min | ages 8+ | Space Cowboys - JUST RELEASED!

The award-winning game Splendor returns with this fresh take on its classic drafting gameplay. Featuring the clever engine building that Splendor is known for, Splendor Duel offers a compact, tight two-player experience that will be instantly recognizable to fans of the original game, while also adding new decisions and mechanisms that offer deeper strategic options.

The new common board has players drafting Gem, Gold and rare Pearl tokens from a 5x5 grid. Only allowed to draft up to 3 tokens in a consecutive line, taking tokens will create gaps in the board and will limit how many and what kind of token players will be able to take in future turns.

Co-designed by Marc André (Splendor) and Bruno Cathala (7 Wonders Duel, Kingdomino), Splendor Duel is an exciting new entry in the Splendor product line. We really enjoyed this one and it is now a top choice recommendation for a two player game!

Wingspan Asia

1-2 players | 40-70 min | ages 10+ | Stonemaier Games - RELEASES DECEMBER 2nd IN STORE, Dec 9th online (local is the best and you get it early!)

Does this need an introduction? The global phenomenal hit Wingspan returns in its third series as a solo and 2 player mode stand alone game. Adds new species to our habitats by exploring the vibrant, intriguing, and magnificent birds of Asia. These birds were chosen from the over 2,800 species that live in Asia.

Wingspan Asia is several different things: A stand-alone game for 1 player or 2 players (Duet mode that can be used with any bird/bonus cards), a card expansion to the original Wingspan (any bird/bonus cards across any Wingspan game or expansion can be combined), and a 6-7 player expansion via the new Flock mode (for which the player components from the core game are necessary). A must have for the Wingspan fanatics or if you are looking for an intro into the game.

Kids Games

Quacks & Co.

2-4 players | 30 min | ages 5+ | Palm Court

Every year, the day before the festival made famous in the Quacks of Quedlinburg, all the town’s kids compete in a dramatic race. This year, you’ll be joining in, along with Quacks the Donkey and Co. Your job is to help your animal friends win the race by feeding them the best food along the way. Race your way to the finish line and win the town’s coveted Golden Cauldron!

This is the leading game for our “Kids Game of the Year” title. So fun to play as an adult too. I think the art is a little misleading as it could have been marketed a bit more “all ages”, but it is a hit game no matter how you classify it. Well done and highly recommended.

Mysterium Kids: Captain Echo’s Treasure

2-6 players | 30 min | ages 6+ | Libellud - RELEASES DECEMBER 2ND

Will you be able to find the treasure? Legend has it that the old mansion on the outskirts of the city is home to a fabulous treasure! Hoping to find it, you decide to spend the night there. You are about to give up when the ghost of Captain Echo appears to help you find his treasure. He isn't much of a talker, but he plays a mean tambourine, and he's going to use it to tell you which rooms to search in!

Mysterium Kids: Captain Echo's Tresor is a cooperative game specially designed for kids. It helps develop children's concentration and imagination. In turn, play as the ghost or as treasure seekers and try to find in team which illustrated card corresponds to the location of the treasure, all while guided by the tambourine's sounds only!

My First Escape Game

2-5 players | 45 min | ages 5-7 | 404 Editions

404 Editions' escape boxes invite players of all ages to experience a unique family adventure. Each box contains everything they’ll need to organize their own escape game at home, with a practical guide to help them place each element in the room of their choice. One player will be the game master, it is up to them to guide the players to solve the puzzles and get to the end of the adventure!

In My First Escape Game, players must help Athi, the little dragon, finish his Woods Test, a task he must complete to become and an adult, and find a way out of the forest. With only 45 minutes to succeed, players will need to work together to collect clues, find solutions, and help Athi!

Our 5 and 8 year old loved this experience. It was a blast as an adult to guide them through their first escape game! While it might seem strange to have such a specific age recommendation, that is the sweet spot. Our 8 year old had fun, but it was a little easier for him. Highly recommended and great stocking fitter game and price point! $9.99

My junior rpg

2-5 players | 45 min | ages 8+ | 404 Editions

My Junior Role Playing Game is an introduction to tabletop top roleplaying games for kids 8 years and older. Streamlining the tried-and-true roll to resolve gameplay of RPGs, players will work together as they play through a light RPG adventure, rolling dice to take actions and check success and collecting clues to unravel the story’s mystery.

Players will play as Akir, Liu, Jo’ and Lucas, four friends at Summer camp. They hear about a mysterious haunted castle and decide to go explore it and solve the mystery surrounding the spooky location and its ghostly inhabitants. Great stocking fitter game and price point! $9.99

Moonlight Castle

2-4 players | 30 min | ages 5 + | Haba Games - JUST RELEASED!

Tonight won‘t be a peaceful night! In the garden of the Moonlight Castle, Zirroz the magician uses his power to make all the kingdom’s jewels magically float away. To stop him, the players must creep cleverly through the castle garden and collect colorful pebbles. They pick the right moment to secretly swap them for the stolen gems. But be careful – the colors need to match, otherwise the plan won’t work! The player who recovers the most jewels wins. A magically colorful collecting and sliding game! HABA is the best!

Unlock! Kids

1-4 players | 45 min | ages 6+ | Space Cow

Adapted from the hit Unlock! series of games, Unlock! Kids invites young players and their families to test their mental fortitude and problem-solving skills in a set of escape games adapted from other Unlock! adventures.

Unlock! Kids contains 3 stories, with 2 adventures each, and does not require and app to play. There’s even a tutorial that teaches the game as it’s played.

Epic & Thematic Games

Zombicide: Undead or Alive

1-6 players | 60 min | ages 14+ | CMON - JUST RELEASED!

Zombicide: Undead Or Alive is a cooperative game for 1 to 6 players, ages 14 and up. Play as a team with your friends, as survivors of a zombie invasion in the Old West, with an action twist! Zombies are played by the game itself, using simple rules and a deck of cards. Find weapons, kill zombies, build your Survivors’ adrenaline to unlock their true potential. The more zombies you kill, the more of them are coming!

I own everything Zombicide and it is hands down one of my favorite and most played games of all time. This might be the best version yet, but I’ve only played a couple of games so far and I’m still waiting on some additional expansions on the way. The wild west theme is awesome and the small adjustments of a few mechanics make for new ways of interesting gameplay. Will I get rid of the other versions and just play this one now? Of course not! The more Zombicide, the merrier. And, the more heads ‘r gunna roll! If you are new to the series, this is a great version to start with, or I recommend the second edition of the original base game. This is the 8th (!) installment of the series with the highly anticipated 9th installment, MARVEL ZOMBIES, releasing hopefully this December!

Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape

1-6 players | 60 min | ages 14+ | CMON

The Massive Darkness has returned. This time, you’ll have to take the fight the source of evil itself! Years ago, the Lightbringers defeated the Darkness. But while the Darkness may have been driven back, a new generation of Lightbringers will have to make their way into the Infernal Realm itself in order to find the source of this Darkness. Choose a quest, explore dungeons, fight monsters, gear up, and end the Darkness once and for all.

Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape takes the exciting dungeon-crawling action of the original Massive Darkness and brings it to a whole new level with new characters, components, system, and rules. Take on the role of Lightbringers and fight the forces of Darkness in this thrilling cooperative game for 1-6 players.

If it’s CMON, it’s most likely going to epic and thematic no matter what. I’ve said this before and I’m saying it here. If you are looking for a one off dungeon crawler, this is the pinnacle now. Massive Darkness takes the engine parts of Zombicide and creates a refined dungeon romp with RPG elements and highly unique skilled characters. Miniatures are stellar per usual.

War of the Ring: The Card Game

2-4 players | 90-120 min | ages 14+ | Ares Games - RELEASES DECEMBER

Inspired by the best-selling and award-winning War of the Ring board game, War of the Ring: The Card Game allows players to journey to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and create their own version of the dramatic conflict between the Dark Lord, Sauron, and the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.
In War of the Ring: The Card Game, up to 4 players compete in two teams, the Shadow against the Free Peoples, each player using a specific and different card deck representing the strengths and weaknesses of the different factions involved in the war. The Free Peoples desperately try to complete their quest to destroy the One Ring, while at the same time defending their homelands from the encroaching hordes of Sauron and from his evil allies. The Shadow players must strike quickly and decisively, before the Ring-bearers can complete their quest; or try to slowly corrupt Frodo, burdening him with wounds, toil, and the sorrow for the loss of his Companions.

During the game, players will take turns playing cards representing the characters, armies, items, and events of the War of the Ring. Each card they play will help or hinder the journey of the Fellowship as it progresses on its Path; or be used to defend or conquer the strongholds of Middle-earth, as they fight to control the new Battleground cards activated in each round.

With more than 100 original illustrations from the greatest Tolkienian artists in the world, including an amazing gallery of landscapes from The Shire to Mordor by John and Fataneh Howe, War of the Ring: The Card Game is more than a game – it also a memorable collection for all lovers of the world imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien. This is your chance to forge the destiny of an age, like you never did before!

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Adventure Board Game

1-4 players | 120 min | ages 14+ | Mordiphius Entertainment - RELEASES DECEMBER 9th

You are surviving members of the Blades, a legendary group who long protected the Empire of Tamriel! Abandoned by your former allies, you must work together with your fellow adventurers to defeat enemies, embark on intriguing quests and face the looming threat that seeks to destroy everything you swore to protect.

In this endlessly replayable game of branching quests and mysteries to uncover, you take on the role of a brave Adventurer, in co-op or solo adventures with hundreds of hours of gameplay. Build your unique character, upgrade your equipment, delve into dungeons and travel across the Holds of Skyrim. Gain experience, find treasures and battle Draugr, Daedra, Dragons and more. Play through six chapters of two hugely replayable campaigns spanning 25 years in the history of Tamriel. Each decision matters, choose wisely and you may live to tell the tale of how you too used to be an Adventurer!

Marvel Champions: Mutant Genesis Expansion

1-4 players | 60 min | ages 14+ | Fantasy Flight Games

The world is always in need of heroes. In order to truly achieve peace, there are times when we must put aside our differences and focus on doing what is right. That is exactly what the X-Men do, and their story is all about their fight to protect a world that hates and fears them. Now, the X-Men have finally joined the fight in Marvel Champions: The Card Game!

As the game’s fifth campaign expansion, Mutant Genesis adds a plethora of classic X-Men characters to the scene, including two new playable heroes, Colossus and Shadowcat, each of which comes with a pre-built deck ready to play from the get-go. Face off against iconic villains, such as Sabretooth, Sentinels, and Magneto, and work together to overcome a fresh batch of challenges. This expansion includes five brand-new scenarios, each of which can be played individually or as part of a larger campaign.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or have only just started playing, anyone who enjoys Marvel Champions won’t want to miss out on Mutant Genesis!

SOLO GAMES

Final girl

1 player | 20-60 min | ages 14+ | Van Ryder Games

In this highly-thematic and highly variable horror game for one, you will be the star of one of several feature films! Step into the shoes of the girl of your choice and move, search, and fight your way to victory by eliminating the killer and surviving the night.

Prepare to square off against horrifying killers like Hans, the Poltergeist, Inkanyamba, Geppetto, Dr. Fright, and the Birds in iconic locations like Camp Happy Trails, Creech Manor, the Sacred Groves, the Carnival of Blood, and Maple Lane. Full of 70’s and 80’s slasher film nostalgia!

Town 66

1-4 players | 15 min | ages 9+ | Oink Games

”Town 66" can be enjoyed as a solo puzzle game, or make it into a strategy and puzzle board game that can be enjoyed by two or more players. All you have to do is place the tiles into rows without repeating shapes or colors. But before you know it, you'll run out of spots to place tiles! This game is recommended for those who like to use their heads in Sudoku and crossword puzzles, as well as for those who just enjoy training their brain.

As you are building a 6 x 6 town, make sure that houses of the same shape or color don't end up in the same row. The player who builds the last house wins the game, but the player has the choice of timing when they will reduce the number of tiles in their hand. Once reduced, the number of tiles will no longer increase. If you reduce your cards too early, your options will be limited, but if you take your time, you'll run out of places to build houses! Players can enjoy this puzzle game solo and aim for a high score, or with two or more players and enjoy the game with added strategy. Here's a board game with a puzzle element that will have you saying, "one more time!"

Strategy Games

Clank! Catacombs

2-4 players | 45-90 min | ages 13+ | Dire Wolf - JUST RELEASED!

Leave the board behind with CLANK! Catacombs, a stand-alone deck-building adventure! The catacombs of the skeletal dragon Umbrok Vessna are mysterious and dangerous. Portals transport you all around the dungeon depths. Wayshrines offer vast riches to intrepid explorers. Prisoners are counting on you to free them. Ghosts, once disturbed, may haunt you to death. Each trip into the catacombs is unique, as you lay tiles to create the dungeon. You can play using only the all-new Dungeon Deck, or include cards from previous CLANK! expansions. Find your fortune (and escape the dragon!) in CLANK! Catacombs.

Skate Summer

2-5 players | 45-60 min | ages 14+ | Pandasaurus Games

It's Skate Summer and you're riding the sun-drenched half-pipes of Pelican Park. Locals know there's no ledge too high, no rail too long, and no ramp too dangerous for you and your crew. Nail rad trick combos and show off your skills, but be careful - the longer you stay on your board, the more likely you are to bail!

Leave your mark around town, collecting all the S-K-A-T-E-R upgrades from each corner of the board. Get some big air or roll down a ramp to get there even faster! Do you have what it takes to be the best skater, or will you fade into the sunset? Tony Hawk the board game!

Weather machine

1-4 players | 60-150 min | ages 14+ | Eagle-Gryphon Games - JUST RELEASED!

In Weather Machine, you take on the role of one of the Scientists working with Professor Lativ. You must manage your own Laboratory, acquiring Vouchers to spend in other Locations, building Bots, acquiring Chemicals, and increasing the size of your Workshop where you will store resources and build prototypes.

Once you have conducted enough research into a particular type of weather, you want to publish a paper on the subject, and then build a prototype to help fix some of the extreme weather caused by experiments made by Lativ’s flawed Weather Machine. The research into those flaws will lead to breakthroughs that will help humanity to fix extreme weather forever, getting you Awards and possibly a Nobel Prize!

Vital Lacerda designs are not for the faint of heart. Some gamers will not be interested in this level of complexity. It takes some effort to learn these amazing masterpieces of game machinery, but there is nothing more rewarding! Another gem to this gorgeous lineup of powerhouse designer, publisher, and artist and graphic design wizard Ian O’Toole.

The Wolves

2-5 players | 75 min | ages 14+ | Pandasaurus Games - JUST RELEASED!

Lead your pack to dominance!

The Wolves is a pack-building strategy game for 2-5 players. It’s survival of the fittest as you compete to build the largest, most dominant pack by claiming territory, recruiting lone wolves, and hunting prey. But be careful not to expand too recklessly into terrain where your rivals thrive– they may lure members of your pack away!

 A clever action-selection mechanism drives your choices. Each action requires you to flip terrain tiles matching the terrain where you wish to take your action. These double-sided tiles mean the actions you take this round will set up which terrain types you can act on in the next round. As you take actions to expand your pack’s control of each region, you will also upgrade your pack’s attributes, allowing you to take more aggressive actions as the game goes on. The Wolves is a highly interactive and deeply thematic strategy game that will have players coming back to the pack again and again.

Catan 3D: Seafarers & Cities and Knights Expansion

3-4 players | 90 min | ages 12+ | Catan Studio

Continue your three-dimensional adventures on Catan with two highly- anticipated and requested expansions. CATAN – Seafarers: Send your ships to explore uncharted islands to build new settlements and discover valuable gold. CATAN – Cities & Knights: Develop your cities and join forces with your neighboring factions to defend Catan against the ruthless barbarians!

For all you Catan lovers out there or those that prefer deluxe. This is the way to play! Such a gorgeous production and great gift for the holidays.

Ark Nova

1-4 players | 90-150 min | ages 14+ | Capstone Games

In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal.

At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans.

Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are:

• BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions.

• ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo.

• CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards).

• ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks.

• SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money.

With a lot of love for the theme, game designer Mathias Wigge has created an interestingly interwoven game. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again. Shot all the way to 4th highest ranked board game of all time on Board Game Geek.

Endless Winter: Paleoamericans

1-4 players | 90 min | ages 12+ | Fantasia Games

Endless Winter: Paleoamericans takes place in North America, around 10,000 BCE. Players guide the development of their tribes across several generations—from nomadic hunter-gatherers to prosperous tribal societies. Over the course of the game, tribes migrate and settle new lands, establish cultural traditions, hunt paleolithic megafauna, and build everlasting megalithic structures.

Endless Winter is a euro-style game that combines worker placement and deck building in an innovative way. Each round, players send their tribe members to various action spaces, and pay for the actions by playing cards and spending resources. Tribe cards grant additional labor, while Culture cards provide a variety of unique effects. As an alternative, cards can be saved for an end-of-round Eclipse phase, where they are simultaneously revealed to determine the new player order, and trigger various bonus actions.

The game features a novel blend of interwoven systems and mechanisms, such as multi-use cards, area influence, tile placement, and set collection. Plus, there are many viable paths to victory. After four brisk rounds, scores are tallied, and the tribe with the most points wins!

Carnegie

1-4 players | 90-180 min | ages 12+ | Pegasus Spiele / Quined Games

Carnegie was inspired by the life of Andrew Carnegie who was born in Scotland in 1835. Andrew Carnegie and his parents emigrated to the United States in 1848. Although he started his career as a telegraphist, his role as one of the major players in the rise of the United States’ steel industry made him one of the richest men in the world and an icon of the American dream.

Andrew Carnegie was also a benefactor and philanthropist; upon his death in 1919, more than $350 million of his wealth was bequeathed to various foundations, with another $30 million going to various charities. His endowments created nearly 2,500 free public libraries that bear his name: the Carnegie Libraries.

During the game you will recruit and manage employees, expand your business, invest in real estate, produce and sell goods, and create transport chains across the United States; you may even work with important personalities of the era. Perhaps you will even become an illustrious benefactor who contributes to the greatness of his country through deeds and generosity! The game takes place over 20 rounds; players will each have one turn per round. On each turn, the active player will choose one of four actions, which the other players may follow. The goal of the game is to build the most prestigious company, as symbolized by victory points.

My favorite strategy game of the year so far. More to play still, but this one is a definite keeper in the collection. From one of my favorite designers of all time.

Tiletum

1-4 players | 60-100 min | ages 14+ | Board and Dice Games

In Tiletum, you and fellow players take on the roles of rich merchants traveling throughout Europe, from Flanders to Venice, during the Golden Age of the Renaissance.

You will travel to various cities to acquire trade contracts for wool and iron, as well as a collection of their coats of arms. You must collect the required resources to fulfill contracts, invest in the construction of monumental cathedrals, gain the favor of noble families, and participate in important fairs where your main business occurs. You will also use the services of notable people who will be welcomed into your houses. You will thus gain prestige that will make you the most famous merchant of the Renaissance.

Tiletum is a dice management game in which dice have a dual function: gaining resources and performing actions. A certain number of dice will be rolled each round. On your turn, choose a die to gain the number of corresponding resources equal to the value of the die, then perform the associated action. The power of the action is inversely proportional to the value of the die, so the fewer resources you gain, the more powerful the actions you take and vice versa.

From my favorite design duo, Tascini & Luciani.

Guild of Merchant Explorers

1-4 players | 45 min | ages 14+ | Alderac Entertainment Group

The Queen has sent out a call to The Guild of Merchant Explorers, asking brave adventurers to voyage to all corners of the kingdom of Tigomé. While the kingdom is flourishing, its maps have not been updated in some time and its great cities have lost contact with one another. With your team of explorers, you will journey over rough seas, majestic mountains, vast deserts, and lush grasslands to establish trade routes between cities, visit far-seeing discovery towers, and discover new villages that have emerged.

In The Guild of Merchant Explorers, each player starts with one city on their personal map board. Shuffle the deck of terrain cards, then reveal most of these cards one by one. Based on the terrain revealed, each player places on their board cubes that are connected to their starting city or other cubes. You want to complete areas on your board, cross the seas to new land, and establish new cities on the board. You can explore capsized ships for treasure — which gives you special placement capabilities — and create linked connections between locations to score bonus points. Common objectives can be completed by all players, with those who complete it first scoring more points.

At the end of a round, all cubes are removed from each board, leaving only the cities behind, so if you don't establish new cities, you'll be stuck in the same places. The Guild of Merchant Explorers contains multiple copies of four different maps, and the game is designed so that you can play remotely with one or more copies.

Gutenberg

1-4 players | 60-120 min | ages 10+ | Granna / Portal Publishing

Gutenberg is a mid-weight strategy game taking place in Europe in the 15th century. Each player takes the role of the printing pioneer trying to build their wealth and fame by developing their production capacity and gaining the support of patrons. Through bidding for specific actions the players develop their printing workshops and acquire new fonts, inks, and decorations. The unique system of rotating gears allows players to combine bonuses and earn large amounts of points. The game lasts six rounds and the player with the most points at the end wins.

This is such a slick and streamlined design, and surprisingly accessible. A wonderful choice for a strategy game, whether to explore personally or introduce another into the hobby.

First Empires

2-5 players | 45-60 min | ages 14+ | Sand Castle Games

What if the entire history of the world had unfolded differently? What if the great empires of our history had never come into being? What if other early civilizations had risen to greatness instead? First Empires is a game of light conquests and civilization where players take leadership of ancient Empires. With lucky dice rolls, bold movements on the map and careful planning on their civilization board, they compete to achieve victory After all, empires are won and lost on a roll of the dice!

Another sad situation of a HIGHLY overlooked game. This game is one of the best I’ve played this year hands down. Awesome play time, easy to get to the table, and very meaty and competitive.

Roll/Flip & Write

Dinosaur Island Rawr ‘n Write

1-4 players | 30-45 min | ages 10+ | Pandasaurus Games

In Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write, your goal is to build the best dang dinosaur theme park you can! You do this by collecting DNA to make Dinosaurs, hiring Specialists to use their unique abilities, and building Attractions and special Buildings to enhance your visitor experience. However, Dinosaurs are dangerous, and if you don't put some effort into keeping your park secure, you might just "lose track" of some of your visitors... All of your progress (and missteps!) will be marked on your Park sheets, where you draw the layout of your park, store and spend resources, and record your progress. At the end of the game, you each score your performance, and whoever has the highest score wins!

This game was released in 2021, but was new to me this past year and noteworthy enough to mention here.

Twilight Inscription

1-8 players | 90-120 min | ages 14+ | Fantasy Flight Games

The Lazax Empire has burned to ash, rejected by its subjects. The aftermath was tragedy and petty conflict in equal measure, a time of loss and exhaustion. In the ensuing Dark Years, the factions of the galaxy retreated and recovered their strength. Now, they look upon the stars and see an opportunity—a chance to reclaim what was lost. A chance to redefine galactic civilization. A chance to leave their mark upon the stars.

Twilight Inscription, an epic roll-and-write game for one to eight players, offers an experience unlike anything Fantasy Flight Games has done before. With a limited pool of resources at your disposal, you’ll need to carefully manage Navigation, Expansion, Industry, and Warfare as you amass victory points and earn your right to the throne on Mecatol Rex. Will your faction become the new rulers of the galaxy? Or will your fledgling empire fade into obscurity? Anything can happen in this strategic, infinitely-replayable game!

Card Games

Cat in the Box

2-5 players | 20-40 min | ages 13+ | Bezier Games

Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition is the quintessential quantum trick-taking card game for 2 - 5 cool cats, where your card's color isn’t defined until you play it! Hypothesize how many tricks you will win, and record your bid. Place tokens on the community research board as you play your hand, and connect large groups of tokens to score even more points. Plan your tricks carefully as you cannot claim the color of a card with the same number that has already been declared. Doing so would be pawsitively catastrophic as you have just created a paradox! (Notice this does not say pair o' dogs. Gross.) First printing is currently out of stock, but expected again at the end of year or early 2023.

The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

2-5 players | 20 min | ages 10+ | KOSMOS

In this highly-anticipated followup to the original cooperative card game — winner of the 2020 Kennerspiel des Jahres — players work together to search for the lost continent of Mu. This new adventure takes your crew deep down into the abyss on a search for the fabled sunken land. How far you get depends entirely on how well you work together as a team. Card by card, trick by trick, your search party will discover the challenges that lie ahead and forge a path to Mu. This new version of The Crew has the same innovative cooperative trick-taking mechanic as the highly lauded original game — but with some exciting new surprises! 

While communication between your crew members is severely limited by your submerged state, it is also critical to your success; finding the hidden land in the murky depths depends not only on winning tricks, but also on carefully negotiating the order in which they are won. If things don’t go as planned, you might just be able to salvage the operation. But it will take near flawless execution and perhaps a little luck to finally reach Mu. 

Deduction

Turing Machine

1-4 players | 20 min | ages 14+ | Scorpion Masqué

Turing Machine is a fascinating and competitive deduction game. It offers a unique experience of questioning a proto-computer that works without electricity or any sort of technology, paving the way for a new generation of deduction games. The Goal? Find the secret code before the other players, by cleverly questioning the machine. With Turing Machine, you’ll use an analog computer with unique components made of never-before-seen perforated cards. The game offers more than seven million problems from simple to mind-staggeringly complex combinations, making the gameplay practically endless!

- TEST YOUR HYPOTHESIS: Create a 3 digit code by stacking punch cards, then ask the analog artificial intelligence computers - each with a different logic puzzle - to check your answer.

- DEDUCE THE SECRET CODE: Each logic question will bring you closer to the secret code, either through the process of elimination or relations between numbers.

- PLAY AS A TEAM OR SOLO: Including the original competitive mode, you can combine your brain power as a team or try to beat the game itself while playing solo.

- NOVEL COMPONENTS: Overlay punchcards to test your secret code against the artificial intelligence computers, reminiscent of computers from the 1970s.

- 7 MILLION COMBINATIONS: On the online problem generator website, find over 7,000,000 different setup combinations, making the gameplay practically endless!

This game is hot hot hot. So hot, it’s backordered and going to be hard to find before the end of the year sadly. Rest assured, more is coming, but not until March 2023. Worth mentioning on this list as a noteworthy release and title you should definitely check out, but be prepared you’ll need to wait most likely to get your hands on a copy.

Mind MGMT

1-5 players | 45-75 min | ages 13+ | Off the Page Games

MIND MGMT: The Psychic Espionage “Game” is a one-versus-many, hidden-movement game about a top-secret organization that uses psychic spies to alter world events. One player is the Recruiter for MIND MGMT who must race around Zanzibar in an attempt to collect enough new recruits to win. All the other players are Rogue Agents who used to work for MIND MGMT, but now are trying to take it down from the outside. If they can deduce and pinpoint the exact location of the Recruiter they win!

AMAZING FEATURES:

• One of the fastest hidden movement games on the market!

• Secrets throughout lead to print & play content for the game!

• Solo & Co-op mode included with free iOs and Android app

• Campaign-style game with 14 sealed packages to unlock

Deluxe copies and deluxe upgrade packs available. Many say this is the king of hidden movement games now!

Role Playing Games

Dungeons & Dragons: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Starter set

2-6 players | 30+ min | ages 12+ | Wizards of the Coast

Everything you need to start playing the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

The Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is your gateway to action-packed adventures in the cooperative storytelling game Dungeons & Dragons, where heroes battle monsters, find treasure, and undertake epic quests.

This box contains the essential rules of the game plus everything you need to play heroic characters caught up in an ancient war among dragons as they explore the secrets of Stormwreck Isle. This is a great intro into D&D!

THIS SET INCLUDES:

• 48-page adventure booklet with everything you need to get started

• 32-page rulebook for playing characters of levels 1–3

• 5 ready-to-play characters, each with a character sheet

• 6 polyhedral game dice