I never pass on the chance to talk about my favorite games. As the nights grow long, my family huddles around the game table in defiance, standing united against the dark! Ahem, well, actually we just love gaming. Here are a couple titles (classics as well as some new gems) that saw a lot of love in our house this year. I hope you found them equally fun, or, if you haven't played them, you'll consider giving them a try.
Best HEAVY: tied between Gaia Project's Lost Fleet expansion and Terraforming Mars' Prelude 2 expansion. Both offer refreshing new takes on their respective classic base games. There's no "right" pick here since both games usually deliver very close and dramatic endings, where many players feel like they can win in the last round. Both games deliver fun & memorable experiences.
Most hours logged: Kingdom Death Monster: Gambler's Chest Expansion. This is more of a multi-year hobby than a mere board game. Building and painting minis, then organizing your collection and explaining it to new players are all table stakes. It's also the heaviest game I play in terms of managing rules and game state. But the magic that happens when the Lantern Years start ticking along.... absolutely priceless! If you love high stakes rogue-like boss battling, this is the best of the best.
Light and satisfying: Things in Rings. This stocking-stuffer-sized game is so easy to play, it makes it to the table every time we're either short on time or brain cells and just want something social and funny to do. Which means it sees a lot of play. Plus, near zero setup and storage time. Perfect!
Honorable mentions: in no particular order we played the heck out of (and recommend) Pandemic Legacy (season 1, and the #2 all-time best board game on BGG), Vantage (with the starting "pet companions" mod from Stonemaier) and the super cute & portable 2-player game, Solstis.
Looking forward to getting reps between Christmas and New Years: SETI: Space Agencies. New civilizations! New asymmetrical faction abilities! Similar concept to TM's Preludes. I just got my copy as this article was going live, so stay tuned... Plus, I've heard good buzz around Medievallons, an explosive trick-taker & Covenant, a crunchy engine-builder from Devir. Let's see if my game sources are on track with these recommendations.
Looking forward to gaming with you in 2026. Thanks for reading. Cheers!
