2022 Wrap-up: New to the Table

Every year I set a goal for myself that pertains to the year. I started this in 2020, setting the goal to play 20 new-to-me games and read 20 new-to-me books during the year. In 2021 it was 21 of each. This year it was 22 of each. We’re not going to discuss the books here, most likely, but I wanted to talk about the new-to-me games I’ve played this year.

I made my goal pretty handily, playing 36 new-to-me games. Game nights helped me hit that goal, honestly, but so did buying games I knew would get played. I also bought games I didn’t think would get played (which is why I also keep an embarrassingly long list of unplayed games, which maybe we’ll talk about in the new year), but that’s a different story. Let’s chat about what I’ve played this year for the first time!

P’achakuna
I played this once and dumped it in the charity auction because it’s fundamentally broken and not that fun. I was happy to support the company who made it, since they’re environmentally and culturally conscious. I only wish the game was better.

Deckscape: El Dorado
Bought while on vacation in Seattle. So quick to get through and ultimately unsatisfying.

Dune: Imperium
LOVE this game. Even if you don’t love the property, it’s a fun game with some neat cardplay, some fun mechanisms, and ten points that are so hard to get.

Trails of Tucana
This flip-and-fill game has you plotting routes on a map through specific scenery drawn from a deck of cards. It’s simple and fun.

Destinies
I haven’t given this the time it’s due. I played the first scenario and really enjoyed it, although I think I ended up playing some rules wrong. But I’m curious to see what else is in this one.

Master Word
Y’all. This game causes fights in my group. I love it, but you have to have a group that isn’t stubborn as fuck and working against their own interests.

Riverboat
I DESPERATELY want to get this back to the table. It was a lot of fun to play a three-handed solo game, and I want to play it with actual people. The “make do with what you have” thing is so compelling to me.

Skull Canyon: Ski Fest
It’s fine. I bought it for Robb, since the theme is up his alley. But neither of us loved it. We’ll probably give it another try sometime.

Long Shot: The Dice Game
For some reason, my group DID NOT get this game. I have no idea why it didn’t go over well. I know one of my players had massive AP, but he wasn’t the only one who this didn’t click with.

Fjords
I love this game. First half is relaxing map building. Second half is a knife fight in a phone booth.

Berried Treasure
It’s cute and dumb, and it makes me smile.

Stop Thief!
This game is MUCH harder than I expected it to be. It’s fun to listen to see where the thieves went, but man. There’s a lot of guessing without knowing. We’ll only ever play it co-op.

Railways Express
I bought all the Railways stuff I didn’t have when I backed the new Kickstarter maps, and this is the dice version of that. I’d like to play it again, but I think it won’t stay in my collection.

Railways of the World: The Card Game
This is the same deal as the one before. I didn’t love this, but I played it alone. Building routes with cards and not on a map is just not that satisfying.

Mercado de Lisboa
This fell so flat with me. I wanted to like it but it just feels SO meh.

Timeline
Simple game of putting things in line chronologically. Mix sets and have fun!

Ransom Notes
This magnetic poetry game has us all laughing, but you gotta make sure you keep games short. Also, don’t play with people who can’t make quick choices. It makes this game SO not fun.

Telepathy
We borrowed this one from a friend, and it’s a fun little deduction game that I am SO bad at. Seek it out. It’s strictly two-player.

Grove
This is a cute solo game of growing fruit. I really enjoyed it.

So Clover
My favorite party game of the year. No hesitation.

Scout
Scout is unbelievably great. It’s a ladder climbing card game with a fun twist, and I would play this with anyone who likes card games. The app just came out, and it’s magnificent.

Unsurmountable
I played this a few times. It’s a fun challenge but wasn’t that compelling.

Decktective: Bloody Red Roses
This is another one I bought while on vacation in Seattle (easy to transport). It was better than the Deckscape game I bought at the same time. The scenery build is neat. The game isn’t anything exciting, but it was fun to go through once and then give away.

Dandelions 
A roll and move game that is actually amazing. It’s based on an older Japanese design, and it’s convoluted and beautiful. So simple to play, but so many tactical choices.

Legacy of Dragonholt
To be honest, I barely remember this at all. I played through the first scenario chapter, I guess. I need to open this again. I liked what I played, but it wasn’t memorable.

Stick ‘Em
This trick-taking card game is MEAN. I am not really a fan of mean games, but I LOVE IT. Try not to get stuck with points. It’s that simple.

Beaches for the Brave
This is my favorite solo game of the year. It’s a military game with a grim theme, which is so not me, but holy crap is it good.

Keystone: North America
This game is gorgeous. Everyone we played with loved it. It’s a nice puzzle, and the theme is amenable to introducing to new players. This one surprised me with how much we all enjoyed it. We haven’t played it since that first time, though.

7 Wonders Architects
Speaking of surprises, this game SHOVED 7 Wonders off a cliff into a boiling sea of acid for me. It takes the complexity of the original and dumps it in favor of a simpler ruleset and more easily explainable goals. Love this. And it was so fun for everyone in the group, which SHOCKED me.

Aristocracy
Robb and I played this one wrong. But we played it almost right. Still, we had fun with that. I’ve been curious about this game for several years, and I’m glad I got it. It’s weird and the theme is whatever, but I like the puzzle of figuring out how to get ahead.

Tutankhamen 
This seats enough people that I bought it to play with my board game group. We enjoyed it well enough, and we’ll probably play it again, but 7 Wonders Architects will probably hit the table again first. The gods make people confused.

Santorini
Robb and I played this a handful of times and gave it to the charity auction because it just wasn’t something we thought we’d play much. Solid game. Looks beautiful. But just not his speed.

Dog Park
My friends backed this one, and they brought it over to play with us. It’s lighter than any of us expected, but seeing all the dog breeds and working out a plan to pile up some points was satisfying. I’m a fan of this one. Beautiful production!

Coconuts
Such stupid fun. Fling coconuts into cups using spring-loaded monkeys. That’s it. It makes people laugh and cheer and jeer. That’s all I need in a game.

King of Tokyo
FINALLY played this one. We all enjoyed rolling dice and beating each other down. I’m happy to get this one out for anyone. Pretty simple. Pretty satisfying.

Splendor Duel
Y’all. Play this game right now. It’s a winner. It packs all the satisfaction of Splendor into a two-player variant that is, in all ways but the player count, superior to its larger cousin.

And that’s everything new to me I’ve played this year. Favorite new game I’ve played? Probably Dune: Imperium. I’ve played a lot that I’ve liked a whole bunch. But I think Dune Imperium is highest on my top 100 list (of course, not everything on this list made it into my rankings).

What were some of your new favorites this year?

As always, I appreciate your eyeballs.

~Justin