It's been an absolutely stellar year for Tabletop Gaming, from exciting new releases to reiterations of modern classics. Today, we're taking at look at our favorite games of the year. The Tabletop Editorial Team has highlighted 10 incredible nominees for Game of the Year:
The latest version of the Warhammer 40K skirmish wargame streamlined a lot of rules (and got rid of the crazy shapes for measuring), and while the 2nd edition was great, this edition feels more polished and I love the addition of the free faction rules online, letting you build your force out of your existing models without any other purchase. It also introduced a great cooperative/solo mode (at the cost of the narrative campaign play, which we hope they bring back).
This year, Monte Cook Games managed two impressive tasks. Adapting the cult horror podcast series The Magnus Archives into a fun, atmospheric TTRPG. Second, through that adaptation introduce a compelling mental Stress system and with it a layer of cosmic horror into the award-winning Cypher System. Truly a wonder to behold.
When you give the elevator pitch of this game (a LOTR reskinning of 7 Wonders: Duel, which is itself a 2-player version of 7 Wonders) you'd be excused for thinking this is just a cash grab using a strong IP. But you'd be more wrong than Boromir suggesting one cannot simply walk into Mordor! With a tense back and forth, fun mechanics built around building a card tableau, and multiple routes to victory (including map control, points, and more), Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth was one of the most surprising gaming experiences we've had this year!
Written by Andrew Stretch
For families wanting to begin to broach more complicated TTRPGs with young family members HeroQuest First Light is an all-in-one box that will have them dungeon diving in no time. With a versatile game board that can be explored nearly infinite ways, and quick to grasp but satisfying combat, it becomes a bridge between a traditional board game and a pen and paper RPG. An added benefit is the GM Companion App that will allow for a party of four to explore without needing a GM lowering the barrier to entry even further.
Written by Giaco Furino
Wyrmspan is a game that takes something incredible and perfects upon it further, pushing the design right up to the limits to create a bold, inviting, and strategically rewarding experience. I think Wyrmspan may be one of the most engrossing gaming experiences I've had this year, and fans of the original Wingspan absolutely need to check this game out as soon as possible.
Even if the birding aspect is what initially drew you into Wingspan, rest assured that this game - full of its own swath of gorgeous illustrations - will completely sink its talons into you and your gaming group!