20: Dead of Winter
In brief: Whilst already superseded by its own semi-sequel and more recently by Gen 7, which also features the Crossroads system of play, Dead of Winter remains perhaps the best zombie-centric survival horror game on the market. With hidden roles and secret scenarios, a dynamic story, a ton of unique characters and the excellent use of standee’s, Dead of Winter is well worth your time. Here’s our review.
19: Viticulture
In brief: One for the wine lovers, or especially for the lovers of both wine and board games at the same time, Viticulture is a richly satisfying and deep in flavour worker placement game about making fine wine. The Essential Edition which is now most commonly available includes a few minor features from the Tuscany expansion based on feedback into the designer, creating a much finer vintage. Read our tasting notes here.
18: Blood Rage
In brief: They say the oldies are often the best and there isn’t much to say about Blood Rage that hasn’t been said… Except perhaps that whilst it is exceptionally good and features some of the best miniatures in any game, it isn’t by any means the highest rated area control game on this list. Keep reading to see what else we have in store, or check out our Blood Rage write up here.
17: Majesty
In brief: Do you remember when I said that Hotshots was the last surprise in the list? Well, I lied. Majesty is another title that I felt delivered on its brief almost flawlessly. It’s a fast paced, beautiful card game that is perhaps a little overproduced thanks to the poker chips that it uses to track score, but even so, it’s a superb gateway game that has been somewhat overlooked during 2018. Don’t make the same mistake — here’s our review.
16: Orc-Lympics
In brief: Orc-Lympics may be a simple, small card game, but it’s a fantastic one that features several mechanics and a lot of personality. Draft your team, compete in events, win medals and admire the gorgeous artwork. A truly versatile game that combines travel game dimensions with a simple learning curve and a lot of depth, Orc-Lympics is worth reading about in detail.
