10: Lords of Hellas
In brief: Anyone that read my review of Lords of Hellas will probably have realised that without it appearing anywhere else in the top ten, it simply had to be number one. I love, love, love Lords of Hellas and almost everything about it. The player boards that steadily lock out more and more possible moves until a refresh action is taken are fantastic, but that feature pales into comparison when you look at the four different ways in which the game can be won. Killing monsters, claiming land, building temples or constructing huge modular statues and defending them, all of which feel thematic, balanced and exciting. It’s just awesome. That said, Lords of Hellas doesn’t so much bring ideas of its own — it simply aggregates every good idea that we’ve seen elsewhere (including a full solo campaign) and then brings them together. You know what? I’m OK with that — Lords of Hellas is my game of 2018.
Buy Lords of Hellas on Amazon.
9: Frostpunk: The Board Game
In brief: Frostpunk: The Board Game is almost perfect in respect to how well it recreates the feel and theme of the popular videogame (which we also love here at B3.) The only reason it isn’t higher in the list (not that 9th is anything to be sniffed at) is because it is so brutal and so hardcore that it really lends itself to solo play, or at most, two players, and in any case it’s very, very difficult to beat. This makes it a tough sell for most people, but if you’d like to know more, check out our review here.
Buy Frostpunk: The Board Game on Amazon.
8: The Quest for El Dorado (with Heroes and Hexes expansion)
In brief: In Reinzer Knizia’s The Quest for El Dorado, players use cards to build a deck and then chop, paddle and negotiate their way through a treacherous jungle in search of gold. Part deck-builder, all race game, The Quest for El Dorado is fast-paced, fun and clever – making players of all ages invest their focus into the game and returning that commitment with rewarding gameplay. Read our full review here.
Buy The Quest for El Dorado on Amazon.
7: Wonderlands War
In brief: In Wonderlands War, players will control characters from the classic Lewis Carroll tale as they compete to control different areas of Wonderland, scoring points on a round by round basis. The twist here is that to resolve conflicts, players will draw tokens from a bag (including madness) that might add or detract from their score. With a new expansion due in 2023, Wonderlands War is already a good game, and looks set to expand for those who want more. Our review is here.
Unfortunately, Wonderlands War is not available on Amazon, but you can find it in many local game stores.
6: Obsession
In brief: Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to run your own stately home (think Downton Abbey before it outstayed its welcome)? Well, now you can – thanks to our current favourite heavy game – Obsession. This superb effort from Dan Hallagan and Kayenta Games is a big, heavy eurogame with some uniquely thematic elements including card play, family scandals and a whole lot of keeping up with the Joneses! Read more about it here.
Whilst Obsession isn’t available from Amazon at the moment, you can find it in print at most friendly local game stores.
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