We look ahead most of the time, and think of what next to buy or drool over. But at the end of the year it's kind of nice to look back and see what games brought the most joy.
Best of the 2019 Kickstarters
There were some real good smaller games this year on Kickstarter. I'm looking forward to receiving Pocket Landship, Orchard and Dwarf.
The game with the most original theme and thus very intriguing for me was Pangea. It only just lost out to the Kickstarter Game of the Year. As I have great expectations for:
It looks like so much fun! The game doesn't just have dice, dice and dice, but also very customizable heroes that level up during the game. I love this kind of customization.
Best expansion of 2019
While Wingspan: European Expansion lifted the game to a (re)playable state, I still prefer this multiplayer. But, it brought everything the base game lacked so it certainly deserves a mention. I really enjoyed playing Legendary Encounters: Alien Covenant, but it is a bit of a stand-alone affair, not as good to mix in with older content like the first expansion.
The expansion that did everything right (except for Kickstarter fulfilment, but let's talk content and gameplay today) was:
It gave more of everything, some new gameplay modules to plug in and it came in a huge box that fit everything ever released. Street Masters is a game I can keep playing for years. It's the Expansion of the Year.
Best game of 2019
Aerion is a nice new addition to the Oniverse. I don't know if it will ever replace Onirim though. The second edition of D-Day Dice is absolutely great and among the best games of this year.
There are lots of games I do not own, so I can't comment on Cloudspire or Maracaibo. I'd love to try them.
The game that brought the most joy to me was an installment of the game I love to hate, Aeon's End. And no, it wasn't Aeon's End: The New Age. I did not enjoy the included expedition. Give me a real Legacy game. Give me:
This game does everything right. It can serve as an introduction to the gameplay of Aeon's End. It has a cool system in which you can take a gamble with taking your loss now or perhaps get worse repercussions in a future game. The leveling up of your characters is great. I played with three as I could not really fit four on my table. But I only had ideas for leveling up two of them. I gave the third rather random abilities. Near the end he was a powerhouse. I was so surprised. It was great.
