2023 was a fantastic year for tabletop gaming! Board games of all shapes are likely to continuing an excellent pastime, and so LRM Online is here to help you with your holiday for the gamers in your life! To narrow things down, we’ve picked a “best game” across a few different categories! Let’s jump in!
Best Overall Game of 2023:
Earth by InsideUp Games
Price: ~$50.00
Players: 1 to 5
Playtime: 45 to 90 minutes
Perfect for: Groups who love complex, strategic engine builders with a strong theme and multiple paths to victory through resource collection/allocation.
Earth is a game of ecological balance. Over several rounds, players will craft their own biome by populating a custom habitat filled with flora and fauna of their choosing. Taking heed to follow ecosystem “rules” (i.e., the right the living things paired with the optimal home), players can create synergies. Ultimately, the person with the most efficient and comprehensive biosphere will be victorious.
Earth is quite simply an exceptional game. It builds upon other games in the genre before it by smoothing out common issues in strategic resource allocation titles. Between the natural synergy, the art direction, the pace, and the measured complexity, Earth sets a new gold standard in design. Earth comes with the highest possible recommendation for nearly all board game groups.
Recommended if you like: Wingspan, Terraforming Mars, Ark Nova
Best Worker Placement Game
Apiary by Stonemaier Games
Price: ~$70.00
Players: 1 to 5
Playtime: 60 to 90 minutes
Perfect for: People who love balanced worker placement games with a strong theme, multiple paths to victory, and creative engine building.
Apiary is a game of explorer space bees! At some point in the (hopefully?) distant future, bees have evolved to become the dominate intelligent form of life in the universe. Now, they seek to expand through the stars. Players represent bee colonies in search of the best new home in the galaxy. The person with the most bountiful and productive new civilization will be ultimately be victorious.
Apiary is a fantastic game that is engaging and satisfying. One of its core strengths is the player interaction—anticipating others’ turns is paramount to establishing efficiency and optimization in game play. In addition, Apiary offers many avenues for success. For example, some players may choose to have the largest colony possible, while may try for specialization, or reputation. In a crowded genre, Apiary shines thanks to its clever theme and high level of engagement.
Recommended if you like: Euphoria, Tapestry, Terraforming Mars
Best Legacy Game
My Island by Thames & Kosmos
Price: ~$40.00
Players: 2 to 4
Playtime: 30 minutes
Perfect for: Legacy board game groups that enjoy evolving tile-placement experiences with a hint of puzzling and push-your-luck.
My Island is a game of strategic land development as players compete against each other to build their island in the most optimal way. To achieve this, each developer must thoughtfully consider where to construct various types of terrain and structures in order to make the most of the space available to them. Over time, the landscape will permanently change, presenting new challenges when forming the player’s custom island.
My Island is a fantastic strategic tile-placement game. The rules are easy to grasp, but the execution is just the right level of complicated. The legacy component works incredibly well as players tear open envelopes to discover their next challenges. This game is highly recommended for all gaming groups.
Recommended if you like: My City, Tiny Towns
Best Two-Person Game:
KAPOW! Volume 1 by Wise Wizard Games
Price: $50.00
Players: 2 (can also be played solo, or 2v2)
Playtime: ~20 to 60 minutes
Perfect for: Players who enjoy strategic dice-based, quasi-asymmetrical dueling games with a hint of luck.
KAPOW! Volume 1 is a game of epic battling between superheroes and supervillains. Players choose to either command a generic protagonist/antagonist, or a specific character within the KAPOW! Universe complete with their own unique abilities. The combatants will roll and assign dice strategically based upon the resources available to them while also anticipating the moves their opponent may make. Once a hero or villain loses all their hit points, the other player is victorious.
KAPOW! Volume 1 builds upon familiar mechanics to craft one of the best 2-player dueling board game experiences yet. Even with being dice-powered, KAPOW! has nuance to its strategy and execution that goes well beyond “selecting the best obvious choice,” that similar games have. Simply put, KAPOW! is easy to learn, provides lots of variation, and is just a ton of fun through every single roll. Highly recommended.
Recommended if you like: Dice Forge, Dice Throne
RELATED: Tabletop Game Review – Snap Ships Tactics
Best Card Game:
Disney Lorcana by Ravensburger
Price: Varies – Starter decks are ~$17.00
Players: 2 (can theoretically be expanded infinitely)
Playtime: ~30 minutes
Perfect for: Players who enjoy quasi-asymmetrical dueling using self-constructed card decks, and fans of Disney in general.
Disney Lorcana is a game of battling Illumineers! Over several rounds, these Illumineers (players) will carefully select characters, items, and actions to counter their opponent’s cards and win the race to victory. Illumineers must successfully balance when to: quest to score points; attack to hamper opponents; or defend to preserve a well-constructed engine. The player who can best outmaneuver their rival by collecting victory points faster will ultimately be triumphant.
Disney Lorcana is a fantastic game, especially for those who enjoy the “hunt” to assemble a deck that perfectly fits their style. Furthermore, Lorcana rewards engine-building and creativity in how to leverage multiple cards in combination. For these reasons, and the fact that Lorcana is easy to learn but hard to master, make it highly recommended.
Recommended if you like: Magic the Gathering, Pokémon
Best Expansion:
Unmatched Marvel: Brains and Brawn
Price: ~$50.00
Players: 2 to 3 (can be combined with other Unmatched sets to play up to 4)
Playtime: 20-40 minutes
Perfect for: Players who enjoy asymmetrical balanced dueling, and games with incredible art featuring iconic Marvel Comics characters. This expansion Brains and Brawn for the Unmatched game system includes the characters of She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange and a Sanctum Santorum battle map.
Unmatched is a game of strategic combat. Players assume control of one of a legendary character (across numerous franchises and intellectual property libraries) and must tactfully play against their opponent using wit and skill to defeat them. The last person standing on the battlefield will be declared the winner.
Unmatched is not overly complex, and the creativity mixed with strategy make the game an absolute blast to play over and over again. This is a title that you can pull off the shelf, play quickly, and then immediately look forward to the next game knowing you can change up the characters to have an entirely new, and still fun, experience. Very highly recommended for all gaming groups.
Recommended if you like: Heroscape, Star Wars: Epic Duels
Best Engine Builder:
Marvel: Age of Heroes by WizKids
Price: ~$75.00
Players: 2 to 5
Playtime: 60 to 90 minutes
Perfect for: Groups who enjoy competitive strategic worker placement games that build engines, especially those with a special affinity for Marvel’s X-Men universe.
Marvel: Age of Heroes is a game of mutant team building with the goal of taking out an assortment of villains. Players take control of a famous X-Duo (i.e., Storm & Forge; Jubilee and Wolverine, etc.), and leverage their special abilities to grow in strength. Once powered up, teams battle iconic X-Foes such as Sabretooth, The Blob, Mystique, and Magneto to prove themselves the best X-Heroes of all.
Marvel: Age of Heroes is an excellent worker placement game. Thanks to a fantastic blending of the source material with well-balance mechanics, Marvel: Age of Heroes is likely to find the table repeatedly with game enthusiasts who appreciate the genre. Highly recommended.
Recommended if you like: Lords of Waterdeep, Euphoria, Marvel Legendary
Best Family Game:
Sagrada Artisans by Floodgate Games
Price: ~$75
Players: 2-4
Playtime: 45-60 minutes
Perfect for: Groups who love beautiful legacy games full of dice drafting and creative resource/tool allocation.
Sagrada Artisans is a game of crafting the most glorious stained-glass windows. Players are recruits into a special guild where they must prove their worth as skilled artists. Over the course of ten interconnected assignments (games), people will face increasingly difficult challenges. Fortunately, each rival family of artisans will upgrade their tool set along the way, giving them an advantage in certain situations. The craftworker who creates the finest masterpieces that will enamor generations to come will be the ultimate victor.
Sagrada Artisans is a beautiful game that artists especially will appreciate and relish. It’s the perfect game to cozy up with; warm drink in hand and close friends at the table.
Recommended if you like: Sagrada, Holi
Best Tactical Game:
Snap Ships Tactics by Snap Ships
Price: ~$80
Players: 1-2 (up to 4 with expansions)
Playtime: 30-120 minutes
Perfect for: Duos who love measurement/spatial battling, ship construction, and strategic resource allocation.
Snap Ships Tactics is a game of spacecraft combat! Players first outfit their vehicles, finding their preferred balance of speed, agility, and firepower. From there, opponents fly into space using the various debris and nebulae to their advantage while engaging their enemies. As the pilots navigate and fire upon each other, they must be thoughtful about their precise positioning—letting a rival obtain a flank could be devastating. In the end, only the strongest (and smartest) ship will be left flying victoriously.
Snap Ships Tactics is a fantastic game for people who love the creative aspect of design mixed with the strategic elements of multivariable combat. Highly recommended.
Recommended if you like: Warhammer 40,000, Marvel: Crisis Protocol, Treasure Island
Best Party Game:
Heroes of Barcadia by Rollacrit
Price: $50.00
Players: 2 to 6 (up to 8 with an expansion)
Playtime: ~30 to 90 minutes
Perfect for: Players seeking an entertaining party game that focuses on dungeon crawling and dice rolling.
Heroes of Barcadia is a game of monster battling! Foul beasts have absconded with all the drinks in the land and now it’s up to a bunch of adventurers to right this egregious wrong. But this is no party. Monster-slayers will be racing against each other to find the prized Drink Hoard, so that only one may stand victorious. Along the way, the ambitious heroes will collect power-ups to assist their deeds, and lay traps to hinder opponents.
Heroes of Barcadia is a very refreshing party game. For players seeking something geeky as a warm-up to game night, or a silly late evening addition, Heroes of Barcadia is great because of its simplicity, engagement, and high player count. Finally, its unique spin on the genre makes it a very fine addition to any game collection. Highly recommended.
Recommended if you like: Arcadia Quest, Saboteur, Claustrophobia
Best Cooperative Game:
Horrified: Greek Monsters by Ravensburger
Price: ~$35
Players: 1-5
Playtime: 60 minutes
Perfect for: Groups of Greek mythology aficionados who enjoy cooperative problem solving and resource efficiencies.
Horrified: Greek Monsters is a game of monster hunting! Pandora’s Box has been cracked open, spilling out a slew of mythological beasts including Medusa, the Basilisk, and Cerberus. Players must team up to defeat these wretched villains before they overrun the world. But it won’t be easy as each monster has its own unique defeat condition, so working together is paramount.
Horrified: Greek Monsters is perfect for people excited to work on a team to defeat a common enemy. Plus, the cooperative nature of the experience means that people less familiar with the game mechanics can jump right in and enjoy.
Recommended if you like: Forbidden Island, Pandemic
Best Deck-Building Game:
Marvel: Damage Control by WizKids
Price: ~$35.00
Players: 1 to 4
Playtime: 30 minutes
Perfect for: Individuals who enjoy fast-paced, engine-fueled deck builders with an affinity for all things Marvel.
Marvel: Damage Control is a game of clean up and acquisition. While everyone deep down appreciates the safeguarding and security local superheroes provide, sometimes their work gets messy. Real messy. And beyond all the “natural” destruction, battles often result in heroes or villains carelessly leaving dangerous artifacts and technology just out in the open! That’s where you come in. Lead a crew of contractors to dive into the debris and uncover objects of value to keep the city safe and maybe turn a profit in the process.
Marvel: Damage Control is a clever spin on the deck-building mechanic. There’s a little bit more luck involved which necessitates a higher level of adaptability than other similar games. As such Marvel: Damage Control is a nice compliment to gamers’ libraries who appreciate the genre.
Recommended if you like: Marvel Legendary, Clank!, Dominion
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