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Top 10 New to Me Games in 2025 – Real Life Edition

by Alex McKenzie | Dec 24, 2025 | Lists

Another year has passed, and like everyone else, I like to spend a lot of December thinking about the year that’s just passed. This is my version of a “Year in review” that you’ll see many reviewers and media folk engage in. My real problem is that I just don’t play very many games the year they’re released. It’s a byproduct of being a cave dwelling Canadian troglodyte and never going to any of the conventions, the hot new games just don’t show up on my FLGS shelves. And the rate at which I acquire games is pretty suppressed when I’m not at conventions soliciting for review copies to plaster all over social media.

Sidebar, I do get quite annoyed whenever a convention ends and my social media is flooded with media folk posting their hauls and not disclosing which of the games they got for free. It creates an illusion that is detrimental to many people’s mental health, and I wish we as an industry were better.

Getting off that soap box, I’m going to list my top 10 new to be board games that I played in real life this year. I’ll have a separate list for my favourite BGA games next week, so look forward to that!

10 – Argent: The Consortium

Designer: Trey Chambers | Publisher: Level 99 Games | Full Review

Argent: The Consortium is a worker placement game from 2015 that remains interesting and engaging. I acquired solely because of how much I’ve enjoyed Level 99 Games other games, and this design holds up. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t the most interesting, interactive, and clever worker placement game I’ve played in a long time. It’s the kind of game that ruins other worker placement games for you. I did post a full review of Argent last month if you’re interested in reading more about it!

9 – Tragedy Looper

Designer: BakaFire | Publisher: Zman Games

Another old game I picked up from a math trade, Tragedy Looper is a deduction game from 2011. Leaning hard into the anime aesthetic, Tragedy Looper actually really reminds me of Higurashi: When They Cry, which, may or may not be a turn-off for those who have encountered that series before. In Tragedy Looper, the players are tasked with preventing a tragedy from happening, but they don’t know exactly what the tragedy is, or what roles each of the characters are playing. When a loss condition occurs, the game resets, or loops, and players only have a certain number of loops to figure out what exactly is going on, and prevent the mastermind from fulfilling his dark desires.

What kept this game on mine (and many others) shelf of shame for so long, is that it’s a one vs. many type of game. One player needs to play the mastermind, who gets access to all the information right away, and is trying to bait and trick the players into wasting their precious loops as they figure out the details of what’s going on around them. It’s a much less interesting role, as the mastermind, as you sit in your own head and play your cards, then watch the other players discuss and plot for 10 minute rounds.

But the deduction is exciting. Making unexpected moves to throw make the players think someone is a killer when they’re not, playing cards as a feint to try and get the players to waste their turns countering your cards makes for a unique experience. As far as one vs many games go, I’d MUCH rather play another game of Tragedy Looper than something like Beast

8 – Things in Rings

Designer: Peter C. Hayward | Publisher: AllPlay

Q: What does a belt, moose, flamingo, and a guitar all have in common?

Things in Rings is Venn diagram the board game. With 3 rope circles on the table, creating a triple Venn diagram, the mastermind is given 3 cards dictating the rules for each of the circles. Players are dealt a hand of cards, and need to play cards in or out of the diagram depending on the rules they don’t even know. After playing a card, the mastermind either confirms or reject the placement, moving the card to the correct location if necessary. If the player was correct, they continue placing cards, if incorrect, they draw a new one to replenish their hands. The player first to play all their cards is the winner.

Explaining it like that is a pretty boring description, but trust me when I say that Things in Rings is a brilliant little party game. The Dr. Seuss style art by Snow Conrad does a lot to help the whimsy of the game, but placing cards and watching the mastermind give you a thumbs up or down is delightful. Your mind will stretch and bend trying to figure out what sets of cards have in common with each other, until the game comes to an end and the answers are revealed, usually to uproarious laughter. Things in Rings is a delight, and I can’t wait to play it again.

A: They all have holes.

7 – Rebirth

Designer: Reiner Knizia | Publisher: Mighty Boards

Reiner Knizia has had a long and storied career, but one of his latest games, Rebirth was a delightful surprise. Generally when I see Knizia’s name on the box, my brain immediately goes to the brown and beige of Ra and Tigris and Euphrates, but Rebirth is awash in colour. Lush verdant landscapes invite the players to start plonking down their tokens, claiming parcels of land for themselves.

Rebirth is easy to learn and play, yet makes you feel like your decisions matter. Building clusters of your tokens is important, as is getting to the most valuable spaces first. Rebirth was a delightful euro surprise that I’d be happy to introduce to my mom, who loves games, but can’t internalize too many complex rules.

6 – Cockroach Poker

Designer: Jacques Zeimet | Publisher: Drei Magier Spiele | Full Review

I bought Cockroach Poker on a bit of a whim, and kind of fell in love with it. Rife with double think and bluffing, Cockroach Poker excels at building tension and creating exciting moments and opportunities for smack talk.

I get that not everyone likes pure bluffing games, but Cockroach Poker has zero stakes. Every game I’ve played has ended in gut busting laughter, and it’s over pretty quickly. It’s the perfect pub game.

5 – Trio

Designer: Kaya Miyano | Publisher: Happy Camper | Full Review

Originally published as Nana, I’ve described Trio as Go Fish mixed with Memory, but it works so well! Everyone gets a hand of cards, and then more are dealt face down on the table. On your turn you can ask any player to reveal their highest or lowest card, and after they do so, you can ask any player to do the same, or you can flip one of the face down cards. If you reveal a match, you get to do a third action. If all 3 revealed cards are a match, you take them as a trio! Take 3 trios and you win the game!

Another fast and accessible game, Trio is delightful in its simplicity. Also, the elation you feel when you manage to reveal 3 cards of the same number, reminds me a bit of Skull. All the information getting revealed is available to all players, so as the game goes on, presumably people are building mental maps of who has what. Unless you’re me and are just playing based on vibes.

4 – Bomb Busters

Designer: Hisashi Hayashi | Publisher: Pegasus Spiele

While I’m not the most keen on deduction games, Bomb Busters was an explosive surprise this year. A cooperative game in which players are trying to snip all the wires except the bad ones. The trick is you don’t know which wire is which when you’re snipping!

The production on Bomb Busters is delightful, mostly the art by Dominque Ferland. It’s a charming and evokes the same feelings as Minesweeper. It’s the kind of game that once it clicks, you can play it over and over and over until either you finish all 66 missions, or the sun comes up. Whichever happens first.

3 – SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Designer: Tomáš Holek | Publisher: Czech Games Edition

Man, talk about a game rocketing up the BGG top games list. I didn’t realize it until I was making this list, but it’s already reached #27, making it the highest ranked game that came out in 2024.

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is a complex euro game about searching the galaxy and beyond for alien life forms. Given scant resources in this tight economy, you’re asked to stretch your actions as far as possible to build an engine to propel yourself to victory. There’s a lot going on in SETI, but I think the best thing I can really say about it is that we initially played it at our local board game café, and just as we were counting up the final score, one of our players stood up, walked over to the shelf, and grabbed a copy to buy, right there on the spot.

Since that day, she’s played it over a dozen times and is falling in love with it more and more with every play. If that isn’t a glowing recommendation, then I don’t know what is.

2 – The Gang

Designers: John Cooper, Kory Heath | Publisher: KOSMOS | Full Review

Talking about games that got a bit overplayed, The Gang went over like gang busters when it hit our table early this year. There was a four or five week stretch where this was getting pulled out before or after every game. In The Gang, players are cooperatively trying to sort out their poker hands. With limited information, players take a chip from the centre of the table indicating where they think they’ll end up in the hierarchy when all the cards are revealed. It was easy to play, and even easier to say “just one more round” again and again.

I always need to caveat that none of our players had any real experience with Poker, so this was largely an exercise in a bunch of rookies playing in the mud. But boy did we have fun doing it!

1 – Fit to Print

Designer: Peter McPherson | Publisher: Flatout Games

I’ve always said I love real time games, and Fit to Print is no different. As editors of the local newspaper, you’re all scrambling to assemble articles, photographs, and ads to earn the most points and money over a hectic weekend. First, you’ll scramble to pick up tiles and put them on your desk, then when you think you have all the tiles you need, you’ll move into the layout phase, where you place the tiles onto your board. If you overcommitted, extra articles that don’t make it onto the paper lose you points, and if you have huge swaths of empty space, you guessed it, lost points. Also, you have to have variety, so ensuring all no columns to pictures touch each other is pivotal in making a good-looking newspaper.

I find Fit to Print easier to play than Galaxy Trucker, while still retaining the same feeling of panic and stress that I relish. It doesn’t result in the uproarious laughter that Galaxy Trucker delivers, but it’s still a really fun game. I love playing it, and the Ian O’Toole art makes it a delight to look at.

Alright, that’s enough from this cave-dwelling Canadian troglodyte. What was YOUR favourite new-to-you game this year? Tell me in the comments so I can immediately convince myself I “need” it and then spend January explaining to my family why another box showed up on the doorstep.

Mid-Year Tabletop Challenge

by Alex McKenzie | Jul 23, 2025 | Blog

I love listening/watching the videos by Tea and Games. Her enthusiasm for board games is so genuine and her joy is infectious. So when she posted her mid year Tabletop Challenge video, I was interested in playing along. Then when Kovray posted their video, I knew I had to get in on this action.

The midyear challenge has been initiated for the past 3 years by Rolling Reggie on his social media channels, so if you want to see what other creators have gotten in on this challenge, be sure to give Rolling Reggie a follow! Without further ado, let’s do this!

What is your favourite game so far this year?

Slay the Spire is the one that springs to mind. Now granted, I’ve played the living hell out of the video game, and I even played the TTS mod when STS was on crowdfunding. But actually sitting down and playing a 4 player game was probably the most fun I’ve had all year.

What is your most played game?

Technically, Solar Storm has been my most played game, but that’s just from sheer tenacity of my Board Game Arena group bashing our heads against the wall of the cooperative challenge. My most played game on the table so far in 2025 has been The Gang.

For those who haven’t played The Gang yet, it’s cooperative Poker. You deal out cards, Texas Hold’em style, and between each card reveal, you silently take chips to determine who has the best hand. When the final card is revealed, all players reveal their hands. If you managed to sort yourselves properly, you win!

It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s surprisingly engaging, and has been a hit with everyone I’ve introduced it to. I think I’m the least enthuastic amongst my friends about it, but even I still have a great time when The Gang hits the table.

What was your biggest surprise?

I think Bomb Busters was the biggest surprise. After reading the rulebook and playing the first introductory game, I was sure it was going to be Minesweeper, but boring. A baby game for babies, the options were either going to be obtuse, or obvious.

Well if it’s recent Spiel des Jahres win hadn’t convinced me, actually sitting down and playing the game turned me into a fan. I loved the experience, and I can’t wait to keep playing through the 60+ missions that come in the box.

What game’s production/art has impressed you the most?

I think most recently Vladamir Suchy’s Shipyard surprised me with its sheer amount of cardboard engineering, from assembling a crane to hold all the tiles, to stickering parts of the cardboard sprue to the player board to simulate a dual layered experience.

Beyond that, Re;Act: The Arts of War had gorgeous anime artwork and stunning acrylic standees for it’s grid based tactical duel game that left me totally charmed.

What has been your most reliable introductory board game?

Cockroach Poker has been a huge hit with me this year, and I’ve been successful in getting my aunt and cousin to sit down and enjoy a game. It’s so simple to deal out the whole deck of cards, explain the concept of lying, and then just letting the drama unfold.

What game do you want to get off of your Shelf of Shame in the second half of the year?

I have two that I’ve been been eyeing for a while now. Tragedy Looper by BakaFire is a 1 vs many scenario based deduction game that looks to be unique and exciting, but I’m just haven’t been in the mood to essentially GM a game for my friends. The other one is Argent: The Consortium by Level 99 Games. This one is a competitive worker placement game, and the only thing holding me back from this one is its sheer complexity. At a weight of 3.77, it’s generally more than I’m willing to commit to on a Wednesday night. Perhaps when I host my annual birthday board game day I’ll break the seal on both of these games.

Which game from 10+ years ago did you discover this year?

Mountain Goats is the one that comes to mind, thanks to the new edition by AllPlay, but if we want to talk about OLD GAMES, then in Janurary I was introduced to Evo. This was a charming little dinosaur evolution game. In Evo, you spend rounds evolving a dinosaur species, roaming your tribe through the ecosystems to content with global warming and cooling. The art is whimsical and charming in the 2001 edition, and I felt like it held up surprisingly well for being published around 24 years ago.

Which anticipated releases are you most excited about for the second half of the year?

As someone who doesn’t look forward very much, this is a hard question to answer. I’m intrigued by Recall, simply to see what the designers of Revive (another one of my most played games this year) have cooked up this time. Burgle Bros. 3 is somewhere on the horizon, and I implicitly trust Tim Fowers to put out great games. Vantage by Jamey Stegmier is currently delivering, and I feel the deep pangs of regret for not pre-ordering it months ago.

Bonus: What’s your personal favourite video that you’ve posted to your channel?

It’s not board game related, but I’ve been most proud of the work I put into my Final Fantasy Project, where I play through all the single player mainline Final Fantasy games. I’m almost finished playing through Final Fantasy VII, which is the first time I’ve ever even made it out of Midgar before. It’s been a fascinating journey, playing video games from 1987, and seeing how the series has evolved over each of its entries.

Please feel free to an

The Gang – Board Game Review

by Alex McKenzie | Mar 29, 2025 | Board Game Reviews, Reviews

I don’t know if it’s still true, but Otter has said that cooperative games are his favourite games to play. He loves the collaboration, and especially, the discussion that most cooperative games feature. Creating a plan together, and seeing it all come together, is very satisfying. It makes sense with his personality, he’s a very kind and inclusive fellow. Gross, right?

The Gang, designed by John Cooper and Kory Heath, art by German design studio Fiore GmbH, and published by KOSMOS in 2024, is cooperative poker. Much like how Balatro is roguelike Poker, The Game uses the familiar mechanisms of creating 5 card poker hands in a unique and interesting way. Or, it would be familiar if your experience with Poker was more than randomly clicking buttons while playing Vegas Stakes when you were 7 years old. And besides, Vegas Stakes Poker game was 7 card stud, not Texas hold ’em

Now, because I don’t live under a rock, I’ve been tangentially aware of what Texas hold ’em is, because it’s always on the many screens in pubs over the years, as well as being featured in Casino Royale. I’ve seen it around, but I’ve never really played the game. For some people, it can be hard to imagine that people out there are largely unfamiliar with how Poker plays, yet, before Balatro hit earlier this year, I was an utter novice at anything Poker.

So, here’s a rundown for the uninitiated. In Texas hold ’em, each player is dealt two cards, face down. Then everyone has a chance to bid or fold. Once bidding is complete, three cards are turned face up from the deck into the centre of the table, creating a pool of community cards. Then another chance to bid or fold is presented to all players. Then a fourth card is turned face up, and again, all players have the chance to bid or fold. Then a 5th card is added to the community pool, and all players have a final chance to big or fold. The goal of the game is, to create the best 5 card poker hand between the 5 community cards and the two cards that were dealt with you at the beginning of the round. A pair or two pair is having one or two sets of cards, a full house is when you have 3 of the same card and a pair, a straight is when you have a run of sequential cards, and a flush is when you have 5 cards of the same colour.

The Gang, uses the core mechanisms of card distribution and hand value, but strips out all the bidding. Instead, after each phase in which players are given information, each player must take one of the poker chips on the table. There’s one chip for each player, starting with a value of one, and increasing for every player at the table. The ultimate goal here is that on the final round, players will take the value of chip that corresponds to the order of strength of their hand. And of course, much like The Crew or The Mind, there is no communication allowed during game play. All you can do is take the chip that you think tells the story of your cards.

It’s worth mentioning that we played The Gang a bit wrong at first. We were getting frustrated when players would jump to grab the low chips before someone who was a bit less experienced with Poker (me) had a chance to evaluate their cards and consider what they wanted to grab. Then we realized that when you take a chip, you can take it from the supply, or, from another player. It was hilarious when two players just took the same chip back and forth from one another, and the accusations and mud that were slung when the hands were revealed and one of those players was the misstep our gang took, were something to behold.

In Poker, if you’re not first, you’re last. It doesn’t matter if you have a pair of kings if someone else is rocking a flush. But in The Gang, correctly assessing where you stand in the order of hands is paramount. sure, you might have a pair of 7’s with a queen kicker. But does anyone else also have a 7 with a king kicker? Is your hand the worst, or the second worst? Maybe you started the round with an Ace and King of the same suit, you have strong potential here, it could literally be the best hand in the game. Do you take the 5 to demonstrate the potential your cards hold, or do you take a middle of the pack chip, to hopefully communicate to your teammates that you don’t have anything solid, but not nothing.

Communication is important in all aspects of life, but the joy in The Gang lies in what you can communicate with those bidding chips. Kind of like Brandon Sanderson’s second law, which reads “Limitations are more important than abilities“. When all players get into the flow, make the correct reads, and actually succeed at the heist, oh the feeling of jubilation is something to behold. If you enjoyed The Mind, I can strongly recommend The Gang. That said, if you found The Mind a boring exercise of sorting cards, then The Gang isn’t going to change your mind.

I also need to caveat that none of the players at my table are poker players. None of us are able to tell you why an Ace Jack suited is actually a better hand than a King Queen suited. None of us knew the odds of the river holding the card we needed, or how to really value a good hand from a bad. We all played based on vibes and our guts, and we had an absolute blast. It’s also worth mentioning that, especially when playing with inexperienced Poker players, The Gang is exponentially more difficult to succeed at when you have more players at the table. The odds of two players having nearly identical is higher, and really, it’s just luck at the end of the day if those players manage to get their chips in the right order.

The Gang was one of the most engaging games we’ve played in a long time. During each round, we were silent and tense, weighing the potential our hands held with the scant information that we could glean from the chips others took. Each revealed card swaying the balance, one person dropping their bid from a 4 star to a 1 star. After the 5th card is revealed, and we slowly reveal our hands from the weakest to strongest, we’d usually groan in defeat, but then launch into a frenetic conversation about what we all meant when we took the chips that we did. Yelling at our friends for taking the chip we wanted, or commiserating that we had a really unlucky deal. Inevitably, we’d shuffle up, deal again, and another tense hush would fall over the table. There’s no greater endorsement than when a player says, “I know I need to go, but let’s just do one more round”. And The Gang demands several more rounds.