Interesting that you said this was a really good year but even a game as high as #7 on your list was “only” a 7/10. Do your ratings skew a little lower? As an Uwe lover, Nusfjord: Big Box and Black Forest were also probably my #1 and #2, respectively. I also quite enjoyed LotR: Duel, Everdell Duo, and Fishing. Didn’t play as many new games this year though as I moved last year and didn’t have a dedicated gaming group or partner anymore until recently (other than my wife who will tolerate games but she’s usually not in the mood). Also, I personally like how the jobs work in Black Forest but have you tried any house rules to change up how they work and maybe reduce their luck factor?
My ratings do skew low. I’m going to rerate the games I’ve played with a new rubric, should be fun, but might still be low. I’ll be moving soon too so I’ll be in the same boat 😫 and the next time I play Black Forest I’m going to try that!
Great looking list. I've still yet to try Nusfjord! Glad I found your page this year, thanks for the content! Happy holidays.
I appreciate it! Hope you get to try Nusfjord sometime!
What was the 2025 game that would have made the list?
Natera: New Beginnings
Interesting that you said this was a really good year but even a game as high as #7 on your list was “only” a 7/10. Do your ratings skew a little lower?
As an Uwe lover, Nusfjord: Big Box and Black Forest were also probably my #1 and #2, respectively. I also quite enjoyed LotR: Duel, Everdell Duo, and Fishing. Didn’t play as many new games this year though as I moved last year and didn’t have a dedicated gaming group or partner anymore until recently (other than my wife who will tolerate games but she’s usually not in the mood).
Also, I personally like how the jobs work in Black Forest but have you tried any house rules to change up how they work and maybe reduce their luck factor?
My ratings do skew low. I’m going to rerate the games I’ve played with a new rubric, should be fun, but might still be low. I’ll be moving soon too so I’ll be in the same boat 😫 and the next time I play Black Forest I’m going to try that!