Best of 2014: Best Tabletop Games (Complete List)

Interpreting the List

Do you want to try out a modern board game with your family this winter, but don’t know what’s out there? Do you need a gift idea for a board game enthusiast in your life? Are you a tabletop gaming hobbyist, but you’ve been out of the loop for this year’s new releases? Then this list is for you.

As described in the companion article, I employed a democratic approach to determining the Best of 2014 in tabletop gaming, holding an open forum for votes and nominations on hobbyist website BoardGameGeek for several months. For a list of highlights and the Entropy Community’s Honorable Mentions, check out the accompanying article.

I thought it would be equally useful, however, to share the also-rans, the games that somebody (even one or two people) thinks were the best of the year. I had a few reasons for this:

1. Different people like different things. Just like my choice of categories, the final numbers represent a wide range of tastes. Some people are looking for quick, light games to play with friends and family, and others are looking for epic, deep strategy to play with fellow hobbyists. Some people need games tailored to larger groups, some smaller, and some players might be looking for a solitaire offering. Some players want an in-your-face game full of backstabbing and deceptions, and others will prefer an everybody-wins-together cooperative affair. But beyond the categories, tastes are bound to differ. A player looking for envelope-pushing game mechanics might be turned off by the zombie survival theme of Dead of Winter, or might not like its semi-cooperative nature–that person can look down the list of nominations until they find the game that’s right for them.

1. My polling methods were borked. The sample group was small (I’d estimate a little over 60 people visited the polling thread in the two months it was up). They were biased. There were no mechanisms in place to discourage fraudulent or dishonest voting. By grouping nominations together, I allowed the most popular game to win in multiple categories, even if the original nomination was misguided or overenthused. Half the nominations were my own, based primarily on word of mouth. Some categories received very little love, and others got a ton of nominations/votes. These results are, essentially, meaningless. But! It’s still a damned good sampling of what 2014 had to offer.

You can find out more about any of these games by visiting BoardGameGeek and typing the game’s title into the search bar at the top of the screen. Or Google. There are very few times in life Google won’t help you out.

This is how I envision people using this list:

1. Decide what you’re looking for. Do you want to try cooperative games, less likely to result in a sore loser? Looking for a 2-player, quick game to play with your significant other? Just want to see what’s new? Choose the category (or categories) that speaks to you.
2. Trust your gut. Scan the list of titles, following your gut instinct. Pay attention to the vote totals, but don’t rely on them completely–all of the nominations were highly rated and well received. Look for titles that pop out to you, or just choose randomly.
3. Do some research. I know, I know; we all hate this part. Copy the game’s title into your search bar and see what happens. Check out video reviews, do an image search, or just read the publisher’s description–whatever works for you.
4. Buy something! Or don’t! The choice is yours.
5. Play something! Playing games is a common trait among highly intelligent species. Tabletop games encourage social interaction, develop lateral thinking skills and help you see the world in a different way. Plus, they’re fun!
6. …Profit!

So what are we waiting for? Here’s….

 

The Complete List

(Numbers in parentheses indicate the total votes cast in favor of the game across all categories for which it was nominated.)

 

Best Game with a Literary Theme
The Battle of Five Armies (17)
Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men (14)
Sheriff of Nottingham (10)
Marrying Mr. Darcy (5)
Moby Dick, or, The Card Game (3)
The Witcher Adventure Game (3)

 

Most Innovative Theme
Lap Dance (24)
…and then we held hands… (15)
The Battle at Kemble’s Cascade (12)
Legends and Lies (10)
Greenland (10)
Sheriff of Nottingham (10)
Kanban: Automotive Revolution (9)
Lagoon: Land of Druids (6)
Abyss (5)
Heroes Wanted (4)
Pay Dirt (2)
Zombie 15’ (1)

 

Most Innovative Mechanics
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game (27)
1714: El Cas dels Catalans (19)
…and then we held hands… (15)
The Battle at Kemble’s Cascade (12)
Castles of Mad King Ludwig (13)
Sheriff of Nottingham (10)
Istanbul (9)
Alchemists (7)
Lagoon: Land of Druids (6)
Lords of Xidit (6)
Thunder Alley (5)
Heroes Wanted (4)
XCOM: The Board Game (3)
Assault on Doomrock (3)
Harbour (2)
Historia (1)

 

Best Wordless Game (Little or No Text)
Splendor (32)
Five Tribes (15)
Castles of Mad King Ludwig (13)
Progress: Evolution of Technology (10)
Kanban: Automotive Revolution (9)
Alchemists (7)
Fields of Arle (7)
Lords of Xidit (6)
Abyss (5)
Yardmaster (4)
Camel Up (3)
Pagoda (2)
Yardmaster Express (2)
Historia (1)

 

Best Storytelling
Legendary Encounters: Alien (31)
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game (27)
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (16)
Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men (14)
Star Wars: Imperial Assault (11)
Galaxy Defenders (10)
Greenland (10)
Shadows of Brimstone (6)
Heroes Wanted (4)
Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game (4)
Xia: Legends of a Drift System (4)
The Witcher Adventure Game (3)
Assault on Doomrock (3)

 

Best Cooperative Game
Legendary Encounters: Alien (31)
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game (27)
…and then we held hands… (15)
Galaxy Defenders (10)
Shadowrun: Crossfire (8)
Pandemic: The Cure (8)
Myth (7)
Shadows of Brimstone (6)
Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game (4)
Tiny Epic Defenders (4)
XCOM: The Board Game (3)
Assault on Doomrock (3)
Zombie 15’ (1)

 

Best Expansion
Fleet: Arctic Bounty (10)
Thunderstone Advance: Worlds Collide (8)
Clash of Cultures: Civilizations (5)
7 Wonders: Babel (4)
Sentinels of the Multiverse: Vengeance (3)
Machi Koro Sharp (3)

 

 

Best Small Group (3-5 Players) Game
Splendor (32)
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game (27)
Alien Frontiers 4th Edition (21)
1714: El Cas dels Catalans (19)
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (16)
Imperial Settlers (16)
Five Tribes (15)
Ca$h ‘n Guns 2nd Edition (15)
Castles of Mad King Ludwig (13)
The Battle at Kemble’s Cascade (12)
Star Wars: Imperial Assault (11)
Legends and Lies (10)
Sheriff of Nottingham (10)
Istanbul (9)
Kanban: Automotive Revolution (9)
Alchemists (7)
Shadows of Brimstone (6)
Lords of Xidit (6)
La Granja (5)
Marrying Mr. Darcy (5)
Thunder Alley (5)
Abyss (5)
Antike II (4)
Roll for the Galaxy (4)
Yardmaster (4)
Xia: Legends of a Drift System (4)
The Witcher Adventure Game (3)
Yardmaster Express (2)
Harbour (2)
Historia (1)

 

Best Large Group (6+ Players) Game
Ca$h ‘n Guns 2nd Edition (15)
One Night Ultimate Werewolf (11)
Camel Up (3)

 

 

 

 

Best 2-Player Game
Legendary Encounters: Alien (31)
Star Realms (23)
Alien Frontiers 4th Edition (21)
The Battle of Five Armies (17)
…and then we held hands… (15)
Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men (14)
Shadowrun: Crossfire (8)
Fields of Arle (7)
Shadows of Brimstone (6)
Lagoon: Land of Druids (6)
War Stories series (2)
Pagoda (2)

 

Best 1-Player Game
Legendary Encounters: Alien (31)
Star Realms (23)
Galaxy Defenders (10)
Progress: Evolution of Technology (10)
Fire in the Lake (9)
Shadowrun: Crossfire (8)
Thunderstone Advance: Worlds Collide (8)
Mound Builders (7)
Fields of Arle (7)
La Granja (5)
Hapsburg Eclipse (4)
A Spoiled Victory: Dunkirk 1940 (4)
Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game (4)
Tiny Epic Defenders (4)
Airborne Commander (3)
XCOM: The Board Game (3)
Assault on Doomrock (3)
Historia (1)

 

Best Quick (<45 Min.) Game
Splendor (32)
Star Realms (23)
Ca$h ‘n Guns 2nd Edition (15)
Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men (14)
One Night Ultimate Werewolf (11)
Istanbul (9)
Pandemic: The Cure (8)
Mound Builders (7)
Marrying Mr. Darcy (5)
Hapsburg Eclipse (4)
Tiny Epic Defenders (4)
Yardmaster (4)
Camel Up (3)
Pagoda (2)
Yardmaster Express (2)
Harbour (2)

 

Best Epic (>2 Hr.) Game
1714: El Cas dels Catalans (19)
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (16)
Star Wars: Imperial Assault (11)
Fire in the Lake (9)
Shadows of Brimstone (6)
Xia: Legends of a Drift System (4)

 

 

 

 

Best Reprint/New Edition
Alien Frontiers 4th Edition (21)
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (16)
Ca$h ‘n Guns 2nd Edition (15)
One Night Ultimate Werewolf (11)
Space Hulk 4th Edition (10)
Antike II (4)

 

Best RPG (by virtue of being the only RPG nominated)
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (16)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special thanks once more to everyone who nominated and voted for these games!