It's been a crazy year for me. I was all-in on Shelf Gamer for the first half of 2024, up until I landed a new job in May. Between that and some other priorities in my life, I just haven't had the time.
But things have shifted around and I might finally have enough space to review games and write essays again—maybe not at the same pace, but something's better than nothing, right?
I figure I might as well kick things off (again) with a Shelf Update. Here are all the games I've bought, sold, and traded this year and why.
In this article:
What's Gone?
7 Wonders: Architects
A small card game that's way, way overproduced. The box was taking up too much space on my shelf and it just felt like a slog to set up for what's essentially a 15 to 20 minute game. It's enjoyable enough to play, but not enough for me to keep it. (Read my review of it.)
Air, Land & Sea: Critters at War
A tactical two-player card game where you're basically trying to outmaneuver each other via mind games and bluffing. It shines if you really get into it, and I think it's cleverly designed... but it's just not my style.
AQUA: Biodiversity in the Oceans
It's a decent game with a great production. Sadly, I'm feeling burned out on hex tile-laying games and I don't think this one stands out from others like it, plus it's a little overcomplicated. (Read my review of it.)
Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 Minutes
One of the coolest two-player strategy games I've played. Such a smart design that's fast, tense, and engaging. You feel smart when you win but you don't feel stupid when you lose. But my partner isn't into it, so off it went to hopefully find a home that will play it. (Read my review of it.)
Coffee Roaster
I still adore this lovely little chit-pulling, push-your-luck game. It's relaxing, it's thematic, it's engaging, it's unique. But after I started my new job, I just felt so sad seeing this on my shelf, unplayed and abandoned. I sold it to someone who, I hope, is playing and enjoying it now. (Read my review of it.)
Doodle Dash
An enjoyable game in short bursts. I love the idea of this more than the game itself, but I'd never say no if someone wanted to play it. My family prefers other party games when we get together, so I ended up selling it. (Read my review of it.)
Ex Libris (Revised Edition)
This worker placement game has some cool ideas, but I rarely reached for it because it often overstayed its welcome. Maybe with some fundamental rebalancing of mechanisms, it could be a great game. As is, I sold it. (Read my review of it.)
First Rat
Fantastic strategy game for families with lots of board game exposure and want something a little meatier than, say, Ticket to Ride. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone to play it with—and though it has an impressively smooth solo mode, the setup is too much if I'm just playing by myself. (Read my review of it.)
FUSE
This real-time dice placement puzzle game is flawed but fun. I always planned on keeping it because it's uniquely frantic and stressful (in a good way) with a hard 10-minute duration. But I needed to free up some shelf space, so I sold it. (Read my review of it.)
Heat: Pedal to the Metal
Great hand management game for anyone who likes clever card play. The gorgeous production gives it great table presence and there's a ton of content in the box, but for me the table footprint is excessive. I sold it in the hopes that it'd find a lot more play elsewhere because it deserves it. (Read my review of it.)
King of Tokyo
A classic dice-chucking game for families. I like to play it, but not enough to own it—I have a few other games that fill a similar niche, ones that are more appreciated by my family. And for more strategic dice-chucking, I prefer to play Dice Throne instead. (Read my review of it.)
Maquis
I know this one gets a lot of praise in the solo board gaming community, but it just felt pointless to me. Things can go wrong for reasons beyond your control, and while that might be thematic, it wasn't fun. Great production, though. (Read my review of it.)
Mission: Red Planet (Second Edition)
I really like this one, but you have to play it several times before it really starts to shine, and it's best played with the same group over and over again for the mind games. I don't have such a group, so I decided to let it go. (Read my review of it.)
New York Slice
Style over substance. Gorgeous production plastered over uninteresting "I cut, you choose" gameplay that feels more like a thought experiment than a game. I would've kept it purely for aesthetic reasons if I had the shelf space, though. (Read my review of it.)
One Deck Dungeon
Interesting dice placement puzzle that's hampered by a lack of adequate luck mitigation. It's fun yet frustrating, not in a good way. After one too many bad rolls, I sold it and never looked back. (Read my review of it.)
One Deck Galaxy
The older brother to One Deck Dungeon, I was hoping this one would solve the luck mitigation issue—and it does, but in the process makes the game far more advanced, more fiddly, and more brain burny. Too much for me. (Read my review of it.)
The A.R.T. Project
Absolute disappointment because I so wanted to love this one. Unfortunately, it's brutally difficult even on the easiest difficulty, which is not what I want in a cooperative strategy game. (Read my review of it.)
Tin Helm
A short little dungeon crawly experience in a tiny mint tin. Though I enjoyed it the first few times, it was pretty forgettable. Some interesting decisions but not exactly "fun." Sold it to someone who'd enjoy it more.
What's New?
Archeos Society
An interesting little set collection card game with six different ways to score. Not much player interaction except for the constantly shifting card market, but it's still enough to be interesting. I like it so far!
Bullet Heart
A real-time push-your-luck puzzle game. How's that for a unique pot of mechanisms? Love that it's played in three-minute bursts, and I love the tension between the timer and the piece placements. Wish it had a proper companion app for timing each round.
Camel Up
Hearing years of praise for this game had made me skeptical. I finally decided to check it out... and it actually lives up! And my family loves it, too. It's simple with just the right balance of strategy and gambling, and it really evokes the fun of betting on a race. Might be one of my all-time favorites.
Dice Conquest
While flawed, this solo card-and-dice game is pretty fun for when you don't want to think that much. Feels a lot like a casual mobile game, the kind you pull out to kill half an hour. Probably going to keep it.
Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write
Absolutely fantastic. This unique blend of dice drafting, worker placement, polyomino puzzling, and engine building is one of a kind. One of my favorites, especially for solo play. (Read my review of it.)
Divvy Dice
This is a strange game. No theme. Hodgepodge of disjointed mechanisms. Weird, arbitrary rules. And yet, it's interesting and fun enough that I haven't gotten rid of it yet. My only real problem with it is that it takes much longer to play than the box says. Need to try it some more!
Dorfromantik: The Board Game
Want a relaxing beat-your-own-score cooperative tile-laying puzzle? This is the model game for that, and it's made better by the campaign-style unlocking of new mechanisms with repeated plays. I really enjoy this one with my partner when we just want to unwind.
Empire's End
Take No Thanks! and add a few more layers on it. That's Empire's End in a nutshell, and it's pretty darn good. But it's perhaps one layer too complicated, pushing it just outside the comfort level of non-hobbyists. If it was a little more streamlined, it could be seriously great.
Fantastic Factories
What a nice surprise! I grabbed this on a whim during a sale, fully expecting it to be a letdown, but it ended up becoming one of my favorite engine-building games. It's as satisfying as Wingspan but it's easier to teach and it plays faster. A real winner.
Featherlight
I got this as a lighter take on Fantasy Realms and Marvel: Remix, neither of which I've played yet. Only got to table it twice before feeling like it's too thinky and chaotic for how simple it's "meant" to be. I want to give it a few more tries, but so far I'm unimpressed.
Foundations of Metropolis
I literally acquired this the week of penning this Shelf Update. The cardboard is freshly punched and waiting to be played, so I don't have any real thoughts on it... except that I'm stoked!
Fugitive (Second Edition)
A pure cat-and-mouse hidden movement game for two players. It's cleverly designed so that one side is trying to bluff and outwit while the other is trying to deduce and see through the cracks. I haven't seen any other 2p games of deduction as tense as this. (Read my review of it.)
Grove
This bite-sized card-and-dice game is one of my favorite solo games, period. It's so easy to pull out, it's quick to play, it's satisfyingly thinky but relaxing at the same time. It's so cozy. I love it. (Read my review of it.)
Illiterati
A gamer's take on Scrabble and Bananagrams, where the focus is mainly on using pools of letters to spell out words by category. Some good stuff in here along with some flaws. Not incredible, but enjoyable enough. It's staying in my collection for the time being. (Read my review of it.)
Junk Art
Really fun addition to my collection. I tend not to like dexterity games, but this one is designed so well! It's so tactile, creative, and tense as players try to place their pieces without fumbling their structures. It's quickly becoming a staple for my family.
Let's Go! To Japan
I ordered this one right before writing this article, so I technically don't have it yet. Still waiting on that delivery. Can't wait!
Lost Ruins of Arnak
I can see why this meaty strategy game gets so much love. I've only played it a few times so I don't want to cast judgment on it yet. That said, it was fun and engaging but perhaps too long (even at two players). Still need to open the Missing Leaders expansion and I'm intrigued by how the cooperative campaign aspect of that might work.
MicroMacro: Crime City
What a lovely game! Where's Waldo? meets narrative detective sleuthing and it works phenomenally well. Played through all the cases with my partner and we were enamored by it. Can't wait to pass this on for someone else to enjoy, most likely someone in my family.
Once Upon a Time
More of a semi-cooperative activity than an actual game, and it demands a certain type of group personality for the fun to show itself—but when played with creative storyteller types who don't take themselves too seriously, it can be quite charming and hilarious. I like it!
PUSH
I. Love. This. Game! It's pure push-your-luck with subtle layers of nuance that elevate it above mindless fun. It's such an under-appreciated gem of simple card games, and it's a family favorite for us.
Ra
I had to get the newest version by 25th Century Games if only to support them because I appreciate the production so much. I wish more companies would put this much love and care into their UX and component designs. I've only played it at two so far, dying to play with more soon!
RUN
This cat-and-mouse hidden movement game is like the next evolution of Fugitive with a lot more "game" to it. My initial impression is that it's notably more fiddly and complex than Fugitive but not more interesting or fun. I wonder if my take will change with more plays?
Sea Salt & Paper
I'm always down for a good card game and I heard this one was pretty good even at two players, so I used a gift card to snag it. Still waiting on delivery. I have high hopes for this one!
Similo
Fun little filler card game that blends cooperation with deduction. It feels like a super boiled-down Mysterium where one player can't speak and needs to lead the other players to victory through visual clues. It doesn't come out often, but I'm keeping it and I'm glad to play it when it does.
That's Not a Hat
One of the few memory games I enjoy, if only because it's so silly, quick, and simple. A great party-style game for gamers and non-gamers alike.
The Quest for El Dorado
A classic for good reason. So far, I think this one's racing is more interesting than in Heat: Pedal to the Metal and its deck-building is more interesting than in the Clank! series. My only gripe is that it's such a table hog.
Wandering Towers
The only non-party-style memory game that's actually fun for me, perhaps because the memory part is only one aspect and it isn't very punishing even when you fail to remember stuff. The lightweight tactical gameplay is great for non-gamer families and it plays fast. Really like this one.
Wavelength
A pleasant party game that sparks all kinds of random discussions as players try to "be on the same wavelength" to discern answers. You can learn a surprising amount about people when playing this, and I think it's great for friends, family, and strangers as an icebreaker.
Wildstyle
I'm charmed by this real-time card game that uses set collection as a mechanism for placing tokens and vying for area control. That extra bit of meat is interesting, but can also be stressful with the real-time pressure bearing down on you. Sadly, the theme isn't much of a gripper.
Word on the Street
This word game is not like Scrabble; it's more of a tug-of-war vocabulary game played in teams. You're pulling various letters over to your side by spelling words with those letters in them, and your team only has 30 seconds to come up with a word per turn. It's fun but sometimes outstays its welcome, and a vocab genius can seriously unbalance the teams.
On the Chopping Block
Pandemic
The quintessential action points puzzle. Been trying to get rid of this for a while, but I have the 2008 first edition by Z-Man and nobody seems to want it—even after slashing the price down to just $6.
Say Anything
I like it but it's hit or miss. Sometimes it's raucous fun, sometimes it's a snoozefest... even with the same group! These days, I'd rather play Jackbox games if I'm itching for a Say Anything experience. No bites on my listing for it, despite pricing it at just $4.
And that's the state of my collection as 2024 comes to a close. How's your own board game collection looking? Have you gotten anything cool lately? Regret getting rid of one, perhaps? Tell me about it in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you!
