57: The 2020 Board Games of the Year episode

Jan 7, 2021

Party game of the year! Light game of the year! Medium-weight game of the year! Heavy game of the year!

We grab two of our social-bubble gaming crew (James Hudson of Skybound and Shoe's co-worker Tom Twedell), and we all give our picks for the #1 games in all those categories for 2020.

Plus: What trends did we see in 2020 (and what might we see in 2021? And how did gaming get us through the rough patches of last year?

The games covered in this episode:

Intro:

• Bloodstone

Tom’s topic: Party and Light Games of the Year

• Cross Clues
• Codenames
• P for Pizza
• Telestrations: Upside Drawn
• MonsDRAWsity
• Silver: Dagger
• Silver
• My City
• Santa Monica
• The Crew
• Calico
• D&D Adventures Begin
• Fossilis 
• The Crew
• The Mind

Christina’s topic: Medium and Heavy Games of the Year

• Smartphone, Inc.
• Tidal Blades
• Dune: Imperium
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• The Search for Planet X
• Sorcerer City
• Dwellings of Eldervale
• The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire
• Forgotten Waters
• Viscounts of the West Kingdom
• Rococo
• Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
• Beyond the Sun
• Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
• Alma Mater
• The Magnificent

Shoe’s topic: Top gaming trends of 2020 and what we are expecting for 2021

• MonsDRAWsity
• Rolling Realms
• Sorcerer City
• Tidal Blades
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Dune: Imperium
• Dominion
• Fort
• Honey Buzz
• Beez
• Queen Bee
• Hive Mind
• Mariposas

James’ topic: How gaming has helped us through rough patches in 2020

• Fantastic Factories
• Star Wars: Destiny
• My City
• Pandemic Legacy: Season 0

Final thoughts: 

• Mage Knight
• War of the Rings
• Tidal Blades
• Valor & Villainy
• Wonderland’s War