I don’t know about you, but 2010 was a great year for board games. Although it hasn’t always been easy getting people over for game night (much of my core group of gamers is currently in college), I’ve gotten to try out a whole lot of different games this year and so have several of other GeekDad contributors.
It’s hard to narrow down the list to just a few, but we’ve picked some of our favorite games that we reviewed last year. Note: not all of these games were released in 2010; that’s just when we wrote about them. However, the majority were new games.
Jonathan’s Picks:
- Best Picture: Iconica – Gorgeously designed and fun to play
- Best Stunts: The Adventurers – Press your luck, Indiana Jones style
- Best Supporting Actors: Forbidden Island – Cooperate or die
- Best Comedy: Sounds Like a Plan – Laugh-inducing advice
- Best Original Game Mechanic: Wok Star – Real-time food prep
- Most Deduction: Mystery Express – Like Clue on Expert mode
- Most Monsters: Thunderstone – Deck-building monster-slaying
- Winning Words: Scrabble Flash – Addicting electronic word-building
- Best Makeup: Last Night on Earth/Invasion from Outer Space (tie) – Fantastic theme and setting
- Best Adaptation: Small World – Incredibly satisfying territorial dominance game
Jenny’s Picks:
- Best Original Story: Rory’s Story Cubes – Storytelling with dice
- Best Use of Acrylic: Pajaggle – More than a puzzle (also reviewed on GeekMom)
- Best Family Game: Word on the Street – Word-making for all ages
- Best, Uh, Um …: Anomia – What was I saying again?
Michael’s Picks:
- Best Halloween Game: Betrayal at House on the Hill – Explore a spooky haunted house
- Best Game for Four-Year-Olds: Rush Hour Jr. – Get the ice cream truck out of the traffic jam
Of course, there are some notable games that we’ve played in 2010 that we just haven’t gotten to review quite yet, but we’re looking forward to telling you all about those in 2011. Until then, happy gaming!
How about you — what were your favorite discoveries this past year?
*Update 1/18/12: we’re happy to reveal our own award: the GeekDad Golden Bots, which takes the place of my hastily-Photoshopped Golden Meeple. The image was designed by GeekDad Nathan Barry.
