There were some great games released in 2014 and I played a lot of different ones. Somehow I was able to pick out 5 favorites to talk about. All of these games were a lot of fun and I look forward to playing them much more in 2015!

5. Pandemic: The Cure

I’ve only had a chance to play this once so far, but I’m a sucker for Pandemic. I got the original from my wife as a birthday present 3 years ago and it started my board game enthusiasm. I haven’t kept up with Pandemic since they switched over to the new version, so I’m happy to finally see a new standalone game. I really enjoyed my first play of this and I find it to be a more accessible version of the original. Plus, who doesn’t love rolling tons of dice!

4. Medieval Academy

Medieval Academy is a light card drafting game that turned out to be a lot of fun. It has a good amount of decision making, needing to balance your choices to maximize points across seven different tracks, without resulting in too much over thinking. It keeps the game flowing smoothly and avoids a lot of downtime.

3. Abyss

I did not know what to expect from this one. Before playing I had seen pictures of it and I was told it was set collection, but I still wasn’t sure how it would work. Once I started playing I enjoyed the simplicity of it, while still having some decision-making and strategy development. I was also surprised by how quickly it played. For how quick and straightforward it is, Abyss allows for a satisfying amount of depth and strategy. Oh and since its always mentioned…the ART!!

2. Legendary Encounters: Aliens

I did not enjoy the Legendary Marvel deck builder, but as soon as this hit the table I loved it. The theme is great, and they seem to have been able to make the mechanisms fit right in with it. Even the two different objective sets we’ve tried out so far reflect the movies. While we’ve died more times than not, it’s still a ton of fun!

1. Dead of Winter

Easily my favorite game of the year. I have become a real fan of Plaid Hat Games and this one solidified that. I love co-op games and this one tops my list overall as well. Besides surviving the winter, the traitor mechanic keeps you looking over your shoulder at everyone else as well. However, the best addition to this game has to be the crossroads cards. They can add just the right twist or hilarity when you are saved from a zombie bear by the handsome Kodiak Colby. I’ll get this one to the table any chance I get.