Welcome

Welcome to the Best Games of 2021.

MASTER WORD

You’ve played some variation of ‘What am I?’,

BARON VOODOO

Imagine, for just a moment, you’re Baron Samedi,

PRAGA CAPUT REGNI

In 14th Century Prague, things are looking up.

TRANQUILLITY

Bobbing along in the ocean looking for the

CALICO

The theme of a game plays a large

LOST RUINS OF ARNAK

Mash-ups aren’t, as the name suggests, always going

CLOUD CITY

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? ◗ 96 Buildings ◗

PATHFINDER BEGINNER BOX

It says a lot about Pathfinder that its

SCHOOL OF SORCERY

Looking at School of Sorcery’s box art, it

DEVIL MAY CRY: THE BLOODY PALACE

A game from the publisher Steamforged Games tends

SCHOTTEN TOTTEN 2

The 1999 card game Schotten Totten is a

SKORA

Fishing rights, they’re not just for Brexit. They’re

THOSE DARK PLACES

Plenty of games manage to conjure up feelings

VEILWRAITH

The universe has ended. After the battle to

TASHA’S CAULDRON OF EVERYTHING

Over the six years since it was first

GRIND HOUSE

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? ◗ 6 Player boards

KINGDOM RUSH: RIFT IN TIME

Games based on smartphone games, or indeed, any

DIGIMON: THE CARD GAME

The chrono clash system is an intriguing one

KITARA

Board games are the product of an undoubtably

CAPTIVE

Captive has been around in a few forms,

ABANDON ALL ARTICHOKES

Abandon All Artichokes seems like a reasonable mantra

THE COURT OF MIRACLES

The Court of Miracles immerses players into the

COATL

I think most would agree that everyone needs

DARING DUSTBUNNIES

To say that Daring Dustbunnies surprised me would

PIEPMATZ

With a delicate flutter, Piepmatz, a set-collecting bird

SUPERFIGHT

Superfight is a simple party game, whose rules

VISCOUNTS OF THE WEST KINGDOM

The final instalment in Shem Phillips and S.J.

WRECK RAIDERS

Under the Sea! Under the Sea! Gather some

MEEPLE LAND

I think I can say, without a doubt,

HALLERTAU

One look at the box for Hallertau will

NEVADA CITY

There’s plenty of games drawing on the oft

WELCOME TO NEW LAS VEGAS

Before the time of Elvis impersonators and Cher

BLUE SKIES

‘D ignified’ is how one player around my

THE LOOP

Prepare yourself, agent, as the nefarious Dr Foo

BEEZ

Beez is the perfect antidote to everything that’s

IWARI

Iwari oozes an ethereal quality. At the start

TALES OF EVIL

Antonio Ferrara has a knack for mashing together

WARHAMMER FANTASY RPG : MIDDENHEIM – CITY OF THE WHITE WOLF

One of the biggest draws of Warhammer Fantasy

BATTLECON: DEVASTATION OF INDINES

Fighting games are a bit of a showoff

THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS: RISING

What to do with a tie-in game? Often

RAPA NUI

In Rapa Nui players compete to erect giant

MAUSRITTER

It’s a hard life being a mouse adventurer.

HYPERTELLURIANS

Despite its name, fantasy roleplaying can be a

AEON’S END: OUTCASTS

Those who read the Have You Played from

ALIENS: ANOTHER GLORIOUS DAY IN THE CORPS & EXPANSIONS

THE BEST GAMING OF 2021 The genius of

POLIS

THE BEST GAMING OF 2021 Journey back to

BLOODBORNE: THE BOARD GAME

For the fans of Souls video game series,

CINDR

THE BEST GAMING OF 2021 Matched.com , Plenty

INKLING

There’s an art to making arty games. Finding

PALEO

THE BEST GAMING OF 2021 It can’t have

NOMIDS

F ollowing the massive Kickstarter success of 2016’s

COYOTE

Coyote is a bluffing game, where you’re a

THIS WAR WITHOUT AN ENEMY

We have to start this review with a

WICKED ONES

Do you ever sit down and wonder what

GINKGOPOLIS

Ginkgopolis is set in a future where humans

BOB ROSS: THE ART OF CHILL

You may have rolled your eyes as soon

CENTURY: GOLEM EDITION – AN ENDLESS WORLD

Although they are known to be incredibly approachable

THE PARTY RPG : RISE OF BURDEN BLUGGERBUCKLE

I first got into roleplaying with a cobbled

TINY EPIC GALAXIES BLASTOFF!

Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off is a streamlined

HOLI

The great festival of colours, Holi sees celebration

FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME: SHADOWBRINGERS STARTER SET

It’s hard not to be at least a

X-MEN: MUTANT INSURRECTION

The X-Men have deserved a proper outing

SYMBAROUM STARTER SET: TREASURE HUNTS IN DAVOKAR

Where most RPG starter kits focus on light,

STATION MASTER

Every year, the board game industry is gifted

878 VIKINGS: INVASIONS OF ENGL AND

Sometimes a board game finds you just at

AGE OF SIGMAR: SOULBOUND CHAMPIONS OF ORDER

The first major expansion for an RPG can

TAWANTINSUYU: THE INCAN EMPIRE

Tawantinsuyu was the name given to the Inca

PATHFINDER: LOST OMENS ANCESTRY GUIDE

One of the greatest lures of Pathfinder has

DUCKS IN TOW

Like any hobby, gaming has its trends. Every

ERA: MEDIEVAL AGE

Era: Medieval Age is a civilisation game writ

DWELLINGS OF ELDERVALE LEGENDARY EDITION

Take everything you have on your fantasy wish

COSMIC FROG

Straight out of the gate, I’ll put it

CANTALOOP: BREAKING INTO PRISON

Imagine being handed a game that you’re told

DETECTIVE: CITY OF ANGELS

With Detective: City of Angels, designer Evan Derrick

FUNFAIR

In 2017’s Unfair, players built the best amusement

STEAMPUNK RALLY FUSION

A race across unexplored Martian terrain or the

ANANSI

Much like any spider, Anansi faces no problems

TAPEWORM

Edmund McMillen’s roguelike video game about childhood trauma

THE RED CATHEDRAL

The Red Cathedral is an exercise in restraint

ADVENTURE PRESENTS TARTARUS GATE

There has long been a strange assumption that

DETECTIVE CHARLIE

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of

MEADOW

Meadow is a tableau building game of habitat

EXIT: THE GAME: SACRED TEMPLE

It’s difficult to write about a game like

THRIVE

Yes, I was a Chess kid. I went

CANDLEKEEP MYSTERIES

Over the years that Dungeons & Dragons’ fifth

SURVIVE: ESCAPE FROM ATL ANTIS!

It’s the early 20th century –a time of

REEF SECOND EDITION

Once again we return to the bottom of

ROYAL VISIT

Royal Visit is a regal reimagining of Reiner

JURASSIC PARTS

I enjoy heavy, table hogging games as much

MAGLEV METRO

Technology is progressing and the city needs a

FALLOUT: THE ROLEPL AYING GAME

War. War never changes, as the iconic line

CRYO

Honestly, who’d go into space? From Alien to

JUICY FRUITS

For a relatively new studio, Deep Print Games

MAGICAL KITTIES SAVE THE DAY!

You are cute. You are cunning. You are

IMPERIUM: CLASSICS

Why do historic strategy games have to be

DUNE: ADVENTURES IN THE IMPERIUM

T his is hard to say without

ELECTRIC BASTIONLAND

Blending simple rules with a sickly-sweet overdose of

DERANGED

Deranged is the latest in – it’s safe

UMBRA VIA

Describing a game as ‘abstract’ always feels redundant.

300 EARTH & WATER

The battle of Thermopylae (or, ‘the one from

PEBBLE ROCK DELIVERY SERVICE

Designed and illustrated by Tristam Rossin, Pebble Beach

DOODLE DUNGEON

Your lovely new dungeon is a bit of

OATH: CHRONICLES OF EMPIRE & EXILE

Oath is a bundle of fascinating contradictions. It

VIENNA CONNECTION

It’s 1977, the Cold War is at its

SEVEN BRIDGES

Taken as I am with any games that

CHEESE THIEF

Ah, to be the mouse that got the

VAN RICHTEN’S GUIDE TO RAVENLOFT

Bringing frights to a game founded on heroic

APOLLO

Co-operative games are some of the most beloved

STARFINDER: GALAXY EXPLORATION MANUAL

Where other RPGs are often limited by how

THIRSTY SWORD LESBIANS

Sometimes, the simplest way to understand what you’re

WASTE KNIGHTS: SECOND EDITION

Many years ago, my friends and I would

ANSAGRAMS

Dropping on our doorstop just short of last

MANDALA STONES

Mandalas are pleasing circular designs, whose creation is

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE – RIVALS

I’ve had a long time to digest this

FURNACE

Alightweight Euro with a handful of clever interactions

VALOR AND VILLAINY: MINIONS OF MORDAK

Valor & Villainy: Minions of Mordak begins as

UNDYING SANDS

Toutside of the indie and OSR RPG space.

TACOCAT SPELLED BACK WARDS

With a head full of Exploding Kittens, this

STREETS

Streets is a small box tile laying bit

OVERBOSS: A BOSS MONSTER ADVENTURE

Once upon a time, a tiny card game

COFFEE TRADERS

Coffee trading is a complicated business. You must

BOTANIK

Duelling puzzle games are the genre I didn’t

7 SUMMITS

In 7 Summits players take charge of national

UNDER FALLING SKIES

Under Falling Skies is an unusual game. Apart

STICKY CTHULHU

Asa reimplementation of an older game goes (in

RAILROAD INK: LUSH GREEN EDITION

Railroad Ink: Lush Green Edition does to Railroad

THE WHATNOT CABINET

In the midst of last year’s periods of

UNMATCHED: BATTLE OF LEGENDS

Ishould probably confess immediately, that I’ve been hyped

GUILD MASTER

What would it be like to actually run

TOKYO JIDOHANBAIKI

Continuing his reign as the designer who tries

TOKYO JUTAKU

Stacking games are their own little world in

THE DARKEST HOUSE

As its heart, The Darkest House is an

TICKET TO RIDE: EUROPE 15TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Ticket To Ride: Europe often tops the list

DESTINIES

Stories of hope and inspiration have long stood

SPY CONNECTION

Spy Connection sees players attempt to create networks

TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILROAD

Welcome aboard the Trans-Siberian Railroad; an aesthetically bleak

THE INITIATIVE

Corey Konieczka’s first game from his new studio

RED RISING

Novelist Pierce Brown’s Red Rising saga is a

THE HORNED RAT

The fourth and penultimate part of the sprawling

THE HORNED RAT COMPANION

Packed with background lore, spare monsters and side-quest

GLOOMHAVEN: JAWS OF THE LION

Some of you are already swearing at this

EQUINOX

Don’t judge a board game by its cover,

CAPITAL LUX 2: GENERATIONS

Published in 2016, Capital Lux was an overlooked

GREAT PLAINS

Area control games dressed up in cute themes

PAPER DUNGEONS: A DUNGEON SCRAWLER GAME

Come all ye glory seekers to descend into

BIBLIOS: QUILL AND PARCHMENT

Whenever an existing game gets a roll-and-write version,

TINNERS’ TRAIL

There’s a few elements separating Martin Wallace’s Tinners’

DESCENT: LEGENDS OF THE DARK

Descent: Legends of the Dark feels like the

JACKALS

While it certainly isn’t the first game to

MOONSTONE STARTER SET

It’s quite rare for a wargame to stealth

FOUR GARDENS

Deciding an heir based on the landscaping and

WHAT NEXT?

Big Potato’s first real foray into the world

NANGA PARBAT

Nanga Parbat is the kind of game that

SNAKESSS

There are not enough mongooses (mongeese? mogoossi?) in

ENCHANTED PLUMES

Unlike the peacock’s dramatic tail, Enchanted Plumes, a

SHERLOCK 13

Sherlock 13 is a quicker Cluedo. One out

MINING COLONY

Ignore the space-mining theme, it’s totally irrelevant here.

CHRONICLES OF CRIME: 1900

Chronicles of Crime: 1900 sits as the second

EMBARCADERO

Embarcadero is set in 1850s San Fransisco, at

DRAGON PARKS

When dragons come to nest on the islands

LAWYER UP

If you’re the kind of person who’s always

GORINTO

Sometimes, we humans are such simple creatures. Give

SONAR FAMILY

Captain Sonar, a real-time deduction game, where players

DOCTOR WHO RPG

The latest take on a Doctor Who RPG

TENTACLE TOWN

Why can’t recyclable plastic be easier to access?

MISS MATCH

Miss Match is one of those games that

HANAMIKOJI

There’s something special about exclusively two player games.

EXCAVATION EARTH

We finally really did it. We blew it

SORCERER

Do you ever find a game and think

CRASH OCTOPUS

Executive golf gifts used to be all the

CASCADIA

Sometimes our greatest pleasures are our simplest pleasures.

CO2: SECOND CHANCE

Most board games don’t get second chances. It’s

ALIEN: COLONIAL MARINES

Much like the sequel to the original Alien

KHORA: RISE OF AN EMPIRE

Finally, you’re a ruler. You’ve worn the crown

WHISTLE MOUNTAIN

Sometimes you play a game where the mechanics

COLOSTLE

One of the most charming contenders to emerge

CODEX NATURALIS

The folks at Bombyx sure know how to

ASSASSIN’S CREED: BROTHERHOOD OF VENICE

The scope of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood of Venice

FLAMES OF FREEDOM

Set against the backdrop of an American Revolution

12 GANGSTERS

Here’s a fun board game philosophy question; how

NECROMOLDS

Assembling your own miniatures for a game doesn’t

MAGNATE: THE FIRST CITY

A game that explores capitalism through buying, developing,

GLEN MORE II: CHRONICLES

In Glen More II: Chronicles, players will be

TINY ACROBATS

Roll up, roll up, etc, etc. If social

WILD SPACE

Animals, but in space. You can tell, because

THE WILD BEYOND THE WITCHLIGHT

Over the past few decades Dungeons & Dragons