2025 Year in Review

It's been a good start

Wow. A stray thought a few years ago (“I should compile a list of best games of last century”) has now turned into a series of over forty articles. Small articles, to be sure, but decent starting points for conversation.

I would have liked more fiery debate after each article; but I’m still self-amused enough that I hope to finish the eighty-odd more articles I should write, covering all the games I believe are “in the conversation.”

No doubt I’m forgetting a few.

So I’m looking forward to the next two odd years, and then Phase II.

If you’d like to vote on which games you think should make the final list, please go to this List on Board Game Geek. In any case, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The game articles will resume on Jan 9th, 2026.

For Reference, here are all this year’s articles in alphabetical order along with what the voting shows so far:

• Bold, Italics = Probably a First Ballot

• Bold = Safely on the list

• No formatting = borderline

• Strikethrough = Unlikely to make the list

• 1830 (Board game)

• Ace of Aces (Game in a book)

• Acquire (Board game)

• Ambush! (Solitaire board Game)

• Atari 2600 (Home videogame system)

• Axis and Allies (Board game, war game)

• Battle Cry (Board game, war game)

• Bridge (Card game)

• Can’t Stop (Dice game)

• Car Wars (Board game)

• Carcassonne (Tile laying board game)

• Civilization (Board game & Computer game that share the same name)

• Cosmic Encounter (Board game)

• Crossbows & Catapults (Fling discs around the table/floor)

• Dark Tower (Board game with electronic moderator)

• Diplomacy (Board game, negotiation game)

• Dune (Board game)

• Dungeons & Dragons (Role Playing Game)

• El Grande (Board game)

• Eleusis (Card game, deduction game)

• Empire Builder / Railway Rivals (Board games, train games)

• Fantasy Sports (Drafting game, Gambling)

• Formula Dé (Board game)

• Hare and Tortoise (Board game)

• Icehouse (Board game)

• Mafia / Werewolf (Social Deduction games)

• Magic: The Gathering (Collectable Card Game)

• Mind’s Eye Theatre/Vampire: The Masquerade (Live Action Role Playing Game)

• Pac-Man (Arcade Game)

• Password (Game show, board/party game)

• Pit (Card game)

• Republic of Rome (Board game)

• Rogue / Nethack (Computer games)

• Scrabble (Word game)

• Settlers of Catan (Board game)

• Star Fleet Battles (Board game)

• Stratego (Board game)

• Subbuteo (Flicking game)

• Talisman (Board game)

• Tetris (Computer Game)

• Tichu (Card game)

• The Ultima Series (Computer Games)

• Warhammer 40k (Miniatures game)

• We the People (Board game, ‘Card-driven’ wargame)

• Zork (Computer game, puzzle game)