Orcs! Elves! Dwarves! Undead! Humans! Lend me your ears! *Waits for the barrage of ears to end* #RobinHoodMenInTightsReference
It’s that time of year again, the time where we look at the Top Ten Board Games and Video Games. Vinnie Jr, Aidalee, and I have prepared separate lists just in time for holiday shopping. If you’re buying tabletop games, please feel free to buy through Amazon via this link so that I get a small percentage of the sale. If you’re buying video games, check out Green Man Gaming and Humble Bundle for the same reasons.
While some of you may be aware of the news section on my website, I don’t expect all of you to know of its existence. To sum it up, it’s been another crazy year. Medical issues continue and I still only have partial answers after four years of doctor hopping and research. Aidalee and I shared our one year anniversary a couple of months ago and Vinnie Jr. is now a Junior in High School with an interest in the Vet Tech program. Sarah, my German Shepherd, is as vocal and demanding as ever. I started live-streaming on Twitch this year and continue to be supported by some wonderful people via Patreon.
You’re here for the games, so let’s get to it.
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Standard disclaimers apply:
This is not a “best of” list. You can’t claim something is the best if you haven’t tried every other product like it on the market. These are my favorite games at this point in time (across all years), labeled as a top ten with honorable mentions. To stretch my brain a bit, I made a rule to where I cannot include games I’ve already listed last year. That really stinks, because there are so many awesome games out there that I want to mention! I stuck those in the Honorable Mentions part, because they deserved to be known. Go check out the previous years’ DGA Awards for more games that I REALLY like, as well as my written reviews & YouTube channel to see all the games that I own and to learn more about the games you see below.
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Dad’s Top Ten Favorite Board Games (that were not on last year’s list):
10. Majesty for the Realm
9. Through The Ages – Digital
8. Power Grid: The Card Game
7. Raxxon
6. Reef
5. Century Spice Road
4. Spacebase
3. Le Havre – Digital
2. Terraforming Mars – Digital
1. Gizmos
Honorable Mentions: One Deck Dungeon – Digital, Ticket to Ride, Power Grid, Star Wars Rebellion, Star Wars X-Wing, Star Wars Armada, Quadropolis, 7 Wonders Duel, The Last Spike, New York Slice, Constellations, Splendor, CV, Stockpile, Airlines Europe
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Aidalee’s Top Ten Favorite Board Games:
10. Mancala
9. Havenfall
8. Azul
7, Mini DiverCity
6. Alchemist
5. Raxxon
4. Deja Vu
3. Paperback
2. Wordsy
1. Take 5 / Take a Number
Honorable Mentions: Star Wars The Card Game, Constellations, New York Slice, Clue, CV, Shutterbug, Castle Panic, Noir, The Game. Note: Dominoes, Phase 10, Skip-Bo and Canasta trump them all though.
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Vinnie Jr’s Top Ten Favorite Board Games:
10. Pandemic
9. Takenoko
8. Sheriff of Nottingham
7. Stratego
6. Ghostbusters
5. Forbidden Island
4. Star Wars Rebellion
3. Star Wars Armada
2. Splendor
1. Star Wars X-Wing
Honorable Mentions: Castle Panic, Last Night on Earth, Dead of Winter
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Dad’s Top Ten Favorite Video Games (2018 Exclusive):
10. Frostpunk
9. State of Decay 2
8. Surviving Mars
7. Parkitect
6. Two Point Hospital
5. Warhammer: Vermintide 2
4. Cities Skylines – Industries
3. Rimworld
2. Far Cry 5
1. Subnautica
Honorable Mentions: Mini Metro, Northgard, Creeper World 3, Ultimate General Civil War, Dungeons III, Company of Heroes 2, Ashes of the Singularity, Sniper Elite 4, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion – Armada III Mod, Star Wars Rebellion, Artifact
Recommended Betas: Spy Party, Oxygen Not Included, Raft, They Are Billions, Tropico 6, Deep Rock Galactic, Empires of the Undergrowth, Factorio
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Aidalee’s Top Ten Favorite Video Games (2018 Exclusive):
10. Stonehearth
9. Farm Together
8. Parksaurus
7. Jurassic World Evolution
6. Parkitect
5. Megaquarium
4. Clue/Cluedo The Classic Mystery Game
3. Heroes of Hammerwatch
2. Two Point Hospital
1. Deep Rock Galactic
Honorable Mentions: Driftlands: The MagiRc Revival, Bio Inc: Redemption, Catastronauts, Human Fall Flat, Raft, Earthfall, Hacktag, Rimworld
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Vinnie Jr’s Top Ten Favorite Video Games:
10. Clash Royale
9. Supreme Commander 2
8. Star Wars Battlefront II (2005)
7. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
6. Fortnite
5. Paladins
4. Star Wars Empire at War
3. Rocket League
2. Left 4 Dead 2
1. Dead by Daylight
Honorable Mentions: Tropico 5, Dungeon Defenders I, Portal, Skyrim, Factorio, Minecraft
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