The 5 Most Interesting Games I Played in 2021
Once more, another year past, another 12 months reflecting on the games that made it to the table. Rather than talking negatively about games that disappointed, how about we redirect that focus on the games that did the opposite of that!
If you read 2020’s version, you’ll know the drill. Here are five games I found intriguing enough to sit through and learn the rules for and subsequently played a lot of. It was a weird year, but it doesn’t mean we didn’t have some good games to delight us.
5. TAwantisuyu
Board & Dice
If you want to start a list like this you either put an oddball game such as Tawantisuyu as the pinnacle of such a list, or as I did here, at the very beginning. I say oddball not as a pejorative, but rather as a term of endearment. Tawantisuyu, designed by the prolific and expert designer David Turczi, is a worker placement game that pushes you to stretch the boundaries of what a worker placement game is. To me, this design is extremely foreign. Explaining it here in these small blurbs would be impossible, but I would say that it asks a lot from the player, specially in the early going. Every worker in Tawantisuyu that is placed begets choices that vary depending on color and worker adjacency and the level it is placed. It’s a lot to consider, but consider you must.
To put it simply, the possibilities cascade out of each turn, but it also asks of you to know what half of those possibilities might be before you even set a worker down. If I’m being cryptic and ambiguous that’s because this game deserves its own post to truly get the nitty gritty tidbits ironed out. It’s a dense, heavy Euro, trust me on that. The only reason it sits so low on this list is because I still feel uneasy if I have fully grokked it, worked its machinations as intended. Either way, I will fully dive more into it, such is what it deserves.
4. The Fox in the Forest Duet
Renegade Game Studios
And now for something completely different. Fox in the Forest Duet is every bit charming as it is easy to get into (compared to what I just said about Tawantisuyu). We go cooperative here, as you and your partner will try to push a little token back and forth trying to collect all the forest gems before time runs out. Did I mention it’s a trick taking game? Oh yeah, every move through the forest is done by winning or purposely losing (or not) a trick. Collect all the gems, clearing them from the central board, and you win.
I like trick taking games, and I like when designers find novel ways to bring mechanisms in new territories. Fox in the Forest Duet flexes some of that creativity. The more I played it throughout the year, the more I liked it, and I have to admit, I thought it was going to outstay its welcome.
It hasn’t, and I’m happy to keep playing it.
(Review of Fox in the Forest Duet)
3. The King is Dead (second Ed.)
Osprey Games
Area majority is one my favorite game flavors, but it’s sadly one of the least populated genres I have in my library. Maybe I’m too picky for my own good? So when I had the chance to try out Peer Sylvester’s The King is Dead in a gloriously conceived new coat of paint, I was ecstatic. And it’s a very clever title, indeed.
Here, we move about factions to gain footing throughout the land, maybe favoring the Scotts in Essex, or hoping the Welch remain constant in Devon all the while you gather supporters to your court in hopes to crown you King of the kingdom when everything is said and done. More cloak and shadow than sword and shield, you never fight a single battle here, but thematically it feels like you’re a lord of middle management mettle pulling the strings behind the scenes trying to capitalize on an opportunity to be king. Manipulating the game state, shifting factions into territories you need to win, and maybe even wanting some of those French forces disrupting certain locations to buckle someone else’s movements, it’s all intrigue and it all fits in a 30-minute session. It remains fascinating…and that’s before touching on asymmetric advance cards into the deck. There’s a lot to chew here in such a nice little package.
2. Merv
Osprey Games
Merv has and awesome rondel. If there is one thing I can pinpoint that makes this game tick for me, is its rondel mechanism. It’s brilliant. Everything that you need to do runs from this one important function. Pick a location and use its action, try to maximize it as much as possible, rinse and repeat. However, also consider your placement and how it affects turn order, and if maybe you use an opponent’s buildings instead of your own to gather resources, but then that might not be optimal, maybe consider building out those wall sections…you know, before the Mongols come and bulldoze everything you’ve worked so hard to build…but then if I do that, when do I fit a palace visit?
“But then” and “if” will be frequent thoughts running through your head as you muster and eek out an optimal strategy. You will always have a feeling you aren’t quite exploring the best route to maximize your actions, and as frustrating as it might sound, it’s actually what makes this game so compelling. The limitations imposed by the 12 turns given to you means at some point, something is going to be cut for time, whether it’s a trip to the mosque or, going out in a caravan to gather spices, or even as simple as building up wall sections to keep your progress intact. But what you do get to accomplish is just as important, because the game will end relatively quickly if you aren’t paying attention, so maximize every chance you get.
It’s enjoyable, fast and meaty, and oh so pretty to look at. Just go look at some pictures of the darn thing. Ian O’toole is a master at his craft. Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road is another peg in his ascendancy as one of the best board game artists of all time. As for the game, it captivated me and got me thinking about it time and time again.
1. Mandala
Lookout Games
Look, I like my heavy Euros, but I also know life doesn’t always give you the time to sit down and push cubes and crunch numbers in your head for hours on end. You need balance. Fortunately, I also care deeply for the humble filler. There are a few that I appreciate, Patchwork and Jaipur to name a few, but this year, the one that took up space on the mantle next to those was Mandala.
My word. Mandala is so good. Lay its cloth “board” down, set some cards here and there, fill your hand and start playing. Easy set up, but the play is where things get interesting. It’s a sparring match. You’ll try to screw over your opponent as much as you’re trying to collect the cards that will bring you points. You’ll ponder what color card they’re holding to place in a higher seeded slot, and then you’ll have to stop them from collecting them, less you want to get rolled over at the end game—manipulate, block, deny in order to stop that. (Review right here if you must know more).
And I couldn’t get enough. Games don’t always have to be heavy to satisfy our gaming needs. All you need is a clever implementation of a mechanism in a novel way to earn a spot on my table, and Mandala, by far, was my favorite game I played this year even with such a small rule set.
If I gave out Game of the Year awards, this would be it.
