Board Game Friday: My Top 50 Games of 2023 (#20 - 11)

Welcome to my Top 50 Board Games of 2023!  

Today, we crack the Top 20 Board Games of 2023!  I had a lot of fun putting this full list together and today you'll see a bunch of my personal favorite games from the past year (again, my ranking is only for games that I played from November 2022 through November 2023).  I have played a few new-to-me games since then but those aren't eligible for this year's list.  Who knows, if I do this again next year maybe you'll see some of those games show up then!  For now though, let's return to my:  

If you missed the previous entries, here are the quick links:

• Games #50 - 41
• Games #40 - 31
• Games #30 - 21

#20:  Unmatched:  Robin Hood vs. Big Foot

Yep, more Unmatched.  I love the Unmatched system, simple rules but a lot of depth with the various asymmetric characters.  I think anyone could find at least one character within the Unmatched universe that has a play style that they enjoy (also, I think everyone will find at least one character that they don't enjoy, that's the beauty of the asymmetry)!  As for this particular box, it does only come with two characters but I found both to be enjoyable and I found the pair to be a decently balanced battle if you stay within the confines of this one set.

#19:  Ticket to Ride

You knew this game had to show up at some point on my list.  Yes, the most hardcore of hobby games will scoff at this choice but you know what, it's a great game and I stand by that.  It's simple, it's elegant, there's enough skill and luck to keep it fresh from game to game, but overall, the better player will win more often than not.  The original Ticket to Ride game map is simply the United States (with a bit of Canada) so it's also served as a nice geography lesson for my son as we've played the game.  

#18:  Unfair

Another game with lots of variability wrapped up in a fairly simple rule set.  I love theme park games and Unfair is definitely one of the better ones that I've played.  I know some people can get turned off by the "take that" bit of the game but you should realize that there is an option to basically turn the "mean cards" off (there's also a game called Funfair that has basically no negative player interaction but that game is severely limited by the number of different decks as compared to Unfair with it's many expansions).

#17:  Ticket to Ride Map Collection 7:  Japan & Italy

This is technically an expansion since it isn't a standalone game but I'm still listing it out separately because the two included game boards (well, one double-sided game board I guess) play drastically different.  Japan, in particular, is neat because there is a shared infrastructure of bullet trains - and depending how the bullet trains get played out can lead to some wild scores with tons and tons of completed tickets.  It's also a fairly quick version of Ticket to Ride to play.  The Italy map isn't as interesting to me but it's still enjoyable as a slight twist on the classic Ticket to Ride formula (though truth be told I'd probably opt to play the original Ticket to Ride over the Italy map most days).

#16:  Kingdomino

I reviewed this game on my blog earlier this year but I'll quickly summarize it here.  Kingdomino is a tile (domino) laying game where you battle to control the most territory and crowns of each land type.  Super simple rules, quick play time, and my son loves it (and I still enjoy playing it with him).  What's not to love here?

#15:  Ra

Ra is a classic auction game from Reiner Knezia but I only got around to playing it for the first time this year...and let me say, "wow!"  Again, a super simple concept (basically tile collection) but wrapped up in an intriguing auction game.  I have the newest crowdfunded version so my game also looks amazing with spectacular components.  

#14:  Dinosaur Island:  Rawr 'n Write

The only board game theme that I tend to like more than theme parks is dinosaurs!  Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write takes a lot of the DNA from the original Dinosaur Island game and distills it down into an interesting roll and write style game.  This version is much faster than the original Dinosaur Island (and much, much less of a table hog). 

#13:  Unmatched:  Battle of Legends, Volume 1

Probably one of the best values for your buck in Unmatched, Battle of Legends, Volume 1 comes with four unique characters (King Arthur, Medusa, Alice, and Sinbad).  Each character has unique abilities and play styles and I find all four fun to play.  Unfortunately, King Arthur is fairly weak compared to the other decks but I still enjoy the challenge of trying to win with him!  

#12:  Splendor

Simple, elegant, and fun over many repeated plays.  Splendor (which I reviewed way back in 2017) is a game that I continually return to when I want something that's guaranteed to be fun while also not taking a terribly long time to play.  I consider Splendor to be an "evergreen" sort of game.  It's always good and I don't see getting rid of it anytime soon.

#11:  Ark Nova

I've only played this monstrous game once but I definitely see a lot of potential in Ark Nova.  The worst part of the game is the huge table presence and the long play time...but if you can get past those two issues you get a very deep, very varied game full of all sorts of different ways to play (and win, I presume)!  

That'll do it for today's post!  Please join me next Friday when we conclude my countdown as we look at my Top 10 Games for 2023!  What will make the list?  I guess you'll have to wait and see!