Another boom year for the world of board games has come to an end, with a real invasion of new titles on the shelves of specialized shops, large bookshops and online stores. Finding your way around can be difficult, so we’ve selected the best board games of 2022 for every type of player.
They range from games for experts to those for families ; from party games to roll & write ; from narrative and adventure games to no-holds-barred fighting games, passing through westerns, science fiction, fantasy; from big bank heists to big west racetracks. There are international best-sellers and games arriving in Italy with a localized edition only now. In short, there is something for all tastes, and for all shelves .
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01Inis
The best game for those with clan leader ambitions. Courage, strength and cunning are the indispensable qualities for taking the lead of the Celtic clans. Players compete to discover and conquer new lands and be named Brahn, or heads of all clans. To do this, you will need to build citadels and sanctuaries, maintain control of them and defeat your opponents in battle (or dominate them over the territories). Inis is a masterpiece of game design : from the selection of action cards from a common deck (the so-called drafting ), up to the battle mechanism that translates into a mix of sacrifices and diplomacy, passing through the three possible ways to win the victory. Without considering the wonderful illustrations halfway between Celtic and art nouveau. One of the best territory control games of all time, finally in Italy in a Big Box with all the expansions (game by Christian Martinez, Studio Supernova editions , 2-5 players, 90 min., 14+ years).
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02Sleeping Gods
The best game for adventurous explorers. Sleeping Gods is as close to open world video games as you can find in the world of board games. In 1929, the steamboat Manticore and her crew of 9 professionals are transported to an unfamiliar fantasy world. The only way to return home is to comply with the wishes of the mysterious local deities and collect 14 idols. The game develops on a book that acts as an atlas and game map; players can travel anywhere with great freedom to collect and complete side quests , and unexpected encounters lurk in each locationand dangerous, but also events with variable outcomes, with some crossroads borrowed from game books . Experience points, management of the deck of cards and tactical combats represent the solid mechanical base that counterbalances the narrative part (game by Ryan Laukat, Dv Giochi editions , 1-4 players, 60-120 min., 13+ years).
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03Ark Nova
The best game for those who love animals (and board games) . Building a zoo is a difficult task, especially if you have to balance commercial appeal and species conservation . Ark Nova is one of the editorial cases of the year, a game that arrived in Italy on the strength of an international success certainly due to the theme and the over 250 cards that depict the most disparate exotic animals . However, it is not a board game for amateurs, but a rather complex and articulated game, which rewards those who know how to adapt their tacticsto the opportunities of the moment. Players will have to choose which action to take each round, with a clever system that makes less used actions more and more powerful. So you can acquire rare animals, sponsors, pavilions, kiosks and conservation projects for your zoo. Each one has different effects, and the beauty is discovering different combos with each game and how best to make them work to maximize points (game by Mathias Wigge, Cranio Creations editions , 1-4 players, 90-150 mins, 14 + years).
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04Flamecraft
The best (dragon) family game. Flamecraft is an irresistible game at first glance. From the illustrations of the cute little dragons intent on various professions, to those of the various fantasy shops that gradually populate the city, up to the game mat and other components, everything in the game oozes with personality – and nothing makes you want to sit down and play more . The friendly aspect of Flamecraft translates into a game suitable for the whole family, where the competition is there, but with positive-sum interactionsinstead of negative. Players have to send their dragons to work as assistants in various shops: blacksmiths, bakers, gardeners, jewelers and even more exotic ones. The goal is to produce enough resources to complete contracts and earn points. But each player’s decision makes the city richer for everyone , even for the opponents (Manny Vega game, Lucky Duck Games Italia editions, 1-5 players, 60 min., 10+ years).
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05Twilight subscription
The best game for those who want to colonize the galaxy with dice. Twilight Imperium is a sacred name in the world of hard-core tabletop gamers: a game of conquest, trade and space exploration now in its fourth edition, in which a game can last an entire day. Twilight Inscription is its little brother; maintains its setting, but features new mechanics and a game time condensed into a couple of hours. Each round a player unveils an event that affects all players, and rolls dice depicting resources to be spent on building his empire. All players independently choose in which area they will decide to invest resources:navigation , expansion , warfare , or industry . Each area corresponds to a card with a different mechanism for unlocking advantages and valuable new resources – often with combinations and interconnections between the various areas. Even though player interaction is reduced compared to the original, Twilight Imperium lives up to its reputation as one of the toughest ** roll & write ** (games where you roll dice and make notes on personal cards) ever (game by James Kniffen, Asmodee Editions , 1-8 players, 90-120 mins, age 14+).
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06Exceed: Street Fighter
The best game for those who are passionate about arcade video games (and want to beat each other up). Ryu, Akuma, Zangief and Sagat: historical names from the world of video games who return to the ring for a fight to the last haduken. This time, however, players don’t hold the joystick of a 90s cabinet (or a modern console) but a hand of cards that replicates in detail the most iconic and recognizable moves of the four wrestlers. Each card is divided into two parts: an attack with range, power and speed values and special effects that reposition the wrestlers; or boosts with immediate or continuous enhancement effects that come at a cost. The result is a card game with simple but very technical rules,strictly 1vs1 , obviously expandable with new packs and characters (game by D. Brad Talton Jr., Studio Supernova, 2 players, 15-20 min., 10+ years).
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07The heist
The best game for those who have seen Ocean’s Eleven too many times. Ready to organize the coup of the century? In The heist , players take on the role of secret agents called upon to coordinate and execute a bank robbery (against a criminal empire) in real time. In addition to the plan of the coup and the inevitable paper elements (identification cards, maps and so on), it will be necessary to make wise use of modern technology , from internet browsers to the Telegram app to communicate live with field agents. Text messages, videos, online searches and other surprises represent the multimedia partof the game, which contributes to making the experience truly unique: you will seem to really communicate with the agents who obey your commands. A cooperative game halfway between a tabletop escape room and an investigative one that makes it best for an evening with friends (game by Igor Korotitskiy, Alexander Krys, Ms Edizioni, 1-5 players, 90-150 min., 14 + years).
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08The Adventures of Robin Hood
The best game for those who want to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Every now and then, cyclically, Robin Hood comes back into fashion. Often thanks to a film. Sometimes among fans of a video game. This time, among board game enthusiasts. The strengths of this cooperative title in 7 scenarios are two: the game board, which depicts Sherwood forest and Nottingham castle with a beautiful illustration, and which works almost like an advent calendar with many windows to open and discover, and inserts that change the landscape from game to game; and the book of adventures, a real hardcover tome with history and changing rulesand they evolve scenario after scenario. The simple but compelling mechanics, based on exploration and ” bag building ” (the management of cubes in a bag, to be extracted randomly to represent successes and failures), allow players to step into the shoes of the merry company of brigands with a heart of gold, intent on overpowering the guards, fighting the cruel sheriff and of course helping Robin steal Lady Marian’s heart (game by Michael Menzel, United Games editions , 2-4 players, 60 min, 10+ years).
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09Carnegie
The best game for aspiring entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Andrew Carnegie, who emigrated from Scotland to the United States in the first half of the 19th century, became one of the great steel magnates. But he was also a philanthropist who left over 350 million dollars in donations to various charitable foundations when he died. In this competitive title for experts , based on the selection of stocks for a predetermined number of rounds, players are called to follow in the footsteps of Carnegie, building a veritable business empire across the United States. It will therefore be necessary to hire employees, create a transport chain, invest in real estate and meet the most important personalities of the time – but to score points it will also be essentialleave a legacy in charity . An economic theme made more graceful with illustrations by Ian O’Toole (by Xavier Georges, Tesla Games Editions , 1-4 Players, 90-180 Minutes, Ages 12+).
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10Great Western Trail
The best game for fans of westerns (but especially cows). Who wants to wear the (slightly stinky) cowboy clothes? In Great Western Trail players must herd premium cows and lead their herd on a winding path from pastures to the railroads, finally transporting the cattle to the Kansas City market. Along the way it will be necessary to choose how to use the accumulated money : it will be better to enlist helpers to become more efficient, build buildings to have new shares available, buy new cows of a valuable breed, or capture the banditsto clear new paths? A satisfying game of resource management and efficient choices, cloaked in atmosphere thanks to the setting of yesteryear and the open spaces of the West (by Alexander Pfister, Ghenos Games editions , 1-4 players, 75-150 min., 12+ years).
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11Tearful
The best game for Mozart fans. Mozart is dead and his famous Requiem risks remaining unfinished. In each game the players, in the role of sponsors of the famous composer, are divided between actions of the present and memories of the past. Looking to the past, they will have to gather their memories of interactions with Mozart in 5 phases of his life (from child prodigy to mature genius), remembering the travels between the European courts , to increase their influence in the history of the great Austrian composer; while in the present they will have to commission the missing parts of the composition to other famous musicians. The game revolves around a hand of 9 cards that can be improved and on which one must operatedifficult choice : use them to perform actions or to generate resources? A ” euro ” style game graced by an elegant and different theme and graphics , coming out right at the end of the year (game by Gerard Ascensi, Ferran Renalias, Devir editions , 1-4 players, 90 min., 14+ years).
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12Telesketch
The best party game for those who (can’t) draw. Telesketch is a game based on an old concept, which can be summarized in the idea of the wireless telephone . A player is given a randomly determined word; he has 60 seconds to draw it, after which he passes the sheet to the next player, who tries to interpret the sketch and write a sentence to describe it. This goes on in a chain of drawings and words , until the block returns to the original player, who reveals to everyone the sequence of inevitable, hilarious mistakes. A simple game, for an evening with friends, easily customizable with original phrases and materials for multiple players, regardless of points and victories(Asmodee editions , 4-8 players, 10-30 mins, 12+ years).
