One I really like as a coop deck builder, even though the deck building is more on the slow side, is Shadowrun: Crossfire, especially with the expansion (because that one adds some really nice scenarios that are IMO more fun than the stock scenarios). It really has nice ways of cooperating, it’s not just a bunch of guys doing their thing alongside each other. But it is much more reactive in your deck building than strategic, so not exactly of the Dominion variant with lots of planning. It’s a cyberpunk-fantasy setting, but the theme isn’t too oppressive (one could argue it is a weak theme, but for me it works quite well). And SR:CF works well with anything from 1 to 4 players and play time is quick – and even better, setup is super fast. Oh, and it is called brutally hard by some people.

For something more along the lines of Dominion, how about Thunderstone: Advance? There is a coop variant in one of the expansions, but you don’t really need the expansion for it, you can play it with even just the base box. It has more strategy in that you can plan out who goes for what cards and what specialization, so you get a much more strategic play experience. This could be best classified as “cooperative dominion with weak theme” 😉

One I really like as a coop deck builder, even though the deck building is more on the slow side, is Shadowrun: Crossfire, especially with the expansion (because that one adds some really nice scenarios that are IMO more fun than the stock scenarios). It really has nice ways of cooperating, it’s not just a bunch of guys doing their thing alongside each other. But it is much more reactive in your deck building than strategic, so not exactly of the Dominion variant with lots of planning. It’s a cyberpunk-fantasy setting, but the theme isn’t too oppressive (one could argue it is a weak theme, but for me it works quite well). And SR:CF works well with anything from 1 to 4 players and play time is quick – and even better, setup is super fast. Oh, and it is called brutally hard by some people.

For something more along the lines of Dominion, how about Thunderstone: Advance? There is a coop variant in one of the expansions, but you don’t really need the expansion for it, you can play it with even just the base box. It has more strategy in that you can plan out who goes for what cards and what specialization, so you get a much more strategic play experience. This could be best classified as “cooperative dominion with weak theme” 😉

LOTR: the card game because of all the text on the cards. Seriously. People are reluctant to play because of cards with texts. I don’t mind that much, as I really enjoy it solo, but from time to time a multiplayer game would be fun.

LOTR: the card game because of all the text on the cards. Seriously. People are reluctant to play because of cards with texts. I don’t mind that much, as I really enjoy it solo, but from time to time a multiplayer game would be fun.

Best new game so far and by a large margin is Comancheria which just came out from GMT. It is a solo game about the Comanche over 100 years of their history in North America. Beautiful components, nice tutorial to get you into the game and great player aids to help playing. And by far one of the smoothest solo systems I have met, giving you just the right amount of illusion of control and a glimpse on what your enemies will do, but throwing enough stuff into your way to trip you up. Really enjoyed playing ut and looking forward to more plays.

Honorable mention: Euphrat & Tigris isn’t new at all, but I actually played it the first time and man, it is a lot of fun in a box. I really like how the kingdoms shape up, how conflict is handled and how you don’t necessarily have a “home” but are more like a dynasty grabbing areas and trying to control them, with your first areas just happening the ones where you probably have the most influence. Really neat game, totally can see why people like it so much.

But the best part of 2017 is that I have a semi regular play partner for Magic the Gathering again, and since that is one of only two games I rank a full 10, that one kinda runs in its own league 😉

Best new game so far and by a large margin is Comancheria which just came out from GMT. It is a solo game about the Comanche over 100 years of their history in North America. Beautiful components, nice tutorial to get you into the game and great player aids to help playing. And by far one of the smoothest solo systems I have met, giving you just the right amount of illusion of control and a glimpse on what your enemies will do, but throwing enough stuff into your way to trip you up. Really enjoyed playing ut and looking forward to more plays.

Honorable mention: Euphrat & Tigris isn’t new at all, but I actually played it the first time and man, it is a lot of fun in a box. I really like how the kingdoms shape up, how conflict is handled and how you don’t necessarily have a “home” but are more like a dynasty grabbing areas and trying to control them, with your first areas just happening the ones where you probably have the most influence. Really neat game, totally can see why people like it so much.

But the best part of 2017 is that I have a semi regular play partner for Magic the Gathering again, and since that is one of only two games I rank a full 10, that one kinda runs in its own league 😉

I really enjoyed each time I played – both with two players and four players. Very enjoyable game with smooth rounds and great components. A bit heacüvy on setup, but fine fir the play time of – in my cases – between 2 and 3 hours.

I really enjoyed each time I played – both with two players and four players. Very enjoyable game with smooth rounds and great components. A bit heacüvy on setup, but fine fir the play time of – in my cases – between 2 and 3 hours.