My Gaming Year 2024: 18XX, SETI, and New Friends

18XX. This year was all about the 18XX series for me. It started off a bit slow during the Spring, but then 18 India came along and changed everything. I ended up playing different 18XX titles more than 20 times this year. That is more than one-third of all the 18XX games I have played since I started back in 2006.

Forest Shuffle. I also played a massive amount of Forest Shuffle on Board Game Arena. I have played this game over 200 times this year alone. If I keep going at this speed, it will be the very first game in my records to reach 500 plays. That milestone will likely happen sometime in 2025.

More activity. This year was definitely more active compared to 2023. My total number of plays was much higher than what I did between 2021 and 2023. Even if I take out all the Forest Shuffle games, I still played more than I did in 2023. I spent about 380 hours playing games, and only about 50 of those hours were spent on Forest Shuffle. The final numbers are: 652 sessions, 156 different games, and 41 new games.

BG Stats. I started using the BG Stats app this year. I really like it and wish I had started using it sooner. It is addictive to look at the scores and all the data. Tracking how long games take has also been very interesting, and it was worth the effort to time my games.

A new game group. I started a second game group this year. At first, it was supposed to be an open group for people who like books on Instagram, but it quickly turned into a closed group of just five people. I loved the fresh energy of this group. These people enjoy games and playing them, but they are not hardcore gamers. I act like a sommelier for the group: we meet once a month, and I always teach them new games. They then take those games and introduce them to their other groups. I have enjoyed these chances to play more casual games, and it is fun to see fresh views on older games.

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Game of the Year 2024

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is the new highlight for me in 2024. It is a game I enjoy a lot and cannot stop thinking about. One of the three debut titles by Tomáš Holek at Spiel 24, this game made a big splash. Despite my initial doubts, I went ahead and bought it.

SETI hits a sweet spot for me. It is a complex game, yet it is easy to teach and flows well. I was worried about the reported four-hour play times, but in our fast group, SETI feels like a quick game. The individual turns are fast, and the game moves along at a good pace, occasionally interrupted by a longer turn where you chain many actions together.

The array of possible strategies seems rich. You have so many options! The early game is hard for new players because it is so open. However, once you start to figure out how the various subsystems in the game function, you will notice paths you can take to generate resources and achieve much more.

The game also looks great. The box cover is very beautiful, and all the components are both functional and pretty.

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Heavy Game of the Year. 18 India. This is the game that kickstarted the 18XX boom for me. This unusual variant sits in the 1829 Mainline branch of the family tree. In this version, all tiles are available right from the start, players hold shares in their hands, and trains never rust. They can also be sold back to the bank. 18 India throws in a lot of variety and all sorts of special rules, making it a very interesting game. If I had to keep only one 18XX title in my collection right now, it would be 18 India.

Light Game of the Year. The Gang. This cooperative poker game charmed me. It is a simple idea, but it works so well. You do not need any poker expertise to play. I introduced this to my casual group, and they loved it so much that we did not play anything else that night. If you are looking for something easy to break the ice, The Gang is worth a look.

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Good new games (2023–2024)

18 BosWash. This is a magazine variant for 18 India. It has a different board that shows the Boston-Washington corridor. 18 BosWash streamlines the 18 India rules a lot. It plays fast but has plenty of space for clever moves. Another big hit from the team.

Fishing. Friedemann Friese’s clever trick-taking game has a lovely ebb and flow. If you win tricks, you score points. If you lose tricks, you get access to better cards. It is a bit long, but the rounds are required for it to work. I think it is well worth the effort if you are looking for a trick-taking game on the sillier end of the spectrum.

Harmonies. This is something I would like to explore more. It seems like a fun game similar to Cascadia, and not a frustrating game like Calico.

Medical Mysteries: NYC Emergency Room. A nice twist on escape room games. Figuring out what is wrong with the patients is fun. Getting all the details correct is pleasantly difficult.

MLEM: Space Agency. A variation of Heckmeck, but with cats in space. It offers good value for money. A nice little push-your-luck adventure.

Oranienburger Kanal. I initially skipped this Uwe Rosenberg title because I have had bad experiences with Spielworxx games. After reading praise for the game as Rosenberg’s Magnum Opus, I caved and bought a very expensive used copy instead of waiting for the new Sylex edition. I am glad I did: Oranienburger Kanal is a very good game, and the Sylex edition was a big disappointment. This is not Rosenberg’s best game – I still think Fields of Arle is the better two-player game – but it ranks very high.

Tea Garden. Another title by Holek. I ended up buying this because my friend was very eager to get rid of it after just one play. This is nice. Not as good as SETI, but I like the cleverness.

The White Castle. A very tight game. I did not like this a lot at first, but it grew on me, and I would like to investigate this more.

World Wonders. A rather lovely polyomino tile-laying game. It works well with five players.

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Good older games I hadn’t played before

18GB: The Railways of Great Britain. The 18XX fever got me looking at new titles. 18GB seemed promising. It is by Dave Berry, whose 1825 variants I appreciated, and it combines ideas from 1825 and 1860. The track-laying is delightfully tricky.

First Rat. An impulse purchase, this Kennerspiel-level game turned out to be a good buy. I have played this with many groups, and it has always worked well. It is fun with any number of players and requires a nice amount of strategic thinking while still being easy to teach and play.

Gimme That! The best stupid game of the year. Get five or six players together, and this is more fun than it has any right to be.

Hamlet: The Village Building Game. My first play was a sour experience because I played so poorly. The second time I played better, and the game was much better.

Lucky Numbers. I like Completto a lot. This is a similar game that plays fast with super simple rules. I think I prefer Completto because the wooden tiles are a better tactile experience, but this one is nice too.

Schadenfreude. Dan Thurot and Cole Wehrle discussed this in a podcast episode. I was intrigued and built a home-made copy just before Ropecon. It was worth the effort; this is a funny trick-taking game with a name that is on point.

Sichuan Bloody Rules Mahjong. A new way to play mahjong. I have been told this is currently the most popular variant in China, and I can see why: it is fast and simple. I have mostly played this on Mahjong Soul, but I have tried this once with actual tiles. Unfortunately, opportunities to play casual mahjong are few and far between. I would love to explore this game more.

Smart10. The best tri

The Castles of Burgundy. An old classic I had only tried once online. Now we gave it a go with the actual game, and it turned out to be better than expected. I would definitely play more.

Trekking Through History. For a quick and simple family game, this one is pretty good. Nice production values.

Troyes. Another old classic I hadn’t played. My first go left me a good impression. I would love to play more.

12 Chip Trick. This simple trick-taking game played with poker chips charmed some people in our group, while leaving others completely cold. I am in the charmed group; I think this is lovely.

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Children’s games

For the first time, this list is empty. I did not play anything with my kids five times. Times they are indeed a-changing.

Notes on old games

1829 Mainline. I bought this originally to support Francis Tresham years ago, and finally played it properly. It took us a couple of plays in 2024 to get the rules straight. This is a better game than I expected, but 18 India has developed this branch further.

Dune: Imperium and Dune: Imperium – Uprising. I like both a lot, and I still do not have much of a preference. I will happily play both. The 3 vs 3 team game in Uprising is nice. I bought the original with both expansions when my friend decided he only needs to own Uprising.

Go. With almost 40 live plays, this was a very active year. I also played a lot – over 400 games – on OGS. My rating graph went up and down between 10k and 14k. I am not a single-digit kyu player yet. Maybe one day!

Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper. This old classic made a bit of a comeback. I even played some three-player games. It is over 25 years old now, but still worth playing.

Ricochet Robot. I was helping a friend set up his bicycle smart trainer (my own Wahoo Kickr was one of the best purchases I made in 2024), and we played games afterwards. He had Ricochet Robot, so of course I wanted to play this old favourite. It was my first play in 21 years! That was a delight.

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The not-so-good, the disappointing and the plain bad

CuBirds. This did not make much sense.

Daybreak. I like the main card mechanism, but I found the theme and the difficulty level simply depressive.

1882: Assiniboia. This was a welcome reminder of why I do not like the 1830 branch of 18XX games a lot.

18Ireland. This cruel 18XX game is interesting in theory, but was not a lot of fun to actually play.

Taj Mahal. This Knizia classic made a comeback. A friend bought it, and we have played it twice now. I have been fighting for the fourth place in both games. It is a clever design, but I do not enjoy playing it.

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Fives and dimes

Forest Shuffle (213)

Go (39)

The Gang (17)

Tichu (11) and Schadenfreude (11)

Mahjong (10) and Lucky Numbers (10)

Shogi (9), Oranienburger Kanal (9), 18 India (9), and First Rat (9)

L.L.A.M.A. (8) and SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (8)

Slovenian Tarock (6), Dune: Imperium (6), and 18 BosWash (6)

18GB (5), Smart10 (5), Harmonies (5), Can’t Stop (5), and 1829 Mainline (5)

And many others with fewer plays.