revisiting 2012 eagerness ranking

Roughly once a year I force rank the games published in a particular year that I have played, which I find to be an interesting exercise. And roughly one more year after that I revisit the list to see whether my opinion has changed, and whether there are more games of that year which I have played. This is a revisit of the 2012 list. I keep all my previous comments. Additions are underlined.

Keen to play

1. Android: Netrunner - I only have the base game plus 3 expansions from the first expansion cycle, and there is already a lot to explore. I have not played that many games yet. I enjoy the games so far and I feel there is a lot more to learn. I think I will enjoy it even more when I learn to play better. This can be a lifestyle game, i.e. a gamer can play just this one game, like Magic: The Gathering, or competitive Scrabble, or Chess. I can't imagine myself playing just one game, but I'd like to spend more time on this game. This is one situation where I would reply "It's complicated" if someone asks me my relationship with a game. I like Netrunner but I don't play it regularly. I know I like it and yet I don't spend the effort to meet up with other runners. Now I have bought the 3 other expansions from the first cycle, completing this cycle. I have sleeved all my cards. And yet I have not played it for a long time. What am I doing?!
2. The Great Zimbabwe - Very interactive Splotter game, which is best when all players know what they are doing - how to prevent runaway leaders, how to adjust the pace of the game, how to neutralise opponents' special abilities. Some strong plays need multiple other players to work together to counter, so the game shines when there is a high level of familiarity among the players.
   

   Android: Netrunner

   

   The Great Zimbabwe

   Happy to play

3. Clash of Cultures - a well-implemented civ game. I still have not played it after buying my own copy. Dropped from Keen-To-Play to Happy-To-Play.
4. Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island - A punishing and rich cooperative game that has a lot of variety.
5. Star Wars: X-Wing - A fun romp. Clean and quick dogfighting system. Pew pew pew!
6. Ascension: Immortal Heroes (expansion) - I am playing all the available expansions on the iPhone almost every day. I have 5 ongoing games at all times. Since playing this is so convenient on the iPhone, I have zero urge to play a physical copy. Increased in ranking, because I'm always happy to play it on my iPhone.
7. The Palaces of Carrara - Interested to try this. Previously not played. I've bought a German version now, since the English version is out of print. It's a clever game where gauging pacing is very important.
8. Escape: The Curse of the Temple - I have only played this in a family setting, and never with the full rules. We only used a simple timer and not the soundtrack, so we didn't need to return to the starting point at specific times. Promoted from Lukewarm to Happy-To-Play, because I have been having fun playing this with daughter Shee Yun (9).
9. Love Letter - I wonder how much game there is to it. It's only 16 cards. Previously not played. It's light, relaxing fun. Good with children.
10. 1989: Dawn of Freedom - Similar to but different enough from Twilight Struggle.
11. CO2 - A tight game where you need to watch out not to set up good moves for your opponents, and yet sometimes it's hard not to.
12. Las Vegas - Heard good things about this one. Previously not played. A pleasant lightweight game.
13. Ticket To Ride: The Heart of Africa - A map that is tough because of how the route colours are distributed, or rather, clumped. Variety is always good when you enjoy the Ticket To Ride system.
14. Dominant Species: The Card Game - Not much like Dominant Species. Cards are precious and you need to pick when to fight and decide how hard to fight. Sometimes you need to know when to concede. It has brinkmanship, and even some player-negotiated cooperation if that's how you choose to play.
15. Fleet - A pleasant surprise. A quick card game where you need to make the most of special abilities you buy. Dropped a little, but still Happy-To-Play.
16. Mage Knight Board Game: The Lost Legion (expansion) - More variety for the base game. Dropped a little, but still Happy-To-Play.

    Clash of Cultures

    

    Dominant Species: The Card Game

    Lukewarm

17. VivaJava: The Coffee Game - A game where you need to compete and cooperate at the same time. Pulling coffee beans out of the bag is exciting and has that gambling feeling. Best with a big group.
18. Shinobi: War of Clans - A clever card game where you need to hide your identity while secretly trying to help your faction win. Players need to carefully maintain some balance, because if your faction appears too strong, it will soon get cut down. There is also a timing aspect to it. If your faction can get a boost at the right time near the end, it will win even if it becomes obvious who you are working for. Dropped from Happy-To-Play to Lukewarm.
19. Kemet - Part of the new generation of dudes-on-a-map games, like Cyclades. It has a Euro core, like Cyclades. While Cyclades is driven by auctions, which decide what you can do in a round, and thus require that you don't neglect making money, Kemet is driven by special ability tiles, which customise your nation, and also a limited action type mechanism.
20. Tokaido - Very pretty. Previously not played. An OK game. I love the artwork.
21. Terra Mystica - A hot game with a lot of good buzz, and now an award winner too. Previously not played. I see why this is very popular. It has good strategy, and there is much variability. Every tribe plays differently, and you need different approaches to compete against different tribes.
22. Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar - A "plan a few turns ahead" game. I didn't expect to like it because of the "worker placement" label, but it turned out that I enjoyed it more than I expected, even though it is a worker placement game. Dropped from Happy-To-Play to Lukewarm.
23. Town Center - Burnt out on the solo game because I feel I have solved the puzzle. I'd be more willing to play non-solo games. Promoted a little because Allen lent me the Kickstarter version which comes with variants like London, Paris, Hong Kong. I still haven't tried them though.
24. Edo - It has an interesting action selection mechanism. There is area majority competition on the board. Most memorable part is the aspect where when you send your samurai onto the board to do your work, you need to have either stockpiled enough rice to pay for their expenses, or you need to keep producing rice to keep them on the board.
    

    VivaJava: The Coffee Game

    

    Shinobi: War of Clans

    Rather Not Play

25. Sunrise City - Quite tactical. Most memorable is the scoring system - you are always trying to precisely hit the 10pt mark when you score points, because when you do so, you earn two stars instead of one (stars determine victory at game end, so they are the real victory points). Sometimes you "help" others score points to push them over the 10pt mark. Dropped from Lukewarm to Rather-Not-Play.
26. Seasons - Dice game with card drafting. All about planning for the best use of your cards. Dropped from Lukewarm to Rather-Not-Play.
27. For The Win - Perfect-information, abstract 2P game, a little like Hive.
28. Zombie! Run for Your Lives! - Light card game with a lot of getting your friends killed by zombies.
    

    Zombie! Run for Your Lives!

Not Played

Here are some of the games published in 2012 that I know of or have heard of, but have not tried. Looking at this long list, I think I am no longer at the forefront of the gaming hobby. I don't mind though. I'm happy enough to just try a handful of newer games every year, as long as I have enough good games to play.

1. Lords of Waterdeep - I have not read much about it. It seems to be just a regular worker placement game with a fantasy setting.
2. Mage Wars
3. Star Wars: The Card Game
4. Mice and Mystics
5. D-Day Dice - Allen has it.
6. Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game
7. Zombicide
8. Rex: Final Days of the Empire - I have played Dune once. It was good.
9. Legends of Andor
10. Virgin Queen - Allen has this.
11. Archipelago - I have been following this game a fair bit. A game about exploring and development. One aspect that detractors don't like is how a losing player can force everyone to lose by letting the game devolve into a rebellion. I guess this depends on the group you play with.
12. Suburbia
13. 7 Wonders: Cities (expansion)
14. Wiz-War (8th edition)
15. Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery
16. Keyflower
17. Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small
18. Dominion: Dark Ages (expansion)
19. Libertalia
20. The Manhattan Project
21. Space Cadets
22. Andean Abyss - Allen has this too. Seems interesting, but probably needs four players.
23. Myrmes - Some said it's a little like Antiquity. That got my attention.
24. Infiltration
25. Merchant of Venus (second edition)
26. Samurai Battles
27. Trains
28. Yedo
29. Snowdonia
30. 1812: The Invasion of Canada - Sounds like an innovative Euro-ish war game in the vein of Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan.
31. Coup: City State
32. Star Trek: Catan
33. Ginkgopolis
34. Copycat
35. Goblins Inc
36. Morels
37. Galaxy Trucker: Another Big Expansion - I'm no longer buying expansions because I don't play Galaxy Trucker often enough nowadays.
38. Antike Duellum
39. Atlantis Rising
40. Africana
41. Crown of Roses Allen has this. A multiplayer block wargame.
42. Targi - Some interest. It can be a spouse game. Allen has this I think.
43. Pax Porfiriana
44. Spellbound
45. Chicken Caesar
46. Abaddon
47. Urbanisation
48. Alien Frontiers: Factions (expansion)
49. Uchronia
50. Aeroplanes: Aviation Ascendant - Martin Wallace design. Seems much less well received than Automobile.
51. Le Havre: The Inland Port - I need to play Le Havre more.
52. The Ladies of Troyes (expansion)
53. Doctor Who: The Card Game
54. Axis & Allies 1941
55. Guildhall
56. The Convoy
57. P.I. - Martin Wallace design. But I prefer his heavier games and not the lighter ones.
58. Samurai Sword (the Bang-like game, not Samurai Swords / Ikusa / Shogun)
59. Kingdom of Solomon
60. Garden Dice
61. New Amsterdam - Heard good things.
62. Starship Merchants
63. Qwixx
64. Zooloretto: The Dice Game
65. Qin - Reiner Knizia design. Interested to try.
66. Ruhrschifffahrt 1769-1890
67. Legacy: Gears of Time - I followed this for a while some time ago.
68. Divinare
69. Oddville
70. Zong Shi
71. Tooth & Nail: Factions - Allen has it. Read rules. Still have not played. Forgot rules. Read rules again. Still haven't played. Will probably forget rules again. I sense a pattern.
72. Indigo
73. Nightfall: The Coldest War (expansion)
74. Sheepland
75. The Doge Ship
76. Flowerfall - A game about dropping cards onto the table. How's that for unconventional?
77. Mondo Sapiens - I remember Mondo fondly, a real-time game of constructing your own world from tiles where you want to make sure the tile edges match. Mondo Sapiens is a standalone variant game.
78. Pala
79. Keltis: Das Würfelspiel
80. Rondo - Reiner Knizia abstract game. Interested to try after reading about it in Spielbox magazine.