Splendor Duel
Splendor Duel is not the younger brother of Splendor, but an older brother going on a date with a gamer.
Tower Up
When you play this game, you have to sing “We build this city!”
Beer & Bread
Who eats bread with beer?!
Forest Shuffle
Build your own forest ecosystem in this beautifully illustrated card game.
Architects of the West Kingdom
This is an unusual worker placement game where you get to round your opponents’ workers up and send them to prison.
Santa Maria
Once in a while you get surprised by games you expect to be pedestrian. Santa Maria is one such game for me. I was mind-blown by how much I enjoyed it.
Zenith
Put a rabbit in the interplanetary government in this strategic card game coming out mid 2025.
Port Arthur
Port Arthur is concise yet flavourful wargame about the Russo-Japanese war of 1904.
Koinobori
Collect pretty carp streamers and manipulate their values to win on Children’s Day.
Finca
Finca from 2009 came back into print in 2024, and I’m glad this time I gave it a go.
Rebirth
Rebirth is a big box game from Reiner Knizia at Essen 2024, in many ways a successor to his classic Through the Desert.
300: Earth & Water
A highly compact wargame design from Japan. I continue to be amazed by many Japanese designers, with how much can be done with so few components and rules.
It’s a Wonderful Kingdom
Build your kingdom through card drafting.
Forever Home
A family strategy game about running a dog shelter, without the poop related parts.
Kaki Lima: Downtown KL
From Penang to KL, the Kaki Lima series is growing and bringing some new ideas.
Skyrise
Do you enjoying building castles in the air? Here’s an out-of-print game given a new life, and it looks amazing.
Whale Riders
This 2021 Knizia title is elegant and strategic, and one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year.
SpellBook
A brisk and clever game of wizards developing spells from Phil Walker-Harding, designer of Sushi Go, Cacao and Barenpark.
Boardgamecafe.net 
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