Five of my favorite board games from 2021
From witchcraft to Las Vegas heists, 2021 was a great year for games.
2021 was a weird year. So was 2020, but 2021 was almost as weird — and while we could easily dwell on the difficulties of the year, I think it would be a lot more interesting to focus on some of the great things — and, in my case, it’s pretty natural to focus on some of the great games I played last year.
I didn’t play as many games as I would have liked — which is probably something I will say every year for the rest of my life, regardless of the number of unique games I play — and as a result, there are plenty of games from 2021 in my To Play pile. (I don’t keep them in a literal pile. At least, I don’t do it intentionally. Hmm.) We can talk about those games another time.
The most important caveat for me here is that it’s not actually that important to play only the latest games. It’s more important to enjoy the time you’re spending with games, and that’s always the right goal. But with that said, let’s jump into some of my favorite games from 2021, presented to you in alphabetical order, because I don’t feel much like ranking them right now. (I also don’t think it would be helpful.)
Burgle Bros 2
I have made fairly obvious the fact that I’m a big fan of games from Tim Fowers and his small cohort of designers, and Burgle Bros 2 is no exception. This game is a cooperative game in which you play as a squad executing a heist in Las Vegas, moving around a map, uncovering tiles, and trying to complete a mission before you’re caught by casino security staff.
It’s a more streamlined experience than its predecessor (Burgle Bros) in some ways, with rules being a bit easier to explain. It adds one or two great features, too, with the campaign system standing out for me.
Is Burgle Bros 2 a must-own if you have and love the original? Probably not. But it adds some really great key elements that might make it a better game. Of course, there are aspects you may not love. For example, there’s a little more random output, which fits well with the Las Vegas theme. But if that’s not a huge concern for you — or if it sounds appealing — I think this one’s really worth a go.
Cascadia
What a game Cascadia is. It’s taken the gaming world by storm since its release, with it feeling like a fun upgrade from the also-great Calico, but it’s importantly a little more accessible and a little more forgiving in its play.
In Cascadia, you’re laying terrain tiles and animal tokens as you build out a land map in front of you. Each player is attempting to score points from a set of public goals, and they’re all based around the way you’ve placed animal tokens — some animals want to be in groups, some in pairs, some a good distance away from each other, and so on. It provides a lot of room for strategizing, but it also lets players react to what’s available, too. Games that provide both are rare, but they’re so valuable.
Cascadia has quite remarkably hit the top spot in Board Game Geek’s abstract strategy category, lifting itself over what is now a must-own game in Azul. (Due to the quirkiness of BGG’s rankings, Azul is higher in the overall rankings. Don’t ask me to explain it — at least not in this newsletter.)
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
I mean, you knew it had to be here, right? I’ve talked about The Crew essentially non-stop for nearly two years, and I don’t much feel like stopping. See, The Crew is a great game. And it’s more than a great game — it’s a game that has fit so neatly into my collection that it’s almost scary. Was it designed for me by sentient machines? Will it lead to the destruction of mankind?
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea is not the same game as its predecessor (two sequels on this list — I guess I have a type!), but it’s also not so far off as to be intimidating. It’s another great cooperative trick-taking game, but it turns the mission structure on its head. Rather than a linear set of missions you work through, there’s a lot more variety here. Most missions are composed of objective cards, which vary in difficulty. You might have one difficult objective, or you might have three easy objectives. It’s a variety of play that really shines with this game, but it does absolutely make it a less reliable hit. That variability is something I’ve really enjoyed, but it makes it a little harder to recommend.
Sea Change
You didn’t think you’d get away without me talking about another card game, did you? Sea Change is a competitive trick-taking game that mostly sticks to the classics — cards in suits with a trump suit. The unique proposition here is that you can change the trump suit mid-trick by playing a card that matches the value of the previously played card in the trick.
As a result, you might play a high-value card, thinking you’ve sealed important points, but somebody steals that success out from under you at the last minute, earning the spoils for themselves. But it goes a little beyond that, too: Cards may be worth positive or negative points, and you might think you’re set to lose a trick by playing out of suit, only to have somebody turn that on you later in the trick, giving you an unexpected — and undesired — card. Or cards.
I love the twist here, and the sea theme is a fun one. It comes in a perfectly small box, and it’s easy to drop in your bag on your way to visit family — after all, it’s easy to explain, and it features mechanics that will feel familiar to many.
Whirling Witchcraft
An engine-building game in which you’re not building an engine for yourself, but to heap misery on others? That’s what you’re given in Whirling Witchcraft, which turns a familiar mechanic inside out.
Whirling Witchcraft sees you and your opponents playing as witches brewing potions, and those potions basically transform ingredients into other ingredients. Those ingredients you get out aren’t for you, though. Instead, they all go in your cauldron, and your neighbor gets your cauldron. They have to manage the ingredients being passed their way on their workbench. Any excess ingredients your neighbor can’t work with end up as points for you, and with five of those points, you’ll win the game.
Interestingly, of course, you need ingredients to be able to complete the recipes that send ingredients away — giving you an extra bit to think about as you try to put together a winning strategy.
There are many more great games from 2021, some of which I’ve played and have loved, and plenty more of which are sitting in my collection just waiting for the perfect moment to be played. I’m excited to talk about those in the coming year, just as I’m excited to talk about games new and old. If you’re not subscribed already, consider doing so — I won’t send emails more than once a week, and sometimes (sorry, readers!) it’s just once a month.
Thanks for reading Don't Eat the Meeples. You can find me on Instagram and on Twitter. You can also find me on your speakers with my podcast, Vintage Sci-Fi Shorts, in which I read old science fiction short stories from the pages of old pulp and digest magazines. Season Four is being released weekly, and we’re getting close to the end of the season already. (Time flies!)
I hope 2022 finds you well, and we’ll chat games again soon!