January 24 2018

Pedro's Top 5 Games Played in 2017

Fallout

As a long time fan of the Fallout series, when this game came into my radar I was surprised and very excited. At first I thought it was going to be like other FFG titles like Gears of War or Imperial Assault. But then I played it and I was wrong. It is more like Mage Knight. But faster and easy to learn.

The health/rads track is very representative of the videogames and being a modular game gives it a great value due to its increased replayability. In fact, If I learned something from Xia, this is a great game to mod… just like the videogames. And then I realised, hey this is a board game based on a videogame that doesn't suck! In fact, quite the opposite. I look forward to painting the minis and eventually modding it and playing it more.

Starfinder RPG

Everyone knows that I squee like a 16 year old girl when good Sci-Fi Space Opera meets good games. Paizo has produced Starfinder, and boy, it is fantastic. Clearly based on the Pathfinder rules, this game is more streamlined and doesn’t have a steep learning curve. Themes are great for character creation than just backgrounds (D&D) both in flavour and mechanics. And the combination of Themes, Classes and Races provide great depth and variation.

The setting is quite good. Drawing obvious inspiration from Pathfinder, Star Trek and Warhammer 40k, it has amazing potential for unlimited adventures. I am eager to see what comes next for Starfinder.

Warhammer 40k 8th Edition

A long time ago when I was skinny and had lots of hair, I tried 40k. I liked it but couldn't afford it at the time. Fast forward quite a few years and kilos and I tried 7th Edition. I only understood 10% of what was going on and lost interest, even though I was a huge Dawn of War fan. But then news of 8th edition hit me, and I decided to give it a try.

And yeah, it is great. Fast paced, easier to learn and simplified, the latest edition of the grimmest and darkest game ever is really worth the bucks and the effort. BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! Additionally, the quality of the miniatures has improved even more. Dark Imperium provides a great starting base and there is a lot more coming. SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE! Looking forward to playing it more often.

Shadespire

So, I never thought I would delve into Age of Sigmar stuff. But then Shadespire came along. And I had a blast.

A miniature game with a modular board that can be played 1v1 in under 45 minutes? YES PLEASE.

The miniatures are of great quality and the depth of this tactical game is amazing. I better hurry up and finish painting my orcs for some more battle. And I’m looking forward to the League that will fire up soon at Vault.

Arkham Horror LCG

A few years ago, I started playing the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. And I loved it. But I wanted more a deeper and better quasi-RPG card game. Then, Crossfire came along and yeah, it was alright, especially good if you love Shadowrun. Then I tried Warhammer Quest and the Lord of the Rings LCG and liked them too, but I still felt something was missing. And FFG decided to drop the Arkham Horror LCG on our laps.

Wow. This is the most RPG you can get without fully playing an RPG. The character progression is great and simple. The stories and campaigns are worth every drop of cold horror sweat they evoke. The characters have fantastic backstories. Beautiful artwork and teeth-grinding decisions. Madness, treachery, phobias and insanity. All part of a good Lovecraftian game.

And this is my definite favorite game of 2017.