According to the Quackalope writing team…

While the world has been topsy and oh so turvy, the board game scene has continued bringing new games to the community. Thanks to tireless efforts from designers, artists, developers, and publishers, so many titles have come out in the last twelve months.

And while we are a small and subjective group of tabletop fans, we thought we’d share our votes for the top games of 2020. The lists are unranked and some of the selections may surprise you, but these are the games that have influenced us throughout a year of quarantine, social distancing, and general chaos.

We can’t say goodbye to 2020 quick enough, but these games should stay on the shelf for a long time. Check out what Dan Hess (DH), William Lippincott (WL), and Devon Norris (DN) have been enjoying!

My City (DH)

Despite slowly becoming worn out by legacy-style games, My City managed to be a breath of fresh air. It’s an evolving polyomino tile-laying game with enough change to stay interesting while maintaining the streamlined, clean feeling that makes Reiner Knizia’s designs so accessible and appealing.

And, at $35, it’s a bargain for a full 2-4 player campaign that can stay on the shelf as a standalone game once the campaign is finished.

An affordable pick in a year where that matters a lot, My City offers a campaign that the whole family can enjoy if you can’t meet up with your gaming group.

Viscounts of the West Kingdom (WL)

A fitting end to Shem Phillips' second trilogy of games, Viscounts of the West Kingdom empowers players as the titular viscounts, who travel around the West Kingdom trying to prevent it from falling into ruin.

Not as heavy as Paladins but heavier than Architects, its innovative card play and interesting choices make it a solid entry into the West Kingdom trilogy. If you liked either of the previous West Kingdom games, you will find Viscounts to be refreshingly different, but easy to pick up because of the shared iconography of the three games.

Keep an eye out for West Kingdom expansions coming in 2021!

Escape the Dark Sector (DN)

Escape the Dark Sector is one of those delightful games that surprises you with the strategy and theme that can be packed into a small box.

For something that lasts around thirty minutes, there are a lot of ways you can play this game. It can be an adventurous warm-up before a bigger board game or you can play multiple times as you try to escape the space station.

Either way, Themeborne has really improved what they started with Escape the Dark Castle and the choose-your-own-adventure style board game is a thrilling ride through a setting I adore.

The Fox in the Forest Duet (DH)

I’ve played euchre since I was 12, so trick-taking games seldom impress me. Duet, however, executes a brilliant yet simple cooperative mechanic that is perfect for accompanying a summertime beer on a patio.

My wife and I didn’t get to enjoy this favorite pastime much this year, but we’re looking forward to wearing out our copy in 2021.

Smartphone Inc. (WL)

Ok, so this is a bit of a cheat.

Smartphone Inc. technically released in 2018, but it wasn't widely available. With the second edition coming out this year, though, it has quickly become one of my top ten favorites, not just for 2020.

A not-too-heavy economic game, Smartphone Inc. sees you selling smartphones across the globe, trying to sell more than your competition. With an elegant minimalist design, a well-written rulebook, and great clean iconography, Smartphone Inc. is an easily accessible economic game with the right crunch to keep it interesting over multiple plays.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Vendetta (DN)

Vampire: The Masquerade - Vendetta is a bloody and conflict-heavy card game from Horrible Guild.

Chicago is in need of a vampire prince and the clans are out for blood and influence. The asymmetric card game has players in control of competing clans and their unique decks will be utilized to win over locations, gain allies, and build influence. Whoever comes out on top at the end of the game will have Chicago in their immortal grip.

I’m all about asymmetric games—when they’re done right. Root is a favorite of mine, but Vendetta fits in this wonderful category of games that play in under an hour and have low complexity while maintaining high replay value. It’s easy to teach to friends and you can finish in about 30 minutes once you get the hang of it. If some more clans come out in an expansion, and with some tweaking on the existing clans, I think this could be a neon-filled vampire adventure that I’ll keep coming back to.

Top Gun Strategy Game (DH)

Prospero Hall’s superb board game adaptation of the 1986 classic was as entertaining as it was unpretentious. With a short volleyball sequence followed by a fun take on a tabletop dog fight—fighter jets, not dogs—all wrapped up in the bright neon colors of the era, this game delivered well beyond my expectations.

And it’s only $25…

Cóatl (WL)

An Azul-killer? Not quite.

But it definitely gave it a run for its money. Cóatl is a game in which players build colorful feathered snakes, the Cóatls, to please the gods. Players take turns drafting pieces of their Cóatl from a central board and try to match aspects of their creations to different prophecy cards, which they also can draft.

Cóatl is a wonderful, puzzly game with excellent art and an under-utilized theme. It’s a great substitute for Azul if you feel like you have played that game enough, give Cóatl a try for some good family-weight fun.

In the Hall of the Mountain King (DN)

I’m really excited about the upcoming In Too Deep from Burnt Island Games. It’s my kind of game—engaging theme with matching visuals, thinky and puzzly gameplay, and a lot of replay value. However, I will have to wait…

But that’s okay because the 2020 release from Burnt Island Games is a delight unto itself. In the Hall of the Mountain King is a polyomino, tunnel-digging wonder that has enough strategy to win over the grizzled tabletop veterans and enough charm to convince budding gamers to sit down and take a swing at being a troll.

It also helps that awesome game inserts and beautiful components really make this game pop on the table.

Sorcerer City (DH)

This game blew me away. Combining a deck-building element with a timed tile-laying mechanic, Sorcerer City is something else. The timer ratchets up the tension during the tile-laying phase of the game, taking something familiar and turning it into something new and exciting.

Though the theme more or less whiffs—the gameplay feels much more akin to making a quilt at a county fair than building a city for wizards and monsters—and the iconography can be a little confusing, the art and components are beautiful. The core gameplay, too, is amazing.

It’s been a huge hit with my local game friends, immediately establishing itself as a permanent fixture on my game shelf.

Unmatched: Cobble and Fog (WL)

I fully expected to not like Unmatched. I'm not a huge fan of miniatures games. I also don’t really like skirmish games.

That changed with Cobble and Fog. In Unmatched: Cobble and Fog, you head into battle with four Victorian-era literary characters: Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, The Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. The theme is so wonderfully realized and the characters so well balanced, that the game is totally engrossing from start to finish.

Each game of Cobble and Fog that I have played has come down to the wire, and no two plays are exactly the same, thanks to the way the card-based battle system works. I'm really looking forward to where this series goes next!

Viscounts of the West Kingdom (DN)

I’m also a fan of the West Kingdom trilogy from Shem Phillips. Each of the three games has their own merits, but Viscounts does a great job of ending the series while establishing an engaging and innovative way to jump back into the iconography and world of the West Kingdom.

It’s nice to finally have a physical piece on the board and manipulating where that viscount goes it part of the excitement with this third game. Also, the chance to finally experience the full potential of the Tomesaga expansion with all three games is wonderful.

If you’re looking for a crunchy mid-weight game from a designer that knows how to make the graphic design and visual board reinforce the gameplay, then Viscounts is one you should check out.

Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

Specifically, The Land of Sorrow Adventure Pack.

With one of the final expansions before Fantasy Flight Games puts The Lord of the Rings LCG on an indefinite hiatus, the Land of Sorrow adventure pack brought us the card Messenger of the King. This effectively turns every unique ally ever printed into a potential hero. In doing so, the designers have cleverly (and drastically) expanded the card pool using existing cards.

Players now have new ways to construct decks and retell the stories of Middle-Earth for years to come. It was already one of my favorite and most replayable games, but now The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game will be something I can return to for years and years, still finding new combinations.

The scenario that comes with The Land of Sorrow is also a blast, albeit a challenging one…

Nidavellir (WL)

This game was introduced to me by Jan, and, boy, am I glad he keeps an eye on international games and publishers.

Nidavellir, the realm of the dwarves in Norse Mythology, is a bidding and set-collection game, where you are trying to recruit various dwarves to your army to fight the dragon Fafnir. The interplay of your bidding and how you can grow your bid tokens to have stronger bids is fascinating. The art is wonderfully detailed, done in mainly black and white, which is a wonderful interpretation of the supposed colors of the Norse dwarf realm.

It is a truly remarkable bidding game that will change each time you play because of the way the card draw happens. Nidavellir is supposed to be published in North America in March of 2021, so be on the lookout!

Dwellings of Eldervale (DN)

Dwellings of Eldervale is a worker-placement paradise. I was captivated by this Kickstarter game from Luke Laurie and Breaking Games.

It’s got so much going for it. Fantastic inserts make it really accessible in terms of setup and breakdown. Clear, organized rules get you started and keep you playing. A colorful and immersive setting drops players into an elemental world. And a delightful mix of mechanics—worker placement, tableau building, and area control—keep you engaged in the small-scale tactics and large-scale strategy of the game.

I’m more and more apprehensive about big-box games as the space in my office runs out, but I have no qualms about keeping this beauty. It’s going to be a personal favorite for a long while.

I have no doubt there were some egregious oversights on our part, though, so be sure to let us know which games should have made the list and which ones we’re totally wrong about. If you agree with any of our picks, show your support in the comments!