GAMES OF 2024 - PART ONE
These are THE games of 2024...aaand probably 2025!
Hello fellow wizards! 2024 was a year full of incredible games, so it’s time to look back and find out what made them great. Join me into this delve down the hall of RPGs and Wargames of 2024, and make your hobby nights scheduling even harder with the addition of these great titles!
Dear wizards, as you may have seen, I have not included the word “Best” before the title “Games of 2024”, for two reasons.
The first one, is that it looked bad behind that beautiful frog in the title image. The second one is that this list is more of a “Recommendations list”, rather than a competition.
However, this is a silly newsletter and we will not be discouraged by such serious discourses, so that’s why we are going to hand out “Awards” to each game we analyze!
Well, without further ado, let’s begin!
“Game you wish it never becomes real” Award
How many times have you said during a campaign “oh how I wish I was inside this world!” ? Well, you definitely will never say that in Mothership.
Mothership is a game inspired by the space-alien horrors of movies like Alien, or games like Prey, and let me tell you: Mothership 1e is good.
Mothership 1e is really, really good.
The game improves on a previous edition (called 0e by fans), and brings it to a fully fledged system. From a very simple character creation to a vast array of skills, this game mechanics feel like the pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together.
I had the opportunity to play a small campaign with my friends, and we had so much fun playing it that once it was over we agreed on an "open ending" to allow ourselves to play even more.
Yeah, I'd say it's that good.
Vote: 5/5 skulls
“Best narrative-focused game” Award
I always say that RPGs are games where narrative comes first.
However, in some games, it’s a lot easier than others.
In my opinion, in Songs and Sagas by FariRPGs, narrative comes first, second and third. And I love it.
While I do like some crunchy rule sets, there are moments in which I prefer games with a simpler approach. When I tried Songs and Sagas I discovered a game that does that, while still having fun and innovative mechanics, like the use of both dice and playing cards.
You can teach this game to a friend in less than 10 minutes!
The rules are made for a fantasy game, but they can easily be tweaked for other settings, like the Fallout/Borderlands-esque apocalypse of Wastewalkers by FariRPGs, and this Vietnam war-looking game called Hellgreen, made by… some guy I really don’t know anything about.
Oh, and I didn’t mention the best part. You can get the game for free. It’s pay what you want!
Overall, Songs and Sagas is truly a gem of a unique kind. It’s extremely approachable, user friendly, and best of all, it is fun.
Vote: 5 songs out of 5 sagas.
“Best Fantasy RPG, finally” Award
Old School and New School are two communities that really struggle to be at the same dinner table. It’s true for Punk music, and it must be true for RPGs too.
That is until Shadowdark by Kelsey Dionne sits at the thanksgiving’s head of the table.
Shadowdark is a fantasy RPG where you and your friends play as adventurers that delve into obscure places, sometimes located underground, where light sources and checking for traps is very important.
Sounds familiar? Well think again, because Shadowdark takes many of the classic approaches of OSR gaming and modernizes them to be enjoyable by both the Old and New school crowd.
The game is rules-lite, and extremely functional. I especially like the importance of light and the danger of darkness, which is handled pretty well by the mechanics.
With that being said, Shadowdark is probably the best fantasy RPG to play right now, especially for dungeon fans like me, and I couldn’t recommend it enough!
Vote: 5 / 5 Torches
“Best Ongoing Wargame” Award
Have you ever wanted to play a wargame, but you either are discouraged by the price of Warhammer minis, or by extremely complicated rule sets? Well, I have something for you.
Stargrave, published by Osprey games, and designed by Joseph A. McCullough, is a miniature agnostic game (which means you can use miniature from whatever manufacturer you like-heck, even LEGOs), set in a ravaged galaxy that is struggling to come out of a devastating war. In this setting, crews of independent mercenaries earn their living by various jobs around the galaxy, some more legal than others.
You play as one of those crews, and you battle against other crews, or ally against common threats.
If its giving you Firefly or Han Solo vibes, you’re probably on track.
Wargames are living concepts, that evolve alongside their community, and are nurtured by the authors’ contribution of new rules, artworks and stories. Stargrave is doing just that and the community is getting bigger because of it.
As of writing, the game has around 5 expansion books that add campaigns, solo and co-op, and a lot of new content options.
I absolutely fell in love with it, and I’m loving the community even more.
If you never played a wargame, I would highly recommend Stargrave!
Vote: 5/5 loot tokens
Well, that’s it for today. We have examined some of the creme-de-la-creme of tabletop, but we are going to delve even deeper next week with more 2024 goodness and… maybe even something to expect in 2025!