As promised, Shelley and I get one of last week's big games back to the table with it's recent expansion for a discussion of what that adds in

Revive + The Call of the Abyss Expansion by Helge Meissner, Kristian Amundsen Ostby, Eilif Svensson and Anna Wermlund from Aporta Games

then we got a great and beautiful mancala-based game on the table with 

Amritsar by David Heras Pino from Ludonova

Shelley and I get two HEAVY games to the table this week, re-visiting 

Revive by Helge Meissner, Kristian Amundsen Ostby, Eilif Svensson and Anna Wermlund from Aporta Games

Scholars of the South Tigris by Shem Phillips and SJ MacDonald from Renegade Game Studios and Garphill Games

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Shelley and I play two games that provide variety through various player boards:

The Gig by Robb Smigielski, Lewis Shaw, Jamie Gray, and Dann May from Braincrack Games

and

Apiary by Connie Vogelmann from Stonemaier Games

Shelley and I get two heavier games to the table this week. First up is a sequel to a worker placement/deck builder we've enjoyed in the past:

Dune Imperium: Uprising by Paul Dennen from Dire Wolf and Legendary

then we create cool 3-ring binder books, collect resources and perform actions in

Books of Time by Filip Glowacz from Board&Dice

Shelley and I work together to build Orleans' cathedral in the cooperative family game

The Cathedral of Orleans by Wolfgang Dirscherl, Markus Müller, and Reiner Stockhausen from dlp games and Matagot

then we compete to capture the most genies while collecting resources in

Djinn by Benjamin Schwer from Hall Games and Pegasus Spiele

Shelley and I add the Marine Worlds Expansion to

Ark Nova by Mathias Wigge from Feuerland Spiele and Capstone Games

and then roll dice to build canals and ship goods in

Heart of Venice by Yuko Y from JrnyCat

This week Shelley and I get snooty as we buy painting to hang on our crowded wall in 

Art Society by Mitch Wallace from Mighty Boards

the go prehistoric as we wander across various landscapes in

Footprints by Eilif Svensson, Asmund Svensson and Geir Andre Wahlquist from Chilifox Games

After our Top 10 Games last week, it's time to reveal some of our disappointments of the year...and also suggest OTHER games by many of the designers that you should play instead.

The Fox Experiment (play Wingspan)

Mosaic

Glades (play Keythedral)

Spellbook (play Sushi Go...or get a pack of cards and play Rummy!)

Atiwa (play Agricola)

Railway Book (play Yokohama)

Trekking Through History (play Trekking the National Parks)

Stack n Stuff

Orichalcum

Rauha

Bonsai

And our best gaming experience (to end on a positive note) involved playing flowerpower out on our deck.

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It's time for our annual countdown of our favorite games that were new to us in 2023! We always wait about a month into the next year so we can try and play as many of the big games as possible, but we still haven't gotten around to all of the possibly great games we have seen on other reviewers end-of-year lists. With that caveat, listen for our comments and our lists are below:

Doug's Honorable Mentions

In the Footsteps of Darwin by Gregory Grard & Matthieu Verdier from Sorry We Are French

Lunaris 45 by Rola & Costa from Pile Up Games

Wandering Towers by Michael Kiesling & Wolfgang Kramer from Abacusspiele

Moesteiro by Rola & Costa from Pythagoras

Doug's Top Ten

10) Revive by Helge Meissner, Kristian Ostby, Eilif Svensson, & Anna Wermlund from Aporta Games

9) Terracotta Army by Przemyslaw Formal & Adam Kwapinski from Board&Dice

8) Marrakesh by Stefan Feld from Queen Games

7) Forest Shuffle by Kosch from Lookout Games

6) Amygdala by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer from Game Brewer

5) Darwin's Journey by Simone Luciani & Nestore Mangone from ThunderGryph Games

4) House of Cats by William Attia & Kristian Ostby from Aporta Games

3) Tucana Builders by Kristian Ostby & Eilif Svensson from Aporta Games

2) The White Castle by Isra C & Shei S from Devir

1) Barcelona by Dani Garcia from Board&Dice

Shelley's Honorable Mentions

Oranienburger Kanal by Uwe Rosenberg from Spielworxx

Forest Shuffle by Kosch from Lookout Games 

Wandering Towers by Michael Kiesling & Wolfgang Kramer from Abacusspiele

Earth by Maxime Tardif from Inside Up Games

Moesteiro by Rola & Costa from Pythagoras

Shelley's Top Ten

10) Terracotta Army by Przemyslaw Formal & Adam Kwapinski from Board&Dice

9) Joan of Arc - Orleans Draw & Write by Ryan Hendrickson & Reiner Stockhausen from dlp Games

8) Amygdala by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer from Game Brewer

7) Neotopia by Orlando Sa & Andre Santos from MEBO Games

6) Darwin's Journey by Simone Luciani & Nestore Mangone from ThunderGryph Games

5) Caldera Park by Michael Kiesling & Wolfgang Kramer from Deep Print Games

4) Tucana Builders by Kristian Ostby & Eilif Svensson from Aporta Games

3) House of Cats by William Attia & Kristian Ostby from Aporta Games

2) The White Castle by Isra C & Shei S from Devir

1) Barcelona by Dani Garcia from Board&Dice

Shelley and I check out a dice placement game in

Lunaris 45 by Rola and Costa from Pile Up Games and Pythagoras

and then check out the brain and emotions in

Amygdala by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer from Game Brewer

Remember to sponsor the podcast at www.patreon.com/garrettsgames

or check out our extensive list of games for sale here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16ovRDNBqur0RiAzgFAfI0tYYnjlJ68hoHyHffU7ZDWk/edit?usp=sharing