TOP 10 Best Board Games of 2022

2022 wasn't exactly easy. Neither for publishers nor for players. A looming nuclear apocalypse can ruin the fun of just about anything. Despite that, a whole bunch of beautiful, colorful boxes full of paper and plastic hit the market. In other words, our beloved board games! I cornered our biggest board and card game experts in the tightest spot at imago to get them to share (without torture, of course) 10 tips for board games that you shouldn't miss. So, here are the best board and card games of 2022.

Successors

Alexander the Great is dead. His successors are immediately scrambling to take his place. Thus begins a ruthless power struggle full of intrigue, definitely solid alliances (wink, wink), and the inevitable backstabbing that follows. After a long time, Successors has received its fourth improved edition with new graphics, miniatures, and simplified rules. Even so, they still span over 40 pages, so we can safely say this isn't a game for beginners looking for a few minutes of fun. It's not for nothing that Successors is considered one of the best strategy games of all time.

Successors is a game for lovers of strategic thinking, planning, and betrayal for two to five players. Experienced players can finish a scenario in about 90 minutes, but in practice, expect a larger time investment. Your reward will be an unforgettable tactical experience.

Ark Nova

Ark Nova deservedly ranks among the biggest surprises of 2022. It is reasonably complex while remaining accessible to players of varying skill levels. It will please both less experienced players and seasoned tacticians who know what they'll do in the fifth round before the game even starts. Plus, thanks to its well-thought-out environmental theme, it ranks as an ideal family game, although the amount of text makes it unsuitable for younger children.

In Ark Nova, you take charge of a zoo where you must balance commercial success with scientific contribution. Every step needs to be thought out and planned. Only then will your zoo be successful and earn you the most victory points. Ark Nova scores with its brilliantly executed theme, functional systems, and you'll even learn a lot of interesting facts along the way. The Czech edition sold out successfully in 2022, but don't worry – we'll see a reprint this spring.

Encyclopedia

The board game Encyclopedia continues the environmental theme. Even before the famous Darwin, there was a certain Count Buffon. In 1739, he embarked on his life's project – writing a great encyclopedia of Natural History. And you'll have to help him with it. You'll need to raise money for expeditions, plan journeys, hire experts, and most importantly, study animals from all over the world and try to gather as much information as possible to pass on to the world. Only then will you become a famous naturalist.

Encyclopedia is another game requiring slightly experienced players, yet it offers a very accessible system that is pleasantly complex.

Radlands

This isn't the first time we're writing about this card dueler on our blog, and it probably won't be the last. If you like card games for two and you've had enough of Magic and the like, this game is made for you. You'll have the rules explained in five minutes; just choose three camps with unique abilities, shuffle the shared deck, and dive into a tactical battle where every move counts and it's never entirely clear how the game will end.

The world of Radlands is cruel and unforgiving. Water, which serves as the main resource, is scarce. You'll often break a sweat during the game, and even if it looks like you've lost, it takes very little for the situation to turn around quickly. The look on your opponent's surprised face is priceless.

Eternal Winter: Paleoindians

Yeah, the Ice Age is the Ice Age, as the classic said. In the board game Eternal Winter, that applies twice over. You take command of a nomadic tribe around 10,000 BC. It was a time of settling the wilderness, following animals, and building thriving tribes.

Our tamed shop chief claims that Eternal Winter can be summed up as "a dog and a cat cooking a game." The authors combine various game systems, and although it might look overcomplicated at first glance, the result works very well and everything fits together. Thanks to this, Eternal Winter has earned its place in our overview, and we have no choice but to recommend it. Plus, thanks to a number of expansions, you can easily enrich the game with new elements. And we love that.

Aeon's End

A cooperative fantasy deckbuilder where players fight together with magic against a variety of enemies? That was an invitation we couldn't pass up! And we did well. Aeon's End is a fast-paced game that brings original and perfectly functioning elements to the otherwise traditional genre of deckbuilding games, where you gradually build your own deck of cards. Aeon's End can give even experienced players a run for their money. And it forces you to cooperate and plan thoroughly. Without that, one of the four unique bosses would trample you. Because you don't shuffle your deck, you know what's going to happen in advance, and it's up to you how you coordinate with the others.

It can easily happen that the game gets repetitive quickly. Fortunately, the original offers a whole range of expansions, and we just hope we'll see their Czech versions soon. This game would definitely deserve it.

Beast

When humans began to settle the wild forests of the north, it looked like a beautiful future awaited them in the middle of an untouched paradise on earth. But nature had a different opinion. The settlers soon discovered that beasts were roaming the forests - mythical creatures consisting mostly of fangs, claws, and talons. When it was discovered that they could also use magic, the settlers began to panic. They called in the most experienced hunters to hunt the beasts before they hunted them.

And that's what the game is about. One player is the beast, the others are hunters. Beast secretly sneaks through the forests, lures other monsters to its side, and waits for an opportunity to attack. The hunters' task is to cooperate, look for tracks, and ideally hunt the beast and hang its head above the fireplace. We recommend playing as the beast to more experienced players; the hunters have it a bit easier thanks to cooperation. However, everyone will need nerves of steel – hunters and beasts alike, as the game is terribly tense!

Arkham Horror: The Card Game

We probably don't need to introduce the Cthulhu mythos to board game fans. For many of us, that also applies to the LCG card game Arkham Horror. So why is it in our overview? Because we finally got the Czech version! You can play Arkham Horror alone or with up to three friends. You take on the roles of investigators arriving in the suspicious-looking town of Arkham. Your task will be to complete a scenario full of mysteries and secret conspiracies together. And try not to go insane while doing it.

Arkham Horror: The Card Game skillfully processes the mysterious world from the pen of H. P. Lovecraft. It forces players to cooperate and plan. More than one experienced player will break a sweat while playing. Plus, the game looks truly beautiful. We just hope the publisher starts working on that pile of expansions the original offers soon.

War of the Ring

We waited a long time for the second edition of this epic board game. And the wait paid off. We got our hands on a game that every fan of The Lord of the Rings must try. In no other game is this theme so perfectly executed. Up to four players (though the game is best with two) split into two teams. One of the victory variants is a "simple" military crushing of the opponent under the hooves of horses and elephants. The good guys also have the option to destroy the Ring, while the villains try to destroy the Ring-bearer.

Whichever option you choose, the result will be an epic experience full of events and characters known from the books. War of the Ring is literally a giant game offering an experience averaging three hours. We promise you won't be bored. Especially if you are close to the work of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Tiny Epic Galaxies

Finally, we saved a pleasant quickie that has received a new edition after a long time. There isn't much in the small box. A few dice, planet cards, and spaceship miniatures. The player who occupies the most planets wins. Fast and simple rules, a game for a few minutes, and a size that fits on every table. Tiny Epic Galaxies really is more than meets the eye.

The game mechanics are stripped to the minimum, yet the game offers a decent dose of tension and tactical play. It's surprising how perfectly the authors managed to balance those few things that work great together. An ideal filler game that won't offend even experienced players.

author Karel Krajča