Let me continue with the series of articles retrospectively summarizing the year 2023 for The Boardgames Chronicle as well as outlook for 2024. Ok, so what is the plan for today? My fellow content creators oftentimes share the new games they had a chance to play and familiarize with. Thus, taking that great example I would like to have a look what new positions hit my table in 2023 (for reference, see the cult of new to me by Dave). On a side note, in below section you can check all the articles in my series.
Summary of 2023 and look into the 2024:
The Boardgames Chronicle most often played games of 2023
The Boardgames Chronicle in 2023 – analysis
My statistics show that in 2023 out of 105 games played, 58 were new to me. That is definitely one of the best years for me – if not the best – as far as discovering the new titles is concerned. To get this in perspective, only 45 out of 96 positions in 2022 were new. Definitely, attending a lot of boardgame conventions helped, as this was the time when I had a chance to try many new titles!
Let me focus on some most prominent and impactful new titles of 2023 for The Boardgames Chronicle – we will not be discussing all 58! The most liked by me – five titles – will be shown in more details. On top of this, I will also do tabular summary of each title played at least thrice. Enjoy!
“Inferno” from GMT Games
I will not deny, I like, appreciate and constantly cautiously observe how Volko Ruhnke’s Levy & Campaign series from GMT Games develops. This system presents medieval warfare at the operational level in various interesting settings. In 2023 I had a pleasure to familiarize myself with Volume III, Inferno, which travels to 13th-Century Tuscany in Italy.
What I appreciate is that each volume in the series features widely different geographic, cultural, and political settings, each with twists on the core rules to help bring out these differences. Inferno focuses on fighting between the Guelph and Ghibelline political factions in the well-developed and densely populated Tuscany of the mid-1200s. All of this beautifully presented with top-notch components!
More about game:
“Task Force” from VUCA Simulations
Somehow I could not have too many games about the World War II Pacific War. So, it is not surprising that in 2023 another title landed in my collection. Let me tell you more about it.
Task Force – Carrier Battles in the Pacific is an operational level wargame about WWII naval operations in the Pacific theatre between 1941 & 1945 and is designed to be accessible and enjoyable for all – ranging from players with no experience of wargames to those with intermediate or above proficiency in the genre. It encompasses ten scenarios to play, focusing on Japanese naval engagements in World War II – of course, to large extent also covering the air warfare. There are no ground battles here.
More about game:
“Judean Hammer” from Catastrophe Games
That was one of the nicest discoveries in 2023. And my first game from Catastrophe Games! Played it many times – as you can easily finish the game in 45-60 minutes – and I am willingly coming back to it whenever I can find an opponent.
Let me give you some words of introduction. Judean Hammer is a truly fast-playing wargame which depicts tense struggle between the rebel player (The Maccabeans) and the empire player (The Seleucid Greeks) trying to re-assert their control. This two-player wargame plays in about an hour, with a lightning-fast set-up time. The Greeks start in their unassailable supply centers, controlling Jerusalem, but the Maccabeans can use ambushes to whittle their foe while cutting off the Greek supply.
More about game:
“Total Domination” from PHALANX
Now, another great discovery of 2023 – actually title I get to play only in last two months of this year. Total Domination is a strategic wargame for 2-4 players and playable in 90 minutes. Players command the military forces of Germany, United Kingdom (UK), Japan, and Soviet Union (USSR) during the Second World War. Through smart play of your operation cards, you will help your team (Allies or Axis) earn Victory Points (VPs) and deny them to your opponents by controlling territories, conducting diplomacy, and researching technologies. All of this with no dice!
You will do it through seven turns of the game (1939-1945), with increasing number of cards to be played each year. Thanks to technology advancement – be it land, naval, industry, espionage or bomb – each factions follows its unique development path. Potential entry of China and US to war will be a boost to Allied side but can also end up as source of VPs for Axis. This is so much fun!
More about game:
“Assault: Red Horizon 41” from Assault Games
I have learned about Assault: Red Horizon 41 just before Essen 2023 fair and knew will have to try it there. I had a pleasure to play it with the Designer, Wolfgang Klein and then three more times during one of our wargames conventions in Poland.
This was such a refreshing experience for a World War II tactical warfare system. It is the first volume in a series of low-level wargames in which players lead historical units into battle during Operation Barbarossa (June through October 1941). A Clash of Titans – the German Army and the Soviet Army fighting one another in a life and death struggle with infantry, artillery and armored units.
This is definitely not a simulation but a very well designed and beautifully produced title, which of course abstracts certain aspects in favor of playability and manageable game length to convey the feeling of comprehensive tactical combat situations. What is most important – this is great pleasure to play!
More about game:
Supplement
Below table presents full set of new-to-me games in 2023, which I played at least thrice. Except for the mentioned above, I really enjoyed another Pacific-based game – Archie’s War, new addition to COIN genre – The British Way or new, yet not published, ancient warfare game – Battle of Legends.
| Game | Publisher | # of plays |
|---|---|---|
| “Frosthaven” | Cephalofair Games | 33 |
| “Archie’s War” | Worthington | 11 |
| “Task Force” | VUCA | 7 |
| “Battle Card – The Malayan Campaign” | (Web published) | 6 |
| “Keep’em Rolling” | PHALANX | 6 |
| “Splendor: Duel” | Space Cowboys | 6 |
| “The British Way” | GMT Games | 6 |
| “Judean Hammer” | Catastrophe Games | 5 |
| “Karak II” | Albi | 5 |
| “Battle Card – The Moro River” | (Web published) | 4 |
| “Battle of Legends” | Self-published | 4 |
| “Twilight Struggle: Red Sea” | GMT Games | 4 |
| “Undaunted: Battle of Britain” | Osprey Games | 4 |
| “Assault: Red Horizon 41” | Assault Games | 3 |
| “Inferno” | GMT Games | 3 |
| “Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud” | PHALANX | 3 |
| “Red Flag Over Paris” | GMT Games | 3 |
| “SCOPE Stalingrad” | Draco Ideas | 3 |
| “Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942” | Revolution Games | 3 |
| “Tacmento” | NAC Wargames | 3 |
| “The Hunt” | Salt & Pepper | 3 |
| “Total Domination” | PHALANX | 3 |
| “Traces of War” | VUCA | 3 |
I hope to play many more new, interesting games in 2024. What am I specifically waiting for? An article about it is already being prepared!
The Boardgames Chronicle 
Those all sound really cool. And I actually own one! That surprises me 🙂
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Great! And hope to play some of them with you in the future some day!
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I really enjoyed our plays of Judean Hammer!
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That was great fun!
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