I have already presented My top anticipated wargames of 2025; now is the time to talk about more general boardgames wish-list. They will appeal definitely to much broader audience than hardcore grognards 🙂 Some RPG, EURO or even light conflicts games will be discussed here. These are of course my choices and as there are so many more titles in works, I am sure some of you would add different positions to that list – I encourage you to do it in comments section!
Summary of 2024 and look into the 2025:
- The Boardgames Chronicle most often played games of 2024
- The Boardgames Chronicle in 2024 – analysis
- New to me – 2024
-My top anticipated wargames of 2025
1. Hunt for Blackbeard from Fort Circle
Hunt for Blackbeard is a two-player boardgame that portrays the effort in 1718 by the colony of Virginia and the Royal Navy to track down the notorious pirate Blackbeard (Edward Thatch) as he sought refuge in colonial North Carolina. It features the historical events, places, and personages involved in Blackbeard’s demise 300 years ago, and the real-world challenges of “golden-age” piracy and pirate hunting.
One player takes the role of Blackbeard and the other the pirate hunters. Blackbeard seeks to commit acts of piracy or to enjoy a pirate’s life while remaining free. The hunters try to discern Blackbeard’s plans to thwart his piracy. The game may end in a battle in which either the hunters capture Blackbeard or the pirate wins by seizing a hunters’ ship as his prize!
Publishers Page
There is always some kind of sentiment in me for pirate-themed games. I know, the romantic depiction of those bloodthirsty and greedy individual in culture is far away from what they truly were. Still, I could not help it and really like to play such titles.
And when I am hearing that one of my favorite designers (Volko Ruhnke) will work on such title – and publish it via small, independent and know for beautiful products studio (Fort Circle) this is not surprise it landed so high on my list of anticipated boardgames. Let us see who will outsmart whom – Blackbeard or hunters – and hopefully already in 2025!
More on the title:
2. 1793 – Patriots & Traitors from Sound of Drums
Patriots & Traitors recreates the chaos that tore up France from the fall of the monarchy in August 1792 until July 1794. Each of the players belong to a different political faction (moderate, conservative, radical, etc.) each with their own agenda. Although they are rivals, they will have to work together to prevent the armies of Austria, Prussia and Sardinia-Piedmont from reaching Paris, thereby crushing the Revolution and ending the game prematurely!
With the help of the multi-functional action cards, the players will be able to influence a number of areas in Paris (National Convention, Palais-Egalité, the Paris streets…) or the provinces. Each controlled area offers certain benefits…or will help them to perform a Coup d’Etat or Civil War. Activated leader cards (Robespierre, Marat, Dumouriez) belonging to their faction will help them in achieving their goals IF they are not arrested or assassinated!
From publisher page
I am becoming huge fan of the Sound of Drums games. That small Europe-based company publishes interesting, astonishingly beautiful and perfected to the smallest detail games (see: First look at History of the Ancient Seas). This year we should finally get 1793 – Patriots & Traitors.
I had a chance to play that title during several presentations on Essen fairs as well as meet the designer – and it was a blast! The game is very thematic, allows for elements of negotiation – we all need to protect France but at the same time push our own agenda. It has great components, and I am sure will attract much broader group of enthusiasts than wargamers only.
More on the title:
3. Away Team: The Voyages of the Pandora from GMT Games
Away Team: The Voyages of the Pandora is a game of exploring alien worlds in distant star systems. You command the Pandora, an interstellar survey ship on its voyages of discovery. Each voyage sends Pandora to a different star system where you assemble away teams from the ship’s crew and equipment to explore planets, moons and other sites of interest, with the following directives:
- Locate exo-life forms, and document them;
- Collect exo-DNA, vital to human adaptation to life in the stars;
- Identify & survey environments suitable for human settlement;
- Search for intelligent life and alien cultures;
- Don’t get killed 🙂
Away Team has three modes of play. The solitaire campaign game provides an epic inter-connected narrative experience for one player across seven star systems; providing over 80 hours of play time, exploration, and plot-twists. The solitaire star system game provides one player with a repeatable play experience commanding one Pandora voyage to a single star system. You set the experience level of your crew and the danger level of each voyage. The 2-player game puts players in command of competing away teams from Pandora in a voyage to a single star system, also a repeatable play experience.
Publishers page
For years already, I am big fan of Joh Butterfield creations. D-Day series, Enemy Action games, Downfall, or – thematically connected to Away Team and bellowed by my kids – SpaceCorp – are among my favorite. So, when I heard about another space-related title from this author I immediately jumped for it. What we are getting here is not a simple game, where you play and finish the session (although there is such a mode). We are getting a great campaign which you will be able to play for many, many hours to come. Can’t wait!
More on the title:
4. Line of Fire: Burnt Moon from Osprey Games
A group of black-hat hackers known as POSIWID plots to hijack the moon Io and hold the entire Jovian power grid to ransom. Standing in their way are the ultra-corporate LFA, the constructors of the lunar energy facilities. Both sides have engaged a fleet of ROV – advanced remotely-operated robots — to battle across the treacherous landscape.
The machines are activated. Initiate combat sequence. The battle for Io has begun.
Line of Fire: Burnt Moon is a standalone two-player card game that fuses the lean deck-building of the award-winning Undaunted series with fast-paced lane battling. Sharp decision-making and clever positioning combine in a nail-bitingly tense, endlessly replayable, and lightning-fast experience.
Publishers Page
That game intrigued me and thus it is among my top anticipated boardgames of 2025. It is kind of the spin-off for Undaunted: Calisto game. It is set in the same world, with similar characters. However, the mechanics are different, and although there is a deck-building mechanics, this is predominantly card game.
Having David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin as authors is an added plus – love their games, which oftentimes I can play also with my kids. And even though the Undaunted Series will not get a new title this year, we still will receive a position embedded in its universe. Great to see it soon!
More on the title:
5. Finspan from Stomemaier Games
You are a marine researcher seeking to find and observe an array of aquatic life in the colorful Sunlight Zone, ghostly Twilight Zone, and pitch-black Midnight Zone of the world’s seas and oceans. In Finspan, the fish you discover over four weeks will generate a series of benefits as you dive deeper into the ocean.
Each dive site specializes in a key aspect of expanding your research: Grow your collection of fish; Discover freshly laid eggs; Hatch eggs into young and consolidate young to form schools. The winner is the player with the most points gained from fish, eggs, young, schools, and achievements.
Publishers Page
Some will say this is a repetition after the Wingspan and Wyrpmspan. Some will go even so far as to say this is a money grab and building on the successful predecessors. I do not have such a feeling.
First of all, I am huge fan of fish – for many years I had various sizes aquariums so theme is very appealing for me. Secondly, from the game mechanics perspective we really are getting a new title, a fresh approach and some interesting ways to play. Thirdly, this will definitely be also game which I can bring to the table with the whole family which is always a great plus. So yes, I am looking forward to it!
More on the title:
Summary
I know I am repeating myself here, but while this may be self-explanatory, it is worth emphasizing that, just like with wargames, the list above only scratches the surface. Every year, so many titles are released that it is impossible to keep up with all of them, let alone play and fully explore them. That said, the few I have highlighted would definitely make me happy if I managed to get them in 2025! What general board games are you most looking forward to this year?
The Boardgames Chronicle 
Too bad Away Team is probably so far away. That one has always intrigued me. I just hope I have room for it!
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I know, the hope dies last. They did a pretty decent work on graphics recently so hopefully not so far away!
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“Every year, so many titles are released that it is impossible to keep up with all of them, let alone play and fully explore them. “
A couple of years ago I realised that I’d much rather dive deeply into a handful of games than continue to ‘browse’ the endless supply of new games.
Since then I’ve pretty much played only 18xx games face to face; and a few wargames as a solo activity. This was assisted by realisation that many “modern boardgames” didn’t really work for me – the few games which stuck around for more than a couple of plays didn’t hold my interest.
Away Team is tempting. Like many, I have fond memories of the original Pandora games from Ares magazine.
Other than that I’m not even sure that there are any 18xx games arriving this year that interest me. I’ve pre-ordered the reprint of UR:1830 BC, due this year. With my slow cull of non-18xx/military/historical-political boardgames I expect to end 2025 with a smaller collection than I began with.
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Hi! Thanks for the comment. Indeed, getting into too many games can be unbearable. I have several games series which I love (Commands Colors, Counter Insurgency, Valiant Defense) which I play ongoingly. Other than that I like to monitor what is on market, but not necessarily get all of them. But it is hard sometimes 🙂
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Given your past appreciation for the Valiant Defenses series, how would you rate the upcoming Guadalcanal in this year’s wishlists?
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I believe this will be worth addition to the series; the theme is interesting, the graphics are outstanding and the new mechanics and tweaks will make the game interesting.
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