Well, we already know that the board gaming challenge is done. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t play board games in December. December was actually a pretty good month for playing board games and I got a number of new to me board games to the table. It is always fun to try out some new games and see if they are going to be a good fit for me, plus some games I hadn’t played in a while.

Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game – 16 Plays

No surprise here that Orchard was my most played for the month. I suspect it’ll have another strong showing this year. But it still holds up after all of the plays. The choices are interesting in the game, and it’s the right level of light but challenging as you play it. This is my solo game of choice for sure right now.

My City – 6 Plays

One of four new games to the list, and this one got played a lot of times. My City is one I’ve wanted to play for a while because it seemed like a good, light, legacy game. And thus far it has been. The play is simple, flip over a card and everyone places their matching tile like it onto their board. But the game is adding in more challenges as you go. I think of it as a legacy-lite game. With legacy I want story, and this one doesn’t have any. But the game play is so fast that it was easy to table.

A Gentle Rain – 4 Plays

Another solo game on the list. I didn’t enjoy A Gentle Rain as much my last few plays. I think that the game is still good, but there is definitely a limited decision space. This one is less when I want a distraction for my brain, and more something fairly mindless to do. I definitely want that at times, but there are a number of other games I’m looking at trying solo. So A Gentle Rain, I expect, will see less play in 2022.

Kohaku – 3 Plays

Another one of the new games, Kohaku is a tile selection and laying game. You draft each turn a tile with a koi fish and one with a scoring objective. It was a lot of fun, and the game looks amazing on the table. You can read more about Kohaku here. It is a nice game, simple and easy to play, but feels like good decisions.

Super Mega Lucky Box – 3 Plays

Yet another new to me game, this one is a 2021 release, which I believe Kohaku is as well. This is a very simple roll and write game, Like Kohaku you can find an article already on it here. I actually got it to the table a few more times yesterday, and it is improving for me. The game play is so fast, that I can knock a game out in minutes. And it is one that fills that spot with solo game play where it it requires just enough brain effort to feel like a good refreshing activity.

Tainted Grail: The Last Knight – 2 Plays

I forget what chapter of Tainted Grail: The Last Knight we are on. But we are making our way through it and I am still enjoying the game a lot. Tainted Grail is one of those games that is just a bit messy but also so thematic that the mess makes sense and is just enjoyable. And I feel like three is a great spot to play it at where we can all work together, and make decisions together. And the game keeps moving along well, granted, we do party up most of the time.

Just One – 2 Plays

I did play this one previously this year, but it has been a while. Just One is definitely, after these plays, one of those good party games that easily gets to the table. And it is always a good time. A simple game where one person is it and trying to guess a single word based off of one word clues. But any duplicate clues are thrown out. And it is a party game where everyone is working together. One that works really well.

Hanamikoji – 2 Plays

Still my favorite two player game. Hanamikoji is so fast to play and gives you such good decision making. I didn’t do great the last few plays, but I still had fun with it. Mainly because everything you do matters, every action you take matters. And most of the time, you are done after a single round, you shuffle up and play again.

Cross Clues – 2 Plays

Another game that hadn’t gotten played in a while, Cross Clues is another cooperative party game with a one word clue. Here you are trying to get people to guess the intersection of two words. This again works so well with almost any group of people. And the game play is fast, even without using the timer which would make it incredibly hectic. A good fun time.

The Reckoners – 1 Play

I got The Reckoners a long time ago. If I remember correctly, I ordered it the day my son was born as it was on a good post Thanksgiving sale. And it has sat on my shelf for a few years, waiting to get played. And now it has been played. It is a game that was worth the wait. Cooperative game play, trying to keep epics, evil super heroes in check, and then take down the big bad guy works well. I want to play it again soon, either in a group or solo.

Medium – 1 Play

This is a great little filler game. And I really like playing and teaching Medium, mainly because I don’t teach Medium before I play it. If someone else knows the game, I just start playing with them and explaining as I go along. It is so simple, like Cross Clues, trying to come up with the word between two words. But now you are matching up, or trying to, with the person you are paired up with. Great fun, and offers some good laughs and absurd word combos.

Sagrada – 1 Play

Finally a game I haven’t played in a very long time but I still love it, Sagrada. The game play is so simple and enjoyable. And this time, we played with the private dice pool to draft from. I don’t know I needed a 3 player game of Sagrada to go faster, but it works well. Definitely with four or more people I’ll be using that new thing. I still need to mix in some of the expansions as well.

Yearly Board Gaming Stats

Alright, let us see how the year ended. A total of 421 game plays were had with 77 different games, which is great. Considering that I played Orchard 116 different times, and Tainted Grail another 38, I got in a lot of different games. I had 9 games that I played over 10 times, so including Orchard and Tainted Grail, Dice Throne, Ohanami, A Gentle Rain, Deadly Doodles, That’s Pretty Clever, Metro X, and Hanamikoji. Generally short games minus Tainted Grail. And then 19 total games I played at least 5 times.

That is a great amount of gaming. And I think it is a number that I can push even higher in 2022. I think that some things, going to GenCon for example, and more in person gaming to start the year will push it clover to 475-500 range for plays. And I’m excited to try new games that will be coming in as well. So yes, I will be back with more of these recaps in 2022.

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