Shelfside's Best (and Worst) Board Gaming of 2023

Here's Shelfside's best and worst games of 2023, and we did get to play TI4! This is not a review, but covers many popular games like Prophecy of Kings and Civilization by Sid Meiers (2010), which are big 4x/ameritrash games. We also cover some new Bezier games like Scram, or the Twilight struggle-like 2 player Votes for Women, that felt a little flat with weird hand management ideas. However, this is not a top 10 list of all time, so some of these, including experiences are not my favorite games. Will there be area controls and euros here? More fantasy flight games or frosthaven? We also cover strange games like Hanamikoji and Primal Showdown.
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Table of Contents:
Intro- (0:00)
Game Theory Tables - (0:12)
Hardest Review - (0:58)
Most Surprising Game - (1:47)
Worst Gaming - (2:52)
Honorable Mentions - (3:47)
Best of 2023 Gaming #5 - (5:56)
Best of 2023 Gaming #4 - (7:21)
Best of 2023 Gaming #3 - (8:03)
Best of 2023 Gaming #2 - (8:43)
Best of 2023 Gaming #1 - (11:13)
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#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames

[@lilabrissette5473]

Wow!!! I am inactive, but was part of the Prolif team for the early days. This game is a massive labor of love and seeing it featured warms my heart. It is so surreal seeing us featured in your top 5 games for 2023!!! Thank you Shelfside!

[@ElTrolldego]

Always set aside a whole day for TI4. Start at 10 the latest.

[@piticarrara]

Yeah. Played my first game last week, 6 players. We started at 10:00, finished at 01:00. 15 hours total, 12 hours if we don't count the pauses.

[@bushibayushi]

the double snake eyes moment is absolutely wonderful :D

[@NATOnova]

I know Tom Vasel loves ready set bet. must have been so much fun to play with him! im pleasantly surprised to see an old-ish game be your #1 experience of the year. my gaming highlights were filled with playing with gaming newbies that I introduced to the hobby and who then became excited to play yinsh, cockroach poker, coup, watergate, star wars deckbuilding game, and king of tokyo.

[@tylerfransson9049]

Thanks Ashton I appreciate all the work you and Daniel put into this channel.

[@Shelfside]

More coming as always! -Ashton

[@jfbmusic]

Loved seeing Proliferation featured here at #5! I know several people from the War Games LV team, so proud of what they accomplished with this game! Thanks for the shout-out.

[@NotKaperesque]

My favorite gaming experience of 2023 was the game of TI I just played a few weeks ago- we played as a sort of going-away event for my friend that's leaving town for the foreseeable future, and the game was notable in that it ended with no bad vibes at the end! Probably the first time we've ever finished a game of TI without anyone getting too mad during it, lol.

[@woobackwednesday2299]

The streets need that Hegemony review! One of the alumni of my uni board game club played the Capitalist Class and thought it was bad because he was score-capped but he didn't realize that you can just keep everyone else poor by ignoring production and selling to the foreign market

[@fedorilitchev5092]

Love the attitude this approach to a year end wrap up encourages. Experiences > boxes.

[@Spoutnicks]

Great video. Love to see Civ 2010 get some mention and love. Such a great game.

[@badbrain3723]

Proliferation is a great game. I got to watch it get made and play the demo versions so seeing the full versions is really cool. I’m really glad you liked it! Oh, and VIVE LA FRANCE🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷

[@mattes939]

Last year we played Twilight Imperium several times and introduced it to quite a few newbies. It is my favourite game and I am happy that I have more and more people to play it with.

[@RollDiceTakeNames]

Fantastic video. And we agree with you on Votes for Women. We are one of the few reviewers they didn't go gah-gah over the game for the same reasons as you. At it's core, it's a basic area control game and dice rolling at the end is so anti-climatic because all the strategy you put in is just resolved with random dice rolls.

[@Guy-sb5hf]

Fun video! I really like Ready, Set Bet and Proliferation! I'll have to check out some of the other games on this list.

[@andrewkeyne]

Only found your channel this year. Keep up the good work and epic reviews! Favorite game experiences have been with Stationfall. Its a brutal teach but once your in its so much fun. It also really gives you the tools to do some crazy and impressive plays if you can find them among the million options at hand.

[@Shelfside]

Cheers, stationfall has been on my radar! -Ashton

[@snake1421986]

I love civ with the expansions as well. Wish it got to the table more. Happy new year :)

[@Shelfside]

It's so fun! The fiddiliness is probably the only thing I personally don't like about it -Ashton

[@amorphousblob6105]

That Proliferation game looks really good.. Anywho, hope you guys have a great 2024 and thanks for all the awesome videos. :-)

[@Shelfside]

Cheers! More stuff coming, hopefully we can play Proliferation again haha. -Ashton

[@david_krsik]

It does indeed, but according to my knowledge it's not possible to get it in Europe, right?

[@wargames6072]

Great list! Glad to hear you enjoyed Proliferation.

[@J0SH.0]

just played a 5 player game of TI4 without any expansions. Two players were knew and three of us had played 1-3 games before. It took around 9.5 hours to finish. I think if we played again with the same group we could probably shave 2-3 hours of that play time. It really is an amazing game, but it is just sooo long.

[@blizzyblake]

My group finally got to play TI this past year in August. year, and we are already on game 4 coming up this month! 7 players will likely be our count this time. We are eager to play it and I'm happy I've got a group willing to play it so regularly. It's an amazing time and day well spent that just flies by.

[@rothanarae]

My favourite game for this year has been Life of the Amazonia. It's gorgeous, I love the theme, and I love the puzzly gameplay.

[@RobertoLuisDelRosario]

Hi Shelfside. Been watching you guys since 2020. I recently bought TI4 and POK, after watching and replaying your TI4 review vid for over a year. I had TI4 for a Month now, and we played it 7 times. Its kinda a shame you dont get to play it or finish it as much as you want though. The game time really made me believe that the game wasnt for my group, so Im glad I stayed hype and bit the bullet its a fantastic experience. Thank you.

[@Shelfside]

7 times!!?? SEVEN TIMES!?? You are so lucky. Yep, I don't really like long games much either, but TI4 really does something special for me. Hope you get to keep enjoying the game, having more memories around mecatol rex :D -Ashton

[@JohnPywtorak]

Hi from another Cal Poly grad. I saw the sweatshirt in the TI4 segment. Don't know how many of your friends went there, but it was great to see. All the best in 2024

[@Shelfside]

haha, about 2-3! Happy new years! -ashton

[@mingrills1614]

love the reviews! and aw man i wish i had a big enough group to some day try out TI4 there's so so much hype out for it still and it's been on my to do list forever. glad to have found the channel!

[@Shelfside]

Cheers! More stuff coming always! -Ashton

[@user-bs5re5mo9c]

Proliferation is awesome! #5 should be #1!

[@Darkdoraemon]

I'm sure someone will mention it but you have 2022 instead of 2023 in the description/captions a bunch. Happy new years!

[@Shelfside]

Oh no! Ok wil get that changed now -ashton

[@feldmanjb]

My first time seeing you guys was with your takenoko review, but recently saw your last light review and I really loved the nuance and it resonated with my experience with the game

[@Shelfside]

Cheers man! Takenoko didn't get played much this year but hope to do more this year, especially on BGA! -Ashton

[@salmanqaisar7377]

Nice video, thanks. I prefer TI4 at 4-5 players, less downtime, less time politicking, and we actually finish the game. Plus the game feels very different at 4 v 5 players, which is nice.

[@thomasericsson3989]

We bought Proliferation about two months ago. My family and I love playing it! It’s very engaging and smart.

[@JJEMcManus]

Happy new year 🎊

[@lit_wick]

I loved Robot Quest Arena and DC Deck Building, Flash Rivals game most. Special highlight to this year's restock of Millenium Blades. Was my biggest "grail" game.

[@MyParedrus]

We love Civilization! Happy new year!

[@salmanqaisar7377]

Also, you keep reminding me I need to finally play Civilization 2010!

[@Shelfside]

Fantastic game! Do it!!!

[@redmageviewer]

My top 5 gaming moments of 2023 were: 5: Getting our Pathfinder group back together. We stopped playing October 2022 and started playing again in October 2023. We don't play every week like we used to, but I'll take what I can get. 4: Getting TI4 for my birthday(Late May) and getting to play it 3 times before the end of the year. Mentak is my favorite faction and I've won once with them, I got to steal a War Sun with their unique tech and that helped me stop the person that was about to win so I could score the last 3 points I needed to win. 3: Getting a regular gaming group together. We play almost every Monday. Although I have a friend that comes over on Thursdays from time to time and we play campaign games together. 2: Heat: Petal to the Metal. Probably one of my new favorites. It's also my dad's new favorite board game ever so we play it quite often. 1: The Lost Ruins of Arnak. I picked this game up in July and it quickly became my favorite game to play. And with The Missing Expedition that came out shortly after I had got it made me play it a lot, it was also cool that I got to play the campaign Co-op with a friend. I wouldn't mind playing through it again with my dad as he likes the game too. One bad thing that happened in gaming for me last year was I think I went overboard with buying games. I think it was a new one every week for pretty much most of the summer. I haven't bought a full game since November to which my group has only played one of them so far. But I still want to get a few more and some expansions as well.(Can't wait for the Heat expansion!)

[@biomeboardgame]

Would love to try Proliferation, looks interesting and perfect on game nights

[@stowcreek1999]

Thanks for your videos!

[@wmarclocher]

Voidfall, (Nigel Buckle & David Turczi - Mindclash games) I had high expectations for this and it more than delivered; also the most complex set of rules I have ever taken on. One KZbinr (Gaming Rules!) just said after playing this they will never play TI4 or Eclipse again.

[@altorrickriver]

I've only tried TI4 once; I want to play it again! We "finished" but we played on TTS and we played with house rules to speed the game up, like playing with all objectives revealed from turn 1.

[@Shelfside]

ooh, yeah TTS will save you the setup and teardown which can easily be like 30-60 minutes. Objectives revealed from turn 1 isn't something I would do, but I've been thinking about having people setup at more than their starting planets. -Asthon

[@ponchodog9692]

Man, I just want to roll up to play Twilight Imperium. Always had my eye on it.

[@sterlingnapier8717]

Peak at Dice thrones. Fun and competitive for 2+ players. Also has a campaign for solo/cooperative play.

[@linkypete]

I bought spellbook on a buy one get one half off sale in October at my local game store. I had a lot of fun until i had played at least one game with every spell, and then realized that there really isn't much going for it in terms of replayability. Ill probably give it to my sister at some point, since she really loves the aesthetics of it.

[@TheSchaef47]

I will be waiting with bated breath for your Hegemony review

[@chrisedwards6573]

I play TI4 pretty regularly; 7 and 8p are just long. 6p is the sweetspot. A 4p game will take about 5 hours. We play IRL about one a month, and I play online with Tabletop Simulator pretty consistently to the point where you can get a 6p game done in 5 hours, which also facilitates split games where you play part of it one night, and finish it another. I've played somewhere between 100 and 200 games at this point. Definitely my favorite game of all time.

[@vahidmustafazade4783]

Eclipsre review pls :( Great video btw.

[@ferusgratia]

Wow! I JUST played Acquire on New Years Eve. First time being ahead of the review curve for me!

[@Shelfside]

It was such a blast! Can't wait to play again -Ashton

[@JackBorchers]

My favorite gaming moment of 2023 was getting to play a campaign game of ARCS with Cole Wehrle at BGGCON, such an awesome experience! I think the experience you had with TI4 is why I've gradually come to prefer Eclipse 2E over TI4. I know i can always play a game if Eclipse in 3~ hours and finish it. TI could take 6 hours, or 8 hours, or two days. It's just such a hard game to get to the table with any group imo

[@Shelfside]

ooooh, need to try Arcs! Hopefully we can get a copy somehow. As for Eclipse 2E, I can see how it scratches some of the same urges for some, but it just really isn't the same for me. TI4 has always been worth the time, 5 player game let's goooo -Ashton

[@JackBorchers]

@@Shelfside that's a fair point, the games really aren't apples to apples. I prefer the more combat heavy, 4x style eclipse allows. However, it really sacrifices the negotiation element to achieve that. To each their own! I recently picked up a copy of civilization from eBay solely because of how highly y'all praise it. Hopefully I can get it to the table soon!

[@Shelfside]

@@JackBorchers sweet! Hope you like civ as much as us :D -Ashton

[@nilus2k]

TI is a game you need to plan to play for a long time. It’s a full day game where the host has to have it setup ahead of time and you have food and drink already stocked. The newest two editions actually play faster than the older versions and they still regularly take 8 hours to complete. It’s a fun game but it’s one you have to commit the day too. Back in the day we use to play it the Friday after Thanksgiving ever year.

[@killigin]

I printed out a custom set of box organizers for TI4 and it cuts down setup by almost 80%. With a group that plays it on a semi regular basis we knock out a game in about 5~6 hours.

[@terryfuller2808]

Great job on the video!

[@artificieraustin4855]

Even with the world burning around us, My tabletop games will always be beside me. Nothing like it, nothing to replace it.

[@BenDaresAll]

Pleeeeease do Every Character for Frosthaven! Or whichever you guys played. That series of vids was hilarious!

[@kasaklubdemola8625]

What a nice change with this Civilization! 👊

[@ZealotFeathers]

I’m lucky to have time and friends to play TI4 a lot (like 10 games this year), but yeah it’s REALLY long. The one negative on an otherwise perfect game🙁

[@otakuofmine]

just have more respect and gratitude for the frosthaven review now!

[@rizalpramana9868]

Man, now I really want the Civ's both expansions!! So hard to find.

[@rondomane]

My friend group always plays TI4 with 4 players and we still never finish in a single day. Like, starting at 11 am type beat.

[@sergeantsuj5110]

Have fun with Acquire, my favorite game of all time! (although for largely sentimental reasons)

[@Priotech]

3-4 players for TI4 lets the game finish, but everyone's actions affect everyone at that player count, so its harder to sneak in the big plays. I have played an 8 player game online where we played only 2 turns every Friday night. That was interesting.

[@PsychicLord]

I wonder how your group would get on with Mega Empires (Western & Eastern Empire combined)? With up to 18 players and 12 hours, it would probably fill your conservatory. The designer Francis Tresham did so much for our hobby, yet others often steal his thunder (Sid Meier). Else, one of the 1825 units could provide some fun.

[@WiseWombat]

Have you played Europa Universalis the Price of Power? Our favourite games used to be TI4 & Civ. But once we played EUPoP we never looked back.

[@Mech-Badger-Man]

Highly recommend 4 and 5 player TI. The only one to avoid is the three player, there is just too much resources and not enough politics.

[@RobertoLuisDelRosario]

Hello again Ashton. Recently I havent seen reviews where both you and Daniel gives games a personal score. Does that mean the busy schedules prevent you guys from playing or reviewing the games together?

[@Shelfside]

Kind of! We're working on stuff together right now, but it tends to be faster for our process to do individual videos. More stuff coming! -Ashton

[@coconutgun4383]

I have finished around 4 or 5 (4 player games) and it is still my favorite game in my collection. The time length is the main detractor of the game though for sure.

[@brockmckelvey7327]

Definitely gonna look for Scram for my group of friends

[@ksugihar]

If you like TI4, check out Last Light. Its a 4X just like TI4 but it finishes in about 1.5hrs w/ teaching. I'm a big fan of it and havent played TI4 since I got my copy of Last Light.

[@AdvayBasavaraju]

Happy new year! This was a huge year for y'all, looking forward to the next year on this channel :D 7:50 FEET

[@Shelfside]

THE FEEET!!!

[@Shelfside]

Happy new years! Much more to come for sure :D -Ashton

[@TheAush22]

I discovered dungeon fighter this year and I played SOOOOoOOOO much of it. Top 5 of all-time for sure

[@Shelfside]

Oh yes, I almost bought that many years ago and just forgot! Need to look into buying. I think it would be one for all ages :D -Ashton

[@lotterwinner6474]

Hanamakoji seems like its been forgotten. A very good quick little two player game.

[@reihidezero]

You should try Star Trek Ascendancy. It's alot of fun

[@cg5380]

What games were played in the honorable mentions

[@iphatbass]

The best new board game of 2023, for me personally is Death Roads: All Stars!!! It's basically card driven car racing/battling simulator for up to 5 players (Crash Team Racing meets Twisted Metal)! Real chaos and mayhem in less than 90 mins for 5p game!

[@Djdeanthomas]

Can you please review Anachrony?

[@GaminUpWithTheJoneses]

I’m the one that beat you at Ready Set Bet! Haha. Sounds like you need a rematch 😊

[@Shelfside]

challenge accepted!!! -ashton

[@GaminUpWithTheJoneses]

@@Shelfside sound good 👍

[@Gdank72]

With TI we play from 9am until we finish ... which is around 7-9pm. We typically play 6-7 players. You really do need to just allow a day.

[@Shelfside]

sheeeeesh. Ok that is the play it seems. -Ashton

[@PigeonCrash]

I have the privilege of having finished 4 games of TI4, and it's like nothing else. Still haven't got a chance to play the expansion though.

[@Shelfside]

ohoho, if youre ok with some more complexity PoK adds a lot -Ashton

[@Gawain_knightslayer]

Ay, @shelfside team can you take a look at "company of heroes" board game and can you do some more of reveiws of the other undaunted games?

[@somerandomperson8282]

@Ashton can I please improve your TI4+POK experience and cut down the play time to acceptable levels, tried and tested in my group? 1) On setup issue an extra secret objective to everyone. 2) reveal 2x Tier I public objectives each round until you get to Tier II. 3) Use a kitchen timer to set a negotiation time limit. 4) Make sure everyone specifically tells the next player when their turn is finished so there is no confusion as to whose turn it is. 5) The Speaker is responsible for keeping the game flowing, reminding people who take too long, or who lose track of turns, and controlling any timers. This mix of increasing scoring options and keeping players focused and more disciplined will reduce the game length by a good several hours, allowing you to finish a game in 1 day assuming you start around 10am. :)

[@dominykasbudrys1011]

Why I heard multiple sounds from game Age of Empires 2?

[@arepasexo]

Number 4 isnt just domino 2v2? But without the stalemate rule and with abilities? Sounds fun but not balanced i think

[@destrio]

I also only really get to play TI3/4 on birthdays or christmas where enough folks I know will buckle in for it. Also didn't finish the Christmas game with just the base game as it is always a re-teach. Still, it is a very good game that deserves its play time. Perhaps there should just be a hard time limit to negotiations in the Agenda phase to prevent runaway negotiation times. edit: i only focus on 6 player these days, and have had suboptimal 3 player experiences ages ago. Would anyone be able to vouch for how decent/good 4, 5, 7 and 8 players are? if not great, I'd probably opt for a different game.

[@smericsson7815]

Proliferation is a great game!!

[@MrFirefox322]

also, i still think that Oath is an excellent shorter option of TI4 with politic-ing, betrayal, and story arcs naturally arising over 3 hours max game time. I've played TI at least 6 times now and will pretty much never play it again as it is a 10-12 hour ordeal (every. single. time.). I don't have the patience for that and by hour 8 I want to strangle at least one of my friends. Oath gives me all of that in a much more condensed and intriguing package. thanks for the video!

[@Shelfside]

Cheers! Oath is definitely a different experience for me, but I can see why one would want to play it over TI4! Happy new years! -ashton

[@WitchDoctor87]

I have to put Hanamikoji on my list. I would like to recommend MUD a political card game if you haven't played it. I really like this game. It takes 3 minutes to learn, and I think it carries a bit in a small package.

[@Warrior_Whitten]

Still waiting for a review on Clash of Culture 😁

[@vlowolvtake1797]

Draw my life: How Pranav came in to the bunch Edit: Pranav's name (sorry) Happy 2024!

[@frankli4018]

Puzzled each turn? 2p? Tense? Sounds like you need to try Battlecon Devastation of Indines

[@timu.6452]

Have you ever played Hansa Teutonica?

[@wheelskis]

Hanamikoji tickles my brain in a way no other game has. It almost feels random, but there are some serious strategies that emerge play after play. However, I think it needs a retheme. Bidding over geisha's influence is a little... maybe patriarchal or objectifying. There was a version made with male geishas, but I feel that this rethemed with bidding over pretty much anything else would make it a little bit better. For example, what if players had types of ingredients for local restaurants? So many other options might make it a little bit more sound. I still haven't managed to play TI4... someday.. someday.

[@cloudsRniceC0M3]

7:44 broke the Geneva convention for boardgamers

[@Shelfside]

FEEEEEET

[@MAX_PRO777]

Witcher. Old world is my favorite game of the year 🎉

[@stefanopaolini1345]

Hanamikoji and Air, Land and Sea are swapped around for me... The first feels kinda repetitive after a bit, the second present much more variety and different game states

[@salinaraymond4585]

Proliferation for the win!

[@iwatchDVDsonXbox360]

Don't want to ask FFG for a second edition of Kevin Wilson's Civilization? I plan to do that and asked 1 guy to do that too.

[@metalrock720]

Ohhhh - I see hegemony in the upcoming reviews. I own like 170 board games and I got hegemony like early December. In 2 weeks it became my most played game of all of 2023 and I play A LOT of games. It is super fascinating. But it is super duper long and I have SO much trouble trying to get the capitalist class to win. If you someolhow get them to win - please tell me haha. But despite that seeing the economics in it is so cool. Also the length of ti4 is my main gripe with it. I used to love ti3 but then the length over time just degraded it for me. Emotions are much worse after 10 hours of playing a game and getting suddenly destroyed 😂

[@Ragingspoon]

Havent had chance to play games with friends much last year unfortunately. Had quite a few fun ones but none that stood out among the rest for best as it were. I did play solo a bit more and 2 stood out there for the wrong reasons. Worst was easily Hexplore it the domain of Mirza Noctis liked the theme and idea but mechanically very weak and the rulebook is the second worst I have ever read. Most disappointing was Oathsworn fun game but not for the time and space it takes up, I was hoping for something with a bit more mechanical strength and more streamlined presentation. Hoping to play a bit more this year however. Id love to try TI4 but that is never going to happen. Getting more than 2 of us together to play a game is a massive task and if play goes on over 2 hours people are going to lose focus no matter how good the game because odds are we are drinking at the same time.

[@jfducusin7186]

im surprised Hegemony didnt make it

[@MichaelBomholt]

CIV 2010 IS SOOOO GOOD. Love seeing it get attention.

[@Shelfside]

one of the most underrated ever. -Ashton

[@jeffzlatkin469]

SO dark in that rooom

[@StarkMaximum]

Wow, Civilization as a board game at the top pick? That sounds cool, but knowing how the game Civ tends to go, is it really easier to finish a game than an epic game like Twilight Imperium? Feels like it could really give that game a run for its money, but if they managed to condense the whole Civ experience into a reasonable timeframe, that sounds excellent!

[@seansmith2650]

Isn't it uncomfortable to have a gaming table that dips 6 inches down. Feel like it's more uncomfortable than just a flat table