TDG: Top Ten Games Cody's Looking Forward to in 2025

Join Cody as he looks at his ten most anticipated games of 2025.
Cody Carlson, PhD: / @codycarlsonph.d.5591
Facebook: / thediscriminatinggamer
Twitter: / codyk76
Galaxy of Games: galaxyof.games/

[@Socialdogma]

We have so many overlapping games that we have pre-ordered! Here's to a great 2025!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Indeed! It's gonna be great!

[@kq76]

For those wondering like I was, the game he mentions @ 12:something is Courtier and the movie he mentions at 13:something is Bonhoeffer. I couldn't find them at first as I was spelling them wrong.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@kq76 Thanks!

[@CliftonFranklund]

Thanks!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks a ton!

[@rbaynosa]

We basically have the same taste, that's why I love this channel - plus the jokes 😊

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks! Happy to help!

[@darrellhanning5068]

Away Team is John Butterfield. Only one of the best known wargame designers of the last 50 years.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@darrellhanning5068 Yeah. Had his name in my notes, slip of the tongue.

[@77thass]

An expansion for Black Orchestra and a lighter version of the same game? SOLD!!!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Yeah. Looks really good. Thanks.

[@jon7043]

Valkyrie sounds amazing. Did not know about that. Thanks for letting us know.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@jon7043 You’re welcome.

[@Rentarousensei]

Thanks for turning me onto the upcoming GMT sci fi games!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

You are welcome.

[@pronumeral1446]

Hi, Cody. Personally I am not into historical wargames, but I'm glad your channel covers those games for that portion of the board game/wargame community. It's great how diverse the hobby is :)

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@pronumeral1446 Couldn’t agree more. I like all kinds of games, and there are a lot of gamers out there like me. Thanks!

[@carlag6326]

Thanks for the heads up on the Black Orchestra expansion

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

You're welcome.

[@jumpmaster82nd.]

Gonna be suckered in on the BO expansion and Valkyrie both. I'm sure they'll bundle the two...🤞

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@ Yeah. It looks great.

[@kevinbertram4828]

I saw Microverse at SD Hist Con and this might be their biggest hit since Twilight Struggle.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@kevinbertram4828 Excited for it!

[@Exozik]

I don't have a lot of games I am excited for that are coming in 2025. But here my list: - Cyclades Legendary Edition - Vestige - Guards of Atlantis II new heroes packs I am also quite curious about the Baldur's Gate city builder. I'll be checking that out when it comes out.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@Exozik They look good. Thanks!

[@CliftonFranklund]

Good stuff as always. I share your anticipation for a few of these. Here are a couple more that you might find interesting this year... ☐ Assault Sicily ‘43 from Assault Games (it might make it here in 2024 yet, but I am not counting on it). ☐ Trench Raid from Compass Games ☐ Valiant Defense: Guadalcanal from DVG ☐ Firefight Tactical from GMT and ☐ Miracle at Dunkirk from Legion Games

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Some good titles there.

[@davidmooney1253]

I was surprised that the new Larry Harris game Imperial Boarders was not on your list.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@davidmooney1253 an oversight.

[@davidmooney1253]

I forgive you lol

[@crowe4646]

My top two games I’m looking forward to in 2025 are Nemesis Retaliation and series 3 of Final Girl. 😃

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@crowe4646 Both look good.

[@stormy7722]

Took me he entire video to get the opening joke. LOL..good one!!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Glad you liked it.

[@DaveinLedbury]

Great list! I’m most looking forward to Voyages of the Pandora. Heard great things about the original, and I really hope that GMT fast-track it through their system. Also looking forward to the Black Orchestra Valkyrie KS, though I imagine that any KS starting in 2025 will not appear until 2026. Also, while you’re waiting for the David Thompson Ming Voyages game, you could try the excellent small box game ‘The Ming Voyages’, from Surprised Stare Games. A brilliant solo game from a small UK publisher.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks, I hadn't head about that other Ming game. There are a lot of KS games that take less than a year, so I'm hopeful.

[@FalkFlak]

great suggestions. Some go straight onto my list. VPG are legendary, the smell of those laser cut tiles.. Imperial Stars II is awesome. With the Expansion it becomes a tiny 4x that you can finish in 90 min. I hope the new release comes with the expansion.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@FalkFlak I think it does. I hope so anyway.

[@FalkFlak]

It was mind boggling to men when I found out Chris Taylor made IS2. The same Chris Taylor that made Nemo's War and those unknown, obscure PC games Fallout 1+2 😄

[@pablod6872]

I've been waiting for my P500 shipments of "Coast Watchers" and "Twilight Struggle: South Asian Monsoon" for a while now. Hopefully they both show up in 2025 😂

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@pablod6872 Hopefully.

[@pjpaella]

I'm very surprised to not see Imperial borders by Larry Harris on your list. I would have thought for sure you would be looking forward to it since you're an axis and allies player. Did you not back the kickstarter? It's very high on my 2025 list.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Yeah, that was a mistake. It should have been on the list but I forgot about it. I did not back, as I'm hoping to get a review copy for the channel. Thanks.

[@blueseqperl]

I'm stoked for Molly House. Also hoping this is the year Queen's Dilemma arrives.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@blueseqperl I haven’t heard of the Queen’s Dilemma.

[@blueseqperl]

@TheDiscriminatingGamer it is from the company that did King's Dilemma

[@davidthompson7233]

Wow. 2025 is going to be an amazing year!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

It will indeed. Can't wait to see what else you've got coming for us.

[@DeathByBoardGames]

So glad you’re excited about Microverse! Not sure whether it will come out in 2025… My other game Firefight Tactical likely will though!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@DeathByBoardGames Hope we see it before too long. It looks awesome. Is Firefight Tactical from GMT?

[@DeathByBoardGames]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamerYes. It’s a tactical game without maps. Takes pages from Up Front and Combat Commander and wraps it in a dice drafting game.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@ Sound like fun! I look forward to it.

[@ryananthony110]

If I recall, Zhang He burned his ships once he decided China was the most advanced society in existence. This was during a time of Chinese hegemony before Europe.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@ryananthony110 Indeed.

[@TheCamBeard]

Haha I knew you’re #1 would be on the list. I can’t wait until the pledges ship. I’ve been enjoying the Gotham City Outbreak in the meantime.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@TheCamBeard Yeah. Really looking forward to this one!

[@GamemastersHobby]

Next year is looking good! Thanks Cody!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@GamemastersHobby It is indeed! Thank you!

[@blueseqperl]

It was very cool to meet the designer of First Monday in October

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@blueseqperl I’ll bet. Looks like a great game.

[@wolfdog]

I got a chance to play First Monday In October and Microverse and they are really great.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@wolfdog They both look awesome!

[@robertmoffitt1336]

Big fire in Boston...😄

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Glad you liked it.

[@born2bwildne744]

Away Team - John Butterfield, right? ... not John Billingsley

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@born2bwildne744 Ha! Right.

[@jon7043]

I am **not** keen on Reyvick as the designers are actively promoting an economic system in the game that is very anti-working class. When a guy was eloquently discussing this on BGG, his posts were deleted and he was banned.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@jon7043 Seems like a weird reason not to like a game. I mean, I detest the Nazis, but I’ll play Germany in WWII game. What exactly did he say?

[@jon7043]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer The thread has obviously been deleted by the BGG mods, so I cannot recall it verbatim. But, somewhere the designer had actively praised the Keynesian economic system when promoting this game and said the economics in the game were based on that system. This guy was explaining how harmful that is to working class people and how it promotes large government, high government debt and how that makes the government puppets of bankers. Its effectively the same thing Pax Renaissance is explaining, but from the opposite view point, ie saying it is bad. I am a PhD mathematician, so knew this guy was mathematically correct in what he was saying. I am from a working class background (UK) so also knew the bad impact on working classes he was explaining was real. It was a really interesting read, but the guy was obviously being trolled by people who were beneficiaries of that economic system. The guy put up a fantastic, eloquent and polite defence, but the mods deleted his post and banned him from posting on BGG for life.

[@jon7043]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer As for it being a weird reason, remember in a WW2 game you will have the Allies as a counter balance to the evil Nazis. But this game had no counter balance. It was preaching a single line, rather than having a ying and yang.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@ Hard to arrive at a conclusion without knowing exactly what was said.

[@TheTheshadow32]

Huge ERROR, “Away Team” is from John Butterfield ! The greatest solo wargame designer of all time with such games like Ambush., RAF, DDay at Omaha, Enemy Action Ardennes and SpaceCorp. Away Team is the follow up of his almost 45 year old solitaire “Voyage of the BSD Pandora” solo game which preceded the Ambush series back in 1981. Away Team has an incredible 3000+ copies pre ordered on the GMT 500 list.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@TheTheshadow32 I misspoke.

[@foyzo3673]

My most anticipated is probably Company of Heroes 2nd Edition Kickstarter hopefully arriving Q1 2025

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Yeah - I've got that coming in as well.

[@rhlm95]

Isn't Space Empires 4X coming out with an expansion next year?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@rhlm95 Is it?

[@jbthor03]

It’s called All Good Things. Should be out by q2-q3 2025 I hope

[@pauls3585]

An interesting list. I am also waiting for DCeased... That present joke 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@pauls3585 Glad you liked it - the video and the joke.

[@willscurran]

Please include the list and timestamps in your videos! Thanks!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I appreciate the feedback. Thank you.

[@smargith]

If i had to pick one i would pick microverse. And if i didn't owned black orchestra then i would pick Valkyrie

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks!

[@НиколайЗуев-ц3г]

Interesting

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks.

[@meenki347]

My most looked forward to game, Oblique: Supply Lines of Frederick the Great published by Hollandspiele.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

That sounds good. Thanks.

[@Kili121416]

Away Team #1

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@Kili121416 Looks good!

[@wartable]

Larry Harris’s Imperial Borders

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@wartable Forgot about that one. Looks amazing!!!

[@garicb9271]

you have to demand the plastic

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@garicb9271 Ha!

[@MoragTong_]

WHAAAT!? No Imperial Borders Congress of Vienna?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@MoragTong_ Yeah - forgot that one (slaps head).

[@henrikwakman7776]

Bit of an unexciting list, actually. No Mordred or Nemesis Retaliation?:)

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I guess it depends on your perspective. I'm pretty excited for these titles.

[@henrikwakman7776]

@TheDiscriminatingGamer yes, agree, that was a bit silly of me to say. Tastes differ, and that's great!

[@phd_angel]

I have mixed feelings towards card-driven games. Too much reliance on luck sucks.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Remember, Clausewitz tells us that "war is the realm of chance."