I’ve now been running this blog for two whole years, but somehow it feels a lot longer. I’ve been very pleased with how it has grown over the past year and I’m hoping to continue that growth going into 2024. I received several review copies of games this year which was really gratifying and allowed me to cover games that would otherwise have probably been beyond my budget - wargame blogging is not particularly lucrative. To mark the end of the year I want to reflect a bit on how I feel the last two years have gone and then, of course, provide my top ten games of the year. As per last year’s list, these will be games that I played for the first time in 2023 not necessarily games that were released in 2023 (although unlike last year this year’s list does include games that were released during the year).
During 2022 I focused on trying to get something out every week, posting many first impressions, session reports, and only a few reviews. This year I decided to let myself have a little more time to breath – I had initially planned to keep a bi-weekly schedule but ended up abandoning it for a more ad hoc approach to publishing new posts. This year I wrote far more reviews, as I felt my distinction between first impressions and reviews break down a bit. I found that sometimes I would write a first impression, play the game some more, and decide that actually I felt exactly the same as I did after my first play, which kind of rendered a full review a bit redundant. This means that I tried to be more selective this year of when I would write a first impression versus saving any thoughts for a full review. I kind of wish I had written a bit more, there were some months where I barely got anything out, but I am pretty happy with what I managed to publish.
I also started a project with reasonable ambitions that has quickly ballooned to become somewhat preposterous in scope. I am of course referring to We Intend to Move on Your Works, which consists of a series of game and book reviews and, most notably, a podcast in conjunction with Homo Ludens. This has been a lot of fun to work on even if it has somewhat consumed my year, and we’re not even halfway done. I’ve played some great games, and some less great ones, and it has been nice to give my year a bit of structure even if I do think it has cut into my time for playing other games. There are plenty of American Civil War games I’m looking forward to playing next year, but I am also hoping to strike a slightly better balance between ACW and non-ACW games in 2024 – but let’s be realistic, I’m going to try to do too much and not finish it all. I even already have another project planned for 2024 - one focusing on a 20th century conflict that I have a family connection to. Don’t worry, I’m not about to start playing World War II games! It will be something a little more obscure (but only a little).
But what were the best games I played this year, I can hear you asking? Per the rules established last year, my best of the year list is composed of games that I played for the first time this year – not necessarily (and in fact basically never) games that actually came out this year. Just like last year I have gone with a top 8 because top 10s are passé.
My Top 8 Games of 2023*
#8 Stonewall in the Valley by Joseph balkoski
If I had started playing this earlier in the year, it is very possible that it would have ranked higher. As it is I only just squeezed a play of this in December. This is my first dalliance with the Great Campaigns of the American Civil War series, a fairly legendary system for American Civil War gamers. I was impressed with how smooth it plays and the options it presented for maneuver while also being very intimidated by how large the stacks of counters can get in the physical game. This is definitely a game and a series I’m interested in exploring more, we’ll see if another entry climbs to a higher position in a future year.
I’m such a sucker for a good map of the Shenandoah Valley - I grew up just off the right side of this map!
#7 – The British Way by Stephen Ranganzas
I’d been growing a little disillusioned with COIN as a system over the course of this year. I still mostly enjoy it, but they’re often too long for my taste and I no longer have quite the same enthusiasm for the system that I once did. That said, I’ve been very enamored with The British Way. With games playable in under an hour and what I would consider a more unflinching look at some of the horrors inherent to its subject matter, The British Way really addresses a lot of my misgivings about COIN. I’ve only played the Malaya scenario a couple of times and haven’t yet been able to play the full campaign, which is why I haven’t reviewed it. Possibly had I played the campaign this game would have ranked higher. It’s not very fair is it.
I actually played Malaya by post - swapping photos of the board state with a friend in the US. It was a great way to play and I’d love to do it some more, although finding space to leave the game set up for weeks on end can be a little challenging.
#6 – Inferno: Guelphs and Ghibellines vie for Tuscany, 1259-1261 by Volko Ruhnke and Enrico Acerbi
Probably top of my list of games I wish I had played more this year. I managed to play two games of Inferno but have yet to really dive into the full campaign. I love Levy & Campaign as a system and the additional chaos of Inferno added some excellent spice to the system while addressing some of my concerns with Almoravid. That said, finding time to play the full campaigns is a real struggle, so while I’ve put a good few hours into Inferno I have yet to really try it at its most grandiose. Instead, I’ve played lots of Nevsky thanks to the implementation on Rally the Troops. Here’s hoping that in 2024 I finally get to play the campaign game of Inferno.
Inferno continues the Levy and Campaign tradition of having a gorgeous production. This was also the first game in the series I was able to play against someone in person - the Vassal modules are nice but there’s something special about playing with the physical game.
#5 Fire & Stone: Siege of Vienna 1683 by Robert DeLeskie
I managed to play Fire & Stone early in the year but haven’t had a chance to play it more since, sadly. I am obsessed with siege games and Fire & Stone really delivered by focusing on just one section of the walls of Vienna during its great siege by the Ottomans. This creates an experience focused entirely on a single potential breach rather than the full scope of the siege, and it’s better for it. It’s a simple CDG with a strong emphasis on attrition and a great little system for mining the walls, all covered in a lovely layer of art. It’s great.
I was lucky enough to be a guest on Homo Ludens for a live teach and play of Siege of Vienna with the designer Robert DeLeskie
#4 The Day Was Ours by Matt Ward
Blind Swords is quickly climbing in my estimation as one of my favorite hex and counter systems. While Longstreet Attacks had promise, it didn’t quite connect with me. However, both The Day Was Ours and Grand Havoc have really impressed me. In theory, both could go on this list, but I’m restricting myself to just one game per system, so I chose The Day Was Ours. I could offer some justification of why I preferred the more maneuver heavy context of First Bull Run over the swirling chaos of Perryville, but really, I’m picking The Day Was Ours because of the special gaming experience it offered me this year.
While the game is excellent, probably the most memorable part of my experience of The Day Was Ours was getting to play it with my dad (pictured).
#3 1914 Nach Paris by Bertrand Munier
By far the heaviest game I played this year – and I learned Great Battles of the American Civil War back in May – it was also probably my most intense obsession. I logged nine plays of this game in less than two weeks. I would play a scenario in the evening, then set up the next one so that I could jump right into it the following evening. Nach Paris is something of a monster game, with a four map 27-hour campaign game on offer, but its dedication to smaller quick playing scenarios on cardstock map sections made it very approachable for someone like me who doesn’t have space for the full multi-map experience. I have since given my copy to a friend because I feared that if I put it back on my shelf, I’d never get the courage to pull it back down and relearn the rules, and it is better in my opinion for games to be played than to sit unused. Still, I somewhat regret that now as I would really like to spend a bit more time with Vuca Simulation’s lovely maps and counters. Maybe I’ll convince that friend to play the Battle of Marne scenario with me over Vassal...
I really cannot stress how much I adore these tiny maps - being able to set up a little scenario and play through it in an evening was so satisfying. Complicated games don’t always need to be long!
#2 1212 Las Navas de Tolosa by Pablo sanz
The smallest game I played this year – 1212 is a tiny little game of about fifty counters and a deck of just nine cards. Despite its size it manages to deliver one of the most intriguing wargaming puzzles I’ve played in some time. It’s quick, it’s exciting, and it has gorgeous art. I am obsessed with 1212 and I cannot wait to play it more. Sadly, most of the people I have played it with have not been as enamored as I am, so I haven’t gotten it to the table enough to start experimenting with the advanced special power cards, but I’m very excited to get there!
The ambiance of playing in the aftermath of a child’s birthday party really added a lot to an already excellent game.
Runners Up
Before we get on to my favorite game I played for the first time in 2023, it is worth taking a moment to consider the games that didn’t quite make the list. All of these are good games that I had a lot of fun with this year, but there has to be a cut off somewhere or else the list becomes unmanageable and these were the games that fell just below the cut.
Seven Days Battles by Grant Wylie - An excellent light hex and counter game of the American Civil War that offers plenty of chaos to satisfy my needs.
Equatorial Clash by Marc Figueras - A gorgeous game with probably one of my favorite maps of all time, this rare (for me) venture into 20th century gaming packed a lot of punch into a fairly simple folio experience.
Sherwood by Buxeria - Another great light hex and counter system that cleverly adopts the Cry Havoc system to the stories of Robin Hood - you can leap out a window onto your horse, what more do you want?
Agincourt: The Triumph of Archery over Armor by Jim Dunnigan - Peeling open the shrink wrap on a 45 year old game was a surreal experience and exploring Dunnigan’s unusual (and not totally functional to be honest) design was a cherry on top.
Shenandoah by Tom Dalgliesh and Gary Selkirk - I love Columbia block games and I love maneuver and Shenandoah offered me plenty of both, plus it satisfies my obsession with games set in the Valley.
#1 Manassas by Rick Britton
When I played Manassas at the start of the year, I knew it would end up on this list somewhere – I was immediately obsessed with this classic hex and counter game from 1980. It’s so chaotic and so exciting, with a grandiose map that it fully justifies. Every hex and counter game I have played since I have compared to Manassas on some level – it changed how I think about games and what I look for in a design. It’s an underappreciated masterpiece. While I knew it would be on the list after my first play session, I didn’t know it would be number one until I sat down to write it. While there are elements of the design that could have been clearer and it is such a long game with such a large map that I’ll struggle to get it played with any regularity, nothing else has stuck with me the same way that Manassas has. God, what a game.
I love this map, seriously, it’s so good.
If you have enjoyed what I have written this year, maybe consider contributing to my Ko-Fi. I have a goal up there now that if enough people support me I will buy and play a copy of Field Commander Robert E. Lee as part of my exploration of solitaire games where you play Confederates. Any contribution you can make will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!