Normally I start these posts with a rundown on my year in gaming and life, but not much happened in 2025 so there’s not much to report, especially compared to 2024 when I moved to a new continent and started a new project. I am still living in South Korea and enjoying it, so no news there. I started a new job in the spring, which ended up eating up quite a lot of my free time, especially in the autumn, so I didn’t learn nearly as many new wargames this year as I would have liked.
We Intend to Move on Your Works didn’t go into a total hiatus, but we also didn’t get very many episodes out this year, which I’m a little disappointed by. My project to play more Korean War games progressed by playing a longer campaign of OCS Korea, but I did not manage to try out Joe Balkoski’s classic Korean War game. Overall, it was a much better year for Eurogames, especially those published by Playte Games in Korea, than it was for wargames.
I also got to interview David Thompson on his upcoming game Rebels Against Rebellion, his first every ACW game, which I’m pretty proud of.
My Top 7 Games of 2025
Tradition must continue, though, and every year I write about my favorite games that I played for the first time that year. These are usually not games that actually came out in that year, but rather ones that were new to me. You can read previous entries in this series here, here, and here.
I will confess that, for me at least, this wasn’t a particularly strong year in new experiences in wargaming. My best gaming experiences were with games I had already played before – which is no bad thing – but in terms of newer games there were few that really captivated me. Overall, this has resulted in a list that, compared to previous years, is heavier on games that I liked but didn’t necessarily love or designs that I found more interesting than great. That’s not to say these games are bad, I have not stooped so low as to pad out the list with games that left me underwhelmed or annoyed, but rather that this is a much more tentative list. There are some great games on this list, but I’m not sure how many will live forever on my shelves.
The number of games included is entirely arbitrary based on the number of games I felt stood out. The ranking of these is also very much a gut decision and were I to make the list again (possibly after playing these games more) it is very likely that the order would be different.
Ambon: Burning Sun and Little Seagull by Marc Figueras
Any game with art by Nils Johansson is worth a second, or even third, look, and the small package games from SNAFU pack a lot of game into a little ziploc. I only played this game once solo, or else perhaps it would rank higher, but I found it to be an engaging little hex and counter experience on a part of WWII I’d never heard of before. I’m very keen to revisit this one, especially opposite a real flesh and blood opponent.
Look at that art though!
Give Us Victories by Sergio Schiavi
I am currently playing my first game of Give Us Victories, which perhaps unfairly hinders its overall ranking, as I am reluctant to place it higher without a completed game under my belt. However, my initial impression is very positive. This grand tactical scale approach to the Battle of Chancellorsville is proving to be incredibly satisfying. While I have some qualms about the combat resolution mechanic, the activation system is a delight and the map is gorgeous. It also hits at a complexity level I really enjoy. Look for this one appearing on a podcast near you in the new year.
The Army of the Heartland by Jon Prados
A leading contender in the “more interesting than good” category. I think Army of the Heartland has quite a few problems, but I can’t help but be fascinated by it. It’s clunky and overwrought in a lot of places, but it tries to present an intriguing version of operational warfare in the American Civil War. I also really enjoyed playing and discussing it with Pierre and Alexandre. I don’t know how much I want to play it again, but I think about it at least once a month.
The army display sheets are both a core part of the game, and maybe a little bit too much.
A Greater Victory: South Mountain by Steve Carey
Another great entry in the Blind Swords system. I love a game with a good approach to battle and A Greater Victory absolutely delivers on that. While it definitely lies on the upper end in terms of size and length for what I want a Blind Swords game to be, it is still within my tolerances and is an incredibly satisfying gaming experience. Just a great entry in a great series.
Hunt for Blackbeard by Volko Ruhnke
My most played game this year, and it technically hasn’t even been released yet. Thanks to the magic of Rally the Troops (who we’ll be hearing from again), I blasted through well over a dozen plays of Volko Ruhnke’s new game of hidden movement and pirate hunting. There’s just something so more-ish about Hunt for Blackbeard that I kept starting a new game as soon as my previous one was finished. While certainly not for everyone, I can’t help but keep on snacking away at it.
Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno by Walter Vejdovsky
I first heard about Verdun some time ago on a Homo Ludens livestream about CDGs and I have been curious to try it ever since. I was gifted a copy in a Secret Santa last year but struggled to find someone to play it with in person. Thankfully, Rally the Troops came to my rescue. I am still deciding exactly how I feel about the game – I am absolutely impressed with the design, but still unsure on how much I like it. While I don’t know if it will earn a place in my top five favorite CDGs, I think every fan of the genre should play it because it is an incredibly clever take on the genre.
Honorable Mention: Korea: the Forgotten War by Dean Essig and Rod Miller
My best gaming experience this year, bar none, was playing an extended game of Korea: The Forgotten War, aka OCS Korea, with my ACW podcast co-host and local heavy hex and counter fiend Alexandre. We didn’t play the full campaign, we’re still working our way towards that, but we played the opening months of the war up to about the beginning of the Pusan Perimeter. This took us a long time, squeezing in one to two hours of gaming every week, but it was incredibly satisfying to experience OCS on a longer timescale. I’m very much looking forward to diving back into this system this year.
Honorable Mention: Playte Games
My other great gaming experience this year was digging deeper into the catalogue of Korean publisher Playte. They republish many classic Eurogames in shiny new packages with lovely art, and I’ve enjoyed many of their games immensely. You can read my tier list to learn more, but at time of writing here are my favorites:
Sardegna by Stefan Dorra
The Rose King by Dirk Henn
Pueblo by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling
Big Shot by Alex Randolph
Linko by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling
Molly House by Jo Kelly and Cole Wehrle
In a running theme this year, it remains to be seen exactly where my feelings on Molly House will fall. I have played it twice, and I really need to play it a few more times before I am confident enough of my opinions to finally write a full review. It is undeniably fascinating and I love how it brings an often overlooked period of history, and historical experience, to a wider audience. It is gorgeously presented, and plays in a way that is both somewhat familiar but also largely alien to my previous gaming experiences.
I am low-key fascinated by the experience of teaching it to new people but I am not sure if this is the kind of game I would regularly play. On the one hand, I can see how playing with seasoned veterans would improve the experience as a game, but I may actually enjoy it more as an unusual experience that I share with a new table of people every time. I’m not sure. Molly House probably won’t end up being my favorite game in 2-3 years’ time, but it is one I am thinking about a lot right now and for that reason it gets the top spot.
It’s really very pretty.
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