Favorite Games of 2009

What "new to me" games of 2009 really stand out?

Roll Through the Ages - This probably squeeks out as my favorite.  I played it first way back in February and have played it a cool 10 times in 2010.  I even paid to upgrade to the second edition with the better dice when it came out.  I really like dice games, and the allure of multiple paths to victory really sealed me in.  The expansion just made a great game even better.  I need to play this more in 2011 :)

Honorable Mention: Ra: The Dice Game - If RttA hadn't come along, I really think this one would have stolen the show.  Even with RttA, I played Ra Dice 11 times, and I've owned it a lot less.  It usually comes out just because it's a little less heavy then RttA.  There aren't really "accounting" phases, just the 3 scoring phases.  I haven't jumped on a lot of the Knizia re-dos.  But this one hooked me.

Metropolys - This is definitely the gamer's game of the year for me.  It was expensive to get, but totally worth it in the end.  I love playing it.  And did so 6 times this year.  I've done a lot of 2-player, and it works fairly well at that number.  More is a bit better, but not a ton so.  It combines so many gaming elements all into one tight package.  I really like it :)

Piece o' Cake - And then the filler of the year.  I haven't had this a long time, but the time I have has been enjoyable.  I just love the play and the theme.  It's all so well done.  I paid import prices and don't regret it.  "Eat or Save" is really an agonizing decision, in addition to the difficult slicing.  Fit that all into 15 minutes and you have a winner.  I played it 5 times already.


So all the above games made my five and dime list easy this year.  I wonder how many of them will again next year.  I'm hoping 5+ plays for all of them :)