There looks to be many awesome games being released in 2023, so it is hard to navigate through the jungle of games being released. Here I have picked out our top 5 picks that I am the most excited about trying out! You'll definitely want to keep these upcoming board games on your radar! Also, I have omitted re-prints/expansions and focused on new/standalone games.
If you are missing a game coming out in 2023, that you are really excited about, let us know in the comments!
The Queen's Dilemma is a stand alone successor to The King's Dilemma (2019), and is a competitive narrative legacy game for 3-6 players. The events are set 100 years after the first game, and the games will have similarities, but you are not required to have played the first game before jumping into The Queen's Dilemma.
The Dilemma games are very unique legacy RPG games where you follow the life of the regent where you noble aristocrats are always looking to influence those in power. There will be many moral dilemmas to solve where there are no easy right or wrong answer, and you need to manipulate the regent to your house own benefit. Each player will have their own house, with specific goals to provide each players with their own "agenda" to push. Every turn a dilemma card will be read and players will vote on which option they wish to push forward. What outcome will this have for my long term goals? Is there anyone I can bribe so I can win this vote without my goals being too obvious? Or maybe you are just messing around for fun/adding personality for your house character!
Roleplaying, discussions and bribes are highly encouraged! The leading player on the winning team then flip the card and read the outcome and make the necessary changes in the game, which will unlock new developments that permanently alter the game and opening new storylines. At the end of the game, players gain points in regard to how much the kingdom's political and philosophical views align with their personal (your player house) interests.
The Queen's Dilemma promises to bring a brand new story, improve on the existing legacy mechanics and add new exclusive features to make the experience more immersive! Some of the l exciting changes that are coming compared to the first game, are:
This is also why I have been keeping a close eye on this. Though I have been steering clear of buying games where you destroy the components (so a true legacy game), this is the first game that has really tempted me. I am awaiting the arrival of the game among the public before I decide to pull the trigger on this one, but I am very hopeful about it based on the information we have now!
The game will depend on your game group though. You'll want 5-6 players that can commit to play through the whole campaign (ideally, even though you may enter/exit throughout), able to engage in the story and maybe even add a bit of roleplaying for their character, manage to play even with some backstabbing; Then this might be a true gem for you in 2023!
The game is expected to arrive with backers by the end of 2023.
Based on my collection and how much fun we've had with the first Valor & Villainy game, this was an obvious pick! Valor and Villainy is a zany adventure RPG game with a colorful art style and great gameplay. It's a standalone successor to the original, V&V: Minions of Mordak. The first game is not required to enjoy Lludwik's Labyrinth, but they can be combined/expand each other to vastly improve on the amount of content/replayability, so I would definitely recommend picking up both.
Lludwik's Labyrinth's largest addition compared to the original, is the introduction of a full fledged legacy-style campaign. (~20 missions). The game can be played as 1vsMany (also in Minions of Mordak) or as fully cooperative/solo vs the AI (new). Upgrade your characters, explore the maze (which will change from game to game) unlock new bosses and other stuff in the secret envelopes throughout the campaign, create awesome spell combos with your friends and more.
You can also add lots of the new things in this game into Minions of Mordak, if you own that, such as new heroes, melee and ranged decks, items and minions. Then there's the optional Antagonist's Arsenal expansion. This will allow you to play Mordak in co-op/solo, or play any of the new villains in Lludwik game as 1vsMany. Just awesome flexibility! The biggest improvement for me that you will have a total of SIX villains to choose from, that's 5 more than in the first game! New heroes are of course also great news , and some of new ones are also with more advanced complexity, some even have their own spell decks to use! The introduction of ranged and melee cards is also a huge improvements, as I didn't like how the range/melee favored characters in the first game was unable to use the fun spell cards in a meaningful way. Hence we often omitted those characters, even though we might have needed them in terms of tactical and group characteristics.
The game has already started to appear with certain backers as fulfillment is underway. Based on initial impressions, the crazy (in a good way) campaign seems like a great addition!
Fractal: Beyond the Void is a really exciting game, which promises to deliver a true 4X experience at a fraction of the play time that you generally align with 4X games, 2 hours for 4 players! The game is for 1-4 players and aims to play at just 30 minutes per player. You take control of an intergalactic empire and need to explore the universe, compete to dominate planets and fight over resources, advance your empire through technological and military advancements and fight other players in a engaging and skill based based combat system. The combat system combines elements such as initiative, units composition, types of damage, tactical cards; It all come together to form a system. You'll have many unique asymmetric factions to choose from, playing on a modular game board (utilizing tiles) and must complete various objectives to win the game.
The second box is the modular legacy campaign framework. Huge book with 25 scenarios (different setups, story, art, rules etc), and every decision you make will affect what ways you can score victory points at the end of the game. At the end of the game, a check occurs to select which type of victory points the winner (and sometimes the loser to a smaller degree) favored. Based on those "aftermath" effects, it will push the story forward and shape the next game along that path. There is also a small third box, with the automata, which enables solo play or playing with bot players to fill in vacant seats/missing players.
The combination of 4X, awesome art/theme, high replayability and asymmetry, fast playtime (I have so many games in my collection already that take like 5-6 hours to play!) and the intense combat system all combines to form an impressive package! I don't have any "true" 4X games in my collection (although I've tried some), so this fits right in.
The exploration is probably the least developed of the 4 X's, simply because the team wanted to focus more on building a balanced game with the short play time that it has. If the map was truly random with flip and explore tiles, then that would really affect how you can properly plan a strategy early on. The game is based more on open information and interaction, although some Aftermath modules (from the campaign box) alter setup rules, different tile layouts and some face down components. I think it can work really well, as I do like a combat focused game that has a focus on providing a great combat system and a balanced game where strategy is at the center. I can't wait to test this out!
The game is expected to arrive with backers during summer 2023.
Similar to Fractal, Voidfall is also a space themed 4X game. But the games are vastly different outside of that. Voidfall is heavier, longer and significantly more euro focused. So be prepared of the potential complexity here, all the factions have different quirks in how they play, with a large amount of different technologies to mix with. So just be prepared in case this isn't the complexity of game for you, while for others (like me!), that's just a positive! So for some, that is amazing (Fractal has the campaign component and is more card focused. Voidfall promotes minimal luck with a deterministic combat system, which I definitely think is appropriate for a heavy and complex game where you have to invest a lot of time to play. I really dislike games that are long/heavy and then end up with combat systems that rely heavily on chance/RNG. So good to see Voidfall omitting that.
The game board is determined by a setup, so the tiles are not random. Hence leaning more towards the euro side rather than true random eXploration. So overall there is very little randomness in this game, which will be good or maybe not good depending on your play preferences. Voidfall seems to be a proper puzzle where you need to find the proper balance between working on the economy of your empire (engine) and the state of the game board, finding the optimal link of actions. I am seeing some similarities to Scythe for exampe in that regard. Voidfall will also lean more towards the euro/empire building element rather than around conflict. Fractal seems to be more conflict and conquest leaning. So if you like more of the economic and puzzle side of it, you are probably going to love Voidfall!
You need to expand the empire, build buildings, chain focus cards for optimal usage, manage corruption and multiple resources and so on. The game looks extremely well made with a solid focus on thematic immersion and providing a unique and interesting gameplay. Though I'd say that the game is more towards a euro game with a dash of 4X, than being a true 4X game. It is also worth mentioning that the coop experience is quite different and actually some say it can be harder to play. It requires a lot of team work and you need to fine balance your houses in terms of economy/military, as one player mistake may result in everyone losing the game. In competetive, you could just hide and focus on economy, but in coop you HAVE to compete in both aspects. This is because at the end of the game you match up against the Voidborn, and if one player does not score above, all players lose collectively.
As a sucker for space theme and 4X/Euro, this game overall looks to be very ambitious and promising! Sadly I was unable to back it, but I plan to pick it up in retail after its expected well-made release.
The game is expected to arrive with backers in Q2/Q3 2023.
Sleeping Gods, by Ryan Laukat, came out in 2021 and was an instant success for many players. It featured a vast open-world that your team explored by ship with incredible visuals and component quality. Distand Skies is a successor which shares many elements such as the game world, art style and mechanics from the first game, but it is a standalone game and they cannot be combined in any way. This time, the team you control will have to explore the new areas of the world by plane instead of ship! One huge plus in the new game is that you can now embark from the plane and travel by foot in certain areas. The freedom in this game is truly unparalleled.
The high quality components, huge open world with very few limitations, develop your own character's stories as well as the main story, looks very intriguing. It was so chill just doing what you felt like in the first game, exploring and doing quests wherever you wanted to go! Even though I had a few issues with the first game, the latest addition seems to remedy most of them. Losing items/equipment through the game campaign always felt just like an excuse of poor design, so I'm glad to see that gone. Also combat seems to have been improved greatly (bye miss chance, you won't be missed!). Also among the biggest improvements, are that all players now, as mentioned above, can do some travelling by foot themselves, which provides every player with their own agency and variety. Tons of new content has been provided, there is even a hunting/crafting system in the game! So, I think it is safe to say that the game looks to fare much better for me, and those fans that already love Sleeping Gods are going to be ecstatic! The only potential "downside" is that you may not want to go back to the first game after playing Distant Skies!
The game is expected to arrive with backers during August 2023.
If you are missing a game coming out in 2023, that you are really excited about, let us know in the comments!
Top 5 upcoming board games for 2023
1. The Queen’s Dilemma
The Queen's Dilemma is a stand alone successor to The King's Dilemma (2019), and is a competitive narrative legacy game for 3-6 players. The events are set 100 years after the first game, and the games will have similarities, but you are not required to have played the first game before jumping into The Queen's Dilemma.
The Dilemma games are very unique legacy RPG games where you follow the life of the regent where you noble aristocrats are always looking to influence those in power. There will be many moral dilemmas to solve where there are no easy right or wrong answer, and you need to manipulate the regent to your house own benefit. Each player will have their own house, with specific goals to provide each players with their own "agenda" to push. Every turn a dilemma card will be read and players will vote on which option they wish to push forward. What outcome will this have for my long term goals? Is there anyone I can bribe so I can win this vote without my goals being too obvious? Or maybe you are just messing around for fun/adding personality for your house character!
Roleplaying, discussions and bribes are highly encouraged! The leading player on the winning team then flip the card and read the outcome and make the necessary changes in the game, which will unlock new developments that permanently alter the game and opening new storylines. At the end of the game, players gain points in regard to how much the kingdom's political and philosophical views align with their personal (your player house) interests.
The Queen's Dilemma promises to bring a brand new story, improve on the existing legacy mechanics and add new exclusive features to make the experience more immersive! Some of the l exciting changes that are coming compared to the first game, are:
- Character diaries. Improvements to the background story and goals for each house, report progress etc. Basically pimped versions of the player screens from the previous game.
- Agenda cards that are secret and with personal character stories. The previous entry did not have personal character stories and less agenda cards.
- Ability and keyword stickers to improve your character and enhance the immersion.
- Larger and interactive/changing map with option to build buildings in your own territories.
- New resource system that can be used for many things in the game.
- Mystery bags with secret new components. (who doesn't love that??)
- And more...
This is also why I have been keeping a close eye on this. Though I have been steering clear of buying games where you destroy the components (so a true legacy game), this is the first game that has really tempted me. I am awaiting the arrival of the game among the public before I decide to pull the trigger on this one, but I am very hopeful about it based on the information we have now!
The game will depend on your game group though. You'll want 5-6 players that can commit to play through the whole campaign (ideally, even though you may enter/exit throughout), able to engage in the story and maybe even add a bit of roleplaying for their character, manage to play even with some backstabbing; Then this might be a true gem for you in 2023!
The game is expected to arrive with backers by the end of 2023.
2. Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labyrinth
Based on my collection and how much fun we've had with the first Valor & Villainy game, this was an obvious pick! Valor and Villainy is a zany adventure RPG game with a colorful art style and great gameplay. It's a standalone successor to the original, V&V: Minions of Mordak. The first game is not required to enjoy Lludwik's Labyrinth, but they can be combined/expand each other to vastly improve on the amount of content/replayability, so I would definitely recommend picking up both.
Lludwik's Labyrinth's largest addition compared to the original, is the introduction of a full fledged legacy-style campaign. (~20 missions). The game can be played as 1vsMany (also in Minions of Mordak) or as fully cooperative/solo vs the AI (new). Upgrade your characters, explore the maze (which will change from game to game) unlock new bosses and other stuff in the secret envelopes throughout the campaign, create awesome spell combos with your friends and more.
You can also add lots of the new things in this game into Minions of Mordak, if you own that, such as new heroes, melee and ranged decks, items and minions. Then there's the optional Antagonist's Arsenal expansion. This will allow you to play Mordak in co-op/solo, or play any of the new villains in Lludwik game as 1vsMany. Just awesome flexibility! The biggest improvement for me that you will have a total of SIX villains to choose from, that's 5 more than in the first game! New heroes are of course also great news , and some of new ones are also with more advanced complexity, some even have their own spell decks to use! The introduction of ranged and melee cards is also a huge improvements, as I didn't like how the range/melee favored characters in the first game was unable to use the fun spell cards in a meaningful way. Hence we often omitted those characters, even though we might have needed them in terms of tactical and group characteristics.
The game has already started to appear with certain backers as fulfillment is underway. Based on initial impressions, the crazy (in a good way) campaign seems like a great addition!
3. Fractal: Beyond the Void
Fractal: Beyond the Void is a really exciting game, which promises to deliver a true 4X experience at a fraction of the play time that you generally align with 4X games, 2 hours for 4 players! The game is for 1-4 players and aims to play at just 30 minutes per player. You take control of an intergalactic empire and need to explore the universe, compete to dominate planets and fight over resources, advance your empire through technological and military advancements and fight other players in a engaging and skill based based combat system. The combat system combines elements such as initiative, units composition, types of damage, tactical cards; It all come together to form a system. You'll have many unique asymmetric factions to choose from, playing on a modular game board (utilizing tiles) and must complete various objectives to win the game.
The second box is the modular legacy campaign framework. Huge book with 25 scenarios (different setups, story, art, rules etc), and every decision you make will affect what ways you can score victory points at the end of the game. At the end of the game, a check occurs to select which type of victory points the winner (and sometimes the loser to a smaller degree) favored. Based on those "aftermath" effects, it will push the story forward and shape the next game along that path. There is also a small third box, with the automata, which enables solo play or playing with bot players to fill in vacant seats/missing players.
The combination of 4X, awesome art/theme, high replayability and asymmetry, fast playtime (I have so many games in my collection already that take like 5-6 hours to play!) and the intense combat system all combines to form an impressive package! I don't have any "true" 4X games in my collection (although I've tried some), so this fits right in.
The exploration is probably the least developed of the 4 X's, simply because the team wanted to focus more on building a balanced game with the short play time that it has. If the map was truly random with flip and explore tiles, then that would really affect how you can properly plan a strategy early on. The game is based more on open information and interaction, although some Aftermath modules (from the campaign box) alter setup rules, different tile layouts and some face down components. I think it can work really well, as I do like a combat focused game that has a focus on providing a great combat system and a balanced game where strategy is at the center. I can't wait to test this out!
The game is expected to arrive with backers during summer 2023.
4. Voidfall
Similar to Fractal, Voidfall is also a space themed 4X game. But the games are vastly different outside of that. Voidfall is heavier, longer and significantly more euro focused. So be prepared of the potential complexity here, all the factions have different quirks in how they play, with a large amount of different technologies to mix with. So just be prepared in case this isn't the complexity of game for you, while for others (like me!), that's just a positive! So for some, that is amazing (Fractal has the campaign component and is more card focused. Voidfall promotes minimal luck with a deterministic combat system, which I definitely think is appropriate for a heavy and complex game where you have to invest a lot of time to play. I really dislike games that are long/heavy and then end up with combat systems that rely heavily on chance/RNG. So good to see Voidfall omitting that.
The game board is determined by a setup, so the tiles are not random. Hence leaning more towards the euro side rather than true random eXploration. So overall there is very little randomness in this game, which will be good or maybe not good depending on your play preferences. Voidfall seems to be a proper puzzle where you need to find the proper balance between working on the economy of your empire (engine) and the state of the game board, finding the optimal link of actions. I am seeing some similarities to Scythe for exampe in that regard. Voidfall will also lean more towards the euro/empire building element rather than around conflict. Fractal seems to be more conflict and conquest leaning. So if you like more of the economic and puzzle side of it, you are probably going to love Voidfall!
You need to expand the empire, build buildings, chain focus cards for optimal usage, manage corruption and multiple resources and so on. The game looks extremely well made with a solid focus on thematic immersion and providing a unique and interesting gameplay. Though I'd say that the game is more towards a euro game with a dash of 4X, than being a true 4X game. It is also worth mentioning that the coop experience is quite different and actually some say it can be harder to play. It requires a lot of team work and you need to fine balance your houses in terms of economy/military, as one player mistake may result in everyone losing the game. In competetive, you could just hide and focus on economy, but in coop you HAVE to compete in both aspects. This is because at the end of the game you match up against the Voidborn, and if one player does not score above, all players lose collectively.
As a sucker for space theme and 4X/Euro, this game overall looks to be very ambitious and promising! Sadly I was unable to back it, but I plan to pick it up in retail after its expected well-made release.
The game is expected to arrive with backers in Q2/Q3 2023.
5. Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies
Sleeping Gods, by Ryan Laukat, came out in 2021 and was an instant success for many players. It featured a vast open-world that your team explored by ship with incredible visuals and component quality. Distand Skies is a successor which shares many elements such as the game world, art style and mechanics from the first game, but it is a standalone game and they cannot be combined in any way. This time, the team you control will have to explore the new areas of the world by plane instead of ship! One huge plus in the new game is that you can now embark from the plane and travel by foot in certain areas. The freedom in this game is truly unparalleled.
The high quality components, huge open world with very few limitations, develop your own character's stories as well as the main story, looks very intriguing. It was so chill just doing what you felt like in the first game, exploring and doing quests wherever you wanted to go! Even though I had a few issues with the first game, the latest addition seems to remedy most of them. Losing items/equipment through the game campaign always felt just like an excuse of poor design, so I'm glad to see that gone. Also combat seems to have been improved greatly (bye miss chance, you won't be missed!). Also among the biggest improvements, are that all players now, as mentioned above, can do some travelling by foot themselves, which provides every player with their own agency and variety. Tons of new content has been provided, there is even a hunting/crafting system in the game! So, I think it is safe to say that the game looks to fare much better for me, and those fans that already love Sleeping Gods are going to be ecstatic! The only potential "downside" is that you may not want to go back to the first game after playing Distant Skies!
The game is expected to arrive with backers during August 2023.