Top 5 New Games of the First Half of 2023
Posted by SCOTT MILLER
If you're after what new and exciting board games have come out since the start of 2023, look no further than our Top 5 picks below:
5) Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory
Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory is a 2 - 4 Player, asymmetric, politico-economic euro-game that puts the players into one of four roles to simulate a nation attempting to thrive during politico-economic war between the classes.
Play as the Working Class by increasing your prosperity, spend wages to survive and to consume goods, as well go on strike or have demonstrations to demand more wages for your hard earned work.
You can also work a little bit further up the corporate ladder as the Middle Class who plays fairly similar to the Working Class, however, you can also start your own businesses and work for extra money, all the while paying your business tax and striking that delicate balance between business owner and worker.
If working for the man is less your style and you want more of the business/contact side of things, join the Capitalist Class to generate goods to sell to your county, invest in more properties, or cut some business deals in your favour.
Alternatively, oversee the happiness of your classes as the role of The State by trying to make all classes happy. Expand the public sector, dictate the taxation on all of the other classes, and prevent the state from falling too far into debt. How well The State does is dictated by how well the rest of the classes do, so play to their strengths!
Rounds consist of 5 turns per round with each turn either taking one of your classes regular actions, or playing your cards to gain your own advantages. Be sure to play to the Policy Board as that impacts the game itself such as how low the minimum wage is and how fair it is in turn, how much taxation each class is hit by, or even how big immigration is in your country.
Propose bills, run for elections, and keep the delicate balance of your country in tact in Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory by clicking here!
4) Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn
Dragons have to be one of the most incredible mythological creatures there are. From their sheer size, immense wingspan, powerful breath attacks, or even the influence they command, these creatures are a force to be reckoned with. As any roleplaying veteran would know, to stand against one of these creatures is to face certain doom - my players once had to come face-to-face with an Adult Green Dragon that rained acid over the very town they were protecting; terrifying stuff.
With that scene set, enter Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn, a board game that is adjacent to - and can be used with - the D&D Module Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. This co-operative RPG game featuring 3 - 5 players has our players enter the shoes of 6 different heroes who battle against the terrifying Dragon Army. 
Together, the players must overcome their adversaries between shifting battlefields and achieve their own victory between each battle. The forces of the Dragon Army are countless, so to just cull their numbers won't be enough; players will have to complete the objectives of the current scenario to achieve victory. Laid out in a campaign structure, grow with your characters and drive back the forces of the Dragon Army however you can.
Choose from classes found within the D&D universe to fend off these forces and bring peace to Krynn once more. If you are a fan of TTPRGs, this overcomes the age old problem that players and Dungeon Masters run into with scheduling issues as everyone gets to play - no Dungeon Master required!
Raise your staff or ready your blade, as you steel yourself against the Dragon Army in Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn by clicking here!
3) Steam Up Deluxe
Set in a time in the Far East, hidden deep within the mountains of a far off land, is the legendary restaurant by the name Steam Up. Known for its popular dishes and being the first restaurant to achieve the coveted three Gold Ingot status, you have ventured far and wide to dine here and eat your full.
Steam Up Deluxe is a 2 - 5 player game that is about resource and action management where the players will aim to achieve the highest number of Hearty Points by enjoying delicious dishes such as juicy shrimp dumpling, flavourful sticky rice, and even the exotic phoenix claw.
Each game begins with choosing one of the available creatures to play - my personal favourite is the cool mouse with the sunglasses - and receiving specific resources accordingly to that character. From there, players will gather or use Fortune Cards, rotate the Turntable, collect Food Tokens, or spend Food Tokens to purchase Steamers. Certain characters prefer certain foods so try to play to your character!
At the end of each turn, players reveal the top card of the Fate deck to either help or hinder them during their meal. Once all of the Fate deck is exhausted or enough Steamers are purchased the game ends and the player with the most Hearty Points wins!
Play your cards right and sate your hunger with delicious food in Steam Up Deluxe by clicking here!
2) Star Wars Shatterpoint
If D&D is something you enjoy but Warhammer combat is more up your alley, then choose your favourite Jedi, Sith, or soldiers, prepare your squads, and fight for victory in Star Wars Shatterpoint!
In a 1v1, best of three game, players take squads (consisting of one Primary Unit, one Secondary Unit, and one Supporting Unit) to fight against opposing squads and hold objectives. Rounds begin after the terrain has been set and the objectives placed, with players deploying their units on the map. Once completed, the players will take turns revealing the top card of their deck and activating their that unit - if you reveal the Shatterpoint card, choose any one unit and activate that one!
Combat consists of a mix of unit positioning and dice rolling - if you need some tips, just ask Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi Master of the High Ground. You can either fight from afar or close up by rolling your attack dice against your opponents defence dice. Depending on how you rolled, you can damage your opponents unit or even wound them, making it easier to succeed in the mission.
At the end of each round - except the first one - players gain 1 score on the Struggle Track for each objective they currently hold, with the main objective granting 2 points. Bonuses are offered on the Struggle Track to make it easier to win based on how well - or how poorly - your squad is performing. Careful to not have too many wounded characters, as they are unable to hold any objectives! Once you have moved the Struggle Token onto one of your Momentum Tokens on the Struggle Track, you win that round.
Fight for supremacy in Star Wars Shatterpoint by clicking here!
1) The Witcher Old World
The world of The Witcher is one fraught with danger and risk around every corner. Terrifying creatures of with sharp claws and jagged maws hide in dangerous burrows and threaten the citizens of The Continent. In attempts to combat these creatures, Witchers travel far and wide, tracking them, learning their weaknesses, and ultimately how to overcome them in order to cut them down and collect their bounties.
The Witcher: Old World is a 2 - 5 player RPG where players fit the role of a Witcher - beast hunters who are given supernatural abilities at a young age - who travel the Continent to hunt down creatures, and in some cases, even fight each other. Filled with a host of fun mechanics and gorgeous miniatures, The Witcher: Old World is the perfect board game for fans of the series or those wanting to have a gritty and action filled combat board game.
Travel across the vast land, searching for trails on creatures, trying your luck at gambling, or going toe-to-toe with one another in battle. Upgrade your character by increasing their armor, how aggressive and powerful they are in combat, how many potions they can consume in the heat of the battle, or additional weapons that can turn the tide of battle.
Victory is achieved once the players have earned enough trophies either by overcoming their fellow Witcher in battle, or slaying creatures that terrorise citizens of the land - but remember, you can only win by striking the final blow against a creature and claiming their trophy. There's something particularly glorious about returning to your quest giver and showing the head of your decapitated foe before claiming your reward after all.
Journey the vast lands of the Continent and go down in history as one of the greatest monster slayers in The Witcher: Old World by clicking here!
In summary, if you’re looking for...
A socio-economical game that is a constant struggle between different classes? Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory!
A game with PvP skirmishes set on planets far, far away? Star Wars Shatterpoint!
A rich D&D-esque story with overwhelming odds? Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn!
A game with detailed miniatures and a fun game to boot? The Witcher: Old World!
A game about enjoy meals, eating your full, and neat animals? Steam Up!
Fun experiences available from this year? Any of the games above!
That's it from us - Top 5 New Games of the First Half of 2023! Although there are plenty of incredible games this year, these 5 have stood out amongst this year - maybe some others might make our Top 5 for the end of 2023!
What do you think? Do you enjoy these games or have personal experiences with them? Any others from this year that you think are a massive hit and should be amongst these? Let us know in the comments below!
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