2024 Frosties - Winners!
Welcome to the 2024 Frosties!
If you are looking for great games to play during the fifth-annual SpielMas festival, you’re in the right place!
I picked the nominees in November based on games I’ve been playing in 2024 with my family and friends, both online and in-person.
The winners and runners up both follow the Four S Rule: simple, strategic, short, and shareable.
Here are the Frosties for 2024!
Best Game for Two Players
Winner: The Fox in The Forest - This was a new game to us on Board Game Arena, and we love a good trick-taking game.
Runner up: Pocket Cats - Another new game to us in 2024 that we love to play.
More challenging: Splendor Duel, Forest Shuffle
Best Game for Four Players
Winner: Llama - This has become our entry-level game with new friends and family.
Runner up: Mojo - Super clever, especially with the two-discard variant.
More challenging: 7 Wonders Architects
Best Game for Six Players
Winner: No Thanks! - Great bluffing game that always keeps us guessing.
Runner up: 6 Nimmt! - A real romp, especially when we play with the “Professional” variant.
More challenging: Go Nuts for Donuts
Best Game for Eight Players
Winner: Incan Gold - The ultimate bluffing game that plays very fast and is lots of fun.
Runner up: Papayoo - A trick-taking delight, although someone is going to end up losing badly.
More challenging: Challengers
Great Game with only a Deck of Cards
Winner: Palace - This vintage “backpacker’s game” is so good with 2-6 players.
Runner up: Palace: River and Stone variant - My wife and I created this variant to play with Beth Sobel’s beautiful cards, available at Blue Highway Games in Seattle WA.
Runner up: Briscola - I had friends visit Italy this year, and they came back with a cultural touchpoint of a tabletop game
Great Game to Play Online
Winner: Azul - Love this game, but the scoring can be a little much during the game and at the end.
Great Online, Better In-Person
Winner: Solo - So much fun (and better than Uno), but that Solo button on Board Game Arena is too easy to forget. In-person this is a blast!
Runner up: Skull - So simple you could play with beer coasters in your local pub, but playing in-person is a must.
More challenging: Love Letter
Great Board Game Kickstarter Campaign
Winner: Z Photo Game - My friend and fine art photographer Steve Zmak decided to forgo the usual coffee table book and make a limited-edition board game instead. He chose well. Campaign ends December 19th.
Runner up: Knitting Circle - The impressive follow-up to Calico that includes a Calico mini-expansion. Campaign ends December 13th.
Published December 1, 2024
