As 2016 winds down, here are some wrap up pieces:

—Favorite Indy-area arts of 2016. 

—Favorite films of 2016. 

Most played games of 2016:

(They didn’t all come out in 2016, but rather than a best of the year list, here are the games that found their way to the table most often in this year)

1 Trains (AEG)– a new addition but having a lot of fun with this one. Already converted a few people to it (And on sale at Half-Price Books)

2. Royals (Dice Tower Essentials)–My most-played find from Gen Con.

3. Costa Rica (Mayfair)–Great easy set-up game and easy concept to grasp. Fun and just vicious enough.

4. Fuse (Renegade)–The heart-pounder of the year, introduced to me by Kevin Cole

5. Libertalia (Marabunta)–Another Kevin Cole introduction. I bit of a set up required and frustrating for some but still digging it.

6. Splendor (Space Cowboys)–Clay Mabbitt hooked Jonah and me on this one. Kind of multi-player solitaire-ish–I usually prefer more interaction–but happy whenever it hits the table.

7. Colt Express (Ludonaute)–I get enormous pleasure from this train robbery game and love seeing how the actions play out in unexpected ways.

8. Fight for Olympus (Mayfair)–The best two-player game I’ve found this year.

9. Spike (R&R)–Jonah is big on train games and this is a really good one. 20th Century Limited is another. We always pull one of these out rather than Ticket to Ride (which is still a good game).

10. Ninja Camp (Action Phase)–A quick card game from a local Indy game creator.

Some of them are included in my annual Best Games of Gen Con story.