This list only includes face to face games played with actual cardboard with exceptions listed below.
Quarter
34 Magic: The Gathering aka my son's latest obsession. If I want to keep playing games with him (and, so far, I still do, despite his being 16 with all the baggage that comes along with that...), it's this or NHL 14 most of the time. I became convinced that this wasn't my game back in the mid-90's when I could literally build any legal deck and still was a mediocre to decent player. Most of these games I played with his decks, but I did go to a couple booster drafts.
Dime
10 Race for the Galaxy aka the greatest game in the world. It doesn't get out as much as I'd like, but I play on BGA and against Kheldon's AI quite a bit as well.
Nickels
9 King of Tokyo is a great accessible gateway game that is fun for "hardcore" gamers as well as a closer or filler. This is also popular with my son, so I suspect it will make at least a nickel next year, too.
8 7 Wonders counting all games sometimes including expansions. The expansions have breathed new life into this game that hadn't quite worn out its welcome with just the base game. It's a good game when looking for something with a little meat that plays with five or more in an hour or less. Another that I expect to nickel or dime in '14.
8 Hanabi a coop that is fun! Not sure how this will fare in '14, as most of these plays occurred shortly after we got the game. A couple of my regular gamer group like it, so it may resurge.
8 Suburbia tile purchase/placement. Decent game for the time it takes. It's not my favorite, but I am looking forward to trying it with the expansion. Another that is oft-requested by my group, so it may well nickel next year.
8 Trains aka Dominion with a board. This includes all plays including promo and fan boards. I'd like to see this one on the table more often, so hope for at least a nickel.
7 Innovation including expansions. I get a lot of plays on isotropic, too. With the right group, this one shines, but it can lend itself to AP with certain players. I really think this is meant to be played (or at least I most enjoy it) with reckless abandon. Keeping too close a track of everyone's tableau can bog it down. It also really plays better with all players engaged and able to respond quickly with how many of each icon. With players "planning" too far ahead or not able to tell how many icons they have, it can drag a little. It will at least nickel online and hopefully face to face as well.
7 Love Letter the pocket game. What's not to like? It's portable, fast and fun! One of these plays was in the lawn seating of a concert between acts.
6 Get Bit! another small box game. This count includes variations with the shark and dolphin expansions. A great gateway or filler.
6 Keyflower probably the meatiest so far on the list. We received, but haven't tried with the Farmers, yet, but looking forward to it. This is another that my group likes, so I expect a nickel at least.
6 Lost Legends a dungeon crawl without a DM that works pretty well. One concern is the replayability. After 6, I will still play it when opportunity presents, but my fellow players aren't as excited about it. Hopefully a nickel, but we'll see.
6 Mutant Meeples a speed deduction game. One concern is that my son has become almost unbeatable after spending a few hours "practicing." It can be frustrating for new players to join with experienced ones. Not sure how this will fare in the future, but it's definitely worth trying!
6 Schotten-Totten a two player poker hand building game that works well. The two player part is what makes it hard to hit the table. It's one of my favorite 2ers for a fifteen or twenty minute game. (Always assuming, we can't play RftG.)
5 Copycat the mashup game. Another that I'll play pretty much any time, but for some reason, it doesn't make it out of the basement often. It seems it's often selected as a "compromise" game after other suggestions are vetoed. Might make a nickel and I wouldn't mind, but am not counting on it.
5 Ground Floor the meatiest on the list this year. All but one of these plays were within a month of getting it. I like this game, but have yet to win. I'll try again, but it may be crowded out by the new stuff.
5 Loopin' Louie is the final nickel and a perennial laugh a minute option. If the box were smaller, it would probably get more plays.
Honorable Mentions
3 Russian Railroads was first played by me at Great Lake Games in November and I don't (yet) have a copy. This is a Euro worker placement disguised as a train game. I am optimistic that after I get a copy, this will hit the table a lot.
2 Sail to India another GLG game for me. This is another pocket game that I expect to nickel next year for me.
2 Feudality was hampered some by the fact that until recently, I only had a German copy. I'd like to see this fun Tom Wham title hit the table more along with his longer Kings & Things (which didn't make the table this year despite being in the stacks retrieved from the basement several times.
2 Pax Porfiriana we played at the tail end of December. This may make more appearances and I might even hunt down a copy in the coming year.
2 The Castles of Burgundy is another that I finally discovered late in the year that I hope to see more of in the coming months.
I logged 321 games total of 135 different games, 75 only once. This has not been a prolific gaming year for me although yucata, mastermoves and various roborally type sites got a lot of my attention.
Kickstarter has made this list much shorter than it has been on some years simply because I am a sucker for new games. I may show some discipline and cut down on my speculative purchases/plays, but past history doesn't make me too hopeful. As a result, I placed only one non-Kickstarter game order this year. Therefore, many of the vetted games that were picked up by publishers slid by my radar.
Still a fun year of gaming!
Quarter
34 Magic: The Gathering aka my son's latest obsession. If I want to keep playing games with him (and, so far, I still do, despite his being 16 with all the baggage that comes along with that...), it's this or NHL 14 most of the time. I became convinced that this wasn't my game back in the mid-90's when I could literally build any legal deck and still was a mediocre to decent player. Most of these games I played with his decks, but I did go to a couple booster drafts.
Dime
10 Race for the Galaxy aka the greatest game in the world. It doesn't get out as much as I'd like, but I play on BGA and against Kheldon's AI quite a bit as well.
Nickels
9 King of Tokyo is a great accessible gateway game that is fun for "hardcore" gamers as well as a closer or filler. This is also popular with my son, so I suspect it will make at least a nickel next year, too.
8 7 Wonders counting all games sometimes including expansions. The expansions have breathed new life into this game that hadn't quite worn out its welcome with just the base game. It's a good game when looking for something with a little meat that plays with five or more in an hour or less. Another that I expect to nickel or dime in '14.
8 Hanabi a coop that is fun! Not sure how this will fare in '14, as most of these plays occurred shortly after we got the game. A couple of my regular gamer group like it, so it may resurge.
8 Suburbia tile purchase/placement. Decent game for the time it takes. It's not my favorite, but I am looking forward to trying it with the expansion. Another that is oft-requested by my group, so it may well nickel next year.
8 Trains aka Dominion with a board. This includes all plays including promo and fan boards. I'd like to see this one on the table more often, so hope for at least a nickel.
7 Innovation including expansions. I get a lot of plays on isotropic, too. With the right group, this one shines, but it can lend itself to AP with certain players. I really think this is meant to be played (or at least I most enjoy it) with reckless abandon. Keeping too close a track of everyone's tableau can bog it down. It also really plays better with all players engaged and able to respond quickly with how many of each icon. With players "planning" too far ahead or not able to tell how many icons they have, it can drag a little. It will at least nickel online and hopefully face to face as well.
7 Love Letter the pocket game. What's not to like? It's portable, fast and fun! One of these plays was in the lawn seating of a concert between acts.
6 Get Bit! another small box game. This count includes variations with the shark and dolphin expansions. A great gateway or filler.
6 Keyflower probably the meatiest so far on the list. We received, but haven't tried with the Farmers, yet, but looking forward to it. This is another that my group likes, so I expect a nickel at least.
6 Lost Legends a dungeon crawl without a DM that works pretty well. One concern is the replayability. After 6, I will still play it when opportunity presents, but my fellow players aren't as excited about it. Hopefully a nickel, but we'll see.
6 Mutant Meeples a speed deduction game. One concern is that my son has become almost unbeatable after spending a few hours "practicing." It can be frustrating for new players to join with experienced ones. Not sure how this will fare in the future, but it's definitely worth trying!
6 Schotten-Totten a two player poker hand building game that works well. The two player part is what makes it hard to hit the table. It's one of my favorite 2ers for a fifteen or twenty minute game. (Always assuming, we can't play RftG.)
5 Copycat the mashup game. Another that I'll play pretty much any time, but for some reason, it doesn't make it out of the basement often. It seems it's often selected as a "compromise" game after other suggestions are vetoed. Might make a nickel and I wouldn't mind, but am not counting on it.
5 Ground Floor the meatiest on the list this year. All but one of these plays were within a month of getting it. I like this game, but have yet to win. I'll try again, but it may be crowded out by the new stuff.
5 Loopin' Louie is the final nickel and a perennial laugh a minute option. If the box were smaller, it would probably get more plays.
Honorable Mentions
3 Russian Railroads was first played by me at Great Lake Games in November and I don't (yet) have a copy. This is a Euro worker placement disguised as a train game. I am optimistic that after I get a copy, this will hit the table a lot.
2 Sail to India another GLG game for me. This is another pocket game that I expect to nickel next year for me.
2 Feudality was hampered some by the fact that until recently, I only had a German copy. I'd like to see this fun Tom Wham title hit the table more along with his longer Kings & Things (which didn't make the table this year despite being in the stacks retrieved from the basement several times.
2 Pax Porfiriana we played at the tail end of December. This may make more appearances and I might even hunt down a copy in the coming year.
2 The Castles of Burgundy is another that I finally discovered late in the year that I hope to see more of in the coming months.
I logged 321 games total of 135 different games, 75 only once. This has not been a prolific gaming year for me although yucata, mastermoves and various roborally type sites got a lot of my attention.
Kickstarter has made this list much shorter than it has been on some years simply because I am a sucker for new games. I may show some discipline and cut down on my speculative purchases/plays, but past history doesn't make me too hopeful. As a result, I placed only one non-Kickstarter game order this year. Therefore, many of the vetted games that were picked up by publishers slid by my radar.
Still a fun year of gaming!