148 Devon Dice Podcast The best of 2025 (board games)

In this episode of the Devon Dice Podcast, Joel is joined by Nick and Claire to round up the best games they’ve played in 2025—all new-to-them discoveries that have really hit the table this year. With Lewis struck down by the lurgy, Sam lost to board gaming winter blues, and Honey enjoying a well-earned nap, the trio also dive into the latest news, including the Fox & Hounds Board Gaming Weekend, a huge Stonemaier Games announcement dump, AllPlay reveals, Dice Tower crowdfunding, and some fresh GenCon breaking news. Then it’s time to celebrate the standout games that made 2025 a great year for gaming at Devon Dice HQ.

Upcoming conventions:

• Torquay gaming weekend (Full Board Gaming) at the end of January
• AndyCon
• Fox and Hound’s 20th-22nd March Boardgaming Weekend

• News
  • Fox and Hound’s 20th-22nd March Boardgaming Weekend
  • Stonemeier’s big news dump:
    • Wingspan expansion #4 is South & Central America and Caribbean, and includes smaller Hummingbird cards and a new card action. Coming Jan 21st.
    • Euphoria new “revised edition”, which will include the expansion.
    • New Scythe vs Expeditions 2p battling game, which can use factions from each of the other games.
    • Viticulture new expansion.
    • Next Finspan expansion due Q2.
    • Namiji, in the new Stonemeier edition, due Q4
    • New unnamed Wingspan spinoff game which is meant to be a quick (20min) and smaller-table-hog version, more suitable for introducing to players new to boardgaming.
  • AllPlay announces Mountain Goats Legacy, and Enchanted Ivy, solo only!
  • Dice Tower Gamefound campaign
  • Breaking news (just put on BGG), for GenCon releases:
    • New sequel to The Crew: The Crew: Journey to the Ends of the Earth
    • New Deluxe edition of The Gang
  Best played games of 2025, new games to us. 

  The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth

• Harmonies
• Light Speed: Arena
• The Guild of Merchant Explorers
• Pirates of Maracaibo
• The Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition
• Vantage
• Transgalactica 
• Rainbow
• 1A.M. Jailbreak
• Boss Fighters QR
• Endeavor: Deep Sea
• Railway Boom
• Finspan
• Spectacular
• Rock Hard 1977
• Coming of Age
• Flash Point: Legacy of Flame
• Petiquette
• Finspan
• Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan
• River of Gold
• Let’s Go To Japan
• Wriggle Roulette
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Trick-Taking Game
• The White Castle
• Tag Team
• Fire Tower: Rising Flames
• Civolution
• Lost Ruins of Arnak: Twisted Paths
• The Game Makers
• Pirates of Maracaibo
• Star Trek: Captain’s Chair

 

Ways you can engage or contact the show

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devondice2015@gmail.com

 

Joel’s list of all new to him, played games:

 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Trick-Taking Game 

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

6 Kingdom Legacy: Feudal Kingdom 7 Above and Below: Haunted 8 Railway Boom 9 Tag Team 10 Deep Regrets 11 Fishing 12 Fearless 13 Galactic Cruise 14 Black Forest 15 Flash Point: Legacy of Flame 16 Hamburg 17 Lords of Vegas 18 Fire Tower 19 Flip 7 20 Comic Hunters 21 Oranges & Lemons 22 Millennia: Tracks of Time 23 Tenby 24 Caracas 25 Steam Power 26 Dead Reckoning 27 Fall 28 Nucleum 29 Emberheart 30 Finspan 31 TRICKTAKERs 32 Sanctuary 33 Wroth 34 3 Chapters 35 Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels 36 Compile: Main 1 37 Slambo! 38 DroPolter