Games I am looking forward to in 2025 (Patreon)

While I have greatly slowed down on the number of new games I am backing via crowdfunding, there are still quite a few I am highly anticipating to arrive in 2025. Here are seven that I’m most excited about (I do not know if all of these will actually ship in 2025).

Our Golden Age – Ultraviolet Grasslands RPG

While UVG is a great source book full of weird and inventive things, I never really grasped how to incorporate it into a game. I read and enjoyed the book more as a work of fiction. I’m hoping this new box set RPG is more useful as an actual game / game supplement. I am especially excited for all the cool looking stuff that comes with the box. Looks like it has an abundance of things to inspire.

Mini Rogue Season 2

I love Mini Rogue! It’s a very good analog implementation of a rogue-like video game, and the only thing lacking is the variety of stuff to discover and encounter. Season 2 is adding a whole bunch of stuff, and I can’t wait to mix it all together to make the pool of things to draw from even more varied.

Golf Quest

I like it when RPG elements are added to mundane activities. One of my favorite games on the original Gameboy was Legend of the River King, a game that mixed traditional JPRG mechanisms with a fishing game. More recently a little indie game called Golf Story came out, and that was enjoyable as well. It looks like Golf Quest could take that idea and put it on my table top, which is fantastic.

Dungeon Degenerates – new expansions

The crew over at Goblinko were inspired by my desire to have more robust standalone scenarios for Dungeon Degenerates, and the new upcoming expansion will include different ways to play the game without having to commit to the campaign. Although I’ll be surprised if this one actually ships in 2025.

Arydia

Perhaps the most hotly anticipated game on this list. What’s weird is that so many Youtubers already have their copies! Not sure why they didn’t reach out to me after I backed it to expedite the Dungeon Dive copy! But that’s OK. I am very excited for this game, but also a little apprehensive. While it looks wildly imaginative and impressive, I’m a little worried that it’s going to crumble under its own weight. My copy should be arriving soon, and I can’t wait.

LOOT

A little RPG from Spencer Campbell inspired by looter-shooter video games. I love this designer, and this game’s focus on creative loot sounds right up my alley.

Call of Cthulhu – Horror on the Orient Express

Honestly, I’m a little shocked that Chaosium is on schedule with this one, and they still are promising a mid-2025 delivery. Seems hard to believe, but I guess I don’t really have a reason not to trust them. I’m also still not entirely sold on the 3D train gimmick for the board, but all of the other stuff looks amazing. Chaosium always nails their productions, they write good rules, and I’m excited for a new Cthulhu board game. I wish they could get the rights for Arkham Horror back from FFG and produce a new Arkham Horror game with Richard Lanius.