This post continues my list of the top 5 games I played in 2024. The idea for this series comes from the excellent Eggplant Podcast.

Other posts in my Top 5 list: Rank 5 - Rank 4 - Rank 3 - Rank 2 - Rank 1. And the Finnish version of my list starts here.

By the way, I left out any TTRPG sessions or campaigns I’ve run to keep things simple.

Rank 4: For The Queen (2nd Edition)

For The Queen is a story game by Alex Roberts. The second edition was released in May 2024. I’d previously played and loved Wizard’s Tower (a hack of the first edition of For The Queen), so I grabbed the new edition as soon as it came out.

In For The Queen, players collaborate to tell a compelling story about the Queen’s journey to save her kingdom and the trials faced by her companions (the player characters) along the way. What do you learn about the Queen (and yourself) during the journey? In the end, will you support her or turn against her?

I’ve played this game over five times this year — with members of the local TTRPG association Hepro, with family, and with friends. It’s a super accessible game to pick up and play. New players don’t need to learn any rules in advance — the 13-sentence rule set is read aloud together at the start of the game.

The game’s cards are stunning, especially the Queen portrait cards, which are packed with inspiration. The freeform collaborative storytelling makes it an especially engaging experience, particularly with a new group.

Thanks to its elegance and replayability, For The Queen earns the #4 spot on my 2024 Top 5 games list.

Honorable Mention: Desperation

Desperation by Jason Morningstar is a game similar in style to For The Queen. However, the theme is very different — Desperation is gothic horror, and in most sessions, it’s pretty likely that all the characters will die by the end.

Like For The Queen, the game uses cards to guide the story. The key difference is that in Desperation, there are cards for every character and significant location in the story as well. Instead of playing as a character, players narrate events that happen to various characters.

While For The Queen edges out as the better game, Desperation is still interesting and easy to play. However, its theme and structure make it less appealing for repeated play compared to For The Queen.