The best games by Craig Van Ness 🇺🇸👨 2026

Heroscape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie is a highly imaginative and customizable fantasy battle board game that blends elements from various eras and genres. It features a diverse array of painted plastic miniatures and modular hex-based terrain pieces, creating a unique and visually striking battlefield. Players engage in strategic battles using warriors ranging from WWII soldiers to futuristic robots, fantasy creatures, and more.

Sorry! Sliders offers a dynamic and engaging twist on the classic Sorry! board game, transforming it into a competitive game of skill, aim, and strategy. Players take control of roller pawns, launching them toward a target board with the aim of scoring points, while also navigating the threat of opponents knocking them into dreaded Sorry! spaces.

The second Master Set for the HeroScape series allows players to build various battlefields by attaching and stacking game tiles. Each unit has a movement rating that indicates how many spaces it can move in a turn, factoring in elevation changes. Simple combat mechanics involve players rolling attack and defense dice, with skulls representing damage.

Risk: Star Wars Edition brings the epic conclusion of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi to the tabletop, allowing players to engage in the pivotal battles that decide the fate of the galaxy. This version of Risk provides a thematic and strategic experience, set on a unique TIE fighter-shaped gameboard that serves as the battlefield for the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance.

Based on the four battles at the end of Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, players engage in conflicts between Gungan forces and the Droid army, Naboo's attempt to storm the palace, and the duel between Darth Maul and the Jedi. The game features 155 plastic miniatures across three boards, including a three-tiered palace. Each player uses two sets of action cards to coordinate their movements, resolving combat with special attack and defense dice.

Players control plastic figures of Marvel heroes and villains, each equipped with a card for managing movement and attack strength. Various battlefields can be built by stacking terrain tiles, and players can engage in scenarios that involve objectives, such as eliminating opponents or protecting specific characters.

Challenge a friend to a card duel between Iron Man and Iron Monger with the Iron Man Battling Card Game. Play using beginner rules or advanced attack cards. The game includes 58 Iron Man cards, 58 Iron Monger cards, 5 victory cards for each character, and an instruction manual. Suitable for 2 players aged 6 and up.

The third master set for the HeroScape series delves into the realm of Dungeons and Dragons. It features 10 redesigned characters from Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures and 55 terrain figures in the Heroscape style.

Help Buffy and her friends stop the spread of evil in Sunnydale. Players must face famous villains like the Master, the Judge, and Adam while patrolling the board, collecting cards, and fighting to gain power. The game includes various components, such as character pieces, cards, and dice, to create an engaging experience filled with challenges.

A deluxe detective game with more suspects, more mystery, and more fun. The game comes alive with electronic voice and sound effects.

Risk 2210 A.D. offers a thrilling twist on the classic game of Risk by transporting players into a futuristic battleground. In this not-so-distant future, the world is gripped by conflict waged not by human armies, but by formidable war machines known as MODs, led by commanders with unique powers. Command cards add a strategic layer, and the war expands beyond continents to include seas and even the moon.

Players take on the role of either the human Intergalactic Space Navy or the alien Wretcheridians in a space combat miniatures game. The game features 20 starship miniatures, each with unique reference cards detailing their attributes, such as weapons, movement, and shields. Players spend energy points each round to perform actions, with combat resolved through dice rolls compared to target reference cards to determine hits, which are marked on the miniatures.

A standalone expansion, it introduces Innistrad, a unique plane in the multiverse threatened by vampires, werewolves, spirits, and ghouls. Twisted, pointed stones known as Kryptoliths have emerged, drawing the attention of those seeking to uncover their deep power. Players compete for the fate of the Kryptoliths, with the first to meet their win condition claiming victory.

Magic: The Gathering – Arena of the Planeswalkers is a strategic board game that brings the iconic card game to life in a battle of wits and might on a customizable 3D battlefield. Players step into the roles of powerful Planeswalkers, each with unique abilities and creature squads, vying for dominance through clever maneuvering and tactical spellcasting.

Players take on the classic Stratego gameplay and enhance it with new elements. Each piece has unique abilities, with over 200 different characters to choose from, allowing for tactical variety in combat. The game offers optional customization for armies and can accommodate multiple players in team-based matches.

Dr. Drakken is attempting to conquer the world. Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, and Rufus must stop him, but he has hired some of Kim's arch-enemies to guard his lair, complete with traps and moving walls. The first player to complete their mission card and defeat Dr. Drakken wins!