Zatu is turning 10, and our bloggers have been inspired to take a look back at their favourite titles, and favourite Zatu memories, from the last decade!
Ian Pazceck:
I first got into board games as a child too many decades ago. My favourite games at the time were Mine a Million (aka The Business Game) and Moviemaker, both of which are out of print. Fast forward to maybe 15 years ago and the game that started me on the hobby of playing and collecting modern board games is Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy. A 4X game in space with asymmetric player powers. Superb.
Over the last ten years, there have been many great games, but I’d like to mention three that I hold in very high regard. First is Scythe, one of the first games I bought through Kickstarter and the first time I realised the joy of metal coins and realistic resources! For me, the tactile element grounds the game and enhances the enjoyment. I also like Scythe because the Polania faction has a bear, which is a nod to the story of Wojtek, the bear who became a soldier in WW2. Next is Carnegie, a lovely economic Euro game themed around the steel magnate and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. It has one of the hardest solo modes that I have seen (and someone will now tell me of a game with a harder solo mode). Finally, there is Age of Steam, which I loathed for quite some time because I found it hard and frustrating. However, it is a truly fascinating, if completely unforgiving game. It’s like the Bloodborne of board games!
Luke Pickles:
Ten years, huh? It turns out that Zatu opened up a few months after I started in the board game hobby, so what have we done over the last ten years? I started my journey with Tokaido, Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne, as so many of us do. Since then, I’ve gone on a quest to find the games I’ve loved. Looking back, I’ve recorded 820 games played (including online games, like on Board Game Arena, and TCG’s like Lorcana) and nearly 4000 total plays since I started tracking since 2022.
My favourite game for a long time was Architects of the West Kingdom, eventually shifting to Paladins of the West Kingdom, and then Scholars of the South Tigris. It’s far to say Garphill Games has become one of my favourite publishers, with the combination of theme, gameplay and iconography that links all their games together. Tokaido has stuck around in my collection as one of the first games I bought, and two years ago, my wife and I used my original Carcassonne as our wedding guest book. Board games are a big part of my life and I can’t wait to see what is coming in the next the years.
Ross Coulbeck:
10 years of Zatu is crazy, and I've been lucky enough to be a blogger for 3 of them now. When I first joined I didn't realise how much of a community I would discover, or how my love of boardgames would expand. I've made loads of friends and written a lot of blog posts!
But what game of the last 10 years really stood out for me? Well to be honest, it was a game that started with a copy Zatu sent me to review. Disney Villainous: Despicable Plots. The asymmetric style of play where everyone is playing their own game while delaying your opponents really spoke to me and my partner. And who doesn't love playing as a villain? Once we had the basic rules down, we were eager for more. The villains in Despicable Plots weren't ones we knew well, so it wasn't long before we picked up the core box, and it just took off from there. Today we have most of the boxes, including another review copy from Zatu, and keep an eye out for any new ones that are released.
Sophie Jones:
Gosh, 10 years feels like a lifetime ago. Back then I was only dabbling in board games, mostly with Gwent after it shipped with the special edition of The Witcher 3 expansions. Fast forward a few years and my sister bought me Ticket to Ride for Christmas. After that, it was a slippery slope as new purchases kept rolling in. So I can blame her, or maybe thank her, for this new addiction, I mean hobby.
Not long after, I spotted an advert on my favourite board gaming site looking for writers and suddenly here we are 4 years later. I bought extra shelving, started going to UK Games Expo and became a loyal follower of fan favourite Rodney, aka Watch it Played on YouTube, to help me tackle the heavier Eurogames.
One release that really stood out was Wingspan. It’s still one of my favourites of the decade, so easy to teach and never bloated no matter how many expansions they add. I love the chilled vibes, the gorgeous art and the fact birds could now be my Mastermind subject after so many plays. Not to mention my friends and family love that fresh content keeps arriving, so they always have a present sorted for birthdays and Christmas.
As a Zatu blogger I’ve tried games I would never have picked myself, like Kutna Hora: the city of silver, Druids of Edora and Mytikas, all of which will never leave my shelves. Here’s to another 10 years and many, many more blogs.
KacoPlays:
Board games have always been the background noise of my life, but they’re also the reason I found my partner. Our first date involved bad beer, mediocre burgers, and a game of Taboo which for the record, is a logistical nightmare at two. Somehow we survived the communication breakdown and kept playing. We spent our university years in a polite haze of Rummikub, Catan and Carcassonne, but then the pandemic hit, we bought Wingspan, and things escalated quickly. One Zatu order for Zuuli later, and my living room had officially been surrendered to the tabletop gods.
In 2024, I decided to stop shouting my board game opinions at my dogs and started writing them down for Zatu instead. It’s been a blast being behind the scenes; I love (and my wallet sometimes hates) the blogger influence cycle. I’ll see a review for a game I was convinced I’d hate, read a fellow blogger’s hype, and suddenly find myself placing an order. It’s a dangerous cycle for my shelf space, but being part of this community has been the best expansion to my hobby yet. Happy 10th, Zatu!
Peaches and Meeples:
We discovered Zatu during lockdown, when we started to order the odd Warhammer item from them. 2024 was a good year. It was the first year we attended To Boldy Game, the UKGE and became bloggers for Zatu. Since then, we have gone from dipping our toe in to the hobby to experiencing the many wonders the industry has to offer. Zatu is a big part of our hobby, not only do we provide blogs for the site, the extensive catalogue of available titles also allowed us to explore, buy and enjoy many great games, both past titles and newer ones. Great titles like Abyss (2014), Five Tribes (2014), or a Feast for Odin (2016) wouldn’t be easy to get on the highstreet, becoming top 10 games, with other firm favourites, made available from Zatu via publishing and distribution are Inferno (2024) and Kelp (2024).
Pete Earnshaw:
When I look at my game collection I immediately notice that the past 10 years have been kind, if not to my wallet then definitely to my tabletop experience! So many great releases have hit the shelves in the past decade that I would be hard pressed to pick my favourite. However, my current most played game (and an undeniable hit in our house) is the amazing Marvel United, a fully customisable superhero adventure. Iron Man, Wolverine and the universe hopping Spider Punk taking on a giant dragon? Magneto and Professor X teaming up to defeat Loki at the Parker residence? Captain America and Spiderman going into battle against the Hulk and Thor across the Multiverse? If you have the figures at your disposal then you can make anything happen. With several core boxes and multiple exciting expansions, Marvel United is fast, fun and easy to learn; it’s welcoming to new players whilst encouraging strategy and reasoning from experienced gamers! I could play this all day…
Charlotte Curzon:
I have been playing board games since before I can remember, starting off as a child with my brother and parents playing things like Monopoly and Chess, to where I am today, playing and reviewing games with my husband and son. Over the last 10 years I’ve gone from being engaged to being a married parent, which is a big change, and my board game habits have definitely changed too.
My most played board games of 2025 were Exploding Kittens and Sky Team. In 2024, Kingdomino took the top spot with the Exit The Game series coming in a close second. If I were to have a guess at what will reach my top spot this year, it would be Ark Nova as we’ve already got 6 plays in so far and haven’t played anything else this year yet! A wonderful mix of games I love, I’d highly recommend checking them out!
Paul Websell:
I have always loved a board game, even if that was playing a weekly game of Monopoly: Reading round my friends house of a weekend, (yes they somehow did release a Reading version of that game in 2003).
In the last ten years though my love of tabletop games and what they can bring to any social situations, from Christmas family gatherings to house parties and even quiet evenings at the pub, has truly flourished and expanded into a massive collection of board games with different mechanics and themes which means I no longer have to delve the murky depths of a monopoly game.
10 years ago my twenty something self was trying to get his group of friends before any night out to play games of Cards Against Humanity to get a party started and the drinks flowing, rather than having to you know, actually talk to and catch up with my close friends. Because for me gaming and messing round with cards or pieces of cardboard and plastic has always been the best way to create a great atmosphere, uncontrollable laughter and some new memories to talk about at the next meet up.
But it’s been since hitting 30 where I have become a true board game hobbyist, loving what the medium can bring in regards to strategy, theming, complex ideas and most of all just having fun. Amazing games such as Ark Nova, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Disney Villainous, Everdell, Sky Team, Avalon, Old King’s Crown, Legacy of Yu, all games which are utterly different to one another but I have loved and adored these last few years, helping me lose myself in new worlds and ideas, shared alongside my partner and now wife as our relationship blossomed as well.
And since then in the last couple of years this burgeoning love of tabletop has even developed into me writing some features, news and reviews for Zatu, allowing me to wax lyrical about the hobby I love and the games that have become such a big part of my life, all the while being my go to place to get new games to add to my incredible collection.
Sam De Smith:
10 years of boardgames is a funny thing, as Zatu shares its birthday with my youngest child, give or take a day.
We really got back into gaming about then, too, funnily enough. Whilst i did a lot of rpgs and ccgs back in the day, we were introduced to Carcassonne by my Austrian cousin just after it released. But the game we used to hang out and play as a group was Firefly - we even played a mammoth 5 hour 7 player game for my 40th! But it was playing with the kids when wee that was the turning point. Sunday mornings playing DC deckbuilding, and long days of lockdown playing Hellboy, Imperial Assault and Shadows of Brimstone. This all coincided with me moving away from comic blogging on BigComicPage to boardgames, and working with a range of companies- and of course Zatu!
Seb Hawden:
I have been at Zatu for about 5 years. It’s been mainly blogging but I have helped out a few times at UKGE too. One of my fondest memories working here is my first ever UKGE, when I helped out at the Zatu stand and demo’d some games for them. Not only was the work fun and tiring but sharing a house and playing games with the rest of the Zatu crew was a hoot. Having a few whiskeys while having a few rowdy board games was brilliant, I will cherish it forever.
It also set me up for working at UKGE for other people too. Zatu has helped me massively in both reviewing board games and working at UKGE, two things I enjoy massively. I will always be thankful for that. The crew are great, the atmosphere is always top notch and I have many fond memories.
James Galloway:
Hey, it’s JamesLovesGames. It’s exciting to be part of Zatu’s 10th anniversary feature. I’ve really enjoyed my time so far as a blogger and helping out at UKGE. My favourite games of the past 10 years are Ark Nova and Slay The Spire.
Ark Nova is a game in which you build a zoo and fill it with animals to increase its appeal while managing the zoo’s finances, scientific research and conservational impact. It has a unique mechanism that means the longer it’s been since you last used a particular action, the more powerful that action is.
The beautifully realised Slay The Spire is based on my favourite computer game of the same name. You must build a deck of cards to fight increasingly tough enemies. It’s simple enough for beginners whilst being deep enough for rewarding tactical play and has taken my top spot for favourite co-op game of all time.
Neil Parker:
A lot has happened with me over the last 10 years and games have always been a friendly feature. Getting back into playing RPGs has been a highlight, playing D&D 5e, Pathfinder 2e, Warhammer 40K and Cyberpunk Red, including running an 18-month D&D 5e campaign through lockdown.
With board games I have loved playing some older games like Axis & Allies Anniversary Edition and Runewars and new games like Ark Nova and Terraforming Mars and for the last six years I have gone on a board games retreat with friends spending a week in a self-catering cottage, playing great games including some easy games like Qwirkle and longer games that you ordinarily wouldn’t get to play like Europa Universalis. Being a blogger for Zatu has been icing on a cake really. I get to write about games, occasionally get to test a new one and be part of a great community, which all helps me utilise my creative side.
Liam Boyes:
Well, guys and dolls, the team at Zatu has asked us bloggers to throw a quick paragraph together to celebrate their massive 10-year milestone. How could old "Two Players Gaming" turn that down? They’ve set us a simple task: pick a favourite game released in the last decade and share a little bit about what it’s actually like to be a Zatu blogger.
I had a long old think about it, and honestly, the crown has to go to a fairly new contender: The Stifling Dark (Released November 2023). Those of you who read my full review on it will probably find this no surprise. I’ll be honest, it was a toss-up between this and Unfair, but what swung it for me is that The Stifling Dark manages to absolutely nail the "One vs Many" hidden movement genre—a style that is notoriously difficult to get right.
From the flashlight mechanics to the unique build of each antagonist, what’s not to love? Each bad guy feels balanced and genuinely challenging, like you could literally run into them at any moment. To counterbalance the horror, each hero has their own special perks and that classic, naïve horror-movie willingness to say: "Hey, remember that old abandoned creepy sawmill that’s a literal death trap even when a ghost isn't running around it? Why don’t we go investigate? I have a flashlight and great hair—how can we lose?" Jokes aside, I genuinely love this game. The components are solid, the mechanics are tight, and while the play time is "lonnnnng" and the table requirements are huge, we nerds love a big game. I am more than happy to lose a whole afternoon to this one with my favourite people.
Life as a Zatu Blogger
As for what it’s actually like to be a Zatu blogger? I love this gig. I get to write and share my experiences with my favourite hobby, which is a privilege in itself. Plus, I get a cheeky little discount on games from a site I was routinely using anyway, and every now and then, I get to review a title I was already eyeing up!
The only downside? Seeing everyone else heading off to the big conventions! Due to work and location commitments (I’m a Northerner, after all), I don’t often get to make the trip down myself. I’ll admit to being a bit "gutted" whenever I see my fellow bloggers posting their massive hauls from these incredible-looking events. But honestly, as long as I’ve got a good game on the table and a brew in hand, I can’t complain too much. Here’s to ten more years of gaming!
David Ireland:
It’s hard for me to believe that Zatu is only 10 years old. Maybe I have been playing games too long but I feel like Zatu has always been there, they are so well known around this industry.
I started as a customer (obviously) with them but as I developed my own Wellbeing Gamer presence online, it has been fantastic to be involved with the blogging team for over 3 years now. Getting to chat with people who share the board gaming hobby has been very cool, and then collaborating on features to pull a team blog together has been excellent. I'll learned a lot from these and it has led me to pick up a few games including Fire Tower, Dodo and Ecosystem.
Then my favourite games to write about over the time have been Kavango, Zombicide 2nd edition and Smash Up. I’ve produced countless pieces on these games alone and it has been great fun to take deep dives into the details of them.
I cannot wait to see how the next period of time unfolds for Zatu. Happy 10 years!
Stefano Paravisi:
It is impressive to think Zatu is celebrating their 10th years and to consider how many great games they helped bring to everyone. I am personally among those who enjoyed ordering from Zatu as a lot of the games they shipped ended up on my shelves, starting from the very first game I ordered from them in 2019: Quacks of Quedlinburg.
For those who do not know, Quacks is a push your luck type of games where Players compete to brew some unlikely medicine with a strong chance to make the whole pot explode. At the time when I ordered Quacks, my family and I were stuck at home during the first pandemic and we just moved to England. My son was old enough to start enjoying boardgames with us and we were on the hunt for some good games that we could all enjoy and that can break the long days of the lock-down. Fortunately, Zatu was there and they had so many games to choose from that we had trouble deciding which one may be more suitable for us. Luckily, the reviews and the blog content on the website were of great help to get some good titles and we ended up buying Quacks.
A few years after (and quite a number of games) I also took the chance to join and I started writing content for the Blog. It seems yesterday but almost four years have passed now and I had tons of fun talking about great Board Games, meeting other like-minded Players, and of course playing with them every now and then at ZatuCon. Thanks a lot Zatu and I am looking forward to 10 more years of gaming!
Chris Ridley:
Working with Zatu as a blogger and content creator over the last few months has been brilliant. What struck me immediately was how supportive and collaborative they've been during the early stages of my content creation journey. They genuinely supported me as I found my voice and established my footing.
The three games that have stuck with me over the last 10 years have to be: Pandemic Legacy Season Zero, Regicide, and Survive The Island. The Pandemic Legacy series may have started over a decade ago, but Season Zero is arguably the best in the series - the story is engaging, and the Pandemic System has been perfectly adapted to deliver a Cold War espionage experience. Regicide has become my go-to solo game when time is tight. It proves that a bit of creativity and a standard deck of cards is all you need for a tense and replayable game. Finally, Survive The Island is a brilliant gateway game. It's simple, fun and suitable for all ages. It's the one I pull out for family nights and weekly game groups, and it never fails to get laughs around the table.
Naomi Scott:
New to Zatu blogging, and lost to Kickstarter games, I of course am going to write about my favourite Kickstarter purchase, Machina Arcana. Machina Arcana is a Lovecraftian steampunk dungeon crawler, for 1-4 players. It is hands down my favourite game.
Replayability, artwork, and those moments that have you laugh-crying as you realise the game is about to punish you leave me hooked. Choose between one of about 20 characters and complete a scenario with other willing victims, all whilst being plagued by nightmarish beasts and enduring horror events. (We all have different definitions of ‘fun’). Available equipment and events vary by scenario, and of course each scenario has its own shape. The double-sided board tiles are unique, pretty, and can be laid in any orientation, adding to the randomness. They also scroll, so you never have more than a 2x2 board, which is clever, appreciated, and sensible.
There are too few scenarios for my liking, but the character choice, board tiles, and cards all mean good replayability. There are a fair few rules, but the handouts and rule books are good. The estimated play time is…optimistic…but I am more than happy to spend an afternoon on a game that I enjoy. Oh, and did I mention that a new expansion and miniatures were announced last year? Yeah, they have my money already. More on that when they land…
Pete Bartlam:
Me and my co-tester Maya
ZATU was founded on Feb 15th 2016 and 3 months after that I retired from making maps for the MOD to concentrate on more gaming! My 1st encounter with the Big Orange Z was finding ZATU was the best place to buy Ticket To Ride Europe for my brother Tim.
Dazzled by the dizzying display of delights on offer I joined ZATU bloggers in Jan 2022 so I could share my 60+ years of gaming wisdom with the wider world. From my 1st review: Top of the Pops Party game to my 121st blog on New Year’s Resolutions 2026 I’ve had a blast. From Camel Up! and Codenames, to Terraforming Mars and Scythe plus everything Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Though nowadays it’s more likely to be Peppa Pig and Duplo with my young test squad Maya and Luca.
Met so many new friends, bloggers, staffers and general gamers at the various ZATUcons demoing great games and providing entertaining quizzes.
Here’s to the next 10 years! Dare I say it “The future’s bright!”
Thom Newton:
When we were asked to talk about some boardgame highlights from the last 10 years, there was only one game that popped into my head. This is the most played game in my house, and it’s not even close. My copy of Gravwell is battered and bruised. The board is scuffed and the cards are a little tatty, but this my game group’s end of night comfort game.
Gravwell is a card driven racing game where players draft alphabetical cards that allow them to move their ships various different distances. You’ll then play these cards face down and they’ll resolve in alphabetical order. The goal of the game is to escape the gravwell before a portal collapses.
Where this gets interesting is that you don’t move forwards or backwards. You move towards or away from the closest ship to you. And because the order in which your cards resolve isn’t known when you play it down. You can plan to move towards a ship that will slingshot you towards the exit, but by the time your card resolves that ship you were relying on moving towards may not be there. And you may end up hurtling backwards with not a lot you can do about it.
Because of this sometimes you want to draft cards that come early in the alphabet. That way you have a better feel for what the board state will be when you move. But sometimes you need to throw caution to the wind and just go for maximum chaos. Gravwell is such a fun game where you make the best laid plans and then watch them quickly fall apart when they hit the cold hard vacuum of space. And then laugh about it. What’s even better is that the new edition of Gravwell has loads of brilliant extras which give you the option to add even more spice and chaos to the whole experience.
Greame Johnston:
I would consider myself a salty old dog when it comes to a lot of things, board gaming included; seen it, maybe played it, never bothered with the T-shirt. My wife trembles at the thought of opening a cupboard door lest she is flattened ‘neath an avalanche of card board and plastic. My sons bolt for the door when I drag out World in Flames on my birthday. “You said you’d play a game with me boys……”
It wasn’t even a year ago that I started writing blogs for Zatu but what fun twist in an old tale it has been. Nathalie gets involved in editing my writing (and is very good at saying, “Really- you want to post that”? and “Don't be so rude”). My son Peter will play and help review the odd game or two, my board game buddies get a kick out of our childish shenanigans being published for others to roll their eyes at and I’ve been motivated to play a bunch of new and old titles. So thank you Zatu (and Abbie) and a very happy birthday.
PS. Oh, best game in ZATU’s lifetime? Stationfall - a work of sheer zany brilliance!
Agent Duck:
Hi, I’m Agent Duck and my obsession with board games started with Talisman, the classic fantasy adventure game, and my favorite all time boardgame. My copy of Talisman was given to me by my mum when I was a duckling (she’s a boardgamer too). One of my favorite games of recent years is the Tea Dragon Society Card Game. It's a great pick for casual gatherings when you just want something fun with pretty art to do while chatting with friends! Both games are of course available here on Zatu!
I’m relatively new to blogging at Zatu, but I love the welcoming atmosphere, and the opportunity to get my thoughts about the things I love out there.
