Three months on from the top-50, Daniel (@dungeondive) revisits the list and answers the inevitable “where is X?” mailbag. He still stands by most of it but flags Tomb as the one entry he’d remove (kept on potential alone, doesn’t earn its spot), and would probably drop Fallout and Runebound 3rd to make room for three games he genuinely overlooked: Walking Dead: Here’s Negan (“a solo Space Hulk”), Hand of Fate: Ordeals, and Fallen Land (forgotten while waiting on the second edition).
On the why-isn’t-X-here questions: Arkham Horror 3rd loses out because Daniel can’t get past the map; Dark Venture is good but doesn’t hit the table enough; Legends Untold the same; Popper’s Ladder is a strong candidate for next time.
Then the four big absences get explicit negative reviews. Gloomhaven — respected, but the inverse-excitement curve (heroes get less heroic as a dungeon goes on) and item-as-consumable design ruin the fantasy. Middara — too much novel between turns of game; characters act in pre-written ways Daniel wouldn’t play them. Sword & Sorcery — anachronistic writing, icon overload, on-rails scenarios, no two-good-choices on level-up. Mage Knight — a balanced game that respects him but bores him; “balance” he frames as another word for boring.
Daniel argues balance is the enemy of excitement in adventure games — that swingy luck creates the memorable moments. Do you side with him, or do you want a tightly-tuned design that comes down to the last turn?