Three of the four new entries are lighter family games, which adds some balance to a list from earlier this year that skewed toward the heavier or more complex titles. Here are a few more of the best new titles from the summer, with many more on their way to retail as we speak, so even a month from now this list would probably look a bit different.

This summer saw a big bump in releases and general interest in games Gen Con, the largest tabletop convention in the western hemisphere, brought in a record 70,000 attendees who took over downtown Indianapolis for four days of gaming, with publishers selling out of many of their hottest titles. The holiday-shopping season is upon us, and I apologize if that sent a shiver up your spine, but in the board-game world it means a whole slew of new and upcoming releases as publishers try to get their newest titles into the channel in time for gift-buyers to splurge. Photo-Illustration: Vulture Photos: 25 Century, Capstone, Inside Up, Plaid Hat, WizKids Games

Green dice table top games