Howdy Gamers! Have you ever played a game and as you collect your player meeple(s) for set up, you just look at them and go “Wow, this is such a cool/thematic/adorable piece!”? Me too! These are my top 10 player meeples in games; these are not minis or fancy acrylics, just simple, wooden meeples. Let’s take a look!

10. Steam Works – Mechanics

The Game – A steampunk worker placement game where players are sending out their mechanic meeples to collect components and power to build all sorts of machines.

The Meeples – I just think their little hats are super cute! Plus, I like that the big bots are different so you can easily tell which piece you don’t keep, and they also really fit thematically.

9. Sunset Over Water – Artists

The Game – A set collection game where players move their artist within a grid of landscapes to collect cards as they are painting those locations.

The Meeples – Although simple, these artist pieces have enough detail that you can tell exactly what they are, and they all have unique hats! They are very relaxed looking, which really adds to the theme as well.

8. Bullfrogs – Frogs

The Game – A hand management, area influence/majority game where players are opposing frog factions trying to collect the most points from lily pad cards.

The Meeples – Little frogs and bigger frogs! And the bigger frogs have axes! Since the small vs big frogs have different abilities, I appreciate how distinct the types of pieces are.

7. Kingdomino – Kings

The Game – A tile-laying, pattern building game where players are building out their 5×5 kingdom!

The Meeples – Cute little kings! Very simple, but their little crown tops are adorable and do give you the idea of what they are with ease.

6. Atelier: The Painter’s Studio – Painters

The Game – A dice rolling and set collection game where players are collecting paints in order to create paintings worth victory points!

The Meeples – Even though they’re small, they’re pretty detailed! With their little brushes and palettes, these painters are adorable and ready to go!

5. Dig – Miners

The Game – A card driven push-your-luck game about digging for more and more treasures and protecting it from the creatures you might find along the way.

The Meeples – Cute little miners with their hard hats and shovels! Another wonderful example of how you can have a lot of detail in something very simple!

4. Dragonrealm – Knights

The Game – A hand management and dice rolling game where players are adventuring and trying to collect the most treasure.

The Meeples – The knights are cute and thematic, holding their little shields. And, though they aren’t player meeples, the goblins are also adorable, so that’s a bonus!

3. Clank – Various

The Game – A deck building game, with various differently themed expansions, about adventuring, collecting treasures, and defeating monsters!

The Meeples – I’m cheating a little, but it’s my list so it’s fine. The base game of Clank! all had slightly different weapons for the meeples, but other expansions have also given players more meeples! Gold & Silk had a few new shapes and weapons (as the red player, I got a torch!); Temple of the Ape Lords comes with little monkeys, and Adventuring Party came with really unique meeples like a cat, dwarf, elf, and more! It’s really fun that there have been so many different meeples for players to use throughout the game series.

2. Blackwood – Witches

The Game – A card drafting and set collection game about witches and potions!

The Meeples – Cute little witches in their witchy little hats! They’re also carrying their baskets to collect their ingredients. Super simple, but appealing all the same.

1. Everdell – All the Animals!

The Game – A game of card drafting, hand management, worker placement, and tableau building where players are trying to gain resources and play cards to score the most points.

The Meeples – Whether you want to be foxes, or cardinals, or squirrels, or bunnies … there’s so many to choose from, especially if you have the expansions. All the different animals are plenty detailed that it’s easy to tell what they are, and they’re so dang cute, which is perfect for this adorable woodland game!