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😂😂 Must be nice to have such a reliable way to get new games! -Ryan

I can see why they get compared a lot as they have similar themes, strategic weights, and card-driven gameplay, but I think in practice they feel pretty different. Underwater Cities is much more about tactical worker placement to be the most efficient as you build up your own personal board. Terraforming Mars is much more about engine-building and competing for shared opportunities on the board (spaces, milestones, awards), as well as really evaluating which cards are worth pursuing. Both are excellent and find a place in both of our collections, we do have a full review for Terraforming Mars as well: th-cam.com/video/-BBe6TbGwng/w-d-xo.html

Unfortunately, haven't tried the solo mode. But I could see it having a fairly similar feel to the multiplayer experience. -Ryan

Hi Gary. 👋 -Ryan

@@RollsInTheFamily Looks like a very interesting game, thanks for the review!

I do look forward to your video every Friday!

Here's our recent #10-1 countdown, all of my picks there I would rate 9.5 or higher (currently only one 10 😉): th-cam.com/video/t_PKBzzqnb8/w-d-xo.html -Ryan

So awesome to hear! I could go on and on about the benefits of playing board games with your kids (maybe a future video... 🤔), so it never gets old to hear that I helped families find games that worked well for them. Video for 3-year-olds is already on the channel and 4-year-old edition is coming soon! -Ryan

Glad you enjoyed it! Hadrians Wall is one that is pretty high on games I am interested in trying. I’ll have to check it out! -Daniel

Thanks for the recommendation, hadn't heard of it! -Ryan

​@@RollsInTheFamilyhope you like it if you try it

Definitely nice when it works out that way haha! -Ryan

Thanks for the recommendation, Ryan Laukat is a game-making machine! -Ryan

Super high on my list! Maybe I'll get the chance with my birthday and Christmas both coming up. 🤞 -Ryan

Definitely not the easiest, but we have found it to be very rewarding! -Ryan

@@RollsInTheFamily i find it punishing rather in how you're always forced to help your opponent

Oh no doubt, there is so much tension that comes out of that design decision. Just have to remember your opponent is feeling the same way haha. -Ryan

That's great! I am totally with you that I found more depth than was apparent when I was researching it. -Ryan

Agreed! The right music can enhance the experience so much. Have a great October of gaming! -Daniel

Say it ain't so! Sometimes life happens, but hopefully soon! -Ryan

Truly nothing like it. 👽 -Ryan

Nice, I've always wanted to try Isle of Skye but for some reason have never gotten to it! -Ryan

Nice month of gaming! I am very interested in trying Andromedas Edge given how much I enjoyed Dwellings of Eldervale. Have you also played Dwellings of Eldervale? Any thoughts on the comparison of the two? -Daniel

@@RollsInTheFamily I have not played Dwellings of Eldervale. I thought about buying it multiple times but I had already backed Andromedas Edge. So I decided I didn’t need it. I would still love to try it if I have a chance.

Very nice! Hegemony is one that both Ryan and I have been super interested in trying. Looks fascinating! -Daniel

I enjoy it a lot! -Daniel

Wow you've got the magic touch with thrift stores! I haven't had many great finds, though I did just pick up The Fox in the Forest for $3 which was a pleasant surprise. -Ryan

@@RollsInTheFamily I love Fox in the Forest!

Thanks! Glad you found your way here. 🙂 -Ryan

Yeah it really depends on the situation. In a vacuum, both of us would choose to play Earth over Cascadia almost every time, but there are a lot of people in our life that enjoy Cascadia but would find Earth way too complicated. Always trying to find the games we enjoy the most for every gaming scenario! -Ryan

So valuable to have games like that in a collection! -Ryan

Haven't played either, but picked up Cascadia because it felt a little bit more relaxed and forgiving for the types of groups I'd be playing with. But have heard good things about both! -Ryan

@@RollsInTheFamily yeah i think i am just not a fan of relaxing game overall . Cascadia makes me wanna sleep lol. but Calico is very tight so i love it a lot more.

The best board games are the ones that are a great fit with your favorite people! -Ryan

Thanks! We don't do a ton of reviews (and honestly, they are more of "in-depth recommendations" than reviews), but we have a lot of thought into how we wanted to structure them. 🙂 -Ryan

@@RollsInTheFamily It’s very well done! I love the way you structured everything

We haven't tried Harmonies, there are definitely a lot of games released in the past several years that fit in a similar niche! Always harder to go out of our way to try games that are a lot like something we already have and enjoy, but I typically give it some time, and if certain ones are still getting buzz and rising in the rankings, then I'll often give it another look. Too many games haha! Especially for gamers like us that prefer playing our favorites many many times over playing all the new releases. -Ryan

Aww this warms my heart haha! Planning on doing the 4 year old edition before the end of the year, as well as adding a full living guide for kids games to our website. 👍 -Ryan

Haha sorry to disappoint, but there's also a reason those kinds of games tend to be so popular! I think especially when talking about more accessible or family games, there is a higher chance that someone in the group is conflict-averse, which tends to make these kinds of games safer bets, and we have introduced them to a variety of groups to great success. But I think you have some fantastic suggestions there! Some of those would have likely been included if we went beyond 10 games. Fortunately, we are spoiled for choice with modern board games so there are plenty of choices that cater to every preference of player interaction. :) -Ryan

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! -Ryan

Man it would be a super nostalgic experience haha, but if we're being honest, modern board gaming has really replaced the more traditional TCG itch for us. But that sounds like a great product for those that just want to play and not necessarily collect! -Ryan

So many big campaign games haha... -Ryan

That variation sounds so much better! I ended up culling my copy because no one ever wanted to play it.

Hadn't heard of that variant, it sounds interesting! Definitely beefs up the decision space a bit and more flexibility to potentially achieve higher scores, I could see it working really well. -Ryan

⁠@@ryanlohman4922yeah I agree. I wanted to cull the game but once I tried the variant I love the game way more.

@@RollsInTheFamilydefinitely give it try. Be curious what you guys think about it.

3 games that I have run across but haven't looked into in depth, which definitely supports your claim that they have been overlooked! -Ryan

Played Dungeon Petz a loooong time ago, don't remember much of my thoughts on it. Cuba Libre (and COIN games in general) are ones that I would love the opportunity to try, but I would never be able to get to the table if I owned haha. -Ryan

Haha good to hear that our strategy of winging it sometimes hits the objectives of being interesting and entertaining. 😂 -Ryan

For the right person that enjoys word puzzles and deduction, it really is an excellent experience. Just have to find more people who will play it with me haha. -Ryan

Hearing Daniel talk about it made me want to play it again! -Ryan

Totally agree with it needing a digital version! That would be a blast! -Daniel

Great to hear! Hope you and your kids have a great time with it. 🙂 -Ryan

This is a great question and I'm having the hardest time thinking of good examples! One route would be something like Quacks of Quedlinburg or Space Base where you can let a kid handle drawing the chips or rolling the dice, but then you resolve all the other decisions. Marvel United is another I've enjoyed with my 4 year-old, it is fully cooperative and we play with open hands so I can help with most of the decisions, but he loves spiderman and other marvel characters so he enjoys moving the minis and imagining the battles that are happening. -Ryan

True, but still pretty tricky when you have limited uses of the two way comms and also want to be efficient by filling the helicopter! 😅 -Ryan

Nice, have you played any Time Stories before? The experience kind of fizzled out for us as the scenarios went on (I think we played the first 5), but the first few were really memorable experiences that we enjoyed. -Ryan

@RollsInTheFamily No, the game is still in the plastic 😅 That's good to know, though! I'm looking forward to it, just need to find the time to play.

Better late than never! Warning that sacred grove has probably kicked my butt more than any other set haha so don't get discouraged if it's a little rough. -Ryan

Haha no doubt! Always tricky to find that balance of introducing new games into the collection while still getting to play our favorites, especially in a season of life where Daniel and I both have young kids and full-time jobs haha. It isn't like the olden days when we were kids together at home and could just play big games every day! -Ryan

@@RollsInTheFamily right! I have a 3 year old son and a 9 month old daughter. I've been in the hobby for 8 years or so but at different levels throughout. Past couple of years I've kinda gone ham and can't ever seem to have a shelf of shame under 20 games or so. I get one off the list and get a couple more games if I see anything on sale or for a good price. Problem is if you are looking every day for sales you can find them decently often. Haha. It's not a problem..... It's fine.......

Haha you are just over a year behind me, my two boys are 4 and 2 -- almost the exact same gap as yours. Playing the long game for some future gaming partners haha, I have videos for top games for 2 and 3 year-olds if you haven't seen those yet: th-cam.com/video/T6db42-JcPs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Wj6sElV1yezqKDhi th-cam.com/video/aYLExEawl6U/w-d-xo.htmlsi=BlyweEpfF3_mljxY

@@RollsInTheFamily I think I watched one of them a while ago but will check them out again. Yes I am certain my kiddos will have ample opportunities to play games. I grew up with blurt, trival pursuit, and mad gabs. Honestly started to hate gaming altogether just cause it felt so blah. Then I got introduced to games like King of Tokyo, Catan and ticket to ride. Blew my mind that they actually made good games out there. Now I know way too much haha. 😂. Anyways keep up the awesome content! I always always enjoy it. 🙂