Thanks for sharing. We LOVE Castle Combo. I'm not completely aware of what games came out this year versus what games we just happened to play for the first time this year. I think Everdell Farshore is one that probably came out prior, but we just played it recently and really enjoyed it. What I like most about these types of videos is that I always come away with some new games to look for. Happy New Year!
Great lists! My top game of the year is Inventors of the South Tigris. Shem and Sam often talk about designing games that allows the players to feel clever and they really hit the mark with this one. There's so much going on between the dice and worker placement, engine building, resource management, combos, and end-game objectives and you have to try and line everything up and time it all out so that you can pull off the big turns. Such a wonderful design. Lots of replayability, too. 15 solo games in the last three months and I still want to table it and play more.
Still my favorite channel. Wish you guys did more videos but they’re all quality! Best vibes from ya’ll. Happy to see men-nefer on here. Such a smooth fun game. Same for me, Ryan, getting the sense of timing was tough at first but then the game bloomed.
Always enjoy your channel. My favorite mechanisms are deck building, card drafting. What is your guys favorite? Not one to play heavy games. Love Castle Combo! Always with me. Your next favorite small box game??
Folks I really like how energetic you are in this video. Your excitement about these games really pours through the screen and makes me wanna play all of them. Great job :-D this is always my favorite video of the year
What changed about Wondrous Creatures? Is it a new rulebook? Keep looking at this one. Great video. Love both your excitement. You guys are great together!
@ Emily picked it as her #2 game and when she was discussing it she mentioned an update to the rulebook to make it a little more streamlined. I couldn’t find a more recent rulebook than version 1.2 online so I was also curious about the changes, but perhaps she played an earlier copy and so the rulebook that shipped with the game is up-to-date.
So many I haven't had the chance to play, yet. Still i dont think any of your picks make my top 10 but to be fair I still have several days to learn more. 😂😂 you're too early!
I’ve been nervous to try the Mistborn deckbuilding game because I absolutely loathed Mistborn: House War. It had everything I dislike in games: negotiation with forced conflict, swingy scoring, high randomness, a strong theme that I had no connection to, and even the possibility that the win condition could change to its exact opposite. That’s not to say that everyone is going to dislike it, but I definitely did. 😂 Now, let’s switch to the positives. Black Forest is really enjoyable and I liked it a lot! Completely agree with Emily that the game can end more quickly than you’d think! But very enjoyable game. I haven’t tried Glass Road yet, but everyone seems to be saying that this is better. Unconscious Mind is fantastic! The theme is great, the art is beautiful, and the mechanics are really fun (I didn’t quite understand the district scoring; I need to play it again!). Inventions: Evolution of Ideas is one of my favourite games of all time. I bought it in October, and even though I only had 20 plays that month, 6 of them were this game! It’s such a great puzzle! I’m bad at it, but I don’t care because it’s so fun! And the placeholders whenever you gain a tile so that you can delay your decision and not hold up other players … that’s genius, and I hope other games with long turns take advantage of that idea! I haven’t tried the others, but you’ve given me some great ideas! Thank you! Some of my favourite games of the year (I’m including 2023 releases that I didn’t play until 2024): - Inventions: Evolution of Ideas - Evacuation - Inventors of the South Tigris - Voidfall - Point City - Pampero - Black Forest - Ezra and Nehemiah - Daybreak - Rats of Wistar - Forges of Ravenshire But my absolute favourite is Scholars of the South Tigris. It’s like this game is designed for me: dice placement, colour theory, the theme of translating languages … it’s just 😚👌! My game group didn’t like it at first, but thankfully they enjoyed it a lot more the second time (I rented it from my local game café for my birthday), which convinced me to buy my own copy because I loved it that much! It also was my second most-played game this year, after Delta.
Mistborn is very different from House War! Different designers, different publisher, and I would say even a different approach to the source material. We have enjoyed Mistborn a lot!
@@meeple seti is cool but i think german millan is a genius...BITOKU SABIKA MEN-NEFER three bangers in a row with the small box fun of Bamboo in between...great list either way...happy new year
I heard one commentator say that SETI loses its appeal once you've played it a few times (i.e., the games start to feel the same). Any thoughts? I'm a huge CGE fan so I want them to be wrong :-)
I believe this is 100% not true other than wanting more content for it asap. With 100 plus unique cards, 5 different factions randomized, different strategies to win, and different goals set each game ..also assuming you play with different people. I don't know if this is a two three plays game. I've played it 8 times and would gladly play it tonight. Jeremy
Thanks for sharing. We LOVE Castle Combo. I'm not completely aware of what games came out this year versus what games we just happened to play for the first time this year. I think Everdell Farshore is one that probably came out prior, but we just played it recently and really enjoyed it. What I like most about these types of videos is that I always come away with some new games to look for. Happy New Year!
Great lists! My top game of the year is Inventors of the South Tigris. Shem and Sam often talk about designing games that allows the players to feel clever and they really hit the mark with this one. There's so much going on between the dice and worker placement, engine building, resource management, combos, and end-game objectives and you have to try and line everything up and time it all out so that you can pull off the big turns. Such a wonderful design. Lots of replayability, too. 15 solo games in the last three months and I still want to table it and play more.
Agreed! This South Tigris series is absolutely fire! I’m excited to see what the expansions bring, and where they go with their East series!
Happy new year to you guys and thanks for this top 10, always a pleasure to watch :)
Thank you!
Still my favorite channel. Wish you guys did more videos but they’re all quality! Best vibes from ya’ll. Happy to see men-nefer on here. Such a smooth fun game. Same for me, Ryan, getting the sense of timing was tough at first but then the game bloomed.
Always enjoy your channel. My favorite mechanisms are deck building, card drafting. What is your guys favorite? Not one to play heavy games.
Love Castle Combo! Always with me. Your next favorite small box game??
Great video. Thanks. So much variety and some less commonly discussed games. Really enjoyed it.
Loved your video. You guys seem fun and earnest. Keep up the good work!
Folks I really like how energetic you are in this video. Your excitement about these games really pours through the screen and makes me wanna play all of them. Great job :-D this is always my favorite video of the year
You should do a REVISED BEST 10 OF 2023 LIST ala Brothers Murph, super interesting to see changes
We might do just that!
Wondrous Creatures with the Expansion and Seti are My best games from 2024.
What changed about Wondrous Creatures? Is it a new rulebook? Keep looking at this one.
Great video. Love both your excitement. You guys are great together!
Love your videos! Is the new Wondrous Creatures rule book available yet? I can only find version 1.2 online?
What's been updated in the rule book?
@ Emily picked it as her #2 game and when she was discussing it she mentioned an update to the rulebook to make it a little more streamlined. I couldn’t find a more recent rulebook than version 1.2 online so I was also curious about the changes, but perhaps she played an earlier copy and so the rulebook that shipped with the game is up-to-date.
So many I haven't had the chance to play, yet. Still i dont think any of your picks make my top 10 but to be fair I still have several days to learn more. 😂😂 you're too early!
I’ve been nervous to try the Mistborn deckbuilding game because I absolutely loathed Mistborn: House War. It had everything I dislike in games: negotiation with forced conflict, swingy scoring, high randomness, a strong theme that I had no connection to, and even the possibility that the win condition could change to its exact opposite. That’s not to say that everyone is going to dislike it, but I definitely did. 😂
Now, let’s switch to the positives. Black Forest is really enjoyable and I liked it a lot! Completely agree with Emily that the game can end more quickly than you’d think! But very enjoyable game. I haven’t tried Glass Road yet, but everyone seems to be saying that this is better.
Unconscious Mind is fantastic! The theme is great, the art is beautiful, and the mechanics are really fun (I didn’t quite understand the district scoring; I need to play it again!).
Inventions: Evolution of Ideas is one of my favourite games of all time. I bought it in October, and even though I only had 20 plays that month, 6 of them were this game! It’s such a great puzzle! I’m bad at it, but I don’t care because it’s so fun! And the placeholders whenever you gain a tile so that you can delay your decision and not hold up other players … that’s genius, and I hope other games with long turns take advantage of that idea!
I haven’t tried the others, but you’ve given me some great ideas! Thank you!
Some of my favourite games of the year (I’m including 2023 releases that I didn’t play until 2024):
- Inventions: Evolution of Ideas
- Evacuation
- Inventors of the South Tigris
- Voidfall
- Point City
- Pampero
- Black Forest
- Ezra and Nehemiah
- Daybreak
- Rats of Wistar
- Forges of Ravenshire
But my absolute favourite is Scholars of the South Tigris. It’s like this game is designed for me: dice placement, colour theory, the theme of translating languages … it’s just 😚👌! My game group didn’t like it at first, but thankfully they enjoyed it a lot more the second time (I rented it from my local game café for my birthday), which convinced me to buy my own copy because I loved it that much! It also was my second most-played game this year, after Delta.
Mistborn is very different from House War! Different designers, different publisher, and I would say even a different approach to the source material. We have enjoyed Mistborn a lot!
Star Wars Unlimited came out in March of 2024, so no cheat!
Technically correct, and that's the best kind of correct!
See Earth behind you. Have seen but not played. It looked so pretty. Interested in.
It's on Board Game Arena if you want to try it.
I will take all of those game.. and I played 0 of them in 2024... I was busy playing other things I guess...
men-nefer is #1
It was a tough call for sure. SETI is so good too
@@meeple seti is cool but i think german millan is a genius...BITOKU SABIKA MEN-NEFER three bangers in a row with the small box fun of Bamboo in between...great list either way...happy new year
I heard one commentator say that SETI loses its appeal once you've played it a few times (i.e., the games start to feel the same). Any thoughts? I'm a huge CGE fan so I want them to be wrong :-)
Even if that is the case. How many euros do you play more than 5 times before there is an expansion out?
Hm, OK, good point.
I believe this is 100% not true other than wanting more content for it asap. With 100 plus unique cards, 5 different factions randomized, different strategies to win, and different goals set each game ..also assuming you play with different people. I don't know if this is a two three plays game. I've played it 8 times and would gladly play it tonight. Jeremy
Seti is the best game this year period. This needs to be reposted