As you asked, I've looked at the number of ratings a game has before it moves up on the BGG ranking list, specifically the #1 game, and I'm telling you it's not broken. The "geek rating" takes the number of ratings into account so that games with fewer votes don't appear as high on the list.
Gaming Rules! Yeah, I don't get the it's broken thing either. A game rating an average of 9 with 10k votes deserves to be above a game rating 7 with 30k. When you get more than 10k votes statistically it counts. But, tbf, I just started watching his videos, maybe he explains why he thinks the rating is so broken somewhere else (I have noticed the bgg rating seems to favor new games, maybe just because more people play now than 5 years ago)
I thought this too. I loosely understand how the rating system works and a quick peak at the top 3 shows many thousands of ratings indicating a good average so I don't understand why Luke feels it's broken. It's not perfect but I wouldn't call it broken based on the top 10. The possible exception is Pandemic Legacy where for the most part, only people who already like Pandemic will play so is less likely to attract negative votes. That being said, for different reasons it is actually a bit broken but if you know how the system works you can just gauge it yourself. Where it doesn't work so well is for games with limited copies or exclusive themes. For example Star Trek Frontiers is essentially Mage Knight but is ranked much lower. This is due to the exclusive theme as unless you were a Star Trek fan it seems likely that Mage Knight would be the obvious choice meaning less people voting for Frontiers meaning it looks worse in comparison due to the BGG system.
Thank you for bringing up interesting topics. Hostage Negotiator, Pursuit of Happiness and Downforce are already in my collection. For me Serenissima (1st edition: 1045), a 3x+trade game set in the Mediterranean is largely underrated.
I'll give you two: Seeland by Ravensburger VERY unique theme of building windmills in the Netherlends, competing for prosperity and significance (ie: points). It's a tile laying and revealing game, with an action-selection system that is really cool. Players can only choose a small set of actions, based upon where the last player is within a circle of actions, unless they're willing to pay to go farther. It can be a bit mean in how it works. The windmill placement tile system is also pretty vicious as you can totally screw other players over. The box art is pretty...lame...but inside is an incredibly fun game with a ton of indirect player interaction. You can get this game at a pittance of a price too. Vanuatu by Quined Games and Coffee Haus Game Another unique theme. Players inhabit the islands of Vanuatu, where they spend their time fishing and selling that fish, looking for treasure, hosting tourists, and building huts to house those tourists. There's a super tight economy in this game, and behind this very relaxing pleasant theme is one of the most vicious action selection systems I've ever played. Going First or Last place are CRITICAL in this game, and you can easily get super hosed if you're in the middle. Luckily, first player is a selectable action. It's a fair system, but it really allows people to screw their opponents over hard...so planning your turns correctly is incredibly important. A bit harder to find, but you can find the Quined Games second printing on BGG for around €50.
Our group doesn't AP on it too bad, and yeah...it is BRUTAL in how punishing it can be, so if that's not someone's thing it is understandable. We love beating each other up, so that wasn't a turn off. :)
10. Abyss 9. Automobiles 8. Kamisado Max 7. Dice City 6. Hostage Negotiator 5. Downforce 4. The Pursuit of Happiness 3. Founding Fathers 2. New Angeles 1. Automania Surprised you liked New Angeles considering its length. We played for 3 hours and had to stop because we were only half way through the game. To me it was the most bloated negotiation game I've played that also didn't have as much interest as a game like Dune. I felt like it went for that epic negotiation game, but fell short. Constructive ciriticism, we all have different opinions, but you seem to interject your opinions as facts. Formula One is a boring theme...to you, Chicago Express is a bad game...to you. Be more careful with fact vs opinion. Games I feel are underrated Fleet - especially with Arctic Bounty, an engine building game with many different combinations makes it a game i love going back to Glass Road - my second favorite Rosenberg behind Agricola Chicago Express - knife fight in a phone booth that requires many plays to figure out whats going on and how to control it. Three Kingdoms Redux - A travesty this isn't in the top 100. Difficult to get played as it only plays 3 and takes 2-3 hours, this game is a wonderful take on bidding, worker placement, and asymmetrical powers. Bruxelles 1893 - Ranked 249, but should be closer to the top 100 with its tense player interaction and systems Tramways - while doesn't quite need to be very high...it has no business being as low as it is. Not that some of those are rated low, but that I think they should rank higher.
In New Angeles you are engaged for those whole 3 hours though. Never a chance to get bored or rest. So all the while I'm involved and eager to interact with everyone. In an equivalent 3 hour multiplayer solitaire Euro, I'm only engaged for the period when I'm conducting my turn and the brief time it takes to plan the next one. More time feels wasted in those. I understand your criticisms however this is not something that's uncommon with pretty much every reviewer out there. Dice Tower, Rahdo, hell even SUSD and I don't even like them - they will all state their view on something. But they don't all put "IMO" in front of everything they say, they assume that everyone is aware of that already. Sam Healey will say for example that Sushi Go is a bad game. That's his opinion and I know this without him having to state "this is my opinion only" after the statement. I do hate Chicago Express and think it's a boring, tedious game of trains and shares, two of the least interesting theme elements I know of. But everyone knows it's just my opinion and doesn't have to take it as gospel truth.
@@TheBrokenMeeple Isn't anything we say questionable? The way you express yourself is one of the reasons I've subbed your channel Luke. You're doing a great job. Shall I add that this is my opinion only? Or shall I apologise 5 times? Snowflakes...so sensitive...
Great video Luke...I love your passion... abyss, automania and pursuit of happiness are 3 games I will really look into... My first game I bought which I feel is understated is Bootleggers....great theme..great 3 or more player game..
Santa brought me Abyss last Christmas and I love it - great selection! And I agree about Automobiles - it disappeared before I could play it. Publishers are simply churning out (and through) too many games.
Great list. I completely agree with the two I've played (Abyss and Pursuit of Happiness) and I'm definitely looking up a copy of New Angeles. My list would be (excluding those mentioned on your list): Duel of Ages (891) Easily should be top 100, if not 20. It's an FPS that mixes all elements of all genres and eras of history and pits them against each other. I know of no other game that had me running for my life from Kit Carson on a mountain bike shooting lasers at me hoping my velociraptors will reach him in time to stop him. It's not just combat, though. Characters can level up by temporarily visiting random timeline mini-scenarios and passing a check. Ever enter a unicorn in a beauty pageant? You can in this game. I usually just play deathmatch but most FPS game modes (like "capture the flag" and "king of the hill") are playable with the game. Argue (11509) Hands down, the best party game ever made. Players are pitted against each other in Lincoln/Douglas style debates and they don't get to choose the topic or which side they take. The game is set up so the best arguer, while having an advantage, doesn't necessarily win, as players can earn points based on how well they know the other players. Carnival Zombie (1532) A heavy "Castle Panic" style game. Players fend off zombies from reaching them in different areas as they try to make a path to one of the 4 escape end game scenarios, each of which plays differently. You don't just kill them, however, as each cube zombie you remove from the board must be dropped onto a small square. If it falls off that square, it comes back. Sure, it's not difficult at first; but when there's a pile and you're near death, this becomes a vital suspenseful drop. There are also "boss zombies" each area that have certain restrictions on how you're allowed to beat them. Also, don't let the "Zombie" in the title dissuade you.These aren't typical "Night of the Living Dead" style zombies that are oversaturated in gaming. These monsters have a better style that seems more along the lines of ancient magick bringing the dead from the sea. Arcana (2519) My favorite deckbuilding game. The cards are gained by an auction/worker placement mechanic in which players are racing to play cards to reach the proper amount of the resource on the cards they want. It's the only deckbuilder I've played that doesn't feel like multiple games of solitaire. Best as a two player game, but also good with other counts. City of Horror (1136) Brutal game in which you must negotiate on whose characters get sacrificed to the zombies. It's very mean spirited, yet somehow, doesn't rile people up to table flipping levels. Think of a competitive Dead of Winter with no story. That's City of Horror. Cadwallon: City of Thieves (2244) A pretty straightforward game. Characters are from different guilds trying to raid a town of it's loot and get out before the town is completely locked down. Not only can you fight each other to take their ill-gotten gains, but there are also city guards you want to avoid. There are seveal scenarios that make you play differently, but each one is very good. The only shortcoming is that every character, while having different abilities, has the same stats for movement, battle, and lockpicking. Other than that, it's a rather solid game. Kingsport Festival (1310) It's Lovecraft Kingsburg. I can see how Kingsburg is the preferred game, but I've always liked this one more. Players play as cultists who are using the powers of the elder gods to become the most favored among them by spreading their influence throughout Kingsport. Different scenarios and an unknown endgame element keep this game fresh. Defenders of the Realm (336) I'll just say it: This game is better than Pandemic. Better quality, Nicer Theme, Less predictable. I know 336 is pretty high by comparison; but as long as it's under Pandemic, it's underrated. Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot (14435) Unlike the others I understand why this one isn't as loved. Many gamers don't like spending several hours just to have the winner be determined by, what is essentially, a raffle. The game is completely chaotic and for players like me that love what I call "gaming hell", Killer Bunnies is perfect for filling that itch.
Sweetestsadist hey I apologize for bumping this (very) old comment, but when you said to play duel of ages, is that the same as duel of ages II? I just ordered the latter, based off of this comment, and it looks to be merely updated version, but I'm not certain. Hopefully no one screwed up the rules or anything?
Hostage Negotiator has been on my list for ages but keeps getting bumped for other games. It definitely flew a bit under the radar, though the game has its fans in the solo gaming corners of BGG.
I want to agree with Pursuit of Happiness, but I feel the game could benefit from more development to really deserve a higher rating. Still, it's great fun anyway with it's theme and I'm looking forward to receiving community soon ^^. Standouts for me as underrated ones from a glance through my collection on BGG. Town Center. Rank 3394 - I think this is an awesome puzzle of a game, and it seems a damn shame that it gets rated so low - Not sure if people just don't like the Math involved or if it's something else that puts them off. Voluspa. Rank 1622 - While I wouldn't put this in the top 100 regardless, I still think this is a really solid tile-laying game and I wish it got more love. Kings of Air and Steam. Rank 1255 - This is a great pick-up & deliver steampunk style game with some neat mechanisms through it's programming mechanism. I 'do' feel like it could be improved on with some further development for balance, but nevertheless I think it deserves to be top 500. Gold West - This is a really neat, easy to pickup game that I'm just quite surprised to have noticed is rank 671 - I really expected this to be higher as it's one of my favourite games on the lighter side of my collection.
Town Center is a great game. Viard's take on city growth, to me, is the hands down best system in board games out there. The natural growth concept makes me want to play his games over a game like Suburbia every time. Great call. I've listed Tramways, another one of his games, which is ranked in the thousands as well. It's a completely different game than his city building ones, but if you like getting slapped around a bit, this is a great one....mean auctions, a deck building game with cards that really hurt you, and a solid pick up and deliver game.
If you like Dice City, try Valeria Card Kingdoms. Awesome art, simple to learn, great building abilities and fun solo mode-and I've only played the base game! :)
I have tried Valeria - but I actually wasn't a fan. Firstly it basically felt just Machi Koro 1.1. Secondly I found the magic resource to be 10x better than any other resource in the game so grabbing characters to acquire that was key.
Weird, as I never considered Abyss underrated as it's in my Top 10 games, but I guess if you go off BGG I can see it. And I just had Dice City out the other day. My issue with that game is you can practically buy the base game for less than the expansions. I wish they would bring down the price a bit on those as I want them (have only All that Glitters).
Yeah they are stupidly overpriced, don't blame you. Abyss I just never see talked about or played unless I'm the one bringing it. I had to convince someone else to buy their own copy.
This video ha might make me make a top 10 under rated games list. Spoilers, my number 1 would be Steam Works. It's currently 1804 on bgg. Worker placement, engine building, tile laying, with a steam punk theme.
One thing I just struggle to understand is how people can be highly into theme and complain about games being 'virtually' themeless, and then at the same time really love pure abstract games. It's just mindboggling to me to be honest. I have close to zero relationship with theme myself (if it helps make it more visually appealing, great, if it makes actions make more intuitive sense, great as well, but I've never 'felt' the theme in a game and I have no real need for it outside the aestetics), I'm pretty much all about mechanisms, yet abstracts so often fail to hold my attention. It might have to do with how simplistic and bland so many of them tend to look, and perhaps that the mechanisms in them are too simplistic for me to enjoy them without any added visual appeal. I can think of one abstract game that I really love, and I'm not even sure if it would count as a pure abstract, and that's Sagrada.
It's the difference.thought that an abstract game knows it's an abstract. It's not trying to have a theme or setting it just offers you a no luck strategy experience. Like Chess. But when a game goes out of its way to have a setting or theme attached but it makes no difference that is when thematic players have issues.
When you put it like that, I guess that makes sense. It's just hard to understand without a proper explanation for someone more in my position who just don't see the big deal about theme in games, lol. It always seemed like more of a "if I can't have full theme, then I want none of it" - if you catch my drift, lol.
Ha ha yes and many don't care about theme, which is fine. I'm just one of the others that can get engrossed into a solid theme. Played Empires of the Void II yesterday, that's a prime example of where I just get sucked into the theme regardless of any flaws in the mechanics themselves.
Minos is a very good game currently on 4378. I do not know if there is an english edition of it, but it is definitely in my top 20 and Hostage Negotiator and New Angeles are there also. (Scythe is 1) So my cheers to number 4378.
I'd play it again, but it's definitely better with more so if that's going to be your most common playstyle, probably not the best option. I did a Top Ten on 2 Player Games recently though that you could look at.
brian compton I've heard this, maybe. When I bought it, it was from a Korean publisher at Essen and the Japanese stalls didn't have it so I figured Korean.
We really have different tastes in games. I played Automania once and it was super painful. Two out of three of us hated it and couldn't wait for the game to end. That game would probably be in my top ten worst gaming experiences of all time.
Thanks for sharing. I personally feel that Automania is very overrated and don't understand why there is so much love. Every game I play I just feel that I did nothing (the game plays me) and was bored throughout. It is among my three most disappointing purchases with Snow Tails and Adventurers - Temple of Chac. And while I do enjoy Pursuit of Happiness I have always felt it to be broken with the only way of getting hearts is through certain random cards and in my experience, the player who gets the most of these always wins. This stops it from being as good as it should be in my opinion.
Automania it`s just ruined with that art...the game is good, but the art is a big "meh". My nr.1 underrated game is 1487 on BGG and it`s Happy Pigs, actually I guess this has the same issue as Automania, the art is very childish (Iello edition), but maaan that game is so good with the advanced rules. One of my favourite economic game. Fast (even with six player) easy to learn, but quite deep (for a family game of course). I recommend it to everyone without doubt.
H H I know of Happy Pigs. I don't mind the art though, it's colourful and bright but yeah people think it's going to be a cutesy kids version of making cars.
Like your lists, but New Angeles is just a boring (and with a boring theme) version of Dead of Winter. I would play DoW every time I want to play that kind of negotiation game, and I guess that is why it is so low on the BGG-ranking (because people agree with what I just said :) )
My view on your picks: Agree on Abyss (#10), it's absolutely amazing and needs every buzz. It's been dying out, even after the kraken expansion. Thank god bruno agrees and brings us another expansion next year. (Automobiles) #9 Disagree. Hyperborea is better, it's in my top 10. Also a bagbuilder andalso a game nobody talks about ;) (Kamisado) #8 I haven't played it. Think I prefer Ekö though. Also underrated and no one talks about it. (Dice City) #7 Fairly known imho. I hear several people talk about it constantly. The dice tower guys dig it as well and have recommended it in the past. (Hostage Negotiator) #6 Haven't played it, but I think I agree. The game looks good and is a bit under the radar for sure. (Downforce) #5 You said it yourself, it is way too new. Let it get some steam and gain momentum. In one year this will be in the top 750 easily. Also: restoration games swims on a wave of hype currently, so everyone talks about stop thief, fireball island their next release etc. So Downforce is certainly everything else than under the radar :) (The Pursuit of Happiness) #4 Man, I don't like this game :D Sorry. I've played it several times and expected a heavy euro or at least a kennerspiel. But this is merely a family game, at max family+ level, which underwhelmed me completely. I wanted to love it but didn't. Aging and dying was an amazing idea but all the resource management was pretty apparent during the game and nearly every next best decision was easy to see. There were no interesting enough choices for me in this one, especially coming from the heavy euro/kennerspiel-camp. Honestly, I'd rather play a quick game of CV and be done with it. It's light but does not conceal this fact with several different resources, it's way faster (20-30min with experienced players vs. ~90min for pursuit) and in the end you also have a funny story to tell about your "second life". A pass for me, I am sorry. Would even love it to drop down a bit more on the bgg rankings ;) :P Ps: Also it got a lot of buzz when it came out, especially from Rahdo and Tom Vasel. (Founding Fathers) #3 Haven't played it but I completely agree with you here. I've heard only great things about this game as of yet and the theme seems to be strong, too. Also too few people are talking about it these days. might have to check it out myself sooner than later. (New Angeles) #2 See number 5. It's waaaaaay to new mate. We in germany just have it since one and a half month(!). I guess 70% of these folks haven't even got it to the table yet, even if they bought it right away. I believe you that it's great and it looks gorgeous as well (I also like the netrunner universe btw), but you simply have to give it time :) Will crack the top 1k easily if it's as good as you are saying, no worries :) (Automania) #1 I owned the game myself and played it exactly three times. Sold it afterwards. It was good, absolutely solid, but not great - really. The quintessential 7.0. A popcorn game. Nice to have, will always join when asked to play it, but nothing truly outstanding and therefore not a must own in every collection (especially not in tight/small ones imho). tl;dr: completely agree: 3 agree: 10, 6 kind of agree atm, but just give it time: 5, 2 meh/can't tell yet: 8 disagree slightly: 9, 7, 1 (bc I don't like the game enough; it is under the radar for sure, I agree here) disagree completely: 4 Compiled my own list of this in a hurry. It's weighted after my personal ratings then bgg rankings, both of which I shared with you here. Would love to hear your thoughts on mine as well: 1. 8.75 - Christmas Tree, rank 7814 - Way too new, I know (Essen release), but the game is just amazing. Drafting is my favourite mechanic of all time and this is in my top 5 drafters ever, easily. The scoring track is fiddly and the look could have been a little better, but the whole rest is amazing². Grab a copy if you can. 2. 8.25 - Mr Lister's Quiz Shootout, rank 7112 - One of the best party games I have ever played. The same game system is used in several German tv shows, so the way it works is quite popular over here and it simply gets everyone to the table. I have yet to see someone not enjoying it. 3. 8.0 - Ultimate Showdown rank 8980 - See #2, just a great party game. Watch the GameBoyGeeks review on it. Instantly sold. 4. 7.75 - Amphipolis, rank 7837 - Probably the best family weight set collection game ever. Extremely clean design, amazing artwork...imho Knizias best output since ages. The quintessential gateway game and introduction into set collection. Also with a cool theme. 5. 7.75 - Rome: Rise to Power, Rank 5066 - Love it to bits, underrated as hell: the gameplay just works perfectly. Dice placement meets area control meets a cool theme meets good artwork meets fast gameplay. Man, this game has no downsides. Plays 4p in 60 minutes and every decision is interesting and meaningful. Grab it for 15 bucks and get hours of plays out of it: value.com! 6. 7.75 - Rush & Bash, rank 2323 - THE best racing game ever, period. There simply is no better board game about racing than this, I am sorry. Formula D(e) is crying in the corner, close to all the Downforces, Flamme Rouges, horse games and whatnots of this world. Rush & Bash is Mario Kart: the board game. Good length, funny artwork, extremely fair and balanced gameplay (catch-up mechanism for the player who is behind) etc. Again, basically no downsides here. 7. 7.75 - Dice Stars, rank 2310 - Thinky filler from Bruno Cathala, one of his best "small designs" ever imho. Check it out. 8. 7.5 - Adventure Tours, rank 5793 - Fun party game, but only with a large group (6p!) and some shouting. One who does not like roleplaying or going extrovert should not even try it imho. Dog eat dog, leader bashing, cool special powers...this one might look strange at first but shines brightly with the right group and two or three plays under your belt. 9. 7.5 - Imperialism: Road to Domination, rank 5429 - An overlooked Gem. Yes, the board looks drab and yes, the war cards can be quite mean, but just play without them and enjoy a great and quick card game about colonization. 10. 7.5 - Progress: Evolution of Technology, rank 1544 - A progression tree. THE progression tree to end all progression trees. If you like them, this game is for you. If you don't like them, better go on with your life (without it). Also features some nice, intriguing cardplay. See Rahdos runthrough to get a better picture of the game. runner-ups, but I've rated them too low for the top 10: (11.) 7.45 - Shuffle Heroes, rank 5510 - Basically rethemed Hearthstone but with less cards and for your pocket. Cool decisions in a short timefrime. I like it quite a lot. I own 3 copies, 2 sealed ones if the game ever gets out of print and my cards have too much wear, haha. (12.) 7.35 - Birds of a Feather, rank 3015 - Intriguing little card game that plays best at 4, but has a fun automated player variant for 2 or 3p which works quite well. I dig it and several folks I showed it too have liked it as well. Zee Garcia also likes it very much, check out his review if you want to know more. (13.) 7.25 - Bakong, rank 11409 - One of the simplest dice chuckers ever, but if you can get into the theme it can become extremely cutthroat and fun, believe me. Works wonders with 2p, I don't know why. But get some beer beforehand. And don't forget your Indiana Jones-hat ;) (14.) 7.25 - Time Masters, rank 4844 - A clever little deckbuilder with extremely bad rules. Once you get a grip of how the game really works, you will experience one of the best designed deck builders out there on the free market. Programming cards into the future to trigger them on your next turn is simply an ingenious mechanic that more deckbuilders should use. The combos in this game are unreal. It also is the first deckbuilder ever where it matters how you put your cards onto the discard pile. Alyways put your weakest cards on top, because the topmost card can be stolen by your opponents.. ;) Brings a whole new layer of thinking into the genre. runner-ups, but they're too known I think, especially because of former dice tower-hype: (9.0 - Box of Rocks, rank 6604) (8.25 - Metropolys, rank 604) (8.0 - Bioshock Infinite: the Siege of Columbia, rank 1655) (7.85 - Joraku, rank 2536) Ps: Loved the laugh at the end of your video, my god :D Great one. So long! Thanks for reading (and commenting back with some sentences) ;) Best, Tobi
theonlySeraph Wow you had some spare time on your hands! Was an interesting read. I can understand about Downforce and Angeles however bear in mind that some games have barely been out as well or haven’t been widely available and yet how quickly did they hit Top 100? Pandemic legacy took no time at all. Gloomhaven is barely available and only rated by a niche amount compared to all time greats and yet No 2. I hope these gam3 get more love but I don’t see them climbing BGG any time soon. Angeles after has had a whole year to get in the 1000.
Hmm, I don't think so. Pandemic Legacy Season 1 has been out since October 8, 2015. It was a worldwide release, all countries at the same time. And Gloomhaven is from 2015 also (the first Kickstarter) and got a big hype going back then. It was fully delivered in February 2017. Both had some time to reach this level on BGG but were mostly upvoted due to hype anyway, not through actually have being played. This was fairly quick for both, granted, but can not be compared to Downforce, a shortly-before-Essen '17 release with practically no buzz whatswhoever beforehand and no European version out yet, (n)or New Angeles, which was just released in Europe (as I've stated). Imho both have good chances to follow suit in the rankings. Slowly and more naturally, sure, and also not with a shot at top 100, yup, but they can and most probably will get higher eventually :) Especially when they're good and worth it, like you stated in the video. Would love to hear your thoughts on the games I mentioned, but I can understand that time is scarce and valuable ;) Best, Tobi
Kamisado is the worst abstract game I have ever played. I hate how restrictive it is you can never plan ahead because your opponent can just not let you play.
That makes it more tactical as you have to react to them. However in the late game you can plan ahead because the moves are more restrictive. At which point you can try to force your opponent to move where you want them to.
The topic might seems heavy, but Kolejka is no. 1 family game in my country. My mom is not a gamer, but thanks to Kolejka she was encouraged enough to try Talisman and "Not alone". :D
There's tactical choices to make at times but your are effectively shuffling and drawing from a deck of cards constantly so it's not inaccurate to say there's a high degree of luck.
2:10 bgg is broken. 4:30 Abyss - nobody plays it indeed. 8:30 automobiles 10:30 kamisado max - never heard of. 14:30 dice city. Solo? It just sounds lame.. 17:40 hostage negotiator 20:00 downforce. - cards instead of dice. I prefer the gears in fd. 23:10 tpoh. I Hate this game. So glad i got rid of it. The rules are totally broken. 28:20 founding fathers. 31:32 new angeles 35:35 automania.- played once it's nice, would like to play again. I'll take a look at ff and dc.
Then why is it so low on BGG? And why do I never see it on the table other than when I bring it myself? Not seen it at conventions to date either. It may be liked by critics, but I'm not seeing the same love from the public.
Oh it's broken as hell. Just look at the Top 100! ;-) It's basically a giant popularity contest and sadly I don't seen Downforce being as popular outside of reviewers.
To balance out my comments - thanks for the video. It's one of my favorites. I very much agree with you on most of the games. I own most of them and will now purchase the other ones as a result of this vid.
Hee hee, closest game I liked from him was Via Nebula and even that was mostly due to aesthetics. His games just end up being either dry, soulless or boring for me.
Heresy! Put on your big boy pants and settle in for a brutal game of Brass or Age of Steam!!! What part of "unforgiving economic engine" does not appeal to you???
Had to actually ban someone , not a nice thing but that’s the internet for you.
As you asked, I've looked at the number of ratings a game has before it moves up on the BGG ranking list, specifically the #1 game, and I'm telling you it's not broken. The "geek rating" takes the number of ratings into account so that games with fewer votes don't appear as high on the list.
Gaming Rules! Yeah, I don't get the it's broken thing either. A game rating an average of 9 with 10k votes deserves to be above a game rating 7 with 30k. When you get more than 10k votes statistically it counts. But, tbf, I just started watching his videos, maybe he explains why he thinks the rating is so broken somewhere else (I have noticed the bgg rating seems to favor new games, maybe just because more people play now than 5 years ago)
I thought this too.
I loosely understand how the rating system works and a quick peak at the top 3 shows many thousands of ratings indicating a good average so I don't understand why Luke feels it's broken. It's not perfect but I wouldn't call it broken based on the top 10. The possible exception is Pandemic Legacy where for the most part, only people who already like Pandemic will play so is less likely to attract negative votes.
That being said, for different reasons it is actually a bit broken but if you know how the system works you can just gauge it yourself. Where it doesn't work so well is for games with limited copies or exclusive themes. For example Star Trek Frontiers is essentially Mage Knight but is ranked much lower. This is due to the exclusive theme as unless you were a Star Trek fan it seems likely that Mage Knight would be the obvious choice meaning less people voting for Frontiers meaning it looks worse in comparison due to the BGG system.
Thank you for bringing up interesting topics. Hostage Negotiator, Pursuit of Happiness and Downforce are already in my collection. For me Serenissima (1st edition: 1045), a 3x+trade game set in the Mediterranean is largely underrated.
I feel like Órleans got a free ticket to the hype train by being a TMG deluxe.
I'll give you two:
Seeland by Ravensburger
VERY unique theme of building windmills in the Netherlends, competing for prosperity and significance (ie: points). It's a tile laying and revealing game, with an action-selection system that is really cool. Players can only choose a small set of actions, based upon where the last player is within a circle of actions, unless they're willing to pay to go farther. It can be a bit mean in how it works. The windmill placement tile system is also pretty vicious as you can totally screw other players over. The box art is pretty...lame...but inside is an incredibly fun game with a ton of indirect player interaction. You can get this game at a pittance of a price too.
Vanuatu by Quined Games and Coffee Haus Game
Another unique theme. Players inhabit the islands of Vanuatu, where they spend their time fishing and selling that fish, looking for treasure, hosting tourists, and building huts to house those tourists. There's a super tight economy in this game, and behind this very relaxing pleasant theme is one of the most vicious action selection systems I've ever played. Going First or Last place are CRITICAL in this game, and you can easily get super hosed if you're in the middle. Luckily, first player is a selectable action. It's a fair system, but it really allows people to screw their opponents over hard...so planning your turns correctly is incredibly important. A bit harder to find, but you can find the Quined Games second printing on BGG for around €50.
Thing 12 Games First one is a new one on me. I know Vanatu, but aside from aesthetics I was not a fan. AP inducing and super punishing to the extreme.
Our group doesn't AP on it too bad, and yeah...it is BRUTAL in how punishing it can be, so if that's not someone's thing it is understandable. We love beating each other up, so that wasn't a turn off. :)
Seeland is probably the cleanest design of any game I played and the theme is historically accurate. It is available on Amazon.
10. Abyss
9. Automobiles
8. Kamisado Max
7. Dice City
6. Hostage Negotiator
5. Downforce
4. The Pursuit of Happiness
3. Founding Fathers
2. New Angeles
1. Automania
Surprised you liked New Angeles considering its length. We played for 3 hours and had to stop because we were only half way through the game. To me it was the most bloated negotiation game I've played that also didn't have as much interest as a game like Dune. I felt like it went for that epic negotiation game, but fell short.
Constructive ciriticism, we all have different opinions, but you seem to interject your opinions as facts. Formula One is a boring theme...to you, Chicago Express is a bad game...to you. Be more careful with fact vs opinion.
Games I feel are underrated
Fleet - especially with Arctic Bounty, an engine building game with many different combinations makes it a game i love going back to
Glass Road - my second favorite Rosenberg behind Agricola
Chicago Express - knife fight in a phone booth that requires many plays to figure out whats going on and how to control it.
Three Kingdoms Redux - A travesty this isn't in the top 100. Difficult to get played as it only plays 3 and takes 2-3 hours, this game is a wonderful take on bidding, worker placement, and asymmetrical powers.
Bruxelles 1893 - Ranked 249, but should be closer to the top 100 with its tense player interaction and systems
Tramways - while doesn't quite need to be very high...it has no business being as low as it is.
Not that some of those are rated low, but that I think they should rank higher.
In New Angeles you are engaged for those whole 3 hours though. Never a chance to get bored or rest. So all the while I'm involved and eager to interact with everyone. In an equivalent 3 hour multiplayer solitaire Euro, I'm only engaged for the period when I'm conducting my turn and the brief time it takes to plan the next one. More time feels wasted in those.
I understand your criticisms however this is not something that's uncommon with pretty much every reviewer out there. Dice Tower, Rahdo, hell even SUSD and I don't even like them - they will all state their view on something. But they don't all put "IMO" in front of everything they say, they assume that everyone is aware of that already. Sam Healey will say for example that Sushi Go is a bad game. That's his opinion and I know this without him having to state "this is my opinion only" after the statement. I do hate Chicago Express and think it's a boring, tedious game of trains and shares, two of the least interesting theme elements I know of. But everyone knows it's just my opinion and doesn't have to take it as gospel truth.
@@TheBrokenMeeple Isn't anything we say questionable? The way you express yourself is one of the reasons I've subbed your channel Luke. You're doing a great job. Shall I add that this is my opinion only? Or shall I apologise 5 times? Snowflakes...so sensitive...
Great video Luke...I love your passion... abyss, automania and pursuit of happiness are 3 games I will really look into...
My first game I bought which I feel is understated is Bootleggers....great theme..great 3 or more player game..
Mic James Thanks! Whether good or bad I like to be passionate!
Santa brought me Abyss last Christmas and I love it - great selection! And I agree about Automobiles - it disappeared before I could play it. Publishers are simply churning out (and through) too many games.
Great list. I completely agree with the two I've played (Abyss and Pursuit of Happiness) and I'm definitely looking up a copy of New Angeles.
My list would be (excluding those mentioned on your list):
Duel of Ages (891) Easily should be top 100, if not 20. It's an FPS that mixes all elements of all genres and eras of history and pits them against each other. I know of no other game that had me running for my life from Kit Carson on a mountain bike shooting lasers at me hoping my velociraptors will reach him in time to stop him. It's not just combat, though. Characters can level up by temporarily visiting random timeline mini-scenarios and passing a check. Ever enter a unicorn in a beauty pageant? You can in this game. I usually just play deathmatch but most FPS game modes (like "capture the flag" and "king of the hill") are playable with the game.
Argue (11509) Hands down, the best party game ever made. Players are pitted against each other in Lincoln/Douglas style debates and they don't get to choose the topic or which side they take. The game is set up so the best arguer, while having an advantage, doesn't necessarily win, as players can earn points based on how well they know the other players.
Carnival Zombie (1532) A heavy "Castle Panic" style game. Players fend off zombies from reaching them in different areas as they try to make a path to one of the 4 escape end game scenarios, each of which plays differently. You don't just kill them, however, as each cube zombie you remove from the board must be dropped onto a small square. If it falls off that square, it comes back. Sure, it's not difficult at first; but when there's a pile and you're near death, this becomes a vital suspenseful drop. There are also "boss zombies" each area that have certain restrictions on how you're allowed to beat them. Also, don't let the "Zombie" in the title dissuade you.These aren't typical "Night of the Living Dead" style zombies that are oversaturated in gaming. These monsters have a better style that seems more along the lines of ancient magick bringing the dead from the sea.
Arcana (2519) My favorite deckbuilding game. The cards are gained by an auction/worker placement mechanic in which players are racing to play cards to reach the proper amount of the resource on the cards they want. It's the only deckbuilder I've played that doesn't feel like multiple games of solitaire. Best as a two player game, but also good with other counts.
City of Horror (1136) Brutal game in which you must negotiate on whose characters get sacrificed to the zombies. It's very mean spirited, yet somehow, doesn't rile people up to table flipping levels. Think of a competitive Dead of Winter with no story. That's City of Horror.
Cadwallon: City of Thieves (2244) A pretty straightforward game. Characters are from different guilds trying to raid a town of it's loot and get out before the town is completely locked down. Not only can you fight each other to take their ill-gotten gains, but there are also city guards you want to avoid. There are seveal scenarios that make you play differently, but each one is very good. The only shortcoming is that every character, while having different abilities, has the same stats for movement, battle, and lockpicking. Other than that, it's a rather solid game.
Kingsport Festival (1310) It's Lovecraft Kingsburg. I can see how Kingsburg is the preferred game, but I've always liked this one more. Players play as cultists who are using the powers of the elder gods to become the most favored among them by spreading their influence throughout Kingsport. Different scenarios and an unknown endgame element keep this game fresh.
Defenders of the Realm (336) I'll just say it: This game is better than Pandemic. Better quality, Nicer Theme, Less predictable. I know 336 is pretty high by comparison; but as long as it's under Pandemic, it's underrated.
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot (14435) Unlike the others I understand why this one isn't as loved. Many gamers don't like spending several hours just to have the winner be determined by, what is essentially, a raffle. The game is completely chaotic and for players like me that love what I call "gaming hell", Killer Bunnies is perfect for filling that itch.
Sweetestsadist lol can't go with bunnies but I really really want to try Carnival Zombie and City of Horror would suit me well too.
Sweetestsadist hey I apologize for bumping this (very) old comment, but when you said to play duel of ages, is that the same as duel of ages II? I just ordered the latter, based off of this comment, and it looks to be merely updated version, but I'm not certain. Hopefully no one screwed up the rules or anything?
Hostage Negotiator has been on my list for ages but keeps getting bumped for other games. It definitely flew a bit under the radar, though the game has its fans in the solo gaming corners of BGG.
Rivercat0338 Still one of my favourite solo games.
I want to agree with Pursuit of Happiness, but I feel the game could benefit from more development to really deserve a higher rating. Still, it's great fun anyway with it's theme and I'm looking forward to receiving community soon ^^.
Standouts for me as underrated ones from a glance through my collection on BGG.
Town Center. Rank 3394 - I think this is an awesome puzzle of a game, and it seems a damn shame that it gets rated so low - Not sure if people just don't like the Math involved or if it's something else that puts them off.
Voluspa. Rank 1622 - While I wouldn't put this in the top 100 regardless, I still think this is a really solid tile-laying game and I wish it got more love.
Kings of Air and Steam. Rank 1255 - This is a great pick-up & deliver steampunk style game with some neat mechanisms through it's programming mechanism. I 'do' feel like it could be improved on with some further development for balance, but nevertheless I think it deserves to be top 500.
Gold West - This is a really neat, easy to pickup game that I'm just quite surprised to have noticed is rank 671 - I really expected this to be higher as it's one of my favourite games on the lighter side of my collection.
Chris Smith Gold West probably being the only one I’ve heard of!
Town Center is a great game. Viard's take on city growth, to me, is the hands down best system in board games out there. The natural growth concept makes me want to play his games over a game like Suburbia every time. Great call.
I've listed Tramways, another one of his games, which is ranked in the thousands as well. It's a completely different game than his city building ones, but if you like getting slapped around a bit, this is a great one....mean auctions, a deck building game with cards that really hurt you, and a solid pick up and deliver game.
Another great vid guys! TY
Pipe-Smoking Boardgamer Thank you! But it's just me! 🤣
If you like Dice City, try Valeria Card Kingdoms. Awesome art, simple to learn, great building abilities and fun solo mode-and I've only played the base game! :)
I have tried Valeria - but I actually wasn't a fan. Firstly it basically felt just Machi Koro 1.1. Secondly I found the magic resource to be 10x better than any other resource in the game so grabbing characters to acquire that was key.
Luke Hector Fair enough :)
Weird, as I never considered Abyss underrated as it's in my Top 10 games, but I guess if you go off BGG I can see it. And I just had Dice City out the other day. My issue with that game is you can practically buy the base game for less than the expansions. I wish they would bring down the price a bit on those as I want them (have only All that Glitters).
Yeah they are stupidly overpriced, don't blame you. Abyss I just never see talked about or played unless I'm the one bringing it. I had to convince someone else to buy their own copy.
Given the games mentioned, could it be that car themed games are generally not that attractive to most?
Nah I think it was the artwork for Automania that put people off. I love car themes!
Thanks for the suggestion here. Today, thanks to you, I bought Abyss and Automania... let's see how they play out once home :-)
frabac72 Two amazing games!
I played Abyss with my wife, three times: we were favourably by the mechanics and how short it takes to play a game. Very happy about the purchase!
This video ha might make me make a top 10 under rated games list. Spoilers, my number 1 would be Steam Works. It's currently 1804 on bgg. Worker placement, engine building, tile laying, with a steam punk theme.
New Angeles FTW!
It should most definitely by at least in the top 500.
Planes was the dude that made automobiles less of a splash
Jason Wayne Speicher yeah Planes was a big dud.😹
One thing I just struggle to understand is how people can be highly into theme and complain about games being 'virtually' themeless, and then at the same time really love pure abstract games. It's just mindboggling to me to be honest. I have close to zero relationship with theme myself (if it helps make it more visually appealing, great, if it makes actions make more intuitive sense, great as well, but I've never 'felt' the theme in a game and I have no real need for it outside the aestetics), I'm pretty much all about mechanisms, yet abstracts so often fail to hold my attention. It might have to do with how simplistic and bland so many of them tend to look, and perhaps that the mechanisms in them are too simplistic for me to enjoy them without any added visual appeal. I can think of one abstract game that I really love, and I'm not even sure if it would count as a pure abstract, and that's Sagrada.
It's the difference.thought that an abstract game knows it's an abstract. It's not trying to have a theme or setting it just offers you a no luck strategy experience. Like Chess. But when a game goes out of its way to have a setting or theme attached but it makes no difference that is when thematic players have issues.
When you put it like that, I guess that makes sense. It's just hard to understand without a proper explanation for someone more in my position who just don't see the big deal about theme in games, lol. It always seemed like more of a "if I can't have full theme, then I want none of it" - if you catch my drift, lol.
Ha ha yes and many don't care about theme, which is fine. I'm just one of the others that can get engrossed into a solid theme. Played Empires of the Void II yesterday, that's a prime example of where I just get sucked into the theme regardless of any flaws in the mechanics themselves.
Have you heard of Temp Worker Assassins? It is currently 6790 on BGG.
Nope, doesn't ring a bell.
Minos is a very good game currently on 4378. I do not know if there is an english edition of it, but it is definitely in my top 20 and Hostage Negotiator and New Angeles are there also. (Scythe is 1) So my cheers to number 4378.
I think Via Nebula is is underrated (746)... beautiful game that could have done well with and is perfect for an expansion.
Any thoughts on downforce or FR at 2 player? Haven’t heard great buzz on that experience so I have held off...
I'd play it again, but it's definitely better with more so if that's going to be your most common playstyle, probably not the best option. I did a Top Ten on 2 Player Games recently though that you could look at.
You said "Coffee Roaster" and I had to subscribe.
drstclair Needs to be sold in the major markets!
Luke Hector for real!!! It's so good!!!
Isn't Coffee Roaster from Japan, not Korea?
brian compton I've heard this, maybe. When I bought it, it was from a Korean publisher at Essen and the Japanese stalls didn't have it so I figured Korean.
We really have different tastes in games.
I played Automania once and it was super painful. Two out of three of us hated it and couldn't wait for the game to end. That game would probably be in my top ten worst gaming experiences of all time.
I like your videos man.
Thanks for sharing.
I personally feel that Automania is very overrated and don't understand why there is so much love. Every game I play I just feel that I did nothing (the game plays me) and was bored throughout. It is among my three most disappointing purchases with Snow Tails and Adventurers - Temple of Chac.
And while I do enjoy Pursuit of Happiness I have always felt it to be broken with the only way of getting hearts is through certain random cards and in my experience, the player who gets the most of these always wins. This stops it from being as good as it should be in my opinion.
Thought he was reaching for Suburbia haha
I just bought ABYSS with expansion and playmat...super! :)
Dice city and pursuit of happiness are pretty good. Both my fiancée and I really like them. I'm interested in automania.
Gold Up is brilliant but game geeks don't like it because it's not a fancy Italian designer and doesn't have orcs in it.
Automania it`s just ruined with that art...the game is good, but the art is a big "meh". My nr.1 underrated game is 1487 on BGG and it`s Happy Pigs, actually I guess this has the same issue as Automania, the art is very childish (Iello edition), but maaan that game is so good with the advanced rules. One of my favourite economic game. Fast (even with six player) easy to learn, but quite deep (for a family game of course). I recommend it to everyone without doubt.
H H I know of Happy Pigs. I don't mind the art though, it's colourful and bright but yeah people think it's going to be a cutesy kids version of making cars.
My top underrated game is Dungeon Busters.
Like your lists, but New Angeles is just a boring (and with a boring theme) version of Dead of Winter. I would play DoW every time I want to play that kind of negotiation game, and I guess that is why it is so low on the BGG-ranking (because people agree with what I just said :) )
My view on your picks:
Agree on Abyss (#10), it's absolutely amazing and needs every buzz. It's been dying out, even after the kraken expansion. Thank god bruno agrees and brings us another expansion next year.
(Automobiles) #9 Disagree. Hyperborea is better, it's in my top 10. Also a bagbuilder andalso a game nobody talks about ;)
(Kamisado) #8 I haven't played it. Think I prefer Ekö though. Also underrated and no one talks about it.
(Dice City) #7 Fairly known imho. I hear several people talk about it constantly. The dice tower guys dig it as well and have recommended it in the past.
(Hostage Negotiator) #6 Haven't played it, but I think I agree. The game looks good and is a bit under the radar for sure.
(Downforce) #5 You said it yourself, it is way too new. Let it get some steam and gain momentum. In one year this will be in the top 750 easily. Also: restoration games swims on a wave of hype currently, so everyone talks about stop thief, fireball island their next release etc. So Downforce is certainly everything else than under the radar :)
(The Pursuit of Happiness) #4 Man, I don't like this game :D Sorry. I've played it several times and expected a heavy euro or at least a kennerspiel. But this is merely a family game, at max family+ level, which underwhelmed me completely. I wanted to love it but didn't. Aging and dying was an amazing idea but all the resource management was pretty apparent during the game and nearly every next best decision was easy to see. There were no interesting enough choices for me in this one, especially coming from the heavy euro/kennerspiel-camp. Honestly, I'd rather play a quick game of CV and be done with it.
It's light but does not conceal this fact with several different resources, it's way faster (20-30min with experienced players vs. ~90min for pursuit) and in the end you also have a funny story to tell about your "second life". A pass for me, I am sorry. Would even love it to drop down a bit more on the bgg rankings ;) :P Ps: Also it got a lot of buzz when it came out, especially from Rahdo and Tom Vasel.
(Founding Fathers) #3 Haven't played it but I completely agree with you here. I've heard only great things about this game as of yet and the theme seems to be strong, too. Also too few people are talking about it these days. might have to check it out myself sooner than later.
(New Angeles) #2 See number 5. It's waaaaaay to new mate. We in germany just have it since one and a half month(!). I guess 70% of these folks haven't even got it to the table yet, even if they bought it right away. I believe you that it's great and it looks gorgeous as well (I also like the netrunner universe btw), but you simply have to give it time :) Will crack the top 1k easily if it's
as good as you are saying, no worries :)
(Automania) #1 I owned the game myself and played it exactly three times. Sold it afterwards. It was good, absolutely solid, but not great - really. The quintessential 7.0. A popcorn game. Nice to have, will always join when asked to play it, but nothing truly outstanding and therefore not a must own in every collection (especially not in tight/small ones imho).
tl;dr: completely agree: 3
agree: 10, 6
kind of agree atm, but just give it time: 5, 2
meh/can't tell yet: 8
disagree slightly: 9, 7, 1 (bc I don't like the game enough; it is under the radar for sure, I agree here)
disagree completely: 4
Compiled my own list of this in a hurry. It's weighted after my personal ratings then bgg rankings, both of which I shared with you here. Would love to hear your thoughts on mine as well:
1. 8.75 - Christmas Tree, rank 7814 - Way too new, I know (Essen release), but the game is just amazing. Drafting is my favourite mechanic of all time and this is in my top 5 drafters ever, easily. The scoring track is fiddly and the look could have been a little better, but the whole rest is amazing². Grab a copy if you can.
2. 8.25 - Mr Lister's Quiz Shootout, rank 7112 - One of the best party games I have ever played. The same game system is used in several German tv shows, so the way it works is quite popular over here and it simply gets everyone to the table. I have yet to see someone not enjoying it.
3. 8.0 - Ultimate Showdown rank 8980 - See #2, just a great party game. Watch the GameBoyGeeks review on it. Instantly sold.
4. 7.75 - Amphipolis, rank 7837 - Probably the best family weight set collection game ever. Extremely clean design, amazing artwork...imho Knizias best output since ages. The quintessential gateway game and introduction into set collection. Also with a cool theme.
5. 7.75 - Rome: Rise to Power, Rank 5066 - Love it to bits, underrated as hell: the gameplay just works perfectly. Dice placement meets area control meets a cool theme meets good artwork meets fast gameplay. Man, this game has no downsides. Plays 4p in 60 minutes and every decision is interesting and meaningful. Grab it for 15 bucks and get hours of plays out of it: value.com!
6. 7.75 - Rush & Bash, rank 2323 - THE best racing game ever, period. There simply is no better board game about racing than this, I am sorry. Formula D(e) is crying in the corner, close to all the Downforces, Flamme Rouges, horse games and whatnots of this world. Rush & Bash is Mario Kart: the board game. Good length, funny artwork, extremely fair and balanced gameplay (catch-up mechanism for the player who is behind) etc. Again, basically no downsides here.
7. 7.75 - Dice Stars, rank 2310 - Thinky filler from Bruno Cathala, one of his best "small designs" ever imho. Check it out.
8. 7.5 - Adventure Tours, rank 5793 - Fun party game, but only with a large group (6p!) and some shouting. One who does not like roleplaying or going extrovert should not even try it imho. Dog eat dog, leader bashing, cool special powers...this one might look strange at first but shines brightly with the right group and two or three plays under your belt.
9. 7.5 - Imperialism: Road to Domination, rank 5429 - An overlooked Gem. Yes, the board looks drab and yes, the war cards can be quite mean, but just play without them and enjoy a great and quick card game about colonization.
10. 7.5 - Progress: Evolution of Technology, rank 1544 - A progression tree. THE progression tree to end all progression trees. If you like them, this game is for you. If you don't like them, better go on with your life (without it). Also features some nice, intriguing cardplay. See Rahdos runthrough to get a better picture of the game.
runner-ups, but I've rated them too low for the top 10:
(11.) 7.45 - Shuffle Heroes, rank 5510 - Basically rethemed Hearthstone but with less cards and for your pocket. Cool decisions in a short timefrime. I like it quite a lot. I own 3 copies, 2 sealed ones if the game ever gets out of print and my cards have too much wear, haha.
(12.) 7.35 - Birds of a Feather, rank 3015 - Intriguing little card game that plays best at 4, but has a fun automated player variant for 2 or 3p which works quite well. I dig it and several folks I showed it too have liked it as well. Zee Garcia also likes it very much, check out his review if you want to know more.
(13.) 7.25 - Bakong, rank 11409 - One of the simplest dice chuckers ever, but if you can get into the theme it can become extremely cutthroat and fun, believe me. Works wonders with 2p, I don't know why. But get some beer beforehand. And don't forget your Indiana Jones-hat ;)
(14.) 7.25 - Time Masters, rank 4844 - A clever little deckbuilder with extremely bad rules. Once you get a grip of how the game really works, you will experience one of the best designed deck builders out there on the free market. Programming cards into the future to trigger them on your next turn is simply an ingenious mechanic that more deckbuilders should use. The combos in this game are unreal. It also is the first deckbuilder ever where it matters how you put your cards onto the discard pile. Alyways put your weakest cards on top, because the topmost card can be stolen by your opponents.. ;) Brings a whole new layer of thinking into the genre.
runner-ups, but they're too known I think, especially because of former dice tower-hype:
(9.0 - Box of Rocks, rank 6604)
(8.25 - Metropolys, rank 604)
(8.0 - Bioshock Infinite: the Siege of Columbia, rank 1655)
(7.85 - Joraku, rank 2536)
Ps: Loved the laugh at the end of your video, my god :D Great one.
So long! Thanks for reading (and commenting back with some sentences) ;)
Best,
Tobi
theonlySeraph Wow you had some spare time on your hands! Was an interesting read. I can understand about Downforce and Angeles however bear in mind that some games have barely been out as well or haven’t been widely available and yet how quickly did they hit Top 100? Pandemic legacy took no time at all. Gloomhaven is barely available and only rated by a niche amount compared to all time greats and yet No 2. I hope these gam3 get more love but I don’t see them climbing BGG any time soon. Angeles after has had a whole year to get in the 1000.
Hmm, I don't think so. Pandemic Legacy Season 1 has been out since October 8, 2015. It was a worldwide release, all countries at the same time. And Gloomhaven is from 2015 also (the first Kickstarter) and got a big hype going back then. It was fully delivered in February 2017. Both had some time to reach this level on BGG but were mostly upvoted due to hype anyway, not through actually have being played. This was fairly quick for both, granted, but can not be compared to Downforce, a shortly-before-Essen '17 release with practically no buzz whatswhoever beforehand and no European version out yet, (n)or New Angeles, which was just released in Europe (as I've stated). Imho both have good chances to follow suit in the rankings. Slowly and more naturally, sure, and also not with a shot at top 100, yup, but they can and most probably will get higher eventually :) Especially when they're good and worth it, like you stated in the video.
Would love to hear your thoughts on the games I mentioned, but I can understand that time is scarce and valuable ;)
Best,
Tobi
Kamisado is the worst abstract game I have ever played. I hate how restrictive it is you can never plan ahead because your opponent can just not let you play.
That makes it more tactical as you have to react to them. However in the late game you can plan ahead because the moves are more restrictive. At which point you can try to force your opponent to move where you want them to.
You know what game is really underrated? This one: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolejka_(game) - very simple, extremely fun and truly addicting. :D
Definitely a new one on me! :-)
The topic might seems heavy, but Kolejka is no. 1 family game in my country. My mom is not a gamer, but thanks to Kolejka she was encouraged enough to try Talisman and "Not alone". :D
Abyss is great! Maybe i will try automania and dice city
Oh recommend both of them. Both are light-mid weight, both are colourful and striking, both are short games.
For me too many games with cars... just a topic I couldn't care less.
"Onirim = luck" sure who people who never learnt how to play properly
There's tactical choices to make at times but your are effectively shuffling and drawing from a deck of cards constantly so it's not inaccurate to say there's a high degree of luck.
2:10 bgg is broken.
4:30 Abyss - nobody plays it indeed.
8:30 automobiles
10:30 kamisado max - never heard of.
14:30 dice city. Solo? It just sounds lame..
17:40 hostage negotiator
20:00 downforce. - cards instead of dice. I prefer the gears in fd.
23:10 tpoh. I Hate this game. So glad i got rid of it. The rules are totally broken.
28:20 founding fathers.
31:32 new angeles
35:35 automania.- played once it's nice, would like to play again.
I'll take a look at ff and dc.
Cool beans, though please don't spoil the whole list!
Premature call on Downforce. As I watch all of the Best of 2017 videos, it is on so many of them. You can't exactly call that underrated.
Then why is it so low on BGG? And why do I never see it on the table other than when I bring it myself? Not seen it at conventions to date either. It may be liked by critics, but I'm not seeing the same love from the public.
BGG ratings are reliable enough to use as evidence in an argument? Or is it a broken system? ;)
Oh it's broken as hell. Just look at the Top 100! ;-) It's basically a giant popularity contest and sadly I don't seen Downforce being as popular outside of reviewers.
To balance out my comments - thanks for the video. It's one of my favorites. I very much agree with you on most of the games. I own most of them and will now purchase the other ones as a result of this vid.
Constructive criticism is perfectly fine mate, no need to balance the books for that. :-)
"Xia" should be more popular
I don't know, it's a niche title for sure, but a fun one.
The best underrated game: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1824/trump-game
+1 For hostage negotiator!
Doesn't get enough love due to the dice luck but it's a quick yet thematic game with a ton of content and a new expansion coming soon.
You’re not quite all about balance. You’re overrated games video goes on about a third longer (14 minutes) than this one does. Wonder why that is....😏
Can't stand Martin Wallace!!! How dare you sir!
Hee hee, closest game I liked from him was Via Nebula and even that was mostly due to aesthetics. His games just end up being either dry, soulless or boring for me.
Heresy! Put on your big boy pants and settle in for a brutal game of Brass or Age of Steam!!! What part of "unforgiving economic engine" does not appeal to you???
Trey Alsup all 3 words? 😂 4 if you count Brass!
100th comment ;)