Jamaica is so solid. We never really have a great player count for it but still we want it because it's so fun when we do get to play it at a game cafe once in a while
Yes, yes, yes!!!! It is everything I ever wanted to play as like Cinderella as a girl! It is really strategic, too. We really enjoy playing it. It's different than any game I know out there.
@@TheBrothersMurph The pieces are amazing, especially the lace & thread. I got that game as a present from my husband, before a surgery that was supposed to be minor. I almost died and long story short it was especially precious to play it again when I came home!
Shem and the team are crushing it so hard right now. The entire West Kingdom trilogy is amazing and I can't wait for the South Tigris series. Paladins is so so good
My top surprises of 2021 are: 1) Anni Domino 1666 - MY BEST game so far. Semi historical, semi fantasy, story driven, skirmish game with superb quality minis and incredible card system. 2) 303 Squadron - FANTASTIC Battle of Britain game. Bit of history lesson about forgotten heroes of WW2 and superb fighting game at same time. 3) Hellboy the Board Game - my BEST dungeon crawler
Yeah that was our whole thinking for this list. It's impossible to catch everything as it comes out and there are so many great games that came out before we even were into the hobby so it's great to look back a bit and celebrate the discovery of older games.
I was watching that video, and was literally yelling at you in the chat to play it! So glad you liked it too! Merry Christmas all and Happy Belated Birthday Nick!
Nice list. For me thus year I would have to say The Red Cathedral blew me away. I wasn't expecting much from it but oh howdy did I enjoy that one. The other one I played recently that I enjoyed a lot was Dinosaur Island. Really enjoyed it.
Couldn't agree more about Red Cathedral I had really no expectation going into that game and was really wowed by it. Super solid game in a surprisingly small box so it really feels like it packs a punch! Having enjoyed Dino Island do you think you'll give Dino World a go?
When there's a release of a new Carcassonne stand alone game , I don't think there's much hoopla about it. But, we were pleasantly surprised by Carcassonne Safari!! It's still Carcassonne, but with some nice twists and a cool theme. Really, really fun! I think it's been out for a couple years(?). Great video guys!!!
For me, it's Kanban EV all the way through. Made me order more Vital games. Regarding Uwe, I played Fields of Arle and that is rock solid as well. New York Zoo has quickly become our goto tile laying game. I also discovered that I really like Stefan Feld designs and beige euros in general.
If you enjoy Feld games I highly recommend In the Year of the Dragon. It sadly doesn't get much love nowadays but it's a very solid game. It's a pretty dry point salad all about planning ahead for events that occur during the titular year and making necessary sacrifices. But building your temples/village and drafting people into your town to make the most of the coming events is absolutely satisfying. My family really liked it with the rules as written but I personally found it more interesting when we house ruled the event tiles be face down except for the current and following events. Our house rule made the game MUCH more challenging as you never knew when you would need specific people.
Nations: The Dice Game is a great game! And even though it's short, it is not a 10-15 minute filler. At least for most people it isn't. What I really love about it is that there are almost no other dice games I can think of that fit exactly into that spot of still simple and not too meaty but not simplistic. There are multiple roads to victory and it's all about manipulating dice and picking what's the best bargain.
For me it was Escape the Dark Sector! I didn't play many new games, but I loved the Sci-Fi twist on Escape the Dark Castle, a little more advanced, but still has the accessability that makes it not too tough to learn. A great game for Halloween or if you're in the mood for some grimy space adventure
Deck building is such a crowded genre. I bought ascension 3 times. Gave it away twice, will probably keep it this time. It's easy to teach, fast and not as combative as star/hero realms.
Just found your channel and have been HARD CORE debating buying Le Havre, so thinking this might be the push I need to pull the trigger! Good stuff, also my newly played favorite is Brass: Birmingham!:) Cheers!
We are excited for you to envelop yourself further in the sweet embrace that is Uwe. Le Havre as we said is an instant fav and A Feast for Odin in Mike's humble opinion is the greatest game of them all!
Nice list of great games that are still great to play. My most unexpected discovery was getting a hold of several Ystari games second hand. The 2 real stand outs are Ys, which is a very clever mix of limited information worker placement/variable market manipulation game. It blends these mechanics seamlessly. The other is Mykerinos. Which is a very tight worker placement/ set collection game that forces you to make very tough choices over equally good options. Every time I play this one, I am certain I've blown it on some decision, but then eek ahead to win with just a handful of points during end game scoring. So delicious!
Pavlov's House is a solo WWII battle simulation game that Paul of Gaming Rules featured earlier this year. It's a tower defense game where you are controlling the Soviet army trying to hold the house that is in a key location in Stalingrad against the German forces.
Had to fight my daughter to actually get her to play Ginkgopolis but now it's her number one game! Such a Frankenstein of mechanisms but it comes together in a great way.
That's a two part answer actually but we use the Audio-Technica Pro 70 lav mic that goes into a Rode Wireless Go 2 wireless pack. The Rodes are amazing they are a two mic and receiver pack you can buy for like 300 bucks and the pack themselves have a built in mic and you can connect simple lavs to them directly. Couldn't recommend them enough.
Think this is my 3rd time mentioning this game in yalls comments. But... You NEED to try Dale of Merchants.. I guarantee you will love it. Deck builder but you do something with them. Couple expansions with more cards now. Scales great 2 to 4.. Try it! Your only regret will be why haven't I played this sooner!
Another great topic for a top 10 list. I went back and looked at my logged plays, and a bunch of the games that seem new to me, I played in 2020 and haven't played this year at all...I really need to break more of those games out and play them more. AND, there's a few games I bought this year I haven't gotten around to playing yet. BUT, I do have a nice top 10 list of New To Me Games, two of which are from this year. #11 The Bloody Inn (2015) which I only played once, but I love the game, and need to play it more! #10 Happy City (2021); #9 Cat Lady (2017); #8 Feierabend (2020); #7 The Night Cage (2021); #6 Grindhouse (2020); #5 Res Arcana (2019); #4 The Taverns of Tiefenthal (2019); #3 Similo (2019); #2 Codenames Duet (2017); #1 It's A Wonderful World (2019).
This is a great idea for a list. Too Many Bones is definitely top of this list for me - I'm going to go with the standard internet response of "if you don't agree, you either played it wrong or have incorrect taste in games. Not bad taste - incorrect taste." And glad to see Jabs finally got his due. #TooLittleTooLate
We were really hoping to get it in this year with WizKids bringing it back so here's to hoping it gets played in 2022 which will almost assuredly mean it'll be on next years discovery list.
The image you used for project L, is that with an expansion? I haven't been able to find that. How does it change the game up? The base game alone is great, very easy to teach as you said
You have to try lords of waterdeep with the expansion! (Not virtual)....always love you guys and have discovered so many games that nobody is talking about through your channel! #takemymoney ...Also....just purchased bandido because of one of your earlier videos and it's quickly becoming a favorite in my housr amongst everyone!
I think you guys are inducing an unhealthy level of envy in the viewers of your channel: you guys get to play so many games and so many of us are only able to play 1) the same games over and over because our game groups want to play the same stuff over and over 2) solo games, which are great, but you know….
Honestly we are really lucky that our job creates so much opportunity to play different games. The downside of course is it's often difficult to circle back around to games we love in a timely manner but it's a good problem to have for sure.
It's as good as a cup of finely roasted coffee although I don't think I'd prefer to drink many of the cups I brew in that game I have a pretty bad habit of burning my coffee
@ 00:56 We have no friends! That's the best: no Christmas gifts, birthday gifts. Don't have to listen to stories about their sex life (or lack of sex life). Don't have to listen about their break-ups. Don't have to help them move. They tend to talk during movies. They stop by and drink all the beer in the fridge and then leave, just before finishing off the last of the hummus. Smoke weed but don't offer to replenish the supply. Crash on the couch for a night and don't leave for three months. And that's just for starters. Friends are way over rated.
NEVER!! JK, soon. We have a challenge of playing the entire BGG top 100 in one week which includes 2 versions of Agricola so if nothing else, we will have our chance then.
Lords of Waterdeep is "the worker placement game that created all worker placement games"? Did I hear that correctly? LoWD isn't even close to being the first worker placement game.
Well it's certainly the one people bring up in comparison to other worker placement games so we still think it's an apt descriptor at least for more recent board game history
@@TheBrothersMurph Fair enough, but Caylus is generally cited as the "first" which some debate. It came out in 2005. LoWD probably isn't even in the top 50 chronologically.
00:00 Intro
01:21 #10 Nick
02:18 #10 Mike
03:07 #9 Nick
04:46 #9 Mike
06:16 #8 Nick
07:32 #8 Mike
09:16 #7 Nick
10:52 #7 Mike
12:31 #6 Nick
12:45 #6 Mike
13:20 #5 Nick
14:06 #5 Mike
15:47 #4
17:50 #3 Nick
19:16 #3 Mike
20:55 #2 Nick
21:30 #2 Mike
22:48 #1
Many thanks for doing this!!
My "new to you" game was A Feast for Odin and that was definitely thanks to you guys. It easily is climbing my top 10 of all time!
Can't stop wont stop till it hits number 1 as that is where it belongs! PS. Mike is very biased about this subject.
@@TheBrothersMurph I honestly odnt see it taking much more time to hit #1
The recent one that our whole game group played for the first time was Jamaica. I wasn't sure how it would go over, but we had a blast.
One of the few cases of a good roll-and-move mechanism. That Merchant of Venus and Merlin, by and large.
Jamaica is so solid. We never really have a great player count for it but still we want it because it's so fun when we do get to play it at a game cafe once in a while
My favorite game discovery was Rococo. Got my hands on the deluxe edition this year. Wow! What a fantastic game!
Niiiiiice. Such a solid game. And that deluxe version looks incredible
Yes, yes, yes!!!! It is everything I ever wanted to play as like Cinderella as a girl! It is really strategic, too. We really enjoy playing it. It's different than any game I know out there.
@@TheBrothersMurph The pieces are amazing, especially the lace & thread. I got that game as a present from my husband, before a surgery that was supposed to be minor. I almost died and long story short it was especially precious to play it again when I came home!
As always, I love your videos.
A new to me was Paladins of the West Kingdom. Now I've gone down a very deep Shem Phillips hole.🤣
Paladins is insanely addictive (for me it’s been solo only).
Shem and the team are crushing it so hard right now. The entire West Kingdom trilogy is amazing and I can't wait for the South Tigris series. Paladins is so so good
Happy birthday, Nick!
Thank you!
My top surprises of 2021 are:
1) Anni Domino 1666 - MY BEST game so far. Semi historical, semi fantasy, story driven, skirmish game with superb quality minis and incredible card system.
2) 303 Squadron - FANTASTIC Battle of Britain game. Bit of history lesson about forgotten heroes of WW2 and superb fighting game at same time.
3) Hellboy the Board Game - my BEST dungeon crawler
Love the theme of this list, I love hearing about new to you games since there are so many great games that dont get played the year they come out!
Yeah that was our whole thinking for this list. It's impossible to catch everything as it comes out and there are so many great games that came out before we even were into the hobby so it's great to look back a bit and celebrate the discovery of older games.
I was watching that video, and was literally yelling at you in the chat to play it! So glad you liked it too! Merry Christmas all and Happy Belated Birthday Nick!
Nice list. For me thus year I would have to say The Red Cathedral blew me away. I wasn't expecting much from it but oh howdy did I enjoy that one. The other one I played recently that I enjoyed a lot was Dinosaur Island. Really enjoyed it.
Couldn't agree more about Red Cathedral I had really no expectation going into that game and was really wowed by it. Super solid game in a surprisingly small box so it really feels like it packs a punch! Having enjoyed Dino Island do you think you'll give Dino World a go?
@@TheBrothersMurph 100%. I just am waiting until after the holidays to get it. What do you both think of Dino World?
Always love hearing your opinions gents and your presentation style and banter is spot on! Happy holidays!
Thank you and happy holidays right back!
I just came back to the hobby last year, so many discovery. Obsession, Orleans, Brass, and many more :D
When there's a release of a new Carcassonne stand alone game , I don't think there's much hoopla about it. But, we were pleasantly surprised by Carcassonne Safari!! It's still Carcassonne, but with some nice twists and a cool theme. Really, really fun! I think it's been out for a couple years(?). Great video guys!!!
That's whats up! gotta try that one!
I think my favourite "new to me" board game this year is Rajas of the Ganges. I can see why you guys like it. What a classic!
It's so stinkin good.
Why the heck am I just now finding this channel?!?!??! Great video!
Well hey we're just happy you're here welcome!
Best of the year for me is between A Feast For Odin and Marvel United, while Roll Camera was the biggest (pleasant) surprise this year.
Nice! Love feast for odin and also got to try Marvel United which is delightful
I recently played 5 tribes for the first time. Solid game.
It's so so good. I literally forget how much I like it every time and then when we sit down to play I'm pleasantly surprised by it all over again.
For me, it's Kanban EV all the way through. Made me order more Vital games. Regarding Uwe, I played Fields of Arle and that is rock solid as well. New York Zoo has quickly become our goto tile laying game. I also discovered that I really like Stefan Feld designs and beige euros in general.
If you enjoy Feld games I highly recommend In the Year of the Dragon. It sadly doesn't get much love nowadays but it's a very solid game. It's a pretty dry point salad all about planning ahead for events that occur during the titular year and making necessary sacrifices. But building your temples/village and drafting people into your town to make the most of the coming events is absolutely satisfying. My family really liked it with the rules as written but I personally found it more interesting when we house ruled the event tiles be face down except for the current and following events. Our house rule made the game MUCH more challenging as you never knew when you would need specific people.
My favorite new discovery was "Puerto Rico" - awesome classic game.
Great list. Thx for that. Will defenitely try Ascencion one day.
Love the Project L love! I backed it on Kickstarter and genuinely want to table it but have not been able to. Now I want to more than ever!
Hope you get a chance to play soon it's a very satisfying game.
Project L! My brother introduced me to that game this year; awesome to play. I’ve wanted a copy ever since.
yeah we really gotta pick up a copy I think that's a game just about anyone could enjoy
Loved this list. I also really love Le Havre. Hope to get to play it with either or both of you when the world allows. Be safe. Be Awesome.
Let's line it up for the future for sure!
Lol.
I've been wanting to try Le Havre. I've really enjoyed my plays of Ginkopolis. Great list!
Thank you! And if you ever get to Le Havre we hope you like it!
Nations: The Dice Game is a great game! And even though it's short, it is not a 10-15 minute filler. At least for most people it isn't. What I really love about it is that there are almost no other dice games I can think of that fit exactly into that spot of still simple and not too meaty but not simplistic. There are multiple roads to victory and it's all about manipulating dice and picking what's the best bargain.
Totally agree! And I love that the tokens and dice you earn can be kept and used in future rounds so you build up nicely in a short amount of time.
For me it was Escape the Dark Sector!
I didn't play many new games, but I loved the Sci-Fi twist on Escape the Dark Castle, a little more advanced, but still has the accessability that makes it not too tough to learn.
A great game for Halloween or if you're in the mood for some grimy space adventure
Very cool we have to check that one out!
Deck building is such a crowded genre. I bought ascension 3 times. Gave it away twice, will probably keep it this time. It's easy to teach, fast and not as combative as star/hero realms.
Just found your channel and have been HARD CORE debating buying Le Havre, so thinking this might be the push I need to pull the trigger!
Good stuff, also my newly played favorite is Brass: Birmingham!:) Cheers!
Welcome to the channel we're happy to have you! and do itttttt buy Le Havre we love it so much!
@@TheBrothersMurph Bet!
Now to find a copy of it somewhere😫 thanks again fam❤️
The loudest, most fun game that my group played this year was Scull King.
That's awesome we just got this game and are eager to play it again it's been a long while but it's a great one.
One of my favorite new to me games was Fleet the Dice Game.
yessssssss
I still haven't played many Uwe Rosenberg games, but just played Caverna & am very excited to try Le Havre & A Feast for Odin!
We are excited for you to envelop yourself further in the sweet embrace that is Uwe. Le Havre as we said is an instant fav and A Feast for Odin in Mike's humble opinion is the greatest game of them all!
Nice list of great games that are still great to play.
My most unexpected discovery was getting a hold of several Ystari games second hand. The 2 real stand outs are Ys, which is a very clever mix of limited information worker placement/variable market manipulation game. It blends these mechanics seamlessly. The other is Mykerinos. Which is a very tight worker placement/ set collection game that forces you to make very tough choices over equally good options. Every time I play this one, I am certain I've blown it on some decision, but then eek ahead to win with just a handful of points during end game scoring. So delicious!
💕 Red Cathedral and Duelsaur Island :)
Great picks!!
Hansa Teutonica is the best new to me game and now one of my favs
That is definitely on our list of want to try games
Pavlov's House is a solo WWII battle simulation game that Paul of Gaming Rules featured earlier this year. It's a tower defense game where you are controlling the Soviet army trying to hold the house that is in a key location in Stalingrad against the German forces.
Oh wow interesting!
Ginkgopolis is fantastic. Really glad I picked it up. Will grab the expansion if that is also re-printed.
Had to fight my daughter to actually get her to play Ginkgopolis but now it's her number one game! Such a Frankenstein of mechanisms but it comes together in a great way.
Another great video, guys! Really cool lighting in this one, too! Could you tell me what lapel mics you're using? Thanks.
That's a two part answer actually but we use the Audio-Technica Pro 70 lav mic that goes into a Rode Wireless Go 2 wireless pack. The Rodes are amazing they are a two mic and receiver pack you can buy for like 300 bucks and the pack themselves have a built in mic and you can connect simple lavs to them directly. Couldn't recommend them enough.
@@TheBrothersMurph Cool-thanks so much for that info, guys! Looking forward to more great videos from you in 2022! Happy New Year!
New to me 2021 top 3: Spirit Island, The Crew and Isle of Cats
Great picks!
I haven't played any of these! I do own Coffee Roaster, got it in the BGG Secret this year, but haven't actually played yet!!
Oh nice! well I hope you enjoy coffee roaster once you bust it out!
Endeavor: Age of Sail has taken my top spot lately, so good
Coimbra was my game of the year when it came out…
Also adore Praga
you have fantastic taste in games!
Think this is my 3rd time mentioning this game in yalls comments. But... You NEED to try Dale of Merchants.. I guarantee you will love it. Deck builder but you do something with them. Couple expansions with more cards now. Scales great 2 to 4.. Try it! Your only regret will be why haven't I played this sooner!
It is officially on our must try list we'll make it happen some day keep bugging us about it!
Another great topic for a top 10 list. I went back and looked at my logged plays, and a bunch of the games that seem new to me, I played in 2020 and haven't played this year at all...I really need to break more of those games out and play them more. AND, there's a few games I bought this year I haven't gotten around to playing yet. BUT, I do have a nice top 10 list of New To Me Games, two of which are from this year. #11 The Bloody Inn (2015) which I only played once, but I love the game, and need to play it more! #10 Happy City (2021); #9 Cat Lady (2017); #8 Feierabend (2020); #7 The Night Cage (2021); #6 Grindhouse (2020); #5 Res Arcana (2019); #4 The Taverns of Tiefenthal (2019); #3 Similo (2019); #2 Codenames Duet (2017); #1 It's A Wonderful World (2019).
Those are some great games!!
This is a great idea for a list. Too Many Bones is definitely top of this list for me - I'm going to go with the standard internet response of "if you don't agree, you either played it wrong or have incorrect taste in games. Not bad taste - incorrect taste."
And glad to see Jabs finally got his due. #TooLittleTooLate
Mage Knight needs to show up one of these days.
We were really hoping to get it in this year with WizKids bringing it back so here's to hoping it gets played in 2022 which will almost assuredly mean it'll be on next years discovery list.
Still need to get le havre of the shelf of shame. Definitely not selling before I've tried it.
We hope you enjoy as we have!
What are those thin tiles under the main tiles? My copy didn’t come with those. Is that a KS add on?
Sorry which game are you referring to?
Yep. That’s a valid question!
🤦♂️
Project L
Thanks for responding so quickly!
40 seconds in and I am calling Le Havre is going to be on both lists!
naahhhhhhhh.... maybe
@@TheBrothersMurph how goes the Gloomhaven run?
The image you used for project L, is that with an expansion? I haven't been able to find that. How does it change the game up? The base game alone is great, very easy to teach as you said
We only played the base game stuff so not sure. Seems like maybe that image features KS or promo stuffs
You have to try lords of waterdeep with the expansion! (Not virtual)....always love you guys and have discovered so many games that nobody is talking about through your channel! #takemymoney ...Also....just purchased bandido because of one of your earlier videos and it's quickly becoming a favorite in my housr amongst everyone!
We are so glad to hear you like Bandido! It hast no business being as fun as it is but it's beauty in simplicity
I think you guys are inducing an unhealthy level of envy in the viewers of your channel: you guys get to play so many games and so many of us are only able to play 1) the same games over and over because our game groups want to play the same stuff over and over 2) solo games, which are great, but you know….
Honestly we are really lucky that our job creates so much opportunity to play different games. The downside of course is it's often difficult to circle back around to games we love in a timely manner but it's a good problem to have for sure.
Looking forward to getting my Project L from Crowd funding.
We’ve been enjoying conspiracy: Abyss.
Noice
Love coffee roaster 👍
It's as good as a cup of finely roasted coffee although I don't think I'd prefer to drink many of the cups I brew in that game I have a pretty bad habit of burning my coffee
@ 00:56
We have no friends!
That's the best: no Christmas gifts, birthday gifts. Don't have to listen to stories about their sex life (or lack of sex life). Don't have to listen about their break-ups. Don't have to help them move. They tend to talk during movies. They stop by and drink all the beer in the fridge and then leave, just before finishing off the last of the hummus. Smoke weed but don't offer to replenish the supply. Crash on the couch for a night and don't leave for three months.
And that's just for starters.
Friends are way over rated.
When will you play Agricola?
NEVER!! JK, soon. We have a challenge of playing the entire BGG top 100 in one week which includes 2 versions of Agricola so if nothing else, we will have our chance then.
Bandido at Great Escape Games??
It actually wasn’t at Great Escape, though we LOVE Great Escape. It was at a place called the Game Kastle we think
@@TheBrothersMurph ahhh yes in Citrus Heights area
Yes indeed
If you like Praga wait til you fellas play Messina 1347…..
yeah???
I am disappoint. No Calimala? Disgraceful.
Haha that one was on my short list for sure! I liked it lots!
Lords of Waterdeep is "the worker placement game that created all worker placement games"? Did I hear that correctly? LoWD isn't even close to being the first worker placement game.
Well it's certainly the one people bring up in comparison to other worker placement games so we still think it's an apt descriptor at least for more recent board game history
@@TheBrothersMurph Fair enough, but Caylus is generally cited as the "first" which some debate. It came out in 2005. LoWD probably isn't even in the top 50 chronologically.
Nick, please stop futzing with your hair. Argh!
I never will. If you could touch it you would understand