This was an EXCELLENT EXCELLENT list!!! And I love how you added alternatives to the main ones that you mentioned!! I can hardly think of anything else to add maybe Point Salad, and Jaipur? GREAT VIDEO!!!
I own _Ticket to Ride_ , _Pandemic_ , _Forbidden Island_ , and _Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle_ and I enjoy all of them. I used _Forbidden Island_ as a gateway game and played the absolute shortest game of my life. "Fool's Landing" was one of the initial six tiles to start sinking. Nobody was able to shore it up, and we got a "Waters Rise" card at the end of the first turn. Naturally, "Fool's Landing" was one of the tiles to sink, ending the game. We all laughed about it and put the game away (obviously it was not the time to play it and we were there to role-play). We pulled it out again at a later date and enjoyed a full game of it. I think _Small Worlds_ was my first introduction to the hobby, though I do not own it. My first purchased game was _Machi Kuro_ which we continue to play (and usually one of us wins one move before the other one would have). I consider this to be a good gateway game as its rules are likewise pretty simple.
I love the fact that you put games on the list in line with different mechanisms such as Drafting (#2) & Auctions (#7). In regards to Push-Your-Luck, I'd like to add Coloretto. An enduring classic that's a hit with everyone I played with.
I haven't played Parks yet. But, I absolutely LOVE Trekking the National Parks. To me, that one along with Ticket to Ride are a couple of my must plays.
What a great video; this is awesome. Will definitely be looking to get Azul and Ticket to ride; I think the family will really enjoy them. I'm so glad I find your channel! Hanabi looks bunkers and lots of fun; will definitely be getting that one.
Oh, wow! I'm surprised (and glad!) you mentioned Las Vegas. I bought it from Walmart a couple years ago for my roommate and I when I was just starting my game collection. We haven't played it in a while, but I most definitely like it.
Prepared, professional, entertaining without waffle, thoughtful, systematic, interesting and useful. Good list and great to idea give a simpler 'equivalent'. Many thanks for the help getting kids (and their friends) to the table!
Great list! Love how you manage to communicate the essence of a game in a few sentences. Really relaxing and inspiring to watch. I own and enjoy 14 of these games. I would add the Quest for El Dorado as a great gateway game.
Catan junior should definitely be on here somewhere. It’s not exactly a kids game but it’s just a simplified mechanic and it’s really easy to play. I prefer it over regular Catan.
I'll have to say that we were hooked back into gaming with Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne. Before that we used to play Blokus and Qwirkle. Now we have expanded to play some of the games in your list (Azul, Kingdomino, Pandemic and the Forbidden series). We prefer simple games that play well for 2 players in an hour or less. The most "complex" we play are Viticulture and Castles of Burgundy. Great video.
The first board game i played was either Dungeon! or Solar Quest (both of which i've seen reprinted recently). i'd say that what really got me into the hobby was either Settlers of Catan or Evo.
AMAZING list! Haven’t seen another video like this on other board game channels. Several games you listed I purchased because of how well you described them in few sentences. This is the video I share to others to watch for those interested in adding a few board games to their collection. I’d LOVE to see a follow up video about a list of gateway games to expand on the board game entry variety that exists in the market.
I did recently and that list is great as well! Still hoping for a new video (maybe this year) for an awesome list of gateway board games like this one since there’s been several games released since the video and I feel they (along with others in general) should deserve love as equally as these board games have. Fingers crossed if you decide to do this. 🥰🤞🏻
I totally agree with this list and I think that this is not only good gateway games, but just a lot of good core games nearly everyone should have in their collection. I think 2 other honorable mentions might be Reef and Imhotep.
I find micro games are good for introductions. In addition to Sushi Go which you already mentioned, I also like Love Letter, Roll For It, 12 Days and Fluxx. But . . . it’s a little weird that we’ve gotten to this point, isn’t it. In the pre-Catan era, you didn’t need specific games to introduce it to people. If you wanted to play checkers, you just set up the checkers.
Great topic and great list. It's amazing that I have just about all of these in my collection. I also like to break out Machi Koro then next level to Space Base. Jaipur is quick and easy set collection. Polyomino games like Cottage Garden works well for gateway also.
A fantastic game me and my family started with was roll for adventure. A game that is easy to learn and play and is brilliant fun but rarely seems to get a mention anywhere.
Awesome list ... Thanks I've just recently got my wife to play games with me as I was going insane during this pandemic. This is the first list I've seen with some different options that I might check out to add to the simpler games list of my collection.. Imotep, Karuba, Barenpark, Parks, Asking for Trobits... And based on comments below The Crew and Quest for El Dorado... The one game that my wife understood right away and loves is Stone Age so that would be a good one too for this list.
Excellent list, I really like how each spot has alternatives. I'd like to add that now there's an even more accessible gateway deckbuilder: Abandon All Artichokes. It also introduces the perks of deck-thinning intuitively, unlike Dominion or Hogwarts Battle(the latter barely even has any). Hardback & Valley of the Kings are other good alternatives to Star Realms, both of which are also playable with 3+ players. If you can get it, Heart of Crown might be a slightly better gateway than Dominion, since its +Action effects are made clearer using very readable arrows. Caravan could also be a good alternative to Ticket to Ride
I own a lot of these ! Great list. Love to see parks here . My favorite is Azul . I like it better than ticket to ride especially since it is better for 2 players.
Loved, loved loved this. Especially giving an easier option for each game you chose! This is really helpful for families. What got me started that you didn't mention? Dice Heist, Qwixx, Labyrinth, Exploding Kittens, Sagrada, & Zombie Kids Evolution to name a few :)
I would say Quacks of Quindlenberg. Press your luck game that's easy to teach IMO. Sagrada. What about Kingdom Builder. Rather simple idea. place you houses on the terrain that was drawn. trying to focus on 3 different goals to pursue in how you place the houses. example most in one sector, 7 or more in a line, longest connected line of houses (or something like that) We taught it and many grasped it pretty quickly.
@@tantrumhousegames As I understand it Winter Kingdom is nearly identical but enough to change things up a bit. I was thinking of backing it but this pandemic has put a dent in finances. Hours were cut tremendously to near non existent.
Fantastic list! I really enjoyed this one. Lots of great suggestions for people. Point Salad is another nice gateway game. If people are familiar with trick-taking, the cooperative nature of The Crew makes it a good choice.
Recently I've been using The Crew, The Mind, and Point Salad. These have gone over very well. There's quite a few on your list I use often, I would add Alhambra in there too.
I love the format for this. I would probably choose some different pairs of games for my own list, but the idea here is great. Many awesome games featured here. Love it.
I'm thinking a good gateway game is Horrified. Great theme, easy to learn/easy to teach, the flow of play, not to mention a great place to teach the little ones about the classic horror monsters. I could play this game over and over again, with a group or by myself in the solo mode
Awesome vid. Wished I had watched this vid when I started & love how you took price point into consideration. Sticker shock is a very real thing when transitioning to the bigger board game world.
Bees: The Secret Kingdom is my newest favorite game to introduce to new gamers. You can take only 1 of 2 actions on your turn and it’s basic set collection having the most honey points. Point Salad is another.
My wife and i love to pull out Parade, Welcome to, Fluxx (Math), 13 Clues, and Grim Masquerade as our gateway games for friends and family. My introduction to modern games came as Splendor.
I like the way you picked one game then offered an even easier game! What a lot of gamers see as gateway is still above & beyond some folks that I play with. I like to have very simple games for those situations like Sushi Go! & Kingdomino. Barenpark is arriving today & I can't wait to try it. Great video!
Thanks Billy! There are a lot of videos about Gateway games and we wanted to do something that was a little different and hopefully helpful for people. So glad you liked the idea. :-D
List was great. I loved Imhotep as a gateway game, and I think that Stone Age could fit in the category. I would also include Lords of Waterdeep, but that one may be a little mean for the standards of the list.
all great games!! thanks Wim! :-) We might play Colt Express on our 24 hour gaming marathon that we are working on. Hopefully that will be a live show on Sept 18 and 19. :-D
I second bohnanza! No thanks is my go to kind of filler type game before a heavier game. Bohnanza has a great price point. But does take 2 hours or so. So maybe that's why it didnt make the list.
Awesome list, and great presentation of each game! I own 6 of those, and I totally agree with everything you said about them. So you just earned a subscriber! Well done guys
Kevin - We found a 10th anniversary edition of Ticket To Ride at Good’s Store in Quarryville, PA about two years ago. I quickly scoured their other locations in hopes of finding another one.
Thanks for the very helpful and informative video. Just a thought: Perhaps consider adding onscreen game info (e.g. show the nr of players, ages and time on the screen)... so it is not necessary to constantly click *back* in the video to check what you guys said about the game requirements 🙂
Great list. I'm surprised you didn't match Reef with Azul, but perhaps it's because they're made by the same company. Ticket to Ride was in fact the gateway board game for me. Now I'm hooked.
Awesome list! Looking forward to more of your videos. Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and Forbidden Island were our first games when we started boardgaming. I don’t think my husband will ever play Carcassonne again. 😭
I've always liked cooperative games as gateway games. I've even introduced people through things like mansions of madness. The cooperative nature allows you to help them when needed. Just don't let your alpha players ruin the fun for them. Haha
Excellent list with lots of great ideas! For me, PARKS is the best game you mentioned, and it costs less that Ticket to Ride, Potion Explosion, and Pandemic, so I don't understand your problem with price point.
Absolutely love this list. I have used a few on your list to introduce friends and family to gaming, and I will check out a few on your list I'm wasn't familiar as well (especially 2 of your children friendly game choices). Thank you.
There were two games that got me into boardgaming. You already mentioned Carcassonne. The other is North American Rails. This is one of the Mayfair Games crayon rail series. It is a route building, pick up and deliver game. I now own 7 of the crayon rail games and pull one of them out on a regular basis to play.
I think for a gateway game, Horrified is better than Forbidden Island. Horrified is more engaging than Forbidden series. Splendor is also more gateway than Century: Spice Road, because the latter is actually more abstract.
Literally horrified is one of the best brand new gamers game that I’ve ever come across. Some of the other game reviewer’s have said that it’s better to teach the pandemic for obvious reasons that people know the monsters. And you can upgrade the difficulty simply by adding another monster that drastically changes the game. It doesn’t have a big finish as when you getting rid of the monsters the only thing that you’re fighting against then it is time But it’s still a wonderful co-op that is a little harder for alpha gamers to take over
My gateway board game was Villainous. I assumed it was nothing more than a cash grab by using Disney's and Marvel's name. But than I actually played it and there was much more depth to the game than I expected. I recently fell in love with Icarus by renegade game studios (I guess it's technically not a BOARD game).
Hmm, my husband and I play games as a couple almost daily, so I assumed we would not be "gateway" people, but our favorite games are all in your list (or suggested by others in the comments), several of them considered your "even simpler" versions! Perhaps we don't want to strain our brains too much remembering rules? Our #1 fav is Star Realms, #2 is Ticket to Ride (USA), #3 Splendor, #4 Carcassonne, and #5 either Jaipur or 7 Wonders Duel (we like the normal 7 Wonders much better, but it doesn't work well with two players). We also own 6 Nimmt and play with modified rules that work well for two players, but it's pretty one-sided in our case - I'm not good at bluffing and baiting (and don't like that element) and my husband knows me too well, so he almost always wins.
We still love playing gateway games. :-) there are just plenty of games I personally wouldn't introduce to a person who hasn't played these types of games - like Scythe, Power Grid, Imperial Settlers, etc.
I’m in the same boat. My partner and I love playing lots of these games, having friends over. We really just don’t like Euro games that go on for hours.
If you are into light strategy 1 v 1 try Memoir 44. Same people who made Ticket to ride. Also look at Small World. great for 2-5 also by the same people! Also i really enjoy Shadows over Camelot also by Days of Wonder... hmmm I swear they arent paying me...
Really like ur "alternative/simpler" option w each one. I don't think I've seen that done bfor w a Top 10 List. Maybe others will do that w their Top 10 ??
@@lynnburke2266 I play Century Spice Road with my wife all the time, and we think it works great at 2. It's such a fast and simple game that it scales really well from 2 to 5.
Another thing that would make Splendor a gateway game would be the fact that theres an upcoming Marvel edition. I'm note sure if its just Splendor with a Marvel skin or if it will have new game mechanics. Look forward to the Tantrum House review.
Annoyingly I tried to play games with someone new and used all gateway games and they just didn't get it. They wouldn't pay attention. Sadly I think they just have no attention span for games 😔
century is brutal deck building, but when you have system, you need only 4-5 cards. i once win game with only 6 cads in hand, but using only 4 of them... :D
Great video. I could probably dive right into Mage Knight and just muscle through it, but my family needs to be gently warmed up to game types. This is something I have a hard time remembering. I own Splendor and I was thinking of it immediately when you described Century. I feel like gems are more interesting than spices, for sure. I'm going to have to get Kingdomino. I guess 'domino' in the name should have been somewhat of an indicator. The closest game I have to this is Carcassonne, and I HATE Carcassonne. Carcass. is so boring because there is little to no strategy involved. Its just draw a tile, place a tile, place a meeple, and hope for the best. Odd that you picked it for a pre-game for Baren Park, which I have never played. Love KoT. Its always a hit and even though the rules seem very complicated, I have taught it to 8 yr olds with success. Surprising its so low scored on BGG, given how well its always received when introduce it. We have For Sale. Super easy game, but not too exciting. We have only played it 2-3 times and have yet to come up with a strategy for buying vs selling. Definitely adding Camel Up to my short list. Dominion has been on my list a while. I love deck building games. One of my favorite family deck building games is Marvel Legendary. I look forward to getting Dominion, because so far all your suggestions look fun...except Carcassonne. Pandemic, and other strategy Co-op problem: the 'smartest' person playing kinda dominates the decisions. It can be a bit disappointing for children to play with adults because they are constantly being overruled. Fun game, but you have to try hard to make everyone feel important. We also have Forbidden Desert. Exact same problem. Someone always feels like they are constantly being overruled because their own ideas are 'bad'. One time my wife flipped over an oasis while the rest of us were not on the tile, forgetting the mechanics, and we all died of thirst soon after. Ruined the game for while, for us. We have never beaten Forbidden Desert, where as we never lose Pandemic. Potion Explosion also on my list for family games. Just never pulled the trigger. Azul... what to say? So much hype but, for me, such an uninteresting game. Maybe its because a strategy has yet to click with me, so it just seems like randomness. When I win, its purely accidental. Kids like the bag of tiles, but otherwise, it falls short for me. We also have Sushi Go!. One of our first games. It was fun for 5-10 games, but it rarely gets played now. Learning about sushi was the most interesting part :) Ticket to Ride!?! NO!!!! I HATE this game!! It always leads to arguments and really is about as strategic as Monopoly ie. It doesn't stimulate my brain at all. I actually hid Monopoly, Life and Ticket To Ride from my family, because I hate playing them. We have Hanabi. I think its kinda fun. I thought people into party games would like it more, but they didnt. When we play, we enjoy it, but its hard to convince people to play it. It falls short on presentation, even if the theme is original. QUESTION1: What is the follow up game for each? Id love to find a KoT-like game that is more complex; for example. Please respond. QUESTION2: What about intro to the top 3 ranked games: Scythe, Terraforming Mars, and Gloomhaven? I personally have a hard time convincing myself that worker placement or engine building CAN be fun. Gloomhaven is just so complex that most casuals wont make it past the rule book.
thanks for the feedback. :-) Hope you are able to get Dominion to the table. We've really enjoyed playing it. We are working on the "follow up game" list. Thinking of calling it Top 10 Next Level games. I think for Gloomhaven the best introduction would be the Jaws of the Lion game that just was released. Much easier to get into. (Kevin)
Awesome choices. Could you guys in your future videos make more remarks about age? I am really interested if the games play well with younger kids, 6yrs and above
Catan is loved by many and one of the most popular euro-style board games. Jonah and Shantelle on our team love Catan and you can see a video about them talking about it here - th-cam.com/video/HDrv5HKKMlI/w-d-xo.html It just didn't make our list here.
Awesome list, Although I'd choose lanterns dice instead of Lanterns and for sushi go the party edition. What about a list of the best games so far in the first half ot the year?
I like that you own a Game Toppers topper. Generation 1 Waverly. I have a Gen 1 Holmes. Is yours the same model? Kinda hard to tell from the short side. Watson? I started out years ago with Acquire (Avalon Hill; 1976 edition) and Rail Baron (again, Avalon Hill; 1977 edition). Thanks for the video. Very informative.
@@tantrumhousegames The times we have played it at our church's monthly Game Night, the one who knows it the best would essentially tell everyone else what they should do (in a nice way). Fun, but not very participatory.
So i have 2 questions, one about las vegas game (cause im into the gambling theme and all) but i could only find the royale version, or is that the actually game? xD also, for the games that have specific notepads and writing, can you get replacements?
It looks like Las Vegas Royale is an upgraded version of the game that has the original gameplay plus some expansion content. I'm not sure if the smaller version is still being published. For games with notepads, sometimes the companies will sell replacement pads on their websites. Other options are to photo copy more sheets or laminate some sheets and use dry/wet erase markers.
what made you pick dominon ? its not simple, i have two friends in my board game group, both love it and have many expansions for it, each card that has a special action on it or a special rule on it changes the game. also ascension and thunderstone are simpler and better games, they are simpler because once you understand it, you have got it, you are done but dominon changes with each special card.
This game is interesting! If you enjoy playing complex board games that require a great deal of strategy and detecting the motivations of others, then you should give Lagim Card Game a try. The game is inspired by Filipino folklore and mythology. It is the type of game that will take time to get used to, but it is definitely worth it if you're willing to put in the effort. Visit their page for more info :)
any game you play in the whole world has players involved with it. did you write down what you were going to say ahead of time ? so you could check if it sounded dumb or not ?
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I have to say this is the best top 10 gateway video I have ever seen. Great games and great alternatives. There is something for everyone :)
thanks so much. :-) glad you enjoyed the video
I came to the comments to say exactly this
This was an EXCELLENT EXCELLENT list!!! And I love how you added alternatives to the main ones that you mentioned!! I can hardly think of anything else to add maybe Point Salad, and Jaipur? GREAT VIDEO!!!
Point Salad and Jaipur are great additions!!! thanks so much
I definitely agree about Camel Up having those great "stand up" moments. One of my favorites!
So good!
I own _Ticket to Ride_ , _Pandemic_ , _Forbidden Island_ , and _Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle_ and I enjoy all of them.
I used _Forbidden Island_ as a gateway game and played the absolute shortest game of my life. "Fool's Landing" was one of the initial six tiles to start sinking. Nobody was able to shore it up, and we got a "Waters Rise" card at the end of the first turn. Naturally, "Fool's Landing" was one of the tiles to sink, ending the game. We all laughed about it and put the game away (obviously it was not the time to play it and we were there to role-play). We pulled it out again at a later date and enjoyed a full game of it.
I think _Small Worlds_ was my first introduction to the hobby, though I do not own it. My first purchased game was _Machi Kuro_ which we continue to play (and usually one of us wins one move before the other one would have). I consider this to be a good gateway game as its rules are likewise pretty simple.
I’ve been playing for years now and sticker shock is still a very real thing, lol!
totally! hopefully we picked a few that are a little more budget friendly.
Hey thanks for all of these great suggestions. It helps us find games that are family friendly for my bride and our four kids ;)
Thanks again!
awesome! glad these were a help
I love the fact that you put games on the list in line with different mechanisms such as Drafting (#2) & Auctions (#7).
In regards to Push-Your-Luck, I'd like to add Coloretto. An enduring classic that's a hit with everyone I played with.
Thanks Brixton! We tried to diversify but a few extra tile laying games slipped in there. :-D
I haven't played Parks yet. But, I absolutely LOVE Trekking the National Parks. To me, that one along with Ticket to Ride are a couple of my must plays.
First game I ever played was Betrayal. And the rest is a very expensive history 😅
Betrayal is a good one because it has that cooperative element.
What a great video; this is awesome. Will definitely be looking to get Azul and Ticket to ride; I think the family will really enjoy them. I'm so glad I find your channel! Hanabi looks bunkers and lots of fun; will definitely be getting that one.
glad you got to watch this one :-)
Oh, wow! I'm surprised (and glad!) you mentioned Las Vegas. I bought it from Walmart a couple years ago for my roommate and I when I was just starting my game collection. We haven't played it in a while, but I most definitely like it.
It's so easy to play and understand. :-D love it
Great list, loved how you all gave an easier option also. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video, thank you!
thanks Cathy!!
Prepared, professional, entertaining without waffle, thoughtful, systematic, interesting and useful. Good list and great to idea give a simpler 'equivalent'. Many thanks for the help getting kids (and their friends) to the table!
yay! thank you for your kind words and glad it was helpful!
Great list! Love how you manage to communicate the essence of a game in a few sentences. Really relaxing and inspiring to watch.
I own and enjoy 14 of these games.
I would add the Quest for El Dorado as a great gateway game.
Quest for El Dorado is a great! it was a Spiel nominee a few years ago
Very good list, I think if anyone is looking for good board games beyond the standard games like Clue or Monopoly this is a great list to look at!
Thanks so much :-)
You two are awesome! LOVE the way you explain and Show the game in a way that makes it easy to know if this is right for us! Bravo!
Thanks! I hope you find some games that are a good fit for you. - Melissa
Catan junior should definitely be on here somewhere. It’s not exactly a kids game but it’s just a simplified mechanic and it’s really easy to play. I prefer it over regular Catan.
great!
I'll have to say that we were hooked back into gaming with Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne. Before that we used to play Blokus and Qwirkle. Now we have expanded to play some of the games in your list (Azul, Kingdomino, Pandemic and the Forbidden series). We prefer simple games that play well for 2 players in an hour or less. The most "complex" we play are Viticulture and Castles of Burgundy. Great video.
we still play a lot of Qwirkle with family :-)
The first board game i played was either Dungeon! or Solar Quest (both of which i've seen reprinted recently). i'd say that what really got me into the hobby was either Settlers of Catan or Evo.
Settlers of Catan is such a staple in the industry and brought so many people into the hobby. We were debating putting it in the list.
AMAZING list! Haven’t seen another video like this on other board game channels. Several games you listed I purchased because of how well you described them in few sentences.
This is the video I share to others to watch for those interested in adding a few board games to their collection. I’d LOVE to see a follow up video about a list of gateway games to expand on the board game entry variety that exists in the market.
glad you enjoyed the video. Have you seen Will's video about Party Games? It might give some other options th-cam.com/video/gfh12uk0tp4/w-d-xo.html
I did recently and that list is great as well!
Still hoping for a new video (maybe this year) for an awesome list of gateway board games like this one since there’s been several games released since the video and I feel they (along with others in general) should deserve love as equally as these board games have. Fingers crossed if you decide to do this. 🥰🤞🏻
Great list. I think the main list is spot on, and I liked the alternatives, mixing the classic with the more modern.
Thanks so much :-)
I totally agree with this list and I think that this is not only good gateway games, but just a lot of good core games nearly everyone should have in their collection. I think 2 other honorable mentions might be Reef and Imhotep.
thanks Rick!
I recently introduced my family to Stone age and they managed to pick it up fairly well. Takes a couple of games to come up with a good strategy.
Worker placement games are great!!
Fabulous list. Many of these games are favourites of mine!
Great list! For me, Ticket to Ride was an opener, so was Tsuro and Qwirkle :)
those are all great games!!
I find micro games are good for introductions. In addition to Sushi Go which you already mentioned, I also like Love Letter, Roll For It, 12 Days and Fluxx. But . . . it’s a little weird that we’ve gotten to this point, isn’t it. In the pre-Catan era, you didn’t need specific games to introduce it to people. If you wanted to play checkers, you just set up the checkers.
those are great games. I actually remember introducing someone to Love Letter and they were like WOW - games can be good?? :-D
Great topic and great list. It's amazing that I have just about all of these in my collection. I also like to break out Machi Koro then next level to Space Base. Jaipur is quick and easy set collection. Polyomino games like Cottage Garden works well for gateway also.
We are thinking about putting together a "Top 10 Next Level games" video and Space Base will definitely be on it!!
A fantastic game me and my family started with was roll for adventure. A game that is easy to learn and play and is brilliant fun but rarely seems to get a mention anywhere.
Roll for Adventure is great!
Awesome list ... Thanks I've just recently got my wife to play games with me as I was going insane during this pandemic. This is the first list I've seen with some different options that I might check out to add to the simpler games list of my collection.. Imotep, Karuba, Barenpark, Parks, Asking for Trobits... And based on comments below The Crew and Quest for El Dorado... The one game that my wife understood right away and loves is Stone Age so that would be a good one too for this list.
awesome!!
Excellent list, I really like how each spot has alternatives. I'd like to add that now there's an even more accessible gateway deckbuilder: Abandon All Artichokes. It also introduces the perks of deck-thinning intuitively, unlike Dominion or Hogwarts Battle(the latter barely even has any). Hardback & Valley of the Kings are other good alternatives to Star Realms, both of which are also playable with 3+ players. If you can get it, Heart of Crown might be a slightly better gateway than Dominion, since its +Action effects are made clearer using very readable arrows.
Caravan could also be a good alternative to Ticket to Ride
I own a lot of these ! Great list. Love to see parks here . My favorite is Azul . I like it better than ticket to ride especially since it is better for 2 players.
Loved, loved loved this. Especially giving an easier option for each game you chose! This is really helpful for families. What got me started that you didn't mention? Dice Heist, Qwixx, Labyrinth, Exploding Kittens, Sagrada, & Zombie Kids Evolution to name a few :)
thanks for sharing your list!!
Qwixx is very fun. We play it frequently and it is a fast play.
I would say Quacks of Quindlenberg. Press your luck game that's easy to teach IMO.
Sagrada.
What about Kingdom Builder. Rather simple idea. place you houses on the terrain that was drawn. trying to focus on 3 different goals to pursue in how you place the houses. example most in one sector, 7 or more in a line, longest connected line of houses (or something like that) We taught it and many grasped it pretty quickly.
those are two great games! I just heard about Winter Kingdom too that is supposed to be similar to Kingdom Builder.
@@tantrumhousegames As I understand it Winter Kingdom is nearly identical but enough to change things up a bit. I was thinking of backing it but this pandemic has put a dent in finances. Hours were cut tremendously to near non existent.
Fantastic list! I really enjoyed this one. Lots of great suggestions for people. Point Salad is another nice gateway game. If people are familiar with trick-taking, the cooperative nature of The Crew makes it a good choice.
good ones!!
Recently I've been using The Crew, The Mind, and Point Salad. These have gone over very well. There's quite a few on your list I use often, I would add Alhambra in there too.
Alhambra almost made it on the list!!
I love the format for this. I would probably choose some different pairs of games for my own list, but the idea here is great. Many awesome games featured here. Love it.
thanks Jeff!! appreciate it.
I'm thinking a good gateway game is Horrified. Great theme, easy to learn/easy to teach, the flow of play, not to mention a great place to teach the little ones about the classic horror monsters. I could play this game over and over again, with a group or by myself in the solo mode
great suggestion!!
You guys covered many of our family favorites! You also gave us many ideas to add to our wishlist.
awesome!! hope you enjoy the new ones :-D
Awesome vid. Wished I had watched this vid when I started & love how you took price point into consideration. Sticker shock is a very real thing when transitioning to the bigger board game world.
Awasome selection and I specially like the "alternatives". You should try implementing this in all your TOP videos. Great work!
Thanks for the idea!
Bees: The Secret Kingdom is my newest favorite game to introduce to new gamers. You can take only 1 of 2 actions on your turn and it’s basic set collection having the most honey points. Point Salad is another.
yep! those two are great!!
My wife and i love to pull out Parade, Welcome to, Fluxx (Math), 13 Clues, and Grim Masquerade as our gateway games for friends and family. My introduction to modern games came as Splendor.
I like the way you picked one game then offered an even easier game! What a lot of gamers see as gateway is still above & beyond some folks that I play with. I like to have very simple games for those situations like Sushi Go! & Kingdomino. Barenpark is arriving today & I can't wait to try it. Great video!
Thanks Billy! There are a lot of videos about Gateway games and we wanted to do something that was a little different and hopefully helpful for people. So glad you liked the idea. :-D
List was great. I loved Imhotep as a gateway game, and I think that Stone Age could fit in the category. I would also include Lords of Waterdeep, but that one may be a little mean for the standards of the list.
thanks Juan. I find Imhotep can be a little mean too. :-D
@@tantrumhousegames You are right, Imhotep with more than 2 players can be very mean.
Thank you for this. Me and family recently just got into playing board games.
awesome! I hope you enjoy playing many of these games! We sure do.
a few honorable mentions: mysterium, colt express (a great way to introduce programmable movement). bohnanza
all great games!! thanks Wim! :-) We might play Colt Express on our 24 hour gaming marathon that we are working on. Hopefully that will be a live show on Sept 18 and 19. :-D
I second bohnanza! No thanks is my go to kind of filler type game before a heavier game. Bohnanza has a great price point. But does take 2 hours or so. So maybe that's why it didnt make the list.
Great video! Really great suggestions for entry level and just good games in general too.
thanks! We tried our best :-)
Pickomino, Diamond (from iello), Menara, Celestia, The Mind, Point Salat and Mysterium are also fun getaway games
awesome!
Awesome list, and great presentation of each game! I own 6 of those, and I totally agree with everything you said about them. So you just earned a subscriber! Well done guys
Thanks so much for watching. --Melissa
Kevin - We found a 10th anniversary edition of Ticket To Ride at Good’s Store in Quarryville, PA about two years ago. I quickly scoured their other locations in hopes of finding another one.
Quarryville is like 90 minutes from where I grew up (Quakertown, PA) Kevin
I thought you had been in the general area!
Love Karuba!! So fun!!
Thanks for the very helpful and informative video. Just a thought: Perhaps consider adding onscreen game info (e.g. show the nr of players, ages and time on the screen)... so it is not necessary to constantly click *back* in the video to check what you guys said about the game requirements 🙂
thanks for the feedback!
정말 좋은 추천이다. 내가 재미있게 즐겼던 게임들이 대부분 포함되어있다. From S.Korea.
Great list. I'm surprised you didn't match Reef with Azul, but perhaps it's because they're made by the same company. Ticket to Ride was in fact the gateway board game for me. Now I'm hooked.
Reef is a good one! :-)
Awesome list! Looking forward to more of your videos. Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and Forbidden Island were our first games when we started boardgaming. I don’t think my husband will ever play Carcassonne again. 😭
I want to purchase Barenpark and Century Spice Road.
awesome! thanks Stephanie and hope you enjoy them. :-)
I've always liked cooperative games as gateway games. I've even introduced people through things like mansions of madness. The cooperative nature allows you to help them when needed. Just don't let your alpha players ruin the fun for them. Haha
Co-op games are perfect for gaming with new people so you can all work together. and totally agree about alpha players!!!
Yeah, I think I'm the bloody alpha 🤣🤣🤣
This was very helpful. I love splendor and Jaipur! Trying to find games similar
Glad you liked it
Excellent list with lots of great ideas! For me, PARKS is the best game you mentioned, and it costs less that Ticket to Ride, Potion Explosion, and Pandemic, so I don't understand your problem with price point.
thanks Gary. I'll have to look again.
Absolutely love this list. I have used a few on your list to introduce friends and family to gaming, and I will check out a few on your list I'm wasn't familiar as well (especially 2 of your children friendly game choices). Thank you.
awesome!!
I have many of these games. Good lists! I think that Tsuro needs to be added to the list.
Tsuro is definitely a good one!
Completely agree that is one of the best games to teach people that are not Gamers
Res arcana, modern art and citadel are pretty great gateway games imo
all great games!! thanks Troy
There were two games that got me into boardgaming. You already mentioned Carcassonne. The other is North American Rails. This is one of the Mayfair Games crayon rail series. It is a route building, pick up and deliver game. I now own 7 of the crayon rail games and pull one of them out on a regular basis to play.
awesome!!
I think for a gateway game, Horrified is better than Forbidden Island. Horrified is more engaging than Forbidden series. Splendor is also more gateway than Century: Spice Road, because the latter is actually more abstract.
I was going to mention Horrified and completely forgot to do that!! :-( (Kevin)
Literally horrified is one of the best brand new gamers game that I’ve ever come across. Some of the other game reviewer’s have said that it’s better to teach the pandemic for obvious reasons that people know the monsters. And you can upgrade the difficulty simply by adding another monster that drastically changes the game. It doesn’t have a big finish as when you getting rid of the monsters the only thing that you’re fighting against then it is time But it’s still a wonderful co-op that is a little harder for alpha gamers to take over
Also there is tons of new content on board game geek for horrified!
My gateway board game was Villainous. I assumed it was nothing more than a cash grab by using Disney's and Marvel's name. But than I actually played it and there was much more depth to the game than I expected. I recently fell in love with Icarus by renegade game studios (I guess it's technically not a BOARD game).
Hmm, my husband and I play games as a couple almost daily, so I assumed we would not be "gateway" people, but our favorite games are all in your list (or suggested by others in the comments), several of them considered your "even simpler" versions! Perhaps we don't want to strain our brains too much remembering rules?
Our #1 fav is Star Realms, #2 is Ticket to Ride (USA), #3 Splendor, #4 Carcassonne, and #5 either Jaipur or 7 Wonders Duel (we like the normal 7 Wonders much better, but it doesn't work well with two players). We also own 6 Nimmt and play with modified rules that work well for two players, but it's pretty one-sided in our case - I'm not good at bluffing and baiting (and don't like that element) and my husband knows me too well, so he almost always wins.
We still love playing gateway games. :-) there are just plenty of games I personally wouldn't introduce to a person who hasn't played these types of games - like Scythe, Power Grid, Imperial Settlers, etc.
I’m in the same boat. My partner and I love playing lots of these games, having friends over. We really just don’t like Euro games that go on for hours.
If you are into light strategy 1 v 1 try Memoir 44. Same people who made Ticket to ride. Also look at Small World. great for 2-5 also by the same people! Also i really enjoy Shadows over Camelot also by Days of Wonder... hmmm I swear they arent paying me...
@@wellesradio And there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that! Every person is a gamer they just dont know what kind of gamer!
Really like ur "alternative/simpler" option w each one. I don't think I've seen that done bfor w a Top 10 List. Maybe others will do that w their Top 10 ??
thanks! glad you liked our idea :-)
Quick Question.. do u think century spice road scales well at only 2 players? Just me n my husband here at home
@@lynnburke2266 I play Century Spice Road with my wife all the time, and we think it works great at 2. It's such a fast and simple game that it scales really well from 2 to 5.
6 nimmt! Easy to learn and very difficult to master.
great addition!!
Love 6 nimmt!
I’ve used this for easy learn fun
Fantastic video.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
I used century golem to introduce my parents and brothers into boardgames
Very cool! Thanks for the info! These are great suggestions.
Glad it was helpful! really appreciate it
Another thing that would make Splendor a gateway game would be the fact that theres an upcoming Marvel edition. I'm note sure if its just Splendor with a Marvel skin or if it will have new game mechanics. Look forward to the Tantrum House review.
I saw Marvel Splendor at Gen Con last year and heard it was more than a re-skin of Splendor. I guess we'll see. :-)
Citadels is one of the best gateway board games imho
CITADELS!! in the words of Eric Summerer
Airlines Europe is also a good gateway board game. Dragon Castle is another good gateway game.
Good list, by the way.
thanks so much! Love Dragon Castle
Great video thanks.
Annoyingly I tried to play games with someone new and used all gateway games and they just didn't get it. They wouldn't pay attention. Sadly I think they just have no attention span for games 😔
Play Dominion online ;) it's free
Bardzo dobry film 👍 Dziękuję!
century is brutal deck building, but when you have system, you need only 4-5 cards. i once win game with only 6 cads in hand, but using only 4 of them... :D
that's pretty amazing!! I love when the cards synergize!!
The only game I feel I would add to your list is Skull🖤✌😎
Great video. I could probably dive right into Mage Knight and just muscle through it, but my family needs to be gently warmed up to game types. This is something I have a hard time remembering.
I own Splendor and I was thinking of it immediately when you described Century. I feel like gems are more interesting than spices, for sure.
I'm going to have to get Kingdomino. I guess 'domino' in the name should have been somewhat of an indicator. The closest game I have to this is Carcassonne, and I HATE Carcassonne. Carcass. is so boring because there is little to no strategy involved. Its just draw a tile, place a tile, place a meeple, and hope for the best. Odd that you picked it for a pre-game for Baren Park, which I have never played.
Love KoT. Its always a hit and even though the rules seem very complicated, I have taught it to 8 yr olds with success. Surprising its so low scored on BGG, given how well its always received when introduce it.
We have For Sale. Super easy game, but not too exciting. We have only played it 2-3 times and have yet to come up with a strategy for buying vs selling. Definitely adding Camel Up to my short list.
Dominion has been on my list a while. I love deck building games. One of my favorite family deck building games is Marvel Legendary. I look forward to getting Dominion, because so far all your suggestions look fun...except Carcassonne.
Pandemic, and other strategy Co-op problem: the 'smartest' person playing kinda dominates the decisions. It can be a bit disappointing for children to play with adults because they are constantly being overruled. Fun game, but you have to try hard to make everyone feel important. We also have Forbidden Desert. Exact same problem. Someone always feels like they are constantly being overruled because their own ideas are 'bad'. One time my wife flipped over an oasis while the rest of us were not on the tile, forgetting the mechanics, and we all died of thirst soon after. Ruined the game for while, for us. We have never beaten Forbidden Desert, where as we never lose Pandemic.
Potion Explosion also on my list for family games. Just never pulled the trigger.
Azul... what to say? So much hype but, for me, such an uninteresting game. Maybe its because a strategy has yet to click with me, so it just seems like randomness. When I win, its purely accidental. Kids like the bag of tiles, but otherwise, it falls short for me. We also have Sushi Go!. One of our first games. It was fun for 5-10 games, but it rarely gets played now. Learning about sushi was the most interesting part :)
Ticket to Ride!?! NO!!!! I HATE this game!! It always leads to arguments and really is about as strategic as Monopoly ie. It doesn't stimulate my brain at all. I actually hid Monopoly, Life and Ticket To Ride from my family, because I hate playing them.
We have Hanabi. I think its kinda fun. I thought people into party games would like it more, but they didnt. When we play, we enjoy it, but its hard to convince people to play it. It falls short on presentation, even if the theme is original.
QUESTION1: What is the follow up game for each? Id love to find a KoT-like game that is more complex; for example. Please respond.
QUESTION2: What about intro to the top 3 ranked games: Scythe, Terraforming Mars, and Gloomhaven? I personally have a hard time convincing myself that worker placement or engine building CAN be fun. Gloomhaven is just so complex that most casuals wont make it past the rule book.
thanks for the feedback. :-) Hope you are able to get Dominion to the table. We've really enjoyed playing it. We are working on the "follow up game" list. Thinking of calling it Top 10 Next Level games. I think for Gloomhaven the best introduction would be the Jaws of the Lion game that just was released. Much easier to get into. (Kevin)
Gekido: Bot Battles would be a good step up from King of Tokyo.
Awesome choices. Could you guys in your future videos make more remarks about age? I am really interested if the games play well with younger kids, 6yrs and above
thanks for the feedback. Liam is currently working on a video that we'll be releasing in December about games for kids. :-)
All great gateway games🖤✌ Azul works better for adults and not kids and King of Tokyo works better with kids and not adults😎👊
I’m surprised that Catan isn’t on your list.
Catan is loved by many and one of the most popular euro-style board games. Jonah and Shantelle on our team love Catan and you can see a video about them talking about it here - th-cam.com/video/HDrv5HKKMlI/w-d-xo.html It just didn't make our list here.
Or monopoly since it introduced boardgames to millions of people worldwide
I would add Champions of Midgard and Lords of Waterdeep as well
both great games!!
Awesome list, Although I'd choose lanterns dice instead of Lanterns and for sushi go the party edition. What about a list of the best games so far in the first half ot the year?
love that idea! Sort of have missed the top 10 games at conventions. So maybe Top 10 games so far this year or something like that!
You had me at Zander! (Name of my eldest boy). Now curious to see how many of these 10 I already own... rats. Not the first one.
awesome :-)
First time here on the channel and automatically subscribed because that Doctor who shirt, btw amazing vídeo
Doctor Who is awesome!! thinking about going through all the seasons again :-D
I like that you own a Game Toppers topper. Generation 1 Waverly. I have a Gen 1 Holmes. Is yours the same model? Kinda hard to tell from the short side. Watson?
I started out years ago with Acquire (Avalon Hill; 1976 edition) and Rail Baron (again, Avalon Hill; 1977 edition).
Thanks for the video. Very informative.
yep Gen 1!! Watson. Love Acquire but haven't played Rail Baron.
This is a really good top 10 board game video! Subscription is a must!
thanks so much!!
I don't think pandemic should be included in gateway game list. It's quite difficult for starters
it probably works best if someone already knows how to play
@@tantrumhousegames The times we have played it at our church's monthly Game Night, the one who knows it the best would essentially tell everyone else what they should do (in a nice way). Fun, but not very participatory.
Lots of spiel winners like Camel cup in here, except for Splendor
yep! or is it Camel Up? :-D
So i have 2 questions, one about las vegas game (cause im into the gambling theme and all) but i could only find the royale version, or is that the actually game? xD also, for the games that have specific notepads and writing, can you get replacements?
It looks like Las Vegas Royale is an upgraded version of the game that has the original gameplay plus some expansion content. I'm not sure if the smaller version is still being published. For games with notepads, sometimes the companies will sell replacement pads on their websites. Other options are to photo copy more sheets or laminate some sheets and use dry/wet erase markers.
@@tantrumhousegames thank you, I'll have a further look 😊
what made you pick dominon ? its not simple, i have two friends in my board game group, both love it and have many expansions for it, each card that has a special action on it or a special rule on it changes the game. also ascension and thunderstone are simpler and better games, they are simpler because once you understand it, you have got it, you are done but dominon changes with each special card.
Yay Trobils!
Please start using the video time markers. It makes top10 videos easier to navigate
I did just try it on a different video and really like how it works so I'll definitely do it for these types of videos like top 10s. :-)
um the cover art for the game lanterns has nothing to do with the game lanterns
This game is interesting! If you enjoy playing complex board games that require a great deal of strategy and detecting the motivations of others, then you should give Lagim Card Game a try. The game is inspired by Filipino folklore and mythology. It is the type of game that will take time to get used to, but it is definitely worth it if you're willing to put in the effort. Visit their page for more info :)
i cant find SUGAR BLAST anywhere.... it must be out of print.... so sad !
It's coming out this Fall - so really soon!!
any game you play in the whole world has players involved with it. did you write down what you were going to say ahead of time ? so you could check if it sounded dumb or not ?
These are too expensive for me.... can you do a number of games within $20..
good idea!!
@@tantrumhousegames yeah because im not willing to spend that much money.. otherwise they are all great games!
On the 'bear note', did you guys know that despite the name, koala bears are not bears.
what!!! this is getting out of hand ;-)
@@tantrumhousegames Heh!, Yah and they sleep up to 20 hours a day!