Elegant and Complex Games (and My Top 10)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- Jamey discusses several ways designers create elegant, streamlined core games that have incredible depth and complexity.
Games discussed in this video include: Inis, Wingspan, Terraforming Mars, Concordia, Dominion, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Lords of Waterdeep, Isle of Skye, Cosmic Encounter, Root, Dice Throne, Risk Legacy, Pandemic Legacy, Mechs vs. Minions, Fog of Love, Mansions of Madness, TIME Stories, my civilization game
00:00 - Introduction and Discussion
16:52 - Top 10
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Lisboa scares people at first but a couple turns in you realize, this is one elegant, smooth experience. Complex, with so much going on but easy with few action types. The theme is so embedded and it's a work of art.
You get a feeling that you are learning as you play and strategic choices grow with every game. I can't think of better example.
For me, Small World is a prime example of asymmetric abilities. Extremely simple core mechanisms with nearly all the complexity in the game arising from the hundreds of possible combinations of race and power tiles and the considerations surrounding which combination to draft and when to abandon an old one for a new one.
Can't help but think that Concordia is probably the king of this category. The level of strategic depth that Mac Gerdts was able to create out of basically just 6 cards is incredible.
Thanks a lot Jamey.. this was very illuminating (and definitely not your only video to be so)..
I’d add Everdell- defines ‘category two’. Start with two workers and a limited set of options, finish with your mind blown 🤯
Great topic and list!
A category that I would add (or maybe it’s just a variation of one you already mentioned) is when games come with a bunch of optional modules you can slowly add in to subsequent plays. Queen games does this a lot with their Queenies and they’re Big Box games (Kingdom Builder, Alhambra, Fresco, etc).
Along the lines of Lords of Waterdeep, I would also add Ex Libris.
I just played Evolution last night and I believe it fits this list (dual sided player aid with all core rules). In addition, I believe that the civilization game Progress: Evolution of Technology is qualified as well. I think I've mentioned it on this channel before but go from taking few easy actions to increasing number of times you can perform those actions as well as a path for each player based on decisions they make.
Your discussion was very intriguing as always and I'm excited for your civ game. I live that your sitdowns bring home a lot of important topics to you as well as apply to your viewers!!
Great category Jamey. Really stoked hearing about the new Civ game coming ( one of my favourite types of game).
Recently I played Blood Rage and I think it would fit this category nicely. Simple elegant rules, nice card draft and the depth comes from setting out your stall by collecting and planning your round (era) . As the game progresses the cards become much more powerful and the decisions weigh far greater.
Have a great weekend :-)
I agree, Blood Rage is a great example!
Really intrigued by the branching decision tree idea in your civilization game, seems very streamlined and effective but also very thematic, since it makes sense that the complexity of running a civilization would increase as it grows in size and technology.
Can't wait to hear more about it!
more than happy to get these videos without taking things out of the box :)
Yokohama, is the game that is one of the most elegant complex games I have ever played. It has a lot of choices and actions you can take but the core mechanism can be explained in 2 minutes, even though the game looks very intimidating at first.
Inis is a great example indeed. It's basically a "17 cards" game. However, the scope of possibilities players get is so vast and rich... core actions are really simple(and you get to learn them quickly), but the interconnections between them are something else. It's a genius design in my opinion and it's streamlined to the point where there's no single thing that's unnecessary. The expansion will probably mess around with some things, but I'm certain that it won't harm the simplicity and elegance of the base game.
Another games which fit in the same category: Neuroshima Hex!(and therefore, Monolith Arena as well, as it's basically a reimplementation), Castles of Burgundy, Sun Tzu(although it may fall in the same category as Azul/Hanamikoji, eg. not complex enough, it's very deep however)
Looking forward to seeing this new civilization game!!
Interesting topic. One that comes to my mind as we just played chapter 6 last night is Aeon's End Legacy. I feel this one has done a great job easing us into the rules and building our characters, especially as people who never played the base game.
I know you don't pick your own games, but Rise of Fenris even as an expansion does a great job building in new mechanics in campaign mode.
Really looking forward to the Civilization game!!
I think "elegant games with hidden complexity" is the genre of game I like most. Your list definitely is a bunch of games I need to check out! Concordia is already a favorite. So is Go (which doesn't fit your criteria, but it's a similar idea).
I think Container also deserves to be mentioned. It's a simple auction game, but the closed economy adds an extra element to the game.
Finally, I'm currently enthralled by Food Chain Magnate. The game mechanisms are relatively straightforward, but the player interaction (and how cutthroat a game it is) really makes it a much more complex game than I first realized. I'm still getting dumpstered every time I play, but I still enjoy it.
If I'd think of elegant and complex games, games like Tigris & Euphrates, Brass series, Concordia and Age of Steam come to my mind, maybe throw in Ingenious/Genial from Knizia aswell. Reiner Knizia nails these types of games really well.
Completely agree on Brass. The turns are deceptively simple, but the consequences of your decisions are far reaching.
Tigris & Euphrates is a great example of an elegant rules system with a lot of complexity.
T&E is a masterpiece
100% agree on Concordia, T&E, and Brass.... beautiful games!
I enjoy every one of your videos but this one was by far the most informative, inspiring and enjoyable for me.
I absolutely agree with you and I really would like to encourage game designer in designing more games with debth and complexity on one hand but with an easy access into the game on the other. I think the easy access would be appreciated by people being new into the hobby but also by experienced gamers learning so many different rules. Since several months there are lying some very interesting games on my shelf not played yet because learning the game rules would mean a lot of effort and work. Although there are still a lot of games on my shelf to discover I’m excited to hear you are designing a new game, I love your games.
Excellent video, especially the nice shout out to Inis as an elegant card drafter! Very curious to hear your thoughts about the upcoming expansion whenever you end up trying it :)
Kanban is one of my favorites of these games. The actions you can take are relatively simple, but figuring out how they all work together in order to achieve a high score is mind boggling.
And it's not like I'm already not going to buy your civilization game on day one, but your sneak peak descriptions of it in this episode have endured that I will prefer or even faster.
The deckbuilder you were trying to think of is probably Star Realms or Hero Realms. I think most deckbuilders will do well in this since you by definition start with a small simple set of options and progress to more advanced things later. Aeon's End springs to mind.
I'd say Spirit Island is also a good example of a simple core ruleset with progression to more advanced things. The list of phases is daunting, but each one is pretty simple and quick. The first thing everyone does in pick between a few Growth options. Later on, you can add more powerful and varied options with power cards and by unlocking your spirit powers.
Ascension too!
Evolution, Tigris & Euphrates, and Roll for the Galaxy.
Also totally agree on Inis, one of my favorites.
The Game Crafter has just announced a game design contest based on simple elegance, thanks for the explanation!
I enjoy the way that Legend of Andor (and its expansions) teach you the rules as you go. The quickstart rulebook is pretty much a setup explanation and a few simple rules. The game does the rest.
I've heard great things about Andor's tutorial! I still need to try that one.
@@jameystegmaier It's a great game if you like puzzles and aren't put off by the relative lack of killing creatures. It almost feels like a legacy game in the way new rules and components are revealed in each new adventure.
I think Spirit Island does this quiet well, giving you easier gods, pre selected cards and the option to play withou the blight card, then with each game you can decide how much complexity to add. We did have a pretty good time with the first game, though the rules at first glance seemed quiet a lot, but in the end to play it isn't that hard, just going by the rules. Also mystic Vale, you start with a deck of 20 cards which in themselves get more complex. I really like this game ^^
There is a category of games that are with simple rules/concepts but where the game status complexity grows organically and exponentially. Examples coming to mind would some be Splotter games like Indonesia, The Great Zimbabwe, or Food Chain Magnate. There are also games that have a very simple rule set but the complexity comes mainly from player interaction. Area control games like Tammany Hall or Walled Cities come to mind. Yunnan or Hansa Teutonica could be good examples of that as well. Along the same lines, a lot of auction games tend to have simple rules but the complexity comes from reading others’ players minds like in Ponzi Scheme or The Estates. Some games can have a more complex rule set but when played, the rules make so much sense that they can easily be comprehended and internalized. I want to say here Feudum, but many people would disagree. However, if one ignore the little somewhat overwrought corner game rules, the gameplay is just flowing and makes sense. Civilization A New Dawn would also fit this category. I would also put here Clans of Caledonia. Some very procedural games that break down the rules in small chunks and modules can be very deep without being extremely complex. Die Macher for example, conceptually is not very difficult but mastering it is a different story. Other good examples of elegant games mentioned elsewhere in the comments are Age of Industry (even more streamlined than Brass) or Steam/Age of Steam.
Lol... you’re so funny Jamey. Just drops casually in a top ten video that you’re developing a Civ-game... 😂😂😂
Great subject tho... very glad to hear that this Is how your Civ-game Is going to play out, easy to start and learn but with depth and complexity gradually developing! Can’t wait! 🤗
Jamey,
I like the idea you mentioned at the beginning “these are the 5 things you need to know and I’ll teach you the rest as we go”. Have you ever thought about adding some type of text into the rulebook like a quick “how I would teach the game” section? This is the part I always have trouble with unless I pre-plan.
I love that idea, I hope designers out there will hear you ;-)
Thanks Jim! I've included some notes about that in several of our rulebooks (with varying amounts of description depending on how much room I have). I like the idea!
Very interesting list! In my opinion some of the games, such as Mansions of madness, doesn’t fit to the easy to learn but with a great depth and and complexity category. More like easy to learn an voluminous. A lot of content but not a lot of depth and complexity.
I think Concordia is the unbeaten King in this field. Actually the last thing I think of with TfM is elegance. I can agree on Dominion for sure - and Isle of Skye, but its depth doesn't even get close to Concordia. But I still have to play Lords of Waterdeep, so thanks a lot for that reminder :D
I agree with evolution. Very simple game where combinations of cards and interaction with other players makes the game complex, yet with very simple mechanics. Agreed with concordia LoW, Dominion and Isle of Skye. Also Chronicles of Crime would fit into this category.
Century: Spice Road is another one which start s out really simple, with just 2 cards you can play in your hand and 4 actions to choose from. It has also only 2 pages of rules. It might not be complex enough though to really fit the bill.
You should add short time lapses of the games in your videos, so your viewers know which game you are talking about
Great video list! Eldritch Horror is a great game you can jump into and "teach on the go." The vast amount of content and the variability built into the gameplay make for a deep and rich experience.
This civilization game sounds very good!
I think Chess and Go could fit in this category. The rules for each are very simple to understand, yet there is a lot of emergent strategy that comes out of it. (edit: on second thought, these would count as deep but not complex)
A modern game that I really enjoy is Santorini. Again, very simple rules, but you have room to build some deep strategy, especially when you throw in the special powers.
I definitely resonate with what you feel. Abstract games typically fare well low-rules vs high-depth ratio. Santorini was also designed with that core concept in mind I feel.
While I don't think Chess is hard to learn, I also don't think the rules are elegant. Knights jumping other pieces. Pawns have the initial option to move 2 spaces, en passant, attack different from how they typically move, and they promote when they reach the other side of the board. Plus there's castling.
Chess being a popular game does more for making people think it's elegant that it actually is when you think about the rules.
@@VaultBoy13 With all due respect, I can't agree with your sentiment.
The list of exceptions in chess can be listed on a TH-cam comment paragraph as you have. Although I disagree with the few that you have listed as exceptions.
1)knights are consistent throughout so I don't think it's a valid exception
2) pawns are able to move 1 space forward and attacks the diagonals ahead of them which is also consistent throughout...
Although I think en passant and ranking up your pawn are consistent rules myself, I definitely see the counterargument that can be made (i.e why can't other pieces rank up? Or why does en passant apply to only pawn pieces?)
Nevertheless, these are only 4 exceptions I can think of- (you've mentioned all of them basically)
1). Only for first time you move a distinct pawn, you can choose to move upto two spaces
2) ranking up the pawn
3)en passant
4)castling
Now for a game that has such a short rule-set, is easy to learn (you've also attested to this), and has an absurd ratio of depth to rules, I think it is very elegant.
@Jamey More games need tutorial/walk-throughs! Like Root. I hope to see some in your upcoming games.
Maybe I've missed it, or Jamie's comment about other drafting games essentially covered it, but surprised not to see mention of 7 Wonders so far.
Definitely think Evolution (Climate) as mentioned by others is great.
While not the most elegant, I feel like Hyperborea had a really nice feel for a growing civilisation with an increasing complexity/power of actions and it was quite intuitive. While the bag-building was reminiscent of deckbuilding, I really appreciated how each colour of cube related to certain types of actions, i.e. green for movement, yellow for commerce, blue for science, etc. and the advanced technologies then gave you more powerful or efficient variations on these basics. Such an underrated game.
He puts 7 Wonders on a lot of lists as it is
So I've seen a few of this guy's videos and I JUST NOW REALIZED he's the designer of Scythe.😳
Perhaps I should mention my background as a designer a little more often in these videos? :) I often just jump right into talking about other designers' games. :)
@@jameystegmaier Awesome stuff. I salute you, sir!
Hello mr stegmaier.
What do you think about el grande?
Undoubtedly #1 for me is Nations here. Simple and elegant rules, which can be taught in 10 minutes, simple card effects, but all complexity and depth of full-civ game growths from other player's decisions.
Nice video
These are my favorite "genre". Loads of depth + low rules. Knizia is king in this realm.
I never thought I would hear myself utter these words, but Twilight Imperium would fit on this list. I have been very intimidated by it for years, because of its reputation. After a few plays, the 4th Edition gets check marks in several of your categories (asymmetric player powers, objectives that are revealed during the game, ramps the complexity). It starts off easy enough, build ships, move ships, control planets. A little combat maybe and then POLITICS. You play for hours (13 yesterday) just to come down to a single round where the player that has the most vision at that moment wins. I had victory in my control and just didn't see it. I LOVE THAT!!!!
I love Charterstone!!
I think Great Western Trail nails this by essentially giving you three options each turn. You don’t have to know what every spot does just the ones you can go to this turn. I was intimidated if it at first but it turned out that everything just made sense and the turns are actually really quick and simple.
Was the two player deckbuilding game you were thinking about Star Realms? Really simple but the depth comes from choosing what cards are best for your personal deck.
Yes, that's the one! :)
I want to name a ton of games, so I think I'll instead say I think Space Cowboys are probably the best at producing games in this category. Every game I've played of theirs' has been a staple always ready to play (except TIME Stories because I have to wait for a new module).
Are taking inspiration in other civilisation game to design your own or are trying to do your own thing ? Also when designing in general are you saying to yourself "Oh this game already does that, so I can't do it" ?
Kanbahn... i love all the different ways to get points and the theme is unique
Was the two player deckbuilding title Ascension you were looking for?
I was thinking about Star Realms. :)
I have never played a civilization game. Looks like that will change when ever you launch yours. I don't know how much complexity it adds but I think Quest to el Dorado does the same thing as Dominion but in a different and clever way because not all the cards are available at once. I think Clank also adds quite a bit of depth wile being very simple and I know I'm stretching it but to me it is really easy to teach Coimbra. But I know for other people is not.
What are your thoughts on Lisboa? It’s elegant and mildly complex
Thanks for asking! Here are my thoughts on Lisboa: th-cam.com/video/4ghPHBBnyns/w-d-xo.htmlsi=T2tV_05jTNUf1o2u
terraforming mars is a great example
Recently started creating my own games , wondering how we can submit our games to Stegmaier Games
The submissions page on our website. :)
Depth but not complex games: I'd include Blokus, Nmbr9, Splendor, Downforce, and Potion Explosion. Depth AND complex games: Five Tribes, Dice Forge, Dice City, and Photosynthesis.
Probably getting ahead of myself but from what I have watched I believe the coming Tidal Blades game will be simple to learn but offer many options and depth. I think you did a great job of calling out current games. You could make an argument that Chess fits this subject, no?
I would say that chess has plenty of depth (interesting decisions and strategy) but not complexity.
Jamey Stegmaier what is the difference?
I was really surprised by a casual mention of Root as a easy to teach game. As a person who teaches people to play board games for a living, usually the hard ones, and who loves Root dearly and who has memorized it, I find Root one of the hardest games to teach. This mostly applies to people who can't catch up with my initial explanations before the game starts, because once the game has started no actions the other players take help them to understand what they have to do. Also my predecessors hardcore GM Tori has told me the same thing, so I assumed that to be factual.
Perhaps I misspoke. I think Root does a good job of teaching each player what to do, as it includes cards for each faction that walk you through those things. Have you tried using those cards? I also think the faction mats do a good job of walking you through your turn.
@@jameystegmaier I have tried them, but people usually either are terrified by the fact that 15 minutes in the game they still don't understand what should they do and don't want any additional information, or, rarely, are already engaged with the game and don't want any distractions, so almost always when I offer these cards they are declined.
I have never tried to give these cards before explaining the rules though, I think I'll try that, thanks for the idea.
The mats, I agree, are superb, their design, the fact that they contain faction rules, are interactive and serve as a step-by-step instruction are, I believe, the main reason Leder Games could make Root as asymmetrical as it is.
The top ten list starts at 16:52
Tiny Towns did this for me over the weekend. If anyone has a chance to play it they should.
I bet you were thinking of Star Realms/Hero Realms as the head to head deck builder.
I was thinking the same thing.
I find Star/Hero Realms to be an elegant streamlined design, and fun, but I wouldn’t consider them complex.
I thought it was probably Ascension
I would consider Brass (Birmingham or Lancashire) as elegantly designed games, that are very complex, but not complicated. On your turn, you just play 2 cards from your hand, and there are only two types of cards in the game (industries, locations), so the game is not complicated and quite elegant in this sense. The complexity comes in when you have to decide what actions you want to perform with each card you play because there are usually several non-obvious decisions you can perform during your turn with your two cards.
Completely off topic, but are there any movie companies inquiring about making a scythe film?
The 1920+ world is Jakub's IP, so it's possible he's working with a producer on movie/TV content--I'm not a part of that process, though.
Hopefully he is indeed trying that avenue. Thank you for the reply.
Great Western Trail is the most elegant and complex game I know.
Five Tribes also fits
Fog of love is a great example!, I'm trying to find a game to get for Christmas and want something heavy and complex
Hey Jamey, I just read this very interesting IGN article on the topic of “Accessibility In gaming is not only based on difficulty/complexity” and It made me think about this Sunday sit down. Great read and I think could pull some inspiration from it. m.ign.com/articles/2019/04/05/sekiro-accessibility-in-games-is-about-far-more-than-difficulty
“The Estates”, “Quadropolis”and “The King is Dead”.
I disagree with Time Stories. I still am not 100% on how combat and skill checks work.
How can you disagree with the complexity or elegance evaluation of a game if you're not even familiar with the rules? You're about 2 dozen to a hundred games short of even offering an opinion.
@@ClarkPotter because of the very fact the rules are impenetrable. A truly elegant solution, the mechanics would be intuitive, to the point where the theme would suggest the proper way to take an action.
I love Terraforming Mars - love it - but I don't think it has elegant rules. Too many uncertainties on the order of operations. Maybe I'm reacting to having a Fryx brother rule on a rules debate I engaged in on bgg and learned I was wrong!
Concordia - second game I thought of in this category. Really love that one. It's the game I would rank "heaviest" in my collection just because my brain hurts when I play it (in a good way); crazy to think how that emerges from simple rules. I think The Voyages of Marco Polo has a lot of similarities to Concordia. It's not quite as streamlined, but might fit this category.
First one I thought of - Architects of the West Kingdom. You plop down a meeple each turn. That's it! Almost all the rules are on the board itself. There are some confusions occasionally with card powers, but it's really a streamlined game. No rounds, no "clean up phases", just game play. And it is certainly complex with several ways to get points and tactical decisions constantly. (I see it on your table!)
Of your games, Between Two Castles almost works in this category. The game play is very elegant, very streamlined. The complexity comes from the scoring, so I guess you could argue learning the scoring rules is a lot to learn. In principle it's all there on the tiles themselves, so the question is whether learning the iconography counts against it or for it.
Most games on my pile of shame probably don't fall in this category. I hesitate to wade through their rulebooks, because they look like being a lot of work.
No offence, but TIME Stories was a real odd choice imho. Not only do I agree with others, that the rules are fairly fiddly, for us in particular on how and when to spend a TU. We also had a couple of occasions, where we noticed in the middle of a game, that we did a new rule of the module completely wrong. But I also would say, that it is neither deep nor complex on the decision space. I enjoy it, but more as an interactive book, you are experiencing as a group. It's a border case, if I would call this an actual game, or more like an (entertaining) activity.
My #1, which came to mind, when I read the topic, and there is no game, which even comes close to represent your "Type 2" elegant & complex games as good, would be The Great Zimbabwe. Rules teach take a little longer then most of your mentioned games, but I would say still less then half the time of teaching Root, so I think, this would qualify. It also has a little bit of "Type 3" complexity, although the special powers are not dealt during setup, but taken during the game. But there are always 4 of the goods out of the game, and depending on, who is available, and who not, players should adapt. This "setup puzzle" is enhanced with a modular board.
lol I wouldn't call Root elegant, the player boards are really clear, sure, but it's still one of the hardest game to teach, or else we wouldn't need a walkthrough guide
I can't help but feel that a 4 page rulebook does not make for an elegant game if there is 100 cards that add/change/break rules from the core rule-set.
In my book, those are not necessarily elegant compared to games that stay consistent with only a few exceptions.
In the case of Concordia, though, I don't think that's the case. The new cards (basically) do the same thing as the starting cards, but they have enough room to actually have the rule written on the new card as well.
Two games that are purposefully smudged? I am intrigued good sir! ;)
Red box, second from top, is definitely Architects of the West Kingdom. Unique worker placement game that is one I love.
GMT COIN series
#1 Dominant Species
bushibayushi, I agree.
This is my favorite game, but I don't think it fits what he was talking about. In DomSpec, you have so many options for actions. If there were only 5 or so of them, and others were added as the game went on, then it would fit this description.
I think Fort Could go in here?
My current #1 probably Detective. Super simple.
Puerto Rico, Viticulture, and Scythe.
Puerto Rico
Try Mexica.
Here’s an underrated gem
Who is it that actually dislikes videos like this!? 😂
I always find the "thumbs down" a bit odd too. :)
Jamey Stegmaier I guess there must be some pretty miserable people around...
I agree with your description of elegant + complex games that they start off with a few decisions and then branch out to more decisions. They are also relatively light on the rulebook. However, I disagree with your example of terraforming mars. As a player who places an emphasis on elegant + complex games, TM has too many cards with too different card text. The "tapping" of cards make it too difficult for a newbie (like me) to keep track.
I observe that for games with cards/tiles to be elegant + complex, they need to have clear iconography or only a few types of card text (and not too much text). Examples of the former would be Hansa Teutonica, Gu Gong, Rajas of the Ganges. Examples of the latter would be Concordia, Dominion, The Expanse.
Brass Birmingham is elegant, but not too elegant (placement restrictions are not immediately apparent for a newbie). Yea all of the above are my favourite game minus Dominion.
I really wanna buy big board games.. the only thing is I don't have any friends interested in it...
Chicago Express
Civilization: Board game (the old one, that new release is incredibly dumbed down)
No cat today! 🙁
Cats are not simple, tho some are streamlined
I do believe there was some tidy cat in the background though
Root easy to learn? I beg to differ... The learning curve is huge. That's a classic example of too much assymetry for me, too hard to learn and explain to everyone. I prefer a "little bit" of assymetry (or different hidden goals), or assymetry that only gets revealed during the game (like in cosmic encounter if my memory serves me well, I haven't played it in ages!). Tons of rules is not fun for me. Charterstone is good with the fact that it adds complexity as the game goes. Inis is fantastic...
Yeah, I don't think Root is even close to simple to learn. I expected the first couple turn scenario and giving a brief overview of the factions to be enough for people to play. Nope. I spent more time looking in the rulebook for answers to questions than we played. Additionally, because I had to help everyone throughout the whole game, I never really had a chance to figure out how my faction should play.
It was incredibly disappointing because I wasn't close to prepared enough to teach the game despite reading the rules twice. I think there's a great game in there, but everyone else at the table was so burned out by the game that getting it back to the table is very unlikely.
We've been able to play games with more rules complexity, but there's less learning curve because the players mostly play by the same rules.
[edit]fixed phone typos[/edit]
Not easy to learn at all, especially the interactions between the completely different factions.
I didn't find it that difficult to learn, especially with the tutorial and understanding your faction board. Though there are some tricky bits. I played the Vagabond wrong during my 2nd game. The cats, though, are pretty straightforward, and the ravens? I think they are, are a very tricky faction to play, but aren't complex to learn. The woodland creatures were fairly tricky for me to get if not playing them.... but that wasn't an issue playing the game as just understanding the limits of their faction related to what I was attempting to accomplish.
I wouldn't call the game super simple, but certainly not all that complex. Try Vast, that one is much more complex. The factions not only play quite differently, with no commonality, unlike Root, but I know that a lot of people can't just sit down for like 10-15 minutes, read their specific rules, and get it enough to just go for it. That is what I did in my first and only game of Vast, and so I bought it without considering that I would have to actually get familiar enough with all of the factions to teach them all, rather than a player sit down and learn it from what's given. Root at least makes this a bit more manageable.
Rough time stamps would help, if a viewer is not interested in the whole video and just certain games and your opinion about them. :)
Sure, feel free to add them!
Photosynthesis... easy to learn, easy to teach, hard to master, zero luck.
+1 for DOMINANT SPECIES.
Very complex, yet the design makes it intuitive. The board gives you the options for the planning phase, and then reminds you of their order during the execution phase. And each action can be explained relatively straightforwardly. There’s a bit of housekeeping in the reseed phase and in determining dominance, but otherwise the design is very elegant.
I’d also argue for ORLEANS. Readily explainable, despite a fairly long rulebook, but one where once you know the rules it’s not hard to remember.
Finally, POWER GRID. The depth comes from the game itself. There’s a couple fiddly rules for the first round to have to recall, but otherwise a very streamlined experience.
EDIT: Also, I find NATIONS to fit this description.