Haven't used Pub Meeple yet but seems like a great way to review the games you've played for the year. Thanks for taking a chance with Mythwind and can't wait to see how the expansion adds to your enjoyment of the game!
You are a bit late to the 2023 party … 😉 Voidfall was my game of the year 2023, a masterpiece imho. Thanks for all your videos in 2024, looking forward to 2025. Happy New Year!
I'm definitely getting jaded with recipe games as well... Funnily enough, it was Unconscious Mind that started bothering me in that regard. Such a gorgeous game, with mechanisms galore, and all I can think about with regards to it is how I'm just ticking off the recipe ingredients.
It is a shame. A lot of people talk about how great the theme in the game is. The SETTING is nice, yes, and the artwork and production quality is fantastic. But ultimately, the entire mechanism for getting the insights and moving them to the right positions so you have the right ones to treat a client is just a mechanical recipe.
Phew under three hours. That will keep the three hour police off your back!! Thanks for all you do Paul. Keep up the good work and Happy New Year to you!
I enjoyed listening to your stories and thoughts about the games! But I was sad to not see Darwin's Journey under consideration - I hope you get a chance to play it someday Paul! That said, I bought rebuilding Seattle largely because of your thoughts and playthrough (and I grew up there), and was absolutely not disappointed - it's such a fantastic game!
Voidfall will be a game that I will own eventually. Right now I have too many games coming in, keeping my eye on the second hand market to see if I can get a good price on it. But I think most love the game and dont want to sell it haha.
I'm very curious to hear your thoughts as you get deeper into Earthborne Rangers; like you, I had a great time at the beginning of the game but as it went on, the systems and story didn't hold up. I hope that's not the case for you and you love it all the way through but would love an update video on that one!
Interesting that your complaint with Archeologic being down to turn order is one of my issues that made me sell Cryptid (the other issue being that it breaks if one person gives a wrong answer which seems to happen 50% of the time). I have it on my shelf of shame though, so disappointed to hear that. I’m hoping it’s good solo. I agree that Turing Machine is fantastic, though I’ve only played solo and probably only would play solo as it’s no fun for anyone to sit there watching me work out loads of stuff before I even ask a single question.
Great video Paul, but are you going to nail your colours to the mast and put out your Top 10 as chosen by you just looking at the games (rather than Pub Meeple) 😀? It will be interesting to see what you would boot out for Nucleum and Hegemony 😉
@@anzac_exile3780 no plans to. This video will suffice. I talk about this a bit at the end. There is no doubt Hegemony and Nucleum are Top 10 games of the year. I just personally prefer others because I can’t fully handle those ones :)
Trials of Tempus worked really well for our group. Played it 4 times and every game had an epic story for us.Might have house ruled a couple of times but wasn’t a big deal for us. Would love to know what didn’t work for you Paul. World Wonder ,Rebuilding Seattle and Pirates of Maracaibo are all games that would also be in my top 10. Earthborn rangers one I most want to play. 🙂
Would be interested to hear how you handled the boss fight at the end of Trials of T. It just didn't work at all for us, and in the original rules, its health didn't scale at all, so with fewer people, it was just impossible. But mainly, you get absolutely nothing from wounding or killing it. I think its a design flaw to have no incentive at all to kill the boss, which is the end game trigger. In fact, you want to avoid the boss, since fighting it is dangerous and gets you nothing. It should have been worth VP to hit it, and more VP to kill it so players have an incentive to do so. Also, the monsters should have been more different.
No doubt about CoB deluxe is overproduced. We don't need minis for our eurogames! We have played Mother of Frankenstein part 1 and liked it. Good puzzles and fine story. And just got the 2nd and 3rd so looking forward to those. How do you compare Nucleum with Brass then? For me Earth is an ok game. But I would rather play Wingspan for example. Thank you being you and for another year of great content.Hope you had a great evening with Vicki and friends.
I disagree. The basic SE is only slightly more expensive than the "classic" version of the SE, and only includes a few minis (yeah, castles aren't really necessary). The base price for classic is not bad value (well, maybe not so much after tax+shipping). The solo mode is a great addition, and although I've not played vineyards, it looks interesting. The larger tiles and holders are a great addition (I have played the original version), but I appreciate the extra table space can be an issue. I did not own CoB previously and not only was I able to get it with all expansions in one place, I get an excellent solo mode (which was what held me off) and I appreciate the quality of life improvements they made. I didn't get the acrylic tiles (but they do look good). I do think the minis for tiles is too much, but they are an added option and if one wants it, then go for it!
I was surprised by Nucleum being lower and Rebuilding Seattle doing so well. I really like Rebuilding Seattle and bought it because of your plays but it isn't one you hear much about.
I agree with most of your decisions. Ranking your top 15 would have been hard for me too. Nucleum and Hegemony would have been higher on my list but i totally agree with Voidfall and GWT New Zealand. I also agree on Earth beeing around 20. Its a great game but it is not a number 1 game. I don´t know why so many english-speaking channels had earth so high. Here in Germany most of the people would have agreed with your opinion. Darwins Journey, Corduba and Keops would have been in my top 10 i guess.
I find Star Realms devoid of any meaningful decisions. MindBug is quick and fun, I will give you that, but I actually think about my moves with more than 0.0001% of my brain :)
There are some important ones missing, but you probably have not played them (what would be surprising for me in case of the fantastic Darwins Journey). My number one by far is Horseless Carriage from splotter. Once again a phenomenal design by them, in every play you find new interactions and the rules are not that hard. It can suffer a lot from AP, but I will avoid playing it with such players. Additionally missing are Arborea, which I like way more then Dani Garcias other game Barcelona. Also Stationfall was published in 2023, but for me its a 2024 game, as the english/german editions came out 2024. Otherwise I only found Path of Civilizations which I ranked 8 or higher, that was also missing and not a reprint (like Mindbug Beyond Evolution/Eternity). Have not played Cusco, but love Bora Bora (would have called it a reprint, so would count). Last I would mention were Aelderman and the small game Prey Another Day (had so much fun in different groups with it). Thanks for your effort and like revisiting the bests of the year a little later. So my Top 10 would be: 1) Horseless Carriage 2) Darwins Journey 3) Great Western Trail Newsealand 4) Earth 5) Nucleum 6) Hegemony 7) Stationfall (if counted as 2023) 8) Oros 9) Arborea 10) Kutna Hora
I am opening Evenfall, as i am watching this and seeing it loose 3 times in a row. That hurt my heart. 😂 Especially, when it lost to Dune: Imperium. Imperium is the type of game that is addictive, but frustrating to play. I never have a fun time playing that game. Even when I am winning. Yet, that is me.
This video is so wierd. You bounce around so frequent between choosing a game you'd rather play, then which game you do better in, then which game is better designed, then which game you enjoyed more...pick a mindset already hahaha this list is like a multiverse of lists combined. 😂
Yeah, I realise I did a bit of that. I actually talked about this during the video. It was still fun though, but Nucleum and Hegemony should have definitely been higher.
EARTH is 10/10 hands down the best of 2023...and what i love is they printed the name of every single person who backed the game on kickstarter on the inside of the box cover! classy move....great game cant wait to get the expansion
how many games have an action that lets u draw 4 cards! not to mention 2 of the 4 actions let you draw and a plethora of cards in your tableau when triggered let u draw...not as random as people think
Very nice list Paul! It's always nice to hear your stories about the games :)
Fun video! Thanks for doing this. FWIW, my wife and I really like Oros a lot. World Wonders is probably our favorite from 2023.
Haven't used Pub Meeple yet but seems like a great way to review the games you've played for the year. Thanks for taking a chance with Mythwind and can't wait to see how the expansion adds to your enjoyment of the game!
Indeed. I think once Mythwind has had the tweaks, it will be great!
Appreciate your honesty. Happy new year :-)
Happy new year! Thanks for all the videos you do. Enjoyed the stream
Happy new year and thank you for the wonderful stories!
Love you, Paul!
You are one of the best in what you do!
Happy New Year and all the very best to you and your loved ones!
Love your channel!
Hope you have some time for Aeon Trespass cycle 2 soon. I’m about to start it
Great fun watching you choose. Thanks!
You are a bit late to the 2023 party … 😉 Voidfall was my game of the year 2023, a masterpiece imho. Thanks for all your videos in 2024, looking forward to 2025. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Paul! 🎉 Voidfall was mine for that year . An amazing game .
I respect your decision - it is your channel after all. I would say the play of CoB (SE) solo + vineyards was very different to any previous version.
I'm definitely getting jaded with recipe games as well... Funnily enough, it was Unconscious Mind that started bothering me in that regard. Such a gorgeous game, with mechanisms galore, and all I can think about with regards to it is how I'm just ticking off the recipe ingredients.
It is a shame. A lot of people talk about how great the theme in the game is. The SETTING is nice, yes, and the artwork and production quality is fantastic. But ultimately, the entire mechanism for getting the insights and moving them to the right positions so you have the right ones to treat a client is just a mechanical recipe.
Phew under three hours. That will keep the three hour police off your back!! Thanks for all you do Paul. Keep up the good work and Happy New Year to you!
Wouldn't want to get arrested on the last day of the year!
I enjoyed listening to your stories and thoughts about the games! But I was sad to not see Darwin's Journey under consideration - I hope you get a chance to play it someday Paul! That said, I bought rebuilding Seattle largely because of your thoughts and playthrough (and I grew up there), and was absolutely not disappointed - it's such a fantastic game!
I love Darwins, only played it solo but its very enjoyable
I’m late to the party having just played Darwin’s Journey a week ago for the first time. It’s fantastic!
Charity made me subscribe! 😊
A "short" video he says...on New Years Eve no less....are you still married Paul???
I did all the tidying before the stream :)
I would like to see this every year, great format. I have GWT New Zealand, Age of Innovation & DI: Uprising from your list.
Voidfall will be a game that I will own eventually. Right now I have too many games coming in, keeping my eye on the second hand market to see if I can get a good price on it. But I think most love the game and dont want to sell it haha.
Happy new year, Paul! 🎆
I knew voidfall would be No1! That was a fun watch, really enjoyed all the stories and the tough decisions. I need to get a game of GWT:NZ played
I'm very curious to hear your thoughts as you get deeper into Earthborne Rangers; like you, I had a great time at the beginning of the game but as it went on, the systems and story didn't hold up. I hope that's not the case for you and you love it all the way through but would love an update video on that one!
Interesting that your complaint with Archeologic being down to turn order is one of my issues that made me sell Cryptid (the other issue being that it breaks if one person gives a wrong answer which seems to happen 50% of the time). I have it on my shelf of shame though, so disappointed to hear that.
I’m hoping it’s good solo. I agree that Turing Machine is fantastic, though I’ve only played solo and probably only would play solo as it’s no fun for anyone to sit there watching me work out loads of stuff before I even ask a single question.
Great video Paul, but are you going to nail your colours to the mast and put out your Top 10 as chosen by you just looking at the games (rather than Pub Meeple) 😀?
It will be interesting to see what you would boot out for Nucleum and Hegemony 😉
@@anzac_exile3780 no plans to. This video will suffice. I talk about this a bit at the end.
There is no doubt Hegemony and Nucleum are Top 10 games of the year. I just personally prefer others because I can’t fully handle those ones :)
Trials of Tempus worked really well for our group. Played it 4 times and every game had an epic story for us.Might have house ruled a couple of times but wasn’t a big deal for us.
Would love to know what didn’t work for you Paul.
World Wonder ,Rebuilding Seattle and Pirates of Maracaibo are all games that would also be in my top 10.
Earthborn rangers one I most want to play. 🙂
Would be interested to hear how you handled the boss fight at the end of Trials of T. It just didn't work at all for us, and in the original rules, its health didn't scale at all, so with fewer people, it was just impossible.
But mainly, you get absolutely nothing from wounding or killing it. I think its a design flaw to have no incentive at all to kill the boss, which is the end game trigger.
In fact, you want to avoid the boss, since fighting it is dangerous and gets you nothing.
It should have been worth VP to hit it, and more VP to kill it so players have an incentive to do so.
Also, the monsters should have been more different.
No doubt about CoB deluxe is overproduced. We don't need minis for our eurogames!
We have played Mother of Frankenstein part 1 and liked it. Good puzzles and fine story. And just got the 2nd and 3rd so looking forward to those.
How do you compare Nucleum with Brass then?
For me Earth is an ok game. But I would rather play Wingspan for example.
Thank you being you and for another year of great content.Hope you had a great evening with Vicki and friends.
I disagree. The basic SE is only slightly more expensive than the "classic" version of the SE, and only includes a few minis (yeah, castles aren't really necessary). The base price for classic is not bad value (well, maybe not so much after tax+shipping). The solo mode is a great addition, and although I've not played vineyards, it looks interesting. The larger tiles and holders are a great addition (I have played the original version), but I appreciate the extra table space can be an issue. I did not own CoB previously and not only was I able to get it with all expansions in one place, I get an excellent solo mode (which was what held me off) and I appreciate the quality of life improvements they made. I didn't get the acrylic tiles (but they do look good). I do think the minis for tiles is too much, but they are an added option and if one wants it, then go for it!
I was surprised by Nucleum being lower and Rebuilding Seattle doing so well. I really like Rebuilding Seattle and bought it because of your plays but it isn't one you hear much about.
no paul i know and love rebuilding seattle...solo mode is one of ur favs
Oh man, it would be so wizard to see a 4p game on the channel of Star Wars the deckbuilding game mashing the two sets together.
It's on the list of things to do this year.
I agree with most of your decisions. Ranking your top 15 would have been hard for me too. Nucleum and Hegemony would have been higher on my list but i totally agree with Voidfall and GWT New Zealand. I also agree on Earth beeing around 20. Its a great game but it is not a number 1 game. I don´t know why so many english-speaking channels had earth so high. Here in Germany most of the people would have agreed with your opinion. Darwins Journey, Corduba and Keops would have been in my top 10 i guess.
Happy New Year🎊
Curious, for the way you talk about Star Relms, quick, wild and swingy, what are your thoughts on Mindbug?
I find Star Realms devoid of any meaningful decisions.
MindBug is quick and fun, I will give you that, but I actually think about my moves with more than 0.0001% of my brain :)
There are some important ones missing, but you probably have not played them (what would be surprising for me in case of the fantastic Darwins Journey). My number one by far is Horseless Carriage from splotter. Once again a phenomenal design by them, in every play you find new interactions and the rules are not that hard. It can suffer a lot from AP, but I will avoid playing it with such players. Additionally missing are Arborea, which I like way more then Dani Garcias other game Barcelona. Also Stationfall was published in 2023, but for me its a 2024 game, as the english/german editions came out 2024. Otherwise I only found Path of Civilizations which I ranked 8 or higher, that was also missing and not a reprint (like Mindbug Beyond Evolution/Eternity). Have not played Cusco, but love Bora Bora (would have called it a reprint, so would count). Last I would mention were Aelderman and the small game Prey Another Day (had so much fun in different groups with it).
Thanks for your effort and like revisiting the bests of the year a little later.
So my Top 10 would be:
1) Horseless Carriage
2) Darwins Journey
3) Great Western Trail Newsealand
4) Earth
5) Nucleum
6) Hegemony
7) Stationfall (if counted as 2023)
8) Oros
9) Arborea
10) Kutna Hora
I only rated games I had played :)
Is it possible for this to be on podcast, paul?
No plans to at the moment.
I am opening Evenfall, as i am watching this and seeing it loose 3 times in a row. That hurt my heart. 😂
Especially, when it lost to Dune: Imperium. Imperium is the type of game that is addictive, but frustrating to play. I never have a fun time playing that game. Even when I am winning. Yet, that is me.
Have the dates of Gridcon been announced for 2025. Checked the website and Facebook but can't see anything yet
Not yet. Hopeful to announce it around March
Fun times watching this.
This video is so wierd. You bounce around so frequent between choosing a game you'd rather play, then which game you do better in, then which game is better designed, then which game you enjoyed more...pick a mindset already hahaha this list is like a multiverse of lists combined. 😂
Yeah, I realise I did a bit of that. I actually talked about this during the video.
It was still fun though, but Nucleum and Hegemony should have definitely been higher.
@GamingRulesVideos Agreed, still a fun list.
Gee maybe I should check out annunaki
EARTH is 10/10 hands down the best of 2023...and what i love is they printed the name of every single person who backed the game on kickstarter on the inside of the box cover! classy move....great game cant wait to get the expansion
how many games have an action that lets u draw 4 cards! not to mention 2 of the 4 actions let you draw and a plethora of cards in your tableau when triggered let u draw...not as random as people think
The publisher does that for all their games. It's a great thing.
No Aeon Trespass Odyssey on the list at all? Or is that for 2024 next year?
This is not the games I played in 2023.
It is the games officially classed as a "2023" game according to BGG.
ATO is 2022.
And I spoke about ATO in my Top 10 games of 2022 which is on the channel :)
@@GamingRulesVideos Ah you are correct. It is 2022. My mistake!
@@xTriforce22 Yep. I do remember talking about it in my Top 10 of that year. Check it out :)
last i checked the pyramids and angkor wat are not built adjacent to one another
Is this in reference to something?
Did I say something like this in the stream?
@@GamingRulesVideos lol! its a bad joke about world wonders...