Great idea. I like the recommendations on good games that we may not notice. But what about the ones that stand out, look awesome, but totally are not.
Barista kind of sounds weird, I wouldn't exactly say stupid, but it sounds like a really weird theme for a game, and it's actually pretty fun, and works relatively well.
I'm curious, i'm dating a korean girl, what board games did you find were great to play with koreans that were 'ok' with english, but were still earning.
I realize this video is more than 3 years old, but I just saw it for the first time, and it is easily one of my favorite Dice Tower vids. I laughed so hard more than once at the interactions between the three of you. Great stuff, guys!
You should leave shortcuts in the description so that we know what's in what order; that could help people get an overview of good games without randomly skipping around or have to watch all 30 min of your video.
Watching the video, even if they are almost 2 years old, is the best part and point of the videos. If you want just a list go to their website and look at the printed list
Here are some interesting ones to choose from: The player who goes first is the player who... Has "the most compelling reason to go first." Was born furthest to the North. Is having the worst day. Has the longest [known, presumably] line of ancestors. Will next have their birthday. Is the best cook. Has the pointiest ears. Grew up in the smallest town. Is wearing the most colorful clothing. Has the most money on their person. Can do the best monster impression. Is hungriest. Has the squarest head. Loses a game of rock-paper-scissors to the other player. Is the most experienced traveler. (In the sequel, it's the player who has visited the most European countries.) Starts on the board near the highest-populated city. Looks most like a pirate. Is playing the character with the closest birthday to the current day. Has the longest beard [alternative to rolling dice]. Woke up earliest. Is thirstiest. Has the closest birthday to February 12. Owns the game. Is tallest. Has the least hair. Can hold their breath underwater longest. Has the biggest nose. Most recently... Was sick. Was on an island. Ate nuts. Brewed something. Visited a zoo. Read a Bible. Planted a tree [or something like that]. Went swimming. Slew a dragon (real or fictional). Had a haircut. Went on a date. Visited a cave or went into a cellar. Was bitten [or stung?] by an insect. Did a good deed. Sacrificed something. Visited Hamburg. Ate cake. Sailed on a ship. Told a lie. Visited another city. Finished a book. Stood on a balcony. Flew in a plane. Saw a horse. Used a needle. Visited a forest. I am willing to provide the sources upon request.
Metal might be the most appropriate music genre for board games. They share a lot of the same themes. War, Vikings and LotR references all over the place!
I like having Kraftwerk in the background when playing Power Grid. Kraftwerk is German for 'power plant', Power Grid is about building power plants. Kraftwerk has tracks named Geiger Counter, Radioaktivität (radioactivity) and-stretching the relatedness a bit-Trans-Europa Express about a train network; Power Grid is a train game even though thematically it's not about trains: it has some of the mechanics of the 'train game' genre. Also, both Kraftwerk and Friedeman Friese (the designer of Power Grid) are German. Deep Purple are awesome for Magic (:tG)-Black Knight and Fireball are two very apropos songs. For Dominion I like (Black) Masquerade by Ritchie Blackmoore and Throne Room from the ending scene of Star Wars: A New Hope-it's a military-march-esque version of Luke's Theme. I think Eurogames are perhaps a little less Metal As Fuck compared to Ameritrash due to the absence or downplaying of violence.
I'm pretty sure this video used to be titled something like "Top 10 Games That Are Better Than They Sound." (I keep a list of most of the Top 10s, and I have it under "Better than they sound.")
Zee, I have ordered Mr. Jack Pocket from my FLGS because of your suggestion. I found a father and daughter on BGG that showed how to play it. Portland, Oregon has free movies and concerts in the park in the summer. Everyone gets there early, brings food and some of us play games. This one sounds perfect, and I'm sure I'll find some times to play it during the winter. Thanks!SueKuKu
I'd love to see a "Top ten compact games" - games that are physically small, but are still fun and have reasonable depth - games like Condottiere, Masques/Intrigo, and so on...
Any game that is "talking-centric"...as opposed to a game that you can just sit there and not have to speak at all. And always try to infuse talking into the game where it would not necessarily be so among native speakers. One of my main goals as an ESL teacher was conversation...being able to hold conversations in English. The more often they practice conversing in English the better. For example, if you're playing Catan, have them explain what they're doing in their turn as they do it.
I think that most of the games done by James Earnest of cheapass games sound really ridiculous but most are actually quite fun. Deadwood, where ayou are a supporting actor on a movie set, and One False Step for Mankind (something like that) where you are 1840's mayors of california shooting your residents to the moon to try and become governor are two of my favorites.
The flow and fun of this video was great. The korean comment THEN the reasoning because I was like "oh man, did he just say that?" Then the ducks in a row comment and the reaction to that was hilarious.
"Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza" was look really stupid and childish, even the name. Than I read the back how it can trick my mind, and I had even more doubt it can be fun at all. And than tried, now it is my favourite party game! Gus, you should try too!
Hey I am trying to put togeter a D&D group, I have not played in like 20 years. I have 4ted players/dm/ Monster man books and downloaded next ed playtest. Man I am totaly lost! Can anybody out there tell me how I could find a group of guys and gals that are close to my age (40) that I could adventure with? I really want to get back into the game, but live in podunk Arkansas. HELP!!!
I've played it a couple times; it can be good fun, although it's better as a drinking game imo. When I was a kid we used to play a game (called Spoons) with a standard deck of cards and a bunch of spoons which was basically the same game; you have a set of cards for each person playing, eg all the Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces for 4 players. Gameplay is the same as Toru, with the advantage of being effectively free and also can support much larger number of players.
From the perspective of a recent gameboard lover, I can say that I am mad at Settlers of Catan. For someone looking at the rows of board games, never played a real board game prior, Catan does not properly display how awesome of a game it really is, and then explaining it is even worse. I know I'll get flak for this, but it really does look and sound stupid compared to the amazing staple that it is. I went from sort of disliking it, to loving it and wanting all the expansions in one game.
The first I thought of is an old favourite - Ricochet Robots. The theme is cool enough, and when you know what's going on the game is great, but the way the it looks... Half a dozen people sit and stare intently at a nearly featureless board with four or five plain but brightly colored pieces on it. Sometimes they yell numbers, and after a while one of them moves a couple of the pieces around. Repeat. I love it (:
I'm not them. But my top 10 of solitaire games: 1.) Thunderbolt Apache Leader 2.) Field Commander Napoleon 3.) Gears of War 4.) Labyrinth: The War on Terror 5.) DnD Adventure System 6.) At the Gates of Loyang 7.) Friday 8.) Mage Knight 9.) Dungeon Twister 2 10.) Archipelago Honorable mentions: Fading Glory Star Trek: Expeditions Race for the Galaxy (with all 3 expansions. at least just the first one) Mice and Mystics
I think there are a couple of these types of lists over at thedicetower [dot] com. If not, there are definitely lists for "Gateway" or possibly "Family" games on boardgamegeek. My go to there is still Ticket to Ride. It's familiar enough that you don't lose anyone, but different enough to be interesting. Lords of Waterdeep works well for gateway Worker Placement-type games.
Wow i dislike Sam's attitude. And the way he treats his and other people game pieces/cards kinda pissed me off. I wouldn't want to play any game with someone like that.
Awww, no nomination for Bohnanza? Me: Okay, I've got this game. You: What's it about? Me: Cartoon beans! You: Uh-huh. Me: It was designed by the guy who made Agricola! You: ... Me: Where did you go? Okay, I guess it's not as weird as a game about shaking igloos full of Inuit children.
I've got a strange game called TORU that looks like it would be a stupid game but might turn out to be fun. It involves having a rack of plastic coins with symbols on. All the players pass coins to their left all at the same time while chanting "Toru, Toru, Toru...". When one person has a 4 of a kind and a 3 of a kind, they grab one of 4 dragon statues in the middle of the table, prompting the others to try and grab one too. Whoever doesn't have a statue is out
Gulp Gulo is a good candidate for this list. Loop in' Louie, as well. An older Moon/Weissblum game, Wongar, is a fantastic area control game with some of the weirdest physical design choices ever.
I was interested in Cyrano when I found out about it. Fairy Tale as well. ha Sam @ the duck comment. haha Smiley Face does seem like it'd be a stupid game. & I don't plan on playing the igloo game
I actually didn't pay much for my copy of Toru, it was £2 in a charity shop :) Although your Spoons game sounds like fun too and can be played on the cheap as most households will probably have a deck of cards lying around somewhere.
I think you guys need a playthrough series, like maybe we get to pick a game out of a few options that you provide us with, and then you record yourselves playing. anyone agree?:)
I am missing King of Tokyo in the list. I've not been buying this game for 2 years as I thought, the cover looks somehow weird. Now I own the game and it is really fun.
I really enjoyed the episode although I am still not sure if there are any of these I want to purchase ;) To be fair though it made me laugh several times.
I don't know if someone else much much earlier in the comments said this already, but the blowy thing that's a party favor is called a Blow Tickler. Great video!
![[Full Episode] The Restaurant War Thailand ศึกพ่อค้าซ่าแม่ค้าแซ่บ Episode 2 | 29 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3lfLNH6Ke4/mqdefault.jpg)
"three lists so far, but more soon" man he wasnt kidding!
YOU GUYS LIVE IN FLORIDA! sweet.
Great idea. I like the recommendations on good games that we may not notice. But what about the ones that stand out, look awesome, but totally are not.
Barista kind of sounds weird, I wouldn't exactly say stupid, but it sounds like a really weird theme for a game, and it's actually pretty fun, and works relatively well.
Faux Cabulary looks like a game of scrabble with weird house rules.
I'm curious, i'm dating a korean girl, what board games did you find were great to play with koreans that were 'ok' with english, but were still earning.
Which battle station? Can you send me a link?
WHAT?! SMASH UP IS NOT STUPID. It's perfection made real.
smash up loses it's appeal after about 5 plays.
Incorrect. I've been playing it for years. It has 3 expansions mang!
I'm sorry to hear that... You have my condolences.
Laughing hysterically throughout most of this ha ha ha
I was hoping that Zee would say that he uses Igloo Pop to 'break the ice'
I realize this video is more than 3 years old, but I just saw it for the first time, and it is easily one of my favorite Dice Tower vids. I laughed so hard more than once at the interactions between the three of you. Great stuff, guys!
You should leave shortcuts in the description so that we know what's in what order; that could help people get an overview of good games without randomly skipping around or have to watch all 30 min of your video.
Watching the video, even if they are almost 2 years old, is the best part and point of the videos. If you want just a list go to their website and look at the printed list
jared gilbert But they ramble on so much
Top 10 most ridiculous "who goes first" rules
Here are some interesting ones to choose from:
The player who goes first is the player who...
Has "the most compelling reason to go first."
Was born furthest to the North.
Is having the worst day.
Has the longest [known, presumably] line of ancestors.
Will next have their birthday.
Is the best cook.
Has the pointiest ears.
Grew up in the smallest town.
Is wearing the most colorful clothing.
Has the most money on their person.
Can do the best monster impression.
Is hungriest.
Has the squarest head.
Loses a game of rock-paper-scissors to the other player.
Is the most experienced traveler.
(In the sequel, it's the player who has visited the most European countries.)
Starts on the board near the highest-populated city.
Looks most like a pirate.
Is playing the character with the closest birthday to the current day.
Has the longest beard [alternative to rolling dice].
Woke up earliest.
Is thirstiest.
Has the closest birthday to February 12.
Owns the game.
Is tallest.
Has the least hair.
Can hold their breath underwater longest.
Has the biggest nose.
Most recently...
Was sick.
Was on an island.
Ate nuts.
Brewed something.
Visited a zoo.
Read a Bible.
Planted a tree [or something like that].
Went swimming.
Slew a dragon (real or fictional).
Had a haircut.
Went on a date.
Visited a cave or went into a cellar.
Was bitten [or stung?] by an insect.
Did a good deed.
Sacrificed something.
Visited Hamburg.
Ate cake.
Sailed on a ship.
Told a lie.
Visited another city.
Finished a book.
Stood on a balcony.
Flew in a plane.
Saw a horse.
Used a needle.
Visited a forest.
I am willing to provide the sources upon request.
In Small World they have a similar rule. The player with the most pointy ears will go first.
Now, dear TH-camrs, try to guess which one was taken from which game
Heavy Metal at a game store?
I am! Remove that sarcasm from thine voice. Board games are metal as fuck. XD
Metal might be the most appropriate music genre for board games. They share a lot of the same themes. War, Vikings and LotR references all over the place!
I like having Kraftwerk in the background when playing Power Grid.
Kraftwerk is German for 'power plant', Power Grid is about building power plants. Kraftwerk has tracks named Geiger Counter, Radioaktivität (radioactivity) and-stretching the relatedness a bit-Trans-Europa Express about a train network; Power Grid is a train game even though thematically it's not about trains: it has some of the mechanics of the 'train game' genre. Also, both Kraftwerk and Friedeman Friese (the designer of Power Grid) are German.
Deep Purple are awesome for Magic (:tG)-Black Knight and Fireball are two very apropos songs. For Dominion I like (Black) Masquerade by Ritchie Blackmoore and Throne Room from the ending scene of Star Wars: A New Hope-it's a military-march-esque version of Luke's Theme.
I think Eurogames are perhaps a little less Metal As Fuck compared to Ameritrash due to the absence or downplaying of violence.
I'm pretty sure this video used to be titled something like "Top 10 Games That Are Better Than They Sound." (I keep a list of most of the Top 10s, and I have it under "Better than they sound.")
I've been looking for a game where I need to sanitize the components after every play. Do you guys have any recommendations :)
Zee, I have ordered Mr. Jack Pocket from my FLGS because of your suggestion. I found a father and daughter on BGG that showed how to play it. Portland, Oregon has free movies and concerts in the park in the summer. Everyone gets there early, brings food and some of us play games. This one sounds perfect, and I'm sure I'll find some times to play it during the winter. Thanks!SueKuKu
I'd love to see a "Top ten compact games" - games that are physically small, but are still fun and have reasonable depth - games like Condottiere, Masques/Intrigo, and so on...
Dungeon Fighters is one of those games where you can try cheating but still fail so incredibly easily.
I am in game stores every week. Been into metal snce early 80's. Games of all kinds are metal.
I want to see a video of Sam actually having fun playing a game.
BATTLESTATIONS REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow sam takes life far too seriously, he is not made for presenting
I have Mr Jack Pocket.
Best quick filler for 2 players!
You can play Holmes detective team or Jack the Ripper so your role isn't always the same
I"m sure that Aslan would be strongly in favour of Yarnia.
kitty likes his yarn
Any game that is "talking-centric"...as opposed to a game that you can just sit there and not have to speak at all. And always try to infuse talking into the game where it would not necessarily be so among native speakers. One of my main goals as an ESL teacher was conversation...being able to hold conversations in English. The more often they practice conversing in English the better. For example, if you're playing Catan, have them explain what they're doing in their turn as they do it.
Sam is a major BUZZKILL !!!
Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards. The name and general style reeks of trying way too hard, but it's actually pretty fun, albeit chaotic.
I think that most of the games done by James Earnest of cheapass games sound really ridiculous but most are actually quite fun. Deadwood, where ayou are a supporting actor on a movie set, and One False Step for Mankind (something like that) where you are 1840's mayors of california shooting your residents to the moon to try and become governor are two of my favorites.
The other glorified Racko, based on their
"Top Ten Over-Rated Games," is Lost Cities.
The flow and fun of this video was great. The korean comment THEN the reasoning because I was like "oh man, did he just say that?"
Then the ducks in a row comment and the reaction to that was hilarious.
I love Sam's completely wrong description of how to play Fauxcabulary
Zee's remarks made me bust out laughing three times in this vid. He's great.
"Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza" was look really stupid and childish, even the name. Than I read the back how it can trick my mind, and I had even more doubt it can be fun at all.
And than tried, now it is my favourite party game! Gus, you should try too!
Sam wins this video... A miniature Game with out miniatures.. that just sounds like the dumbest idea ever.
Hey I am trying to put togeter a D&D group, I have not played in like 20 years. I have 4ted players/dm/ Monster man books and downloaded next ed playtest. Man I am totaly lost! Can anybody out there tell me how I could find a group of guys and gals that are close to my age (40) that I could adventure with? I really want to get back into the game, but live in podunk Arkansas. HELP!!!
I've played it a couple times; it can be good fun, although it's better as a drinking game imo. When I was a kid we used to play a game (called Spoons) with a standard deck of cards and a bunch of spoons which was basically the same game; you have a set of cards for each person playing, eg all the Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces for 4 players. Gameplay is the same as Toru, with the advantage of being effectively free and also can support much larger number of players.
From the perspective of a recent gameboard lover, I can say that I am mad at Settlers of Catan. For someone looking at the rows of board games, never played a real board game prior, Catan does not properly display how awesome of a game it really is, and then explaining it is even worse.
I know I'll get flak for this, but it really does look and sound stupid compared to the amazing staple that it is. I went from sort of disliking it, to loving it and wanting all the expansions in one game.
The first I thought of is an old favourite - Ricochet Robots. The theme is cool enough, and when you know what's going on the game is great, but the way the it looks... Half a dozen people sit and stare intently at a nearly featureless board with four or five plain but brightly colored pieces on it. Sometimes they yell numbers, and after a while one of them moves a couple of the pieces around. Repeat. I love it (:
I'm not them. But my top 10 of solitaire games:
1.) Thunderbolt Apache Leader
2.) Field Commander Napoleon
3.) Gears of War
4.) Labyrinth: The War on Terror
5.) DnD Adventure System
6.) At the Gates of Loyang
7.) Friday
8.) Mage Knight
9.) Dungeon Twister 2
10.) Archipelago
Honorable mentions:
Fading Glory
Star Trek: Expeditions
Race for the Galaxy (with all 3 expansions. at least just the first one)
Mice and Mystics
I think there are a couple of these types of lists over at thedicetower [dot] com. If not, there are definitely lists for "Gateway" or possibly "Family" games on boardgamegeek. My go to there is still Ticket to Ride. It's familiar enough that you don't lose anyone, but different enough to be interesting. Lords of Waterdeep works well for gateway Worker Placement-type games.
Wow i dislike Sam's attitude. And the way he treats his and other people game pieces/cards kinda pissed me off. I wouldn't want to play any game with someone like that.
Awww, no nomination for Bohnanza? Me: Okay, I've got this game. You: What's it about? Me: Cartoon beans! You: Uh-huh. Me: It was designed by the guy who made Agricola! You: ... Me: Where did you go?
Okay, I guess it's not as weird as a game about shaking igloos full of Inuit children.
I've got a strange game called TORU that looks like it would be a stupid game but might turn out to be fun. It involves having a rack of plastic coins with symbols on. All the players pass coins to their left all at the same time while chanting "Toru, Toru, Toru...". When one person has a 4 of a kind and a 3 of a kind, they grab one of 4 dragon statues in the middle of the table, prompting the others to try and grab one too. Whoever doesn't have a statue is out
Played Gloom last night. Learned one thing.... people have ****ed up imaginations. LOL
Gulp Gulo is a good candidate for this list. Loop in' Louie, as well. An older Moon/Weissblum game, Wongar, is a fantastic area control game with some of the weirdest physical design choices ever.
I was interested in Cyrano when I found out about it. Fairy Tale as well.
ha Sam @ the duck comment. haha Smiley Face does seem like it'd be a stupid game.
& I don't plan on playing the igloo game
I actually didn't pay much for my copy of Toru, it was £2 in a charity shop :) Although your Spoons game sounds like fun too and can be played on the cheap as most households will probably have a deck of cards lying around somewhere.
I love Smash Up! Pirate Ninjas? C'mon that's awesome! I would love to try catacombs
I think you guys need a playthrough series, like maybe we get to pick a game out of a few options that you provide us with, and then you record yourselves playing. anyone agree?:)
I am missing King of Tokyo in the list. I've not been buying this game for 2 years as I thought, the cover looks somehow weird. Now I own the game and it is really fun.
I really enjoyed the episode although I am still not sure if there are any of these I want to purchase ;) To be fair though it made me laugh several times.
How about "games that look really cool but then turn out to suck really bad."?
I like miniature games for the game. I hate doing the minis. I'd rather use cardboard chits instead of miniatures.
Fun video guys, but it could've been so much better if you cut out at least some of the joking around and concentrated more on the game play.
for me my favorite is Apples to Apples that game might seem stupid cause its just cards with words. but once you play it, my god it is so much fun
Curses. I didn't think I'd like the game (b/c I didn't care for Quelf, or Cranium), but the game creates alot of laughs with the right people.
I don't know if someone else much much earlier in the comments said this already, but the blowy thing that's a party favor is called a Blow Tickler.
Great video!
Wow I'm so glad you guys got better at these videos.
"Really bad Toys R Us reject look", I was laughing hard with that one!
A game that looks stupid but is really fun is 'Tall Bird, Short Bird'. It's a very simple game that's surprisingly high in strategy.
I want to hear the opposite list to this Top Ten list of games that sounded cool but actually were dumb... Like Apples to Apples.
You guys might want to reconsider putting the microphone for everyone on Tom's shirt. He really likes to react to EVERYTHING.
My girlfriend bought me Smash Up. I was actually quite surprised she picked out a fun game. /shrug. Who would've thunk it?
Did anyone else think "I play miniature war games for the painting and models" sounds a little like "I read playboy for the articles"?
Really? -Sam Healey
Go to BoardGameGeek and search for Battlestations (all one word) and I think it's the top result that Sam is talking about.
Smash Up: Too bad the game doesn't come with any counters for tracking. It isn't as user-friendly or fun as these guys say.
These reviews are interesting, but waaay too long. I wonder if anyone actually watches this without skipping parts.
It's TrÖtofant, German pronunciation sounds a little different ;)
I find that Trans America is a great game for getting people into more complex games. Good "starter" class game ;)
On the Fairy Tale game - there is a version by Z-man and one by What's Your Game. Are these two games identical?
I see you suffer from the same malady...trollololololololololol
WatchItPlayed posted about Dungeon Fighter over the weekend. Had the same response as you. Seems stupid, but liked it.
Yeah Battleground Fantasy Warfare is way cooler than it looks. I really like the command/movement mechanics.
B4 I went to the comments I bet myself 5 bucks that someone was gonna mention banter....... Top comment.
But if a game looks awesome enough the aesthetics just makes it worth while for sitting on your shelf.
So, when do you think you'll do a "Top 10 Games That Look Beyond Awesome But Stink Like Month Old Fish"?
Munchkin or killer bunnies they looked like looney toons with blood but acvtually played really fun
Tom's favorite line, "It's not horrible artwork". Were you thinking, 'Stop picking on my games.'?
If you shake the igloos HARD enough, the children and fish sticks come out with ketchup on them!
im not going to lie a lot of these games still look stupid but. battle ground and one or 2 more
Props to Zee for Mr. Jack Pocket- it really is quite good for a quick little coffeehouse duel.
quelf is a game that looked dumb but it was a blast. Great for parties or a board game night.
Top game mechaqnics that annoy us? Hmm..the Mansions of Madness combat card system....so dumb!
I find that Gloom sounded pretty lame but turned out to be awesome. Dixit was another one.
What song is that?! They use it as the theme for Plummer's Crack. Does it have a name?
Good idea for a drinking game - take a swig every time Sam thumps his arms on the desk!
gonna hafta agree with Sam on your #1 (Igloo Pop); stupid from concept to execution.
For me the game that looked stupid, but it is actually a fun game, was Snorta.
I have to say that I cringe at every box drop or component drop Tom does. Ouch.
I think as far as Sam is concerned, 95% of games start off as looking stupid lol
I wish I knew people that would be willing to play stuff like this with me :/
how did "Unexploded Cow" not make this list?
This video should really be entitled Games in Desperate Need of Retheming.
OK Trotofant - funniest thing I have seen on the Dice Tower! Z you da man!
I liked the idea of Dungeon Fighter but it ended being a big bust.
Another one I would vote for is Hotel Samoa. Pretty good list over all.
The anatomical name for the crook of your arm is the Antecubital space.
Opposite side of your elbow = antecubital (silly Latin medical terms)