The banter following Tom's sneeze (36:10) was excruciatingly funny. My stomach hurt from laughter for several minutes. Thank you guys for making my day.
Oooh Blue Moon City is coming back, this is great news. I have the original that I picked up from the BGG market. So happy that others will get to try this out, it is a lot of fun.
Sam, I bought Codinca over a year ago because of your review of it, and because of your high rating of an abstract strategy. Love it! Thank you for informing.
My wife called Near and Far "Far and Away" probably the first 5 or 6 times we played it. It's kind of become our thing now, like referring to the Saloon in the game as the Salon. Although, if you look at some of those character's hair styles, Salon kinda makes more sense.
Keep an eye out for it, they did a kickstarter that is currently being delivered to backers. So they did reprint it (along with several expansions), it's just not in anybody's hands yet.
There is an expansion for Elysium but you are correct Zee, it did not sell enough to be produced. Pretty sure I read it on the BGG Forums for the game that the designers made an expansion but it's not being picked up by the publisher. :(
Deus is pretty dry and boring for me (I do enjoy it a little), but it's a pretty light-medium game with multiple mechanisms that aren't done in light games.
Couldn't agree more about Battlelore 2nd edition!!! AMAZING GAME which is criminally undersupported. I have Mage Knight, Descent, Runebound and almost all expansions for them all but still play Battlelore 2e solo I love it that much!!! 😊😊
Shane Annigans Battlelore 2e was the first Commands and Colors game I owned, but the force-building with expansions didn't work for my play environment. Napoleonics replaced it for me :)
Ben Foster Really? That's a shame. I just watched a review of Napoleonics and it looks like there is just as much depth in both games-but I detest historical themes in wargames so I prefer the theme of Battlelore 2e.
I'm actually surprised it beats out (or maybe it doesn't?) above and below. I've never played A & B, but I've seen it played many times and seems like the better game. Maybe I'm wrong! :)
I didn't like the combined list at first because I wasn't crazy about it last time, but I think it works this go-round. Also, Zee's right, Elysium is awesome.
I'm not sure if it's true, but No Pun Included suggested that Fantasy Flight might be withdrawing support from BattleLore in order to focus on Runewars. If so, it makes me sad.
I don't get why most of you don't like Cyclades, the base game. I LOVE it, I think it's ma favorite game. It's not a fight game, neither is Scynthe, but I just love it! Still, I'm glad to see it in this top, though! :P
Is it me? Or I felt a little Dejavu when Tom was talking about how he likes the Trade and Intrigue in Orleans and Sam questioning it? I felt like I've seen this scene before lol
Yes I'm surprised they stop showing and image of each board game when being discussed. I wonder if it's either because they want us to go check the reviews just to get a glimpse of the game or perhaps it takes that much longer to edit these videos 🤔 either way love these videos! 💪🏽
Sam's complaint about Saint Malo is one of my big complaints with Captain Sonar, plus with Sonar it's really difficult to write everything you need on the overlay without smudging it, there's just so much you need written out or marked on it. I found it very frustrating.
I don't agree with Sam on much but Tannhauser is a game that I point students to to show them how a single good mechanic enables an entire idea. Tannhauser's circles mechanism is breathtakingly good and it speeds up one of the worst parts of a its genre of game.
Zee, how much of San Juan being ranked so highly is from nostalgia? If so many games have copied or improved upon it, should it be that high? When was the last time you played it?
Abyss had tons of brilliant ideas but the locations were unnecessary. Cut them out and simplify the key/locking just to be some VP tokens and the game would be way more streamlined and better. It's ALMOST excellent.
San Juan is my 57th favorite game, and do like it more than Puerto Rico, and needs more play. Dice Town is high on my "to play" list. Run, Fight, or Die! is my 16th favorite game even though I am not a zombie fan. The Sheriff Of Nottingham is my 76th favorite game and has dropped quite a bit, but is a favorite among my family. Balderdash/Beyond Balderdash is my 18th favorite game,. and was my favorite party game for a long time. But Insider just beat it out last week as it has been getting a lot of play and keeps rising. King of Tokyo is my 99th favorite game.
Not big on getting Time Stories since it's pretty much a one time deal and then it's done, since it is story driven and once you know the story it's a moot point to return to it. Sure, expansions add more stories, but to me it's not worth it. I can get more from Arkham Horror and it's expansions than from Time Stories.
It's amusing to me how so many "gamer" types (not TDT specifically) poo-pooed King of Tokyo for being too much of a gateway game, and then when they finally announce a more "gamer" version of it with King of New York they hype it to the moon and then... nobody plays it, in favor of the original.
U three where asking how it's mine is called in spain.... its not called es mio like u speculated. Its actually called it's mine but its really hard to get i dont know the reason why.
Strangely I feel just the opposite with Dominion and Thunderstone Advance. I found it easy and worse boring. Not helped by my disgruntled reaction to buying sets that all included starter cards all wasted after the first. Don't own any of it anymore.
Okay let me get this straight. If Imperial Assault didn't get any expansions Sam would keep it in his top 10, but since it got a lot of support its ranking dropped? Sam will be Sam I guess? :P
I sort of get it. Arkham Horror Card Game did this to me. I was on board until a new expansion was announced every other week. I just gave up and said never mind. Can I play the game without owning every expansion? Of course. But that completionist attitude so many have, like myself, gets in the way of enjoying it.
But... why? Why ruin the game for yourself? Why feel bad because you have more options for your game? I am a HUGE fan of both Imperial Assault and Shadows of Brimstone, for example. Both games have a TON of content released for them, from which I got just the most of. I am both happy with what I got and happy for others for having even more options in their copies. Don't let the fear of missing out ruin your fun :D
Yeah, I'm not sure how a game can "drop" 30 slots in a year. I understand that some games don't hold up as well over dozens of plays, but I would think that a game wouldn't even make it into the top 100 unless it already had "legs," so to speak. An expansion might be bad, but the original game can't get THAT worse, can it? On the other hand, I can see how a game can "grow on you" and rise in the list. I love the lists in general but this sort of position shifting makes me scratch my head.
Aside from Orleans and Descent (SW:IA), I'm didn't enjoy any of those games (of those I've played). My 40 - 31: 40 - Rating: 9.00 - Kanban: Automotive Revolution 39 - Rating: 9.00 - New York 1901 38 - Rating: 9.00 - Magic: The Gathering 37 - Rating: 9.00 - The Networks 36 - Rating: 9.00 - Dark Souls: The Board Game 35 - Rating: 9.00 - Evolution: Climate 34 - Rating: 9.00 - The Grizzled 33 - Rating: 9.00 - Between Two Cities 32 - Rating: 9.00 - Shakespeare 31 - Rating: 9.00 - The Golden Ages
TIME stories has dropped significantly for me too. My problem is I *HATED* prophecy of dragons, my entire group was miserable during the whole experience... And now, whenever I start playing a new one there's that FEAR of it being similar. Thankfully it hasnt happened again yet, but still that uneasy feeling is still here whenever we open a new expansion.
I love these guys, but they don't understand poker at all. Dice Town uses poker hands and that's it. Betting, gambling, bluffing, card counting, playing odds, reading people, trends; these are why people love poker. You wouldn't say, "You like Battleship? Then you'll love Codenames! It uses a grid and has blue and red teams too."
Yeah, when my poker friends and I play board games, we look for games that reproduce the _feel_ of poker. None of us love poker because we can make a flush... we love it because you can chat, bluff, push your luck, break the meta, etc.
Never really understood the argument of a game being too bloated with expansions. I know Arkham Horror gets the same critisism. Does the expansions diminish your enjoyment of the game? Easy solution, toss the expansion. Problem solved.
His point was fomo. Which I think is understandable. When the universe of a game gets so big and you don't have the time to dig into the meta and find the best setup, it's going to slip down the list of priorities. Add to that, he seemed to imply that the expansions don't really _add_ to the game, but only give you alternate things to play with. Which means you're storing a lot of stuff that you're not really using each game. Note that it's still WAY up on the top of this best games of all time.
Brandon Graham I adjusted my post a bit before posting and originaly did mention that I can "kinda" understand his fomo point. But even that is kinda weird as you can see you are enjoying the game less with each subsequent expansion so nothing to fear, you are not missing out. Fomo in this case is just irrational.
Sam... please please please stop with the long intros before mentioning the name. Often you start going into details, mechanics, etc. but viewers brains are in a certain mode waiting to hear the name, so they can then associate those things with. It does not work as well in the reverse order, as it's harder for the brain to retain random info without the name to stick it to.
SteoanK There are three people here. Some of us wish the other two did more teasing intros like Sam because we enjoy trying to guess based on his hints. For you, be happy only one of them does it.
The banter following Tom's sneeze (36:10) was excruciatingly funny. My stomach hurt from laughter for several minutes. Thank you guys for making my day.
Possessed Tom :D
143. Liking the three lists combined.
I’m with you on Abyss, Zee! Love that one!
I think I should keep a running count of the number of times that Tom says "Wow, that is really high" in reaction to Zee's pick.
turn it into a drinking game!
Lol this legit made me (Nick) laugh out loud
Oh yeah! One of the best parts of my day! Love this smash up series..... no pun intended! Thanks for another great list guys! Love the segues numbers!
There NEEDS to be a compilation video of Tom's sneezes!!
Oooh Blue Moon City is coming back, this is great news. I have the original that I picked up from the BGG market. So happy that others will get to try this out, it is a lot of fun.
Sam, I bought Codinca over a year ago because of your review of it, and because of your high rating of an abstract strategy. Love it! Thank you for informing.
The sneezing possessed part got me in stitches. Rewatched it like 5 times.
36:16 I've watched it so many times!!! Hahahaha and Sams reaction is priceless!
"Eat yo hat!" Oh my God. Seriously, though, I'm pleasantly surprised by the variety in Sam's list!
My wife called Near and Far "Far and Away" probably the first 5 or 6 times we played it. It's kind of become our thing now, like referring to the Saloon in the game as the Salon. Although, if you look at some of those character's hair styles, Salon kinda makes more sense.
I've been waiting for this one!
Cosmic Tavern me too!😏
#40 pronounced like Zee says it. There is no alternative pronunciation because of the accent aigu (é). The 'S' is silent.
I would like to know what Tom thinks about Sheep&Thief after testplaying it. :)
Sam thanks for putting Run Fight or Die on your list I keep forgetting about that one and I have been wanting to pick that up!
Calling it now, Gloomhaven is Tom's new no 1
Inis is one of my favorite games of this year
I have been trying to find catacombs, but it seems to be out of print. Any idea on when it will be back on the store shelves?
Keep an eye out for it, they did a kickstarter that is currently being delivered to backers. So they did reprint it (along with several expansions), it's just not in anybody's hands yet.
Taylor Sanders will be in stores / available from the Elzra website very soon! They're just shipping to KS backers first
Awesome TMNT made your top 100 Tom! Currently my favorite game!
There is an expansion for Elysium but you are correct Zee, it did not sell enough to be produced. Pretty sure I read it on the BGG Forums for the game that the designers made an expansion but it's not being picked up by the publisher. :(
I'm surprised there is an expansion for Deus but not Elysium.
Deus is pretty dry and boring for me (I do enjoy it a little), but it's a pretty light-medium game with multiple mechanisms that aren't done in light games.
Dice Town is a great family weight gateway style game. I need to check out that expansion. Good pick Sam!
Couldn't agree more about Battlelore 2nd edition!!!
AMAZING GAME which is criminally undersupported.
I have Mage Knight, Descent, Runebound and almost all expansions for them all but still play Battlelore 2e solo I love it that much!!! 😊😊
Shane Annigans Battlelore 2e was the first Commands and Colors game I owned, but the force-building with expansions didn't work for my play environment. Napoleonics replaced it for me :)
Ben Foster
Really? That's a shame.
I just watched a review of Napoleonics and it looks like there is just as much depth in both games-but I detest historical themes in wargames so I prefer the theme of Battlelore 2e.
Gotta love the fluidity of Zee's list. Just watched best games of 2007 and Zee said archeology the card game was number 11 lol
Glad to see Near and Far on the list.
I'm actually surprised it beats out (or maybe it doesn't?) above and below. I've never played A & B, but I've seen it played many times and seems like the better game. Maybe I'm wrong! :)
Totally agree with Zee re Archaeology, this is one of my favourite games and the latest edition is awesome. 👍
Run, Fight, or Die. Love that game too, Sam!
I didn't like the combined list at first because I wasn't crazy about it last time, but I think it works this go-round. Also, Zee's right, Elysium is awesome.
Don't give up on the Elysium expansions :) It's Space Cowboys, they LOVE expansions. Plus Deus got an expansion, surely Elysium can land one too :)
OMG I have tears of laughter after the 36:19 mark. I love you guys, you make me so happy
I'm not sure if it's true, but No Pun Included suggested that Fantasy Flight might be withdrawing support from BattleLore in order to focus on Runewars. If so, it makes me sad.
I love Elysium too. I hope for an expansion, but we would of probably seen one by now..... oh. Hi, Jamaica. :)
Archaeology New Expedition is so out of print :( Really hard to find.
I don't get why most of you don't like Cyclades, the base game. I LOVE it, I think it's ma favorite game. It's not a fight game, neither is Scynthe, but I just love it! Still, I'm glad to see it in this top, though! :P
Is it me? Or I felt a little Dejavu when Tom was talking about how he likes the Trade and Intrigue in Orleans and Sam questioning it? I felt like I've seen this scene before lol
Sam in his number 35 gives a rousing speech about the value of laissez-faire economics. XD
Saint Malo is a lot of fun - good one!
Sadly, you didn't do the game preview thing.
Mikolaj Witkowski in older videos they were showing pictures of the boardgames' set up they are speaking of :)
Yes I'm surprised they stop showing and image of each board game when being discussed. I wonder if it's either because they want us to go check the reviews just to get a glimpse of the game or perhaps it takes that much longer to edit these videos 🤔 either way love these videos! 💪🏽
Maybe copyright issues, who knows. :)
Is that a haunted game cafe hat from Fort Collins, CO?
The Spanish version of It's Mine is called Mine.
Sam's complaint about Saint Malo is one of my big complaints with Captain Sonar, plus with Sonar it's really difficult to write everything you need on the overlay without smudging it, there's just so much you need written out or marked on it. I found it very frustrating.
I'm with Sam, also a huge Tannhauser fan
LOL at Sam’s face at 20:28
Is there going to be a review of dead of winter warring colonies uploaded soon?
Mr. Midnight you’ll get it when you get it man
Why dont you guys show a game photo with components/setup anymore?
Zee pronounced Orléans the closest ;)
San Juan is the reason I haven’t purchased Race for the Galaxy. Gosh I need to start by making a top 10 or 20......
I think that Isle of Skye is better than carcassonne.
Have you played Cyclades Hades? thoughts?
5:04 small, co-op, abstract card-game for 1 or 2 players... surely that is higher than #40, right? Onirim?
Any news on whether Z-Man will be reprinting Carcassonne in the City or not?
I don't agree with Sam on much but Tannhauser is a game that I point students to to show them how a single good mechanic enables an entire idea. Tannhauser's circles mechanism is breathtakingly good and it speeds up one of the worst parts of a its genre of game.
King of Tokyo is fun but it is way too easy to score points and win. But it is still one of my top faves
Zee, how much of San Juan being ranked so highly is from nostalgia? If so many games have copied or improved upon it, should it be that high? When was the last time you played it?
haha Sam you are always a crack up. Love these lists, can't wait to see the rest :)
Sam better put necromunda on dat list lol
Sam is completely wrong on Dominion. It is the best and purest deck builder.
Thunderstone is the best :) Was kind of meh about Quest after seeing its art and a few new mechanisms. Original is more simple and better in that.
What the hell? :O
Who is reprinting Blue Moon City?
Eyal Itsik really!? Omg!
That's what Tom said....
Where can one get sheep and thief in the US?
Abyss had tons of brilliant ideas but the locations were unnecessary. Cut them out and simplify the key/locking just to be some VP tokens and the game would be way more streamlined and better. It's ALMOST excellent.
San Juan is my 57th favorite game, and do like it more than Puerto Rico, and needs more play.
Dice Town is high on my "to play" list.
Run, Fight, or Die! is my 16th favorite game even though I am not a zombie fan.
The Sheriff Of Nottingham is my 76th favorite game and has dropped quite a bit, but is a favorite among my family.
Balderdash/Beyond Balderdash is my 18th favorite game,. and was my favorite party game for a long time. But Insider just beat it out last week as it has been getting a lot of play and keeps rising.
King of Tokyo is my 99th favorite game.
What's the replayability of a game like time stories?
TylerAndToast Gaming Low. Play once for surprise and again to master a story. Beyond that you're best DMing for others or trading it.
Not big on getting Time Stories since it's pretty much a one time deal and then it's done, since it is story driven and once you know the story it's a moot point to return to it. Sure, expansions add more stories, but to me it's not worth it. I can get more from Arkham Horror and it's expansions than from Time Stories.
It's amusing to me how so many "gamer" types (not TDT specifically) poo-pooed King of Tokyo for being too much of a gateway game, and then when they finally announce a more "gamer" version of it with King of New York they hype it to the moon and then... nobody plays it, in favor of the original.
Wes Ray Part of that is probably because of the expansions.
Look at all them spinners.
U three where asking how it's mine is called in spain.... its not called es mio like u speculated. Its actually called it's mine but its really hard to get i dont know the reason why.
MOAR BATTLELORE
The Spanish version of "It's mine" I played was simply titled "It's mine" :)
Roberto Gualdi The title of the Spanish version is in English?
Thumbs up for adventure land
Finally!
36:18 best moment
Inis is a fantastic game!!! Love it
Why the hell would you have that many fidget spinners?? I can't think of a single reason to own even one! :/
Codinca? I don't know Sam, I prefer some context around my puzzles.
Whod compare summoner wars to battleground fw?
Zee Garcia: movement of jah people.
King of Tokyo is the ULTIMATE gateway!!! Number 1 gateway in my opinion
Sam = Fuller
Strangely I feel just the opposite with Dominion and Thunderstone Advance. I found it easy and worse boring. Not helped by my disgruntled reaction to buying sets that all included starter cards all wasted after the first. Don't own any of it anymore.
Okay let me get this straight.
If Imperial Assault didn't get any expansions Sam would keep it in his top 10, but since it got a lot of support its ranking dropped? Sam will be Sam I guess? :P
I sort of get it.
Arkham Horror Card Game did this to me. I was on board until a new expansion was announced every other week. I just gave up and said never mind.
Can I play the game without owning every expansion? Of course. But that completionist attitude so many have, like myself, gets in the way of enjoying it.
But... why? Why ruin the game for yourself? Why feel bad because you have more options for your game?
I am a HUGE fan of both Imperial Assault and Shadows of Brimstone, for example. Both games have a TON of content released for them, from which I got just the most of. I am both happy with what I got and happy for others for having even more options in their copies.
Don't let the fear of missing out ruin your fun :D
Daaaaang, Sam is lookin' good these days!
the greatest games of all time yet their positions keep changing every year.... I think should just drop the 'all times' from the title.
Yeah, I'm not sure how a game can "drop" 30 slots in a year. I understand that some games don't hold up as well over dozens of plays, but I would think that a game wouldn't even make it into the top 100 unless it already had "legs," so to speak. An expansion might be bad, but the original game can't get THAT worse, can it? On the other hand, I can see how a game can "grow on you" and rise in the list. I love the lists in general but this sort of position shifting makes me scratch my head.
Bill Morgan I was thinking the title should be, 'games that are we still like in 2017'. It will be more appropriate.
Would work better if like every sport's hall of fame, a game wasn't eligible until a few years after its release.
Good "count" review guys... I really like all three of you doing your "top 100" together.
How have you not played Adventureland Zee??? It’s a strategic family weight game
Aside from Orleans and Descent (SW:IA), I'm didn't enjoy any of those games (of those I've played). My 40 - 31:
40 - Rating: 9.00 - Kanban: Automotive Revolution
39 - Rating: 9.00 - New York 1901
38 - Rating: 9.00 - Magic: The Gathering
37 - Rating: 9.00 - The Networks
36 - Rating: 9.00 - Dark Souls: The Board Game
35 - Rating: 9.00 - Evolution: Climate
34 - Rating: 9.00 - The Grizzled
33 - Rating: 9.00 - Between Two Cities
32 - Rating: 9.00 - Shakespeare
31 - Rating: 9.00 - The Golden Ages
I like San Juan, but Puerto Rico is WAY better.
Please FFG, bring back Tannhäuser!!!
Juan Pablo Zabala They mostly like to stick to licensed games though. Anything else only gets reprints if they sell crazy volume quickly.
For me :
40. rush hour
39. battlesheep
38. hanabi
37. armadora
36. diamant
35. water lily
34. patchwork
33. love letter
32. quoridor
31. splendor
olivier debono rush hour? You mean the solo puzzle game with the cars? ThinkFun?
36:00
TIME stories has dropped significantly for me too. My problem is I *HATED* prophecy of dragons, my entire group was miserable during the whole experience... And now, whenever I start playing a new one there's that FEAR of it being similar.
Thankfully it hasnt happened again yet, but still that uneasy feeling is still here whenever we open a new expansion.
I love these guys, but they don't understand poker at all. Dice Town uses poker hands and that's it. Betting, gambling, bluffing, card counting, playing odds, reading people, trends; these are why people love poker. You wouldn't say, "You like Battleship? Then you'll love Codenames! It uses a grid and has blue and red teams too."
Yeah, when my poker friends and I play board games, we look for games that reproduce the _feel_ of poker. None of us love poker because we can make a flush... we love it because you can chat, bluff, push your luck, break the meta, etc.
Never really understood the argument of a game being too bloated with expansions. I know Arkham Horror gets the same critisism. Does the expansions diminish your enjoyment of the game? Easy solution, toss the expansion. Problem solved.
His point was fomo. Which I think is understandable. When the universe of a game gets so big and you don't have the time to dig into the meta and find the best setup, it's going to slip down the list of priorities. Add to that, he seemed to imply that the expansions don't really _add_ to the game, but only give you alternate things to play with. Which means you're storing a lot of stuff that you're not really using each game. Note that it's still WAY up on the top of this best games of all time.
Brandon Graham I adjusted my post a bit before posting and originaly did mention that I can "kinda" understand his fomo point. But even that is kinda weird as you can see you are enjoying the game less with each subsequent expansion so nothing to fear, you are not missing out. Fomo in this case is just irrational.
I’m sorry Sam but run fight or dies is an awful game
Matt Tinnell No way that game is great! I really dig RFoD.
Donald Trump's favorite game on this list will be Carcassonne: The City for one reason...
OMG pronunciation guys.... don't you know french peoples have feelings too.
they're notorious for not pronouncing things correctly and inventing words ;-P I let it go a LONG time ago
Sam... please please please stop with the long intros before mentioning the name. Often you start going into details, mechanics, etc. but viewers brains are in a certain mode waiting to hear the name, so they can then associate those things with. It does not work as well in the reverse order, as it's harder for the brain to retain random info without the name to stick it to.
SteoanK There are three people here. Some of us wish the other two did more teasing intros like Sam because we enjoy trying to guess based on his hints. For you, be happy only one of them does it.