I used to do something similar to telestrations with some friends of mine, each person got a piece of paper and a pen(or pencil) and then started to write some sort of story, when someone was satisfied with whatever they had written(usually no more than 2 lines) they shouted "stop!" and then we folded the paper so that only the last line could be seen and passed the paper to the next player, that player had to continue the story from what was written in the last line, you go on like that until your paper gets back to you, we had sooo many laughs playing this!
As much as I loved this for the amazingly fun humor and well presented games, I also sincerely loved the complete and wholesome tale weaved throughout all of the acted scenes, incredible work! Looking forward to your next video :D
+MGswiftillusion Thank you - I know I shouldn't have favourite comments, but I'm delighted to hear someone enjoyed that element. I'm a big fan of Christmas films, so I couldn't miss the opportunity to tell a mini Christmas tale.
Brilliantly funny (and informative). My 9-year old son and I have watched your video multiple times and have been repeating lines from your video for several days.
I have just found your channel and started watching the videos in 2021. So funny, interesting, and informative. For some reason, I especially enjoy the Christmas ones! Please keep the board game videos coming!
This was hilarious, and very informative! But seriously, you've already honed your humor and delivery to a great degree in the last several months. I'm sure this one took a lot of time to film and edit--kudos!
+Hanh-Nhi Pham Oh, I feel you. It's always tough. You have to be brave! And come equipped with the right games :) But the alternative is usually to sit around half-listening to a TV show you didn't choose. For me, anyway.
Great video, made me chuckle and had a few great picks. I always travel with a few games when I head back to folks' house but Dixit, Ticket to Ride, Wits and Wagers and Codenames will certainly be coming along with me this Christmas. You've made me consider bringing Concept as well - I absolutely love it, but I've played so many games of it that have fallen completely flat and I have seen a fair few people completely freeze under the pressure they feel when playing the game, so I'm still undecided... I'm definitely going to be checking out Word on the Street too - that seems right up my family's alley.
+Richie Do you mean the pressure of giving the clues? I don't know if you already do this - but I've found that Concept works best when you do the clue-giving in pairs. I've had people freeze up on their own, but there's something about two minds thinking through a problem that helps keep it moving. It's funny because I find Codenames to suffer from freezing much more so, but I guess as with everything it's group dependent. Glad you liked the video!
Dicetower or tabletop should hire you, you just by yourself bring more entertainment To the table then all them other folks! + ur quite a handsome fella mate!
+Actualol I have a sister that cannot wink without using her finger to close one of her eyelids. She has tried so hard, it looks like she is having a stroke. Perhaps we could let her blow a kiss or something.
Yes, certainly. The rulebook mentions that - and the games would work just the same if you agree beforehand that instead of winking one person nods their head, or smirks, or sticks out their tongue, or something like that.
I've been enjoying binge-watching your videos. Here it is February 2017 and I just watched this video. I'm happy to note that this past Christmas, my family played and enjoyed six of these ten games: Timeline (Challenge), Sushi Go (Party), Camel Up, Ticket to Ride, Concept, and Wink. Wink is a especially silly blast! So I can testify that this list has great recommendations. Thank you!
We do board games every year along with classic card and dice games. The only game I make sure I always have is Arabian Nights. It is crazy long but since the person before you and after you read you fate it keeps people involved and is overall a really fun game that you can only play a few times a year IMO (you will slowly learn the stories if you play it to often)
This Christmas we started playing Letters to Santa, which is just Love Letters with a Christmas theme. Your skits are fantastic. Gave you a follow on Twitter too.
Definitely bought Concept and Timeline after watching this. A couple friends and I just started getting into cooperative games this year. We started with Pandemic, clearly a gateway drug, and just bought Dead of Winter which seems more complex but still really neat. Any chance of a segment on co-op/semi co-op/mostly friendly games to play with people who like games but aren't necessarily out to beat each other?
+Sarah P That sounds like a cool idea - I'd certainly consider making a video about that in the future. I also love co-op games, Pandemic and Dead of Winter are favourites of mine. A new one I like is Burgle Bros. about doing a bank heist together.
+Actualol Fantastic! I love your channel and videos. Great execution, very approachable, and you touch on a lot of aspects that my game group cares about. Keep up the good work!
You should be your own comedy troupe. Those three guys from "Leage of Gentelmen", those two guys from "Little Britain"? You've got it all in one! Love Ticket to Ride though and you introduced me to a few new party games I'll have to try. I like Dixit for casual game groups too.
+James Silcott TTR Nordic Countries sounds very festive! I wonder if it's acceptable to buy a game just because it feels Christmassy. To be honest, I've bought games for a lot less!
I come back to this video every holiday season. So funny and brilliant, and I laugh every time at "Whose go is it?" You nailed our usual board game nights. XD Thanks for the recommendations!
Hello from Seattle. Really enjoy your humor and talent. I've got Camel Up and Ticket to Ride. I got crazy for board games, esp. "Euro" games back in 2016. Best wishes. (And I absolutely LOVE your British accent -- music to the ears. :)
Nice Vid. Question about Timeline. There are many packs. If I were to buy 2 or more packs, can I mix them together or are they meant to be played separate?
+Pedro Miguel Yes, you can mix them together, and they are designed to do that. You may find that certain packs mix together better than others. For example, the Music and Cinema pack covers a much shorter timespan, basically the 20th/21st century. Whereas the Inventions goes back millions of years. The game will still work fine, but players might find it easier to place Music/Cinema cards than they normally would, because the gaps created by the Inventions are much bigger. I suspect that Inventions would mix better with other packs that cover wider history, like Discoveries or Historical Events.
Some great stuff. We've had some real fun with Animal Upon Animal (I know it's not your dexterity of choice, but after a big lunch and a few drinks win the family it's easy fun). It came out after this list, but Deception Murder In Hong Kong is wonderful for your CSI loving sibling or Poirot adoring family member.
I would put Fluxx (Star), Munchkin (Adventure Time), King of Tokyo (NY), Smash Up, Elder Sign, Ultimate Werewolf Inquisition and for the masochist and patient group of good friends, Game of Thrones. I always felt tempted to get Ticket To Ride, but I always find something more interesting in theme. Or my money is already reserved for Smash Up expansions.
+bARRY dOUBLET (BoardGamesEverybodyShould) Haha! Sorry Barry - didn't mean to name a character after you - it certainly wasn't intentional! I'm sure you drink something much classier - French wine, non?
This made me laugh soooooo hard. Great list of good options. Probably would have included Codenames rather than Sushi Go. Drafting perplexes a lot of people, even with the great chocolate example. :)
Watching this in early 2017 again because it was suggested and I remembered liking it (it was my intro to your channel)... Barry's anti-immigrant line was funny then, now I think of Brexit and Trump and... well... this video seems more foreboding than funny in some way...
Have you tried "A Fake Artist Goes to New York"? boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/135779/fake-artist-goes-new-york Drawing/bluffing game. Plays up to 10. Never fails to crack up everybody at the table.
+Jim Sullivan No, but it's right at the top of my "want to play" list. Shipping is a bit much to the UK, but I understand you can create a homemade version quite easily with a bunch of different colour pens. Can't wait to give it a go.
+Gaming Rules! Thanks! Codenames is a favourite of mine, but didn't quite fit this list for me. The primary reason is that I've found certain people really freeze up being the clue-giver and can find the game quite hard work. When it comes to actually picking games to take home this Christmas, I will always veer away from any game that I've hit obstacles with like that - Snake Oil/Funemployed being another example of a game I love, but that I wouldn't dare try and play with my family. My other minor reason is that I personally prefer to play Codenames four player, and I'd rather play other games in a big group. For this list, there were a lot of games that came close. Games that I might personally prefer, but that I didn't feel suited the Christmas criteria quite so well. For these, I hope to make a companion "Near Misses" video, to talk through them and explain my reasoning. Codenames would certainly be on that.
+Actualol I know what you mean. It's the only downside of the game. I always get the spymasters going first with the key and the clues, whilst everyone else is getting drinks and snacks. Otherwise, it's a couple of minutes of everyone staring at the table :)
Ticket to ride is very simple, but I'm not sure why it's considered a classic, it's kinda... not really that interesting. Catan however, should be on every board game top ten list.
+thomassaurus Ticket to Ride isn't likely to show up on any of my other Top Tens (except maybe gateway), but it is perfect for this list. I've sort of grown beyond it, but still found it enjoyable to return to it in this situation. As for "classic", I guess it depends on your definition. I guess I might consider "Lion King" a classic film - but I'm never likely to watch it again. I can appreciate that it's good, it has incredible mass appeal, and I have enjoyed it in the past. That's kind of what I'm going with.
I used to do something similar to telestrations with some friends of mine, each person got a piece of paper and a pen(or pencil) and then started to write some sort of story, when someone was satisfied with whatever they had written(usually no more than 2 lines) they shouted "stop!" and then we folded the paper so that only the last line could be seen and passed the paper to the next player, that player had to continue the story from what was written in the last line, you go on like that until your paper gets back to you, we had sooo many laughs playing this!
As much as I loved this for the amazingly fun humor and well presented games, I also sincerely loved the complete and wholesome tale weaved throughout all of the acted scenes, incredible work!
Looking forward to your next video :D
+MGswiftillusion Thank you - I know I shouldn't have favourite comments, but I'm delighted to hear someone enjoyed that element. I'm a big fan of Christmas films, so I couldn't miss the opportunity to tell a mini Christmas tale.
Jon, your videos are wonderful. You are fantastic! Also, I love the box of chocolates analogy for card drafting. Brilliant!
+Jeff Moore Thanks Jeff! I really appreciate the positive feedback.
Brilliantly funny (and informative). My 9-year old son and I have watched your video multiple times and have been repeating lines from your video for several days.
+Ron D Wow! Thank you for sharing, that makes me very happy that you're repeating lines. Your son is clearly awesome :)
This honestly was the most entertaining and informative board game review/list video ive ever seem! Good stuff!
Thank you!
I have just found your channel and started watching the videos in 2021. So funny, interesting, and informative. For some reason, I especially enjoy the Christmas ones! Please keep the board game videos coming!
Oh man, rewatching this because christmas. Didn't remember this was so funny!
Your game reviews are hilarious!!
This was hilarious, and very informative! But seriously, you've already honed your humor and delivery to a great degree in the last several months. I'm sure this one took a lot of time to film and edit--kudos!
+Jim Parkin Yeah it was a beast to make, but totally worth it for comments like yours. It's great to hear that I've improved.
Awesome video! Thanks for the great ideas for filling out my Christmas wish list!
Lmao!!! I wish I could play board games with you. This year I'll try to bring board games to the family table though, but it'll be tough... xD
+Hanh-Nhi Pham Oh, I feel you. It's always tough. You have to be brave! And come equipped with the right games :) But the alternative is usually to sit around half-listening to a TV show you didn't choose. For me, anyway.
M8 didn't know about your channel and let me tell you it's hilarious! Congrats loved it hope you continue making these great videos
+Pedro Felicio Welcome! I hope to continue making them too. Glad you liked it.
You're so funny! I am loving your videos!
Thanks, that's great to hear!
Just found your channel and love it. Thanks for the laughs!😂
+rebecca blichfeldt You're welcome!
Great video, made me chuckle and had a few great picks. I always travel with a few games when I head back to folks' house but Dixit, Ticket to Ride, Wits and Wagers and Codenames will certainly be coming along with me this Christmas.
You've made me consider bringing Concept as well - I absolutely love it, but I've played so many games of it that have fallen completely flat and I have seen a fair few people completely freeze under the pressure they feel when playing the game, so I'm still undecided... I'm definitely going to be checking out Word on the Street too - that seems right up my family's alley.
+Richie Do you mean the pressure of giving the clues? I don't know if you already do this - but I've found that Concept works best when you do the clue-giving in pairs. I've had people freeze up on their own, but there's something about two minds thinking through a problem that helps keep it moving. It's funny because I find Codenames to suffer from freezing much more so, but I guess as with everything it's group dependent. Glad you liked the video!
Dicetower or tabletop should hire you, you just by yourself bring more entertainment To the table then all them other folks! + ur quite a handsome fella mate!
+IGC Haha - thanks for the unique praise! I'll take it!
I'm so glad I found your channel. It's brilliant! Thanks
+Laura Miguel I'm glad you found it too :)
Best line "If your family are humans, and can sit in a circle..."
+Josh L You've got to be very inclusive these days. You never know what extraterrestrial lifeforms you might unwittingly offend.
+Actualol I have a sister that cannot wink without using her finger to close one of her eyelids. She has tried so hard, it looks like she is having a stroke. Perhaps we could let her blow a kiss or something.
Yes, certainly. The rulebook mentions that - and the games would work just the same if you agree beforehand that instead of winking one person nods their head, or smirks, or sticks out their tongue, or something like that.
"I'm adopted?" LOL. Your channel is awesome.
I've been enjoying binge-watching your videos. Here it is February 2017 and I just watched this video. I'm happy to note that this past Christmas, my family played and enjoyed six of these ten games: Timeline (Challenge), Sushi Go (Party), Camel Up, Ticket to Ride, Concept, and Wink. Wink is a especially silly blast! So I can testify that this list has great recommendations. Thank you!
+Dan Durkin Awesome! You have great taste! Thanks for binge-watching! And I'm glad you love Wink because it needs more love :)
We do board games every year along with classic card and dice games. The only game I make sure I always have is Arabian Nights. It is crazy long but since the person before you and after you read you fate it keeps people involved and is overall a really fun game that you can only play a few times a year IMO (you will slowly learn the stories if you play it to often)
Most Likely I'll be playing, Dixit, Cash & Guns, Codenames, Resistance Avalon, Sabouteur, Hanabbi.
+Pedro Felicio Cool! I'm not nearly brave enough to try and introduce my family to Cash & Guns or The Resistance. Have fun :)
11:05 "I know barry" while "iKnow" board game appears in background.
+Luke M Ha! Good spot.
Hilarious video as usual!
Merry Christmas! :)
+Henrik Forsberg Thanks Henrik! Merry Christmas :)
This Christmas we started playing Letters to Santa, which is just Love Letters with a Christmas theme.
Your skits are fantastic. Gave you a follow on Twitter too.
+Paul Young Thanks Paul!
Really well done, I was entertained the whole review
Too funny, great acting and reviews haha subbed
Awesome video of Jon, thanks so much for making it.
+mikemc17 You're welcome :)
Definitely bought Concept and Timeline after watching this. A couple friends and I just started getting into cooperative games this year. We started with Pandemic, clearly a gateway drug, and just bought Dead of Winter which seems more complex but still really neat. Any chance of a segment on co-op/semi co-op/mostly friendly games to play with people who like games but aren't necessarily out to beat each other?
+Sarah P That sounds like a cool idea - I'd certainly consider making a video about that in the future. I also love co-op games, Pandemic and Dead of Winter are favourites of mine. A new one I like is Burgle Bros. about doing a bank heist together.
+Actualol Fantastic! I love your channel and videos. Great execution, very approachable, and you touch on a lot of aspects that my game group cares about.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you Sarah, that's really awesome to hear. Plenty more videos in the New Year! And good luck surviving Dead of Winter. (You'll need it!)
Damn it Jon, I never get the tiny jug I've always wanted!
Amazing video. Your acting is superb as usual. I am entertained all the time. Keep it up!
+Rikerslash Thanks :)
Great work as always, I always enjoy your videos please keep up the great work and Happy Holidays
HAHAHAHAHHAAAAA!!!! That was an excellent video - long may they continue!
Hilarious and informative! I love it.
You should be your own comedy troupe. Those three guys from "Leage of Gentelmen", those two guys from "Little Britain"? You've got it all in one!
Love Ticket to Ride though and you introduced me to a few new party games I'll have to try. I like Dixit for casual game groups too.
Thanks for the video, I always fine them informative and funny.
Your videos are very good. Keep up the good work.
As for me, I'll be trying to convince my family to play anything!
"I respect you as a person " actual lol
Absolutely brilliant! Love your videos. We play Nordic countries T2R & 12 Days. Going to check out Wink....thanks. Happy Holidays!
+James Silcott TTR Nordic Countries sounds very festive! I wonder if it's acceptable to buy a game just because it feels Christmassy. To be honest, I've bought games for a lot less!
+Actualol Nordic Countries is a great version of TtR, but it's geared toward a tighter map that maxes 3 players. Small Holiday gatherings?
But, it just isn’t Christmas without a good ol’ fashion Monopoly flip.
12:27 :D Love it!
+nahailyenvanakkor Don't encourage Barry - he's a wicked man. Or, at least, he was.
I come back to this video every holiday season. So funny and brilliant, and I laugh every time at "Whose go is it?" You nailed our usual board game nights. XD Thanks for the recommendations!
Thank you! Glad to know someone is still watching it ❤️
I love these vids! Hahahahaha! More please!
Also: more Timmy!!
+Sander van der Linden Thanks Sander! Timmy will return, for sure. I already know what video he will come back for :)
+Actualol top 10 newyears games? plz :)
Haha, no! Bit too soon :) But I would recommend the new party game "Brick Party" for New Year's Eve.
This is one of the best videos I've ever seen. Very well done!
+Chris Garrett Thanks - high praise!
I didn't really know about Wink before this vid. Thanks for introducing me to it!
Fun characters. I dig your style.
Has always great video!
Hello from Seattle. Really enjoy your humor and talent. I've got Camel Up and Ticket to Ride. I got crazy for board games, esp. "Euro" games back in 2016. Best wishes. (And I absolutely LOVE your British accent -- music to the ears. :)
Really awesome videos. Can't wait for more! :D
Nice work! We'll be sharing this one. :)
+Games Of Berkeley Please do!
Ure fkn brilliant 🤣 hope u never stop this channel!
Nice Vid. Question about Timeline. There are many packs. If I were to buy 2 or more packs, can I mix them together or are they meant to be played separate?
+Pedro Miguel Yes, you can mix them together, and they are designed to do that.
You may find that certain packs mix together better than others. For example, the Music and Cinema pack covers a much shorter timespan, basically the 20th/21st century. Whereas the Inventions goes back millions of years. The game will still work fine, but players might find it easier to place Music/Cinema cards than they normally would, because the gaps created by the Inventions are much bigger. I suspect that Inventions would mix better with other packs that cover wider history, like Discoveries or Historical Events.
Little Timmy stole my heart
So entertaining!
Some great stuff. We've had some real fun with Animal Upon Animal (I know it's not your dexterity of choice, but after a big lunch and a few drinks win the family it's easy fun). It came out after this list, but Deception Murder In Hong Kong is wonderful for your CSI loving sibling or Poirot adoring family member.
Great video :)
I would put Fluxx (Star), Munchkin (Adventure Time), King of Tokyo (NY), Smash Up, Elder Sign, Ultimate Werewolf Inquisition and for the masochist and patient group of good friends, Game of Thrones.
I always felt tempted to get Ticket To Ride, but I always find something more interesting in theme. Or my money is already reserved for Smash Up expansions.
you make learning about these new games fun and easy. I really love your concept and I laugh!!! keep it up!
Thanks Candy!
It’s really easy to see how he used to be a comedy writer
Gigglesome and informational.
ps. Just for your information, Barry doesn't drink Stella =D
+bARRY dOUBLET (BoardGamesEverybodyShould) Haha! Sorry Barry - didn't mean to name a character after you - it certainly wasn't intentional! I'm sure you drink something much classier - French wine, non?
+Actualol Nothing but Champagne for me, baby Timmy =D
I like Catan with the Santa "expansion."
I LOL'd so hard. This was great.
Last year Jackbox party pack on Steam was a great Xmas game :-)
This made me laugh soooooo hard. Great list of good options. Probably would have included Codenames rather than Sushi Go. Drafting perplexes a lot of people, even with the great chocolate example. :)
Watching this in early 2017 again because it was suggested and I remembered liking it (it was my intro to your channel)... Barry's anti-immigrant line was funny then, now I think of Brexit and Trump and... well... this video seems more foreboding than funny in some way...
+Wesley Reynolds Thanks for coming back! If you want more of the same feeling, watch the 5 Stages of Brexit video on my channel.
Poor Timmy
Of course there is Monopoly at the beginning of the video. XD Ragequit.
Is that a new wig? More grandma/aunt-focused videos coming? ;)
+Jan Zalewski Haha, yes! TWO new wigs! They are both a bit niche - I didn't think about that. Can you please design a game about grey-haired people?
Actualol I'll keep that theme in mind :)
what do you do as a job? An actor perhaps?
+Keindzjim I'm a comedy writer when I can get the work. Actor? Ha!
drink a bottle of bourbon and cry myself to sleep?...does that count?
#1 is irl gartic phone XD
I'm pretty sure that game is called Camel Cup, not Camel Up.
Adam Hoffman one of the great conflicts of our time.
Have you tried "A Fake Artist Goes to New York"? boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/135779/fake-artist-goes-new-york
Drawing/bluffing game. Plays up to 10. Never fails to crack up everybody at the table.
+Jim Sullivan No, but it's right at the top of my "want to play" list. Shipping is a bit much to the UK, but I understand you can create a homemade version quite easily with a bunch of different colour pens. Can't wait to give it a go.
Great video. No Codenames though :)
+Gaming Rules! Thanks! Codenames is a favourite of mine, but didn't quite fit this list for me. The primary reason is that I've found certain people really freeze up being the clue-giver and can find the game quite hard work. When it comes to actually picking games to take home this Christmas, I will always veer away from any game that I've hit obstacles with like that - Snake Oil/Funemployed being another example of a game I love, but that I wouldn't dare try and play with my family. My other minor reason is that I personally prefer to play Codenames four player, and I'd rather play other games in a big group.
For this list, there were a lot of games that came close. Games that I might personally prefer, but that I didn't feel suited the Christmas criteria quite so well. For these, I hope to make a companion "Near Misses" video, to talk through them and explain my reasoning. Codenames would certainly be on that.
+Actualol I know what you mean. It's the only downside of the game. I always get the spymasters going first with the key and the clues, whilst everyone else is getting drinks and snacks. Otherwise, it's a couple of minutes of everyone staring at the table :)
yerh i comment on video 4 years old :-) nice lists
I like your style.
Lolll, goddamned immigrants. Really. Enjoying your videos. Keep up the great work! Too many games to buy.
Ticket to ride is very simple, but I'm not sure why it's considered a classic, it's kinda... not really that interesting.
Catan however, should be on every board game top ten list.
+thomassaurus Ticket to Ride isn't likely to show up on any of my other Top Tens (except maybe gateway), but it is perfect for this list. I've sort of grown beyond it, but still found it enjoyable to return to it in this situation.
As for "classic", I guess it depends on your definition. I guess I might consider "Lion King" a classic film - but I'm never likely to watch it again. I can appreciate that it's good, it has incredible mass appeal, and I have enjoyed it in the past. That's kind of what I'm going with.
+Actualol I guess my problem is we tried Ticket to Ride after we had been playing catan for a while and it didn't live up to what I expected.