So yeah, here's the top 100 this time around. Thank you to all our patrons for keeping the channel going. I hope everyone enjoys this list, they take quite a while to pull together and edit. But i feel the time i put in respects your time and i try to waste as little of that as possible here. And please, make your suggestions below!
Jarrod thank you so much- love these lists and your channel! I don’t have a recommendation but I am curious… I know you’ve said before that you are not a massive fan of Mage Knight, but it seems to have a lot of elements you enjoy in your other games; a sandbox feel- go and do what you want, and a large decision space every turn- maximising the value from every hand of cards based on what’s available. I’m not saying you should try again… but if I didn’t know your channel already I would genuinely come and recommend the game to you 😂 Also, a minor request (if at all possible). On your next list would you be able to start every game narrative with “Number X: game title”- I tend to listen to this like a podcast and it helps me keep track. Best wishes to you and your family!
What an amazing video. You put so much effort into all the footage and commentary, and summed up what's good about every game without resorting to "I just really like it". Top tier!
Man, thank you for doing such list in one video without building this artificial hype and release 10-20 games every week! I prefer to sit and do one big binge-watching :)
@@3MBG For me you are on point: - showing pictures from games - few words of explanation - move on It's more than enough to decide for me if I want to look for more info regarding the game :)
As someone trying to get into the hobby, videos like these are incredibly useful. Board games are usually so expensive that I spend a lot of time trying to pick and choose what one game to buy for the month. Thanks for making this, great watch.
Finding a group(s) is the cheapest way into hobby. Especially if there is a different game each week. Once you have played 5 or so you quickly learn what kind of game appeals to you and which ones don't. Then you can buy accordingly.
I finally played Tyrants of the Underdark a couple weeks ago. As described to me, I was honestly expecting only an average experience but by the end, I was fully impressed. The way your deck ramps up and how tight the area control can be without feeling like a slog. Just an absolute banger!
So happy to see your Tahi, and this game's community should be happy to have you as an endorser! And, as you might tell, I am definately part of this community, as I current rank this my favorite game
Succinct, articulate, and highly informative! Thanks for the work put into compiling and presenting this impressive list! Also, your comment on the adjective "filler" being used to describe shorter games being belittling was food for thought, and you've convinced me to drop it from my gaming lingo. Keep up the great work 🍻
Cheers, i still catch myself saying it from time to time because its such a common comment people make. Like gateway game. But yeah, i do think its a little insulting to people who design awesome, but short, games
Love it! Have watched it through twice now. Love your channel, unbridled passion for the hobby, and your nuanced perspectives. Thank you and blessings for the rest of the year. Love from across the pond in Aus.
Always enjoy these. Something new catches my attention each time and it’s just a positive experience talking about a bunch of great games. Seeing one of my own favorites near the top is always exciting too
Your channel is really incredible, and I love to hear what you have to say about the games, being a designer yourself, or simply because you know what you are talking about. I'm expanding my game collection in hopes of getting more frequent groups to play, and I'm letting your comments about the games influence me a lot.
Really Appreciate the effort you went into putting this list together. Had great pace and great explanation of each game. Sad that Dominion wasn't on the list, it's such a classic with so many expansions it can cater to anyone. But like you said, it's your list and love hearing you opinions Look forward to all the upcoming content
Other reviewers change their number 1 game as often as they change their undies. 4 years at the top was a good run, and I still have not played Nature Incarnate, so who knows what will happen after that
Once again, I am pleased that The Captain is Dead is still in your top 100! Also, I see Concordia on your shelf and unless I missed it, how is that not on your list? It's a masterpiece!
@@3MBGTo that end, I think Concordia Solitaria and Concordia Venus (the teams variant) really demonstrate how dynamic the system is. Solitaria is just so simple to run, and the teams variant is always a push and pull of whether to try to help yourself or setup your partner each time. Might be worth trying if you're able to revisit Concordia.
I'm curious, which games do you reckon would normally be on these sorts of lists. I don't really want anyone elses top 100s as they are usually too long
@@3MBG I'm thinking games like; Wingspan, Scythe, Mind Mgmt, Viticulture, Concordia, Great Western Trail, Feast for Odin, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Too Many Bones, Sleeping Gods, Cascadia.
Ah yep. Yeah, some of those are in my 101-200 bracket like Scythe which just dropped of the list and GWT/concordia. Some like Sleeping gods and feast i've just never played, i suspect due to cost. And TMB i thought was repetitive as heck and pretty shallow and no amount of fancy tokens got over that for me. Always a pleasure to surprise folk, which is funny as my list is very consistent year on year. I did some numbers and 50 games in this years top 100 have been in all 6 of my videos now, and the average number of games in and out each year is about 12. Which i suspect is quite a low amount of variance.
Above & Below! One of my first strategy games post Catan. Love the art, the stories and exploring! Never get tired of it and always want one more round.
Good to see you and the misses is doing well. Love the variety here as well as your clear love of space and historical themes. Where I’m from everyone is wild about middle earth so it’s nice to see some sci-fi picks that I can investigate.
Some games to check out (though you may have already): for groups- Just One, and Bang the dice game. For 1 to 4 players, Massive Darkness 2! What a fun dungeon crawl.
Glad to see the love Castles of Burgundy is getting here on your channel. I bought our copy second hand and it's our most played game of the last couple of years.
This is the best list you have done to date. The descriptions were short but so, so useful. You do a great job of boiling the essence of a game down; you say more in three sentences than many do in 30 minutes. I now have Museum, Kolejka and Votes for Women (also highly rated on "The Player's Aid" channel) on list to track down. We have really enjoyed "That Time You Killed Me," which is 2 player only. Easy to learn, with evolving rules during a campaign, but very strategic. Definitely appeals to those who like chess or go like games with a fun theme on top. My other one I really enjoyed was "Galenus", which is about curing disease in Ancient Rome. It scratches a similar itch to Brass for me; I can't quite place why that is, but I just find it so satisfying. Like Brass, I think it is best at 4. It seems to have slipped under the radar.
Watched the whole vid in one go! Love it! Any chance of an updated top 30 solo games in the future? I’ve gotten into the LotR LCG for solo gaming, but I’ll also check out AH LCG due to your recommendation!
I feel like your group would have a great time with Moonrakers. It's like a version of Munchkin with all the things that makes Munchkin a grind fixed or removed. Tight negotiation, simple but fun deck building, sudden but inevitable betrayal and a neat space pirates theme. Also some very clanky coins, which is always a plus.
I tried moonrakers, it was ok. I think its one where people need to all be quite familiar with it because knowing when to support and when not to is a huge deal.
Brass Birmingham : the set of cards does not shrink from the start because you play 2 then draw 2. And you play 2 cards per round , not 1. In a 2 player game : you play 19 + 20 cards total , which is far more than 16. But yeah, i's a masterpiece!
Great job explaining all your games in just an hour! I'm in the process of re-doing my top 100 list and it's hard because there are so many games I haven't played since before I had kids! Arkham Horror was also the game that turned me to board-gaming-as-my-main-hobby, and I have fond memories of it although we no longer own it. I've added Roll Camera to my want to play list after hearing you talk about it! Have you played Challengers? It gave me a feel similar to a light Millennium Blades (the deckbuilding and tournament part), so you might like it.
@@3MBG just note going in that Challengers is super light (the tournament part is basically a game of War) but knowing that our group has had a lot of fun playing it.
I have to put codenames in my top list, because it's so versatile for number of players and player experience and time available. It's one of those games that I can get to the table with so many different groups and still have fun. I love heavier games, but I will always need to have more flexible games in my top collection too because the heavy games aren't always a good choice for the situation.
So here we go again, the top 100. Some fun and weird facts about the list. I've been doing this for 6 years now and 167 games have been on the list. Meaning, on average, 13-14 games drop off each year. That means my lists are 86% consistent every year. Also, exactly 50 games have been on all 6 instances of the top 100 games, which seems to say that once i like a game, i stay liking it for a long time. And finally, 2 games published in 2023 have made the top 100. A rush to cram new titles into a list, this is not. Anyway, i find it interesting after 6 years seeing the patterns that have emerged in my thinking and the slow shifts in my tastes over time. Anyway, if you have suggestions for games i would like, please make some comments below and thank you all for watching.
Great list. Both Burgundy and Brass are among my top 10 as well. While I am as biased as one can be, I do think you would enjoy Come Together, both because of it's high amount of player interaction and because of it's focus on theme integration.
I love to see Thunderbirds so high up. One house rule I play with is that if you ever roll two "hood symbols" when trying to complete a mission, you can reroll one die until you get any number. Getting 2 hood symbols is brutal especially on higher difficulties as the hood moves up twice in the track and you have no chance of completing that mission even if you have all sorts of modifiers to ensure success. The instant fail nature of that particular dice roll bothers me, so I just remove it so there is always a chance to succeed a mission even if you only get a 1 on the rerolled dice
yeah, i can see that. I tend to bee-line for reroll tokens to mitigate it, and in general lean heavily on token manipulation. Its one feature i dig is that yes, the dice are evil, but you aren't 100% at their mercy like in some games.
I appreciate your videos like this, as they help me expand my horizon. Another list with a lot of games I haven't heard of. I still consider myself somewhat of a beginner collector/player. That said, I have a dozen or so kickstarters so far and waiting on a few more to produce and ship. I've heard players who like Everdell also like Wingspinm I own the pc version. And so far I've only played Everdell the base game, but I backed the complete collection. I do enjoy both solo. But I grasp the point gaining better in Everdell. I backed the royal edition for Castles of Mad King Ludwig, and first thing is it's a visually beautiful game. I like it. But it's not in my top 10 solo mode. It's better with 2 I think. It's difficult to get many points solo I find. Your explanation of Project Gaia moves it farther up my wish list. It sounds even better now. I got Terraforming Mars the video game version and Gloomhaven free off Epic Games, and haven't touched either yet. I got Jaws of the Lion 50% off while I wait for the second edition I backed during the grand festival. If you like worker placement games, and farming themes, there's a handful of them out there. I haven't played Agricola or Fields of Arle yet (heard good things about them, but I enjoy Clans of Caledonia. It's heavier than you might expect first time in, but it's fun. I've tried to sit down with Arkham Horror the LCG twice, and found it confusing to self teach. I want to like it. I'm a little HP Lovecraft obsessed. So I'll get through it eventually. Top of my list to get still is Spirit Island, and now Project Gaia is higher up on the list. Mage Knight is fun, but sometimes I'd rather the combat be more complex. Weirdly enough, the game sort of feels like D&D lite to me, so sometimes I just want the D&D combat system instead of Mage Knight. Thanks for doing your videos. They always are a good watch. Adding the Captain is dead and Star Trek to my future watch for game lists also.
I literally watched this start to finish, I love how you quickly describe each game without going into too much detail, and you just get to the point, which is so awesome. This was a top quality list, thank you so much for making it, I do appreciate your channel. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Ark Nova ? Spirit Island is my number 2 of all time, and I know it's been your favorite for awhile, so I was excited to hear what your number 2 and 1 were gunna be when it came out as number 3 ! xD
Ark nova and me have had a rough introduction. You see, to me, Ark Nova is two games i like stitched together. It's the cards and tags of terraforming mars, combined with the 1-5 sliding action selection system of Civilzation a new dawn, both games on this list. And while i dont mind it, the fact that two of its three defining features as a game are from other games i already liked, it failed for me on a concept i use called "game space". Which is, why play game Y when game X does the same thing already. The zoo theme, which is its 3rd main factor for me, is what's keeping it in my collection. As i do like the theme
I really appreciate this list, even though my game group and i are generally averse to games where we are required to be mean to each other. I really have to try AH:TCG though... based on your review i really think it'll be a hit with my group. Thank you for all of your insight!
I got into Arkham LCG in 2018 to play for Halloween with my friends. I soon realized that the game was really deep and dove in head first. I haven't looked back since. My previous #1 was TIME Stories, but since then Arkham has to be my favorite game now.
Interesting list. Just all over the place (not in a bad way) really opened me up to trying to some games that have been on your list. Empyreal: Spells & Steam
I suspect my long time in the hobby, our location out here in NZ, and the fact i don't really watch much other board game media nor go to conventions mean i formed my own wacky and weird tastes that is a little less group thinky than some.
Great list. Super happy to see both Crisis and Chinatown on your list, they're so underrated and probably both make my top 10 or thereabouts. For recommendations I'd suggest giving Cloudpsire a go if you can borrow a copy from someone,. It's a Wonderful World was my favourite solo game but this has blown that out of the water, but it is expensive to get into. Also for more combo goodness I'd give Praga Caput Regni a go. Found the gameplay really satisfying in a similar way to castles of burgundy, though this is a big less streamlined
Cloudspire and Praga have both been reviewed on the channel. Praga i liked, but i hated teaching it. Its one i will gladly play at someone elses place again. Cloudspire just didnt click with me at all. It wanted a lot more time commitment out of me than i was willing to give it.
Betrayal ☠! You're the reason I took the plunge on SI. I'll be forever grateful that you helped me find my favorite game, even if you've temporarily lost your mind! 😁 (p.s. Nature Incarnate is another A+.)
Excellent list! I've taken some notes for games to look for in the future. \o/ On the topic of very thematic games, I recently bought one called Big Easy Busking, where players take the role of three-piece jazz bands performing at a three-night New Orléans music festival. It's part area control, as you perform songs to be the most memorable performer at different locations, and part resource management, as you manage your band members' energy levels and try to match songs to the moods of the crowds. One song might have a big drum solo, so it takes more energy outta your drummer, for example; after a song, you can spend money (which are your victory points) to buy your performers a coffee 'n snack to let them recover a bit of energy, to keep performing a bit longer into the night. It's nothing ground-breaking, but it's been a blast to play. Once people know it well, you can bang out a full 5-player game in 30 mins.
I try to do that with the top 10 at least, which is why it changes format there. But my goal is to make it about and hour or so total. Long enough to be a long video, but not so long that it becomes a job to watch
My Crossovers with you: - Root -gloomh - modern art - gaia project - crew - war of the ring - Leaving earth - bsg - tfm - brass birmingham - Spirit island (my #2 game) My suggestions: - vale of eternity - innovation from chudyk (best civ game, my #1 game of all time) - viticulture with tuscany - spyfall (best social deduction) - crazy pix (best party game next to top10) ❤
My #1 is Spirit island and #2 is Arkham Horror. I like the gameplay of Spirit Island more but I think you captured perfectly my thoughts on AH:LCG when you spoke about how you think about the game away from the table. I have spent so much time building decks and thinking of investigators to pair for 2 handed solo. Its a game that has so much to explore before play and during and makes it an amazing game.
I looked through your videos and checked out the geek buddy thing on BGG and I only have one game suggestion I haven’t seen you mention, Trekking Through History (unless I missed something). I haven’t played the other trekking games, but I love this game. It’s light, but very satisfying to play, and it looks beautiful. I love it solo, two player, and even four with my in laws, who also liked it. Great video as always!
I think you would really like Pax Pamir: rich historic theming, potential for a lot of backstabbing, tight decisions from start to finish and many very exciting or heartbreaking moments
This video inspired me to pick up another cycle for Arkham LCG… Carcosa, and wow do I really love this game! Interesting though that unlike you I’m not a huge fan of the deck construction… I just love the combo of storytelling and emergent narrative that creates those memorable moments
That should be enough, as long as the deck construction isn't a chore. I remain amazed though at how many different gaming itches AH scratches for me. The Mythos and Arkham, storytelling, deck construction, roleplaying, co-operative gaming where everyone is bringing their own skill set and then the actual mechanical challenges of individual scenarios. It's just brillo
Love seeing Arkham at the top of the list, it's my favorite game of all time for 3 years running now, and I very rarely if ever have seen it at the very top of other folks lists. Cheers!
It's a shame there are no Splotter games on the list. If FCM is not your cup of tea, try Bus or The Great Zimbabwe instead! It was a joy to see Millennium Blades on the list, and the high placing of Tyrants of the Underdark is well deserved
Splotter games are, well, insanely expensive in NZ. FCM, which looks like a prototype costs 20% more than Gloomhaven in stores. So yeah, im unlikely to cover them or play them.
So behind with videos just getting to this. A couple recommends: halls of Hegra- bag builder/worker placement tower defense compared to Robinson Caruso how the board changes. Witcher: Old World, card combo deck builder that gave me some Gloomhaven feels, but not near as content overload: The Lamps are Going Out: WW1 grand strategic game, but bigger sandbox and easier rules than PoG. It simulates WW1 combat with tons of head to head die rolls with high roll winning so each side burns through stacks of units. No CRT, combat odds, but it has random events and tech trees! I’d highly recommend.
The Lamps are Going Out is one i've been meaning to get for a while, but it had this guy who was a fan of it who was on a bunch of BG groups i was on. And he was such an odious, dismissive prick that his fandom of the game put me off getting it. Lol
Well don’t let one tosser ruin it! I try to play it once a year and it works very well solo. I like that scale for 2 hand especially. No hidden info as cards you draw for event and don’t hold a hand of cards.
Two important questions: How do you have enough time to play all these games…? How did you find a group of friends who share this passion with you and also have so much time to play games?!
one: I've been in the hobby since 1987 and it really is my only hobby. I don't drink, i don't watch much TV and until we had our wee girl, my partner and I would play boardgames together a lot. Nowadays, i get the time because its my job and i make time. Two: When i was 11, i wanted to play games at school during lunch and had no one to play with. So i formed a club and talked friends into playing. Over the years, i've just kept doing that. But mostly, i reduce the barriers people have to playing as much as possible. I always host, i have a dedicated space, I set the games up, i teach them and i organize the sessions on facebook. I literally have a FB group of 60 people who play games at my place and just post "who wants to play X on Y date". I rarely have problems getting players that way. And my main group, well, we've just been friends for 20+ years and having our regular night is just our thing.
A great list. We to enjoy many of the games on the list. One I may add is Big Trouble in Little China (Epic Games). Harder to get hold these days but a great co operative game. We to enjoy Thunderbirds and just recently pick up La Harve and Brass Birmingham. We play Legendary Encounters ,both Alien and Firefly. Firefly has an interest ship mechanic along with its shocking art. Oh and if your into a little confrontational take that , Here to Slay can be a riot with the righr group. Also good that it has two ways to win.
16:48 YESSS oh man, I was stoked when I saw you include Sentinels of the Multiverse, but then... you like Dune too?!? Where have you been my whole life! Both of these games are hardcore slept on by the board game community. Dune is an absolute gem.
It was 1988 and i was 11 and over at a friends house staying for the weekend. And his Dad owned Dune and we tried playing it, and damn. It was just too much game for me to take in at that stage. But interest in it stuck around ever since.
I either found this video at the best, or the worst time. It's Prime Day and most of the games that I have an interest in are in the $20 range. So, I have 7 new games on the way.
For a game that is easy to learn but rewards strategy is Champions of Midgard. I only play it with the Valhalla expansion though. It mitigates terrible dice results. It's a fun dice chucking worker placement game that I never say no to.
I fully agree with Rebellion being ahead of War of the Ring. It's not as complicated while being just as rewarding. However, personally I prefer LOTR BECAUSE of the added complexity.
I really appreciate you and this channel. Many of my favorite board games in my collection were purchased after watching your videos, so thank you! Have you ever played Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein? I'd love to hear what you think of it.
Excellent list, as always. took a few notes for games I need to try :) If you like the combination of interesting mechanics with strong narrative and story telling you might want to take a look at "Sleeping Gods" . it is a little fiddly at times with over cumbersome resource management but the story telling is so good that you have to try "Just one more move!" Given the timing you might even want to wait for the follow up game "Forbidden Skies" which should improve on some of the mechanics while keeping the same level of narrative. Would really love to hear your thoughts on any of the two.
Great video as always! Every time I watch, I add a few games to my list of games to try out or purchase. Question about Brass Birmingham: is it a variant to only play with 8 cards per round? Every time I have played it so far, you refresh your hand to 8 cards at the end of your turn until deck runs out.
Yeah, i had toddler brain filming that. My brain had the right number of turns, and the fact you run out of cards, and just glitched. Just a total, non-sleeping toddler induced brain fart
Enjoyed your top 100. You seem to like sandbox games. Played Hexplore it recently and would recommend it if you have not tried it. I have a question for you. Do you think Paths of Glory would be a good solo war option? GMT recently released a solo system for it. I do not really play war games but I'm trying to play different stuff lately and expand on gaming.
I've never been much of a solo wargamer. I tend to prefer playing co-ops multi-handed, engine builders or dedicated solo games. That said, and this comes with all the bias in the world as GMT are making the solo mode for my game Red Dust Rebellion. They know what they are doing in that space.
😂 I like how secure you are asking us (at least me) to recommend a game, I hope some day I play enough games to recommend st to you. As always enjoying your top100. You just sold "It's a Wonderful World" to me. 🤩
A few dexterity games that might be worth a try: - Men at Work, superb wooden components and similar to junk art, can be remarkably stable even when very wobbly - Push It! A simple premise, effectively a game designed for pub tables, based on bowls rules, but played by striking pucks, Again, well made - Viking see saw, by Itten games from Japan. It's a not totally original see-saw balancing game, but as with the above two, it's absolutely made by the components, including brass cubes that always get a comparison to the cruddy cubes in Terraforming mars - Carooka. Not cheap (~GBP150), but a lovely mish-mash of Carrom and snooker, being a circular wooden board on an in-built lazy susan, with 6 pockets around the circle. At first (like snooker) it feels impossibly difficult, but come the 2nd or 3rd game of it, players start to get the pace and technique needed. The accidental trick shots are also a joy.
Would you accept payment to cover the Everdell promo and postage to the US? Not sure when I’d see you in person, and admittedly if I did it would be much more expensive than the card. I can do PayPal.
I'm not selling them because that's just being paid by a publisher by other means. I see no difference in being paid directly, and selling promos that were gifted to you. Just seems like payment with more steps. I'm reluctant to mail them off just because sending a single card to people in the US is a hassle, you'd have to pack it in a way it doesn't bend, or get a special cover. And if i do one for you, i have to do them for other people. When i get over to the USA, which will be likely in the next 2 years, ill bring a bunch of them and give them to people to pass on
Great video. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Hybris: Disordered Cosmos. I reckon it's the kind of worker-placement-but-a-little-different game that you seem to enjoy...
I bounced of Oath so very hard, i was actually angry after my first game of it. Because i struggled to grasp the point of the game in the 1st half, and then once i did get what was happening, everyone conspired for me to win because another player at the table had won the last 2 games, so i just sat there and got handed a victory. And the best rationale was "oh, it was someone elses turn to win". We then reset the board and the same thing happened, at some point, the players decided who would win the next game. And i though "what a pile of bollocks", you just do this over and over again, so the board changes shape a little and you play through this very average gameplay loop before deciding who to kingmake into the winner, and who really cares who wins anyway? Yeah, had to be one of my least fav board gaming experiences of the last few years
@@3MBG Well, games are abstracted simulations of (real world) conflict scenarios. And as you have experienced, that's how (petty) politics (more often than not) work. Hence, I'd consider this quite a good and memorable political simulation games' experience. One also has to note that your group intentionally broke the game, by handing Leadership over to the next guy out of free collective will, apparently. Which is not so much the games fault, I find. (You can do this in ANY competitive game that has a modicum of players control over its outcome, all right.) 😅But having said that, I also do get the feeling (in hindsight of my last proposal of reviewing Kingdom Death [and your opinion about it]) that we just might be positioned in different circles of a Venn diagramm in regards to game style preferences. Don't mind that, though, funny as that is. Still, keep up the good work, mate! ✌😇Cheers!
I really wish i could get Oathsworn. But the price is killer in retail here in Sweden, have to hope for a third edition kickstarter. Otherwise im going to probably checkout Libertalia and Roll camera
I want to play Healthy Heart Hospital and Kolejka. I didnt realize ISS Vanguard had Star Trek vibes so maybe someday. For now I’m enjoying Captain is Dead and Star Trek Missions.
Hi, listening to this list helped me have an epiphany about a question you asked one time and that has kinda stuck with me. You asked about different hobbies and how a collection can come to completion/have a plan for the collection. But you said it seemed like board game collectors don't seem to have a purpose behind their collection. Well my epiphany came when you were talking about Dune. You said that you think Dune: Imperium is the better game but Dune lets you experience the theme better. I was like well if he thinks Dune Imperium is the better game than why isn't it ranked higher than Dune. And then it hit me... I was like wow it's because he is valuing the feel of the theme higher than game design. It helped me realize how to curate my collection...to think about the things I value in my board games, and how much weight that value should hold when decided if a game should be a part of my collection or not. Like the value of being able to play with my family holds more weight than am I having to read text across the table a lot. But they both would be something I will consider when thinking about purchasing a new game or culling a game.
Cheers. For me its all about emotional connections to games, how they make you feel and the stories and times you have with them. While, also being about the mental challenge. And that's where the 2 dunes is a great example. The original Dune is long, mean, unfair and nasty. The new dune is slick. Old dune makes more memories though, ain't nothing in Dune Imperium quite like pulling off a bene gesserit victory in Dune.
Hello! Huge fan! I’ve discovered some of my favorite games through you, especially Roll Camera and Sentinels of the Multiverse: Definitive Edition. They’re both huge hits at the game club I made in my dorm! I recently bought It’s a Wonderful World because of your recommendation of it here, though I was curious as to why it jumped so high up on the list compared to last year. Any particular reason why? Thanks in advance!
Because its shorter play time means its very easy to get to the table compared to Terraforming Mars and it crams in a lot of decisions with very little down time.
So yeah, here's the top 100 this time around. Thank you to all our patrons for keeping the channel going. I hope everyone enjoys this list, they take quite a while to pull together and edit. But i feel the time i put in respects your time and i try to waste as little of that as possible here. And please, make your suggestions below!
Jarrod thank you so much- love these lists and your channel!
I don’t have a recommendation but I am curious… I know you’ve said before that you are not a massive fan of Mage Knight, but it seems to have a lot of elements you enjoy in your other games; a sandbox feel- go and do what you want, and a large decision space every turn- maximising the value from every hand of cards based on what’s available. I’m not saying you should try again… but if I didn’t know your channel already I would genuinely come and recommend the game to you 😂
Also, a minor request (if at all possible). On your next list would you be able to start every game narrative with “Number X: game title”- I tend to listen to this like a podcast and it helps me keep track.
Best wishes to you and your family!
Great list! Very helpful! Thank you!
I beg u, in the future mention avg play time for every game. You did for the 100 ranked game then stopped 😢
And the board game oracle list is up. www.boardgameoracle.com/en-NZ/list/jarrod-carmichael-3-minute-board-games-top-100-2023
A top 100 video all done in a single video instead of spread out across dozens of videos to garner more views and clicks?! Is that allowed!?
I just realized I watched the video for an hour straight because of this comment lol
I like to think i can say just as much in 1/10th of the time.
@@3MBG I'm going to hire the old Micro Machine guy to do my list in 3 minutes.
@@3MBGtechnically 1/5 of the time ...1 person averages 30min per 10 ...but that being very technical...lol
What an amazing video. You put so much effort into all the footage and commentary, and summed up what's good about every game without resorting to "I just really like it". Top tier!
Man, thank you for doing such list in one video without building this artificial hype and release 10-20 games every week! I prefer to sit and do one big binge-watching :)
I honestly have no idea how anyone spends 10 hours watching those other top 100 lists. But they seem popular enough, not my style though
@@3MBG For me you are on point:
- showing pictures from games
- few words of explanation
- move on
It's more than enough to decide for me if I want to look for more info regarding the game :)
Thank you for making this list every year - it´s so enjoyable to listen to your thoughts and see new entries enter the list 🙏!
As someone trying to get into the hobby, videos like these are incredibly useful. Board games are usually so expensive that I spend a lot of time trying to pick and choose what one game to buy for the month. Thanks for making this, great watch.
Finding a group(s) is the cheapest way into hobby. Especially if there is a different game each week. Once you have played 5 or so you quickly learn what kind of game appeals to you and which ones don't. Then you can buy accordingly.
I finally played Tyrants of the Underdark a couple weeks ago. As described to me, I was honestly expecting only an average experience but by the end, I was fully impressed. The way your deck ramps up and how tight the area control can be without feeling like a slog. Just an absolute banger!
Yeah, it was a game i slept on for ages, but what a star.
yeah, pretty good game. I only wish it had a modular board (avialable on bgg btw)
Interesting, i wouldnt have thought it would need one.
@@3MBG after a while with same players you know where to go. but yeah, for a couple of games per year it should be fine :)
So happy to see your Tahi, and this game's community should be happy to have you as an endorser! And, as you might tell, I am definately part of this community, as I current rank this my favorite game
Succinct, articulate, and highly informative! Thanks for the work put into compiling and presenting this impressive list!
Also, your comment on the adjective "filler" being used to describe shorter games being belittling was food for thought, and you've convinced me to drop it from my gaming lingo. Keep up the great work 🍻
Cheers, i still catch myself saying it from time to time because its such a common comment people make. Like gateway game. But yeah, i do think its a little insulting to people who design awesome, but short, games
Love it! Have watched it through twice now. Love your channel, unbridled passion for the hobby, and your nuanced perspectives.
Thank you and blessings for the rest of the year.
Love from across the pond in Aus.
Always enjoy these. Something new catches my attention each time and it’s just a positive experience talking about a bunch of great games. Seeing one of my own favorites near the top is always exciting too
Great video! :) 33 game overlap and several new ones added to my 'to play' list.
Your channel is really incredible, and I love to hear what you have to say about the games, being a designer yourself, or simply because you know what you are talking about. I'm expanding my game collection in hopes of getting more frequent groups to play, and I'm letting your comments about the games influence me a lot.
I really enjoy this lost every year and a few hidden gems always pop onto my radar, thanks for putting these out!
Really Appreciate the effort you went into putting this list together. Had great pace and great explanation of each game.
Sad that Dominion wasn't on the list, it's such a classic with so many expansions it can cater to anyone. But like you said, it's your list and love hearing you opinions
Look forward to all the upcoming content
Good list. You are into a lot more heavier games than I am. Cool to see different peoples lists
Spirit island not being your #1 is DEFINITELY in my top 10 anime betrayals list
Other reviewers change their number 1 game as often as they change their undies. 4 years at the top was a good run, and I still have not played Nature Incarnate, so who knows what will happen after that
You blink, you miss out. Fortunately I didn't blink once. Great list. Thanks for putting it together.
Once again, I am pleased that The Captain is Dead is still in your top 100! Also, I see Concordia on your shelf and unless I missed it, how is that not on your list? It's a masterpiece!
Concordia was just outside the top 100, 116 I think. Its a game I do like
@@3MBGTo that end, I think Concordia Solitaria and Concordia Venus (the teams variant) really demonstrate how dynamic the system is. Solitaria is just so simple to run, and the teams variant is always a push and pull of whether to try to help yourself or setup your partner each time.
Might be worth trying if you're able to revisit Concordia.
Great video! Thank you for making this. I've loved a lot of those games and added many (too many?) new recommendations to my playlist
Pan Am really felt like it came out of nowhere and it is a very fun airplane-themed game.
A wonderful list of so many different games without many of usual suspects. Love your compact review and reasoning for each game, a pleasure to watch.
I'm curious, which games do you reckon would normally be on these sorts of lists. I don't really want anyone elses top 100s as they are usually too long
@@3MBG I'm thinking games like; Wingspan, Scythe, Mind Mgmt, Viticulture, Concordia, Great Western Trail, Feast for Odin, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Too Many Bones, Sleeping Gods, Cascadia.
Ah yep. Yeah, some of those are in my 101-200 bracket like Scythe which just dropped of the list and GWT/concordia. Some like Sleeping gods and feast i've just never played, i suspect due to cost. And TMB i thought was repetitive as heck and pretty shallow and no amount of fancy tokens got over that for me.
Always a pleasure to surprise folk, which is funny as my list is very consistent year on year. I did some numbers and 50 games in this years top 100 have been in all 6 of my videos now, and the average number of games in and out each year is about 12. Which i suspect is quite a low amount of variance.
56% cross over. :-) Thanks for all that You do. All the best from Germany.
Wow that’s very high!
Thank you always for what you do. I appreciate you a lot. I wish all the best for you and your family!
Above & Below! One of my first strategy games post Catan. Love the art, the stories and exploring! Never get tired of it and always want one more round.
Great list! Always love when I'm picking up some games I've never heard of before, not just the obvious candidates
Good to see you and the misses is doing well. Love the variety here as well as your clear love of space and historical themes. Where I’m from everyone is wild about middle earth so it’s nice to see some sci-fi picks that I can investigate.
Cheers and thank you
This was an exceptional production, thank you
Some games to check out (though you may have already): for groups- Just One, and Bang the dice game. For 1 to 4 players, Massive Darkness 2! What a fun dungeon crawl.
This list is my favorite from your channel! Thanks!
Thanks for watching
Glad to see the love Castles of Burgundy is getting here on your channel. I bought our copy second hand and it's our most played game of the last couple of years.
This is the best list you have done to date. The descriptions were short but so, so useful. You do a great job of boiling the essence of a game down; you say more in three sentences than many do in 30 minutes. I now have Museum, Kolejka and Votes for Women (also highly rated on "The Player's Aid" channel) on list to track down.
We have really enjoyed "That Time You Killed Me," which is 2 player only. Easy to learn, with evolving rules during a campaign, but very strategic. Definitely appeals to those who like chess or go like games with a fun theme on top. My other one I really enjoyed was "Galenus", which is about curing disease in Ancient Rome. It scratches a similar itch to Brass for me; I can't quite place why that is, but I just find it so satisfying. Like Brass, I think it is best at 4. It seems to have slipped under the radar.
Thank you for the kind words. Galenus sounds like a fascinating theme and one im defintely going to check out
Watched the whole vid in one go! Love it! Any chance of an updated top 30 solo games in the future? I’ve gotten into the LotR LCG for solo gaming, but I’ll also check out AH LCG due to your recommendation!
Yeah, i should probably update that one this year
Interesting evolution of your list! Great vid as always.. don’t know how I just found 70min to watch it but life find a way. Cheers!
Ha, thank you!
I feel like your group would have a great time with Moonrakers. It's like a version of Munchkin with all the things that makes Munchkin a grind fixed or removed. Tight negotiation, simple but fun deck building, sudden but inevitable betrayal and a neat space pirates theme. Also some very clanky coins, which is always a plus.
I tried moonrakers, it was ok. I think its one where people need to all be quite familiar with it because knowing when to support and when not to is a huge deal.
Moonrakers is fantastic! Just recently played it with no former knowledge of its existence, and it was a blast
Brass Birmingham : the set of cards does not shrink from the start because you play 2 then draw 2. And you play 2 cards per round , not 1.
In a 2 player game : you play 19 + 20 cards total , which is far more than 16.
But yeah, i's a masterpiece!
Put that all down to toddler brain. yeah, the diminishing hand thing is only right at the end of the rounds isnt it.
Had me worried there for a minute. Yeah toddler brain is a thing. @@3MBG
Great job explaining all your games in just an hour! I'm in the process of re-doing my top 100 list and it's hard because there are so many games I haven't played since before I had kids!
Arkham Horror was also the game that turned me to board-gaming-as-my-main-hobby, and I have fond memories of it although we no longer own it. I've added Roll Camera to my want to play list after hearing you talk about it!
Have you played Challengers? It gave me a feel similar to a light Millennium Blades (the deckbuilding and tournament part), so you might like it.
Not heard of challengers, so onto the list it goes
@@3MBG just note going in that Challengers is super light (the tournament part is basically a game of War) but knowing that our group has had a lot of fun playing it.
That used to be an issue for me, but my tastes have changed a bit lately to be more into lighter games
I have to put codenames in my top list, because it's so versatile for number of players and player experience and time available. It's one of those games that I can get to the table with so many different groups and still have fun. I love heavier games, but I will always need to have more flexible games in my top collection too because the heavy games aren't always a good choice for the situation.
So here we go again, the top 100. Some fun and weird facts about the list. I've been doing this for 6 years now and 167 games have been on the list. Meaning, on average, 13-14 games drop off each year. That means my lists are 86% consistent every year. Also, exactly 50 games have been on all 6 instances of the top 100 games, which seems to say that once i like a game, i stay liking it for a long time. And finally, 2 games published in 2023 have made the top 100. A rush to cram new titles into a list, this is not. Anyway, i find it interesting after 6 years seeing the patterns that have emerged in my thinking and the slow shifts in my tastes over time.
Anyway, if you have suggestions for games i would like, please make some comments below and thank you all for watching.
Great list. Both Burgundy and Brass are among my top 10 as well.
While I am as biased as one can be, I do think you would enjoy Come Together, both because of it's high amount of player interaction and because of it's focus on theme integration.
Absolutely superb video and eagerly awaiting your next! Plenty of good suggestions here for me to try at my LGS this weekend
I love to see Thunderbirds so high up. One house rule I play with is that if you ever roll two "hood symbols" when trying to complete a mission, you can reroll one die until you get any number. Getting 2 hood symbols is brutal especially on higher difficulties as the hood moves up twice in the track and you have no chance of completing that mission even if you have all sorts of modifiers to ensure success. The instant fail nature of that particular dice roll bothers me, so I just remove it so there is always a chance to succeed a mission even if you only get a 1 on the rerolled dice
yeah, i can see that. I tend to bee-line for reroll tokens to mitigate it, and in general lean heavily on token manipulation. Its one feature i dig is that yes, the dice are evil, but you aren't 100% at their mercy like in some games.
TM out of top10, Castles at #2 and Spirit Island losing its spot - this one was full of surprises!
Thanks for sharing Jared :) Interesting list.
I appreciate your videos like this, as they help me expand my horizon. Another list with a lot of games I haven't heard of. I still consider myself somewhat of a beginner collector/player. That said, I have a dozen or so kickstarters so far and waiting on a few more to produce and ship.
I've heard players who like Everdell also like Wingspinm I own the pc version. And so far I've only played Everdell the base game, but I backed the complete collection. I do enjoy both solo. But I grasp the point gaining better in Everdell.
I backed the royal edition for Castles of Mad King Ludwig, and first thing is it's a visually beautiful game. I like it. But it's not in my top 10 solo mode. It's better with 2 I think. It's difficult to get many points solo I find.
Your explanation of Project Gaia moves it farther up my wish list. It sounds even better now.
I got Terraforming Mars the video game version and Gloomhaven free off Epic Games, and haven't touched either yet. I got Jaws of the Lion 50% off while I wait for the second edition I backed during the grand festival.
If you like worker placement games, and farming themes, there's a handful of them out there. I haven't played Agricola or Fields of Arle yet (heard good things about them, but I enjoy Clans of Caledonia. It's heavier than you might expect first time in, but it's fun.
I've tried to sit down with Arkham Horror the LCG twice, and found it confusing to self teach. I want to like it. I'm a little HP Lovecraft obsessed. So I'll get through it eventually.
Top of my list to get still is Spirit Island, and now Project Gaia is higher up on the list.
Mage Knight is fun, but sometimes I'd rather the combat be more complex. Weirdly enough, the game sort of feels like D&D lite to me, so sometimes I just want the D&D combat system instead of Mage Knight.
Thanks for doing your videos. They always are a good watch.
Adding the Captain is dead and Star Trek to my future watch for game lists also.
I literally watched this start to finish, I love how you quickly describe each game without going into too much detail, and you just get to the point, which is so awesome. This was a top quality list, thank you so much for making it, I do appreciate your channel. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Ark Nova ? Spirit Island is my number 2 of all time, and I know it's been your favorite for awhile, so I was excited to hear what your number 2 and 1 were gunna be when it came out as number 3 ! xD
Ark nova and me have had a rough introduction. You see, to me, Ark Nova is two games i like stitched together. It's the cards and tags of terraforming mars, combined with the 1-5 sliding action selection system of Civilzation a new dawn, both games on this list. And while i dont mind it, the fact that two of its three defining features as a game are from other games i already liked, it failed for me on a concept i use called "game space". Which is, why play game Y when game X does the same thing already. The zoo theme, which is its 3rd main factor for me, is what's keeping it in my collection. As i do like the theme
I really appreciate this list, even though my game group and i are generally averse to games where we are required to be mean to each other.
I really have to try AH:TCG though... based on your review i really think it'll be a hit with my group. Thank you for all of your insight!
I got into Arkham LCG in 2018 to play for Halloween with my friends. I soon realized that the game was really deep and dove in head first. I haven't looked back since. My previous #1 was TIME Stories, but since then Arkham has to be my favorite game now.
Imagine a time stories concept with Arkham mechanics though. Customizable time travelling detectives.
Interesting list. Just all over the place (not in a bad way) really opened me up to trying to some games that have been on your list. Empyreal: Spells & Steam
I suspect my long time in the hobby, our location out here in NZ, and the fact i don't really watch much other board game media nor go to conventions mean i formed my own wacky and weird tastes that is a little less group thinky than some.
Great list. Super happy to see both Crisis and Chinatown on your list, they're so underrated and probably both make my top 10 or thereabouts.
For recommendations I'd suggest giving Cloudpsire a go if you can borrow a copy from someone,. It's a Wonderful World was my favourite solo game but this has blown that out of the water, but it is expensive to get into.
Also for more combo goodness I'd give Praga Caput Regni a go. Found the gameplay really satisfying in a similar way to castles of burgundy, though this is a big less streamlined
Cloudspire and Praga have both been reviewed on the channel. Praga i liked, but i hated teaching it. Its one i will gladly play at someone elses place again. Cloudspire just didnt click with me at all. It wanted a lot more time commitment out of me than i was willing to give it.
Betrayal ☠! You're the reason I took the plunge on SI. I'll be forever grateful that you helped me find my favorite game, even if you've temporarily lost your mind! 😁 (p.s. Nature Incarnate is another A+.)
Number 3 is still damned high and yeah, looking forward to NI. I'm surprised the publisher hasn't sent me a copy yet
he temporarily lost his mind hahaha
Excellent list! I've taken some notes for games to look for in the future. \o/
On the topic of very thematic games, I recently bought one called Big Easy Busking, where players take the role of three-piece jazz bands performing at a three-night New Orléans music festival. It's part area control, as you perform songs to be the most memorable performer at different locations, and part resource management, as you manage your band members' energy levels and try to match songs to the moods of the crowds. One song might have a big drum solo, so it takes more energy outta your drummer, for example; after a song, you can spend money (which are your victory points) to buy your performers a coffee 'n snack to let them recover a bit of energy, to keep performing a bit longer into the night.
It's nothing ground-breaking, but it's been a blast to play. Once people know it well, you can bang out a full 5-player game in 30 mins.
Awesome video. Part of me wishes it was twice as long with more detail per title, but i'm happy with the result regardless!
I try to do that with the top 10 at least, which is why it changes format there. But my goal is to make it about and hour or so total. Long enough to be a long video, but not so long that it becomes a job to watch
My Crossovers with you:
- Root
-gloomh
- modern art
- gaia project
- crew
- war of the ring
- Leaving earth
- bsg
- tfm
- brass birmingham
- Spirit island (my #2 game)
My suggestions:
- vale of eternity
- innovation from chudyk (best civ game, my #1 game of all time)
- viticulture with tuscany
- spyfall (best social deduction)
- crazy pix (best party game next to top10)
❤
My #1 is Spirit island and #2 is Arkham Horror. I like the gameplay of Spirit Island more but I think you captured perfectly my thoughts on AH:LCG when you spoke about how you think about the game away from the table. I have spent so much time building decks and thinking of investigators to pair for 2 handed solo. Its a game that has so much to explore before play and during and makes it an amazing game.
That "brain worm" factor is huge for me, how much a game gets under my skin and makes me think. And both SI and AH have been amazing at that.
My #1 is Arkham horror LCG and #2 is Spirit Island. I find it fun that we have them switched lol
It’s this time of the year again!
Just played Arkham Horror the lcg for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I can already tell it will end up being one of my top games
I looked through your videos and checked out the geek buddy thing on BGG and I only have one game suggestion I haven’t seen you mention, Trekking Through History (unless I missed something). I haven’t played the other trekking games, but I love this game. It’s light, but very satisfying to play, and it looks beautiful. I love it solo, two player, and even four with my in laws, who also liked it.
Great video as always!
Nice suggestion
I think you would really like Pax Pamir: rich historic theming, potential for a lot of backstabbing, tight decisions from start to finish and many very exciting or heartbreaking moments
Pax Pamir is the most recommended game to me. I really do need to get it. Probs gonna have to import it though
Yayyyyy! AHLCG is #1. Can’t wait to hear about your Scarlet Keys campaign when you’ve completed it.
We've only really just kicked off, but we took a detour to Monte Carlo and that was epic
@@3MBGCool! I’m doing my blind play of Fortune and Folly right now. The playing card encounter cards are fun.
Yeah, that scenario is top notch
This video inspired me to pick up another cycle for Arkham LCG… Carcosa, and wow do I really love this game! Interesting though that unlike you I’m not a huge fan of the deck construction… I just love the combo of storytelling and emergent narrative that creates those memorable moments
That should be enough, as long as the deck construction isn't a chore. I remain amazed though at how many different gaming itches AH scratches for me. The Mythos and Arkham, storytelling, deck construction, roleplaying, co-operative gaming where everyone is bringing their own skill set and then the actual mechanical challenges of individual scenarios.
It's just brillo
Love seeing Arkham at the top of the list, it's my favorite game of all time for 3 years running now, and I very rarely if ever have seen it at the very top of other folks lists. Cheers!
I guess that's because its a game you have to play more than once *drops mic*
Purely based on the number 1 choice, I wish I could like this video 100 times. Love the channel
It's a shame there are no Splotter games on the list. If FCM is not your cup of tea, try Bus or The Great Zimbabwe instead! It was a joy to see Millennium Blades on the list, and the high placing of Tyrants of the Underdark is well deserved
Splotter games are, well, insanely expensive in NZ. FCM, which looks like a prototype costs 20% more than Gloomhaven in stores. So yeah, im unlikely to cover them or play them.
So behind with videos just getting to this. A couple recommends: halls of Hegra- bag builder/worker placement tower defense compared to Robinson Caruso how the board changes. Witcher: Old World, card combo deck builder that gave me some Gloomhaven feels, but not near as content overload: The Lamps are Going Out: WW1 grand strategic game, but bigger sandbox and easier rules than PoG. It simulates WW1 combat with tons of head to head die rolls with high roll winning so each side burns through stacks of units. No CRT, combat odds, but it has random events and tech trees! I’d highly recommend.
The Lamps are Going Out is one i've been meaning to get for a while, but it had this guy who was a fan of it who was on a bunch of BG groups i was on. And he was such an odious, dismissive prick that his fandom of the game put me off getting it. Lol
Well don’t let one tosser ruin it! I try to play it once a year and it works very well solo. I like that scale for 2 hand especially. No hidden info as cards you draw for event and don’t hold a hand of cards.
Two important questions:
How do you have enough time to play all these games…?
How did you find a group of friends who share this passion with you and also have so much time to play games?!
one: I've been in the hobby since 1987 and it really is my only hobby. I don't drink, i don't watch much TV and until we had our wee girl, my partner and I would play boardgames together a lot. Nowadays, i get the time because its my job and i make time.
Two: When i was 11, i wanted to play games at school during lunch and had no one to play with. So i formed a club and talked friends into playing. Over the years, i've just kept doing that. But mostly, i reduce the barriers people have to playing as much as possible. I always host, i have a dedicated space, I set the games up, i teach them and i organize the sessions on facebook. I literally have a FB group of 60 people who play games at my place and just post "who wants to play X on Y date". I rarely have problems getting players that way. And my main group, well, we've just been friends for 20+ years and having our regular night is just our thing.
@@3MBG, thank you for this thorough answer. It truly let’s know more about who you are and how you’re ably to do all of this. Cheers!
A great list. We to enjoy many of the games on the list. One I may add is Big Trouble in Little China (Epic Games). Harder to get hold these days but a great co operative game. We to enjoy Thunderbirds and just recently pick up La Harve and Brass Birmingham. We play Legendary Encounters ,both Alien and Firefly. Firefly has an interest ship mechanic along with its shocking art. Oh and if your into a little confrontational take that , Here to Slay can be a riot with the righr group. Also good that it has two ways to win.
16:48 YESSS oh man, I was stoked when I saw you include Sentinels of the Multiverse, but then... you like Dune too?!? Where have you been my whole life! Both of these games are hardcore slept on by the board game community. Dune is an absolute gem.
It was 1988 and i was 11 and over at a friends house staying for the weekend. And his Dad owned Dune and we tried playing it, and damn. It was just too much game for me to take in at that stage. But interest in it stuck around ever since.
@@3MBG have you played the Gale Force Nine expansion with new factions? Thanks for the reply, and thanks for the great video!
Stay tuned as i am planning a full 12 faction guide for dune at some point
"Old Testament, New Game" 😂 Love it.
Amazing video, first video i watched of your channel and i immediately subscriberd tysm❤
I either found this video at the best, or the worst time.
It's Prime Day and most of the games that I have an interest in are in the $20 range.
So, I have 7 new games on the way.
For a game that is easy to learn but rewards strategy is Champions of Midgard. I only play it with the Valhalla expansion though. It mitigates terrible dice results. It's a fun dice chucking worker placement game that I never say no to.
I fully agree with Rebellion being ahead of War of the Ring. It's not as complicated while being just as rewarding. However, personally I prefer LOTR BECAUSE of the added complexity.
I really appreciate you and this channel. Many of my favorite board games in my collection were purchased after watching your videos, so thank you!
Have you ever played Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein? I'd love to hear what you think of it.
No, this one and "my fathers work" were both on my radar and have slipped past
village life cycle has its engaging theme and the morbid humour that is my cup of tea 🤣
Excellent list, as always. took a few notes for games I need to try :)
If you like the combination of interesting mechanics with strong narrative and story telling you might want to take a look at "Sleeping Gods" . it is a little fiddly at times with over cumbersome resource management but the story telling is so good that you have to try "Just one more move!"
Given the timing you might even want to wait for the follow up game "Forbidden Skies" which should improve on some of the mechanics while keeping the same level of narrative.
Would really love to hear your thoughts on any of the two.
I've got "near and far" which is the same designer as sleeping gods, and i really need to play that first. Forbidden skies is also on the shelf.
Great video as always! Every time I watch, I add a few games to my list of games to try out or purchase.
Question about Brass Birmingham: is it a variant to only play with 8 cards per round? Every time I have played it so far, you refresh your hand to 8 cards at the end of your turn until deck runs out.
Yeah, i had toddler brain filming that. My brain had the right number of turns, and the fact you run out of cards, and just glitched. Just a total, non-sleeping toddler induced brain fart
Whoa Steph for parliament! That’s so cool. Best of luck.
Thanks!
Kolejka sounds very similar to the Indy PC game “Papers Please”. A hugely entertaining game of the same, if not very similar theme
Definitely inspired by the same sort of bureaucracy and mix of dark comedy/farce with political commentary for sure
Love seeing Mosaic and ISS Vanguard making an appearance. Where did Beyond the Sun end up? Also, have you tried War of the Ring: The Card Game yet?
Beyond the sun was 151. I need to play it more as i've lost every game i've played of it by some margin and it just hasn't quite clicked for me yet
seeing your awesome list I would recommend any of the quartermaster general games, ww2 if you have a group of 6 or ww1 if its a group of 5 players
I've not played any of them sorry so can't comment for good or ill
Enjoyed your top 100. You seem to like sandbox games. Played Hexplore it recently and would recommend it if you have not tried it. I have a question for you. Do you think Paths of Glory would be a good solo war option? GMT recently released a solo system for it. I do not really play war games but I'm trying to play different stuff lately and expand on gaming.
I've never been much of a solo wargamer. I tend to prefer playing co-ops multi-handed, engine builders or dedicated solo games. That said, and this comes with all the bias in the world as GMT are making the solo mode for my game Red Dust Rebellion. They know what they are doing in that space.
😂 I like how secure you are asking us (at least me) to recommend a game, I hope some day I play enough games to recommend st to you. As always enjoying your top100. You just sold "It's a Wonderful World" to me. 🤩
I wasn’t expecting the number one this high, my favorite game too, by very far
The game has lived in my table almost all year, lol
Slipping a bit, but still two games in the top 100! Thank you!!!
If a game slides a little, that normally means i've not been able to get to it much.
A few dexterity games that might be worth a try:
- Men at Work, superb wooden components and similar to junk art, can be remarkably stable even when very wobbly
- Push It! A simple premise, effectively a game designed for pub tables, based on bowls rules, but played by striking pucks, Again, well made
- Viking see saw, by Itten games from Japan. It's a not totally original see-saw balancing game, but as with the above two, it's absolutely made by the components, including brass cubes that always get a comparison to the cruddy cubes in Terraforming mars
- Carooka. Not cheap (~GBP150), but a lovely mish-mash of Carrom and snooker, being a circular wooden board on an in-built lazy susan, with 6 pockets around the circle. At first (like snooker) it feels impossibly difficult, but come the 2nd or 3rd game of it, players start to get the pace and technique needed. The accidental trick shots are also a joy.
Do you know where one can get Push-It? I looked for it for years and quit.
Would you accept payment to cover the Everdell promo and postage to the US? Not sure when I’d see you in person, and admittedly if I did it would be much more expensive than the card. I can do PayPal.
I'm not selling them because that's just being paid by a publisher by other means. I see no difference in being paid directly, and selling promos that were gifted to you. Just seems like payment with more steps. I'm reluctant to mail them off just because sending a single card to people in the US is a hassle, you'd have to pack it in a way it doesn't bend, or get a special cover. And if i do one for you, i have to do them for other people. When i get over to the USA, which will be likely in the next 2 years, ill bring a bunch of them and give them to people to pass on
Understandable. I'd love one. I'll keep a lookout for your US visit.
Great video. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Hybris: Disordered Cosmos.
I reckon it's the kind of worker-placement-but-a-little-different game that you seem to enjoy...
I sold Thunderbirds. Didn’t have a group for it. The years and the tears …
Ugh. Sorry about the roof. I recently replaced a portion of mine so I feel your pain.
Cheers. With how costs in general have gone up dramatically this year, it was the worst timing too.
@@3MBG I'm in a fortunate position where I was able to do the labor. But it still was quite expensive
Recently got my hands on Leder Games Cole Wehrles OATH. Would love to see your opinion on this game, too! Cheers!
I bounced of Oath so very hard, i was actually angry after my first game of it. Because i struggled to grasp the point of the game in the 1st half, and then once i did get what was happening, everyone conspired for me to win because another player at the table had won the last 2 games, so i just sat there and got handed a victory. And the best rationale was "oh, it was someone elses turn to win". We then reset the board and the same thing happened, at some point, the players decided who would win the next game. And i though "what a pile of bollocks", you just do this over and over again, so the board changes shape a little and you play through this very average gameplay loop before deciding who to kingmake into the winner, and who really cares who wins anyway?
Yeah, had to be one of my least fav board gaming experiences of the last few years
@@3MBG Well, games are abstracted simulations of (real world) conflict scenarios. And as you have experienced, that's how (petty) politics (more often than not) work. Hence, I'd consider this quite a good and memorable political simulation games' experience. One also has to note that your group intentionally broke the game, by handing Leadership over to the next guy out of free collective will, apparently. Which is not so much the games fault, I find. (You can do this in ANY competitive game that has a modicum of players control over its outcome, all right.) 😅But having said that, I also do get the feeling (in hindsight of my last proposal of reviewing Kingdom Death [and your opinion about it]) that we just might be positioned in different circles of a Venn diagramm in regards to game style preferences. Don't mind that, though, funny as that is. Still, keep up the good work, mate! ✌😇Cheers!
I really wish i could get Oathsworn. But the price is killer in retail here in Sweden, have to hope for a third edition kickstarter.
Otherwise im going to probably checkout Libertalia and Roll camera
I love Eclipse, but the best part about it is the ship customization, not that it takes "only" 5 hours.
After a 14 1/2 hour game of Twilight Imperium IV, which was the last game of TIIV i played. It is a pro, trust me ;)
Mosaic looks so beautiful… I have it but haven’t played it yet 😢
I found it a pretty easy game to teach to people. So hopefully soon
I want to play Healthy Heart Hospital and Kolejka. I didnt realize ISS Vanguard had Star Trek vibes so maybe someday. For now I’m enjoying Captain is Dead and Star Trek Missions.
Hi, listening to this list helped me have an epiphany about a question you asked one time and that has kinda stuck with me. You asked about different hobbies and how a collection can come to completion/have a plan for the collection. But you said it seemed like board game collectors don't seem to have a purpose behind their collection.
Well my epiphany came when you were talking about Dune. You said that you think Dune: Imperium is the better game but Dune lets you experience the theme better. I was like well if he thinks Dune Imperium is the better game than why isn't it ranked higher than Dune. And then it hit me... I was like wow it's because he is valuing the feel of the theme higher than game design.
It helped me realize how to curate my collection...to think about the things I value in my board games, and how much weight that value should hold when decided if a game should be a part of my collection or not.
Like the value of being able to play with my family holds more weight than am I having to read text across the table a lot. But they both would be something I will consider when thinking about purchasing a new game or culling a game.
All that to say thanks!
Cheers. For me its all about emotional connections to games, how they make you feel and the stories and times you have with them. While, also being about the mental challenge. And that's where the 2 dunes is a great example. The original Dune is long, mean, unfair and nasty. The new dune is slick.
Old dune makes more memories though, ain't nothing in Dune Imperium quite like pulling off a bene gesserit victory in Dune.
Hello! Huge fan! I’ve discovered some of my favorite games through you, especially Roll Camera and Sentinels of the Multiverse: Definitive Edition. They’re both huge hits at the game club I made in my dorm! I recently bought It’s a Wonderful World because of your recommendation of it here, though I was curious as to why it jumped so high up on the list compared to last year. Any particular reason why? Thanks in advance!
Because its shorter play time means its very easy to get to the table compared to Terraforming Mars and it crams in a lot of decisions with very little down time.
Tried Santorini on the app but it didn’t grab me. It has to be a very intuitive abstract like Ingenious for me to like it.
My favorite board game is the very little known Chronicles of Frost.
That's a new one to me
Ahlcg and spirit island are my top two games and I also like castles of burgundy. I’ll need to check out your other top games