I'd like a Goldilocks set of three. One that is simpler/shorter a second that is more directly on par and one that expands and builds on it. Then again some games basically have all but the simple and short available via expansions so might be a mute point.
I’ve had TH-cam recommend a series of videos on another channel of “play this not that” but I really prefer your format since it feels more inclusive and positive. Not everyone will want or have room for two similar games in their collection but this leaves room for you to decide to try a different flavor of something you already like instead of feeling irrelevant/behind because the hobby has replaced your favorite board game. I’ll be honest I do feel like there are some games out there I would enjoy that I subconsciously wrote off because of the existence of those types of videos.
You are right Jenna, I had a doubt about Earth initially but man I'm obsessed with it now. My husband was not blown away from the videos and reviews but he always had TFM, Ark Nova, Wingspan and Oversell up his list, but now has Earth at the top of all his favourite games. This game grows on you and is just satisfying!!!
Just recently found this channel and it is definitely a new reason to smile! I was looking at the thrift store the other day and saw a copy of Hadrian’s wall and as I was driving home I was listening to the top solo games of 2022 video and as soon as you said Hadrian’s Wall as your number one, I went straight back to the shop and picked it up! Love it!
AWH! Thank you so much! 😊 I'm so glad! Welcome to The Board Game Garden! WOW, what a fantastic find! It's crazy the games people find at their local thrift stores! I can never find anything! I hope you enjoy Hadrian's Wall!
Oooo vivid seems like a great sub for azul! My wife and I love both Wingspan and Azul so Earth and vivid are now on the top of my "date night games to buy" list. Ha!
I love your videos. You're so expressive and passionate. I've picked up a couple games that you reviewed and showed my wife how positive and passionate you are. Keep up the good work.
If you like ticket to ride try ceasars empire. Route building is the common trait but def different enough feels. Tried it for the first time over the weekend and im glad i picked it up. ☺️
Thank you for this lovely video. I love these sorts of recommendarions "if you like A, try B", those are very useful to me. And I look forward to more such videos from you. This one gave me few good suggestions I will eventually research more in dept and try to play for myself. I am always on the lookout for more games.
Ayyyy, Megaland!! I happen to live in the US and picked it up on a Target clearance rack long ago. Very easy to play with kids and definitely recommend if you’re ready to play something other than Sorry or Trouble with little ones.
Such a fun list! And I would happily play Ticket to Ride on BGA!!! (It's one of our original favorites, a 10/10 for us, and a permanent fixture I the collection. I actually think the BGA iterations does a solid job recreating it, too.) And I definitely need to check out Earth; seeing a lot of love for that out in the ether.
I bought Vivid, a nice 2nd hand opportunity, but I'm deterred by the rules.... It looks so complicated! And I love Azul! Anyway! I agree with you, even if I didn't play all the "pairs" of games you're showing. But, for example, when I'm playing to Earth that 's exactly the feeling I have, the same excitation as when I'm playing to Wingspan! thanks for the video Jenna!
I kinda enjoyed Yahtzee as a kid I guess. When I got into modern boardgames I really hated dice and avoided them. Then I played Roll Player as filler before a meet up and fell in love with dice DRAFTING. I think Yahtzee and dice drafting is the overlap working most for me.
Great video! I would say another great game for people who like Carcassonne would be Land vs. Sea, and for those who like Yahtzee, I always recommend Dice Throne, which gets referred to as Battle Yahtzee a lot because it has the same Roll up to 3 times, keep what you want, reroll what you don't want mechanic.
@@jedisith3864 not to my knowledge, but that's up to the original publisher (Le Boite des Jeux). In this case, we (Lucky Duck Games) are their localization partner to publish the game in English.
I've been playing an inordinate amount of Yahtzee atm on BGA, but that's partially because I was brought back to dice games with Ganz Schoen Clever! which is bloody great
More on the "A,B" thing: My dear friend Teresa Talbott, an author and game designer, created a game called MISSING LYNX. It has a very strong ENVIRONMENTAL THEME which makes it similar to all nature based games, the whole genre so its hard to name any one, maybe examples are Evolution or Wingspan. It also has detective elements making it similar to CLUE (but with much higher morality and redeeming social value) and WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIAGO since its about finding an animal somewhere in the world who is being hunted.
Megaland is actually available in a few places right now if you use Board Game Oracle to look it up here In Canada! Also, for Yahtzee lovers I would go with King of Tokyo or The Reckoners.
Thanks for this video, as always, you make some of the best board game content out there! Love hearing about and/or finding some new titles to check out.
Hi there, nice little vidéo here ! - Earth was personnaly a big disapointment, especially the french version wich get some misprints. The ergonomy of the game is quite bad, the traits (bold, grass, and the worst -> Italics) are a pain to see. And the solo, on normal mode can also turn a lot on the "bad luck" side of the spectrum. all in all, a real big deception for me. _ I had the same with it's a wonderful world few years ago. in the end, after few solo games, i tought like "well... all of that.. for that ?" - On the polyo side, we do really enjoy "alice's garden" wich is fast and easy, and also perfect with beginners. Also can't wait to receive my french version of Planet Unknown to see if it gets what it need to became my 1st polyo game ! - Really glad to see some love for Small Islands ! Long time i haven't played it but i really liked what i experienced with this litlle and pretty one ! I would put it on a more advanced carcassone spectrum thus On the Tile side of the force my absolute favorite is still : Cascadia ! Great mention aswell for Kingdomino - On the pandemic side, i really like the Clone Wars version wich is the only pandemic i kept But on a pandemic yet No Pandemic game we really enjoyed "Exctinction !" wich get a really cool "nature preservation" theme ! and a really nice dice managment game with a lot of cooperation ! If you never tried that one, then you should :) - Cheers from belgium !
Great Video 😍 Thanks for the recommendations! I will be in New York (travelling from Munich, Germany) in June and will try to find a Target store to get Megaland.
Great video! 😊 Maybe you should do a video about the games you're getting rid of. I might be early in the hobby, but thinking of getting rid of Ticket to ride or Carcassonne feels like the 8th sin 🤔😂
I recommend a game I created called MOSAIC. NOT Mosaic: A Story of Civilization. It is JUST called MOSAIC. It is in the abstract strategy category and is sold at most Barnes and Noble stores and manufactured by Continuum Games. It is similar to HIVE and HEXOMINOES in that those other 2 games are also ABSTRACT STRATEGY and those other 2 games are tile only (no board, kind of like dominoes) and the ONLY shape is equilateral hexagons. I also want to recommend FLIP WORDS, which is somewhat similar to SCRABBLE but unlike most Scrabble knock offs it has an entirely different scoring system and is NOT just a Scrabble clone where letter values changed and bonus spaces were rearranged. In that sense it is similar to UP WORDS in that UpWords was arguably the first and most successful game that is a variation on Scrabble but with an entirely different scoring system. Both of the above mentioned games are for sale at the Continuum Games store on Amazon.
I really don't like wingspan but Earth hit the spot for me, more strategic and bonus cards actually matter. Much better game in my opinion but that's just my opinion
3:58 I enjoy It's A Wonderful World, but I don't like 7 Wonders (I played it to death when I had first started going to Game Nights years ago - and got tired of it... To me, there just isn't enough strategic depth for me - and I question whether the game is really balanced that well.)
Ohhh that's a good idea! I do have a series where I suggest games based off a hobby or thing someone likes. Ex. If you like gardening, try these 10 games! I need to continue that series! Really enjoy doing those videos. 😊
Overall very good recommendations (for the ones i played of course) but i don't really see the link between pandemic and stardew valley aside from the fact that they're coop and i don't like either of them. Maybe The Spill would be a better comparison ? but i didn't play it so i don't know if it's better. Or even Eldritch Horror could work ! and it's good.
Canada often gets stereotyped and people think we use dog sleds as if our giant country of vast wilderness is always covered in snow... We aren't some backwards wild land or something. We have perfectly normal carrier geese 😉
I don't know why but Earth just didn't feel as good as WIngspan. The theme for Earth just felt like it disappeared instantly, where as Wingspan never felt as mechanical.
I absolutely agree. Earth was a huge miss for me. I'm not saying theme needs to be in every game but wingspan did it far better with tying in aspects of each Bird to the mechanisms in some ways. Despite having fantastic photography on all the cards in Earth, I literally didn't care to look at any of it during game play.
@Keith Adrian Santos Earth is an interesting game for me because on paper, it's everything that I enjoy but I found it very boring yet I can't explain why. Wingspan is one of my top games and the similarities to Earth tells me that I should like Earth at the least. I felt Earth to be more complex but only because it added a huge amount of scoring goals. The compose mechanic was very dull for me as it felt like just points for no reason. In wingspan there is an element of seeing the perfect bird for your engine come out and getting it before other players. In Earth, you just randomly draw them into your hand. Earth just felt like a puzzle that got dull really fast for me.
My take based on watching this is it depends. Sometimes I want the simpler or more mainstream game, especially for teaching or the familiarity. Just because B is newer or more complex doesn’t mean A is worse and you may want to have both flavors to enjoy. Most of the games in the A category are pretty popular and more well known so it might be pretty easy to find someone to share or teach it to you.
Exactly what Jev said! It all depends on what you are looking for. The point of the video was that both options are good! If you like A then you should try B. Not that B replaces A. 😊👍🏻 It's always nice to have those more easy to teach and get to the table games in your collection.
The world needs more “If you like A, try B” videos.
I agree.
I'd like a Goldilocks set of three. One that is simpler/shorter a second that is more directly on par and one that expands and builds on it. Then again some games basically have all but the simple and short available via expansions so might be a mute point.
@@jedisith3864 I like that idea !
HUGE agree. It’s so helpful for any hobby/interest
I’ve had TH-cam recommend a series of videos on another channel of “play this not that” but I really prefer your format since it feels more inclusive and positive. Not everyone will want or have room for two similar games in their collection but this leaves room for you to decide to try a different flavor of something you already like instead of feeling irrelevant/behind because the hobby has replaced your favorite board game.
I’ll be honest I do feel like there are some games out there I would enjoy that I subconsciously wrote off because of the existence of those types of videos.
Love this. Would like to see more of "If you like A, try B".
You are right Jenna, I had a doubt about Earth initially but man I'm obsessed with it now. My husband was not blown away from the videos and reviews but he always had TFM, Ark Nova, Wingspan and Oversell up his list, but now has Earth at the top of all his favourite games. This game grows on you and is just satisfying!!!
Just recently found this channel and it is definitely a new reason to smile!
I was looking at the thrift store the other day and saw a copy of Hadrian’s wall and as I was driving home I was listening to the top solo games of 2022 video and as soon as you said Hadrian’s Wall as your number one, I went straight back to the shop and picked it up! Love it!
That is a great find at a thrift shop!
@@jaron9978 right?! And to think I almost passed it up!
AWH! Thank you so much! 😊 I'm so glad! Welcome to The Board Game Garden! WOW, what a fantastic find! It's crazy the games people find at their local thrift stores! I can never find anything! I hope you enjoy Hadrian's Wall!
Thank you so much for highlighting Empyreal! I'm so honored. :)
It does have a solo variant by the way!
@@kanedafx It is now on my bucket list to try Empyreal solo! Thank you so much Trey! 😊
@@TheBoardGameGarden thank YOU. :)
Oooo vivid seems like a great sub for azul! My wife and I love both Wingspan and Azul so Earth and vivid are now on the top of my "date night games to buy" list. Ha!
I love these kinds of videos! I remember having a handheld version of Yahtzee as a kid!
Thanks for including Tenpenny Parks!
No problem Kirk! I really enjoy it! 😊
These kinds of videos are great. Still allows for a list to be made, with alternatives thrown in.
16:40 I would recommend Deep Sea Adventure as a press your luck type of game. That sounds right up the alley for someone who enjoys Incan Gold.
I love your videos. You're so expressive and passionate. I've picked up a couple games that you reviewed and showed my wife how positive and passionate you are. Keep up the good work.
If you like ticket to ride try ceasars empire. Route building is the common trait but def different enough feels. Tried it for the first time over the weekend and im glad i picked it up. ☺️
Hello Jenna, I picked up Megaland a few years ago at a Target near our family camp and we still play it like once a year. A fun game
Thank you for this lovely video. I love these sorts of recommendarions "if you like A, try B", those are very useful to me. And I look forward to more such videos from you.
This one gave me few good suggestions I will eventually research more in dept and try to play for myself. I am always on the lookout for more games.
Ayyyy, Megaland!!
I happen to live in the US and picked it up on a Target clearance rack long ago. Very easy to play with kids and definitely recommend if you’re ready to play something other than Sorry or Trouble with little ones.
This was so helpful I wish you started a series with this theme. We just started our collection and these videos are highly needed. Thank you 🎉
Such a fun list! And I would happily play Ticket to Ride on BGA!!! (It's one of our original favorites, a 10/10 for us, and a permanent fixture I the collection. I actually think the BGA iterations does a solid job recreating it, too.)
And I definitely need to check out Earth; seeing a lot of love for that out in the ether.
I really enjoyed watching this video. it was quite unique and helpful in order to know which game to lean on next.
This is an awesome video! Content queen.
I have Tenpenny still on my Shelf of Shame. Also, EARTH & Small Islands are now on my short list.
All three games are wonderful and you need to experience them Reggie. 😊
Great recommendations - thanks!
I would also recommend The Grand Carnival for someone who likes Barenpark.
Ohh thank you! I'll have to check it out! 😊
I bought Vivid, a nice 2nd hand opportunity, but I'm deterred by the rules.... It looks so complicated! And I love Azul!
Anyway! I agree with you, even if I didn't play all the "pairs" of games you're showing. But, for example, when I'm playing to Earth that 's exactly the feeling I have, the same excitation as when I'm playing to Wingspan!
thanks for the video Jenna!
I kinda enjoyed Yahtzee as a kid I guess. When I got into modern boardgames I really hated dice and avoided them. Then I played Roll Player as filler before a meet up and fell in love with dice DRAFTING. I think Yahtzee and dice drafting is the overlap working most for me.
Roll Player is soooo good! 😊👏🏻
I would like to add my thanks for this, very helpful. More like this please. Excuse me I have to shop now! 😀
Great video! I would say another great game for people who like Carcassonne would be Land vs. Sea, and for those who like Yahtzee, I always recommend Dice Throne, which gets referred to as Battle Yahtzee a lot because it has the same Roll up to 3 times, keep what you want, reroll what you don't want mechanic.
Yes both great recommendations! I still need to try Land vs. Sea! And Dice Throne is super fun! 😊
Oh thank you for the It's a Wonderful World love! We have another expansion coming out next month called Leisure & Decadence 🎭
Anymore planned for It's a Wonderful Kingdom?
@@jedisith3864 not to my knowledge, but that's up to the original publisher (Le Boite des Jeux). In this case, we (Lucky Duck Games) are their localization partner to publish the game in English.
No problem! Absolutely love that game! 😊👏🏻 Excited for the expansion!
Very nice idea , didn't see others videos like that i enjoyed !
I've been playing an inordinate amount of Yahtzee atm on BGA, but that's partially because I was brought back to dice games with Ganz Schoen Clever! which is bloody great
More on the "A,B" thing: My dear friend Teresa Talbott, an author and game designer, created a game called MISSING LYNX. It has a very strong ENVIRONMENTAL THEME which makes it similar to all nature based games, the whole genre so its hard to name any one, maybe examples are Evolution or Wingspan.
It also has detective elements making it similar to CLUE (but with much higher morality and redeeming social value) and WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIAGO since its about finding an animal somewhere in the world who is being hunted.
This is my preferred type of recommendation content!
Great idea for a video! I liked you comparison selections a lot 👍Another Pandemic type game we really have enjoyed recently is The Spill.
I have The Spill and I'm so excited to get it to the table soon! 😊 Thanks for watching Billy!
i’m so happy to see wok and roll here! south east asian board game representation!
It's such a good little roll and write! I still really want to try the Korean Waves expansion as well. 😊
Another great video! So nice to see Megaland get some love -- such an underrated light game!
Thank you Ruel! 😊 Yes! It is such a good one! More people need to try it!
Empyreal Steam is high on my wishlist. Looks super fun.
Great video idea! From my side I would recommend Majolica if you like Azul!
Never heard of that game - Majolica?! I will have to look it up.
Really great video! this is Just what I needed. One suggestion: mention the player count on each game
Megaland is actually available in a few places right now if you use Board Game Oracle to look it up here In Canada!
Also, for Yahtzee lovers I would go with King of Tokyo or The Reckoners.
Awesome video! I often introduce new players to splendor or century golem. Great picks
I really enjoyed it!
Thanks for this video, as always, you make some of the best board game content out there! Love hearing about and/or finding some new titles to check out.
AWH! Thank you! Seriously that means the world. 🥰
Hi there, nice little vidéo here !
-
Earth was personnaly a big disapointment, especially the french version wich get some misprints.
The ergonomy of the game is quite bad, the traits (bold, grass, and the worst -> Italics) are a pain to see.
And the solo, on normal mode can also turn a lot on the "bad luck" side of the spectrum.
all in all, a real big deception for me.
_
I had the same with it's a wonderful world few years ago. in the end, after few solo games, i tought like "well... all of that.. for that ?"
-
On the polyo side, we do really enjoy "alice's garden" wich is fast and easy, and also perfect with beginners.
Also can't wait to receive my french version of Planet Unknown to see if it gets what it need to became my 1st polyo game !
-
Really glad to see some love for Small Islands !
Long time i haven't played it but i really liked what i experienced with this litlle and pretty one !
I would put it on a more advanced carcassone spectrum thus
On the Tile side of the force my absolute favorite is still : Cascadia !
Great mention aswell for Kingdomino
-
On the pandemic side, i really like the Clone Wars version wich is the only pandemic i kept
But on a pandemic yet No Pandemic game we really enjoyed "Exctinction !"
wich get a really cool "nature preservation" theme ! and a really nice dice managment game with a lot of cooperation !
If you never tried that one, then you should :)
-
Cheers from belgium !
I so want Megaland. Seems like it comes with a cute kitty cat 🤗🥰
😂💕🐱
Great Video 😍 Thanks for the recommendations! I will be in New York (travelling from Munich, Germany) in June and will try to find a Target store to get Megaland.
I definitely recommend! 😊
Great video! 😊 Maybe you should do a video about the games you're getting rid of. I might be early in the hobby, but thinking of getting rid of Ticket to ride or Carcassonne feels like the 8th sin 🤔😂
“You can get with this or you can get with that!” 😅
Another one for Ticket to Ride is Caesar's Empire
I would think a recommendation for Ticket to Ride would be Airlines Europe... And it is also designed by Alan R. Moon, so you have that!... 🙂
Great video🙂 I've just purchased Earth and it is a fantastic game🙂
Good job! Neat recommendations 👍
This is a great list already looking into your recommendations. How about Lanterns Harvest festival?
I recommend a game I created called MOSAIC. NOT Mosaic: A Story of Civilization. It is JUST called MOSAIC. It is in the abstract strategy category and is sold at most Barnes and Noble stores and manufactured by Continuum Games.
It is similar to HIVE and HEXOMINOES in that those other 2 games are also ABSTRACT STRATEGY and those other 2 games are tile only (no board, kind of like dominoes) and the ONLY shape is equilateral hexagons.
I also want to recommend FLIP WORDS, which is somewhat similar to SCRABBLE but unlike most Scrabble knock offs it has an entirely different scoring system and is NOT just a Scrabble clone where letter values changed and bonus spaces were rearranged. In that sense it is similar to UP WORDS in that UpWords was arguably the first and most successful game that is a variation on Scrabble but with an entirely different scoring system.
Both of the above mentioned games are for sale at the Continuum Games store on Amazon.
I really don't like wingspan but Earth hit the spot for me, more strategic and bonus cards actually matter. Much better game in my opinion but that's just my opinion
making a help-youtube-algorithm comment (catching up on backlog :P)
Empyreal does indeed have a solo mode
3:58 I enjoy It's A Wonderful World, but I don't like 7 Wonders (I played it to death when I had first started going to Game Nights years ago - and got tired of it... To me, there just isn't enough strategic depth for me - and I question whether the game is really balanced that well.)
I found you from Boxed Meeples
Instead of Stardew Valley, you should try Creature Comforts.
I'd also like to recommend the 2 player Pentago. It's Tic Tac Toe on steroids.
Love Creature Comforts! 😊
Thanks! Interesting.
Has anyone played Pan Am? I'm wondering if it's a "meatier" version of Ticket to Ride.
And it works both ways… if you tried B you might like A. Thanks Jenna
Or if you like B, you might NOT like A... Like in my case. I like It's A Wonderful World, but don't like 7 Wonders... (That's just an example).
Did you play the Roll and cook game from your P&P book! The Wok and Roll reminded me of that! Where did u get it? I want that one lol!
I did! It definitely has a similar feeling to Wok & Roll! Love the food themes! I got my copy of Wok & Roll from Board Game Bliss. 😊
@@TheBoardGameGarden thank u! 🦋😀
It’s a little more esoteric but maybe try a if you like this genre but don’t like game A try game B
Ohhh that's a good idea! I do have a series where I suggest games based off a hobby or thing someone likes. Ex. If you like gardening, try these 10 games! I need to continue that series! Really enjoy doing those videos. 😊
Overall very good recommendations (for the ones i played of course) but i don't really see the link between pandemic and stardew valley aside from the fact that they're coop and i don't like either of them. Maybe The Spill would be a better comparison ? but i didn't play it so i don't know if it's better. Or even Eldritch Horror could work ! and it's good.
I have The Spill and I'm excited to try it soon! 😊
Jenna, i will pick up Megaland tomorrow at a store near me. how can i ship it to you?
Canada often gets stereotyped and people think we use dog sleds as if our giant country of vast wilderness is always covered in snow... We aren't some backwards wild land or something. We have perfectly normal carrier geese 😉
Awh! Thank you so much for the offer Todd! 🥰 I wouldn't want you to have to ship it to me. Shipping can get expensive to Canada.
@@TheBoardGameGarden ok. The offer stands if needed.
I don't know why but Earth just didn't feel as good as WIngspan. The theme for Earth just felt like it disappeared instantly, where as Wingspan never felt as mechanical.
I absolutely agree. Earth was a huge miss for me. I'm not saying theme needs to be in every game but wingspan did it far better with tying in aspects of each Bird to the mechanisms in some ways. Despite having fantastic photography on all the cards in Earth, I literally didn't care to look at any of it during game play.
@Keith Adrian Santos Earth is an interesting game for me because on paper, it's everything that I enjoy but I found it very boring yet I can't explain why. Wingspan is one of my top games and the similarities to Earth tells me that I should like Earth at the least. I felt Earth to be more complex but only because it added a huge amount of scoring goals. The compose mechanic was very dull for me as it felt like just points for no reason. In wingspan there is an element of seeing the perfect bird for your engine come out and getting it before other players. In Earth, you just randomly draw them into your hand. Earth just felt like a puzzle that got dull really fast for me.
hi, do you try the solo version of vivid ? good videos thanks :)
Not yet but I need to! 😊 Thanks for watching!
Another good one in place of Pandemic is Dead Men Tell No Tales.
I'll have to check that one out Merlin! Thank you so much! 😊
Where can you buy Wok and Roll in the US?
Board Game Bliss has it. It's a bit pricey unfortunately because it is an import though. 😞
Holup Canada doesn't have target wtf
But if you like B, will you like A? Or are they the simplified versions?
My take based on watching this is it depends. Sometimes I want the simpler or more mainstream game, especially for teaching or the familiarity. Just because B is newer or more complex doesn’t mean A is worse and you may want to have both flavors to enjoy. Most of the games in the A category are pretty popular and more well known so it might be pretty easy to find someone to share or teach it to you.
Exactly what Jev said! It all depends on what you are looking for. The point of the video was that both options are good! If you like A then you should try B. Not that B replaces A. 😊👍🏻 It's always nice to have those more easy to teach and get to the table games in your collection.
Thank you for not being European.
Cool, and if you like B try A?
YES FOR SURE! 😊👍🏻
Ooooh I love this concept! We are obsessed with Ark Nova? Any ideas for something at this similar level and is not a “boy game” ;-)