The 10 Games We Still Want to Play + Happy New Year!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
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Join us as we discuss our Top 10 board games that were still want to play over the last 3 years!
JUMP:
00:00 - Start
02:38 - Year in Review
12:19 - Heavy Board Game Coverage
14:41 - Crowdfunding
18:04 - Sponsored Playthroughs
19:21 - Patreon
22:26 - Coming Up on the Channel
24:45 - 10 Games We Still Want to Play
25:25 - Honorable Mentions
27:48 - #10
28:36 - #09
29:31 - #08
30:19 - #07
31:16 - #06
32:18 - #05
32:59 - #04
33:55 - #03
34:58 - #02
35:53 - #01
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One thing I really enjoy about your channel is that you lay out very realistic expectations for yourselves in the content that you deliver. I always feel we get good, thoughtful BYP content rather than anything that feels rushed or forced out, and it makes it one of the more reliable channels for not only understanding the rules, but also seeing examples of strategy at play.
Also, Radlands is a lot of fun. I think you guys will dig it.
Thank you so much, we are so glad that our videos come off that way 🙂. Hopefully we can try Radlands soon!!
You guys deserve to be a 100k channel, no doubt. I recommend your channel to every new person I meet at my local game night in DC. Much love and thanks for the great playthroughs!
Thank you so much Ben for your kindness!
I’m happy for you Monique for leaving that stressful job! My wife used to have an extremely stressful job which started causing health problems as a result.
Everything was so much better for both of us when she left. 😊
Thank you Vernon! Hope your wife is doing better!
I usually don't comment a lot on TH-cam, but I really wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all the work that you guys put into these videos! Every time you guys put out a new video, it truly puts a smile on my face :). I get a lot of of videos on my subscription page, but there are very little that make me as excited as yours when I see them :D.
As someone who is quite new to the board gaming hobby, your previews, rules teaches and playthroughs have helped me so much to discover my own personal board game taste. I hope you never feel obliged to stick with covering one type of game, because I can assure you there are plenty more viewers like me who will enjoy the video regardless of the game because you two just bring so much joy and energy tot he screen! Even with the sponsored videos, I can see how much work and passion goes into them, and that your genuinely interested in the game :).
I myself am into lighter games, so I loved it when you covered some of my favorite games like Everdell, Flamecraft and Tidal blades banner festival, but I'm always up for watching a two and a half hour long play through of a crunchy game of a prestige designer (Thank you for teaching me who Rosenburg and Laverda are :p) that I will probably never play myself. Lol, because of your playthrough I even snatched up one of the few copies of weather machine at my local shop before they were gone, even though I have no idea when I will be ready to play a game like that xD.
Oh well, All of this just to say that you two are amazing and should create whatever content you want, because I'll be there watching it :).
Lots of love, Niels
Thank you so much Niels for your kind words. This really helps motivate us to continue!
Your playthroughs are my favorite part of your channel. You both have a talent for explaining the rules clearly enough that my kids can understand them (you taught my seven-year-old Agricola...), and you have a great dynamic between the two of you that makes the playthroughs so much fun to watch. I can't tell you how many amazing games we've picked up because of the two of you. I'm so happy I found your channel!
Hi Melody, thank you so much! We’re so glad you have your kids playing games (Agricola at 7!!)!!
I feel you both are going to truly enjoy Golem. The chaining combos you can do with the marbles, your golems, and allllll of the improvements you can make to your player boards is just a tremendous amount of fun.
Agree. Really solid game.
The iconography and component design really didn’t do this game design any favors though.
But really great game
Yeah! That’s what we’ve been hearing and it sounds like something we we both would really enjoy!
My jaw dropped when I heard you have not played Boone lake. The more I play it, the more I love that game.
Your channel is the first I check for specific playthroughs. I've never walked away from one of your teaching videos confused about the rules. I always recommend you guys guys to friends and family. Keep doing what you're doing, love your content!
You have most certainly become my go-to board gaming channel. Thank you for all the awesome content this past year, and wishing you great success in the coming year!
Thank you so much for your support! Hope you are having a great start to the year!!
Meeting you two in Essen last year was fun. You two speak such a clear English that my wife, who isn't as fluent in the language understands you well and learns a lot when I watch your teach/ play through videos.
Glad we were able to meet!! We’ve heard from a few people that our channel helps them with understanding English a little
Better. That is one of the nicest things to hear!!
Your transparency and communication in this video was so refreshing and pleasant, I really appreciated it. You both rock!
I love these videos! I appreciate you making me aware of some games I had no idea about!
Happy New Year 2023. You are the best board game channel. I love your teachings and playthroughs. I would like to see a game of Orleans or feast for Odin on your channel. Love from Montréal 🇨🇦
Hey thanks for addressing the heavy board game topic. Lovely way to address it. You do whatever works best for you and whatever it is you enjoy whenever you enjoy it :)
I appreciate the transparency section, it kicks your credibility up a notch. Keep up the good work.
Naveen, love the ramen shirt! Appreciate all the effort you guys put in and look forward to what you will do this year
I am from Scotland and I love your videos so much! Looking forward to a whole new year of interesting and fun content from you both. I had a lovely Christmas and new year spent over in Germany with my partner (I told them all about Essen Spiel and how badly I want to go!) I got many of your play throughs as gifts and I'm so excited to play them all, especially Ark Nova! Wishing you both a lovely start to the year and 100k subscribers this year :)
What a year!! We are so so so happy we got to see you so many times this year!! Love you both!!
Guys you are doing an Amazing job, keep Rolling
Happy New Years guys! You will always be one of the best and favorite board game channels! I'm so happy with the way your channel is going and I hope you guys hit 100k this year! Look forward to more videos! Might even give the Patreon a look :)
Hi guys, I don't comment much but just want to say, really appreciate your honesty on this channel, especially this episode. You do you, if heavy games are out that is not a problem. I love the variety of games you play and really enjoy how you teach and play the games, we have learnt so much from Ark Nova down to Aqualin. I am a huge enthusiast and play games with a variety of friends. Although I enjoy and prefer heavy games, I have friends that enjoy light-hearted and easy-to-play. Having a selection of games to play with others is important and your channel shares that variety. Keep up the channel. I hope one day I can start my own channel and join in.
Love your channel! I'm pretty sure Meadow is my #1 for this year--really great game with interesting mechanics and gameplay. Hope to get the expansion this year!
That’s great to hear! Really would love to try it soon!
I agree you are good at teaching. You are my 1st search, when I am looking to learn a new game. You keep it simple and fun.
In hearing how you all are doing, I am in total support of your approach and very much enjoy your content, you are one of the first channels I look to for playthroughs or learning a game.
On kind of a side note, for the flow of content I also want to say that while working together is great, I personally feel, it does not take the place of spending time together. Building/nourishing your relationship with each other is important and for myself I want this channel to be a benefit to you both and not a major stressor. Any delays because of personal needs or just to take time to do something together is not only acceptable but encouraged!
Love you both, and Naveen my fellow lover of ugly Euro games, that shirt is amazing!
Really enjoyed your review’s and designer dives like Uwe this year. Excited for Fields of Arle. Enjoy your peat harvesting haha. The teaches without personal opinions are so good you two always crush that. It makes when you do a review it feel much much better and the opinions always carry more weight. The two of you even with all the travel absolutely crushed it this year. Great content. Your hard work has been enjoyed.
It was pretty warm in Johannesburg. 110 videos in one year? Wow so impressive! You are my favorite play through channel congratulations 🎉🍾
Keep it up 🙂 I really enjoy your channel I follow a good number of channels big and small. It's great watching people play at 2 player as I'm buying great games to play at this level. I heavily enjoyed the Sagrada Artisans video as I was intrigued by it provided it's priced fairly it seems could be a great legacy version as I'm getting into roll and writes to play at pubs. I thoroughly enjoy your review and playthroughs when you get the time although I understand the commitment of doing them. You both have great energy and personalities. Good luck with this channel this year.
Yes Wonderland’s War! I think you guys will love it! Happy New Year to one of my favorite board game youtubers! 🎆🎆🎆
I've loved your channel for a long time and this blog confirms a big reason why, you guys are so honest, kind, inclusive and thoughtful. I love both Golem and Honeybuzz but have only played them solo. Looking forward to your thoughts!
Hey Monique and Naveen! Happy 2023 - kudos on an awesome TH-cam channel. I always check out your Teaching and Playthrough videos when I am seriously considering getting a new game. Really appreciate how you narrate / explain how you make your decisions as you play - it's the closest thing to playing the game you can get without playing yourself.
I have Black Angel in my collection and recently played it for the first time over the Holidays. I have played at 2 players and several times in the Solo mode (awesome that they call the AI "Hal" given the theme of the game) and have enjoyed it. I never played Troyes but Rahdo did a great video where he compares the two and it definitely sounds like there are a lot of similarities. As long as you like the space theme, I would recommend it. The art work is pretty cool (although it tends to clutter / camouflage the pieces on the main board) and there are multiple paths to victory. You can also intentionally sabotage the ship if you see that an opponent is collecting a lot of resources which only score if you reach the destination planet. The rulebook is OK (although I would make a few tweaks) but the game is pretty clear once you get into it and not as heavy as it first appears.
Keep up the great content in 2023! PS: Dexter looks like an awesome board gaming dog. As long as he doesn't eat components he would definitely be welcome at my table anytime! LOL
I'm looking forward to seeing more of your content this year - I'm always so excited when I get that notification for a new video. You produce such fun, genuine videos, that I recommend the channel to everyone! 😊
Hope you have an enjoyable year, and get to play some of the games on the list. I still highly recommend checking out Tribes of the Wind!
Thanks for all your work and sharing your passion for board games! I appreciate the thought process you go through and all the transparency. Definitely looking forward to how the channel grows in 2023 and maybe getting to meet you two at a convention if you do attend any [ I did see Monique at PaxU but didn’t get to say hi :,) ]
You guys are our Top Two GO TO for learning games. Thank you!!!
Happy New Year to you both. Love your content and looking forward to what you do in 2023. X
You guys are great I love your videos. Thanks to your videos we learned how to play Kanban EV and finally got it to the table!
We got snow and ice in Portland, OR, but not enough to really impact holiday plans, which included board games, pet sitting a trio of cats, and sharing food with friends. Also, I ordered a couple board game organizers for the first time (for Root and Scythe), which were somewhat intimidating to glue together at first, but it worked out well, and it was nice watching a few of your videos during the hours of assembly.
And thanks for sharing the behind-the-scenes info. I know very little about content creation, and it's interesting to learn about things I don't know.
I’m hoping to finally get into barrage. Got it right before the pandemic started and haven’t had the group or energy to dive in. Really enjoy your play-throughs and you do a really good job of showing games objectively. Keep it up!
I don't envy the job that the two of you have getting BACK into Pandemic Legacy. Trying to remember where you are in the story, what has already taken place, and trying to get your head back into the flow of the game. Ugh. Been there and it's no fun, but it's worth it. All of the Pandemic Legacy games are genius level games. Looking forward to this year and to the games that you will be bringing to the table
I feel cozy when watching your Channel, just like looking into my extended living room. The twelve titles you mention really excite me. As you say, you here recommendations for them everywere. Funny enough that I don’t know any of them. But that’s probably why you are running this channel and not me 😊
My City was a huge surprise to my wife and I as far as how much we enjoyed it. It is one of our favorite gaming experiences so far. We played it at two (which was great) and we are looking forward to playing through it again, maybe in six months or so. We also are looking forward to playing Clank! Legacy this year.
Great video and happy belated new year! I think this was the video where you asked if anyone has played all 3 of Arnak, Dune Imperium and Endless Winter. I did! I would rank them 1) Arnak (especially w/ Leaders expansion), 2) Dune Imperium (although I haven't played any of the expansions yet which might bring it up higher) and 3) (pretty distant) Endless Winter. Arnak feels like the best blend of deck-building w/ worker placement of the 3 to me. There's enough cycling through your deck + trashing cards + an interesting twist on worker placement. Dune is middle of the road on both deck building and worker placement, at least with just the base game. Endless Winter felt like too much of a hodge-podge of deck building + worker placement + area control + set collection + etc. etc. etc. to the point where it lost it's identity somewhat. I'll be curious to hear your order after you've played all 3.
I'd definitely be excited to see a playthough of Pax Pamir show up on the channel as well as the Magnificent or Black Angel.
LOVE your content!!! and love you guys… great job! :)
I would love to see you play Pax Pamir, mainly because we own it but have not been able to wrap our heads around it and I know that a video from you would help so much in getting it to our table. Also looking forward to Endless Winter, which we haven't bought but are considering. Aside from that, I love Meadow, largely because of the gorgeous art but also because I think it so nicely illustrates food chains and other dependencies in ecosystems. Happy new year to both of you and thank you for all of the work that you do to make complex games more appealing and accessible!
I loved the monetization explanation, makes me trust you a lot more. Keep up the good work. Boonlake is on my shelf of shame(opportunity) as well.
You guys are such hard workers and I continue to love your quality. Thank you!
Love to hear about your monetizing process and thoughts on Patreon. That’s a great approach.
We’re a newer channel and we’re always learning for The Greats! 😁❤
Thanks for the video!
(Love Meadow)
Was so great to meet you at Pax Monique and talk a little bit about Yokai Septette and Pendulum, even though I was rather shy! Would love to run into you both at a game table sometime (you’d probably win lol) if you find yourself in PA again. Maybe someday I’ll have enough leave to justify a trip out for Airecon.
Haven’t caught as many videos (both on your channels and others) lately but I’ve really been enjoying the quick fire groups of board games you discuss during the Let’s Talk Board Games segments, and I always keep an eye out for what’s coming in.
Yay! Clank Legacy is great. Just fun!! So is My City! You guys are so good at explaining the heavy games that seems like your wheelhouse but we’re happy with you playing whatever games you’re excited about. Love your channel!
Love Black Angel. Doesn't get the love it deserves!
Would love to see a play through of this.
I really loved Black Angel, but I ended up getting rid of it because I'd always rather play Troyes. And it's not a thematic thing or a weight issue (Black Angel would win on both counts). My problem was that the task cards felt so mechanical and arbitrary, compared to the activity cards in Troyes that are all different and have thematic reasons why they do what they do. I wish they'd done something even slightly like that for the cards in Black Angel.
Definitely Wonderlands War at 3, max 4. It’s long, but I had so much fun with it, I didn’t really mind. If I had to choose, play 3. Also, prioritize Radlands. You guys will love it.
Love your content, as always!! I’m so happy for you guys and look forward to 2023’s content.
Meadow is such a pleasing, fantastic game! You guys will love it.
Hello, all the best in the New Year.
A great "want to play" list you have.
I've already played Golem, Boonlake, The Magnificent and Marrakesh and these titles are awesome and none have left my collection.
I'm looking forward to your Let's Plays with rules explanation. I love your chanel.
Many greetings from Germany.
You are a truly lovely couple, and we can tell by the way you approach the different challenges and questions that you face, always with empathy and respect. Thank you a lot :) you certainly are a reference!
I love this list! It's nice to be reminded that I'm not the only one who doesn't manage to play everything. ❤
Imma need you guys to edit this video to mention you'll also be going to GenCon this year LOL :) Appreciate all you guys do, thank you for the videos, the playthroughs are great! I've played wonderlands war at 2 a few times now and I think it's been great. It can be long if people take their time making decisions, but as long as everyone is on board with pulling tokens and making decisions, I think it's just fine. Definitely a game I want knowing I'll be playing it at 5 players (just my opinion)
I love your channel so much! I will say that I play a game only if you guys have a playthru ☺️. Monique explain games so so well and I love Naveen taste on games. I really appreciate the work that you guys put in to your channel for us. Thank you, thank you.
Here are some amazing games that I would suggest you guys should try at some point,
1. Bus (Splotter)
2. Rumble Nation
3. Rurik Dawn of Kiev
4. Capital Lux 2: Generations
5. Gentes
6. The Great Zimbabwe (Splotter)
7. Tammany Hall
8. Spheres of Influence (This one is hard to get but might be getting a reprint soon)
I'm very much looking forward to your plays of Meadow and Radlands, as they are both personal favorites of ours. Also Black Angel will be great, as I still have a strong interest in that game but haven't yet played.
Marrakesh is fabulous. I played one of the initial versions with Mr. Grogan and loved it.
Recommendations for games that work great 2 player - Balloon Cup, Carson City, Finca, The Rose King, Trans Atlantic, Village, Seasons, Tawantinsuyu, Helios, Hawaii, Saint Petersburg, Carpe Diem, Marco Polo, Kashgar, Hyperborea, Clans of Caledonia, La Isla, Bonfire, Wayfarers of the South Tigris, Call to Adventure, The Ancient World, Through the Ages.
Thank you for your board game coverage, no matter what you put out because all your videos are very well made, interesting, and entertaining to watch. ☺️
EDIT: Funny, I just played Black Angel as well as preparation for an upcoming video. 😅
Meadow is an absolutely superb game, with some of the nicest artwork I've ever seen in a game. I think it will definitely appeal to the Splendor part of Naveen's brain!
(Also I have absolutely zero problems with you guys playing light games. In fact I love it. I finally got a copy of Ohanami after seeing it on the channel ages ago!)
Oooohh that’s great to hear! No one has ever compared it to that for us, would love for it to unlock that part of the brain!
I can't speak to Meadow, but agree about y'all showcasing some light games on the channel. Like makerofjam, I also picked up Ohanami after seeing it on your channel.
You two are very enjoyable to watch and listen to. Thanks very much for all the great content. I'm curious to see what you think of Boonlake. There was a lot of hype about it before it was released. I bought it and played it with one of my gaming buddies and we were both disappointed. It seems like there were a number of different mechanisms in the game whose sole purpose was to create a larger point salad that worked against the theme. I hadn't heard of a few of the other games on your list, but you got me interested in a couple of them. Thanks again and keep of the great work!
Just joined the Patreon. Love your content, and I am happy to help support your channel.
I have played all three, and my rankings would be:
1. Dune Imperium - always feels like a tight race to the finish line, and true competition for worker placement spots, all with varying strategies to win
2. Endless Winter - looks amazing and so many paths to pursue. Maybe too many?
3. Lost Ruins of Arnak - love it but seems a bit too simple after playing the other two. Plus, it feels like you can win just focusing on the research track, and ignoring 70% of the board.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
All reviews I've seen for Wonderlands get positive feedback in two players setup with a nice tension beetween battles, aera control and upgrading your board/bag. And three players is a sweet spot too.
Game feels heavy but whe you're into it, round flows really well.
Can't wait to watch your playthrough for this one, I think that should be a game that you might love, and Radlands.
Your playthroughs are one of my favorite source to undestand and see how a game works. Pretty smooth and calm with clear explanations. Keep up the good work ?!
My fiancée and I went to Peru to visit her family for Christmas and spent New Years with our friend in Charlotte NC 😁
Yes to Pax Pamir (2nd Ed)! I played it for the first time last weekend and it's REALLY great. I think it'll be right up your alley.
Great idea to look at games you’ve missed out on, as another commenter said a playthrough of Radlands would be brilliant as I’ve just got hold of it. Just bought a new Kallax and then customized an old study desk into our new game table. The spare room has become our games room. It really changed our playing experience. Our first games on it were Sobek( two player version), Caper (Europe) and It’s a Wonderful World (not played for ages). Good luck this year
Ps I covered the wooden top of the table with rubber carpet underlay, it holds cards etc nicely in place and it’s cheap to buy
Excited for the continuation of the Uwe Rosenberg series 🙂
looking forward to Pax Pamir, Marakesh, and Boonlake! keep up the great work!
I'm so looking forward to trying meadow next week, someone in my group is going to teach me
I learned and played Boonlake at Buckeye Game Fest with David Waybright. Enjoyed it so much I bought a copy. I love it's "follow" mechanic.
Marrakesh is a delight to play. Each time I play it I love it more. Just an elegant design with all the Feld stuff you’d expect. Just a really fun time! Definitely try to get a play of it in. Love it at 3p.
Pax Pamir: Second Edition is AMAZING. Would be a cool addition to the solo videos as well! I've played quite a few solo games and this one feels the most like I'm playing vs multiple players. Also, family in Canada?!?!? WHAT UP from Ottawa! :)
Pax would be great to see covered by you two. Got it to the table once. I really like it.
I own and love Wonderlands War and I’ve played it at all player counts. The worst 2 player counts are 2 and 5. 5 is needlessly long. 2, you don’t get the same player powers and the game isn’t as fun. 3 is ok. The best is 4!!! 100%. You get to bet on all the battles, nothing is closed off. There’s enough competition in the different regions. It is long but it doesn’t “feel” long. The teach may take a bit. For me, I have a great insert that makes set up super fast. But if you just do it out of the box it may take a bit to set up.
It truly is a great game.
+1 for 4 player being the best player count; 3 is also still quite good. Love the game. I have the retail edition, and we have all the faction stuff for each character in their respective bags - so it’s a quick dump, everyone sets up their own board, and it’s set up in about 5 minutes - expect concerns about set up time are more for deluxe components… tray systems for minis… and/or lack of familiarity. Similarly - once you know what you’re doing - 2 games in etc - I think 30-40 minutes per player is realistic, so playtime should be in the range of many of the games I see on the channel :)
@@joshkohler1008 I agree length stems from teaching and new players grasping what they need to do. I have the deluxe copy but I have an insert from Etsy where the chips are already together and hold their respective cards up. Each player has a tray with their starting chips and mini and castles etc. set up in a couple minutes.
I can't believe that Naveen works full time. Your content is amazing! I erroneously assumed you were both full time content creators.
Friedeman Friese' Copy Cat is a very fun (and very early) Deckbuilder + Worker Placement game, if you can find a copy of it. You have cards that can activate extra workers, and workers that can draw extra cards -- by the final round, you can play out your entire deck on a single turn. Very satisfying.
Definitely a huge fan of the channel as most of your thinking, feelings and insights echo my personal thoughts on a game! Kudos for the excellent job you both are doing. Love the fact that you get right to the crux of the matter and not want around too much or repeat a single point in multiple ways!
Onto your video:
My personal preference for a worker placement-deck builder genre would be
1. Dune Imperium with all the expansions
2. Arnak with the Leaders Expansion
My reasons:
I like interactions in games, and if it has to be a multi player solo, then the decision space needs to be meaty. Dune provides me with ample amount of interaction, tension and tactical gameplay that gets better with the expansions and hence easily the to of the pack.
I would pick Arnak with a group that may dislike direct confrontation, but still provide quite a bit of interaction- fighting for the spots for resources, research track, excavation of new sites etc.
Having played Endless Winter 3 times, unfortunately the game felt boring. Gorgeous art work and production, but gameplay felt very average. The turns kept getting longer and felt like not much of meaty decisions to be taken. The boards spread all over the table, didn't make sense and the theme really didn't come through in the gaming experience.
I'm Dune Imperium the theme is definitely the strongest, followed by the whole adventure, exploration of Arnak...EW was unfortunately a huge miss for me and my group and is going out of our collection.
Next one, I noticed was Black Angel! Think of it as a spiritual successor to Troyes! Really cool dice drafting mechanism and the conveyer belt mechanism keeps the game tight and moving really coherently! Love it to bits!
Lastly Pax Pamir Second Edition: OMG love this game! Has to be one of the most differently themed Euro and brings alive the theme so strongly!
The first edition has balance issues and also given the dark theme is the game the first edition had an essay that didn't go down well with people! They've rectified all those in this new edition and also solved for the balance issues. The rule set is also very streamlined.... Played it with the group this past weekend and had an absolute blast! Makes for a great table banter!
Lastly with Wonderland's War! Really fun game and yes, all the stories about the length are true! The fact that there is a lot of interaction makes this game fun and the fact that the cards you draft in each round gets increasingly powerful makes the game really interesting! Yes the are a lot of steps to go over (a flow chart in fact!) and can feel very procedural... But I'm the bag builder genre, it is still a very fun game. If you don't mind a 150-180 min play time, 3-4 would be a good number to play with. Two might be fun, but feel the encounters might be better with more "dudes on the board". 3 might be the sweet spot wrt gameplay time, 4 from an interaction and fun factor...
And yes Golem is on my list as well...
Happy Gaming both!
Your number 2 on the list is my favourite all-time game. You guys really should play it!
Radlands is fantastic! One game that I will play any time, anywhere. I have a lot of games from the past few years that I'm hoping to play this year; that's pretty much my New Year's resolution- to stop buying so many new games and play as many games from my shelf of shame/opportunity as possible.
Thanks for such a thoughtful video and an awesome list of games! Regarding Wonderland's War (it made it on my top 10 this year!) - I would recommend 3P. Caveat, I've only played 2P and 4P. 2P felt a bit different because you had to include an AI, and 4P while super super epic, ran quite long! It's really an amazing game and I agree that the set-up can be hefty, but once you're in it, it flows so well. Hope you like it! - Marcus
Meadow is LITERALLY my favorite game, especially to play solo! Really great if you like engine-building... My City was also a really, really great 2 player experience for us. Each game is very quick, often we would get in 3 in a session. One of our favorite experiences of this past year. Golem and Honey Buzz are also on the wishlist, as well as Flamecraft. And I'm still on the fence about Wonderland's War, for the same reasons as Naveen, but everyone I've talked to raves about it, so that's also on the shortlist for us.
You should definitely try Meadow. It is relaxing and offers enough challenge that you two would enjoy it.
That sounds perfect!
Honeybuzz holds a special place for me. I love that game. I'm not sure if you guys have ever showcase a clank game before. I had the privilege to play the new one clank catacombs, and it is awesome. That would be an awesome game to watch you guys have a playthrough.
I love Meadow. I'm polish, leaving in US for 15 years now and Meadow makes me really sentimental. The art is just so on point, every time i play this game makes me feel like I'm in Poland. Great game.
Pax Pamir was one of my favourite brain burners that i played last year. I definitely add myself to your list of recommenders of that title.
Hope you manage to get through your games! Here are the ones from your list that I've tried:
MEADOW is cute and on the lighter side of medium. I don't know if I absolutely adore it, but I have fun with it and the art is lovely.
GOLEM surprised me because the cover art is so garish, but it turns out that the theme is quite deep and respectfully applied, and the gameplay is quite original and the little machines you create are fun!
MY CITY wasn't my favourite game because I didn't find a lot of interesting things in it. But as you mentioned, a lot of people love it!
BLACK ANGEL was really fun. I love how it has an almost race-game feel, but it's pretty crunchy. I really liked it, though.
I haven't played CLANK! LEGACY but I have played CLANK and CLANK! IN! SPACE!, and both are decent. Light, as Monique said.
That's it for the games I've played! Thanks for a great video! I so much appreciate your channel and all the helpful information you provide!
We picked up Radlands this year and have been enjoying it. It plays quick (
Happy New Year, M&N (and Dexter). Yes, may we all "just be done with" pandemics--on the gaming table and in real life! Looking forward to seeing the videos of many of the games you mentioned. Do play Pax Pamir 2e - it's phenomenal. May 2023 bring y'all good health and much joy (and as much gaming as you would like).
Radlands is fantastic and Clank! Legacy is one of the best legacy experiences I’ve had in the hobby. It would be great to see you do a play through of Pax Pamir as well. Great list!
We are currently 2/3rds into the Clank Legacy game and it is probably the best game experience of the decade. On par with The King's Dilemma.
I love Clank but I was a little put off by the Penny Arcade stuff, but in Legacy it just works really well. I can't recommend this enough. WIth a few caveats though: it is absolutely a game about exploration. I've seen low score reviews on BGG where people complained that to 'win' you should be as careful and conservative as possible, never explore, never do anything new, never go to new spaces, etc. If you are playing like that, you will probably not have a great time, but if you prioritize exploration, man, it's really just the best!
Also, it's technically a co-op/adverserial game, so you CAN play it as opponents, but we absolutely like it best to coordinate and help each other, again, to get more exploration done.
The humor is great, the stories are interesting and surprising, the recurring stuff is fantastic and in the end a card that might otherwise be just a card will have actual history. It's not just a "Magic Sword"; it is the magic sword that saw you through countless adventures!
Boonlake! It's gotten a bit of a mixed reception, but it has all the typical Pfister elements so if you're into those, you're probably going to enjoy it. Also the action selection mechanism is super clever. It's currently my second favourite from his catalogue after the Great Western Trail :)
Out of the 10 games you want to play I played:
- Meadow - really light, feels best with 2 (at higher player counts feels a bit random)
- Golem - feels nicer than Lorenzo, but I still much prefer GAH. Golem is a bit heavier and less elegant, though I'm still curious to try the different paths in it (those feels more different than strategies in GAH or Lorenzo).
- Boonlake - Marcaibo crossed with Terra Mystica. Awesome game. :)
- The Magnificent - dice drafting with a twist. In the same category as GAH I feel. I quite liked it.
- Black Angel - I really wanted to like it, it was called Troyes 2.0 (I like Troyes, but some things keep it from being great for me), but... I felt like I didn't understand it at all. Sold it after one play, as no one wanted to play it again.
- Pax Pamir 2nd ed - pretty much everyone only talks about 2nd ed, I have no clue what changed from the 1st one. Nice game, but I feel like it really needs 4 players. I played with 3 and it has some weird imbalances.
My friend got Wonderland's War for his Birthday and I'm glad he did because it was a lot of fun. Interesting game that's broken up into two phases and the war part of it, that is in phase 2, involves bag building and push your luck, which is really fun.
Marrakesh was the one Feld game I wanted from the new city series and it did not disappoint! If you can get your hands on a copy, I highly recommend. It's one of those games where you can choose a different focus in each game. I feel like it will keep me entertained for years to come.
My City was fun, but it's pretty light for my taste. I played it at two which means I can play the entire campaign again!
The Magnificent is great! I always enjoy it when my friend pulls it out. Some good meaty decisions. It feels like it's over before it's begun, but then you realise that you actually got a lot done.
Clank! Legacy was an absolute blast! Listen to all those people playing it and get it to the table. It's really amusing and with the right people it's incredibly fun. Would love to go through it all again.
The rest aren't really my taste so I haven't played them. Boonlake was one that seemed like I'd really like it after reading the rules, but it fell flat for me. The action selection was interesting, but overall it left me with a meh feeling. Too many other games to play, so for me I don't think I'll be playing it again (also my friend sold his copy, so it's very very unlikely).
For resolutions, I had a 2 year challenge from 2021 to play my entire collection, which I nearly managed. 26 games short!! Some of them favourites that I couldn't believe I hadn't played in 2 years! I've done challenges for many years, so this year I just want to play what I want to play when I want to play it and not try to accomplish anything other than having fun.
Thanks for the great video and Happy New Year to you both!!
Happy new year Monique and Naveen, my resolution is to Subscribe to this channel, oh look done. There certainly was a lot of buzz about that honey game last year. It's one I have to try as well, seems like an accessible worker bee placement game with some fitting hex tile selection.
I'm planning to skip straight to Clank Catacombs myself, but I love deckbuilders already. I find people who don't like them initially end up enjoying hybrid games like Dune, Arnak and Clank more than pure deckbuilding games so maybe that's the case for Naveen as well.
There's also an interesting game called Xenon Profiteer that turns the shedding aspect into the core of the game and you actually add filler cards(literally air) that you can process to generate xenon and develop related technologies. Very unique and scientific take on 'deckbuilding'.
I'm actually designing a deckbuilding game where the whole trashing dynamic is replaced with a different style of mechanism...
We finished Clank Legacy (at two players) last night and it was SO FUN! My husband isn’t really a gamer but he LOVED it! Just a fun, light adventure.
Wow! You really spelled out just how much work goes into content creation in general, but even more specifically how much you do to keep up with this wonderful channel. Kudos to you for not only your work ethic, but also having solid boundaries and making sure you still prioritize your mental health and personal lives. As an entrepreneur, I totally get this and it's just so important.
Being a huge Simone Luciani fan, and really loving Lorenzo il Magnifico and to a lesser degree Grand Austria Hotel, I'd say Golem is a pass. Not that it's a terrible game, I just don't think the design is super fresh or well executed, and the game isn't as fun as nearly any other one he's made. Have you guys done a teach of Barrage? I feel that would be so much more worthwhile and is infinitely a better game than Golem. Just my 2 cents.
Keep up the great work! Looking forward to more excellent content in 2023. 👍👍
I love your channel guys especially your gameplay of horrified and horrified American monsters!
Thank you!!
Wonderland's War is a blast and definitely worth a look. Teardown and setup take quite a while but it's worth it