@@3MBG Catan was the second game I got for my collection, I don't play it often but I don't regret buying it, and probably will never get rid of it. It's the game you can assume everybody in the hobby knows how to play, and it's the only game my mom will ask me to bring over when I visit. I don't think it's a serious game, but that's the fun for most casual players. And for the people who are familiar with it, the game starts as soon as you are placing down the tiles, that's great. There are, of course, better games, but even if you find the hobby is not for you it will be nice to have Catan around
@@3MBG I think Ticket to Ride should be on there. I also think Catan should but I don't enjoy it that much and when I started my collection (in 2017) I left it out. in no particular order: Ticket to Ride Pandemic Camel Up Pie Town Mission Red Planet Arboretum Potion Explosion Clank! or Clank! in Space Resistance or good cop bad cop Azul or Segrada
@@3MBG it sounds fair, I personally hate ticket to ride and catan is long for what it is. I would recommend carcassonne though. And not stone age, is pretty good to start but after several plays I realised it pushes you to get cards (get lots of wood, buy cards)... I sold my copy and I'm still amazed by all that love it receives
I just wanted to say, that you have made an excellent video for the following reasons. 1) It's brief 2) You categorize the games 3) You mention your own biases (Note I still plan to get Carcassonne) 4) You give alternatives I am new to gaming and while I probably wont get many of the games on your list, you have given me a good place to start and I confirmed some of my choices. Thanks
Agreed. As new to gaming and searching TH-cam for good games, why do so many reviewers think I have an hour plus to listen to a rambling panel discussion? So MANY crazy long top tens. This channel is the best I have found for quality with succinct delivery.
@@donttellhimpike2043 Ad revenue is better on longer videos. And editing takes effort. Why make short concise content which earns less when you can roll a camera, do one take, an press upload? The reason i started the channel is I hated all that long content so much, and thought i can't be the only one.
1. Small World 2. Memoir '44 3. Raiders of the North Sea 4. Azul / Sagrada/ Santorini / Century Spice road/ Splendor 5. 7 Wonders 6. The Resistance/ One night Ultimate Werewolf 7. Dominion 8. Forbidden City 9. Modern Art/ For Sale/ High Society 10. Between Two Cities Honorable mentions: Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride
There really is no other board game channel on youtube where my own personal taste overlaps so much. This list is incredibly close to what I would have made with maybe an inclusion of Love Letter, Dixit and a swap of Smallworld and 7 Wonders. Keep up the good work.
One of the best of this excellent series of videos. In addition to solid explanations and recommendations, you get a lot of other games discussed and recommended along the way in a charactertistically professional and friendly fashion. Really excellent returns on the time I put into watching it - thank you! Please do a similar list of entry-level wargames as that's your first love and you know so much about them!
Cheers, entry level wargaming is sooooo much harder. As a sub part of the hobby its historically been rubbish at getting people in the door, normally dropping folks in the deep end. I'll definitely have a think about it though
1) Cacao - Offers simple tile laying with some hand management with a small economy. Multple ways to score points. Puzzle-y. 2) Sushi Go (Party) - Party game, includes drafting and set collection. 3) Downforce - Racing game, hand management and starts off with a auction, both things are known outside of the boardgaming community 4) Samurai - Area control/majority. Plus its Knizia. 5) Black Fleet - Player Powers / Pick & Deliver. Pirates! 6) Azul or Sagrada, pool drafting / puzzle-y. 7) Forbidden Island/Desert - Co Op 8) Space Base / Splendor - Engine Building 9) Viticulture - Worker Placement. Simple enough to grasp despite its weight. Maybe also Pillars of the North sea given its circular resolution of placements. (Haven't played Stone Age / LoW / Raiders) 10) Welcome to / Lets Make a Bus Route / Castles of Burgandy The Dice Game - Roll & Writes.
My list would be, using only games that I have: • Codenames - Party/Word/Team game • Love Letter - Small/Secret Role game • Skull - Bluffing/Out on the pub game • Azul - Abstract game • Kingdomino - Tilelaying/bidding game • Century: Golem - Engine builder game • The Mind - Co-Op game • Klask - Dexterity/Physical game • King of Tokyo (Power-Up expansion highly recommended) - Dice chucking/conflict game • Quacks of Quedlinburg - Push your luck/bag or deckbuilding game.
Excellent selections. I really like the recommendations for "here's one a bit easier, and one that is a bit deeper" that you do in your videos. Gonna give a shout out to some older games like Acquire and Survive, but also to (relatively) more recent Machi Koro and Patchwork. Thank you for all you do.
A fine job my matey. I am a huge board gamer & a friend recently asked me what would be some fun but more simple games to start with building a collection. Oddly, I really wasn't sure where to start or what to recommend exactly. Several of these I have played/owned and familiar with so I look forward to offering this page for him to watch & offer my services as a gaming friend to play them :)
Our faves so far are King of Tokyo, Sushi Go and Takenoko. Ticket to Ride is fun, but a bit bland (great for gaming nights with children). I’m so happy to be getting into this hobby!
Absolutely great video that breaks all my cliche board game lists and provides a great rationale for each game selected in the collection, with alternative games to boot.
Well the way I was raised, the boardgames we had were always: risk, monopoly, clue, parchisi, candy land, life, stratego, yatzee, canasta, and guess who. I didn't get exposed to what gamers and tabletop people would consider good boardgames until my 30s and it's been an uphill battle to get anyone interested.
@@XxDainBramagedxX I find that to be true. I bought munchkin 2 years ago and 7 wonders over new years and really want to play both for the first time :(
I enjoyed this list and especially the way that it addresses game mechanics developing across games... I also am impressed by the good-natured discussion taking place in the comments section, a rarity!
Great list. I have played many of them and great collection of what board games can offer beyond risk and monopoly. I do agree that Catan, ticket to ride and Carcassonne are the staple beginner games, but Im not as excited to play them anymore. You do grow out of those pretty quick if you move beyond a casual interest. I started with Catan, eventually got Carcassonne and then ticket to ride Europe 14 years ago. I only play them when my kids ask. They are fun but I usually play nice so others can win and feel good. Forbidden island has created some great memories with my girls. We were late in the game and my youngest daughter started chanting “we’re gonna die” and it became a hilarious song we sang as we flipped the last cards to see if we got off the island or not. I played smallworld for the first time with my kids a week ago and it was fantastic! A longer game than we are used to but ever so much fun. The great thing about the games you listed is how well they show the diversity of different mechanics and player interactions in approachable titles. Great list. One I’ll pass on to friends who are interested in my “board game hobby.”
Games that are always a hit with my group and are pretty easy to teach new players that I use are Love Letter (seriously, what a great game to just jam through a few times anywhere) and Citadels (role switching, bluffing, set collection... What's not to love?).
I think your list was full of excellent recommendations! Although I would maybe add King of Tokyo (fast, aggressive dice rolling fun) and Love Letter (an amazingly simple card game that is absolutely fantastic and takes no time at all), and maybe even Onitama (simple chess-like 2 player game with card-driven movement and very strategic play), I think you covered many games people should consider! Great video!
Fantastic video, REALLY impressed with how much pertinent information you manage to get into concise yet detailed vids! As it happens I bought Small world for my cousins a few years ago and that really helped them get into the hobby so can personally vouch for that one!
Great list. For our household Splendor really changed things as it was so simple to learn but always fun and we all could win at it. We have loved Cash N Guns as more a party game since it plays so well with 8. Love Letters has been a favourite as well; the new Marvel version is really good.
Reykholt for classic Euro worker placement. Barenpark for “Tetris Piece” puzzle ( prefer to Patchwork), Kingdomino, Jaipur for set collection goods conversion, Splendor for basic engine building, Lost Cities for push your luck tension
Small World was literally my first boardgame and since we first played it, I've come up with 52 own races for it, currently working on number 53. And I must add that whenever there are people over, willing to play, we often start the session by playing Small World. Due to its accessibility and fantastically done combinations of racial and special powers, it has proved to be a delight for any fantasy-lover or a fan of area control games. Also there are a lot of expansions up to date, introducing new terrain to play on or extra races and special powers that add tons of colour and variety to the experience, thus the replayability marker reaches surprising heights also due to the game handling well different player counts. All in all I cannot recommend it enough. Nowadays, as being a longtime fan of area-control games, I've assambled a boardgame collection of which I'm rather proud and having that said, I'm super happy to have gotten all that started with lovely Small World. Should anyone feel like asking me for an opinion on any area-control game, do come in contact and leave a comment! May the Force be with You!
@@3MBG The expansions for it are certainly worth picking up if one enjoys the game. One I skipped on was the Tales and Legends, however, should someone feel like it, creating a rule system, including role-playing and consequent price-awarding or even suspending mechanisms is a treat! Small World of Warcraft is also coming up soon and I can't wait to get it play-tested and mixed up with the other base games! Also as someone who grew up playing Heores of Might and Magic 3, I personally always found Small World somewhat depicting and scratching some of the same game-itches. Hopefully it manages the same with the Warcraft theme and does it justice! Thank you for the quality content and certainly for the courtesy of replying, I wish you the best of luck!
We are new to the hobby and have a lot that are on your "alternates" or "not gonna put on MY list" list. Ticket to Ride, Catan, Carcassonne, Splendor, & Pandemic are all on our shelf... and not too many others yet... but it's growing quickly! I'd throw The Quest for El Dorado on a list... it's easy to learn and a lot of fun.
Love that these are not the old hat suggestions. As a solo gamer I will say that Hostage Negotiator was a bit much thematically for me (unexpectedly) so I might suggest something like Arkham Horror TCG, Raiders of the North Sea or Viticulture instead.
I'm wondering if thats because most of the gateway games people recommend came out a long time after i got in the hobby. So they were never "my gateway games"? AHTCG is pretty full on for a new gamer i'd reckon. Agree with the other two though.
@KonicavaBR risk and monopoly are the old games. nowadays those games don't deserve a place on the board game shelf imo. there so many better board games than those 2. I still give credit to them though bc they were the biggest board games back in the day
I bought Carcassonne and ticket to ride thinking my family would be open to the switch from My childhood of Monopoly, risk and clue, but they didn't really like them. Especially Carcassonne. And catan would be too complicated and not up their ally so I knew not to bother trying.
@@VampguyN85 there are plenty of other games that are inviting and easy. Consider games that have a theme your family likes, but with a rather easy dynamic. Cooperative games are really nice for families too
So glad I found this video. I’m new to the hobby and was looking for a list or website that would list games that increased in complexity and taught various mechanics in an introductory way that are used in more complex games.
Great list, all great choices. Other good games not mentioned: - Decrypto / Codenames - Jaipur - Junk Art - Kingdomino - Patchwork - Skull King - Coup Just a little more involved, Isle of Skye is fantastic. Concordia is the perfect Euro game, involved yet so simple (but more expensive) Heavier games so cheap you should try them first when you feel ready for your next (big) step: Brass Birmingham and Teotihuacan
I like that you provide the reasoning behind this or that choice. I do not necessarily agree with every item but it's a well thought out list. FWIW, I love 7 wonders, but in my experience people who don't normally play board games find the rules challenging.
Out of those mentioned I played "Catan" from honourable mentions (not a fan), and from "standard list" I did play and enjoy "Werewolf", "Smallworld" and "Splendor" and would be happy to play them again. I am not a pro gamer or anything but even though I'm not a good player I am not beginner. One of my favourite games are "Craftsmen" and "Robinson Crusoe" - very good but challenging titles both in terms of grasping the rules and in making in game decisions but still these much more accessible games can be fun for more experienced gamers, at least as a quality breather between heavier games. From my collection I'm looking at the shelf with "big boxes" right now, I would easily recommend "World's Fair 1893" (worker placement), "CVlizations" (resource management) and "Alhambra" (tile matching).
@@3MBG And I just bought a game as a brithday present for a family of "non gamers" who are willing to give it a shot. I chose the title from your list - "Between two Cities". I've never played it myself (will be willing to try if they happen to invite me :D) but I liked what you said about the game.
This is the best list i’ve seen based on this topic! I think I’d add wingspan somewhere in here, it has been a hit for me when showing new comers to the hobby. Forbidden island is my goto intro to co-op but ive found atlantis rising to be great too! Basically forbidden island with worker placement and resource management. Really is a great into game imo! Finally id probably get something like Lost ruins of arnak. Kind of fits in the same spot as raiders of the north sea but i think it adds a little more complexity that is still manageable when teaching newbies. Also itd be an amazing 2nd or 3rd game to show someome after theyve played raiders and dominion
Party games for people who only met and games that work super well for casual gamers as well as "HARDCORE GEEKS": Just one Dobbles Zombie dice King of Tokyo Outburst Just picked up my THIRD version which is now really great as the game designers have finally published a plastic card holder with levers to mark the correct answers... SO MUCH FUN!!!
I would also recommend Escape. It's not difficult to learn or to teach. It's a wonderful introduction to co-op gaming. And it also introduces players to real time gaming, as opposed to the usual turn-based gaming. It's also a very high energy game that tends to get people excited and loud, sort of like party games.
Photosynthes is really pretty. Good looking is important if u cant get anyone to even try playing it, rest is irrelevant. Azul is likely also visually appealing to many
For a great co-operative game, Hanabi would be on the top of my list. Very simple game that anyone can get into. I took this on a study abroad trip and ended up playing almost every night. Unearthed is another great competitive game that is essentially a betting system for various ruins and gems.
@@3MBG the art style is what attracted me at first, so it was a good feeling when the gameplay turned out to be really solid and is a semi-casual game that has an easy learning curve.
Awesome list. Just wanted to mention that I highly recommend Avalon over the resistance. It’s the same game but with a different theme PLUS expansion for almost the same price. The additional roles make the game more interesting and more strategic.
This is the best top ten list ever. I like the way you give alternate games for type. I would have put splendor and Machi Koro on the list. I use splendor and machi Koro to introduce new players to gaming.
Awesome list man! I’d probably throw Dice Throne: Season 1 somewhere in the mix. I think the reason it makes for such a great gateway game is because it puts a fresh spin on the Yahtzee mechanic of rolling up to three times, matching symbols to pull off attacks and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. 30 minutes tops. The graphic design is clean and clear which helps when teaching someone new to gaming as you’re never endlessly searching for keywords in the rule book. Everything is displayed neatly on the player boards. Easy to grasp and quick to play are always the hallmarks of a great gateway game.
How funny, I started my collection with other games, but then picked up every game on this list later down the line, and I play all of these games more than the rest. Great games list!
7 Wonders: Duel, because you're inevitably going to want a 2 player game (especially if you are a slight introvert and/or getting towards adulthood) and this is the best/easiest to explain one I've come across thus far. For the same reason I think Carcasonnne is really essential as it scales great from 2 to 5.
Gonna go the other way and say I really dislike 7 wonders duel. The biggest reason being there's only direct "take that" like once a game, but if it happens to you it really hurts and just feels cheap. Other than that just draft the best card whether you need it or not, nothing really clever. I like Targi for a two player game.
Man, what a great video...I very much needed it. In the process of starting my collection and it almost feels that this video(and the comments)were made for me...haha. Went with my eldest son to a Con about a month ago and played some games there and got the itch. Subscribed and Much Appreciation Sir!
I think betrayal is a great game to play with new people, but i also think the haunt rules can be a bit confusing and overwhelming if everyone hasn't played before. So i considered it, but left it off for that reason. I remember my first game of it back in about 2005, we got the the haunt and then it took ages to find the bits, the person running it got confused about the rules, and it was a bit awkward.
As someone who has played this game once, I while heartedly agree it’s fantastic. But when I tried to play again with new people, they couldn’t catch on and got bored. We usually end up going back to catan. With expansions, it’s great
I’ve never not been the traitor, which as someone who hadn’t played it much was not fun. Also the haunt rules are really lacking. We’ve always had questions about what we can and cannot do during the haunt that the book doesn’t answer.
Games my husband and I got into together and enjoy as relative beginners - Coup, Love Letter (fun quick card games), Forbidden Island and Castle Panic (excellent cooperative games), Sushi Go and Machi Koro. I also like Pandemic:Rise of Cthulhu, the Fluxxx cards games and Qwirkle. For myself alone, I love love love Kingdom Builder and Tsuro (I play them as apps on my iPad). Planning also to pick up Hellapagos to add to my collection.
Funny. I started playing board games with my little niece from Forbidden Island. After two or three playthroughs I introduced her Robinson Crusoe. We've never come back to FI. :D
I'd still put Carcassonne on there. I agree with dumping Catan and TTR, but Carcassonne has held up a lot better; it still does what it does better than anything else IMO. You hit a lot of the ones I'd mention, but other ones I'd toss in there: - Codenames. This is a clear one IMO. Best party game out there; I've gotten complete non-gamers hooked on this one. - Love Letter. Micro games are great to break people in and it's cool to see people figure out the interesting interactions between the cards. - Smash-Up. Has a lot of the card combo effects you see in deck builders, but in a different, simpler frame. Also has a lot of fun theme and a moderate amount of competitiveness.
Codenames for sure! Was a huge hit with my non-gamer friends. Love Letter fell flat for our game group...too simple I think. Smash Up technically is not a deckbuilder. Db’s you create the deck as you play, not beforehand.
@@joelfrench9007 I would never play Love Letter with a serious game group, except as a pure time waster. But it's a quick game that is easy to teach, and the way the card effects bounce off one another is an excellent gateway to those effects. I didn't call Smash-Up a deckbuilder; I said it shares some card combo effects from those games.
@@jonathanpickles2946 To each their own but I disagree. I think the themes are pretty clear. Zombies keep coming back, ninjas are sneaky and like to kill stuff, pirates roam around from place to place opportunistically, aliens make people disappear, etc. The expansions definitely stretch theme quite a bit but you don't really need expansions for a simple game like Smash-Up anyway.
Here is my list Coop game: Reign of Cthulhu Deck builder: Harry Potter: Battle of Hogwarts or Legendary (depending on which theme you like better) or it those are too complicated, Star Realms Abstract game: Qwirkle City Building game: Machi Koro or Citadels Pick up and deliver: Black Fleet Race game : Jamaica Dice chucking : King of New York Word game: Hardback Party game: Sushi Go! Party Two person game: 13 Days
Really enjoyed this list. I had not heard of most of these games, but I am intrigued with many. I definitely want to know more about solo games because I don't have many people around to play with. I adore Splendor!
Solo gaming is great, and a long tradition. My grandmother introduced me to the idea with "patience" which I believe is called Solitaire in the US. A hugely popular solo card game using a standard deck of cards. So its always been normal to me.
@@3MBG oh totally on that front. Funny my grandmother also taught me how to play Solitaire. But I wasn't familiar with their being newer solo gaming options :)
I've recommended Forbidden Desert over Pandemic both as a starter and just in general so many times. Forbidden Desert is very easy to play, has the best rule book I've ever seen - simple, short and leaves you confident you can both play and teach it after a 5-10 min read through. It and Pandemic play pretty similarly, but I find Forbidden Desert has the upper hand with great item cards and a constantly shifting board. One problem I have with Pandemic - the loss condition of running out of cards in the deck. That is super lame and anti-climatic. The similar mechanic in Forbidden Desert is running out of sand, but you can mitigate it by removing sand to buy a little more time, making the Dune Blaster items even more valuable and interesting as to when you use them. It's also more interesting because the sand is piling up on the tiles all game, getting in your way and making you actively engage with it in a more exciting way than looking at how small the deck is after you've drawn cards. I went with Sagrada over Azul, and very much enjoy it. I'm sure Azul is fun as well, but the dice/suduko-like aspect of Sagrada held more appeal and has been a hit with everyone I've played it with so far.
I'm intrigued by some of your choices - I'm personally looking for a better worker placement game for Wifeberg, yours help. Looking back, I'd suggest 1 No Thanks! - quick, surprisingly tense and satisfying 2 Sushi Go - approachable, teaches set collecting in an adorable way 3 Santorini - This or Onitama. I describe Onitama to my friends as "Like Santorini without the giggling." but in fact with the right people there's a lot of giggling. 4 Tokaido - another approach to set collection, it's also such an interesting and different experience. Interaction is high without *too much* conflict. 5 Azul - like you say, a game that seems simple and is very approachable, and you quickly discover its depth and complexity. Splendor and Century: Spice Road go here too, also because they have very short rulebooks, so you can jump right in. 6 Istanbul: The Dice Game. Maybe because it's a current favorite of mine, but everyone I teach seems to love it. 7 7 Wonders: You know, it's complicated, but even if you don't deal with the science tags you can enjoy yourself. 8 Flash Point: Fire Rescue. Actually Forbidden Island is probably simpler, like you say, but Flash Point is very easy to understand and correlates to something you can relate to. Plus it's oh, so expandable. 9 Medici: the only reason to possibly exclude this beautiful game is because almost every edition has horrendous graphic design. (sorry.) But the game starts tense and exciting and just ratchets up. 10: Ticket To Ride: I realize you don't like it, but it really does belong on this list.
I can't argue with any of those. Solid list that could easily replace mine. Flash point is a really good suggestion, as is Sushi Go. And yeah, TTR could go on there, but damn did i not enjoy it. So it just would feel dishonest to personally suggest it.
I had never heard of Between Two Cities before, but now I feel like I must get a copy. I really enjoy cooperative games and when our little board gaming group met more regularly there was always at least one co-op game (generally Castle Panic) that got played that night. Another co-op game that I picked up through its Kickstarter has become a game we play at the D&D table while we wait for the latecomers to show up or after the early departers head out. It is Good Dog, Bad Zombie, and it is a really fun game with a surprising amount of cooperative planning required to overcome some of the random misfortunes and earn the win. Check it out if you haven't seen it, and I'll be searching for a copy of Between Two Cities for the house game shelf! Great video as always!
Edit: They're in no particular order. Here's my own list with reasons as I go, keeping true to the same structure you have: reasonably light in that the pieces don't overflow out of the box, as well as keeping affordability in mind. As well as giving something of each genre. 10 Coup - The "Party game". Is a simple game of deduction and deception. Best played with 3 - 5 players, but can be played with just one other person. Each player has 2 cards, from the deck of 15 in the middle There are 3 copies of each of the 5 unique cards. Each allow you to perform a specific action or prevent another player from performing that action. The hitch: These cards are kept secret and are never made public knowledge unless you challenge that player's honesty. And you are encouraged to be deceptive. 9 Sushi Go. The "Card Drafter" - I want to preface this by saying if you can foot the cost of Seven wonders, it will very likely be a strong pick and a solid choice. However if you want to just dip your toe into the water of the genre before buying a big box game, Sushi go is a much lighter game of the same genre. The lightness and portability of it all comes at a cost, though. It lacks the complexity and consequently the replay Value that Seven Wonders retains. Still though. It's a safer investment for those unsure of the genre. Seven wonders is the direction to look if you fall in love with game. It *CAN* be skipped in favour of Seven wonders. But as a start up game, both games should be posed to you and I feel It should have been listed as an alternative on this list. 8 Citadels "The role selection and powers game" In Citadels, a player starts the game with the crown and selects the first card from a roles deck. The role deck is passed around the table, each player taking a card before passing it on. Each role is numbered and has a unique power. After the roles deck is empty, the roles are read out and players who selected their roles take their turns based on the numbers on the roles. The roles with the situational useful abilities go first, while the perceived "stronger cards" go last in the round. The objective of the game is to build x amount of city cards first. ------- It's at this point I realized you have probably covered all these games in 3 minutes or less already. So I'll just flesh out my list with titles and genre and people can investigate your channel to find a synopsis. --------- 7. The mind "casual/ co-operative" (brutally difficult, big twist on Co-op genre, and that is that there's no communication allowed. It's very hard to co-operate but not communicate) 6 Guillotine "Heads will roll" (competitive, point accumulation) 5 Dungeon Mayhem Living card game. Foundation for keyforge. Alternative could include Unstable unicorns. 4. One deck dungeon "Dice chucker with result manipulation, powers managment" A fun note: every game mentioned above in this list until now all fit in a single shopping bag 3. Clank! (It's a deck builder) it is a big box game. May not be for everyone. 2. Dead of winter "Territory control" Assuming everyone has played Pandemic. This is a bigger box, and it is on the more complex side of everything else on this list. 1 Sub Terra (In replacement of your "anything from the forbidden series" as a more unique substitute for Pandemic) I feel it's worth putting Sub Terra's name forward. While smaller than seven wonders, it's the biggest boxed game on my list. Perhaps no larger than
Sharp list. A few i haven't played but at least 2 that cause absolute anger and annoyance to happen at my game table! I'll let you guess which one of those games has been totally and utterly vetoed by one of my regulars ;)
It was citadels. One of our ground, one game, almost entirely by accident, was robbed twice and assassinated 6 times. They built one building by games end. After that he was like "nope, screw this game". The mind is the other one, our group just doesn't get it as a game.
@@3MBG I can get that. Not every game is the right fit for everyone. But it's a well rounded, very small (in terms of shelf space) handful of games that, each offer something different. While avoiding the "age-old classics" That there is debate about whether or not they fall into the same basket as monopoly / cluedo / rummicub / Yahtzee. Pandemic, apparently has been around for so long, debate has been made about whether or not it belongs with The abovementioned, I mean, Pandemic was my foundation. And now, Pandemic only gets played to introduce non board gamers to board gamers, teach the core concepts needed as a stepping stone for Dead of Winter. It's my belief Dead of Winter is a bit too complex to drop on the table in front of non board gamers, unless they have the knack for processing technical and complex information.
@@Ragenarok124 Dead of winter isn't too bad if you play with no full traitor, that way you can do "mostly co-op". I also highly recommend the app that does the narration and getting a portable speaker for it. Adds so much for new players and makes them feel immersed in the setting
Great list - I like the reasoning behind the various choices. We have been wanting to get Forbidden Island for teaching others as it is such a great intro game and for less confident kids, co-op is much more inviting. We have also used Kingdomino as a good entry game based on ease of learning, price point, and its readily available for people to find without going to a specialty games store. Other favourites we start with are Century Golem Edition, Sushi Go (for learning drafting), Reef (a new addition), and Dice Forge. We teach a lot of kids, so a lot of ours are targeted quite young with theme. And Dice Forge ends up on oir list because I haven't yet taught that to anyone that didn't have fun with it. And helping people enjoy games when their previous experience is painful Monopoly memories is always a win 😁
My collection is pretty small (only 6 games), but I played a lot with friends that have larger collections than mine. From your list I've played Forbidden Island, Dominion and 7 Wonders, and they are good suggestions for starting a board game collection. I didn't play Raiders of the North Sea, but I played Architects and I like it, I would recommend it. I've played Sagrada too.
I recently discovered a new favorite game called Clank! and was surprised no one mentioned that one. Really fun and accessible deck builder board game for 2-4 players.
Great suggestions, I'll have a look around if I can try some of them (Memoire 44, Between Two Cities..). I've had Mascarade in my short list for a long time, it's always a good time, and games are quite short. Easy to play and fun from 4 to 8 players.
I've played and enjoyed many on your list. Now I'm in love with Evolution:Climate by North Star games. I have the stand alone version. Definitely recommend. I like Agricola too but it's too complex for beginners we've found.
Great Video... I totally agree with most. Smallworld was actually my first game. Some honorable mentions: Dixit Forbbiden Desert (I recommend it instead of Forbidden Island) Sheriff of Nottingham Smash Up (same principle as Smallworld... tons of replayability) Cheers
I’d have Dead of Winter on there somewhere. Best ‘co-op’ game I have played, the theme is awesome, and the mission and survivors are different every time. Elegant game with some interesting mechanics that are made infinitely more complex when you add in private objectives and human nature.
Kind of beside the point but Incan Gold (now called Diamant) was the game that got me into this hobby seriously. I usually use it to introduce people to gaming and most of them have gone and bought their own copy.
Forbidden Island was a great gateway game for me. It has just enough to it to make it interesting without feeling overwhelmed, and it's easy for the more experienced to help the newbs. Dominion was our first deck builder, and nearly killed deck builders for me when my husband broke it the second time we played c.c Ascension, of all things, actually saved it for me XD Been a hobby gamer for years now and embarrassed to say I haven't played some of these c.c Small World is only one of two games that I actually had to walk away from to keep from table flipping o.o;; It might be banned from our house. I'm surprised Tsuro, King of Tokyo, Sushi Go, and Sheriff of Nottingham didn't make the list. We had some great experiences getting friends and family hooked on hobby board gaming because of them.
I would say my top 10 easy to learn and good to start a collection with games would be: Dominion, Carcassone, Catan, Dixit, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Citadels, Survive, Sushi go and my ultimate favorite - Hanabi.
Two I've found really easy to get to the table and often have repeat play requests from non-gamer or 'rulebook-adverse' people: Plague Inc Eminent Domain Simple, yet complex strategies, with a sprinkle of Take That which doesn't involve outright obtrusive levels of conflict.
My personal recommendations (although in no particular order)... I) Carcassonne ii) Sheriff of Nottingham iii) Forbidden Island (Completely agree with the video comments) iv) Kingdomino v) Colt Express vi) Catan vii) Codenames viii) Star Realms ix) Sushi Go! x) Ice Cool (always good to have a children's game in, especially one adults can have fun with too)
I think Pandemic was the first game I bought that wasn't monopoly(this was way back when I thought Monopoly was the pinnacle). I enjoyed it and thought it was an ingenious design. Then, Axis and Allies caught my eye. Bought it and still have it 9 or so years later. Then the ad for Ikusa caught my eye. Looked up board game stores near me and got it. While I was in the store, so many other games called out to me. I now have around... 85 games in my collection.
From all the games we've introduced to people, these are our go tos: Sushi Party Go Codenames Bang! Splendor Steampunk Rally (my first boardgame outside of Catan) King of Tokyo Smallworld Azul (the concept is so easy we taught a 6 year old how to play it lol) Race for the Galaxy Terra-forming Mars (our favorite boardgame in general) These are all interesting enough to keep the hard core board gamers interested, but easy enough for more casual gamers to pick up
Love that list. Can totally agree on the games, except that I have not yet a very funful play with Codenames, but that certainly is due to the people I have played it with as we were all very well experienced with charada games and guessing other people's way of thinking...
Your thoughts on the Turmoil expansion for Terraforming Mars? A buddy and I have been playing this game for a couple years now. Love it. Only complaint was Turmoil offsets the Prelude expansions time saving dynamic
Not now, but soon. Solo game list is one people have been asking for. I just have a bunch of solo games enroute to me from overseas I want to try out first.
@@3MBG As someone starting out on their board game journey who has a really hard time getting a group of people together, that would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you have any more videos that help out complete beginners (other than your 3 minute summaries, of course), direct me to them. I'd be happy to watch those as well.
Splendor (set collection) Carcassonne (Tile laying) Pandemic (Co-op) Railroad Ink (Roll and Write) Love Letter (simple hand management, very quick) Coup (bluffing) Santorini (Abstract, player powers) Tiny Epic Zombies (Pick up and deliver, push your luck) Star Realms (deck building) Keyforge (more advanced hand management) Honorable mention. Vegas. (basic area control) The mind I tried to be as varied with theme and simple to learn/teach mechanisms. Also, budget and family friendly. Never know who you will try to teach games to.
Nice list. Star Realms is such an obvious substitution for Dominion on my list im kicking myself for not mentioning it. Funny you mention the mind on there. Its in my all time bottom list of games. Very few game ideas have bounced off me harder than that one.
@@3MBG My love for the game is extremely biased. It"s the game that the kids and I play in alternation with reading before bed to calm them. It's either the game means the end of the night and I get a break or the time spent with the little one. Probably a mix of both.
Myself i am not sure if i could brake it down to 10 games, too many great ones. I would go more like 10 types of games such as (of course there are other great types): 1- A tile laying game (Carcassonne, Kigdomino etc...) 2- A roll & write game (Welcome To, That's Pretty Clever etc...) 3- A Coop game (Pandemic, Flash Point: Fire Rescue etc...) 4- A deck building game (Dominion, etc...) 5- A route building game (Ticket to Ride, Railways of Europe etc...) 6- A city building game (Suburbia, Ginkgopolis etc...) 7- An economic game (Airlines Europe, Vikings etc...) 8- A card game (Lost Cities, Biblios etc...) 9- A worker placement game (Stone Age, Village etc...) 10- A push your luck game (Can't Stop, King's Gold etc...)
Incan Gold for party game! Love Smallworld but maybe a bit much for entry players. Also recommend for entry Quadrapolis (basic tile laying) and CVlisations (basic interactive and resource gathering)
I’ve just started my collection. I tried to focus on games my friends didn’t already own (thus increasing the pool of games we had to play), and that covered a wide spread of #players, ages, and mechanics. 10. Gateway Game: Sheriff of Nottingham 9.1 Auction: never encountered them 😳 9.2 Kids Game: Hare and the Tortoise (Tales & Games) 8. CoOp: Flashpoint 7. Deck builder: Quacks of Quedlinburg 6. Party: Codenames 5. Strategy: Terraforming Mars 4. Puzzle: Sagrada 3. Worker Placement: Raiders!!! 😍👍 2.1. Area Control (War): I would pick Small World as an Area Control game but since I’m not a fan of Area Control I went for... 2.2 TOYS! (Cool miniatures): Colt Express (Spiel Des Jahres winner, also covers delayed resolution) 1. Resource Management: Dead of Winter Other types I covered... 2 Player: Patchwork Team: Ticket to Ride Asia Hidden Role: Secret Hitler Story: This War of Mine Combos: Evolution Climate Australian Designer: Unfair Other gateway games I have based on theme/IP... Video Gamers: XCOM the boardgame Science Nerds: Compounded Comics: Sentinels of the Multiverse I also have a couple games that are quick to play and this can be slammed out quickly while waiting for people to arrive, or cooking/going on a munchie run, etc... Hanabi One Night Werewolf Get Bit Sushi Go Bonus that all these quick games are also good for kids. Will def try to hunt down Between Two Cities and give it a go. I like the idea of how one game gives basic skills and then another game (7 Wonders, which I also own) builds on that. 🤔👍
For deck builders, I find that People usually prefer clank than dominion. Would you consider root a good starting war game ? The theme looks more appeling than memoire 44'
Great list - all of which I'm familiar with, although have yet to play Raiders of North Sea. Given I like your other choices, I must check that out. I was struck though that your list didn't include any dexterity games. Of flicking related dexterity games, I'd definately go for Four Elements by Physical Gaming as my first choice there (much cheaper than Crocinole! and quicker set up than Catacombs). There's also lots of great balancing related dexterity games which include Meeple Circus, Tokyo Highway, Men at Work, Rhino Hero. No Push-your-luck games in your list either. A classic of these is Can't Stop, though I find that a bit too abstract. I'm totally biased (as I'm the designer!) but think you should check out Rockpool (published by Gibsons). I love Rockpool's combination of push-your-luck with set collection, shouting out to empty the rockpool with tthe risk of making the wrong call, player agency in affecting when the game ends by the tide coming in, a win condition that involves the most kids and dogs paddling in the rockpool at the end, and the possibility that the game itself wins rather than any of the players if the sea collects most of the different shell types. I think its a really original theme too involving kids collecting shells and clearing up rubbish on a beach before waves wash them away. I like the art too, including cute dogs on each team. Although its targeted at children, the gameplay has hidden depth so experienced adult gamers seem to love it as well. [many apologies: I hadn't meant this comment to turn into an advert! But if you've not tried Rockpool yet you should certainly check it out for a future top 10 list].
I don't play many dexterity games, its a bit of a blind spot for me. For push your luck, i'd probably go with Quacks of Quedlinburg which i had not played when i made the video. Rockpool looks charming by the way
Ah, that would be a photo from mid animation. Picked the wrong one clearly. I used that pic to animate the next pic, where they go to the bottom. Selected the wrong one by mistake.
@@3MBG thank you so much for taking time to reply to it. Although I was not the original comment, I still appreciate it. Awesome videos! Appreciate your opinion and content.
A good selection, only for beginner, I think Dominion, Raiders of the NorthWest and 7 Wonders are a bit complex to start with gaming.If you want to be introduced to Dominion, you better start with Kingdom Dominion, which is a bit easier. I only think the main difficulty about Dominion is that you have to know all cards in advance, otherwise you have to read them on the spot and that can betray your tactics
Most excellent video and game recommendations my friend. For beginners I would recommend Munchkin, Bang or Sheriff of Nottingham. All relatively time efficient, affordable, non toxic and easy to teach/learn.
My 10 are games I love that I can teach and can use as introductions... these are games you may never replace: Hanamakogi, Ethnos, Space Base, Don't Mess With Cthulhu, Wits & Wagers, Cryptid, Quacks of Quendlinburg, Gizmos, Rajas of the Ganges, and The God Father: Corleone's Empire.
Castle Panic, photosynthesis, Escape: curse of the temple, Dominion, Mideavel Academy, Colt Express, Downfall of Pompeii, Blokus, Small World, Tales & Games:The Hare & the Tortoise,
I just wish there were more for 2 players. Not everyone has a big play group to access. Solo games are ok, but the concept is to play with others. I know it's more fun in larger groups, but life is life sometimes.
Small World is a lot of fun; I like to think of it as "Civilization but faster." There are some great games here, and the rest I haven't played yet, so I'll have to try them out. I think about my own collection and wonder "If I had to recommend any of them to new players or collectors, which ones?" and most of what I got is either for advanced players or out of print.
In order of last one I thought of looking at my collection to first one I thought of... 10: Zooloretto (set collection) 9: Small World (terrain control) 8: Forbidden Desert (co-op) 7: El Dorado (deck building, race) 6: Roll Through the Ages (dice pool, worker placement) 5: Sushi Go Party (card draft, set collection) 4. Modern Art (auction) 3. (this space for reserved for current homebrew prototype) 2: No Thanks (super light, picnic) 1. Lost Cities (Two player, simple ruthless card game)
So, what would your "ten games to start a collection be?"
And was I fair to kick Catan, Carcassonne and ticket to ride to the curb? Have they become "cliche" answers to the question of "where do i start?"
@@3MBG Catan was the second game I got for my collection, I don't play it often but I don't regret buying it, and probably will never get rid of it. It's the game you can assume everybody in the hobby knows how to play, and it's the only game my mom will ask me to bring over when I visit. I don't think it's a serious game, but that's the fun for most casual players. And for the people who are familiar with it, the game starts as soon as you are placing down the tiles, that's great. There are, of course, better games, but even if you find the hobby is not for you it will be nice to have Catan around
I would say:
Bang: Dice
Bonanza
Splendor
Kingdomino
Drakon
Kingdoms (Reiner Knizia)
Cave Troll
Castle Panic
Alien Frontiers
Lords of WaterDeep
Catan
Carcassonne
Ticket to Ride
Raptor
Battle Line
Incan Gold
Gold Digger
Ivanhoe
@@3MBG I think Ticket to Ride should be on there. I also think Catan should but I don't enjoy it that much and when I started my collection (in 2017) I left it out.
in no particular order:
Ticket to Ride
Pandemic
Camel Up
Pie Town
Mission Red Planet
Arboretum
Potion Explosion
Clank! or Clank! in Space
Resistance or good cop bad cop
Azul or Segrada
@@3MBG it sounds fair, I personally hate ticket to ride and catan is long for what it is. I would recommend carcassonne though. And not stone age, is pretty good to start but after several plays I realised it pushes you to get cards (get lots of wood, buy cards)... I sold my copy and I'm still amazed by all that love it receives
I just wanted to say, that you have made an excellent video for the following reasons.
1) It's brief
2) You categorize the games
3) You mention your own biases (Note I still plan to get Carcassonne)
4) You give alternatives
I am new to gaming and while I probably wont get many of the games on your list, you have given me a good place to start and I confirmed some of my choices.
Thanks
Cheers Dan. Most appreciated. I personally hate having my time wasted so I try not to do that to people watching my stuff.
Agreed. As new to gaming and searching TH-cam for good games, why do so many reviewers think I have an hour plus to listen to a rambling panel discussion? So MANY crazy long top tens.
This channel is the best I have found for quality with succinct delivery.
@@donttellhimpike2043 Ad revenue is better on longer videos. And editing takes effort.
Why make short concise content which earns less when you can roll a camera, do one take, an press upload?
The reason i started the channel is I hated all that long content so much, and thought i can't be the only one.
@Flick If you like Tokaido, have you played Parks? Played ti recently and it's like..... better Tokaido :)
1. Small World
2. Memoir '44
3. Raiders of the North Sea
4. Azul / Sagrada/ Santorini / Century Spice road/ Splendor
5. 7 Wonders
6. The Resistance/ One night Ultimate Werewolf
7. Dominion
8. Forbidden City
9. Modern Art/ For Sale/ High Society
10. Between Two Cities
Honorable mentions:
Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride
Damn I came late to the Memoir 44 party and I love it. There is so much goodness to be had. Picking up a second hand copy is easy too
Yes, Memoir 44!
One Night and Memoir, two amazing games.
Blue Hyper Gaming 00 if you like Memoir try its expansions, or Commands and Colors Napoleonics, I play them all the time
I completely with him about his honorable mentions.
There really is no other board game channel on youtube where my own personal taste overlaps so much. This list is incredibly close to what I would have made with maybe an inclusion of Love Letter, Dixit and a swap of Smallworld and 7 Wonders.
Keep up the good work.
Dixit is a good one
One of the best of this excellent series of videos. In addition to solid explanations and recommendations, you get a lot of other games discussed and recommended along the way in a charactertistically professional and friendly fashion. Really excellent returns on the time I put into watching it - thank you! Please do a similar list of entry-level wargames as that's your first love and you know so much about them!
Cheers, entry level wargaming is sooooo much harder. As a sub part of the hobby its historically been rubbish at getting people in the door, normally dropping folks in the deep end. I'll definitely have a think about it though
1) Cacao - Offers simple tile laying with some hand management with a small economy. Multple ways to score points. Puzzle-y.
2) Sushi Go (Party) - Party game, includes drafting and set collection.
3) Downforce - Racing game, hand management and starts off with a auction, both things are known outside of the boardgaming community
4) Samurai - Area control/majority. Plus its Knizia.
5) Black Fleet - Player Powers / Pick & Deliver. Pirates!
6) Azul or Sagrada, pool drafting / puzzle-y.
7) Forbidden Island/Desert - Co Op
8) Space Base / Splendor - Engine Building
9) Viticulture - Worker Placement. Simple enough to grasp despite its weight. Maybe also Pillars of the North sea given its circular resolution of placements. (Haven't played Stone Age / LoW / Raiders)
10) Welcome to / Lets Make a Bus Route / Castles of Burgandy The Dice Game - Roll & Writes.
Also in this video. A rare picture of the 3 minute board game beast in his natural habitat.
7:00
Guy at 7:00 is that guy talking in videos?
@@jeremyfox2443 that is me, yes
Also ALSO in this video: a rare picture of a Red Dust Rebellion prototype. What an Easter egg!
My list would be, using only games that I have:
• Codenames - Party/Word/Team game
• Love Letter - Small/Secret Role game
• Skull - Bluffing/Out on the pub game
• Azul - Abstract game
• Kingdomino - Tilelaying/bidding game
• Century: Golem - Engine builder game
• The Mind - Co-Op game
• Klask - Dexterity/Physical game
• King of Tokyo (Power-Up expansion highly recommended) - Dice chucking/conflict game
• Quacks of Quedlinburg - Push your luck/bag or deckbuilding game.
Nice list. I still don't get the mind as a game. My brain rebels against it, but I know lots of people enjoy it.
Excellent selections. I really like the recommendations for "here's one a bit easier, and one that is a bit deeper" that you do in your videos. Gonna give a shout out to some older games like Acquire and Survive, but also to (relatively) more recent Machi Koro and Patchwork. Thank you for all you do.
A fine job my matey. I am a huge board gamer & a friend recently asked me what would be some fun but more simple games to start with building a collection. Oddly, I really wasn't sure where to start or what to recommend exactly. Several of these I have played/owned and familiar with so I look forward to offering this page for him to watch & offer my services as a gaming friend to play them :)
I appreciate the brevity of your videos.
Our faves so far are King of Tokyo, Sushi Go and Takenoko. Ticket to Ride is fun, but a bit bland (great for gaming nights with children). I’m so happy to be getting into this hobby!
Absolutely great video that breaks all my cliche board game lists and provides a great rationale for each game selected in the collection, with alternative games to boot.
A really solid list. One game I also recommend is Citadels. It's easy to learn and scales good when you have more people.
Well organised, structured, thorough, thoughtful, and really concise - Wonderful! Thanks!
Well the way I was raised, the boardgames we had were always: risk, monopoly, clue, parchisi, candy land, life, stratego, yatzee, canasta, and guess who.
I didn't get exposed to what gamers and tabletop people would consider good boardgames until my 30s and it's been an uphill battle to get anyone interested.
It's so hard to get people interested in board games!!
@@XxDainBramagedxX I find that to be true. I bought munchkin 2 years ago and 7 wonders over new years and really want to play both for the first time :(
@@VampguyN85 I feel you, man. I feel you.
Same. 😭
What's really strange is my d&d group shows no interest in board games even when they align with our themes.
I enjoyed this list and especially the way that it addresses game mechanics developing across games...
I also am impressed by the good-natured discussion taking place in the comments section, a rarity!
I very much try to keep the comments as positive as i can. Awful people get the ban hammer pretty quickly. :)
Great list. I have played many of them and great collection of what board games can offer beyond risk and monopoly.
I do agree that Catan, ticket to ride and Carcassonne are the staple beginner games, but Im not as excited to play them anymore. You do grow out of those pretty quick if you move beyond a casual interest.
I started with Catan, eventually got Carcassonne and then ticket to ride Europe 14 years ago. I only play them when my kids ask. They are fun but I usually play nice so others can win and feel good.
Forbidden island has created some great memories with my girls. We were late in the game and my youngest daughter started chanting “we’re gonna die” and it became a hilarious song we sang as we flipped the last cards to see if we got off the island or not.
I played smallworld for the first time with my kids a week ago and it was fantastic! A longer game than we are used to but ever so much fun. The great thing about the games you listed is how well they show the diversity of different mechanics and player interactions in approachable titles.
Great list. One I’ll pass on to friends who are interested in my “board game hobby.”
Games that are always a hit with my group and are pretty easy to teach new players that I use are Love Letter (seriously, what a great game to just jam through a few times anywhere) and Citadels (role switching, bluffing, set collection... What's not to love?).
I think your list was full of excellent recommendations! Although I would maybe add King of Tokyo (fast, aggressive dice rolling fun) and Love Letter (an amazingly simple card game that is absolutely fantastic and takes no time at all), and maybe even Onitama (simple chess-like 2 player game with card-driven movement and very strategic play), I think you covered many games people should consider! Great video!
Those are both excellent suggestions. Love Letter completely slipped my mind. Could have gone in instead of a party game.
Those are all really good suggestions. I suggested Love Letter too.
Onitama! That reminds me of something he was missing… filler games. The only thing on that list that was close was One Night Werewolf.
Yeah, love Love letter! I would have also reccomended sabouter. But well done, really good list, l would agree! :)
I prefer Lovecraft Letters. It has an extra dimension in the insanity mechanics.
Fantastic video, REALLY impressed with how much pertinent information you manage to get into concise yet detailed vids! As it happens I bought Small world for my cousins a few years ago and that really helped them get into the hobby so can personally vouch for that one!
Great list. For our household Splendor really changed things as it was so simple to learn but always fun and we all could win at it. We have loved Cash N Guns as more a party game since it plays so well with 8. Love Letters has been a favourite as well; the new Marvel version is really good.
Splendor is a great pick. I've played this with multiple people I disliked and we had a blast. Really impressive that a game could do that
Reykholt for classic Euro worker placement. Barenpark for “Tetris Piece” puzzle ( prefer to Patchwork), Kingdomino, Jaipur for set collection goods conversion, Splendor for basic engine building, Lost Cities for push your luck tension
Small World was literally my first boardgame and since we first played it, I've come up with 52 own races for it, currently working on number 53.
And I must add that whenever there are people over, willing to play, we often start the session by playing Small World. Due to its accessibility and fantastically done combinations of racial and special powers, it has proved to be a delight for any fantasy-lover or a fan of area control games. Also there are a lot of expansions up to date, introducing new terrain to play on or extra races and special powers that add tons of colour and variety to the experience, thus the replayability marker reaches surprising heights also due to the game handling well different player counts.
All in all I cannot recommend it enough. Nowadays, as being a longtime fan of area-control games, I've assambled a boardgame collection of which I'm rather proud and having that said, I'm super happy to have gotten all that started with lovely Small World.
Should anyone feel like asking me for an opinion on any area-control game, do come in contact and leave a comment!
May the Force be with You!
Small world super fan huh :) I have most of it I think, except the variable map stuff.
@@3MBG The expansions for it are certainly worth picking up if one enjoys the game.
One I skipped on was the Tales and Legends, however, should someone feel like it, creating a rule system, including role-playing and consequent price-awarding or even suspending mechanisms is a treat!
Small World of Warcraft is also coming up soon and I can't wait to get it play-tested and mixed up with the other base games!
Also as someone who grew up playing Heores of Might and Magic 3, I personally always found Small World somewhat depicting and scratching some of the same game-itches.
Hopefully it manages the same with the Warcraft theme and does it justice!
Thank you for the quality content and certainly for the courtesy of replying, I wish you the best of luck!
@@dannyteoharov8298 No worries, I almost always respond to well mannered enthusiastic people who love games like i do :)
I really like Coup as a party games as well; all the bluffing of werewolves with less of the waiting
That's only 4 player though which makes it a tough party game. I do enjoy it though.
We are new to the hobby and have a lot that are on your "alternates" or "not gonna put on MY list" list. Ticket to Ride, Catan, Carcassonne, Splendor, & Pandemic are all on our shelf... and not too many others yet... but it's growing quickly! I'd throw The Quest for El Dorado on a list... it's easy to learn and a lot of fun.
Love that these are not the old hat suggestions. As a solo gamer I will say that Hostage Negotiator was a bit much thematically for me (unexpectedly) so I might suggest something like Arkham Horror TCG, Raiders of the North Sea or Viticulture instead.
I'm wondering if thats because most of the gateway games people recommend came out a long time after i got in the hobby. So they were never "my gateway games"?
AHTCG is pretty full on for a new gamer i'd reckon. Agree with the other two though.
Wow. a different world from Monopoly and Clue and such...
Clue will always be a badass board game. There is plenty of strategy there, and you can teach the game in 10 minutes or less.
@KonicavaBR risk and monopoly are the old games. nowadays those games don't deserve a place on the board game shelf imo. there so many better board games than those 2. I still give credit to them though bc they were the biggest board games back in the day
I bought Carcassonne and ticket to ride thinking my family would be open to the switch from My childhood of Monopoly, risk and clue, but they didn't really like them. Especially Carcassonne. And catan would be too complicated and not up their ally so I knew not to bother trying.
@@VampguyN85 there are plenty of other games that are inviting and easy. Consider games that have a theme your family likes, but with a rather easy dynamic. Cooperative games are really nice for families too
Monopoly, Clue and Risk are classics, but modern gaming has evolved to a significant degree. It's a wonderful age!
Thank you so much for adding 7 wonders I’ve played that game at least 50 times
So glad I found this video. I’m new to the hobby and was looking for a list or website that would list games that increased in complexity and taught various mechanics in an introductory way that are used in more complex games.
Cheers. I also have some play lists for videos of games based on low, medium and high complexity scores so you may want to check those out
@@3MBG Awesome! I'm definitely going to check that out.
Great list, all great choices. Other good games not mentioned:
- Decrypto / Codenames
- Jaipur
- Junk Art
- Kingdomino
- Patchwork
- Skull King
- Coup
Just a little more involved, Isle of Skye is fantastic. Concordia is the perfect Euro game, involved yet so simple (but more expensive)
Heavier games so cheap you should try them first when you feel ready for your next (big) step: Brass Birmingham and Teotihuacan
Louis M I just want to point out that Brass Birmingham and Teotihuacan are at least two big steps away...
I like that you provide the reasoning behind this or that choice. I do not necessarily agree with every item but it's a well thought out list. FWIW, I love 7 wonders, but in my experience people who don't normally play board games find the rules challenging.
Out of those mentioned I played "Catan" from honourable mentions (not a fan), and from "standard list" I did play and enjoy "Werewolf", "Smallworld" and "Splendor" and would be happy to play them again. I am not a pro gamer or anything but even though I'm not a good player I am not beginner. One of my favourite games are "Craftsmen" and "Robinson Crusoe" - very good but challenging titles both in terms of grasping the rules and in making in game decisions but still these much more accessible games can be fun for more experienced gamers, at least as a quality breather between heavier games. From my collection I'm looking at the shelf with "big boxes" right now, I would easily recommend "World's Fair 1893" (worker placement), "CVlizations" (resource management) and "Alhambra" (tile matching).
CVlizations is pretty cool, and Alhambra was a game i played a bunch in the mid 2000s, really solid title
@@3MBG And I just bought a game as a brithday present for a family of "non gamers" who are willing to give it a shot. I chose the title from your list - "Between two Cities". I've never played it myself (will be willing to try if they happen to invite me :D) but I liked what you said about the game.
This is the best list i’ve seen based on this topic! I think I’d add wingspan somewhere in here, it has been a hit for me when showing new comers to the hobby. Forbidden island is my goto intro to co-op but ive found atlantis rising to be great too! Basically forbidden island with worker placement and resource management. Really is a great into game imo! Finally id probably get something like Lost ruins of arnak. Kind of fits in the same spot as raiders of the north sea but i think it adds a little more complexity that is still manageable when teaching newbies. Also itd be an amazing 2nd or 3rd game to show someome after theyve played raiders and dominion
I think wingspan wasnt out when i did this, or if it was i hadnt played it
Party games for people who only met and games that work super well for casual gamers as well as "HARDCORE GEEKS":
Just one
Dobbles
Zombie dice
King of Tokyo
Outburst Just picked up my THIRD version which is now really great as the game designers have finally published a plastic card holder with levers to mark the correct answers... SO MUCH FUN!!!
I would also recommend Escape.
It's not difficult to learn or to teach. It's a wonderful introduction to co-op gaming. And it also introduces players to real time gaming, as opposed to the usual turn-based gaming. It's also a very high energy game that tends to get people excited and loud, sort of like party games.
Photosynthes is really pretty.
Good looking is important if u cant get anyone to even try playing it, rest is irrelevant.
Azul is likely also visually appealing to many
For a great co-operative game, Hanabi would be on the top of my list. Very simple game that anyone can get into. I took this on a study abroad trip and ended up playing almost every night.
Unearthed is another great competitive game that is essentially a betting system for various ruins and gems.
I've seen unearthed in stores and considered it. It looks a little different too in its art style.
@@3MBG the art style is what attracted me at first, so it was a good feeling when the gameplay turned out to be really solid and is a semi-casual game that has an easy learning curve.
Awesome list. Just wanted to mention that I highly recommend Avalon over the resistance. It’s the same game but with a different theme PLUS expansion for almost the same price. The additional roles make the game more interesting and more strategic.
This is the best top ten list ever. I like the way you give alternate games for type. I would have put splendor and Machi Koro on the list. I use splendor and machi Koro to introduce new players to gaming.
Thanks once again for another excellent video. Concise and informative. One of the best board game channels around!
Cheers Sam, most appreciated
Awesome list man! I’d probably throw Dice Throne: Season 1 somewhere in the mix. I think the reason it makes for such a great gateway game is because it puts a fresh spin on the Yahtzee mechanic of rolling up to three times, matching symbols to pull off attacks and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. 30 minutes tops. The graphic design is clean and clear which helps when teaching someone new to gaming as you’re never endlessly searching for keywords in the rule book. Everything is displayed neatly on the player boards. Easy to grasp and quick to play are always the hallmarks of a great gateway game.
Don't write off Season 2! Just as good as Season 1 gameplay wise, but the graphic design is miles better.
How funny, I started my collection with other games, but then picked up every game on this list later down the line, and I play all of these games more than the rest. Great games list!
7 Wonders: Duel, because you're inevitably going to want a 2 player game (especially if you are a slight introvert and/or getting towards adulthood) and this is the best/easiest to explain one I've come across thus far. For the same reason I think Carcasonnne is really essential as it scales great from 2 to 5.
I might suggest lost cities for your list if you want to keep a good simple 2 player.
Gonna go the other way and say I really dislike 7 wonders duel. The biggest reason being there's only direct "take that" like once a game, but if it happens to you it really hurts and just feels cheap.
Other than that just draft the best card whether you need it or not, nothing really clever. I like Targi for a two player game.
Man, what a great video...I very much needed it. In the process of starting my collection and it almost feels that this video(and the comments)were made for me...haha. Went with my eldest son to a Con about a month ago and played some games there and got the itch. Subscribed and Much Appreciation Sir!
I would recommend Betrayal at the House on the Hill. It is a great tile laying game that includes the traitor mechanic. I loved your list by the way.
I think betrayal is a great game to play with new people, but i also think the haunt rules can be a bit confusing and overwhelming if everyone hasn't played before. So i considered it, but left it off for that reason.
I remember my first game of it back in about 2005, we got the the haunt and then it took ages to find the bits, the person running it got confused about the rules, and it was a bit awkward.
As someone who has played this game once, I while heartedly agree it’s fantastic. But when I tried to play again with new people, they couldn’t catch on and got bored. We usually end up going back to catan. With expansions, it’s great
I also forgot to mention, betrayal is in the "comments edition" of this video.
The betrayal curse is that the new player is always the traitor, so that you cannot really help him out
I’ve never not been the traitor, which as someone who hadn’t played it much was not fun.
Also the haunt rules are really lacking. We’ve always had questions about what we can and cannot do during the haunt that the book doesn’t answer.
Games my husband and I got into together and enjoy as relative beginners - Coup, Love Letter (fun quick card games), Forbidden Island and Castle Panic (excellent cooperative games), Sushi Go and Machi Koro. I also like Pandemic:Rise of Cthulhu, the Fluxxx cards games and Qwirkle.
For myself alone, I love love love Kingdom Builder and Tsuro (I play them as apps on my iPad).
Planning also to pick up Hellapagos to add to my collection.
Kia ora koutou! Great 3 minute summary!
I agree. My friends got me Smallworld for my birthday... Just fell in love! It never ages! Always different and fun!
If you enjoy the variable player powers and area control look into smash up. Will not be disappointed
Smallworld is deliberately bad. How can anyone enjoy it?
This is a great video, I don't think any of the choices are obvious and it's given me a lot of great recommendations. Thank you!
Excellent!
Funny. I started playing board games with my little niece from Forbidden Island. After two or three playthroughs I introduced her Robinson Crusoe. We've never come back to FI. :D
Survive Atlantis has proven to be one of the best gateway games in my collection. And it doesn’t get old for me either!
You are not the first to suggest this, which makes me think its an excellent addition to the list.
I'd still put Carcassonne on there. I agree with dumping Catan and TTR, but Carcassonne has held up a lot better; it still does what it does better than anything else IMO.
You hit a lot of the ones I'd mention, but other ones I'd toss in there:
- Codenames. This is a clear one IMO. Best party game out there; I've gotten complete non-gamers hooked on this one.
- Love Letter. Micro games are great to break people in and it's cool to see people figure out the interesting interactions between the cards.
- Smash-Up. Has a lot of the card combo effects you see in deck builders, but in a different, simpler frame. Also has a lot of fun theme and a moderate amount of competitiveness.
Good suggestions. Although i've found smash up can overwhelm some people, with the bases and all the potential interactions between the cards in play.
I find the Smash up as dry as a bone & all about adding up. The theme does not come through into the actual gameplay at all.
Codenames for sure! Was a huge hit with my non-gamer friends.
Love Letter fell flat for our game group...too simple I think.
Smash Up technically is not a deckbuilder. Db’s you create the deck as you play, not beforehand.
@@joelfrench9007 I would never play Love Letter with a serious game group, except as a pure time waster. But it's a quick game that is easy to teach, and the way the card effects bounce off one another is an excellent gateway to those effects.
I didn't call Smash-Up a deckbuilder; I said it shares some card combo effects from those games.
@@jonathanpickles2946 To each their own but I disagree. I think the themes are pretty clear. Zombies keep coming back, ninjas are sneaky and like to kill stuff, pirates roam around from place to place opportunistically, aliens make people disappear, etc. The expansions definitely stretch theme quite a bit but you don't really need expansions for a simple game like Smash-Up anyway.
Here is my list
Coop game:
Reign of Cthulhu
Deck builder:
Harry Potter: Battle of Hogwarts or Legendary (depending on which theme you like better)
or it those are too complicated, Star Realms
Abstract game:
Qwirkle
City Building game:
Machi Koro or Citadels
Pick up and deliver:
Black Fleet
Race game
:
Jamaica
Dice chucking :
King of New York
Word game:
Hardback
Party game:
Sushi Go! Party
Two person game:
13 Days
Really enjoyed this list. I had not heard of most of these games, but I am intrigued with many. I definitely want to know more about solo games because I don't have many people around to play with. I adore Splendor!
Solo gaming is great, and a long tradition. My grandmother introduced me to the idea with "patience" which I believe is called Solitaire in the US. A hugely popular solo card game using a standard deck of cards. So its always been normal to me.
@@3MBG oh totally on that front. Funny my grandmother also taught me how to play Solitaire. But I wasn't familiar with their being newer solo gaming options :)
How my game collection started:
1. Bang.
2. Arkham Horror.
3. *_Twilight Imperium 3._*
A slow, nice ramping-up, you see :D
Well mine started with Battletech, so yeah, i feel you. Lol.
I've recommended Forbidden Desert over Pandemic both as a starter and just in general so many times. Forbidden Desert is very easy to play, has the best rule book I've ever seen - simple, short and leaves you confident you can both play and teach it after a 5-10 min read through. It and Pandemic play pretty similarly, but I find Forbidden Desert has the upper hand with great item cards and a constantly shifting board. One problem I have with Pandemic - the loss condition of running out of cards in the deck. That is super lame and anti-climatic. The similar mechanic in Forbidden Desert is running out of sand, but you can mitigate it by removing sand to buy a little more time, making the Dune Blaster items even more valuable and interesting as to when you use them. It's also more interesting because the sand is piling up on the tiles all game, getting in your way and making you actively engage with it in a more exciting way than looking at how small the deck is after you've drawn cards.
I went with Sagrada over Azul, and very much enjoy it. I'm sure Azul is fun as well, but the dice/suduko-like aspect of Sagrada held more appeal and has been a hit with everyone I've played it with so far.
I like forbidden desert, but I feel it has a very vague rulebook.
Forbidden Desert is my favourite of the Forbidden series. Though I did like the touch of the circuit board for Forbidden Sky.
I'm intrigued by some of your choices - I'm personally looking for a better worker placement game for Wifeberg, yours help.
Looking back, I'd suggest
1 No Thanks! - quick, surprisingly tense and satisfying
2 Sushi Go - approachable, teaches set collecting in an adorable way
3 Santorini - This or Onitama. I describe Onitama to my friends as "Like Santorini without the giggling." but in fact with the right people there's a lot of giggling.
4 Tokaido - another approach to set collection, it's also such an interesting and different experience. Interaction is high without *too much* conflict.
5 Azul - like you say, a game that seems simple and is very approachable, and you quickly discover its depth and complexity. Splendor and Century: Spice Road go here too, also because they have very short rulebooks, so you can jump right in.
6 Istanbul: The Dice Game. Maybe because it's a current favorite of mine, but everyone I teach seems to love it.
7 7 Wonders: You know, it's complicated, but even if you don't deal with the science tags you can enjoy yourself.
8 Flash Point: Fire Rescue. Actually Forbidden Island is probably simpler, like you say, but Flash Point is very easy to understand and correlates to something you can relate to. Plus it's oh, so expandable.
9 Medici: the only reason to possibly exclude this beautiful game is because almost every edition has horrendous graphic design. (sorry.) But the game starts tense and exciting and just ratchets up.
10: Ticket To Ride: I realize you don't like it, but it really does belong on this list.
I can't argue with any of those. Solid list that could easily replace mine. Flash point is a really good suggestion, as is Sushi Go.
And yeah, TTR could go on there, but damn did i not enjoy it. So it just would feel dishonest to personally suggest it.
Sushi Go! Awesome suggestion!
Keep up the good work man! Hope your channel continues to grow
I had never heard of Between Two Cities before, but now I feel like I must get a copy. I really enjoy cooperative games and when our little board gaming group met more regularly there was always at least one co-op game (generally Castle Panic) that got played that night.
Another co-op game that I picked up through its Kickstarter has become a game we play at the D&D table while we wait for the latecomers to show up or after the early departers head out. It is Good Dog, Bad Zombie, and it is a really fun game with a surprising amount of cooperative planning required to overcome some of the random misfortunes and earn the win. Check it out if you haven't seen it, and I'll be searching for a copy of Between Two Cities for the house game shelf! Great video as always!
Edit: They're in no particular order.
Here's my own list with reasons as I go, keeping true to the same structure you have: reasonably light in that the pieces don't overflow out of the box, as well as keeping affordability in mind. As well as giving something of each genre.
10 Coup - The "Party game". Is a simple game of deduction and deception. Best played with 3 - 5 players, but can be played with just one other person. Each player has 2 cards, from the deck of 15 in the middle There are 3 copies of each of the 5 unique cards. Each allow you to perform a specific action or prevent another player from performing that action. The hitch: These cards are kept secret and are never made public knowledge unless you challenge that player's honesty. And you are encouraged to be deceptive.
9 Sushi Go. The "Card Drafter" - I want to preface this by saying if you can foot the cost of Seven wonders, it will very likely be a strong pick and a solid choice. However if you want to just dip your toe into the water of the genre before buying a big box game, Sushi go is a much lighter game of the same genre. The lightness and portability of it all comes at a cost, though. It lacks the complexity and consequently the replay Value that Seven Wonders retains. Still though. It's a safer investment for those unsure of the genre. Seven wonders is the direction to look if you fall in love with game. It *CAN* be skipped in favour of Seven wonders. But as a start up game, both games should be posed to you and I feel It should have been listed as an alternative on this list.
8 Citadels "The role selection and powers game" In Citadels, a player starts the game with the crown and selects the first card from a roles deck. The role deck is passed around the table, each player taking a card before passing it on. Each role is numbered and has a unique power. After the roles deck is empty, the roles are read out and players who selected their roles take their turns based on the numbers on the roles. The roles with the situational useful abilities go first, while the perceived "stronger cards" go last in the round. The objective of the game is to build x amount of city cards first.
------- It's at this point I realized you have probably covered all these games in 3 minutes or less already. So I'll just flesh out my list with titles and genre and people can investigate your channel to find a synopsis. ---------
7. The mind "casual/ co-operative" (brutally difficult, big twist on Co-op genre, and that is that there's no communication allowed. It's very hard to co-operate but not communicate)
6 Guillotine "Heads will roll" (competitive, point accumulation)
5 Dungeon Mayhem Living card game. Foundation for keyforge. Alternative could include Unstable unicorns.
4. One deck dungeon "Dice chucker with result manipulation, powers managment"
A fun note: every game mentioned above in this list until now all fit in a single shopping bag
3. Clank! (It's a deck builder) it is a big box game. May not be for everyone.
2. Dead of winter "Territory control" Assuming everyone has played Pandemic. This is a bigger box, and it is on the more complex side of everything else on this list.
1 Sub Terra (In replacement of your "anything from the forbidden series" as a more unique substitute for Pandemic)
I feel it's worth putting Sub Terra's name forward. While smaller than seven wonders, it's the biggest boxed game on my list. Perhaps no larger than
Sharp list. A few i haven't played but at least 2 that cause absolute anger and annoyance to happen at my game table! I'll let you guess which one of those games has been totally and utterly vetoed by one of my regulars ;)
@@3MBG I'd be guessing Sub Terra and Coup? Depends on that one regular
It was citadels. One of our ground, one game, almost entirely by accident, was robbed twice and assassinated 6 times. They built one building by games end. After that he was like "nope, screw this game".
The mind is the other one, our group just doesn't get it as a game.
@@3MBG I can get that. Not every game is the right fit for everyone.
But it's a well rounded, very small (in terms of shelf space) handful of games that, each offer something different.
While avoiding the "age-old classics" That there is debate about whether or not they fall into the same basket as monopoly / cluedo / rummicub / Yahtzee.
Pandemic, apparently has been around for so long, debate has been made about whether or not it belongs with The abovementioned, I mean, Pandemic was my foundation.
And now, Pandemic only gets played to introduce non board gamers to board gamers, teach the core concepts needed as a stepping stone for Dead of Winter. It's my belief Dead of Winter is a bit too complex to drop on the table in front of non board gamers, unless they have the knack for processing technical and complex information.
@@Ragenarok124 Dead of winter isn't too bad if you play with no full traitor, that way you can do "mostly co-op". I also highly recommend the app that does the narration and getting a portable speaker for it. Adds so much for new players and makes them feel immersed in the setting
1) Illusion (easy filler with mass appeal)
2) Incan Gold (push your luck)
3) Deep Sea Adventure (push your luck)
4) Dominion (deck building)
5) Times Up! (Party)
6) Codenames (Big Groups)
7) Ticket to Ride (route building)
8) Puerto Rico (role selection)
9) Viticulture (worker placement)
10) Azul (drafting, set collection)
Great list - I like the reasoning behind the various choices. We have been wanting to get Forbidden Island for teaching others as it is such a great intro game and for less confident kids, co-op is much more inviting.
We have also used Kingdomino as a good entry game based on ease of learning, price point, and its readily available for people to find without going to a specialty games store. Other favourites we start with are Century Golem Edition, Sushi Go (for learning drafting), Reef (a new addition), and Dice Forge.
We teach a lot of kids, so a lot of ours are targeted quite young with theme. And Dice Forge ends up on oir list because I haven't yet taught that to anyone that didn't have fun with it. And helping people enjoy games when their previous experience is painful Monopoly memories is always a win 😁
Dice forge is a great suggestion, taught it to some people last weekend and it was a good time.
My collection is pretty small (only 6 games), but I played a lot with friends that have larger collections than mine. From your list I've played Forbidden Island, Dominion and 7 Wonders, and they are good suggestions for starting a board game collection. I didn't play Raiders of the North Sea, but I played Architects and I like it, I would recommend it. I've played Sagrada too.
I recently discovered a new favorite game called Clank! and was surprised no one mentioned that one. Really fun and accessible deck builder board game for 2-4 players.
Still not played clank but I have heard a few people say exactly that about it
Great suggestions, I'll have a look around if I can try some of them (Memoire 44, Between Two Cities..). I've had Mascarade in my short list for a long time, it's always a good time, and games are quite short. Easy to play and fun from 4 to 8 players.
Other games that you may enjoy that are similar to Mascarade... Coup, Citadels, or maybe even Imperius.
I've played and enjoyed many on your list. Now I'm in love with Evolution:Climate by North Star games. I have the stand alone version. Definitely recommend. I like Agricola too but it's too complex for beginners we've found.
Sylvie M. Absolutely love evolution. Great game with a good amount of depth
Great Video... I totally agree with most. Smallworld was actually my first game.
Some honorable mentions:
Dixit
Forbbiden Desert (I recommend it instead of Forbidden Island)
Sheriff of Nottingham
Smash Up (same principle as Smallworld... tons of replayability)
Cheers
Dixit is great... especially with kids.
THANK YOU for adding Memoir' 44! Such a fun experience.
I’d have Dead of Winter on there somewhere. Best ‘co-op’ game I have played, the theme is awesome, and the mission and survivors are different every time.
Elegant game with some interesting mechanics that are made infinitely more complex when you add in private objectives and human nature.
I think DOW works best when someone knows the game and can teach. Might be a bit rough learning it cold for new players is my only concern.
Kind of beside the point but Incan Gold (now called Diamant) was the game that got me into this hobby seriously. I usually use it to introduce people to gaming and most of them have gone and bought their own copy.
ah, its totally on point :) I did ask what others thought would be a good starter game, and people do read the comments.
Great video! Forbidden Island is a great intro co-op for sure! I am a big fan of Roam and Scythe and they are fairly easy to rope new players into ;)
Forbidden Island was a great gateway game for me. It has just enough to it to make it interesting without feeling overwhelmed, and it's easy for the more experienced to help the newbs.
Dominion was our first deck builder, and nearly killed deck builders for me when my husband broke it the second time we played c.c Ascension, of all things, actually saved it for me XD
Been a hobby gamer for years now and embarrassed to say I haven't played some of these c.c
Small World is only one of two games that I actually had to walk away from to keep from table flipping o.o;; It might be banned from our house.
I'm surprised Tsuro, King of Tokyo, Sushi Go, and Sheriff of Nottingham didn't make the list. We had some great experiences getting friends and family hooked on hobby board gaming because of them.
Most of those later games you mention are on the companion list "the comments edition"
I would say my top 10 easy to learn and good to start a collection with games would be: Dominion, Carcassone, Catan, Dixit, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Citadels, Survive, Sushi go and my ultimate favorite - Hanabi.
Good list. Citadels ends with knife fights in our house, but good list
Thanks for the list. I only had one on here. Though I started with sushi go, catan, and king of Tokyo with my collection.
Two I've found really easy to get to the table and often have repeat play requests from non-gamer or 'rulebook-adverse' people:
Plague Inc
Eminent Domain
Simple, yet complex strategies, with a sprinkle of Take That which doesn't involve outright obtrusive levels of conflict.
My personal recommendations (although in no particular order)...
I) Carcassonne
ii) Sheriff of Nottingham
iii) Forbidden Island (Completely agree with the video comments)
iv) Kingdomino
v) Colt Express
vi) Catan
vii) Codenames
viii) Star Realms
ix) Sushi Go!
x) Ice Cool (always good to have a children's game in, especially one adults can have fun with too)
I've been totally meaning to get Ice Cool as it looks super fun
I think Pandemic was the first game I bought that wasn't monopoly(this was way back when I thought Monopoly was the pinnacle). I enjoyed it and thought it was an ingenious design. Then, Axis and Allies caught my eye. Bought it and still have it 9 or so years later. Then the ad for Ikusa caught my eye. Looked up board game stores near me and got it. While I was in the store, so many other games called out to me. I now have around... 85 games in my collection.
From all the games we've introduced to people, these are our go tos:
Sushi Party Go
Codenames
Bang!
Splendor
Steampunk Rally (my first boardgame outside of Catan)
King of Tokyo
Smallworld
Azul (the concept is so easy we taught a 6 year old how to play it lol)
Race for the Galaxy
Terra-forming Mars (our favorite boardgame in general)
These are all interesting enough to keep the hard core board gamers interested, but easy enough for more casual gamers to pick up
Love that list. Can totally agree on the games, except that I have not yet a very funful play with Codenames, but that certainly is due to the people I have played it with as we were all very well experienced with charada games and guessing other people's way of thinking...
Bang! is fantastic. Always a big hit.
Your thoughts on the Turmoil expansion for Terraforming Mars? A buddy and I have been playing this game for a couple years now. Love it. Only complaint was Turmoil offsets the Prelude expansions time saving dynamic
Now THIS is the kind of board game video I needed. Got anything like this on single player games?
Not now, but soon. Solo game list is one people have been asking for. I just have a bunch of solo games enroute to me from overseas I want to try out first.
@@3MBG As someone starting out on their board game journey who has a really hard time getting a group of people together, that would be greatly appreciated.
Also, if you have any more videos that help out complete beginners (other than your 3 minute summaries, of course), direct me to them. I'd be happy to watch those as well.
I guess my top 100 could count? But yeah, definitely something else to consider adding more of to the channel.
Splendor (set collection)
Carcassonne (Tile laying)
Pandemic (Co-op)
Railroad Ink (Roll and Write)
Love Letter (simple hand management, very quick)
Coup (bluffing)
Santorini (Abstract, player powers)
Tiny Epic Zombies (Pick up and deliver, push your luck)
Star Realms (deck building)
Keyforge (more advanced hand management)
Honorable mention. Vegas. (basic area control) The mind
I tried to be as varied with theme and simple to learn/teach mechanisms. Also, budget and family friendly. Never know who you will try to teach games to.
Nice list. Star Realms is such an obvious substitution for Dominion on my list im kicking myself for not mentioning it.
Funny you mention the mind on there. Its in my all time bottom list of games. Very few game ideas have bounced off me harder than that one.
@@3MBG My love for the game is extremely biased. It"s the game that the kids and I play in alternation with reading before bed to calm them. It's either the game means the end of the night and I get a break or the time spent with the little one. Probably a mix of both.
7 wonders is amazing! There’s a few expansions to make it more interesting!
Myself i am not sure if i could brake it down to 10 games, too many great ones. I would go more like 10 types of games such as (of course there are other great types):
1- A tile laying game (Carcassonne, Kigdomino etc...)
2- A roll & write game (Welcome To, That's Pretty Clever etc...)
3- A Coop game (Pandemic, Flash Point: Fire Rescue etc...)
4- A deck building game (Dominion, etc...)
5- A route building game (Ticket to Ride, Railways of Europe etc...)
6- A city building game (Suburbia, Ginkgopolis etc...)
7- An economic game (Airlines Europe, Vikings etc...)
8- A card game (Lost Cities, Biblios etc...)
9- A worker placement game (Stone Age, Village etc...)
10- A push your luck game (Can't Stop, King's Gold etc...)
Respectable list, i love the variety in it. 7, chinatown could be a good one there. Or even Concordia as its not too complex.
Incan Gold for party game! Love Smallworld but maybe a bit much for entry players. Also recommend for entry Quadrapolis (basic tile laying) and CVlisations (basic interactive and resource gathering)
I’ve just started my collection. I tried to focus on games my friends didn’t already own (thus increasing the pool of games we had to play), and that covered a wide spread of #players, ages, and mechanics.
10. Gateway Game: Sheriff of Nottingham
9.1 Auction: never encountered them 😳
9.2 Kids Game: Hare and the Tortoise (Tales & Games)
8. CoOp: Flashpoint
7. Deck builder: Quacks of Quedlinburg
6. Party: Codenames
5. Strategy: Terraforming Mars
4. Puzzle: Sagrada
3. Worker Placement: Raiders!!! 😍👍
2.1. Area Control (War): I would pick Small World as an Area Control game but since I’m not a fan of Area Control I went for...
2.2 TOYS! (Cool miniatures): Colt Express (Spiel Des Jahres winner, also covers delayed resolution)
1. Resource Management: Dead of Winter
Other types I covered...
2 Player: Patchwork
Team: Ticket to Ride Asia
Hidden Role: Secret Hitler
Story: This War of Mine
Combos: Evolution Climate
Australian Designer: Unfair
Other gateway games I have based on theme/IP...
Video Gamers: XCOM the boardgame
Science Nerds: Compounded
Comics: Sentinels of the Multiverse
I also have a couple games that are quick to play and this can be slammed out quickly while waiting for people to arrive, or cooking/going on a munchie run, etc...
Hanabi
One Night Werewolf
Get Bit
Sushi Go
Bonus that all these quick games are also good for kids.
Will def try to hunt down Between Two Cities and give it a go. I like the idea of how one game gives basic skills and then another game (7 Wonders, which I also own) builds on that. 🤔👍
Jaipur and 7 Wonders Duel are fantastic 2 player games too
My first two boards games that got me into this hobby are : 1. Isle of Skye. 2. Patchwork.
For deck builders, I find that People usually prefer clank than dominion. Would you consider root a good starting war game ? The theme looks more appeling than memoire 44'
Roots asymmetry makes it really hard as an intro game. You can't check with others what's going on, as your rules are different to everyone elses.
Nice list! I think another great party game would be Scotland Yard where everyone (except one person) works together to capture the elusive Mister X.
I played that a lot when it came out when i was a kid. Current hidden movement game i'm digging is "last friday" as i'm also a big horror fan
Great list - all of which I'm familiar with, although have yet to play Raiders of North Sea. Given I like your other choices, I must check that out.
I was struck though that your list didn't include any dexterity games. Of flicking related dexterity games, I'd definately go for Four Elements by Physical Gaming as my first choice there (much cheaper than Crocinole! and quicker set up than Catacombs). There's also lots of great balancing related dexterity games which include Meeple Circus, Tokyo Highway, Men at Work, Rhino Hero.
No Push-your-luck games in your list either. A classic of these is Can't Stop, though I find that a bit too abstract. I'm totally biased (as I'm the designer!) but think you should check out Rockpool (published by Gibsons).
I love Rockpool's combination of push-your-luck with set collection, shouting out to empty the rockpool with tthe risk of making the wrong call, player agency in affecting when the game ends by the tide coming in, a win condition that involves the most kids and dogs paddling in the rockpool at the end, and the possibility that the game itself wins rather than any of the players if the sea collects most of the different shell types. I think its a really original theme too involving kids collecting shells and clearing up rubbish on a beach before waves wash them away. I like the art too, including cute dogs on each team. Although its targeted at children, the gameplay has hidden depth so experienced adult gamers seem to love it as well. [many apologies: I hadn't meant this comment to turn into an advert! But if you've not tried Rockpool yet you should certainly check it out for a future top 10 list].
I don't play many dexterity games, its a bit of a blind spot for me. For push your luck, i'd probably go with Quacks of Quedlinburg which i had not played when i made the video.
Rockpool looks charming by the way
Carcassone, Catan, and Ticket to Ride are my favorites!
Awesome, so this is 10 other ones to consider;)
@5:34 Its sad how annoyed I am that the number of tiles exceeds the limit of that middle row.
Just to add to it: also the first one.
Ah, that would be a photo from mid animation. Picked the wrong one clearly. I used that pic to animate the next pic, where they go to the bottom. Selected the wrong one by mistake.
@@3MBG thank you so much for taking time to reply to it. Although I was not the original comment, I still appreciate it. Awesome videos! Appreciate your opinion and content.
A good selection, only for beginner, I think Dominion, Raiders of the NorthWest and 7 Wonders are a bit complex to start with gaming.If you want to be introduced to Dominion, you better start with Kingdom Dominion, which is a bit easier. I only think the main difficulty about Dominion is that you have to know all cards in advance, otherwise you have to read them on the spot and that can betray your tactics
Most excellent video and game recommendations my friend. For beginners I would recommend Munchkin, Bang or Sheriff of Nottingham. All relatively time efficient, affordable, non toxic and easy to teach/learn.
My 10 are games I love that I can teach and can use as introductions... these are games you may never replace: Hanamakogi, Ethnos, Space Base, Don't Mess With Cthulhu, Wits & Wagers, Cryptid, Quacks of Quendlinburg, Gizmos, Rajas of the Ganges, and The God Father: Corleone's Empire.
I have honestly never played any of these games.
Castle Panic, photosynthesis, Escape: curse of the temple, Dominion, Mideavel Academy, Colt Express, Downfall of Pompeii, Blokus, Small World, Tales & Games:The Hare & the Tortoise,
I just wish there were more for 2 players. Not everyone has a big play group to access. Solo games are ok, but the concept is to play with others. I know it's more fun in larger groups, but life is life sometimes.
M D there are some great 2p games out there! If you haven’t already, you could try 7 Wonders: duel, Raptor, Fungi, Arboretum, Fog of Love, or Hive
Small World is a lot of fun; I like to think of it as "Civilization but faster." There are some great games here, and the rest I haven't played yet, so I'll have to try them out. I think about my own collection and wonder "If I had to recommend any of them to new players or collectors, which ones?" and most of what I got is either for advanced players or out of print.
Def Forbidden island over Pandemic. Been there, taught that, newbies fall for the pieces and board a lot easier.
In my experience, Forbiden Desert is a much better game than Forbidden Island. But for me personally, I'm a fan of Pandemic series.
In order of last one I thought of looking at my collection to first one I thought of...
10: Zooloretto (set collection)
9: Small World (terrain control)
8: Forbidden Desert (co-op)
7: El Dorado (deck building, race)
6: Roll Through the Ages (dice pool, worker placement)
5: Sushi Go Party (card draft, set collection)
4. Modern Art (auction)
3. (this space for reserved for current homebrew prototype)
2: No Thanks (super light, picnic)
1. Lost Cities (Two player, simple ruthless card game)
I agree with El Dorado. Ravensburger makes great games. El Dorado is the game that taught me the concept of deck building.