It is great that more and more people are discovering table top games, and thus more people are designing games, bringing different perspectives and arguments to their designs, which is fantastic. We have designs that tackle the climate crisis, the horrors of war, but also designs where you are just trying to remember which card is a hat or not. There is so much variety in theme/setting now that you can probably find something that looks interesting. That being said, The majority of my collection is from older designs, but that is because I just don’t click with a lot of the modern design trends. It is not because they are objectively bad, they just aren’t for me, and that is ok. Besides, there are still some designers still making old school German style games, fighting the good fight, so best of both worlds lol.
Very true! Definitely glad for the variety and that there's more of "something for everyone" than having a limited amount of games being produced in certain styles or themes. ^^
My opinion is that there are actually too many board games now. About 20 years ago this would not have been a problem at all, but now since there are so many to choose from you are going to have more with different levels of quality. I was almost overwhelmed when I started playing with a friend of mine who got me into boardgames. However, it took me a few years to know that small games and portability are where my love is at for this hobby. Everyone will have an area they like in board games and I think it helps to maybe stay inside that area and really cherish the games that you love with more playtime. Its very easy in this hobby to just want the new thing, and forget about the games on the shelf 😂
Very well said! I think the quality of game production has gone up overall with the increased focus on the hobby and number of games available, but that definitely leaves a LOT of room for varying quality as well. :x I'm glad to have a few evergreen games that I always come back to and culling multiple times a year has helped me stay honest about what I'm actually playing/ whether a new game will just end up going in the sell pile in a month or two. 🤗
Its becoming hard for me to find games I like because 99% of games that are popular do nothing for me. Too solitaire...I want that good old school German game design style to come back. Wandering Towers has been a hit that fits this bill. Played Mamma Mia for the first time and had a blast, really love this game. And playing a lot of Friedrich online. A wonderfully simple wargame that sits perfectly balancing decisions and ease of play.
Have heard good things about Wandering Towers, but haven't gotten to try it yet! Mamma Mia wasn't on my radar yet, so I'll be checking that out as well. Thanks for the recommendations! ☺️
I played Things in Rings this last Saturday with a friend in co-op mode. Perhaps this game in co-op mode works better than in competitive mode because as the "Knower", I had my 10 cards to play to give hints to the other player as to what the rules would be for each ring. Also, 3 rings was challenging and we enjoyed 2 rings better. On the other hand, the game can be adjusted to be very easy (1 ring) to harder (3 rings). And the 3-level of difficulty rules is another way to adjust the difficulty. I'll be bringing this to Phoenix Con in Appleton next week to try it out some more. However, thus far, I really like the game and the small size of the box.
Ooh, the co-op mode definitely sound more up my alley. Will def suggest trying that mode if I get the opportunity to play again! Thanks for the recommendation! :D
A lot of games are just falling into a hard genre, and we are not seeing a ton of innovation. We have a steady stream of bag builders, engine builders, deck builders, roll and write games, perfect information epics, tile or card placement, worker placement, survival, dungeon crawlers, so on and so on and so on. If you can effectively describe the experience of playing a game to me by just telling me what its genre is or comparing it to another game, that's not very exciting to me. We get lots of sequels and spiritual successors where game designers just recycle their systems with a new coat of paint and a handful of new rules. What was the last game mechanic that took you by surprise and made you think, "this is a totally new and exciting idea, I've never seen anything like this before and it expands what a game can do, be, or say?" It does happen, but, like, that was every game for a long time and it's slowed. At least in America, the concept of a Euro game (or really just board games for adults in general) is only like 20 years old. That early period is so exciting. Everything was new. There was so much innovation and refinement. Most systems are now at a place where they are basically perfected, and we may be running out of new ground to tread. I do think a creative lull will inevitably lead to a spike of wild creativity, simply as a response from frustrated gamers with insane ideas. I'm legit excited for the next generation of game designers who haven't made their mark or introduced their systems yet. Good lord, I'm sorry to ramble for so long!
See the problem with only caring about gimmicky bullshit like "innovative new idea" Is gimmicks always stop being fun. Stop chasing such bullshit and find games you find fun BECAUSE OF THEIR DESIGN. Not because its a new design. And then the stagnation of interesting games will cease to exist as there will be loads of games following the exact design pillars you enjoy.
@Wylie288 I appreciate that perspective but as an old video gamer, nothing excites me more than a game that gives me another way of interacting with its world than with a gun, just because I've been doing that shit for almost 40 years now and I'm really bored with it. "Another shooter? Yawn. Flower and Pentiment are what I want." I really feel that way. Same with movies. I really need to see something I've never seen before, or I'm probably going to forget it immediately. Just because something is new or offers a different perspective, that doesn't make it a "gimmick." New genres are only created when inspired people try new things. A gimmick is something cheaply slapped onto an old experience to trick people into thinking it's new or different, and I don't like those either. I still think real innovation is legitimately important and things can't get too stagnet, or the hobby dies. And if you tell me to find the games that personally appeal to me most, it's the weird ones that try to say or do something different or bold. I'm personally interested in outside the box, post-modern, forward-thinking creativity. I kinda enjoy art most when I feel like the creator was taking a big risk and swinging for the fences. Hit or miss, it sincerely makes me happy that they went for it. So, this is the right lane for me.
Hear hear! This is definitely one of the big reasons why I'm excited to see so many new designers and games in the 18-card/microgame space. The limitations with components definitely sparks some innovation with how to repackage tried-and-true mechanics into a concise experience. Definitely always on the look out for designs/designers who tread into new territory, so if you find any be sure to send em my way! 🤗
@tabletoptokki Button Shy is amazing. I'm pre-ordering almost everything they release these days. Most of the best things are made when creative people are forced to problem solve through restrictive limitations, like creating a compelling experience with only 18 cards. The Last Lighthouse makes me feel like I'm there. That's incredible. It shouldn't be possible. Most microgames are so much more impressive to me than something that fills my entire table because they often achieve the same feelings with, comparatively, nothing. 18 cards. It really blows my mind. Scott Almes, Steven Aramini, the ROVE duo, I will check out anything they release.
Absolutely agree! I'm always beyond impressed when designers manage to do more with less-- huge props to all of the teams that work on these games and definitely always on the look out for more to see what's next! 😄
It is great that more and more people are discovering table top games, and thus more people are designing games, bringing different perspectives and arguments to their designs, which is fantastic. We have designs that tackle the climate crisis, the horrors of war, but also designs where you are just trying to remember which card is a hat or not. There is so much variety in theme/setting now that you can probably find something that looks interesting. That being said, The majority of my collection is from older designs, but that is because I just don’t click with a lot of the modern design trends. It is not because they are objectively bad, they just aren’t for me, and that is ok. Besides, there are still some designers still making old school German style games, fighting the good fight, so best of both worlds lol.
Very true! Definitely glad for the variety and that there's more of "something for everyone" than having a limited amount of games being produced in certain styles or themes. ^^
My opinion is that there are actually too many board games now. About 20 years ago this would not have been a problem at all, but now since there are so many to choose from you are going to have more with different levels of quality. I was almost overwhelmed when I started playing with a friend of mine who got me into boardgames. However, it took me a few years to know that small games and portability are where my love is at for this hobby. Everyone will have an area they like in board games and I think it helps to maybe stay inside that area and really cherish the games that you love with more playtime. Its very easy in this hobby to just want the new thing, and forget about the games on the shelf 😂
Very well said! I think the quality of game production has gone up overall with the increased focus on the hobby and number of games available, but that definitely leaves a LOT of room for varying quality as well. :x
I'm glad to have a few evergreen games that I always come back to and culling multiple times a year has helped me stay honest about what I'm actually playing/ whether a new game will just end up going in the sell pile in a month or two. 🤗
You are crazy. D,D&D at 1 or 2 is best. Playing at 5 would be insane.
It worked pretty well given the circumstances! ^^
@tabletoptokki we played at 3 and 4 and didn't like it as much as 2 player or Solo. Solo is really fun.
@@shannonvyvey966 Ahh, good to know! So far have only played it at 2 and tried it at 5, so definitely looking forward to solo! :D
Its becoming hard for me to find games I like because 99% of games that are popular do nothing for me. Too solitaire...I want that good old school German game design style to come back.
Wandering Towers has been a hit that fits this bill.
Played Mamma Mia for the first time and had a blast, really love this game.
And playing a lot of Friedrich online. A wonderfully simple wargame that sits perfectly balancing decisions and ease of play.
Have heard good things about Wandering Towers, but haven't gotten to try it yet! Mamma Mia wasn't on my radar yet, so I'll be checking that out as well. Thanks for the recommendations! ☺️
I played Things in Rings this last Saturday with a friend in co-op mode. Perhaps this game in co-op mode works better than in competitive mode because as the "Knower", I had my 10 cards to play to give hints to the other player as to what the rules would be for each ring. Also, 3 rings was challenging and we enjoyed 2 rings better. On the other hand, the game can be adjusted to be very easy (1 ring) to harder (3 rings). And the 3-level of difficulty rules is another way to adjust the difficulty. I'll be bringing this to Phoenix Con in Appleton next week to try it out some more. However, thus far, I really like the game and the small size of the box.
Ooh, the co-op mode definitely sound more up my alley. Will def suggest trying that mode if I get the opportunity to play again! Thanks for the recommendation! :D
That's normal. Even some of the best classic games of all time still won't click to some people too.
Very true! ^^
A lot of games are just falling into a hard genre, and we are not seeing a ton of innovation. We have a steady stream of bag builders, engine builders, deck builders, roll and write games, perfect information epics, tile or card placement, worker placement, survival, dungeon crawlers, so on and so on and so on.
If you can effectively describe the experience of playing a game to me by just telling me what its genre is or comparing it to another game, that's not very exciting to me. We get lots of sequels and spiritual successors where game designers just recycle their systems with a new coat of paint and a handful of new rules. What was the last game mechanic that took you by surprise and made you think, "this is a totally new and exciting idea, I've never seen anything like this before and it expands what a game can do, be, or say?" It does happen, but, like, that was every game for a long time and it's slowed.
At least in America, the concept of a Euro game (or really just board games for adults in general) is only like 20 years old. That early period is so exciting. Everything was new. There was so much innovation and refinement. Most systems are now at a place where they are basically perfected, and we may be running out of new ground to tread.
I do think a creative lull will inevitably lead to a spike of wild creativity, simply as a response from frustrated gamers with insane ideas. I'm legit excited for the next generation of game designers who haven't made their mark or introduced their systems yet.
Good lord, I'm sorry to ramble for so long!
See the problem with only caring about gimmicky bullshit like "innovative new idea" Is gimmicks always stop being fun.
Stop chasing such bullshit and find games you find fun BECAUSE OF THEIR DESIGN. Not because its a new design. And then the stagnation of interesting games will cease to exist as there will be loads of games following the exact design pillars you enjoy.
@Wylie288 I appreciate that perspective but as an old video gamer, nothing excites me more than a game that gives me another way of interacting with its world than with a gun, just because I've been doing that shit for almost 40 years now and I'm really bored with it. "Another shooter? Yawn. Flower and Pentiment are what I want." I really feel that way. Same with movies. I really need to see something I've never seen before, or I'm probably going to forget it immediately.
Just because something is new or offers a different perspective, that doesn't make it a "gimmick." New genres are only created when inspired people try new things. A gimmick is something cheaply slapped onto an old experience to trick people into thinking it's new or different, and I don't like those either. I still think real innovation is legitimately important and things can't get too stagnet, or the hobby dies.
And if you tell me to find the games that personally appeal to me most, it's the weird ones that try to say or do something different or bold. I'm personally interested in outside the box, post-modern, forward-thinking creativity. I kinda enjoy art most when I feel like the creator was taking a big risk and swinging for the fences. Hit or miss, it sincerely makes me happy that they went for it. So, this is the right lane for me.
Hear hear! This is definitely one of the big reasons why I'm excited to see so many new designers and games in the 18-card/microgame space. The limitations with components definitely sparks some innovation with how to repackage tried-and-true mechanics into a concise experience. Definitely always on the look out for designs/designers who tread into new territory, so if you find any be sure to send em my way! 🤗
@tabletoptokki Button Shy is amazing. I'm pre-ordering almost everything they release these days. Most of the best things are made when creative people are forced to problem solve through restrictive limitations, like creating a compelling experience with only 18 cards. The Last Lighthouse makes me feel like I'm there. That's incredible. It shouldn't be possible. Most microgames are so much more impressive to me than something that fills my entire table because they often achieve the same feelings with, comparatively, nothing. 18 cards. It really blows my mind. Scott Almes, Steven Aramini, the ROVE duo, I will check out anything they release.
Absolutely agree! I'm always beyond impressed when designers manage to do more with less-- huge props to all of the teams that work on these games and definitely always on the look out for more to see what's next! 😄
Lol i love your thumbnails
Thank you! 🙇🏻♀️
Question, how do you get those emojis after the game name? Did you manually add it?
Yeah! If you edit the game info in BG Stats, you can change the name and add them there. ^^
I can't wait till micro games get even smaller...and then smaller still
Idk how they'd make them smaller than one card... Unless you mean PHYSICALLY smaller too. Tiny 1-card games. 🤭
You HAVE to have a dice roller with a ton of personality. You would have loved ready set bet if I was rolling the dice. It gets rowdy.
I mean.... maybe. 😅
Whoa what a wide spread of games this month 😵 didn't expect to see 800 Pound Gorilla or Seaside on here 😂
Ahaha, well I'll try just about anything once! #notmygames 🤭
What is this app
BG Stats! :)
Not at all.
Not every game is going to be a hit. Although some games are using great artwork and components to lure you in but mechanics are mediocre
Definitely agree & fall into the camp of mechanics > presentation, but it's nice to have both. :)
No.
That was easy!
😃
Ahahaha 11/10 for efficiency and accuracy! 😂