You know what? I'm going to say it - _Fluxx_ is quietly brilliant at uncovering what drives your gaming group to _play_ games in the first place, which can help a lot in figuring out who might be more interested in coming around next time to play which different games. I think it might be even better at this than _Monopoly_ If they laugh and have a good time, and someone still ends up winning, you can probably play just about anything. Hidden-role games will be at their maximum fun level with the people in this group. If they scream and gnash and get angry at the game, and then at you, and then demand that you somehow refund the minutes of their time spent on the game, probably stick to eurogames. Or cooperative play-against-the-rulebook type games. If they laugh and cackle and try to _intentionally_ contort the game into one of the many borderline-unplayable states which it can occupy - then you might be better off with a wargame, a dungeon crawler, or even a full-on TTRPG. With that person running the dungeons. Something complex, open-ended, and _satisfyingly breakable_ for that group.
10. Cartographer 9. Potato Man 8. The Castle of Burgundry 7. Thats not a hat 6. It's a wonderful world 5. Paint the Roses 4. Ra 3. Unmatched 2. Project L 1. Cascadia
My list from the games i've played would be Heat: pedal to the metal, Cascadia, The Crew, Everdell, Splendor Duel, Ticket to Ride, Sushi Go party, Pandemic, Wavelength and Carcassonne
1. Roll and write: Rolling Realms 2.Trick taking: The Crew 3. Euro: Castles of Burgundy 4. Party: Just One 5. Engine/drafting: Splendor 6. Abstract: Azul 7. Bidding: For Sale 8. Skirmish: Unmatched 9. Polynomial: New York Zoo 10. Tile laying: Cascadia
Great list!! We just picked up Project L and the family has been loving it! We grew up on Tetris so this game filled that same satisfactory feeling we got from Tetris.
I found out that if you host a game night with not really versed players, a short game in a small box can help to break the ice. Most people don't like learning rules and the longer the teach the less people want to play a game. This shows them that learning the rules payed off in having fun. So they are more willing to listen to 5-10 minutes of rules for a bigger game. I recommend Zombie Dice or Sushi Go! type games for this
I didn’t start into the Euro games until my 21-23year old (at that time) adult kids started introducing them to me in 2010- we started with Catan, Dixit, Ticket to ride, Dominion, 7 wonders. A neighbor then introduced me to- Azul, Concordia, Skull, Via Nebula, Kingdom Builders… and for my birthday was given Carcassonne, Parks, King Domino, and Tiny Towns. I’d recommend- Catan, Dixit, Dominion, KingDomino, Ticket to Ride, Skull, Splendor, Carcassonne, Azul, Codenames to start off with. Though my favorites right now are: Parks, Citadels, Everdell, Flamecraft, Quacks, Azul, Dominion, Carcassonne, Dixit and Codenames in no particular order- or-depending on whom I’m playing with! 😁
Start with something which interest you and you are motivated to learn/play. My collection started back in the late 80s with "Empires in Arms". Still playing it today. Starter games don't have to be light. It's the motivation which matters.
The hardest part of just starting out in the hobby is finding / making gamers to play with regularly. You have to have games to get people over and sit down AND THEN that next level game. My best list of games like these would be: 6 Nimmt, Project L, Illusion/Omerta/The Game, (2 player games) Lost cities, jiapur, then heavier games: CoB, Beyond the Sun, or whatever fame YOU LIKE. Then once you have a regular group transition to a legacy game: Charterstone, My City, Decorum, or Pandemic season 1.
Thank you so much for making this video. I’m new to this hobby. Feeling excited and overwhelmed with all the choices. I feel like I’m learning a new language with all the terminology for play styles and mechanics. Ha! Happy to find some suggestions to focus on. Let’s go! Excited to get started. Oh! And thank you for being so welcoming to newbies.
Here’s some advice. Buy less, play more. Enjoy the games you have and don’t buy into the hotness. Look at classic older games that have stood the test of time, and hype. And remember that the people you play with are as important as the game being played.
I’m new to the hobby too, but i feel like an old hat because I watch YT videos about board gaming all the time. One of the most interesting things I’ve noticed is that this community is sooooo nice. I’ve never seen a content creator be less than diplomatic when expressing a negative opinion about a game, and I’ve never seen a video comment be unkind or uncool. I’ve been to my local board game place three times, and the workers and customers there are over-the-top welcoming and friendly. It’s just so wholesome in a way you don’t see anymore.
@@FishFemme so the reason for this is we want people to play with. If you are are rude or unwelcoming 2 things are going to happen 1. The newbies won't want to play with us anymore and 2. The veterans will shun you and kick you out of the group. I've seen it happen. You can be mad about losing a game. That's fine. Just don't still be mad about it next time we play.
I started with Azul (loved by everyone) and Codenames. I’ve been steadily growing my collection, but recent favorites have been Just One and Kluster. Loving this hobby thought, and I’ve brought a few people into the hobby with other people’s suggestions. Appreciate you guys, thanks for the content.
Azul is great, and once people have got the concept of drafting, Sagrada is a great next step. Continuing the drafting theme, but with the added layers of the tools and different scoring conditions. Introduced a few friends to one and then the other.
Here are mine in no order: Space Base, King of Tokyo, Grimm Forest, Trekking the World, Century Spice Road, Forbidden Desert, Jaipur, Point Salad, Love Letter, Ticket to Ride
@@djrenier OOO man that is a good question. it obviously varies on each person but a few that I've had alot of success with newer gamers would be Azul, Pandemic, Project L, Cascadia, Gizmos.
If you like old school horror films i really recommend Final Girl. It is small, highly thematic, mix and matchy and a ton of fun! Yes it is a solo game, but you can take turns and work on it cooperatively as well.
I’m pretty new to the hobby, and I only play solo. I started with Hadrian’s Wall and have been chasing that high ever since. (I’ve about given up.) I’ve since added Legacy of Yu, Cascadia, Isle of Cats, and Paperback Adventures - all are for solo play or have solo variations.
Most, if not all, of Stonemaier Games have a solo (Automa) mode. Gaia Project, Terraforming Mars, Underwater Cities, and Ark Nova are all heavier/chunkier games that can play solo.
check out under falling skies and regicide! i only play solo also! hadrians wall seems cool! is it too hard or long? it seems s bit much all the options! but i have it on my list! 😊
@@carmanragatzterraforming mars has a solo variation that makes it much better than the oficial one! its like playing vs an automa! he draws cards and with the colors he gets plants water tiles and temp! (4 green 3 blue snd 1 red i think) and also builfs city if he draws city card so u can use the rewards points and play over 14 turns until the 3 objectived are complete and then count points to see who won! wingspan has a nice automa.. easy to play but hard to winb
@@jorgedawsonwetto25 It’s my comfort game, believe it or not. Yeah it’s overwhelming at first, but not as much as you’d think. Not as much as it looks for sure. The graphics and symbols on the sheet explain the rules very well, and the card you choose each round has a track/direction to work toward. Kinda makes the decision for you if you want it to. It’s combo city. I can’t imagine playing it with other people though...it’d be a quiet game table for sure, with almost no player interaction. The only YT channel I see who regularly recommends it is Board Game Garden, which surprises me, but maybe because it’s best at solo mode. Idk.
If you haven't started your board game collection yet, it is like you are only hearing in monotone, but as you start adding your first games, suddenly you will begin to hear in stereo. 10 can provide a decent range of easy, challenging, family, cooperate, classic, new, 2-player, 4-player, 6-player, puzzly, comfy, mega production, travel-friendly, popular, unique, short, or Epic. But play each one as you go, and don't worry about the numbers. Soon you'll be hearing in surround sound.
Great list. No disagreements. What I recommend looks like a list of best sellers, but these are popular for a reason. I play with players of all levels and have found that these games universally work for those new to the hobby. Ticket To Ride Codenames Marvel Splendor Baren Park Cascadia Quest For El Dorado Space Base The Crew - Mission Deep Sea Wingspan (for a little heavier game) Kingdomino (and get 2 sets and play 7x7 with 4 players) I have some heavier games I love, but this list is for those starting out.
I’m new to the hobby, and I’ve actually just crossed the 10 game mark. Here’s my collection so far Everdell Cascadia Horrified Quacks of Quedlinburg Barenpark Codenames Wavelength Scout Bonsai And lastly… A feast for Odin as my first venture into heavier games. Just 2 plays in and I’m absolutely LOVING it. Of all my medium-light games I think my favorites are everdell, quacks, and Cascadia Also, I’ve been binge watching you guys since I’ve found you, I absolutely love this channel. Keep it up
@@TableTopic hahaha yeah I’m just a year in. I knew I wanted to dip my toes in with an Uwe game, so I did tons of research on all the big box ones. And it was hard to not go for what’s considered his ‘magnum opus’. You just gotta spend some time going over all the wp spots and then from there it’s not too hard
Bit more than a year in the hobby here. Having the opposite experience. My introduction was Terraforming Mars. love at first sigh, absolutely incredible. Second, Gloomhavem 😂, awesome game and mechanics. To much trouble to putting in the table tho. Then I started to dial down in difficulty so the wife could join me some times. Bought Sagrada, trekking through history, fell in love with original Azul, got Splendor (wife's fav), deep sea adventure, such an amazing wee game for up to 6 player. Getting close to 20 in my collection now ❤❤
New to board gaming. Started June 2023. Found your April 2020 "10 Games to Start your Collection" recommendations. (have 7 of the 10 😊). Also found your Solo recommendations helpful. Love your channel!!
Great list! One that I always use for newer players is Century: Golem Edition. Visually appealing, simple rules, and quick turns. It usually takes a game to where the hand management/comboing really clicks and they usually want to play a second time to do better.
Thanks for the great video. I definitely would add a couple of little hidden gems that I haven't really seen in a lot of videos. I highly recommend the game tranquility. It is a 1-2 player game and can be found for around $10. I've never thought of playing a board game solo but this is my first one and I found myself playing alone for hours. It's super simple and super satisfying when you win. Also, I highly recommend a little party game called one word. Super simple and easy to learn in groups. It's one of those few party games where the every individual will have a great time regardless of what seat they're in
1) Area Control-The Godfather: Corleone's Empire 2) Deckbuilder- Toy Story: Obstacles & Adventures & Summer Camp 3) Cooperative- Flash Point Fire Rescue & Back to the Future: Back in Time 4) Card Game- The Crew & Sushi Go Party 5) Abstract- Azul & Tiny Towns 6) Puzzle- Sagrada & Isle of Cats 7) Party- Bang the Dice Game & Just One 8 Worker Placement- Fallout Shelter & Last Will 9) Roll/Flip & Write- Welcome to & Get on Board 10) 2 Player- The Fox in the Forest & Moving Pictures
Our family has about 75 games, and my sister came to visit recently...she's now starting her collection with So Clover and Long Shot the Dice Game. Cascadia and Azul are my recommendations.
This is a great list! One of my favorites to teach is The Game. Simple cooperative card game, straightforward rules with one simple twist that introduces some of that decision making you mentioned in the video. Space Base is also great. Engine building where you have to pay attention to what's going on other people's turns. Just a super satisfying one, i think. To everyone that reads this in the future... welcome to the hobby!
I have Azul, Carcassone, Ticket to Ride, Cluedo, Patchwork, Sushi Go, Dixit so far. Planning to add Duel 7 Wonders, Wingspan, Cascadia. Great lists everyone!
My first "not monopoly" style games I ever played were Dominion and Agricola with a friend from my wife worked with. To this day Agricola is my favorite game but our closet has expanded exponentially. I'm loving this holiday season seeing videos like this pop up and I'm like, oh here's someones top 100 games ever.. and I've only heard of like 4 of them. Cool time to go shopping.
Thunderroad vendetta is a great starting point ,easy to learn and fairly quick gameplay.My group always starts off the night with a quick round of that or starwars:deck building game
Chronologically, my first 10 games into the hobby were: Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, The Downfall of Pompeii, Survive: escape from Atlantis, Jamaica, Port Royal, Forbidden Desert, Jaipur, Tobago. I am 4 years into the hobby and those still get to the table a bunch with newcomers and they are all greatly appreciated.
Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Quest for El Dorado, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Suburbia, Cascadia, Azul, 7 Wonders Duel, , Kingdomino, Century Golem Edition and Stone Age.
Some of my faves that i dont think would be bad to start with would be ; King Of Tokyo, Mysterium, Betrayal At House On The Hill, and definitely Horrified Universal Monsters and/or Horrified American Monsters!!
Thank you for making a list that actually has a good variety of games on it! I’ve watched a lot of other videos like this, but they have all picked games that I honestly don’t think are for beginners. I would be so overwhelmed or bored with a lot of the other suggestions, but I think that you guys did a good job of picking a nice variety of games for different interests and that won’t scare people away! The first few games that we bought were: Salem: 1692 Takenoko Potion Explosion Santorini Roll For It Sushi Go Ticket To Ride Quacks of Quedlinburg
Prob 6 years ago now or so my friends brought over Kingdomino, and I LOVED it (still do honestly). That moved me from party games more toward modern board games.
I haven't heard of half of these and only own/have played 1. But Cascadia is one of my favourite games I own. Very fun, and easy to teach. The only game i was able to get my dad to play with me.
My first real game was Survive back in 1982. I didn't get into the hobby too much, but I loved that game and dabbled with a few other things over the years. It wasn't until I bought Dungeon Mayhem and Ticket to Ride for my family during the pandemic that I fell in love with what modern gaming had to offer. After that I jumped right into Arkham Horror LCG without a clue as to what I was actually getting into but after three months of grinding on it things began to really click. After that I was jumping into Gloomhaven: JOTL, Pandemic, and Horrified. Now I've got well over 50 solid titles in my collection and I love it!
Yeah, Parks is a good one. The rules are just tricky enough that you feel like you're learning a more complex game. And it's very beautiful. And the production quality of those Keymaster games is top notch. Good recommendation.
I recommend Kim Joy's Magic Bakery (I've had wonderful success even introducing to elderly family members who've never heard of a coop game), Forbidden Island, Ticket to Ride, Takenoko, Catan, Carcassonne, Fabled Fruit, Isle of Cats (family version if you wish)
cool. Good stuff as usual My Top 10 to start with: * World Wonders * Survive * Ticket to Ride * Azul Summer Pavilion * Settlers of Catan * Castles of Burgundy * Tobago * Raiders of the North Sea * Hanimikoji * Wingspan
I have been a board game fan since i was a kid. But more of the traditional family games and party games. Now, I am loving more strategic games. Some of my faves are Catan, The Castles of Burgundy, Pan Am, Azul, and recently, Honey Buzz. We played it once, but we cannot wait to play again. I have heard great things about Cascadia and Wingspan. I am hoping to get a chance to try those soon.
The Castles of Burgundy is my GF's and my favorite game so far, after a decade of this hobby, and dozens of experiments with different games, starting with Carcassonne, our gateway game. We've played CoB so many times now and still love to play. The competition between us is FIERCE. We played it twice last week. The first time we played I beat her by three points. The second time she absolutely trounced me by like 50 points. We've got the large CoB poster on our wall. That's how much we love it.
I started seriously collecting board games when I hunted down the first edition of Sheriff of Nottingham! I think it's a great game to introducing gaming to a group. Other great intro games: The Mind Mafia de Cuba Diamant (now Incan Gold) Pictures Fun Facts Paint the Roses (as featured in the video) Detective Club Muffin Time Forbidden Island (or Forbidden Desert, if you want more challenging) Cockroach Poker
A couple other games I'd recommend for beginning collections: Targi. Simple rules, deep game. Two players. All-time classic. Carcassonne. No need to get into all the expansions of this classic, although some of those are fun. The base game is great. Works just fine at all player counts.
Haven’t seen Catan anywhere on here so I’ll include it. By far the board game I’ve spent the most time on. No game is ever the same, not too many rules but in depth strategy and different ways to win
I gotta say, being an avid board gamer myself, I feel absolutely stunned that Ive never heard of ANY of your top 10! Time to start looking into these games. My 10 would include: Splendor, Arboretum, Viticulture, Wingspan, 7 Wonders, Pit (does that count?), Exploding Kittens, Carcasonne, Qwirkle, and Blokus.
My starting list would looks like this : -The Game -Alice's garden -Mow -Just One (or) Detective club -Cascadia (or) In the Footsteps of Darwin (or) Kingdomino -Little Town -Guild of merchant explorers (or) Isle of cat's explore and draw -Jaipur (or) Splendor Duel (or) Tokaido duo -Mountain Goats -Men at Work (or) Flipships There you would have a bit of every type, very easy to play with entry level rules and that are not taking too long
In this year I got into Azul and Splendor and got totally hooked. I bought the Marvel version of Splendor, and honestly, it's a great way to start. Now we're looking to step up and the videos and comments have been super helpful. Exciteeeed 🎲✨
You are at a very exciting point in discovering this hobby, when you start to see all the wide options of the world. We hope you enjoy yourself thoroughly!
Some of the first games we got 13-15 years ago that I would buy again were Dominion, Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Bohnanza, & Splendor. We still pull out most of these regularly as my brother or kids request them. The Crew is a regular favorite right now. We just bought Trekking Through History, which I think is a great beginner game & I'm backing the kickstarter for v2 of Trekking the World, which could be even better. Azul is another great one for new gamers.
In no particular order! I play a lot of games with less experienced games so these do skew towards lighter but I have always foudn these games have always had wide appeal and can be played with a wide age range. Ticket to Ride (USA if you like more getting in each others ways, Europe if you like less of that) Archaeology: The New Expedition Draftosaurus Sub Terra - If you've seen a horror movie call The Descent, this is that in board game form. Sonar Family - Battleship but there are two submarines and you're trying to ancitipate and hunt each other. Potion Explosion Colt Express - Embrace the chaos Tiny Towns - Like Cascadia, puzzly good, a lot of variability. A little bit more challenging but not hard: Parks Istanbul
It's crazy that I have been playing board games for years and have like 50 games and I don't have any of these games. Spot it, what do you meme, Catan, 7 Wonders, Carcassonne, Machi Koro, splendor, ticket to ride, Farlight, tiny epic galaxies, tiny epic Zombies, Cosmic Encounter, Taco cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Puerto Rico, the crew, magic maze, Munchkin, Forbidden Island, and many more.
I just recently got into board gaming. My introduction was Street Fighter The Miniatures Game. After that I got into Alien: Fate of The Nostromo, then Steam Up. Looking forward to adding more to my collection! 😃
Great video idea Bros! And a nice list. Like you said at the end, the comments section has been great! Newbies and oldies sharing ideas. Like quite a few people of my vintage (I’m 38) the first “proper games” I played were Settlers of Catan and Ticket To Ride. Boy have things grown from there! I love your list. Especially trying to keep it to available and affordable options. For Australia I’d probably say: Splendor Codenames Azul Sushi Go Party Bärenpark 7 Wonders (oldie but a goodie. The gateway for many ppl) Bohnanza (a classic for a reason, I love it) Kingdomino Cockroach Poker Wingspan A couple of these can even be bought at Kmart here which makes them DEFINITELY accessible cost and availability-wise. I think also gives a decent spread of types of game, including social deduction, co-op, cards, boards, euro-style etc. Obviously a bit weighted toward Phil Walker-Harding cos a) Praise Be b) he was my excuse for meeting Nick at Dice Tower West (delivery!) c) he’s an Aussie designer so frankly shld all be available at Kmart but aren’t (booooo!)
I love Castles of Burgundy to death, but I would absolutely not recommend to start with. The rules are too fiddly. I would recommend it for a second stage when you're accustomed to diverse set of rules and to explaining them.
For me "starting a collection" is you already playing board games at friends and such and then wanting to start invest in your own collection. I think Burgundy is perfectly fine for that level of play, I wouldn't even call it fiddly, the only cumbersome part is what every building does which can be helped by printing a decent player aid.
As we said in our video we feel like CoB would be a good game to grow into so that’s how we viewed it. Not as a first game ever but once you have your feet wet a bit
The games I have that I think are great for first timers (and therefore great to start a collection with) are Draftosaurus, Sushi Go, Patchwork, Shifting Stones, Spots, Railroad Ink, Kingdomino Origins, Ouch!, Gonuts for Donuts and Railroad Ink. Varying levels of complexity will appeal to different people but all of these are fairy simple to pick up. The most difficult thing is often scoring which you can help people with at the end of the game.
Honestly, the game that got me into board games was the lost ruins of arnak. For a first game it’s not the easiest in the world to learn (if no one at the table already knows it), but once you get through the rule book, it’s really fun and has quite the strategic depth to it. It has some player interaction. I think it’s a very good game for someone who is starting to get into the hobby
Mamma Mia or 6 nimmt. Simple, small, concise card games and so fun! Mamma Mia has elements of memory but you can't and you won't remember everything, so at some point, you're just going with it and you find other ways to compensate for not remembering! + It's pizza themed, so it's very light-hearted and fun.. 6 nimmt (transl: 6 takes) is a global game I believe. It's a game that's printed and reprinted. It has a very simple premise, to build 4 rows of ascending numerical value by adding one card from your hand it's time but to not be the one who puts the 6th card of any row, cause then you have to take the 5 cards already there as negative points. The game quickly evolves into trying to "read" the other players and trying to just avoid being that 6th card. Both great simple games, in small boxes you can take anywhere and with very few rules, so you get to learn them quickly.. Have fun!!
@tmmcleod1 for someone new to the modern tabletop game arena, all they need to be is in the ballpark. While working on Project Gateway to curate the newbie area, I kept running into Phil's games. Phil's games and any top rated game in BGG's family subdomain with a complexity around 2 or less is a fit. 1.5 or less in the filler category is great with absolute nongamers. And Phil is all over this category. He also goes above 2, with Imotep and now SpellBook, which are great graduation games. Once one finishes with Phil's Gaming 101 course, they are ready to tackle others. Of course, putting in more effort, like these top 10 lists, produce best results but the space is full of really good starter games has a larger margin of error. Think on this, back in our say we started with Catan AND WE LOVED IT! I hold Catan is still really good, with flaws, but not the best starting point. It is a good choice if one wants to add a few modern games to classic mainstream like Monopoly and Scrabble. By the way, I consider Machi Koro a better starting game than Catan.
Good idea for a list. I think I’d replace Potato Man with Tricky Time Crisis, which is also must not follow and also pretty basic, but may become a little easier to get than Potato Man.
Ticket to Ride, Pandemic and Cartographers have been great games for when my family gathers. My husband and I enjoy more variety and deeper strategy/complexity, but those three have been hits during holidays. We have a few new ones that we hope will “take” eventually- Just One, Project Elite and Captain Sonar, but we realize most of our sibs and parents do not enjoy learning new rules.
Me and my wife have fairly recently gotten in to board games and picked up ticket to ride, it’s really beginner friendly and has great expansions so has tonnes of reply value 😁
Thanks for these suggestions from the Brothers Murph and the comments! Will be looking into several of these and definitely will be hinting for Paint the roses for Christmas! ❤
After reading the other comments, Azul is an amazing one too. Super accessible and not reading or language dependent. Played Cartographers yesterday at my FLGS and would love to try again with colored pencils or pens, but ultra quick teach n play. Picked up Quest for El Dorado and it looks great. SO and I really enjoy Knizia's RA and Lost Cities.
i myself started my collection with unmatched, loved it and still do but i got ivion and now to villainous and i think those are great starters as well
Qwirkle is always in my list. Ticket to Ride (Europe), Patchwork, Odin's Ravens (2p only), Fluxx ( pick a theme that suits your audience), Kill Dr Lucky , splendour turn und taxis if they ever reprint it! Gloom (especially for the goths out there or Addams Family fans), Bonanza. Dorf Romantik.
My first thought was Mista Over Carcassonne- an addictive little cooperative game with a few levels of difficulty to work though (or not, in our case…)
Great list and suggestions in the comments, thanks! I’ve read well over 50 comments and still haven’t seen any mention or recommendation of the board game I started with: Dixit. As the newbie 4th at a table of hobby gamers I had literally just met for the first time, what really hooked me in with Dixit was that after two games I had acquired several rapport building insights about the other players that no other game has matched ever since. Any ideas for the lack of mention?
Dixit is a great choice! Surprised as well that others haven’t mentioned it. We never played it much but have played many games that borrow the trippy dream style art so we appreciate its influence on the hobby
Based on your well-curated list, here’s ten alternates I would choose: Next Station London Scout Sagrada Monikers Res Arcana/Wingspan Decorum Modern Art Patchwork Kingdomino Cascadia is just the best starter game so I gotta just agree on that lol
@@dougwarr9459 Yeah, a family of StarCraft/Warcraft enjoyers. I got a Root ad and it was described as an asymmetric war game; With that art I couldn't resist. Now we hold in house tournaments with seasons and prizes. It's getting intense over here.. lol
Unmatched is fantastic, especially if you want to play with lots of people (one at a time), because it's really good for how easy it is to teach. But if you have two or three people you're going to play with regularly, don't get the small simple games -- get one meaty game like Castles of Burgundy or Ra. The hardest thing for newer players is learning new games, so stick with one game that you'll all like, and really learn it inside and out. Watch how to play videos together before you play. One of you bite the bullet and read the manual. Then play it over and over. You'll have so much more fun than spending every game night half learning another game.
How often after making a video like this are you so hyped up to play a game and proceed to play one right after filming the video?😆 Because that is me lol
My picks would be: Concordia, Red Cathedral, Codenames, Ready set bet, Air, Land & Sea, 6 nimmt, Scout, Gloomhaven Jaws of the lion, Unmatched (Bol V2) and something confrontational and mid-heavy if you are interested (Root, Rising Sun or Inis)
Great list - thanks for sharing! And I appreciate the various suggestions in the comments. I’ll have to check out Cartographers (isn’t there a similar game that you just draw lines one turn at a time?). I bought my wife Cascadia last year and it is definitely the one we pull out the most. Simply because it is a quick play, especially for 2-3 players), gives us that “puzzling” that we like to do, and not a game that you need to overthink. I can see why you would consider it a starter game. I also like the suggestions for Ticket to Ride, made by many. Although, I actually prefer that “board game” as an ipad game, now. Still, a good game to start out with. Again, thanks.
10 that I would recommend: The Crew 7 Wonders Heat Concordia Micromacro Crime City Ra Marvel United Splendor Space Base Quacks of Quedlinburg Concordia and 7 Wonders are right on the edge of too heavy/abstract for new gamers. I might substitute them for Cat in the Box, Patchwork, or Barenpark
So many games I would add. Something like Dixit should be there definitely. Downforce is a fantastic first game. Ticket to Ride is just an absolute classic.
Quacks of Quedlinburg Burgle Bros Pandemic Quest for El Dorado Sheriff of Nottingham Men at Work Cockroach Poker I've never had a single bad experience showing any of these newcomers!
What's a game you think should start a collection?? Oh and make sure to subscribe!
You know what? I'm going to say it - _Fluxx_ is quietly brilliant at uncovering what drives your gaming group to _play_ games in the first place, which can help a lot in figuring out who might be more interested in coming around next time to play which different games. I think it might be even better at this than _Monopoly_
If they laugh and have a good time, and someone still ends up winning, you can probably play just about anything. Hidden-role games will be at their maximum fun level with the people in this group.
If they scream and gnash and get angry at the game, and then at you, and then demand that you somehow refund the minutes of their time spent on the game, probably stick to eurogames. Or cooperative play-against-the-rulebook type games.
If they laugh and cackle and try to _intentionally_ contort the game into one of the many borderline-unplayable states which it can occupy - then you might be better off with a wargame, a dungeon crawler, or even a full-on TTRPG. With that person running the dungeons. Something complex, open-ended, and _satisfyingly breakable_ for that group.
Carcassonne for sure. Super easy to pick up, always different.
10. Cartographer
9. Potato Man
8. The Castle of Burgundry
7. Thats not a hat
6. It's a wonderful world
5. Paint the Roses
4. Ra
3. Unmatched
2. Project L
1. Cascadia
My list from the games i've played would be Heat: pedal to the metal, Cascadia, The Crew, Everdell, Splendor Duel, Ticket to Ride, Sushi Go party, Pandemic, Wavelength and Carcassonne
that is a fantastic list for someone to get started!
Out of curiosity, what is the other end of spectrum for you, of games You've played.
Not heat..downforce better intro game
Everyone can make their choices let’s not argue them
Great list!
1. Roll and write: Rolling Realms
2.Trick taking: The Crew
3. Euro: Castles of Burgundy
4. Party: Just One
5. Engine/drafting: Splendor
6. Abstract: Azul
7. Bidding: For Sale
8. Skirmish: Unmatched
9. Polynomial: New York Zoo
10. Tile laying: Cascadia
Great list!! We just picked up Project L and the family has been loving it! We grew up on Tetris so this game filled that same satisfactory feeling we got from Tetris.
I found out that if you host a game night with not really versed players, a short game in a small box can help to break the ice. Most people don't like learning rules and the longer the teach the less people want to play a game. This shows them that learning the rules payed off in having fun. So they are more willing to listen to 5-10 minutes of rules for a bigger game.
I recommend Zombie Dice or Sushi Go! type games for this
Short and sweet is definitely always a good choice
I ALWAYS start with a smaller/easier game on game night, totally agreed.
I didn’t start into the Euro games until my 21-23year old (at that time) adult kids started introducing them to me in 2010- we started with Catan, Dixit, Ticket to ride, Dominion, 7 wonders.
A neighbor then introduced me to- Azul, Concordia, Skull, Via Nebula, Kingdom Builders… and for my birthday was given Carcassonne, Parks, King Domino, and Tiny Towns.
I’d recommend- Catan, Dixit, Dominion, KingDomino, Ticket to Ride, Skull, Splendor, Carcassonne, Azul, Codenames to start off with.
Though my favorites right now are: Parks, Citadels, Everdell, Flamecraft, Quacks, Azul, Dominion, Carcassonne, Dixit and Codenames in no particular order- or-depending on whom I’m playing with! 😁
Start with something which interest you and you are motivated to learn/play.
My collection started back in the late 80s with "Empires in Arms". Still playing it today.
Starter games don't have to be light. It's the motivation which matters.
The hardest part of just starting out in the hobby is finding / making gamers to play with regularly. You have to have games to get people over and sit down AND THEN that next level game.
My best list of games like these would be: 6 Nimmt, Project L, Illusion/Omerta/The Game, (2 player games) Lost cities, jiapur, then heavier games: CoB, Beyond the Sun, or whatever fame YOU LIKE.
Then once you have a regular group transition to a legacy game: Charterstone, My City, Decorum, or Pandemic season 1.
Thank you so much for making this video. I’m new to this hobby. Feeling excited and overwhelmed with all the choices. I feel like I’m learning a new language with all the terminology for play styles and mechanics. Ha! Happy to find some suggestions to focus on. Let’s go! Excited to get started. Oh! And thank you for being so welcoming to newbies.
Here’s some advice. Buy less, play more. Enjoy the games you have and don’t buy into the hotness. Look at classic older games that have stood the test of time, and hype. And remember that the people you play with are as important as the game being played.
Welcome!! Hazah!
I also suggest playing games online on Board Game Arena. You can even just start with a free membership if you don't mind playing with random people.
I’m new to the hobby too, but i feel like an old hat because I watch YT videos about board gaming all the time. One of the most interesting things I’ve noticed is that this community is sooooo nice. I’ve never seen a content creator be less than diplomatic when expressing a negative opinion about a game, and I’ve never seen a video comment be unkind or uncool. I’ve been to my local board game place three times, and the workers and customers there are over-the-top welcoming and friendly. It’s just so wholesome in a way you don’t see anymore.
@@FishFemme so the reason for this is we want people to play with. If you are are rude or unwelcoming 2 things are going to happen 1. The newbies won't want to play with us anymore and 2. The veterans will shun you and kick you out of the group. I've seen it happen. You can be mad about losing a game. That's fine. Just don't still be mad about it next time we play.
I started with Azul (loved by everyone) and Codenames. I’ve been steadily growing my collection, but recent favorites have been Just One and Kluster. Loving this hobby thought, and I’ve brought a few people into the hobby with other people’s suggestions. Appreciate you guys, thanks for the content.
Azul is a great starter game. Simple to learn, but mind-bendy in a good way once one gets into it. It's also beautiful to look at and feel.
i love azule. i'm collecting ll he versions of it now.
Azul is great, and once people have got the concept of drafting, Sagrada is a great next step. Continuing the drafting theme, but with the added layers of the tools and different scoring conditions. Introduced a few friends to one and then the other.
@@Adishem I have just started playing sagrada, I'm really enjoying it even though i am the most unlucky with die.
I hate Azul lol highly overrated
Here are mine in no order:
Space Base, King of Tokyo, Grimm Forest, Trekking the World, Century Spice Road, Forbidden Desert, Jaipur, Point Salad, Love Letter, Ticket to Ride
Good list!
Splendor was my first board game love. it stays one of my favorites. I've also gotten several other people into the hobby with it.
What do you recommend after Splendor?
@@djrenier OOO man that is a good question. it obviously varies on each person but a few that I've had alot of success with newer gamers would be Azul, Pandemic, Project L, Cascadia, Gizmos.
If you like old school horror films i really recommend Final Girl. It is small, highly thematic, mix and matchy and a ton of fun! Yes it is a solo game, but you can take turns and work on it cooperatively as well.
I’m pretty new to the hobby, and I only play solo. I started with Hadrian’s Wall and have been chasing that high ever since. (I’ve about given up.) I’ve since added Legacy of Yu, Cascadia, Isle of Cats, and Paperback Adventures - all are for solo play or have solo variations.
Most, if not all, of Stonemaier Games have a solo (Automa) mode. Gaia Project, Terraforming Mars, Underwater Cities, and Ark Nova are all heavier/chunkier games that can play solo.
check out under falling skies and regicide! i only play solo also! hadrians wall seems cool! is it too hard or long? it seems s bit much all the options! but i have it on my list! 😊
@@carmanragatzterraforming mars has a solo variation that makes it much better than the oficial one! its like playing vs an automa! he draws cards and with the colors he gets plants water tiles and temp! (4 green 3 blue snd 1 red i think) and also builfs city if he draws city card so u can use the rewards points and play over 14 turns until the 3 objectived are complete and then count points to see who won! wingspan has a nice automa.. easy to play but hard to winb
@jorgedawsonwetto25 under the falling skies is amazing. And they made a free official print and play version of it.
@@jorgedawsonwetto25 It’s my comfort game, believe it or not. Yeah it’s overwhelming at first, but not as much as you’d think. Not as much as it looks for sure. The graphics and symbols on the sheet explain the rules very well, and the card you choose each round has a track/direction to work toward. Kinda makes the decision for you if you want it to. It’s combo city. I can’t imagine playing it with other people though...it’d be a quiet game table for sure, with almost no player interaction. The only YT channel I see who regularly recommends it is Board Game Garden, which surprises me, but maybe because it’s best at solo mode. Idk.
If you haven't started your board game collection yet, it is like you are only hearing in monotone, but as you start adding your first games, suddenly you will begin to hear in stereo. 10 can provide a decent range of easy, challenging, family, cooperate, classic, new, 2-player, 4-player, 6-player, puzzly, comfy, mega production, travel-friendly, popular, unique, short, or Epic. But play each one as you go, and don't worry about the numbers. Soon you'll be hearing in surround sound.
Great list. No disagreements. What I recommend looks like a list of best sellers, but these are popular for a reason. I play with players of all levels and have found that these games universally work for those new to the hobby.
Ticket To Ride
Codenames
Marvel Splendor
Baren Park
Cascadia
Quest For El Dorado
Space Base
The Crew - Mission Deep Sea
Wingspan (for a little heavier game)
Kingdomino (and get 2 sets and play 7x7 with 4 players)
I have some heavier games I love, but this list is for those starting out.
I’m new to the hobby, and I’ve actually just crossed the 10 game mark. Here’s my collection so far
Everdell
Cascadia
Horrified
Quacks of Quedlinburg
Barenpark
Codenames
Wavelength
Scout
Bonsai
And lastly… A feast for Odin as my first venture into heavier games. Just 2 plays in and I’m absolutely LOVING it.
Of all my medium-light games I think my favorites are everdell, quacks, and Cascadia
Also, I’ve been binge watching you guys since I’ve found you, I absolutely love this channel. Keep it up
Creature Comforts is a game you may like as well.
AMAZING as I'm 5 years into the hobby but Feast for Odin intimidates me.
@@TableTopic hahaha yeah I’m just a year in. I knew I wanted to dip my toes in with an Uwe game, so I did tons of research on all the big box ones. And it was hard to not go for what’s considered his ‘magnum opus’. You just gotta spend some time going over all the wp spots and then from there it’s not too hard
Bit more than a year in the hobby here. Having the opposite experience. My introduction was Terraforming Mars. love at first sigh, absolutely incredible. Second, Gloomhavem 😂, awesome game and mechanics. To much trouble to putting in the table tho. Then I started to dial down in difficulty so the wife could join me some times. Bought Sagrada, trekking through history, fell in love with original Azul, got Splendor (wife's fav), deep sea adventure, such an amazing wee game for up to 6 player. Getting close to 20 in my collection now ❤❤
This are way to heavy
New to board gaming. Started June 2023. Found your April 2020 "10 Games to Start your Collection" recommendations. (have 7 of the 10 😊). Also found your Solo recommendations helpful. Love your channel!!
Welcome to the Hobby!
Great list! One that I always use for newer players is Century: Golem Edition. Visually appealing, simple rules, and quick turns. It usually takes a game to where the hand management/comboing really clicks and they usually want to play a second time to do better.
That’s a great choice
Mike, I love this hat you’ve been rocking recently. You pull it off so well!
Thanks for the great video. I definitely would add a couple of little hidden gems that I haven't really seen in a lot of videos. I highly recommend the game tranquility. It is a 1-2 player game and can be found for around $10. I've never thought of playing a board game solo but this is my first one and I found myself playing alone for hours. It's super simple and super satisfying when you win. Also, I highly recommend a little party game called one word. Super simple and easy to learn in groups. It's one of those few party games where the every individual will have a great time regardless of what seat they're in
1) Area Control-The Godfather: Corleone's Empire
2) Deckbuilder- Toy Story: Obstacles & Adventures & Summer Camp
3) Cooperative- Flash Point Fire Rescue & Back to the Future: Back in Time
4) Card Game- The Crew & Sushi Go Party
5) Abstract- Azul & Tiny Towns
6) Puzzle- Sagrada & Isle of Cats
7) Party- Bang the Dice Game & Just One
8 Worker Placement- Fallout Shelter & Last Will
9) Roll/Flip & Write- Welcome to & Get on Board
10) 2 Player- The Fox in the Forest & Moving Pictures
Great list. Corinth is a good roll and write for newbies.
Our family has about 75 games, and my sister came to visit recently...she's now starting her collection with So Clover and Long Shot the Dice Game. Cascadia and Azul are my recommendations.
Long shot is pretty fun with a big group. We like Azul too due to its accessibility.
This is a great list! One of my favorites to teach is The Game. Simple cooperative card game, straightforward rules with one simple twist that introduces some of that decision making you mentioned in the video.
Space Base is also great. Engine building where you have to pay attention to what's going on other people's turns. Just a super satisfying one, i think.
To everyone that reads this in the future... welcome to the hobby!
You just lost The Game:P
I have Azul, Carcassone, Ticket to Ride, Cluedo, Patchwork, Sushi Go, Dixit so far. Planning to add Duel 7 Wonders, Wingspan, Cascadia. Great lists everyone!
My first "not monopoly" style games I ever played were Dominion and Agricola with a friend from my wife worked with. To this day Agricola is my favorite game but our closet has expanded exponentially. I'm loving this holiday season seeing videos like this pop up and I'm like, oh here's someones top 100 games ever.. and I've only heard of like 4 of them. Cool time to go shopping.
Thunderroad vendetta is a great starting point ,easy to learn and fairly quick gameplay.My group always starts off the night with a quick round of that or starwars:deck building game
Chronologically, my first 10 games into the hobby were: Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, The Downfall of Pompeii, Survive: escape from Atlantis, Jamaica, Port Royal, Forbidden Desert, Jaipur, Tobago. I am 4 years into the hobby and those still get to the table a bunch with newcomers and they are all greatly appreciated.
Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Quest for El Dorado, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Suburbia, Cascadia, Azul, 7 Wonders Duel, , Kingdomino, Century Golem Edition and Stone Age.
Some of my faves that i dont think would be bad to start with would be ; King Of Tokyo, Mysterium, Betrayal At House On The Hill, and definitely Horrified Universal Monsters and/or Horrified American Monsters!!
Thank you for making a list that actually has a good variety of games on it! I’ve watched a lot of other videos like this, but they have all picked games that I honestly don’t think are for beginners. I would be so overwhelmed or bored with a lot of the other suggestions, but I think that you guys did a good job of picking a nice variety of games for different interests and that won’t scare people away!
The first few games that we bought were:
Salem: 1692
Takenoko
Potion Explosion
Santorini
Roll For It
Sushi Go
Ticket To Ride
Quacks of Quedlinburg
Prob 6 years ago now or so my friends brought over Kingdomino, and I LOVED it (still do honestly). That moved me from party games more toward modern board games.
Quacks of Quedlinburg and El Dorado for me. Both great family games that really got us all into the hobby.
I haven't heard of half of these and only own/have played 1.
But Cascadia is one of my favourite games I own. Very fun, and easy to teach.
The only game i was able to get my dad to play with me.
Always love y’all’s lists. Ten great and unique recommendations.
My first real game was Survive back in 1982. I didn't get into the hobby too much, but I loved that game and dabbled with a few other things over the years. It wasn't until I bought Dungeon Mayhem and Ticket to Ride for my family during the pandemic that I fell in love with what modern gaming had to offer. After that I jumped right into Arkham Horror LCG without a clue as to what I was actually getting into but after three months of grinding on it things began to really click. After that I was jumping into Gloomhaven: JOTL, Pandemic, and Horrified. Now I've got well over 50 solid titles in my collection and I love it!
Other than dice tower this is my new go to board game channel
Oh wow thanks!
I nominate Parks for a great accessible game. The art is beautiful and the rules are easy to teach and quick to learn.
Yeah, Parks is a good one. The rules are just tricky enough that you feel like you're learning a more complex game. And it's very beautiful. And the production quality of those Keymaster games is top notch. Good recommendation.
And I LOVE how everything fits so neatly into the box!!! Actually, also kinda enjoy putting the game back into the box! 😂
I recommend Kim Joy's Magic Bakery (I've had wonderful success even introducing to elderly family members who've never heard of a coop game), Forbidden Island, Ticket to Ride, Takenoko, Catan, Carcassonne, Fabled Fruit, Isle of Cats (family version if you wish)
Splendor was the game that got me into the hobby. I highly recommend it.
cool. Good stuff as usual
My Top 10 to start with:
* World Wonders
* Survive
* Ticket to Ride
* Azul Summer Pavilion
* Settlers of Catan
* Castles of Burgundy
* Tobago
* Raiders of the North Sea
* Hanimikoji
* Wingspan
Great list!
I have been a board game fan since i was a kid. But more of the traditional family games and party games. Now, I am loving more strategic games. Some of my faves are Catan, The Castles of Burgundy, Pan Am, Azul, and recently, Honey Buzz. We played it once, but we cannot wait to play again. I have heard great things about Cascadia and Wingspan. I am hoping to get a chance to try those soon.
The Castles of Burgundy is my GF's and my favorite game so far, after a decade of this hobby, and dozens of experiments with different games, starting with Carcassonne, our gateway game. We've played CoB so many times now and still love to play. The competition between us is FIERCE. We played it twice last week. The first time we played I beat her by three points. The second time she absolutely trounced me by like 50 points. We've got the large CoB poster on our wall. That's how much we love it.
I want to get the fancy new Castles of Burgundy at $325.00 thinking that if I own a copy then maybe people will like me.
@@curtisrobinson7962 LOL
I started seriously collecting board games when I hunted down the first edition of Sheriff of Nottingham! I think it's a great game to introducing gaming to a group. Other great intro games:
The Mind
Mafia de Cuba
Diamant (now Incan Gold)
Pictures
Fun Facts
Paint the Roses (as featured in the video)
Detective Club
Muffin Time
Forbidden Island (or Forbidden Desert, if you want more challenging)
Cockroach Poker
Talisman (1st edition). The only boardgame I played as a kid, and, a few decades later, played with my kids.
A couple other games I'd recommend for beginning collections:
Targi. Simple rules, deep game. Two players. All-time classic.
Carcassonne. No need to get into all the expansions of this classic, although some of those are fun. The base game is great. Works just fine at all player counts.
For people new to the hobby I would recommend Board Game Arena. Play board games online for free and figure out which ones you would like to buy
How do I play a game online with others that I don’t know how to play?
@@jeffjacobson59 you can watch a video explaining how or read the rule book. There are links to both on each game page
Haven’t seen Catan anywhere on here so I’ll include it. By far the board game I’ve spent the most time on. No game is ever the same, not too many rules but in depth strategy and different ways to win
I gotta say, being an avid board gamer myself, I feel absolutely stunned that Ive never heard of ANY of your top 10! Time to start looking into these games.
My 10 would include: Splendor, Arboretum, Viticulture, Wingspan, 7 Wonders, Pit (does that count?), Exploding Kittens, Carcasonne, Qwirkle, and Blokus.
I got my Mom and sister into board games with Flamme Rouge and Parks. They especially love Parks.
Great list guys! Can't wait to see 10 more great starter games!
My starting list would looks like this :
-The Game
-Alice's garden
-Mow
-Just One (or) Detective club
-Cascadia (or) In the Footsteps of Darwin (or) Kingdomino
-Little Town
-Guild of merchant explorers (or) Isle of cat's explore and draw
-Jaipur (or) Splendor Duel (or) Tokaido duo
-Mountain Goats
-Men at Work (or) Flipships
There you would have a bit of every type, very easy to play with entry level rules and that are not taking too long
Great list!
Fun video. I would say The Crew, Just One, and dice thrown are great options
In this year I got into Azul and Splendor and got totally hooked. I bought the Marvel version of Splendor, and honestly, it's a great way to start. Now we're looking to step up and the videos and comments have been super helpful. Exciteeeed 🎲✨
You are at a very exciting point in discovering this hobby, when you start to see all the wide options of the world. We hope you enjoy yourself thoroughly!
Some of the first games we got 13-15 years ago that I would buy again were Dominion, Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Bohnanza, & Splendor. We still pull out most of these regularly as my brother or kids request them. The Crew is a regular favorite right now. We just bought Trekking Through History, which I think is a great beginner game & I'm backing the kickstarter for v2 of Trekking the World, which could be even better. Azul is another great one for new gamers.
In no particular order! I play a lot of games with less experienced games so these do skew towards lighter but I have always foudn these games have always had wide appeal and can be played with a wide age range.
Ticket to Ride (USA if you like more getting in each others ways, Europe if you like less of that)
Archaeology: The New Expedition
Draftosaurus
Sub Terra - If you've seen a horror movie call The Descent, this is that in board game form.
Sonar Family - Battleship but there are two submarines and you're trying to ancitipate and hunt each other.
Potion Explosion
Colt Express - Embrace the chaos
Tiny Towns - Like Cascadia, puzzly good, a lot of variability.
A little bit more challenging but not hard:
Parks
Istanbul
It's crazy that I have been playing board games for years and have like 50 games and I don't have any of these games. Spot it, what do you meme, Catan, 7 Wonders, Carcassonne, Machi Koro, splendor, ticket to ride, Farlight, tiny epic galaxies, tiny epic Zombies, Cosmic Encounter, Taco cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Puerto Rico, the crew, magic maze, Munchkin, Forbidden Island, and many more.
I just recently got into board gaming. My introduction was Street Fighter The Miniatures Game. After that I got into Alien: Fate of The Nostromo, then Steam Up. Looking forward to adding more to my collection! 😃
Welcome to the hobby!
@@TheBrothersMurph 🤘
Awesome video as always and solid list
Great video idea Bros! And a nice list. Like you said at the end, the comments section has been great! Newbies and oldies sharing ideas. Like quite a few people of my vintage (I’m 38) the first “proper games” I played were Settlers of Catan and Ticket To Ride. Boy have things grown from there!
I love your list. Especially trying to keep it to available and affordable options. For Australia I’d probably say:
Splendor
Codenames
Azul
Sushi Go Party
Bärenpark
7 Wonders (oldie but a goodie. The gateway for many ppl)
Bohnanza (a classic for a reason, I love it)
Kingdomino
Cockroach Poker
Wingspan
A couple of these can even be bought at Kmart here which makes them DEFINITELY accessible cost and availability-wise. I think also gives a decent spread of types of game, including social deduction, co-op, cards, boards, euro-style etc.
Obviously a bit weighted toward Phil Walker-Harding cos a) Praise Be b) he was my excuse for meeting Nick at Dice Tower West (delivery!) c) he’s an Aussie designer so frankly shld all be available at Kmart but aren’t (booooo!)
Oh oh oh, Concordia!!!
I love Castles of Burgundy to death, but I would absolutely not recommend to start with. The rules are too fiddly. I would recommend it for a second stage when you're accustomed to diverse set of rules and to explaining them.
For me "starting a collection" is you already playing board games at friends and such and then wanting to start invest in your own collection. I think Burgundy is perfectly fine for that level of play, I wouldn't even call it fiddly, the only cumbersome part is what every building does which can be helped by printing a decent player aid.
I would 100% recommend CoB. Everyone I have introduced it to, whether new or long-time gamer, has loved this game.
As we said in our video we feel like CoB would be a good game to grow into so that’s how we viewed it. Not as a first game ever but once you have your feet wet a bit
The games I have that I think are great for first timers (and therefore great to start a collection with) are Draftosaurus, Sushi Go, Patchwork, Shifting Stones, Spots, Railroad Ink, Kingdomino Origins, Ouch!, Gonuts for Donuts and Railroad Ink. Varying levels of complexity will appeal to different people but all of these are fairy simple to pick up. The most difficult thing is often scoring which you can help people with at the end of the game.
Honestly, the game that got me into board games was the lost ruins of arnak. For a first game it’s not the easiest in the world to learn (if no one at the table already knows it), but once you get through the rule book, it’s really fun and has quite the strategic depth to it. It has some player interaction. I think it’s a very good game for someone who is starting to get into the hobby
Thank you for a great list!
Mamma Mia or 6 nimmt.
Simple, small, concise card games and so fun!
Mamma Mia has elements of memory but you can't and you won't remember everything, so at some point, you're just going with it and you find other ways to compensate for not remembering! + It's pizza themed, so it's very light-hearted and fun..
6 nimmt (transl: 6 takes) is a global game I believe. It's a game that's printed and reprinted. It has a very simple premise, to build 4 rows of ascending numerical value by adding one card from your hand it's time but to not be the one who puts the 6th card of any row, cause then you have to take the 5 cards already there as negative points. The game quickly evolves into trying to "read" the other players and trying to just avoid being that 6th card.
Both great simple games, in small boxes you can take anywhere and with very few rules, so you get to learn them quickly..
Have fun!!
I say buy all available Phil Walker Harding games is a great starting point for new players.
Yuuuuuup can’t go wrong!
@TheBrothersMurph it is amazing how many games he does that introduce nongamers to different base mechanics for modern games
Haha, this is the answer! Praise Be!
@tmmcleod1 for someone new to the modern tabletop game arena, all they need to be is in the ballpark. While working on Project Gateway to curate the newbie area, I kept running into Phil's games. Phil's games and any top rated game in BGG's family subdomain with a complexity around 2 or less is a fit. 1.5 or less in the filler category is great with absolute nongamers. And Phil is all over this category. He also goes above 2, with Imotep and now SpellBook, which are great graduation games.
Once one finishes with Phil's Gaming 101 course, they are ready to tackle others.
Of course, putting in more effort, like these top 10 lists, produce best results but the space is full of really good starter games has a larger margin of error.
Think on this, back in our say we started with Catan AND WE LOVED IT! I hold Catan is still really good, with flaws, but not the best starting point. It is a good choice if one wants to add a few modern games to classic mainstream like Monopoly and Scrabble.
By the way, I consider Machi Koro a better starting game than Catan.
I started with Parks and I thought it was a nice beginner game that is still fun even as you learn the hobby more. Just a solid game overall.
I started my game collection with a laundry list of games from Avalon Hill and SPI many years ago. I have lost count of what I now have.
Good idea for a list. I think I’d replace Potato Man with Tricky Time Crisis, which is also must not follow and also pretty basic, but may become a little easier to get than Potato Man.
Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, The crew Deep sea, Skyjo, Survive escape from Atlantis, Lost Cities, Code Names, Tales of Glory and Bumuntu
Great list. I would add:
Quacks of Quidlinburg
Dominion
Point City
Skyjo
Bunny Kingdom
Azul
Welcome to
Nmbr9
Ticket to Ride, Pandemic and Cartographers have been great games for when my family gathers. My husband and I enjoy more variety and deeper strategy/complexity, but those three have been hits during holidays. We have a few new ones that we hope will “take” eventually- Just One, Project Elite and Captain Sonar, but we realize most of our sibs and parents do not enjoy learning new rules.
Just One is so good and such a simple rule set.
Agreed
Me and my wife have fairly recently gotten in to board games and picked up ticket to ride, it’s really beginner friendly and has great expansions so has tonnes of reply value 😁
My family loves:
Settlers of Catan
(Original and Cities &
Knights expansion)
Dice Forge
Azul
7 Wonders
Labyrinth (good 4 kids)
I just played It's A Wonderful World for the first time and could not believe how fast it played at two-players
Thanks for these suggestions from the Brothers Murph and the comments! Will be looking into several of these and definitely will be hinting for Paint the roses for Christmas! ❤
Wahooo!!
Just One always slaps! Great with any group and is a great conversation starter and team builder. Also, Telestrations!
After reading the other comments, Azul is an amazing one too. Super accessible and not reading or language dependent. Played Cartographers yesterday at my FLGS and would love to try again with colored pencils or pens, but ultra quick teach n play. Picked up Quest for El Dorado and it looks great. SO and I really enjoy Knizia's RA and Lost Cities.
I love Cartographers. I would love get That's not my hat, Cascadia, and painting the roses.
i myself started my collection with unmatched, loved it and still do but i got ivion and now to villainous and i think those are great starters as well
Qwirkle is always in my list. Ticket to Ride (Europe), Patchwork, Odin's Ravens (2p only), Fluxx ( pick a theme that suits your audience), Kill Dr Lucky , splendour turn und taxis if they ever reprint it! Gloom (especially for the goths out there or Addams Family fans), Bonanza. Dorf Romantik.
My first thought was Mista Over Carcassonne- an addictive little cooperative game with a few levels of difficulty to work though (or not, in our case…)
My list:
1. Cascadia
2. Patchwork
3. So Clover
4. Azul
5. Planet Unknown
6. Time’s Up: Title Recall
7. X-Men: Marvel United
8. Welcome To The Moon
9. Concordia
10. Fuse
Niiiiiice
Wingspan or Wyrmspan might the most fun board games I’ve ever played. 2-5 players and a hell of a good time
Just a shout out for a game that has worked for us, that hasn't been mentioned, is Colt Express. Hilarious mayhem. Also one night ultimate werewolf.
Great list and suggestions in the comments, thanks!
I’ve read well over 50 comments and still haven’t seen any mention or recommendation of the board game I started with: Dixit. As the newbie 4th at a table of hobby gamers I had literally just met for the first time, what really hooked me in with Dixit was that after two games I had acquired several rapport building insights about the other players that no other game has matched ever since. Any ideas for the lack of mention?
Dixit is a great choice! Surprised as well that others haven’t mentioned it. We never played it much but have played many games that borrow the trippy dream style art so we appreciate its influence on the hobby
Based on your well-curated list, here’s ten alternates I would choose:
Next Station London
Scout
Sagrada
Monikers
Res Arcana/Wingspan
Decorum
Modern Art
Patchwork
Kingdomino
Cascadia is just the best starter game so I gotta just agree on that lol
I started with Root a few years ago. Today the game that hits the table, most weekends, is Root.
You started with Root? Dang!!!!!!
@@dougwarr9459 Yeah, a family of StarCraft/Warcraft enjoyers. I got a Root ad and it was described as an asymmetric war game; With that art I couldn't resist. Now we hold in house tournaments with seasons and prizes. It's getting intense over here.. lol
Root to begin! Legend!
Unmatched is fantastic, especially if you want to play with lots of people (one at a time), because it's really good for how easy it is to teach. But if you have two or three people you're going to play with regularly, don't get the small simple games -- get one meaty game like Castles of Burgundy or Ra. The hardest thing for newer players is learning new games, so stick with one game that you'll all like, and really learn it inside and out. Watch how to play videos together before you play. One of you bite the bullet and read the manual. Then play it over and over. You'll have so much more fun than spending every game night half learning another game.
How often after making a video like this are you so hyped up to play a game and proceed to play one right after filming the video?😆 Because that is me lol
We love paint the roses!! Did you guys paint your own minis? We picked up the deluxe edition and ours are plain...
Yeah Nick painted those!
Love the Cartographers example map. Quite "colorful".
Started with 7 wonders architects, simple and addictive
Continued with Sagrada Paleo empires of the north and beer and bread.
Recommend all
My picks would be: Concordia, Red Cathedral, Codenames, Ready set bet, Air, Land & Sea, 6 nimmt, Scout, Gloomhaven Jaws of the lion, Unmatched (Bol V2) and something confrontational and mid-heavy if you are interested (Root, Rising Sun or Inis)
Shout out for Scout.
Not easy to find locally, but available at online shops.
Great list - thanks for sharing! And I appreciate the various suggestions in the comments. I’ll have to check out Cartographers (isn’t there a similar game that you just draw lines one turn at a time?). I bought my wife Cascadia last year and it is definitely the one we pull out the most. Simply because it is a quick play, especially for 2-3 players), gives us that “puzzling” that we like to do, and not a game that you need to overthink. I can see why you would consider it a starter game. I also like the suggestions for Ticket to Ride, made by many. Although, I actually prefer that “board game” as an ipad game, now. Still, a good game to start out with. Again, thanks.
Any into obscure games like Run for the Border?
10 that I would recommend:
The Crew
7 Wonders
Heat
Concordia
Micromacro Crime City
Ra
Marvel United
Splendor
Space Base
Quacks of Quedlinburg
Concordia and 7 Wonders are right on the edge of too heavy/abstract for new gamers. I might substitute them for Cat in the Box, Patchwork, or Barenpark
So many games I would add. Something like Dixit should be there definitely. Downforce is a fantastic first game. Ticket to Ride is just an absolute classic.
Cloud City, Santorini and Clank were my starter games that started the insanity 🙂
Quacks of Quedlinburg
Burgle Bros
Pandemic
Quest for El Dorado
Sheriff of Nottingham
Men at Work
Cockroach Poker
I've never had a single bad experience showing any of these newcomers!