Lorenzo is my number 2. Engine building is so strong in this one. Strong game arc. Sense of escalation almost. Mechanically and balance-wise rock solid. This game will still be as good as it is now in 20 years and more. Timeless masterpiece.
Nice, hope it doesn't disappoint! It really is an outstanding heavy strategy game that resonates with us, especially with the variability from game to game. -Ryan
Y’all are so much fun to watch! My top 10: 1. The Resistance: Avalon 2. Pipeline 3. The Estates 4. Tigris & Euphrates 5. Santorini 6. Root 7. Zoo Vadis 8. Age of Steam 9. Inis 10. Decrypto
Really enjoy Terraforming Mars, Agricola, Ark Nova and Great Western Trail. My favorite game is still The Castles of Burgundy, but there’s a reason why these games get to the table so often over the rest of the collection.
Excellent batch of games there! 👌 We played a lot of Castles of Burgundy back ~10 years ago, but it ended up right on the fringe for me and left my collection. Fun memories with it though, and the new edition is beautiful, no doubt haha. -Ryan
Definitely quality over quantity! My collection is sitting around 125 games, but a lot of that is just covering every different scenario (party games, lighter games, etc.) so I really do keep it more trimmed down when it comes to the bigger heavier games. I'd rather play my favorites over and over than spend time playing a bunch of games I think are just "good." -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily 125! I noticed no Lacerda love made the top 10, maybe not even top 20? Just not a fan of those or am I mistaken? I think On Mars is so brilliant personally. Need to try Lisboa but it makes my top 5 for sure.
We have only played The Gallerist, which I enjoyed, but it didn't really grab me to want to keep coming back again and again. Maybe I'll try another Lacerda game at some point, but it's hard to say if the reasons it wasn't a keeper were Gallerist-specific or more of his style throughout his games. But to be clear, I rate The Gallerist an 8/10, so still quite good haha. -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily apologies for my auto correct confusion. I corrected my sentence above haha. Well I vote you try On Mars sometime. The mechanic of having to pick a side of the board and stay there until you can shuttle to the other side in a growing number of turns as the game progresses makes for an intense fight on worker placement spots.
Nemesis lockdown, I’ll be really surprised if something can knock it down because it’s just had so many epic moments that are just so hard to replicate that amount of tension and if you finally make it out you still have to scan every one of your contamination cards.. so good!
The Nemesis games are really an epic experience... I've only played Daniel's copy of the original once, but I am excited to try Retaliation when it delivers and see if it earns a spot in my collection. -Ryan
Great lists, guys! This has really made me want to check out Great Western Trail. I noticed that there are a few different versions; now im trying to decide if I want one of those or the original 😅
We both have the old first edition, but based on what I know of the versions, I recommend getting the standard second edition unless one of the other themes really really speaks to you haha. -Ryan
Thanks for the contest and congrats to the winners. Really great top 50 Here are some stats that I was taking notes and 31 games sparked my interest for looking at adding them to my collection at some point. 31 games that want to try out or add to collection 4 of 31 I have played and enjoyed a lot but have not pulled trigger on purchasing 9 of 31 I really want to do more research because I overlooked them or first time hearing about them.
One of our main goals with the channel is to help people discover games they might love, even if they aren't new releases, so this is really great to hear! Thanks for watching! -Ryan
Wow some heavy hitters, especially those long campaigns that take some dedication haha. Both Daniel and I have played through a full Gloomhaven campaign, which I enjoyed a lot, but I feel kind of "done" with the system, personally. -Ryan
For 1:07:46, Twilight Imperium on keeping planets for either resources or votes. You actually refresh the planets before voting & after voting! So you can actually spend your resource during the action phase and still refresh all the planets to vote again! (I just learned TI4 recently and looked up this rule :)
10 Heat: Pedal to the Metal 9 Star Wars: Outer Rim 8 Rajas of the Ganges 7 Dune: Imperium 6 Pandemic 5 Champions of Midgard 4 Orleans 3 Great Western Trail (Second Edition) 2 Star Wars: Imperial Assault 1 Clank: Catacombs
Wow, I knew you liked Clank Catacombs, but #1! It's very high on my wishlist. I also have always been intrigued by Rajas of the Ganges, clearly you feel it stands out from the crowd of medium-weight dice euros. -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily Yeah, I like regular Clank quite a bit and then Catacombs dialed it to 11. I love exploration type games. I had a great play of Rajas of the Ganges last year. Every player had a very different strategy and it was one of the closest games I've seen where anyone could have won. I love that double scoring track and the river mechanism.
Thanks for the great list!! CDMD has quickly jumped near the top of my list since I acquired it this year. My highest “want to play” from your list is Nemesis
Nemesis is definitely an epic thematic experience! I've only played Daniel's copy once, but have Retaliation on the way next year and curious to see if it secures a spot in the collection. -Ryan
We have not played Voidfall but have played Spirit Island quite a bit (17 plays for me). It's a game that I liked but didn't love, and ended up getting rid of it a while back. Eventually we plan to do a "popular games that didn't land for us" video, and that will definitely be one I talk about haha. Still like a 7.5/10 for me, but I know it's more like a 10/10 for a lot of people. -Ryan
Excellent lists, once again! Agricola is amazing, but I never had enough people who wanted to play it with me. I've been wanting to play Cthulhu Death May Die for years now. Hoping I'll get a chance soon. My current favorites are constantly changing, but here are some of the top ones right now: Kanban EV Dune: Imperium - Uprising (you should really try it) Pax Pamir 2nd Edition Ark Nova Arkham Horror: The Card Game A Feast for Odin Dead Reckoning Crokinole Arcs Planet Unknown
Lots of great games there... And another vote to try Uprising haha, we will see if I get the chance. Also really hoping Arcs will be the Cole Wehrle design that really finds a home in my collection! Daniel and I stumbled through a 2 player game on TTS that has me excited about the potential, I've got a physical edition on preorder. Cthulhu: Death May Die is definitely worth a go! -Ryan
Dune imperium did not impress me (almost got rid of it), but with the IX and more plays it grew on me to staying in my collection and being a go to 3 player game (a challenging player count)
I would definitely try it if I have the opportunity, I just find it too hard to justify buying when I already have the original with two expansions and love it haha. -Ryan
It is amazing how popular Spirit Island has become... Really evidence of the appetite a lot of players have for a co-op that has very little output randomness and focuses on providing a puzzle that lets the player feel clever with cardplay and combos. I enjoyed my 17 plays of it, but ultimately it landed at a 7.5/10 and ended up leaving my collection. Definitely want to talk about it on the channel sometime since it is #1 material for so many players -- I can definitely see the appeal though. -Ryan
@@hugocruz2439 speaking from personal experience , i have seen many people tried it and hate it. it happened because when a new player plays this game with other some-what experienced players, they got crashed so hard and never want to try again. also there is a verson of agricola ( family eidtion ) took out all the profession cards which makes this game so much less fun than it is supposed to be .
While Agricola has remained impressively popular for its age, I think you're right that it is still overlooked at times. I think part of the reason is that what makes it so special is how the variability pairs with mastery of the core systems, and so it takes quite a few games to really reach its full potential. And the reality is that we live in an era of so many new releases that a lot of players aren't going to give a game that many plays to fall in love with it. Certainly not a game for everyone, but for the right kind of player it truly is something special. -Ryan
I know it's going to be one of those games I finally get and then have to figure out how to pull together the right group and day to actually get it played haha. -Ryan
👇 What is your favorite board game of all time?
Mage Wars, Frost Grave, Eclipse top 3
Clash of Cultures for long games, Splendor for shorter games. Daniel, have you tried Clash of Cultures?
Gaia Project, but my wife didn't love it. I'm kind of wondering if Age of Innovation might hit better.
@@RollsInTheFamily agricola....or keyflower. Dang maybe Voidfall. I give up
Based on how many times I have played it, Settlers of Catan with cities and knights expansion
Wow, I won again. Thank you Guys!
You have the magic touch Maxime! ✨ -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily I can't deny
Thanks guys! Really excited to pick one of the great games you highlighted
Oh. Kevin S here:)
Congrats! 🥳🥳 -Ryan
So much fun! Yay, congrats all! Great list and time, thank you!
Lorenzo is my number 2. Engine building is so strong in this one. Strong game arc. Sense of escalation almost. Mechanically and balance-wise rock solid. This game will still be as good as it is now in 20 years and more. Timeless masterpiece.
Love seeing the love for Lorenzo in the comments! Though you have me curious now -- what's your number 1?
Gotta say. Age of Innovation has now made it to my official wish list because of this video.
Nice, hope it doesn't disappoint! It really is an outstanding heavy strategy game that resonates with us, especially with the variability from game to game. -Ryan
Y’all are so much fun to watch!
My top 10:
1. The Resistance: Avalon
2. Pipeline
3. The Estates
4. Tigris & Euphrates
5. Santorini
6. Root
7. Zoo Vadis
8. Age of Steam
9. Inis
10. Decrypto
Thanks! I think it's fair to say that you like heavy interaction in games haha... Have you had the chance to try Arcs yet? -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily I’ve played the base game - excited to try the campaign! First impressions are it’s very good!
Awesome, I have it on preorder and Daniel and I did a rough 2 player learning game on TTS, it definitely has me very intrigued. -Ryan
Really enjoy Terraforming Mars, Agricola, Ark Nova and Great Western Trail. My favorite game is still The Castles of Burgundy, but there’s a reason why these games get to the table so often over the rest of the collection.
Excellent batch of games there! 👌 We played a lot of Castles of Burgundy back ~10 years ago, but it ended up right on the fringe for me and left my collection. Fun memories with it though, and the new edition is beautiful, no doubt haha. -Ryan
Great entertaining watch. I only own about 23 games and among them were Odin, Nemesis, Nova, and Imperium.
Definitely quality over quantity! My collection is sitting around 125 games, but a lot of that is just covering every different scenario (party games, lighter games, etc.) so I really do keep it more trimmed down when it comes to the bigger heavier games. I'd rather play my favorites over and over than spend time playing a bunch of games I think are just "good." -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily 125! I noticed no Lacerda love made the top 10, maybe not even top 20? Just not a fan of those or am I mistaken? I think On Mars is so brilliant personally. Need to try Lisboa but it makes my top 5 for sure.
We have only played The Gallerist, which I enjoyed, but it didn't really grab me to want to keep coming back again and again. Maybe I'll try another Lacerda game at some point, but it's hard to say if the reasons it wasn't a keeper were Gallerist-specific or more of his style throughout his games. But to be clear, I rate The Gallerist an 8/10, so still quite good haha. -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily apologies for my auto correct confusion. I corrected my sentence above haha. Well I vote you try On Mars sometime. The mechanic of having to pick a side of the board and stay there until you can shuttle to the other side in a growing number of turns as the game progresses makes for an intense fight on worker placement spots.
Nemesis lockdown, I’ll be really surprised if something can knock it down because it’s just had so many epic moments that are just so hard to replicate that amount of tension and if you finally make it out you still have to scan every one of your contamination cards.. so good!
The Nemesis games are really an epic experience... I've only played Daniel's copy of the original once, but I am excited to try Retaliation when it delivers and see if it earns a spot in my collection. -Ryan
Great lists, guys! This has really made me want to check out Great Western Trail. I noticed that there are a few different versions; now im trying to decide if I want one of those or the original 😅
We both have the old first edition, but based on what I know of the versions, I recommend getting the standard second edition unless one of the other themes really really speaks to you haha. -Ryan
Thanks for the contest and congrats to the winners.
Really great top 50
Here are some stats that I was taking notes and 31 games sparked my interest for looking at adding them to my collection at some point.
31 games that want to try out or add to collection
4 of 31 I have played and enjoyed a lot but have not pulled trigger on purchasing
9 of 31 I really want to do more research because I overlooked them or first time hearing about them.
One of our main goals with the channel is to help people discover games they might love, even if they aren't new releases, so this is really great to hear! Thanks for watching! -Ryan
Top 3 for me at the moment: Voidfall, Oathsworn, Frosthaven/ Gloomhaven
Wow some heavy hitters, especially those long campaigns that take some dedication haha. Both Daniel and I have played through a full Gloomhaven campaign, which I enjoyed a lot, but I feel kind of "done" with the system, personally. -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily I’m trying to play through Oathsworn. Painting as I go. It’s practically all I’ve been playing lol
For 1:07:46, Twilight Imperium on keeping planets for either resources or votes. You actually refresh the planets before voting & after voting! So you can actually spend your resource during the action phase and still refresh all the planets to vote again! (I just learned TI4 recently and looked up this rule :)
You are correct! I accidentally got this mixed up with TI3 where I believe it was different. Great change! -Daniel
Just picked up Lorenzo because of you two :)
Huzzah! Hope you love it as much as we do! -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily Played it last night. SO good!
Awesome, so glad we didn't lead you astray haha! -Ryan
Banger list
🤘
Congrats to the winners!
10 Heat: Pedal to the Metal
9 Star Wars: Outer Rim
8 Rajas of the Ganges
7 Dune: Imperium
6 Pandemic
5 Champions of Midgard
4 Orleans
3 Great Western Trail (Second Edition)
2 Star Wars: Imperial Assault
1 Clank: Catacombs
Wow, I knew you liked Clank Catacombs, but #1! It's very high on my wishlist. I also have always been intrigued by Rajas of the Ganges, clearly you feel it stands out from the crowd of medium-weight dice euros. -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily Yeah, I like regular Clank quite a bit and then Catacombs dialed it to 11. I love exploration type games.
I had a great play of Rajas of the Ganges last year. Every player had a very different strategy and it was one of the closest games I've seen where anyone could have won. I love that double scoring track and the river mechanism.
Good to see the Swedes and Germans getting along so well
Thanks for watching! -Daniel
Thanks for the great list!!
CDMD has quickly jumped near the top of my list since I acquired it this year. My highest “want to play” from your list is Nemesis
Nemesis is definitely an epic thematic experience! I've only played Daniel's copy once, but have Retaliation on the way next year and curious to see if it secures a spot in the collection. -Ryan
@@RollsInTheFamily Retaliation would definitely be the one I’d want, seems more action based
I’m the “Craig” 😂 email sent gents. Thank you kindly!
Hey it's Craig! Congrats! 🎉 -Ryan
Awesome lists. Have either of you tried spirit island or voidfall?
We have not played Voidfall but have played Spirit Island quite a bit (17 plays for me). It's a game that I liked but didn't love, and ended up getting rid of it a while back. Eventually we plan to do a "popular games that didn't land for us" video, and that will definitely be one I talk about haha. Still like a 7.5/10 for me, but I know it's more like a 10/10 for a lot of people. -Ryan
I knew terraforming mars was on the list and I love it! Thanks for going through all these videos for our entertainment
Glad you enjoyed them! Terraforming Mars is just fantastic. 👌 -Ryan
Excellent lists, once again! Agricola is amazing, but I never had enough people who wanted to play it with me.
I've been wanting to play Cthulhu Death May Die for years now. Hoping I'll get a chance soon.
My current favorites are constantly changing, but here are some of the top ones right now:
Kanban EV
Dune: Imperium - Uprising (you should really try it)
Pax Pamir 2nd Edition
Ark Nova
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
A Feast for Odin
Dead Reckoning
Crokinole
Arcs
Planet Unknown
Lots of great games there... And another vote to try Uprising haha, we will see if I get the chance.
Also really hoping Arcs will be the Cole Wehrle design that really finds a home in my collection! Daniel and I stumbled through a 2 player game on TTS that has me excited about the potential, I've got a physical edition on preorder.
Cthulhu: Death May Die is definitely worth a go!
-Ryan
Dune imperium did not impress me (almost got rid of it), but with the IX and more plays it grew on me to staying in my collection and being a go to 3 player game (a challenging player count)
Really enjoy Rise of Ix, especially the variety that comes with the technologies. Agree that 3 is my favorite player count! -Ryan
Lorenzo is my favourite of all time. Great pick, and excellent lists!
Great choice, it really is a special game in the crowded category of medium-weight Euros! -Ryan
I’ve had Mage Knight sitting on my office desk for a month now lol. I think this gave me the push I need to play it
Definitely a tough one to learn for the first time, but if you are anything like us, it is so so worth it! -Ryan
Try Dune Imperium uprising... i just bought it and oh man! it's even better then the original...
I would definitely try it if I have the opportunity, I just find it too hard to justify buying when I already have the original with two expansions and love it haha. -Ryan
Congrats
Lorenzo il Magnifico is an incredible game, Ry.
In a sea of beige Euros, it really is special! -Ryan
Spirit island for me, so unique and infinite replayability. No experience quite like it in the board game world.
It is amazing how popular Spirit Island has become... Really evidence of the appetite a lot of players have for a co-op that has very little output randomness and focuses on providing a puzzle that lets the player feel clever with cardplay and combos.
I enjoyed my 17 plays of it, but ultimately it landed at a 7.5/10 and ended up leaving my collection. Definitely want to talk about it on the channel sometime since it is #1 material for so many players -- I can definitely see the appeal though.
-Ryan
agricola is full of tension and strattegy . unfornately a lot of people can't see it .
Wdym? That's one of the main reasons it is so popular and well regarded in the hobby, i haven't played it and i know it's tense and strategic
@@hugocruz2439 speaking from personal experience , i have seen many people tried it and hate it. it happened because when a new player plays this game with other some-what experienced players, they got crashed so hard and never want to try again. also there is a verson of agricola ( family eidtion ) took out all the profession cards which makes this game so much less fun than it is supposed to be .
While Agricola has remained impressively popular for its age, I think you're right that it is still overlooked at times. I think part of the reason is that what makes it so special is how the variability pairs with mastery of the core systems, and so it takes quite a few games to really reach its full potential. And the reality is that we live in an era of so many new releases that a lot of players aren't going to give a game that many plays to fall in love with it.
Certainly not a game for everyone, but for the right kind of player it truly is something special.
-Ryan
Terraforming Mars is still my number 1.
My desire to play it has not wavered at all over the years... -Ryan
Rising Sun
Surprisingly, we actually haven't played Blood Rage, Rising Sun, or Ankh. Definitely would be interested in giving any of them a try! -Ryan
I’ve been playing Aquatica and AuZtralia; those are both up there on my list. I probably shouldn’t be only playing games in alphabetical order.
You better have not skipped Agricola! 😜 -Ryan
Based on these top 10s I know this channel isn't for me 😂 bad algerithum
😂 You have me curious now, what are some of your top games? -Ryan
Ugh, I can't wait for Nemesis KS! 🙌🫶
I know it's going to be one of those games I finally get and then have to figure out how to pull together the right group and day to actually get it played haha. -Ryan