Here’s my biggest disappointment of 2023. Tricking myself into thinking I have to pay $200 and up for a board game. I think the days of crowdfunding are over for me and I couldn’t be happier. The value just isn’t there anymore.
100% I was backing a game or two a month, now its one game every three or four months. I have been finding most games are better(updated) and cheaper at retail. I have never played the expansions for any game I have ever bought, so that part of kick-starters no longer even interests me.
I will only back something on Kickstarter if it is an expansion for one of my favorite games, or if it could potentially make my top 10 of all time. Western Legends, Dead Reckoning and Foundations of Rome are quite enough for me. Everything else is retail.
I have taught Barrage a bunch of times. It rarely clicks the first time. After a few plays though most people realize the beauty of it. It's a war game dressed up as a worker placement game. Shines best at 4P. Its a true masterpiece in the gaming world.
It also tricks people into thinking it's about production first and foremost, while at least the first half of the game is about building infrastructure in the right places. It's very interactive because of that, but if you just want to produce energy from the start the middle game and end game become pretty boring because you don't have enough buildings out to get income and points.
One important point: Nova Luna was based on Habitats, not the other way around. This is why Uwe credits Corné van Moorsel as co-designer of Nova Luna. So bonus points for being the FIRST one of the four. Of course further refinements are going to have a better chance of bettering the system incrementally.
Dorf Romantic was probably my game of the year. Me and my partner had a fantastic time with it. Admittedly once everything is unlocked there is a drop in engagement as there is no ‘goals’ to aim for, but you can just start again! Thanks for another great video though. Have a very merry winter holiday!
I’m shifting my spending from board games to Lorcana. I have games still not played, and many of them only played 1 or 2 tímes. I waited Lorcana out to where cards are dirt cheap and boosters are at MSRP. There’s good organized play. We will see where I’m at in 1 year.
I'm pretty happy that this seems to be it for Lorcana on the channel. I was very surprised that you would start playing a TCG in the first place. It felt quite weird when it came out and suddenly many channels that usually don't really cover TCGs were talking about that one extensively.
I think the Lorcana starter decks are pretty good for a "complete" experience. At this point they have 5, and it's fun to just treat those like a LCG and compete using them.
I agree with Lorcana. I was really excited but places near me selling booster packs for $11-$15 is insane and made me only get the starter decks(which i also overpaid for).
I LOVE Habitats. I wonder how I would react to the others you mentioned as Habitats is my first of that type. However, I did have to change the Jeep mechanic. Our house rule allows the Jeep to cycle to the other end of the rows and columns when we are on the edge, if that makes sense. Otherwise, there were too few options and in corners, no options for a turn..
Oh wow I was shocked to see Lorcana at #1. It has been one of my best gaming experiences in 2023. The product shortage is terrible, I agree. The game itself is great and the Organized Play is really good. My local league is a fantastic community
I think it is interesting that you listed Habitats as your number 2 disappointment. My wife and I are relatively new to the hobby and we love it. Now we will need to check out Framework and Nova Luna to see if they rank high for us too. I appreciate your videos. Thank you.
I've played 3 of the 4 and my opinion is the opposite. Habitats is the clear favorite in my group. They are all pretty similar but the scoring in habitats is more varied and interesting. The theme is nice too. I don't mind playing the other 2 but they never get requested. Habitats does though. I will say we do like the Jeep mechanism. I can see that feeling restrictive coming from the other games.
@@grog3514 My wife and I like Habitats a lot. We also like Nova Luna. I think one thing that might be influencing Alex is that he just now tried Habitats, which came out in 2016, prior to all of the tile puzzle games he listed as comparisons. Maybe he still wouldn't have liked it, but i wonder how this would have played out had he encountered Habitats when it first came out as opposed to the AllPlay reprint. . And while not germane to the topic, we both prefer the art of the original version.
Its funny because the local game store by me has tons of packs for Lorcana on the shelves that no one was buying, so the owner was selling them buy 1 get 1 free pack and other such deals. Everyone is still only really playing Magic, Pokemon, and Yu-gi-oh in that store.
Alex I couldn't agree more with Lorcana being a massive disappointment. I spent thousands on boxes in hopes to just get one enchanted. I opened 9 boxes from the 1st chapter and 2 from the 2nd and still haven't pulled an enchanted. Our LGS absolutely robbed us charging $300 a box at one time but averaging around $270 for most boxes I bought from them. I wanted an enchanted so bad I spent $180 on the 2nd chapter gift set when they came out thinking they wouldn't last long. Now there's plenty stock and back down to $60. *sigh* My friend loves the game but he didn't have to blow the thousands to put the decks together, as we play with mine. He has opened 1 box and of course pulled an enchanted right away, but is an ultra pessimist and cannot not be happy about it because it was Pete, the 2nd cheapest. I've since refused to buy anything from my LGS and don't even want to play leagues there anymore but my friend does, so we still go. I no longer buy packs or boxes. I buy singles from TCGPlayer. I'm so salty about the whole thing I don't even want to play the game anymore. I feel like I've been had and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
I just don't understand this mindset. Why spend thousands on one tcg in HOPES of an enchanted? It's literally just an alt art. Buy a box or two per set to start that sets collection and then just buy the singles you want. It's NEVER worth it to buy more than a box or two if your looking for specific cards.
Lorcana hasn’t even released in Australia yet and it’s December 2023. By the time we do get it, we would be at least two sets, maybe three behind. For us that’s DOA. It also looks pretty simplistic too, so… meh?
I whole-heartedly agree on Legacy of Yu. I loved my first 2-3 playthroughs of the game, but it fell flat for me after that. Once you've figured out how to win, you win, period. Maybe 1-2 losses if you're really out of luck, but you'll win. I probably expected more of it, especially after the huge hype for this game.
Well, my biggest disappointment of 2023 was realizing that we had been fleeced by WYG's Madeira Collector's Edition KS campaign. An established company with established designers. Pictures of completed product components not yet assembled, unboxing video and the whole thing has gone radio silent for months and we discover the company isn't paying the designers either and are being sued. Basically, we were within sight of the finish line, and not one even attempt at offering backers a way to offer an additional funding round to get it done. What did the Chinese manufacturer actually do with all the game material? Throw it all away?
Interesting list. I thought Legacy of Yu was utterly fantastic. The balancing mechanic is brilliant in my opinion. It’s my game of the year. The joy of opinions.
I completely agree about Lorcana. I just wanted to try it, walked into our local store three times, even once during a Lorcana event.. Nope. Not for me then I guess. Big miss for me as well
Everyone's frist play of Barrage sucks. The first time I played it I was like "how is this game in the top 100?" . I had friends that kept me playing, and then you start to see the how the game fits together and the then you start to see the combos and get that satisfaction from playing the game. I am an experienced gamer and play heavy euros, but I was NOT prepared for the mastery needed for this game. It's too bad, as people rarely are going to keep playing a game they have a bad experience with the first time.
I agree with you Alex. Lorcana is a disaster and I was hyped like you but now what a disappointment with the price andavailability. Totally lame and disappointing, now not even a thought to wanna play anymore
Yeah, I completely respect how hard it is to make that landing for them, but while I acknowledge the challenge, it's still resulted in me feeling a little burnt out on it before even playing enough
Lorcana was a hype train everyone was on. The problem with trains is that they have to keep going to new places to keep people interested. Lorcana stopped at the station because they were out of fuel. While they waited to get refueled. The passengers got off, wandered around the station, got bored, and drifted off into the city, looking for new things to explore. Does that mean it was a good game abandoned by the audience, or was it only good as long as everyone else was hyped about it?
That's a fascinating analogy, I think The question is whether they attracted enough passengers to be able to continue to show people why this particular train is still going to good destinations. If they haven't, it will crash and burn... If they have, they might be able to get enough traction to still show us new locations.
We absolutely loved Dorfromantik. We started playing it at a con one day and kept on playing, back to back. It's not for everyone, I grant you that, but it's fantastic. I didn't mind the whole 'you can't lose' thing because for us, not unlocking the things we're targeting that game is losing. As for Barrage, I recognize it's an excellent game but the theming is so dry that I just can't get myself to really enjoy it over my more exciting euros. I completely understand why someone would say it is one of their favorites... I just feel it's too dry for me.
I largely agree about TM: TDG. It's...OK. I culled and I kept it. It's more like a game that was a thrown in stretch goal with a larger game than a game on its own. But I like it better than Ares, which came across to me as not light enough to be the light TM experience it wanted to be. I can enjoy the dice game for what it is whereas when I play Ares I keep wanting it to be lighter or to be the full TM game.
I can see and understand your criticisms of Legacy of Yu, but it is such a perfect brain puzzle for me. I absolutely enjoy it immensely each time I play regardless of the win/lose changes. I’m really looking forward to the two new anthology games they recently announced as they said there’s some feel of Hadrian’s Wall and Legacy of Yu in them respectively.
My Biggest Disappointments of 2023 is "The Lord of the Rings: Adventure to Mount Doom". It looked very good on paper (and in video playthroughs), but when I bought it and started playing it felt flat on its face instantly.
Lorcana was and still is a hit for our family. Maybe compare it to a kickstarter game where you get all excited for a game that launches on kickstarter, then wait 1.5 years for it to arrive at your door and see if the hype and excitement is still there. Lorcana launched in August, hard to get until 3 months later in November. Now we are in December and you can get singles dirt cheap and sealed product below MSRP. I will take 3 months over 18 months anytime, and especially a kickstarter game that may only hit the table once a year where I can play Lorcana multiple times a week with my family. The thing with Lorcana and any TCG is how many sets in is a person willing to go before they get bored with it. If they continue to make sets with new mechanics and new characters, I think majority of people will continue play.
Yup I am with you on Lorcana. Lack of product at launch and post launch really killed my interest and I suspect for many as well. Now granted things are getting better, you can actually buy at MSRP- what a novel concept! But my lord when this game launched and months after you where paying like 30-50$ for ONE, one starter deck. Yeah no thanks I am out. Honestly at this point if I saw like a 16$ starter deck at Target or something I am not even sure I would buy.
Hunters AD is only the second game I've ever bought where I felt like I really should just sell this game. It was my first backed Kickstarter after being introduced to more modern games via Gloomhaven and I just bounced off hard when it finally arrived. I'll give it credit for strong theme but majority of the gameplay aspects had me confused as to who thought this was a good idea.
I will never understand solo games. Tried playing a few games solo and man.. it’s so boring! Board games are social for me. There’s a million other things I would prefer to do by myself: hiking, video games, reading, movies, rappelling, go the gym.. I board game when I’m with friends
I've been where you are, so I understand it. At the same time, it's an interesting conversation that if you're willing to play a video game solo, but not a board game solo, then the argument being made effectively is that video games are better than board games but board games benefit from social interaction. Which personally I don't feel. To me. It's about which board games you're playing solo, I think many do an excellent job and are worth your time.
I think War of the Ring is the most brilliant design of the year. Your points are sort of valid...I'm not totally sure you really have to know the decks perfectly to enjoy it. I think the enjoyment changes as you learn. If you let yourself get frustrated by the surprises, then sure..
The problem with the War of the ring card game is that everyone compares it to the board game. If the Ares board games did not exist this would most likely be hailed as the best PvP LotR game ever.
Same opinion here about Barrage, its a good system, but every game you have to do same thing: build dams and powerhouses and pump water. I like games with few different paths for scoring and victory (like eg Viscounts of WK), but in Barrage its only 1 path of strategy, you have to build the engine to get energy. If you don't you lose.
Wow Lorcana's an interesting one for me what with the lawsuit for potential stealing of IP from lower decks. But I did go out and get the three starter decks and I have played three player and two player and have found the three player experience brilliant and fun and i love the nostalgia.
So torn on The Hunters. Want to pick up a copy but it does look daunting! If this was a disappointment for you, what would you suggest instead? Similar theme and play? Love campaign games with minis on tiles.
Thanks! Actually backed that one, but chose single shipping. It was my first KS and I had no idea what that really meant. Sounds like I should be receiving it sorta soon!
I agree on Lorcana. I was at a store a few weeks ago and asked about what they had available and if it was at MSRP. Nope, still selling at like $60 over for the booster box. No way. Not going to pay over retail for that level of casual TCG. Hopefully they just keep reprinting until demand is met...because I couldn't care less about collectors. That aspect kills any interest in the game to just play and enjoy it. Expeditions is my largest disappointment though. I wanted the game to be so much more than it was. It didn't need to be like Scythe, but it did need to give me a decision space I wanted to keep coming back to. Unfortunately, I felt like it was on thin rails of the few cards put and a turn loop that wasn't often enough giving rewarding choices. Production though was amazing.
Oh, I absolutely LOVE Habitats! Have it in original artwork (which I actually prefer) with all the mini expansions. I love the scoring system and the system of tile placement and conditions fulfillment, which was "invented" by author of this game originally. I have Nova Luna and Sagani as well, but Habitats will always be the preferred one amongst my gaming crew. And I hope Barrage will get better for you with more plays. Fingers crossed.
100% agree on Lorcana my number one as well. Very disappointed with the way the game was released. I expected as much from Disney, but Ravensburger I expected more from. Lack of product distribution and the ploy to pit game stores against big box stores/online sellers was atrocious. The result was astronomical prices, collectors over gamers, and an early pay to win scenario. Really regret my early investment in the game mostly because the gameplay is good but not great.
It has to start off simple, I enjoyed it while agreeing that it's a little simple Right now. The question is will it get more interesting as the y ad sets
I think Barrage is a great game, but it hasn't really connected for me either so I get it. I mean I'll keep it but I only rate it an 8 (4 on the BoardGame Co scale) but I've grown to a point where I can appreciate a thing but still realize its not for me.
@@BoardGameCo I'm raising my ratings one at a time. Right now I have 13 sevens to replace with better games. Then I'll look to replace the 8s with 9, etc.
Biggest disappointment and honestly in my top 5 worst games I’ve ever played was lord of ragnarock. A cluttered mess with some of the worst rules and rule book I have ever seen.
I agree with all of them that I know of. Especially TFM Dice Game felt disappointing to me. And Barrage I never liked, well it was ok but nothing special at all for me. Same with Lorcana, it was fun but then when you get to thinking "Do I really want to dive into another TCG? Also, at the state it is now, it feels like most games of Lorcana are decided after a few turns, there isn't just enough power in the cards to have big comebacks once you get behind... At least that's how it feels with the Starter Decks for me.
I late Pledged for Rome:total war. It was the first time i ever got into crowd funding. Its been a horrible experience. The game continues to get delayed and i asked for a refund.
Another year, another SM game making my top disappointment list. I was so disappointed with Expeditions that I didn't want to try Apiary. I was lucky to get all the Lorcana startter decks and a few boosters at MSRP when it was first released. Still haven't it.
My biggest of 2023 were Lords of Ragnarok and ISS Vanguard. Lords to me was a complete mess with the rule book, to the anticlimactic play sessions. So many better area control games. ISS Vanguard just got too repetitive after 6 play sessions. We had no desire to continue and liked the ship phase the most, which honestly is a very single person experience at times.
I find Lords of Hellas is better than Ragnarok in every conceivable way. Initially when I heard the changes made in Ragnarok I thought they sounded good but in execution I hated Ragnarok.
Mine is Scarlet Keys, the most recent AH LCG campaign. I simply can't believe this bloated overwritten Saturday morning cartoon dreck was designed by the same person who created the masterpiece that was Path to Carcosa.
I don't disagree the War of the Ring the Card Game is disappointing but I think that's because my expectations were so high. It's decent. I think I actually wanted it to be heavier which is just not that space it's in. Not sure I agree about knowledge of the deck being an issue, but that's a matter of taste. The solo mode expansion was a HUGE disappointment. Not a particularly satisfying solo experience.
i bought TM without playing the bigger one and we like it. It’s a nice and easy, quick dice chucker. And i think, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
Couldn't agree anymore on Lorcana. It is absolutely ridiculous and doesn't deserve my time or money. Glad others are enjoying it, but I find CCG's are exhausting. I can barely keep up with Summoner's War and that is pre constructed! 😂
Ohh no you put hunters AD on this list. I backed the new one. And never played it yet. At least it was less then 200. Still pretty expensive with shipping at about 150.
Got the new one too. Although newer Hunter AD 1492 has the similar system, it improved on the gameplay of the older 2114 (as developers claim), so fingers crossed.
I finally got 2114 to the table last summer and I liked it enough to play through the campaign and back 1492. The world is very well done, writing is average, gameplay is also average but gives some pnp rpg feeling which I enjoy for campaigns. But I agree with Alex on the logistics and don't think I would have finished the campaign if I could not have left it setup for a week. Packing up and setting up again would not be fun.
I think they have their audience and they can provide a lot of joy, I think everyone should be wary of TCGs... Avoiding is a different conversation entirely
WOTR > Has many many misunderstood rules! This game is great but I can find an error in each video I watch! And more we see videos more we find the real rules! Incredible! ... But a very great and deep game! The only point is to play it correctly by the rules: And it's not before a certain number of sessions lol!
I am kind of in the same boat with Lorcana. I got a case, All the starter decks, and the gift set at MSRP on launch but couldn't get anything else after that until now. My bigger issue is having people to play with. My game group isn't really into CCGs, LCG's, TCG's etc, but I like them a lot. FYI now, lorcana is available everywhere. Ravensburger fixed the supply issues and in turn, the ridiculous aftermarket prices. You can actually get booster boxes slightly under MSRP now. I was out and about the other day and they had plenty of packs at Meijer, Target and Walmart. There's also another restock coming and the next few days or week so they'll be even more stock out there which should drive the prices down even more. I might pick up Star wars unlimited but I was a playtester and it was bad when I play tested the game So I'm not totally sure if all the issues we had were fixed or what. Plus I have zero faith in FFG to support the game long-term and provide adequate competitive support.
Will just stick to Fallout Shelter, Cthulhu Death May Die, and Zombicide black plague for another year lol (until i get Marvel zombies). I would never back a large game as i have no faith in humanity
Thankfully not one of these turds ended up in my collection. The only buyer's remorse I've had this year was I went overboard a little during MM's black friday sale. Got a bunch of Zombicide stuff that will never get used. It was all 80% off. Got it for RPGing. Actually, I've already used some of it for that. Still, a little spendy. I didnt even back any kickstarters. I don't get why you guys do that when you can just wait, and do a late pledge. Thank you, I guess. Better your money than mine.
Here’s my biggest disappointment of 2023. Tricking myself into thinking I have to pay $200 and up for a board game. I think the days of crowdfunding are over for me and I couldn’t be happier. The value just isn’t there anymore.
100%
I was backing a game or two a month, now its one game every three or four months. I have been finding most games are better(updated) and cheaper at retail. I have never played the expansions for any game I have ever bought, so that part of kick-starters no longer even interests me.
Yeah. I mostly stopped backing last year. Running out of space, and the value just isn't there anymore
I backed the Rome:Total War game and I regret it. Asked for a refund a week ago and haven't received it yet
Well, I still see the value and continue to back 😊 but hey, as there is no ultimate truth both opinions are fine 👌
I will only back something on Kickstarter if it is an expansion for one of my favorite games, or if it could potentially make my top 10 of all time. Western Legends, Dead Reckoning and Foundations of Rome are quite enough for me. Everything else is retail.
I have taught Barrage a bunch of times. It rarely clicks the first time. After a few plays though most people realize the beauty of it. It's a war game dressed up as a worker placement game. Shines best at 4P. Its a true masterpiece in the gaming world.
It also tricks people into thinking it's about production first and foremost, while at least the first half of the game is about building infrastructure in the right places. It's very interactive because of that, but if you just want to produce energy from the start the middle game and end game become pretty boring because you don't have enough buildings out to get income and points.
One important point: Nova Luna was based on Habitats, not the other way around. This is why Uwe credits Corné van Moorsel as co-designer of Nova Luna. So bonus points for being the FIRST one of the four. Of course further refinements are going to have a better chance of bettering the system incrementally.
Dorf Romantic was probably my game of the year. Me and my partner had a fantastic time with it. Admittedly once everything is unlocked there is a drop in engagement as there is no ‘goals’ to aim for, but you can just start again!
Thanks for another great video though. Have a very merry winter holiday!
Habitats is my favorite of the 4. I LOVE it. My interests usually align with you so this surprises me!
I was very much hoping to like it
I’ve still literally never seen Lorcana in the wild! Sold out literally everywhere constantly around me. Probably for the best….
It's easier to find nowadays, but I've been using the lack of availability from before to incentivize me to stay away now
Try Barrage on Bga async, great implementation and no upkeep. Absolutely love Barrage.
I spent $200 on a gym membership. Best decision of my life.
I’m shifting my spending from board games to Lorcana. I have games still not played, and many of them only played 1 or 2 tímes. I waited Lorcana out to where cards are dirt cheap and boosters are at MSRP. There’s good organized play. We will see where I’m at in 1 year.
I'm very interested to see where it goes
I'm pretty happy that this seems to be it for Lorcana on the channel. I was very surprised that you would start playing a TCG in the first place. It felt quite weird when it came out and suddenly many channels that usually don't really cover TCGs were talking about that one extensively.
I think the Lorcana starter decks are pretty good for a "complete" experience. At this point they have 5, and it's fun to just treat those like a LCG and compete using them.
I agree with Lorcana. I was really excited but places near me selling booster packs for $11-$15 is insane and made me only get the starter decks(which i also overpaid for).
You can easily get packs for msrp or less now.
TFM Dice’s cover art has that 90’s Windows screensaver vibes
Lol fair
I LOVE Habitats. I wonder how I would react to the others you mentioned as Habitats is my first of that type. However, I did have to change the Jeep mechanic. Our house rule allows the Jeep to cycle to the other end of the rows and columns when we are on the edge, if that makes sense. Otherwise, there were too few options and in corners, no options for a turn..
Oh wow I was shocked to see Lorcana at #1. It has been one of my best gaming experiences in 2023. The product shortage is terrible, I agree. The game itself is great and the Organized Play is really good. My local league is a fantastic community
As an overall point. Expectations are a huge part of life.
Our group prefers habitats to NL and FW. The Jeep and scoring are more limiting but make the game more interesting.
I think it is interesting that you listed Habitats as your number 2 disappointment. My wife and I are relatively new to the hobby and we love it. Now we will need to check out Framework and Nova Luna to see if they rank high for us too. I appreciate your videos. Thank you.
I've played 3 of the 4 and my opinion is the opposite. Habitats is the clear favorite in my group. They are all pretty similar but the scoring in habitats is more varied and interesting. The theme is nice too. I don't mind playing the other 2 but they never get requested. Habitats does though. I will say we do like the Jeep mechanism. I can see that feeling restrictive coming from the other games.
@@grog3514 My wife and I like Habitats a lot. We also like Nova Luna. I think one thing that might be influencing Alex is that he just now tried Habitats, which came out in 2016, prior to all of the tile puzzle games he listed as comparisons. Maybe he still wouldn't have liked it, but i wonder how this would have played out had he encountered Habitats when it first came out as opposed to the AllPlay reprint. . And while not germane to the topic, we both prefer the art of the original version.
yup! chaos in convention, price gouging, bad taste! Disney is busy cleaning up its TV and movie franchise quality too
Its funny because the local game store by me has tons of packs for Lorcana on the shelves that no one was buying, so the owner was selling them buy 1 get 1 free pack and other such deals. Everyone is still only really playing Magic, Pokemon, and Yu-gi-oh in that store.
Lorcana was definitely a major disappointment. With the prices so high and availability being scarce for so long, I just don't care anymore.
I'm sure they will miss me 😂
Alex I couldn't agree more with Lorcana being a massive disappointment. I spent thousands on boxes in hopes to just get one enchanted. I opened 9 boxes from the 1st chapter and 2 from the 2nd and still haven't pulled an enchanted. Our LGS absolutely robbed us charging $300 a box at one time but averaging around $270 for most boxes I bought from them. I wanted an enchanted so bad I spent $180 on the 2nd chapter gift set when they came out thinking they wouldn't last long. Now there's plenty stock and back down to $60. *sigh*
My friend loves the game but he didn't have to blow the thousands to put the decks together, as we play with mine. He has opened 1 box and of course pulled an enchanted right away, but is an ultra pessimist and cannot not be happy about it because it was Pete, the 2nd cheapest. I've since refused to buy anything from my LGS and don't even want to play leagues there anymore but my friend does, so we still go. I no longer buy packs or boxes. I buy singles from TCGPlayer. I'm so salty about the whole thing I don't even want to play the game anymore. I feel like I've been had and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
That really sucks, I'm sorry about all of that.
I just don't understand this mindset. Why spend thousands on one tcg in HOPES of an enchanted? It's literally just an alt art. Buy a box or two per set to start that sets collection and then just buy the singles you want. It's NEVER worth it to buy more than a box or two if your looking for specific cards.
@@LilPugHugsAlso, don't support scalpers! Never pay more than MSRP.
That's awful. Sounds like you gambled and lost big and someone else hit a jackpot but never satisfied.
Lorcana hasn’t even released in Australia yet and it’s December 2023. By the time we do get it, we would be at least two sets, maybe three behind. For us that’s DOA. It also looks pretty simplistic too, so… meh?
What the hell is wrong with you? Barrage is a freaking masterpiece. Today you hurt me
I'll be playing it again :)
I accept responsibility for Alex’s poor first experience of Barrage.
@@intrepidfool Lol, hardly your fault :)
I whole-heartedly agree on Legacy of Yu. I loved my first 2-3 playthroughs of the game, but it fell flat for me after that. Once you've figured out how to win, you win, period. Maybe 1-2 losses if you're really out of luck, but you'll win. I probably expected more of it, especially after the huge hype for this game.
Yeah, it started off so high for me, I think there's a lot of clever things happening, but too many plays had me backing off
Well, my biggest disappointment of 2023 was realizing that we had been fleeced by WYG's Madeira Collector's Edition KS campaign. An established company with established designers. Pictures of completed product components not yet assembled, unboxing video and the whole thing has gone radio silent for months and we discover the company isn't paying the designers either and are being sued. Basically, we were within sight of the finish line, and not one even attempt at offering backers a way to offer an additional funding round to get it done. What did the Chinese manufacturer actually do with all the game material? Throw it all away?
Interesting list. I thought Legacy of Yu was utterly fantastic. The balancing mechanic is brilliant in my opinion. It’s my game of the year. The joy of opinions.
I completely agree about Lorcana. I just wanted to try it, walked into our local store three times, even once during a Lorcana event.. Nope. Not for me then I guess. Big miss for me as well
Everyone's frist play of Barrage sucks. The first time I played it I was like "how is this game in the top 100?" . I had friends that kept me playing, and then you start to see the how the game fits together and the then you start to see the combos and get that satisfaction from playing the game. I am an experienced gamer and play heavy euros, but I was NOT prepared for the mastery needed for this game. It's too bad, as people rarely are going to keep playing a game they have a bad experience with the first time.
In this case I will be continuing to play it, but 100%, most of the time. If a game isn't good on the first play, I'm not giving it a second play
@@BoardGameCo Fair
I agree with you Alex. Lorcana is a disaster and I was hyped like you but now what a disappointment with the price andavailability. Totally lame and disappointing, now not even a thought to wanna play anymore
Yeah, I completely respect how hard it is to make that landing for them, but while I acknowledge the challenge, it's still resulted in me feeling a little burnt out on it before even playing enough
Lorcana was a hype train everyone was on. The problem with trains is that they have to keep going to new places to keep people interested. Lorcana stopped at the station because they were out of fuel. While they waited to get refueled. The passengers got off, wandered around the station, got bored, and drifted off into the city, looking for new things to explore. Does that mean it was a good game abandoned by the audience, or was it only good as long as everyone else was hyped about it?
That's a fascinating analogy, I think The question is whether they attracted enough passengers to be able to continue to show people why this particular train is still going to good destinations. If they haven't, it will crash and burn... If they have, they might be able to get enough traction to still show us new locations.
We absolutely loved Dorfromantik. We started playing it at a con one day and kept on playing, back to back. It's not for everyone, I grant you that, but it's fantastic. I didn't mind the whole 'you can't lose' thing because for us, not unlocking the things we're targeting that game is losing. As for Barrage, I recognize it's an excellent game but the theming is so dry that I just can't get myself to really enjoy it over my more exciting euros. I completely understand why someone would say it is one of their favorites... I just feel it's too dry for me.
I largely agree about TM: TDG. It's...OK. I culled and I kept it. It's more like a game that was a thrown in stretch goal with a larger game than a game on its own. But I like it better than Ares, which came across to me as not light enough to be the light TM experience it wanted to be. I can enjoy the dice game for what it is whereas when I play Ares I keep wanting it to be lighter or to be the full TM game.
I can see and understand your criticisms of Legacy of Yu, but it is such a perfect brain puzzle for me. I absolutely enjoy it immensely each time I play regardless of the win/lose changes.
I’m really looking forward to the two new anthology games they recently announced as they said there’s some feel of Hadrian’s Wall and Legacy of Yu in them respectively.
Can't you just house rule that catch up mechanism out?
I'll need to find some reviews, sounded interesting
My Biggest Disappointments of 2023 is "The Lord of the Rings: Adventure to Mount Doom". It looked very good on paper (and in video playthroughs), but when I bought it and started playing it felt flat on its face instantly.
Lorcana was and still is a hit for our family. Maybe compare it to a kickstarter game where you get all excited for a game that launches on kickstarter, then wait 1.5 years for it to arrive at your door and see if the hype and excitement is still there. Lorcana launched in August, hard to get until 3 months later in November. Now we are in December and you can get singles dirt cheap and sealed product below MSRP. I will take 3 months over 18 months anytime, and especially a kickstarter game that may only hit the table once a year where I can play Lorcana multiple times a week with my family.
The thing with Lorcana and any TCG is how many sets in is a person willing to go before they get bored with it. If they continue to make sets with new mechanics and new characters, I think majority of people will continue play.
Yup I am with you on Lorcana. Lack of product at launch and post launch really killed my interest and I suspect for many as well. Now granted things are getting better, you can actually buy at MSRP- what a novel concept! But my lord when this game launched and months after you where paying like 30-50$ for ONE, one starter deck. Yeah no thanks I am out. Honestly at this point if I saw like a 16$ starter deck at Target or something I am not even sure I would buy.
Very helpful video, thanks!
Happy Holidays ☃
Hunters AD is only the second game I've ever bought where I felt like I really should just sell this game. It was my first backed Kickstarter after being introduced to more modern games via Gloomhaven and I just bounced off hard when it finally arrived. I'll give it credit for strong theme but majority of the gameplay aspects had me confused as to who thought this was a good idea.
I will never understand solo games. Tried playing a few games solo and man.. it’s so boring! Board games are social for me. There’s a million other things I would prefer to do by myself: hiking, video games, reading, movies, rappelling, go the gym.. I board game when I’m with friends
I've been where you are, so I understand it. At the same time, it's an interesting conversation that if you're willing to play a video game solo, but not a board game solo, then the argument being made effectively is that video games are better than board games but board games benefit from social interaction. Which personally I don't feel. To me. It's about which board games you're playing solo, I think many do an excellent job and are worth your time.
I think War of the Ring is the most brilliant design of the year. Your points are sort of valid...I'm not totally sure you really have to know the decks perfectly to enjoy it. I think the enjoyment changes as you learn. If you let yourself get frustrated by the surprises, then sure..
I agree, really solid and unique card game. I’m super impressed what they were able to do with it mechanically
You're not missing much with lorcana, it's really simple and pretty boring imo.
The problem with the War of the ring card game is that everyone compares it to the board game. If the Ares board games did not exist this would most likely be hailed as the best PvP LotR game ever.
Same opinion here about Barrage, its a good system, but every game you have to do same thing: build dams and powerhouses and pump water. I like games with few different paths for scoring and victory (like eg Viscounts of WK), but in Barrage its only 1 path of strategy, you have to build the engine to get energy. If you don't you lose.
I think the main question for me comes down to how it iterates in multiple plays
Wow Lorcana's an interesting one for me what with the lawsuit for potential stealing of IP from lower decks. But I did go out and get the three starter decks and I have played three player and two player and have found the three player experience brilliant and fun and i love the nostalgia.
So torn on The Hunters. Want to pick up a copy but it does look daunting! If this was a disappointment for you, what would you suggest instead? Similar theme and play? Love campaign games with minis on tiles.
Iss vanguard I think
Thanks! Actually backed that one, but chose single shipping. It was my first KS and I had no idea what that really meant. Sounds like I should be receiving it sorta soon!
War of the ring is awesome; War of the ring card game on the other hand, I totally agree with you, its also in my biggest disappointments this year.
Ya, Ive seen very mixed opinions on it
I agree on Lorcana. I was at a store a few weeks ago and asked about what they had available and if it was at MSRP. Nope, still selling at like $60 over for the booster box. No way. Not going to pay over retail for that level of casual TCG. Hopefully they just keep reprinting until demand is met...because I couldn't care less about collectors. That aspect kills any interest in the game to just play and enjoy it.
Expeditions is my largest disappointment though. I wanted the game to be so much more than it was. It didn't need to be like Scythe, but it did need to give me a decision space I wanted to keep coming back to. Unfortunately, I felt like it was on thin rails of the few cards put and a turn loop that wasn't often enough giving rewarding choices. Production though was amazing.
Barrage is a masterpiece.
Oh, I absolutely LOVE Habitats! Have it in original artwork (which I actually prefer) with all the mini expansions. I love the scoring system and the system of tile placement and conditions fulfillment, which was "invented" by author of this game originally. I have Nova Luna and Sagani as well, but Habitats will always be the preferred one amongst my gaming crew.
And I hope Barrage will get better for you with more plays. Fingers crossed.
I do think it will but we'll have to see
I agree about Yu. Fortunately, I don’t play campaign mode.
100% agree on Lorcana my number one as well. Very disappointed with the way the game was released. I expected as much from Disney, but Ravensburger I expected more from. Lack of product distribution and the ploy to pit game stores against big box stores/online sellers was atrocious. The result was astronomical prices, collectors over gamers, and an early pay to win scenario. Really regret my early investment in the game mostly because the gameplay is good but not great.
I understand a lot of choices.
But Barrage? How is this possible? You must have played something wrong. 😂
Lol or maybe it just didn't wow me the first play.
@BoardGameCo that was Marco Polo to me. Which is a great game. I realized that in play 2. That's where the play a game at least twice rule was born.
I'm right there with you on Epic 7 Arise. I loved the art style and the minis looked great, but the game is a hot mess and it was clearly rushed.
You're not missing much with lorcana, it's really simple and pretty boring imo.
Artificial scarcity helps sell it though.
It has to start off simple, I enjoyed it while agreeing that it's a little simple Right now. The question is will it get more interesting as the y ad sets
I think Barrage is a great game, but it hasn't really connected for me either so I get it. I mean I'll keep it but I only rate it an 8 (4 on the BoardGame Co scale) but I've grown to a point where I can appreciate a thing but still realize its not for me.
Interesting to know, and ya, in the heavy euro genre, a 4 is great...but you have to be a 4.5 for me to keep you.
@@BoardGameCo I'm raising my ratings one at a time. Right now I have 13 sevens to replace with better games. Then I'll look to replace the 8s with 9, etc.
Biggest disappointment and honestly in my top 5 worst games I’ve ever played was lord of ragnarock. A cluttered mess with some of the worst rules and rule book I have ever seen.
I agree with all of them that I know of. Especially TFM Dice Game felt disappointing to me. And Barrage I never liked, well it was ok but nothing special at all for me. Same with Lorcana, it was fun but then when you get to thinking "Do I really want to dive into another TCG? Also, at the state it is now, it feels like most games of Lorcana are decided after a few turns, there isn't just enough power in the cards to have big comebacks once you get behind... At least that's how it feels with the Starter Decks for me.
Sold TM: Dice game. Just wasn't as compelling as it could have been.
I late Pledged for Rome:total war. It was the first time i ever got into crowd funding. Its been a horrible experience. The game continues to get delayed and i asked for a refund.
I may late pledge that before it ends. Looks like it’s all squared away now. But, I get it. Almost two years and still no game.
My biggest disappointment was probably 3 Ring Circus. It had huge hype at gencon but was just average.
Barrage was a nightmare to play. So boring
Lol, I think you're the only person in the comments so far who agrees with me on this one
I was also super disappointed in tiger and dragon, but thank you for sharing this list
Sorry to hear you can’t get your hands on Lorcana. Now you can get it pretty easily, even in the secondary market (tcg player).
100%, but now I'm using the disappointment to fuel not getting into it.
Understandable - you are into a lot!
Another year, another SM game making my top disappointment list. I was so disappointed with Expeditions that I didn't want to try Apiary.
I was lucky to get all the Lorcana startter decks and a few boosters at MSRP when it was first released. Still haven't it.
My biggest of 2023 were Lords of Ragnarok and ISS Vanguard. Lords to me was a complete mess with the rule book, to the anticlimactic play sessions. So many better area control games. ISS Vanguard just got too repetitive after 6 play sessions. We had no desire to continue and liked the ship phase the most, which honestly is a very single person experience at times.
I find Lords of Hellas is better than Ragnarok in every conceivable way. Initially when I heard the changes made in Ragnarok I thought they sounded good but in execution I hated Ragnarok.
Mine is Scarlet Keys, the most recent AH LCG campaign. I simply can't believe this bloated overwritten Saturday morning cartoon dreck was designed by the same person who created the masterpiece that was Path to Carcosa.
Ouch, that hurts to even read
BARRAGE is a masterpiece. However, it’s a brain burnner, medium to heavy weight, not for everyone
Played barrage twice i have fully backed it. But while its ok its certainly not amazing. To be honest I think its barely fine.
I don't disagree the War of the Ring the Card Game is disappointing but I think that's because my expectations were so high. It's decent. I think I actually wanted it to be heavier which is just not that space it's in. Not sure I agree about knowledge of the deck being an issue, but that's a matter of taste. The solo mode expansion was a HUGE disappointment. Not a particularly satisfying solo experience.
i bought TM without playing the bigger one and we like it. It’s a nice and easy, quick dice chucker. And i think, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
When your 2013 best games???? Can't wait
2023? Soon
@@BoardGameCo yes 2023 eheheh
Legacy of Yu is a great game. Once you learn to play it’s challenging. Once you are able to play it with only one loss it is truly rewarding.
Sorry Alex i didnt get any of these my buying skills are too good. Nice to see epic 7 though, haHA take that anime.
lol yes
Couldn't agree anymore on Lorcana. It is absolutely ridiculous and doesn't deserve my time or money. Glad others are enjoying it, but I find CCG's are exhausting. I can barely keep up with Summoner's War and that is pre constructed! 😂
Ohh no you put hunters AD on this list.
I backed the new one. And never played it yet.
At least it was less then 200. Still pretty expensive with shipping at about 150.
Got the new one too. Although newer Hunter AD 1492 has the similar system, it improved on the gameplay of the older 2114 (as developers claim), so fingers crossed.
I finally got 2114 to the table last summer and I liked it enough to play through the campaign and back 1492. The world is very well done, writing is average, gameplay is also average but gives some pnp rpg feeling which I enjoy for campaigns.
But I agree with Alex on the logistics and don't think I would have finished the campaign if I could not have left it setup for a week. Packing up and setting up again would not be fun.
Agreed on war of the ring
Yeah, I had high hopes for that one, and I still think it's a good game, just not a game for me.
My biggest disappointment: Quackalope
Quackalope is great 🤷🏼♂️
Everybody should be avoiding TCGs.
I think they have their audience and they can provide a lot of joy, I think everyone should be wary of TCGs... Avoiding is a different conversation entirely
WOTR > Has many many misunderstood rules! This game is great but I can find an error in each video I watch! And more we see videos more we find the real rules! Incredible! ... But a very great and deep game! The only point is to play it correctly by the rules: And it's not before a certain number of sessions lol!
It's an interesting but separate conversation entirely, but in my opinion, if a game is being played wrong by everyone, that's a flaw in the game.
I am kind of in the same boat with Lorcana. I got a case, All the starter decks, and the gift set at MSRP on launch but couldn't get anything else after that until now. My bigger issue is having people to play with. My game group isn't really into CCGs, LCG's, TCG's etc, but I like them a lot.
FYI now, lorcana is available everywhere. Ravensburger fixed the supply issues and in turn, the ridiculous aftermarket prices. You can actually get booster boxes slightly under MSRP now. I was out and about the other day and they had plenty of packs at Meijer, Target and Walmart. There's also another restock coming and the next few days or week so they'll be even more stock out there which should drive the prices down even more.
I might pick up Star wars unlimited but I was a playtester and it was bad when I play tested the game So I'm not totally sure if all the issues we had were fixed or what. Plus I have zero faith in FFG to support the game long-term and provide adequate competitive support.
Legacy of Yu?? Blasphemy! Signed - a proud member of the Garphil police.
I respect that viewpoint 🙂
Wow. 10k views.
Sadly people do jump towards negativity over positivity
Will just stick to Fallout Shelter, Cthulhu Death May Die, and Zombicide black plague for another year lol (until i get Marvel zombies). I would never back a large game as i have no faith in humanity
Thankfully not one of these turds ended up in my collection. The only buyer's remorse I've had this year was I went overboard a little during MM's black friday sale. Got a bunch of Zombicide stuff that will never get used. It was all 80% off. Got it for RPGing. Actually, I've already used some of it for that. Still, a little spendy. I didnt even back any kickstarters. I don't get why you guys do that when you can just wait, and do a late pledge. Thank you, I guess. Better your money than mine.