1. Tikal: The auction is a variant, which I prefer. I played a game without the variant once and found I got bad tiles more than another player and now insist on the auction variant unless teaching a new player. This also happens to be my #1 favorite game of all time. 2. Power Grid the card game is my 13th favorite game, and keep saying this game needs more love. As its so similar to regular Power Grid but only takes 1 hour. 3. Modern Art is my 16th favorite game as I enjoy the bidding which nearly encompasses the whole game! 4. Ra is my 21st favorite game and recently was able to buy a copy! 5. Isle of Skye is my 22nd favorite game and have it "tentatively" ordered. Hope to get it soon. 6. Power Grid is my 46th favorite game, and recently got this game on sale! 7. Boomtown is my 51st favorite game, one which doesn't get much attention but is a fun card game. 8. Dread Curse is my 72nd favorite game, and consider it a "light" version of Libertalia. I enjoy playing this with my non-gaming family. 9. Evo is my 94th favorite game. Not a great game, but a somewhat fun game to play and enjoy the bidding in this game. 10. No Thanks! is not on my top 100 but is a filler game that gets plenty of play, because I play this with my board game meetup and non-gaming family. It is a short fun filler. Other games of note: For Sale: another fun filler game I use with my family. This is a top 10 for my wife in her all time favorite games. Colosseum is my 26th favorite game, but I have only played once and really want to play it again, and it may rise further. Otherwise it would officially be in my top 10 bidding games. Exodus: Proxima Centauri is my 40th favorite game and have only played twice. Its been quite awhile and needs more plays, but I think the bidding is for player order. Not much really, I think, thus is left off the top 10.
My favourite auction implementation would be from "The Great Zimbabwe". It is bidding for turn order, but in a very unique way, because the winner of the auction often pays (cattle) to the player, who will go last, while the players in between often break even. It is a "distribution of wealth", in which the bid is shared by everybody and goes back to the players. Variable player powers might alter this though, as one player might get 3 cattles for free to spend for the auction, another an extra share from the auction. Sounds mindbogglingly confusing at first, but is easy to grasp and a very clean concept. Also nothing of the auction goes back to the bank, you would probably like that. I think, you would enjoy the game as a whole, in particular, because you like the spatial aspect of Power Grid. Have you tried out this one, Sam?
No offence, but I find this a little odd, as it is clearly not a game, which would like to "convert" somebody. I sure, Sam would agree, as he likes games like Blood Rage.
My favorite auction game is an obscure Phalanx title from 2006 called Emira, which is a hard core economic game in which players try to be the first to amass a harem of a certain size. The auction determines in which order players purchase benefits to make themselves more appealing to attract certain types of princesses to join their harem. It has one of the most unusual themes in all board games, but it also has the distinction of being designed by a female designer and really is a great game. It's creative, unique, and plays out unlike any other game I've ever played. It's one of the prized oddities of my collection!
Here's my top 10: 1. Power Grid 2. Power Grid: Japan 3. Power Grid: Baden-Württemberg 4. Power Grid: The Stock Companies 5. Power Grid: The Stock Companies on the Japan map 6. Power Grid: Russia 7. Power Grid: The Stock Companies on the Russia map 8. Power Grid: France 9. Power Grid: Italy 10. 1889 ;-) As a semi-serious by-the-way, many games such as Puerto Rico, Terra Mystica and I think Smallworld has a mechanic where every unpicked thing (role, bonus tile, new faction) gets a coin added to it. It's reasonable to think of this as a Dutch auction with a starting price of 0 and going negative, interleaved with the actual turns of the game. Also in some games you auction off who will play which side/faction; example titles are Twilight Struggle and Terra Mystica (I think with rules from the Fire and Ice expansion, don't recall). They seem like they shouldn't qualify either. Very similarly, in some games there's an initial auction for player-specific powers. This occurs in all the 18xx games I've played, of which 1889 is an example. Note that the sale of the last private in 1846 is a Dutch auction; most other 18xx titles have vaguely English-like auctions, except the pulling of the plug is a novelty. But uh... yeah, I like Power Grid :)
At the moment Farlight is probably my favorite game with a core auction/bidding mechanic. Easy to teach, plays in a reasonable timeframe, and lots of important decisions to make.
I love No Thanks! but I never thought of it as a 'reverse auction', that's great. By the way, you can play it with more than 7 players, just give fewer tokens to each player. I tried it with 18 players once and it worked beautifully!
Just purchased Isle of Skye, looking forward to playing it soon and Colosseum is the next game on my list to get :) I always enjoy your work Sam keep up the great work !!!
What does Sam mean when he says "get rid of your bid"? Is he saying that you bid something, you lose, then the amount of items you bid you still throw away?
sayinpower3 you lose what you bid. even if you dont win. X bids 2, Y bids 1, X wins pays bank and collects the item/position. Y loses and pays bank 1 as well. Bank gets 3.
sayinpower3 in revolution they theme it as a bribe... so as in real life even if you bribe an official if someone pays a higher amount you dont get a refund due to the illicit nature of the transaction.
Having to lose what you bid if you don't win seems like the dumbest mechanic ever, both mechanically and thematically. Imagine an auction in real life that worked like that, no-one would go to it. I agree Sam.
Right with you regarding Colosseum art Sam. Backed the TMG version on Kickstarter but shelled out for a Days of Wonder version after seeing the art direction. It's a shame when a game ends up looking like something from the 60's.
My list would likely have Felix: The Cat in the Sack on it... possibly tied with For Sale. :-) Both are light, fun, bidding games that you can teach quickly.
Phoenecia is a great Lehman title but it's sadly remembered mostly by its bad components and rule-book. Super fun auction/engine building game that I recommend trying if you get the chance.
Got to play Colosseum for the first time a few weeks ago. Absolutely loved it. A great choice for 1st place Sam. No room for Castles of Mad King Ludwig? I know Tom is a big fan. What are your thoughts on it?
First though was Revolution! is going to be on this list", then no lost bid - second thought oh then it won't be. Then however their is an exception - third thought so it will be on the list). To play with out losing your bid sounds themeless to me. In the real world people sometimes try to bribe people and people will accept the money but will not help you (this can/will of cause have consequences in reallife). I'm quite surprise you go for the more themeless version when you are so keen on theme.
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1. Tikal: The auction is a variant, which I prefer. I played a game without the variant once and found I got bad tiles more than another player and now insist on the auction variant unless teaching a new player. This also happens to be my #1 favorite game of all time.
2. Power Grid the card game is my 13th favorite game, and keep saying this game needs more love. As its so similar to regular Power Grid but only takes 1 hour.
3. Modern Art is my 16th favorite game as I enjoy the bidding which nearly encompasses the whole game!
4. Ra is my 21st favorite game and recently was able to buy a copy!
5. Isle of Skye is my 22nd favorite game and have it "tentatively" ordered. Hope to get it soon.
6. Power Grid is my 46th favorite game, and recently got this game on sale!
7. Boomtown is my 51st favorite game, one which doesn't get much attention but is a fun card game.
8. Dread Curse is my 72nd favorite game, and consider it a "light" version of Libertalia. I enjoy playing this with my non-gaming family.
9. Evo is my 94th favorite game. Not a great game, but a somewhat fun game to play and enjoy the bidding in this game.
10. No Thanks! is not on my top 100 but is a filler game that gets plenty of play, because I play this with my board game meetup and non-gaming family. It is a short fun filler.
Other games of note:
For Sale: another fun filler game I use with my family. This is a top 10 for my wife in her all time favorite games.
Colosseum is my 26th favorite game, but I have only played once and really want to play it again, and it may rise further. Otherwise it would officially be in my top 10 bidding games.
Exodus: Proxima Centauri is my 40th favorite game and have only played twice. Its been quite awhile and needs more plays, but I think the bidding is for player order. Not much really, I think, thus is left off the top 10.
"There can be only one, RA."- StarGate.
My favourite auction implementation would be from "The Great Zimbabwe". It is bidding for turn order, but in a very unique way, because the winner of the auction often pays (cattle) to the player, who will go last, while the players in between often break even. It is a "distribution of wealth", in which the bid is shared by everybody and goes back to the players. Variable player powers might alter this though, as one player might get 3 cattles for free to spend for the auction, another an extra share from the auction. Sounds mindbogglingly confusing at first, but is easy to grasp and a very clean concept. Also nothing of the auction goes back to the bank, you would probably like that.
I think, you would enjoy the game as a whole, in particular, because you like the spatial aspect of Power Grid. Have you tried out this one, Sam?
I have avoided this game due to its religious nature.
No offence, but I find this a little odd, as it is clearly not a game, which would like to "convert" somebody. I sure, Sam would agree, as he likes games like Blood Rage.
Game is also not much different to Ra in it's theme, by the way.
Great video, clear, concise and informative. The subtitles/captions are extremely helpful.
I am surprised that Cyclades is not on your list. My favorites would be:
1. Five Tribes
2. Stockpile
3. Archipelago
4. Cyclades
5. Biblios
My favorite auction game is an obscure Phalanx title from 2006 called Emira, which is a hard core economic game in which players try to be the first to amass a harem of a certain size. The auction determines in which order players purchase benefits to make themselves more appealing to attract certain types of princesses to join their harem. It has one of the most unusual themes in all board games, but it also has the distinction of being designed by a female designer and really is a great game. It's creative, unique, and plays out unlike any other game I've ever played. It's one of the prized oddities of my collection!
Here's my top 10:
1. Power Grid
2. Power Grid: Japan
3. Power Grid: Baden-Württemberg
4. Power Grid: The Stock Companies
5. Power Grid: The Stock Companies on the Japan map
6. Power Grid: Russia
7. Power Grid: The Stock Companies on the Russia map
8. Power Grid: France
9. Power Grid: Italy
10. 1889
;-)
As a semi-serious by-the-way, many games such as Puerto Rico, Terra Mystica and I think Smallworld has a mechanic where every unpicked thing (role, bonus tile, new faction) gets a coin added to it. It's reasonable to think of this as a Dutch auction with a starting price of 0 and going negative, interleaved with the actual turns of the game.
Also in some games you auction off who will play which side/faction; example titles are Twilight Struggle and Terra Mystica (I think with rules from the Fire and Ice expansion, don't recall). They seem like they shouldn't qualify either.
Very similarly, in some games there's an initial auction for player-specific powers. This occurs in all the 18xx games I've played, of which 1889 is an example. Note that the sale of the last private in 1846 is a Dutch auction; most other 18xx titles have vaguely English-like auctions, except the pulling of the plug is a novelty.
But uh... yeah, I like Power Grid :)
At the moment Farlight is probably my favorite game with a core auction/bidding mechanic. Easy to teach, plays in a reasonable timeframe, and lots of important decisions to make.
Viticulture is a favorite of mine. Auctioning only for turn order and some extras, so not absolutely central, but still a fun part of the game.
Chicago Express/Wabash Cannonball and Keyflower are my two favorites.
Surprised Keyflower didn't make the list!
Still my favorite is Lascaux from Mayfair. Simple and elegant, but I can't seem to win. Love it!
Really enjoying this series, this and Favorite Game Friday. Great Stuff
I love No Thanks! but I never thought of it as a 'reverse auction', that's great. By the way, you can play it with more than 7 players, just give fewer tokens to each player. I tried it with 18 players once and it worked beautifully!
Just purchased Isle of Skye, looking forward to playing it soon and Colosseum is the next game on my list to get :) I always enjoy your work Sam keep up the great work !!!
What does Sam mean when he says "get rid of your bid"? Is he saying that you bid something, you lose, then the amount of items you bid you still throw away?
sayinpower3 you lose what you bid. even if you dont win. X bids 2, Y bids 1, X wins pays bank and collects the item/position. Y loses and pays bank 1 as well. Bank gets 3.
sayinpower3 in revolution they theme it as a bribe... so as in real life even if you bribe an official if someone pays a higher amount you dont get a refund due to the illicit nature of the transaction.
Ahh, I see. Thank you for the clarification. I don't like that mechanic either.
For me:
1 - Cyclades
2 - For Sale
3 - Keyflower
Having to lose what you bid if you don't win seems like the dumbest mechanic ever, both mechanically and thematically. Imagine an auction in real life that worked like that, no-one would go to it. I agree Sam.
Right with you regarding Colosseum art Sam. Backed the TMG version on Kickstarter but shelled out for a Days of Wonder version after seeing the art direction. It's a shame when a game ends up looking like something from the 60's.
Not played a lot of these but I would pick
1. Power Grid
2. Spartacus
3. For Sale
how about Power Grid the card game?
My list would likely have Felix: The Cat in the Sack on it... possibly tied with For Sale. :-) Both are light, fun, bidding games that you can teach quickly.
LOVE No Thanks AND For Sale! Fantastic fillers and gateway games!
You missed just published "Assassin´s club". There is an auction/bidding sequence to get priority to choose missions.
Love Colosseum. No Ra or Medici though? My 3 favorites.
Phoenecia is a great Lehman title but it's sadly remembered mostly by its bad components and rule-book. Super fun auction/engine building game that I recommend trying if you get the chance.
Got to play Colosseum for the first time a few weeks ago. Absolutely loved it. A great choice for 1st place Sam. No room for Castles of Mad King Ludwig? I know Tom is a big fan. What are your thoughts on it?
Sam, I am surprised you didn't pick Rook. :)
I agree with most, but I think I would add Biblos and Stockpile.
'Welcome to the Dungeon' is technically a bidding game. .
Revolution! is a great game. I recommend playing the normal way.
Name of the song at the start?
Colosseum ... best game ever! So proud of my DoW Version I finally purchased second handly.
RA!
my #4
I never considered No Thanks as a bidding game, but it is actually. Top filler game!
no Keyflower?
First though was Revolution! is going to be on this list", then no lost bid - second thought oh then it won't be. Then however their is an exception - third thought so it will be on the list). To play with out losing your bid sounds themeless to me. In the real world people sometimes try to bribe people and people will accept the money but will not help you (this can/will of cause have consequences in reallife). I'm quite surprise you go for the more themeless version when you are so keen on theme.
Felix, Fiji, Kuhhandel, Santiago
Cyclades FTW
1. Power Grid
2. Stockpile
3. Shakespeare
4. Virulence
5. Colosseum
6. Biblios
7. Tiny Epic Kingdoms
8. Heir to the Pharaoh
How about Power Grid the card game?
I've not played it.
I've played Power Grid a lot (and own it) and it's meh. Definitely would be on my list of overrated games.
no, Going Going Gone ?
my #1 is boomtown
it's my #7 and think it needs more attention!
Come on, now. Where's Ra?
No poker?)
Vault wars
Ra!
my #4!
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