+Ian Brooks Thanks Ian! If you liked the format, check out my Top 10 Games to play at Christmas video, and other list videos: th-cam.com/video/J4mAPX-43UA/w-d-xo.html
You're still the best board game reviewer on youtube. Your Christmas video is my all time favorite and this is very close to it. I mean you take a genre, talk about your experience, review all the games, add humor and even create a whole heart warming story with character development and all. How awesome is that? :) About dexterity games in general - I was avoiding those so far for reasons you mention in your video but after watching this I'll reconsider my view. Some of them do look really fun. Edit: forgot the hashtag #coconuts
The best dexterity game I ever tried is Palazzo Pazzo. You have wooden brick, you roll a dice to determine the orientation of the brick and then place it anywhere on the stack then move you meeple on your brick (if you want). The goal is to be the highest player when the tower collaspe or when you run out of blocks. It is very simple and you can play with a jenga copy and meeple and die from any boardgame.
Great video. Loved the story and the reviews. Could we get a 2020 version, with your updated thoughts and any new dexterity games you've played? And if not, I'd love to just hear a list of any new ones you like.
If you haven't tried it, I *highly* recommend Tumblin' Dice. It's our go-to dexterity game. Also, Crokinole is as good as it gets in this genre (though boards are expensive and sometimes dogs eat your discs). Thanks for the contest. #coconuts
Thank you for the great round-up! I hope you choose to do more grouped review like this. I'm not convinced the drunk 'humor' added much to the video, but Timmy is brilliant, and I loved hearing you compare and contrast these games. Please keep at it.
+David Studley Thanks David. When you say "drunk humour", do you mean the bits of innuendo in the Bandu section? My intention isn't for them to be jokes as such, but just displays of his annoying character. Certainly to laugh at him, not with him. Sorry if that didn't come across.
+Actualol Thank you for the reply. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I wasn't referring to a particular joke, more the persona, in general. It's just not my particular taste in humor. But, it doesn't need to be, does it? I probably shouldn't even have mentioned it. I'll be eagerly awaiting your next video.
+Adam Miller It's not quite as wide ranging, but if you like the format you may want to check out my Zombie Board Game Mega Review, if you haven't seen it: th-cam.com/video/L34bVnPDAEM/w-d-xo.html
Hi and thanks for asking. I tried lots of games from the charity shops, goldenballs the board game was surprisingly popular with students . Apples to apples works really well, cards against humanity was useful. I really liked the review you did of timeline and will probably buy it next. This weekend I gave them a case to study from Sherlock Holmes consulting detective and next week we have to try and solve it, I hope it goes well. Another one that looks like it would work well is story cubes. I think you need a game that is short, easy to explain and set up and small enough to carry around some class of cooperative filler game with not too many fiddly bits to set up. Keep up the good work all the best, Noel.
I really appreciated what you had to say about Rampage aka Terror in Meeple City. I have tried introducing it to my play group, but we found ourselves constantly referring to the manual to understand what cards do or what our monsters special power was or in what position we needed to be in to eat meeples. It really sucked the fun out of the game. I have thought about trying to come up with a simplified version in order to make the game more laid back.
+Zach Files The board and pieces are so perfect, it does feel frustrating not to get a better game from it. I hope you succeed in reinventing a simpler version!
Great Review video. Not too long and helpful comparisons. I haven't really played many Dex games other than Drinking Jenga, where you write dares or numbers of drinks you have to take before you place the piece you pulled. That was lots of fun in college, but now that I've grown up and am more likely to play with friends with children this video was very helpful.
Subscribed! Go go contest! On topic though, we've found that Animal Upon Animal works a bit better if you limit the crocodile die result (placing at the front or back) to only allowing 1 animal at the front or back end. Once both are placed, treat the crocodile as if you've rolled a 1. It widens the base giving some opportunity, but not too wide that the game is no longer fun.
Like how you incorporated the "Keepers" segment at the end of the video. It's been some time since the first "Keeper" and "Leaving My Collection" video (which were both very well done). Have been purging my collection as of late, and realized that there are currently no dexterity game. Time to add one to it! #coconuts Great job with the videos! Keep them coming! Glad to see Timmy again!
+Gregory Jones Yeah, it's been far too long since one of those VLOGs. I've actually got a whole bunch filmed, just haven't had a chance to edit them. There's been a lot of games coming and going, so plenty to talk about.
+Actualol Glad to hear! Always look forward to your videos. Have you considered doing a list of Solitaire games video? Don't get enough time to play with my friends, so have some big box games that have solo variants (Eldritch Horror, Elder Sign, Five Tribes, Castle Panic), and have a few shorter Solitaire games (Onirim, Hostage Negotiator). Am always on the look for other options and would be great to see your characters in Solo situations.
+Gregory Jones I'm afraid to say that I'm not much of a solo gamer, so I'm sorry it's not likely I will make a video on that :( I do enjoy playing Onirim two player, though!
Brilliantly done! I have enjoyed watching everyone of your reviews and base a lot of my purchases on them! Looking forward to picking up a couple of your recommended six. I own Catacombs and would have loved to have heard your review of it.. ?.? Also Dungeon Fighter... Great job with all of your various role characters... Fantastic and very entertaining work. Much appreciated!
+Mark Thompson-Wood Thanks Mark! Catacombs and Dungeon Fighter are two that I haven't played yet and judging by the mentions, I wish I had! Maybe one day I can revisit the topic and give them the coverage they deserve.
We painted nerdy characters on our jenga tiles and wrote some extra rules for most of the tiles, like if you place link's hookshot the next player can only use two Fingers etc.
For dexterity you might want to look into Dread. Technically it is just Jenga but there is a horror RPG element to it; making players take pieces in exchange for actions and the toppling being their demise.
Awesome video! I have to say that the only 2 dex game we have is Bausack (Bandu, before it was renamed!) and Rhino Hero. Neither get played much! COCONUTS!!!
I have 10 out 12 of the mentioned games. Bandu, I have not tried yet and Targets I hadn't even heard of until now, but now it has gone to of my wish list.
Love Cube Quest but the one that caught my attention the most is Riff Raff, never heard of this one before so I'm definitely going to check it out. I was previously interested in Flick Em Up but I wasn't aware that it took so long...not sure I want to be flicking around for that long. #coconuts
I play a simplified version of Rampage with my 6 yr old daughter. Mostly just setup, destroy, and count how many meeples your monster eats. She loves it.
My opinions are different to yours. I think maybe I just have a greater love for dexterity. :-p I've enjoyed 11 of these 12 games and the only one I'll bother saying anything about is Pitchcar - you need to make a better track! If you were really playing with the one in the video, then it would be super-dull. I've enjoyed it a few times at conventions. Tracks should be built to allow for tricky jumps, amazing catchups, and tense moments as you worry about flying off the course. I LLOLd at 9:15. Then the video took a dark turn... Glad you brought it back. I really enjoy the boardgaming metaphors. For me, those, the characters and the comedy writing, are the highlights of your vids.
Thanks for the comment Bez! I've been really enjoying reading your comments as you've been watching through my videos. I think you're right, my love of dexterity fluctuates. However, since this video I have played Junk Art (which I love), as well as Mondrian: The Dice Game and Spaghetti which I've enjoyed. When I played Pitchcar I did play with a more interesting track than the one in the video, but it didn't have any jumps because the base game doesn't include any. I've sadly never played it at a convention, so maybe I would have a different experience in that setting. I'll definitely give it a go again some day.
I got Rhino Hero a few months ago and have had more fun with it that I imagined. Everyone I've played it with has loved it and it's definitely a favorite. Really great video (yet again) comparing a lot of different games. I'm not sure I need another one in my collection but Villa Paletti and Riff Raff would be my top two to try out, if I do. Thanks!
A few days before the latest Actualol video comes out I start to get anxious. I start to wonder if the London buses have crushed our Jon or if a Canary Wharf high-tower job has claimed Jon's gaming soul... This morning I woke up to gloriously sunny New Zealand morning and to a new Actualol video featuring Timmy - a fan favourite - and I knew - everything was going to be a-ok! Thanks for doing what you do Jon! (#coconuts but I of all people know that the shipping to NZ is too damn high!)
+Matthew Laing Haha, I love this comment! I get anxious myself! The weight of London does take its toll on my Youtubing, but I have no plans to work in Canary Wharf, at least. And I won't rule out New Zealand (he says after checking the price!), but you've got a fair amount of competition!
I admit I haven't played a lot of dexterity games, as most of what I've played has been jenga. That's okay. There is one game I have wanted to try called dread, which is a roll-playing game that uses the jenga tower. Whenever your character has chooses to do something major or dangerous (such as crossing a burning bridge, rewire a faulty engine, try and outrun a dangerous alien, etc.) you pull a block from the tower with one hand and place it on top. If you are successful, the action is a success. If you decide not to risk knocking over the tower, something bad happens. If you knock the tower, something REALLY bad happens. To me this sounds like a lot of fun to not only play, but to also run.
+dejavuman22 Yeah, Dread sounds really cool, I'd love to give that a try. I wonder if you could take it one further and have multiple different skill challenges for different tests in the game? Jenga for dexterity, then a mini bluffing test for a speech test, or something.
Great reviews as ever, love the accompanying character arc to add some fun/life to reviews as well. Think my favourite set so far has been the family at Xmas, but only by a whisker compared to other sets you have done. Keep it going! #coconuts
Catacombs and elk fest are a couple more dexterity games that I enjoy, I'm interested in targets now and always knew I wanted to try coconuts. This was a good video as always.
Good list. I just picked up Mars Attacks Ten Minute Takedown, which is very similar to Targets. I also like Jungle Speed and Ghost Blitz. I am terrible at both, but they both require some thinking in addition to the dexterity.
Another flicking game I would recommend is Sorry Sliders. It has easy rules, different and fun variations, and the central mechanic is easy to learn but hard to master.
Thanks for the video! Funny that the cards in Rampage were a negative, but the cards in Coconuts were a positive, though both didn't have the instructions written on them. Are the Coconuts ones more obvious or maybe just less of them?
+Peter Simon (Petey Boy) Lol, you've got me there! But it makes sense on closer inspection. Firstly, Rampage has three groups of cards, just to complicate things, and far too many of each to ever remember what they do. The card powers are also not that intuitive. In Coconuts there are literally only 5 different cards. They are optional to include. And the basic game is so simple that their inclusion doesn't bog down the game at all. To be honest, the Coconuts cards are nice but not vital. The game could survive without them, but they're a fun, if light, addition.
+Actualol i really like rampage, but agree about the cards. we dont use them and instead of the sets of meeples we just count them as 1pt each... it may be unbalanced in some way, but it keeps the game lighter and focused on destruction.
+Josh Aldrich It's a dexterity game, so balancing is hardly the end of the world. Glad you've found a way around it. I'm sort of amazed that they didn't encounter people who don't enjoy the meeple sets/cards in playtesting. It's almost as if they didn't test it on kids.
I'm glad I got to hear about Rhino hero, Cube quest and Rift raft! Hmmmmm sounds like Animal Upon Animal and Terror in Meeple City need some house rules. I'll maybe check those out too.
I'm so happy to see little Timmy back on another video! great video, by the way, man. thanks for showing me cube quest. I'll definitely try and get that one! your characters are awesome. cheers
I bought Cube Quest on a complete whim and was suitably impressed. My five year old just likes going nuts, my seven year old likes to make infuriating defense patterns and I get to strategise like I'm commanding a Roman legion. It scratches several itches. It's so easy to set up, play, and put away. I love the playing mats included. I'm just a bit sorry there's no expansions, as it seems there's infinite possibilities. I might get crafty one day and break out some heavy artillery. Thanks for the video! #coconuts
+morroch Yeah, the immediacy of "building" a strategy is wonderful. I've heard vague rumblings of a Cube Quest expansion, but I don't think it's ever been confirmed. I agree, it is a real shame. It's recently been released in Germany as "Rumms", so if it's a success we may get lucky!
Thanks for another great batch of reviews, I simply love your brand of comedic information! You are the only board game reviewer who leaves me both feeling well informed, and wiping tears from my face. The recurring characters are excellent, and it's nice to see you giving them more defined personalities. Dexterity games are usually not my cup of tea; Jango is the only one I own, and that was a gift. However after this review I may have to reconsider my position. Having a few games like #coconuts might actually make for a nice break from more complex games!
Hi! Discoved your channel a while back and really enjoy all your videos! What are your thought on Catacombs, Crocinole and Tumblin Dice (if you have played them). Thanks!
I've only tried a handful of dexterity games besides Jenga. The biggest problem I have had is in getting people interested in trying them. Mars Attacks: 10 Minute Take Down was dirt cheap and easy to set up, but got frustrating as people continually tried and failed to hit targets. Rhino Hero should be a hit, but hasn't really been played. Pitch Car is impressive in the components, but it takes skill to do well. Tumblin Dice is wonderfully random, but some finesse is required. And Catacombs is exactly what I was hoping it would be: fun & involving, easy enough to teach, skill helps but is not paramount, the theme & art mesh well with the flicking mechanism, and there's enough in the box to vary the game significantly so it doesn't become stale.
Actualol Yeah I did ... happy to announce 'I need new underwear'. You're so refreshing ... and the idea of different stereotypes is off the hook. I pray for you ;)
I'm not 100% sure that it's strictly a dexterity game but one of my favourite games is Make 'n' Break. It's a really simple (and noisy) game; you have 10 different coloured (but same shape) wooden building blocks, a timer, a dice, point tokens and a deck of building cards. On your go you roll the dice, set the timer and try to build as many of the building cards as you can in the time to score as many points as you can. We have this game in a board game cafe where I volunteer and I've seen it played and enjoyed by teenagers, young adults, parents and kids. It's such a fun and quick game. If the thing that you enjoyed about Bandu was building with the blocks, you really should see if you can find a copy of Make 'n' Break. #coconuts
+Matthew Wright Good question! It depends who I'm going with. I often will take a game when meeting a friend for a drink, and so that'll be something that works well two player. The first one that comes to mind is the Brew Crafters: Travel Card Game, which has a nice theme that fits too. Two others that are small boxes and I've played in pubs are The Game and Fungi. I also enjoyed Onitama at a pub recently, but it's too big of a box to consider a travel game. As for with larger groups, obviously I'm looking for something that comes in a small box and doesn't take up too much table space. On the filler front, I'd go No Thanks, just a really awesome card game, but For Sale would also work. Hanabi is a tiny box, and interesting game - although drink might make it harder! I like bluffing games, and my favourite is probably Cockroach Poker, which I talk about in my Top 10 Christmas video. With eight or more players, Mafia De Cuba would work well in a pub. Spyfall is another bluffing game that doesn't require table space, and is light/quick enough to play in public. And it's drawing game cousin "A Fake Artist Goes To New York" which is perfect game for drinking, lots of laughs and comes in a ridiculously small box. Thanks for the question, it's definitely a subject I'd like to cover in a video at some point. Do you have any recommendations for pub games?
+Actualol I frequent a local bar that does a bring your own game night. They have like picnic tables, so game size is less of a problem but lots of pieces usually is an issue. Hanabi, The Game and No Thanks are great games. I also usually take Cheaty Mages, Set, Bang: Dice and love letter as well. Thanks for the sugestions! I'll definitely pick some of them up and try them out! Keep up the awesome content.
Great job on another wonderful review(s) coming from someone very similar to the cynical curmudgeon you depict on the drinking side of the table. You have a great way of breaking down games in a quick, informative, smart and humorous way and I appreciate the time you dedicate to each video (your editing is really well done). Keep up the great work and maybe soon your 9-5 will turn into a full-time job doing what you love bringing out the inner Timmy. We'th love to thee more Timmy! Give Coconuts to another loyal viewer because I plan on getting it myself. Cheers.
Damn, didn't expect that punch in the feels in one of your videos Jon :') Another great video, you never miss a shot :) My favorite dexterity game is probably Crokinole, tried it one time at a fair (a pretty crappy board), immediately fell in love with it. Too bad it's really expensive, but I hope I'll buy a set sooner or later :)
Dungeon Fighter is another great game where you're throwing dice and doing all kinds of silly things like a dexterity game. But there is some depth there as well!
Catacombs scratches an itch for me. Works surprisingly well with the theme (to the extent where you wonder why it wasn't thought of before), and is reminiscent of old games of Hero Quest. My other favourite is Tumblin-Dice, which is ludicrously hard to get one's hands on, sadly.
Just discovered your channel. It looks very interesting. My kids and I love playing Rampage. We didn't find most of the things you mentioned to be a problem at all. I will agree with you that the cards not having any text on them is a bit annoying, but I understand why they did it. It means that to make international versions of the game, all they needed to do was reprint the rule book and the reference card and not translate and reprint every single card in the game. My biggest complaint about it was the one thing you didn't mention. It often takes longer to set up the game than it actually does to play. It is still a really fun game though. Cube Quest looks interesting. I have not seen or heard of that one before, but it looks like a very interesting game as does Targets. I will have to look those two up. Hopefully they are cheap enough to grab and add to my collection. I need some more quick filler games.
+Off-The-Cuff Gaming I've tried Dungeon Fighter since making this. I really like it. It's a bit overly complicated, and very hard, but I like the co-op nature of it and the silly challenges it throws up. Will talk about it at some point.
Have you tried the rhino hero variant where you are not trying to get rid of all your cards? The only loose condition is someone knocks over the tower and you make some changes to the cards. Remove the 2x cards and the ! cards let you draw another card. Each player starts with 2 or 3 cards in hand and at the end of the turn they draw one giving them more options on what to inflict on the next player. I think it is a vast improvement on the base rules. Also, if you manage to use all the roofs you take turns moving the rhino till someone knocks it over. Never seen it get to that point but I suppose it is possible,
+Joseph Bozarth Huh, that sounds really interesting - thanks for sharing. I hadn't heard it before, but I'll definitely give it a try next time I go Rhino Heroing.
The only dexterity game I own is Jungle Speed, it would be nice to have another. Some of the games here looked pretty cool. Targets seems like something I could make myself.
If you want something akin to Jungle Speed but with less pressure, try "Ghost Blitz" or its sequel. You flip up a card, and then the card tells the players which object to be the first to grab once they deduce based on the illustration.
Love your videos, I think I like dexterity games... or at least I enjoy buying them. I have a number of the ones on your list, coconuts is currently missing...
Cube quest is great, but only two players. We really enjoy Bandu/Bausack but we play the variant where players take it in turn to choose a piece to add to the 'tower'. If you knock it down, the previous player gets a point and first to five points wins. The bidding option doesn't really appeal to me.
Tumblin Dice would be my recommendation for a dexterity game. Adding in more players by simply adding in more dice. Great review. Timmy and the Drunk.... what a lovely pair of #coconuts
Wasn't expecting such a good review! I love the characters and the developments they have while it's going on.
+Ian Brooks Thanks Ian! If you liked the format, check out my Top 10 Games to play at Christmas video, and other list videos: th-cam.com/video/J4mAPX-43UA/w-d-xo.html
Me too
You're still the best board game reviewer on youtube. Your Christmas video is my all time favorite and this is very close to it. I mean you take a genre, talk about your experience, review all the games, add humor and even create a whole heart warming story with character development and all. How awesome is that? :)
About dexterity games in general - I was avoiding those so far for reasons you mention in your video but after watching this I'll reconsider my view. Some of them do look really fun.
Edit: forgot the hashtag #coconuts
+17shade17 Wow, thanks for the nice comment, it made me smile. I'm glad you like the format, hopefully there's many more to come in the future.
Timmy lifts my spirits. Great story woven in with the reviews!
damn you have such insane humor! usually people acting silly or trying to be funny in videos is obnoxious, but you make me laugh
This video is so good. Loved the characters and the short thoughts on the various games.
Your skits in these videos are so good! Your characters always play off each other really well. Such creativity!
The best dexterity game I ever tried is Palazzo Pazzo. You have wooden brick, you roll a dice to determine the orientation of the brick and then place it anywhere on the stack then move you meeple on your brick (if you want). The goal is to be the highest player when the tower collaspe or when you run out of blocks. It is very simple and you can play with a jenga copy and meeple and die from any boardgame.
Great video. Loved the story and the reviews. Could we get a 2020 version, with your updated thoughts and any new dexterity games you've played? And if not, I'd love to just hear a list of any new ones you like.
The games I've liked since are Junk Art, Catch The Moon, Ice Cool and Spaghetti, I've talked about them in other videos.
If you haven't tried it, I *highly* recommend Tumblin' Dice. It's our go-to dexterity game.
Also, Crokinole is as good as it gets in this genre (though boards are expensive and sometimes dogs eat your discs).
Thanks for the contest. #coconuts
Thank you for the great round-up! I hope you choose to do more grouped review like this. I'm not convinced the drunk 'humor' added much to the video, but Timmy is brilliant, and I loved hearing you compare and contrast these games. Please keep at it.
+David Studley Thanks David. When you say "drunk humour", do you mean the bits of innuendo in the Bandu section? My intention isn't for them to be jokes as such, but just displays of his annoying character. Certainly to laugh at him, not with him. Sorry if that didn't come across.
+Actualol Thank you for the reply. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I wasn't referring to a particular joke, more the persona, in general. It's just not my particular taste in humor. But, it doesn't need to be, does it? I probably shouldn't even have mentioned it. I'll be eagerly awaiting your next video.
great review, It's nice to see comparisons across a wide range of titles in the same genre.
+Adam Miller It's not quite as wide ranging, but if you like the format you may want to check out my Zombie Board Game Mega Review, if you haven't seen it: th-cam.com/video/L34bVnPDAEM/w-d-xo.html
Hi and thanks for asking. I tried lots of games from the charity shops, goldenballs the board game was surprisingly popular with students . Apples to apples works really well, cards against humanity was useful. I really liked the review you did of timeline and will probably buy it next.
This weekend I gave them a case to study from Sherlock Holmes consulting detective and next week we have to try and solve it, I hope it goes well. Another one that looks like it would work well is story cubes. I think you need a game that is short, easy to explain and set up and small enough to carry around some class of cooperative filler game with not too many fiddly bits to set up. Keep up the good work all the best, Noel.
I really appreciated what you had to say about Rampage aka Terror in Meeple City. I have tried introducing it to my play group, but we found ourselves constantly referring to the manual to understand what cards do or what our monsters special power was or in what position we needed to be in to eat meeples. It really sucked the fun out of the game. I have thought about trying to come up with a simplified version in order to make the game more laid back.
+Zach Files The board and pieces are so perfect, it does feel frustrating not to get a better game from it. I hope you succeed in reinventing a simpler version!
Great Review video. Not too long and helpful comparisons. I haven't really played many Dex games other than Drinking Jenga, where you write dares or numbers of drinks you have to take before you place the piece you pulled. That was lots of fun in college, but now that I've grown up and am more likely to play with friends with children this video was very helpful.
I love your past 'in character' reviews, they are so entertaining. Thanks for this one too.
Subscribed! Go go contest!
On topic though, we've found that Animal Upon Animal works a bit better if you limit the crocodile die result (placing at the front or back) to only allowing 1 animal at the front or back end. Once both are placed, treat the crocodile as if you've rolled a 1. It widens the base giving some opportunity, but not too wide that the game is no longer fun.
+Dara Teaches How to Play Ack, didn't see the hashtag requirement. ummm #coconuts
You have the great typical british humor! Great stuff! So talented!
Wow. That was heavy. Really makes me think on so many levels. Great video.
Wow thank you very much. I have never won a competition before. I have no words to describe how happy I am
I can't belive you make me cry in a board game review video! That was unexpected. And the drama comes from nowhere: love it.
It made me cry when I was writing it! 🥲
Love this mega review format! Great video.
+Bored Online? Board Offline! Thanks Baker!
once again great video!! I have almost no dexterity games in my collection and now I have a I'm on the look out for a few! keep up the great work!
This was a roller coaster of emotion
Wellp, more to add to the old wishlist - fantastic show as always!
Like how you incorporated the "Keepers" segment at the end of the video. It's been some time since the first "Keeper" and "Leaving My Collection" video (which were both very well done). Have been purging my collection as of late, and realized that there are currently no dexterity game. Time to add one to it! #coconuts
Great job with the videos! Keep them coming! Glad to see Timmy again!
+Gregory Jones Yeah, it's been far too long since one of those VLOGs. I've actually got a whole bunch filmed, just haven't had a chance to edit them. There's been a lot of games coming and going, so plenty to talk about.
+Actualol Glad to hear! Always look forward to your videos. Have you considered doing a list of Solitaire games video? Don't get enough time to play with my friends, so have some big box games that have solo variants (Eldritch Horror, Elder Sign, Five Tribes, Castle Panic), and have a few shorter Solitaire games (Onirim, Hostage Negotiator). Am always on the look for other options and would be great to see your characters in Solo situations.
+Gregory Jones I'm afraid to say that I'm not much of a solo gamer, so I'm sorry it's not likely I will make a video on that :( I do enjoy playing Onirim two player, though!
Totally love that you did a vid on Dexterity games. Thumbs Up. :)
Brilliantly done! I have enjoyed watching everyone of your reviews and base a lot of my purchases on them! Looking forward to picking up a couple of your recommended six. I own Catacombs and would have loved to have heard your review of it.. ?.? Also Dungeon Fighter...
Great job with all of your various role characters... Fantastic and very entertaining work. Much appreciated!
+Mark Thompson-Wood Thanks Mark! Catacombs and Dungeon Fighter are two that I haven't played yet and judging by the mentions, I wish I had! Maybe one day I can revisit the topic and give them the coverage they deserve.
We painted nerdy characters on our jenga tiles and wrote some extra rules for most of the tiles, like if you place link's hookshot the next player can only use two Fingers etc.
+Froschritter That sounds really cool! I wish they made a version like that.
Great video, these keep getting better and better!
For dexterity you might want to look into Dread. Technically it is just Jenga but there is a horror RPG element to it; making players take pieces in exchange for actions and the toppling being their demise.
+Jamie Cutts That sounds fun. They should run dexterity tests with a dexterity game, then personality tests with a bluffing game, or something.
Wow the opening statement set the tone haha!
Awesome video! I have to say that the only 2 dex game we have is Bausack (Bandu, before it was renamed!) and Rhino Hero. Neither get played much!
COCONUTS!!!
I have 10 out 12 of the mentioned games. Bandu, I have not tried yet and Targets I hadn't even heard of until now, but now it has gone to of my wish list.
Love Cube Quest but the one that caught my attention the most is Riff Raff, never heard of this one before so I'm definitely going to check it out. I was previously interested in Flick Em Up but I wasn't aware that it took so long...not sure I want to be flicking around for that long. #coconuts
I play a simplified version of Rampage with my 6 yr old daughter. Mostly just setup, destroy, and count how many meeples your monster eats. She loves it.
Another great video. My favourite dexterity game is king brick/cube quest.
My opinions are different to yours. I think maybe I just have a greater love for dexterity. :-p
I've enjoyed 11 of these 12 games and the only one I'll bother saying anything about is Pitchcar - you need to make a better track! If you were really playing with the one in the video, then it would be super-dull. I've enjoyed it a few times at conventions. Tracks should be built to allow for tricky jumps, amazing catchups, and tense moments as you worry about flying off the course.
I LLOLd at 9:15. Then the video took a dark turn... Glad you brought it back.
I really enjoy the boardgaming metaphors. For me, those, the characters and the comedy writing, are the highlights of your vids.
Thanks for the comment Bez! I've been really enjoying reading your comments as you've been watching through my videos.
I think you're right, my love of dexterity fluctuates. However, since this video I have played Junk Art (which I love), as well as Mondrian: The Dice Game and Spaghetti which I've enjoyed.
When I played Pitchcar I did play with a more interesting track than the one in the video, but it didn't have any jumps because the base game doesn't include any. I've sadly never played it at a convention, so maybe I would have a different experience in that setting. I'll definitely give it a go again some day.
I'm a fan of Lift It! It's a cool stacking game with a time limit and a chance to use your head and a small crane to complete some of the challenges
I really liked this video, didn't know there were so many dexterity games out there.
Would love to see a revisit to this list ^^ To see if something has changed and new dexterity games. Also, love the chanel
there was a game on Kickstarter about ants at a picnic that rinds me of Target.
coconuts looks great, I like your description of beer pong for kids
I got Rhino Hero a few months ago and have had more fun with it that I imagined. Everyone I've played it with has loved it and it's definitely a favorite. Really great video (yet again) comparing a lot of different games. I'm not sure I need another one in my collection but Villa Paletti and Riff Raff would be my top two to try out, if I do. Thanks!
A few days before the latest Actualol video comes out I start to get anxious. I start to wonder if the London buses have crushed our Jon or if a Canary Wharf high-tower job has claimed Jon's gaming soul...
This morning I woke up to gloriously sunny New Zealand morning and to a new Actualol video featuring Timmy - a fan favourite - and I knew - everything was going to be a-ok!
Thanks for doing what you do Jon!
(#coconuts but I of all people know that the shipping to NZ is too damn high!)
+Matthew Laing Haha, I love this comment! I get anxious myself! The weight of London does take its toll on my Youtubing, but I have no plans to work in Canary Wharf, at least.
And I won't rule out New Zealand (he says after checking the price!), but you've got a fair amount of competition!
I admit I haven't played a lot of dexterity games, as most of what I've played has been jenga. That's okay. There is one game I have wanted to try called dread, which is a roll-playing game that uses the jenga tower. Whenever your character has chooses to do something major or dangerous (such as crossing a burning bridge, rewire a faulty engine, try and outrun a dangerous alien, etc.) you pull a block from the tower with one hand and place it on top. If you are successful, the action is a success. If you decide not to risk knocking over the tower, something bad happens. If you knock the tower, something REALLY bad happens. To me this sounds like a lot of fun to not only play, but to also run.
+dejavuman22 Yeah, Dread sounds really cool, I'd love to give that a try. I wonder if you could take it one further and have multiple different skill challenges for different tests in the game? Jenga for dexterity, then a mini bluffing test for a speech test, or something.
Great Video - was legitimately sad to see Timmy disappear! (Though maybe that was just the lack of beer on my end this morning) :p
+Josh L Also, no Crokinole?!
Awesome video. I hope to pick up some of these games for my playgroup!
Coconuts does look really good. Seems like a good application of the KISS principle!
Cube Quest looks fantastic. As does Targets, thanks for the video.
These are some of the favourites that I own:
Crokinole
Tumblin-Dice
Subbuteo
Elk Fest
Push It
Great reviews as ever, love the accompanying character arc to add some fun/life to reviews as well.
Think my favourite set so far has been the family at Xmas, but only by a whisker compared to other sets you have done.
Keep it going! #coconuts
+Stephen Wills The Christmas one is probably my favourite too. Thanks for the positive feedback!
Catacombs and elk fest are a couple more dexterity games that I enjoy, I'm interested in targets now and always knew I wanted to try coconuts. This was a good video as always.
Good list. I just picked up Mars Attacks Ten Minute Takedown, which is very similar to Targets. I also like Jungle Speed and Ghost Blitz. I am terrible at both, but they both require some thinking in addition to the dexterity.
Another flicking game I would recommend is Sorry Sliders. It has easy rules, different and fun variations, and the central mechanic is easy to learn but hard to master.
Thanks for the video! Funny that the cards in Rampage were a negative, but the cards in Coconuts were a positive, though both didn't have the instructions written on them. Are the Coconuts ones more obvious or maybe just less of them?
+Peter Simon (Petey Boy) Lol, you've got me there! But it makes sense on closer inspection. Firstly, Rampage has three groups of cards, just to complicate things, and far too many of each to ever remember what they do. The card powers are also not that intuitive. In Coconuts there are literally only 5 different cards. They are optional to include. And the basic game is so simple that their inclusion doesn't bog down the game at all. To be honest, the Coconuts cards are nice but not vital. The game could survive without them, but they're a fun, if light, addition.
+Actualol i really like rampage, but agree about the cards. we dont use them and instead of the sets of meeples we just count them as 1pt each... it may be unbalanced in some way, but it keeps the game lighter and focused on destruction.
+Josh Aldrich It's a dexterity game, so balancing is hardly the end of the world. Glad you've found a way around it. I'm sort of amazed that they didn't encounter people who don't enjoy the meeple sets/cards in playtesting. It's almost as if they didn't test it on kids.
I'm glad I got to hear about Rhino hero, Cube quest and Rift raft! Hmmmmm sounds like Animal Upon Animal and Terror in Meeple City need some house rules. I'll maybe check those out too.
I'm so happy to see little Timmy back on another video! great video, by the way, man. thanks for showing me cube quest. I'll definitely try and get that one! your characters are awesome. cheers
+Nilton Balbi Thanks Nilton! Timmy just loves the camera :)
Fun video. Gave me a few great games I can play with the family.
I bought Cube Quest on a complete whim and was suitably impressed. My five year old just likes going nuts, my seven year old likes to make infuriating defense patterns and I get to strategise like I'm commanding a Roman legion. It scratches several itches. It's so easy to set up, play, and put away. I love the playing mats included. I'm just a bit sorry there's no expansions, as it seems there's infinite possibilities. I might get crafty one day and break out some heavy artillery. Thanks for the video! #coconuts
+morroch Yeah, the immediacy of "building" a strategy is wonderful. I've heard vague rumblings of a Cube Quest expansion, but I don't think it's ever been confirmed. I agree, it is a real shame. It's recently been released in Germany as "Rumms", so if it's a success we may get lucky!
Great reviews! Targets reminds me of Tumblin' Dice, which is a blast. And please enter me in the #coconuts draw. Cheers!
My favorite dexterity game is cornerstone. It is a great mix of strategy and balancing blocks.
+Jeremy George Oh and #coconuts
Thanks for another great batch of reviews, I simply love your brand of comedic information! You are the only board game reviewer who leaves me both feeling well informed, and wiping tears from my face. The recurring characters are excellent, and it's nice to see you giving them more defined personalities.
Dexterity games are usually not my cup of tea; Jango is the only one I own, and that was a gift. However after this review I may have to reconsider my position. Having a few games like #coconuts might actually make for a nice break from more complex games!
+Doomsdaymanx Thanks for such a nice comment! I'm glad the video hit the spot for you. Spurs me on to keep making more :)
You channel was recommended by a friend. i like it!
Hi! Discoved your channel a while back and really enjoy all your videos!
What are your thought on Catacombs, Crocinole and Tumblin Dice (if you have played them). Thanks!
+Angel A I'm sad to say I haven't played any of them, but am keen to play all of them! I've definitely got Catacombs on my radar.
Great funny video. Ice Cool is really fun and Catacombs looks like a winner too.
Good choices. I have a few more I need to try now.
I like playing animal to animal with the grandchildren . Thanks for giving us the Opportunity to win a game.
"I'm a monkey!" Can I have #coconuts?
Oh... and you're totally wrong about PitchCar.
I've only tried a handful of dexterity games besides Jenga. The biggest problem I have had is in getting people interested in trying them. Mars Attacks: 10 Minute Take Down was dirt cheap and easy to set up, but got frustrating as people continually tried and failed to hit targets. Rhino Hero should be a hit, but hasn't really been played. Pitch Car is impressive in the components, but it takes skill to do well. Tumblin Dice is wonderfully random, but some finesse is required. And Catacombs is exactly what I was hoping it would be: fun & involving, easy enough to teach, skill helps but is not paramount, the theme & art mesh well with the flicking mechanism, and there's enough in the box to vary the game significantly so it doesn't become stale.
+marshall wells You make Catacombs sound really good. But no, I must resist, I don't need more dexterity games!
1min into the video and I already pissed my pants ... just discovered your canal. Dude I love you :D
Yay! Welcome aboard! Check out my other videos for more of the same :)
Actualol Yeah I did ... happy to announce 'I need new underwear'. You're so refreshing ... and the idea of different stereotypes is off the hook. I pray for you ;)
I'm not 100% sure that it's strictly a dexterity game but one of my favourite games is Make 'n' Break. It's a really simple (and noisy) game; you have 10 different coloured (but same shape) wooden building blocks, a timer, a dice, point tokens and a deck of building cards. On your go you roll the dice, set the timer and try to build as many of the building cards as you can in the time to score as many points as you can. We have this game in a board game cafe where I volunteer and I've seen it played and enjoyed by teenagers, young adults, parents and kids. It's such a fun and quick game. If the thing that you enjoyed about Bandu was building with the blocks, you really should see if you can find a copy of Make 'n' Break. #coconuts
+10balletgirl Cool, thanks for the tip! I haven't heard of that one before.
Great video! What games would you bring to a pub/bar?
+Matthew Wright Good question! It depends who I'm going with. I often will take a game when meeting a friend for a drink, and so that'll be something that works well two player. The first one that comes to mind is the Brew Crafters: Travel Card Game, which has a nice theme that fits too. Two others that are small boxes and I've played in pubs are The Game and Fungi. I also enjoyed Onitama at a pub recently, but it's too big of a box to consider a travel game.
As for with larger groups, obviously I'm looking for something that comes in a small box and doesn't take up too much table space. On the filler front, I'd go No Thanks, just a really awesome card game, but For Sale would also work. Hanabi is a tiny box, and interesting game - although drink might make it harder! I like bluffing games, and my favourite is probably Cockroach Poker, which I talk about in my Top 10 Christmas video. With eight or more players, Mafia De Cuba would work well in a pub. Spyfall is another bluffing game that doesn't require table space, and is light/quick enough to play in public. And it's drawing game cousin "A Fake Artist Goes To New York" which is perfect game for drinking, lots of laughs and comes in a ridiculously small box.
Thanks for the question, it's definitely a subject I'd like to cover in a video at some point. Do you have any recommendations for pub games?
+Actualol I frequent a local bar that does a bring your own game night. They have like picnic tables, so game size is less of a problem but lots of pieces usually is an issue. Hanabi, The Game and No Thanks are great games. I also usually take Cheaty Mages, Set, Bang: Dice and love letter as well.
Thanks for the sugestions! I'll definitely pick some of them up and try them out! Keep up the awesome content.
My absolute favorite game is Ascending Empires. It is a 4X space exploration game that is SUPER awesome.
Oh and #coconuts.
I strongly recomment BANDU (aka BAUSACK) and Catacombs. Also "Ascending Empires" is a very good mix of dexterity and strategy.
Thanks for making another video! I look forward to each one, keep them coming!
+Alex McHardy Thanks Alex!
Great job on another wonderful review(s) coming from someone very similar to the cynical curmudgeon you depict on the drinking side of the table. You have a great way of breaking down games in a quick, informative, smart and humorous way and I appreciate the time you dedicate to each video (your editing is really well done). Keep up the great work and maybe soon your 9-5 will turn into a full-time job doing what you love bringing out the inner Timmy. We'th love to thee more Timmy! Give Coconuts to another loyal viewer because I plan on getting it myself. Cheers.
+Matt Kutrik Thanks Matt! That's a really nice comment to read, I appreciate you taking the time to post it :)
I love your videos! Tim's reaction when Timmy returned was the best part!!
+Esther Chung-Ferguson Thanks Esther!
Damn, didn't expect that punch in the feels in one of your videos Jon :')
Another great video, you never miss a shot :)
My favorite dexterity game is probably Crokinole, tried it one time at a fair (a pretty crappy board), immediately fell in love with it. Too bad it's really expensive, but I hope I'll buy a set sooner or later :)
+L'Utente Medio Hey Nicola! Glad I made you feel! I'll change the name of the channel to Actualcry.
+Actualol oh, I forgot to put #coconuts in my comment :)
Dungeon Fighter is another great game where you're throwing dice and doing all kinds of silly things like a dexterity game. But there is some depth there as well!
Catacombs scratches an itch for me. Works surprisingly well with the theme (to the extent where you wonder why it wasn't thought of before), and is reminiscent of old games of Hero Quest.
My other favourite is Tumblin-Dice, which is ludicrously hard to get one's hands on, sadly.
My 2 and 5 year old boys love Rhino Hero and Animal Upon Animal. Personally, I've always loved Crokinole and Tumblin' Dice.
Time to add some of these to the shopping cart!
excellent video. definitely putting a of these on my Amazon list. thx
Favorite dexterity game, by far, is Dr. Eureka. Very fun.
Just discovered your channel. It looks very interesting. My kids and I love playing Rampage. We didn't find most of the things you mentioned to be a problem at all. I will agree with you that the cards not having any text on them is a bit annoying, but I understand why they did it. It means that to make international versions of the game, all they needed to do was reprint the rule book and the reference card and not translate and reprint every single card in the game. My biggest complaint about it was the one thing you didn't mention. It often takes longer to set up the game than it actually does to play. It is still a really fun game though.
Cube Quest looks interesting. I have not seen or heard of that one before, but it looks like a very interesting game as does Targets. I will have to look those two up. Hopefully they are cheap enough to grab and add to my collection. I need some more quick filler games.
One that looks awesome is Dungeon Fighter. Similar to your number 12 Targets but with a lot of variety.
Only played once and its coop dexterity with meat, it is difficult to win, but with practice it probably gets good.
I haven't played most of these, but my friend's five year old LOVES Rampage.
Interesting to see what the next step of Rhino Hero brings now its huge!
Have you ever tried Dungeon Fighter?
+Off-The-Cuff Gaming I've tried Dungeon Fighter since making this. I really like it. It's a bit overly complicated, and very hard, but I like the co-op nature of it and the silly challenges it throws up. Will talk about it at some point.
Hilarious video! Great stuff
Have you tried the rhino hero variant where you are not trying to get rid of all your cards? The only loose condition is someone knocks over the tower and you make some changes to the cards. Remove the 2x cards and the ! cards let you draw another card. Each player starts with 2 or 3 cards in hand and at the end of the turn they draw one giving them more options on what to inflict on the next player. I think it is a vast improvement on the base rules. Also, if you manage to use all the roofs you take turns moving the rhino till someone knocks it over. Never seen it get to that point but I suppose it is possible,
+Joseph Bozarth Huh, that sounds really interesting - thanks for sharing. I hadn't heard it before, but I'll definitely give it a try next time I go Rhino Heroing.
Have super Rhino Hero-love it. Looking forward to trying out Coconuts, Cube Quest, and Targets. I might also suggest Dr. Eureka, and Hamsterolle.
The only dexterity game I own is Jungle Speed, it would be nice to have another. Some of the games here looked pretty cool. Targets seems like something I could make myself.
If you want something akin to Jungle Speed but with less pressure, try "Ghost Blitz" or its sequel. You flip up a card, and then the card tells the players which object to be the first to grab once they deduce based on the illustration.
If I win the game I will sing the " I have a lovely bunch of coconuts song" every time I play.
Love your videos, I think I like dexterity games... or at least I enjoy buying them. I have a number of the ones on your list, coconuts is currently missing...
This Channel really deserves more attention, love the characters in your reviews, keep up the good work ! #coconuts
+MonsterlnABoX Thank you! Tell all your friends! Make new friends and tell them!
targets looks awesome, never heard of it before, other ones missing, Tumblin dice expensive, but very minimal setup) and Catacombs.
Cube quest is great, but only two players.
We really enjoy Bandu/Bausack but we play the variant where players take it in turn to choose a piece to add to the 'tower'. If you knock it down, the previous player gets a point and first to five points wins. The bidding option doesn't really appeal to me.
I keep seeing dungeon fighter everywhere. I will have to check our cube quest. Kind reminds me of stratego but with flicking.
Tumblin Dice would be my recommendation for a dexterity game. Adding in more players by simply adding in more dice. Great review. Timmy and the Drunk.... what a lovely pair of #coconuts
Thanks for convincing me to stay away from Terror in Meeple City