Nice shout out to Alas! Board Games; his reviews are so unorthodox and entertaining, I love them. Btw, I too have played High Society while camping and at the beach... easy rules, small footprint, and plenty of laughs and frowns with people's crazy bids. Here's two more recommendations based on your top 10: -Rising Sun, much like Die Macher, will likely see more shifting coalitions with an odd number of players, plus the map is tighter with 5 players. That being said, we've played games of it were the teams never diverted from start to finish and one person was left to fend for his own. -Lords of Vegas w/Up expansion, much like Chinatown, involves trading and negotiation which benefits from a higher player count. Being able to build your casinos upwards (if playing with the expansion) is a welcomed addition to the game, but with 4 players it might lessen the need for negotiation or aggressive moves, and with 6 players unfortunately everyone gets less actions in the game.
Architects of the West is a good 5 player game. I didn't like it with 3 players, and haven't tried it at 4, but with 5, the board lights up with options and still gets tighter.
For me, Cyclades. It's best at 5, and it is very obvious that it was designed for 5. There is plenty going on, and all the gods come out every turn, so the game moves along well. Other ones are Discworld: Ankh-Morpork, Evo and Yedo.
Nice to see Nemesis show up on someone's list! And I can comment on your wish list item: We had 4 of the 5 people in the game choose the traitor cards and that one person (my wife) who didn't, ended up dead first... she came back with a vengeance as the intruders and it made everyone else's choice to be a traitor MUCH harder as we were now racing the clock, each other and a willful alien menace intent on seeing us all die. it came down to two hero players and since both our marks died by the intruder's hands, we both seemed innocent to each other. My friend actually sacrificed himself to hold off the intruders so I could launch in an escape pod just so the intruder player couldn't win. When we all revealed it was quite a shock and we wondered if my wife wasn't so vengeful in death, how it would have played out.
Worst part is she died in turn 3 or 4... she sat on the couch stewing on her early route until turn 6 when she decided "to hell with it" and came back to the table like a swarm of hornets.
Absolutely agree. The best 5 player game for simple rules with complex decisions. I guess because it is so similar to Tammany Hall, it was not included in the list, but I prefer it to Tammany Hall.
Love Imperial Assault! We played a full campaign at 5 and it was great. Went on to play a year long campaign of DnD with those same guys. Another great one at 5 is Specter Ops! The twist of one of the hunters being in the agent's team makes them second-guess EVERYTHING while the agent just sits back smiling
I disagree with Descent being good for 5 players. There's just not enough to do with a single character per turn, and in such groups players got bored quite often when they got to roll dice, miss or just heal someone and that was all and they had to wait to move again until 4 other players finish their moves. Having played Descent quite a lot IMO the best setup is an overlord and 2 players running 2 characters each.
Fief and twilight imperium both play great at 5 players. Uneven alliances, just enough players to keep the board full but not crowded, but not enough players to turn it into a slow slog
I also have High Society as one of my all-time fav short games. I’d add Dead of Winter The Long Night for 5 players for the same reasons you’ve discussed here with other games.
Love these videos, and 5 players is the one I most look forward too! I mean my old D&D group transferred to board games. . 1 DM and 4 players means we have 5 a lot! Missing from this I would add. Going to have to check out crisis and china town they sound right up my groups alley. . and Maybe High Society 1. Dungeons and Dragons if you qualify as a board game. gives you the 4 basic class mix and a DM 2. Architects of the western Kingdom or really any of those worker placement games from Shem Phillips. 3. Space Base 5 feels right not to long between rolling dice but the other roll side of the cards has 4 chances and is around 4 times less valuable than if you roll it yourself. Love this game at 5. 4. Drakon one of my favorite games, but needs a fairly filled up board to actually be busy to cause interaction! 5. Carson City, says 4 on it for BGG optimal, but we like 5 using the optional rules for the Indian. Fun game when everything is not taken, but the buildings become hotly contested! 6. Concordia - enough people that the tax goes off often money flows but the tightness of the map feels real. makes each choice for your turn feel important! 7. Mission Red Planet - rocket occupation becomes contested the planet feels smaller 6 is to busy and takes to long 5 feels fun 8. Sheriff of Nottingham - Fun bluffing game great with a large group 5 plays well! more on the light between games or while drinking 9. Star Flux - another lighter game fun plays 5 well does not feel like you wait to long for a turn, rules change so much every play! 10. Citadels - All roles not taken the ones not present make this interesting, but over half the roles are taken. good game quick to play agian a turn is not super long fun lighter game to play while drinking Honorable Mention. Twilight Imperium 4. . I love this game. It is best at 6 though, and I do not like it at 4. 5 is OK but we almost always would rather go 6 with it. but still if we have 5 and 7 hours to burn this is a very enjoyable way to burn it!!!
Great list, two games from my top 5 favourite games (crisis and chinatown). Dogs of War, another top 5 game for me, is another game I'd tout as excellent at 5
@@3MBG The packaging works with the rest of the line but it's a complete turnoff from those who should be buying it. It looks like a kid's game but it's really a fantastic push-your-luck deduction game. It has (afaik) a unique mechanism where you can play safe or bold (cowardly or brave, in game terms) but if someone around the table after you has also selected your bold action, you get nothing. Please watch GameNight!'s playthrough. MUST have the right group to play it with, though. (That will make more sense from the video)
Ticket to Ride Europe: Tighter Game Shogun Axis and Allies: Anniversary Edition (Italy too small of a nation one player controls it ;)) Century: Golem Edition (Cause it needs to be Golem edition and with 5 less chill time to grab your golem) Xia: Legends of a Drift system (Maximum players maximum variety bigger competition and what not) Rising Sun: I actually like that one guy is all on his own every alliance phase, makes it more tense (with a small house rule where everyone has a chance to present his case to ally and offer something to the first players....) Great game at 5 for me Twilight Imperium IV - Same works great with 5 or 6 New Angeles - Works great with 5 or 6
@@3MBG I don't know, I love it how each player brings it's own dynamic to the war. In fact we often play with 6 players and Italy even though small, has its own role and if a player can role play well and has a blast with it. That really makes it fun. But sure I can see how at 2 that would be also great as there is basically little to no downtime and you work in a perfect cohesion. But you know what. We actually leave the decision making to the individual nation, instead of the entire group making decision for each nation. Makes every single brilliant move or failure that more epic :)
I can appreciate that. I've just played it a few times where some players, usually the USA, feels out of it for the first few turns. Have you seen my copy? I sunk a lot of time into it :) vom-krieg.blogspot.com/search/label/Axis%20and%20Allies
I would love to see a 10 great list for 2 players. My wife and I love some at-home game play, and we haven't had much luck teaching the cat how to follow the rules instead of chewing on cards or stealing dice.
I would say: Cosmic Encounter: 6-8 players adds in more cards to the regular deck that makes high combat cards and more powerful card zaps in the game far too common which frequently renders ships and alien powers less useful and says 'this turn accomplishes nothing'. On top of that even with alliances letting you potentially participate every round many alien powers are very specific to 'main defensive player only' greatly reducing the chances that you will use your power even once for a whole game. Level 7: Omega Protocol Just like Decent or any other dungeon crawl its best with a full party working together for the social aspect but also cuts down on AP Analysis Paralysis when you have to wrap your head around the game state and 4 commando's all with unique kits and initiative order. Zombicides With most missions being balanced to 6 survivors its usually best with 5 players so you have an extra survivor you can fall back on if a hero dies early in the game and still continue playing. Also with the rotating first player token if you also rotate control on one of the heroes that can help cut the downtime when waiting for other players. Spectre Ops (sometimes) Spectre Ops starts as a 1 vs all hide and seek which is enjoyable but sometimes the 5 player Traitor game can really transform the game into a completely different experience with the right group. Twilight Imperium 4 6 players is great but.....realistically it way too long. In real life the logistics of getting 6 working adults into the same place for 8 - 12+ hours is basically impossible. 4 does work great and that way all 8 strategies will get used every round but with an even number of players it can quickly become a 2vs2 until the inevitable backstab. 3 is an effective way to get it to the table but lacks the muddying of the waters a game like this needs to be all it can be and become a 2vs1 to kill the leader. 5 keeps it messy enough for alliances and politics and makes sure alliances are always shifting whilst knocking a good 2+ hours off the 6 player playtime and maybe actually letting you get it to the table. Its a bit finicky with the imbalanced starting locations and trade goods to compensate but I have played both balanced boards with 3, 4 and 6 player and very poorly drafted boards and I think slight perceived imbalance probably helps the negotiations and social aspects of this game to work itself out over the course of its lengthy playtime and makes for more unique and memorable moments and strategies. Its very much a game about the journey not the destination despite that driving the experience and decision making. RISK 2210 AD This is the best RISK in my opinion and any RISK is best with 5. It only last 5 rounds so it doesn't drag on forever, with 5 everyone will be fighting everyone and it will be difficult for someone to run away with the game. Every unique commander will definitely be used causing wacky things to happen with nukes, the moonbase, and naval tiles making it impossible to castle up in Australia like everyone knows to do in vanilla RISK. 3 is too few and 4 just isn't as good as 5. Any free for all game needs an odd number of players and 3 always becomes a 2vs1. Blood Rage Same reasons as RISK, but this also makes the game bloodier as smaller skirmishes break out more frequently and the board starts larger, but fills up more quickly making the Sea Serpent and boats more useful and the fight over Yggdrasil deliciously messy. Not to mention all the glory for Ragnarok and Valhalla. This also makes getting an unstoppable combo much more difficult during the drafting phase and spreads the best cards out more evenly. Its a case of "it was designed as part of the base game but we took it out and sold it later because it couldn't fit in the box and it cost too much" exemplified by the fact a "full 4 player game" has 1 space on the board already destroyed by Ragnarok. Not too different from "Branch and Claw" in Spirit Island clearly being part of the base design yet sold separately. Kickstarter am I right?
I put sidereal on my "best at 6" vid. The Captain is dead, i think works well at just about any player count. And 7 wonders works pretty well from 4-7, 5's probably its best, but not by much.
I've come to shy away from 5 players as the game drags on and on. Guaranteed to have one/two people who can't/won't make decisions. However, if it happens, then age of empires 3 or Black Orchestra would be my choices.
Almost all the game here is really heavy. What about resistance or bang card/dice game? A more complex one is Hail hydra... All these game works almost like they are designed for 5 players
Good suggestions. I guess 90% of my play at 5 players is with a regular crowd of 5 who don't play many lighter games. So that's showing through. (also, i tend towards higher complexity games in general).
Oooo, good ideas. Will probably be a while as i'm doing this player count countdown for a while. But i imagine my miniature one will annoy some people as it won't be just "board games"
Stop highlighting Kolejka, you heartless monster! You keep making me want something that isn't available for purchase! Someone needs to get to work on reprinting it... please? Edit: a few minutes later down the video, the exact same applies to Battlestar Galactica. You vile fiend!
Hahaha, my bad. It's a bit of an issue with the industry in general. Kolejka is still out there, but only in Polish which sucks. BSG is a license issue, which also sucks. I try to keep my recaps to games that are available though, which is why BSG in 3 minutes will likely never happen.
