whale riders is out of print in north america because knizia says the publisher had multiple breaches of contract, so he has said the game is canceled. you can still get copies in other countries and since it's language independent you can get a playable copy for ~$50 if you really wanted.
XIA is currently being reprinted and should be more readily available later this year. And KINGs TRICKTAKERs is currently available as an addon in the ETERNAL DECKS Kickstarter campaign. But shipping is really expensive as it will be delivered by air freight from Japan.
Nice list, the top of mine is Mechs vs. Minions… I noticed we seem to have very similar games based on what I could see on the your shelves in the background! Great video :)
Whale Riders was a grail game for me too, and (I feel bad even telling you this) one day a year or two ago I happened to be browsing one of the bigger OLGS’s sites and discovered that they had found copies that must have been lost in a fabled warehouse or something, and managed to get one of a very few copies. When I got it, my awareness that copies were selling for crazy money almost prevented me from removing the shrink, but fortunately better sense prevailed, and we’ve been enjoying it since. I wish you luck finding it!
These games look fabulous! I've never heard of them, but thanks for giving me something else to drool about. You're the best! Thanks for the great content.😍😍😍
So I went to Japan last year and hunted down King's Tricktakers, but could not find Nana, apparently it was out of print there! However, I did find a copy here in the US in the geek market about a month ago 😅 Also, I have Wok and Roll, bought at Gen Con maybe 2 or 3 yrs ago at the Taiwanese games booth (which at the time was so small they didn't have a Taiwanese representative, just a local guy who was helping them mind their tiny booth). The game isn't mediocre, it's a lot of fun!
Kings Trickstakers is the sequel to the highly acclaimed Tricktakers. Both made by the designer Hiroken. Tricktakers is available from the Portland Game Collective in the US. I whole heartily recommend you get It!!
Whale Riders is a great design. There are five actions to choose from and you only have two actions points on your turn. You can move twice and end your turn, you can move once and buy a tile, you can stay where you are and buy two tiles etc. So many good tempo decisions. If you see someone using all their actions to race to the end do you follow or do you slow down and focus on your economy? If you see someone playing slow do you rush the end to try and buy all the pearl tiles at the end before they can? Scales well from 2-5, but plays out quite differently depending on the number of players. The player power tiles can be left in the box. No need to mess up such a clean design. The movement is more restricted than Parks/Tokaido/Tutankhamen and the like. You are not able to move as far as you want, you can only move two spaces if you want to use all your action points on your turn.
For trick taking, if you don’t already have it, Cat in the Box is my favorite and I just got my Colossal Cat in the Box kickstarter so I have the original to give! :)
I managed to snag one of my grail games just a few days ago, and I'm just waiting for it to arrive. it was the Days of the Siege expansion for This War of Mine. Somehow the second expansion has less availability than the first one. And in a local-area-only online silent auction for Pagoda right now. I'm the only one that bid for it so far and I hope it stays that way.
If you want to try something that has a similar feel of Xia, you could try Star Wars: Outer Rim. Kind of does a lot of the same things but a bit more streamlined and of course has the Star Wars IP.
Awesome list!! I have a few expansions I'm on the lookout for with Millie Fiori: The Masterpieces and The Guild of Merchant Explorers: The Queen's Special Orders, but I don't have a game I'm specifically searching for. One that is supposed to come out this year that I'm excited about is Rumblebots. I know nothing about it, but it's the same name as my BGG username I made years ago! 🤣
2:31 WHAT??? Going out of print?! AHH!!! Cobble & Fog is such a good set. I love playing Invisible Man 🌪 On a sidenote I can't wait for the new sets releasing this year and next year. Just shelled out too much money for Deadpool and I just saw that they will be reprinting Bruce Lee next year 👀
I ordered Whale Riders from Miniature Market last year after playing it at the Dice Tower and learning that it was not going to be available soon. I got a shipping notification but it never arrived. Apparently it got lost in transit and when I wrote to MM they said, “unfortunately, we are out of stock.”
I don’t really have any grail games. However, like you, if I see a really good deal on Xia, I’ll pick it up. I had the opportunity to add it to my Arydia pledge, but I passed on it. If you’re interested in Eternal Decks, they have a bundle 2x pledge (you’d want to pledge with a friend) that includes KINGs Tricktakers. Amy and Maggie (Thinker/Themer) did a good video on Eternal Decks. It’s still expensive shipped to North America, so I’m on the fence right now. I have a lot of great games on my shelf of shame, and more come out every year, so I try to keep that in mind when I suffer a bout of FOMO :) But I understand that reason doesn’t always enter into the equation. If it makes you happy, and there aren’t negative consequences, why not go for it? :D
I have Cobble and Fog but BARELY get to play it ,😭It's the theme/set that most attracted me to the Unmatched system but I don't have enough people in my life that like head-to-head card battlers. Hopefully you're able to get it to the table more than me!
Okay Carly, I am officially on the hunt for Wok and Roll, too, and if I ever find it, it's yours. My grail games are Feed the Kraken (Deluxe Edition) and Stationfall. They seem to be out of stock everywhere.
AHHH I WANT FEED THE KRAKEN TOO!!! Also!! No need to try and find wok and roll!!! BOARD GAME BLISS HAS IT IN STOCK!!! I snagged a copy!! Finally!!! I am so excitedddd!!!
@@boardgame_buzzz I was about to drop you a line about BoardGameBliss. Glad you found it. Note! They also have the expansion, The Korean Wave (two copies at the time of this writing) if you didn't notice.
@@boardgame_buzzzyou guys don't have enough great deals on board games with target and b&n you gotta empty Canadian stock too 😂? Also. I want feed the kraken too. Also wanted to buy whale riders but didn't buy when a pre-order at BGB was available figured I would wait till till release. Oopsies
@@reso7675 That honestly must have JUST happened. They must have done a reprint.Because I went searching Regularly .. and it never came up! Perfect timing!
In June, I was able to buy the English edition of Whale Riders on the tradeinn site for less than $48 including the shipping from Spain to the US. Get it while you can!
Whoa, great list! Most of these weren’t even on my radar and unlikely to be available readily in Australia. Definitely interested in Whsle Riders. My sought after list would be Glory to Rome Fields of Arle - Tea and Trade Roads & Boats Here I Stand Discworld - Ankh Morpork
I was lucky enough to snag two of mine in the flea market for a local convention a while back: Bridges of Shangri La, and Fast Sloths. Both amazing games! Whale Riders is on my list too, as well as some other Reiner Knizia games (Samura, Tigris & Euphrates). There's also an interesting looking Sudoku-inspired area majority game called Hiroba that hasn't made it over the US yet that I'd love to try out.
I have Xia with the big expansion, KINGS: TRICKTAKERs, and nana. So far, the only one I’ve played is nana, and it’s a BIG HIT. BUT!!!! You have Trio, so you don’t need nana. The art alone isn’t worth it, because the art for Trio is solid too. But I realize that telling a board gamer they don’t need a particular board game is like telling a bunny not to hop, so you do you!
2:47 - Can’t be a licensing issue. Every character in that set is in the public domain for open use. I believe it is a production issue and keeping the line moving forward. It could come back in the future like the formerly out of print Bruce Lee Unmatched character coming back in a two character set with Mohamed Ali. 😊
There was a game I had back in the 80s called “Myrtle Beach Daze”. It was a board game & dang it I can’t find it anywhere! Anyone else ever heard of or played this game?
hey! I have Wok and Roll haha it's made by a indie designer in Singapore and they have sold at PAX AUS in the past. I have not played it yet though haha
I have the kickstarter deluxe versions of Dreadful Meadows and Whale Riders. I guess you'll just have to hunt me down to play them. LOL! For me, my grail that I want is a game called Beyond Humanities: Colonies. I played it once and was blown away and I really want that one.
I think Whale Riders was only ever produced for the Kickstarter, which may explain its rarity. It's pretty light, though. I gave my copy to my son, as it wasn't grabbing our attention.
@@boardgame_buzzz (Now that I'm at home and can get to all the sites) Reiner Knizia severed all business ties with the publisher (Grail Games) a year or so after this campaign, so I'm guessing that it will never be reprinted under that name and with that art. Knizia does have a habit of reskinning his own games, though. So maybe he'll create another game with the same mechanics but different theme.
Whale Riders is on my list also. If a favorite online retailer's categorization is to be believed, it seems like it a new printing is set to release in the not too distant future and priced in the low two digit range. So I have it on my list of items to send me a notification once they become available. Luckily, I have a copy of Nana and Kings. And the Korean (L board) version of Can't Stop is the best, and I was lucky enough to nab a copy of that as well. Be jealous. 🤣
@@Amadre278 Yes, GameNerdz has it in their Pre-Orders list. I'm taking that to mean that it should be released again at some point. And it's pretty cheap with their typical pre-order discount, but it has been already sold out for some time. I'm hoping when it gets closer to release, they'll have more units to sell.
I got cobble and fog AND Bruce Lee and at this point I think I’ll retire if I sell them lol Also the game I wanted I did find a new copy: Orléans. Not the most exciting pick but I am a dull euro fanatic.
It's been one way street for nearly 20 years. Roy asked me to prove it when they first started using it. I did prove, with many links. Never heard a word back and they continue to use it.
I saw your vidoe just an dhow you talked about your collection of roll and write games. Have you tried Twilight Inscription? I have just bought it and trying to learnt it. Do you have a video of your favorite Roll and write games?
The only game here I’ve heard of or played is Xia. I was hyped to play but after the game ended I thought it was just another game and nothing magical. Haven’t played since. That usually happens with most games anyway.
Please don’t spend $275 on Xia. It’s got good components and is a big game but I’d definitely try before you buy. It fell flat with our group and happens to be my lowest ranked game but I think we’re in the minority as lots of people love it for some reason.
Well, you have Foundations of Rome sitting right there. I wouldn't mind having that, but it's a silly amount of money. Not hard to find online, but I have never seen one in person. At one time Comic Hunters would have been on my list. Then I got it and...meh. So sometimes it's better to leave games desired, but not acquired ;).
Dreadful Meadows looks very cool, and the acrylic pieces look beautiful. The one I can't find ANYWHERE is Railroad Evolution, which is the expansion for Railroad Revolution. Have lost hope on coming across it at this point. Good luck finding your games for the right price!
