@@Neon_Gorilla All joking aside, it is correct to be prejudice against slave masters, tyrants, druggies, alcoholics, and probably all the concepts that end in ism.
I just got Hansa Teutonica to the table a couple times this week after sitting on my shelf of shame for about 2 years because the aesthetics just weren't enough to push it to the top of the list. Now that I've played it i can finally understand why it gets so much praise and look forward to more plays with the extras in the big box
Brilliant game. I bring so many modern games with high budget graphic design to my club that folks who haven't played HT always double-take at the sheer apparent bland/beige-ness of it on my table. Probably half the people who actually play it then go on to purchase a copy - the Big Box is just so much (great) game for the price, and everything from squeeze-to-juice ratio to the overall game length at high player counts perfectly hit the sweet spot.
@@Neon_Gorilla I sit corrected, sir... there are indeed time stamps in the description! Is it "chapters" or something that you see when you scroll the video left and right to certain sections? That was what I was looking for. I wanted to quickly see what games you'd be commenting on (to determine if I wanted to hear opinions on them) and that wasn't easy to figure out. In this era where you have me for about 10 seconds to determine if I'll hit play or keep scrolling, having that info available might mean the difference between watching (and liking and maybe subscribing) and moving on. Thanks for your reply!
I played Agricola and Carcassonne once back when I started playing board games, but I finally got back to them recently and they are so good. And I recently played Quest for El Dorado as well, and I get the hype now, too. I definitely got in the mindset of "I'm a more experienced gamer now, so I want more mechanisms and intertwining systems!" But going back to the simple games is so, so nice. I get why people could play these games forever. The depth is built through player decisions/interaction, rather than the discovery of untangling systems.
I've been playing hobby board games for over thirty years but El Grande passed me by (id heard of it but never played it). I finally played it about a year ago and you are right, it's fantastic- such a great clean design. Hopefully the reprint will introduce it to a new audience to see what all the fuss is about.
Power grid won our 2023 board game tourney done similar to march madness. So, you should play it. Even my 8 year old liked it and he almost never likes a game.
I know that Castle of Burgundy is a good game but it is known to look like shit, the special edition looks great but I'm not going to spend 200 euros on one game.
Wow @neon you’re really making a lot of high quality thoughtful content really quickly now! Thank you 🙏 These are all really solid games. We may not be living in a golden age of board games if some of these did not exist. However, to be contrarian myself, apart from Gaia Project which is a 10 for me and Brass Birmingham, I’d rate the others around 7.x and would have to be in the mood to play them now, and I wouldn’t want to play them regularly again. It’s a good problem to have that we have so many incredible games widely available that anything that isn’t right for our individual tastes doesn’t need to be in rotation. Anyway thanks again for another well written and thoughtful stream. Keep it coming!
I went years sticking my nose up at Lords of Waterdeep bexause the D&D theme did not interest me. Then my friend Barb made me play it and it turns out to be a pretty solid worker placement game.
Wingspan. I could not care less about the theme. Birds don't interest me, and after a painful experience walking through a parking lot with an angry crow once upon a time, I actively dislike them. Someone at a convention convinced me to play it and... the game is awesome! The engine building is perfect, the round goals and personal goals is just the right level of tense. Gameplay 9/10, Theme 0/10
Concordia for me. Years back i was watching other boardgaming chanel that used to talk about trading in meditterean as most boring theme. It took me too long to try it, now I love it.
Scythe was definitely one for me. I didn't have any interest when I heard there wasn't much fighting. And one night I had coworkers over to play Blood Rage. One of them brought Scythe and I was a bit irritated because everyone voted for that one. I ended up loving it and owning everything for it! I had the opposite experience with Lost Ruins and Dune. I pushed of playing LRoA but when I finally did I really enjoyed myself. I still prefer Dune Imperium (and Uprising is really great and I'd love to see your thoughts on it). Lastly, Arkham Horror: The Card Game. I finally pulled the trigger when a buddy was getting rid of it in March 2020. I needed a game to quarantine with during COVID 😅 it's now one of my favorite games of all time!
I have a major blind spot on Scythe, does not interest me in the least bit! Which is probably why I need to play it :) I can see scythe, uprising and Arkham all being on a second video.
Good video, anda a great idea. One more vote to Power Grid. Form me the best route and economic family weight game. My other two cents: Race for the Galaxy Tigris & Euphrates BLue Moon Legends
Well that’s it power grid will likely be in the second video :). Blue Moon is new too me, looks would have me pass but in the spirit of this video I think I should probably play it :) thank you for the kind words
If I had to rely on a group getting together to play I don't think it would have grown on me as much. I play the digital version alot which is where I learned to love it.
Catan is such a good game for a family to play together. Our family grew up playing it for a decade. What started out as a basic intro to thinking ahead and strategy turned into a nightmare diplomatic struggle of how everyone could combine to take down 'Dad' . While each secretly harboring aspirations to win when the beast had been subdued! Brilliant fun. And a wonderful education in collaboration....
Mine is Beer and Bread. Tried it out a couple of months ago and loved it. I knew I would love playing it. But I have a decent sized group and so having a 2 player game was going to work out. But one of my friends started hanging out with me more than just in the gaming group and we picked up a lot of just 2 player games. And beer and bread became a staple. We have 20ish plays in just this past month.
As a solo gamer, I brushed off Spirit Island despite being voted the top solo game by BGG users. The theme doesn’t appeal to me and I’m intrigued by games where you pick a boss/opponent. I caved and bought the Horizons version so we’ll see if I enjoy it. My FLGS is the Gamezenter (formerly FFG Gamecenter). I walked by Arkham Horror LCG so many times. Finally bought a core set in 2020 and now it’s my favorite game.
I watched the same comparisons between LROA, Dune, and Endless Winter. But after owning and playing all three, I would say that Dune just isn't the same as the other two. LROA is seriously fun. The way you can chain together actions is just super satisfying and makes you feel cleaver. IMHO Endless Winter is ok, but it just didn't bring anything new to the table. It just seems like a handful of mechanics thrown together without any real driving direction between any of them. We kept playing it thinking that something would click, but it never did for us. Dune is just a completely different beast. It's just an intense struggle. You can't quietly rack up points. It forces you earn everything you get. Everything is either a race or a battle. Every time we play, everyone is spent by the end of the game. Just a different experience from the other two.
There is magic in classics, and missed modern games, that get uncovered when playing for the first time, or returned to. The flaws with it can drive ine away over time. Catan and Dominion are two examples. In case of Catan, while a hobbyist tabletop gamer may not own it, it can be a staple with families that do not have a large collection.
@@thegamesninja3119 yeah I do see value in situational games, I do think the real gems are the ones that can be played with anyone and a hobbyist is excited to play. Quest for wi dorado is that for me right now.
I finally played CAstles of Burgundy. I had never avoided it deliberately, but certainly its look put me off seeking it out for years. It's a pretty good game lol :)
It seems to me as I actually play the highest rated games of all time I tend to realize that #1 the polished look and production of games as a marketing ploy are fairly recent and many of the best designs are actually the games that are sitting near the top of the rankings
With CoB, everyone says it's 'silky smooth', which is true. However, I can't help but feel this is a consequence of mostly obvious decisions each turn. There are rarely difficult choices, which I very much enjoy. With Concordia, I loved it for 8 or 9 plays and then it dropped off a cliff. I don't love the dependency of getting the right cards to be able to get a decent score. If the timing/turn order doesn't work out for you when it/they appears, it can destroy your scoring potential. It's almost impossible to pivot. I just can't handle that anxiety 😂
interesting, I feel the opposite (which is fine). COB has many good decisions and each turn is a mini efficiency puzzle of you trying to find the best. without turning a die in for workers...the longer the game goes the tougher the decisions are. I think the monastery tiles give a unique direction to each game in addition to the duchy board. I don't think it's the deepest strategical masterpiece but do think it rides the line between simple and crunchy constantly creating tension as other players pick the "best tiles". I see this as a game that asks a player to constantly pivot and do the best with what's left. With all that said I am a big believer in not being able to compare experiences when I don't know your gaming history or proclivities it's just my take. I haven't seen the problem your are speaking of in Concordia but only 6 plays or so in. I find I see the goals I want to go after early and try to collect those cards throughout the game.
I had the same moment with Dune Imperium Uprising. I read the books and played the pc games of old with this. The movies reignited my interest in this world. 3 weeks ago I pulled the trigger and bought the game. Top 3 games of al time for me, need more plays with more players to know if it will go for spot number 1
Got into this hobby in the last 4 yrs but have invested quite a bit into it, have about 17 games that I have not played and/or have only done a practice game for to learn but have not played with others. Out of those there is only a few that I consider on my Shelf of Shame: 1. Lords of Ragnarok 2. Alien Frontier Edition X 3. Pandemic 4. Tamashii: Chronicles of Ascend PS. Dune Imperium was on my Shelf of Shame until about 2 weeks ago and my whole group loved it.
@@Neon_Gorilla I regret not devoting myself to playing thru the whole story before my ISS Vanguard arrived. I played thru 1st and 2nd mission and even piloting a 2 player game solo, it was fun and for a campaign game very easy to pick up mechanics overal, not to mention beautiful art and minis that we have come to expect for AR. Only struggle I have with any awaken realms title I own is the English version rulebook, sometimes its hard to interpret specifics. That being said I absolutely adore Awaken Realms games, im still bummed out when I had to choose Nemesis Retaliation over dragon eclipse.
You never *need* to have played anything - play what you want - but we have an idea that Games are like Music, or Movies, where you get the experience and then move onto another. You listen to an album, you enjoy it, you move on. But games are not like that. With a board games the game is secondary to the experience of gaming. You can play a game from fifty years ago and it can be a great experience, and you can play the latest kickstarter and it can be great but it is the experience more than the game which you are transacting in. So games do not get old in the same way that albums do. In music, in movies, we experience the thing and then want something more. In games, we get something different with (most) plays. To put another way. There are some albums you might not be into, but you might have heard it when out and had a great time, and that great time was partly the music but it was partly the people you were with, and the good times. Games are those shared experiences, not cardboard and pieces. Nice video.
Thank your for the thoughtful comment. I personally find it helpful to expand my horizons so I can have historical reference when experiencing new games and eventually talking about them with everyone. You hit on an interesting point with many people overlook when talking about how good a game is. The experience is also about the people you are playing with.
This is an awesome idea for a video! Count me in for a collab on part two lol the intro is just so on point and it’s crazy that I’m watching this just hours after playing Quest for El Dorado for the first time and feel exactly as you do.
Let’s think about how to make the collab happen…I do have a list of games I have yet to play that I imagine will go on a future list, power grid, revive, hansa, roll player adventures I could keep going
Our crossover is Castles of Burgundy. It's one of the few games I've played at a board game night (don't do those often), and loved it, and now own it and still love it. Other games that didn't wow me for a long time based on appearance or whatever, but now I own and love are: Space Base, Red Rising, and Pax Pamir 2nd Edition. In general for me, most dry Euros end up being "meh" for me after I try them, so I've learned that I'm probably never going to enjoy many of the classics I still haven't tried. I think it's resource management and conversion that I just don't find too interesting at the end of the day. There's some games I love that have these elements, but if it's core to the game and particularly tight, not for me.
@@tteshera I tend ti think about these games the same way as you, I have learned that the term “dry euro” shouldn’t be the nail in my interest coffin as I have played many “dry” games that I have enjoyed a lot. I have very much grown up in the FOMO laden KS era of board gaming and fell in love with presentations/components/gimmicks but when I actually compare the mechanics to some of the new stud it seems like many designers are bolting complexity on which ends up making it hard to get to the table. I will probably end up having more net fun with quests for el dorado than many of the more complex games I rate higher.
Thunderstone Quest and Bardwood Grove. Both sat on my shelf for months because the "community" keeps poopooing them, but after finally dusting them off they are now my favourite games! They really sing to me. The thing about games, is that we are living in a golden age. So much choice means that there are literally games for everyone out there
Within the past 3 weeks played Dune imperium (uprising), viticultural and Azul to the table for the first time. Was instantly hooked on all of them and had to play them again. Viticulture is probably in my top 3 games now given the ease to teach, length and replayability with different, brain burny strategies
Played with Tuscany once and liked it. Makes it more of a “gamer’s game” but I feel like it’s not as essential as a lot of ppl make it out to be. The simplicity and approachability of base is underrated.
@@Neon_Gorilla poor wording by me. I have only played the essential edition. I mean Tuscany EE is not “a must have” expansion. I’ve seen multiple reviewers say that viticulture is only worth it with Tuscany but I disagree
I get that Concordia looks boring, possibly even after knowing about the mechanics, but the Quest for El Dorado?? Never played that yet, but as soon as I understood that it's a deck building racing game without a strictly linear racetrack I knew I'll need to get this someday
@@Neon_Gorilla oh! That makes sense somehow. Although, I think, some small & light games have a place in even the most experienced board gamers collection
Dominion, Burgundy, Concordia and Brass Birmingham are definitely on my list of games I accept are probably really good but I don't really care to buy. But I'd be willing to play it if anyone brought them to a board game night or something.
Did you ever tried Caylus? The granddaddy of worker placement games that still holds up (there's an updated version called Caylus 1303, but I'm talking about the original one)
This would probably fit more in the hot takes video, but as you were discussing Birmingham here. For me, I do not think Birmingham is the best “Brass” design let alone the best anything else. I understand why Birmingham is so well liked, but as far as Brass, I think original Brass (Brass: Lancashire now) and Age of Industry are superior. But all three designs offer something a little bit different, and shows how good Martin Wallace is at designing systems that can be iterated on. Catan was also a design I did not play for years. I distinctly remember getting on a bus with my team to drive to the national wrestling championships in 2003 and someone had a Settlers of Catan disc. Our bus was pretty nice and had the capability to play it, so a bunch of the guys did. I thought it looked very boring, but the people playing had a blast. It took me another 4 years to realize they were right.
Yeah I think describing anything as “best” is problematic…I think if you say Brass is awful that is more easily disproven albeit subjective. I haven’t played lancashire, why do you think Birmingham is ranked above?
@@Neon_Gorilla Birmingham was designed for the modern euro game market. It is more open, more forgiving, less interaction, and the interaction is more positive. I think a lot of people find Lancashire frustrating, especially if they are not used to some of the rougher edges that many older designs have. Age of Industry is less about efficiency optimization than Birmingham. The ships are also more relevant than in Lancashire. It is more tactical than both, which is probably part of the reason it never took off like the others. It is also not a looker.
Concordia is my #1 of all time... waiting the right chance to play Concordia Venus. Dune Imperium is my the game I wish I played sooner. As a genre the one I wished I tried earlier is cooperative... now catching up with Gloomhaven with my friends and Earthborne Rangers with my gf. I especially wished I tried cooperative games earlier with my friends, when we were in uni and had a lot more time compared to now, when we are all working...
I have enjoyed your video! Very interesting when you talked about dune imperium as I am also recently considering the exact same. Quick qs…now that you have played both lost ruins of arnak and dune imperium, do you think they will both have their space on your shelf or do you think it’s a replacement one over the other? Not sure if you have also tried endless winter but seem nowadays there are less people talk about endless winter. Back to the topic though. The game that I have overlooked intentionally for years is wingspan. I was like what bird tableau building game. There is no way this game any good. I intentionally skip it for years until I played it on bga. Oh my world I love that game. Definitely on my top 15 games of all time now and I love it!
wingspan is a wonderful game and the one that really got me into modern boardgames. I will always have Dune and Arnak on the shelf. There are two very different experiences. Watch my Arnak video if you are interested in my expansion recommendations. I do have endless winter and need to play it again. It felt like a bunch of modules were bolted together rather than a seamless integrated game. Thanks for the kind workds
@@Neon_Gorilla Thank you! I am ordering Dune imperium uprising for my birthday and good to know they both can have their space on the shelve! I love lost ruins of Arnak.
You need to play Power Grid. It's a classic and can be amazing. There is so much going on between players in that game, and if you are able to keep a sense of the game state in your head, you can pull off some amazing plays and upsets. I don't love it mainly because of the theme, but every time I've played it, it's been a very rewarding game.
The 2 games for me are Dominion & Lost Cities. Both box/game art didn’t catch my eye and I ignored both for 3 years. This year I finally played both and think both are fantastic! I only play dominion on steam because it’s cheaper & it’s easy to setup & play with friends who are just video gamers.
@@Neon_Gorilla the nice thing about the digital version is the dlc is a 1 time buy and I can use it both on steam and on my phone when I’m away from home!
Dominion as a whole definitely isn't a simple deck builder. The base set is, for sure. But add in even 1 expansion and the complexity and card interaction really expands. For the core deckbuilding mechanic, Dominion is unparalleled in my experience!
simple is a poor choice or words as this is subjective and dependent on your past experience. Concordia for example has more dimensions that are added on to the deck building mechanic. If I had to restate I would say it is pure deck building without the complications of extra mechanics.
@@Neon_Gorilla Agreed! Concordia is one of my favorites as well. I enjoy games with deckbuilding + X, but when my deckbuilding itch hits then I always come back to Dominion.
this is a good question, to be honestI don't have a ton of experience with really great solo deck builders. Many of the best have solo modes. I think imperium series, mage knight and Friday as some of the most well regarded soloish deck builders...I will pin this to see if the community has some ideas for you.
Of the games mentioned I've only tried Catan and Dune. After giving Dune a shot it didn't cut it for me but I might try Catan again. Haven't played that 1 for a really long time. At the moment I'm more hooked on something epic like Twilight Imperium which I am very much looking forward to playing again. Tried 4th edition with the PoK expansion 3 years ago but haven't played it since unfortunately. In 3 weeks I'll be playing the 4th edition again(finally!) with some friends, no expansion included this time. Another game I would love to try out is Nemesis. Also.. tried the Battlestar Galactica game many years ago. Definitely want to try that one again. 🤔🤗
I would really avoid thinking any game you haven't played is bad. I've been playing designer games for about 25 years and I won't play Catan because I've probably played it 50 times and at this point the parts I don't like overwhelm the parts I do. Still, I would absolutely encourage everyone to play it at least once. One thing I find very useful about Catan specifically is after a new hobbyist plays it, I ask them what their favorite and least favorite part was, and then give other game recommendations from there. You can easily go from there to Concordia, Valeria: Card Kingdoms, Bohnanza, or Hansa Teutonica based on the answer.
I haven't played Puerto Rico (just backed the special edition)Agricola or Caverna, Brass, terraforming Mars, Great western Trail (on my shelf and will play soon), Clank and Five tribes. Thats just some of many i think
BTW, are those other deck builders, even compared to Dominion, really more advanced deck builders, or are they actually primarily worker placement or other genres that use what is actually pretty simple deck building as a relatively minor mechanic?
@@paulhamrick3943 I will say I just played base dominion on its app (which was what I was referring to) and it reminded me just how simple it is. While one of the criticisms of LOA is you don’t see cards enough to consider it a strong deck builder. I think the multi use nature of each card along with the interesting synergies that can be unearthed make for more interesting decisions and card interactions. They are being used to accomplish goals in another game dimension. Once again this is base vs base and I am sure in the myriad of dominion expansions there are many interesting wrinkles added to the card play and understand most people who love dominion don’t really play vanilla and love it for all the additions
For me the best game I had no interest in was Hanza Tuetonica. Well becuase it's calle Hanza Tuetonica .LOL. and it was very brown looking. BIG mistake. . this game is absolutely amazing. and I wish i had more people willing to give it a try. its so fun, quick and interactive. if you get the opportunity, sit down and join a game of this one.
+1. Really great game. Especially with the alternative maps in the big box. It is possible to get boxed out in some games but it can be an amazing puzzle to solve if you’re willingly to roll with it. Having near perfect information is so refreshing!
I recently got Ark Nova to the table and not sure it was worth getting off the shelf. It's a fair game but as the game runs on then you seem to run out of things to do other than churning the deck to try to find cards that you need to fulfils objectives. It's too long for how good it is. I'd much rather spend the time on Paladiins of the West Kingdom or just play something shorter.
Ark nova is having a resurgence in my house right now. Originally it was abandoned due to length but I dusted it off and am really enjoying it. My first couple of games back I often go to the point you described where I defaulted to digging for cards but am getting more efficient and making smarter decisions with the starting cards.
i havent played all of these games because for one they take quite a long time to finish, two we love family games. not one for not trying but we tried playing heavy games but not for us because of length and they are not appealing for us
Influencers I watch/read never say, “[popular highly rated game] sucks.” Sounds like you listen to them too much. Rather than that they “looked boring.” Been in this hobby decades and if a game is popular and highly rated on BGG there’s a reason.
Many I have heard say Catan sucks…I think many of these games are polarizing. I have had many people in my comments in the past express hate for Brass and Castles of Burgundy. I agree with you the ratings are there for a reason. With that said some designs and presentations that will eventually fall out of favor(Marco Polo is one that has been sliding in this manner) and some are timeless
@@Neon_Gorilla Thanks for responding, yes, hot games do get tepid, and they come and go now more than they used to. Guess I’m an old timer from when there weren’t as many opinions. Or games! I enjoy your videos very much - keep it up!
A game can be popular and highly rated, but be inferior to many others "below" it. (Obviously some subjectivity applies as with any art) Success on a popularity contest can have more to do with marketing, association, and timing than skilled and artful game composition. Critique with historical understanding is far more valuable. I salute your efforts and motivation behind this video, @Neon_Gorilla Cheers!
At one point I had two copies of El Dorado, because Vincent Dutrait's artwork in the newer edition is so much better. Regarding Wingspan, I played it because of all the hype it was getting but I actually don't care a lot for it. It's decent, but I think that there are better alternatives
I have the older version but was trying to trade for the newer oh well. I enjoy wingspan for what it is. I think there are better engine builders but nothing that really shows off the hobby is such a well crafted production for new players. I will always use it to introduce certain types of players.
GREAT VIDEO! We seem to have very similar tastes. I just discovered Concordia and agree with your list of games. Try Reiner Knizia games like Ra, Medici, Quest for Eldorado Golden Temple, and Lost Cities. Highly recommend Power Grid Recharged!!!! Also, Catan Game of Thrones takes Catan to the next level. Last but not least, try Lords of Waterdeep with it's expansion.
Thanks for all the recommendations and kind words! We just discovered quests for El dorado and the family loves it. Ra has been high in my list to try for a while but will look at the others.
I don’t know a party was held for game of thrones :) you actually unlocked a gaming journey memory. Before I knew anything about modern Boardgames I saw a game of thrones game and wished I could play something with the political complexity of the series. So i assume you recommend?
@@Neon_Gorilla Absolutely! Especially GoT the digital version, as it is hard to get to the table as it requires 6 players that like this kind of game, and like to drink whiskey while playing ;) I do not think is is hard at all to teach. But what a love to play this kind of game when diplomacy is a big part of the gameplay - it sparkles for me. This is why i also like Cosmic Encounter and Dune - the board game.
As a seasoned gamer myself, there are several games here that I have to disagree on. Played most of those games: 1) El Dorado I too actually played for the first time quite recently, but probably won't do that ever again. It is just too simple and feels flat for me 2) Dominion maybe was fun like 10 years ago when I was starting in the hobby, but nowadays sheer deckbuilding is to little mechanics for me in a game :) 3) Catan is actually straight-up bad and there is nothing that will change my mind on that. I cannot comprehend, how a game so random, and so little skill-based can have a competitive tournament scene... 4) On Castles of Burgundy I fully agree - it's a great game, one of my most played ever, I had the base copy for years and now I'm waiting for the Special Edition from Awaken Realms to be delivered! 5) Brass or Barrage I have to admit I did not play yet, and it does feel a bit shameful as they are so iconic. I even have Brass on my shelf for several months already and also had thoughts to buy Barrage, but did not touch them yet. Somehow the theme of both feels dry and uninteresting to me, and I feel like I will eventually have to try them but somehow am reluctant. Gaia Project is great tho. 6) Lost Ruins fo Arnak is fun but not ouststanding, I'd probably give it a 7/8 out of 10. Dune Impreium however is IMO vastly superior, and the new Uprising implementation even more so!
@@ShadyNetworker oh it’s been a while but I think we found the card play decisions to be pretty obvious and in result uninteresting. The big decision was the shifter and where you would set it. More broadly I didn’t find the decision space to be engaging at all. Not sure if heavy rain helps that at all. It just seemed like I was constantly doing simple arithmetic and if you could do that the skill gap was fairly narrow. I have been disagreed with this take in the past and may need to revisit.
yeah I have it and really like it, I just got the expansion as well. I made a video a while back but I really love the multi purpose action/rail tiles. I will say I don't see alot in common with barrage but that doesn't really matter they are all wonderful and have a place in my collection.
@@Neon_Gorilla no its more like a brass extension but i think the comparisson maybe the flow of the uranium and the fact that you can spend a few bucks to use others turbines like using someones conduits. but def closer to brass
Never played A Feast for Odin until a con recently. It always seemed way too expensive and of Uwe's games Agricola and Caverna were not my favorites so I passed on Odin. I was wrong! I love Feast now. It will be tough to table with my group but I will try at some point. Next up, Brass Birmingham and Dune Imperium to try.
You haven't played Power Grid yet? OMG!? To be fair though, Power Grid is not for everybody. There's a fair bit of math involved. Highly recommend as a great resource management and area control game. Also note that once you have fallen in love with this game there are a number of expansion maps that also come with individual not insignificant rule changes. 3-6 players, technically 2 but don't. Best at 4 players, enjoy.
One of my most played games. If i have to say, i prefer it over the two brasses. I am on your side that it has a bit of math involved wich can produce some rejections but is one of my favorite games for sure.
I am always so surprised about how excited people are about Dune: Imperium. I have three issues with it: First is how crucial combat is. There is no path to victory without heavy combat. This surely is a personal issue, I understand, but it makes me always rather play Arnak. Second and third issues are kind of connected. It's the worker placement limitation through the deck and the randomness of the deck. There might be an acton you really want to do - or even a situation, where you are simply locked out of doing something that properly benefits you. At the same time, the cards you can buy might randomly fit into your combo - or just not. In my personal opinion, this makes Dune: Imperium way too tactical for its weight. With the duration of the game I don't want to be this dependent on card pull and I also tend to prefer a more pacifist route to victory - again, that last part is my own problem. Overall, Dune: Imperium often gives me the feeling to have many options that I don't want compared to games, where I have to prioritize and find the most rewarding out of many good actions.
I think your sentiment is shared by others....I will say It reinforces an idea I have been kicking around about game personalities. Do you like games like ROOT, Spirit Island or even TCGs like magic or Pokemon?
"There is no path to victory without heavy combat"... Definitely not accurate. We've had a decent % of plays where the winner had little to no focus on combat.
@@Neon_Gorilla I really like the asymmetry of Root, but I haven't played it enough to be sure to like the game. My co-players were too nice to ever attack, so I don't think it was a very meaningful experience. I like horizons of spirit island, but haven't yet gotten deeper into it - but I would like to. TCGs are something I avoid like the plague, because I easily get addicted to things, but don't have the greatest budget as a student. Overall I really prefer to build things - and I also like to see what I built. Not necessarily as something like a finished object, but in the way that I can do more than I could in the beginning. I am very into euro games and randomness has to be in proportion to the length of the game. I don't like confrontation and will always try to use the most econ focused route possible (because more resources and more actions means I get to play more of the game). If I know a game well enough, I like to innovate. Maybe if you want to create a board gamer personality scale, it should contain some of these factors: Openness to heaviness, RNG, confrontational, innovativeness, maybe tightness. What other factors could you think of? Would be a fun idea for a video.
@@frankjoachim9033 I suppose no path is exaggerated, but I think unless card pull luck influences it, between two equally good players, the one who focuses more on fighting wins. That's not per se bad, I think it's lore accurate for dune. It just happens to not hit my taste. But I think the other criticism is more generally applicable. Although I must admit, taste in Europe often differs from the taste in the US and likely other places too. I am always surprised, when I see reward ceremonies from the US, with games, that are generally considered mid in Europe. The great thing about the hobby is, that you can play what you like, you don't need me to enjoy the game. The bad thing about me is, that I always catch on the excitement against better knowledge and then get disappointed. P.S. How often do you play Dune: Imperium with 4 players? As there is more competition, I can imagine combat is heavily nerfed. But with 2 or 3 players, I find it occupy too much space for my taste.
I will key in on “I like to build things” this implies that you like a somewhat static puzzle that others can’t really interact with. (I know many of these games have light interaction) I think a game like ROOT or even Dune has a dynamic environment that has player continue to adjust strategy and be ok with being thwarted at every turn. I wonder it dynamic game states vs static game states is an accurate categorization… I originally asked the question because a game like dune rewards an intimate understanding of the leaders, cards and their synergies. Like the other games I mentioned they reward players who want to dive into these games to the point of memorizing all the meta elements not just the surface level rules. I think there might be something to both of these categories in understanding the polarizing effect some of these games have in the community. Don’t mind me just thinking out loud.
I think Catan for me is suffering from playing it way too much. I still think it is a very interesting game, but I won’t play it without Castles and Knights exspansion. But totally overplayed for me.
@@Neon_Gorilla Intro's strong and well-paced, and the premise of the video presents a question that the general audience finds valuable/relatable. Most people can think of games they wish they hadn't overlooked, or they're capable of feeling FOMO.
@@Neon_Gorilla You can kinda see it looking over the list of your popular videos - "Games yet to hit top 100", "Expansions suck and why", and "persuading my wife" all offer info/storylines that anyone in your target demo can enjoy because it's stuff they haven't seen/thought about before. It's kind of that... Tom Scott energy; where no matter who you are, you can't resist a proposition like: "Why is this basketball spinning at twice the speed of sound?" That said: What the fuck is a castles of burgundy?
Uprising vs original Dune Imperium, it's not simply the case of being a better version. They didn't want to advertise it that way, but it's basically exactly the same game with mechanical errata. Every D:I player I meet that tries Uprising for the first time routinely says, "Ah, they fixed that!". Plus, it's not really Dune without sandworms.
I win like 80-90% of my games against family and friend groups, it is really not as luck-based as many believe. A near "normal" expected distribution of dice rolls is pretty much guaranteed by the end of the game.
@@SamSMBHS But, if you get a bad distribution at the beginning, you are shut off from the rest of the board and it doesn't matter anymore what rolls you get to even out the distribution.
You should get Dominion with a couple of the newest expansions. It will blow your mind. Compared to just base Dominion, the experience is a hundred times better
I’m ignorant and ily played a few times, how do you know so early. It would seem to me that the dice have to go in a certain persons direction consistently and would slowly build in their favor if they are lucky. I am a naive though and only played a couple times.
@@Neon_Gorilla When rolling 2 dice, the average results are far more common than the high/low ones. So if a player has control of the middle results like 6,7,8, the win is certain.
@@joshuaperham3045 normal distribution of dice rolls need a significant number or rolls to happen so it is probably pretty common for games to have "odd" outcomes
Lol people complain about randomness in Catan but insists on putting their settlements on 2s, 3s, 11s and 12s 😅 The game in itself is a masterclass of probability, economics and diplomacy that few games could reproduce, one of the most notables being TI4.
why do you think that more don't recognize dice as a mechanic rooted in mathematics and specifically probability? I wonder if its because an individual play can easily have 2 and 11s as the most rolled result as the sample size is simply not big enough to prove out probability. I have cursed many games of space base where my sons 11/12 strategy has him catapult to the front and win...meanwhile I intelligently build a strategy around 7s and lose. Still a great time just doesn't really feel like regression to the mean is happening do to the relatively few number of dice rolls. I think you might need quite a few games to achieve a normal distribution. Fun to think about either way.
True depending on the nature of the cards. Many cars driven games are asking players to efficiently navigate their hand and not used as a luck mechanic like the alt to dice roles in oathsworn where even there is used as a more predictable luck mechanic because you can start to card count a bit.
@@skipsteroo8065 terraforming mars is not a deck building game…deck building is popular because it gives the player a feeling if power progression buy constantly adding to a deck better and better cards. As that player cycles through the deck they feel more and more powerful on each pass. The best deck builders present synergies that create combos. It plays on the same power fantasy that video games use to hook players.
@@Neon_Gorilla if you do base game is enough. Ultimate Edition only if you are looking for expansions and that's the cheapest way of getting them. Liking Voidfall and SI make me think it will be a hit for you.
I've discovered i dislike light deck building as part of the whole aka D:I and Arnak. At that point you only get the downsides of deck building instead of the upsides (engine/progression). At that point hand management is just the more elegant mechanic. I love Quest for Eldorado and Dominion though!
@@Neon_Gorilla if you do, Mammoth+Rivers is all you need! That's where it shines imo. Also check out the revised rulebook for the variant that reduces workers in era 1
Cthulhu Death May Die. I always looked at it and was like ‘ugh i hate dice chuckers’. Then bought it on sale on a whim and have been scouring the internet for those way too expensive Kickstarter exclusives ever since 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Another reason - for me at least - why Catan is just meh and kinda outdated at this point, is the trading. It IS an interesting mechanic in a way, but I just have no idea how to strategically trade so as to not give the opponent in question too much of a leg up. While I am on the majority side with this opinion among board game enthusiasts, it reminds me of something from another media, which my opinion seems pretty unpopular about: The Lord of the Rings. I can see some beauty in it, especially the elegant writing style, but find it pretty boring otherwise. All the races just aren't mysterious enough for my taste. But LotR did lay the groundwork for some other things I love: Fantasy tabletop RPGs like D&D as well as cRPGs. In roleplaying, I think the races and classes lend themselves perfectly to fleshing out player characters that might otherwise be more of blank slates, hindering the understanding of one's own character and thereby roleplay in general. I'm not really interested in Catan or LotR for those reasons, but respect is definitely due, because we wouldn't have many of the great games and stories (like a Song of Ice and Fire) without them as a basis. Also Catan was pretty much the game that got me into board gaming, so it does have a special place in my heart in a nostalgic way. I kinda feel like I should apologize for spamming your comment section, but it's probably good for your YT metrics and I can't help myself but babble on about games when I get excited. This doesn't happen on nearly every BG video I watch. I guess your video touched on a specially interesting subject for me, so... Great video! :D
spam them more :). Thanks for the engagement...yeah I think Catan holds a special place in gaming history and a good reference point to judge future games against.
Deck building is by far my favorite mechanic, and Dominion can be a great one. Concordia is also a terrific game, it definitely rewards good strategy. If you want to try more deck builders, Star Realms is a great head to head 2 player game. Legendary Encounters is an awesome, challenging co-op deck builder (several different themes available), based on Marvel Legendary which is also a ton of fun. Thunderstone Quest is a bigger one, with a little more going on, but the standard game is great (the co-op version is terrible).
@@Neon_Gorilla if you want to try more deck building apps, ascension is super fun and available in the app. I have several sets for the physical game, but play the app way more because it can be a quick solo game. If you ever want to try some more deck builders in person I have a bunch, it's my favorite mechanic.
Bizarre list. Yes they are all great (except Catan but that's a 90% hit rate & I'd expect 50%). Why would you have thought otherwise? (for a 50% hit rate)
Yeahhh if the game ain’t pretty it ain’t going on my shelf. Then again I love a good “ugly duckling” and I like to route for the underdog (in this case: aesthetically pleasing) but if the art AND the theme are complete misses, then it’s hard to want to play a good game, mechanically speaking, that was thrown away on a half baked theme
