Carcassonne is a good pick and has more depth than most people realize. I also used to feel like roads were underpowered in base Carcassonne but as I played more, I learned to utilize them better. Now I feel like roads shouldn't be ignored. *But also,* you can do a lot with a road tile. You can place a farmer on it. You can make an enemy structure harder (or impossible) to finish. You can surround your monasteries. You can even use it to preemptively protect your cities, but that's a more advanced consideration that would probably require some explanation. All in all, I think the balance is very good in base Carcassonne which is probably my favorite way to play the game. I don't like the 3-tile-hand variant either. I like playing with probabilities and making the best move I can with the tile I'm given. It's part of what I like about the game. Oh, I should probably mention that I play Carcassonne mostly as a 2-player game.
As an Everton fan, I was skeptical of John’s list due to his selection of chapeau and preferred football club, though have to admit the top 10 was unique and multifaceted. It’s great to watch Top 10s from regular board gamers. Great idea for a series and great vid. 👍🏻
Fun list! I love Underwater Cities. I haven't done a ranking in a long time, but I wouldn't be surprised if it landed in my top 10. I've only played Hive a few times, and my kids have since misplaced some of the pieces, haha. Definitely one I'd like to play some more to get a better grasp of it. Terra Nova is one I need to try. I'm a huge fan of Gaia Project and Age of Innovation. Having a similar experience in a quicker play time sounds very appealing for some week night gaming. I really enjoy Beyond the Sun, but don't get it played nearly as much as I'd like to. I'm looking forward to Beyond the Horizon.
I love the look of Praga, and also the gameplay. I didn't like it after my first play and almost gave up on it, but after a few more plays, it really clicked.
Wow! No one ever mentions Tournay. It's a great game... but I don't get to play it often because it is so symbol heavy, it makes it hard to teach new players. I've really grown an appreciation for Carcassonne lately. I had only played it once years ago before getting into the hobby. I recently started playing it more regularly and have been really enjoying it. I have both the Castle and City versions and like the restrictive nature of having a border. Now I am looking for some of the other off shoots like Over Hill and Dale.
Very unique list! You definitely need the right kind of group for heavy 3-4 hour games like terra mystica, but when you have a group that enjoys those games they are the absolute best!. I've been curious about Hive for a while and might try to find a way to play it soon.
❤ I really enjoyed this top 10 list. Going to get some of these game. I was nervous at the intro that this was going to be too silly for me but appreciated the mix of humor and intelligence.
