Top 10 Board Games - Better Gateway Games Than Catan!? 

Why does the caption of every game say "Via Nebula"?

I quite enjoyed this video. If I may make a suggestion. At least 3 times, after you initially introduced one of the games and then started to describe it. I thought to myself, what was that game again? Granted, I could just jump back. But what would have been helpful is if you had a thumbnail of the game or the name of the game somewhere on the boarders. Again, over all, helpful video. You gave me some ideas for what to introduce to friends not in the hobby. And Explorers looked cool.

So glad to see someone talk about Cosmic Encounter. I never really liked Catan but everyone in my friend group at the time i was introduced to it loved it. Another friend of mine saw and purchased Cosmic Encounter and it is still to this day one of my favorite games. Many laughs, bargains, and groans, i highly recommend Cosmic Encounter.

Love the video and the editing showing off each game, and LOVE THE SHIRT! So cool that you drew all of that! I gotta have it.

I am very much interested in seeing how various games breakdown by attributes. Knowing that will help us determine what other games we may like! 😀

Good video! I liked the shirt a lot and did pick it up.

Great video! Dice forge looks so cool, going on my list, from your link!

Great list! Ty!

I haven't played a lot of these games, but I'm loving the digital browser version of Explorers (since the board game isn't available in the US yet). Nice video!

Via Nebula is great. I don't hear about it much, but my wife and I had a good time with it and she's relatively new to the board gaming space. Easy to pick up, and good decisions.

I've had a lot of luck introducing 7 Wonders to newcomers. It seems a bit complex at first but it is quite simple and at the same time it is more exciting than most party games.

Excellent list.

Hey this was the first time youtube recommended you and I'm glad they did! I really like the list and am always trying to get my family to take that next step. I would just suggest either saying the name of the game a few more times or adding a lower third with the title. There were a few times I had to rewind to catch the name again. A second suggestion would be if both you and a playthrough of the board game are on the screen, the board game should take more real-estate. For example, I was trying to see the board of Pompeii and had to squint, but I saw you no problem. Just some food for thought. I really enjoyed your video though and excited to see more! I'm also looking to get Pompeii before the holidays now, so thank you!

Back in the days Catan was really fun the first 3-4 times with the same people. Then the trading basicly started to stop some turns into the game. However it is the kingmaking which really kills it. I will never ever play it again.

Definitely going to check out explorers and via nebula now, thanks!

Istanbul is my favorite game but I don't think it has too much luck factor. I mean sure, there's dice rolling but you can mitigate it with the red bonus, and the dice rolling is fitting with the theme: Tea House, and The Black Market... I also barely rely on the card draw because I usually draw from the discard pile. Man, I LOVE this game! Best with 3 players. Great video btw.

Nice job on the shirt! Good Vid also!!!

We were incredibly underwhelmed when we finally got to play Catan after we had heard so much about it.

I have always been a big fan of Rise of Tribes. I feel that it does what Catan tried to do, but does it successfully. Same concept. Terrain tiles that produce resources which you are trying to build villages on for points. The big difference here I think is that the dice you roll every turn do not produce resources directly but provide the active player with options for different actions to take, one of which is to produce resources. In Catan, you can get a bad roll that results in you not getting anything which may in turn result in you not being able to DO anything and you lose a turn. In Rise of Tribes you can get a “bad” roll but still get to do something, effectively giving you the ability to manage risk as oppose to just fall victim to it.

Going to check out some of these. Explorers looks cool.

I tried Catan, I wanted to like Catan, but after a dozen plays I would never play Catan again. I genuinely can't understand why people like it so much. The main deal breaker comes from the dice. On it's own it doesn't sound bad, but since dice are the only way to get resources if the dice don't roll on your numbers early then you can't get resources, then without resources you don't have a turn and if you don't get those numbers again then other players are likely to get resources so they can expand taking the good settlement spots left, so even if the numbers start rolling your way later it doesn't matter because chances are you have been blocked. I have a few minor qualms with the trading system too but the dice are the big one. Ultimately a gateway game should be engaging throughout and Catan often has a situation where one or more players are just sitting there while others are getting everything (and people who love the game have conceded this to me). And just to be clear I'm not saying Catan is a total luck game, I know there is a lot of strategy in initial settlement placement, robber targeting and when and where to expand on but ultimately the dice dictate everything. Great list by the way. I'll have to try a few of these at some point.

Awesome video. I like your unique perspective on games. On a side note, Catan has tournaments around the world. For such a heavily luck based game why do you think it does so well in the competitive market?

I’m starting the hobby and played catan since I had heard so much about it, but I couldn’t get my head around it.

I haven’t played any of these but they all look fun. I have played Catan but am kinda tired of it and it never was a favourite of mine. I’m sure these are all more fun than Catan.

Thanks

Is it so good for via nebula? Because I have bought it last year but i never play it till now. 😅

Thanks for repeating the name of the game after talking about it.

I don’t want to say this in a mean way, but when showing off the game like Pompeii, can you make the game at least 70% of the screen and make your voice over video section like 30% of the screen. Could barely see the board game, but thank you I will look into this game. Have lots of friends who need lightweight games haha

I'm suprised that I did not see Ticket to Ride

During my last game of Catan, 9s kept getting rolled... OVER & OVER by all players. The owner just happened to play both his initial settlements next to 9s. Me and the other person agreed not to trade with him at all and to openly trade with each other. He bought everything at the 4:1 ratio. He ended up winning 10-3-2 because his production just steam rolled us. This is why dice in a game are a red flag for me.

YOU ARE AWESOME! ❤❤❤

For number 6, the game Istanbul, in an interview with the developers it was stated that the original title for the game was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. Why they changed it, I can't say. Some people just liked it better than way.

Have you ever played starcraft the board game? If so, you should make a video!

No Carcassonne? 20+ years old and still in the top 100 most played games on Boardgamegeek! Easy to get into and is only nasty if you want it to be (the best way to play). Every turn challenges you to place a random tile in an optimal location and adapt to the luck of the draw.

I'd recommend Stone Age for entry level game. Cheers

Actually, as of 11 Feb 2022, 435 games are better the Catan according to BGG.

It seems to me that 90% of the complaints in the comments could be solved using the welfare variant. Basically, when someone rolls a number that you aren't built on you get a token. On your turn you can trade them in at a rate equal to the number of victory points you have built on the board for one resource of your choice. I usually cap the rate at 5:1.

Do you think an 8 year old would be interested in Catan? I know there's a "Catan Junior" but I don't know if that would be fun for my wife and me.

Ethnos is a great game

“Catan is a great game.” ……………😬

Mentioning Cosmic Encounter as an alternative to Catan is extremely odd IMO. Cosmic Encounter is a board game enthusiast's game, IMO, not good as a "gateway" game.

Are they really better? This is objective question, not a criticism of the video. Perhaps the title should be "Alternatives to Catan" or "Tired of Catan? try these instead..." but implying "better" is a long shot! A really long one. None of the mentioned games were better in my opinion, just games that some will, or not enjoy.

Almost any game is better than Catan IMHO. I have always considered it to be German Monopoly. Bad rolls early in the game mean you sit there for a couple hours watching other people play as you slowly get squeezed.

Four minutes of intro… Jesus.

I’ve been trying to find a reasonably priced copy of Pompeii for the longest time now 🥲