Only time I've ever gotten angry was at an alpha gamer who hijacked a game of Risk Legacy. There were 5 players, and he was "coaching" two of them to the point that he was effectively playing 3 armies and they were just spectating. I blew up at him, not because of any in game moves but because he was sucking the fun out of the game for everyone by bullying the new players into letting him play for them.
I'd sure add Battlestar Galactica. I once convinced a friend of mine, who is like the living embodiment of a lawful good P&P character, to give me two actions in his turn and then shot him in the face with the once per game ability of Cally and revealed myself as a cylon. He just couldn't grasp the idea how someone could do this to him and was totally shocked. Most fun I had in a game EVER. And as a little bonus he brings that incident up every time we play the game since.
I just played my first game of Diplomacy this past weekend and I know that I was exceptionally lucky because all of the guys I played with were really good sports. Even if one guy basically gave up near the end of the game, and I only won because everyone else ganged up on the second place player to make sure he didn't win, everyone was really civil about it and it was actually a lot of fun. But if these guys were any less civil, it definitely would have been terrible.
I love these old funny top 10s and often find myself rewatching them. I find it so easy to get annoyed playing Survive and don’t even get my started on Warhammer!
I remember in college, a bunch of us dormmates sat down to play an epic game of Risk. One of the guys went on this big speech about how we should be good sportsmen about losing and not get angry or take getting attacked personally. We all agreed. He was the first player eliminated. Guess what he did? He threw a fit, accused everyone of picking on him and stormed off in a childish manner. All of us were like: "Wtf was that?"
***** Seriously. My god, the backstabbing is epic. Reminds me of middle school when all your friends ditch you to go to the mall. Diplomacy! Helping you relive childhood trauma and alienation since 1954.
I know what you mean. Tom did mention it at the beginning as a runner up. There are a lot of similarities to Diplomacy. In fact, it seems like a streamlined version of Diplomacy.
***** That is exactly why I stay away from this otherwise gorgeous looking game. I like the theme very much, but the bastabbing element is a bit too much in my gaming group. And it's not like an end of the world, there are so many other great, less maddening games out there.
Another great episode! But where was "Intrigue"? (Oh, and Diplomacy is in *no* danger of dying out anytime soon, there are plenty of new players coming along)
If there's one game I would add to this, it would be Munchkin (whatever version). The manual itself ENCOURAGES you to cheat, do nasty things to each other etc. This is fine when everyone knows the rules, check each other against cheating, do nasty things etc. But I remember one new guy just throwing his cards in the middle of a game because "you all have it in for me"
Yup, I was missing munchkin too. We play this very rarely because at least one person gets pissed at all others for not winning. I mean we all like to play it, but somehow it always escalates,... and thus we only play it like 1 or 2 times a year.
I can't believe you don't have Avalon Hill's railroad classic, Rail Baron. This holds the record with my Monday night group for most overturned gaming tables. This isn't to mention the number of times people have said, "This is bullsh*t. I'm done." Brutal!
I know it's a rather obscure game, but "A Line In The Sand" (by TSR, I think) has never, EVER, had a calm session. Ten rounds, everyone has a different victory condition, but none overlap. Some poor schlop gets his on round 3, holds it till round 9, then gets hosed by someone who knows that "If I can't win, no one can!" I still have nightmares, but my therapist says I'm doing much better...
When they were talking about Twilight Imperium 3, I've seen that happen. (Not in TI3 specifically, but someone holding a grudge for years on an incredibly specific game.) It's one of my favorite gametable quotes of all time. "AT LAST, THE VENGEANCE OF SIX YEARS PAST IS COMPLETE!"
Eghhh Ticket to ride, I'm pretty sure I lost friends over this game. Someone ending the game when you only had 2 trains to complete your 20 point route, gut wrenching..
I’m a younger person who likes Diplomacy, but I am also a big history buff (and history/poli sci major), and I am the sort who enjoys being a little treacherous when it’s appropriate, so I don’t take it personally when people do it to me during a game. Honestly to me if grown men get pissed off enough during a GAME that it effects their relationship outside the game, that is just ridiculous and immature, and they should probably re-examine their life.
I'm the Angry Gamer with our group that plays Risk, but I wasn't at first. But after I manipulated all three (not lied mind) so bad that they were all three forced to team up against me... but to no avail as I beat them all anyways. Well I felt glorious... little did I know though that I was enemy #1 in every game after that, and there was liek an unspoken pact to never allow me to get any advantage. I was basically Germany :(
Got to say, I am a huge Twilight Imperium fan and I love the game. And I totally agree with everything you guys said :D I am a calm (flegmatic) person, so I enjoy every aspect of it, but I've played with my two friends (one of them same as me, the other a very sore loser) and my sister (who also hates losing), and even though I warned them, the game after mere two hours looked like a crime scene - my sister and friend were screaming at each other and throwing game pieces, the other friend had tactically withdrawn from from the room and I trying to pic up all the ships from the carpet. I have never made the same mistake again :D
List of the games featured in this video to play not with an angry person 1. The resistance 2. Ca$h 'n Gun$ 3. creationary 4. Warhammer 5. Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries 6. Rook 7. Bang! 8. A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition) 9. Survive: Escape from Atlantis! 10. Twilight Imperium (Third Edition) 11. Ugg-Tect 12. Cosmic Encounter 13. Time's Up! 14. I'm the Boss! 15. RoboRally 16. Cutthroat Caverns 17. Risk 2210 A.D. 18. Diplomacy 19 Lifeboats
Agree on Survive! Two more where trashing occurs -- Manhattan and Elfenroads. One game of Elfenroads where the log was used to block a path caused a scene. Egos were bruised.
I've played Diplomacy only once. I tricked two of the three other players into attacking the third and then took all their countries that turn. I had more than half the board. They were NOT happy.
Funny thing is, I've found that anger is often a pretty good tactic in games involving social components. Can't tell you how many times my little brother has won at Risk because he raged and intimidated people from attacking him.
One memorable Risk game we had ended with the player being up staring at the board with his position being hopeless, then wordlessly taking the whole board and flinging it and most of the pieces out of the open window (second floor) and on the street.
Madness "in waves" lol also loving those accent impersonations! Glad the video was shorter than your normal ones. But still had some bonus mentions in there :D
As someone else said, Munchkin. That is the only game that I refuse to play ever again, with anyone (because I recognize it makes me irrationally mad, when I'm not even an angry sort of person). The entire point of the game is to turn good will and cooperation for mutual benefit into an utterly embarrassing failure that can be mocked. All in a campy "woopsies!" sort of tone, just to rub salt in the wounds.
Aw, man, Game of Thrones. I played it once as it was my friend's birthday and he is obsessed with GoT. My boyfriend was getting flanked in the north while I was just chilling down in the south. All of a sudden, he goes to attack my capital by sea when I hadn't been doing anything to him. Turns out he meant to attack the birthday boy who had the territory north of my capital, but he overshot his pawn. He refused to move it to its proper target and he made me lose control over my capital which really ended the game for me. I got so freaking mad, but it was one of those mads where I just got really quiet and made everyone feel uncomfortable. XD Whoops
When I first played the game (and didn't know what I was doing), my friend who was experienced at it went after me and totally destroyed me and won the game. I went after him the next 3 games which made us both lose those 3 times. I take game grudges XD.
Alison Moore Had almost the exact same thing happen last week, I sat there working out my alibi in case my friend mysteriously went missing on his way home.
A small update for this list: Exodus: Proxima centauri! It's something to attack a player in a civilization game, but I've seen someone get so disgusted and was *this* close to leaving the room thanks to the nukes in that game. I do think it's a problem with the mechanic, because when I was started nuking, this other player could never get back in his colonies. Or in the game.
This was an awesome episode! I would agree with any Risk game, if someone is already pissed off or angry, just do not let them play it or something may happen.lol
Settlers of Catan would be my number 1 choice. I have seen table flips, tiles erupted, cards thrown, and dice literally flushed down the toilet because of people getting angry.
I have a game that use to drive my Dad crazy. It was called "Wide World" and you were an owner of an airline company that had jets that flew from one country to another getting cargo and what-not. However, the game came with a clear plastic grid and when your jet flew onto the grid, all sorts of wild disasters could happen. 9 out of 10 times, my Dad's jet would get turned around in a "storm" on the grid. At end of game, he was stuck on that grid with his jets spinning around in circles. Fun!
Amen to that! lol I was 100% expecting Diplomacy to be #1 on the list. The only reason I think it wasn't was because only Tom listed it... and that was because Sam and Zee didn't list it for the reason that they don't/won't play it.
Just a quick note re: Diplomacy. There are 'Diplomacy clubs' at many universities and colleges in North America, at least, so the game does have some younger players as well.
Oh man that's a solid call. Bloodbowl can really make tempers fray. People get very attached to their players, and I take quite a lot of joy in stomping them into the dirt. :D
What you guys said about Twilight Imperium and taking over an opponents homeworld; I did that to Craig Stewart. Every time we play T.I. he always brings it up. He'll never let me forget how pissed he was when I took it from him. I don't remember if I gave it back right away though. It's been quite a while. Battlestar Galactica is another good game for messing with people. Ken The Gamers' Table
I'm a 24 year old and I and two dozen fellow students like to play Diplomacy IRL every once in a while. It is very hard to get exactly 7 players together for a game that takes the better part of a day, but it's worth it!
Worth adding that I'm a fairly new board gamer who enjoys Diplomacy. It's a fascinating game. I've nearly strangled someone over a brilliant backstab, but my rage was only partly at him. It was primarily at myself for being so impressed with that backstab.
This was a great fun videocast. I am surprised that Monopoly was not there. It's got to be the game that annoys the most people! We played Diplomacy with our kids group in Uganda. It was certainly educational for them, though we didn't finish it. Agree on Cosmic Encounter, too.
One game I went crazy during was Ticket to ride, not Nordic countries, basic ticket to ride. It only seems to happen with 5 players, with less I tend to be fine. On time all my routes went through LA and very early on all of the other players took the paths from LA leaving me with no way to get there and I just lost it.
Great video guys. Only game missing for me is Battlestar Galactica. When the guy you trusted all teh way through turns out to be a Cylon... Ah... Nothing worse!
There is still a grudge being held in our group over a particular Santa Claus betrayal in a particular Dead of Winter game. These two guys still go after each other exclusively in this gaming feud that will probably never end.
Survive: Escape from Atlantis. When I played this game everyone was encouraging everyone else to destroy each other. I think I was the only one who moved the sea creatures away from people, because they were too close to my own high point value guys. So a good game to play if everyone is out for blood. I was just trying to survive, so my moves just made the boats a little safer. The reprint is of super quality.
I almost never get too angry in games...except Catan, which puts me into a murderous rage where I threaten the lives of the other players...I hate games where bad dice rolls can mean you cannot take any actions for half of the game.
I think there was an expansion or house rule or something where if you didn't get dick from the roll (Probably except when the thief is rolled, not sure), you got a coin, and then on your turn you can spend 2 or 3 coins for one resource. Haven't tried it yet because there are games I'd rather play, but seems like it could alleviate that a bit.
hmmm...I'll have to check this out if someone ever brings Catan over to play...most people are afraid to play Catan with me, however, as I become verbally abusive in a graphic and unpleasant way when this kind of thing happens.
Devlin Allen Star Trek Catan has something like that with the Spock character card which lets you choose a free resource if you got nothing off the production roll, can only use it twice though.
Game of Thrones Catan has a card that you can play if the dice was rolled but you no zero resources, you can get 1 resource that you have access to of your choice. It's really nice to have that card.
This was probably my favorite video you have done. The 3 of you play off each other great. More like this please... It's not the angry gamer that turns me off a game session so much as the sore winner/looser who looses any interest and pretty much stops playing if there is even a hint that player may loose...
I've gotten scarily aggressive during Avalon/Resistance. Last time I got really caught up trying to logic out who was a traitor and wasn't noticing I was talking over everyone else, had to go for a walk for about 15 minutes. Luckily we ended up winning that game, but it doesn't change the fact I ruined it for just about everyone. It scared me I could get like that without noticing it.
My good friend lost it in AGoT too. He was Martell and decided to make a non-aggression pact with Tyrell and break it on turn 1. By turn three he was out of the game as me (Lannister) Tyrell and Baratheon finished him off. He still had 4 ships on the board to cause some chaos but spat the dummy and left. It was sad but the rest of us had a laugh when he left!
There was a miniature game called Mordheim in which it was possible for someone to have very much a pyrrhic victory (losses and things carried over to the next game) and I had two angry friends have that happen to them now and then. It was a spectacle.
I agree with putting Cosmic Encounter on the list. I once had 12 ships in the warp and my mom had to attack me. I had no hope, so she played Mobius Tubes. I THOUGHT she was being nice (my mistake). I got all my ships back (and placed them on the planet she was attacking), and she hinted toward simply negotiating. So I played a Negotiate card. She played an attack 30 and I lost all my ships that I had JUST retrieved PLUS more. I think I cried a little bit...
I can definitely vouch for Roborally. I love that game but I've seen people get REALLY frustrated when their robots get bumped into things. More recently the anger-inducing card I've seen is mandatory quests in Lords of Waterdeep. I've seen one player get so mad when they were played on him multiple times that he had to walk away from the table to cool down. I love Lords of Waterdeep but, man, watch out if you play a mandatory quest on an angry gamer!
The other night my game group was together and we had six people, and the host wanted to play ticket to ride. Since we had 6 we could not do America, so he decided to open Asia, that none of us have ever played before. In literally 4 turns we started to rage at each other, in a group that is normally very calm, three people got into table flipping stance and had to be calmed down so we didn't end the game.
I got a sportsmanship award once at a 40k tourney. It's easier when it's a doubles. My teammate and I were cracking jokes at each other's expenses and just having a good time (Tau and SoB) and making everyone else laugh. We didn't allow bullshitting but we kept things running smoothly....possibly one of my favorite awards I've gotten at a tourney (right after a Warhammer Fantasy Battle win).
Hey guys, I found you during my search for information 'bout Kingdom Builder. Now I use your videos to brush up my English Language Skills, which is much more funny with you, because you are so cool.... Thanks for that really good show....
I am a bit surprised that Illuminati wasn't on this list. But then again I do recall that Vasel doesn't like Steve Jackson much. ;P But when we play that game with hidden goals and cheating there is always one who gets extremely angry. They have even printed this in the rules. Either play with cheating with people that you know really well or people you'll never meet again. Great list, the best one so far!
Personally I think the massive luck factor makes it hard to get mad at Risk. Granted, I'm superchill anyway, but generally when you lose a 20 to 1 showdown because you rolled all ones, or when your opponent pulls some come from behind victory, you tend to be more caught up in the moment than angry. Or like in Magic, when I dedicate three of my 23 nonland slots to enchantment removal at the Innistrad Prerelease because there are a lot of problem enchantments in the set, only to lose a game to Gutter Grime as I draw a whopping 0 of my answers. It's like, yeah it's kinda frustrating, but at the same time you can't help but laugh at the absurdity.
Titan is one of those games that take forever to set up , build up an army and you can get wiped out very early. Played it with people who got mad from getting wiped out early.
33:40 My Dad bought Risk at a thrift store, it was pretty old, and we had to buy new dice for it, but for the most part, we could play it fine. My dad and I played it on our own 1v1 and I never got angry at him, or him at me. Then I got my brother to play. I formed an alliance with him and betrayed him right before I was about to launch an attack at my dad. He flipped the board after we've been playing for 2 days. This was last year, we haven't played risk since, except for like 3 times.
Interesting video, TableTop brought me here. I understand your choices in many of the top 10 games. In my opinion Risk 2210AD is the best variant of the Risk game and Robo Rally is normally people getting mad at themselves not each other and makes my 10 favourite games list. Maybe I am an angry gamer however I play all games angry and people I play say they like watching me get annoyed at myself, does this count?
How could you miss Junta on the list? I have not tried many of the games you have on your list but never the less: Junta should be there... Even in the rules to the game there is a suggestion to new players: Before playing, write down a hundred times "This is only a game". :-) And thumbs up to you guys! Keep up the good work :)
Just to throw in my two cents, I'm 19 and I have a very large group of friends (about 15) who all LOVE Diplomacy, and are more than willing to play for (at least) 5 hours.
Diplomacy is still played by young people and yes it does often result in rage. I once saw a guy put his fist through a dry wall because he was betrayed in diplomacy after playing for 2 hours. But still great fun.
Totally surprised that Junta wasn't on your list. Although to be precise, it's probably more of a "not to play with people you don't know well" kind of game rather than specifically "avoid playing with angry gamers".
For me personally, Game of Thrones The Board Game has to be on that list. You will rip people's head's off in this game, even the one's you otherwise most dearly love :D This game is pure insanity and in fact, war - that's exactly why it's so good. It perfectly mirrors the ruthlessness and intrigue of Game of Thrones.
The way we played Diplomacy was that you didn't have to reveal your orders unless asked. So occasionally people would write treacherous orders and then not follow through on them. For instance Turkey and Russia would have an alliance against Austria. They would both say that they were attacking Austria but then Turkey would get suspicious of Russia and invade Sevastopol. Turns out Russia was keeping his word OK no problem I just won't enforce that order. Then Austria says let me see your orders
