Congratulations on reaching 85,000 subscribers Tom and the Dice Tower Crew. You have earned and deserve all the success you have achieved. I know it is going to only get bigger and better and more successful! Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Love your top tens, 100's, live shows, board game breakfasts and everything else you do. I try to watch everything you all do. Tom I really appreciate all you have, without you I probably would not have rekindled my childhood love of boardgames. I also send thanks to everyone else involved especially Zee, Sam, Jason and Eric. I already have close to 50 games + many expansions. Also next time I see my niece I will show her Melody's top 100 and the rest of your daughters together doing the live ultimate werewolf show. Please get the board game knights to do more, I was really enjoying there stuff and I too come from down under. Keep up the fantastic work you all do. You are touching many lives, bringing untold joy, happiness and bringing people related out not together which it is all about in the end. Love all you guys and may the force be with you. From Julian your downunder boardgaming friend!
Tom, I forgot to say that I hope you have your best year yet with The Dice Tower Kickstarter! I will definitely help you and the team out so you can hopefully get some more hardware to get your 2 cameras at once setup rather than having to do your 2 camera work around with Nick during live shows. Your shows editing intros etc just keep improving , I want to see you keep moving forward with the technical side of the show. Good luck!!!
For the people who don't have the time to watch the whole video, but wants to see the list : 10 Imperial settlers Medieval academy D&D attack wing 9 Castle of mad king ludwig Kobayakawa Five tribes 8 Kryptos Spyfall Alchemist 7 Artificium The battle of five armies Kaosball 6 Spyfall Legendary encounters Pandemic the cure 5 Run fight or die Onitama Xia 4 King of new york Dead of winter Abyss 3 Arcadia quest Imperial settlers Sheriff of Nottingham 2 Deus Dead of Winter Star wars imperial assault 1 Five tribes Dice masters Star wars imperial assault
Okay that HTC Vive commercial was awesome. That's the only time I have intentionally watched a whole ad on RU-vid. They dressed a due up as Sagat from SFII and tried to convince people to box him.
Hmm... Here's a free idea for Plaid Hat, prompted by Sam: When a crossroads event is NOT triggered, reveal and execute a "minor" event card from a secondary deck. In Dead of Winter terms it could be a zombie moving into or away from a named location, adding a single food, nothing happens, get a token (two of which equals one food or medicine), active players gets one additional action of dice value 2 or less, etc. Obviously the crossroads deck and the game itself would have to be built around this to create balance.
+The Dice Tower - Tom, after watching a couple dozen of your videos over the last few months and seeing the very nice evolution of your recording area, I have to commend you for making simple, tasteful choices in your organization and the GeekChic tables are all wonderful. If I may nit pick just a hair, please look closely at your shelves. The second tier shelves are offset by an inch or so. The seams and shelves don't line up. Your key-light brings that seam over shoulder into viewer focus whenever you speak. Perhaps it's just my OCD nature, but since you've made such great strides to improve your set, it is a distraction that catches my eye every time I watch one of your recent videos. Last thought, Zee and Sam are both great and I'm very happy to hear you're working on bringing Zee on as an employee. Zee's natural humor should be encouraged as it adds a lot to the entertainment of the videos that he participates in.
The Dice Tower I thought of that last night after I made my comment. Perhaps adjusting the key to a different angle of deflection in relation to the subjects, using a barn door, diffuser or grid would solve the problem (not that it's a problem for anyone but me :) ). Just that reflection on the seam screams at me - and no one likes to be screamed at - even (especially?) when it's the voices in your head doing the screaming...
It’s 2020. I’m watching this in anticipation of a glut of top 10’s from DT that will be coming in the next couple of weeks. Wanted to go back and see how many games I’ve actually played from these lists over the past 5 years.
So I don't know if this was new thing, or if I've just been missing lists, but I love the "Near Miss" bit at the end. That was great to get the Honorable mentions, it gave more of a sense that there are many, many good games to play, and these were just the stand outs.
Not sure if this will actually get read by Dice tower but as someone who just recently got back into board games I can't say how much I love these videos. You have shown me so many games I probably never would have known existed! I just got into Level 7 Omega Protocol which was mentioned by Sam on a couple of top tens. Awesome game. I also have plans to check out much more games and even ones I probably wouldn't have tried before. It is also refreshing to see fellow gamers that have no problem expressing their faith in God as mentioned in numerous videos and also props to Sam for wearing God is greater shirt in one video. It is good to know when I watch your videos, I have a peace of mind knowing it is going to be a clean show. I was actually looking into going to Dice Con but saw that it is already sold out...but anyway keep up the great work have a great new year Tom, Sam and Zee and God Bless!
Zee is right. Port Royal IS an excellent game. Great mechanism, easy to be taught, so much fun even just with two players. You should definitely check it out.
Sam nailed it with Run, Fight, or Die!!! My game of the year. The tension when you have to pull off the most unprobable roll...EPIC. So fun. Great thematic flavor. Character powers and survivor cards add great individuation between players.
That was Sam's reaction to Kobayakowa BEFORE the live stream!? My goodness, if this had been recorded after the live stream both Tom and Sam would be frothing at the mouth with rage. Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to everyone!
Zee wasn't practicing his "wookie sound" for this list, because he has done it before, during Tom Vasel's top 100 games of all time 2013 edition, during #58 presentation. Both Sam and Tom missed that.
I'd like to see a list of top 2-6 player games, as in games that are flexible in terms of number of players and are still fun no matter how many you play with.
I guessed 9 out of Tom's 10, 5 for Sam and 4 for Zee - with Sam it's sometimes hard to tell what he really likes (I felt the Miami Dice on Five Tribes wasn't to enthusiastic from his side) and Zee really does put some obscure, unknown games on his lists ^^ (I do love Port Royal though!) Great list as always!
Suggestion: Top 10 Introductory games to non players (easy to teach, fun to play, quick games) As an example Timeline can be taught in under 3 minutes, played in less than 15 minutes and is fun even for people that generally don't play board/card games.
I had a feeling Xia would be on the list. It's easy to learn, has a ton of options for you to consider when planning your strategy and no two games are even remotely the same. It really speaks to people who enjoys stuff like Eve Online, Star Trek, Elite Dangerous and all other "Let's boldly go..." concepts. The broad selection of things to do, ships, and ways to equip said ships gives the game a certain RPG feel.
As somebody that likes Quarriors and also thought Dice Masters was just a Quarriors re-theme when it was announced...that could not be more incorrect. Dice Masters plays much differently, in my opinion, than Quarriors. I own both and play both.
1. Imperial Assault 2. Dead of Winter 3. Spyfall 4. Five Tribes 5. Imperial Settlers -- those games were mentioned twice ... I guess 2+3 are must-haves for me.
Bought Legendary Encounters last week and played it once so far but this is seriously an amazing game. It's has all those complex card combinations but acutally pretty simple rules. I was able to teach it to my group in less than 10minutes. Oh and it's tough as hell, which I love. I don't see the point in an easy coop game. If you're all playing together then there has to at least be a challenge. P.S. Sorting the cards when first unboxing the game was a b**** but totally worth it.
That is the killer for some people - having to sort the cards. And wow was it a crazy evening sleeving the cards and sorting them out, printing BGG dividers and laminating them etc. But when you use BGG dividers and use coloured sleeves to distinguish certain decks, the game flows so smoothly and is a blast to play, easily in my Top 10 of the year.
I unboxed and sleeved a friend's copy of Encounters, and I was unimpressed by what I saw. Haven't played it, though. I agree that co-ops should be tough. Perhaps 1 in 3 rate of wins.
I bought Legendary Encounters too and it is TOTALLY worth it. It even plays great solo with giving you no idea of whether you'll live or die throughout. Great great great game.
I love pandemic the cure. Haven't played pandemic yet. (Holding out for pandemic legacy) but the cure is a lot of fun. I've played it 10 times or so with about four different groups and every time I introduce the game to a new group we lose the first game and they always say the same thing. (Let's play it again.) and that doesn't happen very often with the people I play with. We usually play a new game they either like it or don't then we move on to a game they are familiar with.
Its because Dice Masters is more customizeable than Quarriors. I think Quarriors is good, but each time you play you get random cards and you simply have to do the best with what your delt. Dice Masters on the other hand feels like you are able to control which cards you get and how many of each you use. Sure, theres a bit of luck involved with rolling the dice themselves, but its not COMPLETELY random like Quarriors seems to be.
Also glad someone mentioned Star Realms. Its very light, and quick, but those are plus's in my collumn. Its nice to pull something out that you can teach in 5mins while you set up that other more complex game. Plus they have those new expansions coming out. And the price point? Cant really beat that.
I'm with Zee and like Kobayakawa, I collect many games with duration less than 45 minutes since my gaming group usually play on less than an hour break :) I was wondering have you guys ever do best ranking based on duration for gamer like me that looks for game based on it's duration? For instance, super long-long-medium-short-micro game?
Every time I hear someone talk about Kaos Ball, I wonder how it is any different from Blood Bowl. I've been a BB player for years and don't see a reason to pick up Kaos Ball despite people speaking highly of it.
Quick question, Tom... What type of bookshelves do you use? I've got like 5 bookshelves and it seems yours hold way more than mine. Granted, I have a lot of odd shaped boxes to contend with - the 90's really liked those thin, long boxes - but I figured yours are just better in the storage department. Anyway, thanks for the videos and hope you guys have a happy holiday.
I don't know it for a fact but it looks like IKEA Expedit - replaced this year by KALLAX: (Same with a smaller Boarder) www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30275861/ www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30275861/
Onitama is that rare? Friend got it at Essen. It's an ok game. Not my kind of game but I can play a game of it or two if some one wants to. Xia don't look like a good game at all, the dice ranges feels out right bad (antiquated) and the "quests" just feels lackluster and stale. The sand box idea is a nice idea but I think the mechanisms fails it. I love the Crossroads cards and effects in Dead of Winter, they really do create a good story. Sure my group are all nordic roleplaying gamers but I was really surprised at how well the cards wove a storyline for us.
I have been thinking that Zee had a sweat stain on his chest, until I've figured out that that is an illegible picture of a cabin of some sort :))) Gotta get my eyes checked I guess :)
hmm. I think it should be 10. Imperial Settlers 9. XIA 8. Abyss 7. Splendor 6. 5 Tribes 5. Aquasphere 4. Fields of Arle 3. La granja 2. Castles of Mad king ludwig 1.Orleans
Anyone have a solid set of house rules for King of Tokyo / King of NY? We have found some of the cards are just too vague, especially ito the effects in combinations with other cards
I'm honestly shocked by these lists. Out of their collective top 10's, I counted maybe 4 games I would have guessed (Dead of Winter, Star Wars Imperial Assault, Imperial Settlers, and I figured somebody would say Five Tribes). In a year where there were so many great titles - games like Kanban and Panamax from Stronghold, games like Zhanguo or the Robinson Crusoe expansion, etc., I'm having a hard time figuring out a game like Abyss or King of New York ever sees that light of day. Everyone has their opinions and all, but a lot of these games are not games I'd have expected these guys to say were the 10 best, given their previous top whatever history.
I'm really not super surprised. Panamax and Kanban are both far too heavy in Euro-ville for any of these guys, I haven't heard much buzz about Crusoe's expansion... King of New York has these guys written all over it (King of Tokyo is in Zee's top ten I believe), as do the others you listed.
Guys, can you make a hypothetical top ten? Basically, the only-ten-games-that-I-play-for-the-rest-of-my-life top ten. I don't know if this would be different from your all time top ten but I believe that it should..
Hey, Tom, how about making this into a real game -- for you guys, I mean, and for us to watch -- where you guess each others games and positions on the lists, and by the end of the video, you score points!
Doesnt really fit here...but Ive wondered for a while now what Tom, Zee, and Sam think of Zombie 15 assuming theyve played it. Never got a review for that one
When are you guys going to post an updated top ten two player games video? I do not have a gaming group and the only people I can get to the table are my daughter (6), my twin brother, and my wife and none of them at the same time. Actually, my wife has no interest in games but I am trying to change that.
MERRY CHRISTMAS DICETOWER!! Tom, have you told Zee of the existence of Pandante`? I feel like everything kobayakawa WANTS TO BE Pandante` already is. i think he would get a kick out of it even though you dont really care for it.
The Battle of Five Armies does not represent the Battle in the Book. Not a bad game, but it is as accurate as a Waterloo battle game where half the Allied units did not start on the board, French units that weren't at the battle got to attack from the flanks/rear and the French could win the battle by capturing objectives that weren't historically important.
""bring on 2015 so we can play the games we missed in 2014". I'll modify that to : "bring on 2015 so I can play the games I did not get to play in 2014! (because there was too little time)
edkofuzz Except for the fact that Imperial Assault is VERY VERY dry and not really all that inspiring. Imperial Assault is just one giant race to get to something and be done. It's not nearly as complex as Descent 2.0 and the diversity in characters is much greater in Descent. They need to add a whole lot more to make Imperial Assault better.
