Mike has a lot of controversial opinions in this video on some board games you might love, so just make sure to send your hate to him and not myself. I'm not joining Mike in this because he played games without me because he's a meanie. Also, he rated some key games from our top 10 of 2023 list WAY too low! And please don't play a drinking game over how often Mike says "solid". We don't want a new subscriber dying on us. Thank you.
You could try a game of “only-breath-when-you-hear-the-word-freakn” and probably not pass out. Awesome list anyhow! Think I found a guy with similar taste and a channel where I can pick up some tips.
Way late to the party here, but as someone who just discovered this channel, I have to say you really got my seal of approval as a legitimate board game critic when you gave Witcher: The Old World a well-deserved "C tier". It's such a problem in this hobby to find reviewers who will not sugarcoat certain publishers & IP owners only to hope for review copies in the future. And then you buy that expensive board game, play it once and you think to yourself "this is jut an average game with a popular theme on top". Hope you remain as genuine content creators who always share what they honestly think :)
Not late at all! I think it's important to balance the hype with some harsh criticism, because when you ask a mate about his opinions on games, he's not going to mince words. But if you wanted an almost ALL hype video, check out my top 100 haha I guess it's hard for some content creators to balance criticism when you're constantly receiving free product or you've met the publishers and know them from conventions.
So refreshing to have someone rate games on personal experience, regardless of the hype machine. The boardgame interwebs have enough gushers over the new plasticky hotness! Awesome -- subscribed!
I agree but for me, Hegemony and Station Fall are the worst games I have played in years, we really gave it a try and wanted to like it .... and it does not work ... too chaotic and unbalanced!
@@Berndr That's fair. I think with Hegemony especially the game can feel like it's not balanced at all because it's so player balanced that those first few early games will feel really swingy and chaotic. Our first game my buddy played the Working Class and he just shot right up there and we couldn't figure out how to stop him. Now we see the problem was the Middle Class lowering their cost of goods to almost nothing and keeping them there.
@@Berndr And for me, Hegemony was excellent and Station Fall a test of my patience and a bad game. But most importantly, this video is not the loud monotonous chorus of hotness and pre-paid marketing "reviews". It's fresh and helpful, and a real set of opinions and explanations of them.
Awesome format! The best end of the year boardgame video IMO! Love your tastes and your honest opinion of all these games... Getting sick of the paid channels and fake hype! Really helpful to decide which one I should seek. Instant subscription! And by the way, I just got Evacuation and it is awesome!!!
Thanks! I have played a ton of games from 2022 but there would be a few I'd need to play online before being able to do a list. But if it's something a lot of people want, I'd certainly give it a shot. 2022 was a pretty good year!
I’m in same boat with undaunted Britain. I want to buy it, but my wife is not convinced. She seems more interested in Callisto, which is a lot more expensive at $90 on preorder.
It's a lot of fun but at that price point I don't think you should take the risk, just in case you and your wife don't enjoy it. Wait for someone local to sell it used? Although, you could buy it and sell it if you don't like it. Games don't seem to depreciate in value much if you sell them while they're still hot.
@@TabletopTurtle yes, I was lucky with Amalfi renaissance. Bought it when limited at $80, sold it for same price two weeks later, then next batch came out for $60. lol! Best thing is buying a game in a batch used for $20 (pax renaissance) then reselling it a day later for $60. These are my most precious gaming memories! One of my best was a guy giving me ‘allegiance a realm divided’ for free, which I sold a year later for $350. Did you ever play ashes reborn? This is one that has terrible resale value, (everyone getting rid of first edition for $10) and even though new edition has been improved, it still has the same bgg listing which everyone associates with bad first edition, making the ‘reborn’ edition also hard to sell so I debate if $60 new is worth it when resell would be $20 at best. Sometimes have to wait years to see newer games show up on Facebook marketplace. Currently, I see lots of mage knights for sale.
Stationfall was the surprise hit for me this year; I'm really happy I got to try it out! And those guys on the internet probably dumped a load of time into flight simulator. I know I could land a plane ;) This was a great list, thank you for taking the time to generate it! I'd venture to say we have similar tastes in games, looking forward to your future content. Thanks again!
Love that you listed your play count and nature of play for each game, I find it really helps when considering a purchase to know the extent to which someone has persevered/got all of they can out of a game (immediately made me think of your Voidfall review, which prompted me to buy everything 😂). Keep up the great work!
@@TabletopTurtle I'm reliably informed that the Voidfall box will be large enough to house myself and at least the rest of S tier, so hoping this will cut down the monthly overheads
Such a good tier list video! Looks like lots of work went into it, which is rare for tier list videos I think. Very cool to show how often you played the game! But also you are wrong about Marvel Zombies!!! lol
Thank you! It does seem to be rare these days for some reason. They can't all be good and better to talk about games the way you or I would a friend when asked if a game is good.
@@TabletopTurtle I have two selfish requests (because they fit my life circumstances): Tier rankings of games to play solo, and also 2-player games. Thanks! :)
Kutna Hora is an S tier for me and probably would be at least an A for the “turtle” - great game - not asymmetric but gives some vibes as Hegemony in less time
- Marvel Crisis Protocol (MCP) - Moonstone - Arena Rex - Aristeia Hell, I've had five player games of MCP sorta reminiscent of Zombicide, where we are all working together (3 v 1) to defeat the sentinels as the X-Men cooperatively. Obviously one player is playing as the sentinels and the big baddies. We would each just play our respective hero and the game would be done in maybe 90 minutes. Such a blast!
@@TabletopTurtle uhmmm. I see! I'll look those up as I am yet to play/buy any Zombicide. Any other suggestions without superheroes? (Besides the ones already listed in the first reply. Imma check those out) About Blood Rage: Are there any expansions you find essential or super enjoyable? Have you tried Riding Sun and Ankh? I haven't seen those mentioned in any other vids. I have Blood Rage and was wondering about other expansions, whether they were worth it.
@@shocknawe Those are a good start and most of them have nothing to do with heroes. I would also suggest Warhammer Underworlds. It bridges that gap between a miniature game and a board game. I only use the Mystics expansion with Blood Rage. I find everything else unnecessary. But I think all the expansions are really expensive now or something so none of them are really necessary.
Love the fact you mention how much you'd played a game, that's really neat! Agree with most of those, you definitely should try Evacuation, it's S tier (or at least A)!
Yeah as a content consumer I've been starting to wonder how many times reviewers could possibly play a game when they're reviewing three games a week from Kickstarter. So I figured might as well be transparent because that's what I want from others! Yeah Evacuation is appearing on a lot of lists and we do love his other games!
Just found your channel today and while I like this style of rating I can't get a sense of the type of games you enjoy. Finding a great reviewer is so subjective as they have to align to your personal taste too. Excited to watch more videos and figure out your reasoning for some ratings and figure out where your tastes stand.
I feel like I get this a lot. Kim and I primarily enjoy more complex longer games but honestly we'll try anything and can enjoy a wide range of different games! I am doing a top 100 video in 100 different locations soon, so that should help!
The only games on this list I have played is Earth and Marvel Zombies. I had the same feelings for Earth. I played it solo but my excitement for the game dwindled after 5 or 6 games. For Marvel Zombies, its a fun game because my friends really enjoy Marvel Characters and we have a blast playing as those characters. The game play is very mid but the enjoyment my friends have choosing characters and playing makes up for it. Would love to try voidfall but my board game group sadly doesn’t play very many pvp games.
Yeah it was the talk of the town for awhile but now I think the dust has settled and people just see it as a good game and not much more. Yeah, Zombicide really does depend on who you're playing with. We typically just play Marvel Crisis Protocol now.
Wow, these were some harsh opinions, but I think they come close to what I personally would think about. The point is: they are good games on its own, UNLESS they trigger the 'been there done that' effect. I stopped buying games that lacked pure orginality.... originality for ME, that is. If you only know a couple of games, the world is your oyster. If you know hundreds of games, it's much harder to find such a game. So thank you for your opinions, saved me lots of mis-buys. I also think I need to re-evaluate lots of reviewers, and don't take things for granted too easy. I'll keep watching you, subscribed !
Exactly! Games can't exist in a vacuum. If every game is a good game, well . . . what good is that to the viewer?! Always be cautious with always positive content creators, especially concerning upcoming games.
Congrats on hitting monetization level. I enjoyed watching the one video without ads. Very rare! And good job with actually responding to people who comment. I’m seeing quite a few game channels who pretend to be sociable and smile a lot, but never respond to anyone. Not even liking the comment. I don’t understand these people. They will never get my subscribe. I follow them to thumb down every video.
Not trying to be controversial myself lol, but I feel the fact some of these we're never played physically should either not be rated or get an uptick unless they we're just awful. Part of the charm and experience of a board game oftentimes is the feeling in your hands, the look of the board, components and of course gameplay matters. For example, I am sure having played Voidfall physically increases your enjoyment of the game than if you had just played the bland looking one on TTS. Anyhow, just found your channel, guess my YT algorithm was bored of positive reviewers lol. Cheers!
You might be right. Although I'm pretty good at just knowing if I like a game just based on the mechanics. I've never been disappointed after liking a game online and then buying it after. But we are going over to a friend's tonight to play Barcelona so we shall see.
I don't necessarily agree with that. Some games play better online. While some you have to play in person to get the most magic. And then, some should have never became board games. Changing a rating based on an assumption that it would be better in person is, in my opinion, disingenuous.
You're probably right. I'd imagine it improves the experience but I tried just to go by thr mechanics mostly and how they felt playing. Actually we managed to play a couple of these physically recently and my feelings stayed the same on both.
Thanks for sharing. WOW, that was a lot of games for a year. Nicely done. Of your S games I have The White Castle and I agree with you. It's a lot of game (and I mean A LOT) relative to the size and price. Which IMHO, makes it a No Brainer to buy and try. I would get Voidfall and/or StationFall if not for the huge ruleset and learning curve. Also, I think VF takes up a lot of table space. Eeek! Unfortunately, Hegemony may be similar regarding ruleset. Dang it. I mainly play solo or 2 player, which causes some games to get ruled out. Ruled out?
I'll have to spread out the games this year instead of trying to jam them all into the last few months and then go crazy online. For White Castle it's true. We don't talk about price a lot, but in this economy it really does feel like we might need to start and that game is at a wonderful price point. I think there is a lot of people, ourselves included sometimes, that are starting to feel like we're being priced out of the hobby as games continue to get more and more expensive. Voidfall might be a little too tough for a small table. Time to head to Ikea and buy a bigger table? Or you could develop long-term back problems and just play on the floor. I wouldn't worry too much about the rules of Hegemony. It's actually not that hard of a game; however, I don't know if it would provide a good solo or 2 player experience. It really does feel like a 4 player and possibly 3 player game at its best.
Thanks for the reply. I just watched your Voidfall review and now I'm second guessing myself and may purchase it (if I can find it). I think it would primarily be for solo and maybe 2 player. But, I'm not sure if my table is large enough for it. Roughly, how much space does it take up? @@TabletopTurtle
@@tonybowers9490 I think if you're exclusively playing two players it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I remember a thread on BGG discussing it not long ago and people were showing some pictures of some fairly small(ish) tables with the game on it. It's not like Twilight Imperium or anything. It's actually a really cool two player game! Kim and I played it a lot at 2.
Great vid, haven't played most of the game on the list but agree with the ones I have played. But on Europa universalis the Price of Power your way off! That game is a gem if you like that kind of game. But that's ok! 😉
So if you like « Among us » type games, you should give Among Cultists a try, because, yes, it literally advertises itself as Among Us, the board game. You might rate it lower than Stationfall because you’ve already « seen it done » but definitely something you should look into! Edit: typo.
I think I mostly agree with your rankings and appreciate this format and really helps to put games in a larger context. Probably the one that I disagreed with most was That's Not a Hat!. I think the point is that most people have the memory of a goldfish and that's why it's hilarious. The premise of giving 'gifts' with ulterior motives is just funny. Can't take it too seriously.
sky team is phenomenal. worth every second of hype it gets. I enjoyed your reviews. I respectfully disagree on Barcelona, my wife and I really enjoy this one. Undaunted, every one of those games are gold, the battle of Britain really makes you feel like you're pilots in a dog fight. Thunder Road is an absolute blast. Every time I play this with my family and friends, nothing but laughs and smiles.
Having only picked up two of these (Stationfall and Hegemony) I like these rankings :) Based on what you said about it, I do feel like I need to look into LastLight though.
I like seeing people rank games based on their own individual opinions and experiences rather than hype the same games over and over again. There was only one I strongly disagree with- please don't judge Legacy of Yu based on the Tabletopia version, it's not the full version. It doesn't include ANY of the story elements, all of those change the game up by adding more cards, more objectives, new rules, etc! None of that is present on Tabletopia.
Always seemed strange when critics pretend to be completely objective in their reviews or act like marketing machines. Maybe I'll give the physical copy a try. I think my buddy owns it. Just not the biggest solo gamer.
Honestly, I appreciate how honest your opinions are. I have bought too many games that CZcamsrs have praised the crap out of and played it and was like…. This sucks! and I agree completely about steam up! My kids made me buy it and it was a waste of $40!
Listening to what amounts to commercials on CZcams for every game under the sun can get a little tiresome. Don't let them get away with picking bad games! Make them shovel snow for the year as punishment!
What is it that you didn't like about GWT New Zealand? I've been planning to buy it after all the other reviewers I've heare said it was their favourite
Some of the extra stuff just didn't feel like it added any fun to me, like the sheep guy. I liked how tough it was to get that perfect hand by the time you reach the end of the track but being able to get rid of so many cards even before then (and not the usual one or two cards on buildings) felt cheap and boring. But that's just me. I like Argentina best.
Of the games on this list, I've played Forest Shuffle, Point City, Faraway, Earth, & Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game. I definitely agree that Forest Shuffle is an A game, I'm probably going to buy it next time I place an order. Point City I enjoyed, I would've put it in B but I definitely see your points about it. Faraway was a B for me, really cool scoring mechanism in that one but the other mechanisms feel a bit standard, I guess? I enjoy drafting and set collection, but the way you do that in Faraway didn't feel too different. (Which is okay, I don't mind games that don't reinvent the wheel, just stopped this game from making to an A like it could've been). Earth was a B for me. I played it when it came out on BGA because people were talking about how it "replaced Race for the Galaxy and Wingspan". Race for the Galaxy is in my top 10 of all time, so I tried it fast. It was a good game, but it didn't replace either RftG or Wingspan for me. Great game, just all the hype about it made it sound like it would be an S when it reality it was just a B. As for Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, that one is my favorite of these games. I love deckbuilding as a mechanic which helps, and I like Star Wars casually. The attacking out of the galaxy row is really cool, and tactically manipulating which bases you bring out really make this game fun. That one's an S for me. Really cool list! I've wanted to try a ton of these games, and there are some I haven't heard a lot about (like Raising Robots and Robot Quest Arena, both of which are now on my to-check-out list)
Oh sometimes a game doesn't have to be unique, it just needs to be doing everything right. I hear you. Earth is for sure not as good as Race. It's in this weird space for us and probably a lot of people where we think it's a really good game but not as good as some people seem to think it is, if that makes sense. Ah good, we are turning you into a good consumer. Buy! Buy! Buy!
Would you be interested in doing this on my channel Man vs Meeple? One time content, I play a bunch of games and we just talk it out. This was great content. We see it in video games why not board games?
Thank you! Yeah, that sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Would need more details, though, like what games you want to cover, what the format is, and optimal recording times.
I played Stationfall twice and I think this game is bad. It is weird that people love it so much because often I heard people saying that "Take that" games are bad. I don't agree to that statement except when it gets to a ridiculous degree like in Stationfall. You can literally destroy the game of someone else with 1 in a single turn by throwing his character in space or kill him with a gun. If I want that kind of silly experience, I'll just get a small card game with less complexity, and less setup times and a shoter playtime.
Yeah, that's a fair criticism and one I hear a lot regarding Nemesis. We have not had that issue yet and hopefully not in the near future. For now it's just silly fun.
Stationfall seemed like one I'd hate, my friends gave it a try but were mostly unimpressed. One summed it up his thoughts with something like, "It's a hidden role game for heavy gamers who think they're too advanced to play a normal hidden role game anymore." Which coming from a heavy gamer really isn't a glowing recommendation.
Just came across your video. Well, you and I couldn’t have more dissimilar tastes. Expeditions, Apiary, and Earth I have sitting up as maybe three of the top games of the year.
Damn thats a lot of games. though a lot seems average or even below average. But really happy to play Hegemony. Looking forward to try Voidfall, Earth and Dune
Wow, alot of popular, hyped, and loved games ripped a new one! Keep on doing you! I love your channel and so glad I discovered it! Fun to listen to every word even if contrarian to the masses. That is what makes life and the variety of games fun and interesting to discover and talk about!
Thank you! I like to talk about games the way people talk to their friends about games. Usually you're not afraid to hide if you really dislike a game when you're discussing it with your buddy.
We've been looking and can't seem to get it anywhere! It's such a no brainer because we played almost all his other games and loved them. Although Mike isn't the biggest Last Will fan.
@@TabletopTurtle But you should give Barcelona a try, when you manage to play a physical copy. It its better than F and we seem to have similiar tastes with some other games. I also love Hadrian's Wall. Ezra and Nehemiah is great, too.
Just found your channel, you appear to have fairly similar taste in games to me, so I will have to check out your other videos. Given the similar tastes, I am rather worried on Europa Universalis. I backed it figuring I don't have a civ game and easier to get a multihour solo board game to the table than learn and commit to a EU4 game. But it arrived same week as Frosthaven and so I've yet to do more than open the box. I'm hoping it plays better solo than your 4p experience.
I can't even imagine what that would be like solo player. Worth a shot, I suppose. Hopefully if you don't enjoy it the resale value is great. I think when a board game starts trying to emulate a video game too much I start thinking: Maybe I should just play the video game. I like when the board game is sort of inspired by the video game, like with Anno 1800.
@@TabletopTurtle Yes, that is not ideal, though as someone who likes complex games I prefer that to the other direction of taking a board game and making it into a PC game. I mean turning it into a game, not just making a port like BGA so people can play digitally. I may love Gloomhaven, but if I'm going to play a PC party combat game I could play Baldur's Gate. I don't need all the mechanics simplified down and my storyline to fit on a couple cards anymore.
Gotta agree with most of what you said. Especially with Apiary and Expeditions. Nothing exciting was happening with either. I thought Darwins Journey and Age of Innovation were slightly better than you did. Insta-subscribed.
Oh! Kim and I actually got to play a physical copy of Darwins yesterday with a friend and she really enjoyed it. She's sitting across from me right now yelling "A tier". And I did like it better in person. I don't know if it's something I'll crave a few months down the road, but maybe! Thanks for the subscription!
😂 when I was a kid I dreamt of sneaking into the janitor's office and putting that song on the school's speaker system. Then all the kids were supposed to join behind me, marching out of school.
@LassePeterson it's never too late to start that child revolution, Lasse! Actually, threw a reference to that song into our hegemony review too. Must have been on my mind
@@TabletopTurtle lol... or as you said, the environment wasn't right. You could try to play it again. FWIW, I agree with way more things on your list than I disagree with. But that doesn't make for interesting conversations lol
Well I did preface the video by stating it's primarily based on my opinions after a play or two in some cases. Don't we all judge games after one play?
have you ever played games and immediately decided you don't want to play it again? I think the answer is yes, it's no different for a content creator.
not to be too critical but you are reviewing games on how many times you have or have not played them. Proabbly not the best way toi approach a ranking system. i.e. earth a C and Nucleum a B and then you admit you did not get nuclem all the time amd u at one point loved earth.
As much as i love you....but your list is the exact opposite of mine...also Voidfall us a bloated hellscaoe. Fief was the worst experience i have ever had the misery of playing...
Gives a punishing review to expeditions and gives it a C. Gives a better review to Apiary and it’s a C… I think the issue is how much time you spent being positive or negative on a game wasn’t proportional to the tier you gave it. Also Voidfall is just not that good. It has no soul. So empty and the moves don’t matter because it’s just a euro with a twilight imperium skin.
Expeditions had a full video dedicated toward it and so we went into a lot more detail. Apiary is only covered in this video. We spent a significant amount of time playing Expeditions and so we were naturally much more thorough. You're likely just witnessing my disappointment with a game I thought would be great and not just mediocre. I had no expectations for Apiary. Voidfall is brilliant.
@@TabletopTurtle voidfall is boring compared to the games that came before it. The fact they removed the extermination part and still call it a 4x is silly. It has 0 soul and its popularity is proportional to the fomo that followed it.
Mike has a lot of controversial opinions in this video on some board games you might love, so just make sure to send your hate to him and not myself. I'm not joining Mike in this because he played games without me because he's a meanie.
Also, he rated some key games from our top 10 of 2023 list WAY too low!
And please don't play a drinking game over how often Mike says "solid". We don't want a new subscriber dying on us. Thank you.
You could try a game of “only-breath-when-you-hear-the-word-freakn” and probably not pass out. Awesome list anyhow! Think I found a guy with similar taste and a channel where I can pick up some tips.
@@LassePeterson Happy to have you! But I'm still telling the teacher about this bullying!
Damn, I missed the disclaimer about the “no drinking game”. Almost died. You guys are a solid team
Way late to the party here, but as someone who just discovered this channel, I have to say you really got my seal of approval as a legitimate board game critic when you gave Witcher: The Old World a well-deserved "C tier". It's such a problem in this hobby to find reviewers who will not sugarcoat certain publishers & IP owners only to hope for review copies in the future. And then you buy that expensive board game, play it once and you think to yourself "this is jut an average game with a popular theme on top". Hope you remain as genuine content creators who always share what they honestly think :)
Not late at all! I think it's important to balance the hype with some harsh criticism, because when you ask a mate about his opinions on games, he's not going to mince words. But if you wanted an almost ALL hype video, check out my top 100 haha
I guess it's hard for some content creators to balance criticism when you're constantly receiving free product or you've met the publishers and know them from conventions.
So refreshing to have someone rate games on personal experience, regardless of the hype machine. The boardgame interwebs have enough gushers over the new plasticky hotness! Awesome -- subscribed!
Thanks! We try to balance out the gushing and complaining as much as possible!
I agree but for me, Hegemony and Station Fall are the worst games I have played in years, we really gave it a try and wanted to like it .... and it does not work ... too chaotic and unbalanced!
@@Berndr That's fair. I think with Hegemony especially the game can feel like it's not balanced at all because it's so player balanced that those first few early games will feel really swingy and chaotic. Our first game my buddy played the Working Class and he just shot right up there and we couldn't figure out how to stop him. Now we see the problem was the Middle Class lowering their cost of goods to almost nothing and keeping them there.
@@Berndr And for me, Hegemony was excellent and Station Fall a test of my patience and a bad game. But most importantly, this video is not the loud monotonous chorus of hotness and pre-paid marketing "reviews". It's fresh and helpful, and a real set of opinions and explanations of them.
Awesome format! The best end of the year boardgame video IMO! Love your tastes and your honest opinion of all these games... Getting sick of the paid channels and fake hype! Really helpful to decide which one I should seek. Instant subscription! And by the way, I just got Evacuation and it is awesome!!!
And who says youtube comment sections are mean!? Thank you for those kind words . . . Wait, are you hyping Evacuation!? Who do you work for, Pascal!?
Tier list of 2023 Board games, Excellent Idea, could You please do that on 2022?
Thanks! I have played a ton of games from 2022 but there would be a few I'd need to play online before being able to do a list. But if it's something a lot of people want, I'd certainly give it a shot. 2022 was a pretty good year!
@@TabletopTurtle+1 vote from me
+3 😊
I’m in same boat with undaunted Britain. I want to buy it, but my wife is not convinced. She seems more interested in Callisto, which is a lot more expensive at $90 on preorder.
It's a lot of fun but at that price point I don't think you should take the risk, just in case you and your wife don't enjoy it. Wait for someone local to sell it used? Although, you could buy it and sell it if you don't like it. Games don't seem to depreciate in value much if you sell them while they're still hot.
@@TabletopTurtle yes, I was lucky with Amalfi renaissance. Bought it when limited at $80, sold it for same price two weeks later, then next batch came out for $60. lol! Best thing is buying a game in a batch used for $20 (pax renaissance) then reselling it a day later for $60. These are my most precious gaming memories! One of my best was a guy giving me ‘allegiance a realm divided’ for free, which I sold a year later for $350. Did you ever play ashes reborn? This is one that has terrible resale value, (everyone getting rid of first edition for $10) and even though new edition has been improved, it still has the same bgg listing which everyone associates with bad first edition, making the ‘reborn’ edition also hard to sell so I debate if $60 new is worth it when resell would be $20 at best. Sometimes have to wait years to see newer games show up on Facebook marketplace. Currently, I see lots of mage knights for sale.
Stationfall was the surprise hit for me this year; I'm really happy I got to try it out! And those guys on the internet probably dumped a load of time into flight simulator. I know I could land a plane ;)
This was a great list, thank you for taking the time to generate it! I'd venture to say we have similar tastes in games, looking forward to your future content. Thanks again!
And thanks for the watch time!
I watched a solid 15 minutes of that Tom Hanks Sully movie. I know what I'm doing.
Love that you listed your play count and nature of play for each game, I find it really helps when considering a purchase to know the extent to which someone has persevered/got all of they can out of a game (immediately made me think of your Voidfall review, which prompted me to buy everything 😂). Keep up the great work!
haha well hopefully we can make you NOT buy some games too. Don't want to be held responsible for when you can't pay next months bills!
@@TabletopTurtle I'm reliably informed that the Voidfall box will be large enough to house myself and at least the rest of S tier, so hoping this will cut down the monthly overheads
Such a good tier list video! Looks like lots of work went into it, which is rare for tier list videos I think. Very cool to show how often you played the game! But also you are wrong about Marvel Zombies!!! lol
Thank you! Mike is just a miniature game snob.
I like that you don't shy away from harsher critique
Thank you! It does seem to be rare these days for some reason. They can't all be good and better to talk about games the way you or I would a friend when asked if a game is good.
Voidfall at no.1 with an hour setup? lol. I cancelled that game for that one reason.
It's that damn good. Plus, we usually get it all set up in under 20 minutes.
@@TabletopTurtle you actually played this with two players? I thought it was a solo game.
I really like this kind of video!
Happy to hear that, we were not sure about bothering to make this one!
Someone should make a drinking game where you drink when Mike points at the camera. Or for hardcore mode, when he shrugs. :D
You've now made me oddly self-conscious about shrugging . . . but I'll never stop pointing!
Please never stop pointing, it's one of my favorite things on all of CZcams. :) @@TabletopTurtle
Have long thought that more tier rankings of board games would be both interesting and helpful. Applause for that. Enjoyed this!
They're really fun to do. I kinda want to do the bgg top 100 at some point
@@TabletopTurtle I have two selfish requests (because they fit my life circumstances): Tier rankings of games to play solo, and also 2-player games. Thanks! :)
Kutna hora sucks. I bought it, played half a game, then sold it. Have never not finished a game before.
We've been down that disappointing road before.
Kutna Hora is an S tier for me and probably would be at least an A for the “turtle” - great game - not asymmetric but gives some vibes as Hegemony in less time
24:20 - What other games would you suggest?
- Marvel Crisis Protocol (MCP)
- Moonstone
- Arena Rex
- Aristeia
Hell, I've had five player games of MCP sorta reminiscent of Zombicide, where we are all working together (3 v 1) to defeat the sentinels as the X-Men cooperatively. Obviously one player is playing as the sentinels and the big baddies. We would each just play our respective hero and the game would be done in maybe 90 minutes. Such a blast!
@@TabletopTurtle uhmmm. I see! I'll look those up as I am yet to play/buy any Zombicide.
Any other suggestions without superheroes? (Besides the ones already listed in the first reply. Imma check those out)
About Blood Rage: Are there any expansions you find essential or super enjoyable? Have you tried Riding Sun and Ankh? I haven't seen those mentioned in any other vids.
I have Blood Rage and was wondering about other expansions, whether they were worth it.
@@shocknawe Those are a good start and most of them have nothing to do with heroes. I would also suggest Warhammer Underworlds. It bridges that gap between a miniature game and a board game.
I only use the Mystics expansion with Blood Rage. I find everything else unnecessary. But I think all the expansions are really expensive now or something so none of them are really necessary.
@@TabletopTurtle thank you! I'll give it all a check and keep it in mind.
So, no 5th Player Expansion?
Love the fact you mention how much you'd played a game, that's really neat!
Agree with most of those, you definitely should try Evacuation, it's S tier (or at least A)!
Yeah as a content consumer I've been starting to wonder how many times reviewers could possibly play a game when they're reviewing three games a week from Kickstarter. So I figured might as well be transparent because that's what I want from others!
Yeah Evacuation is appearing on a lot of lists and we do love his other games!
Just found your channel today and while I like this style of rating I can't get a sense of the type of games you enjoy.
Finding a great reviewer is so subjective as they have to align to your personal taste too. Excited to watch more videos and figure out your reasoning for some ratings and figure out where your tastes stand.
I feel like I get this a lot. Kim and I primarily enjoy more complex longer games but honestly we'll try anything and can enjoy a wide range of different games! I am doing a top 100 video in 100 different locations soon, so that should help!
Imagine calling a game "Age of Innovation" when all it is is a clone of Terra Mystica...
That sick burn needs to be on the back of the box, for sure.
Oh the irony. Ya know, I just now realized that. Thanks for pointing it out!
Imagine a day when we could start sentences with something other than "imagine"...
The only games on this list I have played is Earth and Marvel Zombies. I had the same feelings for Earth. I played it solo but my excitement for the game dwindled after 5 or 6 games. For Marvel Zombies, its a fun game because my friends really enjoy Marvel Characters and we have a blast playing as those characters. The game play is very mid but the enjoyment my friends have choosing characters and playing makes up for it.
Would love to try voidfall but my board game group sadly doesn’t play very many pvp games.
Yeah it was the talk of the town for awhile but now I think the dust has settled and people just see it as a good game and not much more. Yeah, Zombicide really does depend on who you're playing with. We typically just play Marvel Crisis Protocol now.
Wow, these were some harsh opinions, but I think they come close to what I personally would think about. The point is: they are good games on its own, UNLESS they trigger the 'been there done that' effect. I stopped buying games that lacked pure orginality.... originality for ME, that is. If you only know a couple of games, the world is your oyster. If you know hundreds of games, it's much harder to find such a game. So thank you for your opinions, saved me lots of mis-buys.
I also think I need to re-evaluate lots of reviewers, and don't take things for granted too easy. I'll keep watching you, subscribed !
Exactly! Games can't exist in a vacuum. If every game is a good game, well . . . what good is that to the viewer?! Always be cautious with always positive content creators, especially concerning upcoming games.
Congrats on hitting monetization level. I enjoyed watching the one video without ads. Very rare! And good job with actually responding to people who comment. I’m seeing quite a few game channels who pretend to be sociable and smile a lot, but never respond to anyone. Not even liking the comment. I don’t understand these people. They will never get my subscribe. I follow them to thumb down every video.
I guess there is a distinct difference between fostering a semblance of a community and social influencing for some people.
Not trying to be controversial myself lol, but I feel the fact some of these we're never played physically should either not be rated or get an uptick unless they we're just awful. Part of the charm and experience of a board game oftentimes is the feeling in your hands, the look of the board, components and of course gameplay matters. For example, I am sure having played Voidfall physically increases your enjoyment of the game than if you had just played the bland looking one on TTS. Anyhow, just found your channel, guess my YT algorithm was bored of positive reviewers lol. Cheers!
You might be right. Although I'm pretty good at just knowing if I like a game just based on the mechanics. I've never been disappointed after liking a game online and then buying it after. But we are going over to a friend's tonight to play Barcelona so we shall see.
@TabletopTurtle Barcelona remains a point salady game lol. Just received Evacuation, looking forward to tabling it.
I don't necessarily agree with that. Some games play better online. While some you have to play in person to get the most magic. And then, some should have never became board games. Changing a rating based on an assumption that it would be better in person is, in my opinion, disingenuous.
I appeeciate this style or ranking.
More games can make high ranks. It makes thie video more suspenseful
I love keeping people in suspense. I rate this comment a . . .
@@TabletopTurtle and I rate your reply a .......
I feel like the games you played physically got more rating than the ones you played on tabletop simulator or tabletopia.
You're probably right. I'd imagine it improves the experience but I tried just to go by thr mechanics mostly and how they felt playing. Actually we managed to play a couple of these physically recently and my feelings stayed the same on both.
Thanks for sharing. WOW, that was a lot of games for a year. Nicely done.
Of your S games I have The White Castle and I agree with you. It's a lot of game (and I mean A LOT) relative to the size and price. Which IMHO, makes it a No Brainer to buy and try.
I would get Voidfall and/or StationFall if not for the huge ruleset and learning curve. Also, I think VF takes up a lot of table space. Eeek! Unfortunately, Hegemony may be similar regarding ruleset. Dang it. I mainly play solo or 2 player, which causes some games to get ruled out. Ruled out?
I'll have to spread out the games this year instead of trying to jam them all into the last few months and then go crazy online.
For White Castle it's true. We don't talk about price a lot, but in this economy it really does feel like we might need to start and that game is at a wonderful price point. I think there is a lot of people, ourselves included sometimes, that are starting to feel like we're being priced out of the hobby as games continue to get more and more expensive.
Voidfall might be a little too tough for a small table. Time to head to Ikea and buy a bigger table? Or you could develop long-term back problems and just play on the floor. I wouldn't worry too much about the rules of Hegemony. It's actually not that hard of a game; however, I don't know if it would provide a good solo or 2 player experience. It really does feel like a 4 player and possibly 3 player game at its best.
Thanks for the reply. I just watched your Voidfall review and now I'm second guessing myself and may purchase it (if I can find it). I think it would primarily be for solo and maybe 2 player. But, I'm not sure if my table is large enough for it. Roughly, how much space does it take up? @@TabletopTurtle
@@tonybowers9490 I think if you're exclusively playing two players it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I remember a thread on BGG discussing it not long ago and people were showing some pictures of some fairly small(ish) tables with the game on it. It's not like Twilight Imperium or anything. It's actually a really cool two player game! Kim and I played it a lot at 2.
Great vid, haven't played most of the game on the list but agree with the ones I have played. But on Europa universalis the Price of Power your way off! That game is a gem if you like that kind of game. But that's ok! 😉
I think I'm just too big a fan of the video game, so nothing else can live up to its brilliance!
So if you like « Among us » type games, you should give Among Cultists a try, because, yes, it literally advertises itself as Among Us, the board game.
You might rate it lower than Stationfall because you’ve already « seen it done » but definitely something you should look into!
Edit: typo.
I'll have to give that a shot! I think BoardGameBolllocks just released a review on it. Maybe I'll start there.
I think I mostly agree with your rankings and appreciate this format and really helps to put games in a larger context. Probably the one that I disagreed with most was That's Not a Hat!. I think the point is that most people have the memory of a goldfish and that's why it's hilarious. The premise of giving 'gifts' with ulterior motives is just funny. Can't take it too seriously.
I suppose that's true.
Thanks so much for the Voidfall love 😊
Of course! We always dig your complex games.
What does the "S" in S tier stand for?
It comes from Japanese academic grading: Special or Superb.
Thanks for the video. Many still to try for me.
New Years resolution!?
sky team is phenomenal. worth every second of hype it gets. I enjoyed your reviews. I respectfully disagree on Barcelona, my wife and I really enjoy this one. Undaunted, every one of those games are gold, the battle of Britain really makes you feel like you're pilots in a dog fight. Thunder Road is an absolute blast. Every time I play this with my family and friends, nothing but laughs and smiles.
Okay, that's it! I'm adding Sky Team to my wish list!
You really should check out Gaslands!
Having only picked up two of these (Stationfall and Hegemony) I like these rankings :)
Based on what you said about it, I do feel like I need to look into LastLight though.
Yeah I hope it ends up being a good game. A short Twilight Imperium would be nice.
Am I the only one who saw he played "Moon" 80,000 times the physical copy and said it was meh?
I wasn't sure about my feelings toward the game at 79,999 plays.
I like seeing people rank games based on their own individual opinions and experiences rather than hype the same games over and over again. There was only one I strongly disagree with- please don't judge Legacy of Yu based on the Tabletopia version, it's not the full version. It doesn't include ANY of the story elements, all of those change the game up by adding more cards, more objectives, new rules, etc! None of that is present on Tabletopia.
Always seemed strange when critics pretend to be completely objective in their reviews or act like marketing machines. Maybe I'll give the physical copy a try. I think my buddy owns it. Just not the biggest solo gamer.
Honestly, I appreciate how honest your opinions are. I have bought too many games that CZcamsrs have praised the crap out of and played it and was like…. This sucks!
and I agree completely about steam up! My kids made me buy it and it was a waste of $40!
Listening to what amounts to commercials on CZcams for every game under the sun can get a little tiresome.
Don't let them get away with picking bad games! Make them shovel snow for the year as punishment!
What is it that you didn't like about GWT New Zealand? I've been planning to buy it after all the other reviewers I've heare said it was their favourite
Some of the extra stuff just didn't feel like it added any fun to me, like the sheep guy. I liked how tough it was to get that perfect hand by the time you reach the end of the track but being able to get rid of so many cards even before then (and not the usual one or two cards on buildings) felt cheap and boring. But that's just me. I like Argentina best.
Of the games on this list, I've played Forest Shuffle, Point City, Faraway, Earth, & Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game.
I definitely agree that Forest Shuffle is an A game, I'm probably going to buy it next time I place an order. Point City I enjoyed, I would've put it in B but I definitely see your points about it. Faraway was a B for me, really cool scoring mechanism in that one but the other mechanisms feel a bit standard, I guess? I enjoy drafting and set collection, but the way you do that in Faraway didn't feel too different. (Which is okay, I don't mind games that don't reinvent the wheel, just stopped this game from making to an A like it could've been).
Earth was a B for me. I played it when it came out on BGA because people were talking about how it "replaced Race for the Galaxy and Wingspan". Race for the Galaxy is in my top 10 of all time, so I tried it fast. It was a good game, but it didn't replace either RftG or Wingspan for me. Great game, just all the hype about it made it sound like it would be an S when it reality it was just a B.
As for Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, that one is my favorite of these games. I love deckbuilding as a mechanic which helps, and I like Star Wars casually. The attacking out of the galaxy row is really cool, and tactically manipulating which bases you bring out really make this game fun. That one's an S for me.
Really cool list! I've wanted to try a ton of these games, and there are some I haven't heard a lot about (like Raising Robots and Robot Quest Arena, both of which are now on my to-check-out list)
Oh sometimes a game doesn't have to be unique, it just needs to be doing everything right. I hear you.
Earth is for sure not as good as Race. It's in this weird space for us and probably a lot of people where we think it's a really good game but not as good as some people seem to think it is, if that makes sense.
Ah good, we are turning you into a good consumer. Buy! Buy! Buy!
I think earth is rather boring with extremely limited strategy. It gives some easy cheap dopamine hits
Likely true. My friend doesn't seem to make us play it as much as he once did. I suppose it has lost its appeal over time.
Would you be interested in doing this on my channel Man vs Meeple? One time content, I play a bunch of games and we just talk it out. This was great content. We see it in video games why not board games?
Thank you! Yeah, that sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Would need more details, though, like what games you want to cover, what the format is, and optimal recording times.
I played Stationfall twice and I think this game is bad. It is weird that people love it so much because often I heard people saying that "Take that" games are bad. I don't agree to that statement except when it gets to a ridiculous degree like in Stationfall. You can literally destroy the game of someone else with 1 in a single turn by throwing his character in space or kill him with a gun. If I want that kind of silly experience, I'll just get a small card game with less complexity, and less setup times and a shoter playtime.
Yeah, that's a fair criticism and one I hear a lot regarding Nemesis. We have not had that issue yet and hopefully not in the near future. For now it's just silly fun.
Stationfall seemed like one I'd hate, my friends gave it a try but were mostly unimpressed. One summed it up his thoughts with something like, "It's a hidden role game for heavy gamers who think they're too advanced to play a normal hidden role game anymore." Which coming from a heavy gamer really isn't a glowing recommendation.
Decent review and commentary, thx
Thanks! Hopefully, the ramblings were helpful.
Just came across your video. Well, you and I couldn’t have more dissimilar tastes. Expeditions, Apiary, and Earth I have sitting up as maybe three of the top games of the year.
That's perfect. I'll tell you what's awful and you can go and buy it and you can do the same for me!
Haha. Deal. @@TabletopTurtle
great to see opinions that don't just parrot the hype!
Definitely not a video that will have you wanting to buy a ton of games!
zoo vadis looks amazing! i've never even heard of it until this video
He's a prolific designer for sure, so a lot of his games go under the radar surprisingly. We haven't decided if we want to buy it yet.
Damn thats a lot of games. though a lot seems average or even below average.
But really happy to play Hegemony.
Looking forward to try Voidfall, Earth and Dune
Not the best of years, but still a bit in there for everyone, I think
Wow, alot of popular, hyped, and loved games ripped a new one! Keep on doing you! I love your channel and so glad I discovered it! Fun to listen to every word even if contrarian to the masses. That is what makes life and the variety of games fun and interesting to discover and talk about!
Thank you! I like to talk about games the way people talk to their friends about games. Usually you're not afraid to hide if you really dislike a game when you're discussing it with your buddy.
You have to try Evacuation, it's really good
We've been looking and can't seem to get it anywhere! It's such a no brainer because we played almost all his other games and loved them. Although Mike isn't the biggest Last Will fan.
@@TabletopTurtle But you should give Barcelona a try, when you manage to play a physical copy. It its better than F and we seem to have similiar tastes with some other games. I also love Hadrian's Wall. Ezra and Nehemiah is great, too.
@@Jonaelize Fine. I'll do it for you. But you owe us if Kim and I end up hating it!
@@TabletopTurtle If you hate it, my husband and I will play Ark Nova a second time which we played once on tts and hatet it 😆
LORECANA IS LIT
I challenge you!
What about Tamashii?
Have not heard of that! We'll have to check it out!
Just found your channel, you appear to have fairly similar taste in games to me, so I will have to check out your other videos.
Given the similar tastes, I am rather worried on Europa Universalis. I backed it figuring I don't have a civ game and easier to get a multihour solo board game to the table than learn and commit to a EU4 game. But it arrived same week as Frosthaven and so I've yet to do more than open the box. I'm hoping it plays better solo than your 4p experience.
I can't even imagine what that would be like solo player. Worth a shot, I suppose. Hopefully if you don't enjoy it the resale value is great. I think when a board game starts trying to emulate a video game too much I start thinking: Maybe I should just play the video game. I like when the board game is sort of inspired by the video game, like with Anno 1800.
@@TabletopTurtle Yes, that is not ideal, though as someone who likes complex games I prefer that to the other direction of taking a board game and making it into a PC game. I mean turning it into a game, not just making a port like BGA so people can play digitally. I may love Gloomhaven, but if I'm going to play a PC party combat game I could play Baldur's Gate. I don't need all the mechanics simplified down and my storyline to fit on a couple cards anymore.
Gotta agree with most of what you said. Especially with Apiary and Expeditions. Nothing exciting was happening with either. I thought Darwins Journey and Age of Innovation were slightly better than you did. Insta-subscribed.
Oh! Kim and I actually got to play a physical copy of Darwins yesterday with a friend and she really enjoyed it. She's sitting across from me right now yelling "A tier". And I did like it better in person. I don't know if it's something I'll crave a few months down the road, but maybe! Thanks for the subscription!
He-gem-ony, not heg-e-mony.
We don't need your education! We don't need no thought control!
Too funny lol
😂 when I was a kid I dreamt of sneaking into the janitor's office and putting that song on the school's speaker system. Then all the kids were supposed to join behind me, marching out of school.
@LassePeterson it's never too late to start that child revolution, Lasse! Actually, threw a reference to that song into our hegemony review too. Must have been on my mind
Couldn’t disagree more on Barcelona
There is no other option now but to fight!
@@TabletopTurtle lol... or as you said, the environment wasn't right. You could try to play it again. FWIW, I agree with way more things on your list than I disagree with. But that doesn't make for interesting conversations lol
@@SAUPAYANMAZUMDAR Our friend owns a copy. I'm sure he'll force us to play some time soon and then we shall see!
how can someone judge games after one, yes only one play!?!?!
Well I did preface the video by stating it's primarily based on my opinions after a play or two in some cases. Don't we all judge games after one play?
have you ever played games and immediately decided you don't want to play it again? I think the answer is yes, it's no different for a content creator.
not to be too critical but you are reviewing games on how many times you have or have not played them. Proabbly not the best way toi approach a ranking system. i.e. earth a C and Nucleum a B and then you admit you did not get nuclem all the time amd u at one point loved earth.
Yep. Every reviewer on CZcams does the exact same thing. I'm just honest about it.
As much as i love you....but your list is the exact opposite of mine...also Voidfall us a bloated hellscaoe. Fief was the worst experience i have ever had the misery of playing...
You will henceforth be my nemesis. I will play games you hate and abandon games you love.
@@TabletopTurtle now I have to bulk up to compete with you...and take you in FINAL BATTLE...or some such.
🥓🥓🥓
Heh-ge-muney, not
He-ge-mo-knee
uhn - di · fr · uhns 😜
*barely plays each game*
*Does a tier list*
😂😂😂😂
Some of us understand games quicker than others.
😉😉😉😉
Gives a punishing review to expeditions and gives it a C. Gives a better review to Apiary and it’s a C… I think the issue is how much time you spent being positive or negative on a game wasn’t proportional to the tier you gave it.
Also Voidfall is just not that good. It has no soul. So empty and the moves don’t matter because it’s just a euro with a twilight imperium skin.
Expeditions had a full video dedicated toward it and so we went into a lot more detail. Apiary is only covered in this video. We spent a significant amount of time playing Expeditions and so we were naturally much more thorough. You're likely just witnessing my disappointment with a game I thought would be great and not just mediocre. I had no expectations for Apiary.
Voidfall is brilliant.
@@TabletopTurtle voidfall is boring compared to the games that came before it. The fact they removed the extermination part and still call it a 4x is silly. It has 0 soul and its popularity is proportional to the fomo that followed it.