Unpacking our Gen Con 2023 Haul🐙 + the reasons for our choices!!
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- We have returned from GenCon 2023 with very heavy bags and very light wallets :*) We unfortunately couldn't find as much space for nesting games within games this year but luckily we managed to just fit everything into our luggage. Phew!
Timestamps:
00:00 GenCon 2023!
02:25 Inefficient packing
04:35 Tiger & Dragon
05:50 Bruxelles 1893
07:45 Ancient Knowledge
09:00 Dahlias
10:13 Scram!
11:56 Bemused
12:29 Find Muck
13:20 Sunrise Lane
14:55 Inheritors
15:52 Diamonds
17:03 Seas of Strife
19:14 Sail
22:12 Cosmoctopus
24:58 Everything Ever
26:09 Nimalia
27:28 Forest Shuffle
28:50 Romi Rami
30:00 Sagrada Artisans
32:00 My Island
33:00 Federation
34:36 Four Humours
37:40 Retrograde
39:27 Sky Team
41:37 GWT NZ
42:59 Kinghill
44:02 Wild Tiled West & World West
45:43 Zertz
46:36 Aegean Sea
48:26 Thrive
49:32 Waffle Time
50:00 Agree to Disagree
51:09 Reigns of Dragoness & Velomino
53:00 Lost Ruins of Arnak: The Missing Expedition
54:25 More Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
55:25 Eila and Something Shiny
Thanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience.
#board games #tabletop games #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Velonimo has an element of bluffing to it. You're hoping to get your opponents stuck with lower cards in hand so they have to pass pass pass and not go out first; all the while you're shedding cards, but you're getting ready to be able to pace it so you can be the one to go out first. The bike race theme makes perfect sense for this type of game.
One thing I can never get over about Gen Con is that I can walk every aisle of the exhibit hall, some more than once, and I will watch all these videos after and see so many things I missed!!!
I say that to Maggie every time we walk the hall. You see something new each time!!! Hope you had a great time and at least found the things you were looking for. 👌
I think you need to walk them all four days to not miss anything :)
Oh so cool you're coming to Spiel! 🙂
Sooooooo excited to hear what y'all think about Sail!!!
It was so great finally getting a chance to meet you!! Thank you for all your content because it is always helpful for me when I have my hobby hat on. 💖
I saw you both separately in the exhibit hall, and I wanted to stop both times to say "Thank you for what you do!" but you looked like you were on a mission and I didn't want to interrupt. So, thank you for what you do!
What an awesome haul! Would like to learn more about Tiger & Dragon, Scram!, Inheritors, Sail and Four Humours. Maybe an unboxing of Bohnanza Dahlias, to see the artwork?
Took me several days but I finally got through the whole video! Have added a few to my 'if these ever hit retail in Australia I will google them again to remind myself why they're on this list' list. Great video as always! Love from Tassie.
Wow! What a great list of games. Good luck getting through that stack, there is plenty of fun in store for you both.
That is hilarious. Tiger and Dragon was also the first game I grabbed one day 1. I stood in line with Mike Delisio.
i am incredibly jealous of that bruxelles!!!!! aaaaa!!!!!!!!! :)
and forest shuffle!!!!
WHAT?!?! eila & something shiney has a 2p co-op mode!?!? why is it listed at 1p only on boardgamegeek!!!!!
okay, video is over, calming down now. thanks for the great haul video... best one i've seen this week :)
You two were the first content creators I ran into and it was on the Wednesday. Such a joy to talk to and get a photo with, so this Canadian thanks you! I would love to see Forest Shuffle and Arnak coverage if time permits. Cheers
Saw you on the Dice Tower's GenCon Vlog! Wish I could have gone. Next year!
Thanks for this highly enjoyable and informative video. I got to discover some new & interesting games... It's always a pleasure to watch your content. 😉👌🏼
I have been waiting for Find Muck for so long! Pre-ordered ✅
I was so excited to meet Maggie (I was in the line for World Wonders on Thursday morning) and thank you for letting me take a photo! A highlight of my con. We got many of the same games - looking forward to reviews and your Essen haul!
That is some next level packing! Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on some of these
The only piece you and I have in common is Four Humors. I’m not usually one for a hidden information game, but it looked like a tight game with limited resources since you only get to hold four humour tokens at a time.
So far, Redwood is the gem of my haul. Beautiful, plays quickly, indirect competition, and plenty of ways to earn points, with a theme that puts me in mind of Cascadia.
Glad you had a great time and got to meet so many good and interesting people!
Ooo interesting! Redwood is one that I thought might be too light for us but now I'm intrigued to play it! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and hope you had a great con too!
@@ThinkerThemer It's not mechanically complex, but choosing how to move yourself, angle your camera shots, and where to move animals after they've been photographed, plus the variable bonus objectives make it an interesting game to focus over. My one complaint, having played it twice now, is that some of the mid to late game objectives potentially award more points than what you would get for more interesting shots - like 3 points for a photo with no animals in it, or one point for each space in a background card that isn't covered by an animal/flower/tree (which only serves to offset the -1 you'd get at endgame for each empty space anyway 😕) - which results in a little bit of ludonarrative dissonance. If you do play it, maybe just leave the less interesting cards out when randomly choosing objectives.
Loved your video! So many other channels just did hauls and didn't chat about the game. This was perfect! Thanks as always
It was great seeing you you two again!
"Who's not into the bean thing?!" 💯 I love your appreciation for the bean art in Bohnanza! If the art was too appealing, you wouldn't want to trade them away... 😂
It was so good to see you and I’m glad you had a good time at the Cosmoctopus party ❤
Thanks for the wonderful video as always, woaw what a haul! 😄 Have a great week! Cis
I love to go one day. I keep hearing about the Shadows of Brimstone stand.
Thank you for the nice words about Sky Team ✈ ☺ We cannot wait for the full focus!
Wow, ladies! Your Gen Con haul is amazing. Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the games.
Thanks for the video. I just preordered a copy of Sail today. It sounds like the game that my wife and I have been looking for.
Love the video and disappointed that I didn't see you this year.
As a counterpoint to your convention experience, we didn't buy any games. We primarily did events (an origami class, True Dungeon, a seminar, The Dice Tower Awards, the role-playing game Dread using the Jenga for skill checks, giant Pictomania and Kutna Hora in the CGE room) and played games in the library (A Feast for Odin, Bonsai, Foothills, Castel, Helsinki). And also demoed Forest Shuffle and Tiger and Dragon in the vendor hall.
A friend of mine played games in the hotels and never even set foot in the vendor hall. Another spent a whole day playing werewolf in the hallway. Gen Con can be about shopping if that's what you choose, or about playing, or some mixture.
Cheers!
I love this as a call-out! You're so right that the con is what you make it. It's definitely my love (Amy here) of the expo hall that makes it a shopping con. I love the access to the new games! There's far more to see and do though. I think we were just comparing it to play only cons which is mostly what we have here in Australia.
Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet. Next year!
This was great!! I ran into you guys before we went up to the AEG event and y’all were super chill! Glad y’all had a great time and made it back home! 😎🙏🏼
Bruxelles is a very underrated game. I’d love to see a video on it’s second edition. 😊
That’s a big gen con haul! Would love to see your review of forest shuffle as it was on I didn’t know about before gen con and also on the lost ruins of arnak expansion as it’s one of my favorite games.
Thank you both so much for this video, loved it! Glad to see you made a video about Sky Team!! Hope to see/meet you at Essen this year on Thursday or Friday ;-)
Thanks for your stunning content. I just love watching your videos. Great to hear all the details about GenCon, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming reviews of games in this haul!
Thank you so much for watching them! ☺️
Excited to hear abput all of them but definitely Cosmoctupus, GWT NZ & Forest Shuffle. Glad you had fun!
It was so awesome meeting you at the AEG event! Having the chance to meet other women in the space is such a joy 💜
I am always amazed at how people fly home with so many games! Absolutely blows my mind. I drove to Gen Con and was afraid my assistant (aka my son) was going to have to ride home on roof of the car 😅
I didn't get a chance to pick up GWT New Zealand. I can't wait to see what you think of it. I have only played Argentina!
So many fun surprises in this haul!
That box art for the new Bruxelles edition looks lovely , and bohnanza dahlias… I love love the bean version and honestly love the “ugly-fun” art but it sounds nice to have a somewhat more approachable version too. Forest Shuffle looks really neat too!
Hahaha when you expose to all of us including Maggie that you backed Aegean Sea but still made Maggie get it for you on Day 1! 😂😂😂 what a wife! Also hilarious!
For the second year in a row i did not get to see my favorite gamer youtubers. I'm so glad you guys had a good time in the insanity of 2023! =)
Aww yay, welcome back down under! Great to see your friendly faces in the studio again. Excited for GWT NZ, I have this on order. World Wonders is also on my wish list. I own the older edition of Bruxelles and it's a fantastic game so you've got a good one there. Thanks for sharing the fun, I enjoy living vicariously through your Con adventure stories. Look forward to the next instalment of your world trip of game conventions 😉
Love the haul video! So nice to see what stood out to y’all and what grabbed your interest. More than that though it was great to formally meet the both of you. The idea that you came back to my (Good Games Publishing) booth specifically to say hi to me was a highlight of my con for sure.
Glad I got to see you there!!! We were both buying Bruxelles! It’s a great game and can’t wait to see you do a review! You were both so nice and welcoming and giving of your time and a chance for a picture! Thanks!!!
Eee I hope we get time to table it! Maybe you might beat us to that 😅 thank you for saying hi!!!! Hope you had a great con
Great Haul - I'm looking forward to some of those games hitting our FLGS's in Melbourne so I can pick them up and take them along to some of the Melbourne Meeple events to play. Gen Con is definitely on my Wishlist to attend one day.
Sheep farmers are called "Shepherds".
Great video!
Greeeat tip to pack games within games. I guess I would have done it anyways, but now I'm definitaly doing it for Essen 😍😁
Yes! I love Tiger and Dragon! A friend grabbed a copy for me from Japan and I am so glad this was the game we chose because ive played it 16 times already!
I'm a fan of heavier games, so happy to see Federation in the bunch.
Also the new Arnak expansion.
Amy, so glad we got to chat a bit at Gen Con! And thanks for the Four Humours shoutout! Hope to run into you both at a future con. 😄
You guys are coming to Essen 😍
What a fantastic haul. Looking forward to play Ancient knowledge, Sunrise Lane and My Island.
Nice to hear you'll finally be able to visit Essen Spiel for the first time. Be aware of the massiveness (crowd).
Maybe I'll bump into you as I'll be there Wednesday till Friday.
So many games so little time. Look forward to playing some with you in the future 😮
You will be for sure!!!! 😁
I had my brother get a copy of Tiger & Dragon based on your pre Gen Con recommendation and I’m excited we got a copy. Also I was able to play a demo of the new LROA expansions and they are great. I wasn’t able to get a copy, but once it’s available, I’ll be sure to buy it. Thanks for the recommendations and congrats on the great haul!
in every video I can always count on Maggie wearing shirts that are even more fun than the games y’all talk about:)
Where on Earth do you get those?!
This tarot card was actually official gencon merch! It was like it was made for her she was so happy!!!
The first day I actually saw Maggie deep in the Vendor's Hall. I would have said hi, but she appeared to be on a mission and was moving quickly and I couldn't catch her in anything like a dignified manner. Hope to see you there next year. Love your show.
She was probably worried about meeting back up with me empty handed LOL she was on a strict mission. Sorry we didn't get a chance to say hi. Hope we can meet next year!
I got to be between Amy and my own personal hero of Gen Con in that Flat River Group line, so that made waiting quite a joy. I too was picking up the Bruxelles re-make (totally made for Thinky) and saw Amy with her cool Gen Con shirt picking up some of these games. It certainly was a line and booth full of temptations! The reason the guy between us was my personal hero of Gen Con was that he had a custom-made t-shirt of the iconic carpet pattern from the Indiana convention center that is sadly being slowly replaced. I was so amazed and quite envious and impressed with his passion and ingenuity. Gen Con and its people are so amazing and it is so fun!!!! I can’t believe and don’t know how you got everything home, but glad you had a good trip and got back safe!! Please come next year!
Hahahahahahah really?!? That is an epic shirt and I wish I had known what it was!!! I was too distracted trying to be opportunistic in my frenzy 😂🫠💸
Commenting to help the algorithm. Thanks for your coverage :)
Well DANG! It was my first Gen Con and I wish I'd paid attention to the fact you two were going to be there. So very much would have liked to meet you! Oh well, yet another Gen Con lesson learned! Gotta do a bunch more research next year!
Another great video. Lots of awesome new games to try. Been hearing lots of good things about Cosmoctopus. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Maggie's excitment for Four Humours has me interested in that also. And of course my love of 2 player only games has me interested in Sky Team.
Would love to hear what you think about Sagrada Artisans and Eila and Something Shiny! Love this. Love you two!
I'm sorry I missed you guys at Gen Con...would have loved to say hi. I picked up Sagrada as well, really looking forward to working through that with my wife. I was interested in Sky Team, but those lines...woof...Enjoy Essen! I'll be looking forward to seeing your haul from that one as well.
Looks like a very successful trip! My picks to see more coverage of would be Federation and Bruxelles 1893.
Wish I had seen you two this year, but maybe next time. I'll be so excited to hear your thoughts on Honey Buzz: Fall Flavors.
I'm most curious about Forrest Shuffle, Ancient Knowledge, and Sunrise Lane
Oh the FOMO is so real! amazing haul!!!
Thanks for the video! I'm glad you had a nice visit in midwestern america. :)
Out of the games, I'd like to hear your (further) thoughts about:
· Tiger & Dragon
· Diamonds (One of very few trick-taking games I own, all about earning suit actions to earn gems for points. Fairly unique.)
· Sail
· Cosmoctopus (Saw Before You Play's how-to video, has some similarities to a favorite in Res Arcana)
· Sagrada Artisans
· Retrograde (Got it preordered at my FLGS after learning it was published by Resonym, where which I backed Avant Carde)
· Sky Team (Seems it has a feel to the solo-only Under Falling Skies with its several potential campaign-ish challenges)
· Lost Ruins of Arnak: The Missing Expedition
It was fun playing Four Humours with you two at level up retreat. Can't believe I lost on the second tiebreaker.
Hahah ohhh yes Maggie was lucky to edge you out there! So lovely to meet you and have the chance to play together. Such a quirky game!!
So I saw you got a private demo of Kutna Hora, I was there playing it on an adjacent table (and loved it). Looking forward to hear your impressions.
Wow! What a great haul! I'm wondering if that version of Bohnanza has a Stink Dahlia? :) Most excited about Sky Team, but lots of great choices here. Thanks for sharing your bounty with us!
Hahahaha I hope it does 😂
I always love your haul videos! It's important to know which games fit inside which other games. 😅 Id love to know if Tiger & Dragon is worth the time and money, if you get the chance.
It was great to meet you Amy! I’m sorry things were so busy at the booth when you brought Maggie by so that I wasn’t able to meet her. Hopefully there will be an opportunity in the future
I love Anomia as my scattegories type game, so now ill have to play Everything Ever 😊
I hope you enjoy Eila. It has been a hidden gem for years and kudos to Northstar for republishing it. It was so difficult to find. I bought mine from a friend. Did you get a playmat with it? It really helps to organize the game. The last chapter is tough, but once you lose, you will restart and know what you need to do. Great haul video!
Oh no we didn't get a playmat! So glad to hear you enjoy this one Maggie is very excited to get it to the table!
Thanks for the awesome game reviews!
If anyone reading these comments was somehow at 2023 GenCon, got the Magic Sword/Metavari lathe-cut vinyl, and would part with it for $$$, please let me know 🙏
I would love to hear your thoughts on Great Western Trail: New Zealand.
Sounds like you had a wonderful whirlwind of a time at Gen Con. How was the jet lag? Would love to hear more abiut Eila!
I also got to meet Kovray!!! It was their first Gen Con.
I would like to see an Aegean Sea review. Haven't heard of this game, but it looks interesting.
Thanks
The two of you made a cameo on one of the dice tower gen con vlogs
Will have to find that! Lol!
Looking forward to your review on Great Western Trail New Zealand. I don’t own any and haven’t played it. Would love to add to my collection but not sure which one to invest in.
I bought Bruxelles and grabbed Ancient Knowledge while waiting in line before thinking better of it and putting it back. Would love to hear your thoughts on Ancient Knowledge to see if I missed out.
I had been interested in Four Humours -- like the art/design, theme, mechanics. Followed it during the KS, and while they say there is a solo-mode, I didn't think that mode would be very viable. Looking at BGG, the recommendation is 0 for solo, so I'm not sad I didn't back.
Hi guys! Loved your video! I’m really interested in your pointing out it’s all about shopping and demos ..
DEMOS! Can you talk about how that works and how you get the most out of your time to get demos? I’m way more interested in demos than playing games at gen con.. the demos are the unique part (and, of course, the shopping)
Maybe you could make a video on getting the most out of your time at gen con… demos in particular
PS Kudos on bringing all that back from US to Australia!
I am from Germany and havent been to GenCon yet. Was thinking about this year, decided against it and now considering to go next year. But i cetainly will be at Spiel Essen again. So i am glad, you will be there. Afterwards i would love to hear from you, how you compare those two fairies. Most Amercian YT i watch, havent been to Spiel, most German YT not to GenCon. But so far, the view oppions i got, made the point, there its more about playing Games at GenCon then in Essen, where its all about Shopping. But all American YT, and you too said, that its all about Shopping for you at GenCon, so im interested what you might think in this regard, after ur trip to Germany.
You were 5ft ahead of me during the crush on Thursday. Didn't get a chance to say hi amongst the chaos, but love your content!
Thank you! Sorry we didn't get to say hi. I was probably laser focused... lol...
It was so cool to randomly run across y'all on a crosswalk! Hope you had a great time!
You ran across them in a crosswalk? I hope they emerged unscathed yuk yuk :)
😂
Thank you we had a wonderful time and hope you did too! 😊
Looking forward to your thoughts on Aegean Sea! I played Glory to Rome a couple times and really enjoyed the way it forced me to think. I backed this new game as well and am curious how the system has evolved.
Nice shirt, Maggie. Not a card I'm familiar with ... 😉See you soon!
Can you believe it was the official gencon shirt! Made for her! (Well, you both!)
Very intrigued by Eila and Something Shiny...
Bruxelles and World wonders please!
I was most excited to see your video haul! I would really like to know more about Waffle Time. Seems like a great game I can play with my son. Eila sounds amazing. Im very intrigued and have my eye on it
I tried looking for you both! But I didn't see you guys.😢
It was my first time at Gen Con it was amazing!!
Oh no! Sorry we missed each other. So many people 😅 glad that you had an amazing first visit!
Thanks for the video! I would love to know your opinion on world 's wonders.
I kept waving to you from the Folded Space booth to come by. But sadly, the crowds stood between us. 😞
Ohh nooo! Sorry we didn't get to say hi! Next time 😄
Awesome !! How many luggage did you have 😂 Good luck with the jet lag xx
Four big suitcases and two very heavy carry-ons 😅 That's why we have to do GenCon at the end of our travels!! Thanks for watching!
Diamonds is my go-to trick taker to introduce non gamers to. It feels like a classic card game with just a pinch of gamer special power goodness
Does Gen Con have a postal service to send your games home?
The only reason I haven't picked up Ancient Knowledge is because it was $50. Now that I see all the air in the box I def don't think it's worth $50. But I did hear good things about it...just not $50 good :)
THERES A NEW EDITION OF BRUXELLES?!? AAAAAAAA
i wonder, what happens to games that u dont want to keep afterward?
Play Eila and cosmoctopus please
Which ones did you get for free?
If you watch the video we talk about review copies versus those we purchased.