I really appreciate all of your comments. One thing I forgot to mention is the price of games has gone up so much that the price of a mistake has become much more punitive. Also, the Kickstarter model continues to add more cost and potential more bloat too! I do fall victim to the completionist trap and that has cost me some cash over the years. I have gone to my FLGS twice in the last week to sell games and have left without buying anything. That is a very rare thing for me…or I should say was.
I feel like in the solo space, I've started gravitating to remastered/deluxe editions of proven games instead of brand new releases. Examples include Nemo's War, Mage Knight, Castles of Burgundy, and Kanban EV.
I agree with this. I have a limited shelf space so I would rather get a "classic" game than something new. I also try to look at mechanics and try not to keep two similar games. I need to stop getting the super mega deluxe editions of games. They take up more shelf space and I typically don't play with everything. A bad crowd funding habit of mine.
While I too sometimes feel like industry is in downward spiral of creativity, there is a lot of bias in these views. Here are some takeouts from personal experience. What I tell to myself when I think "there is nothing new anymore": 1. Too many games. Same thing happened to videogames: everyone wants to get a piece of a growing market. Obviously all of them can't be equally exciting. 2. If you are a seasoned gamer, you are already fed up and might have a feeling you've "seen it all". Maybe it's time to radically change genres and see if anything sticks. About 5 years ago I mostly switched from videogames to board games and felt everything I touched was new and exciting again. 3. It's completely unreasonable to expect that every new year will bring titles that dethrone those that are considered The Best Games of All Times. Often I just choose to play favourites and not search for a Spirit Island killer that doesn't exist. 4. Let time (cruel mistress) and reviewers sort wheat from the chaff. I quit trying to be the first one to new releases, and I feel better. Many games in BGG hotness are barely talked about a year later. 5. There are are enough games already to last a lifetime. We've all barely scratched a surface of what's available outside of well-known titles. 6. There are still a lot of indie and offbeat games that are not taked about and rarely seen in BGG hotness, because of lack of ads or low production values. You learn about them by a word of mouth I guess.
The sentiment you have at the end is exactly what it is for me. My game library is full of games I love in enough variety to keep me happy. I’m not actively looking for more. The sheer volume of releases is too much to follow even if I was super engaged, for my needs anyway.
I think the price of games can be prohibitive. At $100 a person making minimum wage has to work about 2 full days (estimated after taxes) to pay for it. Even someone making making $20 an hour has to work 5 hours. That's a pretty big hurdle. I think the rush to get to print and make money hampers some games. Those that are passion or long term projects (John Company, Mr. President, Pax games) seem to take the time needed to make memorable experiences for players. I am also careful to consider if the solo is in addition to a game to sell more games or if it was planned. A planned solo experience shows in the pleasure you get playing: great rules, thoughtful scenarios, automas that work. I am still new to modern board games. I want to spend wisely so take my time on choosing. I visit my public library to try games (Sky Team was fun solo, and I did not have to buy it). The hobby cannot support continuous unmatched growth, it is bound to contract. I will likely never be able to/choose to afford to go to a convention, either, since they seem to be as much about buying as anything else and I am not fussed about the newest of the new games. I look to people like you, John, who make great videos of honest playthroughs to help me decide whether to part with money, I also have no patience for Kickstarter which may be good for my wallet. Once I decide on a game, I want to order it or pick it up sooner than later. Thanks for rambling on. I look forward to future discussions you start.
The cost is prohibitive for sure. When I started out playing in the early to mid 2000’s most games cost between $30-$50. Now that number is $70-$120. Also, I agree with you on kickstarter, but sometimes a game looks so good and the FOMO factor gets me that I pull the trigger. However, I rarely take a risk on an unknown designer without a bunch of research. The best games have been developed and playtested through many iterations. Not sure that really happens all the time with some of the releases I see these days.
I was wondering about the same thing too lately, because the last several years practically nothing that showed up on crowdfunding made me click BACK button (I've backed/bought about 3 games a year in the past several years). While there were enough of games that got me curious before launch, I've entirely lost my interest in them after watching playthroughs (for various reasons). But most likely it's me problem - I've been playing solo games for years and now know what mechanics I love and what doesn't work for me, what types of games have the potential to stand the test of time for me and what games most likely won't stand 10 plays. So the level of excitement about new shiny stuff ceased, I guess it's inevitable process of saturation. I trully love the games I have, play them a lot, and still super excited every session. Now I'm only interested in games I can see keeping "forever" and replaying a lot, so I've sold everything that doesn't meet this criteria (I hate the hassle of selling games, so I don't buy something if I'm not sure and in the hindsight I haven't missed a single one I would've regret missing). But back to the topic - I guess when you've played a lot of games, know your tastes, have played best of the best from your perspective - you can (subjectively) see through game designs to roughly estimate if the game have potential to be a great one for you, because there's no sense to bother if not, because you don't have space/time to waste on just good ones. That's how I look at it at least. When we stop our constant desire of new stuff (consumerism), the magic of marketing also stops to affect us that much and most new games just fall apart after the first glance - so unnecessarily over-deluxified or so fiddly or not solo though advertised as it or have a much better one with the similar mechanics already and so on. But on the bright side those several trully great (for you) games (even if it's only one) that do come up every year are most certainly making up for all those hundreds of others you've passed on))
I agree with you here. I think it’s just time for a mindset shift. For years, one of my favorite things about this hobby was learning a new game and exploring it. Now, I am going to have to change my thinking to appreciate the enjoyment of a great game instead of always learning new stuff!
The amount of games that exist and are coming out right now that can please not JUST the mainstream audience but all the niche ones puts is in a MORE golden era than the one with a very limited selection of games for just ONE particular audience. None of those games even stopped existing so its just simply not possible be have left it. But add in the sheer variety and a good amount of games for ANY type of gamer we are in a significantly better era than ever before.
Your sentiments in this video vocalize what I've been experiencing this year. Last year was the first time I really consumed board game media. It led to my biggest year of purchases - 10 2023 releases and a few more from previous years. I also felt like it helped me to be more discerning and I've been genuinely thrilled with all my purchases from last year. However, this year has felt pretty dry. I have an Amazon gift card that I'm looking to use on a new game but I haven't found anything to spend it on in six months. I do feel like my collection is fairly well crafted and I'd rather play the games I have than try to make space and money for new ones. I am anticipating Windmill Valley and Daitoshi because I like Dani Garcia's combotastic design style. I backed Galactic Cruise because of the theme and Ian O'Toole artwork. And I've heard good things about SETI. But those are the few that have caught my attention - far less than last year.
I’m buying less combotastic games these days. I’m finding that they all generate that same level of excitement when I pull combos off, so I don’t need more games that do the same thing. All it is are different themes and art.
@@realdealastrology9 I understand that. And I feel the same way to some extent. But theme and setting are a big factor for me. So, if it has an appealing aesthetic and is set in a world/period that I find enjoyable it won't matter as much that it's similar to other games I have. Just that it still be somewhat different and still fun. Windmill Valley is the prime example of that right now as it's at the top of my buy list.
@@realdealastrology9 Yes, it does. Designed by Daní García. Same designer as Barcelona. Both Slickerdrips and Gaming Rules! have solo playthroughs on their channels. I'm sure once it hits retails John will have one here, too. *hint, hint*
I got excited about the reimplementation/retheme of Santa Maria by aporta games which is called saltfjord. Will be purchasable in Essen with a limited amount of copies. I hope to get my hands on it. I sold Santa Maria 2 years ago, because it got overshadowed by so many equally good games that just look so much better and therefore feel better. I’ve since then many times thought about Santa Maria and it’s simple but elegant dice drafting / placement mechanics and the polyomino puzzle. It just was not a looker. They seemed to crunched the game up with the new saltfjord as I red through the rules. Besides that I am interested in galactic cruise and civolution.
We've seen interesting new ideas popup recently, but they are less solo accessible. One game in particular was ARCS by Cole Wehrle. The trick taking sub genre itself has exploded with all sorts of innovations. I think we're still on the golden age of gaming, but it may be that we'll have to seek out the more interesting designs.
Great topic! New ideas may come from different languages/ cultures but shipping cost prevents retailers and gamers from trying out hidden gems. The current industry is plagued by the same movie-TV-sequels reboots spin-offs. Innovation means risky investments. We already lost a few publishers 😢 A channel said “new games are for new gamers” Last 2 years I’ve collected about 50 games and feel that’s all I need 😅😊 for a while
I wonder if you may be in a gaming rut. We all fall into those comfortable patterns and seek out further experiences matching them. I've also had similar experiences where I've stepped away from gaming to try other things. Recently, I've been pushing myself to try games outside my comfort zone and found interesting and enjoyable experiences that don't match with prior gaming. Some of those recently are Witchcraft and For Northwood. Both games were out of my comfort zone and required additional effort to get into and rewarded me for the experience. I played a number of games recently to get through some of these harder to get into games. Several I didn't connect with, but some I found a spark of something new. That's just been my recent experience and I hope that's helpful.
I think one important point (that many others have already denoted) is that 2020 made a lot of publishers realize the market potential of solo games. So now they more or less mandate every designer to throw in a cookie-cutter automata at minimum to hit a larger audience. When the bar and number options for solo focused games have been so low for so long, it's no surprise there's been little pushback. That said, for the industry as a whole, I think it's an interesting inflection point. There seems to be a slow resistance to Kickstarter plastic money pits, to yet another animal game, to yet another LCG, and in some ways, even some push back on nu-Euro "multiplayer solitaire" design. A lot of gamers who entered the hobby during that period now have 4 years under their belt and are now comfortable with things with a bit more bite, a bit more esoteric rulesets. As much as I want to scoff all the Knezia reprints/remixes or the push for more CCGs/TCGs, I think it speaks to a larger desire that's slowly being catered towards. The rest of the market, of course, will have to take a bit longer to pivot if that's ultimately where things fall towards. For me personally, I am always on the look out for long forgotten classics, so golden age or not, I still have plenty of ground to cover. (Such as my random thrift shop find of Asara recently)
I can relate in some aspects. I feel this way with deckbuilders and euros. No matter I'm looking forward to more information in Men-Nefer and Daitoshi. With that said I transitioned to RPG and Sports style games. Think change keeps things fresh. I'm the same where not much excited me this year to pursue much of anything. That's fine as I have enough to play. I also agree didn't see anything exciting on the Essen or Gencon list. We may have reach the peak or I played too many games. 😂
I think we are leaving the golden age of boardgaming generallydue to price increases and the like. But ... I think we might be currently in a golden era of solo only games. A lot of the best solo only games I've played have only been released in the last few years imo.
When I started solo gaming 7 or 8 years ago, there wasn't a lot to choose from. Now, however, there is so much choice and with that so many similar games that it can feel watered down. I don't try enough games to know if they are generally getting worse though.
I’m mainly buying expansions these days for any games I have. Also, I keep an eye on anything released by David Turczi, CMON, and Stonemaier stuff. Other than that, I feel like we’re in the golden age of huge box board games that ruin your shelf space.
I certainly keep looking for David’s designs but with him just doing the solo on a game, that does not make me auto purchase it anymore. While he does a good job, the game it supports may not be all that great and I have had that happen to me a couple of times now to be weary. The huge box comment is certainly true!
Totally agree with you and feel the same for the first time this year. As you said, I think the boardgaming world has reached a point where there're no new mechanics anymore for players like us.. that's why, we're not excited anymore about new games...today, it's only a bunch of mechanics that we have already played so many times with other games and those games are often even better than the new games we have today. Personally, I can hear more and more "this game is like..." or "It's the same game as X but with a different little twist" 😐 I would say it's certainly a golden age for brand new players in boardgaming but I have the impression it's not the case for us anymore due to this lack of innovation or new inspiration in boardgames. For the same reason and the fact our shelves are already full of great games, we're certainly much more selective than before when it comes to buy a new one ... Basically why own a new one that will give me the same experience as games I already have in my collection?! 🤔 In addition to that, I would say the pace of new releases is way too fast..you've barely started to be interested in a game when there are already 10 others that offer the same thing coming out a week later 😅 This is definitely an interesting topic though 😊
There never was. Starcraft did deckbuilding over 20 years before Dominion came out. Buy fun, well designed games. Stop chasing the non-existent marketing gimmick that is "originality". Its never been inheritably good anyway.
Human been has a limited capacity for being surprised. At the same time human been has an unlimited capacity to innovate. I think the key here is you are going too fast, give time to designers, visit your favorite old and forgotten friends, those who made love this game world and keep your radar on to dont miss the new pearls will come up. I only have the chance to play one session a week, and i started to play 4 years ago, in my country is coming voidfall, schollars, ezra and nehemihah and others (remember when you meet them??) And in the meantime i bought this month Kanban and Innovations to meet for the very first time Lacerda. And i have my Rossenbergs, Felds, Mage Kight, Spirit Island well attended. Our golden ages seems will end ever. It is just us, our hunger to consume and experience, but if we are fair honest, we are more than awarded in this life even if the bussiness would stop tomorrow. Dont get burnout my friend, we will need you and your videos. Bid hug.
The problem now is that there seems to be a lack of willingness in many new games to take risks and push creativity in mechanisms. Every third eurogame now is worker placement with resource conversion and some contracts to fill. What's cool about, for example, the new Arcs is that it tries to be creative (trick taking in a 4x game? wacky). Games like Amerigo from way back (with its cube tower) or Tekhenu (with its rotating obelisk changing the value of dice) are examples of games that use an interesting physical component to impact the game's action selection and decision making. I think that might be the next avenue that higher budget eurogames explore as it's a very marketable element with potential for great table presence in games.
I loved Tekhenu for all that it does! Arcs is not solo so that stops me from even considering it. We will see how things go. I know Weird Manor is trying some new mechanics, but it seems to have some pitfalls that make me pause from giving it a try and at $90 MSRP, I cannot afford to take a chance.
Its not even the first to do trick taking in a 4x game by several decades..... Just because the idea is new to the mainstream audience doesn't mean its new.
I feel the same. I’ve been in the hobby for 10 years and found in the last year my excitement has been decreasing when it comes to new games. It may be a natural progression over time, it may be that my game collection is saturated, and I also thought maybe it was just a personal thing as I’ve been going through some tough times. But perhaps at the moment games have reached a natural plateau for now and we wait for the next big innovation to cause a big bang, like you mentioned about deck-building and worker placement. When I look at new games I find myself then looking to my shelf and considering there is something that already does that X thing or that another game is already there, is established and possibly better. It’s sure an interesting topic.
Thank you for the feedback. In future I will ensure that I will not hold, and definitely not express, any option on a subject matter that involves anything beyond my own mperiod of experience, regardless of my knowledge and understanding of what has gone before. I hope you have a great day and continue to be successfully obnoxious whilst commenting on other’s posts. You are doing a great job of keeping that gate! Congratulations.
I have a few random thoughts/reactions. (1) Picking up on your focus on "Mechanisms." I get the sense that when you talk about a golden age you mean a period in which there are under-explored or novel mechanisms that get hashed out in lots of creative game designs that (as a result) feel new. And you name a few mechanisms (deckbuilding, variable turn order, worker placement) that had fed into the previous golden age. On this interpretation, the idea of a "golden age" might always be relativized to a specific mechanism. So we might not talk bout "the golden age of eurogames" simpliciter, but rather "the golden age of worker placement in eurogames" and so on. On ^that reading, maybe it's just that we had lucked into a simultaneous golden age of a few mechanisms all at once, and now it feels less innovative because there are not as many "new" mechanisms to play with simultaneously. (2) I wonder if there may be "golden ages" for other mechanisms in other genres that are off your radar. Maybe we're still in a golden age of Legacy mechanisms somewhere, for example. (3) I wonder how apps play into this discussion. Certainly in the last ~15 years, right up to today, game designs that rely on or integrate apps have repeatedly been offered as innovations. Arguably, it would make a lot of sense for a new Mechanism-driven Golden Age to be app-related. But I think a few forces in the hobby work against that. (a) There's a tendency for apps to be used in boring ways -- like instead of printing and shipping a deck of Event cards, instead the app does it. (b) Many players just don't want to mix screen time with cardboard time. And (c) there's perhaps something just... samey about interacting with an app. It's not tactile in the kind of way that fiddling with components is. That makes it hard for any app-based mechanicm to *feel* like a new boardgame mechanic. Just to offer a quick example, in a deckbuilding game you can see and perhaps feel your deck getting larger; an app could implement that mechanism just as well but it's not going to feel like anything is happening. The dead slab I swipe on is still a dead slab I swipe on.
Were any of those ideas actually new? Or just new to you? Everyone thinks Dominion invented deckbuilding. Despite starcraft having it decades prior. There never was ANY innovation in your golden age either. YOU were just in the same position new people are now. It was new to YOU. "new" is a marketing gimmick and a novelty. Now is the time to learn that and start focusing on games that are actually well designed instead. A good game is FAR better than a shitty gimmick for the same of being something "thats never been done before". There is a reason is there are several decades between the first deckbuilding implementation and "dominion the first deckbuilding implementation". Good ideas are NOT, and will NEVER be inheritably a good thing. Not one idea you have EVER thought is innovative and new was. It was just simply the first try to take that idea and make an actually well designed game out of it. Every single mainstream and well known game follows this same exact pattern. Catan might have turned board gaming into something talked about worldwide. But don't confuse that with catan starting a new concept. Board games existed every mechanic we use today existed. They just weren't talked about by much people at all. Because new ideas fucking suck.
Maybe there is the same amount of novelty exists, but the sheer increase in quantity of middling games is making it harder to pick the gems out of the pile? Also the increase in the popularity of solo gaming might be tempting designers to hastily shoehorn poor solo modes into games that really have no business being solo. I woudn't be happy if boardgame design is stagnating, but wouldn't be surprised either. Any creative media has eras of creativity that ebb and flow. It's important to appreciate how hard it is to bring great creative ideas into being. It saves you from being dissapointed in not experiencing a constant explosion of creative genius. If this is a lull than I'll just take the downtime to dig more deeply into the mountain of games I already own and rarely play.
It never was creative genious. Starcraft did deckbuilding over 2 decades before Dominion. Dominion was just the first to take deckbuilding and execute it well. "new ideas" have always sucked and almost no one has ever actually heard of the first games to ever implement any given game mechanic. And every single one of them dates back from BEFORE catan. Not ONE thing during the "golden age" or gaming was actually invented in that time period.
We are knee deep in the age of predatory marketing & FOMO driven, substance deprived, shiny blingy-bling halfbakes. These waters are rising fast. There are still gems to be found, but these islands are getting fewer and further between. My current grand hopes, of projects backed, are "Four Horsemen", "Heroes of the Sanctum", "Ascendency", "Andromeda's Edge" and the most recent "Unstoppable". I am currently playing Fateforge solo and it is really fun but it requires an app, so it ain't for everyone.
@@JohnLaRuffa There is one more title I would like to recommend, and a title it is. A very unique spin on adventuring / dungeon crawling. Still available for late pledge. And here comes the name, I kidd you not: The Thinning Veil - Cormac Mac Airt on the Other Side of Midnight
When I watched your video, it seemed like every word you said were things I have been saying to myself and my friends for a while now. I think that the golden age of gaming ended a few years back. I am not seeing a lot of new ideas coming out, just reimplementations of existing mechanics and ideas, packaged with a different theme, or just a mishmosh of ideas and mechanics thrown together for complexity sake, that just don't work all that much. Sure there are some new ideas that are good, but more often than not, the designs are lackluster and the games have no staying power. I agree with you that Shem Phillips along with S J MacDonald are hitting their strides and I really like the South Tigris series so far and I just got Ezra & Nehemiah. In terms of the previews for Gen Con and Essen previews, I think for Gen Con, my list of games that interest me is only like 2 or 3. And I think it is about the same for the Essen list. With so many releases, you can't keep up with them. I feel like there is designer fatigue with designers churning out lots of games in a short period of time. I also feel there is not a lot of effort put into development for theses games. If you look at the number of plays a game gets by the majority in this hobby, a game only needs to be good for a game or two, so why put a lot of effort into development. And that's why they have to put out expansions to fix problems with the base games. Like you, I am comfortable with my collection, bringing in fewer titles than I have in the past, and also getting rid of games to make room for those new ones. Over the past few years, I have been culling and curating my collection to where I like all the games that are in it, however I will still part with games that either have not been played in a long time, or I feel I could part with because a friend may have a copy I could play. With the high prices these games carry, I don't feel it is worth the risk to buy many of them because they may suck. In fact, I have been doing more trading for games, or buying them second hand for a lower price, thus lowering my risk of a bad investment. This was a great video and definitely an issue that needs to be talked about.
While I agree with the meat of what you say here, I think 2023 was a stellar year for solo game. However as 2024 moves on and as I look in the future, things just look less and less interesting. I would love another big Uwe game on par with Fields of Arle or a Feast for Odin. It has been years since we have seen the likes of one of those…
Sometimes I go to a game day or event and there are 5 people who bring 5 bags filled with 10 games each and at the end of the day or night maybe you got one of those games played and sometimes none of those games played and very often you never see the same games again as it has turned into more show and tell for new shiny overhyped 120$ games people want to get to the table. By the time you go through rules and set up and how to play your really are not getting many games played. Many of the organic channels for board gaming have stopped making content or disappeared and have been replaced by 45 minute infommercial hype videos which seem to get 1000s of views. Also, it seems some of the industry "leaders" and "influencers" are trying to control the narrative of what themes we can play and are even blocking people or dog piling on people for issues that have ZERO to do with gaming. There was a point in the French Revolution where the revolution turned on itself, it seemed when board gaming was really taking off and lots of people were coming into the hobby, the hobby turned on itself and started to eat their own. For me, I culled a lot of games, stopped backing most KS projects, got off twitter, and have focused more on games I already have and know how to play. I think we have moved more toward smaller games, maybe one hour playing time, with easier set up, easier teach, easier tear down. When I solo, I am more than happy to solo Diceminer or Unbroken still. But for gaming events games like Forest Shuffle, small box, one hour playtime.
The main reason I started my channel 6 years ago was due to my fatigue with all of the fluff and filler that goes into a lot of the big channels. I just wanted to see the game explained and played for a round or so and then hear their thoughts. The hype just does not do it for me unless it is genuine enthusiasm. And while I do appreciate a nice looking game, I don’t need all of the bloat either.
Havent seen the video but considering how many fantastic games that have been released just the past year or two, and how many more are upcoming, Id say we are much more in the golden age right now than at any point previously. And I say that despite my nostalgic feelings for the 2000s when FFG IMO was at their absolute peak! edit: Ok watched it now. As for solo games...I dont know. There are sure plenty more solo games to play today, and more often than not games offer some form of solo mode.
I know what you're talking about. I scroll past new games faster than I can read the titles most of the time these days. Allow me to offer a positive reframing: The "bloat" of games represents an increase in variety in established genres. 25 years ago, you might be considered a "board gamer," and you were generally expected to appreciate most games that came out because a game coming out at all was something of a novelty. 15 years ago, you might be considered a "euro gamer," and there were enough euro games coming out that you could ignore all the other games coming out and still have plenty to enjoy. Now you might be, as I consider myself, a "solo, deck-building/engine-building/worker placement gamer," because there are enough games coming out in one or more of those categories that I can busy myself maximally enjoying my favorite genres rather than--as I used to--celebrating scant offerings because they were all that was available. Given this opportunity for taste specialization, I should expect to see a ton of games that I'm completely uninterested in. But why, by way of analogy, should I be upset that there's a whole section of Romance novels at the bookstore that don't interest me at all so long as there's a robust sci-fi section to look at? I appreciate major innovations. I also appreciate just having some fun with what I know I enjoy. I hope that both opportunities are forthcoming in the near future and for years to come, and I don't think the fact that I can ignore almost every game currently being produced is a problem. I still find plenty to look forward to, regardless. Also remember that you never know when you'll be surprised. I had absolutely no interest in Apiary until I saw that it was the heaviest solo game available on a play-to-win shelf at a local gaming convention. I discovered I enjoyed it a lot. I feel no need to own it at this point, but if I were desperate for a fresh board gaming experience and had some cash to burn, I know that it--and a bunch of other games that haven't yet risen to being purchase-worthy--is available. As always, keep up the good work. Love your videos.
There are only two games to be released this year that I have any interest in: Civolution by Stefan Feld and Black Forest by Tito Lorenz and Uwe Rosenberg. That's it.
I totally agree about the increased number of games. That is largely because most games come with a solo mode that they wouldn’t have had just a few years ago, Great western Trail for example has one in its reprint. Brass has no solo but Nucleaum does. Personally I find not looking at the latest releases but focusing on games that people are still talking about 2years after release is the best filter.
I consider myself a medium heavy boardgamer (in all regards). I don't collect and play enough to have an educated opinion on which age we are boardgamewise. So my reply is more on a personal level. But being a person who has traversed many a hobby. One thing is true across the board(game). If you do something intensely for a long period of time, you get burnt out eventually. Every new experimental rock band will sound like Sonic Youth and that new RPG on the Switch feels like a reskin of Final Fantasyb6. Not saying it applies to you. But I find that having variety in life and moreso in hobbies, makes it so that things stay fresh. If you distance yourself from having to own and play everything, you enjoy the things you have. I've purchased Cooper Island based on your recommendation. I'll play that for the comming time. Once saturated I'll pick up BBQ'ing, or maybe playing blues. And next year I'll pick up one or two games again based on your recommandations.
I hear you and you are right for sure. What is so striking to me I think is how fast things seemed to change between last year and this year. In the last 15 years, I have never looked into the Essen/Gen Con season and found almost nothing that I want. Usually, there are 4-6 at Gen Con and 8-12 from Essen. It’s been that way for me for as long as I can remember. Then all of the sudden 0 and potentially 0. Just a sudden change.
Being in the hobby for a couple of decades means that you have more than likely experienced all of the major mechanisms etc. that euro games are composed of. It is quite rare for a brand new, groundbreaking mechanism to be invented. I feel like the vast majority of euro games these days are rejumbled combinations of existing mechanisms with a fresh thematic coat of paint. There is nothing really wrong with this as dozens of these games will be very good ones. However, these days I am only interested in a game it if ticks every single single one of my boxes in terms of theme, mechanisms, play time, rules overload etc. Even one tiny little thing that seems off is enough to immediately remove it from my sphere of interest. Or often it's a case of 'been there, done that'. I'm at a place where I don't really want to add new games to my collection because I have whittled it down over the years so that all that remains are games that I consider to be truly excellent, evergreen, and highly replayable. A game being merely good or even very is not enough to push out something that I already own. I feel like all I would be doing is adding a functional duplicate most of the time e.g. why add another variation on worker placement or die manipulation when those are already well represented? Thirdly, in terms of solo play there are a limited number of ways that BYOS, bots / automata etc. can be employed. You often have the choice of clunky bots that seek to emulate another player, that typically place high admin burden on the player or simple bots / systems that serve as road block or points randomisers. Thus it may be that the experience of playing quite different games solo can feel somewhat similar due to the way that the solo mode is implemented. Obviously I'm talking in broad strokes about how a games feels rather than specific rules and gameplay mechanisms. So while a game might be new, it doesn't feel new because you have already seen most of what it has to offer within other titles. That said, I am still excited about playing board games. I'm just mostly over following board games news and frequently buying new games that are not really better than those that I already own.
All good and valid points. I am just working to separate games that will still be exciting or really, really good from those that don’t do it for me anymore.
Watch for burnout looking for games. Focus on a playing performance that is competitive. I have reached that stage and have a shelf 6 foot by 40 inches that can only hold a few more, and those are odd shaped holes. I have realized I have a very round and complete collection of mechanics and applications. One hole. No boss battler. EDIT: BTW, that stage I have reached is not yet acually competitive......
I’m way looking forward to spirit fire as a solo game. A euro abstract puzzle that meshes with mtg/dungeon crawling. A living board game that evolves with new release packs. To me, this is the next big thing and I can’t wait!!!! I agree there is a lot of saturation in my end though and most games are just met with a shrug of my shoulders
The problem is a lot of people have too many games and eventually they even become repetitive. Just replay your games and master them. For example I love Robinson Crusoe and when Hells of Hegra was announced, I was all excited. As i watched some game through videos i realized the game was just a Robinson Crusoe type survival experience with a war theme. I do like war gams and got lucky and got a free copy of Undaunted Normandy which is a more interesting game then Halls of Hegra. Same situation with This War of Mine which I had and sold! If you have Frosthaven do you need Gloomheaven? Do you need Age of Innovation if you have Terra Mystica? Same for Wingspan vs Wyrmspan? I think alot of these designers and or publishers are just taking the same mechancis and slapping a different theme with some small tweaks. I have a small collection maybe 10 games only which I could of had up to 50 games. It's ridiculous how these games are similar and not motivating for me to play especially solo.
For sure they are! That is what I am lamenting. However, I would love some new or even somewhat new industrial themed games. In my collection, I have surprisingly few of these types when compared to others. What I don’t need is more dungeon crawlers, medieval, renaissance, or fantasy games.
@@JohnLaRuffa you have a great knowledge and experience in this hobby compared to me. You bring up a lot of good arguments which I have no answer for which I am in the same boat as you. Only suggestion I have for everyone. Replay the games and enjoy them with ur group. As CZcamsr and bringing new content I'm not sure how that will work out to provide reviews on the same concepts.
@jerryf196 That’s a me problem, but replaying my favorites is always good to do. I just was commenting on a sea change that I feel like is coming or is here.
For me, I think I have hit a complexity cap. It still feels like games, however, are continuing to trend towards heavier and heavier. So maybe in the past, something like Ezra and Nehemiah would have interested me. But I know I have also had and passed along Wayfarers of the South Tigris. I have Kanban EV but have not managed a full playthrough. Evacuation was kind of interesting but I have never "won" at Underwater Cities. There just seems to be too much and I look at my shelves and see too many unplayed titles to follow the "hotness."
For me, it's going down. Many reasons for that. Prices are highrocketing, fomo is ridiculous, games are now convoluted and complex ( not elegant), you tubers and reviewers are getting rid of games, there are way too many hoarders, Kickstarter is crazy, classics are overlooked, it's becoming a marketing and consumerism hell.Solution: Go back to basics!
The convoluted games are the ones that are a real drag. If they are not really enjoyable, they almost always get sold after a time because it takes so much effort to relearn them, the enjoyment is not high enough to make up for the effort.
We have. You just refuse to look at them. Have you tried Mlem? Harmonies? Don't Go in There? Furnace? Whirling Witchcraft? Juicy Fruits? Curious Cargo? Nova Luna? All exactly the things you claim you want. The problem is you don't give things a try and complain too much or use pre-convieved notions about previously badly used/designed games and inccorectly assume they apply to well designed ones. Like Mlem. Bet you think its a luck fest because its "Push your Luck? But the better player has a more likely correspondence of victory than your average respected strategy game. (Knizia does know what he is doing). Did you skip that because you assumed it was luck? Or what about Juicy Fruits? So fucking what if its advertised as a "Family" game. Its a complete information euro. Did you skip that because you assumed it must lack a good decision space because its "kid friendly" Or does your childish pride get in the way of that one? Do you incorrectly categorize indirect player interaction as "Not interaction" and miss out on dozens and dozens of other games? This has been an extremely common trend in the last few months. Direct interaction has never objectively made a better game and you have never actually enjoyed them more. Not one classic game has any more direct interaction than Wyrmspan. I bet these are all Yes. And thats your problem. Its not the games. Its you. You stopped playing good games and instead focus on the shit youtubers are paid to peddle and have allowed it to warp your ability to try things due to preconceived notions that never held water in the first place.
i haven’t seen similar mechanisms to crown of emara, there is xian, and oak but no combination of rondel and hand management sabika was the latest solo that was crunchy and really well done. there is peacemakers coming out with great solo but it’s also the themes that bore me. anything historical just no longer interest me, i really want to look at the present and the future, but space themes get samey too. ceres was the last interesting one with the rotating asteroid field and card vs worker placement twist. i am looking for medium weight but crunchy, i really don’t have the time for a lacerda or nucleum setup time.
A few that stand out to me that I'm expecting to be very good, not sure about the release here in the US though, are SETI, Galactic Cruise, and Civolution.
interesting thoughts. thanks for sharing. i'm still a newcomer to the hobby (4 or 5 years), but I can say i do not relate to your feelings. there is plenty i'm still excited about, and still see innovation on the horizon with some new titles. maybe it's because i'm a solo player only about 50% of the time? i do wonder if you're experiencing sort of an over-stimulation (or maybe even a burn out?) which is causing this. i mean, look at that wall behind you!
Please consider using English as it is properly formatted. It's not OK to not capitalize. Sentences start capitalized. "I" is capitalized. I find it interesting that you think you can comment here and not use standard rules. How do you find it acceptable to create your own syntax? Your mistakes are really bad.
I really appreciate all of your comments. One thing I forgot to mention is the price of games has gone up so much that the price of a mistake has become much more punitive. Also, the Kickstarter model continues to add more cost and potential more bloat too! I do fall victim to the completionist trap and that has cost me some cash over the years.
I have gone to my FLGS twice in the last week to sell games and have left without buying anything. That is a very rare thing for me…or I should say was.
I feel like in the solo space, I've started gravitating to remastered/deluxe editions of proven games instead of brand new releases. Examples include Nemo's War, Mage Knight, Castles of Burgundy, and Kanban EV.
I agree with this. I have a limited shelf space so I would rather get a "classic" game than something new. I also try to look at mechanics and try not to keep two similar games.
I need to stop getting the super mega deluxe editions of games. They take up more shelf space and I typically don't play with everything. A bad crowd funding habit of mine.
While I too sometimes feel like industry is in downward spiral of creativity, there is a lot of bias in these views. Here are some takeouts from personal experience. What I tell to myself when I think "there is nothing new anymore":
1. Too many games. Same thing happened to videogames: everyone wants to get a piece of a growing market. Obviously all of them can't be equally exciting.
2. If you are a seasoned gamer, you are already fed up and might have a feeling you've "seen it all". Maybe it's time to radically change genres and see if anything sticks. About 5 years ago I mostly switched from videogames to board games and felt everything I touched was new and exciting again.
3. It's completely unreasonable to expect that every new year will bring titles that dethrone those that are considered The Best Games of All Times. Often I just choose to play favourites and not search for a Spirit Island killer that doesn't exist.
4. Let time (cruel mistress) and reviewers sort wheat from the chaff. I quit trying to be the first one to new releases, and I feel better. Many games in BGG hotness are barely talked about a year later.
5. There are are enough games already to last a lifetime. We've all barely scratched a surface of what's available outside of well-known titles.
6. There are still a lot of indie and offbeat games that are not taked about and rarely seen in BGG hotness, because of lack of ads or low production values. You learn about them by a word of mouth I guess.
The sentiment you have at the end is exactly what it is for me. My game library is full of games I love in enough variety to keep me happy. I’m not actively looking for more. The sheer volume of releases is too much to follow even if I was super engaged, for my needs anyway.
You are right John, I feel the same... Long life to expert solo gaming !
I think the price of games can be prohibitive. At $100 a person making minimum wage has to work about 2 full days (estimated after taxes) to pay for it. Even someone making making $20 an hour has to work 5 hours. That's a pretty big hurdle.
I think the rush to get to print and make money hampers some games. Those that are passion or long term projects (John Company, Mr. President, Pax games) seem to take the time needed to make memorable experiences for players. I am also careful to consider if the solo is in addition to a game to sell more games or if it was planned. A planned solo experience shows in the pleasure you get playing: great rules, thoughtful scenarios, automas that work.
I am still new to modern board games. I want to spend wisely so take my time on choosing. I visit my public library to try games (Sky Team was fun solo, and I did not have to buy it). The hobby cannot support continuous unmatched growth, it is bound to contract. I will likely never be able to/choose to afford to go to a convention, either, since they seem to be as much about buying as anything else and I am not fussed about the newest of the new games.
I look to people like you, John, who make great videos of honest playthroughs to help me decide whether to part with money, I also have no patience for Kickstarter which may be good for my wallet. Once I decide on a game, I want to order it or pick it up sooner than later. Thanks for rambling on. I look forward to future discussions you start.
The cost is prohibitive for sure. When I started out playing in the early to mid 2000’s most games cost between $30-$50. Now that number is $70-$120. Also, I agree with you on kickstarter, but sometimes a game looks so good and the FOMO factor gets me that I pull the trigger. However, I rarely take a risk on an unknown designer without a bunch of research. The best games have been developed and playtested through many iterations. Not sure that really happens all the time with some of the releases I see these days.
I was wondering about the same thing too lately, because the last several years practically nothing that showed up on crowdfunding made me click BACK button (I've backed/bought about 3 games a year in the past several years). While there were enough of games that got me curious before launch, I've entirely lost my interest in them after watching playthroughs (for various reasons). But most likely it's me problem - I've been playing solo games for years and now know what mechanics I love and what doesn't work for me, what types of games have the potential to stand the test of time for me and what games most likely won't stand 10 plays. So the level of excitement about new shiny stuff ceased, I guess it's inevitable process of saturation. I trully love the games I have, play them a lot, and still super excited every session. Now I'm only interested in games I can see keeping "forever" and replaying a lot, so I've sold everything that doesn't meet this criteria (I hate the hassle of selling games, so I don't buy something if I'm not sure and in the hindsight I haven't missed a single one I would've regret missing). But back to the topic - I guess when you've played a lot of games, know your tastes, have played best of the best from your perspective - you can (subjectively) see through game designs to roughly estimate if the game have potential to be a great one for you, because there's no sense to bother if not, because you don't have space/time to waste on just good ones. That's how I look at it at least. When we stop our constant desire of new stuff (consumerism), the magic of marketing also stops to affect us that much and most new games just fall apart after the first glance - so unnecessarily over-deluxified or so fiddly or not solo though advertised as it or have a much better one with the similar mechanics already and so on.
But on the bright side those several trully great (for you) games (even if it's only one) that do come up every year are most certainly making up for all those hundreds of others you've passed on))
I agree with you here. I think it’s just time for a mindset shift. For years, one of my favorite things about this hobby was learning a new game and exploring it. Now, I am going to have to change my thinking to appreciate the enjoyment of a great game instead of always learning new stuff!
The amount of games that exist and are coming out right now that can please not JUST the mainstream audience but all the niche ones puts is in a MORE golden era than the one with a very limited selection of games for just ONE particular audience. None of those games even stopped existing so its just simply not possible be have left it. But add in the sheer variety and a good amount of games for ANY type of gamer we are in a significantly better era than ever before.
Your sentiments in this video vocalize what I've been experiencing this year. Last year was the first time I really consumed board game media. It led to my biggest year of purchases - 10 2023 releases and a few more from previous years. I also felt like it helped me to be more discerning and I've been genuinely thrilled with all my purchases from last year.
However, this year has felt pretty dry. I have an Amazon gift card that I'm looking to use on a new game but I haven't found anything to spend it on in six months. I do feel like my collection is fairly well crafted and I'd rather play the games I have than try to make space and money for new ones.
I am anticipating Windmill Valley and Daitoshi because I like Dani Garcia's combotastic design style. I backed Galactic Cruise because of the theme and Ian O'Toole artwork. And I've heard good things about SETI. But those are the few that have caught my attention - far less than last year.
I’m buying less combotastic games these days. I’m finding that they all generate that same level of excitement when I pull combos off, so I don’t need more games that do the same thing. All it is are different themes and art.
@@realdealastrology9 I understand that. And I feel the same way to some extent. But theme and setting are a big factor for me. So, if it has an appealing aesthetic and is set in a world/period that I find enjoyable it won't matter as much that it's similar to other games I have. Just that it still be somewhat different and still fun. Windmill Valley is the prime example of that right now as it's at the top of my buy list.
@@laurencesingh3948 does it have a solo mode?
@@realdealastrology9 Yes, it does. Designed by Daní García. Same designer as Barcelona. Both Slickerdrips and Gaming Rules! have solo playthroughs on their channels. I'm sure once it hits retails John will have one here, too. *hint, hint*
I got excited about the reimplementation/retheme of Santa Maria by aporta games which is called saltfjord. Will be purchasable in Essen with a limited amount of copies. I hope to get my hands on it. I sold Santa Maria 2 years ago, because it got overshadowed by so many equally good games that just look so much better and therefore feel better. I’ve since then many times thought about Santa Maria and it’s simple but elegant dice drafting / placement mechanics and the polyomino puzzle. It just was not a looker. They seemed to crunched the game up with the new saltfjord as I red through the rules. Besides that I am interested in galactic cruise and civolution.
We've seen interesting new ideas popup recently, but they are less solo accessible. One game in particular was ARCS by Cole Wehrle.
The trick taking sub genre itself has exploded with all sorts of innovations.
I think we're still on the golden age of gaming, but it may be that we'll have to seek out the more interesting designs.
Great topic! New ideas may come from different languages/ cultures but shipping cost prevents retailers and gamers from trying out hidden gems. The current industry is plagued by the same movie-TV-sequels reboots spin-offs. Innovation means risky investments. We already lost a few publishers 😢 A channel said “new games are for new gamers” Last 2 years I’ve collected about 50 games and feel that’s all I need 😅😊 for a while
Stick with that number as long as you can!
thanks! 😊 I stopped visiting KS etc last year 😅 my FLGS stocks some reasonable imports 😊and I rent a game $10@ 1 week loan 🎉 happy gaming 🌟
I wonder if you may be in a gaming rut. We all fall into those comfortable patterns and seek out further experiences matching them.
I've also had similar experiences where I've stepped away from gaming to try other things.
Recently, I've been pushing myself to try games outside my comfort zone and found interesting and enjoyable experiences that don't match with prior gaming. Some of those recently are Witchcraft and For Northwood.
Both games were out of my comfort zone and required additional effort to get into and rewarded me for the experience.
I played a number of games recently to get through some of these harder to get into games. Several I didn't connect with, but some I found a spark of something new.
That's just been my recent experience and I hope that's helpful.
That’s why I made the video. I wanted to see if it was just me or were others feeling it as well. Thanks for the comment!
I think one important point (that many others have already denoted) is that 2020 made a lot of publishers realize the market potential of solo games. So now they more or less mandate every designer to throw in a cookie-cutter automata at minimum to hit a larger audience. When the bar and number options for solo focused games have been so low for so long, it's no surprise there's been little pushback.
That said, for the industry as a whole, I think it's an interesting inflection point. There seems to be a slow resistance to Kickstarter plastic money pits, to yet another animal game, to yet another LCG, and in some ways, even some push back on nu-Euro "multiplayer solitaire" design. A lot of gamers who entered the hobby during that period now have 4 years under their belt and are now comfortable with things with a bit more bite, a bit more esoteric rulesets. As much as I want to scoff all the Knezia reprints/remixes or the push for more CCGs/TCGs, I think it speaks to a larger desire that's slowly being catered towards. The rest of the market, of course, will have to take a bit longer to pivot if that's ultimately where things fall towards.
For me personally, I am always on the look out for long forgotten classics, so golden age or not, I still have plenty of ground to cover. (Such as my random thrift shop find of Asara recently)
I can relate in some aspects. I feel this way with deckbuilders and euros. No matter I'm looking forward to more information in Men-Nefer and Daitoshi. With that said I transitioned to RPG and Sports style games. Think change keeps things fresh. I'm the same where not much excited me this year to pursue much of anything. That's fine as I have enough to play. I also agree didn't see anything exciting on the Essen or Gencon list. We may have reach the peak or I played too many games. 😂
I think we are leaving the golden age of boardgaming generallydue to price increases and the like. But ... I think we might be currently in a golden era of solo only games. A lot of the best solo only games I've played have only been released in the last few years imo.
I hope you are right! I love solo only games and hope to see more of them in the near future!
When I started solo gaming 7 or 8 years ago, there wasn't a lot to choose from. Now, however, there is so much choice and with that so many similar games that it can feel watered down. I don't try enough games to know if they are generally getting worse though.
Wrong. There was an insane level of games to choose from. You haven't a clue.
I’m mainly buying expansions these days for any games I have. Also, I keep an eye on anything released by David Turczi, CMON, and Stonemaier stuff. Other than that, I feel like we’re in the golden age of huge box board games that ruin your shelf space.
I certainly keep looking for David’s designs but with him just doing the solo on a game, that does not make me auto purchase it anymore. While he does a good job, the game it supports may not be all that great and I have had that happen to me a couple of times now to be weary. The huge box comment is certainly true!
Totally agree with you and feel the same for the first time this year. As you said, I think the boardgaming world has reached a point where there're no new mechanics anymore for players like us.. that's why, we're not excited anymore about new games...today, it's only a bunch of mechanics that we have already played so many times with other games and those games are often even better than the new games we have today. Personally, I can hear more and more "this game is like..." or "It's the same game as X but with a different little twist" 😐 I would say it's certainly a golden age for brand new players in boardgaming but I have the impression it's not the case for us anymore due to this lack of innovation or new inspiration in boardgames. For the same reason and the fact our shelves are already full of great games, we're certainly much more selective than before when it comes to buy a new one ... Basically why own a new one that will give me the same experience as games I already have in my collection?! 🤔 In addition to that, I would say the pace of new releases is way too fast..you've barely started to be interested in a game when there are already 10 others that offer the same thing coming out a week later 😅 This is definitely an interesting topic though 😊
There never was. Starcraft did deckbuilding over 20 years before Dominion came out.
Buy fun, well designed games. Stop chasing the non-existent marketing gimmick that is "originality". Its never been inheritably good anyway.
Human been has a limited capacity for being surprised. At the same time human been has an unlimited capacity to innovate. I think the key here is you are going too fast, give time to designers, visit your favorite old and forgotten friends, those who made love this game world and keep your radar on to dont miss the new pearls will come up.
I only have the chance to play one session a week, and i started to play 4 years ago, in my country is coming voidfall, schollars, ezra and nehemihah and others (remember when you meet them??) And in the meantime i bought this month Kanban and Innovations to meet for the very first time Lacerda. And i have my Rossenbergs, Felds, Mage Kight, Spirit Island well attended. Our golden ages seems will end ever. It is just us, our hunger to consume and experience, but if we are fair honest, we are more than awarded in this life even if the bussiness would stop tomorrow.
Dont get burnout my friend, we will need you and your videos. Bid hug.
The problem now is that there seems to be a lack of willingness in many new games to take risks and push creativity in mechanisms. Every third eurogame now is worker placement with resource conversion and some contracts to fill. What's cool about, for example, the new Arcs is that it tries to be creative (trick taking in a 4x game? wacky). Games like Amerigo from way back (with its cube tower) or Tekhenu (with its rotating obelisk changing the value of dice) are examples of games that use an interesting physical component to impact the game's action selection and decision making. I think that might be the next avenue that higher budget eurogames explore as it's a very marketable element with potential for great table presence in games.
I loved Tekhenu for all that it does! Arcs is not solo so that stops me from even considering it. We will see how things go. I know Weird Manor is trying some new mechanics, but it seems to have some pitfalls that make me pause from giving it a try and at $90 MSRP, I cannot afford to take a chance.
@@JohnLaRuffa Yea, it's a shame some of the more interesting games don't have solo modes. Hopefully that will change!
Its not even the first to do trick taking in a 4x game by several decades..... Just because the idea is new to the mainstream audience doesn't mean its new.
I feel the same. I’ve been in the hobby for 10 years and found in the last year my excitement has been decreasing when it comes to new games. It may be a natural progression over time, it may be that my game collection is saturated, and I also thought maybe it was just a personal thing as I’ve been going through some tough times. But perhaps at the moment games have reached a natural plateau for now and we wait for the next big innovation to cause a big bang, like you mentioned about deck-building and worker placement. When I look at new games I find myself then looking to my shelf and considering there is something that already does that X thing or that another game is already there, is established and possibly better. It’s sure an interesting topic.
10 years does not merit any kind of opinion, in this hobby. Sorry! It's so much older than your 10 years, so 10 years means nothing.
Thank you for the feedback. In future I will ensure that I will not hold, and definitely not express, any option on a subject matter that involves anything beyond my own mperiod of experience, regardless of my knowledge and understanding of what has gone before. I hope you have a great day and continue to be successfully obnoxious whilst commenting on other’s posts. You are doing a great job of keeping that gate! Congratulations.
I have a few random thoughts/reactions.
(1) Picking up on your focus on "Mechanisms." I get the sense that when you talk about a golden age you mean a period in which there are under-explored or novel mechanisms that get hashed out in lots of creative game designs that (as a result) feel new. And you name a few mechanisms (deckbuilding, variable turn order, worker placement) that had fed into the previous golden age. On this interpretation, the idea of a "golden age" might always be relativized to a specific mechanism. So we might not talk bout "the golden age of eurogames" simpliciter, but rather "the golden age of worker placement in eurogames" and so on.
On ^that reading, maybe it's just that we had lucked into a simultaneous golden age of a few mechanisms all at once, and now it feels less innovative because there are not as many "new" mechanisms to play with simultaneously.
(2) I wonder if there may be "golden ages" for other mechanisms in other genres that are off your radar. Maybe we're still in a golden age of Legacy mechanisms somewhere, for example.
(3) I wonder how apps play into this discussion. Certainly in the last ~15 years, right up to today, game designs that rely on or integrate apps have repeatedly been offered as innovations. Arguably, it would make a lot of sense for a new Mechanism-driven Golden Age to be app-related. But I think a few forces in the hobby work against that. (a) There's a tendency for apps to be used in boring ways -- like instead of printing and shipping a deck of Event cards, instead the app does it. (b) Many players just don't want to mix screen time with cardboard time. And (c) there's perhaps something just... samey about interacting with an app. It's not tactile in the kind of way that fiddling with components is. That makes it hard for any app-based mechanicm to *feel* like a new boardgame mechanic. Just to offer a quick example, in a deckbuilding game you can see and perhaps feel your deck getting larger; an app could implement that mechanism just as well but it's not going to feel like anything is happening. The dead slab I swipe on is still a dead slab I swipe on.
Were any of those ideas actually new? Or just new to you? Everyone thinks Dominion invented deckbuilding. Despite starcraft having it decades prior. There never was ANY innovation in your golden age either. YOU were just in the same position new people are now. It was new to YOU.
"new" is a marketing gimmick and a novelty. Now is the time to learn that and start focusing on games that are actually well designed instead. A good game is FAR better than a shitty gimmick for the same of being something "thats never been done before".
There is a reason is there are several decades between the first deckbuilding implementation and "dominion the first deckbuilding implementation". Good ideas are NOT, and will NEVER be inheritably a good thing. Not one idea you have EVER thought is innovative and new was. It was just simply the first try to take that idea and make an actually well designed game out of it. Every single mainstream and well known game follows this same exact pattern. Catan might have turned board gaming into something talked about worldwide. But don't confuse that with catan starting a new concept. Board games existed every mechanic we use today existed. They just weren't talked about by much people at all. Because new ideas fucking suck.
@@Wylie288 Were you trying to reply to me, or to the video?
Maybe there is the same amount of novelty exists, but the sheer increase in quantity of middling games is making it harder to pick the gems out of the pile?
Also the increase in the popularity of solo gaming might be tempting designers to hastily shoehorn poor solo modes into games that really have no business being solo.
I woudn't be happy if boardgame design is stagnating, but wouldn't be surprised either. Any creative media has eras of creativity that ebb and flow. It's important to appreciate how hard it is to bring great creative ideas into being. It saves you from being dissapointed in not experiencing a constant explosion of creative genius. If this is a lull than I'll just take the downtime to dig more deeply into the mountain of games I already own and rarely play.
It never was creative genious. Starcraft did deckbuilding over 2 decades before Dominion. Dominion was just the first to take deckbuilding and execute it well. "new ideas" have always sucked and almost no one has ever actually heard of the first games to ever implement any given game mechanic. And every single one of them dates back from BEFORE catan. Not ONE thing during the "golden age" or gaming was actually invented in that time period.
We are knee deep in the age of predatory marketing & FOMO driven, substance deprived, shiny blingy-bling halfbakes. These waters are rising fast.
There are still gems to be found, but these islands are getting fewer and further between.
My current grand hopes, of projects backed, are "Four Horsemen", "Heroes of the Sanctum", "Ascendency", "Andromeda's Edge" and the most recent "Unstoppable".
I am currently playing Fateforge solo and it is really fun but it requires an app, so it ain't for everyone.
I backed Unstoppable as well. I need to look into your other suggestions.
@@JohnLaRuffa There is one more title I would like to recommend, and a title it is. A very unique spin on adventuring / dungeon crawling. Still available for late pledge. And here comes the name, I kidd you not:
The Thinning Veil - Cormac Mac Airt on the Other Side of Midnight
When I watched your video, it seemed like every word you said were things I have been saying to myself and my friends for a while now. I think that the golden age of gaming ended a few years back. I am not seeing a lot of new ideas coming out, just reimplementations of existing mechanics and ideas, packaged with a different theme, or just a mishmosh of ideas and mechanics thrown together for complexity sake, that just don't work all that much. Sure there are some new ideas that are good, but more often than not, the designs are lackluster and the games have no staying power. I agree with you that Shem Phillips along with S J MacDonald are hitting their strides and I really like the South Tigris series so far and I just got Ezra & Nehemiah.
In terms of the previews for Gen Con and Essen previews, I think for Gen Con, my list of games that interest me is only like 2 or 3. And I think it is about the same for the Essen list. With so many releases, you can't keep up with them. I feel like there is designer fatigue with designers churning out lots of games in a short period of time. I also feel there is not a lot of effort put into development for theses games. If you look at the number of plays a game gets by the majority in this hobby, a game only needs to be good for a game or two, so why put a lot of effort into development. And that's why they have to put out expansions to fix problems with the base games.
Like you, I am comfortable with my collection, bringing in fewer titles than I have in the past, and also getting rid of games to make room for those new ones. Over the past few years, I have been culling and curating my collection to where I like all the games that are in it, however I will still part with games that either have not been played in a long time, or I feel I could part with because a friend may have a copy I could play. With the high prices these games carry, I don't feel it is worth the risk to buy many of them because they may suck. In fact, I have been doing more trading for games, or buying them second hand for a lower price, thus lowering my risk of a bad investment.
This was a great video and definitely an issue that needs to be talked about.
While I agree with the meat of what you say here, I think 2023 was a stellar year for solo game. However as 2024 moves on and as I look in the future, things just look less and less interesting. I would love another big Uwe game on par with Fields of Arle or a Feast for Odin. It has been years since we have seen the likes of one of those…
Sometimes I go to a game day or event and there are 5 people who bring 5 bags filled with 10 games each and at the end of the day or night maybe you got one of those games played and sometimes none of those games played and very often you never see the same games again as it has turned into more show and tell for new shiny overhyped 120$ games people want to get to the table. By the time you go through rules and set up and how to play your really are not getting many games played. Many of the organic channels for board gaming have stopped making content or disappeared and have been replaced by 45 minute infommercial hype videos which seem to get 1000s of views. Also, it seems some of the industry "leaders" and "influencers" are trying to control the narrative of what themes we can play and are even blocking people or dog piling on people for issues that have ZERO to do with gaming. There was a point in the French Revolution where the revolution turned on itself, it seemed when board gaming was really taking off and lots of people were coming into the hobby, the hobby turned on itself and started to eat their own. For me, I culled a lot of games, stopped backing most KS projects, got off twitter, and have focused more on games I already have and know how to play. I think we have moved more toward smaller games, maybe one hour playing time, with easier set up, easier teach, easier tear down. When I solo, I am more than happy to solo Diceminer or Unbroken still. But for gaming events games like Forest Shuffle, small box, one hour playtime.
The main reason I started my channel 6 years ago was due to my fatigue with all of the fluff and filler that goes into a lot of the big channels. I just wanted to see the game explained and played for a round or so and then hear their thoughts. The hype just does not do it for me unless it is genuine enthusiasm. And while I do appreciate a nice looking game, I don’t need all of the bloat either.
Havent seen the video but considering how many fantastic games that have been released just the past year or two, and how many more are upcoming, Id say we are much more in the golden age right now than at any point previously.
And I say that despite my nostalgic feelings for the 2000s when FFG IMO was at their absolute peak!
edit:
Ok watched it now. As for solo games...I dont know. There are sure plenty more solo games to play today, and more often than not games offer some form of solo mode.
I know what you're talking about. I scroll past new games faster than I can read the titles most of the time these days.
Allow me to offer a positive reframing: The "bloat" of games represents an increase in variety in established genres.
25 years ago, you might be considered a "board gamer," and you were generally expected to appreciate most games that came out because a game coming out at all was something of a novelty. 15 years ago, you might be considered a "euro gamer," and there were enough euro games coming out that you could ignore all the other games coming out and still have plenty to enjoy. Now you might be, as I consider myself, a "solo, deck-building/engine-building/worker placement gamer," because there are enough games coming out in one or more of those categories that I can busy myself maximally enjoying my favorite genres rather than--as I used to--celebrating scant offerings because they were all that was available. Given this opportunity for taste specialization, I should expect to see a ton of games that I'm completely uninterested in. But why, by way of analogy, should I be upset that there's a whole section of Romance novels at the bookstore that don't interest me at all so long as there's a robust sci-fi section to look at?
I appreciate major innovations. I also appreciate just having some fun with what I know I enjoy. I hope that both opportunities are forthcoming in the near future and for years to come, and I don't think the fact that I can ignore almost every game currently being produced is a problem. I still find plenty to look forward to, regardless.
Also remember that you never know when you'll be surprised. I had absolutely no interest in Apiary until I saw that it was the heaviest solo game available on a play-to-win shelf at a local gaming convention. I discovered I enjoyed it a lot. I feel no need to own it at this point, but if I were desperate for a fresh board gaming experience and had some cash to burn, I know that it--and a bunch of other games that haven't yet risen to being purchase-worthy--is available.
As always, keep up the good work. Love your videos.
Thanks for the great comment and thanks for watching!
There are only two games to be released this year that I have any interest in: Civolution by Stefan Feld and Black Forest by Tito Lorenz and Uwe Rosenberg. That's it.
@@coltonbeatty6117 I have both of them on my preorder list!
I totally agree about the increased number of games. That is largely because most games come with a solo mode that they wouldn’t have had just a few years ago, Great western Trail for example has one in its reprint. Brass has no solo but Nucleaum does. Personally I find not looking at the latest releases but focusing on games that people are still talking about 2years after release is the best filter.
If only I was as patient as you!
I consider myself a medium heavy boardgamer (in all regards). I don't collect and play enough to have an educated opinion on which age we are boardgamewise. So my reply is more on a personal level.
But being a person who has traversed many a hobby. One thing is true across the board(game). If you do something intensely for a long period of time, you get burnt out eventually. Every new experimental rock band will sound like Sonic Youth and that new RPG on the Switch feels like a reskin of Final Fantasyb6.
Not saying it applies to you. But I find that having variety in life and moreso in hobbies, makes it so that things stay fresh. If you distance yourself from having to own and play everything, you enjoy the things you have.
I've purchased Cooper Island based on your recommendation. I'll play that for the comming time. Once saturated I'll pick up BBQ'ing, or maybe playing blues. And next year I'll pick up one or two games again based on your recommandations.
I hear you and you are right for sure. What is so striking to me I think is how fast things seemed to change between last year and this year. In the last 15 years, I have never looked into the Essen/Gen Con season and found almost nothing that I want. Usually, there are 4-6 at Gen Con and 8-12 from Essen. It’s been that way for me for as long as I can remember. Then all of the sudden 0 and potentially 0. Just a sudden change.
Being in the hobby for a couple of decades means that you have more than likely experienced all of the major mechanisms etc. that euro games are composed of. It is quite rare for a brand new, groundbreaking mechanism to be invented. I feel like the vast majority of euro games these days are rejumbled combinations of existing mechanisms with a fresh thematic coat of paint. There is nothing really wrong with this as dozens of these games will be very good ones. However, these days I am only interested in a game it if ticks every single single one of my boxes in terms of theme, mechanisms, play time, rules overload etc. Even one tiny little thing that seems off is enough to immediately remove it from my sphere of interest. Or often it's a case of 'been there, done that'.
I'm at a place where I don't really want to add new games to my collection because I have whittled it down over the years so that all that remains are games that I consider to be truly excellent, evergreen, and highly replayable. A game being merely good or even very is not enough to push out something that I already own. I feel like all I would be doing is adding a functional duplicate most of the time e.g. why add another variation on worker placement or die manipulation when those are already well represented?
Thirdly, in terms of solo play there are a limited number of ways that BYOS, bots / automata etc. can be employed. You often have the choice of clunky bots that seek to emulate another player, that typically place high admin burden on the player or simple bots / systems that serve as road block or points randomisers. Thus it may be that the experience of playing quite different games solo can feel somewhat similar due to the way that the solo mode is implemented. Obviously I'm talking in broad strokes about how a games feels rather than specific rules and gameplay mechanisms. So while a game might be new, it doesn't feel new because you have already seen most of what it has to offer within other titles.
That said, I am still excited about playing board games. I'm just mostly over following board games news and frequently buying new games that are not really better than those that I already own.
All good and valid points. I am just working to separate games that will still be exciting or really, really good from those that don’t do it for me anymore.
Watch for burnout looking for games. Focus on a playing performance that is competitive. I have reached that stage and have a shelf 6 foot by 40 inches that can only hold a few more, and those are odd shaped holes. I have realized I have a very round and complete collection of mechanics and applications. One hole. No boss battler. EDIT: BTW, that stage I have reached is not yet acually competitive......
I’m looking forward to Mycelia, the one about to ship now, not the more family weight one from last year.
I’m way looking forward to spirit fire as a solo game. A euro abstract puzzle that meshes with mtg/dungeon crawling. A living board game that evolves with new release packs. To me, this is the next big thing and I can’t wait!!!!
I agree there is a lot of saturation in my end though and most games are just met with a shrug of my shoulders
I backed that one as well and have very high hopes.
The problem is a lot of people have too many games and eventually they even become repetitive. Just replay your games and master them.
For example I love Robinson Crusoe and when Hells of Hegra was announced, I was all excited. As i watched some game through videos i realized the game was just a Robinson Crusoe type survival experience with a war theme. I do like war gams and got lucky and got a free copy of Undaunted Normandy which is a more interesting game then Halls of Hegra. Same situation with This War of Mine which I had and sold!
If you have Frosthaven do you need Gloomheaven? Do you need Age of Innovation if you have Terra Mystica? Same for Wingspan vs Wyrmspan?
I think alot of these designers and or publishers are just taking the same mechancis and slapping a different theme with some small tweaks. I have a small collection maybe 10 games only which I could of had up to 50 games. It's ridiculous how these games are similar and not motivating for me to play especially solo.
For sure they are! That is what I am lamenting. However, I would love some new or even somewhat new industrial themed games. In my collection, I have surprisingly few of these types when compared to others.
What I don’t need is more dungeon crawlers, medieval, renaissance, or fantasy games.
@@JohnLaRuffa you have a great knowledge and experience in this hobby compared to me. You bring up a lot of good arguments which I have no answer for which I am in the same boat as you. Only suggestion I have for everyone. Replay the games and enjoy them with ur group. As CZcamsr and bringing new content I'm not sure how that will work out to provide reviews on the same concepts.
@jerryf196 That’s a me problem, but replaying my favorites is always good to do. I just was commenting on a sea change that I feel like is coming or is here.
For me, I think I have hit a complexity cap. It still feels like games, however, are continuing to trend towards heavier and heavier. So maybe in the past, something like Ezra and Nehemiah would have interested me. But I know I have also had and passed along Wayfarers of the South Tigris. I have Kanban EV but have not managed a full playthrough. Evacuation was kind of interesting but I have never "won" at Underwater Cities. There just seems to be too much and I look at my shelves and see too many unplayed titles to follow the "hotness."
For me, it's going down. Many reasons for that. Prices are highrocketing, fomo is ridiculous, games are now convoluted and complex ( not elegant), you tubers and reviewers are getting rid of games, there are way too many hoarders, Kickstarter is crazy, classics are overlooked, it's becoming a marketing and consumerism hell.Solution: Go back to basics!
The convoluted games are the ones that are a real drag. If they are not really enjoyable, they almost always get sold after a time because it takes so much effort to relearn them, the enjoyment is not high enough to make up for the effort.
We have. You just refuse to look at them.
Have you tried Mlem? Harmonies? Don't Go in There? Furnace? Whirling Witchcraft? Juicy Fruits? Curious Cargo? Nova Luna?
All exactly the things you claim you want. The problem is you don't give things a try and complain too much or use pre-convieved notions about previously badly used/designed games and inccorectly assume they apply to well designed ones. Like Mlem. Bet you think its a luck fest because its "Push your Luck? But the better player has a more likely correspondence of victory than your average respected strategy game. (Knizia does know what he is doing). Did you skip that because you assumed it was luck?
Or what about Juicy Fruits? So fucking what if its advertised as a "Family" game. Its a complete information euro. Did you skip that because you assumed it must lack a good decision space because its "kid friendly" Or does your childish pride get in the way of that one?
Do you incorrectly categorize indirect player interaction as "Not interaction" and miss out on dozens and dozens of other games? This has been an extremely common trend in the last few months. Direct interaction has never objectively made a better game and you have never actually enjoyed them more. Not one classic game has any more direct interaction than Wyrmspan.
I bet these are all Yes.
And thats your problem. Its not the games. Its you. You stopped playing good games and instead focus on the shit youtubers are paid to peddle and have allowed it to warp your ability to try things due to preconceived notions that never held water in the first place.
i haven’t seen similar mechanisms to crown of emara, there is xian, and oak but no combination of rondel and hand management
sabika was the latest solo that was crunchy and really well done. there is peacemakers coming out with great solo
but it’s also the themes that bore me. anything historical just no longer interest me, i really want to look at the present and the future, but space themes get samey too. ceres was the last interesting one with the rotating asteroid field and card vs worker placement twist.
i am looking for medium weight but crunchy, i really don’t have the time for a lacerda or nucleum setup time.
I agree about themes. I am not looking for battles and do not like horror, this limits the pool of interest to ME. I keep watching for other styles.
@healthytouch101 my favorite themes are industrial and there aren’t as many of those out there as you would think.
A few that stand out to me that I'm expecting to be very good, not sure about the release here in the US though, are SETI, Galactic Cruise, and Civolution.
interesting thoughts. thanks for sharing. i'm still a newcomer to the hobby (4 or 5 years), but I can say i do not relate to your feelings. there is plenty i'm still excited about, and still see innovation on the horizon with some new titles. maybe it's because i'm a solo player only about 50% of the time?
i do wonder if you're experiencing sort of an over-stimulation (or maybe even a burn out?) which is causing this. i mean, look at that wall behind you!
Please consider using English as it is properly formatted. It's not OK to not capitalize. Sentences start capitalized. "I" is capitalized. I find it interesting that you think you can comment here and not use standard rules. How do you find it acceptable to create your own syntax? Your mistakes are really bad.
@@clvrswinelol