The perfect song to illustrate the theme of this excellent game : kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKKbl4uKi56Yfbc

A+ pronunciation of my name, thanks Joel. I'm really glad you liked the game and hope you and your friends have a great time doing multiplayer!

Liara is whats known as the Shadow Broker, a mega information Broker who knows all the machinations of the universe. Haglaz was actually the planet her base of operations was orbiting before she blew it up. (Mass effect is my favorite game series, i know it inside out lol) This game is a lot fun, I like the small campaign vibes. (Edit after finishing the review) Go play the entire trilogy, they are really good, they all feel a bit different and are worth playing.

Crikey. Seven Hundred and Nintey Nine! Joel deserves some kind of industry award.

Wow, Joel, I never thought there would be a time when I had a completely opposite experience from yours. I really disliked this one-I didn’t like the spawn rules, the missions types, or the player powers. For context, I played it as a four-player game, and I would take any other game you mentioned, like Jaws of the Lion or The Mandalorian, any day. Maybe I should have kept it to try playing solo, but I got rid of it immediately after we finished the campaign because it left a bad taste in our mouths.

Any talk of wargames must include Washington's War or it's precursor We the People by Mark Herman. It was the original Card driven wargame long before COIN and Twilight Struggle. Also there doesn't seem to be much love for straight card games. There is no 6Nimmt, Coloretto, or No Thanks! in the top 25. BTW, props for throwing out Qwirkle. A truly great game.

What did we do to deserve all these great reviews?!

I just want to ask everyone - aren't str/craft cones supposed to count only gained points? I mean since starting points can not be lowered there is no point to use cones which are limited?

I really love this game. My ONLY complaint is that I wish the first bonus on the ring track appeared one step sooner to give players incentive to grab early blue cards. The first two times you move on the track you get nothing and that's just not interesting, those feel like "empty moves" (even though they take you closer to victory). You only get something on your third move and that's a bit too late IMO.

I have my eye on this one. My list of purchases this year: -Age of Innovation -Clank Catacombs -Arcs -Dune Uprising -Seti All should arrive here in Brazil this year. The only one in doubt is Seti, I fear it may have a bit less player interaction than I like.

You were the first BG video creator I followed back when I started in 2011, feel nostalgic every time I watch a video of yours, cheers. Stay real!

I rate 7 Wonders: Duel as a 10/10. It's an amazing game! This looks excellent as well. The only qualifier I'd have on it is that the Nazgul chase looks very precarious for the good guys. It doesn't appear that you can claw back the track (unlike the military fight in 7WD). So if the Nazgul player pushes that and you don't take equal numbers of cards, they will get to the point where you have to take every Ring card, at a certain point, or it's a guaranteed loss (and the way the cards come out in the 7WD style game, that's usually impossible). Maybe I'm just missing something with that track.

Me and my wife were playing a lot of games, and then kids came. We haven't been gaming a lot in last 7 years. This one got her back. We played 16 times in last month. Such a gem.

I absolutely loved this game!

I liked it. Quick but some depth and decisions. Did you spot the Pax Pamir map, combat and movement legacy? Also some suit colours. There is a fair chunk of luck in the card deals and turn order.

I for sure want this now.

I wasn't going to get this game because I was quite happy with 7 Wonders Duel + the Pantheon expansion, but when I read the rule book online I saw that it was doing some clever things and it seemed like a better game to introduce to my kids, so I picked it up. Just today I taught it to my 13-year old, and after the first play he immediately asked to play again. After the second play he asked to play again, but we didn't have enough time so he asked to play next time we can fit in a game. When I asked him what he'd rate it, he said 10/10 and it's already tied with Raptor as his 2nd-favourite game of all time after Arcadia Quest. I have no regrets that I already sold 7 Wonders Duel right after purchasing this game.

It is a great game. You cannot solely focus on any one progression track. I appreciate its tightrope walk. Part of me wishes for further intricacies, but I think I just need to appreciate it for what it is

Looks cool.

I agree with everything you said about HeroQuest, except it being the first dungeon crawl board game. Surely that’s Dungeon!, which was developed and released by TSR alongside D&D in the mid-70s.

My man. Miss you. I hope our paths cross in the future.

Any game that’s good enough for Billy is ok in my book. Really awesome observation about front-loaded vs back-loaded learning! I just hope I can find a copy of this someday.

Really liked the way you explained the gameplay for people who don’t have the game but want to get a basic idea of how the game works

Excellent review, Joel. Informative, concise and frank about potential negatives (in this case, the scanning issue with a two-player count). It is a really thematic game, with some nicely executed, nested mini-games to provide lots of player agency. Cheers! 🖖

This is a legendary channel, a million thanks for your contents and videos ❤🎉😊

Unfortunately, X-wing is not supported any longer. I'm not sure how that would impact it's influence or worthiness for the hall of fame.

ASL, Root, Puerto Rico, Azul, Loveletter, Werewolf, Twilight Imperium ... yeah... Axis&Allies ... yeah. Don't care for it, but it definitely deserves a spot. The one game I didn't care for in the BGG 25 games was "Through the Ages"

Wings or War I think was the WW2 flight game you were thinking of? Great video! Scotland Yard is fantastic, Mr. X is even better. One of them should be there instead of FoD, I think, due not just to its own standing but also impact.

War of the Ring should absolutely be in there. For me it gets at a weirdly perfect alchemy of theme and mechanisms. I'm not sure I've seen something tuned in quite that way, aside from maybe Robinson Crusoe? Oh, and Tigris & Euphrates, obviously.

Werewolf would be a tricky inclusion because it's a pretty direct adaptation of Mafia, which wasn't directly published by the designer. The Resistance is my personal top ballot for social deduction. It set off a fire in the boardgaming community that spilled outward. The Resistance has Shadows Over Camelot beat in both impact and continued longevity.

Thank you for sharing your insights, Eddie. Glad to have you back on the saddle. With this video you do the greater boardgaming community a service by highlighting the lack of attention BGG's inductees shone on several subgenres enjoyed by those within the BGG community, particularly Ameritrash, Wargames and Abstracts. I, for one, do not believe Concordia deserves the honor. And I believe Terra Mystica could also have been left out and saved for some future date. In their stead we should have Heroquest as foundational to a slew dungeon-crawl type games, including the large number of crowd-funded games that have soared to great heights in both sponsors and cash raised. War of the Ring and its ilk (i.e. thematically-linked strategy games) have been very impactful in the hobby. I am not terribly into Abstracts, but the Gipf series, Blokus or Hive should have been considered. Perhaps one of these were. But my current gaming focus is Wargames. This is a broader category with many innovative titles each of which spawned many descendants. I applaud you highlighting the hex'n'counter tactical wargame with ASL and Combat Commander, both are worthy. You rightfully point to COIN, but its progenitor was the Card-Driven Wargame (CDG) that began with We the People and led to Labyrinth: War on Terror (COIN's immediate predecessor). There at least 40 titles that share the CDG mechanic, including Path to Glory (that held #1 spot on BGG for a spell) and Here I Stand. One of these three should have been in the running as a nod to wargaming modernizing in its mechanics. When discussing block wargames, I think one has to go with Hammer of the Scots as the block game that set fire to the industry, in its descendants and imitators (GMT has a few block games, as does Academy). It also reached #2 on BGG. This discussion shouldn't overlook miniature wargames either. Here you have to give GW props for popularizing this subgenre to the masses. Warhammer Fantasy started it, but 40K was what launched them to the stratosphere (admittedly on the back of the great influx of profits from the Middle Earth miniature license; which also happens to be the better ruleset). A miniature game should be included too. And if it has to be RPG-lite mini's game, then it needs to Necromunda or Mordheim over Frostgrave. I would have liked to see 3 of their Euros dropped in favor 3 from the above. PS - I started on BGG in 2005 as well.

Really good picks except Qwirkle. This is the type of game a "person who likes board games" gets for Christmas from a well meaning relative. Don't buy people Qwirkle, even making obvious rule changes doesn't make it that much better..

Really enjoyed this video. Great insight on the history of the hobby.

I think the prohibition on mass market games is silly--these are games and they are listed in BGG and I definitely think Scotland Yard deserves a spot someday. I also think the mass market game Blokus would be my pick for an abstract worth (eventually) taking a spot in the hall, even before Qwirkle, because Qwirkle is kind of a Scrabble offshoot and Scrabble for all of its flaws and my own dislike of it, probably deserves a spot in the hall. I'm not advocating for all of the most popular mass market games, like Monopoly or Candyland to be in the Hall, because I think BGG should also genuinely care about the quality of the ruleset and the gameplay it creates among BGGers. That should be enough to push away your Chutes and Ladders and The Games of Life of the world. And yes, I'd also say that Chess and Go do belong in the Hall if Magic the Gathering also fits in the Hall. Heck, throw in Spades, Euchre, and Poker too, although probably limit one of these classics to maybe one per year so as not to overload a given year with only classic old games. And Werewolf/Mafia should also fit in accordingly. Some thoughts on other games mentioned: I'd agree than Arkham Horror or some other kind of adventure game should eventually make the list. I think Arkham Horror (2nd edition) is probably the best first representative for the genre so I'd agree with you there. I really like both For Sale and No Thanks, but I think that Love Letter should probably take that spot before either of those since I just see it more. Maybe after that one or both of those could get in there too. I also think that Puerto Rico despite its controversy and that you don't like it, does belong in the Hall. I think any game that clears the age requirement and that spent any notable time as #1 on the BGG rankings probably should be put in there and Puerto Rico held onto it for a while. Accordingly, I would put Pandemic Legacy in there over Risk Legacy because it's the game that blew up Legacy games and was the one that held that top spot for a while--even though it is awkward having two different versions of Pandemic on there. As for X-Wing... I still love the game even though it's going to be sunset, but like with Magic: The Gathering, I think a more significant miniatures game (which you have multiple boxes for on your shelf) should probably get in there first--yes, it's basically its own separate thing altogether with how huge it is and some people just its name synonymously for the whole genre of miniatures games. I don't even like the game and I still think that it should probably fit in there and certainly before X-Wing (which I think can make it in later). Additional games to be considered: Can't Stop or Incan Gold--I also don't think that every mechanic necessarily should be put in there, but I think one of these push-your-luck games should get a spot at some point. (Probably Can't Stop for being the forerunner.) Liar's Dice--it's another classic, but like Werewolf, it still sees plenty of play. Netrunner. It's dead as a CCG or an LCG and never reached the heights of the big CCGs, but like your argument for X-Wing, it had such an explosive life and was probably the best example of the competitive LCG-type game when Fantasy Flight revived it. Despite the game being dead, it's still being actively supported by dedicated players in a non-profit. Jenga. It's the dexterity game everyone knows and it still gets tons of play and does its tension well. Maybe Crokinole should get in there first as the much respectable non-mass market entry, but Jenga is one of those games that I still find myself ending up playing and non-gamer get togethers often in the same night as Codenames (which truly has transcended the hobby niche, and I don't even care for it much).

I don't know about coin games, but as far as asymmetry with Root they have Cosmic Encounters on there and that has asymmetric alien races, also there's Scythe for something more recent before root, although I don't know popularity levels of either. For me Puerto Rico gets boring with just the base game, definitely needs both expansions imo. Caylus is such a good game, but I really hated the 1303 version.

More so than Heroquest (or any other dungeon crawler in particular), Dungeons and Dragons should be added. Its influence on the innovation, artistry and impact of modern games is greater than the sum of its (strictly) board-based game descendants.

great video Joel!

Just a quick take on your Puerto Rico discussion. I’m among those who were disappointed by its omission. When you discussed other games on your list, the criteria seemed to be that the game, “set the world on fire.” The sub-categories to that “test” seemed fairly consistent, people playing it for years, the game took off, constantly in print. I think that Puerto Rico checks those boxes, other than your personal dislike of the game. I’m a little disappointed that you did not weight Puerto Rico similarly, or at least did not analyze it in the context as other games on your list. As far as the controversy underlying Puerto Rico, I think that is a separate and hard discussion.

I thought HeroQuest should have been on their original list. I can’t believe that there isn’t a single dungeon crawler on their list.

American/English game doesn't seem available yet in States? I'm only seeing the Cranio ones for the most part.

I know Sean Sutter! He gave me a lot of his LotR minis to get me started in tabletop gaming when he found out I was interested. Wonderful guy, always glad to see a Relicblade mention.

Hey Joel, the techs are stacked bonus side up, so you know what you are getting, and may, in fact, choose your tech based on that!

Love your videos. Always keyed in on your reviews. Was curious about this one. Thank you.

Fantastic Game. Thanks for the review. You are my favorite reviewer.

Watched your stuff over a decade ago in the glory days of You, Rahdo, Lance Myxter, Rodney Smith and glad to see you've stuck with a good old classic review. Been eyeing this one since seeing it at Origins will eventually make it to my collection sooner or later

Nice to have you back doing fairly regular reviews again. I've watched and listened to your channel for years and always appreciated your considered, honest approach to creative processes. Really nice to watch another review, keep up the awesome work (P.S I think your review of Fromage has sold it for me finally, going to try and get a copy in the next month, thanks Joel!)

Currently have this set up on my table having picked it up this week. Will two hand it to help learn ( watched cardboard rhino) still to read rules. Then will be playing solo only until next convention (March), I’m looking forward to it, I really enjoy your reviews. Thank you

I generally don't like solo for board games, but to me Spirit Island with expansions works quite well in that regard. Don't know if you've tried that or not.

thanks for sharing. yeah Game System 2022 edition is $135.99 US MSRP from HasbroPulse (you can find it some places discounted to $90). classic heroquest, open box, is going to run you around $170-190 if you look carefully on the used market. I'm glad this exists if it gets more people into this awesome game!

for a returning HQ player buying this, the cardboard can also serve as a painting guide/aide for your plastic minis... some suggested the monster standees to represent defeated monsters. the extra heroes could be used as mercenaries or NPCs as well. there are still some glitches in the Companion App. thankfully the Android version is usable on the Bluestacks emulator.