10, OUT OF 10 (Part 13): The Episode Maggie's Been Dreading - ABSTRACTS!! ⬛🔲

[@axj763]

The best part of all these videos is Amy's face when Maggie's ratings are soooo far away from hers 😅

[@ThinkerThemer]

Sleeping Gods: The Revenge Episode 🥲

[@killathespian]

The reactions to each other's ratings are terrific!

[@ThinkerThemer]

I am still in disbelief (Amy here)! Thanks for watching Keith!

[@VerenaFuchs]

Love this series and abstract games! Thank you for providing such a comprehensive and insightful overview of all the games- it is super helpful! The dynamic between Amy and Maggie is wonderful. I had a smile on my face throughout the entire episode. 😊

[@ralfn9629]

What a great video. And right up my alley. And this even though I would call myself much more a Themer...except for the greatest game of all time humanity has ever invented!! But this might come up still, as you said: "we do have a couple [of abstract games] more". Amy on Shobu: "Organic Stones"?! What are these?? I had to LOL. What is their chemical composition? I was reminded about the so-called organic food fads. But maybe organic because they MOVE on and off the boards? On Project L I am with Amy, I love this one. Hive is soo brilliant! The strategies are very deep. They have world championships with Hive! Looking forward to the last (??) episode in this category - but I am worried that by then you will have so many more abstracts, that we will have more than one last episode. Great show!

[@DeyaViews]

Honestly half this video i was mesmerized by Maggie's sweater, which reminded me so much of the box of the Oink Games version of Modern Art :') I'm not big on abstract games, but I've really enjoyed Shobu, Azul, the GIPF series, and thought Project L and Hive were neat. I was very surprised to see Stratego pop up here! That game is so nostalgic, and one of the few old games my family had that hold up well.

[@fionajackson8002]

This is hilarious to watch as someone who *loves* abstracts. Fun themes are great and all but if the mechanisms hold up on their own, I don't need a theme.

[@ThinkerThemer]

OoOoOOOOoo what's your favourite?

[@fionajackson8002]

@@ThinkerThemer my favourite "pure" abstract game is YINSH. But there are so many great ones! Patchwork is my favourite game of all time but it differs a lot from the YINSH-esque style of abstract.

[@aba_dab_o]

Thanks for the video! I'd hope that Maggie would rate at least one game higher than Amy's. And I'm glad one of those games was Project L. Out of this ten, it's the least area control, head-to-head, chess-like & thinking ahead; while more engine building & multi-solitaire (and can be played solo as well). And it's one of those themeless games that even the fam can get into, especially with the high-quality dual-layered cards and multi-colored polyominos. Games like NMBR 9, Lucky Numbers, and SET can also be fun for families and abstract-inquisitors.

[@karenasawa433]

We love Quarto in our household. It’s so quick to play (our games last 10 mins max) and the twist of picking the piece for the opponent is so much fun. The game works really well with kids and teenagers because the teach is so easy and everyone understands the concept of connecting four. It’s a gem of a game. We take our mini copy everywhere we go.

[@jameskirk4692]

Thank you for this! Useful learning about all this abstracts and enjoyable hearing you talk about them.

[@BelleAim]

Yay!! So happy to see another episode in this wonderful series! I am definitely on team Maggie for this one as a fellow themer but am still loving learning about all these cool games. Thank you also for the extra visuals of the games ❤ You two are so fun and amazing! You make me miss my hometown of Melbourne (my parents moved us to the US when I was about 8). Sending best wishes 💕

[@FemmeSensei]

In all honesty... I think this episode is MUCH more torturous for Amy than Maggie :). It's like she's getting beaten lol...

[@bookaddict777]

I am firmly on Maggie's side here. Although I can appreciate the mechanics of abstract games, the complete lack of theme just kills them for me. The exception for me is Project L, which I do really like, just as Maggie does.

[@ThinkerThemer]

Wow!! That's so interesting, especially with the exception of Project L. Do your tastes generally align closely with Maggie?

[@bookaddict777]

@@ThinkerThemer Yes, they do. Since I play a lot of solo games, I also pay quite close attention to her solo game videos. Sorry, Amy! I recently purchased Stardew Valley and am looking forward to trying Maggie's "campaign" version of the game.

[@ylein6508]

Me too, gone are the days I have to play dry euros, there are so many nice thematic euros nowadays

[@alisonwentland3765]

I am 💯 on board with Maggie on this list, including her enjoyment of Project L. And I thought I was more of a thinker? lol. This is one video where I will walk away adding zero games to my wish list, since I already own Project L and the expansions. Thank you!

[@FrancoisLandryCorbin]

Hive pocket is the best abstract game out there IMO. So much gameplay in such a small portable package. It's a 8.9/10 for me, up in my Top25 games of all-time.

[@xandermichael78]

Well done Maggie! You made it through! I have to say though, I'm a bit more team Amy with these games. I love the Gipf series and a lot of the other games that you reviewed. I wish we were neighbours though so I could make us some tea and you could just pop over to my deck and we could get a few of these played regularly. I don't have too many friends that are as big a fan of abstracts as I am, sadly, so I really have to fight the urge to pick up more. Shobu is one I haven't played, but have been wanting to try since I first saw a review of it. I really can't justify it sitting on my shelf though when I've got three Gipf games that don't see the table too often. One game I think you should check out if you can find it is Dokmus. It does play at 2, but it's much better at 3 or 4. What makes that game really great to me is how you are moving the main pieces of the board in order to spread your influence around.

[@joeljanzen8121]

Thanks for another 10, out of 10 video. And thanks for all the B-roll of games while you're describing them :)

[@ThinkerThemer]

Thanks for watching Joel! We love making this series. 130 down!

[@truelifetales]

I love the notion of Speed Quarto - it sounds really fun - though I know with 1,000-million percent certainty that I would fall to pieces in seconds!

[@ThinkerThemer]

Oooo it is so fun and intense hahaha I was going to suggest we try at Essen but THINK OF THE HOTNESS

[@truelifetales]

😂🔥🔥🔥💸💸💸😂

[@CheeseDud]

I’ve never been able to get into true abstracts. Best I can do is Azul/Sagrada. A pasted-on theme is better than nothing for me :)

[@ThinkerThemer]

Azul definitely counts as abstract 😄 actually Maggie likes both of these a bit more too I think because they are so colourful. Give me those monochrome boards and pieces 😂

[@thecuriousboardgamer]

This video is fabulous. :) I'm with Maggie; abstracts are just really hard for me to get into!

[@ThinkerThemer]

Thank you so much! These games definitely seem to polarise 😆

[@StephenGrubb]

Poor Maggie's face when she was describing Quarto is all I needed to know. :) I definitely need some theme in my games. The only themeless game I can think of that I enjoy from time to time is Qwirkle Cubes.

[@ThinkerThemer]

Haha you should see her face when I force her to play them with me! Completely different Maggie. It's like watching a child eat brocolli. Lol. Hope you're both well ❤️

[@StephenGrubb]

@@ThinkerThemer lol. We’re doing great, thanks so much! Looking forward to Maggie’s theme episode as revenge. :)

[@housefullofbooks4048]

I love this video and both of you. I watched it after a hard day of work and it was just what I needed. I have gotten so many recommendations from this series. Thank you both. Your reactions to each other and the games is priceless.

[@kumanight]

I'm a fellow themer so I feel your pain here Maggie! I can't & won't play any of these games 😂

[@ThinkerThemer]

Lololol. Can't and won't! Awww note to self for the next con !!! 😅

[@FemmeSensei]

@@ThinkerThemer Give and take...give and take...I'll play your fav if you play mine :)

[@darbyl3872]

​@@FemmeSensei Well said. You end up playing more games, and learning to like new ones.

[@timisaverage]

I have to say I usually, also, prefer thematic games but I played Gingkopolis and the theme is really just painted on but.... it was just so pretty I couldn't help but love it!!! So I guess there's an exception to every rule haha

[@ajdarias]

Hello, nice to heard of Abstract games. My favorites are those of Project GIPF, some of the Gerhard Spiele (german games with wooden boards), along with Santorini and Hive.

[@ThinkerThemer]

So glad to hear you enjoy these games too! Which is your favourite GIPF?

[@ajdarias]

@@ThinkerThemer Hello, from the Gipf series I have enjoy the most Tzaar, Dvonn and Lingk. The least favorite is Zertz only because is the most diffucult to have the hang of it. Still not tried Pünkt. It will be released a new Gipft Game this Essen! Also, from all the Gerhards Spiele, there are a lot of them, I would hardly recommend you try Waldmeister, Urbino, Fendo, Peak and Rukuni. For a great solo abstract experience Coral from 2 Tomates is very engaging. Thank you for reviewing abstract Games!

[@messymari]

Thumbnail made me smile! Interesting video -- I always consider myself a theme girl, but some of these look like something I would totally love. I really enjoyed chinese checkers when I was a kid. Thank you for your thoughtful reviews!

[@messymari]

Also loved stratego as a kid!! Just picked up an old copy at a thrift store but it's missing one piece 😭

[@ThinkerThemer]

Oh if you enjoyed abstracts as a child I think you'll definitely enjoy some of these!!! Aww how frustrating about the missing piece. Maybe remove the same piece in the other colour when you play... hope it is not the flag!!!!!

[@edwinnealley7832]

Oh boy! Abstracts. I love the GIPF series in general- I rated DVONN an 8.5, LYNGK a 7.5 and YINSH a 7.75. Not as much of a fan of Blokus- Maggie and I agree it's a 6.0. I'm between you on Project L, at 7.5, and also on Quarto at 7.0. I am also not a fan of Hive, 6.75 for me. A lot of overlap this time!

[@ThinkerThemer]

DVONN!!! I've yet to find someone who rates it above Yinsh so despite our other slight differences I am taking this as a big win hehe. Thanks for sharing this!

[@sabine_pic2026]

I can totally relate to Maggies agony when looking at those abstract boards with no theme in sight. 😂 I'm a little surprised that "Ingenious" (by Rainer Knizia) and "Azul" are not on the list. 🤔 "Azul" and "Aqualin" are the only abstract games I'm willing to play voluntarily. At least with those I have some nice and heavy tiles to play with that make this satisfying "clank" sound. 😅

[@ClaudeAndTaylor]

Love this!!! Abstracts are a hoot and this was so fun to watch!!

[@ThinkerThemer]

It's a shame they rarely have cards.... 😂

[@ClaudeAndTaylor]

​@@ThinkerThemerit keeps me awake at night!!

[@darbyl3872]

You don't have to like a game to play it once in a while. I've found that by acclimating to others' tastes, I grow into a more well-rounded person. For instance, I grew up only reading fiction. When a friend recommended a biography, I read it, and then another one, and another one. I play trivia, so I think my scores benefit. I even read history, now. The ultimate challenge is reading something like Jane Austen, which has no natural attraction to me. Baby steps.

[@MrBlakebaerwald]

It seems like this was more painful for Amy than for Maggie. She had to listen to Maggie give low ratings for all her favorite games!

[@ThinkerThemer]

5.4????? Hahahah I feel this is payback for Sleeping Gods 😅

[@christinebiancheria7237]

I can do a little Hive and once played Quarto and had a reasonable experience. So I'll say that.

[@ThinkerThemer]

I'll take that!

[@boardgame_buzzz]

Love this series SO MUCH!!❤️❤️

[@xxhawkdancerxx]

Omfg this was an amazing episode HAHAHAHA loved watching you guys go back & forth!! 😂

[@AaronAndSusie]

Funniest thumbnail yet haha

[@ThinkerThemer]

You should see her face when we play these... 😂🥲

[@johnfavaro8008]

Amy have you ever played Migration? It's the 3rd ever game I kickstarted and it's a rather abstract area control game with different pieces based on animals with different powers I also wonder if it might have enough theme for Maggie.

[@ThinkerThemer]

No I haven't! It looks very beautiful so it definitely would have that going for it in Maggie's eyes! I'll keep an eye out for it. Thanks for the recommendation 😊

[@simondeqin]

welcome back!!

[@Tr1n1tyNZ]

Maggie, you'll be pleased to know I culled Quarto from my collection some time ago. Have you played Tak? That is one of the few abstract games I have, along with Hive.

[@ThinkerThemer]

Nooooo (Amy here) no culling enthusiasm around these games please lol! We did just cull 60 games but these made it through 😅 we have not played Tak despite being recommended it so many times! Need to find a copy! Thanks for watching as always 😊

[@Tr1n1tyNZ]

@@ThinkerThemer hehe 😅 Woah, 60 games culled. That’s impressive. Maybe you could do a ‘Games we culled’ video. I’m still trying to slim my collection down. Instead I bought more shelves 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@unclesamb]

I'm not really a themer, but I'm also a super tactical gamer so for once I'm with Maggie on most of these, not a big fan of abstracts. More importantly, however, I cannot keep my eyes off of Amy's AMAZING watch. So so jealous.

[@johnfavaro8008]

This was the funniest one of these LOL

[@ThinkerThemer]

Glad you enjoyed it John! Thanks for watching. Don't worry, our marriage made it through the episode 😂

[@johnfavaro8008]

@@ThinkerThemer haha very glad to hear that!

[@buddyberglund]

Normally, I would probably consider myself to be about halfway between Thinker and Themer. I love interesting mechanisms in a game, but I also love a decent theme. However, when it comes to abstracts, I'm full-on Themer, and I'm with Maggie all the way. So, none of these games sound like they would be for me. I'm also very not aggressive, so Project L would be the closest, but even that looks pretty uninteresting. Apparently, for me, even a pasted on theme is better than fully abstract, because if someone were to make (like you brought up) a farm themed Project L, then I might actually consider playing it. ha I did play Stratego a lot as a kid (or a similar game that I had, called "The Generals" which is kind of an electronic version of Stratego, but you only get to know who wins each "battle" but not what the actual number is so there's more deduction involved), but mostly because, for me as a kid, they were the most strategic games I knew, and now I can get my strategy fix from many other games, and find myself no longer liking that type of game.

[@shockwavemasta]

You could argue that Project L has a tetris theme haha #TeamMaggie!

[@ThinkerThemer]

Hahahahaaaaa 😂 if anyone can reach for theme it's Maggie so she probably would come up with something... Thanks for watching!

[@amethystwolf24572]

Idk why, but I reacted similarly to Hive. I've only tried the digital implementation. Idk why, but I just can't seem to grok how the pieces move.

[@FemmeSensei]

Project L...the moment Amy modified her rating a smidge higher simply because she found out Maggie was a fan of it...

[@kitcarpo4745]

If you are looking for appreciation, I do to the point I have taken several of these games, Qawale, Shobu, Lyngk, Dvonn, along with Haru Ichiban, Spendor Duel, and Azul (themed games yes) into one box 10'X22"x4". Most of these games I learned about from TT here. The pieces and box are wood and so is the box/case. the case components are cut and 90% assembled and the piece nature and counts have been determined and have recieved the primer paint. Will post pics in a month or so.

[@Idekii]

Did you two ever try out That Time You Killed Me? Seems like an abstract that Maggie might appreciate, simply for being one of the few that has a true theme

[@CheeseDud]

It was in a previous 10, out of 10 episode iirc

[@ThinkerThemer]

Hi Alex! We did own that one for a little while..I think she enjoyed the surprise elements and the thematic movement but ultimately it ended up in the same category for her 😅 but higher than some of these for sure. Thanks for watching!

[@CG_Hali]

Three other more abstracts with great themes are My Shelfie, Boop and Atheneum. Fast to play, simple geometry-based moves/logic but with a great theme.

[@StephaneBura]

Delightful!

[@DonGilstrap]

I love this series so much.

[@ThinkerThemer]

Yay!!! We really love making it. I just wish we had more time to revisit our older games! 130 down! Must be halfway.... 😅 maybe...

[@veerchasm1]

Can you make a video of ALL the games you ranked below 6 and above 8? 😂

[@juleswatson7646]

Great to see the love of quarto going strong!

[@simondeqin]

I really want to recommend a game to you, Arimaa. I feel it is unfair that this game is totally forgotten by the board game community.

[@ThinkerThemer]

Oh interesting. I (amy) was just reading about it and I'd like to give it a try. The idea of the rabbits reaching the other side is cute. Thanks for the recommendation, will now be keeping an eye out!

[@afrank525]

I also don't like abstracts. However, I played Blockus 3D recently and it was, at least, better than regular Blokus

[@ThinkerThemer]

**google** Oh wow... 3D blokus. Amy here and I don't do well with this type of 3D spatial reasoning! I think Maggie would win which might make her like it more.... lol... Hope you've been well ❤️

[@ylein6508]

Can we have a list of the most fun games that Amy enjoyed but Maggie does not

[@shortydancer]

Sorry Maggie these are great games!!! I know you’re the “themer”, but don’t be so strict with the title.

[@ThinkerThemer]

Hahah she looks so pained when she plays them (never by will lol).

[@christinebiancheria7237]

Also very much on Maggie's side of the spectrum on this. A good sport, you are, though!

[@ThinkerThemer]

Hahaha that is fair! These are definitely polarising. I (Amy here) grew up with chess so I think that's a big part of the appeal 😄