20 Great Games on Steam for board gamers

[@3MBG]

As mentioned, here's the link to the guide to tabletop simulator by Manual Pancake. Cheers Manual! www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/fksgkh/tabletop_simulator_a_guide_for_selfisolators/

[@wilkinsonchristopher]

How about a video from you devoted to it? It would be great to hear what you have to say about the selection on there and the drawbacks of the platform.

[@3MBG]

I thought about it, but i'm still quite rubbish at doing live narration, which i think a video like that would require.

[@wilkinsonchristopher]

@@3MBG thanks for giving it consideration.

[@emmaplaysgreen2849]

I'm definitely going to read this as I bought TS over two years ago in a Steam sale but have never really used it as it's just so overwhelming.

[@PentaHousen]

Tts is best place to play board games online with your friends (unless there is specific app for board game). I have 3000h in it and still making mods to workshop for the community. My tips are: - search for scripted versions of games. Community often makes script that allow you to speed up process for setup - take your first 10-20 min to play with camera and some basic decks. This will help you out with frustration in game when you have to do stuff manually - don't get discouraged when you fail. Tts is wonky and unity physic is not the best out there. Sometimes you can get frustrated how it works but you need to remember its just simulation so you need to do a lot of stuff - ask community. We are active community that try to helps out 80% of times, ask us anything and don't worry if your question sounds stupid - be prepered to take more time. Games on Tts takes approx 10-30% more time than real board gaming. It's due to downtime of your camera movement. More hotkeys: - alt + shift is to peak under a card - b is to blindfold yourself (good for secret deduction games) - h is to hide/show your hands in front of you - L is to lock your object to not be moved PS. TIP #0 TURN Off music in menu unless you want make yourself psycho

[@mbeware]

22:00 01 Slay the spire 20:45 02 Sentinels of the multiverse 19:01 03 Battletech 17:46 04 Through the ages 16:15 05 Terraforming mars 14:26 06 Bloodball 12:58 07 Lords of waterdeep 11:35 08 Tharsis 10:18 09 Raider of the nord sea 09:34 10 Race for the galaxy 08:58 11 Smallworld 07:56 12 StarRealms 07:01 13 Flashpoint fire rescue 05:38 14 One deck dungeon 04:54 15 Super dungeon explorer 03:54 16 GloomHaven 02:57 17 Onirim 02:37 18 Tabletopia 01:28 19 Table Top Simulator 01:05 20 Twilight Struggle

[@misomiso8228]

Timestamps 1:05 Twilight Struggle 1:27 Tabletop Sim 2:56 Onirim 3:53 Gloomhaven 4:53 Super Dungeon Explore 5:37 One Deck Dungeon 7:01 Flash Point Fire Rescue 7:57 Star Realms 8:36 Small world 9:36 Race for the Galaxy 10:18 Raiders of the North Sea 11:35 Tharsis 12:59 Lords of Waterdeep 14:24 Blood Bowl 16:14 Terrarforming Mars 17:48 through the Ages 19:00 Battletech 20:38 Sentinels of the Multiverse 22:02 Slay the Spire Adore Twilight Struggle. I don’t really play it any more but it’s such a great game. Onirim is one of my favourites. The only problem is that the expansions add more interesting cards but actually make the game a lot easier, where as what you really want is some way to make the game bit harder while still adding interesting mechanics. I liked the idea of One Deck Dungeon, but the dice just do my head in. Star Realms is great, Small world is fun. Would like to try Race for the Galaxy but it looks so complicated, however glad to hear the port is good. Lords of Waterdeep is very fun. It’s annoying however at larger player counts as you can’t play a ‘long’ game everybody has actions on each others turns for various reasons. Again Terrforming Mars looks great but also complicated. Great choice for no.1, and great vid.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

misomiso If you can play Twilight Struggle, I would think you could handle Race for the Galaxy and Terraforming Mars...

[@dynamicworlds1]

+

[@northern_moss]

They didn't cover Talisman?

[@RatchetSly]

Two more I'd recommend: Dicey Dungeons and Armello. Dicey Dungeons is a dungeon crawler based on slotting dice into equipment each turn. For examples, you could have a Sword that does X damage, so slotting a dice that's rolled a 4 into it will do 4 damage; an Ice Staff that does X damage and applies the Freeze effect on the enemy for their next turn, but can only take odd-numbered dice; and a Spanner that combines two dice into one (or more, if the value combined goes over 6). It's got several characters, all of whom have different mechanics and playstyles, much like Slay the Spires' cast. There's broad sets of equipment for each character to find, and Episodes that're new rules tweaks for each one to adapt to. I've ended up sinking just as much time into Spire as I have Dicey, they're excellent alongside each other. Also, the chiptune-funk fusion soundtrack and cartoon-y cursed gameshow aesthetic are great. Armello is a game a couple friends and I have been playing lately. It's a turn-based game on a hex grid where you play as a champion of one of the kingdom of Armello's clans, jockeying to steal the throne from the dying madman of a King. Each character has a unique ability, their starting stats, and a set of minor bonuses unique to their clan you can pick as a loadout before beginning a round. Played over 18 rounds, (9 days, 9 nights), you travel the board, drawing ability cards, doing quests to increase your stats and try your luck for rewards, and clashing with the other players and NPCs on the board. There's several paths to victory, and knowing if and when to pivot to a new strategy when an opportunity presents itself is pretty important. Its "medieval world of animal folk" aesthetic reminds me a lot of Redwall, a book series I read growing up. EDIT: Scrolled down to see a lot of folks have recommended both of these as well!

[@ailurusludens1342]

+1 on Dicey Dungeons. Very fun dice-placement dungeon crawler type game.

[@stevesmith7351]

+1 Armello. Great game with great production value.

[@3MBG]

Those are both on my wishlist after all the comments about them. :)

[@jellycubed3575]

@@3MBG Another +1 to Armello if you're looking for a board game feel on the computer. It's one of my go-to's after Slay the Spire when I want to play a board game and no one is available to play.

[@williammcneil6730]

hmm i have not played dicey dungeons but i have played armello, and its pretty random, you fight other characters by rolling dice, you can get items that give you more dice, but most of the time that doesnt help much, its very luck based, so i dont think its good, ifyou like dice game tho, you might like it.

[@j3st3ri]

Here's some more great Board Games in Steam: Antihero Armello Carcassonne Castles of Burgundy Chaos Reborn Dicey Dungeons For the King Greed Corp Gremlins Inc Scythe Ticket to Ride Tokaido The Witcher Adventure Game

[@barundarstreams5288]

This about covers things... good list

[@jeffhall2411]

Catan!

[@neilgooge]

I’d add space hulk tactics, awesome take on one of the best minis board games, Armello is another great board game with no analog version. And to add another GW game, they’ve just released warhammer underworlds in to early access and its a solid adaptation. And it’s starting to get a good community of players too.

[@WeAreSoPredictable]

Tharsis is currently 90% off on Steam until the 1st of April. That's about $2.15AUD, $2.18NZD, and with our exchange rate at the moment, probably about $0.01 USD :)

[@Subangelis]

$1.49 US

[@conatgion]

Hell yeah, Slay The Spire rules. I would like to mention that the Epic Card Game app is totally free and I know it's not a game for everyone, but it's worth a try and the game really is way deeper than I previously thought.

[@williammcneil6730]

i play that one too, very good and there are modded characters now, play as a wizard, play as an anime maid assassin girl, play as a magical girl riding a broom, play as sailormoon :P, yes you can play as sailormoon. some of these mods are amazing!

[@liampeterson8299]

Tabletop Simulator is personally one of my favorite board game things, while the controls may be clunky at times, it's amazing the playtesting, the playing, and everything you can do with it, and you can just generally play with friends and random people.

[@willbeplayin]

Twilight Struggle, Terraforming Mars, Lords of Waterdeep, Blood Bowl II and Slay the Spire!. As an honourable mention, I'd say Darkest Dungeon which could be a board game but isn't but feels like one, atleast a bit.

[@3MBG]

Darkest dungeon almost went on here, but i only thought about it after i'd done the audio recording and saw it on my games list.

[@Oncus2]

The closest analog version of Darkest Dungeon I know of is a small box game called Dungeon Brawler. It uses positioning like Darkest Dungeon but to a lesser degree. It's a pretty decent game, and should be preparing for retail, although it definitely does not play in 30 mins but at least 2 hours.

[@pinguslol]

I recommend - BoardGameArena (especially 7 wonders) - Desktop Dungeon - INTO THE BREACH (capitalized because it's just so good and feels a lot like a boardgame to me) - Card Hunter (designed by Richard Garfield) - Hearthstone/Legends of runeterra - Hearthstone Battlegrounds / Teamfight Tactics / DOTA Underlords

[@3MBG]

I didn't know garfield designed cardhunter. I nearly put it in here and probably should have as I have played it all the way through, but that was years ago.

[@hoolahooop]

While not having board game versions, I would HIGHLY recommend Endless Legend and Endless Space 2. 4X turn based games, one being Future/space themed and one fantasy themed. They are currently on a 75% sale until march 30th, and Endless Legend is even free to play for the next 5 days, so worth giving it a free shot!

[@3MBG]

Good advice, the endless games are interesting

[@kiarash8623]

Let's not forget Terra Mystica, Steam Rails to Riches, Heroes of Normandie, Conflict of Heroes (if you're into wargames) and if you enjoy Twilight Struggle, Labyrinth War on Terror was just released on early access.

[@3MBG]

Definitely going to get war on terror at some point once its out of early access.

[@hungrysparrow]

Dark Quest 2 is a good Steam game for fans of the old Heroquest board game. Talisman: Digital Edition is a lot of fun too.

[@sevencoloredmage8726]

Fun games you didn't mention: "Dicey Dungeons" is basically "Slay the Spire" but with dice manipulation and a cutesy artstyle. "Yomi" is a pretty good Fighting Card Game. Stuff I have, which might be good, but haven't properly tested myself: GMT's "Labyrinth: War on Terror" released a few days ago. Didn't have time to dive into it. It's a bit more heavy than Twilight Struggle though. "100% Orange Juice" seems to be four player Mario Party for PC with card driven combat. Will try it out these days. "Armello" looks pretty but I never tried it out.

[@3MBG]

Definitely getting GMT's "Labyrinth: War on Terror", but its still early access at the moment

[@MadCow-nf3ci]

Armello is a great video game board game

[@SaniFakhouri]

@@3MBG Despite its early access label, the core gameplay is quite complete. Game already has a fairly robust AI (though some of the difficulty levels aren't in yet). It does a great job faithfully replicating the actual board game.

[@Monkeyman12534]

Has anyone else thought that cultist simulator would fit great in this list?

[@evansj18]

This is a really good list. Until I finally saw Slay the Spire I thought it was all going to be digital versions of already existing games; I was glad to see that one included. Here are a couple other games that have a board game 'feel' while not being based on an actual physical game: Armello, Hand of Fate (1 and 2), XCOM (1 and 2), Kings Bounty, Civilization VI, and Endless Legend.

[@3MBG]

I also included Tharsis, which has no physical version. I was tempted to do only board game adaptions, but those two really stuck out.

[@JohnLudlow]

A couple of honourable mentions I'd suggest adding: Into The Breach is a turn based tactical combat game on small maps, where a big part of the game is manipulating the enemy into serving your ends. Griftlands is a deckbuilding game like Slay The Spire, but features a choose-your-own-adventure story and non combat (as well as combat) encounters Banner Saga is a Viking-inspired series of games with a choose-your-own-adventure story, tactical turn based combat, and a strategic layer where you manage your band of warriors and refugees. Coming soon: Tainted Grail's app is in development, and it's a reimplementation of some of the core ideas of the game, adding a settlement management aspect and some slightly different combat mechanics.

[@LyzReid]

Banner Saga has lovely art too.

[@bullno1]

The less known games: * Desktop dungeon: a puzzle game that disguises itself as a dungeon crawler. Fully deterministic combat and a ton of classes and dungeon generation parameters. * Dream Quest: Desktop dungeon meets deck building * Cultist Simulator: Realtime (with pause) engine builder about building a cult, fighting off investigators while summoning Eldritch horrors to kill off your boss in your day job so you can get a promotion.

[@3MBG]

Nice, not heard of the first 2. I bounced hard of cultist simulator, i just couldn't get what a good course of action ever was ;)

[@Graceclaw]

Desktop Dungeon is SO HARD! I have sunk many hours into that game

[@bullno1]

@@3MBG That's the problem with the game. A big part of it is to discover the "secret ingredients" by trial and error. Then only in the next playthrough would you be able to do things efficiently.

[@JasonHartgrave]

@@3MBG Dreamquest started off as a phone app. It has literally stick figure comically bad artwork but the game play and design was so good that the designer got scooped up by Blizzard and I think he is part of the Heartstone design team now.

[@ratguy69]

Dream Quest is fantastic. I think if you enjoy Slay the Spire you'd enjoy Dream Quest. Heaps more classes though, the Werewolf is especially challenging. It's on sale on Steam for a few more days for 90% off.

[@Praetoreon]

On iOS, Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls, then tap next to Screen Recording. Once that’s done pull down the options menu on the top right. You should see a circular record button at the bottom. Cheers.

[@andrewkeane9077]

...and Tokiado is free on Apple and Google Store as I type this.

[@republikadugave420]

Great app..

[@blanetalk]

THIS is a board game that is beautifully rendered in its mobile adaptation!

[@mentel86]

Thanks mate!

[@barundarstreams5288]

On Terraforming Mars... if you make a mistake, just go back to the menu and rejoin the game you are playing. It doesn't take too long, but resets the turn to the beginning, so in effect, becomes an undo!

[@edoom702]

No mention of talisman?! It’s a bit unforgiving but me and my buddies have been playin it loads during this quarantine!

[@3MBG]

Only have it on my phone

[@GamingWithGeo]

I would also add Gremlins Inc. to this list. While not a digital implementation of an existing physical game, it is still one of the most cutthroat board games available. Takenoko is also available digitally as well. Both are on Steam.

[@undrhil]

You should check out Talisman Digital Edition on Steam. Talisman is a huge game with lots of expansions and the vast majority of them are available for purchase on Steam. It's very true to the analog version, too! Also, the art style of Sentinels of the Multiverse reminds me of Freedom Force, which isn't a board game but is still pretty fun to play :)

[@twitchster77]

05:37 One of my all time favorite (physical) solo games ever! I've poured many hours into this game! I love how you get to level up your characters between each game so you become more and more powerful every time!

[@BorisCaro]

Wonderful list!!! This is badly needed now that so many people are in lockdown. Thanks! I would recommend also Yellow & Yangtze, Pandemic, Heroes of Normandie and Warbands: Bushido. The latest is not a board game I think, but you get the feeling of miniatures games pretty well. The game that I have played the most on Steam is by far Memoir 44: 401 hours! Personally, I can't get enough of Raiders of the North Sea. It's the only game that I try to play on a daily basis.

[@Oncus2]

Not totally a board game, but Desktop Dungeons is an amazing and addictive puzzle game that early on doesn't feel like a puzzle because they designed it so well.

[@Shichiaikan]

I absolutely love Waterdeep... and the digital version is phenomenal, other than the Multiplayer missing a few things that it should have.

[@TylerTried]

Armello is a wonderful board game esq game on Steam. My friends and I play this on occasion =). Star Realms is my favorite sitting on the toilet or waiting somewhere phone game! =D

[@erikj6156]

The steam version of Scythe is also really good!

[@douglestarge5865]

Into the Breach is an amazing one. Also, Invisible Inc. is pretty fun.

[@NiMa-1629]

2 of my favorites that are not mentioned here: 1.Thronebraker the witcher tale 2.Tea the awakening And darkest dungeons and xcom are really good games that feel like board games

[@williammcneil6730]

oh i have played so many hours of thea the awakening, it so good. thea the awakening 2 will not launch for me tho :(

[@NiMa-1629]

@@williammcneil6730 yes, It is a unique and fun game. But thea 2 is already out on steam. I haven't played it yet though.

[@almagenes]

Good list, a few more suggestions : - Armello : seen it mentioned in the comments already but it can't hurt to list it again. Digital only, a lil buggy but very interesting while quite intuitive, I've played hundreds of hours online, each playable character has different skills and the board changes with every game so you'll never play the same run twice. I feel this one really belongs on your list, as it's an extremely solid, pretty and original game: more board-game lovers should know about this one! - Dominion : real deck-building game ported to a browser based app, easy to get into. Everybody starts with the same cards and it's not too aggressive, altho players can slow down their opponents' progress, so it's a matter of skill and strategy. The app I used was pretty solid, but I don't know how it plays now - Talisman : tends to be a bit long for my taste, even without having to set the board, but it's a rather accurate port, it works well and there are quite a bunch of expansions for endless replayability. There is a recent, separate, digital-only version of Talisman themed around Warhammer 40.000 called the Horus Heresy, but I've never tried it - Ascension : another real deck-building game ported to PC, lot more offensive than Dominion in comparison, kinda reminds me of Thunderstone but if you stripped everything but combat. Kinda barebones but works well. - Hand of Fate : this one barely functions as a board-game, but it's a funny hybrid of choose-your-own-adventure game/Batman Arkham games style of fighting with a thin but really cool veneer of digital card game. And like in a deck-building game, you can (and should) make specific builds for the kind of gear and events you're to meet in-game. It gets a little repetitive at times but it's rather funny and the concept caught my attention, I played quite a lof ot it. Re: Tharsis: concept is really fricking cool, but the RNG is incredibly punishing and I've only managed to complete a run once. Unsuccessfully. On easy mode. Be warned... Re: Witcher adventure game: love the lore, love the board, love the asymmetric game mechanics between the 4 different characters, but it gets really repetitive, really fast... and while the app works perfectly, the game design and the lore really don't mix all that well. Move character here, get one of 3 colour codes tokens, combine tokens to get bigger tokens, get enough tokens and be the fastest to do this or avoiding obstacles or being able to overcome them, mission complete, next mission... will be exactly the same, always. I really wouldn't go back to it after playing it a dozen times, if even that...

[@3MBG]

Tharsis I have a 30.9% win rate, with 30 wins from 97 plays. So it is quite winable once you get the hang of it, its never easy though, even on easy. :) The witcher board game was very disappointing to me as well. It looks so promising too.

[@danamccarthy5514]

I'd add the Steam version of Evolution to the list as well, really good interpretation of the board game with decent AIs and multiplayer play. Unfortunately it doesn't have any of the board game expansions available yet.

[@djarm67]

Also fun Carcassonne Catan Universe Isle of Skye Istanbul Le Havre Mysterium Pandemic Scythe Terra Mystica Ticket to ride

[@mbrochh82]

holy shit man HOW do you have time to do all this?! I had no idea this much boardgame content is out there on Steam... how the hell do you play these things, while also playing real boardgames AND making all these videos. Mind blowing.

[@3MBG]

I have very few other hobbies and also don't watch much TV :) (I sleep less than most people too)

[@Lordoftheapes79]

Thirteen year old me giggles every time you say "deck" lol. Anyway, good list, I'll have to check some of these out.

[@TheEmmaHouli]

I play MTG, I am in my 30s, and I giggle ever. Time

[@MRProgressor]

This isn't everyone's cup of tea, but Dominions 5 is pretty epic. ( No not the deckbuilder! ) Hard to do it justice, but it's basically a deep, complex, strategic wargame, where you're very glad the computer takes care of all the dice rolling. It's turn based, but the effects of everyone's turns get executed simultaneously. This creates some interesting decisions, where you try to anticipate your enemy, while he's anticipating you.

[@successfulgeek]

Great list, I also really like Scythe on Steam. And one I was introduced to recently if you like Dungeon Crawlers, Wyldermyth is pretty amazing!

[@3MBG]

I only played Scythe in the beta, and just haven't gotten back to buying it. But yeah, could easily have gone in.

[@awesomerhino8008]

my friends and i play scythe both live and on steam. it’s a good adaptation. 👍🏻

[@StrategicWargaming]

I played Scythe for 320 hours and I have Gloomhaven on Steam. Ticket to ride and Small World for iPad🤔

[@krum1985]

I'm surprised you didn't show Armello. It's very much a board game, but only exists digitally., and it's really really good.

[@3MBG]

Not one i've played, but easily the most recommend one i missed alongside Scythe digital

[@Brokgar]

BattleCon Online is very unique fighting board game. Its free and it has very good long term support.

[@joxer96]

Great list! I'll add: Elder Sign: Omens, Mystic Vale; Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small, Ascencion, Heroes of Normandie, and even though it's not a real board/card game, I love Faeria.

[@roop298]

I made an analogue version of tharsis years ago. The hardest thing was developing the stress mechanic. It's wasn't a big steam seller so I doubt it'll make it to a board.

[@3MBG]

How did you do the stress mechanic in the end?

[@roop298]

@@3MBG I had 2 sets of choice cards. one blue one red. the stress (happiness) meter went from 10 to 0. From stress 10 to 5 you could choose a blue card. They were always reasonable outcomes. From 5 to 2 (I think) you had to choose a red card. reds are always not good. From 2 to 0 the red card outcome would always affect all other crew in the same location. It was a way to make crew who could see that others were going to go bad to not enter the same location as them. Or to make sure crew never entered a location knowing a bad result was going to affect all crew in that crews location. Probably difficult to explain without seeing it and I havent played in it a good few years. I was never really happy with it but it is what it is.

[@darrenmcguire7023]

Other games that have a board game feel to them are Xcom, FTL, and Into the Breach... I highly recommend Into the Breach.

[@gbdomingo]

For into the breach, I just wish there was a save option.

[@3MBG]

I didn't mind into the breach, spent a fair bit of time with it. But I vastly preferred FTL

[@yvesboydens251]

Following your video I was interested in Super dungeon Explore but I didn't find it on my Steam shop...

[@3MBG]

its super dungeon tactics on steam sorry, Super Dungeon explore is the board games name. My error

[@Steamyoshi]

I highly recommend checking out Prismata. It's a twist on CCG where both you and your opponent have the same units, so the outcome depends only on the player's skill. It's incredibly deep and tactical and has many layers of mastery. Best part is it's completely free, with in game currency only used for cosmetics. Have spent way too many hours on this game and I'm a little bit sad it didn't more attention.

[@shaneannigans]

I discovered Slay the Spire by accident a month ago. I don't really play video games anymore and only got it because I had heard it mentioned in a solo board gamers Facebook group. Holy heck is it addictive!!! I've never beaten it buy I've never been able to play less than 4 or 5 games in a row. A massive time-eater!! 😆

[@docteurslump5517]

I'd also recommend Ascension which a very good release or the card game. It avoids shuffling 500+ cards and has all the expansions.

[@williammcneil6730]

got that one, its great and costs way less the the phyical game. :)

[@paulhamrick3943]

I just discovered the Evolution app on iPad/iOS. I think there’s a Steam version. It’s great and somewhat shocking how fully fleshed out it is.

[@Saint_Cuthbert]

Through The Ages is 50% off right now on Steam! (At least here in the US at least)

[@elphez]

Also half price on Android. Picked it up yesterday, so it'll be interesting to see if I can wrap my brain around it. Oh, and Tokaido is free on android atm. Not tried it yet though.

[@o0DeathRockBoy0o]

Hmm, kind of surprised Ascension didn't get a mention. I've not played a physical copy of the game, but I got the steam version on sale ages ago for dirt cheap. Its a great deck builder and came with SO MUCH content. The base game plus 9 FULL expansions and the first 5 promo packs. I see they've added a few others as DLC but the full version of the game comes with a ton. You can pick and choose what expansions you use for any given game. There are options for online or local play, vs. friends or AI. Its a really fun game and quick game. A really excellent adaptation.

[@Oncus2]

Would you recommend it for solo play?

[@williammcneil6730]

i got that one too, the base physical game is 60-80 bucks, but i got it on steam for less that 40 bucks and yes there is so many expansions that come with the game. i have played this one so many times :)

[@martinba9629]

17:30 - Terraforming Mars App Update: Thought I'd mention that the current version of the app (03/2021) also has the Prelude Expansion. (but no others)

[@davidcastonguay4114]

Charterstone is now live on Steam

[@edwardrhoads7283]

Could not find Super dungeon explorer on steam. Surprised Talisman and Wingspan did not show up on this list.

[@3MBG]

I think Wingspan came out after this video, so is in the follow up vid i did. Talisman is Talisman, the first hobby game i played back in 1987, i had no desire to play the app of it.

[@edwardrhoads7283]

@@3MBG makes sense. with the expansions talisman is worth playing and without they let you use one per week free

[@3MBG]

Its more that i just had my fill of talisman when we played it every weekend for a year, lol

[@MattCrawley_Music]

This is great. Thankyou! Shared with my gaming group. Maybe a video about solo games would be good too in these weird times

[@coyotemoon722]

Great video, but my only complaint is you don't have the titles of the games shown in the video. I watched the whole thing last time and now I'm going back through to find stuff and I have to watch the first few seconds of the game to catch the title.

[@3MBG]

Fair point

[@user-sr9qe2zl9w]

The Gloomhaven full campaign is out, and it's AMAZING. Please consider.

[@3MBG]

Yeah it is, just finished unlocking all the characters on it

[@mollymci5028]

One I would highly recomend checking out: Thea 2 Shattering. This is an amazing 4x like game with character development, and a really deep crafting system.

[@3MBG]

Oh nice, free demo for that too, will check it out. For anyone else, its this one. store.steampowered.com/app/606230/Thea_2_The_Shattering/

[@loudencm]

I was waiting to hear you mention Scythe, I thought that was an obvious one. The music is epic and it plays so quickly. It’s the only place that I can get experience with a variety of different player who are not my local game group. You can really work on your competitive edge there.

[@mikem4432]

Like to add Mordheim City of the Damned... it is based on a board game, it is mostly a solo team building game with 6 factions and all together will keep you entertained for hundreds of hours.. it is a hard game as there is no 'saves' if your team is wiped out.. so it is a cool game.

[@3MBG]

Played mordheim a fair bit, definitely one for the mini-war gamers out there

[@wint3rki11]

I would highly highly recommend Armello and Trial of Fire. Such great, unique games that are easy to jump into but hard to master.

[@gilbertosouza8469]

1:31 I really love your content bro it makes my day better

[@allankamen9875]

Just watched your video. It's a nice list and some things I will definitely look to trying out. One game I like that you did not list is Ticket to Ride. It's quick and fun with a huge amount of online games always starting. I spend most of my time on Armello maxing out all the different characters. I think I will play a round of Armello now.

[@sebastianzavala4478]

Love Slay the Spire! creating the perfect engine feels *so* satisfying. I once had the defect producing 100 block per turn just to get the icicle card that dealt 2 damage per ice casted and one shot anything but the bosses. Edit: if I may add, for the king is a really nice old school tabletop rpg in the vein of D&D but simplified in a good way.

[@3MBG]

Just lost to the heart with the defect, it only had 180 health left, but damn it hits hard

[@leninsyngel]

@@3MBG Wait, what? You can battle the heart of the spire?

[@3MBG]

Oh yeah, once you finish the first time. You play on an ascension level, and if you collect the 3 keystones you fight the heart after the tier 3 boss fight.

[@tychay]

For a limited time, due to COVID-19, Tokaiddo is free download on iOS and Android. Worth checking out. One of the best, if not the best, port of a board game I've seen.

[@3MBG]

What a great idea from the publisher

[@timmydidit]

Thank you very much for this video. I love board games but always have to travel due to work. I am absolutely in love with Terraforming Mars, and recommend it to everyone.

[@candide1772]

Great video! I purchased Terraforming Mars and D&D Lords of Waterdeep, and they have been very entertaining and have definitely scratched my board game itch.

[@peteface24]

Battlelore: Command is my favourite not on this list, it's the best digital implementation of the command & colours (think Memoir '44) hex-based battle games system, with lots of features not in the board game.

[@swinki33]

Griftlands - looking promising deck-builder on Epic Game Store only (as for now)

[@stefanoprada1101]

You made me curious about Tharsis and I just found that is 90% off on Steam! Thanks a lot!

[@SouzaNZ]

I'd highly recommend Wingspan, it's a great 1-5 player point scoring/ engine building game with remote play and AI. The Mrs and I have been playing a ton! 2 humans and 3 AI works great. The art and atmosphere are fantastic. They haven't added the Oceania expansion yet so no Pukeko, Kea or Kiwis yet! Soon hopefully.

[@3MBG]

Its in my follow up video from the next year in the same style. At the time i put this one out, wingspan digital didn't exist.

[@GClubChannel]

Tharsis sounds amazing! I mean, who doesn't need a little cannibalism in their life? I just went out to steam and immediately bought it as it's on sale though the end of March for $1.49 US. :) Thank you for this great list! I agree with the majority of these picks and look forward to checking out the ones I haven't played!

[@lastburning]

Invisible Inc is an amazing turn based stealth strategy game. It's the most tense game I have ever played. It's very skill based with almost no luck.

[@3MBG]

I've stopped and started playing that one a few times. Never got into it, even though i have enjoyed the few rounds i've played, i just never stuck with it

[@Flatline072]

Armello is a great game on Stean as well

[@shushiSr]

My stupid ass forgot how to read and came here because I thought this was 20 great games on steam for bored gamers. The video still did its job and suggested some new games for me so well played.

[@andrewkeane9077]

Always find it hard to find a good meaty game on TTS that isn't full. I've heard Tabletopia has more players.

[@CasasPlays]

I’m somewhat new to board games but this was a fantastic video. Also found Tharsis interested and had to pick it up at that 90% off price. Definitely going to check out more of these.

[@maximilliansantiago5208]

Hey 3MBG! Gotta show some love and respect for your channel. I appreciate the content you've been making these days especially knowing that all of us are indoors more than often these days. I imagine it helps keep you a little sane as well. Eitherway stay safe and "wash your damn hands" (as you put it)

[@3MBG]

Its a nice distraction from work atm. Our team is the one responsible for making sure everyone else in our organisation has remote access. It's been really really busy

[@victorgonzalez2927]

Tabletopia is hands down the better of the two because it is free! Non boardgame games that simulate a boardgame very well and I highly recommend are; Armello (MUST HAVE!) Gremlins Inc. (A better version of Monopoly, WAY BETTER VERSION) Warbands Bushido Wartile Solar Settlers Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (Awesome tactics game) This is my list of tabletop games that I recommend in no particular order; Aeon's End Scythe Pathfinder Harald Tokaido Tatsu Yomi Carcassonne Gloom Hive Love Letter Ascension Boss Monster Pandemic Galaxy Trucker Talisman Ticket to Ride Catan Splendor Potion Explosin Mystic Vale Bottom of the 9th Cthulu Realms Shards of Infinity Memoir '44 Heroes of Normandie Istanbul Plague Inc. (was an app before it was a boardgame)

[@DanielHolding]

Tabletopia also is better (in my opinion) because all games on there have been placed up with the permission and licensing of the designer/publisher, whereas not all Games on TTS are, some are fan made with no permission from the publisher, and that's something that's important to me.

[@3MBG]

I actually use TTS to scope out games on occasion. I've purchased a fair few because of it. Not sure that many people do that, but it does drive some sales as well as halt others id imagine.

[@DanielHolding]

@@3MBG I use Tabletopia to play the Kickstarters I'm waiting for 😂

[@black4ice]

Since you added Blood Bowl, I was surprised you didn't add Mordheim.. I've playing that and I do really like it more then the small amount I've played it on the tabletop. Mostly cause you don't have that issue about characters who get modified after an battle.

[@3MBG]

I have mordheim, and played it a fair bit, but always found it a bit "janky/wobbly/unpolished" not sure how to describe the game, but the adaption always felt a little off to me

[@jimdcushman]

Spirit Island is now available on Steam and it's amazing and hard and beautiful and I can't wait to hear what you think of it but not as much as I can't wait to play some more Spirits!

[@johnstew4735]

I'm not a big specialist of that kind of game, but I think Armello should definitely be in here. Besides being beautiful, it's the closest i've been from a traditional board game with a video game. Even more with the online mode.

[@Mambaru]

Great list and I would add the following, Armello, Ascension, For the King.

[@JayhawkJazzy]

I'm genuinely surprised Armello didn't make the cut. But great list overall.

[@3MBG]

Not because i didn't like it, just because i hadn't played it. :) It's on my wishlist for when i have some spare time

[@JayhawkJazzy]

3 Minute Board Games That’s a fair point. And as an addendum to my original comment, I didn’t really realize it was just a list of 20 great games rather than a list of the Top 20 games. I really enjoyed the list and just bought a few of them to give them a try. Many thanks for the great video!

[@3MBG]

Funny thing about lists when they are done by one person ;) I literally don't own all the games. The good thing is, whenever i do something like this I come away with as many suggestions as the audience most of the time.

[@JasonHartgrave]

I'm having fun with DungeonTop, in early access and clearly inspired by Slay the Spire with a tactical rpg grid twist. I would also mention Faster than Light or FTL as having some board game inspired roots. Gordian Quest is another new title to keep an eye on if you like Slay the Spire. Puzzle Strike is also incredibly faithful to the board game version and worth checking out if you like a quirky twist on dominion.

[@3MBG]

FTL is superb. 132 hours and 82% of the achievements. Love it

[@Phaeton667]

Great list! Have you tried Castles of Burgundy on Steam? We just tried it last night with 3 people and it was a blast. It is a great adaptation of the board game. I am impressed on how streamlined it is and how they were able to fit everything in one screen.

[@3MBG]

I tried it and I kinda hated the interface. Same with the Terra Mystica app. They just felt really clunky to me.

[@brocklockenour6404]

Don’t forget Dicey Dungeons! It’s like a dice version of Slay the Spire! Really good stuff.

[@lonefreak]

Thnaks for the list! Simply loved this video :) One improvement I would like to suggest is for you to put a list of all the games in the screen as you wrap up the video, so people can go to it after watching the video when you want to add them to your wishlist on Steam.

[@Amuny666]

Armello definitely deserve mention even if they are not "board games adaptation" ! Was created with board gaming in mind iirc. But I would have been disappointed if Slay the Spire wasn't first. It's an absolute must!

[@3MBG]

Yeah, LOADS of peeps have suggest Armello. I'd never played it despite steam recommending it to me often.

[@missitheachievementhuntres560]

Do you have a link to super dungeon explore? I can’t find it on steam. I missed Mystic vale in your list. Love the digital version. I’m looking forward to charterstone which releases this week

[@3MBG]

The PC version is called Super dungeon tactics. My error. The board game is super dungeon explore

[@blueseqperl]

I'm glad Tharsis got recognized. It is very dark.

[@tychay]

Put a lot of hours into Terraforming Mars. The lack of an undo meant that I lost a heck of a lot on my iPhone vs. IRL (I blame the one buggy card Lol!). Turn 12 with your oxygen that far behind? I bet you lost that solo one. :D Would have added Scythe and put it somewhere around Terraforming Mars. It doesn't have a good solo mode but it's online is pretty good and it runs faster than the Tabletopia version of Scythe.

[@3MBG]

IIRC, I was one o2 short at the end of gen14, and had 15 cash. So, 8 credits short effectively.

[@FEBear1]

By the way, I recommend Scythe too. That's my secondmost played (after Sentinels). Didn't you like it?

[@3MBG]

Played it in the beta a bunch, probably too much. So didn't end up buying it lol.

[@williammcneil6730]

i feel the steam version of scythe is, well god awful, the artwork looks like 8bit stuff, i think the board game is execllent, sadly the steam version, well is trash, the interface is poor and unclear, the artwork is, well looks it was done by a child, i own this one and i cant really thiink of anything good to say about it, when i played it, it crashed.

[@Tubalcain422]

william mcneil i totally disagree with your comment. Plus your comment sounds like Scythe stole your boyfriend... a bit personal.

[@williammcneil6730]

@@Tubalcain422 i want to point how bad it is so other ppl dont buy it

[@eggweirdo]

i also disagree, i think the digital. adaptation is quite good. the actual boardgame takes some of time to setup and there's a lot of pieces. the automata solo mode is also confusing at times. but i do enjoy it when friends come over

[@oynaeglen]

I could not get which blood bowl you were showing.was it the "blood bowl: chaos edition"? I really like to play it on pc but do not want to buy the wrong version :)

[@3MBG]

Blood Bowl 2 on Steam

[@st0ox]

There is a free race for the galaxy non steam open source pc version with an AI that is based on a neural network and this AI is super good. I heard that they put this AI into the app version. So maybe the AI is now very good in the app version. When did you check the last time?

[@3MBG]

I was playing it a day ago to take the footage. Only played one game but i romped home pretty easily with a blue planet strategy.

[@st0ox]

@@3MBG here a good article about the AI www.templegatesgames.com/race-for-the-galaxy-ai/ maybe you are just too good ^^

[@3MBG]

Hahaha, I do play a lot of games :) And have played WAAAAAAAAY too much race for the galaxy on the PC

[@ConQuesoQueso]

Glad bloodbowl got a shoutout. I feel it's a bit underrated nowadays.

[@franklinbolton8730]

Glad to see Slay the Spire, I actually thought I would love deckbuilders when getting into the hobby but found out I don't enjoy them. Slay the spire fixes everything wrong with physical versions of deckbuilders for me. Another game I would recommend is Faeria which is essentially a tile laying area control game with hearthstone style combat and decks. Eternal is another great game that is essentially what Magic might have been if it was born in the digital era, also playable on your phone. The game itself is fun but there is a puzzle mode where you can overcome challenges to learn the mechanics, such as find a way to win this turn, or survive this turn. 4x games can be good for board gamers too, such as the cid myers civilization games. It is essentially an epic board game where you take turns laying tiles, upgrading pieces, making treaties etc. trying to score the best over many ages. Turn based tactics games are also essentially board games. I can't recommend one in particular but here is a link to some. store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Turn-Based+Tactics#p=0&tab=TopRated

[@UKSpike]

Space Food Truck on steam is an interesting one worth looking at, good fun game, direct PC game, no physicial board game available.

[@republikadugave420]

TTA app is just a gem. Try galaxy trucker, It has a scenario mode and its juuuust great... Funny and fun... Tried scythe last night for the first time and gotta say i was suprised how good it is...

[@The_Rising_Ape]

Some interesting choices there and a few I haven't heard of but will give a go. A couple you missed that are worth a mention... Talisman is a pretty faithful adaptation that can be quite frustrating with a strong AI and Warhammer Quest which is one of my fav board game adaptations and where the TT version requires 3-4 players the PC adaptation is a solo affair :D

[@3MBG]

Only had Talisman on my phone. And forgot warhammer quest, its pretty good