5 Standout Board Games from 2020

[@iamglyph1369]

Hey, I did some development work on Planet X (or Planet 9 as it was called before) and tried to increase player interaction by introducing actions taking certain amounts of time in light of the bonuses to people who publish correct "theories" first. At its heart, Planet X is a logic puzzle race and I understand that's not for everyone, but direct interaction just didn't fit well with the hard deduction. Thanks for mentioning the game in your video, as the designers created a wonderful logic puzzle that never got old even throughout all of the playtesting. Cheers.

[@northlakeghost]

Appreciate the distinct framing of these games as not your faves but innovative contributions. Great vid!

[@actualol]

Thanks, glad you found it helpful 🙂

[@IslanKleinknecht]

This has been far more interesting than all of the shared Top 10 GOTY vids coming out.

[@TheComicQuest616]

As someone who lives in Santa Monica...I wish it still looked like this

[@tannershort]

Fantastic review Jon! I love that you are a reviewer telling us the good and the bad and refused to be compromised by sponsors! As always the games you talk about are interesting and your jokes are always appreciated.

[@3MBG]

DOWN CLUES!

[@fartymcbutterpants7063]

Finally, someone who reviews games that my family will actually play ... and I'll be able to explain to them. Great reviews!

[@actualol]

Delighted to hear that I can help the great and noble Mcbutterpants family, Farty ❤️

[@jasoncronin9145]

I've had quite a few plays of panam and never had the seventh event card swing a game in a direction it wasn't already going. Have loved it! Glad to see it get some attention here.

[@actualol]

Glad to hear you haven't had that experience. Enjoy!

[@eVanDiesel]

Ok, I've heard plenty of reviews of Santa Monica, but yours is the first that makes me want to go buy it!

[@davidha2208]

OMG! I playtested Thrive two years ago, but I couldn't find it on BGG because I thought it was called Lotus! Thank you for reviewing it!

[@actualol]

Ha! Glad I could help!

[@dieterstach685]

Writing "down clues" in the notes section while saying he enjoys writing down clues is a genius joke that needs recognition.

[@iamlordstark]

Just started watching your channel to find some new board games to pick up for the holidays and have really enjoyed your content. Your skits are pretty jokes and the amount of effort you put in your videos shows! Happy holidays from Canada :)!

[@ClaudeAndTaylor]

I'm usually up on the new games news, but totally missed thrive and it sounds right up my alley! Thanks a ton for highlighting these less-mentioned games!!

[@nolanscott9870]

The production value and delivery for your recent content is excellent. Your hard work is paying off!

[@Leron...]

I expected at KZbin i-Card linking to the Tony's opener parody to show up when Jon said "She'll realize board games aren't just for geeks".

[@actualol]

I should add it in now to make your comment seem stupid 😛

[@duon101]

Pan Am sounds like Mario Party at the end.

[@julianolte8411]

Always enjoy your content! Your enthusiasm is contagious!

[@Bleuchz]

Appreciate your focus on the swinginess in Pan Am. Not something I'd seen mentioned in other reviews and is the exact sort of thing to tilt me to the moon.

[@gmeaki02]

House rule time!

[@dingodan8757]

Would showing the victory condition card at start of game and removing the free Pan Am share cards make it better?

[@marcelineleiman4330]

I think a good alternative would be removing a card from the stack of final round cards each round from round 4 onward, keeping the final one during round 7. This allows for more speculation knowing which ones are out from which are still in throughout the game, while also confirming which will be the final card by round 6.

[@erynroston4441]

@@dingodan8757 - thats basically what I do. I like to play where you reveal the last two event cards at once so there still is some surprise but at least one round to prepare for the final event. I also think removing the free shares is worth considering. The game is super fun and worth a few tweaks to suit your play style

[@MostlyMajestic]

Birds are so beneath us. Pheasants!

[@actualol]

😂😂

[@ChrisHoppe-wordmeme]

Thanks for giving attention to Thrive, Jon. It was created by my local Minneapolis, Minnesota designer, (and friend) who is passionate about creating innovative new ideas in boardgames. He hasn't been bought out by the big guys yet, but.... wait for it.... 😁😉🙄😆

[@mrmajkl2]

Pan AM is absolutely brilliant game - I agree with everything being said and I hope it becomes more famous

[@captainron7120]

Been waiting for this, thanks!

[@actualol]

Thanks for your patience!

[@pebre79]

Great video as usual. On first thought re Pan Am is to modify rules(get rid of cards) to mitigate luck swings.

[@michaelstoddard1606]

We LOVE Thrive! It took a while to finally get it into our hands, (thanks 2020), but once it did... oh boy, what a bunch of fun. We even make it a bit longer/slower by only adding a single peg at a time to see just how tricky it will be.

[@ab17364]

Hmm for that PANAM game..would the experience be better if you just took those specific bonus cards out. It would be more balanced then? Also thanks for being bluntly honest, I like hearing the good and bad as sometimes the bad is actually good for some people!

[@actualol]

I imagine that might help, but I really try to avoid house rules, because it could throw off the game in some other unforseen way. Glad you liked the video 🙂

[@benjaminleroy-beaulieu7853]

Best review of 2020 I have seen so far. Thank you!

[@vespera219]

I love this list and it's fresh look at releases. And I am ALWAYS here for your wit and word play.

[@meenki347]

I made resolution several years ago to only buy one game per year. Black Friday is an exception ~10 Hex & counter wargames for $120. But I'm going to have to break my rule for Pan Am. Damn you! Nobody else mentioned Pan Am!

[@sporknaut]

This is a great video! Thanks for taking the time to analyze these games in a different way! Always looking forward to your reviews!

[@j.c.mosier7981]

I always appreciate when you recommend alternatives, as you did with "Sleuth" in your "Planet X" review. Any recommended alternatives for "Pan Am" or "Santa Monica"? As always, keep up the great work!

[@actualol]

Not especially. The bidding from Pan Am is in Stockpile which I love but is very different. There aren't really any city building games that are interactive and none with the character of Santa Monica.

[@joshuakahn8449]

Hm Search For Planet X has been on the top of my desired board game list since I heard about it. The idea of searching for the mystical planet while also scoring for incremental discoveries sounds rewarding. I enjoy deduction games but haven't actually played that many. I've wanted to try Alchemists and Cryptid but haven't had the chance. I recently got Letter Jam though which has a bit of deduction and has been a hit with my parents and GF. Anyway, I still think I'll end up getting Planet X once it's reprinted and hope the deduction doesn't feel as uncomfortably slow for my group :). Did the people you play it with seem to enjoy it? Appreciate the video, happy new year!

[@NariAKGMari]

Cryptid wasn't on your list of deduction games. It it might have everything you are looking for. Quick rounds and unique board state every game. Shipwreck Arcana also has deep deduction but it's co-op!

[@Bleuchz]

I wish cryptid were prettier as it's pretty much perfect otherwise.

[@actualol]

Thanks for the tips! I've actually played both but forgot to mention them. Cryptid was close to winning me over but it didn't quite do it. Can't fully remember why, perhaps I should watch my own video on it to remind myself!

[@joshuag7027]

If you're looking for a good deduction game, try out Fugitive, its simple and brilliant. 2 player only but has great tension.

[@actualol]

Ah yes, there's another one I love! Completely slipped my mind.

[@BondOfFlame]

Great list and wonderful analysis!

[@OurFamilyPlaysGames]

Very cool list. In the deduction area, we are going to try Cryptid.

[@actualol]

Thanks! That's definitely one of the better ones.

[@KurtChristensenPhoto]

Cryptid is fantastic. A big hit with my gaming group when I brought it. We have cheat sheets now to mark off your eliminations, but it a real brainbuster without them.

[@Jorge_Pronto]

What did you swing against your thumb to get that black spot? Haha. Great video as always!

[@actualol]

Haha, it was a weird accident with my metal bike lock 😂🙃

[@Sanderus]

I absolutely love Pan Am.

[@darbyl3872]

Hooky is a good new Sleuth-style game.

[@thecommuterzombie]

Some really interesting new games there, thanks for the vid!

[@piotrduda-dziewierz957]

Board games and roleplaying games are siblings, not rivals! Siblings! Oh, wait 🤔

[@mynameisthis192]

Wow Thrive is such a cool design.

[@ShelfClutter]

Haven't tried Santa Monica yet. Looks fun... but how do they squeeze all that content into that tiny box!??

[@actualol]

Haha, it is a piss take, for sure.

[@jedisparky]

Such a HUGE Pan Am fan as well as Santa Monica.

[@CG_Hali]

For Planex X, I've had to actually play a ghost normal game of 2 without actually having a second person there cause I couldn't figure out how to deduce anything before the AI swept in and ended the game even on the lowest mode. If others struggle, I recommend doing that to learn it instead of playing against the AI.

[@JoeyjojoShabadoo7]

Props to Pluto mention 👍 Always a planet in my book.

[@lukasamkharadze1961]

Haven't watched the video yet but I already feel happy! keep up God work!

[@actualol]

🥳 If you're happy before watching them I can get away with putting less effort in 😁

[@simonb4689]

Dune imperium, best game of 2020 with the great mix of deck building and worker placement.

[@tomsule]

We have a perfect deduction game, its called Alchemists...

[@Ghostgamer84]

Santa Monica felt very similar to Walking in Burano to me but a bit more to it. Good game.

[@therupoe]

Do you have any videos about city building board games? I find them very satisfying to play.

[@twinkle04evr]

I love " Awkward Guests" for deduction, have you tried that?

[@headsetguy3805]

I have the strong feeling a deduction game like Planet X would be amazing as a cooperative game, then there would be deduction AND a lot of player interaction. Does anyone know a game like this?

[@actualol]

Yeah I reckon you might be right. There are some co-operative deduction games around but I've not found one I would recommend yet. Two I can remember are Rising 5: Runes of Asteros and Shipwreck Arcana. They are very different to Planet X, though.

[@headsetguy3805]

@@actualol Thanks for the reply and the names, they both seem like pretty interesting games to me even though they have some downsides. Too bad Shipwreck Arcana seems to be sold out everywhere

[@tannershort]

Also... If these aren't necessarily YOUR favorites of 2020, what are? Will you tell us in another video?

[@actualol]

Yes, I will, you'll just have to wait a bit longer!

[@tannershort]

@@actualol I'm sure it will be worth the wait! Hope you're taking some time to enjoy the holidays!

[@actualol]

Thanks, I will be now that I've got this video out 🙂

[@dvvave]

Brian Cox... nice touch ;)

[@calboy2]

Great video on cool game mechanics

[@juanc.3372]

anyway we can get a best of card games ? i mostly play card games

[@xander8016]

So much alliteration. Love it!

[@lexodius]

I'm still waiting for Pan am to come to europe. If it even will

[@PBMicrosTube]

May help it to sell 'a million copies'

[@rubenssz]

Please, review Abstratus. It's an award winning brazilian board game that happens to be really awesome. I promise you it will enter your top favorite board games list.

[@svengoris6468]

nice to have this fresh viiew for fresh BG approaches... too bad we could not play in 2020 and for perhaps the first part of 2021... But still EVERY BG is still based on one or more iterations of the capitalistic system and it keeps our minds conditioned in it and closed for any other option or innovative system... But hey it would not sell.. it's the saddest part of it at the same time...

[@loki3156]

would like if i could find more games like dice throne adventures, my partner and i picked it up recently and it's quickly become one of our favorites... any suggestions? We already know about the bloodborne game..

[@actualol]

I wish I could help, but I haven't played that one.

[@MichaelGreene007]

That was an impressive list of deduction games tried! But Cryptid wasn't on it. Have you tried that? It's light and quick - and all the information players share is entirely & permanently public. (I love the visual nature of the puzzle in this game.) I feel like these qualities help the game avoid some of the pitfalls you mentioned with Planet X and others. I often feel like I want to discover a meatier deduction game, but the reality is I probably don't. (I played Awkward Guests three times before selling it. Cryptid is a keeper for me.)

[@Osstap]

very special video, thank you!

[@shamamismael4300]

Santa monica is a wouderful boardgame i am looking forward to buy such a great game

[@lawlworthy9805]

In Panam I’m putting my WHAT on 3???? 😮

[@gomezthechimp1116]

Shame Pan Am is unavailable in the UK...

[@TheShapingSickness]

Panam seems pretty good.

[@ANAKHA8]

Down clues.

[@nappynut]

Hey Jon! Have you heard of a boardgame reviewer named Tabletop Tolson? You two need to have a wig-off.

[@nicolehollenbach4772]

"You will lose all of your pegging progress"...

[@theanarkiddie4569]

15:05 oh boy, haha. Heheheh Completely understandable, but “pegging” has a very different meaning to most people when you say it