A Dozen Obscure Filler Games & more board game questions answered!

[@Leron...]

How was "Why First?" not in your filler game list, Matthew!? It's so right up your alley! Hand of cards, simultaneous selection, play a non-zero number between -4 and +5 in front of any player to move them that many spaces down the track. At the end of the hand, whoever is second furthest down the track earns points equal to their distance from the starting space. After 5 hands, the player with the 2nd most points wins!

[@arogance1]

Our favourite filler games are Illusion, 6 Nimmt and No Thanks

[@Webhead123]

6 Nimmt and No Thanks are fantastic games that just about anyone can play. Great choices!

[@DanielSolis]

Age of War is underrated.

[@ktshipman21]

My go-to filler game is Vault Wars. Basically a fantasy-themed bidding game that is like the show Storage Wars. Amazing game that doesn’t have the love it deserves. In the game, adventurers have gone off and gotten themselves killed, which means they aren’t paying for their vaults with all their loot. Each vault is then sold to the highest bidder. There are some items that are visible, and some that each player can see, and then there’s some items that are hidden.

[@AlaskaGuy71]

That actually sounds pretty cool gonna go check that one out

[@ktshipman21]

@@AlaskaGuy71 can’t recommend it enough. And I typically HATE bidding games.

[@TJAddams]

Cubirds is my favorite filler game at the moment with Betta very close behind.

[@andrester88]

1) Themes I like to see more of are Restaurant, Food, and Managing a shop. I love themes that don't really have to be something that is this big grandiose thing or very highly competitive vibe right off the gate. I'm surprised there hasn't been a game that tries to mimic iron chef in a way. Honestly, my dream board game would be a recreation of a little game called Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale. It's a game where your dead beat dad left you with a crushing debt and a loan shark fairy decides to take pity on you and help you repay the debt by running an item shop for adventurers. What makes the game something more is that you can actually go into the dungeon yourself and collect the items. You can also give discounts to the heroes who help youu dungeon dive, and it's this really great balance of shop management and dungeon crawling. Closest game that kinda replicated it was bargain quest. Sadly, the drafting mechanic is just way too slow for what I want it to be. 2) TrickDraw, No Thanks, Tides of Time, Floor Plan, 5211, Tinderblocks, Deep Sea Adventure, Mint Works, and Scout are my go to filler games. I always have 2 or 3 of those games in my work backpack just in case me and my coworker decides to play a game during lunch. 3) I have heard of bad games, but I'm the type of masochist to find out why people say a particular game is bad. 7/10 times it's always a miserable experience. Sometimes, in that 3/10 case, it ends up being absolutely hilarious. There are just some games that are so bad that it's funny. They are still terrible games, but the mechanics are just so laughable that you can't help but say ' "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!" in the style of AVGN. I live for those moments.

[@mikemudrow]

Always get more than one opinion on a game. Good advice, not just for board gaming.

[@AlaskaGuy71]

good "obscure" filler game is Oriflamme . We enjoy it. That or a less obscure is citadels which we love a lot

[@speedandstyletony]

Here is an idea for a worker placement game - toilet paper factory! I bet that theme has never been done. Some real ideas would be food prep and cooking, perhaps restaurant or cooking show? How about a two part game that has you building a hot rod the first half and then street racing the second, for titles of coarse. Finally, any historical theme that has yet to be used, North American native tribes for instance or aborigines in Australia. These are a few of my choices.

[@25thCenturyGames]

Thank you for including Oh My Brain! Agree. Fun little game!

[@joep1780]

Sea Salt & Paper and Vegetable Stock have been our latest little fillers.

[@jasperblake2246]

Pugs in Mugs - great card set-collection filler game - and with great artwork.

[@blueshadesable]

A game theme I don’t see very much is University. I’m thinking that an interesting and difficult game could be made of trying to balance out making a course schedule, while at the same time as balancing out a work/life balance.

[@AdaminWales]

I love Hamsterbacke! Never seen it mentioned anywhere else :) Thanks Matthew for some good tips of hidden gems to look out for.

[@JEV03]

1. It is hard for me to speak to an underutilized theme because I just know anything I mention there’s going to be a bunch of games in that theme that I’ve never heard of! I’d like to see games that riff on some of my favorite video game franchises. We’ve seen some licenses board games already and some of them are pretty good apparently but they’re all based on the kinds of games I don’t really play. Be cool to see someone make a game based off a platformer: Mario, Sonic, Megaman, etc. (I am aware there was a Sonic racing/platforming tabletop game, but never saw coverage in BG media so I don’t know if it was any good). 2. I don’t know how to tell if a filler game is obscure. I own and really enjoy Dead Man’s Draw (push your luck pirate game) and Artsee (set collection and tableau building where you score the adjacent stack). The latter I only found out about because my wife picked it out when the nearest board game cafe (an hour from our house) closed. 3. Big yes. I will not only feel obligated to avoid any game that any gamer says they don’t like, I will enjoy my favorite games less if someone I know who is deeper into the hobby than I am (which is all reviewers) does not like it. Two games that I initially avoided because people hated it, that I played anyway, and that I ended up loving are Tapestry and Pendulum. This is why I usually try to play the game myself, read the rules, or watch a playthrough if I’m seriously interested rather than watch reviews. It’s not that I can’t think critically, there are games I don’t like and bandwagons I haven’t jumped on… but I don’t have enough self-confidence to stand up for my own tastes when faced with someone else’s strong opinion.

[@JEV03]

Another game I never ended up getting after hearing bad things was the new Libertalia Winds of Galecrest. I told a friend about it that loved the original and after he and the rest of the group trashed the new artwork I wasn’t very well going to admit that I actually preferred the new artwork, lol. Maybe I’ll get it someday but I feel like I’d be embarrassed to be seen with it.

[@eVanDiesel]

Here's an obscure filler that gives me a Survive Escape from Atlantis / Downfall of Pompeii feel in a super quick play - The Deadland! You are stuck on a bridge, Cthulhu on one side, zombies on the other, and pirates down below. All you have to do is be the last one standing and get rescued by the helicopter! It's super fun!!!

[@arogance1]

Love Pompeii, more than I should I think

[@teejleague3838]

I can't wait to watch this over the weekend! :)

[@JarradShaw]

I love Tellstones. I’m so glad I own it.

[@matthewmcnaught9883]

Great video Matthew! I love hearing you talk about games. Definitely some interesting games I've never heard of. Thanks!

[@joshfrench5858]

Canadian maple syrup. Never seen that in a board game 🤷‍♂️🇨🇦

[@SarahHadley162]

I also really like filler games, and you named a couple here (Age of War, Excape) I really enjoy. My current go-to is Spots. I'm also quite fond of Oz (from Gen X Games in Spain) - a card game I think most people would count as a filler.

[@eVanDiesel]

Oh, and R-Eco+ was released in Japan this year, which contains both versions of the game in a slightly fatter box.

[@eVanDiesel]

Unboxing on my channel sometime in July 😊

[@olixander]

Can we have another *several hours* of obscure small filler game videos? Managed to source Null & Nichtig and it's hilarious!

[@ROOKTABULA]

Tides of Madness needs to get a mention here along with another Reiner game: Circus Flohati (Flea Circus).

[@bryanscollick8305]

Here are a few filler games you may not had heard of- Five Crowns, Karma, Dutch Blitz, Push, Quibble. Just to name a few.

[@WatchItPlayed]

I haven't played Dutch Blitz in awhile - fun one :) -Rodney

[@GeoffreyMasters-dg9mu]

Some suggestions here I will look for. I do enjoy a game of Pass the Pigs, if you can throw the double leaning jowler, such a great feeling.

[@rickrivera827]

Boop, shifting stones, project L, and even older games like mancala or shut the box are good filler games for me. I’m not big on purely card games.

[@cruel_knight3478]

Another Reiner Knitzia game and an absolute favorite filler in our group Art Robbery Also from Helvetiq

[@jamescartwright1150]

Excellent stuff as always Mathew. Vegetable Stock is a fun filler card game.

[@darbyl3872]

It seems there are not enough team games, especially outside the party game genre. I can think of only a couple of medium to heavy games that don't use the hidden traitor mechanic (a few bad guys, but mostly good guys). I'm also not looking for more team trick-taking games. Spades has been done already. What I would like to see are more games like Concordia Venus (2 vs. 2) or Inkognito (2 vs. 2, or 2 vs. 1). Codenames is nice, but there are plenty of party games that use teams. Teams are mostly forgotten in the "serious" games with euro mechanics.

[@henriwhitehead]

Great questions! Great Answers!

[@teejleague3838]

I'll probably list games that others don't think are obscure or fillers! XD But I really like Fabled Fruit. It's easy to get to the table and it just seems to go over well with lots of laughs. Plus, it's new game play each time. I also like Ecosystem as a fast filler. It's pretty intuitive on how the scoring works. It's sort of like a faster, simpler Cascadia. Totally depending on the group, I used to LOVE Gestures (that old school game, you know, where the machine "eats" the cards if you're not fast enough and getting people to guess). It's really just charades, but I remember so much laughter with that one when I was a kid. I'm not sure anybody really plays it anymore, or if it's even still available. :)

[@Fr05t1984]

For me I love get bit, zombie dice and ninja dice

[@GKEK]

Dear Matthew, What are your game recommendations for small box games that can be played while waiting/standing in a line? We've tried Oddball Aeronauts and Palm Island. Looking for other options. Thanks!

[@benleague3115]

Bros Murph talked about a hairdresser/salon game theme...that would be so cool!

[@jamiebuckley1623]

Damn it Matthew, you sold me on Tellstones.

[@joshfrench5858]

Is it possible to get a how to play for “keep’em rolling! Race to the rhine”? Can’t find one. Thanks 👍

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the interest! I talk a bit about that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5XXdaisfrqUbKM&t=342

[@joshfrench5858]

@@WatchItPlayed ya I remember seeing that video. Sorry 👍

[@WatchItPlayed]

@@joshfrench5858 No worries at all!

[@hobbyholic42]

I suggest Humble Tea Party for obscure filler. A game about politely messing up your opponents

[@ClaudeAndTaylor]

Love null and nichtig!!

[@joeherrick3376]

So why AREN’T you going to reprint Null & Nichtig?

[@WatchItPlayed]

"yet"

[@shachna]

We need more games about matchmaking or cultures with arranged marriages. I grew up Jewish and I can see a great game about playing a matchmaker in that culture.

[@JEV03]

While not quite matchmaking, after playing Fire Emblem I want to see fantasy war game where the object of the game is not actually winning the battles but managing the affinities and relationships your characters build with one another in battle. Been brainstorming how I’d go about designing it without it feeling like just another tactics game with character interactions tacked on.

[@SonofSol1]

Theme I like but don't see is a 2 player dungeon crawler where one person is the dungeon master and the other the adventurer. All I can think of is Claustrophobia 🤷🏻

[@WatchItPlayed]

Good one! Yeah, that's the only one I can think of too. -Rodney

[@stevenwaffles]

Thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the kind support Steve!

[@bhekking]

Yes to survival games! I played 'Outdoor Survival' in the 70's and enjoyed it, tho it would be a bad game by today's standards.

[@rolling.reggie]

ObscureFiller would be a great band name. Also, I can’t tell Matthew, are you a Knizia fan? 😅

[@WatchItPlayed]

I wish he'd be a little clearer about that too 😅 - Rodney

[@WhatUpRob]

Your quick comment about playing a lot of games with a few pieces of paper, makes me think of a few things. Have you not been able to get a game for whatever reason and therefore printed images and the rules out and gathered makeshift pieces and played the game? Also, if you have the rules but you push a yellow disc instead of a lion miniature, and the board is just drawn hexes and not the official artwork of woods etc., aren’t you playing the same thing and can’t you have the same enjoyment? Are we saying the art and production makes the game over just rules and replacement parts? I want to get all the necessary components for Brass: Birmingham but they aren’t the same colors or shapes, any cards are just text, the board is blank with outline only for stuff to go on (I haven’t play it, just picked it b/c it’s “#1”), and I’d be curious if you removed the title from the rules and gave all this stuff to someone and see what they think. All over with thoughts on this sorry.

[@Mokhnaar]

Sigh. More games added to my wishlist 😅

[@stevenwaffles]

What about Mutant Crops?

[@tomJackilarious]

What are your favorite obscure Knizia games.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Lost Cities is one of mine! -Rodney

[@ROOKTABULA]

@@WatchItPlayed Hey Rod, I don't think that one qualifies as _obscure,_ mate. Zombiegeddon would be my fave obscure Reiner game.

[@Amadre278]

Art Robbery is a new one of his I’ve picked up and has been a real hit. Kariba is indeed great at two players. Money and Botswana are also both excellent games of his. Modern Art the card game also deserves more credit-it lives entirely in the shadows of its big brother, which is a shame.

[@WatchItPlayed]

​@@ROOKTABULA My bad, I was reading too quick, and missed the "obscure" part. I don't think I have a fav obscure Knizia - I'm not as deep down the Knizia rabbit hole as others, but Matthew is helping me broaden my experience there.

[@ROOKTABULA]

@@WatchItPlayed I've just grabbed a good number of them since his Lord Of The Rings, with Canuck artist John Howe's artwork, got me back into the hobby in 2002. Took me a year to get me mates to try this "big" game with the "huge" manual. We played the crap out of that till I moved away. Took us 10 months to beat Sauron because my ultra cheap buddy, Paul, would horde his cards. After the post-mortem talks after we got smoked, we'd always find out Paul had a ton of great cards he was "saving". I dubbed him Paullum.

[@richardsaunders9214]

The way you describe survival games sounds like you’d like Agricola. Feed your people and survive, but just get better

[@ScytheNoire]

I want more cyberpunk themes and less D&D-type fantasy games.

[@DenisRyan]

Oh wow! I could not click play on this video quick enough! Love obscure filler games! Looking forward to discovering more. ERMAHGERD!! Spoil Me Not!! I adore this game! I had to get that same Korean edition shipped from Germany to Canada to have my own copy. Cost me a fortune. Never regretted it. Fantastic game.