Are These Games Still Good 7 Years On?

⬇️ BUY THE GAMES BELOW
🟠 BECOME A PATRON: / actualol
==================================================
I watch back my first board game reviews and decide whether I'd still recommend them.
==================================================
🛒SHOP:
🔟 Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small - geni.us/agrico...
9️⃣ The Game - geni.us/Thegam...
8️⃣ Carcassonne - geni.us/carcas...
8a. Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers - geni.us/hunter...
7️⃣ Battle Line - geni.us/battle...
7a. Schotten Totten - geni.us/schott...
6️⃣ C.V. - boardgamegeek....
5️⃣ Patchwork - geni.us/patchw...
4️⃣ Paperback - geni.us/paperb...
3️⃣ Arboretum -geni.us/arboretum
2️⃣ Pandemic - geni.us/pandem...
1️⃣ Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective - geni.us/sherlo...
==================================================
SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:
📃Get the monthly newsletter: / actualol
Funemployed Review - • Funemployed Game Review
Buy Funemployed - geni.us/funemp...
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong Review - • Deception: Murder In H...
Buy Deception: Murder in Hong Kong - geni.us/decept...
Top 10 Couples Games Video - • Top 10 Couples Board G...
==================================================
FOLLOW ME:
♟️Board Game Geek: boardgamegeek....
Facebook: / actualol
Twitter: / actualol
Instagram: / actualol
==================================================
Actualol is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

[@JayBee10]

(About Pandemic) “If you go through a traumatic experience together, you remember that.” This statement aged very well.

[@21cabbage93]

Such a quality and funny board game reviewer, how has it been 7 years and yet he hasn’t got 100k yet he’s the best out there!

[@actualol]

One day I will reach my goal of removing 100,000 games! You just watch!

[@waynesolo]

@@actualol well done good sir.

[@21cabbage93]

@@actualol ahah just saw my error now and corrected it, people might not get the joke now 😂

[@lauraweiss7875]

Gawd, I LOVE this channel! I just wish there were more frequent uploads, but I understand that quality content takes time.

[@dragos_serghie]

KZbin's punishing algorithm

[@azmaniandevil]

7 years! kudos to you for the games, the laughs, the characters, the costumes and the commitment to still making videos despite some ups and downs (i'm certainly minimizing what it likely actually was like!)

[@jonnytenebrous1113]

I really enjoyed this format of re-examining past reviews. I used to have so many games - get caught up in the hype new/shiny, etc - and then the majority would end up collecting dust. These days I live in a tiny old British townhouse - no room to keep anything but the best. Curation rather than collections. I don't want mountains of "stuff" anymore. I appreciate insights into which ones you've kept for the long haul.

[@philhaslehurst]

Great video - what a trip down memory lane! And great to be part of the journey with my convincing portrayal of a corpse. That was a fun evening.

[@actualol]

Critics called you "wooden, even for a dead guy".

[@alexderosa791]

We're 40ish plays into "The Game" and we love it! It's my Wife's favorite all time game and comes with us on Vacation along with Qwinto and recently "Walkie Talkie". You might not have loved it but I'm so thankful you recommended it because we love it!

[@actualol]

That's awesome, I'm glad to have introduced you to it. It is great as a vacation game.

[@markusbiewer2756]

I only discovered your channel some months ago, but I really like your style of humor and your cast of characters! This was a nice look back on older games, which are still fun. It's a real shame that we always want the latest stuff (and of course I'm including myself here), there are so many good games already.

[@THESP-rz3hg]

Love it. Absolutely hope you (and others) take a moment to look back and critique old works. It's nice to revisit games you may not have thought of in a while

[@kenjin42]

The top 10 games for couple is the first video I watched on this channel when I was fairly new to the hobby. I bought a lot of the games on the list (patchwork, paperback, schotten totten, Sherlock, arboretum, and more recently Agricola the big box) and they all clicked with us. Thank you.

[@williamburrows6215]

Super awesome to see your responses to your initial reviews!

[@KrystleGrygo]

It's so funny seeing this look back. I first found you because of the couple's game video, purchased Patchwork, played it a couple times, hated it (but loved so many of your other recommendations), and it left my collection. My LFGS ranted and raved about Patchwork for couples games, and I kept wondering what I missed, so I recently repurchased it. Playing it now, I love it- turns out I read the rules wrong! Seeing you look at your past videos and critique your past self, I can't help but think back to how much I wish I could go back and tell myself that I had so much left to learn! Great video Jon!

[@actualol]

What a great story! Thanks for sharing. I love that your LFGS convinced you to try it again and that you now love it - but I'm not surprised it's just a universally liked game!

[@alwaysplayblue]

We're big fans of the Pandemic series (currently halfway through a 4-player campaign of Legacy S1), but I would say that recently the Horrified games do a similar thing just a little better. While both games tend to have an asymmetry to player powers, the Horrified games add asymmetry to the games powers too, which makes it a little more interesting.

[@simtill]

Your channel is a joy to watch.

[@margiemartinson5767]

So agree with the issues of Scrabble. I got a 7 letter word and can’t build it anywhere because of all the 3-4 letter words leave no place to build off of. Your shows are great, so glad you can look back at yourself with constructive criticism.

[@liormk7655]

One of our first couples game was CV, I bought it after watching your video, and it still has a warm place in our kallax shaped heart. It's funny that we used to refer to it as our "heavy" game 😅 Indeed times have changed..

[@AhJong0]

Greet video format, wonderful way to remind people we don’t always have to look to the next thing, there has been at least a decade (+) of superb board game releases, so this look back is perfect!

[@thomaspig7684]

I started watching this channel only 3 years ago but honestly, I’ve always felt that the quality was okay to amazing

[@notsecure6855]

Keep the music. It's fun and upbeat enough that it fits the look of your channel, and at this point it is basically your "Theme." Don't mess with a good theme.

[@Splentys]

Absolutely love your channel since I discovered it recently - never clicked on a video faster! :D

[@JJ_TheGreat]

24:25 But some people DO feel that Arboretum is a mean game - because of how the scoring works. Because you could make the perfect path, yet you score NOTHING for it, simply because your opponent was holding the highest number of that tree you want to score, in their hand.

[@Esbenrahr]

Yeah. That's precisely that potential meanness that moved it out casual/couples gaming for me.

[@bahasainggeris7884]

Fantastic job Jon! You've grown, but you remain awesome!

[@GlucoseGuy]

I'm new here, but I'm glad to see how you've grown as a content creator.

[@JonathonV]

The amount of fun that you get from The Game depends on how you interpret the rules. The rules state (and I’m having to translate because my copy is French) that you can’t say the names of any numbers or use any mathematical terms. Some people take the most restrictive interpretation of that, to mean that you can’t hint or imply what numbers you have. But my group took that as a challenge to try to communicate through cultural references exactly what cards we had. Soon an entire lexicon developed around the game, and it became a very social party-adjacent game in which people would say things like, “you can play your Douglas Addams on this pile but not here because I have a card at the end of the previous street,” or “if you have Gretzky’s neighbour’s neighbour, I can jump them.” With different groups of friends, different vocabularies develop, and so I often introduce it to novice gamers as a bit of a warm-up just to see what interesting points of confusion come up! I wouldn’t play it with one or two players, because you don’t get the banter, but with 3-5 players, it’s good fun once in a while! (I’m not into most party games but this one scratches the itch for most people.)

[@BenBroomfield]

Looking forward to the next one re-reviewing this after 14 years reviewing!

[@kyleb5124]

That was great! I love to see a video where you focus on games where your opinion differs now. And give recommendations for replacements.

[@willbutler4636]

Really cool video! Noticeable to me how much better paced your delivery is now.

[@actualol]

Thanks man! Me too, I had to cut out a lot of me being harsh towards younger Jon, because Serena said I was being too mean 😂

[@CaptLoquaLacon]

@@actualol I listened to the Game Of Thrones cast commentaries and a few of the people in that actively hate watching themselves in everything as they find themselves dissecting their performances. I suspect it may be quite common for anyone who tries writing/acting in any degree. Isn't there a quote about how art isn't finished, it just reaches a point where you have to give up trying to refine it further? Some artists will dwell on the bits they didn't catch before it was released!

[@willbutler4636]

@@actualol haha your disapproving face spoke volumes at times 😂 must be kinda cool to see the progression though.

[@LeoCaseiro]

I actually got Pandemic, Patchwork, and Sherlock Holmes because of the other video. Yet, we play more on BGA now. Please make more couple games videos!!! We miss you wearing a wig! The funniest sketches out there!

[@GeneralDibs]

Funny Story: About 6 years ago I was first getting into board games and I bought Agricola: ACBaS based on your rec and it was not a hit in my house haha. Very amused to find out it was only in your top 10 as filler😆

[@actualol]

Sorry about that! 😬

[@GeneralDibs]

@@actualol no sweat! We were still figuring out what we liked.

[@kq76]

CV - I'm pretty sure I bought it because of your review. I've very much enjoyed every play of it, but it's not a game I play often. It's great to play with non-gamers. I really wanted to get the expansion, but when I looked at it I just wanted more of what CV gave you, but the expansion gave you different stuff. Pandemic - Love it, love the system. I'm pretty much always up for any of them. Best game system ever? Probably. Battle Line - Love it. Not something I always want to play, but I always enjoy it. I'd recommend Schotten Totten over it for the better art. Carcasonne - Played Ark of the Covenant which I believe was a retheme. I did not like it, but I wonder if that was partially due to my inexperience with that type of game at the time. I also tend to not like games where an early decision seems to restrict later play and I remember at least in my head it did this. Patchwork - I hate this game. The gameplay itself is alright, but the theme is just so bad, bland, and boring. There are so many other polynomial games now, but this one left such a bad taste that I cringe at the thought of playing any of them and I've played a few.

[@svachalek]

I haven’t played Ark of the Covenant but in Carcassonne it’s possible to get an early meeple stuck on the board which will hurt you down the line. Playing well actually means forcing this outcome on other players, like the prisoner’s dilemma. But the interesting thing is like the prisoner’s dilemma, the right move in isolation is not necessarily the right move when you consider your future relationship. Being nice to other players can be rewarding if they return the kindness. I think it’s a really great game for a few reasons, but the way it distills down the advantages of friendly-mean competition in such a simple package makes it a classic for me.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

“Polynomial” games! So you are interested in math/algebra games?

[@DiGaspari]

Fully agreed on patchwork, I think it will become a modern gateway classic alongside carcassone or ticket to ride

[@philipsmith8863]

Since you seem to like the mystery solving genre of games (Consulting Detective, Detective: A Modern Crime Story, etc.) I would highly recommend you pick up and try Detective: City of Angels! It’s an excellent game that is designed to be played either competitively, head-to-head/cooperatively, or entirely solo and it plays incredibly well no matter how you decide to play it. It sounds like you’d be a big fan of the game system and design

[@Divercitylife]

Very sad that Deception is apparently out of print. I can't find it anywhere. Anyway, love you channel and your influence on making our game nights much more fun!

[@moregamesplease4536]

Great idea to come back to original reviews to see how your opinion has changed. One change for me is I find I put less weight on the possibility of what a game could be with the right people and more on the reality of the people I play with.

[@boudreaufrombayu]

Years ago when I came across the couples video, I bought the Game, Arboretum, Patchwork, and Sherlock Holmes. I've replaced the Game with the Mind, but the rest hold strong in my collection.

[@actualol]

Glad to hear it! A fine collection of games indeed :)

[@marlonf8700]

Jon, you are the best!! Greetings from Brazil!!

[@paramanagore1432]

Just got to know your channel a few weeks ago, but I've been watching a lot of videos. About the music, don't change it, it's great. About everything else, y find your videos really entertaining, and feel like I can get to know games pretty well with respect to the time you dedicate to each of one. Ps: sorry if my English isn't perfect, I'm not a native speaker

[@actualol]

Thank you! I'm glad you found the channel and I'm glad you're enjoying it. ❤️

[@SupahGeck]

Maybe pandemic is just too played out for me but I got flashpoint around the same time and it makes it the table more than pandemic. I think it's the theme and the spatial nature of it, it definitely could use a little more depth and balance but it's one my non-gamer friends often ask to play so what are you gonna do?

[@goodknight65]

Yeah i just found this channel recently and have been loving the fun yet down to earth vibe of the videos. The 10 mistakes board gamers make has been so helpful for me since i am the usual board game host in all my friend groups. Keep up the great work , many of us are really looking forward to more videos!

[@CaptLoquaLacon]

Glad to see that amendment you've made about recommending Funemployed - there are some games I feel like would be perfect for say a drama course where everyone at least aspires to having that sort of improvisation skill. Do you have any thoughts on Gloom? That's one where I feel like the agency to spin a tale is completely in the realms of a player. You can probably enjoy a game even if you aren't willing to spin a tale yourself like Cards Against Humanity, but a few players at the table who can ad-lib a story about the cards will elevate it for everyone. I'm always wary of a recommendation like "every couple should have a card game like this" - I think it's where you've grown in to a great reviewer, you seem more aware than most about little quirks in any game that may put people off, or be particularly enjoyed by others. I couldn't see you doing a list of "games you must own" for example as you seem much more in tune with how people's tastes alternate In regards to scrabble, I still find it funny that an English guy won a French national scrabble tournament, but couldn't speak the language - he learned the short words and gamed the board which has become sort of the dominant meta. I don't find Paperback hard to set up because of how the dividers help, my problem is that it's a bit of a faff to put away as you try to split up the player's hands for the right deck in the market! It's nowhere near as bad as something like Marvel Legendary to set up *Shudder*. On the deckbuilder front though, would you include Star Realms in a recommended list for couples nowadays? Is there a reason why you'd not recommend FlashPoint now? I must admit, I was put off by watching it on TableTop and something about the dice rolling didn't sit right with me but I can't remember what it was exactly now. Just curious what made you change your mind Anyway, thanks for a fun video - Any plans for 20th anniversary one?... ;-)

[@actualol]

I've only played Gloom once - it definitely seemed like something you need to be in the right mood for - and whilst I can see the appeal of the storytelling, I wasn't getting anything from the rest of the game. I'd rather play a game explicitly designed for storytelling - in this case, "Someone Has Died" has a nice dark humour to it, which is like Funemployed but during the reading of a will. Thank you! I do try to be aware of that. But I can also see the advantages of doing a "games you must own", because it's great clickbait! 😂 That Scrabble story is amazing, I've never heard that before! As for Flash Point Fire Rescue - I went off it because the admin at the end of each turn was way too long and complicated. And the way the fire spreads with dice rolling is so random that it makes the game less strategic than Pandemic. There is also less room to make "clever moves", which is one of the key appeals of Pandemic.

[@CaptLoquaLacon]

@@actualol If you want to look him, the Scrabble player's name is Nigel Richards. I think the reason that story stuck with me is I played once with a person who was trying to learn that style of play (concentrating on the short words and the board state), and that killed Scrabble for me. I'd much rather play a few rounds of Quiddler (if you've not heard of that, it's a somewhat obscure mass market title that is essentially Rummy played with letter cards, shedding words as melds) I'd still love to see someone do some playthroughs of the Thorny Games titles which are all based around language. Just the concept of a game based around the rise and fall of a dialect fascinates me (though not enough to buy a game I have no idea how it works let alone if I'd actually enjoy it!). It's maybe the antithesis of Scrabble since that focuses on remembering the structure of words (and thanks to Tom Scott I know of terms like Morphemes), while Dialect reflects the way our usage of the words themselves evolves or at least has that intention. Can such a big idea be fun though? My biggest issue with Gloom is the Victorian (or maybe Edwardian?) aesthetic. I'm not sure I know what the symptoms of 'consumption' are, so if I have that on a card (I think it's a death card specifically) I struggle to describe it. I'd really love someone to take the core concept of it and reset it as writing a soap opera where each writer (i.e. player) is trying to get the biggest ratings by having tragedies for their own family, it would clean up the language barriers at least. Will have to give Someone Has Died a look, but I know a few too many people where those improv titles are a step too far.

[@Esbenrahr]

It would be great with more re-reviews. This was great :-)

[@plep1046]

There's a smaller version of the Deception: Undercover Allies box. Removing the insert allows the base game + expansion to fit snugly.

[@actualol]

Incredible news! I will hunt that down, thank you.

[@brusslysb]

As always great videos, don’t go away please keep the great work coming.

[@rishibajaj8837]

I just realised how much of my collection got built because of that one games for couples video.

[@mikehall9240]

I absolutely love your videos! Just discovered you recently and can't wait to watch more! Thank you!

[@Tornroot]

Feels like it's been 7 years since the last video, but at least they're always bangers!

[@tbahr123]

I only found your channel a short time ago but it’s been such a joy to watch all your videos! Thank you sir!

[@actualol]

Thank you! Welcome aboard!

[@tracey867]

Love the video and the look back to the start of the channel! I disagree that you don't really attack or take away from the other player in Lost Cities. My wife and I love the game and each other haha BUT if there is a high number on a pile that I know she will get triple points for, I will take that number from the pile and not draw for myself JUST to make sure she doesn't get all those extra points. And vice versa. We still love the game and I think it creates less sabotage than Carcassone but there is a definite level of playing to make sure your opponent doesn't score too much. Happy 7 year youtubeiversary!

[@actualol]

Yeah I see your point! But what is she doing putting that card on a discard pile in the first place! 😂 I think my tolerance for meanness is a bit higher than average because we enjoy it.

[@tracey867]

I think our meanness quota stays in balance as long as it's both of us being mean to each other haha! The discard pile having high cards is when someone usually has been throwing off stuff to get the color they have in their hand at the beginning. Like I have a 8 and 9 blue, I bet ill get loads more of these and then you keep drawing and keep drawing and you find you are getting all white cards NO BLUES and you finally give in and saw FINE ill go for this white row! Then, they have to try and pick up all the previously discarded white cards because they know a lot of points are sitting there. It's a great game and we enjoy the challenge of, do I stop the other person picking up all those cards and scoring or do I try to draw a card for myself and get points? Also, can I get through the draw pile so I can hurry and end the round before they have time to put down enough points to break even on a row? 😄

[@andrewwalsh531]

Great job & as always, a pleasure to watch. Will have to try SHCD now!

[@blainegagner2782]

Are we getting more of your top 50? I have checked out Broom Service sense your last one and really enjoyed it.

[@Wisdomseyes1]

In terms of entry level hidden traitor games I am a big fan of "snakesss" (Just remove the mongoose of truth) It's a hidden traitor trivia game, which puts it in the party game level, gives you the hidden traitor mechanic to introduce players, and also helps fix an issue with trivia games; the game being entirely about knowing the answer

[@BoardAtHome]

One of my favorite bits of all time is "I can't discard that, I can't discard that, I can't discard that..." and I 100% do that every time I play a game and am in a similar position!

[@StuffByBez]

Great video. Really interesting to hear your reflections on your early videos. Interestingly, it seems like your opinions have largely stayed the same but the way you would express those opinions has evolved quite a bit.

[@ThePsh07]

I only have a few games, and Pandemic is one of them. Glad to hear you are fond of it as well.

[@brainb8]

Brilliant idea, and so much content to leverage into more videos. Entertaining and informative, keep ‘em coming.

[@enorma29]

The fact that Jon is an extrovert actually improves his game tastes and recommendations.

[@asura899]

Hi Jon, thanks for your great videos. I'am happy to see that you upload again more videos in shorter time. You often convince me about games which didn't seem interesting to me at first. Like: Arboretum Blue Lagoon Diamant (from one of the last videos) Deception And I got also other ones which I still need to play first like Funemployed. Do you know the game "Limes"? And if yes do you like it? It is a quick game with easy rules. Think you might like it

[@actualol]

Those are some great games! I've heard of Limes but never played it. I'll see if I can find a copy to try it out, thanks!

[@lwoonlef7]

Amazing video! it was very interesting to see the opinions and ideas that you had from some time ago! I have to say you where great from the begining! of course you have polish many things along the way but you can see from the begining the passion and interest that you have for boardgames.

[@mrnnhnz]

Thanks John. Yup, it was an interesting blast from the past. Uses an example about a proctologist. Follows up with the euphemism, "hammer it home." Genius... Also, don't change the outro music. It works. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it. (Now. Can I do a joke about castration? Hmm...) "Easy to learn, hard to master, that's basically Reiner Knizia's epitaph." Can I assume - hope, that is - that you meant "epigraph"? (And, now I come to think of it, "epigram," would be more apropos than that...)

[@tabletalk4729]

Loved it Jon! Many of my games bought came from these videos

[@TheCrenshaw1991]

Can't wait for the 50k subscriber special!!

[@stschubs]

Love all your videos, also wow your filming style has changed a lot! Really interesting to see

[@XimCines]

I am new to the channel but even this video looks refreshing and interesting. Nice to see what are your points of view then ando now.

[@Jorge_Pronto]

I love this new video series!

[@YoSo14]

Such a great channel!

[@Grimmlocked]

flashpoint fire rescue is one of my favorite co-op games. but i will admit i play with the hot spot deck from it's final expansion

[@sporknaut]

This was fun to watch!

[@moseth7606]

Loved this one dude! A great insight into your own starting out 😄 I will be using your link for funemployed (cant believe ive missed that one) and patchwork which I've always wanted anyway. 😊👍 It would be great to see you do one of these styles for say party games?

[@actualol]

Thanks for the idea, I hope to do another one of these in the future. And thanks for using the links!

[@rycer3j3c7]

This is awesome, even though I’ve only recently been a fan of the channel (wifey and i love playing lost city now!) i love the older videos. But this is great, like every man who ponders his early years and laugh at himself. ‘“The artwork is great the card quality is great” who cares?’ 🤣

[@SamClemensRIGL]

Really fun throwback video! Here's hoping you do decide to do more. It's always nice to see reviewers giving older games a second look and see if they still hold up for them. Absolutely love P: Iberia and Fall of Rome! I might like them better than the original. Not sure if that's verboten to admit. Anyway, I think I might know why, but why would you no longer recommend Flashpoint: Fire Rescue? Also, any reason abstracts like Onitama, Hive (Pocket), and Santorini didn't make the cut (I suppose maybe you hadn't gotten the chance to play them yet)? Thanks, Jon! Keep up the great work!

[@actualol]

I hadn't played Onitama and Hive back then and Santorini didn't exist yet!

[@SamClemensRIGL]

@@actualol Fair enough! Perhaps if a part deux comes down the pipeline? Oh, and I just added Coldest Night to the collection per your suggestion. Keep up the great work!

[@kq76]

I wanted to get Sherlock Holmes, but when I looked into it I saw there were a bunch of different versions and quickly gave up. Since you seem to be a big fan of it and have multiple versions, could you rank or rate the ones you have played or know about?

[@actualol]

I'd go for the brown, Thames Murders box first. And the Jack The Ripper box last. But if you can't get the brown, then blue and green are good too

[@MerlinsManor]

I am fairly new to the Boardgame KZbinr space currently. I will have to do a look back on my early content at some point in the somewhat distant future to see how I progressed.

[@nicknazarchyk907]

Ha Ha - “I can’t discard that. I can’t discard that.”

[@suntorytimes1]

Honestly, in the Funemployed review your former self looks like he’s about to cry 😂

[@actualol]

I know! 😂 Cheer up little guy!

[@argyrispouggouras3378]

Only very recently did I realize that there are people over 30 that started playing board games like a couple of years ago. I always thought board games is the next step after playing with toys. I was a bit blown away as I always thought you get into board games when you're a kid and you either quit them after a certain age or they stay with you forever. Guess I was wrong XD

[@ShadowSword88ee]

The fact that Pandemic is designed so that players are meant to lose about 90% of the time (even with perfect play), left a sour taste in my mouth. I prefer to play other cooperative games over Pandemic nowadays.

[@aimee6920]

Really enjoyed this, thank you.

[@gee3161]

Great job as always!

[@MurrayOfCanada]

So what changed on for your thoughts on flashpoint fire rescue?

[@actualol]

I fell out of love with Flashpoint for three reasons: 1. The end of turn admin for bringing out more fire was too long and complicated to go through each time 2. The dice-rolling AI meant that it felt too random, and makes the game less strategic than Pandemic 3. I didn't find there was as much room for making "clever plays", which is a one of the reasons Pandemic is so much fun

[@JJ_TheGreat]

I really enjoyed this video! I am new to your channel, so I feel like I am killing 2 birds with 1 stone in the sense that I got to see your old list - and what you think about those games now! Keep these type of videos coming!

[@Reeenald]

Battleline is still one of the best 2 players games. Grats on the 7 years :O

[@bookwormbeth380]

Interesting for the coop games, have you played Spirit Island? It is my Absolute Favorite coop game (in no small part due to the inversion of theme it has with Catan). I put it above Pandemic specifically because of the higher complexity, both me and my husband have tendencies to table captain, which can get real annoying. But its not so complex that you can't help newer players with gameplay

[@mattpburgess]

Ranking videos are interesting. My partner and I love detective games, but we *hate* Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. And we *love* Flash Point Fire Rescue. Seeing as you specifically mentioned it, why wouldn't you recommend Flash Point Fire Rescue?

[@taejaskudva2543]

3:42 "with a big Asterix" Wasn't subscribed. Now I am. Waiting for an an Obelix joke. The timer has started...

[@ChromiumFist]

Paperback is so hard to get to the table. A lot of my gamer friends refuse to play it.

[@kylefischer3013]

Love your videos!

[@blimperdoop]

Do you think Pandemic Iberia also plays well with 2 players? I saw on BGG that the recommended player count is 4, so I haven't tabled it yet. It'll be my first Pandemic experience so I'm hoping it'll be a great one! Also, so happy to see new videos from you regularly!

[@actualol]

Yes, it is great at two players, it's no different from Pandemic in that regard. All the Pandemic games are good at all counts but some will prefer to play co-op games with smaller or bigger groups, it's just personal preference.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

You can also play it with two characters per person, but my wife and I enjoy Pandemic Iberia at two just fine!

[@Trevin_Taylor]

“That’s a good point, me.” -Actualol

[@Thenarratorofsecrets]

my buddy has deception. i like it.

[@RobertMulderNL]

Funny how you mention on multiple occasions that you 'absolutely agree'... well, good thing you and you are in agreement then 🤣

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

"Agricola" is a great couples game. I don't know what all creatures great and small adds or subtracts. My wife and I got rid of Carcassonne. We find it too random for a "strategic" euro (unlike Agricola for example) and not "fun" enough for a random luck-fest (unlike Dice Throne for example) Still love Patchwork. Favorite polyomino game. (For 2 at least)

[@zhetarho]

Interesting you mentioned Sherlock Holmes without saying it was beaten out by Chronicles of Crime. I played Chronicles a few times, but my issue with it was that the stories were just too dark for my taste, especially if I'm spending an entire evening in that story. Would you say the Consultant Detective cases are similar in that regard, or are they a bit more family friendly?

[@actualol]

Beaten out? I don't think it's been beaten out by Chronicles of Crime. Sherlock cases are definitely less dark and more family friendly than Chronicles of Crime.

[@GabrielBacon]

Is Halloween patchwork the better version? I heard it was balanced

[@fibonacci112358s]

Carcassonne is great, but have you played Carcassonne Discovery? It's not an expansion of Carcassonne, it's a complete new game.

[@daveculling5467]

Let me know if you need some music Jon! x

[@scottjamison6022]

Have you played Enchanted Plumes? Wondering how that compares to Arboretum

[@actualol]

I haven't yet, sorry!

[@karenasawa433]

Why is it that you won’t recommend Flash Point Fire Rescue as an alternative to Pandemic? Interested to know as I have seen it being recommended as a gateway coop game.

[@KabukiKid]

lol... love when you are watching yourself and you go, "Yeah, I agree..." lol Surprising that you are agreeing with that guy in the videos. ;-)

[@actualol]

Hahaha, just trying to give the young guy some more confidence.

[@KabukiKid]

@@actualol ;-)

[@HedelTorres]

Funny.. I like Carcassonne.. I like playing the relaxed way.. My "buddy" is a troll.. He likes spoiling shows and movies, and whatever you like.. Lol.. When i play him he trolls any activity i do.. Very cut throat.. He makes the game very frustrating.. But does turn into a good competitive game.

[@grandad1982]

I wish I had the old version of Arboretum. The art is so much better.

[@actualol]

And the box was smaller - what did I do?? 😱

[@Leron...]

Hey Jon, out of curiosity, have you played Hardback, the follow-up to Paperback, and if so, what made you choose Paperback over Hardback?

[@actualol]

That's so funny, I said a bit about Hardback and cut it out at the last minute! I used to own Hardback, but I got rid of it because I didn't like the genre matching - I found it frustrating not getting the cards I needed to make combos and I ended up making shorter, less exciting words as well. I find Paperback to be more satisfying, and I really only needed to own one of them.

[@CaptLoquaLacon]

@@actualol I'm pretty similar when it comes to Hardback (though I've only played it on BGA). I like the ink/remover thing a little bit because you get a bit more room to manoeuvre, but the genre thing feels like it picks up a negative from Star Realms where you sometimes really struggle to buy a card to combo with, let alone draw them together, but your opponents can get a lucky hand or two that helps to absolutely smoke you. I know that can happen in Paperback too, but it doesn't feel quite as prone to it.

[@actualol]

@@CaptLoquaLacon Yeah, I really liked the idea of the pushing your luck to get more cards - in theory, but it wasn't quite as fun as I'd hoped in reality.