10 Games We Would Remove From The BoardGameGeek Top 100

[@BoardGameCo]

For the record, there's currently only two dislikes (up to 21 now, thank you all, you're doing the lords work)....I'm a bit disappointed people. That means no subscribers hit dislike and that this isn't offensive enough. Will edit and adjust this comment as that updates to fix KZbin hiding that important metric.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Thank goodness for that

[@williamblack6912]

Forgot to hit dislike...look again.

[@karolpolok6854]

Can i subscribe, hit dislike and unsubscribe ? :D I nearly agree that all games you chose shouldnt be at top 100 except wingspan. In category of light, easy games that gives you quite a lot of decisions and lot of satisfaction at the end. Im not sure if that game should be at 23rd place at BGGs top 100 but still theres surely place for birds :) Anyway good job :)

[@ingl0rius]

If it helps , I just accidentally hit dislike and then changed it to like 👍 I should go to sleep now 😅

[@andrewjohnson5550]

Alex’s #10 “All repeats” is outstanding! Almost thought the video could have just ended right there. 😂

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hahaha true

[@shannimarmen8201]

Such a good point

[@Kentchangar]

Hear! Hear! :)

[@markusbiewer2756]

So true!

[@stevewithington1787]

Absolutely. Watching this with my wife and the first thing I said was they could dump more than ten just by getting rid of the repeats. Seriously, old versions of games should be removed from the list (and it’s not like they haven’t done it - Kanban Automotive Revolution was removed when Drivers Edition came out so why not remove Drivers Edition when EV comes out? IT’S THE SAME GAME!)

[@smoothrivera1928]

Great video- you guys riff off one another so well! And the “Obviously we’re wrong scroll” was hilarious. This was fun, thanks!

[@BoardGameCo]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@danbrown679]

I think the 2 videos I have seen so far where Devon is coming to visit are excellent. He adds a excellent sense of humor to the videos and while I may disagree with his points, they are well reasoned. Regarding the question of Root and a "play this not that "video, I would prefer to see a playthrough of 2 player Root with X vs X factions to see if the theory holds water. Not counting expansions my sense is that 2 player Root only works with Cats v Birds, 4 player Root is a game about kingmaking, and I have not played enough at 3 players.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Glad you’ve enjoyed them! They’ve been great to film 😃

[@brickboy137]

I really enjoyed the fun energy and banter between you, it made for a great video!

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Love getting to chat with Alex :)

[@windbane69]

Wingspan is a great game. Lance (Undead Viking) and you are both wrong about laying eggs in the last round. It sometimes is the best, but it's all about min/max. You still have a round goal to go for, or maybe personal objectives, so often a high point bird will be worth more, especially if you're playing with Oceania expansion and need to compete for nectar majorities. Also, you need birds to lay eggs, so it's entirely possible you fill up and need more. Each expansion for Wingspan adds to strategic variety. It's not only accessible, but it's a great strategic/tactical game.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

We did preface that we were wrong!

[@riChchestMat]

When I win Wingspan, it’s rarely because of eggs. Tucked cards and food stocks in an engine can be devastating.

[@Gregthegreat88]

i was gonna say that. it seems like they haven't played the Oceania expansion.

[@pslsail22]

100% agree, the expansion especially add cards that make laying eggs a loosing strategy. If my last turns are just laying eggs I know I’m going to loose (unless I have a bonus card that benefits from eggs). The expansions particularly make for many more strategies. Europe really boosts card tucking.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

It's final. I'm deleting Twilight Struggle from my To-Play list.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol fair

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hahah hopefully you don’t regret it. It’s got a lot of fans 😃

[@sjaster]

That was just way too much fun to watch! Thanks for the video, your dynamic is really just so great!

[@BoardGameCo]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Thanks for that!

[@AnimatronicBadgerlord]

As someone that Loves Root... and only plays solo (Clockwork was needed obviously), but as a solo player Root is great for me BUT I also understand the issue. In almost every game I play, either the birds or the cats are always in the lead by a large margin and there is no coming back, once I added in more things like the Dutchy and Corvid, it did get better so it is bothersome you have to get the expansions to get the most out of it. That said... I love it all the same.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

Yes, Alex. You should've smacked Devon the moment he said, "Viticulture."

[@BoardGameCo]

From what I've seen this week that would be the appropriate response

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

@@BoardGameCo - I was going to write that you should've Will Smithed Devon, but thought that it might be too soon. 🤣🤣🤣

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

I’m a smackable person…

[@jacobjslee]

I watch your videos more for information or education, but this may be the first time I was entertained by it. You two spar well with your dialogue - I really enjoyed this. Might be my favourite video you've done. And great idea for a list!

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks Jacob :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Thank you!

[@thomashaines1942]

I'm so glad your 10 started with those 12 games. These were the first ones I thought about and needed them to be addressed, but didn't want the entire list to be just these games.

[@dplentz]

All The Duplicates - YES PLEASE

[@BoardGameCo]

This one bothers me soooo much!

[@brianmyers13]

I thought that was sneaky and approve. Any list involving the Top X should assume that all variants are the same game.

[@dplentz]

@@BoardGameCo it should be all put under the same game as different versions and that's it - and it would even give those games a boost in their position

[@svachalek]

Don’t go play Civilization on your computer, go play Through the Ages on your computer! Or iPad. It is so good in digital. The whole arc of a Civ game in less than an hour.

[@BoardGameCo]

He's straight wrong, that game is amazing.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Obviously I'm wrong.

[@intrepidfool]

Through the Ages is fantastic. All of the interesting decision space and enjoyment from the video game condensed into a 3 hour board game.

[@jdthiemann6927]

Love the video! I think you guys were respectful in discussing your opinions, but I HAVE to stick up for Twilight Struggle. I am young and play plenty of “modern” games… Twilight Struggle is still my all time favorite. The integration of history and theme is second to none. You are using historical events dynamically, changing the state of the world throughout an epic 45-year conquest. You are also navigating chaos and randomness, doing constant damage control, and living in fear of helping your opponent or (worse) starting a nuclear war. I love Watergate, too, but Twilight Struggle is worth the effort. There is nothing quite like it!

[@jimalexander687]

Agreed. Also, when you are really enjoying a game, it never seems long. I've finished long games like "Twilight Struggle" (and "Star Wars: Rebellion" -- which I've had go even longer), looked at my watch, and couldn't believe the actual time. It seemed significantly shorter while playing it. Likewise, I've had short games seem like three hours, because I hated them. The perception of time is therefore relative to the enjoyability of what one is doing.

[@ElGrandoCaymano]

@@jimalexander687 Good point. Their main concern seems to be that it takes too long, but if you're having fun and don't notice the passage, what's the problem? I think TS has a much stronger and relevant theme than either 1960, 1989 or Watergate (or even 13 Days, 13 Hours, Sola Fide and arguably too Labyrinth). The problems that TS does have is knowledge of the deck is important and scoring can be swingy and ultimately untimely luck for such a long game. While I think 1989 is probably the best 'game' of the three (I haven't played Watergate or 13 Days), TS does win on theme implementation and really created a sub-genre of its own. Often imitated, but rarely beaten.

[@EmilioRodo]

Backing this up:) I Have several CDGs, and I'll keep my Twilight Struggle copy even if I never get to play it in person. On the other hand, if I had to get rid of one, Watergate would be the first against the wall. It's a fine enough game, but I feel even other "Twilight Struggle Light" games easily surpass it. 13 days is a good example.

[@EmilioRodo]

@@ElGrandoCaymano Relevance of the theme is subjective: 1960 does nothing for me (since I'm not American) while 1989 has my hometown on the board:)

[@peinheber]

I've only gotten through a partial game of Twilight Struggle (point taken). However, the only reason I haven't played it again is that the main person I game with didn't feel like he really got it. That partial play was amazing for me, but possibly because my favorite mechanic is hand management. The amount of strategy as to how you're going to play which cards when and for what purpose while also remembering that you have to play THAT card no matter what and hoping your opponent doesn't screw over your plans and fortifying just enough to enable and protect your plans but not betray them is so satisfying.

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh I think it's great... Just not four hours great

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

It’s a solid game. Has a lot of things going for it.

[@Murphy_DE]

I would really like to know which is your alternative to Aeon's End as cooperative deckbuilder?

[@GreaseMonkeyDojo]

Loving this duets discussion! You guys should do more topics like these, so much more discussions and debates!

[@ElGrandoCaymano]

Sid Meier has said he based Civilization the computer game on the even earlier Ragnar Bros/Avalon Hill boardgame Civilization.

[@jerrodwarr9706]

Good stuff fellas; these debates are fun. The one I most disagree with is Aeon’s End, mostly because a) the bosses are interesting, unique puzzles and b) it’s a co-op that doesn’t feel tedious like Pandemic. I will also add that if you are looking for an alternate to Pax Pamir 2nd, go to the game that inspired it: King is Dead (but play 2nd Ed.). Or better yet, play Brian Boru which feels like a more interesting evolution in the system.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

I made it out of this comment without taking a hit! Take that, Alex!

[@christianbortolini1466]

You got me for a few minutes :-) curious to check out the follow up video

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

We’ll maybe do a list of what we’d put in next!

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh this is very real, don't let the date fool you.

[@riddlesphinxx]

Fun video :) Fun fact: Isle of Cats is the game that knocked Dominion (base game) out of the top 100. When Isle became 100, Dominion became 101. I wonder what games were specifically knocked out by the current 100.

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh man, so that's where Dominion went :)

[@BoardOfView]

3 hours playing Architects with expansion? I love architects and we always play at least with 5, with the expansion and we do not take that long. Architects is amazing. Waiting for the latest expansion. 🙌🏼

[@BoardGameCo]

Glad you enjoy it :)

[@jedalbiston9563]

Such an enjoyable video! I’ve watched it while at the gym and have been getting lots of funny looks from all the laughing to myself. Well done! Thanks!

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Love this 😃

[@ryanskrenes6247]

Architects of the west kingdom does so much more with the most recent expansion and I think stands up to a top 100 status.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Interested to try it out!

[@ryanskrenes6247]

@@DevonTalksTabletop Otherwise yes with the base game and possibly just the 1st expansion as well I would have to agree with you. Our gaming group as a general rule of thumb says no 2 playing at the Max player count.

[@w92viking64]

Can I kick out 88 instead on ten? Only worthy ones are Castles of Burgundy Mage Knight Puerto Rico Agricola Mansions of Madness Le Havre The Gallerist Race for the Galaxy Dominant Species Keyflower Caylus Eldritch Horror

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Incoming! Hot take! I need to play some of these for sure :)

[@bigbrownie7]

Now that you did a video of games to remove from the BGG Top 100, we need a video of the Top 10 games to be added to the BGG Top 100. That would be a interesting list to see.

[@mikec5563]

It used to be that putting Devon in a thumbnail was the quickest way to get me to click on a BoardGameCo or Quackalope video. But then he put Root in this list, and now he's dead to me.... RIP

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol fair

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Forgive me!!!

[@DarkVincent117]

"Ark Nova doesn't need to be there, because I don't like physical terraforming Mars" WTF XD that's the only thing I listened about his explanation

[@KillaJ_09]

I love this channel!! Y’all make a fun pair to watch.

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Appreciate it!

[@michaelaxton5048]

My dream bromance...

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

@@michaelaxton5048 Find someone that looks at you like Alex looks at me

[@michaelaxton5048]

@@DevonTalksTabletop LOL

[@adamwaggenspack7156]

I agree with you on duplicates in the top 100 (except I think Gaia Project may be different enough from Terra Mystica to not be a duplicate). I see questions like " How many of the BGG top 100 have you played?" and then have to caveat it depending on if you count the duplicates or not ( e.g. I played and own Agricola but technically not the Revised edition). The duplicates are basically just taking up space while adding no value to the list. It would be better to only include whichever duplicate is higher in rank.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep

[@paintballinrn]

I like the difference in view in videos like this. Thanks for being courageous enough to even do a video like this.

[@cesarpim]

I've played Root base at 3p dozens of times, it plays fantastic, I don't know what Devon is talking about. Also, it's the first time I see someone saying that Eyrie is one of the strongest and doesn't mention Vagabond.. These kinds of opinions on Root seem to vary so much from person to person that I'm starting to believe the game is actually really balanced 😅

[@windbane69]

Yeah, there are plenty of recommended settings at all player counts that work. 2 player might start off weak, but 3 has always been fine. Forbidden Stars is nothing like Root, hah.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

I've played quite a few times now, but it could definitely be with other players!

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

@@windbane69 the deep asymmetry is what I was referring to and I find it much more satisfying in that game :)

[@cesarpim]

@@DevonTalksTabletop you're entitled to your opinion but you're obviously wrong 😅

[@republikadugave420]

3p might be better than 4p actually...I play Eyrie and love the faction..but they have a flaw like every other faction except the lizzards and that is if you gang up on them early the Eyries kinda fizzle out and never recover... but i would say root is 100% balanced until you start playing :) meaning some move can derail balance significantly..best strategy is to go after different players as much as possible because if two of you battle between yourselfs, other factions if unchecked could run away with game...you want to keep the balance and also work for yourself...one example in my online plays is when on turn one or two vagabond player tried and succeded to demolish Cats keep and one building and by doing so gain good amount of points but also by doing so he kinda free me up me as bird player to dominate the game and in the end i won very easy..so he kinda played short term and selfish and by doing so thown the balance of the game on turn one or two..vagabond was too far away to influence me and i just focused on expansion and slow checking the cats..

[@TeChNoWC7]

I totally agree that Azul needs to be a game of screwage, and I assumed that I’d only ever want to play it two player for this reason, but it somehow brilliantly works at 3 and even 4 as well.

[@joel23899]

Hey I like having the titles on the screen! The little bit of editing adds a lot imo.

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks, adds a lot of work but I'm hoping to do what I can.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Thanks. That was all my idea...

[@justinsciacca3524]

dude you need to have devon on more often. You to have such good energy together and you're really having fun and it translates well.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Appreciate it! We try to film when I'm up in Cleveland visiting.

[@justinsciacca3524]

@@DevonTalksTabletop BTW, I played. Arkham and also tried the opening scenario and lost 3 times and never went back. I really want to like the game, I even went and watched play videos of other people playing the same scenario and have no idea how they we're able to beat it. Our 3rd attempt was after quite a bit of research and we got close, but still failed.

[@doity]

I played civilization on my computer and I hated it. Through the ages is my number 1 game.

[@BoardGameCo]

It's excellent :)

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

If Through the Ages is how Devon described, I will definitely play it! A perfect PC Civ conversion to Board Game? I'm in!

[@BoardGameCo]

It's soooo good

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hahahaha it’s got a lot of fun things going on 😅

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

@@BoardGameCo It's soooo long! For me Through the Ages is a video game because I only play the app.

[@w92viking64]

It’s so overrated

[@HardlyDOTA]

It’s soo good but I recommend the app.

[@scottdirrane6360]

Fun video. Thanks for sharing... and for acknowledging that you have the great opportunity to play games a lot and play a lot of different games. As a huge fan of Pax Pamir I'm going to defend it using what you see as it's drawback. Considering it takes place in the 1800's I think the difficulty in knowing all the information is actually a thematic plus for the game. Lack of full information or even disinformation certainly would have impacted the volatile nature of the Great Game. One could hope they had enough info (playing sub-optimally as you say) or one could work really hard to know it all (playing optimally as you say.). Either way, letting information go or seeking it out at no cost would match the feel and theme of the game (IMO). Cheers!

[@BoardGameCo]

An absolutely fair defense... But it still puts it in that position where I would rather pick something else to play :-)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@scottdirrane6360]

@@BoardGameCo I get that. One of the blessings of having so many options.

[@sidneyleejohnson]

Clearly what BGG needs is a hall of fame to move games like Twilight Struggle and all the duplicates into and out of a "current" ranked list. Somehow, they need to separate more recent votes from ancient votes to be able maintain a current list. Maybe they already support this idea a little bit.

[@jankoo999]

I think it's hard to do that without removing old games as a whole. I agree that Twilight Struggle did not age well and I don't think it should be in the top 100. That said, I also think that even more "ancient" Tigris & Euphrates is still a great game, one that stands the test of time and one that I haven't seen reimplemented in a better/improved/streamlined way. What do you think about Tigris & Euphrates? Would you remove it from top 100 along with Twilight Struggle? If not, how would you determine what goes into "Hall of Fame" and what stays?

[@synnical77]

I think that's a bad idea. The default list should be all time numbers. Otherwise you're introducing a 'new game' bias which will basically infers that new games are better.

[@sidneyleejohnson]

@@jankoo999 games would be removed based upon continued support or lack thereof. Bgg needs to try to determine If recent rating sustains the placement on the "current" ranking and If not the game be removed. Hall of fame entries could be created for each calender year. Personally I have never played T&E and don't have access to the data to run aggregate statistics to know if the game has had continued support.

[@sidneyleejohnson]

@@synnical77 the bias has already been made ubundantly clear by earlier video by Tom Vasel and Alex in their deep dive into bgg data. I am not sure how they got the data but they hosted a very long video clearly demonstrating the new game bias. Best to just acknowledge the bias and start honoring the best games based upon release dates with hall of fames for each year. Don't be fooled by this notion that the list withstands the test of time.. those days of certain games dominating the ratings for years are mostly behind us. I can try to dig up the video I mention if you are interested. It's very good. I am not sure whether Alex hosted it or Dice Tower. I think it was DT with Alex as guest.

[@kylecourtright6222]

Great video! Disagree with a few of your picks (disagree more with Devon’s picks), but I absolutely love the topic. Down with the duplicates!!!!!!!!

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks Kyle :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

I'm a disagreeable fellow, so I don't blame you.

[@RaymondMillbrae]

You guys synch together soooo good. No one tries to take the spotlight or be the chieftain. Enjoyable.

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks Raymond, we have fun

[@joseg.6187]

Thanks for this video. Great chemistry, more Devon!

[@BoardGameCo]

We always want more Devon :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Enjoyed it as always!

[@ea_gaming]

Love videos with the two of you, this was awesome! And I see the point about duplicates, but sometimes newer editions are worse than their predecessors, and leaving them separate helps people discern what to purchase

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep, but it's weird to have so many duplicates....it ruins the point of the top 100.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Fair argument. Maybe an aggregate score?

[@windbane69]

You can always click "next" and look at the next 100 games. They are mostly just as good.

[@TheDavidPhillips]

I mean, obviously you're wrong. I don't disagree with any of the picks, but I don't dare disagree with an official news ticker.

[@BoardGameCo]

That's what I'm talking about!

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

You pushed dislike, right?! To show your support?

[@TheDavidPhillips]

@@DevonTalksTabletop yes, of course - made sure to subscribe first so the dislikes count for triple. Stickin' it to the man! ✊

[@aaronclark7687]

Ok now we need a response video with the 12 games you would add to the BGG Top 100 replace the 12 duplicates!

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh we'll have that conversation :)

[@JoshOBryan]

I agree duplicates are annoying, they need to fix that some way.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Yeah, he got me on that one. Best argument of the video!

[@jsbays7805]

Azul: Summer Pavilion is my go to game to play with people for which Wingspan is too complicated.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Haven’t played that one yet!

[@MarkusKraus]

Very fun conversation. I'm surprised that Kingdom Death Monster didn't make your list Alex. I expected it to be number one or two.

[@BoardGameCo]

I haven't played it :) so I didn't include it this time

[@TeChNoWC7]

Twilight Struggle is infinitely better than Watergate. Sure it’s great to have a shorter, more accessible version, but it’s a shadow of its grand daddy. It’s not ‘the same game’, it’s a less well designed version of an extremely well designed, balanced game, that’s much more strategically rich. Also not sure why Innovation is compared to Pax Pamir, they are very different games (and personally I hate Innovation and love Pax haha)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Infinite is a big number...

[@metalrock720]

I do have to say that while I am interested in a video of Root vs. Forbidden stars - I think the two are very different games. I have both and I am absolutely obsessed with Root (it is my favorite game right now) while Forbidden stars is great but just doesn't hit the table as much. The core of it for me comes down to how fast Root plays and how asymmetrical Root is in comparison. Root typically goes from 1 to 2.5 hours at most. I do agree it is definitely best as a 4 player game but the uniqueness of each faction is just absolutely phenomenal. Each faction truly feels like a different game and experimenting between all the different combinations are just truly remarkable. Forbidden stars while fantastic suffers from the problem that is similar to yalls critique if twilight struggle - it goes really long. It can easily take 4 hours. It is very fun when I have time for it, but Root, although complex, has a very streamlined system at its core which is represented by its faction board outlining everything that you really need to know for the game and get it on the table without extensive rules lookup which increases the pace of the game. Curious to see your thoughts though.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

Alex cheated on his #10.

[@BoardGameCo]

Well obviously

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

It was a good cheat though. Wish I’d thought of it

[@JonoNZBoardGamer]

This was an hour well spent! Entertaining the whole time :) thanks

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks Jonathon :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hahaha glad we could entertain 😃

[@tomerd1499]

Great video !! But obviously, you're wrong. 😂

[@BoardGameCo]

Well yes :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Obviously

[@palkojohn]

Hey @BoardGameCo, I liked where you two were going in your discussion of the simultaneous card drafting of 7 Wonders and then you touched on games that you feel do this better. Please make a series of Top 10s where you take an older popular game you introduce/popularize a mechanic and follow it up with your Top 10 games who improve upon this mechanic.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Great video idea!

[@juliansykes6668]

Given your comments on Apps, have you tried UBOOT: The Board Game?

[@BoardGameCo]

I haven't yet

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

I’ve always wanted to!

[@juliansykes6668]

@@DevonTalksTabletop I hope you get the chance. Its a very individual experience which I always enjoy.

[@chandlermcgowan2038]

"Obviously you're wrong, and we're playing it this weekend!" T-shirt design?

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol I need to take the time to do that

[@Andy-td4sj]

Rising Sun is such a unique experience though (and so is Ankh), so i can see why it is in

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

That’s a trilogy I want to play badly!

[@brianmyers13]

I was going to rail against that pick but can see where Alex is coming from. If you look at Rising Sun purely from the 'there are better area control games' his choice is fine. For me it is the deceptively simplistic (not simple or easy) mechanism that draw me in. I don't look at RS as area control as much as he does because of this. But I see his point if one does look at it that way.

[@windbane69]

Blood Rage and Ankh ate better, but Rising Sun is still better than Kemet, imo.

[@klaus1805]

This one was simply amazing. Obviously wrong with a few games, but 100% hilarious all the way through!

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

100% wrong and 50% hilarious is how I live my life.

[@TheSchaef47]

Twilight Struggle is my least favorite of that original Jason Matthews historical political trilogy (I haven't played 1989 or Watergate). I own both 1960 and Founding Fathers; I'm not even eager to play TS anytime soon.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Same!

[@Spidoink]

Great video, great conversation. I love your Passion about the duplicate entries in the top 100. Gave me a good laugh. I would have to agreed. 🥂 I'd also add, having a top 100 is a tad deceiving, or unfair? Not sure the word. The sheer amount of games out there now, if you're a top 500, you're probably a great game. Name it the Top 250 like IMDB and give the preseitge to an additional 150 games.

[@allbutgrey]

Great videos guys. I do think you forget how complex a game Wingspan actually is to the average person. Yet the theme resonates with the average person. It def belongs in the top 100

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh I left it in...blame that guy.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Oh I am not forgetting that. It's definitely a hobby game that is being made accessible to a wider audience due to its size and popularity. But it still doesn't do it for me.

[@allbutgrey]

@@BoardGameCo hahah. Clearly Devon is wrong! 🤣

[@allbutgrey]

@@DevonTalksTabletop fair. You're still wrong 😜 💜

[@zivpesso3226]

How much better does Root get with the Marauders expansion? I just got the base Root game and im worried some of the factions wont be as fun (havent been able to play the physical version yet)

[@ChromaTick360]

That was a fun video. Agreed with some things, disagreed with others. The only thing that gave me a strong emotional response though was the 7 Wonders segment. I'm fully Team Alex on this one!

[@intrepidfool]

Agree with Devon on this one. We never get Root to the table since it is four player and asymmetric. My wife and I cannot play it a bunch with the various factions so that we can then introduce it expertly to people at game night. So we end up with a painful, AP prone experience with constant rules checking. Excellent game in theory but just difficult to find it fun in practice. I think a dedicated group that plays it many times together could enjoy it but it doesn’t work to me as a pull it out once or twice a year and teach to people.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Yeah, I just feel like it’s only one I’d play with other people who own the game or know how to play very well.

[@ichdarfdaswirklich5073]

Dear Sirs, I deeply appreciate this video for the idea and the entertainment you have provided. Swimming against the main stream is always interesting when you present good arguments, here also underlined with a good chemistry between you two and some big laughs on my end. I loved every second of this video. I surely will make a gif out of the Through-the-ages-heartbreak-face. Please make more of those!

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

We had a great time :)

[@zachras9643]

Mansions of Madness should be played where you play the scenario and then, win or lose, move on to the next in my opinion. You can come back to one you lost after other scenarios. There is such a variety in the scenarios that unless you’ve played at least a few, you won’t understand how great it is🙂 Love the video though!

[@jimw2633]

I have a shockingly high overlap with you guys on what to remove from the Top-100 :-) E.g., I strongly agree on Underwater Cities, Ark Nova, Wingspan, Mansions of Madness, LotR:JiME. I strongly disagree though on Pax Pamir!!! :-O That game is awesome and can create such memorable almost cinematic moments - as a Euro-style Tableau-builder!

[@robertdascoli949]

Legend has it they're still playing games from this weekend to this day.

[@isaacthimbleby8926]

With 7 Wonders, try the team variant. It transforms the game completely. But does also double the play length.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hmmm, I'll have to check that out

[@williamblack6912]

I'm mortally offended by root appearing on this list...I would remove Quacks of Quedlinburg

[@BoardGameCo]

Quacks is so delightful though :)

[@williamblack6912]

@@BoardGameCo you weren't hit by a bag full of components straight in the face...it were the Premium components I should add

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

It would be hard not to offend with this list!

[@zomorion9183]

Man, I love this video! You should do more of these lists and do them with Devon.

[@HardlyDOTA]

I really enjoyed this video. Most of your other shots seem fair where I’d played the game which admittedly wasn’t a lot. TTA is arguably the best game I’ve ever played. But in our group it’s unplayable as a board game - too slow, too prone to errors. But on the app that handles the back end it’s amazing.

[@BoardGameCo]

Tta is sooo good

[@swillsswil4817]

One of your most entertaining videos to date. I don't even mind how very wrong you were about Mansions of Madness 😋

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol thanks :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hahahaha I know I’m very wrong on that one

[@jonathanw3199]

Games Like Azul, 7 wonders, Wingspan are so damn good getting people into the hobby they earn their spot in the top 100 just for that in my opinion at least.... and BOOO HISSSSS on your number 1 Alex, I love LOTR Journeys

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol fair :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

They are great games to get people int the hobby and deserve the recognition. It's more that if I was ranking 100 games at the top of what I love, they wouldn't be there.

[@saratippey769]

Hit me up if you're at GenCon and I'll play Fields of Arle with you to prove it does belong! 😁 Also: I was offended about Viticulture until you said Euphoria. Euphoria fluctuates between my #2 and #3 of all time.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Can we play Euphoria instead of Fields of Arle! All day any day 😃

[@saratippey769]

@@DevonTalksTabletop why not both!! 😁 I will always play Euphoria.

[@intrepidfool]

Funny. Paladins of the West Kingdom is the only one of those games in that series that we’ve moved out of our collection. We had strong negative opinions of it. My wife and I didn’t like the randomness of some of the actions and also not knowing all of the scoring conditions until a few rounds in. If a player has more luck with their engine aligning with the revealed cards than the other players, you can stop right there rather than slogging through another hour plus with the game out of reach in hopeless chase mode. OTOH, really like Raiders (as a gateway) and Architects (for the mechanic twist). Neither one is Viticulture but they both have a place in our collection.

[@intrepidfool]

Hahah. And then. I just got to Viticulture. Lol. Viticulture EE w/ Tuscany is a fantastic game. Interesting decision space, unique theme, lots of ways to compete, and plays well at many different player counts. Curious, but what worker placement games do you like the most?

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Valid for sure! I think it’s the least accessible of the three

[@Kojimalosophy]

This videos with Devon are awesome ! not that your other videos are not, I enjoy them all, just saying having Devon on puts a nice spin on the content, just as when you have Jessie over, he is awesome too! anyways, thanks for this video! kudos!

[@jolienvanroon]

I only want to play Azul because I think its beautiful, but that's not a good reason to play a game. And thankgod you didn't mmention Wingspan

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Yep.... Totally didn't mention that one...

[@PeteQuad]

I am surprised at how much I enjoy Ark Nova. We keep going back to it. I almost hate to say this because I have the big box, but I do find it hard to think about playing Terraforming Mars since right here right now, Ark Nova feels like a very similar experience but with more fun and in less time. Very possible it's just the newness.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

It was a very good experience. Just a little too long for me given how much I appreciated it.

[@sebastians.792]

This is very entertaining!! 👍

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Happy to oblige!

[@purplehound2420]

Wingspan! If I never have to play it again, I'd be happy. I left a party just last night to avoid it! "Oh! It's 11pm? Oh, dear. We really should head home."

[@MoriMemento117]

Giving this video a preemptive "like", but if either of you utter the words Mage or Knight, either alone or together in a sentence, so help me I will rain down such a heavenly fire of internet rage the world has never seen!! xD

[@BoardGameCo]

Fair :)

[@rjtauer]

LOL… I wasn’t upset until Devon claimed Root shouldn’t be in the top 100. But obviously you’re wrong ;). Great video!

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hahahah obviously I’m wrong!

[@alexanderkonev9925]

its time for FS vs ROOT actually :)

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Oh snap!

[@notjux]

Can't help but notice that this video has more than 1k likes. Anxiously awaiting that Root vs Forbidden Stars PTNT!

[@subafiam1987]

Are you planning to make a video about your 10 game pick which should be in the Top100?

[@BoardGameCo]

Yes :)

[@1Dreamking]

Great video! 2 criterias that would imidiatly make me not buy a BOARDGAME (or rank it high) is if it needs an app or if it needs pen&paper while playing. I have no problems if any of those tools would assist me in a game session but if it is required then no thanks. If it needs pen&paper I would classify it as a party game or it would be a role playing game and not a boardgame. If it needs an app, well why half ass it, just play computer games instead. Obviously I am wrong though.

[@TeChNoWC7]

Yay, finally, someone else who doesn’t like Architects. I’m not crazy

[@ajplank3907]

FWIW Alex, you can add me to the minority that completely agrees with you about Clank Legacy. If the stickers had come out between scenarios I would have been much more likely to finish it.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

He's taken copious notes of all in agreement

[@paulopinheiro1949]

@alex Finally someone that gets me at Azul, love it at 2 players , meh at more . Forbidden Stars @2 is no fun

[@BoardGameCo]

Yes!

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

*Gasp*

[@BratatataRoel]

Regarding Root. I think you shouldn't judge a game on pure app plays. Sure it's the same rules, but a large part of the fun in a game is the other people I play with. Feeding off their energy and seeing their face when I backstab them. You'll never have a "remember that time when..."-moment with app plays.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Fair point, but I've played it several times in person as well! It's less the player interaction that is the problem and more the seeming imbalance at less than four players.

[@franceskirchner9763]

I feel like you just listed off all my favourite games 😂. That’s ok, I forgive you both.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hahaha hard not to hit favorite games at this level 😂

[@NePosas]

This is your best video this year :) I don't think that you can top it :D

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol thank you.

[@beornthebear9023]

I almost completely agreed with Alex till he hit number 1. Boooo journeys in middle earth is so fun but I know app based games are one of the few places our tastes don’t align. Devon’s list might be my most disliked list any creator has ever made 👍🏻. Two that for me I don’t think belong are Kingdom Death (I think too niche for top 100) and Caylus I just think is outdated I am borderline on Tigris and Euphrates as well.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol, I'll take 9 out of 10

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Haha disliked as in you disagree heavily? If so, I’m sorry! I’ll make it up to you… maybe.

[@magnusjakobsson7424]

I will also defend JiME! Love the card combat and leveling up cards and gear!

[@timreuter2164]

Interesting to see your points of view, especially because I don’t feel so bad about mine now! Thanks for mentioning Underwater Cities … such a bland game from a great Designer, don’t understand, why e.g. Praga Caput Regni isn’t instead in the Top 100. I had the same feeling for Wingspan after the first play and didn’t touched it again in 2 years. But now I enjoy it. And Root: Such a great game at 4, but only would play the app. Why mentioning Ark Nova when it’s better than Terraforming Mars, but not TFM? Here are the games, I would kick out (mentioning first: I like complexity in my games and interesting choices): - Underwater Cities (for the same reasons) - Scythe (I really don’t get the hype, I don’t like the setting and it’s boooring!) - Terraforming Mars (yeah, the discovery of synergies the first 5 games is interesting. After this, you know what you have to play. But after 20-30 games, it’s no fun anymore. Same you said for Pax Pamir: if i want to play optimally, i don’t have fun. There are so many cheap trash cards in the deck, and card drawing is so restrictive, that I often feel, that the game only gives me one part to victory. I only have the Option to follow this part, or do my own choices and lose. It’s not that I can say, today I want to try this strategy. Also it’s too many cards and impossible to keep and overview / comparison to other players. And it’s so solitaire. If i want to play something engine building like, i would rather play Wingspan with Oceania Exp. because of more choices and more than egg strategy and because it’s done in 1,5 hours or another engine builder with steamroll effects like Everdell, which is prettier and every card is precious to play and not just one tiny wheel in the big motor.) -Star Wars Rebellion (Not a big fan of the franchise and a game that has to many dice for what it is) - And there are some other games that just don’t hit my taste … so I Never played them and I’ll never do …. Obviously I’m wrong ….

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Hahahaha I love seeing your list 😃 Obviously we’re wrong!

[@lotterwinner6474]

Pax Pamir 2 is such a beautiful game. Something about it is so captivating.

[@DevonTalksTabletop]

Can’t wait for my copy 😁

[@st0ox]

Here is the thing, Twilight Struggle really gets better if you play it a lot against the same person, because it can deliver the depth that shorter Tug of War games cannot deliver. But I totally agree with everything you said. But at this point I feel like you are criticizing chess, because it doesn't implement more modern mechanisms but don't mention all the innovation it did on the whole genre. The basic idea that you also have to play cards your enemy benefits from is genius and fits the theme perfectly. This also creates so many interesting situations you wouldn't have in other 2 player games that doesn't have that mechanism, because if every player tries to optimize their turns a lot of interesting stuff never happens (which is a reason why a lot of chess games feel stale). But if you have to mitigate the effects of cards you have to play the enemy profits from, a lot of interesting situation are generated naturally. It's like every other turn someone comes around and makes a bad move for you, but at least you can control the timing when this happens. No other game ever felt so tense for me and really deserved the word "struggle" in its title, because you not only play against another player but also play against yourself to some degree. There is so many stuff to balance in this game, but I agree from todays perspective and also at the time when the games released it was practically speaking outdated. There are other games that are fun and then their is Twilight struggle, where you are so happy when it is over and you didn't accidentally nuked the world. But at least every game is memorable.

[@BoardGameCo]

I totally get that, And to be clear, I do think it's a great game, I just I'm surprised it's in the top 100. I've played the game 5 to 10 times, and while I always enjoyed it, I just never felt it was worth the time it took to play compared to other experiences. Heck, I like chess, but if chess took 4 hours per game I wouldn't play it either.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

If I were ever to win the lotto, my energy would be concentrated on creating a website that would replace the horrible BGG.

[@BoardGameCo]

Doing things right is hard, and the larger it gets the harder.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

@@BoardGameCo - BGG has lost itself in many ugle ways.

[@Domi_Asmo]

Totally agree, since I realised how much more fun it is to play Azul if you play it interactively (ohh you need those tiles? Well guess what....), I always warn people that I do not play this game the way they might want to play it ^^. And it's much more interesting!