What a great topic, really enjoyed hearing your picks and shining some light on these underappreciated games!
@SideGameLLC2 жыл бұрын
Great topic for a video! Excellent pick with Good Critters, I was quite surprised that even as a Dice Tower Essential it didn't take off.
@keith2570 Жыл бұрын
Ulm kind of has that Juicy Fruits tile movement thing in a more involved euro. Have you tried Ulm. Btw, revisited Space Explorers. Now there's a game that should have been a mega hit. Other contenders: Johari, Hadara, Medieval Academy and Whistle Mountain. And I'll take Fertility over Kingdomino any day of the week.
@RickKoeppen2 жыл бұрын
I expected this list to be of games that I've heard of that maybe just weren't popular, but I've honestly not even heard of most of these! 🤯 I've seen Miyabi in the children's section of my FLGS, looks like I'm going to have to take a closer look. I am a little surprised about My Farm Shop, though I bet that art does play a part. It got a great run-through from Rahdo who said it replaces both Machi Koro and Space Base for him, it got an episode of BGG's Game Night, it got so much publicity. I personally love it.
@Listan12 жыл бұрын
Juicy Fruits has great art, those amazing chunky wooden fruit, a super pleasing slide mechanism, a nice puzzle and then also something that surprised me - that you control the game end adds an amazing amount of tension and tactics! Also nice interaction in the game overall.
@crockpot5921 Жыл бұрын
Great video and list. Loved the concise run down with an image to show the game. Is it possible for future videos to go through player count. Like plays 2-4, good at 2-3 but best at 4 or something like that?
@crockpot5921 Жыл бұрын
Just realized this video is a year old lol but still something to think about
@ChairmanoftheBoard Жыл бұрын
I usually do this in my reviews but I'll try to remember for these lists too.
@jeromykoffler16132 жыл бұрын
A couple of games that I would consider for this list: World's Fair 1893, Sentient, Lotus, Spirits of the Wild, Sanssouci, Sushi Roll, and Project L.
@kosterix1232 жыл бұрын
project L was hot at the time and then went to retail and was completely forgotten.
@djjackata87562 жыл бұрын
I've only played Tiefe Taschen (predecessor of good critters), but I agree on that one totally, every group I played it with, liked it.
@steveg99392 жыл бұрын
I agree with your number 1. Love that game, especially with the many mini expansions. We also played a lot of Cross Clues when we got it. Good choices.
@FrogOnBoards Жыл бұрын
Thanks very much for this very interesting selection. We often see the same games mentioned and it's great to discover new hidden gems. I will check some of these out.
@seniscram79582 жыл бұрын
I like Xi'an, I bought it after I saw it listed in one of your top games a few years ago. Glad I picked it up. Juicy Fruits, Rumble Nation and Miyabi are very appealing to me. Thanks for the great list.
@deepdivemusicreactions2 жыл бұрын
I only have My Farm Shop, and I had my eye on Miyabi for a loong time, but box size (due to my shelf space) pulled me away from getting this :( I'll check a few titles here, great suggestions, thanks! PS one suggestion that I can think of is Mare Nostrum. This game is in our group right up there with Cyclades and Eclipse
@jeremyroach69712 жыл бұрын
Mare Nostrum is one of the best and no one knows it
@nahailyenvanakkor2 жыл бұрын
I think there are a few reasons for Cross Clues not being that popular. - Nothing new, Codenames did the same thing years ago - Co-op aspect is less appealing than team vs team - You’re often stuck with ‘impossible’ pairs of words in Cross Clues. In Codenames, you can give clues for just one word, or your team can accidentally guess your words. - You can only give clues for 2 words in Cross Clues, resulting in much fewer memorable risky / skillful clues compared to Codenames. - Lack of marketing (?) I’m sure there’s more, but these are few aspects I like in Codenames more. Of course, Cross Clues has the upper hand in downtime.
@asura8992 жыл бұрын
Great video ;) would love to see a part two of this list
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
It'll come eventually :)
@williambutler24772 жыл бұрын
I loved this video. I'm going to dig in and try some of these. Thanks for sharing.
@PestiferousJoe2 жыл бұрын
For me Cosmic Colonies is very underrated and I consider it a very family friendly yet crunchy experience. The farm shop art comment cheap phone app that can give a virus was pure gold 😂👏.
@enriquevivar272 жыл бұрын
My farmshop! 👏🏻 great game With an idea as simple as it is difficult to maneuver: the constant disappearance and replacement of cards. I think the same of Miyabi. A Perfect game, even more so than Azul. If I had to choose a game that should have had a better run, it would be Hadara. A high point in the Hans im Gluck catalogue.
@scottray12652 жыл бұрын
went out last night and bought Juicy Fruits and My Farm Shop on your recco..........love these types of videos and will let you know how I like them......always looking for sleepers.....thanks
@tfpp12 жыл бұрын
In my experience, Codenames isn't as great as people might think with more than 6-8 players, it's just too noisy, might as well play Two Rooms and a Boom (but I don't like that game either). It seems to me the better game to replace Codenames for me at least, is Just One, even going back to Dixit has been enjoyable. If people want a really "party" style game, my choice is Monikers, or Snake Oil. Pure silliness that I don't mind engaging in.
@dennisa8722 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video. From watching your videos it appears our tastes in board games are somewhat different sometimes, but I enjoy hearing your opinions. Thanks for turning me on to Xi'an. It looked cool and I was able to find a copy for $20. I love it. I brought it to my board game meet and a couple of the people were a little apprehensive during the teach(more likely my fault), but everyone ended up really liking it.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Really glad Xi'an has been a bit for you!
@chetfartsworthe88792 жыл бұрын
I backed Tumble Town through Kickstarter and was not disappointed. My wife really enjoyed the puzzle type aspect of it and the many different ways of scoring your town at the end. Also has a solo mode so you can try and beat your previous scores.
@ANAKHA82 жыл бұрын
Random algorithm suggestion strikes again. Great topic. Tumble town and ship shape look great.
@twentysides Жыл бұрын
Rumble Nation is an amazing game that really needs distribution in the US. The only place I could find it was Amazon Japan and the shipping cost was pretty close to the price of the game. I don't think most hobbyists in the US have even heard of the game for this reason.
@DontBeBoard2 жыл бұрын
Super interesting list! Might have to do my own at some point
@SuperLkelley2 жыл бұрын
amazing video. I want to buy every one of them! All going on my wishlist. Many thanks
@Jason-Moon2 жыл бұрын
This vid is a great resource. I love hidden gems!
@catherinetaylor5562 жыл бұрын
Great idea for a list - I love Miyabi, Good Critters and Cross Clues
@matt7912-j9p2 жыл бұрын
I would add The River. Great price point very nice components and an excellent intro worker placement game.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Glad you liked it. It didn't really work for me.
@timothywalsh96372 жыл бұрын
I love Xi'an: Terracotta Army. It's has so many mechanisms, but they all fit together and play so smoothly. And the theme is great. Kinda of a sucker for games with ancient historical themes.
@jameshowlett15462 жыл бұрын
I know some people don't like GoodCritters if they didn't get a chance to be The Boss . Which can easily happen with large player counts.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I've always found it so difficult to win if you are the boss. Very difficult to stay in power whilst taking large amounts of cash.
@jameshowlett15462 жыл бұрын
@@ChairmanoftheBoard I can do it ,but only if people play smart, and not emotional or vengeful. So, I can't do it.
@john-qz3fu2 жыл бұрын
I am going to refer to this list in the future when I go for another purchase.
@bestatstartrek21792 жыл бұрын
I’d really like to get miyabi now thanks for highlighting this.
@PaulMazzoni2 жыл бұрын
Kind of crazy how many of these games I own, and pretty sure I own ShipShape thanks to you! Miyabi is fantastic and everyone I have taught it to liked it a lot. You’ve put Xi’an on the radar now. I’d heard of it but knew nothing about it.
@johnnylin30842 жыл бұрын
Xi’an is a great game, rahdo did a pretty good run through on it.
@jmlitwiller2 жыл бұрын
The #1 reason games don't become mega hits when they legitimately could have is availability. If the first printing sells out quickly and the publisher can't get it back in stock, or loses tons of momentum
@miketaylor1102 жыл бұрын
Free Ride isn't widely available in the UK yet. It can be bought from Europe at the minute and I think its set to hit distribution soon-ish. I can see it taking off when people can pick it up from local shops.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I hope it does take off but there seems to be zero buzz about it so I have my doubts. Hope I'm wrong though!
@boardgamefangirl Жыл бұрын
Just recently played my copy of Xi'an: Terracotta Army and it's good and I don't like area control much. Not sure why more folks have not heard of it. Also, my Ship Shape is still in shrink. This is motivation to get it out and play it.
@andrewwalsh5312 жыл бұрын
Great topic! Agree there is a disconnect between My Farm Shop box art/illustrations & gameplay/target audience. It doesn't bother me....I don't purchase board games to hang them on the wall! But point well taken :)
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I agree. Just a shame that people will automatically bypass this one based on the cover.
@andrewwalsh5312 жыл бұрын
@@ChairmanoftheBoard speaking of things that are underrated, I nominate your YT channel at the #1 spot! Compared to 99.9% of the others doing this sort of thing, you are so straightfoward in your approach & lack the virtue signalling, drama, & hyperbole seen on many of the other channels. In fact, your channel can be described by some of the same adjectives I hear you using to describe games you like ie., clean, refreshing design, streamlined, etc. I for one very much appreciate it!
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I really appreciate it Andrew. I just enjoy talking about board games. I'm not interested in any of that other nonsense.
@MrJmarzetti2 жыл бұрын
Great games to keep an eye out for! I picked up a game called "Overseers" last year, mainly because the art was so interesting and its a bit of a deduction game, which I didn't already own. It is a really good game that I am sure nobody knows of. I love the poker\bluffing element to the game and the voting mechanism works really well. I would recommend this for anyone looking for something a little out of the ordinary.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Will have to take a look
@atomictokengames93042 жыл бұрын
I don’t think I’ve played any of these. I’ll have to go check them out if they are secretly this amazing!
@rainerahlfors2 жыл бұрын
How do you think My Farm Shop compares to Valeria: Card Kingdoms (which has been, arguably, the superior game when compared against Space Base or Machi Koro), or even the newer Bad Company?
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I haven't played either of those yet so unfortunately I can't provide an answer.
@tamaravanheel37582 жыл бұрын
I agree with codenames. I think that is only fun with 6 players. Codenames duet is nice with 2 or 4. I own Miyabi and I don’t know if I have to own much more polyomino games (I own patchwork and we finished my city). Nice list to put some games on my whishlist.
@animula83222 жыл бұрын
I was expecting Rumble Nation and was not disappointed.
@MrJonnyalpha2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for an interesting list. We seem to have similar tastes in games so I always like to hear your thoughts.
@codyward85542 жыл бұрын
Great video. Love your channel!
@danijelposta17482 жыл бұрын
I have owned Juicy Fruits and Miyabi. Both have great productions but I got tired of the constant scoring in Miyabi and Juicy Fruits was a bit boring, it just didn't grab me. My pick would be Kohaku, it's like Quadropolis but with fish. :)
@brixtonreyes22552 жыл бұрын
18:50 I lol’d at your complaint. Sad though considering Rudiger Dorn is one of my fave designers.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I love Dorn games. Just this one didn't do itself any favours.
@dreamofempire21142 жыл бұрын
I picked up Miyabi for a very good price after watching your review and agree it is a fantastic game.
@madthinker77772 жыл бұрын
Really great vid. Thanks!
@niklasgestrin7672 жыл бұрын
Great video. I wants to play all of em.
@TheDrsT2 жыл бұрын
Nice list! Full of surprises 👍
@Benny_Shoga2 жыл бұрын
Great picks. Big fan of Rumble Nation and Free Ride. 08:34 “..geography is popular.” Eh?
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Haha I don't even know what that means either. I tend to ramble...
@uplift-yourdailypickup64242 жыл бұрын
I have Goodcritters and got it to the table once. I think it depends on the group - for more gamer-y people I think it could work better. My one play of it went 'ok'. One guy really enjoyed it. I don't really like the "Zootopia" theme. It seems people would rather play Cash n Guns but I do think that one is a bit more random and basic.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I much prefer the original theme but this one is much more available.
@hugotavaresgomes95392 жыл бұрын
The good critters need to be played with the sort of people who needs to put their feelings in the game only. I saw some couples escalate fights over this game. otherwise its super fun, never been so angry with my friends who I love very much before.
@franciscorojas80882 жыл бұрын
I still don't know how, but one day I'll get my hands on a copy of Rumble Nation
@JenCamPlaysBoardGames2 жыл бұрын
We love Miyabi! Probably one of our most played games.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Such a great game.
@dtf19772 жыл бұрын
Really sucks that Rumble Nation was never picked up by a major publisher. The name however doesn’t make someone jump in my opinion, but the game as an area control mechanism with dice is unique, fresh, and appropriate for just about any gamer. Someone dropped the ball on this regarding distribution big time.
@J-Wheeler-G2 жыл бұрын
I have two mid to heavy games that definitely should be mega hits. Trismegistus and Terramara.
@johchadow2 жыл бұрын
Thumbs up for Juicy Fruits, great game!
@vangelisevangelou2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the list. I checked before Juicy Fruits and Farm Shop, but wasn’t interested. The other recommendations sound interesting.
@obiezeoputa77482 жыл бұрын
This is really good. Thanks
@grog35142 жыл бұрын
codenames is much better than cross clues. The reason codenames is as fun as it is, is you can chain 4-6 words together. The satisfaction of not just figuring out a clever association with SIX other words but having your team connect and pick them is sublime. Cross clues is just associating two words. Its closer to so clover which I prefer over cross clues as well.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Yeah that's fair. I just get put off by how slow codenames moves.
@MarcPastyr2 жыл бұрын
Definitely 1 game is hand of fate ordeals a deck building adventure game and a sold 1 too and it really should of been a big hit but unfortunately the company went bankrupt and now it's out of print but it really is a great game 1 of my favourite deck building games even
@timu.64522 ай бұрын
Have you ever played the game Doge released in 2000? The game looks really good. Ripe for a reprint! You should check it out. I'd love to know what you think of it.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 ай бұрын
I haven't. I'll give it a look.
@GlennDeBlock2 жыл бұрын
GoodCritters is pure chaos. Nobody in our group is able to keep their head in the game. Also each round is basically the same and the loot cash is only in 3 different amounts and the amounts are more or less the same if I remember well? 3000/4000/5000? Which makes it not really tight at all.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Interesting. Always gone down remarkably well with us.
@BillyIndiana2 жыл бұрын
Xi'an is one of our favorites, and I'm always surprised that most people have never heard of it.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Absolutely. It's a fab game.
@johnflood42142 жыл бұрын
ShpShape is a great pick!
@ChrisLowResDream7 ай бұрын
thanks so much😊
@powertopeople12 жыл бұрын
Wow more games to track down.
@chuck00x2 жыл бұрын
I’ve added Cross Clues to my wishlist and I already own GoodCritters. The rest just don’t look all that interesting.
@newparadoxcity9911 Жыл бұрын
+1 for Rumble Nation
@bagospannerz2 жыл бұрын
Super motherload is an incredible game
@alisonjohnson86232 жыл бұрын
I have 3 of these games (Miyabi, My Farm Shop & Juicy Fruits) and I have to admit, we don’t play the often. I want to get them out and play them more now; thanks for the motivation!
@mrbovinejoni5692 жыл бұрын
Tsukiji, Condottiere
@grog35142 жыл бұрын
Tsuikiji is really great, but its hard to explain to new players how the influence cards work. Games need to be easy to teach for them to become monster hits.
@mrbovinejoni5692 жыл бұрын
@@grog3514 idk I've had great success with it
@danijelposta17482 жыл бұрын
Yes, finally someone mentions Tsukiji, such a great underrated game.
@NePosas2 жыл бұрын
Have you thought that game can be not popular because of distribution issues? I would like to buy Free ride, no shop has it :)
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Yeah absolutely. I suppose I'm looking from a more external perspective and not too caught up in the reasons why. There's still time for a number of these to catch on :)
@NePosas2 жыл бұрын
@@ChairmanoftheBoard Do you remember Feierabend? I don't even think that this game got English release. I see the pattern with Freedman Fries, his games don't get big releases and the art style is not at the current standard.
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Yeah I remember that one. Good point about the art style, certainly far from the norm.
@fmoros2 жыл бұрын
Xian is very very good.
@greginfla_12 жыл бұрын
What, not capital lux?
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
Hmm good question haha. Oversight on my part!
@greginfla_12 жыл бұрын
@@ChairmanoftheBoard bought Lux and my farm… based on your enthusiasm for games. Lux is a great game, just ordered my farm
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I hope you enjoy My Farm Shop. It's certainly tailored towards a lighter audience.
@jwspiker2 жыл бұрын
Goodcritters issue was it's theme, very poor choice in theme IMO
@ChairmanoftheBoard2 жыл бұрын
I must admit I vastly prefer the original theme from Tiefe Taschen but I think it's still decent.
@sharonlee9285 Жыл бұрын
Miyabi has an amazing box cover but the art on the polyominos is so boring and bland. I find it extremely off putting and deceptive when the cover and the components are nothing alike.
@ChairmanoftheBoard Жыл бұрын
It does look very plain to be fair
@michaelmueller2602 жыл бұрын
I personally won't buy or play My Farm Shop, as I'm not a fan of animal exploitation simulators. The board game world has finally started to move away from exploitive colonialism, hopefully it won't take as long to realize that animal exploitation isn't something that should be glorified or promoted either.
@RickKoeppen2 жыл бұрын
Did you get your cats consent before making them your profile picture, or are you exploiting them? 🤔
@michaelmueller2602 жыл бұрын
He certainly wasn't harmed in any way, and won't be sent to the slaughterhouse when he's no longer "useful"...so I'm going to say...no? Any more brilliant questions? XD
@RickKoeppen2 жыл бұрын
@@michaelmueller260 Ah, so you don't find harm in taking pictures of other living things and utilizing them for your own personal gain. Love how you pick and choose your definition of harm to suit your narrative. 😉
@michaelmueller2602 жыл бұрын
@@RickKoeppen So you think I'm causing suffering to my cat by taking his picture? I really hope you're smarter than that...but based on comments so far...oof.
@RickKoeppen2 жыл бұрын
@@michaelmueller260 Ignorance of one's own hypocrisy is bliss. 😌 Carry on.
@kosterix1232 жыл бұрын
Blokus is a game I fell in love with the first time I saw it. Crush flowers. Nobody has ever heard of it. Forestaurant, same thing. Selling games requires huge marketing... Sorry man but this format just doesn't work. The games you discuss are unknown, and the overview of each is so short I can't get any impression on their gameplay. Might suggest a shorter overview with links to extended playthroughts of each. If they are as great as you say they are I'm sure you won't mind making videos on them? 20:45 miyabi is continuously pleasant. Zee talks about it kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4iTaHZ4gNuEpLc