Board Games that Deserve a Second Chance | Board Games & Brew

Welcome to Foster the Meeple, a channel dedicated to board games and all board gamey things! Join us as we discuss some games that we need to give another chance!
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Jump:
00:00 - Intro
01:57 - Big Announcement
05:09 - Game 1
07:38 - Game 2
10:31 - Game 3
11:46 - Game 4
14:20 - Game 5
16:03 - Game 6
17:37 - Game 7
20:11 - Game 8
22:18 - Game 9
24:55 - Wrap Up
26:36 - A Little Bit Extra
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#boardgames #tabletopgames #fosterthemeeple

[@itsGabrielaCristina]

Spirit Island is my favorite game. And I *love* it solo. I think it's important to make good choices when it comes to spirit combinations. Even if you play it solo, play it with two spirits. The thing is that one spirit is rarely useful in all situations. Combining spirits that are complimentary will increase the likelihood of success. I also believe that when you play it solo, you gain a deeper understanding of how the different mechanisms intertwine with each other and you're then able to be a better teacher.

[@FostertheMeeple]

I do really believe Jamie would like that puzzle solo. Especially as she continues to explore solo games to the degree she is. So we might grab it for that purpose alone

[@natalierind17]

Extremely popular game that we don’t like…yet Jamie’s favorite…Disneys Villainous 😬

[@FostertheMeeple]

Haha I feel like not liking villainous is more common than you think! I think it’s a pretty even split

[@antoniogutierrez7491]

Spirit Island is a game that took me a little too long to figure out, but once I did, I no longer lose unless I'm adding in Adversaries that I know will challenge me.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Awesome!!

[@theboardgamenoob]

Congrats on the channel sponsorship. Rathskellers makes some incredible tables, and is our top choice for the first gaming table we ever buy, even though that is sadly years off in all likelihood. Love the idea for this video as well, and there are some gems on there. Along with several I have to try as well. We liked Pandemic Hot Zone North America, as it was lighter and more winnable than the OG. Thanks!

[@corinnajuras-tabletopsavants]

The Pandemic Legacy games have been household games for us! There's a few games we've only played at 2 like King of 12, Viscounts of the West Kingdom, Endangered Orphans, and Ecos that we liked but didn't love, so we need to give them another chance with more players. Our first play of Le Havre was soooo long and I got crushed so that's one I would like to try again now that I've played some heavier games (Uwe included) and also using the shorter variant.

[@branboom3342]

Ankh is one of my favourite games! I didnt like it much the first time i played (3p) but it started to click for me during my second play (4p). Definitely the best 2p area control game, doesnt feel too mean or confrontational, very strategic. I also highly recommend the Pharoah expansion which adds another mini area control map, similar to Rising Sun's shrine area.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Awesome!! Appreciate the insight into Ankh! We are going to give it a go at 2p eventually!

[@bonniewhite3699]

@@FostertheMeeple We like this at 2p.. plus those miniatures and maxiatures are epic

[@gilbert3579]

I must be weird lol because I bought ankh specifically because of the merger 😅 I think that mechanic is sooo dope. But you have to go into it with the mindset of "ok 2 of us are going to be merging so how can I balance my play with that in mind?"

[@ChavinTek]

Final Girl for me. I bought 2 sets to start, and thought it was fine but was getting frustrated with the luck (or lack of luck in my case). I bought another set with the thought that I just got sets that didn't click with me. Rinse and repeat, and now I have all of season 1 and still don't necessarily enjoy it but it's been a while now so I'll have to give it another chance soon to see how I feel about it.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Totally understand that. Jamie’s favourite game is FG, but I think she’s pretty much fine with the luck aspect of it all. But if luck isn’t your thing, I can certainly see final girl not being up your alley. Jamie loses a lot haha. But it keeps bringing her back for the next attempt

[@timboslice9299]

Different strokes for different folks, right? Glad everyone isn’t the same… gotta say though, the fact that Spirit Island didn’t click for you guys hurts me deeply 😜

[@MJ-ki7wj]

Man I agree with you on every single one of these I have played. I am way less forgiving though and there’s likely not a second chance for me😂

[@darbyl3872]

One thing that I always do now, is learn the correct rules on BGG. One wrong rule can make a world of difference. For example, Mouse Cheese Cat Cucumber was meh, and some people on the KZbins didn't like it. Now, it's one of my favorite 15-minute games because I found out the Mouse and Cat "only" move when a card is placed next to them "even on top of another card". Watching a correct playthrough also helps with any game, for rules and sensible strategy. After playing Spirit Island once, I think it's fine. My issue with longer co-ops is that I don't see the point. I don't feel as good from winning when I was just helping. Short party co-ops are different. Just One and So Clover are a lot of fun, and Forbidden Desert has an interesting mechanic without taking too long.

[@BoardAllTheTime]

@Jeff - To fix the Crew: Just talk. The game has no theme anyway and I refuse to be silent at that table. We use standard trick taking rules in that you can't discuss anything about your hand itself but we talk through the game, through the strategy in a round, etc. It means we get to have fun with each other and be social (which is the biggest reason I play games). Considering how many people we teach trick taking to WITH this game, it would be awful to be silent in it.

[@FostertheMeeple]

That’s fair advice! Haha

[@matthewzahnzinger]

Shout out to Jeff, a fellow traitorous spirit!!! :) Love this video-second chances for games is a real thing, and it goes both ways. We thought Eschaton was broken when we first played it, put it storage for literally years, brought it back out after becoming more experienced gamers, and it just clicked! On the flip side, when we started going back to old "favorites" like Munchkin, Exploding Kittens, Boss Monster, etc... they had lost their shine compared to things we'd explored more recently. I actually JUST played the Clone Wars version of Pandemic, and adored it. If you want to dive into a version of Pandemic, strongly recommend... but as much as liked it, we walked away from our plays thinking "this was a lot of fun, but we don't need to own it." And it came from a place of feeling like we'd moved past it in terms of what we look for to table these days. So I'm definitely excited to see how it lands for you!

[@FostertheMeeple]

Really solid take here Matthew and super appreciate you sharing it. We certainly have very similar feelings on this topic!

[@matthewzahnzinger]

​@@FostertheMeeple Fully agree with all your points about Ankh. (I got excited and posted before the end of the video; this really was a great one, and I think a follow up video would be very interesting to see if you get a chance to actually revisit these. Also, many congrats on the sponsorship!!!) For Nidavellir, it's actually one of the games I find is implemented really well on BGA, and one of the few I prefer to play electronically. On the table, it does look nice and the tactile quality is good, but when I finally played it at home with a physical copy, the time spent setting up the round, putting out new cards, making sure the tableau stays lined up, even remembering the order of bonus distribution or the final scoring... I really missed the streamlining elements they brought to it in BGA. (I feel like I'm leading the witness a bit.) If the chance should arise, too, I'd be more than happy to join a "revisit" session of Dead of Winter or Spirit Island if you haven't gotten to it yet (or anything else, for that matter) at LevelUp! :)

[@FostertheMeeple]

@@matthewzahnzinger awesome!! We certainly can try to make that happen! Appreciate the offer

[@dougwarr9459]

Tastes differ… there are just tooooo many great games out there. I try to play every game once or twice but if I don’t like it, I move on to those I love, which are many. Loved this video.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks Doug!

[@rmclean101]

So exciting! 🎉🙌 It's hard to revisit game that didn't go over well and there are so many other games that click better.

[@FostertheMeeple]

It’s very very true. But I think in some instances we need to give it another go due to only one play or just playing it early on (like most of these)

[@gurnblanston2848]

Congrats on the sponsorship! I've never played any of the games on your list (although both Crew games are resting comfortably on my Shelf of Shame), but it sounds like your reasons for not loving them are valid. A big one that I need to give a second chance to is Decorum. Everyone raved about it last year, but it just didn't click for me at all. I think we played the first couple scenarios feeling like they were almost too easy, then we hit one that felt absolutely impossible. Could have just been we were tired, or not in the right mood for the game.

[@FostertheMeeple]

There’s definitely that variable (tiredness, etc) that can impact impressions!

[@ang.chasingmeeples]

I absolutely feel the same about Tenpenny Parks!! I've played it a half dozen time😒

[@carminetruppajr1970]

Jamie and Jeff, love your playful banter. Jeff, as for the baseball highlights game, I own it and a bunch of card expansions. I play solo and there is a fan made solo season rules. It's cool.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Oh nice!! Jamie’s more of the solo gamer than I am but she might like to try that out!

[@BoxedMeeples]

Congrats on the sponsorship 👏👏👏 super exciting!! Julian would suggest that you try the Pandemic legacy ones if you enjoy the Clone Wars. He had a fab time playing them, but we think they do rely on frequent plays without huge gaps if possible, this issue has meant seasons 2 and 0 have not been quite as good an experience as he had with season 1.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Ok awesome!! Thanks for the heads up. Legacy games are very tough for us but will check into it!

[@clanechelon]

Pandemic was the second game that we explored in the hobby (Catan being the first). We loved it for a long time, but got burned out of it. We felt that some setup was too easy and some were too unfair. I got Pandemic starwars recently and it feels like the sweet spot as it's easy to just add a ton of mission and it scales well at all player counts. Though I fear there's not enough vilains that it might get stale (though saw no BGG a variant to player with 2 vilains... kind of excited to try). Dead of winter was our 3th game into the hobby and it was pretty fun for a while, but that is another game that is just unfair to play. Feels like the traitor can just help out all game long and eventually, your morale is going to go down low enough that they can just win on the stop (depending on their alternate mission). Getting ride of it at this point, but definitely got our value's worth by now.

[@lillybet118]

With Spirit Island, we also got it pretty early in board gaming and it destroyed us the first time we played. We finally broke it out a long while later and ended up enjoying it and not feeling like we got our teeth kicked in.

[@FostertheMeeple]

That’s our hope!!

[@2kgmckeehan]

Congratulations on the sponsorship! For what it's worth, we felt the same way about Spirit Island. We played it a LOT and still just couldn't get behind it. 🤷‍♀️

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks so much!! Also nice to know we are not alone haha

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Hey friends, great video and congrats on the sponsorship! Always nice to see people being open-minded to giving games another chance. Some thoughts on the ones I've played: Pandemic - I hear you on the theme, BUT Pandemic: Iberia is REALLY good. The art is stunning and since it's set during the 1800s it feels more removed from the pandemic we've experienced, plus the roles are more interesting than in base Pandemic. Tenpenny Parks - I agree with Jeff about all the restrictions. The Vincent Dutrait art is amazing, and the components are really nice, but I don't think the game has a ton of depth or replay value beyond a couple of plays. Could just be a personal preference though. Spirit Island - Dylann and I felt kind of similar, albeit for different reasons than you. When we talked about it in our Games We Wish We Liked More video a while back, we got a ton of comments from people saying it's a totally different (and much better) game with expansions and when playing against adversaries. Also, most people seem to exclusively play it either solo or 2p. I know you said you'd like to have someone show you the ropes but don't be surprised if a 3 or 4-player game feels too long. Apparently the Steam version is great, I'm keeping an eye out for a sale on that one myself because I also want to give it another chance. Ankh - I've also only played it once (with 4 players) and even though it sounds like I enjoyed it a bit more than you two did, I had mostly similar thoughts. Curious to hear what you think once you've played it 2-player (that's my plan for next time too). The Crew - YES! MDS is 100% the better version, but QFP9 is still phenomenal. Nidavellir - weirdly I think I prefer this one on BGA. The added time from setup/tear down and manually counting points can make it feel a bit long. Plus, you can't just hover over a Hero with your cursor, so if you don't play the game semi-often, people will likely be asking to pass the rulebook around to read up about a few Heroes that aren't clear based on the icons/text on the cards themselves. Haven't tried the other 3 but I really want to try Baseball Highlights... Jamie, you got my hopes up when you started talking about this, especially after Jeff said he'd love to play it any time, because for a second I was kind of expecting a redemption arc for "Agrico-blah". Haha. Either way, no hard feelings of course, really enjoyed watching this one. - Carlo

[@FostertheMeeple]

Appreciate the thoughts Carlo!! Hope you are doing well. Say hi to Dylann for us!!

[@IllBuythePopcorn]

Congratulations on the sponsor!!! I've given The Crew about 3 chances and it's one I'm so ready to cull.

[@FostertheMeeple]

I feel you!! Thanks so much!

[@blueseqperl]

Congrats on the sponsorship! No worries if you bounced off games. I love the diversity of game offerings.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Agreed!! And thank you!

[@rolling.reggie]

4-5 times played is more than a second chance! Lol. Spirit Island is the number one game on my Want to Play list but have no opinion yet. Also, Tenpenny is on my shelf of shame - I am grateful to go into it with tempered expectations now 😂 PS congratulations on the sponsorship! P.P.S. I love the subtle nod to our Stone Age game ☠️

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thank you Reggie!

[@JonTripp115]

I love seeing Rathskellers tables in videos because it reminds me of my younger days seeing punk shows at The Rathskeller (aka The Rat) in Boston. That place was a 💩hole in the best of ways. Ah, good times. Anyway, congratulations on the sponsorship!

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks Jon!

[@chriswoosley4525]

Feel ya on The Crew. I felt like I was the only person who didn't enjoy it. Good to know there are others, too, haha.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Haha for sure! We definitely feel like we’re on an island about it but there’s a few of us around it seems!

[@ErinLincoln1]

I’ve been enjoying For Northwood! It’s a solo trick taker. Great practice for the mechanic if you want to improve. Super cute too. Kickstarter just fulfilled.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks for the reco Erin!

[@jogumby]

I own and have played once Mombasa. Enjoyed the game but The book section confused all 3 of us so we felt it might be useless. After watching it played on another channel though I think I'd love to try it again.

[@j3ffmcmuffin]

The first thing to do with the Crew is to house rule the ability to talk--games are supposed to be a social activity and talking is a big part of that. Just don't give hints or clues for the current hand.

[@sroswell22]

This! We do that a lot. If you’re not allowed to talk in a game it’s usually a house rule of you’re just not allowed to talk about the game.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Great suggestion!

[@annecurrier2955]

Wow!! Congratulations on the sponsor guys!! That’s a big deal. I’m so happy for you 🥳🥳

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks so much Anne!!!

[@jojounin]

Kinda felt a relief to see that you guys didn't click with Spirit Island, I played it nearly 10 times.. won only once, didn't have much fun to be honest. About The Crew, I recommend getting the second one, I really enjoyed it.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Yea there’s a few of us spirit islanders who didn’t have a good time haha

[@Thebrad11984]

Nidavellir was my biggest surprise. Might be a BGA thing because I feel like when you play in person you do all the scoring at the end so it’s hard to know you’re getting stomped until the scoring and then it’s like wow I made a horrible mistake. Maybe BGA tallies as you go. I’ve only played twice though so could be wrong

[@teaNgames]

Jeff, co-op games with limited communication---we stay away from them! IMHO it's not cooperative if you can't communicate freely! I think this mechanic has become popular as a way to prevent quarterbacking, but if quarterbacking isn't a problem, then it's just aggravating🤷‍♀️I've heard such great things about The Crew, but I think it'd drive us crazy!😆

[@FostertheMeeple]

Yea super fair! Some have suggested talking between rounds but just not about the hands (which is the entire premise) it might help perhaps

[@clairemack2750]

The opposite of quarterbacking is sidelining (if someone quarterbacks you out) or benching (one or more fail to act). ❤ HTH!

[@clairemack2750]

Also, Jamie, check out For Northwood if you want to get better at trick taking. It's a solo trick taking game. I, in fact, have an extra still in shrink, if you'd like me to simply send it. It's like a $10 game, so NBD.

[@chillionaire7114]

I want to give Lost Ruins of Arnak another shot. "Deck Building plus a board" (Dune Imperium, Clank, Quest for El Dorado....) has been my favorite category of games, but Arnak just didn't land for me after a few plays. Want to give it another shot though.

[@FostertheMeeple]

The expansion for it helps IMO. If you get a chance to try it out with the expansion without forking over your own money to get it. I do think it improves the game

[@Paul-hm8dd]

I think of Pandemic like I think of The Great Gatsby: I can see its intrinsic value in the culture, am luke-warm about it overall, and (though I am glad I played/read it once) would rather spend my time seeking out other games/books that suit my tastes better. That may be what Spirit Island is for you. Though, I really enjoy SP for its theme, components, and system (I've only won once or twice and have yet to try the adversaries), I understand it's not for everyone but hope with your future plays that you enjoy yourselves and see what makes the game so good and compelling. Happy gaming! Ps. Congrats on the sponsorship!

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks Paul! And appreciate your outlook on the topic. Ultimately we just wanted to bring to attention that some games just deserve a second shot for the factors mentioned in the video. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that some of these will become ones we very much enjoy.

[@randalladkins7452]

Personally ❤️ Tenpenny Parks! It’s one of the few theme park games where I do actually feel like I’m building a cool theme park with different themed rides and attractions. (As opposed to Funfair, Unfair, Dice Theme Park, Meeple Land, Steam Park, Grand Carnival, or even Barenpark - haven’t played Imagineers or Wishland). Heard an expansion is in the works and I am so in for it! :)

[@FostertheMeeple]

Fair enough! Different games for different folks for sure. I definitely got better theme park vibes from funfair, but to each their own!!

[@jeffharned3905]

I'm with Jeff on the crew! Game night is talking with friends

[@Ongo771]

I agree that tenpenny parks felt so restrictive for a polyomino game, I much prefer Funfair for an amusement park themed game. Pandemic is great, I loved it but we’re thinking of parting with it now since Horrified has similar mechanics and a better theme. You guys can beat Spirit Island, I believe it!!! Great video, miss you guys!

[@FostertheMeeple]

We haven’t played funfair yet (only the meaner unfair version, which we enjoyed) but for sure want to try it! We do love horrified which is odd given we don’t like pandemic. Miss you both a ton! Are you also going to be at lvl up? Hope so!

[@Mentat1231]

I think you guys would love the experience of Pandemic Legacy Season 1. I hated Season 2, but that wasn't a typical opinion and it didn't change my love for Season 1. For myself and my wife, I think we need to give Anachrony another chance. We had traded for a huge box full of all sorts of expansion content, and so most of what we remember is the miserable setup and tear-down. But we liked the game itself, and I kind of miss having a meaty worker placement game like that.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Ohhh fair! We’ve only played base anachrony and loved it. Could see with a ton of expansions that being a lot

[@boardtoplay]

I agree you definitely need to try Rajas again, that one is fantastic. If I’m picking a Pandemic to play other than Clone Wars, I would pick Iberia. Also 10/10 for the Wedding Crashers quote at the end😂

[@FostertheMeeple]

Haha we are constantly ripping through the same quotes of movies and tv shows. Wedding crashers is one of those

[@norad2920]

We love Roll & Writes, but Rolling Realms isn't hitting for us. Giving it a second go today.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Ah fair!! Hope it turned around for you

[@raytaylor2772]

I know you guys have a giant Campaign/Legacy game queue, but Pandemic Legacy really is worth it, it tells a great story, the set up and tear down is minimal compared to most campaign games and plays in 1 to 1.5 hours a game, and will probably be about 14-18 games long :) Before you start you can also play the base game using it to get "back used to it" :)

[@FostertheMeeple]

I do think we will try it eventually! Once we get that queue down some

[@sroswell22]

I’ve heard the world of Warcraft pandemic is really fun and we are going to give it a try despite not having much luck with original pandemic.

[@FostertheMeeple]

I do like that theme!

[@Jonesy0218]

Nidavellir can be a bit swingy if someone is getting everything they need. It’s this unique balance of playing offensively, defensively, and strategically. I don’t like it near as much in person… it’s just clunky imo lol. But I love trying to influence the bidding. It’s hard when people are better but hey. It is what it is lol 😂

[@perezoso9206]

You can try Horrified instead of Pandemic. It has movie monsters. each one with its one way of doing things. At the beginning of the game you can manage the level of difficulty by adding more monsters or removing monsters from the game.

[@FostertheMeeple]

We’ve played lots of horrified! Great game

[@boredboardgamerkramer3838]

Co-op games need to be challenging, but they also need to be winnable *most* of the time, but just barely. You need a long drip of adrenaline followed by a big hit of dopamine - Spirit Island is so hard for beginners that it fails to deliver the dopamine (why keep playing if it doesn't make you feel good?), while Pandemic eventually becomes too easy and the adrenaline drip dries up (why keep playing if it's no longer exciting?).

[@FostertheMeeple]

Good points!

[@jamesmorgan1967]

We're working our way through Pandemic Legacy Season 1 and enjoying the challenge. Also intereseted in Season 0, which takes place during the Cold War years (I think) but I don't know much else about it. If you're looking for less of a time investment, Pandemic Iberia is a good version.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks James!! A couple people have mentioned Iberia!

[@itsGabrielaCristina]

We're doing PLS0 right now and we have been loving it! The spy theme is so fun. Can't wait to try PLS1 next year.

[@MarinaS341]

I’ve never won spirit island either! 100% agree with your points with how punishing it is. I like it but I don’t love it.

[@jeffharned3905]

I think gamers love punishment from games

[@alisham5164]

Ive heard spirit island is so difficult so I bought the game and was terrified to play. But we did play I was water spirit my S.O was rock and we won!! That was a year ago and I haven't played it again because I know I'll never win again. Lol my S.O doesn't like planet unknown (I know, how???) But I really enjoy it! He also doesn't like isle of cats...and I love isle of cats!

[@FostertheMeeple]

Haha I fully respect that!! Yea, it’s crazy how different games tastes can be

[@hiho8084]

Congratulations on your sponsor! Can't wait to see your new table. I don't have any Pandemic, or Star Wars games. They just don't appeal to me. So, I have but haven't played Forgotten Waters yet. Did you play it at 2? I like Tenpenny Parks! My hubby is not big on board games, and he likes this, so I'll take it. Every time I see Spirit Island and hear how great it is, I'll watch a playthrough, and just not want to try it. I do enjoy Rajas of the Ganges. Dice games, tiling and polynomial games are what I'm drawn to. Everyone is different so there is no shame in not liking a "popular" game. If you don't like it, you don't like it!

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks so much! I think we were less trying to say “play games you hate again” as opposed to “we feel like we didn’t give these games a fair shake”

[@hiho8084]

@@FostertheMeeple I understand. I hope you are pleasantly surprised when trying again!

[@bonniewhite3699]

There is a learning curve to Spirit Island. Def better with a veteran SI player. Its in my partners top 5. I usually play with an easier lower complexity spirit when I haven't played for a while because I have to remember how to play

[@bonniewhite3699]

depending on expansions if you can play with Rampant Green, that might be the most forgiving spirit

[@Ramis0146]

I'm with you on not liking pandemic and spirit island! I really like co-op games, but I feel for the most part when we play this we just wait to lose!!! So skip them if you want 😂

[@FostertheMeeple]

That’s definitely our experience for sure!

[@conradglasbergen4708]

That is super exciting news! Congrats to my fav canuckians!!

[@FostertheMeeple]

Appreciate you!! Thanks so much

[@snowchamp]

I suspect you might have gotten the rules wrong to lose every game you’ve played. Speaking about Spirit Island obviously. The basic level is really easy. An experienced gamer would likely win every level 3-4. For me, I enjoy playing at level 4-6. 6 is truly punishing but winnable if you get your combo out. That’s for solo plays. I’ve played 2-4 players too but would suggest doing level 2-3 when playing with other players. Now, for Rajas of the Ganges, it’s about Dice efficiency and building up strong turns through good planning. I’ve won before in a 4p game where I’ve crossed the 2 tracks and my 3 opponents 2 tokens are on opposite sides of the map. Meaning I doubled their score. Of course, the final 2-3 turns are where you run away once you build up your engine. 😅

[@mattp4719]

Agreed Spirit Island isn't my favorite.. lots of Admin work and not great IMO as I'm not a huge fan of cooperative games in general . I've had lots of fun with Nidavellir and highly recommend trying it again.

[@FostertheMeeple]

We definitely will give it a try in person and see how we feel!

[@JoachimErdtman]

Jeff instead of Dead of Winter, if you like playing against the others, have you tried being the Zombie Master in Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game? It's a one-versus-all style game.

[@FostertheMeeple]

I haven’t!! I’ll look into it though for sure! Thanks for the suggestion!

[@peterwhite2777]

Jamie is going to be really upset at us, but Flamecraft is our game that we’ve tried a few times and feel like we should love it but it’s just meh. The other one (which may have been because of who we played with) was just one. That one we’ll definitely try again though.

[@FostertheMeeple]

I totally get that for flamecraft. I enjoy it, but it’s one I’m happy to play if Jamie wants to but I wouldn’t ever pick it! Although it is VERY cute. Just one shocks me a little, I’ve not heard that one mentioned in these kinds of convos before. But I get it - those types of games can be a miss for sure

[@DumahAtreides]

Regarding Spirit Island - your instincts are right. Get a 3 player game in of it with someone teaching the two of you. If you feel it's starting to catch, preferably get another few games in shortly after - perhaps even buying the game on steam or the iPad now that you can play with each other that way. It's one of my favorite travel digital games but there's too much to play well on a phone and like many things you'll do better learning with the physical game first. I promise that once the rules lock in your head, it's a lot easier and unlike some games they are easy to remember after that point. The fun is getting better at the game. Really once you do understand the system and what kind of cards to prioritize, how to play certain spirits, etc - the base game difficulty is easy to overcome. At that point then you get to start playing the different adversaries and increasing the difficulty levels they have which all alter the game in interesting ways just like your spirits.

[@tracieperez2629]

We have a list like this...games to give a second chance bc everyone else says they're great, and the Crew is on that list. After we played it we thought ...huh I don't get it 🤷🏾‍♀️. It wasn't terrible, it just felt meh! So we need to try it again at a higher player count though. Also we played Pandemic at two player and three player and thought that it was a great game so I hope you have a better play of it next go round.

[@FostertheMeeple]

I do think sometimes you hear a ton of buzz about something, and if it doesn’t wow it immediately becomes a meh. I think I need to be better at going in to hyped games with a tempered attitude to avoid that sorta thing from happening

[@tracieperez2629]

@@FostertheMeeple totally agree.

[@ashrael37]

Pandemic Season 1 is good if you will stick with it for about 18 games, but otherwise Fall of Rome and Clone Wars are my favorites. Iberia is really good too, and is tough.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[@specialized2dirtshelly54]

For me it is Betrayal house on the hill and The Captain is dead! I'd give them another chance but really don't think it change how blah I felt playing these games.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Fair enough!! We’ve only played betrayal at baldurs gate, but have heard house on the hill can be clunky.

[@lukepickles5099]

I feel like The Crew Mission Deep Sea is worth a go. It’s much better than the original for me, and I say that as not a fan of trick taking. It also plays better at two. I gave Troyes a few second chances and it didn’t stick for me. I think I’m getting better at knowing what games I don’t and won’t like after multiple plays. Ark Nova is one, so is Hamlet but I’d give them second chances… maybe.

[@FostertheMeeple]

That’s good to know Luke! Thanks for the insights

[@axétério]

For Jeff, have you played any of the All vs One style games?

[@FostertheMeeple]

I don’t believe so!

[@MarinaS341]

Maybe it’s worth trying Horizons of Spirit Island which is supposed to be an easier lead in to the game

[@FostertheMeeple]

Ohh never heard of that! Will look into it! Thanks Marina

[@MarinaS341]

@@FostertheMeeple it’s a “target exclusive” in the US, but through their new spirit island game found campaign you can buy horizons just on its own :) don’t even have to pledge for the expansion

[@runraggedrhino]

I feel like I need to try codenames again. The Disney one was just okay with our kids, but Codenames Duet just didn't hit. We found it super boring. I don't get all the excitement, so I really want to try it with someone who genuinely loves it

[@FostertheMeeple]

We also do not love codenames, I think Jamie likes it more than I do but yea, duet was not a love at all

[@erinholt5420]

I’ll say definitely give Ankh a go again, the other ones are kind of personal game preference maybe? Like I agree with Jeff’s point with the Crew, I just don’t want to sit there and not talk. Not a bad game, but I don’t like that aspect. Ankh needs to be played at 2 otherwise it feels like a totally different game. RyanelRitchie and I really liked it and I think our gaming styles are similar 👍🏼

[@FostertheMeeple]

Do you mean, Lionel Ritchie? But yea, we for sure want to give it a try at two. Most people tell us it’s the preferred player count

[@joshfrench5858]

I would say Star Wars rebellion should be on the list but you had to play it first.😂 I sorry but that will never get old for me. 😂

[@FostertheMeeple]

It will never get old not playing it just for you! Hahaha

[@joshfrench5858]

@@FostertheMeeple one day you’ll play it. And you’ll wonder why you didn’t sooner. 9/10

[@annecurrier2955]

Jeff what is your favorite 1 v many game?

[@FostertheMeeple]

Ohhh good question! I really like Mind MGMT, likely that one off the top of my head

[@guimauve-rose]

I sincerly tried for those games but nope, giving them another chance just made me remember why i don't really like them. I played pandemic 7 years ago and didn't like it, then a few month ago my sister wanted to play it on BGA and i tried it, still don't like it but it's fast so i'm ok to play with her when she wants to. We played a few games on BGA of the crew, we laughed because we sucked but really didn't care for the game, i could play it again but it wouldn't make me like it more. Played nidavelir on BGA when it came out, didn't see the appeal, i played again in the past month and i'm still not interested in what happens in the game. Dead of winter, i wouldn't ever play it again, takes too much times and too much downtime.

[@jmurphy2751]

Tenpenny Parks plays way better at the higher player counts. 2 players is ok 3 or more is terrific. Also really enjoyed Pandemic: Reign of Cthulu and Clone Wars over regular Pandemic, the themes were so much better.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Good to know on tenpenny parks!! Thank you!

[@jmurphy2751]

@Foster the Meeple just wanted to say love the channel BTW!

[@FostertheMeeple]

@@jmurphy2751 appreciate you!! Thanks so much for the kindness and for tuning in on our shenanigans!

[@Thebrad11984]

I called pandemic as soon as you guys started talking. I think you guys may enjoy it since the loop is very similar. And as someone who is always right Im with Jaime that indeed she can be right 100% of the time.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Is this Steph on Brads account?

[@Thebrad11984]

@@FostertheMeeple hahaha. Steph would 100% disagree with me being right….but maybe she’s aways wrong….

[@dalewheare4300]

So I need to know who was right, was it 1 or 2 plays of Dead of Winter!

[@FostertheMeeple]

It was 2. It was very clearly 2 Dale. From, Jamie

[@Brwykk]

Hope you guys arent getting whatever bug we just had 😷 ended up w tonsilitis.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Feel better!

[@xxhawkdancerxx]

Hahaha I’m also similar in my unpopular dislike of spirit island!! 😅😅😅

[@FostertheMeeple]

Solidarity!

[@renewebbauthor]

Wait you can't talk during The Crew? lol We talk all the time, just not telling each other what cards we have, lol, it's my friends and I's go-to-game

[@karenfischer7916]

I got rid of pandemic, spirit island and dead of winter. There are too many other good games out there to waste time on games you find meh. It’s ok to dislike highly rated games.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Yea, this videos point isn’t really to say “you shouldn’t hate these games”. It’s ok to not like stuff for sure. We are just trying to say “we want to give these games another try as we feel like we should like them”.

[@MikeAlger1964]

I hate Catan. It has never been an enjoyable experience for me. I am, oddly, excited to try Catan: Dawn of Humankind. I agree with you about Pandemic being too easy to quarterback. It seems like a glorified solo game. I didn't used to like cooperative games but I do enjoy cooperative deduction games like Decorum and Paint the Roses.

[@MikeAlger1964]

Just an update on this. We finally got to play Catan: Dawn of Humankind this weekend. My wife, who is not a big gamer, loved it, my son and I (we both hate Catan) loved it as well. It is, IMHO, a vast improvement over the original. Our fourth player liked it as well. On the other hand, my trend of never winning a game that I am teaching continues. 😄

[@bonniewhite3699]

I prefer Pandemic Iberia to original pandemic

[@Misiodziej]

Endless Winter was a big miss for me but I’m willing to try again with some expansion content. You definitely need to play Ankh. Pandemic, Spirit Island and The Crew are all overrated. Dead of Winter is just meh.

[@FostertheMeeple]

I’d recommend the rivers & rafts expansion!

[@jeffharned3905]

New Bed, my be

[@christianbone3395]

Yeah, we bounced off Pandemic, but not that hard. I'll still play it, but it's not a great game. Our Pandemic Legacy run has completely fizzled out (ended after April) because it's both really hard and simultaneously underwhelming every time. Try Betrayal Legacy instead (if you can find it), it's jaw-droppingly good.

[@FostertheMeeple]

Jamie’s bro has a copy! We should give it a try sometime

[@brianstever2146]

Dead of Winter is my least favorite game of all time. I've tried and tried, it's just not fun.

[@bettermoodboardgames]

I actually can't stand the Crew. I don't think I'll ever give it a second chance. You'll have to keep us posted if these games change your opinion.

[@FostertheMeeple]

I do think there is a scenario where we would enjoy it! Gonna give it another crack soon I think

[@bettermoodboardgames]

@@FostertheMeeple I won't hope for it, but if it happens and I do enjoy it - you'll be the first to know!

[@rockassassin64]

Pandemic legacy season 0 from what I understand is A prequal . so I assume you wouldn't be spoiled for going to that part Of the timeline and is not about like an actual global pandemic. I think it's about like cold war. So you might enjoy that 1 and you wouldn't have to deal with the. Context of a global parademic since that is kind of a shity reality we are all dealing with right now