Gaming Hard Truths | Q&A

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[@emmafradd]

It's refreshing to see a Board Game reviewer say "yeah maybe you don't need to buy every game/get sucked into every kickstarter" but still promote board games. That middle ground is where it's at. Thanks for your honesty!

[@keatonhawkswell5714]

I appreciate you pushing back on the “games getting more expensive” question. This hobby is more than just having a full shelf of games.

[@naturesfinest2408]

I dont like collecting a bunch of games. I just want a few games for different occasions. For me, i like replaying games to find depth and hidden strategy. Unfortunately i cant find friends who agree. So new games it is. They prefer easy, quick games. I want to play root or sleeping god. Or some very cut throat game. They like party games or relatively easy games on par with ticket to ride.

[@PaulSzkibik]

Boardgames is like... the cheapest hobby there is if you're on a budget. Whenever someone is surprised about how "expensive" a game of mine is. (like 50 bucks for Dune Imperium recently) my go-to example is "going to the cinema" a couple times. You can get so many evenings out of a game that you end up really liking. Not every game is a sound "investment" and you may end up playing some games only once or even never. But if you're not in the habbit of buying super expensive kickstarters that end up sucking, it's not that difficult to just sell the things you don't get on the table. After about three games of "On Mars" I feel like it's just not for me but it's really not going to be that difficult to sell it.

[@helxis]

@@naturesfinest2408 Invest some time in finding a group that is more aligned with your tastes, instead of catering to one that isn't. I have spent years collecting and playing games that I find mediocre, just to have a game night. Not worth it.

[@naturesfinest2408]

@@helxis dont know where to start. I looked on meet up and reddit byt didnt find much. And the people i did had different tastes

[@helxis]

@@naturesfinest2408 It costs money, but you might consider a MeetUp of your own. Maybe just start a public, general game night. Then, as you find the heavier gamers, draw them into a secondary group if necessary. Local reddit and even physical flyers may work. Experiment!

[@peterhaslehurst535]

Jon I really appreciated your comments about consumerism in the hobby. On a related note I've only recently really begun to understand the difference between an Expo (basically a huge shopping event) and a Con (where the emphasis is on playing rather than buying games). This year I decided to go to MidCon rather than UK Games Expo and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

[@actualol]

Glad to hear it! The amount of games you can get played at a "con" is incredible.

[@helxis]

You continue to provide the messages that the board game community needs to hear. I feel like I took the same path down the photography hobby, where I now do my best to keep newcomers out of the weeds of thinking that "photography" means "buying the latest, highest end equipment". Sharing hard learned lessons is one of the best things we can do for one another. In 2023, I'm going to attempt two challenges at once: - Buy no new board games - Play 10 games 10 times And I'm not going to cheap out on the second one. Going to really try to challenge myself to play my favorite, big games as many times as I can.

[@Rikerslash]

The quote about games being like music and movies is amazing. This is something which I am always telling as well. There is a game basically for everyone. The best moments are when a work collegue is joining the usual workgames like codename, chameleon, cardline, Just One or Top10. Most of them are having a lot of fun and want some game advice from me after that. Or they buy one of those games.

[@somefishhere]

Ah okay history as a comedy writer makes sense. You have the tightest script and I keep coming back for the laughs, even if the content is only tangentially interesting to me!

[@actualol]

Thanks! That's the hope, make everything entertaining so it's always worth watching 🙂

[@sporknaut]

Excellent video. I feel like the heart of your message is that we should value the people at our table more than the game on the table. That's how you make friends, and that's ultimately how you get new friends into the hobby.

[@PaulSzkibik]

This is the most difficult lesson to learn or rather, the most damaging to your enjoyment of the hobby. It's tough not to make this mistake if you're new to the hobby and want to play certain games. Not forcing people into games that YOU want to play and kind of sabotaging yourself doing that. I got seriously into boardgames about 20 years ago and I made all those mistakes back then. Now I'm doing regular board game nights at my company and I have tons of lighter games for people to enjoy, even if I enjoy more brainy games. There are enough chances to play more difficult games, without trying to rush your friends or colleagues through "gateway board games" just so you can finally play Brass Birmingham with them.

[@AdamJohnson0110]

I almost cheered when you talked about Kickstarter culture. I've only purchased 2 games there, but it was frustrating paying $20+ more dollars (plus a bundle of shipping) for something 6+ months ahead of time for a game that was on the shelf at a local big box store at a cheaper price less than 2 weeks from when I received the shipment. One of the games I funded got terrible reviews after it was released, after almost unanimous positive reviews pre-release. The marketing hype is real and they definitely prey on the fomo.

[@KrystleGrygo]

Thank you so much for answering my questions! Your channel has always been such a great resource and I know I can trust your reviews and opinions on games to be as honest and unbiased as possible (for opinions lol). You have one of the best board game channels out there! Thanks Jon!

[@mattyweaves]

I feel like I really know you and trust you now. Thank you.

[@actualol]

😂😂

[@FabioBrachtPlus]

I know he’s a good guy!

[@zacdredge3859]

The comparison between 7th Contient and Lost is brilliant; that's exactly it. 17:08 Is the moment the mince pie stack was thwarted for their love of deckbuilding games.

[@IntheClutch75]

This might be my favorite video of yours. Thanks for the real talk.

[@markusbiewer2756]

To get non-gamers to play with you, it's important to not overwhelm them. Don't start with Gloomhaven or Spirit Island because those are your favorite games. Start with some easy, welcoming games that show them that games can be fun without being overly complicated. I had great successes with Just One, So Clover, Azul, Ticket to Ride, Codenames, Top Ten etc.

[@NinjarioPicmin]

While i completely agree that a majority of Kickstarter games are just in it for the FOMO and generally that way of selling board games attracts such "scummyness" not _every_ Publisher and every game on kickstarter is in fact bad, some of my favorite games of the last years were originally Kickstarter campaigns (Cascadia, Feed The Kraken and presumably Power Plants after i've had it for longer and can really tell)

[@actualol]

Yes, I agree, many wonderful games have been born there. And it definitely has its place in the hobby.

[@andresm377]

I also think it is worth keeping in mind that for some of us aesthetics and components (particularly some that are heavily featured in kickstarters) are an integral part of the game experience and one of the reasons we play games to begin with, so it is not just FOMO or falling prey to marketing, but a genuine interest in these dimensions of gaming.

[@denycast]

I am experience a hard truth about board games.... And even Solo games... The limiting faktor of playing boardgames is not Money. It is time and energy. I would like to play a round of " under falling skies" now, but there is no energy in my brain for this puzzle. 😅 I will listen to your harsh truths later, John. I am not feeling handlinging them😅

[@tyrroo]

Yeah, now that I"m middle-aged, I definitely get mentally tired sometimes and just don't have the brain capacity to deal with things, whether it's complex rules for a new game, thinking about politics and how shitty society can be, or just deciding what to make for supper, lol

[@thinusconradie4297]

Loads of people have commented about your humour, and I agree. But I really appreciate the thought you invest in the positions you take on games and the hobby more broadly. For example, I appreciate how you don't try to sell games, but to "help people navigage the hobby" as you put it. Keep it up.

[@andrewellis712]

Greatly appreciate your candidness, your positions on most of these is very refreshing to see. Re: dune imperium and root being overrated though, I didn’t know about the hype behind them at all, but one of my good friends had both of them and showed them to me and they were absolutely fantastic, both are at least a 9/10 for me

[@whoseturnpodcast]

Cracking video Jon, agree with your points around kickstarter culture 100% and we've all been through it.

[@Spilzu]

I love the first point. It can be applied to almost any marketing too; there's just so much more bad stuff than good stuff.

[@roza44channel]

Great video - I appreciate honesty. I'm mostly listening to Polish board reviewers and DiceTower, but tbh i like your videos lot - this is like completely fresh air to me! Great to have you here.

[@Verb_Alina]

Thanks to your videos (I remember another video where you talked about expantions being imposed on us), I began to look more soberly at spending in this hobby. When you get involved in a hobby, you stop thinking how reasonable it is to spend so much money on it. For example, I danced tango, and tango shoes are VERY expensive, and some "very special shoes" you "HAVE TO BUY". I have never paid for one board game as much as 7 years ago for one pair of shoes. I could buy about 5 very good solid board games or one pair of shoes. And now I have 10 pairs of these shoes. For what?!!! I danced most of the time in one old comfortable pair of shoes and very rarely in two more beautiful pairs at festivals. There is such a thing as tango addiction. You spend money on shoes, clothes and festivals (abroad), pay for plane tickets, rent a hotel and pay Argentine teachers to "dance better". This is so reminiscent of what they tell us from every KZbin channel about what a wonderful board game will be published soon and how did you live without it / will you live on? Any hobby should have a measure, a line, when you realize that these are no longer your needs, you are just following someone who wants to make money on your addiction. Thank you for reminding me of this important thing once again. P.S. I'm sorry, English is not my native language)

[@BunnyHop2000]

Your channel actualolly brings me a lot of joy. thank you :)

[@MrJk1974]

You’re my yoda in boardgaming reviewers. I’m into boardgaming for about 15 years and It is really great to hear you talk about the different stages you can go through in this hobby. I noticed the same development in my own situation ( from quantity to quality) but it’s really nice the way you put this into words. Thank you for that!! Hope you make lots more videos about the hobby. Kind regards, Jarno (NL)

[@GlucoseGuy]

I really enjoy how you take the different type of players into consideration in your videos. I love my rules while some friends I have thrive on chaos. Haha

[@coconutmilch2351]

I like your channel and no rolls barred and I think it’s because both of your channels are funny. Your background totally makes sense!! I also feel like everyone has different tastes in games and I like the games you suggest

[@christopherchild4022]

Completely agree with you on Kickstarters.

[@Paul-ro6py]

As always great discussion and content. Appreciate the time you take in making these.

[@inspired2game]

Thanks for the video! Some great points in here. Love the Q&A idea.

[@sparkingconduit]

Can we just clone 100 of you and have fewer Tom Vasels and Rahdo's in existence? They seem like decent people, but damned if especially the latter doesn't love practically every game in existence, which dilutes the usefulness of reviews, or review everything under the sun like the former, which does the same. Your crusade against the hype machine is the losing battle I've been fighting on BoardGameGeek for over 15 years. Please keep doing what you do!

[@tiffoniebaker4965]

Rahdo doesnt do negative reviews. He only does a video if he likes a game. If he accepts a game (He declines most offered him) and doesn't care for it, he shares his thoughts with the publisher. That's why all his reviews are positive. Not that he likes them all.

[@nztuber]

Ooh, I like this format! An interesting listen, thanks, Jon!

[@DJ-mz7td]

Thanks I enjoyed listening to your prospective while scrolling through ever comment. I enjoy your comments much better then your skits, sorry to say, but glad to your content! That New York trip sounded sad. NYC in the house, representing Brooklyn! Favorite game lately is RA! The latest KS version I got is gorgeous and fun!

[@michaelibk418]

Amen. First two Minutes so true. Isn’t it sad so many people let themselves rip off by the whole kickstarter thing? I mean how can you pay Hundreds of euros years! In advance for a product which doesn’t exist? Hardly anyone is talking about that. Normally I don’t support KZbinrs because I just can’t afford it for all the channels I really appreciate but I think I will make an exception here because you’re the only one in this field who is INDEPENDENT. And never was on a hype train. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@actualol]

Thank you! I really appreciate your support. That's how I can stay independent 🙂 I might have hopped on the odd hype train at some point in my early days 😂 But nowadays I just get the bus 😇

[@anonleft]

Problem with Kickstarter is when you miss the great ones - Eclipse Second Dawn, Foundations of Rome etc - when they turn out to be brilliant I end up paying more for a crappier version down the track.

[@Reggie1408]

Adding to your first point: There's no great kickstarter game that didn't get a wide release afterwards.

[@VaultBoy13]

Great for who? There are multiple great games that didn't get a wide release afterwards.

[@listeningtomovies553]

@@VaultBoy13 Buy those overpriced second-hand and you'll still be better off than backing every kickstarter on the off chance that a tiny amount of them might be great and not get a wide release.

[@darrenkisgen9506]

So spot on about the cult of personality and how you don’t know who is a good guy. So impressive for you to call that out. As you said, it is marketing and a business 99% of the time.

[@boardgamebar]

We quite literally had a conversation about "publisher blind trust" yesterday and how we often don't even look at the "who" made/published the game.

[@Tornroot]

I think the best publishers with the best games often have a second Kickstarter for a game, where you can also get an expansion. Foundations of Rome is a good example of this, OK it's an over produced plastic table hog but it's a good game. Or Hidden Leaders. Rather than succumb to FOMO, wait to see if there's a second printing Kickstarter, plus you'll often have the benefit that the rule book has been fixed, components upgraded, etc.

[@dominikgarbauer6883]

Got so many good recommendations from you like Qwinto, Super Rhino or Cascadia. All super easy but always a joy to play.

[@jameskirk4692]

Thank you for this informative interesting long video! It's so great to hear you talk about games and your experiences. You make such a great and fun content. I haven't gotten through a lot of them still and am looking forward to watch them. You have a great sounding voice, great sense of humor, and great acting and producer/directing skills.... Keep up the awesome work! And btw, great outfit you are wearing here. I want those two shirts myself.

[@actualol]

Thanks James for such a kind comment, I really appreciate it! ❤️

[@styfen]

If you want something really easy to get into Mortum: Medieval Detective basically teaches the player as you go along. It's also a neat detective/mystery game in that genre that seems to have avoided the hype despite being great.

[@khiarastales2091]

Thank you for the great insights about boardgames! Well, not even the boardgame fandom (?) is safe from cult-ish behavior... I used the same method too when it comes to invite non-gamers to play boardgames. I'd get them to play a simple card game with the theme they're familiar with (i.e. local foods) or with beautiful art to entice them. If they're interested in other game from my collection with less simple gameplay, I'll let them know the game would be quite hard to learn.

[@CG_Hali]

About community and poorer communities: I told my hubby that if I die, I'd love for him to arrange for our rural local library to set up a 'board game' leasing or something like that. But earlier than that (lol) I'll start making donations when I outgrow some of the first games I bought, too. They are more for new, family or casual gamers. I'm in a position of privilege being able to afford them, I'd love for those who can't to have access.

[@bigaleka92]

Hi Jon. Thank you for answering my question. You make great content and your opinion is always valued. Merry Christmas!

[@actualol]

Merry Christmas! ⛄

[@Jorn2u]

Props for your honest answers

[@williamkremer7382]

Interesting what you were saying about kickstarter. I’m new to the hobby and have been puzzled why so many people are willing to pay money for something they haven’t tried and may never get, just to get some metal coins instead of plastic ones (or whatever). My sense is the acquisitiveness of the community comes from people searching for the “perfect” game.

[@helxis]

There is some real easy advice to follow is regard to backing games on Kickstarter: don't. There's a list of reasons that compound as to why: - Most games aren't very good. - Most Kickstarter games have an even lower chance of being good. - Most KS games won't be exclusive to KS. They will have retail releases. - If a game passes all these hurdles and ends up being critically reviewed as very good, is not available retail, *and* you still want it, you can either: 1) Get it on the second hand market. Even if you pay more for it, you have still easily saved over all the other garbage you ended up not impulse buying by following this advice or, 2) Wait for the reprint that basically all truly good games will inevitably get.

[@williamkremer7382]

@@helxis Yes! Makes sense

[@trooper6762]

A comment on the extra stuff. If a publisher makes a basic game with simple (but good) components and focus on making a great game the community will produce those “upgraded” bits and bobs. People can pay less for the core game, have a great experience, and if they feel like paying for extras they can.

[@JeffGoris]

Thanks for a great video. Speaking of trying new things. One of the best things I ever did was about 6 months ago when I joined a board game group that meets every week at a public venue. It's one thing I genuinely regret not having done years ago. There's usually about 15-20 people who turn up with all sorts of different games. The friends I've gamed with for years are very unreliable so this group enables me to get my gaming fix on a regular basis. I also get to try lots of games I've heard about or had my eye on, but never had access to. From the dozens of games tried at this group I've made 2 purchases - The Court of Miracles and Dune: Imperium. I love them both. (I have no interest whatsoever in the Dune franchise.) I know Andrew thinks that Dune: Imperium is overrated, which brings up an important point about taste. Everyone has varying tastes in games. Reviews are useful, but nothing beats trying a game for yourself. I, for example, think that Codenames is highly overrated. I've played it a bunch, mostly with around 6 people as a party game and it is a yawn fest. Whilst the active player is thinking of their clue most other players are not involved in the gameplay at all. Andrew mentioned playing it 3-player which I think could make it sing, despite it then not being a party game. For word based party games, Just One and So Clover are so much more fun and involving for a group of 6. I'll tentatively add Decrypto, but that is more situational.

[@tyrroo]

"I know Andrew thinks that Dune: Imperium is overrated..." Andrew? Do you mean this guy in the video? He's Jon

[@JeffGoris]

He really looks like an Andrew to me.

[@fogbrother4576]

Great stuff! Just got my copy of Wandering Towers, and I cannot wait to play it. Is there any chance you will make a video of it?

[@Cartkun]

Excellent answers to very good questions!

[@InFlamesrockz]

17:06 imagine being so mad at deckbuilders that you know off the cupcake! Great vid, it's a pleasue listening to what you got to say :)

[@actualol]

😆😆

[@tonyallen4265]

Excellent video. I needed to hear a lot of this.

[@avgoustisimo]

twilight imperium is absoutley epic, once you learn it its absoultely fantastic and immersive. is very hard to learn and takes a few games to understand but once you do its defintely worth it

[@margaretdocena3932]

I am also an extrovert that works from home and uses board games meet ups as a way to get out/meet people/not go crazy/not burn the house down 😂 Praise God there's a lot of great options in the Little Rock, Arkansas area

[@moseth7606]

Awesome vid dude. Nice to see others have my hobbyless regret from past years

[@Emsworth377]

Definitely shows how tastes vary, as twilight imperium and agricola are in my top 5 games of all time.

[@deusex3124]

Really good video. Completely agree with you about how Kickstarter has sort of become this monolithic entity in board games and a lot of it hinges on FOMO. There's no doubt there's some good games originating on the platform but so much of it is just licensed IP and fancy miniatures, whilst the game itself is in the background. My experiences with Meetup leave a lot to be desired. Gaming meet ups set in pubs are a big red flag for me, my experience is it's more about going to the pub than gaming but your mileage may vary.

[@Corvidius_]

One of the things about root is I do think the game does get better as you get more expansions. Some of the Root expansions are really a work of art, but I do understand the take that it can be a bit overrated when just playing the base game

[@Buddhawrath]

Dunno if you’ll read this, but I just wanted to give you a useless award for being my favourite new KZbin content creator for 2022. Sorry I can’t sub to your Patreon 💸 but I absolutely love your free content so far. Your writing ✅ transparency ✅ humor ✅ honesty ✅ 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@tiberiian]

My wife will play games, but she "hates" them. Her "favourite" game is Splendor, as in she doesn't utterly despise it. I love board gaming and hate Splendor. As you said, we simply don't align in what tickles our fun bone. Edit: What surprised me was she actually liked BSG. This is my favourite game and I was shocked when she said she enjoyed it. There seems to be something for everyone and it may not be what you would think it'll be.

[@ScreenFiends]

I'm dying to play Wingspan. I love a good theme and I shoot a lot of bird and wildlife photography. Best of all time lists are a bit silly in general to be honest. I don't thing there is ever one singular best thing of anything but to be in the conversation is a good gauge for a things success. Best sports person, best movie etc.

[@amy_ama]

30:10 As a person from a bit poorer country (Poland) we have a lot of places to rent games- bars, special shops and even libraries

[@andreasmalits395]

I often get the feeling that designers use (tactical) deckbuilding because they can put a lot of card ideas in a game. Which gives you an illusion of replayability. Imho it is rarely used in a "good way". Positive example: Rune Stones, because it focuses on the tactical decisions and your deck has a constant flow of cards beeing added and removed. Most others feel like "Build some sort of long term engine, with random cards". Like Dominion, but in a bad way. You got the right card in the shop and you have the money? Lucky you!

[@adamriddiough4440]

Your plate of tarts.....lol They keep going from standing up straight to half collapsed and then standing up straight again over and over again throughout the video.... Also, great video as always!!

[@somefishhere]

20:40 for a gaming low that you seem to have forgotten after making “10 Mistakes Board Gamer Me Made”, it was when you convinced two nongamer friends to come over and then you placed Game of Thrones in front of them! 😅 “you’ll love it when I explain how combat and hero cards work! What’s that, you’ve forgotten how to expand your territory?”

[@actualol]

Hahahaha, yeah that really was a low 😂

[@chocklad9]

Great video! ❤

[@thelibrarianofalexandria6200]

Recently found you, been watching a few videos. Want just say that you make great videos, you Are funny,entertaining and you explain the games in a good way. Regarding this video, I agree being s gamer should not mean you have an infinite amount of games. Having a few that you play often and enjoy males you a gamer.

[@mrnnhnz]

When you likened Seventh Continent (which I've not played,) to Lost, (which I've not seen,) I knew exactly what you meant from the great way you described the situation. I had the same sense of investment and let-down watching all four seasons of Heroes. I liked the sense of building up to something, and, in general, the first season did this better than the others. But it was all lead-up, and no dramatic fulfilment (to me.) I eventually worked out that the writers were basically just making it up as they went. And that might work for some shows. But for a show like Heroes (or, probably, Lost,) they need to know exactly what the big climax at the end of the entire series-of-series is, then the big-ish climax at the end of each series can be worked out. THEN you can actually write the shows...

[@nikolamanojlovic8533]

Great insights mate, really enjoyed this one.

[@BRPerfections]

30:23 Mysterium Park was cheap and carried me through my poorest times. Big shoutout.

[@stschubs]

loved this, thanks so much for taking the time! I really like that you don't feel the need to be on the hottest new trends, also bite your tongue about tales of arabia :P I think that's a group dependent game!

[@OurFamilyPlaysGames]

Very interesting discussion and definitely agreed with some and disagreed with a few. But, well done.

[@linea369]

Board games and swing dancing go hand in hand I guess 🙈 I've been obsessed with boardgames since I was a child and started dancing lindyhop when I was 19 😁 I also have quite a few friends with these same two hobbies, so sometimes before social dancing we warm-up playing games 😂

[@raceallen1569]

really thoughtful video, i loved all of it

[@daniel.muntean]

Regarding going to Essen question. A great idea that would stick to your previous videos and values is "5 games purchase limit at Essen 2023". It's self-explanatory, you film yourself exploring and playing different games at Essen, but limit yourself to only buy 5 of them. Then do that Top5 while talking about your decision process. If 5 is too limiting, then you could do 10.

[@actualol]

That's a really good idea. I'd certainly consider it one year, but I won't be going this year.

[@TheAnalogKyd]

I second all of the praise of this video in this comment section below. But where did you get that bangin' jacket?

[@texascpa]

The problem with "reviewers" trying it is that many are paid. When you're paid, you have to be careful of your review lest you lose future opportunities for paid reviews. And even if they aren't paid, they still want their face plastered on the KSer page as I'm sure it helps pull people to their channel. When is the last time a reviewer gave a poor review of a Kickstarter game and the broader, paying audience were aware of it?

[@TheTwistedClarity]

On finding other gamers my advice is this: Board games are a fun way to spend time with people. If you focus on that first it's a little easier to get people to go along with it. If you approach it as I want to play this specific game right now its a much harder sell. Try to appeal to their competitiveness, playfulness and cooperation stats lol. No one is the same as you on those three stats

[@gomezthechimp1116]

I had one year of kickstarter madness back in 2019. I backed about 15, and yet of those I've kept just 2: Isle of Cats and Villagers. I recently made the mistake of backing Ra. The game was no cheaper than it will be at retail, the postage was more expensive than it will be when shipped from a UK store, and worse of all, I paid for all this a year before the game is likely to be delivered. No more KS for me.

[@infinitedm5396]

My heart breaks over twilight imperium. :( It definitely requires an entire mindset and expectation going into it. It's also one of the few board games that I feel requires people doing a bit of learning before a real game happens.

[@cubist12]

Your thoughts on Kickstarters are spot on. I've always felt that when I first backed Kickstarters, I was truly supporting creators that were just breaking out in board gaming and needed a boost - and I did just that with a few of them. However, over time, I noticed established game companies starting to dip into that same well over and over. It was no longer a case of this creator can't afford to make the game without KS, it was more about how they could get as many people as possible to pay MSRP+ for a game. On top of that, the 'exclusives' became less and less of a big deal, and you could often end up getting the game as soon (or sooner in some cases) via Pre-Order on an OLGS, and for a much lower price. I've avoided KS as much as possible for the last couple years, and will only really peek at a game if it is a creator that I know doesn't have a dozen big games already on the market.

[@Schnaeuf]

I wonder which game you would call a mean gateway game. I think I am a take that player as my favourite games were Risk, Roma, Jambo, Boss Monster and Smash Up. Now I tend to the opposite and play mostly cooperative games. Perfect advice to try a lot in life. I would sign that.

[@susanrobertson984]

KS has been a real hit and miss experience. I loved Windward, Ares Expedition, and Foundations of Rome. There are some that will be a fire starter when the apocalypse happens.

[@Sanderus]

Excellent video!

[@michaelmayojr.3031]

Well, I that I know about your background in comedy writings,. I get your skits for board game reviews. You are quite talented in your writing skills. I enjoy your videos a great deal. Thank You.

[@TheHexyBeast]

that first question me and you agree on whole heartedly great video Stay Hexy!

[@mikeystorm8124]

I got great kickstarter games, but that's because I usually look for really small and short games without many components, and I got some great games, which usually cost me around 20 or so pounds

[@siksithwatches2095]

On the topic of rising prices affecting poorer counties, I think we will see a similar situation to what's been happening to video games. Smaller games get more and more attention and even print and plays (much like indies) will (and arguably some already have) achieve the success and complexity of bigger expensive games. AAA video games cost $70 and indies really do compete now, why can't board games do the same? Or on the dark side... Board game piracy gains enough demand to perfect the process. 😱

[@PaulSzkibik]

It's silly to me how people are saying that video games have become so expensive, when you have things like gamepass or the concept of "waiting half a year". So many games get SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper. People who have lots of disposable income are free to buy games "day one" or even pre-order (which is about as idiotic as supporting tons of kickstarters) but they shouldn't really complain about paying the "I want the newest thing"-fee. An Xbox Series S could be had for 200 bucks on black friday. Then you just get gamepass for 10 bucks a month, which you can cancel on a per month basis, if you don't feel like playing all throughout the year. On the PC side, every big online games store is giving away free games. Epic gives away free games every month. There are sales all the time. There are tons of high quality free to play games. Like.... I seriously don't care that games cost 70 or 80 now because I'm never paying that much for my games. And when I actually DO feel likey getting a game at launch (because the hype caught me) e.g. a game like God of War Ragnarok, I can still buy it new physically, play through it, and resell it two weeks later for 10-20 bucks less and I will have had a great gaming experience of about 50+ hours. Almost feels like cheating. But especially for big single player titles, they become cheap so quickly on the secondary market that you don't have to wait long. Horizon Forbidden West came out THIS YEAR and you can get it for 20 bucks already. The only TRULY expensive platform I can think of, is Nintendo's Switch. Mario Kart 8 is like a 10 year old game by now and the cheapest you can get it from them is about 40 bucks. And it's like this for all of their first party titles. Don't get a Nintendo system, if you're on a budget. Aside from that, people who are saying that video gaming has gotten expensive are either not aware of how cheap games become after just a short time, have never tried gamepass (or even the recently relaunched PS Plus on the "extra"-tier.) and/or likely are the same crowd that will "pre-order" board games on kickstarter because they can't resist their FOMO.

[@ThiagoGuido_]

Hey, I'm from Brazil and games are quite expensive in Brazil, it's good to hear things like "I'm here to spread the hobby not to make you buy lots of games". Just an example: Carcassonne costs R$190 reais (official currency of Brazil), the minimum wage is R$1302. If you decide to buy a Carcassonne it means you'll spend more than 14% of your salary. Lots of people in Brazil think for a long time before buying a game.

[@lukasp1548]

2:52 funny story about game mechanics. i am not a big fan of these role playing games. Most of the time it bores me to not get competetive with others. But as i played shadows of brimstone i was in love with it. So never judge a game by its mechanic.

[@Mark-nh2hs]

The trend I'm not keen on is app heavy driven games played a few and found everyone glued to the app reducing the gaming experience. Also like with Gloomhaven and Frosthaven will have a digital online game version making the board game redundant seeing the online version will become more popular. Of course digital gaming has its place same with some app games. I prefer face to face and the physical product lol.

[@malvia1]

I actually agree with you regarding to the hype. Looking at you, spirit island.

[@andresm377]

You talk a lot about gaming groups and community, as a primarily solo gamer (because of an actual preference for solo games and solo gaming rather than simply lack of people to play with), how do you feel about this aspect of the hobby?

[@happyhappy101]

I think Survive: Escape from Atlantis is a good gateway (and mean!) game

[@actualol]

Yes! I thought of that when I was editing the video. The definitive mean gateway game.

[@SuperRobert56]

Is it just me... I've looked through the coments for someone saying "hi Jon ive not seen you since that last heated game we had and then I moved away...." comment. Havn't found it yet.

[@actualol]

😂😂 Haven't seen it thankfully!

[@griffglowen5555]

Your comments on big games you once had huge hype for hit hard! I feel I watched all the same videos. I have Omega Protocol sitting on my shelf after many years of wanting it from old Dice Tower videos but now can’t find anyone to play it with me because it looks so old and lame!

[@midgesmoot1739]

Not all heroes wear capes.

[@foyoGames]

Codenames is such a Masterpiece

[@xshadowscreamx]

I also discovered positive activities in late 20’s. Board games and taekwondo.

[@heikesiegl2640]

Some thoughts on the Kickstarter Topic. For me overproduction in general is a problem. Games are getting flashier and more expensive but not better. I do not need plastic minis and poker chips etc. I am totally fine with cardboard standees. They look more detailed and atmospheric than plain gray minis, cost way less and produce less trash. Don't get me wrong i like minis, but in most games i feel they don't add to the experience and only increase the price

[@actualol]

Agreed!

[@suedenim]

My friend has a somewhat different perspective, as he's both a board gamer and a D&D DM. He sometimes buys board games in part because it has cool minis that can be used in D&D as well. And miniatures pricing is such that an "expensive" board game might actually be a bargain in terms of acquiring minis (and even moreso if purchased secondhand, discounted, etc.)

[@hanajurakova1285]

Woooow, now I definitely wanna see you dancing swing... !!! Do some snipplet in the outro please =)

[@actualol]

Haha! Maybe one day when I'm a bit better. I don't have any shareable footage at this time 😶‍🌫️

[@THESP-rz3hg]

Thank you Jon for pushing back against the hype machine thinking that tells people they need to have shelves full of games to be a "real boardgamer"