My Top 10 Favorite Abstract Strategy Games

[@emilydivis6369]

I've only played Cryptid a couple of times, but I really enjoy the way the information exchange works. You all have clues that, when put together, reveal the only possible location of the cryptid you're racing to find. In order to get any information out of anyone else about their clues, you need to reveal some information about your own clues. So everyone is trying to work out what everyone else knows while trying to be as unhelpful as possible. It's just a delight.

[@Judge_Jon]

I really like Hive. Simple in concept but very thinkie and more fun than it looks for sure. I own and like Summer Pavilion BUT my favorite abstract goes to Santorini. Such a good game and once you master the base game you can start using the "god" cards to change it up.

[@rickadam6051]

Great video Mr. Stegmaier! Here are my Top 5 Abstract Strategy Games 5. Azul: Summer Pavillion - I really enjoy the decision making in the game, but I'm worried my enjoyment will fade with time. The reason is I don't know if this is a game that is possible to win with different strategies. The goal of every game seems to be cover the purple flower for 20 points, and cover all the 4s for 16 points. I also find that covering all the 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s gets pretty easy by the end, and since you get no points for covering the 5s and 6s, (you just get a couple free pieces if you spend 11 tiles to complete both) it doesn't seem worth it. There's also a slightly more random element in that you might cover a spot that gets you a free choice from the pool of ten tiles, but the color you need isn't there. So you take a different piece, then the color you needed comes up for your opponent. It also lacks the ability to force a pick on your opponent by moving your piece to the start of your board, a feature from Stained Glass I really like a lot for these games. I might be proven wrong though so for now I'm still excited to get this one to the table. 4. Patchwork - One of my favorite two player only games. I tend to enjoy tetris-esque board games. 3. Photosynthesis - This game has theme, but I feel it is still very much an abstract strategy game. At least, it feels like one. But wow you can be mean in this one... 2. Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra - I own this game, and I"ve never won! I'm 0-6. But I still have a lot of fun with it, and I find this has worked well with my gamer friends, and my family members who don't really play games. 1. Sagrada - I love good dice games and this is one that not only I enjoy, but has gone over well with everyone I've taught. I got one more list I wanna share so I'll be sending a new comment soon. Hope you and yours are holding up well during this uncertain time, thanks for still putting out the Sunday Sitdown video!

[@codysimonsen9885]

Love this video! Would recommend Battle Sheep for sure- great abstract strategy game.

[@jeffhiatt3793]

Qwirkle would definitely be on that list for me. Some others that bear mentioning Tsuro, Jaipur

[@davegildersleeve4316]

Hi Jamey! So glad you included The Climbers in your list. It's such a cool concept , and challenging game. I also enjoy Voluspa, though the theme is pasted on, it increases the appeal for me.i may be stretching a bit, but I would consider Torres in the same category. Great video! Thanks.

[@bluestatesoul]

Hi Jamey, Great video. While I agree with your two definitional requirements for an abstract strategy game, I would add a 3rd - Symmetrical starts. All players start with the same playing tools and have equal access to the playing surface, or equal playing surfaces (Like Azul). In my mind there is no chance involved in abstract strategy except the consequences of the moves you and your opponents take. For this reason, Sagrada, which I love, doesn’t meet the definition as each player is working with a different board. Once each player has a different area of play it becomes less abstract in my mind. This is not an argument against assymetry... one player could be a chaser and another the runner for example, but winning and losing is solely based on player decisions. My top 8: 8.Convert 7. Ponte Del Diavolo 6. Octi 5. Kamisado 4. Onitama 3. Octiles 2. Azul 1. Quoridor

[@qsykip]

I don't think that's typically a requirement. Fox and geese or Hnefatafl are very typical examples of asymmetric games that are usually regarded as abstract strategy games. You can probably search on Google for asymmetric abstract strategy games and you'll see more examples of it. There's nothing about the term that excludes elements of luck either, so a lot of people consider Backgammon as an abstract strategy game. The term that you're looking for are (symmetric) combinatorial games. I agree that a lot of people do use this term specifically for combinatorial games, but it's a lot more controversial that you might expect. The only thing that is indisputable is that 'abstract' is the opposite of 'themed' in board game jargon, but even then, people find it hard to reach a common ground. Patchwork technically is very much themed, but many argue that it should still be included in this genre. It's just a very imprecise term that means different things to different people, so I don't really like it very much.

[@mudsharkbytes]

@@qsykipBackgammon fits as an abstract despite the element of chance because the playing field is still level. Over the course of multiple games both players will end up with an equal percentage of good and bad rolls. Backgammon is like riding statistical probabilities - a fascinating game.

[@clintonjeffrey6699]

Tak. Great for pubs, classic look and feel.

[@TheDavidPhillips]

I think it was smart to basically shut down the discussion on the definition - have never seen a Top 10 Abstracts that didn't devolve into arguments and counterpoints on what counts. In the end, an abstract strategy is whatever feels like an abstract strategy to you. Great list!

[@mudsharkbytes]

The classic definition of abstract strategy is perfect information - no chance is involved. Typically only a few simple rules, the “minutes to learn, lifetime to master” syndrome. For my taste you runner’d up probably the best all time classic abstract strategy games, but hey, it’s your opinion. Outside of those I would have to add all of the games in the Gipf series, especially Yinch.

[@rickadam6051]

Before the quarantines here we were able to get in a pretty large game night and I finally got to play my copy of Between 2 Castles of Mad King Ludwig! After the curfew/quarantines I've basically been stuck at home, occasionally seeing my friend when he's had a day off, and earlier this week he brought his copy of Tapestry (the only Stonemaier game I don't own) and we played it a few times, so now I've played every Stonemaier game! (Again!) I decided that night no matter what the Sunday Sitdown was, since you usually don't mention your own games on these, I thought it'd be fun to share my Top Ten Stonemaier games! Now that there are ten, and I've played them all. 10. Leaders of Euphoria Maybe I haven't hit the sweet spot with this one yet, as I played it a few times with the same player count each time, but it felt like a social deduction game that was trying to be quick and easy. Which if I'm going for quick and easy social deduction, I (unpopular decision it seems) like Bang! The Dice Game. If I'm going for a more pure social deduction experience, I usually go for Secret Hitler. I also enjoy The Resistance: Avalon, but that game has a sweet spot and it's definitely 8. Feels the most balanced at 8, maybe Leaders has a sweet spot that I just haven't found yet. 9. My Little Scythe I work on cartoons and I'm currently developing a new pilot, so all my friends know me as the board game guy, and/or the cartoon guy. So when it was announced we were getting a My Little Pony themed strategy game, everyone made sure to tell me about it. Then I saw it was Scythe, and was way too excited. One of my favorite childrens cartoons and one of my favorite board games coming together. I know it's just a personal let down and not actually a problem with the game, but the fact I can't play the MLP version with my friends who like the show, and bum out my friends who don't like the show by pulling out the MLP game, disappoints me. 8. Between Two Cities This game always goes over well with my game group, and I enjoy the play of it quite a bit, my letdown with the game is I think it might be too balanced, if that's a thing. In most of my playthroughs, the scores usually end at Player 1 has 58, player 2 has 58, player 3 has 58, player 4 has 59, and player 5 has 58. That would be all well and good, but EVERY game I've played ends this way. My second play of the game ended with everyone at 61 points, it was a 6-way tie. I took a picture because I thought it was hilarious, but every play has been that way so it no longer feels special, it feels like the norm. So for me it doesn't feel like I've been able to get better at the game with the time, we all do about equal, and if I barely sneak a victory here or there by one point, it just isn't all that satisfying. Though again, the drafting and placement and looking at my city grow, I enjoy all that so I do like the play, just not that the scoring is always so close. I do have the expansion which I need to try, maybe that'll raise this one up. 7. Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia I also own the expansion for this which I haven't tried yet, but again could raise this pick up further! This is where we get to the games that I don't really have many if any nitpicks about. I enjoy this game, I enjoy that the workers are dice, I enjoy the humor of the game. I'm excited to try out the expansion as well, so yeah. I like it quite a bit! 6. Charterstone This has the biggest asterisk * of any game on this list, we started the game with 4 of us and were making our way through, then two people moved and we never finished the actual campaign! We were 4 games in. So I bought the recharge pack and I'm looking to finish with a new group once we find someone who promises to finish all the games! I've heard from reviewers that the game is even better after the legacy part is complete, so I'm really excited to try that out when I get there, especially since I was really enjoying it even as a legacy! 5. Viticulture It's crazy to me this one is this far down as I really love this game. I've also used it as a game to teach people worker placement and it's gone over well in that regard as well. I also really enjoy the card expansion that replaced the victory point cards, I like being able to decide if I want to play with multiple ways to score, or keep it more focused on the wine sells. I also enjoy that I have two boards thanks to Tuscany, there's just a lot to love about this game. I usually dislike when the score is the end game trigger, but I don't mind it that much in this game. 4. Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig So in the play we got in of this, the scores weren't all tied! We were playing with 6, 4 of us had played many board games before, and 2 of the others had played a couple but not very many. By the end of the first play everyone was so involved and so interested in everything the game offered, it was a really rewarding experience. Three of us did have 58 points, but then we had 59, 60, and 62 points! I was really happy to see so many different scores. 3. Tapestry I think everything about Tapestry was very enjoyable, very fun to play, lots of interesting choices to make, but there was one rule that I really disliked. When you reach the end of the military track, you get another purple player power, which at first I thought was cool, especially since the variable player powers say things like "If you got this partway through the game, do this instead" so I was intrigued to see how it worked. But then we played a game where both my friend and I reached the end of the track, he got a power that gained him 40 points, (he had to make predictions on end game conditions and would get 10 points for each correct) and I got a power that netted me 6 points. I don't usually mind random elements, and I don't think every game needs to be 110% balanced (see Between Two Cities for more info) but in this game that had very little random, to near the end have that drastic of a change in points (I'm still undefeated so I won that game regardless but still!) If you reach the end of the science track, you have the ability to score 20 points IF your rolls go perfect. You can get 40 points at the end of the military track? And other powers could possibly net you 0 points? But other than that, I enjoyed everything else about the game, hence its high ranking. 2. Wingspan Love everything about this game. It's fun at every player count, the engine building is fantastic, the many different choices and ways to play is something I really enjoy, I love that if every remaining food die is the same icon regardless of how many are left you can reroll, it's just good. And if we get our Mandarin ducks? It just might be perfect at that point... 1. Scythe Still in my top ten of all time. It's my former roommates #1 of all time. It's in my best friend's top ten. I don't know what I could say about it that everyone else hasn't already said, I've bought everything released for this game except for metal mechs and the big box (which I do want to get both just haven't yet) After buying and playing this with a group for the first time, I realized I had another game from the same company, same designer, that being Viticulture, and that led to me finding this channel and finding the other Stonemaier games. This game is a masterpiece, therefor deserving of the #1 spot. And there you go! I'm sure you've already got to hear a lot from fans of your games, but now you got the opinions on all of them from one more. I tried to be honest whether it was one I enjoyed more or enjoyed less, hope nothing seemed disrespectful or unfair to mention, it was fun to rank them and thank you for many hours of fun from my game group and I. As always, we'll look forward to the next one!

[@andredavids9324]

Fully agreed on Summer Pavilion. Do own the original and summer. So much more depth and streamlined game play. Love it!

[@DaFees]

I agree with some of the games on your list like Sagrada and Spirits of the Forest. Based on my personal collection I'd have to give mentions to Tao Long by ThunderGryph Games, Santorini by Roxley Games, Photosynthesis by Blue Orange Games, and Arboretum by Renegade Game Studios.

[@andrew.f97]

Great list! We've also been enjoying Bumuntu and Pueblo a lot lately

[@rickthompson3843]

I was looking at my collection and some of my games echo others mentioned here, especially Onitama. Then I found a game that meets both requirements, heavy on spatial elements and minimal theme, Arboretum! Never thought of it before but I guess it is an abstract strategy game.

[@perigolo]

Hello Jamey, great video as always. I see two big problems on the rules of Sagrada that in my opinion make the game too luck dependant. 1 - except on a 4 player game you have an uneven number of dices per color in the bag and that gives a big advantage for the player whose secret objective has more dice in the bag. This could be easily solved by removing dice from the bag in the same amount for each color before starting the match. 2 - Even if you use the above mentioned house rules and one of the colors rolls various 5-6 the player that has the referred color is way more likely to win the match because of how many points he will make by the secret objective in relation to the public ones and the secrets from other players. In my opinion this could be easily solved by halving the points of the secret objectives or raising like 30-40% points for the public ones.

[@BillyIndiana]

Thanks for the video. It helped me realize that this type of game is lower on my personal preference list, but it was interesting to hear about them. I've only played Blokus because they just don't appeal to me. I guess I prefer games with more theme & my family especially likes cooperative games which seem to be more rare in this genre. However, I should try more cause my wife really enjoys Blokus. Maybe I'll start with some on your top 10. Thanks again.

[@clemos1845]

i really love Yinsh It is one out of many 2player chess like games by Kris Burm

[@Doggmatic_]

Looks fun n cool.. I'm thinking of getting that or abalone

[@TeoRandi]

I just looove Kahuna, chaining those "bridge explosions" is so satisfying. Hive and Greener are also great fun :)

[@DenisRyan]

100% agree on Seikatsu, both on how great it is, and only ever playing it with three players. Fantastic game.

[@Stephen-Fox]

I'll do two top fives, one for each of the two common definitions, in no alphabetical order for each: Combinatorial (i.e. no random elements or hidden information after setup) 2 Player games: Hive Patchwork Pentago Quinamid Siegestones (When played at 2) Themeless Strategy Games: Backgammon Blokus Bridge Siegestones Tsuro

[@scyldscefing3913]

Onitama and Battle Chest are among my favorite.

[@Laura_Stanford]

“Noctiluca” is also a great abstract game. “Calico” and “Cascadia” came out recently and they are awesome!

[@jameystegmaier]

I really like Cascadia and Noctiluca! I really wanted to like Calico, as I love cats, but it's such a tight game.

[@JonnyPez]

Onitama and Tak are two of my favs. Always looking for more.

[@hermanisthemungeman8262]

My favorite part of Onitama is variable setup, which allows a simple game to have massive replayability. I also enjoy the streamlined decision making based off of the cards, which prevents analysis paralysis. I haven't played Tak.

[@blakwngbrd]

Great list! I agree with others about Onitama, and would also suggest War Chest if you haven't played it. Pente is my personal favorite abstract of all time.

[@bobsiddoway]

Great list! So many great games.

[@jamesabele]

Was surprised to see Kingdom Builder on your abstract list, as i have never really thought about it as abstract. Yes, its placing spatial objects in a grid, but while the theme is generic, it really is integrated with gameplay IMO, and would be harder to grasp if it was purely abstract. If Patchwork made you give pause due to its theme, this seems an even bigger exception. I also think the super powers you get are very complicated for what I think of as abstract games, as is scoring. Abstracts tend to not only be spatial to me, but super elegant in objective. You mentioned you had not played Blokus 3d. i have Rumis, a mildly temple themed version of Blokus 3d, and it is likely my favorite abstract strategy game. it always goes over VERY well with non gamers and feels like tetris in a great way. HIGHLY recommend.

[@skeezaworkan]

1. Backgammon (yes, I know, it's an ancient classic) 2. TZAAR 3. Aton 4. DVONN 5. Taluva 6. Seikatsu 7. Onitama 8. Hive 9. Hey, That's My Fish! 10. Chess (yes, I know, it's medieval classic)

[@donnab6391]

Didn't know there was a Master Labyrinth game. We own The aMAZE-ing Labyrinth which we played with the kids when they were young. We still pull it out to play occasionally and still enjoy it. I may have to look into Master Labyrinth--basically the same, but the magic wand tokens will add some depth now that we are a family of adults.

[@SGFlicksify]

I’ve been playing a lot of RK’s Ingenious (app called AXIO) recently + Qwirkle which you mention - probably my two favourites. Would also mention Reversi (Othello).

[@maskalumni6037]

Kinizia could be mentioned a few times: Ingenious, Samurai & RA are his best family type abstract strategy games

[@andrewmoulton8019]

I am surprised that Santorini did not make your list. It is very spacial, but does have a “building” theme. At the least, an honourable mention here!

[@jameystegmaier]

You're right, I should have mentioned it! I've enjoyed my plays of it.

[@hanng1242]

I like Shogi and Hnefetafl. The former because the dropping captured pieces mechanic and the latter because it is asymmetric.

[@walterprossnitz3471]

Thank you for another great video - but I wouldn't include most of your choices, because the visual aspect - which is most definitely thematic - is a reason many people play these. (same for games not on your 10, such as Hive or Santorini, which was unknown in its original abstract version). You might prefer chess with beautiful pieces, but that is not the reason you play, which in the cases of Sagrada and both Azuls, it often is. Blokus would be on my more narrow list, as would at least a couple Gipfs and a Gigamic or 2. Kahuna is borderline - like Santorini it was unknown in its original, less attractive version....

[@freek204]

I love Reiner Knizia's Through the Desert and his new one, Babylonia.

[@andreajohnston9009]

Just awesome 🔥🔥🔥

[@Alfaddur]

I often enjoy your lists but here i found your definition so subjective that almost any game could fit in. To me and from a theoretical point of view, abstract equals « no alea » (no dice nor draw) and « full information » (no hidden elements) This includes SANTORINI, CAYLUS, ENDEAVOUR, TERRA MYSTICA, PHOTOSYNTHESIS, PATCHWORK, HIVE, KANG, ONITAMA...

[@mikeevans4355]

Like the list played 3 on there but like Rondo as my all time abstract.

[@colinshenefield667]

Sagrada has a wonderful meditative solo mode. I was surprised by how many of these games that I own or have played including the honorable mentions

[@rickthompson3843]

I like the solo mode scoring too. Not just maxing out your score, but trying to minimize the score of your "opponent". Very nice solo game indeed.

[@gunzilla]

While I understand it doesn't fit the spatial requirement, I would classify Red7 as an abstract strategy game and I will forever love it. I'm also a big fan of Pyramix. I assume you've also tried the Gigamix 2 player abstract line including Quixo, Squadro, Pylos, and Quarto, of which the last two are my favorites. I too am somewhat surprised not to see Onitama on your list, now that I see others mentioning it.

[@benhoff901]

War Chest (debatable if this is abstract Strategy or not Castles of Burgundy (The theme has no effect on the game so I feel like it is more of an abstract strategy/tile placing game) YINSH Azul Patchwork DVONN TZAAR Tiny Towns Qwirkle Quoridor (this game is sorta meh but when you play it as teams, then it is way more exciting)

[@TheKizersoze13]

My top 5 The Duke / Santorini / Splendor / Stratego / Five Tribes

[@j.prt.979]

Onitama gang (Also Blokus and stratego and a bunch of other stuff)

[@StevenStJohn-kj9eb]

My number 1 is definitely chess. I have a strange fixation with it that I can't explain, consuming hours of content on KZbin about it and swearing at my computer screen when I lose online. Others: Honshu, Carcassonne, Blokus, Ingenious, Azul, Hnefatafl, Stratego, Set, Can't Stop, Splendor, Qwirkle, and Hanamikoji. I've heard you talk about some of these that weren't mentioned in your video, so you either forgot about them or you don't consider them abstract strategy. I agree it's a hard category to define! (*Oh, might be the importance of the spatial element in your definition. That would leave out Hanamikoji and Splendor for example. But try Honshu!)

[@robertcoleman4753]

Since you like Chess so much, you might want to try. Rock Paper Switch

[@aaronegerman2485]

I would consider "The Game" by Steffen Benndorf to be a cooperative abstract game. Very simple but there's really no theme to it, and there's certainly strategy involved.

[@petererte8841]

Interesting list, thank you! But "Glux "is definitely missing! We play it all the time these days, such an interesting game!

[@cameronpowell1864]

Scythe is my favorite Abstract game.

[@JayChampagne]

Top 3 for me: 3. The Duke 2. Torres 1. Yinsh

[@alixwilson8550]

Bumuntu & Yinsh are great

[@stevenbonham7136]

We like azul summer pavilion. Not sure it is the best at 2 player, our main player count. You only refill the bag once per game at the very end.

[@JohnLudlow]

I'll pitch in with Kingdomino.

[@michaelslack8900]

It doesn't meet your spatial requirement, but also 6 Nimmt is great and broadly abstract

[@darren.mcauliffe]

Oririm and ... And Then We Held Hands are both good 2 players co-ops.

[@jeanberecz101]

Bonjour quel dommage qu’il ne puisse y avoir exceptionnellement des sous titres français pour ce grand et intéressant auteur...

[@ailurusludens1342]

Santorini for me!

[@london402]

original Azul is the greatest board game ever made

[@memorcf]

Yinsh and Santorini.

[@MjrLeegInfidel]

Have you played miyabi?

[@jameystegmaier]

I haven't! Do you like it?

[@MjrLeegInfidel]

@@jameystegmaier I love it! Really curious to hear your thoughts and comparison to some if the ones in your list!

[@adrdomeniconi]

Don’t you like Yinsh?

[@ENDryuPL]

Exactly my question. Where is GIPF series😵

[@jameystegmaier]

I haven't played Yinsh. :)

[@Laura_Stanford]

Friend where is “Hive”, “Drop it” ,“Azul”, “Sagrada” honor mention???

[@jameystegmaier]

Why would Azul and Sagrada get honorable mentions when they're ranked #5 and #2 on my list?

[@omidkeivani6028]

No Warchest, Onitama and Santorini?!!! Thunder& Lightning is my favorite abstract strategy of all time. Definitely try it.

[@franciscorojas8088]

Would calico make it into this list?

[@jameystegmaier]

I like what they did with Calico, but no, it wouldn't make this list.

[@JoseAntonio-ng5yu]

Surprised you didn't mention Dragon Castle even as a honorable mention. Have you not played it or you just don't like it?

[@jameystegmaier]

I haven't played it.

[@robertcoleman4753]

Have you tried Rock Paper Switch yet?

[@jameystegmaier]

Not yet!