TDG: Cody's Top Ten Fantastical Wargames (December 2024)

[@DrewGrgich-x6v]

Great list of games! I knew this would be another Burning Banners victory from watching your channel recently. I have also fallen under this game's spell and am loving your coverage of it. The spells make the game very unpredictable. Rolling well with measly Goblin Warriors against a much more powerful unit that rolls poorly is among the best feelings in gaming.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@DrewGrgich-x6v It is a great game indeed! Thanks.

[@peterixon8708]

Own 2 & 3. Never thought to buy Burning Banners. Think I'm going to have to fix that. Thanks again Cody for inspiring us all.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@peterixon8708 Happy to help - you’ll love it!

[@davidthompson7233]

Great list! As you say Burning Banners is just so, so beautiful. Really want to play it at some point just to enjoy how gorgeous it is first hand. Happy New Years!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Happy New Year to you, my friend.

[@RolandoRatas]

What !! no War Of The Ring !?!?!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Congrats - you're the first to say it!

[@Ragnar0kske]

I came here to say the same 😊

[@SpielereiimSonnenschein]

3.

[@karstenengelmann925]

Hey, LotR is HISTORICALLY accurate of the actual Third age of Middle Earth…no fantasy, thank you!

[@duncanfarquhar353]

@@karstenengelmann925this cracked me up lol

[@dougsundseth6904]

Just a few of my favorite SF&F boardgames: Outreach, SPI Albion: Land of Faerie, SPI Ares Magazine Starfire, Task Force Games (et al.), specifically the campaign versions in Starfire III, Imperial Starfire, and others. Sky Galleons of Mars, GDW Wizard Kings, Columbia Games Ogre/GEV, Microgaming/Steve Jackson Games Divine Right, TSR Borderlands, Eon Games And a couple of miniatures games (there are many others, but these came immediately to mind): Full Thrust, Ground Zero Horizon Wars, Osprey (notably better than Battletech, IMO) Fantasy Rules!, Chipco

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks!

[@adamclausing1944]

FYI - Space Empires 4x is having a third expansion soon. There is also talk of a Burning Banners expansion.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Can't wait.

[@On_A_Quest_Games]

Awesome list added a few to mine to check out. Love your material.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks. Happy to help.

[@Mochi-yo1ro]

Thanks for introducing these games! I have a party of 5 , looking to get Axis & Allies , or Burning Banners, because I'm missing competitive war board game genre in my collection :). Thank you and Happy New Year ahead!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@Mochi-yo1ro Happy New Year to you as well!

[@inwyrdn3691]

The minute we start colonizing planets, Nexus Ops won't be fantastical anymore.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Er... Okay.

[@kennethjones4578]

Tallon sounds like it was based on Star Fleet battles

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

It has a similar impulse system, and I've heard many people say that it is familiar if you've played SFB.

[@tenhouradaygamer1009]

Greatest Fantasy Wargame of all-time? Dragon Pass, hands down.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Haven't played it. How old is it?

[@tenhouradaygamer1009]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Sadly old and hard to find, but I played every Avalon Hill and SPI fantasy board wargame, and have always searched for a similar. Tabletop Simulator has a mod if you want to glance at it.

[@aaronchapa1117]

War for Arrakis is a banger indeed!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Love that game.

[@Will-gg7yh]

Great list! I really hope burning banners turns into a series or has some expansions

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I do know there is an expansion in the works. Thanks.

[@PhilipWibbing]

Great list as always! Here are 3 Armed Warriors from my collection (alphabetical). They are all great multiplayer games, so I do not know, if they fit into your war game genre. Bloodstones Dust Forbidden Stars Thank you very much for the video!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@PhilipWibbing Dust and Forbidden Stars are both great. I haven’t played Bloodstones.

[@hairbrainedgames3127]

If you ever get a chance to try Defence of Procyon III, it's a really good fantasy wargame with extensive asymmetry between factions.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@hairbrainedgames3127 Thanks. Sounds like a good game.

[@michaelmitchell2123]

Defense of Procyon 3 is brilliant!

[@warlordfish6676]

Great list!! but you should take a look at Eclipse the second dawn for the galaxy, think you may enjoy!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy is one of my favorite games, consistently in my top twenty of all time, but while it has aspects of a wargame, it is not a wargame: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKObY3xroN1opK8

[@samt9387]

Great vid 👍 I'm a big fan of Titans, and Battlelore 2n edition.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks!

[@OliverLaskoski]

Have you reviewed world in flames? I haven't seen any videos on that but if you did please let me know! Or please review that game!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I had a set of World in Flames, and frankly I found the rules that came with it indecipherable. We were at it for a few hours and then just gave up. No plans to try to review it again any time soon.

[@hagenbehr4354]

Nice impressions. Will look at some of your games closer especially your number one.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks.

[@jksalamon]

Undaunted Callisto 2200 is mentioned as #5 on video but the text shows as #4.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@jksalamon My mistake.

[@robertthurman9866]

Do give UnMatched Tales to Amaze a try. Either solo or co-op it has the best AI system I have ever used. It really mimics another player.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@robertthurman9866 I’ve heard it’s good. Thanks.

[@blackdaz3]

I really think you should try ironwood as light 1v1 wargame.. Have you tried talon's expansions?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@blackdaz3 Haven’t played Ironwood. I played the first Talon expansion.

[@RicksPoker]

I've very fond of Wizard Kings published by Columbia Games. Fun video.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@RicksPoker Thanks.

[@j3errym]

Good list, have you played Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I have not. Good?

[@j3errym]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I think so, has some good expansions but the core is solid enough. Asymetric factions that are fighting on two fronts, leverage the two enemies against each other and assist other factions.

[@NewEnglandPats]

Very interesting! I was surprised no mention of Twilight Imperium on the list. Not a fan?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@NewEnglandPats I love TI. My second favorite game of all time. But I don’t really consider it a wargame. It has aspects of a wargame, but there is a lot more going on.

[@NewEnglandPats]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer That's true, it's more a game of politics and posturing I suppose.

[@jksalamon]

What are the Honorable mentions couldnt get those names, except RDR

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Nexus Ops and Imperial Stars II.

[@jksalamon]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Thank you very much.

[@roto6500]

Dragonhunt by avalon hill. That game is fun and has an identity crisis.... is it a war game? Or is it a magical fantasy game?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@roto6500 I haven’t heard of that one. Sounds interesting.

[@pauls3585]

Burning Banners is based on Divine Right (1979 and 2024, I have both), which is also an awesome game. Burning Banners is hard to find so I have not been able to buy it ☹

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@pauls3585 I’ve got a copy of the Divine Right reprint, but haven’t played it yet.

[@pcolageorge]

Burning Banners looks like Dominions (the video game), one of my favorites.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@pcolageorge It’s a great game.

[@pcolageorge]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Hopefully, they'll be available again soon. Right up my alley. Remember Divine Right?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@pcolageorge Playing it tomorrow night.

[@darrickdean1849]

Good thing I'm putting up new shelves for games since you keep finding new ones for me to buy.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@darrickdean1849 Sorry Not Sorry.

[@briand5979]

I love Red Alert by Richard Borg.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

That's a good one, too.

[@siriactuallysara]

I feel like the number 1 should be warhammer 40k by sheer scope and popularity alone

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

You'll note the list discusses my top ten games - it's in the title. Thanks.

[@Uther1313]

Star Wars Rebellion? TI4? War of the Ring?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I don't consider Rebellion or TI4 wargames. They have aspects of wargames, but there is a lot more going on in each. As for War fo the Ring, I only played a few turns briefly a decade ago.

[@brucewachtler9093]

Try World War Zed by White Dog Games. It’s a solo area movement game where you are trying to stop the zombie hordes from destroying the USA. Great fun!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@brucewachtler9093 Sounds like fun. Thanks.

[@RommelsAsparagus]

No love for War of the Ring?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Haven't played it enough.

[@mienzillaz]

I bought BB couple months ago, still not played, as i have no group up to this.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@mienzillaz Time to make new friends. Hope you get to play it soon.

[@chrisdonovan8795]

I gave away Talon. To me it seemed like there was ten minutes of lumbering movement, then a ship gets hit, which then starts a downward death spiral for that ship. I wanted to love it, but that aspect didn't appeal to me.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I really liked it quite a bit. I felt like it was a far more realistic space combat game because of the lumbering movement. But to each their own.

[@chrisdonovan8795]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Yes! The lumbering aspect was nice. I just felt like once you were hit, it was over. There was an old game by GW, I think, that had hidden movement, shields, and broadsides firing that was pretty fun. The robot game, Bolt was similar. A few more options would've made the battles here more interesting to me. Yes. To each their own.

[@BrianMarcus-nz7cs]

😂. Err , no Shadows over Normandy ? 🐒

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@BrianMarcus-nz7cs Er… Never played it.

[@BrianMarcus-nz7cs]

@TheDiscriminatingGamer 🥂 probably done yourself a favour 🦖🚽🤔👍

[@flow3730]

Great List! But no Axis and Allies Anniversary or War Room?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I don't think you understood the parameters of this list. I'm looking at Fantastical Wargames, not historical. Essentially, fantasy, sci-fi, horror themes. Thanks.

[@flow3730]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Sorry I missed that. Thanks for the enlightment!

[@jacobblanton5179]

"It's got this 'nordic' faction-" Those are Dwarves. Nord Dwarves. Nworves.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Ha!