The Best And Worst Board Games I Have Played in 2023!

[@stowcreek1999]

LOVE that you are also including gaming disappointments

[@SirThecos]

I'm so glad to hear that! 🙃

[@skippy9173]

Found Galdor's Grip because of your channel and am loving it. Keep up the best and less than great games of the year. Maybe also showcase your most played of the year? Do one for solo and one for multi player could be fun

[@SirThecos]

That was a good idea - and I actually did that! 🤓

[@jollylumpy6295]

A lovely overview of a intresting collection of games, I am taking it all with a grain of salt as interests can differ. But as soon as I saw your copy of Keep The Heroes Out, was hooked. Wishing you and everyone else a Guten Rutsch. Maybe we will meet at one of the conventions next year (Dortmund/ Essen)

[@SirThecos]

That would be cool! 🙃

[@cardboardrevolution1756]

Wow thank you so much for your kind words about Loam! Great video in general, very excited to try a couple of your favorites.

[@SirThecos]

Hey, it's great to see you here in the comments! ☺️ Loam is amazing - I'll post a playthrough with a review soon. I'm sure you'll like my verdict. 😉

[@kimoro9643]

I would love to get it, looks so cool! I love soil science things 😍😍

[@cardboardrevolution1756]

Woohoo! Very hype :) @@SirThecos

[@cardboardrevolution1756]

Oh it's right up your alley then! Loam is all printed up and in stock which just feels incredible for us as a small cooperative. @@kimoro9643

[@elaineabreu282]

Sir thecos!!! I have imperium legends and can't make heads or tails of it!!!!! Do you have a playthrough/tutorial?? If not please do one!!

[@SirThecos]

I am definitely planning to record one some time! 🙃

[@andresbergmann1108]

Muy buen vídeo, generalmente adelanto los vídeos largos. Pero me atrapó tanto que lo ví completo

[@SirThecos]

Es fantástico escuchar eso. ¡Gracias! 😊

[@PablowingUrMind]

Really digging this format. Monthly or quaterly ones would be awesome.

[@SirThecos]

Hm, I'll keep that in mind! 🤓

[@jonathanantscherl]

Great year of gaming! And thanks for the shoutout for Crumbs! ❤

[@jonathanantscherl]

@@sylviawilkinson6874 Not quite sure what the “credits” of the Kickstarter are exactly. I am indeed the designer of Crumbs! The sandwich filler game but Minerva Tabletop Games are the publisher and do all the Kickstarter stuff - not too much idea about that aspect really! Thanks for the interest and being a backer perhaps?

[@jonathanantscherl]

@@sylviawilkinson6874 Thanks Sylvia - no problem! The pledge manager should be opening quite soon I believe and generally speaking will hopefully be available by May in a few select shops in the U.K. and US is the plan as well as directly through the Minerva Tabletop Games Website for anyone who discovers it later etc

[@SirThecos]

You bet! 😁

[@nathancate582]

Final Girl didn't hit me either. Sold it pretty quick actually. Frustrating when a game is hyped so much and liked by so many and just doesn't hit with you. Respect for your honest opinion tho. And Happy New Year.

[@SirThecos]

That's the most important thing for me - giving you my total honest opinion. 🤓

[@elikurtz729]

Thank you so much for this gorgeous list with games that are rarely shown :D Love that you have so many good small games that give a great experience. I am always looking to find games that play up to 6 and was not aware that the Cascadia Expansion would accomodate higher player counts. Thanks for pointing that out. Got White Castle for Christmas and liked it quite a bit. The Solo mode is unfortunately broken in my opinion and my sweet spot sofar is 3 players. But I can also see this becoming repetetive after a while. Was a bit disappointed that the box art is not really reflected inside even though they tried hard :P Have a great New Year with a lot of fun gaming moments!

[@SirThecos]

Thank you for sharing your experiences - I hope you had a good start into the New Year! ☺️

[@ericrobers8199]

Great review. I love that you included your disappointments too. A game could be great in a lot of ways, but in order to be 'great', it needs to be FUN! I appreciate you speaking your mind.

[@SirThecos]

Thank you! 😊

[@blocktaxman]

Another great surprise for New Year’s Eve. Happy New Year and happy gaming!

[@SirThecos]

Same to you! 😁

[@corey3145]

Great vid! I always learn of at 1 or more interesting games from your reviews. Thanks and Happy New Year!

[@SirThecos]

That's so great to hear! ☺️

[@Viljanne]

Sir Thecos, if White Castle dissappointed you bacause of a bot too, it becomes a much better experience with the new solo bot, the Gingkowaga Clan (it's on BGG) - it's fanmade, but by a professional solo mode designer (for example from 3 Ring Circus) and it much more balanced.

[@SirThecos]

Interesting - I'll check it out! 👀

[@durkadenz1857]

I really love your enthusiasm for all of these interesting and great games. After your explanations i could buy a bunch of these games, but my boardgames shelf couldn't handle that ;-)

[@SirThecos]

Yeah, that's always the issue. 😆

[@rolfvansoelen8916]

Your 'dissapointments' were very interesting. They are a fair warning: even if games are generally highly regarded, there can be something 'off'. It's a tendency I notice as well. Lot of games become forgettable after the first plays, and it is hard to put a finger on why that is. They return to the shelf as 'a good game', but the feeling of 'i need to play this again very soon' is lacking. Typically, a lot of older games have more staying power than a lot of the modern designs. I guess because many games nowadays are a bunch of recycled mechanisms, nothing new under the sun except for some twist. That twist is exciting the first few plays, after that the excitement fades away. What is left is often a 'been there, done that' kinda feel, no need to return to.

[@SirThecos]

I definitely agree! 🤓

[@terry3733H]

Thanks for your reviews. I’m also not drawn to Fox Experiment and White Castle- too short too abstract. Iki feels more immersive as a merchant working through seasons in Edo Japan. 😊

[@SirThecos]

Iki is on my list of games to play some time as well! 🤓

[@vinicius02able]

Hello, Sir Thecos! Do you think that the Hexplore IT box has a good amount of replayability (playing solo)? I'm thinking about picking it up, but it's kinda hard to get more boxes here on where I live. Thank you!

[@SirThecos]

Hm, it kind of depends. The game itself plays our similarly each time. The main draw of the game are the different characters and classes and their combinations. There are lots of those and this is where the variability comes in. But I can't estimate if that would be enough replayability for you, to be honest. 🤔

Hi, first time viewer here, what criteria do you use for nominating a game for Spiel des jahres? (Besides being a great game releases in Germany). For example, you mentioned that Heat pedal to the metal or Sky team would be your submission but you say nothing about Earth, so i wonder if is it because you don't think Earth is as good? Or some other criteria is in place

[@El-gu2hi]

The spiel award is for family weight games. The Kennerspiel is the category for more complex games.

[@SirThecos]

What was said by El-gu2hi is true but there are also other things, such as the release date. Also, I find Heat clearly better than Earth.

[@pesto12601]

Happy New Year!!

[@SirThecos]

Same to you (even if a little late)! ☺️

[@Poiuytrew.Q]

Oh boy. I think I have similar tastes to you, so I’ll have to see if I can try Fox Experiment in person before buying. When it was on Kickstarter, it seemed like a game that would be just OK.

[@SirThecos]

Yeah, that was my impression as well. Then again, quite a few other content creators enjoy it!

[@keith2570]

You mention a push your luck game you would rather like to play. It sounded something like penecava. I'm sure that's not it. Can you let me know what game it is? Thanks

[@SirThecos]

I think you mean Piraten Kapern. Even if you get the German version, the game doesn't have text and you should find the English rules online. A nice little dice chucker. 🤓

[@morgaknightgames]

I will have to disagree with you on Final Girl and The White Castle. Granted, I do think The White Castle shines best at 3-4 players and I would not recommend it solo. But, hey, not every game is for every person, and that's part of what makes the hobby interesting!

[@SirThecos]

Exactly, it's great that there are so many different games so that there is something for everyone. ☺️

[@Poiuytrew.Q]

My most disappointing game of 2023 is Fika. I knew going in it didn’t match the artwork but I was hoping it would be fun regardless, but it’s not what I wanted the game to be.

[@SirThecos]

Fika looks so nice - but I keep hearing quite negative things about it. 😬

[@gerardolsen9823]

I like games that are hands-on and not computer-type games. Just wish more were in English.

[@SirThecos]

What do you mean by 'computer-type' games? 👀

[@gerardolsen9823]

Well, electronic games. I like games that are of paper and carboard and plastic and wood like board games. Does that help? I am old fashioned.@@SirThecos

[@SirThecos]

I prefer board games to video games as well. 🙃