The Top 100 Board Games of All Time: Race/Roll for the Galaxy

[@IslanKleinknecht]

Pip quizzing Tom on the iconography is a stellar moment.

[@threepoint14159265]

Stellar? I see what you did there.

[@marteninfinite]

Ugh, the lowest point of the vid actually imo. "And in which phase does this happen?" Well, that is what you were supposed to tell Tom just like the card does, the icons do not stand alone. The icon with the dice was also clearly below the belt as the card itself, Gabling World, shows the full text for the icon, which is why a minority of the cards have it and most of them don't. Then top it off with a victorious "I have proven my point.", more like missed the point.

[@AndrewWatsonPiano]

​@@marteninfiniteTom said she proved her point too

[@johnhoslett6732]

The design of race for the galaxy is absolutely amazing. Incredibly well done. 😎

[@seanfallon2271]

It is very funny to me that in Pip's Quiz, Tom thought the card game with no dice had a symbol that asked you to roll dice.

[@DullDishwater]

Always nice to see Pip

[@GenderNeutch]

Agreed

[@saschanv]

Her laugh is unbearable.

[@TheSchaef47]

My takeaway from the clips of them playing Race is that she has the patience of a saint.

[@robotskirts]

That pop quiz was great. I'm a big Roll for the Galaxy fan. It will never leave my collection. My only experience with cards, cards, cards, is Jump Drive which I don't like nearly as much. I don't own a lot of dice chuckers and that tactility is great.

[@HilaryOwen-td2dj]

I love this series, so satisfying to watch the discussions, particularly as so far I know these games intimately myself. Also it's great to have Pippa back, and I really enjoy watching Matt doing more reviews.

[@NeonGodzilla87]

The third one is New Frontiers, which brings the whole thing back to being a board game like the original Puerto Rico.

[@NeonGodzilla87]

Pip absolutely captures my partners frustrations with both of these games, you don't get to have the absolutely bonkers final turn or two that really lets your engine shine.

[@mcguintyspub]

I wish I had the golden sunshine charisma that pip has. Super awesome to join her for a top 100 episode

[@recklessroges]

This is more of an observation than a question: this is like a podcast, but fun.

[@nazokashii]

Always an interesting discussion :) so wonderful to have Pip join again :D thank you for sharing

[@StephaneBura]

You don't put the discarded tiles in the bag until the end of the explore phase :)

[@ViscountCharles]

"What will the third one be?" On one level there is already a third - and a fourth. Jump Drive, which is a super-fast and super-light version of Race. And New Frontiers, which is a board game with some of the Race/Roll structure and iconography.

[@CritterOverYonder]

Constant Horrible Decisions is a perfect way to describe good board games.

[@gregoryc.pyperjr.4147]

The small box RftG that you're looking for at 45:55 is Jump Drive...an even more streamlined version of RftG that plays even quicker.

[@gavinpearson74]

Would have loved to see if Pip found Jump Drive easier than Race.

[@marfdasko]

I'm almost disappointed these two games got lumped together in the same video. Don't get me wrong, I like both of them and both of them are fixtures in my collection, but I think Race is just so much better of a design than Roll. It's one of those games that really got rid of all the chaff and kept only the solid core of the design. It's really just a class apart from Roll. I'm glad to see Tom appears to feel the same.

[@TheControlBlue]

Without Race, Roll wouldn't even be a thing. I have no idea how they didn't understand the significance of that when doing a list of the best board games. Does historical significance mean nothing?

[@BaselessClaimYT]

​@@TheControlBlueI think the history of SU&SD is the answer there. They've always been about getting people interested and playing. So the experience on the table is the primary focus, not historical context. Same reason why they never liked reviewing out of print stuff.

[@lawzer]

Roll for the Galaxy is my favourite board game, despite playing countless "better" or "more interestingly complex" games since. It's the perfect game to bring out to bridge the gap between seasoned board gamers and new ones and great to unwind with after a much meatier game (or too many drinks). My biggest gripe is the start of the base game can be quite slow, but that was solved with the commander dice in the expansion which lower the chance of you feeling like you've had a truly "bad" turn. Cup on head to signify you're done with your dice is a must-have house rule.

[@osrsgold2547]

How do you find teaching the game to new players?

[@lawzer]

@@osrsgold2547 I always see their eyes glaze over when I hand them the player guide with it's info overload, so I tell them to ignore it until later and do a quick roll or two of the dice to show how you can manipulate things. Much faster. Produce/Ship are hit or miss if someone "gets" the importance first time or not.

[@66morningview]

Really enjoying these discussions, its getting rarer to find unbiased review content in a world of constant 'paid kickstarter previews'. Very well edited too boot.

[@TzarinaMystra]

Love the editing on this video--cutting in short clips of gameplay highlights is so much nicer than a long chunk of watching the whole game (which I'd inevitably get bored and skip).

[@davetalbert8387]

YES! The editing is a key part of what makes SUSD so good -- there are a million channels with people talking about games, and a few dozen of those are witty and charismatic people who are skilled at writing prose. But hardly any of them have the editing required to make it worth watching to those not already invested in the community.

[@eligra]

Both have their purposes. I quite like their full playthroughs (or Streams, as they are called these days if they're live), but in this format in which they both discuss the game and play the game edited highlights is the only thing that works.

[@philthephreak]

Interesting! I found myself skipping all the gameplay bits to get to the opinions. I felt the video was too long. I’d much rather have a link to a separate gameplay video.

[@mattmercieca6010]

The reviews and game breakdown are great. I'd love to see the full gameplay released as bonus bits or something though.

[@adamduncan9822]

Another great episode. Thanks!!

[@StormCrow42]

Buy a small box expansion and then put Race in with the expansion box.

[@nuk3snip3r]

I'm going to point out that Pip's test is flawed because each of these icons would always be shown directly next to the phase in which they occur. So if these said the phase first, I think Tom would have nailed them much better. Also, as someone who likes Race a lot, Pip picking on the Contact Specialist's iconography, while justified to some degree, is not as bad as it looks given that it kind of becomes a significant change in how you can play the game if you get those cards. Also, Tom is right. Race for the Galaxy is a firm lock in any top 100 list. Almost certainly top 10. Roll is still great. Good game. But Roll is like a 80s-90s range in the grand list of 100.

[@recklessgambit3385]

I own both of these games and I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion. I prefer Race for the Galaxy, but I do understand how Roll for the Galaxy might feel "lighter" because the decisions aren't as "tough."

[@dennisw64]

Race for the Galaxy is one of my favorite games of all time. I also enjoy Roll for the Galaxy too. But SU&SD forgot to mention the other game in the family... New Frontiers. The RFTG board game version. A game I also enjoy a lot.

[@dio1122able]

Pip has the most infectious laugh

[@andrewtorrens7790]

The first two icons were: If you are wearing more brown clothing than other players, you are permitted to hold two cell phones simultaneously, and If playing a military world, there are fewer questions, but you are not allowed to eat eggs.

[@TheSlinkerDog]

I absolutely love both Roll and Race, but I've almost never played the base versions of either. I especially forgot how much Ambition improves Roll across the board. Which is definitely a negative that it needs an expansion for that, but I love it so much, even more than Race, because of it.

[@Norm-R]

About a half hour in, I just kept staring at Matt and Tom's orange and green dice cups with the white piece of paper between them and I could not stop seeing the Irish flag.

[@marfdasko]

It's a tribute to Brendan

[@Ben-qy1sq]

​@@marfdaskoI miss Brendan, allusive, whimsical and legendary - almost like a well-worn Irish folk tale that stays in the subconscious years after being told 😎

[@Churro_Douglas]

26:30 "You've just done a World Cup" is brutal 💀

[@testoftetris]

I've played Race for the Galaxy like 600+ times on Board Game Arena, so I'm fairly fluent in all the ridiculous iconography. Even still, Pip's quiz was humbling. I think the Contact Specialist icon is actually pretty good, especially considering how much of a specific rule-breaker it is. But the gambling world icon is nonsense (partly b/c the gambling world *minigame* is also nonsense). The "bonus if you produced the most brown goods" caught me off guard. I did know exactly what the symbol meant, but it comes up so rarely that even with my experience I still had to pause and think "shoot which one is that, again?"

[@Peter55855]

The quiz wasn't exactly fair, because all those cards have text explaining what the abilities do. Only the most basic abilities are icon-only.

[@ShunyValdez]

I think the 2-dimensional ranking ain't working. There are now 3 axis: fun, better game, ranking. ....I want to see them try to rank in a 3dimensional axis.

[@kolomahler]

I like it when Matt talks about cards.

[@drizztcj]

The best part of Roll is its tactility. It feels very nice, and the movement of it makes it easier to teach. I think it is a little simpler, and with the feel and colour and noise of the dice, Roll is nicer to teach. I do like Race for the Galaxy, and it being small is fantastic.

[@adriansolis5362]

Give Pip a stamp card and on the 10th appearance she gets like...a pizza or something?

[@richardclegg8027]

Maybe this is where the presenters go. After ten appearances she got to keep Paul.

[@cdeavin]

Surprised that nobody suggested combining two entries in the list to form Roll for the Galaxy Trucker (or RAce for the galaxy (OR, in a three way tie for first, El DoRAce for the Galaxy))

[@richardclegg8027]

Roll for the race. Which could be a reimplementation of formula d.

[@tychoclavius4818]

How about four way tie, El doRAce for the galaxy trucker

[@Duiker36]

@@tychoclavius4818 But does Agricola go above or below?

[@richydzeus]

I hope the standard reference "do not tumble dry" symbol makes more appearances

[@celestialspark5697]

Gambler World is actually 0 to 7 in the base game and up to 9 with expansions! I will note that every single card that has a symbol that is not frequently used has a full text box describing the ability.

[@marfdasko]

The fact that they had to print gambling word three times before they realized they could just make a version that wasn't reliant on needing to know the constantly changing distribution of cards in the deck remains one of the funniest gimmicks in all boardgamedom to me.

[@celestialspark5697]

@@marfdasko Guessing based on the current distribution of cards isn't even always correct, is the thing. I pretty much split between guessing 2 if I want to draw anything, and guessing 6 if I'm in a situation where I can afford a 6-dev. It's a fascinating card for what basically amounts to "yeah it consumes a good I guess".

[@Peter55855]

The power that is giving Tom money at 14:02 rounds up, so he should have gotten 2 credits for 3 dice, instead of 1.

[@thecommuterzombie]

The iconography pop quiz is giving me flashbacks to my last game of Voidfall 😆

[@Ben-pf9wx]

Yoooo susd posted let’s gooooooo

[@Flea_ip]

I actually have never played Race, but I absolutely *adore* Roll. There's a pretty good chance I would actually quite enjoy Race, but what's keeping me away from it is just all the generally negative stuff I hear about it. That it's confusing (particularly the iconography), that it's just kind of.. old and isn't particularly well made (to cite Matt's issues with the art and consistent things like text boxes and drop shadows), and the fact that it's just kinda hard to find these days without buying a severely used copy from someone. So.. I'm not really in any kind of rush (race?) to play Race. But I'm fully and completely happy to continue playing Roll because it very well may be in my Top 5 of all time. If it's not, it's almost certainly Top 10. I really love it

[@gamingpond]

Race has been continuously in print since 2007, so it should be very easy to find a copy! I can see Matt’s point about the art and I wouldn’t mind a future printing with Ian O’Toole art (he loves the game and wants to do it) and tiles and a smaller box, but there’s nothing wrong with the current edition! It’s extremely playable and the icons are great! Try it!

[@getoffmeow]

boardgamegeek is showing multiple listings for new copies of Race for the Galaxy in the 20-30 dollar range. you should give it a go! it's free to play online on board game arena, if you'd rather try it before you buy. It's one of my absolute favorite games, especially playing 1 v 1, but it's great at all player counts

[@OgamiTringle]

The icons are not as bad as the naysayers would have you believe. They make the game extremely readable.

[@OgamiTringle]

The icons are not as bad as the naysayers would have you believe. They make the game extremely readable.

[@DarkDragon24u]

Pip is backkkkk

[@rmcunningham3874]

PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@EvanSawyer4]

The point I think was missed around the 20 minute mark during the discussion of the action selection mechanisms in both games. Is that in RftG, it’s not just about choosing the action you want to do most and it’s nice if other players chose other actions you want to do as well. In RftG you gain advantage by sussing out if another player is surely going to choose the thing you want to do most, if so, you can choose the second thing you want to do the most. With caution though, if it looks like you need said action more than the other player, they might be “sure” you’ll choose it and not choose it themselves.

[@Rentarousensei]

Well and the consideration of whether getting the advantage of somebody else picking it is enough or whether you need the kicker from choosing it. If you really need more cards to pay for stuff, relying on somebody choosing explore isn't enough and that happens with most things (except settling).

[@andrewtorrens7790]

One thing that wasn't discussed was player interaction. Personally I find my games of race were much more like mutual solitaire than roll, where deducing your opponents' decisions had a huge impact on the effective use of your dice.

[@gamingpond]

Tom was straight spittin’ this video!

[@NA-oe5jj]

The expansions push roll for Galaxy to the top of this two game pile for me. Definitely my favorite

[@carpemkarzi]

Pip! and Matt and Tom . The day is automatically better.

[@88kylesperhour]

Love that opening graphic.

[@boardgameswiththomas]

Great video! I still much prefer Jump Drive as my favorite of these three and feel it's vastly underrated. It especially plays great solo. Though I do think Race for the Galaxy isn't too far behind it Jump Drive > Race >>> Roll

[@rat488]

as someone who has played over a hundred games of roll for the galaxy I will say you can absolutely push the edges in order to push the limit that feels great which is especially when you know someone is trying to end the game

[@mozartstudios9244]

Matt is channeling Alan Tudyk from Resident Alien to a T!!! 29:58

[@roygrutchfield5715]

You should have included JUMP DRIVE with this comparison, its the quick version Race for Galaxy. It all depends on how long you have to play and who is playing.

[@my-spinning-wheel]

I play jump drive solo and love it

[@marfdasko]

But if everyone knows how to play a game of RftG basically takes 15 minutes. Why does it need to be even shorter?

[@luigiscazzari4724]

49:00 I am positive Pip is joking because " Silence in the library" is one of the greatest Dr Who episodes ever

[@Balders-y1d]

Toooom! I that a Finchy shirt? I love the RKG boys.

[@BGing_Foodie]

I feel like their comment about seeing the end of Race more easily than in Roll just shows how much more familiar they are with Race than Roll, because it's just as easy to see someone close to building their 12th tile in Roll as their 12th card in Race. Also, when discarding in Explore in Roll, tiles get set aside and only put back in the bag at the end of the phase, so it's impossible to redraw discarded tiles in the same turn. If you've ever played on BGA, you'll quickly notice that almost everyone discards their tiles to be able to see more tiles every time in order to get tiles that work better with their engine. I wish they invited someone who loves Roll as much as they love Race to make a more head to head and informed video. Right now, they have played Race much more so they've developed deeper strategies that are also possible with Roll, but just haven't realized them yet.

[@curtislassam9465]

One of Pip's friends' friends just got a LOT of context for a bad pub interaction and is now feeling pretty salty

[@Zagardal]

I've been away for a while so I gotta ask... why's Emily not doing videos anymore? And what happened to Ava? That said, it's great to see Pip more and more :)

[@happyjosiah]

This needs more discussion and comparison of New Frontiers

[@DumbMuscle]

Race vs Roll for me is a case of "this is brilliant, but I *like* this" - Race is the better game, absolutely, but the decision of which cards to build and which to use as fodder for other cards absolutely breaks my brain and sends me into decision paralysis in a way that no other game does, so I just don't enjoy playing it. Roll is a fun little fairly quick jaunt, which has some disappointments when things don't go right (and/or you economically screw yourself) and some "woo!" moments when you succesfully pull off the "I'm a psychic and predicted what everyone else would do" plays. I tend to pull it out over Galaxy Trucker because it's a marginally quicker teach (especially with the big reference card/screen) and just a little closer to crunch than chaos. I had somehow completely missed that Roll had an expansion until I saw the comments here, so that's going on the Christmas wish list.

[@hughmilner7013]

"More of a statement than a question" Tom, no! Don't become that one guy in the back of the room at an academic conference!

[@Oblomovrising]

Race for the Galaxy is my favourite game ❤

[@Duxa_]

Good placement. I would have gone on rip and tear if Agricola was to be outdone by yes EXELLENT Race for The Galaxy... but Agricola, come on, top 3 best games of all time! Id argue top 1.

[@ChillinWithTheCapuchins]

Race for the Galaxy is fine, but man do I love Roll for the Galaxy! Easily my favorite dice game!

[@radical_dog]

Crunch vs fun is the big question mark that hangs over all of gaming. The BGG top list has always preferred crunch, but they're wrong and they need to know it! Vote Pip!

[@TheControlBlue]

No, you and Pip are wrong. Off with you, casuals!

[@sinnylong]

Interesting. I’m discovering it’s an unpopular opinion, but one shared by my entire gaming group: we loathed Race for the Galaxy (or were at very least entirely underwhelmed by it and utterly confused by its popularity), but we adored Roll for the Galaxy wholeheartedly (still do, in fact). The latter would most assuredly have a place in my Top 100 of all time, while the former would be on an entirely…different list.

[@IslanKleinknecht]

I do like that I can fit all of the expansions I bought for it in the Race for the Galaxy box, and it's not that big of a box.

[@Motif054]

YYYYAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!! We are so back!!!!

[@akdave3947]

Watching this video gave me a craving for a Sherbert Double Dip.

[@Prlwy-T]

No mention of the game Jump Drive? Which basically is a third version of this game, with the same art! and cards as resources. That could totally still fit in the Roll for the Galaxy box being a stack of cards and uses the same victory tokens.

[@Kaerugreen]

Is New Frontiers the fourth version? I was about to say it was the third but forgot about Jump Drive

[@antiussentiment]

Jiggle ForThe Galaxy... The new dexterity version.

[@radordekeche947]

The only problem with Roll for the Galaxy is that the dice may be challenging for colorblind people. My dad has red/green colorblindness, and he had trouble distinguishing some of the dice. Otherwise, pretty fun game.

[@MsbS-m3j]

A missed opportunity to put Roll For The Galaxy Trucker on the list!

[@osrsgold2547]

I was just looking at this game :0

[@gregh2327]

Matt “Shape of the Game” Lees

[@RacingDamon]

I've never played Roll for the Galaxy - is there a reason you gave a rules overview for Race but not Roll? It would have helped me to follow the discussion better. I like Race but I agree with Pip that the iconography is not well designed and that it can be AP triggering when you have a large hand.

[@jonjstorey]

Why didn't Pip get the memo about black t-shirts? These are 2 games that I've played but haven't fallen in love with. I want to love Race For the Galaxy, but I think that the production, iconography etc. let it down too much. I find San Juan a much more friendly game in that respect and therefore that would be my choice for a role selection card game. And as a bonus, a reprint is due to be released in 2025. Roll for the Galaxy, is a game that I'll play from time to time if someone suggests it, but I'd always gravitate away from a dice game to a board or card game.

[@alfredbaeumer3643]

Ah The turnip trio 🎉❤

[@mr_baa]

Ok, you didn't get it totally wrong! ;) IMHO Race for the Galaxy is the very best of the series by a large margin (without expansions). After that comes New Frontiers and on the last place is Roll for the Galaxy. NF feels a little bit more limited compared to the original. And the rattling of the dice can get really annoying sometimes on the dice version.

[@hirostroud]

I'd rank race joint 4th, and definitely not just to have race for the galaxy trucker.

[@darrensmith8487]

I definitely prefer race, but in big groups, I find roll a lot smoother.

[@darrensmith8487]

Pro tip, when teaching your kids to play race as a two player game, let them pick two actions, but limit yourself to only picking one.

[@ekillops22]

It would be interesting to see how you all feel about New Frontiers

[@blacksheep9950]

You're supposed to draw new tiles before returning your old tiles to the bag, by the way. I own Jump Drive and Roll for the Galaxy but not Race. Haven't played Race in a long time, though.

[@TheGprinziv]

@46:15 Rap for the Galaxy

[@Flea_ip]

49:07 isn't it actually written in the rules that you wait to put the tiles that you're throwing away back into the bag until after you draw your new tiles? I feel like that's actually a written rule... someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm not... sorry Pip 😅

[@KiirloNaidel]

You're correct. It's actually at the end of the phase, so if you explore repeatedly you'll never draw something you threw back in the same turn. No such guarantee for later turns, of course

[@vederianl9723]

Pretty sure all explored tiles only go back into the bag at the end of the explore phase. Tom using 3 dice for 3 tiles was doing it wrong. You use 1 die to get X+1 tiles. X=discarded tiles. If you use your dice 1 at a time you can look at up to 6 tiles. 1die=1 tile. 2nd die discard that tile and get 2. 3 die you can discard both tiles to look at 3. If you don't like any of those your next explore gets even better.

[@ZoidbergForPresident]

I like neither of those games but... I really wanted to like Rftg, but it's one of those cases where the games don't like me instead of the other way around...

[@aaronbosch6561]

More Pip!

[@qarsiseer]

I’m a Roll for the Galaxy lover! I never got the appeal of Race for the Galaxy in comparison. It’s so fun and breezy to roll all those dice and figuring out what to do with all the dice you rolled is a really fun puzzle while Race to me is a headache. I do think the base game for Roll loses points, the tiles are sparse and there isn’t much variety. Adding the first expansion though really makes the game pop off, but this is a criticism! The game shouldn’t only feel complete with an expansion!

[@onetruesmugs]

Honestly, Race is an absolute "will not play" game for me, where Roll is a game I love. Is it because I'm simple? Almost certainly! But I feel like Race is a game where there's a massive advantage for people with pre-knowledge of the cards and synergies, so it's just punishing to learn playing with good players. That's it's major downside for me.

[@elqord.1118]

Wish we could get a Race remaster either better art and something more elegant than playing the action cards and flipping them. After several hundred games of the digital rimplementation I think the physical version is too much work to put up with. Game takes 2-3 times longer which annoys me

[@saveversus]

No love for New Frontiers? 😀

[@Arcticp75]

Imo roll and race are much closer together to each other in design than new frontiers. New frontiers is essentially Puerto Rico in space design-wise.

[@Braiba]

My issue with Race was that win or lose it always felt like the outcome was mostly down to which player the card gods decided got to draw the cards that fit with their strategy, rather than who played the best. With Roll I found having a focused strategy was less necessary and so I was free to make the best of whatever I drew out of the bag, rather than being annoyed that I still didn't draw any of the green planets I need to trigger all my green abilities.

[@Knyckoh]

this will impress absolutely nobody, but when the bonus quiz question was shown, i jokingly said "i know that one, it's benzene!" imagine my surprise when it actually was...

[@ThomasGiles]

No mention of Jump Drive?!

[@RaK0]

Played Roll first a few years ago and sold it after two tries. I really didn't like it. Took me four years after that to try Race for the first time with the second edition and regret not getting it earlier.

[@Dreadnote-pf7of]

As someone already said here in the comments - there ARE third version... and its not "RUN from the Galaxy" sadly. Its Jump Drive. And there is even FOURTH version and its neither caller "Run from the Galaxy", its New Frontier(s). And...I don't tried Jump Drive but I've player couple of Frontier(s) games on BGA and... it was a solid game? It would be interesting to maybe hear how Tom and others would compare it to original, because... IDK how. Its definetly not as iconic as Race... maybe? Its more linear... maybe? Is it fun?.. Well... maybe? Atleast its neat looking and has fun shapes as planets and developments and meeples and cubes and its more readable... MAYBE?

[@gabtrat9091]

I really want to love Race for the Galaxy, but its current design is an eyesore. A new compact version with an improved UI would be exciting.

[@scottbollinger3980]

WARRBEAST

[@xCriticalStrikex]

Whoa... I love these games but Roll with the expansions is way better than race!

[@Boberman286]

You’re crazy! I wouldn’t have Agricola on my top 100(as it was outdone by caverna, but that hat is still worse then Rftg.)

[@mrentity2210]

Ah, Race For The Galaxy - a very good game that I absolutely refuse to teach to anyone anymore due to the requirement of them learning hieroglyphics... Shame.