Top 10 Gaming Discoveries 2022

As we chase the #boardgames hotness it's also nice to look back and play some of the old(er) hits! Join us as we reflect on some of the games from yesteryear as they still hold up!
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[@FranciscoConradoKaefe]

Since this year was the year I got into the modern board game hobby, everything was a discovery!!! 😄

[@donnakeferlis1649]

Welcome! This hobby will keep you learning (in a fun way). And it's not a phase, you're hooked for life. You'll never be bored again!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Isn’t that the best?? And welcome to this awesome hobby!

[@grog3514]

Welcome to the rabbit hole. I started with codenames because it was cheap. Now I have almost 700 board games!

[@mcgowanpw]

Welcome in friend!

[@Phaeton667]

@grog3514 Darn got us beat. Wife and I have around 315. Kudos for being the first person I have heard that has more! I am sure we will catch up one day

[@stuffnuggets-ashwoodrow4488]

Nick's hair grows crazy fast....

[@TheBrothersMurph]

It’s wild

[@gravecac9522]

Great list. The best older game that was new to us this year was La Harve. Two games we just bought (based on your top 100) that we are itching to try are Faiyum and Rajas of the Ganges.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Nice!!

[@joannahayes2009]

I love this kind of list guys! The hotness is fine but we have so many options of incredible games even just from the last few years - so good not to miss out on them just cos they’re not new. And I love that feeling like you both had with No Thanks of like, “yep, that’s why this is a classic already”. So delicious to discover a game you’ll be happy to play again and again and show to others.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

20:09 That sounds very interesting! I would like to try it some day. Other deduction games which I am interested in are: Tiwanaku (backed on crowdfunding) and Turing Machine.

[@CloneTrooperCrow]

That intro was perfection

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Thanks!

[@ItsKatieB]

Everyone I've played No Thanks with has LOVED it! It's a fast paced game that is good to play between out heavier weighted games.

[@Rhino1186]

I just played five tribes for the first time a few months ago and it was really great. Now I need to get that 6th tribe expansion.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

5 Tribes is sooo good

[@JJ_TheGreat]

For me, here were some of my favorite “New To Me” discoveries - Games I first played during 2022: Dwellings of Eldervale - FINALLY got it to the table and it lived up to the hype for me! Sagrada Parks

[@TheMrTelespectador]

Love the enthusiasm you guys bring over! Best wishes and happy and gaming 2023!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Thank you so much!

[@ringostarr7080]

The Dice in Stockpile are essential. Fun one. Nice Video.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Agreed they made the game way better

[@hondito]

My top 10 new-to-me for this year (I was clearly on that cult of the new though!) 1) The LOOP 2) Art Decko 3) Voyages 4) Juicy Fruits 5) Living Forest 6) The Search for Planet X 7) Tussie Mussie 8) Sentinels of the Multiverse: Definitive Edition (Improves on the original sooooo much!) 9) Wind the Film! 10) Descent: Legends of the Dark (never played the original, but this is a lot of fun)

[@TheDukeOfFall]

I just played Orléans for the first time and it’s one of my new favorites!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Yessssss

[@BobbyReichle]

War Chest, WIldlands, Cthulhu Death May Die, Concordia, Le Havre, Food Chain Magnate, and Narcos were the games I played this year that were new to me that made the biggest impact. Really amazing games all around.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

War chest is on the “need to get played list” for this year

[@thomaswolf2391]

Also discovered War chest this year. Its now jumped past all my old favourites and it's my new number 1. It's utterly perfect.

[@BobbyReichle]

@@thomaswolf2391 It's so good, I got all of the expansions. I'm hesitant about the new expansion, but I've loved everything so far. I wasn't as big a fan of Undaunted though, weirdly enough.

[@thomaswolf2391]

@@BobbyReichle same here. I will get the new expansion but feel similarly. I actually don't often play with the other expansions. I think I prefer the core game and think there is plenty to deal with there. Its like hive. It's elegant, simple and deep as hell. Agree about undaunted. Got that shortly after war chest. I didn't mind it, but it lacks something that warchest has in spades. Plus my wife will play war chest with me anytime. So that's a plus.

[@BobbyReichle]

@@thomaswolf2391 Agreed on basically all counts. And my partner loves War Chest (because she can beat me) and that's another reason it stuck around.

[@middleclassboardgamer]

Nanty Narking and Praga Caput Regni were definitely my 2 favorite "new to me" games this year. Nanty Narking is so mean and in-your-face that it's hilarious and Praga is crunchier that ridged potato chips. Also really enjoyed discovering London(2r), Auztralia, and Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition.

[@bWOOOPdeWooop]

Ahh I'm 6 videos behind but I still love you guys, I swear

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Must watch faster, must watch faster

[@blacksheep9950]

Great selection - I own most of these!

[@davebelcher3307]

This year I played for the first time Istanbul, Alhambra, and Stone Age. I just ordered Old West Empresario which is an interesting looking dice drafting game that was released in 2019.

[@davebelcher3307]

Also played La Granja No Siesta, the roll and write version of La Granja.

[@browe]

Love Glen More II. The new solo content is also lovely. It's my fave tile-laying game.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Ooooooh solo content you say!

[@browe]

@@TheBrothersMurph Indeed, the Highland Games expansion includes a smart Automa Factory solo mode.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Very cool!

[@dennis316chan]

Been in the hobby for almost a decade now and stockpile is my #1 game of all time. Glad you guys got to try it. I love it cause I also invest in stocks in real life but the theme doesn't click with some of my mates.

[@bibleboardgames5199]

Yes Thanks! I bought Glenmore II for my nephew after watching several how-to-play videos. It is great and the clan board adds even more to the richness of Scottish history. La Granja... maaaaan you guys keep bumping that up higher on my farmer game wish list. Nice!!!

[@BramBeardGaming]

Absolutely LOOOOVE Stockpile!

[@coyotemoon722]

Ah, another classic video from the vault with long-haired Nick.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We had to give y’all a couple last glimpses to remember his hair by

[@monikakerntke1125]

Love your videos. Best wishes for 2023

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Thanks so much and same to you!

[@2frelledminds]

Out of those, the one I most want to play is Search for Planet X, followed by Fantasy Realms. Looking through my list of new to me games of 2022, the ones that really stand out to me were pretty bad, or just really under whelming. On the good side, though, Praga Caput Regni, Cantaloop Book 1, Azul, and Valeria Card Kingdoms were probably the best from 2020 or earlier.

[@teejleague3838]

Very cool idea! I thought the games would be from '22 but this makes SO MUCH SENSE. I found a used copy of Mord Im Arosa I got myself for Christmas. We haven't played it yet (a lot going on) but I'm very excited. Zee Garcia talks about it a lot and it's difficult to find.

[@dominikgarbauer6883]

Finally got to play some of the modern classic bigger box games this year like Scythe, Spirit Island, TI4, Root or Castles of Burgundy thanks to finding a gaming group. Lots of fun were had. 😃

[@Blackwolf9]

Great list, love Fantasy Realms! We enjoy telling little stories about our hand at the end of the game. You guys are really making the wait for the La Granja deluxe box unbearable :p.

[@dayna3196]

This year, I recently found Castles of Burgundy and Viticulture. Had the same thought going into it, people rave about them, but will they hold up - short answer: they do. Lol! Hope you guys have a great new year & enjoy some family time!!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Same to you!

[@JJ_TheGreat]

0:08 No hard feelings! I completely see where you guys come from. I, too, would do a "Top Games New To Me in 2022" list, too - for a couple of reasons: I don't play enough games overall, as it is - and the games I did play this year (I log all of my plays - but not on BGG) are older games - so I don't necessarily play 2022 games in 2022.

[@arekkrolak6320]

Thanks for hints, there are two games on the list I havent played yet

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Awesome!

[@montyfarris]

Just tried(bought) Raccoon Tycoon this year,really enjoyed it.

[@JosephFlemming]

Isle of Skye was one of my biggest gaming surprised bc I expected simply a Carcassonne clone based on the look. As far as expansions, just get Druids. The Journeyman expansion basically adds a whole new complex layer to the game that is almost overwhelming.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Copy that! We actually just found Druids yesterday in a store and snagged it! Wahoo!

[@thomaswolf2391]

Journeyman ruined a perfectly good game. Its telling that all the content is in the new big box, all except journeyman.

[@longtimeninerfan1309]

I played your #2 for the first time this week. You are correct, it’s very good and I look forward to playing it MORE. I backed your #1 choice and hope it arrives in 2023. Indeed, it looks like it will live up to its high rating as far as game play and made to go higher with its deluxe version plus added modules.

[@oneysnyder2116]

No Thanks is friggen amazing. New to me this year too. Bought it for a family vacay this summer and probably played it 30+ times that week, easy.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

It’s stupid fun

[@willie9764]

La Granja was one I picked up midway through my search for games I could solo (which had begun 10 yrs ago), and I think it was my first BEEFY euro solo I played. By then, I've been soloing games for 4 yrs, so when I picked it up on 2016, it was an eye-opener with its multi-card usage. The last time I had a feeling like that was when I first got out of mainstream boardgames in 2012, so it was BIG. I'm glad you guys got to play it when the fancier version came out. Since the differences weren't TOO much, I'll still keep my OG copy just because it has some more sentimental value to me.

[@theluckiestdave]

Awesome list! Stockpile and Search for Planet X are among my all time favorites.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

They’re sooo good

[@Atlasfilms08]

First class got done dirty.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Guess Mike hated it

[@JosephFlemming]

Original Glen More is so good I held off for a long time on the insane new version but eventually I’m like you know what? I love this game so much I want more. And I went from a very small portable box (actually still have this) to the monstrous wooden crate and wooden insert set with the new edition and the expansion and PLENTY of room for future content.

[@StuartHetzler]

nick's hair grew back already? damn that was fast

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Got some miracle grow type thing online

[@BillyIndiana]

I really like Fantasy Realms, but I picked up Marvel Remix recently and I think it is much better (theme makes more sense and having to have at least one villain in your hand for the heroes to fight is a nice twist). I backed the new La Granja and can't wait to try that. I haven't played the original yet. Great video & Happy New Year 🎉

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Really excited to try marvel Remix

[@robphyllyps1]

I played 9 men Morris and royal game of Ur for the first time this year.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Ooooo going old school with Ur!!

[@BoardGameDave]

Loved getting a chance to play Stockpile with you guys (and Gary and Howie) at PAX! 📈 And super stoked that you guys got to play Isle of Skye and Glen More II this year-I love and own both of those games! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Really curious about La Granja and would love to play sometime!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Man that was such a fun play of stockpile even if y’all kept bankrupting the companies I’d invested in. Always a pleasure hanging out!

[@BoardGameDave]

@@TheBrothersMurph It was so much fun! Hope you get to play some games together again before too long! ☺

[@marcelorescigno]

Wow, Nick! Your hair grew soooo fast!! Time to donate it again

[@looktothefuture84]

I sold Search for Planet X and you just totally made me miss it. Thanks, guys 😏 😂

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Oh no!

[@evannadeau3938]

Maaaaan you guys have me stoked for La Granja. Deluxe doesn’t come out until June! Uggghh. Idk how I feel about buying a $90 game so far in advance but man I’m hyped for it now. Also, Nick’s hair ends up being revealing, literally, aaaand in that it shows how long you guys plan ahead!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We hope La granja is worth the wait for you! And yeah gotta plan ahead to do what we do haba

[@howiedoit6494]

glad you liked stockpile. next year we will have to try out alchemists

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Yasssss

[@specimenseven]

This isn't my first year in the hobby but it is definitely my most productive year in terms of playing and purchasing. I would say yes please to " no thanks ". It is a very fun game for my family board game days especially with the little ones. Also I really do enjoy fantasy realms and trying to get that synergy with the cards in your hand.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

It’s a classic for a reason!

[@JonathonV]

Great list! 😀 Love THE SEARCH FOR PLANET X (#56)! It’s like those logic problems in puzzle books. Wouldn’t want to play it twice in a row for the sake of my brain, but it’s very good! NO THANKS (#139) is a great filler. Haven’t played ISLE OF SKYE (#192) in a very long time, but I seem to remember liking the auction part. Didn’t love KING OF 12 (#288); too much randomness and interaction for my taste. GLEN MORE II: CHRONICLES (#120) is a good one! Definitely want to try it again! Haven’t tried the others. Thanks a lot for all these awesome lists! Happy New Year, fellas!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

You rock Jonathan

[@beckystratton8248]

We've been playing Russian Railroads for years now and just recently got Ultimate Railroads. So far we've played German and American expansions. They both add something very unique and add a lot of replayability. German Railroads has variable tracks to choose from, and American railroads adds a stock board. If you like Russian Railroads I highly recommend Ultimate Railroads.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Yeah we may have to pull the trigger on Ultimate

[@stevenamamoto585]

I played Le Havre, Dune: Imperium (BBG lists as 2020) and Raiders of the North Sea for the 1st time this year.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Noice!

[@denycast]

Since you guys love Carcassonne so much... I wonder what you think about " dust over carcassonne!"

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Ooh do you mean mist over carcassonne?? If so we love that and if there’s also dust over carcassonne I’ll have to look that one up!

[@denycast]

@@TheBrothersMurph no I meat the Misty one👍

[@patricksullivan6988]

No thanks seems to capture one element of Bandu (a.k.a. "evil Jenga") really well - bidding to avoid something

[@TheBrothersMurph]

It’s such a fun and simple twist on bidding

[@fuzzmaster4157]

Wish stockpile would get a re release

[@TheBrothersMurph]

I know right??

[@talenkl]

Yay!! Isle of Skye … I really like that one. Wish to play it soon again. I’ll check out the expansion Druid, as i read through these comments that it’s possibly the better expansion. 😊

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We just picked up the Druids expansion! So excited!

[@tiagomarques9822]

You're welcome for the bullying to play Planet X ;-) I'm glad you liked it, it's one of my favorite games.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

It’s so good

[@puffbronfman03]

Looked through my plays and way more older games found their way to the table for the first time this year than I thought (buying a bunch of used Friedemann Friese games helped, even if quite a few of them turned out to be pretty terrible). Here's my top 10 gaming discoveries for 2022: 10. Pipeline 9. Furstenfeld 8. Fool! 7. Captains of the Gulf 6. Circadians: First Light 5. Copycat 4. Caverna 3. Fuji Flush 2. The Great Zimbabwe 1. Lowlands

[@puffbronfman03]

Also, apparently SCOUT came out originally in 2019 in Japan, but that felt like cheating, so I left it off the list.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

I want to play Pipeline again so bad. I really liked that game!

[@buddha1062]

Important question...who on earth is Mary? 🤣

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Lol Merry is one of our dogs

[@buddha1062]

@@TheBrothersMurph yeah I know. Just stirring. I mean your dogs are named after my brethren after all.

[@TheDavidPhillips]

False. Your #1 discovery this year was KZbin Shorts.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Dude you ain’t wrong

[@ripplebrook3419]

Not one ‘bumpin tracks’ for Russian Railroads? 😢 My top three older games that I played for the first time this year were It’s a Wonderful World, Barenpark, and Biblios. It’s a shame that Biblios is out of print. It’s so good!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We’ve always heard such good things about biblios

[@daveflynn3397]

For the king and me is very similar and is on Board Game Arena.

[@JerzyMuller]

Fantasy Realms 3+ on a box is such a lie, it not only contains a 2 player variant that works great - you can just play with 2 with the standard rules and it works well that way too!

[@antoniogutierrez7491]

Wow you're so late to the party

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We’re desperately trying to catch up haha

[@mattlowder]

Fantasy realms is way better than red rising. I hope SM regrets developing such a forgettable, random, chaotic title.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We didn’t mind red rising but agree fantasy realms is a simpler smoother game for sure