Top 10 Essential Game Expansions

[@granMEXICO]

The list: (2:30) 10. Hive: Carbon (w/ the mosquito) / TransAmerica, TransEuropa: Vexetion / Shadows over Camelot: Merlin's Company (9:23) 9. Dominion: Seaside / Kingsburg: To Forge a Realm / Pandemic: On the Brink (11:04) 8. Mr. Jack: Expansion / Mage Wars: Force Master & Warlord / 1st and goal: Teams (15:33) 7. Pandemic: On the Brink / Twilight Imperium 3: Shards of the Throne / Descent: Road to Legend (20:15) 6. Jambo: Expansions / Memoir '44: Eastern, Mediterranean, Desert Board / Puerto Rico: Expansion (27:03) 5. King of Tokyo: Power Up! / Last Night on Earth: Hero Pack 1 / Settlers of Catan: Seafarers or Fishermen (34:28) 4. Mare Nostrum: Mythology / Revolution: the Palace / Alien Frontiers: Factions (39:40) 3. Kingsburg: To Forge a Realm / Quarriors: Quartifacts / Quarriors: Quarmageddon (42:29) 2. Kingsburg: To Forge a Realm / Battlestar Galactica: Pegasus Expansion / 7 Wonders: Leaders (51:14) 1. Innovation: Echoes of the Past / Ticket to Ride: 1910 / Yggdrasil: Asgard

[@Hieronymus-Pseudonymous]

granMEXICO Hey, thanks! :)

[@Grimscribe732]

+granMEXICO Thank you!

[@JamesZilla808]

I am chiming in to this very late, but I have to agree with Sam re: Ticket To Ride 1910 Expansion. For me, it is a textbook definition of what makes a great expansion: it fixes/corrects certain aspects if the game that were overlooked in the original game (larger train cards) and it adds another layer of complexity to the game that didn't exist before (more route cards and endgame bonus cards) all without hurting what made the original game fun in the first place. Great call, Mr. Healey. And Happy Holidays to you all!

[@turks1966]

This would be a good new updated top ten list. There have to be numerous list that could use another visit to see if there would be changes to the list after having the time to reflect about it. Keep up the good work guys!

[@xavdm]

Been catching up on all of these videos and finally made it to this one and Zee and Sam have swapped spots (versus newer videos). I... I don't know if I can deal with this. Of course I'm kidding. Great videos, folks.

[@WonderCreationStudios]

I know exactly where you're coming from.....it's really messing with my head too.

[@Andromedax01]

Don't you think it's kinda adorable how Sam Healey is always acting as the TOUGHHHH GUYYYYY from the group and yet it seems he's always the one shying away from games because such or such theme is "too dark" ? Not hating, I just find it funny.

[@ProSensuCommuni]

It turns out people are multi-layered.

[@chrispointer8071]

Andromedax01 Personal integrity, dude. Nothing to do with toughness :-)

[@Andromedax01]

As I said, I'm not hating, this is not commentary about Sam's religious beliefs, because II respect them. I just find the juxtaposition funny and it's part of the things that make me love the trio.

[@emmettochrach-konradi2785]

+Andromedax01 hes just kidding around mostly

[@theIdes3]

Love these longer videos and the banter between you all is great! Keep up the great work, Thanks! Also Happy Birthday, Sam!

[@WonderCreationStudios]

Nice to see that Dominion and Settlers of Catan have not been completely forgotten.

[@RavensbladeDX]

Happy belated Birthday Sam! Thanks for all your hard work on the show!

[@EchoMateria]

Happy birthday Sam! We love these trio videos so much, thanks for making them. Keep em' coming!

[@josephskennedy321]

Just wanted to say that I enjoy the top ten shows if just for the interaction between the three of you. Looking forward to more!

[@srghayden]

Sam and Zee are sitting in the wrong seats. Love all your videos. Hope to mert you all sometime.

[@Amauriel]

Guys, I really love the way that you're doing each person's Top 10. I tend to like games that Zee likes, so it's nice for me to see what he specifically picks, as they are more relevant to my interests. (I also love seeing what the others don't like about games, because my husband is more of a Sam player.) And Tom seems to have such eccentric tastes that I never know if I'll like his stuff or not, but I enjoy hearing what he has to say!

[@JamieCourtney]

I love Twilight Imperium too, but if we speak about essential expansions I think Shards of the Throne is more essential for the gameplay because it contains the Imperial II strategy cards that can be used to replace Imperial and play Age of Empire mode. Although I agree, that Shards of the Throne brings more spectacular things with flagships, mercenaries and political characters, but still...I find Shattered Empire more essential for the gameplay. SotT give fewer options but huge ones, but SE gives more but smaller options...BOTH must have! :D

[@colinsmith6480]

this list could do with a revisit

[@RUMTUMTUGG3R]

Personally, Intrigue is my favorite Dominion expansion. Not only because it has my favorite cards, but I also really like that you can play it as its own game. I think it's just a whole new level, as far as expansions go. Also, I recently ordered my own copy of Mage Wars. I can't afford the expansion yet, but I can't wait for it. I am so excited to use the Forcemaster.

[@aerickw]

Games are a limited purchase for me each year, and I LOVE these videos! They've helped me research games much more effectively. Thanks Dice Tower!

[@NicholasLA1]

I'd be very interested in a Top 10 Games to play with Kids/Teenagers.

[@k4shiwa]

Awesome job guys, as always :) I'd like to make a little suggestion: I think some links (annotations) to skip to the next game would be essential in this kind of videos (top 10 short of).

[@affablevagrant]

How about for a future video, "10 Games All Three of You Guys Agree On".

[@Edwin20er]

I'm fairly sure that would make for one of the most boring top tens ever.

[@affablevagrant]

Yeah, you're probably right.

[@PMMagro]

Affable Vagrant I think ten is a bit optimistic...

[@Grimscribe732]

Affable Vagrant Pretty sure Jamaica would be on that list. Maybe Sheriff of Nottingham... and I'm out.

[@mikefoote7383]

jann1k And Ticket to Ride

[@Owen1818]

These top 10 list videos are fantastic, keep it up chaps! Liking the smart new look too! New tablecloth...fancy!

[@snow69413]

I love these top ten shows. keep up the good work.

[@BobFrichtel]

I like the way you think. The way to directly affect culture is to make more of your own. The trick is making sure it doesn't get lost among the fray.

[@BrettBrewer]

They are releasing a second edition of On the Brink this summer as well as compatibility packs to bridge between the editions.

[@TheProphet21]

Great video guys, very informative. Some of the expansions I already have some I will be purchasing soon.

[@TheKindredblades]

i was expecting tom to have cosmic encounter at #7 so you would have pandemic, twilight imperium 3 AND cosmic encounter AT THE SAME TIME!!!!

[@Legendkiller595]

i 100% agree Ticket to Ride 1910 and 1912 are so freakn important not because it makes the cards bigger but because it adds so many new routes. This eleminates the ability for your opponents to guess your routes

[@godofzombi]

I really like Quarmageddon, because it added the rule that you may buy up to two dice from the wilds. My game group had already made a house rule like that for Quarriors, so it was nice to see it made "official".

[@metalminion14]

It is simple to make. As he was refering to Catan, you wuld provide each number in the deck with some more than others depending on the likelyhood that they are rolled. suffle them together and you would draw from the deck to get your roll (kinda like candy land!! lol). For catan, you would have 1-2, 2-3's, 3-4's, 4-5's, 5-6's, 6-7's, 5-8's, 4-9's, 3-10's, 2-11's, and 1-12

[@PeterSchott]

Have to agree with the Ticket to Ride 1910 expansion - real size cards, encourages drawing of more tickets, more ways to play if you want them.... It's definitely a worthwhile expansion. I remember the base game and being wary of taking new routes because you didn't want another 20 point ticket at game end. You still run that chance in 1910, but it's greatly reduced and much more likely to draw a possible route instead. :)

[@j3errym]

I have PEGASUS exp but played BSG Exodus at UK expo 2013 and it does three major changes 1. Smooth out the arrival of the cylon ships. 2. Adds the tension of the enemy fleet because you know they are their , even have intelligence of where they may arrive and makes you think more tactically for viper use. 3. Exposed Colons have much more fun. Does need the Pegasus (aspects) as well. Doesn't need anew Caprice. Together provide 4 different games.

[@MrHubtech]

Happy Birthday Sam! Keep the lists coming - great entertainment!

[@princealarming85]

I'm so glad that Last Night On Earth was mentioned. It's the only game I own where I had to collect all of the expansions to it. The base / core game is amazing on it's own and has good replay ability as is, also good to use just the base / core game with beginners, but the expansions add so much more amazing variations to it to help balance things out where needed. Granted not all of the expansions are essential, namely the small deck ones, but all are well worth the investment.

[@theduke65]

Extremely useful and funny Top 10 - Ticket to Ride had me in stitches!

[@freddieyu]

Great show! Happy Birthday Sam! I agree with 7 Wonders Leaders. 7W Cities is great, but I agree with Zee on the impact of Leaders on the base game, as it gives you focus. However, the key is to know when to adjust assuming you notice your opponents are denying you the cards necessary for the Leader card.

[@Barl3000]

For a newer game and expansion, I would say the Forsaken Lore is essential for Eldritch Horror. Forsaken Lore is basically a patch (as in video games) for the base game. The encounter decks was criminally small before, at 8 cards for the locations and research "decks", you could easily work through an entire pile in one game. So in a few games you would know pretty much all the encounters for some of the more used locations (Sydney, Arkham etc). While Eldritch Horror is by no means "unplayable" without Forsaken Lore, you will very quickly grow tired of hearing the same encounter text over and over again. And that is the death of this game, because the mechanics are very thin, this game lives by its flavor and theme (which are also the reason I like it). I put any new playthroughs of the game on hold, until I had Forsaken Lore and if you are thinking of getting Eldritch Horror you really should be getting Forsaken Lore too.

[@dorpth]

Yup But I would say to avoid any expansions after that. They start taking the game down the road of Arkham Horror bloat. The worst offender are the five dozen categories of unique asset cards, which undo the elegant streamlining the game did by merging all items/allies/skills into a single asset deck.

[@mikedirnt81]

Thanks for the tip on memoir'44. Im traveling to the eua and I wanted to buy some expansions for the game and those were very nice advices.

[@ccaad5]

Catan Cities and Knights is an absolutely necessary expansion for me. It makes the base game so much more playable and interactive. Absolutely necessary.

[@JayChampagne]

If you like Mage Knight (and you will), you NEED the Lost Legion expansion. In addition to a bunch of new stuff, it enhances older stuff. There is just so much stuff in there.

[@krum1985]

as someone watching this in 2016: Sam and Zee are in the wrong spots! xD

[@randylouie8704]

You probably dont care but if you're bored like me during the covid times then you can stream all the new movies on instaflixxer. I've been binge watching with my gf recently =)

[@jakezander1938]

@Randy Louie yup, been watching on InstaFlixxer for since december myself =)

[@jaxcanaan4030]

@Randy Louie yup, have been watching on InstaFlixxer for years myself =)

[@quentinkayden3284]

@Randy Louie Yea, I've been watching on InstaFlixxer for since november myself :)

[@hugesinker]

Shattered Empire actually fixed TI's Imperial Strategy card and made a bunch of other important patches. It is necessary, where Shards just adds some neat stuff. Most of the stuff provided by Shards has to do specifically with the Scenario game, which cuts out a lot of the cooler stuff in order to shorten the play time.

[@jimmyhudson8313]

I think that is how I felt about Catan at first. I wanted to keep exploring that world. Then it got old so I decided to explore other games. Glad I did :)

[@Sandrockcstm]

The Traders and Barbarians expansion actually included a deck like this. The deck also had a set of events on the cards to spice things up, since you were removing a lot variability from the game.

[@dabearz27]

Great top 10 as always. I can't think of 10 expansions, but here are my top 5: 5. Game of Thrones LCG Lords of Winter: Makes the Stark family awesome. 4. LOTR LCG Khazad-Dum: Makes base game feel complete with enough player cards to make complete decks. 3. Mage Knight Lost Legion: Makes base game feel complete, especially from a single player perspective. 2. Small World Tales and Legends: Love the event cards. 1. Sentinels of the Multiverse Shattered Timelines - Love everything in here.

[@dorpth]

Elder Sign: Gates of Arkham. Changes it into a totally different game that you can't go back to the original after. Chaos in the Old World: The Horned Rat. Brings much needed balance to the factions and their upgrades.

[@adriandumitrescu6957]

Check out the picture/puzzle in the top left. It`s from Tom Vasel`s "Nothing personal" board game.

[@krazykorean42069]

In this video I liked how you guys skipped talking about a game if it was on someone else's list and let them explain it. It streamlined the reviews and made me breathe a sigh of relief.

[@CMYKolours]

Great video, happy birthday to Sam! As a want-to-be designer, really looking forward to the next list.

[@nickadams8460]

I so agree about the Thunderstone Advance comment. I really had trouble enjoying Dominion and that nearly put me off all deck-builders. Thunderstone Advance made a lot more sense to me and I enjoyed the theme much more. The expansions are really great value as well.

[@ideogramme]

I'm with ya, Zee. Leaders makes choices more interesting from the start, and in general adds more of what makes 7 Wonders fun.

[@Daremachina]

The publisher just released a reprint of Pandemic which is the box Zee was showing. It has a completely different art style from the original so the two aren't compatible. Sam must have bought the old version which is now out of print as is the On the Brink expansion. A reprint of On the Brink is coming soon in the new art style so Sam is holding off until then to get the newer versions.

[@Railer890]

I would venture a guess that it has a lot to do with the way his lore is written. The Warlock is designed as an INCREDIBLY dark character, more so than any character I've seen in a board game by a long shot. Literally his entire playstyle functions around blood rituals, "lethal demonic pacts," sacrifices, curses... This is pretty heavy stuff. Sam plays a lot of his games with his family, kids in classrooms, and his youth group. That's a bit much for me even outside that environment.

[@yabyab]

YES! Top Ten Games for Two Players sounds like a good list!

[@jwspiker]

Kaispeicher for Speicherstadt is very essential, adds extra worker placement meeples and metal coins and has to be played with.

[@geoffreydevereaux3272]

I'm with Zee on 'King of Tokyo'. 'Power Up' is essential KoT was fun, it was just very bland. KoT:PU made the game so thematic and exciting.

[@DerekSpringer13]

I second that notion... TOM missed the boat on this on... Power-up is essential never play without it

[@Daddywarbux]

best thing is i've heard in several videos someone say something about being "allowed" to pick up a version of ticket to ride. i laughed so hard to finally see the reason for this rule

[@klausweidinger]

I really can't understand their decision to call Seafarers essential and Cities & Knights not. Cities & Knights just adds so much more to the depth of the game. OK, it's hard to put it on the table in the first round with new players, but otherwise nobody in our gaming group would ever play Settlers without it again. And on the other hand, Seafarers will definitely be replaced by the new Explorers & Pirates expansion. So as of now it's not essential but obsolete.

[@johnr8095]

Cities and Knights makes the game SO long. Especially when you play it with the 5-6 player expansion. They one time I played it with 5 players it was a slog.

[@BadFish81]

Every time it's mentioned that a game has been outdone now, I'd LOVE to hear what those games might be. Would be great info for someone new to the hobby that's out of touch, like me.

[@Patreckthegreat]

Only reason to get the Exodus expansion is for the Cylon Fleet Board. It give the cylons a few more options, alleviates the gimiky "game over" if the cylon attack cards get bunched together and makes playing a pilot fun. You get to do stuff rather than just wait with a hand of red cards that you may or may not get to ever play.

[@Haladras]

The Conflicted Loyalties and other stuff are fun, though I haven't tried the Ionian Nebula yet.

[@JimDiffin]

I very much like the Exodus expansion for Battlestar Galactica. Firstly, the Commander of the Air Group mechanic adds a much greater depth to the pilot characters. The Cylon Fleet option also makes the cylon attacks much more predictable and, consequently, makes death by cylon attack a much less swingy phenomenon as human players can account and plan for the arrival of an attack. That said, I agree with Sam, Pegasus is an excellent and essential expansion.

[@BrotherAlpha]

YES!!! I keep seeing them mention Catan have been outdone and I love Catan, so I want to know what game I should be playing that's better.

[@Tinkerhd]

"one of the deacons' wives that I had in California'... So funny on so many levels. Happy Birthday Sam! By the way, one way to think about dark characters is that every hero needs a villain to vanquish. Sometimes you get to be the hero, but sometimes you need to be the villain for someone else's hero. A world where heroes fight only other heroes is in many ways darker than playing a particularly dark villain. For example, someone needs to play Sauron in War of the Ring.

[@winterplum]

Happy Birthday Sam! I agree with Zee about the King of Tokyo expansion because you never really got a 'personality' until later in the original game from the cards. Also, the Campaign Book for Memoir 44 would be awesome to own, c'mon Days of Wonder...reprint it! Yggdrasil is progressively easier with fewer players...at least in my experience, and I worry it might be 'too easy' with the expansion for 2 or 1...except maybe in the harder modes. Still I would try it if I could get it. Great List!

[@BardicLiving]

I agree, Cities seems like a better and more versatile expansion for 7 Wonders than Leaders.

[@BobFrichtel]

Same. I can enjoy a game of Catan now and again; but it's rare it comes out to play.

[@FMD-FullMetalDragon]

omg that part when he brings out Yggdrasil and Tom starts laughing over how soul crushing the game is... that was FUNNY!!!!!!! I laughed so hard. Happy Birthday.

[@Horkthane]

Hahah! That Ticket to Ride box shift was fantastic. Tom Vasel is OCD about his games after all! All those component drops can't fool me any longer.

[@tnstewy]

I would argue that you HAVE to play Carcassonne with it's expansions. Inns and Cathedrals or Traders and Builders would be essential. If you want a bit more nastiness then get Princess and the Dragon. But those are absolutely ESSENTIAL in mind. I am surprised they weren't on anyone's list.

[@Cossen09]

I disagree with TI3's first expansion statement that it isn't so essential. If anything, it is even more essential than the second one, mainly because the Imperial Strategy card was broken in the base game and they fixed it in the first expansion

[@jriceblue]

Yes! Top ten games that dethroned classics. Would love to watch that.

[@weckar]

I really want to get into designing board games... Might have to check out that next list. Will it cover finding artists/publishers?

[@Dungyfan007]

We need a video where Zee and Sam just wreck Tom's super organized games lol

[@KyleJonesDrJones]

Depends on what sort of game you are looking for. I would suggest Small World, Stone Age, and 7 Wonders as a great places to start!

[@shockmac]

RtL!!!! By far not obsolete! Epic! Don't back down Tom, game is Legend!

[@BruceBelafonte]

I agree wit Sam 100% about the Warlock character. The giving up your life for power thing put it over the top for me. Its there for other people to use if the choose for me. Ironically I look forward to the necromancer... But I may look at how its actually played and feel the same way.

[@BlimpMcGee]

Noticed a change in the lighting, am I wrong? looks good by the way, and also is Zee going to do any reviews on his own?

[@Galatolol1]

I love Tom's videos with Zee and Sam.

[@UsePsychology]

Sam, I am buying Shards of the Throne literally now. Thanks man!

[@Daremachina]

I'm surprised at how respectful and reasonable the comments are on all sides. I've never commented so much on youtube I'm really enjoying the discussion... minus the character limit :/

[@wroot_lt]

Ah, the times they were telling each other their picks before shooting the video, They are now so secretive about their lists :D

[@a1ph40m3ga]

I agree the chair switch is messing with my mind.

[@BobFrichtel]

It depends; sometimes I want a new game. Sometimes I get excited about getting more for a game I already enjoy. So it's a toss up depending on the game and how often it's played.

[@bcboy76]

Agreed with the whole Battlestar section at 49 minutes. Essential, probably not. I've been in a few games though, where I knew KNEW that he was a Psylon, but no one else understood. That airlock does come in pretty handy.

[@ZenRexell]

I'm a little sad to not have seen any of the cutthroat caverns expansions, I feel those are really some solid add-ons to a pretty fun game.

[@TimJennette502]

Surprised to not see Carcassonne on anyone's list. Its a great base game but man the first couple expansions I will never play without!

[@ascii211]

I love the intro!

[@TheOvermatt89]

City of Thieves was a game that, although not bad on its own, got infinitely better with an expansion.

[@JaKamps]

I wouldn't mind the videos being shorter, but I am an aspiring game designer, working on a game. I will be watching your Tips for Game Designers video!

[@skooshtastic]

Why would most people know that? A lot of people who have played the game won't know this, but the fact of the matter is that if the Seafarers expansion was meant to be part of the game in the first place and resolves a major balance issue then it IS essential.

[@omnitheus5442]

Have to agree with Sam on BSG needing Pegasus. Throwing ppl out of the airlock is just so much fun!

[@cid76]

Why no one of the big reviewers about board games haven't still offered a complete analysis about Fantasy Flight Games' s Relic? It is a clearly an improvement from originary Talisman and settings and quality materials are indeed impressive

[@TheMusicalGameroriginal]

The cylon fleet board is very very essential. Trauma tokens also give you an incentive to stay out of the brig and sickbay. Exodus is way more essential than Pegasuses.

[@MrJenssen]

To me, the first expansions of Carcassonne are absolutely essential. Carcassonne is an okay time-waster for non-gamers, but after 2-3 playthroughs, there's not much more to get out of it. When you introduce the "Inns & Cathedrals" and "Traders & Builders" expansions however... woah. NOW you have a game! It adds so many variables to the game, making it possible to score in many different ways, allows for some "take that!" gameplay etc. Those two create for endless replayability.

[@zukkattack]

I'm very surprised that X-Wing miniatures game wasn't in the lists. The base box of that game is so limited!

[@christopherrahman1358]

You guys need to do an essential games list. Whether for new comers (the industry seems to be burgeoning lately) or just a newer "Games every gamer should own" list.

[@SamHealey6]

Thank you...it was a pleasant day!

[@TaedWynnell]

My essential expansions list would be Ticket to Ride 1910 expansion (essential because of the bigger cards, but still very good as an expansion), Pandemic: On the Brink, San Juan Treasure Chest (both more buildings and events), Dominion any expansion (except Alchemy), and Revolution 5/6 player expansion.. My gaming group loves Puerto Rico, but we don't like the Nobles expansion, and while the extra buildings are nice, my other players don't like them so we usually don't use them.

[@dispatcherrich]

My top ten: 1. Exodus (Battlestar Galactica) 2. Cities and Knights (Settlers of Catan) 3. On the Brink (Pandemic) 4. Prosperity (Dominion) 5. Fame and Fortune (Civilization) 6. USA 1910 (Ticket to Ride) 7. Quest of the Gladiator (Quarriors) 8. Quarmeggedon (Quarriors) 9. To Forge a Realm (Kingsburg) 10. Shattered Empires (Twilight Imperium)

[@SamHealey6]

Funny thing is...I never once mentioned "religion" in the video. That word was put into my mouth by commentators here. But even still, validity should not be determined by idiosyncrasies (sp?) alone. If I know for a fact that others share my idiosyncrasy (whatever the context...within reason), using that idiosyncrasy as part of my reasoning is valid. It's made valid by the fact that others who share the idea will be informed about the game without regard to those who will disagree.

[@Viger24]

But that's my 2 cents, I will definetly look forward to buy a second TI expansion and test it myself. And btw. Happy Birthday Sam!!! :)

[@MrPoliceGaming]

Look at Vasel on his leather throne. Chair equality for all.