Top 10 Games of 2018 Re-Revisit

[@wheatgrowssweet]

Very dramatic with the physical boxes! It's the board game Bachelor.

[@rahdo]

lol, that did not occur to me, but i love it! :)

[@brandbryson3616]

Love the visual representation of your moving and shaking Rahdo. Keep up the good content!

[@MattyChaps]

I never comment on videos. But Rich, I just have to say, I watch all your run-throughs and final thoughts on games and I love you sense of humor so much, you have cost me a fortune in great games which I am so thankful. Just saying a big hello and thank you from Ballarat, Australia. Keep kicking goals and looking forward to each new installment!

[@d.b.4910]

I'm glad I have the first edition of Carpe Diem. The star is a big part of its charm.

[@andrewkapral2874]

Echoing earlier comments but I love the addition of physical boxes moving around. Nice touch!

[@testoftetris]

If you buy the new printing of Carpe Diem, can't you achieve the 1st edition rules without needing to draw in the star manually? It sounds like you would just need to say "if you move to the adjacent space and it's empty, you can move to the next one or travel back to where you started." I understand that the official rulebook may not allow that, but it seems like it would be a very easy house rule? unless I'm missing some important detail?

[@cbazler]

I'm not sure the "no bouncing back" rule wasn't in the original game. There was a long discussion of this on BGG, but the English rule book made it seem like you could bounce back, but the German rules seemed to imply that you had to continue moving forward. I suspect the rule "change" in the second print run was actually a rule clarification from the first printing, and that Feld never intended players to bounce back to begin with.

[@martinba9629]

Dunno. Played the German ed in Germany and we played with bouncing back. But I didn't read the rules.

[@rahdo]

nope, from the original german rules: "Liegt kein Bauplättchen mehr neben dem Feld, sofort weiterziehen (hierdurch darf ein Spieler auch wieder auf sein Ausgangsfeld zurückziehen)" so this was definitely the original designers intent. plus, the game's developer confirmed that it was part of the original design

[@netmommy4]

I absolutely agree with you! We have the 1st edition of Carpe Diem and would never, ever give it away for the 2nd edition. Such a huge fail! And we love Neom, too. So easy to teach and yet great depth. One of our most played games in the past few months!

[@Straddllw]

I just played Carpe Diem today. So glad I got the first edition.

[@undersci]

The star change fiasco is a good example of what happens if game designers listen too much to people who complain on BGG.

[@spinynorman15]

"I no longer have to destroy you." Rahdo 2019

[@rlholo]

I love both the retro look and the gameplay of 1st Edition Carpe Diem. This video should serve as a warning to game publishers. Never heed the advice of a small number of very vocal commenters/reviewers. Hopefully they didn't print too many in the second run so they can return the game to original in future printings. It is indeed a great game and a classic.

[@RickKoeppen]

As Rahdo was beginning his explanation of the Carpe Diem rules change, I was, ever increasingly, going "no...noo...NO!!!" in my head until it was thunderous, as I had a feeling that's what was coming. I remember months ago reading about people's disdain for the star. I never would have thought they'd go so far as to completely remove the bounce back as well. Totally pleased with my 1st edition copy, though I wonder if I could get the new edition to replace my original color-defective tiles. 🤔

[@rahdo]

yup, here's where i predicted they were going to do it: www.boardgamegeek.com/article/30781263#30781263 I guess it's not just the tiles, but the cards as well, right? to further differential the yellow and brown buildings?

[@JJ_TheGreat]

I have never played the game, but I will tell you right now that I would completely agree with you regarding the rule change of Carpe Diem. I hate to punish Stefan Feld, the designer, but I will now (principally - against Ravensburger) refuse to buy the game going forward unless they change the rules back. The only other way I will buy the game is buying the older game second-hand on BGG-Market, for example.

[@Nain1982]

I have a second board of the first print ;) It is weird to me that they didn't sell a double-sided board (wouldn't have increased much the value) with the star and circle on opposite side. I have played mostly at two and the star-movement works perfectly fine and I prefer. However, I do wonder if the complain arises from a 4p count. I could see that in that scenario it could potentially be hard to plan ahead and easier to speculate in a circular movement. I'm also glad I got the 1st print, I do wish there was a way to get the new tiles.

[@ricke1732]

Great list! As usual, lots of overlap with my top games. Out of the 50+ games I’ve played published in 2018, here are my top 20: 20. Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done 19. MetroX 18. Quacks of Quedlinburg 17. Duelosaur Island 16. Carpe Diem 15. Boomerang 14. Dice Hospital 13. Newton 12. New Frontiers 11. Endeavor: Age of Sail 10. Passing through Petra 9. Race to the New Found Land 8. Blackout Hong Kong 7. Solenia 6. Welcome to... 5. Gentes 4. Fleet the Dice Game 3. Forum Trajanum 2. Coimbra 1. Gugong Games that I haven’t played yet that I suspect might be top 10 worthy: Underwater Cities Magnastorm Teotihuacan Key Flow Crown of Emara Prehistory Smartphone, Inc Walls of York

[@ricke1732]

I haven’t played Everdell yet, and you’re right... that has potential for me to love it. Root, however, is not likely to be a good fit for me. I play games only 2 players 90% of the time, and Root appears to shine at higher player counts.

[@squared82]

NEOM is so good! So happy to see the love. It didn’t hit retail here in the US until February so I’m counting it as a 2019 game.

[@rahdo]

i always defer to bgg on official dates :)

[@squared82]

rahdo that’s fair. And an easier way to track things long term.

[@rahdo]

@@squared82 yup, i'm definitely in the minority though i think. which is why no one else considered new frontiers for their goty lists :)

[@joelbergvonlinde1389]

Yeah, I really like New Frontiers, but I think only a few reviewers were able to get them in very late 2018?

[@PencilCase6B]

Why change the rules of Carpe Diem?? Is it so hard to say "if you move to an empty space, you may move again forward *or backward*?"

[@rahdo]

yes, because that would be a very strange rule that would be easily forgotten, because it works counter to literally hundreds of years of boardgame design. some players on BGG had already tried it as a variant and posted how the rule quickly became overlooked. so the devs, who were determined to remove the star when they realized it wasn't "necessary" decided to cut the feature, rather than have an "odd" rule.

[@Nain1982]

@@rahdo i'm on your side with the star-movement, but perhaps this issue is mostly at a higher player count? I can see how it would be harder to predict at full count with a star-pattern vs a circle.

[@rahdo]

@@Nain1982 i can't say, since i've only played the game 2p, but that's true for 99% of all games i play :)

[@Nain1982]

@@rahdo well yeah, i'm subscribed to your channel and fully aware of that. It's hard for me to assess that also as 95% of the time I play at 2. But considering all the debate on this matter and so many people referring to this issue then I assume that at high counts the star-pattern with bouncing does make it cumbersome to plan.

[@rahdo]

@@Nain1982 you do make a very good point! :)

[@Nayr090]

I have to agree with not liking 2nd edition Carpe Diem, for the exact same reasons. Also glad I watched this to learn about the Neom official variant lol now I need to give it a try.

[@beckym3430]

Rahdo Excellent video really enjoy your content!! :)

[@testoftetris]

I just realized that I think you may have contradicted yourself in this video. I agree with your decision to lower Carpe Diem's rank, because the contents of the box/official rules changed. Not everyone will go on bgg and learn that they need to use some house rules to enjoy the "best version" of the game. However, isn't that also true for Neom? Based on the forum thread you linked to, it doesn't look like the disaster variant is going to be officially included in future rulebooks for the game. The "best version" of that game also requires a player to do some research on bgg. Isn't it a little unfair to judge Carpe Diem based strictly on the official rules, and then judge Neom based on an unofficial rules variant?

[@rahdo]

to my mind, if the developers publicly approve it, it's officially part of the rules, and not a home rule variant. so to me, these two changes are the same: the devs say "bouncing" in carpe diem is no longer supported/officially not part of the rules (and to my mind, the game is weaker for it), and meanwhile the devs say that the "coundown" option is supported/officially part of the rules. whats in the rulebook itself is not the final written in stone rules defintion... they can be updated post release of the devs want. I probably think this way because i'm a former game dev myself :)

[@harleygrattan2851]

Yay, I agree with you about Blackout Hong Kong. Good work Richard

[@Sthunderrocker]

So... If you had to chose.... Defaced 2nd edition with other color improvements or undefaced 1st edition with color issues?

[@rahdo]

1st printing, because either way i have to take a sharpee to the game to "fix" the issue, and i'd rather just put tiny dots on some tiles, rather than big honking lines on the main board :)

[@BrettspielDude]

are you sure about the bouncing? 1ed has a rule that says a pawn must move, it cannot "stay where they are" - I feel this could just be a bad choice of words for "cannot directly go back to where it came from". Is it clear this is an intended change from Feld or if the 1ed was just VERY unclear about this rule and we all got it wrong?

[@rahdo]

from the original rules: "If there are no more building tiles left, they must continue moving (also allowing the player to move back to their starting space)" Can't get much clearer than that :)

[@BrettspielDude]

That is indeed very clear. A shame then that they changed it... also: thanks for awesome content!

[@ionutsandu2830]

I don’t own CD yet. Is there a reason why one could not play Carpe Diem 2nd ed with the 1st ed rules? Meaning, play with the “bouncy star” instead of orbital? Are there any component changes as well? I would happily own a home printed 1st ed manual to go with the 2nd edition box and upgraded components, which are actually impossible to print out.

[@rahdo]

to get the star "back", you'll have to take a sharpee pen to your board, since the lines have been removed. most hardcore geeks aren't really comfortable with having to write on their components like this.

[@ionutsandu2830]

Gotcha. Hmm, still worth considering though... thanks for the reply!

[@graphycus]

Although I understand your concern about the 2nd edition of Carpe Diem, I don't see why you had to remove the 1st edition of it from your list. It's a standalone game with it's own rules and you can play it as you wish and how it fits best for you. If you don't like the fixed rules, just ignore them, and you still own a(n almost) perfect game. In the end these are just games, the goal is to have fun with them. And as I understand, you had a lot of fun playing it in the past.

[@rahdo]

yes, and even with the official retcon, it's still a fun game, but not as fun, imo. and since this an official change to the game, and people can't get the first printing anymore (there's no way to tell the difference between the 1st and 2nd printing... the new version even shows the "wrong" board on the back of the box) i thought it was important to let folks know that the game that i ranked #1 is literally no longer available, and if you try to buy it, you'll get a different game (one not quite as good, but still very fun)

[@Luchablay]

The designer of Solenia called me a murderer for makes a less than 100% positive video of his game, so he left a bad taste in my mouth for it. Good news for Neom tho. It’s the reason I never got it. I’ll get it now.

[@rahdo]

sebastian? yeah, he's posted on bgg how he suffers from manic depression and he's been going through a lot of bad times for the last year or so. not an excuse for his behavior, just an explanation...

[@Luchablay]

rahdo yeah. I figured for anyone to react that way, that it wasn’t about me. It was about something else. I hope he gets better, or at least manages to have the best life he can.

[@c.w.2000]

For Carpe Diem, could you just draw the star with black marker and play with the old rules? Edit: oops, I was too impatient. So, the answer is "yes". That doesn't sound too bad, but I understand that you have to rate the version that everyone will be picking up after the Kennerspiel nomination.

[@rahdo]

yes, this is exactly what you'd have to do

[@StefanLopuszanski]

Changing the star pattern shouldn't change the gameplay if you still have the rule that if the next space is empty you can do your current space again though, right? I'm confused on how the gameplay changes besides the presentation.

[@rahdo]

it changes because the developers of the game re-wrote the rules and took the functionality out with this reprint. there is now no reference to the original design intent of the game, and this new version doesn't even call out that it is a 2nd edition, so anyone buying the game would have no idea that there's a core part of the design now missing.

[@StefanLopuszanski]

@@rahdo : So did they remove the rule where you can "bounce" (I guess it would be "orbit") to the next non-empty location and/or back to your current location to get a tile? If so then I can understand the complaint. If it is just from a star to an orbit and nothing else functionally then I'm just confused.

[@rahdo]

yup, the changed the core rule. you can now no longer return to the space you started from, thereby reducing your decision space signficantly, and changing the balance of bread (and thereby the balance of certain types of buildings).

[@StefanLopuszanski]

@@rahdo : Weird. Why would they do that instead of just making it easier to see with the orbits? Has Stefan Feld responded on the changes and why?

[@rahdo]

feld has never commented publicly on anything about this, other than his original post that he felt the star was better than the circle for playability (this was like one of only 20 or so times he's ever posted online about anything, so to me it meant he felt strongly about this). maybe he changed his mind, maybe they made the change without consulting him, we'll probably never know (unless someone approaches his at a convention and asks directly). the reason they made the change would be because the star was necessary to visually communicate the odd game changing rule. there's no rondel game that's ever been made that allows you to end your movement where you start, it's simply never been done before, so decades worth of game design have trained players to only move in one direction and not 'about face' mid way through a turn. the star was great because it intuitively communicated why you could return to the start because you're not orbiting, you're ricocheting.

[@martinba9629]

Neom: Huh. I remember that we played tje disasters would hit *everyone*, so you only played one if you were prepared yourself. (Played a german printing.)

[@rahdo]

nope, it hits everyone except for you. from the german rules: Wird eine Katastrophe ausgewählt, wird am Ende der aktuellen Runde (also nachdem *alle anderen Spieler* ihre Akton durchgeführt haben) ein negatver Efekt ausgelöst, der nur die anderen Spieler betrif.

[@rahdo]

also: Wer die Katastrophe ausgewählt hat, ist selbst vor ihr sicher :)

[@reneraps6313]

rank.rahdo.com leads to an empty file directory instead to a list of the ranked 2018 games.

[@rahdo]

sorry i mumbled a bit. it's ranked.rahdo.com ... also, there's games.rahdo.com but you might have to refresh that page :)

[@kosterix123]

Chchchanges - nice reference most missed ;-)

[@rahdo]

it was very spontaneous, didn't plan it, and afterwards i wondered if folks would think i was just stuttering :)

[@BrettspielDude]

next time do the intro to "scatman". let´s see how that´ll work out ;)

[@xobxob]

I'm confused how the new 2019 version changes your opinion of the 2018 version, especially as the version in your collection is the 2018 version and it's a 2018 list.

[@rahdo]

if someone is looking to see what my top10 games of 2018 is 5 years from now, they only version of Carpe Diem available on the market will be the new changed one. the 1.1 is the official version moving forward, what i have is effectively a prototype. only a small # of players will ever have it.

[@xobxob]

@@rahdo So should a future version, let's say a third reprint, changes those things back then we can expect a new video 🙂

[@rahdo]

i guess we'll see :)

[@rahdo]

yup, if alea had officially released this as "Carpe Diem, second edition" (which would end up getting a seperate entry in the boardgamegeek database) then i wouldn't have changed my list (well, neom still would have punched in) :)

[@BrettspielDude]

so... buy a bulk of TRUE 1ed now and hope that it wins Kennerspiel, then sell them for huge profit? :D

[@hansp.vangen5446]

Don't really understand how the 2018 version of a game can drop 13 places based on a 2019 game? In a 2018 list? The game you have haven't changed. Just wondering. Thanks for all your great content!

[@masterbridgemaster1]

Did you actually listen to what he said about it? The fact that the ability to bounce back to an empty space has been removed radically changes the game.

[@rahdo]

if someone is looking to see what my top10 games of 2018 is 5 years from now, they only version of Carpe Diem available on the market will be the new changed one. the 1.1 is the official version moving forward, what i have is effectively a prototype. only a small # of players will ever have it.

[@hansp.vangen5446]

@@masterbridgemaster1 It didn't change the copy he owns, and I own and a lot of others own. I agree 100% with Rahdo regarding this rule change, but can't really see how this can change a previous version of a game. Not a big deal, just found it odd. And the first version have been i retail.

[@masterbridgemaster1]

@@hansp.vangen5446 I know what you mean, but he considers his (and yours, and mine, and other people's) first edition now a prototype, and therefore not the real game, so therefore he has to downgrade it.

[@rahdo]

yup, if alea had officially released this as "Carpe Diem, second edition" (which would end up getting a seperate entry in the boardgamegeek database) then i wouldn't have changed my list (well, neom still would have punched in) :)

[@johchadow]

Dang, searching for a first edition Carpe Diem now.

[@rahdo]

bear in mind, there's only one "edition" of carpe diem... this new change was a reprint, not an edition change, so there's no outward indication on the box (even the item ID) to let you know which is which... :(

[@johchadow]

@@rahdo well I'm hoping the one I got is the first print run, ordered the last copy available on CSI. It sounds like the second print of the English version isn't widely available yet so fingers crossed.

[@jwspiker]

WTF where the publishers /designers thinking for carpe diem?

[@rahdo]

there was a very vocal group of gamers on boardgamegeek who *really* wanted to see this change, so maybe they were catering to them. or maybe they just felt silly because they themselves hadn't realized that functionally the star was a rondel, and so they thought "why not make it a rondel"? hard to say. i'm mostly curious what stefan feld thought of this change, because he originally defended the star and its functionality on bgg, in one of only like 30 posts he's ever made on the site.

[@Kaikaku]

Well, I've never played Carpe Diem, only watched your Carpe Diem video, however it feels a bit harsh to put it down on 13th place. Would it been there if they used the new rules from the beginning? Of course it's your rating and you're dissapointed with the change...

[@rahdo]

well, the game has 3 core elements that makes it great. Neat objective system, solid tile laying puzzle, and fun, kinetic ricochet movement (rather than traditional rondel orbiting). removing one of the 3 central elements of the game hurts it, imo. It's like they decided to change Amerigo by taking out the tower and having you draw cubes from a bag. Still a great strategic game, but a lot of the "fun" is gone.

[@Kaikaku]

@@rahdo Just rewatched one of your videos where Jen "bounce, bounce, bounce..." Okay, reducing the available tile choices and the haptic fun, that can make the difference between Top 10 or not. Thank you for your answer :)

[@impostor53]

I love your reviews and I will continue to watch them forever, but these changes left me scratching my head. I just don't understand the criteria behind dropping Carpe Diem (an outstanding game) out of the list because of disagreement with edition changes. Isn't it more rational to state that Carpe Diem continues to be the best game of the YEAR but ONLY if you get and play the first edition? Besides this is a best 2018 games and Carpe Diem 2nd is from 2019. It is just unfair for such a wonderful game to get drop out by one of the best reviewers board gaming have to offer with an argument that sound like a grudge with the publishers. The thing I must appreciate from your reviews, is the continued love and enthusiasm you show for euro games; and that's the reason I keep coming back to you when I'm looking for sharp, sympathetic opinions. Please don't let publishers and designers mistakes and decisions affect the clarity of your views. Keep up the good work!

[@rahdo]

the issue is it's not a 2nd edition change. it's the 2nd printing of the first edition of the game where they've made these (IMO) big changes, with no announcement of the alterations. the box has stayed exactly the same (even showing an image on the back with the star which is no longer included), the unit iD number is the same, etc. so, with this change, this is now the "official" 1st edition version of the game (and it's already been released with no announcement, so even if you wanted to get the rules that demonstrate the original author's intent, you can't).. the game i have (and what i filmed in my original runthrough) is effectively a pre-release prototype. if these changes had been part of a "2nd edition" of the game, then i wouldn't have called it out. 2nd editions are expected to make changes to the core game. reprints of a given edition are not.

[@rahdo]

if you like, i've posted quite a bit more about this in this thread: boardgamegeek.com/thread/2218236/carpe-diem-bashing :)

[@impostor53]

@@rahdo I see! Thanks.

[@steveody978]

Neom sounds exactly like warsaw: city in ruin or capital if your European

[@rahdo]

yup, neom and warsaw are very similar. i put neom higher because the puzzle is tougher (you can't rotate tiles, and have to make roads line up)

[@steveody978]

@@rahdo Alright, thanks for the info. I will have to check it out then because we love Warsaw!

[@joelbergvonlinde1389]

Hmmn. I didn’t think they felt similar when I played them. To me Neom is much more similar to Suburbia in feel 🤔

[@pokefrosch617]

Someone discribing a mechanism in a Feld game makes me fall into a coma. Lets play “Math- The Game“!

[@joelbergvonlinde1389]

Hmmn, it sounds like you are judging Carpe Diem for what is in the printed rules, but are judging NEOM on something that is not in the rulebook?

[@andykim88]

I believe Rahdo's policy is that as long as the rule change is by the original designer and/or publisher, this is official and as the second edition of Carpe Diem is the new official rule and the Neom rule because it is by the designer, this is a fair comparison.

[@rahdo]

exactly. i fully expect that with the next neom reprint, the rulebook will be updated to include the official designer variant.

[@johnsonnavinr2522]

Boing boing boing boing

[@felizitash3661]

I had to laugh when you explained that you dropped Carpe Diem out of your Top 10 because they removed the bouncing rule, because I remembered that I corrected you about the bouncing in your original runthrough. And the reason I did THAT was because I got the rules explained to me at Essen 2018 by a professional helper at the Ravensburger both - WITHOUT the bouncing rule. So I think, they never meant to allow for the bouncing to happen, it most likely just never came up in the test playing (since it's neither described nor forbidden in the official rulebook). That brings me to the question: Would the game ever have made it into your Top 10 if you never had played it with the bouncing? (I let you keep the star, because I also like the star better than the circle. Even though I know that a lot of people disagree with me - looking at you folks on BGG.) I got a first edition copy shortly after Christmas and will keep it and play with the old rules. Though after hearing a bit about all the nominees for Kennerspiel, I don't think Carpe Diem will make it. My bet goes to Wingspan. (It's better not to talk about the nominees for Spiel des Jahres because *ugh*)

[@rahdo]

from the original rules: "If there are no more building tiles left, they must continue moving (also allowing the player to move back to their starting space)" So that's pretty clearly stated that bouncing back to your origin point is part of the original _published_ design. Not sure how one could read it differently :) Re: whether it would have made my top10 originally, the game has 3 core elements that makes it great. Neat objective system, solid tile laying puzzle, and fun, kenetic ricochet movement (rather than bog standard rondel orbiting). removing one of the 3 central elements of the game hurts it, imo. It's like they decided to change Amerigo by taking out the tower and having you draw cubes from a bag. Still a great strategic game, but a lot of the "fun" is gone.

[@felizitash3661]

@@rahdo You are right - that what it says in the original rules. But like I said: That was not how it was explained to me. No idea if it just never came up in our game or if the explainer just forgot the rule (though she was a very good explainer, even if she was about to loose her voice that day - later that day we had one where we would have been faster if we just read the rules ourselves) - I learned it without the bouncing and still found it quit entertaining. And I don't know where I saw it, but in my memory I read a digital rulebook where the bouncing rule was NOT explicitly included! Or maybe that's my personal Mandela effect ;-)

[@rahdo]

hehe. indeed, it's still a fantastic game without the bouncing (as i said in the video), but it's still a weaker game, imo :)

[@silverfang6668]

I'm glad I have a first edition, though I may pick up the newer edition for the tiles and still use the star board.

[@jensfriedberger1569]

Maybe that's how it should be understood: If there is no tile on the next field, proceed immediately. If there is no tile on the next field, move on (but not back). You may be able to return to your starting field. So the new version is only a concretization of the old one: "Liegt kein Bauplättchen mehr neben dem Feld, sofort in gleicher Richtung weiterziehen, bis man auf ausliegende Bauplättchen trifft"