Top 10 Games of 2023 with Tom, Zee, & Mike

[@elnicolas123]

Always a pleasure to see the dynamic trio together!

[@theoldman2821]

To say the obvious, as likeable as Joey is he's no Mike.

[@littlekong7685]

And the CGI is getting good, it almost looks like he is really in the studio with them =p

[@jonathangillies6531]

The legends of gaming, never change dudes

[@bardsamok9221]

These three are such a good bunch, even when they're not having a great day it's always worth watching the episode, which is a great compliment when there is much media around to watch these days; gold! Love Roy's opinions too though, really knows what's fun!

[@thomgizziz]

Sam isn't here... you all on a weird nostalgia trip hanging on to the past for no good reason.

[@matt_stowball]

I just love the rapport of the group when Mike is back in town

[@KissellMissile]

These three were the DT at their best.

[@theoldman2821]

What you're saying quietly is how much Mike is missed and Joey doesn't cut it.

[@matt_stowball]

@@theoldman2821 I do like Joey a lot (and he will continue to be a more integral part of the team imo), but yeah, Mike is missed

[@JamesOrr1987]

@@theoldman2821 That's a bit mean spirited, 2 completely different people, Mike is very polished, Joey is the lovable goofball, but both are entertaining for me. Filling in for someone shouldn't always come with the expectation that they should be the same.

[@JonReid01]

​@@theoldman2821apples and oranges what an unprovoked comment lmaoooo

[@Sajatzsiraf]

I am here to say how much I love Zee. :)

[@jameskirk4692]

Me too!

[@KToneyColorado]

Yes!!!!! Need more Zee in my life.

[@RynoKenny]

Voice of the peo-ple!

[@JonReid01]

La voz de la puebla

[@DeckinZ]

🐐

[@vinnieyang5422]

So glad that Mike is still here!!

[@maxtardif4959]

Thanks for sharing your 2023 top 10s, you selected many great games! I particularly enjoy Life of the Amazonia which I've played 8 times in the last 2 weeks. I guess I tend to enjoy games with a nature theme ;) I must take the time to thank you for putting Earth in five of your top 10s, plus the people's choices, it's such an honour! The fact that Tom and the people voted it the #1 game of the year is just incredible for me and Inside Up Games team, we did not expect that at all at the beginning of 2023, it was simply and awesome year for us! It gives us even more motivation to work on the upcoming expansion! Happy holidays to all of you guys!

[@thedicetower]

Thank you for a great game! An expansion would be very welcome here! Congratulations.

[@ajtame]

Love the game, great work :)

[@maxtardif4959]

@@thedicetower Thanks for the great coverage, we're working hard on that :)

[@maxtardif4959]

@@ajtame Thanks, glad you like it!

[@whalesequence]

I just got my bonus check at work. Can't wait to get my own copy.

[@KToneyColorado]

Thank you so much for a fantastic Winter Spectacular!!! Our house is so appreciative of the work you do!

[@BublySofaPotato]

Getting into board games, this channel is golden for exploring what this hobby has to offer.

[@steeveman]

I laugh out loud so much when the 3 of you do these lists! I guess anytime the 3 of you are together is such a treat! I can’t wait for your show in January! Keep up the great work! And yes, I will be backing your upcoming KS campaign!

[@jameskirk4692]

Exactly, they are so entertaining! 😀

[@jonathangillies6531]

Same!

[@IndianaGeologist]

You three are just so much fun to watch

[@joshualai1501]

Really enjoy n look forward to this series every yearr

[@thedicetower]

We enjoy doing it every year!

[@bexica623]

Mike 10. King's Tricktakers 9. Scholars of the South Tigris 8. Come Sail Away 7. Legacy of Yu 6. The Fox Experiment 5. Life of the Amazonia 4. Thunder Road Vendetta 3. Ostia 2. Earth 1. ICE Zee 10. The Vale of Eternity 9. Cyberion 8. Come Sail Away 7. Earth 6. Expeditions 5. Ticket to Ride Legacy 4. Thunder Road Vendetta 3. Marvel Zombies 2. Ancient Knowledge 1. Unmatched Adventures Tom 10. Path of Civilization 9. Thunder Road Vendetta 8. Freelancers 7. Seas of Havoc 6. Tales from The Red Dragon Inn 5. Arborea 4. Ticket to Ride Legacy 3. World Wonders 2. The Vale of Eternity 1. Earth People's Choice 10. Hegemony 9. Last Light 8. Forest Shuffle 7. Apiary 6. Distilled 5. Sky Team 4. Ticket to Ride Legacy 3. Thunder Road Vendetta 2. Expeditions 1. Earth

[@samdanmas]

Thanks for the list!

[@curtislinden9297]

"trick taking rennaissance... its a trick taking blip" is hilarious

[@jaredmorehouse8234]

Recommendation (if it hasn't already been done): Top Ten Games with Simultaneous Player turns.

[@thedicetower]

There's more of them out there now. Could be interesting.

[@JonReid01]

​@@thedicetower Still waiting for the top 10 games with snappy quick turns (that's SQT btw)😂😂😂

[@jameskirk4692]

Thank you very much to all three of you for this fun video (love you as a trio, especially in top lists), for and very useful games lists! I will be checking out most of the games you talked about cause you hyped me up for them and I think I might like them too.

[@stowcreek1999]

You guys are Sooo good and fun together! Thanks for ur work… and camaraderie.

[@rawkyle9385]

So great to have Mike back

[@ramonosuke]

It's hard to keep up with the amount of games churned out every year, but I always go back to these lists after KS hype dies down, popularity dwindles, and every one is rushing to the next "big thing" and pick older games up second hand for much cheaper. I've made my peace with not having to play the latest and greatest new title, unless it's an expansion that's improves a game I love/already own. Love what you guys do, and the dedication to get so many games played and reviewed is commendable :)

[@JBearwa]

Love their dedication to game reviews and how much they’ve elevated the industry! I agree with your comments. I enjoy watching these later to get clues what would be fun to be able to pick up games aftermarket when the hype has gone down.

[@JonReid01]

So excited for the top 100s!!

[@michaelwolff305]

The Earth cover is from the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, with the Kirkjufellsfossar Falls and Kirkjufell Mountain (also know as Arrowhead Mountain on Game of Thrones). ... My wife and I visited the site 2 weeks ago.

[@thedicetower]

Sounds amazing! And hard to pronounce!

[@ericscott3125]

Life of the Amazonia ! Great call , Mike Amazing game

[@wmarclocher]

I really liked Earth and I loved Apiary; however, after finally getting hold of in early December, I am obsessed with Voidfall and would love to see what you guys think of that one. I think it doesn't just Eclipse the previous Space 4x games it is an occultation of all previous space 4x games.

[@ErikEliason012]

Love having Mike on!

[@moltenbullet]

I taught Value of Eternity about 40 times at a regional event - 40 games, I don't think I saw a single repeated combination or path to victory. The number of permutations is insane. Almost everyone who bought it ended up buying a copy. Great for kids, families, and experienced gamers. One thing I will say is that the game does have a tendency to let lagging players come from behind and win, while leading players don't have as much punch at the end game to turn the lead into a clear victory.

[@ExBeeOne]

lol @ 6:14 "Tricktaking reneseance? It's a tricktaking blip!"

[@mattmefford2696]

Did anyone notice Mike was giving a clue with his drink the whole time? 😂😂

[@sethgivens]

Styx the landing! No one even reacted. You have to give Mike some love for that one. 😅

[@JonReid01]

They are numb to puns due to hriscay iyay 😂

[@TheGains]

Zee's description would pretty much be my top 10 of the year if I were ever make one "I played 12. 2 of them were trash. This is my top 10"

[@Valcurdra]

Played Seas of Havoc on the weekend, both times I busted this out, the players immediately requested a replay, super underrated title this year, I heard nobody talking about it but its a huge hit for me.

[@petergorniak7443]

So glad you're still enjoying Seas of Havoc!

[@whalesequence]

Mike picking Life of the Amazonia makes me happy. Such a satisfying game

[@ZD10house]

I was spoiled by learning this one from Mike, and I bought it almost immediately after. It really got its hooks in me. One of my most played games of the year for sure.

[@whalesequence]

@@ZD10house I'm finally buying my own copy after Christmas myself, gotta wait to see if my mom or fiance got it from by bgg wishlist

[@zachras9643]

I like everything about Earth!

[@danacoleman4007]

Really? I can't stand all of the pollution and all of the jerky people.

[@rioterism]

One of my favorite top 10's to watch, great synergy and very fun video as usual with Tom, Zee and Mike - keep them coming guys! For sure my top 5 games of this year are: Unmatched Adventures Tales to Amaze Pirates of Maracaibo Dune Imperium Uprising World Wonders Seas of Havoc Glad to see you appreciate most of them, any thoughts or maybe review on "Pirates of Maracaibo" - this is such a great game with very interesting decisions every time, snappy turns and lots of variability in my opinion.

[@theoldman2821]

"One of my favorite top 10's to watch, great synergy and very fun video as usual with Tom, Zee and Mike - keep them coming guys!" Here's the problem. Mike moved back to Indiana for "family reasons." Joey has been brought in to replace him. And it isn't working. If anything it makes it harder for Joey because unlike Sam who truly went away, Mike didn't. It makes very easy to contrast this trio with the newer trio and it always pales in comparison.

[@terry3733H]

Mike welcomes light (What Not Cabinet, Tokaido), cute games, unusual mechanics (Tapestry, Peacemakers) and minimalist style and unique themes of Japanese and Nordic Euro designs 😊

[@terry3733H]

life of amazonia KS delivered early too 😊

[@jankogo]

Mike! Welcome back!

[@arekkrolak6320]

I liked when Mike said "Thank you Sandra" :)

[@ericgivler3974]

You missed Dune:Uprising. I thought Dune:Imperium was great last year, but Uprising was even better. I cannot stop playing it at least once a week since its release.

[@JamesOrr1987]

Earth is amazing, played it at DTW for first time, actually lived up to the hype. My #2 is Distilled though, super smooth and fun at 4.

[@thegillettefive]

What is a must have expansion for Thunder road.

[@LeeKenshin7]

Chopped Shoppe

[@boardgamefangirl]

Indeed-Earth was one of the best games I played this year. It’s so snappy. And I was bummed I did not back Ostia for sure. I did back Aqua Garden I should have assumed Ostia would be good. It sounds like the kind of game right up my alley.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

""What? You're the worst lawyer in the world." 🤣🤣🤣

[@JonReid01]

I appreciate moving the bottom left video up and making it slightly bigger! Can go wide screen now and still see the guys. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@rongamble8930]

Did I hear Mike say that Come Sail Away "Styx the landing?" Really?

[@ajtame]

Earth is GotY for me, voidfall 2nd.

[@maizetoken377]

“‘Trick-taking renaissance?!’ It’s a trick-taking blip!”

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I want to try Earth and Ark Nova.

[@ExBeeOne]

1:12:26 "The Binoculars of All-Seeing" sounds very cool :)

[@mgk2020]

Life of the Amazonia is fantastic. It was almost impossible to get from the library at DTW. It'll probably end up in my top ten games of all time.

[@juddjensen7578]

I think there has been more diversity in the top ten lists than any year I can remember. Just a really unique year of amazing games from a wide range of publishers.

[@MrScrawnjuan]

Helps when they don't allow overlap

[@ericlosiewicz519]

Where do we go to vote on the people’s choice top 100? No link video notes and I cannot find it in the dice tower website anywhere.

[@thedicetower]

There's a link on the front page of the DiceTower.com under the three hot reviews. We'll update descriptions when we're back in office tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up.

[@brandobombchu8827]

Mike excellently defended ICE. Well balanced between simplicity and unique powers. So much Cool stuff to love.

[@JonReid01]

No pun intended?

[@JonReid01]

😂

[@brandobombchu8827]

@@JonReid01 Always intended. 😊

[@ShuffleUpandDeal32]

No Forest Shuffle? Thought that would be in most people's top 10s.

[@zachcarmichael699]

1:08:50 Why have a game on your list that's not available to the public? I'm really interested in Vale of Eternity, but there's literally no way to obtain it until like April 2024.

[@thedicetower]

Well, because it WAS available, and it was one of my favorite games! - Tom

[@jimalexander687]

Stationfall, Earth, Forest Shuffle.

[@moltenbullet]

Weird that I couldn't find this video on the channel page and had to go through a mobile link.

[@thedicetower]

You have to click the "live" tab to find it. It's a weird thing KZbin does.

[@chestersleezer8821]

Great list and I did not know about "Tales from the Red Dragon Inn" and will be looking at getting that game, also "Ice" is another possible game. But I do enjoy the Red Dragon Inn world and have most of the initial game along with Battle for Greyport and now to actually take the characters out on adventures.

[@jarbasjunio1074]

Took me a minute to see that Tom was changing his Hat.

[@jjtheBaldBoardGamer]

Can’t wait to table Earth, Come Sail Away, or Fox Experiment. My Shelf of Shame is TOO big right now.

[@WhatUpRob]

Man, of all the top ten 2023 lists I’ve played one game that appeared, Darwin’s Journey. I’ve played The White Castle and lerusalem: Anno Domini but apparently games from other years. For reference, considering playing a game multiple times, I’ve played 148 games, or 114 unique games, not a whole lot but it’s what happens. It’s just interesting.

[@Mike_James]

Ashes Reborn: Red Rains took their characters and makes it solo and cooperative as well.

[@jamessherman7797]

Enjoyed your review and camaraderie. Earth has been on my wish list for about 6 months. Time to take the plunge and purchase it. Ticket to Ride….I think I’m getting as a gift in a few days, so can’t wait for that one too. I’m a big fan of Ticket to Ride.

[@GGdeTOURS37]

Thunder Road? HOO YEAAAAH!

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

"Comborific" is an adjective I love in a game description.

[@JonReid01]

Combotastic

[@thomaslajeunesse5011]

To Zee who says he hasn't seen another game going on for a few years and go for a new way all cooperative. I know two : Dice Throne, and before that Legend of the Five Rings the card game (with the expansion Under Fu Leng's Shadow)

[@oopstoons]

How many of these games will be in the hot games room at DTW?

[@AlBundy4td]

Amazed not seeing a couple big crowded funds games on this list that’s delivered this year - Frosthaven, Witcher old World, CMoN He-man and Monster Hunter World to name a few. MZ and Thunderroad did and for those wanting the Maximum Chrome version a 2nd print crowdfunding early next year with new expansion.

[@thedicetower]

Well, Frosthaven was on my 2022 list. He-man made Zee's Top 10 Surprises list.

[@superspecky4eyes]

What does "Trick Taking Game" mean?

[@JonReid01]

If you've ever played Bridge, Hearts, Spades, or Euchre, you've played a trick-taking game. If you haven't, the central concept is simple: a player “leads” with a card of a certain suit, with subsequent players needing to “follow,” i.e., play a higher card of the same suit if they hope to win the hand.

[@jimc3786]

I have to say, Hegemony is one of the best games I have played in a very long time. . . I know it is long, but it is soooo good.

[@Cyrath89]

When i first saw Earth I REALLY couldnt wait for it to come out here. Months later I finally got it, played it, and really was disappointed. I played it a few times but I didnt click with it the way I thought I would. Even thinking about selling it. I got more boardgames now and really love Butoku and Trolls and Princesses. Meadow is also a great game, which I would rank higher than Earth in terms of looks and ease. Arborea looks awesomely beautiful, a bit like Bitoku. Im gonna check it out!

[@linusottosson5425]

”Is that from Seinfeld?” 😂👏🏻👌🏻

[@donaldrositano869]

Mike mentioned a new kickstarter for Ostia happening in January. Is there any more news on that?

[@joelbergvonlinde1389]

Tom: *gives Mike a hard time about a game that is hard to get* Also Tom: *puts Vale of Eternity on his list*

[@thedicetower]

Yeah, you caught me. But it's coming out for wide distribution early 2024!

[@Trizelz]

Toms #1 shortcut link is broken

[@jjtheBaldBoardGamer]

Expeditions, played it twice Solo, and I feel I would prefer this at 3 MAX. Does not feel to scale well, with how small the map is. Surprised it plays to 5, but really enjoyed the two plays I have of it. Still have never played Scythe, but will soon because of how much I enjoyed this. Love seeing Mike, FINALLY coming around to Garphill. Love Legacy of Yu, and can’t wait to table Scholars. Finally, really interested in Freelancers even more now, with the praise it has gotten from the Dice Tower team.

[@samanrahemi2199]

Where can I find Zee's "Big games in small boxes" list?

[@thedicetower]

It's part of the Winter Spectacular videos, BUT we will be reposting it this week.

[@NuggetsDungeonTerrain]

If you like Thunder Road you should try Wastelands Highway. You could even use the Thunder Road cars if you have them!

[@joannabarry5236]

Freaking LOVE scholars. Its def my #1 game from 2023. I also am here to say Mike is my favorite but man is Zee funny. And Tom Mike and Zee combo is my favorite trio. I'll watch them talk about anything

[@runraggedrhino]

That rabbit from takes from red dragon inn sounds cool, but how would it fare against Zee's shoulder elf??

[@thedicetower]

Elfawn Dashelv has no equal.

[@runraggedrhino]

@@thedicetower 🤣

[@ismount]

I wouldn't mind if you guys included reprints. Particularly for games like Zoo Vadis, which was originally printed a long time ago and was nearly impossible to acquire prior to the reprint. I would wager that Zoo Vadis is essentially a brand new game for the majority of folks in the hobby.

[@thedicetower]

It's already hard enough to only pick 10 favorite games from a year! But Tom did a Top 10 reprints list and a Top 10 sequels list too.

[@filipemarques2965]

My GOTY is Deliverance! Hoping to see a dice tower review of that game

[@WannaBeRockStar800]

My favorite three for a video

[@arazos3535]

Is this instead of top 100? Im going to be a little sad. I have been waiting for an entire year😢

[@thedicetower]

Nope. Top 100 starts next week. For several years now, we've done best-of-year stuff in December, Top 100s in January.

[@zacdredge3859]

Was there anything about Unmatched as an existing system that didn't already allow playing Co-op? I guess I assumed it was already a thing by now...

[@RulebooksForYou]

Nice - worked on a top 5 game :) 🎉❤

[@TheSchaef47]

I'm glad the people are least picked Hegemony. I'm almost certainly one of Those People but I would have thought it would have made at least one list.

[@JonReid01]

It did make the surprises lists

[@TerrickTerran]

Glad to see Tales of the Red Dragon Inn. Slugfest knocked it out of the park.

[@Kuptain]

The cover of Ostia reminds me so hard of Oath.

[@ShuffleUpandDeal32]

Now I want to see that top 50 trick taking game list from Mike, lol

[@rafaeluryayev7174]

Gotta love how Mike's first game on this list is not available in the US.

[@benabram435]

No Dune Imperium Uprising?

[@matecalle]

Same! I'm surprised they didn't even mention it. I wonder if it's too new and they didn't include it as a 2023 game

[@thedicetower]

It's on my sequels list. It's too similar to the first one for me to count it as a new game.

[@F4R207]

How do Unmtached Adventures compare to the new Dice Throne Marvel Missions (not the former DT adventures game which looked terrible)?

[@tlance4480]

I only had Thunder Road and Arborea in my top ten of this year that anyone else had in there list. I'm surprised Nucleum and The White Castle wasn't in anyones list, but those games are heavier and that doesn't seem to line up with anyones preferences

[@thedicetower]

White Castle was close to a few lists but Nucleum was on another group's list. Check out Wendy's if you want more of the heavier euros from the year.

[@TheFamilyCrocker]

I would love for Roy (and whoever else helps with the active stream at the time) to be mic'd for these, when they gets excited and make comments, it makes my day.

[@Braz__]

ICE is such a good and tough game. Amazing production quality and great game. I´v only wished that they would have put the power itself (what the power is doing) on the active side of the artifacts as the powers are quite different and to remeber which power is doing what is really annoying.

[@Alluvian567]

ooh, exceited about ancient knowledge. I was not a fan of 51st state (actually the retheme, I forget the name of it) partly because the combos never broke, it gave me feelings of a runaway leader, especially when you mix new players with seasoned players I felt the new players just got rofflestomped. Decaying combos gives the newer players a chance to get in the groove later and maybe not win, but feel that they are at least playing the same game at the end.

[@Fissi0nChips]

I literally just got The Fox Experiment from Kickstarter a couple days ago. While technically 2023 it just came out in December. So most people were not able to play this like you.

[@aManoftheMeeple]

Great lists fellas! Earth is my #1 game as well!

[@kellytoney1234]

Hey Dice Tower - Mike mentioned that Witchcraft! was already for sale in retail. We're looking forward to getting a copy! Is it in the US or did he mean .....international.

[@raortiz73]

Only have one game on this list, but it was Zee's number one.

[@kurtwolffjr9727]

I’m shocked no one mentioned DEI Divide et Impera

[@KumarKaushikDash]

We need that photo Tom! Do it 😊

[@thedicetower]

Chris volunteers to go as well to be the photographer.

[@Bocaj6487]

I'm genuinely surprised not to see Dragonkeepers on any of your lists. It's a game I was anticipating on par with The Vale of Eternity.