Top 10 Games that are Liars

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at ten games that say, suggest, or imply one thing, but instead are something different! Thus, we deem them liars!
Intro - 00:00
Mike 10 - 05:02
Zee 10 - 06:41
Tom 10 - 08:58
Mike 9 - 11:00
Zee 9 - 13:08
Tom 9 - 15:11
Mike 8 - 17:10
Zee 8 - 19:32
Tom 8 - 21:42
Mike 7 - 24:55
Zee 7 - 27:07
Tom 7 - 28:56
Mike 6 - 31:07
Zee 6 - 32:52
Tom 6 - 34:47
Mike 5 - 37:20
Zee 5 - 40:25
Tom 5 - 42:14
Mike 4 - 44:04
Zee 4 - 46:54
Tom 4 - 48:42
Mike 3 - 51:14
Zee 3 - 53:16
Tom 3 - 55:01
Mike 2 - 56:44
Zee 2 - 59:06
Tom 2 - 1:01:55
Mike 1 - 1:02:49
Zee 1 - 1:04:33
Tom1 - 1:06:52
People's Choice 1:08:20
Outro - 1:13:33
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[@TheMechanicalfish]

I knew as soon as I saw the title of this video that Eight-Minute Empire would be on there.

[@michaeldilisio557]

It’s at this point that I feel compelled to mention that Ryan is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. And talented. And nice. Super talented. Maybe doesn’t have the best grasp of time. But very nice.

[@TheMechanicalfish]

@@michaeldilisio557 Haha! You're too kind, Mike. It's actually true that I don't have the best grasp of time. Ask my family.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

Is it "Eight-Minute" or Eight miNUTE?

[@DavidSupina]

@@EfrainRiveraJunior Still a lying title! The empires you play as may be small, but the max player count is five. Where are my OTHER THREE Mi-NUTE EMPIRES???

[@BugsHaveProtein]

It’s why I just call it Blood Rage Lite (with the expansion)

[@ramonosuke]

“Give the invading hordes a cold or something…” 😂😂😂 Also all of Zee’s geometry jokes and picks had me rolling.

[@Mentat1231]

Watching this again, and I can't get over how Tom completely forgot why he picked his #2 and wanted to just move on. LOL

[@Rose-xu6lq]

Number 2s are plop 💩

[@flol.1741]

7:55 How about a game called 4 seconds. It's a 4 player game where each player plays as the "second" in command of an army. The game actually lasts about 4 hours.

[@marosmierka1904]

sounds fun does it comes with minis?

[@natew.7951]

The guy that named Minute Realms thought Before the Wind was about prepping wind-up toys and making sure they work before the wind.

[@JonReid01]

🤣

[@Dyskresiac]

Dice Tower needs more fun top 10s like this. This is easily on my top 10 top 10s. So much more fun than people ranting or raving. Loved it

[@ScytheNoire]

Vindication is also a lie because you are not trying to be vindicated, but be redeemed. Scythe is also a lie because that's not a scythe on the cover, it's a sickle.

[@dancondonjones]

Exactly right. It would only be vindication if the characters in the games where actually innocent of the crimes they’re accused of - but they’re not.

[@shanedbunting]

I read the first Red Rising book and my son gets mad when I call it the Hungry Potter Games.

[@Wulfen0]

Rise of Augustus in one line: "A-2, Brute?"

[@gohan2304]

This Top 10 was a blast to watch. Lots of laughs throughout the show.

[@gadzooks2763]

I definitely had Scythe in mind. I also vote for At The Mountains of Madness: gorgeous cover art, looks and sounds like a Lovecraft game. It's a party game about following silly restrictions while trying to pronounce gibberish. That's it.

[@DuGStp]

Here’s one. Feast for Oden. The lie is that Uve tells you a bold face lie right in the rules. There’s a little cartoon of his face and he says to try the animal breeding strategy because it’s good. And then you lose horribly.

[@JonReid01]

14:15 Zee that card exists in Magic the Gathering, it's the "Blood forged Battle-axe" Equipped creature gets +2/+0. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, create a token that's a copy of Bloodforged Battle-Axe.

[@Skarpo89]

For Founders, I remember in the Kickstarter Isaac repeated time and time again "This game is nothing like Gloomhaven, I'm happy it's doing so well but please know that it's nothing like Gloomhaven!"

[@BoxOfFear]

Then he would show the Vermling artwork for the game, and I’d fool myself into thinking I’d enjoy it. “If we pass one more stretch goal, I’ll add the Aesthers!” “I need that!!!!!”

[@magealexstra]

The mace of multiplication is definitely the next Homebrew item for my d&d group!!!! 💯💯

[@JonTripp115]

7:56 The prime board game example of this is Barrage. BAR-ij (like baggage) refers to dams, which bar a waterway. bar-RAHJ refers to a bombardment. I have heard zero people pronounce the game about building dams the correct way.

[@revimfadli4666]

Tbf the game is brutal enough to feel like a bombardment

[@wanderlking8634]

Zee should check out the old movie The Specials with James Gunn in an acting role. "Hey, are you Minuteman? Can we have your autograph?" "It's My-noot Man. Do I look like a soldier from the Revolutionary War? I don't think so. Am I wearing a three-cornered hat? No. I turn small. Think."

[@Spudkitty513]

My biggest pet peeve ... games which are in HUGE boxes with compact-size components. Maybe they are allowing for expansions, but it is morej likely about pricing. Bigger box = higher price.

[@ccggenius]

Mass market games are like that because shelf space costs money so they're damn well gonna fill it.

[@ramonosuke]

100%

[@zvonk2480]

Betrayal at House on the Hill claims to be a "Strategy Game" right on the box. They finally got rid of that LIE when they printed the 3rd edition.

[@Phoenixastro]

OMG. I got Yetisburg as a gift and thought it would be a light silly filler. When my son and I finally got it out to play, during set-up we kept looking at each other, I think daring the other to be the first to say, "This actually looks good." It definitely is not what first glance would make you think. B+ for the game, A+ for Zee remembering it and adding it to his list!

[@JeramyWare]

Now I need a Games that are Bigger Than They Need to Be top 10.

[@LenoxSpartanFitness]

Nothing Personal always ends up being personal

[@dimpleza]

The comments on this one are GOLD!!! 😂 What a fun top 10 guys!! Thank you!

[@JJ_TheGreat]

29:10 So true! When I first got into the hobby, Scythe was a big hit - and from the moment I saw the cover - and the mechs - I SO thought it was a war-game.

[@scrubkid6602]

Mike had me there at 11:15. Never heard of that game and when I saw the title "Founders" I thought he put the wrong game or the one doing the power point messed up. And when Mike did that surprised face I thought "HA what a fool!" But it then turns out it is set in the Gloomhaven universe and Mike planned this. I was the fool all along.

[@kimoro9643]

omg I adore Elevenses! ladies gossiping around tea can be very mean and I think it’s perfect 🤩😅 the theme fits because it’s subtle meanness 🧐💕

[@JonReid01]

It's actually eight-miNUTE empire, Mike. But I understand why you felt bamboozled.

[@ricksleurink5064]

GMTA :P

[@rentless666]

This comment is pure gold!

[@gerrade71278]

This list gave me an idea for a new list. 10 I.P. s that deserve a great game. Off the top of the heah, some of my picks would be: 1. The World of Lonewolf 2. The Expanse 3. Breaking Bad....??? Okay, but maybe you get the idea.

[@fsugnome]

This might be the most I laughed watching one of your videos. Very funny.

[@Chimeraiam]

Top 10 Board Game Covers would be a fun list. Treasure Island and Vindication would be my 1 and 2 probably lol

[@matthewsinger]

So glad someone mentioned Battle Sheep. One of my favorite games for that brutality.

[@samt9387]

"The dagger of division"? Wonderfully unique topic. Keep up the great work. Great vid 👍

[@PatrickRes]

Andor is on my list. The look made me think sandbox, but it is TRULY a puzzle game. Spirit Island as well. That game is far more complex than I would have guessed when I saw that it's cooperative, and saw the theme.

[@Lucas.Blevins]

This is one of my favorite top 10’s you guys have ever done! Hilarious! And true!! I was really glad Scythe was on there. That game’s cover and board/pieces are awesome and misleading. Good game though.

[@DEMONJIM]

Minute Realms had me laughing so hard. Well played sir.

[@bensgoogle]

This was gold! Great Top 10s

[@flameski_]

Zooloretto - on the outside a cutesy game of "let's make a Zoo, collect the animals, let them have offsprings" is actually a very cuttroat game of "oh, you wanted that animal? I'll take it and set it free in the city just so you can't have it!"

[@DrMcFly28]

20:42 "You are implying that this people rushing at your city are a pandemic - uh-uh, not very nice". Yes, when people come to pillage and burn your city, please be mindful of their feelings when you're addressing them. :P

[@knife1406]

Commander always felt the most board-gamey version of magic the gathering, even where you can make 4 decks pretty balanced around each other and never really upgrade them

[@BillGrant3]

Great topic and lists. Lost Cities comes to mind for me. Also Favor of the Pharaoh. And Fuse. All games I like.

[@BillGrant3]

I wrote this before the episode ended, someone else said Lost Cities too

[@Carlphish]

That Dreams game at 1:05:30 should have been called Constellations and themed itself around stargazing.

[@colmustard21]

Scythe was the first game that came to mind for this video. It’s a big factor in why I don’t enjoy it: that theme to gameplay disconnect just breaks it imo

[@colmustard21]

@@arthursimsa9005 I have not. I didn’t enjoy my handful of plays years ago so I haven’t looked at it since. But I might take a look at high level play to see if that makes it appear more interesting

[@monstercookie96]

Zee that was pure comedic genius. Bingo numbers written on fish as they go by!

[@JasonD19736]

Philosophers have long debated what would happen if the Mace of Duplication were ever dropped. Would only the planet itself be duplicated, or all the plant and animal life as well?

[@christianvalentin1697]

19:43 that sounded exactly like the "hooorrrhh" sound from TikTok videos haha

[@qumpelblase]

Mountains of Madness is definitely missing in this list!

[@hucz]

meh

[@VaultBoy13]

There's more madness is Mountains of Madness than any other Lovecraftian game.

[@qumpelblase]

@@VaultBoy13 But it doesn't look like a party game

[@DarthSironos]

Assassin's Creed Arena is a fine game. You move round, avoid or kill guards, get weapons and gear, kill targets, even kill each other (optionally). Has Zee even played the boardgame?

[@YayapLives]

Someone needs to make a game called High Steaks that's a super casual game 10 minute game about balancing steaks on top of each other.

[@ThraXisPlays]

The moment I saw the title + intro, I thought of Scythe. Really caught me by surprise when I tried it.

[@Silica_Packer]

Great list topic .

[@saveversus]

How did Zee NOT put Shipwreck Arcana on this list?? The whole setting has nothing to do with the game. 😀

[@aljohnson5601]

Surprised Tom didn’t mention Hyperborea because of the cover.

[@Salixalba1000]

A hidden gem that was hurt (I believe anyways) by its cover that made the game look like a sprawling fantasy war game, but was instead an amazing bag builder? If you guessed Hyperborea then you are he winner. What a great game.

[@middleclassboardgamer]

I figured that one would be on Tom's list because he hammered it for that in his review.

[@hermesnoel]

I love Dogs of War….but now that I have them I honestly can’t imagine it without all the giant hats haha

[@DavidSupina]

"Drowning in Maces" is my new name for the metal band I plan to form now.

[@andrewwilson895]

Point Salad is a lie because it's titled after a common trope in board games in which doing anything can earn you points, but Point Salad is a straightforward set-collection game.

[@blacksheep9950]

Well, except every card in the game is a different way to score points, and every turn you're either gaining a new way to score points or collecting veggie cards to score more points...

[@williamdobson1680]

Don’t worry Zee I once made the same mistake with a minute steak 🤦‍♂️

[@johnathankokoski]

Such a fun video!

[@eisforelbowsmash]

I'm amazed to see Tom doesn't get Blood Rage. It's literally just a eurogame with really cool viking-ish minis and art.

[@nzcamel3]

Cole Werhle talks about how Eric Lang makes brutal looking games that aren't brutal, and he did the reverse with Root lol.

[@tonkabeanicecream5698]

I'm pretty sure Assassins Creed Arena is based on the multiplayer mode for Assassins Creed and to that extent it did feel thematic. The squares on the board are rooftops. Its a shame the board and art aren't very good to draw you in.

[@jonathanzj620]

I agree with the chat on Five Tribes. It looks like an epic Arabian nights game on the cover and it's really just mankala with special powers

[@zacdredge3859]

29:14 Another thing that's a lie about Scythe's cover is that the C resembles a sickle, not a scythe....

[@aloharay]

Hilarious list. #9 Kenji.. technically the box shows the warriors lined up, not actually battling :)

[@Poiuytrew.Q]

Oh dang I thought eight minute empire was played in eight minutes. I feel like a fool!

[@CarlToonist]

I am surprised Vivid didn't make it. I have not played it, but the review suggested it didn't live up to the promise of what they suggested the game was about.

[@joeskis]

Surprised no one said Survive (that island sinking escape game). It looks like a fun, light, family game. Turns out it's quite vicious.

[@gadzooks2763]

My number 10 is Petrichor, which looks like (and was marketed as) a serene game of moving drops and rain clouds around while growing little sprouts. Instead, it's the most cutthroat and dense math/efficiency puzzle I've ever played. Stressful and thinky.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

28:07 Oh wow! That cover cracks me up!

[@blacksheep9950]

Mike might be confusing Augustus with Ave Caesar, which is a F1 racing game rethemed to chariot racing, where the pit stop is replaced with pulling to a stop you can call out "Ave Caesar".

[@jasonc2784]

I liked this list and they seemed to have had a lot of fun bouncing off each other.

[@UberTastical22]

I too am hyped for Dominaria round 2!

[@JonReid01]

Hype!

[@TheHouseofPanda]

Blood Rage made people's choice because a lot of people think it's a drafting game first and an area control game second, duh.

[@SanswayNuna]

I'm glad Mike mentioned Parks Memories at the end there. I've not yet played Parks. I bought Parks Memories thinking it would be a sequel like Azul Summer Pavilion or Patchwork Americana. I thought it meant "Memories" in like a "Cozy Nintendo Game" type of way. Like these are our memories of our travels.... now knowing it is a memory game I feel dumb having thought that.

[@yourebelscum9662]

Anybody know how I can acquire an old copy of Think Str8?

[@MouseKing4752]

Thanks Tom, Mike, zee for this review.

[@darthopper7874]

Argent: The Consortium--cutthroat euro disguised as a cute magic themed game.

[@ZharelAnger]

Fantastic topic on when gaming publishers try to appeal beyond their genre.

[@speedandstyletony]

"My journey" - Mike's new catch phrase.

[@Uther1313]

I'm in total agreement about Scythe! The War aspect is non-existent but you have these awesome mech figures that look pretty but do nothing!

[@revimfadli4666]

Tbf the political threat of war being more powerful than war itself seems more realistic nowadays

[@soogymoogi]

I mean they do help you walk across the river l

[@BoardAllTheTime]

Technically the original theme of Love Letter was thematic as a follow up to the area control game called Courtier. You were trying to coax the princess out from her chambers after her mother got arrested for treason. If you were thrown out of a round, it was your letter failing to be delivered. It was thin, but it was definitely there. As soon as we got to the spinoffs, it all fell apart.

[@Poiuytrew.Q]

I had such hard time explaining the original theme that our games have evolved into an interrogation game where we are all trying to kill the princess. Unless you are unfortunate enough to be the princess.

[@nicole_w_s]

My copy of love letter is a Batman version and wow that takes some explaining to people

[@selfthinker]

The original theme of Love Letter existed before AEG bought the rights and put it into their Tempest world. They hadn't changed anything about the theme, only added backstories to the characters and changed the art. But Courtier is the reason why the AEG (and later the Z-Man) version has a King but not a Queen, because she was arrested in Courtier. (The original version had neither.)

[@kchorst5037]

I think Tiny Towns counts as a minute (minoot) realm.

[@NoNameNoWhere]

We need a "Top 10 Games That Will Appear On Each Other's Lists" Good luck.

[@Onthewayover]

Augustus as a bingo shark is an image I hope never to forget.

[@johchadow]

Contagion is a really good game. It really reminded me of Smash Up, but good. :-) Smash-Up is fine, but I think it has a few flaws that Contagion cleans up.

[@DeOmri]

I would put "Amazed" by Neil Patric Harris on this list. It tries to sell you on a gameboard that can be shaped into multiple designs for infinite replayabiltiy, but it is a puzzle game that loses its mojo as soon as you are through the limited number of included cards. I was not amazed.

[@DeOmri]

On the pluss side he did an amazing job on "Box one". ;)

[@kenjin42]

Maybe Andor should be on this list. You expect some classic fantasy adventure but you end up with a very thinky optimization game (which is still good).

[@JesseDeShazo]

I love the books and read up to the latest book. (5th) and the game is great! Your “summary” of Red Rising isn’t fair. Jamey did a great job capturing the characters and colors.

[@tonkabeanicecream5698]

😂

[@bensgoogle]

Ha, I own & really like Minute Realms. Pretty underrated. I never realized it was supposed to be “Mi-NOOT”. I mean, I know it’s not SUPER short, but for a civilization-building game, it’s pretty short.

[@lolledopke]

Mike has rated Pandemic Contagion the highest on BGG at 8 btw (vs 6 and 6)

[@michaeldilisio557]

Those ratings are not current. It’s something I want to update at some point, but that will take some time. My gaming tastes have changed a LOT since that came out.

[@cjfrank8364]

I also may have included War of the Ring or Star Wars: Rebellion. The boxes say 2-4 players. These are exclusively 2 player games.

[@nihlify]

That's pretty weak

[@tempestfury8324]

Agreed!

[@surnis9043]

I would have mentioned the other Beowulf game, the movie one. The back of the box promises reliving the saga of Beowulf, but you end up playing advanced Tic-Tac-Toe. Too bad I missed the vote and the chat.

[@GaryFromLiberty]

Tom's #6 pick is identical to how I feel about Stardew Valley. I love the video game and the board game but the board game does not emulate how it feels to play the video game very much. Stardew Valley is a laid back, relaxing experience where you can take as much time as you want to do practically everything where as the board game is a race against time as the year moves by quickly and you scatter to get everything you need to complete a scattershot of wincons as quickly as possible. So I like both, but feel like I'm in the minority and most people who love one wouldn't love the other

[@tbahr123]

My wife and I like both as well, but mostly because we fell in love with the video game first. If the board game had a different theme I don’t know if we would like it as much as we do.

[@revimfadli4666]

Seems like they were too inspired by speedrun challenges, while missing the trend of "calming family boardgames"

[@foxyladyoak]

27:30 "Think straight with the dice comin' atcha. The garbage font... bargain bin letters." AHAHAHA! Oh Zee!

[@vonwoolf9963]

Even the public's choice put a Paolo Mori game in their list 🤣

[@tempestfury8324]

Tiny Epic...whatever. Tiny? Yes. Epic? Not really. Some are pretty fun though, I'm anticipating Vikings.

[@Cecekcz]

I need to a let's play of Magna Force!

[@GopherJoe17]

Played Kingdom Rush the board game first. Liked it. Tried the app. Liked that too. They certainly are different. But one got me to buy the other, and I'm pleased with both, so good marketing.

[@sab6261]

Interesting how many of these games I've never heard of

[@ObsidianKnight90]

Alien Artifacts should be up here. It's a great game but it's a tableau builder with a sci-fi theme. The problem is the box markets it as a 4X, which it is not.

[@middleclassboardgamer]

The first game that comes to mind for me on this topic is Way of the Panda. That game is a dadgum brain burner wrapped in a light, fluffy ameritrash looking box. Fantastic game that totally fooled my wife.