Top 10 Games w/ Light Rules & Heavy Strategy

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Today we take a look at 10 games that don't have many rules but have a heck of a lot of strategy!
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#boardgames #Top10

[@TheBrothersMurph]

What game do you think should be on the list? Oh and make sure to subscribe!

[@SimmonTak]

Definitely Tak. It's in the same category as Santorini with abstract strategy, but it's WAY deeper. And also super simple. Also, it's easy to get into since you can play online at playtak and there is a great community around it for casual and competitive play.

[@Agent_Pendergast]

I feel like Hansa Teutonica is the most elegant design in all of board gaming and would have been my vote for number one on this list.

[@nikolamanojlovic8533]

I'd say that spot belongs to Concordia, but HT is a great shout

[@olchum6013]

Such a good game!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Hansa was on the short list and DEF could have been on this list

[@undiscovered_games]

HT is my favorite game of all time. Good call!

[@alexgimenez6716]

Hansa Teutonica is a great candidate for this list. I totally agree.

[@Cabelly]

I love seeing everyone's list. Games like these are the only ones I can get my family to play with me. If the rules take more than 10 minutes to explain, it's not making it to the table.

[@iqweaver]

So glad to see Concordia on this list. One of the few games you never need to look at the rule book.

[@karanbhatt9320]

I am new to this board game thing and not playing board game but playing board APP. Game looks complicated by looking at the board. I think I will try this game.

[@erinallport1]

As soon as i saw the title, i was like "Concordia!"...and i quickly sped thru the video to see if you included it, and was starting to think you guys missed it....but there it was! Such a deep crunchy satisfying experience with such a short little rule book!

[@stefanyordanov2885]

SPOILER!!! But a welcome one.

[@stacie_everdell]

I know you've been doing this for a bit now, but I just wanted to comment on how much I enjoy and appreciate the b-roll you incorporate into your top 10 lists. Very well done, beautiful cuts that really add to both the quality and quantity of your videos. Thanks for the effort. I know it takes a lot. This was a great list, btw!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Awwww thank you for those kind words we really love having good b roll so it always makes us happy when someone appreciates it!

[@patricksullivan6988]

Thanks for this list. Low rule complexity, deep strategy is a beautiful balance

[@stephenball2108]

My first thought when I saw the topic was Blitzkrieg. It’s so quick and easy to teach, never have to look at the rulebook, but I’m always shocked how much though goes into each decision made in the game. It feels like it would be stale since the board doesn’t change game to game, but somehow it always feels dynamic and interesting.

[@olanmills64]

Arboretum is one of my favorites! The rules for gameplay are indeed simple. I do find that for new players, it's hard to remember all the scoring rules. It's not that complicated, but I do wish there were little player aid cards included in the game.

[@Overlordsen]

Glad to see Santorini on this list. It was the first game that came to my mind when I read "Light Rules And Heavy Strategy"

[@sirvliam]

Great list, love the choice of beer and bread. One of my favs that would fit on this list is The Estates. Really fun auction city building game, the rules are light and intuitive.

[@ralfn9629]

Interesting list. Everything you mentioned about Chess is much more true for Go. That is in fact my number 1 game of all time. And that despite I am more a Themer. (Terraforming Mars, Wingspan, Scythe, Sleeping Gods etc.) Go has the simplest 3 rules, but only in 2016 was a AI able to win against human. It is THE most complex game out there.

[@ralfn9629]

@@antondudko2385 Ragnrocks has definitely a territorial aspect, but it is an soo much easier game. Strangely enough with all the different power cards it has so many different rules and modes. The deepness, and complexity of Go is unrivaled. I play Go for over 35 years and I call myself still only a beginner.

[@The-Totally-Real-Jacob]

Loved the list, I'm excited to go check out Beer and Bread! One game that I've really loved for its simplicity is Tiny Towns - pick a resource and match them to build a building!

[@hiho8084]

Great list. I've seen Santorini and always passed it up, but after seeing this, I'm giving it a try. I like that it's a short game and it is easy to learn, challenging to play. Thanks for the list👍

[@lanethomason6000]

There's a mobile app for Santorini that is pretty good if you want to test it out first.

[@hiho8084]

@@lanethomason6000 Thanks!

[@mrtheasley]

I'll say no on Castles of Burgundy. I think when we play a game a lot we forget what it's like to learn it. I teach a lot of games and think I do a pretty good job of it, but I taught this to some new folks sometime in the past year and it felt like a medium/medium-heavy game with the things I felt like I needed to explain. I'm sure someone else would do a better job, but I think it's wrong to say Castles is a rules-light game. But-great video! I haven't tried Santorini or Unmatched or Arboretum even though I've known about them, and this makes me want to now.

[@DanaParedes]

agreed. Especially with every yellow tile meaning something different you have to look them up every time when you haven’t memorized them yet. I would still consider those rules.

[@jadam42]

Yup. Castles is known for having an awful rules book too.

[@a-c-m]

Everdell has arguably also a super simple rule set - the complexities arise from the cards and card combos.

[@laurencesingh3948]

I was going to say this one, too. On your turn you either place a worker, play a card, or prepare for next season. Those are your only options. But like you said specific cards and the way they combo are what make the game more complex and interesting.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

@@laurencesingh3948 I would still argue that the game works - because the rules are still simple - regardless of the text on the cards, which add to the strategy.

[@revimfadli4666]

​@@laurencesingh3948tbf lots of other wp games only have "place a worker", so what makes Everdell's simple is how almost all the worker spaces are "place here to get resources/cards/points"

[@corihulet739]

I have had Concordia sitting here for a year, untouched. You've convinced me it's time to give it a go!

[@erril8285]

try it, its amazing 😉

[@digocr]

What a great video! The subject, the talk and the images are all amazing! Subscribed. :)

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Wahoo happy to have ya!

[@adityarajivratnam6863]

Great list. I love Onitama as well as the original miniature game - Chess :) in this regard.

[@bobsiddoway]

Was about to say this, too!!!

[@AleksandarDaGr8]

Almost any Knizia game fits this as well. My favorites are Ra and Quest for El Dorado

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Funny thing is we hadn't played Ra, but we DID play Ra the day this video came out, and it definitely could have made this list

[@jonsparks3152]

Tigris and Euphrates is an excellent example of this.

[@helxis]

​@@jonsparks3152T&E is the least good example of easy Knizia games, being his heaviest game. There are so many other great ones, though.

[@rmclean101]

Great list, thank you! I love Concordia and Le Have. A more recent favorite like this is Guild of Merchant Explorers.

[@alexlord4599]

Hansa Teutonica and Turing Machine. Great list! I never heard of Mythic Miachief til now, going to vheck that one out 🙂

[@koriakin]

'Brew the best bread and bake the breast beer' - Murph Brothers, 2023

[@vapebomb27]

Great video guys! honestly suprised that weather machine didn't make the cut. maybe honerable mention. LOL All jokes aside love the content. My favorite board game channel for sure

[@TheDavidPhillips]

I was surprised at Bloody Inn - just picked that up because you said so, and i really had to sit back and plan out what i wanted to do. Turns and rules are simple - basically pick one thing to so with one card on your turn, try to bank points. But man.... so many agonizing decisions that all knot together - 7 dead cops later and I'm just shoving bodies under my neighbor's barn cause I have too many things to do and not enough turns to do them. That peasant mechanic - brilliant.

[@scottbollinger3980]

How in the heck did Hanamikoji not make this list? I think I bought it because y'all said it was one of the best at this.

[@TheDavidPhillips]

Right there with you on Unmatched - first thing I thought of was Little Red. She broke my brainium trying to plan out her basket bonuses.

[@jacobmccue365]

Excellent idea for a list and good choices! Totally agree that Arboretum is a brain melter, it just looks so sweet and innocent. Santorini is an absolute gem. Anyone who likes abstract strategy should own Santorini. Can't agree on CoB however, it has a good amount of rules and concepts to learn IMO. Thanks for the list!

[@codym6376]

I agree. It may only have four possible actions per dice but I feel like there are a few too many rules for this list.

[@callum5257]

War Chest was my first thought. Great video, thank you!

[@aetherllama8398]

Great list, I like a lot of these games. I'll add Azul, Akropolis, It's a Wonderful World, and Land vs Sea.

[@kenkosten2257]

Love this topic. My favorite type of game is simple to learn hard to master. I would add - Cascadia, Mandala, Battleline, Jaipur, Targi to the list.

[@coreynoemif3j29]

Targi’s a good candidate. Reef for another abstract game. I think Reef is highly underrated. It’s so ridiculously easy to teach and incredibly satisfying as you start chaining your goal cards together while simultaneously collecting resources from those same goal cards then constantly raking in money. I also thought it was a genius touch to keep the coin diameter the same so you can’t tell by looking at someone’s stack how much money they actually have. Whether that was intentional or not I don’t know.

[@VoiceofFox]

Solid list. I’d add Finca, Hive and most Reiner Knizia games. Le Havre is one of Uwe’s heaviest games according to BGG. I guess because despite the simple rules it gets REALLY crunchy if you want to do well, i.e. make as much money as possible.

[@stickyickyrickypdx]

Thanks for the ideas and game suggestions! within this list I feel Unmatched is exactly what I'm looking for. I began watching with Neuroshima Hex in mind. It's asymmetrical, teach as you go, has luck of the draw mechanics with chess-like tactics.

[@SnareSpectre]

I can't believe I've finally found Le Havre getting the recognition as the king of light rules/heavy strategy! Concordia always rules the discussion, and it certainly deserves to be high on the list, yet nobody seems to remember Le Havre even exists when talking about this. But it's absolutely my pick for #1 and always has been.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Le Havre for life

[@antoniobarbalau1107]

This is the best list ever, it's exactly what i was looking for ❤❤❤ thank you very much for it ❤❤❤

[@TheBrothersMurph]

You're welcome 😊

[@erril8285]

I looooove this type of games! Less rules, high depth! I am always looking for Top 10 videos of this kind! The problem with the "many rules" games is that you will forget the rules in a month and then you don't want to touch that game again because you know you have to learn again the rules!!! I really wish more games would be like Concordia! You can play it anytime without looking into the rule book 😄

[@simtill]

I think Go would be my number one pick followed by Chess.

[@nathanwhitmore3980]

Classics!

[@leonardopandolfo3895]

I really liked this list!! I'll add Bonanza, Trajan (I feel that Stefan Feld makes a great job at this type of games) and Sea Salt & Paper, one of my recent favorites.

[@Squirduck]

Love bohnanza! Bohnanza is the favourite gateway game for my wife and I to teach guests

[@thundercell8098]

Really love the list and that Arboretum, Concordia and Beer&Bread are on it - they totally deserve it! However, if you want a game with super lightweight rules and really heavy complexity, try Curious Cargo: the best headache of my life!

[@rev.steveandrews2227]

Thanks for the video. I love MIke's shirt with the Sagrada theme.

[@AndrewWatsonChangingWay]

Great video on just the kind of game I like - and that got me into the hobby in the first place.

[@rolling.reggie]

Love this topic! Outstanding choices. I have so many others I want to plug that I will have to make my own list lol

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Do it!

[@mbillard]

A lot of unexpected games on that list, I really like those kinds of games. Another good one I would add is Azul (and its variants).

[@queerissimo]

thank you for this! definitely prefer these type of light rules games a lot of the times :) it would be AWESOME if you guys could make a list of top deduction games you like! or games that really has a lot of tension and gets you feeling nervous excitement from your soul (push your luck games?)

[@21cabbage93]

These are some of my favourite types of games cause they’re easy to teach and can get to the table often

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Heck yeah!

[@weaktoad]

No Reiner Knizia? High Society, Schotten Totten, Through the Desert, etc. He is the king of cleverly simple games that make you hate yourself and this is why we love him.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We were joking that this entire list could be his games. He definitely is the king of that.

[@billjaimez]

Great list, I think Sea Salt Paper would make this list as well.

[@opiate05]

First game that came to my mind for this catagory was Innovation. You have two actions and can do four things on your turn (really only three things as one of them is just scoring an acheivement). You play a card, draw a card, or do what the card says on it. Pick to do two of those things each turn. Thats it. But it will get crazy complicated as each card does very different things your cards evolve as the game goes on.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Great call on innovation

[@ProfAntidot]

Concordia becomes even more varialbe with just one extra resource of salt from Salsa expansion

[@dawsondemars1092]

I was hoping to see Ginkgopolis on here. I haven’t played but I was hoping to see it on the list so I would have encouragement to learn the rules haha. Great list friends

[@JJ_TheGreat]

Same... I haven't played it either, but I heard about its stature!

[@Stankiem83]

Thanks as always!

[@peacenik458]

Great list. I'd have to have Photosynthesis in the mix. Probably my number 1.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Ooo great call

[@NigelIncubatorJones]

This is great info, thanks.

[@ChChaser]

Castles of Burgundy is one of my favorite two player games. Also great with three people, but just great for two. Great choice.

[@jeffgoggin1394]

Commenting before watching ... I'm really excited for this list! Not sure which direction it will go on but I'm always on the lookout for these types of games! (I think) guess we will see in .. 3... 2... 1...

[@iamtheoneyouknowbest]

I also liked Finca, Tobago, and Gold West, also RA is great for that as well. I do love Concordia, so I'm glad it was on the list.

[@VoiceofFox]

+1 for Finca.

[@robertnoall8847]

Thanks for the video! I decided to get beer and bread as my best game :)

[@JosephFlemming]

Just played Marrakesh (Feld) today and while it shouldn’t be on this list, once I learned the rules the game played sooo smoothly, like a harmonious balanced dance.

[@alwayzaparty]

When I watched the intro the recent games played for me that came to mind were My City and Tiny Towns.

[@arthureames9715]

Great topic!!!

[@benjaminbaker4168]

What a great list idea. For me, my #1 would be El Grande. But you had some great choices.

[@dblevins343]

Khet. It's literally referred to as laser chess. Super simple, super strategic. I recommend playing it with a chess clock to keep games short. I will also say, I think Unmatched is actually best in a 2v2 setting. It's a lot more forgiving for new players because players can dip in and out easier.

[@Fatcat1010]

On a podcast I heard about a site (can’t remember it) where they grade a games weight twice. So rules is weighted 1-5 and play depth we is A-E. A game like go which has very few rules but sooooo much depth may and up a 1.5-E Personally I like this far more than the BGG rating system.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Oh that’s cool! A very good rating system

[@JJ_TheGreat]

Do you mean the Mogul Scale? Yes, I think that is a lot better than the BGG system.

[@erril8285]

Ohhhh, sounds amazing! I really would like that everybody is doing that. Because the amount of rules is not the same as the depth of a game! I really hope BGG and others will implement such a system 🤞🤞🤞

[@erril8285]

​@@TheBrothersMurphHi guys, you got the connection to BGG :)) Please convince them to implement a rating for amount of rules and a rating for depth 😃 Pretty please 😺

[@c.m.9613]

Wow, I own and/or like 8 of the games you listed. I love few rules with high strategy.

[@DavidWilliams-nm5jv]

For me, the best examples are: Skull (the very best), and Love Letter.

[@djbobilicious4730]

I’d say The Quest For Eldorado. Super simple, the rules are on your player board! Great decisions and replayability. Would you consider Orléans eligible for this list?

[@petargnip6164]

For me, it has to have a shorter teach and simpler rules to be considered "rules light". So here's my list of five games, in no particular order, because ordering is hard: -Land vs Sea -Hive -Azul -Thurn and Taxis -Cascadia

[@davidfavre6145]

Great list ! Mind would be : (no specific order) 1) Mangrovia 2) Arboretum 3) Glass Road 4) Bloody Inn 5) Photograph (wind the film) 6) Five Tribes 7) Ethnos 8) Glory to Rome 9) The Crew 10) Hansa teutonica

[@djmurp2]

Mangrovia, nice! 🎉

[@recovery-theo]

Love Arboretum! Scoring confuses new players, but it's so good.

[@gemofgems]

I actually agree with Castles of Burgundy. Roll dice and allocate to actions. Of course, there's so much to learn, but once you get the strategies, it's fairly simple, rule-wise

[@emremuderris]

a must have and the must added game for this list is "THE KING IS DEAD 2nd EDITION"

[@VV00d13]

You do a great job listing more modern games. I was sitting here waiting for GO to be announced. Rules: Place stones on intersection Can not repeat same move Surrounded stones are captured. Winning: The one with the biggest area wins

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We have always wanted to play Go. Absolutely great choice for this kind of list

[@VV00d13]

@@TheBrothersMurph If you get your hands on a set i really recommend to go for it and try So very VERY few rules but it wasnt untill 2015 when the original "alphaGo" was the FIRST Ai to beat a professional GO player. Before this no one really sucseeded cuase the depth of gameplay is so great

[@moocowp4970]

Im jealous of your painted Unmatched minis now after having seen them in this video haha

[@ryusuikarate]

Samurai from Rainer Knizia had very easy rules and if you play the game like he intended with the island setup then there are so many paths you can take it's mind-blowing. Even with a random setup it's strategical choices are more than some games on this list have IMHO

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Very cool!

[@dandurkin9735]

Expected 10 Knizia games, but none?! Oh my

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We probably should have added one but we definitely were laughing saying that this whole list could be his games

[@EricLebigot]

Not another Euro, not another abstract, not another abstract card game: I'd suggest the very successful Mindbug!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Good call!

[@darthzombie18]

The first game I thought of when I saw this list was Love Letter and surprised to not see it. And my newest game I have bought Red Rising works for this.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Love Letter works for sure for this list it's just not one we enjoy much.

[@darbyl3872]

Homeworlds has about 6 rules, and very simple components, and is a fairly complex and fun 2-player game.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

Cool! Now can you do a video on “Top 10 Games with Heavy Rules & Light Strategy”? (Just for a joke, maybe)! Thanks.

[@3434bobby]

Great list. I would add Ethnos and Onitama but that just personal preference I guess

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Rad!

[@lukemoore7319]

Ticket to ride is my most played game with various groups and family for this very reason, literally 2 options for the turn, a selection of objectives and the rest is strategy. Probably played over 100 times in the past year or so and that's all on the Europe map, once you start adding the new maps this game is infinite fun

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Ticket to Ride is so great for this!

[@eightyeightfm7462]

No Go? No The King is Dead? You could have given a Knizia game an honourable mention (maybe Babylonia?).

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Haven’t played the first 2 so can’t comment on those and we should have given knizia some love. He is absolutely the king of this topic. It could have been all his games

[@MrShooter72]

I love Nick’s thoughts on chess!

[@daveflynn3397]

Great topic! I love Santorini and will have to take a look at Mythic Mischief. Another great abstract is Warchest.

[@LoneWolf-zc7nw]

WOW what a list; 4 of my favorite games in it: Le Havre, Concordia, Arboretum and Crew. I just love Le Havre at 3 or 4 players game not 2 players. Also, Le Havre is the best Uwe Rosenburg in my book.

[@etiennesan]

I was absolutly certain that your number one would be Gingkopolis. It’s first in m’y opinion, without a doubt! A game where you have 2 options on your turn, but so much possibilities! Love this game as you do I think…

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We definitely thought about it for this list. I think it could make a good candidate for sure

[@metalblizzard6024]

Perfect video! My wife hates rules but I love heavy strategy and this is perfect.

[@christaggart5687]

Reef, Summoner Wars, Patchwork, Azul

[@YakovPetrovich]

There is a huge oversight here in the OG games department... Designers like Knizia, Colovini and Dorra mastered the simple rules deep strategy formula! Just look at games like MarraCash, Bridges of Shangri-La, Orongo -- or see Michael Schacht's many stellar designs like Mogul. Games like this will blow games like Le Havre out of the water in the rules to depth of strategy ratio

[@TheBrothersMurph]

You definitely aren’t wrong about anything you said but keep in mind these are always subjective lists based on our personal taste in games

[@cserannie80]

For me this category a must. Azul the queen’s garden or Creature comforts are like this.

[@tommyglisten6501]

Of all the board game reviewers, the Brother’s Murph would be my number one choice to want to play a game with!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Ayeeeee let’s goooo

[@joshyaks]

K2 is definitely worth mentioning in this category!

[@TheBrothersMurph]

We’ve always wanted to play K2

[@jacobjslee]

I don't agree with you about #5 CoB being a game with simple rules. I only played it for the first time recently when I received the new edition and from the moment I started unpacking it I did not see this as being simple. You mentioned the monasteries being complex - yeah, they are! But the rules required careful reading and even in our first game we had questions, we played some rules wrong (i.e. how often mines generate income) . . . there are a LOT of rules to unpack. Today, I love the game and I look forward to playing it as often as possible, but I will always remember the learning curve I had to get over to play this game. In my opinion, it is misleading to put it on this list. But I agree with many others you have here.

[@tonydesmet7389]

Thanks for the recommendations in this nice video! However, I do feel a ranking like this not having Chess on the number 1 spot is simply incorrect (or maybe 2, depending on whether you prefer Go). No matter whether you like or dislike Chess, it is the pinnacle of a game having simple rules versus an incredible amount of strategy.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Ha well all our lists are subjective lists based on which games we LIKE playing and chess certainly is not something we enjoy. But it does absolutely fit this description to a T.

[@stefanformgren4978]

love this kind of games, little and easy rules but alot of "game", so its easy to get people into them

[@budsticky]

I’m an outlier for sure, but I find Concordia dull as dishwater.

[@helxis]

Same. Most overrated game on BGG.

[@Pinstripedood]

Some of the simplest games I have are also easily some of the best and my most enjoyable to interact with my friends. Zoo vadis, the crew, Whitehall mystery, the king is dead, battle line, Azul. So easy to teach, you don't get hung up on "well that's not a valid move because you can't move that piece into a space containing that piece". You just hop in and the complexity all comes from playing the people across from you

[@longtimeninerfan1309]

Great list! I’d add “Hansa Teutonica” to he list. 👍

[@danielsharp6038]

splendor! Century! Maybe those are too light on strategy for this list?

[@TheBrothersMurph]

Not at all! Great picks for a list like this :)