Top 10 Most Important Games of the Decade (featuring Rahdo)

Tom & Rahdo take a look at the Most Important Games of the Decade at Dice Tower West!
00:00 - Introduction
02:58 - Rahdo’s #10
06:02 - Tom’s #10
08:25 - Rahdo’s #9
10:17 - Tom’s #9
12:09 - Rahdo’s #8
15:43 - Tom’s #8
17:50 - Rahdo’s #7
19:56 - Tom’s #7
22:08 - Rahdo’s #6
25:06 - Tom’s #6
28:03 - Rahdo & Tom’s #5
31:07 - Rahdo’s #4
33:19 - Tom’s #4
36:32 - Rahdo’s #3
43:54 - Tom’s #3
47:31 - Rahdo & Tom’s #2
50:42 - Rahdo & Tom’s #1
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[@SigBurns24]

Tom: "In the future people play by themselves?!" *one week later* Covid19: "Yes"

[@billko4342]

Yup or even those crappy "online" versions..... Hopefully next year i can play game with my folks with physical board

[@Spinoguy03]

Too soon? Lol

[@TiaDurrant]

A year later, still not looking good

[@northabbot7116]

I agree that the solo gaming is a trend that will pass quickly though. Gaming by its nature is competitive/cooperative, and Rahdo's argument about video games is silly. Fewer and fewer games are being played solo, most triple A titles are online multiplayer. Yes, there will always be those who find nostalgia in solo gaming and indie titles, but it's not a wave of the future

[@TiagoSousa026]

@@northabbot7116 Let me disagree. Some people, before covid, didn't think about solo as a way of playing but now they see they can still enjoy the game or even having better experiences. This could give much more playtime to the games that people own. It's not every time that you have people to play and sometimes you want to play it and enjoy the experience. With solo, you can do it. Sometimes, the games with a couple of rules can be played solo and designers not doing that is like missing a piece. Video games are now more online because the internet improved but mainly is because of the way they have to monetize more the game and also make the video game less desire to pirate. Video games have an advantage that board games will never have, the ability to play with people that aren't near you at any time you want, that is also one more reason.

[@robertaustin6302]

While I don’t always agree with Tom or Richard there’s no denying their chemistry together. I’d love to see them team up more often. Thanks for the quality debate! It was thoroughly enjoyable and highly entertaining!

[@npckse8508]

While I agree, I think the fact that they don't do it very often makes it more special when they do.

[@robertaustin6302]

Hengst 2404 you’re definitely not wrong about that.

[@leeclements323]

Was going to say the same as Hengst 2404, keep it rare, that's what makes it so special. You can have too much of a good thing

[@jankogo]

Yeah, clearly Rahdo thinks Tom has great sex appeal. Maybe Vasel reminds him of a dragon? ;-)

[@jtpromolab]

Both men are super intelligent in the field, but it is so fun to see the heart driven mindset of Tom juxtaposed with the Data driven mindset Richard. This was really fun

[@MichaelWhyte1990]

This is hands down one of the best sit down panels I've ever seen

[@AJ-nc4vr]

While Rahdo and I have very little in the way of crossover for the games we like, I'm a huge, huge fan. Dude is great at what he does, and has integrity for days. We need more people like him in the review-sphere. :)

[@rahdo]

thank you very much. that really means a lot to me to hear :)

[@ParkinT]

I am a HUGE fan of Rahdo. The key to his prominence with me is that he focuses on two-player perspective. Since I play 90% of the time with just two of us (and so many games that claim to play down to 2 use odd rules for two that often 'break' the game) I get a review form Rahdo that is "FOR ME".

[@jenniferhaar7934]

Tom and Rahdo have some of the best chemistry in the business!! These guys need to come together more!! So much fun!!

[@CB-yh3db]

They really do. For a long time, I thought they didn't like each other and there was some controversy regarding their critiques of each others reviews but I think it was overblown.

[@EdmCaper]

No they don't lol Tom knows his stuff and rahdo is only a celebrity of doing things incredibly wrong ? How are they good together ? Even Jenn can't keep rahdo straight in his boardgame mess ups .

[@emilegeldenhuys7082]

Uuuhm no. This Richard dude is beyond irritating.

[@jamesjacobthomson6198]

I'm very glad that two of the biggest board game reviewers are Tom and Rahdo. They give me faith that the industry is built on honesty and sincerity. Great panel!

[@seancole22]

This is the best audio you’ve ever had for a live event. Bravo 👏🏼

[@ZachLorton]

That's because they're holding the mics instead of talking around mics on stands.

[@rahdo]

@@ZachLorton it's actually because we have lapel mics that are recording for video, while the mics in our hands are for the speakers in the room. i agree, Roy (i assume) did an AMAZING job setting this up!

[@ZachLorton]

@@rahdo Well, hats off to the engineers! Sean's right, though, the sound is excellent.

[@KissellMissile]

It being your own con certainly helps a lot I'm sure.

[@nothing3376]

Great point! Great sound

[@dogsmokespipe]

I'd happily listen to these two talk all day. Tom and Rahdo are great together. You guys are two of my favorite people, thanks for all you do!

[@nickhayes1626]

I love the chemistry between Tom and Rahdo. Richard may be the only person that Tom gives more grief to than Eric, lol. Great video to watch and think about and both have some great points on their choices of games whether they agree or not. Thanks guys!

[@randalladkins7452]

Nick Hayes well, and Bonacore. Tom definitely gives Bonacore a lot of grief!

[@susanjohnson318]

When Rado "dissed" Dominion and Tom just looked at him -- I was howling!

[@TheMeepleMarathon]

We need more collaboration between Tom and Rahdo. This was such a fun debate to watch.

[@mmitchamharding]

agreed

[@gasperskrt5896]

Don't know who the guy on the left is, but I cant stand him.

[@wizardryuk]

This was/is likely my absolutely favourite top 10 board game discussion video. Not only was the content interesting but Tom and Rahdo work so well together. They have a natural want to compete with each other (in a mostly playful way but it shows) and the ruffling of feathers here was priceless. They both had a slightly different viewpoint when it came to much of the topics (often seeing things a different way from the other) which meant for some interesting back and forths. 18:08 was priceless.

[@Straddllw]

Tom’s list: “Top 10 most important games of 2012”

[@billko4342]

Rahdo: HANABIIIII

[@ChrisBacke]

I love the chemistry and the interplay! It doesn't *need* to be a 'debate' per se, but definitely a forum for each of them to bring their own perspectives.... Invite Rahdo back!

[@evatar4052]

This just might be one of my top 3 top 10s ever! The back and forth between Tom and Richard is so entertaining to watch and they both raised a lot of valid points about the games that shaped the gaming landscape of the past 10 years. More of those please!!!

[@JonReid01]

Man I have to say... I really miss these two getting together more often. I didn't realize how good we had it when they did that every other week show. An era to rememberer and look back on fondly.

[@giustinacasale4914]

Thank you for this top 10. It is an absolute pleasure to see how Rahdo and Tom play off each other. I cannot wait for more top 10s with the two of you.

[@blanetalk]

I absolutely love the way you two get along, able to discuss some clear and decided differences of opinion in a respectful, friendly manner. I hope you can Richard in for another 24 hour live gaming marathon this year... that too was a lot of fun!

[@dwnvwdjvn]

Wow... two huge figures in board gaming. Great to see the humour and chemistry between them both. Loved this update...

[@dylannorthrup5439]

I think it was great to see these two contrasting and collaborating on this list! I watch them both, and respect both of their opinions. As we all know, there are many different people and therefore different gamers, which is why so many games appeal to specific groups.

[@stevenwallen3350]

I'm so glad you posted this. I felt so bad that I missed Dice tower west but seeing this lifts my spirits, thanks for all you do!

[@TapCat]

It took me a few days to get to this video because of its length, but now that I've watched the whole thing I only wish it was longer. Listening to Tom and Richard discuss board games is a true pleasure!

[@timmercer2964]

This is a great 'show' because they both have such deep knowledge and love of the subject matter - they truly are immersed in games and gaming. Watching the back and forth it was easy to forget that this was a live show. Fantastic work guys, thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion.

[@TheTrout9000]

The audio on this one is fantastic for a live show. Keep up the great work.

[@kennytee5975]

The two most favourite KZbin channel combining.. please do more of these!!!

[@JohnBailey]

How does this only have 100k view. I agree with Jennifer Haar's comment about Tom and Rahdo's chemistry! I want to see more commentary like this one from the two of them. They show healthy and fun discord and so quickly saying and showing agreement and humility with each other.

[@oleksiyblinov4265]

Very interesting point on Hanabi. Rahdo really brought new ideas into the tower with him.

[@heytaaj]

audio is good because they have lav mics recording their sound in addition to the mics they are holding. Great idea! As a newer player its fun to get this history lesson into the newer era of board games

[@Romey301]

RAHDO!!!! so glad you both got together and do this top 10. Rhado you make me want to game everyday just your enthusiasm alone!

[@RaphaelCarmo]

This is one of the best discussions i saw about boardgame industry and hobby nowdays. Great.

[@jgreeb1924]

Rahdo & Tom discussing games always reminds me of Siskel and Ebert discussing movies (for those old enough to remember them...).

[@foyoGames]

RIP

[@pakrats]

Ha ... that's a great comparison. I thought this was going to be a boring topic, but their bantering was great. Very much like "Sneak Previews" & "At the Movies".

[@adamkenney6932]

Just saw your comment! We thought along the same lines.

[@michaelwolff4988]

What an amazing concept. I love how they feel the need to showcase the game very well because of the competition. Very graceful on Tom's part

[@chrsprkr]

This is the absolute best quality live show you’ve all done! Keep this up!

[@kevinbhieey9188]

While I think Tom usually has a better grip on the evolution of games and the industry as a whole, Rahdo nailed it with Qwixx. It was mass-produced and hung there on the rack right next to Uno and Skip-Bo and Phase 10 at Target, where it still hangs 8 years later. Then one day there was a large Deluxe version sitting next to Pandemic and Catan and Ticket to Ride, which is still sitting next to those games 4 years later. How many Roll & Writes have gotten Deluxe versions? How many modern Roll & Writes have had this kind of shelf life? How many games PERIOD have this kind of shelf life? Qwixx's popularity led to Gamewright publishing even more Roll & Writes, which they are still pumping out. AND now there's a Qwixx card game. A bunch of popular games are putting their names on Roll & Writes, but how many Roll & Writes have actually put their names on other genres of games? Qwixx birthed a bunch of babies; I'm a little shocked Tom doesn't know this.

[@john-paullegerski5320]

This is the board game equivalent to The Odd couple and that's a good thing. Their different approaches and ribbing they give each other - perfect. I hope to see more.

[@ThePantheons]

LOVE seeing rahdo and tom together. love their chemistry and rahdo's energy on the DT! keep teaming up gang!!!

[@thelutherbob]

This was a wonderful video, guys. Great sound. Great interaction. I love when you two are together!

[@randalladkins7452]

1:16:20 - Absolutely! We have FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in all of our hobbies and social interactions now a days!

[@ironwolf56]

This might be the best DT convention show I've ever watched, and I've seen some really good ones.

[@marcelwust9479]

Thank you for this very enjoyable and funny discussion =) had a great time and greater laughs watching this! And i might got an Inspiration for the next shopping date xD

[@redsilence980]

Very nice discussion and I really liked the slight antagonistic flavor (of course civil and friendly at all times). Also - I liked the argumentation of both of them on different titles. For some I was like "well, Tom is surely correct about that one" or "Rahdo must be sick or something", while for others it was the complete opposite and I sided with Rahdo's point of view and thought "What's Tom even talking about?". That's what makes a nice top 10, well done, gents :)

[@jfspiresbeta]

Best chemistry in boardgame youtubers

[@zhetarho]

I think I agree on Hanabi, if only because it started the revolution of people asking 'Can I look at my cards?' when you're explaining a new game and just dealt them a hand.

[@board2often277]

This was a great watch. I love this kind of dialogue.

[@sarahirvin4273]

This you guys... the way they have such opposing opinions but bounce off of each other makes this genuinely entertaining rather than just informative. These two need a show together and it could rival tabletop through natural comedy alone lol! Rahdo & Tom together = better than the sum of the parts.

[@BenRangel]

It's amazing to me that boardgames has become something that lends itself so well to lists. I always thought of boardgames as a rare treat, a hobby where you got a few games and played them over and over again. I could never imagine people would have lists of best games each year cause I couldn't imagine anyone playing that many different games.

[@grog3514]

I LOVED THIS SHOW!!! Great banter between these two guys. Also I agree with Tom about story driven games. They will gain in popularity, but we play so many games without the stories rahdo is describing. We play games for fun moments and we can tell stories about that later but the game itself doesn't need a narrative unless its central to the experience.

[@Davidesonar449]

This was super enjoyable to watch!!! Thanks for uploading

[@fingolfinfinwe]

This was so brilliant!! Two of the main pillars of the industry having a fantastic discussion. I was glued for the entire show.

[@Moxbox99]

Oh man I love this Rahdo-Vasel dialogue, it’s so great to listen to 😁

[@robertaustin6302]

What if they gave us a quarterly podcast where they debated game releases as the year progressed? That could be a lot of fun!

[@jackdempsy7104]

Loved seeing you two together! Great chemistry.

[@heynsenene]

Rahdo, in typical Rahdo fashion, talks about his imaginary "Jen". All kidding aside, I'm so pleased to see these guys together and also have such fun banter. Good audio

[@dristanmord]

I appreciate all that you two do to contribute to our hobby. I can honestly say it is because of your videos that I own most of the games that I do. However I was a little surprised that Mage Knight didn't make your list. Was that an honorable mention?

[@blacknad]

One of the best Dicetower vids I've seen. Very thought provoking.

[@lowify1]

Great great video. I really enjoy listening to Tom and Rahdo talk on this top 10. I tend to agree with Tom more though. Lol

[@chimster1234]

The a/v is flawless. Great job guys

[@The_Player_To_Be_Named_Later]

"Looking at it from a 'DESIGN' perspective..." Really nice to see Tom do a panel with Stefan Feld over here... Jeebus.

[@CSManiac33]

That conversation at the end about "bought reviews" and stuff was really interesting.

[@stacie_everdell]

Automa is NOT a dumb little thing. It opens up tabletop gaming to a world of people who would otherwise not be able to play, for various reasons, not just our current situation. I am so grateful to Morton for starting this ball rolling. :)

[@AnaIvanovic4ever]

I don't get it, if you don't have anyone to play wirh, why not play computer games instead? Or boardgames on boardgamearena? To sit alone and play a board game wirh yourself is just sad.

[@stacie_everdell]

@@AnaIvanovic4ever You don't have to get it. To each their own. :)

[@JosephFlemming]

Quixx was one of the first Roll and write games my family got excited about. It got replaced though by the Clever series

[@dandurkin9735]

Mine, too.

[@ginovilleneuve6557]

Thanks for the chat you are two gentlemen and we are lucky to have you in our hobby.

[@RB_581]

Thank you Tom for having Rahdo on the panel, it was really enjoyable. Thanks Rahdo for travelling to be there. Thanks Roy and team for the great quality result.

[@rahdo]

thank you Ruth for a lovely and positive post! :)

[@PeterHaderlein]

Great panel. It's fascinating watching this now in 2021 for a lot of reasons (obviously no one anticipated what COVID would do to the hobby, particularly for solo games). I do think The Crew makes this list if you run it back in 2030.

[@alejandropaez4515]

I love this. They are my first choice to investigate a game. This encounters are so important for the community. I am a spanish native. Sorry for the writting.

[@Metroidam11]

I really enjoyed how two well respected reviewers have such differing opinions.

[@sarge8585]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I'm generally pretty cycincal - but this was really good.

[@pilgrimspromise1132]

This was delightful. My two favorite reviewers together

[@giacomomallamaci5649]

thanks for this entertaining time, i really enjoyed it

[@leochen107]

Nice show, really enjoy it! Both Tom and Rahdo are my favorite reviewers.

[@sethhale235]

I always adore any time Rahdo is on DT. That weird one-off marathon with him was one of my favorites. I think I'm maybe the only one that likes it that much but yeah, Rahdo with DT always great. I'd like to see DT on Rahdo's channel for something. That would be fun.

[@nothing3376]

I agree! Rhado is one of my favorites!

[@joelbergvonlinde1389]

You guys seem like you are having so much fun together. Could we maybe get a monthly Tom/Richard podcast? That would be awesome. You have such good chemistry and banter 🙂

[@garyfaust6769]

Glad to see X-wing on Tom's list. I play a couple of causal games each week and competitive tournaments 3 or 4 times a year. Best game I have ever played in 71 years!

[@ambrosehuang897]

Jealous that you get to play 3-4 times per week!

[@truce11]

The audio and picture quality are great guys

[@SwitchedOn]

Probably might be unpopular opinion, but whilst I find Tom and Rahdo videos "ok" (after years of watching them, they began to grate a little), but together they are EXCELLENT in this vid. Great job guys, really enjoyed it.

[@Gutock]

Wow, these guys are both excellent and excellent together. HIRE HIM YESTERDAY TOM!

[@tommygrahn1516]

You guys are great,so fun to watch you debate..nice chemistry also

[@nzcamel3]

Rahdo's critique of perfect information (other than a card that is about to flip) in co-op games is one I can get on board with. That seems like a good recipe for a solo game to me, not something to do with others that will be fun. If more of them can use methods to introduce barriers between players I would play more of them.

[@LuisPandabmb]

This was a very fun video. I need more of them

[@davehaynes6558]

It's neat because they are so different but seeing them together is great!

[@davethepak]

Great video.... Some quite innovative games in that list. If you have not played hanabi - play it. If you don't cheat (that will make sense if you play it) it is an amazingly hard game and a ton of fun. I would also agree that it is very different than BSG, etc. Lords of waterdeep - it was an amazing game - for many, the first experience to a euro style game. XWing - it was ground breaking for many reasons. Made mini games accessible to many, introduced affordable prepainted minis of high quality, and was a franchise based game that was actually good.

[@dilatedbeholder3865]

A list like this should really include Kingdom Death: Monster. Regardless of your views on it, that game changed the whole dynamic of Kickstarter as a platform for board games.

[@aarond.8586]

My buddy Chad was there! I would love to go sometime! Looks like such an incredible experience.

[@Oncus2]

A boom in real stories in euro games is indeed quite a stretch. Unlike in video games where you tend to play solo and thus often need a story to keep you engaged, in board games you have other people to compete with it, which is enough to keep you engaged. I think light story elements are likely to be included in euro games (such as flavour text) and some expansions may contain stories (or campaigns) in the effort to diversify the content, but it's not very likely that this will be become the norm.

[@zst0rme700]

I’m surprised Dice Forge wasn’t talked about when taking into consideration production quality and gateway games. The artwork and box insert for that game is phenomenal and the expansion adds so much more depth and replay-ability. The base game is a great gateway for veteran gamers to quickly teach and hook non-gamers that could lead to more in-depth games with the expansion.

[@bushibayushi]

top class panel; fantastic!!!

[@NubroBruno]

Great video. Enjoyed the lists!

[@PinothyJ]

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Such a great vid :).

[@lumorowenamooncaller9811]

Imagine being sick to your stomach knowing that someone is basically required to put Cards Against Humanity reluctantly on their list.

[@paulbollmann6440]

The best audio!!! Way to go Roy and team!!

[@mylor1066]

These guys need to debate more often. It's great to see healthy conversations, interesting ones as well.

[@strategywizard]

This was a SUPERB collaboration. Tom and Rahdo are hilarious to watch! But I just have to take issue with the idea that video games are "all playing by yourself." For years we have had lots of great multiplayer games, even going back to the NES (and older than that I'm sure). Contra, Battletoads, Rampart, Double Dragon, TMNT, and many others were superb multiplayer games, and it just got better with time. Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., Call of Duty, Mario Party, Street Fighter, Donkey Kong, and many more have maintained great multiplayer gaming through modern times, and there are so many other great multiplayer games that keep coming out (the Switch has really brought lots of couch co-op gaming to the screen). So, with a resounding "NO," I must disagree with the notion that video games are "all playing by yourself."

[@HaviccB]

These 2 fuel my enthusiasm for gaming.

[@Santanilla]

Great video and great questions at the end

[@tropicalpenguin9030]

Wondering if Shem is the one influencing trilogies in games with his North Sea sage and West Kingdom now. I see more and more publishers are following this path like Azul, Century, Erik Langs Bloodrage-RS-Ankh... Even wondering if Pandemic Legacy when first created was originally planned for 3 seasons.

[@juleswo2987]

Especially with quixx, Tom sometimes seems to forget that Germany is still one of the most influential Board game markets and themeless roll and writes such as quixx are immensely popular over here especially outside of „the hobby“. So, yeah, I agree with Richard.

[@christianesch5938]

And I think that on this side of the pond, EXIT (while I personally dislike it) was much more important than Time Stories.

[@lttrbox]

"The future's people playing by themselves?" Yes Tom. Thanks to Covid19, it is.

[@mikemacd5486]

Leaving Earth is always left out. Possibly my favorite game and a lot of people are now discovering it. Great game especially for a small designer/company.

[@liamlatz1259]

Yes I love that game, it’s one of my favourite space board games ever!

[@josemedrano2645]

Leaving Earth is VERY likely my favorite game of all time, but I struggle to argue that it belongs on this list

[@freddieyu]

Richard!!!! Lots of great games from both of you!

[@scottintexas]

This was a GREAT episode, informative and funny! You two guys keep each other on your toes. Sadly, bad policies like the Asmodee problem inevitably lead to questionable/marginal solutions by consumers - buy the game from the retailer again, and return the first copy, or take the item missing and return the new one sans the missing component for either a refund or another copy of the game. The retailer will return it to Asmodee for a credit and not be harmed. You may have two copies of the game, but at least you can sell it. This is a bad policy by Asmodee, and it should be a cost of doing business for lacking decent quality assurance. Certainly a missing component is not the consumer’s or retailer’s fault. PS - Jamie Stegmaier’s process-oriented, Six Sigma approach to game development has been a “game-changer!”

[@jennyinman6554]

This is absolutely brilliant!