Top 10 underrated (or hidden gems) board games

[@konchika]

Runewars with Banners of War expansion is an amazing game.

[@ezbgames]

Agreed 100% But so difficult to find..

[@-Markus-]

I just recently found your channel and watching more and more of your videos its almost as im watching someone reading my mind on games...Its scary but in the short time ive watched your videos youve gone over SO MANY of my favorite or top rated games. Excellent video!

[@ezbgames]

Oh man.. I'm humbled! Thanks buddy. Comments like this is my fuel to keep going and making more content 🤩 Feel free to let me know which games you would like me to cover- playthrough, review, how-to-play etc 🤘🏽

[@Carlos52024]

Great list of games, DEI is the one I'd try first from this list since Alex at BGCo also raves about it! I mostly play solo or two-player, so I appreciate when you mention the solo potential

[@ezbgames]

Thanks for commenting! Definitely recommend DEI and even though this is an area control game, it plays very well at 2 players! And I say it only because I played it like this many times. I covered the solo mode for this game, so when you have some time feel free to check it out 😊

[@BoardGameStudio21]

Yep I agree.... Starcraft is one hell of a game. Love the synergie between the combat+tech cards and the army units. You can stick with a faction for 15-20 game and not get bored. There's A LOT of combat game out there so it is easy to bury an old game. Mechanically speaking... I've heard a lot of people(old people like me I'm 41) that said Starcraft and World of warcraft the boardgame are 2 games that never got the fame it deserved and that the mechanics of both games was never fully duplicated in another game and that's why they stay in a place of there own. If you like abstract 4X game then try IMPULSE... fav game to pull out and show people... never had a complaint about it. Thanks for the vid man ++

[@ezbgames]

First of all, thanks for watching and for the comment! I'd definitely check out Impulse. 4X is my favorite genre of games. I guess Starcraft (never played World of Warcraft) never got the attention because it was too good of a game to be appreciated in its time, and then it just went out of print and getting a copy now is just a nightmare unless you can easily throw ATLEAST 150$ and I've seen much more expensive copies.. not to mention the expansions! But this is really a Fantasy Flight Games sort of thing haha

[@juanpablozabala4975]

I totally agree on both Starcraft and World of Warcraft! I'll also add Gears of War to the list. A gem of a game that deserved more support

[@ezbgames]

I'll be honest and say that Gears of War never really draw my attention, but I'm willing to give it a try if I find a copy

[@juanpablozabala4975]

@@ezbgames its awesome! You could say that as much as Starcraft invented deck building, Gears of War inspired Gloomhaven

[@ezbgames]

Sir, you convinced me 💯

[@sirtrevis]

I keeping looking at the games behind him. They are games that catch my eye. Been watching him for his Tsukuyumi coverage. ... Subscribed.

[@ezbgames]

That's so nice of you.. Thank you! Which games caught your eye? Let me know what can I cover on my channel that you'd like to see..

[@sirtrevis]

@@ezbgames Uprising was the one that first caught my eye. Then, I looked at other content on it. Oooo! Then, I was like, "Damn! I'm just getting in to Tsukuyumi. I can't do this!" So, I stopped. But, it still sits there, in the back of my mind. Like a scratch that will not go away.

[@ezbgames]

Hahaha I hear you! Totally understandable.. I love Uprising and it was in my top 5 games in 2023. I also did a round with 4 factions playthrough, feel free to see how it is 😊 And welcome aboard! Let me know in the future which games you find interesting and I will try cover them with some sort of content

[@sirtrevis]

@@ezbgames Copy that. Your Uprising play through is on my list of things to watch, now. ) ... Will do.

[@ezbgames]

Waiting to hear what did you think of it 😊

[@Why-Ron75]

Your speaking flow, your insights, your perspective, your reasonings as well as the ability to share your thoughts... All of those are truly impressive and indicate that you are both a very talented person and that we are very lucky that you chose to come up with this channel. Thank you.

[@ezbgames]

Oh man.. this is probably the best way to start a day! Thank you so much for this, I appreciate it 😊 Are there any games out there that you would like me to cover?

[@Why-Ron75]

​@@ezbgames Oh wow.. SO many.. Just as an intuitive response: - Euthia (if you don't own it, late pledge manager is yet open, and it might worth considering. I've already heard some people which for them - this is one of the best ever made.) - Ironwood (late pledge open) - Tamashii - Hybris: Disordered Cosmos (late pledge open) - Nightmare Cathedral - Arcs - Solomon Kane - Dawn of Zeds 3 - S.H.E.O.L - Outlive - Fallen Land - Steamwatchers - Space Infantry: Resurgence - My Father's Work - Deep Rock Galactic - Streets Masters - Sakura Arms - Resurgence - Descent: Legends of the Dark - A War of Whispers - Black Rose Wars Rebirth - Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labyrinth That will be about it... for now ;)

[@ezbgames]

From what I currently have in my collection I will cover: Nightmare Cathedral Fallen Land 2nd edition Black Rose Wars Rebirth. There are some other titles you've mentioned that I will try to get a copy like Arcs and Resurgence 😊

[@inspired2game]

Haha, I laughed out loud at your Hegemony comment. Great video! The only ones I've played of these is Cerebria - and it's one of my favorites!!

[@ezbgames]

🤣🤣 thanks Lola! ❤ Love Cerebria.. so good!

[@leviwiebe6909]

I've been enjoying Battle for Rokugan for a couple years now and I am still struggling to find my favourite small adjustments to make it perfect. The end game scoring is alright, but I want to try making the scoring cards face up at the start of the game and available for everyone and then have them score each round so it isn't just the final round that really matters. Also, I just picked up a copy of Runewars revised edition and am looking forward to getting that to the table sometime!

[@ezbgames]

Awesome idea for Battle for Rokugan! Runewars is truly awesome. If you can, please share yoir thoughts with me after you've played it 😊

[@josephwoods7225]

Nice video. Personally I enjoy these board game videos more when there is a short video clip or at least picture of the game in action. Especially the game board. So I can get a quick idea of the game better. Thanks, good job.

[@ezbgames]

Thanks Josheph 😊 I didn't want to make a video that will be too long, so I added really just short parts of other videos I have on my channel. Dark Ages doesn't have a video of its own so this is why there's no image of it. Thanks for watching and commenting :)

[@-Markus-]

For me, the most underrated game is without a doubt "Warrior Knights", the 2006 release by FFG. In some ways it is similar to Runewars but with much more diplomacy and negotiation. War is punishing and expensive and often the value of an army is not its hitting power but its intimidation. Its a Cold War most of the game. Its not without flaws of course, some mechanics can feel a bit tedious and time consuming and sometime break the flow of the game, slowing it down. Personally I LOVE it, its one of my favorite games, but I can see the flaws that could be improved. But I dont really understand why it never got traction, its just so good!

[@ezbgames]

Oh no... another FFG game I need to track down now 😫😫 Okay! I'm on it.. I'm intrigued 🤩

[@-Markus-]

@@ezbgames Haha happy hunting! The core game is fairly common at good price but the expansion is a bitch to find D:

[@ezbgames]

That's my specialty 😎😉

[@ezbgames]

@@-Markus- okay. I got the core game for 12€. Now looking for the expansion and hopefuly 60€ is not too high for it. But if the game is that good in your opinion, then 72€ is a very good price 😊

[@-Markus-]

@@ezbgames 12 is a steal! Awesome! I think I bought my core for around 30, but the expansion ripped me off for 95...Felt sick to my stomach paying so much for that small box. But it was in shrinkwrap and having played it a few times with the expansion I know this one is staying in my collection for the rest of my life! For me it was worth every cent. If you find the expansion for 60 it is a good deal...I mean not really, were getting ripped off for sure, but still a good deal XD

[@elikurtz729]

Interesting list, thank you :D As you said most are underrated because they are simply not available at all ... StarCraft is a grail game of mine ^^ Reasons are small publishers, small print runs and no second edition or the loss of IPs as in the case of StarCraft :P sigh - maybe some day we will see reprints or similar games without IPs surface. Happy gaming!

[@ezbgames]

Hey! 😊 Thanks for commenting.. It's true for the OOP games, but some of these games are still out there and need some love 😉 Not sure if you saw my last video (and I apologize if you have) but soon, when I get to 2k subs, I'll do a free giveaway of Starcraft. Stay tuned 😎

[@elikurtz729]

@@ezbgames Thank you for the quick reply :D Just watched your announcement. Hope the 2000 will be reached (you got me :) ) Just wonder if I will enter :D ... I played StarCraft with a friend shortly after it came out and we had rounds of 2-4 players which were a lot of fun at the time. When I got back into boardgaming years later he had already sold it :D Loved the Zerglings :P I am quite ok if it stays a grail game and someone else gets it to enjoy. Not sure how it would fare measured up to more modern games like Voidfall and upcoming Andromeda's Edge. At the time there was really nothing to compare it to and memories are golden :D Still it would be great to get a retheme ... Also love your shelf in the background :D

[@ezbgames]

Woohhhaaa you named Voidfsll which is in my top 5 and Andromeda's Edge is something that I'm really looking forward to. Starcraft, in my opinion, still holds up and gives a competition to more modern board games. I prefer it over Forbidden Stars. Thank you for subscribing, I really appreciate it. The shelf behind me... haha yeah it's my pride and joy. I really love board games- it completely changed my life

[@elikurtz729]

@@ezbgames Enjoyed the content :) Board games are such a marvel :D Would not like to live without them anymore ^^ Have to admit I never played Forbidden Stars ... ^^ Currently we are into Slay the Spire with some intermissions of Forest Shuffle (absolutely addictive with the Alpine expansion^^) and the occasional Frosthaven scenario - on the upcoming cue are still Keep the Heroes out, Distilled, Agemonia and Oathsworn :P Also I just got Tamashii, The Warp and Cthulhu Wars :P oh guilty pleasures ...

[@ezbgames]

Ohhh wow!!! Some heavy titles.. The Warp is a very interesting game. Did a how-to-play not a long time ago. Love this passion for board games. It literally fuels my day

[@umbette]

Your tutorial of March of the Ants is the video which made me discover your channel (and subscribe). Of you have a friend with a 3d printer you could print yourself some antmeeple to replace the cubes. Not essential but a nice addition. As alternative in Bgg you can find stickers to apply to wooden disks.

[@ezbgames]

First of all, thank you ❤ Your idea is actually pretty good! Never thought of that.. I'll give it a look of course. Thanks for sticking around buddy! March of the Ants was quite a while ago ;)

[@somerandomperson8282]

Great video thanks EZ! Some new ones on the list for me so I enjoyed researching them further. I agree that Company of Heroes 2nd Edition is one of the best tactical wargames in existence (at least that I have ever played and I have many of the top ones) and it's a shame that the price including all expansions is so prohibitive bordering on extortionate. The base game is good value though and I suggest anyone to try and get their hands on the Gamefound campaign for the base game!

[@ezbgames]

Thank you for watching and commenting 😊😊 Glad you liked the 2E as well, it is such an improvement from the 1st one. The price is high, absolutely! I just think that you get so much value there.. I think that it's worth more than games like Kingdom Death Monster for example. Or almost any all-in Awaken Realms game. Okay so maybe no need to go all the way with the pledge that cost 614$, but for 449$ you're getting a HUGE amount of content. But the core box for 99$ stays a very solid deal

[@ezbgames]

Oh! And which games from my list did you find interesting?

[@db8094]

man your taste in games is SO good. A flight overseas isn't TOO bad for a long game day of area control right?! 😂

[@ezbgames]

Dude, if you're in Paris, we're going to have a lotnof fun playing AND I'll show you the city, it will be SUPER cool ;) Right now I'm in Ohio 😅 So random..

[@hitomikojiru]

Tsukuyumi is amazing. Love that one. Battle for Rokugan is also an awesome game.

[@ezbgames]

I'm very happy you found some games we like in common 😊

[@lmedved5000]

Gosh, I want a copy of COH2 so bad! I've played it on TTS and honestly I would hands down rather play that than Company of Heroes 3 the video game. Definitely do some content on Dark Ages! I'd never heard of it and it looks like it might be a fun version of the Crusader Kings board game, which sounds interesting! Also yo, I own both John Co and Hegemony and love them both dearly but.... sometimes I just want to do some taxes, you know? Jokes aside John Co might be the best negotiation game i've ever played. Legendary design, for sure. Speaking of Cole Wehrle, you gonna be covering Arcs at all?

[@ezbgames]

Yes to everything! 🤣 Can we be friends in real life?! Haha On a more serious note- CoH 2E is truly amazing and I really wait to get my hands on the copy from the KS. Dark Ages is so good.. I'll do a review soon, a how-to-play and also a video for the solo mode. You made me laugh with Hegemony haha in a good way! John Company is truly a game that needs to reach more people because just like you said it is AMAZING. Funny you ask about Arcs because today (or yesterday) someone asked about it also. As soon as it comes to Europe I'll try tonget a copy and put content for it. I missed the crowed funding.

[@lmedved5000]

@@ezbgames Yeah I'd be curious on your take on Arcs so hopefully you can get it soon! Here's to hoping I can snag a copy of CoH for non-scalper prices when it delivers... wish me luck! Great vid, btw! Keep up the good work, man!

[@ezbgames]

I appreciate it a lot! Thank you very much.. I know wanting to have a game can be bigger than us, but to be honest- parience is the name of the game. Sometimes, if you wait long enough you get CRAZY good deals. Always remember- we have so many games we should play again before getting a new one 😉 There's always going to be that guy that needs to get rid of their game/collection haha

[@lmedved5000]

@@ezbgames Thank you for that! I think people in this hobby (including myself) definitely need to hear that more. Honestly I just beat the first solo scenario in Voidfall so maybe I should get back to that instead of wanting for a game that isn’t even out yet 😆

[@ezbgames]

You got it. I have a routine: Everytime I want to back a game, I stop myself and I go take a game from my shelf of shame. I swear to God.. 90% of the time, after 2-3 days I forget why I wanted to back it. And I end up with the 10% that I truly want.

[@clanechelon]

March of the Ants is awesome. Rules are so simple and yet, there's so much depth. My only complaint right now (haven't played the expansion yet) is that we plated mostly 3p,,, And it feels that someone will take the lead, one of the 2 player will stop him while player 3 will take advantage. Haven't played enough to see if we need to better balance stopping the leader and racking point ourselves or alternatively if you need to temper the point you earned to avoid being focus too much. I would really like to try this at 4p or 5p, seems like it would be tighter. Starcraft the board game will likely always be my holy grail game. I can't justify paying what people are asking for it. Regardless how good it is, I know the rulebook is hard to get through and it will require a lot of plays to get my money's worth. If I ever find a bargain, I will consider it

[@ezbgames]

I feel that your concern for March of the Ants is usually the case for 4X or area control games- one player takes the lead and the other two will fight between them on who's going to be the king maker 😅 Clash of Cultures is like this, just for the example. This is why in our group most of the time we'd play only at 4 players. If a game succeeds to be good and balanced at other player counts- that's amazing. Starcraft is wayyyyyy too expensive today. I saw a copy for 150€ and thought to myself that this is a good deal. But if not, yeah it's just too much

[@the_vitor]

Cool list of underrated bordgames! But I'm not so sure if Halls of Hegra and Cerebria are underrated, i have seen many people liking these games and it's hard to get a copy of them in the secondary market. Divide et Impera is for sure an underrated game and is answer is simple, the retail version has no minis 😂 and honestly it doesn't need but ppl love minis I will check the Dark Ages sounds a very interesting! For me and just looking at last year games one of the sleeper hits is: Anunnaki Dawn of Gods (4x Euro style with one of the best action selection mechanisms I ever experienced) I'm waiting for the list of top overrated games 😂

[@ezbgames]

Cerebria is ranked relatively low so for me it's underrated, and Halls of Hegra is 8.3 but not by many people so I'd say it's more of a hidden gem that should receive more attention 😊 Please let me know what did you think of Dark Ages- I truly suggest getting a copy of it. Funny that you mention Anunnaki because it's entering my collection this month! Hahaha dude if I do a list of overrated games I'll lose a lot of subscribers 🤣🤣

[@rolfvansoelen8916]

Very interesting list. DEI defenitely is an outstanding game, nice area control puzzle. March of the Ants has my attention for sure, despite it hasn't the looks of today's standards (I couldn't care less, its all about game play). Not familiar with the other games, they seem cool to me as well.

[@ezbgames]

March is really a game that should be more out there. I do understand that someone would like to have not only a good game but a beautiful one, but the beauty of March in my opinion is its simple nature

[@whoisbatman]

March of the Ants is legit. One of my better games in the collection.

[@ezbgames]

I absolutely agree. I hope the reprint will draw more attention when it comes out

[@blackrum3278]

John Company is by far the Best Heavy Board Game of 2022 from my point of view. Only issue I have with it: too much freedom. You came become ripped off very very badly by your enemies, if you are too trusty. This might have a huge impact on player motivation on a long term. But just as it is, this is the only Game, we were crying tears of laughter while we played it (nearly each time)

[@ezbgames]

Hahaha I know exactly what you're talking about! Yeah, thisn is a very cut throat kind of game, but with the right group it is insanely good. Thanks for watching and commenting 😊

[@iggyflop3777]

Mosaic derrière toi ! Je connaissais pas ta chaîne. Je l'ai découvert avec era of tribes. Je comprends ton anglais avec cet accent.

[@ezbgames]

Mdr Bienvenu! 😊😊 Je suis content de savoir que tu comprends mon anglais.. c'est pas évident 😉

[@iggyflop3777]

@@ezbgames Je ne sais pas si c'est évident. Mais pour un français, c'est plus simple à comprendre.

[@ezbgames]

Merci bien ❤️

[@Wonderflonium]

I would be interested to hear about other solo games you try in the future, after enjoying Halls of Hegra.

[@ezbgames]

You mean solo only games? Or just games in general that I loved their solo mode?

[@Wonderflonium]

@@ezbgames the latter

[@ezbgames]

I'll do a solo video. You got it! 😊

[@Wonderflonium]

@@ezbgames Thank you! Looking forward to it!

[@BatisteBieler]

The only game I even knew in this list is StarCraft... I got a chance to play it when it first came out but sadly it was just a bit too long for a late afternoon so we had to fold it before finishing a full play. I have never seen it since... Apparently it is credited as the first game with a deck building elements. So many games to try out and play...

[@ezbgames]

Oh I totally agree. Too many games haha It's better to concentrate the effort on the ones in your favorite genre

[@elromcohen6751]

This is really nice list of games and i especially agree avbout tsukuyumi. I will for ever be mad at FFG for stop production of battlelore. This was my favorite game and they just stopped it...

[@ezbgames]

It's really kind of their thing 🤦‍♂️😅

[@crumpetsbuttered]

Absolutely love Starcraft and Runewars

[@ezbgames]

Same here 🤩😍

[@wicked8576]

when you talk about mindclash games and leave out the best: Anachrony!! sigh.. :) I just love it!

[@ezbgames]

Okay. I admit I got blanked and forgot about it. I should have mentioned it!! Asking for forgiveness 😅❤ I should bring this one to the table soon. It has been too long.

[@wicked8576]

@@ezbgames I have to admit, I have not played my copy (infinity box) yet.. I feel ashamed! 😖 I am planning to play it very soon.. 🤞🏼

[@ezbgames]

So for me, I found that the expansions were too much. Already the base game and the first big expansion are enough for me. The two smaller expansions just added too much, especially since Anachrony is not hitting my table very often. For Trickerion, on the other hand, I have and use almost everything. But I agree in any case that Anachrony is a top notch game.

[@wicked8576]

@@ezbgames Trickerion is the second Mindclash Game still waiting to be played.. sigh! Not easy to get those complex games to the table, I do not find the time to play them solo and it's hard to get a group for these games.. :-/

[@ezbgames]

Wish I could be in your play group! I hope you'll get to table it. It's not so bad. If you want, I can do a teach session via TTS

[@MikeMcCraith]

With all these area control, I cannot remember if you have/played Petrichor. It's probably my favorite area control game. 🐝🐝🐝 And I'll be bringing the other half of Dark Ages. Prepare the table!

[@ezbgames]

Ohhh I'll check it out ASAP!! And oh my Goddd should we organize a 6 or 8 player game of Dark Ages?! 🤩🤩

[@MikeMcCraith]

@@ezbgames Let's go all the way baby! Hahaha as long as your friends can stand a crazy American. If I can fit it I can bring Petrichor 😂

[@ezbgames]

Hahaha my friends will have 2 options- play with you and I and enjoy, or go eat a croissant somewhere else ;)

[@MikeMcCraith]

@@ezbgames hahahaha 😂

[@paulchabot9689]

well rokugan is impossible to find even on the secondary market, runewars I love it but hard to hit the table and very long to settle and play, starcraft bg is also expensive hard to find and long

[@ezbgames]

I agree with everything you said besides maybe regarding Runewars. I think the setup time is relatively okay. It is annoying to do the 'inner setup' but that's part of the game. But in general those FFG board games are rare. Among other games from the same publisher.. :/ Annoying indeed

[@db5823]

Fantasy Flight games won't change what they're doing. They take a good game (like Eldritch Horror), strip out of it as much as they can, and then try to sell you the missing/needed content as expansions. A lot of their games have promise, but the expansions never fulfil that potential, and you have to stop yourself from buying a bunch of expansions in the fruitless hope that one of those expansions will eventually bring the game to its full potential. Screw FFG.

[@ezbgames]

I definitely see your point. It took 2 expansions to make Falloit actually a cool game. The base game was so far from where it should have been. I'm relatively new to the hobby (only a couple of years), but it's insane for me to see how it happens and happened ALL THE TIME!!

[@BenAlvarez]

Great video. Added Company of Heroes to my "Want to Play" list. I'm one of the lucky ones to own Starcraft: The Board Game.

[@ezbgames]

You are one of the lucky ones!! When was the last time you tabled it?

[@georggabriel7852]

Battle for Rokugan, yeah:) Another FFG jewel. Only played it 5 times, it is somewgere in the cellar;))) I am a FFG fanboy😂 I actually loved the expansion policy. The world moved on;)

[@ezbgames]

To be honest I really like this game. Glad I discovered it.. And yeah, FFG did some amazing games in the past! Expansions are so rare and expensive 🤯🤯

[@georggabriel7852]

@@ezbgames true I still look for sc broodwar. But in german. I do have almost all FFG in english, but not this one. But it is very hard to get. I heard it makes the game even better? You have it on shelf;)))

[@ezbgames]

It improves the game 100% I should cover it

[@georggabriel7852]

Yes because I know where you live Geneve cant be so big;)

[@ezbgames]

🤣🤣 that is true..

[@gidiyaniv82]

Somehow was sure pax ren will be there with the guys at #1

[@ezbgames]

Look.. you're not wrong. And I really wanted to talk about this game in this video. But I had to make a choice and I think that at 8.5 with 2.3k people voting for it, not sure it would be better than one of the other games. And also, Pax Ren is going to be in one of my next videos about games that are best at 2. But don't tell anyone ;)

[@gidiyaniv82]

@@ezbgames Your secret is safe with me, and whoever is reading the comments section....

[@ezbgames]

🤣🤣🤣 exactly

[@warpo007]

great list, John Company has a bit of a 'eww' theme to some, some are even outright offended.

[@ezbgames]

First of all, thank you 😊 Maybe it's a cultural difference and I really don't want to offend anyone, so this is q genuine question: What's the difference between John Company and games where you play the Germans in the 2nd world war? Or any settlement game? Septima where people are hunting witches? Pax Pamir? 18XX where you build trains in an era where it was on the back of african american slaves and others? I can think of a few more. I just don't get why other yes and this one no.. If anything, this game can actually bring this period of time to the table and people can be more aware of what happened at that time in that region. Again, I don't want to trigger anyone. Sincerely asking

[@warpo007]

@@ezbgames No offense at all. i was just adding some context as to why John Company gets a hard rap. It touches on British colonialism, Imperialism and the East India Company.

[@ezbgames]

Oh yeah yeah, I get that of course. I just don't understand why people take offense from it but not from other games. But you know what? That's actually a good question in general. I'll try to go deeper on this one.

[@warpo007]

@@ezbgames Yeah it's just something people love to latch onto i guess. If anything JC makes the British look terrible and the designers have gone over it (the sensitive 'issues' many times) I don't' know, people will pick strange hills to die on.

[@ezbgames]

Hahaha I'm going to use that one 🤣 Thanks buddy! I appreciate the input :)

[@roedie112]

Thanks for the shoutout! If anyone want's to play a game of CoH BG or want a teach, hit me up and we can arrange a play session :)

[@ezbgames]

Highly recommended 👌

[@barry1902]

This should be called the top 10 games you wouldn't want to play with your wife. The only game I found evenly remotely interesting was Era of Tribes which I already own. The rest are area control/war/conflict games which mostly appeal to large groups of guys.

[@ezbgames]

Not sure I understood the comment in ita full meaning 😅 I think Era of Tribes is also better for a larger group pf players. I wouldn't want to play it with less than 4 people. Company of Heroes actually works better in my opinion with only 2 players, so if your wife is into theme- great! The same with Cerebria- works very good at 2 players. So if Era of Tribes is interesting for you, you should maybe look at Dark Ages (from the list)

[@WhatsDaveUpTo]

I was hoping to see some actual underrated gems, not some of the most popular and beloved board games on bgg...oh well

[@ezbgames]

Hey there Did you miss the part where I said it's either underrated or hidden gems? Not getting enough coverage? Or not really? I think the 5 first board games are presented are underrated in my opinion (I think they ranked lower than they should be). And the second part was about games I think should get more coverage.

[@ironartur]

The problem of John company is the theme. Most people really dislike the colonial theme. The review from susd was spot on about it.

[@ezbgames]

I didn't watch it, but I will. But I think that if there are game about Nazis (like Black Orchestra) or about other dark eras of human history, it shouldn't affect the game. If anything, this game maybe brought to a spotlight an era or a aprt of history that maybe people were not aware of. The same goes for Pax Pamir 2nd edition for example. Just my opinion of course :) Thanks for the recommendation though! I got to go see it..

[@Mykandera]

The problem with people who complain about the theme of John Company (or other such similar games) is that they blatantly ignore or give a pass to games they enjoy with the same theme, to include SUSD. The easy example of this is almost any train game ever, but a more direct comparison is Brass. In Brass Lancashire and Brass Birmingham you're playing families in Britain investing in the industrial revolution, which they're doing by using the money brought home from India or as an attempt to compete with families who have people brining home money from India. The only disconnect from the John Company theme in Brass is that instead of controlling the family members in India, you're controlling the family members that retired and got sent home. Yet no one, to include SUSD, complains about the theme (or at least in a cultural negative manner) in Brass. It's perfectly fine to be okay with that or be against it, but the rank hypocrisy of all the "one step removed" examples is endlessly frustrating.

[@ezbgames]

I agree. Your example with Brass is a very good one. And you're as well when you're saying that there are many examples 👌🏽

[@seniscram7958]

Most people? Or just a few very outspoken people?

[@ezbgames]

That's actually a good question. Yesterday I posted on Board game Revolution Facebook group a question about it. It seems that most people don't think that the subject is problematic. On the contrary, they say that Cole Wehrle did a good job handling this topic.

[@Biodelic]

There is a guy in Paris, who pumps out content like his life depends on it. Or he is terribly bored. 🤣

[@Biodelic]

Have you ever played Nightmare Cathedral?

[@ezbgames]

Hahaha just wanted to take the opportunity and makenthe video before I put another game on my table 😉

[@ezbgames]

​@@Biodelicnope.. never heard of it. I guess I should 😅

[@Biodelic]

​@@ezbgamesWhat is going to hit the table now?

[@Biodelic]

@@ezbgames Nightmare Cathedral is a very unique area control game. I love that game. It's weird, has some clear flaws, some exceptional strengths and it's like a dark chest of wonders. You never really know what highs it will give you or how it will hurt you.