Top 10 Welcoming Games of 2021

[@cay6857]

What I love about The Dice Tower is their dedication to different levels of game playing, not just advanced games. There’s no pretentiousness here. Thanks for this great video, Zee.

[@bigvoch4579]

7 Wonders Architects ranked at #1 is an excellent choice. Super easy to teach, beautiful components and throughout the game each action feels important. New players will enjoy this one for sure.

[@nicksawyer562]

Taught my 8 & 11 year old Cascadia and was easy for them to understand, highly recommend. Probably his #11 game.

[@lightningmonkey706]

Thought this was a lock for the list.

[@Vikingblood801]

Probably did expect "Abandon all artichokes" to be on the list. Thanks for the recomandations as I didn't know most of them.

[@jdtyler7]

That was a 2020 game. So that would be why it's not on this list. To your point though, I just received this for Christmas and played it with my family and they all loved it. I think it is an excellent welcoming game.

[@MouseKing4752]

Thank you, Wishing you all the very best for the new year, hope youand the team have a great year.

[@Chivalrics]

Happy New Year everyone!

[@markusbiewer2756]

Thank you for that video. I need to check out 7 Wonders Architects. Happy new year, Zee!

[@keithbarry29]

Nice list Zee! Thank you & Happy New Year!

[@gamewright]

Super Mega thanks for the inclusion!

[@Dr_C_Smith]

Completely agree with 7 Wonders Architects as a top choice. Most people should understand the game fairly quickly and enjoy it. It’s a really solid game for what it is and tries to do! Excellent top pick!

[@JosephFlemming]

I wanted to like it but it was just too basic. Sold.

[@thebrewgeek]

Happy new year Zee!

[@aimajica]

I would have 3 crossovers with you Zee: 1. Kingdomino Origins (great retheming and wonderful twists to the original recipe; it's also the easiest from my list to teach and learn [most important criteria for a welcoming game]) 2. Dive (quirky, gorgeous, easy to teach, has a great table presence [2nd most important criteria] and is the most memorable to newcomers) 3. Stella (Dixit+, great) 4. Trek12: Amazonia (Trek12+++, a lot of things to discover, excellent) 5. Codex Naturalis (a great filler/family game, very easy to play and quite easy to teach, the table presence is also great) 6. Canvas (very simple and welcoming mechanics at the service of a great gimmick) 7. Mandragora (quick and fun little "rondel-style" game with a lot of interactions and cute art by Pierô) 8. Recto Verso (the very nice reprint of La Boca, with a full cooperative 2-player game mode) 9. Happy City (cute theme, quick and punchy, a "Kingdomino" vibe with the simple scoring) 10. Ex aequo: 7 Wonders Architects (quick setup, smooth gameplay, too lucky, not so easy to teach) / Bellum Magica (nice and easy, but a little bit too confrontational to be higher on this list)

[@EmpressG]

Thanks for the list. I will check out some of yours! 😊

[@tommygrahn1516]

And happy new year,Zee garcia

[@alecj3454]

Thanks Zee -- You da man.

[@nicolehage918]

Before watching I was sure that Bad Company and Cascadia would be in your top 10 welcoming games….

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

Nice list.

[@dddmmm21]

Good list but I simply dont understand the hype for 7 Wonders Architects... Played it 4X already (to make sure) and the game has extremely limited decision space. Since you cant see the card under the one you are picking, the decisions are always straight forward, you pick the obviously better card. Rarely the trade-offs are interesting. And again, since you cant see the next card coming, you pick the card and reveal exactly what your opponent needed, just like that 100% out of luck. The game plays itself. I dont get the hype.

[@aimajica]

Agreed. That's exactly how I feel about the gameplay. Quite the luckfest. It's not a bad game though, it's fine if you're looking for a quick relaxing moment with your family (while resting your brain). The table presence and setup time are excellent though.

[@dennisw64]

The Iniative... A board game version of the Neverending Story?

[@Mark-jagger]

Wow. Absolutely amazed that Cascadia didn’t make this list. Easily the most welcoming game of the year that I played. I have played all of the others on this list too, except one. 7 Wonders Architects would be my No.2. I guess that’s why we have opinions….

[@siwilliams3221]

Might be a date thing - Cascadia released late 2020.

[@tommygrahn1516]

Wrong numbers...dosen't Zee say number two for "Summercamp"? But in the video it's number three...great list otherwise as usally😃

[@Zorayas]

Predictions before I watch this: Trekking the world, Cascadia, 7wonders - Architects and Canvas. Maybe even Marvel United, although I personally did not like that one.

[@Zorayas]

Oops, only 1/5