Top 5 Overrated Games

Tom Vasel, Eric Summerer, Sam Healey, Mandi Hutchinson, Suzanne Sheldon, and Zee Garcia talk about the top 5 overrated games (in our opinion) live at Dice Tower Con 2018!
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[@isaacbrooks6561]

Eric 5. Taj Mahal 4. Princes of Florence 3. Stone Age 2. Caylus 1. Puerto Rico Mandy 5. Automobile 4. Betrayal at the House of Haunted Hill 3. Puerto Rico 2. Terraforming Mars 1. Scythe Sam 5. Lords of Waterdeep 4. Codenames 3. Azul 2. Splendor 1. The Mind Tom 5. Mr. Jack 4. Blood Bowl 3. Zombicide: Black Plague 2. Poker 1. Tichu Zee 5. Eldritch Horror 4. Trajan 3. Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small 2. The Mind 1. Galaxy Trucker Suzanne 5. Viticulture 4. Codenames: Pictures 3. Ethnos 2. Eldritch Horro 1. Hanabi

[@thaibinhduong1989]

Thanks man

[@nate1735]

Bm

[@RuiMPConde]

Automobiles not Automobile, it's a different game

[@The-Eric-Cartman]

I'm confused by Mandy's #5 choice (assuming what's written here is correct, I didn't sit through the whole hour long video). "Automobile" (2009) was never overrated. It was a good game, but was never wildly popular. "Automobiles" (2018), on the other hand, was overrated.

[@RyanGraham18]

Thanks to Zee for the comic relief in this video!

[@dwnvwdjvn]

I think Codenames deserves its popular reputation. It is easy to explain, simple to set up and provides plenty of fun. I have played this with family members who do not generally play board games and had a great response.

[@kau6912]

Terrific game

[@hamiltonnewhart3053]

Easily the first game I pull out when I have a largish group of people who don’t play games often. Always a huge hit

[@CDCyD]

It sucks.

[@nicholasimholte7359]

It's fine, it's just not a party game. It's very thinky.

[@vincentheslin9636]

Zee was ON FIRE in this panel. He had a million zingers and one liners! Early picks seem to have the biggest reactions from the crowd. Gotta go with Sam, Lords of Waterdeep is fine but it has gotten way too much love for a fairly okay area control, worker style game. No bombs were dropped but great discussions!

[@CapriciousIntent]

Vincent Heslin I wanted to like your comment for Zee, but I had to refrain cuz Lords of Waterdeep is phenomenal. No thumbs up for you!

[@samvisser9408]

Have to agree about Lords of Waterdeep - it was okay, but not quite sure why it gets as much love as it does. I'm not saying it doesn't deserve it, obviously it's struck a chord with a lot of people and that's not trivial. But I can't see why over other worker placement games. Maybe because it's D&D adjacent?

[@JonReid01]

He's the voice of the people for a reason 👍

[@Syko1985]

Zee was hilarious, really enjoyed watching this.

[@marcoschaub8978]

It's funny to me how some people (here in the comments) can react so emotionally when other people dislike their games. It's like if somebody told them their kid is stupid or ugly or both.

[@stephanberger3476]

Thinking a kid is ugly is also a valid opinion.

[@EHngelic]

51:49 "It's a short story told as a novel, spread into 4 movies that shouldn't have been made in the first place" - Suzanne, 2018 (Eldritch Horror). Excellent!

[@benjaminchernik7330]

i completely agree with this statement...and yet it's still one of my favourites...can't get mad at her though hehe

[@wroot_lt]

Great line :)

[@Mentat1231]

Poetry. Absolutely perfect.

[@dorpth]

That's a line that sounds brilliant until you stop and realize that it doesn't mean anything, and doesn't even really apply to the game. If Eldritch Horror is overrated, then what would they consider a great co-op game? Basically I'm saying anyone who still thinks Pandemic is the best game ever doesn't have any ground to be crapping on Eldritch.

[@Mentat1231]

dorpth, Suzanne did immediately following that line with "it's what made me realize I don't like co-op games". So, there's no double-standard in this case. She doesn't like co-op games at all.

[@Deokiev]

Suzanne, if you're playing Hanabi as memory game, you're completely missing the point. Try it online, where it saves clues, and see how it goes.

[@GameTrafficker]

I agree about codenames pictures. My groups love codenames, but pictures fell flat. It always felt like the the pictures limited interesting, risky, and extra-multi card clues. We just never had an exciting moment with codenames pictures.

[@Therisktaker3]

GameTrafficker That is interesting. I just brought this to a game night with 10 people that were really new gamers and it was a hit. The pictures are more interesting than having a bunch of words in a grid. I have brought out regular codenames at various parties and it went over like a lead balloon (even though I enjoy it). It seemed to me people were attracted to the unique pictures and not a grid of words. Just my 2 cents.

[@wfp9378]

Thanks guys for broadcasting these. Sure saves the 24 hour flight to get there in person 😜

[@Rahzeil]

Difficulty isn't a problem, it's a feature. I can only play an easy co-op game once or twice before I get bored.

[@Mentat1231]

I loved every moment of this... Despite adoring Viticulture, Galaxy Trucker, Scythe, and The Mind.... You guys are great, but you are INSANE when it comes to The Mind. I cannot tell you how diverse the groups have been that I've introduced this to, and everyone has LOVED it. But, oh well. Fantastic video. Great stuff.

[@2dTones]

Mandy killed it, 5 great picks. I agree on Puerto RIco. I think part of the problem is that the arc is extremely rigid, and the decision space is so tight, leaving the game feeling like its playing on rails.

[@hamiltonnewhart3053]

The expansions help with this tbh

[@dfetz3]

Tom not quite picking up on Mandy's point about Puerto Rico was a little funny since he said almost the exact same thing in his "Games we don't want to play with Noobs" video. Someone who hasn't played before or at all will get killed by the Puerto Rico sharks, and since turn order/seat selection matters a great deal in that game a new person usually won't do well.

[@stevethedba]

Even more than a new player not doing well, I dislike that the new player becomes an inadvertant king maker.

[@nothing3376]

I haven’t played it but it sounds more like its skill based, not bad.

[@Deokiev]

Yeah, just find a right group for you and it's fantastic.

[@marcodavi777]

My 2 cents, pick a different group of people. If you go play a game as a noob and people just try to screw with you, than it is their fault, not the game's. In most (complex) games, the most expert wins, but that does not mean he has to be a jerk. I never played puerto rico though. I have a similar story for Eclipse though, when in a 4 players game the 2 experts made an alliance leaving the 2 noobs to fugure it out.

[@KissellMissile]

Marco Davi The "problem" with the game was it is largely solvable. You have to do certain thing in a certain order or you will give the game to the player after you. That is a problem with the game I think.

[@jameswoodard4304]

Are we sure Sam isn't slightly colorblind with this whole Azul thing? I can see not being a huge fan of the appearance, and I realize that aesthetics are subjective, but "ugly" seems pretty harsh.

[@Bodyknock]

I’m with Mandy on Betrayal. I’ve played a bunch of Betrayal and really do want to like it because in principle it sounds great on paper, exploring a randomized haunted house and then something cool happens and you get one of fifty interesting scenarios. But the game is mechanically seriously flawed. The first half of the game has almost no connection to the second half, it’s basically just everybody exploring random rooms waiting for the haunt to start with no significant strategy or goals. Which is a problem since that first half can take up to an hour, an hour spent just moving around randomly waiting for the actual part of the game that matters. But then when the haunt finally does start the scenarios are so swingy that half the time the match ends up being a blowout for one side or the other. It’s a luck fest game that the first 30-60 minutes have no impact on the second half of the game. And while the event descriptions and scenario descriptions are generally cool that can only hold your interest through so many plays. This game started off as a good game for me but very quickly fell from grace as the mechanical cracks became evident.

[@kau6912]

Too much time invested and very little payoff

[@dorpth]

and that's not even taking into account that 30-50% of games will have the haunt player mess up the rules and ruin the whole session. None of the other players can check or clarify the rules either because they're secret. So you have a 50% chance of the rules being ruined, and even if they're not it's a further 50/50 chance that it will be a blowout. The first half is as interactive as a game of Candyland. I hate Betrayal so very, very much. Even for a casual game that should be more about socializing, I would rather go read a book by myself than waste any more time playing it. It belongs on this list because IT'S SO POPULAR. Everyone constantly wants to play it to the point where I stopped going to a lot of meetup groups because everyone just wanted to play it all the time.

[@atomiccritter6492]

The Legacy version seems much better tying up loose ends. Interesting complete playthrough videos on Game The Game and a post play review of it with one of the creators

[@Indubitably14]

I used to be a Betrayal apologist--"it's an experience, more than a game, etc." And it's because the first edition got me in the hobby back in the day. It was the game that opened my mind in what games could do...and to be fair, I've had quite a few fun, movie-like sessions...but recently playing our 3rd game of Legacy (which really does improve the game)...it fell so flat that it was scarring experience. I apologized to the group and scraped the game. It was so bad that I felt it affect my credibility the next time I'd introduce a game to the group 🤣

[@naomik3726]

I feel like Zee and Sam carry's this video. Oh my gosh. Their comments are hilarious.

[@dabanyas]

Thank you! It is always so interesting and entertaining to watch your top 10's (or top 5 in this case).

[@wyatth2992]

Poker is a resource management/bluffing game. You can play with chips or tokens that have no monetary value, but you do need some way to determine who is in the lead. Chips are basically victory points. They are what determines when a game ends and who is the winner. If you don't enjoy the game that's fine, but it has been played and enjoyed by people for well over 200 years.

[@5ammy13]

Don't understand the hate for codenames. It is like one of the best gateway games for people who have never played a board game, reminds me a bit of Just One, which can be taught to a party pretty quickly, the free website makes it possible to play literally everywhere. I think it is an excellent game as it stands. Will it be in my top 50/100? No, but I would reach for this game quite a lot because my non-gamer friends find this easy to digest and play. The clue giving aspect is fun and trying to think of ingenious ways to tie up several words. Also, analyzing and trying to get into the mind of the clue giver to guess the words is fun too. I don't think it is overrated for what it is.

[@Indubitably14]

I enjoyed Codenames the first few times and appreciate the design but then it plummeted and now, I won't play it all. There are situations where it's just ridiculous, even with 2 words "triangle" & "mug"? Decrypto kills Codenames because YOU create the clues (but if you make them too obvious, the other team can steal). It's just brilliant. Almost like a combination of Dixit rules with Codenames format.

[@5ammy13]

@@Indubitably14 I agree. I actually prefer So Clover over Codenames. It does have the same problem or sometimes getting two words that make no sense. But it's just part of the game. I think So Clover also works as it's a team game. I love Decrypto too. But I really don't think Codenames deserves any hate. 'Hate' would be too strong a word for it maybe? It's just lost its charm in m opinion.

[@johnr8095]

I totally agree with her on Puerto Rico. If you are not familiar with Puerto Rico you don't understand the roles that well. so if you do craftsman at hte wrong time you set up the next person to win or at least gain an advantage. The very first time I played the game at a convention I did that, and the guy next to me said "you just gave the game to player 4" and sure enough that player won. its totally unfriendly to new players especially if you are that new player at a table with good players. And if you play with the wrong people they willl let you know you just ruined the game. Its a good game, but I can totally see why people get turned off by it.. It needs to be played by people of the same skill level at the same table.

[@shady610]

John R I can understand games not being winnable for noobs. that makes sense. But a game that is so easily swayed by a noob move, is a bad design overall.

[@johnr8095]

M. cool only when played by noobs though. If people know what they’re doing and all have matching skill levels it becomes a well oiled machine. So, is that bad game design by itself? Not sure how games can mitigate different skill levels at the same table. Puerto Rico is probably one of the most egregious examples of a game that has this problem, but it’s only a problem in limited circumstances.

[@shady610]

John R I haven't played the game, so I can't comment from experience. Based on what I've read, it seems scripted. And if someone new throws a wrench in the script, it sways a game to a specific player. Maybe bad design is the wrong term. But it seems flawed.

[@johnr8095]

It depends on whether you are a new player or experienced player. As a new player I ran into this exact issue when I made the mistake of playing the game at a convention with people who knew how to play the game better than I did. But when I've played subsequently with ppl who were my same skill level, it was actually a good game. Because of the roles and how they work you can set up players to get the benefit of your actions. specifically if you do the crafsman role at the wrong time. because the next player gets the benefit of the Trader Role first, and you might get locked out of trading. A newer player makes this mistake a lot. and this is where everyone says "you just gave the game to so and so!" BUt, if you've played the game a few times (and espeically if you've been told you gave the game to someone else) , you probaly wont make that mistake very often going forward. So, skill can mitigate this issue. Which is why i wont say its a flaw in game design per se. But will agree that its unforgiving of new players and new players can easily wreck the game by not doing what they're supposed to do. So, for this particular game I'd say play it a few times to get good at it. And most importanlty try not to play with people who really know the game unless you are at that same skill level. Nd more importanlty, dont play with people who are jerks. I haven't played in a few years, but when we'd play with newbies we'd let them know as they were about to do the craftsman the ramifications of the action, just so they knew what could happen for the next player. A lot of experienced players aren't going to be so forgiving and walk peopel through how to play. They''ll just tell you when you're wrong. and this is where I think the flaw truly lies. Who you are playing with will dictate whether you ever play the game again.

[@MB-zf8hp]

@Tom: Playing Blood Bowl right out of the box doesn’t do it justice. I agree that playing with a vanilla 1000k team can feel (is) fairly random. As soon as your players start accumulating experience and develop skills, it becomes a great tactical game. To really shine, you need to play in a League , with different races. Also, for the full experience, don’t forget the timer. It then becomes apparent how much effort by the community went into balancing and clarifying the rules.

[@patrickwilson4555]

I own Trajan and agree with Mandi. I like the game a lot. But, I also see where Zee is coming from with the different mini games not feeling like a cohesive whole. The only unifier is the player boards because if the mancala mechanism, but still love it.

[@Capper-yc7fw]

Watching this years later, it's funny to hear the comments made about The Mind, only to have The Crew become one of the top 50 games currently on BGG

[@stephanberger3476]

Monopoly could be on here. Not overrated amongst gamers, but overall.

[@quashmonkey]

why was pandemic not on this list.

[@Indubitably14]

It was 2018 and Pandemic came out in 2008. Still a very solid and influential design. I've moved on but I don't think it's "overrated" but that the hobby has evolved since it came out.

[@frruy3892]

That was a lot of fun! Kudos to Mandi: I thought her list was especially courageous. Oh, and can someone tell Tom that the poker hype has been over for more than 5 years now? ;-)

[@benbattiste1041]

Viticulture... it’s OK. The problem with it is if I want to play at a meaty worker placement game, I would rather play Pillars of the Earth. If I want something a little easier I will pull out Stone Age . That leaves Viticulture in a very strange spot on my game shelf.

[@razorboy251]

Disagree about Viticulture and Terraforming Mars (then again I only ever played it with 2 players so I didn't think it was too long), but I totally agree about Splendor, Automobile, Caylus, Trajan and Codenames!

[@emilykosterman1240]

Funniest part about watching all the DT videos as I’m getting into the hobby, is realizing just how many games they review that I’ll never even touch because either it’s not fun, the theme turns me off, the length is abominable, or all three. I have no interest in most of the “heavy” popular games, very picky tastes in aesthetics, can’t handle horror or gruesome themes AT ALL….. and get bored waiting between turns, so my personal collection of less than 50 games may be considered “too light” by many, “too pretty/too Asian” by others, and possibly outdated by the rest. 😅 But I won’t own it if I don’t love it and these are what I love. Fun is the name of my games! My collection: 1. Ark of the Covenant 2. Battlestar Galactica (vintage) 3. Bang! The dice game 4. Boop 5. Bob Ross: art of chill 6. Blokus 7. Canvas 8. Century: spice road 9. Coup/Coup Reformation 10. Captain Flip (preorder) 11. Coral (preorder) 12. Deception: murder in Hong Kong 13. Gift of Tulips 14. Grove 15. Gobblet! 16. Geisha’s Road 17. Hanamikoji 18. Herbaceous 19. Hens 20. Happy salmon 21. Iki 22. Just one! 23. Jabba’s palace LL 24. Kohaku 25. Kanagawa 26. Koikoi cards (39.42 deluxe Pencil First) 27. Koikoi cards (Nintendo) 28. The Legend of the Cherry Tree that blooms once every ten years 29. One night revolution 30. Patchwork x5 (rare editions based on certain countries patchwork patterns) 31. Planted 32. Point salad 33. Pirates Cove 34. Seikatsu 35. Senjutsu 36. Songbirds 37. Sea salt and paper 38. Space team 39. Tokaido 40. Toikaido duo 41. The finest fish 42. Trekking the National Parks 43. Ticket to Ride Japan/Italy (with the working parts of the base game, but not the base game itself)

[@rosefatato90]

NOOOOOO Sam!! Azul is great!!!

[@KurtDepner]

I haven't played The Mind but I'm pretty sure I don't agree with Sam on anything.

[@Tr1pleOseveN]

This is GOLD!..... we need more live top 5 and/or 10 with this same cast.....😁👍🏼

[@DieNische]

Suzanne, that is indeed a problem of Eldritch Horror but not a general problem of coop games. There are so many great coops where it really matters what you do and what your team members do.

[@paulbrown5937]

Scythe is totally the most overrated game ever made. Map is always the same, factions always in the same spot, random bottom boards make or break your game, the factory cards are way too good, and combat is extremely boring. I won my last game of scythe bouncing back and forth between the same two actions the whole game!

[@Specialist0815]

I totally agree with Viticulture. I love wine to much to stand for the absurd idea how sparkling wines or rose are created... So much love for this mentioning.

[@supersamuraisunday685]

A great top ten. Thanks for the laugh out loud moments. Hope to make it to Dice Tower Con next year!

[@olafbuddenberg4787]

It's a top 5.

[@jeffgoggin1394]

Love this video! I was also underwhelmed with Viticulture maybe because I had such high expectations and I still think it's a great game but it's definitely the biggest disconnect of reviews vs my enjoyment of the game. Very entertaining everyone :)

[@Steve-L]

I haven't played it, but Tom has stated numerous times, and was unable to finish his thought here, and that is the expansion made the game great. or later versions with the expansion included.

[@JacobLikesMusic]

I thought Viticulture was pretty nice and expected it to be great with the expansion. But it didn't do it for me. There is no strategy, only tactics and for a game that long... I just wanna play Agricola instead.

[@SquaredbyX]

Stone Age is mathy for that type of game and table tops in general. Just seeing that turned me away when glances are one of the first stages of evaluation. Also it can be easily solved by simply wording the division to 'for every '4' gain x' for example, with a nice pictograph of the number of one thing you need for the other.

[@TerrickTerran]

Mandi and I just have opposite tastes in games it seems.

[@hypnoticsorin8016]

I kind of hate how Tom acts jerkish and mockingly towards Mandi's reason for saying Puerto Rico is overrated when he states this exact criticism in "Top 10 games not to play with Noobs" and discusses Puerto Rico "sharks" Glad Eric had it on his list as well for the same reason. I love Terraforming Mars, but I will agree that it can go long and I do wish it was quicker. Also I've played Viticulture essential edition...it's and okay game, tad over rated like most of Stegmeiers games(good, but not amazing)

[@danielhooper152]

Oh, I'm totally with Suzanne about Hanabi, though perhaps for different reasons. The meta involved with what should be a relatively simple game is insane and aggravating; I've been given such crap for telling someone they have three 5's or that their entire hand is red because someone else had no idea how to interpret their own hand. The clue wasn't for you, man; it was for the person who needs to be super careful about how they play! And things like discard left and play right always...gah; the hardcore players of that game chased me away.

[@douglasoshea8064]

lol It's hard to imagine hard core players with this game. You should play with my family, it's super fun!! Any person who shares someone for making a "wrong decision" should not play co-op games.

[@grog3514]

I am one of those players. I can see how the conventions might be a bit much for people who aren't in it for a heavy logic puzzle and having those two different types of hanabi players is bound to cause frustration. But seriously, if you get a game where everyone is on board and want some good logic, hanabi is actually amazing.

[@MrStonetigers]

All the videos from DTC were great to watch just a shame the sound was not loud enough on them.

[@majobasil]

I love the debate and banter between these folks!

[@johansvanborg5870]

Puerto Rico gameplays should be registered in a database and get studied like chess.

[@dorpth]

Blood Bowl is most definitely not pure random punching. It's calculated risk management. You have to prioritize which moves you want to do first because failing one immediately ends your turn. You have to decide which rolls are important enough to spend your limited rerolls on, and even how many rerolls you want to buy before the game. You don't even throw a punch until you can position your players to ensure good odds because there's always a chance the attacker gets downed, which ends your turn. There is an art to "forming a cage" and cracking cages, setting up dog piles to take out star players, setting up passes, etc. Sounds like Tom only tried it once or twice? Against another new player who just went around punching with no thought behind it? Or someone playing a punch-centric team?

[@mystemo1980]

Great job guys :) Suzanne and Mandy adding even more goodness to the Top lists :) Saving me a few bucks on games too haha

[@nicksbordone5271]

mystemo1980 I know right? Now I'm not so interested in Eldritch Horror and Terraforming Mars 😅

[@JonSolo85]

I would have thought Sam's #1 would be Eclipse. I would love to see a video where sam/tom explain why and how Exodus: whatever subtitle is better than Eclipse. No argument about TI3/4 but Eclipse is soooo much better than Exodus. Tom has said that Eclipse is an economics game with a space theme. But you still can fight with a bunch of dice or explore new territory by flipping a new tile (can't do that in exodus). The player board does have a lot of cubes but is that it? Please properly destroy Eclipse OR review the 2nd edition and love it. There is no third option.

[@SurrealSam5808]

They should do an updated version of this list. 5 years is too long

[@MatheusVenti]

I liked Eldritch Horror on his days, but I can't understand how Mansions of Madness 2nd and Arkham Horror: The Card Game didn't killed it. Both are different improved and better designs for the same concept.

[@captawesome42]

Cards Against Humanity is easily the most overrated game of all time. It's trash

[@joshjenson8111]

That's a party game, all party Games are boring

[@gejyspa]

No one asked, but three games in the BGG top 100 that I can't stand are "Through the Ages" and "Keyflower", for much the same reasons Eric mentioned for Puerto Rico -- You will get stomped if you play with people who have more experience and know the expected strategies. Not just lose, but completely burned to the ground. Especially TTA, where picking on the worst player is the correct strategy. It was very feel bad. The same thing happened to me with Stone Age, but i'm more willing to try that again with a friendlier group. The third game is "Kemet". I dunno, just seemed really boring, and all those icon-filled cards just meant that you had to look everything up, so it slowed stuff down tremendously. My kids like it much better than I.

[@TheOldMan-75]

The Mind is indeed one of the dumbest games I have ever played. Maybe even THE dumbest game.

[@TheBoardGameKaptain]

The negativity must flow!!! Great list guys.

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

Sam talked about a DC version of Codenames, but I think he confused that with there being a DC version of Spyfall (another overrated game btw.) Then again, someone who thinks Champions of Retroactivey Lose Your Last Two Turns to Randomness is better than a decent worker placement/recipe filling family game...

[@sm5574]

Poker isn't a game that you bet money on; poker is a betting game. The betting IS the strategy. I don't care for Texas Hold 'Em, but that's just the purist in me. Poker itself is an excellent game.

[@atomiccritter6492]

Zees well thought out and expressed critique of the hype for The Mind is good..Suzannes comments about Eldritch Horror was great...paraphrased "a short story made into a book made into 4 movies no one wanted"

[@donaldmacleod4285]

"Crap is hardly a swear word lol saying something or somebody is "stupid" is way more hurtful or harmful than "crap"

[@thedicetower]

Sam here...I was being facetious...

[@dennisnowak2605]

Wish I had torn myself from games for an hour to watch this. Would have been amusing to be in the room.

[@SteWorthington]

This is possibly one of the best lists you've ever done. Who knew the banter we've come to expect could go to even greater extremes. Please can you all be on every list now!

[@stephenball2108]

I’m years late to this, but I really can’t understand making the complaint that the turns are boring and it takes forever to come back to you, in my game group we joke that Ethnos is the game that’s always your turn, because everybody moves so fast.

[@natew.7951]

So true about codenames pictures. The pictures just ruin the game.

[@mrpobear]

What's the Queen game that's better than splendor that Tom's talking about?

[@KissellMissile]

Maybe he meany Majesty: For the Realm? It has a Queen on the box.

[@tommygrahn1516]

Such a great entertaining list..keep up the work. You're great

[@AthexTube]

That has to be one of the best videos you guys have done

[@AthexTube]

Mr Wizzykin I would disagree, I don't think most of them thought they were bad games but it was more they weren't their style. I really liked the interaction and the opinions

[@Raphaelus13]

Did Eric write his list in 2010? :P

[@misomiso8228]

list of the 5?

[@hardbathsalts3143]

Where did you find six normal people who love tabletop games so much? I love this hobby, but sometimes I swear only weirdos play this stuff.

[@fungusonus]

I know what you mean, for once I'd like to enjoy a hobby where people don't need to be reminded to wash themselves

[@Bodyknock]

Galaxy Trucker is ok as a board game but the Galaxy Trucker digital version is MUCH better. Not just because the game is greatly improved by the computer managing all the fiddly event resolutions and rules but also because it has a very funny solo campaign mode and also has a turn based gameplay option if the real time building of the ship isn’t your thing. For sure if you like the idea of Galaxy Trucker where you make a haphazard ship and then see how it does in a random gauntlet but find the physical game too slow and fiddly you should check out the digital version, the difference really is night and day.

[@kau6912]

I agree : the digital version's solo mode is fun! I play it during commuting and it's hilarious when the ships get blown to bits....haha

[@wanghiskhan7345]

Wow- codenames pictures is such a good bridge between regular codenames and something like codenames Disney, which we found too specific. Suzanne defends Disney, but those images are a SINGLE image of an entire movie. CN pictures has an apple with a chimney or something, so you may use that as a produce/fruit clue (apple) or something relating to the chimney/smokestack. How is having more possibilities "fiddly?" On this case, if it IS "fiddly," then that is a positive and better than being more "limiting" like with Disney's images.

[@Therisktaker3]

Great list. I have played some but not all of the games listed and of those mentioned that I did play I would tend to agree. I love the interaction of everyone. Definitely something to continue doing in the future.

[@g8kpr3000]

I agree with Suzanne... Viticulture was just meh.... It wasn't horrible, but I didn't have any desire to try it again.

[@tonkabeanicecream5698]

g8kpr3000 i can see that, I played it for the first time last night and really enjoyed it

[@KissellMissile]

The key to all of Jamey Stegmeier's games, including Viticulture, is you have to "play the hand dealt to you." Get bad orders, then win without doing a lot of orders (I've won fulfilling only one). There is only luck in the cards if you approach the game as "this is my strategy, and I am hoping for cards that fit it." If you make decisions based on your draws, you will do fine. Personally, I love that instead of giving you points for everything, Viticulture forces you to go through a lot of steps to score points.

[@malixcorvin777]

Joe Langdale its a great game

[@EclecticCamel]

I would be curious what games you do think are great.

[@markusschmidt9260]

I tend to agree with g8kpr3000. The theme is very weird. You would adulterate probably the worst hooch on earth, if you would make wine like that. And the cards are really swingy. For a great thematic worker placement, I would go with The Gallerist. I wonder, how good Vinhos is? I really like the wine making theme, if treated decently. Lacerda is great in incorporating theme in Eurogames, but I haven't played Vinhos yet.

[@aelfricbrewer]

viticulture: HUGELY overrated. splendor: RIDICULOUSLY overrated.

[@guillermoz4914]

Watching this had me laughing so much thanx guys for always putting these together especially when you guys mentioned some of the games I truly enjoy like Azul, Viticulture, Stone Age, Codenames, and Poker. .. I agree with Ethnos artwork and gameplay looks so boring, Oh and the point being made with zombiecide fixing a rule and made the game better with Black Plague, just like vituclture when they changed that one Grande worker rule and became viticulture essentials.

[@darinherrick9224]

I would love to set all these guys straight on Splendor and why it's awesome.

[@jakestewart2475]

got to make it next year...I should have gone :( , see you guys next year!

[@paleblue8922]

Azul? I think Sam drives on the wrong side of the highway. ;-) I like this show so much. Hahahaha And I do hate The Mind, so everybody has its own favorites. EDIT (after the whole show): Personal reminder, never comment before the show ends. lol

[@jcb3393]

47:28 - but Wits & Wagers, an already good game, would be an AMAZING game with real money!

[@yunsun3345]

Automobile and Puerto Rico is soooooo OVERRATED!

[@RicoCordova]

Clearly I'm not supposed to play games with this group. Some of my top 10 games: Scythe (1), Puerto Rico (3), Viticulture (7), Lords of Waterdeep (15), Splendor (20), Stone Age (35), Azul (56), Terraforming Mars (74), Codenames (84)

[@Jonaelize]

I have the premium limited edition of Caylus and that is one pretty edition.

[@Swimm4ster]

No.2 zee: how about Agricola: Silence of the lamb?

[@Skorrigan]

Yeap, I agree. Viticulture IS the "c" word game.

[@fearanarchy]

This discrepancy about Viticulture vs Essential Edition is very real. Original, absolutely agree it can be boring. Essential adds SOOO much to keeping it good right out of the box. So Suzanne is right about her edition. But everyone mostly plays some version of EE (it might just be Tuscany)

[@elijahfuller9693]

I thought most of the picks were good, I have played Puerto Rico twice. There are great mechanics from this game however I do not like the game because it is cruel to the newer players. The second time I played this I was told I had played it before, but had totally forgotten it or anything that would have helped me play better. The experience reminded me of a gang beating that I was on the wrong side of, I felt every turn I wasnt able to do something I was wanting to do because it was blocked by someone. It was like being tricked into playing eclipse again. I look like terraforming mars but I can see why people wouldn't like a heavy text drafting game that had cubes for everything. I thought about trying viticulture but I can't get past the wine making theme, it just seems so boring. The mind just seems stupid, I cannot believe people pay money for it.

[@seabreezesg11]

I wish Sam could have done a mic drop for his number 5!

[@Domyarus]

Totally brilliant! Loved watching this - makes me totally wish I could have been there 😁

[@davidgreenberg8456]

My list: 5. Scythe 4. Brass: Birmingham 3. Mysterium 2. Pandemic 1. Keyflower Notable mentions: Kingdom Builder, Carcassonne, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Great Western Trail.

[@foyoGames]

Betrayal ....yes, Mandi - Terraforming ....no, Mandi

[@LookAtTheBacon]

Toan Hanh this.

[@marcussousa1308]

I love Trajan but when Zee was describing the game I just knew it was Trajan haha. The funny thing is I kind of agree with most of what he said even though I just think it works incredibly well.

[@xWilcoXx]

Sam is right on Lords of Water deep. Saying Viticulture is bad is ridiculous though

[@eddieb8054]

I loved seeing this one! It was a great place to make friends!

[@Subcomandante73]

So true, Scythe is the most overrated game. Pure boring trash.

[@StyxTBuferd]

I think it's fantastic but I can see why people dislike it. I think it's a lot like Terra Mystica, and if you're not into that economy building/area control aspect, you're just not gonna like it, and that's fine.

[@larrye]

The problem with Hanabi isn't the game, it's the players. There are two types of players. 1. Nice, casual players. 2. Huge jerks that can't understand why you didn't understand the double encoded clue they gave you. After all, they did spend a whole 2 minutes going all over the rules and conventions.

[@douglasoshea8064]

I find with most games that thr level of fun is highly dependent on the people you play with. I personally love Hanabi and it certainly has its flaws, but it's a nice light game that plays totally unlike anything I've played so far.

[@shady610]

I play hanabi a lot. It's probably the game I like to use for new gamers. But overall, I never have seen any complaints about it in person. all the hate I see is online.

[@TheHallbjorn]

I think there's absolutely zero replay value in The Mind. It's a fun short party trick, but I don't understand the love for it.

[@GameWeekendChalbie]

Last time I watched this, I hadn’t played Ethnos. Now I have. Suzanne is 100% right. That game suuuuuuuuuuucks.

[@sparktoad]

Can you make a list that I can see? I would like to play them at my lgs lol Azul was overrate thought

[@Cozyrosy1]

Yep, I never got the hype about Splendor, Codenames or Atul. BUT: After a couple of rounds Azul gained points while I threw out Splendor. Can't wrap my head around it. Codenames Duett I consider to be better than its original sibling, but both are very entertaining!

[@someguy4262]

Agricola is a much better game if you play the "family rules" (which basically removes the cards) even in the base game. The cards are fun, but they're also *luuuuudicrously* unbalanced and broken. The hand of cards you get at the start is often the thing that determines whether or not you even have a *chance* at winning (or losing). Take them out and it's a fine strategic puzzle where everyone's on even ground. So I've not played whatever Zee's talking about, but his argument makes no sense to me from the base game. Either you need to take the cards out, or you need to do a toooon of balance passes on them, or you need to be willing to accept the game is based on the shuffle. Otherwise, assuming an equal level of skill, I'll still be able to basically place people in end-game order from the beginning just by looking at their starting hands. I will at least be able to predict the winner 90% of the time.

[@NightBlado]

There should be a list on the description, instead of over 1 hour of video

[@Tysto]

Spyfall is one i don’t get. You’re a spy who is trying to guess where he is? It should be called “Let's Tease the Blind Person”, because that’s apparently what is happening in the game.