Top 50 Board Games of All Time - 30-21

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I continue my Top 50 board games of all time series, with numbers 30-21.
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🛒 Amazon links to buy:
30. Ra - geni.us/ragame
29. HEAT: Pedal to the Metal - geni.us/heatpe...
28. Sheriff of Nottingham - geni.us/sherif...
27. Sniper Elite: The Board Game - geni.us/Sniper...
26. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong - geni.us/decept...
25. Burgle Bros. - geni.us/burgle...
24. Shifty Eyed Spies - geni.us/shifty...
23. Cascadia - geni.us/cascadia
22. Qwinto - geni.us/qwinto
21. Merchants & Marauders - geni.us/mercha...
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[@actualol]

To see me talk about 50 more games I love, become a patron of the channel to watch the exclusive 100-51 videos. Four of them are available right now!

[@PhilipMurphyExtra]

The fact that there is no sponsors on this channel, Means it is a channel to support because he likes what he is doing rather then paid to make content.

[@CupofJoePro]

I mean….he needs to get paid too though…nothing wrong with getting paid and doing what you love.

[@agathaknive3321]

Although! I wouldn’t mind him getting sponsors! Could be nordvpn oder whatever, you know, wouldn’t mean that he is biased. I think he should consider!

[@KrisUCLAN]

You do such a good job of selling these games, Ive wanted to purchase almost every one of them so far. Wallet only stretches so far though. Can't wait for the top 10!

[@mr.awesomepants1308]

It's so true. So far I've only purchased Tobago from the first video in this series, but me and family have loved it. There's so many more I want to get though

[@lucduchien]

I feel like all of Jon's top games are actually the games that get played and are enjoyed by most everyone who plays them. You do not find that level of fun-factor sincerity in most reviewers. How many people are willing to admit that they love Sheriff of Nottingham in 2023, but we all know it's a great game that actually can get played in a wide range of settings.

[@ZakFraser420]

Your channel has legitimately made me find a love for board games 😊. Thx for the amazing videos.

[@actualol]

Glad to hear it! You're welcome 🙂 Thanks for watching.

[@octavus4858]

your games choices excite me -so many I found very very good for our small company. Such as Sniper Elite, Lost Cities, Parks...

[@edwardliddell501]

Great video series so far! Enjoy all of your sleepless time with your baby. My kids are school-age now, and it’s funny how much I miss so many of the things that were annoying or exhausting at different stages of early parenthood.

[@actualol]

Thank you! 🙏

[@irakyl]

Another amazing and massively enjoyable video, thank you Jon! Really really looking forward for the rest of the list.

[@Fahdingding]

Simply my favorite board game channel in YT.

[@actualol]

Thank you 🥰

[@patrickholler7444]

I love the way you explain games. I watch a lot of other channels. Definitely one of the tops.

[@Schattenpuma]

Oh, I'm SO excited for this!! Keep up the great work, I always get a couple board games on my shopping list from these, pahaha!

[@Ryan_Schlutz]

Just wanted to take a second to say Thank you for all the great content. Love your passion.

[@mattpburgess]

I'm starting to think Reiner Knizia's full name is genuinely "My Favourite Designer Reiner Knizia."

[@seanmcgowan4842]

Uwe might be correct

[@mattpburgess]

@@seanmcgowan4842 ​​⁠ I think it’s pronounced ‘oo-vey’.

[@seanmcgowan4842]

@@mattpburgess Uwe vant to let it slide

[@patbilek692]

So glad they reprinted Ra, one of my favorite games ever

[@evangelina357]

Im SO happy with the shifty eyed spies shout out. Its so hard to find, so I don’t have my own copy, but a friend of mine from college used to have it and we would play it for HOURS! Such a great game!! I couldn’t wink for my life i’d have to wiggle my nose or raise an eyebrow. We had to spread everyone out because people loved cheating by kicking each other under the table. Your review made me super nostalgic!

[@breakupgamingsociety2170]

Superb capsules. Got yourself another subscriber! (And thanks for reminding me that I own Sheriff of Nottingham.)

[@mikehall9240]

I just bought Ra but haven't played it yet. Your overview makes me want to play now! :) Love your videos!

[@sarahwatts7152]

I'm more sold on Cascadia now, it feels a bit like a game I own/love, Cartographers

[@actualol]

Yeah I can see some similarities between those two.

[@MasterDayman]

Yay! Was so looking forward to this. You always make top quality videos.

[@MasterHigure]

I played Ra for the first time two weeks ago. The auctioning has a real crunch to it. The fact that you know exactly who can just grab it all if they feel like it. The fact that you can only win 3 auctions each age. The fact that the money for next age is part of the auction. The fact that you can end an age without having won 3 auctions yet. It all comes together in a big bowl of steaming hot "I have no idea whether this is a good deal or not" soup, and I love it. Reiner Knizia is so good at making those "I have no idea whether this is good or not" games hide behind deceptively simple rules. Shifty eyed spies is also wonderful. Looking at everyone, getting winked at and suddenly realize that you've forgotten your location, so you have to check your card again. But that's a big tell to everyone at the table. So you have to wait a while before you look at a location again, but then will your accomplice be paying attention to you when you do?

[@gregorys9629]

That was a great description of Ra and the tension it can generate, definitely a modern classic!

[@funnerbutter7423]

Every time I see you release a new video I scream Thank youuu!!!!! As loud as I can

[@actualol]

Not loud enough obviously because I've never once heard you 🤔

[@funnerbutter7423]

@@actualol yeah, I've been working on it. I'll do better next time. Loving your top 50 and keep up the good work

[@funnerbutter7423]

I'm glad Cascadia is this high on the list. Such a beautiful game that is so free and you can go wherever you want

[@collanc1792]

Burgle Bros is creeping up my list, absolutely love that one!

[@zmollon]

I paid 5$ for downforce new in shrink. It's hard to stomach paying 79.99$ for heat pedal to the metal. Love RA. The auctions and push your luck mechanism. Everything is just perfect and the new edition is gorgeous even if it's hard to fit into the box. Can't find shifty eyed spies anywhere local but it sounds like a hoot.

[@helxis]

Heat is incredible compared to Downforce. And it should sell for less than that once it is more widely available.

[@zmollon]

I'll cross my fingers, because there is no way I'm paying 80$ for a racing game with a board, cards, and car meeples, no matter how good it is@@helxis

[@Skyrodin]

Since this is my first comment on your channel: Hi Jon, my name is Alex. I'm a game designer from Germany but I'm only at the beginning of my journey. I really enjoy your content and your excitement for the games you like. That really makes me want to try them all myself. The one I'd like to play the most from this part of your list is Deception Murder in Hongkong. I love the fact that every player gets uniterrupted time to speak. Social deduction games mostly seem to be like "the loudest player makes the decisions" but here it is different. That being said there is no game in this video I wouldn't like to try. I only played Cascadia so far. Looking forward to your next video. Oh, and congrats on having become a father!

[@Officegamecafe]

Although that’s a gorgeous wooden table, I couldn’t help but thinking “there’s no way he plays Cascadia there without pieces falling in between the gaps in the table” 😂

[@actualol]

Oh yes, it's the source of constant complaints from my gaming friends 😁

[@rholford1982]

Interesting to hear your views on Burgle Bros - I also have this game and enjoy it and was wondering what your thoughts were on the sequel?

[@DenisRyan]

Have you seen the newest Sheriff of Nottingham edition? It's using the Disney Robin Hood license! Beautiful art, but reviews on online retailers are are low because lots of non-gamer families are buying it and finding it too complex to play with ease. Basically, exactly what your criticism is. I adore Burgle Bros! Love love love! It feels so like an Oceans 11 movie. Quinto is so great! Jess CCG from Twitch taught it to me. Great fun!

[@zmollon]

Soda smugglers seems like a fun alternative but I haven't gotten to play it yet

[@M3HWW]

1st edition artwork is hands down the best IMHO

[@actualol]

Yes, it's a cute looking retheme - but I agree the gameplay is not best suited to the art, and will lead families astray.

[@tbahr123]

Another great entry to the list

[@appleseiter15]

I have a motor tic that manifests in an uncontrollable wink. Shifty Eyed Spies is the worst (or best?) game for me to play sometime in my life.

[@brevinprince9826]

Sniper Elite is so fun. I haven't been able to get my hands on the expansion but would love to play that too. Nice list.

[@hugocruz2439]

Love your lists, your picks are delectable! Qwinto is great but my fav roll n write is That's Pretty Clever as it offers excruciating decisions and the bonus cascades are sooo satisfying. Assuming you have tried it, why you don't like it as much?

[@actualol]

I think my brain just doesn't get as excited about cascades as other people's seems to! Solid game though.

[@hugocruz2439]

@@actualol who's to say what tickles your pickle, right? haha cheers from australia mate

[@actualol]

@@hugocruz2439 Haha, I'm glad you explained you're from Australia, or otherwise with a line like "tickles your pickle" I would have thought you're weird! 😆

[@theblunder1983]

My top tip for merchants and marauders is to buy some doll house parrots. Theyre perfect for tracking victory points and home ports!

[@sandal_thong8631]

I have a flag for my home port. Perhaps that came in the expansion to Merchants and Marauders? I think we put something under our ship to show when it's in port, and sometimes we use a die to show what action we're on, in case one takes too long. Someone printed out some action cards, so we are less likely to forget to do things in port. Also, we're supposed to visit each location only once, and not twice, so this helps with that too. This is the only game I really like of these 10 and have a copy with the expansion. I really want to win in the tournament, but it looks like it's so old now that we're not gaining new competitors to keep it going. The only other game here I know is Ra, which I don't like very much.

[@antoniabrowne3029]

The quest for el dorado is a racing game from Reiner Knizia. I think is much more "euro" than Heat, that has that risk the heat adds. Like to know your thoughts. Have you played it? How do you like it?

[@actualol]

I like it a lot, it is in my Top 100 but not my Top 50. I like the purity of Heat, and I think it does a better job of capturing its theme. But Quest is great too. I plan to feature it in a video at some point.

[@alexderosa791]

I love Qwinto!! Its a perfect travel game!

[@KNic0lson]

Congratualtions 🎉🎉🎉

[@steveg9939]

This video reminded me that I discovered and bought Qwinto following one of your videos…and I never thanked you for it. So, thank you! We played the heck out of that short and addicting game during our holiday.

[@actualol]

Brilliant! Glad I brought it to your attention 🙂

[@ClockFink]

I just tried Ra this week, and it’s so good it makes me angry. I bought Nidavelir earlier this year and man I am never gonna play it again… Ra scratches the same itch but is soooo much better

[@OMGitshimitis]

Hey i know you aren't doing a Q&A but you've said in one of your videos that you think Wingspan is overrated. I was wondering if you could do a deep dive on that at some point? I've had loads of fun with the game but I'd like an outside perspective on it because it's one I've found lots of people won't play/dont enjoy it. I certainly see it as a game where you need a turn timer because of analysis paralysis.

[@actualol]

I'm not likely to do a deep dive on a game I don't enjoy, unfortunately. Personally I find the game to be not interactive enough between players, that you're very focused on your own board. But that is very common in games, so nothing against Wingspan itself. If you love it, don't worry what others think. But also, don't try to convince people to play games they don't like. We all have different tastes.

[@Stochaotic]

Hey jon. If you haven't tried flamme rouge yet, please do. If feel like its a better race game than heat and you can change the board however you like, keep score on your app and so on. Please do a review as well. Just coz i love the game :) 😅 thanx

[@jankogo]

Ra deluxe is amazing!

[@Shen986]

Ra is the only auction game I really really enjoy! I usually just find it a stressful addition to a game I might otherwise like more (like in Castles of Mad King Ludwig) (yes I know this is a bad opinion), but I love Ra.

[@sandal_thong8631]

I prefer Traumfabrik, or Dream Factory. I usually play it once a year around the Academy Awards.

[@mrtheasley]

The downside to any heavy game is the learning curve. The upside to Merchants & Marauders is that you only really need to read it once because the rules are so intuitive. I learned it about a decade ago and play it probably once a year and hardly ever look at the rulebook.

[@grog3514]

I always have to read the combat tree. They are pretty convoluted but I love the game.

[@sandal_thong8631]

The first time I played it in tournament, I found that we were playing one rule incorrectly, and another group was playing a different rule incorrectly. After not playing it for months, it seems like we still have to consult the rules with all the variations of cards, pieces and situations, so I don't know what you're talking about saying you don't read the rules anymore.

[@THESP-rz3hg]

Loving the list but for a 30-21 there sure are a lot of "my favorite X". Makes me wonder how many more categories there are in the final 2 sections

[@AlejandroMontiel]

Wanted to buy Burgle Bros using your link, but the page was not found. I then searched for it in other pages and it is not available from the places I always buy from. Bummer, as I really wanted to get it right away

[@xfoolsgoldx]

Sniper Elite is excellent 👌

[@trickynumber7]

I was thinking of Shifty Eyed Spies the other day. I remember owning it but... I don't know what happened to my copy. Maybe I'll see if I can find another copy.

[@actualol]

You might say you blinked and you missed it 🤐

[@jaanccgamer]

Nice video

[@gavinathling]

Sadly the affiliate link to Shifty Eyed Spies doesn't work, at least not in the US...

[@Leron...]

Hey Jon, I'm curious to hear your opinions on the different editions of Ra. Ignoring availability issues, would you say the latest 25th Century Games Edition with its chunky bits and more effective player boards is the best edition, or are you partial to previous versions like the classic editions or the more photorealistic (albeit tougher to differentiate) tiles of the Windrider edition?

[@grog3514]

The new edition is better in every way. I'm not a fan of Ian otoole but that's subjective preference. The rest of the game is just so well designed. I sold my old copy and got the new one mostly for the player boards. But everything is just so well made in it. It's been such a quality of life improvement, the art is even starting to grow on me a little.

[@joelface]

@@grog3514 I agree (though, I DO like Ian's art). I actually wish I'd splurged for the Deluxe Edition, but the version I got is still amazing.

[@grog3514]

@@joelface I love the deluxe edition but I just can't justify that size box for a game that is essentially a super filler. I still feel compelled to take the plunge sometimes though!

[@joelface]

@@grog3514 I don't get anything much more complex than Ra to the table on a regular basis anyway. For me, a game like Ra hits the table more than a more complex game, so it's worth having a great copy. But, if I'm honest, I don't need the Deluxe edition, it's true.. the only difference is the metal coins and then wood tiles. I don't need it, I just .... want it. haha.

[@joelface]

@@grog3514 Also.. love the title "super filler" and think that might be my fav game category.

[@aidanvitticore3475]

If you want a simple drug smuggling game, there is Prohis, though there is no different goods and competition for them in the same manner in that game.

[@styfen]

I'm glad you put up Burgle Bros as the example rather than its sequel which diluted things and lost a lot of the charm and crunch of the original.

[@actualol]

Agreed!

[@elise8917]

I really wanted to love Heat, but when I played I was disappointment. The deck/hand play mechanism is similar to RoboRally a game I love. But I don't understand why it is so hyped? The design is fun, but the gameplay feels too simple. Maybe some more car personalization/upgrades would make it much better, and the wheels don't spin :(

[@robward8247]

links a little messed up, shifty eye spies isnt working, and sheriff links to the $150 version

[@actualol]

Thanks, fixed the Sheriff one. But Shifty Eyed Spies is not currently available hence the link has nowhere to go - it would hopefully work if the game ever comes back in stock.

[@mbirnba]

The Shifty Eyed Spies link is not working for me. Do you have another affiliate link? Would love to help you out for all of the great recommendations

[@actualol]

It doesn't work because the game isn't currently available, sadly.

[@mbirnba]

@@actualol Ah thank you! I'll keep an eye out for it to go back up. A bit personal but my uncle had a stroke a few years back and this seems like the perfect game for his current abilities. I always appreciate your mix of heavy, medium, and light games so there is something for everyone. Please keep making great content :)

[@simtill]

Yay!

[@colleenlove2114]

Bright 🍬 🌼😄

[@whostolecookiesfromthejar]

Weird emoji

[@Bleuchz]

Whoa, Surprised that by process of elimination New Angeles has made your top 20! Right... right? **edit** Didn't catch I missed a patreon video. Happy that it legit made your top 100! Now what joke am I gonna play out :(?

[@actualol]

😂😂 Played out? We've played it more than New Angeles, that's for sure 😂😭

[@Bleuchz]

@@actualol too real =(

[@patrickmcardle1920]

I parted with shifty eyed spies due to the requirement to play on a circular table gor ot to work. Had some fun games of ot though.

[@sozonm7]

Hm, why do you prefer burgle bros to burgle bros. 2? For me atleast, the second is a much better game.

[@grog3514]

We found there was more stuff in the second one. But it had a different feel than the first one for us. We ended up selling our copy because everyone just wanted to play the first one all the time. I liked what they did with the new one but it seems to have diluted something along the way. Although it helps that I built a 3 story office building out of foam core that looks really cool!

[@actualol]

I talk about it in my Problem With Board Game Sequels video.

[@gmg9010]

Question in you’re last video you talked about a game called Hollywood Golden Age and a Horror version where exactly can I get those versions? Ps I’m from the states.

[@actualol]

Hollywood Golden Age was only available in Spain. Nightmare Productions, the new one should be available in US hobby stores, if it's still in stock.

[@gmg9010]

@@actualol ok cause I live in a small town and so I mostly use Amazon to purchase stuff.

[@juanroaguilo]

😊😊😊

[@whostolecookiesfromthejar]

Top video hndsm bloke

[@ironblooded7751]

Comment for algorithm