World Series of Board Gaming - Reviewing 16 Games Of The Tournament!

[@TheRubic3]

WSB asks Luke to review game list, Luke sets fire to 75% of the games lol. I actually think it would be a cool video to craft what lot of 16 games you would have selected for the WSB.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

They gave me full reign to give my honest thoughts about each game. It wasn't about biging up the games, it was about highlighting them in general and generating awareness.

[@lynnburke2266]

Why I like ur channel over others.. u just tell it like it is.. honest reviews (w bonus opinions / personal comments LOL 😅 )

[@victorybhg]

got gwt new zealand, took me a solid 45 mins to setup.. forget play time. the game is looooonng. but i think gives players more agency in getting points and the scores are around 100 pts - your sweet spot. It doesn’t change the fundamentals though but adds so much more setup time, sorry i kept harping on it but 2.5 hours with a solid 45 mins to setup with a pretty meh insert..

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Yeah that sounds bad!!

[@timknauer8906]

Been looking forward to this video!

[@shortydancer]

Dude, almost everything you said about brass and parts of Dune Imp are also true about Ark Nova! Also, covering this sponsored event? Et tu, Luke?

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

They were willing to sponsor a video and I get to talk about a bunch of games! Don't worry you got Voidfall coming soon! 😁 Also Ark is fun 😜

[@boardgametotears]

I played in the WSBG last year. No one I talked to was there for the money. We just love to play against other people at a high level no matter how good we are at games. Most of the ring winners were eager to share their strategies with me (which I share in a video series on my channel). And why say that playing in tournaments is opposed to playing FOR FUN? I appreciate that this is an expression, but no one playing in board game tournaments is making a living off it. It is just FOR FUN. Unless you don't keep track of who wins in your home games, how is that different? Sure it costs money to enter WSBG but I would spend just as much on many other board game conventions. As for the games, all the WSBG games with high variabilty have various ways to mitigate the luck which means experienced players can win over and over. Games with perfect information are complicated enough so they haven't yet been solved by the most experienced players. Experienced players in games with asymmetrical factions understand that things must address them which creates an entanglement at the table which you might not see in more casual play Casual play in my experience sees a more "heads down" approach in these games because they are just figuring out their own engine. So yeah I disagree with most of what you said, but I still think it's great we have all types in this hobby. Thanks for your video!

[@WSBGofficial]

Thanks @boardgametotears, we're so thrilled you could share your thoughts on the event and look forward to seeing you again this year!

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

$25k is no small amount for every player to be casual about the game they are playing. Otherwise why spend nearly a grand to attend?

[@boardgametotears]

​@TheBrokenMeeple Every player will approach the competiton differently. 25K isn't exactly life changing amount of money so if a person is going for that, they aren't going for the right reasons. If a person doesn't want to compete for that there are plenty of side events available at a more affordable price where you can win a ticket to next year's event or other prizes. But for someone who doesn't love the adrenalin rush of testing your mettle against the best, it was still a great place just to meet people and just play games for fun.

[@th3cha1rmak3r]

Contrary to majority, I find it perfectly reasonable that competitive tournaments are a part of the hobby (after all, Chess is a board game). Most of the games here I don't find suitable for tournaments though, GWT would maybe be a honorable exception (also Brass to a certain extent). Games for tournaments should ideally be played between 45 mins and 2 hours and 30 minutes, should be competitive (not a multiplayer solitaire) and should award great play (game can have chance related events, not luck ones). GWT is a prime example on the list. There are several games that immediately come to my mind: all GIPF games, Duke, Tak, Hive, GWT, Barrage, Kingdom Builder, Tichu (this one is semi co-op though), Through the desert, Age of Steam, FCM, Horseless Carriage. maybe Kanban EV. I'm betting that, on 10 different tournaments, you would consistently get the same people on top on each of the tournament, and that's what it's all about.

[@th3cha1rmak3r]

Also, an additional comment. Acquire is a luckfest and the only reason why people are giving it a free pass is because it's Sid Sackson and because it's an economic game and casual gamers are sometimes fascinated by economic games that they can understand easily. Unfortunately, the majority of competitive great economic games are too long for tournaments, glaring examples would be 1817 and Rolling Stock Stars. I've yet to try Dawn of Ulos, but it seems that the author took Acquire and fixed the worst part, one bound to sheer luck of the hotel draw.

[@markbeaulieu411]

I’ve tried Castles of Burgundy and Great Western Trail in the past 2 months for the 1st time. I’ve played them both 4 or 5 times. I really like Castles of Burgundy. It’s dry but I love the tough decisions. Great Western Trail was not fun at all. I thought it might get better with more tries but I’d decline to play it again. In fact I’m not sure it’s a game as much as a procedure. It felt like I was doing the same steps each time.

[@liambettley7261]

I’m pretty sure terraforming mars is played with prelude in the tournament 😅

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Is that so, a good thing too!!

[@boardgametotears]

I can confirm it does.

[@codymortensen8691]

I was about to say that too,

[@redmageviewer]

7 Wonders: I love it, I love drafting games in general. One of my favorite ways to play MTG. Acquire: My friend has it and he likes it a lot. It's just okay to me. Azul: Still haven't played it. Ark Nova: Shouldn't be in a tournament. It's too long to make it interesting. I have only watched people play it. Brass: I haven't played it yet. Patchwork: I think it can work in tournament it's a nice quick two player game. Castles: I know this is really popular but as a tournament game, ehh, no. Cascadia: Got to play it last month and I love the puzzle I think this is going to be a fun game to watch. Dune Imperium: I like Lost Ruins of Arnak mainly because I like the theme better. Gaia Project: Haven't played it. GWT: Once again would rather play Lost Ruins of Arnak. With deckbuilding and worker placement. Ra: I played it once, long ago, I also find it to be alright. I don't really care for auctioning games. Splendor: I agree with it being a good pick for the tournament. Terraforming Mars: It's going to be kind of boring to watch I feel. Ticket to Ride: I played this in a local tourney and came in 2nd overall and I will be watching this one. Wingspan: I like watching this one played more than actually play it, lol. Also hearing that most games are only 3 player games for you is funny to me because in my group we generally have 4 or 5 a lot. And 6 once in awhile. So I'm use to having max player counts on most of my games. I don't mind length in games.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Great read, thanks!

[@OlegKlishinArt]

I generally agree: putting serious face and especially money on the table sucks all the fun out of a game for me. Since quitting MtG I don't think I've ever played in a tournament.

[@WSBGofficial]

What we feel really proud of from out event, as was mentioned down below in another comment from an attendee, is the fact that everyone around the table (even in our semi final games where a seat at the final table is on the line) were super supportive and had great sportsmanship and were just there to have a great time gaming. My favourite example of this was at our Semi Final table for the main event of Brass, there was one player who had never played before and one player who was experienced, and the experienced player for the first 30 minutes of the game kept giving tips to the players of things to watch out for, pointing out aspects of the board that they'd need to pay attention to. This level of sportsmanship and friendliness is emblematic of the environment we're proud of fostering at the event :) Totally understand the type of overly competitive environment that many tournaments foster, but we're very proud that our event attracts those who can be competitive in their gaming and friendly in their demeanours. All of our Ring Winners from last year are lovely ambassadors for the hobby.

[@OlegKlishinArt]

@@WSBGofficial Sounds like a great place! I've seen a few videos from the past year, and it's interesting to see high level play. All the best!

[@shatnershairpiece]

First game of ark nova took 5 hours over 2 days. Didn’t play it again for a year. Still took 3 hours. much too long, too much luck.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

3 hours is typical for four players though I can do it far quicker. It should never take five though unless that was your four player teaching game from the rulebook.

[@dejavu_d]

Never play at 4

[@timknauer8906]

Haven't quite figured out the best strategy for patchwork either. Trying to make the tile fit on your board comes at a cost elsewhere and the other way around.

[@deuxvega]

Ok, personal experience aside, we all experience things differently, you can't argue that drafting in TFM vs blind picking cards in Ark Nova (or Wingspan) makes TFM the more luck dependent game. In AN you have to go strong on reputation to gain some control on the card display or do snapping which isn't that easy to do. TFM drafting offers you 30 ~ 40 cards to pick from even before you start the game. Not only for yourself, but even picking cards other people may need to mitigate that even further (with the next drafting rounds). If you can't make that work I don't know what will. AN is all about pivoting all the time because the game plays you instead of you playing the game. How can you not make that work in TFM then? TFM you can even win without going for full card play, but do standard actions and area control. With Its milestones & awards, "you" have control over what scores vs AN being set by the game and you need to get lucky with cards to fulfil any of It or get lucky to get and play green bonus scoring cards yourself. TFM is much more sandbox & strategic vs AN which is more "on rails" tactical, and lacks player interaction. Which Is also why TFM Is quite a good tournament game I think. I like watching your videos and respect your opinions. I don't even understand either sometimes why 1 game clicks for me and the other doesn't, but the reasoning Is a bit all over the place. You trash one game for lacking player interaction or being "too dry", just to praise other games which are doing the same thing (i.e. AN). Not saying I don't like AN. It's perfectly fine, I enjoy playing It although It's waayyy too long for what It is and super luck driven. Just like, indeed, the deck building in D:I for the same reasons and the intrigue cards who can randomly earn people points or an unreasonable boost in strength with a whopping 2pts in conflict without applying any skill other than luck - while you're at the same time are trying to make the deck building work with a "theoretical" perfect combo of cards that come out wrong or the game ends even before you can utilise them properly. An experienced player would trash newbies completely in TFM or Great western trail, but you can lose to a complete newbie in games like AN (true story) or Splendor, yet, they are some of your favourite games. So, It's a bit inconsistent in the argumentation. I'm sure there are many other reasons and variables what make them your favourite games ;-) But at least give credit where It's due If you apply your rules, even though you may not enjoy playing the games. To be honest, none of these boardgames are really suitable for tournament play, they all have luck involved. I think Everdell Is a much better tournament card tableau game than Wingspan, mostly because of the public awards & milestones (vs those horrendous unbalanced private WS bonus cards), public WP spots and the public meadow to mitigate luck more. But anyway, this tournament is more about fun and try to mitigate luck by doing the best you can with your skill and experience, just like with Poker. Whether It's the location cards in Brass or the train cards in Ticket to ride, all luck driven. I guess only abstract exact games have a place here, like chess and go. So games like Azul come close as It's a public display, with only the turn order that can impact the outcome out of your control. But then again ... the same goes for Chess and Go ;-) Just my 2 cents.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

I'm no expert at GWT and TFM but Ive won games of them, especially TFM. I've also won the majority of my Ark Nova games, with newbies only standing a chance if they are playing the beginner map such as it is a big advantage to use that map. With Splendor, it's a much lighter game overall however it does have tactics within that a newbie won't have. But then I'm not a fan of tournament play like I said 😉

[@ralfn9629]

Nice video this one. I soo agree with you that most games are NOT good for tournament. Also agree on Wingspan to like to play it as a "kind of Sen-feeling" as you say. In general, I like to play games to relax - life is stressful enough. My no. ONE game of all time - Go - lends itself perfect to play in a tournament, but then again - I play it in a pub every Wednesday with friends and a couple of pints!! Keep up the great content!

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Absolutely!!

[@dannyanderson4723]

Luke, was this video brought to you by the phrase, "Element of Luck?" 😂 Another great video. Thanks!

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Does get said a lot!

[@tombeullens4914]

Yes and when you speak of luck in cards... let's be consequent, Ark Nova is a looooong game with very much luck in the cards 😊

[@lenakimarctaedius3056]

Interesting. I not seldom don’t agree with games you like. But i agree very much with games you don’t agree. If you don’t like a game i usually concur. Thanx for a enjoyable video

[@xfoolsgoldx]

I love Great Western Trail😂I agree with your view on Castles of Burgandy, I prefer Trajan. I do like that the games at the World Series of the Board Games have games that are luck based. Having luck based games stops the tournament becoming too serious and on the whole keeps the people who are just about winning away from the event👍😎

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

That's a fair point!

[@AaronAndSusie]

This video has opened my eyes to just how much our opinions overlap on these popular ones . I love Pfister but GWT is one of my least favorites of his and i dont get its popularity. My fave is Blackout HK. I do love Dune though...

[@axétério]

Ark Novr 😜 rocks, been playing nonstop on BGA also ✊🏽 I for one do think a revisit to the 2nd edition GWT or Argentina would make for an interesting video 👍🏽 Also a video on how you designed / curate your personal collection of games 🤔

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Maybe new Zealand!

[@klaus3856]

I bought Prelude for the extra 5 corporations and a few project cards but prefer playing the base game (no prelude cards)

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

WHAT?!?!?! 😱

[@kbvt]

I have very much enjoyed all versions of Great Western Trail, and after 3 plays of New Zealand I comfortably like it the most, but if you hated the original I don't think it's likely you'll like any of the others. Give New Zealand a try if any because it actually has a much better deck building element than the others, but there's a lot more going on and I could see some people not really liking how much of the "kitchen sink" as you put it is in that game.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

I'll keep an open mind for New Zealand. 👍

[@Chenzana]

If you would have been tasked with organizing a board game tournament, what 10 games would you choose for people to compete?

[@xfoolsgoldx]

A party game tournament would be fun!🎉

[@elainetyger]

I'm surprised that basic Catan is not on that list. It is a popular tournament game in the US. I've competed for money in Catan and Scrabble and crossword tournaments and for non-cash prizes in a Ticket to Ride tournament, and think that Azul and Splendor would be very suited to that kind of play. The people that I know who play Azul and Splendor over and over again started out as heavy duty chess players and still play a lot of chess. TfM, Wingspan, Earth, and Ark Nova are 4 of my 5 top favorites. I've also played a lot of Ticket to Ride and I'm curious why UK is your favorite. It is one of my least favorite because of the technologies and the race to get to New York for the 40 points without having to find four extra locomotives. Do you play the advanced technology cards in the UK map? With those, I think it is wrong to play with more than two people, because the third and fourth players will not have access to the advanced technology cards that are the most powerful.

[@boardgametotears]

Catan was in WSBG last year. They switch out the 4 lowest attended games each year.

[@elainetyger]

@@boardgametotears that makes a lot of sense

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

I don't often use the really advanced techs as I'm usually teaching and you don't lose much by excluding them.

[@lynnburke2266]

What?! Don't like Brass n Castles of Burgundy 😢 n So So for GWT? Lol. But Do agree w you regarding WSBG.. once $$ is involved..it's not bout playing for fun anymore 😕 plus there's so much luck n swing in a few of those game selections (esp w Deck Building/Card Drawing)

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Yeah I think Dune especially is a poor choice.

[@victorybhg]

so with regard to tournament it all depends if the games have perfect information with converging solution space. those games can easily be solved either by AI or players, chess for example. these games seem to me as pointless to play in tournaments as the solutions can be figured out. games that have more luck elements or a diverging solution space can be more in the tournament style as the solutions are not straightforward or easily programmed for, ie GO or Poker. one can grow skills in playing well in these games yet have each game be unique and require real ability to do well. I think some games like gwt or brass might be too open information with least luck that coming up winning moves can be figured out given enough practice and/or programming an AI. AN or TFM might have enough randomness or luck to make it winnable with a skilled player but not guaranteed in any one game

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Long and lucky should not be a tournament combination.

[@MrRutty1984]

Like you and your channel but oh my I love Great Western Trail sorry but not sorry I'm going to have to disagree. Got into your channel recently and really enjoy your reviews.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

He he, thanks for watching! 😁