To add to #1, when the influencers who told you the game was awesome then when it's released are like "I culled my copy" , and then when people call them on it are like "my gaming tastes are allowed to change!" . Yeah.... gaming tastes change, I've had games sour on me.....but you knew this game was "meh" from the get go.
Too many people listen to paid reviewers. If you play enough and are on the hobby a long time and seen the people reviewing and their tastes you should be able to know when they sell you crap for a wage. SA&SD, Quackalope, Boardgameco, ManVsMeeple among others... Yes i dare name them.
Idk about all the others but Quack are def hype men. They aren't strictly lying, but they basically say everything is GREAT!!! Which makes their reviews and impressions completely pointless. I don't get the same from boardgameco though he usually will list stuff that he didnt like or others might not like and that section is usually enough for me to decide for myself if its the type of game i would like or not.
Im pretty new to the hobby and I definitely leaning on the opinion of content creators a lot. from my perspective they were an authority/have experience in this hobby. Then I started to realize, dang, these people are getting free stuff sent to them, they go all-in, but they are getting patreon money and RUclips monetization coming coming in to subsidize the cost. So when they are talking going all in, that’s not all coming from out of pocket at all, like you and I. I realized the top content creators in this hobby are in a different category and you really need to take what they say with a grain of salt. There are some that are super legit, but I think a lot are caught up in the hype to create more and more content.
@@walris44i agree. Quack dude sucks and he kind of creeps me out for some reason, that’s neither here nor there. Boardgame co is one of the best in the game but that dude is also invested in his channel, creating unboxing videos and content videos so when he says he’s going all in, I know patreons are paying for it too. It’s not all out of pocket. Heck, at this point companies send him free games.
Can't believe Ive been only been watching Dice Tower and SU&SD these last few years since I discovered boardgames. It's like Ive been listening to Cliff Richard my whole life and somebody has just played me Napalm Death.
@@budsticky I accuse Rhadi of doing the same thing. But this video is right....most of them are turning into KS shills. I love it when they tell you this is the best KS game ever, and when the campaign ends it suddenly doesn't even make the top 20 games of the year for them.
Oh god, your number 10 is SO SPOT ON. Plus, these people who are “moderators” on Facebook board game groups who make posts about how amazing a game is before it even launched on Kickstarter. Then, if you ask them if their post is a paid ad, they kick you out of the group and block you. Another guy on RUclips made a whole series of videos about his dealings with these people. It’s so frustrating watching crap games make millions because of these people where great games get completely binned because they didn’t grease the right pocket.
Love it! Great list, Matt. One thing I hate are the plastic inserts that come with a game that either don't hold everything once you punch it all out or just completely let everything inside fly around inside if you simply tip the box on its side. I just end up tossing them in the trash and bag everything up so that it all fits in the box and doesn't explode in my face like a firework the next time I open it up. Eagle Gryphon are one of the rare publishers who add a plastic top to some of their game inserts so that you can close it all up once everything's in. More publishers need to follow their example.
Publishers should stop putting inserts in board games. The people who vare about it make their own or buy 3rd party inserts anyway, and the rest of us throw it out and use baggies anyways. Stop wasting money and resources. Give us the FFG cardboard trench shipping protection and a couple of bags and focus on the rest of the production instead
Days of wonder used to do this. Check out original copies of "Cleopatra and the society of architects" for proof. I agree though. if youre gonna go through the effort do it right or dont bother at all. At least be honest about your uncaring laziness to provide a reasonable product to consumers.
It is annoying when board games don't give you any bags to put the pieces in. But when I got into sewing I has a euphoric moment when I realised that I can make bags for all of these components which will always give me some little project to work on.
I’ve been following you for years now and hands down you continue to provide the best in board gaming content. Thank you for your raw honesty and passion towards the hobby. …. and for me? You’ve hit the nail right on the head with #10 - fucking “influencers”….. feels like it’s some bullshit popularity contest.
01:51 I love that your example is Eldritch Horror lol I do love the series. It's one of the few dice-in-combat games that I'm fond of. But the boxes are so unnecessarily huge. I've ended up using the base box for keeping boards and manuals from all the expansions along with the base game components, and have placed pretty much everything else in ziploc bags, the total volume of which are about the size of one large expansion box. So the entire line could have been stored in two big boxes instead of 5 big ones and four little ones.
The best board game video I’ve seen in a long time. Very funny and very true. Number 10 especially. My heart sinks whenever I see Quackalope’s over excited face whilst he’s reviewing a lump of shit.
Haha just my thought. Stopped viewing his videos a very early on. So much talking and praising turds. Oh and don’t even start on Rahdo. Every board game he ever reviews is hyped to the best thing ever. You could send him a pile of dirt and he’ll praise it like it’s the second coming of Jesus. Saw a video of his once. Where he scrolled through all his bgg ratings. Over 1300 ratings. And the one in the bottom with the lowest rating had a 8.1 rating. Are you serious. 😱😱😱 That’s complete bullocks.
@@xGarrettThiefx IMO that wasn't always the case, as prior to the Daniele Tascini flashpoint, IMO he came across as simply someone who wanted to be positive, affable etc. (overly) Enthusiastic for sure, but he seemed naturally kind-hearted. He certainly attracted strong ire / attacks from the activists on BGG for his initial comments on that flashpoint, and that put him in a difficult position. He chose to lean into being more in tune with them, and as a business decision, I very much can understand it. I still genuinely believe he wants to be a decent person, but it's maybe not as natural as he was, as he's aware of the flak he got, and is a little more self-conscious about a further mis-step. I'd much rather people retain their natural instinct for wanting to be a good person, rather than being influenced by fear of further attacks.
Number 2 is very easy to explain. 1-Shelf space, a big box get more atention then a small box. 2- Cost reduction, If you produce many diferent games you whant to have fewer sizes as possible so you don´t need that much inventory and reduce stock brakes
From the game I own, the biggest "Empty Box" offender is definitely Splendor. Basically a deck of cards, ten Nobles, and 40 chips/ tokens- and all of that in a box that is at least 80% empty.
I just found this channel randomly and I 100% agree and love your content my dude (sorry, I'm a yankee) please keep it coming as this brilliant and 100% on point.
Great points, thank you! Jamaica must have listened to you because their second edition rule book not only is proper sized, but it has tabs along the right side to jump right to what you want to look up! Sadly though, the back of the book just has lore about the characters. While really neat, a cheat sheet of setup & turn options would have been more practical.
Oh, my! Your content is topnotch. It's quite remarkable how the video and audio quality improves each time a new video is published. Hands down! Greetings from Mexico, mate.
The spiritual mashup of Sleaford Mods and Dice Tower that I didn't know I needed. Just needs a dude with a long beard and a laptop full of beats doing backup
Love this!!! My one peeve is useless inserts very similar to empty boxes... oh and regarding number 10 I can guarantee any game that Tom Vassel hates I love!! I don't really pay attention to (paid or non paid) reviews of games I try to watch how to play videos but in saying that your reviews and how to plays are the best!!!
The inserts are most often there to stabilize the box contents during shipping, not to be a practical storage area. I do wonder about FFG and others who insist on decorating such a disposable with artwork, though.
Great video! Many fantastic points here! Uneven turns bothers me a lot - lost a game of Scythe just a few days ago due to that having prepared for a massive last turn that I never got to go through with. Baggies never been a problem for me, so many games come with an overabundance so I have stores of hundreds and hundreds of them in different sizes that I never know what to do with. That said - I recently sold my copy of Shipyard due to its fiddly captains and chimneys.
I think the reason why we get oversized boxes, is that many people associate size of the box with "how much stuff there is in the game", and thereby "how much this should cost".
Great list but you missed my personal #1: TOO MANY F**KING BOARD GAMES!! I can't even play games I love more than a few times to fully learn them and develop strategies because in any group you play with, everyone has their own favorite they want to play and then there's the 'Cult of the New' that everyone clings to because of FOMO ... just make it stop. We need at least a five year moratorium on any new games, FFS. Great games get lost in the dust and our collections get bigger but by the time I play a game a second time, it might have been years since the first time I played it! Yeah, so, too many board games is my number one, followed by almost everything you said plus more.
so true, sometimes gaming events seem more like show and tell of new games that are played once and never seen again as people keep bringing these big bag of games
How have I never seen your channel until today. This right up my alley...The damn plastic wrap on cards is too accurate...and cardboard construction very recently got me with King of Tokyo: King Kong expansion. That stupid Tokyo Tower was never made to ever stand without you gluing the hell out of it.
Boxes full of air gets on my tits way more than anything else. In the US everyone seems to own a mega basement but here in England we are cramming our games into nooks and crannies. Gtfo here with all this air.
One day I'd love to see that more honest opinion vid on G to the first letter of the alphabet to the second. Where we make worker placement a speech that is free.
Excellent stuff, have to agree with all of those. I also don't like it when they make huge unneeded miniatures for games when a small standee would have been fine, reduced the cost of the game and fitted in the box bette.
You said it best about these paid or sponsored previews AND reviews. I always make sure to steer clear of their channels and I tell others to avoid them. Because whether these channels admit it or not, they ARE part of the board game community and their deceptive practices weakens it.
I create preview videos. It is my job. But I've been a gamer for over 40 years and have been a part of the hobby as long as I can remember. I hope my videos don't come across as deceptive (I don't give my opinions in those videos, just provide a playthrough so that people can make their own mind up)
@GamingRulesVideos I watch a lot of your videos and I think they are the best. I have ended up purchasing several games based on your play throughs. Keep up the great work.
I give Ed at Heavy Cardboard credit here: his sponsored previews do not have review or postgame discussions, and he often says, 'We're not trying to sell you on this game, but you can see for yourself whether it's for you.'
@@majkus I do exactly the same :) the thought of making a promotional marketing video where I will say marketing friendly phrases that persuade people to buy the game makes me feel sick. I’ll let other people do that with their “one of the best games I’ve ever played” on every video :)
@@garylaframboise2721 thanks. If you’ve watched a lot of videos, you’ll know that I do some that are sponsored, and some that are not. And on the sponsored ones, I focus on providing information only, showing how it plays, not repeating marketing buzzwords to get you to back it.
As someone who creates paid preview videos - since it is my actual job - I hope I'm not included in your list :) I don't give opinions in those videos, I just provide a playthrough to help people make their own mind up. Some of them are games I enjoy, some not so much :)
But if you are talking about the people who get paid to tell you how amazing the game is with all the marketing speak and generating all the buzz "one of the best games we've ever played" when the game isn't even finished yet - it bothers me too. I'm in the tricky position though of this being my actual job, it's what pays the bills, and many of the publishers I work with do pay for those kinds of videos. I personally don't offer that service as it would make me feel dirty.
My favourite one is when insert can hold all the cards but there isn't enough room for cards in sleeves or those 10 cards that come in a promo next year and everything just becomes a mess inside. Then you either toss the insert out and try to make some sense with a shitload of rubber bands or buy overpriced custom insert that you have to assemble yourself, doesn't come with glue and when you finally find your old glue it's already dry as fk. And then, after couple of years, after the last expasion has been sold out, they print out limited amount of boxes that can store everything nicely for a price of another bloody expansion. I'm talking about you, Raiders of the Northern Sea. Bollocks!
I totally agree with all this list. As someone who works for a site that does paid previews...I won't sign up for any promotions of games I think suck. It would be a disservice to anyone that has had faith in me for years. I'm choosey and still make it clear why I chose to preview the game in the first place. All that extra over the top stuff I see is BS. Very few games are great, we all know this. You made me smile cause you would think some of these final games just have to be prototypes....but they aren't.
This is great! You must post the not safe for work version!!!! Number 8 is the most annoying thing. I've ruined many a card because of it. And number 10 is the best. Seeing it more and more which is unfortunate.
I refuse to put my game counters in baggies. I use plastic containers usually used for fishing tackle. These containers are available in various sizes.
Something that annoys me is the inserts that cost as much as a game itself. Is it too much to ask for games to come with an insert to store all of its components? All my old games have this 'feature'. A good example is Conquest of Nerath, it has an excellent plastic insert for all the components. Can't be too costly once it's been designed.
This is a great list. The only difference in opinion I have is about empy spaces in boxes. If a game has expansions, I'd like them to fit in the base box. I don't like pulling three boxes out when setting up a game. But I understand the frustration regarding shelfspace. Bollocks.
I always wondered why publishers don't design the boxes for expansions to fit the original game and the expansion in it. That way, the base game doesn't have wasted space, and the expansion can account for all the components that would need to fit and it can still just be in one box.
Bbaaaaaahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!!!! Gold!!! Agreed. The thing that annoys me the most is when there are all the parts, and no compartments to sort or store them.
Number #4 REALLY makes my blood boil. Definitely the worst for me. I agree with most on this list though. Can probably add an 11th which is new games getting lauded for mechanics which have been done a million times before but for some reason people eat it up, might be stepping on your kickstarter comment from your BGG videos.
@@BoardGameBollocks thanks man, yeah I know, and they went even further with the price point of their new game..🙄 Cheers and thanks for all your awesome work! 🍻
Agree completely with everything on this list. I think a lot of the time box design is about marketing rather than practicality, the box cover art and the box size probably have a major impact on sales in shops. Games Workshop is notorious for selling half its games in boxes that are way too shallow to fit the miniatures in once they're assembled, it's a full on piss take considering how much their games cost, £100 for a game that won't even fit in the box.
Top video mate! The only one that didn't immediately register with me was when the rules have the diagrams of the tokens on one page and the description of them on another. Don't know why, but this one doesn't seem to get my dander up. But No10 is definitely - DEFINITELY - the worst of the lot. I too hate these paid mercenaries running around all over RUclips, saying how stunning this new game is, knowing full well it's a pile of 💩, but keeping quiet because they've got a nice fat cheque from the publishers. Closely related, indeed a Siamese Twin to this, are when these games are sitting on BGG with 9's and 10's, even though they haven't even been published, while really good games that have been available for months or years, are scoring 6-7. 🤬
Haha this made me laff, great vid geezah. The card-deck unwrapping mini game has been quite traumatic for me, this video should have had a trigger warning bloke....
Great List! Although I'm an ameritrash random dice roll masochist of old - so don't mind the cruel fates they might dish out. One of my favourite games I played in the 80s was Buck Rogers Battle for the 25th Century. It's basically Risk in Space but FIVE times as long winded! :D
I, too, love some random rolls and draws, especially regarding "ameritrash" adventure games or old-fashioned wargames. Although there has to be some form of strategic risk-reward decision, odds loading possibility, and/or mitigation involved in the whole process, to some extent. Some way to weight the odds in your favor, or have a chance to take it in stride. I can understand his "random die roll insta-death" complaint, however, as those can be an issue when things are completely out of your hands both before and after. The 'Choose Your Own Adventure' analogy was apt.. "turn to entry 64: You're Dead!" type of thing. I rarely see them go that far these days but I wouldn't be surprised if they're still around.
Slightly out of date comment this one of mine - but those Avalon Hill games from the 1970s and early 1980s where the rules are sequentially numbered 1.0.0 to 139.23.2 etc and during play of some campaign you are supposed to remember rule 73.2 that "In week 3 of September, 1943 xyz happens, please adjust your economic factors by ...." - it's like - how the eff is any human player going to remember all these rules during a playthrough.
I hate badly written manuals. I remember one game I paged like crazy JUST for the setup. Second thing that annoys the crap out of me is BAD graphic design. Some of the complicated shit can be designed easier with simple logos and user friendly guidance / easy access. So that you DON'T have to pull open the manual each time.
Number 10# has basically turned some of my favourite channels into commercials. It seems that those around 30-50k Subs are the worst offenders, as it's a crux for taking the channel to the next stop of popularity.
Yes, I used to very much enjoy Alex Radcliffe's 'coffee table' monologue on hot / sensitive topics and did like that he discussed / acknowledged different perspectives. That felt like it got dropped in favour of more commercial influences, as part of building his channel's revenues, plus his gig at Gamefound. It felt more and more like a shill channel, and afraid to rock the boat, so I moved on.
That’s how many subs I have, but the preview videos I make are not trying to tell you the game is the best thing ever. I just teach you how to play it and show you how it is played. You then have to decide yourself. :)
@@GamingRulesVideos And even then nobody could disrespect you for taking sponsorshiips, because you and other channels like "How its played" are just offering instructional videos. This is why if I see a reviewer spending more than 2 minutes explaining why a game is good or crap, then I just shut them off. Aint nobody got time fo dat.
Card wrapping challenge, it's clearly the worst for me! By far! Awesome video 👏 Sadly what you said about influencers and kickstarters strategies is true 😢
@@BoardGameBollocks Thunderbolt apache Leader, Warfighter, Spruance Leader, Tiger Leader, Field Commander series. I'm not saying they are bad games, but chits galore and no organisers - and boxes are either too big of too small with no middle ground. You get 600 chits in 68 categories...
To add to #1, when the influencers who told you the game was awesome then when it's released are like "I culled my copy" , and then when people call them on it are like "my gaming tastes are allowed to change!" . Yeah.... gaming tastes change, I've had games sour on me.....but you knew this game was "meh" from the get go.
Too many people listen to paid reviewers. If you play enough and are on the hobby a long time and seen the people reviewing and their tastes you should be able to know when they sell you crap for a wage. SA&SD, Quackalope, Boardgameco, ManVsMeeple among others... Yes i dare name them.
Idk about all the others but Quack are def hype men. They aren't strictly lying, but they basically say everything is GREAT!!! Which makes their reviews and impressions completely pointless.
I don't get the same from boardgameco though he usually will list stuff that he didnt like or others might not like and that section is usually enough for me to decide for myself if its the type of game i would like or not.
@@walris44 I think they are strict liars
Im pretty new to the hobby and I definitely leaning on the opinion of content creators a lot. from my perspective they were an authority/have experience in this hobby.
Then I started to realize, dang, these people are getting free stuff sent to them, they go all-in, but they are getting patreon money and RUclips monetization coming coming in to subsidize the cost. So when they are talking going all in, that’s not all coming from out of pocket at all, like you and I. I realized the top content creators in this hobby are in a different category and you really need to take what they say with a grain of salt. There are some that are super legit, but I think a lot are caught up in the hype to create more and more content.
@@walris44i agree. Quack dude sucks and he kind of creeps me out for some reason, that’s neither here nor there. Boardgame co is one of the best in the game but that dude is also invested in his channel, creating unboxing videos and content videos so when he says he’s going all in, I know patreons are paying for it too. It’s not all out of pocket. Heck, at this point companies send him free games.
By quite a bit the best board gaming RUclips channel. Please do not change when you also become gigantic. Also, more general rant videos please!
Is that a euphemism?
@@BoardGameBollocks the gigantic part?
Can't believe Ive been only been watching Dice Tower and SU&SD these last few years since I discovered boardgames. It's like Ive been listening to Cliff Richard my whole life and somebody has just played me Napalm Death.
Hahaha!!!! Comment of the decade!!! 😂😂😂
Indeed! Some of these are amongst the biggest culprits of #10!
@@BoardGameBollocks A-fkn-men!
Number 10 was hands down my favorite
Thought it might be 😉
Oh yes, mine too!
Say Quackalope without saying Quackalope. 😂
@@budsticky I accuse Rhadi of doing the same thing. But this video is right....most of them are turning into KS shills. I love it when they tell you this is the best KS game ever, and when the campaign ends it suddenly doesn't even make the top 20 games of the year for them.
Uh oh. Does Matt hate gloomhaven 😮
Oh god, your number 10 is SO SPOT ON. Plus, these people who are “moderators” on Facebook board game groups who make posts about how amazing a game is before it even launched on Kickstarter. Then, if you ask them if their post is a paid ad, they kick you out of the group and block you. Another guy on RUclips made a whole series of videos about his dealings with these people. It’s so frustrating watching crap games make millions because of these people where great games get completely binned because they didn’t grease the right pocket.
Love it! Great list, Matt.
One thing I hate are the plastic inserts that come with a game that either don't hold everything once you punch it all out or just completely let everything inside fly around inside if you simply tip the box on its side. I just end up tossing them in the trash and bag everything up so that it all fits in the box and doesn't explode in my face like a firework the next time I open it up. Eagle Gryphon are one of the rare publishers who add a plastic top to some of their game inserts so that you can close it all up once everything's in. More publishers need to follow their example.
Publishers should stop putting inserts in board games. The people who vare about it make their own or buy 3rd party inserts anyway, and the rest of us throw it out and use baggies anyways. Stop wasting money and resources. Give us the FFG cardboard trench shipping protection and a couple of bags and focus on the rest of the production instead
Days of wonder used to do this. Check out original copies of "Cleopatra and the society of architects" for proof. I agree though. if youre gonna go through the effort do it right or dont bother at all. At least be honest about your uncaring laziness to provide a reasonable product to consumers.
It is annoying when board games don't give you any bags to put the pieces in. But when I got into sewing I has a euphoric moment when I realised that I can make bags for all of these components which will always give me some little project to work on.
Number 10 - spot on. And it gets worse and worse. Therefore, my backing is almost extinguished! Great episode.
I’m so glad I found this channel 😂 especially when my wife overhears and says “what are you listening to”… I just say bollocks.
I’ve been following you for years now and hands down you continue to provide the best in board gaming content. Thank you for your raw honesty and passion towards the hobby.
…. and for me? You’ve hit the nail right on the head with #10 - fucking “influencers”….. feels like it’s some bullshit popularity contest.
Kind words mate. Thanks so much 👍🏻
01:51 I love that your example is Eldritch Horror lol
I do love the series. It's one of the few dice-in-combat games that I'm fond of. But the boxes are so unnecessarily huge.
I've ended up using the base box for keeping boards and manuals from all the expansions along with the base game components, and have placed pretty much everything else in ziploc bags, the total volume of which are about the size of one large expansion box.
So the entire line could have been stored in two big boxes instead of 5 big ones and four little ones.
The final big box expansion contained a few cards, some tokens and not much else apart from air.
Hilarious, i'm going to have hit that subscribe button!
BTW, I did hit it :)
The best board game video I’ve seen in a long time. Very funny and very true. Number 10 especially. My heart sinks whenever I see Quackalope’s over excited face whilst he’s reviewing a lump of shit.
😂
+1
You want over excited ? Try Rahdo. The guy is basically a mouthpiece conduit for bgg.
Haha just my thought.
Stopped viewing his videos a very early on. So much talking and praising turds.
Oh and don’t even start on Rahdo.
Every board game he ever reviews is hyped to the best thing ever. You could send him a pile of dirt and he’ll praise it like it’s the second coming of Jesus.
Saw a video of his once. Where he scrolled through all his bgg ratings.
Over 1300 ratings. And the one in the bottom with the lowest rating had a 8.1 rating. Are you serious. 😱😱😱
That’s complete bullocks.
@@xGarrettThiefx IMO that wasn't always the case, as prior to the Daniele Tascini flashpoint, IMO he came across as simply someone who wanted to be positive, affable etc. (overly) Enthusiastic for sure, but he seemed naturally kind-hearted.
He certainly attracted strong ire / attacks from the activists on BGG for his initial comments on that flashpoint, and that put him in a difficult position. He chose to lean into being more in tune with them, and as a business decision, I very much can understand it. I still genuinely believe he wants to be a decent person, but it's maybe not as natural as he was, as he's aware of the flak he got, and is a little more self-conscious about a further mis-step.
I'd much rather people retain their natural instinct for wanting to be a good person, rather than being influenced by fear of further attacks.
Number 2 is very easy to explain. 1-Shelf space, a big box get more atention then a small box. 2- Cost reduction, If you produce many diferent games you whant to have fewer sizes as possible so you don´t need that much inventory and reduce stock brakes
I just discovered your channel and I. laughed. so. hard. You're my new hero! Keep up the great work!!
👍🏻
From the game I own, the biggest "Empty Box" offender is definitely Splendor. Basically a deck of cards, ten Nobles, and 40 chips/ tokens- and all of that in a box that is at least 80% empty.
I loved this list and I 100% agree, you made me laugh so hard throughout 😂
I hate expansions. If the base game aint good enough I aint interested
I just found this channel randomly and I 100% agree and love your content my dude (sorry, I'm a yankee) please keep it coming as this brilliant and 100% on point.
Just found your channel and I love it. Its like board games reviewed by Charles Dance if he sounded like an angry Terrance Stamp.
That’s quite a mix up
Great points, thank you!
Jamaica must have listened to you because their second edition rule book not only is proper sized, but it has tabs along the right side to jump right to what you want to look up! Sadly though, the back of the book just has lore about the characters. While really neat, a cheat sheet of setup & turn options would have been more practical.
im totally with you on your final point... it is literally the reason i stopped accepting ks projects for content
nice vid man Stay Hexy!
Found your channel by happenstance. Brilliant, love it, got a new subscriber :D
👍🏻
Oh, my! Your content is topnotch. It's quite remarkable how the video and audio quality improves each time a new video is published. Hands down!
Greetings from Mexico, mate.
Cheers mate 👍🏻
2:49 LMAO gay sauna the board game, sounds like a winner.
😂🤣🤣 Brilliant observations and so true. Love the refreshing honesty of this channel.
The spiritual mashup of Sleaford Mods and Dice Tower that I didn't know I needed. Just needs a dude with a long beard and a laptop full of beats doing backup
LOL You are hilarious! Oh my goodness I want to immediately toss all flappy rulebooks.
F*CKS me off has now been added to my personal vocabulary. Thanks! (Also, excellent video)
Love this!!! My one peeve is useless inserts very similar to empty boxes... oh and regarding number 10 I can guarantee any game that Tom Vassel hates I love!! I don't really pay attention to (paid or non paid) reviews of games I try to watch how to play videos but in saying that your reviews and how to plays are the best!!!
The inserts are most often there to stabilize the box contents during shipping, not to be a practical storage area. I do wonder about FFG and others who insist on decorating such a disposable with artwork, though.
Subscribed, love your straight to it attitude, all great points made!!
'Gay Sauna', the board game. NEVER roll doubles!
Wonderful list. Agree on the boxes full of air, oh and useless inserts. And those card wraps, when I have sausage finger's drive me crazy!!!
I fit the ENTIRETY of Eldritch Horror (every expansion, organizers, etc etc) into just TWO of the FFG big boxes. It's crazy.
Thank you for number 10 good sir!
Great video! Many fantastic points here!
Uneven turns bothers me a lot - lost a game of Scythe just a few days ago due to that having prepared for a massive last turn that I never got to go through with.
Baggies never been a problem for me, so many games come with an overabundance so I have stores of hundreds and hundreds of them in different sizes that I never know what to do with. That said - I recently sold my copy of Shipyard due to its fiddly captains and chimneys.
A solid list of bollocks mate!
#2 could have just been 2 words: Fantasy Flight!
Hahahaha "Has the air of the international space station"
I think the reason why we get oversized boxes, is that many people associate size of the box with "how much stuff there is in the game", and thereby "how much this should cost".
I enjoyed this - please can you do more ? :)
Need to get my breath back first…
Amazing video. Loved every reason cuz it's true!!
I hate when they wrap the cards so tight they are cupped.
Holy shit new favorite channel.
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Great list but you missed my personal #1: TOO MANY F**KING BOARD GAMES!! I can't even play games I love more than a few times to fully learn them and develop strategies because in any group you play with, everyone has their own favorite they want to play and then there's the 'Cult of the New' that everyone clings to because of FOMO ... just make it stop. We need at least a five year moratorium on any new games, FFS. Great games get lost in the dust and our collections get bigger but by the time I play a game a second time, it might have been years since the first time I played it! Yeah, so, too many board games is my number one, followed by almost everything you said plus more.
Maybe there should be a World Cup for new releases…100 games every 4 years.
This is why I pretty much quit the hobby. Over a 6 month period I sold nearly every game in my collection. Now I play almost exclusively solo games.
so true, sometimes gaming events seem more like show and tell of new games that are played once and never seen again as people keep bringing these big bag of games
How have I never seen your channel until today. This right up my alley...The damn plastic wrap on cards is too accurate...and cardboard construction very recently got me with King of Tokyo: King Kong expansion. That stupid Tokyo Tower was never made to ever stand without you gluing the hell out of it.
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you had me at "unboxing" 5 seconds in. subscribed.
Brilliant. Nailed every gripe in an amusing video
Boxes full of air gets on my tits way more than anything else.
In the US everyone seems to own a mega basement but here in England we are cramming our games into nooks and crannies. Gtfo here with all this air.
It's interesting to see the huge volume of micro box games in Japan (oink game size), and I'm sure that's also linked to apartment size.
Oh mate, you had me crying with laughter. Love it 😂
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Love these reviews, absolutely amazing
I think so
One day I'd love to see that more honest opinion vid on G to the first letter of the alphabet to the second. Where we make worker placement a speech that is free.
Good list. Agree with all of 'em. Octopi hands was a highlight :D
Excellent stuff, have to agree with all of those. I also don't like it when they make huge unneeded miniatures for games when a small standee would have been fine, reduced the cost of the game and fitted in the box bette.
You said it best about these paid or sponsored previews AND reviews. I always make sure to steer clear of their channels and I tell others to avoid them. Because whether these channels admit it or not, they ARE part of the board game community and their deceptive practices weakens it.
I create preview videos. It is my job. But I've been a gamer for over 40 years and have been a part of the hobby as long as I can remember. I hope my videos don't come across as deceptive (I don't give my opinions in those videos, just provide a playthrough so that people can make their own mind up)
@GamingRulesVideos I watch a lot of your videos and I think they are the best.
I have ended up purchasing several games based on your play throughs. Keep up the great work.
I give Ed at Heavy Cardboard credit here: his sponsored previews do not have review or postgame discussions, and he often says, 'We're not trying to sell you on this game, but you can see for yourself whether it's for you.'
@@majkus I do exactly the same :) the thought of making a promotional marketing video where I will say marketing friendly phrases that persuade people to buy the game makes me feel sick. I’ll let other people do that with their “one of the best games I’ve ever played” on every video :)
@@garylaframboise2721 thanks. If you’ve watched a lot of videos, you’ll know that I do some that are sponsored, and some that are not. And on the sponsored ones, I focus on providing information only, showing how it plays, not repeating marketing buzzwords to get you to back it.
As someone who creates paid preview videos - since it is my actual job - I hope I'm not included in your list :)
I don't give opinions in those videos, I just provide a playthrough to help people make their own mind up. Some of them are games I enjoy, some not so much :)
But if you are talking about the people who get paid to tell you how amazing the game is with all the marketing speak and generating all the buzz "one of the best games we've ever played" when the game isn't even finished yet - it bothers me too. I'm in the tricky position though of this being my actual job, it's what pays the bills, and many of the publishers I work with do pay for those kinds of videos. I personally don't offer that service as it would make me feel dirty.
No Paul…you’re a proper legend mate 👍🏻
Thanks for the laughs! Love your reviews.
My favourite one is when insert can hold all the cards but there isn't enough room for cards in sleeves or those 10 cards that come in a promo next year and everything just becomes a mess inside.
Then you either toss the insert out and try to make some sense with a shitload of rubber bands or buy overpriced custom insert that you have to assemble yourself, doesn't come with glue and when you finally find your old glue it's already dry as fk.
And then, after couple of years, after the last expasion has been sold out, they print out limited amount of boxes that can store everything nicely for a price of another bloody expansion.
I'm talking about you, Raiders of the Northern Sea. Bollocks!
I totally agree with all this list. As someone who works for a site that does paid previews...I won't sign up for any promotions of games I think suck. It would be a disservice to anyone that has had faith in me for years. I'm choosey and still make it clear why I chose to preview the game in the first place. All that extra over the top stuff I see is BS. Very few games are great, we all know this. You made me smile cause you would think some of these final games just have to be prototypes....but they aren't.
You are exactly what I’ve needed since I saw through all the bullshit and garbage people on that nasty board game site.
You had me at sail of a galleon. Lol
This is great! You must post the not safe for work version!!!!
Number 8 is the most annoying thing. I've ruined many a card because of it. And number 10 is the best. Seeing it more and more which is unfortunate.
You're so right about No10. It's got to the stage now, that watching game reviews is a totally worthless waste of time.
Gay Sauna broke you didn't it?! 😂 If I could like and subscribe for every one of your points I would! Keep it up mate!
#2 It seems games sell worse when the box is smaller regardless of content - in my country tiny epics never landed iutside dungeons
I didn't know Guy Ritchie played board games!
- Non-mitigated dice rolls were fashioned by Satan him self.
😂 Loved that.
Great list! I think there are only really 2 channels who do #10. Who are the others?
Boardgameco and Quackalope. Thats them
I refuse to put my game counters in baggies. I use plastic containers usually used for fishing tackle. These containers are available in various sizes.
Expensive if you’re doing it for every game
Something that annoys me is the inserts that cost as much as a game itself. Is it too much to ask for games to come with an insert to store all of its components? All my old games have this 'feature'. A good example is Conquest of Nerath, it has an excellent plastic insert for all the components. Can't be too costly once it's been designed.
I hate empty space in boxes.
Brilliant! The Jonathan Pie of the boardgaming world. And there was me thinking that us Brummies were the kings of misery.
A close second if you count the Bull Ring
Good upload mate!
Class channel mate. Looking forward to more reviews etc. Cheers.
The automated subtitles have you saying the "ball gaming industry". Thats some bullocks
AI will end the world
Jay of 3 minute board games did a good rant about influencers (search for his video 'don't buy that game').
This is a great list. The only difference in opinion I have is about empy spaces in boxes. If a game has expansions, I'd like them to fit in the base box. I don't like pulling three boxes out when setting up a game. But I understand the frustration regarding shelfspace. Bollocks.
I always wondered why publishers don't design the boxes for expansions to fit the original game and the expansion in it. That way, the base game doesn't have wasted space, and the expansion can account for all the components that would need to fit and it can still just be in one box.
Bbaaaaaahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!!!! Gold!!! Agreed. The thing that annoys me the most is when there are all the parts, and no compartments to sort or store them.
Number #4 REALLY makes my blood boil. Definitely the worst for me. I agree with most on this list though.
Can probably add an 11th which is new games getting lauded for mechanics which have been done a million times before but for some reason people eat it up, might be stepping on your kickstarter comment from your BGG videos.
Trying to spot your opinion on too many bones! It's on my list for a while now, though I still wait for your opinion to make up my mind...
I’ve not played it mate. Too expensive for me I’m afraid.
@@BoardGameBollocks thanks man, yeah I know, and they went even further with the price point of their new game..🙄 Cheers and thanks for all your awesome work! 🍻
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Ha! You had me at #1.
I agree with all 10 - well done🙏
Agree completely with everything on this list. I think a lot of the time box design is about marketing rather than practicality, the box cover art and the box size probably have a major impact on sales in shops. Games Workshop is notorious for selling half its games in boxes that are way too shallow to fit the miniatures in once they're assembled, it's a full on piss take considering how much their games cost, £100 for a game that won't even fit in the box.
number 10 is the most annoying and I appreciate your videos more because I feel you are honest, even if you are often wrong ;)
I’m never wrong 😂👍🏻
Love it! But doesn't Eleven: Football manager let you re-roll that after-match die if you have a fan token? Isn't that mitigation?
Not if you don’t have one 👍🏻
@@BoardGameBollocks You should have mitigated against that ;¬)
Boom boom
Really hate these paid re/pre-views. Well said. 10 things spot on but this one gets on my nerves.
Top video mate! The only one that didn't immediately register with me was when the rules have the diagrams of the tokens on one page and the description of them on another. Don't know why, but this one doesn't seem to get my dander up.
But No10 is definitely - DEFINITELY - the worst of the lot. I too hate these paid mercenaries running around all over RUclips, saying how stunning this new game is, knowing full well it's a pile of 💩, but keeping quiet because they've got a nice fat cheque from the publishers. Closely related, indeed a Siamese Twin to this, are when these games are sitting on BGG with 9's and 10's, even though they haven't even been published, while really good games that have been available for months or years, are scoring 6-7. 🤬
That was great and full of laughters on my side.
This video was fantastic 😂
Absolutely brilliant!
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Haha this made me laff, great vid geezah. The card-deck unwrapping mini game has been quite traumatic for me, this video should have had a trigger warning bloke....
Great List! Although I'm an ameritrash random dice roll masochist of old - so don't mind the cruel fates they might dish out. One of my favourite games I played in the 80s was Buck Rogers Battle for the 25th Century. It's basically Risk in Space but FIVE times as long winded! :D
I, too, love some random rolls and draws, especially regarding "ameritrash" adventure games or old-fashioned wargames. Although there has to be some form of strategic risk-reward decision, odds loading possibility, and/or mitigation involved in the whole process, to some extent. Some way to weight the odds in your favor, or have a chance to take it in stride. I can understand his "random die roll insta-death" complaint, however, as those can be an issue when things are completely out of your hands both before and after. The 'Choose Your Own Adventure' analogy was apt.. "turn to entry 64: You're Dead!" type of thing. I rarely see them go that far these days but I wouldn't be surprised if they're still around.
Slightly out of date comment this one of mine - but those Avalon Hill games from the 1970s and early 1980s where the rules are sequentially numbered 1.0.0 to 139.23.2 etc and during play of some campaign you are supposed to remember rule 73.2 that "In week 3 of September, 1943 xyz happens, please adjust your economic factors by ...." - it's like - how the eff is any human player going to remember all these rules during a playthrough.
I can only imagine what the "not safe for work" versions of your videos would sound like!
I hate badly written manuals. I remember one game I paged like crazy JUST for the setup. Second thing that annoys the crap out of me is BAD graphic design. Some of the complicated shit can be designed easier with simple logos and user friendly guidance / easy access. So that you DON'T have to pull open the manual each time.
This is all spot on. Great video
No.1. I thought no one else cared. Legend.
Number 10# has basically turned some of my favourite channels into commercials. It seems that those around 30-50k Subs are the worst offenders, as it's a crux for taking the channel to the next stop of popularity.
Yes, I used to very much enjoy Alex Radcliffe's 'coffee table' monologue on hot / sensitive topics and did like that he discussed / acknowledged different perspectives. That felt like it got dropped in favour of more commercial influences, as part of building his channel's revenues, plus his gig at Gamefound. It felt more and more like a shill channel, and afraid to rock the boat, so I moved on.
That’s how many subs I have, but the preview videos I make are not trying to tell you the game is the best thing ever. I just teach you how to play it and show you how it is played. You then have to decide yourself. :)
@@GamingRulesVideos And even then nobody could disrespect you for taking sponsorshiips, because you and other channels like "How its played" are just offering instructional videos.
This is why if I see a reviewer spending more than 2 minutes explaining why a game is good or crap, then I just shut them off. Aint nobody got time fo dat.
So I had to look up if 'Gay Sauna' is an actual boardgame 😁
Card wrapping challenge, it's clearly the worst for me! By far! Awesome video 👏 Sadly what you said about influencers and kickstarters strategies is true 😢
Ever played anything by Dan Verssen Games?
Name some…
@@BoardGameBollocks Thunderbolt apache Leader, Warfighter, Spruance Leader, Tiger Leader, Field Commander series. I'm not saying they are bad games, but chits galore and no organisers - and boxes are either too big of too small with no middle ground. You get 600 chits in 68 categories...
And say I have then mate
I needed this vibe
The pyramid in camel up 2nd edition is vastly superior, and I appreciate the redesign.