In the Year of the Dragon, La Isla, Aquasphere, Through the Ages, Gentes, Village, Carson City, Finca, Archipelago, Tawantinsuyu, Steam Works, Myrmes, Helios, Balloon Cup, Cafe, Bon Fire, Above and Below, Call to Adventure.
I build my entire collection (i only have limited space) based on the ideas of this list :) I want my collection to be as unique as possible and cover all kinds of aspect the hobby can offer..this was a great list for me to get inspired for games I don't own yet! thanks for that!
@@ButOneThingIsNeedful well what I do is basically identify the categories and then choose 1 maybe 2 games out of that cat. For example for 2 player games: Fog of Love (very unique in terms of what it wants to do); area control I have Rising Sun (i know that a lot of ppl prefer Blood Rage but I personally find Rising Sun to be more unique as the betting thing makes it more “esoterical”; its also THE Japanese theme game of my collection. For survival horror I have Nemesis which is also unique in itself as it offers a cinematic experience I rarely find in any other game. As a social deduction game I picked the new Feed the kraken as it does what other deduction games rarely to never do, it adds a board which puts it into context. As a card drafting action selection Ark Nova has that spot. There are several great games in that category but I think the theme and the diversity leads me to this. For crunchy games I will go with CO2 - Second Chance. Its also the only environmental themed game in my collection and for me the best crunchy co op out there. I have another crunchy co op I like which is Spirit Island but I see it as unique as it offers something what I normally find in chess (planning ahead) mixed with card drafting/deck building its just a masterpiece of design which is also my 4X game in my collection. Then there are the experimental games like Wavelength which do count as party games but are just more than that. I have exactly one betting game which is Ready Set Bet. I believe this game will stay a long time; its like a more loveable form of Roulette. I could go on but I think you got the idea of what Im doing when deciding whether a game stays or not. If another great game in the same spot comes out I decide between the two and the loser goes..
@@AndreWDYounitedRevolution I really thank you, Andre, for taking the time to share that! I found it all very interesting. If I had a group to play it with I think I would love Feed the Kraken. Been on the fence with Wavelength. Other games I have not played but for whatever reason give me a unique feel would include Ginkgopolis, Trismegistus, and Cerebria. Cheers!
These are definitely my favorite kinds of games to find. Here's a few that fit the bill for me in case they spark anyone's interest. I also have to say that I think many Japanese board games really seem to think outside the box. Hitting up board game stores in Japan the times I can go is one of my favorite things to do there! 1. Millennium Blades - Built to appear as a deckbuilder, this game is actually about you playing characters who are players of the deck building game. This translates to the game being split into 2 halves, one being the game itself, and another being a shopping phase where you buy new "booster packs" to bulk up your deck. While a bit on the longer side, you really get the feeling of going from a total noob to finding all the rarest cards and being awesome at the end of the game. Still, there's a fair learning curve that's less about the basic game rules, and more adapting to the meta as it evolves each round; some players may feel understandably frustrated at seeing someone seem to completely own the game-playing half, though without realizing that they are sticking to a strategy that players found a way around. There are also gobs of themed decks that all pose different mechanics and make each game completely different. 2. Mask of Anubis - This is a Japanese game that requires an app, wherein one player is looking around in a 3D pyramid maze, describing what they see within 1 minute. The other players piece together what they are being told using bits and tiles, and then after a minute passes, the next player takes a turn looking around, but is positioned in a different part of the maze. So aside from the chaos of screaming everything you see in a minute, youll wind up with multiple groups of maze bits that may or may not overlap, with the ultimate goal of everyone properly piecing together the full maze. The app comes with dozens of different layouts, meaning it shouldnt be long until you forget the earlier levels, even if you play consistently with the same group. 3. Phoenix Covenant - I think this is the only game made by Hikari Games, and is the closest thing I've found in board gaming to tactics style video games (a la Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem). This is a deck construction game where you have separate resources to summon both spells and units with the goal of destroying the enemy base. The units have combat and movement stats, and also weak and strong sides to their defenses, making card positioning key. Together with this, various structures that bestow different effects to your army, and spells and abilities with unique Area of Effect ranges, and it can be an intense game of out-positioning your opponent. 4. Warriors of Jogu - This is a bluffing game within the trappings of a 1v1 dueling game. Each player chooses a faction of cards, then begin placing units on one of 6 zones of combat. The kicker is that only 2 of these zones are where combat will actually take place, and each player only knows of 1 area. This results in a tense game of walking a fine line where you are trying to prepare for the area you know combat will be, while also figuring out where the other spot is based on the enemy's actions, while also trying to throw them off. I'm not big on social deduction games, but this one I think fits a happy medium between classic combat and out thinking your opponent.
One on my list is definitely Unmatched, it's balance of speed/simplicity/depth/asymmetry is completely different from anything I've played. And then with all the public domain characters and it's pretty dope.
The only critique i have for them is im deeply disturbed with them addimg non public domain stuff like Marvel specifically. That breaks my magic but I just choose not to buy those things that dont feel like they fit.
The Ravens of Thri Sahashri is a game I always put up when unique games is brought up. There is no short way to explain this game. It's such a puzzle and I still have never completed the Poem.
I had a great play partner and we really clicked and made it work, it was an amazing feeling to silently work together towards the eventual goal, and the new challenges presented by each different scenario kept the tension high. Highly recommended, was going to mention it myself.
I think the most unique games in my collection are Ginkgopolis and Forbidden Stars. The latter is my favorite game, love the action selection system and combat. Ginkgopolis is also fantastic, and the area control and building up as well as out are the unique and awesome mechanic here.
My most unique game would be Chaosmos, fascinating game of keep away with a bunch of aliens running around looking to have a specific card in hand when the turn clock hits 0. Carnival Zombie also comes to mind as I've never seen anyone copy the "pile of corpses" mechanic that made that game so tense.
Guys, I’ve watched tons of your videos in the last few weeks, and although I subscribed, I realized when Nick mentioned the thumbs up that I’ve never commented or thumbed up any of your vids. So here i am commenting for the algorithm, and I’m probably going to go through and interact with your other videos. I appreciate your content so much.
I haven’t watched the video yet but off the top of my head in no particular order. Unique games for me: Twilight Imperium 4E - nothing else feels as epic Kingdom Death: Monsters - theme and mystery and the audacity QE - bet anything. Glory to Rome - everything feels broken yet it works - Mottainai and Uchronia doesn’t count because they’re just copying GtR and aren’t as smooth. Cosmic Encounters - the sheer number of crazy aliens and abilities and the sheer number of possibilities of interactions Oath: Chronicles - the idea of chronicles system changing the game without being legacy Robinson Crusoe - that card system where the choice you make may or may not make the card show up again in the future. So far I haven’t seen that system be replicated yet. Edit: no cross overs hahaha
Bring Your Own Book is a unique game that I am really wanting to get hold of. One of the game components is a book that each player brings to the table and they you get given prompts that you have to find in your book.
When I was picking up speed in the hobby was at the peak of my baseball fandom and was when I developed my love for deckbuilding, Baseball Highlights 2045 was an instant pick up for me. Unfortunately I found few people to play with me but even as a deck builder it's super interesting.
I'm still not sure how good it is, but my most unique game is The Faceless. You play as a group of kids trapped in a nightmare world, but you don't directly control them. Instead, the player counter is a compass and there are several spirits around the edge of the board with magnets in them (and one chasing you on the board). You manipulate the ghosts to attract or repel and the kids follow the magnetic fields created. It's an amazing fear simulator as you don't fully control where you're going, and the faster you move the harder it is to predict where you go.
I have none of these games on this list--and I want most of them! Really cool ideas. Galaxy Trucker seems pretty unique. Cosmic Encounter may fit the bill too.
One of the more unique games I have ever seen was Situation 7, this is a puzzle racing/ area control game. each player is given an entire puzzle of the board and the person who has the most pieces in place wins. This is a older game and it is spaced themed, there is also Situation 3 which is WW2 themed.
Oh, I have Remember Our Trip because it sounded so different- I haven’t played it yet but will get it to the table now - I was so excited to see it as your number 1 here!
Cool list! I'm looking forward to Oros and Castles by the Sea, they seem like they fit in this genre. You guys are great! Always make me laugh. Thanks guys!
Oros has unique tile sliding and game board building with volcanic eruptions and tiles colliding that I've been enjoying lately👍 A lot of the mechanisms are familiar but the tile play is very different than anything else I've played.
Most unique game in my collection is probably Picture Perfect. I've not played it yet but it's a deduction game where you try to gather information about where people want to/don't want to be in a photo and then actually manipulate the people and props to create the 3D scene and snap a photo on your photo in order to then score against all of the criteria. I did a horrible job explaining it but I've not seen anything like it elsewhere.
I got Dive at Gencon because it was so different! It’s based solely on how well you can see through plastic sheets and determine if there are sharks around or not.
Lovely comparison approach, in a world full of competing options. I personally love Oath, but I agree with all the hurdles you mentioned, such as rules heaviness and being harder to put on the table. However it is almost in a league of its own, because the game-play is almost more about the social experience in the legacy aspect of the game, rather than the pure area control aspect. In fact it is the only game I played where I rooted for my vassal (to block an opponent to the throne) as opposed to fight for my own victory. It is a very special game I think.
"Baseball Highlights 2045 is basically a card dueling game" Woah! Mind Blown...This is one of my favorite games, and I've never thought of it in this manner. It is totally a baseball themed card dueling game. Brilliant! (ok, now I have to get back to the video!)
Thank you for the video, for me the lower numbers were actually even more interesting since it were all games I never heard about. I really love hearing about clever gamea
I definitely agree with the Baseball Highlights: 2045 pick, as a big baseball and sports fan I love what this game brings to the table. I play it solo and it's very good. Cheers from a Costa Rican based in Prague!
My pick is Keyforge. Its a collectable deck game where every single deck you buy is 100% unique, no one else will have the same deck. Doesn't get much more unique than that! The game mechanisms are also pretty unique for that type of game. You can only activate 1 if your 3 factions per turn, and the victory condition is unlocking keys rather then taking out the opponents health pool, which you would expect from a dualing card game.
Also, the Oniverse games seem really unique to me. Yeah, it's a series of games, so idk if that disqualifies them, but what makes them unique is that they are solo games with a 2 player variant. I've never seen that anywhere else. Either a game is solo only, or intended as multiplayer with a solo variant. I think it's an interesting twist as they really feel intended for solo, but the 2 player variants usually add a pretty cool twist to the gameplay
I love finding games with truly unique game play. Some that I have really enjoyed that fit this type of list are Dokmus, Overseers, Sentient, Capital Lux 2 and Brian Boru. 😎
I would say for me: Cat in the Box, Fabled Fruit, Takenoko when it first came out, Catan when I first played it in 2000ish, and Bethel Woods/The Loop are very unique, although the two are similar to each other.
Great list those all look fun to play. I think the overall experience of The Initiative is so memorable and unique. I also love Forgotten Waters and feel it's pretty unique in my collection, the mad libs aspect I have not seen in another game.
City of Iron has the Faiyum feel with more Euro feel (if posssible). My most unique game is Road to Canterbury…bit a unique mechanism but a unique theme…
Great list, Brothers! To me, in my collection, I think Knizia’s Tigris & Euphrates is unique - from a simple rule set, he created an experience with deep decisions; I haven’t encountered another game quite like it (aside from his re-imagining with Yellow & Yangtze). Friedemann Friese is an especially unique designer - I was charmed by his little solo game Finished! A couple other unique-to-me games are over Mike’s left shoulder: Five Tribes (the worker displacement game) and Paleo (a fresh take on co-ops emphasizing communication and confronting dangers of the wild). The Crew could also be on this list. Great fun! Thank you!
The first game that comes to mind that really feels unique is Dead Man's Cabal. Maybe the LOOP, but I've only played that once, last night, and haven't really gotten a good feel for it.
All great choices, I specially agree with number one. There's a few boardgames I think people that are into boardgames should try at least once for the experience because I consider them pretty unique. Looking at my shelves I think of: Vast Bus Food Chain Magnate Hoity Toity John Company
Interesting, I really want to try Ctrl after this. Thanks for the great list! The most unique games I own are Terracotta Army (similar to Tzolkin on your list in some ways). Terracotta Army is unique in terms of theme I would say, and the moveable worker placement spots. Second would be Project L which I consider to be totally unique - an engine building polyomino game where its more about engine building than completing the puzzles. Don't know of any other game like it. One unique game I don't have but really want to play is The Loop (Dr. Faux Strikes Back) the component that spits out the cubes in the middle of the board looks very unique.
Still waiting to get my hands on it to play it but what I've seen of Floating Floors looks cool and unique. I'd describe it as a "tactical dexterity puzzle platformer" as the elevator pitch.
We have put inquiries out to some locations and shopping around for more so fingers crossed. We can get some quotes that we can afford so we can make this thing happen!
Cosmic Frog is probably one of the most unique games I own, but basically anything by Jim Felli and Devious Weasel is weird and unique in some way or another.
I would say one that is very different is Roccoco, for us. My wife & I were used to seeing war, settlement, and train games, and to find something that was so exciting to her thematically was wonderful.
Silliness and gimmicks often lend themselves to uniqueness (uniquery? uniquitude?), so Igloo Pop is probably my most unique game, with Crazy Coconuts and Catapult Kingdoms close behind. That said, Haba could probably put out their own Top 10 unique titles, things like Valley of the Vikings and Hammertime take simple concepts and put unique twists on them.
Totally agree Haba and in general kids games are way out there and fun and strange. We could all learn to take a page from their book more often because the creativity is off the charts there
What you said about Baseball Highlights made me think a good top 10 list would be games you’d love to see expand into movies or a TV show. Like Tidal Blades could make a phenomenal show, the world and designs are so fleshed out. Maybe you could even put it out close to the release of the D&D movie. Why should video games, books and comics get all the adaptations?
I think it's funny how genre influences the way you guys perceive uniqueness. The biggest example is Tzolkin being above Ctrl. Like sure, Tzolkin is a weird euro, and that's what makes me want to play it so much, but Ctrl truly boggled my mind when y'all talked about it. But I think we expect more uniqueness from simpler games, whereas a heavy, tight euro tends to be more "conventional" because players also need to grok the resource management itself. Not a criticism of the list, to me that kind of consideration is indeed important, but I think it's a funny thing to notice!
Im not sure, but I think Break the Code is similar to Turing Machine. The punch hole mechanism is similarly seen in Black Sonata. I’ll have to check out Faiyum!
Baseball Highlights: 2045 by Eagle-Grpyon Games, eh? xD ... probably my favorite 2-Player game. Yes, it CAN play up to 4, but I don't ever suggest it...I consider it as an ONLY 2-Player game.
Maybe a weird comparison, but Baseball Highlights: 2045 sounds like Flesh and Blood. Choosing to use cards for offense or defense is very much in Flesh and Blood’s identity
Stunned Ginkgopolis wasn't included. Not that I've played it myself yet, but from everything I've heard it is nothing if not unique. Like nothing else. Plus Mike loves the Gink out of it! Perhaps it's on their Patreon list.
In the Year of the Dragon, La Isla, Aquasphere, Through the Ages, Gentes, Village, Carson City, Finca, Archipelago, Tawantinsuyu, Steam Works, Myrmes, Helios, Balloon Cup, Cafe, Bon Fire, Above and Below, Call to Adventure.
I build my entire collection (i only have limited space) based on the ideas of this list :) I want my collection to be as unique as possible and cover all kinds of aspect the hobby can offer..this was a great list for me to get inspired for games I don't own yet! thanks for that!
Would love to hear some of the top games unique enough to have made your limited collection!
@@ButOneThingIsNeedful well what I do is basically identify the categories and then choose 1 maybe 2 games out of that cat. For example for 2 player games: Fog of Love (very unique in terms of what it wants to do); area control I have Rising Sun (i know that a lot of ppl prefer Blood Rage but I personally find Rising Sun to be more unique as the betting thing makes it more “esoterical”; its also THE Japanese theme game of my collection. For survival horror I have Nemesis which is also unique in itself as it offers a cinematic experience I rarely find in any other game. As a social deduction game I picked the new Feed the kraken as it does what other deduction games rarely to never do, it adds a board which puts it into context. As a card drafting action selection Ark Nova has that spot. There are several great games in that category but I think the theme and the diversity leads me to this. For crunchy games I will go with CO2 - Second Chance. Its also the only environmental themed game in my collection and for me the best crunchy co op out there. I have another crunchy co op I like which is Spirit Island but I see it as unique as it offers something what I normally find in chess (planning ahead) mixed with card drafting/deck building its just a masterpiece of design which is also my 4X game in my collection. Then there are the experimental games like Wavelength which do count as party games but are just more than that. I have exactly one betting game which is Ready Set Bet. I believe this game will stay a long time; its like a more loveable form of Roulette. I could go on but I think you got the idea of what Im doing when deciding whether a game stays or not. If another great game in the same spot comes out I decide between the two and the loser goes..
@@AndreWDYounitedRevolution I really thank you, Andre, for taking the time to share that! I found it all very interesting. If I had a group to play it with I think I would love Feed the Kraken. Been on the fence with Wavelength. Other games I have not played but for whatever reason give me a unique feel would include Ginkgopolis, Trismegistus, and Cerebria. Cheers!
I totally do the same thing. Has kept my collection at around 75-80 games for the last 3 years or so.
@@mynewnameisthisok Favorite unique games?
Some of my favorite unique games: The Bloody Inn, MicroMacro, Bohnanza, Sugar Blast.
I would say Dice Forge might be one of my most unique games, just love having dice you can customize and upgrade!
good call!
These are definitely my favorite kinds of games to find. Here's a few that fit the bill for me in case they spark anyone's interest. I also have to say that I think many Japanese board games really seem to think outside the box. Hitting up board game stores in Japan the times I can go is one of my favorite things to do there!
1. Millennium Blades - Built to appear as a deckbuilder, this game is actually about you playing characters who are players of the deck building game. This translates to the game being split into 2 halves, one being the game itself, and another being a shopping phase where you buy new "booster packs" to bulk up your deck. While a bit on the longer side, you really get the feeling of going from a total noob to finding all the rarest cards and being awesome at the end of the game. Still, there's a fair learning curve that's less about the basic game rules, and more adapting to the meta as it evolves each round; some players may feel understandably frustrated at seeing someone seem to completely own the game-playing half, though without realizing that they are sticking to a strategy that players found a way around. There are also gobs of themed decks that all pose different mechanics and make each game completely different.
2. Mask of Anubis - This is a Japanese game that requires an app, wherein one player is looking around in a 3D pyramid maze, describing what they see within 1 minute. The other players piece together what they are being told using bits and tiles, and then after a minute passes, the next player takes a turn looking around, but is positioned in a different part of the maze. So aside from the chaos of screaming everything you see in a minute, youll wind up with multiple groups of maze bits that may or may not overlap, with the ultimate goal of everyone properly piecing together the full maze. The app comes with dozens of different layouts, meaning it shouldnt be long until you forget the earlier levels, even if you play consistently with the same group.
3. Phoenix Covenant - I think this is the only game made by Hikari Games, and is the closest thing I've found in board gaming to tactics style video games (a la Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem). This is a deck construction game where you have separate resources to summon both spells and units with the goal of destroying the enemy base. The units have combat and movement stats, and also weak and strong sides to their defenses, making card positioning key. Together with this, various structures that bestow different effects to your army, and spells and abilities with unique Area of Effect ranges, and it can be an intense game of out-positioning your opponent.
4. Warriors of Jogu - This is a bluffing game within the trappings of a 1v1 dueling game. Each player chooses a faction of cards, then begin placing units on one of 6 zones of combat. The kicker is that only 2 of these zones are where combat will actually take place, and each player only knows of 1 area. This results in a tense game of walking a fine line where you are trying to prepare for the area you know combat will be, while also figuring out where the other spot is based on the enemy's actions, while also trying to throw them off. I'm not big on social deduction games, but this one I think fits a happy medium between classic combat and out thinking your opponent.
Great choices and want to check these out. Couldn’t agree more about millennium blades that game is wild and so so meta. Very cool game
Once I saw the topic, I was surprised that Millennium Blades wasn't on the list. It was the first one I thought of.
I couldn’t agree enough with your number 1, Remember Our Trip. Perfection! It’s one of my favorites!
It’s soooo interesting and good
One on my list is definitely Unmatched, it's balance of speed/simplicity/depth/asymmetry is completely different from anything I've played. And then with all the public domain characters and it's pretty dope.
The only critique i have for them is im deeply disturbed with them addimg non public domain stuff like Marvel specifically. That breaks my magic but I just choose not to buy those things that dont feel like they fit.
The Ravens of Thri Sahashri is a game I always put up when unique games is brought up. There is no short way to explain this game. It's such a puzzle and I still have never completed the Poem.
I had a great play partner and we really clicked and made it work, it was an amazing feeling to silently work together towards the eventual goal, and the new challenges presented by each different scenario kept the tension high. Highly recommended, was going to mention it myself.
I think the most unique games in my collection are Ginkgopolis and Forbidden Stars. The latter is my favorite game, love the action selection system and combat. Ginkgopolis is also fantastic, and the area control and building up as well as out are the unique and awesome mechanic here.
Galaxy Trucker! So bloody unique.
My most unique game would be Chaosmos, fascinating game of keep away with a bunch of aliens running around looking to have a specific card in hand when the turn clock hits 0. Carnival Zombie also comes to mind as I've never seen anyone copy the "pile of corpses" mechanic that made that game so tense.
Photosynthesis is one that is such a classic of creativity and innovation.
Guys, I’ve watched tons of your videos in the last few weeks, and although I subscribed, I realized when Nick mentioned the thumbs up that I’ve never commented or thumbed up any of your vids. So here i am commenting for the algorithm, and I’m probably going to go through and interact with your other videos. I appreciate your content so much.
FOR THE ALGORITHM!! But real talk thank you!
I haven’t watched the video yet but off the top of my head in no particular order. Unique games for me:
Twilight Imperium 4E - nothing else feels as epic
Kingdom Death: Monsters - theme and mystery and the audacity
QE - bet anything.
Glory to Rome - everything feels broken yet it works - Mottainai and Uchronia doesn’t count because they’re just copying GtR and aren’t as smooth.
Cosmic Encounters - the sheer number of crazy aliens and abilities and the sheer number of possibilities of interactions
Oath: Chronicles - the idea of chronicles system changing the game without being legacy
Robinson Crusoe - that card system where the choice you make may or may not make the card show up again in the future. So far I haven’t seen that system be replicated yet.
Edit: no cross overs hahaha
Great choices!
Bring Your Own Book is a unique game that I am really wanting to get hold of. One of the game components is a book that each player brings to the table and they you get given prompts that you have to find in your book.
Interesting!!
Turing Machine looks very interesting! Might pick that up next!
It’s amazing
When I was picking up speed in the hobby was at the peak of my baseball fandom and was when I developed my love for deckbuilding, Baseball Highlights 2045 was an instant pick up for me. Unfortunately I found few people to play with me but even as a deck builder it's super interesting.
Nyctophobia and Shadows in the Forest are two games that deal with the element of darkness/blindness that I haven't seen elsewhere.
I'm still not sure how good it is, but my most unique game is The Faceless. You play as a group of kids trapped in a nightmare world, but you don't directly control them. Instead, the player counter is a compass and there are several spirits around the edge of the board with magnets in them (and one chasing you on the board). You manipulate the ghosts to attract or repel and the kids follow the magnetic fields created. It's an amazing fear simulator as you don't fully control where you're going, and the faster you move the harder it is to predict where you go.
Sounds fascinating!
I have none of these games on this list--and I want most of them! Really cool ideas. Galaxy Trucker seems pretty unique. Cosmic Encounter may fit the bill too.
My family loves potion explosion so much that we spent $30 on fancy marbles
One of the more unique games I have ever seen was Situation 7, this is a puzzle racing/ area control game. each player is given an entire puzzle of the board and the person who has the most pieces in place wins. This is a older game and it is spaced themed, there is also Situation 3 which is WW2 themed.
Oh, I have Remember Our Trip because it sounded so different- I haven’t played it yet but will get it to the table now - I was so excited to see it as your number 1 here!
Cool list! I'm looking forward to Oros and Castles by the Sea, they seem like they fit in this genre.
You guys are great! Always make me laugh. Thanks guys!
Oros has unique tile sliding and game board building with volcanic eruptions and tiles colliding that I've been enjoying lately👍 A lot of the mechanisms are familiar but the tile play is very different than anything else I've played.
Most unique game in my collection is probably Picture Perfect. I've not played it yet but it's a deduction game where you try to gather information about where people want to/don't want to be in a photo and then actually manipulate the people and props to create the 3D scene and snap a photo on your photo in order to then score against all of the criteria. I did a horrible job explaining it but I've not seen anything like it elsewhere.
I got Dive at Gencon because it was so different! It’s based solely on how well you can see through plastic sheets and determine if there are sharks around or not.
sounds rad
I am so unbelievably, unrealistically, incomprehensively bad at that game. XD XD XD
I got Dive from a local FB game group because it looked cool. Sold it when it just made everyone realize how bad our vision is
High Frontier 4 All is definitely unique.
Lovely comparison approach, in a world full of competing options. I personally love Oath, but I agree with all the hurdles you mentioned, such as rules heaviness and being harder to put on the table. However it is almost in a league of its own, because the game-play is almost more about the social experience in the legacy aspect of the game, rather than the pure area control aspect. In fact it is the only game I played where I rooted for my vassal (to block an opponent to the throne) as opposed to fight for my own victory. It is a very special game I think.
"Baseball Highlights 2045 is basically a card dueling game" Woah! Mind Blown...This is one of my favorite games, and I've never thought of it in this manner. It is totally a baseball themed card dueling game. Brilliant! (ok, now I have to get back to the video!)
Thanks for the list. I love more unique games.
Thank you for the video, for me the lower numbers were actually even more interesting since it were all games I never heard about.
I really love hearing about clever gamea
So glad you enjoyed!
lol at that flashback clip with your baby faces
I definitely agree with the Baseball Highlights: 2045 pick, as a big baseball and sports fan I love what this game brings to the table. I play it solo and it's very good. Cheers from a Costa Rican based in Prague!
My pick is Keyforge. Its a collectable deck game where every single deck you buy is 100% unique, no one else will have the same deck. Doesn't get much more unique than that! The game mechanisms are also pretty unique for that type of game. You can only activate 1 if your 3 factions per turn, and the victory condition is unlocking keys rather then taking out the opponents health pool, which you would expect from a dualing card game.
Also, the Oniverse games seem really unique to me. Yeah, it's a series of games, so idk if that disqualifies them, but what makes them unique is that they are solo games with a 2 player variant. I've never seen that anywhere else. Either a game is solo only, or intended as multiplayer with a solo variant. I think it's an interesting twist as they really feel intended for solo, but the 2 player variants usually add a pretty cool twist to the gameplay
This video was so well done. Wow! I love how you showcased the games! Super professional but still has the trademark Brothers Murph fun factor 😊
Ayyyye chilllll thanks so much
I love finding games with truly unique game play. Some that I have really enjoyed that fit this type of list are Dokmus, Overseers, Sentient, Capital Lux 2 and Brian Boru. 😎
A round head! LOL Mike with the quickness.
When I think about unique games that I own/I've played two always come to mind: The King is Dead and Ginkgopolis.
Cryptid is an excellent deduction game that is very unique, haven't seen anything like it
Good call! Cryptid never really worked for us but it’s absolutely something different and that’s awesome
Glad photosynthesis got some love 👍
I would say for me: Cat in the Box, Fabled Fruit, Takenoko when it first came out, Catan when I first played it in 2000ish, and Bethel Woods/The Loop are very unique, although the two are similar to each other.
I already liked you guys a whole bunch, but now that I know you love baseball I like you even more!
Baseball for life!
Great list those all look fun to play. I think the overall experience of The Initiative is so memorable and unique. I also love Forgotten Waters and feel it's pretty unique in my collection, the mad libs aspect I have not seen in another game.
Good call!
City of Iron has the Faiyum feel with more Euro feel (if posssible). My most unique game is Road to Canterbury…bit a unique mechanism but a unique theme…
Great list, Brothers! To me, in my collection, I think Knizia’s Tigris & Euphrates is unique - from a simple rule set, he created an experience with deep decisions; I haven’t encountered another game quite like it (aside from his re-imagining with Yellow & Yangtze). Friedemann Friese is an especially unique designer - I was charmed by his little solo game Finished! A couple other unique-to-me games are over Mike’s left shoulder: Five Tribes (the worker displacement game) and Paleo (a fresh take on co-ops emphasizing communication and confronting dangers of the wild). The Crew could also be on this list. Great fun! Thank you!
Millennium Blades, Bullet
The first game that comes to mind that really feels unique is Dead Man's Cabal. Maybe the LOOP, but I've only played that once, last night, and haven't really gotten a good feel for it.
Maybe tomorrow when I'm not so tired, I can think of some more.
All great choices, I specially agree with number one. There's a few boardgames I think people that are into boardgames should try at least once for the experience because I consider them pretty unique. Looking at my shelves I think of:
Vast
Bus
Food Chain Magnate
Hoity Toity
John Company
Interesting, I really want to try Ctrl after this. Thanks for the great list! The most unique games I own are Terracotta Army (similar to Tzolkin on your list in some ways). Terracotta Army is unique in terms of theme I would say, and the moveable worker placement spots. Second would be Project L which I consider to be totally unique - an engine building polyomino game where its more about engine building than completing the puzzles. Don't know of any other game like it. One unique game I don't have but really want to play is The Loop (Dr. Faux Strikes Back) the component that spits out the cubes in the middle of the board looks very unique.
Still waiting to get my hands on it to play it but what I've seen of Floating Floors looks cool and unique. I'd describe it as a "tactical dexterity puzzle platformer" as the elevator pitch.
Get cool!
Blood rage is pretty unique. It doesn’t look like it will be, but when you get playing you quickly realise it isn’t just a dudes on a map war game
Great topic to make a list for - thank you :-) - also check out 'Dungeon Date'! So weird and FUN.
I'll check it out!
Betrayal at the house on the hill deserves a mention at the very least
haven't played it
Mountain's out of molehills is pretty darn unique
Totally agree! Such a good little game!
Ctrl looks really neat!
That hairstyle is awesome.
Nice video guys! Any chance you are attending the board game convention in venture on Saturday?
Unfortunately not, we have a busy weekend :( I believe we’ll be at strategicon in a few weeks thoigh
Any updates on when BING BONG CON is? I want to meet you guys and sing "IT"S NICK AND MIKE'S TOP 100 GAMES!"
Yeah When is that conference!? I've been singing that song for weeks!
We have put inquiries out to some locations and shopping around for more so fingers crossed. We can get some quotes that we can afford so we can make this thing happen!
Vast the crystal caverns is up there for me too
Good call
This list could have been all Friedman frise. I will have to check out that new one.
Real talk though! Freedman is always pushing that envelope
Cosmic Frog is probably one of the most unique games I own, but basically anything by Jim Felli and Devious Weasel is weird and unique in some way or another.
I would say one that is very different is Roccoco, for us. My wife & I were used to seeing war, settlement, and train games, and to find something that was so exciting to her thematically was wonderful.
Mega Chopstick Dexterity Challenge 3000 is the most unique
Silliness and gimmicks often lend themselves to uniqueness (uniquery? uniquitude?), so Igloo Pop is probably my most unique game, with Crazy Coconuts and Catapult Kingdoms close behind. That said, Haba could probably put out their own Top 10 unique titles, things like Valley of the Vikings and Hammertime take simple concepts and put unique twists on them.
Totally agree Haba and in general kids games are way out there and fun and strange. We could all learn to take a page from their book more often because the creativity is off the charts there
Nick now looks like a happy go lucky Jason Statham 😎👍
I still gotta try some of this games!!! Great list
I think that’s the perfect descriptor
1. Captain Sonar
2. Treasure Island
3. Gnomes at Night
4. Pagan: Fate of Roanoke
Good picks!
I feel like Modern Art could've been an honorable mention on here! What a fun video. I love how hard it is to explain Decrytpo lol I can relate.
What you said about Baseball Highlights made me think a good top 10 list would be games you’d love to see expand into movies or a TV show. Like Tidal Blades could make a phenomenal show, the world and designs are so fleshed out. Maybe you could even put it out close to the release of the D&D movie. Why should video games, books and comics get all the adaptations?
Agreed that's a great idea for a list!!
I'm surprised that nobody mentioned Gloomhaven. A dungeon crawler controlled by Euro elements really has only been replicated by its sequels.
Good call!
Nice list guys!! Definitely think you 2 need to try My Father's Work! Super unique and fun
I ❤️ Remember Our Trip! That's the game that got me to explore Saashi & Saashi! Have you tried Wind The Film yet? That's probably my favorite!
No!! But I’ve heard you talk about it! I want to play it with you sooooooooo bad
I think it's funny how genre influences the way you guys perceive uniqueness. The biggest example is Tzolkin being above Ctrl. Like sure, Tzolkin is a weird euro, and that's what makes me want to play it so much, but Ctrl truly boggled my mind when y'all talked about it. But I think we expect more uniqueness from simpler games, whereas a heavy, tight euro tends to be more "conventional" because players also need to grok the resource management itself. Not a criticism of the list, to me that kind of consideration is indeed important, but I think it's a funny thing to notice!
I think this is a very good observation!
Decorum
The night cage
Micomacro
Castell
Gravwell
Tokaido is unique to me and very enjoyable.
agreed!
Try out Mord Im Arosa if you haven't already - I'm sure it would be on this list!
Oh cool will do!
No timestamps? Thanks for this unique list!
Cheers!
Don’t worry Nick.Mikes just jealous as when he saves his head he will look like Randy from my name is Earl 😂
You guys should have put project elite somewhere in there. You play each round on a 2m timer and have to play in real time. Great game
Niiiiice haven’t played that one but sounds neat
Im not sure, but I think Break the Code is similar to Turing Machine. The punch hole mechanism is similarly seen in Black Sonata.
I’ll have to check out Faiyum!
Rosetta the lost language
Baseball Highlights: 2045 by Eagle-Grpyon Games, eh? xD ... probably my favorite 2-Player game. Yes, it CAN play up to 4, but I don't ever suggest it...I consider it as an ONLY 2-Player game.
Same!!
tetris link...best game in the world. your welcome once you've tried it
Great job boys
Cleopatra and the society of architects.
Great video 👏
Glad you enjoyed
Jamie hates Baseball Highlights. Get ‘er boys.
Excuse me Jamie we need a word...
Love it. Thanks.
Our pleasure!
Nyctophobia should be included in any unique board game list. I haven't heard of any other game that is remotely similar
Good call!
Maybe a weird comparison, but Baseball Highlights: 2045 sounds like Flesh and Blood. Choosing to use cards for offense or defense is very much in Flesh and Blood’s identity
Right on. The fun part of baseball highlights is the cards do both. No need to choose
Stunned Ginkgopolis wasn't included. Not that I've played it myself yet, but from everything I've heard it is nothing if not unique. Like nothing else. Plus Mike loves the Gink out of it! Perhaps it's on their Patreon list.
I def thought about it and others have mentioned gink so maybe I should have!
@@TheBrothersMurph No criticism implied.🙂
Fantastic!
Recovering from losing your voice? You're recovering from losing your hair.
Well at least it was my choice to shave the dome
I was sure Dodo would have made the list.
that 100% is worthy of a spot on the list!
Superhot the card game is the most unique deck building game there is
Castell is missing from the list!
daaaaang you're RIGHT!!
Hansa Teutonica is unlike any game I know.
Nice we are finally trying that one this weekend!
When I teach I say this game is unique and it will end suddenly, immediately, and before you want it to.
Watching 🎉
Maglev
What about Risk?
It's a classic