My rating is very odd 7:LYNGK (My family found a way to win every time no matter the starting position) 6:Pungt (I like it, it just is a lil complex for me) 5:Yinsh (I like it, I just think its a bit too long) 4:Gipf(Better connect 4 style game than pentago, and you cant change my mind) 3:DVONN (I love this game, the stack determines movement is so good and most classical of the bunch) 2: ZERTZ (This game is the most creative of the bunch, I love the shrinking board) 1:TZARR (so creative, like chess, but insanely good)
@@andrzejkepka1223 Its hard to explain, but basically, whoever goes first is guaranteed to get a tower of all colors first, just by claiming a color in the middle, and making a route to the middle. It isnt guaranteed, but its so much of an advantage that nobody in my family wants to play it.
Thank you for this wonderfully concise overview of the games in the series. It is indeed very remarkable that every top 7 list I see on the internet is different. There is really no best and worst game in this series, it is very much a matter of personal preference. All these games are fascinating in their own right. For example, Tzaar really clicks with me because of its simplicity in rules and because I like investing in building stronger pieces. Personally I consider Kris Burm to be a real genius for coming up with all these great games. The remarkable thing is, Belgium is a very small country, but almost nobody in Belgium knows the name of Kris Burm. I find that very sad. It shows how very niche abstract board games are (except for Chess).
Indeed, it is definitely up to personal preference. I love Kris Burm’s designs, and I definitely agree that abstract games need more love and attention. That’s why I try to cover them when I get the chance. 😉
I perfectly agree with everything you said about Yinsh, save that it's my number two abstract strategy game of all time. My number one is not from the GIPF series and is called Homeworlds. Thanks for this cool and informative review.
You're very welcome, and thank you for watching and commenting. My current favorite abstract is That Time You Killed me, though it is a bit of an abstract plus.
I enjoy the whole series, but Tzaar is just my least favorite, it’s still a game that I would never part with mind you. 😉 What order would you put the series in? I’d love to hear. 😁
@@TheBoardGameKaptain I can't bear to rate any of them too low, so I think I would rate them on a tier system rather than sequentially. I think I would have to say: S Tier: YINSH, TZAAR A Tier: LYNGK, DVONN B Tier: GIPF Unfortunately haven't played ZERTZ and PUNCT yet, but there's no way I'll let them get past me for long.
Thanks for this video. I have Yinsh and Dvonn. Yinsh is my favorite. I like Dvonn, but have not won a single game! I just purchased Gipf. Zertz is still on my Want list.
Zee actually has YINSH as his #1 abstract and TZAAR as his #3 abstract. So technically TZAAR is his #2 GIPH game. Great video though.. not many people have these ranked on here for some reason.
When you said top 7, my thought wasn't "why not a top 10"...MY thought was why a "top 7"? There are *only* 7 games in the Gipf series. Really should've been called a "ranking" of the Gipf games. Also, Punct is played on a hexanol board, not octagonal. My ranking would be Dvonne1st (that's my favorite), then Zertz, Yinsh, Tzaar, Gipf, Punct. I have not played Lingk.
yinsh seems to be the most popular of the series, followed by tzaar. I've never played any but would love to try them. Yinsh is hard to find though and going for like $100 on ebay unfortunately
Yinsh is the first one I acquired. I just found out about Lyngk today. I was wanting to play the "uber" version of this game, and I have some of the other pieces that were for the bigger project. However, finding information on that is tough. Everyone treats them as a series with separate games.
Hey, I have to ask you, what’s the “Uber version”? Also, with the bigger project, do you mean when Taask was a part of the series? Thanks for watching and commenting! :)
I meant with using the "potentials" as part of the game. I have a couple of the extra Gipf sets that have the potentials from the other games. I think the intention was to play Gipf, and on a mutual agreement, play one of the other games in order to get a potential to use in the Gipf game to give you extra powers/moves in order to win. I've never found a good write-up, and I don't know if I ever had all the extra potentials.
Nice video! I own the 7 games of the project but only 2 in big square box. I'd rate them like so (I'm also adding something that makes each game unique in the series) : *** Higher Tier DVONN 10.0 (No hexagaonal board) LYNGK 9.5 (The most colorful) ** Middle Tier YINSH 9.0 (Catch up mechanism) ZÈRTZ 8.5 (Marbles, sacrifices and all pieces are neutral) GIPF 8.0 (Slow buildup, as pieces move only 1 space) * Lower Tier PÜNCT 7.5 (Connection game involving movement and stacking) TZAAR 7.0 (You get 2 moves on every turn) And I know those ratings will change with more plays! :)
Thanks! You are one of very few people who agree with me in putting Tzaar at the bottom tier. We're definitely in the minority on that one. I really feel like it's the least innovative of the bunch, though still a good game. The whole series is good to great after all.
1. TZAAR 2. DVONN 3. YINSH 4. ZERTZ Played the rest but not enough to rate them. TZAAR is a fantastic masterpiece... If you want to try two games that can rivial them, get Tintas and TAILITS.
I'm always looking for great abstract strategy games. I just played one last night that seemed as though it may be great, I'll need a few more plays to be sure. It was called Shobu. :)
@@TheBoardGameKaptain I adore Shobu. It has one of the most unique rule mechanisms I've seen in an abstract strategy game. Great video, btw. I watched it once about a year ago when I first disovered the GIPF series. I finally decided to branch out from Hive, and went on a hunt for other cool abstracts. My wife and I spent waaay too much money on games that week. ZERTZ and YINSH were the first ones we acquired. I love 'em both. She prefers YISH, but she admits it's largely because I usually beat her at ZERTZ. We recent got DVONN, LYNGK, and GIPF, but it's too soon for me to rank them. I can see us getting TZAAR eventually, but probably not PUNCT. I want to want it, but I'm just not feeling it.
MoonJellyGames very cool! We actually wound up doing a review and tutorial video for Shobu, by the way. Sounds like you’re well on your way with a great abstract collection. You really can’t talk about great modern abstract games without disgusting the Gipf series. 😁
You didn’t miss it. Burm replaced Tamsk as part of the Gipf project with Tzaar. He decided that it didn’t fit with the rest of the series. I have never actually played it, so I’m not sure where I would put it in the list. :)
@@TheBoardGameKaptain oh I didn't realize that. I would say it is fun, but the real time element of it turns off some. Particularly those that enjoy taking a moment to plan our there moves in abstract games. Great list though!
My rating is very odd
7:LYNGK (My family found a way to win every time no matter the starting position)
6:Pungt (I like it, it just is a lil complex for me)
5:Yinsh (I like it, I just think its a bit too long)
4:Gipf(Better connect 4 style game than pentago, and you cant change my mind)
3:DVONN (I love this game, the stack determines movement is so good and most classical of the bunch)
2: ZERTZ (This game is the most creative of the bunch, I love the shrinking board)
1:TZARR (so creative, like chess, but insanely good)
Nice list! This is such a great series of games.
Could you please explain how is it possible to always win in LYNGK no matter the starting position? I'm very curious!
@@andrzejkepka1223 Its hard to explain, but basically, whoever goes first is guaranteed to get a tower of all colors first, just by claiming a color in the middle, and making a route to the middle. It isnt guaranteed, but its so much of an advantage that nobody in my family wants to play it.
@@Ben-pf9wx I see - does the first player have to claim the color first turn?
@@andrzejkepka1223 yes, if not, the other player could claim the center and work their way out faster than you can work in.
I own YINSH and LYNGK. My nephew enjoys Yinsh. I slightly prefer Lyngk, but BOTH are fabulous. I’d play either…..anytime, anywhere.
They are both definitely fantastic games.
No Honorable mention for TAMSK? :)
I haven't gotten myself a copy of Tamsk yet. I'll hopefully get to try it one day. ;)
Thank you for this wonderfully concise overview of the games in the series. It is indeed very remarkable that every top 7 list I see on the internet is different. There is really no best and worst game in this series, it is very much a matter of personal preference. All these games are fascinating in their own right. For example, Tzaar really clicks with me because of its simplicity in rules and because I like investing in building stronger pieces.
Personally I consider Kris Burm to be a real genius for coming up with all these great games. The remarkable thing is, Belgium is a very small country, but almost nobody in Belgium knows the name of Kris Burm. I find that very sad. It shows how very niche abstract board games are (except for Chess).
Indeed, it is definitely up to personal preference. I love Kris Burm’s designs, and I definitely agree that abstract games need more love and attention. That’s why I try to cover them when I get the chance. 😉
I only have four of these at this point: Tzaar, Dvonn, Yinsh, and Lyngk. So far, Lyngk is my favorite. Enjoyed your video!
Thanks for watching and commenting. I really am a fan of the whole series, are you going to keep going until you get the whole series?
@@TheBoardGameKaptain I probably will, yes!
I perfectly agree with everything you said about Yinsh, save that it's my number two abstract strategy game of all time. My number one is not from the GIPF series and is called Homeworlds. Thanks for this cool and informative review.
You're very welcome, and thank you for watching and commenting. My current favorite abstract is That Time You Killed me, though it is a bit of an abstract plus.
WHAT?! I am shocked that TZAAR is your number 7. Top 3 in the series for me.
I enjoy the whole series, but Tzaar is just my least favorite, it’s still a game that I would never part with mind you. 😉 What order would you put the series in? I’d love to hear. 😁
@@TheBoardGameKaptain I can't bear to rate any of them too low, so I think I would rate them on a tier system rather than sequentially. I think I would have to say:
S Tier: YINSH, TZAAR
A Tier: LYNGK, DVONN
B Tier: GIPF
Unfortunately haven't played ZERTZ and PUNCT yet, but there's no way I'll let them get past me for long.
shanerion it’s really tough to put such a great series in order, I struggled with my list for a while on this one.
Just ordered Dvonn. Awesome game!!! My favourite game in the series next to Tzaar. Yinsh is my least favourite 😅
Indeed, it has some very unique mechanics and strategies. I love Dvonn.
Great review of the series. I own several but now feel the need to own all!!
Thanks very much 😁
TZAAR is my No. 1 with a bullet
Which setup is your go to standard for Tzaar, the random or the fixed?
Thanks for this video. I have Yinsh and Dvonn. Yinsh is my favorite. I like Dvonn, but have not won a single game! I just purchased Gipf. Zertz is still on my Want list.
Very nice, sounds like you're working your way through collecting the whole series.
YINSH
TZAAR
DVONN
GIPF
ZERTZ
PUNCT
TAMSK
Haven't played LYNGK yet
Is Yinsh your favorite or least favorite? I'm guessing favorite but I'm not sure if you're counting up or down. Thanks. :)
I only have Dvonn and Yinsh. Love them both. Thank you for this video :-)
You're very welcome, thank you for watching and commenting. Dvonn and Yinsh are both fantastic. Are you planning to continue collecting the series?
@@TheBoardGameKaptain yes :-)
I llike this video you did a great job
Thanks very much, I really appreciate the positive feedback. Thanks for watching. :)
Zee actually has YINSH as his #1 abstract and TZAAR as his #3 abstract. So technically TZAAR is his #2 GIPH game. Great video though.. not many people have these ranked on here for some reason.
Thanks very much and thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment. :)
Such a good review video. Thank you, Kap'! I soooo would like to get & play Yinsh. Maybe I will. BTW I'll be checking out your channel further. :)
Thanks so much, welcome to the channel. I look forward to seeing your comments on my videos. 😁
Ranking Tzaar a 7 was a sin
Well, then I guess I’m a sinner. How would you order them. :)
When you said top 7, my thought wasn't "why not a top 10"...MY thought was why a "top 7"? There are *only* 7 games in the Gipf series. Really should've been called a "ranking" of the Gipf games.
Also, Punct is played on a hexanol board, not octagonal.
My ranking would be Dvonne1st (that's my favorite), then Zertz, Yinsh, Tzaar, Gipf, Punct. I have not played Lingk.
It was a top 7 out of 7. Dvonn is pretty awesome. You should definitely try Lyngk, it’s very good. ;)
@@TheBoardGameKaptain RIght on! I gotta get around to that! :)
Dvonn, Gipf, Yinsh, Tzaar, Lyngk, Punk, Zertz
Nice list! Dvonn is really a great game!
@@TheBoardGameKaptain I just uploaded a playthrough video of Gipf. A little underappreciated game
@@Juegosmontt Is it live yet? I don't see it amongst your recent releases. I'm definitely a fan of Gipf.
@@TheBoardGameKaptain ruclips.net/video/NTFxFC8j4oQ/видео.html
yinsh seems to be the most popular of the series, followed by tzaar. I've never played any but would love to try them. Yinsh is hard to find though and going for like $100 on ebay unfortunately
I really do wish they'd do a reprint.
Perfect, the way the dog comes down the stairs at 0:21.
I’m definitely a dog person. 😉
Absolutely love the gipf series
Me too. ;)
Yinsh is the first one I acquired. I just found out about Lyngk today. I was wanting to play the "uber" version of this game, and I have some of the other pieces that were for the bigger project. However, finding information on that is tough. Everyone treats them as a series with separate games.
Hey, I have to ask you, what’s the “Uber version”? Also, with the bigger project, do you mean when Taask was a part of the series? Thanks for watching and commenting! :)
I meant with using the "potentials" as part of the game. I have a couple of the extra Gipf sets that have the potentials from the other games. I think the intention was to play Gipf, and on a mutual agreement, play one of the other games in order to get a potential to use in the Gipf game to give you extra powers/moves in order to win. I've never found a good write-up, and I don't know if I ever had all the extra potentials.
Nice video! I own the 7 games of the project but only 2 in big square box. I'd rate them like so (I'm also adding something that makes each game unique in the series) :
*** Higher Tier
DVONN 10.0 (No hexagaonal board)
LYNGK 9.5 (The most colorful)
** Middle Tier
YINSH 9.0 (Catch up mechanism)
ZÈRTZ 8.5 (Marbles, sacrifices and all pieces are neutral)
GIPF 8.0 (Slow buildup, as pieces move only 1 space)
* Lower Tier
PÜNCT 7.5 (Connection game involving movement and stacking)
TZAAR 7.0 (You get 2 moves on every turn)
And I know those ratings will change with more plays! :)
Thanks! You are one of very few people who agree with me in putting Tzaar at the bottom tier. We're definitely in the minority on that one. I really feel like it's the least innovative of the bunch, though still a good game. The whole series is good to great after all.
1. TZAAR
2. DVONN
3. YINSH
4. ZERTZ
Played the rest but not enough to rate them. TZAAR is a fantastic masterpiece...
If you want to try two games that can rivial them, get Tintas and TAILITS.
I'm always looking for great abstract strategy games. I just played one last night that seemed as though it may be great, I'll need a few more plays to be sure. It was called Shobu. :)
The Board Game Kaptain I looked at it, but it falls short compared with the two I mentioned.
@@TheBoardGameKaptain I adore Shobu. It has one of the most unique rule mechanisms I've seen in an abstract strategy game.
Great video, btw. I watched it once about a year ago when I first disovered the GIPF series. I finally decided to branch out from Hive, and went on a hunt for other cool abstracts. My wife and I spent waaay too much money on games that week. ZERTZ and YINSH were the first ones we acquired. I love 'em both. She prefers YISH, but she admits it's largely because I usually beat her at ZERTZ. We recent got DVONN, LYNGK, and GIPF, but it's too soon for me to rank them. I can see us getting TZAAR eventually, but probably not PUNCT. I want to want it, but I'm just not feeling it.
MoonJellyGames very cool! We actually wound up doing a review and tutorial video for Shobu, by the way. Sounds like you’re well on your way with a great abstract collection. You really can’t talk about great modern abstract games without disgusting the Gipf series. 😁
Off-topic, but........ What is the name of the cool song in the intro of the channel?
It was called Eyes of Glory and was available for free through RUclips.
Kunt u mij een filmpje zenden want je vind bijna nergens een goede uitleg filmpje van punct.
If you'd like to request a video you could become a member of my Patreon at the Board Game Boatswain level.
@@TheBoardGameKaptain yes
Tamsk? Did I miss it?
You didn’t miss it. Burm replaced Tamsk as part of the Gipf project with Tzaar. He decided that it didn’t fit with the rest of the series. I have never actually played it, so I’m not sure where I would put it in the list. :)
@@TheBoardGameKaptain oh I didn't realize that. I would say it is fun, but the real time element of it turns off some. Particularly those that enjoy taking a moment to plan our there moves in abstract games. Great list though!
@@davidkeough8583 thank you, and thank you for watching and commenting. I really would like to try it at some point, but it's hard to come by now. :/
@@TheBoardGameKaptain if you are ever in Northern Colorado, hit me up we can play my copy.
Tamsk is a tough one to find. Has been out of print for a long time. I was lucky to get a copy when it first came out.
When are you going to play Sails of Glory again? I'm very interested to see one of your 400 point first-rate battles!
I'll try to schedule one. :)
Awesome! I'm looking forward to it!
Zee Garcia mentions Tzaar has his 2nd favorite...Yinsh is his #1
Well, I agree with him on Yinsh but disagree on Tzaar. ;)
Guillermo have you watched the vid? He mentions Zee Garcia lol