Ark Nova, Arnak, Brass Birmingham... My top 3 in no particular order. These games are just mechanically perfect and always a joy to bring to the table.
So very cool to see my game Blob Party on the honourable mentions list, Jamey! Wow! 🙏 And I am signed up to play Quacks of Quedlinburg for the first time ever at my local convention in a couple weeks! 🎉
Amazing list! I’m going to have to check out Earth. I’ve been dragging my feet on this one, but your recommendation has convinced me. Question, what makes Century Golem Edition better in your mind than Century Spice Road? I’ve played both and I didn’t notice a difference worth rating one over the other.
Great list! Top 5 that I would play at any time. 1. Legendary: a Marvel deck building game (and subsequently all the other Legendary games). I started collecting this game in 2016, and still have not yet played all the expansions. I do not get to play this as much as I want and usually just play Solo. 2. Villainous of every kind: Disney, Marvel, Starwars. I Love how every character plays differently and you can mix and match. 3. I love all tableau games with nature and animals. Currently, I would say Forest Shuffle is my #3. #4 is Earth and #5 (because I also love Space-Themed games like Space Base) I will put Roll for the Galaxy here.
I love seeing someone’s top 10 list and seeing 10 different games than my own! It shows that this hobby can accommodate so many different tastes. That said, since I have a few Stonemaier games in my top 10, I can say your tastes are pretty consistent with mine! My tip 3 are Core Worlds, Scythe and Isle of Skye. Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade is rapidly climbing the list, however. Whether or not you like the anime, I highly recommend it, it’s a deckbuilder with some very innovative and unique mechanisms!
@@jameystegmaier haha, sorry for the broken record routine. I just tend to find a game I love and sing its praises to all that will listen. I meant to also say that Wyrmspan is rocketing up as well, that game is incredibly well done!
We have the same tastes in games. Two of our favorite "lunchtime" games at work is Cat in the Box and Skull King. We have played Skull King so many times.... never gets old! And then Century, Star Wars, and Earth. All fantastic! As for my current top few games, in no specific order, I would have to go with Skull King, Wyrmspan, Lost Ruins of Arnak, and Cascadia.
My favorite from your list is Roll Player Adventures. We received Gulpax's Secret but we haven't played yet. We loved and played all the original adventures. I think my current top game overall is Dune Imperium / Uprising. We were hoping to go see the movie sequel this weekend but my wife has been sick 😢
I was happy when I took a chance on Star Wars deckbuilder and it genuinely ended up being my favorite of the genre. The galaxy row mechanics and the planet system solve a vast amount of my minor gripes with deckbuilders, and beyond that it just does the fundamentals right
Great to see Cat in the Box get some love. I grew up playing trick taking games, and I have been drawn to have if that type which have a twist. I love The Crew for the same reason: taking a tried and true mechanism and making it a coop puzzle.
I discovered Star wars the deckbuilding from your previous video... and wow this game is amazing ! I can't stop playing it with my wife. thanks for sharing your top 10 !!
you're top 10 of all times are officially (yes, entered into the hall of records at the library of congress) my favorite. I like you're sort of stream of consciousness in making your list. More about feeling then an incredibly detailed objective approach. I think the fact that it changes so much reflects more how I think of games anyone time. My favorite game of all time is probably a tie between Pandemic (because it brought me into the hobby) and Hanabi. I probably never want to play Hanabi again, but playing that game pretty much every day with roughly the same group and discussing our plays between each and then finally beating that game was a special experience.
King's Dilemma also has a very special place on my heart. The journey this game allows us is one of the most interesting experience in my board game life. I don't know about a whole top 10 list. But I can say for sure the King's Dilemma is in it. Also, RPA is a fantastic game. I dare to say that the new expansion is even better. Now, one of the biggest surprises for me was the Undaunted series. I don't like war games. Actually, I consciously avoid them, but this game made me open an exception. Great system. Tense. Good deck building options. The Stalingrad box even up the ant to another level.
Super thrilled that you put Roll Player Adventures as number 1! I love this game and think of my plays frequently and wonder how to make different choices in the future so that the Dragon will be my ally at the final show down!
@@anactualcloud I have played the whole campaign 3 times leaning into different choices each time and it did not feel repetitive. I am eager to play again.
Everdell is my favorite of all time, particularly with the various expansions. Ark Nova is a very close second, especially with the Marine Worlds expansion. Third, probably Sky Team. Fourth, The Fox Experiment.
My favorite game right now is roads and boats by Splotter. I will fully admit I had to put a lot of time into upgrading the game to make the experience more enjoyable (player aids, 3D printed pieces, etc) but the game mechanics are what make it so much fun. Close second is food chain magnate also by Splotter. Both games don’t have a lot of plays at the table but every time I play them it is an epic experience and one everybody who played is talking about still to this day.
My wife and I have a similar thing going on in our home right now. There are games we both love but simply aren't getting to our table largely because set up and pack down is prohibitive and we're just looking for something light, easy, and scratches an itch. So games like Cascadia, Calico, Azul, Everdell, and Honey Buzz are getting a lot of table time. I confess I don't 'own' any SM games though I have purchased Expeditions Iron Clad edn for my wife's birthday next week. We were watching someone's channel who reviewed it and her eyes lit up. Hoping she loves it. Cheers from Australia.
Hi Jamie. I have a technical question about your presentation. Are you using just a regular slideshow app or is it something else? I ask because I think I saw the games you were discussing as bookmarks "behind" your presentation. I'm just curious.
StreamYard allows me to share my screen in a few different ways, and I typically just open Chrome with a bunch of tabs on my second screen, showcasing images from BoardGameGeek.
I'm not a reviewer, so I'm not here to recommend one game over another. I'm just here to talk about games from a design perspective. If you search my channel, you should find videos about all of those games you mentioned.
My favorite thing about Century: Spice Road is that mechanism of making one of the goal cards associated with a 3 point gold coin. This of course creates a competition for that card. But the trick is, when someone earns that card, the other cards slide down, and a new card will be the gold card. So I love working on a card 2 or 3 away from the gold slot, trying to time my accumulation of resources to when that card becomes the gold card. This injects just enough strategy into what otherwise could be a very tactical game to make it really engaging.
Century is always in my top ten! Recently Signorie has made my list. I have only played it on BGA, but it deserves a reprint/reskin. Wonderful dice placement/engine building game.
I have indeed--you can find it if you search for "Gulpax" on my channel (it also appears on my 2023 favorites video): ruclips.net/video/aNp7uYBPxbA/видео.htmlsi=IyFHqSpIdARfWQw8 I didn't play RPA with Nefra's Judgment.
@@jameystegmaierThank you. I’m glad to hear that skipping Nefra’s Judgement did not detract from you picking it as your #1. Planning on getting Dulpax’s Secret soon. Thanks again.
Super curious about your thoughts on the Space Base competition: My Farm Shop, Bad Company, Machi Koro. Obviously Space Base is on your list and those aren’t, but do you still like the other ones? Also, have you tried Century Golem Edition - An Endless World? I may prefer that one, although it is slightly harder to get to the table for not being as punchy.
I've only played Cat in the Box and Quacks from your list. I really like them both. Three of my favourite games right now are Scythe, Dune Imperium, and Root. Though these hit my table less than other games I'm always thinking about their next play.
I love how your list came together. I find it always interesting to weigh the lighter/more relaxing games we get to the table more vs the bigger games we perhaps enjoy more when we do table them. Always makes for interesting discussion. We play all cooperative so it ends up looking like a top 10 Co-op list: 1: Spirit Island. The asymmetry and replayability are what keep this at #1 2: Marvel Champions. Similar to Spirit island as above. I also, surprisingly, learned about myself that despite thinking I’d hate deck construction, I find it a fun sort of side game on its own. 3: Pandemic(s). Some nostalgia for sure as it was our gateway game, but between the various new versions (Clone Wars, etc) and the legacies, it just has holding power. 4: The Crew. I’ve always loved trick taking and for more than 2p right now this is our clear favorite; also a game that players who come from pinochle, hearts, spades, can learn easily. 5: Vilticulture -Specifically with World expansion. Mihir, you, and the team did amazing and this has given us over 30 plays. Usually a very tight game, and I love the innovation tiles. Also. Viticulture itself is so thematically linked that our in-laws can play with us and still understand mostly just using their wine knowledge logic. 6: Last Bastion. A tough tower-defense co-op that encourages smart teamwork and luck mitigation. So clean and easy to get to the table. 7: Atlantis Rising. Fantastically beautiful, and again a clean simple system. The new expansion adds some complexity and pick-up/tear down time but I think makes up for it with interesting new characters and modules. 8: Beyond Baker Street. This is our favorite “Hanabi-style” game. Limited communication deduction. I love the difficulty scaling, and the fact that you can use characters who make the game easier but also choose some that simply increase difficulty; a neat way to modulate game difficulty that I don’t see often. 9: Daybreak. Our favorite tableau-building cooperative game. I like that it is more fluid/tactical that many tableaux building games; your “engine” changes throughout the game, as opposed to many other tableau building games. Theme and art also intrigue me. 10: The Shipwreck Arcana. Another limited communication deduction game. I love the fluidity of this game as players can freely join or leave if needed. It’s highly arithmetic-driven. The artwork is also fun and portability is a big plus.
@@anactualcloud yes all co-op. I actually have a top 100 all co-op. I think in our whole collection we only own 1 game that is not either solo-able or coop (Onitama). Everything else is coop. We have lots of reasons, but we do just really enjoy to coop experience so much more. With you liking Hanabi so much I think you’d enjoy Beyond Baker Street as a different, perhaps more “gamery” take on the system.
I have no idea what my current fave Stonemaier game is - maybe Wingspan still but my first play of Apiary and Red Rising were great. Not enough plays to make either #1. And I have always loved Viticulture. My Top Ten (without thinking too much) - Arkham Horror LCG, Anachrony, Leaving Earth, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Capital Lux, Dale Of Merchants, Scout (new entry), Dice Throne, Isle of Cats and Terraforming Mars (holding on for a little longer). Cat in the Box is one of the games I really want to get/play. Love cats
I must be missing a comma. Those are Ark Nova and Spots, two different games. :) (UPDATE: I checked, and there's definitely a comma between them already! :) )
Interesting list, very much enjoyed it! I don't actively keep track of my top 10 list, but would value enjoyment of play highly as a criterion, even if it's a game I'm unlikely to play again (e.g. completed campaign games). Bearing that in mind, some of my top games for now include Dune: Imperium, High Society, Wingspan, Pandemic and Oathsworn.
If you enjoy Magic you may also be interested in Sorcery. It has been a really fun sort of old-school Magic vibe, but still refreshing, and tons of fun with 4. Also fun to see Skull King on your list. I love that game and it's rarely ever mentioned.
My top are: 1. Century Golem 2. Power Grid 3. Everdell 4. Space Base 5.Architects of the west kingdon 6. Brew 7. Survive (these two for the chaos factor >:)) 8. Taverns of Tiefenthal 9. Azul 10. Kemet. I like very much your list. Thinking on getting some of them soon
@@jameystegmaier It's impossible not to like some hahaha Century Golem is the game that made me start buying a bunch of games and it was the first one of my collection. I want to try the Star Wars deckbuilding, but it needs to wait as I'll be receiving my Star Wars unlimited boxes in some days and those will take time from other games
I love this list because I'm also often in the mood for much lighter games than most in this hobby. If Stonemaier Games makes some chill titles, I certainly wouldn't complain :)
@@jameystegmaier Good to know! I really need to try Rolling Realms. I think for the spirit of your list, weight plays a big factor in how we're using the word "chill". Selfishly, I'd love to see more Stonemaier games closer to a weight of 2 on BGG.
Ark Nova is normally my top 10 game of all time, but since i just played Ark Nova recently, i am leaving it off the list. i am creating my list based on the games I most want to play at this moment for enjoyment, variety and design inspiration :) 1. Apiary 2. Troyes 3. Wooodcraft 4. Terraforming Mars Ares with discovery expansion 5. Viticulture 6. Clank Legacy 7. On Mars 8.Castles of Mad King ludwig 9. Castles of burgundy 10.Barenpark Games that are new to me which i am most excited to ty soon for similar reasons :) 1. Dinosaur World 2.Tiletum 3.grand Austrian hotel
I like your take on this list, Christine! That's a similar approach to the one I took for my current list. I'm honored to see a few of our games in your top 10.
Honestly, the only metric I use is how I feel about it when I think of it and how eager I am to play it again. I have quite an extensive collection but not enough time and space to play them but I'm two days away from moving into a new house with a (large) dedicated gaming room with two tables so I'll be able to leave campaign games set up permanently. First three off the shelf will be ISS Vanguard, Roleplayer Adventures, and Unsettled. However, in the interim, my top 5 are: Mosaic (my perfect game, I just love it) Brass: Birmingham Beyond the Sun War of the Ring Ark Nova I've only played one game of King's Dilemma so far, I really like it but the group I played it with are VERY hard to get together at the same time :/ Thanks for your list :)
I played Skull King at GenCon a few years ago as a tester. I don't remember being overly excited about it, but maybe some changes were made. I'll look to try it again soon.
I play a fairly similar card game among family for a decade now. Not a gamers game but enough strategy to be fun in late game, yet easy to teach and get people to join.
It's true that many of these are different than those we publish, but a lot of the core tenets are the same: A strong sense of progression, easy to get to the table, emergent complexity, etc.
Top 10s are always hard for me especially since I play a lot only solo, several both solo and 2p and many are just 2p. It’s difficult to rank them against each other. And then when I go to do solo games it’s always tough for me to rank big box games (like Apiary or Everdell) against smaller box games (like Beacon Patrol or Walking in Burano) against “x” n writes ( like Cartographers like Dinosaur Island Rawr n Write) against small card games (like Smitten, Orchard or my Button Shy collection)
My favorite from your list is the SW deck builder Personal top 10 LoTR LCG Mage Knight Too Many Bones Agricola/Caverna The Witcher: Old World Expeditions Spirit Island Lost Ruins of Arnak Vindication Near and Far
I wish our group had enjoyed King's Dilemma more. Loved the concept but there were a lot of clashes between the theme/story and the mechanics for us that soured it. One example was the faction I was playing, who was all about caring for the people, but then I'd get dealt the objective card of maxing out the economy track, and an event would come up like "do you want to raise taxes and screw over people?" and you may think "well yeah that's the dilemma!" but it's so frustrating that to stay loyal to my faction's morals I'd have to basically throw the game due to several cards in a row being about screwing the poor to make money. The biggest negative memory for me though, was that I had been biding my time for like 3 games now to pursue my faction's major quest, I had stockpiled all the tokens I could, passed on several very good votes just waiting for that one choice card to then go all in, only for everyone else at the table to hold a discussion and agree to each put in just enough money to cancel my vote, without triggering a 2nd wave of votes, essentially shutting me out of ever completing that, leaving me completely powerless despite having done everything possible to reach it. As for my current top games, in no particular order: Millennium Blades, Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles, Trickerion, Ark Nova, and Dale of Merchants. All have at least one aspect or mechanic that makes them unique, and also have very strong ties to their themes. (Tapestry is near top of my wishlist for this reason as well, love the asymmetrical factions!).
I can see that being frustrating. I used my faction as an initial guide, but I also let my personal motivations for the kingdom lead my decisions and votes. Ultimately, I wasn't there to win or lose--I was there to participate in the fate of the kingdom, and I had a blast doing that. Thanks for sharing a few of your favorites!
My top 10 at the moment: 10: The Crew. Love trick taking games with a twist 9: Sagrada. Just a beautiful game on the table, simple to play, love the theme 8: Eclipse. As you'll soon see, 4x in space is kind of my thing 7: Tesla vs. Edison. The expansion really makes this game shine. 6: Empires of the Void. See also: #8 5: Hegemony. I knew from the KS campaign this was going to be something special. It has exploded in our game club. 4: TI4. See #s 6 and 8 3: Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done. The combination of a rondel action wheel and the mancala style mechanism for action points just works beautifully. 2: Unsettled. This game is just a pure experience and I love it. I've kick-started every planet they've released. 1: StarCraft. I'm dating myself as a product of mid-2000s Fantasy Flight but this is the game that turned me from a hobby gamer into a collector.
@@jameystegmaier I just looked it up, that's a very clever promo. Lest you be concerned about the dearth of Stonemaier titles on this list, Wingspan and Charterstone are farther down the list, and I'm currently in the process of planning my One Big Game Purchase With My Tax Refund, so I taught Scythe to my kids to get them on board with that as one of my potential picks. If I can get it into the house and on the table more often, I expect its stock to rise significantly.
Do I always find myself excited when someone suggests it. Am I always looking for moments to suggest it. Does it border on a perfect game (to me). Am I ready to play it right now. ~That’s my rubric. Then I order ties based on how much joy I remember having playing the game. 1. Terraforming mars 2. Scythe (thanks) 3. Splendor 4. Root 5. Star realms 6. Cthulhu DMD 7. Concordia 8. Tigris and Euphrates 9. Captain sonar 10. Carcassonne
And I still genuinely love it and will play it at any time (I played it very recently when someone brought it to game night). I've just found myself pulling it off the shelf less often over the last 6+ months, so I thought that should have an impact on my current top 10.
That's an interesting twist on a list. I'm hesitant to do it, though, as it would inherently result in me putting certain games in a negative light, which I prefer not to do.
Isn’t it great that there are so many amazing games to play that not a single one of your choices would be in my top 10. Regardless of that, we can all share and enjoy this hobby!
Thanks for the kind words on RPA. Glad you’ve been enjoying it so much!
It's a masterpiece--thank you so much for creating it!
Ark Nova, Arnak, Brass Birmingham... My top 3 in no particular order. These games are just mechanically perfect and always a joy to bring to the table.
Cat in Box cards absolutely have suits! The picture you showed is clearly a Blue 2.
We're honored beyond measure to see Roll Player Adventures at the top of your list!
I appreciate all the work and creativity you put into it! Amazing game!
Loving your take on the top 10 List. Also really interesting to see the ambassador picks. Much love
So very cool to see my game Blob Party on the honourable mentions list, Jamey! Wow! 🙏
And I am signed up to play Quacks of Quedlinburg for the first time ever at my local convention in a couple weeks! 🎉
Thanks for designing it! I love Blob Party, and I really appreciate you for creating it.
Skull King!!! Absolutely yes. I have to say I do prefer Wizard, because it's a little less Kooky, but the new Skull King does have fantastic art.
Never played Roll Player Adventures, but I've been wanting to give it a go... and since it hit top spot, I'm more motivated to pick it up.
I hope you have fun with it!
Amazing list! I’m going to have to check out Earth. I’ve been dragging my feet on this one, but your recommendation has convinced me. Question, what makes Century Golem Edition better in your mind than Century Spice Road? I’ve played both and I didn’t notice a difference worth rating one over the other.
Thanks! Both of the Century games are mechanically the same (as far as I know); I think I just slightly prefer the fantasy spin on the Golem Edition.
Great list! Top 5 that I would play at any time. 1. Legendary: a Marvel deck building game (and subsequently all the other Legendary games). I started collecting this game in 2016, and still have not yet played all the expansions. I do not get to play this as much as I want and usually just play Solo. 2. Villainous of every kind: Disney, Marvel, Starwars. I Love how every character plays differently and you can mix and match. 3. I love all tableau games with nature and animals. Currently, I would say Forest Shuffle is my #3. #4 is Earth and #5 (because I also love Space-Themed games like Space Base) I will put Roll for the Galaxy here.
Thanks for sharing your top 5! I like a lot of these games too. :)
Loved watching this. Many games that I have heard of but not tried before. I will now look to try these out with this recommendation :)
I love seeing someone’s top 10 list and seeing 10 different games than my own! It shows that this hobby can accommodate so many different tastes. That said, since I have a few Stonemaier games in my top 10, I can say your tastes are pretty consistent with mine!
My tip 3 are Core Worlds, Scythe and Isle of Skye. Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade is rapidly climbing the list, however. Whether or not you like the anime, I highly recommend it, it’s a deckbuilder with some very innovative and unique mechanisms!
Thanks for sharing! Since you've mentioned it a few times, I'm definitely looking into Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade.
@@jameystegmaier haha, sorry for the broken record routine. I just tend to find a game I love and sing its praises to all that will listen.
I meant to also say that Wyrmspan is rocketing up as well, that game is incredibly well done!
We have the same tastes in games. Two of our favorite "lunchtime" games at work is Cat in the Box and Skull King. We have played Skull King so many times.... never gets old!
And then Century, Star Wars, and Earth. All fantastic!
As for my current top few games, in no specific order, I would have to go with Skull King, Wyrmspan, Lost Ruins of Arnak, and Cascadia.
Nice! I'm glad this list resonates with you.
I just started the campaign of Rollplayer adventures. Really great so far :) looking forward to more
I'm glad you're enjoying it! :)
My favorite from your list is Roll Player Adventures. We received Gulpax's Secret but we haven't played yet. We loved and played all the original adventures. I think my current top game overall is Dune Imperium / Uprising. We were hoping to go see the movie sequel this weekend but my wife has been sick 😢
I hope your wife feels better! I really enjoyed Part 2.
I was happy when I took a chance on Star Wars deckbuilder and it genuinely ended up being my favorite of the genre. The galaxy row mechanics and the planet system solve a vast amount of my minor gripes with deckbuilders, and beyond that it just does the fundamentals right
Thank you for your list, Jamey! I absolutely love Space Base. Actually I'm playing it solo, at 2,3 player and on BGA.
I also love Quacks, which reminds me to print out some cool trays for DTW 2024 this week. :)
Great to see Cat in the Box get some love. I grew up playing trick taking games, and I have been drawn to have if that type which have a twist. I love The Crew for the same reason: taking a tried and true mechanism and making it a coop puzzle.
Still need to try roll player adventures and earth. Those sound amazing
Good list :)
I hope you have the chance to try them!
I discovered Star wars the deckbuilding from your previous video... and wow this game is amazing ! I can't stop playing it with my wife. thanks for sharing your top 10 !!
I'm so glad you two are enjoying it! :)
you're top 10 of all times are officially (yes, entered into the hall of records at the library of congress) my favorite. I like you're sort of stream of consciousness in making your list. More about feeling then an incredibly detailed objective approach. I think the fact that it changes so much reflects more how I think of games anyone time. My favorite game of all time is probably a tie between Pandemic (because it brought me into the hobby) and Hanabi. I probably never want to play Hanabi again, but playing that game pretty much every day with roughly the same group and discussing our plays between each and then finally beating that game was a special experience.
Thank you! :) I like the reasons you have such fond feelings for Pandemic and Hanabi.
King's Dilemma also has a very special place on my heart. The journey this game allows us is one of the most interesting experience in my board game life. I don't know about a whole top 10 list. But I can say for sure the King's Dilemma is in it. Also, RPA is a fantastic game. I dare to say that the new expansion is even better. Now, one of the biggest surprises for me was the Undaunted series. I don't like war games. Actually, I consciously avoid them, but this game made me open an exception. Great system. Tense. Good deck building options. The Stalingrad box even up the ant to another level.
I'm glad you've had fun with The King's Dilemma and Role Player Adventures! I enjoy Undaunted too.
Super thrilled that you put Roll Player Adventures as number 1! I love this game and think of my plays frequently and wonder how to make different choices in the future so that the Dragon will be my ally at the final show down!
is RPA a one and done game? or can the campaign be repeated and still be fun? Your answer wouldn't be dispositive, but just curious.
@@anactualcloud I have played the whole campaign 3 times leaning into different choices each time and it did not feel repetitive. I am eager to play again.
I love how the choices in the game result in such different consequences!
Heaven & Ale is an excellent top 10 game I rarely see on anyone's list. Solid choices all around 😎
Everdell is my favorite of all time, particularly with the various expansions.
Ark Nova is a very close second, especially with the Marine Worlds expansion.
Third, probably Sky Team.
Fourth, The Fox Experiment.
Thanks for sharing your list! I really enjoy all four games you mentioned.
My favorite game right now is roads and boats by Splotter. I will fully admit I had to put a lot of time into upgrading the game to make the experience more enjoyable (player aids, 3D printed pieces, etc) but the game mechanics are what make it so much fun.
Close second is food chain magnate also by Splotter.
Both games don’t have a lot of plays at the table but every time I play them it is an epic experience and one everybody who played is talking about still to this day.
Thank you for highlighting these games!
My wife and I have a similar thing going on in our home right now. There are games we both love but simply aren't getting to our table largely because set up and pack down is prohibitive and we're just looking for something light, easy, and scratches an itch. So games like Cascadia, Calico, Azul, Everdell, and Honey Buzz are getting a lot of table time. I confess I don't 'own' any SM games though I have purchased Expeditions Iron Clad edn for my wife's birthday next week. We were watching someone's channel who reviewed it and her eyes lit up. Hoping she loves it. Cheers from Australia.
Thanks for relating to this! I hope you two have fun with Expeditions. :)
@@jameystegmaier Thanks for the reply. I'm sure we'll love it.
Hi Jamie. I have a technical question about your presentation. Are you using just a regular slideshow app or is it something else? I ask because I think I saw the games you were discussing as bookmarks "behind" your presentation. I'm just curious.
StreamYard allows me to share my screen in a few different ways, and I typically just open Chrome with a bunch of tabs on my second screen, showcasing images from BoardGameGeek.
Did you compare Space base to Valeria card kingdoms?
And did you compare Marvel champions to Legendary Marvel deck building game?
I'm not a reviewer, so I'm not here to recommend one game over another. I'm just here to talk about games from a design perspective. If you search my channel, you should find videos about all of those games you mentioned.
Captain flip and for sale are my current easy comfort games.
My favorite thing about Century: Spice Road is that mechanism of making one of the goal cards associated with a 3 point gold coin. This of course creates a competition for that card. But the trick is, when someone earns that card, the other cards slide down, and a new card will be the gold card. So I love working on a card 2 or 3 away from the gold slot, trying to time my accumulation of resources to when that card becomes the gold card. This injects just enough strategy into what otherwise could be a very tactical game to make it really engaging.
That's a keen observation, Steven, and I absolutely agree.
Century is always in my top ten! Recently Signorie has made my list. I have only played it on BGA, but it deserves a reprint/reskin. Wonderful dice placement/engine building game.
I'll have to try that one!
@@jameystegmaier you're welcome to join an asynchronous table with me sometime.
@@caseypeterson5827 Thank you!
Have you had the chance to play Dulpax’s Secret? And did you play RPA with Nefra’s Judgement? I’m eager to know your thoughts about these expansions.
I have indeed--you can find it if you search for "Gulpax" on my channel (it also appears on my 2023 favorites video): ruclips.net/video/aNp7uYBPxbA/видео.htmlsi=IyFHqSpIdARfWQw8
I didn't play RPA with Nefra's Judgment.
@@jameystegmaierThank you. I’m glad to hear that skipping Nefra’s Judgement did not detract from you picking it as your #1. Planning on getting Dulpax’s Secret soon. Thanks again.
@@jbringas9582Definitely! And just to make sure you're looking up the right word, it's Gulpax, not Dulpax. :)
😅
Have you tried Imperium: Classics/Legends/Horizons? It's quickly rose to my favorite deck builder, and has a great solo mode.
I haven't, but I'm hoping to try it!
Super curious about your thoughts on the Space Base competition: My Farm Shop, Bad Company, Machi Koro. Obviously Space Base is on your list and those aren’t, but do you still like the other ones? Also, have you tried Century Golem Edition - An Endless World? I may prefer that one, although it is slightly harder to get to the table for not being as punchy.
I have videos on the latter two, but I haven't played My Farm Shop. I haven't played An Endless World either.
I've only played Cat in the Box and Quacks from your list. I really like them both. Three of my favourite games right now are Scythe, Dune Imperium, and Root. Though these hit my table less than other games I'm always thinking about their next play.
I'm glad to see Scythe on your list! I played Dune Imperium a few times this week in preparation for the movie, and I'm still loving the game.
I love how your list came together. I find it always interesting to weigh the lighter/more relaxing games we get to the table more vs the bigger games we perhaps enjoy more when we do table them. Always makes for interesting discussion.
We play all cooperative so it ends up looking like a top 10 Co-op list:
1: Spirit Island. The asymmetry and replayability are what keep this at #1
2: Marvel Champions. Similar to Spirit island as above. I also, surprisingly, learned about myself that despite thinking I’d hate deck construction, I find it a fun sort of side game on its own.
3: Pandemic(s). Some nostalgia for sure as it was our gateway game, but between the various new versions (Clone Wars, etc) and the legacies, it just has holding power.
4: The Crew. I’ve always loved trick taking and for more than 2p right now this is our clear favorite; also a game that players who come from pinochle, hearts, spades, can learn easily.
5: Vilticulture -Specifically with World expansion. Mihir, you, and the team did amazing and this has given us over 30 plays. Usually a very tight game, and I love the innovation tiles. Also. Viticulture itself is so thematically linked that our in-laws can play with us and still understand mostly just using their wine knowledge logic.
6: Last Bastion. A tough tower-defense co-op that encourages smart teamwork and luck mitigation. So clean and easy to get to the table.
7: Atlantis Rising. Fantastically beautiful, and again a clean simple system. The new expansion adds some complexity and pick-up/tear down time but I think makes up for it with interesting new characters and modules.
8: Beyond Baker Street. This is our favorite “Hanabi-style” game. Limited communication deduction. I love the difficulty scaling, and the fact that you can use characters who make the game easier but also choose some that simply increase difficulty; a neat way to modulate game difficulty that I don’t see often.
9: Daybreak. Our favorite tableau-building cooperative game. I like that it is more fluid/tactical that many tableaux building games; your “engine” changes throughout the game, as opposed to many other tableau building games. Theme and art also intrigue me.
10: The Shipwreck Arcana. Another limited communication deduction game. I love the fluidity of this game as players can freely join or leave if needed. It’s highly arithmetic-driven. The artwork is also fun and portability is a big plus.
All cooperative, right? That's also my jam. There are a couple of those I'll make sure to check out.
Thanks for sharing your full current top 10, Cory! I need to learn more about Last Bastion.
@@anactualcloud yes all co-op. I actually have a top 100 all co-op.
I think in our whole collection we only own 1 game that is not either solo-able or coop (Onitama).
Everything else is coop. We have lots of reasons, but we do just really enjoy to coop experience so much more.
With you liking Hanabi so much I think you’d enjoy Beyond Baker Street as a different, perhaps more “gamery” take on the system.
Huzzah for being the lone voice of Libertalia as the favourite!
I have no idea what my current fave Stonemaier game is - maybe Wingspan still but my first play of Apiary and Red Rising were great. Not enough plays to make either #1. And I have always loved Viticulture.
My Top Ten (without thinking too much) - Arkham Horror LCG, Anachrony, Leaving Earth, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Capital Lux, Dale Of Merchants, Scout (new entry), Dice Throne, Isle of Cats and Terraforming Mars (holding on for a little longer).
Cat in the Box is one of the games I really want to get/play. Love cats
Thanks for sharing this, including some Stonemaier games you enjoy. :)
Jamey . . . your honorable mention lists Ark Nova Spots. 🤔 Was this just you listing two games on one line here or am I missing something. 😉
I must be missing a comma. Those are Ark Nova and Spots, two different games. :) (UPDATE: I checked, and there's definitely a comma between them already! :) )
Man I love Space Base!
Interesting list, very much enjoyed it! I don't actively keep track of my top 10 list, but would value enjoyment of play highly as a criterion, even if it's a game I'm unlikely to play again (e.g. completed campaign games). Bearing that in mind, some of my top games for now include Dune: Imperium, High Society, Wingspan, Pandemic and Oathsworn.
Thanks for sharing! That's a nice range of games.
If you enjoy Magic you may also be interested in Sorcery. It has been a really fun sort of old-school Magic vibe, but still refreshing, and tons of fun with 4.
Also fun to see Skull King on your list. I love that game and it's rarely ever mentioned.
Thanks! I've heard good things about Sorcery, and I'm intrigued to try it.
I completely understand why you can’t, but man I wish one time we got to see you rank the Stonemaier games among and against the other games Jamey.
My top are: 1. Century Golem 2. Power Grid 3. Everdell 4. Space Base 5.Architects of the west kingdon 6. Brew 7. Survive (these two for the chaos factor >:)) 8. Taverns of Tiefenthal 9. Azul 10. Kemet. I like very much your list. Thinking on getting some of them soon
Thanks for sharing your list--we have a little overlap! :)
@@jameystegmaier It's impossible not to like some hahaha Century Golem is the game that made me start buying a bunch of games and it was the first one of my collection. I want to try the Star Wars deckbuilding, but it needs to wait as I'll be receiving my Star Wars unlimited boxes in some days and those will take time from other games
I love this list because I'm also often in the mood for much lighter games than most in this hobby. If Stonemaier Games makes some chill titles, I certainly wouldn't complain :)
Thanks! Do you consider any of our games to be chill games? I'd put Wingspan, Viticulture, and Rolling Realms in that category, but that's just me. :)
@@jameystegmaier Good to know! I really need to try Rolling Realms.
I think for the spirit of your list, weight plays a big factor in how we're using the word "chill". Selfishly, I'd love to see more Stonemaier games closer to a weight of 2 on BGG.
Ark Nova is normally my top 10 game of all time, but since i just played Ark Nova recently, i am leaving it off the list. i am creating my list based on the games I most want to play at this moment for enjoyment, variety and design inspiration :)
1. Apiary
2. Troyes
3. Wooodcraft
4. Terraforming Mars Ares with discovery expansion
5. Viticulture
6. Clank Legacy
7. On Mars
8.Castles of Mad King ludwig
9. Castles of burgundy
10.Barenpark
Games that are new to me which i am most excited to ty soon for similar reasons :)
1. Dinosaur World
2.Tiletum
3.grand Austrian hotel
I like your take on this list, Christine! That's a similar approach to the one I took for my current list. I'm honored to see a few of our games in your top 10.
Honestly, the only metric I use is how I feel about it when I think of it and how eager I am to play it again. I have quite an extensive collection but not enough time and space to play them but I'm two days away from moving into a new house with a (large) dedicated gaming room with two tables so I'll be able to leave campaign games set up permanently. First three off the shelf will be ISS Vanguard, Roleplayer Adventures, and Unsettled. However, in the interim, my top 5 are:
Mosaic (my perfect game, I just love it)
Brass: Birmingham
Beyond the Sun
War of the Ring
Ark Nova
I've only played one game of King's Dilemma so far, I really like it but the group I played it with are VERY hard to get together at the same time :/
Thanks for your list :)
I like that metric! Thanks for sharing your list, and I hope your move goes well.
I played Skull King at GenCon a few years ago as a tester. I don't remember being overly excited about it, but maybe some changes were made. I'll look to try it again soon.
I play a fairly similar card game among family for a decade now. Not a gamers game but enough strategy to be fun in late game, yet easy to teach and get people to join.
Thanks for making this video!
Wow very surprising how different these games are than the ones you publish!
I'm guessing he needs lighter fare given that his job is probably involves playing heavier games so much to test them and make changes. ?
It's true that many of these are different than those we publish, but a lot of the core tenets are the same: A strong sense of progression, easy to get to the table, emergent complexity, etc.
Top 10s are always hard for me especially since I play a lot only solo, several both solo and 2p and many are just 2p. It’s difficult to rank them against each other. And then when I go to do solo games it’s always tough for me to rank big box games (like Apiary or Everdell) against smaller box games (like Beacon Patrol or Walking in Burano) against “x” n writes ( like Cartographers like Dinosaur Island Rawr n Write) against small card games (like Smitten, Orchard or my Button Shy collection)
I can definitely see that making the ranking difficult.
My favorite from your list is the SW deck builder
Personal top 10
LoTR LCG
Mage Knight
Too Many Bones
Agricola/Caverna
The Witcher: Old World
Expeditions
Spirit Island
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Vindication
Near and Far
Thanks for sharing your list! A few of my favorites from yours are Agricola/Caverna, Expeditions, Lost Ruins of Arnak, and Near and Far.
I wish our group had enjoyed King's Dilemma more. Loved the concept but there were a lot of clashes between the theme/story and the mechanics for us that soured it. One example was the faction I was playing, who was all about caring for the people, but then I'd get dealt the objective card of maxing out the economy track, and an event would come up like "do you want to raise taxes and screw over people?" and you may think "well yeah that's the dilemma!" but it's so frustrating that to stay loyal to my faction's morals I'd have to basically throw the game due to several cards in a row being about screwing the poor to make money. The biggest negative memory for me though, was that I had been biding my time for like 3 games now to pursue my faction's major quest, I had stockpiled all the tokens I could, passed on several very good votes just waiting for that one choice card to then go all in, only for everyone else at the table to hold a discussion and agree to each put in just enough money to cancel my vote, without triggering a 2nd wave of votes, essentially shutting me out of ever completing that, leaving me completely powerless despite having done everything possible to reach it.
As for my current top games, in no particular order: Millennium Blades, Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles, Trickerion, Ark Nova, and Dale of Merchants. All have at least one aspect or mechanic that makes them unique, and also have very strong ties to their themes. (Tapestry is near top of my wishlist for this reason as well, love the asymmetrical factions!).
I can see that being frustrating. I used my faction as an initial guide, but I also let my personal motivations for the kingdom lead my decisions and votes. Ultimately, I wasn't there to win or lose--I was there to participate in the fate of the kingdom, and I had a blast doing that.
Thanks for sharing a few of your favorites!
My top 10 at the moment:
10: The Crew. Love trick taking games with a twist
9: Sagrada. Just a beautiful game on the table, simple to play, love the theme
8: Eclipse. As you'll soon see, 4x in space is kind of my thing
7: Tesla vs. Edison. The expansion really makes this game shine.
6: Empires of the Void. See also: #8
5: Hegemony. I knew from the KS campaign this was going to be something special. It has exploded in our game club.
4: TI4. See #s 6 and 8
3: Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done. The combination of a rondel action wheel and the mancala style mechanism for action points just works beautifully.
2: Unsettled. This game is just a pure experience and I love it. I've kick-started every planet they've released.
1: StarCraft. I'm dating myself as a product of mid-2000s Fantasy Flight but this is the game that turned me from a hobby gamer into a collector.
Thanks for sharing your list! We just released a promo for Rolling Realms inspired by Crusaders. :)
@@jameystegmaier I just looked it up, that's a very clever promo.
Lest you be concerned about the dearth of Stonemaier titles on this list, Wingspan and Charterstone are farther down the list, and I'm currently in the process of planning my One Big Game Purchase With My Tax Refund, so I taught Scythe to my kids to get them on board with that as one of my potential picks. If I can get it into the house and on the table more often, I expect its stock to rise significantly.
Do I always find myself excited when someone suggests it. Am I always looking for moments to suggest it. Does it border on a perfect game (to me). Am I ready to play it right now. ~That’s my rubric. Then I order ties based on how much joy I remember having playing the game.
1. Terraforming mars
2. Scythe (thanks)
3. Splendor
4. Root
5. Star realms
6. Cthulhu DMD
7. Concordia
8. Tigris and Euphrates
9. Captain sonar
10. Carcassonne
I like that rubric! Thanks for sharing your list.
Spoilers:
I was surprised to see Ark Nova fell off your list! It’s been very high the past few
And I still genuinely love it and will play it at any time (I played it very recently when someone brought it to game night). I've just found myself pulling it off the shelf less often over the last 6+ months, so I thought that should have an impact on my current top 10.
I'm glad to see Tapestry second favorite.
I love Tapestry! As the designer/publisher, I couldn't put it on this list, but I appreciate the opportunity to create it.
I would love to see you "re-arrange" the BGG top 50 (or25 for times sake) into your order, but you have to use the games listed.
That's an interesting twist on a list. I'm hesitant to do it, though, as it would inherently result in me putting certain games in a negative light, which I prefer not to do.
Isn’t it great that there are so many amazing games to play that not a single one of your choices would be in my top 10. Regardless of that, we can all share and enjoy this hobby!
I agree--the diversity of games found in this hobby is amazing. What are a few of your current favorites?
My top 5 right now are Scythe, Neuroshima Hex, Marvel Champions, The Guild of Merchant Explorers and Sea Salt & Paper.
Hows roll player vs roll player adventures?
I love both! Roll Player is very specifically a puzzle game, while Roll Player Adventures has part of that puzzle combined with the adventure element.
I think lots of LotR fans wish there was a Century: Gollum Edition
the skull king looks fun but the pirates' and mermaids' artwork are a huge turnoff ... wish they had kept the older schmidt's artwork instead
I am surprised nobody had Spirit Island. Although I don't disagree that the other games are good
Several ambassadors chose Spirit Island--it's on the ambassador list.
@@jameystegmaier oops! Don't know how I missed that. Thanks!
Wow, I haven't played any of your top 10
I'm happy to recommend one if you have a few favorite games to share!