Top 10 Games Everyone Should Play at Least Once
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- Опубликовано: 24 мар 2021
- Tom, Zee, Mike, Chris & Roy share their top 10 games everyone should play at least once!
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At the end of Tom’s Caverna discussion: “I don’t know... but look at all these sheep!!” That actually made me laugh out loud. 😄
I love this kind of game reviews with multiple opinion. I don't have to watch 5 videos for different opinions
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I really did enjoy Spring Spectacular. I watched as much of it as I could, and it added joy to my day. Thank you, and you enjoy your days off.
'Mombasa' is Alexander Pfister's best design and he's absolutely one of the best board game designers ever. The fact that it combines area control with deck building with worker placement with stocks and does them all perfectly is mind boggling.
One of my Top 20 games for sure.
I'm not going to search through all the comments already made, so there is a solid probability that I'm going to repeat something already said. I REALLY hope that Chris has followed what is CLEARLY his calling. The man has the MOST amazing voice. He should use this super-power for radio. TRULY Amazing! An announcer or narrator...SOMETHING!
I think The Fox in the Forest would be a good introduction to trick taking games. It is one of the few two player trick taking games, so a good one to practice and learn without the pressure of a team/group setting.
It takes a village to raise a gamer and that is why I adore these top 10 lists.
Well done, guys.
I found Chris’s comments to be thoughtful, insightful, and nuanced...and that his ability to articulate the discretely technical in digestible bites is a thing this channel has been missing all these years.
I can’t stress enough how good it felt to have that at the table.
Plus, he comes across as a genuinely good guy who isn’t pulling a power-play even as he elevates the level of discourse WHILE course-correcting due to Zee’s good-natured jabs. #TeamChris
Good try Wendy! ;)
How does Zee always manage to have the game being discussed *within arms reach* ? Amazing
Zee lives within a board game subspace
Yeah how is that possible???!!! 🤔 Sarcasm aside, it's great! 👌
It’s uncanny
There are many deck builders better than dominion.
Shadows over Camelot: why, oh why, is this game out of print?
My #1 is Tsuro...easy to explain and understand for gamers and newbies alike! So much fun! We play it as a warm-up nearly every game -night!!! It takes little or nothing to learn and the table talk is great!
You guys ragging on each other and each other's picks are my favorite parts of these videos. Much better than stiff list videos and shows real friendships. 🦖
Great stuff! Here's my count: I've played 8 of the games on Roy's list. Just 3 of Chris' list. 6 of Mike's list, 5 of Zee's and 8 of Tom's. And I agree with most of the picks, I wanna play them at least once!
Chris is absolutely spectacular! Great explanations and good humor with the group.
Is this Chris' alternate account? 😂
i also enjoy Chris' viewpoint, he seems to enjoy a distinctly different set of games than the others. There is overlap, but he is distinct.
@@sorrowsong08 not sure that's exclusively a Chris thing, i feel that applies to everyone
Are you kidding, that's absolutely the worst. He's mulling his words, as in, doesn't always know what he wants to say, and he has the absolute worse picks of all of 'em.
Zee's reaction is spot on when Tom mentioned Magic The Gathering (same for Roy's reaction). And nowadays it's even gotten worst.
I tried it, bought a 30euro deck and 10 years later I probably spent over 15.000 dollars on a bunch of cards.
MTG is the best card game without a doubt, but it's the most dangerous to get into when you care about your money.
15.000$? I hope you could resell it.
@@alvarorodriguez1592 i checked the full worth of my collection and nowadays it's worth little over $7000. Most cards that went for +/-$15 value are now worth only $1. I'm just lucky that I own 1 judge promo card that I bought for $60 and that is now going for $1500. I'm telling everyone now, MTG is a lousy investment. There are only a handfull of cards that will keep their value namely the good ones that will never be reprinted. All others? Keep if you play them, otherwise sell while they are still worth something.
Funny thing is it not the best tcg its just the most popular with a lot of people so invested in it that they dont want to hear it
I love your top tens, but this has to be the most interesting and diverse of anything I've seen from the Dice Tower. It's spectacular, Spring Spectacular.
Captain Sonar: Truly a unique experience and while I won't play it often I won't ever forget the experience and the interaction.
I did think of this one too!
Yep, would be on my list too
I’m with Chris on Hansa Teutonica. Absolutely try it once. It’s a fantastic game.
Edited: Also Hansa Teutonica > Catan, and I love Catan and it’s inclusion in this list.
Thank you for including Puerto Rico, Tom. It's a great game that everyone should play at least once.
Zee’s shrimp po boy line was hilarious!!!!!
Great and fun lists to watch all around! Really aligned with Chris's list - keep up the great work!
Millennium Blades. It’s such an amazing experience.
This is a great choice!
If Tom would put caverna on the list there’s nothing wrong with Mombasa being on the list. Mombasa might be an easier first experience of a heavy game.
I think it's great that the guys went for stuff like Twilight Imperium, MTG and DnD. Because if they had gone with all the simple, light to mid weight games... then this list would have basically been just another top ten essential games or top ten gateway games. So thanks guys for the more daring entries!
I was gonna be shocked if no one had said MtG, thank you so much Tom
As much as I love MtG I don't think I would put it on a "Must Play Once" list. Magic has such high barrier to entry: a steep learning curve with dozens of special rules and abilities, a deep and daunting meta, high financial cost if you don't want to rely on random card packs, etc. Unless you play with a relatively basic deck just one game will never provide you with "full game" experience you can get from the grand daddy of CCGs.
I think if I wanted to give a person the same experience in one play I would pull out Star Realms. It definitely not as deep but it's a great Magic-esque experience.
I am playing Viticulture as I watch this video. I'm new to Viticulture and _man_ am I loving it.
I literally JUST got it and gonna do my first solo playthrough soon!
It is my favorite game out of my 100 game collection.
Stop watching and start playing!
We really love Viticulture but found the visitor cards could be REALLY swingy. we picked up the Visitors from the Rhine exp. and find we enjoy the game more. Rhine replaces all the visitor cards and the new decks focus more on making and selling wine rather than just raking in VP's. I wouldn't say it's essential like Tuscany but it's a nice change imho.
@@ClockworkWyrm - Thanks! I'm gonna purchase Rhine right away.
Love the Ethnos pick and some of Zees top picks! Also think Mike is on to something with Catan not necessarily being the holy grail of “gateway” games for people coming to the hobby now. Would love to see that evolution or timeline based on the year someone entered the hobby.
I came into the hobby in 2019 and have still never played Catan. My gateways were Pandemic and Ticket to Ride.
When Tom tee-ed up his #9 as "much-maligned", I was expecting Monopoly.
Me too! 🤣
Tom like most modern gamers despises Monopoly so much that he doesnt even know the basic rules
Thanks guys! I’ve finally bitten the bullet and ordered Dominion Big Box 2nd Edition! Btw I liked Chris’ list the best and Mombasa is one of my favourite Pfeistner games - a must play. 😉
100% agree with Zee. Catan hooked me 15 years ago.
Great lists... D&D and Magic? Why not? I like those choices... reminding people that the hobby is diverse and interesting :) Thanks guys!
Loved this! Love to see you guys enjoying yourselves and the slightly different takes on the list.
I back up Mike on his pick of TI. It's not really in my wheelhouse, but anyone who even dabbles in gaming has at least seen it in their FLGS and wonders about it. It's that experience of the game that Zee mentioned, even if you find you find that you don't like it. Not to mention that it meets the title of this video perfectly. Thanks for the video and the entire Spring Spectacular!!!
For me, the Top 10 Everyone should Play Once would be based on things that do something fairly unique in showing what games can do (particularly for the non-hobby audience), so in no particular order:
1 - Ninja Dice - a push your luck dice game with minimal down time, and also the uniqueness of the dice position mattering
2 - Hanabi - for the reasons that Zee stated
3 - Fog Of Love - for the way it handles a complex subject and doesn't have a simple win condition
4 - Flip Ships - a co-op dexterity game, which gets a lot out of a simple structure
5 - Wings Of Glory - a dogfighting game with lots of complexity hidden under the hood allowing for a very smooth game
6 - Millenium Blades - a really smart use of real time rounds and a great balance between the collecting aspect and the tournaments
7 - Chronicles Of Crime - The app makes great use of the physical components to make for a great way to handle a crime case
8 - Potion Explosion - The way the marbles are used is fascinating, and turns what looks quite gimmicky in to a game with a surprisngly satisfying depth
9 - Sagrada - just as an example of what can be achieved within fairly simple design constraints
10 - Deception: Murder In Hong Kong - a game where the social dynamic carries the fun, more than the more normal board state which is the case for conventional games
10 - Deception: Murder In Hong Kong - a game where the social dynamic carries the fun, more than the more normal board state which is the case for conventional games - I would say that conventional games are far more dependant on the group and social dynamics within that group
Chris' "left-field" picks seem more in line with a literal reading of the list title.
I love Chris list! Even though Zee was giving Chris a hard time about Chris's list and how Chris approach his list. I found Chris list more useful to me because I was Chris's audience for the list. Zee's lists was for an audience that I was not a part of.
Loving the dynamic of everyone together. Chris was humble in his answer to Zee and I appreciate all the various viewpoints in this video. Definitely a very unique list that was a pleasure to watch. Thanks for your hard work during Spring Spectacular!
This was an awesome video, very good lists and back and forth with the guys. Chris brings a new perspective for the Dice Tower and I look forward to seeing his picks in future videos. 😁
Roy is right about how addictive magic can be. I remember magic being despised by rpg groups because people got hooked on it & that was all they wanted to play. If you could just get a few starter decks &/or play an online style with only a small expenditure then great but everyone I've ever known went deeper into their pockets than they planned.
You're not wrong, although Commander had gotten to a place where extremely competitive decks can be built on a budget
As soon as I saw this list i thought about twilight imperium
That and Battlestar Galactica were the first two I thought of.
What a great video and fun way to end the Spring Spectacular! Good lists from everyone. I think I may have gone the route of Tom of games to extend out your categories of games you play/tried. Two that come to mind are:
1. Azul as a good jump into Abstract but pretty enough where non-abstract gamers would enjoy
2. The Gallerist as a jump into heavier gaming because it has WP which is familiar to many, but has a very good interweaving of resources and paths that have to be simultaneously managed. It also has a pretty good solo mode that is easy to manage.
I got through this list and only bought 2 games. I consider that a win.
Which two?
So this is technically a Top 50 Games everyone should play.. Awesome!!!
Fury of Dracula or another one vs all hidden movement style game I think everyone should play at least once. It's such a good experience!
I'm put off by the length of time a game takes. I ended up getting hold of Whitehall Mystery which is a much shorter game, which I love. Can you tell me what Fury of Dracula does differently to justify the long play time? (I know there are multiple editions of FoD.)
@@Fatpie42 I don't think it does justify the long playtime. I absolutely love it as a game (3rd edition), but ultimately had to sell it because it just wasn't getting played. My friends all loved it too, but in the end of our 4+ hour game we were just so fatigued that no one ever wanted to dive into it again.
But I agree that FoD is definitely good for this list and is a game that should be experienced once. Just expect that long play time.
@@Manny-M But that's my question. Whitehall Mystery is a hidden movement game that I love. I'm sure there are other great hidden movement games. What makes Fury of Dracula a unique experience that I need to play too? Even once? I accept that it might be a good game, but out of all the hidden movement games, why FoD?
@@Fatpie42 I have yet to play Whitehall Mystery myself, and I do agree it's hard to justify the playtime of FoD and I agree with Manny, maybe it is just a ONE time experience, but the reason I picked it is cause in the two times I've played it all the players knew of the vampire hunters/Dracula from movies and whatnot and really got into character, so that time felt wayyyyy lessened by the end of the game because we all were actually into the theme. Really ANY hidden movement game would work, another one I have enjoyed a few times is Specter Ops, and you've put Whitehall Mystery on my list to look into now!
Great list, well delivered by all. Cheers gents.
Great list guys! I liked the different perspectives.
love Zee's number 10 played it TONS as i was a kid with my father and his friends and i'm grateful that they didn't really go easy on me but gave insights AFTER the games. i HATED losing, but it didn't push me away, all i thought was what should i do to get better which, thinking about it now, seems damn impressive for a kid.
Broom Service. Very good choice. Most people can't imagine, how fun this is. Maybe because of the theme or it looks too simple. One of our favorites.
The 'brave' or 'cowardly' follow action mechanic is ingenuous.
Chris had the best picks in this video.
Mike is correct regarding Catan, I have met so many gamers who never tried it. It is a classic that deserves being on the bucket list.
Great list. Highly enjoyable discussion!
I am going to try Mombasa. Thanks Chris!
100% with the misconception of RPGs, Tom. Growing up I was led to believe all RPGs were LARPing; it wasn't until that episode from the first season of Venture Bros. that I realized "Wait, it's just friends hanging out, rolling dice, and playing a game???"
Loved the commentary on magic. I play and am new to board games! Glad to hear there is overlap with them
This was a great top 10 was very fun! Nicely done.
I really enjoyed this one. I learned I need to play more games.
I really hope all 5 of you will be at PAXU in December. It would be so great to see you guys.
Catan is a have to game..... very classy..... we start to play "Die Siedler von Catan" (original german name) in '99. helped us all on the last weekend of the month when nobody had money to go out and party anymore. we were all apprentices or students and hat to track money for the month.... so there was always a chance to find somebody to hang out and have a "cheap" night ^^
The games that I have never played but I think I'd like to play (just? at least?) once are:
1) Twilight Imperium
2) Cosmic Encounter
3) Dune
4) Axis & Allies
5) Viticulture
6) Caverna
7) Concordia
8) Shadows Over Camelot
9) Seasons
10) Splendor
Holy crap! Didn't expect Cryptid!!! Love it Zee!
I just played The Search for Planet X, which is a great game, but I missed the player interaction that Cryptid provides. Such a unique and delightful game.
As a chess player, it distresses me that @10:40 the board is set up wrong, the black king and queen need to be switched.
... and the position @ 11:00 is super unrealistic ....
In relation to Tom’s selection of C&C Ancients over Memoir, another factor that a lot of people seem to overlook: my main gaming group is made up of friends from my synagogue, which means that the vast majority of WWII war games are immediate non-starters even though none of us personally lost anyone in the war because asking a Jew to play as the Nazis is an extremely tough sell
Very surprised Tom didn't bring up QE... such a different game and super cool experience. Also think Hanamikoji for I split, you choose... It just make me think so hard.
QE would be great for this list.
Just getting back into the hobby after a few months off (mental health does weird stuff sometimes) and fun to get back to watching you all's content!
Also, this is an amazing list. Absolutely amazing.
For me:-
Paris Connection/ Chicago Express - Paris connection is a blend of social deduction and quick playing train game. I do not think everyone will love it but no-one will dislike it and it does a great job of introducing people to 2 different genres. This in terms can make 18xx more approachable. Also I think many people skip Winsome style train games and go straight for 18xx which really is something that will work well with a much smaller group of people. Many people who like economic euros or interactive area control games might really love what Winsomes offer. If they want something a bit heavier than Paris Connection then Chicago Express is a great start point or the visually appealing Capstone reprints
Pandemic/ Forbidden Dessert - I think coops are a good thing to try - they work for people competitive games dont and often offer solo options when you want to game and others dont. Also Pandemic has been hugely influential in terms of design and you see 90% of coop designs use a similar format of AI does stuff that hurts you, you take your actions. So you kind of see how other designs are constructed when you see this
Tichu/ Franks Zoo /Haggis - if you like trick taking games then maybe give climbing games a try. Tichu is one of the very best but needs a few games to get familiar with. But it does offer so much compelling and fun gameplay in a little box and you can play it with standard cards if you have 4 jokers. If you want something a bit less serious/lighter and bit more quirky then Franks Zoo is a great alternative. As is Haggis if you have 2-3 players rather than 4 (or 5 for Franks Zoo)
Watergate/Pax Pamr 2nd edition - I love it when games add some history and simulation to them - they are not for everyone but good to try and also try games with different interaction. Pax Pamir 2nd edtion is best 3-5 but solid 1-2 it is quite expensive though but well worth trying. Watergate is a 2 player, more accessible game and whilst its not the most thematic / immersive its easily to learn than Twilight Struggle
Dominion - a great game and whilst I think modern deck builders are a bit less dry and also represent better value propositions Dominion gives you an understanding of deck building that can help with other more modern versions. For my money its the best
Santorini/Yinsh/Blooms - modern casual abstracts are great and these are good examples - even if chess bounced off you or you want something that is not such a commitment to learn
Catan - classic game and whilst I dont think without an expansion it has as much replayability as I would like it is still fab and well worth trying. Few games have this much negotiation in such a streamlined package. If you dont like any negotiation then maybe pass, otherwise try
Magic the Gathering - few games have their own active player communities that mean you can get regular play with just 1 game but magic like chess and bridge and dominoes does. And magic is great online on board game arena and its a fantastic free to play experience. Well worth checking out even if you and a mate sidestep into a dueling card game that works for them better
Castles of Burgundy - embrace the beige - I like how the game looks but its not exciting. Mechanically it is really fun and endlessly replayable. For those who do not need games to look like toys or always tell thematic narratives this is a game people should try.
Quartermaster General - interesting team game - best with 6 and lots of fun - try it and see
Most gamers though do not need a list of games to try once, they need to be reminded that some games take multiple plays to shine
I have some friends that love Mombasa and Hansa Teutonica, and I've always been very meh about them due to the complexity and look, but maybe I should give them a try.
Well, at least he did not pick a Vital Lacerda game :)
I would strongly recommend Hansa Teutonica. I avoided it for quite a while and it is currently creeping up to my highest ranked games. Not that difficult to understand the rules but definitely hard to play it good.
The blind card selection in Broom Service is great and it makes the game not be a dry euro! You have to think what your opponents want to do as well! I really like the mind games of blind bidding and blind action selection in general.
I'm with Chris on World's Fair
I don't know how anyone can think Hansa Teutonica is dry. I've introduced it to a group of three new gamers, one of which is ten years old, and they all loved it. One of the most animated and fun gaming experiences I've had.
That’s not how people define a dry game. Hansa is basically a themeless cube pusher, that’s how it’s dry. Granted I think it’s boring as sin also but ignoring that, I’d still call it dry.
@@TheBrokenMeeple I don't agree with the loud minority opinion that games with historical themes, or decorated with beautiful earthtones, are therefore lacking something. (Hansa has gorgeous art by the best artist in boardgames). Nothing is more themeless to me than playing something with an IP or about generic fantasy, but these don't usually get called dry. I just think everyone should chill with the Euro bashing, the best Euros are games with more staying power than most and have wide appeal. And just saying you find it boring has no value and is demonstrably not a commonly held opinion for such a well-regarded and still desirable game.
@@saintsalieri I really like hansa, as do most people I’ve played it with, but boy is it a tough sell to get people to play. I like it quite a lot but i do think it’s very dry as well
@@benkirby317 That hasn't been my experience. As soon as you explain the rules people grok what to do, and everyone gets into the competition and interaction. Other than Bohnanza (loved by both my 10 year old nephew and my 5 year old niece), Hansa might be my nephew's favorite of the games we've played over the past few months.
@@saintsalieri Dry isn't an insult. It's just a type of game.
Love the banter in these videos.
Chris, seems like great guy, value his opinion, seems like he picks the quintessential boring game that I always pictured board gamers playing.
I remember when Magic started and I never got in to it due to the fact of buying random cards for a game, just to big and random for me.
As a 40 year old looking for different games to play with my kids I never got in to a lot of hardcore board games. I feel board games are a better way than video games to spend time together.
I’ve tried many of these, but Chris convinced me I need to try Broom Service. Not something I expected from this list.
That's pretty rad to hear! Hope you get to play it sometime. I'm an unabashed proponent of this game :)
I agree with everything Chris said about Broom Service. It is one of my favorite games and there has yet to be a game where someone isn’t cursing another player for playing something a little sooner than that had planned. Or someone being mind boggled that after they called a card cowardly that no one else had it.
The card game is the only bluffing game I will play, tbh.
Legacy games might feel pricey for a one time experience, but taking the family to the cinema and buying drinks and snacks and tickets costs more. And I have never played a legacy game in less than 7 hours.
Great picks, Tom.
Magic was my lifestyle game that I played semi-competitively off-and-on for half my life.
I became intrigued about modern board games after I played Catan with some friends and it blew me away. Didn’t realize board games could be more than Risk, Monopoly, Clue, etc.
Fast forward to this year and Caverna was the first medium-to-heavy game I played and I fell in love. It opened up the world of Uwe games, worker placement games, heavier games, and Euro-style games in one fell swoop.
I saw the one Dice rabbit at the beginning, didn’t notice what was happening until number three and then it was so funny I restarted the videos.
I really like how Tom, Zee, Chris and Mike work together as a group! They are funny and well versed and generally fit great together! :)
What about Roy?
Bold choice for Roy to go with Charades for #10!
Great video. Good interactions even though some of the comments towards Chris seemed a bit harsh from Zee and Roy.
This video reminded me just how special Cosmic Encounter really is. I describe it as getting all the tension, alliance making/breaking, and epic stories of a long Risk-style game, in just minutes rather than hours, and with the levity and light atmosphere of a party game. It's wonderful and unique, and I can wait to finally be able to get a big group together again to play Cosmic.
I agree w/Roy Rhino Hero love to try this since I love Jenga. With Chris's picks I'm kind of glad that he put some older games on here. I don't think I've ever play them love time stories & chronicles
My list in no particular order:
Dominion
Fun interaction between all 5 of you.
Here I am late to the party, but I loved these lists ! Before I started watching I predicted I would have played most games in common with Zee and least with Roy. I was correct on Roy's list (I played 6 out of his 10) , because he's way younger than me and grew up differently in the boardgaming world and feels chaotic, so that made sense. I was kind of correct with my 2nd prediction but it was a tie with Mike and Chris (I played 8 out of their top 10), and if you rank most games in common towards the top of the list, then I'm most like Chris !
I played X games on their list :
Roy 6, Chris 8, Mike 8, Zee 8, Tom 7. Total 27 our of 39 unique games on their lists !
Of the 12 games I didn't play yet I will never play D&D, the rest I would give a try. I like when things move along in games, and D&D is the slowest gameplay in existence I think, it's just not for me, no matter how great the dungeon master might be. I did however play Werewolves with a great moderator, and despite being eliminated 2nd in a group of 20, I would try again in the same circumstances.
The game I absolutely agree the most on of their lists is Las Vegas. I didn't get much hype in the video, but that game I recommend literally to everyone interested in boardgames.
Go Chris with Through the Ages!!!! That would be my #1 game everyone should play at least once. Long and epic and great decisions to be made throughout the entire game. Like or dislike, you'll be thinking about it for days afterwards.
It's say play 'the Crew' or 'Fox in the Forest' (with 2) as your first trick taking game
definitely not the Crew as a starting trick taking game. Its hugely dependent on the group you play with. Diamonds is a great choice - classic game with a few twists
The diversity, experience and chemistry on this panel is unlike anything in the industry. Keep it up DT!
not sure where you see diversity... I see five white middle-aged males.
@@dirkhoffmann6827 I feel pretty secure saying the OP was referring to a diversity of experience.
@@dirkhoffmann6827 diversity of tastes, ideas, and opinions. I know this is the Biden era, but not everything has to do with Race.
@@armchairdan I'm sure you are right :)
@@philipmoser3784 no reason to read too much into my statement, I was merely commenting on the term "diversity of the panel". I enjoy the DT content as much as the next guy, am not American (so no need to put me into a political camp), and do think the board game hobby would benefit from more diversity (which certainly is not only about race)... which I am sure the DT guys agree with. But it wasn't something meant to trigger you. ;-)
Love seeing all of the Ethnos love! Also, Gizmos is one of my favorite games of all time.
I’ve played about 3/4 of these suggestions (I even own a crokinole board), but I’m now even more motivated to fill in the blanks. Great diversity of opinions here.
Mike's list was really well though. A really good and objective list of what anyone new to the hobby should try at least once
Funny enough, after watching this, the game I want to try the most is Mombasa!
Great game
Great top 10 really liked the differences in games and the meaning of what some should play once....For me Escape curse of the temple should be on the list just for the uniqueness and the real time. Everyone should try a real time game just once to see the chaos and team work. And 5 minute games could be added as well.
...and this is why we LOVE Zee. keep on Zee'ing. :)
My list would have Captain Sonar, Food Chain Magnete, Dune, Fury of Dracula, Chinatown, Twilight Imperium, Chronicles of Crime, Awkward Guests, Zombicide, and Clank!
My personal pick is Whitehall Mystery; a fantastic semi-cooperative hidden movement game that everyone should try. Chess is an interesting choice. There is something fascinating about it even if it feels so dry. I, too, need to try out Caverna at least once. Dixit is one I agree everyone should try. Cosmic Encounter is fascinating because it's very different from other games and holds up so well for a game from the 70s and I'm so glad I've tried it. If you want more elegant Pandemic, the obvious choice is Forbidden Island (or Desert), since it shortens and streamlines the experience. Dominion, Mandala, Codenames and Carcassonne are all games surely nobody could ever just play ONCE. ;) And Hanabi is a game you HAVE to play more than once. (We stop the game when we know we've lost a game of Hanabi, which is house rule I was taught when it was first introduced to me, but for me it's now an essential rule.)
Pandemic brought me into this hobby. Catan and Puerto Rico and Dominion kept me here!
I played TI 4 once... and now I’m good. I can see the appeal, but I never need to play it again.
"My only concern (with Shadows Over Camelot) is that it may be hard to get your hands on a copy"
- Tom Vasel, the man who put Command & Colors on his list
Exactly what I was thinking!!!!
Great list guys. My number 1 would be El Grande.
In my opinion the best trick taking game is Friedemann Friese's Stich-Meister because of its ever-changing-rules. It never becomes stale while still staying totally accessible because there aren't very many rules active at the same time!
great list
nice list there
If you want an Magic: the Gathering experience in board game form, play Seasons.
With Magic: Arena being free, it is not that hard now to see what it is about. I downloaded it having never played, built a few decks, played a few dozen matches, and moved on. I was happy I did and it was all free.
I would go with Codex and Millenium Blades for similar experiences.
Pandemic Legacy is amazing! I only played Season 1. It was such a satisfying experience.
Enjoyed this top 10, a bit different and saw all comments below (or above by the time this comment slips in :0 ) - What I will say is Mike.... Your #4 pick - and without spoiling too much crossover with Zee and I know Tom not a big fan - wow, you nailed it perfectly. I think what you said about it being a must play once for all the reasons you said is exactly true. And it is what I have been saying to friends recently into board games (of whom my partner is one too) that they need to give that one a go. I might have to take an excerpt and when my friends say about that particular game and why they should give it a go, I ought to play what you said. Great comment.