What a concept for a video. I really dig it! So, Uwe Rosenberg next? :) Amazing that you gave me an idea of how the games work, why they are put where they end up and still not take a lot of time. Thank you, that must have been a lot of work.
Hello, I make videos retracing chronologically ALL Uwe Rosenberg games on my youtube channel. It's in french but maybe automatic subtitles will work for you ? Anyhow, just throwing the link it case it interests you ruclips.net/video/kE-FJO81ZD0/видео.html :) (also made it with other designers, Stefan Feld for example)
Glad you enjoyed it! It was a labour of love, I had a very detailed excel spreadsheet to help me :) Sadly, Uwe Rosenberg doesn't have enough games for me to do the same video, but I can say that Patchwork and Bohnanza are S Tier :)
Your dedication and affection for the hobby is remarkable, for me you are one of the best content creators in the hobby, always with a well-organized video and avoiding the usual reviews. Congratulations on the channel and keep up the good work!
There is just no other designer like Reiner Knizia. He is the GOAT and it is not even close. His ability to create such amazing, tense gameplay scenarios out of rules that can be explained in 2 minutes is unbelievable to me. There are probably 15 games of his that just blow my mind when I think that an actual human came up with that idea
John, thanks for another great video! I always enjoy your high quality content. I did want to let you know that your board game boxes pet peeves video did encourage a discussion at bitewing games which led to us making some changes to our boxes. I know we’ll still be doing some things you hate, but we are trying to give you a side of the box with nothing but the title.
Now I gotta figure out which game to buy that no one will ever play with me. Awesome content, per always, Purkis. You are the Reiner Knizia of board game review channels, except without any Low Res or Rocky Ground entries. You DO deserve your own Nintendo game, though ;)
Regarding Cascadero, I REALLY like the player interaction because it's a mix of positive and negative. You want others to score the cities you're approaching so you'll get an extra track bump when you arrive. There's some good ole' fashioned blocking, but then sometimes there are stale mates on a city, as nobody wants to score it first. As you said, the race for public objectives is really enjoyable!
I kept coming back to finish this because it was so well done. I appreciate that you took the time to talk about the mechanics of EVERY game. I learned a lot and filed a couple away to try myself. Thanks!
I’ve spent a couple of years working on one board game design. Reiner Knizia must be able to design a half-dozen while brushing his teeth or unloading his dish washer.
Insane work behind this video! Thank you so much, I definitly got to try some o these :) You really need to play more Tigris & Euphrates and Yellow & Yangztee. I tend to like T&E better though, it is more deterministic and it is a game that the more I play the more I like (currently fighting to become my favorite game of all time). Tigris and Euphrates has a simple concept with amazing gameplay. Feels very abstract though theme is well implemented. Every single tile you drop matters in the long run. Internal and External conflicts are very interesting and Monuments can eventually survive the nations that gave birth to them which is both cool and very thematic. The fact that you score the lowest resource is a very clever way to naturally push players to seek new conflicts with oppoents. Did I mentioned you can even start a war without even being part of it? A freaking Masterpiece.
Such low scores for T&E and Amun-Re discredit this entire ranking for me and make it useless for me if I were to treat it as a guide to other games to play.
Very well done, you were very surprisingly harsh but that was very entertaining and still had a lot of room for raving about some of your favorites. I hope I can do a tier list like this with my favorite designer, Bruno Cathala someday! I've played 35 of his games so far!
As an Actualol fan, couldn't dream of a better video as it seems similar to the "Retrospective" I make on my channel (all boardgames of one designer or publisher analyzed in chronological order). Thanks a lot for this huge work and congratulations for being the best boardgame videast on the planet !
This video makes me really happy, My favorite reviewer with 100!!! mini reviews about games from my favorite designer! Sometimes life is just good man, thanks!
Good to see you pivot from frustration with the struggle of being a content creator on youtube to making feature lenght videos. Keep up the great work! Beer is on me :) Uwe Rosenberg next ! After the beer of course.
@@actualol as German i recommend good beers close to where I used to live - Flensburger (everyone calls it Flens) or Astra (from Hamburg). I dont drink much beer, but if, than Holsten (nicely mild) or Becks (from Bremen, Gold or Lemon always a hit)
Fun list! You did rank some of my favorites a bit low but leveled some fair criticisms of them. I believe I've played all of them in your top 3 tiers except for Marabunta. I'll have to check that one out!
You will be forever be known as the guy who introduced me to Knizia back in early 2023. Now more than half of my games are Knizias. I actually rate Don't LLAMA Dice very highly. It captures the experience of all good Knizias when I introduce to people. You only have two actions: roll or pass. And rolling has 5 potential outcomes: all cards are gone, get rid of some cards, get a penalty card, bust for having no equivalent penalty card and roll three llamas. When I explain the rules to people, they find it complicated at first, then I reassure them that all you are doing is rolling or passing. As the game starts, people quickly internalize what they need to do and play well just by feel. That is the exact same experience you get with the best of Knizia games like Ra, Through the Desert and Zoo Vadis. One thing I would like to add is that after my 3 plays of Cascadero, I realize that there is good blocking, and when you pull it off, it is far more devastating than blocking in Through the Desert and Blue Lagoon. You can end up not qualifying for victory or lose massive bonus points with one well-placed block. Once you internalize the rules and track, there is so much depth to it.
What an awsome video! This video also suggests that we have similar taste in games :) My list would have put llama lower and my city a little higher. After watching I have decided to take a closer look at through the desert, marabunta and zoo vadis witch was the only games I don't own from the top tiers. Also thanks for making me save money by staying away from the duds. Keep up the good work
Some others that are worth a mention: - Spectaculum: simple but interesting spatial stock game. - Orongo: hybrid closed economy auction and tile laying game that has bad components but is actually a lot of fun. - Municipium: slightly obscure Reiner area control game but well liked by the die hard Knizia philes I liked more of these than Jon and booed a little when some of my favorites got panned (Justice for kingdoms, Tigris and Botswana!), but it’s really hard to argue with the ones that did rise above the rest, which makes this a really useful list for people who are not going to dig up every Knizia and just want some recommended good ones to grab.
What a daunting undertaking... but brilliantly executed. Bravo! Now having played so much of his repertoire, what are your overall thoughts on Reiner Knizia as a designer? It looks like most of his games were misses for you, but do his few crown gems mask the glut in his designs?
Excellent and a lot of work. Thanks. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't but your opinions are all well considered and valid. That's an accomplishment. Well done!
You’ve played a lot more than I have - but I’ve very little to quibble about (apart from, maybe, Llama). Was pleased to see high rankings for Mille Fiori and Marabunta - great new games and it’s impressive that he’s still making games that are so fresh and innovative whilst still being quintessential Knizia.
Finally finished this massive video. You’re a beast and still, in my opinion, the best in the space. My favorite from the good doctor is Blue Lagoon. But I also adore LLAMA, Modern Art, Marabunta and Quest for El Dorado. Babylonia is on my shelf of shame. RA and Mille Fiori are sitting at the top of my games I NEED to try. We usually have similar taste so I will just say you might want to give Modern Art more of a go. It’s best when you get into character and play 4 or 5 player. I highly recommend the podcast Replayable episode on it, might convince you to give it another chance.
This is an epic video Jon, what a staggering achievement! I particularly enjoyed that you are very willing to mark some of your idol’s work “rubbish”. Obviously I won’t agree with all of your assessments. In particular Euphrat & Tigris is one of my favourite games of all time. Definitely in my top 5. And I’m also disappointed that you missed 2004’s Blue Moon. I had so much fun with that game back in the day.
Fab video, Jon. A really ambitious idea brought together in a really entertaining way. This seems like the board game reviewer's version of climbing everest - I think you have reached base camp 😀
Thanks for a great presentation of games from the most prolific designer. Your effort is top notch and much appreciated. Even a great designer doesn't have a great batting average it seems. Ra seems interesting, but there is nothing that I would buy to replace any game I currently own.
I'm watching all your videos and giving them a like cause they are so good and hope it helps the channel. The top 10 for couples and so on videos are my favorite, hope you do more of them. cheers from Iceland!
Wow - what a thorough video. I have the Polish version of Great Wall of China, retitled "You can't stand there!" (in Polish). The theme really fits the gameplay. It's set in communist block times where people spend ages queueing for items outside shops with limited stock. So each shop has a line of depressed looking people (cards) queueing for toothpaste, Levis, or digital watches.
I can't believe you left out all of his best games! I can't take any Knizia list seriously that doesn't include 3D Memo Smurfs, Harry Potter: Honeydukes, Monster High: Potworrrnie wciągająca gra!, Disney Party Party!, Hot Wheels Speed Rallye, Playmobil: Piraten-Fang, Queen of the Cupcakes, Go Lightning McQueen, and Cars 2: Race Champions! In all serious, this video rules. I enjoy almost every video talking about the literal mountain of work Knizia has published over his career. I'm looking at my shelf for games of his that weren't covered (I hope I'm not mistaken on any of these, I was watching while playing a solo game of Imperium: Classics lol): Stephenson's Rocket, Blue Moon Legends, Abandon Ship, and I think that's it? I guess I'll also mention Bunte Runde, not because it's a good game (it's not very good), but the fact that it's basically a stockholding game for kids is kinda wild to me? 6 shapes in 6 colors = 36 blocks, take turns walking a pawn around the circle Patchwork style to claim blocks, once all of a shape or color is claimed everyone takes 1 of the 36 coins for each block they have of that type. So the whole game is just trying to get paid for both the color and shape of your blocks as much as possible. I think about Bunte Runde a lot.
What a monster of a video, is this your longest? I’m in my mid 50s and got to buy many of his early hits when they were just released, I’m a lucky guy to be alive in this era as you said.thanks for this I really enjoyed it and brought back lovely memories of my early board game playing and collecting
I think the version with a (Rainer) is more common, at least from my experience. Apparently it comes from a word for adviser according to its etymology.
Awesome job! Amazing video! Love it! ❤ I only have LLAMA, but I played My City Roll & Build in BGA. If I had to create a Knizia's games wishlist, it would be: Lost Cities, My City, El Dorado, Schotten Totten. Thanks for the video.
We get it. You just wanna talk about Lost cities again. Jokes aside, great video and thanks for including the boards and some photos. We don't know every games. I wish more channels would make the effort like you do.
The only one I've played that you haven't is Viking See Saw which feels silly to recommend but honestly, it's delightful! Very charming little dexterity game that gets people laughing. Great video! I'd love to see you do similar tier lists for other designers, even if you included smaller numbers of games. Also if you ever want to give Tigris & Euphrates more chances on BGA, it really rewards those extra plays! My online T&E group is approaching 100 plays and it just keeps getting better.
It's amazing how different we see things... Ingenious has been for me the "best game ever" for the first 5-6 years of my gamer career. It's simple, has tough decisions, you can find different strategies to follow (one color at a time to get the doube turns, all colors at the same time to avoid leaving one color behind) it scales wonderfully... to me is a masterpiece of abstract game.
Taj Mahal is a top Knizia game for me and where you ranked it hurts my soul. It's so, so good. Babylonia is a top 10 as well. Happy to see Mille Fiori getting some well deserved love, though! I'm told that Municipium and Orongo are both must-try gems.
This has taken me about a week to watch, and there’s still some bits I want to go back and rewatch. I can’t imagine how long it took to create!! Thank you so much! Also, thinking about your little one - I have tried to create a list of “games you can play with your toddler around” (ie no choking parts). We have more or less given up and play board game apps now, but there are some great games with big, playful pieces eg Echidna Shuffle. Do you have any other ideas?
Amazing video. Your ranking really matches my taste in games. I would move Zoo Vadis up an echelon but that is the only difference. Quite interesting actually!
38:49 I would have put it in the 2nd tier - simply because the track seems to do a decent job of thematically incorporating the sport of fencing, where you are going back and forth toward each other.
Great video as always! I was looking forward to hear your thoughts on Spectaculum, Aristocracy, blue moon, Cat Blues, Circus Flohcati and City of the Living.
Loved this, thank you! Of the ones I've played I agree with all of your opinions (except for a few of the dice games!). Makes me really want to try that Hollywood movie making one.
NNNOOOOOO!!! probably my favourite Knizia game, the one, at least that I always say is "the game the i love play the most", "my pleasure"... Blue Moon City! just "on rocky ground"??? ... I don't know if I want to go on with the next hour then... you stabbed me in the heart
Also Time square, that I know in the version "Auf der Reeperbahn"... I never met a Knizia acolite with such different tastes from mine, I swear. I played Time Square more than 30 times and every time is such a tense tense game with hard decisions anout which of the characters to push... only sad thing is... I can't find my box of Auf der Reeperbahn anymore :(
Great list. I agree with almost everythibg. Ingenious and Tigris and Euphrates deserve better. They are both excellent examples of unique scoring that only the Good Dr. can make work.
@@auburnt_amaranth I mean I just meant it as a remark that the possibility exists and that I think it would be funny, though you are right that it is unlikely. Still technically possible in reality
I think it would be quite likely. It is a famous board game channel, the board game community is very close to each other, Maybe he won't see it first, but comeone close to him recommends...
What a fantastic video, a truly impressive and it shines as a labor of love, I will certainly take advice this to build my collection and gift to my friends, and thank you for this.
Another excellent video! The only ones in my Knizia collection that you didn't cover are Blue Moon Legends, Age of War and Size Matters. Size Matters is basically just a set of cards with lots of quiz questions with numbers as answers. I doubt I'd actually play it as intended, but I picked it up as an ideal expansion for Wits & Wagers. Age of War is a small box push-your-luck dice game that, imo, is a great little filler, but given your thoughts on Knizia's other dice games, may not be your cup of tea. Definitely worth checking out though, just in case. It should usually be about £10 new, but I guess it's between print runs atm, as lately I've seen it sell for silly money for what it is. Blue Moon Legends is rather interesting as it's pretty different to most Knizia games. It feels like Reiner's answer to Magic The Gathering or something along those lines. Quite difficult to get hold of though, I think.
Are you kidding me? My group LOVES Africa! Lincoln convinced me to get it, and I've had a lot of good game nights with it. I'd rank it at least Game Boy, probably higher. But we do agree on Lord of the Rings. Thanks for the video!
Love Lost Cities. Me and my wife play all the time. Its like a two player Solitaire, but with an attitude. I wish there was an expansion pack. It would be cool if you could interview Reiner Knizia.
Wait. Wait. A friend of mine just sent me this video konwing I am OBSESSED with Knizia. I have some 130+ games, played probably 150 of them My Knizia Index is 32. I know what I am talking about. PLEASE, reconsider Tutanchamun. It's a great game and the decisions are really really interesting because you need to know when to advance a lot, what to give up, what to fight for... please please reconsider! Dang, there should be 100 games here and I am already commenting at the third one... I'll never end this video... but it's nice to see you are somehow Knizian You are right, it's like a religion
Wow good ranking for llama card game. When I first played it I thought is this game the simplest game in the world or sth? But ends up playing maybe 100+ now. Plus many of those games are with my 5 years old son ❤
My City might be an "OK, but not excellent" legacy game. But after finishing it, on the other side of the board you will have a fun tile-placing game, which can be played within 15 or 20 minutes! :) It's one of our most frequently played filler games. (We love Patchwork and A Feast for Odin too, but they are not as fast. :D )
I highly recommend Yellow & Yangtze on iOS. It takes out all the fiddliness and allows the design to shine. It’s my #1 game of all time. Spectaculum and Yangtze are worth a play but they probably won’t rise to the top of your rankings. Ingenious, Tigris & Euphrates, Taj Mahal, Botswana and Medici are all “He Walks Among Us” for me.
Surprised you didnt dig Ingenious. My favorite Renier game is Axio, it uses the same scoring system, but its without the hexogonal shapes and a unique scoring pyramid system added. I love it. Axio Rota came out two years later and is a smaller tile placement version of Axio which is also great, just not as good as the original Axio IMO. We also own Art Robbery and the first time we played it we liked it a lot.
Now with added timestamps! 💝
Very good of you.
Your attention to detail inspires me!
Hello Mate, I really enjoy watching your videos, I would love to know where you bought the pawns that look like humans in Pandemic
@@silkymilky4898 See my 10 Gifts for Gamers (That Aren't Board Games) video for more info.
Timestamps are awesome ◡̈ Please consider placing the name or cover of the game you are currently talking about on the screen as well ◡̈
You absolute madman. You actually ranked 100 games. No shortcuts, no BS. Color me impressed.
Do Patreon members get the other 700?
We did! I still haven’t finished watching.
@@ImagenaryFriendd wait, he actually did :o
Absolute madman Jon Purkis with a 2 hour mega-video (love it, the weirder the better)
What a concept for a video. I really dig it! So, Uwe Rosenberg next? :)
Amazing that you gave me an idea of how the games work, why they are put where they end up and still not take a lot of time. Thank you, that must have been a lot of work.
Hello, I make videos retracing chronologically ALL Uwe Rosenberg games on my youtube channel. It's in french but maybe automatic subtitles will work for you ? Anyhow, just throwing the link it case it interests you ruclips.net/video/kE-FJO81ZD0/видео.html :) (also made it with other designers, Stefan Feld for example)
Glad you enjoyed it! It was a labour of love, I had a very detailed excel spreadsheet to help me :) Sadly, Uwe Rosenberg doesn't have enough games for me to do the same video, but I can say that Patchwork and Bohnanza are S Tier :)
@@actualol If they keep on releasing Patchwork rethemes, you’ll be able to make a similar list in no time.
Top 10 ?@@actualol
Your dedication and affection for the hobby is remarkable, for me you are one of the best content creators in the hobby, always with a well-organized video and avoiding the usual reviews. Congratulations on the channel and keep up the good work!
Thank you for the kind words 🙏
There is just no other designer like Reiner Knizia. He is the GOAT and it is not even close. His ability to create such amazing, tense gameplay scenarios out of rules that can be explained in 2 minutes is unbelievable to me. There are probably 15 games of his that just blow my mind when I think that an actual human came up with that idea
This is what i needed tonight a 2 hour Actualol video
Really. How did he know
John, thanks for another great video! I always enjoy your high quality content. I did want to let you know that your board game boxes pet peeves video did encourage a discussion at bitewing games which led to us making some changes to our boxes. I know we’ll still be doing some things you hate, but we are trying to give you a side of the box with nothing but the title.
Great news! I appreciate you listening to my thoughts 🙂 Keep giving the world Knizias! ❤️
I don't fear the man who played 700 Reiner kanetsia games, I fear the man who played one Reiner kanetsia game 700 times
Referring to Tigris as “just a game” as a board game reviewer is a BOLD move. And I love it
Now I gotta figure out which game to buy that no one will ever play with me. Awesome content, per always, Purkis. You are the Reiner Knizia of board game review channels, except without any Low Res or Rocky Ground entries. You DO deserve your own Nintendo game, though ;)
A 2-hour Actualol video! Let me pop some popcorn and light some candles
Regarding Cascadero, I REALLY like the player interaction because it's a mix of positive and negative. You want others to score the cities you're approaching so you'll get an extra track bump when you arrive. There's some good ole' fashioned blocking, but then sometimes there are stale mates on a city, as nobody wants to score it first. As you said, the race for public objectives is really enjoyable!
I kept coming back to finish this because it was so well done. I appreciate that you took the time to talk about the mechanics of EVERY game. I learned a lot and filed a couple away to try myself. Thanks!
Thank you for introducing me to this designer! I appreciate all the work that must have gone into a tier list this big!
I’ve spent a couple of years working on one board game design. Reiner Knizia must be able to design a half-dozen while brushing his teeth or unloading his dish washer.
Even though our tastes differ, this is an EXCELLENT video. Fantastic stuff.
I checked out Lost Cities from my library based on Actuallol's recommendation. I was surprised by how much I liked it!
Easy rules, tension with every decision, risk taking, just great.
Insane work behind this video! Thank you so much, I definitly got to try some o these :)
You really need to play more Tigris & Euphrates and Yellow & Yangztee. I tend to like T&E better though, it is more deterministic and it is a game that the more I play the more I like (currently fighting to become my favorite game of all time).
Tigris and Euphrates has a simple concept with amazing gameplay. Feels very abstract though theme is well implemented. Every single tile you drop matters in the long run. Internal and External conflicts are very interesting and Monuments can eventually survive the nations that gave birth to them which is both cool and very thematic. The fact that you score the lowest resource is a very clever way to naturally push players to seek new conflicts with oppoents. Did I mentioned you can even start a war without even being part of it? A freaking Masterpiece.
Such low scores for T&E and Amun-Re discredit this entire ranking for me and make it useless for me if I were to treat it as a guide to other games to play.
Very well done, you were very surprisingly harsh but that was very entertaining and still had a lot of room for raving about some of your favorites. I hope I can do a tier list like this with my favorite designer, Bruno Cathala someday! I've played 35 of his games so far!
Lost Cities is the first game I picked up on your recommendation, and it immediately became a favourite.
As an Actualol fan, couldn't dream of a better video as it seems similar to the "Retrospective" I make on my channel (all boardgames of one designer or publisher analyzed in chronological order). Thanks a lot for this huge work and congratulations for being the best boardgame videast on the planet !
Thank you 😊
Love it! Just saw a new interview with The Good Doctor on The Gameschooler Podcast, and now this! I’m in Reiner Heaven! Thank you!
This video makes me really happy, My favorite reviewer with 100!!! mini reviews about games from my favorite designer! Sometimes life is just good man, thanks!
You're very welcome!
Wow, was not expecting this video to ever pop up on my feed! So excited to watch this, thank you!
Amazing video concept, beautifully executed. This deserves to blow up!
Good to see you pivot from frustration with the struggle of being a content creator on youtube to making feature lenght videos. Keep up the great work! Beer is on me :) Uwe Rosenberg next ! After the beer of course.
Thank you! I shall enjoy a German beer in the Good Doctor's honour.
@@actualol as German i recommend good beers close to where I used to live - Flensburger (everyone calls it Flens) or Astra (from Hamburg). I dont drink much beer, but if, than Holsten (nicely mild) or Becks (from Bremen, Gold or Lemon always a hit)
Fun list! You did rank some of my favorites a bit low but leveled some fair criticisms of them. I believe I've played all of them in your top 3 tiers except for Marabunta. I'll have to check that one out!
Most board game reviewers give you a top 100, Actualol walks among us by playing at boat load of Knizia games and ranks them. What a mad lad.
Thanks Jon. Incredible video. I’m amazed at the amount of time and dedication this must have took.
You will be forever be known as the guy who introduced me to Knizia back in early 2023. Now more than half of my games are Knizias.
I actually rate Don't LLAMA Dice very highly. It captures the experience of all good Knizias when I introduce to people. You only have two actions: roll or pass. And rolling has 5 potential outcomes: all cards are gone, get rid of some cards, get a penalty card, bust for having no equivalent penalty card and roll three llamas. When I explain the rules to people, they find it complicated at first, then I reassure them that all you are doing is rolling or passing. As the game starts, people quickly internalize what they need to do and play well just by feel. That is the exact same experience you get with the best of Knizia games like Ra, Through the Desert and Zoo Vadis.
One thing I would like to add is that after my 3 plays of Cascadero, I realize that there is good blocking, and when you pull it off, it is far more devastating than blocking in Through the Desert and Blue Lagoon. You can end up not qualifying for victory or lose massive bonus points with one well-placed block. Once you internalize the rules and track, there is so much depth to it.
Keep this up. I know you hit a wall with finding interesting topics for videos but I think this is the break through. Keep it up man
I’ve played exactly one Knizia game and after watching this entire video, I’m certainly motivated to try some
Such honest reviews in both directions are pure gold and not usual in world of influencers.
What an awsome video! This video also suggests that we have similar taste in games :) My list would have put llama lower and my city a little higher. After watching I have decided to take a closer look at through the desert, marabunta and zoo vadis witch was the only games I don't own from the top tiers. Also thanks for making me save money by staying away from the duds. Keep up the good work
Some others that are worth a mention:
- Spectaculum: simple but interesting spatial stock game.
- Orongo: hybrid closed economy auction and tile laying game that has bad components but is actually a lot of fun.
- Municipium: slightly obscure Reiner area control game but well liked by the die hard Knizia philes
I liked more of these than Jon and booed a little when some of my favorites got panned (Justice for kingdoms, Tigris and Botswana!), but it’s really hard to argue with the ones that did rise above the rest, which makes this a really useful list for people who are not going to dig up every Knizia and just want some recommended good ones to grab.
Thanks for the tips! Those three were definitely on my hunting list but I didn't come close to finding copies of them 😭
as much as I try to avoid auction games, Orongo is strangely one of my favorites games❤
What a daunting undertaking... but brilliantly executed. Bravo!
Now having played so much of his repertoire, what are your overall thoughts on Reiner Knizia as a designer? It looks like most of his games were misses for you, but do his few crown gems mask the glut in his designs?
Excellent and a lot of work. Thanks. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't but your opinions are all well considered and valid. That's an accomplishment. Well done!
You’ve played a lot more than I have - but I’ve very little to quibble about (apart from, maybe, Llama). Was pleased to see high rankings for Mille Fiori and Marabunta - great new games and it’s impressive that he’s still making games that are so fresh and innovative whilst still being quintessential Knizia.
2 hour actualol? THANK YOU!!!
Finally finished this massive video. You’re a beast and still, in my opinion, the best in the space. My favorite from the good doctor is Blue Lagoon. But I also adore LLAMA, Modern Art, Marabunta and Quest for El Dorado. Babylonia is on my shelf of shame. RA and Mille Fiori are sitting at the top of my games I NEED to try.
We usually have similar taste so I will just say you might want to give Modern Art more of a go. It’s best when you get into character and play 4 or 5 player. I highly recommend the podcast Replayable episode on it, might convince you to give it another chance.
Knizia mentioned in interview, that he was impressed by Dominion. And he should have invented it before Dominion :)
This is an epic video Jon, what a staggering achievement! I particularly enjoyed that you are very willing to mark some of your idol’s work “rubbish”. Obviously I won’t agree with all of your assessments. In particular Euphrat & Tigris is one of my favourite games of all time. Definitely in my top 5. And I’m also disappointed that you missed 2004’s Blue Moon. I had so much fun with that game back in the day.
Great video (as always)!
Orongo (2014) is one of his hidden gems.
You are so creative and this must have taken a long time to create. Thank you very much for your hard work!
Dear Jon
You are soooo good at this! Thank you for your Kinizia 100
Fab video, Jon. A really ambitious idea brought together in a really entertaining way. This seems like the board game reviewer's version of climbing everest - I think you have reached base camp 😀
Thanks for a great presentation of games from the most prolific designer. Your effort is top notch and much appreciated. Even a great designer doesn't have a great batting average it seems. Ra seems interesting, but there is nothing that I would buy to replace any game I currently own.
I'm watching all your videos and giving them a like cause they are so good and hope it helps the channel.
The top 10 for couples and so on videos are my favorite, hope you do more of them.
cheers from Iceland!
Wow - what a thorough video. I have the Polish version of Great Wall of China, retitled "You can't stand there!" (in Polish). The theme really fits the gameplay. It's set in communist block times where people spend ages queueing for items outside shops with limited stock. So each shop has a line of depressed looking people (cards) queueing for toothpaste, Levis, or digital watches.
I love that theme :)
just when I thought you couldn't make a video any more tailored for me
I can't believe you left out all of his best games! I can't take any Knizia list seriously that doesn't include 3D Memo Smurfs, Harry Potter: Honeydukes,
Monster High: Potworrrnie wciągająca gra!, Disney Party Party!, Hot Wheels Speed Rallye, Playmobil: Piraten-Fang, Queen of the Cupcakes, Go Lightning McQueen, and Cars 2: Race Champions!
In all serious, this video rules. I enjoy almost every video talking about the literal mountain of work Knizia has published over his career. I'm looking at my shelf for games of his that weren't covered (I hope I'm not mistaken on any of these, I was watching while playing a solo game of Imperium: Classics lol): Stephenson's Rocket, Blue Moon Legends, Abandon Ship, and I think that's it?
I guess I'll also mention Bunte Runde, not because it's a good game (it's not very good), but the fact that it's basically a stockholding game for kids is kinda wild to me? 6 shapes in 6 colors = 36 blocks, take turns walking a pawn around the circle Patchwork style to claim blocks, once all of a shape or color is claimed everyone takes 1 of the 36 coins for each block they have of that type. So the whole game is just trying to get paid for both the color and shape of your blocks as much as possible. I think about Bunte Runde a lot.
What a monster of a video, is this your longest? I’m in my mid 50s and got to buy many of his early hits when they were just released, I’m a lucky guy to be alive in this era as you said.thanks for this I really enjoyed it and brought back lovely memories of my early board game playing and collecting
Funner Fact:
The German word 'reiner' actually is the comparative of the word 'rein' which means pure. So technically, 'reiner' means purer ;)
Well he is purer than most magicians … GOB Bluth is very impure
@@mattvucu6706 COME ON!
Depends on how the word is used. "Pure Randomness" translates to "Reiner Zufall".
I think the version with a (Rainer) is more common, at least from my experience. Apparently it comes from a word for adviser according to its etymology.
Thanks for the video! I haven’t played many Knizia games, so this gave me a good idea of which of his games I’d like to try.
Awesome job! Amazing video! Love it! ❤
I only have LLAMA, but I played My City Roll & Build in BGA.
If I had to create a Knizia's games wishlist, it would be: Lost Cities, My City, El Dorado, Schotten Totten.
Thanks for the video.
I really enjoyed this video. I think you had a lot pf work to do it and I appreciate your efforts.
We get it. You just wanna talk about Lost cities again.
Jokes aside, great video and thanks for including the boards and some photos. We don't know every games. I wish more channels would make the effort like you do.
The only one I've played that you haven't is Viking See Saw which feels silly to recommend but honestly, it's delightful! Very charming little dexterity game that gets people laughing.
Great video! I'd love to see you do similar tier lists for other designers, even if you included smaller numbers of games.
Also if you ever want to give Tigris & Euphrates more chances on BGA, it really rewards those extra plays! My online T&E group is approaching 100 plays and it just keeps getting better.
It's amazing how different we see things... Ingenious has been for me the "best game ever" for the first 5-6 years of my gamer career. It's simple, has tough decisions, you can find different strategies to follow (one color at a time to get the doube turns, all colors at the same time to avoid leaving one color behind) it scales wonderfully... to me is a masterpiece of abstract game.
Taj Mahal is a top Knizia game for me and where you ranked it hurts my soul. It's so, so good. Babylonia is a top 10 as well. Happy to see Mille Fiori getting some well deserved love, though!
I'm told that Municipium and Orongo are both must-try gems.
Taj Mahal may be my favorite as well. Every few years we pull it out, and everyone wonders at how well it works.
Fantastic video. Loved all the rankings. I have all your top picks except through the desert. Very nice!
This has taken me about a week to watch, and there’s still some bits I want to go back and rewatch. I can’t imagine how long it took to create!! Thank you so much!
Also, thinking about your little one - I have tried to create a list of “games you can play with your toddler around” (ie no choking parts). We have more or less given up and play board game apps now, but there are some great games with big, playful pieces eg Echidna Shuffle. Do you have any other ideas?
What a treat for the knizionados. Thank you. Fantastic job.
I was waiting for THIS video. Thank you!!!
Just when i wanted to get into his games! Also just when i wanted to watch a feature length movie! Thanks!
😂😂 Perfect!
Good to know which Knizia games I should avoid. Crazy how much this video helps narrow that down!
One of your most interesting video! Possibility of other videos with other designers???
Amazing video. Your ranking really matches my taste in games. I would move Zoo Vadis up an echelon but that is the only difference. Quite interesting actually!
38:49 I would have put it in the 2nd tier - simply because the track seems to do a decent job of thematically incorporating the sport of fencing, where you are going back and forth toward each other.
Great video as always! I was looking forward to hear your thoughts on Spectaculum, Aristocracy, blue moon, Cat Blues, Circus Flohcati and City of the Living.
What a marathon of a video! Love it!
Loved this, thank you! Of the ones I've played I agree with all of your opinions (except for a few of the dice games!). Makes me really want to try that Hollywood movie making one.
NNNOOOOOO!!! probably my favourite Knizia game, the one, at least that I always say is "the game the i love play the most", "my pleasure"... Blue Moon City! just "on rocky ground"??? ... I don't know if I want to go on with the next hour then... you stabbed me in the heart
Also Time square, that I know in the version "Auf der Reeperbahn"... I never met a Knizia acolite with such different tastes from mine, I swear. I played Time Square more than 30 times and every time is such a tense tense game with hard decisions anout which of the characters to push... only sad thing is... I can't find my box of Auf der Reeperbahn anymore :(
Great list. I agree with almost everythibg. Ingenious and Tigris and Euphrates deserve better. They are both excellent examples of unique scoring that only the Good Dr. can make work.
Awesome round up! Excellent video as always.
This was great. Please do another designer loved this
There is a real chance that Reiner himself sees this video
how so? he likes to search for himself?
@@auburnt_amaranth I mean I just meant it as a remark that the possibility exists and that I think it would be funny, though you are right that it is unlikely. Still technically possible in reality
@@sebastianb.3777 i see. i also think it would be very cool for him to see it.
I think it would be quite likely.
It is a famous board game channel, the board game community is very close to each other,
Maybe he won't see it first, but comeone close to him recommends...
@@NoisqueVoaProduction very possible. i hope so than
What a fantastic video, a truly impressive and it shines as a labor of love, I will certainly take advice this to build my collection and gift to my friends, and thank you for this.
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it :)
Happy to have a new video!!!❤
Glad you like Mille Fiori. We enjoy it too.
Can't wait for the next 100 of his you play.
Will you do this with other designers? I enjoyed this.
I don't think another designer comes close in terms of number of games, and my passion wouldn't be quite so high.
As others have mentioned, you could deffo do with checking out Municipium and Orongo. Also Stephenson's Rocket and Trendy.
This video is very well-rounded.
Amazing concept!
What a great video
Another excellent video! The only ones in my Knizia collection that you didn't cover are Blue Moon Legends, Age of War and Size Matters.
Size Matters is basically just a set of cards with lots of quiz questions with numbers as answers. I doubt I'd actually play it as intended, but I picked it up as an ideal expansion for Wits & Wagers. Age of War is a small box push-your-luck dice game that, imo, is a great little filler, but given your thoughts on Knizia's other dice games, may not be your cup of tea. Definitely worth checking out though, just in case. It should usually be about £10 new, but I guess it's between print runs atm, as lately I've seen it sell for silly money for what it is. Blue Moon Legends is rather interesting as it's pretty different to most Knizia games. It feels like Reiner's answer to Magic The Gathering or something along those lines. Quite difficult to get hold of though, I think.
New edition of Samurai would be awesome!!
Are you kidding me? My group LOVES Africa!
Lincoln convinced me to get it, and I've had a lot of good game nights with it. I'd rank it at least Game Boy, probably higher.
But we do agree on Lord of the Rings. Thanks for the video!
Love Lost Cities. Me and my wife play all the time. Its like a two player Solitaire, but with an attitude. I wish there was an expansion pack. It would be cool if you could interview Reiner Knizia.
Very enjoyable vid. Thank you!
Its Spiel des Jahres
Greetings from the Rhine River at Mainz 🌟
Wait. Wait.
A friend of mine just sent me this video konwing I am OBSESSED with Knizia.
I have some 130+ games, played probably 150 of them
My Knizia Index is 32.
I know what I am talking about.
PLEASE, reconsider Tutanchamun. It's a great game and the decisions are really really interesting because you need to know when to advance a lot, what to give up, what to fight for... please please reconsider!
Dang, there should be 100 games here and I am already commenting at the third one... I'll never end this video... but it's nice to see you are somehow Knizian
You are right, it's like a religion
Botswana. JUST PLAY Thor! that's so much better with the cards!
Wow good ranking for llama card game. When I first played it I thought is this game the simplest game in the world or sth? But ends up playing maybe 100+ now. Plus many of those games are with my 5 years old son ❤
An exhaustive review, enjoyably and fairly presented, thank you…maybe one for Euro style gamers though
Damn that was a long vid. So glad you dropped the ‘characters’, could not have got thru it with them in the vid
My City might be an "OK, but not excellent" legacy game. But after finishing it, on the other side of the board you will have a fun tile-placing game, which can be played within 15 or 20 minutes! :) It's one of our most frequently played filler games. (We love Patchwork and A Feast for Odin too, but they are not as fast. :D )
I highly recommend Yellow & Yangtze on iOS. It takes out all the fiddliness and allows the design to shine. It’s my #1 game of all time. Spectaculum and Yangtze are worth a play but they probably won’t rise to the top of your rankings. Ingenious, Tigris & Euphrates, Taj Mahal, Botswana and Medici are all “He Walks Among Us” for me.
Thanks
Thank you 🙏🙏
Nearly two hours long video? Not that I planned to sleep much tonight ❤
Biggest difference of opinion: Ingenious, which goes into "He Walks Among Us" for me
That was my thought too. I love ingenious.
Thank goodness I'm not alone thinking that. I also rate the travel edition as a two player game very highly as well.
Surprised you didnt dig Ingenious. My favorite Renier game is Axio, it uses the same scoring system, but its without the hexogonal shapes and a unique scoring pyramid system added. I love it. Axio Rota came out two years later and is a smaller tile placement version of Axio which is also great, just not as good as the original Axio IMO. We also own Art Robbery and the first time we played it we liked it a lot.