These are the kind of year-end lists I like. It basically says, "Disregarding all of the mega-hyped games of the year, what good games came out this year?" Once all the marquee games fall away, I find a lot of these games far more interesting. Kudos, Dice Tower crew.
I LOVE lists like this, covering the less famous hits of the year. I'm surprised not to see Beasts of Balance on here after Tom gave it 9/10 and it came out of nowhere. I'd completely agree with Capital being a surprise hit. Capital Lux I like, but requires too much mental arithmetic to make it a classic filler. I was also surprised by how much fun I had with the unassuming party game Sixes.
Thanks for this guys. Re: Junk Art-The distributor we work with ran out of Junk Art quickly and we're still waiting for them to get more. Junk Art also seems to replace similar dexterity games such as Bausack/Bandu. I'd love to have a copy to see how this would go over at my schools Family Game Night in January. So, yeah, it will be interesting to see the interest one year from now. I think it'll still be pretty popular. Thanks again guys for all your work.
MUCH BETTER LIST THAN TOP 10! Arcane Academy should have gotten more love. Absolutely outstanding family game. We are a board game crazy family and it has become one of our most regularly played games.
At about 11:45 - was Zee starting to sing the "Pied Piper" them from Brian Wilson's bizarro-work "Mount Vernon and Fairway" (from the 1973 Beach Boys' LP "Holland")?
Oh, no - now I must check out more games - don't you guys know I'm broke??!! Great topic and yet another great video - Thanks for all the content Dice Tower provides! Happy New Year!
Watching this on Christmas eve 1.40am , eating ham & drinking cider, while waiting for tomorrow 'cause we got Mansions of Madness 2nd edition for Christmas
Bloodborne (PS4 only) is one of best video games ever created. Sam may not like it (or its dark atmosphere) but the game is really good and im certain its better than board counterpart.
I first thought Lanterns was going to be a bit boring, but after the first playthrough, I was hooked and bought the game immediately that day. Some of these games just can't be evaluated by watching videos or reading reviews. You just gotta play them and see for yourself if you like them.
There is a time and place for professionalism. That being said we are talking about games here. Laughing is good, games are good. A reason I also like Sit Down and Play.
so confused about capital. game tiles may be one thing but it's cover is gorgeous, really artfully done and very colorful. surprised that anyone can say it's ugly.
I had a little backgammon problem there for a while...might have to look into Tatsu. Of course, it's the whole...you know....gambling thing that makes backgammon, it's like poker that way. Great vid, you guys are on a roll (heh) these days.
cover of Capital is a pice of art by Tytus Brzozowski - appreciated Polish watercolor painter specialising in Warsaw panoramas. Sure it does not mean that someone must like it, but it is a pice of good, thematic arts. :)
Filip Nowakowski I had never seen the cover before this video and I didn't think it looked bad. I'm wondering if it may be too busy looking for a board game
I wonder if Sam has ever played "Colossal Arena" or its predecessor, "Titan: The Card Game", which seem to have a lot in common with "Behind the Throne" from how he described it (except the first 2 add on a betting element to the set collection and card manipulation, which is excellent).
The only downside to Millennium Blades is set up time. Once you get past that, though, the game is phenomenal. The buy/sell rounds are timed so they dont drag on. And the "game" portion is easy enough that there usually isnt too much AP.
Accepting that Zee likes this game (Capital Lux) and still appreciates the art style but seemed worried that people wouldn't appreciate the art design - It's beautiful, adult and serene. I really like it and might even buy the game despite being a heavy Ameritrash or wargame type of gamer, I enjoy the look so much.
I've heard Zee's criticism of Dead Last by most people I know who played it. Feel like there are so many good social/bluffing/heisty style games that it's going to get crowded out fast.
My biggest surprises is probably Mansions of Madness Second Edition and Quadropolis. I hated MoM first edition with a burning passion. I love the second edition. As for Quadropolis, it seemed really light when I read the rules but that a lot more depth than I thought. Both great games!
Dead Last felt like an awesome game the first time I played it and now I feel more like how Zee feels about the game. People sitting next to each other tend to vote together ad nauseam so it get repetitive at some point.
Nevermind, I got confused, funny. I'm fairly sure I saw a version of this game with goofy "mass market" type artwork. Or did I dream ? We may never know.
Ooo, I wonder if Tom was talking about the Japanese game Don't S*** the Toilet. To my surprise, I thought it was really fun - more fun than The Resistance.
We have a couple of the Iello Tales and Games games. They are definitely more for adults than they look. They are kids games, but they are enjoyable. The one I like best, so far, is The Three Little Pigs.
Star Wars: Rebellion was a surprise to me. I hate dudes-on-a-map games and this one seemed to be yet another Fantasy Flight Star Wars cashgrab, like the majority of them are. I also don't usually enjoy long, heavy two player games that are just all-around ameritrashy. This one is okay, though. I especially enjoyed the light deduction part of the Empire, where you send probes around searching for the rebel base. It's not a great game, but it is a decent one, and that's a lot more than I expected from it.
DeHaven _ Not hard to be more fun than Hnabi for some. I am one who just loathes the game, Glad people enjoy it, glad it is conceptually different... but that Spiel des Jahres thing irks me.
I think part of the problem with hanabi is that you need the right group, and if you aren't good with memory games you're not gunna have fun with it. I've actually found people are more receptive to bakers street then hanabi even though the idea is the same. Maybe its the theme or the increased actions you can do, but more people i've played the two with like bakers street more then hanabi.
On the case of Dead Last, Don't Mess with Cthulhu (or Time Bomb) is not a game for me either. You are just blind guessing based on nothing and can lose on your first guess..
It would really wish you guys would post a list in the description when you do top tens. You cove 20-30 titles, and the video is an hour long, and when I'm at my lgs later and can't remember the name of the game that piqued my interest, going through the 1 hr video is pretty rough.
Both Tom and Zee's descriptions of the game are terrible to the point that I'd be confident both of them played it wrong. You're eliminating WAY MORE than one person a round, and it's a game built around debate, bluffing, double bluffing and betrayal. It goes fast and if you're always killing the same people arbitrarily you're doing it wrong. Dead Last is probably most interesting as a game with a high minimum player count that handles high numbers pretty well. There's a spot for it, definitely. Of course that assumes you're playing it correctly. :P
If that's how the group is going to play, then it's not a game for that group. Literally any game where people collectively agree to not let you play is bad when everyone avoids actually playing the game to pursue a bad joke. That isn't a fault in the game.
These are the kind of year-end lists I like. It basically says, "Disregarding all of the mega-hyped games of the year, what good games came out this year?" Once all the marquee games fall away, I find a lot of these games far more interesting. Kudos, Dice Tower crew.
slinks90 definitely enjoy that they highlight games that maybe didn't have allot of buzz.
I LOVE lists like this, covering the less famous hits of the year. I'm surprised not to see Beasts of Balance on here after Tom gave it 9/10 and it came out of nowhere.
I'd completely agree with Capital being a surprise hit. Capital Lux I like, but requires too much mental arithmetic to make it a classic filler. I was also surprised by how much fun I had with the unassuming party game Sixes.
If it doesn't come with a box full of monster minis, Sam considers it an abstract. 😄
Zee can do a mean top 10 if he doesn't get sucked into putting in 5 Pandemic spinoffs.
Thanks for including Bill & Ted's Excellent Boardgame on the list, Sam! -HS
Thanks for this guys. Re: Junk Art-The distributor we work with ran out of Junk Art quickly and we're still waiting for them to get more. Junk Art also seems to replace similar dexterity games such as Bausack/Bandu. I'd love to have a copy to see how this would go over at my schools Family Game Night in January. So, yeah, it will be interesting to see the interest one year from now. I think it'll still be pretty popular. Thanks again guys for all your work.
Haha I love when Sam says the tables have flipped instead of the tables have turned
Zee's top criteria for rating board games: "is it fast?" Why are you in such a hurry to finish Zee? Enjoy the process! ;)
MUCH BETTER LIST THAN TOP 10! Arcane Academy should have gotten more love. Absolutely outstanding family game. We are a board game crazy family and it has become one of our most regularly played games.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all in dice tower. Thank you for all this years entertainment. Wish you well in your fundraising campaign 👍👍👍👍
Any list is better than Zee's original list. Zee your list was just best Pandemic remakes
At about 11:45 - was Zee starting to sing the "Pied Piper" them from Brian Wilson's bizarro-work "Mount Vernon and Fairway" (from the 1973 Beach Boys' LP "Holland")?
Yay! A top ten from the trio :3
As a guitar player I enjoyed Tom's air guitar.
Oh, no - now I must check out more games - don't you guys know I'm broke??!! Great topic and yet another great video - Thanks for all the content Dice Tower provides! Happy New Year!
I really agree Tom! Dead Last really surprised me as to how great it was! Super fun game!!!
Watching this on Christmas eve 1.40am , eating ham & drinking cider, while waiting for tomorrow 'cause we got Mansions of Madness 2nd edition for Christmas
Bloodborne (PS4 only) is one of best video games ever created. Sam may not like it (or its dark atmosphere) but the game is really good and im certain its better than board counterpart.
I agree by far the best game you can get for a PS4 by my reckoning.
Zee's top 10 was good! Leave him alone! (Or however you "eat people alive").
Cool lists. Much more interesting than your Top 20s :)
I first thought Lanterns was going to be a bit boring, but after the first playthrough, I was hooked and bought the game immediately that day. Some of these games just can't be evaluated by watching videos or reading reviews. You just gotta play them and see for yourself if you like them.
I know some people knock you guys for being unprofessional, but I keep coming back because I laugh at some point during each of your videos.
There is a time and place for professionalism. That being said we are talking about games here. Laughing is good, games are good. A reason I also like Sit Down and Play.
I believe you were looking for "Wyld Stallyns", Tom.
Station!
Just for future reference, Tom's air guitar is much better than Sam's...
Great video! Had me laughing out loud a couple of times. Definitely adding some of these games to my wishlist.
Did Martin Wallace pull a reverse Uwe Rosenberg? That's a transition that I can set my watch to :)
Great list! Vast looks interesting!
Millennium Blades is so good. Probably my GOTY. I think it misses hard for some people, but for me, it's just so unique and perfectly suited to me.
so confused about capital. game tiles may be one thing but it's cover is gorgeous, really artfully done and very colorful. surprised that anyone can say it's ugly.
17:30 - Another classic !
I had a little backgammon problem there for a while...might have to look into Tatsu. Of course, it's the whole...you know....gambling thing that makes backgammon, it's like poker that way.
Great vid, you guys are on a roll (heh) these days.
Mask of Anubis sounds kind of like Keep Talking and Nobody Dies....lots of fun.
cover of Capital is a pice of art by Tytus Brzozowski - appreciated Polish watercolor painter specialising in Warsaw panoramas. Sure it does not mean that someone must like it, but it is a pice of good, thematic arts. :)
Filip Nowakowski I had never seen the cover before this video and I didn't think it looked bad. I'm wondering if it may be too busy looking for a board game
Filip Nowakowski Is the font part of the art piece? I think the font kills it.
no it is not, you are right. I don't say that it was used in the optimal way, i'm just saying it is not bad art per se.
I wonder if Sam has ever played "Colossal Arena" or its predecessor, "Titan: The Card Game", which seem to have a lot in common with "Behind the Throne" from how he described it (except the first 2 add on a betting element to the set collection and card manipulation, which is excellent).
Tom has played it and I think both Sam and Zee have too, they talked about it on an old Top 10
Lassonius There's a live play where all 3 play Colossal Arena.
my friends and I LOVE Black Orchestra
The only downside to Millennium Blades is set up time. Once you get past that, though, the game is phenomenal. The buy/sell rounds are timed so they dont drag on. And the "game" portion is easy enough that there usually isnt too much AP.
I thought for sure Tom would have had Roll Player on his list from his review of it.
maawdawg It is on his Top 10 of 2016. Check out the other video ;)
thanks guys!!! I'm interested in "Black Orchestra", "Capital", the robot fighting game. "Covert" sounds pretty good.
Accepting that Zee likes this game (Capital Lux) and still appreciates the art style but seemed worried that people wouldn't appreciate the art design - It's beautiful, adult and serene. I really like it and might even buy the game despite being a heavy Ameritrash or wargame type of gamer, I enjoy the look so much.
Shocked not to see Roll Player not on Tom's list
I've heard Zee's criticism of Dead Last by most people I know who played it. Feel like there are so many good social/bluffing/heisty style games that it's going to get crowded out fast.
My biggest surprises is probably Mansions of Madness Second Edition and Quadropolis. I hated MoM first edition with a burning passion. I love the second edition. As for Quadropolis, it seemed really light when I read the rules but that a lot more depth than I thought. Both great games!
Did you guys sort these by favorite or by biggest surprise?
RecordsHisPlays favorite surprise
Bill & Ted's phone booth operator says 'Please check your directory and dial again. Party on dudes'. so all good Tom.
i can't find Box of rocks? anywhere to buy. any tips?
Where the heck is Codex?
pepperonik on Tom's top 10 of the year... pretty high up
Dead Last felt like an awesome game the first time I played it and now I feel more like how Zee feels about the game. People sitting next to each other tend to vote together ad nauseam so it get repetitive at some point.
Wasnt Mask of Anubis picked up by Ravensburger ?
Was it? That would be so ccol, I want to get my hands on this game!
Nevermind, I got confused, funny. I'm fairly sure I saw a version of this game with goofy "mass market" type artwork. Or did I dream ? We may never know.
**eating Tom and Sam alive**
This list is mire intresting than plain top 10 of 2016.
ps. Sam wos on fire=.)
Ooo, I wonder if Tom was talking about the Japanese game Don't S*** the Toilet. To my surprise, I thought it was really fun - more fun than The Resistance.
Zee is funny asf lol.
We have a couple of the Iello Tales and Games games. They are definitely more for adults than they look. They are kids games, but they are enjoyable. The one I like best, so far, is The Three Little Pigs.
I had a conversation about how dumb Hit Z Road's name was.
But I'm in Canada so we didn't get the pun. "Hit Zed Road"
So am I the only person that doesn't get the "behind the throne" joke?
I am starting a game wishlist but its not funny how much im putting on there xD
Behind The Throne by Arse Games (almost)
I'd like to see some kind of top 10 battle...what wins when all three of you have to make ONE top 10?
It's not just Zee that likes Beyond better than Hanabi. Rahdo basically said the same thing.
It sounds so fun...but I can't find Box of Rocks on Amazon or CoolStuff. :(
Gamera 23 Step 1: Get some rocks...
LOL!! :-D
TheMrE And I can send the box if needed.
Star Wars: Rebellion was a surprise to me. I hate dudes-on-a-map games and this one seemed to be yet another Fantasy Flight Star Wars cashgrab, like the majority of them are. I also don't usually enjoy long, heavy two player games that are just all-around ameritrashy. This one is okay, though. I especially enjoyed the light deduction part of the Empire, where you send probes around searching for the rebel base. It's not a great game, but it is a decent one, and that's a lot more than I expected from it.
Zee, could you do a top 10 lovecraftian themed games?
Especially with Cthulhu: A Deckbuilding Game coming out (if it isnt released already)
How about a Top 10 Team Games list?
And a fun related top 10 could be top 10 One vs. Many Games.
So Crates!
"And I have thoughts also..."
Icecool! yeah 😎😎 very fun game 😃
I also think beyond Bakers street is also more fun then hanabi. Its alot more intense and takes more strategy to win!
DeHaven _
Not hard to be more fun than Hnabi for some. I am one who just loathes the game, Glad people enjoy it, glad it is conceptually different... but that Spiel des Jahres thing irks me.
I think part of the problem with hanabi is that you need the right group, and if you aren't good with memory games you're not gunna have fun with it. I've actually found people are more receptive to bakers street then hanabi even though the idea is the same. Maybe its the theme or the increased actions you can do, but more people i've played the two with like bakers street more then hanabi.
Hanabi made the BGG thread of "I'd rather play monopoly than _______." :D
I'm a Comment and I am going to eat Sam and Tom Alive! Om Nom Nom!
Thanks for mentioning Box of Rocks. You can pre-order the game here: www.haywiregroup.com/products/box-rocks/
On the case of Dead Last, Don't Mess with Cthulhu (or Time Bomb) is not a game for me either. You are just blind guessing based on nothing and can lose on your first guess..
It would really wish you guys would post a list in the description when you do top tens. You cove 20-30 titles, and the video is an hour long, and when I'm at my lgs later and can't remember the name of the game that piqued my interest, going through the 1 hr video is pretty rough.
One hour to talk about 10 games, is this a game ?
I just can't stand the way every game reviewer mispronounces Hanabi...
If I had truck loads of free games sent to me each week, I wouldn't pay attention to kickstarter either ...
Dead Last is terrible. It's backstabbing without any clues. I agree with Zee, no game there at all. I actually hate it.
Straddllw is it similar to Werewolf in that respect?
Jed Litwiller at least there's some deduction in Werewolf, dead last is just ugh boring. I actually can't even bring myself to finish the game.
Both Tom and Zee's descriptions of the game are terrible to the point that I'd be confident both of them played it wrong. You're eliminating WAY MORE than one person a round, and it's a game built around debate, bluffing, double bluffing and betrayal. It goes fast and if you're always killing the same people arbitrarily you're doing it wrong.
Dead Last is probably most interesting as a game with a high minimum player count that handles high numbers pretty well. There's a spot for it, definitely. Of course that assumes you're playing it correctly. :P
We played this about a month ago in our gaming group and I agree. It was brutal. I was literally out every round because they thought it was funny.
If that's how the group is going to play, then it's not a game for that group. Literally any game where people collectively agree to not let you play is bad when everyone avoids actually playing the game to pursue a bad joke. That isn't a fault in the game.