Those videos are so much more comfortable to watch in this natural and green setting than they were in the (probably windowless) gaming room. It just feels lively and more uplifting.
No love for War of the Ring on a top 10 THEME list from ANYONE?! Not even an honorable mention!? I feel about as horrified and betrayed as Elrond must have when Isildur refused to throw the ring into Mt Doom! Me: "Cast it into the ! it!" Tom: (Entranced with his . Then, with menace and a slight smile whispers): "NO." Me: (Shouting, with disbelief and dismay): "TOOOOOOoooooooM!!!"
I agree. In fact these Top 10 lists are starting to be very predictive. There are games on the Top 100 on BGG much more themed but because those are not their favorite games, they will never be on any Top 10 list. It would be a good ideia to talk about those games.
Sam, I backed Commissioned after seeing a video you did about it. I got a chance to try it with my parents (my dad is a preacher), and a couple other friends. We had a great time and ended up winning on our last possible action. It exceeded my expectations. Thanks for the recommendation.
I have been curious to play a good religiously themed game, it seems like there are so many out there where they've gotten their message across but didn't put the same effort into game mechanics. So Commissioned has moved onto my want-to-play list... thanks for the recommendation.
i love this natural green background - it makes you guys stand out from other channels and just feels warm and inviting - but you guys already are such a pleasure to watch
Agreed. I enjoy the game a lot, but thematic? Nope. Any other theme could be slapped on there. And most mechanics don't connect with the theme specifically.
Betrayal at House on the Hill has a great B-movie theme going for it. It's so great, it often leaves you scratching your head and saying, "What? That doesn't make sense," just like a lot of actual B-movies!
"This is the top 10, not the podcast, you need to listen, Okay?" ... "No, man. I'm just helping him out. Buddy, hey, you got to listen to us, we are not Eric Summerer." ... "Love you, Eric!" Zee always crack me up! XD
Honestly, this could be the best top 10 list you guys have done yet.... I'm particularly impressed with Zee's picks, as he's known to be more of an abstract player. Lots of very interesting games are mentioned that may well deserve a second look ('Hit Z Road'?!?) -- so my hat's off to the Dice Tower crew, nice job on this one! Two Cthulhu-esque tentacles up!
Spirit Island is a game that I've played 3 times this week so far, and it's surprisingly thematic through and through. Nothing pasted on, the theme is so well integrated with the mechanics, you can even consider it all the way to decision making. If you choose powers and actions that feel amazing and are thematic synergies, it will almost always be good actions. We won all 3 games on the turn we wouldn't be able to handle the invader turns, and everyone during the end game discussion/wind down pointed out the fun and thematic stuff our characters did. Love this game!
Vast: The Crystal Caverns is highly thematic. Each role you can play (knight, goblins, dragon, cave, thief, etc.) has a unique set of rules/mechanics + victory condition designed specifically to capture the theme/story for that role.
War of the Ring deserves to be on at least one of their lists (maybe not top 5, but definitely top 10). I'll chalk that up to personal game preferences and not how well the theme is experienced in the game's gameplay. I do appreciate the great variety of themes they all used in their lists.
I agree. I mentioned on BGG that very same thing. It is truly Lord of the Rings in a box. You guys should pretend you found it in a thrift store and do a segment on it. ;)
actually there is a star ship themed variant. Space Alert : www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/38453/space-alert Although unlike Captain Sonar it isn't team vs team.
Great lists, much to agree with here. My personal top 10 games I own for theme. Arkham Horror LCG 10. Dead of Winter 9. Churchill 8. Star Wars Rebellion 7. Arkham Horror LCG 6. Agents of Smersh 5. War of the Ring 4. Battlestar Galactica 3. Android - Original not netrunner 2. Mansions of Madness 2.0 1. This War of Mine
JoMa Ha RUclips ad revenue is not only calculated thru clicks, but video retention and completion. Someone changing the video after a few seconds because they read the information means Dice Tower doesn't get the retention credit. The algorithm calculates more than clicks.
Trevin Taylor I'm not sure accusing commenters of stealing for commenting wrong is going to be a good strategy long term regardless of how videos are monetized.
I'm surprised Zee didn't mention Atlantis Rising. I can't imagine any other theme working with that system. K2 is another game I feel absolutely relies on its theme and brings that theme out incredibly well.
A bit surprised nobody mentioned Alchemists here, especially Tom who likes the game. Every single detail in the game is explainable by it's theme, even the rules have been written in such way you get sucked into this strange world of alchemy. Only thing that breaks the illusion a tiny bit is the use of a cell phone, but on the other hand it's probably the only way you could smoothly make a game like this. You still get the feeling of mixing potions though, and it kind of opens up a new dimension to board games - which I would be happy to see used more.
Great and useful list! Thanks, guys!One game that definitely deserves to be included is the highly thematic, and well made, pirate game, Merchants and Marauders.
Can't believe Zee's not played Burgle Bros - it's different to Pandemic, but has great tension, lots of different characters to play and a really strong (and cool) theme. If you like Pandemic, definitely give it a go
Just finished watching the "Top 10 Games These Two Jokers Don't Appreciate" episode, loved the interaction in between the guys. It got me thinking; each top 10 episode consists of Sam, Tom and Zee presenting their own top 10 and commenting on the others. Would it not be awesome if they made one top 10 TOGETHER? I would love seeing them squabble over it and see what they come up with!
I haven’t played that many games, but as a huge Lord of the Rings fan I have to say “War of the Ring” is phenomenally themed. Practically everything about it is steeped in the lore and has a basis in the story, and the more you know (eg reading the appendices that give more back story and tell other things that went on that we don’t see in the main story) the stronger it gets.
How did Doomtown Reloaded not make this list? Colt Express and Dice Town over Doomtown? Maybe I'm just partial because I think that is such an underrated game.
I agree with quite a lot of your picks. I think you really missed one though and I kept waiting for it all of the time: Mice and Mystics. Could hardly think of a game which is more thematic and immersive. It just shines with its rich story, adorable characters and overall stunningly beautiful artwork.
I’ve watched many of these top tens and for some reason I’m starting to get a suspicion of the crossovers surprisingly coinciding when we thought they wouldn’t come up. Anyone else getting a funky feeling?
Yes Zee! During the first part of the video I thought of Dead Men Tell No Tales. So glad it is getting some time in the spotlight. Such a good game. Basically a pandemic and ghost story killer for me.
I personally think you all missed Fresco. While I will admit that you can leave most, and maybe even all of the expansions out of it. The base game is wonderfully thematic. The bishop give you extra recognition (i.e. victory points) if you happen to paint the section where he is. The whole mixing paints have to be done to make logical color changes. The one theme miss is the rigid turn order. First market, then painting the fresco, then painting portraits, then mixing...when you really would want to be mixing before either of those. besides that I think the game delivers wonderfully on theme.
Sam: Time Stories has a pasted-on theme. That there are so many possible in the game is proof of that! Also Sam: Time Stories is a highly thematic game. It's thematic regardless of where you are!
Same logic Tom gave for Flying Frog games of playing cooperative applies to Fortune & Glory too. Nice and thematic game... just be sure to play the cooperative game. ;-)
From my collection, my top 10 theme-tastic games are: 1) Elder Sign 2) Eldritch Horror 3) Arkham Horror: The Card Game 4) Defenders of the Realm 5) Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu 6) Flash Point: Fire Rescue 7) Talisman 8) Mansions of Madness 2nd. Edition 9) Pathfinder Adventure Card Game 10) D & D: Castle Ravenloft the board game
Hi Sam, Tom and Zee. The world of board games has a strong cult of the new. I would really like to see a top 10 of great retro, nostalgic games from the eighties/nineties or even older (not the plain classic games like chess or poker, but innovative ideas, fun concepts from that time)
There is a reason for that though. Modern board games have legitimately gotten better. This is coming from someone who has fond memories of monsters like Advanced Civilization, who still loves Blood Bowl and Space Hulk, and whose sister bought him a copy of the old mass produced roll and move game "Go For Broke" cause it was one of my favorites as a kid.
I love Eldritch Horror, but if we're going for Lovecraft I would say Mansions of Madness 2nd edition hits the theme better. Especially with the ambient sounds of the app blaring through your bluetooth speakers.
time stories tho!!! yassss robinson crusoe too..we've played a handful of times (it's a little bit of an intricate game) and we've played with jenny a couple of times and i would recommend to, it's cool. i agree on photosynthesis too, even though i'm still waiting to get it in the mail. i got it for my sis in law and to her theme is very important and catchy in a game, i can't wait. i got pandemic legacy 1 for my friends to play together like one year ago and we still need to sit there and actually play..cause we never feel like we're good enough, but i really want to! also i'd mention dominant species, am i right?
What? Stronghold 2nd edition as not been mentioned?!! For me it's my best themed game. You feel like attacking/defending Helm's deep in Lord of the ring. The theme is so important in this game. If you wanna feel like beeing in the Middle age, attacking/defending a stronghold, it's the one to get. That beeing said, nice video guys. There is some of them i can't wait to try now.
I don't know how Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition didn't make Sam's list. Easily the most thematic game I've ever played. Every component represents something thematic. You are not playing an alien race, you ARE that race while you're playing. It can't make every list, but theme-tastic? That's an oversight.
Sam here...it wasn't an oversight. While I whole-heartedly agree that TI3 (and now TI4) is one of the best games ever to have been made, and concur that it is a heavily thematic game, the case could be made that (as with most 4X games) one could conceivably wrap any kind of conquest-oriented theme around it, and the game would be just as good. Those that enjoy space-themed games more might not be as enamored with it as they are now, just like those that don't care for space-themed games scratch their 4X itch with another choice. Believe me, I thought about it. It was not an oversight. Thanks for watching!
Is it just me or do a lot of co-op or semi co-op (one vs many) have strong themes or are thematic games? I mean there where a decent amount among there lists.
You tottaly miss the game with the most perfect integration between theme and mechanics: Tavarua! You just can't change the theme of this game without losing every sense in the mechanics.
How is The Perfumer not make into this list? That game have players to pretend as perfumist to smell cards with different foral scent and is impossible to have another theme to that.
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game I find to be very thematic. On the face of it, it's an area control/conflict game. But really, it's a game about politicking and strategically making/breaking alliances. You are playing the Game of Thrones.
Fury of Dracula became hard(er) to find when TableTop did it, not because of this video. I checked stores in South Korea, America, and Canada. It took a while to get one at a reasonable price.
Fury of Dracula is going to be hard to get because GW owns the rights to it, and took it back when the GW/FFG deal ended. And GW does not publish stuff outside their own settings any more. Therefore people, like myself, purchased it fearing it would be going OOP and not coming back. Nothing really to do with Tabletop, although they may have help squeeze the already finite supply.
Similar to another comment but opposite: have you thought of doing a "top ten games we have mentioned the most in top ten lists?" That would be interesting!
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Those videos are so much more comfortable to watch in this natural and green setting than they were in the (probably windowless) gaming room. It just feels lively and more uplifting.
Agreed.
I also agree, but I miss getting distracted by the game shelf. ADD needs more than just trees.
Hitchslapped it is indeed a huge improvement and a a great 'selling point' of these videos compared to videos of most other reviewers
+Kenneth Sollenberger
Like butterflies! Everyone loves butterflies!
I actually don't like butterflies. They are just glorified moths.
No love for War of the Ring on a top 10 THEME list from ANYONE?! Not even an honorable mention!? I feel about as horrified and betrayed as Elrond must have when Isildur refused to throw the ring into Mt Doom!
Me: "Cast it into the ! it!"
Tom: (Entranced with his . Then, with menace and a slight smile whispers): "NO."
Me: (Shouting, with disbelief and dismay): "TOOOOOOoooooooM!!!"
Maybe they are keeping their secrets.
How can I clip where Sam says TIME stories is high thematic and post it to their top 10 themeless games lol
This episode had me laughing out loud a few times. The chemistry between you three is very natural and fun.
You guys need to do a list: Top 10 games we've never mentioned in any other list :)
rc7771 that would be a good top ten list and after that they can do top ten top ten lists
Actually, that's a very clever idea for a top10 list
rc7771 agree! Sam put always the same 25 games in these Top10...
I agree. In fact these Top 10 lists are starting to be very predictive.
There are games on the Top 100 on BGG much more themed but because those are not their favorite games, they will never be on any Top 10 list.
It would be a good ideia to talk about those games.
same 25 in the top 10....hmmmm
Sam, I backed Commissioned after seeing a video you did about it. I got a chance to try it with my parents (my dad is a preacher), and a couple other friends. We had a great time and ended up winning on our last possible action. It exceeded my expectations. Thanks for the recommendation.
Nathaniel Percell this is a very nice game indeed!
I have been curious to play a good religiously themed game, it seems like there are so many out there where they've gotten their message across but didn't put the same effort into game mechanics. So Commissioned has moved onto my want-to-play list... thanks for the recommendation.
i love this natural green background - it makes you guys stand out from other channels and just feels warm and inviting - but you guys already are such a pleasure to watch
Seafall... it takes so long to play you actually feel like you're on a slow boat trying to make it back to land...
Captain Sonar as a restaurant theme, one chef, one sous chef, one cook, one waiter and one person to go get food?
You can slap any theme on mission red planet. You could make it about kids going to school on school busses and take the best seats in class.
Agreed. I enjoy the game a lot, but thematic? Nope. Any other theme could be slapped on there. And most mechanics don't connect with the theme specifically.
Yeah I agree. I love the game, but its not super thematic. The these is great however.
"They all died."
(literally immediately) "Good."
Zee is the greatest.
Betrayal at House on the Hill has a great B-movie theme going for it. It's so great, it often leaves you scratching your head and saying, "What? That doesn't make sense," just like a lot of actual B-movies!
I guess in the sense that 95% of the time, b-movies are terrible.
In that case Betrayal perfectly captures it!
"This is the top 10, not the podcast, you need to listen, Okay?"
...
"No, man. I'm just helping him out. Buddy, hey, you got to listen to us, we are not Eric Summerer."
...
"Love you, Eric!"
Zee always crack me up! XD
Zee: "They would be feasting on a great man"
Best roast ever.
Love the backdrop of this Top 10!
So glad you put Millennium Blades. Its super theme. My most played game in my small collection.
T.I.M.E. Stories is one of Sam's Theme-tastic games, eh? I'm pretty sure it's also one of his Themeless games on a different list.... Crazy man.
Great top 10 list guys! Always love the top 10 lists, but this one is thematically fantastic!
I really like Sam & Zee's #1 picks. Despite being a fun game, Dead Men Tell No Tales needs some love. Plus, who doesn't love Fury of Dracula 3rd Ed.
Honestly, this could be the best top 10 list you guys have done yet.... I'm particularly impressed with Zee's picks, as he's known to be more of an abstract player. Lots of very interesting games are mentioned that may well deserve a second look ('Hit Z Road'?!?) -- so my hat's off to the Dice Tower crew, nice job on this one! Two Cthulhu-esque tentacles up!
I think Viticulture is pretty thematic to wine-making and a fantastic game imo.
I think this would be at the top of my list, it just works so well for me because of the theme.
I miss this backdrop
Spirit Island is a game that I've played 3 times this week so far, and it's surprisingly thematic through and through. Nothing pasted on, the theme is so well integrated with the mechanics, you can even consider it all the way to decision making. If you choose powers and actions that feel amazing and are thematic synergies, it will almost always be good actions. We won all 3 games on the turn we wouldn't be able to handle the invader turns, and everyone during the end game discussion/wind down pointed out the fun and thematic stuff our characters did. Love this game!
Vast: The Crystal Caverns is highly thematic. Each role you can play (knight, goblins, dragon, cave, thief, etc.) has a unique set of rules/mechanics + victory condition designed specifically to capture the theme/story for that role.
War of the Ring deserves to be on at least one of their lists (maybe not top 5, but definitely top 10). I'll chalk that up to personal game preferences and not how well the theme is experienced in the game's gameplay. I do appreciate the great variety of themes they all used in their lists.
We came here to say this exact thing! War of the Ring! It's Lord of the Rings in a box, I'm surprised Tom didn't put it on his list
Ditto. Needed to be on this list somewhere.
I agree. I mentioned on BGG that very same thing. It is truly Lord of the Rings in a box.
You guys should pretend you found it in a thrift store and do a segment on it. ;)
Probably because it is too heavy for them, it is quite a long game at around 2 -4 hours
Lol one of us will do a plant, and the other will come in 30 minutes later and "lo and behold!! War of the Ring at a Thrift Store!"
🤣37:17 Zee starts singing The Phantom Menace soundtrack. I just love the way these guys all play off of each other.
I love the theme in Bottom of the 9th. I realize that baseball isn't necessarily appealing to most of the world, but the theme really lifts the game.
One of the best Top-Tens in a while. Lots of good discussion and several games that don't get mentioned much otherwise.
I think MICE AND MYSTICS and DEAD OF WINTER all inhabit their themes really, really well.
I was really surprised Dead of Winter was not included here.
I definitely agree with Commissioned. Good pick Sam. Great theme in this game and so fun to play.
Captain Sonar would make an excellent Star Trek game, imo.
actually there is a star ship themed variant.
Space Alert : www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/38453/space-alert
Although unlike Captain Sonar it isn't team vs team.
So glad this one was posted just today cause it prepares me for our game night tonight! Tom's number 3 had me cracking up so hard!
Great lists, much to agree with here. My personal top 10 games I own for theme.
Arkham Horror LCG
10. Dead of Winter
9. Churchill
8. Star Wars Rebellion
7. Arkham Horror LCG
6. Agents of Smersh
5. War of the Ring
4. Battlestar Galactica
3. Android - Original not netrunner
2. Mansions of Madness 2.0
1. This War of Mine
10
Sam- Flash Point: Fire Rescue
Tom- Millennium Blades
Zee- Fury of Dracula (3rd Ed.)
9
Sam- Commissioned
Tom- Eldritch Horror
Zee- Rum & Bones: Second Tide
8
Sam- Dice Town
Tom- Conquest of Planet Earth
Zee- Thunderbirds
7
Sam- Mission: Red Planet
Tom- Level 7 (Omega Protocol)
Zee- Hit Z Road
6
Sam- V-Commandos
Tom- Burgle Bros.
Zee- City of Horror
5
Sam- Battlestar Galactica
Tom- 1960: The Making of the President
Zee- Colt Express
4
Sam- T.I.M.E. Stories
Tom- Robinson Crusoe: Adventures...
Zee- T.I.M.E. Stories
3
Sam- Fury of Dracula (3rd Ed.)
Tom- Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit
Zee- Photosynthesis
2
Sam- Captain Sonar
Tom- Battlestar Galactica
Zee- Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
1
Sam- Star Wars: Rebellion
Tom- Captain Sonar
Zee- Dead Men Tell No Tales
TheRmm1976 please don't steal revenue from the dice tower.
Trevin Taylor 😂😂
Trevin Taylor RUclips and Dice Tower don't work that way, so learn how things work and stop saying random things.
JoMa Ha RUclips ad revenue is not only calculated thru clicks, but video retention and completion. Someone changing the video after a few seconds because they read the information means Dice Tower doesn't get the retention credit. The algorithm calculates more than clicks.
Trevin Taylor I'm not sure accusing commenters of stealing for commenting wrong is going to be a good strategy long term regardless of how videos are monetized.
I'm surprised Zee didn't mention Atlantis Rising. I can't imagine any other theme working with that system. K2 is another game I feel absolutely relies on its theme and brings that theme out incredibly well.
Raptor in my opinion has amazing Theme.
A bit surprised nobody mentioned Alchemists here, especially Tom who likes the game. Every single detail in the game is explainable by it's theme, even the rules have been written in such way you get sucked into this strange world of alchemy. Only thing that breaks the illusion a tiny bit is the use of a cell phone, but on the other hand it's probably the only way you could smoothly make a game like this. You still get the feeling of mixing potions though, and it kind of opens up a new dimension to board games - which I would be happy to see used more.
Great and useful list! Thanks, guys!One game that definitely deserves to be included is the highly thematic, and well made, pirate game, Merchants and Marauders.
When Tom said it's his Cthulhu game I thought it was a no-brainer it was Mansions of Madness 2nd edition. I laughed when Sam mentioned it. Good times.
War od the Ring - theme and mechanics are inseparable
Dice town could be easy rethemed with a las vegas theme
future, post apocaliptic, fantasy...a lot of themes
Or a mafia theme ? Game really isn't thematic at all
guilhermebelmonte1 i
The Networks game could have had a place on this list in my opinion. Thanks Dice Tower, keep up the great work!
Can't believe Zee's not played Burgle Bros - it's different to Pandemic, but has great tension, lots of different characters to play and a really strong (and cool) theme. If you like Pandemic, definitely give it a go
Sam is right about the Star Wars theme tho....
41:33 Did Sam mean Scotland Yard? On the Underground is
about a lazy passenger - I don't think it's hidden-movement.
Just finished watching the "Top 10 Games These Two Jokers Don't Appreciate" episode, loved the interaction in between the guys. It got me thinking; each top 10 episode consists of Sam, Tom and Zee presenting their own top 10 and commenting on the others. Would it not be awesome if they made one top 10 TOGETHER? I would love seeing them squabble over it and see what they come up with!
That's what they did in the beginning, up until mid-2013... those were not as good as the present format
I haven’t played that many games, but as a huge Lord of the Rings fan I have to say “War of the Ring” is phenomenally themed. Practically everything about it is steeped in the lore and has a basis in the story, and the more you know (eg reading the appendices that give more back story and tell other things that went on that we don’t see in the main story) the stronger it gets.
I definitely think War of the Ring would be number 1 on my list...good selections though.
So has Captain Sonar pretty much completely obsoleted Space Alert!? Was a little surprised not to see it mentioned...
I'm not a religious person myself, but I was pleasantly surprised by Commissioned. I really enjoyed that game.
This list reminds me that theme in board games has come a long way in the last five years.
A bit surprised Tom didn't include The Pursuit of Happiness on his list considering how much he praised the theme in his review.
"Homeland" is extremely thematic.
How did Doomtown Reloaded not make this list? Colt Express and Dice Town over Doomtown? Maybe I'm just partial because I think that is such an underrated game.
Secrets of the lost tomb oozes with theme. Do not forget to check out Secrets of the lost station at Gen Con and on KS.
I agree with quite a lot of your picks. I think you really missed one though and I kept waiting for it all of the time: Mice and Mystics. Could hardly think of a game which is more thematic and immersive. It just shines with its rich story, adorable characters and overall stunningly beautiful artwork.
This was a great top ten! You guys are hilarious.
I think Sushi Go! uses it's mechanics to perfectly reinforce it's theme and the theme there is so good that it's become my end all drafting game.
I’ve watched many of these top tens and for some reason I’m starting to get a suspicion of the crossovers surprisingly coinciding when we thought they wouldn’t come up. Anyone else getting a funky feeling?
Yes Zee! During the first part of the video I thought of Dead Men Tell No Tales. So glad it is getting some time in the spotlight. Such a good game. Basically a pandemic and ghost story killer for me.
I personally think you all missed Fresco. While I will admit that you can leave most, and maybe even all of the expansions out of it. The base game is wonderfully thematic. The bishop give you extra recognition (i.e. victory points) if you happen to paint the section where he is. The whole mixing paints have to be done to make logical color changes. The one theme miss is the rigid turn order. First market, then painting the fresco, then painting portraits, then mixing...when you really would want to be mixing before either of those. besides that I think the game delivers wonderfully on theme.
Tough category! Off the top of my head, I'd go with Betrayal at House on the Hill, Apex Theropod, and Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective.
I read the title card as "Top 1 Theme-tastic Games" at first and wondered why the video was almost an hour long.
V-commandos feels like the board game of When Eagles Dare. Great choice.
Ended up buying Dice Town, watched Sam's review and i thought it would be a great game to play with family.
Sam: Time Stories has a pasted-on theme. That there are so many possible in the game is proof of that!
Also Sam: Time Stories is a highly thematic game. It's thematic regardless of where you are!
Same logic Tom gave for Flying Frog games of playing cooperative applies to Fortune & Glory too. Nice and thematic game... just be sure to play the cooperative game. ;-)
I was surprised that Legendary Encounters Aliens didn't make Zee's list
I guess Captain Sonar would easily convert to a space craft theme. Therefore although thematic, can easiliy be ported to a different theme
From my collection, my top 10 theme-tastic games are:
1) Elder Sign
2) Eldritch Horror
3) Arkham Horror: The Card Game
4) Defenders of the Realm
5) Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu
6) Flash Point: Fire Rescue
7) Talisman
8) Mansions of Madness 2nd. Edition
9) Pathfinder Adventure Card Game
10) D & D: Castle Ravenloft the board game
Was expecting War of the Ring somewhere. Interesting.
Android Netrunner. Every time I play, I feel like I'm actually the role that I'm playing as.
The safe cracking mechanism in Burgle Bros isn't thematic, at all; otherwise, a solid choice.
Hi Sam, Tom and Zee. The world of board games has a strong cult of the new. I would really like to see a top 10 of great retro, nostalgic games from the eighties/nineties or even older (not the plain classic games like chess or poker, but innovative ideas, fun concepts from that time)
There is a reason for that though. Modern board games have legitimately gotten better. This is coming from someone who has fond memories of monsters like Advanced Civilization, who still loves Blood Bowl and Space Hulk, and whose sister bought him a copy of the old mass produced roll and move game "Go For Broke" cause it was one of my favorites as a kid.
I love Eldritch Horror, but if we're going for Lovecraft I would say Mansions of Madness 2nd edition hits the theme better. Especially with the ambient sounds of the app blaring through your bluetooth speakers.
time stories tho!!! yassss
robinson crusoe too..we've played a handful of times (it's a little bit of an intricate game) and we've played with jenny a couple of times and i would recommend to, it's cool.
i agree on photosynthesis too, even though i'm still waiting to get it in the mail. i got it for my sis in law and to her theme is very important and catchy in a game, i can't wait.
i got pandemic legacy 1 for my friends to play together like one year ago and we still need to sit there and actually play..cause we never feel like we're good enough, but i really want to!
also i'd mention dominant species, am i right?
What? Stronghold 2nd edition as not been mentioned?!! For me it's my best themed game. You feel like attacking/defending Helm's deep in Lord of the ring. The theme is so important in this game. If you wanna feel like beeing in the Middle age, attacking/defending a stronghold, it's the one to get.
That beeing said, nice video guys. There is some of them i can't wait to try now.
Dang it. Everytime you mention Queens Gambit, my heart breaks a little #jealous
I don't know how Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition didn't make Sam's list.
Easily the most thematic game I've ever played. Every component represents something thematic. You are not playing an alien race, you ARE that race while you're playing.
It can't make every list, but theme-tastic? That's an oversight.
Sam here...it wasn't an oversight. While I whole-heartedly agree that TI3 (and now TI4) is one of the best games ever to have been made, and concur that it is a heavily thematic game, the case could be made that (as with most 4X games) one could conceivably wrap any kind of conquest-oriented theme around it, and the game would be just as good. Those that enjoy space-themed games more might not be as enamored with it as they are now, just like those that don't care for space-themed games scratch their 4X itch with another choice.
Believe me, I thought about it. It was not an oversight. Thanks for watching!
Battlestar Galactica got me into board gaming - Incredible game.
Was actually waiting for Sam to say Twilight Imperium.
Is it just me or do a lot of co-op or semi co-op (one vs many) have strong themes or are thematic games? I mean there where a decent amount among there lists.
Please do a Top 10 Wild West themed games and Top 10 Historical games!
This was by far, the best backdrop they used in their videos
Was hoping someone would mention Evolution, great game and very thematic.
You tottaly miss the game with the most perfect integration between theme and mechanics: Tavarua! You just can't change the theme of this game without losing every sense in the mechanics.
I think Sam meant "Scotland Yard" and not "On The Underground" when he talked about a game similar to "Fury of Dracula".
Sam... it really feels like Star Wars, absolutely HANs down?
Shortbrain I see what you did there 😎
Shortbrain you set the bar for Star Wars jokes Solo.
Han joked first.
Did Chewbacca it on Kickstarter?
with all these Star Wars puns, do you really think some girl is gonna Leia?
Another thought, what about This war of Mine? The theme is the game.
I don't think Tom enjoyed that game as much. He talked about it on the podcast a few weeks ago.
Daniel Minotto the other two may have liked. But whether he like it or not, in terms of theme and game. The theme is crucial to the game.
How is The Perfumer not make into this list? That game have players to pretend as perfumist to smell cards with different foral scent and is impossible to have another theme to that.
Poor Zee gets flack.
Everyone: Zee, you pick too many games that are out of print!
Zee: Nah fool, I also recommend Fury of Dracula!
Everyone: ....
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game I find to be very thematic. On the face of it, it's an area control/conflict game. But really, it's a game about politicking and strategically making/breaking alliances. You are playing the Game of Thrones.
Fury of Dracula became hard(er) to find when TableTop did it, not because of this video. I checked stores in South Korea, America, and Canada. It took a while to get one at a reasonable price.
Paul Rioux no, it became harder to find because of licensing issues and people wanting to buy it while they still could
Fury of Dracula is going to be hard to get because GW owns the rights to it, and took it back when the GW/FFG deal ended. And GW does not publish stuff outside their own settings any more.
Therefore people, like myself, purchased it fearing it would be going OOP and not coming back. Nothing really to do with Tabletop, although they may have help squeeze the already finite supply.
I totally thought Tom would say Carson City. I can't explain any part of that game without thematic integration! Good lists though!
Similar to another comment but opposite: have you thought of doing a "top ten games we have mentioned the most in top ten lists?" That would be interesting!
Can you guys do a top ten competitive/tournament list?
knivesthec10wn they don't play competitive. Also, the competitive circuit is virtually all CCGs.
And miniature games. Although CCG's are the king for sure.
Surprised Sam didn't take this opportunity to get Blood Rage in (not a hater, love the game).
where can one buy V-Commandos?
Me just realising that Sam thinks TIME Stories is both Theme-tastic and Themeless at the same time 😮
Guardians' Chronicles is a great game that has really gone under the radar. This game would definitely be on my Top 10 thematic games list.