These are the videos we need - too often every game is good, but I enjoy hearing about why you dislike designs too - and promoting the fact that you don't need to own them all!
My collection is also ever changing, always around 150 titles (though 35 of them are Oink Games). Broom Service is the only game I ever regretted selling, so when it showed up second hand I messaged the guy to buy it. Turns out it was the guy who bought it from me, so instead he gifted it to me and I gave him a game as a gift as well.
I've spent the past 18 months "out of the hobby", actively playing board games but not consuming any media content. This has made my enjoyment of the hobby skyrocket as I have simultaneously reduced my collection from 200 games to 50 games, including selling many games I love but only keeping games that I was realistically playing often. I realized board game collecting isn't for me, instead I wanted to "curate" a collection as you mention and it's overall drastically improved my love for the hobby! Keep these type of videos up because it can help when most other BG content is about buying the new hotness
So true! It’s very easy to fall into the money pit. I recently also decided not to buy games for a while and enjoying my own collection. It’s a good feeling:)
That's what collection should be about anyway. I think choosing how much storage and money you're willing to invest in the hobby and keeping to that is a good idea for anyone.
I've stopped watching a lot of board game content actually as I felt the FOMO effect hard and realized that I had bought games based on a glowing review that completely sold me on a game only to realize that actually it maybe wasn't for me after all.
I've seen a couple of your videos but this is the one that made me subscribe. I didn't agree with some of your points but I love the boldness and honesty.
I was intriguied by the game "capital" at 9:50, and found that it's been completely rebranded to " Warsaw: City of Ruins", for anyone else trying to find it.
I thought I was going crazy - I recognized the box but I'd only ever known it as Warsaw. It's pretty fun, though it's also somewhat bland. The only truly fascinating mechanic is that you build over ruins as time progresses, which matches this title a lot better than just "Capital".
Your take on Fury of Dracula is spot on. The first time I played it, the guy playing Dracula did an amazing job. He played in character in an awful transylvania accent, didn't just run away but attacked the hunters, picked on everyone, etc. Just on all-time great night at the table. So I bought a copy and every playthrough afterwards was constantly explaining all 32 pages of the rulebook to fellow gamers. Eventually...donated to local game shop.
This is one that depends on the group. It’s a blast with my usual crew, but I played it over Halloween with some folks too invested in their jobs to ever look up from their phones when it wasn’t their turn. It was a horrid experience. I fault the players and not the game, though, had it been a faster paced game, it likely would have had a different outcome. A lighter hidden movement game I love is JAWS by Ravensburger. You can play the two acts in one go or break it up. As Fury of Dracula is more tempting around Halloween, this one is a summertime must. And the box is smaller, so you won’t actually need a bigger boat. Or bookshelf.
my wife and I enjoy Cartographers but didn't like the monsters rule, so we simply draw the monster in on our own maps. Still a challenge to get the shape surrounded, but we're in control!
Wow your editing was brilliant! The pop in of the games you are keeping in your collection, like when Mysterium just dissapeared from the back to the front while you were talking! great job!
This makes me want to see a video on games you've considered and/or games that are popular, but decided against ever adding it to your collection in the first place.
One note on Codenames pictures. When playing with an international group, with different mother tongues, the pictures work much better and make the game more accessible.
Excellent video! I especially appreciate you taking the time to explain your reasoning and provide better alternatives. I've begun more serious culling and this is exactly the kind of decision making I find myself going through. Great motivation for folks to pare down and manage a collection!
I think Root should be on the Too Fragile list. It's also usually a bad time for first time players. And it's really common for someone to just run away with the lead because they got ignored. Its common to look a table of Root and see someone having a bad time for 3 hours.
It's a shame because Root is my favorite board game and does miracles as the foundational rock of my two main repeating groups, we all love it to death but I can see immediately how it can all fall apart and fragile seems like exactly the word for it. It shows in how we induct new players, essentially going out of our way trying to OVERprepare them because we hope they hit the ground running. So far we're fortunate and grateful - everyone we'd included has at least won once and taken to swimming quick, but man. One day it won't be someone's cup of tea and that will be a LONG evening.
A really well put together video, doesn't drag even though it's an hour long. Hearing your reasoning for culling the games was useful and there are a few of your recommendations that I might pick up for me or for the kids.
Great video! I also culled many many boardgames in my collection, from 400 to 200 for many of the same reasons. Glad to see I was not the only one. Time is the currency of the modern boardgamer and it should always be spend wisely!
This was fascinating, Jon! I love all your well thought-out categories and perfectly sensible reasoning... but the real question isn't WHY you got rid of the games... it's HOW: What was your process? did you donate to a library or a thrift shop? Did you sell them on BGG? Did you do an auction, or offer one giant lot of games for a steal?
I was thinking the same thing. I've donated some games before online and sold it in auctions. But one thing I usually do is to acummulate the games I want to get rid of and then proceed to the riddance
I used a number of different approaches - I took some to convention bring and buys, sold some on Facebook groups, donated to charity shops. I didn't get rid of them all at once, probably in a few batches over a year. I've donated games in the past to a hospital and board game cafes but most games aren't suitable for them, and I don't have a library which rents out games.
Amazing video, John. I've always agreed with so much of what you said, but this one just nailed so much of what I think of about board games. I took tons of notes and moved quite a few games around my lists as a result. I daresay you've surpassed Quinns as the voice of what truly makes a game FUN.
So true. This need to have more games has to have a clinical diagnosis. I could cull my collection but then stock back up, plus a few more, after watching these. New gaming term…Reculling?
I started the board game hunt a few years ago and recently got more serious. Budget and space makes it really hard to choose one or two games. It is fun to hear about the games you used to like and now you moved on.
Did not intend on watching such a long video, but stayed - and thoroughly enjoyed. I've never seen any of your videos, and this was a treat. You gave me lots to think about. I've culled about 80 games in the past several months and I have much more to go. Your reasons (especially "rare doesn't mean good" and "hypothetical future") really hit home for me, and when I get done with work today, I'll be taking another look at my collection, but through a different lens. Thank you.
Love the categories in this video, and enjoyed hearing your justification for culling each game. The only games you culled which I still have are Hanabi and Ticket to Ride. Also Hendricks is my favourite gin!
Man, I feel like I used to have a lot in common with Jon's tastes, but now I am definitely drifting further away. On some of these the games he is culling and then recommending in its place are like the exact opposite for me and I would keep the other for different reasons. That said, great video and it's always a good day when we get a new Actualol video. Edit: Andy Grammer
95% of these games I still like, but I found reasons to not have them in my collection anymore - there are too many good games and I can't own them all. If you like games that I got rid of, then our tastes are much closer aligned than most board gamers would be. The video is negative in its nature, but in reality I like these games far more than the hundred or so I test every year, I just don't like them as much as my core collection.
@@actualol Absolutely understood. Meant it more as an observation than a complaint. still love the video and perspective. I didn't even think the video was that negative and I think it does a good service to let people know that culling is probably a good practice unless you are really just trying to collect. I get a rush removing games from my collection these days even more than adding the new hotness.
“Don’t own a game if you can play someone else’s copy.” After finding out our local library has about 50 different board games to rent, I’ve slowed way down on buying games myself.
Nice reasoning on why you made the decisions you did. Culling can be hard. I have kept a very mediocre game called 'Zeppelin Attack' for years because it has a 'Monkey Samurai Catapult' card. Yes, that one card keeps the game forever in my collection.
Thank you John - I am also in the process of culling my games. You put all the important things to consider while parting ways with your once loved games.
In the "flicking game" category, my brother used to play PitchCar with his kids when they were younger. It's a lot of work to set up the track though. They tended to set up the track on a spare table and leave it up for a couple weeks before putting it away again. That way they got lots of plays in each time they set it up.
You make too much sense! This is great. I've definitely entered the culling part of my board gaming hobby journey. I get anxious when I own too many things and then I become subjected to the Paradox of Choice.
Thank you for this video, I have added 3 games to my wish list based on your recommended alternatives; and I have a lot of your videos to rewatch or watch to see if your others are my flavour.
I love this format, I'm already looking forward to next year's edition. It's the perfect antidote to the endless top 50s and 100s that other channels do at the start of every year.
I also culled Battlestar Galactica several years ago, and wonder if I made a mistake. Then I remember spending at least half of every game with my nose buried in the rulebook and the reason I got rid of it comes back to me.
What a great video ! Both in format and content. It feels so good to Watch such quality material, Well written, Well executed. I have been getting tired of watching promotion videos, reviews of the latest releases. This is much more what I am looking for now Keep up the good work
One low-maintenance real-time game I'd recommend is We're Doomed! It's the apocalypse, and each person is a type of government working together (somewhat) building a rocket in the 15 min it takes to play the game. There inevitably ends with not enough room for everyone on the rocket, so only the people with the most influence points are saved. The game only has the hourglass timing the game, the resource tiles (for building), influence tokens, placards that show the type of government you are on the front and the 4 actions you can take on the back, and a deck of cards that throw twists into the game.
To add to your "Too hard" category. With the (recent) rise of "video games need a boardgame", we get a lot of boardgames that try to be what the video game is, making them sometimes way too complicated. There are a lot of very cool game concepts that don't really work in boardgame form. Complicated and very faff or admin games are fun a few times at most, but after that they will become shelf sitters.
Clever video, I really enjoyed it so far, and have more to go. With Cartographers and the monsters, when we play it we always draw weird and silly ghosts - aliens, pac-man ghosts, spiders, googley-eyed amoeba like blobs, etc, and laugh and laugh. The ridiculous drawings and adding to the challenge of your friends is something we enjoy.
Wow, I agree with 90% of what you said and I would get rid of all the games you have listed (in fact, I also sold around 100 games, a lot of those you listed). There are two exceptions. I love Hanabi, because it is just simple and not overly complicated. Yes, it takes some practice to master and it hurts to be playing with "stupid" people, but when played with the right people it's nice. The second point is Spyfall, same with Hanabi, I love the simplicity. I also love that there is no need to have someone really managing the game (unline many other role playing games where you need a guide). There is a list of questions you can download which you can use during the game which then involves players that are not good at "role-playing".
I always found the artwork on Hanabi really underwhelming for a game about fireworks displays and the scoring is really "meh". You had to put your own expectations on what really constituted a "win" in my opinion. Cool idea though!
Fantastic video. The only game you culled that I absolutely will not cull is Kingdomino. It’s just so nice and simple, and you can play the big version of it at 2 players.. I love it, even though I’m technically capable of playing something much harder
My game group has been debating culling some of our collection, mostly because we're running out of room, but also because we have several games that we haven't touched in months, if not longer. Hopefully this will help inspire us to get started!
This is a brilliant video. It's not a "hating on fill in the blank" board game video, but a helpful tool to see how we might be able to cull our collections of games that just don't spark join anymore. (to borrow the famous phrase)
"Too fragile games" is a perfect description of my time with Munchkins, the first time we played it we had sooo much fun, no one took it too seriously and that aligned perfectly with the spirit of the game. Not once since have I had a game that matched that experience...
It definitely requires a certain mindset that not every group has. My experience is that get's better the more beer you drink (to an obvious limit), but I get that's not everyones jam.
I've recently had a cull and found that most of the games i got rid of were trivia games. They just don't have the same replayability as other games as once you've played it, you know the answers and then it becomes less of a game and more of a memory exercise. I also got rid of my cricket dexterity game after one use as having to iron the pitch before you play was such a ballache and the batting mechanism was shoddily designed. I could have culled a few more on the basis of never getting them to the table because they are either too complex/finicky (e.g. root/diplomacy) or need too high a player count (werewolf legacy) but i still live in hope of getting these out at some point. My collection is not as big as yours though, so maybe i don't need to be as ruthless just yet. The other game I've been considering ditching is everdell. I was sold on the theme (having been reared on brambley hedge books and later redwall) but ultimately found the gameplay quite mundane and never really created much in the way of competition/player interactions (particularly at 2-players).
Great video. I'm also ruthless for keeping my collection lean, at around 100 games. I have mostly all the same criteria as yours, as I want a well-rounded collection of games that are being played.
Thank you so much for Videos like this one, in which you speak out loud what I personally feel as a boardgamer and can't possibly nail down too specific thoughts (and consequently culling...)😅🎉
About BSG... 1. in the first half you are supposed to play not-so-well even as a human, cause you might find yourself as a cylon in the second half... 2. when one traitor has both cards, they should reveal themselves, cause then they can pass the card over to someone else, turning them into a cylon too (it's also a good strategy if you only have one, cause you pass the card face down and can make others suspect a human player to be a cylon instead.
This video is an act of great community service. Many of us need reminders to be realistic about what we like, what our friends and family like, and what’s actually going to hit the table vs what sounds like it could be fun maybe perhaps “one day”. I particularly like your “redundant” section. I’m trying to think in this manner lately…if I’ll never play Game B instead of Game A, why not offload Game B and its corresponding mental baggage? Great stuff, thank you! 🎉
Nice video! I'm surprised that out of all the games you have played Codenames is your favorite of all time? That is high praise. I never played it but perhaps I should.
Love it. I've had a category recently which is, "I'd Rather Play this on BGA" games that are just too much hassle to do in person. Ark Nova comes to mind.
Railroad Ink is great! Especially the newer "Challenge" version, especially as an app for playing while traveling by train. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a punishing but also fun experience of its own kind. My wife and I play Carcasonne and Ticket to Ride a lot on BGG, but we discovered the "Europe" version only recently. And nope, I'll never get rid of my copy of Black Plague even if we play it once a year or so: I enjoy the artwork way too much. Poetry for Neanderthals is fun to play with my students :)
Have you tried "Men at Work"? It's a very fun stacking game with an awesome theme. The only problem is the player elimination, but in our group, that player can just keep playing but he can't win.
Nice to have video like this, it's easy to talk about how much you've enjoyed a game, but not a lot of people go back and say "after x amount of plays, i've now cooled on the game". I've set myself a challenge that I can only have as many games as will fit on my shelf - there's still space to spare at the moment but I have quite a few crowdfunded games coming in this year so I've stuck a post-it on all boxes and challenged myself to play all games solo and multi-player this year to double-check that I still really like the game. It'll be hard to make culls but i'd rather have games on my shelf that I want to play than games taking up space that don't get played.
It was at your entire "thorny" segment that I realized what hit me different on the ear about some of the traits of these games that I take as positive to your negatives - I try to play repeatedly with the same couple of groups on games that get better and better once the complexity is worked out, or the price of failure to learn is paid. The very IDEA of ALWAYS having a new player at any table douses me with gallons of cold water - couldn't consider that way of life for a moment. Still, that meant that I took away plenty from the video with many new ideas for games, so thank you for making it!
Magic Maze fell into the Steep Learning Curve category. I would play it for 15-20+ minutes with a couple of students at the end of a class. 2-3 weeks later I would get a chance to play it again and it felt like we were restarting again from the early scenarios. I could never get to the advanced scenarios. But I love the concept of it. Great video
I was actually shocked at First Contact getting the axe as our group loves to play it and it is always fun when the first lost in translation effects come in and how you as the Egyptian god tries to think that the other side understands you. It's a staple with us.
Biggest surprise on this list for me is Robinson Crusoe. I absolutely love this game but totally get what you are saying about having to relearn it everytime. The board is pretty intuitive though and puts everything in order of when it's supposed to happen so it's not that difficult in the end.
It's a real testament to Fake Artist that I don't ever want to play Spyfall again. I loved Spyfall, but FA might just be one of the best games ever made.
Totally agree with Junk Art - I like stacking games, I love the theme, the shapes are wonderfully unique, but the different rulesets for different cities absolutely killed it for me.
My kids and I have been playing through our games recently. There’s one game we’ve never gotten around to playing, but I’ve always wanted to, because it looked like so much fun when I got it. This morning I decided to go through its rule book once again to see if I could get everyone to play it sometime soon. While going through the rule book I’m eating breakfast and watching UA-cam. Your video popped up and I started watching. Lo and behold… the game I’m talking about is on your list. Perhaps Spyfall will be culled from my collection before I ever get a chance to actually play it. I guess I’ll give it til the end of summer and if we don’t play it by then….
I agree with the need to cull the collection to keep the best of the best. In 2023 as an excuse to play the games that we had bought and never played my kid and I ran a March Madness style bracket contest with the loser in the first round then had the chance to be culled. Worked out so well we repeated it this year. When we rate all our games and rank them we really get to see what we like a lot and what is just okay. FYI for stock market games I really like the old 3M game Stocks and Bonds.
What do you take me for! Of course I've tried Crokinole. For me, it's too much of a skill game, like pool - it's something you practice, and that isn't appealing to me. I also prefer a more multiplayer dexterity game. And it's way too big to justify having in my collection. I can see why people love it, it's a lifestyle game.
@@actualol That’s a fair assessment. While I do think there is a beautiful balance of strategy and skill, that strategy is nothing if you can’t follow through with the skill to pull off the shot. And you’re 100% right, I would never feel comfortable taking my $200+ board out in public to play around food/drinks with friends. Still, I can’t get enough of Crokinole. It’s quickly become my favorite game of all time. It just doesn’t get old for me.
If you had the space would you not love to have Carrooka or Crokinole always set up for flicking? Or maybe go classic? Tiddleywinks or Marbles is beautiful and joyful nostaligia
Amazing video. Most reviewers would stretch it out to 10 separates. Kudos for abstain yourself from it! I am fascinated to get insight of how taste/preference change with time and new game releases.
I have to disagree about Cartographers, the monsters aren't about getting interaction between the players, it's about making it more of a puzzle sooner or later in the game. It's not for you and that's OK.
I replaced SpyFall with Detective Club. Have you tried that one? It’s Dixit-esque where there’s a common word that all players but one know and everyone attempts to prove they know the word by playing two Dixit-esque cards relating to the word. It’s much easier to fly under the radar as a “spy” since the surrealism art always lends itself to vast interpretations and the reality that someone who is not in the dark can simply not have a good, relatable cards to play from their hand. Great game!
I actually culled Detective Club as well, but I didn't put it in the video because it isn't as well known. But I agree that Detective Club is better than Spyfall. My reason for culling it was because I have too many dixit games and don't have big groups to play it.
@@actualol I hear you! To solve that problem for myself, I actually have essentially all of my Dixit-esque games together in the same box (a 6-in-1) and I custom-made certain components and ditched others to streamline/condense it all. For example, I made my own dry erase boards that I use for both normal Dixit (for writing the number guess) and Detective Club (for writing the word on each and passing them out) and threw out the Dixit player tokens numbered 1-6 and the Detective Club pads. I know that's somewhat beside your point of just not playing games you're not as into, but I figured I'd share for the masses. Thanks for your content, Jon!
Its not exactly the same, but Hail Hydra has similar mechanics to BSG, but its about £7 in the UK at the moment, plays in about 45 minutes, and has great artwork, especially for the price. I personally think it doesn't get the recognition it deserves for being a solid SD game, while also being very beginner friendly.
Played a physical copy of Hanabi today as it is played on BGA since it shows, basically we could always remind people of hints we've already given. It makes it less memory based and more logic based.
Battlestar Galactica … we’ve only played once and still have it. Will we ever play again? 🤷🏼♀️. Waiting for another version of the show to come out before we sell it.
Question for the culling process : where do the games go? Facebook marketplace? Giving them to the local LGS ? Giving them to friends ? I am at my board game journey where I soon need to buy a new Kallax or install shelves, so I'm not super close to my 1st cull at about 80 games. But I can feel I'll soon join you guys with this rite of passage called culling.
It must be Twilight, cos I be Edward Cullen...
I can't believe you've done this.
I had to.
Okay, that was good. lol
Dodos Riding Dinos for dexterity games?
How the hell can I watch a video about culling games, yet come away with a list of recommendations I want to buy?! THANKS FOR NOTHING ACTUALOL
You're Actualoly correct, lol.
These are the videos we need - too often every game is good, but I enjoy hearing about why you dislike designs too - and promoting the fact that you don't need to own them all!
Dice towers new series is promising as well, pick six, related to some anchor game (first was wingspan
I've been watching more videos of people culling their games rather than new ones. It's helping me cull my own.
Agree. If I want to watch and see game is awesome and perfect then it’s definitely Rahdo😂😂
My collection is also ever changing, always around 150 titles (though 35 of them are Oink Games). Broom Service is the only game I ever regretted selling, so when it showed up second hand I messaged the guy to buy it. Turns out it was the guy who bought it from me, so instead he gifted it to me and I gave him a game as a gift as well.
I suggest you to try Hoity Toity, if you haven't.
Haha, that's brilliant! I'm glad you were reunited with it. And I've never tried Hoity Toity but it is on my list of games to look out for.
I've spent the past 18 months "out of the hobby", actively playing board games but not consuming any media content. This has made my enjoyment of the hobby skyrocket as I have simultaneously reduced my collection from 200 games to 50 games, including selling many games I love but only keeping games that I was realistically playing often. I realized board game collecting isn't for me, instead I wanted to "curate" a collection as you mention and it's overall drastically improved my love for the hobby!
Keep these type of videos up because it can help when most other BG content is about buying the new hotness
So true! It’s very easy to fall into the money pit. I recently also decided not to buy games for a while and enjoying my own collection. It’s a good feeling:)
Wow, selling 150 games sounds exhausting.
playing games IS the hobby. or it should be the hobby. buying games is a seperate hobby. watching youtube and using reddit isn't a hobby.
That's what collection should be about anyway. I think choosing how much storage and money you're willing to invest in the hobby and keeping to that is a good idea for anyone.
I've stopped watching a lot of board game content actually as I felt the FOMO effect hard and realized that I had bought games based on a glowing review that completely sold me on a game only to realize that actually it maybe wasn't for me after all.
i love how the video provided alternatives.
I’ve used the strategy of “don’t own games that your friends own” to the next level. Some of my favorite games I still don’t feel like owning!
I've seen a couple of your videos but this is the one that made me subscribe. I didn't agree with some of your points but I love the boldness and honesty.
I was intriguied by the game "capital" at 9:50, and found that it's been completely rebranded to "
Warsaw: City of Ruins", for anyone else trying to find it.
I thought I was going crazy - I recognized the box but I'd only ever known it as Warsaw. It's pretty fun, though it's also somewhat bland. The only truly fascinating mechanic is that you build over ruins as time progresses, which matches this title a lot better than just "Capital".
Mathing here. If you culled 100 games and your collection is 100 games smaller that means you didn't buy any games for a whole year? Congrats!
Your take on Fury of Dracula is spot on. The first time I played it, the guy playing Dracula did an amazing job. He played in character in an awful transylvania accent, didn't just run away but attacked the hunters, picked on everyone, etc. Just on all-time great night at the table. So I bought a copy and every playthrough afterwards was constantly explaining all 32 pages of the rulebook to fellow gamers. Eventually...donated to local game shop.
Haha, it's amazing how much a good teacher can make a complicated game seem easy.
Fury of Dracula is really fun, but Dracula hardly ever wins.
This is one that depends on the group. It’s a blast with my usual crew, but I played it over Halloween with some folks too invested in their jobs to ever look up from their phones when it wasn’t their turn. It was a horrid experience. I fault the players and not the game, though, had it been a faster paced game, it likely would have had a different outcome. A lighter hidden movement game I love is JAWS by Ravensburger. You can play the two acts in one go or break it up. As Fury of Dracula is more tempting around Halloween, this one is a summertime must. And the box is smaller, so you won’t actually need a bigger boat. Or bookshelf.
This game is ENTIRELY dependent on having a good Dracula. If dracula is new or not good at it, its a slam dunk.
my wife and I enjoy Cartographers but didn't like the monsters rule, so we simply draw the monster in on our own maps. Still a challenge to get the shape surrounded, but we're in control!
Wow your editing was brilliant! The pop in of the games you are keeping in your collection, like when Mysterium just dissapeared from the back to the front while you were talking! great job!
This makes me want to see a video on games you've considered and/or games that are popular, but decided against ever adding it to your collection in the first place.
One note on Codenames pictures. When playing with an international group, with different mother tongues, the pictures work much better and make the game more accessible.
This is often an issue I've weirdly had with this!
This feels like an hour of getting rid of cooperative and dexterity games. No judgement here :)
Excellent video! I especially appreciate you taking the time to explain your reasoning and provide better alternatives. I've begun more serious culling and this is exactly the kind of decision making I find myself going through. Great motivation for folks to pare down and manage a collection!
I think Root should be on the Too Fragile list.
It's also usually a bad time for first time players. And it's really common for someone to just run away with the lead because they got ignored. Its common to look a table of Root and see someone having a bad time for 3 hours.
It's a shame because Root is my favorite board game and does miracles as the foundational rock of my two main repeating groups, we all love it to death
but I can see immediately how it can all fall apart and fragile seems like exactly the word for it. It shows in how we induct new players, essentially going out of our way trying to OVERprepare them because we hope they hit the ground running. So far we're fortunate and grateful - everyone we'd included has at least won once and taken to swimming quick, but man. One day it won't be someone's cup of tea and that will be a LONG evening.
A really well put together video, doesn't drag even though it's an hour long. Hearing your reasoning for culling the games was useful and there are a few of your recommendations that I might pick up for me or for the kids.
God, your opinions make me so mad, but you make so many great points. Well done.
60 Minutes pure Boardgame escapism ❤
Baby can't sleep in a kallax = you're not trying hard enough - it is THE BEST "Baby's first dexterity game" ;)
Great video! I also culled many many boardgames in my collection, from 400 to 200 for many of the same reasons. Glad to see I was not the only one. Time is the currency of the modern boardgamer and it should always be spend wisely!
Congrats on the epic cull! But don't come into someone else's comments and brag about doubling their cull total 😉
Didn't mean it as a brag, culling is also admitting defeat and letting go. I'm not married to Marie Kondo ;)
This was fascinating, Jon! I love all your well thought-out categories and perfectly sensible reasoning... but the real question isn't WHY you got rid of the games... it's HOW: What was your process? did you donate to a library or a thrift shop? Did you sell them on BGG? Did you do an auction, or offer one giant lot of games for a steal?
Yes!
I was thinking the same thing. I've donated some games before online and sold it in auctions. But one thing I usually do is to acummulate the games I want to get rid of and then proceed to the riddance
I used a number of different approaches - I took some to convention bring and buys, sold some on Facebook groups, donated to charity shops. I didn't get rid of them all at once, probably in a few batches over a year. I've donated games in the past to a hospital and board game cafes but most games aren't suitable for them, and I don't have a library which rents out games.
Argh so many games from my collection roasted … and the trouble is I secretly agree!!!
Amazing video, John. I've always agreed with so much of what you said, but this one just nailed so much of what I think of about board games. I took tons of notes and moved quite a few games around my lists as a result. I daresay you've surpassed Quinns as the voice of what truly makes a game FUN.
Brilliant! I'm glad it resonated with you so much, thank you :)
I have increased the size of my collection by 27 games as a result of this culling video
So true. This need to have more games has to have a clinical diagnosis. I could cull my collection but then stock back up, plus a few more, after watching these.
New gaming term…Reculling?
I started the board game hunt a few years ago and recently got more serious. Budget and space makes it really hard to choose one or two games. It is fun to hear about the games you used to like and now you moved on.
Did not intend on watching such a long video, but stayed - and thoroughly enjoyed. I've never seen any of your videos, and this was a treat.
You gave me lots to think about. I've culled about 80 games in the past several months and I have much more to go. Your reasons (especially "rare doesn't mean good" and "hypothetical future") really hit home for me, and when I get done with work today, I'll be taking another look at my collection, but through a different lens.
Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! Enjoy the cull 🙂
Love the categories in this video, and enjoyed hearing your justification for culling each game. The only games you culled which I still have are Hanabi and Ticket to Ride. Also Hendricks is my favourite gin!
You have great taste :)
Man, I feel like I used to have a lot in common with Jon's tastes, but now I am definitely drifting further away. On some of these the games he is culling and then recommending in its place are like the exact opposite for me and I would keep the other for different reasons. That said, great video and it's always a good day when we get a new Actualol video. Edit: Andy Grammer
95% of these games I still like, but I found reasons to not have them in my collection anymore - there are too many good games and I can't own them all. If you like games that I got rid of, then our tastes are much closer aligned than most board gamers would be. The video is negative in its nature, but in reality I like these games far more than the hundred or so I test every year, I just don't like them as much as my core collection.
@@actualol Absolutely understood. Meant it more as an observation than a complaint. still love the video and perspective. I didn't even think the video was that negative and I think it does a good service to let people know that culling is probably a good practice unless you are really just trying to collect. I get a rush removing games from my collection these days even more than adding the new hotness.
“Don’t own a game if you can play someone else’s copy.”
After finding out our local library has about 50 different board games to rent, I’ve slowed way down on buying games myself.
Our gaming group contains 2 librarians. I stopped buying games almost entirely.
Nice reasoning on why you made the decisions you did. Culling can be hard. I have kept a very mediocre game called 'Zeppelin Attack' for years because it has a 'Monkey Samurai Catapult' card. Yes, that one card keeps the game forever in my collection.
Hahaha, it sounds like you're not cut out for the hard life of culling that I have chosen. I'm sure you have other good qualities.
i didn't know you hit 100k!!!! omg im so happy for you CONGRATULATIONS YOU DESERVE ITTT
Thank you John - I am also in the process of culling my games. You put all the important things to consider while parting ways with your once loved games.
I designed Poetry for Neanderthals and it was so cool to see it show up on this list! I'm so glad you're enjoying it.
No way! That's so cool. Congrats on making such a fun game :)
Unusual suspects is heavily based on clichés. Play it with younger children and they won't understand it because our adult brain is full of clichés...
I love that you not only show the bad side of fan favorites but also point out good alternatives!
In the "flicking game" category, my brother used to play PitchCar with his kids when they were younger. It's a lot of work to set up the track though. They tended to set up the track on a spare table and leave it up for a couple weeks before putting it away again. That way they got lots of plays in each time they set it up.
You make too much sense! This is great. I've definitely entered the culling part of my board gaming hobby journey. I get anxious when I own too many things and then I become subjected to the Paradox of Choice.
Play "Codenames: Pictures" with Dixit, Misterium, or Muse cards.
😮
Thank you for this video, I have added 3 games to my wish list based on your recommended alternatives; and I have a lot of your videos to rewatch or watch to see if your others are my flavour.
Codename pictures is a better game when you play with a group where not everyone is a native english speaker.
I love this format, I'm already looking forward to next year's edition. It's the perfect antidote to the endless top 50s and 100s that other channels do at the start of every year.
Lovely video as always! Always appreciate encouraging people to consider what they are keeping and why.
Thank you! :)
I also culled Battlestar Galactica several years ago, and wonder if I made a mistake. Then I remember spending at least half of every game with my nose buried in the rulebook and the reason I got rid of it comes back to me.
I'm sure you made the right choice!
What a great video ! Both in format and content. It feels so good to Watch such quality material, Well written, Well executed. I have been getting tired of watching promotion videos, reviews of the latest releases. This is much more what I am looking for now
Keep up the good work
One low-maintenance real-time game I'd recommend is We're Doomed! It's the apocalypse, and each person is a type of government working together (somewhat) building a rocket in the 15 min it takes to play the game. There inevitably ends with not enough room for everyone on the rocket, so only the people with the most influence points are saved. The game only has the hourglass timing the game, the resource tiles (for building), influence tokens, placards that show the type of government you are on the front and the 4 actions you can take on the back, and a deck of cards that throw twists into the game.
I'd love to try that one day - I love the theme.
This is a mammoth of a video. Appreciate the effort and thought put behind it.
To add to your "Too hard" category. With the (recent) rise of "video games need a boardgame", we get a lot of boardgames that try to be what the video game is, making them sometimes way too complicated. There are a lot of very cool game concepts that don't really work in boardgame form. Complicated and very faff or admin games are fun a few times at most, but after that they will become shelf sitters.
That is a hell of a whisky pour you got there bud.
Clever video, I really enjoyed it so far, and have more to go. With Cartographers and the monsters, when we play it we always draw weird and silly ghosts - aliens, pac-man ghosts, spiders, googley-eyed amoeba like blobs, etc, and laugh and laugh. The ridiculous drawings and adding to the challenge of your friends is something we enjoy.
Wow, I agree with 90% of what you said and I would get rid of all the games you have listed (in fact, I also sold around 100 games, a lot of those you listed). There are two exceptions. I love Hanabi, because it is just simple and not overly complicated. Yes, it takes some practice to master and it hurts to be playing with "stupid" people, but when played with the right people it's nice. The second point is Spyfall, same with Hanabi, I love the simplicity. I also love that there is no need to have someone really managing the game (unline many other role playing games where you need a guide). There is a list of questions you can download which you can use during the game which then involves players that are not good at "role-playing".
I always found the artwork on Hanabi really underwhelming for a game about fireworks displays and the scoring is really "meh". You had to put your own expectations on what really constituted a "win" in my opinion. Cool idea though!
Fantastic video. The only game you culled that I absolutely will not cull is Kingdomino. It’s just so nice and simple, and you can play the big version of it at 2 players.. I love it, even though I’m technically capable of playing something much harder
My game group has been debating culling some of our collection, mostly because we're running out of room, but also because we have several games that we haven't touched in months, if not longer. Hopefully this will help inspire us to get started!
This is a brilliant video. It's not a "hating on fill in the blank" board game video, but a helpful tool to see how we might be able to cull our collections of games that just don't spark join anymore. (to borrow the famous phrase)
"Too fragile games" is a perfect description of my time with Munchkins, the first time we played it we had sooo much fun, no one took it too seriously and that aligned perfectly with the spirit of the game. Not once since have I had a game that matched that experience...
It definitely requires a certain mindset that not every group has. My experience is that get's better the more beer you drink (to an obvious limit), but I get that's not everyones jam.
I need to cull my collection soon as well. Oftentimes, the games I get to my table the most are Inis and Startups.
I've recently had a cull and found that most of the games i got rid of were trivia games. They just don't have the same replayability as other games as once you've played it, you know the answers and then it becomes less of a game and more of a memory exercise. I also got rid of my cricket dexterity game after one use as having to iron the pitch before you play was such a ballache and the batting mechanism was shoddily designed. I could have culled a few more on the basis of never getting them to the table because they are either too complex/finicky (e.g. root/diplomacy) or need too high a player count (werewolf legacy) but i still live in hope of getting these out at some point. My collection is not as big as yours though, so maybe i don't need to be as ruthless just yet. The other game I've been considering ditching is everdell. I was sold on the theme (having been reared on brambley hedge books and later redwall) but ultimately found the gameplay quite mundane and never really created much in the way of competition/player interactions (particularly at 2-players).
Great video. I'm also ruthless for keeping my collection lean, at around 100 games. I have mostly all the same criteria as yours, as I want a well-rounded collection of games that are being played.
John, always enjoy your videos. Thank you for all your hard work. I’m ready to dive into my collection and made some tough choices.
Thank you! Good luck with the cull!
Thank you so much for Videos like this one, in which you speak out loud what I personally feel as a boardgamer and can't possibly nail down too specific thoughts (and consequently culling...)😅🎉
About BSG... 1. in the first half you are supposed to play not-so-well even as a human, cause you might find yourself as a cylon in the second half... 2. when one traitor has both cards, they should reveal themselves, cause then they can pass the card over to someone else, turning them into a cylon too (it's also a good strategy if you only have one, cause you pass the card face down and can make others suspect a human player to be a cylon instead.
This video is an act of great community service. Many of us need reminders to be realistic about what we like, what our friends and family like, and what’s actually going to hit the table vs what sounds like it could be fun maybe perhaps “one day”.
I particularly like your “redundant” section. I’m trying to think in this manner lately…if I’ll never play Game B instead of Game A, why not offload Game B and its corresponding mental baggage?
Great stuff, thank you! 🎉
Nice video! I'm surprised that out of all the games you have played Codenames is your favorite of all time? That is high praise. I never played it but perhaps I should.
It's not for everyone but it is for me!
Love it. I've had a category recently which is, "I'd Rather Play this on BGA" games that are just too much hassle to do in person. Ark Nova comes to mind.
Yeah that's a great category - I feel bad for those games - they're great designs, but they just work better digitally.
Railroad Ink is great! Especially the newer "Challenge" version, especially as an app for playing while traveling by train. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a punishing but also fun experience of its own kind. My wife and I play Carcasonne and Ticket to Ride a lot on BGG, but we discovered the "Europe" version only recently. And nope, I'll never get rid of my copy of Black Plague even if we play it once a year or so: I enjoy the artwork way too much. Poetry for Neanderthals is fun to play with my students :)
Such a swift bouncey rythm - makes me pause and open loads kf tabs ❤❤❤ love it
Have you tried "Men at Work"? It's a very fun stacking game with an awesome theme. The only problem is the player elimination, but in our group, that player can just keep playing but he can't win.
I expected this one as an alternative
Nice to have video like this, it's easy to talk about how much you've enjoyed a game, but not a lot of people go back and say "after x amount of plays, i've now cooled on the game". I've set myself a challenge that I can only have as many games as will fit on my shelf - there's still space to spare at the moment but I have quite a few crowdfunded games coming in this year so I've stuck a post-it on all boxes and challenged myself to play all games solo and multi-player this year to double-check that I still really like the game. It'll be hard to make culls but i'd rather have games on my shelf that I want to play than games taking up space that don't get played.
It was at your entire "thorny" segment that I realized what hit me different on the ear about some of the traits of these games that I take as positive to your negatives - I try to play repeatedly with the same couple of groups on games that get better and better once the complexity is worked out, or the price of failure to learn is paid.
The very IDEA of ALWAYS having a new player at any table douses me with gallons of cold water - couldn't consider that way of life for a moment.
Still, that meant that I took away plenty from the video with many new ideas for games, so thank you for making it!
Magic Maze fell into the Steep Learning Curve category. I would play it for 15-20+ minutes with a couple of students at the end of a class. 2-3 weeks later I would get a chance to play it again and it felt like we were restarting again from the early scenarios. I could never get to the advanced scenarios. But I love the concept of it.
Great video
I was actually shocked at First Contact getting the axe as our group loves to play it and it is always fun when the first lost in translation effects come in and how you as the Egyptian god tries to think that the other side understands you. It's a staple with us.
Mars Open: Tabletop Golf is my favorite dexterity game. Upshot: A Disc Golf Game is also up there for me.
Now we need an updated shelf tour. Love the video though.
This video is refreshing. Actual discussion and conversation, not just one sided hype or biased opinion. 🎉🎉
Biggest surprise on this list for me is Robinson Crusoe. I absolutely love this game but totally get what you are saying about having to relearn it everytime. The board is pretty intuitive though and puts everything in order of when it's supposed to happen so it's not that difficult in the end.
It's a real testament to Fake Artist that I don't ever want to play Spyfall again. I loved Spyfall, but FA might just be one of the best games ever made.
Totally agree with Junk Art - I like stacking games, I love the theme, the shapes are wonderfully unique, but the different rulesets for different cities absolutely killed it for me.
Thank you for making this video! I like the categories to help me cull my own collection. There's only so much space in the house ^^;;
Can we have a list of what stayed in your collection?
Check out my BGG account - jonpurkis
287 as of 2/25/24. Really inspiring, makes me think a lot about my increasing shelf and how much I actually play
@@actualolawesome, thanks!
287 includes expansions which I don't recognise as separate entries in my head, so it's actually 219 😁
My kids and I have been playing through our games recently. There’s one game we’ve never gotten around to playing, but I’ve always wanted to, because it looked like so much fun when I got it. This morning I decided to go through its rule book once again to see if I could get everyone to play it sometime soon. While going through the rule book I’m eating breakfast and watching UA-cam. Your video popped up and I started watching. Lo and behold… the game I’m talking about is on your list.
Perhaps Spyfall will be culled from my collection before I ever get a chance to actually play it. I guess I’ll give it til the end of summer and if we don’t play it by then….
I love this idea - I’ve gotta curtail my growing collection & these are some great reasons to take a second look at some of my games! Thx!
Great approach to the topic!
Mascarade is one of my favorite games! Easy to teach and we always laugh so hard! BIG mistake getting rid of it! LOVED this video! Thank you
I agree with the need to cull the collection to keep the best of the best. In 2023 as an excuse to play the games that we had bought and never played my kid and I ran a March Madness style bracket contest with the loser in the first round then had the chance to be culled. Worked out so well we repeated it this year. When we rate all our games and rank them we really get to see what we like a lot and what is just okay.
FYI for stock market games I really like the old 3M game Stocks and Bonds.
Guaranteed Jon hasn’t tried Crokinole.
Or pitchcar
What do you take me for! Of course I've tried Crokinole. For me, it's too much of a skill game, like pool - it's something you practice, and that isn't appealing to me. I also prefer a more multiplayer dexterity game. And it's way too big to justify having in my collection. I can see why people love it, it's a lifestyle game.
I've reviewed Pitchcar! Spoiler: It wasn't favourable.
@@actualol That’s a fair assessment. While I do think there is a beautiful balance of strategy and skill, that strategy is nothing if you can’t follow through with the skill to pull off the shot. And you’re 100% right, I would never feel comfortable taking my $200+ board out in public to play around food/drinks with friends. Still, I can’t get enough of Crokinole. It’s quickly become my favorite game of all time. It just doesn’t get old for me.
You used pool as to why you got rid of a flicking game...
Ya earned that
My favorite flicking game is a Tumblin’ dice. It’s a great party game with adults, and can be used with kids to help with math multiplication.
If you had the space would you not love to have Carrooka or Crokinole always set up for flicking?
Or maybe go classic? Tiddleywinks or Marbles is beautiful and joyful nostaligia
Amazing video. Most reviewers would stretch it out to 10 separates. Kudos for abstain yourself from it!
I am fascinated to get insight of how taste/preference change with time and new game releases.
I have to disagree about Cartographers, the monsters aren't about getting interaction between the players, it's about making it more of a puzzle sooner or later in the game. It's not for you and that's OK.
51:20 You can play The Game with Mind, so you're fine getting rid of it anyway :)
And you can play both with Nimmt6 (as 15 other games)
I replaced SpyFall with Detective Club. Have you tried that one? It’s Dixit-esque where there’s a common word that all players but one know and everyone attempts to prove they know the word by playing two Dixit-esque cards relating to the word. It’s much easier to fly under the radar as a “spy” since the surrealism art always lends itself to vast interpretations and the reality that someone who is not in the dark can simply not have a good, relatable cards to play from their hand. Great game!
I actually culled Detective Club as well, but I didn't put it in the video because it isn't as well known. But I agree that Detective Club is better than Spyfall. My reason for culling it was because I have too many dixit games and don't have big groups to play it.
@@actualol I hear you! To solve that problem for myself, I actually have essentially all of my Dixit-esque games together in the same box (a 6-in-1) and I custom-made certain components and ditched others to streamline/condense it all. For example, I made my own dry erase boards that I use for both normal Dixit (for writing the number guess) and Detective Club (for writing the word on each and passing them out) and threw out the Dixit player tokens numbered 1-6 and the Detective Club pads. I know that's somewhat beside your point of just not playing games you're not as into, but I figured I'd share for the masses. Thanks for your content, Jon!
Its not exactly the same, but Hail Hydra has similar mechanics to BSG, but its about £7 in the UK at the moment, plays in about 45 minutes, and has great artwork, especially for the price. I personally think it doesn't get the recognition it deserves for being a solid SD game, while also being very beginner friendly.
So, I hadn't even heard of the vast majority of games you got rid of, I knew I lot more of the "what you'd play instead" games.
Played a physical copy of Hanabi today as it is played on BGA since it shows, basically we could always remind people of hints we've already given. It makes it less memory based and more logic based.
That's a nice idea - I could imagine enjoying that.
Battlestar Galactica … we’ve only played once and still have it. Will we ever play again? 🤷🏼♀️. Waiting for another version of the show to come out before we sell it.
Question for the culling process : where do the games go? Facebook marketplace? Giving them to the local LGS ? Giving them to friends ?
I am at my board game journey where I soon need to buy a new Kallax or install shelves, so I'm not super close to my 1st cull at about 80 games. But I can feel I'll soon join you guys with this rite of passage called culling.
A bit of everything - it depends on the game. Bring and buys at cons can be a good way to sell games.
I loved this, I was engaged the whole time, great video!!!
Thank you!
0:11 How do you cull your games? I have too many, but I don’t know how to get rid of them. Thanks!