Sam Healy / Zee Garcia / Tom Vasel 10: King of Tokyo / Tatsu / Vindication 09: Deception: Murder in Hong Kong / Paper Tales / DVONN 08: Blood Rage / Arkham Horror / Jet Set 07: Stone Age / AuZtralia / Pulsar 2849 06: Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire / Keyforge / Roll Player 05: Memoir '44 / Azul / Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure 04: Champions of Midgard/ Five Tribes / Race for the Galaxy 03: Village Attacks / The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire / A Feast for Odin 02: Western Legends / Carpe Diem / Magic: The Gathering 01: Inis / Arkham Horror: The Card Game / Dominion
@@ericlink2828 Because on many tablets, phones, and other devices with small speakers even at full volume it's too quiet or distorts if the source is too low.
I can really see where Tom's coming from with Dominion, since I feel the same way about it. Every now and then I try out some (new) game that has some clever and nifty card element/mechanic to it, and then I realize... wait, Dominion does this too... but in almost every case with more clarity, more variety, more intensity, etc etc..
Actually that happens a lot. Sometimes you try to find a reason why you don’t like a certain game but at the end is the overall of the game that you don’t like or at least many things mixed together that makes the game not enjoyable to you. For exemple I always said that I don’t like Pandemic very much because it’s cooperative but one day i realised that i like a cooperative game, Zombicide.
You all probably dont give a damn but does any of you know of a method to get back into an Instagram account..? I stupidly forgot the password. I appreciate any help you can offer me
@Nathan Alfred thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im in the hacking process now. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
I’m with Zee. I started playing Pathfinder:Card Game, and each scenario got less and less interesting, with fewer and fewer decisions. The reverse is true with Arkham Horror: Card Game. Each scenario is more interesting and challenging. The storyline continually intrigues you and the ability to tinker with your deck leads to even more interesting decisions between scenarios. It’s the perfect game for this title because it really does get better and better!
I liked the look of Village Attacks when I saw it being demo'd at UK Games Expo recently. My group always goes to that show with bursting wallets eager to find new games. Sadly after standing by an empty table for over 5 minutes waiting for one of the publisher/creator staff to show some interest in us we gave up and found designers that were enthusiastic about showcasing their game. Big up to Miremarsh staff by the way your enthusiasm made me buy the game and I've not regretted it
Mine is small world. I didnt expect to like it, and I did. Then as I played it more, i thought I'd be done with it. But I recently traded for it because Its now a heavy favorite of mine.
Great lists guys... most ALL of Sam's lists made sense. I would agree with "Memoir 44". Zee...was surprised that "Neuroshima Hex" wasn't on his list. **Was also surprised why Sam left off Zombie-side black plague. Tom... was encouraged and gratified to find MTG on your list, I will ALWAYS LOVE MTG and it would probably be the very LAST game I'd ever get rid of... love the deck building concept.*** Games that are always a joy and never fail to get better for me: "Operation Tannhauser", "PanzerBlitz/Panzer Leader", "Hostage Negotiator", "This War of Mine", "Tiny Epic Galaxies", "Status Pro Baseball" (AH), MTG, "Condotierre", "Warfighter", and "Battle Cry"... this was a great Top 10... sort of reminded me of your "Con" shows... lots of good interaction.
14:50 - "five letters... two of the letters do not appear next to each other in any other word in the English language..." *gets dictionary* *turns to page 1* "AARDVARK" Huh.
Nope, not "AARDVARK". There are a least two other words that have "AA" in them. AARDWOLF and AA. You might try to argue that AARDWORF comes from the Afrikaan language and AA comes from the Hawaiian language, but then you have to eliminate AARDVARK because it also comes from Afrikaans, which also contains AA.
Someone may have already mentioned this in the comments, but when they talked about games that require you to tell your opponents you are about to win, besides Inis and Chess, the other game I thought about was Uno...very different games INDEED!!!
Inis is amazing but it was always great for me so I can't say it "got better". Charterstone definitely got better every game, but that's what makes legacy games so great. TM/Scythe/Orleans/Whistle Stop are increasingly exciting to play, with or without expansions, but expansions have undeniably played a role. Finally, I think Wingspan is on track to become the next gem with its huge selection of birds to try.
For me number 1. is Terraforming Mars and it's because I play it over and over again with the same friend and as both of our knowledge of the game increases at the saem time the gameplay is just better and better. Plus we include new expansions as they come and it helps keep the experience fresh. For exaple drafting cards became amazing recently as we both have pretty good idea what cards are in game...
Sam, Memoir 44’ I 100% agree with you! I played this game with a buddy of mine while we were in a 5 Week Officer course in the military. We were studying military doctrine, strategy, and combat management. During that time, we played all scenarios of the base game, Memoir ‘44. It is much more strategic then people think! Between the card management and where to place your units (that highly influence the success of die rolls). I even built a Memoir 44’ doctrine as I played, and my playing improved throughout the scenarios! This was a special experience that I’ll always treasure. Great game! > Dice 1/2 (50%) chance of hitting an infantry 1/3 (33.3%) chance of hitting an armor 1/6 (16%) chance of hitting artillery * with Flags: 2/3, 1/2, and 1/3 On average 8 die to kill one unit 9 dice to kill one armor unit 12 dice to kill one artillery unit * with Flags: 6 dice for each unit Ratio 3/6 - Infantry 2/6 - Tanks 1/6 - Artillery Ratio w/ Flags 4/6 - Infantry 3/6 - Tanks 2/6 - Artillery
Manhattan Project: Energy Empire is definitely a great game, in my opinion! I always enjoy my experience playing it, and I think it's a wonderfully designed game! It's also easy to teach, along with fun and engaging gameplay. It's also in my top 5 favorite board games. Every game is also different based on which events are in play, along with which cardsvhit the table. Great pick, Zee!
Western Legends is another great pick! I agree with Sam that every experience I've had just gets better and better, along with such a strong western theme! I've played the game 5 times already, and look forward to all future plays! I'm VERY excited for the Ante Up expansion!!! It's another top 5 board game for me!
@@AdamLindell No, not at all! I've played the game 5 times, and I've never seen anyone win with a poker strategy. I've seen several people win with a neutral mining strategy, and seen others win with either a cattle/Marshall strategy or a Marshall/mining strategy. The upcoming expansion this year, Ante Up, adds many more ways to score points.
I am sorry Tom, I only agree with your 4th pick 90%. I think the first expansion for RfG it is a good one. I really dig the goals. It was the only one made an effort to look for. The rest, yep don't think it is too big of a deal. I love race and it would also be one of my picks on this list.
You guys ( and Wil Wheaton and Game the Game ) are why I have a kallax and it is stuffed full of boardgames. Well, that and I love board games =) I am on level 8 at CoolStuff which gives me really good discounts. All that aside, I just wanna say that the dynamic chemistry and point of view of you three is such a joy! Don't ever change! Here are my Top 3 reasons to follow Dice Tower from this episode: 3. Sam: "And that's just from mah naked lil brain juices." 2. Zee: "You guys are Animals." 1. Tom: "Mud Hut. No, it's Jet Set."
Interesting topic. Apparently many games keep getting better for me with multiple plays. Due to interference of life and the amount of games on the shelf I am not able to bring games to the table as often as I wish and they would deserve. I love the feeling when I and my fellow gamers start to realize certain strategies, combinations and combos. Always something that makes me happy - and that's what gaming is about, for me...
Blood Rage almost requires multiple plays. Gizmos, Gugong, Alien Artifacts, Council of 4, Dice Settlers, 51st state, Seeland, Century Sand and Sea, and Roll Player are some of mine.
@@Steve-yd9ki maybe but each time I play I am trying new strategies and playing with four requires that you watch others strategies so that you can find the right path and get lucky. I dont play it often enough to feel I have exhausted it. I have a points strategy and several race strategies... one including the tier 3 cards, that was fun to discover... if I have time I can build a few other nice engines. Unlike Dominion it is far more tactical, random cards, other players limiting choices or moving the time clock up all go into keeping this fresh. Play against more players and try new strategies... beat your last score.
I'm sorry to say this, but a few years after he's left and been replaced by Mike, I'm not missing Sam's "looking bored" looks when Zee or Tom are talking, like at 14:26 for example...
Yeah, Sam has been firing on all engines lately. I'm going to mark the change with his inclusion of tournament at Camelot in a list about a year ago. Since then he has been broadening his horizons and turned me into some great games. I feel like he has really hit his stride... although... he is wrong about Vindication. Dead wrong.
I'm with Sam on this one for Champions of Midgard. Love love love the base game. The expansions are solid but also complicates the game more and makes for too many viking spots. We usually play WITH the expansions but I'm also more than happy to play with the base game. Dark Mountains is OP in my opinion..
@My Cat's Breath Smells Like Cat Food I agree with your thoughts on Valhalla. It definitely adds more to think about which in turn can slow down which should be a faster paced game. I guess I just wish DM had a few more nastier journey cards to force players to prepare as much as when they go voyaging.
I like Zee's no. 1 choice, I love how each scenario is different, but I have to say that Lord of Rings LCG gives me just as much fun for the very same reason.
It's Food Chain Magnate for me. There's no other game that keeps the tension so high every single time... By the third round I start to feel my heart pounding until the game is over. Literally. Just because I'm so afraid what my opponent(s) might do to me
Innovation. So dry and boring the first time you play, but gets better and better until it finally plateaus around game 50-100 when you have a really solid knowledge of all the cards and major strategies.
tell them about german "Thüringer Mett" is raw pig minced meat. But we have hard food law and can be only seeled for a few hours and has to be eaten on the same day.
"Essential" is defined as "sine quo non" by three different dictionaries to include the OED. Maybe y'all should come up with another modifying adjective for expansions.
Expansion hype might give it a boost this year in the next few months. Also surprised Tom picked Race just ahead of Roll when he has the latest expansion pending review. Might be a tight coin flip there next time they do this list.
Bloodrage is decent but I have the opposite feeling with it. After about the 8th play I had already seen it all and played it a few times after that and it felt tired. It's just too much the same every time
Bloodrage requires you dig the theme and minis, then you can spend time discovering new schemes or learning how to combat schemes others use to win. I feel like Rising Sun is the same but longer. We thought Turtles were Gods but then we discovered that that was just an easy first strategy and then thought it was some other clan. Now we all want to try a new clan to see how we can get a winning strategy with them. Some are huge failures but the fun is in the discoveries.
My thoughts have done a complete 180 now that I've had time to take in Sam leaving and his replacement(s) contributions for the channel: It was 100% for the best. The same exact games on each list, the same exact attitude in each video (would rather be anywhere but there).
The worst part about Carpe Diem’s look is how unfortunately similar some of the colors and buildings are. It’s like they didn’t screen it at all. Great game though.
Let me just summarize every pick for every dice tower top 10 list. Sam - says something I totally disagree with Zee - talks about some random abstract that no one else has ever heard of Tom - the voice of reason who’s list is the only one I actually pay attention to
So did this philosophy apply with this list as well?... Because Tom's list this time was a bunch of bad games except for Dominion and Clank, and Sam's list was 9 good games.
Personally my top game that keeps getting better is Legendary Marvel, specifically playing it solitaire with the Advanced Solo Mode. I initially liked the game but didn't play it much solo, but nowadays this game has become my go-to solo board game. As a solo game it moves and sets up quickly (I can setup and play a full game in an hour or less) and with all the expansions has a ridiculous amount of variety and replayability. Not to mention that as a Marvel comic book fan it's great seeing a bunch of the lesser known characters thrown into the mix ("Oh yeah, there WAS an issue where the Punisher was the Sorcerer Supreme!") And even with a couple of other people, it's a solid cooperative game or with the Secret Wars expansion is fun with one player as the Mastermind versus one or two heroes. It doesn't scale well to four or five heroes but otherwise this game seems to be a real evergreen for me.
Can I see that list of top ten games that got better over time? Maybe with expansions and/or new editions? Maybe a most improved or best final result? Do you have that video?
I dunno. Blood Rage feels like, once you know all the combos and synergies, it all just comes down to the luck of the drafting. The actual "board" portion feels like a distant secondary and all player skill being equal, the game goes to lucking out the most with drafting. Arkham Horror 3 was enjoyable, but the replayability of Eldritch and AH2 just isn't there. Once you've played a scenario 2-3 times, you know everything the codex is going to throw at you and it becomes predictable and easy. The expansions need to not only add new scenarios, but find some sort of way to randomize the objectives.
Yeah we an okay time the games we had, but it was never great, or even very good. The end always seemed so anti-climatic. You run out of space and things to spend your Rage on the last couple of turns. Then the person with the most bullshit Age 3 combo wins. There's a big focus on upgrading your stats but your stats really only matter for one round at the start of Age 2. At Age 3 there's just not enough space to need a lot of rage or population cap. The only thing stats matter for beyond Age 2 is generic victory points. After about 2 months I ended up selling my copy. There are just way better "dudes on a map" games out right now that we couldn't justify spending more time on Bloodrage over them. Cthulhu Wars and even the old Chaos in the Old World are still more enjoyable. I can't see why anyone would prefer Bloodrage unless you were absolutely addicted to card drafting. Which might also explain the runaway popularity of Terraforming Mars, which I would vote as THE most overrated game of the decade (with Root a close 2nd).
@@dorpth I think it's the miniatures + the whole Viking/Norse theme that get people pretending Blood Rage is better than it is. Cthulhu Wars is clearly a superior and more "fun" game for me as well. Chaos in the Old World is cool but out of print and super expensive plus I think Cthulhu Wars is better than that one as well. Another superior "dudes on a map" games is Tyrants of the Underdark.
Yeah Cthulhu Wars is my favorite. It's super straight forward and easy to learn. Just keep all the bullshit expansion factions out of it. Chaos in the Old World hasn't aged that well, but I'd still rather play it than Blood Rage. Some people just go absolutely nuts over cards and drafting. I can't find any other reason why Terraforming Mars is sitting at #5 game of all time.
@@dorpth Terraforming Mars is a "Euro" game, or "Eurotrash" game as I prefer to call them since they call all American games "Ameritrash." I assume you know what defines a Eurotrash game. Cthulhu Wars is the polar opposite of a Eurotrash game with all of its conflict, dice rolling, luck, and you know, fun. As soon as you start rolling dice and fighting many Eurotrash gamers are turned off immediately. As for CW expansions, some of them are lame but I bought the Opener and Sleeper expansion factions because I think they are cool and not over powered (in fact, probably slightly underpowered compared to the base factions, especially Opener). Meanwhile Windwalker and Tcho-Tcho are clearly over powered and lame so I will never buy them. I am not sure about the Ancients but they seem cool, but I can live without them.
"With All This Talent Laying Around, Let's Put Out A Game" sounds like the title of a Japanese light novel about a quirky group of high school kids trying to learn game development.
For me this would definitely be Scythe, keeps getting better each play oh and for now Cave in, at first I really disliked it, but my bf loved it so I agreed to play a few times and by now I really enjoy it too
Arkham Horror 3 keeps getting better? I thought it was just the opposite. We enjoyed it the first 8-10 plays, but once you've played all four of the scenarios 2-3 times, there's not much more to it. You know exactly what's coming and it becomes very easy to beat (unless you intentionally use the worst investigators for a challenge, and they are VERY far spaced balance wise). The whole "codex" system works exactly like the Act/Agenda system of the card game version, except with the card game at least you have the deck building to fiddle with after the whole story isn't a surprise anymore. With AH3, there is no tinkering. Once the narrative events aren't new anymore, it becomes rote. They're probably going to pump out a bunch of expansions for new scenarios, but those too will get old after 2-3 plays. What they really need is a way to randomize objectives like in Eldritch, only using a way that presents some kind of cohesive narrative.
For me it would definitely be: 1. Labyrinth: The War on Terror 2001-? (it went from 7/10 to a 10/10) 2. The Lord of the Rings LCG (went from a 8/10 to 10/10 after buying the first two cycles).
Sam Healy / Zee Garcia / Tom Vasel
10: King of Tokyo / Tatsu / Vindication
09: Deception: Murder in Hong Kong / Paper Tales / DVONN
08: Blood Rage / Arkham Horror / Jet Set
07: Stone Age / AuZtralia / Pulsar 2849
06: Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire / Keyforge / Roll Player
05: Memoir '44 / Azul / Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure
04: Champions of Midgard/ Five Tribes / Race for the Galaxy
03: Village Attacks / The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire / A Feast for Odin
02: Western Legends / Carpe Diem / Magic: The Gathering
01: Inis / Arkham Horror: The Card Game / Dominion
Thanks. Makes watching the video a lot more easy to follow and enjoy. Tom's constant pleas not to list the games is infantile.
Tom thinks we watch these videos just to find out what games they picked. He doesn't have a clue that we watch them because we love these guys.
I almost always skip to the end and look at their lists first and then go back and watch. 🤷♂️
Episodes like this remind me why the Dice Tower will always be, hands down, my favorite board game UA-cam and podcasts.
Now that Sams gone Idk man...
King of Tokyo variant: make the energy symbols yield two energy. This allows for more card play per game. Very fun.
Do a top 10 for the game you don't really like, but they ONE amazing thing you love :D
It's so funny when you guys are goofing off. Please don't be afraid to cut loose!
So true. "What's it like..." "I need help" "...to be a crack head!?" LOL
Sound levels generally seem lower on your live shows versus your recorded ones. If you can increase the volume generally on live shows, please do.
Jim Grant agreed!
Agreed
Agreed. And I'm generally not a fan of the live 10 tens. I liked the old format better.
Why is this always an issue? I have a volume knob... I dont get it.
@@ericlink2828 Because on many tablets, phones, and other devices with small speakers even at full volume it's too quiet or distorts if the source is too low.
The chemistry between you three was fantastic this episode. The discussion on Sam's 4 was making me laugh. : )
Wow Sam is hitting all of my favs today: Blood Rage, Western Legends, Inis!
I can really see where Tom's coming from with Dominion, since I feel the same way about it. Every now and then I try out some (new) game that has some clever and nifty card element/mechanic to it, and then I realize... wait, Dominion does this too... but in almost every case with more clarity, more variety, more intensity, etc etc..
Bernie K yeah, if you spent another 200 for expansions
24:58, this whole bit, just....YES, the burn, the swag, the chuckle
Hell yeah to Inis Sam! That game is my absolute favorite... so simple yet so complex!!!
Stone Age :
Zee “I don’t like rolling for resources”
Energy Empire:
Zee “I love rolling for resources”
😆
Actually that happens a lot. Sometimes you try to find a reason why you don’t like a certain game but at the end is the overall of the game that you don’t like or at least many things mixed together that makes the game not enjoyable to you. For exemple I always said that I don’t like Pandemic very much because it’s cooperative but one day i realised that i like a cooperative game, Zombicide.
I just thought he was being ironic with stone age, because of what Sam was saying.
I mean, there's a LOT of reasons to like MP:EE more than Stone Age.
Boardgame Barbarian lol
Funny, exactly what he said!
You can see how Sam's brain is slowly melting when Zee and Tom discuss Dvonn and Yinsh :D
You all probably dont give a damn but does any of you know of a method to get back into an Instagram account..?
I stupidly forgot the password. I appreciate any help you can offer me
@Samir Manuel instablaster :)
@Nathan Alfred thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im in the hacking process now.
Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Nathan Alfred It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thank you so much you saved my account!
@Samir Manuel you are welcome :)
I’m with Zee. I started playing Pathfinder:Card Game, and each scenario got less and less interesting, with fewer and fewer decisions. The reverse is true with Arkham Horror: Card Game. Each scenario is more interesting and challenging. The storyline continually intrigues you and the ability to tinker with your deck leads to even more interesting decisions between scenarios. It’s the perfect game for this title because it really does get better and better!
I liked the look of Village Attacks when I saw it being demo'd at UK Games Expo recently. My group always goes to that show with bursting wallets eager to find new games. Sadly after standing by an empty table for over 5 minutes waiting for one of the publisher/creator staff to show some interest in us we gave up and found designers that were enthusiastic about showcasing their game. Big up to Miremarsh staff by the way your enthusiasm made me buy the game and I've not regretted it
Mine is small world. I didnt expect to like it, and I did. Then as I played it more, i thought I'd be done with it. But I recently traded for it because Its now a heavy favorite of mine.
Strongly agree!
Great lists guys... most ALL of Sam's lists made sense. I would agree with "Memoir 44". Zee...was surprised that "Neuroshima Hex" wasn't on his list. **Was also surprised why Sam left off Zombie-side black plague. Tom... was encouraged and gratified to find MTG on your list, I will ALWAYS LOVE MTG and it would probably be the very LAST game I'd ever get rid of... love the deck building concept.*** Games that are always a joy and never fail to get better for me: "Operation Tannhauser", "PanzerBlitz/Panzer Leader", "Hostage Negotiator", "This War of Mine", "Tiny Epic Galaxies", "Status Pro Baseball" (AH), MTG, "Condotierre", "Warfighter", and "Battle Cry"... this was a great Top 10... sort of reminded me of your "Con" shows... lots of good interaction.
I hope you're listening, Matt Leacock... free expansion name for Pandemic: Cthulhu, "Unnatural Flavors"
14:50 - "five letters... two of the letters do not appear next to each other in any other word in the English language..."
*gets dictionary*
*turns to page 1*
"AARDVARK"
Huh.
Also advice, adventure etc etc
@@jhgf280 or advocate, (dis-)advantage
@@jhgf280 yes, thanks, you're not wrong but my point was that there's a counterexample literally on page one!
Nope, not "AARDVARK". There are a least two other words that have "AA" in them. AARDWOLF and AA. You might try to argue that AARDWORF comes from the Afrikaan language and AA comes from the Hawaiian language, but then you have to eliminate AARDVARK because it also comes from Afrikaans, which also contains AA.
@@patcon314 I think you've missed the reference in the video.
Essential Expansion ... an expansion that once played with you wont play without.
Needed t-shirt...
"Pandemic sucks"
-Zee Garcia
Awesome topic. Best criteria for a game imho, if it's good to begin with.
Someone may have already mentioned this in the comments, but when they talked about games that require you to tell your opponents you are about to win, besides Inis and Chess, the other game I thought about was Uno...very different games INDEED!!!
It should be a rule in Gizmos. The I'm one away rule.
Love Sam slowly going stir crazy as Tom & Zee wax lyrical about an abstract 😂
Inis is amazing but it was always great for me so I can't say it "got better". Charterstone definitely got better every game, but that's what makes legacy games so great. TM/Scythe/Orleans/Whistle Stop are increasingly exciting to play, with or without expansions, but expansions have undeniably played a role. Finally, I think Wingspan is on track to become the next gem with its huge selection of birds to try.
TM is Terra Mystica, or Terraforming Mars?
@@stephanmobius1380 ah true... Terraforming Mars :-)
For me number 1. is Terraforming Mars and it's because I play it over and over again with the same friend and as both of our knowledge of the game increases at the saem time the gameplay is just better and better. Plus we include new expansions as they come and it helps keep the experience fresh. For exaple drafting cards became amazing recently as we both have pretty good idea what cards are in game...
Sam,
Memoir 44’
I 100% agree with you! I played this game with a buddy of mine while we were in a 5 Week Officer course in the military. We were studying military doctrine, strategy, and combat management. During that time, we played all scenarios of the base game, Memoir ‘44. It is much more strategic then people think! Between the card management and where to place your units (that highly influence the success of die rolls).
I even built a Memoir 44’ doctrine as I played, and my playing improved throughout the scenarios! This was a special experience that I’ll always treasure. Great game!
>
Dice
1/2 (50%) chance of hitting an infantry
1/3 (33.3%) chance of hitting an armor
1/6 (16%) chance of hitting artillery
* with Flags: 2/3, 1/2, and 1/3
On average
8 die to kill one unit
9 dice to kill one armor unit
12 dice to kill one artillery unit
* with Flags: 6 dice for each unit
Ratio
3/6 - Infantry
2/6 - Tanks
1/6 - Artillery
Ratio w/ Flags
4/6 - Infantry
3/6 - Tanks
2/6 - Artillery
Manhattan Project: Energy Empire is definitely a great game, in my opinion! I always enjoy my experience playing it, and I think it's a wonderfully designed game! It's also easy to teach, along with fun and engaging gameplay. It's also in my top 5 favorite board games. Every game is also different based on which events are in play, along with which cardsvhit the table. Great pick, Zee!
Western Legends is another great pick! I agree with Sam that every experience I've had just gets better and better, along with such a strong western theme! I've played the game 5 times already, and look forward to all future plays! I'm VERY excited for the Ante Up expansion!!! It's another top 5 board game for me!
Isn't it broken? The optimal strategy seems to be poker -> caberet
@@AdamLindell No, not at all! I've played the game 5 times, and I've never seen anyone win with a poker strategy. I've seen several people win with a neutral mining strategy, and seen others win with either a cattle/Marshall strategy or a Marshall/mining strategy. The upcoming expansion this year, Ante Up, adds many more ways to score points.
Totally thought Zee would have included Neuroshima Hex on his list.
I am sorry Tom, I only agree with your 4th pick 90%. I think the first expansion for RfG it is a good one. I really dig the goals. It was the only one made an effort to look for. The rest, yep don't think it is too big of a deal. I love race and it would also be one of my picks on this list.
You guys ( and Wil Wheaton and Game the Game ) are why I have a kallax and it is stuffed full of boardgames. Well, that and I love board games =) I am on level 8 at CoolStuff which gives me really good discounts. All that aside, I just wanna say that the dynamic chemistry and point of view of you three is such a joy! Don't ever change! Here are my Top 3 reasons to follow Dice Tower from this episode:
3. Sam: "And that's just from mah naked lil brain juices."
2. Zee: "You guys are Animals."
1. Tom: "Mud Hut. No, it's Jet Set."
Why are there always electrical problems when Zee plays/mentions arkham horror lcg? O.o
What letters appear in DVONN that don't appear adjacently in other words? aDVerse, VOte, ON, aNNotate, among others.
Ah, never mind, I see you figured it out.
Interesting topic. Apparently many games keep getting better for me with multiple plays. Due to interference of life and the amount of games on the shelf I am not able to bring games to the table as often as I wish and they would deserve. I love the feeling when I and my fellow gamers start to realize certain strategies, combinations and combos. Always something that makes me happy - and that's what gaming is about, for me...
Sam, I am intersted in your opinion about the house rule to change the place of the bonus tokens for every round in Blood Rage.
Really like the three of you. Just funny and engaging.
Blood Rage almost requires multiple plays. Gizmos, Gugong, Alien Artifacts, Council of 4, Dice Settlers, 51st state, Seeland, Century Sand and Sea, and Roll Player are some of mine.
Gizmos is a solvable problem. In the sense that you will quickly find all viable strategies and "solve" the game where it loses its mystery.
@@Steve-yd9ki maybe but each time I play I am trying new strategies and playing with four requires that you watch others strategies so that you can find the right path and get lucky. I dont play it often enough to feel I have exhausted it. I have a points strategy and several race strategies... one including the tier 3 cards, that was fun to discover... if I have time I can build a few other nice engines. Unlike Dominion it is far more tactical, random cards, other players limiting choices or moving the time clock up all go into keeping this fresh. Play against more players and try new strategies... beat your last score.
1:18:00 this bit earned me addong this to my best of dicetower youtube playlist lolllll
Too real Zee.....
I'm sorry to say this, but a few years after he's left and been replaced by Mike, I'm not missing Sam's "looking bored" looks when Zee or Tom are talking, like at 14:26 for example...
I'd love to hear your top A.I.s used in games.
Zee Panademic(any of it's variations) Sam( Blood Rage) Tom(Cosmic Encounter, still seems you have more fun than the last time you played).
Wow, I feel like Sam’s list resonated with me much more then Tom and Z’s...which is weird for me, since I think Tom and Zee typically are my jam.
Yeah, Sam has been firing on all engines lately. I'm going to mark the change with his inclusion of tournament at Camelot in a list about a year ago. Since then he has been broadening his horizons and turned me into some great games. I feel like he has really hit his stride... although... he is wrong about Vindication. Dead wrong.
Let's see a top 10 list of excuses used to not a play a game when offered! Lol
Yes! I know I'm late but this would be amazinh
I'm with Sam on this one for Champions of Midgard. Love love love the base game. The expansions are solid but also complicates the game more and makes for too many viking spots. We usually play WITH the expansions but I'm also more than happy to play with the base game. Dark Mountains is OP in my opinion..
@My Cat's Breath Smells Like Cat Food I agree with your thoughts on Valhalla. It definitely adds more to think about which in turn can slow down which should be a faster paced game. I guess I just wish DM had a few more nastier journey cards to force players to prepare as much as when they go voyaging.
I like Zee's no. 1 choice, I love how each scenario is different, but I have to say that Lord of Rings LCG gives me just as much fun for the very same reason.
It's Food Chain Magnate for me. There's no other game that keeps the tension so high every single time...
By the third round I start to feel my heart pounding until the game is over. Literally. Just because I'm so afraid what my opponent(s) might do to me
Innovation. So dry and boring the first time you play, but gets better and better until it finally plateaus around game 50-100 when you have a really solid knowledge of all the cards and major strategies.
Dorkus Maximus Aurelius III must be the best non-threatening insult for a fellow boardgamer ever
GrandMasterYoW what about Dorkus Analysis Paralysis?
Love the Ben Knopp reference!
I was expecting Tom to have Terraforming mars on the list.
For me it grows and grows.
rob taylor I play it about 60 times a year. And I love it more than when I started. I still get excited every time.
I joined in at number 5 and still do not know who each of these guys are. . . .
Fred Myers I watched from the start and never figured it out.
the one with the beard is sam
@@ashesanddiamonds2692 II think you missed the joke at the start of this video
@@fredmyers8366 I think you missed that all of them have a beard
tell them about german "Thüringer Mett" is raw pig minced meat. But we have hard food law and can be only seeled for a few hours and has to be eaten on the same day.
Hey I remember in Tom's Trains review that if Trains got just one expansion, it would replace Dominion for him. What about now?
14:12 Sounds like Zee leans toward the Rakdos guild style if he played magic.
Tom, I hope you mean words that START with "dv" because there are hundreds of everyday words with "dv" in them.
Played Tatsu again this week for the first time in a while. Still really good.
I feel like Smallworld would make my list with the number of expansions.
Life Pro Tip: watch Dice Tower videos at 1.5x or 1.75x speed.
Download a chrome add-on that goes all the way to 16x but mainly watch videos at 2.5-3x
Thank you for saving an hour of my life.
Why have I not been doing this all along!?
How
@@eddieb8054 when watching a video, select the settings for it and change the playback speed
"Essential" is defined as "sine quo non" by three different dictionaries to include the OED. Maybe y'all should come up with another modifying adjective for expansions.
Vindication is top notch experience. Best game for 2019 so far.
Nice idea with the PuffinChilly, Sam.
Glad to see some Inis love. I don't think it got the accolades it deserved.
Agreed, fantastic game!
Expansion hype might give it a boost this year in the next few months. Also surprised Tom picked Race just ahead of Roll when he has the latest expansion pending review. Might be a tight coin flip there next time they do this list.
Agreed - Inis is one of the greatest game designs of modern board gaming!
Gammon is a word here in the UK. It's a type of pork. (It's also a political insult, but we don't need to get into that here)
which I've just realised gets addressed when I watch the video for another 2 minutes!
Gammon is a shut out win in backgammon. A backgammon is when you win while your opponent still has a piece on your side of the board!
gammon in the semse of backgammon means game - back meaning the end - end game
Cosmic encounters amazing. ❤️
Bloodrage is decent but I have the opposite feeling with it. After about the 8th play I had already seen it all and played it a few times after that and it felt tired. It's just too much the same every time
Bloodrage is not a great game at all and I was done with it after only a few plays.
Bloodrage requires you dig the theme and minis, then you can spend time discovering new schemes or learning how to combat schemes others use to win. I feel like Rising Sun is the same but longer. We thought Turtles were Gods but then we discovered that that was just an easy first strategy and then thought it was some other clan. Now we all want to try a new clan to see how we can get a winning strategy with them. Some are huge failures but the fun is in the discoveries.
My thoughts have done a complete 180 now that I've had time to take in Sam leaving and his replacement(s) contributions for the channel: It was 100% for the best. The same exact games on each list, the same exact attitude in each video (would rather be anywhere but there).
The worst part about Carpe Diem’s look is how unfortunately similar some of the colors and buildings are. It’s like they didn’t screen it at all. Great game though.
I feel like thus list should be revisited
Now we need that "Top 10 Social Deduction Games" list :D
Much like a fine wine, Rise of Augustus gets better every time you play it.
Had to pause to read the stamp. HILARIOUS!!!
I miss this trio the most entertaining team in gaming
So this is games that have layers in which you can continue to improve strategy.
Its all about Arkham Horror LCG. I love this game it's my favorite.
Let me just summarize every pick for every dice tower top 10 list.
Sam - says something I totally disagree with
Zee - talks about some random abstract that no one else has ever heard of
Tom - the voice of reason who’s list is the only one I actually pay attention to
So did this philosophy apply with this list as well?...
Because Tom's list this time was a bunch of bad games except for Dominion and Clank, and Sam's list was 9 good games.
Personally my top game that keeps getting better is Legendary Marvel, specifically playing it solitaire with the Advanced Solo Mode. I initially liked the game but didn't play it much solo, but nowadays this game has become my go-to solo board game. As a solo game it moves and sets up quickly (I can setup and play a full game in an hour or less) and with all the expansions has a ridiculous amount of variety and replayability. Not to mention that as a Marvel comic book fan it's great seeing a bunch of the lesser known characters thrown into the mix ("Oh yeah, there WAS an issue where the Punisher was the Sorcerer Supreme!") And even with a couple of other people, it's a solid cooperative game or with the Secret Wars expansion is fun with one player as the Mastermind versus one or two heroes. It doesn't scale well to four or five heroes but otherwise this game seems to be a real evergreen for me.
Can I see that list of top ten games that got better over time? Maybe with expansions and/or new editions? Maybe a most improved or best final result? Do you have that video?
I dunno. Blood Rage feels like, once you know all the combos and synergies, it all just comes down to the luck of the drafting. The actual "board" portion feels like a distant secondary and all player skill being equal, the game goes to lucking out the most with drafting.
Arkham Horror 3 was enjoyable, but the replayability of Eldritch and AH2 just isn't there. Once you've played a scenario 2-3 times, you know everything the codex is going to throw at you and it becomes predictable and easy. The expansions need to not only add new scenarios, but find some sort of way to randomize the objectives.
Blood Rage is a very over rated game.
Yeah we an okay time the games we had, but it was never great, or even very good. The end always seemed so anti-climatic. You run out of space and things to spend your Rage on the last couple of turns. Then the person with the most bullshit Age 3 combo wins.
There's a big focus on upgrading your stats but your stats really only matter for one round at the start of Age 2. At Age 3 there's just not enough space to need a lot of rage or population cap. The only thing stats matter for beyond Age 2 is generic victory points.
After about 2 months I ended up selling my copy. There are just way better "dudes on a map" games out right now that we couldn't justify spending more time on Bloodrage over them. Cthulhu Wars and even the old Chaos in the Old World are still more enjoyable. I can't see why anyone would prefer Bloodrage unless you were absolutely addicted to card drafting.
Which might also explain the runaway popularity of Terraforming Mars, which I would vote as THE most overrated game of the decade (with Root a close 2nd).
@@dorpth I think it's the miniatures + the whole Viking/Norse theme that get people pretending Blood Rage is better than it is. Cthulhu Wars is clearly a superior and more "fun" game for me as well. Chaos in the Old World is cool but out of print and super expensive plus I think Cthulhu Wars is better than that one as well. Another superior "dudes on a map" games is Tyrants of the Underdark.
Yeah Cthulhu Wars is my favorite. It's super straight forward and easy to learn. Just keep all the bullshit expansion factions out of it. Chaos in the Old World hasn't aged that well, but I'd still rather play it than Blood Rage.
Some people just go absolutely nuts over cards and drafting. I can't find any other reason why Terraforming Mars is sitting at #5 game of all time.
@@dorpth Terraforming Mars is a "Euro" game, or "Eurotrash" game as I prefer to call them since they call all American games "Ameritrash." I assume you know what defines a Eurotrash game. Cthulhu Wars is the polar opposite of a Eurotrash game with all of its conflict, dice rolling, luck, and you know, fun. As soon as you start rolling dice and fighting many Eurotrash gamers are turned off immediately.
As for CW expansions, some of them are lame but I bought the Opener and Sleeper expansion factions because I think they are cool and not over powered (in fact, probably slightly underpowered compared to the base factions, especially Opener). Meanwhile Windwalker and Tcho-Tcho are clearly over powered and lame so I will never buy them. I am not sure about the Ancients but they seem cool, but I can live without them.
"With All This Talent Laying Around, Let's Put Out A Game" sounds like the title of a Japanese light novel about a quirky group of high school kids trying to learn game development.
For me this would definitely be Scythe, keeps getting better each play oh and for now Cave in, at first I really disliked it, but my bf loved it so I agreed to play a few times and by now I really enjoy it too
Sam @ 25:04 was that a sneeze or a gufah at Tom's "Cool story, bro" comment?
Arkham Horror The Card Game: the top game that keeps getting more expensive
I'm confused, is this Top 10 replayable/variable games or ones that actually get BETTER over time? Too much of the former.
Maybe too many of these games are too new to classify as games that keep getting better ... over a decent period of time!
Jonathan West My thought too.
This list should be named top ten games that have legs. ;)
What is Zee's no.1 Stefan Feld game?
Bruges for both Tom and Zee I believe.
What was the music in the introduction?
I tried to like Roll Player and as a Role player. I can't help but be like "why would I play this if I just wanted to roll up a character for a game?"
#1 Dominion Absolutely
Zee knows what's up with AuZtralia - it might be Martin Wallace's best train yet!
When is Zee’s being introduced with the History of the Dice Tower video series?
I love you guys.
Thumbs up for the topsy turvy hat!
Arkham Horror 3 keeps getting better? I thought it was just the opposite. We enjoyed it the first 8-10 plays, but once you've played all four of the scenarios 2-3 times, there's not much more to it. You know exactly what's coming and it becomes very easy to beat (unless you intentionally use the worst investigators for a challenge, and they are VERY far spaced balance wise). The whole "codex" system works exactly like the Act/Agenda system of the card game version, except with the card game at least you have the deck building to fiddle with after the whole story isn't a surprise anymore. With AH3, there is no tinkering. Once the narrative events aren't new anymore, it becomes rote.
They're probably going to pump out a bunch of expansions for new scenarios, but those too will get old after 2-3 plays. What they really need is a way to randomize objectives like in Eldritch, only using a way that presents some kind of cohesive narrative.
Orleans definitely!
@zee you should try arkham horror the card game multiplayer, it opens up a whole new dimension!😦
For me it would definitely be:
1. Labyrinth: The War on Terror 2001-? (it went from 7/10 to a 10/10)
2. The Lord of the Rings LCG (went from a 8/10 to 10/10 after buying the first two cycles).
adverb, advocate, adventure, what is Tom talking about gain?