I’m with Chris. Just because a game doesn’t have the most exciting theme doesn’t mean the game doesn’t capture its theme really well. I’m glad he was there to introduce some less obvious picks.
I 100% agree on principle. But I'd rather Sam Healey was there instead because I'm a roleplayer at heart and I don't want to pretend to be a wine collector or some other boring thing like that. Give me wizards and spaceships!
The dice tower crew is really great these days. I wish Sam was still around, and was worried that DT would lose some of that magical chemistry between Tom, Sam and Zee when he left, but I have been really impressed and thoroughly enjoy all of the additions to the crew. You guys all have great chemistry and have awesome varied views. It’s great to see the core team of DT thriving! Keep up the great content guys!
I disagree - this list is a perfect example of why DT is better without Sam Healy - his need to belligerently not follow the idea of the list would be extra irritating for this one
Let me remind you of half of Sam's top 10 (insert category) games. - Memoire 44 - Bang: The dice game - Deception: Murder in Hong Kong - Zombicide - Blood Rage
I work in the power industry and Chris is right that power grid has a lot of theme. The highest cost routs to expand your network on the USA map are where the grid interconnections are sepperated. Cool pick.
No shade on Roy and Mike, but I really enjoyed the way Chris built his list. I like how the actual mechanics and gameplay truly evoke the theme, forcing (or encouraging) a player into the right headspace to be making the kinds of decisions that place you within that theme.
I think there is a distinction between thematic and flavorful. Thematic means it feels like I’m doing what the game says I’m doing. Flavorful means that pieces of the game act the way they should, but not necessarily you as the player. The two best examples I can think of for flavorful games are Magic: the Gathering and Wingspan. Do the creatures work the way their lore dictates? Yes. Do the birds behave like their real-life counterpart? Yes. Does it feel like I’m a mage dueling another mage or that I’m a bird enthusiast attracting birds to different habitats to become the most prestigious bird watcher? Absolutely not.
I like to call it thematic integration(thematic) vs strength(flavorful). But even MtG isn't really on my "flavorful" end, since the lore often helps understanding how the card's mechanics work. I think Azul, Splendor etc would be near the "flavorful" end of scale for me. Those "themes" barely have anything to do with the gameplay, and are very replaceable. Onitama is also another good example IMO. On the other hand, Tigris & Euphrates might seem very abstract, but its theme really relates with what you do, especially war, certain leaders benefitting from their respective factions, etc. Mottainai vs Glory to Rome would also be a good example of what I deem as flavorful vs integrated, respectively. Interesting view though, thanks! I think I'll call your thematic vs flavorful distinction as "immersive & integrated" vs "integrated but not immersive"
Hi there. Wonder what games you consider thematic? :) I get your argument about flavor in games. But I will call the art and narrative as flavor. If the mechanics can be explained with theme I consider it a thematic game. About MTG, I've always seen it as a very thematic game, beside the turn structure, wich is the way it is for balance purposes.
Yeah I find Magic does a decent job of help explaining with lore and concept how certain rules are tied together. But personally I've always felt the core rules make an attempt at being thematic but they don't click for me. Like the idea of playing lands - what's that a metaphor for? Is a land in my hand something I already own? Then what is "playing it" a metaphor for? Or is playing a land a metaphor for conquering it. Etc... just shit like that.
Wingspan is a game that kinda annoys me, because it is fun, but the theme and the mechanism just clash so much that it actually reduces my enjoyment of the game somewhat. The exact same rules mechanisms, but with a different package (like, making a space colony or whatever) would have made a better game. And this is from someone who really enjoys the art.
Totally agree with Alchemists . My friends who were in grad school at the time told me about playing Alchemists and how it really felt like being a grad student. And just because a theme is "boring" doesn't mean the game isn't thematic!
Yes, I agree! Alchemists is a very good simulation of academics. Similarly, playing AquaSphere also really feels like working as a university researcher.
Flamme Rouge is a great thematic game. The deck thinning representing your energy dwindling, the way exhaustion comes back to bite you, taking advantage of slip streaming. So true to cycling. Writing this is making me want to play it now.
I found this a really enjoyable discussion since the first thing I look for in a game is theme+art or art+theme, followed by mechanics which aid in the immersion and challenge. Thank you!
Roy is the perfect guy to be on this list, his picks are exceptional. Also great, and different picks, Chris. And I love the rapport in this video especially built by Mike.
Yeah agreed, Roy hit it out the park. Didn't just pick dry eurogames with a paint job, thankfully. Some people in this chat are so conservative it's chilling 😃
Roy did a pro job on camera while switching here! We have a couple roll and writes that are super thematic- Cartographers (you’re exploring a land and drawing a map) and Floor Plan (you design a house to certain specifications while creating a blueprint). Also, we find Catacombs Cubes pretty thematic because you’re building actual structures out of blocks to form a city.
LOVE the cross-chat, so much fun to hear what the others think while still being supportive. I love hearing about personal experiences with the game. NOT the B-Team! The Reservists!
Vinyl!!!! Thank you for the mention and the comments! We definitely want more folks to play it for sure! Not to mention the art and icons have all been redone and updated. We also put in Easy listening scoring based on Tom's feedback from PaxU!
My number one would be Prêt-à-Porter. It has the feel of working in fashion, trying to win the PR battle, getting your different colored fabrics to actually make your collection, hire employees to improve things in game. It is heavy, but man it is thematic.
Chris is right about Power Grid. Went on a boardgame weekend and met a head engineer at a Power Plant. He said Power Grid is very accurate to his job. And he loves the game.
Was really expecting to see Jaws on the list somewhere. I think it matches the movie and the tension it brings so incredibly well, even separating the game into two distinct acts. Underrated.
15:19 Garbage is actually not made up! There are waste-to-energy power plants that use Municipal Solid Waste, aka garbage, as a source of combustible fuel for power generation. So the garbage resource adds to the theme!
Love seeing Firefly mentioned. Thanks Chris. If I ever get to a DT convention, I want to play Firefly with Chris and Eric. Definitely a "bucket list" item. :)
My first thought was Mansions of Madness. My husband & I have bought all the expansions (so far) and he had a blast painting 100+ figures. Also, the game can change. We played the first story, just the two of us. The mansion was smaller and the winning scenario was in a totally different room than when we played with five people. Also, one of our favorites is Horrified. Great to see that on the list.
One game that I feel that fits the theme is Picture Perfect. You are a photographer who are hired to take the well perfect picture. All the diffrent people have certain demands on placing and which other people they want to stand next to/avoid. Then after six rounds you take an actual photo to show that you meet as many demands as possible. The game is pretty unique and theme as well. As someone who loves odd/unsual themes that one was an instant pick. Also it is easier to get into the game if the mechanisms fits the theme. Having them make sense.
My number one most thematic game - Flamme Rouge! No other game makes me feel like I am doing the actual activity, road captaining a bicycle race team, quite like this one.
The market in Power Grid is more like real life markets, than rolling dice is to actually shooting a gun or performing a skill. Chris nailed this list. Mechanics bring the theme to live more so than story or art. My picks would also include Brass, and Twilight Struggle.
Roy is great but I found Mike and Chris’ list much more interesting - Roy’s list felt like he was doing ‘top 10 games with lots of theme’. It was more interesting to hear games where the mechanisms cleverly match the theme, rather than just games with loads of narrative or apps
@@aimajica Terraforming Mars is way more thematic than Wingspan though. All the objectives make sense and things you build also oftentimes have physical presence on the board. Wingspan could easily be about anything else, like collecting stamps.
Many game rules would become more intuitive if the theme was changed. For example Bohnanza: Why is 2 red beans worth something but 1 red bean is worthless? Makes no sense. If you changed the theme from beans to building cars and bikes it would make sense that a single wheel is useless, while 2 wheels is a bike and 4 wheels is a car and gives you a bonus. Games like Splendor and Century have achievements like "This thing required 2 red, 2 green and 2 blue" which is highly forgettable. If you changed the theme to a Bar you could have the achievements be famous cocktail recipes. " a negroni requires 2 campari, 2 vermouth and 2 gin." Or a restaurant theme: "a cheeseburger which requires 2 bread, 1 meat, 1 cheese." The Crew is based on limited communications so the theme should not be a high tech space mission. But rather perhaps that the players are shipwrecked on distant islands and can only communicate rarely via signal flares.
Battle Star Galatica is a fantastic game. It nails so much - atmosphere, tension, mechanics, difficulty level, thematic accuracy and more. If you ever see it for sale buy it. You are all hapily co-operating....until???
I've been a fan of Tom Zee and Sam for several years now and I'll be honest i haven't really been watching the other hosts very much. Mike definitely grew on me pretty quick, he's like a board game red green, but this video sold me on Chris. I deeply appreciate the dryness, sir.
I was waiting patiently for Roy to say Star Wars Rebellion, nice gotcha Roy. Also bonus points for the game choice to prank with. It's these inside jokes that reward us fans that watch all the shows. I would add Back to the Future Back in Time and Deep Sea Adventure.
Great Lists! There are a lot of games that I would LOVE to try: Last Will, Captain Sonar, Western Legends, Xia, Chronicles of Crime, Dinosaur Island... (and some that I own but cannot bring to the table yet: Mansions of Madness, Forgotten Waters & Nemesis :s) At the moment my picks for "Games with Perfectly Fitting Theme" would be something like that: 10. Flyin' Goblin ; 9. Conan ; 8. Dead Men tell no tales ; 7. Skulk Hollow ; 6. Flamme Rouge ; 5. Dungeon Petz ; 4. Raptor ; 3. Ghost Stories/Last Bastion ; 2. Colt Express ; 1. Dive (crossover with Mike) :D I also considered: Viticulture, Zombicide Black Plague, The Loop, Stronghold & Robinson Crusoe.
Thanks guys! Great choices!!! Just played Wendake. Great Native American theme during the 7 years' war. Terraforming Mars: If someone likes the engine-building mechanic there, then it could be higher on their list than mine.
It's funny how the DT start to talk about games being more and more complex. At the same time many of the gamers mostly seem to like games that takes "the next step" in inventing mechanics or combining several of them. The newb or family game often don't get the same spotlight.
I feel that Chris followed the topic the best. The setting of a game doesn't have to be or fit the theme of the game. Roy games have a lot of stuff in setting, but the mechanisms of the game rarely fit the setting
Yeah, I dunno why a theme has to be fantastical or blingy for it to fit a game perfectly. Glad you're here to represent the gritty realists among us Chris!
I had to look it up because this was news to me. The US does relativelylittleof it compared to European countries,so I'm guessing La VegaswhereI grew up doesn't do much of it, especially with the proximity of the Hoover Dam nearby. You learn something new every day. Sometimes it's during a live-stream that will prove your ignorance in front of tens of thousands of people, haha
@@DTChrisYi I probably would have thought the same, had I not lived in Bremen where the Müllverbrennungsanlage (Waste Incineration Facility? Yeah, we Germans are great at naming things) is such a prominent feature. Incidentally, Bremen is also Friedman Friese's hometown. So that might explain the inclusion in the game. I liked this list by the way. Another energy related euro, that I'd have included would have been Barrage. The mechanism of water flowing down the mountain basins is so on point. I can't imagine any other theme for it.
Themes that don't match rules bother me. Like The Crew! If the core mechanic is limited communication then why is the theme "you're a team of astronauts"? Would've worked much better if the setting was something like "every player is on a different island and you can only communicate with signal flares (or semaphor flags)"
I bought this game used from a half price books two years ago, STILL have yet to get it to the table. In fact we've never even made sure it was complete, because of what seems like a million cards and tokens.
I miss sports games on this list. "Set and match" for example feels exactly like a tennis match, and "Flamme Rouge" is a very well designed racing game, that feels like an actual bike-race. Also: not a sports game but very, very thematic: The Pursuit of Happiness.
Notice how most of these games are very long. That makes total sense, since the longer the game the more you can become immersed in its theme, and therefore the theme will come out more. A very interesting list would be "Games that are short but still fell immersive in the theme." I can't think of many. Any ideas?
I mentioned Cartographers and Floor Plan in the comments- some shorter roll and writes.Maybe Blitzkrieg! because it’s a tug of war to win across different war fonts. There are also a few art-themed games that are pretty thematic- Canvas, Sunset Over Water, and even Bob Ross:Art of Chill.
Hey, I’m watching from the planet Agamemnon and I’ve got to say that Cosmic Encounter feels exactly like inter-planetary negotiation and warfare. The theme is perfect.
Warhammer Fantasy Battle is one of the most thematic. What you see is what you get (miniatures, terrain, etc...)...SFB with miniatures is a close second.
No Letters from Whitechapel? I think it captures both the tension from being chased (as Jack) to the frustration and elation that comes with chasing a criminal as the policemen. The one game that instantly came to mind for me.
Watching this one more time and I think that Chris most understood the subject, Roy unfortunately the least and just went for the most themed story games, Mike in the middle.
It was Roy's production and list idea, he said he was looking for "super thematic games that nail their theme". So if you think Chris understood what Roy was looking for more than Roy on this list set up by Roy then you're wrong by default.
@Gankatron 5000 Roy constantly talks about how it feels like he’s the hero when he plays and he loves how strong theme is. Plus it’s his #1 game of all time.
There have definitely been moments, like when I had Thor summon his hammer and perform a massive lightning strike on a bunch of Ultron's drones, or the time I had Spiderman use his webbing as a bandage. Again, your immersion may vary.
Mike to counter your point that games are abstracted so they can't have perfect theme.. I'd counted with throw throw burrito. nothing abstracted about pelting someone with a burrito.
Watch this video as a drinking game...take a shot or drink every time they use the word "evoke" and you will be passed out under the table before they get to #5 hahaha
For those who know the IP (and now it should be even more popular), the original DUNE game, re-edited in 2019 by gala force 9, is a thematic masterpiece, at least as much as SW rebellion and war of the rings.
I can see TM, because you're going from a bare red planet and at the end the planet has cities, forests, oceans, the corporations for leaning into a strategic, the funding and awards. For me it feels like how corporations would go towards a huge project like terraforming Mars
"Garbage is obviously made up" Who wants to break the bad news to Chris? And my picks are: Kanban EV, Godfather: Corleone's Empire, CO2: Second Chance, Star Wars Rebellion, Photosynthesis, Raptor, Tekhenu, Marvel United, Dune Imperium, Modern Art.
@@DTChrisYi Thanks! And when I was in college I was working on a thesis about designing for sustainability so a lot of my reading revealed some real fun stuff about “how the sausage is made.” Lester Brown’s book Plan B 4.0 and the book Cradle to Cradle were especially enlightening.
"Lawyer Up" to me is a perfect combination of theme and mechanisms. Every aspect is added to further what people would expect in a courtroom themed game
@@tinstargames yeah it's definitely more of a courtroom drama lol. It reminds me a lot of those segments of Ace Attorney games after you point out a contradiction and the lawyers are just bickering back and forth :)
Mike seems to confuse theme with art. There's nothing stronger than mechanics that make thematic sense. Art emphasise or creates the stage of theme, but If what you do doesn't make sense It's just not thematic no matter how good It looks, where a thematic mechanic with horrible art is still thematically sound.
a good selection of different opinions. for me the first thoughts go to: robinson crusoe dungeon petz where everything you do in the game fits the theme
I’m with Chris. Just because a game doesn’t have the most exciting theme doesn’t mean the game doesn’t capture its theme really well. I’m glad he was there to introduce some less obvious picks.
I also completely agree with that.
100% agree with Chris's picks here 👏
Chris: top ten games where the theme fits the gameplay.
Roy and Mike: top ten games with sUpEr AwEsOmE themes!
I 100% agree on principle. But I'd rather Sam Healey was there instead because I'm a roleplayer at heart and I don't want to pretend to be a wine collector or some other boring thing like that. Give me wizards and spaceships!
The dice tower crew is really great these days. I wish Sam was still around, and was worried that DT would lose some of that magical chemistry between Tom, Sam and Zee when he left, but I have been really impressed and thoroughly enjoy all of the additions to the crew. You guys all have great chemistry and have awesome varied views. It’s great to see the core team of DT thriving! Keep up the great content guys!
Yeah. Zee playfully ribbing on poor Sam always made me chuckle out loud
I disagree - this list is a perfect example of why DT is better without Sam Healy - his need to belligerently not follow the idea of the list would be extra irritating for this one
Let me remind you of half of Sam's top 10 (insert category) games.
- Memoire 44
- Bang: The dice game
- Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
- Zombicide
- Blood Rage
@@gabramcas haha this gave me a good chuckle
I work in the power industry and Chris is right that power grid has a lot of theme. The highest cost routs to expand your network on the USA map are where the grid interconnections are sepperated. Cool pick.
No shade on Roy and Mike, but I really enjoyed the way Chris built his list. I like how the actual mechanics and gameplay truly evoke the theme, forcing (or encouraging) a player into the right headspace to be making the kinds of decisions that place you within that theme.
I think there is a distinction between thematic and flavorful. Thematic means it feels like I’m doing what the game says I’m doing. Flavorful means that pieces of the game act the way they should, but not necessarily you as the player.
The two best examples I can think of for flavorful games are Magic: the Gathering and Wingspan. Do the creatures work the way their lore dictates? Yes. Do the birds behave like their real-life counterpart? Yes. Does it feel like I’m a mage dueling another mage or that I’m a bird enthusiast attracting birds to different habitats to become the most prestigious bird watcher? Absolutely not.
I have eaten a Magic card and found it bland and flavorless...also hard on the soft palate.
I like to call it thematic integration(thematic) vs strength(flavorful). But even MtG isn't really on my "flavorful" end, since the lore often helps understanding how the card's mechanics work. I think Azul, Splendor etc would be near the "flavorful" end of scale for me. Those "themes" barely have anything to do with the gameplay, and are very replaceable. Onitama is also another good example IMO. On the other hand, Tigris & Euphrates might seem very abstract, but its theme really relates with what you do, especially war, certain leaders benefitting from their respective factions, etc. Mottainai vs Glory to Rome would also be a good example of what I deem as flavorful vs integrated, respectively.
Interesting view though, thanks! I think I'll call your thematic vs flavorful distinction as "immersive & integrated" vs "integrated but not immersive"
Hi there. Wonder what games you consider thematic? :)
I get your argument about flavor in games. But I will call the art and narrative as flavor. If the mechanics can be explained with theme I consider it a thematic game.
About MTG, I've always seen it as a very thematic game, beside the turn structure, wich is the way it is for balance purposes.
Yeah I find Magic does a decent job of help explaining with lore and concept how certain rules are tied together. But personally I've always felt the core rules make an attempt at being thematic but they don't click for me. Like the idea of playing lands - what's that a metaphor for? Is a land in my hand something I already own? Then what is "playing it" a metaphor for? Or is playing a land a metaphor for conquering it. Etc... just shit like that.
Wingspan is a game that kinda annoys me, because it is fun, but the theme and the mechanism just clash so much that it actually reduces my enjoyment of the game somewhat. The exact same rules mechanisms, but with a different package (like, making a space colony or whatever) would have made a better game. And this is from someone who really enjoys the art.
Totally agree with Alchemists . My friends who were in grad school at the time told me about playing Alchemists and how it really felt like being a grad student.
And just because a theme is "boring" doesn't mean the game isn't thematic!
Yes, I agree! Alchemists is a very good simulation of academics. Similarly, playing AquaSphere also really feels like working as a university researcher.
Flamme Rouge is a great thematic game. The deck thinning representing your energy dwindling, the way exhaustion comes back to bite you, taking advantage of slip streaming. So true to cycling. Writing this is making me want to play it now.
Was really close to making my list for those reasons.
Easily the most thematic game I know.
This was a nice alternative host panel for top 10’s, more please.
Fun list guys, it was nice to have just you three to change things up a bit ;)
I found this a really enjoyable discussion since the first thing I look for in a game is theme+art or art+theme, followed by mechanics which aid in the immersion and challenge. Thank you!
"Last Will... is a game about going broke"... looks at the game collection... looks at the wallet... yeah, this is thematic alright XD
Roy is the perfect guy to be on this list, his picks are exceptional.
Also great, and different picks, Chris. And I love the rapport in this video especially built by Mike.
I love that since Roy is in charge of the Powerpoint he pranked everyone with his #1
Yeah agreed, Roy hit it out the park.
Didn't just pick dry eurogames with a paint job, thankfully. Some people in this chat are so conservative it's chilling 😃
Roy did a pro job on camera while switching here! We have a couple roll and writes that are super thematic- Cartographers (you’re exploring a land and drawing a map) and Floor Plan (you design a house to certain specifications while creating a blueprint). Also, we find Catacombs Cubes pretty thematic because you’re building actual structures out of blocks to form a city.
LOVE the cross-chat, so much fun to hear what the others think while still being supportive. I love hearing about personal experiences with the game. NOT the B-Team! The Reservists!
Vinyl!!!! Thank you for the mention and the comments! We definitely want more folks to play it for sure! Not to mention the art and icons have all been redone and updated. We also put in Easy listening scoring based on Tom's feedback from PaxU!
Oh, I haven't heard of this game before - I will have to check it out! Great theme and it even has a solo mode which is a big plus. ☺️
My number one would be Prêt-à-Porter. It has the feel of working in fashion, trying to win the PR battle, getting your different colored fabrics to actually make your collection, hire employees to improve things in game. It is heavy, but man it is thematic.
Chris is right about Power Grid. Went on a boardgame weekend and met a head engineer at a Power Plant. He said Power Grid is very accurate to his job. And he loves the game.
I misread the thumbnail and somehow thought this was going to be Top 10 Games with Perfect Timing. Not sure what that would even mean.
Much as I love Tom & Zee, you guys make an awesome trio. It's always great to see your collective chemistrys resonate throughout the Dice Tower videos
Was really expecting to see Jaws on the list somewhere. I think it matches the movie and the tension it brings so incredibly well, even separating the game into two distinct acts. Underrated.
Alchemists is a stellar pick Chris! I wouldn't have thought about it till you said it but you're so right
Chris got it right! Powergrids mechanics and theme is a good match, nice 1 Chris!!
Nice content, well done Roy for putting this show running flawless 👍
So happy to see Obsession on one of these lists. Go Mike!!
These lists make my day. Keep up the great work.
15:19 Garbage is actually not made up! There are waste-to-energy power plants that use Municipal Solid Waste, aka garbage, as a source of combustible fuel for power generation. So the garbage resource adds to the theme!
I genuinely had not known this due to, what Dan Hughes calls, being "chronically American."
I was aware of a lack of thermal waste treatment with power generation in South America but I was somehow sure it is practiced in the US.
@@hanseathl It is done in the US, I guess its just not widely known
Love seeing Firefly mentioned. Thanks Chris. If I ever get to a DT convention, I want to play Firefly with Chris and Eric. Definitely a "bucket list" item. :)
Genotype is a great game.
I would've mentioned as well:
Robinson Crusoe
Pandemic Legacy
Kitchen Rush
Romeo&Juliette
My first thought was Mansions of Madness. My husband & I have bought all the expansions (so far) and he had a blast painting 100+ figures. Also, the game can change. We played the first story, just the two of us. The mansion was smaller and the winning scenario was in a totally different room than when we played with five people.
Also, one of our favorites is Horrified. Great to see that on the list.
Good job Roy for multitasking!! What a feat!!!!
One game that I feel that fits the theme is Picture Perfect.
You are a photographer who are hired to take the well perfect picture. All the diffrent people have certain demands on placing and which other people they want to stand next to/avoid. Then after six rounds you take an actual photo to show that you meet as many demands as possible.
The game is pretty unique and theme as well.
As someone who loves odd/unsual themes that one was an instant pick. Also it is easier to get into the game if the mechanisms fits the theme. Having them make sense.
My number one most thematic game - Flamme Rouge! No other game makes me feel like I am doing the actual activity, road captaining a bicycle race team, quite like this one.
The market in Power Grid is more like real life markets, than rolling dice is to actually shooting a gun or performing a skill.
Chris nailed this list. Mechanics bring the theme to live more so than story or art. My picks would also include Brass, and Twilight Struggle.
I agree with many of your picks. I might strongly consider also: Atlantis Rising, Sleeping Gods (with Roy), and 7th Continent. 🤷🏼♂️
Roy is great but I found Mike and Chris’ list much more interesting - Roy’s list felt like he was doing ‘top 10 games with lots of theme’. It was more interesting to hear games where the mechanisms cleverly match the theme, rather than just games with loads of narrative or apps
So tired of the people picking Wingspan for every list. It's really getting ridiculous.
or Terraforming Mars... (both are great games but... "Games with Perfectly Fitting Theme"... Naaa...)
@@aimajica Yeah Terraforming Mars is the definite silver medal for over used.
@@aimajica Terraforming Mars is way more thematic than Wingspan though. All the objectives make sense and things you build also oftentimes have physical presence on the board. Wingspan could easily be about anything else, like collecting stamps.
Many game rules would become more intuitive if the theme was changed. For example Bohnanza: Why is 2 red beans worth something but 1 red bean is worthless? Makes no sense. If you changed the theme from beans to building cars and bikes it would make sense that a single wheel is useless, while 2 wheels is a bike and 4 wheels is a car and gives you a bonus.
Games like Splendor and Century have achievements like "This thing required 2 red, 2 green and 2 blue" which is highly forgettable. If you changed the theme to a Bar you could have the achievements be famous cocktail recipes. " a negroni requires 2 campari, 2 vermouth and 2 gin."
Or a restaurant theme: "a cheeseburger which requires 2 bread, 1 meat, 1 cheese."
The Crew is based on limited communications so the theme should not be a high tech space mission. But rather perhaps that the players are shipwrecked on distant islands and can only communicate rarely via signal flares.
Really enjoyed this one. Nice games. Nice chill conversations
I think my #1 would be Sub Terra. I would also suggest: Under Falling Skies, Cartographers, Atlantis Rising, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Goblivion.
Was great to have Chris here, love Roy and Mike, but Chris provided a really different flavour .
Best picks from your lists, IMHO (games I've already played): Power Grid (Chris), Escape (Mike), Alchemists (Chris), XIA (Roy), The Gallerist (Mike), BSG (Roy), Mansions of MAdness (Roy), SW: Rebellion (Roy)
Really enjoy Roy in these videos! Roy you belong infront of the camera, love the ability to multitask seamlessly.
Battle Star Galatica is a fantastic game. It nails so much - atmosphere, tension, mechanics, difficulty level, thematic accuracy and more. If you ever see it for sale buy it. You are all hapily co-operating....until???
I've been a fan of Tom Zee and Sam for several years now and I'll be honest i haven't really been watching the other hosts very much. Mike definitely grew on me pretty quick, he's like a board game red green, but this video sold me on Chris. I deeply appreciate the dryness, sir.
Chris, YES FIREFLY! You are spot on! I am a fan and so love this game. I have every single expansion.
I was waiting patiently for Roy to say Star Wars Rebellion, nice gotcha Roy. Also bonus points for the game choice to prank with. It's these inside jokes that reward us fans that watch all the shows. I would add Back to the Future Back in Time and Deep Sea Adventure.
Great Lists! There are a lot of games that I would LOVE to try: Last Will, Captain Sonar, Western Legends, Xia, Chronicles of Crime, Dinosaur Island... (and some that I own but cannot bring to the table yet: Mansions of Madness, Forgotten Waters & Nemesis :s)
At the moment my picks for "Games with Perfectly Fitting Theme" would be something like that:
10. Flyin' Goblin ; 9. Conan ; 8. Dead Men tell no tales ; 7. Skulk Hollow ; 6. Flamme Rouge ; 5. Dungeon Petz ; 4. Raptor ; 3. Ghost Stories/Last Bastion ; 2. Colt Express ; 1. Dive (crossover with Mike) :D
I also considered: Viticulture, Zombicide Black Plague, The Loop, Stronghold & Robinson Crusoe.
Great list guys. Of course Roy came up with this list, OF COURSE
Thanks guys! Great choices!!!
Just played Wendake. Great Native American theme during the 7 years' war.
Terraforming Mars: If someone likes the engine-building mechanic there, then it could be higher on their list than mine.
It's funny how the DT start to talk about games being more and more complex. At the same time many of the gamers mostly seem to like games that takes "the next step" in inventing mechanics or combining several of them. The newb or family game often don't get the same spotlight.
I feel that Chris followed the topic the best. The setting of a game doesn't have to be or fit the theme of the game. Roy games have a lot of stuff in setting, but the mechanisms of the game rarely fit the setting
Spirit Island is highly thematic and a wonderful game
Favorite game
I have never head the word "evoke" spoken so many times in such a short period of time. Good list and fun video
Love these top 10 lists. A game that can evoke a lot of emotions but I feel is very thematic is Freedom: The Underground Railroad.
Yeah, I dunno why a theme has to be fantastical or blingy for it to fit a game perfectly. Glad you're here to represent the gritty realists among us Chris!
Mike, Roy and Chris… please do more videos together. Great banter 😀
A few that come to my mind: Nemo’s War, Darkest Night, Machina Arcana, Sleeping Gods and Quest for the Lost Pixel.
Agree with all of Roy's picks, but Mike absolutely saved the whole video by making Nemesis #1.
What an evocative list - great job
Regarding powergrid: garbage is not made up. In Germany we produce energy by burning garbage. I assume other countries do the same...
I had to look it up because this was news to me. The US does relativelylittleof it compared to European countries,so I'm guessing La VegaswhereI grew up doesn't do much of it, especially with the proximity of the Hoover Dam nearby. You learn something new every day. Sometimes it's during a live-stream that will prove your ignorance in front of tens of thousands of people, haha
@@DTChrisYi I probably would have thought the same, had I not lived in Bremen where the Müllverbrennungsanlage (Waste Incineration Facility? Yeah, we Germans are great at naming things) is such a prominent feature. Incidentally, Bremen is also Friedman Friese's hometown. So that might explain the inclusion in the game.
I liked this list by the way. Another energy related euro, that I'd have included would have been Barrage. The mechanism of water flowing down the mountain basins is so on point. I can't imagine any other theme for it.
I would've thought Evolution: Climate would've been there
Oceans is more thematic for me than Evolution, plus I like Oceans more (Chris saying he find Photosynthesis thematic, but he doesn't like it)
Themes that don't match rules bother me. Like The Crew! If the core mechanic is limited communication then why is the theme "you're a team of astronauts"?
Would've worked much better if the setting was something like "every player is on a different island and you can only communicate with signal flares (or semaphor flags)"
Android: Netrunner wins this without contest for me. The mechanics merge seamlessly with the Neuromancer-type hacking theme.
Dang…. Chris has a voice like warm butter on my Sunday morning toast.
My picks would be Escape Plan, Kanban EV and Lost Ruins of Arnak.
This video evokes the need for a thesaurus for the word evokes ;)
Fortune and Glory: The Cliffhanger Game!
No one on The Dice Tower will ever mention a Flying Frog game. They have little to no love for true Ameritrash games.
One of the best. So much damn theme. Dripping with it.
yup
and of course A Touch of Evil
I bought this game used from a half price books two years ago, STILL have yet to get it to the table. In fact we've never even made sure it was complete, because of what seems like a million cards and tokens.
I miss sports games on this list. "Set and match" for example feels exactly like a tennis match, and "Flamme Rouge" is a very well designed racing game, that feels like an actual bike-race. Also: not a sports game but very, very thematic: The Pursuit of Happiness.
Notice how most of these games are very long. That makes total sense, since the longer the game the more you can become immersed in its theme, and therefore the theme will come out more. A very interesting list would be "Games that are short but still fell immersive in the theme." I can't think of many. Any ideas?
I mentioned Cartographers and Floor Plan in the comments- some shorter roll and writes.Maybe Blitzkrieg! because it’s a tug of war to win across different war fonts. There are also a few art-themed games that are pretty thematic- Canvas, Sunset Over Water, and even Bob Ross:Art of Chill.
Hey, I’m watching from the planet Agamemnon and I’ve got to say that Cosmic Encounter feels exactly like inter-planetary negotiation and warfare. The theme is perfect.
Such a great list. I really need to get Xia and Sleeping Gods - but already own so many games on this list!
Warhammer Fantasy Battle is one of the most thematic. What you see is what you get (miniatures, terrain, etc...)...SFB with miniatures is a close second.
Wait, where is Flamme Rouge…!!
No Letters from Whitechapel? I think it captures both the tension from being chased (as Jack) to the frustration and elation that comes with chasing a criminal as the policemen. The one game that instantly came to mind for me.
Watching this one more time and I think that Chris most understood the subject, Roy unfortunately the least and just went for the most themed story games, Mike in the middle.
It was Roy's production and list idea, he said he was looking for "super thematic games that nail their theme". So if you think Chris understood what Roy was looking for more than Roy on this list set up by Roy then you're wrong by default.
Roys face during Power grid 😂
Appreciate Chris bringing some genuine uniqueness to this list. Generic choices are boring.
I am floored that Marvel Champions did not make Roy’s list.
Me too!
You never felt like you were the hero you were playing?
@Gankatron 5000 Roy constantly talks about how it feels like he’s the hero when he plays and he loves how strong theme is. Plus it’s his #1 game of all time.
There have definitely been moments, like when I had Thor summon his hammer and perform a massive lightning strike on a bunch of Ultron's drones, or the time I had Spiderman use his webbing as a bandage. Again, your immersion may vary.
@Gankatron 5000 ya, I’d say it feels more immersive than 90% of the games out there.
Mike to counter your point that games are abstracted so they can't have perfect theme.. I'd counted with throw throw burrito. nothing abstracted about pelting someone with a burrito.
I’d argue with you if I could. You got me. Checkmate.
It would be even more thematic if it was a real burrito :)
Watch this video as a drinking game...take a shot or drink every time they use the word "evoke" and you will be passed out under the table before they get to #5 hahaha
For those who know the IP (and now it should be even more popular), the original DUNE game, re-edited in 2019 by gala force 9, is a thematic masterpiece, at least as much as SW rebellion and war of the rings.
Genotype and Obsession immediately come to mind for me.
Power Grid and The Gallerist would be on my list for sure.
Great job guys! 🤘
Awesome lists, guys, some REALLY nice picks from all 3 of you. Still, I'm annoyed Eldritch Horror and Champions of Midgard are nowhere to be seen.
Bad games with one ingenious rule/mechanic. That'd make for a interesting one but might be too hard to do.
I can see TM, because you're going from a bare red planet and at the end the planet has cities, forests, oceans, the corporations for leaning into a strategic, the funding and awards. For me it feels like how corporations would go towards a huge project like terraforming Mars
More creative ideas like this or revisiting classic lists like essential, expansions, etc.
Love Genotype! Peer reviewed is great! Ex biology teacher. This is a great game that teaches too.
War of the Ring is one of the greatest games ever made.
Based on Mike's description of Vinyl, it sounds like the theme is setting up a deck building game.
uboat and xcom are the best ones I can come up with not on the list, but captain sonar mixes a lot of elements from both of those in it.
"Garbage is obviously made up" Who wants to break the bad news to Chris? And my picks are: Kanban EV, Godfather: Corleone's Empire, CO2: Second Chance, Star Wars Rebellion, Photosynthesis, Raptor, Tekhenu, Marvel United, Dune Imperium, Modern Art.
I had not known this! Perhaps American energy industry is different or I just don't actually know that much about solid waste burning, haha
Also great picks
@@DTChrisYi Thanks! And when I was in college I was working on a thesis about designing for sustainability so a lot of my reading revealed some real fun stuff about “how the sausage is made.” Lester Brown’s book Plan B 4.0 and the book Cradle to Cradle were especially enlightening.
My top choices would be Terraforming Mars, Fallout and Arkham Horror 2nd Edition
Obsession is a great pick!
"Lawyer Up" to me is a perfect combination of theme and mechanisms. Every aspect is added to further what people would expect in a courtroom themed game
But lawyers I know disagree - it copies tv law tho definitely!
@@tinstargames yeah it's definitely more of a courtroom drama lol. It reminds me a lot of those segments of Ace Attorney games after you point out a contradiction and the lawyers are just bickering back and forth :)
Great list idea!
Mike seems to confuse theme with art. There's nothing stronger than mechanics that make thematic sense. Art emphasise or creates the stage of theme, but If what you do doesn't make sense It's just not thematic no matter how good It looks, where a thematic mechanic with horrible art is still thematically sound.
Would Splendor and Azul be good examples?
a good selection of different opinions.
for me the first thoughts go to:
robinson crusoe
dungeon petz
where everything you do in the game fits the theme
Food Chain Magnate was the first that came to my mind… but I might be alone on this :)
You are not alone 🎶