Point Salad is in a tiny box in most regions. I do wish publishers would avoid oversized boxes in North America. It is largely done for shelf attention and perceived value, but the smaller the box, the more games I can buy before I run out of space.
Hive pocket was an excellent choice. Hanamikoji is one of those games I’ve heard such good things about and I played on TTS and we were both like… that was a fun thought experiment. Nothing I would pay money to own and replay often.
Here are my pick (a lot of Button Shy Wallet Games here): 1) Sprawlopolis (A great Button Shy game for solo plays) 2) Agropolis (Another great Button Shy game, based on the Sprawlopolis system) 3) Hive Pocket (we have played this game anywhere, from mountain tops, to the beach, in parks, etc.) 4) Battle Line (My Roland's Revenge Game 2nd Edition is tiny and easily fit in a pocket) 5) Skulls of Sedlec (Another great Button Shy game that is great from 1 to 4 players) 6) Food Chain Island (Another great Button Shy game for solo plays) 7) Valley of the Kings (An awesome series of deckbuilders in such a small package) 8) Innovation (Such a great game for 2 players) 9) Circle the Wagons (A great Button Shy game if you want the Sprawlopolis scoring system for a great 2-player game) 10) Seasons of Rice (A good Button Shy game about laying rice paddies)
I'm also going to admit that I might have forgotten about Innovation - I'm so used to playing it online and I have the big box set for it with the expansions that I forgot you can get it in a smaller box which I believe would have fit in my pocket. So I'll talk about it on the podcast this Sunday so that it gets its fair share of the spotlight! :P
Duel decks are a discontinued product line. They've been replaced by challenger decks. However, if we're keeping it pocket sized the new product line Jump Start from magic allows you to simply put together two booster packs and your deck is ready. Kind of like the game Smash Up with only two booster packs per deck needed. Very compact.
I got one of those little deck boxes for star realms that lets you sleeve them and keep the trade deck separate from the starter decks. But it still goes in a bag real easy and travels really well. Great way to kill 20-30 minutes and if you're with someone that really vibes with the game you can kill a couple hourse.
My favourite pocket-sized game is Best Treehouse Ever from Green Couch Games, like a card drafting version of Dream Home, but every card is a great illustration of an extreme room for a treehouse! Love Letter was a given, but there's so many on this list I still have to try!
Wow! Nice content! I also want to share this Lagim Card game that my family and I are enjoying. It's amazing that they actually came up with the idea of Philippine Folklore since it's kind of dying down a bit. It will surely educate future generations.
I want you to know I bought Valley of the Kings Afterlife strictly on this recommendation. what a great game for solo play (dummy player version)! This has quickly gone to the top of the list for games. Cannot wait to show it to my wife.
Thank you for making this vid. I've been looking for small pocket games. Thanks to you, I found a few that have piqued my interest. Two of my favorite games are Chrononauts and Innovation. I just picked up The Crew, but haven't played it yet.
My favorite is Sail to India. I haven't tried some of the small ones you mention like Valley of the Kings; sounds like I would like that one. Others in my top 5 (I haven't played enough games to really have a top 10, which would basically be almost any small games that I've ever played) would include Love Letter (the Hobbit version), Age of War, Coup, and the trick-taking game Rook.
Good choice! In the description I mention Innovation because I'm used to playing it online and I have the deluxe box set so I forgot that you could get it in a tiny box on its own. So in the podcast on Sunday I'll retcon and give it its dues.
Good call on Qwixx! My roommate and I play it fairly often. If you play a lot, it may help to know that there is a good Qwixx score card (with built-in option to select variant score cards) on the android app store.
Oh, and I know it's not strictly in the spirit of the list, but Hanamikoji is one of my favorites too, and its box is just a bit bigger than it needs to be. I make travel boxes for some games on my 3D printer, and the one I made for Hanamikoji is one of my favorites, Makes it truly pocketable. www.thingiverse.com/thing:3718511
Thanks for the fun review. Would the newly released Azul Mini meet your criteria as a pocket game? Might be just a bit oversized for a pocket but it does come in a cloth bag with handles. Anyways, for Azul fans, it plays the same as the big box Azul and is great for travel. How about doing a video about travel games?
I would say... 1.- No Thanks 2.- Plenus 3.- Lama (Better with Lama Party) 4.- Sushi Go 5.- Star Realms 6.- Cocroach Poker 7.- Startups 8.- Love Letter 9.- PikoPiko 10.- Dale of Merchants
I think the Sushi Go would fit. It is around the same size as some of the other games you showed. I bought it because I thought it may be a game that my family would like to play, because one of them loves sushi, yet once they seen the instructions they said it was too boring and confusing, and refused to play it. They were in their late teens, so they were old enough to understand if they wanted to, and because they promised to play a game with me as a birthday gift they only agreed to play go fish. I am really hating go fish now. Do you have any suggestions of games that is quick to understand for those with short attention spans? Too many times I have been in the situation where I am trying to get a group of people to play a game, and they refuse to play once they see the instructions.
The Manhattan Project: Chain Reaction, Pocket Mars and Pocket Sub. Tiny and Small Sized Board/Card Games. Even Air, Land and Sea. Infinity Gauntlet is fun when you are able to get all the Infinity Stones.
My mate asked me if that would work - not sure, it's not the smallest box in the world, but wonder if it could fit in the pocket. But I have the 2016 version and wouldn't look back!
I carry the old skinny box and it’s great, but I have been drooling over the 2016 edition with it’s 3rd character deck and character chits for the middle of the table. Yum!
Hi Luke - I know you said this didn't make your list because it didn't fit your pocket, but it fits in my coat pocket = "Conspiracy" - I love this game and its art 🙂
Speaking of Hanamikoji, Air, Land & Sea offers a similar experience, streamlined with 3 suits instead of 5, yet is much deeper due to highly emergent card effects, plus the ability to tactically retreat from a fight, cutting your losses(or rather, your opponent's gain)
@@TheBrokenMeeple part of what I called "similar experience" still includes trying to win more suits/center cards than your opponent, and you win each of them by having a bigger sum for that suit/center card than your opponent does. And it has some bluffing through facedown cards(though in a different combo-y way by using other cards to flip them). I only mentioned some of the differences.
"Tiny size" is such a huge category. Card games like Star Realms or a bunch of trick-taking card games like Texas Shootout (not Hold'em!) usually occupy my top 10 "tiny" positions. Although putting big complex games into tiny boxes is fascinating in itself. It makes the designers focus on what's important. *Tiny Epic Kingdoms* impressed me a lot in terms of what they put into the small box compared to bigger versions of 4X games. I don't think it's fiddly. *Castles of Burguny - The Card Game*, and *San Juan 2nd. Ed.* (what they also sell as Puerto Rico - The Card game in germany and it drives me nuts!) I find are also impressive games.
Only just discovered this video, but this is probably the biggest level of crossover I’ve had with any of your lists, as I own five of them. My top ten, in no particular order: Sticheln, Hanabi, Saboteur, Steam Donkey, Cockroach Poker, Hive Pocket, Mr Jack Pocket, Hey That’s My Fish, Onirim and Deep Sea Adventure.
You might not like Deep Sea Adventure, but Oink Games' Startups and Maskmen are worth checking out. Maskmen is a particularly interesting card shedding game, it's just weird but good. Also, Tichu!
Small Box Games (the company) has some interesting titles. Omen and Hemloch are worth checking out (if they're still in print - the publisher tends toward very small print runs). Saboteur is also a great pick.
Those would mostly be small card games. Some are tiny with their own packaging, some could be carried in a smaller card box than their retail box. I'm thinking Tussie Mussie, Sprawlopolis and Circle the Wagons from Button Shy...Star Realms, Fantasy Realms, Palm Island...
My top pocket games would be: Scout Startups Valley of the Kings Trick of the Rails 6 Nimmt No Thanks Village Rails (Really doesn't need such a big box) Arboretum
Some games are "all box" and if you take them out they are highly portable. For example Cartographers is a Deck of cards a couple of pencils and a few game sheets. So there are some highly portable games once you take away the box. Some of the reason for bigger boxes is room to store expansion content so it's not all just marketing. BTW your Thumbnail looks a bit flasher in the park :P
What about Flux? I’m really surprised that none of them came up. I’ve loved every version I’ve played and I just played Star Trek Chrono-Trek and it was fantastic as well.
Great video Luke! I should add Beasty Bar, Bahamas, Red 7, Virus, Silenze (Zombie City), Dungeon Riders, Bang and Fantasy Realms. Good job! Greetings from Spain!
Maybe it's not popular in the UK but the I always have Skyjo and Punto in my bag. Skylo scale well from 2 to 8 players. Punto is fun from 2 to 4 players. You can also try Skull King and Bla5t (or Blast).
I like the MTG duel decks too for all the same reasons. I too used to play MTG tournaments back in the 90's. Cockroach poker looks interesting, never seen that or most likely I have overlooked it. Love Star realms, I have a few little expansions for it which all go in, we play it more often than Dominion. Hanamikoji is one I should pick up. Valley of the Kings looks like one I might like, love the theme and like deck builders.
Nice list, I like Circle the wagons as a smal box game, a nice box with a drawer so you don’t need a rubber band is Calavera, a highly interactive roll and write.
That’s right, I’ve got sprawlopolis and circle the wagons, the last one I like the best. The drafting mechanism is nice, you can take one card from the first 3 in the circle (like Patchwork), but if you decide to take the third card, your opponent can take the other 2. Do you want to benefit your opponent to take the better card for your plans?
Age of War is fine, just not top ten material - are you sure about The Crew? I'm putting them together and The Crew is longer and bulkier than Hanamikoji - However I wonder if you have a different version. The Crew is KOSMOS and my Hanamikoji is specifically EmperorS4 - do you have perhaps an American version that brought it over (or whereever you're based) that made the box larger?
@@TheBrokenMeeple Curious... Both of mine were purchased in the UK, Hanamikoji being EmperorS4 - made in Taiwan - and The Crew is from KOSMOS - made in Poland - as well. But might be from different reprints, as the box of the latter is slightly smaller (~17.7x12.8x4.0 cm for The Crew vs 19.0x13.5x4.0cm for Hanamikoji, some pics from the front ( ibb.co/9ts6RKT ) and side ( ibb.co/B6tQxmX )). In any case, you can always remove them from their boxes😂. To be fair, between both I prefer Hanamikoji 😊, but thought The Crew might be worth an honorable mention. Great list by the way.👍 Cheers! PS: Valley of the Kings is one that unfortunately never crossed my path. 😒 But I'm curious about it.
I totally agree with The Crew being tiny but still brilliant... but, it is about the same outer size as Silver&Gold but thinner than the HearoRealms boxes where they’ll both fit into most jacket inside pockets, but they travel with me outside of the box which goes against the rules of his list.
Can't believe nobody recommended Pass The Pigs/Pig mania! I bring it to bars all the time. It has a great "table presence" and have had many people randomly join. Not a complicated game but still fun!
Great list, Luke. I love small-box games, when they are good. I own your top two and I just ordered no thanks. I am surprised not to hear Jaipur mentioned, it's the same size as hanamikoji.
SHOBU. Not the retail box... But you can play this with stuff you find lying around on the beach or in the forest. I bet you can even play it on a volcano mountain top. I didn't see a game on this list, I'd rather play..
some of my favorites: -bohnansa the dice game (wurfel bohnansa) -oh my goods -ninja camp -star realms (original) -schotten totten (aka battle line) -cubirds -dragon's hoard -game of trains -dale of merchants -werewolf
I only know a couple of Button Shy games but I wouldn't mind trying more. I didn't particularly like Startups. In the description I mention Innovation because I'm used to playing it online and I have the deluxe box set so I forgot that you could get it in a tiny box on its own. So in the podcast on Sunday I'll retcon and give it its dues.
Honestly, I only really like the deluxe edition of Hanabi. The version that uses mahjong style tiles instead of cards. Much better game feel, though also much bigger box
Surprised Dale of Merchants games didn't make the list even though they were mentioned. The numbered games are easy to travel with. Clearly the collection box wouldn't work but same is true of Valley of the Kings premium.
8:38 Didn't you take the cards out for Magic? So why would that count but not Point Salad? 30:17 Sorry if that sound accusatory, I just I think if something can be portable with minimal effort and no extra cost there's no reason to omit it from the list in general and both are valid picks rather than neither. The point of tiny games is portability at the end of the day, if it's able to achieve that then it's a relevant choice and forget packaging. Keyforge is a good alternative if you don't mind the slight caveat of needing counters which could really be anything.
To be honest many of them I've not even heard of or played, they get zero buzz. With the exception of Sprawlopolis which I mentioned I just simply haven't played solo yet (multiplayer is meh) and not tried Tussie Mussie either. And the third I've heard of is Penny Rails and......... Well you know why I ain't going to like that one! 😅
@@TheBrokenMeeple we won't mention that no haha. Got a few from last kickstarter so I will soon see. Just brought hanamikoji so happy to see on your list.
@@TheBrokenMeeple It’s not mind blowing or anything, but it definitely packs quite a punch for coming in a small enough box to fit in your coat pocket. I have base game with expansion all sleeved in my copy, and is always with me when traveling.
Great list Luke, you mentioned some great pocket games. My top 10 pocket game list would also have Love Letter (or the Marvel one), Star Realms, Hive Pocket and Hanamikoji just like yours. But it would also include the lovely drafting game Ohanami, the campy trick-taking game Wizard and the head to head thinky card game Air Land & Sea. It’s sad to hear you haven’t played many Button Shy Games. I think they’re absolutely awesome. Sprawlopolis is even just my fourth favourite so it misses out on my top 10, while the following 3 all make it; Circle the Wagons, Skulls of Sedlec and Tussie Mussie. They’re big games in small wallets.
Ohanami is one I'd like to try but not seen it in practice. I'd try the Button Shy ones even though I think you can go "too small" for a game. But wouldn't want to buy them all first.
I've played it, a friend has it. I liked it fine, but man it's hard trying to gauge what to do at times. It gave me the sense of Innovation but I prefer Innovation.
Speaking of Hanamikoji, Air, Land & Sea offers a similar experience, streamlined with 3 suits instead of 5, yet is much deeper due to highly emergent card effects, plus the ability to tactically retreat from a fight, cutting your losses(or rather, your opponent's gain)
@@TheBrokenMeeple I did, sorry, but now that I've watched it, I can say it's a shame It wont fit on your pocket, but what If you use a hoody with a front pocket where you can warm both hands? Subjective as you said 😁
Point Salad is in a tiny box in most regions. I do wish publishers would avoid oversized boxes in North America. It is largely done for shelf attention and perceived value, but the smaller the box, the more games I can buy before I run out of space.
Agreed!
It's in a box the size of 7 wonders duel here in UK, it's stupid. It was in my local game store anyway
Point Salad has the tiniest box ever, just like Sushi Go.
In Czech edition it is size of standard card game box as Bang, No Thanks, The Game, or card board box Hanabi version.
@@Majkl9102it can't be bought anywhere here
That Space Balls reference was hilarious
Used it with Gloom haven once before! 😅
There's a great wee pocket game that even supermarkets are selling: Monopoly Deal.
🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮
@@TheBrokenMeeple Is that disapproval? It's a sharp, fast take that which is simplity itself to pick up.
@@trudilm3864 really didn't get on with last time I tried it. A very lucky take that game, not my style of game.
Valley of the Kings is such an underrated gem. It's one of my favorites and plays best with two people. Such a good game.
Yeah, never gets talked about, why do I have to do the talking all the time? :P
@@TheBrokenMeeple 😄😄😄
I guess Star Realms took the KS spotlight back then, despite its cloggier Ascension-style market
do you know any way to get hold of the old versions of the game, all 3 of them? I cannot find any of them available anywhere online at all
Hive pocket was an excellent choice. Hanamikoji is one of those games I’ve heard such good things about and I played on TTS and we were both like… that was a fun thought experiment. Nothing I would pay money to own and replay often.
Here are my pick (a lot of Button Shy Wallet Games here):
1) Sprawlopolis (A great Button Shy game for solo plays)
2) Agropolis (Another great Button Shy game, based on the Sprawlopolis system)
3) Hive Pocket (we have played this game anywhere, from mountain tops, to the beach, in parks, etc.)
4) Battle Line (My Roland's Revenge Game 2nd Edition is tiny and easily fit in a pocket)
5) Skulls of Sedlec (Another great Button Shy game that is great from 1 to 4 players)
6) Food Chain Island (Another great Button Shy game for solo plays)
7) Valley of the Kings (An awesome series of deckbuilders in such a small package)
8) Innovation (Such a great game for 2 players)
9) Circle the Wagons (A great Button Shy game if you want the Sprawlopolis scoring system for a great 2-player game)
10) Seasons of Rice (A good Button Shy game about laying rice paddies)
Yes Innovation should have made the list, but I forgot you could get it in a tiny box form!!! :'(
I'm also going to admit that I might have forgotten about Innovation - I'm so used to playing it online and I have the big box set for it with the expansions that I forgot you can get it in a smaller box which I believe would have fit in my pocket. So I'll talk about it on the podcast this Sunday so that it gets its fair share of the spotlight! :P
Don't be too rough with you, after all, you have the big box (so jealous), is not like you had a Love Letter like bag for it so it can be forgiven.
Do you recommend playing it with all the expansions?
I need more games like Hive lol. What do you all recommend for small and durable games?
I would highly recommend "6 Nimmt" in that category. Scales insanely well also. And easy to teach.
I never got into 6 Nimmt, not sure why.
Duel decks are a discontinued product line. They've been replaced by challenger decks. However, if we're keeping it pocket sized the new product line Jump Start from magic allows you to simply put together two booster packs and your deck is ready. Kind of like the game Smash Up with only two booster packs per deck needed. Very compact.
Shame they are, but you can still obtain them from places. However if challenger decks take up the same space, simply replace like for like.
I only have to carry 1 small game to play hundreds...a deck of cards.
I got one of those little deck boxes for star realms that lets you sleeve them and keep the trade deck separate from the starter decks. But it still goes in a bag real easy and travels really well. Great way to kill 20-30 minutes and if you're with someone that really vibes with the game you can kill a couple hourse.
My favourite pocket-sized game is Best Treehouse Ever from Green Couch Games, like a card drafting version of Dream Home, but every card is a great illustration of an extreme room for a treehouse! Love Letter was a given, but there's so many on this list I still have to try!
Thanks for sharing! I'd give Treehouse a go.
Wow! Nice content! I also want to share this Lagim Card game that my family and I are enjoying. It's amazing that they actually came up with the idea of Philippine Folklore since it's kind of dying down a bit. It will surely educate future generations.
I want you to know I bought Valley of the Kings Afterlife strictly on this recommendation. what a great game for solo play (dummy player version)! This has quickly gone to the top of the list for games. Cannot wait to show it to my wife.
Glad to hear it, I hope she does!
Thank you for making this vid. I've been looking for small pocket games. Thanks to you, I found a few that have piqued my interest.
Two of my favorite games are Chrononauts and Innovation. I just picked up The Crew, but haven't played it yet.
Glad you enjoyed!
My favorite is Sail to India. I haven't tried some of the small ones you mention like Valley of the Kings; sounds like I would like that one.
Others in my top 5 (I haven't played enough games to really have a top 10, which would basically be almost any small games that I've ever played) would include Love Letter (the Hobbit version), Age of War, Coup, and the trick-taking game Rook.
Innovation and Oh My Goods would make my list. Great choices here.
Good choice! In the description I mention Innovation because I'm used to playing it online and I have the deluxe box set so I forgot that you could get it in a tiny box on its own. So in the podcast on Sunday I'll retcon and give it its dues.
Glad to see that this list was not all roll and writes, a genre that I do not particularly enjoy - although I do enjoy Silver and Gold. Thanks, Luke!
A lot of roll and write games aren't actually tiny though, they are big boxes that you couldn't fit in your pocket.
Current favorite in the size to game ratio...Ohanami. Also Parade and The Crew. And Fantasy Realms. Qwixx has a small box too.
Agree on Ohanami
Good call on Qwixx! My roommate and I play it fairly often. If you play a lot, it may help to know that there is a good Qwixx score card (with built-in option to select variant score cards) on the android app store.
Ohanami is one I'd like to try but not seen it in practice.
Oh, and I know it's not strictly in the spirit of the list, but Hanamikoji is one of my favorites too, and its box is just a bit bigger than it needs to be. I make travel boxes for some games on my 3D printer, and the one I made for Hanamikoji is one of my favorites, Makes it truly pocketable. www.thingiverse.com/thing:3718511
I'm a Hive Pocket enjoyer myself, great game with 10 seconds setup.
Geat video. So Valley of The Kings is yet another game to add to my ever growing wishlist !
It's so good!
Thanks for the fun review. Would the newly released Azul Mini meet your criteria as a pocket game? Might be just a bit oversized for a pocket but it does come in a cloth bag with handles. Anyways, for Azul fans, it plays the same as the big box Azul and is great for travel. How about doing a video about travel games?
It's too big for a pocket but it's smaller size.
I recommend Age of Galaxy which scales very well from 1 to 4 players, at least if you include the 5 pnp solo scenarios.
I'm really enjoying small box games from both Oink Games and Looney Labs right now. Not everything they do is brilliant, but enough of them are.
I would say...
1.- No Thanks
2.- Plenus
3.- Lama (Better with Lama Party)
4.- Sushi Go
5.- Star Realms
6.- Cocroach Poker
7.- Startups
8.- Love Letter
9.- PikoPiko
10.- Dale of Merchants
I also like fluxx, and loonacy, and Gloom
Proof that fun times can indeed be had with a small package (i thank you) :D
Point Salad in French from Giganic is a tiny metal box.
I think the Sushi Go would fit. It is around the same size as some of the other games you showed. I bought it because I thought it may be a game that my family would like to play, because one of them loves sushi, yet once they seen the instructions they said it was too boring and confusing, and refused to play it. They were in their late teens, so they were old enough to understand if they wanted to, and because they promised to play a game with me as a birthday gift they only agreed to play go fish. I am really hating go fish now.
Do you have any suggestions of games that is quick to understand for those with short attention spans? Too many times I have been in the situation where I am trying to get a group of people to play a game, and they refuse to play once they see the instructions.
Luke Hector, AKA Del Boy Trotter, strikes again! Great video.
Del boy or Doctor Who, I've had both!
cool video! (also why does your accent sometimes sound American??) :-D
Because I watch far too many American youtubers or shows! :D
The Manhattan Project: Chain Reaction, Pocket Mars and Pocket Sub. Tiny and Small Sized Board/Card Games. Even Air, Land and Sea. Infinity Gauntlet is fun when you are able to get all the Infinity Stones.
Valley of the Kings sounds brilliant. And I've never heard of it before! Just added to my list ☺
Hope you enjoy it!
A pack of cards can fit in your pocket.
A few can.
Citadels small box should make the list😀
My mate asked me if that would work - not sure, it's not the smallest box in the world, but wonder if it could fit in the pocket. But I have the 2016 version and wouldn't look back!
I carry the old skinny box and it’s great, but I have been drooling over the 2016 edition with it’s 3rd character deck and character chits for the middle of the table. Yum!
I definitely agree with you on Deep Sea Adventure! A boring game where pushing your luck never pays off
Yeah, I mean who can possibly reach the deep areas and survive?
I like ultra tiny epic galaxies.
Fair do's, I've yet to get into any of the Tiny Epics.
@@TheBrokenMeeple well if you choose one to try I recommend galaxy. Some of the others are not as good. Although I do love the new pirate one.
Other cool games that fit the description as well LLAMA, Port royal, Schotten Totten, palm islands
Not tried two and the other two I really don't like! (Royal/Schotten) :P - would at least like to try the two I've not seen in action though.
Hi Luke - I know you said this didn't make your list because it didn't fit your pocket, but it fits in my coat pocket = "Conspiracy" - I love this game and its art 🙂
Yeah it was tough and go size wise for that one.
Great list Luke! I loved hearing about your positive memories attached to the games!
Thanks so much!
Speaking of Hanamikoji, Air, Land & Sea offers a similar experience, streamlined with 3 suits instead of 5, yet is much deeper due to highly emergent card effects, plus the ability to tactically retreat from a fight, cutting your losses(or rather, your opponent's gain)
That doesn't sound like it's even the same kind of game?
@@TheBrokenMeeple part of what I called "similar experience" still includes trying to win more suits/center cards than your opponent, and you win each of them by having a bigger sum for that suit/center card than your opponent does. And it has some bluffing through facedown cards(though in a different combo-y way by using other cards to flip them). I only mentioned some of the differences.
"Tiny size" is such a huge category. Card games like Star Realms or a bunch of trick-taking card games like Texas Shootout (not Hold'em!) usually occupy my top 10 "tiny" positions.
Although putting big complex games into tiny boxes is fascinating in itself. It makes the designers focus on what's important.
*Tiny Epic Kingdoms* impressed me a lot in terms of what they put into the small box compared to bigger versions of 4X games. I don't think it's fiddly.
*Castles of Burguny - The Card Game*, and *San Juan 2nd. Ed.* (what they also sell as Puerto Rico - The Card game in germany and it drives me nuts!) I find are also impressive games.
San Juan is in a big box though is it not?
San Juan Second Edition is a Card Game (and it's really good) . I remember the box being relatively small. The Original is a big box game.
Only just discovered this video, but this is probably the biggest level of crossover I’ve had with any of your lists, as I own five of them. My top ten, in no particular order: Sticheln, Hanabi, Saboteur, Steam Donkey, Cockroach Poker, Hive Pocket, Mr Jack Pocket, Hey That’s My Fish, Onirim and Deep Sea Adventure.
You might not like Deep Sea Adventure, but Oink Games' Startups and Maskmen are worth checking out. Maskmen is a particularly interesting card shedding game, it's just weird but good. Also, Tichu!
Small Box Games (the company) has some interesting titles. Omen and Hemloch are worth checking out (if they're still in print - the publisher tends toward very small print runs). Saboteur is also a great pick.
Great list. Would love to see a Micro game list. ie, games that could fit in a shirt pocket.
Not many I can think of that are good! :P
Those would mostly be small card games. Some are tiny with their own packaging, some could be carried in a smaller card box than their retail box. I'm thinking Tussie Mussie, Sprawlopolis and Circle the Wagons from Button Shy...Star Realms, Fantasy Realms, Palm Island...
Also, Mint Tin Apocalypse. It’s even in a small tin for mint tins.
@@jefff.2052 Basically everything from Button Shy, honestly. Most of their wallet games are good.
Claim Pocket, Gold, Palastgeflüster
Lady and the Tiger is one of our Go To Take on campervan holiday, as covers so many player counts
Still on my shelf but I think only mainly because I like how it looks.
@@TheBrokenMeeple the cards are lovely.
Great list I love playing In-between memoarrr! And rocky road a la mode
My top pocket games would be:
Scout
Startups
Valley of the Kings
Trick of the Rails
6 Nimmt
No Thanks
Village Rails (Really doesn't need such a big box)
Arboretum
Some games are "all box" and if you take them out they are highly portable.
For example Cartographers is a Deck of cards a couple of pencils and a few game sheets. So there are some highly portable games once you take away the box.
Some of the reason for bigger boxes is room to store expansion content so it's not all just marketing.
BTW your Thumbnail looks a bit flasher in the park :P
Lol, well I'm covered! :P I was thinking more back alley market dealer! ;-)
yeah I have a few games like this where all the expansions are also stored in the one box. Carcasonne is a great example.
What about Flux? I’m really surprised that none of them came up. I’ve loved every version I’ve played and I just played Star Trek Chrono-Trek and it was fantastic as well.
Definitely not a flux fan, it's just random nonsense that drags on forever.
Votk Afterlife is fantastic and has a wealth of cool solo options.
Great video Luke! I should add Beasty Bar, Bahamas, Red 7, Virus, Silenze (Zombie City), Dungeon Riders, Bang and Fantasy Realms. Good job! Greetings from Spain!
Greetings!
Maybe it's not popular in the UK but the I always have Skyjo and Punto in my bag.
Skylo scale well from 2 to 8 players.
Punto is fun from 2 to 4 players.
You can also try Skull King and Bla5t (or Blast).
Not even heard of those ones!
0:52 -- Very sharp coat!👌
New one is even better!
@@TheBrokenMeeple Not easy to believe sight-unseen.😄 It's that nice.
Great list. When I bike camp it's essential to keep games small.
Absolutely!
I like the MTG duel decks too for all the same reasons. I too used to play MTG tournaments back in the 90's. Cockroach poker looks interesting, never seen that or most likely I have overlooked it. Love Star realms, I have a few little expansions for it which all go in, we play it more often than Dominion. Hanamikoji is one I should pick up. Valley of the Kings looks like one I might like, love the theme and like deck builders.
The best! Definitely try at least one of those last two!
Nice list, I like Circle the wagons as a smal box game, a nice box with a drawer so you don’t need a rubber band is Calavera, a highly interactive roll and write.
Cool, thanks, Button Shy right? I barely know any of their games and the ones I do know I'm not mad for. But they got a huge line up.
That’s right, I’ve got sprawlopolis and circle the wagons, the last one I like the best. The drafting mechanism is nice, you can take one card from the first 3 in the circle (like Patchwork), but if you decide to take the third card, your opponent can take the other 2. Do you want to benefit your opponent to take the better card for your plans?
Some great choices! My family loves Coup. Ohanami is a fun little game as well
A Fake Artist Goes to New York has become a family favorite as well
Ohanami i need to try.
Coup is great, it would be on my list too
Very interesting... thanks for your video and the time to bring these games to our attention :)
My pleasure!
You´ve got the big box version of point salad? Most people have the pocket-size one thats why you found it in honourable mentions.
Yeah the Alderac one? I wasn't aware they re-released it in a tiny box. If they have, then fair enough that could be a solid contender.
@@TheBrokenMeeple my version from White Goblin Games is also in a tiny box
@@JeroenBudts Jup, and the same goes for the WGG version of Sushi Go.
@@Saxement correct. Both games are sitting next to each other on my shelve 🙂
Age of War is a nice small game also. And you could also add The Crew for a trick taking option (just compared its size with Hanamikoji on my shelf) 😁
Age of War is fine, just not top ten material - are you sure about The Crew? I'm putting them together and The Crew is longer and bulkier than Hanamikoji - However I wonder if you have a different version. The Crew is KOSMOS and my Hanamikoji is specifically EmperorS4 - do you have perhaps an American version that brought it over (or whereever you're based) that made the box larger?
@@TheBrokenMeeple Curious... Both of mine were purchased in the UK, Hanamikoji being EmperorS4 - made in Taiwan - and The Crew is from KOSMOS - made in Poland - as well. But might be from different reprints, as the box of the latter is slightly smaller (~17.7x12.8x4.0 cm for The Crew vs 19.0x13.5x4.0cm for Hanamikoji, some pics from the front ( ibb.co/9ts6RKT ) and side ( ibb.co/B6tQxmX )). In any case, you can always remove them from their boxes😂. To be fair, between both I prefer Hanamikoji 😊, but thought The Crew might be worth an honorable mention. Great list by the way.👍 Cheers!
PS: Valley of the Kings is one that unfortunately never crossed my path. 😒 But I'm curious about it.
THE CREW! How come no one mentioned THE CREEEEW! Such a great game! I've absolutely smashed my copy to bits with so much use and travel
Because its not pocket sized. The box is 50% bigger than Hanamikojis was.
I totally agree with The Crew being tiny but still brilliant... but, it is about the same outer size as Silver&Gold but thinner than the HearoRealms boxes where they’ll both fit into most jacket inside pockets, but they travel with me outside of the box which goes against the rules of his list.
Nice list! Few more suggestions - Port Royal, Palm Island, Welcome To The Dungeon, Friday, Skull King
Added!
how do I find valley of the kings? the old ones that is, as the price of the premium version seems pretty bloated
Second hand or old stock pretty much, they went out of print. Not sure I've ever seen aeg sell them at cons.
Oh, here in the us there is a point salad card game that is small and you can fit it into a coat pocket like on the coat you showed at the beginning.
Yeah I've seen it, annoyingly we didn't get it!
There is a version of point salad in a tiny metal box. I have it and it fits in my pocket 😉 and it is not a huge pocket !
Grrr I need that one!
At last. I've been looking for a channel hosted by a gamer with a mild west country accent for some time.
Can't believe nobody recommended Pass The Pigs/Pig mania! I bring it to bars all the time. It has a great "table presence" and have had many people randomly join. Not a complicated game but still fun!
That's a new one on me!
Great list, Luke. I love small-box games, when they are good. I own your top two and I just ordered no thanks. I am surprised not to hear Jaipur mentioned, it's the same size as hanamikoji.
I think the current version is too big a box. Even so I play it mainly for my dad.
@@TheBrokenMeeple Well, there is only one way to find out; grab your jacket! :)
It seems like your dad is partial towards India-themed games.
SHOBU.
Not the retail box... But you can play this with stuff you find lying around on the beach or in the forest.
I bet you can even play it on a volcano mountain top.
I didn't see a game on this list, I'd rather play..
some of my favorites:
-bohnansa the dice game (wurfel bohnansa)
-oh my goods
-ninja camp
-star realms (original)
-schotten totten (aka battle line)
-cubirds
-dragon's hoard
-game of trains
-dale of merchants
-werewolf
Tussie Mussie and Startups are fine games that haven’t been mentioned. And Innovation is pure gold but it came up in the comments already.
I only know a couple of Button Shy games but I wouldn't mind trying more. I didn't particularly like Startups. In the description I mention Innovation because I'm used to playing it online and I have the deluxe box set so I forgot that you could get it in a tiny box on its own. So in the podcast on Sunday I'll retcon and give it its dues.
@@TheBrokenMeeple innovation is great. As was your list. How about Grizzled and Oriflamme? At least the boxes I have are rather small.
5:30 through non communication you try and see how well you can do. sounds like my parents marriage
I am surprised none of the Tiny Epic games made the list, or the MINT games
I don't find them that fun really. Galaxies is overrated.
Honestly, I only really like the deluxe edition of Hanabi. The version that uses mahjong style tiles instead of cards. Much better game feel, though also much bigger box
Surprised Dale of Merchants games didn't make the list even though they were mentioned. The numbered games are easy to travel with. Clearly the collection box wouldn't work but same is true of Valley of the Kings premium.
Easy to travel with yes, but I set myself the caveat of being coat pocket sized and the DoM sets are too large.
8:38 Didn't you take the cards out for Magic? So why would that count but not Point Salad? 30:17
Sorry if that sound accusatory, I just I think if something can be portable with minimal effort and no extra cost there's no reason to omit it from the list in general and both are valid picks rather than neither. The point of tiny games is portability at the end of the day, if it's able to achieve that then it's a relevant choice and forget packaging.
Keyforge is a good alternative if you don't mind the slight caveat of needing counters which could really be anything.
Magic duel decks were small and came in a tiny tuck box
No button shy games?
To be honest many of them I've not even heard of or played, they get zero buzz. With the exception of Sprawlopolis which I mentioned I just simply haven't played solo yet (multiplayer is meh) and not tried Tussie Mussie either.
And the third I've heard of is Penny Rails and......... Well you know why I ain't going to like that one! 😅
@@TheBrokenMeeple we won't mention that no haha. Got a few from last kickstarter so I will soon see. Just brought hanamikoji so happy to see on your list.
we love Stew from button shy :)
Spaceshipped is so so good! Highly recommend
Harbour is one of my favorite tiny box games.
It was OK, I don't hear of it much.
@@TheBrokenMeeple It’s not mind blowing or anything, but it definitely packs quite a punch for coming in a small enough box to fit in your coat pocket. I have base game with expansion all sleeved in my copy, and is always with me when traveling.
"iota" is a very tiny but great game!!!
What version of Point Salad that you own comes in that big of a box?! Mine could easily fit in a coat pocket.
Apparently the first version from AEG was a bigger box and only a recent reprint made it smaller.
great channel! Greetings from Italy
Thank you very much!
Great list Luke, you mentioned some great pocket games. My top 10 pocket game list would also have Love Letter (or the Marvel one), Star Realms, Hive Pocket and Hanamikoji just like yours.
But it would also include the lovely drafting game Ohanami, the campy trick-taking game Wizard and the head to head thinky card game Air Land & Sea.
It’s sad to hear you haven’t played many Button Shy Games. I think they’re absolutely awesome. Sprawlopolis is even just my fourth favourite so it misses out on my top 10, while the following 3 all make it; Circle the Wagons, Skulls of Sedlec and Tussie Mussie. They’re big games in small wallets.
Ohanami is one I'd like to try but not seen it in practice. I'd try the Button Shy ones even though I think you can go "too small" for a game. But wouldn't want to buy them all first.
Mottainai is game that easily fits in a pocket. I enjoy playing this game and it would have ended up on my list.
I've played it, a friend has it. I liked it fine, but man it's hard trying to gauge what to do at times. It gave me the sense of Innovation but I prefer Innovation.
Before I watch this video I need to say Hive Pocket! 'Nuff said 😁
😏
Hi, on your #4 transition graphic, what game is that in the bottom image?
Elder Sign
I just found your channel with this video!
Welcome aboard and enjoy!
cool list! have you tried Matcha? kinda has hanamikoji vibes but I like it more :)
also, Mr. Jack Pocket, Spicy and Saboteur!
Nope, new on me - still want to try Mr Jack in any form and not a Saboteur fan.
Speaking of Hanamikoji, Air, Land & Sea offers a similar experience, streamlined with 3 suits instead of 5, yet is much deeper due to highly emergent card effects, plus the ability to tactically retreat from a fight, cutting your losses(or rather, your opponent's gain)
Great list Luke
Thanks!
I prefer Cthulhu Realms over Star Realms a complete experience in your pocket.
Highly recommend the Nasty 7
New one on me!
I would add Third Edition of Innovation to this list!
Agreed 👍 I forgot it came in a tiny box.
Valley of the Kings Last Rites is available on Amazon in the US. It is the same box size.
Good! Validated!! 😅
@@TheBrokenMeeple No problem Luke, happy to help.
That’s number 3. Afterlife is nr 2
Hanabi is my ultimate favorite but I would also like to suggest new-ish game Kompromat.
.............that's a new one, I'll have to look that up!
What about Yokai Septet?
Not one known to me.
The White Goblin version of Point Salad is tiny for sure.
Yeah, seems I got in too early!
The Devir edition of Point Salad can be considered pocket size, I have it myself. That may be a suitable explanation for all the votes.
That's what I'm been told, so yeah perfectly valid and it could have made my Top 10 near the bottom if I had that version.
Awesome top 10! But quite curiuos that you didnt add or even mention Abyss Conspiracy
You obviously skipped the introduction then. 😉
@@TheBrokenMeeple I did, sorry, but now that I've watched it, I can say it's a shame It wont fit on your pocket, but what If you use a hoody with a front pocket where you can warm both hands? Subjective as you said 😁
Pocket pool is my favourite 🤪
Boss monsters and one deck dungeon!