Tom: 1. Robinsoe Crusoe 2. Sunda to Sahul 3. The battle at Keble's cascade 4. Starfarers of Catan 5. Polarity 6. Tamsk 7. Khet: the laser game 8. Fireball Island 9. Dungeon twister 10. World of Yo-ho Sam: 1. T.I.M.E. stories 2. Tannhauser 3. Neuroshima Hex 4. Quantum 5. Cleopatra and society of architects 6. Ticket to Ride: Nordic countries 7. Thurn & Taxis 8. Mythe 9. Snow tails 10. Khet: the laser game Zee: 1. Witness 2. Trotofont 3. T.I.M.E. stories 4. Zendo 5. String railway 6. SHH 7. Coffee Roaster 8. Anachronism 9. The 3 commandments 10. A fake artist goes to NY
I feel like Tom and Sam really phoned it in on this list. Unique doesn't necessarily mean quirky, but games that give you a different experience than anything else, and that also stand out in a collection.
Here's my list in no particular order from games I own: - Time Stories - For all the reasons mentioned above - Grow - You build a 3-dimensional tree as you play, competing to bloom the most flowers, farthest from the trunk. - The Eye of Judgment - A hybrid video game/card game, played with real cards on a real board, with a Playstation w/ Camera watching what you do, and animating the action on the screen. It's basically Yu Gi Oh come to life. It is a card game first - the Playstation is only used to animate the action, and keep track of life, mana points and status effects. It can be played without the PS3 using tokens. - Niagara - The box is part of the board, with a flowing river where you can go over the falls. - 504 - 504 games in 1 box, using a flip book for rules. - The Magic Labyrinth - A memory game that uses "Invisible" walls. The walls are located under the board, and the game uses magnets to determine if you cross them. It won the Kinderspeil des Jahres a few years back, too. - Ladies and Gentlemen - A game played in teams of 2, where each member of the team does something drastically different. Tremendous game to play with couples. - Polarity - Magnets used the way magnets should be, great pick here by Tom - Ugg-tect- Club your friends over the head with blow-up clubs if they make a mistake, and you have to talk like a caveman to get your teammates to build an object. Funny game. - Khet - For the reasons mentioned in the video. It was re-implemented in Khet 2.0. Honourable mentions: Alchemists, Sherlock Holmes, Flip City, Mousetrap, Between 2 cities (the way the game implements your score and partners is unique).
hey dice tower! I'm kinda new to board games and started playing more recently thanks to watching your videos and researching lots based on all your recomendations. so I just wanted to show my support and say you guys have a great character dynamic between you as well as the variation of games that you all enjoy which really helps when looking for something new to play whether w my nieces and nephews, at a party, or with a close group of friends looking for a challenge(or at least a challenge of our friendship)
A few games that I would have put onto that list: Tzolkin - The wheels that change the action a worker can take, depending on how long it has been on that wheel is interesting and I haven't seen it anywhere else Why first? - A kind of racing game with the unique twist that you have to be in second place to score and at the end of the game (multiple rounds are played), the person with the second highest score wins (and yes, I intentionally listed it as the second game here :P ) Riccochet Robot - Unlimited number of players, VERY simple rules and unique gameplay
Sam's #3, Neuroshima Hex!, feels different, and there's a reason for that, it's not just a "feel". It transforms a wargame into a extremely engaging puzzle (which are not usually engaging for theme-suckers like me). And it does so, by using a non-wargame mechanic as it's core mechanic (tile-placement), and it also makes combat a very special thing (which in wargames is just a routine) by removing that phase it from the turn, and making it into an event driven mechanic. Brilliant!
Some games I own that I find pretty unique in no particular order: #1 Rampage or Terror in Meeple City - you are destroying buildings by blowing, flicking cars of your dragons head, awesome theme and pretty unique gameplay #2 Ugg-tect - party game in which you have these gaint inflatable clubs with which you communicate to your teammate by whacking them on the head how he should build a structure with different shaped building blocks. They even have a paragraph in the rulebook which explains the importance of safe club using which cracks me up everytime I read it. #3 Patchwork - 2 player game in which you are making a quilt by gathering tetris shaped pieces, I think it's unique because of its theme, which is very 'womanly' if you would like. #4 And Then We Held Hands - 2 player game in which you try to reach the centre at the same time as your partner in a board with multiple circles. You play a couple that has an argument and without talking you try to play the correct 'emotion' cards so you can move on in your argument always trying to keep in balance. #5 Egg Dance - Haba game that comes in an egg container in which you try to get as many eggs as possible by squawking, running around the table etc, but you have to hold the eggs you won under certain bodyparts (your chin). If someone drops an egg the person with the most eggs wins. Ridiculous party game.
I'm really glad to see Anachronism getting some love here. I feel like this was a very misunderstood game. Perhaps because the packs or not random, people seem to think that you just play them out of the box. However, it was intended to play more like Magic the Gathering where you deck-build and create custom Warriors. Give William Wallace a Japanese sword and Greek armor, for example. You were supposed to build decks around the strengths of specific Warriors or cards. People who reviewed the game just seemed to miss this point. Yes it was somewhat random, as one would expect with any miniatures game that uses dice, but with careful construction of decks you could have some enjoyable, quick, somewhat tactical little skirmish matches. I'm sure that I am biased, because it's the game that got me into hobby gaming, but I really love that little card game. It was very expensive, but that should hardly impact whether it's unique or not. I still love that game, even though I don't have anyone to play it with. I'm trying to finish my collection, except for promo cards, and maybe some day my son will play it with me when he's older. :) I would love to find a local opponent though.
Niagara was a cool unique game. It had the same idea that Cleopatra used, namely that the box was part of the board. But, there were also the disks that represented water, and you pushed the disks to move the pieces down the river. And off the waterfall. I dont remember if i loved the game (as I haven't played in ages). But I do remember, when playing thinking about how unique it was as a mechanic.
The game was shown in Board Game Breakfast awhile back, by the female teacher segment and sounded interesting, so I looked at Tom's review of it and he didn't like it. But that doesn't mean its not unique, I would like to try it myself and see if I like it.
My most unique game was the old Sonar Sub Hunt by Mattel. It was a variation of Battleship played with a split, round dual-level "sonar" board. Each player lifted his side of the opaque top screen, placed multiple submarine pieces on the lower level, replaced the screen and took turns hunting for the opponents hidden ships with an electric probe. What made the game different were the periscopes that let players secretly watch the lower level while their ships were hunted, and the explosion effects when a sub was "hit" by the probe. Gimmicky? Yeah...but so much fun!!
Thanks a lot Zee, I played several games of a solo legacy variant of Khet and now I can't see properly. Although I suppose you're not entirely to blame, my parents did always say if I play with myself too much eventually I will go blind :/
I would have included on my list: 1. Key to the Kingdom 2. Inner Circle 3. Clue: The Museum Caper 4. Mystery Mansion 5. Advance to Boardwalk 6. Stay Alive Fire Island is a winner in uniqueness.
I think it's awesome that Zee compares T.I.M.E. Stories to the Titanic in light of their experience with the game this year. Nice bit of foreshadowing.
I rarely write comments, but now I want to say that I really enjoyed this episode. Probably the best of your top 10-s, that I've seen. Fun arguments, fun jokes, interesting findings. Thanks, guys.
In no particular order: Ace of Aces - the picture book mechanism Cosmic Encounter - the alien powers mechanism has been used elsewhere, but the seemingly simple card-based combat system gave a lot of opportunity for interesting alien powers Xactika - each card has 4 suits, a value determined by those suits, and the ability to be a higher-ranked card in one suit than in another Set - the pattern-matching mechanism Swish - the connection-discovery mechanism Chrononauts - the timeline mechanism (although I prefer the Back to the Future themed version that is now out of print)
Love all 3 of your presentations! I'm not looking for the gospel truth of top 10's, just your opinions. I'm totally stoked by the three of you offering your voices, bantering with each other, and having fun. Love it! Thanks guys!
Even though I am not a fan of it, I would think 504 would have been listed as a unique game. Has any other game ever done the modular rules like that before?
KabukiKid I’m late on the response. I think they didn’t include 504, because it was top 10 unique games they like. Sam spoke as to his particular distaste of that game since this time.
The Hungry Ant Game was a tile-based children's game made back in the 1980s. Each player placed a single tile that showed ant tunnels. The tiles would then connect to make pathways to take picnic treats. There were other tiles that could block other tiles.
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar was the first game I thought of. Unlike other worker placement games, you don't get any benefits when you place your worker, but on a later turn when you pick it up you get the benefits - and at that point your worker has moved. So it requires that you plan several turns ahead. Also, the beautiful (?) look of the board makes it very unique to me.
Zee just did Top 10 Quirky games :D Loved his examples of 3 Commandments game with kissing the pieces and dancing with them. And Sam's face just got dimmer and dimmer :D
I always enjoy watching your reviews. In fact, this channel has open my eyes to the plethora of games available. However, I often find that the social complications of actually getting a game night together frustrating and depressing, counteracting what games are suppose to provide :)
'Ringel Rangel' from 1993, HABA is great and unique too. You slowly nudge wooden turtles on an increasingly overcrowding wooden board and try to move your turtles through that crowd. And if turtles fall off the board you collect minus points. The way those turtles shuffle is very thematic and the game forces you to be 'zen'.
The Robinson Crusoe thing sounds a lot like the Dark Secret / Shocking Discovery system in Dark Gothic. For those who don't know, at certain times (usually when buying certain types of cards) you will need to take a Dark Secret card. This gets shuffled into your discard pile, and as DG is a deck builder, it will eventually be drawn into your hand. You resolve it as the first action on your next turn, and take a Shocking Discovery card into your discard pile. When that comes into your hand, resolve its effect. It will usually (but not always) be bad, for example requiring players to discard cards from their hand.
in no order I'd pick based on what I know: Clix games (horror clix, hero clix, mage knight, etc) - the uniqueness is that almost everything you need is on the mini and you turn the dials to represent damage, exhuastion, timers and such. There's a lot of different games using this mechanic, some I've listed. Photosynthesis - A game about growing trees, trying to get the most sun as possible as the sun rotates around the board. Mysterium - It is in principle a clue game, or who dunnit. The reason it is here is, it is fully cooperative. The clues are provided by vague images of the one (spirit) hoping that the other players will get the answers right. Fog of Love - A narrative, multiple choice game where players attempt to position markers on sections of the board (their own or the other players) to achieve a changing victory condition. Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards - A verses game of player elimination. The element that makes this unique for me is that every player builds a spell of 1 to 3 cards which will fire off (if not dead) to cause varied effects. The cards are crude, rude and brutal. Elimination isn't a bad thing as the longer you are dead, the more powerful you are the next round. Gloom - A game based on suffering the most and then killing off your family to score the highest points. The cards are transparent for most part and are overlayed onto cards already in play to add scores, special effects or to cover up previous effects. Friday - a solo deck modification game of surviving on an island and finally defeating pirates to win. It would take too long here to describe the entire mechanics, but this is why I'd pick it as unique. Navia Drapt - It is chess, but different. You win via 4 different ways. Players may opt to random pick their game pieces or build their force. Each piece other than the "pawns" has the ability to change the way they function during play. Colt Express - You playing on a modular train to loot it for the most money. Cards are played in secret or revealed according to the round, programming their actions for each round. It's chaotic and thematic. The 7th Continent - Playing a choose your own adventure or fighting fantasy book but every section is a card which creates the world, provides you with items, puzzles, monsters and lore. The theme is around survival and exploration both which are well defined in the game. Eye of Judgement - collectible card game that plays on a 3x3 grid. Just check it out. It is out of print but all the cards are available online for ease of printing. It is a PS3 game only but I am sure with some effort you could play it without the console component.
My Top 10 Unique Games (tried to limit the number of kids games picked): 1. Witness (when the guys were down to number 2 I was thinking they must have missed this one but Zee pulls through). 2. Chateau Roquefort (No one mechanism is unique, but the combination of all of them makes for a very unique game.) 3. Innovation (I really feel any Carl Chudyk game could make the list) 4. Cash 'n Guns 5. Mysterium 6. Loony Quest 7. Starfarers of Catan 8. Magician's Night (dexterity game played in complete darkness where half the pieces have glow in the dark symbols) 9. Mafia de Cuba (social deduction game where players actually get to choose their roles out of a cigar box) 10. Amerigo (the only game I know that uses the cube tower, but not for combat) Honourable mentions: T.I.M.E. Stories, Space Alert, Niagara, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, On the Underground, The Black Pirate (from HABA), Galaxy Trucker, Spiderella, Dancing Eggs, Ticket to Ride - Nordic Countries (just kidding)
Two old games which were unique in their day (the 80s): 1. Ace of Aces. A World War I airplane combat game using flip books. Each book has a view of the opponent's airplane on the same page. You pick a maneuver to fly and each resolve to see how the planes ended up. The goal, of course, is to shoot down your opponent's plane. Games came out later which used the idea for melee combat. But in it's day this game was unique. 2. Illuminati. Secret societies use money and various "power" to take control of groups, businesses and governments in order to control the world or otherwise achieve "victory". Nothing else out there quite like it.
when I was a kid we played a unique game simply called Hockey Card Game made by Grand Toys where you played a game of hockey using cards in a turn by turn basis, each card with different moves you could use and came with score sheets.
I'm glad you mentioned Zendo. Never played it, but I have played and loved Eulesis, which is a similar idea (and predates it by decades). My vote for most unique game is Nomic. Although it's not a commercially produced game, the game where the rules of the game are solely about how to change the rules of the game is great fun.
Hoshi Battle is a fairly unique 2 player game. You toss D8 and D10 dice in an arena made out of a circular string, and tap your opponent's hand or do other weird moves basing on which face of the die you get. Plus you've got cards with heroes and artifacts that spicy it all up, causing you to react differently at each round. Weird game indeed, frantic and fun.
First 2 Games that came to my mind were 'Time'N'Space' and 'Witness'. Happy to see it at the end. For me also 'Galaxy Trucker' would fit nicely into this list.
Played Trieste a couple of months ago and it was quite the fun game. Nice to see a game made for three players were all have very different roles and ways to win the game.
I would call Seasons a truly unique game mostly because it has been one of the few games our entire group enjoyed and we have never found anything else that really plays in a way enough like it to appeal to us as much.
Purple is in both Marklin (Black, White, Purple, Yellow, Red) and Nordic Countries. Black, White and Purple is also the player colours in the 2-3 player game that plays best with three, Road to Canterbury, which is also the only game I can think of based on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. ...I like how Zee put two games on his list that he said are unique because of them doing pretty much the same thing - Zendo and Three Commandments both being 'figure out the rules that only one player knows' games... My top unique game would probably be the Pro2 edition of Librium which, like all the Librium versions, is a game where you balance plastic credit cards with holes on each side into and from the holes on each side. What makes pendulum unique among stacking dexterity games compared to regular Librium is that, well, the fulcrum where you're building out from instead of being on a sort of screw attached to something with a magnet, is dangling from a piece of string so as you build the cards up from it it moves the structure making it that little bit harder both to stack and for the next player to stack. Sadly, when I grabbed it from UKGE last year, that version wouldn't fit in my case so I wound up getting Can O'Librium instead which... Is a perfectly fine dexterity game, and comes in a magnetic tub about the size of Zombie Dice but with a magnetic base and rubber lid so you always have a magnetic object to attatch it to when playing, but not as unique or visually striking.
I just have one question about Zee's Anachronism: How do you make a game piece out of Miyamoto Musashi? He's *never* lost! Is he just super broken? Still a great vid! The games that have felt the most unique to me have been Mage Knight, Dark Tower, Elder Sign and NetRunner.
My favorite list of games from a top 10 since I'm not familiar with a lot of them or hadn't checked them out in a while. Though poor Sam seemed to be struggling on this one (focusing solely on them like for Thurn & Taxis, Ticket to Ride because it plays three (but also two too)). I have an older game with sand timer pieces like Tamsk called Quicksand but I don't know if the sand timers were the main reason Tamsk is on the list since it seems to be considered the black sheep of its abstract family. This was a fun watch on a sick day. Thanks!
Waldschattenspiel (Shadows in the Woods) is the most unique boardgame I've ever seen. It's a children's cooperative game that uses a candle to cast shadows against trees where dwarves are hiding from the light to avoid being frozen. Name another board game that uses actual light and shadow as its game components and I'll eat Tom's hat.
There is some old vampire game that you play with a black light in the middle and after rounds or something you turn it on and the lights out and it prompts new events/actions... does that count for eating Tom's hat?
Waldschattenspiel is the first game I thought about, too. What makes it even more special is that you move the candle on the board (quite safe, BTW), which makes the shadows constantly shift, which is truly enchanting. Not only for children, but it does evoke childlike wonder (as cliché as that may sound).
okay I'm putting this here because I think this every time that Tannhauser is brought up, but seeing as they point out how many times Sam puts it on his list (which is fine as it seems like a great game!) I need to say how it is pronounced. It doesn't bother me at all how you want to say it so don't think that I am lambasting you at all, but you can only study so much Wagner before you hear this word 100's of times, and you notice when its not said correctly. So merely for the sake of knowledge, here is how to say Tannhauser: it sounds like Ton Hoy Zer Tann like the name Don with a T (also the a is slightly pronounced but starting with Ton gets you closer to the mark) Hau is like Boy with an H Ser gets the vocal z if it helps to hear it: ua-cam.com/video/yIi9wEt3U80/v-deo.html Again this is not me saying you need to say it differently, just putting this here incase you would like to know the proper way of saying a game you clearly like a lot.
Think of it this way...you know how sometimes you learn how to say a word incorrectly, and then pronounce it that way for a REALLY long time. And then, someone teaches you how to correctly say it, and then it's really hard to stop saying it the way you've said it for so long...yeah...THAT'S what this is. I know how to correctly pronounce it the German way, and I've been told that I actually pronounce it correctly very well...when I do. So, yes, I know...thanks for watching!
Hey Sam, Thanks for replying. I'm glad to know this, and now I will be able to accept that you, like Roy Batty from Blade Runner, can say it any way you would like. Again, its hard to not sound like an ass when you are trying to offer correction, So I hope that I didn't offend you by pointing this out, I just wanted to offer help if I could. Keep making great videos like this and i'll keep watching them!
Anachronism is a great choice. I love it! Also I feel like a lot of the depth of strategy is in the deck building- coming up with unique combinations and have special abilities that mesh well.
Source of the Nile (Avalon Hill - 1979): You have to draw the map with crayons in hexes. You each have a different colour. If you die the hexes you have explored gets rubbed out; you have to return to Europe to present the findings and score victory points.
I own Trieste, was difficult to track down but I often have only 3 players and like the asymmetry of the decks and each person has their own win condition. Very unique.
For another 2 or 3 player game, Sam, Jared Whitley included Road To Canterbury in his Dice Tower top 100 a couple of months ago. He says it plays equally well for either player count. It's near the top of my wish list since he raved about it in that video.
I LOVED anachronism soo much! It suffered from lack of play testing (especially in the early sets), but it was great. Looking back it should have been an LCG, but they didn't exist at the time.
The next time I'm dealing with a belligerent jerk, I'm going to take a page out of Zee's book and casually offer them a drink and some Bagel Bites. Totally disarming.
I think Tom is right about the definition of CCG. Because they're random, you look for the cards to add to your collection. I think knowing what cards you're getting is an ECG.
Interesting Top Ten list. Great topic. I may disagree with some of what you included, but it got me thinking for sure. I've seen some good suggestions in comments too. I was thinking of some odd German kids games like Igloo Pop (using sound) and Waldschattenspiel (using shadows). Or quirky dexterity games like Hamsterolle, Gulo Gulo, or Saturn. Or communication games like La Boca or Visionary. So much territory to cover... and very interesting!!!
Definitely Polarity - triple-leaner, baby. Esp gets interesting when you get some bigger stacks on the board. Don't know what it is about Cleopatra, but though it's quite light and we only break it out every so often, it still has a special place in my collection - I think it's more for the innovation/ingenuity of using the box to such great, visual effect (and, to an extent, gameplay, though it could have been done without it if the columns were flat card sections) than the toy factor - but that rates highly. A few more I'd suggest, though I'm not sure if there _are_ other games that are very similar to them:- Duel In The Dark - the interesting mechanism of having to pre-plot the bomber course, then the balance of protecting it with the fighter vs bluffing to draw the German fighters away from it Elysium - have any other games done that mechanism of cards that you play out for abilities, but then also you have to balance converting them to scoring cards, at which point you lose those abilities? I'm sure there are other games, but I can't think of any. Formula De - sure, there are plenty of other racing games, but do any use that great increasing dice mechanism for the gears? I, Spy - it's an interesting combination of having to use cards to perform actions, but every action gives points to a certain country, so you're trying to work out what other countries your opponents are and boost your one but not theirs - and the neutral countries don't count for placing. Sure there will be other games where you each have a hidden objective you're trying to push out into the front, but do any others really work it so deeply into the core action mechanics of the game?
I certainly haven't played all the games mentioned but I would expect a game like Cash N Guns in somebody's list because of the aiming guns at eachother. Did you consider it? Or is this idea less original than i'm aware off?
Fireball Island would be my number 1! Loved that game as a kid. I also agree with Starfarers of Catan. They need to remake both. Mouse Trap and Operation. So simple yet very unique.
Anachronism was 9 sets that spanned 3 years of releases. That doesn't sound like a failure compared to many other collectible card games (original Netrunner). I agree with Zee on the definition of CCG.
The most unique games I've played are: Chaosmos, The Battle at Kemble's Cascade, Earth Reborn, Xia, Legends of Andor, Mystic Vale, Tragedy Looper, T.I.M.E Stories and Tzolk'in
Thx for the list, folks, always a way to find out about hidden gems. Tom - you mentioned Fireball Island which I say uses a similar mechanism like Fliegenfalle (German name) also by MB does. Hails back from the 70s. I don't know if there has been an English language version to it. My bro's kids love it.
I thought Dixit was pretty unique when it came out. A number of games have a "guess the thing" element, but Dixit implemented it in a way that was unexpected. Now it seems old hat, but at the time it was new and interesting. Rampage (Terror in Meeple City) feels unique to me even though dexterity games aren't new. Pirate's Blast is another interesting thematic take for dexterity games. Also, Betrayal at the House on the Hill was fairly unique when it came out.
The most unique game I have is Mord im Arosa. It's an audio game where you listen to cubes being dropped down the inside of a tower. Each level has a ledge, and you are guessing what level other players' cubes are on. Not much strategy, but a fun time nonetheless. In response to Sam's 2-3 pkayer game, I would say The Road to Canterbury. It's also unique for the theme: players are con artists trying to tempt the Pilgrims on their way to Canterbury to commit The Seven Deadly Sins, then sell them fake pardons for thos sins. Very fun indeed!
Uniqueness is such a hard quality to nail down. Tsuro and Bazaar may be my most unique games due to abstractness. Concept is a unique game in terms of communication, but I might have to say Shogun/Wallenstein's battle tower is the most unique mechanism in my collection.
I got all misty eyed when Tom mentioned Starfarers of Catan. I own the game and it is one of my all time favorites. I agree that it is one of the unique games I've played with the rocket "ball" shaker thingy. However, I've been praying daily for years that it would go thru a "reprint/rework", which I fear may never happen. What about Jumanji? It is also out of print, and I wish it would go thru a reprint, too. But it is also one of the more unique games I've played. I don't know if it somehow does not qualify since it was basically modeled after the movie, perhaps?
I guess I probably missed out on a few games but isn't Takenoko unique (and quite fun in my house). Those growing bamboo plants on the board with players moving the units that either make them grow or eat them... And it sur looks nice after a few turns...
What about Mysteries of Peking? A 'solve the mystery' game that uses decoding apparatus such as mirrors and red film, alongside a 'Guess Who?' style of game play. Lots of fun for kids and adults. Beautiful board also.
Back in the day "Living Card Game" wasn't a term. That term is only used by Fantasy Flight games. It is known that CCG have randomized cards somewhere, but some of these games also provided you with set decks; packs of cards that have no random cards in it. There is no actual term for a card game that doesn't have randomized cards to purchase except for Fantasy Flight's "Living Card Game" term.
Have to say, I am kind of surprised that Betrayal At House on the Hill isn't on there. The randomness of the story being something that can go to free-for-all, co-op, or traitor aspects made for a good game for the theme it was aiming at. Maybe I'm wrong and there are others similar, but I haven't played, seen, or really heard of any.
Tom:
1. Robinsoe Crusoe
2. Sunda to Sahul
3. The battle at Keble's cascade
4. Starfarers of Catan
5. Polarity
6. Tamsk
7. Khet: the laser game
8. Fireball Island
9. Dungeon twister
10. World of Yo-ho
Sam:
1. T.I.M.E. stories
2. Tannhauser
3. Neuroshima Hex
4. Quantum
5. Cleopatra and society of architects
6. Ticket to Ride: Nordic countries
7. Thurn & Taxis
8. Mythe
9. Snow tails
10. Khet: the laser game
Zee:
1. Witness
2. Trotofont
3. T.I.M.E. stories
4. Zendo
5. String railway
6. SHH
7. Coffee Roaster
8. Anachronism
9. The 3 commandments
10. A fake artist goes to NY
You guys should do a list of games with mechanisms that should be reused.
I feel like Tom and Sam really phoned it in on this list. Unique doesn't necessarily mean quirky, but games that give you a different experience than anything else, and that also stand out in a collection.
I agree with you on Sam but I thought Tom had some interesting choices.
Zee, we love you. =( Don't be sad , your list was the best.
I know it's new and all but Captain Sonar seemed like a really unique experience for me
Really? Umm, Battleship?
+jaxommm yes if you simplify it but the cause and effect parts of it and the group aspect is what makes it unique
not even close to the same game. i hope you are joking about battleship
I haven't played it yet, but I think Space Cadets is somewhat similar.
Here's my list in no particular order from games I own:
- Time Stories - For all the reasons mentioned above
- Grow - You build a 3-dimensional tree as you play, competing to bloom the most flowers, farthest from the trunk.
- The Eye of Judgment - A hybrid video game/card game, played with real cards on a real board, with a Playstation w/ Camera watching what you do, and animating the action on the screen. It's basically Yu Gi Oh come to life. It is a card game first - the Playstation is only used to animate the action, and keep track of life, mana points and status effects. It can be played without the PS3 using tokens.
- Niagara - The box is part of the board, with a flowing river where you can go over the falls.
- 504 - 504 games in 1 box, using a flip book for rules.
- The Magic Labyrinth - A memory game that uses "Invisible" walls. The walls are located under the board, and the game uses magnets to determine if you cross them. It won the Kinderspeil des Jahres a few years back, too.
- Ladies and Gentlemen - A game played in teams of 2, where each member of the team does something drastically different. Tremendous game to play with couples.
- Polarity - Magnets used the way magnets should be, great pick here by Tom
- Ugg-tect- Club your friends over the head with blow-up clubs if they make a mistake, and you have to talk like a caveman to get your teammates to build an object. Funny game.
- Khet - For the reasons mentioned in the video. It was re-implemented in Khet 2.0.
Honourable mentions: Alchemists, Sherlock Holmes, Flip City, Mousetrap, Between 2 cities (the way the game implements your score and partners is unique).
I loved the magic labirinth as a child! Should play it again and remove all the dust it took!
hey dice tower! I'm kinda new to board games and started playing more recently thanks to watching your videos and researching lots based on all your recomendations. so I just wanted to show my support and say you guys have a great character dynamic between you as well as the variation of games that you all enjoy which really helps when looking for something new to play whether w my nieces and nephews, at a party, or with a close group of friends looking for a challenge(or at least a challenge of our friendship)
A few games that I would have put onto that list:
Tzolkin - The wheels that change the action a worker can take, depending on how long it has been on that wheel is interesting and I haven't seen it anywhere else
Why first? - A kind of racing game with the unique twist that you have to be in second place to score and at the end of the game (multiple rounds are played), the person with the second highest score wins (and yes, I intentionally listed it as the second game here :P )
Riccochet Robot - Unlimited number of players, VERY simple rules and unique gameplay
zee = lord of dice tower
Lord of the party games.
lord of games i never heard of..lol
Zee is my favorite. He makes me laugh. But he seemed a bit off. Less funny. More angry.
Geek To Me Sam was being a pain in the ass honestly...
Sam's #3, Neuroshima Hex!, feels different, and there's a reason for that, it's not just a "feel". It transforms a wargame into a extremely engaging puzzle (which are not usually engaging for theme-suckers like me). And it does so, by using a non-wargame mechanic as it's core mechanic (tile-placement), and it also makes combat a very special thing (which in wargames is just a routine) by removing that phase it from the turn, and making it into an event driven mechanic. Brilliant!
I seriously expected Vast: the crystal caverns on Tom's list, given his glowing review of the game.
Sam should have stood up and say: I did not do my homework.
Some games I own that I find pretty unique in no particular order:
#1 Rampage or Terror in Meeple City - you are destroying buildings by blowing, flicking cars of your dragons head, awesome theme and pretty unique gameplay
#2 Ugg-tect - party game in which you have these gaint inflatable clubs with which you communicate to your teammate by whacking them on the head how he should build a structure with different shaped building blocks. They even have a paragraph in the rulebook which explains the importance of safe club using which cracks me up everytime I read it.
#3 Patchwork - 2 player game in which you are making a quilt by gathering tetris shaped pieces, I think it's unique because of its theme, which is very 'womanly' if you would like.
#4 And Then We Held Hands - 2 player game in which you try to reach the centre at the same time as your partner in a board with multiple circles. You play a couple that has an argument and without talking you try to play the correct 'emotion' cards so you can move on in your argument always trying to keep in balance.
#5 Egg Dance - Haba game that comes in an egg container in which you try to get as many eggs as possible by squawking, running around the table etc, but you have to hold the eggs you won under certain bodyparts (your chin). If someone drops an egg the person with the most eggs wins. Ridiculous party game.
I'm really glad to see Anachronism getting some love here. I feel like this was a very misunderstood game. Perhaps because the packs or not random, people seem to think that you just play them out of the box. However, it was intended to play more like Magic the Gathering where you deck-build and create custom Warriors. Give William Wallace a Japanese sword and Greek armor, for example. You were supposed to build decks around the strengths of specific Warriors or cards. People who reviewed the game just seemed to miss this point. Yes it was somewhat random, as one would expect with any miniatures game that uses dice, but with careful construction of decks you could have some enjoyable, quick, somewhat tactical little skirmish matches. I'm sure that I am biased, because it's the game that got me into hobby gaming, but I really love that little card game. It was very expensive, but that should hardly impact whether it's unique or not. I still love that game, even though I don't have anyone to play it with. I'm trying to finish my collection, except for promo cards, and maybe some day my son will play it with me when he's older. :) I would love to find a local opponent though.
Niagara was a cool unique game. It had the same idea that Cleopatra used, namely that the box was part of the board. But, there were also the disks that represented water, and you pushed the disks to move the pieces down the river. And off the waterfall.
I dont remember if i loved the game (as I haven't played in ages). But I do remember, when playing thinking about how unique it was as a mechanic.
Niagara is really great and unique. I dont looks that awesome like Cleopatra, but is also a really solide game.
The game was shown in Board Game Breakfast awhile back, by the female teacher segment and sounded interesting, so I looked at Tom's review of it and he didn't like it. But that doesn't mean its not unique, I would like to try it myself and see if I like it.
I think I remember liking it, but my group wasn't that impressed by it. I haven't played in like 4 years at this point.
My most unique game was the old Sonar Sub Hunt by Mattel. It was a variation of Battleship played with a split, round dual-level "sonar" board. Each player lifted his side of the opaque top screen, placed multiple submarine pieces on the lower level, replaced the screen and took turns hunting for the opponents hidden ships with an electric probe. What made the game different were the periscopes that let players secretly watch the lower level while their ships were hunted, and the explosion effects when a sub was "hit" by the probe. Gimmicky? Yeah...but so much fun!!
Thanks a lot Zee, I played several games of a solo legacy variant of Khet and now I can't see properly. Although I suppose you're not entirely to blame, my parents did always say if I play with myself too much eventually I will go blind :/
Sonic Hydra - This comment was gold
I like how Sam keeps his notebook held in secret to the side. Love watching you guys do top 10's. Keep it up, please!!
I would have included on my list:
1. Key to the Kingdom
2. Inner Circle
3. Clue: The Museum Caper
4. Mystery Mansion
5. Advance to Boardwalk
6. Stay Alive
Fire Island is a winner in uniqueness.
Inner Circle. Nice!
I think it's awesome that Zee compares T.I.M.E. Stories to the Titanic in light of their experience with the game this year. Nice bit of foreshadowing.
Zee sounded so sad when Tom compared A fake artist goes to new York to Spyfall.
DENIED by the Vasel
Vasel bugs me sometimes. I like Zee and Sammy better. Sorry Tom. You diss too many games I like.
I rarely write comments, but now I want to say that I really enjoyed this episode. Probably the best of your top 10-s, that I've seen. Fun arguments, fun jokes, interesting findings. Thanks, guys.
In no particular order:
Ace of Aces - the picture book mechanism
Cosmic Encounter - the alien powers mechanism has been used elsewhere, but the seemingly simple card-based combat system gave a lot of opportunity for interesting alien powers
Xactika - each card has 4 suits, a value determined by those suits, and the ability to be a higher-ranked card in one suit than in another
Set - the pattern-matching mechanism
Swish - the connection-discovery mechanism
Chrononauts - the timeline mechanism (although I prefer the Back to the Future themed version that is now out of print)
You guys should do Top Ten Games with Replay Ability.
You Munster......I spit out my water when you said that Zee! Killing me softly bro, killing me softly!
Love all 3 of your presentations! I'm not looking for the gospel truth of top 10's, just your opinions. I'm totally stoked by the three of you offering your voices, bantering with each other, and having fun. Love it! Thanks guys!
I'm definitely going to look for The 3 Commandments.
FYI I've played Witness with no whispering where we get up and go to a different room and it was really fun!
Stronghold, every action that the attacker takes gives the defender actions, super amazing idea
Even though I am not a fan of it, I would think 504 would have been listed as a unique game. Has any other game ever done the modular rules like that before?
KabukiKid I’m late on the response. I think they didn’t include 504, because it was top 10 unique games they like. Sam spoke as to his particular distaste of that game since this time.
The Hungry Ant Game was a tile-based children's game made back in the 1980s. Each player placed a single tile that showed ant tunnels. The tiles would then connect to make pathways to take picnic treats. There were other tiles that could block other tiles.
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar was the first game I thought of.
Unlike other worker placement games, you don't get any benefits when you place your worker, but on a later turn when you pick it up you get the benefits - and at that point your worker has moved. So it requires that you plan several turns ahead.
Also, the beautiful (?) look of the board makes it very unique to me.
Zee just did Top 10 Quirky games :D Loved his examples of 3 Commandments game with kissing the pieces and dancing with them. And Sam's face just got dimmer and dimmer :D
I always enjoy watching your reviews. In fact, this channel has open my eyes to the plethora of games available. However, I often find that the social complications of actually getting a game night together frustrating and depressing, counteracting what games are suppose to provide :)
'Ringel Rangel' from 1993, HABA is great and unique too. You slowly nudge wooden turtles on an increasingly overcrowding wooden board and try to move your turtles through that crowd. And if turtles fall off the board you collect minus points. The way those turtles shuffle is very thematic and the game forces you to be 'zen'.
Holy cow... I had fireball island as a kid and haven't thought about it in almost 30 years. That was a massive nostalgia hit right there
The Robinson Crusoe thing sounds a lot like the Dark Secret / Shocking Discovery system in Dark Gothic.
For those who don't know, at certain times (usually when buying certain types of cards) you will need to take a Dark Secret card. This gets shuffled into your discard pile, and as DG is a deck builder, it will eventually be drawn into your hand. You resolve it as the first action on your next turn, and take a Shocking Discovery card into your discard pile. When that comes into your hand, resolve its effect. It will usually (but not always) be bad, for example requiring players to discard cards from their hand.
in no order I'd pick based on what I know:
Clix games (horror clix, hero clix, mage knight, etc) - the uniqueness is that almost everything you need is on the mini and you turn the dials to represent damage, exhuastion, timers and such. There's a lot of different games using this mechanic, some I've listed.
Photosynthesis - A game about growing trees, trying to get the most sun as possible as the sun rotates around the board.
Mysterium - It is in principle a clue game, or who dunnit. The reason it is here is, it is fully cooperative. The clues are provided by vague images of the one (spirit) hoping that the other players will get the answers right.
Fog of Love - A narrative, multiple choice game where players attempt to position markers on sections of the board (their own or the other players) to achieve a changing victory condition.
Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards - A verses game of player elimination. The element that makes this unique for me is that every player builds a spell of 1 to 3 cards which will fire off (if not dead) to cause varied effects. The cards are crude, rude and brutal. Elimination isn't a bad thing as the longer you are dead, the more powerful you are the next round.
Gloom - A game based on suffering the most and then killing off your family to score the highest points. The cards are transparent for most part and are overlayed onto cards already in play to add scores, special effects or to cover up previous effects.
Friday - a solo deck modification game of surviving on an island and finally defeating pirates to win. It would take too long here to describe the entire mechanics, but this is why I'd pick it as unique.
Navia Drapt - It is chess, but different. You win via 4 different ways. Players may opt to random pick their game pieces or build their force. Each piece other than the "pawns" has the ability to change the way they function during play.
Colt Express - You playing on a modular train to loot it for the most money. Cards are played in secret or revealed according to the round, programming their actions for each round. It's chaotic and thematic.
The 7th Continent - Playing a choose your own adventure or fighting fantasy book but every section is a card which creates the world, provides you with items, puzzles, monsters and lore. The theme is around survival and exploration both which are well defined in the game.
Eye of Judgement - collectible card game that plays on a 3x3 grid. Just check it out. It is out of print but all the cards are available online for ease of printing. It is a PS3 game only but I am sure with some effort you could play it without the console component.
My Top 10 Unique Games (tried to limit the number of kids games picked):
1. Witness (when the guys were down to number 2 I was thinking they must have missed this one but Zee pulls through).
2. Chateau Roquefort (No one mechanism is unique, but the combination of all of them makes for a very unique game.)
3. Innovation (I really feel any Carl Chudyk game could make the list)
4. Cash 'n Guns
5. Mysterium
6. Loony Quest
7. Starfarers of Catan
8. Magician's Night (dexterity game played in complete darkness where half the pieces have glow in the dark symbols)
9. Mafia de Cuba (social deduction game where players actually get to choose their roles out of a cigar box)
10. Amerigo (the only game I know that uses the cube tower, but not for combat)
Honourable mentions: T.I.M.E. Stories, Space Alert, Niagara, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, On the Underground, The Black Pirate (from HABA), Galaxy Trucker, Spiderella, Dancing Eggs, Ticket to Ride - Nordic Countries (just kidding)
Two old games which were unique in their day (the 80s):
1. Ace of Aces. A World War I airplane combat game using flip books. Each book has a view of the opponent's airplane on the same page. You pick a maneuver to fly and each resolve to see how the planes ended up. The goal, of course, is to shoot down your opponent's plane. Games came out later which used the idea for melee combat. But in it's day this game was unique.
2. Illuminati. Secret societies use money and various "power" to take control of groups, businesses and governments in order to control the world or otherwise achieve "victory". Nothing else out there quite like it.
Chaosmos has GOT to be on this list
when I was a kid we played a unique game simply called Hockey Card Game made by Grand Toys where you played a game of hockey using cards in a turn by turn basis, each card with different moves you could use and came with score sheets.
I'm glad you mentioned Zendo. Never played it, but I have played and loved Eulesis, which is a similar idea (and predates it by decades).
My vote for most unique game is Nomic. Although it's not a commercially produced game, the game where the rules of the game are solely about how to change the rules of the game is great fun.
Hoshi Battle is a fairly unique 2 player game. You toss D8 and D10 dice in an arena made out of a circular string, and tap your opponent's hand or do other weird moves basing on which face of the die you get. Plus you've got cards with heroes and artifacts that spicy it all up, causing you to react differently at each round. Weird game indeed, frantic and fun.
First 2 Games that came to my mind were 'Time'N'Space' and 'Witness'. Happy to see it at the end. For me also 'Galaxy Trucker' would fit nicely into this list.
I'm surprised Tom didn't put Primordial Soup anywhere on his list. I recall him saying it was one of the most unique games he's seen in his review.
has anyone mentioned the worker placment game tzolkin? pretty interesting with turning gears.
Played Trieste a couple of months ago and it was quite the fun game. Nice to see a game made for three players were all have very different roles and ways to win the game.
I would call Seasons a truly unique game mostly because it has been one of the few games our entire group enjoyed and we have never found anything else that really plays in a way enough like it to appeal to us as much.
Tobago's method for narrowing down where treasures are located sticks out to me as very unique. Are there other games that do something similar?
I think Cafe Melange is a gamer take on Tobago
Thanks for pointing that one out. :D Add that to the list of games I want to try.
What about *Shift* the One Card CCG? I mean, as far as I know it's not good, but it's unique, right?
Sam was actually fairly prophetic about TIME Stories regarding Zee's analogy to it being like Titanic. It sank HARD
According to Zee, most of our games are CGG's, Collectable Game Games. Buy the core, then choose and buy expansions, add-ons, etc. etc. etc.
I can't believe how Prêt-à-Porter didn't make anyone's list.
Purple is in both Marklin (Black, White, Purple, Yellow, Red) and Nordic Countries. Black, White and Purple is also the player colours in the 2-3 player game that plays best with three, Road to Canterbury, which is also the only game I can think of based on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
...I like how Zee put two games on his list that he said are unique because of them doing pretty much the same thing - Zendo and Three Commandments both being 'figure out the rules that only one player knows' games...
My top unique game would probably be the Pro2 edition of Librium which, like all the Librium versions, is a game where you balance plastic credit cards with holes on each side into and from the holes on each side. What makes pendulum unique among stacking dexterity games compared to regular Librium is that, well, the fulcrum where you're building out from instead of being on a sort of screw attached to something with a magnet, is dangling from a piece of string so as you build the cards up from it it moves the structure making it that little bit harder both to stack and for the next player to stack. Sadly, when I grabbed it from UKGE last year, that version wouldn't fit in my case so I wound up getting Can O'Librium instead which... Is a perfectly fine dexterity game, and comes in a magnetic tub about the size of Zombie Dice but with a magnetic base and rubber lid so you always have a magnetic object to attatch it to when playing, but not as unique or visually striking.
The card "recycling" effect Tom mentioned as being in Robinson Crusoe is implemented in Frostpunk's "Dusk Deck".
I just have one question about Zee's Anachronism: How do you make a game piece out of Miyamoto Musashi? He's *never* lost! Is he just super broken? Still a great vid! The games that have felt the most unique to me have been Mage Knight, Dark Tower, Elder Sign and NetRunner.
My favorite list of games from a top 10 since I'm not familiar with a lot of them or hadn't checked them out in a while. Though poor Sam seemed to be struggling on this one (focusing solely on them like for Thurn & Taxis, Ticket to Ride because it plays three (but also two too)). I have an older game with sand timer pieces like Tamsk called Quicksand but I don't know if the sand timers were the main reason Tamsk is on the list since it seems to be considered the black sheep of its abstract family. This was a fun watch on a sick day. Thanks!
Zee: Unique Games
Tom: Unique Games
Sam: Games that are slightly different, than what I play
See had the unique games. Same and Tom did well highlighting unique aspects of games.
Waldschattenspiel (Shadows in the Woods) is the most unique boardgame I've ever seen. It's a children's cooperative game that uses a candle to cast shadows against trees where dwarves are hiding from the light to avoid being frozen. Name another board game that uses actual light and shadow as its game components and I'll eat Tom's hat.
There is some old vampire game that you play with a black light in the middle and after rounds or something you turn it on and the lights out and it prompts new events/actions... does that count for eating Tom's hat?
Waldschattenspiel is the first game I thought about, too. What makes it even more special is that you move the candle on the board (quite safe, BTW), which makes the shadows constantly shift, which is truly enchanting. Not only for children, but it does evoke childlike wonder (as cliché as that may sound).
okay I'm putting this here because I think this every time that Tannhauser is brought up, but seeing as they point out how many times Sam puts it on his list (which is fine as it seems like a great game!) I need to say how it is pronounced. It doesn't bother me at all how you want to say it so don't think that I am lambasting you at all, but you can only study so much Wagner before you hear this word 100's of times, and you notice when its not said correctly. So merely for the sake of knowledge, here is how to say Tannhauser:
it sounds like Ton Hoy Zer
Tann like the name Don with a T (also the a is slightly pronounced but starting with Ton gets you closer to the mark)
Hau is like Boy with an H
Ser gets the vocal z
if it helps to hear it: ua-cam.com/video/yIi9wEt3U80/v-deo.html
Again this is not me saying you need to say it differently, just putting this here incase you would like to know the proper way of saying a game you clearly like a lot.
Think of it this way...you know how sometimes you learn how to say a word incorrectly, and then pronounce it that way for a REALLY long time. And then, someone teaches you how to correctly say it, and then it's really hard to stop saying it the way you've said it for so long...yeah...THAT'S what this is. I know how to correctly pronounce it the German way, and I've been told that I actually pronounce it correctly very well...when I do. So, yes, I know...thanks for watching!
Hey Sam, Thanks for replying. I'm glad to know this, and now I will be able to accept that you, like Roy Batty from Blade Runner, can say it any way you would like. Again, its hard to not sound like an ass when you are trying to offer correction, So I hope that I didn't offend you by pointing this out, I just wanted to offer help if I could. Keep making great videos like this and i'll keep watching them!
Nope, not offended at all!
Anachronism is a great choice. I love it! Also I feel like a lot of the depth of strategy is in the deck building- coming up with unique combinations and have special abilities that mesh well.
Source of the Nile (Avalon Hill - 1979): You have to draw the map with crayons in hexes. You each have a different colour. If you die the hexes you have explored gets rubbed out; you have to return to Europe to present the findings and score victory points.
I own Trieste, was difficult to track down but I often have only 3 players and like the asymmetry of the decks and each person has their own win condition. Very unique.
i found it at my FLGS, and because of Zee talking it up on a previous list. i haven't played it yet, but I'm excited to
McBehrer you might want to sleeve it as the card quality isn't great. But that's because they're a print on demand company.
I own Trieste (sleeved). It's quite fun and definitely unique.
For another 2 or 3 player game, Sam, Jared Whitley included Road To Canterbury in his Dice Tower top 100 a couple of months ago. He says it plays equally well for either player count. It's near the top of my wish list since he raved about it in that video.
King Oil has a very unique mechanism of searching the ground for oil. Would love to see Restoration Games redo this one as well.
I LOVED anachronism soo much! It suffered from lack of play testing (especially in the early sets), but it was great. Looking back it should have been an LCG, but they didn't exist at the time.
The next time I'm dealing with a belligerent jerk, I'm going to take a page out of Zee's book and casually offer them a drink and some Bagel Bites. Totally disarming.
Anachronism is a CCG.
Sam, isn't Ticket to Ride: Switzerland also a 2-3 player game?
I think Tom is right about the definition of CCG. Because they're random, you look for the cards to add to your collection. I think knowing what cards you're getting is an ECG.
Captain sonar? Anything like that?
Interesting Top Ten list. Great topic. I may disagree with some of what you included, but it got me thinking for sure. I've seen some good suggestions in comments too. I was thinking of some odd German kids games like Igloo Pop (using sound) and Waldschattenspiel (using shadows). Or quirky dexterity games like Hamsterolle, Gulo Gulo, or Saturn. Or communication games like La Boca or Visionary. So much territory to cover... and very interesting!!!
Nice lists, I enjoyed them :-). But I was just thinking about "Junta". How many games are there, where you switch the game modes back and forth?
Zee brings so much subtle comedy to these top 10s! 😃 "now you say; no my #1 is the most unique" 😄😂
Zee ruled this list!!!
Definitely Polarity - triple-leaner, baby. Esp gets interesting when you get some bigger stacks on the board.
Don't know what it is about Cleopatra, but though it's quite light and we only break it out every so often, it still has a special place in my collection - I think it's more for the innovation/ingenuity of using the box to such great, visual effect (and, to an extent, gameplay, though it could have been done without it if the columns were flat card sections) than the toy factor - but that rates highly.
A few more I'd suggest, though I'm not sure if there _are_ other games that are very similar to them:-
Duel In The Dark - the interesting mechanism of having to pre-plot the bomber course, then the balance of protecting it with the fighter vs bluffing to draw the German fighters away from it
Elysium - have any other games done that mechanism of cards that you play out for abilities, but then also you have to balance converting them to scoring cards, at which point you lose those abilities? I'm sure there are other games, but I can't think of any.
Formula De - sure, there are plenty of other racing games, but do any use that great increasing dice mechanism for the gears?
I, Spy - it's an interesting combination of having to use cards to perform actions, but every action gives points to a certain country, so you're trying to work out what other countries your opponents are and boost your one but not theirs - and the neutral countries don't count for placing. Sure there will be other games where you each have a hidden objective you're trying to push out into the front, but do any others really work it so deeply into the core action mechanics of the game?
Galaxy trucker , while building the ship is unique tied to a card game
I certainly haven't played all the games mentioned but I would expect a game like Cash N Guns in somebody's list because of the aiming guns at eachother. Did you consider it? Or is this idea less original than i'm aware off?
Thank you for putting that list at the end!!
Fireball Island! My family has that one. Every time we get together for holidays we try to play it. The box is huge!
Fireball Island would be my number 1! Loved that game as a kid. I also agree with Starfarers of Catan. They need to remake both. Mouse Trap and Operation. So simple yet very unique.
Anachronism was 9 sets that spanned 3 years of releases. That doesn't sound like a failure compared to many other collectible card games (original Netrunner). I agree with Zee on the definition of CCG.
The most unique games I've played are:
Chaosmos, The Battle at Kemble's Cascade, Earth Reborn, Xia, Legends of Andor, Mystic Vale, Tragedy Looper, T.I.M.E Stories and Tzolk'in
Thx for the list, folks, always a way to find out about hidden gems. Tom - you mentioned Fireball Island which I say uses a similar mechanism like Fliegenfalle (German name) also by MB does. Hails back from the 70s. I don't know if there has been an English language version to it. My bro's kids love it.
I thought Dixit was pretty unique when it came out. A number of games have a "guess the thing" element, but Dixit implemented it in a way that was unexpected. Now it seems old hat, but at the time it was new and interesting.
Rampage (Terror in Meeple City) feels unique to me even though dexterity games aren't new. Pirate's Blast is another interesting thematic take for dexterity games.
Also, Betrayal at the House on the Hill was fairly unique when it came out.
The most unique game I have is Mord im Arosa. It's an audio game where you listen to cubes being dropped down the inside of a tower. Each level has a ledge, and you are guessing what level other players' cubes are on. Not much strategy, but a fun time nonetheless. In response to Sam's 2-3 pkayer game, I would say The Road to Canterbury. It's also unique for the theme: players are con artists trying to tempt the Pilgrims on their way to Canterbury to commit The Seven Deadly Sins, then sell them fake pardons for thos sins. Very fun indeed!
Uniqueness is such a hard quality to nail down. Tsuro and Bazaar may be my most unique games due to abstractness. Concept is a unique game in terms of communication, but I might have to say Shogun/Wallenstein's battle tower is the most unique mechanism in my collection.
I love your reviews and whatnot. Keep it going!
15:29 "You Munster"....actually made me LOL. Slow clap, sir.
Tragedy looper is one the most unique games in my personal collection. The game does take a while to wrap your head around though...
Feel free to correct me, but I think Flowerfall is unique as a card-dropping Area Control game. Plays up to 8 also, which is nice.
I got all misty eyed when Tom mentioned Starfarers of Catan. I own the game and it is one of my all time favorites. I agree that it is one of the unique games I've played with the rocket "ball" shaker thingy. However, I've been praying daily for years that it would go thru a "reprint/rework", which I fear may never happen.
What about Jumanji? It is also out of print, and I wish it would go thru a reprint, too. But it is also one of the more unique games I've played. I don't know if it somehow does not qualify since it was basically modeled after the movie, perhaps?
I guess I probably missed out on a few games but isn't Takenoko unique (and quite fun in my house). Those growing bamboo plants on the board with players moving the units that either make them grow or eat them... And it sur looks nice after a few turns...
What about Mysteries of Peking? A 'solve the mystery' game that uses decoding apparatus such as mirrors and red film, alongside a 'Guess Who?' style of game play. Lots of fun for kids and adults. Beautiful board also.
Back in the day "Living Card Game" wasn't a term. That term is only used by Fantasy Flight games.
It is known that CCG have randomized cards somewhere, but some of these games also provided you with set decks; packs of cards that have no random cards in it. There is no actual term for a card game that doesn't have randomized cards to purchase except for Fantasy Flight's "Living Card Game" term.
Haggis plays 2-3. Mali Powstańcy: Warszawa 1944 is another game with mail delivery as the theme although not German as it is based in Poland.
Have to say, I am kind of surprised that Betrayal At House on the Hill isn't on there. The randomness of the story being something that can go to free-for-all, co-op, or traitor aspects made for a good game for the theme it was aiming at. Maybe I'm wrong and there are others similar, but I haven't played, seen, or really heard of any.
zee definitely had the best list on this top 10, with tom being a close second. Sam was being a bit of a sook towards the second half of the video
A bit of a “sook”? That’s a rather *unique* term there lol.
can you post all the names of the 30 games you mention