Love the diversity of both your choices. Great lists. I don't make top lists, but am currently playing a campaign of Crew Mission Deep Sea, will play Wayfarers at the drop of a hat, wish I could play Fog of Love every week, think of Ghost Stories as sort of a magical game (don't know why) and will never turn down Ark Nova.
Thanks for checking it out. Fog of Love is such a niche audience, but if you get into it it's great. I haven't got to play as far into The Crew Mission Deep Sea campaigns as much as the original game. I hope to someday run through it all. I like it just as well or more than the original, which is saying a lot.
Glad you like it! We hope to give the people some fun games to try out while having a good time and laughs. It's great to hear positive feedback, thanks!
Love both lists. I now have another couple hundred dollars worth of games in my Amazon cart, thanks! Since both of you have Resistance on your list, you should play the true king of social deduction games, Blood on the Clocktower. Resistance was my favorite social deduction game for years until I tried BotC. It plays like werewolf but with an incredible amount of depth. The game comes with different scripts that varies the complexity of the game. And the game is being actively supported / developed, with all rules and files available online to people can print and play their own copy. It's heavily dependent on social deduction, but has the mechanical complexity and decision making that allows a strategist to play as well.
Cool, glad we could get you to spend a little more money, lol. I'll make sure Joel sees this for sure. I haven't played Blood on the Clocktower and I'm pretty sure he hasn't either. What's you opinion on how they handle the theme? Would it be more for the adults or something a family with kids could enjoy without too many nightmares, haha.
Nice list! Hard to narrow a top 10 down. I have been loving Dune Imperium for quite some time, it is just so tense. I'm a big fan of 7WD but I really like Radlands as well. Everdell is a good pick! I have Brass Birmingham I've been sitting on here gotta teach myself it
It is really tough. When you first set out you think it's going to be easy, then you start making cuts and it hurts. Brass is cool. I see why it's considered by some to be the ultimate Euro game. So many things going on and great decisions that have consequences waaay down the road. Unfortunately I've barely got to play it. If I had a group that hit it time and time again maybe I'd fall in love. I feel like it's not as heavy as Ark Nova, but more strategic, brain burning.
Can’t find Santorini so splashed out on the newer Kickstarter edition which will hopefully be arriving in May. Your enthusiasm for the game is encouraging😊
I know. I've seen it happen to other people, but it's sad to see one of my favorite games not be easy to get. I found one used for someone to other day for $10, so maybe check marketplace. Also, I think it's offered free on Board Game Arena. You miss out of the tactile nature of it, but it's better than nothing.
Ok Im here and pretty surprised at the list on the whole, I dont get much 2 player games done in my group so having 7 wonders dual so high is a shock. The games i liked on the list were cosmic encounter, castles of burgandy, crew and root. Coops dont go well with my groups we like interaction which is more on the versus side. Crew is an exception since we like the mind and it has trick taking, lastly a game i wanna try is the dune imperium uprising version. I have played the Gale force nine Dune and the asymmetry along with player interaction is what makes that game more interesting since at the end it leaves you with an epic story to tell.
Glad you found the video! I do love 2-player only games, so 7 Wonders Duel is high on the list. I mean, most of the top 10 has a wider player count, but that's a killer game. I feel like my top 3 could all be swapped around, and I give the nod to 7WD just because I've played it the most. In general I don't base rankings on how many plays, but it's a good way to break a tie. I hear you on coops. I'm cool with them, but I typically enjoy battling a human more. However, if someone is going to leave with hurt feelings and doesn't handle competition well, I'd rather everyone be in a good mood and play a good coop. Like you said, The Crew is awesome for this because you're working together, but everyone is pretty individual (none of this "You have to move here and take this action and next turn buy this..."). So it doesn't feel like just another coop.
You should consider Pagan - Fate of Roanoke as best 2-player game. For me it is at least on par with 7 Wonders Duel or Codenames Duet or Twilight Struggle. Also I have a different oppinion regarding the second Crew game. The first one played very fluently but with the second one - I think it´s overhypered by the way - we ended up stuck in many unsolvable situations and had to redeal. That was no problem the first few times but turned out frustrating as hell after we had a session when this happened almost every third to fifth time. So no keeper. And Dune Imperium ... where is Uprising with all the refinements? And Dune Imperium with all Expansions is just a burner. For me the most played game this AND last year.
Thanks for checking out the video. I've never played Pagan. Looking at it it looks really cool, I wonder how serious/dark it is? Do you consider it to be darker or a game you could play with anyone? The Crew got the short explanation here because videos like this can take hours if we don't try to be brief, haha. But I agree. In videos where I spent more time on the topic I've brought up some of those issues. The group has to all be comfortable enough with gameplay to call an impossible situation. People not calling one or them calling one when it's not makes the game rocky. However, having played the 1st one a ton I really do love the higher degree of variability the 2nd offers. My general advice is you can't go wrong with the 1st. But you may like the 2nd as much or more if you like variability. I know I'm in the minority on Dune. I just love the tightness of the base game. The main reason I love it is because I think it's a killer balance of "things going on" and "people fighting over those things". I didn't like having more things going on because it felt more diluted. However, just my personal preference, I can see how the additions would add more excitement, especially if you had tons of base game plays under your belt.
I've never given Avalon a try. It's more focused on the character powers, right? Or am I totally just making that up. I'm assuming I'd like it because I like the base game so much.
Thanks! I know the audio is a little worse than usual. We batch filmed a few top 10s and were in a different location. Unfortunate noticed later the audio was subpar but didn't want to lose the hours of work. Hope to someday be making some money off the channel and to invest in some nice audio equipment (we can all dream, right).
if you liked above and below, try near and far or sleeping gods for me both are better if you like arc nova but want something a but faster/easier as far as rules goes, try earth
Hi there, great suggestions. Near and Far didn't click well with me for some reason. I think the mechanisms didn't draw me in in the same way. Maybe for me Above and Below was more of a balance of narrative and mechs. However, I've never played Sleeping Gods. I hear you on Earth. I, Ryan, just tried it out recently and it seems awesome! And it seems like it would be much easier to get to the table. I hope it is and maybe will show up on this list next year. Thanks for the comment!
Love the diversity of both your choices. Great lists. I don't make top lists, but am currently playing a campaign of Crew Mission Deep Sea, will play Wayfarers at the drop of a hat, wish I could play Fog of Love every week, think of Ghost Stories as sort of a magical game (don't know why) and will never turn down Ark Nova.
Thanks for checking it out. Fog of Love is such a niche audience, but if you get into it it's great. I haven't got to play as far into The Crew Mission Deep Sea campaigns as much as the original game. I hope to someday run through it all. I like it just as well or more than the original, which is saying a lot.
This is a great top ten list and I love the chemistry between you guys, it always makes me laugh 😂
Glad you like it! We hope to give the people some fun games to try out while having a good time and laughs. It's great to hear positive feedback, thanks!
Love both lists. I now have another couple hundred dollars worth of games in my Amazon cart, thanks!
Since both of you have Resistance on your list, you should play the true king of social deduction games, Blood on the Clocktower. Resistance was my favorite social deduction game for years until I tried BotC. It plays like werewolf but with an incredible amount of depth. The game comes with different scripts that varies the complexity of the game. And the game is being actively supported / developed, with all rules and files available online to people can print and play their own copy. It's heavily dependent on social deduction, but has the mechanical complexity and decision making that allows a strategist to play as well.
Cool, glad we could get you to spend a little more money, lol.
I'll make sure Joel sees this for sure. I haven't played Blood on the Clocktower and I'm pretty sure he hasn't either. What's you opinion on how they handle the theme? Would it be more for the adults or something a family with kids could enjoy without too many nightmares, haha.
Nice list! Hard to narrow a top 10 down. I have been loving Dune Imperium for quite some time, it is just so tense. I'm a big fan of 7WD but I really like Radlands as well. Everdell is a good pick! I have Brass Birmingham I've been sitting on here gotta teach myself it
Root has always interested me but teaching myself it seems challenging and then going to my group haha. May have to play online first
It is really tough. When you first set out you think it's going to be easy, then you start making cuts and it hurts.
Brass is cool. I see why it's considered by some to be the ultimate Euro game. So many things going on and great decisions that have consequences waaay down the road. Unfortunately I've barely got to play it. If I had a group that hit it time and time again maybe I'd fall in love. I feel like it's not as heavy as Ark Nova, but more strategic, brain burning.
Can’t find Santorini so splashed out on the newer Kickstarter edition which will hopefully be arriving in May. Your enthusiasm for the game is encouraging😊
I know. I've seen it happen to other people, but it's sad to see one of my favorite games not be easy to get. I found one used for someone to other day for $10, so maybe check marketplace. Also, I think it's offered free on Board Game Arena. You miss out of the tactile nature of it, but it's better than nothing.
Ok Im here and pretty surprised at the list on the whole, I dont get much 2 player games done in my group so having 7 wonders dual so high is a shock. The games i liked on the list were cosmic encounter, castles of burgandy, crew and root. Coops dont go well with my groups we like interaction which is more on the versus side. Crew is an exception since we like the mind and it has trick taking, lastly a game i wanna try is the dune imperium uprising version. I have played the Gale force nine Dune and the asymmetry along with player interaction is what makes that game more interesting since at the end it leaves you with an epic story to tell.
Glad you found the video! I do love 2-player only games, so 7 Wonders Duel is high on the list. I mean, most of the top 10 has a wider player count, but that's a killer game. I feel like my top 3 could all be swapped around, and I give the nod to 7WD just because I've played it the most. In general I don't base rankings on how many plays, but it's a good way to break a tie.
I hear you on coops. I'm cool with them, but I typically enjoy battling a human more. However, if someone is going to leave with hurt feelings and doesn't handle competition well, I'd rather everyone be in a good mood and play a good coop. Like you said, The Crew is awesome for this because you're working together, but everyone is pretty individual (none of this "You have to move here and take this action and next turn buy this..."). So it doesn't feel like just another coop.
You should consider Pagan - Fate of Roanoke as best 2-player game. For me it is at least on par with 7 Wonders Duel or Codenames Duet or Twilight Struggle.
Also I have a different oppinion regarding the second Crew game. The first one played very fluently but with the second one - I think it´s overhypered by the way - we ended up stuck in many unsolvable situations and had to redeal. That was no problem the first few times but turned out frustrating as hell after we had a session when this happened almost every third to fifth time. So no keeper.
And Dune Imperium ... where is Uprising with all the refinements? And Dune Imperium with all Expansions is just a burner. For me the most played game this AND last year.
Thanks for checking out the video. I've never played Pagan. Looking at it it looks really cool, I wonder how serious/dark it is? Do you consider it to be darker or a game you could play with anyone?
The Crew got the short explanation here because videos like this can take hours if we don't try to be brief, haha. But I agree. In videos where I spent more time on the topic I've brought up some of those issues. The group has to all be comfortable enough with gameplay to call an impossible situation. People not calling one or them calling one when it's not makes the game rocky. However, having played the 1st one a ton I really do love the higher degree of variability the 2nd offers. My general advice is you can't go wrong with the 1st. But you may like the 2nd as much or more if you like variability.
I know I'm in the minority on Dune. I just love the tightness of the base game. The main reason I love it is because I think it's a killer balance of "things going on" and "people fighting over those things". I didn't like having more things going on because it felt more diluted. However, just my personal preference, I can see how the additions would add more excitement, especially if you had tons of base game plays under your belt.
Tried Avalon? Like the resistance but better I think.
I've never given Avalon a try. It's more focused on the character powers, right? Or am I totally just making that up. I'm assuming I'd like it because I like the base game so much.
Great list, audio was fuzzy.
Thanks! I know the audio is a little worse than usual. We batch filmed a few top 10s and were in a different location. Unfortunate noticed later the audio was subpar but didn't want to lose the hours of work. Hope to someday be making some money off the channel and to invest in some nice audio equipment (we can all dream, right).
if you liked above and below, try near and far or sleeping gods for me both are better
if you like arc nova but want something a but faster/easier as far as rules goes, try earth
Hi there, great suggestions. Near and Far didn't click well with me for some reason. I think the mechanisms didn't draw me in in the same way. Maybe for me Above and Below was more of a balance of narrative and mechs. However, I've never played Sleeping Gods.
I hear you on Earth. I, Ryan, just tried it out recently and it seems awesome! And it seems like it would be much easier to get to the table. I hope it is and maybe will show up on this list next year. Thanks for the comment!
Board Game Betas 🙂
I don't get the reference, am I missing something. Don't know whether to laugh, cry, be offended. Haha