Great list! "In the Year of Dragon" is absolutely great. The pain of planning towards engine destruction is real! Barrage, Pax Ren, the Great Zimbabwe, Barrage, and Bus are all top-notch. Thanks!
Thanks! Love the channel and love these lists! For me, the Heat dashboard is very confusing. The terms and symbols are so similar I have trouble wrapping my head around it. Only played it 3 times so maybe it will grow on me. My top 5 list is: Gaia Project, Brass Birmingham, Concordia, Maracaibo, and Voidfall. My fav 2024 game was Civolution.
Not see 18xx this time. Are they cooled already for you (I just got 1889 and finding a time to play it) ? Also what do you think of these title that not making it on your list? - chicago express - automobile - tigris and euphrates - Wildcatters/Panamax Me personally think these are kind of fitted in "less is more" design philosophy and their depth and player interaction is quite something! Ps. Thanks for quality content. Always love listening to your opinion , Happy new year
Your taste is quite similar to mine, as many of these games are also favourite of mine. I think I'm going to check on the ones I know nothing about ... ty 🙂
Try this on viticulture: steal two cards instead of one in the actions of taking a card and discarding the other, you can always decide to take two cards and discard one or take the top card from the discard pile, this makes it more interesting as it has less luck and makes more complex decisions because sometimes discarding could give your opponent a play. Greetings.
It's very interesting to see how your taste has changed. This is why these lists are always so interesting to watch. Out of curiosity, how would you describe, in terms of depth, games like Age of Innovation (or any of the TM variants), Underwater Cities, or any of the T series games from the Italian designers? The reason I ask is because you kept mentioning depth when talking about many light games that most people would consider low depth. Feel free to use a spectrum where games like chess and go sit on the end of the highest possible depth and games like candyland on the lowest possible depth
For me, games like AoI (or any TM variant) or T-games have a lot more breadth than depth. They have so many viable options each turn that "calculating" the depth is impossible, at least for me. Taking each option and calculating subsequent turns, while considering the opponents' turns, is just plain impossible. They obviously have depth, too, but it's beyond my limits to dive into that depth in a reasonable time during my turn. E.g. in AoI (or TM variants), you score points from the round scoring tiles each round, from creating cities, from the majorities at the end of the game, from various tiles, from tracks, etc. You need to take care of your income, your crystals, workers (white cubes), you have special abilities, etc. Too many options to consider each turn, and all of them may have positive effects, which is what I call the "breadth". I barely have the time to consider all the options for the current turn only, and there's no chance I can "calculate" several turns ahead. Contrary to that, in games like "In the Year of the Dragon" for example, you only have few options each turn, but you need to plan several turns ahead. The order of your actions is important but you can usually focus on a very few elements only. So that's where "depth" is more important than "breadth". And that's the nature of games which suits me the best. You know, there's a saying - "Less is more." Perfectly explains my gaming taste. :)
I get your point, thanks for the explanation. My apologies if my tone came across as critical of your taste, I meant nothing of the sorts. I was simply confused about a couple of descriptions, but all of the games you listed are fantastic, and even if I thought they weren't great, it's your list, your flavor profile and if you're having a blast then no other person's take matters.
Thank you Branislav, great list. I would like to mention some games that could make it to your top 100 : - COIN games in general , although maybe they're too long for your taste now :) - The Colonists - Ultimate Railroads - Dominant species Have you tried some of them ?
Thank you. I have played COIN games but I don't enjoy wargames in general, so COINs are out of my interest. And yes, they are long and have complicated rules. Dominant Species is an area control, which is another type of game which I don't enjoy too much. Ultimate Railroads - I have played Russian Railroads and I didn't like it at all. The Colonists - I have not played that one. :)
I've played JC 1st edition and I watched JC 2nd edition, they're quite similar, and I agree - it's a great game. But I can't get it to the table and I'm afraid it will never happen. Therefore, I don't have it on my list. What is a masterpiece good for when nobody can play it? And the same applies to Indonesia - I hope the third edition will make it more approachable.
Very interesting list with many relatable reasons why some games stick out and also why your taste is pretty widespread! Thank you for the insight :) I agree a lot especially on what you say about Race for the Galaxy and Concordia. What I disagree on is Grand Austria Hotel being better than Coimbra, because for me the latter is the master piece in the field of mid-weight dice placement - well, actually Tiletum and Tekhenu are also very good in this, but both feel heavier. Furthermore I do love all the GWT versions, Maracaibo, Hansa Teutonica, El Grande and in my eyes the highly underrated Broom Service. Maybe some of those are in 51-100 and I can't find that video - is it supporters only?
The 51-100 is supporters only, yes. :) However, I can say that Hansa, GWT and El Grande are there. Another note - I came to a point where I don't really enjoy games which are just plain mechanics with some whatever-suits-the-mechanics-theme pasted on them. Coimbra, Tiletum, Tekhenu and others are exactly that - that's why they're not on my list. They're great, I admit that, but they just feel so dry and empty to me. And I'm a guy who loves abstract games, but for some reason I don't enjoy themeless euros any longer. :)
@@nithrania-gameinanutshell Yeah right, I get that! :) And nice to hear those three are still in your top 100. I'd love to support, but got to hold the purse at the moment for a few reasons. I do also enjoy a mix, but in general I don't really mind themes and therefore don't think about it a lot. My gaming "career" went to many changes as well - from MtG only to a wild mix of pen and paper RPGs and Warhammer Fantasy opening out into mostly beige euros and getting more open again within the last years. My newest love came very unexpectedly in the form of Senjutsu which a friend backed :D
Thanks for your top 100. I have question about Knarr. I played about 10 times and I saw that going into reputation track is no brainer and winner was always the leader of that track. Do you have different experiance?
I have very different experience, but it depends on the player count, and whether you play with the "basic" or "advanced" side of the ship. In certain circumstances, going for reputation is very strong. In other games, players were not able to reach "3 points per turn" mark and the game was already won by a player with no reputation at all.
@nithrania-gameinanutshell Thanks, i player that game only once at 3 players count, other where 2 players and maybe that is the case. I think i will try variant with less reputation cards in 2 players game.
Try this: steal two cards instead of one in the actions of taking a card and discarding the other, you can always decide to take two cards and discard one or take the top card from the discard pile, this makes it more interesting as it has less luck and makes more complex decisions because sometimes discarding could give your opponent a play. Greetings.
The distribution of the card types is reduced. There are more cards in the deck and so the frequency of each card type is reduced. I've played the expansion many times already and the animal types are showing up less frequently, it's all more chaotic and more random. Therefore there's a new university type which allows you to search for a specific animal type, and there's also a "wave" mechanics which helps rotating the card display faster. When searching for the specific animal type, it is not rare to discard 25-35 cards until you finally find an animal symbol you're looking for. Now imagine how many game turns it would take for that symbol to show up in the display. Furthermore, the first player to take the Association action at the beginning of the game has a nice advantage because he can take the new university with the animal symbol, search for another animal of that type, and then claim the first CP right after the first brake, getting some strong tempo boost. There's more, but I think this is more than enough for me. It is fun, but it is more chaotic and more random than the base game, and I'm not a huge fan of it.
Why? What's wrong with HEAT? 😄 HEAT is way more strategic than many people think. At first sight it may look like a simple card driven game, but there's so much in there, and the top players on BGA are constantly keeping at the top of the rankings. It means the game requires a lot of skill, the luck plays a very small role in the game. However, the great thing about this game is that it CAN be played as a simple and light family game. :)
This was my experience with Heat as well. I didn't care for it with just the base game. Then added in the modules and liked it. Then kept playing it and saw more and more opportunities for strategic and tactical play. It has become one of our favorites. It looks pretty banal at first glance but it's deceptive.
Great list! "In the Year of Dragon" is absolutely great. The pain of planning towards engine destruction is real! Barrage, Pax Ren, the Great Zimbabwe, Barrage, and Bus are all top-notch. Thanks!
Thanks! Love the channel and love these lists! For me, the Heat dashboard is very confusing. The terms and symbols are so similar I have trouble wrapping my head around it. Only played it 3 times so maybe it will grow on me. My top 5 list is: Gaia Project, Brass Birmingham, Concordia, Maracaibo, and Voidfall. My fav 2024 game was Civolution.
Thanks for introducing Vale of Eternity to me. Looks like I will really like this one.
It's great, we play it so often, and I enjoy every single game. :)
Not see 18xx this time. Are they cooled already for you (I just got 1889 and finding a time to play it) ? Also what do you think of these title that not making it on your list?
- chicago express
- automobile
- tigris and euphrates
- Wildcatters/Panamax
Me personally think these are kind of fitted in "less is more" design philosophy and their depth and player interaction is quite something!
Ps. Thanks for quality content. Always love listening to your opinion , Happy new year
Your taste is quite similar to mine, as many of these games are also favourite of mine. I think I'm going to check on the ones I know nothing about ... ty 🙂
Try this on viticulture: steal two cards instead of one in the actions of taking a card and discarding the other, you can always decide to take two cards and discard one or take the top card from the discard pile, this makes it more interesting as it has less luck and makes more complex decisions because sometimes discarding could give your opponent a play. Greetings.
Great list. I wish we were in the same city to play together.
Great explanations - Have you tried Flamme Rouge by the same designers? It is exactly as you describe when discussing Heat
It's very interesting to see how your taste has changed. This is why these lists are always so interesting to watch.
Out of curiosity, how would you describe, in terms of depth, games like Age of Innovation (or any of the TM variants), Underwater Cities, or any of the T series games from the Italian designers? The reason I ask is because you kept mentioning depth when talking about many light games that most people would consider low depth.
Feel free to use a spectrum where games like chess and go sit on the end of the highest possible depth and games like candyland on the lowest possible depth
For me, games like AoI (or any TM variant) or T-games have a lot more breadth than depth. They have so many viable options each turn that "calculating" the depth is impossible, at least for me. Taking each option and calculating subsequent turns, while considering the opponents' turns, is just plain impossible.
They obviously have depth, too, but it's beyond my limits to dive into that depth in a reasonable time during my turn. E.g. in AoI (or TM variants), you score points from the round scoring tiles each round, from creating cities, from the majorities at the end of the game, from various tiles, from tracks, etc. You need to take care of your income, your crystals, workers (white cubes), you have special abilities, etc. Too many options to consider each turn, and all of them may have positive effects, which is what I call the "breadth". I barely have the time to consider all the options for the current turn only, and there's no chance I can "calculate" several turns ahead.
Contrary to that, in games like "In the Year of the Dragon" for example, you only have few options each turn, but you need to plan several turns ahead. The order of your actions is important but you can usually focus on a very few elements only. So that's where "depth" is more important than "breadth". And that's the nature of games which suits me the best.
You know, there's a saying - "Less is more." Perfectly explains my gaming taste. :)
I get your point, thanks for the explanation.
My apologies if my tone came across as critical of your taste, I meant nothing of the sorts. I was simply confused about a couple of descriptions, but all of the games you listed are fantastic, and even if I thought they weren't great, it's your list, your flavor profile and if you're having a blast then no other person's take matters.
Very good list. I cannot find the 100-51 list.
It's already published, apologies. :)
Interesting that you feel heat feels like cycling as it's an iteration of flamme rouge. I love both games.
I know it is, and even from the same designer. I like Flamme Rouge a lot, too!
Yay, one of my favorite lists to watch. Are you doing any for top games of 2024
I would like to, but there are still too many good games I haven't played yet. Maybe in March, but definitely not now.
Love the rant preceding 1:49:00. Yeah I agree, it's a stupid theme.
Thank you Branislav, great list. I would like to mention some games that could make it to your top 100 :
- COIN games in general , although maybe they're too long for your taste now :)
- The Colonists
- Ultimate Railroads
- Dominant species
Have you tried some of them ?
Thank you.
I have played COIN games but I don't enjoy wargames in general, so COINs are out of my interest. And yes, they are long and have complicated rules.
Dominant Species is an area control, which is another type of game which I don't enjoy too much.
Ultimate Railroads - I have played Russian Railroads and I didn't like it at all.
The Colonists - I have not played that one. :)
Have you played John Company Second Edition? If not, please try it. It is truly a masterpiece.
I've played JC 1st edition and I watched JC 2nd edition, they're quite similar, and I agree - it's a great game. But I can't get it to the table and I'm afraid it will never happen. Therefore, I don't have it on my list. What is a masterpiece good for when nobody can play it? And the same applies to Indonesia - I hope the third edition will make it more approachable.
Very interesting list with many relatable reasons why some games stick out and also why your taste is pretty widespread! Thank you for the insight :)
I agree a lot especially on what you say about Race for the Galaxy and Concordia.
What I disagree on is Grand Austria Hotel being better than Coimbra, because for me the latter is the master piece in the field of mid-weight dice placement - well, actually Tiletum and Tekhenu are also very good in this, but both feel heavier. Furthermore I do love all the GWT versions, Maracaibo, Hansa Teutonica, El Grande and in my eyes the highly underrated Broom Service. Maybe some of those are in 51-100 and I can't find that video - is it supporters only?
The 51-100 is supporters only, yes. :)
However, I can say that Hansa, GWT and El Grande are there.
Another note - I came to a point where I don't really enjoy games which are just plain mechanics with some whatever-suits-the-mechanics-theme pasted on them. Coimbra, Tiletum, Tekhenu and others are exactly that - that's why they're not on my list. They're great, I admit that, but they just feel so dry and empty to me. And I'm a guy who loves abstract games, but for some reason I don't enjoy themeless euros any longer. :)
@@nithrania-gameinanutshell Yeah right, I get that! :)
And nice to hear those three are still in your top 100. I'd love to support, but got to hold the purse at the moment for a few reasons.
I do also enjoy a mix, but in general I don't really mind themes and therefore don't think about it a lot. My gaming "career" went to many changes as well - from MtG only to a wild mix of pen and paper RPGs and Warhammer Fantasy opening out into mostly beige euros and getting more open again within the last years. My newest love came very unexpectedly in the form of Senjutsu which a friend backed :D
I commented on your 2022 video that you'd probably enjoy Bus. Looks like I was right. :)
Absolutely! It's fantastic, a masterpiece! :)
Thank you for the tip. :)
Great list. What is the last game you mentioned after Voidfall? Did not get the title correct.
Tower Up :)
Thanks for your top 100. I have question about Knarr. I played about 10 times and I saw that going into reputation track is no brainer and winner was always the leader of that track. Do you have different experiance?
I have very different experience, but it depends on the player count, and whether you play with the "basic" or "advanced" side of the ship. In certain circumstances, going for reputation is very strong. In other games, players were not able to reach "3 points per turn" mark and the game was already won by a player with no reputation at all.
@nithrania-gameinanutshell Thanks, i player that game only once at 3 players count, other where 2 players and maybe that is the case. I think i will try variant with less reputation cards in 2 players game.
You and I agree on Viticulture.
Try this: steal two cards instead of one in the actions of taking a card and discarding the other, you can always decide to take two cards and discard one or take the top card from the discard pile, this makes it more interesting as it has less luck and makes more complex decisions because sometimes discarding could give your opponent a play. Greetings.
I would like to hear your thoughts on why you think the Ark Nova expansion breaks the game?
The distribution of the card types is reduced. There are more cards in the deck and so the frequency of each card type is reduced. I've played the expansion many times already and the animal types are showing up less frequently, it's all more chaotic and more random. Therefore there's a new university type which allows you to search for a specific animal type, and there's also a "wave" mechanics which helps rotating the card display faster.
When searching for the specific animal type, it is not rare to discard 25-35 cards until you finally find an animal symbol you're looking for. Now imagine how many game turns it would take for that symbol to show up in the display.
Furthermore, the first player to take the Association action at the beginning of the game has a nice advantage because he can take the new university with the animal symbol, search for another animal of that type, and then claim the first CP right after the first brake, getting some strong tempo boost.
There's more, but I think this is more than enough for me. It is fun, but it is more chaotic and more random than the base game, and I'm not a huge fan of it.
Viticulture EE: the vineyard and quests are crap but the visitors are so good...
You had me till Heat 😂
Why? What's wrong with HEAT? 😄
HEAT is way more strategic than many people think. At first sight it may look like a simple card driven game, but there's so much in there, and the top players on BGA are constantly keeping at the top of the rankings. It means the game requires a lot of skill, the luck plays a very small role in the game.
However, the great thing about this game is that it CAN be played as a simple and light family game. :)
This was my experience with Heat as well. I didn't care for it with just the base game. Then added in the modules and liked it. Then kept playing it and saw more and more opportunities for strategic and tactical play. It has become one of our favorites. It looks pretty banal at first glance but it's deceptive.
I love TGZ, not a fan of FCM. Surprised Antiquity is not on your list. Why is that?
Surprisingly, I haven't played that one yet!
@@nithrania-gameinanutshell HIGHLY recommend. I just played it for the 1st time in 2024 and I love it.
I spy #1 ;)