We played Istanbul with both expansions on Monday, so 25 tiles, but there were 5 of us, so it still have some good interaction / semi blocking. A big teach with so many locations, and I could have prepped better to teach it, but everyone picked it up super quickly, with good player aids and solid iconography. Glad we played it.
Seeing Rajas of the Ganges brought a huge smile to my face. My family loves that game, and it captures our culture (Indian) really well and respectfully. Just played it a couple of nights ago 🙂
I *just* bought Xia last night in the Arydia pledge manager based on your recommendations (across several videos). The Western Legends video and the mention about the sandbox you keep thinking about when playing other sandboxes is probably what pushed me over the edge. I think it will end up being a good purchase for me. Other games on your list that struck a chord for me: LOVE Bruges. I'm sad it's no longer available, and I agree-I don't want Hamburg as a replacement. Through the Ages is also fantastic, but the app totally killed the physical game for me. And I still have faith that Everdell Complete Collection will show up...at some point...hopefully. Overall, I love your topic selection, your video length, and your pace and stream of consciousness approach to your video content. Keep doing what you're doing. 👍🏼
I got Xia after The Dungeon Dive talked about it and it has become one of my favorite games. I love playing the solo campaign game but I really really love playing with 2-3 other players who won't avoid PVP if its good for them so we have intense games that are always a load of fun ...can I mine a relic and go crack it while avoiding getting too close to other players or NPC? oh no another player just found a gate and now can get to me easy etc
Glad you got some great games back into your collection! Quacks is one of our favorites! But it is made a lot better by the expansions and the BGG upgraded bits. I'm happy to say that we've yet to get rid of a game that we regret getting rid of. Still plenty we don't have that we want, of course, like Rajas of the Ganges and Everdell. We have quite a few games in our collection that only get played every 5 years. A lot of them are those heavy euro-style games, many of which would be really expensive to replace now, which is why we keep them. We admittedly collect games to have them available, even if they don't get played much. On the other hand, since our collection is for both me and my husband, we also have compromises on games that one would get rid of, but don't because the other really likes it.
Hey Alex, great vid. Thanks for sharing. I took a punt on Xia when it hit Kickstarter with the Embers expansion - I searched around to discover no one had any copies of the original game available anywhere and everyone absolutely raved about it! When my copy landed, with Embers, I quickly dove in and banged our 25 games, mixing ships and objectives and had an absolute blast. Agree, it can be a bit of a beast to table (my very first game I abandoned after taking 45 miniatures to set up! I created a custom insert meaning it's now a literal 5 minute job from opening to play. Great game. Really looking forward to Arydia landing in the near future ❤️
I love ‘A feast for Odin’ but I feel the need to add ‘Norwegeans’ just as I never play ‘Viticulture’ without ‘Tuscany’ and ‘Istanbul’ without ‘Mocha & Baksheesh’. Love your choices.
istanbul with both expansions is really great. different strategies to reach 5 gems, only few tiles will be ignored (due to setup) but another game they will get a regular visit. I like it alot
I too love a bunch of these games: Rajas, Istanbul, Quacks, Bruges and Orleans (with Trade expansion). I will try playing more of Xia and Oracle of Delphi as those are games that I played just once and never went back to. You are inspiring me to do so. Thanks for your videos!
You hit the nail on the head with Root. The teach is just a bear and you have to teach it every time someone new joins. Couple that with me never really connecting enough with the rules to retain much and it had to go.
I hope you have The Norwegians expansion for Feast of Oden. To me it is an essential expansion that loosens the game a bit more and changes the actions a bit. Oh and horses. 😁 Raja has resurfaced for me as the scoring track gave me the same feeling when playing Arc Nova. ( totally different game ) but I love the balance of needing both tracks to intersect.
I really liked A Feat for Odin when it came out, but The Norwegians made me love it. For me, it is the perfect expansion with both "more" and "better." I do not even miss the "copy" spots.
Regarding sandbox games, one of the best sandbox games, and is also a Rosenberg's game, is Field of Arle. It's one of the top 3 sandbox game for me, and it's perfect because it's for 1-2 people meaning it's way easier to table it than any other non 2-player Uwe farming game.
I got rid of Architects of the West Kingdom after waiting a year for Shem to 'fix' the solo AI 😜. 2 weeks after I sold it, the expansion was announced with all new AI play. Oh well. I'm not sure I have the interest anymore to bring it back. There are always new and new-to-me games that catch my eye.
A feast for Odin is a fun and fantastic game on its own, but I hear the Norwegians expansion adds a lot more to the game. As far it adds additional viable tracks to victory.
In regards to Friday, I worry that once I figure out the puzzle it will lose its appeal. I have played it about 5 times now and have only made it to the 3 eyes. It is nice for what it is. For the price and shelf space I feel like it's a must. At least to see if deck building is for you when you're starting out in the hobby
Its interesting what you say about Xia. I have the expansion but Ive yet to actually play the game at all. I love sandbox games, esp. solo. my biggest reason for not playing it yet is because after every session of reading the rules I immediately hesitate with worry that it doesnt sound as good as Fallout, or Western Legends, or Outer Rim and I just set up those games instead lol. I guess I really need to just bite the bullet and go in and see how it turns out. Everyone loves Xia and the games I just mentioned are typically viewed as being not nearly as good. Especially fallout which most people think its garbage but is my favorite sandbox solo experience lol.
What are you recording with? I'm noticing a lot of quick focus pulsing between the foreground and background. I apologize, as a video professional I tend to notice these things. It's a minor issue. It's only noticeable on full screen.
Have been trying to track down a used copy of Le Havre, they go fast. Xia looks great, too long of a game to table, maybe one day I'll get tobplay it. Backed the colletors edition of Everdell. Looking forward tonplaying it.
Most of my friends, when playing first time Everdell, complain about the fact that there is only 1 stone place available if you are unlucky during initial setup. But like this game a lot. BTW: Backer of the Big Box.
I guess reliability is also a virtue🥺 Feast of Odin is on my wish list, all others great with 2 are already in storage, so I probably don't have to give up the Devon challenge 😁
Through the Ages is an AMAZING, AMAZING game. I can not deny that. However it’s soooooooo hard to table and teach that it’s hanging on by the skin of its teeth in my collection. But I also have Nations which while not as good as Through the Ages it’s good enough. Speaking of a table hog that’s hard to teach/table how long do you think you’ll hang onto Merchants Cove?
Curious to hear your thoughts on Orleans. I’ve been planning to get that game whenever I have caught up on my gaming budget again. My biggest concern is how well does it play at two. I was also concerned over the beige bland artwork but I think I can look past that if the gameplay is rewarding enough. I also was interested in Le Havre but the theme doesn’t appeal to me. Need recommendations for something that feels as good but is themed differently and a little shorter in length. Very interesting comparison to enjoying a movie, but not having to rewatch them all.
You said that through the ages app you are playing in regular basis, I wonder how frequently are you playing games - boardgames, app versions of bgames and different app games as well as PC and or console games? How many games do You play per month, per week, per day on averege? Would be interesting to see/hear. My goal for this year is to play 250 games from my boardgame collection (mot counting BGA), currently I am at 98 played.
Hey Alex, I have a suggestion for you: instead of saying only, about a game, that you "loved it", it would be much more interesting and useful if you shared even one key reason why you did. In fact, different people have different tastes, and so knowing that Alex from BoardGameCo likes a game isn't enough for sparking interest in all of us. 😉 There is a famous game reviewer who said that saying that a game is great or that you love it is to be completely avoided. I agree in that it doesn't help other much with deciding whether the game is for them. I'm thinking that it wouldn't take much more time to instead mention for instance what is unique for you about each game. Anyway, I must also say that I'm impressed by your recent career shift! You have all my best wishes for this new endeavor, as you're a key figure in the hobby.
We played Istanbul with both expansions on Monday, so 25 tiles, but there were 5 of us, so it still have some good interaction / semi blocking. A big teach with so many locations, and I could have prepped better to teach it, but everyone picked it up super quickly, with good player aids and solid iconography. Glad we played it.
It's such a good experience :)
We need to talk about how to count to 10! :P (Ok ok I'm not actually complaining!)
It's very simply. 1, 2, 17, 5, 4, 12
Seeing Rajas of the Ganges brought a huge smile to my face. My family loves that game, and it captures our culture (Indian) really well and respectfully. Just played it a couple of nights ago 🙂
It's such a great game :)
I *just* bought Xia last night in the Arydia pledge manager based on your recommendations (across several videos). The Western Legends video and the mention about the sandbox you keep thinking about when playing other sandboxes is probably what pushed me over the edge. I think it will end up being a good purchase for me.
Other games on your list that struck a chord for me: LOVE Bruges. I'm sad it's no longer available, and I agree-I don't want Hamburg as a replacement. Through the Ages is also fantastic, but the app totally killed the physical game for me. And I still have faith that Everdell Complete Collection will show up...at some point...hopefully.
Overall, I love your topic selection, your video length, and your pace and stream of consciousness approach to your video content. Keep doing what you're doing. 👍🏼
Same boat got Xia
I got Xia after The Dungeon Dive talked about it and it has become one of my favorite games. I love playing the solo campaign game but I really really love playing with 2-3 other players who won't avoid PVP if its good for them so we have intense games that are always a load of fun ...can I mine a relic and go crack it while avoiding getting too close to other players or NPC? oh no another player just found a gate and now can get to me easy etc
Thank you!!! I had no idea that I could purchase Xia through this pledge.
Glad you got some great games back into your collection! Quacks is one of our favorites! But it is made a lot better by the expansions and the BGG upgraded bits.
I'm happy to say that we've yet to get rid of a game that we regret getting rid of. Still plenty we don't have that we want, of course, like Rajas of the Ganges and Everdell.
We have quite a few games in our collection that only get played every 5 years. A lot of them are those heavy euro-style games, many of which would be really expensive to replace now, which is why we keep them. We admittedly collect games to have them available, even if they don't get played much.
On the other hand, since our collection is for both me and my husband, we also have compromises on games that one would get rid of, but don't because the other really likes it.
Totally reasonable and agreed completely on quacks :)
Hey Alex, great vid. Thanks for sharing.
I took a punt on Xia when it hit Kickstarter with the Embers expansion - I searched around to discover no one had any copies of the original game available anywhere and everyone absolutely raved about it! When my copy landed, with Embers, I quickly dove in and banged our 25 games, mixing ships and objectives and had an absolute blast. Agree, it can be a bit of a beast to table (my very first game I abandoned after taking 45 miniatures to set up! I created a custom insert meaning it's now a literal 5 minute job from opening to play. Great game. Really looking forward to Arydia landing in the near future ❤️
I love ‘A feast for Odin’ but I feel the need to add ‘Norwegeans’ just as I never play ‘Viticulture’ without ‘Tuscany’ and ‘Istanbul’ without ‘Mocha & Baksheesh’. Love your choices.
I have the expansion, just need to play it :)
Everdell!!! One of my favorite games ever 😻
I still really want to try Le Havre and Rajas of the Ganges
istanbul with both expansions is really great. different strategies to reach 5 gems, only few tiles will be ignored (due to setup) but another game they will get a regular visit. I like it alot
I too love a bunch of these games: Rajas, Istanbul, Quacks, Bruges and Orleans (with Trade expansion). I will try playing more of Xia and Oracle of Delphi as those are games that I played just once and never went back to. You are inspiring me to do so. Thanks for your videos!
You want the folded space insert for xia. Fits everything in the main box perfectly. Easily the best folded space insert.
I have it! Just need to build it :)
I love Friday, it was one of my first games and will always hold a special place in my heart.
Great video, thanks for everything you do.
Absolutely, glad you enjoyed :)
You hit the nail on the head with Root. The teach is just a bear and you have to teach it every time someone new joins. Couple that with me never really connecting enough with the rules to retain much and it had to go.
Yep, love the game but it took a pandemic to make it work for me.
16:22 💥😃📣. Yea, you finally said it right!!! 😂
I felt I needed to for my review :)
I sold Bruges with the expansion a while back. It's one of the only games I regret selling.
Cool perspective, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing that caverna coverage!
Hopefully soon :)
I hope you have The Norwegians expansion for Feast of Oden. To me it is an essential expansion that loosens the game a bit more and changes the actions a bit. Oh and horses. 😁
Raja has resurfaced for me as the scoring track gave me the same feeling when playing Arc Nova. ( totally different game ) but I love the balance of needing both tracks to intersect.
I do :)
I really liked A Feat for Odin when it came out, but The Norwegians made me love it. For me, it is the perfect expansion with both "more" and "better." I do not even miss the "copy" spots.
Regarding sandbox games, one of the best sandbox games, and is also a Rosenberg's game, is Field of Arle. It's one of the top 3 sandbox game for me, and it's perfect because it's for 1-2 people meaning it's way easier to table it than any other non 2-player Uwe farming game.
Also, the best Feld game is .... (drumrolls)... Trajan :D
I got rid of Architects of the West Kingdom after waiting a year for Shem to 'fix' the solo AI 😜. 2 weeks after I sold it, the expansion was announced with all new AI play. Oh well. I'm not sure I have the interest anymore to bring it back. There are always new and new-to-me games that catch my eye.
Feast is fantastic, but with Norwegians extra column on the action selection board and additional content, the game becomes genius.
A feast for Odin is a fun and fantastic game on its own, but I hear the Norwegians expansion adds a lot more to the game. As far it adds additional viable tracks to victory.
In regards to Friday, I worry that once I figure out the puzzle it will lose its appeal. I have played it about 5 times now and have only made it to the 3 eyes. It is nice for what it is. For the price and shelf space I feel like it's a must. At least to see if deck building is for you when you're starting out in the hobby
Yep, it might leave one day but for now it stays
I bought all of viticulture this morning....this is the third time I've purchased this game. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?
After our video!!! Dude!
Its interesting what you say about Xia. I have the expansion but Ive yet to actually play the game at all. I love sandbox games, esp. solo. my biggest reason for not playing it yet is because after every session of reading the rules I immediately hesitate with worry that it doesnt sound as good as Fallout, or Western Legends, or Outer Rim and I just set up those games instead lol. I guess I really need to just bite the bullet and go in and see how it turns out. Everyone loves Xia and the games I just mentioned are typically viewed as being not nearly as good. Especially fallout which most people think its garbage but is my favorite sandbox solo experience lol.
I need to pick up Through the Ages physically... it's just a good and I would kind of like to have all of Vlaada Chvatil's games in the collection.
It's so good
The app for Root is really really good. I learned how to play all the core factions using it. It's tough to learn it at the table Very fun game.
well, if you want to get rid of Feast for Odin again ... I can't get it here anymore, so if the shipping isn't that expensive....
Great vid. Entertaining as always.
Thanks :)
I like Friday I had it then got rid of it when I got the app and never felt the need to get it back though I still play the app frequently.
I avoid the app for that reason
What are you recording with? I'm noticing a lot of quick focus pulsing between the foreground and background. I apologize, as a video professional I tend to notice these things. It's a minor issue. It's only noticeable on full screen.
Have been trying to track down a used copy of Le Havre, they go fast. Xia looks great, too long of a game to table, maybe one day I'll get tobplay it. Backed the colletors edition of Everdell. Looking forward tonplaying it.
Enjoy them all :)
The game that I sold that I regret most is Chaos in the Old World with expansion. I'd love to get it back but it's sooooo expensive now :(
You should call them boomerang games, as you threw them out and they came back.
That's not a bad title
Most of my friends, when playing first time Everdell, complain about the fact that there is only 1 stone place available if you are unlucky during initial setup. But like this game a lot.
BTW: Backer of the Big Box.
Someone just tried to scam me with claim that i have won PS5 giveaway
Yep, I've been blocking them slowly but they keep popping up.
Alex: I finally looked up how to pronounce Xia! Also Alex: Mispronouncing Coimbra (co-EEM-bra) despite me commenting on it for two years. 😂😂😂
The key thing to remember about pronouncing Xia is that it doesn't rhyme with Arydia, despite being from the same creator.
I've love Lehavre and issue i don't like - Through the ages
Is the setup and other issue. However i have to say the game is nice to play
I guess reliability is also a virtue🥺
Feast of Odin is on my wish list, all others great with 2 are already in storage, so I probably don't have to give up the Devon challenge 😁
Lol good luck
Through the Ages is an AMAZING, AMAZING game. I can not deny that. However it’s soooooooo hard to table and teach that it’s hanging on by the skin of its teeth in my collection. But I also have Nations which while not as good as Through the Ages it’s good enough.
Speaking of a table hog that’s hard to teach/table how long do you think you’ll hang onto Merchants Cove?
Merchants cove is bound to go...I like it but it doesn't get tabled.
Never getting rid of Istanbul, Everdell, or Quacks.
A reasonable choice
Curious to hear your thoughts on Orleans. I’ve been planning to get that game whenever I have caught up on my gaming budget again. My biggest concern is how well does it play at two. I was also concerned over the beige bland artwork but I think I can look past that if the gameplay is rewarding enough.
I also was interested in Le Havre but the theme doesn’t appeal to me. Need recommendations for something that feels as good but is themed differently and a little shorter in length.
Very interesting comparison to enjoying a movie, but not having to rewatch them all.
You said that through the ages app you are playing in regular basis, I wonder how frequently are you playing games - boardgames, app versions of bgames and different app games as well as PC and or console games? How many games do You play per month, per week, per day on averege? Would be interesting to see/hear. My goal for this year is to play 250 games from my boardgame collection (mot counting BGA), currently I am at 98 played.
I'm trending towards around 1300 this year if things keep pace. And 99% are physical games.
Was Canvas one of the ones you got back?
What is your definition of a sandbox game?
A game that gives you an open world with multiple pathways towards victory.
Where is the Wonderland's War review?
Hey Alex, I have a suggestion for you: instead of saying only, about a game, that you "loved it", it would be much more interesting and useful if you shared even one key reason why you did. In fact, different people have different tastes, and so knowing that Alex from BoardGameCo likes a game isn't enough for sparking interest in all of us. 😉 There is a famous game reviewer who said that saying that a game is great or that you love it is to be completely avoided. I agree in that it doesn't help other much with deciding whether the game is for them. I'm thinking that it wouldn't take much more time to instead mention for instance what is unique for you about each game.
Anyway, I must also say that I'm impressed by your recent career shift! You have all my best wishes for this new endeavor, as you're a key figure in the hobby.
cant help but notice SFB is no longer directly behind you.
Still have the game, got rid of the large box :)
@@BoardGameCo I havnt opened mine yet, im waiting for my gametheory table to arrive and hopefully that wont sit unopened for half a year :D
Nice video... but is just me that is missing timestamps?
Fixed it! I was missing the 00 one, you need that for it to show.
Sometimes you can just over think it.
I always overthink it :)
We need to talk about how to pronounce things :-) Not complaining either I’m just not sure if you say things incorrectly on purpose or not
And even Alex wants Devon to get a 🐹 🐹 🐹
Lol
These are the real keepers eh? The "real" top 10.
You got rid of Everdell?! Heresy!
I got it back!
Great games to get it back... ;-)
Yep :)
Are all these games 5/5 for you?
Xia is a Chinese name
in Chinese it's pronounced "She".
But for a board game outside China, say it however...
This may end up being the most famous hamster in the world! 😆 🐹 Edit: the scammers are back everyone, please be careful if approached saying your won!
Lol indeed
I think Boo the miniature giant space hamster will still hold that title, but a challenger for sure!
@@johnathanrhoades7751 and.. the google searches begin
I'd love to get my hands on Xia just without paying $200. :)
You can pick it up on the Arydia late pledge.
@@RottenJeeves Thanks. :)
A comment for the algorithm ;)
Ever since I noticed you doing this it makes me grin now when I see it again so consistently.
Also, response comment for the algorithm? Haha
@@codym6376 can i ask you why?
Response for the algorithm :)
@@BoardGameCo Quack!
Hey Alex. That bot scammer is in the comments again. If you check my comment from earlier you'll see it
Thanks!