Transcript
Speaker: Hello and welcome back to Mate Let's Play here with Steve and Shane. How are you doing Shane? I am very well, thank you Steve. um Happy Sunday morning to you. How are you doing mate? Yeah, yeah, peachy creamy. Had a good day at board games with my son yesterday, so that was fun. Hopefully heading around to friends house this afternoon to play some more games. So it's a games galore weekend.
Speaker: Game school all weekend, nice. My weekend so far has been made up of house hunting, and then hendy ending up in ah the Sunshine Coast, ah got a bud room there for a nice lunch with my mother and my stepfather, which was really nice.
Speaker: Had all the family there, which was good. And then today we're doing the same thing, we had another lunch with my son's girlfriend's mum, so... Yeah, cool. We're doing a lunch on the weekend, not on any board games, so...
Speaker: yeah i mean they don' hope It's been lovely. lovely. Yeah. Can't complain. Well, we are here to talk about board games, and boy, do we have some to talk about today. So first up, we're going to finalise our predictions from the awards that have been going on across the world. With the Dice Tower Awards being finalised, we're going to go through and see how good we are at predicting things.
Speaker: ah Not good. Spoiler. Yeah, was going to not good. um And then we're going to jump into our top 100 games of all time. So for those of you who have been listening to Shane and I waffle on about board games, either on this podcast or on the Chinwad podcast in the past, you'd know that we do a top 13 or a top 10 or last year we did a top 20.
Speaker: This is our first top 100, so it's going to take multiple episodes to get through. But as a little bit of a wrinkle, we're also going to talk about someone who we either play with or who listens to the podcast, someone else's top 10, just to get some other games that maybe we might not mention, maybe we will.
Speaker: um And just to yeah to talk about other games that aren't on our list that might be good, some that might not be. um I already know that there's one that i don't actively I actively dislike on the list we're going with today, so that'll be fun to chat about.
Speaker: But we won't try to yuck too many yums. we'll ah well We'll keep it mostly above board, but we'll see how we go. That's a great idea. I really like that idea. And, you know, we we are promising that we will be dropping these weekly.
Speaker: um There will be no full month delays between episodes. And then also, too, look, if anyone that is listening would like to add their top 10 in the list, because we do have a few, but we've probably got a couple of spots left that we can fill in for a couple of episodes, please reach out to Steve on himself, you know, either via Messenger or Facebook.
Speaker: Facebook for Steve, not for me, but Messenger, you should be able to get me. And we'll be able to, you know, put your top 10 list up in one of our episodes. Absolutely. Yeah, what we really ask is a top 10 with a little bit of a brief description as to why they are where they are. That's pretty much it.
Speaker: very basic. very very biy All right. Well, without any further ado, let's get in into the predictions outcomes. So if in case you missed it, Dicetar Awards were announced.
Speaker: And with Shane and I predicted some things. Not necessarily good things, but things. ah So I'll just quickly run through them. So the welcoming game, I went for Battle of Hoth. Shane went for Fliptoons, and Fliptoons got the win. So Shane gets a point.
Speaker: a Small publisher, we both went for Eternal Dex, but Luthier got it. um Strategy game, we both went Galactic Cruise and it won. So we both got a point there. So if you're keeping track, Shane's up 2-1.
Speaker: Best two-player game, I went for Zenith. Shane went for Battle of Hoth, but Tag Team won. Coincidentally, I've been playing Tag Team a bit lately. It's really good. If I had played it before, i probably would have voted for it. um Solo game was Unstoppable. I went for Unstoppable. You went for 20 strong and it was 20 strong.
Speaker: And then we had Innovative. We both went for Eternal Dex, but Vantage got it. um stupid that's dumb i shouldn't go advantage yeah i think i remember you saying at the start of that episode yeah i had to go back and listen to it again double check you did say vantage yeah you did say eternal decks because i i remember you saying vantage doesn't win that the list doesn't make sense something like that and then you chose eternal decks no i think that was i think i was saying that to about a solo game oh right okay which i think But then you've got a 20 strong and it won. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no. But I think that was another episode that I'm confusing myself now.
Speaker: Yeah. Oh, either way. We're getting there. ah Then we had the cooperative game. I went for the Lord of the Rings trick-taking and you went for Core of Discovery and the trick-taking game won it.
Speaker: Yeah. So point for me. Yes. Party game, we both went Hot Streak and Hot Streak won it. Theming, we both went Speakeasy, but Luthier won again. a New Designer, we both went Galactic Cruise and Galactic Cruise 1.
Speaker: Artwork, I went Emberleaf, you went Core of Discovery, but Critter Kitchen won. And match Reprint, we both went Magical Athlete. Magical Athlete won. ah Best Production, i went Elder Scrolls. You went Puerto Rico, but Luthier won again.
Speaker: And finally, Game of the Year, i went Eternal Dex. You went Vantage. And Galactic Cruise won. So it was definitely a ah a Galactic Cruise and Luthier list. They took out a lot of awards. They did, didn't they?
Speaker: Well done to Pavison Games and to Kinson Key, both small publishers too, which is cool. But overall, when you take that into consideration and our Golden Geek predictions into consideration, it is clear that Shane is more with the people than I am.
Speaker: out of it Out of a possible 29, I had nine and you had 11. Not even 50%.
Speaker: not even fifty percent That's not a pass. No. So that no one can accuse us of being like, you know, swayed by the masses as far as the games that we like or whatever else. them I mean, it was an interesting year for games too in the sense that I haven't played a lot of games from that was 2025.
Speaker: that as much as I have of other years, it's it's it's like, and it's probably going to be represented in my top 100 too, which we'll get to in a moment because we've got to do some predictions. But um yeah, I was, I played some really good games in 2025, but not a lot of games from 25. Does that make sense?
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it does make sense. And I think, you know, from memory, that's too new. I think I won it the last time we did this. Oh yeah, 100%. not doing well.
Speaker: I've gone back to back. come Back to back. Woo. If there's something to be celebrated out of that, that's it. All right. Well, um look, look i think I think we just we we we cut it there and go straight into our top 100s. What do you think?
Speaker: Oh, just before we do, I'm going to lay it a little bit. You mentioned Magical Athlete. Yeah. ah We played that on a Thursday night game night. Super fun.
Speaker: Yeah. but Dumb fun. It really is, hey. Like, it's just it is some of those powers are they're just awesome. Yeah, yeah. It was just, we were having it like, it was just quick. It was a quick game too.
Speaker: Four rounds. it Just stupid powers that come out. And I don't really liked it. I thought, geez, no wonder day everyone's raving about it. I can imagine it at eight players. so Eight players would be just nuts.
Speaker: Yeah. I think we played seven players on the cruise and it was, yeah, it was wild. It was just, that you just, you net you were never comfortable. like We had a couple, like I can't remember what all the other powers were, but one of them was out to a big lead, but then everyone just started gradually yeah pulling them back or vomiting back somewhere else or whatever else. It was just, you just it was it would almost like,
Speaker: It's a race, but it became a crawl because no one could get ahead. It was just continually being dragged back. so it was it' a I really want to play it with the family because i actually think the family would like it. I just haven't had the chance to. it yeah and just that You mentioned it. I thought I'm going to bring it up because we quickly played it. And um thanks to Asmodee because they gave us a copy to to utilize.
Speaker: And, God, it's great. Yeah. Really cool game. Recommend it. The other one I'll mention just quickly there too um is I had a go had a play of Fliptoons, which won the best welcoming game.
Speaker: And it was – I played it. A friend of mine um in the US invited me to a game on BGA, and I'm like, oh, sure, I guess I'll i'll have a quick look at the rules and play. I've that never played it. And my stupid board gamer, like, you know, hobbyist brain – thought I didn't understand it because there had to be something more to it and it wasn't and because there wasn't it was just a cool game like it's it's such a fun easy like basic deck builder game where essentially each of the cards you put out have a certain amount of points on them and then with that many points you can buy new card and then at the start of your round you must draw out six cards and then they have some powers that stack on other powers and stuff and you just um the first person to get to 30 wins basically
Speaker: and that's it. I was just like, oh yeah, but how do you, and no, no, you just play it. It's it's so simple and it's really fun. So I can fully understand why it won Best Welcoming Game.
Speaker: So I'll be up buying a copy next time I'm somewhere, yeah, where there's shops. And just to recap too, think I mentioned last episode, I'm in the Flip 7 tournament.
Speaker: Oh yeah, yeah. I've now had six turns. ah And we don't put out podcasts very often, so that's saying something. I've had six tenths.
Speaker: And you gave me a tip about making sure you when you have your turn, you do it really quick. Yeah. Yeah, I'm leading in that that count. So I think we've got about seven days left.
Speaker: And there's no way we're going to finish this game. oh Although I am leading and I am close. so And i did get I did get the two times card out, so you never know. I'm sitting on the two times card, but I've got a 10 and 11 now. I'm like, oh, do I go again?
Speaker: that's that's that's That's become my strategy with Flip 7 is whenever I've got two double-digit cards, I stop. that's i think that's someone else's strategy that you called out a few episodes ago. Yeah, yeah, it is.
Speaker: She was winning a lot of games. I don't
Speaker: know. Anyway, um but may may or may not get mentioned in the next few episodes, Flip 7. I imagine it probably will be, but you never know. Okay. Do we want to do our list of... Our predictions?
Speaker: Predictions? Yeah, yeah. Let's get into it, hey? Let's get into the episode. All righty-o. Cut to awesome new jingle. Thanks to Shane.
Speaker: Roll the dice, pack your bags, let the countdown begin. Shane and Steve's top 100, who's gonna win? Will Steve crown a feast for Odin his number one prize? Or will shit, real confusion take Shane by surprise?
Speaker: Let the countdown swing!
Speaker: Righty-o. Fantastic work, Shane. I didn't know you could sing like that. That's amazing. yeah Yeah, I've got some skills. But you on the trumpet, that was something else. yeah ah don't Don't forget the trombone.
Speaker: so Yeah. ah So what would a hot what would our hottest 100, probably can't legally use that term, what would a top 100 be without some predictions prior to starting? So Shane and I have shared six questions we're going to ask of each other and we're going to see how many we can get right. So we'll start it off with how many games will be new to the list? 80.
Speaker: why
Speaker: Because I've never done the top 100. Oh, that's a good point. Yeah, that's going make it hard. See, I've got to predict your number. um So that's, yeah, that is true.
Speaker: just got eighty um Yeah, go 80. Yeah, maybe that's a null and void question. How about we go, how many how many games have been you to the top 10? Top 10, okay. Top 10. Oh, new to the top 10.
Speaker: Food for you? Yeah. I'm going to predict...
Speaker: I'm going to two. Two? I was actually thinking two for you as well. So we're both predicting two, to the new to the top ten. um All right. Which designer will have the most games in the list and how many?
Speaker: My prediction for you is Martin Wallace. Just putting that in there. But I'm interested to know what your prediction for me would be.
Speaker: Okay. I'm going to go.
Speaker: Definitely not going to be Shem. Shem's too easy.
Speaker: I'm
Speaker: going to go Jamie Stegmar. Stegmar games. Oh, Jamie. Rightio. Oops, can't spell. Either that or maybe they'd Rosenberg.
Speaker: And what about how many? I'm going to go for like seven. That's a lot. i go I'll go seven Martin Wallace games. How many Jamie Stegmaier games do reckon I'll have? Three.
Speaker: Okay. What will be the highest ranked new game to the list and what number will it reach? ah This is a really hard one for us to predict because, as mentioned previously, we don't do a lot of my episodes. So it's only been like six episodes since our last top 10. So it hasn't been a lot of games talked about.
Speaker: um But I did think you you, I think it's only been in the last year that you've played Great Western Trail. And you seem to like it.
Speaker: So I'm going to say Great Western Trail, and I'm going to say it's going to be like maybe 21. Okay. right. For you, wow.
Speaker: What have you been liking?
Speaker: Eternal Dex. Eternal Dex is going to be in there. And I'm going to say it'll be around 16. 16.
Speaker: sixty Okay. All right. How many crossovers and, if any, how many direct crossovers? Okay. So crossovers, I'm going to say we're going to have at least 22.
Speaker: 22? like it. Direct, so is another same number? Same number, yeah. Oh, shit. No, we're not going to have any.
Speaker: For funsies, I'm going to say two. I'm going 16 crossovers and two direct crossovers. I'm going to go one.
Speaker: All right. How many games in the list were published in either 2025 or 2026? For you?
Speaker: you Yeah.
Speaker: Three. Okay. And for you, just going to go two. and don't think you've been playing a lot. the new stuff oh yeah i'll stick with two and of course the most important question what is my number one game
Speaker: slide okay and i i struggle with this one because i'm like is is is big shoulders gonna go again and I don't think it will. I don't know. I got a feeling.
Speaker: So I'm going to predict something different, and um I'm going to go Ark Morpock. Ark Morpock. Okay. Very good.
Speaker: All right, there you have it. There i are predictions for the top 100. So we are pretty much ready to go. The only thing else to discuss is the top 10 list. And we're starting off with the top 10 list from Manuel.
Speaker: Manuel is a one of my regular board gaming group members up here in Bemiga. Awesome bloke from Portugal. His wife is from Peru. but partner. I don't think they're married, actually. And we play games with both of them a lot. So I asked asked him for a top 10 list. What was that? Sorry, Shane?
Speaker: Oh, no, I asked him for a top 10 list and they're pretty, not and I wouldn't say they're new to the hobby, but they're new to the expanded hobby, I guess is probably a good way of putting it. um But in true board gamer fashion, I asked for a top 10.
Speaker: He's given me 11 games and three honorable mentions. So just quickly, his honorable mentions are Scythe, Last Light, and My Father's Work. And his reasoning for them not being in the top 10 is that he's only played each of them once.
Speaker: He loved them, but he's only played them once. So he didn't want to include them. And I guess he's number 11 is worth chatting about, which is Codenames. Great game for lots of people who don't really play board games, which is a very, very accurate description of Codenames.
Speaker: yeah So in between each number, we'll hear from Manuel's top 10 list and we'll have a bit of a chat about what he mentions and see whether we agree or disagree. And yeah, and I guess we'll do the same for our top 100. Sounds good. Sounds good to play it.
Speaker: Rightio. Well, let's without further ado, let's get into it and start with number 100. Do you want to go first or you want me to kick it off? You can kick it off, mate. All right. Well, my number 100, for the maths nerds out there, the square root of 100 is 10, and this is 10 days in the USA. So that kind of worked out well.
Speaker: 10 days, it's definitely, it needs to be said too, and we talked about this, this is why we're doing the top 100, is that Unlike any other year, and it'll progressively get more so small more like this as the years go on, I love my top 100 games. Like, they're all bangers. In fact, if i had if I only had my 101 to 200 in my collection, that would also be ah an amazing collection of board games. So there's just so many good games out there. So making number 100 is awesome, I think. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, 10 Days in the USA, a little card um trading game, I guess. Not in the sense of like ah a collectible card game, but you have a set of 10 cards and you just switch out cards for other cards and you're trying to make a map, a route across America. That's not why it's in the list. The reason it's in the list is because this is one of Seb's favorite games and he doesn't like a lot of board games. So whenever he's home, we always play this multiple times, runs pretty quick. uh it's a bit of good fun gives you that you know we're all travel nerds in my family so it gives us that kind of you know historical like oh i remember when we went there on our holiday kind of vibe so yeah it's a great game easy alan moon design same guy who designed ticket to ride so worthy of its spot 10 days in the usa number 10 100 sorry
Speaker: fantastic Good start. Well, I am suppose I better mention how I came up with my 100 list before I get to my number 100. But I built myself up a bit of a ranking engine in Excel.
Speaker: And I suppose it would be very similar to that other website, but I thought I'd just try one myself. And I utilised the um ELO ratings that they use for chess, so match-ups.
Speaker: And, yeah, they've come up with my top 100. So it was about 600 predictions that I had to go through and select winners. And I did it twice as well just to see how how it mapped out.
Speaker: Yeah, so we used that word math. And actually the top 10 was bang on. It didn't shift. Oh, sorry. It wasn't bang on. It's a few games shifted.
Speaker: And then I went, okay, well, that second time I did it, it's probably closer to my top 10. in ranking. So that's what I've kept. I've kept everything that's been done from this ranking engine. So after all of that waffle, um my number 100 is a Garfield game. um And it is a Sam Phillips game.
Speaker: And that is Circadian's Chaos Order. Chaos Order, nice. Chaos Order made the list. It is, you know, it gives you that Terra Mystica vibes. slash everyone's going up against each other um player powers as well and um really cool game i played it a lot online and versus me actually owning the game i don't think i've actually played the physical game in a while but it was played a lot on online and when it was first released so
Speaker: Chaos Luna is my number 100. It's a lot going on in the game too. it's yeah I don't know if you've played it, Steve. but I have. i've i've only played it once. I i mean, area control is not one of my favourite types of games. So it's it's probably one of my less favourited games by Garfield Games, but I didn't really appreciate the Garfieldness about it in comparison to other um area control games, if that makes sense.
Speaker: Yep. That does make sense. Yep. My number 100. Congratulations, Garfield Games. You're in there. Excellent. So we go back to Manuel's list for his number 10, and his number 10 is Dixit.
Speaker: He says, a game with images and intuition only, as well as a bit of personal relationship input. Really like it for a more relaxed gameplay. Again, cannot argue. is He's very good at describing exactly how good a game is and much more cleaner and quicker than i do. So,
Speaker: I don't know if that's good for a podcast or bad, but we'll see. Well, I don't know if that's good for us because he's explaining the games better than we eat do. so That is true. ah So moving on to number 99.
Speaker: My number 99 is polyomino placement game, and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last on the list. And this one is a um one I played a few years ago and I couldn't get a copy of for ages. And I got a copy last year and played it a few times with Helen and Raf, and they both really like it as well. so And that is Project L.
Speaker: okay So really good game when you're just trying to fill tiles. Those tiles give you more tiles. Some tiles give you victory points. Go. Simple, easy, good fun projectile.
Speaker: Lovely. I doubt that's going to be the last Poly don't know game mentioned by you. I'd be very surprised. My number 99 is a game I was actually teaching at Game Days a while back, probably a couple of years ago when it first came out.
Speaker: um And that's Harmonies. yeah Harmonies is ah a good little game. It's actually a welcoming game, I think. It's something that's nice and easy to play. and And, know, those tiles look fantastic um when they come out on the board. So, yeah, number 99, Harmonies.
Speaker: Yeah, fantastic. Great game. And number nine for Manuel is Catan. Always feels right for an easygoing mood. I like what they did with the Cities and Knights expansion, the green box.
Speaker: It adds the layer of complexity the game needed. Well, this is where Manuel and I disagree. yes But to be fair, i haven't played with the green box. So maybe maybe that's because that's what the game needed, like he said.
Speaker: i don't know. But Catan for me is half an hour of fun and then an hour and a half of waiting for it to end. that's That would be how I would describe it. I have never played it.
Speaker: think what I have played recently though is Catan on the road. And that is pretty cool. I really liked that. It's a great airport game. So yeah. yeah yeah but I think I'll ever play it to be honest with It's just, it does not interest me in that game. Yeah. It,
Speaker: i played I've played it a couple of times. I played the new edition. We got sent a new edition from Asmodee for our podcast a while back. And it was like it was one of those things where I was just going, i was playing it. I'm going, why did i why have I not played this game more often? it's it's I'm really enjoying what's happening here. And then because it's a race to 10 points in a four-player game, it just becomes a king-making game where you're just you're not trying to win anymore. You're just stopping the person who's closest to winning from winning.
Speaker: And it just goes on and on. It's going, hurry up. I'm so i'm changing now. I'm just giving you whatever you need to finish. Let's get it going. I think I donated that to probably one of our local gaming groups that game. So I didn't even play it.
Speaker: Okay, so that was his number nine or number eight? His number nine. We're on to number 98. And I asked, I said that this might be mentioned and we're already here.
Speaker: Flip seven is my number 98. a Great little game. It's on here probably because it's of its 65 plays, um which is a fair few plays for a game that hasn't been out that long.
Speaker: And that's it's just so easy to hit the table. One of those games that can be played with any type of gamer, whether that be someone who isn't a gamer right through to someone who is a seasoned gamer. There's something for everyone there. And if there isn't, it's over in 10 minutes. So it's not the end of the world if they don't like it.
Speaker: And there's strategy there. Absolutely, yeah. definitely Definitely not just a luck game. It's a push your luck game for sure, but you you can, if you push your luck all the time, you will rarely, rarely win.
Speaker: Yeah, correct. Nice. My number 98. Now, this game would be higher if it didn't take so bloody long. like e Aesthetically, the board looks amazing.
Speaker: um If you get all the blinged out pieces, looks great. And that is Abomination. Yeah, yep. Where you're digging up body parts, selling body parts, and if you get those upgraded pieces and of the body parts, in that it it looks really cool.
Speaker: But it takes three and a half hours easily, and it's just too long. They need to speed it up. But I think they brought in an expansion that does speed it up.
Speaker: Yeah. I think there was unofficial rules that took about an hour and a half off the game that now that the publishers have actually adopted as the rules. i Okay.
Speaker: Well, maybe I need to get a copy of that because I have it in my collection. I've played it a few times. I really like it, but you deem you do need to set aside three hours. Yeah.
Speaker: My number 98 is Abomination. Macabre game. Back to Manuel's list. And again, in typical board gamer fashion, he's put two games in his number eight spot and he's doing all the things.
Speaker: ah Number eight for him is Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and Happy Salmon. These two are the funnest quick, simple rules games.
Speaker: Hard to argue again. I don't know if I'd ever put them either on either of them on my list, but they they have their place. You know, we've had blood on the table during a game of Taco Cat in our family. So, you ah Again, two two games i haven't played.
Speaker: Yeah. i mean It's definitely worth – I've never played Happy Semen, but I've heard good things. Like I've heard it's just a fun time. But yeah, Tarko Cat, it's all right. It's fine. Yeah.
Speaker: Good laugh. All right. Moving on to our number 97. This one it's jumped around a bit. The first year it came out, it was right up there at like number 34, think.
Speaker: It's also my first John D. Clare game in the list. So will GDC be the biggest? We don't know. We'll see. But bad this is Ready, Set, Bet.
Speaker: So it's ah it's probably lower on the list purely because of the type of game it is. It means it doesn't get to table that often because it's a great game to play with a big group of people.
Speaker: Yeah. I rarely have big groups of people to play games with. I've got a game day coming up in a couple of weeks. forre doing RUAK to play up here. Oh, fantastic. It's definitely going to get played then. Games like that, Hot Street, Magical Athlete, they'll get many rotations. So be interesting to see what my opinion is of it after that. But great fun.
Speaker: I love running it as much as playing it. And we use the app sometimes, but sometimes I try and do the the rolling of the dice myself, yeah which I always regret halfway through the first round. so But no, great fun and just had lots of times where we've had it, went the like when we played it with people who don't normally play board games and they're always like, oh, this is this is something else. like it's it's It's the start of something else. that's That's how I look it. I remember playing that when it first came out. We we used to have a game night at the Aspie Tavern and people were coming up to our tables as we were playing it and they weren't board gamers and they said, what's this game? yeah and
Speaker: it is It is fun. um It's not in my one hundred didn't you?
Speaker: Spoiler alert. All right. So what is your number 97 then if it is not reset bet? My number 97. um It's a game where if you have, if you stuff up your first turn, you might as well sit there for the next hour and a half twiddling your thumbs because you won't get a win.
Speaker: Um, And it is brutal, it's mean. Food Chain Magnate is my number 97. It'd be higher on the list if I played it more, but you need that right group.
Speaker: You need the right group to play this game. yeah And apparently, like all the upgrade the upgrade lot they just did on GameFound, it's getting slammed.
Speaker: they They're saying your mails will just keep the the original version you've got instead of upgrading. Apparently the upgraded pieces apparently look like just something that's just 3D printed.
Speaker: So, Food Chain Maygate, my number 97. I did end up selling my copy because I just wasn't getting it to the table ages ago and it was a full-on regret.
Speaker: And lo and behold, it was my birthday, we're my birthday this year. um lauren bought it for my birthday so it's back in the collection so you chain back that yeah i'll have to play that again i i didn't play a full game when i first played it and that's the only play i've had of it so i would definitely like to try it again does say it sound interesting enough for sure that's good it's very good ah Manuel's number seven is his introduction to real board games. Let's see if it's if you can guess what game it is from what I say. My introduction to real board games.
Speaker: One can tell is old. However, it has a nice production and buildings line with nice interactions between players, each of the different phases that are not too aggressive but still interactive enough.
Speaker: Endemic? It is puerto Rico. but Excellent. Puerto Rico. Yeah. So he he raves about that. And it is. it It's the first game, well, the first noticeable game, I guess, that did that whole thing where one person chooses an action and everyone gets the benefit.
Speaker: Yep. And you just get a better benefit being the person who chooses it. And games that do that, I love games that do that. so Yeah, I agree. So I got homage to Puerto Rico too. Great game. Great choice, Manuel. Yeah.
Speaker: All right, number 96 is ah the second game in my list that starts with a number, and the first one was 10 Days in the USA, and they are the only two the only two games in my entire list that start with a number, and it is Seven Wonders Duel.
Speaker: Oh, wow. thought that would have been higher. Yeah, well, there might be a reason for that. We'll get to it later. but The whole Seven Wonders like line of games have really surprised me in the last... I've gone back to start to playing Seven Wonders again. i really like Seven Wonders Architects, but Seven Wonders Duel is my favourite. Seven Wonders Dice is really good too, um but Duel is the best of all of those Seven Wonders games, I think. Just that... ah that multiple paths to victory where you think you're on the, know, you think you're doing well, you've got a lot of victory points in the bag and then suddenly someone wins on science and you just go, well, I've just wasted everything I've been doing to this point.
Speaker: So you've really got to keep, when I say someone, obviously it's the other person because it's a two-player game. You've really got to keep your tabs on what your opponent is doing. You can't just run your race. So great game.
Speaker: Seven wonders jewel, my number 96.
Speaker: Or if you're like you and I when we played that Seven Wonders, Duel Lord the Rings version. and We both didn't realise that I won about three turns prior. yeah Anyway, number 96 for me is my first two-player game.
Speaker: Two-player card game. you know It's a bit of an I pick, you choose mechanism. um hanamakoji is number 96. such an easy game to pull out over in about 10 minutes you start again over in about 10 minutes start again 96 hanamakoji yeah you showed me that game and i proudly own a copy of it now and it's yeah it's it fits in my ah airport my airport games another great airport game perfect airport game
Speaker: yeah Manuel's number six is Wingspan, a game that allows very interesting strategies without being too complex with beautiful art. That's lovely art. Our podcast would be much quicker if we got Manuel to do the writing.
Speaker: Straight and to the point. Yeah. All right, moving on to number 95. This is a game that I have played the basic version with you. And to be honest, I don't really rate the basic version different to the Royale version. need it easier to get the Royale version. Well, that's changing i think they're bringing back the original. But Las Vegas Royale is my number 95. That's a Rudy Godorn game. I think it might be my only Rudy Godorn game in the list.
Speaker: uh but just it's just a lot of fun it's roll dice put them in places win money if you have the most of that your color dice in one section but the best thing about the game we all say is that idea that if people tie for first they both knock each other out and the next person in line gets it which just makes placing the dice so much fun and especially when they play with the double die so it counts as two so then you can really screw people up by just throwing that on somewhere Yeah, great fun. it's It's almost more fun stopping other people from getting money than getting enough money to win yourself.
Speaker: Absolutely. And again, another game that's over in about 15 minutes. Yeah. Good dice-chucking fun. um Absolutely agree with that one. It's ah you know's talking about your are you okay to play day. If you've got a ready, set, bet, then you go to Las Vegas, where you can make a little mini casino going on. and That's it.
Speaker: Yeah, absolutely. Good choice. Good choice. It's um the other thing I love, like Las Vegas Royale just brings those little mini games for each of the spots, which makes the lower value dice numbers more valuable, I guess. And that's great.
Speaker: But it's also, it's no more great than just the base game. Like it's, it's fun stuff to add and feel free to add it. But if you don't add it, you're still going to have a great time. So I don't think the base game has that larger, a cute, larger dice. So, which counts. Oh, okay.
Speaker: didn't. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, so you roll the larger dice and it counts as two, as if you've got two dice in there. Because that larger dice, you always hold on to that one to the last roll and you see you can stuff up.
Speaker: Great choice. My number 95 is a game that when it came out was extremely controversial um and it didn't... fall off It funded, completely funded. It was very popular.
Speaker: But no games got delivered. And then people were buying the game, like me, off of Amazon. um But it's an awesome solo game. And I enjoy playing it. I do enjoy playing it when I'm just sitting there. like, what game am going to play? I'm going play this game. Unbroken is my number 95.
Speaker: Really good boss battler for solo play. um And very enjoyable. Yeah, it's yeah got all the wrong press. um And part of it is a little bit comical that the game is called Unbroken and all these issues with delivery. I think, has it been resolved? Yeah, I'm not too sure. I think so.
Speaker: and He did bring out another game through that that one that's on one group that's on I'm trying think of the gentleman's name now.
Speaker: But anyway, he did bring out another game just recently. Oh, like the Gabe Barrett, like Solar Game the Month. yeah, Solar Game of the Month. He did do a Solar Game of the Month just recently, which I was tempted to get.
Speaker: no, unbroken. Number 95. Okay, back to Manuel. And look, i I agree wholeheartedly with this choice, which is Clank. The cubes for likelihood of damage rather than straight damage. Building the deck as you delve into the dungeon. It's like an RPG mixed with card collection slash deck building.
Speaker: And he did say that that's Clank. Any Clank. We play a lot of Clank Catacombs up here. so yeah um But yeah, Clank's great. Clank is a game that will appear on my list at some point.
Speaker: Yeah, might appear on my list at some point too. Yeah, great choice, Benwell. Excellent. I like to think that I'm involved in that decision at some point, which is cool.
Speaker: All right, moving on to number 94, and it's a pretty obvious one when you say it is the oldest game in my list by a fair smattering by nearly 100 years, and that is Crokinole.
Speaker: there's There's no game that brings about sledging faster than Crokinole. And I don't lean in the board games. I mean games in general. I i have never come across a game where 30 seconds in, you need to have like parental control warnings on on the language that's coming out of people's mouths during that game. It's great.
Speaker: Well, currently that's set up on our dining table. Yeah. My two sons and my son's girlfriend are sitting there playing it. Most days you'll hear them playing away.
Speaker: then And then Anarchy comes up to me and she goes, is there anything that we can put on the table to make it go faster, slide it faster? Do we have any cloths or anything like that? asna We just need to polish it up a bit.
Speaker: Yeah, get get the ah the butter polish out and polish both the chips and the table so it's running like 100 miles an hour. That'd be great. Yeah, because what do they use? They use this fine sand, I think, don't they normally?
Speaker: i I don't know what type of board you've got, but the one I got, they just said to use a particular car polish that doesn't have any chemicals whatever in it. And the one I've got is like a butter polish, and it it the it works.
Speaker: It definitely works. All right, I'm going get some butter polish. Good choice. All right, so your number 94. 94 is another card game. Good fun to play with multiple people.
Speaker: um And it's one of my games which starts with a number, and that is Six Nibd. yeah Such a fun card game, and I think I've played it once at eight players, and it was just brilliant.
Speaker: Yeah. Brilliant. Yeah. It's one of those games where real the play count almost doesn't matter. Like it's it's fun at three or four because you have more control, but then at nine or 10, it's that wacky that it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. See what happens?
Speaker: Yeah. Great game. Nice easy game to talk about. Six minutes. ah Now, Manuel's number four. Now, obviously, this is his top 10. So the games from here on out are pretty, you pretty specky for him.
Speaker: Number four is a game that is a game that he and I, I did introduce him to. And he, his wife or partner and I, my wife play a lot. And that's Wonderland's War.
Speaker: So his his words for Wonderland's War are, it's such an epic game with very asymmetrical characters to play with and a cool battle system with a blend of luck and strategy with a drawing of chips from the back.
Speaker: Yep. Couldn't agree more. It's just a bugger to set up, that's all. Yeah. Worth it though. Payoffs worth it, I feel. It's worth the set up time.
Speaker: Like I can say, you know, spoiler alert, that will it will appear on my list. Well, I can tell you, spoiler alert, that we will have a crossover, at least one. There go.
Speaker: All right, moving on to number 93. It's another John D. Clare game. Oh, yeah. This one is a game that I ranked really highly um first. I think it might have even broken the top 10.
Speaker: um potentially at one point. And it's just ah it's just a factor of it never getting to the table because it is a bit of, it's not so much a bear to set up.
Speaker: it's It's a big box. I've got all the expansions, which has hurt it. We're going to actually talk about this one one episode. We never got to it. But this idea that sometimes expansions can actually bury games because it becomes too much. to And it's become one of those games. And I'm very much,
Speaker: you know, waiting for the the perfect storm where this game gets played like seven times in a row and it'll jump back up into my top 10. But Dead Reckoning is at 93. I feel almost sad to say it because I know it's a great game, but I just haven't played it in like two years.
Speaker: So, and and that's the reason why. So as good as it can be, it's not good enough to make me want to get it off the shelf. So, Dead Reckoning um embarrassingly sits at 93 for me, which is a 54-spot slide from last year.
Speaker: But like I said, I'm pretty sure it's been in the top 10 when it first came out. So, yeah, it was probably the last time I played it. It must be a John D. Clare thing because I was like that with Edge of Darkness. Yeah. It's such a massive game and you need the right people to play it.
Speaker: And, look, I owned it for, oh, jeez, four years. And I think I declared it once in that four-year time frame. So I no longer own it, which is a bit of a shame because I do like John Declare games.
Speaker: Yeah. m Very good. Well, there are plenty of them. Yeah, well, there we go. I think you just you're throwing in a rabbit there. um Line number 93 has already been spoken about.
Speaker: Crossover! Maybe. In some some form. In some form it's been spoken about. And it is a ah game, but it's this particular version of that game that i like, and that's Clank in Space.
Speaker: Oh, nice. Yeah. I think Manuel described it perfectly, so I'm just going to leave it at that. But Clank in Space is my favourite version of those games because it's just, I like sci-fi. Cool.
Speaker: And you can just link it in, have a bit of a chuckle. Great deck builder. and uh fun clanking space number 93 crossover it's the only version of clink that i haven't played actually is clanking space ah yeah i'm i'm sure it's the same though because every version of clink you've got to read the flavor text on the cards yeah you do yeah yeah great choice um i'm sure as yeah for a game i've not played um Let's go to Manuel's number three. This is when mayowuwell ran mellonite yeah when Manuel and I disagree. I fully understand he's number three, but I do not support it because it is another another money pit that I don't need because I'm already a board game hobbyist.
Speaker: So his number three is Magic the Gathering. He says the possible combinations in the deck building, the five colors and elements, each with their their characteristic traits, the art, the mana that increases with each turn, the deep strategy that comes with timing, when to defend from attacks, when to save mana in our turn to play an instant spell like a trap or surprise, and the bluff that comes with that.
Speaker: Now that all sounds great, and I'm sure my magic is great, but my my two concerns with magic, and I'm going to become a hypocrite later in the list when I say this, but... i don't I don't like supporting trading card games because they are just a big money pit. And the bottom line is the more money you spend, the more money you spend, the better you'll be because you'll get the better cardts and better cards.
Speaker: Yes, you can be a better player, but it's always that thing where it's like, oh, you play Magic a lot. Oh, will you teach me? Yes, but I'll thrash you. That's, yeah, I don't love that about games. But, you I am wrong. It's the most popular TCG in the history of... It's an entire industry. It's not even... you know it's It's its own thing. So, yeah, i I'll hopefully say that I'm in the wrong there, but I our will yuck on Manuel's yum when it comes to Magic the Gathering.
Speaker: ah I'm yet to play it, although Phil is very good at it, lucky for him. And he has promised to teach me it as well. He's got plenty of Magic decks, so I'm looking forward to learning it.
Speaker: All right, on to our second last game of the list of this top 100 to 91. And this game is on my list because i haven't played it many times. In fact, I've played it three times.
Speaker: so But each of those times has been super memorable. And it's just, i've played it twice in Australia and once with people overseas. And it's funnier with Australians because we're crass and we think the word root is hilarious, um where other people just think it's something to do with growing vegetation. um But this is broom service.
Speaker: There's something about being a um ah cowardly rude elf or whatever it is that just flows so well in Australia. Maybe not elsewhere. it's A little hornbag elf.
Speaker: What a great game. like that i Like absolutely dripping with strategy in this ridiculous game that you wouldn't – no one looks at it and goes, what a highly strategic game. But it is because that idea that you – if you can choose to be um string strong – strong?
Speaker: oh No, I can't remember. Strong – um Cowardly, it's cowardly and brave joly and brave, right? So if you choose to be brave, that's great. But if someone, anyone goes brave after you, you get nothing. But if you go cowardly, you get something small.
Speaker: So, but the the thing about that is if you go brave, then you start the next round, which means you can almost certainly never go brave twice in row. So it has this great thing where it's like, yeah, you might get the good stuff now, but then you're stuck. Like you're stuck in the wrong end of that circle for a while. So a really cool game. I want to play it more. I don't own it. um But if I did, it'd it be another one of those.
Speaker: Friday night, have a laugh, hour on the table. It's got to be the best game for that in regards to like alex Alexander Pfister games too. like Nothing else he's done is anything like broom service. so it's um I couldn't agree with you more.
Speaker: I really enjoy playing the game. You can be so mean to people. Yeah. evening fun Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, Brimset. It's great choice. I own it. Proudly own it.
Speaker: um i wish I wish I knew you didn't own it because I did see it at a recent board game sale. would picked it up for you. It'll get to the collection one day for sure.
Speaker: Good choice. My number 92, again, there's lots of additions of this same game or alterations of this same game. And it's I feel like it's an entry-level game for people that are new the hobby um and where you are building cards, basically.
Speaker: And that is a Century Golem Edition. So there's different types of there century, is it Century Spice Road? Yeah, yeah. And then, but Century Golem Edition is my favourite of the a lot because of the nice little crystals you get. It does look nice on the table, so you're collecting different crystals, different colours to build golems.
Speaker: That's pretty much it. And bringing golems, big giants kind of coming into your into your hand. Yeah, great game. i haven't played it in ages. I should definitely get that back to the table. It's nice and easy.
Speaker: It's just anyone that's new a board game, it's quick teach. And it looks nice. looks really nice on the table. Yeah. Great artwork.
Speaker: All right. Now, Manuel's number two Similar to his number three, this is its own thing. It's almost like i even say i even said to him, you can include it on your list because it's it's hobby it's part of our hobby, but it's it's almost hobby adjacent because it's so big.
Speaker: And that is Dungeons & Dragons. So love the imaginative group creation when everyone is fully committed to the story, especially if whatever is said on the table instantly becomes in-game reality.
Speaker: That as the main focus with the calculations and stats describing the outcomes is the perfect balance between creativity and world game uncertainty.
Speaker: Great description again. Yeah.
Speaker: It's ah it's just just another world that I've never really ventured down, which, you know, I've made this statement before, but when I was a kid in high school, that I was a nerd. That was pretty clear.
Speaker: But it was almost like you had to be either 500 nerd, a Dungeons and Dragons nerd, or a poker nerd. And I was a 500 nerd. And because of that, I thought all Dungeons and Dragons people were nerds.
Speaker: But I was just as much of a nerd just in a different hobby. So it's, um yeah, it's yeah like sitting there with my one deck of playing cards, you know, talking about tricks and left and right hand bowers and stuff, laughing at the people who are being super creative and going on adventures. Yeah. Cause I'm the nerd.
Speaker: Cause they're the nerds. Yeah. So, but yeah, I wish, I wish I was into D&D, you know, in a way. but i've I've done a D&D game once.
Speaker: and it was ah We got taught by a dungeon master at a game night. And I can say I've at least done it once. And I've said I'll never do it again.
Speaker: I'll never do it again. I've done it once. I'll never do it again. I'm not someone that likes that creative banter on a table and talking. and yeah Hence why I hate a game.
Speaker: right So it's it's not up there with that game, but I just won't do that again. I just didn't enjoy it. I remember once um when I was down in Brisbane for a conference through work, I went to Vault Games back on its old location um and I joined a one-shot D&D night and this person handed me a character sheet and I was a robot.
Speaker: So we started playing and I started talking and they're like, no, you're a robot. You've got to do a robot voice. And I'm like, all right, two things are going to happen here. Either this is my robot voice and I'm a really advanced robot or I no longer play. I stand up now and walk away. See,
Speaker: it's how I felt. It's how I felt as well. i Like I'm not, no, I'm not into that stuff. Yeah. All right. Yeah, here we are. Number 91. This is the second oldest game on my list. And it's not quite a hundred years older, not quite as a hundred years younger than Crokinole.
Speaker: Of course, ah the version I played is not the the published game that came out in the 70s, but the 2000, probably the 2008, going to guess, version. I've only played this game once, but what a story.
Speaker: Taught to me by Tom Vassell at Dice Tower Retreat with, I think, seven other players. This is Cosmic Encounter. Yeah. I can't. It might even be higher if I played it more, but it might be lower because that experience is kind of like I almost want to keep it as the one time I play the game.
Speaker: So it we it wasn't just because it was Tom teaching his favorite game to me. It was more that what happened in that game was nuts. It was, I can't imagine it being recreated.
Speaker: anywhere up to that level again. So someone who really knows the game in inside and out like him, being able to tailor the game to suit a new audience, yeah, it was outstanding. So Cosming in Encounter, 91 after one play. Did he break Vassal's Law?
Speaker: ah Well, he yeah, he didn't win. He very much had a hand in who did win. Oh.
Speaker: yeah it's ah that's that's great you know That's almost retire the game. to to To play that game with him would be awesome. And to have it such a memorable game too. like Not just because it was him. that just yeah i feel like it could never be replicated or better.
Speaker: Every time I've played that game, it's it's it's like TO4. There's lots of memorable moments. yeah Great. Good choice. My number 91, again, is a beast of a game.
Speaker: i love the it mechanics in this game, although it just doesn't hit the table. I wish it would, and that is Gloomhaven. Probably one of the most attractive games when you've got it all out, like getting out all your miniatures, and when you do set it up, you leave it set up for a good couple of weeks because it's just such a beast to pack away in.
Speaker: and set me back up. so But Gloomhaven, number 91, it would be higher if I ever played it more because I'd really like it. Really like it.
Speaker: Yeah, no complaints from me. Great game. Former number one. Will it be there again? Who knows? No. All right. And then finally, Manuel's number one game of all time. And this this will ah this will put him firmly in a place in your heart for sure.
Speaker: His number one game is chess. Hey, good He says, elegant and deep, thousands of years old, the concept of pieces with different values based on their mo movement pattern and check checkmate dynamics and the depth of the game that it gets to.
Speaker: But just a little side note, Manuel, for a while there, Raf was getting right into chess and they were both on chess.com and they started playing games against each other, which was kind of a cool thing um to happen.
Speaker: um Both Rafael and Manuel would absolutely whoop me in chess. It's not one of my favorite games. I understand it's brilliance and all that, but it also falls into that matter mode of if you play chess, you're better at chess than me.
Speaker: And that's just, that's just how it's going to be. yeah Unless I play chess a lot, um that's always going to be the case. Yeah. But yeah I mean, you can learn, you can learn it from their strategies as well though. Right. That's the, by playing good players, you learn.
Speaker: Yeah, for sure. Good players will actually show you as well. Um, yeah, they'll, they'll teach you along the way. Um, yeah, I love chess. Great choice. Um, I did get this week, chess joker.
Speaker: oh Yeah, so happy. Actually, i should shout out, Manuel has a website that is called, what's it called? Chess Multiverse.
Speaker: And it's basically a website where you can go on and, ah from my understanding, you can go on and design alternative rule sets for chess and playtest them and have people give you feedback and whatnot.
Speaker: which sounds super interesting. So um ah chess I think it's chessmultiverse.net. So shout out. I didn't even think of that until I was just talking. so yeah, shout out to Manuel's website. Go and check it out. If you're a chess player, you might find some cool little niche versions, which obviously Chess Joker is a niche version. So you might find something similar to that.
Speaker: Yep. And by the way, the Chess Joker, whilst it looked horrible, in the YouTube clip on the How to Play It that we saw ages ago.
Speaker: version itself is really good. Wooden pieces, some wooden tokens that form the pieces. Nice neoprene mat, really nicely done cards. So it's not eaten in Australia. I did get it from a US store, but I'm super happy that it's arrived. So I doubt there's another coffee in Australia, to be honest with you, because not many people know about it.
Speaker: Yeah. and And you're right, when you showed the photo of it, I didn't even pick up that it was the same game because I'm pretty sure the version we looked at we had a black box and it was like done in in Microsoft Paint almost.
Speaker: But the one you've got looks like a normal game. It looks fine. Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it looks really good. Yeah. and Well, that brings us to the end of this episode and the end of our 100 to 91. So tune in next week, officially next week, when we will be doing our next group of games. So thank you very much for listening. Thank you, Shane.
Speaker: Thank you, mate. Thank you. And next week we are going to our special guest top 10 list will be Andy. Andy from our Thursday night game crew. So he's given me a list. It's not in a top 10, so I will just put it in some order.
Speaker: I won't call it from 10 to 1, but we'll end with potentially what will be his number one game. Outstanding. And if you're, and a big shout out to Manuel too. Thanks for providing that list. He was, it's one of those things when you ask some someone on for a list like that, you don't know whether you're just going to get like just a, no, and that's not really my thing or I don't like doing lists whatever. And he just produced a list with a whole bunch of, you reasons why. I'm like, that's perfect. It's literally what we're after. So thanks Manuel. Hope you enjoyed listening to your list back and don't take my criticisms of Magic the Gathering too harshly.
Speaker: No, no, great list Manuel. And, um, two yeah We do have two more slots left. If anyone wants to chuck in their top 10 list, please don't hesitate to reach out. All right. Well, on that note, almost being on an hour, we will catch you on the next episode. Thanks, Shane. Thanks, mate. Have a good week.
