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Episode 22: Our top 20-11 of all time
37 Plays16 days ago
Shane and Steve take a break from their regular format to bring you their top 20 games of all time. In this episode they count down 20-11, with a few surprises in the countdown already.
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Transcript
Introduction and Brisbane Weather
00:00:15
Speaker
Hello welcome to Meet Let's Play, a special episode number one of two and a break from our regular programming. How are you doing Shane? Mate, I'm fantastic on this Sunday morning, nice bright and early, 7.30am.
00:00:31
Speaker
No breakfast has been had, however coffee is in front of me so I'm happy mate. I'm happy but it's bloody humid here in Brizzy. We've had some storms and As you commented before, yep, you've got the whirling fan and above my head.
00:00:46
Speaker
Yeah. Well, ah in the news update, breakfast has happened up here. Lovely avocado on toast with the poached egg. It was beautiful. but Yeah, nice.
00:00:57
Speaker
And just on the weather, every day, every single day, i get a notification on my phone saying extreme heat will end tomorrow. I've got that same message for the last four weeks every day. So I don't know when the extreme heat will end, but it certainly won't be tomorrow.
00:01:11
Speaker
But every day, it feels like 42. just yeah yes But we're not here to talk about
Top 20 Board Games Countdown Begins
00:01:18
Speaker
weather. We are here to talk about board games and not just any board games. So a regular break a break from our regular programming. We're not doing the the BGG ah the next year of ah yeah the 10 games from 2021, I think we're up to.
00:01:32
Speaker
We are doing our top 20 of all time. And today's episode will be the top 20 to 11. The games that just quite weren't good enough to crack the top 10 but are still outstanding games.
00:01:44
Speaker
um Just a little side note. and i do this I've been doing this the last couple of years. We've been doing a list. I go and I look at my games that are number 100 to 110, and I'm like, that could be 10. yeah that could be my top ten like played that many games now that that's a super solid list sitting at a hundred to 110. um,
00:02:03
Speaker
um it's, it's when I first did a top 100, it was like, I was putting games in there that I thought were okay, but now there's games that don't make the list that are amazing. So you had a similar feeling.
00:02:17
Speaker
Uh, I think my whole list is amazing games to be honest with uh, yeah. Um, that's just me being biased, but, um,
00:02:29
Speaker
ah There's not much change in my list though. Yeah. Well, I've got... I'm just doing a last minute edit now to it, to be honest with you. As you were talking, I'm just doing a last minute edit. Yeah, I had a look at... There's one game in particular like, that seems a bit low. But then I look at all the games above it and I'm going, no, no, that's where it needs to be. So it's... Yeah, I'm a bit the same. only got one I think we both only got one new game to the list.
00:02:51
Speaker
yeah And by that, I mean every other game has been in a, yeah like I have played previously and rated. um But I will say that last year, the the the highest ranked game with the lowest ranked from last year was 45 last year. So it's gone from 45 to in the top 20 somewhere. So there's been a movement at movement at the station, but only the one new game, which I'm sure be to pick up when I get to it.
00:03:18
Speaker
yeah I've had one game drop out. Completely, and that's only because I i get to play it. i And I've got to be in a real mood to play it as well, um because it's it's played a lot on game day, I think you might be shocked at the end when you ask me what game it is that's dropped out in my top 20. Fair enough.
Exclusion of Legacy Games Explained
00:03:39
Speaker
I'm sure people will say you're an idiot. Yeah. ah Well, the other thing is, like I did last year, I'm also not including ah legacy games, but i did but I did rank them, but then I'm not including them. So no ticket to ride legacy, no neither of the clinks, and no pandemic legacy are in the list.
00:03:58
Speaker
Some of them would have been if I did include them. i just It's just one of those things where I kind of look at this list as games that I would just love to play, and I don't need to play them anymore because they're done. So I don't really want to include them in the list, but yeah.
00:04:11
Speaker
I will say and we say one thing, though. One of my games is not here in Australia yet. Okay. But it's made my top 20 because I'm playing the hell out of it on an app.
00:04:23
Speaker
Oh, I know what game. I bet you I know what game that is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's just not here yet. And hopefully, hopefully, my good man, Pastor Nick, is in the US at the moment, and hopefully he can get me a copy.
00:04:35
Speaker
Yeah, nice.
Birthday Plans and Board Game Celebrations
00:04:37
Speaker
All right, well, I think we just get into it, eh, without any further ado. Yeah, let's get into it. Before we do, though, um happy birthday, mate. It is your birthday weekend.
00:04:47
Speaker
It is, yeah. Well, it was a few days ago, but yeah, thank you. It's a happy birthday. and Big 44, like that means anything. No, it's 44. um what What are your plans for today?
00:04:59
Speaker
Board games, pretty much. So um I think but I'm tempted. We haven't finished Clank 2, Clank Legacy 2. I am tempted just to smash that out. But I'm also like, I want some variability. So I'm thinking Emberleaf. I might try and play Emberleaf, bit Bomb Busters.
00:05:17
Speaker
um Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, maybe some, I don't know. i i don't know. I want variety, but at the same time, I want to finish the Legacy game before we go away on holidays. So yeah that's probably worth mentioning too off the top that we are doing our top 20 of all time because i I'll be away for the basically the six weeks over Christmas. So probably do this episode and then I'll 10 to 1 and then likely take a break for six weeks or so.
00:05:44
Speaker
over the Christmas period. So, and then we'll get back to our BGG list next year. Well, you did mention to me, you know, off before we started the pod that, you know, you are having some of your favorite foods today. So what are your favorite foods? What's, what's hitting the table?
00:05:58
Speaker
ah Well, i had you hu avocado and post egg toast as previously mentioned. yeah um And then what are we doing? Cause my wife asked me what I wanted and I really hit a blank and now I'm kind of oh i'm doing ramen for lunch.
00:06:13
Speaker
Nice. um What did we end up doing for dinner? Oh, and then um a meal. It's not ah not necessarily my favourite meals, but also meals that Helen doesn't like because she never cooks them.
00:06:25
Speaker
So one of those is nachos. So we're doing nachos for dinner. Oh, great. Great. Happy birthday, mate. Cheers. All right. I think it's time. Number 20.
00:06:36
Speaker
Oh, sure. Before we do, ah do i do.
Mystic Lands Kickstarter Excitement
00:06:39
Speaker
I have stumbled on Kickstarter. Oh, okay. Yeah. don't know if I mentioned that first because I know it's rare. It's very rare. Okay. I stumbled on a Kickstarter, but I thought I'd just mention it's got six days to go. It's John DeClaire, who you and I both think is a fantastic ball game designer.
00:06:58
Speaker
um And yeah I think I own a fair few of his games. I'm pretty sure you do too. There's a new game out that he's done called Mystic Lands. Yeah, I saw that. It looks spectacular.
00:07:10
Speaker
It's a pushy luck, card drafting, deck builder, and first to 25 points wins the game. um the The actual card crafting that you're doing, the artwork looks amazing.
00:07:28
Speaker
um I actually instantly thought of Helen, because I know Helen loves her artwork. and um But this game... ah It's $152, which is a little bit steep, I thought. But if you like Mystic Veil, Edge of Darkness, ah where you are doing those those ah know clear plastic sleeves over the top of the card and building the strength of the card, this is it. Yeah.
00:07:55
Speaker
aye it's um It's like obviously Dead Reckoning has that same card crafting, but this is built in the Mystic Vale world, Edge of Darkness world, right? Is that the case? that's correct. wo Yeah, it is, yeah.
00:08:08
Speaker
i haven't pulled the trigger on it yet, but I'm highly likely going to because, you know, I do have quite a few of his games sitting in my collection. Don't know if I mentioned it in my last episode, but I did back the Wonderlands War duel game. Yes, I did. Yeah, yeah.
00:08:25
Speaker
I don't know whether that's finished or not yet, but that's probably my latest Kickstarter splurge. So, yeah. There wasn't much else on Kickstarter, so I just thought ah I'd call that one out quickly and and then we can get into our top 20. Definitely did pique my interest, that one.
00:08:40
Speaker
All right.
Games Ranked 20: Expressions & Fishing
00:08:41
Speaker
Well, how are we going to do this? Are we going to roll for placement or are you just happy to go last and i'll go first? Yeah, let's do that. It's your birthday. right. bit That way you can finish off with your number one next step next week.
00:08:55
Speaker
All right. So my number 20, small box game that I've had for a couple of years now. And I still love getting this game out. This is like I've found that I've been playing a lot more small box card games, um probably because I'm playing a lot of games with people who are new to the hobby up here.
00:09:15
Speaker
But this is also one that I pulled out at game days. I pulled out at a game day with you um and I can't get enough of it. I just, I love how brain melty it is and that's expressions.
00:09:27
Speaker
Yep. Great game. Yeah. Top game. It's just, it's it's one of those, it's on BGA, but it's so much harder on BGA. ah You don't get that, you know, that table talk, not table talk, but like that, even just the the mannerisms and whatnot to pick up on. And the game is called Expressions. So you kind of need that, but still it's so, but it really is thrives in person with loads of people and Yeah, great game. And still a little bit hard to get. You can get it on Amazon.
00:09:56
Speaker
um But, yeah, a little game cut from Barnmade Games. So, yeah, Expressions, my number 20.
00:10:05
Speaker
That is a great game. i um I haven't played it with a big group, though. That's what i'm hanging out to do because i think I've only really played it on BGA. think you're right.
00:10:16
Speaker
Although we still do pretty well on BGA with it. Yeah. though we can't see each other's faces. Yeah, we do lose probably more than we win, but it's close. Yeah.
00:10:27
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. ah Good choice. My number 20 is the game that I don't own yet, yet, and I'm playing the hell out of it on the app, and that's the new Friedman Freeze Fishing.
00:10:42
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Great card game, and, you know, they're so popular at the moment, these styles of card games. So... but this is just a little bit different where you're actually building up.
00:10:55
Speaker
ah the fee If if you actually losing, losing rounds and losing, um, you're building up your strength of your hand. Um, and so what you really want to do in the in the start is, you try and win at least one or two rounds and then lose a stack.
00:11:11
Speaker
Cause then you, you know, you're really thinning out your deck and then building up your deck with these really more powerful cards. Um, that's going to help you win more in the later rounds. Um, But yeah, really good.
00:11:22
Speaker
I recommend it. I played it in Sydney. and Someone actually had a live version of the game and I was hooked straight away. I'd been hanging out to play it for ages. And then I found there's an app.
00:11:36
Speaker
And yeah, I've been playing the hell out of this app. It's been great. Fishing, free and freeze. Yeah, nice. I remember you talking about that after you got back from the, what was that? The PlayCon.
00:11:50
Speaker
Yeah, play kind down in the zimmer, yeah. yeah All right, my number 19 was number 10 last year, so i it's dropped off a little bit, but that's not really and any indication of anything. that This top 20 is almost interchangeable, 1 to 20. So Hadrian's Wall is my number 19.
Games Ranked 19: Hadrian's Wall & War Chest
00:12:08
Speaker
ah My favourite, Roll and Write by, or Flip and Write or Verb and Write, whatever you want to call it, by a country mile. It's actually ah a genre of games that I'm not a big fan of. ah But this one, it's so it's just so good. And i I got the Anarchy and I played it and I sold it. It just wasn't, didn't hit the was going you, because that's meant to be.
00:12:29
Speaker
and Yeah, it's it's honestly, what it brings that Hadrian's Wall doesn't have is it brings too much randomness. Things that you can't control or you can't plan for. Where in Hadrian's Wall, everything just everything that goes against you, you sit there and go, yeah, I should have planned for that.
00:12:47
Speaker
Like, you know, you know that you could have done something about it. Except for like if you had a crazy attack, but... um Yeah, Hadrian's Wall is just so good. And I will say it's excellent on the table, um but it is one of those games that is outstanding on BGA because in the end you only play seven turns, but your turns are so meaty that when it is your turn, you're like,
00:13:09
Speaker
cool sit down for 10 minutes and play my one turn on BGA as opposed to many other BGA games where you're literally going oh I'll take that cart move on you're like right this is my Hadrian's warm moment and yeah it's something to look forward to and you're right because even in when you're on BGA you've almost there's probably the only one where I've actually used the notes section to say this is what I'm planning to do because it may be a few days before you get your next turn That's true. Because I don't want to rush it. so So I am using my notes section I play it. yeah
00:13:42
Speaker
I am tempted, because I um would love to get like an, to be print that, um print the two together and then expand it out to A3, laminate it, and then have this big A3 sheet of just your Hadrian's Wall and then just have a whiteboard mark or whatever.
00:14:02
Speaker
That'd be a great way to play it as well. Yeah, that's true. For sure. aye Yeah, good choice. um the nineteen um Number number 19. It's actually another AEG game. Given we just saw that joint as we're clear.
00:14:17
Speaker
More chest. War Chess is fantastic game. I love chess. um I do love chess. It's not even in my top 20.
00:14:29
Speaker
um But ah War Chess is you know my basically my version of chess in my top 20. Just those poker chips and they're nice and meaty. And you've got to strategize against your other player.
00:14:41
Speaker
Get all the expansions because they just add so much more to the game. It's brilliant. It's like battle chess. It is pretty much battle chess, but with poker chips. It's great. I saw um there was a guy in Tassie who was selling his whole lot because I still haven't played it, but I feel everything I've heard, I feel like it'd be a game that Raph and I would love.
00:14:59
Speaker
Yes, that you both would love, yes. Yeah. And um so I said, oh, look, I'll buy it off you. And he's like, oh, I'm really looking for pickup first. And I'm like, oh, okay, well, just so you know, I'm happy to pay for shipping, um you know, whatever. And then he gets back to me and says, nah, someone's picking it up tomorrow. like, ah!
00:15:13
Speaker
So, yeah, I'll get it to the table at some point. I'll find someone. I'll pop around your place and steal your copy. Yeah, yeah, anytime, anytime. Yeah, cool. That's probably one of my most anticipated games to play, that one, I'd say, at the moment.
00:15:30
Speaker
it It is just cool. I mean, you love your Too Many Bones. um You love your Hoplomarchus, which is what a similar type of thing. Cloud Spire. They're they're all those battle poker chips.
00:15:43
Speaker
And Orchester does it more like chess. Fair enough. All right, number 18 for me is a game that has been in my top 10 a few times. It's actually been in my top 30 since I first played it, which was back in 2020. Yeah.
00:16:02
Speaker
And it's a game, I've actually combined the two versions of the game here rather than have two separate entries. And it's a game that is synonymous with you and I, and that is Dune Imperium, number 18.
Games Ranked 18: Dune Imperium & Nova Roma
00:16:14
Speaker
ah Fantastic game. it's It's probably suffered from just not hitting the table. has It hasn't moved on my desk, on my be on my yeah shelf all year, and I should probably fix that. But, yeah, so I'm sure when I get it played back to the table again, I'll be like, oh, I forgot how great this game is. But, yeah, I mean, still 18 out of 500 and something is pretty decent. So, yeah, Dunimperium, my number 18. That is the game that dropped out of my top 20. Oh, really?
00:16:42
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. and yeah just not getting to To your point, it's just not getting to the table. Even though when I make game days, people invite me to come and play it. and I've got to be in Headspace to play it too because I love the game.
00:16:57
Speaker
But I like Marble 20. It dropped out. Yes, it's a problem when games just... There's so many great games that... great it's Yeah, it's great games that miss out. Like, my number 21 was Brass Birmingham.
00:17:11
Speaker
Like... yeah that that's a game that should theoretically be in my list, but it just didn't make the list. Yeah, it should be in my list too, but I don't even think it's in my, it wouldn't be in my top 30.
00:17:24
Speaker
thirty Yeah. um All right, and my number 18, in fact, actually, before I do that, you know what, I'm going to, going make that my next game that we play for a month for my Thursday and night game night. will be June Imperium with the guys. So see if comes back.
00:17:44
Speaker
Anyway, my number 18, the same as my number 18 from the last time I did my top 20. It hasn't moved at all. And that's Nova Roma. It's just such a cool game.
00:17:57
Speaker
Whenever we get together as a group with Shane and Ingrid, they always say, bring Nova Roma. Yeah. And I was meant to be at a game day yesterday. And even even then, oh, could you bring Nova Roma?
00:18:10
Speaker
So, yeah, Nova Roma, number 18. Great game. Yeah, excellent. A game I bought after playing it with you. um And i I still haven't gotten it to the table since I bought it. I need to fix that.
00:18:27
Speaker
My number, what are we up to? 17. 17 is the new game to my list.
Games Ranked 17: Slay the Spire & Acquire
00:18:32
Speaker
um It's a game that I played on my birthday with my son pretty much much all of the day. And it is an adaptation of a video game, although the video game is essentially a board game. It's essentially a card game as a video game, and that is Slay the Spire. Yeah, it's popular game, that one.
00:18:50
Speaker
It's so good. And and to be honest, there's one slight production issue, but um the um the company have sent out new sleeves for me. So the sleeves peel, but apparently they've fixed that problem and you can get new sleeves. But as aside of that,
00:19:08
Speaker
Everything works so well. It gives you the feel of Slay the Spire, the video game, except I actually enjoy the board game a lot more because it's you're doing the card crafting rather than pressing a button to upgrade a card. Like you're you're the one who's taking cards and choosing them from the shop and it has a good flow to it.
00:19:26
Speaker
um Every time we played it, we've played right through until we die. So that's like multiple acts rather than just one, you one play the first act and then pack it up. We play the first act.
00:19:37
Speaker
If we win that, we go on the second act. if we win that, we go on the third act. And um we have, we, do we do feet? No, we lost two that we lost again.
00:19:48
Speaker
So we haven't actually beaten the Act 3 boss. We've lost. yeah But we've got to the Act 3 boss the last two times and haven't made it. so But that's about five hours of gameplay to get to the Act 3 boss.
00:20:01
Speaker
It's awesome. Good one. It is popular out there. ah I've still yet to play it. I haven't even played it on the app. It is very good. On both. Board game or app. Great game.
00:20:15
Speaker
um My number 17 is also new to the list. Okay. And it's the only game that as soon as I finished playing it, actually I think it was even halfway through playing it, I was searching out for the game itself to buy. Yeah, I was there. And um so I thought, geez, I haven't done that for a while.
00:20:36
Speaker
And every time I play this game, I have a great time. And, you know, again, we learned this game with Pastor Nick, who just taught us off the very vintage, like 1960s copy of this game.
00:20:49
Speaker
and um And that's Acquire. Yeah, cool. Acquire is such a cool game. Something that's, you know so ah so old to hold out through the ages. And I've got the Renegade a copy of Acquire, which is an anniversary version. So everything is blinged out.
00:21:06
Speaker
And you've got these really nice poker chips in there as well. um But really fun game. Yeah, fair enough. Another one us haven't played yet. Oh, totally recommend it. we'llll We'll add that to list when get to next. Yeah, we're going be playing 40 games, I think, when we get together. You do need a few people to play. You need at least four people to play it because yeah okay ah you want it you want to get really ah crammed on the board. you know i don't think it would play very well at all with two or even three. Okay.
00:21:37
Speaker
okay um Just hearing that and knowing it's an economic game, my head immediately goes to something like smartphone where you want to play that at full player counts to get that real feeling of shrinking board.
00:21:49
Speaker
yeah Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. Similar to Power Grid, right? Power Grid, you you cannot play at two players. You do need to full max player count is the best way to play that because the board shrinks really fast.
00:22:02
Speaker
Yeah, cool. All right, well, my number 16 has been on the list for a few years now, and it's the most overproduced game i
Games Ranked 16: Foundations of Rome & Vindication
00:22:12
Speaker
own. ah ah shouldn't say overproduced. It's just beautifully produced, and it actually makes the game, it makes it easy to set up, and it makes it excellent to play, and that's Foundations of Rome.
00:22:23
Speaker
Isn't it a beast to set up though? No, no, not at all. it's It's actually really easy because how it sets up in a box, you literally just pull out a tray and give it to someone and they're ready to go. Like there's no player set up. There's a bit of board set up, but that takes like two minutes.
00:22:37
Speaker
um Literally the tray that you get, is also like when you place a building out, it tells you underneath that building how much victory points it's worth, how much commerce, how much like whatever that building is giving you for building.
00:22:50
Speaker
So you actually play out of the tray that you get given at the start. So it really is just set up like, you know, from the shelf to playing your first turn is probably about eight or nine minutes. and Okay. Yeah. so Yeah, really, really good. that The way they did it is really excellent. So, yeah, and it's, you know, take away the mass overproduction. Like if you look at something like Foundations of Metropolis, which is the same game, but with tiles instead of all the big minis and stuff, it's just a great game. Like it's a really excellent bidding area management kind of game that –
00:23:23
Speaker
um You can be mean if you want, yeah but sometimes that's to your own detriment. So you've got to be sensible with how mean you want to be. You can leave each other alone for a bit, but after a while you can't, a bit like what we're talking before, like a shrinking board. yeah You're running out of space real quick. So yeah, great game.
00:23:40
Speaker
And I wish I could bring it to more places to play it, but given that I live where I live, it can't fit in a suitcase to come down to Brisbane. So it's a game I'll play in my house and my house only.
00:23:52
Speaker
so Yeah. Again, I haven't played it, so I might search that out at the game day, I think. Hmm. There you go. number 16, just slipped back slightly.
00:24:05
Speaker
think it was number 14 prior, and that is Vindication. um Only because, again, we haven't got it to the table that much since our first initial play.
00:24:17
Speaker
Really good game, though. Really good game. Very much enjoy playing it. And I'm actually trying to track down the solo the variant expansion that comes with it.
00:24:31
Speaker
My Vindication copy doesn't have the solo expansion in there. So I am on the lookout for the solo expansion because that's how I think I'll probably get to the table more. I'm sure I could probably look up BGG and it'd have the solo rules there.
00:24:44
Speaker
I've got to track it down. But I don't know if there's any, you know, certain parts that might be missing from that. are you up against Are you up against ah another AI or the AI, for example? So I will look out for it.
00:24:57
Speaker
Yeah, number 16, vindication. Cool. ah My number 15, it entered my first first year I had
Games Ranked 15: Thunder Road Vendetta & Steam Power
00:25:07
Speaker
this on my list. It came in at number eight, and it's never been out of the top 10 until today. So it's dropped out of the top 10.
00:25:13
Speaker
um And i based I don't know what I attribute that to, because I have played it a couple of times this year. I think probably the expansion hurt it. like And don't know why that... like I just don't play with the expansion. um And that's Thunder Road Vendetta.
00:25:27
Speaker
Yeah. i I love that game so much, but um the Carnival of Chaos expansion was kind of a dud. So it's it's soured the game a little bit for me. Like every time I open the box, that all that stuff's on the top of the box and I'm like, ah move it to the side and get to the real game.
00:25:44
Speaker
And I don't know whether that's the reason, like something so small as that as to why it's dropped, but it's still, this this is a game that I will pull out whenever there's a certain type of person that wants to play this sort of game. Like, and you can tell they're just like,
00:25:58
Speaker
They don't want to play Euros. They want to play something fun that is somewhat, still somewhat tactical, that is just kind of you know, dumb fun. Yeah, just silly fun. this is This is that game. This is the game that you you do not play to win the race. You play to do as much carnage as you possibly can. And it every now and again, you just need a game like that. Yeah.
00:26:20
Speaker
I've still yet to play it. Again, i was watching something on the Dice Tower. don't know if it was the Dice Tower News. I think it was. I don't know if you've seen it yet, but there's a game that's coming out that they're putting it close to Thunder Road Vendetta, but it's factions. You're going up against factions.
00:26:41
Speaker
and they're saying it's it's just like that type of game where it's just silly fun yeah and you're doing these stupid moves against the other factions and other people um i just can't think of the name of it right now but apparently it's coming out and they they've all just said yes thunder road vendetta like a card game of it okay yeah right i haven't seen that interesting and um my number 15 Now, I had this dueled with something else and now I've split it out. It's standing on its own.
00:27:14
Speaker
ah The last time I did my top 20, it is my first Martin Wallace game in my list. um And you would probably mention you remember a few years ago when I first started playtesting this game, it was it made my top 10.
00:27:31
Speaker
And it was at that stage, I think, just pieces of paper. So... um It's number 15, that's Steam Power. I can see this going up the list.
00:27:42
Speaker
um Steam Power is so much fun. Again, board shrinking type of game. um And you've just got to make sure you not understand all the little rules so you don't stuff up a game. but We did it a game night when I was teaching Shane, Ingrid and Kevi on how to play. And we got to a certain point, Phil was playing too, where we thought,
00:28:05
Speaker
Hang on, I think we've broken the game because there's nothing else we can do here and we can't win. No one can win this game. And, yeah, I forgot a stupid bloody rule. So if I actually knew that rule, I probably would have finished the game earlier. But, yeah, Stain Powers, it's so good.
00:28:20
Speaker
It's so good. Totally recommend it. Yeah, it is a good game. And it's a it's a train game that you can pull out with people who don't like train games. It is, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:32
Speaker
yeah It's no you know no buying shares and tracks, no buying this and that. It's just building goals.
00:28:40
Speaker
Well, my number 14, I have the last six years, I've toiled over what Garfield game is my favourite Garfield game.
Games Ranked 14: Paladins of the West Kingdom & Oh My Goods
00:28:54
Speaker
And there has been times in the past where I've had three or four Garfield games in my top 20 or even three in my top 10 for a period there. ah But when it all shakes down, this is my favorite Garfield game, ah which means everyone else is all the other ones are not on the list.
00:29:11
Speaker
But Paladins of the West Kingdom is my number 14. it just it is the one that I will always go back to and play. Like I i can play it solo. You can play it with two players.
00:29:24
Speaker
does it You can play it with more, but you don't need to. And it's much easier to get a two-player game to the table than it is for like architects where you need four or five. and And it's just, it does so, people say it's one of their heavier ones and I understand that, but I feel like as opposed to something like Scholars or even Wayfarers,
00:29:45
Speaker
Once you understand paladins, you no longer have to learn anything. Like you don't have to every every every decision you make is on your board with the same mechanisms each time where in Wayfarers, you may come across a card that you need to...
00:30:02
Speaker
refresh yourself with or whatever else nothing major but i feel like paladins is such a clean design once you understand the basic mechanics yes it's difficult but then you're off you're set you're away yeah um i do know my brother who loves this game he says that he reckons the expansion ruins it i disagree i quite like the expansion and but i would only I would only play the expansion with someone who, who was also played the base game a lot. I would never introduce the expansion first time up with somebody.
00:30:29
Speaker
So yeah. Paladins just a great, just a great game. Yeah. It is. It is. I agree with you. Uh, that'd be just outside of my top 20 Paladins.
00:30:43
Speaker
Um, that's far solo goes, it'd probably be in my top 10 solo games. Yeah. Good one, mate. My number 14 is a little card game.
00:31:00
Speaker
And it's just such a fun card game. I played a lot with my ball game group, when we when we especially when we go away on retreats. And it's Oh My Goods.
00:31:11
Speaker
Oh, yeah, cool. Like a little card and card game where you are you know, building an, you know, it's a bit of an engine. It is an engine builder where you, you know, you're building the engine in front of you and then you're triggering to get more cars, get more coins as they call them.
00:31:26
Speaker
And then you buy, buy more cards. The goal is, you know, yeah actually the goal is to play it really fast and try and end the game quickly because it annoys Pastor Nick when do that cause he's building up a really cool engine. Yeah.
00:31:43
Speaker
Because the last time we played it, we were at the retreat and he said, oh, I said, oh, that's it. Played my last game. That's it. That's the end game. He goes, are you sure you want to play that card right now?
00:31:55
Speaker
He was building a wild engine. and think you think he's still dark about that, but it does. It's a ton.
00:32:04
Speaker
ah Fantastic. I love things like that, that um that game, ah morpo which I'm assuming we'll probably hear about later. Like that that whole thing of not knowing when the game will end and then someone, whatever whatever their path to victory shows up and you're just like, oh, but do you have to do it now? Like, can you not?
00:32:22
Speaker
Yeah. Only because it's ruining your theory. But anyway. Number 13, lucky 13 for me is a game that when I first played it, I ranked it 191 out of about 250
Games Ranked 13: Castles of Burgundy & Kanban EV
00:32:37
Speaker
games. So wasn't necessarily something I highly regarded, but then something changed when I played it with my good friends, Joe and Shannon from Emerald, when they brought out the beautiful awakened realms, blinged up version. And I realized that I'm shallow and production matters.
00:32:53
Speaker
ah and that is Castles of Burgundy Special Edition. Just an amazing game that I didn't appreciate when I first played, and I can now play any version of it and I have a great time, but that that beautiful Awakened Realms version just makes it sing. So there we go, number 13.
00:33:13
Speaker
thirteen Yes, that beautiful Awakened Realms version sits right behind me, and God, it looks nice when it gets out. Oh, yeah. and yeah I know it's not Awaken Realms, but I think there's a game found at the moment for Terra Mystica. Have you seen that?
00:33:32
Speaker
Yeah, have seen that, yeah. It's blinged out. Yeah. For Terra Mystica fans. and I'm interested because Terra Mystica was like, I don't know how you'd bling it out, but obviously they have. But you know what I mean like I never looked at it when it's an ugly game, but i also i don't know what components you would... Anyway.
00:33:52
Speaker
yeah like It looks great. I mean, I've got everything for Terra Mystica. It's a that's good game. um What are at? thirteen 13.
00:34:04
Speaker
13? 13. My only brain-burning game on my list, I feel. It'd have to be my only brain-burner. Yeah, it's my only brain-burner. The actual brain-burner.
00:34:16
Speaker
Vital Lacerda as well. Kanban EV. Hasn't moved. It was 13 last list. 13 this list. It's my by far my favourite Vital Lacerda. I just love it.
00:34:30
Speaker
It's really good game. and Still yet to master it, only because I don't play it that often. It's just once every now and then we say, it let's do Kanban EV. Generally by the second round I've remembered all the rules again in your head.
00:34:45
Speaker
and And off I go with it. Yeah, it's a great game. It'll be my – that or escape plans by number one Lucerta game for sure. Yeah. I'm hoping they both get beaten by Speakeasy though since I backed it and it's turning up soon. but I have a little bit of FOMO with Speakeasy. and So i'm I'm looking forward to playing someone's copy.
00:35:05
Speaker
My only thing that stopped me from backing Speakeasy was that you you couldn't. blow each other up or you couldn't go in. and you know there's you know, there's no battle even. Yeah, yeah.
00:35:17
Speaker
In a Mafia game, it does seem a bit strange. Yeah, but anyway. number is a game that is Is in its own right number 12, but also I guess kind of represents um a bunch of other versions of this
Games Ranked 12: Clink Catacombs & Too Many Bones
00:35:33
Speaker
genre. But um either way, i had all of those other versions when I was choosing my top 20, and this was the one that came out on top, and that is Clink Catacombs.
00:35:44
Speaker
My favorite way to play Clink. I'm very disappointed in myself because i got all excited when they had the expansion go up on Kickstarter. So I backed it and then I realized there was two expansions. So i backed both expansions.
00:35:56
Speaker
I need to find out that one of those expansions was actually readily available. But now that I've paid for it through the Kickstarter, I'm now waiting for a year, a year and a half to get it. I could already have it. Slightly annoying, but it's okay because the game varies varies up the map so much that you could just play it all the time and it's going to be different every time. So um but it's not like you need to add variation to it. It's already got plenty of that built in. So Clank Catacombs, basically Clank, except you build the map as you go rather than having the set map.
00:36:26
Speaker
So, yeah, that's Marma 12. Good choice. Never played it, but I do like the Clank system. I've got Clank in space. I enjoy playing that one. ah My number 12, the main version of this game is just such a beast to get to the table.
00:36:44
Speaker
And when you get it the table, to leave it set up for a couple of days, so you can play a few times. It was former number one, but I play it quite a lot in this new variant that they delivered in a card game of it.
00:37:00
Speaker
And that is Too Many Bones. Yeah. The 20-strong version of Too Many Bones is cool. It just gives you that little mini, little mini if you've got, you know, an hour set aside, you can quickly bang out a quick game of 20-strong.
00:37:15
Speaker
But then I also, too, still use the chips from Too Many Bones as well just to give that that full variant, you know, of of the experience. Yeah.
00:37:27
Speaker
But, you know, too many bones in itself, though, it will never drop out of my top 20 because when I do play it and I'm playing it solo, it's just such a great experience where you can leave a game set up for pretty much a whole week and just keep going.
00:37:43
Speaker
that Yeah, the biggest barrier to too many bones is too many bones, I feel. Because it's such a great game, but it's not just the large setup and the big box. It's also the amount of different little keywords and rules that if you don't leave it set up and you pull it out once every blue moon, you're like, I've got to relearn basically. Yeah, got to relearn it again.
00:38:06
Speaker
Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Good choice. Great choice. Too many bones. All right, well, this this has gone pretty quick. We're already up to our last game for this this set.
00:38:18
Speaker
That's a good episode. We can do a 40-minute episode every now and then. Yeah, yeah. And this one, I'll finish. It's funny. I felt like, and I guess it'll probably show itself a little bit more in the top 10, but this year i kind of felt like there was a lot of littler games that got up on my list, but I've just gone through the last few and it's like,
00:38:37
Speaker
Clink Catacombs, Castles of Burgundy, Thunder Road Vendetta, Foundations of Rome, Slave of Spire, Dune Imperium. None of those are small games. And this one is the
Games Ranked 11: Andromeda's Edge & Raiders of the North Sea
00:38:45
Speaker
biggest of the lot. Oh, maybe the second biggest. Foundations Rome is probably the biggest.
00:38:49
Speaker
But Andromeda's Edge is my number 11. Yes. how I love it. Yeah, yeah. It's just the same, you know, the Dune Imperium problem. it's It's hard to table. And similar to what you're saying with too Many Bones, when it tables, Raph and I play it four or five times in a row and we'll love it.
00:39:05
Speaker
And then we'll pack it up and then it'll sit on the shelf for too long. I do feel like it's a game need to get out with some of the people that I've... introduced to board games up here because some of them are looking for that more strategic game that still is just crazy fun. Like they're not Euro gamers, but at the same time, they're not just smash them up kind of gamers either. so this kind of, they need to have a theme that they can get behind, but they also need good mechanics. And I feel like this is probably, you know, you know for lack of better term, almost the end game for that.
00:39:39
Speaker
You know, this this is the perfect blended game. So, yeah, I can see it jumping back into the top 10 real easy if it gets played a bit more next year. But, um yeah, number 11 is no mean feat. It's still, you and I love, I really enjoy the, yeah The BGA adaptation, it does need a little bit of work. I think it's still in alpha mode, but um this it's such a big game and they've done a really good job where otherwise other games that are huge, even Scythe, I really dislike the Scythe adaptation on BGA.
00:40:15
Speaker
um and this game has more going on than Scythe, so i was worried that it's going to be too convoluted, but it actually flows quite well. It's just got a few little bugs to sort out, but, um yeah, the ability to play this more often on BGA will probably help it next year.
00:40:33
Speaker
Nice. so I actually thought that would definitely be up there in your top five, that one. Top five's pretty strong, man, pretty strong. ah I would say probably the five best games of all time.
00:40:46
Speaker
Oh, there you go. Who would have thought? My number 11 is a Garfield game. And it's not my only Garfield game on my list.
00:41:00
Speaker
But I just, I got back playing this teaching my um nephew, my young nephew. um And, you know, we play it.
00:41:13
Speaker
a lot through the app together. So, you know, he's he's in South Australia and I'm here. And, he you know, he loves the game. Or whenever I go down to Adelaide, oh, can we play this?
00:41:28
Speaker
Yes, we can, absolutely. The first thing he says before even the hello, can we play this? And when they came up to Brizzy, he actually played the the live version of it. And then when I was at PlayCon, ended up teaching Shane and Ingrid as well And they they loved it.
00:41:46
Speaker
um And that is Raiders of the North Sea. Yeah, great game. Such a good game. i The solo variant as well is brilliant.
00:41:57
Speaker
um you've got to have You've got to have the cards, which I think you can get the cards at the moment through Garfield Games, they're their online shop. They've re-released them. um But, you know, I've got everything for it as well.
00:42:12
Speaker
So totally recommend it. If you've never played Raiders of North Sea, go and grab it. um Because it's brilliant. Really good game. So simple.
00:42:24
Speaker
Yep. And everyone says, oh, you need to play it with the expansions. But... yes, that's the expansions make it a better game, but learning the game, playing the base version, it's so simple. And then you can have the expansions later and it all makes sense.
00:42:41
Speaker
Throwing all the expansions that at once might not be the greatest idea. I think it still holds up really well as the base game. Yep. I agree. I agree. That's it.
00:42:53
Speaker
ah Tend to go. Tend to go. And, um, Yeah, look, there's going to be no surprises in my top bit ten, but there's, you know, there's shuffles. There's shuffles.
00:43:04
Speaker
Yeah, I've got a few shuffles. i can tell i can say that in my top ten, actually there are five games that were in my top ten last year.
00:43:16
Speaker
um So I've got two new ones in my top ten. No, three. No, two. Two new ones in my top ten. And the rest are just shuffled. So yeah, well, I've got five that were in my top 10 last year.
00:43:29
Speaker
I don't think any of them, uh, no, that's not true. But, uh, yeah, Hadrian's wall was the, so every game that was in my top 10 last year is in my top 20.
00:43:42
Speaker
Yep. Okay. Five that dropped out of the top 10 you'll hear the other five that obviously stayed. So there you go. Excellent. Well, fun episode, mate. All right. Well, um,
00:43:54
Speaker
We may ah may or may not have a special guest. Shout out to Ingrid, who we're trying to convince to come on and do her top 10 with us next episode. We'll see how that goes. If not, it'll just be Shane and I next episode.
00:44:06
Speaker
Yeah, it'll be good. It'll be good, Ingrid. Come on. Let's go. I'd be very interested to hear her top 10. I wonder whether it'll link with yours a lot because you guys play a lot of games together.
00:44:17
Speaker
We do play a lot of games together. No, I think... Definitely a totally different top 10. Yeah, okay.
00:44:24
Speaker
And there might be a couple of games that will... Oh, no, there might be one or two Ingrid's top 10 that might be the same as mine, but...
00:44:38
Speaker
Yeah, we haven't mentioned we haven't mentioned a game that the other person... No, we haven't had a crossover yet. I wonder whether we will. I can probably think of two that might be crossovers.
00:44:49
Speaker
We'll see. We'll see. Yeah. Okay. Well, Shane, thank you for a very yeah brief episode. I'll um go and play some board games now. and Yeah, happy birthday, mate. Enjoy the day.
00:45:01
Speaker
Enjoy the day. And you too, mate. I hope you have a good weekend and whatever's whatever is's planned for your Sunday. ah not match Not much. Not much. I did have... I'm just doing some 3D printing for some people, for some friends.
00:45:15
Speaker
So that's it. What 3D printer do you have? I have the... bloody hell.
00:45:27
Speaker
I have um the Bamboo a one printer.
00:45:34
Speaker
has It's got the three... and You can take four... ah for rolls on it as well of different colours. Yeah, cool. Yeah. um I'm pretty sure you can get it pretty good at the moment in the Amazon Black Friday sales.
00:45:49
Speaker
Yeah, right. um Because Josh josh is josh uses it a lot for his 3D printing of his Spider-Man masks that he does, that he sends around the world. Okay. And like he's doing probably two of those a week.
00:46:02
Speaker
um And he says is actually at me at the moment to look at ah a resin printer because apparently it's a really good resin printer for around 600 bucks. It's normally, you know, well over a thousand dollars.
00:46:15
Speaker
Yeah, right. So just so he wants to do little minis. Yeah. Yeah.
00:46:23
Speaker
my My level of interest in 3D printing wavers, but at the moment it's very high. I used to have a 3D printer and I got rid of it and now I'm like, I wish I didn't get rid of that 3D printer. and I'd recommend the bamboo. it's It's a really good printer. Yeah, was comparing it to the bamboo and I was comparing that with the Creality big one, the forceful one, but it's a bit more expensive, so I'd probably end up with a bamboo if I end up going down that road.
00:46:52
Speaker
Yeah. I'd say now would be time to get it. It's like Friday's hour. I'm sure you'd better to get it cheap. Late birthday. Bye, mate. Yeah, late. All right, mate. Well, have a great rest of the weekend, and we'll catch up next week for the top ten.
00:47:06
Speaker
Look forward to it. Take care, mate. Cheers. Bye.