Thanks! Always enjoy the quick summaries and covering multiple games.

Love Barrage. Hate the kickstarter for it. Definitely one of the best games from 2019.

In the Hall of the Mountain King has gone over really well with my group. Everyone enjoys it - even the "I don't like tile layers" (over half of us). A lot deeper than it looks. After one play everyone understands it very clearly and subsequent games are much more competitive. Best play seems to favor highest player count (5).

I took the same approach for In the Hall of the Mountain King -- focusing on heartstone tunnels -- and had similar results. I was leading going into final scoring but ended up in last place as the other players were able to push a statue onto a pedestal near the heart of the mountain. Still had a blast, and it gave me some ideas on what to focus on for my next play. And of course, the deluxe components are amazing!

Barrage is my game group's new favorite game. I've been slowly introducing the "modules" (advanced wedges, expansions, etc.) and it's gone over very well.

+1 for Oceans. I didn’t like previous evolution games but I had a TON of fun with Oceans

3 games i got. Barrage that i had played in lasts weeks, railroad evolution that i receive recently and not played yet and In the hall that i have preordered. Barrage is my favorite game from 2019 by far (second City of big shoulders and third trismegistus). I liked some reviews of in the hall of mountain king and it seems a game that i needed in my collection, medium euro and lots of fun. I've been waiting for the expansion for railroad revolution for a long time and im happy with your review, its just what i have been waiting, a fix for a great game.

Barrage has certainly suffered for the poor way Cranio handled their KS campaign. Having said that, it still looks like a game I would enjoy. Not sure if the price point is there for me though. I am definitely interested in In the Hall of the Mountain King, just looks like a solid pick as well. Oceans is on my shelf and I really need to get it played! Good video as always!

Agree 100% on Barrage. Way too much "famine" and while I get that it is a worker placement game a lot of those spots seemed to exist solely to create more microturns/busywork. Thought I would love the programming wheel thingy until I realized how annoying it was to get things moving. Just not for me.

Our group really like In The Hall Of The Mountain King. It scratches a similar itch to tight Euros like Terra Mystica, but it has a more pleasant feel - I think because it feeds you new opportunities regularly for you to consider (rather than solely taxing your brainpower).

Wow, so there is a first for everything. This is the first time our opinions differ on a game. Barrage is awesome, i hope it gets better for you with more plays. Because that a thing too :)

In the hall of the mountain king has definitely been easy to teach but requires a good amount of thought. Not sure long term replayability with same group but i've got a good pool of people to cycle it through. AP can be an issue but curious to try with 5. Multiple 4p games with different tables

Thanks ! Its very enjoyable to watch your summaries. BTW whats your current top 3 games ?

Hi Jon, loved to hear your thoughts, especially on Railroad Revolution. Your the second person I've heard espousing its virtues today, a game I'd never really heard of before, it must truly be a hidden gem. You both made it seem so good that I instantly bought a copy of the original base game when I saw it for £14 on amazon here in the UK, now I just have to try and get a copy of the expansion and it seems I'll have the full version of the fixed game for a reasonable price. With that in mind, and purely selfishly, I'd love you to do a tutorial playthrough for the game, including the new expansion, to save me having to read both rulebooks :D

Played a full 2p game of RR:RE at Essen this year and really enjoyed it. I was initially very interested in this game but was then scared off by the strategy balance issue. You hit the nail on the head about the Telegraph track changes being perfect. This game is awesome! Hopefully it becomes easier to acquire at some point b/c I would definitely seek out a copy.

Played Barrage once. Not a bad game but was not particularly exciting. I'd play it again if people bring it out, but I wouldn't seek it out.

Jon, did you end up playing more of Barrage? Did your opinion of it change in any way?

Barrage is so good; can’t get enough. Craino’s customer support has been terrible though.