Top 50 Games of All Time #1-10 (2023)

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Күн бұрын

Top 50 Games of All Time #1-10 (2023)
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Intro (00:00);
10 (00:53);
9 (10:43);
8 (19:02);
7 (23:15);
6 (29:46);
5 (34:45);
4 (40:00);
3 (49:24);
2 (55:31);
1 (1:03:32);
Process for making the Top 50 (1:12:06);
Top 50 (2023) Geeklist - boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/31...
Top 10 Skirmish Games - • Top 10 Skirmish Games
BGG Has A New #1 ... Or Does It? - • BGG Has A New #1 ... O...
Pub Meeple Ranking Engine - www.pubmeeple.com/ranking-engine
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Playlist of the Top 50 Games of All Time (2023) videos: • Top 50 Games of All Ti...
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Пікірлер: 94

@KabukiKid Жыл бұрын

Games are games... if people get cranky that you cover both miniature games and board games, they can figure it out and either accept that or move along. heh

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

😃

@xabulense Жыл бұрын

I would even accept RPGs. And that is one of the reasons I prefer about Joel and this channel above others, I can found epic thematic games, little card games, euros, wargames, and everything in between. And that is me, I can love any type of game.

@grantporter8100 Жыл бұрын

This entire series has been fantastic. I love the variety of your selections and your discussion of alternatives as well as the general thoughtfulness of the commentary. Thanks, Joel!

@grantporter8100 Жыл бұрын

And your discussion of tracks (with respect to Dune Imperium) was spot on and had me laughing aloud.

@thebrewgeek Жыл бұрын

Frostgrave was a game changer for me. Suddenly I had a use for all of those minis I’ve painted over the years. I love filling out the bestiaries with my painted minis. I started building terrain, which is great fun. The one drawback is that I find myself backing Kickstarter games just to use the minis in Frostgrave and rangers. 😅

@-RTC- Жыл бұрын

Love seeing your #2 on there! My buddy and I have fallen in love with it and have built a ton of terrain over the last few months. Now I’m thinking I need to check out your #1! I’d heard of it but didn’t know exactly what it was! Thank you for a fun top 50 this year!

@davidhebart-coleman8610 Жыл бұрын

I have mentioned this on your other videos, but your exploration of skirmish games has led me down this path and I am really enjoying it. Whilst I havent played Frostgrave, Stargrave, or Rangers (but this will happen at some point), your musings did lead me to try Core Space as the most hybrid of these types of games. which led me to looking at others such as Star Breach, Space Station Zero, Five Parsecs, and I am looking at Forbidden Psalms.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Just picked up Forbidden Psalms myself actually. Anxious to try it.

@faville Жыл бұрын

I’m impressed with how long you can speak uninterrupted about such a diversity of games without rambling. I liked the “Mage Knight without the headache” observation-I enjoy MK but it rarely comes out due to the headspace it requires, and I can’t leave it out for the replays it needs. Also agree about the number-crunchers. I am sometimes glad I don’t have a math-analysis strength and thus can play without thinking about the “(n-1)” of whatever that solves the game.

@JhoffDJ. Жыл бұрын

Thanks for putting this together. I always appreciate your unique picks and deep thoughts on them.

@jriggz2938 Жыл бұрын

Very happy that you cover both miniature and boardgames. Recently just started getting into AOS with my son and thankful for all the content you do for each to help keep us informed.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Thank you. Appreciate it!

@simplybs9311 Жыл бұрын

When I was relatively new to the boardgame scene, your video on San Juan is what made me bought it, glad to see you still stand behind it as your go to card game.

@pookelywoo3954 Жыл бұрын

Love your lists. Your tastes have very much mirrored mine over time - I just get so much enjoyment out of the hobby side and immersing myself in a world that sparks your imagination but doesn’t spell it all out for you. Great stuff!

@ChadHensley Жыл бұрын

Excited to hear how high you have Cuba Libre ranked! I picked it up recently and your playthrough is what pushed me to look at it over some of the other COIN games as my intro into the system. The only other game I own on your top ten is Dune Imperium. Just recently got Rise of Ix but haven't gotten it to the table yet as I've been inundated by Kickstarters finally arriving, some of which are a year or more late. Enjoy your videos as always and now I have a few more games to check out!

@tywhisenhunt2375 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Joel! Still appreciate you after all these years.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Thank you kindly. Appreciate it!

@KristofferYiFredriksson Жыл бұрын

The alternative at number 4 took me by surprise. My mind was locked into the theme of "Build the greatest X for your Lord" that I wasn't even considering other themes. Great pick. WRT miniature games vs "regular" boardgames I personally enjoy when someone makes a list that mixes it up. I personally don't play miniature games but I enjoy hearing about them. When I retire I'll get into Rangers of Shadow Deep.

@anonymouse8953 Жыл бұрын

Thank you, great List!

@CesarIsaacPerez Жыл бұрын

Wow! Love your top spots. Some of my favorite games too.

@CosmicTavern Жыл бұрын

Awesome list. Defenders of the Realm is one of the first board games I picked up over a decade ago and I still love it. There is a ton of variety with all the different heroes and types of monsters you can fight. I really like the action token system and how each hero has their own unique powers. It's just a ton of fun. Though I wish they would have been able to create the master rulebook that included everything because there are a lot of addons and ways to tweak the game. It would have been nice to have it all in one place.

@nikos_xenios Жыл бұрын

The thing I like most about your lists is the sheer variety, from eurogames to dungeon crawlers to miniature games to coin games. Many of these games other reviewers won't even touch in their reviews/lists because...reasons?? I also trust your reviews because I seem to pretty much align with your tastes, being a miniature gamer myself in the past. All in all, great video, love from Greece!

@flipz101 Жыл бұрын

Awesome list! Many of us enjoy boardgames and miniature skirmish games so you have very similar tastes to mine! Also, I give a +1 to the people asking you to try Core Space! 😀. If you do try it, bear in mind that original Core Space isn’t refined for solo, whereas Core Space First Born is for solo play. So depending on how you play will determine which one you should invest in. Keep the great vids going 👍

@heathsmith4864 Жыл бұрын

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Eldfall Chronicles and Forbidden Lands. Awesome list and appreciate the explanations and alternatives.

@jacobjslee Жыл бұрын

I've seen a lot of these types of lists and I'm well-versed enough that i know all the games even if I don't have first hand experience with them. But you've got a couple on here I need to check out. I'm very impressed. I have high hopes for Frostgrave.

@JeramyWare Жыл бұрын

I love to listen to you talk about games. There are a lot of great reviewers out there who are very informative, but this has clearly become a job for them. Reviews and opinions are clear but clinical. Your reviews and discussion have so much heat. Clearly you love the games that you talk about, and it makes all the difference in the world. Thanks for what you do.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I appreciate it!

@calebbarton5697 Жыл бұрын

Just subscribed! Enjoyed this a lot. Many games that don’t show up on other lists and I appreciate it! Have you played cry havoc? If so, thoughts?

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

I have. Here's a review for it. TLDR: I enjoyed it :) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ramKfMaL0L3RpX0.html

@monomundo Жыл бұрын

Thank you Joel for this list which I would describe as "genuine", the tremendous work you should have gone through for making it and giving me new ideas for my wishlist.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@pauls3585 Жыл бұрын

I agree with your top 3, they are on my top 10 as well.

@grimskald Жыл бұрын

Loved this series

@kossowankenobi Жыл бұрын

I redid my own BGG ranking a few years ago because as much as Dixit is a great family game that can be played with kids, I still never want to play it again. Most people only read these rankings because they want to know what games _move you_. A clinical analysis of their worth in the market is not as interesting. Thanks for taking the time to share this Joel, always interesting. I really need to check out Shadows of Brimstone. :) Also, fist-pumped at Defenders of the Realm - it still flies under the radar. Larry Elmore!

@shaneannigans Жыл бұрын

Oh my goodness! Hardly anyone talks about [your #9] anymore! I only have the base game, but I've really enjoyed my few plays-much more than other games that use 'that' system

@foyoGames Жыл бұрын

Nice Unique Top 10

@3fkups Жыл бұрын

I had just recently picked up manuals for Dead Man's Hand , Burrows and Badgers , Frostgrave and Rangers of Shadow Deep as I kept changing my mind on which would be best introduction to skirmish games for someone who had never played a skirmish game a few days before watching this video. I opted to pick up Rangers of Shadow Deep since it has a very similar system to Frostgrave but it is co-op so a perfect way to teach my partner instead of just curb stomping her on Frostgrave =P . Introduced her to Mordheim the video game as well and she enjoyed it even if her sister imploded with 9,999 damage on her first attempt to cast a spell which is a nasty thing they added to the video game tabletop Mordheim didn't have that. Anyway was a nice suprise to see you rate Frostgrave and ROSD so high up there can't wait to play them. Been building terrain for this.

@justinkitton5492 Жыл бұрын

yesss been waiting for this, need to know if Caylus makes the cut

@Kornstalx Жыл бұрын

Cuba Libre is such a great freaking game. I picked it up years ago as my first COIN entry and ended up buying almost all of them. I have A Distant Plain as well but have yet to try it. The beauty of COIN is once you learn one of them, the others are very intuitive to pick up. I just wish I could find 4 players willing to try Libre for a true 4-player asymmetrical game without the bots. I grabbed Colonial Twilight (2-player COIN) but haven't tried it either.

@GrandPa_BBQer_Game_Cat Жыл бұрын

#9 alternative Pandemic Legacy S1 surprised me (great choice though). I was just expecting you to with the 'mad max' Defenders of the Last Stand. Guess that's too similar though.

@lenakimarctaedius3056 Жыл бұрын

So good concept. Top 50 with alternative.

@carlwoods4564 Жыл бұрын

Youre the best, most honest, lucid and articulate games reviewer on youtube. All the best from Lancashire, England. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Way too kind! Thank you.

@HungryGamerReviews Жыл бұрын

I've been very tempted by rangers. I'll prob snag em eventually

@ccampbe3 Жыл бұрын

I ran an all weekend Frostgrave campaign at the Nova Open last year and it was a ton of fun. Very likely doing it again this year, you should make it out!

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Sounds awesome. I'd love to get out that way some day.

@DD-lm1gv Жыл бұрын

Very thoughtful

@mrsamtheman80 Жыл бұрын

#2: Just wizards…well you could get a fighter or ranger…BLEH it is about wizards! #1: RANGERS! Great list, loved the alternates also format, well done!

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Haha!

@BrewsGamesRides Жыл бұрын

Very fun series and always love the details you cover for every game! Great lists.

@dameanrendell6775 Жыл бұрын

Love listening to your thoughts during this series. Really wish I loved Shadows of Brimstone the theme is so cool but it fell totally flat for me. Have you tried Core Space by battlesystems? would like to hear your thoughts on that one.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

I've not yet. I get asked about it frequently so I probably should :)

@davidhebart-coleman8610 Жыл бұрын

@@DriveThruReview Core Space or First Born is my favourite game - and it is very much a Skirmish Crawler - but it does take some time to set up (mainly the 3D terrain). The Fantasy version is called Maladum and is on kickstarter at the moment (so echoes of the Stargrave and Frostgrave duo).

@j122002 Жыл бұрын

Love seeing Cuba Libre show up!

@lenakimarctaedius3056 Жыл бұрын

Even if i am cult of the new, entré into boardgame in just before the Corona-pandemi, and generelly think the itertation Will be better, i really appriciate you talking about games i Will never play, agricola, san José etc so. It feels like i never need to play it But still appriciate it is a good game. So props to you.

@twentysides Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad to see Caylus 1303 on your list. I also think the lack of game length manipulation is overblown and the positive changes are enormous. I almost liked Magna Carta more than the original because of its removal of the privilege tracks, but the new privilege system in 1303 is amazing. It's definitely fun with 2 but loses a lot of its Caylusness.

@twentysides Жыл бұрын

I really like what you have to say about A Distant Plain and how it covers something that feels so recent, and I apply that to Cuba Libre myself. Our government still has an embargo on that island 65 years later, and still prevents our people from visiting. It's a surprisingly nuanced look at the revolution as well considering it's made by a former CIA analyst. I can't help but appreciate how great an example it is for how a game can teach how a conflict happened and ended up how it did.

@twentysides Жыл бұрын

I had a similar experience using the Pubmeeple ranker. It started with really easy comparisons and I ended up having a crisis and having to close the site for the rest of the day. And yeah, once you say you like Caylus 1303 more than Warhammer Quest, and Warhammer Quest more than Catan, it won't bother asking if you like Catan more than Caylus. That cuts down on a lot of the questions but it means once I get to the really difficult match-ups I know the consequences of each answer are enormous.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Ya. I left the list MOSTLY unchanged, but it skewed a couple way down and I was like, "Wait.. where did Tigris & Euphrates go?? (or whatever game)" :D

@vliaskov Жыл бұрын

I very much enjoyed your thoughts and list, thank you! Bonus comedy points for your impression of board gamer-complainer "what is this? these are not board games... "😂. I got the Silver Bayonet, but I haven't played it yet. Also curious if you still play any Gaslands, KIllteam. Finally have you tried Dungeon Degenerates:Hand of Doom?

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Gaslands, yes. It barely missed the cut getting into my Top 50... and I mean just barely. It was like 51 or 52 or something. I haven't played it in about a year, just because I haven't had opportunity, not because I have fallen out of favor. Kill Team has kind of fallen by the wayside. I ended up not liking the new edition as much as the previous one. Haven't tried Dungeon Degenerates.

@browe Жыл бұрын

Yay! Dune: Imperium and Clash of Cultures!

@jonathonfreeman9233 Жыл бұрын

the funniest game of Clash of Cultures I've played with my brother involved Greece vs Persia. - As we explored the map, it ended up being there was this single land bridge in the middle of the board. It was only 1-2 spaces wide cutting the map in half. - So naturally, we get hyped because we're going to re-enact the movie 300. We had also poured our resources into military during early game as well. - 1 tile away from the land bridge, the ocean was only 1 space wide. My brother and I had each placed a city with a harbor on either side. Just before the eminent land battle, one of us deployed a boat there and sunk the opponent's boat. - This resulted in an escalation. ALL future conflicts revolved around repeatedly sacking and influencing these 2 cities that were across from each other. - I don't think we ever actually fought any battles where we were obviously destined to...

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Haha. That's great! Love those kind of stories.

@Samanar Жыл бұрын

Interesting to hear that you value Stargrave over Frostgrave when it comes to solo play. I was looking for a solo skirmish game and recently picked up Five Parsecs from Home, especially since I reckoned Stargrave might not be working good solo. Do you think it's worth to check out Stargrave (solo only in mind)? Thanks and great list!

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

I do actually. After the solo rules came out, I pivoted into playing even the base rules with a few of my warbands for several games. There's no hidden information and it's alternating activations anyway. It was fun to me to bounce between the modes and throw different warbands at different scenarios, and then at each other.

@rmclean101 Жыл бұрын

Great video, thank you! Fun to listen to your thoughts on these.

@zombiefireman Жыл бұрын

Love the idea of giving an alternative to the main selection. But for me when you got to #3 up to #1 (counting each alternate) it felt more like they were all the same game, No.1-ish, with five alternates.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

It got trickier the higher I got. The "real" alternatives were often other games earlier on the list... which I thought would be kind of boring.

@1AngelAlita Жыл бұрын

Targa Guardian in Frostgrave! Nice... ;)

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

A lot of those Brimstone minis are just weird enough to fit :)

@aaronutley Жыл бұрын

Shadows!!! Such an amazing game... SUCH a storage problem!

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

100% :D

@juvigoat2168 Жыл бұрын

28:15 What if you could play A Distant Plain with the Mother of Dragons expansion? 😊

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Haha... maybe that would work :D

@garyduddell3224 Жыл бұрын

I have Rangers arriving later this week, I have plenty of mini's at the moment but not too much terrain. You mentioned that some types are probably must haves for this and was interested in what you think this is so I can maybe pick some up ?

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Probably just some "houses" of different sizes and shapes should be enough to get you going. I have seen people use those dry-erase boards that you see used in D&D quite a bit for Rangers as well though. So, that's always an option.

@garyduddell3224 Жыл бұрын

@@DriveThruReview Thank you that is very useful, looking forward to giving this a try soon

@carlwoods4564 Жыл бұрын

@@DriveThruReview Thats exactly what I did for Rangers of Shadowdeep. Used a dry erase battle mat. Worked well. Brilliant game. It scratches my RPG itch and its very atmospheric. Ive got Frostgrave, just not tried it yet.

@petercsm5769 Жыл бұрын

I was thinking of buying Defenders of the Realm and some of its extras but the listings on the Eagle-Gryphon site were such a mess that I gave up on trying to figure out what's what. Maybe I'll try again later at some point when I'm feeling particularly adventerous.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

Well.... after posting this video, I've seen that a second edition is coming from Greater Than Games. Hopefully, it's good. So, you might wait for that. If you do pick it up from Eagle-Grpyphon, I would just get the base game... and probably just the Dragons and Minions expansions. The rest is just frosting around the edges.

@petercsm5769 Жыл бұрын

Also, I don't have nostalgia for the theme, so the art (stiff white dudes, female character on her knees, classic/bland enemies, etc.) is a bit of a hurdle as well for us, but I would still it a try. It's great to see so many types of games represented on this Top 50 list. Your varied tastes are why I have Drop It in my collection, which has become one of our most played games.

@petercsm5769 Жыл бұрын

@@DriveThruReview That's awesome news. I'll look out for the new edition and if it's not quite up to snuff then I'll grab the previous edition with those two expansions. Thanks for the advice!

@vryc Жыл бұрын

Frostgrave/Stargrave... yup. The best multiplayer tabletop experience. You're so right about "Wizards!". It really is exactly what tabletop should be if you're not desperate to meta everything to death. Rangers of Shadow Deep is great. I've been playing Five Leagues from the Borderlands which honestly, I think might get the nod from me for a solo RPGish thing. Great vid, Joel!!

@tomlikeabomb6706 Жыл бұрын

I really like Arkham Horror 3rd edition for a pandemic adventure game. I don’t understand why it gets so much hate. Not sure if you’ve played it or have thoughts on it.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

I have. I only played the base game when it first came out. My memory is hazy, but I just remember being a bit ambivalent towards it. Definitely didn't hate it :)

@MaxwellSchmalzried Жыл бұрын

So, if I have GoT 1st edition with both expansions, how much better is 2nd edition?

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

IIRC the second edition has some “necessary” fixes for the naval game and some other map fixes.

@sirtrevis Жыл бұрын

Cowboys and Samurai are the same thing. I believe Hollywood borrowed from the storylines created by Japanese film artists. Like with The Magnificent Seven and the Seven Samurai.

@DriveThruReview Жыл бұрын

That's a great point.

@xavierpaquin Жыл бұрын

To me board games are more artsy, varied and original, while miniatures games are more nerdy, generic and traditional - there's a bit of a clash between the two sensibilities, although there also definitely is overlap You might be getting critics only from one side because that's where you started Anyway, still love your content - thanks!

@bigt55 Жыл бұрын

This is incredibly short sighted. In most miniatures games a big part of the hobby is creation - the building and painting of your own components to play the game. On top of that these games are often much more heavily themeatic than many board game counterparts - building this theme more directly into the game experience. Much like Joel, I play both styles of these games - and started with board games over 10 years ago (when 'artsy' was not a word you could use for most games). I feel that you should probably try a few miniatures games before making the comparison as you have as it's generally just inaccurate.