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Description
Players take turns choosing blocks and giving them to each other to place on their structure. A player may pay a certain number of 'beans' to refuse a block and it gets passed to the next player. When a player's structure falls, they are out of the game. Last player standing wins.
Description of Bandu (1992, Milton Bradley, 2-6 players):
Bandu is based upon the game of Bausack. Each player is given a base block and a number of beans. During a turn, a player chooses a wood block from a common supply and either holds a Refuse or Use auction. All player bid with their beans and the winner/loser must place the piece on their tower. If your tower falls you are out of the game. The last tower standing wins.
Description of Sac Noir (Rio Grande Games, 2-8 players):
There are five variations on how to play. The goal in all of them is to build a tower. The bag contains very different wooden pieces (i.e. an ashlar, an egg, a ring, a fir tree etc.) as well as a sack of beans for the "auction variation" of the game. Depending on the variation you choose, either each player builds his own tower or all build one together. The "auction variations" are the most suspenseful and surprising. One might end up spending quite some beans to avoid building an especially difficult element. Gambling and bluffing abilities are needed just as much as a feeling for statics and construction skills. It's a game with almost endless building possibilities. It's a challenge for steady hands and shaky suspense for clever tacticians.
Year Published
1987
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video yyh3AEk4Jvg
Adam Porter's Board Game Channel top_10_list at 0:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12868 · mention_pk 37623
Click to watch at 0:14
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- fantastic chunky wooden pieces
- similar to Junk Art but cheaper
- great nostalgia
- absolute favorite
Cons
- not as much variety as Junk Art
- fewer rule sets
Thematic elements
- stacking
- abstract
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- these games have amazing table presence by which i mean people are going to glance across the room and go what is that person playing and i want to play all these games
- stacking games have table presence like nothing else
- looks beautiful it looks like a load of sweets on the board
- one of my favorite games of all time
- i don't like that sort of game i find that one of the most frustrating game mechanisms
- the central marble dispenser is your main draw in this game
- absolutely brilliant strategic game quite complex game
- it's actually my favorite of the mask trilogy
- i'm almost scared to say this but i don't really like azul very much
- biggest most overlooked game on this list
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Kjif5BT7mWc
Adam Porter top_30_list at 11:58 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12226 · mention_pk 35700
Click to watch at 11:58
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- solid, simple rule set with high replayability
- tactile, satisfying component design
Cons
- some may prefer a single canonical rule set over variants
- tower photos and social aspect can dominate play
Thematic elements
- stacking blocks to create tall structures
- tower-building construction
- playful, tactile
Comparison games
- Junk Art
- Compromat
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction / Bidding — round-based piece selection with auction-like dynamics
- stacking / tower-building — place and stack wooden shapes to create stable towers
- variability in rules — many rule variants add replayability and unpredictability
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's delightful it's so beautifully illustrated such a nice production
- we played Isle of Cats a lot with my wife through lockdown
- Serrano is a rhyming game
- it's hilarious
- this game is absolutely you know desperately needs a reboot
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yim5LbD2E6g
Actual Lol game_review at 1:59 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 10081 · mention_pk 29655
Click to watch at 1:59
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- highly tactile, appealing components
- fun social feel due to bidding banter
Cons
- auctioning slows the flow and can derail the core building moment
- unpredictable piece availability often prevents ideal towers
Thematic elements
- tactile, construction-focused bluffing
- stacking wooden shapes with bidding dynamics
- playful, tactile with humorous banter
Comparison games
- Jenga
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction / Bidding — blocks are auctioned with gems, dictating which pieces you can place
- set collection / construction — build a tower from blocks using bidding to influence availability
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is stupid. It ain't falling over once.
- Growing up can't be that bad if I get to be like you.
- Timmy, you can come out now. It's like scalletwick.
- There's nothing super about being crushed by 10 tons of brick and mortar.
- Are you okay? Did you eat mommy's mango body butter as well?
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Z8hrxQd6KA4
One Board Family general_discussion at 17:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7121 · mention_pk 21078
Click to watch at 17:29
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- great social tension and laughs
- easy to teach at gatherings
Cons
- parts can be fragile if mishandled
Thematic elements
- building atop a central base
- stacking/tower party
- lighthearted
Comparison games
- Jenga
- Tower of Madness
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dexterity_control — fine motor dexterity governs success and balance
- Stacking — players place pieces to build a stable tower while passing a bean-like token
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Dexterity games it's a sport-like element, there's almost a sport aspect to a dexterity game.
- we love to hate games, we love to hate.
- Strike is a ton of fun and is accessible for a big group.
- it's not only like rewarding when you're actually able to make some really awesome throws but it's not like really complicated.
- there's social contract at the table of like we're around a table and it's okay to be a troll and to like cut people out of deals but there's that level you can take it.
- this is the best real time game that I have in my collection.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video AyxV2fK215g
Adam Porter top_100_list at 18:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6055 · mention_pk 17944
Click to watch at 18:01
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- High social and visual engagement; big moments
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Junk Art
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- stacking / balance tension — tactile building of towers; big swings and dramatic failures create memorable moments
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- i absolutely love cockroach poker
- the big moments and the big swings are quite satisfying
- i find these games hilarious
- i really like the game huh or hein
- watching the value of things change
- the moment when that tower collapses it's exciting
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video cTlt1T1OJGI
Board Game Wales general_discussion at 1:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5511 · mention_pk 16388
Click to watch at 1:09
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible to all ages
- Fast to teach and play
- Strong family appeal
Cons
- Limited depth for power-gamers
- Can get repetitive over long sessions
Thematic elements
- balancing blocks; simple construction
- family-friendly dexterity stacking game
- light, approachable
Comparison games
- Doodle Quest
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- auction/variant rules — Rule variants and optional gem-based auctions introduce different play styles.
- Dexterity/stacking — Players stack wooden blocks of varying shapes and sizes to build a tower without causing collapse.
- multi-rule_variants — Several rule sets exist to extend or vary play.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Bandu is fantastic and hasn't really been surpassed as a simple dexterity stacking game
- extremely accessible extremely fun for all different ages
- this is essentially the European version but it goes down a very different route in terms of its graphics and puzzles
- Libertalia I find hugely enjoyable, it's got a fantastic theme and there's so much going on that you barely notice the frustration of that car play and not being able to judge what other people are going to do
- San Juan holds up to this day
- in Yin one player is black and the other white
- it's a master piece
- Power Grid fantastic game
- Tigris and Euphrates is a masterpiece
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6