How many players can play Century: Spice Road?

Century: Spice Road supports 2 to 5 players.

How long does a game of Century: Spice Road take?

A typical game of Century: Spice Road takes approximately 45 minutes.

What are the best video reviews of Century: Spice Road?

MindForge has curated 64 video reviews of Century: Spice Road from top board game content creators.

What type of game is Century: Spice Road?

Century: Spice Road features mechanics including Card Drafting, Engine Building, Resource Management, Set Collection.

Century: Spice Road - Board Game

Video ej4733ljGpI Stonemaier Games Top List at 13:12 sentiment: positive

video_pk 99375 · mention_pk 276295

Click to watch at 13:12 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Keeps the value of cards fluctuating, encouraging players to take cards they weren't originally interested in.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

card market — Cards accumulate benefits (gems). Cards to the left can be skipped by paying a resource, allowing players to get the next card. This doesn't refresh the market but makes cards more valuable as they sit.
Resource Management — Players spend resources to gain cards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Uh, that's something that we always face in play testing where uh, you know, if you refresh that pool too often, then by the time it gets around to my turn, I can't really plan ahead at all for the type of card that I want.
I wanted to dig into the different ways that games do this, that they keep this central pool fresh while not refreshing it so often that players can't plan around the cards or hope to get a certain card or component from that pool.
These are all games that I enjoyed something about the game and largely a lot of things about these games. um rather than a ranking of these card pool refreshing mechanisms because the different versions of these mechanisms work in different games.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Z7laxJni19w Rolling Dice & Taking Names News at 16:54 sentiment: positive

video_pk 95196 · mention_pk 261269

Click to watch at 16:54 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Finally released after a long wait
Received a lot of acclaim

Cons

Long wait for release after demo

Thematic elements

none

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Looks like a beast on the table but when you hear it's like it's an engine building game you like I could play an engine building game
We sat down to play that game hole holy cow we were literally passing a hat Vil around the table for how much thinking you had to put into that game that surprised me
this game London when we first saw it at Gen Con when Oscar green said hey guys scream hey come take a look at this
the cover of the game box and how plain it is but mm-hmm it really some reason fits this game it just looks nice the cover looks elegant and the art is really good and then you actually get into the game and you find this really elegant cool little card game
engineers it was really cool cuz it's kind of math because you had to like the little algebraic problems you have to solve but it's such a great thing of a dice manipulation game plus the area control game plus a set collection game all merged into one that's one of those I really got to the table a lot in 2017
and Tony this was actually one of the early games in 2017 that really grabbed us one of those that didn't look that great on the table but then you start playing in and it's one of those that we just played over and over and over again and just just really enjoyed it
that rule about when that third dragon comes out yes everything stops correct I kept saying it and kept saying it and reminding people boy we had a flip the table moment when that occurred
oh die another seaman without miniatures look at that
two seam on one two squirrely Awards and neither games had merci ya don't have to put miniatures in the game to make it go no you don't lure in DOS so good
it's what I call the reverse work replacement where you're taking stuff off the board and putting it on your board in order to activate things I just thought was a really unique mechanic
and again tony is one of those shockers for us at the beginning year I had never heard of gentes and we got an early copy and try to try it out and it blew us away

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 9lXchTHDqg4 Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Discussion at 0:12

video_pk 94941 · mention_pk 260345

Click to watch at 0:12 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Spice trading

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Cube Drafting — The game involves exchanging cubes.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Dude, game night is going to be awesome.
Ooh, we should play Old Spice Country Road.
You're talking about Century Spice Road.
Play the yellow stop signs.
How about Little Cities?
No, it's so fun. It was like the cubes.
Tiny Towns.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video mrvhGXQRb7c Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 2:13:02 sentiment: positive

video_pk 94954 · mention_pk 260423

Click to watch at 2:13:02 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Positive

Pros

Third game in the Century trilogy.
Designed by Emerson Matsuuchi.
Expected to be more substantial in gameplay while maintaining a short playtime.

Cons

Does not contain dice.

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Century: Spice Road
Century: Eastern Wonders

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The fashion world being a magnet
I've never seen Devil Wears Prada you're dead to me
this is a heavy euro I'm not talking like an imperial settlers he said this is a heavy crunchy euro heavy euros kind of have a niche market
The art of those units that is so flippin cool
there's going to be an Alexis skill such that there's going to be a standalone case that's narrated and handled by an Amazon Alexa its k-6
this is to me personally I think this is trailblazing if other publishers don't see this going on and doesn't duplicate this they're crazy
I think to this day that's - this is still one of my favorite two-player board games of all time
The boxart for academics the art of those units that is so flippin cool
I love economic games any I don't know why because it is so dry it is dry when you've got a market and you have a supply and demand and you drive up the price you drive down the price that sounds so boring to people when you explain it but I love love those games like stockpile
The flowchart for how to play raccoon Tycoon which by the way if it's approved by bgg you should see it out there
money is secret and if you had a bunch of stacks of coins and things like that it's not as easy as taking those paper bills fanning them out under the table to count them real quick versus a bunch of little tokens that you need to do
The game ends when two out of the three items are void in other words the towns the railroads or the building tiles two out of the three have to be void before the game will end
this game blew me away it is simple to play your flowchart is amazing
Raccoon Tycoon top game for 2019 yes it's February imagine that
it's always a fun tradition for us each year
I can't believe it's our fourth annual fourth annual squirrely award I know I can't believe you came up with this four years ago amazing

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video xKUNKmgdB6I Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 34:19 sentiment: positive

video_pk 94844 · mention_pk 259556

Click to watch at 34:19 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

More complex than previous Century games
Introduces worker placement
Can be combined with other Century games.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Century: Spice Road
Century: Golem Edition (implied by sailing the seven seas reference)

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — Implied through the trilogy's mechanics, likely involves drafting cards or actions.
Inter-game Integration — Can be mixed and matched with the other two games in the Century trilogy.
Set Collection — Similar to previous games, involves collecting sets of resources/cubes.
Worker Placement — Introduces worker placement as a core mechanic.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is gonna be one of my games of 2019
The resources expire over time so the body parts go bad they decay
China refused to release this because they said Taiwan's never been a free country we've owned this country and they said it's just fiction it's not real it's not historical
If you like Twilight Struggle this has that feel in less than an hour
I don't consider just flipping pages in a rule book I expect them to be there
Leviathans is a game that they originally came out with...
The mechanics of the combat and everything was one of the best things I've ever seen done with like a 12-sided die.
This is a war war two themed game where one person places Germans one person places Americans and you have a scenario book that each game is gonna be based on one of the scenarios with the netbook that scenario book contains a map that shows how to lay out the tiles that are included in the game that ladies are basically terrain each of you are gonna put tokens on the board as described by the scenario and that's the units that you use during the game this is basically a deck builder which Tony and I really like as the scenario at the beginning of game says you're going to build your deck by putting in two scouts or maybe two riflemen or maybe two machine gunners and the squad leader stuff you build your deck like that and then all those guys are available in supply at that point each of you draw four cards each card has an initiative number on the top you're gonna bid to see who gets to go first guess what the best card has the highest number but once you bid on that using that card you can't use it for the rest of the term at that point you're gonna play all three cars like a regular deck builder in each of the cards have multiple functions like there's the Scout card which allows you to move into an area and Scout to an area that you haven't been before but when you do you have to take fog of war which is a card that clogs up your hand or you can have the rifleman who's maybe good at attacking or maybe taking over control points which is the ultimate goal each side has a certain number of control points that you're trying to take over when you do combat you roll dice and you resolve based on the dice roll and if you can exceed their armor and the distance they are from you you take damage and this is one of the really cool parts when you take damage the token doesn't come off the board first what you do is you go through your hand or your discard pile of your deck trying to find a copy of that card and it comes out of the game if your deck contains nothing of that card then that chip comes off the board and the only way to get it back is by using a bolster action which you actually also use to add cards to your deck so you're building the deck over time you're playing a regular deck builder head-to-head matchup World War two theme loved it and I would re-emphasize that love it part that's right in my wheelhouse on theme I love the world war two I enjoyed the aspect of a deck builder I enjoy the strategy of it positioning of it various tiles provided various defense is very important for you to keep them play as you're building this game out and trying to achieve your ultimate objective based on the scenario the fog of war adding the crud to your hand and how you have to get rid of that all that's an important aspect it's got that deck builder mentality for me Marty the initiative was a huge Pro I like that part of any of those types of games of use it's been in other games I've played where the better cards have the higher number so you really need to know do I want to get rid of that hey wait I'm not going to do anything with this guy yeah I can do it initiative was a key Proform and so what's really cool is each of the cards have like I said different units have different actions they can do so when you play a card you got to decide which one of the actions you want to do and then there's two different squads which is cool - it's for like say for example there's a scout and there's a a squad and a B Squad there's a squad leader for each one of those so when you play a squad leader like a and he does a bolster he can only add the a type cards to your deck the squad leader B can only add B type cards to your deck but there's a token for each on the board it is very tactical I think Tony way more tactical than war chest is because you have you these different scenarios that you're trying to achieve the terrain matters like you said some of them have heals if you can get positioned on a hill where you're firing down on somebody you actually have an advantage and every scenario is different and based on actual historical things that happen because come to find out David Thompson's grandfather was in Normandy and he actually has a card of his grandfather in this deck he's one of the platoon sergeants oh very interesting now one thing I'm going to say about the negative of the dice some people say I don't want to roll the dice get over it did you know that that bullet may get struck or lodged in the gun or get deflected you don't know quite that with just normal you know just firing a gun you weren't that gray it was the war it was the rush the adrenaline for me this is gonna be one of my games of 2019 we loved war chest and I didn't think I can find thing else like it debated cuz I love the tokens and everything but man this this actually might be it because the theme is is so on point of what it's trying to do and yeah some people may not like the dice combat you're you're right but see here's the thing there are some units that are better at shooting than others there are some that you can roll multiple dice the scouts you canola or one died positioning matters the closer you can get the better chance you have to hit a hit someone and here's the thing Tony David said hey if this system takes off we have plans for other maybe the Eastern Front who knows maybe bringing in other items and units and machinery the system itself is solid it could be expanded to a lot of different things Tony could they actually win another squirrely for a two-player game of the year I don't know you have to let me play it some more
This is gonna be one of my games of 2019.
If you liked war chest you owe it to yourself to check this out
Southern Fried Gaming Expo is going to be July 12 through 14
If you go out to their website Southern Fried gaming expo com they have a list of all the pinball machines and arcade machines
I am excited to be a special guest at one of the best name gaming conventions in the United States the southern-fried Gaming Expo

References (from this video)

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Video UNa4i8wtshg Rolling Dice & Taking Names Review at 0:21 sentiment: positive

video_pk 93516 · mention_pk 253158

Click to watch at 0:21 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

More strategy and depth than the original
Everybody has a chance to take advantage of the same markets
Considered a 'gamer's game'
Multiple ways to get victory points

Cons

Can be a step up in complexity for new players compared to the original

Thematic elements

Trading goods

Comparison games

Century: Spice Road

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — Placing markets on islands to claim them and enable trading.
Engine Building — Setting up markets to create an engine for collecting victory points.
Resource Management — Collecting and managing cubes (goods) to trade and achieve goals.
Set Collection — Collecting specific combinations of goods to generate victory points.
Worker Placement — Moving a boat around a board made of islands and placing markets.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the rules did not make the strategy evident to you
This game is like somewhat Lorenzo el Magnifico and of course that was my game of the year in 2017
the hundred dollars you're paying is for cards in a ring and Matt and art and a soundtrack I think the digital stuffs just thrown in
I don't like that we're going and building 50 points throughout the game and we've mentioned this on the show before I'm not a big fan of all of a sudden oh and for wrap up you need to do victory points for all of this
I enjoy where work you did so this is called again it's Exodus Paris novo Nouveau Paris Nouveau oh it's a long name

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video K3hNtfupP28 Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 2:34 sentiment: positive

video_pk 93541 · mention_pk 253268

Click to watch at 2:34 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Simple to teach, but with strategic depth.
Engaging hand-building mechanic.
Satisfying engine building.
Plays relatively quickly.
Better than Splendor for some.

Cons

Some found the transition from prototype to final product confusing due to name and publisher changes.
Might feel similar to Splendor for some, though mechanics differ.

Thematic elements

Trading spices
14th/15th century, along the Silk Road

Comparison games

Specter Ops
Caravan
Pandemic Legacy
Splendor

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — Players acquire cards that create an efficient engine for generating cubes and eventually converting them into victory points.
Hand building — Players build a hand of cards that allow them to perform actions like gaining and upgrading cubes.
Resource conversion — Players can upgrade less valuable cubes into more valuable ones.
Set Collection — Players collect sets of colored cubes (yellow, red, green, brown) to acquire victory point cards.
Take That (indirect) — Players compete for victory point cards, and claiming one can trigger the end game, affecting opponents' plans.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I cannot wait one day when they can will you let me not name these stupid things anymore
We met at our Caroline tabletop game store in Pineville North Carolina plug
My goodness Tony you and I used to play a war machine right we used to you always play a lot of war machine and it was a it was a lifestyle game
So I stepped my toe into Warhammer 40k and you and I can play we could talk about it later on
It's just the little things like that I enjoy I wish some of more of the board games had those little neat mechanics to it you know
This is the exact same thing and Tony I think this is one that your group would really like except except you said interaction is to take that type of element no it only plays five players
So my pitch is that I have a seamless soulless cube pushing euro game where you're just treating cubes for other cubes to trade cubes for victory points
I'll go on record and say I do enjoy playing splendor so I think it's a fine game
I think this is a solid euro game I think everybody that said to this table said this is really really good
I'm really digging these games that the when you read the rules it's like oh that's pretty simple that's probably just a really simple quick little game but there's enough meat behind it to where you enjoy it but it doesn't overstay its welcome and it's played in under an hour

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 3x64eDNOb-A Rolling Dice & Taking Names Top List at 5:43 sentiment: positive

video_pk 93507 · mention_pk 253107

Click to watch at 5:43 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

It's the second in a trilogy and adds more depth than the first game.
The reviewer loves the designer and highly recommends it.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Century: Spice Road

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

my leadoff question to the segment is going to be answered right now because coming in at number 10 and dropping eight spaces is the key for charkh on Dec
this is a game that I got to saw preview at dice tower con and there was a lot of buzz around it so if you're interested go pre-order it now because it's supposed to be out this month
this is a game that appeared in the top 10 list last month and it was so popular that I thought I need to try this game so I went out and bought myself a copy hath not had a chance to play it yet but I can't wait to try it out because I've heard so many good things about it and it's in the top 10 for this tube two consecutive months
my wife made me a homemade copy of Azul using ticket to ride trains so we could feel like we're a part of the board gaming hotness
must be an extremely popular game and I'm sure with it being the Halloween but a lot of people are getting into Lovecraftian games
I've had a chance to play this game and this is one of my favorite of that style game
well Brian miniature Market will be sending your friend Jake a copy of that game and I've played this game and it really is one of the best comic based board games I've played in a while
I love the designer I highly recommend checking it out
this card game that took the community by storm earlier this year is as hot as ever it's an easy game to learn easy game to play it's one of those that you can just get out and play any time I can totally understand why this game is so hot I guess eventually everybody's gonna have a copy of this thing
this game is crazy after all these years and all these expansions everything associated that game is just super hot people love this game and my local game store I see it play it all the time all my local friends have a copy of this game and I'm sure they probably got this expansion too so if you have a copy of terraforming Mars you need to add this to your collection

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video rfXs_itvazc Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 24:10 sentiment: positive

video_pk 93540 · mention_pk 253260

Click to watch at 24:10 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Sold out at Origins.
Highly praised by designer Mike Fitzgerald.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Trading spices.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Players acquire cards to build their deck and improve their actions.
Resource Management — Managing and converting different types of resources.
Set Collection — Collecting sets of resources to fulfill contracts.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This little twist is enough to me to make it probably the love-letter version of game then I'm going to play.
Hats off to DC you got it right this movie is so good if you haven't seen it yet you got to go check this out it treated the character with respect it was a good story.
It is that decision that it really makes the game kind of tough two times.
This is a cutthroat game and which is why this is going to make it a really cool game to see play live.
It's bombing it is taking finally the u.s. realizes that Michael Bay should stop making transformers.
But it is so much fun I bought a copy instantly.
This is Emerson's golden ticket he has got a lien he has got the Chocolate Factory

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Tp6PCSe9gmY Getting Games Discussion at 37:31 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 92072 · mention_pk 247203

Click to watch at 37:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

clear, lightweight engine-building
interesting incentivization mechanic (card row cycling)

Cons

incentivization can feel flawed at lower player counts

Thematic elements

commodity trading and spice conversion
spice trade and card-based engine/hand development
explanatory/first impression

Comparison games

Splendor

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

hand_building_engine — acquire cards to build a personal engine; cards stay in play and are used repeatedly
incentivization_mechanic — to buy cards deeper in the row you must pay a spice, incentivizing row cycling
spice_conversion_and_set_collection — cards grant spice production or conversion; aim for VP via market cards

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's really great to see that we've made it to 10 episodes
this is going to be the meat of the variety vlog
I would love opinions on all of these various things
it's a fun little podcast where we talk about board games
the dragon is catching people and doing damage to them
I think this might actually be a bit of a mey game experience for them

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 7xH1GZw4cZg Getting Games Discussion at 3:19 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91933 · mention_pk 246807

Click to watch at 3:19 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

engaging spatial planning and multi-turn planning
multi-step planning rewards
clear thematic integration with mechanics

Cons

initially overwhelming due to icons and rules
colorblindness concerns with spice tokens

Thematic elements

spice upgrading and trading to earn victory points
historical spice trade via map and sailing
spatial/resource-management with map and sailing

Comparison games

Century Spice Road

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

port-based scoring — spices are cashed in at ports for victory points
set collection/trajectory planning — plan turns ahead to convert spices into sets for future scoring
spatial/navigation — a map and a single ship that sails around; moving farther requires leaving spices behind on skipped spots
spice upgrading — four types of spices upgraded via traits as the game progresses
token placement when moving — leaving tokens down on locations you pass; first token is free, later tokens cost spices

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's designed by yuffie rosenberg
the entire game was on the phone
I think all of us who played it are looking forward to playing more
I would probably be more excited to play War of the Buttons again than some other games
thematic idea is that government corruption is being crackdown on but gift-giving is used to circumvent it

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 7lAu7YTlbLM Meeple University Discussion at 23:11 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91528 · mention_pk 245605

Click to watch at 23:11 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Really like this one out of the century series
Favorite
I really do like the mechanism here
Good one

Cons

Can't you use your action points as efficiently as you can because if you're using the popular spaces you've got to spend more people's on it

Thematic elements

Resource trading

Comparison games

Century: Spice Road
Century: Golem Edition

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Order Fulfillment — It's order fulfillment as well.
Worker Placement — Non-competitive worker placement newest worker placement sort of thing.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Academy deep water games really good to play a games yeah we freakin yeah this is one of our last ones against the table out of everything we purchased but it's a quick little jewel simple rules deep strategy and quick so I very much recommend this one yep I know that you want to play once you play it feels playing this terran wants to play against her away because I think he's that because I want the game know I was working fun because okay just let me have the last week okay yeah it is quick and fun but I was I got my bad thing I was a little bit late at night and we didn't end up playing good again but we'll definitely play again
next is roughly guard position we have the other view for you of this one as well it's a social reduction game yep social reduction sedna Magic the Gathering universe yeah for me we haven't we haven't got a group of people around to play this one yet but I like its idea and I like that it is a biscuit now we've had it yeah because if you've watched a vlog from a couple of months ago I always struggle with the blank slate nature of a game like Avalon or werewolf this one structures things a bit better specific events are going to happen right you can respond to those that's that's what I prefer in a social reduction game and I think this puts it together pretty nicely we really need to get a group together that can play this with us because our normal gaming group is usually four because most games can be played with four so our gaming group is naturally for people
next one if it's not you'll play a game trick-taking game called claim by deep water games yep I think like we don't play a lot of trick taking games I played a lot of 503 university but Stella didn't say yeah it's still fun though we'd see the twists with a special power of which sections trying to claim throne yep I think what I would say for this game I've seen a few modern trick-taking games out there and they all have these twists on gaining points in certain ways of trying to get certain cards I like this one because it's not too convoluted each suit has a relatively simple ability that you've got to manage it's not like you know this number does this and this suit gives you that sort of points it's like you know just trying to get suit majorities and each suit has a small ability that doesn't throw the the standards of trick-taking out and so I think this is one of the best design modern tricked design bicycle else hi Scott yep considering I haven't actually played a lot of trick-taking units this one's pretty easy
so please a some pads here which is the welcome to expansions oh thank all of those outs away yep so this one's the Easter egg hunts Halloween the bomb shelters they do all change up the game changer game out quite a bit and I think the one that's stood out in my mind we played doomsday and it was the shortest game welcome to with a plague by far because the three the three objectives we were playing just you could complete them all in one street essentially and so we were done so quickly and I did not adjust my strategy I can't even thank you I can't remember we're playing for you this is one of our my favorite go-to when it just have two of us or there many people wanting to play
and that's the the Roland rifle Copenhagen alright that's a really good quality Roland right it is currently a diploma filament is on Kickstarter yep yep yeah it's it plays very quickly it has some clear strategies you can go for with different types of colors you get I think they've put together a really good lead and follow Roland right there yeah there's another one as well that is steel prototype which is for plant so they're still in development and they're still changing up the rules changing up the card so it's a little bit like welcome to is this by the same publisher is welcome to which is support against so it we play it once it has got that similar sort of taste - welcome - when you put which one you're gonna do you know which one you're gonna solve face and so on that's very interesting
yeah there's another one as well that is steel prototype which is for plant so they're still in development and they're still changing up the rules changing up the card so it's a little bit like welcome to is this by the same publisher is welcome to which is support against so it we play it once it has got that similar sort of taste - welcome - when you put which one you're gonna do you know which one you're gonna solve face and so on that's very interesting

References (from this video)

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Video GIpkRS23jXs Getting Games Discussion at 26:17 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91553 · mention_pk 245717

Click to watch at 26:17 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Origins is obviously a lot smaller than Gen Con
I quite liked it
overall I had a good time at origins
it's a heavy game with a really neat card and worker placement mechanism
I actually quite enjoyed this one

References (from this video)

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Video Uu3CZV0LU7g Getting Games Discussion at 8:54 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 91361 · mention_pk 245142

Click to watch at 8:54 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

light weight
tutorial noted as quick

Cons

not engaging for the host; he didn't feel compelled to continue playing

Thematic elements

light, worker placement with worker bumping

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Worker Placement — players assign workers to actions; sending more workers back out allows reuse later

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I finally decided that it's something that I should try to see how much money I'll actually make
it's something I've been putting off for years like literally since I very first started this channel
80% is still well and good enough for me to go ahead with this
sound is a bit magical in my old career that I've been doing for like 12 years
I am planning on leaving them on as they are right now for the foreseeable future
I don't want to flood people's timelines with all these little five to ten minute videos

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video tp2jAxu-IB0 3 Minute Board Games Top List at 19:02 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91347 · mention_pk 245076

Click to watch at 19:02 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Positive

Pros

Looks much better than the original
Slightly engaging theme
Good for new players
Captivating and engaging for experienced players

Cons

Gameplay is virtually identical to Spice Road

Thematic elements

Making golems

Comparison games

Splendor
Century: Spice Road

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — A simple engine building game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

No quotes stored for this video.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video rOVOv3vReWQ Nights Around a Table Rules Teach at 2:37

video_pk 91017 · mention_pk 243900

Click to watch at 2:37 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Splendor

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — Mentioned as a gentle introduction to the engine building concept, and considered marginally better than Splendor by the host.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

So engine building games. i think i can demonstrate the concept pretty simply.
Well, this is cool! So i'm... i'm getting better and better.
So i've just demonstrated sort of how an engine builder works: you get little pieces, and you use those pieces to build a machine that hopefully generates points for you as the game goes on, and more and more points, so you're building a better and better contraption, or machine, or whatever the theme happens to be, in the game.
Now it's a pretty broad generalization of a mechanic.
So in a lot of these games, you get your whole machine up and running, your whole engine's going, and it's ready to generate points for you, aaand that's the last round and it's over.
The... the challenge is just getting there in just enough time to maybe squeeze some points out of it, and get your fun out of it, and then the game ends.
What is your favourite engine building game?
i have a beard. i have a corduroy jacket, and look: i'm even wearing glasses.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video q0WP0awz050 Getting Games Discussion at 16:31 sentiment: negative

video_pk 90737 · mention_pk 242778

Click to watch at 16:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

negative

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's gorgeous
the magic of board games involves another human being
practice makes perfect
it's such an amazing resource
2020 has permanently changed my life
i love board games and i want to keep giving this a shot

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video dyi6OBy828U 3 Minute Board Games Top List at 16:55 sentiment: positive

video_pk 90797 · mention_pk 243003

Click to watch at 16:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Simple, fast-paced, with many good decisions.
Very family-friendly.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Set Collection

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Set Collection — a very simple set collection game

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

No quotes stored for this video.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video q0WP0awz050 Getting Games Discussion at 30:28 sentiment: positive

video_pk 90737 · mention_pk 242769

Click to watch at 30:28 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's gorgeous
the magic of board games involves another human being
practice makes perfect
it's such an amazing resource
2020 has permanently changed my life
i love board games and i want to keep giving this a shot

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video TBM0TILEanQ Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Top 10 List at 9:34 sentiment: positive

video_pk 90536 · mention_pk 242005

Click to watch at 9:34 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

fast turns and easy upgrades
very accessible trading game

Cons

some may outgrow the basic engine-building pace

Thematic elements

trading and upgrading goods to score points
medieval spice trade
fast-paced and streamlined

Comparison games

Terraforming Mars
Splendor

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

deck-building / engine-building — collect cards to upgrade your goods and score points
Set Collection — fast, smooth turns with clear upgrades
set collection / quick turns — fast, smooth turns with clear upgrades

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's just a great list of games that are just have a low buried entry basically
there's a game for everybody out there
it's a perfect choice to use to introduce people to games
it's not a game it's an activity
cooperative makes it easy to teach

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video R1usRiNRWZ8 Nights Around a Table Unboxing at 1:03:28 sentiment: other

video_pk 90341 · mention_pk 241254

Click to watch at 1:03:28 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Skeptical/Disappointed

Pros

none

Cons

The 'Golem' version was preferred by the host, but not initially planned for all games in the trilogy.
Publisher's communication about future releases was perceived as misleading.
The game's core mechanic of trading spices is similar to concepts rejected in design competitions due to oversaturation.

Thematic elements

Trading spices

Comparison games

Century Golem Edition

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Set Collection — Implied by the 'gem upgrade' mechanic and the game's theme.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

mind clash is all about making their games just over just overboard with production values and just making them cool cool cool
the art is neat it's original um like i say it's hard a lot of these games you look at it and you're like oh well that's that's back to the future you look at this you're like oh that's star trek but this one it's hard hard to put a finger on it isn't it
if you know trickerion you know what's what's happening and then they did something really really smart and really really sneaky
the components are amazing i like them i really like the feel them
my first live stream thank you for joining me
i'm a storage nerd
this is a kickstarter product if you couldn't tell
it's a loan but it's a fun loan
the future is a scary place folks
whoa what happens when you need to burp or fart on a live stream do you know
Look at this thing this is crazy
Mineclash is all about making their games just overboard with production values and just making them cool cool cool
The vision, the artistic vision, is so weird, it's so funky and out there
If you're a geek and I know you probably are this game is for you
These are the coolest things, and they'll look better once I get them out of the bag
I was so disappointed when I bought it... and then I played it and it's wicked, I loved it, it's so cool.
It's like kitchen sink game design and people have faulted it for that.
Perseverance is like Lost meets Jurassic Park
It seemed like a really unique concept to me but weird, is that weird?
and they said this will never be available at retail and then they released a version of it at retail I was like damn you
they said we will we're not going to do gollum versions of these other games and then they released them
Spacious and component-heavy
The host notes that Nemesis requires more space than the Anachrony Infinity Box, and mentions a friend's extensive collection of 'Too Many Bones' components.
Expansive and modular
The game consists of a base game and numerous expansions, allowing players to customize their experience.
Audacious (Collector's Edition)
Social Deduction
The host compares it to 'werewolf' and questions if it includes a literal clock tower.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 2GfQjEAsqJM 3 Minute Board Games Review at 0:07 sentiment: positive

video_pk 90013 · mention_pk 239986

Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Easy to teach
Just enough engine building to get your brain whirring
Wide potential appeal
Suitable for family or casual gamers
Wonderful, adorable, and weird golems
Near perfect combination of simplicity, decision space and design aesthetics

Cons

A lot of the game is spent pondering decisions
Not a game of a huge amount of direct social interaction
It's just a reskin of Spice Road, nothing new if you prefer that game's look

Thematic elements

Artificial constructs capable of doing tasks beyond our mortal means. Can you build the best and greatest golems of all?
In this world crystals are a rare resource one that needs to be traded and bartered for.

Comparison games

Spice Road
Splendor
Sagrada

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — you start with only two basic cards in your hand
Drafting — you can collect cards from the central displays
Set Collection — the game revolves around collecting different sets of colored gems

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Can you build the best and greatest golems of all?
its combination of being easy to teach combined with just enough engine building to get your brain whirring means it's a game of wide potential appeal
the best thing about this game is that it is a near perfect combination of simplicity, decision space and design aesthetics
however a lot of the game is spent pondering your decisions and it's not a game of a huge amount of direct social interaction
it's also just a reskin of spice road so if you prefer that game's look there's nothing new here
century golem edition gold medal game

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 9i_aE22BWuo 3 Minute Board Games Analysis at 2:34 sentiment: positive

video_pk 89456 · mention_pk 237541

Click to watch at 2:34 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

excellent light set collection game

Cons

none

Thematic elements

none

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Set Collection — An excellent light set collection game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

when do i finally get to make a decision
century spice road is an excellent light set collection game
this version just has golems and is way cooler
twilight imperium works hard to cram four hours of fun into its 12-hour playtime
this fun and fast-paced dice drafting game crams a ton of decisions into its six rounds
a slightly uninspiring math puzzle that really didn't need to be set in the south pacific
a one note party game that gets very old very quickly
wild space is a wildly swingy set collection game whose novel presentation covers up its average gameplay
a modern take on the traditional trick taking game that doesn't really bring that much new to the table
a truly unique and sprawling euro game about one of the most fascinating periods of history the meiji restoration
a truly awful dungeon crawler inspired by the wildly successful book
still a very pleasant worker placement game about wine
a very unusual game about gambling on blood sports where the players are the crowd not the fighters
what are the original 4x games that spawned a massive franchise
also manages to cram four hours of fun into its 12 hour playtime
a dinky little dexterity game about balancing ninjas on precarious tiles
another perfectly good example of a deck building game where you actually get to do something with the cards
a dinky little dice manipulation co-op game and a rare example of a game where the app is not only better it's a thousand times harder as well

References (from this video)

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Video IjG6cPxxm1w Watch It Played News Segment at 3:51 sentiment: positive

video_pk 88877 · mention_pk 235162

Click to watch at 3:51 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Big box includes all promos
Includes new mini-expansion 'Golden Deals'
Combines multiple games in the trilogy
Increased player count to 5 for the big box

Cons

Uncertainty about whether all components are now 5-player
Uncertainty about a Golem Edition

Thematic elements

spice trading

Comparison games

Century: Spice Road
Century: Eastern Wonders

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — The new Mini expansion the golden deals has clear cards with effects on them giving you something new to acquire that you can use to modify the cars you have in play.
Set Collection — Century spice Road Eastern wonders and new world.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The heroes and maps are also compatible with regular unmatched so that's cool as well
This looks a lot like another here's more game expansion instead of a here's a whole new area you now have to manage.
The artwork I think looks awesome
I thought writing this script was time consuming well thank you I guess it's a matter of perspective

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Apc520Z58ME Watch It Played Top 10 List at 4:22 sentiment: positive

video_pk 87210 · mention_pk 227452

Click to watch at 4:22 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

great classic Euro with a clear engine-building arc
satisfying to stack and optimize the tableau

Cons

none

Thematic elements

spice trading and cube/card tableau
Silk Road spice trading

Comparison games

C Net

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

cube drafting / card tableau engine building — Acquire cards to turn cubes into other cubes, building an engine and scoring.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

hi I'm Chaz maror watch it played host and board game Enthusiast
every time I play this game I get a story out of it even or especially when I lose badly
thematically dogs playing card games is a winning combination let's be frank

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video bjIEf60vxMI Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Top List at 3:26 sentiment: positive

video_pk 86064 · mention_pk 221918

Click to watch at 3:26 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Simple and distilled version of resource management
Go-to game that is returned to often
Perfect and lovely

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Trading spices

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Hand Management — Using cards to upgrade or trade spices.
Resource Management — Players gather and upgrade spices.
Set Collection — Fulfilling orders by collecting specific sets of spices.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is such a hilarious game we've been playing this for years with our daughters and I don't think we've ever played a game where there's not laughing happening
the mechanisms are board gamey kind of mechanisms but the atmosphere of it is very much of a party
This is one of those games that I think I am always in the mood for
my whole thing with games I'm just going to let let you know this in this video in case you didn't already know is I don't really care if I win and lose as long as I'm able to accomplish something
Season 2 was really interesting cuz you um you don't realize what had happened until about Midway through the game there's big plot twist
I don't know how you play test things like this like how do you do it to make it so where when people play this game you know they're going to do these things so these things get revealed this way it's incredible
one of the things I really liked about this game is how seamless the turns War it turns were it just happens
it is crazy fun and crazy stressful but like that fun stressful cuz it's all in real time

References (from this video)

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Video 3IhxxOdyHhM The Cardboard Herald Interview at 4:47:52 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84559 · mention_pk 214949

Click to watch at 4:47:52 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The art is beautiful and makes you want to just keep playing to see more.
It feels epic, like you're part of a grand unfolding story.
It's a challenging game that requires a lot of deduction and thinking.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 7r8AVlR21qQ The Board Game Garden Rules Teach at 47:11 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81292 · mention_pk 200970

Click to watch at 47:11 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Gorgeous gems instead of colored cubes

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

That's literally going to make me cry. That's so nice. What the heck? H That's exactly why I make YouTube videos and stuff.
I love the art in this game so much.
Can't serve you, lady. I'm so sorry. I have no fish cards.
I think it has a good amount of challenge. There was a few times in this intro scenario where I was pretty close to losing and it like got my heart beating fast and I was very excited.
Sejo Mora, I believe is how you pronounce their name, uh, they actually run Caravan Games by themselves. And I just think that is so so just fantastic and good for them and they I feel like made a really fun game that I feel like more people need to play.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video cMRD_hNMY7c Rules Teach at 0:01 sentiment: positive

video_pk 79403 · mention_pk 192808

Click to watch at 0:01 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Casual
Easy to learn
Fast to play
Surprising amount of depth

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Spice traders collecting and using spices to buy point cards.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Mentioned as a 'causal deck-building card game'.
Hand Management — Players manage a hand of merchant cards and must decide when to play them or rest to reclaim played cards.
Resource conversion — Merchant cards are used to convert spices into more valuable spices or other combinations.
Set Collection — Players collect spices to buy point cards. Specific combinations of spices are required for different point cards.
Take That — Implied by the 'sowing' mechanic when taking merchant cards from the table, where players must place their own spices on cards to claim them.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's Ryan from Nights Around a Table, and this is Century Spice Road, a causal deck-building card game for 2-5 players.
Spice trading made easy... except with a surprising amount of depth, and lightning-fast turns.
If you like your games casual, easy to learn, and fast to play, you'll get a lot of joy out of Century: Spice Road.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video TDqpzCMkKnY Rules Teach at 0:01 sentiment: positive

video_pk 79353 · mention_pk 192757

Click to watch at 0:01 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Casual gameplay

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Spice traders collecting and using spices to buy point cards.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — On your turn, you have to perform one of these actions: Buy a point card, play a merchant card from your hand, take a merchant card from the table, or rest.
deck-building — It is described as a 'deck-building card game'.
Hand Management — Players play merchant cards from their hand.
Set Collection — The game centers around collecting spices, which are used to buy point cards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's Ryan from Nights Around a Table, and this is Century: Spice Road, a casual, deck-building card game for 2-5 players.
If you want to learn more about the rules of the game, click the link at the end of this video or in the description below to watch my complete How to Play video, which includes the overview segment you just watched.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video U2Auj6ql9_w Top List at 17:12 sentiment: positive

video_pk 72363 · mention_pk 170599

Click to watch at 17:12 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Very streamlined gameplay
Challenging decisions despite simplicity
Great entry-level game
Makes players feel clever

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Trading spices

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Hand Management — you are either playing a card you're getting a card or you're picking up your cards
Resource Management — you're trying to get all of these different colored cubes
Set Collection — you're trying to get all of these different colored cubes so you can get like the big buck cards

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

this is kind of a placeholder for all of the ticket to rides we own like five maps to this I think we own like nine if you factor in the sand alone Germany and Europe and London we have a ton of these Maps we really like these games they are extremely streamlined to what a game is
this is the game I would recommend every library to purchase if they have a circulating board game collection because it will get played and it will get circulated
also a great game by the way it's going to be higher up on my list spoiler alert but this game is also great
I just really really like that you don't have to be good at games be good at this game cuz you're just rolling dice like that's it that's all the game is you're just rolling Dice
because of that corers is in my heart
you are either playing a card you're getting a card or you're picking up your cards and that's it that's all you're doing
it's really challenging to know when to do that and when it's going to be beneficial
people feel really smart and clever while they're playing it but also not like overwhelmed with all these different things
this is a game that you have an action you get to play an action but then everyone to do that exact same action you just have to do a stronger version of it
the actions that don't get drafted actually get a little bit of money added to them
it's a classic
you're trying to draft all these marbles in order to make these drinks
there's also some that are not like what you want they will do bad things to you but some of those selections might have just a ton of marbles in them so you're willing to risk it risk this negative thing happening to you in order to gain all of these so you can complete your orders
it's really cool with this recessed board as you're putting all of these marbles in all of these places and you're drafting this these cards it just it's a really fun one to play
worker placement game but usually worker placement what that means is when you place a worker no one else can go there it's the exact opposite in fact you want to go where you already have people placed
my favorite mechanism in this game is you can go and you can arrest other people's groups of people and basically sell them to the jail for money
there's kind of this morality track as well as you're um as you're going up kind of building this church this Cathedral as well

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video NLBDRQ2OIqw Discussion at 0:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 70368 · mention_pk 167297

Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Metal coins came natively with the board game, right off the shelf.
Metal coins felt like a really quality touch.
Upgrading components elevate the experience and make playing a game feel special and cool and neat.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The game is Century: Spice Road.
this was one of the first times, if not the first time, I'd ever purchased a board game and metal coins came natively with the board game, like right off the shelf.
It felt like a like a really quality touch, you know what I mean?
Upgrading components are everything. And yes, they do elevate the experience. I know they don't change gameplay at all, but they just they they're cut above and they just make playing a game feel special and cool and neat.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video lBxoGEtGTdE Meeple University Rules Teach

video_pk 70250 · mention_pk 167176

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

none

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The game plays two to four players competitively.
On each turn players will move their wagon one space or further by leaving behind a crystal on any spaces skipped.
The main feature of the game is in setting up a network of trading outposts at the mountain spaces allowing the player to engage in the printed trades.
The first player to build in a location does so for free.
The game ends at the end of the round in which one player has collected four golem tokens.
Eastern mountains is the second game in the Century Golem Edition series.
And that's what to expect from Century Golem Edition Eastern Mountains.
hybrid form of play called the call for adventure.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 6atk6WkisJI Discussion

video_pk 65818 · mention_pk 159722

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

boom roasted
we're just here to have fun
this is a great start to the hobby
we're going to roast your collection
thanks so much for sending this in

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video ECPhTkQkRiA Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Top List at 4:26 sentiment: positive

video_pk 65542 · mention_pk 159231

Click to watch at 4:26 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Caravan leaders who travel the famed Silk Road to deliver spices to the far reaches of the continent for fame and Glory
takes place during a different point in history

Comparison games

Splendor

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — this engine building game

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

this top 10 list is based on the daily averages from boardgamegeek.com hottest game list over the past 30 days basically these are the games that people are looking at and talking about the most over on the internet's largest board game database website
the quality of the single player experience keeping the quality of its solitire gaming as pristine and as high a priority as possible
now will this game have been worth the wait well let's hope so
the eighth most popular game in the BGG hotness this past month was the newest offering by designer Emerson matsuuchi Century spice road
Arkham Horror the card game is what's known as a living card game or lcg
a periodic point of contention with Arkham Horror the card game is that in order to have enough potential cards to accommodate multiple players at least two core sets of the games need to be bought
in dice Forge players fight to gain Valor with the gods using an Armory of dice with removable faces
I'm wondering will dice Forge suffer the same fate or does this dice game have more to offer in terms of its gameplay and Longevity than its predecessor did
a bold statement one that leaves me wondering if these strides towards improving the game's functionality will really cause it to continue to LEAP froggit way to an even higher position in our top 10 next month
first Martian aims to bring several Innovations to the board gaming scene by hoping to take app integration to the next level
now that the game is starting to ship initial reports are that the game has been worth the wait
for the past 4 months the number one spot on the list has belonged to one and only one game Gloom Haven
even though Gloom Haven is technically the game in the number one spot we're going to take this opportunity to highlight a different game that's worth talking about
it sounds like even though this is another game set in the Gloom Haven universe it is vastly different than its predecessor which is very neat and encouraging to see

References (from this video)

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Video MMw3gagk0MI Watch It Played Rules Teach at 0:31 sentiment: positive

video_pk 65074 · mention_pk 158677

Click to watch at 0:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Acquiring new merchants provides new abilities for future turns.
Spice cards allow collection of spices.
Upgrade cards allow for conversion of spices.
Trade cards allow for flexible conversion of spices.
Resting allows players to retrieve played cards.
Claiming point cards is the main way to score.

Cons

Exceeding caravan capacity requires returning excess cubes.
Running out of spices in the bowls requires using replacements.

Thematic elements

spices and trade
centuries past

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — On their turn, players choose one of four actions: acquire, play, rest, or claim a point card.
Card Drafting — Players acquire merchant cards from a central display, with some being free and others having a cost based on their position.
Hand Management — Players have a hand of merchant cards that they can play to perform actions, and can also use the 'rest' action to retrieve played cards back into their hand.
Resource conversion — Players can upgrade existing spices into more valuable ones or trade sets of spices for others using specific merchant cards.
Set Collection — Players collect spices (cubes) to meet the requirements on point cards to claim them for victory points.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

In centuries past, spices carried an air of mystery and allure.
So join me at the table, and let's learn how to play.
And that's the setup!
But I would avoid using actual spices because that would just make a big mess.
And that's everything you need to know to play Century: Spice Road.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Az4lIwU7XrQ Meeple University Top List at 10:25 sentiment: positive

video_pk 64830 · mention_pk 158391

Click to watch at 10:25 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Simple rules
Nice components (Golem Edition)
Good travel game
Family enjoyed it

Cons

none

Thematic elements

spice trading

Comparison games

Spice Road

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action Pool Building — Mentioned as a mechanic.
contract fulfillment — Mentioned as a mechanic.
Engine Building — Simple rules engine building.
Hand Management — Upgrading resources to get better resources, hand gets the points.
Resource Management — Upgrading resources to get better resources.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

we are sharing our list what we would usually play and why coming up
it is a very personal list because your dynamics are going to depend on your family's uh capacity to play games
my parents played a lot back in the 80s less so since then
looking for at least five players generally speaking
project gaia first then no no there's no food chain magnet here your dad would be like what they there are no uh small text though or are they
the crew is uh if the group plays up to five in a a very good i know your family is used to playing trick taking games i think
colt express was a hit a few years ago um at our christmas place it's really fun plays up to six
gravwell being a you know it's a it's a little bit more abs it's definitely much more abstract than cult express but it has the same um i mean it's not quite programming but it's simultaneous selection and enough things will happen that it's going to uh that you can't always plan for everything
it's a good travel game as well indeed
camel up is also a racing game but it's more so of betting than racing
it's very clever racing game um because it takes the dice out of it
it's the quacks of werdell burke
this one's more on the thinking side of things of course if you uh it's it's it's one of the classic simple thinking games
if you've never heard of any of these games you can still have fun with family monopoly it'll happen
i only just realized that cludo was a pun on um on the old die rolling game ludo
internet's always right so assume that exactly that is correct then

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video STcLViqXbcs Meeple University Preview at 1:09 sentiment: neutral

video_pk 64754 · mention_pk 158255

Click to watch at 1:09 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

neutral

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

exploration and trade in a new world
16th century America

Comparison games

Spice Road
Eastern Wonders

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Auto cards via space actions — Four Auto cards can be completed by returning matching goods to the supply, taking the card, and sliding the rest to the left; each card offers points, a bonus effect, and the option to take an end-game scoring tile.
bonus resources — Bonuses may grant extra meeples or resources to use later, influencing late-game capabilities.
End Game Bonuses — End-game scoring tiles can be taken from a matching stack, providing bonus effects and potential scoring opportunities.
end-game scoring tiles — End-game scoring tiles can be taken from a matching stack, providing bonus effects and potential scoring opportunities.
End-game trigger — The game ends after one player has taken eight scoring cards.
goods upgrading — Upgrading one or more goods to the next most valuable type.
Multi-Use Cards — Four Auto cards can be completed by returning matching goods to the supply, taking the card, and sliding the rest to the left; each card offers points, a bonus effect, and the option to take an end-game scoring tile.
Trading — Many spaces allow trading in goods to gain a type of goods, upgrade, or engage in a specific trade.
trading/goods exchange — Many spaces allow trading in goods to gain a type of goods, upgrade, or engage in a specific trade.
Worker Placement — Players place one or more meeples into a space to use it; if unoccupied, place the number shown; if occupied, place one more than the number already present and return any goods.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Century a new world is a continuous worker placement game
the game plays two to four players in 30 to 45 minutes
The game will end after one player has taken eight scoring cards
the new world also comes with components and three sets of rules enabling you to combine the game with either or both of the earlier games in this century series Spice Road and Eastern Wonders

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video KHr6FU0Vf_k Let's Table It Top List at 0:05 sentiment: neutral

video_pk 64584 · mention_pk 158052

Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

neutral

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

trade and resource management
historical spice trade routes
abstract/economy-driven

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — build a sequence of cards that improve future turns
Set Collection — collect gem-like tokens to fulfill card requirements

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

No quotes stored for this video.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video DZs3sapbqcI Getting Games Review at 0:02 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 63577 · mention_pk 157015

Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Engaging hand-building decisions and engine-building potential
Strong planning and interaction between cards as the game progresses
Low downtime and fast pacing, even with more players
Enjoyable planning and engine optimization

Cons

Flawed incentivization mechanic that can stall the row and engine
Runaway leader risk when the trade row stalls, leading to reduced interaction
Limited variability; VP cards map predictably to spice values and there is little dynamic action from round to round
Two-player variant can underperform due to early stall in card cycling

Thematic elements

spice trading

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

End-game trigger — The game ends when a player collects a certain number of VP cards (6 for 2–3 players, 5 for more players).
hand-building / engine-building — Players build an engine by drafting and playing cards to generate and upgrade spices, progressing toward victory point cards.
Resource accumulation — Playing cards yields spices into your caravan area; you can spend spices to gain others or to fulfill VP cards.
spice management and conversion — Spices come in four types; some cards convert one spice into another, enabling engine growth.
trade row and cycling — A row of trade cards is available; players can take top cards for free or pay spices to pull more advanced cards, with cards sliding down as taken.
Turn structure — Each turn is a single action chosen from four options.
upgrades — Upgrade cards allow increasing spice values or combining upgrades to improve actions.
victory point cards and coins — Victory point cards at the top of the table grant points; gold coins (underneath VP cards) are worth 3 points each, silver coins are worth 1 point each.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I love figuring out which card is going to be best for me based on the cards I already have in my hand as well as the slices I have in my area
the surprisingly low amount of downtime in this game
it's a largely multiplayer solitaire game
I am quite good at this game
it's a shadow of the game it could have been
I cannot say that I love this game I do think that I recommend it

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 7qWS9nXElBM Getting Games Playthrough at 0:02 sentiment: positive

video_pk 63547 · mention_pk 156975

Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

effective use of upgrade bonuses and ports
flexible movement via extra ship moves
strong late-game scoring via port tiles

Cons

board congestion due to many outposts
some suboptimal decisions by opponents affect pacing

Thematic elements

spice trade and maritime commerce
each player takes on the role of a merchant who is sailing from island to island trading their spices so that they can ultimately go to port and ship these spices overseas in the form of a bunch of victory points
commentary with on-table teaching during play

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

cargo hold management — players hold resources in a cargo hold (capacity limit); conversions and harvesting move spices into or out of the hold
End Game Bonuses — placing outposts can trigger upgrade effects and grant access to bonus tiles (e.g., extra cargo hold, extra ship movement, or resource upgrades)
Harvest action — harvest actions take two ginger from the supply and place them in the cargo hold; bonuses can grant additional resources during harvest
outpost placement — build outposts on tiles; cost is one resource of any color for every previous outpost on that tile; if there are no previous outposts, the cost is free
port tiles and endgame — port tiles grant points when activated; drawing new tiles occurs; endgame is triggered when a certain number of port tiles are claimed
resource conversions on market tiles — market tiles allow converting one resource into another; you must have an outpost on the tile to perform conversions
ship movement — the first move is free; every subsequent move to a new tile costs one spice from your hold which you must place on the spots passed through
upgrade and bonuses — placing outposts can trigger upgrade effects and grant access to bonus tiles (e.g., extra cargo hold, extra ship movement, or resource upgrades)
Worker Placement — build outposts on tiles; cost is one resource of any color for every previous outpost on that tile; if there are no previous outposts, the cost is free

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

we're going to be the start player and we're going to be playing as the pink player
the basic harvest action is that you take two of the ginger cubes and put it into your cargo hold
the structure of a turn is really quite simple
the goal of this game is trying to achieve these tiles over here

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Y6hXC7YmKS8 Actualol Discussion at 5:33 sentiment: neutral

video_pk 60285 · mention_pk 152706

Click to watch at 5:33 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

neutral

Pros

shorter, gateway-friendly

Cons

dry tone

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Space Base
Middle Ages

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — card engine building mechanics with resource collection
engine-building — card engine building mechanics with resource collection

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's your game night, so you get to decide.
Storing your games vertically isn't perfect.
If your shelves are overflowing, why not play a game that doesn't take up any space because it's Hearthstone.
This is your game night.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video t4NCZvW45f0 Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Discussion at 3:42 sentiment: positive

video_pk 38907 · mention_pk 117237

Click to watch at 3:42 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Beautiful art and box design
Three levels of complexity across the Century trilogy
Can be combined with the original Century Spice Road
Plan B's strong lineup

Cons

Sold out quickly and limited initial availability
Some players may need time to adjust to the added complexity

Thematic elements

Trade routes, exploration, and resource management
Indonesian archipelago trade routes during the spice trade era
Light thematic narrative with abstract mechanics

Comparison games

Century: Spice Road

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Resource Management — Careful planning and allocation of goods to maximize efficiency.
Set Collection — Players collect resource cards to fulfill orders and score points.
tile/board interaction — Tiles and ships represent routes; players navigate and expand control.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Century sold out quickly within the first day or maybe the second.
I was blown away by some of the art on the components and the box.
Plan B having so many strong titles... see something new again, another beautiful game.
it's set in the Age of Exploration, trying to ship goods on expeditions
it's kind of like a Hearthstone you can play online but with the physical cards you scan them in

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video M71SEBP_wLE Board Stupid Discussion at 19:44 sentiment: positive

video_pk 38134 · mention_pk 114675

Click to watch at 19:44 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive/neutral

Pros

accessible gateway euro with tasty engine-building feel
clever resource conversion system

Cons

some players may prefer more depth or interaction

Thematic elements

resource management, set collection
Renaissance spice trade
n/a

Comparison games

Dune Imperium
Through the Ages

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The fun is back
the internet what a fantastic thing
Scouts one my favorite games ever
the gift that will keep giving until it runs out of credit

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video ycWPklyoJeA Board Gaming Ramblings Discussion at 15:02 sentiment: positive

video_pk 37054 · mention_pk 241335

Click to watch at 15:02 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

easy to learn, satisfying engine development
quick play cycles with high replay value

Cons

some players may find it a bit repetitive
less depth for heavy euro players

Thematic elements

Engine-building through card-based resource conversion
Ancient spice trade routes
Abstract-economic engine-building

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — build an engine by drafting cards that convert trade goods
engine-building — build an engine by drafting cards that convert trade goods
Set Collection — collect resources to unlock stronger actions and cards

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's a lot of fun
we're keeping it
i would call this anyways because i'm not a huge fan on ticket to ride
it's beautiful and we are having it nice
this is the big box one two three boom
it's the most fun this week
it's a very good game

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video WX9EACaSWR0 Jenna's Cozy Corner Discussion at 18:16 sentiment: positive

video_pk 36959 · mention_pk 161574

Click to watch at 18:16 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Gorgeous artwork
Accessible engine-puzzle progression

Cons

May feel like Splendor-lite for some players

Thematic elements

Gem optimization and resource upgrading
Gem-collection crafting with a golem motif
Elegant, almost splendor-like with deck and gem interactions

Comparison games

Splendor

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Play cards to gain gems and set up improvements.
deck-building — Play cards to gain gems and set up improvements.
Gem drafting / exchange — Select and exchange gem colors for scoring and upgrades.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I actually really enjoyed Moonrakers.
I did not enjoy Steam Up very much.
I really really enjoyed Haven.
Dale of merchants has been on the Shelf of opportunity for a while.
Dwellings of Elder Vale I freaking love.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 88Pq8BgBTNk No Pun Included Review at 2:14 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 34614 · mention_pk 103099

Click to watch at 2:14 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Elegant integration of engine-building with route planning and set-collection
Rules are simple yet unlock deep strategic depth through stations and card-driven choices
Beautiful physical components and thematic spice color variety
Strong sense of theme and tactical variety when stations unlock abilities
Replayability through end-game incentives and flexible routes

Cons

Pacing can feel slow and plodding, especially with four players
High potential for analysis paralysis due to heavy planning
End-game can feel abrupt if you mis-time your final trades
Limited variety of island tiles can reduce freshness on repeated plays

Thematic elements

Trade, exploration, and optimization of multi-step cube exchanges through island markets and station bonuses.
An archipelago trading world where players voyage between islands, collecting and delivering spice cubes to ports to earn profits.
Array

Comparison games

Century: Spice Road

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Century: Eastern Wonders is a game of having a little merchant boat that goes to places and eats cubes and then poops out the cubes.
The hold can only hold ten spices regardless of color, so increasing your supply doesn't automatically help you.
This is an elegant masterpiece; the simple paragraph of rules turned a potentially unplayable setup into a brilliant engine.
This little engine that could is a speeding locomotive.
You're never bound to the same boring and comfortable experience; each turn pushes you toward new lands.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video x4UQolONZmU Board Gaming Ramblings Discussion at 11:07 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 30648 · mention_pk 90215

Click to watch at 11:07 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Fresh twist on the Century formula
Compact, elegant design

Cons

Not as strong as the original or other in the trilogy for this group
Some players preferred the original mechanics

Thematic elements

trade and exploration within the Century trilogy
Global commerce and island-based exploration
streamlined, elegant engine-building

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Island-based route planning — Navigate and utilize island routes to maximize scoring opportunities.
Network/Route Building — Navigate and utilize island routes to maximize scoring opportunities.
Resource conversion on track-based engine — Convert resources while traveling to build and activate abilities.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I thought when I read the rules for this game that oh that sounds fun because you're playing cards from your hand and you have to keep or kill them and you want to keep the relevant information to your case and discard the non-relevant.
No it wasn't it was very hard, very hard and not fun.
I think we could recommend them if you enjoy this kind of shorter detective style games.
this felt fresh I like this game... but it's the last star that gets marked that gets to keep the card
it seems that this game is broken
I thought it was fun and unique enough; the real-time timing worked nicely

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video QFND54R2YEY The Dice Tower Discussion at 28:34 sentiment: positive

video_pk 30629 · mention_pk 90166

Click to watch at 28:34 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

buttery smooth, fast play
classic for a reason

Cons

none

Thematic elements

competition and market mastery
medieval spice trade routes and card-driven economy
classic euro-style with high momentum

Comparison games

Wingspan (customization/flag-based play sessions)

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

set collection and card drafting — players craft pipelines of spices to gain points and momentum

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

We funded and we exceeded even a few stretch goals.
That's fraught with danger.
The coolest name ever.
the following mechanism is really neat.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video P1sM4QIzJ3M Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Discussion at 8:30 sentiment: positive

video_pk 30295 · mention_pk 89147

Click to watch at 8:30 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

clean engine-building feeling
elegant upgrade path with multiple routes to victory

Cons

can feel repetitive for players seeking heavy interaction

Thematic elements

resource management and upgrading spices
Silk Road spice trade
euros-centric

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

resource transformation — Trade spices and upgrade caravans to score points.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's King of Tokyo
Correct it's King of Tokyo
Title Blades Banner Festival
Go Nuts for Donuts
Century Spice Road
Mansions of Madness
Final Girl
Mage Wars
Heat: Pedal to the Metal

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Century: Spice Road

Century: Eastern Wonders Review - A Game of Patience

Century: Spice Road - How To Play

Watch & Learn: Century Eastern Wonders - Full Playthrough

First Look Live!: The Biggest Board Game in My Collection

Century: Spice Road

Century: Eastern Wonders Review - A Game of Patience

Century: Spice Road - How To Play

Watch & Learn: Century Eastern Wonders - Full Playthrough

First Look Live!: The Biggest Board Game in My Collection

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