Dogs of War is an elegant game set in a steampunk-influenced renaissance universe. Noble houses engage each other in a series of fierce battles, and it's up to the players and the Dogs of War they control to deploy their private armies in support of whatever house they wish to favor. Clockwork knights and imposing war machines shift the tides of war as they enter the battlefields, but the interest of their Dog of War captains actually lie in the rewards offered by each noble house to its supporters. Each Dog of War has a special ability that helps them claim influence, win battles, or betray the house to which they've sworn allegiance!
Dogs of War is not a game of pure military power, but rather a game in which deception and betrayal often lead the way to a decisive victory. The goal for the Dogs of War is to earn the most power by the end of the game. Thanks to thoughtful game design and development, there are many ways to achieve this, like defeating other captains in battle, getting rewards from the Houses you help, amassing gold and troops, and most importantly, gaining influence with the most successful Houses.
- Excellent and very unique gameplay.
- Streamlined rules and actual changes to the game in the new edition.
- Focuses on player strategy over faction loyalty.
- Has not played this version of it, only the original.
- Mercenaries helping factions in war
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Implicit in factions going to war.
- Mercenary/Role Selection — Players take on roles of mercenaries.
- Variable player powers — Implied by picking sides and changing allegiances.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I am CMO of Gamefound, but I do this series on Gamefound because it is the easiest one.
- This is more Slay the Spire content. More things to mix in and new characters to dive into and new ways to kind of play through the progression of it all.
- Brass Pittsburgh from Roxley being well, the number one game of all time.
- The Witcher Legacy brings the world of The Witcher Old World, but it brings it to you in a legacy game.
- But as an experience, it still is the best RPG board game I've played in the sense that giving me that sense of a character development, making choices, exploring the narrative while diving into combat, and having different uh diverse branching pathways as far as the mechanical elements of what you're doing in the game.
- So, like the earlier stuff, I'm going to try to make you uh if you're excited about finding all the stuff about Lands of Evershade or who knows what, Slay of the Spire, those will all be later in the video.
- The art style, I love the the the components, obviously, Awaken Realms, the general idea of like, you know, this eventual climactic boss fight. I like all that.
- The sheer amount of content both excites and scares me for this one.
- So color me both very interested and very hesitant all at the same time.
References (from this video)
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- Convention season is starting to finally enter its final lurch towards the end of the year.
- the annual board game studies colloquium is the only recurring annual event devoted solely to the academic study of non digital games
- by comparison at GenCon I spend my time with a man who enjoys wearing a variety of hats and a guy with a penchant for rodents and circular chocolatey snacks
- but we do play dice in a bowl which still counts as the same thing if you swear and Danish when you lose
- my greatest achievement at GenCon has been memorizing the entire fog of war rule book while in an elevator on the way to a tournament
References (from this video)
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Quotes (from this video)
- Downforce is now available to play as a beta
- I almost had it... but it just couldn't quite make it happen
- Fair Dinkum time
- test test test test everything
References (from this video)
- pedigree of the designer
- interesting mix of worker placement and area control
- hands-on negotiation flavor
- not always the biggest fan of area control
- warfare, betrayal, and shifting power dynamics
- fictional/political power struggle with houses
- thematic with backstabbing vibe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — control of regions with varying influence
- Asymmetric powers — different powers for different players
- Hand Management — managing a hand of actions or resources
- Worker Placement — core mechanism combined with area control
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- i love these games that have a very interactive kind of central board where everyone is fighting over the same thing
- it's similar to stratego
- it's a two-player only game designed by reiner kenitzia
- every card feels broken
- the grandfather of all area control games
- i can't wait to actually get to the table in a physical form
References (from this video)
- One of the most overproduced games with stunning miniatures that make the game better.
- Completely and utterly batshit simple.
- One of the best back and forth games.
- Not really a war game despite the name.
- Pledging allegiance between royal houses and army units
- Medieval
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area influence — Committing units to battles to move influence up and down.
- Bidding/Pledging — Pledging allegiance of units to royal houses, with the ability to switch.
- Card Play — Playing cards to assign units and take rewards.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- fear not after this there's only going to be two more segments and then it will be Christmas day
- this was made infinitely better with the first expansion where each player was given a role and each role had a unique special ability
- the artwork in all own is really really nice it's in the same vein as twice it's got that old medieval style artwork that is remin of the days before people invented caffeine
- kis is the granddaddy of worker placement games for a reason
- space base is another one of them games that takes an idea that's already been implemented and turns it into something else
- it's called the granddaddy of area control games in the same way that kis is called the granddaddy of worker placement games
- Dogs of War is one of the most overproduced games that you can imagine
- playing RV Caesar is like saying goodbye to the world off into the Wilderness and living in a cave
- the fact that seven wonders can condense an epic civilization building game down to 30 minutes or less is nothing short of astonishing
- the way that all the cards are related to historical events and historical facts even if they are a little bit B towards the United States and the West means that Twilight Struggle is a fascinating game
- Feed the Kraken is an absolutely fantastic party game
- if you can find it and you got a large number of people especially at your Christmas piss up this should be a game that you pull out instead of your penis
References (from this video)
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- two books there's Mech Borg which is a role playing game and then there's steel somm I think is what it's called which is like a miniature game based off of The Forbidden somm engine and so I was just like well I don't want the RPG but I'll I'll buy the other one so yeah I in in theory I'll see it some towards sometime towards the end of the year
- if you like eisenhorn I strongly suggest Bloodlines and the rest of the Warhammer crime line H um
- I built and painted my scaven blood bow Team this week they were a lot of fun but yeah the age shows
- the stormcast Eternal res sculpts are uninspired I mean I it's a lot more of the same really you know what I mean and the rules previewed of a weird board gamey vibe that doesn't really click
- do you think that the price hikes and the lack of availability of models by GW is hurting lgs's more than GW itself
- stores are going to have to eventually get to a point where if they just can't get too much GW stuff they're going to have to start thinking about diversifying and starting to do some uh games like you know start bringing in models from like War Games Atlantic start bringing in like Star grave models and frost grave models and things like that from Northstar
- the reason I don't like plastic cement is because sometimes I have to go back and remove an arm or take the thing off of the base or something like that and if it's plastic cement it's really almost hard to do that because it actually is melting the plastic to the plastic
- GW price hike hit the critical level for me players around here buying 3D printers even the very hardcore 40K players that frowned at me when I mentioned 3D printers are buying 3D printers
- basically the only big company out there is GW I mean everybody else is you know like they're they're sitting on I think and this is admittedly it's a lot of the retail people but they've got like five or six thousand employees but again half of those well maybe not half almost half of those I think are are are retail employees so there's that but still even if you take half of those people out you've still got 2,000 employees let's say
- GW is weird in that they are like I said before I was talking about how Distributors are like the kind of the middleman between the stores and the manufacturers and the Publishers GW is one of those companies that yeah you can buy it from Distributors and you'll pay normal distributor prices but if you buy it directly from GW then you get it for a slightly better price but you have to jump through a bunch of Hoops to become like approved to be able to buy it from their store
- you know at some point maybe down the road we'll work with like a sculptor that we like and do like maybe some stls or something like that do like a partnership but I don't see us ever really selling plastic models that's really expensive and also very very timec consuming
- the stormcast eternals had 40 just Heroes just individual heroes in that line so there were twice as many heroes in stormcast eternals than there were entire War Scrolls in the iron in the iron Jaws or whatever so yeah you know there there was way too many of those guys
- I think it's twofold I think it's partially there's been some change in not leadership per se but change in uh people working there that are some of those folks are a little bit more interested in t in in in in tournament stuff like you go back 10 years GW did not give a crap about tournaments
- when a company gets that big it's not good for the game company it may be good for the shareholders it may be good but it's not it's bad for the games and it's bad for the players just in general when the choices have to be made because somebody on a spreadsheet was able to point at it and go this will make the line go up that doesn't necessarily make a better game it makes a better product as far as bottom line it doesn't make a better game
- GW always tries to make it sound like they're doing you a favor by raising prices by the amount that they are and not a little bit more pray I do not I've I've altered the deal pray I do not alter it further indeed
- see the thing is the cards are produced separately from the it wouldn't matter if you were in Denmark or even here in the states the they're printed at two different facilities sadly uh that's one of the problems with the cards but there's nothing we can do about that
- see that's not supposed to happen we paid a lot of money to get those things shipped out and it sucks that some places that it got to then also there was another fee that's I apologize about that
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- I absolutely love playing Bonney Kingdom
- Bunny Kingdom is a fantastic game
- regular castles of burgundy not like deluxe editions you don't have to sort anything out
- Sea Salt and Paper I think that works brilliantly on board game arena
- Planet Unknown I also play this on sovereignty but on board game arena there's just an ease of play
- the last two are Stone Age which is a great game and I think the implementation on board game arena is brilliant
- and kassan the reason I put kassan on is because I love playing kassan in person
- No Thanks on BGA I want to play No Thanks in person around the table with my friends to see their faces their agony
- that's turn and taxes I want to play turn and taxes in person I don't know why I just love that game in person
References (from this video)
- rank and flank gameplay is not preferred
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
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Quotes (from this video)
- Friends don't let friends Buy HP printers
- Wizards of the Coast would really rather that you just buy Magic by the case directly from them it seems
- They've been making a lot of really bad decisions in my opinion and if they go to business I will laugh and point
- I just don't understand why they don't want to do that
- I mean the machines that do the saddle stitching are a real pain to maintain they have a tendency to break down a lot
- The print books like the vast majority of people are buying the printed versions as opposed to just PDF only
- I don't know what the fourth dimension is
- I don't really pay attention to that stuff too much
- Most new Morheim players I talk to seem happy to download the PDFs for free from broheim these days and when I mention paper Printing and hard copies they think I'm crazy
- One odd thing about cyber punk red starter doesn't come with with gonks which I feel is like an essential mechanic
- Monac is a great game and the minis for the main monsters are beautiful and fun as heck to pain
- I attended a one-day charity Horus heresy event yesterday called Pride of the Legion a good day for a great cause but now I'm horse and this can be and need at least a day to recover
- If you want some great plastic modern soldiers look at the April issue of War Games Illustrated with the free sprew of warlord games special ops Troopers
- what's your favorite Warhammer mini does that mean which one that I own the most of because it's probably then going to be I don't know what they call them anymore they used to call them nurgle chaos Lord but nowadays he's that guy
- I think I have like six or seven of them it's great for kid bashing
- Does snarl not have a physical book to buy it doesn't
- the machines that do the saddle stitching are a real pain to maintain they have a tendency to break down a lot so some years ago they got rid of Saddle Stitch
- The newest Kill Team box set, 'Germination', is discussed.
- It's been a minute since I've liked both sets of models in a kill Team box.
- Kill team germination is coming this week can't wait
References (from this video)
- Loved it
- Want to play more
- Great for specific player groups
- Fun despite being 'mean'
- Adds spicy chaos
- Hidden information creates tension
- Strategic depth
- Very enjoyable gaming experience
- Initial assumption about gameplay was incorrect
- Influence and tug-of-war between clans and families
- Battlefields, political factions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric Player Powers — Everybody has an asymmetric ability.
- Card Play — On your turn what you're going to be doing is you're going to be playing out one of those soldiers from your hands whatever it might be and that is going to have a number on it that is going to allow you to move a battle track marker towards one side of the house depending on which side that you've played it on.
- Hidden Information — All of your money and all of your influence tokens are behind the screen.
- influence — You are going to be collecting influence from possibly a bunch of different houses throughout the game and at the end of the game you are multiplying how much influence you have by where the families have ended up on the track.
- Tug of War — It is in fact an influence tug-of war game.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- 100% battery remaining perfect just the way I like
- This game is very much dependent on that Nostalgia and being into video games.
- It is fun mean it's not like I'm killing all your troops it's like you're going to move that there and I'm going to pull it back cuz I want this.
- It's very much a I think an Us game.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Skirmish — There's a mention of a 'tiny' Kings of War, implying a skirmish-scale version.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's so over complicated a lot of good ideas but terrible to play
- the models look really good but um it's also not cheap I swear to God I saw the retail on it for that starter box was like 150 bucks
- because you can now get a pretty decent looking print we can make more stuff like that
- I used to play silent death back in the day which was a game made by a company called iron Crown Enterprises we used to play the heck out of that
- it was definitely very kind of complicated as well but at the time being a younger person I enjoyed it quite a bit
- I don't know if I'm not sure if Vince has played ship combat games I have
- I use an iada uh Eclipse uh iada hpcs I think is the technical uh model name or whatever and I've always loved that thing it works great
- why you wouldn't have Federation versus Klingon AR Romulan as the starter factions in any Star Trek game it makes no logical sense to me
- so I was really hoping they were going to do something different with um with the new version and when they sent me like the copy and I was started reading the rules and stuff I was just like oh this is pretty much just the same
- there's a zillion charts in that game
- it was a little fiddly but not too fiddly
- I do wonder if making Star Trek games fairly complicated is part of knowing Their audience as a trekky I can safely say we tend to like that kind of crunch and the complexity
- I don't want to play too much crunch these days you know what I mean
- CPS speed paint through the airbrush on the bottom terrain is the goat indeed
- I made a video about how to make it so your airbrush never clogs again and I'm 98% sure I made that video
- I have never had a clog in my airbrush in a decade at this point
- hard to believe silent death was from the same company I mean probably different people obviously you know but yeah silent death sheets a bit like hero clicks whereas you take damage
- the tabletop minions Awards will be coming out on Friday so less than a week away tabletop minions awards for 2024
References (from this video)
- fantasy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's so over complicated a lot of good ideas but terrible to play
- the models look really good but um it's also not cheap I swear to God I saw the retail on it for that starter box was like 150 bucks
- because you can now get a pretty decent looking print we can make more stuff like that
- I used to play silent death back in the day which was a game made by a company called iron Crown Enterprises we used to play the heck out of that
- it was definitely very kind of complicated as well but at the time being a younger person I enjoyed it quite a bit
- I don't know if I'm not sure if Vince has played ship combat games I have
- I use an iada uh Eclipse uh iada hpcs I think is the technical uh model name or whatever and I've always loved that thing it works great
- why you wouldn't have Federation versus Klingon AR Romulan as the starter factions in any Star Trek game it makes no logical sense to me
- so I was really hoping they were going to do something different with um with the new version and when they sent me like the copy and I was started reading the rules and stuff I was just like oh this is pretty much just the same
- there's a zillion charts in that game
- it was a little fiddly but not too fiddly
- I do wonder if making Star Trek games fairly complicated is part of knowing Their audience as a trekky I can safely say we tend to like that kind of crunch and the complexity
- I don't want to play too much crunch these days you know what I mean
- CPS speed paint through the airbrush on the bottom terrain is the goat indeed
- I made a video about how to make it so your airbrush never clogs again and I'm 98% sure I made that video
- I have never had a clog in my airbrush in a decade at this point
- hard to believe silent death was from the same company I mean probably different people obviously you know but yeah silent death sheets a bit like hero clicks whereas you take damage
- the tabletop minions Awards will be coming out on Friday so less than a week away tabletop minions awards for 2024
References (from this video)
- Very enjoyable
- Exceeded expectations
- Good game
- Gaining influence and battling for glory
- Family factions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Majority — gain influence in a specific faction of family
- Combat — battling in different Arenas to win Glory Prestige for that family
- secret bidding — it's all kind of secret information and you're spending currency secret currency
- Worker Placement — placing out your soldiers to that family's faction
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- these are the top 10 new to us games of 2024
- I freaking loved this game
- it's so weird so weird and so fun
- this game is so tense and stressful
- it's very enjoyable
- it is just a logic deduction puzzle that's all it is but it is really really fun
- I adore it every time we play it it's so good so good
- I really enjoy this game
- it's so fun it is again the most beautifully produced game I've ever seen
- it is the most fun I think aboard game can possibly be
- I love I think this game is just the best I I love it so much
- everything as Jamie puts just flows properly and makes sense
- it is incredible
References (from this video)
- cute combat
- War-themed battle with hogs in a cute aesthetic
- humorous, lighthearted
- Factions of Soul
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- this is actually the copy of fractured sky that you can win
- there is nothing cute about a hog for beatric the board game dog
- the box cover here of weirdwood Manor
References (from this video)
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- If you see something and you want it, get it right away.
- It's kind of like when Nova used to be in the old place when it was in several years back it was in Crystal City. Technically, there was like one restaurant within three blocks of the place and that was it.
- The benefit to this being in downtown Milwaukee is that it's in the convention district and there's a lot of restaurants and bars and all kinds of places around there. So uh it's going to be real nice.
- I think that the number of people obviously that go to conventions in comparison to the number of people who are in the hobby it's a very small percentage that go to conventions and I think there's a lot of folks that are just not that are either unable to due to distance or you know cost or social anxiety or just you know they just never have the the um the you know like they they got you know, several kids and two jobs or stuff like that. You just don't have the time to take off and go to a convention or whatever. So, I think that that happens a good deal.
- The reason they moved out of the old place was because they just literally had outgrown it. um when they moved to Shamberg I think adept to con was about 5,000 people maybe six and then over the years being in Shamberg like last year they hit 10,000 people so
- I have found that you get less of that overlap with speed paints. They they maybe don't I don't feel like they dry quite as quickly or something. I don't know what it is, but they don't seem I don't have a problem. They What do they call it? tide marks, coffee stains, something like that. And it's because you've taken a transparent color that dries so quickly that when you bring the other transparent color over and you have them kind of overlap a little bit, so there's not like a space in between where you, you know, on this thing, then you get double transparency, which means it gets darker. So you get this line where you stopped and then had to go and get more and then come back.
- The benefit I think what happens is almost every single convention gets to a point where it can no longer be in a convention center and hotel combo. It gets to the point where they need a convention center and then hotels around the convention center. It's the way Gen Con does it. It's the way that, you know, Adepticon's doing it now.
- It's like you're colorizing an old black and white movie or something like that. Um, but it does make things quicker and simpler and it still looks pretty good in most situations.
- Am I doing it right? I mean, I don't know. It's up to you.
- Would love if GW re-releases Mheim, but I fear this will also cause most people to overlook unofficial fan-made Mheim content, but who knows, maybe GW will open to unofficial content.
- Horus Heresy is basically a civil war story. So, it's all about we're not even paying attention to the aliens right now.
- It's because they were spending 50% of the time working on stuff for Warhammer Fantasy, but it was only 18% of sales and they were like, 'Well, this isn't going the right direction.'
- It's been a long time since GW's made a Kill Team box where I liked everything in the box.
- I find that I have the best um luck with OSL when I'm using my airbrush.
- The difference is is if you are like, 'Well, I would rather do something a little bit different and tweak things differently that way.'
- Overall, Army Painter Speed Paint wins for me, but there's um always a couple of the contrast paints I love, like the Blood Terror Red. It's just a gorgeous deep burgundy.
References (from this video)
- Can be played solo.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
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Quotes (from this video)
- Hey everybody, we're doing an auction uh and uh it's going to start right this moment.
- I'm going to show you everything. We're going to do it a little bit better than last time.
- Uh, once you do that, uh, please put down what lot and how much you bid. I will get back to you if you get outbid.
- Uh, the first lot I'm I've got right in front of me, which is a ton of uh entire big box of comic books.
- So, a nice big healthy lot right there. So, uh, this is going to be Fate Forge and Orcquest.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not going to edit that out. Why not? Why should I?
- Boy, today is not going well, huh?
- Uh, kind of a little bit of everything.
- Okay, you're going to get the main rule book here. You're going to get an expansion. You are going to get an accessory pack.
- So, uh, they got little magnets on the bottom of them so they stay in here as you can see.
- Uh, I don't know how well you can see them, but I've got all kinds of different pirates that you can you can use for uh any one of those two rule sets.
- Well, my perfection before I got hurt. This drunken dude. I mean, come on. That's a cruel cool crew cool crew mate.
- So, uh, they all are painted and they come in this nice little holiday tent to keep them safe and they're all magnetic base.
- Uh, this is the Whailing Citadel and there's another expansion. Oh, wandering forest is also in here.
- So, you're going to get all those maps and everything. Um, and all the miniatures that you need for it are in here, as well as uh uh the spell book expansion and everything else that you could possibly need to play this wonderful game.
- So, uh, good luck. That is lot number eight. Uh, and trip, uh, airplane tripods and tripods and triplanes.
- So, you get a whole bunch of stuff here for that. I mean, that is a massive set there.
- Uh, just [snorts] dream. Um, everything that you could possibly want.
- Uh, the brand new uh, Alien uh, set, meaning the miniatures. Um, the screen for it. Uh, aliens building better worlds.
- Uh oh, I missed some alien books here. Uh, the core rules for aliens, the Heart of Darkness for Aliens.
References (from this video)
- shorter 60-90 minute format
- inspired by Scarface 1920
- exact mechanics not fully disclosed
- density of theme may require table time
- Scarface 1920-inspired world (shorter version)
- Scarface 1920
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control, asymmetric factions, constant interaction — mechanics mentioned; no deck building
- Asymmetric Mechanics — mechanics mentioned; no deck building
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm not an RPG person.
- It's DC, Justice League, all those things are great.
- I like Mindbug. I like Mindbug a lot.
- The unique theme, the presentation designed by Danny Garcia, it definitely has me interested.
- Alterra from IV Studios. Set in the world of 10.
- I am very interested. Again, I have no idea whether this game will land for me or not.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
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Quotes (from this video)
- So skirmish games are the future and army style games are going away, right?
- What do you think? Are skirmish games the future or actually just a really a fad?
- Skirmish style miniatures war games are at the very least not going anywhere.
- Take a look at full spectrum dominance from the lazy forger.
References (from this video)
- Has not been played, so its ranking might be lower than expected.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
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Quotes (from this video)
- If I wanted to play the same game but be really stressed, Silver Frost would be my go-to.
- I argue I'd almost argue that it's the best artwork of any of the Everdale games.
- Whereas normal Everdale, you can kind of chill and just be like, 'Yeah, let's build these fun things and look at my little critters.'
- the landlord's game was the basic blueprint for Monopoly.
- and arguably the best game ever made. So really what we've ranked is completely wrong.
- that is quite dull. Let's say you're rolling. The only so I feel like the boring bit about it is that you're just rolling dice and you land where the dice tells you.
- Monopoly Legacy.
- The board state changes. Buildings go into disrepair and crumble around you.
- There are elections. Hire one of you becomes a mayor of the city. You can control other people's turns and what properties they're going to buy.
- How do you improve Cludo Legacy?
- Well, just dying over and over again.
References (from this video)
- tweaked from original release
- gorgeous artwork
- fantastic pieces and wood captains
- Seamen
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
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Quotes (from this video)
- It's a tough It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, a lot of uh time, you know, a lot of upfront costs uh and things like that.
- Because in my mind, crowdfunding was, hey, I'm a I'm a person and I had this dream and I want to get my game out. Not, hey, we're a successful company, but we're going to do this thing because, you know, uh we want to use your money to buy to to get our stuff and then we'll do it and you test the the waters for us.
- They'd look at me like, 'Get another job. Get another job. You're you're in the wrong business, man. This sounds like a sucky business, right?'
- I think the fact that you can market that way and you have a platform, it makes it easier.
- the only marketing that there's two that I well three con that I would stand by conventions of course, I would go to retailers uh and do demos like you know just drive around hit a bunch of retailers do demo nights and things like that and and teach the game there and then three would be free copies to retailers to put in their library and push the game.
- I just feel it really should be for the the dreamer that wants wants their game out there kind of thing.
- the paid preview stuff just doesn't do that well.
- I think we're all just kind of collectively numb to a lot of that.
- I believe everyone I mean they have an audience. So, you know, even if they had a hundred people in their audience, but if you know me sending out review copy and I can get, you know, two three people buy it because of that, I feel like I've made you know I've made my my money back psychologically.
- There's a novelty to that tactile experience of and and being around the table with other people.
- I almost wonder actually is are board games going to continue to get more and more popular the further we go into AI tech, everyone being jacked into the matrix and that will be like this this um this haven for people to actually still have real human experiences with each other next to each other.
- Dogs of War will be the the next uh big hit uh of that line.
- It is great and it's an alien. It's a game about aliens, but also different take. They're not looking to conquer or anything. They're seeking knowledge.
References (from this video)
- Highly anticipated reprint.
- Gorgeous artwork.
- Fantastic wooden components.
- Part of the Shut Up and Sit Down Presents line.
- Mercenary contracts
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players compete for control of territories or objectives.
- bidding — Players likely bid for contracts or actions.
- contract fulfillment — Players fulfill contracts, likely involving mercenary work.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a tough It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, a lot of uh time, you know, a lot of upfront costs uh and things like that.
- Because in my mind, crowdfunding was, hey, I'm a I'm a person and I had this dream and I want to get my game out. Not, hey, we're a successful company, but we're going to do this thing because, you know, uh we want to use your money to buy to to get our stuff and then we'll do it and you test the the waters for us.
- They'd look at me like, 'Get another job. Get another job. You're you're in the wrong business, man. This sounds like a sucky business, right?'
- I think the fact that you can market that way and you have a platform, it makes it easier.
- the only marketing that there's two that I well three con that I would stand by conventions of course, I would go to retailers uh and do demos like you know just drive around hit a bunch of retailers do demo nights and things like that and and teach the game there and then three would be free copies to retailers to put in their library and push the game.
- I just feel it really should be for the the dreamer that wants wants their game out there kind of thing.
- the paid preview stuff just doesn't do that well.
- I think we're all just kind of collectively numb to a lot of that.
- I believe everyone I mean they have an audience. So, you know, even if they had a hundred people in their audience, but if you know me sending out review copy and I can get, you know, two three people buy it because of that, I feel like I've made you know I've made my my money back psychologically.
- There's a novelty to that tactile experience of and and being around the table with other people.
- I almost wonder actually is are board games going to continue to get more and more popular the further we go into AI tech, everyone being jacked into the matrix and that will be like this this um this haven for people to actually still have real human experiences with each other next to each other.
- Dogs of War will be the the next uh big hit uh of that line.
- It is great and it's an alien. It's a game about aliens, but also different take. They're not looking to conquer or anything. They're seeking knowledge.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's about survival now.
- Quite a huge hole here for for Lord of the Rings fans or people that love RPGs.
- Everything that you need have some fun with some Blade Runner.
- This is a great great box and should not be overlooked.
- Drums of War, nice little solo game.
- Hunted is a great system.
- Dungeon World, wonderful book, wonderful wonderful system. Works it's just really really fantastic.
- Battle Cryer, which is a great game.
- Just tons of great stuff in this one.
- instant comic collection at lot number nine.
- At least $600-$700 of stuff in that box.
- bid smart and bid well
- We need the room. We need the money especially.
- bid with your hearts and help us in any way you can.
- I'd rather give you something and get something back.
- We're just looking to get to August and then we'll deal with that from there.
References (from this video)
- All components and expansions fit within the original box.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Original Box Design — The host references Dogs of War as an example of a game where everything, including expansions and Kickstarter exclusives, fit neatly into the original package.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I want the whole rules. I want reference cards. I want you to go above and beyond to make the game playable out of the box.
- Are phones a cardinal sin? Is a digital thing intruding upon our physical space an unforgivable fault?
- At what point for you do the expansions, upgrades, deluxeifications, big box editions when does it become so much game you don't find yourself actually pulling it out to play?
- I would rather see, instead of a big box for something like Root to come out... I want to see the trend of big boxes, I want to see it die down a little bit.
- games good, digital space bad.
References (from this video)
- condensed but rich negotiation and politics
- five players feel balanced and interactive
- can be punishing and cutthroat
- rule set can be dense for newcomers
- negotiation, formation of temporary alliances, and power plays
- political intrigue and family factions in a fictional war-torn landscape
- poker-table diplomacy with war-game mechanics
- Cp: Diplomacy
- Coliseum
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — control key zones to gain rewards and influence
- area control / resource competition — control key zones to gain rewards and influence
- Negotiation — deal-making and bargaining shape faction power
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- five is perfect because you've got that bluffing negotiation.
- This is a sandbox game. One of my favorite games.
- The clacking of dice on the table. It's pretty neat.
References (from this video)
- simple yet deep mechanics
- wealth of strategy despite simple core rules
- Brass: Lancashire
- Spartacus
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Sparus, a superb production, an intriguing game, and yeah, if you love games that take risks, then you really should check out the original version of Spark as a game of blood and treachery.
- Blitzkrieg ... claims to reproduce World War II in 20 minutes.
- Brass Birmingham, stellar production, fantastic reimagining of an already classic game.
- El Grande is the granddaddy of area control games.
- Terramystica is abstract as [__]. It's one of the greatest Euro games of all time.
- Fallen Lands, a fantastic sandboxy narrative driven game that everybody should play before World War II.
- Ark Nova is practically a zoo simulator. Ark Nova uses a dual victory point mechanism and is often compared to Terraforming Mars, but is considered better in this ranking.
- Dogs of War, phenomenal game yet, it's absolutely fantastic.
References (from this video)
- Reprint of classic game with updated look
- High interaction between players
- Multiple paths to victory
- Beautiful new components
- Published by trusted Shut Up and Sit Down
- Mercenary hiring and warfare
- Medieval houses and mercenary battles
- Political military strategy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- economic management — Earn money to buy new troops
- Faction Support — Bet on which house will win battles for rewards
- Hidden Victory Points — Earn points based on battle outcomes
- Mercenary Control — Send captains to fight battles for different houses
- player interaction — Actively interfere with other players' troops and progress
- Positive Player Interaction — Actively interfere with other players' troops and progress
- Victory Points — Earn points based on battle outcomes
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a boss fighting game with QR codes. In this game, you're going to get pick one of four heroes and then mix it with one of the four classes
- Every other page in the rule book has this info about how the mechanisms in the game relate to real life
- It's a dice placement game by Stefan Feld. What else do you need to know?
- It's basically trick taking game with a lot of things around it
- If you lose an auction, you also get some rewards
- Let us know which ones are you most excited to try down in the comments
References (from this video)
- unique and intuitive visual design
- offers challenge and strategy
- Euro game feel despite area majority theme
- has been reprinted due to high demand
- area majority mechanic may not appeal to all players
- was extremely hard to find (out of print)
- war
- military conflict
- area control
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Good morning everybody. Friends, look, we've got a special guest.
- Moon Colony Blood Bath has been my obsession lately
- I always need to learn a game in person. I just the way my brain works.
- this game was really really hard to get
- worker placement is probably my favorite mechanism in games
- I need a break from all the Stefan Feld games
- it's got that Euro feel to it. It is a Euro game
References (from this video)
- spectacle of large armies
- clear mass-battle framework
- can be slower to paint and assemble large forces
- epic battles with numerous units
- fantasy mass-battle on a tabletop
- strategic and campaign-driven war gaming
- Kill Team
- Warcry
- Flames of War
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat: Dice — large-scale battles managed with tokens and dice
- unit-based combat with order tokens — large-scale battles managed with tokens and dice
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the pros and cons of quality versus quantity in wargaming
- subjective to some people
- not everyone can be a masterpiece
- it's like a buffet I can do a little bit of this and a little bit of that and kind of keep moving
- lower quantity higher quality they should have made those words maybe just slightly more different
- do you love to see big armies or do you love to paint and spend a good amount of time per model
- it's a personal preference
References (from this video)
- Cool
- Also hats
- Conflict
- Medieval battles
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Worker placement and tug of war — Worker placement meets tug of war as you influence multiple battles
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We love trick taking games
- This game is so much freaking fun
- I adore GMT games, they are becoming one of my favorite game publishers
- If you remember Vast Crystal Caverns is in my top five games of all time
- We bloody love it
- We can't stop playing
- It's a blimp game not a train game
- That's just work
- I don't think I want to play it
- I'll get it eventually
References (from this video)
- Being reprinted in smaller version
- Military conflict
- Warfare
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is easily on this shelf. The most checked out game. Wonderlands War I see played every time.
- Foundations of Rome despite how big this game is. It gets checked out all the time.
- Everyone's really upset with Grimlord Games cuz they never delivered their last Kickstarter, but another company has picked it up.
- I don't I still don't understand why companies can't put names on the sides of their boxes. Come on now.
- Frostpunk, the board game if you're ready to have a depressing day.
- I think Mosaic is a fantastic civilization game. So fast and easy to play.
- People love Smashup. I have almost everything for Smashup, but it just barely gets played.
- Probably Twilight Imperium is my favorite of all these here, even though I don't play it that much.
- Last Kingdom is a kind of a really fun game from Games based on said TV series. Uh but pretty good. Think Game of Thrones style.
References (from this video)
- rich backstabbing mechanic
- high tension and diplomacy
- thematic flavor with minis
- complexity can be off-putting
- long playtime and potential fragmentation
- backstabbing, influence, political maneuvering
- medieval/fantasy warfare with noble houses and shifting loyalties
- diplomatic and combative
- Ethnos
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control / influence — place troops/minis to influence battles and control regions
- negotiation and shifting alliances — alliances form and break across turns, affecting rewards and outcomes
- variable combat rewards — being on the winning side yields a pick of rewards
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's number 40 is a game by Paulo Mori
- in Dogs of War you'll be taking control of an army
- the backstabbing nature of this one and the shifting alliances means that it is a rip roaring time
- I'm 35 on this list is a game called Russian railroads
References (from this video)
- Strong art direction and thematic cohesion
- Distinctive concept with strategic depth for fans of political/influence games
- Not easy to obtain; price and availability can be limiting
- Niche audience may limit broader appeal
- Power, influence, and public sway in warfare
- Influencers betting on battles to sway outcomes
- Thematic card-driven strategy with hidden influence
- Whispers
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card-driven bidding — Cards are played to influence battles and outcomes
- Event-driven battles — Battles resolve based on card effects and zone dynamics
- Hidden influence track — Victory points are tracked privately via an influence track
- Minion placement — Players place their minions across a randomized battle zones layout
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Every dollar that people put into Quackaloop allows us to get one step closer to doing this for sort of a living.
- This video is going to be way less edited. If I can try, almost no cuts at all.
- What we're really asking you, the Patreon community, at this point is which one should move to the top of our list.
- 504 potential games inside of this box.
- It's a toolkit with a binder, literally.
References (from this video)
- fun thematic fit for a dog-hosted show
- strong social interaction and negotiation
- thematic humor lands well
- rules could be a bit dense for casual play
- thematic clarity depends on players buying into the dog perspective
- Territorial dog diplomacy and mock warfare in a humorous sandbox
- A playful canine-themed conflict where dogs plot and negotiate with other animals and humans.
- Lighthearted, dog-facing conflicts with comedic characterization
- Castle Panic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players vie for control of key spaces through actions and card plays.
- combat resolution — Simple combat interactions determine outcomes of contests and territorial claims.
- Negotiation — Players form temporary alliances and trade benefits to advance their goals.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I am in fact a dog see here are my feet uh and that's my face with my tall ears and this is me eating a dog treat
- my number one game of all time is a little game called exploding kittens
- this bone can get bit watch me bite
- I would rather just eat the food
- there cannot be too many bones
References (from this video)
- strong production value
- cult following
- overproduced for some opinions
- war theme with humorous, overproduced presentation
- satirical/nostalgic
- Boss Monster
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- torso/bust miniatures — oversized, humorous busts; not standard miniatures
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- You've got a legally distinct predator in there.
- Wishland the card game as opposed to the original Wishland.
- Endearment is exciting... the achievement thing doesn't do anything for me.