In his last will, your rich uncle stated that all of his millions will go to the nephew who can enjoy money the most. How to find out which nephew should be rich? You will each be given a large amount of money and whoever can spend it first will be the rightful heir. Visit the most exclusive theatres or eat in the most expensive restaurants. Buy old properties for the price of new ones and sell them as ruins. Host a huge party in your mansion or on your private boat. Spend like your life would depend on it. Spend to become rich! If you're the first to run through the money on hand, you'll receive the rest of his inheritance – oh, and win the game.
In Last Will, each player starts with a certain amount of money, an individual player board, two errand boys and two cards in some combination of properties and helpers. At the start of each round, lay out cards from the appropriate decks on the offering boards; the four regular decks are properties, companions, events, helpers and expenses, with special cards forming a deck of their own. The particular mix of cards varies by round and by the number of players.
Each player then chooses a plan for the round, with each plan indicating the number of cards the player draws (drawn immediately from the four regular decks in any combination), how many errand boys he can use later (one or two), the number of actions available to him that round, and his spot in the playing order that round. In the playing order for that round, players then take turns choosing an action with their errand boy(s), with those actions being:
Take a card on display and add it to your hand.
Draw a card from any regular deck – This can be chosen only once by each player.
Visit the opera and spend $2.
Adjust the value modifiers in the property market.
Take a player board extension, thereby giving you room to play more cards.
Players then take actions in the playing order for that round, with each player having as many actions as indicated on his plan. Actions let you play one-time events (which have a cost, possibly variable); helpers and recurring expenses (which are placed on your individual player board); and properties (which cost money and may depreciate over time). You can often play companions with events or recurring expenses – of course you should bring a date to the opera or a horse on your yacht! – to increase their cost. You can also use actions to activate cards on your player board, possibly with one or more companions and always with the goal of spending money. Helpers and special cards can provide you with unique powers to further boost your profligacy.
At the end of each round, you must discard down to two cards in hand, and properties that can depreciate do so; this is good as a player cannot go bankrupt if he owns properties, and the only way to get rid of properties is to sell them, which regretably puts money back in your hands unless the depreciation was intense or you manipulate the market.
If a player has no money and no properties, he declares bankruptcy and the game ends at the conclusion of that round; otherwise the game ends after seven rounds. The player who has the least money (or even who is most in debt) wins.
Last will in about 3 minutes
How to play Last Will
- Energetic and quick
- Good for large groups
- Rules complexity can vary; may require house rules
- Array
- Word guessing / party game
- Competitive guessing with buzzer elements
- Coup
- Dixit
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Timer — Timed responses to guess the last word
- Buzzer timer — Timed responses to guess the last word
- word guessing — Players shout words under category prompts and gain progress by saying the last word before buzzer
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the clues can be literally anything
- this is like the pinnacle of accessibility
- it's the best that games can be accessible to all ages
- we all had fairytale the stories as a kid
References (from this video)
- Kids loved it and wanted to play it multiple times
- Deservedly earned a spot on the 10x10 list
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- What i want is more TIME to play board games. i want to enjoy the board games that i have. rather than amassing new ones all the time.
- It gives you an excuse - nay, an IMPERATIVE, because you're on the clock, to sit down with the family and play a board game
- So i was amazed and thrilled when we all got through a game of Castles of Burgundy together.
- i'm surprised that this game doesn't get more love than i feel it should!
- i admit that i burned myself out on this game because i grabbed the iOS app, and i was playing it like a fiend
- i don't like. It... it's it's fine. It's fine. There are other games that i'd rather play, to be honest
References (from this video)
- Crystal Palace
- Dungeon Lords
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- one of the most well-known
- it's essentially a round-based action draft
- my first worker placement was stone age
- you can just knock the other player's worker out
- cards that let you jump in and mess up other people's plans
- it's not competitive
References (from this video)
- Simple, quick to learn
- Replayable and fun with friends
- May become repetitive over time
- wordplay and quick thinking
- party word game
- casual and fast-paced
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- group_elimination — voting/elimination of options
- Player Elimination — voting/elimination of options
- Word Building — quick-thinking word prompts
- word_association — quick-thinking word prompts
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this rule book is 47 pages
- this game is lord of the rings in a box and evokes all those strong fantasy emotions
- fangirling over all the awesome character interactions and abilities in this game
- it's crazy right a board game feeling like a MOBA
- the very best game i've played in 2020 is TI4 Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition
- dortho burrito yes throw throw burrito
- action shots and slow-motion clips were really fun to make
- the burritos we ate after filming this review were really really good
- let me know what were your best and worst board game experiences of 2020
References (from this video)
- accessible and hilarious in social settings
- clear skill ceiling with quick growth in rounds
- word list quality can affect experience
- some players may feel overwhelmed by pace
- wordplay, rapid-fire creativity
- party word game
- light, energetic, humorous
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- category-based word play — category is revealed and players name words starting with a given letter
- Compound Scoring — points awarded for quick, correct, and unique answers
- Real-Time — timed turns keep the pace rapid
- scoring — points awarded for quick, correct, and unique answers
- team play (optional) — can be played with teams to accommodate groups
- timer-driven rounds — timed turns keep the pace rapid
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- theming for hilarious gameplay meeting that theme
- there's the regions of wall street brooklyn queens and even central park where you can stash money
- this game is a gangster game so you have control of turf and man can the politics get interesting
- there's actually an incredible skill ceiling here
- i could see myself playing this game for forever honestly
- ashes just feels like a very thoughtful hybrid between traditional trading card games and board games
- don't focus on the late game or getting a crazy top deck combo just ponder the mana possibilities and outwit your opponent
- this game just rewards good planning and skill level so well
- Blood Rage is all about getting the most glory as a Viking clan
- the card drafting where you draft your hand cards for each of the three eras
- there's viking ships nordic monsters and of course when you die you go to Valhalla
- this is one of those economic games that just blew me away
- this is the one and only War of the Ring
- the four different victory conditions make each game so dynamic
- this is like civilization on the board
- this game just saves me from so much work
- the app handles all the heavy lifting with bookkeeping and flavor text
- there's almost always epic finales that just make sense based off what you've been doing
- TI4 is my number one longer game I'm going to introduce to friends who are new to board gaming
- it's the epic scale with a clean command token mechanic
References (from this video)
- Loved the original game
- Received a copy of the expansion
- The accompanying expansion's box was damaged.
- Inheriting money by wasting it
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Implied by the game's objective and mechanics.
- Resource Management — Managing money to waste it is a form of resource management.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- welcome everybody. welcome to all six of you good to see you
- omelet is going to be moderating for us for this very special this very special stream
- i don't know so if i missed something please let me know and chat if people subscribe or if things happen i'm not going to get notified
- we have the very best people
- i don't wanna miss any of these i don't wanna miss any and you might see my jammies don't don't be shocked don't be shocked to learn that i don't wear pants on stream or uh practically ever in my entire life
References (from this video)
- Very pretty art
- Ample cards and abilities
- Events make each round different
- Characters and world feel fresh and fun
- Well done as a player combat game
- Small text on cards
- Does not tread new ground mechanically
- Unstable Unicorns
- Here to Slayer
- Catastrophe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Play — Players draw cards which can be attacks, items, spells, or incidents, and play them from their hand.
- event cards — Location cards act as events that impact players positively or negatively each round.
- Item/Spell Usage — Players can play items, cast spells, block, or counter actions.
- Player Combat — Players have heroes with hit points and try to take out other heroes by playing cards.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Edo here and this is last fish
- It's got very pretty art
- I really dig these
- I love the art it's so much fun but teeny text
- if you're looking for a you know colorful well or arted compelling player combat game this one's well done
- the characters in the world and the narrative feels fresh and fun
References (from this video)
- Fun
- Very different from Trench Crusade
- Trench Crusade
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Still just don't really like the newest edition of War Cry or sorry not War Cry, Killteam.
- It seems like it's not about trying to kill the other guys. It seems like it's more about just like it doesn't seem like a war game.
- There's also a lot of tokens to keep track of and stuff like that and that seems to get even worse in um Shatterpoint.
- Infinity rules are free.
- This is the essentials start here box and it's like 40 bucks and it comes with six models, three per side. It comes with six dice. Evidently, there's a ruler in there. There's card stock or cardboard chipboard like uh terrain, printed terrain. There's a card stock mat. Uh, there's cards. There's also the fancy book about how to get started and all that stuff. And uh, it just seems like it's a really good deal.
- Just started playing Notorious, which is really easy solo RPG. Basically a Star Wars bounty hunter uh hunting targets on a planet based on Ronin.
- Uh subscribe to Vince Venturella on YouTube. Vince Venturella and Sam Lens. Sam Lens artwork. I would definitely subscribe to both of them.
References (from this video)
- Unique objective of going bankrupt first.
- Encourages silly and extravagant spending.
- Interesting twist on Euro game mechanics.
- Still fun after many years.
- Fell 30 spots this year.
- Requires players to have not played it yet for it to make the list.
- Trying to spend all your money as fast as possible to go bankrupt first.
- Similar to the movie Brewster Millions.
- Brewster Millions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players take actions to spend money on various extravagant activities.
- Money Spending — The primary goal is to spend all starting money and go bankrupt first. Whoever has no money and no properties left wins.
- Property Acquisition — Players gain properties which must be disposed of before going bankrupt. Properties depreciate over time.
- Variable Game End — The game ends when a player goes bankrupt, or after seven rounds, with the player having the least money winning.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this game I never would have thought just looking at the cover and then like the side art of the cover and all that stuff all cutesy and the name is all cutesy.
- I think that's my favorite part of the game is that it's just nope, just you took a tile, place it somewhere.
- Still a great game. Still my top 100.
- this is the best racing game out there.
- the solo variant, even if you can call me, you can just throw in bots into into multiplayer games, uh, are some of the best bots in board gaming in my opinion.
- So it's like why the [ __ ] are you doing this? It's so stupid.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Underrated game, 100%. I wish they would do an expansion.
- God damn, I suck at this.
- It was okay.
- I was close
- I'll give myself the four points. I knew it was Eggertspiele, but I was trying to do both the publisher and the designer at the same time.
- Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is Reiner Knizia as the designer.
- It's not, dang it.
- Oh my god. Oh my god, I'm so mad. I'm so mad.
- That's so frustrating.
- Significantly better this time around.
- Let me know how well you did in the comments below.
References (from this video)
- Hilarious and unique gameplay objective.
- Strategic depth.
- Thematic integration enhances enjoyment.
- The desire to purchase the game is a problem for the speaker.
- Spending money
- Prodigal Sons Club
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Engine Building — It's like this engine builder.
- Goal-Oriented Play — Your whole goal is you got to spend money and you got to spend all of it.
- Money management — Quite strategic in how you manage your money.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I think Castle Combo has been a game this year in particular. off castle.
- It's a simple draft game where you have to spend resources to play cards and you're building a nine card tableau. Super easy, super simple.
- I think it's definitely on the lighter side when it comes to hobby games as well.
- I feel like every time we play that game, you see people's faces light up and we want to come back to it again and again.
- What cult of the old game, so like 10 years old, have you discovered just this year?
- Last Will.
- Oh, it's so good.
- But the last will is hilarious because your whole goal is you got to spend money and you got to spend all of it
- Oracles of Delelfie.
- I played this game I think two or three years ago at a convention and I loved every minute of it and I have just not been able to find it.
- I'm really intrigued because I love Sweetland so much. I want to try Rosalie.
- I will shout out another store uh local to us called Pomemetto Games run by the owner of David. He is a phenomenal human being.
- A shout out I have is a Instagram creator named Dana from Better Mood Board Games.
- Dana is one of the most talented creators out there.
- What is your personal favorite piece of content we've created this year?
- Most recently, I think the UKG video we did, the tend to demo, tend to buy.
- I think my favorite video I like the one we did in the park.
- That'd be a long video.
- What game right now can you teach from heart? Setup and everything. You just take out the box, you teach the game.
References (from this video)
- Spending a fortune as frivolously as possible to inherit an uncle's money.
- Victorian-era
- Brewster's Millions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players spend actions gained on the turn order track to perform various spending activities.
- economic management
- set collecting
- turn order selection — Everyone picks a 'turn order slot' which may give them extra cards, workers, and actions.
- Worker Placement — Players place 'errand boy top hats on various spots on the board'.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It’s Ryan from Nights Around a Table, and this is Last Will, a worker placement, set-collecting, economic management game for 2-5 players.
- And yes, before you ask, this IS the exact premise of Brewster’s MIllions.
References (from this video)
- Theme of spending money frivolously is fun and directly tied to winning.
- Mechanics like property upkeep and companion combinations allow for extravagant spending.
- The game can be played with different strategies for losing money.
- Reading the rulebook can be difficult and confusing initially.
- Property ownership is the most challenging part to learn.
- Spending a newly inherited fortune as frivolously as possible to inherit more.
- Victorian-era
- Brewster's Millions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Engine Building — Black-bordered cards can be played to a player board to build a longer-term engine to lose money faster.
- Hand Management — Players manage cards in hand to perform actions and spend money.
- Property Management — Players can buy, maintain, and sell properties, with the goal of selling them at a loss.
- Set Collection — Companion cards can be used with other cards to increase spending.
- turn order drafting — Players select turn order slots which can grant extra cards, workers, and actions.
- Worker Placement — Players place errand boy top hats on spots on the board to take actions like getting cards, fiddling with real estate prices, or extending their player board.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Reading the rulebook for this game was like reading about the internal workings of a car… i had to play the game before i figured out 'Oh! Car goes vroom!'
- In Last Will, you and your friends have a rich, Victorian-era uncle who has recently died.
- So hopefully in this video, i can show you how the game works.
- The player who spends all that money the fastest will inherit the lion's share of your uncle's money.
- Property ownership is the most challenging part of the game to learn, so let's dive in.
- A skilled player will waste money doing both.
- The end of the game is a mad dash to waste as much money on one-off events as possible.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Players are dealt cards and choose which to keep and which to discard.
- Resource Management — Players manage money and use errand boys.
- Set Collection — Players collect property cards.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Here’s how you set up Last Will.
- Once everyone has their starting money and cards, you deal cards out to the common board according to the symbols in the spaces and begin the game.
- 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)
- Appealing theme of spending money quickly.
- Charming wooden top hat components.
- Nice artwork on the interior cards.
- Cardboard money instead of paper.
- Cover art is not preferred.
- Box insert is deformed.
- Inheriting money and needing to spend it as quickly as possible.
- Victorian
- Brewster's Millions (movie)
- Mad Magazine game
- Monopoly
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Implied by the discussion of drawing cards and the numerous cards available.
- Set Collection — Mentioned implicitly through the cards that fit onto spots on the player boards.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The only thing I know - I know nothing about the gameplay of this game, as usual. I'm very shallow when I go by a game's theme or a game's looks...
- It is a Victorian version of Brewster's Millions, that movie that they remade with John Candy and Richard Pryor that I watched on TV as a kid. And what an amazing concept! You got a big pile of money that you have to spend in a matter of a couple days to get an even huger pile of money! That's hilarious.
- Little tiny wooden top hats! Mm-hmm!
- The artwork in the game looks better and different than the artwork on the cover, which confuses me.
- I must say, I prefer the artwork on the inside of the box to the artwork on the cover of the box
References (from this video)
- Fantastic condensed version of Prodigal Club
- Plays quicker than Prodigal Club
- Great if you want a quick version of Prodigal Club
- Straightforward teach
- Good for conventions
- Beautiful production
- Hard to find its niche compared to Prodigal Club
- Could benefit from a play aid/reference card
- Might be difficult for new board gamers
- Becoming a 'POS' by getting rid of all assets and money.
- Prodigal Club
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hand Management — Players manage the cards in their hand to optimize their plays.
- Set Collection — Players collect sets of cards or assets to achieve objectives.
- Tableau Building — Players build a personal display of cards that provide ongoing benefits or actions.
- turn order bidding — Players influence turn order through a selection mechanism.
- Worker Placement — Players place worker pawns on action spaces to perform various tasks.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is the well I don't think they sell these to the public they should they should cuz they're amazing
- it's been storming for a month just about this winter the worst winter I've ever seen here it's insanity
- this is a deck building kind of like area control style game
- Last will is a condensed version of prodal Club essentially
- Finpan is the new entry point into the wingspan series because it is so streamlined
- Donuts is a I think it's only two player
- Rebel princess is a game from bezier games that is a trick-taking game and it is based off of Spades
- The game is very mean yes you can load people up with skulls so if you don't like a mean game this might not be for you
References (from this video)
- Fun theme; reverse-economy concept
- Well-paced planning and timing
- Lords of Waterdeep
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Economic spending — Spend money to gain assets and manage a running total toward winning the inheritance.
- Wake-up order / variable turn order — Choose how many actions to take; then take placements in turn order.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's very difficult to come up with a top 100 board games over a long period of time
- it's an icebreaker
- two players can play up to four players
- this is a trick taking game which came out late in 2024
- the tile placement is what is different
- wake up order as I'll call it
- pandemic style cooperative game
References (from this video)
- Strong thematic fit with a Brewster's Millions-esque setup and Victorian flavor.
- Interesting two-player blocking variant adds strategic depth.
- The social action chain (theatre, dinners) enhances table presence and atmosphere.
- Rules and interactions can be dense for live play.
- Early rounds may feel slow due to blocking and action limitations.
- spend money to become the least wealthy to win an inheritance
- Victorian/Edwardian style townhouse real estate and inheritance
- tabletop social satire with inheritance stakes
- Code Names
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- maintenance — Spending to maintain properties affects depreciation and value.
- real estate market — Players buy properties, manage maintenance, and track depreciation/value.
- round-end discard to two cards — Each round ends by discarding down to two cards.
- snake-draft blocking variant — Two-player blocking where players choose positions and block opponent options.
- three actions per turn with a mix of errand boys and actions — Players start with three actions and three errand cards; they discard two cards per round, shaping options.
- wake up track — A wake up track sets the initial state and turn order for players.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the winner is the one with the least money not the most money
- this game is all about combos
- it's essentially it's the table top version of the classic story of brewster's millions
- hi it's taryn and stella from meeple university in this video we're going to talk about the game alchemists
References (from this video)
- accessible for all ages
- fast-paced and highly engaging
- works well with families and mixed groups
- Array
- Party word game
- rapid-fire competitive wordplay
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- timed rounds — rounds are driven by a timer for quick execution
- Word Association / Word Building — players produce words to match a category and a starting letter
- Word Building — players produce words to match a category and a starting letter
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Chaos just has this fun balancing act of each demon trying to do what's right for them but also keeping an eye on the other demons to make sure they don't get too strong in what they want to do
- the human skin board just gets increasingly tighter
- the score at the end of the game is the number of points in your weakest category
- this is such a cool game and look at this box art
References (from this video)
- fast-paced and energetic
- great for audience engagement
- high replayability with different prompts
- can be mentally exhausting under pressure
- potential for misinterpretation of clues
- vocabulary, quick thinking under time pressure
- rapid-fire party word game
- group party game with built-in scoring and rounds
- Coup
- Splendor
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring — Points awarded based on correct guesses; prompts vary per round.
- per-round scoring — Points awarded based on correct guesses; prompts vary per round.
- rapid-fire guessing — Teams guess words under time pressure from a rotating clue giver.
- word association — Players try to prompt answers using clues without repeating or revealing the target word.
- Word Deciphering — Players try to prompt answers using clues without repeating or revealing the target word.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- weirdest game of Splendor I've ever played, it's an experience
- I burned 155 calories
- this is probably one of the dumbest ideas I've had
- I can't think of a single word right now
- that's five letters I'm tired I'm running
References (from this video)
- Fun party game with simple rules
- Creative use of cards as weapons
- Theme might be a bit chaotic for some players
- Kids' play turned into a competitive dexterity party game
- Playful pool of lava with pillows
- Lighthearted, silly, physical party game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-driven placement — Cards determine where meeples go and can be tossed
- dexterity / push-your-luck — Knock meeples into a lava well by card throws
- Push Your Luck — Knock meeples into a lava well by card throws
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we actually kind of did a tag-team experiment where we went through the exhibit hall trying to find little hidden treasures to show each other
- perhaps the prettiest game I saw the entire convention and perhaps the entire year
- it's such a simple concept but yet who thought about it
- Rob Oren is a great guy and he does a metric ton for people in the board game community
- Dawnshade overview video is available on his channel
References (from this video)
- Multiple viable strategies
- Engaging action-selection system
- Interesting engine built from cards and actions
- The property market is simple yet volatile
- Accessible for a Euro audience and fans of engine-building
- Unusual pacing and learning curve
- Limited direct player interaction
- Rarely rewards replays due to unusual victory conditions
- Spending inherited wealth quickly to win a grand prize
- Wealth inheritance race in a modern, satirical setting
- satirical, humorous
- High Society
- Underwater Cities
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Choose from turn order, cards, workers, or actions; leftmost goes first
- card management — Draw and manage different card types (helper, property) to build an engine
- Property market and upkeep — Buy, maintain, and manage properties with market-driven values and upkeep costs
- Worker Placement — Place two workers on the board to gain benefits and take actions
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The best thing about this game is its property market. It's wonderfully simple, but shows a volatile housing market.
- There's lots of viable strategies.
- I really like the action selection system.
- For a lighter game with a similar vibe, try High Society.
- For another game by the same designer, try Underwater Cities.
- Last Will, I'm going to Disneyland.
- classic Richard Prior film, Brewster's Millions, where he gets 30 million and has to spend it to inherit 300 million.
References (from this video)
- unique premise of spending to become the wealthiest broke player
- engaging endgame and auctions
- availability/price may be a factor
- spending and manipulating wealth to become the most broke
- estate/money management and inheritance
- Chinatown
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction / Bidding — decisions around spending and selling estates to manipulate wealth
- Hand Management — card-based actions to spend money and manage estates
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I really want to be able to hop into a live stream and know exactly what I'm doing.
- Less but better quality is something I'm embracing going into 2024.
- Septima is my number one game of the month.
References (from this video)
- Humorous, unique theme
- interesting take on wealth/poverty as strategy
- Thematic tone may not appeal to everyone
- lose money / become the poorest to gain uncle's fortune
- humorous take on inheritance and wealth
- satirical, lighthearted
- Rococo
- Nippon
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hand Management — manage actions and resources to minimize wealth and reputation loss
- hand management / action points — manage actions and resources to minimize wealth and reputation loss
- Hidden Victory Points — points represent fortunes that you try to shed
- victory points as a resource — points represent fortunes that you try to shed
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- these are games from you know 1990 something all the way up to I think the most recent one is 2013
- I really want to try Agricola because Francis and I have played Caverna we absolutely love Caverna
- the fisherman theme that's why we tried News Fjord as well because we loved that theme
- Onirim ... a solo game where you shuffle through your dreams and open doors
- Robinson Crusoe ... you are trying to survive on an island cooperatively
- Hanamikoji is absolutely beautiful and I would love to try it
- CV is one that I would love to try the art is absolutely adorable
References (from this video)
- tight, accessible entry point into worker/engine-building
- varied setups can alter duration; some setups longer
- blow money to outpace rivals
- work replacement / money-siphoning theme
- clever, set-up driven engine-building
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- work replacement / tableau building — build your tableau and manage money to reach goals
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- rock solid martin wallace game and i'm really enjoying it
- it's got one of the weirdest pacings of the game
- I like it but I just don't love it and i don't think this is going to be sticking around much longer
- Six Nimpt by Wolfgand Kramer, a borderline essential game, a great little filler that everybody should play at least once
- it's just pure simple family weight fun
References (from this video)
- humorous premise generates entertaining personal narratives
- thematic engagement with money and dating adds flavor to play
- some may find the humor dated or awkward
- rules and setup can be opaque without context
- Humorous commentary on wealth, social life, and the absurdity of opulence.
- A satirical economic race where players expend wealth through extravagant dates and purchases to lose money before the end.
- emergent storytelling through personal choices
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- auction_or_bidding_like_planning — Strategic planning around allocation of funds to slots and dates.
- economic_management — Players must spend money to avoid keeping wealth, with value determined by date choices and purchases.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- there's an emergent story that comes from the characters
- the emergent storytelling that you can see in Z is amazing because it's so sandbox
- we make decisions based on what our character would do rather than what's the best choice
- it's fun to make up stories as you're spending lots of money
References (from this video)
- innovative and fresh theme
- solid, enjoyable engine and interaction
- Brewster's Millions-style money management and waste
- inheriting money and spending it extravagantly
- humorous, light and breezy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action point bidding — players bid on how many actions to take based on drawn cards
- building-price manipulation — recruit helpers and manipulate the price of assets
- Deck-building engine — build a powerful engine to manipulate money and opportunities
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is very much a back and forth take that style of game as you are infecting each other with these different viruses and diseases
- it's a random take that fest
- this game goes on way longer than the box says
- this is quite a cool quirky little game at least in terms of the visual appeal
- the economic part of this game is very tight
- it's really solid and a lot of fun
References (from this video)
- estate/legacy planning
- Early 20th-century family/business planning
- strategic card/board game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we're going to make a board game Advent calendar
- randomly assign them to different envelopes without knowing what's in
- this would be super fun if anybody wanted to do it at home
- we will play all 24 of these games before Christmas
- join me for this fun little craft project
- we leave December 4th until the 10th so packs unplugged happens
References (from this video)
- economic
- legacy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- everybody game your abc's start with a and end with z
- arkham horror that's a fright
- b is for battle or there's monsters to fight
- cosmic encounter that's right
- fury of dracula he turns into mist she is gone
- shown clever you'll feel so smart
- hogwarts battle defend against the dark arts
- jabberwocky you can't play it alone
- in that runner they don't make it anymore
- on mars get a galactic high score
- paladins for the kingdom
- quellenberg proportions the best
- space space if you like your sci-fi
- viticulture watch those wine grapes get smashed
- welcome to build a neighborhood
References (from this video)
- money, investments, corporate intrigue
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you start rich and you're trying to blow as much money as you can as quickly as possible by making bad investments
- this one however has a quite a different feel to a lot of the other rolling rights
- it's strictly two player puzzly abstract style game
- this is the newest printing of the bunk
- this one actually uses the between two cities mechanism where you're working with the people to your left and right except on this one
- it's a game that's fascinated me
- the idea of puzzle this stuff around get the ideal family photo
- gamers bingo
References (from this video)
- Cool thematic concept and narrative alignment
- Too light in the face of market saturation in worker placement
- Lacked depth to justify continued play
- Invest, hire, buy, and sell to burn through money quickly
- Capitalist economy / early modern enterprise
- Economic satire with thematic ties
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- economic engine / money management — Money is the resource you burn through with poor investments to score.
- thematic tie-in drives decisions — Ties between theme and mechanics influence what feels intuitive.
- Worker placement / action economy — Take actions to invest and manage assets in an economic engine.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the twist on this game was that these are animals not only do they move in different ways when you landed on them on the board which means you could plan turns ahead
- Meadow is kind of this little Tableau building game as you're playing cards out in front of you
- no rules overhead in this one
- this was almost enough for me to keep this one around
- there was no real interesting decisions to be made and it became quite frustrating at times
- less is more
References (from this video)
- Unique theme around spending wealth quickly
- Strong mechanical satisfaction
- Theme may feel grim or dark to some players
- spending wealth efficiently, life after death
- life-focused, where you manage ancestral fortune
- darkly humorous exploration of legacy and finances
- Life
- CV
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hand management / optimization — Optimize actions to spend wealth efficiently while maximizing points.
- resource management / spending — Spend resources (wealth) to achieve end-game goals as fast as possible.
- tableau/sequence of actions — Arrange actions to maximize end-game scoring.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's literally just about the journey that you're on.
- you are simply moving along a track.
- you craft a story.
- This is a story of your villagers of how they're going to go around collecting the things you need as you try to find the various ways to find victory points.
- you are telling your story, but you're doing so with dice rolls and cards
- it's incredibly accessible
- you are going to lend itself to full fantasy over here
- you are trying to set up all these marriages to try to get these various people into your family