Game Info
Year
2023
Players
2-5
Age
6+
Playtime
60 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
Welcome to the North Pole!
It’s late in December, and Santa is gearing up for his big night. His elvish helpers are busy making sure he's ready to deliver joy across the world! The elves have a lot to do: toys to be built and assembled, reindeer to be tended in the stables, and the North Pole's own Christmas tree to decorate. It's a time of unbelievable hustle and bustle!
After the Christmas season is over, Santa always takes his own holiday, somewhere sunny and warm, and he brings along the most industrious team of elves as a reward. Can you lead your elvish crew to earn a spot with Santa on vacation?
Santa's Workshop is a reimplementation of a game by the same name released in 2017. This new edition comes with two game modes: the standard game for families, and an advanced game for ages 10 and up.
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 14
This page: 14
Sentiment:
pos 11 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–14 of 14
Video gjoO9OrlvPc
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 6:44 sentiment: positive
video_pk 93450 · mention_pk 253641
Click to watch at 6:44 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Easier to play than expected
- Understood by a 70-year-old mother-in-law
- Game was done in under 40 minutes with five players on the easy board
- Good for around the holidays to get the spirit going
Cons
- Not as much resource management as expected on the standard side
Thematic elements
- Christmas
Comparison games
- Pillars of the Earth
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Worker Placement — Players place workers in various workshop areas to gain resources and victory points. The standard board offers less resource management than the advanced rules.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- you have suffered through another year of rolling Dice and taking names
- let's see if we can make it through another year together
- I'm enthused you're enthused I tell you what it was it was a struggle
- the enthusiasm is not there
- it's kind of like go ahead and whamageddon me let me I'm out of this
- this is one of their games and you wouldn't expect that from them
- this is right up there with um as far as Pillars of the Earth as far as understanding
- I mean from the style you need something like that to keep everybody involved
- We were done in under 30 30 no 40 minutes on the easy board with five people wow
- nothing says the holidays like despair crushing defeat like Robinson cruso
- I don't know what this is it's not an marit trash game it's not a Euro game I don't know what you call it which is why I was so intrigued about it and why I liked it so much
- it's not a resource management game at all there you know there are no resources it is it is so cleverly done and it's one of those I just wanted a different experience I didn't want to just be collect cubes and turning in cubes for victory points I wanted something else
- this is a heavy game
- The setup y'all 30 minute setup something like that
- it is a process let's just be honest it is a process
- I think this game is brilliantly designed
- The twist is you're literally playing three tricks per round
- it's a lot of mechanisms they list here cuz I guess they they do list worker placement I guess the worker placement is placing your students in your classes yeah or the buildings that you put on the board allow you to do something at that section
- Prestige is coming from everywhere so you got to watch that
- this is one of those games that falls in a weird spot for me
- it's elegant there's a great flow to the game
- The production is topnotch
- use our code if there's one on sale you get the sale price throw in our code you're going to get 30% off that so it's a great deal
- New Year's resolution
- not to make mistakes anymore while we're recording a podcast as that'll never happen
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ARTcTf1K02s
Watch It Played Top 10 List at 5:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89832 · mention_pk 239247
Click to watch at 5:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Immersive theme
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Players guide Santa's elvish helpers in assembling toys, tending to reindeer, and decorating the North Pole's Christmas tree.
- North Pole during late December
Comparison games
- Merchants of the Dark Road
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Set Collection — The elvish team that scores the best wins.
- Worker Placement — Players guide elvish helpers to perform tasks.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's mind-bendingly heavy but the theme and art are so massive that it feels like hardly any time has passed when we finish up again we realized that two or three hours has flown by
- i knew it was aliens all along
- this is the one title that keeps frequently hitting the game table oh it's such a keeper
- i love single player board games and final girl is right up my alley
- insert funny comment here
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6UfFJJ9MafA
Meeple University Review at 41:22 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88098 · mention_pk 231360
Click to watch at 41:22 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Excellent introduction to worker placement
- Beautiful artwork
- Two distinct game modes (beginner/advanced)
- Thematic and well-designed for families
Cons
- Advanced mode has scarce resources
- Need a bigger stocking for the box
Thematic elements
- Christmas, toy making
- Santa's Workshop
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- contract fulfillment — Players collect toy recipes and fulfill them using gathered resources.
- Engine Building — In the advanced mode, players build engines with upgrades and resource management.
- Set Collection — Collecting sets of reindeer for endgame scoring.
- Worker Placement — Players place elves on action spaces to gather resources, recipes, and fulfill contracts.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- everyone we've been busy playing games
- we have these games that we've been playing in between heavy games
- I'm Stella and this is Teran from Maple University
- that's it that's is everything ever which is Teran is unbeatable
- Great Well Done Taran
- it'll get you in the Christmas spirit
- we will be doing our top games of 2023 but we want to wait until the very last minute until we make the video
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video X2V3MdMYwO4
Meeple University Top 10 List at 17:25 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88058 · mention_pk 231077
Click to watch at 17:25 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- The beginner mode feels really thematic and cooperative.
- The way elves help each other is a nice thematic touch.
- Really cute game components.
- Very thematic and very fun.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Elves making toys for Santa.
- Santa's workshop before Christmas
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — The beginner mode has a cooperative feel where players help each other.
- Resource Management — Gathering materials to assemble toys.
- Set Collection — Collecting sets of different reindeer for points and benefits.
- Worker Placement — Elves are used to go to locations and pick up materials for toys.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- 2023 was a great year for board games.
- What we're going to talk about here is games typically in the um in the more Euro mechanical sort of space which went with a theme and then really found a way to make the mechanics match that theme correct.
- It's not a list of the games where we really felt like we were going out fighting dragons because the story that was written was really um you know all that sort of thing.
- This is unpaid and this is completely just our opinion.
- It's really really thematic I think we we enjoy playing this.
- Not a theme for everyone but it does really work with the it's a different way of looking at an investment game I suppose.
- It clicks together in a way that really fits the art theme they're going for.
- It gets less thematic as you go along that line but still the way it all fits together.
- There's clearly a lot of uh airport nerd love that's into the scenarios and I think that's what's good.
- The core mechanism here does something totally new to fit a theme.
- The game is almost impossible to beat.
- Feels like the board games feel like the video games.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video kIwufKkhx9A
UndeadVikingVideos Discussion at 3:45:45 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 86753 · mention_pk 225630
Click to watch at 3:45:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Neutral
Pros
- Heard it was really good.
- It wasn't a throwaway game.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Christmas
- Christmas
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Positively Fifth Street and it's fantastic because it talks both about the murder but it also talks about like just how he played poker and and made the final table
- I never I never played Santa's Workshop I heard it was really really good though
- I enjoyed honey Buzz
- I thought merch of the dark Road was good
- The thing that sucks is that the hard cover for it like it's it's it's the I I mean I get they're going with as far as like the the cover but it's like the my least favorite cover of the options that they have available
- Unless the bonus is you handing me $1,000 right now in my hand cash I don't want it
- Pepsi as we all know sucks it's and it's and it's horrible
- Lincoln almost got arrested he was like you're lucky you have an out of state driver's license otherwise you'd be in front of a judge right now
- Elf Creek games is uh yeah they're defun huh y they're not answering any any emails that's that's not a good sign
- I always wonder it's like they launched a campaign in June and and I don't know I mean it it did okay but it's like it's one of those things where it's like you you you just hope that they didn't like they didn't know that they were like they were in trouble at that time
- We partnered with tabletop at the time the tabletop had their you know person there was was Bo and uh bo was like he was not really at the time you know he was just standing there and me and we we brought all the games we brought table you know chairs tables and everything so
- I started rewatching all of uh Sopranos again such a great show
- I figure if you just get your kids cynical right away beginning then they're uh set them up for Success
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video D3WPcDuDNMI
Where There's A Wilz, There's a Play Top 10 List at 5:45 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 86651 · mention_pk 224981
Click to watch at 5:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Festive theme
- Potential for solid production-planning gameplay
Cons
- Delivery promises reportedly not met; availability affected
Thematic elements
- toy production, holiday season
- Santa's Workshop / Christmas theme
- Array
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this game was an instant hit for both Stacy and I
- the ships and Shores expansion was phenomenal, adding the asymmetric abilities of the different boats and new tiles
- Elf Creek has gone completely silent on the Kickstarter page since August
- I had to film my top 10 twice because there was something wrong with something
- this game is quickly moving up my favorite games list
- the promise to have this delivered by Christmas is pretty much dead in the water
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video KVDIL7nlpNI
Let's Table It Top List at 6:10 sentiment: positive
video_pk 83785 · mention_pk 211844
Click to watch at 6:10 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Highly recommended
- Mechanically sound
- Good theme integration
- Good production value
- Offers basic and advanced rules for different player counts/experience levels
- Suitable for families and 'gamer gamers'
Cons
- Still waiting on deluxe premium extras
Thematic elements
- Christmas
- Santa's Workshop
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Resource Management — You can gain resources or you can gain the recipes for the the toys that you're going to make.
- Worker Placement — it's a mechanically sound worker placement game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- And we are talking about one of our favorite topics. Oh, yeah. Christmas games.
- So, um, but today we're talking about the cream of the crop. We are talking about our top five.
- So, whoever has the most decorations of their color on the tree is going to score the most points for it.
- Spirits of Christmas is a cooperative game set in obviously um you know Christmas Carol.
- So, I highly highly recommend Sansa's workshop.
- And this just gives me the quintessential like vintagey Christmas vibes. The art is so charming and I absolutely love that.
- And the art again is charming. They use the art from the 1960s animated version.
- But this is I let's be honest, this is love letter. Um it's just rethemed to have, you know, Santa Claus instead of the princess.
- And honestly, it's it's just simple, fun, easy.
- And that's really why we game. That's the whole reason that we are a family of gamers is because we like to spend that time together interacting and not just sitting in front of the TV and watching something.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video -ZxdpE4g_uM
Foster the Meeple Discussion at 11:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 83631 · mention_pk 211167
Click to watch at 11:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Great
- Very holiday themed
- Not complicated (simple and advanced modes)
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Making toys
- Santa's Workshop
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Worker Placement — Players are elves making toys at Santa's workshop.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Rudolph. We haven't played it yet, but it is Rudolph themed, so it's holiday themed, so I think it'd be great. We're definitely going to be pulling it out this Christmas.
- when you open it up and you look at it, it's very much so. Like there's there's Holly and like mistletoe and cranberry and all of the m the mice are dressed with their little cute scarves.
- It's a cooperative game. you're all working together to get Frodies to Mordor.
- And I just think that this there's something. It's not Christmas themed. It's not holiday themed, but there's something like about this game that's just very magical.
- It's cozy, it's quick, it's simple, it's festive.
- Santa versus Krampus. That's very holiday theme.
- which is the Christmas themed one. And this is like has a 3D tree and you're booping ornaments off of it.
- So, I would do like just a big batch of chili with different toppings.
- And when you order in takeout, especially like I don't know about everywhere, but here like for our Chinese food, it's always so much food. You can feed an army with what you're ordering.
- I personally prefer the Jim Carrey one or the old like the original Grinch. Those are the best ones.
- Elf is I don't know if you guys knew this, but Elf is literally my favorite movie of all time. not just Christmas movie. It is my favorite movie of all time.
- This is a perfect movie. T the season to be jolly and joyous.
- I think that could be really fun. You could have a table for like ornament decorating or cookie decorating. I think it would be really fun to do like build your own gingerbread houses or mele gingerbread decorating.
- I almost said Nightmare Before Christmas. I'm sure there's a book about that, too. But I think that could also be really fun.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video zRg9V8rMeYk
Where There's A Wilz, There's a Play Unboxing at 0:15 sentiment: positive
video_pk 83489 · mention_pk 210460
Click to watch at 0:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Deluxe components with metal and acrylic pieces
- High-quality festive artwork and presentation
- Two-sided board with standard and advanced modes
- Deluxe first-player token that's visually distinctive
Cons
- Initial packaging could be confusing with the rulebook placement
- Rulebook was tucked in the middle and was small, making it easy to miss
Thematic elements
- festive toy production and gift delivery within a magical workshop
- North Pole workshop during Christmas, elves crafting toys and Santa preparing deliveries
- expository and enthusiastic unboxing narration
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card/tile drafting — Selecting cards or tiles that advance the assembly and scoring paths
- Resource Management — Managing tokens (wood, fabric, assembly, metal) and upgrade tokens to progress
- Set Collection — Players collect toy-related cards to score points and fulfill toy sets
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Absolutely gorgeous cover. This is nice and shiny.
- Beautiful Christmy art on that.
- I'm very excited to have a Christmas themed game to play.
- Deluxe First Player token. So these are printed acrylic instead of the cardboard.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 68IUBBWyRFI
Stonemaier Games Discussion at 10:48 sentiment: positive
video_pk 83490 · mention_pk 210468
Click to watch at 10:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Christmas
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This friendship is costing me money, but that's okay.
- I'm going to say more chocolate.
- I have to finally see Jamie in person. Uh, this is, you know, this longist I'll say publicly, I don't know this long distance thing is working for me anymore, Jamie. I have to see you in person.
- I was horrible bird that couldn't fly. What was it? I ended up being that one bird that couldn't fly.
- If I weren't such a classy professional, I'd run into the garage and look, but um
- The voice tends not to age as quickly as the rest of us.
- This might be a year where I just acknowledge that in the video because I love all of our games when we publish them, but I I I really love these games and I love them in different circumstances, too.
- When we turn 60, we'll do another one.
- this is just so much fun to do and I think having the the live interaction with people, having these questions, being able to, you know, the people that listen or watch the show, ask us questions. It's just it's special and it's fun and I really appreciate it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video XqqgRsTIf7U
Discussion at 0:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 67351 · mention_pk 163433
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- festive Christmas theme
- attractive visuals
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)
- Let's Play Ark NOA I'm sure there's a deer in it that's like Santa's deer pretty much
- o looks so pretty let's play that
- play these Christmas theme games
- terraforming Ms there is snow like Christmas in Mar surely
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video lptZeCF1XwE
BoardGameGeek Top 10 List at 10:22 sentiment: positive
video_pk 39347 · mention_pk 210670
Click to watch at 10:22 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong, visually appealing theme
- Simple, approachable for holiday gatherings
Cons
- May feel repetitive after multiple plays
Thematic elements
- elves crafting toys
- Santa's workshop during the winter holiday season
- festive, accessible
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- resource conversion & contracts — Turn resources into toys and complete contracts for points
- Worker Placement — Three elves are assigned to tasks to gather resources
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is an area control game that for our money is one of the most unique themes ever.
- wash your hands so you don't actually get sick.
- I really like these wintry and cozy themes that feel right for the holidays.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video GZ3rDGcRsd8
Before You Play Playthrough
video_pk 6985 · mention_pk 166570
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)
- this is a worker placement game where we are going to be trying to build as many toys as possible
- we're going to try to build as many toys as possible in the 9 days leading up to Christmas
- Santa wants to make sure that we are spreading holiday cheer
- the advanced game has the player mats where you can customize your elves
- the tree depicts basically each of the three different types of materials and each player's ornaments has the three materials as well as a toy
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 2PUkzR5jBTU
Our Family Plays Games Top List at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3565 · mention_pk 141183
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fun holiday theme with approachable rules
- Interesting dice/worker combo
Cons
- Publishers and edition confusion in chat; ensure accurate edition data
- Not as widely known as some classics
Thematic elements
- holiday crafts, management
- North Pole workshop and toy production
- light-hearted, festive
Comparison games
- Keyflower
- Tzolk'in
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Drafting — Use dice to draft actions and fulfill orders.
- Worker Placement — Place workers to fulfill toy requests and manage shop flow.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love worker placement games.
- The spice must flow.
- This stream is about the top 20 worker placement games and we love them all.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–14 of 14