How many players can play Underwater Cities?

Underwater Cities supports 1 to 4 players.

How long does a game of Underwater Cities take?

A typical game of Underwater Cities takes approximately 150 minutes.

What are the best video reviews of Underwater Cities?

MindForge has curated 111 video reviews of Underwater Cities from top board game content creators.

What type of game is Underwater Cities?

Underwater Cities features mechanics including Engine Building, Matching, Resource Management, Tableau Building, Tile Placement.

Underwater Cities - Board Game

Video Jxkm-G8mqAI Stonemaier Games Playthrough at 0:06 sentiment: positive

video_pk 99467 · mention_pk 276568

Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Can be good for getting paths working.
Can lead to gaining hearts and coins.
Can yield pumpkins and coins.
Six could give two tunnels.
Can gain a die, which can be any number.
Can activate realms multiple times for resources.

Cons

May not be the best tunnel to start with.
No resources gained on the first turn.
The one placement was not ideal.
Hoping to complete segments before activating for more resources.

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — Outlining cities and gaining benefits from adjacent marked cities once connected.
network building — Using numbers to create tunnels and connect cities.
Resource Management — Gaining and using resources like hearts, coins, and pumpkins.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

If you are on the fence about buying or backing a game, what is something that puts you kind of mentally, emotionally over the edge to actually decide to buy it?
If I'm on the fence, typically a recommendation from a friend or a friend that is excited to play but might not be in the position to back it will push me over the fence.
My crowdfunding journey is more finances driven as shipping prices for me are usually two to three times compared to you US shipping prices.
Over the edge a a a 10,000-ft assessment for value for money.
Bring Will it Will it bring joy to me? Yeah.
Am I going to be able to teach this game? Yeah.
To Andy's point, I really want Rosalee based on looks alone.
Love turns and roll and write realms that end with multi-realm puzzling and project exposure enables that as well.
Focusing on a few specific games other than rather than having a shelf with 100 games has really helped.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 2xhoqlvgNxw Rolling Dice & Taking Names Analysis at 28:35 sentiment: positive

video_pk 95061 · mention_pk 260986

Click to watch at 28:35 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Solid Euro game
Unique and cool action selection mechanic
Similar feel to Terraforming Mars in terms of card play

Cons

The rest of the mechanics are similar to other Euro games
Iconography was potentially confusing

Thematic elements

Building and managing underwater cities
Underwater cities

Comparison games

Terraforming Mars

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Players play a card to take an action, with matching card colors potentially triggering extra abilities.
Resource Management — Resources are generated and used to build new cities and convert into victory points.
Tableau Building — Cards played can provide in-game scoring or passive abilities.
Worker Placement — Players use cardboard workers to take actions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Kill Team is like the quick two-player skirmish game in the Warhammer 40k universe
we had all six of us playing on these really nice tables with a nice terrain it was a wonderful time maybe even the highlight of my trip
the building is the hardest thing if you get through that the rest of the actions you can do are simple
a good game is a good puzzle
I will play this again but not above Lorenzo
this one I don't think impressed us as much as Lorenzo
the iconography was confusing
it's a good puzzle
I will play this game I will enjoy playing this game but like you I will put Lorenzo on the table first but I will not turn down a game of Newton
it looks cool man a co-op worker placement that's kind of cess kind of itching to scratch I didn't know I had
it's a hard co-op worker placement game
Stan Lee the very famous American comic book writer died at the age of 95
he's one of the greatest storytellers of all time
every hero of his had a flaw and he made sure they did
Excelsior!

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video wY6LyZ6yuKQ Getting Games Discussion at 1:09:40 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91651 · mention_pk 245986

Click to watch at 1:09:40 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

5 years is a long time to be making videos
ritualize it
I really quite enjoy space base

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video -k2oStkf9J0 Meeple University Live Event Coverage at 1:37 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91338 · mention_pk 244982

Click to watch at 1:37 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Mention as a game of interest during the event

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)

we're just live-streaming the whole day and publishers come in for 5 to 10 minutes at a time
this is amazing a lot of table presents
I've got that yesterday one of my favorite is fake artists go to New York
Tiny Epic Dinosaurs go check it out

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Qxll9B5smo0 Getting Games Discussion at 37:19 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91102 · mention_pk 244185

Click to watch at 37:19 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I have a really big problem with the status quo.
I'm desperately looking for more colonialism themed games at least from the Western colonial eyes.
Don't ruin the magic if you prefer not to but do you preset the first few turns of a playthrough so that you could better show the rules or is it all standard setup and you show the rules as they come?
I pre stack cards like in terraforming Mars I made sure that there were cards in people's hands so that a greenery tile would go down a Sydney tile would go down an ocean would go down that every single little button could be pressed in that first generation.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video -lsn22M9XTE Nights Around a Table Review at 1:59 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 90681 · mention_pk 242501

Click to watch at 1:59 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Visually appealing with potential for vertical table presence.
Expansion addresses issues with secure component storage.
Captivating underwater theme with parallels to space exploration.
Bold and striking graphic design on cards.
Rulebook is well-illustrated with a good balance of pictures and text.

Cons

Player boards are cheap, flimsy, and unimpressive in quality.
Base game board is not lying flat and is 'bubbling up'.
Some artwork on cards is repeated.

Thematic elements

building underwater cities
underwater

Comparison games

Teotihuacan
Everdell
Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
Terraforming Mars
Roll for the Galaxy: Rivalry
Last Will
Pulsar 2849
Deep Blue

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — The player boards are where players build their underwater city, placing domes and connecting routes/tunnels.
Card Drafting — The host mentions buying cards from spaces on the board.
Resource Management — The host mentions various resource tokens like eggs and money (credits), and markers for tracking quantities.
Tile Placement — The host discusses placing domes on player boards and hexagonal tiles on the main board.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

i look kind of concerned, right? Look: my eyebrows are down.
i'm a sick individual. But uh... i buy games for the dumbest reasons.
As good as game as i've heard Terraforming Mars is, i'm going to wait until recessed boards are available before i make a purchase, because that seems like a pretty, uh... decent complaint about the game.
Da da da da DA!
Call me "Shorlock."
Oh, just forget about it.
Box Fart-O-Meter: zero. Are we surprised? i don't think so.
Really, really bad! i'm not... at ALL impressed with the component quality on those!
i think that's probably what he turned out to be in life.
i'm such a jerk... i'm a jerk to Personal Assistant for no reason!
i guess it's the future? i THINK that's what's happening? It's the future, and everybody's got wacky hair.
The board is kind of not... lying flat, i've noticed. It's not really... it's kind of bubbling up. Have you ever ever had that problem?
i'm going to save you... my casual racism.
The people on these cards look like... kind of nerdy!

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video MIBr6cD01Ck Getting Games Discussion at 20:03 sentiment: positive

video_pk 90499 · mention_pk 241872

Click to watch at 20:03 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Terraforming Mars

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — engine building mechanics are mentioned
indirect interaction — indirect interaction is described

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

beyond the sun is such a good game
i am loving that game
i would definitely not mind having a copy of kingdom
it's a wonderful world expansion ... corruption and ascension

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video JnqWwGDVXQs Nights Around a Table Other at 2:11:40

video_pk 90346 · mention_pk 241287

Click to watch at 2:11:40 · YouTube ↗

Pros

Special tunnels and player pieces are being created

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)

if you're working I'm working I don't know just have me on in the background and I'll be yapping and yammering
editing a video seems extremely complicated or am I wrong
I refuse oh this shot's very blurry
I'm a numerophobe
it's the stupidest is that not the stupidest thing you've ever heard in your life
I can't believe I'm remembering all this stuff on the spot
I am horrendous at math like just awful with numbers they freak me out
If you can get yourself properly micked people will forgive dim imagery but they won't forgive crappy audio

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video TbBN3M28zcU Allies or Enemies Top List at 1:55 sentiment: positive

video_pk 90136 · mention_pk 240453

Click to watch at 1:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Great game
Works well at two players
Tight gameplay
Enjoyable back and forth
Challenging card play

Cons

Can cause a lot of AP

Thematic elements

Building an underwater city
Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Play — With the cards that you're playing if it matches your action space you get to do the action of the card as well.
Set Collection — Implied by building domes and tunnels with collected resources.
Worker Placement — You put out your workers to collect your resources or to trade in those resources to make your your domes or your tunnels that you need.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's kind of this is really a snapshot of our favorite games as of like august 10th or something
the selling point is the huge board of actions there's 60 some actions in this game
it's interesting because it is a work replacement slash tile placement game and the tile placement part definitely tripped me up at the beginning because this is a game that at the start i i did not did not hook me at all because i just found the so punishing
it is one you get a lot better the more you play and for me the norwegian expansion made a really big difference for that
i love a legacy game it's really fun to go through a campaign together and open up new things and this one does it really well
the board itself by the end of the game you have a two-sided board that we use regularly which again for legacy can be a bit rare sometimes at the end of it you're just kind of done with it but this one we can still keep playing
and the story again is good like the writing's really short but it's funny

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Pql3gf-Qrpg Getting Games Discussion at 46:50

video_pk 89713 · mention_pk 238719

Click to watch at 46:50 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

i understand a lot of people really enjoy solo games but um generally they're they're not really for me
it's essentially a fun thing that we like to do and we have to make sure that it doesn't turn into work
thousands of games come out every year and i feel like every couple of months i bump into something that i'm just like whoa that's totally new
i personally think patchwork is engine building because you're just kind of building up an income engine
sprinkles on the icing on the cake

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video VoIyClbclZA Drive Thru Games Top List at 15:17 sentiment: positive

video_pk 89700 · mention_pk 238658

Click to watch at 15:17 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Positive

Pros

Solo experience is greatly enhanced by the expansion.
Unique combination of worker placement and card mechanics works well solo.
High replayability due to card variety.

Cons

Base game solo might be too much for some.
Expansion might be overwhelming if introduced too early.

Thematic elements

City Building
Underwater

Comparison games

Agricola
Caverna

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — Because of the card variety and that's where kind of Agricola gets saved a little bit because it's also just target points.
Engine Building — The card deck is a little bit more varied and stuff like that.
Worker Placement — Because it just has an experience that is really frankly not like anything else on this list with that work replacement card thing.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The expansion takes the solo game from like an eight... up to a 10.
You have all that kind of good crunchy competitive mechanics but then whoop now we disappeared into this way crazy fantasy Indiana Jones.
It's actually a little bit more difficult with less players... you might get your butt kicked like the first couple of times.
Portals to alternate realities and there's like science fiction aliens and dinosaurs and snake people and Cthulhu's type monsters and you know zombies every I mean it's like everything in there.
I would rather play this solo than with players but I would still play with players.
I want one where I can kind of build and tweak decks all on my own don't worry about playing against other players and stuff and just you know throw them at different villains and see how they work.
They just need to straight up reprint that sucker.
It scratches that D&D itch like nothing else.
It just immerses you unlike anything that I've that I've played anywhere on this list or anywhere else.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video _nGo4U4ogvQ Nights Around a Table Discussion at 50:35:36 sentiment: neutral

video_pk 89404 · mention_pk 237347

Click to watch at 50:35:36 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

neutral

Pros

Promo cards were obtained

Cons

Obtained bad promo cards
Paid for a slightly altered card ('Courthouse' to 'Court of Approval')

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)

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)

No references stored for this video.

Video iwmeAl0vcq0 Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Discussion at 7:57

video_pk 88706 · mention_pk 234532

Click to watch at 7:57 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Array
Underwater city-building

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Network/Path Building — Create a network of connections between underwater cities for scoring.
Network/Route Building — Create a network of connections between underwater cities for scoring.
Resource Management — Construct underwater domes and connect networks to optimize resources.
worker/resource management — Construct underwater domes and connect networks to optimize resources.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

"this is a bigger game this is Alexander Pfister uh who's known for beer games"
"there’s different editions of things and whether they both deserve to be on the top 100 list"
"I love this game, uh very very cool"
"this is a game that I will never say no to"

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 9Z-RXd-SSBM UndeadVikingVideos Discussion at 2:39:26 sentiment: negative

video_pk 88674 · mention_pk 234320

Click to watch at 2:39:26 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Unknown, but implied negative due to context

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the best game we played of the day was Nana
it's a stupid memory game
100 bucks I will not be buying that
it was fine I I enjoyed it I had a good time
it's really good it's very good
Frost Haven's already on the top 100
I miss the old art
we offer a championship midgard for 40 bucks
it's too random it does you can't mitigate it at all and it's just rough
the dice mechanism is cool
there's a million copies of space games sitting around

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video zxTh9hJnEmc BoardGameBollocks Top List at 10:17 sentiment: neutral

video_pk 88439 · mention_pk 233106

Click to watch at 10:17 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

neutral

Pros

Really do want to play it.

Cons

Can't swim.
Have to try and face my fears.

Thematic elements

Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

we'll be taking control of a plantation you'll be growing crops it'll be harvested in the crops sending them out to far off markets to get points
but they [__] the game up yeah the boards were all [__] up nothing fitted in the box or something or other and it was just a complete and utter [__] show
I'm sort of sick to death of Marvel six the death of [__] Star Wars and all that crap
Pax Premiere second edition can shove itself up its own [__] and consume itself before I even think about playing this Abomination pile of dog crap ever again
it looks like it's been penned by a three-year-old who's been given a king-size Crayola set for Christmas
sometimes I think spot or a trolling people you know they keep releasing these games that have got no artistic Merit but when you're actually playing you start to be convinced that they are actually worth their weight in gold
somebody's proudly displayed this phallic Tower of expansions that they're never ever going to use
this is a fantastic game can be a little bit complex but it's one of the rare occasions where a Euro game actually Blends well with its theme and its mechanics
it's just a fantastic game it's one of those sort of games that is quite leisurely it's not taxing or demanding in rules or mechanics and you could just sit back and just feel like you're pissed out your face sort of thing
this is our favorite solo game ever made
it's a bog standard Euro game with a little bit of a Twist which is why we find it a little bit more interesting than some of the others
a lot of people want to live out their sylvanian families incest fantasy
all the owns is a super fantastic game
number 31 is everdale this is a card driven game where you'll be placing your workers out of board to take actions playing cards it's going to give you actions as well building up your to blow with these cutesy little Woodland creatures and you get the bonus of owner big [ __ ] off cardboard tree in the middle of the [ __ ] table
it's okay I'm not going to masturbate over this game too much but yeah it's an average game
it's number 30 on this list is a game called all he owns
in all the owners you'll be doing right things you'll be moving your dudes around the map collecting cheese and stuff you'll be reaching into your bag to pull out your workers placing them on a map you might send them off permanently to sit in a chapel or something
this game uses the same artwork as Tua in it so like a medieval bio tapestry style it's a super duper bag building game
get the deluxifier components it makes the game easier to handle and all the owns is a super fantastic game
tell us what you think of our opinions of these games so far are you upset with my critique of everdale as my analysis of pax Premiere giving you a new set of hemorrhoids to deal with tell me in the comments below and I will gladly send you some anusol for your trouble
we're going to come back probably with the final bit I don't know I might do 20 more and then 10 because I am feeling a little bit knackered but if I could find some maybe we'll crack it all off in one go

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video UuEElqSHFWQ The Mill Discussion at 0:41 sentiment: positive

video_pk 88179 · mention_pk 231878

Click to watch at 0:41 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

this is an absolute no-brainer
I felt like it was pretty polished there
I'm really looking forward to getting that promo I'm going to hop on and right after this and go ahead and secure my nine promos for $25 that's pretty good
Code name fire just based on that progress chart looks very likely to be the first uh new title uh for stoneware games this year
Elizabeth Hargrave actually has two kickstarters running right now I believe
Undergrove we talked about this previously that she's got this title coming out from AEG that campaign is actually going on right now

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 2EwauOPvJJ4 Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Top List at 11:24 sentiment: positive

video_pk 85944 · mention_pk 221305

Click to watch at 11:24 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

So much to do in so little time
Cards can do things for you as a reaction
Constantly building up this engine
Cascading effect where every turn at the end of the game is super cool
Love that tension

Cons

Resources are tight
Only three rounds to get income
Point scoring cards are very expensive

Thematic elements

Building underwater cities
Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — Developing infrastructure and card synergies for powerful turns.
Hand Management — Managing cards that provide abilities and actions.
Resource Management — Acquiring and spending various resources.
Worker Placement — Players place workers to take actions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is so streamlined it's so easy
it is a really cool game each time you play it is different because of the way the cubes drop out
this is a much lighter Feld it's a very cute game
this is just such a classic Cooperative game
there's never a time where I've played this game and there hasn't been some event that's come out of it that gets brought up years and years and years to come
we're not going for a high scoore anymore we are simply going for having the most amount of fun talking through these cases in a funny British accent

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video tkng6v_0ubQ Board Gaming Ramblings Other at 13:47 sentiment: positive

video_pk 85501 · mention_pk 219257

Click to watch at 13:47 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Considered very easy to guess
Player guessed quickly

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Establishing a new home on the ocean floor due to overcrowding on Earth.
Ocean floor

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

city building — Establishing a new home on the ocean floor, building underwater cities.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

hello young adventurers you have found the treasure hidden in the jungle
this is the most important and most fun thing to watch so guessing the last number
the designer root and John company
the second word starts with the same twool letter as the first word
Venice the city of bridges and and gondales
the overcrowded Metropolis spread across the Earth Humanity has realized it's time to establish a new home on the ocean floor
hey that's my fish

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video dkViBAwawoY The Brothers Murph Top List at 6:54 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84712 · mention_pk 215584

Click to watch at 6:54 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Unique feature of 'exhibit'.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Building cities
Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization is the engine builder to end all engine builders.
In Twilight Struggle, one of the more interesting times in history is played out. And I love that each card is a real event that happened.
Gaia Project built on Terrammystica and perfected the form. It's the best one.
Gloom Haven: Jaws of the Lion has the best tutorial system I have ever seen in a game, and I think it legitimately creates new board gamers constantly because of the way they make it so approachable.
Each Spirit in Spirit Island can be played over and over as you learn how to master their abilities, and there are so much content in the box. It also just plays amazing solo.
Dune Imperium Uprising took Dune Imperium to a whole new level of scale and scope, and it's got them worms.
It's impossible to have a bad time playing Star Wars Rebellion, especially if you love Star Wars. Okay, mostly only if you love Star Wars, but it's really fun. It's Lord of the Rings in a box, and it's perfect.
For a solid like 6 years, Terraforming Mars was absolutely the king of the board game hobby. Unreal staying power.
Dune Imperium uses art based on the movies, but it doesn't feel at all like a movie tie-in cash grab.
The scale and epic stories that come out of Twilight Imperium fourth edition make it everlasting. Every time you play, you get a permanent memory and story. It's truly impressive.
The sheer amount of content in Gloom Haven and the card play makes this dungeon crawler a Eurogamer's delight.
Ark Nova takes Terraforming Mars' cardplay in Civilization's action card mechanisms and put it into a theme we're just way more interested in. just the absolute pinnacle of mashing up mechanisms into a masterpiece.
Pandemic Legacy Season 1 has deserved every single ounce of acclaim and accolades it's received over the years. It was an absolute phenomena when it came out.
I don't want to say anything nice about this game. I don't want to say anything nice about this game. I don't like this game though.
Fine. Fine.
Brass Birmingham is objectively a board game. Done. Easy. That was nice. Words that are written.
Brass rhymes with ass. Got him. You're done.
Brass Birmingham has one of the best examples of positive player interaction and a game I'd actually seek out to play for a player. Was that so hard?
So, that was one nice thing about every single game in the Board Game Geek top 100. Many games that we actually don't even really like, but there's always something nice to say. Exactly.
Just engage.
We had a lot of fun making it.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video xYcKA9NcANI Gaming Rules! Analysis at 6:25 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84169 · mention_pk 213612

Click to watch at 6:25 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

It is still an amazing game even now.
The host recently played it for the first time and thought it was great.
The game has a 'fantastic' reputation.

Cons

The host hasn't played the first expansion.

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)

I did not enjoy my first play of Echoes of Time.
this is a light tableau building card game.
Flow... it looks gorgeous.
Covenant. Number two on my most anticipated list.
Vlaada Chvátil. Do you know what the last game that Vlaada designed was? ... He's not actually designed a new game and had a new game published for almost 10 years.
It's called Severton.
I have spent the last 15 years of my life telling everybody that Talisman is such a bad game... And with the fifth edition, I've had to sort of eat my words on that.
There just isn't enough time to play all of the games.
IR from Osprey Games. Children of the Sun. Yeah. It is really good.
Druids of Adora, new Stefan Feld game from Alea
There may be some Essen live streams while we're there.
I have written to the publisher to ask for a potential review copy, yeah, but to be fair, I only emailed them yesterday.
Covenant. I completely forgot that was a thing. Started looking at the pictures and and thinking, yeah, I'm down for that.
The The Void Voynich Puzzle. Voynich Yeah. Don't forget go to bed reading the Wikipedia articles about the Voynich manuscript.
Saboteur is the other one which I did know. I saw it on your shelf uh today earlier, but I didn't know much about it. But now you've explained what it is, I'm kind of getting that um like Enid Blyton vibe from it. Yeah. what was it called? The Famous Five. Famous Five. Famous Five. Of that kind of stuff. Yeah. And weirdly, I'm interested. All right. And I've looked at the pictures of that, so yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Saboteur is good.
I'll be demoing, but I'm demoing um uh Revenant um I think twice on the Saturday from 12:00 till 4:00.
Trickerion with the Arcane Arts expansion. I think that's my schedule.
Now, the one game that I am going to be looking at is there's a new game that Mighty Boards have just announced recently called Gods. All right. Which is designed by David Thompson, Trevor Benjamin, and is right up my alley.
And they said, "Well, at least come round and have a look at it." And I'm like, "Yeah, I'll come round and have a look at it." But I've already agreed that I'm going to be doing content on that.
I find it really weird and unusual that and and everybody else does this. I'm the odd one, but all of all of these content creators go to Essen, they go to Gen Con, and they have meetings with publishers where they sit down and they make deals about payment and what videos they're going to Right. That's the worst place to have a meeting.

References (from this video)

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Video Gsew5C2__sY Board Gaming Ramblings Unboxing at 21:34 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84109 · mention_pk 213291

Click to watch at 21:34 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

really enjoying that game
great excuse to play it again

Cons

haven't played that game in ages

Thematic elements

Cities
Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

nobody, including us, need this many games.
This is Divan. Mhm. I don't know anything about this game. I bought it because it looks beautiful.
This could have easily been a Reiner Knizia game I feel like.
And I love a reason to play Lost Ruins of Arnak Lost Ruins of Arnak because I think it's a great game.
We have to empty our unplayed game shelf from everything that's not 2025 releases and then we'll put it in there and the rest go on the floor until we manage to play them.
And it's based on the problem called what is called again it's based on the seven bridges of somewhere.
I feel kind of like bad about bringing a hundred games back home.
I I usually they go in, they go out. And that's also the thing like if I haven't played a game in a month, I will not remember the rules most of the time.
The longest line I saw was for coffee. In the morning before the whole office.
What's more important for you for the channel? Playing the popular ones or the less known niche ones?
My favorite animal beside the monkey which is my favorite animal. The capybara.
We are basically very lucky because we share a lot of hobbies.
The building thing Ah, it was too much building. I didn't like that too much.
It's been super fun. It's so many people. It's been so long since we did a live.
Thank you so much for watching. Like it. We wouldn't have done this if it wasn't for you.

References (from this video)

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Video v2B6qiErqJ8 Chairman of the Board Analysis at 7:48 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83871 · mention_pk 212257

Click to watch at 7:48 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Quality engine building game
Returned to the list

Cons

none

Thematic elements

none

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — The game is described as a quality little engine building game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Baron strong debut at number 77 as well.
Floriferous has actually been in my collection for many years, but year after year it does nudge up and up and up, which goes to show it strength because of course we play more games each year, which naturally makes things fall down. But the fact this has gone from number um 98 to number 78 and it's a new best foriferous 2.
kind of a passive rise for underwater cities. It's such a quality little engine building game from back onto the list from number 107 up to number 83.
NAR as well has actually again been in my collection for a couple of years now, but last year in its debut year, it came in at number 124. So, it's pushed onto my top 100 for the first time at number 85.
Get on board has come back into the top 100 as well, going from number 110 up to number 89.
another debut with Toy Battle at number 90.
Far Away, come back onto the top 100 from number 116 up to number 91.
The same goes with QE went from 120 up to number 92 because I did play that one recently and obviously enjoyed it.
other than that, we had a bit of a fall for games like Gold West, a bit of a fall for games like Mexico.
Even brass fell a little bit, just hanging on to my top at 100, going from number 78 down to 96. Now, I really like brass, but I don't really play it too often um anymore.
No Thanks, the classic little bidding or anti bidding game goes from a 104 up to number 97 back onto the list.
interestingly, um Subastral and Stellar, two card games I recommended. They've always kind of just held on onto my top 100. Um they are now at number 98 and number 100. Um which was slightly down from number 95, 96 last year.
the last kind of debut taunt game onto my top 100 is Tag Team. Um, a game I've reviewed recently uh on the channel.
So, those are all the new games this year.
So that's kind of why I didn't want to do the whole top 100 again because I thought, you know, it's going to be quite similar to last year's with a few jiggles up and down.
a lot of these more unique games are going up. card game seem to be climbing for me quite a bit and those euros may be holding their place or slightly falling but the great euros of course I'm anchoring themselves at the top of my of my top 100.

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Video zxbW8uEpUJ8 The Broken Meeple Analysis at 10:44 sentiment: neutral

video_pk 83756 · mention_pk 211662

Click to watch at 10:44 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

neutral

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Spike did ages ago. God, that was an old review.
I don't take Christmas that seriously really.
Call me a Grinch if you like.
It's like I don't get that hyped about Christmas.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video kySA2qMk7vQ Gaming Rules! Discussion at 1:02:31

video_pk 83753 · mention_pk 211627

Click to watch at 1:02:31 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It looks visually amazing. I personally like the color palette of the game, and I think it does look really good.
The game is a heavy game. It's a Some people will call it a medium game, right? It's a 45-minute teach.
Agemonia, still fantastic, still really good.
It's all three of our number one games of all time.
Does it fit with the Marvel theme? Absolutely. It it really does.
I
Magnate: The First City designed by James Naylor and I'm going to be doing a giveaway for it.
So, good luck for that and I'll announce the winner next month.
all of my advertising revenue from all of my videos every month goes to charity.
So yeah, Solar Titans is going to get three play throughs on the channel in December.
It's going to be January and February. In fact, February's looking like a good month for me at the moment.
Talisman Nemesis is the latest expansion for fifth edition that turns the game into a one versus many game.
And me and Rick on a Tuesday night we're starting playing the Arnak cooperative campaign. So that is another series of play throughs, Lost Ruins of Arnak the cooperative campaign.

References (from this video)

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Video ff1lPL6CIAg The Broken Meeple Review at 0:24 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83601 · mention_pk 210945

Click to watch at 0:24 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Underwater cities

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card tableau — I love the card tableau play of trying to do the location actions.
Resource Management — Match the colors of the cards you're playing in order to get more bonuses, chain them, and all that lot.
Worker Placement — It's a very tight worker placement game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Underwater Cities is probably, I would say, my favorite game that Vladimir Sui has done.
It's definitely a hit and miss affair, but for some reason, underwater cities just kind of click with me.
This is an expansion that's a little bit um cumbersome to use, especially with new players.
This is doing to underwater cities what colonies did for terraforming Mars, which was to eradicate the fact that you made it quicker and now you've made it longer again.
It's a little expensive for what it is as well.
It is still only a game.

References (from this video)

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Video A1qxjRDYkEo Tabletop Tolson Event Coverage at 9:25

video_pk 83593 · mention_pk 210903

Click to watch at 9:25 · YouTube ↗

Pros

Excited to get new discoveries put into the box

Cons

none

Thematic elements

underwater cities

Comparison games

Underwater Cities

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Mustache is a game where you are every round playing on a different team trying to earn the most tricks.
The game ends at exactly the right amount of time
It was a true delight.
So, I am pre-ordering. I am on the tempo train. and I really really was impressed.
I was like, how did this little Martin Wallace gem slip by?
Um, but it's a really good challenging game.
Puzzle hunt is um just the the best. It's a treat.
Puzzle Hunt, 10 out of 10.
Puzzle Hunt is by far the best part of BGG for me, the most memorable part, and the most fun.

References (from this video)

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Video Abynm0v3Qrg Gaming Rules! Other at 21:19 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83407 · mention_pk 210092

Click to watch at 21:19 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Fantastic game
My favorite Vladimir game
The expansion opens up options and gives more control
Will probably never play without the expansion

Cons

Base game is fine without the expansion, but the expansion is preferred

Thematic elements

City building
Underwater

Comparison games

Underwater Cities: Data Era

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

expansion — Underwater Cities had a new expansion this year, the data era
Resource Management — The new resource allows you to swap one thing for another thing.
Tableau Building — you're building up your underwater city.
Worker Placement — This is a game where you place workers on cards to take actions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

We're still loving it, but we are only halfway through the campaign.
Recall is kind of like a spiritual successor to Revive.
I really like this game.
I still love the game! I still think it's fantastic.
it is as good as everybody says it is.
the puzzles in it were really good. We really enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed that and I I'd like me and Vicki to finish it this weekend.
I'm still playing Earthborn Rangers and I'm still excited about it.
I really enjoyed my two plays of Windmill Valley with the new Blooming Sales expansion.
it's like a 20 30 minute game. We played for about 45 minutes because yeah, we were basically playing sort of cat and mouse with not firing the weapons when we could have done and just having little bits of attack and it was so so close.
If you want to become a Patreon supporter, patreon.com/gamingrules.
All of the advertising revenue goes to charity and I'm only able to do that thanks to the support of my patrons.

References (from this video)

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Video mTHA4uOcpK4 Board Gaming Ramblings Analysis at 9:15 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83367 · mention_pk 209896

Click to watch at 9:15 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Best with two players
Fantastic time
Great game

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Data Era Expansion — Played with the Data Era expansion, which was simple to include.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

We played 81 plays versus 98 in November.
We played 38 different games versus 68 in November.
We played 14 new to us games, which is also much lower than the 50 new to us in November.
We played 89 hours of games. So more than the 77 game hours you will November.
You will see why later. Uh, the most important thing of course is how many times did you win? How many times did I win? How many times did you win?
That's also because we played cooperative games which is weird. We don't usually do that.
We played 826 place.
We played in 29 locations last year. This time we played in 26 locations.
We played with 130 different players last year. This year 130 different players. So exactly the same amount but different people probably some of them are the same.
The age index was eight last year. So we had eight games. We had playlist eight times. This year we had nine games. We played this nine times.
Last year we played 366 different games which was like one one for each day. How many do you think it is this year?
Last year or 2024, we played 306 new draws. How many do you think that was in 2025?
We played I'm just going to do the DOS too because guessing is fun for me. 675 hours of gameplay lost the hour. 2024 2025 657.
We played 261 different days. How many do you think it was in 2025?
We had fun with the channel this year. I feel like we had a lot of fun.
What I would have liked there to be more people watching it always like and I think like but for me and we talk about this from time to time for me like now it is at a point where I just have fun with it.
I would always love the growth to be a bit more because I feel like what we do is fun. We might not have the biggest the best like production values and stuff like that.
But thank you to everybody who has subscribed this year. We appreciate you a lot.
But what I think is incredible is that I say silly, stupid, and also wrong stuff like my Norwegian brain just like whoop words. What are those? And people still watch our stuff and that's I don't know why, but thank you so much. I really appreciate you.
How many views do you think our videos got this year?
How many videos do you think we made in 2025?
137 uh new videos, how many views do you think our channel got?
How many board games do you think we reviewed?
We played many different escape room games and campaign games. We had a lot of fun with that this December.
That's basically the reason why we played very much fewer games, but still more time because we had a great lot of fun playing campaign games and diving into more.
We have a huge shelf over there with just campaign games that we would love to play more of in 2026.
My most fun experience is Kings of Ruin because we had so much fun with it. We played it for almost 30 hours, I think, in December.
That said, both the setup and clean up of this game is super hassle-free. It's very simple to do and also there is multiple like chances that's very easy to save your game throughout the game.
My biggest letdown is The White Castle Duel. Not because it was a bad game or it's the worst that we play this month, but because I really love the White Castle and I had really high hopes for the dual version.
My biggest letdown for the month is sadly Rove.
My biggest surprises of this month was Dangers in the Deep and Curse of the Dark. Those are two escape room puzzle games.
If you get if you want to get something from from that company, get these two.
They're like uh two to three hours each.
My number three is Lost Ruins of Arnak. It was fun to play it again.
My number three is a game you didn't play this month. Yeah, it's Underwater Cities.
My number two is a co-op game. It is Bomb Busters.
My number two is another one that you didn't play and it's STI.
In SETI, it's one of those games where you really feel like you have nothing and you do one action and you're done.
My number one of the month, Tinder Grail, Kings of Ruin.
Thank you for another year. Thank you for uh all of you that watching and doing commenting and making us feel like there's somebody out there in the void watching what we do. We really appreciate it and we are really thankful.
Thank you to James that has been editing all our videos. You are amazing.

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Video TDemsLvRxEE Board Gaming Ramblings Top List at 19:31 sentiment: positive

video_pk 82576 · mention_pk 207434

Click to watch at 19:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Fantastic game.
The two-player game is really good.
A lot of tense moments.
Trying to optimize your building.
The data era expansion adds enjoyment without significantly increasing playtime.
Enjoy the double layer player boards and upgraded components from the first expansion.

Cons

Expansions do not necessarily make the game better (initially stated, then qualified).
Would never play with more than two players as it's a long game and doesn't need more.
The museum expansion has not been played yet.

Thematic elements

Building cities underwater
Underwater cities

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — Playing cards to activate actions.
Engine Building — Optimizing building of the cities.
Set Collection — Building different sets of different buildings to score more points.
Worker Placement — Upgrading action spaces.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Marrakesh is a really good game.
It's a fun game.
Underwater Cities is really good.
It's a fantastic game.
Revive is a cool game.
It does explode my mind and it does make your mind your brain go into a pulp.
The original a modern crime board game has given us like an amazing experience.
It's a classic and one that I will always enjoy to play.
It's a brutal game where you are hiring workers to work in your factories to produce things and try to sell them.
What I would really like to play more because it's a great game.

References (from this video)

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Video Y1vCyXi4AqM The Dice Tower Discussion at 44:19 sentiment: positive

video_pk 82208 · mention_pk 206479

Click to watch at 44:19 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Maritime Metropolis

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 Food Chain Magnate.
Eric, your clue is Sanguin Anger.
That's Blood Rage.
Holy Knights from the Occidental Domain.
Paladins of the West Kingdom.
Stratosphere Squad.
Sky Team.
The Big One with the giant lion on the front.
Twilight Imperium four. Fourth edition.
Maritime Metropolis
Underwater Cities.
Fraudster Doctor
Quacks. Quacks of Quedlinburg
Art Curator
The Gallerist
Blue.
Azul.
Battles of Suns, Monarchical Violence.
Imperial Assault.
The Bleached Fortress.
White Castle.
Sand Bank Sovereignty.
Dune Dune Imperium.
This is the seeding round.
So, much like the famous game title recall, Oh. right? The this is the seeding round.
This game is broken. You win this game every time if you lose all your battles. Winning battles is the worst thing you can do, apparently.
One star review, Royalty free clip art, complete absence of graphic design, lowest possible grade components, and then priced above most ultra premium titles.
That is Food Chain Magnet.
No ducks, false advertising.
70 collector's box plus crown expansion, first Kickstarter promo.
Watching paint dry or play this game about watching paint dry. Tough decision.
I love this one. I'm here to berate the designer of the game. I haven't even played the game, and it's already driving me to tears and make me want to flip the table. Who designed the pieces? Who? Zero stars for that junk.
This is like Sudoku, but worse and colorful.
Azul is way better than those.
The deck building is dull, the resource conversion is dull. It's just a mishmash of stuff.
Too old. Don't believe anyone who says that it's still relevant.
El Grande.
When I buy a core box, I expect to be able to play the game by itself and don't have to buy an expansion for it to be actually playable.
It's mostly about brewing coffee for rerolls.
It's a blowout.
Reading one star reviews is Oh. It's It's kind of a guilty pleasure, isn't it?
Remember to check out dicetower east.com if you want to register to play games with us

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Video HZoKc1rJc40 The Board Game Garden Discussion sentiment: positive

video_pk 81720 · mention_pk 204189

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Send help, please.
My shelf of opportunity. There are a few games on here that I want to bring.
This bag is already full and I haven't even gone out to the board game room.

References (from this video)

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Video HZoKc1rJc40 The Board Game Garden Discussion sentiment: positive

video_pk 81720 · mention_pk 271039

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Send help, please.
My shelf of opportunity. There are a few games on here that I want to bring.
This bag is already full and I haven't even gone out to the board game room.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video gkVhjI4a1GM The Mill Discussion at 0:49

video_pk 81576 · mention_pk 203322

Click to watch at 0:49 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's a top five stone game for me. Like it's a super interesting dice worker placement game.
update pack will have that new double-sided board with the kind of different configuration on it.
I'm super excited.

References (from this video)

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Video qc48EbZ0ITo The Brothers Murph Analysis at 20:56

video_pk 81168 · mention_pk 200243

Click to watch at 20:56 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is my worst pick. This is actually the pick my lowest pick on this whole list.
I feel like this one's going to be pretty good.
That dropping down to your eighth pick is wild.
Oh my god, that's not good.
Again, that is what I expected. That is your lowest pick of your draft.
For a nine pick, that's a gift.
That's a solid score for a nine.
Wow, that's low for your nine.
That's a really great Your nine and 10 were really solid.
For a total of 54,000.
Helge, if you're watching this, you screwed me over, damn it.
Multiple in the top 100, yeah.
It came down to three.
The worst designer? Yeah, who's got the worst bottom seven?

References (from this video)

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Video up89Fb3WEBk Rules Teach at 0:08 sentiment: positive

video_pk 79758 · mention_pk 193317

Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Human expansion due to overpopulation on Earth
Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action Card Play — Cards matching action slots provide benefits or ongoing effects.
city building — Players construct cities and buildings on their player boards.
Hand Management — Players play cards from their hand to execute actions.
network building — Players build cities and connect them with tunnels to expand their network.
Resource Management — Players manage resources like credits, biomatter, kelp, steel plast, and science.
Set Collection — Scoring is based on the number of different building types in connected cities.
Tableau Building — Players acquire action cards that provide ongoing effects or abilities.
Worker Placement — Players place action tiles on action slots on the main board to perform actions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the earth is overpopulated and underwater nations are the only option for human expansion

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video YJqiNnqJnpk Top List at 17:17 sentiment: positive

video_pk 78287 · mention_pk 190710

Click to watch at 17:17 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Positive

Pros

Really enjoy the worker placement using cards
Mixing and matching actions is fun
Building out own tableau is a puzzle
Solidly ranked

Cons

Hard to compete with some other games on the list
Ranking may be influenced by theme or game length

Thematic elements

Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — mixing and matching worker placement spots
Tableau Building — build out your own tableau
Worker Placement — worker placement using cards

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I really liked how uh bombastic the cards get in allowing you to do, you know, things on your own board and how to explore it.
Uh especially with the military aspect and, you know, creating or increasing the military might that you have to um impose on other opponents and when these battles really made our games uh come down to these in addition to uh the just straight-up deck building and um you know, playing cards from your hands and worker placement aspects that has a lot of good mechanisms that I enjoy.
This game I really enjoyed for the theme. I like the the thematic story and the arc of this game where the plague gets pretty bad uh during the game, uh but then slowly as you start to unders- or, you know, uh combat the disease, you start to uh rely less and less on taking out the plague and more and more coming back to repopulate Messina.
it's still a game that is is tough for me to play sometimes just because um you know, I if I think I know what is going on with the strategy of this game and and and you know, the the more that I have to learn from it and so it kind of deterred me from playing it more
But yeah, uh as as bland as it looks, it's actually really fun order fulfillment game.
Um it's not as deep or complex as Magic or Hearthstone or some of the other card games are, but it probably will get to that point at some at some point.
I wish that the meta game was more diverse. It hasn't been so since the start of the game.
And Wingspan for me, while it's a masterpiece of of a design um in my opinion, I really was really drawn to all of the birds and the individuality of these cards.
It does take a while to play, I think if you're playing with new people, which was kind of a deterrent for me for bringing this game out more often.
So, this is one of the latest Uwe Rosenberg games back in 2022, one of my favorite games. One for the solo version of this game. I think that is the peak way to play this game.
And so I I hold it in high esteem.

References (from this video)

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Video FBH_Y9mRt6U Top List at 4:11 sentiment: positive

video_pk 77795 · mention_pk 188136

Click to watch at 4:11 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Great combinations possible.
Fun puzzle element.
Tight engine builder.

Cons

Can be a very tight game.

Thematic elements

Building an underwater city
Underwater

Comparison games

Terraforming Mars

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — When you put your worker out, if you play a card that matches the section it's going to, you also get to do the action of that card.
Tableau Building — It does have a really cool because there is kind of a bit of a tableau building.
Worker Placement — You are doing that by putting out kind of your workers which are these tokens.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

i would actually i would take this one over plain seven wonders any day of the week
it's such a solid kind of strategic two-player game
this is we always talk about building out this is like the original building out a big map game
i cannot believe that we still have not had a section where we've had a game crossover
i find next time there must be at least one that we'll have in the same section

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video MZ9Tx3gA2lc Top List at 21:57 sentiment: positive

video_pk 77041 · mention_pk 185394

Click to watch at 21:57 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Resonates with the host despite being a 'dry game'.
Good variety.
Combos are enjoyable.
Expansion adds more content and unique player setups.

Cons

A bit of swingy luck factor due to drawing wrong colors.
Resource-tight at times.
Competition for worker placement spots can be painful.

Thematic elements

Building cities underwater

Comparison games

Pulsar 2849

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card action selection — Involves getting actions from cards and matching colors to get location actions.
Worker Placement — There is competition for worker placement spots, especially in four-player games.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It is better than I remember it from the first edition. Certainly, I think it's improved like streamlined a few things.
This one doesn't seem to know when it wants to finish. It just seems that too much is dependent on the players in this one.
I hate Concordia. I've hated Concordia since its inception. It's now a running meme that I hate Concordia. I have always hated it. I don't like it. It's boring. It's boring.
I just find it so tedious and dull that I practically fall asleep playing it.
it's just not a fun game for me. I just find it I don't I don't like it. It's I find it boring, tedious, and punishing for all the wrong reasons.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video n-7-O3OrjBc Discussion at 13:55 sentiment: positive

video_pk 73816 · mention_pk 177607

Click to watch at 13:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

expansion adds variety without overly increasing complexity
museum board and additional modules are interesting
quick-start tiles reduce rounds from ten to nine

Cons

museum board may not be desired by everyone

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

additional cards / deck expansion — more cards shuffled into the deck
asymmetric starting assistants — asymmetric starting assistance to players
metropolis drafting / placement — metropolises drafted and connected for benefits
museum module — museum board added as a medium board beside the main board
quick-start tiles — tiles that speed up play and reduce rounds

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I've been really impressed with it
the museum board is a big thing
I would probably prefer to play Merv over a T-series game
the Crew is easily my favorite trick taking game
Through the Ages is a solid game

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video rpbK1hIE5c8 Rules Teach at 0:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 70463 · mention_pk 167453

Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action cloning tile — In a 4-player game, an action-cloning tile is placed on the board.
Action space blocking — In solo play, the rightmost action space is blocked, and action tiles are rotated each round to block the next available space.
Double-sided boards — Player boards are double-sided, with one side featuring surcharge areas and payout icons that enhance production benefits.
Era deck — Cards from the era deck are drawn, their digits added, and then used to count clockwise on action spaces to determine if they are blocked.
Federation track — Tokens are placed on the Federation track in reverse order, with the top player going to the bottom.
Government contract cards — Optional government contract cards can be dealt to the main board.
Limited resources — Some resources like white city domes (17 per game), purple symbiotic city domes (limited by player count), and tunnels are limited.
Play order track — Tokens are placed on a play order track to determine turn order.
Player boards — Each player receives a player board and several components in their chosen color.
Solo play adjustments — For solo play, the 2-player side of the common board and the advanced side of a player board are used. Government contracts are excluded, and a specific metropolis is replaced.
Special cards — Special 3-credit cards are shuffled and dealt out, and 1- and 2-credit special cards are shuffled and placed with the top card turned over.
Starting resources — Players begin with 1 city, a brown metropolis, two blue cities, kelp, steelplast, science, and 2 credits.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Hi! It’s Ryan from Nights Around a Table.
Here's how to set up Underwater Cities.
And now, we dance!

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video LM20DNo_cxg Rules Teach at 0:01

video_pk 70464 · mention_pk 167454

Click to watch at 0:01 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Building underwater cities and infrastructure
Planet earth topside is ruined, humanity is expanding underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Play — Players play cards alongside actions. If the card color matches the action color, the card is added to the player's tableau.
Engine Building — Players build an engine through cities, buildings, and tunnels that provides benefits during production cycles.
Route Building — Players build tunnels to connect cities.
Tableau Building — Cards played to the tableau contribute to the player's engine.
Worker Placement — Players simultaneously claim action spaces on a common board.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

If you want to learn more about the rules of the game, click the link at the end of this video or in the description below to watch my complete How to Play video, which includes the overview segment you just watched.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video GHvkzOAgsyM Rules Teach at 0:02 sentiment: positive

video_pk 70465 · mention_pk 167455

Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Simultaneous claim of action spaces and playing cards.
Building an engine that runs multiple times.
Variety in city and building types.
Upgrading tunnels and buildings to increase their value.
Thematic integration of resource management (e.g., feeding cities kelp).
Metropolis tiles guide strategy from the beginning.
Action cards add depth and strategic options.
Special cards offer end-game bonuses and unique abilities.
Federation track influences turn order and provides benefits.
The game offers a solo mode.
Double-sided player boards provide alternative strategic paths.

Cons

Action cards are the most confusing part of the game.
Discarding cards to maintain hand limit can be difficult.
Forgetting to feed cities can lead to point loss.
Some components are limited.
The 'always available' space requires discarding a card and does not match colors.
The insult from the assistant cards was noted.

Thematic elements

Leading the expansion of humankind into the almost final frontier by building underwater cities.
The expansion of humankind into the almost final frontier by building underwater cities.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action Drafting — Players select action spaces on a common board.
Engine Building — Players build cities, tunnels, and buildings that provide resources and points during production phases, creating an engine.
Hand Management — Players have a hand limit of three cards and must discard down to this limit. Some actions and cards allow drawing more cards.
Resource Management — Players collect and spend resources (kelp, steel plast, science, money, biomatter) to build structures and upgrade them.
Route Building — Tunnels are built to connect cities, and there are rules about where tunnels can be placed and how they must trace back to the starting city.
Set Collection — Having specific combinations of upgraded buildings or connected cities and tunnels can lead to bonus points.
Tableau Building — Matching action space and card colors allows players to claim cards and add them to their tableau, providing ongoing benefits.
Worker Placement — Players place workers on action spaces (green, red, yellow) which have varying power levels. Matching card color to action space color allows claiming the card.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

you'll simultaneously claim action spaces and play cards three each per round in order to build two different types of domed cities the three different types of buildings that support them and the two different types of tunnels to connect them all while building an ever powerful engine that you'll get to run three times during the game
the unique mechanic going on here is that there are three groups of worker replacement spots green red and yellow the green spaces are kind of sucky the red ones are decent and the yellow ones are really powerful
if the color of the action you select and the card you play match you get to claim the card and put it out in front of you
biomatter is not easy to come by biomatter can act like a wild resource when you're building something
an upgraded farm gets you an extra point during production
if you can't pay a kelp you can pay a bile matter but ouch
cities that aren't connected by tunnels won't pay out during the production phase
we found the action cards to be the most confusing part of the game
you get to claim that card and put it out in front of you but you don't actually get to do what's on that card
if you have a pair of upgraded buildings servicing the same city two boosted farms next to the same city will pay out an extra kelp and an extra point
whoever has the most points wins and turn order breaks ties
take a hike you sanctimonious sex pest

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 9BdoM1fGvzQ Analysis at 0:04

video_pk 70472 · mention_pk 167463

Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Building an underwater civilization

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

i say nuts to that!
So enter the saviour of the situation: Laserox!
And this is a necessary step! You DO have to glue these boxes together.
But i'm not going to do that in this video because, that is... boring.
So now that i have all the boxes built, there's just uh one final instruction on the paper about how to sort of, like, arrange them all in the bottom of the box, and then i'm going to rely on this picture - woo hoo! - on the other side, uh... for putting all the components back in the box.
Uh-oh. Underwater Houston, we have a subnautical problem.
So... i don't know. Does that bug you? It might... it might tweak me just a tiny bit. i won't lie.
Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho! i can't even grab it without it flying away. The stack of cards is that thick.
Uh... the biggest problem about this insert is... me.
i'm just a dumb monkey!
And now, i know kind of how it feels to be on a... high-tech assembly line. ...NOT THAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE...

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video yAbmwcLPHRQ Review at 0:57 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 70473 · mention_pk 167464

Click to watch at 0:57 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Recessed player boards are nice and glossy, keeping components in place.

Cons

Repeated artwork on cards from the base game.
Cards are described as underwhelming.
The artwork style is noted as similar to Race for the Galaxy, which the host wasn't impressed with.
Questions about the number of player boards included for a 1-4 player game.

Thematic elements

null
Underwater
null

Comparison games

Underwater Cities
Race for the Galaxy

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Play — The expansion adds a new deck of cards, described as having 'fewer cards' than the base game and featuring some repeated artwork.
Chits — Small square chits in orange, purple, and blue are included, potentially matching player colors.
Player boards — The expansion includes new recessed player boards, described as 'triple layer' with a 'shiny mylar undercoat'.
tiles — New hexes and rectangular tiles are included, some of which feature artwork from the base game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It took many many hours, and i'm tired now.
So... strap in, because something absolutely phenomenal happens, uh, when i open this box.
Box Fart-O-Meter... NIIIINE!
WE DID IT!!
i commented in the, uh... in the other video that everybody on the cards looked like super dorks.
My gosh.
SHE's back: lady with the... with the bedhead.
The extreme bedhead!
You're gonna buy an expansion and there are REPEAT cards?
Maybe the deadline was approaching, and the artist (or the artists) didn't have a whole lot of time?
They were the cheap... go watch the video. Oh, yeah. i got it right here.
Get out of here, flimsy other things.
It's just upside down. Meh-heh-heh-ha! Dork.
Why are there eight of them, when this is not - i believe - an 8-player game?
If you've played, you're again screaming at your computer. "Aaaah!" and leaving me an angry comment.
C'est tout! C'est tout! That is it! Box is empty!
i would say that the word "new" in the title is a little bit of a misnomer, because there's a lot of repeated artwork that you get.
Neither of those are as bodaciously cool as the Tiger Sharks.
But really, what is? What is?
If you do become a supporter on Patreon, um... you ARE cooler than the Tiger Sharks.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video cc2Ndv765A4 Discussion at 0:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 70405 · mention_pk 167361

Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

The game features interesting cards, including one with a humorous celebrity likeness.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Building an underwater city
Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — There are lots of different cards to choose from.
city building — Players are constructing tunnels and domes to build out an underwater city.
Tableau Builder — Players construct a tableau of cards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

my favourite card of the game is this one, for no other reason than it's obviously a picture of Xzibit, the rapper.
i mean, this one was just hilarious to me. Xzibit out of nowhere.
if you can think of other games where the artist pulled this stunt and got clearly celebrity faces into board games without, probably paying any likeness rights, let me know in the comments

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video x2Fn5VLNnEQ Meeple University Review

video_pk 70214 · mention_pk 167117

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)

Would I play with data era again? Definitely yes.
This is a nice little additional feature for underwater cities.
Now you can build more and more card engines and really drive the benefit from them.
The data cities can be a much more interesting limited resource than the symbiotic cities.
It does look like it makes a number of aspects of the game more forgiving, but only if you invest in data, since it does give you flexibility on resources.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video HioBUUjv5vU Meeple University Rules Teach

video_pk 70131 · mention_pk 167032

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)

Underwater Cities is played in 10 rounds split into three eras era one two and three
the above-ground world has become overpopulated and so players are competing to build the best city they can under the sea

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 6bvoAx-cYOc Meeple University Review

video_pk 70155 · mention_pk 167056

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)

Network building where a placement and resource management
double layer player boards which is super handy to keep your components in place
metropolis race and museum were both great as they open up more benefits for expanding your networks quickly and without necessarily filling the gas with cities

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video HioBUUjv5vU Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:37 sentiment: positive

video_pk 70131 · mention_pk 244027

Click to watch at 0:37 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Clear, step-by-step rule explanation
Includes tips and setup guidance for beginners
Covers core mechanics including action selection, card types, production, and endgame scoring

Cons

none

Thematic elements

building an interconnected network of underwater cities with tunnels and buildings
the above-ground world has become overpopulated and players are competing to build the best city they can under the sea

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action spaces around the board — players choose an action space, mark it with a marker, and it is unavailable to others until next round.
building options and costs — you can build white city or symbiotic city with different costs; tunnels are built as well; substitutions with biomatter allowed.
card play and color matching — each turn you play one card from your hand; if its color matches the action space, you resolve both, else you discard the card.
card types and resolution order — five card types with designated icons; only instant effects resolve immediately; other cards go to tableau for later effects.
cloning tile (four-player variant) — cloning tile allows using another player's action space in same round; only one per round per game.
Contracts — variants include government contracts with objectives and a different side of the player board with surcharges.
end-of-game scoring — scoring based on metropolis objectives, end-game objective cards, building variety, and resource conversion.
Federation track and turn order — advancing on the Federation track affects turn order and yields resources.
government contracts and variants — variants include government contracts with objectives and a different side of the player board with surcharges.
Matching — each turn you play one card from your hand; if its color matches the action space, you resolve both, else you discard the card.
metropolis and tunnels — blue/red metropolis tiles unlock, with conditions (filling adjacent tunnels) and effects.
Multi-Use Cards — five card types with designated icons; only instant effects resolve immediately; other cards go to tableau for later effects.
production and upgrade matrix — production steps determine resources and production; upgraded structures yield more.
production phase steps — production consists of resource gain, feeding, end-of-era card refresh, and scoring.
Resource Management — five basic resources: steel, kelp, biomatter, credits, science; occult as well.
Resource types — five basic resources: steel, kelp, biomatter, credits, science; occult as well.
special cards and deck — center deck of six special cards; you can draw, keep, or swap; costs paid with credits; some count toward hand limit.
upgrading buildings and tunnels — place a second disk to upgrade; upgraded structures modify production; you cannot stack beyond two upgrades.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Underwater Cities is played in 10 rounds split into three eras era one two and three
the above-ground world has become overpopulated and so players are competing to build the best city they can under the sea

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video NpX3KUfR4Xg Top List at 18:45 sentiment: positive

video_pk 69611 · mention_pk 166229

Click to watch at 18:45 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Cool worker placement combined with cards
Satisfying engine building
Great with upgraded components

Cons

Theme can trigger submechanophobia for the host

Thematic elements

Building an underwater city
Underwater

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

city building — Players build domes, roads, and smaller buildings in an underwater city.
Hand Management — Players use cards from their hand that match the color of the worker placement spot.
Resource Management — Collecting and spending resources to build and perform actions.
Tableau Building — Players build ongoing ability and tap ability cards.
Worker Placement — Players place workers on colored spots.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

currently right now because I will say that these will probably and most definitely will change for sure
This is my first time doing this and I will say right now I am enjoying it very very much
I really do want to play this one again cuz I absolutely love it
Remember you are somebody's reason to smile

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Underwater Cities

Underwater Cities Board Game Review

Learn to Play: Underwater Cities

Underwater Cities Tutorial & Playthrough - JonGetsGames

Spiel 2025 Pickups! LIVE & tired!

Underwater Cities

Underwater Cities Board Game Review

Learn to Play: Underwater Cities

Underwater Cities Tutorial & Playthrough - JonGetsGames

Spiel 2025 Pickups! LIVE & tired!

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