How many players can play Coming of Age?

Coming of Age supports 1 to 4 players.

How long does a game of Coming of Age take?

A typical game of Coming of Age takes approximately 90 minutes.

What are the best video reviews of Coming of Age?

MindForge has curated 31 video reviews of Coming of Age from top board game content creators.

Coming of Age - Board Game

Video nO7eX2GHmks slickerdrips Discussion at 24:15 sentiment: positive

video_pk 86459 · mention_pk 223717

Click to watch at 24:15 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Instantly goes on the anticipated list.
It's basically making a story of a life like those other games and the story that you end up building up throughout those games is why we like them so much.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Telling a life story

Comparison games

CV
Pursuit of Happiness
Aloria
Barcelona
Wimmy Valley
Daoshi
Neko Syndicate

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Interest and Skill Development — Players acquire new interests and skills as they progress through life stages.
Life Storytelling — The game focuses on creating a narrative of a player's life from childhood to achieving life goals.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's a great big box uh like it's a campaign right well like not it goes over several sessions but I don't think like a completely ongoing thing.
I've heard it described as like a well I've actually heard a mix of people saying that it's like too many bones 2.0 and that it's like a mix of um too many bones and H Marcus I haven't played uh H Marcus but I've heard good things maybe I'll get stri at some point mixed together with the Elder Scrolls lured stuff I'm completely on board for this I cannot wait to play this.
it is completely like to to try and put you off if uh if you're not familiar and you're into Euro stuff it is completely dice chucking and there there is like there is Choice there is strategy and stuff into it but more than any of that there is Dice chucking there's rooll to move there's rooll to hit there's rooll to wound there's there's so much dice in this.
and so many things crop up in these um random cards that you're drawing whether it's the gear that you find whether it's those um events that um that come up or the the enemies that you tend to find that like you can you can see it happen even in like the the few episodes that I did of that playthrough like it's partly like just the human thing of wanting to recognize patterns but it comes up with these satisfying uh stories so often based on just a big pile of Randomness it is crazy that it can do that.
Shout out to bromstone is so good they had a big Kickstarter I think that was a couple of years ago now and it's projected for this year who knows if it will deliver.
if you get it and like it it is such a big rabbit hole that you can fall into like this game has been going for a long time like is like 2013 or something original Shadow to bromstone 2014 this game has been out for a long time and like 194 expansions.
Liz Boa is winning so I think we're going to be playing Liz boa next year next week.
is still getting disappointingly low votes that's my personal I'd like to give uh the the re revised uh Pathfinder ago uh and the reckon is actually

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video cXfwLRQqw7k The Broken Meeple Analysis at 1:03:03 sentiment: other

video_pk 84885 · mention_pk 216562

Click to watch at 1:03:03 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Intrigued

Pros

Interesting theme that evokes 'Pursuit of Happiness' but with a different take.
Artwork is described as 'pretty', 'cutesy', and 'fun'.
Potentially fun gameplay with visits to locations and acquiring experiences.
Theme alone significantly increases interest.

Cons

Ludenova Games can be hit or miss.
Concern that dice rolling might lead to a 'luck fest'.

Thematic elements

Starting as a child with limited interests and skills, growing over the years, acquiring new interests, gaining independence, and accessing new experiences with parental help.

Comparison games

Pursuit of Happiness

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Movement — Players visit locations.
Dice management — Uses dice management as a mechanism.
Set Collection — Acquire experiences that modulate personality aspects.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Devir Games really need to make less games in less games in a year because then they might actually put out some belters rather than just a bunch of meh games.
It's using the conveyor belt mechanism that I adore from uh art from AR Nova and Civilization: The New Dawn, but there's only four slots.
All right, so this is giving me a very um pursuit to happiness vibe here, but with a slightly different take on it.
It's a very dry mechanical game.
This artwork looks nice. Oh, wow. Oh god. Yeah, that is pretty.
I like Underwater Cities. It's on my shelf. Um I like this game a lot.
Cascadia, which is already probably one of the best gateway games in existence.
So you've got new artwork, new graphic design, updated mechanics, wooden meeples, uh same quick play time that gives a 4x feel in under 90 minutes.
This is an expansion that's not going to really add that much to the game?
It's basically the snorefest of themes, but this is a new version of it.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 349MvC1vPsU Board Gaymes James Top 10 List at 0:38 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84596 · mention_pk 215100

Click to watch at 0:38 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

beautiful artwork
weighty decisions

Cons

high complexity may deter casual players

Thematic elements

personal development through a heavyweight worker placement game
Coming of age, childhood themes
artful storytelling with emphasis on maturation

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Heavyweight strategy — complex, high-commitment decisions and resource management
Worker Placement — place workers to take actions and gain resources

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's another week closer to Spiel
crunchy yet cozy games
don't be deceived. This one is actually quite the think.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video _deipB3cydk Board Gaming Ramblings Review at 0:06 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84410 · mention_pk 214460

Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

More options as the game progresses.
Ways to mitigate luck.
Feeling of evolution in the game through tracks.
Satisfying track management and bonuses.
Good mix of long-term strategy and tactical decisions.
Warm and enjoyable feeling.
Interesting and fun decisions.
Unique mechanics, especially track movement.
Pleasant artwork.
Clear symbols after the second play.
Frustration tokens can be used positively.
Rewarding when you achieve difficult goals.
Good medium-style Euro game.

Cons

Can feel abstract without looking at trait names.
If theme is the absolute most important thing, this might not be a favorite.
If you hate rolling dice, you might not like this game.
Not very interactive.
Can do the same kind of thing each time.
Variability is decent but could be higher.

Thematic elements

growing up, life experience
growing up from kid to teenager and getting ready for being an adult

Comparison games

Pursuit of Happiness

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — This is an action selection game, but the actions you choose will kind of be chosen for you with a die.
Card Play — If you can't do anything, you could play a parent card. And in the beginning of the game, you're probably going to do this because you're a kid and you don't have have any memories.
Dice Rolling — In the beginning of the game, when you're a kid, you only have a D4... And then after that, you're going to move on to greater things. You will have D6s, you will have D8 and a D10.
Push Your Luck — The frustration tokens... if you reach the top with a frustration token there, you don't get the bonus, which is really powerful.
Resource Management — And you will also be able to uh pay some resources to either place a present... or to do the action on the memory card that is up here.
Set Collection — There is like almost nothing I don't like about this game... and you get to score that one goal for example here you need purple but maybe you need a yellow or you could be like okay but I can use that cassette for the ability and then do the thing that I'm planning for like long game then I can work towards getting this goal done.
track movement — You will move on some tracks over here getting bonuses... and then you will continue on because the bus is going to arrive.
Variable player powers — When you unlock more actions, there's going to be a new track that evolves or that's available, a new member token that's available.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The player who has the most experience in life will be the best adult.
I can get frustration tokens and I will get to do it. So in a game I don't like luck in games that much. I get frustrated when I'm unlucky and in this game I can use that frustration for good.
This game makes me happy to play.
I think that coming of age is one of the better medium style Euro games I played in a long time.
It's very hard but very rewarding when you get there.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video rMBsgzJPf1o Board Gaming Ramblings Discussion at 11:29 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84358 · mention_pk 214338

Click to watch at 11:29 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Great game
Does a lot of cool things
Mechanically enjoyable

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Thematic elements are tied to the inspiration of the PC game Black & White, where players are like gods trying to influence human beings.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Rolling — Includes dice rolling.
Worker Placement — Players try to force human characters to do things, implying a form of indirect control or worker placement.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's been another month. September. It's been quick.
We played 22 new to us games.
The most fun experience is not a game Oh. in itself.
It's basically in between all of this, finding time to play escape room games.
Because you you could flip the sheet. You can do that with every single game. But most of the time it's not going to be anything on the back. It's like oh, it's blank or it's the same thing on the back. But here is like a game mechanism that you flip around and you write on the other side and you have to pop out the other Yes.
I had zero hope for. And then we played it and it was a lot of fun.
It is very simple, but it does what it tries to do in a very good way. It's a great filler and it was a huge surprise how much I like this game.
It sounds like a game that I would hate.
Because a let down for me is a game I was like, I think this is going to be good. Most of these games were fun.
Railway Boom is a upcoming Spiel release coming out from Cranio Creations.
It is very cool. You are building out you're doing train game stuff. But there is technology that's kind of different.
It is a cute but crunchy two-player game.
It's a card game except that it also has other components.
This was a great game. Another one that could almost have been on like the biggest surprise.
And they spoke about this game. I was like, 'Oh, is that the theme?' And I was like No, but I was like it it was like He said like, 'Oh, then you roll the dice and that tells you kind of what your person want to do.'
My number one is Ants because it's great. Not aunts. Not aunts. That's a different game.
This was one of those games that gave me that feeling of, 'This is fun.' Yeah. This is giving me joy. This is just like fun fun fun fun.
Calypso could also basically have been my biggest surprise.
I'm saying this even though it is a sponsored play-through, so you can throw away my thoughts if you want to, but this is just my I played it competitive first.
This is one of the most fun games I played in a long time.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video QV409Ojbhpc Board Gaming Ramblings Top List at 3:03 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84193 · mention_pk 213743

Click to watch at 3:03 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Fun to play
Strategical
Medium euro game

Cons

Random rolling of dice can be frustrating

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Rolling — The game involves random rolling of dice, which can be mitigated.
Strategy — Requires strategic play and not random actions to win.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

So these are the ones we have not played. These are the top five games that No, the ones we have. The ones we have played. Top five games that we like the most.
It would be weird to make like top five games we never played in our life.
Well, we have made a top 10 anticipated games for spiel. If you want to check out what we are looking forward to that we haven't played
And my number four is Ants. Ants is a very good game.
My number one is going to be forestry because for me, I think it might be so far the best game I have played this year.
My brain was like melting out of my ears and nose. I'm like, I love this. This is my favorite thing to do.
My number one is ants and I like it for all the reasons you mentioned and also one reason
It's like it's not that fantastic of a place. I don't I enjoy being in Essen, but mostly because of spiel.
Like even though spiel is one of the most tiring weeks of my year it's one of my favorite weeks of my year.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video xYcKA9NcANI Gaming Rules! Analysis at 24:04 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84169 · mention_pk 213623

Click to watch at 24:04 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

It's by Danny Garcia, so it was going to be on the list anyway.
Friends have played it twice, despite playing rules incorrectly.
It looks fascinating.

Cons

It has not been played correctly yet in the host's house.
It's not the entire life, but the start of somebody's life.

Thematic elements

The start of somebody's life

Comparison games

Game of Life

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)

No references stored for this video.

Video H1IjngF8q7c The Brothers Murph Review at 5:46 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83613 · mention_pk 211012

Click to watch at 5:46 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Really cute game
Enjoyed it
I'd play it again
Really love the theme

Cons

Fairly light, unsure about long-term legs

Thematic elements

Growing up through childhood and teenage years

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Players decide how to use their time and which locations to go to.
Dice Rolling — Players roll dice to determine which locations they can visit.
Set Collection — Making friendships with different characters.
Track Advancement — Locations visited bump players up or down on certain tracks.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The more we talk about this game, the more divisive I realize that it is.
It's just it's it could be frustrating because it's a tugof-war, right? So you're like, "God, just give me this thing."
Covenant fell flat for us. Felt like we didn't have enough time to upgrade our dwarves.
I didn't do anything in this game.
Concordia is such a classic.
My short answer is Arcs is the worst game.
Oh, Arcs is the worst game I've ever played in my life. Well, not worse. It's my least favorite game. That those are two different things.
Star Wars Bounty Hunters. The game is trash.
Dude, you should totally make a full Baron Park inspired park in Planet Zoo. That'd be epic, though. Severely on people watch it.
Mountain goats is a great game.
I love goats. Goats are cute.
It's just a living lawn mower.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video wPIBUgwJlp0 Where There's A Wilz, There's a Play Top 10 List at 6:05 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83163 · mention_pk 209125

Click to watch at 6:05 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Intriguing theme
Speculated as high-complexity (may appeal to core gamers)

Cons

Not widely available yet; mixed reception from others

Thematic elements

Personal growth and maturation
Adult/coming-of-age thematics (not fully specified in transcript)
story-driven potential with high complexity

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

unknown — Details not specified in transcript

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Vantage from Stomare Games. Absolutely 100% my number one game of 2025.
I absolutely love Emberleaf. It was my number two game of the year.
Citizens of the Spark definitely was uh one that really worked for me.
I like the rondelle drafting mechanism.
There’s a lot going on in Tea Witches.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Rt4srP3CtrY Gaming Rules! Interview at 10:00 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 82273 · mention_pk 206679

Click to watch at 10:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

good games

Cons

not great games
some issues with each of them
not good enough to keep

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 don't feel any pressure to create content.
This is my full-time job, right? I don't have another job to go to.
I'm producing all of this content and honestly, if I could produce more, I would because I love what I do.
The category here or the criteria here is massively popular, really well-respected, solid Euro games that have been around for a while and stood the test of time and are known as just really, really good games.
No games do. It doesn't need all of the bling and everything else.
I think most people in life are affected by what's called seasonally adjusted disorder.
Entering is absolutely free. It doesn't cost you anything whatsoever.
The secret word this month is haggis.
All of my advertising revenue from all of my videos goes to charity.
I don't make any money out of the videos themselves on YouTube. People call me crazy. They would be right.
It's only 70 to go.
I have not. No. Not Not even heard of that one.
I would strongly recommend you just do it because you want to do it. Don't go out and spend £4,000 on a fancy camera, lights, and everything else and think 'Right, I'm going to be the next big channel and I'm going to get 50,000 subscribers in 6 months.'
One thing that really annoys me is when the games come out at retail like the same time or even before and they're cheaper.
I personally believe it is fundamentally, morally, and ethically wrong for me to sell a pre-production prototype copy of a game.
It's International Unplayed Games Day. And the date that I've chosen... is the 1st of July.
I have already got two of them on my channel, if not three, and I'm doing another one next Wednesday.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Y1vCyXi4AqM The Dice Tower Discussion at 19:15 sentiment: positive

video_pk 82208 · mention_pk 206462

Click to watch at 19:15 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Good for teaching
Satisfying recall of rules

Cons

Can look confusing initially

Thematic elements

Gradually getting older and expanding capabilities
Life simulation

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Rolling — You're rolling bigger and bigger dice as you do more stuff.
Life simulation — a life simulator where you are gradually getting older and at first you only care about, you know, home and the pizza place and school, but then you expand what you're you're able to do.
Sliders — It's got a lot of mechanisms, a lot of sliders.

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

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video MC4YsVKSbMo The Dice Tower Discussion at 1:46

video_pk 81902 · mention_pk 204953

Click to watch at 1:46 · 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)

the most boring unboxing on the planet Earth
Thank you all as always for joining me on something that you were warned would be boring and yet you watched it anyway.
Until next time, I'm Don Bassel and this is the Dice Tower.
Hey folks, I'm Tom Vassel.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video -XKzi3OyxCY The Board Game Garden Discussion at 2:49 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81836 · mention_pk 204606

Click to watch at 2:49 · 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)

Remember, you are somebody's reason to smile.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video PYEdyEFb_eM The Dice Tower Discussion at 43:10 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81758 · mention_pk 204300

Click to watch at 43:10 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Interesting concept for ongoing campaigns
Engaging for long-term play groups

Cons

Unclear if this was a real product or a hypothetical topic in the stream

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Gloomhaven
Descent

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

story-driven / legacy style — Hybrid discussion around a game with evolving rules and play history.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is the grooviest weekend in board gaming.
Sometimes you just hit a wall as you're trying to do something new.
I'm excited to go see Sabaton in Europe this fall.
I would love Airlines Europe to be reprinted.
Soda Jerk is a great game to play with my daughter.
I enjoy making videos and improving the Dice Tower's setup.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video SuoMEN7dCLA Grant Lyon Other at 20:31 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81710 · mention_pk 204105

Click to watch at 20:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Coming of age, adolescence, developing goals
Experiences modulate personality sliders

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice management — you are going to be using this dice management mechanism.
Resource Management — you're managing your ship's power, the weapons, the shields...
Set Collection — ...and then putting out interest cubes and gaining using those to change your personality and stuff.
Worker Placement — It's a worker placement kind of with your dice...

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

If you are interested in new board games that are coming to stores, to friendly local game stores, and other places right now, and you don't have to wait like 18 months to get the game, then this is the video for you.
I always try to include about 25 different games in this video, and I want there to be something for everybody, right?
So, if you are looking for like an introduction to worker placement, uh I think this is a good one for that.
So, yeah. And I love penguins. Love penguins.
This is intentionally a weird game. Uh it's leaning into It's weird.
This is a game that combines dice and deduction in a pirate theme.
This is another one I couldn't really find a lot of information on, so I don't know exactly how it plays.
So, yeah. And I hope you found something that you like.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video dczcPFU6uD8 The Dice Tower Top List at 12:59 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81538 · mention_pk 203080

Click to watch at 12:59 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Positive

Pros

A lot of really good aspects to it.
Very enjoyable.
Really like the theme of this one a lot.

Cons

Don't think I'll play it with four again cuz that was a little long.

Thematic elements

Growing Up, Making Friends

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Worker Placement — Playing and putting stuff out and moving your workers around.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Fiction: Banned Books, this is from All Play. I really like the first Fiction, guessing a five-letter word. If you like things like Wordle, um this is a good sort of one versus others game because one person is trying to stop you from guessing the word cuz they lie they have to lie about a letter each time, but you know they lie, so they're picking the right time to lie. But this offer this adds some special powers and things to it, so it's slightly better than the first one, I think, if you care about the stuff. If not, you can still play it normally, so great little game.
Got 5, a great deduction game for kids, wonderful components. Basically, um you everyone can see your numbers and you're guessing if this is higher or lower than your numbers and where they fit on a grid really works well for kids. There's a lot of good deduction games for kids these days. Another 8.5.
And Catan on the Road, what a glorious card game version of Catan, one one few games that I am going to get a copy of this for my house because my kids and family liked it so much. We can play this with anybody. It takes Catan, it distills it down into 15 minutes. What a wonderful thing. Like it a lot.
So, almost 15 minutes for 36 games.
If you have thoughts on these games, you disagree, agree, whatever it might be, let us know in the comments.
Like I said, you can find more information about most of these games on the Dice Tower channel or you will hear more about them in the future.
Hey everybody, thanks for watching another video from the Dice Tower.
Do you want to learn more about us, communicate with us? We have a Facebook group. We have a Discord channel. Lots of different ways to get involved with the Dice Tower.
You can find that in our Linktree link below. So, just click that, it will take you and you can communicate with us on Facebook, join our Facebook groups. There's lots of cool things that you can find and become part of the Dice Tower.

References (from this video)

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Video _qeaVjxzhck Neon Gorilla Interview at 1:30:55 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81273 · mention_pk 200877

Click to watch at 1:30:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Highly Positive

Pros

clever dice placement mechanism
incredibly thematic
brilliant way to put a what is a really fun resource management euro
highly recommend this game.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Life Development
Adolescence
Euro-style thematic

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Placement — Described as a 'clever dice placement mechanism'.
Resource Management — Part of a 'resource management euro'.
track movement — Players 'bump tracks' related to feelings and emotional development.
Track progression — Involves advancing on various tracks representing feelings and emotional development.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I mean, you had ready, set, bet. Like, uh, The Last Kingdom was like a a fantastic game that just flew under the radar. Do you know what I mean? Nobody nobody played it at all, you know?
They charged a hundred quid for a game that was made out of a bog roll.
I think I compared my copy of War of the Ring to a Garen Hospital.
I have 15 burner accounts just just tearing you down.
It's all me. I've got 15 burner accounts just just tearing you down.
I don't care whether AI has had a hand in designing it. If the game is good and I find it fun, then I'll play it.
I don't care whether it's designed by a woman, by a man, by, you know, a capybara.
The incentive system is totally broken.
I honestly think like the whole board game review system in general is like is broke, especially if you are and we can't afford to get all these games. You do have to get some review.
I think there's something to say for people um wanting to maintain publisher relationships.
You know, my core audience are grumpy old white men that just want to hear somebody slag off a game.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video biTN5UdofJc The Dice Tower Analysis at 3:53 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81098 · mention_pk 199547

Click to watch at 3:53 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

nice
love the theming
love the theme that comes through
do like this one a lot
strong Euro style game
strong theme
very enjoyable

Cons

a little abstract at parts

Thematic elements

life simulator, child early childhood into adolescence

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Placement — Another kind of dice placement-ish type of a game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Uh also Chang'an. Uh this is from Arcane Wonders. It's an engine building game. There's some interesting ideas, but it's hard to pass around this player aid sheet to remember what everything does, and it looks old, which keeps you from loving it more than I I would normally. 6 out of 10.
And Rattlesnake. What a fantastic game. It's two-player back and forth, nice filler style. Really enjoyed it. 8.5.
And then Druids of Adora, this is a really cool game from Stefan Feld that has a few issues with it which keeps me from loving it. A six out of 10 I gave it. Uh the Again, no player aids at all in this one. And the it's a lot of the iconography is hard to see. And some of the game is too focused on getting supplies to play the rest of the game. But the rest of the game was pretty fun. So there's kind of a mix in there of all that.
I've come to realize this is not English. I'm going to guess Icelandic.
There's two categories of board gaming, Ameritrash and Euro crap.

References (from this video)

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Video biTN5UdofJc The Dice Tower Analysis at 8:56 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81098 · mention_pk 199558

Click to watch at 8:56 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

interesting game
strong Euro style game
strong theme
pretty strong
found to be very enjoyable

Cons

a little abstract at parts

Thematic elements

life, childhood life

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Uh also Chang'an. Uh this is from Arcane Wonders. It's an engine building game. There's some interesting ideas, but it's hard to pass around this player aid sheet to remember what everything does, and it looks old, which keeps you from loving it more than I I would normally. 6 out of 10.
And Rattlesnake. What a fantastic game. It's two-player back and forth, nice filler style. Really enjoyed it. 8.5.
And then Druids of Adora, this is a really cool game from Stefan Feld that has a few issues with it which keeps me from loving it. A six out of 10 I gave it. Uh the Again, no player aids at all in this one. And the it's a lot of the iconography is hard to see. And some of the game is too focused on getting supplies to play the rest of the game. But the rest of the game was pretty fun. So there's kind of a mix in there of all that.
I've come to realize this is not English. I'm going to guess Icelandic.
There's two categories of board gaming, Ameritrash and Euro crap.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 4PkGi29ed2s Neon Gorilla Interview at 0:53 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81044 · mention_pk 199307

Click to watch at 0:53 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Best piece of art created
Incredible thematic integration
Mechanic of overcoming frustration is brilliant
Proud of the design

Cons

Not the preferred one for many people
Some people expected something else or didn't understand the game
Shorter game
Deals with luck (dice)
Lowest value on BGG

Thematic elements

Thematic integration was incredible

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Placement — The game uses dice placement and the reviewer notes that the dice might throw people off.
mitigation — There are ways to mitigate dice rolls and use them for points.
Track progression — A track is mentioned where players can move to the negative side to overcome frustration and gain points.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I think you're absolutely brilliant.
That's the beautiful part about that the frustration mechanic where you overcome the frustration.
It's not that I'm working on so many at once. It's probably that I go very quick since I had an idea in until it's ready to show to a publisher.
I'm kind of obsessed on trying to do new things on every game.
I get really bored if I have to repeat the same thing.
It's not just doing the game, it's also sharing something I'm I'm passionate about.
I don't want confrontation? So most dual games what they do is they when you do something you may attack the other or you may remove something from the other here when whenever you do something you're giving something to the other player.
You have to know that it's a bit heavier than usual, but I think it creates something that's quite unique.
So what you do in the past with that civilization will dictate the options you have in the future.
Whenever you do something you're giving something to the other player.
If you'd like to help find a cure for this incredibly devastating disease, links are down below with where you can donate.
My current love is Voyage Puzzle and the best piece of art I think that you've created is coming of age.

References (from this video)

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Video rjwozWD5N5A Neon Gorilla Review at 1:56 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81037 · mention_pk 199278

Click to watch at 1:56 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Brilliant design combined with theme.
Mechanic works well thematically.
Solves the dice mitigation problem in Eurogames.
Adds a lot of interesting decisions.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

The theme comes from the mechanics and how they work.
Not obviously thematic; specific events like 'now you're married' or 'now you have a job' are not explicitly stated.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice mitigation — The game has a mechanic that addresses the need for dice mitigation in Eurogames.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

But that's probably the thing I'm proudest of the game.
It solves something that any game or any Eurogame with dice needs, which is mitigation.
how brilliant I thought that that game was.
I think it's one of the most thematic heroes I've ever played.
Well, that's the beautiful thing about board games. There's so many out there.
it's to me, it's one of the best thematic combined with design that you've done.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video C3TxhIRokgo Rahdo Runs Through Analysis at 0:43 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80841 · mention_pk 198254

Click to watch at 0:43 · 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 think it's phenomenal.
It is designer Danny Garcia's masterpiece.
It's a brilliant game, and the crux of it is every player has their own little double gear board straight out of Zolk'n the Mayan calendar that you are constantly spinning and creating combos of actions off of one wheel with another and upgrading that, and it's great.
It definitely makes the game crunchier.
I wouldn't want to play Windmill Valley without number four of the month, Windmill Valley: The Blooming Sales Expansion.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video B2-xJWnrHqs BoardGameBollocks Review at 0:14 sentiment: negative

video_pk 80353 · mention_pk 195480

Click to watch at 0:14 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

negative

Pros

Aesthetically pleasing artwork and components
The 'interest mechanic' is somewhat interesting, allowing an extra bonus on locations
Bonuses are given for many actions, preventing players from feeling like they are doing poorly

Cons

Too abstract for a game with a theme of youth progression
Lacks a strong thematic or narrative experience
Thematic elements like the bus and memories don't make sense
No sense of progression through age or development
No real human element or connection with other players/characters
Dice are too hard to mitigate due to the cost of frustration tokens
Illogical mechanics related to frustration tokens and movement

Thematic elements

Gaining memories and progressing through childhood
Childhood progression

Comparison games

The Pursuit of Happiness
Dinosaur Island
Call of Duty: Black Ops

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Placement — Players roll dice and place them on locations matching the number rolled.
Resource Management — Frustration tokens can be used to move dice to adjacent spaces, but they cover up passive bonuses.
Set Collection — Gaining friends by picking up tokens at bus stops and gaining memory card bonuses.
Track Advancement — Moving markers on personal fulfillment and friendship tracks.
Track progression — Moving markers on personal fulfillment and friendship tracks.
Worker Placement — Placing dice on locations to gain bonuses implies a form of worker placement.
Worker placement (implicit) — Placing dice on locations to gain bonuses implies a form of worker placement.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

In this video, we're going to be talking about a Euro style game by Danny Garcia.
So, in this video, we're going to be giving you a very brief overview of the rules. We'll tell you what we do like, what we don't like.
So, Coming of Age is a Euro style game for one to four players.
So, what do we like about Coming of Age?
So, the first thing that we don't like about this game is, at the end of the day, it's a [ __ ] abstract euro, yeah?
So, to summarize, is Coming of Age better than [ __ ] in your pants?
However, the costly mitigation of the dice rolls, coupled with the inane tug-of-war centric counterpoint, means that Coming of Age is the biggest pile of donkey [ __ ] that we have played this year.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 1wRqss8_5-4 Review at 6:29 sentiment: positive

video_pk 67710 · mention_pk 163909

Click to watch at 6:29 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Good rules video and playthrough content available.
Thematic integration with the concept of growing up.
Offers strategic depth and meaningful choices.
Solo mode is well-implemented with a bot.
The game is considered very good despite some minor quibbles.

Cons

Some track names are strangely named.
Lack of naming on tiles for language independence.
The solo mode can feel a bit 'ris' (risky) potentially.
Some players might find the bot's scoring overwhelming.

Thematic elements

story of your life
teenage years

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Rolling — Dice are rolled at the start of a round to determine initial location options for players.
Friendship/Intimacy Tracks — Players can increase friendship and intimacy levels with other characters, unlocking benefits.
Goal Fulfillment — Players work towards fulfilling short-term trait goals and long-term end-game goals.
Resource Management — Managing willpower and motivation tokens is crucial for taking certain actions.
Set Collection — Collecting specific types of memory tokens (purple, yellow) is part of fulfilling end-game goals.
Solo Mode (Bot) — The game features a solo mode with a bot opponent that follows its own ruleset.
Track progression — Players advance markers on various tracks that represent different aspects of life and can grant bonuses.
Worker Placement (modified) — Players place dice on location spaces, and can use 'frustration' to move to alternative locations.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The track names are very strangely named. I don't agree with them, but it'd be all right, wouldn't it?
It's a shame some of the naming of the tracks and it's a shame that there's no naming of the tiles.
It's very good. The like main things would be the the things I was saying at the beginning about the... It's very good.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video jU-UcE78vtQ Review at 0:20 sentiment: positive

video_pk 66723 · mention_pk 162529

Click to watch at 0:20 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Strong theme that comes through in many ways.
Satisfying progression on tracks and overcoming challenges.
Good quality components.
Innovative mechanics that differentiate it from other games.
Enjoyable puzzle nature.
Good pace, especially at lower player counts.
Moves at a good clip.
Can be a good teaching game for Euro style games.
Thematic elements are present and present themselves nicely.
Unique nature is also fun, though sometimes clunky.

Cons

Theme can sometimes disappear into the background.
Mechanics can feel disconnected from the theme at times.
Very little player interaction, leaning towards multiplayer solitaire.
Not an easy game to learn initially.
Some unique mechanics are a bit odd.
Memory cards could have more descriptive text or variety.
Game can be procedural and easy to get lost in exact steps.

Thematic elements

Childhood development and experiencing life.

Comparison games

Pursuit of Happiness

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Rolling — Players roll dice which determine movement to specific spots on the board. The type and number of dice increase throughout the game.
Endgame scoring — Players score points based on collected traits and sets of cassette tapes at the end of the game.
Friendship Building — Players can make friends with other players, which can deepen over time and potentially allow for sharing traits or gaining bonuses.
Goal Achievement — Players work towards specific goals, such as getting rid of stress tokens or collecting certain sets of traits, to play trait tiles and score points.
Resource Management — Managing resources like willpower, cassette tapes, and motivation tokens is crucial for performing actions and gaining benefits.
Set Collection — Collecting cassette tapes of different colors (purple, yellow, red) is used for various in-game actions and scoring.
track movement — Players move on various tracks (fun/bored, smart, active, popularity, stressed/relaxed) which grant bonuses. Movement can be in either direction and is sometimes dictated by game events or player actions.
Worker placement (implied) — Players move dice to spots on a board, which could be seen as a form of worker placement where the dice are the workers.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's a straightup Euro style game that has a really interesting theme of all the games that are about living your best life.
The game is roll the dieice, put the die, do the action, move the buzz, do the action.
I don't know that it's going to stand head and tails above a lot of other games. But if this theme appeals to people, if someone's if there are some people who their childhood and the memories it brings is a very strong thing for them. A lot of people are like that. And if they also like good light medium to heavy euro games, this is the game for me to teach them.
It is quite procedural and it's a little bit easy to kind of get lost in making sure people follow all the exact steps and there are some steps that require some exactitude in order to make sure you do it all right.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 0LmqBL4nt5A Discussion at 4:08 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 66571 · mention_pk 162238

Click to watch at 4:08 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Some neat elements

Cons

Too convoluted for its own good
Too much going on
Feels heavier than it is
Doesn't feel terribly thematic

Thematic elements

Growing up through different stages of life.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice management — This one is a dice management type game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is where I don't give full reviews of games because all of these games have already been reviewed in full by other folks here on the Dice Tower and I'm just giving you my two cents on each of these and since today I'm going over seven different games, you're getting 14 cents out of me.
Well, that's it. This is Mike Delisio and I'll see you on the next rapidfire

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video AP5ZgMsjAMo Allies or Enemies Top 10 List at 0:55 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 66051 · mention_pk 160547

Click to watch at 0:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Unique emotion-based theme and presentation
Distinct track-based progression

Cons

Theme not fully realized in gameplay
Some mechanics feel abstract or opaque

Thematic elements

emotions and memory influencing gameplay
emotional/ memory-themed concept with emotions on player boards
abstract/experiential

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

emotion tiles on heads — player boards depict emotions; access to more emotions unlocks as the game progresses

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is like inside out the board game.
Every single bit about this game and the production of this game is amazing and it just makes the game a lot easier to play.
I love the asymmetry of trying to figure out how your individual characters work best and work best together, too.
The theme definitely reminds me of How to Train Your Dragon.
And it is a really beautiful game. Like even the non-delux version looks so nice.
Recall ... is brainmelting kind of puzzly fun.
this game really does something different.

References (from this video)

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Video abW4Tl3MGqc Neon Gorilla Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 65516 · mention_pk 159208

Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Clever dice placement mechanism.
Incredibly thematic for a euro game.
Has cool parallels to human brain development.
Intricate decisions.
Fun resource management euro.
Tells the story of a human's life and emotional development.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

The game is about growing up and emotional development through life experiences.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Placement — You are placing dice on locations, and the number of locations unlock throughout your life.
Resource Management — It's a fun resource management euro.
Track Advancement — You're bumping tracks related to your feelings and emotional development.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it was telling the story of a small human being's life and how they how they develop emotionally, which I had never seen before.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 4abdDaKHvP4 Where There's A Wilz, There's a Play Top List at 6:29 sentiment: positive

video_pk 62375 · mention_pk 154906

Click to watch at 6:29 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

intriguing theme of personal growth and life choices
potentially rich storytelling through progression

Cons

none

Thematic elements

developing interests, gaining independence, and pursuing life goals
Lifecycle progression from childhood to adulthood
life-simulation with parental influence and evolving experiences

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Character progression — players develop interests and skills over time to shape their path

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The fate of creatures touched by the spark of intelligence hangs in the balance
This is a flip and roll and scratch and stamp and whatever else you want to do and write
open world Cooperative Adventure game even for solo
windmill valley was a big hit for me Solo in 2024
you start as a child and as such you will have limited sense of interest and skills that will determine your development

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Py1AxtZoYOk Gaming Rules! Discussion at 42:32 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 28060 · mention_pk 82079

Click to watch at 42:32 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

intriguing mechanisms and thoughtful design
theme presentation has some charm

Cons

graphic design and rule clarity sometimes confusing
balance and accessibility varied among players

Thematic elements

teenage social dynamics and growth with personal development
American high school life across several years
Array

Comparison games

Eden? (no direct comparison provided in transcript)

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is one of my favorite games of all time. It's in my top five, definitely.
Recall is one of the better of the games that came out at Essen last year. I'm going to play it many more times because I really enjoy it.
It's not a big campaign that's going to take you months and months to play. And it's also whilst there is narrative included in the game, which is really nice.
The core gameplay of Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era is in the individual battles, which is like a lot of games from Chip Theory Games, very tactical.
Goa is a great old-school euro game with a clean, focused design and a very accessible teach.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 9qyRLHvgTjQ The Board Game Garden Top 12 List at 21:22 sentiment: positive

video_pk 27685 · mention_pk 80843

Click to watch at 21:22 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

thematic appeal of growing up / life choices
designer pedigree (Danny Garcia) with known titles

Cons

none

Thematic elements

life-stage progression akin to Game of Life
life milestones / growing up
life-simulation with dice-driven play

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Dice Rolling — dice determine events / outcomes related to life stages

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

my top not 10 but 12 uh most anticipated games of 2025 that I have not played
Critter kitchen I cannot wait to get my final copy of this I am so excited
I cannot wait to try the solo mode of Critter kitchen
it's sounds so much fun it's just so cute
I love rolling wrs I love stars and planets and stuff like that
Daydream is the ultimate cozy game
I have never even seen these games on the table
I love you guys so so much

References (from this video)

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Coming of Age

Coming of Age Review: Life and How to Live It

Welcome Friend

Create a New Guild