How many players can play Enthrone?

Enthrone is designed for 2 players.

How long does a game of Enthrone take?

A typical game of Enthrone takes approximately 30 minutes.

What are the best video reviews of Enthrone?

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

Enthrone - Board Game

Video QJWm0r5mB4Y Man vs Meeple Analysis at 3:58 sentiment: positive

video_pk 99393 · mention_pk 276349

Click to watch at 3:58 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

refreshing Euro
beautiful color and design
theme of cultivating new planets and solar systems is cool

Cons

speaker thought it was medium-weight, but Ryan said it was heavyweight
slightly heavier than what Ryan normally plays

Thematic elements

cultivating new planets and solar systems
solar systems

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — Has engine building.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Gen Con is about the games first and foremost.
This is probably my number one game that I'm looking forward to.
The box is one of the best boxes right now in board games.
This is what looks to be a wildly open world sandbox game.
Everyone was loving it.
So, I think everyone in the industry is looking forward to this thing.
I don't think this is It is just demo cuz I think it's going to be potentially available for pick up at Essen.
It just adds a ton of new cards without complicating the game.
This looks really cool.
Gen Con Saturday night, from 7:00 to 11:00.
Last year was such a good time.
We're not giving away Galactic Cruise Excursions.
Make sure everyone has fun at the table and at our party, and hopefully we'll see you there.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video OSjwEhoMwOs BoardGameGeek Discussion at 50:12 sentiment: positive

video_pk 98877 · mention_pk 274838

Click to watch at 50:12 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Very interesting rondelle system.
Easy to understand and learn.
High potential for combos.
Engaging timing mechanism.
Highly recommended.

Cons

Is a table hog.

Thematic elements

growing germs into plants then animals
miniature solar systems in your universe

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action Point Allowance — Pillars are used to activate main actions and can be upgraded, with a wild pillar available.
Rondelle — A rondelle system is used to take actions, with resources decreasing if another player is already there.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's Whisper Wood, one word for one to four players.
It's much heavier than Flamecraft.
This is definitely a strategy game. Mid midweight mid to heavy strategy game.
it's a big game on the table. A lot of moving parts. Gorgeous, gorgeous game because we have Sandor Tang again and Sergio Chavez.
So, it's a bag builder. You're pulling out these tokens. What you pull out will determine what actions you take.
And y'all, it is good. It is good. But it's definitely much heavier than previous Cardboard Alchemy games. It's still gorgeous though. It's still gorgeous. Still a sprawling game. And I think for the the Euro strategy lovers, this is going to be a good one.
Whisperwood. All one word.
it's perennial uh by Emily Vincent uh published by Fatout Games and art by Beth Sobo who does one of the most beautiful nature art in board games period concerning my opinion.
we make a beautiful prairie garden
And yeah, this one looks gorgeous. I was like, "Okay, I need this."
I'm very excited for Perennial for sure.
But this is Electrify for one to four players from John Declair and Ian Hutchinson.
Uh, it is a engine builder.
It's a simultaneous action selection, slice selection.
So it's really interesting little engine builder. It goes from like coal all the way to nuclear and solar power and all these other electricity generating things.
And it's just such a nice combo. Everything's connected but quick because it's simultaneously simultaneous turns to it.
multi-use cards and I love that.
So some of the cards have arrows, so it will like allow you to activate other cards that it's connected to. So you get this long chain of actions, which is really fun.
It's very good. And I've played it and play tested it solo which is also good and it's one that I think is kind of my favorite of what they're coming out this year.
It's going to be on Kickstarter and I am very excited for this.
It's very interesting combo of mechanisms and it really is that engine builder goodness that I absolutely love.
And it really is that engine builder goodness that I absolutely love.
So, that's Electrify from AG.
I love seeing that and everybody getting along. No big incidents. I think that's just amazing that so many cultures come together in spread over three different countries because not only in the United States, United States is the most in games but yeah and everybody gets along people joining in on on marches, fan marches and I think that's just awesome to see.
But it was funny because it was a whole circle thing for me.
The minions sung the Beach Boys. The banana song is the Beach Boys.
Yeah. That was totally Beach Boys.
So, my moment of positivity is it was the 4th of July and so my mom and her friends took and I went with them we went to the July 4th firework spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl.
It was with the Beach Boys and John Stamos and we usually try to go to the Hollywood Bowl at least once or twice every year and it was a lot of fun.
It's almost 11 p.m.
Well, the most common things are Twitch, where you can find twitch.tv/joda.
Uh I stream on Tuesday. I have my coffee and crowdfunding where I drink coffee and I look at all the crowdfunding campaigns from the past week that have been launched criticizing the page the game and sometimes being positive and also always pick one game but I think well that was the best one for this week.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video mQWxCIPpomU Tantrum House Review at 34:24 sentiment: positive

video_pk 95559 · mention_pk 262739

Click to watch at 34:24 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Good artwork, especially on the box cover and life cards, with an alien feel
High-quality wooden tokens that match icons on cards
Thick cardboard components
Solar system and planet slots fit well and make sense thematically
Well-laid out board for components, easy to access and see
Helpful player aids for general gameplay
High variability in setup with randomly placed outer actions and different card orders
Asymmetrical starting planets and stars provide initial direction
Different upgrade options for player consoles add variety
Opportunities for big, mentally stimulating combo turns, especially in the late game
Gameplay loop 'clicks together' and makes sense strategically
No space is ever blocked, allowing for indirect player interaction without frustration
End game trigger provides an additional full round for all players to tidy up
Objectives provide a race mechanic and scoring opportunities
Good integration of linking action spaces for lower player counts

Cons

Specific rules for player console upgrade cards are only found on the player aid cards, not the main rulebook
Lack of storage solution beyond plastic bags (pre-production copy)
Questionable return on investment for upgrading console cards, as it costs significant energy
Complex game with many triggers and steps, leading to new players potentially forgetting the correct order or missing bonuses
Bookkeeping can be challenging with many activations on a turn
Potential for running out of specific life cards in higher player counts with certain player powers
Game title 'Entropy' might be misleading, as the game is more about building than disorder
Upgrading stars can be difficult compared to other actions

Thematic elements

building solar systems and filling them with life; harnessing entropy
solar systems

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

asymmetrical player powers — Players have different starting planets and stars, providing varied initial resources and strategic directions. Upgrade console cards also offer different abilities.
Creation Tokens — Players use creation tokens to activate inner action spaces; tokens remain on the board until retrieved.
End Game Scoring Modifiers — Objective tracks provide scoring modifiers for different conditions in a player's area.
indirect player interaction — Players can still go to occupied action spaces, but it reduces their travel bonus, forcing strategic decisions without directly blocking other players.
Objective Fulfillment — Players work to complete two objectives to trigger the end game, which also earn them points.
Resource Management — Players spend energy to evolve stars, mass to aggregate planets, and other resources to create life and activate powers.
rondelle action selection — Players move their scientist one to three sections to the right on a rondelle to activate action spaces.
variable setup — Outer actions are randomly placed around the board, and tiles/cards are in different orders, creating a 'slightly different puzzle each time'.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

"I think it's a pre-production copy, so it will be very similar to the final production, but could have some minor tweaks."
"There is also a specifically lettered player aid that goes with each player console, like the the cards that you get to upgrade. And you need to make sure that you have given the right letter to the right person because that's where they're going to find the information for their specific cards and how to play them."
"I'm usually the game teacher. So, I'm reading the rule book. I have a good overview of the rules and then someone asks me about the icons on their their cards and I go, 'Oh, I yeah, I didn't I don't know where to find those.'"
"So there's the what I'm talking about return on investment is you are paying three energy to do the upgrade. That's a lot of energy because you need energy to like upgrade a star."
"But I think most people are thinking about what action space do I want to go to. So, they want to do the main action first. But technically, it's like the third or fourth step in the process."
"There was a couple times when we were playing four players, I was like, I I need to get ahead or I need to stay behind. I can't be in the middle because then you're sort of getting stuck with not getting enough of those extra resources."
"Now, it may have seemed that we critiqued this game a lot, that we didn't like it, but I think we were critiquing it because we loved it so much that we wanted to be like, 'How can we make it better?'"
"I have not won this game yet, but I have enjoyed each of my plays."

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video S54FKQH-_sw Tantrum House Top List at 13:43 sentiment: positive

video_pk 93044 · mention_pk 250973

Click to watch at 13:43 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Ticked all the boxes
Player interaction
Simple yet strategic
Liked it at lower and higher player counts

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Managing resources and upgrading celestial bodies.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Movement — Moving around a circular board.
Dice allocation — Rolling dice and using them to perform actions.
Resource Management — Managing various resources to upgrade celestial bodies.
Worker Placement — Players place workers on the board to activate actions, with a hidden placement aspect.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

All right. Number four, we've got Cano from Mad to Go for two to four players. Takes about 30 minutes to play. I like games about art and this one has that creating Japanese painted scrolls in the game.
but the art is what sort of really drew me in.
you're trying to make patterns when you put them on your board to lay tiles. It did look interesting.
I have Night at the Zoo. This is another tiling game. I love laying tiles.
really interesting it's designed The designer is the same person who did Sagrada and Aquatica, which are heavy Euro games, but this is a lighter tiling game.
I thought it was a fun theme.
So, I'm anticipating Pulitzer from 25th Century Games, and this is an investigative journalist themed game. I was a journalism major in college, so I'm always interested in these themed games.
With strings that you're I don't know exactly how it all it but it just looks really cool and interesting being able to put your strings from the different pieces of evidence you've found. tactile
So, if nothing else, the theme and the components have definitely made me interested in this game.
We've got Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict. I should say right off the start, it says this is an Essen release, but I believe they might have a limited copies available at Gen Con, so I'm going to call this a pre-Gen Con pre-release at Gen Con.
My understanding is you're playing against your two neighbors, the players to your left and right. So, each person has a shadow troops and the free peoples army. And so, your shadow troops are playing against your neighbors free people, and your free people is playing against your other neighbors shadow troops.
I believe this is a dice allocation game. So, rolling dice and then using them to do actions and powers and things like that.
Lord of the Rings theme, which is a theme that we really enjoy.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video moT204eN1UA Grant Lyon Top List at 59:32 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84436 · mention_pk 214545

Click to watch at 59:32 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Very Positive

Pros

High production value with miniatures.
Engaging intrigue and mind games.
Fast gameplay loop.
Multiple paths to victory.

Cons

Two-player only.
Potentially too abstract for some.

Thematic elements

Abstract Strategy / Intrigue
Wizard's Court

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

abstract strategy — A game focused on positioning and outmaneuvering the opponent.
bluffing — Players' moves are ambiguous, leading to deduction and mind games about their true intentions.
multiple win conditions — Victory can be achieved by reaching the center, eliminating the opponent's character, or eliminating specific other characters.
Variable player powers — Players choose one of three characters, each with unique information about the opponent.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I try to keep it to about 25 games and sometimes that slides to like 30 games, but I don't want it to be more than 30 games because I don't want this video to be crazy long.
if you want a smaller box pretty game, then check out Parks and Potions.
it's a really good introduction to strategy games.
This is one that is going to be a huge hit with young kids, I imagine.
So, if you want a lot of story in your solo games, that is a reason to play this one.
It adds more player interaction to the worker placement game.
I like that sort of fluctuating market aspect of the game. It makes it feel different than other worker placement games out there.
I think a lot of gamers and just a lot of people in general really respond to this theme, right? I think it's something that's super relatable about having to charge up your social battery in order to go out into the world and do stuff.
there's just a lot of intrigue on like, why are you moving that? What are you doing right now? How do I outsmart you?
Vantage over the last month has been fairly divisive.
if you like worker placement games or if you like visually interesting games, then that's, uh, for sure a reason to play T- Witches.
It is a deck building game, but it has an interesting aspect to the deck building because every round you're going to shuffle your entire deck and then you're going to flip out cards in a 2x3 grid.
I love Flip Tunes
The OP is also releasing fountains.
This plays 1 to five players in 30 to 45 minutes and it is a mediumweight game though at the lower end of medium weight.
This is another sort of visually very interesting game.
It is a deck building game, but it has a interesting aspect to the deck building because every round you're going to shuffle your entire deck and then you're going to flip out cards in a 2x3 grid.
And so there is a real strategy to the deck building of the game, but there's also just these fun exciting moments where you're like, "Ah, yes, I got that where I needed it to go."
I love Flip Tunes a lot. I really recommend it.
I've been doing this Green Team Wins live show at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, and it's been going super well
Next night of that is Sunday, November 2nd.
It's really fun. It's really interactive. It's memorable. It's different every time the show happens.

References (from this video)

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Video 8Xsz6NcEVos Rolling Dice & Taking Names Review at 49:46:08 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83877 · mention_pk 212278

Click to watch at 49:46:08 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Rules are straightforward, but with a lot of strategy.
Beautiful production with nice figures and gorgeous acrylic tiles.
Deep strategy and negotiation involved.
Good filler game that's easy to set up.
The arrows on the flipped tiles add a cool mechanic.
The order of determining victory conditions is clear.
The game's theme fits well with the actions.
The production quality is top-notch with screen-printed tokens and acrylic pieces.

Cons

Can feel a bit repetitive if played too much.
Might be too much strategy for some players.
The game length can be a factor for some.
The depth of strategy might be overwhelming for new players initially.

Thematic elements

Players try to get their chosen piece to the center of the court while the other player tries to identify and eliminate them.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — While not explicitly stated as area control, the game involves moving pieces to the center of the board and managing the sideboard with acrylic tiles.
Deduction — Players have secret objective cards for three other pieces on the board and win if those pieces are captured.
hidden objectives — Players have secret objectives based on capturing specific pieces.
Variable player powers — Each player has unique starting cards and pieces, influencing their strategy.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The rules are straightforward, but there's so much more going on beyond that.
This This was a lot of strategy.
The job system thing that just absolutely blew me away.
It is now in my top 10 easily of top 10 games of all time.
This game can be over before it ever starts.
If you get an opportunity from my standpoint, you should give it a definitely try.
It's just the job system that I just got.
The story is really, really good.
It's a good filler. It's a good game to get out there. It's a good strategy game.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video owth-NSlBfI Board Stupid Discussion at 15:42:40 sentiment: positive

video_pk 82716 · mention_pk 207804

Click to watch at 15:42:40 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Designed by a highly regarded trio of designers
Interesting Rondel system
Interactive open objectives
Engaging theme
Heavy Euro style

Cons

Might be too heavy for their taste

Thematic elements

Creating life and solar systems

Comparison games

Crafting the Cosmos

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Open/Shared Objectives — You also have open objectives which are also very good and interactive because it's kind of a race to do those.
Player boards — each player will have their their own board where they do like will help powerizing the action.
Rondel — We like Rondell system. Rondell's very interesting. So, you're going around a a circuit. You choose either an inner or an outer action and you do that specific thing.
variable game length — the game will be a variable length and it will end when any two of the objectives are completed

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

February edition. Yes. And boys, we got a lot to talk about it this month cuz it's a lot of news, a lot of game like new games coming to retail some of to to the Kickstarter game pound. We've got a lot to talk about it.
So, we can tell you a little bit more. This is um coming out on Kickstarter. Should be live right now.
For the Gods is a fantastic easy to learn area majority game that plays in about an hour.
It's very different from Undanted, but it's Seo Benjamin and David Thompson and um uh Brett Gilbert as well.
It's so simple and easy to learn and easy to play. It's beautiful.
So each part, so basically you picking up pieces of a column uh from from your bag. um each one will have some pips on top and you can only use the same pips on the same column.
So, every time that you play, they're going to be different. And of course, their gods, they're going to do god stuff like let you move around like a prop.
It's just an awesome game. Very very surprisingly simple to teach and learn.
So, for those that have been following the channel since the good old days of 2024, you'll know one of our favorite games of that year was Alai Dawn of Civilization, the combination deck builder and area majority game by Balamore and Olistinus.
B on top of adding a new um uh a new clan, a new a new faction, uh adds a new map and new mechanics.
So the seaf farers expansion it adds without being too much. It doesn't add too much complexity. It bolts in really nice and smoothly.
So, we are talking about probably one of our favorite IP in in in life full time. Yeah, full time that never received a lot of love in the top in the like board gaming world.
Final Fantasy as an IP has been done dirty by the board game industry. The games have been either appalling or bad.
So there's it's ripe for so much good stuff but it hasn't happened.
And it's going to be a one to four player cooperative game which we imagine that would be something like a dungeon.
They talking about they want to bring the the JRPG spirits to the to the board game.
So take this news with the excitement that we wanted to give to you but with a pinch of salt.
So we are talking about probably one of our favorite IP in in in life full time. Yeah, full time that never received a lot of love in the top in the like board gaming world.
The reason why it's been hot is first of all cuz the designer trio the creator game is quite quite huge.
So yeah, very good. Yeah, we've got Simony. We have I'll say the names. Simony Luchani you you all will know him from New Rats of Whiter Darwin Journey Golem Barrage blah blah blah. H Netor Mangon behind Darwin's Journey Newton Shakon base and then we got Tomaso Batista one of our favorite one uh with Barrage and Died Impera.
So um quite like three big names that go get together to do uh something that looks like really really interesting.
Yeah, it looks slightly heavier. uh might be too heavy for our taste, but we'll figure out when we play it.
This utilizes a few things that M and I really like. We like Rondell system. Rondell's very interesting.
So, you're going around a a circuit. You choose either an inner or an outer action and you do that specific thing.
Uh you also have open objectives which are also very good and interactive because it's kind of a race to do those.
And the game will be a variable length and it will end when any two of the objectives are completed which is very interesting.
Which one of the objectives? Cuz in this in this game we are creating life creating solar system and filling it with life.
The theme sounds fun.
but made it in a more like heavy euro version rather than a multiolitaire.
A long time ago, I played in lots and lots of different rock bands and, you know, all sorts of bands really. I've been a musician for many, many years.
And this next game that we're going to talk about basically reminds me of my entire growing up and yours, too.
Yes. Because we all been in a band and we all been shouting down the the microphones. I've always been shouting. That was my thing in the
Uh, yes. I'll see if we can find something.
So this is is very American. It's very different from doing it in the UK or or in Italy where but way harder.
But uh um these games was on Kickstarter last year. So it's going to be delivered this year and then going straight to retail.
Basically what you're going to do in this like worker placements bent and upgrading game. You are one of those like garage band, one of those like little band that trying to make it h you need through um throughout the 16 weeks of summer because of course when you offer that is when you put everything in the band is everything.
You're trying to upgrade your band. trying to buy um new instrument uh putting flyers around to make new image get new clothes.
Exactly. And all of this leading up to the end of the game where you got the battle of the band.
So everything will culminate at the end of the game that is going to be the basically the final scoring where the coolest band in the neighbor is going to be going to be the winner.
The production looks absolutely stunning. I do love the colors. I do like the the the vibe that the game has. This kind of like cartoony punk rock that is just like screams to to us exactly what we grown up with.
Exactly. This reminds me of my youth. It's freaking awesome.
Yeah, this looks great. Uh it would be really fun to play.
So yeah, this one sounds like pretty cool.
Uh, hope it doesn't do like Yeah, because there's been lately um a couple of other games are trying to do the same things like Rock Car 1977.
Hit and miss. Uh, but this one and Draft Right Records
Draft Right Records as well. Yeah, hit and miss.
Yeah, some love there. Someone a little less I think we were more on on the Yes. Fine. Uh, but this one hopefully is going to be that kind of this could be the one. I'm excited about this one. Absolutely.
One of the channel um like favorite game at this point is Power Vacuum by Keen Bean Studio. We've been telling everybody, if you've been following the channel, you know how much we love that game.
So when the same team or the same dude Malachi uh came to us and say like, 'Whoa, I got a new game.' We were like, 'Whoa, let us see. Let's go play it.'
And we're talking about Almighty.
Almighty is a very interesting, very cool game that Matt and I have played a bunch at this point.
And it puts you in the shoes of angry, somewhat grumpy gods. Not all of them. All of them. or or at the very least tempetuous and uh their rival.
Yeah, they who will manipulate, poke, smite, curse or sometimes bless the mortals of this land that you're going to be playing over.
The game essentially takes the form of a lane battler where you're going to be playing cards to the various lands, the lanes of the game, which will generate certain amounts of belief.
There is so much interesting stuff about this game. I think we've had a blast with it over we did really Yeah, we did really had fun.
This kind of like Yeah. territorial majority with the lame battler uh each god is going to be different. You got four type of gods, each one with their own specific power.
Uh, so there's going to be a lot of shenanigan and a lot of a little bit of take that, a little bit of strategizing, what where you want to be.
Beautiful production, beautiful gameplay, so much character in the production as well, man. All the artwork is fantastic.
The asymmetrical gods are awesome. It's just Yeah, there is so much to like about it as well. It's a really fun project.
So, that's it for another episode of the Hype Factor.
Yeah. And it's another one. Matt and I do these all the way up until Essence spiel. Yeah. So, we'll be doing them till around October and then it's in spiel and end of year season.
But basically, every single month we're picking uh another five or six games to whatever news like kind of like tickle our hype. Our hype senses where that we can get excited about and share the excitement with you, our our lovely boy, stupid fam.
Um, but we'd like to know which of the games uh from this episode tickled your fancy.
Tickled you the most.
Let us know in the comments below.
Um, but we'd like you to to get tickled by checking the Patreon page by our Patreon where we could tickle you. No, let's not say that. Let's do that. I know. Just check out the pat.
No one's going to see. No one's getting tickled. No one's getting tickled.
Well, you can can have a look to all the extra content that we got on the on the patre page.
Uh we constantly have like the video podcast coming out, the interview with the designer. A lot of good stuff.
On top of that, we got our WhatsApp group. You're going to get access to our WhatsApp group that is now amazing, very very active and we we absolutely love it and um you're getting a lot.
Go check it out. It cost you a coffee for you and is a lot for us in terms of like helping the channel out.
Yeah. Keeping the lights on.
Other than that, check out the rest of the videos.
Well, hit the subscribe button first. Do that.
Have you done it? Well, you should have done it earlier, but sure. And then do it now.

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Video HvELx7M3AuI Top List at 10:18 sentiment: positive

video_pk 82709 · mention_pk 207789

Click to watch at 10:18 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Accomplished designers
Rondel mechanic
Bright and colorful appearance
Sounds and looks like fun
High confidence in quality

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Building solar systems with planets and stars, and then playing cards to fill your planets with life.

Comparison games

Barrage
Darwin's Journey
Shackleton Base
Grand Austria Hotel
Nucleum

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — On your turn, you will move your scientist one to three spaces around the main rondel and take an action.
Rondel — Entropy is a medium-to-heavyweight rondel Eurogame.
Tableau Building — You'll build solar systems with planets and stars, and then play cards to fill your planets with life.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

2026 is shaping up to be a disappointing year for new solo games, and really games in general, but that's a topic for another video.
There simply weren't enough games that were clearly marked for sale that I was interested in in order to complete a top 10 list.
I have to say light to medium-weight tile-laying games have become a really crowded genre.
I'll be honest, I just do not care about this theme at all. This game would be so much higher on this list if it had a fun and engaging theme.
I simply just cannot wait to get this one to the table.
This is a Eurogame that both sounds and looks like a ton of fun. That's pretty unusual.
And with a track record of these designers, I'm confident that this one is going to be one of the best games of the year.

References (from this video)

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Video rvJ8Ymkylf4 Chairman of the Board Discussion at 5:51 sentiment: positive

video_pk 82174 · mention_pk 206343

Click to watch at 5:51 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

overproduced components with a strong visual presence
interesting initiative system that adds tension

Cons

risk of overhyping a game that might underdeliver in execution

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

hidden identity / deduction — each player controls a hidden piece; movement and elimination with an initiative column mechanic

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's quite unlike any other Feld
mishmash of kind of that felian euro and mechanical excellence kind of blends well with a more in-your-face bombastic Euro... meatrashy style game
mechanically pretty straightforward but there are some interesting twists on the bidding mechanism
older school roll and right style game
I quite like that little trade-off
it's a very simple resource management contract fulfillment game which is not normally my jam, but this one has some cool twists
overproduced in a good way
the initiative system where all of the different pieces are put in this column and only the ones in the top half can be used to move

References (from this video)

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Video rFuEUzN2lR8 Before You Play Top List at 15:58 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81461 · mention_pk 202412

Click to watch at 15:58 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Enjoy the games of the three designers involved (Luciani and Mangone).
The science fiction theme appeals to one host.
The box art looks nice.
The idea of shaping the solar system and fostering life is interesting.
Enjoys Eurogames where you have to piece things together.

Cons

Very little information is available about the game.
Some people might not like the mini-game structure.

Thematic elements

Humans control entropy to shape the solar system and foster life on planets and asteroids.
Distant future
By playing cards.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action Point Allowance — It's an action point allowance game.
Life Fostering — Players foster life on the celestial bodies they create.
Solar System Shaping — Players shape the solar system, planets, and asteroids.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The Op for their new waterfall spilling card game called Frenzy Falls.
Root is one of my favorite games of all time.
It's like a word association party game I would say. Yeah. Deduction. Deduction style. style game with Dr. Seuss theme. Yes. Ridiculous.
The Crew has become a very, very popular system of sorts because it does it really, really well.
The original Bunny Kingdom, it's a drafting game through and through.
The box art looks amazing. So, like instantly got me in there. Any Any game that has Prague, by the way, on it instantly gets me to play like what what what what is it? Like Really?
You know I like my dry Euros and like art distribution in the Renaissance. I mean, come on.
I really do enjoy the games of the three different designers that are part of this.
It's really interesting that a lot of games are being made about these people in history Yeah. in different fields, right? It's like they're doing the scientific method can be considered boring, but playing the game about the scientific method could be fun.
Scythe is Was it my number We're not going to spoil it. It's one of my favorite games of all time.
This is a game that is going to be published by Stonemaier Games later on in the year. And it is a Scythe versus Expeditions dueling game.

References (from this video)

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Video G7aUicaO-eE The Dice Tower Rules Teach at 1:24 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80682 · mention_pk 197271

Click to watch at 1:24 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Players can upgrade actions and suns for better ongoing abilities.
The game features cascading bonuses.
The game has an interesting mechanic of upgrading suns.
The game has a mechanic for upgrading life forms.

Cons

Players may run out of pillars, limiting actions.
The game can feel slow at the start if players move one space at a time.
Resources like mass and energy can be limited.
The game can be resource-poor at times.
Players might forget to gain bonuses or track traffic.

Thematic elements

creating new galaxies, solar systems, planets, biomes, and life forms
sci-fi galaxy
Thematic elements are presented as a final exam for learning how to create the universe.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area management — Players manage their solar systems by adding planets, suns, biomes, and life forms.
Engine Building — Players upgrade suns and actions to gain ongoing abilities and multipliers.
Rondel — Action spaces are located around the outside of the board, and players move along them to take actions.
Set Collection — Players collect cards and tokens related to life forms, biomes, and planets.
Worker Placement — Players use workers to take actions on the board.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The less you travel, the better you get.
I have test anxiety.
I forgot how to develop cholesterol.
Cascading bonuses.
You can never have too many biomes.
It's the only resource I know how to get.
I hate that I caught up to Mike because now I feel like I'm just constantly in his shadow.
Crit is bad in this one.
You have to commit dice to try to move.
The cardinal rule of Cyberpunk Legends is whoever has the leader token, which I'm going to start with just to make this easier, is going to take the top card of the snar deck, flip it over, read all the text on it. We're going to follow rules on it, and then we're done.
Bend it. Bend it like Beckham.
Find people who are willing to teach you and sit with you and be patient with you.
You're going to regret saying that in a few millennia.

References (from this video)

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Video 9BttZZe6yjE BoardGameCo Unboxing at 15:22 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80645 · mention_pk 196977

Click to watch at 15:22 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Interested due to the designers
Looks like a unique take on a Euro game
Love the idea of creating solar systems and life

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Becoming a scientist to create solar systems and life
Space/Cosmic

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Play — Fill solar systems with life by playing cards.
Set Collection — The player with the most upgrade points wins.
System building — Players build solar systems with stars, planets, asteroids.
Variable player powers — Players may gain various special abilities by adding BIOS and upgrading the console.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Gosh darn, it feels good to be filming a video in my studio.
Any games I picked up at UKGE were going to be traveling on five planes to get back to where I need and you can't just check a bag because it would have reduced the amount of trips from five down to three cuz you have to transfer your check bags when you're entering the US anyway.
So, that's just way too much to justify bringing home a lot of things.
This was an easy one to pick up because I love four shuffle.
I liked the game, but I don't keep print and plays in my collection.
I have basically everything Dice Throne to date, I believe.
It's the game I'm most excited about.
The guy's like, 'No, it's a prototype. We can't sell it to you.' He's like, 'I don't care. There's a misprint here.'
So, I got my hands on some Bunny Kingdom.
And they were like, 'No.' They're like, 'No, it has not sold well enough to justify another expansion.'
Oh. Oh. Oh, I'm excited for this one.

References (from this video)

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Video -FXd8TBTXM4 Board Gaming Ramblings Review at 0:08 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80455 · mention_pk 195841

Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Many possible directions and ways to get points
Can do quirky little different strategies
Starting abilities and cards can be used to build a strategy
Reminds of Race for the Galaxy in a good way with scoring goals
Game goes quickly and feels like you are suddenly there
Feels very familiar
Tense from the beginning
Good length of the game, matches box time
Feels like you need to work for achieving things
Nice balance between strategy and tactics
Good game for two players
Turns are pretty quick, even though it takes 90 minutes
Many strategies to check out
Different ways to score
Not for players looking for heavy interactive games

Cons

The board is basically just a supply, could have been without it.
First play can take 25-40% of the game to understand why you are doing things
Scoring can feel hidden and surprising
Player interaction is minimal, can make action spaces less good but not intentionally
May take the biome, species, or planet another player wanted
Scales well but might not add much more than an hour of gameplay with more players

Thematic elements

making your own little universe or star system
space

Comparison games

Race for the Galaxy

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Players choose actions from a rondelle.
Engine Building — Players can upgrade their stars, and play cards out into their planets to build a display.
Rondelle — The game is a Rondell game, an action selection Rondell game. Players move a dude around the rondelle 1-3 spaces, with fewer spaces giving more bonuses.
Set Collection — Players collect cards which are different life forms, new planets, new stars, meteors, and biomes for planets.
Variable player powers — Players can unlock and upgrade personal abilities during the game.
Worker Placement — The game uses a worker meeple, and actions on the rondelle have pillars that mean the action cannot be done again until visited.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

If you know where this is from, you get a point.
Victory points are as always best.
This is basically just a supply.
The rules aren't that hard.
Getting points is kind of hidden into the different strategies that you can choose.
I don't think it's going to be a game for you if you are looking for a heavy interactive game.
This is a great game for two players.

References (from this video)

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Video 7YhgO6_E5BI The Dice Tower News at 39:36 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80318 · mention_pk 195278

Click to watch at 39:36 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Positive

Pros

Pleasantly surprising enjoyment for the reviewer
Thinky but not overly complex or over-wrought
Clear end-game trigger makes progress visible
Avoids common pitfalls of heavy Euro games

Cons

Can be prone to Analysis Paralysis (AP)

Thematic elements

Ecosystem building
Planets

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Ecosystem Building — You're going out to these planets, putting life on those planets and it starts at, you know, like bacteria, then it goes to plants, then it goes to animals.
End game trigger — When any player is able to achieve the goal on one of those red squares, it's bringing about the end of the game.
Euro Game — It's very much a Euro game.
Resource Management — Implied by gathering resources and managing them for actions.
Worker Placement — Implied by the discussion of placing workers and different actions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I like the idea of building out the dungeon and trying to make it all work, you know, within your pattern goal, but then also having the corridors and stuff line up, you know, so where you can make your way through the dungeon to make other goals.
There was nothing about this that I I couldn't think of anything positive to say.
This looks great, right?
It manages to feel like it will be strategic and engaging and cozy.
This is This is a bag builder where you're like you're making your own your own bag where you're upgrading dice. You're getting better sewing.
It's the most euro, I think, of any IV Studio game.
I like the look. I like the sort of 80s action movie post-apocalyptic thing.
This stupid super early bird thing. You are upsetting everybody outside of a hundred people.
That is bull.
You've alienated all these other people because as interested as I am in this, there's no way I'm buying it right now for $100 when I know people in this very project got it for 60.

References (from this video)

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Video zvciZLJQueQ Before You Play Playthrough at 0:05 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80286 · mention_pk 195155

Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

The game can have high variance based on player choices.
The focus sets provide useful bonuses and encourage leaning into specific strategies.

Cons

Getting cards into play can be tough.
Synergy between focus cards, biomes, and stars can be challenging to optimize.
The game requires careful planning and tracking of many elements as it progresses.

Thematic elements

aspiring scientists in our society harness the power of entropy for their final test to become the best scientists
in our society

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Players choose between inner and outer circle actions on the Rondel.
Area Control — The last space on certain objective tracks can only hold one player's token, creating a race.
Engine Building — Upgrading focus cards and stars provides ongoing benefits.
Resource Management — Players manage entropy, mass, and energy resources.
Rondel — Players move their scientists around a Rondell style board to create various solar systems.
Set Collection — Players collect different life forms to meet objectives.
Worker Placement — Creation tokens are placed on the board to take actions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The fewer the spaces, the greater the bonus.
The generator track, when you move up on the generator, that reduces the entropy cost to make more mass for you.
This game has high, you know, thresh. Yeah. Yeah. Variance because just because you're doing a lot and you're kind of doing your your thing, right?
The biomes are tethered to the card play.
It's tough because I don't have many resources left.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video xy44u3NO1Ew Discussion at 25:44 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80143 · mention_pk 194570

Click to watch at 25:44 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Highly anticipated big board and dice Euro game.
Appealing theme of creating stars and life.
Interesting worker rondelle mechanic where less movement means stronger actions.
Sandbox feel with lots of synergy possibilities.

Cons

Not yet released (anticipated Gen Con release).

Thematic elements

Creating stars, solar systems, planets, life within an elaborate simulation.
Exploring planets, running simulations.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Choosing actions on the rondelle, with the strength dependent on movement.
Engine Building — Evolving stars, aggregating planets, playing life cards to trigger biomes and gain points.
Resource Management — Managing resources to evolve stars, aggregate planets, and play life cards.
Worker rondelle — Move scientists around a rondelle; moving less far results in stronger actions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I really enjoy a the production of this game is incredible.
There's a really great kind of tableau build if you're into like Arc Nova, that kind of, you know, you're building out multiple cards with different tags.
It's really, really fun. I enjoy it every time. I do something different every time.
My best month is going to be Lords of Water Deep.
This game is great. like this game is genuinely just like really solid.
One of the first kind of big worker placement games. It wasn't the first worker placement game, but kind of one of the ones that put that kind of mechanic on the map,
It's just good. It's just clean. It doesn't do anything fancy.
It is really kind of straight up contract fulfillment.
It's easy to teach.

References (from this video)

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Video OIIbtLxGv6s Tantrum House Preview at 1:13 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80104 · mention_pk 194393

Click to watch at 1:13 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

really enjoyed it

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Let me know in the comments which ones you're interested.
Let me know in the comments which one you want us to talk about next.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 8VVJvd2RdLs Going Analog Analysis at 6:23 sentiment: positive

video_pk 80013 · mention_pk 193947

Click to watch at 6:23 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

The rondel system is unique and fun.
High quality production from Board and Dice.
Offers a lot of variety and strategic depth.
Fascinating timing and choices.
Feels like an open universe with many directions to explore.

Cons

May not be for players who dislike multiplayer solitaire.
Endgame scoring could feel uneven, with less incentive once milestones are hit.
The actual endgame scoring is not as exciting as the core gameplay for one reviewer.

Thematic elements

World building, creating solar systems, planets, and life
Universe/Space

Comparison games

Ark Nova
The Crew
Crafting the Cosmos

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — Players build up planets, stars, and biomes, which grant bonuses and make actions more powerful, leading to combos.
Race — Players compete for objectives and milestones, with the first to complete certain goals receiving points.
Rondel — Players move around a rondel, choosing how many spaces to advance, with bonuses for shorter moves and cooldowns for major actions.
Set Collection — Players collect different forms of life and upgrade stars and planets, with bonuses associated with each.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

So, we have noticed,
Everyone I've shown it to all they all walk away like really loving it and really impressed or really drawn deep into it.
The trick taking part is very straightforward. There's no kind of twist there but all the cards you get in the different suits you will take them backwards.
So, first you deal everyone the cards and then you're going to sort them by color and within each color ascending or descending in one direction and then you're going to hand those cards over to your person on your left face down.
It's like mixing logic deduction with trick taking and it's uh very clever.
It's such an honest. You just have this table of everyone's looking at each other's cards like spin that towards me. Look at this.
It feels really good. Yeah, great pick. My gosh.
It's kind of like Dominion mixed with tricking.
So you're playing trick ticking, but often times, uh, players, I know I mentioned this, but want more control over their hand. So, your deck building, you're putting whatever you want into your hand.
It gets a little wacky. It's definitely um uh yeah it it's you can build the market so you can you can kind of create really wild setups.
And then we are super excited. I'm doing the um kind of final touches on sail legacy. So, I'm super excited for that to come out. It is just such a big game. So my goodness.
And then um just some of the projects. I know the return of the king is coming out later, so I'm super excited for folks to um catch that. Um it's the kind of big finale to all the trick taking ones.

References (from this video)

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Video Mq3AqquzOSs The Brothers Murph Top List at 27:52 sentiment: other

video_pk 80018 · mention_pk 193994

Click to watch at 27:52 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Very excited

Pros

Unique rondelle mechanism with strategic movement choices
Satisfying engine building potential
Visually stunning with colorful, alien art
Engaging sci-fi and 'god simulator' theme
Designed by a renowned designer (Simone Luchiani)

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Creation and simulation
Space
God simulator

Comparison games

Barrage

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — moving around the circular board taking actions to essentially thematically like we're in a simulation
Engine Building — you're just racing to kind of build this like huge engine for yourself uh as you kind of go around
Rondel — This game is a rondelle game where you are going to be uh moving around the circular board taking actions
Set Collection — creating stars, building solar systems, uh populating those solar systems with planets, right? Um and then uh playing down life cards. So essentially there's like bacteria, plant life, and animal life.
Variable player powers — Simone Luchiani among them uh that did Barrage.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The last game I ever expected to exist, uh, Mountain Ghost Legacy, and now I really want it.
Maestro is an interesting game where it's like a two I think maybe you can play it three, but it's like basically a two to four player game.
I love Operation Barlay. So anything by Salt and Pepper that's like in their two-player line. I'm immediately like I want it. I want to try it.
They they're CGE games are very often our number one game of the year. Yeah, they are just so consistently good. Like they just do such a good job.
This game is a rondelle game where you are going to be uh moving around the circular board taking actions to essentially thematically like we're in a simulation.
I really enjoy these kind of like god simulator games I think it's an interesting thematic space to play in where you're like ah you're like just making stuff and seeing what happens and it's just it's a cool kind of place to be in and so like I I really really enjoy it.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video bmbUFPsuZqU News at 1:42 sentiment: positive

video_pk 79569 · mention_pk 193061

Click to watch at 1:42 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Liked it a lot.
Player-determined end game is preferred.
Actions become more powerful as the game progresses.

Cons

Too many amazing Eurogames make it hard to be selective.
November delivery is the only option currently.
Gen Con and August delivery options are temporarily sold out.

Thematic elements

Entropy of the universe used to create galaxies

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — Players upgrade suns, build planets, and fulfill habitats to increase action power and scoring multipliers.
Rondel — Players move scientists around a rondel to take actions.
Set Collection — Players collect planet tiles and life forms to fulfill habitat requirements.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

If you've been around for a bit on the channel, then you know that I have the series Chewback or Not to Back, one of my most popular series, but one that I ultimately stopped doing for a variety of reasons.
I'm not yet sure if it's a keeper for me. There's many things that I really enjoyed, and I do want more plays out of it for now, but it's one of those games that the biggest problem with Entropy, as far as I'm concerned, is that there are so many amazing Eurogames, and I have to be very particular which games actually get my time versus which games do I want to give more time to.
I don't think games need to be forever.
These are by far the best swappable dice faces I have ever played in any game.
The testimonial they have of Blatro is like, 'These dice really work well.' Which is true. The dice do really work well, and I was concerned they wouldn't.
For clarity, I love the game. I thought it was great.

References (from this video)

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Video phj1-3l_5dU Review at 0:04 sentiment: positive

video_pk 79485 · mention_pk 192936

Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Actions quickly become 'combatastic' (combabilistic).
New planets, life, and stars gain better actions.
Biomes combo with actions.
Powerful stars generate victory points.
Race to generate life.
End game objectives worth more by advancing on a track.
Filling tableau with solar systems and chasing goals leads to winning.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Shaping solar systems with entropy and filling planets with life.
solar systems

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — Players gain better actions by upgrading solar systems with stars, planets, and life, which then combo with their existing actions.
Rondel — Players move around a rondel, choosing actions on the inner or outer path. Action selection is limited by a creation token which requires a full lap to retrieve.
Set Collection — Chasing end game objectives and filling a tableau with solar systems implies a form of set collection or objective fulfillment.
Tableau Building — Players fill their player area with solar systems.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Shape solar systems with entropy.
Timing the rondel action is the key because those actions are the ones that give you most points.
A few simple actions quickly become combatastic since new planets, life, and stars all find ways of gaining you better and better actions and biomes combo with the actions you're already taking.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video idbjMEfkAdU Rules Teach at 1:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 79454 · mention_pk 192874

Click to watch at 1:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Cascading bonuses
Engine building potential
Tactile component interaction
Multiple paths to objectives and endgame triggers
Interesting upgrade paths for suns and actions

Cons

none

Thematic elements

creating new galaxies, solar systems, planets, biomes, and life
sci-fi galaxy

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action Point Allowance — Players have movement options (1, 2, or 3 spaces) which influences bonuses and options.
Area Control — Implicit in creating solar systems and competing for objectives, with players aiming to have the most of certain elements.
Resource Management — Players manage resources like entropy and mass to perform actions and build components.
Rondel — Action spaces are arranged around the outside, and players move their workers along the rondel to take actions, with bonuses depending on distance traveled and if others are in the space.
Set Collection — Players collect different types of life forms and upgrade biomes, and potentially aim for specific combinations of planets or suns for scoring.
Tableau Building — Players build up their own player board with planets, suns, biomes, and life forms.
Worker Placement — Players use little workers to move along action spaces on the rondel.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Entropy, which is a big Euro set in space.
This is going to be a Rondel action game.
The less you travel, the better you get.
Cascading bonuses.
I really want to be able to play some cards out here.
So, every planet can only have one biome, which makes sense, right? This is Star Wars planet rules. You're a desert. The whole planet desert.
As you upgrade these suns, they're uh their entrop, you pay entropy to activate their actions, they're so much better.
You're tempted to kind of go wide with lots of solar systems. You're also tempted to upgrade a single one. It's super far.

References (from this video)

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Video XMGhxyPkZmY Top List at 8:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 79468 · mention_pk 192908

Click to watch at 8:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Heavy Euro with lots of decisions.
Unique worker movement/sliding mechanics.
Colorful theme and components.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Space, time, meteorites, and evolution.
Space

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Resource Management — Actions give planets and cards to create organisms.
Set Collection — Collecting planets and cards to create organisms.
worker movement — Scientists (workers) move around the board to use actions.
Worker Sliding — A unique mechanic involving sliding workers.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's time for the hottest board games of the month.
I don't know what shug means, but I don't know what shug is.
I would say that this is a game where you take Talisman and then add a party game to it and this is what you get.
Lightning train arrived like a lightning. And I don't know, will it stay here?
Why is it suddenly hot? Well, we have that game and we have also the reason why it's hot right here in the studio.
This month is a unique worker game. Why a unique worker? Because usually it's worker placement, but this time it's going to be worker movement and worker sliding.
Osprey Games have announced that they're going to close their board game line. So, get their games while they last.
Eight dragons has a little bit of set collection, a little bit of worker pushing, unique components.
This is a deck builder.
Harmonies is a little chill game where you're building your little plot of land right here trying to satisfy requirements of different animal cards.
This is a secret worker placement.
So, the unique secret worker placement, the moving up the tracks makes this a very unique experience.
I still feel like Wondrous Creatures is the most wondrous game on this list.

References (from this video)

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Video esGICwOw3MU Review at 0:02 sentiment: positive

video_pk 79425 · mention_pk 192833

Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Satisfying turns and combos
Modern and colorful euro aesthetic
Strategic depth with meaningful decisions
Built-in tension and player interaction

Cons

Can feel crowded in a four-player game
Requires careful planning to avoid discarding valuable scoring cards

Thematic elements

harnessing entropy to create life
the evolution of the universe

Comparison games

Barrage
Shackleton
Baghdad

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — The moving of your piece, the taking of your action is pretty straightforward.
Engine Building — All of these different elements include engine building, a significant amount of engine building in the game.
Resource Management — You're going to want to take those into consideration. And then mechanically, like Ryan alluded to, this revolves around this sort of Rondelle system.
Rondelle — This revolves around this sort of Rondelle system. It's a conditional rondelle system because you're not simply moving your piece around to the next place that you want to use and using it.
Set Collection — Some of them require you to get rid of something as well. But when you're playing a card, you can also discard one other card to fulfill one of those icons as long as it's on the card.
Tableau Building — A lot of that is into the tableau building and and using a lot of that is using these these creation discs.
Worker Placement — If there's someone else there, kind of like some worker placement games, if there's someone else there, there's maybe a little bit of a penalty.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is Entropy and this has a design team behind it that is going to be music to any Euro lover's ears.
His last three major designs, which I've all loved, have an element of round.
This really is like this is a at its heart a rondelle.
This is a more modern colorful feel and thematically this is like we're we're throwing a lot of names at you. I know that. Uh, but this is like in video game terms a game by Will Wright.
The puzzle of the game is watching what other players are doing, figuring out how many steps you want to move to really maximize what you're doing on a turn.
The decisions I feel like compound to a really satisfying Yeah. uh turn because when you hit it, when you bounce everything in the right way to like pull off one of those big turns, you do feel pretty smart.
That turn in and of itself was an absolute blast.
It is definitely one of those games where you think don't take that David I need two more turns and if you take that then the game ends and I only get one more that definitely factors into it.
There's that tension. I guess less of a race and more of just a built-in tension of like should I do this now or are they going to do this?
It's a very strategic game. It's a very deterministic game. I would say there's like little no look practically in this game other than the fact that they've split the decks.

References (from this video)

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Video V9IfcldpROM Top List at 20:50 sentiment: positive

video_pk 78025 · mention_pk 189134

Click to watch at 20:50 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Very quick playtime (10-15 minutes)
High production quality, looks great on the table
Intriguing gameplay with bluffing and deception
Satisfying to play

Cons

Can be too quick if you want a longer game

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

abstract strategy — You can win a game of Enthrall in one of three ways. You can either get the piece that you are controlling to the center space. You can capture three pieces that your that your piece cares about or you can capture your opponent's piece.
bluffing — And this is another game with a lot of intrigue and faints and fakes, you know?
Capture — You can capture three pieces that your that your piece cares about or you can capture your opponent's piece.
Movement — I Am I moving this character because I'm trying to get it to the center or am I moving this character because I want you to think that that's my character and then I'm going to move this character over the here which was the one I actually care about.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Well this year, honestly, 2025, I feel like is the year of the two-player game.
The gap between 10 and one on this list is smaller than any other video I'm about to put out.
I just like honestly, if you caught me on a different day, I would arrange these in a different order, you know?
This is maybe like the most chill game on this list.
It's a genre of game that is getting more popular right now where you are making decisions on what cards to add to your deck, but then at some point, you're just flipping cards from your deck and doing whatever it says and you're not making choices at that point anymore.
The production quality of Enthrall is insane.
And this is another game with a lot of intrigue and faints and fakes, you know?
This is a two player game where I'm like, 'Ooh, it Every time I play it, I want to play it again because I'm like, 'Ooh, I see something I could have done better.'
Like I mentioned, the gap between 10 and one here is so small and they're all really great.
It's a trend that I like because I just feel like they're easy to get to the table and they're bringing new people into the hobby that might not otherwise be in the hobby.

References (from this video)

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Video nm04IBHQeo0 Rules Teach at 2:45 sentiment: positive

video_pk 72368 · mention_pk 170609

Click to watch at 2:45 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

The game offers considerable strategic depth with various upgrade paths and scoring opportunities.
The interaction between mechanics like star evolution, biome placement, and card play creates interesting combos.
The game leads to very close and tense finishes.
The game has good component quality and table presence (implied by 'cute little pieces of wood').

Cons

The game rules, particularly around traffic bonuses and biome bonuses, can be complex and lead to mistakes if not followed precisely.
The 'wild marker' mechanic for gaining the marker back via a different route means you don't get the bonus, which is a subtle but important rule.
The game can feel slow at the start due to the need to build up resources and upgrade cards.

Thematic elements

Creating life and stars through harnessing entropy.
Way into the future where humanity has learned to understand and harness entropy, allowing them to create their own stars, evolve stars, coalesce planets from matter, and create life on planets, becoming superpowered gods.

Comparison games

primordial soup

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Players move their scientist to spaces on the board to perform actions, which are categorized as main (inner) or secondary (outer) actions.
Area Majority — The game features scoring objectives that award points based on having the most of certain types of planets or biomes.
Card Drafting — Players draw life form cards, and there is an opportunity to choose which cards to take from a revealed selection.
Route Building — Evolving stars involves moving along a progression of tiers, from 1B to higher levels like 2A, 2B, 2C, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4B, 4C.
Set Collection — Collecting different types of stars and life forms contributes to victory points and fulfills certain requirements for other actions.
Take That — Asteroids can be placed on planets to destroy life forms, which is a direct player interaction.
Variable player powers — Players upgrade their 'console' to gain new abilities and bonuses throughout the game.
Worker Placement — Players place 'creation markers' on action spaces to perform actions, and these markers remain until retrieved, limiting future action choices.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

We're here tonight to show you how it plays.
This is a new game coming from Board and Dice designed by Simony Luchani, Neestor Mangonei, and Tomaso Batista.
We're kind of becoming like superpowered gods, whatever, by creating all of this stuff.
This is probably the smallest scoring pad that I have ever seen in the game.
So, you are restricted in what actions you can do based on the creation markers. That's kind of the twist in this game as to the actions that you can do.
This is the best action in the game because it's called primordial soup.
Generally speaking, to put plant life onto a planet, you need to consume or at least have bacteria. And to put animals onto a planet, you generally need to have or consume plants.
The game is going a bit better. Bit better than the last round.
This is the point in the game where I'm losing what I should be doing.
It's clear on the card. I just didn't read it.
So, I'm going to play this one. So, one carbon, two water, two water, and a green. And I get nine points. I don't get any animals, but nine points is nine points.
So, I put the asteroid on there. Oh, which the two bacteria which I put on there to flip this, but then I forgot to flip it.
So, the game is going a bit better. Bit better than the last round.
I think this end game's going to sneak up on us cuz I'm close to getting that.
My best option. So this may have been the first time in the entire game I've moved three.

References (from this video)

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Video cQ_xyb4cHfc Top List at 0:37 sentiment: positive

video_pk 67725 · mention_pk 163925

Click to watch at 0:37 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

greatest table presence
full of faints and fake outs and tons of intrigue
three paths to victory

Cons

two-player only

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)

What are the best board games?
I played 32 new board games in the month of October, and these are my top five.
I'm a dummy because it's really good.
It is one of the best flip and right games.
Welcome to has been sitting on my shelf of shame for like five to six years, and I finally played it, and I'm a dummy because it's really good.

References (from this video)

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Video e-rQhj4_SE4 Review at 0:07 sentiment: positive

video_pk 67657 · mention_pk 163839

Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

insanely good production value
cool look
cool vibe
quick playing time (15 minutes)

Cons

none

Thematic elements

faints, fakes, and intrigue
wizard's chamber or Mount Olympus

Comparison games

chess

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Capture — There are multiple ways to win, including capturing opponent's characters.
Movement — Only characters in the top half of the board can move or capture. Moving a character slides it to the bottom, and others slide up.
Objective Fulfillment — One way to win is to get your character to the center space.
Set Collection — One way to win is to capture all the characters your character cares about.
Tile Placement — Characters are represented by tiles, with locked tiles at the bottom and movable tiles at the top.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Oh my god, this is a board game.
It's called Enthrone, and it makes me feel like I'm in a wizard's chamber or in a meeting on Mount Olympus, something like that.
It's a two-player only game full of faints and fakes and intrigue.
You're constantly thinking, 'Is that their character? Do they want me to think that's their character? Do they want me to capture that character because they care about capturing that? What is going on?'
A game of this takes about 15 minutes, so it's one I want to play over and over again.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video y__ZY-VHc2o Unknown Channel Review at 0:34 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 66262 · mention_pk 161159

Click to watch at 0:34 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Tight, elegant core mechanism with a focused, chess-like feel.
Short play time (roughly 15–30 minutes) enables rapid iteration and multiple plays in an evening.
Production value matches gameplay weight (eight sculpted busts, premium board).
Core deduction is woven into every decision, not a separate phase.
Multiple win conditions provide tactical variety without heavy rules overhead.

Cons

Early deterministic puzzle can become predictable with more plays.
No variable player powers or events reduces long-term replayability concerns.
Fixed board setup and lack of variability can lead to staleness after repeated plays.
Insert quality and tear-down friction can detract from the experience over time.

Thematic elements

Hidden identity and deduction within a constrained, queue-driven action space.
Fantasy kingdom with a central throne; players secretly control one of eight character busts (King, priestess, knight, jester, etc.).
Single-identity deduction embedded directly into core gameplay; players deduce and act within a tightly constrained track.

Comparison games

Scales of Fate

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action_track — An eight-position track where only pawns in the top five can move; the top three can enter the throne, the top two can attack; bottom three are locked.
elimination_and_threats — You can eliminate opposing pawns, affecting the board state and threat evaluation.
hidden_identity — You secretly control one character and try to deduce or block your opponent’s identity and path to the throne.
multi-win_conditions — Win by reaching the throne, eliminating the opponent’s character, or hunting target characters; there is a fourth win condition if the opponent eliminates four characters without winning.
Player Elimination — You can eliminate opposing pawns, affecting the board state and threat evaluation.
priority_queue_and_shift — When a pawn moves, its tile slides to the bottom and everything shifts up, creating a persistent priority dynamic.
Time Track — An eight-position track where only pawns in the top five can move; the top three can enter the throne, the top two can attack; bottom three are locked.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Enthroned has eight sculpted fantasy character busts. King, priestess, knight, jester, all the classics.
The action track creates dynamic interconnected decisions every turn.
I'd rather have 50 amazing plays of a tight, focused game than a hundred plays of something that's trying too hard.
Scales of Fate has nine demigods, and each player secretly controls two of them.
Zero randomness design is elegant.
The dual identity deduction is exponentially more complex than single identity systems.
No two games felt identical to us because of that variability.
Three age structure with variable setup has kept our plays feeling fresh.
The endgame guessing added explicit stakes in our plays that rewarded all the deduction work we've been doing across three ages.
The scoring system creates high stakes tension and the psychological warfare deepens as you and your opponent get more experience.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video mitUaTG4oos Board Game Animal Top 10 List at 7:27 sentiment: positive

video_pk 35908 · mention_pk 107502

Click to watch at 7:27 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Rich, immediate player interactions
Accessible yet deep abstract gameplay
Strong table presence

Cons

Abstract theme may not appeal to all players
Can have a steeper learning curve for first-time abstract game players

Thematic elements

Abstract strategy and deduction
Abstract, table-wide interaction
Competitive, immediate table dynamics

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

abstract movement with non-controlled pieces — Players influence and maneuver pieces that aren’t fully controlled by a single player, creating tension and misdirection.
high player interaction — Mechanisms encourage direct contest and reactionary play among opponents.
Positive Player Interaction — Mechanisms encourage direct contest and reactionary play among opponents.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Enthrone could be the sleeper hit of 2025, who knows—I'm calling it now.
These five look genuinely interesting with everything from racing and tile placement to auction abstract strategy and area majority.
I am very excited for this, and the ocean is an incredible realm to dive into for that kind of game.
Hadrian's Wall is one of my all-time favorite games and this is taking Hadrian's Wall to the next level.
The artwork looks fantastic and the cover alone tickled me.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video -h5u2Ghv8tY Board Game Animal Discussion at 4:45 sentiment: positive

video_pk 33665 · mention_pk 100124

Click to watch at 4:45 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Cool twist on two-player abstract play
Incredible table presence and artwork
Fast, replayable with strong deduction and momentum

Cons

Pieces may feel unnecessary to some

Thematic elements

Deduction and tug-of-war with asymmetric powers
Two-player abstract strategic arena
Tense and elegant duel play

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Asymmetric Player Powers — Each side has unique abilities that shape the power balance.
Asymmetric powers — Each side has unique abilities that shape the power balance.
Deduction — Players infer and respond to opponent's intentions through limited information.
Tug of War — Games pivot on shifting momentum as players contest control.
tug-of-war — Games pivot on shifting momentum as players contest control.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

If we can help anybody, even one person discover a game, then mission accomplished.
It really means so much and I can't even begin to express it.
The fact that any one of our videos can make a difference for someone, that is the best feeling.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Enthrone

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Enthrone

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Create a New Guild