You guys did a good job for commenting the games list. A humble opinion. Quite often you guys would mention about other games I never heard of. Certain snap shots , pictures would help people who are new to these games including me to learn more.

Great video and discussion guys. I have no doubts that your play group is having tons of fun after watching this. Super grateful you make these Top 10 videos and not at all surprised at the overlap on these lists. CHEERS!

I truly enjoy seeing the three of you doing vids together. Just makes me smile the whole time. Thanks for the reviews and making me happy.

Princess Leia with a rocket launcher.... sounds like a Blues Brothers reference to me.

Another one good show. Thanks you guyz. My two comments: I would definitely prefer Middle-Earth Quest from all the Lord of the Rings games out there. I would also like to see Game of Thrones Second Edition in one of your lists.

Hmmm...I would draw your attention to Sherlock Holmes; Consulting Detective. My game room even gets a touch of fog when we play.

But I'm happy that Name of the Rose is there. That was the first game which taught me better. I've always despised licensed game fearing they were just a cheap cash-in. But that one's clearly an underrated jewel. Thanks, Zee!

Also, the old Avalon Hill game, the bookcase game; Starship Troopers, was terrific. This was Avalon Hills version based off the book, and was sometimes referred to as Panzerblitz in space. AH later released the same title based off of the movie, but I'm referring to their first game. It was super.

I can also suggest Game of Thrones to you guys, it's a fantastic board game!

@Kai_Oti

10 жыл бұрын

Tis what I said earlier.

@michaelharrington6698

5 жыл бұрын

Whys it so bad? Its probably one of my favorite games ..

Love the Dice tower Love the top tens Keep em coming guys ;)

Fury of Dracula (3rd ed.) is an absolute beast of a game, as usual Zee hits the nail on the head and he's talking about the 2nd ed. as the new edition hadn't yet been released. The theme is just all over the game and it's a really immersive experience, highly recommended.

@Lugo428

6 жыл бұрын

Alex Schofield I've read the book, and oh my goodness, the references.

Chaos In The Old World should have hit one chart - taking the Warhammer Fantasy IP of the Chaos Gods, that game is awesome!

For all the talk of LotR games, I feel like someone needs to give an honourable mention to Middle-Earth Quest. It's a great us vs. one game, and while it has a lot of great mechanics I don't see much in other games, the biggest draw is the theme of being Sauron. Spreading danger across Middle-Earth, corrupting the lands and pursuing his goals is just a ton of fun. Granted, you don't get to play as any heroes from the book/movies so it loses some theme on the good guys side, but I'd rank it about as high as Fury of Dracula for giving a great villain experience.

Until season 3 I felt the same about Gaius, but season 4 made me understand that he was "destined" to play this role. One of the best series of all time and amazing performances. Great choices guys for your top 10.

the All My Children board game from TCR is actually legitimately fun, even (or especially) with no actual familiarity with the original show. It really excels in conveying that it is a soap opera board game where the ultimate goal is for your character to be happy at every other character's expense. (and the card mechanics are pretty novel on their own as well)

Sam is actually right. There is several versions of the Arturian legend in books, comics and TV for example Le Morte D´Arhtur, The Once and Future King, Camelot 3000, Merlin etc...

Great episode guys! Nice work. Now I do want BSG for Christmas! :)

When I played the Star Wars LCG, my first game I wasn't sure, but by the 7th game I was making up a story as it went along, describing the events like they were in a movie, to some friends who I was chatting with. It's an awesome game.

Great show as ever. Pillars of the Earth showing well again. You must read the book - one of the best. Game does it justice the quality is excellent and it's a great game too. Keep up the good work.

PPS- Regarding X-Wing vs Attack Wing, that whole game system was copied from what was originally Wings of War, and now is Wings of Glory. One of the games main game mechanics is the ship maneuvering, which was designed to highlight aerial dogfighting. The front arch of fire really captures the feel of maneuvering that is such a huge part of aerial dogfighting, and drives the maneuvering of the game. I haven't taken the plunge on either X-Wing or Attack Wing, but I would have to say that that system should work better where "dogfighting" is what is being portrayed. So for me, that would be X-Wing. However, Tom has given Attack Wing a nice review, so I have no doubt it is good. Still, the original game design was to capture the feel of dogfighting, so from a game mechanics point of view, I would still have to say that the game mechanics are a better fit for X Wing. Cheers!

Sam is right in about firefly. I felt it was firefly right from the start. I guess maybe Tom is looking for story driven mechanics that recreate the series but I don't know how and if that would actually work. I highly recommend watching the show again, and even just the pilot episode because you will be surprised just how much of it they did out in the game. What they've really done is allow you to be the captain of your own firefly and create your own "show" as the game is reallllly open ended as far as how to make money and complete the main goals. I love it and the expansion is going to knock it out of the park!!

Missed the classic "Space Hulk" - I suspect they haven't played it, but it really captures the spirit and atmosphere of the "Aliens" movie wonderfully - but great top 10-list nonetheless, keep 'em coming!

What a fun video. Some great new games to check out, for sure.

I am with Sam on firefly. Disappointed, but it lead me back to the series and made me think of the game.

I know it's hard to include every game, and at the point you posted this top-10 list it'd been only 3 weeks or so since its release, but I have to say that A Study in Emerald by Martin Wallace is a phenomenal game based on the short story by Neil Gaiman. If you haven't played it yet, you should try to squeeze it in between all of the other board games you review, you won't regret it.

There was a game I used to own, quite a few years ago, called Aliens, that was really good. I'm pretty sure you could play it co-op, but the players took the role(s) of the Colonial Marines going in to rescue the colonists. Great game, I even had an expansion that came out for it, but it strayed off the plot of the movie. Anyway, it was a good one.

Another great video, but Star Wars and Lord of the Rings games probably could have been each their own Top Ten List. I would be interested to see some of the lesser known licensed games, like The Name of the Rose, that Zee mentioned

@salmonblox

10 жыл бұрын

eh, maybe Top 5 each. I'm not sure how many quality games there are of each universe.

@nerzenjaeger

10 жыл бұрын

salmonblox Lord of the Rings has three games which could be in a Top100 of all time alone with Middle-Earth Conquest, LotR Card Game and War of the Ring :)

Game of Thrones 2 ed would be right up there for me. Also I hope you will be reviewing in the next week that copt of Mage Wars: Druid Vs. Necromancer above Zee's head.

Hey, great video :) thanks, I watch them all :) and enjoy them all :) When will you make top tem War games :) thanks

Game of Thrones and Metal Gear Solid Risk are in my top list!

Again talking about the intro/outro music here -- The composer Timothy Pinkham has a track called "The Dice Tower Theme". That's *not* the music I hear in this video, so the mystery remains.

I own the Letters of Whitechapel boardgame, and never played Fury of Dracula, so I'm really interested to know how do you compare both(not just on the theme), but mechanics,which looks better, components, fun,...

"I didn't like the Firefly board game that much, but they did a good job including the theme of firefly into the game." I'm glad to hear a complex reasoning like this from sam healey

2 games based on books or tv that I would place on my list are Game Of Thrones the board game and also Discworld: Ankh-Morpork board game. Love them both and I feel they really bring the atmosphere of their source material to the table.

I would say ... 10. Discworld: Ankh-Morpork 9. World Without End 8. Mansions of Madness 7. War of the Ring 6. Robinson Crusoe 5. Star Trek Fleet Captains 4. Marvel Legendary 3. Lord of the Rings LCG 2. A Game of Thrones 1. Pillars of the Earth Notable mentions are Penny Arcade (Gamers+Rumble) and Civilization the board game, but both are kinda grey area.

I'm actually curious if you guys have played Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery, because I think that it is great game completely independent of the licensing. I have played it with several people who have never seen the show and continue asking to play it again, a few actually going out and watching the show afterwards.

@xSpookieBoogie

9 жыл бұрын

Dude Spartacus is so freaking awesome, when my group gets together we always play different games, but in the end we always play Spartacus.

About The Pillars of The Earth, didn't read the book either (started it but never finished it)' but I saw the TV serie, and I agree with Sam, the theme is very strong and fits the story. Good choice! :)

I own the lotr game but I don't get it. We play a lot and consider ourselves open to all kinds of games but we never have fun with that one and always put it back in the box after about 1 hr. What are we missing?

Fury of Dracula is kind of like a sequel to the Bram Stoker novel. The same "hunters" are hunting for Dracula in the novel, but the game is clearly supposed to happen after the events of the novel have taken place. So I guess you're all right, kind of.

Starcraft (and Brood War expansion) was another board game that encapsulated the IP very well.

No one mentioned Wildstorms (of Wildstorms comic universe) which blows away any of the older CCGs and any of the newer deckbuilders. GREAT game.

Absolutely agree with Sam on Shadows over Camelot, being an Arthurianist, could pick many but could say its based on the legends as in Morte D'artur by Sir Thomas Mallory. Excellent choice

Love Dune. Really keen to play Fury of Dracula, sounds great.

Anyone know if Dice Tower has ever done a Top 10 'Introductory Games' or 'Beginner Games'? I'd like some ideas to convince more friends to play. They don't have to be overly simplistic, just maybe a less steep learning curve.

Pillars of the Earth is also a miniseries, that was created in 2010! You guys should definitely watch it. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book as widely as the show, because it's definitely a slog, although I'd still recommend it, but the TV show is very well done and faithful to the book in all the right ways and enjoyable if you haven't read the book (which is how I watched it). Only 10 episodes so it shouldn't be too difficult to get through.

@stephanberger3476

8 жыл бұрын

Also recommended: World Without End. Both the miniseries ánd the boardgame.

@dra900nka1n

8 жыл бұрын

I have yet to get around to that, although my girlfriend says it's good.

Amazed Tales of the Arabian Nights wasn't on Tom's list somewhere, considering how often he says how well the theme comes through in it.

i bought pillars of the earth on this show's recommendation. to be honest, i don't really see what the big deal is. it's not a bad game, but other than the turn order phase, it's a pretty by the numbers worker placement

You should definitely do a live stream and play everyone's #1 favourite game !

Star wars epic duels is incredible i recently paid about 80 bucks for it on ebay and in 2 weeks it was already worth every penny. Going to be buying some figures and downloading other decks that have been created by fans of the game.

Xanth is one that comes to mind for me.

I love these videos, great job as usual...but oh my God I must have watched 2:07 about 1000 times and was dying of laughter lol.

1. War of the Ring 2. Battlestar Galactica 3. Robinson Crusoe 4. Battle of Five Armies 5. Star Wars: Imperial Assault 6. Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures 7. Eldritch Horror 8. A Game of Thrones 2nd Edition 9. King of Tokyo 10. Fury of Dracula

I particularly like the UFS CCG (Universal Fighting System). It takes things from the different IPs that it uses and somehow blends them into a card game that feels like a fighting game. When I'm playing Ryu in that game, it feels much different then when I am playing Astaroth. If my character is big and bulky they throw out slow but powerful attacks and vice versa. The only downfall is that the game is a CCG. If they made it into an LCG I would buy all of it instantly.

My number one is Star Wars LCG. And i would say to Sam as fellow Star Wars fan: i totally know what you mean but play star wars lcg some more. You will see amazing dynamics and really cool stories. Especially (as Tom said) now, when we can make some really nice thematic and coherent decks. Try for example bounty hunters versus spies - Han Solo tracked and enslaved by Trandoshans, or mad Wookies tearing their enemies apart... That feels really starwarsy. I mean it.

Every time I see your cans sitting on your game table, I keep thinking, "you guys should sell an insulated can holder (koozy) with the Dice Tower logo on your web site." The aluminum holders with the molded plastic insert actually makes a nice dice cup. I've had the same red Washington Red Skins (molded foam outside, plastic inside) can holder / dice cup since I was in college. I've peeked at bulk pricing w/custom logo and it seems a bit high but put it on Kickstarter and see how it goes.

I have Eldritch Horror and it is awesome!!

The one game that should be on this list, and I think Tom still has yet to review, is the Uncharted board game. I think he and Sam would enjoy it a great deal, and it's easily my favorite board game based on a video game.

The Aliens boardgame. I know it is long OOP, but a GREAT game, probably one of my top three of all time.

Yes, thank you Zee, I love the VS. System Marvel & DC game!

I'm really glad to see BSG and FoD finally get some recognition from this crew. I like GoT but it's a little on the light side for me. My only question is WHERE IS SPARTACUS??? It's not even my kind of game but I think it strongly captures the show, has good mechanics, isn't too long and is an enjoyable game.

I agree, personaly i found that in the series the building of the cathedral is te most borring part of it, and that was not borring at all. meaning everything was exiting but the thing what was the less exiting part was the cathedral

Yes, I was thinking the same! Nice 1

'Suffering in a box' - must own it now.....

Did you guys have Tales of Arabian Nights on your short lists?

In the Name of the Rose was a FINE movie, BTW. The Decipher CCG LotR was a very good IP game. Also, SPI produced a fine card/war game called War of the Ring in the late '70s. Knights of the Round Poker Table is good, but not THAT thematic.

Looks like LOTR. Star Trek & Star Wars got the most wins all together. You 3 always make me laugh. I really look forward to watching these video's of you guys. Thanks, keep it up.

actually really like vs system, still occasionally buy boxes online and play with my friends

was surprised it didnt make any list

I really like Tom´s number one choice, great game. But I missed Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery!

Totally agree with Tom's 1#. Star Trek Fleet Captains is fantastic. It's like Star Trek: the Game. Great choice :D

One thing that always gets me about GoTtBG is that the characters can't actually be killed.

Game of Thrones the Board Game and Lord of The Rings LCG are pretty amazing too!

Great video, as always. Your top tens are in my top five :) but guys, you could really increase your education, there's even a great movie adaptation of both: Dracula and Pillars. The Fury of Dracula is actually a made up sequel to the story and the Pillars of the Earth original story is just so different to the story the game creates, that it doesn't feel thematic to me at all... Otherwise I really agree, except not even mentioning A Game of Thrones :) Thank you for another hour with you...

In my opinion, there are two games missing from your lists. One is A Game of Thrones 2nd edition, and the other is Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery. Especially that second one is a great game that captures the world from Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Great mechanics, getting the intrigue and gladiator fights in one game. Just pure awesomness.

Does anyone know where you can buy Der Name Der Rose? It's out of stock at CoolStuff AND Funagain, and Amazon doesn't have it listed... I hate when these guys use out of print games!

I've never seen them agree so much, it's freaking me out!

Looked up War of the Ring after watching this video, sad to discover that it is out of print. Seems like a really cool game

@Nouthghule

10 жыл бұрын

Hey man, just FYI, reprint is scheduled for fall 2014. boardgamegeek.com/thread/1226922/out-stock

@sdc3536

10 жыл бұрын

hey thanks a lot for the info. I actually found that thread on BGG after looking some more into the game but completely missed those posts about a reprint this year. Thanks a lot

@Nouthghule

10 жыл бұрын

sdc3536 You're welcome.

Firefly board game based on the Joss Whedon series is amazing! :)

a cool Hoth deck... Groan!

Zee, if you don't like long games I am confused with the Eldrich Horror pick? Don't get me wrong, I really am just curious. Is it not really a 2-4 hour game like FFG is saying?

Yeah, really surprised Spartacus is not on there. I can see that Tom might not like the show. But the game is good fun and really really captures the spirit of the show.

Battlestar Galactica.... some of the most fun I've ever had playing a game. Would be myy #1 choice for this list also. Sam has it right. :)

I never learned Overpower. There is a site where you can play VS. System online, & a database of the game's cards you could print off, although the game is Out Of Print.

this list needs an update! :D

On the Star Trek/Star Wars thing, the main difference between the two is Star Wars has a ship card with the pilot built into it. While the Star Trek Ship cards do not have a Captain (pilot) built in. You get to choose who "Captains" your ship. Otherwise they are basically the exact same game. Pick your theme, and have fun.

great show guys

Totally agree with Z about Firefly. Takes way too long.

Good one guys!

Exactly! It fulfills the requirement of being based on a book (or 27 of them at last count, I believe) and its meta! lol

I think the problem with using Eldrich Horror is that it's just based on the setting of H.P. Lovecraft, it's not drawing on any one story or even really series.

"That old Star Trek battle game" Star Fleet Battles. Still popular, still published, in fact a new expansion released last month. Yes a wargame, no I don't think you will ever like it. The manual is 95% reference, learning how to play is easier than you think. There is also Federation Commander, more streamlined, energy pay as you go instead of spreadsheet, movement 4 times faster, damage 10 times faster, better components. No matter. Keep doing what you're doing. I enjoy the show.

I enjoyed the video. Though I was frustrated with all the DC hate though I know it was for that horrible game from Cryptozoic, I felt bummed hearing so much DC sucks banter. Anyways enjoyed the video besides that aspect, also would love to see a top 10 money sink games! Games in which are awesome enough that you would buy tons of things for it like Warhammer, X-Wing, Magic, Heroclix, etc!

All aboard the crazy train - Attacktix? Funny. :-) Missing A Game of thrones 2nd ed.

Geez, I'm not even sure I could name 10 good games based on movies or books. Dune, BSG, Lovecraft stuff, a Star Wars game or two, and...uhhhh.... This came out after the video, but actually the Bloodborne card game isn't half bad. Despite how the theme makes it look, it's like a treasure hunting, press your luck, predict your opponents' cards to cut them off or screw them over like Citadels sort of deal. It's simple and plays out in 30-60 minutes.

I simply love the intro and outtro music. Tom (or anyone else), can you identify it for me?

All i can think of when Zee says "flavor" is him licking the games...

Don't wanna nag, but there's one thing I cannot understand the slightest: Why is there no GAME OF THRONES. It's not just an awesome book based game, it's one of the best games I've ever played and the tension of war, intrigue, diplomacy and treachery from the book/series is just there. And compared to that piece of boring WAR OF THE RING it's the FAR better strategy game due to the lack of chance. Guys, seriously?!?! ;-)

Boy I sure miss all the Xwing and Tiefighter pc games

It may be time to do a new list because there are so many new games in this category.

Of course, I meant the original, Avalon Hill Game Co. one, 'Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers.'