Welcome to Tabletop Toolbox! I'm your host, Jeff, and this channel is all about board and tabletop gaming! While I enjoy most talking about crowdfunding projects involving up-and-coming, new games, I also enjoy talking about games in general - even occasionally digging into fundamental concepts of games, gaming mechanisms, methods, rules, and more - and I do that on my weekly show, "The Weekly Ratchet." I encourage viewer participation on the Weekly Ratchet, so if you're here, join in the fun by adding your voice to the channel! Thanks for joining me here, on Tabletop Toolbox!
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I keep coming back because the different games bring different options, experiences and discoveries. I can choose space as my playground, sometimes discovering or conquering new worlds. I can farm, time travel, survive on a deserted island and so much more! I can just play word games or other minimally-themed strategy game to stretch my brain. I play with friends, my wife or just solo. Gaming just affords a wealth of choices to open up my imagination and my decision-making skills to have a wonderful time.
QotW - I play games to have fun, every once in a great while to kill time. There are some games that I don't come back to that I like but didn't have fun playing. There are some games (ex: Spades, Chess) that people play with intent to win and their winning desire overcomes the fun aspect. One of the reasons i like Ticket to Ride so much is that I can be playing with my own winning conditions in mind and have fun in meeting those conditions while still participating in a group competition.
What keeps me coming back is the sense of discovery. It starts with discovering new games through social media and content creators. Then, when I buy a game, it's the unboxing and discovering the components and rules. For the actual gameplay, I lean towards games where the sense of discovery continues. Sometimes it's new characters/roles, maybe new scenarios (or beyond that entire campaigns), and often new mechanics... regardless, I really like games that always leave something new to discover with each play. The hobby for me is one big adventure full of mystery and exploration. And because I participate in the discovery, it's become far more interesting and engaging for me than movies, books, or other forms of entertainment.
Hello there, I wish I could go back a few years and actually play more of the games I was acquiring instead of just keep buying more and more as the years went by. Sadly, there's still a bunch of games in my collection I haven't touched.(Haven't played 40 of about a 100) 😅 Kids came into the picture, and available time was cut off significantly. Lately, if I buy a game, I make sure it has a solo mode that will make it more likely to get to the table. Cheers
Aw dangit - I was filming the next episode when you posted this! I totally understand you though - I have a bunch of unplayed games, though I've been fortunate in knocking out a small number of them just this past week. I hope you can start working your way through your unplayed collection! Try to set yourself a goal of tackling one a week, or something like that - might help make it happen! Cheers!
Sorry, I hope I didn't mess up anything, I was late to the party anyway. My fault...😅 Thanks for the great suggestion. I NEED to make a schedule and put it into action. 👍
Hi Jeff! We have had some definite game plays of Firefly like yours. Very frustrating. One scenario variant we always play with now is one where you roll your die whenever you perform a Full Burn. This is the number of spaces you can move before you start drawing Sector cards (instead of drawing a card with each and every move). This can help tremendously in helping everyone accomplish what they want to do and speed up the game slightly. There will still be the bad cards you will draw, but you might be in a better position to deal w/ them if they don't come up sooner than later. Just a suggestion. Cheers!
Yes! I've done this variant before and after this recent play, I think I'll use going forward!!! I was trying to give Daniel the "full monty" experience...! :D
My main challenge for board gaming is scheduling, especially for heavier games. Finding the time when people are available is quite a conundrum as everyone has their own priorities and responsibilities. In my area, there are a few board game groups and even finding the time to attend their scheduled meet-ups can be difficult. So what I would change is to have more dedicated time for gaming with my friend group. Luckily, I have a board gamer at home who shares similar tastes, so we frequently have the opportunity to play shorter/less complex games in the evenings and, when we can, some longer games over the weekends.
Solarion caught my eye too. Big fan of 4X and deckbuilders. Eager to hear how well it works.
RE Scout: You have to take from either end so that the thing in the middle remains a valid play. Only matters for runs, but it is easier (and more balanced) to just have a blanket rule than to make exceptions just for runs.
I want to appreciate gameplay over production more. I'm getting better at not craving super-deluxified games. Now I only back those if there is a TTS mod that I can try first.
I played a lot of Catan with my wife when we first got into the hobbie together, but she kept winning. I got a little miffed that I couldn't win. I became a bad loser... and I believe that's when she stopped playing games if it was just the two of us. I would really like to go back and change that.
Change one thing…Make it easier to find people in my community to play games with, especially people at my stage of life (Mid 50’s, kids grown). We have two game cafes in Albuquerque, NM but have not had much success nor on Meet up app.
Great review. It deserves more views! In my first play turn order meant quite a bit: i think we played the beginner setup that rewarded "A" transformer rewards at the first scoring. The first 3 players snatched up these rewards and did so in a way that made taking two impossible for the 4th player. So it can have an effect, but I agree with you that 99% of the time it did not. Its not like new cards were revealed at the end of a round or anything like that. Ultimately a beautifully (over)produced game with some cool ideas that feel underbaked and inadequately tested.
hope you like handful of stars. I love deck builders and scifi. hope it is one you end up enjoying, do you have a full list of your top 100 somewhere? just curious if you have that all in 1 list somewhere so that I don't need to scan through all the videos which I've watched already
@jwspiker thanks for the recommendation- looking forward to trying it!
If I could change something it would be the amount of time I have for gaming. I wish I could game more.
Hello Jeff and The Tabletop Toolbox Community It looks like I’m late to the party, because I forgot to comment about my fav and my least favorite game. My Fav I will say is an underrated gem for me is Trolls and Princesses - the publisher is going out of business so they won’t make an expansion they had planned, but I love that game is fun and have the right amount of depth even if the theme is kinda there, but because it make so much sense is one of my favorite. (You should try it Jeff 😂) let me know what you think. My least favorite is Cards Against Humanity. I hate this game so much. It doesn’t matter if people think it could be fun with the right group, for me That was the biggest waste of time of my life. I played with some family and friends for 3 hours non stop and I thought I was going to die. Never again. I just don’t get how people like this trash. I rather play Monopoly than this crap. - This week question of the week, if I could change something I believe that It would be how welcoming and inclusive we are in our hubby, like I have been trying to create a new gaming group for over a year so I could play heavier games not too crazy heavy but you know Lacerda Type games because most of my family doesn’t want to do anything pass Wingspan. Like I enjoy it, but playing Wingspan and Cascadia every week gets tougher and tougher. Anyways To break down what I’m trading to say is that I would go and say hi and make a connection with people that I have been talking to for months now at board game Cafes, or board game stores and exchange info and they all say yes. We can play a couple games and see what’s up, and then I contact them multiple times and they are always busy every week they are busy, so it’s kinda heartbreaking in a way. I’m open to break the ice and start a conversation just so I could make some friends with similar taste, but after all that trouble nothing happens. I rather people be honest and not give me their contact info if I will just be ignore. I just want to play more games with people and share this wonderful hubby with others, but it’s sad that us in our community don’t welcome others as easily it makes you feel lonely in a way, just like Jeff said in a previous video. We have to be more open and give others a chance, I know not everyone is going to like me, but I’m not the worse guy out there. I’m probably too friendly that’s what some of my other friends say. Anyways sorry this is long, but this is what I would change about our hubby or community if I could. More people to play a lot of game and many different type of games would be amazing. If you have the time that is. Take Care Guys Jon
@@BoardGamesVibes welcome Jon!
@@TabletopToolboxhappy to be here 😄
to me , the boardgame community was a lot like the Linux community. I started using Linux very early on (early '90s) and would try to gently assist others in getting their feet wet. But I and others like me were soon crowded out and for a couple of decades Linux discussion groups and forums were brutal to those "not-in-the-know". I don't know if boardgames have that type of history but when I started getting interested in the area a few years ago I definitely hit waves of bad vibes. I said "forget this" and left. A couple of years later I waded back in when the boardgame KZreadr's came to my attention and I sort of waded back in. But I am very selective in whom I watch, play at only one online site and refuse to even look at discussion groups and forums. And this is an approach I would encourage to take.
@@cr-pol thanks for the replay. I can definitely understand that. I have a cousin who’s really big into Linux and how influential it was to modern OS’s and he used to tell me about it even thought we are from Dominican Republic. So the conversation was maybe lighter than what you experienced, but I remember the push back even in our community, back at home. When you’re online people can be whoever they want to be. Most of the time is bring the worse in us, not being afraid of being judge and be able to become a despicable human being I mean being behind a computer screen you can be anyone? Sometimes if for the worse, but there are some pretty cool people out here. They are just hard to find. Playing it safe for sure. What I meant in my comment were mostly of my experiences face to face. I don’t have social media maybe except KZread if you consider this a type of social media now you can count this one. lol, but that’s about it. I just don’t do that. I’m afraid of social media. It can have its uses, but it could also be a Wild West, but I prefer face to face interactions. That’s why I still love my old SNES or my PS2 because getting together and having that human connection is import it was important for me, and something that if we are not use to it. It could alienate us. That’s what the internet have done to a lot of us, and I can definitely understand your feelings circa the 90’s scary, because we didn’t know the internet was going to become what it is now, but they were good and fun times for sure.
Hi Jeff. Great video as always. My son and I played 4 (new to us) games last week. Drop It - very light, fun; Century: Golem edition- enjoyed this one but need more plays; Planted: A Game of Nature & Nurture - A gorgeous game, beautiful components and my favorite of the four; lastly was 7 Wonders Duel…Nope Neither of us enjoyed it. QotW: If I had to change one thing it would be discovering the board game hobby when I was younger. Thanks, Jeff!
@cay6857 Drop It was great! Haven't played in years but it was fun! I didn't care for Planted very much - played once and sold it.
I would love to play more games at higher player counts- we usually only play at 2, which is great for many games but a lot of the euros we enjoy tend to play better at 3 or 4. We have some gaming friends but most of us have little kids, so it’s tough to get together often!
Hi Jeff…. really enjoying your channel! 😊 I’ve been in the hobby for about 2 1/2 years, and I haven’t had the chance to attend any conventions yet… I think I would love to meet fellow gamers who are as passionate about the hobby as I am….
The game I listed as I didn't like at all that Jeff did was Photosynthesis. And I wasn't alone! for this week's QotW - i would change the short period of time that I let boardgame snobs get to me and make me feel foolish for liking market popular games (Monopoly being prime example) and being a jerk for not liking/having-fun with some of the boardgame communities super popular games.
If I could change one thing, I would like to be more involved in the online boardgame community, either through playing games online or being more active in BGG discussions
I could not believe how fast the DTE seemed to fly by. The library was a great chance to try a variety of games that I was curious about and add to that the opportunity to meet/play games with new people, the convention was a recipe for a great time. Taking advantage of some of the pre-organized games (including Feed the Kraken, Wonderland's War and Last Light) and attending talks by Julie and Eric, Top 10/Top 5, etc., really fills up a schedule. Of course, trying new games resulted in a few purchases and adding a few more to my wish list. Definitely will try to attend next year and will hold a seat at the game table for Jeff.
It's way too far out for now, but I'll certainly see how things are looking for next year!
Repping the channel! Love the shirt
@@realjeremybrooks I have an idea for some new ones. Gotta fired up the wife's Criket. :)
Wyrmspan sounds interesting. Plus….Dragons. My son and I have Radlands, and we’re planning on playing it for the first time tonight. Sounds like all-in-all you had a good time, Thanks so much for talking about your experience, Jeff. I enjoyed this video.
How did Radlands go?! I played it again over the weekend - you'll learn about that soon enough... :)
@@TabletopToolbox We never got to it. It’s been so hot and humid here, we were just puddles by the end of the day, didn’t have the energy for it. We have it out on my game table for tomorrow night though. Seems like you enjoyed it…sort of? My son and I aren’t big fans of take-that, so it should be interesting. I will report back soon. 😁
@cay6857 I do like it, it just quickly pegs my "stop picking on me" meter... 😆
@@TabletopToolboxoh boy did this peg our, “stop picking on me meter” too. We’ve come to the conclusion that games with a heavy, take-that mech aren’t for us. I know it’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian themed game so it’s not going to be a picnic in the park, but I played a card to destroy all but one of my son’s people then realized it required me to do the same to my own! It really is a good game, just not for us.
@cay6857 haha yes! Daniel played a card just like that, triumphantly declared that I had to lose all my guys, and I said, "that's ALL guys - including yours..." There was a pause, a control-Z, and he did something different... 🤣🤣🤣
had a great time playing Amalfi with you..!
@@balbright thanks for losing with me!! 🤣
Great video! The Dice Tower East library is quite impressive. I tried Blood on the Clocktower for the first time. Normally social deduction isn't my thing, but the powers create some deduction elements that are interesting.
@@Wonderflonium did we run into each other last week?? I'm so sorry if I forgot (but I don't think we did...)
@@TabletopToolbox we did not. Maybe next year!
Nice overview Jeff, when it comes to some games you have mentioned (Leaf and Skyrise for example) they target different segment of the hobby, they are geared towards someone who is happy to try next step after playing Monopoly and Jenga ;) and also where accessibility and presentation is the key. On the other hand your approach is as a gamer. I will happily buy those two games so I have something lighter to introduce others into board gaming. Great video.
@Greggiexplore oh exactly. I certainly have some light games on hand as well, say, for when my parents visit. I didn't mean to imply the games weren't GOOD - I just don't need them myself. :)
Every week is Jeff Week on the Tabletop Toolbox channel! 🎉 They should make clear acrilic tiles for Caldera Park, that could look awesome.
@@rentless666 I had thought that myself!
Finally caught up on this series! Just in time to get the comment count up haha. My current top couple games are probably Lisboa and Arkham Horror LCG (though I’ve got several games that flow in and out of the top spots). Never really thought about my least favorite… maybe Monopoly? I certainly hated it as a kid!
Favorite: Fields of Arle. So good solo, at 2, or at 3, with tea! Worst: Christmas Lights. It's Hanabi, but competitive. Who thought this would spread Christmas cheer?
You definitely met some cool people at DTE! Current favorite games Wyrmspan & Apiary (you know Stonemaier games) I am really enjoying Harmonies as well. I just hope it was talk to me properly. 😂
@@Opelikacrush you had a WORLD CLASS teach of Harmonies, I know for a fact... ;) Great to hear from ya!!!
My daughter and I agree that playing games with you was one of the highlights of DTE. It made the convention so much more welcoming. Gaming for me is always about the experience, so I would say that my favorite is Zombicide: Black Plague (but there are so many close contenders, including Unmatched, Flamecraft, and the list goes on)... the most dreaded/least favorite is definitely Kittens in a Blender.
@db_ncr Is this Derrick?! It was great to play with you two as well! You and Valerie were a great inspiration for how I hope my daughter and I will evolve as gamers together. Thanks for joining me for Path of Civilization!! I owe you two for that one!
@@TabletopToolbox It is Derrick! That game was lots of fun. I really enjoy gaming with Valerie. It is a great way to spend time together, I just wish she would let me win sometimes :-)
@db_ncr well at this point all I can say is "ditto"!!! 😆
We mostly play cooperative games. Favorite right now is Lord of the Rings Card Game - such an awesome experience at 2 players! Least favorite is probably Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. Just too loose/open of a system that always makes you feel bad for not making the herculean inferences that the game designers think Sherlock would have.
Favorite is Flash Point Fire Rescue, specifically with Tragic Events. Least is Munchkin. I know some love it but I couldn't even finish one. Thanks for the top 100!
Commenting to help Jeff hit a new record! Was great to say hi to you Jeff at DTE, be great to get a game in at DTR if it isn't too busy. Favorite game is easy for me, Cthulhu: Death May Die. I have a blast playing it every time, it does a great job from the beginning of the game feeling impossible but by the end you're rolling handfuls of dice and you have a chance to win, and sometimes you do win! I will throw out Betrayal at House on the Hill as a least favorite game, and I imagine I don't even have to explain why.
@@andrewgehling8225 you felt betrayed by the game?
@@cr-polYeah something like how a game is supposed to be fun, not a broken mess.
have you played Apex theropod deck building game?
The rulebook on Kickstarter states the draw phase is 3 cards. You drew 4. Did you have an older or more recent version during your playthrough?
@personanongrata8060 I can't precisely remember the script, but I believe one of my crew "bonuses" let me draw an extra card. I believe it was the holodeck...?
@personanongrata8060 suffice to say, drawing three cards is the correct (current) rules, and is the same in the version I had (I've since returned the prototype.)
For right now, I;m gonna call Beyond the Sun my favorite game, but I'm every so fluid about my top games so grain of salt.. My least favorite might be Tidal Blades: Banner Festival. I just didn't feel any real agency in the game and thus felt it a bit of a slog (even though it wasn't THAT long)
Oh man I did NOT like Banner Festival when I played it at the retreat last year!! It's especially frustrating when your best benefits come from winning OR losing a trick, and you can't do EITHER in a given round...
@@TabletopToolbox yep, played it then too and really disliked that as well.
I am going to say Kingdomino is my current favorite. I don't hate Risk, but when a game drags on for more than one day (where you stop and come back to the same game) I am not a fan of that... plus I am not a big strategist with long term planning. I am more of a on the fly thinking kind of guy.
OOF - yeah I wouldn't care for that either - especially with RISK!!! :)
My son and I enjoy Kingdomino very much, but we found we like Kingdomino Origins and Queendomino a bit more. Great games.
i liked my play of brew'n USA when I played it.
Yep, we'll definitely meet again and get some gaming in at the retreat! I think you confused my desire to go to DTEast as me actually going; wish I could have been there!
Ah gotcha. Yeah I know I said "Meet" but we did meet last year - I just don't think we got a game in together, did we? I'd have to check my BGG logs... :)
@@TabletopToolbox Nope, we did not. After seeing your top 100, I look forward to rectifying that!
@@ITOmarHernandez let's do it!
Great to meet you at DTE. Thanks a lot for teaching our group a game (Caldera Park). Hopefully we can get a game in together at DTE next year if you decide to attend. My favorite game is GO (technically one of the oldest boardgames), but of modern boardgames I'd say Container is probably my favorite. My least favorite experience was playing Fallout the boardgame - what a slog that was.
Favorite Game: Root (Ark Nova, Hegemony) Least Favorite: Lore (Villainous, Casting Shadows)
For QotW: Favourite game - Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. I do not own it so I get to play very rarely. Least favourite - Monopoly. I was asked to play a "funny" version of it some time ago. There were some jokes on the cards you keep in the middle of the board. It's still bad and the jokes did not help :)
Thanks for the question @scrubkid6602 and thanks for the answer Jeff. I have the same problem with large crowds and conventions.
Favorite: Wonderland's War - great design, great components. Least Favorite: Hot Shots - a random, frustrating mess.
Fav - Ground Floor 2nd edition, with 4 skilled gamers: Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory
@@AceZBrat help me out here - is Hegemony your least favorite? Or your favorite with 4 players...?
My current favorites changed recently or at least it's in the top 3). That is Federation. Such a great game. As far as least favorite, that's tough. My lowest rated game is called Stowaway 52 (rated 1 out of 10).
Picking a favorite is a hard task. I'm avoiding the popular options and I'd mention something more obscure: Master of Orion the Board game. It's more of a card game, but it's a good game that flew under the radar. As for worst.... Has to be Atlantis. The leo colovini one that takes ages to setup and plays like Candyland.
I'm glad you are getting more subscribers, Jeff. Your quality content deserves more attention. I'm really enjoying this weekly Ratchet series. My favorite games so far are the Castles of Burgundy and Star Trek frontiers. I love the good feeling they give me while making the most efficient moves i can. My least favorite in my collection has been Photosynthesis, i feel it's kind of too chess like (meh)...
Hi Jeff. Sorry to hear about the flight delays. July 4th week/weekend is brutal for traveling. If there will be another several thousand people at DTE next year, I’ll probably pass. There’s a small board game convention here in CT that just started up this year, Tabletop Utopia. I might attend. QotW: So far my favorite game is, Lords of Waterdeep with the Scoundrels of Skullport expansion Absolute least favorite game is, Patchwork