Catch Up on the Top 100 Games

100 through 91
90 through 81
80 through 71

Top 100 Games (of all time) 2025 Edition 70 through 61

70. Meadow

Published By: Rebel Studio
Designer: Klemens Kalicki

Buy Meadow Here

This game is a beautiful nature game. It’s all about creating a meadow and stacking cards on top of each other really. Each card you select is going to have requirements as to how to place it. To go along with that, the selection process is great. I like how you place a token on a row or column and that token determines which thing you take. So you need to plan that out and sometimes make due with the limited placement access you have.

69. Mountain Goats

Published By: Allplay
Designer: Stefan Risthaus

Buy Mountain Goats Here

Mountain Goats is a little, simple, climbing game. All you do is roll your dice and decide how to split them up. Then you move your mountain goat up the tracks that are those numbers. If you reach the top or are at the top, you gain those points. If someone else is at the top when you get there, you knock them down to the bottom again. The game is so simple, but it works really well

68. burncycle

Published By: Chip Theory Games
Designers: Josh J Carlson, Shannon Wedge

Buy burncycle Here

Now we move to burncycle which is a much bigger game. In this game you complete one off missions as robots. I like the theme of the game, robots took over and now big corporations and people have taken it back and are out after the robots. You need to sneak around to complete missions both in buildings and on the network. And the burndown of the cycle is a great tool for the game as well. Just a lot of really fun elements into a big game.

67. The Lost Expedition

Published By: Osprey Games
Designer: Peer Sylvester

Buy The Lost Expedition Here.

The Lost Expedition is back on the list. This game is a great cooperative game. And I always like to mention, it is a good one for not having too much alpha gaming. The players all make their card choices with no input. And it changes up from morning trek to evening trek, I like that about the game as well. The former is playing cards in numerical order, or they slot in that order, while the other you just play out cards. So it changes up the strategy and sometimes you just end up stuck.

66. ISS Vanguard

Published By: Awaken Realms
Designers: Andrzej Betkiewicz, Krysztof Piskorski, Marcin Swierkot

Buy ISS Vanguard Here.

Now to another big campaign game. This one is all about exploring space and figuring out the mystery of why a message brought humanity out here in the stars. The game is also interesting because it’s split into two parts, the planetary exploration part and then the ship management aspect. I like both parts and it makes for a fun campaign, one that I need to get back to, ideally in a group.

65. Mansions of Madness

Published By: Fantasy Flight Games
Designer: Nikki Valens

Buy Mansions of Madness Here.

Now another scenario based game, Mansions of Madness is a classic at this point. Do you want to go on some big Lovecraftian adventure, but as a one off? This game is going to give you that. I like how grand it is, I like how the app lets the scenarios be different each time (albeit just slightly), and I like how the scenarios you play are so different. This is a good beer and pretzels type of game when you want a big game for an evening.

64. Sonora

Published By: Pandasaurus Games
Designer: Rob Newton

Not Available Currently

I like my roll and write games. And Sonora is a great one for that and it has a fun twist with it. Yes, you get all the combos that you get from a lot of roll and write games. But you also get to flick discs. So instead of rolling dice you are flicking discs with numbers to see what areas you activate. It’s fun to knock someone off a spot that they really wanted. And then, like I said, you go heads down and get to combo as many things as you can.

63. Lands of Galzyr

Published By: Snowdale Design
Designers: Seppo Kuukasjarvi, Sami Laakso

Buy Lands of Galzyr

Lands of Galzyr is an interesting game because it’s really different than most games that I’ve played. This one is all about going on adventures and completing quests. But the stakes, while often cool and interesting, are never that high because what quest you go on, that’s determined by whatever shows up. I like as well how you can rotate your skills, so you might start out sneaking and then end up with great lore, it’s up to you and the quests you take.

62. Kohaku

Published By: 25th Century Games
Designer: Danny Devine

Not Available Currently

I like games where you can draft. And Kohaku gives you that as well as being a beautiful game to play. The copy as own has the acrylic tiles which give it a depth from the surface of the water to the bottom which looks amazing. But the game play is good as well. You pick out a koi and a scoring tile and they need to be adjacent to each other. Then when you play them out, you can never put a koi orthogonally adjacent to another koi and same with scoring tiles. So it’s a bit scoring tableau that you create.

61. Nidavellir

Published By: GRRRE Games
Deisgner: Serge Laget

Buy Nidavellir Here

Finally is Nidavellir. This is a game that I actually got rid of at one point. But then I decided to hop into a three player game on BGA. And I realized what I had not liked about the game before. Nidavellir is a great bidding and dwarf set collection game, but for me, only as a three or more player game. It’s fun to try and get your bids just right and still upgrade your coins. Plus you need to diversify what you collect so you can get the bonus powerful dwarves.

Join Next Week

Just as a reminder, I am streaming my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2025 Edition every Wednesday night at 9 PM Central Time. The next few videos have their links up, so you can click notify on them to know when I go live. Or you can subscribe to the channel and click notify to know whenever a new video comes out. Currently I am playing through Legendary Kingdoms on Monday and then my wife and I are playing Baldur’s Gate 3 on Fridays. So join us for those videos.

And thank you for checking out the video and articles. Let me know what your favorite game from this chunk of 10 is and which one you would love to get played.

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Gamefound Spring Feast

Andromeda’s Edge: Genesis

It’s back with an expansion and reprint. If you want to get the game and you missed it the first time, this is going to be more. This is going to add in three more factions and new ways of scoring. This is really going to be one of those games where you feel like you missed out the first time, you can get all the stuff plus the new here.

Follow Andromeda’s Edge: Genesis here.

Puppet Masters: Return to Bodega Bay Inn

This is based off of the movies. And you want to survive against some puppets. This is going to be a cooperative game which is great. I love the horror theme. And it won’t be the last horror game on the list. But this one doesn’t have a ton of information. For me it’s one that I’d love to see more about it before I decide if it’s for me or not.

Follow Puppet Masters here.

Terrorscape 2

This is a hidden movement game with great 3D elements. The location is different and the killers are different. There are going to be some mechanical updates. You can fight back as one of the options for winning the game. I like the idea of Terrorscape, but hidden movement is often harder to get to the table. And if you are the person who knows the game, you are often the one who is doing the hiding. But if you want more of the game, this is going to be a standalone and add more for you to play.

Follow Terroscape 2.

Dawn of Madness Complete Collection

I want to back this one. But what I need to do is play Deep Madness first. But Dawn of Madness sounds amazing as well with a lot of narrative. I hope maybe by the time this comes to Gamefound I’ll be ready to back for it. It should be quick to production as well. But this is going to be a cooperative horror survival game which is a style and setting that I like.

Follow Dawn of Madness.

Borderlands: Mister Torgue’s Arena of Badassery 2

This is still going to be an arena boss battler sort of thing. I know it was on crowdfunding before. I’m not super interested in this one. I did love the video games, but this to me feels a bit more like just a big fighting system. And while conflict isn’t bad in a game, it’s not something that I just gravitate towards. The new boss battler element does make the game interesting for sure though.

Follow Borderlands 2 here.

S.H.E.O.L. Midnight Odyssey

Another game that I already own, though this is the 2.0 version. I need to get my copy played. This is a campaign style game where there is a ton of darkness and you need to keep connected. And the game is a puzzle for how you play everything out to create paths through the darkness to your objectives. I won’t be backing this one, but it’ll be tempting. Really, what it makes me want to play the game.

Follow S.H.E.O.L. Midnight Odyssey.

The Dark Carnival

This is a D&D campaign. I like the sounds of it, but it’s an RPG campaign so it’s going to be a pass for me. But this is supposed to be a mid-level story that you can drop into your campaign which is great. I think there is more need for that and it’s something that can help Dungeon Masters.

Follow The Dark Carnival here.

Vampire The Masquerade – Palermo Conspiracies

This is another game on the Teberu system. I really like the sound of this and the Milan Uprising one that has already been backed and might be out already or coming out. I wish that it was out already if they are doing a new one. But this is going to give you that RPG feeling with the game maintaining a living world for you.

Follow Vampire the Masquerade – Palermo Conspiracies here.

Sniper Elite – Operation Kraken

This is another hidden movement. I know that people love the first printing. They are adding in expansions as well for it. I think it’s a game that sounds like a lot of fun, but again a hidden role game and that’s harder to get to the table. It doesn’t seem like it’s a super hard for the game to get played.

Sniper Elite – Operation Kraken on Gamefound here.

Neuroshima Hex

This is a board game, but this is going to be a video game of the board game. I believe that an app version has existed for a while, but this is going to bring it to more systems and possibly bring it back. I’m assuming that it’ll be updated to a more modern look as well. I thought that Neuroshima Hex is an interesting game but I didn’t love it.

Follow Neuroshima Hex here.

Trismegistus 2nd Edition

I never played the original. This is a complex game. It is suppose to be slightly more accessible. But there is a ton going on for it. It’s not one that still really interests me that much. But if someone were to have it I’d love to play it, either the new or old version of it.

Follow Trismegistus on Gamefound.

HiveMind Modular Hex Trays

These are modular movement trays. This is for miniature games which is not something that I do. So it’s going to be interesting to me. But if you like miniatures games, this might be something that is nice for you.

Follow HiveMind here.

The Isofarian Guard – Veilward

I knew about this one a week or so ago. This is going to give you a new campaign set in the world of The Isofarian Guard. What happens after you finish the base game, that’s the question. And it’s going to provide some new mechanisms for it as well. I like the sounds of it and it’s one that I hope I’ll be able to back as I enjoyed what I played of The Isofarian Guard.

Follow Veilward here on Gamefound.

Dale of Merchants: 10th Anniversary

This is going to be a preprint of Snowdale Design competitive deck-building game. It is going to be new content, it’ll be old content, and a new solo mode. If you like this game, this version might be an update to get it back to the table. Or if you haven’t gotten into the game, this might be a chance to jump into the game.

Follow Dale of Merchants 10th Anniversary here.

Ronin’s Revenge

This is from Dragori Games who made Taneres Adventures. This is going to be a boss battler game with no dice or luck. They say that it’s going to be Souls-like game, which I think means expect to die often. This could be a cool change. I won’t lie, this is a game that I’d love to back but also a company that I might worry about based off of tariffs and how big their games are. It’s going to be more than just a boss battler though, there is going to be elements as well that campaign feeling as well.

Follow Ronin’s Revenge here.

Punica: Rome vs Carthage

This is a two player strategy game. I don’t love the looks of this game, not in terms of the art, that looks great, but it doesn’t look too exciting to me. It’s going to be that war game feel but it should play very quickly in that it’s a twenty minute game.

Follow Punica on Gamefound here.

Conquest of Paradise

Like the last game this one is from Phalanx Games. This again is going to be a war type of game, though this one is going to be more than that. This one gives you a fight over the seas to see how can reign supreme in the end. I don’t feel like this is the type of game that I’m going to jump into, but it is more interesting than Punica.

Follow Conquest of Paradise here.

Hood

Play as different factions in England with Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham. This is going to be a very asymmetric game. It sounds fun, but it is asymmetric and that means it might be harder to teach. I hope that it’s not to the point of Root, but I’m worried that it might be. And it’s a 90 to 120 minute game, so with a teach, does that means that it’s three hours?

Follow Hood from Phalanx games here.

Mesopotamia

This seems like a civilization game. And that sounds cool, kind of back in the history of the world. It’s going to be a 4x game as well. And it’s going to have a lot of different events that happen in the world and it’s going to change the landscape as well. This sounds fun, but as a 4x game, it’s going to be one that I pass on as I can’t see getting it played.

Follow Mesopotamia on Gamefound.

Black Rose Wars – Revised Edition

This is a game that needs a 2nd edition. And I hope that it’s one that sounds interesting to me again. I think the theme has always worked for me. But as a game it was always just a lot to understand what was going on. So if they cleaned up the rule book this might be a chance to jump back into it. As I like the sound of being a mage and slinging spells to be the last one standing or the head of the lodge. If it is better, I’ll be looking at this one after the campaign.

Follow Black Rose Wars Revised Edition here.

Paperback Adventures Vol 2

This is going to be more for Paperback Adventures. I own the original stuff and I need to play it. But I haven’t played it yet, so I am not going to do it. This is going to be a solo game but now adding in multiplayer. Should this be one that I play on Malts and Meeples, yes it should be, so time to start learning another game. And I think it being a word game is really interesting as well. Multiplayer is fully cooperative as well.

Follow Paperback Adventures Vol 2 on Gamefound.

Final Thoughts

There are a ton of things. Though right now, like I said, I’m going to be a bit more hesitant to back some of these. The ones that excite me the most are Dawn of Madness. This is gone that I really believe that I’d love and I’ve been keeping an eye on it on eBay as well. But now this might be a smarter way to pick it up at hopefully a better price point.

Other than that one, I think that Paperback Adventures is going to be a game that I enjoy And if I enjoy this as well as one that I could play and enjoy with my wife. And the final one that I want to back is Veilward. I think that one is obvious. I played some of The Isofarian Guard and I really enjoyed it. So coming back and getting more makes sense for me. Especially because it’s more that doesn’t make the base game harder to get to the table.

Which one interests you the most?

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Catch up on my Top 100 Games (of all Time) 2023 Edition:

100 through 91
90 through 81
80 through 71
70 through 61
60 through 51
50 through 41
40 through 31

Top 100 Games (of all time) 2023 Edition – 30 through 21

30. Icecool

I love my dexterity games, so a number have made it on the list. This is my highest pure dexterity game, though, there is dexterity in another game coming up. But Icecool is just about flicking your penguins around a board trying to get fish. Or you’re a hall monitor penguin who is trying to catch the penguins who are skipping class for a fish snack.

This game has a cute them, but I like how simple the game is as well. It is easy for anyone to play from adults to kids and everyone can do about as well. I might plan my shots more as an adult, but will that work better than the kid who just goes on instinct, who knows. Though, that is a nice element of the game as well, Icecool is not just a brainless flicking game. You can plan shows, figure angles and hope it goes your way. It won’t fairly often, but when you pull of an amazing shot, it feels great.

Buy Icecool

29. Lands of Galzyr

We’re moving into a bigger game and a story driven game. You’re going to see a number of those as we move up higher on the list. Lands of Galzyr, though, is not a campaign game, it is more of a relaxed story game to play. The game is simple, and you don’t play through a connected story. I am actually hoping for some story modules you can mix in, as an expansion, to create more of that connected narrative.

In Lands of Galzyr, you are an animal and you’re going off adventuring. To do that, you grab quests from towns and head out to their locations. With it you are doing daily events, if you don’t do a quest, and rolling dice for checks. The game is simple that way in what dice it gives you, and I really like that about it. I see what I can do and I do it. Plus there are key words that give you bonuses which I like. It lets you feel like you’re doing something special while at the same time not making the game too complicated.

My one downside, besides that connection of story, is that you can play it in a series. I did so on Malts and Meeples. You can see the first video below. But sometimes you stop with a quest in hand that you really want to continue. And that quest can carry over to the next game, but if you decide to stop there and reset, well, it’ll be open ended. But, their timer system does keep the game from just going on and on until you want to stop.

Buy Lands of Galzyr

28. Paper Dungeons

Paper Dungeons is another game that I played on Malts and Meeples. I’ll add the video in below for you to watch as well. But this is a roll and write game with a lot going on. And it is a roll and write game that tries to do more than just be about the numbers on the dice. It is about going into dungeons, fighting monsters, getting treasures, leveling up, crafting items, a ton of different things.

And each time that you play it you can focus in on a different area. You might want to go after the big boss because that’s a good number of points. But that means that you’re probably spending more time leveling up your adventuring party and traveling through the dungeon. You won’t be spending as much time getting gems and crafting items. It is a balance that I really enjoy in the game.

Now, it isn’t a perfect game either. Mainly, there is a campaign to this game, but there really isn’t a campaign to this game. It just gives you a number of scenarios with a little story between them that doesn’t matter or make that much sense. And there is no carryover, so you just play the same game multiple times. The upside is that where the boss monsters go in these different scenarios does change up how you may want to attack things and what items you want to craft.

Buy Paper Dungeons

27. Arkham Horror: The Card Game

And now another narrative game, technically three in a row, though, Paper Dungeons is pretty light in that area. Arkham Horror: The Card Game is going to lean back into that campaign more heavily and offer a lot of different story and variety.

Fantasy Flight has a great game on their hand, which is played out by how long the game has been going. And it works because they are smart about how they use their cards. They create unique investigators with fun mechanics that are only for them. And the different scenarios use cards to create locations, missions and monsters in different ways. It is something that they really did a great job of building out.

The game is a game where you need to explore, gain clues, and fight monsters. Sometimes some of those matter more than others, and that is some of the fun of the game. You need to figure out how your character, who might be a fighter, can support. And how you use your cards matters a lot. If I play a card, that costs resources and that card is for it’s ability. But when I do a check, I can also discard cards with symbols of the type i need on them to make it more likely I succeed on the challenge. I like the tension of when to hold back a card or when you need to play it.

Buy Arkham Horror: The Card Game

26. Ohanami

Now we’re onto a much smaller game. Ohanami is a little card game where you draft cards and add them to columns keeping it in numerical order. That doesn’t seem like much, but it works for a very fun game because of how you need to play cards and how you score them. And I like the game at all player counts, that can’t be said for all the games on this list. But Ohanami is good at all of them, though the game does change.

There are a few things that work for me with Ohanami. Mainly how you draft, you pick cards and you need to add them to the top or bottom of your three columns. You can split them up, but if you don’t plan it right you’re going to create some big gaps in your numbers. So that’s an interesting challenge to the game.

But also the scoring is fun. The colors, there are four score different. Blue scores points all three rounds but fewer, and green scores only in rounds two and three but it scores more points and grey in only round three but is the most points. It’s a fun system. And then pink is going to give you more points the more of them you have, but it builds up so if you have two it’s only three points but three is six and so on.

Sold Out

25. The Isle of Cats: Explore and Draw

This game was kind of on the list last year. I forgot to separate it from The Isle of Cats so it was low on the list, but I prefer The Isle of Cats: Explore and Draw, at least until I can play Isle of Cats more. But the Explore and Draw, roll and write, version of The Isle of Cats is just easier to get to the table and simpler to play. That does mean that you are a bit more limited in strategy, but that negative is outweighed by the positives in my opinion.

In this game you are trying to rescue cats. To do that you need to fill in cats on your boat, and families (groups) of cats are going to give you points. But you can also get points for completing objectives, as long as you’ve gotten that objective checked off on your bonus scoring board. So it’s a balance of do you take cats, because you need them, or do you grab that bonus scoring.

And how you pick what to take is great as well. It is done in a four column by three row grid. And you pick one of those columns to activate. Everyone picks one of them in fact. And the one you activate, you use all three cards. So if you want to get that bonus scoring, you are picking a row with that in there. There are a few bonuses you can use to break those rules, but it’s a limited number and you can’t use them all, so when you use them is an interesting strategy to maybe grab an extra card for a bonus scoring or cat.

Buy Isle of Cats Explore and Draw

24. Metal Gear Solid

Now the one game on the list that is a bit of a cheat. I maybe should have taken it off, but I did play it a few times at CMON Expo is basically the final form. But Metal Gear Solid left a great impression on me, and I want to put it on the list. This is a game based off of the video game, so it’s not just a shoot the bad guys game, which is a lot of what CMON kind of does, but it’s a game of stealth as well because you’re not really equipped for all the bad guys to shoot you back.

The theme works well in this game and I do love a good game with theme. But the mechanisms of the game are some of my favorite. What I do on my turn is simple, I have action points that I spend on movement, attacking, interacting, whatever I need to do. Once I use my four action points my turn is done and there aren’t so many actions or special things that it’s hard to keep track of.

And the other thing that I really like is how they created the enemy AI. It’s again a pretty simple system that you go down and check a few things which tells you how the enemy moves. But there are special rules for if you made noise, so they think someone might be there, or if they can see you. If you made noise one of them will come and check on that noise. The others patrol like normal, if they can see you, they call run to you, so you better hope that you can shake them before they start blasting.

Retail May 2024

23. Clank! In! Space!

Now a game, like Icecool, that was in my Top 10 at one point and has now dropped a bit. 23 is still really good for Clank! In! Space! because I’ve played a good number of different games. But this is a deck building push your luck game and I really enjoy it. In fact, I enjoy both versions of Clank! that I’ve played, this and regular Clank! and I need to try Clank! Catacombs and Clank! Legacy as well.

Your goal is to get into the vault of the spaceship, grab a treasure and get back out. Of course, if everyone does that, how do you decide who wins. Well, on the cards you add to your deck there can be points. And the treasure or artifact that you’re grabbing, they give you points. The artifacts at the edge of the area, well, they give you a few points, but the ones further in, they are worth a lot more. Is it worth it to push further in?

And then there is the clank mechanic itself. Some of the cards that you play down are noisy. And those create clank which is basically health of yours in cubes. Those cubes go into a bag with Lord Eradikus’s cubes (it’s his ship you’re on) and when you cubes are drawn out it fills up your health meter. So just be careful, well, sometimes you don’t have a choice. And a lot of the time, it’s worth buying cards with clank because they are stronger/better than most.

Buy Clank! In! Space!

22. Marvel Zombies

Now another game that I got to experience first at CMON Expo, I now have all my stuff for it as well. I think it’s 10-12 boxes of Marvel Zombies. This is a Zombicide game, but you don’t have to play as the heroes fighting against the zombies. In fact, the core box has you playing as superheroes who have been turn into zombies fighting against SHIELD agents, heroes, and gobbling up the brains of bystanders like J Jonah Jameson and Okoye.

This is definitely a dudes on a map dice chucking beer and pretzels style of game. But that is what makes it fun. You get to be a zombie superhero who is trying to complete your goals but sometimes you need to eat some brains as well. And each turn your hunger increases. Hunger isn’t the end of the world though, it might mean that you need to eat brains sooner, but it also means that when you’re doing attacks they hit for more because you’re rolling more dice.

Marvel Zombies isn’t going to be a game for everyone, but for me, I like the plug and play nature of the game and how you can pick different zombie heroes to play as or to play as heroes. Or you can pick random heroes to be the bigger bad guys you need to face in the game. Overall just a fun time.

Buy Marvel Zombies

21. Sonora

Finally a game that is half dexterity but I’d say is really a roll and write game. The dexterity element is that you’re flicking discs onto a board. And where they land on that board and the number on your disc determines what part of the roll and write area that you fill in, your own personal board, you’re going to work on, and how much you can do.

Each area plays differently, and there are four. One of them is about racing to fill in large areas first. Another you’re circling cacti as you fill in Tetris shapes. Another has you going down paths and where you end is the points or power that you get. And the last one is about closing off areas for points and again more cacti, the whole thing has a desert theme for no real reason.

That roll and write area is great, in my opinion, because everything chains into each other. As you work in one area you’ll probably get a bonus, or maybe two, for other areas, and you then might get a bonus in those. And I just like how all of that goes together and sometimes it’ll take four minutes just to fill in everything on a turn because you can combo so much. It’s rare, but it is possible, so if you like combos, Sonora is a great roll and write style game.

Buy Sonora

Upcoming Streams

Let’s run through the stream structure like I normally do. You might already know the schedule but in case you don’t. Wednesday at 8 PM Central I stream either a campaign game, or with this time of year it’s my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2023 Edition. And join me next Wednesday for games 20 through 11, almost to the Top 10. It goes so fast, and now I have so many games that I want to play.

Then on Monday I stream at 9 PM Central time. It’s generally a solo game. Though I’ll also do pack openings for things But normally it’s a solo game and a one off for the game like a roll and write, or sometimes a game like Under Falling Skies or For Northwood, which was on the list today.

But the best way, if you want to know when I go live or a new video goes up (it’s basically always live), please consider subscribing. You can do that here. And click that notification bell on the channel and you’ll always know when I go live.

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The Game – Lands of Galzyr

I will be doing a review of this game coming out shortly, probably next week, so I don’t want to dive into that too much. Plus over the past couple of months I basically have written a review on it. But just some final thoughts after playing Lands of Galzyr weekly for 10 weeks in a row.

I enjoy this game a lot. It is a peaceful and relaxing game. And you can see how it speeds up over time as I play it. But with that said, I’m not sad to be putting it aside. Why? I think that Lands of Galzyr is probably best as a once every two weeks or once a month game. And probably even one that is done with a larger group.

Solo vs Group

The solo mode is good and easy to do. So don’t get me wrong, I like that. But I see the story that is missed and I want it. Plus there are times where it would be nice to have someone to help you doing stuff. So that is why I think it might work better with more. Basically, you share the experience.

Complexity

As for why less often, I like how I stream. But Lands of Galzyr is not the most complex game. In fact, it is always more reading than it is checks or moving on the board. Not a knock on the game, it is what it is. But because of that commitment to playing and reading, it is not one that works best to binge. The variety in the game is lower because of the type of game it is. The variety in the story is high, but in the decision making space is lower.

So that is sounding negative. When you read the full review, it is not going to sound that negative. I love the story and the world in this game. It’s engaging, it’s fun, and while I like dark, I don’t always need dark. So it is a nice refreshing experience that is relaxing to play. And that doesn’t sound like high praise, but not that many games can say that.

Upcoming Streams

So this is a weird week to talk about what is coming next. I don’t know what is coming next. I might decide what I want to play prior to next Monday. If I do, next Monday I plan to play a game. If I don’t, then I plan to go over five games and try and make a decision on which to play. Either way, I will stream at 8:30 PM Central on Monday.

Then on Wednesday, I hopefully will be playing a new campaign game. But that depends on me having time to learn the rules and mess around with the game. You notice that I read rules more to start, or check on them, before I am humming along towards the end of my streaming. That is going to happen, I want to know how to play but also show that not everything is easy. So I hope to play a new campaign game. If I don’t, expect to see a revisit of a roll and write or something like that. 8 PM Central time on Wednesday is when I will stream.

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The Game – Lands of Galzyr

Let’s talk about those achievements today. Because I did come across two of them yesterday, and it’s fun to come across them. But does it change the game, at all, no, it doesn’t. Is there a rhyme or reason to what quests give them out, not really. So I’m a little bit hit or miss on them.

What I like about them is that it gives you that fun moment of, I wasn’t expecting that to happen. That is fun to be surprised. And it’s fun to mark down, and I feel like that’s even optional, to be, I was the first to get that. It’d be more fun in a multiplayer series of games. In solo, well, Bumir is the first one to get any that we come across because he’s the only character.

That said, you can see how it might not feel like it means that much. You get it randomly so it isn’t like it is smart play. And you don’t really have much lasting for it, in a multiplayer game there is more bragging rights. But how would it work to change that?

A Possible Solution?

I think there are ways that they could have made it worth more. Not game breaking like an auto success or something like that. But something minor. I think of my playtesting for Stonesaga where you can get major or minor boons, an additional 1 or 2 to a skill for checks. Why not do something similar here. Give a token for an extra black die, or an extra die of a color on a check. You trade it in and get that boon for getting achievement on a single check.

To me, it is something that would make that experience a bit more fun. Yes, they still are random when they come out, to some extent. In other ways, you get to enjoy a little bit of a reward when you make the choice that let’s you get that. How much of a choice, that sometimes varies, but it’d still make them feel like a bit more.

Upcoming Streams

Next week we are going to say farewell to Bumir as I finish up my playthrough of Lands of Galzyr. It’s interesting because technically it could never end. Bumir is able to just keep wandering. But to get to other games, it is coming to an end. To catch that last video, you can find it here. Click on that notification bell and know when it goes live. Or you can subscribe and get notified that way. Or you could just join at 8 PM Central.

Then the other day that I stream is on Mondays. Monday at 8:30 PM central time. That is generally more of a random game that I try out, often a smaller roll and write or something that fits into a half hour time frame. This upcoming Monday I am thinking about, not sure on yet, of doing a video to help me pick what campaign game to play next. More details will come out on that video probably on Monday.

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The Game – Lands of Galzyr

So let’s talk about how I’ve gotten repeated story. And why I’ve gotten repeated story. The first time was because I was doing a quest that allowed you to go back and try again. A bit annoying to have to do everything again. It could have been shortened by when you hopped back into the quest. But it’s a quest so there is promise of more that you’ve missed to come.

The other time, most recently in last nights game, was when an event happened to me again. And I don’t think it was the third time, but it might have been. In my play, I think I’ve had two, maybe three of the daily events repeated.

Now, some of this is how I am playing the game. When I play Lands of Galzyr, I play every week. Most people won’t play that often. But, I think Lands of Galzyr does encourage people to play maybe a few games in a row, or a few games, say 3-4 in a shorter time frame. And with more players, you are more apt to repeat events, but maybe not for the same person.

This is just part of the game. I don’t think it is a too much of a negative or detractor. To get some events shuffled into the event pile, it means events you’ve had show up again. The evens you have, still, though, do require you to be on the same terrain type where it happened before. So, a minor issue, in my opinion.

Upcoming Streams

More Lands of Galzyr is coming up next Wednesday at 8:00 PM Central Time. If you want to join me, you can find the link to that upcoming video here. Click that notification bell and you’ll know when I go live. And keep in mind some upcoming campaign games as I’m getting close to wrapping up my time with Lands of Galzyr. Pick from the list I have here.

And on Monday at 8:30 PM Central Time I am going to be streaming a game. Last week it was Fleet The Dice Game. A game that I need to play more to see if I can do better. I don’t know what it will be, but expect a smaller game that maybe even you can play along with. But I hope to see you then as well.

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The Game – Lands of Galzyr

Is there enough game in Lands of Galzyr. The Dice Tower has done I think two different reviews on Lands of Galzyr. One was with Tom Vasel and two of his kids. The question that came out of that review, was if there were enough game to Lands of Galzyr. They rated it well, but not as well as others because the game element is so light.

And that is something that I struggle with, kind of, in this game as well. Mainly, how do you balance the story with the game in a game like Lands of Galzyr. The mechanics are extremely simple, roll some dice, use abilities on cards, and see if you pass the check. But for the most part, there isn’t a ton that you can do.

The keywords, or verbs, help with this. If I have a card, like a feather duster, that allows me to “search” better I’m going to pick the actions with “search”. But it is a valid question with the game. Mainly because I pick what is best, or easiest, for my character, and I don’t worry about thematic elements that much. Now that is something that I could do, and I would likely fail more often, so do I want to?

This is the one thing as I play more that I wonder about. I like Lands of Galzyr a lot, and I think the ease of play and getting into the game is amazing. But at the same time, so much of the game is simply rolling dice and seeing what the outcome is. I want a little bit more than that at times, and I think it makes Lands of Galzyr a harder game to play on repeat.

Upcoming Streams

Next week it is on to game 8 and I have the next three games all scheduled out. But it is back to the table for more Lands of Galzyr. You can click the notification bell here. It’s the easiest way to know when I go live, or to subscribe and click the notification bell for the channel.

And next Monday I will be streaming as well. That is at 8:30 PM and I do not know what game I am planning on next for Monday. I have a few different options to choose from. I will likely put up the stream and share the line on social media about 30 minutes before I go live.

And let me know what is the next campaign game I should play. You can see a list of some of them here plus find me on Board Game Geek and see more campaigns I own. Leave a comment down below or on that article. Or you can find me on Twitter or Facebook to let me know as well. I really do want input as to what you want to see.

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Lands of Galzyr – The Story

So, I think it’s worth talking about the story of Lands of Galzyr. Because, it is not a campaign game, but it is played out, if you want, over a series of games. Each time, though, you pick the story that you want to engage with. Now, a quest might continue multiple times through multiple parts and multiple games. I pushed to get the “prince” quest taken care of this time. And I think with a character there is a timer on that one. But some quests, I could do part of it, then next session go and do more.

The story reminds me of what you see in Sleeping Gods, in a lot of ways. Sleeping Gods tells little bits and pieces of the world. And Lands of Galzyr, each quest is a little piece of the world. However, there is so much to this world that there is a lot of story. And that story is what keeps it engaging and fresh. Every event I pull, not even quest story, can be different depending on where I engage with it. So it will be fresh each time that I play it.

Vs Campaign

On the other hand, and this is picking at it some, it doesn’t tell as cohesive a story as a campaign game. Something like Roll Player Adventures, Tainted Grail, Sword and Sorcery, or Stars of Akarios all tell a specific story. That means what you come back to each time is a progression of a narrative. Lands of Galzyr is an emerging narrative of the adventures you go on. But, it is not a narrative game. You make the story around your character, not a game leading them into a story.

For that reason, I think, that it is a strong gaming experience but a good campaign game is better. For me, I want to in a game be able to influence it with choice. I do that in Lands of Galzyr. But in Tainted Grail, it is baked into the story that you experience. Yes, I see more things, same with Gloomhaven or Roll Player Adventures. But I tell the story and influence key parts with how I play. Lands of Galzyr, it is more of a series of events you follow.

Upcoming Streams

Monday is going to be back at 8:30 PM again. Last Monday was earlier because I needed to get my podcast recorded still. This upcoming Monday, I want to play a new game. It is a busy weekend, so I don’t know how much time I’ll have to learn. But my goal is to learn a new game to play. I have one I see that might work well.

And next Wednesday at 8 PM Central time is part 7, February, in Lands of Galzyr. The video is available here. Click the notification bell to know when I go live and join me. I hope that the game play is fun, and like I said, I want to play a few more sessions for sure of Lands of Galzyr. But after that, let me know what campaign game I should try next. I am tempted by maybe a smaller one like Adventure Realms, but I also want to play SHEOL as well.

Which should I play?

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The Game – Lands of Galzyr

Let’s talk about the skill system this week. It is one of the core elements with how you roll your dice. And the dice are the main core element to the game. Most everything else is story focused. So how you setup your skills matters and determines a lot of what you do.

Each character is going to have a balance of how they start with their skills. Bumir was very sneaky, combative, and good at survival to start. And since then I’ve progressed him a few times. Though, only with the combat trait, or what was originally the combat trait. I now have him focused on sneaking, perception, and survival.

But it is important to think about how you space everything out in the game. I’m not sure what the ideal would be. Four spots with one each, two spots with two each. If those two spots are opposite each other, that means for every roll you get two good dice. And for two of the roles you get two really good dice. But with four different ones you are never as strong in a single thing, but consistently better in everything.

Now, optimally, I think you would play either of those configurations if you can, probably the one in any skill. It makes it harder to get a hard, but a lot of the time your options have a medium which would make a lot more accessible. But I like having something I’m really good at it. It makes three skills more likely for me to use. And I think that setup makes it more interesting.

Multiplayer

I do want to mention multiplayer. Clearly I’m playing this solo with one character, I could do player multi-handed, but that wouldn’t be as fun and would get through more of the story for me. But in multiplayer you might consider focusing on two skills because other players might have the other skills.

Now, if it’s competitive, you might get someone to partner with you or you might not. So there is a risk there. Cooperative you are much more likely to play in a group and optimize what you are doing. That way all players will be able to partner and hopefully get the best results that they can.

Upcoming Streams

So, next Wednesday, I don’t have the link up yet, I’ll be playing more Lands of Galzyr. I’m excited as we turn the leaf into a new year to see what happens. I don’t expect the game to change much, but it might add in a new event for me. That’ll be at 8 PM Central time.

And on Monday, different time than normal, 8 PM Central, I’ll be streaming another solo game. Maybe I’ll do more One Card Dungeon game play. But I’m hoping to have a new solo game ready to play around with by then. We’ll have to see.

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The Game – Lands of Galzyr

It’s less about the game today, but more about my decision to sleeve the cards. I normally don’t sleeve cards, so what made me change my mind on Lands of Galzyr? Are the cards a cheap quality, or is there some other reason that I’d want to sleeve them?

First off, I will say that this has decent card quality. Some of the reason that I sleeved them is that the cards were thinner than I’d like, and having to handle them, go through the sections, and look for a specific card, I felt like they were going to wear more quickly than most cards.

Does that mean you need to sleeve them, no. Part of why I sleeved the cards is that Snowdale Design sells sleeves. So I want to support a smaller publisher and one way to do that is order sleeves or other products, like the play mat I have yet to use from them. So that also led to the decision.

The Benefits

The added benefit that I’ve found is that it is much easier to find cards. When cards are right next to each other with no sleeves it’s easy to skip five cards. When they are apart a little more with sleeves, you can get to where you want faster. That really makes a difference, I’ve found, in the game play of finding cards. Since it is a major part of Lands of Galzyr, finding those cards, I want it to be easy. I don’t want it to be a source of frustration.

The other benefit is that the cards shuffle well. Now, if I needed to shuffle a normal deck of cards size, they’d shuffle worse. That’s my experience with sleeves and Magic The Gathering cards. But here, you never have that large a deck of cards. The biggest is the event deck, and that only gets shuffled rarely. Nor is it a big deck of cards. So doing a smash shuffle is very easy.

Upcoming Streams

So, as I said at the top, every Wednesday at 8 PM Central you can catch a live stream of some board game. Right now I’m 1/3 of the way through Lands of Galzyr. So join me for the rest of the time. See the adventure and quests that I go on. Some might be the same for you, others will be very different if you play.

Then on Mondays, I play smaller solo games at 8:30 PM Central. I’m out of town this weekend, so likely it won’t be a new game. But join me and see what game I find to play. This week it was Sprawlopolis. So you can join me for who knows what game. And when it’s a roll and write, you can play along at home and compare your score.

And as always, when you want to catch something live, the easiest way to remember is subscribe and click that notification bell. You can do that here on the Malts and Meeples YouTube Page.

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