5 Board Games to Start a Collection With

Im here for the Editing, i hate boardgames.

I just got WaveLength!

Here you go, Desmond!

Here you go, Desmond!

Here you go, Desmond!

5 Games to Start a Collection:
1. Trails of Tucana
2. Port Royal
3. Stone Age
4. Forbidden Island
5. Istanbul

**Here ya go, Desmond!!

Libertalia is a actually really fun solo. I only play it solo.

Braiden wins.

1. Tyrant of the Underdark (deck building and area control)
2. The Crew (trick taking)
3. Werewords (party game)
4. Everdell (worker placement)
5. Gizmos (engine building) (wingspan/wyrmspan also an acceptable change out here)

Woot! More AYCB!!

Also. One of these lists, is the most Dylann (with two Ns) lists I've ever seen. 😂

Great video. 👍

Great picks! Focusing on light games that support a wide variety of player counts and cover a lot of mechanics I like:
1. Belratti (co-op, party, association game, 3 to 7 players)
2. Caesar's Empire (route-building, set collection game, 2 to 5 players)
3. For Sale (auction, filler card-game, 3 to 6 players)
4. Rapido (dice chucking, push your luck and obligatory Knizia game, 3 to 6 players)
5. Railroad Ink - Blue edition (relaxing, quick roll-and-write game, 2 to 6 players)

Welcome back and inwould go with Breidan as the winner 🏆
My list would be
Raiders of Scythia
Troyes
Cryo
The king is dead
Lorenzo

HM would be Paint the roses, Beet and bread and agricola

All good picks. Mine would be
Quacks
Dixit
High Society
Carcassonne
Welcome To

A fun list and some nice picsk! I know I'm in the minority here but I don't get the nearly universal love for Azul. The decisions always seem obvious, has the potential for hate-drafting, and I'd seen all it had to offer after a couple plays. Much rather replace it on this list with Sagrada, Cascadia, or a clean and simple roll and write like Trails of Tucana.

Every video post is like Christmas morning. You guys are awesome

Have to go with Braiden's list. as i own most of those and none of Dylanns. lol.

I've only played one game from each list, so I feel like I need to get to MY Victory Pints (not affiliated with the one in Winnepeg, as I understand it - this one is in Maineville, Ohio!) to play some of the others. My collection is fairly small, but I'll take a stab at a list
1 - So Clover (but Just One would have worked too)
2 - Splendor (I haven't played Splendor Duel yet)
3 - No Thanks
4 - Calico
5 - 7 Wonders Duel
I wanted Castles of Burgundy in the list, because that was one of my gateways into the hobby, but I was thinking I needed a more puzzle-ish tile-laying game in there.
On another note, I'm so happy to see a new video - yay! I first found your channel right before the Christmas holidays, and I just love your take on games and gaming. Your lists helped me make my holiday gift list for my husband and adult sons (it's great having grown kids, because we have time for board games AND a built-in group to play with now, too). You've made me think differently and more deeply about the hobby and what I enjoy. I started logging games and ranked my favorites with one of the tools you recommended. I tend to align with Dylann in my gaming preferences - Castles of Burgundy is a favorite. I'm not sure we're all ready to take on A Feast for Odin, but you've got me curious about it. Really appreciate and enjoy your videos - thank you. And finally, I'm delighted to see Desmond make an appearance!

Both are good lists, but I’ll give my vote to Dylan for best!

My 5 would go more on the gateway complexity for a new collection.
1. Ethnos - set collection, area control, push your luck
2. King of Tokyo - dice chucking fun!
3. Ra - streamlined Auction at its best!
4. Point Salad - quick engine builder
5. Unmatched - mini’s on a map heads up/ team battle

I didn’t waste a pick on a party game. All their friends will have party games!

I think I have to side with Dylann on this one. But I appreciate there heavy game on Braiden’s a lot

Oh man, hard pick, but I think Dylann takes the victory! The Libertalia El Dorado combo is too powerful! It's sad not to have The Crew, but I'm not sure trick taking appeals to newcomers quite the same anyway. I haven't played Akropolis, but if you say it's like a better Kingdomino, I need to give it a try!

My 5 would be:
Century Spice Road (Golem Required)
7 Wonders
Lords of Waterdeep
Dixit
Horizons of Spirit Island (You could grow into this one and its very cheap)

Braiden.
All the way for me.

My top 5:
Carcassonne
Cascadia
Five Tribes
Ra
Castles of Burgundy

Akropolis tickles my brain just right. Such an elegant game. Highly recommend

I think I would have preferred Carlo's list :)

Mine are:
Liar's Poker/Perudo
Iwari/Web of Power/China
Classic Art
Triqueta
Forest Shuffle

1. Hansa Teutonica
2. Dune Imperium
3. Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest
4. Biblios
5. Codenames

My list would be:
Lords of Waterdeep
Cascadia
Castles of Burgundy
Scout
Pandemic

Oh man, I think I'm going to go with Braiden...Azul pushed his to the winning side for me.

Sorry, Dylan! I have to say I prefer Braiden’s list as one that has a broader appeal for a BGIT. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive but I think for the long-term playability, worth it.

Great lists! But I think Dylann's edges out the win on this one. Five others I would choose for my list are (with backups)...

-Land vs. Sea (or Trailblazers)
-Renature
-Abyss (or Amun-Re)
-Five Tribes
-Ohanami (or Archaeology)

Prices are around 190 (USD). I can't believe that is close to $260 Canadian... I thought I was doing alright 😅

Both lists are solid, but Dylan’s is better. Akropolis is killer. Probably go:
Quacks
Akropolis
Ra
Green team wins
The great split

You had me until The Crew that is not a beginner game for opening a collection its beyond boring unless your into board games.

I own none of these games…. So can just say $175 is better that $215…..

I add Just one, for simplicity. Splender is always a winner for newbies

Ive only played Azul from your lists, but also know I would love So clover. But from what ive seen, i think i would enjoy Brandon list more.
My list would include:
1. Azul (any of them)
2. Just One (or So Clover)
3. Ticket to Ride (any of them)
4. Cascadia (or Calico)
5. Dice game like Casino Royale or Roll for it or Qwirkle Cubes

Def would love to see more drafting videos with specific types of games or games starting with the sane Letter which would potentially be more cut-throat

Love the edits. Really awesome video and I appreciate the extra work put into it!

Fun idea! My list would be:

1. Cascadia
2. Railroad Ink
3. Skull
4. 7 Wonders
5. Love Letter

Wavelength and So Clover are excellent choices though!

A comment

I vote for Dylann. Libertalia, Next Station & El Dorado are excellent picks

Having him proposing babylonia even though he played it very little might not be the best idea

I have to go with Dylann's here just seems more gateway friendly and Next Station London is an incredible game. I would highly recommend trying it solo :) welcome back guys.

I’d go with Dylann’s list on this one. But I think my list would be:
Dixit
Cascadia
7 Wonders: Architects
Wingspan
Can’t Stop

1. Knarr
2. Vale of eternity
3. Century golem
4. Quest for el dorado
5. Quacks of quedlinberg

Excellent editing on this video!

The winner is the side that picked Babylonia. While Yellow and Yangtze is my favourite, Babylona is a top contender for the mentioned reason. One huge reason I like it is because, unlike Y&Y or Tigris & Euphrates, your pieces don't get removed from the board. You can see the Knizian ballet your pieces go through throughout the game, and see where you went wrong. It's a mix of Through the Desert and Samurai, yet is more exciting than both.

My list would be wildly different than either of yours aside from that, but Babylonia is a game that, like chess, will grow with you. El Grande is my pick for best game of all time; it's perfect, grows with you, and plays great at all player counts.

Finally, to those looking to start a collection, don't hesitate to buy used! If you live in a metro area there's often meetups, flea markets, virtual flea markets, math trade leftovers, and the marketplaces FB / CL / Kijiji offer. I've acquired Amun-Re for ten bucks, the base El Grande for 15 (you don't need the big box!), and so on. You can build a fantastic collection for a hundred bucks if you're patient.

I am going to a wedding and want to gift a board game.
Q: Which one do I choose?

My list skews light. Games you get to play are better than games in a box that you never get played. So I focused on games that I had success introducing others to play with me.

1. Scout - My family all really liked this one. The not being able to rearrange your hand is an interesting novel mechanism. You get to plan a couple of moves ahead without it being overwhelming
2. Las Vegas Royale - Solid core game with some bonus modules to spice it up later. You're always engaged with other players turns too.
3. Just One - A super light party game that all the family can join in and feel good about playing
4. Quacks of Quedlingburg - Push your luck + the catch-up mechanism are great for giving newer players a chance of winning.
5. Lost Cities - My Knizia counter. A 2p game is needed, and this is one I'm always keen to play. It's one where you can play with the same person a lot and your strategies grow together.

I'd go with

1. Ra
2. Monikers
3. Dune Imperium Uprising
4. Mysterium Park
5. Fit to Print

All of the above have just been huge hits with so many different people for me

Libertalia is awesome

I think there's two games in Braiden's list that I LOVE for this ... but the overall vibe of Dylann's list feels nice. So I am struggling to choose, they both have positive attributes! My personal 5 would be: Sushi Go Party ($30 CAD); Cascadia ($45 CAD); Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition ($50 CAD); That's Pretty Clever ($25 CAD); and Tokaido ($40 CAD) ... for a total of $190 Canadian. (Btw, making that list was actually incredibly hard!!! Kudos to you both for yours.)

Where'd you guys go? :(

I like Braiden's list more. Here's what I'd put (after not that much thought)

Can't Stop
Carcassonne
Just One
No Thanks
FREE SPACE (maybe Klask?)