Rating the BEST and WORST games of BGG Top 100 (That We've Played)

Storyline

Most of the video is not about narrative “storylines.” Instead, the speakers discuss the BGG Top 100 list in terms of:

• whether each game “belongs” on the list,
• how it feels to play (vibe, hype, theme),
• and how its mechanics work (complexity, interaction, replayability, learning curve, availability).

A few games with clearer campaign/progression framing are mentioned:

• Gloomhaven / Frosthaven: dungeon-crawling campaign progression—especially how massively replayable and “big” it feels.
• Mansions of Madness (Detective Season): episodic investigative gameplay—highlighted for how it “unravels” new things, with combat often getting especially climactic moments.
• Arkham Horror / Arkham Horror LCG and Lord of the Rings / Marvel Champions-style LCGs: repeatedly framed as “buy expansions to get more adventures.”
• War of the Ring and Star Wars Rebellion: theme-first wargame narratives where strategies partly feel like “living the story.”
• Dominant Species / Twilight Imperium / Eclipse: discussed more as strategic frameworks than stories.

Gameplay highlights & key opinions (by major themes)

1) Heavy strategy / 4X / grand strategy

(often praised for depth, but criticized for teach/complexity/availability)

• Twilight Imperium (especially Third Edition)

  • They debate whether TI3 “belongs,” but note its massive box / heaviness and differences in complexity (including references to expansion asymmetry and tech/heaviness differences).

• Eclipse (First vs Second Edition)

  • They imply Second Edition is far more accessible and should be considered the “real” Eclipse.
  • First Edition “jank” is only partially avoided.

• Terraforming Mars / Gaia Project / Through the Ages / Twilight Struggle

  • General takeaway: excellent games, but table/UX/teach and UI management can strongly affect enjoyment—especially in digital versions.

2) Co-op campaigns & “scenario mystery”

• Mansions of Madness (Detective Season 1)

  • Highlights it as a true detective experience.
  • They like the “solve/investigate” loop and argue the best moments come from later scenario surprises rather than endless repetition.

• Arkham Horror (and “LCG addiction”)

  • Emphasizes “new Lovecraftian adventures” via expansions.
  • Solo viability is cited as a major appeal.

• Gloomhaven / Frosthaven

  • Strong support for the “campaign ritual”: big first impressions and long-term progression.
  • They discuss why Frosthaven may not dethrone Gloomhaven #1—less “newness,” even if it’s improved and has advantages like tutorial/rulebook/inserts.

3) Euros with “feel-good” drafting / work replacement / efficiency

• Elder Sign (and expansions)

  • Liked as a streamlined Lovecraft-at-scale experience with “pick up and go” flow.
  • Rulebook teaching format is praised (general how-to, plus a terms appendix).

• Key flavor of many mid-list Euros

  • Drafting + work replacement (e.g., city/river-hex style games discussed conceptually).
  • Tight optimization is emphasized, but materials aren’t always framed as “must own.”

• 7 Wonders

  • “Feels good,” faster, teachable, and works with almost anyone.
  • Compared to the energy of lighter “murder draft” gameplay.

• Viticulture / Orleans / similar economic tableau games

  • Generally respected; some they’ve played and enjoyed, others not.
  • Rating conversations revolve around replayability, accessible strategy, and box/storage burden.

4) Player interaction levels: low-conflict vs cutthroat

They repeatedly differentiate games that:

• have lots of direct player sabotage / interaction (e.g., Dominion/Intrigue-style, including social deduction-like elements),
• versus low-conflict optimization that still feels good but may be less “multiplayer-sparking.”

Examples:

• Dominion: Intrigue — praised for interaction; sabotage-themed talk (swindlers/saboteurs).
• Lords of Waterdeep — cited as accessible despite lower conflict; D&D-flavored but ultimately “safe,” with expansions being the core engine.

5) App/integration and “modern convenience” as a factor

• Descent: Journeys in the Middle-Earth

  • Uses an app; essentially keeps Descend’s feel but with a LotR reskin.

• Recurring negative: people being “allergic to app integration.”

  • This affects ranking opinions on certain games.

• Wingspan

  • Praise leans heavily into pinnacle solo play and “sitting-down pleasure.”

6) Replayability vs “once or twice and done”

Replayability is often treated as the deciding factor for placement:

• Mansions: great, but “play once or twice” gives peak memories.
• Blood Rage: good but less deep replay at base; expansions add power/monsters and “break” the experience.
• Eldritch Horror / Elder Sign: expanded combos exponentially raise replay value.

Strong “permutation/value” argument:

• When games have modular boss + scenario combos, replay “explodes.”
• This is discussed with Elder Sign, and the idea appears elsewhere too.

7) Practical concerns: components, storage, table space, and cost

Multiple games are judged (at least partly) through logistics:

• Food Chain Magnate

  • Huge table presence; great interaction.
  • But in-person setup/visibility logistics become exhausting.

• Gloomhaven

  • Storage/inserts and huge physical bulk are discussed.
  • Still considered “worth it” due to delivering campaign satisfaction.

• Marvel Champions / LCG-style

  • Money sink expansion costs are a recurring criticism.
  • Especially compared to some non-LCG base boxes.

Strategies / key tips mentioned (high-level, not rulebook)

No full step-by-step “how to win” guides are given. The most strategy-like comments include:

• Rising Sun vs Blood Rage

  • Rising Sun’s deeper diplomacy and self-correcting tension helps balance outcomes even when adding expansions.

• War of the Ring vs Star Wars Rebellion

  • In Star Wars Rebellion, rule flexibility can allow “gutsy” aggressive first-turn choices.
  • In War of the Ring, it feels less permissive—more like linear war-movie logic.

• Dominant Species

  • Mis-ordering or incorrect setup can break the game flow.
  • They note they played wrong initially, so later evaluation is limited.

Featured gamers/sources (mentioned at the end)

• Daniel (the video host/speaker)
• Jason (referred to repeatedly as a frequent group member)
• Will (recommended/introduced a game via Tabletop)
• BGG (BoardGameGeek / “BGG Top 100,” driving the list)
• Dice Tower West (mentioned as part of a sponsor segment; not a rating source)
• World Series of Board Gaming (WSBG) (sponsor segment; also named as an event)