Tokyo Game Market Haul - Autumn 2024 🍂 ThinkerThemer 2024-12-03 | We're back from Tokyo and our third Tokyo Game Market! We went in with a plan to purchase a few games, and left with 40 of them. How does it happen? Well, see for yourself as we describe each game's hook and show the artwork. Could you resist? LOLHere's more about our Tokyo Game Market experience this year, and some tips if you're thinking of going yourself: youtu.be/VQLt-xnmoxkTimestamps:00:00 Intro02:31 Moderately Elite 03:25 Revolve! boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/432456/revolve05:39 Take that toy!07:17 Road to Lordboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/392397/road-to-lord09:21 Hot Pot Holicboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/427904/hot-pot-holic10:49 Time Travel with You11:58 Banana Boy vs Uni-Coneboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/427336/banana-boy-vs-uni-cone14:47 Four Corner Detectiveboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431240/four-corner-detective16:48 Tokyo highway: Rainbow Cityboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/404513/tokyo-highway-rainbow-city17:42 Here Comes the Dogboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/252892/here-comes-the-dog19:46 Stick Collectionboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/351809/stick-collection20:22 Wonder Bowlingboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/392842/wonder-bowling20:32 Bonfire Partyboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/351815/bonfire-party20:52 Gravity Threeboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431243/gravity-three21:28 Mole Pokerboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433106/mole-poker23:44 Canasta (illustrated deck)24:34 Yin Yang Battle26:13 Call of Yeti27:57 Gachapon Trickboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/430856/gachapon-trick29:43 Tornei30:44 Gold fish merchant31:22 Trick Shot32:34 Bid Coin33:42 6 Forcesboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/430995/6-forces35:47 Music or Silence37:29 Fractal Tricksboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433425/fractal-tricks-hurakutaru-toritsuku38:36 Imwahboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428693/imwah40:07 We Need to Talkboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429379/we-need-to-talk-a-trick-taking-and-shedding-game-a41:45 Gearboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433463/gear42:48 Trickarusboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/432487/trickarus46:07 Petirboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431022/petir47:20 Fifty Fiftyboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428764/fifty-fifty48:14 Fishingboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/419195/fishing49:05 The Yellow Houseboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420385/the-yellow-house52:32 Yokai Septetboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/251433/yokai-septet53:10 Comeamaru55:45 Fairy Concertoboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/374996/fairy-concerto57:25 Deep Sea Minesboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433427/deep-sea-mines-shen-hai-kuang-shan59:21 Snail Antennaeboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433584/snail-antennae01:00:48 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #ゲームマーケット2024秋 #ゲームマーケット #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Does Overparked Overtake our Polyomino Favourites? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-09-11 | There were few games that we picked up at Tokyo Game Market that weren't trick-taking or shedding, but Overparked was one of them! It's been a long time since we've played a new polyomino tile laying game, will this one join our collection? Or yours? 😊Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:18 🎨Theme00:38 ⚙️Mechanics02:22 ☁️How it Feels to Play04:12 🎯What Surprised Us05:52 🛠 What We'd Change07:59 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/426229/overparkedThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Will Creature Caravan Join Our Collection? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-08-25 | We couldn't get our hands on this title in 2024, but we were finally able to get it to the table - over, and over, and over again. This one surprised us both, and might just be the Red Raven game that unites us....Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:15 🎨Theme00:58 ⚙️Mechanics02:04 ☁️How it Feels to Play06:52 🎯What Surprised Us09:45 🛠 What We'd Change12:57 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/385331/creature-caravanThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Games of Tokyo Game Market Spring 2025 (& 2 of the strangest...) ThinkerThemer 2025-08-19 | We LOVE Tokyo Game Market and the Spring 2025 (May) convention was as spectacular as always. It felt as though the hit rate was really high this year - it was a joy playing through the 50+ games we bought (even though it took us a very long time hehe). This video showcases our top 10, which are all wonderful games. We hope you enjoy this list. A&M xoOriginal Haul video: youtu.be/nNZ_rYFeHfQTimestamps00:00 Introduction01:05 Number 1002:58 Number 905:40 Number 809:25 Number 712:30 Number 614:54 Number 518:01 Number 421:09 Number 324:48 Number 228:49 Number 133:07 Games we thought would make our top 10 but didn't...35:03 Quirkiest games 38:46 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer #ゲームマーケット春2025 #東京ゲームマーケット #ゲームマーケット ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Does A Wild Venture Find a Home in Our Collection? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-08-07 | Build up an engine and then tear it down?? Ok, if you say so.... We had a lot to say about this cuteness overload of a 2 player ONLY game. Game pre-order: gamefound.com/en/projects/pika-games/a-wild-ventureFollow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:26 🎨Theme01:06 ⚙️Mechanics02:17 ☁️How it Feels to Play08:07 🎯What Surprised Us08:37 🛠 What We'd Change11:53 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/447174/a-wild-ventureThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Will Nature Claim a Spot on Our Shelf? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-08-04 | We have played through the entire deluxe box of Nature and we have a lot of (conflicting) feelings! Will it stay in our collection? Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:35 🎨Theme01:00 ⚙️Mechanics03:26 ☁️How it Feels to Play09:45 🎯What Surprised Us11:57 🛠 What We'd Change14:30 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/330152/natureThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Is Trinket Trove Thinky-Themey Treasure? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-07-28 | TT meets TT in this review! We take a look at the new title from a new publisher, to see if it earns it's 'thinky' label underneath all of that cuteness... will it make it to our shelf?Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:36 🎨Theme01:14 ⚙️Mechanics02:14 ☁️How it Feels to Play06:11 🎯What Surprised Us08:00 🛠 What We'd Change09:27 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436931/trinket-troveThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Toy Battle ~ One Shelf, One Game, and Zero Agreement | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-07-21 | 4.5 years reviewing games and we've learned a lot about what types of games we like, and even more about the types of games our wife doesn't like. Let this one be a lesson in the latter, and we hope it helps you decide if this game is for you. Will Toy Battle make the shelf? Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:43 🎨Theme01:14 ⚙️Mechanics02:42 ☁️How it Feels to Play04:56 🎯What Surprised Us08:37 🛠 What We'd Change10:40 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/434654/toy-battleThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Should We Keep Saltfjord? Or Catch & Release? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-07-17 | Remember when Saltfjord was the talk of the town in late 2024? Well, we couldn't get our hands on a copy here in Australia, so we're late to the party. Fast forward to 2025 and we're now able to put that FOMO to bed... but was it worth the wait? And will we keep it?Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:28 🎨Theme00:55 ⚙️Mechanics02:28 ☁️How it Feels to Play05:49 🎯What Surprised Us09:30 🛠 What We'd Change10:50 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/422674/saltfjordThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Does El Paso Earn a Spot in Our GWT Lineup? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-07-14 | Great Western Trail is one of our favourite games, period. So when we heard that there was going to be a new version that would be easier to table and teach, it instantly made both of our most anticipated games of 2025 list. So how does it fare? Will it be joining our other three GWT titles on our shelf? Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:35 🎨Theme01:21 ⚙️Mechanics02:49 ☁️How it Feels to Play05:54 🎯What Surprised Us08:31 🛠 What We'd Change12:08 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431305/great-western-trail-el-pasoThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of GenCon 2025 ThinkerThemer 2025-07-04 | Sadly we won't be attending GenCon this year - but that didn't stop us researching all of the exciting titles that are being launched! Definitely violating the Top 10 again this year with far more titles, but it's so hard to narrow it down! I hope this helps you with your shopping list.GenCon is one of our favourite conventions because we usually get to meet so many of you there. Have the best time if you are going and let us know in the comments which game is your first booth stop :) Note: all B-roll in this video is credited to game publisher and/or designer of the game*******Warning Spoilers in Timestamps Below!*********..............Games we've covered previouslyPotions of Azerland youtu.be/Ta2dfU97hkU?si=L0aJOzPxv79NvJhT&t=2156Luthier youtu.be/OG8lZZZtIaY?si=_m3njWg-EoEIRa7GKnitting Circle youtu.be/oCTE-_ZGpG0?si=MMyB0777wWebB-EuConservas youtu.be/bnrPnN6QolA?si=bVT4Q_nW45S6FPCDCitizens of the Spark: youtu.be/KXJsDR7CMgU?si=qSxCQMp91OoKEyVXBrink youtu.be/weS1VtPRf8o?si=KALSwLtZRiro_aHJTimestamps:00:00 Intro02:36 Hon mention 1 - High Tide03:45 Hon mention 2 - Stroop04:54 Maggie 10 - Propolis06:37 Amy 10 - Tricky Kids08:08 Maggie 9 - Trinket Trove10:07 Amy 9 - Suna Valo12:55 Amy 8 - Gibberers15:56 Maggie 7 - Nature18:26 Amy 7 - Lightning Train21:52 Maggie 6 - Skara Brae24:12 Maggie 5 - Positano26:36 Amy 5 & Maggie 8 - Galactic Cruise30:43 Amy 4 - Raising Chicago33:05 Maggie 3 & Amy 6 - All Play small games (cheating :D)34:09 Ruins36:19 Tearable Quest37:45 Soda Jerk39:31 Vegas Strip41:34 Vivo43:47 Oddland45:40 Amy 3 - No Loose Ends48:13 Amy & Maggie 2 - Wine Cellar51:23 Maggie 1 - Above and Below: Haunted53:50 Amy 1 & Maggie 4 - Zenith58:14 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Iliad & Ichor: Are These Knizia Abstracts Shelfworthy? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-06-30 | More from Amy's most anticipated games of 2025, and perhaps from any Themer's most dreaded - two brand new VERY abstract titles from the one and only Reiner Knizia. We take our first look at the Mythos collection from Bitewing Games and consider if we keep one, both, or none?Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:38 🎨Theme - Iliad01:03 ⚙️Mechanics - Iliad02:45 ☁️How it Feels to Play - Iliad04:37 🎯What Surprised Us - Iliad05:54 🛠 What We'd Change - Iliad07:03 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? - Iliad07:24 🎨Theme - Ichor07:44 ⚙️Mechanics - Ichor09:03 ☁️How it Feels to Play - Ichor11:27 🎯What Surprised Us - Ichor12:05 🛠 What We'd Change - Ichor13:33 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? - Ichorboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420914/iliadboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420914/ichorThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Hit or Miss? Revisiting our Most Anticipated Board Games of 2024 ThinkerThemer 2025-06-24 | Wow 2025 is half way over and we're well overdue to reflect on our most anticipated games of 2024. It's so interesting to reflect on what we said 18 months ago, and how well that has stacked up in reality. Did the games play how we expected them to? Are they still in our collection? (Persistent spoiler alert: some haven't even delivered!) Link to original video belowTop 10 Most Anticipated board games of 2024youtube.com/watch?v=fXXvReuDlh0&tTimestamps00:00 Intro01:41 Cafe Barasyoutube.com/watch?v=O4Z1J_f8HpM02:38 Spectral04:03 Stonespine Architectsyoutube.com/watch?v=8yPi1zIIsIo05:06 Fromageyoutube.com/watch?v=O4Z1J_f8HpM06:33 Inventions- Evolution of ideas08:32 Restartyoutube.com/watch?v=Gxe17OSnI0M09:46 Avant Carde11:30 Conservasyoutube.com/watch?v=A-LvnZNWNsI13:59 Clandestineyoutube.com/watch?v=_bfcpOs1PFk15:48 Clank Legacy 2 - Acquisitions Incorporated - Dark Magic17:02 Things in Ringsyoutube.com/watch?v=O4Z1J_f8HpM18:40 Witchbound19:28 Cascadero21:42 Raas - A Dance of Love23:59 World Orderyoutube.com/watch?v=V8yhvL351EI26:15 Spirit Fire26:54 Civolutionyoutube.com/watch?v=SiNjrsxtjzo28:21 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Will Rival Cities Join our Collection? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-06-19 | Rival Cities was one of Amy's most anticipated games of 2025 - which means expectations for this one were very high. Did it meet them? And why does Maggie look happier in the thumbnail than she actually did when playing this game? 😂Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:34 🎨Theme01:18 ⚙️Mechanics02:43 ☁️How it Feels to Play05:13 🎯What Surprised Us09:04 🛠 What We'd Change10:39 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433384/rival-citiesThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Will The Great Evening Banquet Make It To Our Shelf? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2025-06-16 | Welcome to the launch of SHELFWORTHY – our new video series where we spotlight one game at a time and ask: do we love it enough to keep it? We're at max storage capacity and own more games than all of our friends could play with us in a lifetime, so it's time to get real about the high bar that has to be set so we can maintain our floorspace clutter (which has become a physical and mental health hazard!)In this first video, we dive into The Great Evening Banquet, the new puzzle game from quirky and endearing publisher Saachi & Saachi. We picked it up at Tokyo Game Market, but will it be staying in our collection?Follow along as we cover as many of our new games as possible!Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8Merch: bit.ly/3ZsHeGiTimestamps:00:00 ✨️ A New Series! Shelfworthy02:39 🎲 Intro to The Great Evening Banquet 03:46 🎨Theme04:22 ⚙️Mechanics06:00 ☁️How it Feels to Play07:20 🎯What Surprised Us09:46 🛠 What We'd Change13:14 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy?For more game info: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445552/the-great-evening-banquetThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Tokyo Game Market Spring 2025 Haul – 50+ Games! 💸｜ゲームマーケット春2025 戦利品まとめ ThinkerThemer 2025-05-19 | We just finished day two of Tokyo Game Market Spring 2025 and across the two days we picked up over 50 games! This is our fourth time at TGM and we love it for the quirky indie gems, gorgeous artwork, and trick-taking/shedding games galore. There was also a few impulse buys we definitely didn’t anticipate (but couldn’t resist) – this haul has a bit of everything. 😅Apologies for our incoherence as the video goes on, two days of gaming and walking has us completely exhausted but we wanted to give you a rundown on some new titles ASAP!Let us know in the comments which games you're most intrigued about!--------ゲームマーケット春2025で、私たちは50本以上のゲームをゲットしました！気になる作品があれば、ぜひコメントで教えてください。レビュー動画もお楽しみに！---------Timestamps (More Detail Coming Soon Sorry....)00:00 - Introduction02:10 - We fixed our mistakes :D05:30 - Our pre-con Kyushu travels10:10 - Games!!!10:20 Switch to11:44 Mot Coinboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/410160/mot-coin12:32 Wish upon a starboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429699/wish-upon-a-star13:51 Bubble gum boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/434246/bubble-gum14:53 Dogs16:17 Tute 18:10 Quasharsboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446442/quashars18:31 Quattro Trick Taking boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/430921/quattro-trick-taking20:26 Depotboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445142/depot21:28 Ruby eye millionaire boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446164/rubiainoda-fu-hao-ruby-eye-daifugo22:42 Stella Questboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/424567/stella-quest23:57 Lunar Trickboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445123/lunar-trick24:59 The Magic Hand and the three elements boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445521/the-magic-hand-and-three-elements26:06 Identity boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445613/identity27:49 Odesseyboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445510/odyssey29:02 Mauliere 30:20 How many calories?boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420722/how-many-calories31:13 Segnumboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445143/segnum33:12 Anaphylaxis 34:20 Petiquetteboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/443982/petiquette38:01 Chinobi no gakou 39:27 Fantasy Tavern Brawlboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/416937/fantasy-tavern-brawl41:03 Magi Miles boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445515/magi-miles42:19 9 selections44:07 Lazy Bellboys / Clumsy Room Maidsboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420928/lazy-bellboysboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445503/clumsy-room-maids46:11 Match fixer’s high boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445918/match-fixers-high48:05 Seven prophecies boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/260568/seven-prophecies48:46 Cops vs Smugglers 50:49 Come here kitty / Cat between usboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433074/cat-between-us53:40 Neko neko racing 54:31 The Great evening banquet boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445552/the-great-evening-banquet55:38 Quintetboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445643/quintet56:43 Fixer57:46 Final binaryboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/440523/final-binary59:04 Smombie Vacation1:00:40 Gunjo graduationboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/443530/gunjo-gradation1:01:24 Duck & cover boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/422019/duck-and-cover1:01:55 Rival Cities boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433384/rival-cities1:02:34 Machi builder boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446457/machimachibiruda-machimachi-builder1:03:12 Disney Villains / Unknown Order (Masked men)boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/159581/maskmen1:03:32 Fine Lineboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446145/fine-line1:04:27 Ukio- e1:05:28 Woodlanders boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/441176/woodlanders1:06:06 Switch Colors boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445614/switch-colors1:06:55 The Wondrous Museumboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436842/the-wondrous-museum1:07:45 Lose well / Compress1:08:29 Snitch trick1:08:48 Trick Smithboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445645/trick-smith1:09:16 My own sunny day1:09:59 Live mix 1:10:22 Gaming junken 1:11:14 Cenaboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445641/cena1:12:24 Doppelganger Tricks1:13:13 Tsumooo!boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445519/tsumooo1:14:20 Rivalsgamemarket.jp/game/612061:14:46 Barrioboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/399011/barrio1:15:01 Mew Oracle & Yuru Tarotboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428694/yuru-tarot1:17:01 Hits & Outsboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/443146/hits-and-outs1:19:23 Overparked boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/426229/overparked1:20:36 13 Animals boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/432488/13-animals1:21:02 Castle Raisersboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/427596/castle-raisers1:22:14 Haze Islands boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/195533/haze-islands1:23:18 Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoonboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429845/jisogi-anime-studio-tycoon#boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer #ゲームマーケット春2025 #ゲームマーケット ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Shedding / Ladder Climbing Card Games 2025 ThinkerThemer 2025-04-23 | Many of you have asked for this video in the comments section, and we promise we haven't been ignoring you... it's just taken us a REALLY, REALLY long time to decide on this 10. We think this list offers a ton of variety of experiences - from the ultra thinky and complex, to lighter fun party games and fillers. What's your favourite?Timestamps:00:00 Introduction01:08 What is a "shedder?"03:29 Number 10boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/365742/bacon08:06 Number 9boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/406854/odin11:52 Number 8boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/220598/ladder-2916:44 Number 7boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/203430/fuji-flush20:36 Number 6boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/288558/chu-han29:08 Number 5boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/311031/oh-meow-bow32:39 Number 4boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/291453/scout38:56 Number 3boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/417323/panda-spin45:02 Number 2boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/415981/seers-catalog52:16 Number 1boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/215/tichu59:37 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
3 New 2-Player Games That Feel Refreshingly Different 😎 ThinkerThemer 2025-04-07 | Every now and then you play a new game and after the first round you sit back and either your brain is scrambled or you just feel a rush of excitement at the novelty of the mechanics. These three games offer a bit of both, and certainly had us thinking about them long after playing. If you're looking to mix up your 2-player game experiences, perhaps one of these might be worth checking out!Happy Monday! A&MMore game information: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/417518/floristryboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/347218/dickoryboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/373544/tetherTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:59 Dickory04:59 Floristry09:29 Tetherboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/373544/tether14:28 Our ranking / ratings18:13 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
We Played 30 New To Us Games at Dice Tower West 2025 (Including Amys Grail game! 😱) ThinkerThemer 2025-03-18 | What a whirlwind trip to Vegas! After a quick adjustment to the timezone (thanks EDM music at the Sphere for keeping us up) we were straight into the gaming this year with friends from near and far. We were able to meet a lot of great people and also FINALLY collaborated with the wonderful Brother's Murph. We hope you enjoy this recap and first impressions of 30 new to us games!Thanks for watching and happy Monday :)PS. A special thank you to the joeyfam who always make this particular convention extra special. Until next year!Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:15 Dice Tower West 2025 Recap04:13 New to us games - Caylusboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18602/caylus05:50 Pantoneboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/248584/pantone-the-game06:41 Can't Stopboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/41/cant-stop07:14 Duck & Coverboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/422019/duck-and-cover08:10 Finspan boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436126/finspan10:25 Phantom inkboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/330592/phantom-ink12:36 Courtisansboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/402283/courtisans14:06 Inside Jobboardgamegeek.com/image/7233520/inside-job15:09 Tycoon: India 1981boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/372571/tycoon-india-198117:37 Witchdomboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/422045/witchdom19:16 Murray the Ahole Frogboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/416494/murray-the-ahole-frog20:43 Tic Tac Boomboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/438845/tic-tac-boom22:15 Last Willboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/97842/last-will25:41 The deadliesboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/292907/the-deadlies27:06 Mino dice boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191071/mino-dice28:38 Cascaderoboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/401216/cascadero31:57 Strasbourgboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91873/strasbourg35:54 Potions of Azerlandboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/372831/potions-of-azerland39:31 Lord of the Rings: The Confrontationboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18833/lord-of-the-rings-the-confrontation42:30 The Great Dalmutiboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/929/the-great-dalmuti45:20 Hookyboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/377480/hooky49:57 Onstage (Sang Den)boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/417224/onstage51:33 Scurry upboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/434001/scurry-up53:35 Stick 'Emboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/354/stick-em55:33 Beyond the Horizonboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/421310/beyond-the-horizon59:12 Nuts a GoGo!boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/374212/nuts-a-gogo59:55 Red 7boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161417/red71:00:55 Fallen Angelsboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/246263/fallen-angels1:02:43 Northwestboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/377041/northwest1:04:10 Top Tierboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/421395/top-tier1:05:54 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #dicetowerwest #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Calimala ~ Interactive, Elegant, and So Satisfying! 😏 | A Review of the New Edition ThinkerThemer 2025-02-26 | We've been waiting for this new edition to be released ever since we had the opportunity to sit down and play it in a busy hall in Essen. While the convention exhaustion had hit by then, we remember being so fascinated by the level of interaction in this beige euro. There's definitely more going on here than the rules overhead would suggest....For more game info: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199383/calimalaTimestamps:00:00 Intro01:32 Theme Overview02:27 Mechanics Overview07:29 The Order of Scoring Guides Strategy10:57 Tie Breaker is Critical12:10 Worker Placement Decision-Making14:34 Turns and Game Pace16:33 Player Count Considerations19:11 The 2 Player Game20:01 Overall Thoughts24:17 Our Ratings25:58 Wrap UpThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgaming #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Would SETI Have Made Our Top 10 Games of 2024? ThinkerThemer 2025-02-10 | We always try to play all of the hot titles of the year before crowning our best board games... but sometimes we miss a couple (especially when waiting for their release here in Australia!) SETI was one such title of 2024 so we thought we'd take a look at the game and think about whether it should be given a place in our top 10's retrospectively....For more information about the game: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/418059/seti-search-for-extraterrestrial-intelligenceTimestamps:00:00 Intro01:32 Theme overview02:28 Mechanics overview04:44 Rulebook clarity & ease of teach05:58 Squeeze that juice!08:14 A blend of deep planning and being opportunistic09:44 The scan action brings some interaction11:44 A clever use of the VP tracker13:29 Alien Modules bring perfectly timed variety16:23 Higher player count = more down time18:01 Would it have made it to our Top 10 of 2024 lists?21:57 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
✨3 Brilliant New Card Games for Every Occasion!✨ ThinkerThemer 2025-01-29 | We have been playing so many card games recently and we wanted to share with you three that have recently made an impression! We love sharing our new discoveries with you and hope that through the channel you might stumble upon a gem that really works for your gaming group.A&M-------Our channel is community funded - thank you so much to all of our YouTube members (the joeyfam!) for your continued support ❤️-------Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:23 Banana Boy vs Uni-coneboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/427336/banana-boy-vs-uni-coneex1st.com/games/bananaboy/index.php05:39 FateFlip - Washed Ashoreboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/401493/fateflip-washed-ashore11:25 Torchlitboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433205/torchlitnewmillindustries.com/store/p/torchlit-preorder20:12 Our ranking22:09 Our ratings22:53 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #cardgame #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Most Anticipated New Board Games of 2025 ThinkerThemer 2025-01-13 | New Year, more board games! Publishers are quick out of the gates this year teasing us all about some of their upcoming titles. It's only a fraction of what's to come but we thought we'd share the most anticipated new titles that we've heard of. Remember - we haven't played any of these yet, and we are also only covering games we haven't previewed (true new to us stuff!) We hope this list gets you as excited as we are to punch some sweet new cardboard.A&M xTimestamps:00:00 Introduction (PS. Don't come for us! LOL)01:36 Honorable mentionboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/421947/rivals-of-rock03:18 Amy's 10boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/425765/ministry-of-lost-things-case-1-lint-condition05:56 Maggie's 9boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/413249/freigard07:37 Amy's 9boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/375459/speakeasy10:57 Maggie's 8boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/425445/sweet-lands12:17 Amy's 8boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436126/finspan16:20 Maggie's 7boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431837/coming-of-age18:14 Amy's 7boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/417518/floristry20:53 Amy's 6boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436516/merchants-of-andromeda23:24 Maggie's 6boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367842/leylines25:05 Amy's 5boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420914/iliadboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420915/ichor30:23 Maggie's 5boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/417323/panda-spin33:48 Amy's 4boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433384/rival-cities36:23 Maggie's 4boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/430243/vineyard-a-winemaking-game38:26 Amy's 3boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/427202/la-patisserie-rococo42:25 Maggie's 3boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/426912/tea-witches44:22 Amy's 2 & Maggie's 10boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431305/great-western-trail-el-paso47:53 Maggie's 2boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420033/vantage51:40 Amy's 1gamefound.com/en/projects/ghost-galaxy-games/lord-of-the-rings-the-confrontation-ultimate-edition54:39 Maggie's 1boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/351964/spirit-fireThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Big Box / Euro Board Games of 2024 ThinkerThemer 2024-12-23 | We're finally here - the last video of the year and it's a big one about big games! The bigger box / euro board games with the type of rulebooks that require at least a cuppa (or two) and a good player reference! We love heavier games and we're excited to take you through our picks for 2024. The latter half of the year was STACKED with the bigger games and so many of these are not just new for this list, but new to the channel! As our final video for 2024, we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who continues to support us. Have a wonderful and safe holiday season, A&M xoxoMiss the small box list? youtu.be/O4Z1J_f8HpM?si=UIZDTFCcu0bA9wX0Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:15 Maggie’s 9boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/410201/wyrmspan04:08 Maggie’s 8boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420805/black-forest08:07 Amy’s 8boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/408180/shackleton-base-a-journey-to-the-moon12:44 Amy’s 7boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/357975/stephens16:41 Maggie’s 6 (Upgraded wooden bits shown)boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/371133/wild-gardens21:04 Amy’s 6boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/423401/minos-dawn-of-the-bronze-age25:35 Maggie’s 5boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367518/imperium-horizonsRunthrough: youtu.be/GFs2-tZ_nxc?si=6yKHlqJaSXssADj428:51 Amy’s 5 & Maggie’s 10 (Deluxe minis shown)boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/359871/arcs33:53 Maggie’s 4 & Amy’s 10boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367966/endeavor-deep-sea38:29 Amy’s 4 (Deluxe edition shown)boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/358661/andromedas-edge44:12 Amy’s 3 & Maggie’s 7boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/403441/windmill-valley49:19 Maggie’s 2boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/402679/rock-hard-197754:52 Amy’s 2 (Deluxe minis shown)boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/371688/huang1:00:46 Maggie’s 1boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/329500/unconscious-mind1:06:12 Amy’s 1 & Maggie’s 3boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/400602/civolution1:14:12 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Small Box / Family Board Games of 2024 ThinkerThemer 2024-12-16 | We'll let you in on a little secret... while we LOVE our heavy euros, it brings us so much more joy to make this list of the best small box / family board games of 2024! These are the games that bring our family and friends so much joy, these are the games that make gamers out of the hobby-curious :) These games deserve all of the recognition for standing out in a very strong year for accessible games. These are our top picks, what are yours? A&M xxTimestamps00:00 Intro01:07 Maggie's 1003:52 Amy's 1006:51 Maggie's908:40 Amy's 912:52 Maggie's 8 (2024 release in Australia)17:22 Amy's 820:30 Maggie's 724:34 Amy & Maggie's 628:30 Maggie's 4 & Amy's 533:08 Amy's 438:40 Maggie's 3 & Amy's 743:54 Amy's 348:13 Amy & Maggie's 253:35 Maggie's 159:16 Amy's 1 & Maggie's 501:04:53 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of The Ring Trick Taking Game ~ is it good if you dont love the IP? ThinkerThemer 2024-12-13 | Here's what we know. There's a ring... a powerful ring. And it needs to be destroyed. So Frodo and his motley crew go on an adventure to drop the ring in Mount Doom? It's been a long time since we watched the movies and we didn't ever read the books so if you're as naive to the IP as we are, you might be wondering if this is a game for you. But never fear! There is enough here mechanically to be worth your time... and we hope our thoughts are helpful. For more game info: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429293/the-fellowship-of-the-ring-trick-taking-gameTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:20 Theme overview01:01 Mechanics overview (Chapter 1)05:52 2-player Mode07:34 Difficulty at different player counts09:59 Thematic integration11:34 Connecting chapters to story as the game goes on15:01 Who will enjoy this game?16:36 Solo mode 17:28 Final thoughts 18:05 Our Ratings20:07 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Going to Tokyo Game Market? Dont be like us. ThinkerThemer 2024-12-03 | On our third trip to Tokyo Game Market, and in a new location, we made a few rookie mistakes that we thought we'd document in the interest of helping you avoid them if you're headed to the convention! We had the best time though, and we'd encourage you to get to this fantastic convention at least once (especially if you love trick taking games!)The Haul (40 games) from Autumn 2024: youtu.be/unX0v1wfjF4Helpful phrases in Japanese for TGM1. Hello: こんにちは (Konnichiwa)2. Are there English rules?: 英語のルールはありますか？ (Eigo no rūru wa arimasu ka?) [I always forget rules in Japanese is "rūru" not "rūsu" and pronounce this incorrectly in the video sorry!]3. One please (the game): これを一つください。 (Kore o hitotsu kudasai.)4. Thank you: ありがとうございます (Arigatou gozaimasu)Timestamps00:00 Intro01:59 Lesson 1: Don't be TOO early05:32 Lesson 2: Reserve Games08:31 Lesson 3: Use the map12:24 Lesson 4: Bring food15:10 Lesson 5: Bring bags21:36 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #ゲームマーケット2024秋 #ゲームマーケット #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
How does World Order compare to Hegemony? | Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2024-11-13 | Hegemony is one of our favourite recent big box board games - stretching what a board game can be, and how to seamlessly integrate education into a fun experience. Well now that same team are back with the follow-up: World Order! We weren't sure what to expect but hope that our game experiences help you assess whether it's a game for you. Thanks for watching as always! A&M xCampaign page:kickstarter.com/projects/hegemony/world-orderFor more game info:boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/403150/world-orderTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:36 Theme overview01:00 Gameplay overview03:54 ✅Far easier to get into05:37 ✅Amazing player aids06:54 ✅Thematic approach and research08:38 How it feels to play10:01 Deck building 11:14 Complexity and comparison to Hegemony12:22 Some minor tweaks we'd love to see in the final version14:24 Player count discussion & Automa for games less than 4 players17:00 Final thoughts19:52 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Avalon: The Riven Veil ~ the very Blood-Rage-esque follow-up to Oathsworn ThinkerThemer 2024-11-12 | Yes I backed Oathsworn, and yes I went all in. There are several boxes of undiscovered treasures that take up exactly two moving boxes full of space in our home that simply say "Oathsworn" on them. It was the first kickstarter as well, long before the game became the hottest dungeon crawler and the talk of the industry. So, sheepishly, here we are reviewing the follow-up title from the designer and publisher before even tabling Oathsworn! On paper this one feels much more in line with our gaming preferences: hand management, area control.... but how did we enjoy it? Watch on to hear all of our thoughts!Note: The game featured is a prototype provided by the publisher with rules & components subject to change. As with all content on our channel, this preview was unpaid. Campaign page: kickstarter.com/projects/shadowborne-games/avalon-the-riven-veilMore information about the game: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/402276/avalon-the-riven-veilTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:39 Theme overview00:59 Mechanics overview06:58 A note about the prototype07:36 ✅The card play makes for fun decisions10:17 ❔The game is quite (too?) forgiving / nice, which polarises us13:27 ❌The battle mechanic can be a little luck based & feels a bit swingy17:49 ❔The exploration also has some luck elements08:55 ✅The prophecy cards / public objectives20:05 ✅Excalibur & the Holy Grail are are worth fighting for20:53 ✅Scales easily but better at higher player counts21:50 A comparison to Blood Rage24:02 Our final thoughts & wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Storyfold: Wildwoods ~ a Beautiful but Dice-Heavy Narrative Adventure | Solo Game Preview ThinkerThemer 2024-11-09 | Hi friends, it’s Maggie from ThemerThemer 😂! I’ve had the chance to preview Storyfold: Wildwoods, a solo narrative adventure where you join Luma and her bear companion, Brom, as they journey to heal a forest shrouded in darkness. The game’s production value and storytelling are undeniably captivating, with gorgeous art and an immersive campaign that unfolds scene by scene. But was it the right fit for me? Stick around to find out, especially if you’re curious about the other games that the dice-rolling reminds me of....Note: This was an unpaid preview and all components and rules are subject to change. As always, this video contains our honest opinions. Please check the campaign page for more details about the game. Campaign page: kickstarter.com/projects/openowlstudios/storyfold-wildwoodsFor more information about this game: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/425505/storyfold-wildwoods00:00 Introduction & Theme01:20 Mechanics overview08:54 ✅ Beautiful, practical production09:54 ✅ Writing style 10:32 ❔Guided learning - good and bad11:51 ❔Not a "cosy" vibe 13:07 😬 Dice rolling 😬 15:35 You might like it if...Thanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Flatiron: Bigger Box, Smaller Player Count ~ the new title from the designers of The White Castle ThinkerThemer 2024-10-22 | We’re checking out Flatiron by Ludonova (thank you to joeyfam member Trina for ferrying this to Australia for us!) the latest board game from the renowned designers behind White Castle and Red Cathedral. Known for packing huge euro strategy into small packages, Flatiron is designed exclusively for 1-2 players, offering a head-to-head strategic experience set in the heart of New York.More information about the game: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/409693/flatironTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:41 Theme overview01:05 Mechanics overview04:51 ❔The table presence does the thematic heavy lifting05:58 ✅Tension 1: Worker placement blocking07:10 ✅Tension 2: Engine-building or building building?08:55 ✅Asymmetry 11:02 ❔Less tension = less for us (but maybe for you!)13:08 ❌Starts to feel a bit repetitive (despite the variations in the box)14:47 ✅Accessibility15:57 Solo mode18:35 Our Ratings & Wrap UpThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletop games #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Restart: An Ambitious Design with Mixed Results Heres Our Early Impressions | Board Game Preview ThinkerThemer 2024-10-08 | Playing a game where the players change the course of history and land themselves in a new dystopian future of their own creation?? The game description alone had us excited to try this game, coupled with the fact that this design team put out one of Amy's big box favourite games of 2024. We didn't know what to expect going in but ultimately there were things we liked about Restart so far, and things that perhaps were less of a fit with our preferred style of gameplay. It's certainly interesting, so we hope this helps you assess if it's for you or not.Note: The game featured is a prototype provided by the publisher with rules & components subject to change. As with all content on our channel, this preview was unpaid. Campaign page: kickstarter.com/projects/teetotum/restartMore information about the game: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/377045/restartTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:36 Theme overview01:38 Mechanics overview06:08 ✅ Impressive modular player board 08:03 ✅ The core evolving tableau puzzle10:59 ❌Unexpectedly abstract12:30 ✅Moving into a new dystopia13:16 ❌Modules didn't resonate with us as is 15:00 ❌Rules overhead vs. payoff16:20 ❔ Interaction & turn length19:56 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Stephens is a New Euro that Feels Like a Classic 😌✨ | Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2024-10-02 | Not going to lie, it felt a bit like a true return to the heart of our board game preferences getting this to the table. It's so very Euro, in all the best ways. Finally, something we agree on *he he he*Happy Essen Spiel to everyone over there!A&MFor more game info:boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/357975/stephensTimestamp:00:00 Intro00:32 Theme overview01:23 Gameplay overview07:04 ✅Theme and Historical Setting08:55 ✅The Economic Flow11:16 ✅Short-Term or Long-Term?13:01 ✅Positive Interaction & Engine Building 15:11 ✅Unlocking Personal Board Abilities16:25 ❌Variability Across Games17:10 ❌End of Round Steps & Investment Cards19:42 ❔Better at Higher Player Counts20:45 Solo Mode23:07 Our Ratings24:53 Wrap UpThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
10, OUT OF 10 (Part 20): 😬Uh oh, theyre all new titles. Were on a series hamster wheel 🐹 ThinkerThemer 2024-09-25 | Who would've thought we'd be 200 game ratings in and still be no where near finishing rating our collection. LOL. Most would admit defeat but not us!!! But the classics are off the table during GenCon and Essen Spiel season because we know you're all thinking about what to put on your shopping list. We hope these thoughts are helpful. Thanks for watching this series as always and for your support of the channel. A&M xxTimestamps:00:00 Intro01:01 Citiesboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/402676/cities05:16 Lone Wolvesboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/422374/lone-wolves11:40 The Vale of Eternityboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/385529/the-vale-of-eternity18:31 Tir Na Nogboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/343433/tir-na-nog26:10 Spectacularboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/415147/spectacular32:29 Nocturneboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/393175/nocturne38:51 Flock togetherboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/383360/flock-together45:47 Butterfly gardenboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/116954/butterfly-garden50:43 Wild Gardensboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/371133/wild-gardens59:28 Endeavor Deep Seaboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367966/endeavor-deep-sea1:10:02 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Games We Would Buy At Essen Spiel 2024 🔥 ThinkerThemer 2024-09-18 | WE HAVE SO MUCH FOMO. This year looks to be a HUGE one of new releases - and mostly of trick-takers and heavy euros. We will have to live vicariously through your shopping this year as we sadly can't make it to Essen Spiel, but hope our personal shopping wishlist if we were going helps you find some games you might enjoy too. Let us know in the description below what you're most looking forward to?.......****SPOILERS IN TIME STAMPS BELOW****............Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:46 Special mention 1 - Unconscious Mind02:46 Special mention 2 - Propuh04:06 Special mention 3 - I'm stuck in the lift04:14 Special mention 4 - Hot Pot Holic04:47 Special mention 5 - Nusfjord Big Box06:19 Amy's 10 - Atlantis Exodus08:52 Maggie's 9 - Draft & Write Records11:00 Amy's 8 - Shackleton Base: A journey to the moon13:51 Maggie's 8 - Castle Combo16:55 Amy's 7 - Beyond the Horizon19:05 Maggie's 7 - Galileo Galilei21:29 Amy's 6 - 1am Jailbreak23:34 Maggie's 6 & Amy's 9 - Fishing25:44 Amy's 5 - Flatiron27:40 Maggie's 5 - Suna Valo29:00 Amy's 4 & Maggie's 10 - Stephens31:41 Maggie's 4 - Panda Spin34:23 Amy's 3 - Milkuro36:46 Maggie's 2 - Saltfjord38:31 Amy's 1 & Maggie's 3 - Civolution41:50 Maggie's 1 & Amy's 2 - Black Forest44:39 Wrap upboardgamegeek.com/boardgame/400602/civolutionThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer #essenspiel ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Beyond the Marbles: A Closer Look at Tameri 🟡🔵| Board Game Preview ThinkerThemer 2024-09-17 | It's time to Harvest, or is it? Manage the timing of your yield carefully to ensure the weather doesn't mess with your plans! This a classic euro-feeling point-salady game with one key difference... a large pyramid that dispenses marbles in the middle of it!! But there's more here than just a gimmick-y toy - here we give an overview of the game play and we hope it helps you work out whether this one is for you. Note: Prototype game featured, art, components & rules subject to change. This is an unpaid preview and as with all of our content, consists of our honest thoughts and opinions.Campaign info page: gamefound.com/projects/post-scriptum/tameri?refcode=gCYvNc6LnUCffV9kJcbSKwFor more game information: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420315/tameriTimestamps00:00 Intro00:29 Theme overview01:03 Gameplay overview05:37 THE PYRAMID & thematic integration09:02 Matching hieroglyphs 10:04 Temple tracks 11:28 How it feels to play (steady pace)15:37 Who is this game for?16:29 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Eternal Decks ~ a BRILLIANT design that made me enjoy cooperating😏| Board Game Preview ThinkerThemer 2024-09-14 | If you like games like the Crew or other limited communication card games and you're looking for a challenge, well this one might be for you. I (Amy here) loved playing through the levels of this crunchy co-op, it is heaven if you like number sequencing puzzles. That's why I've decided to call it as a strong pick for me - but please watch the video to hear how it plays to see if it might be one for you (or not!) Thanks for watching :) A&MNote: Prototype game featured, art, components & rules subject to change. This is an unpaid preview and as with all of our content, consists of our honest thoughts and opinions.Campaign is live: kickstarter.com/projects/tricktakers/eternal-decksFor more game information: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/424981/eternal-decksTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:37 Theme overview01:24 Gameplay overview06:09 The artwork is beautiful06:54 😍Let's count the ways I love thee07:30 ✅ Managing everyone's decks09:57 ✅ The choice of WHICH new deck12:17 ✅ Limiting the discard 13:08 ✅ The variety of the stages (puzzles) & difficulties16:14 ✅ Limited communication18:30 Who this game is for?20:43 A bit of set-up / clean-up21:28 Player count 22:03 Wrap up gushingThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
First Look at Citizens of the Spark - the new title from Thunderworks Games 👀 | Board Game Preview ThinkerThemer 2024-09-09 | OK we'll admit it, we saw the gorgeous illustrations by Diego Sá and knew we had to check this title out. It's a variable deck card game (you construct the cast of characters before the game starts like Dominion) with an interesting "follow" mechanic. In this video we describe how it works which we hope helps you decide if it's a game for you, or not!Note: Prototype game featured, art, components & rules subject to change. This is an unpaid preview and as with all of our content, consists of our honest thoughts and opinions.Campaign info page: kickstarter.com/projects/thunderworks/citizens-of-the-spark?ref=3qdnobFor more game information: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/415465/citizens-of-the-sparkTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:36 Theme overview01:26 Gameplay overview05:50 Artwork drew us in06:32 What it feels like to play09:30 New combos makes you want...more new combos10:53 The 'follow' mechanic13:17 Player count discussion14:12 Solo gameplay overview18:55 Who this game is for?19:20 Wrap upOur video on our recent Pokemon Trading Card Game journey:youtu.be/uw6SFGf2nPQThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
4 Months into the Pokemon TCG - the Highs, the Lows & the Learnings!! ThinkerThemer 2024-09-02 | We've got a secret to share - we've been cheating on board gaming... with the POKEMON TCG! It all happened so suddenly and it's been a bit of a whirlwind. At we at the end of this journey? Maybe, maybe not, but we thought we'd share everything we've experienced so far.There's now an official how to play video that is short and to the point:youtube.com/watch?v=eKC5PlYoboETimestamps00:00 How it all started12:11 A board gamer's description of how it plays..17:51 How it feels to play the game19:38 Theme integration21:10 Where we're at now with the TCG36:35 Playing at the local league44:18 Learnings about TCGs50:27 Learnings about ourselves56:29 Where to from here?Meta decks lists: limitlesstcg.comThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer #pokemontcg ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
We think I Cut You Choose is not for us 😞 | A Review of Stamp Swap ThinkerThemer 2024-08-23 | We've been thinking about this review for a long time now as Stonemaier always provide a long lead time to reviewers to ensure the game can be played many times. And play we did! We had high expectations (great theme, great designer) but for some reason it fell a little flat for us and for our gaming groups. It gave us the opportunity to reflect on the core mechanic and why we sometimes were left feeling less-than-satisfied throughout the course of the game where others may not. As always we hope this helps you decide whether or not this is a game for you!A&M xFor more information about the game: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/426796/stamp-swapTimestamps00:00 Intro00:20 Theme overview00:45 How it plays04:35 We love the theme!05:17 We don't love "I cut, you choose" 11:05 Classic tile laying puzzle15:33 Variability across games16:07 Some thoughts on the production20:16 Solo Mode23:49 Preferred Play Count24:47 Our Ratings26:30 Wrap up Thanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Fairy Ring ~ WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS GAME? 🍄🧚 ThinkerThemer 2024-08-16 | This was a release at GenCon that went completely under the radar.... but we think it's going to be a bit of a sleeper hit. It's got charm by the bucketload and it's hard not to love the whimsy of your fairy journeying through your opponents' tableau of mushrooms! In a year of great family / mid-weight games, this one is a contender!For more information about Fairy Ring:boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/419074/fairy-ringTimestamps00:00 Intro00:53 Theme01:15 How it plays05:00 Delightful theme06:16 Unique tableau travelling mechanic + positive interaction12:28 Component quality16:07 Player Count17:28 Our ratings18:45 Wrap upPhoto credit: A fairy ringcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2017-08-03_11_23_31_A_fairy_ring_%28fruiting_bodies_of_a_mushroom_growing_in_a_circle_within_a_lawn%29_along_Ladybank_Lane_in_the_Chantilly_Highlands_section_of_Oak_Hill,_Fairfax_County,_Virginia.jpgThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Middle Ages vs. Majesty For the Realm - Whats the difference and which ones better? ThinkerThemer 2024-08-14 | The charming but OOP game Majesty For the Realm is back with an all new art style, new rules, and new publisher. We love the original but it's hard to ignore the improvements in the new game... are they different enough to keep both?? (Shelf space says NO) Our review of Majesty For the Realm:youtu.be/I1BpD6gfb9I?si=qrW30Mp5C-3eXgQY&t=1683For more information about Middle Ages:boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/403754/middle-agesTimestamps00:00 Intro00:50 Theme01:14 How it plays05:56 Difference 1: Area tiles vs people cards06:37 Difference 2: The way you draft09:04 Difference 3: No half-half cards and the "b" side 11:35 Difference 4: No chips! 12:26 Which one feels more thematic?14:00 Middle Ages is more "mature"15:56 Streamlined scoring17:05 Equally fiddley18:23 Player count19:18 Preference21:31 Our Ratings22:16 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Unpacking our GenCon 2024 Haul (+ a jetlagged recap!) ThinkerThemer 2024-08-08 | We're back in Oz and all of our games arrived safely (plus no cancelled flights whoohoo).As usual, we packed games within games so enjoy our 1hr+ unpacking and retelling of some of our favourite memories of GenCon 2024.Use the timestamps below to jump ahead to the games section!Timestamps00:00 GenCon 2024 Recap11:13 Boardgame packing tips18:28 GenCon 2024 Game HaulTranquility: The Ascent youtu.be/IuAWYI9TVhg?si=XEkE0rC5uA-StX3N&t=1273Our Top 10 Thematic Trick Taking games listyoutu.be/V1ftAhp_GaY?si=FzadK7Z_ocriR7TCThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #board games #tabletop games #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Windmill Valley is just SO EASY TO LIKE! Charmed from the first game 😍| Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2024-07-22 | OK YES we forgot to take a cover photo 😂 and so YES we had to use an awkward freeze frame mid-intro.Thanks for tuning in in spite of our expressions for our review of Windmill Valley! A game that is all about farming tulips and carefully managing the water flow. A game that is about chaining actions together and putting windmills into a network in the beautiful valley. But mostly, a game that is just so darn charming and easy to like. For more game information: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/403441/windmill-valleyTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:37 Theme overview00:58 Gameplay overview04:30 Easy to get into05:49 Engine building at its core08:57 Good tension in choices10:53 Pace is set by players13:12 Snappy action turns & playing time14:04 Thoughts on Player Count16:13 Solo Mode 19:07 Final thoughts and rating21:13 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Thematic Trick-Taking Card Games ThinkerThemer 2024-07-17 | Since we've now presented this list twice - first in Las Vegas at Dice Tower West and most recently in Sydney at Play Con - we thought we'd record it and share it here with all of you! It's such a fun topic to think of thematic trick-takers... such an abstract mechanic where designers and publishers get very creative in coming up with ways to add thematic concepts. As usual, a strong showing from the trick-taking heartland, JAPAN! We love thematic trick-takers as they so wonderfully balance what we both enjoy in games. We hope you enjoy this Top 10 list!...For our most recent Top 10 Trick Taking Game list please see here:youtu.be/srmIXNV5RVs?si=NcTIN94mD98VNZzPWe mention Taylor's Trick Taking Table, a wonderful youtube channel for all things trick-takinghttp://www.youtube.com/@ClaudeAndTaylor..Links (Spoilers!) to games in the timestamps below..............Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:41 Number 10boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/309058/dog-tag-trick03:31 Number 9boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/378889/kings-tricktakers06:07 Number 8boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/345972/cat-in-the-box-deluxe-edition08:40 Number 7boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/364354/mo-nu-noyi-ji-zhai-pei-bian-witchs-shot-delivery-s12:46 Number 6boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/301614/dokitsutoaisu-dokitto-ice15:20 Number 5boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/324711/schadenfreude18:31 Number 4boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/334590/for-northwood-a-solo-trick-taking-game20:55 Number 3boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/362830/roulette-taking-game23:56 Number 2boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/264984/peters-two-sheep-dogs26:23 Number 1boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/381249/rebel-princess30:30 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tricktaking #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Top 10 Games to *Buy, Try or Spy* at GenCon 2024 | Most Anticipated ThinkerThemer 2024-07-03 | We're heading over to the US to attend one of our favourite board game conventions - GenCon 2024! We've started researching games and can foresee it being very expensive with NO OVERLAP in our most anticipated lists. We hope that this research helps you navigate through and find some gems that work for you and your gamer group. Please come and say hi if you see us!We'll shortly update the list below with timestamps where you can find each of these games at GenCon (to the best of our knowledge!) so be sure to come back when you're marking your map. Note: all B-roll in this video is credited to game publisher and/or designer of the game********Warning Spoilers in Timestamps Below!**********............Location in GenCon 2024 exhibition hall shown in brackets (COMING SOON)MSRP shown where publisher has listed (COMING SOON)..Games we've coveredWitchcraft! youtu.be/hgQIdZkCxhQ?si=gNY48Ix_iyjYTYtC&t=1568Stonespine Architects youtu.be/PJyxU379eGM?si=CAqZz74i1GKvHiYNConfusing Lands youtu.be/Sy187HhUDxU?si=SwGuNBrJPxoP1rgvEvenfall youtu.be/WmDMxooHhQU?si=RYokbbwVdkrT4YGn&t=1851Rebel Princess Deluxe youtu.be/hgQIdZkCxhQ?si=i8-mESsmWSKDLhZo&t=314Vegetable Stock youtu.be/qXE2RxCUwGg?si=HE8rCFAQ8sEZ52kR&t=2832Hamster RollThings in Rings youtu.be/ichgHNSPp1M?si=IDhMAiY5G8xHOfUdFairy youtu.be/Sy187HhUDxU?si=tdacMiPjh0TNLisFRebirth prototype youtu.be/SQbDilInhvQ?si=FEH-6X765KzNEKWWLuthier prototype youtu.be/OG8lZZZtIaY?si=MM3wP0uu_uOUPak0ARCS youtu.be/bn85UTGWogg?si=FG50rJxEELPiDGCM....Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction01:53 - Highly recommended games that we've played06:37 - 10 (Maggie) Cities (Devir, 2827)09:01 - 10 (Amy) Tir Na Nog (Grand Gamers Guild, 2838)11:07 - 9 (Maggie) Don't Starve The Board Game (Glass Cannon Unplugged, 1939)12:56 - 9 (Amy) Landmarks (Floodgate Games, 439, $25)15:14 - 8 (Maggie) Seers Catalog (Bezier Games, 3035, $15)17:47 - 8 (Amy) March of the Ants (Weird City Games, 2956, DEMO)19:41 - 7 (Maggie) Cafe Baras (KTBG, 2004, $20)20:48 - 7 (Amy) Lone Wolves (Wonderful World Board Games, 1356, $20)22:32 - 6 (Maggie) Fromage (Road To Infamy Games, ?, $50)25:14 - 6 (Amy) Gnome Hollow (The Op Games, 135, $50)27:23 - 5 (Maggie) Citizens of the Spark (Thunderworks Games, 1363, DEMO)28:40 - 5 (Amy) The Fog: Escape From Paradise (XOLLOX Games, ?)32:13 - 4 (Maggie) Rock Hard 1977 (Devir, 2827)34:28 - 4 (Amy) Decorum Movin' Out (Floodgate Games, 439) but also Forest Shuffle Alpine (Lookout Games, ?, $13), Radlands Cult of Chrome (Roxley, 2662, $13) and Innovation Ultimate (Asmadi Games, 2555, DEMO)39:00 - 3 (Maggie) FateFlip: Washed Ashore (Alley Cat Games, 2052, $15)40:53 - 3 (Amy) Knitting Circle (Flatout Games, 403, DEMO)42:34 - 2 (Maggie) Endeavor Deep Sea (Burnt Island Games, 2004, $55)45:59 - 2 (Amy) SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CGE, ICC 235-239, DEMO)47:30 - 1 (Maggie) Windmill Valley (Board & Dice, 2611, $60)50:42 - 1 (Amy) The Gang (Kosmos, 2619, $15)55:58 - Bonus Round55:95 - Wrap UpThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #gencon2024 #gencon #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Brink ~ Simple Rules Set the Stage for Negotiations & Table Talk | Board Game Preview ThinkerThemer 2024-07-01 | We're learning quite quickly that many of the IV Studios titles include an element of negotiation and table talk. This year we were delighted by the expansion for Veiled Fate but now they're back again with another game, this one set in the Moonraker universe. We know nothing about the Moonraker universe (and not that much more about space) but what we did find interesting is the way this fairly simple game uses negotiation and voting for what scores. We hope this video helps you decide if this is a game for you or not! Note: Prototype game featured, art, components & rules subject to change. This is an unpaid preview and as with all of our content, consists of our honest thoughts and opinions.Kickstarter page (Coming soon): kickstarter.com/projects/ivstudios/brink-0For more game info: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/415078/brinkTimestamps00:00 Introduction00:42 Theme overview01:05 Gameplay overview08:14 ❔Light Theme (and more puzzle than 4X)09:25 ✅Negotiation is the make or break of this game14:09 ✅Puzzling out the best move17:01 Time is limited!19:40 Resources are tight!21:49 ✅Game variability22:37 ❔Player Count - Limited perspective :( 23:33 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Luthier ~ the HEAVY, thematic follow-up to Distilled ♫ | Board Game Preview ThinkerThemer 2024-06-18 | It feels like a lifetime ago in YouTube years that we covered the wonderful and very thematic game Distilled. Well Paverson Games is back with their follow-up title, Luthier! In this heavier game you are still an artisan but this time you're turning your skills to crafting fine instruments. The game has blind bidding worker placement, with area majority, and a very healthy dose of brain-burning resource management. We hope you enjoy this early preview of the game and how it comes together. Note: Prototype game featured, art, components & rules subject to change. This is an unpaid preview and as with all of our content, consists of our honest thoughts and opinions.Kickstarter page (Coming July 16th): kickstarter.com/projects/paversongames/luthierFor more game info: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/371330/luthierTimestamps00:00 Introduction00:19 Theme overview00:59 Gameplay overview05:35 ✅In-depth Discussion: the Worker Placement12:48 ✅Mitigated Dice Rolls14:30 ❔Wish the First Chair battle felt a little more rewarding17:58 ✅Gorgeous Art by Vincent Dutrait18:50 ❔Some work still needed on iconography in Prototype21:07 ✅ Enjoyable timed sponsors' impatience & game set-up23:37 Our Player Count & Solo game preferences27:15 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Three GREAT new card games! ThinkerThemer 2024-06-11 | The title says it all! We have been loving card games lately and continue to find quirky new games so we thought we'd share some with you this week. Are card games hitting your table more too?Sky TowersFind out more: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/324883/sky-towersPurchase direct: ex1st.com/gamesFairyFind out more: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/408545/fairy[RELEASE DATE TBC 2024]Confusing LandsFind out more: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/342200/confusing-landsPurchase direct: envyborngames.com/products/confusing-lands-pre-orderTimestamps00:00 Introduction00:58 Sky Towers06:37 Fairy11:24 Confusing lands15:56 Which of these games is for you?18:44 Ranking & scores20:53 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #cardgame #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
Things in Rings ~ we think this clever little party game will be a ✨ HIT ✨ | Board Game Review ThinkerThemer 2024-05-27 | It's not often we find a party game that excites us - but did someone say VENN DIAGRAM? In this shedding game you are racing other 'finders' to play thing cards into a venn diagram. The trick is that you have no idea what the rules of the circles are. Through correct placements (and corrected placements by the 'knower') you're slowly able to deduce the rules. Just make sure you work it out before your opponents!💖Our channel is completely community funded. Thank you to the Joeyfam (our Youtube membership) for all of your support 💖For more game information: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/408547/things-in-ringsTimestamps:00:00 Yes we memorised the back of the box LOL00:23 Introduction01:05 Gameplay overview04:27 Amy's Most Anticipated List05:43 How it feels to play07:09 ✅ The 'Knower' role is surprisingly fun!10:02 ✅ Artwork and presentation10:57 ✅ Super compact for travel11:30 ❔The co-op variant & 2 player scaling13:06 ❔Expansions in rule cards may be needed for future14:00 Rule difficulty preferences15:10 Wrap upThanks for stopping by! We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
