WHAT MAKES A BOARD GAME A CLASSIC? | Board Game Discussion Video

Fr. Greg and Daniel talk about what makes a board game a "classic". Let us know your thoughts and musings down below :)!

[longtimeninerfan]

Good discussion. I would make it ten years for a game to pass the “ test of time” to qualify among the criteria needed for “ classic” status.

[Flipide]

I am really loving your channel, you have great chemistry and have some really interesting discussions.
Your channel should definitely be bigger!

[garryknox]

Your videos are the highlight of my week. A great mix of wholesome humor mixed with thought provoking discussions, keep 'em coming boys! A classic should be innovative with wide appeal and stand the test of time. My vote for classic is Castles of Burgundy, it blew my mind with its original beige edition and I love it more every time I play it (it also plays well at 2, 3 and 4). Thank you for your work.

[boardthenplay]

The classics are timeless. The enjoyment never fades in time. It is just as good as when it first came out.

[donnakeferlis]

Typical of its kind... Stands the test of time... A typical Euro that people still play: Castles of Burgundy. Still so popular it got deluxified. I know there are others, but that's the one that popped into my mind.

[MicroBIOS]

A "classic" in every sense, is something that sets some foundation for future things. In the boardgaming world, it's a game that makes something new (or takes something already existing to some higher level), that in the future many other games are built around that "new" concept. The term can also be applied to something that resists the passage of time, so we can say that a game that has survived for long years and is still played is a classic. In that sense, I can feel that games like Ark Nova or Wingspan will become classics, since I feel that 10 years in the future they'll still be around.

[radshef]

Noticing your shelves - Jaipur, Brazil, Tobago etc - made me wonder if anyone's done a Top 10 games about real places?

Re: classics. Would Monopoly, Chess, Draughts/Checkers, Scrabble, Snakes and Ladders, Chinese Checkers, Ludo etc also be classics even though only some of them are any good (ymmv which ones)? All established, popular, in some ways influential...

[BillyIndiana]

If you want another point of contention, you can try to decide if a "modern classic" is a reasonable term or not. For example, Chess and Go and Senet would be classics and Catan and Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne would be modern classics... What do you think about that distinction? Is it worthwhile or are there not enough "ancient" games to separate them?

[raymyers]

First off, Fr Greg...looking good my man...the haircut makes you even more dapper! :) And yes: I roll my eyes every time I hear someone say that a 1 or 2 year old game is a 'classic'. OR..."We played a really old game: (insert game that is 4 years old here)". I think a classic is best defined when it is said and no one doubts it. Catan is a classic. TTR is a classic. If you want to speculate, you could even say "destined to be a classic". Like Azul is destined to be a classic.

[checkrazor]

By definition classic is something that stays top tier over time. But man it’s fun to think of some “instant classics.” I believe the games that will fall into classic status will be Ark Nova, Wingspan, and Just One. I love thinking about this topic and I agree too many people will thing too many games are “classic”. It’s kinda like being elite in sports. Over the past few years there seems to be the idea of a dozen “elite” players at one position all in the same time frame. I feel like that diminishes the meaning of elite. It should be saved for the best of the best.

[MrJmarzetti]

Love this topic. Yes, I definitely think there needs to be some sense of longevity for a game to be considered a classic, but not necessarily a high rating on BGG, ie Monopoly I think deserves to be a classic, yet it's one of the lowest ranked games. . A classic game might represent a sort of epitome of the type of game it is. For example, Ticket to Ride for route building, Pandemic for co-op or Dominion for deck building.
I have an idea for a video series, how about a top ten games by five or more of your favorite designers.
😊

[Sanderus]

I agree with the time requirement. There is no such thing as "instant classic" as some promotional materials may say about a new board game. Also the game to be a classic needs to be very popular in its hey day and still be mechanically sound after years. I would aslo agree with the uniqness criterion, not sure if ever Ark Nova becones a classic. Terraforming Mars is.

And I have a story. Now most games where to win you score points are point salads. No matter what you do you score points. If you perform completely random actions you will be dead last but probably score some points by accident anyhiw. Some time ago i played 20 year old Tikal with some gamers at board game caffe, who knew the title but never played it. And they loved it saying how original it was. Because options to score points are very limited in Tikal but activating these options in a satisfactory way takes a quite a lot of planning. It's a complete 180 in comparison to most current designs. This would also back what you said about a different feel of classic games. You can place them in time.

[jonio]

I agree there has to be a tough criteria to be considered a classic. There are lots of games that could become classics, but might not make it in the end.

[matthewcolwell]

Please remove Imhotep from your shelf. It is an unholy hate filled game where players can just stick it to you like when you get shived in prison.