Top 10 Games w/ Light Rules & Heavy Strategy

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Today we take a look at 10 games that don't have many rules but have a heck of a lot of strategy!

0:00 Intro
1:23 10
3:30 9
6:07 8
9:29 7
12:42 6
16:21 5
18:44 4
21:07 3
23:47 2
27:37 1

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#boardgames #Top10

[TheBrothersMurph]

What game do you think should be on the list? Oh and make sure to subscribe!

[Agent_Pendergast]

I feel like Hansa Teutonica is the most elegant design in all of board gaming and would have been my vote for number one on this list.

[Cabelly]

I love seeing everyone's list. Games like these are the only ones I can get my family to play with me. If the rules take more than 10 minutes to explain, it's not making it to the table.

[iqweaver]

So glad to see Concordia on this list. One of the few games you never need to look at the rule book.

[patricksullivan]

Thanks for this list. Low rule complexity, deep strategy is a beautiful balance

[stacie_everdell]

I know you've been doing this for a bit now, but I just wanted to comment on how much I enjoy and appreciate the b-roll you incorporate into your top 10 lists. Very well done, beautiful cuts that really add to both the quality and quantity of your videos. Thanks for the effort. I know it takes a lot.
This was a great list, btw!

[mrtheasley]

I'll say no on Castles of Burgundy. I think when we play a game a lot we forget what it's like to learn it. I teach a lot of games and think I do a pretty good job of it, but I taught this to some new folks sometime in the past year and it felt like a medium/medium-heavy game with the things I felt like I needed to explain. I'm sure someone else would do a better job, but I think it's wrong to say Castles is a rules-light game.

But—great video! I haven't tried Santorini or Unmatched or Arboretum even though I've known about them, and this makes me want to now.

[olanmills]

Arboretum is one of my favorites! The rules for gameplay are indeed simple. I do find that for new players, it's hard to remember all the scoring rules. It's not that complicated, but I do wish there were little player aid cards included in the game.

[ralfn]

Interesting list. Everything you mentioned about Chess is much more true for Go. That is in fact my number 1 game of all time. And that despite I am more a Themer. (Terraforming Mars, Wingspan, Scythe, Sleeping Gods etc.) Go has the simplest 3 rules, but only in 2016 was a AI able to win against human. It is THE most complex game out there.

[stephenball]

My first thought when I saw the topic was Blitzkrieg. It’s so quick and easy to teach, never have to look at the rulebook, but I’m always shocked how much though goes into each decision made in the game. It feels like it would be stale since the board doesn’t change game to game, but somehow it always feels dynamic and interesting.

[Overlordsen]

Glad to see Santorini on this list. It was the first game that came to my mind when I read "Light Rules And Heavy Strategy"

[SnareSpectre]

I can't believe I've finally found Le Havre getting the recognition as the king of light rules/heavy strategy! Concordia always rules the discussion, and it certainly deserves to be high on the list, yet nobody seems to remember Le Havre even exists when talking about this.

But it's absolutely my pick for #1 and always has been.

[corihulet]

I have had Concordia sitting here for a year, untouched. You've convinced me it's time to give it a go!

[a-c-m]

Everdell has arguably also a super simple rule set - the complexities arise from the cards and card combos.

[TheDavidPhillips]

Right there with you on Unmatched - first thing I thought of was Little Red. She broke my brainium trying to plan out her basket bonuses.

[hiho]

Great list. I've seen Santorini and always passed it up, but after seeing this, I'm giving it a try. I like that it's a short game and it is easy to learn, challenging to play. Thanks for the list👍

[davidfavre]

Great list ! Mind would be : (no specific order)
1) Mangrovia
2) Arboretum
3) Glass Road
4) Bloody Inn
5) Photograph (wind the film)
6) Five Tribes
7) Ethnos
8) Glory to Rome
9) The Crew
10) Hansa teutonica

[teejleague]

Love you bros! I turn 40 this Monday and it looks like my birthday present is going to be for our gestational carrier to start carrying our child before the end of the year, much sooner than we'd thought! Have a great day and keep being you guys, 'cause you guys ROCK.

[TheDavidPhillips]

I was surprised at Bloody Inn - just picked that up because you said so, and i really had to sit back and plan out what i wanted to do. Turns and rules are simple - basically pick one thing to so with one card on your turn, try to bank points. But man.... so many agonizing decisions that all knot together - 7 dead cops later and I'm just shoving bodies under my neighbor's barn cause I have too many things to do and not enough turns to do them. That peasant mechanic - brilliant.

[coreynoemifj]

Targi’s a good candidate. Reef for another abstract game. I think Reef is highly underrated. It’s so ridiculously easy to teach and incredibly satisfying as you start chaining your goal cards together while simultaneously collecting resources from those same goal cards then constantly raking in money. I also thought it was a genius touch to keep the coin diameter the same so you can’t tell by looking at someone’s stack how much money they actually have. Whether that was intentional or not I don’t know.