Top 10 Board Games – Better Gateway Games Than Catan!?

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Catan is a great game. It’s also considered a gateway game and it’s true: many of my friends and myself included played Catan first. And then I played Agricola and Dominion, and Puerto Rico and 7 Wonders and…
I’m getting a little ahead of myself. The point is, Catan is only the beginning.

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Breakdown of Catan Attributes:

Theme 2
Mechanics 8
Luck 8
Strategy 4
Complexity 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 - Introduction
0:47 - What is it about Catan that draws in new gamers?
3:25 - The criteria for the games on this list
13:44 - #2 No link available yet!
17:57 - Conclusion

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[JJ_TheGreat]

Why does the caption of every game say "Via Nebula"?

[kosmickimchi]

So glad to see someone talk about Cosmic Encounter. I never really liked Catan but everyone in my friend group at the time i was introduced to it loved it. Another friend of mine saw and purchased Cosmic Encounter and it is still to this day one of my favorite games.

Many laughs, bargains, and groans, i highly recommend Cosmic Encounter.

[Doolin_Tablenauts]

Love the video and the editing showing off each game, and LOVE THE SHIRT! So cool that you drew all of that! I gotta have it.

[GarthPlamping]

I quite enjoyed this video. If I may make a suggestion. At least 3 times, after you initially introduced one of the games and then started to describe it. I thought to myself, what was that game again? Granted, I could just jump back. But what would have been helpful is if you had a thumbnail of the game or the name of the game somewhere on the boarders. Again, over all, helpful video. You gave me some ideas for what to introduce to friends not in the hobby. And Explorers looked cool.

[WarIsNoMoreCold]

I've had a lot of luck introducing 7 Wonders to newcomers. It seems a bit complex at first but it is quite simple and at the same time it is more exciting than most party games.

[Beepbopboop]

Great video! Dice forge looks so cool, going on my list, from your link!

[DumahAtreides]

Good video! I liked the shirt a lot and did pick it up.

[zachary]

Hey this was the first time youtube recommended you and I'm glad they did! I really like the list and am always trying to get my family to take that next step. I would just suggest either saying the name of the game a few more times or adding a lower third with the title. There were a few times I had to rewind to catch the name again. A second suggestion would be if both you and a playthrough of the board game are on the screen, the board game should take more real-estate. For example, I was trying to see the board of Pompeii and had to squint, but I saw you no problem. Just some food for thought. I really enjoyed your video though and excited to see more! I'm also looking to get Pompeii before the holidays now, so thank you!

[mrbastos]

Via Nebula is great. I don't hear about it much, but my wife and I had a good time with it and she's relatively new to the board gaming space. Easy to pick up, and good decisions.

[ScottnCarolJC]

We were incredibly underwhelmed when we finally got to play Catan after we had heard so much about it.

[diamondmeeple]

Back in the days Catan was really fun the first 3-4 times with the same people. Then the trading basicly started to stop some turns into the game. However it is the kingmaking which really kills it. I will never ever play it again.

[JJ_TheGreat]

I am very much interested in seeing how various games breakdown by attributes. Knowing that will help us determine what other games we may like! 😀

[dillonhunter]

Great video! I just wanted to touch on one thing. You talked a lot about how big a factor luck is in catan, which it is. But you definitely over emphasise it. It makes sense coming from a wide board game experience, since the game is so reliant on dice rolls. However, due to the way the game uses probability (not luck) and the amount of dice rolls taken in a game, as well as the use of input randomness rather than outpu randomness. Catan is NOT a very luck relient game. I can express this using a bell curve, or a standard array, or by explaining the game design rules of input randomness vs output randomness. But the bottom line is; it should score much MUCH lower than an 8 in luck, probably as low as a five, I could see it being as low as a 4 or even a 3. I know it can feel very luck oriented, especially if you're not used to strategising around probability. If anything, the largest component of luck in the game is initial placement order. Since this is determined by a single dice roll most of the time and has the largest impact on the game going forward.

[carmanragatz]

I have always been a big fan of Rise of Tribes. I feel that it does what Catan tried to do, but does it successfully. Same concept. Terrain tiles that produce resources which you are trying to build villages on for points. The big difference here I think is that the dice you roll every turn do not produce resources directly but provide the active player with options for different actions to take, one of which is to produce resources. In Catan, you can get a bad roll that results in you not getting anything which may in turn result in you not being able to DO anything and you lose a turn. In Rise of Tribes you can get a “bad” roll but still get to do something, effectively giving you the ability to manage risk as oppose to just fall victim to it.

[warever]

Istanbul is my favorite game but I don't think it has too much luck factor. I mean sure, there's dice rolling but you can mitigate it with the red bonus, and the dice rolling is fitting with the theme: Tea House, and The Black Market... I also barely rely on the card draw because I usually draw from the discard pile. Man, I LOVE this game! Best with 3 players.

Great video btw.

[luky]

Definitely going to check out explorers and via nebula now, thanks!

[BillyIndiana]

I haven't played a lot of these games, but I'm loving the digital browser version of Explorers (since the board game isn't available in the US yet). Nice video!

[puffythecampfireplayer]

I haven’t played any of these but they all look fun. I have played Catan but am kinda tired of it and it never was a favourite of mine. I’m sure these are all more fun than Catan.

[alphabet]

I tried Catan, I wanted to like Catan, but after a dozen plays I would never play Catan again. I genuinely can't understand why people like it so much. The main deal breaker comes from the dice. On it's own it doesn't sound bad, but since dice are the only way to get resources if the dice don't roll on your numbers early then you can't get resources, then without resources you don't have a turn and if you don't get those numbers again then other players are likely to get resources so they can expand taking the good settlement spots left, so even if the numbers start rolling your way later it doesn't matter because chances are you have been blocked. I have a few minor qualms with the trading system too but the dice are the big one. Ultimately a gateway game should be engaging throughout and Catan often has a situation where one or more players are just sitting there while others are getting everything (and people who love the game have conceded this to me). And just to be clear I'm not saying Catan is a total luck game, I know there is a lot of strategy in initial settlement placement, robber targeting and when and where to expand on but ultimately the dice dictate everything.

Great list by the way. I'll have to try a few of these at some point.

[maxrauscher]

I'm suprised that I did not see Ticket to Ride