❌

Normale Ansicht

Published — 03. Februar 2026 ⏭ Youtube - ENG

How Instagram Changed Board Gaming

✇Shelfside
Von: Shelfside
03. Februar 2026 um 20:29

💾

Social media has had a real impact on board game design! We’ve been 3 major trends throughout the last decade or so, whether or not a game has been kickstarted or not. From feels good outcomes, to drawing a lot of cards and seeing new information, instagram has definitely made things have better accuracy, or better first impressions. We can see this in many popular BGG games, whether or not they’re Euros, as this applies to campaign and Ameritrash games too! Even the 4x genre is left changed. But this isn’t a bad thing, it just means that the tabletop experience is changing, with the cream of the crop strategy gaming tending to rise to the top.

Table of Contents:
Intro - (0:00)
Insta-Plussing - (1:05)
Feels Good Gaming - (8:19)
Design Considerations - (15:03)
Discovery vs. Mastery Discussion w/BrotherMing - (17:01)
Aesthetics over Depth? - (20:32)
Final Thoughts - (22:08)
Quick word about TCGs - (26:18)

Games featured: Earth, Wingspan, Root, War of the Ring, Twilight Struggle, Thunder’s Edge, Twilight Imperium, Dune Imperium, Everdell, Wyrmspan, Finspan, Chess, Boop, Lords of Waterdeep, Splendor, Carcassone, El Grande, Yugioh, Sid Meier’s 2010 Civilization Revolution, Re;ACT, Dead of Winter, Hive, Shogu, Scythe, Puerto Rico, Nemesis Retaliation, Fate of the Fellowship, Terraforming Mars

Research: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/memory-replay-prioritizes-high-reward-memories

Support us:
https://www.patreon.com/shelfside
https://ko-fi.com/shelfside

Our Website!
https://www.shelfside.co/

Purchase Games We’ve Reviewed! (Paid Link)
https://amazon.com/shop/shelfside

Shelfside Social Media:
https://twitter.com/ShelfSideYT
https://www.instagram.com/shelfsideboardgames/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelfsideYT/
https://discord.gg/U7QQKqYT62

Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/doyduh2

#boardgames #tabletop #tabletopgames

Speculation — How to Play 🎲 and Is It a Gem? 💎

✇Board Gems
Von: Board Gems
03. Februar 2026 um 19:15

💾

Line goes up! In Speculation from Dirk Henn & Queen Games, stocks in eight companies will rise and fall relative to each other. Players are poor traders with limited starting capital, trying to make their fortunes by buying low, selling high, rinsing and repeating.

The original self-published game from 1992 used dice to determine how far stocks rise and what actions players can do. In this 2013 re-edition, the die faces are moved onto tokens pulled from a bag. Dice are bad, or so I'm told, but the bags aren't an improvement. Find a way to use dice instead for an easy, breezy stock market experience.

00:00 Intro ▶️
02:48 How to Play 🎲
16:27 Is It a Gem? 💎

Board Gems highlights older board and card games that are still great games today, and deserve to not be forgotten!

Join & Support: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX9Ab6egkU1ru3sgP8TUI2A/join
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgems.com
BGG Blog: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/10011

Brought to you by Pizzeria Ludica! https://www.ludica.ca/

BGG Listing:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1036/speculation

Music provided by Chillhop Music
HM Surf - Horse Betting
https://chll.to/01e920fa

#boardgames #tabletop #vancouver #ludica

Toy Battle Review: Paolo Mori’s Best Game Yet?

✇Brains On Games
Von: Brains On Games
03. Februar 2026 um 18:30

💾

Would adults enjoy a quick strategy game that looks like it’s for kids?

In this video, we answer that exact question. While Toy Battle (by legendary designers Paolo Mori and Alessandro Zucchini) might look like a childhood fever dream, underneath the fire-breathing T-Rexes lies a surprisingly cutthroat tactical experience. We dive into whether this 15-minute clash has enough "crunch" for the hobbyist table. 

Paolo also designed Ethnos , Libertalia , and Fall of Rome!

SUBSCRIBE for more Board Game Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/@UCvLEP32Q6Ix4H0T_gMaEuGA?sub_confirmation=1


THE ADULT PERSPECTIVE:
Don't let the 8+ age rating fool you. We break down why the mechanics are more "Chess" than "Candy Land":
• The Connection Rule: Why your entire strategy can collapse if you don't maintain a path from your H.Q. 
• Tactical Overtaking: Using Troop Strength (1–7 and Jokers) to bury your opponent's units. 
• Region Control: The spatial puzzle of surrounding closed zones to snatch Medals. 


CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:23 Complexity & Play Count
01:04 Victory Conditions & How It Plays
02:46 Skills
04:00 Final Thoughts: Does it belong on an adult's shelf?
07:38 Contact & Socials

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
Do you think a "kid-friendly" aesthetic keeps you away from great games, or do you love the contrast? Let’s discuss in the comments!




#ToyBattle #BoardGameReview #brainsongames #StrategyGames #PaoloMori #AlessandroZucchini #AdultGaming #TabletopTactics #ReposProduction

The Component Game - Round 2

✇BoardGameBollocks
Von: BoardGameBollocks
03. Februar 2026 um 17:01

💾

The Component Game – Round 2 | The Ultimate Board Game Component Showdown

Welcome back to The Component Game – Round 2! 🎲
This time, we’re diving even deeper into the weird, wonderful, and sometimes completely unnecessary components that come packed inside modern board games.

From chunky wooden bits and deluxe tokens to baffling inserts and overproduced nonsense, we put board game components under the microscope and ask the important questions:
Do they improve the game? Are they worth the price? Or are they just shiny distractions?

Expect hot takes, brutal honesty, and plenty of component-based judgement as we compare, critique, and celebrate the best (and worst) bits in tabletop gaming.

If you love board games, hate pointless bling, or just enjoy a good rant about cardboard, this one’s for you.

👉 Like, subscribe, and let us know in the comments which components you think deserve praise… or the bin.
❌