Woooow! We would need to bring extra suitcases if we were going to Essen Spiel 2025... there are SO many great choices that it was hard to settle on our top 10 (and only two crossovers!) These are the picks that we would be excited to line up and buy if we were there - but remember, we haven't played any of these so this is entirely speculation! If you're headed to the con have a fantastic time, and we hope to see you back there one day!
A&M 

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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 xx

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I wish there was a good story behind the broken foot. Something like Maggie went into a table flipping rage playing Blokus and the table hit my foot. Or I tripped on a pile of unplayed games and broke my foot. But the boring reality is that I have a stress fracture that won't heal. So I've been quite immobile for the last three months, which has a silver lining - LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE GAMES ON THE SHELF. We might even reach the end of this series.
Joking. That will likely never happen.

Happy Monday! Have a wonderful weekend ahead wherever you are and whatever you're doing.

A&M xx

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Can you believe we're 180 games into this series? It feels like just yesterday when we were making ridiculous promises about getting through our entire board game collection (LOL). This week we're taking a look at three classic puzzle games and one new one... as well as a thoroughly loved classic of ours - Lorenzo il Magnifico, and top of the hotness, Gloomhaven Buttons & Bugs. 
Enjoy! A&M xx

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After two years and 500 games later, Maggie has updated her top 10 solo games of all time! And to make things interesting she's also taught them all to me with mixed results. So join us while Maggie counts down her best board games to play alone while I try to comprehend playing a game with no witnesses. Lol. 
Thanks for watching!
A&M

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This is Part 17 of our series, 10 (COMMA!) OUT OF TEN, where we rate 10 games on a 10 point scale from our two unique perspectives!

We hope this helps you get a better sense for our game preferences, and remember.....

1) ratings are subjective, based on our own individual enjoyment of the game, they're not a judgment on game quality or the likelihood you would feel the same,
2) our game preferences are ever evolving and these may change,
3) we respect and would love to hear your differences of ratings in the comments... that's what makes gaming so fascinating and full of joy. There is something for everyone! 💜

Have a great week ahead,
A&M xx

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:05 Le Havre
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/35677/le-havre (BGG 7.3)
04:19 Imperium: Horizons
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367518/imperium-horizons (BGG 8.8)
Gameplay overview and full review of Imperium Classics & Legends: https://youtu.be/5S2It6mnNl4?si=bt34seK2-D2XMH3q
09:27 Aqua: Biodiversity in the Oceans
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/403468/aqua-biodiversity-oceans (BGG 8.1)
Our 2-player runthrough: https://youtu.be/EgBIcJgVehs?si=UMskdx5uAFWCRRUH
13:50 Stonespine Architects
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/387514/stonespine-architects (BGG 7.7)
19:40 Awkward Guests 2: The Berwick Cases
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/378477/awkward-guests-2-berwick-cases (BGG 8.1)
26:28 For Northwood! A solo trick-taking game
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/334590/northwood-solo-trick-taking-game (BGG 8.0)
30:58 Age of Rome
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/349793/age-rome (BGG 7.1)
37:50 Coffee Rush
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/377061/coffee-rush (BGG 7.2)
43:42 Heat: Pedal to the metal
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/366013/heat-pedal-metal (BGG 8.1)
49:04 Great Western Trail: New Zealand
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/380607/great-western-trail-new-zealand (BGG 8.7)
Solo runthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sQbsvxqgyg&t=0s
55:52 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

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This is Part 16 of our series, 10 (COMMA!) OUT OF TEN, where we rate 10 games on a 10 point scale from our two unique perspectives!

We hope this helps you get a better sense for our game preferences, and remember.....

1) ratings are subjective, based on our own individual enjoyment of the game, they're not a judgment on game quality or the likelihood you would feel the same,
2) our game preferences are ever evolving and these may change,
3) we respect and would love to hear your differences of ratings in the comments... that's what makes gaming so fascinating and full of joy. There is something for everyone! 💜

Have a great week ahead,
A&M xx

Timestamps:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:12 Fruitoplay (BGG 7.4)
00:05:11 Rebel Princess (BGG 7.8)
00:11:15 Faraway (BGG 7.5)
00:15:56 Knarr (BGG 7.3)
00:21:44 Quicksand (BGG 6.8)
00:26:05 Witchcraft! (BGG 8.0)
00:34:06 Footprints (BGG 7.2)
00:39:40 Nebula (BGG 8.5)
00:46:29 Come sail away (BGG 7.8)
00:53:58 Sea Dragons (BGG 8.0)
00:58:01 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

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Here's a mix of old and new! Finishing off a lot of our GenCon haul here, but also talking about some recent releases that we haven't had a chance to talk about on the channel, like Earth and Darwin's Journey. Enjoy!

This is Part 15 of our series, 10 (COMMA!) OUT OF TEN, where we rate 10 games on a 10 point scale from our two unique perspectives!

We hope this helps you get a better sense for our game preferences, and remember.....

1) ratings are subjective, based on our own individual enjoyment of the game, they're not a judgment on game quality or the likelihood you would feel the same,
2) our game preferences are ever evolving and these may change,
3) we respect and would love to hear your differences of ratings in the comments... that's what makes gaming so fascinating and full of joy. There is something for everyone! 💜

Have a great week ahead,
A&M xx

Timestamps:
00:25 Isle of Trains: All Aboard (BGG 7.1)
06:01 Illimat (BGG 7.3)
11:59 Roll Camera: The film making game (BGG 7.6)
19:27 Tiger & Dragon (BGG 7.1)
28:03 Majesty: For the realm (BGG 6.9)
36:04 Bruxelles 1893 (BGG 8.5)
48:22 Cosmoctopus (BGG 7.7)
55:49 For Glory (BGG 8.2)
01:03:57 Earth (BGG 7.8)
01:11:15 Darwin’s Journey (BGG 8.2)

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. 
#board games #tabletop games #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

Support the show

This is Part 14 of our series, 10 (COMMA!) OUT OF TEN, where we rate 10 games on a 10 point scale from our two unique perspectives!

We hope this helps you get a better sense for our game preferences, and remember.....

1) ratings are subjective, based on our own individual enjoyment of the game, they're not a judgment on game quality or the likelihood you would feel the same,
2) our game preferences are ever evolving and these may change,
3) we respect and would love to hear your differences of ratings in the comments... that's what makes gaming so fascinating and full of joy. There is something for everyone! 💜

Have a great week ahead,
A&M xx

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
01:13 Romi Rami
04:16 Inheritors
08:44 Ancient Knowledge
16:28 World Wonders
24:28 Sagrada Artisans
34:24 Seas of Strife
38:57 Number Drop
44:19 Four Humors
52:49 Sunrise Lane
59:22 Eila and something shiny
01:07:14 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. 
#board games #tabletop games #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

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Here's one for the Thinkers in the house! Themeless, Storyless, Abstract goodness. As dry as they come. Watch along as we try to find Maggie an abstract that she likes (or rather, that she admits she likes hehe).

This is Part 13 of our series, 10 (COMMA!) OUT OF TEN, where we rate 10 games on a 10 point scale from our two unique perspectives!

We hope this helps you get a better sense for our game preferences, and remember.....

1) ratings are subjective, based on our own individual enjoyment of the game, they're not a judgment on game quality or the likelihood you would feel the same,
2) our game preferences are ever evolving and these may change,
3) we respect and would love to hear your differences of ratings in the comments... that's what makes gaming so fascinating and full of joy. There is something for everyone! 💜

Have a great week ahead,
A&M xx

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:37 SHŌBU
04:32 DVONN
08:20 LYNGK
13:24 YINSH
18:18 Blokus
24:10 Project L
30:09 Stratego
37:29 Hive (Pocket)
42:28 Qawale
48:12 Quarto
53:33 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. 
#board games #tabletop games #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

Support the show