I Have Reviewed Board Games for Eight Years of my Life
No Pun Included
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#boardgames #review
This video is sponsored by Skillshare. The first 1,000 people to use the link or our code “nopunincluded” will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare:
This video is sponsored by Skillshare. The first 1,000 people to use the link or our code “nopunincluded” will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare:
Music by:
Juanitos
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30.06.2022
When the parasocial relationship for a Youtuber clashes with the parasocial relationship for a Board game (or any other brand really) you only get the worst of the internet: because you have to believe the hype! You have to be a fan! Otherwise you have just wasted your money in something insignificant, and that's the worst sin in late stage capitalism.
Thank you for this video.
I havnt seen any of your videos untill now but man, your sense of humor is great and i now am going to watch your videos. I love that youve been able to do this. Cant wait to see all you have done
I miss the old videos. I know you're producing better content now, but there's a lot of heart and charm in the early stuff, not to mention some insightful reviews. Just because you didn't (entirely) know what you were doing doesn't mean it's without value. The early videos are your Purple Tape or your Slay Tracks.
The only reason I haven't watched the Kanban video is because it says it has spoilers for a movie I haven't yet seen 😂
Your Food Chain Magnate video is my favorite of yours. I like the others too, but that is my fav video for what it's worth.
more videos shot in Lithuania!
Essay videos are the best.
omg i did the blue thing too in my dungeon academy video lol Stay Hexy!
and yet I've spent 8 years of my life doing nothing
I watch this channel because the chemistry between Efka and Elaine is adorable. Because their filming skills improved, I was no longer embarrassed to share the vids.😉
I love the videos you all produce. I generally don't watch your videos to decide if I should get a game or not. I likely already know. I watch because I just enjoy hearing you and Elaine talk about whatever.
Really enjoy both of your hard work. One question that may have been answered and I missed, What ever happened to the arkham horror LCG series?
Beautiful, transparent and wonderful. Thank you.
I unexaggeratedly adore this channel, thank you both.
Thanks E&E! NPI is great for reviews and for the humour added to board games. I'm grateful for being able to send a few quids your way on Patreon.
It's great seeing your evolvolution over the years! And tomorrow I guess I'll try saying to my toddlers, "these are your golden years, enjoy them while you can" to see how they respond.
for whatever it is worth, i love the kanban video and watch it repeatedly (usually about once a month)
it is deeply inspirational to me on so many levels, and the commentary is top shelf
you said in this video that you do not love board games BUT!
IN THE SLEEPING GODS VIDEO, YOU IMPLY THAT YOU DO LOVE THEM!
CHECKMATE! I WIN!
…what did i win?
Great comic shop in Nottingham, Page ??? Used to visit for GameCity.
If I listed the top 100,000 things in my life I would still be listing things I love
Isn’t Elaine your boss?
What a fantastic video. I love the insight into your experience, motivations and perspective on your own work. I find you and Elaine charming, entertaining and edifying. To this viewer, your videos manage to speak to a range of tabletop fans and also present your genuine social and personal values. You share your well-considered and articulated political and sociological insight, and you explore it through the context of games. I love that. The colonialism video, the industrial history of the UK video, the Canban video each have taught me interesting history and encouraged me to view games as a legible “text.” The Sleeping Gods review gave me a new way to understand and consider player agency in games, across gaming media. Videos like this one ARE self-indulgent, in that you are referring to yourself, explaining yourself, but you do not come across as arrogant or whatever. We are interested! We are your actual fans!
Would've been awesome to link those videos you mention in this video in the description or in a pinned message.
Like, some are clear to find but some you only mention by name and not clear enough for me to look up.
I just wanted to say, that I love the direction you are going. You offer a perspective on elements of gaming that most reviewers gloss over. I particularly appreciate your dive into harder topics. You are doing amazing work and you are right, you've improved immeasurably. For the record, your Kanban video is exceptional, and it encouraged me to dive into Lacerda. Kanban is now in my top 10. The "faceless workers" of Ian O'tool are actually part of my teach. Keep being great.
NPI is a golden lighthouse of quality. As with many other of the great voices in BG on YT, you’ve helped to move the conversation forward and improve this great hobby. Thank you.
I dont know why, but i thoroughly enjoyed this video. Thank you both for your always inspiring always entertaining work! Trip to Nida almost booked.
I couldn't agree more. As a recently addition to the community surrounding the hobby, one thing I've noticed that bothers me a bit is that fans seem to care more about the superficial experience of amassing a collection for collecting's sake rather than considering the value of the experiences they receive.
The video game community has a similar problem, but at least the medium has matured to the point where there are many experiences that have challenged me emotionally and intellectually. Whereas mainstream board games are still in that era where the most important mental reward for many players is the hit of dopamine from unboxing the latest expansion for whatever game without considering the message it is delivering or the cultural implications it carries with it.
There is an argument that a medium's "golden generation" is a period before it fully establishes itself as a capitalist endeavour. While that may or may not be the case, I often ascribe the current boardgaming milieu with the period of digital games between 1989-1999 give or take. That is, a boom of creativity before these huge companies (Sony and later Microsoft) know how to truly wield the industry for smooth, marketable, capitalist gains. They were but jazzing it up it nightclubs and trying to get students to namedrop their titles. They didn't know how to create addictive skinner boxes then…
And I can see the current period of boardgames as existing in a state before similar conglomerates know how to truly monetise the strengths of the medium. Asmodee are closing the net on the UK market but they are equally benefitting from the bounty. For now. BGG becoming increasingly monetised and "slick", for me at least, gives further credence to the idea that we are actually in a golden generation and sooner or later, we will get a slower rate of output from established names only.
I love the unique perspective you (NPI) bring to board games. You've added so much to the ongoing discussion.
There have been plenty of NPI reviews where the offered opinion differed greatly from my own… just like it is between myself and my closest friends. The internet, among other things, often clouds the truth that differing opinions, held in good faith by open minds, serves to deepen and enrich a space substantially. A space like the one that has crackled forth out of the ether and into the world between and around and within boardgames and the people who enjoy them. A space that continues to grow with every game night, rules discussion, YouTube review, or shared memory made.
I feel like the thoughtfulness with which NPI approaches the subject matter is a hallmark of the channel. I share your excitement at where the modern boardgame space is today and where it might go in years to come, as well as a desire to be here for all of it.
Any hobby that allows for people like yourselves to create content like this for people like me, and everything else that that implies must be true about boardgaming, is worthy of love.
I follow you for years now, i even like the videos on BoardGames I will never play! I will start to start to support you two!
I'm unsure of what video is my favorite but I know the most interesting topic has been Colonialism.
Slightly offtopic (really loved the video though) – what was this Lithuanian seafront place that you mentioned?
Efka,
I've enjoyed every one of the videos that have graced my screen for the better part of the past decade. Your British and Lithuanian wit (is that a thing?) is both clever and sharp. You and Elaine are so adorable as a couple…you are lucky to have one another. Finally, it's wonderful that the two of you enjoy making these videos even if you don't "love board games." I'm always enamored by those who engage the hobby from the video or podcast perspective as it's a tremendous amount of work especially when you may end up playing games that you do truly dislike.
Again, thank you for all that you (both of you) do for the industry and our hobby.
Cheers,
Joe
The root review was definitely my favorite. It's been a wild ride for NPI hasn't it. Thanks
Disappointingly content-rich compared to the clip-shows you mentioned. :-p
Been watching since your Star Wars: Armada review and I've enjoyed each video since.
Interestingly one thing I learned about your channel today is that you are also interested (at least somewhat) in TTRPGs 😀 I have only watched a couple of reviews from you, but they've all been superb – both entertaining and insightful, keep up the ma
I'll probably take a look at your D&D campaign – I'm a bit wary, since I do own the dragon heist book and hoped that I can find somebody to DM it (I DM 90% of the time, but at least from its description it sounds like it would be a campaign I would enjoy playing in a ton), so I didn't want to spoiler myself on it.
In reality I don't think there is a chance I'll be a player in it, either I'll have to DM it myself or I won't be able to experience it first hand, so I might as well watch it being played to get a feeling if I want to run it 😀
This is a long shot – but in case you would be interested in RPGs other than D&D, I would loooove to hear your (BTW your in this entire post of course mean both you and Elain) opinion about them. I've constructed a short(ish) scenario (3 – 4 sessions) for Traveller (Mongoose publishing 2nd edition), which I've used as sort of a tutorial for my own group and they quite liked it; so in the unlikely case that you would have time and be interested, it would be an honor to run it for you and Elain (and 1 or 2 more players). No prior knowledge of the system is required, my players also did not know anything about traveller before I run them through this mission and it worked out fine.
You all's wit and intelligence has stood out since day one. So. Don't apologize too much for the campy early days. They were fun!!! I think I found you all in 2017-2018 and went back and watched your backlog. Love your take on games and the hobby and they leave me thinking almost every time.
Also, please don't stop panning games!!! You all aren't mean about it and it's informative to know you all's thoughts on them.
With the infancy analogy: Diplomacy, Civilization, Cosmic Encounter, 1830, Dune, Die Macher, Axis and Allies, and Acquire are like the cool parents of the board game world, then 😄
This video was absolutely fascinating! Amazing work and super well articulated!
Thanks so much for this video man. It’s always great to have a moment to sit down and “meet” content creators. It’s been an awesome journey watching the channel grow. Thanks for all your hard work. It’s been an absolute pleasure. That last line really hammered it home for me.
“I care about the experiences board games create and being part of it. That’s what I love”
Thanks Efka, we enjoy watching the videos Eliane and you produce
Efka, you're such a great guy. Thanks for encouraging people to follow their dreams.
Only recently discovered your videos. They're great! You're very punny! About to watch the Scythe review. Scythe holds a special place in my heart as the game that got me into modern boardgames. Keep up the great work!
I really liked your Catan alternatives video and still think about it, even though I have not seen it since release.
Stumbled upon your channel a few days ago, and it's a true gem! Keep up the excellent, honest, and, above all, enlightening reviews!
Me too, I love the experience games create, I love when more humans than just me can experience this, this is the first time I realize it, thank you
You guys are fun, funny, bright, thoughtful, interesting, and always entertaining. I treasure every video you guys do because they not only are entertaining, educational and fun (what else is the point of spending time on youtube?) but you continue to inspire an interest in the fun of board games and game design. Thank you guys for being you, and for embracing the fun challenge of continuing to grow your techniques and abilities as the channel develops. .
Just want to say that as an occasional viewer of this channel, I am always very impressed with the fun that you and Elaine (sp?) display through your videos. Today's video provided great insight into what you do and why you do it, thank you very much for sharing! Keep up the good work!