ThinkerThemer
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We Stopped at 5 – Best Big Box / Euro Board Games of 2025by ThinkerThemer on January 5, 2026This video was meant to be our Top 10 Big Box / Euro board games of the year. But this year we couldn't quite get there, but it wasn't from a lack of trying! For some reason we didn't have as much luck in 2025 finding heavier games that resonated with us... BUT we did find 5 that we truly enjoyed and wanted to share with you. Plus, we talk through some brief thoughts on some newer titles that didn't make the list. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8 Merch: https://bit.ly/3ZsHeGi Timestamps: 00:00 Hype, FOMO & Only Five 03:33 Games that didn't make the list...1 05:17 Games that didn't make the list...2 08:06 Games that didn't make the list...3 11:19 Games that didn't make the list...4 15:17 Games that didn't make the list...5 18:58 Games that didn't make the list...6 21:21 Games that didn't make the list...7 24:16 Games we have yet to play 25:16 Amy & Maggie's 5 31:56 Amy & Maggie's 4 37:12 Amy's 3 42:08 Maggie's 2 45:38 Amy's 2 49:58 Maggie's 1 52:44 Amy's 1 & Maggie's 3 58:48 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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Top 10 Small Box / Family Board Games of 2025by ThinkerThemer on December 23, 2025Over time we've grown to highly value accessibility in board gaming - any game that helps a new person discover this wonderful hobby is a winner in our eyes. These ten were some of our most played games of the year... they don't take much to teach and get to the table, and they punch above their weight in delivering on FUN. We love them! We hope you find some gems in this list! Thanks for watching and enjoy the holiday season! A&M Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:58 Honorable mention 03:05 Combined Number 10 06:06 Maggie's Number 9 08:14 Amy's Number 9 (part 1) 09:55 Amy's Number 9 (part 2) 12:20 Maggie's 8 14:44 Maggie's 7 17:47 Combined 6 21:16 Combined 5 23:39 Maggie's 4 & Amy's 8 26:36 Amy's 4 30:32 Amy's 3 33:39 Maggie's 2 36:30 Amy's 2 & Maggie's 3 41:09 Maggie's 1 & Amy's 7 44:08 Amy's 1 47:29 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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Pensterdam - I bought 10 copies.by ThinkerThemer on December 15, 2025This 6min video barely deserves timestamps, so I'm just going to leave the description as this - I love this new daily puzzle by Playte. It's giving mindfulness 2026.
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Tokyo Game Market Autumn/Fall 2025 Haul – 60+ Games! 😅｜ゲームマーケット秋2025 戦利品まとめby ThinkerThemer on November 29, 2025We're back after a quick 1 week trip to Tokyo for Tokyo Game Market Autumn / Fall 2025. We were able to pick up every game on our most anticipated list, as well as close to 40 extras that were not on that list. 😅 Turns out that researching the games only makes you discover more that you want! This is our fifth trip to Tokyo Game Market. Check out our other videos for more tips and tricks if you're visiting Japan for this amazing convention. As always, let us know in the comments which games you're most intrigued about! -------- ゲームマーケット秋2025で、私たちは60本以上のゲームをゲットしました！ 気になる作品があれば、ぜひコメントで教えてください。レビュー動画もお楽しみに！ --------- Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction (time in Japan) 00:47 - Arclight 01:33 - Gamers from everywhere! 02:28 - Most anticipated games of TGM 15:15 - Most anticipated games of Essen 17:23 - Planned purchases 36:37 - Impulse purchases 47:27 - Review copies / gifts 54:26 - More shopping in Tokyo 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 #ゲームマーケット秋2025 ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
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Top 20 Most Anticipated Games of Tokyo Game Market (Autumn/Fall 2025) | ゲームマーケット2025秋by ThinkerThemer on November 14, 2025We're headed back to Tokyo for Tokyo Game Market Autumn / Fall 2025 and for the first time we thought we'd share our research into the games that we're most anticipating. Remember though, we haven't played these titles and even worse, we're often relying on google translate to try to understand the rulebooks (if available!) If you are headed to TGM have a fantastic con, and please say hi if you see us! めっちゃわくわくする! A&M x Here's some helpful links below. Reservation forms are below the timestamps but these do close randomly, and it's easiest to use if you are able to translate the page from your browser! Official website: https://gamemarket.jp/ Link to map of hall [Booth numbers listed below!]: https://gamemarket.jp/map Tips/Advice video: https://youtu.be/VQLt-xnmoxk?si=E4cghBWiVwW1Ne6a SPOILERS AHEAD - Scroll down for timestamps! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:26 Number 20 Septentrick (A08) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3592y5LWGWId0VKl_yN5OQ4LbcmhVXqlctchGIom5UZUZ1A/viewform 04:52 Number 19 Outrick (H31) 06:39 Number 18 Wizard's Showdown (H42) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQTAg002My-SU3FEtfUvljUSCdF-ZRP-1YCdPKdPn_OeE3aQ/viewform 08:35 Number 17 Doppelkopf (T26) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8i5T30kn9PH652xbULQIDt3xbpwUT5LNsiVumPrp3JovHrg/viewform 10:20 Number 16 Shady Lady (Area 63) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1Pm4LSbkzleAQg0hN6TE9LMJuUHZjb1hS172Xl4ZHipG9ZQ/viewform 13:04 Number 15 I Don't Want to Walk 14:17 Number 14 Splitrick (V22) 16:00 Number 13 Magic Shop (X26) 17:53 Number 12 I'm the CEO 20:19 Number 11 Dodicitre 21:24 Number 10 The Third Man https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8i5T30kn9PH652xbULQIDt3xbpwUT5LNsiVumPrp3JovHrg/viewform 23:09 Number 9 10/12 Heart (P24) https://forms.gle/J3F1q8FT2yMDjwLs5 26:09 Number 8 Balance the Ark (H33/34) 28:44 Number 7 Ants https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCCexOvNhf-PEMtMO-Sa-3lD9hGOM-2NCAsrqhzukVUBD6AA/viewform 29:55 Number 6 Tactile Crane Championship (H33/34) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCCexOvNhf-PEMtMO-Sa-3lD9hGOM-2NCAsrqhzukVUBD6AA/viewform 31:19 Number 5 Catte (R15) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScynkBvPm6NMo5VntMLS8IpwBjEalAFYuwbIKOVIsy2GnARVQ/viewform 33:01 -Number 4 For the People (S26) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3InKqPhnwAUsu8uCVV2gAxeTt9dA0OWGLG7a9oX2qrtWTGw/viewform?usp=send_form 35:01 Number 3 New Record, Continue? et al (B01) 43:36 Number 2 Ouroboros Trick (X09) 45:52 Number 1 BATS (X07) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmW06Rs45NylhwU-y-N5u_-ukQfooLE0URF5FS7DaFhyADAg/viewform 49:19 Tokyo Game Market Tips #ゲームマーケット2025秋 #ゲームマーケット 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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10, OUT OF 10 (Part 21): We're bringing it back! Settle in friends 🍵 it's a long one....by ThinkerThemer on November 10, 2025It's been a little while since our last 10 [comma] out of 10 - we've been recording more short-form content to make sure we can post more videos... but let's be honest, we're really long-winded people 😂 So now that we're up and running with board game shelving again in our new studio / games room, we're bringing it BACK! Thank you for watching and Happy Tuesday, or Monday, wherever you are in the world! A&M x Timestamps 00:00 Intro 02:02 Finspan https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436126/finspan 07:14 Vantage https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420033/vantage 18:24 Uffbasse! https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/444209/uffbasse 24:25 The Hobbit: There & Back Again https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436215/the-hobbit-there-and-back-again 29:13 Shallow Sea https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428440/shallow-sea 36:20 Ruins https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428635/ruins 40:59 Oddland https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428636/oddland 45:31 Tacta https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/401636/tacta 50:21 Pergola https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/424573/pergola 55:23 Nightshift https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/383172/nightshift 01:01:33 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. #boardgames #tabletopgames #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️🌈🇦🇺
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Borealis ~ we were not prepared for how crunchy this puzzle is!! 🤯 | A Quick(ish) Board Game Reviewby ThinkerThemer on October 28, 2025Cute animals on the front? Seems cosy.... WE WERE NOT PREPARED!!!!! From the race objectives to the complex programming of moves several steps in advance this is a very crunchy trip into the arctic. We love stumbling upon puzzles like this one, and we can't wait to tell you more about it.... Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible! Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8 Merch: https://bit.ly/3ZsHeGi Timestamps: 00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:53 🎨Theme 01:32 ⚙️Mechanics 05:15 ☁️How it Feels to Play 08:00 🎯What Surprised Us 10:39 🛠 What We'd Change 13:33 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/448116/borealis-arctic-expeditions 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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Jisogi - the most thematic euro we’ve played in ages | A Quick(ish) Board Game Reviewby ThinkerThemer on October 23, 2025In Jisogi you'll take on the role of running an anime studio, and take on all of the challenges that come with it; saving enough money to pay wages, trying to stay on trend, hiring new talent and trying to get your merch generating income. This game from Tokyo Game Market (and about to hit Essen) was a delight to get to our table and one that people keep asking about...! We hope this gives you a sense of it! Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible! Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8 Merch: https://bit.ly/3ZsHeGi Timestamps: 00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:50 🎨Theme 02:43 ⚙️Mechanics 04:21 ☁️How it Feels to Play 09:20 🎯What Surprised Us 13:30 🛠 What We'd Change 14:56 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429845/jisogi-anime-studio-tycoon 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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Top 10 Games We Would Buy At Essen Spiel 2025 🔥by ThinkerThemer on October 14, 2025Woooow! 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 Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:18 Honorable mention https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429845/jisogi-anime-studio-tycoon 02:19 Maggie's 10 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/433891/urban-sketchers 05:14 Amy's 10 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/453785/pick-n-packers 07:04 Maggie's 9 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/407233/tenby 08:25 Amy's 9 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446493/recall 11:54 Maggie's 8 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/375557/i-made-you-a-mixtape 15:41 Amy's 8 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/452324/orbita 18:32 Maggie's 7 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437245/kingdom-crossing 20:40 Maggie's 6 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/448500/formidable-farm 22:12 Amy's 6 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/411402/whispering-woods 25:18 Maggie's 5 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/444683/pilgrims-curious-adventures 27:07 Maggie's 4 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437384/bohemians 29:45 Amy's 4 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/442615/oliva 33:08 Maggie's 3 & Amy's 7 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/439983/the-voynich-puzzle 36:36 Amy's 3 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/440007/the-druids-of-edora 39:49 Maggie's 2 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/448435/adamastor 42:46 Amy's 2 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/450112/ghost-lift 46:14 Maggie's 1 & Amy's 5 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431837/coming-of-age 50:13 Amy's 1 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429405/orloj-the-prague-astronomical-clock 53:09 Wrap up Games we've already played and covered: A Wild Venture (Now with an official solo mode) https://youtu.be/M6xDt6Vxx-I?si=ENfDQVrfU-1rhzRX Ada's Dream https://youtu.be/CUgt2nxODOk?si=RITfIfpyWm53ZETY Nature https://youtu.be/rSxqxnlKDas?si=Khoe_DW4v0XsrQhB Luthier https://youtu.be/OG8lZZZtIaY?si=hQrhyQvPPfRgLUVM Calimala https://youtu.be/Oayk1bn75KY?si=DszmO8EEGRu4Mg8Z Iliad & Ichor https://youtu.be/FqESpOqvHmk?si=9nF_CKyru6wL05oO Farm hand https://youtu.be/eF_l_ht3fiI?si=qWudLCTkau5LH2BP Chu han https://youtu.be/8IFaFwYqdzs?si=YJFWuhd6WMbXCpEd&t=1237 Critter Kitchen https://youtu.be/rTF8bcJaFoU?si=SZIM-0KEulBEEShm Rival Cities https://youtu.be/jpuL3U8ayJA?si=1pkzZeMksohOh5D8 The Great Evening Banquet https://youtu.be/P86iJokrnLg?si=a_jn5GdZuZntUMs6 Lone Wolves https://youtu.be/AszfbE9zySc?si=sjkWK0YR0ELNNs3K&t=316 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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Will Above and Below: Haunted also make it to our shelf? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Reviewby ThinkerThemer on September 30, 2025Creature Caravan, a 2024 title by Red Raven recently took a coveted spot in our permanent collection. Will Above & Below: Haunted make it too? Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible! Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8 Merch: https://bit.ly/3ZsHeGi Timestamps: 00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:15 🎨Theme 01:13 ⚙️Mechanics 02:56 ☁️How it Feels to Play 06:34 🎯What Surprised Us 08:29 🛠 What We'd Change 10:56 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/423553/above-and-below-haunted 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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Does Overparked Overtake our Polyomino Favourites? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Reviewby ThinkerThemer on September 11, 2025There were few games that we picked up at Tokyo Game Market that weren't trick-taking or shedding, but Overparked was one of them! It's been a long time since we've played a new polyomino tile laying game, will this one join our collection? Or yours? 😊 Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible! Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8 Merch: https://bit.ly/3ZsHeGi Timestamps: 00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:18 🎨Theme 00:38 ⚙️Mechanics 02:22 ☁️How it Feels to Play 04:12 🎯What Surprised Us 05:52 🛠 What We'd Change 07:59 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/426229/overparked 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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Will Creature Caravan Join Our Collection? | A Quick(ish) Board Game Reviewby ThinkerThemer on August 25, 2025We couldn't get our hands on this title in 2024, but we were finally able to get it to the table - over, and over, and over again. This one surprised us both, and might just be the Red Raven game that unites us.... Follow along with our SHELFWORTHY series as we cover as many of our new games as possible! Subscribe: http://bit.ly/4kJAmg8 Merch: https://bit.ly/3ZsHeGi Timestamps: 00:00 🎲 Introduction 00:15 🎨Theme 00:58 ⚙️Mechanics 02:04 ☁️How it Feels to Play 06:52 🎯What Surprised Us 09:45 🛠 What We'd Change 12:57 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/385331/creature-caravan 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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