• Thinker Themer

    ThinkerThemer

    • Top 10 Anticipated Games of Essen Spiel 2026 - SEE YOU THERE??
      by ThinkerThemer on October 8, 2026

      It's been three years since we made our first journey to Essen Spiel and we are excited to be returning this year! Looking at the game line-up it is looking like a fantastic show with a TON of releases to keep an eye out for. Deciding what gets precious suitcase space is going to be our biggest issue, and what a great problem to have. Hope to see you there! A&M Timestamps 00:00 WE'RE GOING TO SPIEL! 02:28 Honorable mentions 06:09 Amy's 10 08:58 Maggie's 9 12:02 Maggie's 8 14:15 Amy's 8 18:22 Maggie's 7 19:41 Amy's 7 21:57 Maggie's 6 24:39 Amy's 6 27:00 Maggie's 5 29:41 Amy's 5 32:37 Maggie's 4 & Amy's 9 35:46 Amy's 4 37:32 Maggie's 3 40:38 Amy's 3 43:39 Maggie's 2 45:37 Amy's 2 48:28 Maggie's 1 50:48 Amy's 1 & Maggie's 10 55:11 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • Top 20 Anticipated Games of Tokyo Game Market (Fall 2026) | ゲームマーケット2026秋
      by ThinkerThemer on October 2, 2026

      And we're back!! How quickly 6 months flies by, especially when you spend half of it researching for the next Tokyo Game Market HAHA (💀). There are some fantastic titles coming out at this TGM and we are excited to share just some of the games that we can't wait to get to our table. Fair warning, there's often not much to go on, and please remember we have not played any of these games! Please come say hello if you see us there ✌️ A&M Here's some helpful links below. Links to the official Game Market pages are below the timestamps and it is here you can find the links to reservation forms. But be warned 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: https://gamemarket.jp/map Tips/Advice video: https://youtu.be/VQLt-xnmoxk?si=PPv1g56a0vcKa1OS Haul video from last Tokyo Game Market: https://youtu.be/whYiZCLgFew SPOILERS AHEAD - Scroll down for timestamps! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . Timestamps 00:00 Intro 02:36 Number 20: Batabata Futaba no Tori-Tori-Te https://gamemarket.jp/game/189102 04:46 Number 19 Quino-Phex https://gamemarket.jp/game/188779 07:34 Number 18 Phantom trick https://gamemarket.jp/game/189274 09:05 Number 17 Bird Club https://gamemarket.jp/game/189279 10:19 Number 16 Cassiopee https://gamemarket.jp/game/188805 12:14 Number 15 Trick Jack https://gamemarket.jp/game/189101 13:41 Number 14 The Sleepless Expedition (眠らない探検隊) https://gamemarket.jp/game/189227 15:44 Number 13 Dice Hugo & Cheshya https://gamemarket.jp/game/188985 19:44 Number 12 Kajitsu Tobu (果実飛ぶ) & Kubaru Te Miru Me (配る手見る目) 22:03 Number 11 Loop 40 https://gamemarket.jp/game/189295 23:35 Number 10 Cosmo Chauffeur & Escape to Cosmos https://gamemarket.jp/game/189295 26:05 Number 9 Hyakuju Parade https://gamemarket.jp/game/188738 27:45 Number 8 Ice creed: Greedy Toppings https://gamemarket.jp/game/189334 29:48 Number 7 Pack Tricks https://gamemarket.jp/game/189064 31:03 Number 6 Duskline https://gamemarket.jp/game/188760 33:40 Number 5 Yozure: who follows me? https://gamemarket.jp/game/189287 35:28 Number 4 The Rondo of Summoners (召喚士たちの輪舞曲) https://gamemarket.jp/game/187831 38:00 Number 3 Kung Fu Trite https://gamemarket.jp/game/188962 39:23 Number 2 Match Makers https://gamemarket.jp/game/188945 41:40 Number 1 Trick of Balance https://gamemarket.jp/game/189254 43:16 And a couple more games! 44:08 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 #ゲームマーケット2026秋

    • 3 Amazing Japanese Games & 6 Years of ThinkerThemer ⏳
      by ThinkerThemer on September 14, 2026

      Yes we know they're hard to find and that's not for everyone, but those who love the thrill of the indie title and the grail - I SEE YOU! Here are three recent Japanese titles that we think are worth the chase if you're rummaging through a Surugaya / Yellow Submarine or find yourself at Tokyo Game Market... Also, the channel turned 6 ...!!! Thank you to everyone who watches our videos, we never thought it would change our lives as much as it has. Happy Monday A&M Timestamps 00:00 6 years of ThinkerThemer 08:25 Game 1: Storm in a teacup https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/462643/storm-in-a-teacup 12:42 Game 2: Oshaka Trick https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/468836/oshaka-trick 16:20 Game 3: Super Power Rally https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/445857/super-power-rally 21:38 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • 10, OUT OF 10 (Part 24): Playing our way through winter❄️
      by ThinkerThemer on August 25, 2026

      Winter is a great time to get new games to the table. While most places in the world would not endorse our disdain for Melbourne winter (we are weak!!!) we are definitely staying indoors and working our way through a ton of titles with a cup of tea in hand. We hope wherever you are in the world, you're having a wonderful week. A&M Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:58 Bunny Kingdom Town https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/457283/bunny-kingdom-town 04:20 Forage https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/458390/forage 08:55 Six Sojourns https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/439826/six-sojourns 15:23 Whispering Woods https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/411402/whispering-woods 21:13 The Crows of Coppershell Bay https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/389593/the-crows-of-coppershell-bay 25:20 Flip Voyage https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437313/flip-voyage 31:25 Neon Hope https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/421246/neon-hope 38:42 Tulikko https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446523/tulikko 43:55 Macaracoon https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437500/macaraccoon 48:14 Maestro https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/458970/maestro 54:53 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • A Wayfarer's Tale - this charmer reminded us how fun roll & writes can be 🎲🖊
      by ThinkerThemer on August 3, 2026

      It's been a while since we've found a roll & write that has captivated us, but this one has a charm that everyone around our table has felt the moment we've taught it. Here we explain why, and spoiler -- this one is staying in our collection! Thanks for watching as always, A&M 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 00:58 🎨 Theme 01:31 ⚙️ Mechanics 06:30 ☁️ How it Feels to Play 11:25 🌟 Production 12:39 👤 Solo 14:32 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? For more game info: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/419291/a-wayfarers-tale-the-journey-begins 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • More Space for Space?🪐Why Entropy is an Exception
      by ThinkerThemer on July 27, 2026

      I WISH we liked space and fantasy themes - because this hobby is full of them! So every time another space game hits our table it has a massive task to earn its place in our collection. But once we looked past the planets, the asteroids, and the biomes, we discovered the glorious Entropy rondel that we NEED to talk about. 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 01:11 🎨 Theme 02:07 ⚙️ Mechanics 06:30 ☁️ How it Feels to Play 09:11 👥 Player Count & Interaction 14:12 👤 Solo 18:08 ✅ Is it Shelfworthy? For more game info: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/462941/entropy 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • Top 10 Games We Would Buy At Gen Con 2026 ⚡️
      by ThinkerThemer on July 22, 2026

      How is it Gen Con time already? Hopefully our list reaches you in time for your shopping list, or if you're not headed to Indy (like us) that these great releases reach us all soon enough! Have a wonderful trip to everyone going! A&M Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:50 Games we know we like 08:04 Amy's Number 10 09:24 Maggie's Number 10 10:13 Amy's Number 9 11:56 Maggie's Number 9 13:52 Amy's number 8 15:42 Maggie's Number 8 16:29 Maggie's Number 7 17:28 Amy's Number 6 20:16 Amy's sneaky 6B 21:20 Maggie's Number 6 23:00 Amy & Maggie's Number 5 24:44 Amy's Number 4 26:09 Maggie's Number 4 27:06 Amy's Number 3 29:06 Maggie's 3 & Amy's 7 30:57 Amy & Maggie's Number 2 34:41 Amy's Number 1 36:34 Maggie's Number 1 37:49 Wrap up Cascadia Alpine Lakes Runthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EOMp9ME7Es&t=23s Clandestine Runthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bfcpOs1PFk 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • 🇬🇧 We went to UKGE! 🇬🇧 First impressions of this convention & the games we played...!
      by ThinkerThemer on June 29, 2026

      We were crazy and went from Tokyo Game Market to Birmingham for UKGE! But it was well worth the jetlag (just - it was bad ya'll). In this video we talk through our thoughts on the convention versus what we were expecting, the games we played, and our mini haul. So sorry for the weird crackling on the audio ---- our mics are on the brink!!!! Happy Monday 🙂 A&M Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:04 UK Games Expo first impressions 06:29 GAMES WE PLAYED 06:34 For The Gods! 08:44 Yotei 10:56 8 Dragons 15:00 Almighty 18:28 Dewan 21:00 Threaded 22:56 Durian Smuggler 25:15 Roller Disco 26:39 OUR (MINI) HAUL 27:03 Whispering Woods 27:52 One for Sorrow 29:43 A Wayfarer's Tale 31:57 The Crows of Coppershell Bay 33:12 Sakana Stack 33:37 dnup 34:08 Fetching Feathers 34:59 Circadia 35:42 Jackpot: Set the Reel 37:03 Fate of Witches 38:25 The Old King's Crown 39:35 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 #ukgamesexpo ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • Tokyo Game Market Spring 2026 Haul｜ゲームマーケット春2026 戦利品まとめ
      by ThinkerThemer on May 30, 2026

      Tokyo Game Market Spring 2026 was the biggest convention yet! We tried to restrict our purchases this convention but as always we ended up with more than we expected. We hope you had a great time if you went, and you found some of these titles! ゲームマーケット秋2026春 Next stop - UKGE 2026!

    • First Look at Eternal Sevens 👀
      by ThinkerThemer on May 26, 2026

      We are excited to be able to share this early first look at Eternal Sevens, the much anticipated follow-up to Eternal Decks. While the two games share art and setting, they differ significantly in terms of gameplay, with Eternal Sevens being a re-imagining of the classic family competitive shedding game Sevens. In this video we talk through how it works and our early impressions of the gameplay. For more information & updates: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/467816/eternal-sevens Note that Hiroken has mentioned that the EN/JP version of Eternal Sevens will be able to be ordered from Amazon Japan by the end of July 2026. We are truly appreciative of Esper & the Tokyo Board Game Club for providing us with use of their studio so we could get this to you quickly! Check them out at https://www.youtube.com/@tokyobgc 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • Top 20 Most Anticipated Games of Tokyo Game Market (Spring 2026) | ゲームマーケット2026春
      by ThinkerThemer on May 11, 2026

      It's time to go and find our next 6 months worth of amazing Asian games from Tokyo Game Market Spring 2026. We've gone deep into the rabbithole and once again we want to share our research into the games we're most excited about. REMEMBER THOUGH - we haven't played any of these titles! And the rules are mostly in Japanese! So buy at your own risk but mostly, have a fantastic time finding some gems that speak to you and your gaming group. Come say hi if you see us! A&M x Here's some helpful links below. Links to the official Game Market pages are below the timestamps and it is here you can find the links to reservation forms. But be warned 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: https://gamemarket.jp/map Tips/Advice video: https://youtu.be/VQLt-xnmoxk?si=PPv1g56a0vcKa1OS Haul video from last Tokyo Game Market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNZ_rYFeHfQ&t SPOILERS AHEAD - Scroll down for timestamps! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:20 Reprints & Rethemes 04:31 After You Betobeto San https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyNlBS45UeaBVUmUbe7nf9Spu8RI4egGHsO48DJQMHEhoVGw/viewform 07:19 Shima Enaga Dango https://gamemarket.jp/game/187870 09:02 Yokai 1504 https://gamemarket.jp/game/187525 10:37 Finger Pirates https://gamemarket.jp/game/186307 11:48 Genjin Dice https://www.itten-games.com/portfolio/gallery-style/games-cube/ 13:01 Number 20 - Ninja Scroll Trick https://gamemarket.jp/game/187781 15:05 Number 19 - Tandem Trick https://gamemarket.jp/game/187475 17:54 Number 18 - Mate https://gamemarket.jp/game/187519 20:14 Number 17 - Kindoro https://gamemarket.jp/game/187684 22:18 Number 16 - Blancat https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/462649/blancat 24:45 Number 15 - MofuChip https://gamemarket.jp/game/187520 16:31 Number 14 - Haunted Sweets https://gamemarket.jp/game/187922 28:18 Number 13 - Name it! https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436851/name-it 29:55 Number 12 - Cant' Win https://gamemarket.jp/game/187570 32:00 Number 11 - Fagioli https://gamemarket.jp/game/187554 33:56 Number 10 - Masquerade Trick Party https://gamemarket.jp/game/187474 35:31 Number 09 - Kabaaan https://gamemarket.jp/game/187481 38:07 Number 08 - Haratama https://gamemarket.jp/game/186896 39:46 Number 07 - Snowball Snowball 41:41 Number 06 - In Order 2 Chance https://gamemarket.jp/game/187872 45:25 Number 05 - The Pâtisserie of Fairywood https://gamemarket.jp/game/187814 47:23 Number 04 - Hit Plan https://gamemarket.jp/game/187611 50:21 Number 03 - Maison de cardes https://gamemarket.jp/game/187591 52:25 Number 02 - Oshaka Trick https://gamemarket.jp/game/187581 55:00 Number 01 - Sumida River Red Town 57:52 Wrap up #ゲームマーケット2026春 #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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    • 10, OUT OF 10 (Part 23): A Mix of Lighter Games (& Goodbye to Boston 💔)
      by ThinkerThemer on April 13, 2026

      It's been tough to film lately - our beautiful dog Boston got suddenly very sick and after 3.5 weeks of fighting it was time for him to leave us. He made us laugh every single day for 11.5 years, and we miss his cheeky presence so incredibly much. But during this difficult time board games offered us fleeting moments of escapism, and we were able to get some games we've been wanting to try to the table with our friends who supported us greatly. Wherever you're watching, give your furbabies an extra hug today. Thank you for all of the beautiful messages you've sent, A&M Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:50 7 Wonders Dice https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446231/7-wonders-dice 05:54 Sugarrr! https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/438626/sugarrr 10:04 King & Peasant https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/408019/king-and-peasant 13:10 Ink https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437301/ink 18:41 Railroad Tiles https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/418062/railroad-tiles 23:50 Potions of Azerland https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/372831/potions-of-azerland 30:41 Wombat Poo https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/458004/wombat-poo 34:32 Castle Raisers https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/427596/castle-raisers 40:53 Crafting the Cosmos https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/424785/crafting-the-cosmos 48:17 Holiday Hills https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/421217/holiday-hills 54:02 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 ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

    Sorry, You're not allowed to submit vote !

    Total 0 Votes
    0

    Tell us how can we improve this post?

    + = Verify Human or Spambot ?