2025Josh J. Carlson, Michael Gernes, Logan Giannini, Ryan Howard, Salem Scott, Josh Wielgus
- Videos
- 254
- Creators
- 76
1 - 4 players120 - 240 minVery heavy weight

2023Josh J. Carlson
Mostly playthroughs and reviews. 20 Strong is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 38 reviews, 15 how-to-play guides, 40 recorded sessions, 14 unboxings, and 5 other videos.
From BoardGameGeek
20 Strong is a new deck-based game system from Chip Theory Games, capable of being played in about 30 minutes or less. We say "game system" because the idea behind 20 Strong is a small nucleus of simple, adaptable rules that can then be applied to a variety of unique decks, each with their own set of mechanics. We are launching 20 Strong with three such decks - one set in the world of Too Many Bones, one set in Hoplomachus: Victorum, and one in the new universe of the space-faring Solar Sentinels. We have more decks in development and plan to release them regularly if our customers are excited by them. For now, 20 Strong is a solo-only game, but even that could differ in future decks using the ruleset. The object of a game of 20 Strong is to progress through a shuffled deck of cards, each card bearing a unique challenge. This challenge could be in the form of an enemy, a unique scenario, or some other requirement (for example, players of the Too Many Bones deck might expect to see a Lockpicking challenge or two). Challenges usually require a certain number of successes to complete, which you earn by rolling a set of 17 dice with different odds for a hit (these dice, along with three adjustable stat dice, make up the "20" in 20 Strong). If you roll enough successes, you complete a card's challenge and gain its rewards. If you don't, you take damage and move on to the next card - unless, of course, your HP stat is reduced to 0, costing you the game. If you manage to make it through an entire deck, you take on one of the deck's final bosses, attempting to score enough hits against this powerful enemy to claim ultimate victory. Of course, it's never so easy that you'd want to spend all of your dice on a single card. In addition to your HP Stat, you're also keeping track of your Strategy (which controls how many rerolls and items you have) and your Recovery, which controls how many dice return to your pool after taking on a challenge. If you roll more dice than your Recovery, those dice are exhausted, lowering your pool for your subsequent challenges. It's a game of pressing your luck, strategic decision-making, and resource management. We think you're going to love it! -description from the publisher
20 Strong has 112 videos from 57 creators: 38 reviews, 15 how-to-play guides, 40 playthroughs, 14 unboxings and 5 other videos. They date from 2022 to October 2026.
To learn the rules, start with "20 strong Full Gameplay | The Game Haus" by The Brothers Murph, which runs 39 min. For a quicker teach, "Let's Play: 20 Strong - Solar Sentinels - A Tutorial" by LightRanger Games runs 11 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "20 Strong Review: Do These Dice Even Lift, Bro?" by The Dice Tower. 23 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "20 Strong: Too Many Bones - BGG Solo-Mode w/ Foster the Meeple" by BoardGameGeek, one of 40 playthroughs.
If you like it, try The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, Too Many Bones, Hoplomachus: Victorum and Cloudspire, also by Josh J. Carlson.
8 of 57
2025Josh J. Carlson, Michael Gernes, Logan Giannini, Ryan Howard, Salem Scott, Josh Wielgus
1 - 4 players120 - 240 minVery heavy weight
2017Josh J. Carlson, Adam Carlson
1 - 4 players60 - 120 minHeavy weight
2023Josh J. Carlson, Adam Carlson, Logan Giannini
1 players60 - 90 minHeavy weight
2019Josh J. Carlson, Adam Carlson, Josh Wielgus
1 - 4 players90 - 180 minVery heavy weight
From BoardGameGeek:
20 Strong is a new deck-based game system from Chip Theory Games, capable of being played in about 30 minutes or less. We say "game system" because the idea behind 20 Strong is a small nucleus of simple, adaptable rules that can then be applied to a variety of unique decks, each with their own set of mechanics. We are launching 20 Strong with three such decks - one set in the world of Too Many Bones, one set in Hoplomachus: Victorum, and one in the new universe of the space-faring Solar Sentinels. We have more decks in development and plan to release them regularly if our customers are excited by them. For now, 20 Strong is a solo-only game, but even that could differ in future decks using the ruleset. The object of a game of 20 Strong is to progress through a shuffled deck of cards, each card bearing a unique challenge. This challenge could be in the form of an enemy, a unique scenario, or some other requirement (for example, players of the Too Many Bones deck might expect to see a Lockpicking challenge or two). Challenges usually require a certain number of successes to complete, which you earn by rolling a set of 17 dice with different odds for a hit (these dice, along with three adjustable stat dice, make up the "20" in 20 Strong). If you roll enough successes, you complete a card's challenge and gain its rewards. If you don't, you take damage and move on to the next card - unless, of course, your HP stat is reduced to 0, costing you the game. If you manage to make it through an entire deck, you take on one of the deck's final bosses, attempting to score enough hits against this powerful enemy to claim ultimate victory. Of course, it's never so easy that you'd want to spend all of your dice on a single card. In addition to your HP Stat, you're also keeping track of your Strategy (which controls how many rerolls and items you have) and your Recovery, which controls how many dice return to your pool after taking on a challenge. If you roll more dice than your Recovery, those dice are exhausted, lowering your pool for your subsequent challenges. It's a game of pressing your luck, strategic decision-making, and resource management. We think you're going to love it! -description from the publisher
Designer
Josh J. Carlson
Artist
Chris Beck
Publisher
Chip Theory Games
Mechanics