Points mode, area majority scoring, "up to threshold number" end of round bonuses, WITHOUT advanced action cards - I've found that's the very best way to play this game, and with any new players, I start right from there. The advanced action cards bring a layer of variance this game doesn't need while also increasing potential for AP, lengthening the game unduly. The basic actions have enough depth and are tightly balanced. My game of the year pick in the mode I described above, essentially ignoring any other modes (also because Age of Innovation is too derivative for me to give my goty pick, even though it's truly my favorite game of 2023).
I put this on my wishlist based on your recommendation. I just received it as a gift and played it for the first time this weekend! I really enjoyed it! Thanks for the review!
I'd never play the race mode, generous scoring and advanced cards; but as a rule I don't care for race games. But thats just me. I'm also at 8, but what weighs it down is there isn't a lot of replayability here. Thats just my two cents.
You highlighted something that I was thinking about doing from the start, which is to learn the points mode. I haven't gotten around to learning the game yet, but your comments have solidified that decision for me :). I'm not a race game fan at the best of times (although I've played Scythe a lot). Thank you for the review.
I played only the race mode so far, but I'd say play points from the start. It gives you a goal at least. I feel the race mode is fine but I almost feel like you need to know the game more than vs the points mode to actually have a "race"
Thank you for the review! I had the game in my hands and even on my stack in the shop because I was super intrigued by it. Then I realized it had fiddly written all over it and it would probably give me a headache. So I put it back. Maybe one day …
Excellent review! Thank you two both of you! I am very interested in trying out this game, it seems like I could end up loving it. But I need good digital implementation. Maybe on BGA.
I love Evacuation's idea of racing to change economies between worlds. I was gaga after my first game, thinking what I could have done differently to be more effective. I thought it was going to dethrone Underwater Cities as my top Suchy game. After a few more games I still love it, but I doubt that will happen. I do like both modes. I though I was going to feel like points was going to be too much like every other game - in contrast, that is the appeal I have for race: it is different than most. Race mode you get to the 4th year knowing someone will trigger the end game and you need to be ready for it. Points you make a plan and go with it. I feel both are very valid, and need to play it more to settle on a favourite. It is very solitaire, with the exception of the infrastructure cards. And the solo I felt a bit meh after my only play... Maybe I was just tired Just as an aside for race mode (and maybe I misunderstood your comment): if someone triggers the end game during the action phase, every other player still has one action and everyone has a transport phase. The way you two phrased it, led me to think you skipped these two steps. If not, ignore this part and sorry for assuming it (=
I wonder what you guys think about replayability, cause many other reviews i watched said this game has low replayability. And my group thinks the same after a few games, we are already over vacuation, because we feel like every game you do the same: buying as many ships as possible to evacuate as many things as possible. The lack of other ways to victory points really makes this game samey pretty fast, especially compared to other great euro games. We really like the game from a mechanical standpoint but the has so much more designspace for more possibilities: like, how about not sending ships but instead building huge teleporters or going more into clones so that you dont need to evacuate every person and so on.
I think there is by far more replayability in the points mode. Having those personal objectives cards helps me lean into exploring different strategies. Also, the upgrade board can also shift you into a variety of strategies. I don't see this running out if options too quickly for me. I don't think the requirement is to always evacuate everyone in the points mode.
I think it could add replayability o ly if you enjoy experimenting with both modes. There are also a few extra modules included in the rulebook like using action cards and area majority lines on the new planet.
This game is so good. I won't do the race mode at all. This is a top 2 Suchy game - I need more plays to see if this one eclipses Underwater Cities or not.
Just struggled to get into this one. The bad rulebook, iconography, the lack of references, micro rules etc made it require more effort to get to the table, but then it was hard to tell what type of game it wanted to be - that alone would knock 2 marks off. Race mode didn't work and the action cards were not only unbalanced but introduced a heavy luck element to the game. But you wanted to have a generous variant for the end of round goals otherwise it's an AP inducing nightmare. So I ended up creating some weird mutant hybrid to make it more enjoyable. And then when all said and done, there's next to no player interaction (so why play anything but solo mode)? Just wasn't for me and so I stuck to Pulsar 2849 and Underwater Cities from this designer which worked much better. However it doesn't surprise me that you both ended up liking it.
Multi-player solitair is not a problem for me, but there's a bit of interaction in this. The infrastructure cards are pivotal for moving up new world incomes, so I fight over those, plus the race for building icons and actually building on the planet is also quite interactive.
I just watched the "Wyrmspan" review by Tom, Camilla and Zee and feel like they would have ripped this game apart in the mood they were in. But, loving Evacuation as well, I am now curious what your scores for Wyrmspan are? Have you tried it and are willing to share your score?
Dang. I learned race mode and I remember reading about the other mode in the rulebook. But I disliked it so much that I got rid of it. I disliked it so much I didn't want to try the other version. Which is crazy bc he's my favorite designer.... Now I want to try it again the other way
My 1 play of this was not good, because: - Teacher did not explain ANY of the thematic things about the game, just the mechanics (which made getting into this game really hard) - We played the race mode, and while I did really well, had a good engine and triggered the end, I lost by one smily face (if those were the "VP" of this game, can't really remember, as I did not remember/know they were the VPs). Also the teacher said this was a quick game, which it most certainly at 4p was not! So I am intrigued to give this one another go, but that experience was not good at all.
I've played evacuation twice now, very enjoyable game, I prefer points mode (didn't even bother trying race mode) and inclusion of all the modules, they flesh the game out nicely. My only real complaints are the rules definitely could have been better written, some clarifications should be better explained and highlighted and the sheet explaining the individual objective cards is poorly worded to put it lightly. That being said, if you enjoy heavier games, I highly recommend Evacuation.
Who would think avout this game when you have pulsar or underwater ?? I mean...come on guys he s so forgettable , no fun, no thème ( at least badly exploitation) repetitive..damn i hated my two expériences
Évacuation of fun ! That IS the Real name of this game .... Damn this was one the most expert boring game ive ever played !!! Thematic is not so go good ( why would i wanted to place some Big stadiums ???!!! IS it really thematic for you ??? Really dice tower ?? ) And then the three decks of cards are so annoying...man that game sucks a lot...the rulebook is not written by thé way and i really dont want to push it more. That game sucks, good ideas but in Real, suchy miss again. Suchy have to stop to make one game per year !!
The two of you are my favorite Dice Tower Reviewers. Keep being positive, upbeat and relatable.
Vladimir Suchy ? I’m in ! I love his games !
Points mode, area majority scoring, "up to threshold number" end of round bonuses, WITHOUT advanced action cards - I've found that's the very best way to play this game, and with any new players, I start right from there. The advanced action cards bring a layer of variance this game doesn't need while also increasing potential for AP, lengthening the game unduly. The basic actions have enough depth and are tightly balanced. My game of the year pick in the mode I described above, essentially ignoring any other modes (also because Age of Innovation is too derivative for me to give my goty pick, even though it's truly my favorite game of 2023).
One of the most sincere reviews I have ever seen, while also honoring each others time to talk. Bravo you two!
Thanks
I put this on my wishlist based on your recommendation. I just received it as a gift and played it for the first time this weekend! I really enjoyed it! Thanks for the review!
Fantastic to hear! I'm glad you enjoyed.
I'd never play the race mode, generous scoring and advanced cards; but as a rule I don't care for race games. But thats just me. I'm also at 8, but what weighs it down is there isn't a lot of replayability here. Thats just my two cents.
You highlighted something that I was thinking about doing from the start, which is to learn the points mode. I haven't gotten around to learning the game yet, but your comments have solidified that decision for me :). I'm not a race game fan at the best of times (although I've played Scythe a lot). Thank you for the review.
I played only the race mode so far, but I'd say play points from the start. It gives you a goal at least. I feel the race mode is fine but I almost feel like you need to know the game more than vs the points mode to actually have a "race"
Zero reason to ever play the race mode, go straight to points
Greetings from the telephone sanitisers of Golgafrincham! 😁
Thank you for the review! I had the game in my hands and even on my stack in the shop because I was super intrigued by it. Then I realized it had fiddly written all over it and it would probably give me a headache. So I put it back. Maybe one day …
Excellent review! Thank you two both of you! I am very interested in trying out this game, it seems like I could end up loving it. But I need good digital implementation. Maybe on BGA.
I played it last month and enjoyed it a lot, my copy arrives this week and I cannot wait to get it tabled.
I love Evacuation's idea of racing to change economies between worlds. I was gaga after my first game, thinking what I could have done differently to be more effective. I thought it was going to dethrone Underwater Cities as my top Suchy game. After a few more games I still love it, but I doubt that will happen.
I do like both modes. I though I was going to feel like points was going to be too much like every other game - in contrast, that is the appeal I have for race: it is different than most. Race mode you get to the 4th year knowing someone will trigger the end game and you need to be ready for it. Points you make a plan and go with it. I feel both are very valid, and need to play it more to settle on a favourite. It is very solitaire, with the exception of the infrastructure cards. And the solo I felt a bit meh after my only play... Maybe I was just tired
Just as an aside for race mode (and maybe I misunderstood your comment): if someone triggers the end game during the action phase, every other player still has one action and everyone has a transport phase. The way you two phrased it, led me to think you skipped these two steps. If not, ignore this part and sorry for assuming it (=
We played those steps, but it still feels so sudden.
@@DTWendy thanks for your response
yeah it feels sudden, but you still can pull an emergency plan ahaha
Ignore my last comment there ;)
I wonder what you guys think about replayability, cause many other reviews i watched said this game has low replayability. And my group thinks the same after a few games, we are already over vacuation, because we feel like every game you do the same: buying as many ships as possible to evacuate as many things as possible. The lack of other ways to victory points really makes this game samey pretty fast, especially compared to other great euro games.
We really like the game from a mechanical standpoint but the has so much more designspace for more possibilities: like, how about not sending ships but instead building huge teleporters or going more into clones so that you dont need to evacuate every person and so on.
I think there is by far more replayability in the points mode. Having those personal objectives cards helps me lean into exploring different strategies. Also, the upgrade board can also shift you into a variety of strategies. I don't see this running out if options too quickly for me. I don't think the requirement is to always evacuate everyone in the points mode.
Does the two different modes affect the replayablity?
I think it could add replayability o ly if you enjoy experimenting with both modes. There are also a few extra modules included in the rulebook like using action cards and area majority lines on the new planet.
This game is so good. I won't do the race mode at all. This is a top 2 Suchy game - I need more plays to see if this one eclipses Underwater Cities or not.
For the first few plays points mode without the objective cards works the best
Just struggled to get into this one. The bad rulebook, iconography, the lack of references, micro rules etc made it require more effort to get to the table, but then it was hard to tell what type of game it wanted to be - that alone would knock 2 marks off. Race mode didn't work and the action cards were not only unbalanced but introduced a heavy luck element to the game. But you wanted to have a generous variant for the end of round goals otherwise it's an AP inducing nightmare. So I ended up creating some weird mutant hybrid to make it more enjoyable. And then when all said and done, there's next to no player interaction (so why play anything but solo mode)? Just wasn't for me and so I stuck to Pulsar 2849 and Underwater Cities from this designer which worked much better. However it doesn't surprise me that you both ended up liking it.
This game just looks boring and just another multiplayer solitaire
@@frankndice it certainly isn't a looker and you're right on the solitaire
Fell flat for me too somehow. Was pretty surprised by that as I love Underwater Cities and Woodcraft.
Hear hear
Multi-player solitair is not a problem for me, but there's a bit of interaction in this. The infrastructure cards are pivotal for moving up new world incomes, so I fight over those, plus the race for building icons and actually building on the planet is also quite interactive.
I agree with you that the point mode is way better, it's weird to me that they tell you to play the race mode first in the rulebook.
I just watched the "Wyrmspan" review by Tom, Camilla and Zee and feel like they would have ripped this game apart in the mood they were in. But, loving Evacuation as well, I am now curious what your scores for Wyrmspan are? Have you tried it and are willing to share your score?
That Wyrmspan review was bizarre. Wendy and Chris did a great job here.
I haven't played Wyrmspan, but if I get to it, it will probably end up in a rapid fire roundup.
Dang. I learned race mode and I remember reading about the other mode in the rulebook. But I disliked it so much that I got rid of it. I disliked it so much I didn't want to try the other version. Which is crazy bc he's my favorite designer.... Now I want to try it again the other way
It's worth a try for sure if you know someone else who owns the game
My 1 play of this was not good, because:
- Teacher did not explain ANY of the thematic things about the game, just the mechanics (which made getting into this game really hard)
- We played the race mode, and while I did really well, had a good engine and triggered the end, I lost by one smily face (if those were the "VP" of this game, can't really remember, as I did not remember/know they were the VPs).
Also the teacher said this was a quick game, which it most certainly at 4p was not!
So I am intrigued to give this one another go, but that experience was not good at all.
When I teach this game, incorporating theme is a huge help
Great explanation!
Fantastic game👍
I've played evacuation twice now, very enjoyable game, I prefer points mode (didn't even bother trying race mode) and inclusion of all the modules, they flesh the game out nicely. My only real complaints are the rules definitely could have been better written, some clarifications should be better explained and highlighted and the sheet explaining the individual objective cards is poorly worded to put it lightly. That being said, if you enjoy heavier games, I highly recommend Evacuation.
Great review, and kudos for pronouncing Vladimir's surname correctly.
Love latest suchy games but this doesnt psh my buttons (same as the ealier designs like shipyard)
Who would think avout this game when you have pulsar or underwater ?? I mean...come on guys he s so forgettable , no fun, no thème ( at least badly exploitation) repetitive..damn i hated my two expériences
Évacuation of fun ! That IS the Real name of this game .... Damn this was one the most expert boring game ive ever played !!! Thematic is not so go good ( why would i wanted to place some Big stadiums ???!!! IS it really thematic for you ??? Really dice tower ?? ) And then the three decks of cards are so annoying...man that game sucks a lot...the rulebook is not written by thé way and i really dont want to push it more. That game sucks, good ideas but in Real, suchy miss again. Suchy have to stop to make one game per year !!