Arena The Contest Review with Board Game Coffee
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Today we Review Arena: The Contest Board Game published by Dragori Games.
Arena The Contest Board Game
1-8 players
45-90 Min playtime
Age 14+
Description from Dragori Games:
In this turn-based tactical combat board game, players recruit from a wide pool of Heroes. All of them are experts in a Combat Role (like Tank, Healer, Brute). There are countless combos, counter picks and strategies to explore in the attempt to build a synergistic team.
Cooperative and Competitive Modes.
#BoardGames #ArenaTheContest #KickstarterGames
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Man, this board game is violent!
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No game is perfect and no one game is for everyone ... and Arena is no exception. I backed the original KS, and left it unopened for months thinking I may sell it, as I had some concerns. But since Dragori had announced they were fixing the hero figs and other issues on the new KS, I recently decided to open it and commit. I played the first couple of quests solo and one mission with my group and had a blast! I have not found the tracking of effects to be a problem, especially compared to something like Warmachine. Actually, I find the system to be far less fiddly than Folklore (of which I also enjoy). I agree the writing could be better, but I sort of just skim it to get to the action. At it's heart, Arena is a tactical miniatures combat game that is wonderfully immersive (you really should get the 3D walls and doors if you get this game!) and the art is phenomenal. Finding the best combos among each hero's abilities is really fun. What you may call a lazy game balancing mechanic, I call a timer forcing me to find the most efficient way to complete the quest as fast as possible. I haven't found the quests to drag, but I'm still early in the campaign. Additionally, I'm anxious to try this PvP ... what a versatile game! However in the end, if this game doesn't speak to you, it just doesn't speak to you. And that is okay. It doesn't make it a bad game, even without the new KS fixes. And I think for the solo gamers out there they may find this to be a great addition to their collection.
Doug Cerulli Thanks for taking the time to write this :) Knowing what I know now, and based on the original launch, I personally wouldn’t buy it, but not because I hated it. I actually liked it. But I do have others I’d rather play, but now that I do have it, I do look forward to the next time I can break it out, because there is a lot I like. And like you said, it offers a lot of variety.
Thank you for the review. I believe you will enjoy a lot the changes on Tanares Adventures, it address literally to all problems you pointed. Also, on Digital rewards folder, there are the condition tokens if you wish to use them, but we will print as an alternate way to track the effects.
I would love to try the new update. I think the faster story would go really well with the group I’ve been playing with. And condition tokens would be amazing. Not to mention I would love to see those new minis up close. But unfortunately there is no room in the budget to back the second version of arena. But I do see that you guys addressed the issues that I had with Arena, and as a game designer myself I can appreciate that (video game design not board games… Not yet). And congratulations on yet another successful Kickstarter. Gripes or grievances aside it’s clear you guys put a lot of work into this ;)
Alex how will the cards be used to track conditions if its copied as mentioned in the video or applied to multiple people? I'm backing your KS right now and would like to know if there is a solution to this?
KayozKenwar as I gather from Alex‘s comment. There will not be a solution for tracking in the box. Although there will be a downloadable printable option for tracking tokens.
@@BoardGameCoffee I just got this reply from Alex on the KS page:
"Alexandre AboudCollaboratorabout 5 hours ago
Hi Clint.
You can keep track of the effects by placing the attack card on the target’s heropad or monster.
There is only one hero that can copy attacks (two of we consider the telepath) and in this case, you should place the card he used to copy. So it is the exception (1 or 2 heroes from 30 that you will use the other card and you must remember what attack you copied).
But on this print, as an alternative, we will have condition tokens if you prefer to track using it."
KayozKenwar good to hear, although there is also an artifact that copies primary attacks so it isn’t limited to just one character.
Thank you for this video. The first real review of this game and not just a commercial of "the best game evarrr". Very well done. :)
Thank you. Glad you liked it :)
Fully agree with you 😄
We are of one mind now 🤪
thanks for the honesty, heard so many good things about the game I was starting to wonder whether or not everything was good in this game or not
PCPandemic It definitely has good aspects. Like I said the new Kickstarter seems to address a lot of my concerns. So if anything I’d rather play the new one over this one. The faster stories they have set up in the new one is what interest me the most.
My game group played The Arena and it was a blast, yes the minis could of been better made but we enjoyed it more than Gloomhaven which surprised all of us. Oh, by the way we are playing the campaign.
TimboIV I need to play with you guys LOL. No matter what combo of ppl I tried I could not hold the groups interests once we started reading the story. PVP was easy to get people into, although everybody had trouble remembering what other characters did. I need to revisit this game again with yet another group haha. I admit, I’m a little jealous of your group 😄
Sure we need a fourth person, the guy who bought it played 2 characters. We only did the first encounter, but we did play a few scenarios of On Mars. That was a blast as well.
On Mars is awesome! The one thing I didn’t care for in the first scenario was the orb, they just did damage for the sake of damage. And that happens again just disguised as something else. I don’t mind something like that from time to time, but back to back is a little much.
Board Game Coffee I’m guessing the did that because they need some type of timer to keep you moving. Or else it would be easy and you could take time time doing everything.
TimboIV Agreed
Love your content as s always. Would love to see a playing session with you and the misses. Keep up the great work!
Thx 😊 and I will pass on the request
Did not know you can be so critical. Thx for that. Would like to know what you are thinking about Massive Darkness.
Dao das Brot I have never played Messenger class, nor do I own it. :( and yes I can be very critical actually, most of my career was spent critiquing video game artists as art director :)
I have literally never laughed at a board game review before, thanks.
You’re welcome :)
Amazing and hilarious review. I think that to me, there is a bit too much "fanboism" in that people praise this game so very good and the only complaint I see is the lack depth (d20 for everything). I felt like there was something off about the game and did not end up backing. . I do think id enjoy it enough to play it...I wouldnt hate it, id gladly sit and play, but maybe at someone else's expense (they can pay $200-300 for it lol) Anyways great fun review. really enjoyed it.
Thank you. I hope someone I know back to the new one so I can play the faster version of the campaign.
Rewatched. .. love it when Brittany makes a show appearance ❤️ .. the game still looks good esp the 3-D dimensionality of the BoardGame dungeon walls.
Oh Hi Chris (he was sitting there in the Spider-Man suit eh 😜
Shaina Burke You’ve discovered Chris’s true identity!
I wish I liked reading rulebooks as much as this guy (6:51 in the video.) : )
I forgot about that scene ha
So, should I buy the stuffs for 2nd KS? Assuming that I have the stuffs from 1st KS
Indra If I had the funds at the moment. I would.
Indra Although keep in mind my comment about the tracking of conditions, that is still an issue I believe. That’s going to be annoying until you get use to the game. But the other changes might offset that.
@@BoardGameCoffee Well, lets just hope they fix that too
Great Review :) I pledged on the new KS campaign but I think that the lack of condition tokens is still a issue, at least nothing has been presented for that from dragori games still. I plan on doing my own before receiving the game.
carlos muralhas Last I heard they were offering digital token that can be printed out.
Top notch production in all ways. I really appreciate that you be that honest (but in a professional way) and don’t just tell us to buy the best game ever (in every single video, over and over again.)
Unfolol i’m really glad you liked the video. We want to make sure that all our reviews are simply honest opinions, and we tried our best to explain those views without dragging out the video too long.
Board Game Coffee in times like these, where rarely everyone is talking about boardgames it’s hard to find the high-quality-Productions (especially in terms of logical arguments and an neutral point of view) you are doing a an awesome job. Plus: you are (both) funny too
@unfolol whats wrong with rahdo? lol Kidding...but he does tend to like everything but I do enjoy his stuff too lol.
Brah, why are so many of your games on your shelf sealed? do you even play board games?
Conscience... is that you? My shelf of shame is very shameful... I can't keep up man, they just keep coming. Sure I could stop buying them but what would that prove... no answers please, logic is not welcome here :|
Better check their new ks, the new update figures looks nicer.
Honest review, I laughed a lot 😂😂
The new minis do look really nice. I hope they look as good as they do on the kick starter page
Board Game Coffee haha, especially those dragons 😁
Are the characters in the Heroes & Dungeon / Legendary Box worth the additional cost? Or are the characters in the base box sufficient enough?
I liked the additional characters, but honestly I don’t remember how much they cost.
@@BoardGameCoffee thanks, I noticed just by looking at all the boards for one type that the numbers looked similar. So I wasn’t sure if there were other abilities and items that made them feel unique.
It’s been a while since I’ve played but if I remember correctly the characters did have other abilities. But don’t hold me to that, it’s been over two years :)
Agree with the gameboard...I also dont understand why its so...."different". Will it be updated as well?
I haven’t heard anything about them doing that but I hope so.
Yes there are several new game boards. KS going right now less then 48hrs left.
KayozKenwar based on the page I couldn’t see if the art was any better on the boards this time around.
you are hilarious! love the video! subscribed
Thanks :)
The phrase is “Leave a lot to be desired”
itsa me yeah I noticed that in the editing. But at that point there was nothing that could be done.
Board Game Coffee love your videos keep up the good work
Okay that review was AMAZING, no one seemed to mention the game board which was strange for me and it turns out they don't talk about more important stuff either, I'll get the game anyway but it's good to know that Arena is good but not perfect like everyone seems to think, thanks!
Glad you liked the review :) The current version seems like a much better instalment off the game which addresses many of my concerns.
Board Game Coffee I don't think they did anything to deal with conditions (I might be wrong), but I'm used to custom tokens and my own adjustments anyway so for me the game should be pretty great in it's current state :)
Chodor101 According to a comment left by the designer, there are now digital rewards that contain printable items that are intended for tracking.
@@BoardGameCoffee Awesome news!
Great Review! More LOL than the Cthulhu reach around! I passed on the first KS due to timing, but I did go all in for the new campaign. What content from the first KS do you think is essential to pick up in the PM?
Michael B The 3D walls! Ads so much to the experience. The extra dice you could pass on. The expansions add new characters which are nice, but there’s a lot in the base box to keep you busy. I do like the extra characters though.
@@BoardGameCoffee How about the huge Dragon? I saw a few reviews where the wings didn't go on easily. Has the developer said anything about correcting this?
Michael B if you watch our unboxing video the wings of the huge dragon also did not go in properly. I assume this will be addressed since they changed the people who actually make their minis. But I haven’t heard anything official yet.
I just asked in kickstarter campaign,and i've got answer that the problem about the wings of elder dragon has been fixed. 8)
Airon Yuri Awesome! Thanks for reporting in, that’s great news 🤗
Thanks for the review!
I've been slowly wasting away while watching 45m - 1.5h gameplay/review videos and haven't been able to grasp how the game feels until this one!
Nice work!
You are very welcome :)
Enjoyed video
Shaina Burke Thanks Shaina! Hope you’re feeling better
Wow, you really baked this game under the griller until the shrink wrap melted. What’s that smell?
Whitey Senior haha. To be fair a lot of the issues I had, have been addressed in the latest Kickstarter. I haven’t experienced that myself so I can’t really say how much the implementation helped.
So out of these criticisms...
1) Like the "mediocre art" found in the main gameboard
2) Long rulebook needs a quick reference Sheets to speed up the learning of the game. perhaps a AFQs
3) the need for condition tokens (for PVP )to help with AP and heavy cognitive load (To much to track without these tokens)
4)quest improvement-too much text to get a new group going like a SUMMARY at the start of the scenarios.
5)More cards for the campaign deck
6)Cheap game balancing tricks
7)missions tend to drag in the middle (Too long)
How many of the above has been rectified by the recent KS? Do you think any of them is a deal-breaker? Thanks! Great great video.... backed so many games due to your channel. Thanks.
1- I would guess that the art on the board has not changed. Although there are new board elements I can’t really tell from the Kickstarter page if there any better.
2. There is a reference sheet that comes in the box. My comment was more on the fact that everybody was saying that all we needed was that six page pamphlet. You need a little more than that six page pamphlet for PVP, and a lot more for the campaign.
3. There are no condition tokens in the box, but apparently there are digital print outs available now.
4. There is a fast track of some sort for the story available now. So instead of reading the whole thing, all you need is the short synopsis.
5. I didn’t check for new cards specifically, but there are new campaigns so I assume with those there would be new cards.
6. I’m sure the old ones will still be there, not sure if they’ve used any of those again.
7. Much like number six, can’t really tell unless I play the missions myself, which I sadly have not.
If we were just talking about the original version I would say yes if you these are dealbreaker‘s, but with the new additions to the game, and adjustments to the experience, I think the new version of arena will be a much better product. So I don’t think there are any deal breakers in this new version, although I haven’t played it myself. And I’m glad you like the video.
@@BoardGameCoffee OIC.. . thank you for your reply. :)
I was very happy Arena DOESN'T have condition tokens. I have tons of games on the shelf that I don't play because there's fifty different tokens I have to sort, remember, and put away. It's such a chore to have condition tokens in games like Gloomhaven or Sword & Sorcery or Sine Tempore that keep me from playing them more. Arena I can have out on the table in 10 minutes ready to go and can put away just as fast.
David Arlington Impressive, I can definitely not set it up that fast. That’s a gift
@@BoardGameCoffee I put everything for my campaign together in the Core box with character stuff in the bottom empty card trays, so the longest part is setting up the 3D terrain. BTW, I felt this was a very fair and well balanced review.
David Arlington Thank you :) I need a better set up system. Currently it’s me pulling things out of every box because I always want to try everything. Which means a bunch of half open boxes scattered around every flat surface that’s not being played on. Lol 😂
The way we are keeping up with tracking conditions is by using the condition tokens from Gloomhaven. They are small enough to be placed on the minis, not perfect but it works for us.
That’s not a bad idea 💡 . I was trying to think of which games do I have with condition tokens that I could use. I do own Gloomhaven but I haven’t played it yet so it didn’t come to mind.
Great review!
Thanks Marco!
I just backed the new kickstarter. It looks like the minis will improve which I admit is really important to me. I did not back the original campaign. Seeing reviews I hear a lot of good things. I admit the dragon collection they showed on the new kickstarter really grabbed me.
I agree the new Kickstarter looks great! If I didn’t already have what I have now I would’ve definitely backed what’s there. I know there’s a package for previous owners of the original Kickstarter, but I doubt I’ll have time to get through everything I have currently. But it definitely looks a lot improved over the original.
@@BoardGameCoffee I love Kickstarters and all but yeah you kind of have to pick your poison. I love getting a lot of stuff but then it's like where I am going to put all this and how often will it get to the table. I already have enough games to keep me busy forever.
Sean Cody yup. Yup. Yup.
were the board art addressed in the new campaign ?
It’s hard to say for sure based on the online videos and images. The new board tiles looked better in the pictures/video on their KS page, but without seeing the actual board I can’t say. My guess would be the original boards have not changed.
Nice honest and informative review.
Paul S thx Paul ;)
No!!! You shaved your beard! Damn.
Being Portuguese I can grow that beard back in two weeks haha. But I’m happy to hear that there were people out there who enjoyed it. I feel like teen beard and Team no beard are pretty 50-50.
Great review
Thomas Thx ;)
Wow. It sounds like they basically threw everything they could into the box. And quickly. Thanks for the review!
They’re throwing more into the new box, but they are also improving stuff that was in the old box. So the new Kickstarter looks pretty good.
@@BoardGameCoffee good to hear! Hopefully the new version kills it! That campaign deck sounds incredible.
Page West it’s definitely fun. The one thing even The new version is not going to fix though, is the cleanup we have to do afterwards. And I have to remember how everything goes back in the box after filming this review. I haven’t put it away since I’ve opened it. I’ve pretty much just been play play play record record record