Tom: "I wanna see Wolverine, Captain America and Falcon going up against....you know....Magneto himself. That sorta thing sounds fun." Me: "Metal claws, metal shield and metal wings against the Master of Magnetism? Hmmm"
Starcadia quest he disappointed me actually - I don’t know why he recommended that one, it has an ABSURD amount of balance and rules problems. Just they did not think through a lot of the rules and Tom called it better than AQ and it didn’t feel right. I get it is all opinion but there was too many other issues that were not really considered or brought up in the review as potential concerns so it made me think it was not playtested enough before reviewing
How awesome is it that after all the Kickstarter expansions release for this set, one can ACTUALLY play as Magneto, Dr. Doom AND Apocalypse as Heroes against a villain?!? Now THAT is a team-up!!
on the kickstarter i got literally everything for original game and xmen. i never splurge like this. but the game is so fun, lightweight, quick to play, cooperative and that makes me confident I will actually USE all of the stuff that comes with it! cant wait. great game for family and friends with plenty of modularity
Guys, need your advice, which game should I be getting: Marvel United or Marvel Champions? I know those are two different games, but what's your take on that?
I’m happy to say I’ve shown this game to friends who aren’t marvel fans, in fact they don’t particular care for most of the MCU movies let alone the comics, but they LOVED this game, and before the first game had even finished they were on amazon looking to buy it! This is a great game for gamers, non gamers, marvel fans and non marvel fans!
Too many Kickstarter exclusive characters for me to want to pick this up. I would like to play a game that has all of the characters I want to play. Not just be lucky enough to find out about a Kickstarter campaign to get all the ones I like and want to play as. I am not against exclusive items like upgraded foil cards, plastic tokens instead of cardboard, or alternate art. Locking characters behind what is essentially a timed paywall just turns me off to a game. Also going to the secondary market to play massively overpriced mark-ups is just lunacy.
A lot of local game stores back the Kickstarter so you can pick and choose what you want. I got the KS expansion box for the original game through a FLGS and I also have the Sinister 6 pre-ordered through them. Honestly, there’s just soooo much content for this game, unless you can dedicate an entire shelf to it, it’s too much. I’m trying to keep everything condensed down to two boxes.
I missed first campaign. So I buyed everything (both games - Marvel and Xmen) in second campaign. There are little indications that there can be thirc campaign. So there may be chance to buy what you want.
I just found this on eBay for a reasonable price- under $40 shipping included. Having just played the base game I’m so excited for the X-men to arrive.
Very nice review! I agree that I don’t love the included solo mode: there are too many exceptions to normal gameplay (like, half a page of special rules/exceptions!) I just play two characters. I could see three characters opening up the strategic space a little, but I like playing solo with two characters for simplicity.
Bcw box for cards (I have my individual decks in burger token deck boxes but totally unnecessary), core box for components and a feldherr foam box for the minis. I made a spreadsheet of all the heroes/villians with some quick info for ppl to reference that also contains the location of the mini in the feldherr box (battleship style).
I’m trying to limit the stuff I have to two boxes. So right now, I only have the base game and first KS exclusive box. I’m hoping I’ll be able to fit this and potentially the Sinister Six expansion into these same boxes. I’d love to know other potential storage solutions for getting as many minis as possible into the KS expansion box so they take up the least amount of room without having them bang into each other.
For MU:X-Men, I decided to wait for Wave 2 shipping. There's still so much of the first MU that I haven't even tried out yet. This is a truly massive game if you go all-in. I really hope this isn't an annual thing, my wallet already hates me, and I'm running out of space in my tiny 1-bedroom apartment. As an aside, while I'm not a big fan of the chibi style, I don't hate it. On a separate note, is it pronounced 'chee-bee' as Tom said, or 'chib-ee' with the first part pronounced like 'bib'? I've always pronounced it as the latter.
Oooh good question. I've never played Starcadia Quest but I know how the game works. And I do LOVE campaign style adventure tactical games/dungeon crawlers. However...I choose Star Wars:Imperial Assault for that, or Journeys in Middle Earth, Descent 2.0 or Gloomhaven. Not Starcadia quest. So MY pick would be X-Men MU. Even though they're different style of game, & MU doesn't have campaign progression, MU has 1)replayability, meaning u still want to play it over time as opposed to once you've played a campaign u lose interest, 2)easy to play and teach newbies but experienced gamers will still feel challenged & stimulated because of 3)variability of heroes & villains to play and 4)it's not a long game but not super short either. I think a harder question would be Marvel United: X-Men vs Tiny Epic Dungeons!
I have played both Marvel United and Starcadia Quest and I would say you are comparing very different games. As Tom described the United system is quick to set up, fast playing and intended as a cooperative experience. Starcadia Quest is semi-cooperative and is jam packed full of chaos, shouting (at both your exploding dice rolls and at the other players that are betraying you). I would recommend the United system for families, for someone who wants a game that can also be played solo, or people who want a easy to teach/understand game. I would recommend Starcardia Quest to people looking for a fun romp that changes each game. You will need a group of people who are a little more into gaming because there are more rules to internalize and you want to make sure that none of the people you play with are susceptible to "hurty feelings" because you WILL knock out other players characters. I think the replayability of this game is far greater than the United system when comparing base boxes however if that is a factor for you.
@@fan-i-am I appreciate your inputs, Although, I think that the campaign titles that you've mentioned are heavier (and "darker") than the fast, colorful, "spacy", breezy Starcadia. But you right... The comparation between different games is tricky. Both CMON chibi miniatures games that Tom loved and the only parameter that truly united (no pan intention) them - is the financial status which forces to pick one. Regarding replayability: I actually meant in my question for the expansions (of both) as well.
I currently own both base boxes and that is all until the latest Kickstarter fully fulfills. I definitely think the X-Men set gives you more out of the base box than the original.
I missed out on the original and have been getting new characters and villains slowly but surely, secondhand. I got most all the expansions for this one and am super excited for all of it.
It's basically the "Hardcore mode" for the game. Think of epidemic cards in the pandemic games. The wilds are basically safety nets and taking them away can make the villains much harder to beat
How much would you pay for this game? I didn‘t go for the Kickstarter getting X more figures, but I am still interested in a destilled ( read retail) version of the game for less money.
I’ve seen it on Amazon for $39 Canadian, so that’s maybe $33 US? I got the original base game through Amazon on sale at $29. I might wait for a price drop to pick this one up just for the extra villain mode cards, but I’m not really a fan of x-men so I’m pretty happy with just the original base and KS box with maybe one more expansion.
I was thinking it looked okay but then Tom says it’s the best Marvel game and I think Marvel Champions is awesome so I guess Marvel United will blow my mind.
Trust your instincts. United is fun but very basic. Tom is partial to X-Men (appropriately so), but Champions blows this out of the water. Would love to see Tom and Roy debate this.
United is much more casual friendly. Champions is if you want some real depth behind the game. There are important and fun choices to be made in both games, but Champions is definitely more of a brain burner.
I really enjoy both, but I have played around 100 games to Marvel Champions and 15 to Marvel United. I think you will like Marvel United, but it won't blow your mind.
I was surprised how much I enjoy Marvel United. It’s simple but addicting. To me, it’s less deep than Champions but more fun. Both are great in their own way.
Wolverine, Captain America and Falcon against Magneto? Metal bones. Metal shield. What are comic book Falcon's wings made of? I hope the answer isn't metal...
You should check out Marvel Champions. The game is fantastic (kind of like race for the galaxy meets Marvel legendary meets magic the gathering) and makes you FEEL like the character you’re playing, which no other superhero game has managed for me thus far.
@@mc-designhacker Yeah champions is great which makes me really wonder why this is Tom's favorite marvel game? It's not thematic at all. Its just cards with symbols on them that have marvel art. You could swap out the character art for farm animals and it would be the same game. Champions is really thematic. Every character plays very different and teams up with other characters in unique ways. THAT seems like the ultimate marvel game. United is just a generic threat management game with a cool theme pasted on. I don't get the appeal.
A shame the conclusion at the end that the game is reliant on the theme to engage players isn't given more focus as it seems to be the most important point for a critical thinking assessment of the game.
The system could be applied to any franchise tbh, it could be loony tunes, tmnt, street fighter, warhammer.. all it needs is a wide roster of characters amd locations. Change the civilians/thugs to a relevant collect/defeat equivalent amd thematically youre halfway there
It seems nice and fun and I like Marvel and especially X-Men but the chibi-style is jarring to me, wish it was more traditional Marvel comic book-looking. Also I'd like to be able to play as Colossus and Nightcrawler... though I suspect those might have been Kickstarter exclusives. I'll think about it, might get a copy.
Yeah I totally felt the same way! Grew up on Marvel & Xmen cartoons and comics. Serious stuff to me. And don't like the kiddy-ness of chibi stuff. HOWEVER...I looked into MU, I played it, and I love it! They take these characters seriously, regarding how they play mechanically according to their respective powers. And even tho they're chibi, they're not cutesy. They look serious action and they don't even look chibi after a while. Trust me, you'll have fun!
i'm not a fan of the chibi's either (although they do look pretty great when properly painted), but it has grown on me a little bit. the game really is a LOT of fun, but it should probably be stated that it is a pretty light game as well. i'd suggest hopping on tabletop simulator and trying it out before buying (especially if you find yourself wanting to get some of the kickstarter exclusives at this point as you might have to pay a jacked up price... unless they do a third kickstarter campaign at some point.) i decided i liked it enough to go all in and get way more content than i'd ever truly need, but that is largely because of how well it works solo and how easy it is to mix and match and set up a quick game.
This is a great review because it's exactly what I needed to hear. I love the X-Men and I went all out on that Kickstarter for this, getting EVERYTHING X-Men. I got Wave 2 shipping and it'll arrive right in time for one of my milestone birthdays! And I can't wait to play this with the family.
I just don't get it with this one. This game is soooo mechanical. I don't mind the game, and agree with Tom on the game play, but never felt like I was Captain America fighting red skull. More like generic super hero with a small deck of cards with symbols that are just marginally different then all the other characters with small decks of cards with slightly different varietion of basic actions. No theme sorry. All symbols and mechanisms
Yeah I'm feeling that myself with trying out the core set. It's marginal differences between icons. The theme isn't strong enough from this game that I feel like Iron Man or Captain America etc. That kind of thing comes from something like Marvel Champions which is probably the ACTUAL best example of a Marvel game right now. This however just feels like a mass market family/kids game that's overpriced and overproduced - I mean, would artwork cardboard standees hurt?
I should have added that I'd definitely try it, but I wouldn't buy it, because of the art direction. I'm not a huge Marvel fan or superheroes in general, but if I had to pick the X-Men are my favs.
Tom: "I wanna see Wolverine, Captain America and Falcon going up against....you know....Magneto himself. That sorta thing sounds fun."
Me: "Metal claws, metal shield and metal wings against the Master of Magnetism? Hmmm"
I mean if Black Widow and Captain America can beat Hela...
I did the all-in KS for EVERYTHING this last time around so I’m soooooo excited to get this next spring!
I like it when Tom says, "Get it." He's never disappointed me yet!
I hate it when he says "verse" instead of "versus".
Starcadia quest he disappointed me actually - I don’t know why he recommended that one, it has an ABSURD amount of balance and rules problems. Just they did not think through a lot of the rules and Tom called it better than AQ and it didn’t feel right. I get it is all opinion but there was too many other issues that were not really considered or brought up in the review as potential concerns so it made me think it was not playtested enough before reviewing
How awesome is it that after all the Kickstarter expansions release for this set, one can ACTUALLY play as Magneto, Dr. Doom AND Apocalypse as Heroes against a villain?!? Now THAT is a team-up!!
on the kickstarter i got literally everything for original game and xmen. i never splurge like this. but the game is so fun, lightweight, quick to play, cooperative and that makes me confident I will actually USE all of the stuff that comes with it! cant wait. great game for family and friends with plenty of modularity
So did you end up expanding the house / apartment to store it all? :D
Guys, need your advice, which game should I be getting: Marvel United or Marvel Champions?
I know those are two different games, but what's your take on that?
I’m happy to say I’ve shown this game to friends who aren’t marvel fans, in fact they don’t particular care for most of the MCU movies let alone the comics, but they LOVED this game, and before the first game had even finished they were on amazon looking to buy it! This is a great game for gamers, non gamers, marvel fans and non marvel fans!
Went in for 1 wave shipping and desperately waiting for that stuff. I can’t wait to get my hands on this stuff.
Too many Kickstarter exclusive characters for me to want to pick this up. I would like to play a game that has all of the characters I want to play. Not just be lucky enough to find out about a Kickstarter campaign to get all the ones I like and want to play as. I am not against exclusive items like upgraded foil cards, plastic tokens instead of cardboard, or alternate art. Locking characters behind what is essentially a timed paywall just turns me off to a game. Also going to the secondary market to play massively overpriced mark-ups is just lunacy.
A lot of local game stores back the Kickstarter so you can pick and choose what you want. I got the KS expansion box for the original game through a FLGS and I also have the Sinister 6 pre-ordered through them. Honestly, there’s just soooo much content for this game, unless you can dedicate an entire shelf to it, it’s too much. I’m trying to keep everything condensed down to two boxes.
I missed first campaign. So I buyed everything (both games - Marvel and Xmen) in second campaign. There are little indications that there can be thirc campaign. So there may be chance to buy what you want.
I just found this on eBay for a reasonable price- under $40 shipping included. Having just played the base game I’m so excited for the X-men to arrive.
Very nice review! I agree that I don’t love the included solo mode: there are too many exceptions to normal gameplay (like, half a page of special rules/exceptions!) I just play two characters. I could see three characters opening up the strategic space a little, but I like playing solo with two characters for simplicity.
I do the same. But I've found that it can be easy to run out of cards with two players sometimes haha
Come oooon second wave shipping!
What does everyone use for storage solutions for the Kickstarter versions?
I have a shelf for my painter minis. Everything else goes in a plastic tote.
I use feldherr foam inserts for my minituares as I painted some of my marvel united figures.
Bcw box for cards (I have my individual decks in burger token deck boxes but totally unnecessary), core box for components and a feldherr foam box for the minis. I made a spreadsheet of all the heroes/villians with some quick info for ppl to reference that also contains the location of the mini in the feldherr box (battleship style).
@@Bleuchz do you have a link to the feldherr foam box you use?
I’m trying to limit the stuff I have to two boxes. So right now, I only have the base game and first KS exclusive box. I’m hoping I’ll be able to fit this and potentially the Sinister Six expansion into these same boxes. I’d love to know other potential storage solutions for getting as many minis as possible into the KS expansion box so they take up the least amount of room without having them bang into each other.
I cannot wait to see where this one sits in Tom’s next top 100!
top 20 maybe
Top 20 would be crazy! 🤪
Although, maybe with the hype effect… but top 40 for sure either way! 😀
vs Legendary Marvel? It looks like a new edition of Legendary. What does it do better than Legendary?
For MU:X-Men, I decided to wait for Wave 2 shipping. There's still so much of the first MU that I haven't even tried out yet. This is a truly massive game if you go all-in. I really hope this isn't an annual thing, my wallet already hates me, and I'm running out of space in my tiny 1-bedroom apartment.
As an aside, while I'm not a big fan of the chibi style, I don't hate it. On a separate note, is it pronounced 'chee-bee' as Tom said, or 'chib-ee' with the first part pronounced like 'bib'? I've always pronounced it as the latter.
Thank you, Tom.
Which do you recommend if one will need to pick only one of the two: Marvel United (X-men) or Starcadia Quest..?
Oooh good question. I've never played Starcadia Quest but I know how the game works. And I do LOVE campaign style adventure tactical games/dungeon crawlers. However...I choose Star Wars:Imperial Assault for that, or Journeys in Middle Earth, Descent 2.0 or Gloomhaven. Not Starcadia quest.
So MY pick would be X-Men MU.
Even though they're different style of game, & MU doesn't have campaign progression, MU has 1)replayability, meaning u still want to play it over time as opposed to once you've played a campaign u lose interest, 2)easy to play and teach newbies but experienced gamers will still feel challenged & stimulated because of 3)variability of heroes & villains to play and 4)it's not a long game but not super short either.
I think a harder question would be Marvel United: X-Men vs Tiny Epic Dungeons!
I have played both Marvel United and Starcadia Quest and I would say you are comparing very different games. As Tom described the United system is quick to set up, fast playing and intended as a cooperative experience. Starcadia Quest is semi-cooperative and is jam packed full of chaos, shouting (at both your exploding dice rolls and at the other players that are betraying you).
I would recommend the United system for families, for someone who wants a game that can also be played solo, or people who want a easy to teach/understand game.
I would recommend Starcardia Quest to people looking for a fun romp that changes each game. You will need a group of people who are a little more into gaming because there are more rules to internalize and you want to make sure that none of the people you play with are susceptible to "hurty feelings" because you WILL knock out other players characters. I think the replayability of this game is far greater than the United system when comparing base boxes however if that is a factor for you.
@@fan-i-am
I appreciate your inputs,
Although, I think that the campaign titles that you've mentioned are heavier (and "darker") than the fast, colorful, "spacy", breezy Starcadia.
But you right... The comparation between different games is tricky.
Both CMON chibi miniatures games that Tom loved and the only parameter that truly united (no pan intention) them - is the financial status which forces to pick one.
Regarding replayability:
I actually meant in my question for the expansions (of both) as well.
@@erikjordheim6201 Thank you very much for the detailed and accurate response.
You were referring to the exact same issues which I had in my mind...
I currently own both base boxes and that is all until the latest Kickstarter fully fulfills. I definitely think the X-Men set gives you more out of the base box than the original.
Are they compatible?
@@rav3style yep, completely. CMON already has stuff on their website for all the original villains for super villain mode.
@@cubsnextyear17 cool ty
I got my shipping notification from the KS last week. It'll be here on Tuesday, I can't wait!
I missed out on the original and have been getting new characters and villains slowly but surely, secondhand. I got most all the expansions for this one and am super excited for all of it.
Hey Tom, why did you say you would never get rid of both wilds when you play?
It's basically the "Hardcore mode" for the game. Think of epidemic cards in the pandemic games. The wilds are basically safety nets and taking them away can make the villains much harder to beat
How much would you pay for this game? I didn‘t go for the Kickstarter getting X more figures, but I am still interested in a destilled ( read retail) version of the game for less money.
I’ve seen it on Amazon for $39 Canadian, so that’s maybe $33 US? I got the original base game through Amazon on sale at $29. I might wait for a price drop to pick this one up just for the extra villain mode cards, but I’m not really a fan of x-men so I’m pretty happy with just the original base and KS box with maybe one more expansion.
Its only a 30$ game . Its very cheap, just buy it . Though it will be worth a 30$ game as well, without KS stuffs. So theres that.
Just bought it for 20 on Amazon
Is this in retail now?
Amazon anyway. Haven’t seen it in target or Walmart yet. I’m guessing the shipping crisis is to blame.
@@pikkdogs perfect! I didn't see it when I searched just generally. Thanks for pointing that out!
13:50. Cant wait to see dice throne has to offer. I think that will probably the best super hero battle game that feels chunky yet easy to learn.
I was thinking it looked okay but then Tom says it’s the best Marvel game and I think Marvel Champions is awesome so I guess Marvel United will blow my mind.
Trust your instincts. United is fun but very basic. Tom is partial to X-Men (appropriately so), but Champions blows this out of the water.
Would love to see Tom and Roy debate this.
This and Champions are two different games with the same license. Both are good.
United is much more casual friendly. Champions is if you want some real depth behind the game. There are important and fun choices to be made in both games, but Champions is definitely more of a brain burner.
I really enjoy both, but I have played around 100 games to Marvel Champions and 15 to Marvel United. I think you will like Marvel United, but it won't blow your mind.
I was surprised how much I enjoy Marvel United. It’s simple but addicting. To me, it’s less deep than Champions but more fun. Both are great in their own way.
Wolverine, Captain America and Falcon against Magneto? Metal bones. Metal shield. What are comic book Falcon's wings made of? I hope the answer isn't metal...
It strange, I like Marvel universe in general, but for some reason the idea of Marvel board games don't interest me at all
You should check out Marvel Champions. The game is fantastic (kind of like race for the galaxy meets Marvel legendary meets magic the gathering) and makes you FEEL like the character you’re playing, which no other superhero game has managed for me thus far.
@@mc-designhacker Yeah champions is great which makes me really wonder why this is Tom's favorite marvel game? It's not thematic at all. Its just cards with symbols on them that have marvel art. You could swap out the character art for farm animals and it would be the same game. Champions is really thematic. Every character plays very different and teams up with other characters in unique ways. THAT seems like the ultimate marvel game.
United is just a generic threat management game with a cool theme pasted on. I don't get the appeal.
you forgot to put down the thugs on the first villain card
A shame the conclusion at the end that the game is reliant on the theme to engage players isn't given more focus as it seems to be the most important point for a critical thinking assessment of the game.
The system could be applied to any franchise tbh, it could be loony tunes, tmnt, street fighter, warhammer.. all it needs is a wide roster of characters amd locations. Change the civilians/thugs to a relevant collect/defeat equivalent amd thematically youre halfway there
Boy, thank goodness... I am so far in on this one that I have some buyer's remorse... LoL.
It seems nice and fun and I like Marvel and especially X-Men but the chibi-style is jarring to me, wish it was more traditional Marvel comic book-looking. Also I'd like to be able to play as Colossus and Nightcrawler... though I suspect those might have been Kickstarter exclusives.
I'll think about it, might get a copy.
Fun fact, I think spider man was the only sculpt where they changed the hero to the more traditional look.
Yeah I totally felt the same way! Grew up on Marvel & Xmen cartoons and comics. Serious stuff to me. And don't like the kiddy-ness of chibi stuff. HOWEVER...I looked into MU, I played it, and I love it! They take these characters seriously, regarding how they play mechanically according to their respective powers. And even tho they're chibi, they're not cutesy. They look serious action and they don't even look chibi after a while.
Trust me, you'll have fun!
i'm not a fan of the chibi's either (although they do look pretty great when properly painted), but it has grown on me a little bit. the game really is a LOT of fun, but it should probably be stated that it is a pretty light game as well. i'd suggest hopping on tabletop simulator and trying it out before buying (especially if you find yourself wanting to get some of the kickstarter exclusives at this point as you might have to pay a jacked up price... unless they do a third kickstarter campaign at some point.) i decided i liked it enough to go all in and get way more content than i'd ever truly need, but that is largely because of how well it works solo and how easy it is to mix and match and set up a quick game.
This is a great review because it's exactly what I needed to hear. I love the X-Men and I went all out on that Kickstarter for this, getting EVERYTHING X-Men. I got Wave 2 shipping and it'll arrive right in time for one of my milestone birthdays! And I can't wait to play this with the family.
Got it 👌🏽
I just don't get it with this one. This game is soooo mechanical. I don't mind the game, and agree with Tom on the game play, but never felt like I was Captain America fighting red skull. More like generic super hero with a small deck of cards with symbols that are just marginally different then all the other characters with small decks of cards with slightly different varietion of basic actions. No theme sorry. All symbols and mechanisms
Yeah I'm feeling that myself with trying out the core set. It's marginal differences between icons. The theme isn't strong enough from this game that I feel like Iron Man or Captain America etc. That kind of thing comes from something like Marvel Champions which is probably the ACTUAL best example of a Marvel game right now. This however just feels like a mass market family/kids game that's overpriced and overproduced - I mean, would artwork cardboard standees hurt?
Do I want to be the X-Men? Yes
RIP fellow norwegians :(
I would probably enjoy it if it weren't for the art choices. I'm just not a fan of the Chibi style.
Personally, I find this game quite silly, no offense
I don't know why I would be offended?
This is a kids game...
Cool! I agree, my kids and I have both enjoyed it!
The baby artwork is awful in my opinion. I just can't get past it.
Well if you get the chance to try it somewhere don't say no because of the art. It's just 30m a session, and you might really like the experience.
Some look better than others. Anyone wearing a mask looks pretty normal. Moon Knight from the original comes to mind.
I should have added that I'd definitely try it, but I wouldn't buy it, because of the art direction. I'm not a huge Marvel fan or superheroes in general, but if I had to pick the X-Men are my favs.
Ugh! Why do super heroes and villains need to be "cute"?
Add to that (ad nauseam), it's a card driven game.
No thanks!
There's an interesting bit to add that you'll have to print and play new cards for the marvel united box because the xmen had a power jump.
Are the new cards official or community designed?
@@gaebril131 there are no official changes to the existing characters. I haven't even seen any community ones as yet.
Cmon has already posted the changes for each box, they are official
I believe the print and play is to be able to use supervillain mode with (most of) the original villains
Is there a link to these print and play files?