really enjoyed this. I am not a huge kickstarter, so it is nice to see a game review for a change. That being said, I do enjoy this channel as a whole!
I would recommend barenpark for those who want a relaxing game. The game is so pretty and non-conflict. Not much player inter action though it's like race for the galaxy, a multiplayer solo game almost
I own Barenpark, Isle of Cats and Feast for Odin. These all offer escalating strategy using polyonmino tile play. I pick the game that matches my audience and enjoy all 3.
Got this in the mail Fri, played Sat, filming my play through + review today. It was the 1st game where my wife said, "We need to play again right now!" We don't have the expansion, but she loved this game so much I'm pretty sure we will be getting it!
Agree it is a fine Family game, one of the games me and my kids play more regularly (prob a tie with Love Letters) and they really enjoy it. I think it's partly because they are building their own park, they are absorbed by choosing their own tiles and placing them oblivious to who might be scoring the most points. It's not really that relevant until the end by which time they've already had fun and the scores aren't that important to them, maybe because it's left to daddy to add up all the scores :)
The monorails do fit, thanks to a guy that designs and sells 3D printed inserts on etsy. I actually just played it earlier tonight. It all fits like a glove. The insert is amazing.
It is pretty much the perfect family game, and a really good game in the polyomino genre. It’s no longer in my collection but that’s because there was only room for one of these games in my collection and I wanted to keep the one with a solo mode - so Spring Meadow survived the cull. I sometimes regret that decision!
I like listening to you explain games. I find new games and decide if I like it, and like it enough to buy it, or just play it if someone has it; like at a convention or get together.
I’m happy to see an overview like this on the channel. I would describe Barenpark as Patchwork meets Carcassonne. Here are my 5(10) whys: PROS 1... It’s fun 2... It’s unique 3... It has end of game scoring 4... It has tiles of deciding value 5... It’s good at all player counts CONS 1... Limited player interaction 2... Setup is no fun 3... Putting it up is no fun 4... It’s not cheap 5... You need an expansion to make it a better game IMO I love “take that” games and with Patchwork/Carcassonne I can be super aggressive (and so can my opponent.) In Barenpark I’m much more limited with what I can do, which makes me a sad panda. That being said, it’s an enjoyable game that my wife just doesn’t like so, it doesn’t get the playtime it should. Barenpark is not as essential of a game as Patchwork or Carcassonne however, if you could get a good deal, it would be worth inclusion into a robust gaming library. TLDR 7/10
This is a fun game, one which I originally through Isle of Cats would replace, but Isle of cats is a card drafting game which tile laying and sometimes I just want to lay down tiles. I think the upcoming Capstone Games New York Zoo, may be the next polyomino tile laying game that fits that sweet spot for these games. If not, I will always have Barenpark
Thanks for the review. I personally don’t like many polyomino games and this is no exception. I do like tile laying games such as Carcassone much better. I just seem to get frustrated when always trying to determine what shapes the place and where and when I am unable to place a tile or didn’t plan so far in advance and I see it too late it is frustrating. I would say a game like cartographers is much better because although it is a polyomino game I never feel like I am stuck. If I cannot place a “tile” I can always place a single 1x1 tile which is sometimes what you need. If you like these types of games you should probably check it out, but if you do not this is not going to change your mind.
I’m not sure about barenpark. I like that it’s fast, the theme, I like polyominoes. But like you said it feels like there’s not much variability between plays(it gets samey ). That’s my biggest hang up. I think I enjoyed Isle of Cats a little more but I’ve only played it once and Barenpark twice. I think my love of cats might make me a little biased. On a positive note this game is super popular and has high resale value so little risk in buying it.
One of my all-time favorites. The whole family loves it. I disagree that "light game" is a con, but that's just me. I completely understand that it may make it not right for everyone.
Hesitated a long time between barenpark and Isle of cats. Ended up choosing Isle of cats as I thought it had more staying power with the card drafting aspect and the family mode for quick games. No regrets but I'd still like to try barenpark at some point.
Interesting video, I have avoided this game as I'm not a fan of polyomino games, my experiences have been patchwork and karuba, however I think my game group might like it. I might have to bite the bullet, should probably look for a used copy. Thanks for your time.
I almost got it but With the grand carnival reprint kickstarter and planet unknown hobby edition just around the corner, I think this game would get lost in the poly shuffle on my the shelf. I’m also getting rid of New York zoo( a poly game of no points is a big con I have come to realise for myself and my group).
BoardGameCo Blokus Duo (no bonuses, two games alternate start, highest total surplus squares loses), Cathedral (with the new balanced start rules, two games like Blokus Duo), Battle of LITS (random boards like at boardgamearena), Arkadia, TAILITS, Miyabi...
I don't totally agree that setup is a breeze, I think setting up feels pretty laborious. I think it's also supposed to be possible to fit the monorails into the base box, but you might need to throw away the weird insert that the base game comes with (which, tbh, you should probably do anyways since it's pretty bad)
@@npckse8508 I saw an insert for sale through Etsy or something that's supposed to fit the base and the expansion, but it cost almost as much as both games combined, so I'm not going to touch it. Still, I think that means you can squeeze everything in there with enough dedication. I guess if you're into polyomino games, you get pretty good at fitting things together into cramped spaces, lol
I really think if they just give us more "goal card" the game will last a lot longer than under ten play (which are the point where it may feel repetitive)... Inaddition, they could improve those goal cards, instead of having like 3 piece of the same goal. (it really only need a modern system to keep track of who got what first, easy) Anyways, I have to somewhat challenge your thought on set up time... It's really bad, especially if you are those who tend to dump all effing piece back into a box, then next time when you start, you gonna have a mini game of find-the-right-piece Best part tho, there are many inexpansive storage/setup solution. I have one where I can start a game in only like 30 seconds (even less like 10 second if I start and pullout while playing)
@@BoardGameCo for being the value guy, what's your thought on these 3rd party insert, or things like bling coins and add-on alike Alex? I think for Barenpark its a blissing to have insert, also as a side note, Barenpark is popular of a game to the point Taiwanness company even make their own insert for this. I'm not Taiwanness myself but I know Taiwen have a huge tabletop market, really huge
not related but man mythic is starting to sell their kickstarters direct with their stretch goals, which is super intersting. 10% during gencon makes them about $8 more than pledging. still couldn't buy reichbusters after literally every reviewer including dice tower gave it terrible scores.
Actually the expansion DOES fit in the base game box and without having to do any foam core or 3D printed insert and without having to squish monorails. It takes a bit of doctoring the provided insert to make B go across horizontally and A and C go vertically. It creates four different size spaces, 1 section for all but 4 of the monorail towers, the 4 start tiles and the grizzly tiles, 1 section for the other 4 monorail towers, achievement cards and a baggie of monorail trains, 1 section for all simple base game tiles organised in piles and a baggie of toilets and statues and 1 section for the exit boards, the main boards and the base game bear enclosures. This leaves enough room to put the tile selection board and both manuals on top and the lid shuts fine. This solution is published on BGG (not my design)! Great game and monorails makes this game fantastic as green spaces become useful and you begin to juggle high scoring tiles, difficult achievements and green space spacing for monorails. Definitely requires some brain power!
I binned the A, B & C dividers as it didn't seem to help the storage. I just got a few ziplock bags to store each type of tile and a few bags for the other bits. Should be enough room for the expansion hopefully but we haven't got bored with the base game yet so not gonna get it till it gets "samey"
really enjoyed this. I am not a huge kickstarter, so it is nice to see a game review for a change. That being said, I do enjoy this channel as a whole!
Thanks! I want to do reviews here and there, ideally either a review, play this not that or a should you play it once a week.....but we'll see.
Thanks, love the time stamps!
Of course!
I would recommend barenpark for those who want a relaxing game. The game is so pretty and non-conflict. Not much player inter action though it's like race for the galaxy, a multiplayer solo game almost
It's great!
I own Barenpark, Isle of Cats and Feast for Odin. These all offer escalating strategy using polyonmino tile play. I pick the game that matches my audience and enjoy all 3.
All excellent :)
Please continue these 5 advantages 5 limitations format! I’d especially like to hear about your fun/“game” to time ratios for all games :)
Will do :)
Got this in the mail Fri, played Sat, filming my play through + review today. It was the 1st game where my wife said, "We need to play again right now!" We don't have the expansion, but she loved this game so much I'm pretty sure we will be getting it!
Awesome!
Agree it is a fine Family game, one of the games me and my kids play more regularly (prob a tie with Love Letters) and they really enjoy it. I think it's partly because they are building their own park, they are absorbed by choosing their own tiles and placing them oblivious to who might be scoring the most points. It's not really that relevant until the end by which time they've already had fun and the scores aren't that important to them, maybe because it's left to daddy to add up all the scores :)
Lol exactly, I usually score with half the kids gone :)
The monorails do fit, thanks to a guy that designs and sells 3D printed inserts on etsy. I actually just played it earlier tonight. It all fits like a glove. The insert is amazing.
Yes, I've since found out I'm wrong :) Time to go play Tetris with the Tetris game :)
It is pretty much the perfect family game, and a really good game in the polyomino genre. It’s no longer in my collection but that’s because there was only room for one of these games in my collection and I wanted to keep the one with a solo mode - so Spring Meadow survived the cull. I sometimes regret that decision!
Oh man, both are great :)
I like listening to you explain games. I find new games and decide if I like it, and like it enough to buy it, or just play it if someone has it; like at a convention or get together.
Thanks :) Looking forward to conventions again....
I’m happy to see an overview like this on the channel. I would describe Barenpark as Patchwork meets Carcassonne. Here are my 5(10) whys:
PROS
1... It’s fun
2... It’s unique
3... It has end of game scoring
4... It has tiles of deciding value
5... It’s good at all player counts
CONS
1... Limited player interaction
2... Setup is no fun
3... Putting it up is no fun
4... It’s not cheap
5... You need an expansion to make it a better game
IMO
I love “take that” games and with Patchwork/Carcassonne I can be super aggressive (and so can my opponent.) In Barenpark I’m much more limited with what I can do, which makes me a sad panda.
That being said, it’s an enjoyable game that my wife just doesn’t like so, it doesn’t get the playtime it should. Barenpark is not as essential of a game as Patchwork or Carcassonne however, if you could get a good deal, it would be worth inclusion into a robust gaming library.
TLDR
7/10
Ooooh...I should totally have included minimal interaction as a con. Good call!
If you're looking for more aggressive tile games look at Drakon and Gunkimono 😉
Good review. Keep going with them.
Thanks :)
Love your videos! I was wondering if you could do a video on Euthia?
Having a hard time deciding if I should upgrade my $1 pledge
he had already done a video on Euthia: ua-cam.com/video/9JcRRU2E3dU/v-deo.html :)
This is a fun game, one which I originally through Isle of Cats would replace, but Isle of cats is a card drafting game which tile laying and sometimes I just want to lay down tiles. I think the upcoming Capstone Games New York Zoo, may be the next polyomino tile laying game that fits that sweet spot for these games. If not, I will always have Barenpark
Thanks for the review. I personally don’t like many polyomino games and this is no exception. I do like tile laying games such as Carcassone much better. I just seem to get frustrated when always trying to determine what shapes the place and where and when I am unable to place a tile or didn’t plan so far in advance and I see it too late it is frustrating. I would say a game like cartographers is much better because although it is a polyomino game I never feel like I am stuck. If I cannot place a “tile” I can always place a single 1x1 tile which is sometimes what you need. If you like these types of games you should probably check it out, but if you do not this is not going to change your mind.
I love cartographer and silver and gold as well, but I'm a bigger fan of the tactile pieces than the drawing. Both great though.
I’m not sure about barenpark. I like that it’s fast, the theme, I like polyominoes. But like you said it feels like there’s not much variability between plays(it gets samey ). That’s my biggest hang up. I think I enjoyed Isle of Cats a little more but I’ve only played it once and Barenpark twice. I think my love of cats might make me a little biased. On a positive note this game is super popular and has high resale value so little risk in buying it.
Yes, that is the weakest point for me for sure.
One of my all-time favorites. The whole family loves it. I disagree that "light game" is a con, but that's just me. I completely understand that it may make it not right for everyone.
Not a con so much, but rather a reason why others might be scared off.
It's not a 4 hour euro? 0/10.
Hesitated a long time between barenpark and Isle of cats. Ended up choosing Isle of cats as I thought it had more staying power with the card drafting aspect and the family mode for quick games. No regrets but I'd still like to try barenpark at some point.
I prefer barenpark but both are excellent.
I have both, but I prefer Barenpark as it doesn't give you negative points for dead space.
It was already on my list to get, but i'll put it higher, how do you rate it versus other famous tile laying game?
For me it's my favorite. Closely followed by Indian Summer and Isle of Cats
Ah, my favourite game!
:)
Interesting video, I have avoided this game as I'm not a fan of polyomino games, my experiences have been patchwork and karuba, however I think my game group might like it. I might have to bite the bullet, should probably look for a used copy. Thanks for your time.
Oooh haven't tried Karuba, somehow never made it ok my radar.
Here is you weight progression for tile laying.
Miyabi,barenpark, isle of cats, Feast for Odin.
Feast for Odin is a beast. I got rid of it....but then had regrets and it's on the way back to give a second chance. I assume you like it?
So close to 8k subscribers!
Yes! Another 2 or 3 days :)
“I don’t know their ages anymore” - hahaha
That's the statement of a real father
Comparison/ranking to other polyomino games?
Great topic for a video :)
I almost got it but With the grand carnival reprint kickstarter and planet unknown hobby edition just around the corner, I think this game would get lost in the poly shuffle on my the shelf. I’m also getting rid of New York zoo( a poly game of no points is a big con I have come to realise for myself and my group).
I'm big polyomino fan. However, Bärenpark is a skip for me.... would try it once if offered, maybe its better than I think...
How dare you! But what are your favorite polyomino games?
BoardGameCo Blokus Duo (no bonuses, two games alternate start, highest total surplus squares loses), Cathedral (with the new balanced start rules, two games like Blokus Duo), Battle of LITS (random boards like at boardgamearena), Arkadia, TAILITS, Miyabi...
@@BoardGameCo I am a world class strategy and polyomino player. Was ranked no.1 at Battle of LITS at bga last autumn.
I don't totally agree that setup is a breeze, I think setting up feels pretty laborious. I think it's also supposed to be possible to fit the monorails into the base box, but you might need to throw away the weird insert that the base game comes with (which, tbh, you should probably do anyways since it's pretty bad)
I have the meeple realty insert for the base game, which makes setup very easy. Sadly, not much makes the expansion easy to deploy
@@npckse8508 I saw an insert for sale through Etsy or something that's supposed to fit the base and the expansion, but it cost almost as much as both games combined, so I'm not going to touch it. Still, I think that means you can squeeze everything in there with enough dedication. I guess if you're into polyomino games, you get pretty good at fitting things together into cramped spaces, lol
I really think if they just give us more "goal card" the game will last a lot longer than under ten play (which are the point where it may feel repetitive)... Inaddition, they could improve those goal cards, instead of having like 3 piece of the same goal. (it really only need a modern system to keep track of who got what first, easy)
Anyways, I have to somewhat challenge your thought on set up time... It's really bad, especially if you are those who tend to dump all effing piece back into a box, then next time when you start, you gonna have a mini game of find-the-right-piece
Best part tho, there are many inexpansive storage/setup solution. I have one where I can start a game in only like 30 seconds (even less like 10 second if I start and pullout while playing)
Totally hear that. And ya I hope I didn't give the impression to just dump things back. But I find it fairly easy.
@@BoardGameCo for being the value guy, what's your thought on these 3rd party insert, or things like bling coins and add-on alike Alex? I think for Barenpark its a blissing to have insert, also as a side note, Barenpark is popular of a game to the point Taiwanness company even make their own insert for this. I'm not Taiwanness myself but I know Taiwen have a huge tabletop market, really huge
maybe i'll give this a shot. i could use something to use with my wife that i don't get a headache reading a 50 page rule book.
Definitely falls into that category :)
Barenpark is my favorite polyomino game
Same :)
Barenpark is great.... But I was the only one in my group who liked it.... (A cheaper, faster, smaller game similer to consider is silver and gold)
I have both!
The expansion gives Barenpark the flexibility to play with children/grandparents all the way up to a lighter "gamer" game.
Yes, 💯
not related but man mythic is starting to sell their kickstarters direct with their stretch goals, which is super intersting. 10% during gencon makes them about $8 more than pledging.
still couldn't buy reichbusters after literally every reviewer including dice tower gave it terrible scores.
Interesting...good for them.
Actually the expansion DOES fit in the base game box and without having to do any foam core or 3D printed insert and without having to squish monorails. It takes a bit of doctoring the provided insert to make B go across horizontally and A and C go vertically. It creates four different size spaces, 1 section for all but 4 of the monorail towers, the 4 start tiles and the grizzly tiles, 1 section for the other 4 monorail towers, achievement cards and a baggie of monorail trains, 1 section for all simple base game tiles organised in piles and a baggie of toilets and statues and 1 section for the exit boards, the main boards and the base game bear enclosures. This leaves enough room to put the tile selection board and both manuals on top and the lid shuts fine. This solution is published on BGG (not my design)! Great game and monorails makes this game fantastic as green spaces become useful and you begin to juggle high scoring tiles, difficult achievements and green space spacing for monorails. Definitely requires some brain power!
I binned the A, B & C dividers as it didn't seem to help the storage. I just got a few ziplock bags to store each type of tile and a few bags for the other bits. Should be enough room for the expansion hopefully but we haven't got bored with the base game yet so not gonna get it till it gets "samey"
I hate Frank Klemenz art!!!
How dare you sir!
I love Agricola (a favourite of mine). I like oh my goods! A lot. But I wish those games were illustrated by Michael Menzel 🤣
@@fernandoberdichevsky5617 lol, different strokes :)
At least it wasn't The Mico. Aliens are acceptable, but the humans are just too disproportionate for my taste.
I'm with Fernando, hate Klemenz art.