Really enjoying this series! When my wife and I decided to follow suit with you guys and play the top 100, sadly this one was no longer on the list. But certainly something to check out…once we get through the top 100 of course!
Such a good game! This one of my most played games. We like it as a good go to when we want something quick or one to end a night on since it plays consistently 30-40 minutes; because of the simultaneous play even at 4 and 5 it doesn't take much longer. We play the ambition expansion which adds 2 more dice colors, extra tiles and achievement tiles so it adds a nice bit to the strategy; don't play without it :) Haven't added the second expansion yet as it looks like it adds too much fiddlyness that it would take away from the fast and punchy that it currently is. We also house rule that we start with 2 of each of the starting tiles so it helps everyone have a chance at some synergy instead of it being total luck of the draw.
@@grog3514 Just pulling multiples of each starting tile and picking from them. We pull three of each (3 starting worlds, 3 factions, and 3 exploration tiles) and pick. It gives your some agency to start the game with at least some synergies.
We bounced off this one pretty quickly. I love all the dice. I think the action selection is cool. But the rest of the game is bland. I have it rated as a 6, and I don't think that's "too harsh". :)
Honestly I think it deserves to be higher in the top 100. Thing is that I literally can't think of another game that plays in 30 minutes (under an hour even at 5) yet has the massive, bottomless pit of strategy of this game. I think it's perfection for the niche it fill.
I realy like this game. It's on of my alltime favorites. You should try the first expansion. It makes the game even better vor me. Especially the with the new black and orange dice and many more tiles. Never play without it anymore.
So both this and race for the galaxy are considerably more strategic than they seem. If you play against an experienced player they will generally destroy you. A lot of that comes from being able to memorize different combinations and then digg for them so you can pull off the great combos. Quick side note, how does this compare to Ares Expedition? You mentioned it early in the video, and it does have some similar core rules.
I heard them say "luck with mitigation" and was wondering what game they were talking about, but I get it, all the dice makes it seem like a luck-heavy game. I agree with you though, once you figure it out the strategy overshadows any element of luck. Maybe it doesn't eliminate it, but you'll never lose a game and be like "damn, I just couldn't get the rolls I needed."
Like this one much more than Race. I couldn't quite get the iconography in Race but for some reason, Roll was much easier to understand. Too bad Rivalry didn't get a lot of love. Not that I have it. the price point for that 'expansion' was $80. I see that it's been reduced in some online stores. That also causes some concern for Rolling Realms. I hear the price point is $100. I may have to wait for a trade on that one.
Definitely a fan of this one. I've only played at 4, and can see how it's far less fun/strategic at 2. This is a solid 4.5 for me. I'll play this game any time.
With the market discussion are you doing the rule correctly where you discard cards you have not built? If you do it right you trade in 6-7 tiles everytime you use that action. Removing a TON of the luck.
Ah yes, Roll for the Galaxy: the greatest dice game based on a card game based on a racist board game ever made! I'd put Roll right around a 4/5. It's a go to warm up game for me, given the ~20 min rounds. I love how rewarding it is to get a shipping engine up and running, or when you finally get that balanced engine that has high dice econ, money econ, and the flexibility to specialize in meaningful actions. After playing many games of it, I definitely think there are some balancing issues. Namely, developments are underpowered for the most part. If I'm shooting to initiate the 12 tile end game and win, every development you build means one less die you're getting from a planet. Games are rarely won by the player who has 4+ developments. As a result, brown dice are probably the weakest colored dice in the game. All the other colors can be specialized in and result in a winning strategy, but brown is the exception. The only way brown can win is if you get a brown planet starter and a mining league early draw (+2vp per brown planet). If there is ever a second version I would rebalance brown v. green. Green has better die faces and trade value. Brown has more planets. I would have more green planets with lower trade value and fewer brown planets with higher trade value. tl;dr - it's great & brown die are bad
Really enjoying this series! When my wife and I decided to follow suit with you guys and play the top 100, sadly this one was no longer on the list. But certainly something to check out…once we get through the top 100 of course!
Such a good game! This one of my most played games. We like it as a good go to when we want something quick or one to end a night on since it plays consistently 30-40 minutes; because of the simultaneous play even at 4 and 5 it doesn't take much longer. We play the ambition expansion which adds 2 more dice colors, extra tiles and achievement tiles so it adds a nice bit to the strategy; don't play without it :) Haven't added the second expansion yet as it looks like it adds too much fiddlyness that it would take away from the fast and punchy that it currently is. We also house rule that we start with 2 of each of the starting tiles so it helps everyone have a chance at some synergy instead of it being total luck of the draw.
You were close....Ares Expedition took the action selection from Race for the Galaxy (and Roll is an iteration of Race, of course - same designer)
OH MY GOSH! THAT POSTER LOOKS SO COOL!
Thank you for these great videos! Love your hard work!
One of my first modern games. Still love it. I think both expansions improve the game and a house rule for drafting tiles is a must.
@@grog3514 Just pulling multiples of each starting tile and picking from them. We pull three of each (3 starting worlds, 3 factions, and 3 exploration tiles) and pick. It gives your some agency to start the game with at least some synergies.
We bounced off this one pretty quickly. I love all the dice. I think the action selection is cool. But the rest of the game is bland. I have it rated as a 6, and I don't think that's "too harsh". :)
Honestly I think it deserves to be higher in the top 100. Thing is that I literally can't think of another game that plays in 30 minutes (under an hour even at 5) yet has the massive, bottomless pit of strategy of this game. I think it's perfection for the niche it fill.
I realy like this game. It's on of my alltime favorites. You should try the first expansion. It makes the game even better vor me. Especially the with the new black and orange dice and many more tiles. Never play without it anymore.
So both this and race for the galaxy are considerably more strategic than they seem. If you play against an experienced player they will generally destroy you. A lot of that comes from being able to memorize different combinations and then digg for them so you can pull off the great combos.
Quick side note, how does this compare to Ares Expedition? You mentioned it early in the video, and it does have some similar core rules.
I heard them say "luck with mitigation" and was wondering what game they were talking about, but I get it, all the dice makes it seem like a luck-heavy game. I agree with you though, once you figure it out the strategy overshadows any element of luck. Maybe it doesn't eliminate it, but you'll never lose a game and be like "damn, I just couldn't get the rolls I needed."
Like this one much more than Race. I couldn't quite get the iconography in Race but for some reason, Roll was much easier to understand. Too bad Rivalry didn't get a lot of love. Not that I have it. the price point for that 'expansion' was $80. I see that it's been reduced in some online stores. That also causes some concern for Rolling Realms. I hear the price point is $100. I may have to wait for a trade on that one.
This is one of those games I play with someone on BoardGameArena first. So much easier to teach on there.
Definitely a fan of this one. I've only played at 4, and can see how it's far less fun/strategic at 2. This is a solid 4.5 for me. I'll play this game any time.
With the market discussion are you doing the rule correctly where you discard cards you have not built?
If you do it right you trade in 6-7 tiles everytime you use that action. Removing a TON of the luck.
In one set of dice, I will go through 20-30 tiles
I really like this one a lot
Play this game 5-10 more times and you’ll start to see the genius and the strategic depth
Ah yes, Roll for the Galaxy: the greatest dice game based on a card game based on a racist board game ever made! I'd put Roll right around a 4/5. It's a go to warm up game for me, given the ~20 min rounds. I love how rewarding it is to get a shipping engine up and running, or when you finally get that balanced engine that has high dice econ, money econ, and the flexibility to specialize in meaningful actions. After playing many games of it, I definitely think there are some balancing issues. Namely, developments are underpowered for the most part. If I'm shooting to initiate the 12 tile end game and win, every development you build means one less die you're getting from a planet. Games are rarely won by the player who has 4+ developments. As a result, brown dice are probably the weakest colored dice in the game. All the other colors can be specialized in and result in a winning strategy, but brown is the exception. The only way brown can win is if you get a brown planet starter and a mining league early draw (+2vp per brown planet). If there is ever a second version I would rebalance brown v. green. Green has better die faces and trade value. Brown has more planets. I would have more green planets with lower trade value and fewer brown planets with higher trade value. tl;dr - it's great & brown die are bad
This is what you call a school night game. Like Azul, Sagrada, Istanbul, Castles of Burgundy, Isle of Skye