Yeah, pretty much. One of my patreon peeps said this "I'm in love with/terrified of this game." It's a lot to take in, and I can see it really not working for a lot of people. But if it clicks, its something special.
It's really not too bad. That was my first impression too. There is some math involved but nothing more than simple arithmetic. There are tables to help expedite it. One or two play throughs and you get it.
I really dig this game, it took 3 months from ordering it for it to arrive here in Aotearoa, but it was worth the wait. This review happened because my patreon backers voted for me to pick up the game and then to review it. I'm going to order the stations expansion as well. Instantly going into the permanent collection and probably the best new game i've played for quite a while. If you want to buy the game, check here www.boardgameprices.com/prices/leavingearth/?[leavingearth] And if you want to order it direct from Lumenaris, go here. Noting that there can be a wait between small print runs. lumenaris.com/leavingearth.html
I enjoyed it. Although you need to play on very high diff to make it a challenge, and it loses the "race" part of the space race. But solo, its like a fun math puzzle to solve.
Yep, fantastic game. A friend of mine turned me on to this at a convention last year. My gaming group have played it several times. The designer Joseph Fatula is very helpful on BGG forums clarifying the rules. I've found the layout of the game board tiles somewhat counter-intuitive though. Instead of setting it up in a rectangle (as it shows in the rule book), I set it up more in a line as the planets fall in order from the Sun outward. It takes up more room on the table, but I find it easier to get my mind around the difficulty of completing missions that are further from Earth.
Its funny you mention that, as I did the same thing with the photo's i took when i added "the outer planets" doing it length ways looked awful. It had to be done side on. Also, that's how all those "maps of the solar system" you have in science classes at school look.
Just one of those Channels that quietly kick ass in the background, brought to you by some dude just doing shit he loves. Fuck you man you're the best.
It really isn't difficult, I think the only hurdle is understanding the payload chart which can throw people off initially. But once you get that and start writing stuff down on the planning sheets then it's just simple addition. If you can count over 10 then you shouldn't be worried about the math. You only get overwhelmed when you start trying to do complex missions in one go on such a limited budget.
its less about the complexity, and more about "what is fun". Some people just wanna roll some dice and the math is the core of this game. Some people just hate doing math. (I dont, which is why i love it)
@@3MBG I agree, it is more involved than normal worker placement and dice games. And even though it's simplified, part of the charm is a greater appreciation for the hard work and planning involved in space exploration (especially in it's infancy).
Ordering Leaving Earth in about 3 minutes. Aaaand add to cart, include autograph. oh expansions? yes, add to cart, include autograph and add to cart, include autograph. enter delivery and payment information... confirm order.... yes confirm. enter.
I bought a copy of this game on your recommendation, it's my most enjoyable board game, and very good solo. I intend to buy the Outer Planets and future space stations expansion too (I have the Mercury Expansion). I do question, if your spacecraft is destroyed as the result of a major failure, or "lost" from an automatic move, do you return the spacecraft card and token to the player? Or put it out of play? What if a token gets stuck on the board due to running out of fuel? Do you leave it there for potential future rescue using the rendevous mechanic, or allow a player to self-destruct it? Disassembly is only available on Earth, but that lets you save the components you have bought.
In both cases you can return the spacecraft and token to the supply. You can also do this with any ship at any time if it helps you. All components on the ship are lost though
@@3MBG yeah that's how we play really, losing a token completely made the game very hard, especially if you got a few failures early on researching rockets.
Another great review as always. The maths isn't as horrendous as I feared, especially as I would be playing solo. I have seen the occasional second-hand copy available here, that's actually how I first became aware of the game.
Just ordered the game about 10 days ago... They produce the game to order so it does take a couple of weeks but I just got shipping notification! Ye! But it is a bit pricy for a card game... Lets hope it is as good as it seems...
I realize this video is from two years ago, but I have had this game on my radar and came across your review. I think you have sold me on it. I'm also looking at High Frontier 4All and would love to hear your thoughts if you ever get the chance.
I have high frontier, but its in storage at the moment. It looks very full on. I think leaving earth would do a lot of the same but with much less overhead.
Hey there! Wanted to get this game but I’ve email the company regarding its availability. Have not receive any reply from them yet. Been close to 2 weeks. Is their company still active? Any idea ? Thanks! 😊
And that’s the one with the mercury expansion and 44 dollars, correct? Ohh... that is a damn good offer! Ahh!!! So it and all the expansions have their entire rulebook online! Excellent!!! Would you put this in your top 20?
Almost nearly only available through the maker of the game. They are hand made. Got mine in just a week. Depends on demand and I assume its going to higher now. lumenaris.com/leavingearth.html
1:45 Uhh... wait, what? Edit: if I'm understanding this correctly: mass is in the top left, thrust is in the bottom right. Then... yeah, you lost me. What's going on?
You need thrust equal to or more than the mass moved * the difficulty. In the example, probe + rocket = 2 mass, difficulty = 1, required thrust = 2*1 = 2. As the rocket has 4 thrust, it provides enough thrust to allow you to perform the move.
@@Muppjockey Ooooh, thanks. I'm much better with math problems when they're written out and, with how fast he talks, that was difficult with how tired I was last night.
@@3MBG All good, I didn't intend for that to be criticism. I enjoy your content a lot. Oh, and thanks. This review was how I heard of this game which has really caught my interest.
Didn't take it as a criticism, just making it clear what we are about. Like, there are so many good "how to play" channels out there who are far better at rules explanations than I am as they can take the time on that for starters :) I like to think of the channel as like a "trailer" or "teaser" channel for a game. Just enough to tell you if its worth digging deeper, or if the game is totally not for you.
Nope. Solo gamers get ignored by an awful lot of reviewers, and as a solo game I want to ensure its mentioned. Also, gives me a spot to say if the game has a fan made solo, or extra purchasable solo mode, or if solo comes in an expansion.
This game sounds like literal rocket science. I’m overwhelmed but incredibly intrigued.
Yeah, pretty much. One of my patreon peeps said this "I'm in love with/terrified of this game."
It's a lot to take in, and I can see it really not working for a lot of people. But if it clicks, its something special.
It's really not too bad. That was my first impression too. There is some math involved but nothing more than simple arithmetic. There are tables to help expedite it. One or two play throughs and you get it.
I really dig this game, it took 3 months from ordering it for it to arrive here in Aotearoa, but it was worth the wait. This review happened because my patreon backers voted for me to pick up the game and then to review it. I'm going to order the stations expansion as well. Instantly going into the permanent collection and probably the best new game i've played for quite a while.
If you want to buy the game, check here www.boardgameprices.com/prices/leavingearth/?[leavingearth]
And if you want to order it direct from Lumenaris, go here. Noting that there can be a wait between small print runs. lumenaris.com/leavingearth.html
What do you think of solo mode?
I enjoyed it. Although you need to play on very high diff to make it a challenge, and it loses the "race" part of the space race. But solo, its like a fun math puzzle to solve.
Thanks for the review. I just ordered based on it. I LOVE space themed games and had been wondering if this was any good.
Yep, fantastic game. A friend of mine turned me on to this at a convention last year. My gaming group have played it several times. The designer Joseph Fatula is very helpful on BGG forums clarifying the rules. I've found the layout of the game board tiles somewhat counter-intuitive though. Instead of setting it up in a rectangle (as it shows in the rule book), I set it up more in a line as the planets fall in order from the Sun outward. It takes up more room on the table, but I find it easier to get my mind around the difficulty of completing missions that are further from Earth.
Its funny you mention that, as I did the same thing with the photo's i took when i added "the outer planets" doing it length ways looked awful. It had to be done side on.
Also, that's how all those "maps of the solar system" you have in science classes at school look.
Just one of those Channels that quietly kick ass in the background, brought to you by some dude just doing shit he loves. Fuck you man you're the best.
My friends can’t even do downforce math. I’d love to see them play this.
It really isn't difficult, I think the only hurdle is understanding the payload chart which can throw people off initially. But once you get that and start writing stuff down on the planning sheets then it's just simple addition. If you can count over 10 then you shouldn't be worried about the math.
You only get overwhelmed when you start trying to do complex missions in one go on such a limited budget.
its less about the complexity, and more about "what is fun". Some people just wanna roll some dice and the math is the core of this game. Some people just hate doing math. (I dont, which is why i love it)
@@3MBG I agree, it is more involved than normal worker placement and dice games. And even though it's simplified, part of the charm is a greater appreciation for the hard work and planning involved in space exploration (especially in it's infancy).
Yeah, its just a gem, and a real passion project. I have stations en route as well. Only had core and outer when i did the vid
I’m late to this video but this has really made me want it! Thanks for the quick overview!
I love this game! I'm planning a winter break video series
Ordering Leaving Earth in about 3 minutes.
Aaaand add to cart, include autograph.
oh expansions? yes, add to cart, include autograph and add to cart, include autograph.
enter delivery and payment information...
confirm order....
yes confirm.
enter.
Hahahahaha, nice one. Hope you enjoy it as much as i did.
Fantastic game. One of my favorite solo. Paper money can bug off though.
Yeah, next time i play, im cracking out the poker chips. Or my "space bucks" from Xia and Empires of the Void II
The 2nd expansion, Stations, has card money. It's the smaller card size. I do still prefer to lug around my mini poker chip set.
Oh thats good to know. I still haven't got stations. It's almost a certainty i'll pick it up though
True that. I replaced the paper money with nice poker chips.
We just wrote it down on paper and read out our expenses at the end of the turn to make sure.
"Leaving Earth in about 3 minutes"
Have a nice trip! Where are you off to?
Anywhere, after a month in lockdown, anywhere ;)
1:53 Max payload mass chart!
I bought a copy of this game on your recommendation, it's my most enjoyable board game, and very good solo. I intend to buy the Outer Planets and future space stations expansion too (I have the Mercury Expansion).
I do question, if your spacecraft is destroyed as the result of a major failure, or "lost" from an automatic move, do you return the spacecraft card and token to the player? Or put it out of play? What if a token gets stuck on the board due to running out of fuel? Do you leave it there for potential future rescue using the rendevous mechanic, or allow a player to self-destruct it? Disassembly is only available on Earth, but that lets you save the components you have bought.
In both cases you can return the spacecraft and token to the supply. You can also do this with any ship at any time if it helps you. All components on the ship are lost though
@@3MBG yeah that's how we play really, losing a token completely made the game very hard, especially if you got a few failures early on researching rockets.
Another great review as always.
The maths isn't as horrendous as I feared, especially as I would be playing solo. I have seen the occasional second-hand copy available here, that's actually how I first became aware of the game.
3 Minutes Board Games left earth in 3 minutes? Wow
I'm a rocket ship, on my way to Mars.
Just ordered the game about 10 days ago... They produce the game to order so it does take a couple of weeks but I just got shipping notification! Ye! But it is a bit pricy for a card game... Lets hope it is as good as it seems...
I realize this video is from two years ago, but I have had this game on my radar and came across your review. I think you have sold me on it. I'm also looking at High Frontier 4All and would love to hear your thoughts if you ever get the chance.
I have high frontier, but its in storage at the moment. It looks very full on. I think leaving earth would do a lot of the same but with much less overhead.
@@3MBG Thanks for the response. I have ordered Leaving Earth and am having it sent to my mother-in-laws. So, next time we are in Oregon...
This game is so hard to find, and so expensive when you can find it.
lumenaris.com/leavingearth.html
Less than 50 without shipping. Direct from maker.
Hey there! Wanted to get this game but I’ve email the company regarding its availability. Have not receive any reply from them yet. Been close to 2 weeks. Is their company still active? Any idea ? Thanks! 😊
Not sure sorry. I know there were some issues with them a while back
Hmm... so what do I need to have just the default game?
The default game is all i showed in the video. Except that one bit with Outer planets.
And that’s the one with the mercury expansion and 44 dollars, correct? Ohh... that is a damn good offer!
Ahh!!! So it and all the expansions have their entire rulebook online! Excellent!!!
Would you put this in your top 20?
Too soon to call, but it's going to rate pretty high next time i rescore my top 100.
It's easily top 5 from the last year of gaming for sure.
3 Minute Board Games And I’m gonna buy this as soon as I finish Gloomhaven in 2027.
Thanks again!
Also be sure to tell us if the expansions are good!
Outer planets is, still need to get stations
It's not o
available on Amazon for reason.
Almost nearly only available through the maker of the game. They are hand made. Got mine in just a week. Depends on demand and I assume its going to higher now.
lumenaris.com/leavingearth.html
1:45
Uhh... wait, what?
Edit: if I'm understanding this correctly: mass is in the top left, thrust is in the bottom right. Then... yeah, you lost me. What's going on?
You need thrust equal to or more than the mass moved * the difficulty. In the example, probe + rocket = 2 mass, difficulty = 1, required thrust = 2*1 = 2. As the rocket has 4 thrust, it provides enough thrust to allow you to perform the move.
@@Muppjockey Ooooh, thanks. I'm much better with math problems when they're written out and, with how fast he talks, that was difficult with how tired I was last night.
Yeah, its a complex game. My vids are not great for actually learning how to play the game, just to give you an idea of what they are about.
@@3MBG All good, I didn't intend for that to be criticism. I enjoy your content a lot. Oh, and thanks. This review was how I heard of this game which has really caught my interest.
Didn't take it as a criticism, just making it clear what we are about. Like, there are so many good "how to play" channels out there who are far better at rules explanations than I am as they can take the time on that for starters :)
I like to think of the channel as like a "trailer" or "teaser" channel for a game. Just enough to tell you if its worth digging deeper, or if the game is totally not for you.
I want this game but I do not trust the printing company.
They are..... very odd
Isn't it redundant to say that is has a solo mode, right after you say that it is a game for 1-5 players? :)
Nope. Solo gamers get ignored by an awful lot of reviewers, and as a solo game I want to ensure its mentioned. Also, gives me a spot to say if the game has a fan made solo, or extra purchasable solo mode, or if solo comes in an expansion.
It sounds like this is a math problem, not a game :D
Why not both :)
@@3MBG it certainly may be
Nice review, but it seems like too much work for me
Perfect. Reviews should not be hard sells, but to give you information to make your own decision. I'm glad I could help
Always nail the reviews, good job 👍