This just made my wishlist. Thank you for covering it. I really like games where you can create worker/dice placement spots. It’s why I love Wayfarers of the South Tigris so much. Thank you for this video it really sold me on this game
Just picked up a used copy of this game this week. Even more excited to play after hearing your thoughts on it. Think this one is going to be a big hit with our group
Wow, used already. This game just shipped a couple weeks ago! Hope you enjoy. I’ve gotten a couple plays in and the groups I’ve introduced it to really liked it. I did too of course, but I was extra pleased with how well it was received by the others
Furnace is a great tableau builder that has thematic activations of the cards you bought. You bid on factories that you use to convert resources into other resources and then into points.
I played it over the weekend at 2 players. Had some great combos going with extra cards from camping on a white tower and getting bread and a card from playing a card. So much fun! I really like that even though it is simultaneous and mostly solitaire, you still need to pay attention to the trade and zombie boards. If you don't act quickly enough, those opportunities may be disappear!
Creature Caravsn is great. For other games where the theme is closely connected to the tableau? Agricola, Amalfi Renaissance, Ark Nova, Caverna, Earth, Empire’s End, Everdell, Glass Road, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Rats of Wistar, Space Base, Steampunk Rally, and Terraforming Mars. Probably others I haven’t played. I would be remiss for not noting that many Stonemaier games have a similar connection between theme and tableau!
Thanks! I think the key difference--at least, for our games--is that often times the thing you're doing with the tableau is building and activating your tableau. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and plenty of theme can be injected into it (like the bird designs in Wingspan and the adventurers in Wyrmspan), but I really liked that a major reason to build your tableau in Creature Caravan is to go on a journey.
I've played it solo once and loved it. I'm looking forward to playing 3p next week. I'll probably play it solo again before then to reacquaint myself with the rules. I'd have played it more, but I'm addicted to Wondrous Creatures right now. They arrived within a couple of days of each other.
I was wondering if you could expand on the specific elements of the design that helped evoke the theme for you. I know of myself that the degree to which I infuse a game with meaning, telling a story about the game that builds on top of its abstract parts, depends significantly on my willingness to do so. My personal interest in a theme plays a big part in that willingness, and even for games that have little or no thematic integration, if I'm interested, I'll do some of the heavy lifting that the game does not. But where that innate interest is absent, strong thematic integration can help to bring me along, and make for a richer experience. Those elements of design are very interesting to me.
It's specifically that the tableau I'm building isn't just for the sake of building and activating the tableau itself; rather, it's a tool I'm using to go on a journey.
@jameystegmaier We only got through 5 or 6 rounds before Pieces closed, but I was built to take out ember zombies and get points from key words on my cards. It was interesting how I was struggling much more with movement this game than my first since I hadn't built a more versatile movement spot in my Caravan early. Really enjoy the decisions and quick pace of this one.
I completely missed the fruit rule about reducing dice costs! I really love this game, but the fruit felt underused to me. Knowing they can reduce dice costs on cards is a great way to add value without being OP. That does lead me to my one complaint of the game which is that I wish there were player aids or an iconography reference on the back of the rulebook. Something simple to quickly remind players what everything does. Even with that missing, I am really enjoying Creature Caravan!
Thanks Jamey! So glad you liked it.
Thank you!
You bring such a genuine enthusiasm to games and games design. It's infectious and a little bit inspiring for me to do the same.
Thank you! :)
This just made my wishlist. Thank you for covering it. I really like games where you can create worker/dice placement spots. It’s why I love Wayfarers of the South Tigris so much. Thank you for this video it really sold me on this game
It rocketed to the top of our favorite games list! So so good!
Just picked up a used copy of this game this week. Even more excited to play after hearing your thoughts on it. Think this one is going to be a big hit with our group
You're going to like it I bet. It's a very well crafted game. Surprised there was a used copy for sale.
@@jtsiren1676Yeah, I should say secondhand. Guy was selling his NIS Kickstarter copy for a good price
Wow, used already. This game just shipped a couple weeks ago! Hope you enjoy. I’ve gotten a couple plays in and the groups I’ve introduced it to really liked it. I did too of course, but I was extra pleased with how well it was received by the others
I should clarify that it was a secondhand NIS copy
Thanks for the review! Can we just talk about your shirt though? That’s amazing. :)
Thanks! I love this shirt. :)
Still waiting for our copy to arrive, but now i'm even more excited to finally get it!
Furnace is a great tableau builder that has thematic activations of the cards you bought. You bid on factories that you use to convert resources into other resources and then into points.
I played it over the weekend at 2 players. Had some great combos going with extra cards from camping on a white tower and getting bread and a card from playing a card. So much fun! I really like that even though it is simultaneous and mostly solitaire, you still need to pay attention to the trade and zombie boards. If you don't act quickly enough, those opportunities may be disappear!
Definitely! That's the right level of interaction I'm looking for in a game like this.
Just ordered it, thanks to you! Seems even better than Fantastic Factories.
They're both really good simultaneous dice-placement games!
Creature Caravsn is great. For other games where the theme is closely connected to the tableau? Agricola, Amalfi Renaissance, Ark Nova, Caverna, Earth, Empire’s End, Everdell, Glass Road, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Rats of Wistar, Space Base, Steampunk Rally, and Terraforming Mars. Probably others I haven’t played. I would be remiss for not noting that many Stonemaier games have a similar connection between theme and tableau!
Thanks! I think the key difference--at least, for our games--is that often times the thing you're doing with the tableau is building and activating your tableau. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and plenty of theme can be injected into it (like the bird designs in Wingspan and the adventurers in Wyrmspan), but I really liked that a major reason to build your tableau in Creature Caravan is to go on a journey.
I've played it solo once and loved it. I'm looking forward to playing 3p next week.
I'll probably play it solo again before then to reacquaint myself with the rules. I'd have played it more, but I'm addicted to Wondrous Creatures right now. They arrived within a couple of days of each other.
Can you merge them together for a Wondrous Creature Caravan? 😋😋
I was wondering if you could expand on the specific elements of the design that helped evoke the theme for you.
I know of myself that the degree to which I infuse a game with meaning, telling a story about the game that builds on top of its abstract parts, depends significantly on my willingness to do so. My personal interest in a theme plays a big part in that willingness, and even for games that have little or no thematic integration, if I'm interested, I'll do some of the heavy lifting that the game does not.
But where that innate interest is absent, strong thematic integration can help to bring me along, and make for a richer experience. Those elements of design are very interesting to me.
It's specifically that the tableau I'm building isn't just for the sake of building and activating the tableau itself; rather, it's a tool I'm using to go on a journey.
Wow! Is this your fastest turn around for playing a game and then filming about it? I had a feeling you were really going to enjoy this one.
It's definitely up there among the fastest turnarounds--I loved it! What strategy did you take when you played at Design Day?
@jameystegmaier We only got through 5 or 6 rounds before Pieces closed, but I was built to take out ember zombies and get points from key words on my cards. It was interesting how I was struggling much more with movement this game than my first since I hadn't built a more versatile movement spot in my Caravan early. Really enjoy the decisions and quick pace of this one.
@@caroljohnson3686 Nice! I focused on ember zombies too, plus movement.
I completely missed the fruit rule about reducing dice costs! I really love this game, but the fruit felt underused to me. Knowing they can reduce dice costs on cards is a great way to add value without being OP. That does lead me to my one complaint of the game which is that I wish there were player aids or an iconography reference on the back of the rulebook. Something simple to quickly remind players what everything does. Even with that missing, I am really enjoying Creature Caravan!
I've never known a game that couldn't benefit from reference cards for each player. :)