You're becoming one of my favourite reviewers, Jon! I love the way your videos are structured and I like the fact that you speak so fast! Keep up the great work!
You're one of my favorite reviewers, definitely the best out there as far as giving viewers an "unbiased" feel for the game, but my one gripe (and this is very minor because your production is well done) is audio. I think you need to normalize it. The quality is there but the levels are low compared to other channels. Anyway we greatly appreciate the time and effort you put into your reviews!
I prefer the higher player counts when everyone is experienced. Our last 5p game (everyone had played at least 3x) took 75m. You're absolutely right that your engine doesn't grow ... and actually you need to worry much more about efficiency than strength of actions ... but from a game balance perspective, that's a good thing. Lower player counts are impacted much more heavily by card draw randomness and (as you pointed out) corporation power imbalance. It also, then, introduces a runaway leader problem. At 5p, it's certainly possible to fall behind, but the pacing and scoring tightness are such that small adjustments can bring you back into the fold. Awards and milestones are much more competitive and necessary given lower relative scores. I agree that I prefer to play 3p when teaching someone, but when everyone knows the game, this game sings to me at 5p.
Arlyn Janssen this is great insight, thanks Arlyn. I can see your point that it could be a more challenging puzzle to get lots done with fewer turns to do it and I will hopefully get to try it with 5 experienced players in the future.
Played it at the 5P count this past weekend, everyone was new to the game and we finished in 2.5hrs. The game flows really well. That said, there was one person at the game weekend that had played it 20+ times and you could definitely notice the difference in play between him and 2 others who had played it a lot. They really knew the cards so had a bit of an advantage on what was "good" and what not to keep.
We used the Official drafting variant - get 4 cards, pick one, pass to the right. Then the next drafting phase we passed to the left and so on. The guy who had played it 20+ times taught us and strongly suggested we draft in that way. I agree with you, I do not want to do it any other way. You get to see more cards, you can keep cards from opponents to stall their engine etc.
I should mention we were all 'experienced" gamers, use to heavy games and the 'teacher' (person who has played it 20xs) was really good at explaining the game. I believe we had 3 take that cards come out. One I played - Take up to 8 plants from an opponent, the other one was take 4 plants from an opponent and the final one was the one guy playing with us played a card that let him take an animal from someone. I'm hoping to play this with my husband this week so it will be interesting to see the difference between 5P and 2P.
I had the same thoughts as you when looking at the game from a cursory glance. Everything looks much more thematic and fun after your review. I actually kinda like the disparate art now. It is weird but it fits.
That sounds like the Tharsis Republic... I have not actually played multiplayer games yet, but plenty of solo games, and that cooperation sticks out. First turn thety should just place two cities (first one is free) and place those in the two best locations. Wham. Automatic +10 VP at the end of the game
Good Vid, Jon. This is one of my favorite games. I would only suggest that you pick your corporation in conjunction with your starting 10 cards. The cards should slightly inform your choice of corporation. If you have no steel cards at the start then there is no reason to pick the steel heavy corporation. Oh, drafting the cards is the way to go! That really evens out card draws. We do left one time then right the next. I agree with number 3 is the best, four is good, five is eh. I've not played with only two or solo. Anyway, good game and good video!
I agree about setup, I shouldn't have implied that you pick a corporation before you see your cards. I'm still loving this game, just played it again for a playthrough that'll be going live next week :)
I really can relate to you on that last part, when being overhyped and seeing too much of a game, I get an inner resistance. I have exactly the same with MvM for example....Great review as always. Liked said, your sound have been better in the past. This was better than EE, but not back where you were. Not sure what you have changed. ;)
Any chance you can go into your audio critique alittle more? This video was a "hidden test" so to speak because it was the first where I am using a completely new microphone and have no lapel mic at all. I was wondering if anyone would notice, and was hoping it would get a positive reaction because it sounds better to me compared to my older videos. But the EE playthrough was made the same way all my videos have been for at least the last couple months. I know that this review was quieter than it should be, but do you have any other feedback on it? Thanks!
For me EE was unwatchable due to the "cracky" sound and this one is MILES better. So on that regard you are fine (for me) Jon :) Albeit this was indeed very soft and I needed to up my volume to the max to hear you well enough. So it may be some levels are too low on some output bar when you are editing? The sound quality itself is fine, I don't hear any echo or grainy sounds. Keep your great work up friend!
Ah right, I forgot about that big audio glitch in EE. It gets back to normal 40 minutes in, but is still very unfortunate. I think that the new microphone is working well for me here but there's going to be some growing pains as I learn how to integrate it into my routine. My next video will be a review for First Class, if you watch it please let me know if the audio levels work out better for you. Thanks again for the feedback :)
I'm with you, I saw that dog card and was like what the heck?? Feels disjointed to me. I also feel that they could have made boards similar to the Scythe faction boards with the cut outs. Now I'll finish watching and stop commenting. :p
TomLikeA Bomb I've really enjoyed Energy Empire so far, but personally give the edge to Terraforming Mars. They are big engine building games but TM simply has more combos and options with that huge deck and the assymetric starts are more pronounced. They play quite differently though since TM is all about card play and EE is a worker placement game and this is going to keep both on my shelf for a while I think.
It's hard to say exactly what I was thinking all those years ago but I can say right now that some of my other favorites are Through the Ages (New Story), Underwater Cities, and Gaia Project.
At this point I think it's very unlikely to happen unfortunately. There are simply so many new games coming out to cover, and I think I'd only go back and do a playthrough of this one if a "Sponsor" level Patreon backer chose it.
awww :( well thanks for the reply!!! I love your Playthroughs and Reviews. You're my go-to source for Board Game information :) Keep up the amazing work!!! Just wish there were enough time for you to play every game in existence :P
Hey Jon, new sub and I really enjoy your content. I have a question though. My wife and I play a good amount of games together and most of the time its just us. On occasion though we play with some friends as well. I'm looking at this game and Scythe and I'm curious what game you would recommend for primarily 2 player play? If you'd recommend neither what would you recommend instead? I'll probably end up getting both this and Scythe but just trying to prioritize my purchases Thanks! (Also if any viewer wants to chime in I'll gladly take your thought too)
I haven't had the opportunity to play 2 player scythe, but I have done Terraforming mars and it plays super well at this count. The only issue as I mention in the review is that the game itself can feel abit long and at 2p each person is doing half of the heavy lifting of actually terraforming the planet which can be fun but also feel like a sizable task sometimes. Even so I really recommend it at 2p, and feel like the "dudes on a map" style gameplay of scythe wouldn't be as conducive to playing great at that player count.
Yeah your video made this game sound really interesting for 2-3 players. And after watching your Scythe play through I can see what you mean that 2 players might not force enough conflict/tension that you get in 3-4 player games. Thanks for the fast reply and sharing your thoughts. Keep up with the great videos!
I'd recommend Terraforming Mars to anyone who likes science in general. I would NOT recommend it to anyone who dislikes doing a lot of simple quick math. Pretty much every board game has some level of math but you do a lot of it in this game.
First of all - great videos! You have among the best board game reviews on UA-cam. You're concise, eloquent and well organized, ensuring that the viewer skips to the part of specific interest. Having said that, I have just a minor critique - in good faith, to underline. You smile too much in these videos and it seems kind of forced. To specify what I mean - ua-cam.com/video/ncW1MdPr1B8/v-deo.html
First review I've ever completely disagreed with many of your key points (as opposed to conclusion). While I like the game and find the theme great, I find the luck of the card draw to be a big weakness - most games I've played there's been very early effective elimination because someone didn't draw the right engine building cards compared with someone else. Didn't find that drafting mitigated this at all. Also found take that cards to be very annoying and arbitrary.
You're becoming one of my favourite reviewers, Jon! I love the way your videos are structured and I like the fact that you speak so fast! Keep up the great work!
you are hands down the best reviewer on YT
You're one of my favorite reviewers, definitely the best out there as far as giving viewers an "unbiased" feel for the game, but my one gripe (and this is very minor because your production is well done) is audio. I think you need to normalize it. The quality is there but the levels are low compared to other channels. Anyway we greatly appreciate the time and effort you put into your reviews!
Xan Tech I've been messing with some audio options and agree that this one came out abit low. I'll bump the next ones up :)
The graphics for positive/neutral/negative are very helpful while you are discussing them. Good design, thanks!
Jon nails it again...:) The gameplay in this game is just pure bliss!
THis sounds like a game that will have a great second edition in 3 years. ;-)
I'm waiting for it :p
You will wait for a long time it would seem xD
im still waiting...
love how you include outline in the beginning showing the times thank you . keep up the great videos =]
This review is really, really good. Thanks for doing it, definitely influenced my decision to buy it. Can't wait to play!
I'm definitely more intrigued than I was (similar initial impressions to yours.) Thanks!
I prefer the higher player counts when everyone is experienced. Our last 5p game (everyone had played at least 3x) took 75m. You're absolutely right that your engine doesn't grow ... and actually you need to worry much more about efficiency than strength of actions ... but from a game balance perspective, that's a good thing. Lower player counts are impacted much more heavily by card draw randomness and (as you pointed out) corporation power imbalance. It also, then, introduces a runaway leader problem. At 5p, it's certainly possible to fall behind, but the pacing and scoring tightness are such that small adjustments can bring you back into the fold. Awards and milestones are much more competitive and necessary given lower relative scores. I agree that I prefer to play 3p when teaching someone, but when everyone knows the game, this game sings to me at 5p.
Arlyn Janssen this is great insight, thanks Arlyn. I can see your point that it could be a more challenging puzzle to get lots done with fewer turns to do it and I will hopefully get to try it with 5 experienced players in the future.
Played it at the 5P count this past weekend, everyone was new to the game and we finished in 2.5hrs. The game flows really well. That said, there was one person at the game weekend that had played it 20+ times and you could definitely notice the difference in play between him and 2 others who had played it a lot. They really knew the cards so had a bit of an advantage on what was "good" and what not to keep.
Did you do any sort of card drafting or mulligan rules?
We used the Official drafting variant - get 4 cards, pick one, pass to the right. Then the next drafting phase we passed to the left and so on. The guy who had played it 20+ times taught us and strongly suggested we draft in that way. I agree with you, I do not want to do it any other way. You get to see more cards, you can keep cards from opponents to stall their engine etc.
I should mention we were all 'experienced" gamers, use to heavy games and the 'teacher' (person who has played it 20xs) was really good at explaining the game. I believe we had 3 take that cards come out. One I played - Take up to 8 plants from an opponent, the other one was take 4 plants from an opponent and the final one was the one guy playing with us played a card that let him take an animal from someone. I'm hoping to play this with my husband this week so it will be interesting to see the difference between 5P and 2P.
I had the same thoughts as you when looking at the game from a cursory glance. Everything looks much more thematic and fun after your review. I actually kinda like the disparate art now. It is weird but it fits.
I love the close ups.
That sounds like the Tharsis Republic... I have not actually played multiplayer games yet, but plenty of solo games, and that cooperation sticks out. First turn thety should just place two cities (first one is free) and place those in the two best locations. Wham. Automatic +10 VP at the end of the game
Thanks for your review and thoughts.
Good Vid, Jon. This is one of my favorite games. I would only suggest that you pick your corporation in conjunction with your starting 10 cards. The cards should slightly inform your choice of corporation. If you have no steel cards at the start then there is no reason to pick the steel heavy corporation.
Oh, drafting the cards is the way to go! That really evens out card draws. We do left one time then right the next. I agree with number 3 is the best, four is good, five is eh. I've not played with only two or solo. Anyway, good game and good video!
I agree about setup, I shouldn't have implied that you pick a corporation before you see your cards. I'm still loving this game, just played it again for a playthrough that'll be going live next week :)
I really can relate to you on that last part, when being overhyped and seeing too much of a game, I get an inner resistance. I have exactly the same with MvM for example....Great review as always. Liked said, your sound have been better in the past. This was better than EE, but not back where you were. Not sure what you have changed. ;)
Any chance you can go into your audio critique alittle more? This video was a "hidden test" so to speak because it was the first where I am using a completely new microphone and have no lapel mic at all. I was wondering if anyone would notice, and was hoping it would get a positive reaction because it sounds better to me compared to my older videos. But the EE playthrough was made the same way all my videos have been for at least the last couple months. I know that this review was quieter than it should be, but do you have any other feedback on it?
Thanks!
For me EE was unwatchable due to the "cracky" sound and this one is MILES better. So on that regard you are fine (for me) Jon :) Albeit this was indeed very soft and I needed to up my volume to the max to hear you well enough. So it may be some levels are too low on some output bar when you are editing? The sound quality itself is fine, I don't hear any echo or grainy sounds. Keep your great work up friend!
Ah right, I forgot about that big audio glitch in EE. It gets back to normal 40 minutes in, but is still very unfortunate. I think that the new microphone is working well for me here but there's going to be some growing pains as I learn how to integrate it into my routine. My next video will be a review for First Class, if you watch it please let me know if the audio levels work out better for you. Thanks again for the feedback :)
Always Jon! Another game I really like, so looking forward to your opinion on it (and sound :D) Have a great day!
I'm with you, I saw that dog card and was like what the heck?? Feels disjointed to me. I also feel that they could have made boards similar to the Scythe faction boards with the cut outs. Now I'll finish watching and stop commenting. :p
Which do you prefer Terraforming Mars or Manhatten Project Energy Empire?
TomLikeA Bomb I've really enjoyed Energy Empire so far, but personally give the edge to Terraforming Mars. They are big engine building games but TM simply has more combos and options with that huge deck and the assymetric starts are more pronounced. They play quite differently though since TM is all about card play and EE is a worker placement game and this is going to keep both on my shelf for a while I think.
Really good review, you just sold the game to me. Thank you for this video!
Search for life: The most exciting and fun card to play
@jongetsgames what are your other favorite engine building games you mention?
It's hard to say exactly what I was thinking all those years ago but I can say right now that some of my other favorites are Through the Ages (New Story), Underwater Cities, and Gaia Project.
12:40-12:50 you mention taking multiple actions, 3 -5 actions. Doesn't the rules say 1 or 2 actions?
I think I'm missing something...
I was refering to the number of actions you will take spread out over several turns within a single generation, not within one turn :)
I've seen on Amazon that there's a premium pack version. What's the difference between them? I want to buy but I need to know first.
Honestly this is the first I have heard about a premium pack version, and after looking into it I don't really have any answers for you unfortunately.
Victory point café? In Berkeley?
Yep! I'm friends with the owners and live pretty close by there. Great place to play games :)
JonGetsGames lol, I go there once in a while. it can get a bit loud in there but they definitely have a great selection of games.
Will you be doing a full 3 player playthrough of this game?
At this point I think it's very unlikely to happen unfortunately. There are simply so many new games coming out to cover, and I think I'd only go back and do a playthrough of this one if a "Sponsor" level Patreon backer chose it.
awww :( well thanks for the reply!!! I love your Playthroughs and Reviews. You're my go-to source for Board Game information :) Keep up the amazing work!!! Just wish there were enough time for you to play every game in existence :P
Hey Jon, new sub and I really enjoy your content. I have a question though. My wife and I play a good amount of games together and most of the time its just us. On occasion though we play with some friends as well. I'm looking at this game and Scythe and I'm curious what game you would recommend for primarily 2 player play? If you'd recommend neither what would you recommend instead?
I'll probably end up getting both this and Scythe but just trying to prioritize my purchases
Thanks! (Also if any viewer wants to chime in I'll gladly take your thought too)
I haven't had the opportunity to play 2 player scythe, but I have done Terraforming mars and it plays super well at this count. The only issue as I mention in the review is that the game itself can feel abit long and at 2p each person is doing half of the heavy lifting of actually terraforming the planet which can be fun but also feel like a sizable task sometimes. Even so I really recommend it at 2p, and feel like the "dudes on a map" style gameplay of scythe wouldn't be as conducive to playing great at that player count.
Yeah your video made this game sound really interesting for 2-3 players. And after watching your Scythe play through I can see what you mean that 2 players might not force enough conflict/tension that you get in 3-4 player games. Thanks for the fast reply and sharing your thoughts. Keep up with the great videos!
I'd recommend Terraforming Mars to anyone who likes science in general. I would NOT recommend it to anyone who dislikes doing a lot of simple quick math. Pretty much every board game has some level of math but you do a lot of it in this game.
Is this ares expedition?
Nope, this is the first game.
Looks like a good game. Anyone want to trade for Firefly the Board Game? ;)
First of all - great videos! You have among the best board game reviews on UA-cam. You're concise, eloquent and well organized, ensuring that the viewer skips to the part of specific interest.
Having said that, I have just a minor critique - in good faith, to underline. You smile too much in these videos and it seems kind of forced. To specify what I mean - ua-cam.com/video/ncW1MdPr1B8/v-deo.html
I like the smile! Nothing wrong with someone putting in the effort to look friendly.
First review I've ever completely disagreed with many of your key points (as opposed to conclusion). While I like the game and find the theme great, I find the luck of the card draw to be a big weakness - most games I've played there's been very early effective elimination because someone didn't draw the right engine building cards compared with someone else. Didn't find that drafting mitigated this at all. Also found take that cards to be very annoying and arbitrary.