Just finished reading it, really enjoyed it great write up. I would like to see some numbers from the EBG crew, not that I doubt their process is greener but in order for anyone to follow suit they will be needed. Without proof it's very easy to ignore. I'm very surprised there's no knowledge of what's in the card coatings, how did they confirm it's biodegradable? Apologies I don't have a BGG account so commenting here.
@@OneMewOverTheCuckoosNest Howdy, thanks so much! I can't speak for EBG, but there isn't really a great mechanism to "prove" the sustainable manufacture of the game outside of FSC certification. I choose to believe Navaro & crew because they've been highly transparent in their podcast -- the details seem hard to fabricate -- but ultimately, there isn't any other official document or "receipt" of any of the sustainable choices that anyone can point to. The closest thing is “Declaration of Conformity" certificate that Navaro shared with me, but I could never actually read that, because it's in German! I think there's some amount of interest in creating a "Lessons Learned" document, but it's not a priority for them at the moment. My understanding is that Ludo Fact told Navaro that the card coatings are biodegradable, and he is taking them at their word. I suppose someone needs to compost their copy of the game to double-check!
@@haleystaudmyer All good points and I don't want to come across as accusing anyone of not being truthful. I'm sure it's all above board. My work has a lot of crossover into sustainability so I do spend far too much time thinking about it! I was thinking about if I was sourcing it as a product what I'd ideally like to see. I do think there should be a way to generate some say CO2 numbers Vs a "standard" production method even if they are rough. It's very easy to be sceptical about all of this stuff as unfortunately a lot of comments about the game seem to show. That lessons learned document would be incredibly interesting I'm sure! I expect the coating information when it comes will be "an based waterborne resin" which is fine but surprised it's not in some kind of production documentation. Thanks for responding, hopefully will read some more stuff from you in the future and good luck with the PhD.
@@OneMewOverTheCuckoosNest Thank you so much! I have considered trying to calculate EBG's carbon footprint myself -- supported by a friend of mine in the carbon accounting industry -- but it's a regrettably complicated thing to calculate. I'm hoping to diversify my board game writing portfolio before coming back to EBR for something like that . . . eventually, though!
Components are really subpar. Your game costs 100 euros my friend, let that sink a little bit. You are making poor people pay for our current crisis with practices like this. We are not only alienated but now we won't even be able to buy games to get a small relief.
The way you describe this game, it most reminds me of the video game The Outer Wilds. Not necessarily in mechanics or settings, but rather the vibe of it all. The Outer Wilds is also a game with a slow start, a slow burn progression overall, with a heavy emphasis on wandering around and making your own goals, and is a game about falling in love with the beauty and danger of a universe you desperately want to protect and understand. It's also the kind of game that pisses you off so bad you stop playing part way through, only for it to be the only thing you can possibly think about when you're not playing it. Long after I beat the game, there's still so much thoughts I have left for it. Earthborne Ranger seems like a wonderful game produced in a wonderful way. Can't wait to try it
I haven't gotten to play Earthborne yet, but I love Outer Wilds. Very excited to get my copy. I've heard Rain World is another difficult videogame, not focused on combat, with little handholding and a big emphasis on observing the mechanics of the environment to succeed
This seems like something that TTRPG developers should play. I can see so many of these ideas being warped around a bit and making a great RPG with custom characters and relying on cards less. On the other hand, it also seems like the TTRPG + Deck Builder idea I've had bouncing around inside of my head so that's pretty sweet.
The only card based RPG I own is a game called Everway by Johnathan Tweet. A quick internet search tells me there's a 25th anniversary edition? I thought I was the only human to ever purchase a copy so that's interesting. A) I refuse to believe the 90's were that long ago B) The copyright on the box I have is from 1995 but I swear I bought it in 1991 while visiting a buddy of mine going to school in Georgia 3) Just so everyone's clear, I'm reasonably certain I'm not a time traveler
Saw this being played on Rob's Gaming Table and had to have it. Love it! Completed the campaign, backed all the new content, and going to run through again with a new character. Probably my all time favorite game. You did a marvalous job describing it. :)
Your video was incredibly inspiring and thought provoking. You've managed to capture the essence of Earthborne Rangers. it's truly impactful and It really resonated with me. Cant wait to play. Fortunately my OLGS in India, was able to get it when late pledges were opened. The name of Efka creates a restless, creative nature that takes you into many ventures, but does not allow you to see things through to a satisfactory completion. Yours is a versatile, musical, artistic, but independent nature and you must have the freedom to express your creative ideas and abilities to be happy.
Thank you, it's often hard to put into words how why and what the magic is, not to mention adding the bad and the ugly without bringing the tone down for something so fascinating
Love this review. Not only is there a very thoughtful and heartfelt impression of the game itself - but also some suggestions for other sources talking about similar topics. Thank your very much for that.
My wife saw my shelve of tons of boardgames after I invited her to my apartment. Loaded with games starting with gloomhaven going to catan heading to chess. Nervous as a geek I was waiting for her reaction. She promised me she would play every game once with me. Suddenly a package arrived. Now she is only playing one with me. One left. Again and again. For hours and days. I think you alread know which one.
@@DerekHohls We were living in different cities. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd month we met each other in cities in between so we don`t have to travel that far.
Great review! Thanks again Efka, for your work. We really like the game. You're not wrong about the prologue but i love the "Just take what you want your character to be"-approache, tough our decks weren't useless. And with actual deckbuilding like the Lotr-cardgame i would lose my wife as a play-partner because she loves cardgames (Thunderstone is one of our favorites) but not the kind where you build your deck before play. Tweaking the decks during play to what we need or excel at feels great to us.
Interesting video. I was really enjoying your thoughts but then it came to an end and i realised you covered this game amazingly as a concept and as a game with predecessors in video games and MtG. But there was barely anytime talking about gameplay. Id have loved to hear your thoughts on turns. How do you feel when you deal with forest terrain for 30 mins only to shuffle the same cards again as you move to a new location and play another 30 mins against the same path deck. How do you feel about missions often saying you need to travel somewhere? Do you enjoying just moving across the map? I found the game often demanded you hoping the path deck got out of your way so you can traverse and get out of there. Rather than immerse myself in a place i often just needed to get out of there ASAP and therefore hope to not see mucu of the path deck. How does a session feel start middle and end as a power curve. I liked the thoughts of this as a game concept. Just wish you had dived more into your thoughts more about what the decsion space of the game was across rhe 90 minute session you'd play. Good stuff.
As someone who’s played and loved multiple campaigns of this game: your review was excellent and also the best I’ve seen in attempts to try to explain what exactly this game is
Good art makes you feel something. Thank you for sharing all those somethings throughout this review! I have to agree with the learning curve and deckbuilding - I spent quite a few hours trying to understand the game just to run a good demo for friends. We’ll likely be able to push through that, and maybe house rule some of the deckbuilding during the game, but man that introduction is not smooth. But this seems like a game worth exploring, and I’m looking forward to our demo session soon!
The character building seems daunting. Did you get a chance to play with the expansion that includes other classes/cards? I am in the process of backing and wondering if it is a "get it while you can" or a "must". I expect the expansion that grows the campaign is not necessary, but the extra cards for characters seems like it may help with the initial deck building.
There’s plenty of options for deck building in just the core game. You do want to keep certain things in mind while building your deck, like scouting is important as Efka mentioned. Really though the deck building is pick a set of cards choose five pairs to add to your deck, pick another set and so on with the restriction being your energy card
Also wondering the exact same. Ordered due to the fantastic reviews, but not sure whether to splash out on addons/expansion? Figure if they're good, they'll continue to be available... but FOMO? Reviews suggesting "best at 2 players" make me not worry about the repeated role deck for example... Would love advice from the reviewers!
I bought this to play solo and it does NOT work for me. It's laboured and you have to spend so much time getting things done for little reward. Id love to play it at 2 but I think it might be too late for me to enjoy now I know some of the story line. Im feeling my copy! Great review as always.
I wonder if we can't soon start to use AI's to manage rules difficulties. Feed the AI all of the rules, and then ask when something happens, and it might at least find the relevant information.
@@abesapien9930 Or he just backed the KS as this review comes out weeks after those have been delivered? BTW, my FLGS had a few copies on the shelves as they also, you know, backed the KS.
Scavengers Reign is a gorgeous show and gives you so much food for thought - another one I've found myself thinking about in the shower. I can't wait to play this
Great Love Letter to this wonderful Game. Also Scavengers Reign is one of the best Sci-Fi Series ever in my opinion. Becky Chambers is also absolute wonderful. Now i have to check Ray Naylar and MacInnes. Thanks for mentioning these. 🖤
Everyone is raving about this game--I'd love to try it! I'm one of the last people to ever complain about board games sounding too complicated, but man, every description of the rules sounds suspiciously like The Cones of Dunneshire.
As he said it shines at two players. However, it's still a very good game for solo. At BGG only 4% don't recommend it for solo. If you're able to enjoy an adventure by yourself you should give it a try. Be aware that the deck building traps Efka spoke of are more severe in solo. The late pledge on Gamefound is still open if you're interested.
Played entire campaign true solo - works great! Some games feel like solo "mode" was a tacked on after-thought. Not so with Earthborne. They intentionally made solo just as good as multi-player. Deck construction is more important, though. Play an in-game day or two with different builds before finalizing your deck. Skip the tutorial (it may just confuse you) and try out a pre-built deck you can find online.
If you can't get on the late pledge on gamefound right now, it is due to be reprinted soon with expansions, due for production by December. It should have a modest retail presence in the UK, or if in the US look to Team Covenant for distribution.
1:07 "review is a bit long" Efka says. But it's a 35-minute video by a channel who has been adopted into the Breadtube video essay community... I say, tack on another 73 minutes and break it into chapters. While you're at it, throw it up on Nebula, then we could talk about long.
@@NoPunIncluded it's okay I said it lovingly 💚 I do in fact have a Nebula sub 😬 (though I am happy to volunteer to remove the comment if you are worried that the other commenters will take it the wrong way)
It's a really good game. But the world building / evocativeness is phenomenal. Single handedly reinvigorated my interest in solo gaming and narrative style games. The deck construction elements are simultaneously challenging decisions but liberating in how they are dished out reorganised in and out of your deck. Negatives. It can be a bit clunky. But that's partly a function of how unique and genre-skewing it is. Travelling and the setup / tear down involved can be a little choring. It also finished on a little of a whimper.
If I may offer you some criticism, your videos are unusually quiet compared to almost everything else on youtube. I watch an average video at 10-20 volume, to hear your video comfortably I have to crack it up to about 60.
An Absolutely brilliant review. Deep, curious, insightful, and inspiring. Thank you for you creativity, humor, and knowledge. As a creative, and omni-media lover, I appreciate the contexual breadth you provide as well as your follow-up recommendations. Having just finished a playthrough of Flame and Fang, a much simpler but well done adventure puzzler, this review reminded me of the length modern board games can go to capture emergent narrative. It does seem, however, that the time spent in system's management may push many to consider EBR better as a computer game. Do you think that part of the value of this game is in the time it requires of the player to manage all the effects? I ask because I generally think of density of decision making as a positive in games, but perhaps there is value and wonder in just watching the Rube Goldberg machine run. Interestingly, whether the management-type activity is simple as in Flame and Fang, or seemingly coplex as in EBR, over time I find myself removed from the world-space of the game and focused on the activity and math, which in turn leads me to want to adventure outside, in the real world. As a full-time game reviewer, do you think that the volume of games you play gives you a leg up in "playing" such games? Not in the normative sense, but in the sense that you intuitively or through intention, you can let the math drop aside and somehow find a fusion of world and decision making that transcends the math and management? This turned into a ramble but to return to the path, Thank You for all you do!
It really does seem like the Skyrim comparison is apt, in that its got obvious flaws but still one of the best games ever made. I sadly don't have a regular group to play campaign games with. But thanks for the reading suggestions so I can find things with a similar vibe.
I always love your reviews, they are interesting and entertaining, however Earthborn Rangers is definitely not for myself or my gaming group, we simply disliked it.
I played a few gamedays but because life and sickness not the mental energy to get back in.... and I want to get back sooo badly. I will use your video to get me in the mood again. The best thing about the game: I don't care If I make small rule mistakes.... but my story is incredibly fun😅
I still have no idea what this is like to play. Efka - sometimes you need to dial back the big picture lyricism and speak more plainly about the gameplay. For me at least.
I was scared about that when backing the game because nothing really described play. But actually going on an adventure feels great if you like coop card games.
I came very close to backing this, as the theme and art and vibes appeal to me a lot. But ultimately I didn't, because it seems like a game I'd never play. I can barely find time to meet up with my Arkham Horror LCG group, a game like this seems like it needs a very specific group to Get.
This is one of the only games in a while that has intrigued me. Most other board games these days seem to be derivatives of one another and has made the hobby stagnant. Can't wait to try this out for myself.
I really wanted to like this game but I bounced off it pretty hard. That may be because I played it on TTS but none of the hooks hooked me. I think the most egregious misstep here - other than just being boring - is that none of the player cards were interesting. This was so odd coming from a designer with an MTG background where half the fun of that game is imagining what you could do with various cards in various scenarios. EBR has way too many cards that just don't do anything. Then it compounds this problem by making your deck your life total. So now you don't want to draw cards both because it lowers your life and because they suck.
Excuse me? Turning a legendary predator into a plant, and then eating the fruit off of them until they get annoyed and leave, is hilarious. Jokes aside, I totally get where you’re coming from. The only-ramp for the game is super rough, and TTS never helps. Normally in a deckbuilder you look at the cards in hand for what to do, while here it made much more sense to me once I thought from the perspective of what I want to thematically do, first. The cards can potentially help you achieve your goals, but none of their actions are particularly exciting on their own. It’s as if the path cards are half of your deck - the potential excitement of cards in hand and of your actions in-game is how they intersect with the ecosystem of path cards. But yeah, if you’re looking for a game where the cards in hand play out into cool combos, this game likely won’t work for you. Some sets of cards might be better at the feeling of combos or better manipulation, but it’s not obvious which cards those are until the game clicks… and the game does not help you get there.
Earthborne Rangers destroyed me for any other game. I started in the hobby on 1 October 2023 buying Three Sisters (the roll and write).... by 30 November I had ordered Earthborne Rangers having gone the Agricola, Earth, Ark Nova, Dorfromantik route.... and now I scour the forums in search of anything even vaguely similar to EBR - I've enjoyed Sleeping Gods Distant Skies and ISS Vanguard but am really just sitting here waiting for December.
Galzyr is on its way! I hesitated because of the App, but got over that. I'm still debating OG Sleeping Gods... but I feel it's inevitable. Depends on if I can hold out for 7th CItadel (Nov).
@@wiblick Galzyr is aimed more at a younger audience, and there's not a whole lot of game there. But as a story telling engine it really shines. Sleeping Gods is a fair bit more challenging from a gaming stand point. In both you can fail forward and I don't think there's any way to lose a game. In Sleeping Gods you'll end up with different endings based on how well you do.
This is wonderful! I've watched other reviews and read praises of Earthborne Rangers but it seems none of them described why the game is good. Your review gave detailed examples and explanations of why the game works so well; now I understand. Thank you for that. For someone familiar with boardgaming, your allusions to Magic and other card games were very helpful. And PS, I agree completely with your thoughts on nature. It reminded me of when I had the opportunity to spend time at a zoo. I noticed the human visitors were moving at a completely different time scale than the animals, and missing so much. Thanks again!
This is the best explanation of this game's mechanisms that I've seen, I understand the fear of spoiling games like this but you managed to balance things very well. Thank you! Knowing what you know now, could you go back with those decks that do nothing as you said and make them work? Like you know better what is out there so you can seek out things that might make those decks' abilities function better? Or are there just plenty of busted decks based on what you think abilities will do vs. what they actually will do?
Thank you NPI for making these long and ernest reviews of games. I much appreciate it even when it's for games I know I won't play. And thank you for reminding me to get a copy of Mountain in the Sea. Keep up the good work
Great review. I almost thought you were gonna bypass the issue with the rulebook and the kind of “meh” result you often get while playing this game. That last has prevented me from diving back into the game after playing a little past the prologue. I’m finding it real hard to care enough about what I actually accomplish to endure the time it takes to accomplish it. But I really want to see if it’s possible for me to get into a groove with it. Because, if I squint real hard, I can kinda see the promised land the game is trying so hard to show me.
Is it? Everything I've seen about the game (gameplay, reviews, etc) just gives the impression that it is a decent product.. for specific people. It certainly does not have a theme or systems that could appeal to a large audience. I'm surprised at the "hype" behind it.. usually from paid content creators, or people actually supporting it. Team Covenant even went as far (and totally hard) to call it an "evergreen" game.. you know, like Catan!? I've seen many a game in my lifetime, and this one does not fit that box. The whole "ad campaign" behind it feels forced. Good review (albeit long and not too direct), awfully quiet audio.
Great review, cant wait until my copy arrives! Also really glad to hear that it plays well at 2 player! I want to add one book to your reqs: Semiosis by Sue Burke. It is a sci-fi story of a bunch of settlers on an alien planet, where each chapter skips forward a generation and each chapter main characters are the kids to last chapters. It really featured interesting takes on living with nature, being part an eco-system and makes you question how actually intelligent non-mammal alien life would look and behave.
I can't believe I didn't think about Semiosis! Or the sequel. You're right, it's a completely spot on match, although I think I would have been a touch apprehensive about recommending it because for whatever reason the book included a very explicit (and unnecessary to the plot or character development) scene that I think felt a bit exploitiative. Otherwise, yeah, what a great book.
Beautiful critical thinking, both of you, Efka and Earthborne Rangers! I would love to see more of this in the world, stories, content, where somebody took his time and understood some things, loved them, created beauty.❤
Based on my early observations of the demo on TTS, this is a very accurate review. I backed the recent campaign on Gamefound and I can't wait for the game to arrive.
This was best preview of Earthborne rangers Ive seen and Id seen it a lot! Efka, you doing realy good job! That cosplay sucked, but your explanation was best on internet. 👏👏👏
I haven’t bought a game in a long time before this. But I did buy this one. 😊 it just looks brilliant. I feel like I can sell a number of games (looking at you tainted grail) and replace it with this one. Kind of like Mage Knight kills a lot of other games.
You build it gradually and it lets you loose at each stage to give you a feel how it works and what you will be doing so it’s not nearly as bad as Efka described it IMO. And nothing stops you from going back and changing things. I’m an experienced AHLCG player and even I had to rebuild my deck once because I had missed a deck building restriction and because I realised my deck was a bit too specialised to work well.
I seem to be the only person in the world that really does not like this game.. Im at a point where Im convinced Ive played this game wrong and clearly messed something up..
I love Earthborne Rangers, and I also love Magic: The Gathering. But I REALLY don't get the comparison here. They have nothing in common other than having cards, rules, and deck construction.
Yeah, you know deck construction. As in the genre of Earthborne Rangers and Magic. I'm just telling people the genre of the game. The comparison doesn't go any deeper than that.
@@andrewwilson895 So the deeper history here was that Lord of the rings LCG was designed as a direct response to deck testing solo for magic the gathering, on the premise of what would it be like to play against an preconstructed opponent deck trying to counter everything the players deck did. Arkham Horror LCG expanded the character creation and campaign elements to craft a wider narrative but still kept the deck construction against an opponent deck. EBR takes the AH elements and instead of an opponent deck it has an environment, a path set that contains an ecosystem that is not an adversary but an emergent experience. It is still the challenger to the player deck, it still provides a puzzle to solve, but it is not actively trying to crush you, the only opponent is time and the agendas you set yourself. You can however trace the card systems back to constructed decks of cards interacting with each other thematically, which is very much a MTG template.
You cannot die. If you “fail” you end the day and try again where you left off. If you get a lingering injury card into your deck, you can get rid of it by performing the test on the card.
@@Grnhrz Ah right but what I meant is, Efka is suggesting they had to restart - is there a point where you are spiraling down and want to restart? Or can you crawl out of the hole?
I was already convinced about getting the game, but your review now confirms that this is for me. Can't wait to explore the meanders of the walley when my copy arrives in... December 2024... Well, I might need to break the sustainability ethos a bit and print the demo from their website!
I find it a bit disingenious, that no holes were really poked in Earthborn Rangers, especially if there were dozen of these "in the pocket". I do understand that the intent here was not to distract from the primary narrative and uniqueness of the game, but if we're having a 35m material about the game, just talking about some parts of it and not others is ... weirdly selective. I cannot help but feel that this was, indeed, a bit rushed (because of what reason?), and the intro sequence is inserted purposefully, as some kind of apologetic preamble. Still, I am very intrigued.
@@NoPunIncluded Be that as it may, these criticisms (prologue, constrained deckbuilding, unfitting ccg-like nature of the game) read somewhat vague, especially to someone who never played the game. But then you refer to something seemingly more "direct" at the end of the video (2p vs solo vs 4p), but very quickly dismiss it as things apparently "not important". I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes this style of narrative, while unique, valuable and smart, leaves the viewer somewhat confused by the end of it.
yeah the game is great! we are all waiting for the second run in October, since we didn't get the first one. They would have fixed the typos and erratas too.
Thanks for the shoutout, Efka!! Looking forward to writing more on board games & sustainability in the future :)
Just finished reading it, really enjoyed it great write up. I would like to see some numbers from the EBG crew, not that I doubt their process is greener but in order for anyone to follow suit they will be needed. Without proof it's very easy to ignore. I'm very surprised there's no knowledge of what's in the card coatings, how did they confirm it's biodegradable? Apologies I don't have a BGG account so commenting here.
@@OneMewOverTheCuckoosNest Howdy, thanks so much! I can't speak for EBG, but there isn't really a great mechanism to "prove" the sustainable manufacture of the game outside of FSC certification. I choose to believe Navaro & crew because they've been highly transparent in their podcast -- the details seem hard to fabricate -- but ultimately, there isn't any other official document or "receipt" of any of the sustainable choices that anyone can point to. The closest thing is “Declaration of Conformity" certificate that Navaro shared with me, but I could never actually read that, because it's in German! I think there's some amount of interest in creating a "Lessons Learned" document, but it's not a priority for them at the moment.
My understanding is that Ludo Fact told Navaro that the card coatings are biodegradable, and he is taking them at their word. I suppose someone needs to compost their copy of the game to double-check!
@@haleystaudmyer All good points and I don't want to come across as accusing anyone of not being truthful. I'm sure it's all above board. My work has a lot of crossover into sustainability so I do spend far too much time thinking about it! I was thinking about if I was sourcing it as a product what I'd ideally like to see. I do think there should be a way to generate some say CO2 numbers Vs a "standard" production method even if they are rough. It's very easy to be sceptical about all of this stuff as unfortunately a lot of comments about the game seem to show. That lessons learned document would be incredibly interesting I'm sure!
I expect the coating information when it comes will be "an based waterborne resin" which is fine but surprised it's not in some kind of production documentation. Thanks for responding, hopefully will read some more stuff from you in the future and good luck with the PhD.
@@OneMewOverTheCuckoosNest Thank you so much! I have considered trying to calculate EBG's carbon footprint myself -- supported by a friend of mine in the carbon accounting industry -- but it's a regrettably complicated thing to calculate. I'm hoping to diversify my board game writing portfolio before coming back to EBR for something like that . . . eventually, though!
Components are really subpar. Your game costs 100 euros my friend, let that sink a little bit.
You are making poor people pay for our current crisis with practices like this.
We are not only alienated but now we won't even be able to buy games to get a small relief.
The way you pronounce "Lady Ga-gaah" is eerily pleasing to my ears.
And mildly infuriating to others.
@@craftymoustache Oh, yes, I hear what you mean ...
EERILY pleasing hahahahaha
I love Becky Chambers Psalm for the Wild Built. It's such a lovely story, short, no fluff and utterly charming.
The way you describe this game, it most reminds me of the video game The Outer Wilds. Not necessarily in mechanics or settings, but rather the vibe of it all.
The Outer Wilds is also a game with a slow start, a slow burn progression overall, with a heavy emphasis on wandering around and making your own goals, and is a game about falling in love with the beauty and danger of a universe you desperately want to protect and understand.
It's also the kind of game that pisses you off so bad you stop playing part way through, only for it to be the only thing you can possibly think about when you're not playing it. Long after I beat the game, there's still so much thoughts I have left for it.
Earthborne Ranger seems like a wonderful game produced in a wonderful way. Can't wait to try it
Having played both of them I can wholeheartedly agree!
I haven't gotten to play Earthborne yet, but I love Outer Wilds. Very excited to get my copy. I've heard Rain World is another difficult videogame, not focused on combat, with little handholding and a big emphasis on observing the mechanics of the environment to succeed
This seems like something that TTRPG developers should play. I can see so many of these ideas being warped around a bit and making a great RPG with custom characters and relying on cards less.
On the other hand, it also seems like the TTRPG + Deck Builder idea I've had bouncing around inside of my head so that's pretty sweet.
The only card based RPG I own is a game called Everway by Johnathan Tweet. A quick internet search tells me there's a 25th anniversary edition? I thought I was the only human to ever purchase a copy so that's interesting.
A) I refuse to believe the 90's were that long ago
B) The copyright on the box I have is from 1995 but I swear I bought it in 1991 while visiting a buddy of mine going to school in Georgia
3) Just so everyone's clear, I'm reasonably certain I'm not a time traveler
Watching this again. Forgot that it includes the best value-per-second review of Death Stranding anywhere. GUILLERMO!
Saw this being played on Rob's Gaming Table and had to have it. Love it! Completed the campaign, backed all the new content, and going to run through again with a new character. Probably my all time favorite game. You did a marvalous job describing it. :)
Your video was incredibly inspiring and thought provoking. You've managed to capture the essence of Earthborne Rangers. it's truly impactful and It really resonated with me. Cant wait to play. Fortunately my OLGS in India, was able to get it when late pledges were opened.
The name of Efka creates a restless, creative nature that takes you into many ventures, but does not allow you to see things through to a satisfactory completion. Yours is a versatile, musical, artistic, but independent nature and you must have the freedom to express your creative ideas and abilities to be happy.
YOU, Efka, are a Treasure to the boardgame, and human, community
Thank you, it's often hard to put into words how why and what the magic is, not to mention adding the bad and the ugly without bringing the tone down for something so fascinating
Love this review. Not only is there a very thoughtful and heartfelt impression of the game itself - but also some suggestions for other sources talking about similar topics. Thank your very much for that.
I’ve watched this video so many times because there’s a notable lack of quality videos surrounding this board game. Thank you for your contribution.
Sound seems a bit lower than usual?
was looking for this :D
+1 for the random "Guillermo!"
As a Guillermo, that was a special moment for me lol.
My wife saw my shelve of tons of boardgames after I invited her to my apartment. Loaded with games starting with gloomhaven going to catan heading to chess. Nervous as a geek I was waiting for her reaction. She promised me she would play every game once with me. Suddenly a package arrived. Now she is only playing one with me. One left. Again and again. For hours and days. I think you alread know which one.
Monopoly duel?
Patchwork?
You concealed your boardgame addiction from your wife in a separate apartment...?!
@@DerekHohls We were living in different cities. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd month we met each other in cities in between so we don`t have to travel that far.
Great review! Thanks again Efka, for your work.
We really like the game.
You're not wrong about the prologue but i love the "Just take what you want your character to be"-approache, tough our decks weren't useless.
And with actual deckbuilding like the Lotr-cardgame i would lose my wife as a play-partner because she loves cardgames (Thunderstone is one of our favorites) but not the kind where you build your deck before play.
Tweaking the decks during play to what we need or excel at feels great to us.
Interesting video. I was really enjoying your thoughts but then it came to an end and i realised you covered this game amazingly as a concept and as a game with predecessors in video games and MtG.
But there was barely anytime talking about gameplay.
Id have loved to hear your thoughts on turns. How do you feel when you deal with forest terrain for 30 mins only to shuffle the same cards again as you move to a new location and play another 30 mins against the same path deck. How do you feel about missions often saying you need to travel somewhere? Do you enjoying just moving across the map? I found the game often demanded you hoping the path deck got out of your way so you can traverse and get out of there. Rather than immerse myself in a place i often just needed to get out of there ASAP and therefore hope to not see mucu of the path deck.
How does a session feel start middle and end as a power curve.
I liked the thoughts of this as a game concept. Just wish you had dived more into your thoughts more about what the decsion space of the game was across rhe 90 minute session you'd play.
Good stuff.
As someone who’s played and loved multiple campaigns of this game: your review was excellent and also the best I’ve seen in attempts to try to explain what exactly this game is
Dude, apropos nothing, you look and sound like Douggie McMeekin as Tindaro in The Decameron. Thanks for the review, it was great!
Scavenger's Reign is Soooooo Good!
Good art makes you feel something. Thank you for sharing all those somethings throughout this review!
I have to agree with the learning curve and deckbuilding - I spent quite a few hours trying to understand the game just to run a good demo for friends. We’ll likely be able to push through that, and maybe house rule some of the deckbuilding during the game, but man that introduction is not smooth. But this seems like a game worth exploring, and I’m looking forward to our demo session soon!
The character building seems daunting. Did you get a chance to play with the expansion that includes other classes/cards? I am in the process of backing and wondering if it is a "get it while you can" or a "must". I expect the expansion that grows the campaign is not necessary, but the extra cards for characters seems like it may help with the initial deck building.
They have a demo on Tabletop simulator that deactivates the main story, but lets you try things out! I used that to decide I was backing
There’s plenty of options for deck building in just the core game. You do want to keep certain things in mind while building your deck, like scouting is important as Efka mentioned. Really though the deck building is pick a set of cards choose five pairs to add to your deck, pick another set and so on with the restriction being your energy card
Also wondering the exact same. Ordered due to the fantastic reviews, but not sure whether to splash out on addons/expansion?
Figure if they're good, they'll continue to be available... but FOMO?
Reviews suggesting "best at 2 players" make me not worry about the repeated role deck for example...
Would love advice from the reviewers!
@@josephprice5872 your best bet is to try the demo on TTS to get a feel for gameplay, if it’s an option for you
Thank you for mentioning the player count/Path card issue! It's so important that people understand two Rangers is where this game flourishes!
Great review! Huge thanks for the recommendations in the end! 🤗
I bought this to play solo and it does NOT work for me. It's laboured and you have to spend so much time getting things done for little reward. Id love to play it at 2 but I think it might be too late for me to enjoy now I know some of the story line. Im feeling my copy! Great review as always.
Cue Wilhelm Scream.
Great video. Especially enjoyed the suggestions for books and animation at the end. More suggestions like that please in future vids
Okay!
I wonder if we can't soon start to use AI's to manage rules difficulties. Feed the AI all of the rules, and then ask when something happens, and it might at least find the relevant information.
I have never had an emotional reaction to a board game review, but I just did! This video is why I support you. Thank you!
This looks brilliant, but also epically Numberwang. Like it needs a few very keen regular gamers to be worth it.
Just wished I could buy it anywhere.
Reviewers seem to have no problem getting it, which makes me think this is likely a paid review.
There is a second printing campaign on Gamefound that is open to late backers, it aims to fulfil in December.
They never get paid by publishers@@abesapien9930
@@abesapien9930it is not. That’s not how Efka rolls.
@@abesapien9930 Or he just backed the KS as this review comes out weeks after those have been delivered? BTW, my FLGS had a few copies on the shelves as they also, you know, backed the KS.
Does it have crunchy decisions?
I love how you add suggestions from other media. Already got thr Wayfarers book to read to my kids during the summer. Ačiū.
Thanks for using such a fancy camera!!!! I’m not much of a solo player so I appreciate hearing your enthusiasm for Earthborne Rangers!
Scavengers Reign is a gorgeous show and gives you so much food for thought - another one I've found myself thinking about in the shower.
I can't wait to play this
Great Love Letter to this wonderful Game. Also Scavengers Reign is one of the best Sci-Fi Series ever in my opinion. Becky Chambers is also absolute wonderful. Now i have to check Ray Naylar and MacInnes. Thanks for mentioning these. 🖤
Everyone is raving about this game--I'd love to try it! I'm one of the last people to ever complain about board games sounding too complicated, but man, every description of the rules sounds suspiciously like The Cones of Dunneshire.
How is it solo??? Anyone tried it??
As he said it shines at two players. However, it's still a very good game for solo. At BGG only 4% don't recommend it for solo. If you're able to enjoy an adventure by yourself you should give it a try. Be aware that the deck building traps Efka spoke of are more severe in solo. The late pledge on Gamefound is still open if you're interested.
I've heard it doesn't.
Played entire campaign true solo - works great! Some games feel like solo "mode" was a tacked on after-thought. Not so with Earthborne. They intentionally made solo just as good as multi-player. Deck construction is more important, though. Play an in-game day or two with different builds before finalizing your deck. Skip the tutorial (it may just confuse you) and try out a pre-built deck you can find online.
Do you have any idea of when this will be back in stock?
If you can't get on the late pledge on gamefound right now, it is due to be reprinted soon with expansions, due for production by December. It should have a modest retail presence in the UK, or if in the US look to Team Covenant for distribution.
The campaign on Gamefound is still open for late pledges.
There is crowdfunding for the second printing on gamefound (shipping late Dec) so first half of next year would be my guess
Thank you for the adjacent recommendations as well!
I really appreciated your aside starting at 30:50 - this is what really pulled me into EBR.
1:07 "review is a bit long" Efka says. But it's a 35-minute video by a channel who has been adopted into the Breadtube video essay community... I say, tack on another 73 minutes and break it into chapters. While you're at it, throw it up on Nebula, then we could talk about long.
I've done like two essays, please, how can i wash off this breadtube label
@@NoPunIncluded it's okay I said it lovingly 💚 I do in fact have a Nebula sub 😬 (though I am happy to volunteer to remove the comment if you are worried that the other commenters will take it the wrong way)
no, no, i was being facetious
It's a campaign game, right? Does it mean you need to have the same players until you finish it?
Yeah, you kinda do. I'd also say you probably want to play this at two.
very good review! headsup though your volume is pretty low
It's a really good game. But the world building / evocativeness is phenomenal. Single handedly reinvigorated my interest in solo gaming and narrative style games.
The deck construction elements are simultaneously challenging decisions but liberating in how they are dished out reorganised in and out of your deck.
Negatives. It can be a bit clunky. But that's partly a function of how unique and genre-skewing it is. Travelling and the setup / tear down involved can be a little choring. It also finished on a little of a whimper.
If I may offer you some criticism, your videos are unusually quiet compared to almost everything else on youtube. I watch an average video at 10-20 volume, to hear your video comfortably I have to crack it up to about 60.
An Absolutely brilliant review. Deep, curious, insightful, and inspiring. Thank you for you creativity, humor, and knowledge. As a creative, and omni-media lover, I appreciate the contexual breadth you provide as well as your follow-up recommendations.
Having just finished a playthrough of Flame and Fang, a much simpler but well done adventure puzzler, this review reminded me of the length modern board games can go to capture emergent narrative.
It does seem, however, that the time spent in system's management may push many to consider EBR better as a computer game. Do you think that part of the value of this game is in the time it requires of the player to manage all the effects? I ask because I generally think of density of decision making as a positive in games, but perhaps there is value and wonder in just watching the Rube Goldberg machine run.
Interestingly, whether the management-type activity is simple as in Flame and Fang, or seemingly coplex as in EBR, over time I find myself removed from the world-space of the game and focused on the activity and math, which in turn leads me to want to adventure outside, in the real world.
As a full-time game reviewer, do you think that the volume of games you play gives you a leg up in "playing" such games? Not in the normative sense, but in the sense that you intuitively or through intention, you can let the math drop aside and somehow find a fusion of world and decision making that transcends the math and management?
This turned into a ramble but to return to the path, Thank You for all you do!
It really does seem like the Skyrim comparison is apt, in that its got obvious flaws but still one of the best games ever made.
I sadly don't have a regular group to play campaign games with. But thanks for the reading suggestions so I can find things with a similar vibe.
It seems this game plays well solo.
The review made me want to do research on Brockian Ultra-Cricket for some reason.
I always love your reviews, they are interesting and entertaining, however Earthborn Rangers is definitely not for myself or my gaming group, we simply disliked it.
I played a few gamedays but because life and sickness not the mental energy to get back in.... and I want to get back sooo badly. I will use your video to get me in the mood again.
The best thing about the game: I don't care If I make small rule mistakes.... but my story is incredibly fun😅
I still have no idea what this is like to play. Efka - sometimes you need to dial back the big picture lyricism and speak more plainly about the gameplay. For me at least.
Agreed. The play experience is turgid and dull.
I was scared about that when backing the game because nothing really described play. But actually going on an adventure feels great if you like coop card games.
I came very close to backing this, as the theme and art and vibes appeal to me a lot. But ultimately I didn't, because it seems like a game I'd never play. I can barely find time to meet up with my Arkham Horror LCG group, a game like this seems like it needs a very specific group to Get.
This is one of the only games in a while that has intrigued me. Most other board games these days seem to be derivatives of one another and has made the hobby stagnant. Can't wait to try this out for myself.
I really wanted to like this game but I bounced off it pretty hard. That may be because I played it on TTS but none of the hooks hooked me. I think the most egregious misstep here - other than just being boring - is that none of the player cards were interesting. This was so odd coming from a designer with an MTG background where half the fun of that game is imagining what you could do with various cards in various scenarios. EBR has way too many cards that just don't do anything. Then it compounds this problem by making your deck your life total. So now you don't want to draw cards both because it lowers your life and because they suck.
Excuse me? Turning a legendary predator into a plant, and then eating the fruit off of them until they get annoyed and leave, is hilarious.
Jokes aside, I totally get where you’re coming from. The only-ramp for the game is super rough, and TTS never helps. Normally in a deckbuilder you look at the cards in hand for what to do, while here it made much more sense to me once I thought from the perspective of what I want to thematically do, first. The cards can potentially help you achieve your goals, but none of their actions are particularly exciting on their own. It’s as if the path cards are half of your deck - the potential excitement of cards in hand and of your actions in-game is how they intersect with the ecosystem of path cards.
But yeah, if you’re looking for a game where the cards in hand play out into cool combos, this game likely won’t work for you. Some sets of cards might be better at the feeling of combos or better manipulation, but it’s not obvious which cards those are until the game clicks… and the game does not help you get there.
Maybe it’s because I’m an artisan/artificer but to me it feels like there are a lot of neat little combos you can pull off
@@Grnhrz The gear interactions didn’t jump out to me, but maybe I’m missing it. What’s a combo you enjoy there, out of curiosity?
Earthborne Rangers destroyed me for any other game. I started in the hobby on 1 October 2023 buying Three Sisters (the roll and write).... by 30 November I had ordered Earthborne Rangers having gone the Agricola, Earth, Ark Nova, Dorfromantik route.... and now I scour the forums in search of anything even vaguely similar to EBR - I've enjoyed Sleeping Gods Distant Skies and ISS Vanguard but am really just sitting here waiting for December.
If you want games that are more based around story telling, check out Lands of Galzyr and Sleeping Gods.
Galzyr is on its way! I hesitated because of the App, but got over that. I'm still debating OG Sleeping Gods... but I feel it's inevitable. Depends on if I can hold out for 7th CItadel (Nov).
@@wiblick Galzyr is aimed more at a younger audience, and there's not a whole lot of game there. But as a story telling engine it really shines. Sleeping Gods is a fair bit more challenging from a gaming stand point. In both you can fail forward and I don't think there's any way to lose a game. In Sleeping Gods you'll end up with different endings based on how well you do.
This is wonderful! I've watched other reviews and read praises of Earthborne Rangers but it seems none of them described why the game is good. Your review gave detailed examples and explanations of why the game works so well; now I understand. Thank you for that. For someone familiar with boardgaming, your allusions to Magic and other card games were very helpful. And PS, I agree completely with your thoughts on nature. It reminded me of when I had the opportunity to spend time at a zoo. I noticed the human visitors were moving at a completely different time scale than the animals, and missing so much. Thanks again!
Really good, but really quiet. Please mix it a little louder in the future. Great job.
... facial tattoos? On Efka? Well, guess that's my cue to rewatch the entire TI4 playthrough, again.
Great review, as usual.
This is the best explanation of this game's mechanisms that I've seen, I understand the fear of spoiling games like this but you managed to balance things very well. Thank you!
Knowing what you know now, could you go back with those decks that do nothing as you said and make them work? Like you know better what is out there so you can seek out things that might make those decks' abilities function better? Or are there just plenty of busted decks based on what you think abilities will do vs. what they actually will do?
What do you think Befka set the air conditioning to before putting on his ranger gear?
I don't have air conditioning :/
@@NoPunIncludedYour commitment is unrivaled. Thank you for the excellent writing and critical eye in your content!
Thank you NPI for making these long and ernest reviews of games. I much appreciate it even when it's for games I know I won't play. And thank you for reminding me to get a copy of Mountain in the Sea. Keep up the good work
This video has reaffirmed why I love this channel so much. Damn you. Damn you for making me come back again and again. You guys, quite simply, rock.
Great review. I almost thought you were gonna bypass the issue with the rulebook and the kind of “meh” result you often get while playing this game. That last has prevented me from diving back into the game after playing a little past the prologue. I’m finding it real hard to care enough about what I actually accomplish to endure the time it takes to accomplish it.
But I really want to see if it’s possible for me to get into a groove with it. Because, if I squint real hard, I can kinda see the promised land the game is trying so hard to show me.
Is it? Everything I've seen about the game (gameplay, reviews, etc) just gives the impression that it is a decent product.. for specific people. It certainly does not have a theme or systems that could appeal to a large audience. I'm surprised at the "hype" behind it.. usually from paid content creators, or people actually supporting it.
Team Covenant even went as far (and totally hard) to call it an "evergreen" game.. you know, like Catan!? I've seen many a game in my lifetime, and this one does not fit that box. The whole "ad campaign" behind it feels forced.
Good review (albeit long and not too direct), awfully quiet audio.
Great review, cant wait until my copy arrives! Also really glad to hear that it plays well at 2 player!
I want to add one book to your reqs: Semiosis by Sue Burke. It is a sci-fi story of a bunch of settlers on an alien planet, where each chapter skips forward a generation and each chapter main characters are the kids to last chapters. It really featured interesting takes on living with nature, being part an eco-system and makes you question how actually intelligent non-mammal alien life would look and behave.
I can't believe I didn't think about Semiosis! Or the sequel. You're right, it's a completely spot on match, although I think I would have been a touch apprehensive about recommending it because for whatever reason the book included a very explicit (and unnecessary to the plot or character development) scene that I think felt a bit exploitiative. Otherwise, yeah, what a great book.
Fitting title since as of May 24 the game really is one in a million... One in a million people who want it actually have it 😂
As in, there’s one copy available for every million people that want one?
I think late pledges are still available over on Gamefound.
The campaign on Gamefound is still open for late pledges.
Incredible review, touched on all the aspects of why this game speaks to me. Thank you.
Beautiful critical thinking, both of you, Efka and Earthborne Rangers!
I would love to see more of this in the world, stories, content, where somebody took his time and understood some things, loved them, created beauty.❤
great video although the sound is very quiet
This is the most glowing review of a Befka I've ever enjoyed. When they become available I'll rush my order in.
That game sounded interesting too.
I need a Efka "satisfaction face" tshirt. Great review
Based on my early observations of the demo on TTS, this is a very accurate review. I backed the recent campaign on Gamefound and I can't wait for the game to arrive.
17:40 So wait, you're saying it's like Death Stranding, but actually good and meaningful instead of a pretentious meme-generator?
yeah
This was best preview of Earthborne rangers Ive seen and Id seen it a lot! Efka, you doing realy good job! That cosplay sucked, but your explanation was best on internet. 👏👏👏
We played through the campaign and freakin' loved it. Excited to try other rangers and for the expansion.
I haven’t bought a game in a long time before this. But I did buy this one. 😊 it just looks brilliant. I feel like I can sell a number of games (looking at you tainted grail) and replace it with this one. Kind of like Mage Knight kills a lot of other games.
Ohh! Forced to make a character before you understand how the game works? (And wasting a run on bollocks?)
That IS old skool!
You build it gradually and it lets you loose at each stage to give you a feel how it works and what you will be doing so it’s not nearly as bad as Efka described it IMO. And nothing stops you from going back and changing things. I’m an experienced AHLCG player and even I had to rebuild my deck once because I had missed a deck building restriction and because I realised my deck was a bit too specialised to work well.
I seem to be the only person in the world that really does not like this game.. Im at a point where Im convinced Ive played this game wrong and clearly messed something up..
Nah, you're good. There isn't a single thing in the world that 100% of people agree is great. People like different things.
You are not the only one.
I love Earthborne Rangers, and I also love Magic: The Gathering. But I REALLY don't get the comparison here. They have nothing in common other than having cards, rules, and deck construction.
Yeah, you know deck construction. As in the genre of Earthborne Rangers and Magic. I'm just telling people the genre of the game. The comparison doesn't go any deeper than that.
@@NoPunIncluded Gotcha. I read too much into it.
@@andrewwilson895 So the deeper history here was that Lord of the rings LCG was designed as a direct response to deck testing solo for magic the gathering, on the premise of what would it be like to play against an preconstructed opponent deck trying to counter everything the players deck did. Arkham Horror LCG expanded the character creation and campaign elements to craft a wider narrative but still kept the deck construction against an opponent deck. EBR takes the AH elements and instead of an opponent deck it has an environment, a path set that contains an ecosystem that is not an adversary but an emergent experience. It is still the challenger to the player deck, it still provides a puzzle to solve, but it is not actively trying to crush you, the only opponent is time and the agendas you set yourself. You can however trace the card systems back to constructed decks of cards interacting with each other thematically, which is very much a MTG template.
The Becky Chambers comparison sealed it for me! Added to the wishlist immediately!
Backed 2nd print plus expansions,cant wait!
Love the scavengers reign reference.
What happens when you “fail”/“die?
You cannot die. If you “fail” you end the day and try again where you left off. If you get a lingering injury card into your deck, you can get rid of it by performing the test on the card.
@@Grnhrz Ah right but what I meant is, Efka is suggesting they had to restart - is there a point where you are spiraling down and want to restart? Or can you crawl out of the hole?
I was already convinced about getting the game, but your review now confirms that this is for me. Can't wait to explore the meanders of the walley when my copy arrives in... December 2024...
Well, I might need to break the sustainability ethos a bit and print the demo from their website!
Now I am imagining how Lady Gaga would work a bottle opener. Also - for the Dutch viewers, the name Befka is… unfortunate.
Yours and S.U.S.D. review of this game make me want to play this infinitely more, with my friend. thanks for the review!
Wow. This was a good review! Thanks a lot.
Great review, thank you!
I find it a bit disingenious, that no holes were really poked in Earthborn Rangers, especially if there were dozen of these "in the pocket". I do understand that the intent here was not to distract from the primary narrative and uniqueness of the game, but if we're having a 35m material about the game, just talking about some parts of it and not others is ... weirdly selective. I cannot help but feel that this was, indeed, a bit rushed (because of what reason?), and the intro sequence is inserted purposefully, as some kind of apologetic preamble.
Still, I am very intrigued.
I don't understand what you mean, at least a third of this video is criticism.
@@NoPunIncluded Be that as it may, these criticisms (prologue, constrained deckbuilding, unfitting ccg-like nature of the game) read somewhat vague, especially to someone who never played the game. But then you refer to something seemingly more "direct" at the end of the video (2p vs solo vs 4p), but very quickly dismiss it as things apparently "not important". I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes this style of narrative, while unique, valuable and smart, leaves the viewer somewhat confused by the end of it.
should have been a video game?
11:38 Yeah, tell that to Ian Malcolm, Sarah Harding and the others :)
Wait... Where are the scribbles after the opening shot... I'VE BEEN TRICKED!! *shakes fist in melodramatic frustration*
This was FANTASTIC. Thank you!
yeah the game is great!
we are all waiting for the second run in October, since we didn't get the first one.
They would have fixed the typos and erratas too.
Caustic things are kinda base, not acidic ;)
Thank you for this great look at the game… now i am 100% sure thats not my kind of game😎🙌🏻
Still prefer Arkham Horror lcg. Earthbourne is also great, Just lacks the space for humor with the absurd and the fun of AHLCG.