@@SlavaRybka Who actually runs this channel anyways? It's just been a bunch of still shots of board games with no one in them for as long as I can remember.
What you need to remember is that most Big Cards on the market only contain trace amounts of component. They get bulked out with who-knows-what before going to sale because of the higher street value Big Cards can attract.
Agree. To reference another Knizia game even, the most recent production of modern art: love the big cards. Big cards make sense there because they are supposed to be these beautiful paintings that everyone is bidding on as the sole focus of the game. Here, it just seems to make the game's footprint too big. There's a lot of empty space on these cards, and you could definitely get the same information across with normal size cards.
Yeah I agree that big cards are generally unnecessarily cumbersome. I guess you could argue that big cards allow for better appreciation of the artwork, like in Dixit, for example. But it looks like there's a lot of empty space with the cards in this game.
Publisher dropped the ball here, this did not need to be a big table space game with $40 MSRP. Get the previous reimplementation, Colossal Arena, if you can find a copy.
I guess this means I've been playing games long enough to be confused as this review went on that this is a straight reskin from, I guess, 'olden times'? Haha...
3:56 Tom grooves to a sick beat 7:46 Ava reads 8:20 Quinns takes care of house plants 13:40 Matt gets a little too angry at cards (although I 100% agree #cardsaretoobig)
I love how Ava and Quinns are doing their normal day-to-day activities, while Tom is busy being a duplicated dancing gnome. So. A normal day-to-day activity for everybody, I guess.
Inis fans are coming for you, Munch Moo. We will find your milk farm. We will burn it to ashes. And from this ashes The Grate Card will be reborn. Like giant fenix or smth..
I knew I wasn't interested in this game about 60 seconds in but I stuck around and watched the video for Matt's content. Game looks pretty, just not for me.
I had heard the name of this game somewhere but didn't realize that it was a) a Dr. Knizia game and b) a reimplementation of Colossal Arena. As you explained the game play I kept thinking, "Gosh, that sounds like...wait...is this just...no, it can't be. Are they bringing Colossal Arena back into print?" I have the original. Great game but I haven't brought it out in a while. That version was not particularly a looker but at least it was compact and functional. Cutsie and "deluxe" as this version looks...I think "overproduced" is probably a good word to describe what is otherwise a pretty straightforward game.
I was also thinking this game was a "skin" for colossal arena as I was watching the review. I think the theme of an arena of monsters fits better the mechanics of the game... also, no big cards in the original Colossal Arena, so... win win?
I still own it and played it back in the day but would say it's design is pretty dated at this point. It could have been spruced up and maybe been worth this treatment.
I'd just like to add that Colossal Arena was itself more or less a re-skin of Titan the Arena, which was also implemented as Galaxy: the dark ages. I always liked Galaxy best out of the set.
Meh, if Pink Floyd can make an experimental "song" that's just silence in the recording studio and get away with it, I think SU&SD can get away with this.
Oh! This is the Colossal Arena reimplimentation. I really liked that game when I first played it and have had a hard time finding one around. Art here is beautiful but I do kind of think the "YEAHHH THESE GUYS ARE FIGHTING" theme might have worked worked better, I'd certainly find it a lot easier to sell to a table of people.
For future generations, I want to conserve that this videos' first title was "I killed a frog and I liked it - Equinox Review". Staggering. Just staggering.
I just have to say that I had an absolute blast with this game when playing with my friends. The beautiful thing is that you first back-stab your friends and then use those same knives to skin the cute forest creature one by one. My favourite past-time activity! A fun game if played with the right people and when played with new people for the first time I'd suggest just skip the special abilities and leave them for a second or third game.
One potential defense for the big cards I can think of, is that bigger cards mean easier to read, which can help with accessibility. How much it actually helps/matters/was intentional, I don't know, but it could be a reasonable reason
I don't know why I'm subscribed to this channel. It's just stills of boardgames sitting on tables with random empty shots of Britain interspersed. Whoever's running this channel should hire people to review these games and make funny jokes about them. If they keep not having anyone in the vids, I'll probably unsubscribe.
I think the idea is that you just put the videos on a smart TV and play them during game nights for added ambience. It's the only thing I could think of.
"It's unusual for horses to be killed in races IRL!" oh dude. Sweet summer child. I have bad tidings from the real world. Betting on a horse, and then it dying, is a thing that is not unusual. Horses don't have a great time in horse racing.
Yeah, turns out being almost always unable to recover from a broken leg is a bad survival trait. Especially if you're expected to spend your life racing.
I had been thinking about how unnecessarily big those cards were throughout the entire episode! I feel I would be very tempted by the game if the cards were half the size of playing cards
As someone with a visual impairment I enjoy the big cards in games especially in a game like this where there is a whole lot of them spread out on a table.
This is a great game, and Matt is 100% correct about the cards being too large. The most egregious thing about their size is that you could shrink them down while keeping the print size of the information (number and special ability icons) exactly the same as it is now. This would actually be *better* for anyone with visual impairment. If the cards are smaller but the info is the same size, they take up less space on the table. Which means the cards on the opposite end of where you’re sitting would be *closer* to you, and therefore easier to see. The artwork here is cute but with a bit of rescaling and closer cropping you could shrink the cards to maybe 2/3 the size if not half. This game feels like it should be playable in more casual settings, e.g while sitting with friends in your living room over a coffee table.
I own this game because it’s predecessor is my favorite game of all time. Colossal arena is still my favorite game of all time. You’re right. The cards don’t need to be that big but if you’re going to make them that big make them of a better quality! Whatever. I have 3 copies of colossal arena just in case so I should be good for life 😂
Oh, I just realized why there are bags. It’s because the cards take so much table space, the bags allow you to hold the betting tokens on your lap, thus saving table space. As for the theme, the original Titan Arena probably had it clearer that the creatures don’t necessarily die; they’re just defeated in the battle arena. I wonder how this is explained in the Equinox setting.
This is a republish of an older Colossal Arena, a game I've loved for years but no-one talks about. The original doesn't have the large cards problem so it might be an option for those wanting a smaller footprint.
Finally somebody stood up and took a stand against unnecessarily giant cards. Not too keen on tiny ones either, especially when they rely on hieroglyphs because there's no room for words.
I totally agree about the card size. It might have been justifiable if the iconography also included some printed rule clarification/reminder (if only on the top card of each row). Since not all characters are used, it's tricky to remember what some powers do. It really is a simple game. But I wish I wanted to pull this off my shelf more. The reasons I don't are very well covered in this video. I still think this is a very good game worth owning, and I want to play it. It's staying in my collection - for now.
Titan The Arena/Colossal Arena is an all time classic filler imo. It's savage and silly. Glad to see it back in print, though it definitely didn't need to take up even more table space 🤣
this came out on board game arena recently so i was taking a look at the rules, and they say the animals "will sink into oblivion," which sounds a lot more terrifying to me than just ceasing to exist
Hey Matt, In regards to the big cards issue, it does make the game more accessible for people with vision impairment. Compact games are fine, but it does make it difficult for some games to be played by everyone. I have actually discussed in the past to get access to the large demo versions of games at conventions for that reason, but I dont think there is enough of a market for a second large version to be considered. I cant say for sure this is why they used big cards, but it also makes it a game people with vision issues may be able to consider over smaller card games.
@@Confoundedjoe Oh, I liked it/like it, too. It's just so funny to think that the soft fairytale element is literally painted on top of what was once a game of gladiatorial combat.
Love the joke of matt alone in the team, loved the criticism about the size of the cards also. This looks interesting honestly, but not enough engaging as to expend 35€ on it. I would try it for 20 because they are just cards! Great review
"That horse that you liked, put a little 3-2 bet on... well I'm afraid that horse no longer exists". Actually a pretty common outcome in horse betting.
I love the big cards of Dixit, where each card is unique, and the entire picture conveys a wealth of visual information. I think the cards of this game could be replaced with poker chips, and still convey the same information. Ofcourse it's more fun to hold cards in your hand (although the betting mechanism warrents poker chips), but oversized cards with little information are just a waste of functionality.
Spot on with all comments. Fun gaem, gets somewhat tricky and fiddly with the creature powers. The bags are, well, unnecessary. However, they might just be a good addition to my Castles of Burgundy.
I could see there being situations when big cards could be useful. In this game the cards are exclusively just art and iconography though (at least that's the impression I got from the video, I don't own the game), so it seems a little much. I think you have a good point though, I'm imagining how much easier cards like the Flare cards from Cosmic Encounter would be to read if they were simply a little bit bigger (though, even then, perhaps not that big)
They also present obstacles to accessibility for people who lack the dexterity or hand size to shuffle such a wide stack, and even holding them can be a problem because while they may be more readable on the surface, they also take up more space in the hand (again, dexterity) or take up more space in a card holder, possibly necessitating two or three card holders for people who need to rely on them, rather than just one. There are other ways to make a card more visually accessible that don't involve making them bigger. Of course, there's also the issue of table space. All the "accessible design" in the world doesn't matter if a person can't fit your game on the table. It really becomes a question of context. Is the card trying to present a lot of information, or does it serve a purpose where it needs to be big (Mysterium, for example)? Is the deck small enough to be easily shuffled with large cards? If so, large card away. If not, there are other ways to create access to a game that don't get in the way of themselves.
I say NO to your NO to big cards. I don't know who you are or if you've ever been, but the big cards in No Thanks is great. Everyone around the table can easily tell what the number is. They keep the sweaty tokens in place. It's great. #teambigcardssometimes
Big cards are good, in my opinion, when they don't have to act as cards. If they are acting as tokens, or a space, or something similar? Great. No Thanks, Mysterium, others I'm sure, they use the card size for important reasons. It works for them. Most games, however, are quite poor for this. #TeamBigCardsWhenParticularlyAppropriateOtherwiseNoThanks lol
Another great review from the team! Interesting that this is apparently a reprint if the other comments are to be believed. Oh and I fully feel the this deck is too big to shuffle pain!
This is the same as Titan: the Arena. I got it at a thrift store. The creatures were more ferocious mythical monsters and the premise was you were betting on a battle royal as to which monster(s) would win. Rules were identical to this though.
I agree about the tarot sized cards! I got lizard wizard with the playmats. It’s impossible to fit on the table! It plays up to 6 people and I just don’t see how that’s physically possible with gigantic cards!
Good review, which is weird since noone is present for the duration of the video. It feels like I've forgotten something, but whatever. I'm going to echo many comments premise that Colossal Arena is a good (at the very least, smaller) version of this.
Matt, great stuff! Lovingly presented and meticulously produced. But I think you slightly overestimated our gasping indignation over a frog or a mushroom being nixed:p
I like the theming of yeah all these bright magical creatures that as part of this whole contest get unexisted. Feels very fae to me. Definitely keeping this game in mind.
I like the game (I own the previous 2 incarnations), but you make a great point about needing to front-load a lot of rules for how simple it is. It does make it a little tough to get to the table with new players, but if I have time to play a couple times or more then I think it's a good one for the right crowd. Thanks for the great review!
Speaking as someone who regularly plays games with someone who needs glasses but is terrible at wearing them - big cards with easily readable text and images is much preferable to smaller. It's one of those things that can be annoying for people who don't need it, but is fantastic for those who do.
I have to agree about card sizes in games. Big or small cards are just a pain in the ass. Literal centuries of play testing went into organically finding the most ergonomic shape and size of a standard deck of cards and it shows. It's the right size. Boring as it may be, it's the right size. At least for my hands.
Interestingly enough, the big cards are a selling point for me. But I understand that in this case they may be too big for this game. Still I'd rather have big cards than tiny cars that are impossible to read, shuffle or hold.
I came in to make this comment as well. Titan then Colossal Arena. I love Knizia to death as a developer, but come on, why do you have to keep rebooting THIS game.
Weirdly, I know why the big cards thing happens. There are two standard card sizes, playing card, and tarot card. That means that the cheapest way to make cards is to make them playing card, or tarot card sizes. Playing card is usually too small, so they go with tarot card if they want to conserve production costs but have them larger.
3:03 -- I think you buried the lede that this is just a new version of Arena -- but with a really weird new theme. When you're betting on monster gladiators, the disappearing cards makes total sense. A very odd choice by the producer. But the video was great! Quinns will now be known as Mushroom Man and Ava as Fiery Fox. (Tom was already known as sexy gnome). (Also - kudos to the special and practical effects teams for the dropping water can)
The only game I can think of where Big Cards ADDS to the experience is Inis, and it works so well in that game because there's only a few cards and every card is both unique and important. When you slap down The Wizard of Don't Do That or The Big Party Where Everyone Chills Out in that game it feels significant. Big cards are not necessary in a game like this where you have approximately 47 different cards with just gnomes and a gnumber.
NGL, the main thing that made me click on this video was Tom in his Rave Gnome outfit in the thumbnail. I thought he was going to be the Frog that was killed lol
I feel like the big card trend is a direct response to the small card trend of a little while back. Ticket to ride especially becomes annoying when you're trying to shuffle a deck that's taller than the length of a card. I just want regular size cards.
Agree about card size- If it can't fit comfortably onto a bridge table it's out (Seven Wonders Duel with all expansions fits perfectly.) The over production and lack of focus that seems to have crept into board gaming of late is also kind of off putting- We were gifted Everdell this Christmas, which is good game with some great components, but yikes, the cardboard overkill, uneven presentation and problems with ease of play really drag it down. Such a shame when this happens.
I dunno, man, I love tarot-sized cards. Shuffling's a pain, and you're right about table space, but I prefer this to the countless games we got into the 2010s with deck upon deck of tiny cards.
That Ava and Quinns were being their relatively normal and mundane selves tells me that Tom was also being his normal self before being disapparated.
Huh? Who are those people you are speaking about? Never heard of them tbh
@@SlavaRybka Who actually runs this channel anyways? It's just been a bunch of still shots of board games with no one in them for as long as I can remember.
Finally- the Pear, the sole member of SUSD- standing up to Big Card!
#theStandardReferencePearisall #allhailtheStandardReferencePear
I still think It's amazing SUSD is so successful without anyone behind it
What you need to remember is that most Big Cards on the market only contain trace amounts of component. They get bulked out with who-knows-what before going to sale because of the higher street value Big Cards can attract.
Is that what people mean when they say ‘cut the deck’?
Big cards have a place, but definitely not here. That was my biggest complaint about this game as well.
Agree. To reference another Knizia game even, the most recent production of modern art: love the big cards. Big cards make sense there because they are supposed to be these beautiful paintings that everyone is bidding on as the sole focus of the game. Here, it just seems to make the game's footprint too big. There's a lot of empty space on these cards, and you could definitely get the same information across with normal size cards.
Yeah I agree that big cards are generally unnecessarily cumbersome. I guess you could argue that big cards allow for better appreciation of the artwork, like in Dixit, for example. But it looks like there's a lot of empty space with the cards in this game.
It's clearly a game for giants in the future. Little modern people need not apply.
I really enjoy watching this channel which has no presenters at all.
Publisher dropped the ball here, this did not need to be a big table space game with $40 MSRP. Get the previous reimplementation, Colossal Arena, if you can find a copy.
I could not get a copy of Colossal Arena and was looking forward to this. I am sad to see the unnecessarily big cards
The version I have is called Titan the Arena, from Avalon Hill, 1997. Smaller cards, great game.
I thought I recognised the game. Thanks for clearing that up. I was thinking cheaty mages or camelup but, no, it is CA.
I guess this means I've been playing games long enough to be confused as this review went on that this is a straight reskin from, I guess, 'olden times'? Haha...
@@jonathanklabunde6639 you know you've been playing games long enough when you buy an expansion, and it doesn't match the copy of the game you own
3:56 Tom grooves to a sick beat
7:46 Ava reads
8:20 Quinns takes care of house plants
13:40 Matt gets a little too angry at cards (although I 100% agree #cardsaretoobig)
I love how Ava and Quinns are doing their normal day-to-day activities, while Tom is busy being a duplicated dancing gnome.
So. A normal day-to-day activity for everybody, I guess.
@@IslanKleinknecht Tom is just vibing
@@IslanKleinknecht I don't believe for a moment that Quinns waters plants
Inis fans are coming for you, Munch Moo.
We will find your milk farm.
We will burn it to ashes.
And from this ashes
The Grate Card will be reborn.
Like giant fenix or smth..
@@Антон-к8л1б uh oh what did I do?
Edit: oh does Inis have big cards?
I knew I wasn't interested in this game about 60 seconds in but I stuck around and watched the video for Matt's content. Game looks pretty, just not for me.
Me likewise!
Cards too big for me
What are they doing with such big cards and not filling them with beautiful art of sexy man-trees? It's criminal.
Where's my boardgame about mangroves of big burly himboak drylads showing off and admiring each other's thick, sturdy branches?
Never fear.
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove from M:TG is always there for you.
@@CheshireCad himboaks xD that's perfect
I had heard the name of this game somewhere but didn't realize that it was a) a Dr. Knizia game and b) a reimplementation of Colossal Arena. As you explained the game play I kept thinking, "Gosh, that sounds like...wait...is this just...no, it can't be. Are they bringing Colossal Arena back into print?"
I have the original. Great game but I haven't brought it out in a while. That version was not particularly a looker but at least it was compact and functional. Cutsie and "deluxe" as this version looks...I think "overproduced" is probably a good word to describe what is otherwise a pretty straightforward game.
I was also thinking this game was a "skin" for colossal arena as I was watching the review. I think the theme of an arena of monsters fits better the mechanics of the game... also, no big cards in the original Colossal Arena, so... win win?
I still own it and played it back in the day but would say it's design is pretty dated at this point. It could have been spruced up and maybe been worth this treatment.
I'd just like to add that Colossal Arena was itself more or less a re-skin of Titan the Arena, which was also implemented as Galaxy: the dark ages. I always liked Galaxy best out of the set.
Who thought filming a silent 14 minutes video of a table and walls was a good idea?! >:(
Meh, if Pink Floyd can make an experimental "song" that's just silence in the recording studio and get away with it, I think SU&SD can get away with this.
What video?
@@Shenaldrac Who are SU&SD?
@@totalvoid6234 Who's Pink Floyd?
@@Shenaldrac What's an idea?
Gorgeous and elegant is exactly what I think when seeing Matt prance around in a deer costume, bravo!
And vice versa
"Criminally under-sexualized old man tree" is my favorite line from this review 😆
Oh! This is the Colossal Arena reimplimentation. I really liked that game when I first played it and have had a hard time finding one around. Art here is beautiful but I do kind of think the "YEAHHH THESE GUYS ARE FIGHTING" theme might have worked worked better, I'd certainly find it a lot easier to sell to a table of people.
" you walk into a magic portal and punch an unicorn " sounds like the beginning of a great movie.
For future generations, I want to conserve that this videos' first title was "I killed a frog and I liked it - Equinox Review". Staggering. Just staggering.
Right? I guess they decided that was a touch too spicy!
It's back now, I dont know what it even got changed to lol
@@lucasmartin6335 "You favorite animal no longer exists."
I just have to say that I had an absolute blast with this game when playing with my friends. The beautiful thing is that you first back-stab your friends and then use those same knives to skin the cute forest creature one by one. My favourite past-time activity! A fun game if played with the right people and when played with new people for the first time I'd suggest just skip the special abilities and leave them for a second or third game.
The theme of this month’s reviews: unnecessarily BIG cards
"I'm stretching the truth here, but in a good way, like a mozzarella stick." - I'm definitely saving that line for a rainy day! :D
Nothing better than frog based content involving Matt. If I could just put my finger on why I feel like that
you forgot ... the worm
One potential defense for the big cards I can think of, is that bigger cards mean easier to read, which can help with accessibility. How much it actually helps/matters/was intentional, I don't know, but it could be a reasonable reason
Big Cards are great for Dixit and Mysterium where the game revolves around seeing the art clearly. Not so necessary for something like this
As soon as Tom vanished I began to suspect that we would lose the other SUSD members, one by one...this was a very funny through-line joke. Well done.
Shades of that Start Trek:TNG episode "Remember Me" in this one. Beautiful.
I don't know why I'm subscribed to this channel. It's just stills of boardgames sitting on tables with random empty shots of Britain interspersed. Whoever's running this channel should hire people to review these games and make funny jokes about them. If they keep not having anyone in the vids, I'll probably unsubscribe.
I think the idea is that you just put the videos on a smart TV and play them during game nights for added ambience. It's the only thing I could think of.
I'll tell you why I subscribe. Its the drama. Im always being taken on a British roller-coaster of emotion
"It's unusual for horses to be killed in races IRL!" oh dude. Sweet summer child. I have bad tidings from the real world. Betting on a horse, and then it dying, is a thing that is not unusual. Horses don't have a great time in horse racing.
Yeah, turns out being almost always unable to recover from a broken leg is a bad survival trait. Especially if you're expected to spend your life racing.
They're fine, actually.
I had been thinking about how unnecessarily big those cards were throughout the entire episode! I feel I would be very tempted by the game if the cards were half the size of playing cards
Take a look at clossal arena, this game seems to be just a reskin of that. ^^
As someone with a visual impairment I enjoy the big cards in games especially in a game like this where there is a whole lot of them spread out on a table.
This is a great game, and Matt is 100% correct about the cards being too large. The most egregious thing about their size is that you could shrink them down while keeping the print size of the information (number and special ability icons) exactly the same as it is now. This would actually be *better* for anyone with visual impairment.
If the cards are smaller but the info is the same size, they take up less space on the table. Which means the cards on the opposite end of where you’re sitting would be *closer* to you, and therefore easier to see.
The artwork here is cute but with a bit of rescaling and closer cropping you could shrink the cards to maybe 2/3 the size if not half.
This game feels like it should be playable in more casual settings, e.g while sitting with friends in your living room over a coffee table.
Tom grooving is the best thing I’ve seen this month.
I own this game because it’s predecessor is my favorite game of all time. Colossal arena is still my favorite game of all time. You’re right. The cards don’t need to be that big but if you’re going to make them that big make them of a better quality! Whatever. I have 3 copies of colossal arena just in case so I should be good for life 😂
Oh, I just realized why there are bags. It’s because the cards take so much table space, the bags allow you to hold the betting tokens on your lap, thus saving table space. As for the theme, the original Titan Arena probably had it clearer that the creatures don’t necessarily die; they’re just defeated in the battle arena. I wonder how this is explained in the Equinox setting.
This is a republish of an older Colossal Arena, a game I've loved for years but no-one talks about. The original doesn't have the large cards problem so it might be an option for those wanting a smaller footprint.
People are going to say that Matt had to buy a fawn onesie for this video. I'm arguing that, yes it was certainly bought, but long before this video.
Finally somebody stood up and took a stand against unnecessarily giant cards.
Not too keen on tiny ones either, especially when they rely on hieroglyphs because there's no room for words.
I totally agree about the card size. It might have been justifiable if the iconography also included some printed rule clarification/reminder (if only on the top card of each row). Since not all characters are used, it's tricky to remember what some powers do. It really is a simple game. But I wish I wanted to pull this off my shelf more. The reasons I don't are very well covered in this video. I still think this is a very good game worth owning, and I want to play it. It's staying in my collection - for now.
Titan The Arena/Colossal Arena is an all time classic filler imo. It's savage and silly. Glad to see it back in print, though it definitely didn't need to take up even more table space 🤣
this came out on board game arena recently so i was taking a look at the rules, and they say the animals "will sink into oblivion," which sounds a lot more terrifying to me than just ceasing to exist
The first time I played Quest for El Dorado I was very charmed and delighted by the tiny tiny cards. More tiny cards!!!
really love matt's review of this one.. I think its one of his best reviews
3:16 I'm at a loss for words
you keep surprising me every video, thank you guys !
SU&SD's house plant game is so on point...
Hey Matt,
In regards to the big cards issue, it does make the game more accessible for people with vision impairment. Compact games are fine, but it does make it difficult for some games to be played by everyone. I have actually discussed in the past to get access to the large demo versions of games at conventions for that reason, but I dont think there is enough of a market for a second large version to be considered.
I cant say for sure this is why they used big cards, but it also makes it a game people with vision issues may be able to consider over smaller card games.
Titan: the Arena, but pastel.
I played it as colossal arena but really liked it. Apparently it was originally Grand National Derby. Over 25 years ago.
@@Confoundedjoe Oh, I liked it/like it, too. It's just so funny to think that the soft fairytale element is literally painted on top of what was once a game of gladiatorial combat.
The ending like always was great
Down with Big Cards ✊
This game seems too strategic for my taste but damn the art looks so lovely that I hoped it would be a game for me.
weird that they keep putting out these videos from a channel with no people behind it. Weird!
I wish you would have made a comparison with Colossal Arena, and which version you prefer. Otherwise great review!
Love the joke of matt alone in the team, loved the criticism about the size of the cards also. This looks interesting honestly, but not enough engaging as to expend 35€ on it. I would try it for 20 because they are just cards! Great review
A brilliant review, very entertaining and very informative - great stuff!
"That horse that you liked, put a little 3-2 bet on... well I'm afraid that horse no longer exists".
Actually a pretty common outcome in horse betting.
The title of this video proves that Matt is a true Englishman.
I love the big cards of Dixit, where each card is unique, and the entire picture conveys a wealth of visual information. I think the cards of this game could be replaced with poker chips, and still convey the same information. Ofcourse it's more fun to hold cards in your hand (although the betting mechanism warrents poker chips), but oversized cards with little information are just a waste of functionality.
Spot on with all comments. Fun gaem, gets somewhat tricky and fiddly with the creature powers. The bags are, well, unnecessary. However, they might just be a good addition to my Castles of Burgundy.
Big cards are a nice accessibilty design choice. Easier to pick up, easier to read
I could see there being situations when big cards could be useful. In this game the cards are exclusively just art and iconography though (at least that's the impression I got from the video, I don't own the game), so it seems a little much. I think you have a good point though, I'm imagining how much easier cards like the Flare cards from Cosmic Encounter would be to read if they were simply a little bit bigger (though, even then, perhaps not that big)
They also present obstacles to accessibility for people who lack the dexterity or hand size to shuffle such a wide stack, and even holding them can be a problem because while they may be more readable on the surface, they also take up more space in the hand (again, dexterity) or take up more space in a card holder, possibly necessitating two or three card holders for people who need to rely on them, rather than just one. There are other ways to make a card more visually accessible that don't involve making them bigger. Of course, there's also the issue of table space. All the "accessible design" in the world doesn't matter if a person can't fit your game on the table.
It really becomes a question of context. Is the card trying to present a lot of information, or does it serve a purpose where it needs to be big (Mysterium, for example)? Is the deck small enough to be easily shuffled with large cards? If so, large card away. If not, there are other ways to create access to a game that don't get in the way of themselves.
Had to get big card sleeves for Inis so we could shuffle easily. Actually card sleeves help shuffle faster than normal sized non-sleeved cards.
You guys ever wonder who runs Shut Up and Sit Down? It's so weird to have a channel but no one who works for it. Oh well.
I say NO to your NO to big cards. I don't know who you are or if you've ever been, but the big cards in No Thanks is great. Everyone around the table can easily tell what the number is. They keep the sweaty tokens in place. It's great. #teambigcardssometimes
Big cards are good, in my opinion, when they don't have to act as cards. If they are acting as tokens, or a space, or something similar? Great. No Thanks, Mysterium, others I'm sure, they use the card size for important reasons. It works for them. Most games, however, are quite poor for this. #TeamBigCardsWhenParticularlyAppropriateOtherwiseNoThanks lol
Another great review from the team! Interesting that this is apparently a reprint if the other comments are to be believed.
Oh and I fully feel the this deck is too big to shuffle pain!
This is the same as Titan: the Arena. I got it at a thrift store. The creatures were more ferocious mythical monsters and the premise was you were betting on a battle royal as to which monster(s) would win. Rules were identical to this though.
I agree about the tarot sized cards! I got lizard wizard with the playmats. It’s impossible to fit on the table! It plays up to 6 people and I just don’t see how that’s physically possible with gigantic cards!
An added downside to big cards is if you want to sleeve your game standard card sleeves won't work.
Why did I just watched a 13 minute video of some board game displayed in a table?
Good review, which is weird since noone is present for the duration of the video. It feels like I've forgotten something, but whatever. I'm going to echo many comments premise that Colossal Arena is a good (at the very least, smaller) version of this.
I wish my goblin impression was that good.
Matt, great stuff! Lovingly presented and meticulously produced. But I think you slightly overestimated our gasping indignation over a frog or a mushroom being nixed:p
I like the theming of yeah all these bright magical creatures that as part of this whole contest get unexisted. Feels very fae to me. Definitely keeping this game in mind.
Great video guys! Frame bled at 4:27
The start of this video was the most Boosh thing I've seen since the, well, Mighty Boosh.
I like the game (I own the previous 2 incarnations), but you make a great point about needing to front-load a lot of rules for how simple it is. It does make it a little tough to get to the table with new players, but if I have time to play a couple times or more then I think it's a good one for the right crowd. Thanks for the great review!
You guys are always so stinking funny. I love the whole team and always enjoy your reviews!
Things I say to big cards: NO!
"Other two members quins and ava" erm, what happened to Tom?
He was the gnome who disappeared.
Well, did he ever exist in the first place?
I retract my statement, I did not watch the whole video and am an actual moron
@@tc9694 no worries
I did the same. It was well played.
This is surprisingly engaging for a channel that has no hosts.
Ah yes, because all of the horses we've bet on definitely still exist.
*shotgun loading in the background because of a bad ankle*
Don't worry, we could never forget about you Pat.
Speaking as someone who regularly plays games with someone who needs glasses but is terrible at wearing them - big cards with easily readable text and images is much preferable to smaller. It's one of those things that can be annoying for people who don't need it, but is fantastic for those who do.
I have to agree about card sizes in games. Big or small cards are just a pain in the ass. Literal centuries of play testing went into organically finding the most ergonomic shape and size of a standard deck of cards and it shows. It's the right size. Boring as it may be, it's the right size. At least for my hands.
Interestingly enough, the big cards are a selling point for me. But I understand that in this case they may be too big for this game. Still I'd rather have big cards than tiny cars that are impossible to read, shuffle or hold.
Normal playing cards are the correct size. Mini cards are just as bad as too big
It's a little shocking to me that this game has seen so many reboots. I used to play Titan, and it was just barely OK the first time around.
I came in to make this comment as well. Titan then Colossal Arena. I love Knizia to death as a developer, but come on, why do you have to keep rebooting THIS game.
Wow, I did not expect that ending, I hope he is okay...
The advantage of big cards is that they are easier to read. They also look pretty.
I really want to eat those counters, they remind me of these sugar-coated almond things I ate sometimes as a kid
Weirdly, I know why the big cards thing happens. There are two standard card sizes, playing card, and tarot card. That means that the cheapest way to make cards is to make them playing card, or tarot card sizes. Playing card is usually too small, so they go with tarot card if they want to conserve production costs but have them larger.
I’m so glad Matt said what we were all thinking
as someone with huge hands, i like big cards and i cannot lie
3:03 -- I think you buried the lede that this is just a new version of Arena -- but with a really weird new theme. When you're betting on monster gladiators, the disappearing cards makes total sense. A very odd choice by the producer. But the video was great! Quinns will now be known as Mushroom Man and Ava as Fiery Fox. (Tom was already known as sexy gnome). (Also - kudos to the special and practical effects teams for the dropping water can)
Matt Lees you will pull my big cards out of my ... slightly above-averagely-sized hands
The only game I can think of where Big Cards ADDS to the experience is Inis, and it works so well in that game because there's only a few cards and every card is both unique and important. When you slap down The Wizard of Don't Do That or The Big Party Where Everyone Chills Out in that game it feels significant. Big cards are not necessary in a game like this where you have approximately 47 different cards with just gnomes and a gnumber.
NGL, the main thing that made me click on this video was Tom in his Rave Gnome outfit in the thumbnail. I thought he was going to be the Frog that was killed lol
Good stuff. Got it for Christmas. Video informative and entertaining!
30 seconds in and this is the type is SDSU content I have missed.
I feel like the big card trend is a direct response to the small card trend of a little while back. Ticket to ride especially becomes annoying when you're trying to shuffle a deck that's taller than the length of a card.
I just want regular size cards.
RIP Matt Leeds
Too pure a forest creature for this world
He scored uniquley low
Our bets on him were wasted
The artwork looks fantastic and the theme seems right up my alley. Does this game play well with 2 players?
Agree about card size- If it can't fit comfortably onto a bridge table it's out (Seven Wonders Duel with all expansions fits perfectly.) The over production and lack of focus that seems to have crept into board gaming of late is also kind of off putting- We were gifted Everdell this Christmas, which is good game with some great components, but yikes, the cardboard overkill, uneven presentation and problems with ease of play really drag it down. Such a shame when this happens.
I dunno, man, I love tarot-sized cards. Shuffling's a pain, and you're right about table space, but I prefer this to the countless games we got into the 2010s with deck upon deck of tiny cards.
we need a card game where the cards are all as big as a sheet of paper.