So glad to see another appreciator of this game! Picked it up at Origins this year after a great pitch by the people at the Thunderworks booth (which is a much better onboarding process than just looking at the cover) and have had a good number of very enjoyable plays. Very much agreed with your analysis, though I personally actually find the theming quite immersive. While obviously the battles don't feel like battles, and gaining territory doesn't feel like real territorial expansion, I DO feel like my friends and I are all fickle gods squabbling with each other and manipulating the lives of the mortals of the realm without ever really caring too much about their lives.
Ironically, what you described as an ideal way to approach a game, is actually how I approached it. I thought, Acquire and other stock market games have strong followings that have endured for years after they hit the market, but there just aren't that many other investment games out there. So what if I were to take one of these classics, like Acquire, and create a more modernized and accessible version of it. Surely I'd be hitting an untapped market and introduce stock market mechanics to a whole demographic of board game players who had never considered playing one before because they weren't really excited by hotels and trains. As it turns out, my initial assumptions may not have been as strong as I would have hoped. The game is still doing well, and people who manage to get over the disconnect of it looking like an area control game, but playing like a stock market game tend to have a blast playing it. It's definitely been a humbling lesson, and I'm absolutely proud of this strange little creature of a game I've put together with Thunderworks, and don't regret a bit of it. Let this game be a prize for the curious. I can't think of a more worthy demographic to reward.
The #1 rule is don’t be boring. I think they accomplished that. But is this a game people feel the need to buy? Maybe not. I appreciate the risks they took and I think the product is very cool. Personally I’m considering buying it. Good review Adam.
The fantasy theme and the box art are big turn offs for me, and I knew I'd be unlikely to want this game. It's testament to the quality of your analysis and production that I decided to watch your video regardless. I found myself delighting in your enthusiasm during the engagement ladder section. It was all really insightful, and it's reminded me that I really must try Cartographers. On another note I went to Kologne last weekend and visited my first non UK games store, the wonderful Spielbrett. The shop contained over 20,000 games and I only had half an hour to spare. My purchase?? A copy of Potato-man of course, at 10 Euros! All the best, and have a super time I Essen.
The factions at the forefront on the box cover does come off as misleading when you put it like that. When I teach this game I talk about it in terms of the lore, from the perspective of opportunistic gods who gamble on the outcome of a massive war. I think if they went for that sort of "morally dubious gods" approach as their theme, that could have gone a long way.
Another thing that I think will hold this game back is its name. There seems to be a tendency within board games (and sometimes video games) to name their games " of ", sometimes with the word "The" tacked on. This isn't catchy or memorable. It took me several tries of seeing this game to remember its name. If I'm in the store and I see this my reaction is going to be "Ulos, what are you on about?" and move on. I think that Roll Player or Cartographers were probably buoyed by their good names. Both are simple but accurately describe the game while still being just intriguing enough that someone might pick them up off the shelf.
So glad to see another appreciator of this game! Picked it up at Origins this year after a great pitch by the people at the Thunderworks booth (which is a much better onboarding process than just looking at the cover) and have had a good number of very enjoyable plays. Very much agreed with your analysis, though I personally actually find the theming quite immersive. While obviously the battles don't feel like battles, and gaining territory doesn't feel like real territorial expansion, I DO feel like my friends and I are all fickle gods squabbling with each other and manipulating the lives of the mortals of the realm without ever really caring too much about their lives.
Ironically, what you described as an ideal way to approach a game, is actually how I approached it. I thought, Acquire and other stock market games have strong followings that have endured for years after they hit the market, but there just aren't that many other investment games out there. So what if I were to take one of these classics, like Acquire, and create a more modernized and accessible version of it. Surely I'd be hitting an untapped market and introduce stock market mechanics to a whole demographic of board game players who had never considered playing one before because they weren't really excited by hotels and trains.
As it turns out, my initial assumptions may not have been as strong as I would have hoped. The game is still doing well, and people who manage to get over the disconnect of it looking like an area control game, but playing like a stock market game tend to have a blast playing it. It's definitely been a humbling lesson, and I'm absolutely proud of this strange little creature of a game I've put together with Thunderworks, and don't regret a bit of it. Let this game be a prize for the curious. I can't think of a more worthy demographic to reward.
Fantastic response. I’m really glad the game exists. I’ve created a fair few oddities myself!!! I’m glad it’s doing well :)
I have definitely loved every play so far! I like it enough that I am planning on painting the minis this weekend :)
The #1 rule is don’t be boring. I think they accomplished that. But is this a game people feel the need to buy? Maybe not. I appreciate the risks they took and I think the product is very cool. Personally I’m considering buying it. Good review Adam.
The fantasy theme and the box art are big turn offs for me, and I knew I'd be unlikely to want this game. It's testament to the quality of your analysis and production that I decided to watch your video regardless. I found myself delighting in your enthusiasm during the engagement ladder section. It was all really insightful, and it's reminded me that I really must try Cartographers.
On another note I went to Kologne last weekend and visited my first non UK games store, the wonderful Spielbrett. The shop contained over 20,000 games and I only had half an hour to spare. My purchase?? A copy of Potato-man of course, at 10 Euros!
All the best, and have a super time I Essen.
Thanks Bruce. Potato Man is a good choice! 🙂
The factions at the forefront on the box cover does come off as misleading when you put it like that. When I teach this game I talk about it in terms of the lore, from the perspective of opportunistic gods who gamble on the outcome of a massive war. I think if they went for that sort of "morally dubious gods" approach as their theme, that could have gone a long way.
Another thing that I think will hold this game back is its name. There seems to be a tendency within board games (and sometimes video games) to name their games " of ", sometimes with the word "The" tacked on. This isn't catchy or memorable. It took me several tries of seeing this game to remember its name. If I'm in the store and I see this my reaction is going to be "Ulos, what are you on about?" and move on. I think that Roll Player or Cartographers were probably buoyed by their good names. Both are simple but accurately describe the game while still being just intriguing enough that someone might pick them up off the shelf.
I´ve seen enough - not for me.