Note: Please note, although at 11:27 I talk about what causes an encounter card to be revealed, I don't repeat that this must be drawn and resolved just BEFORE the step where the villain activates (if any), which is when that should happen. Apologies for any confusion that creates! Note: At 19:00 I say that the character should receive 8 hit points, but then I add 9 accidentally... it should be 8.
4 years ago I found your channel and watched these videos. Finally today I walked into my local store and purhased my first copy of Wrath of Ashardalon. Today about 4 years later I'm returning to you to rewatch your tutorial. Thank you.
I bought it over 13 years ago, and no one has ever played with me. In the meantime I got engaged and then married and I had 2 childrend. yesterday my daughter asked me if we can play and here I am today to see the video 😂
I bought this game because I've always wanted to try D&D, but getting a group set up for the standard RPG would be very hard, and I'd probably make a horrible DM. Thank you for the entire playlist! It really helped me sort out the basics of how to play the game.
Wow, this is an oldie! Seeing how far you've come really makes me appreciate these older videos. It really shows how much work and effort you put into your channel. You are a Board Game Geek staple man. Thanks for sticking to it and keeping us all informed on how to play all these great (and sometimes very complicated) games! :)
You've gone all the way back :) This was the first series on the Watch It Played channel. Mansions of Madness was before that, but on a separate channel. Thanks for the kind words and happy gaming!
@@WatchItPlayedHey Rodney. Is the other channel still active? Been a follower since the early days when you played with your kids and would really love to see those Mom videos. All the best.
God bless you and this channel. Again and again and again, I'll discover a new game, published 1 week ago, one year ago, or 9 years ago, and lo and behold, you so often have a video on it. Man, I love it. Rahdo, Dan King, and you are responsible for no less than 125 purchases I have over the years since about 2015 when I entered the hobby, well over several thousand dollars. I look forward to continue supporting your content.
I was just up in my attic and came across my old copy of Wrath of Ashardalon. Thought I'd see if anyone had a "How To Play" video to help refresh me on the rules. Imagine my surprise and happiness to see that Rodney had me covered...ten years ago, no doubt. Appreciate all that you do and glad to see you're still making new videos (and of course to your past self who helped me out with my rediscovery). Take care and thank you.
I'm a fan from the Philippines I love this channel reviewing the board games and explained the rules of every games in clear way for viewers like me to understand
Excellent play with Rodney and his kids; breaking the episodes down to 7-20 minutes is a great setup. Very good information, special effects and the teaching of this game; Rodney and his kids keep you entertained all the way through. Just surfed around for this game and it is ranging from $25 - $65; definitely worth a spot on the shelf. If you are wanting to learn this game, this is definitely worth watching. Cheers Jonathon M. Johnson
One thing I just thought of while watching the Mansions of Madness videos, the tiles for this game are annoying since they dead end into other walled tiles with no rhyme or reason. A bit more research is needed for the R&D department.
According to UA-cam, this is listed as the oldest video on the channel. Rodney, I hope you're proud of all your videos, even the early ones such as this. You can tell even back then, that you have the gift of teaching games.
I actually have this game! I was having problems with how the rules worked, but this video really helped me see many of the things I was doing wrong. I will watch this series part by part, whenever time permits; so that I can finally play this game properly. Thanks for posting this, I should've watched this two years ago! LIKE! : D
Oh man, it was like magic; I just got a deal for a used Wrath of Ashardalon (been looking for it for a long while now), and the suggested video in youtube was this! Keep up the awesome work, good sir!
Another killer video ! ! ! You've helped me become a Descent fan and now I believe you will help me become a Wrath of Ashardalon fan! These are great ! Still relevant in December of 2014!
Watch It Played well I can say that (in 2017) your old videos are very useful for learning/teaching games and to help me to decide if I want to buy a game. Thank you for all the vids you've done :)
Very informative video. Saved me from having to read another manual! I don't know if I have a natural aversion to reading instruction manuals (I write them for a living), or just get frustrated by ambiguous/unclear verbiage. Definitely going to have to subscribe. It seems it's rare to find any kind of tutorial videos that are clear and well spoken on youtube, so congrats on cracking the code. :)
was watching your Blood Rage playthrough a while ago when i realised I had to learn Ashardalon first since i'm waiting for this to be shipped. SUPER HELPFUL! thanks, man! keep it up! :D
Ahhhhhh just spent 3 hours playing the legend of Drizzt. Lost 2 games on the run. Thought to myself "this is a bit tough". Just found out now you're supposed to draw a treasure card after every kill. Ahhhhh this would have helped soooo much. I really need to read rules properly. Thanks again, love the series and hope your having a nice vacation :)
Thank you so much for uploading these videos. I was a little hesitant to buy the game at first because it isnt cheap (costs about 100 AUD (Australian dollars) ) but thanks to you video I got a good idea of what the gameplay and mechanics were like before actually commiting to buy it. Also I found it really helpful how you laid out the rules because this made learning to play the game a breeze. I bought this game when my brother whom I havent seen for more than a year came over to visit from Singapore, and I can honestly we had so much fun playing WOA, without your videos I doubt this would be possible. =)
+suicyde240 That is such a nice story for you to share. I'm so glad the game ended up being a good fit and that it provided such fun moments for you and your brother!
=) ***** you put so much effort into making these videos and it shows, so I just hope you know that your effort was not in vain. Going to look through the rest of your videos to check out what games are similar to this one and hope you lot are doing awesome!
I just recently got this game and re-watching the rules and play through helped me with some of the rules/questions that came up when I first tested playing the game myself!
20:30 I like how you picked Dwarven Resilence as your example and state that it's a Daily Power, and then flip it over and you see on the back it says it's a UTILITY POWER! OOOOPS!
Thanks so much for this video! I just bought the game and have never played any version of D&D, so this was really helpful. Looking forward to the next in the series!
Whoa! The show still going strong after 11 years is amazing. Keep it up! BTW keep an eye for the upcoming ( ca February 2023 )D&D Onslaught faction skirmish game with faction expansions Red Wizard and Many Arrows. WotC seems they will do have an ongoing support for it unlike the older boardgames. Subbed btw and greetings from Norway. I played L.O Drizzt with some characters from Elemental Evil wih my siblings, awesome stuff!
I need to create an official index for this video. In the early days of my tutorials, my intros were far too long. I corrected this as I gained more experience.
Just ran across your vids but I've seen you before! Your how to plays for Plaid Hat Games are great and I always make people watch them before we jump in since they are such an easy quick way to get people acclimated quickly.
Great video :) will definitely check out the rest of your channel. Me and my friends used to play "Castle Ravenloft" and now we are going to try normal dnd 4th edition.
Great game choice, I'm looking forward to watching it play out. I wasn't originally interested in this series, but the rules explanation has changed my mind.
Hey man. Really enjoyed this series and it led me to buy the game, so thanks bunches. I'm not sure which video it was in, but when you talk about max health/current health/leveling up you say that leveling up doesn't increase your current hit points, and only raises your max. I pull my interpretation on that from the context of one of the villains in the adventure book, the rage drake. When he takes 6 damage (his max health) you flip the card over to enraged rage drake. His max health becomes 10, but the adventure states that he must take 10 damage before being defeated. I apply that context to characters. To be clear, I interpret the health listed on the character card as max health. The damage tokens, to me, indicate how many points away that character is from max health. When leveling up, the damage tokens still indiacte how many points away from max health that character is. Using your way, you'd have to use a piece of paper to keep track of each character's current hit points so that way there's no confusion when they level up. This is my only bugaboo, and this is my interpretation on the rule. I feel it adds more survivability to the characters and makes leveling up more meaningful. Thank you for the great series. Best wishes.
I have a question about the Vorpal Sword. If I decide to use it, do i need to roll an 18 or higher for to be able to do damage. I add +2 to my attacks, and when I am succesful, not sure how much damage I inflict, or is it none because I need to roll a 18 or higher. VORPAL SWORD :" You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against adjacent Monsters while this item is in play. If you roll a natural 18, 19, or 20 on an attack, you deal +1 damage with that attack."
I do my best to answer all rules questions on the games I cover, but I avoid individual card effects, as that's a level of detail beyond what I can manage across all the videos I do. I'd suggest checking the rules forum for the game on BoardGameGeek or the publishers website. I hope you can find your answer there - have fun playing!
Wow I think you've convinced me to buy the game. I've been playing Settlers of Catan + expansion and Pandemic and I'm loving them but this would be a great new challenge!
I have played this game 3 or 4 times with and with out a there players. Some of the rules get a little hazy. I do have to say I wish I had found your site sooner. You have don a very nice job explaining the game and I am looking foreword to checking out a there videos you have. Thank You!
Oh my god, finnaly! I'm starting to collect board games now, started with catan, mansions of madness and the third would be the Drizzt one, you can see by my nick name that I'm a fan of drows. Will watch the whole video before posting my commentaries. Omg, 24 mins of awesomeness! Yay!
I have three questions : a) Can each player (hero) choose his own class without taking into account what the rest of the players are choosing for the match (eg. can I play a match with 3 mage players?) or is there just a single slot for each class (eg. 1 dwarf, 1 barbarian, 1 rogue, 1 mage) b) Are there more than two hero levels, as shown in the video? c) Is the leveling and hero equipment persistent through the course of different consecutive matches?
+Kostas M. a) The game comes with a limited number of heroes, but if you had multiple sets and wanted to combine heroes of the same type, there are no rules against that. b) There are only 2 levels. c) It is persistent if you are playing a campaign. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for this video. You clear and loud pronunciation and well-organized explanations made the tutorial extremely easy to understand for everyone. I wanted to get into D&D for a while now and this is the closest I'm probably gonna get. Now, if you were to make a tutorial on a full-fledged D&D session starting from scratch, I'd be delighted to no end. Alas, seeing how your channel is primarily dedicated to board games, this is unlikely to happen.... *sigh*
These videos are great, and I almost always watch them before making a purchase decision. I imagine you don't make much off them from youtube ads for all the work you do. Is there a Paypal address we can send a "Thank you for the hard work" donation to?
James, that would be very appreciated, you can always donate to watchitplayed@live.com and it will certainly go towards keeping me doing more of these!
1) 8:09, you can see that there’s a gate on the right side and nothing on the left side, can you go either way? 2) when you loose your health and use healing surge, how much health do you get?
Hey, I always do my best to answer questions on my videos, but this one was shot back in 2011, and it's been long enough since I played, that I don't recall. It might be easier to check the rule book for those specific answers, or watch the game play and see how it's handled there.
Cool. Just purchased this game on amazon. Wasn't sure about it now I am looking forward to playing it. I am new to board games and I am collecting good board games. I like cooperative board games and I prefer ones that you can solo against the board as well. If you know of some good ones let me know. So far I am getting 4th edition D&D, wrath of ashardalan, Arkham horror, lord of the rings and dungeonquest, and I have Mage knight, darkest night, and pandemic on my list of ones to get.
Got the Legend of Drizzt and I adore it so much. I am getting this very soon since my Dad ordered it for me :D!!!!! Soon, I'll be able to fight a beholder with Drizzt and his friends :D!!!!
Hi Rodney, I am a big fan of your really helpful reviews. What is the game in the intro that is shown from the beginning till about 0:10? This intro was only used in the first episodes of your channel, so I wanted to posy my question here. Thanks in advance and I am looking forward to new reviews. alex
+alex Burggraf Hey Alex, the games shown are Mansions of Madness, Wrath of Ashardalon, Small World and Space Hulk. You'll find a play through of each in our playlists.
Hi thank you for the videos they are great, just wondering if you could tell me if you are allowed to attack more than one monster during your hero phase
Hey there, it's been awhile since I shot this video, so my memory of the rules is pretty fuzzy now, but can you tell me if this part addresses your question? ua-cam.com/video/vwbY_p2Zb3Y/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared&t=571
18:20: why in the starting (double) tiles (with stairs) there aren't any scorched squares? How can monsters that move on scorched tiles reach the hero that stays on that starting tiles?
Hey Giovanni, I do my best to answer all rules questions, but I shot this video long enough ago that I don't recall the answer, and don't have my copy to be able to check for you.
It was the first series we created under the name "Watch It Played" :) Mansions of Madness was technically first, but it's on a different channel . That said, you're right, you've pretty much gone all the way back!
Hi Rodney, I stumbled across your youtube videos and they're really helpful. Thank you so much for doing them! I do have a question. I'm on a limited budget but have really wanted to try one of the, "dungeon crawler" games. I've watched your videos for Descent and D&D which were both great! I would really like to know if you preferred one over another or if you have any recommendations. Thank you!
Hey there, so glad to hear you liked the videos. Now I have to disappoint you a little. I do no t review or suggest games to people. It's just not something I'm comfortable with. Too many variables.
This is a great video series, I just bought Wrath of Ashardalon and am really enjoying it. Question: if you have 2 monsters on the only 2 adjacent squares on the edge of a tile, does that block other monsters from entering that tile or can they move through them?
It does not block the monsters from entering a tile. When a monster moves to a new tile, it simply moves onto the scorch mark on that tile, or any space on that tile if that scorch mark is occupied.
Question, to keep the number of monsters in check....could someone use their additional move (but not all the move points) to avoid opening another room? So if one is at the edge of a tile, but could move/move...could they use a fraction of their move to get away from the edge? Thank you for any help and for these videos. I've had this game since it came out and we often find it confusing!
Hi Robert, I usually do my best to answer all rules questions on the videos I've done, but this was long enough ago (and I don't have my copy) that I'm not sure.
The Rulebook puts it this way: "Daily powers represent a significant attack or a spectacular effect. Utility powers are special maneuvers that don’t actively attack Monsters but instead provide other advantages." Neither affects your movement necessarily, but depending on the cards effect, it could.
Hey man, great concise video. Just got the game and I have one question: If you level up during a mission, do you stay leveled up in subsequent missions? Coming from a TTRPG background, it makes sense that you would, but I also don't want to throw the balance of the game out of whack by being too powerful at the beginning of missions. Thanks much!
Scott, thanks so much for your kind words and question. It's been awhile since I shot this one, so if you enjoyed, don't worry, I have gotten even more concise as time as gone on. Let's get to your questions. This particular game has a couple of modes. You can play games as one-offs, in which case if you do level up, that goes away when you start the next adventure. However, there is also a campaign mode included as well, and I don't remember exactly how it works there, as the scenarios are meant to be played one after the other, and leveling up might have a persistent effect (I don't have my copy of the game to be able to check for you, I'm afraid!). As an aside, I bounced over to your channel, and saw you're doing some art for Marvel Champions. That's a great game with great art - congrats! Also, subscribed. That Nightsmoke comic looks rad, I'll likely look into picking that up.
@@WatchItPlayed Hey, thanks so much! Yeah, I've really been enjoying Champions (and need to paint my Crisis Protocol minis haha). Champions has been a lot of fun during quarantine, and I'm excited to get my comp copy of the Black Widow pack, which is the first one available that will feature some of my pieces. And thanks for the quick reply! I might try to reset to level one each game and see how that feels. Since it's an older game, the links to the extended campaign rules don't seem to be on the WotC site anymore (that I can find), so I've been trying to dig around, with little success. We'll see, though! Thanks again!
@@ScottD Yes, I've had the same trouble trying to locate those rules in PDF form as well, for when questions come up. And hey, I just saw Black Widow pop up at my online game store, I'll keep an eye out for your work :) Side note (I'm sure you get this a LOT, so believe me, I'm expecting the answer to be no), but do you do commissions?
This, Descent 2nd ed., Lord of the Rings, Ravenloft or Legend of Drizzt? I'm new to tabletop adventure games and I can't decide which one to buy first, not only for the game itself but for the possibility to play a campaign without a D.M plus the overall miniature and tiles value that can be used in a DnD 5e session. Do you have any suggestions?
Hey Victor, I avoid reviewing or recommending on this channel, as I don't feel I can say for you, which type of game you'd like more. Each gamer will have their own tastes and preferences, but hopefully by checking the videos we've done, you can decide which would appeal to you the most.
@@WatchItPlayed That's true, thank you for taking your time to give this reply, I'll surely watch all your videos about them and try to decide. Have a good day!
Man when I get married and have kids, I want to become an awesome father like you. I love board games and used to make up my own when I was younger. When I have kids I am going to teach them how to play board games, get along, and be fair sports just like you did with your kids and what my mother did when I was young. oh and btw I am 21 hha and still enjoy board games!
hey i have a question.. what do you do when a monster is behind a door? can the monsters open the door or can they just pass trou or can't they do anything?
Hi Rodney, This is my second viewing of your "Wrath Of Ashardalon" playthrough. Would you consider doing some of the other D&D boardgames, for instance "Tomb of Annihilation"?
Hey Kim - hope you're enjoying the second viewing of the adventure. I don't tend to repeat game plays for similar systems (so many games, so little time!)
Has anyone asked about the door that opens up to a wall....?! Do you do anything with that BESIDES chalk it up to a stupid architect or small utility closet or something (maybe a tiny pantry)?
I'm doing the first adventure, and my first battle is with a bear on the square right next to me. Who attacks first? Do you roll and the higher roll goes first, then take turns fighting until one of you is dead? Is this different when he's farther away?
+2112dorf This is a bit tricky to answer as I'm not sure which part of the video you might be unsure about. The game is divided into phases. Heroes attack during their phase and monsters attack during the Villain phase. You don't really fight back and forth until one is dead.
Hello, Nice job, Could you please refer me to your first video? I also want to watch all the games you covered, is there a link? Have you done any top 10 series? Or are you planning?
Hey there, glad you liked the video. All of the games we've covered are in separate play lists: ua-cam.com/users/WatchItPlayedplaylists?flow=grid&view=1 The first series we did was Mansions of Madness. I don't review games, so you won't find any top 10 lists. I prefer to show games and let the viewer determine if the game would be a goof fit for them. I don't feel qualified to tell you what you would like.
Hi there, one question, which one is the very first game that appears in the video, where you assemble the various rooms to a mansion. It looks rather interesting. Is that the first edition of Mansions of Madness?
hey hope you still read these XD.. So i got Raventloft, and as usual when i get a boardgame i came here XD. You did not had CRL, but I understand (and it seems taht way) this play the same I ahve watch up to... episode 8 i wanna say.. but i dont see anything about "squeezing" so no sure if this game does not have it (i got RavenLoft) or im missing it I dont understand what wizard means with "squeezing" large/huge monsters into narrow space. e.g how dolicoth would move tru a hallway tile?!!?!?! is blocking everything, no matter how i put him in the walls. Thx XD
Men, amazing video, thanks so much, now I understand very well basic rules of the game. But, I have a question, how works the fights when there's more than one monster, I mean, in the villain phase, if there's for example 3 monsters, all the monsters atack or just the monster that the player summon in his turn. And the monsters have preference to the player who summon that monster or what happen for example if I have the Orc Smasher, but he moves to a tile where is 2 heroes, but no the heroe who summon him, ¿for who is the atack ? hope you can help me, and hope you can understand me (Inglish is not my first language)
Glad you liked the video Broko! You only activate the monsters assigned to you, during your turn. Unless on your turn, that same type of monster is controlled by more than one player - in which case all those same monsters will activate. If there is a choice of who to attack, the player chooses which hero will be attacked. You may find it helpful to watch a couple of our gameplay episodes as well, as we show some sample turns there.
Note: Please note, although at 11:27 I talk about what causes an encounter card to be revealed, I don't repeat that this must be drawn and resolved just BEFORE the step where the villain activates (if any), which is when that should happen. Apologies for any confusion that creates!
Note: At 19:00 I say that the character should receive 8 hit points, but then I add 9 accidentally... it should be 8.
4 years ago I found your channel and watched these videos.
Finally today I walked into my local store and purhased my first copy of Wrath of Ashardalon.
Today about 4 years later I'm returning to you to rewatch your tutorial.
Thank you.
+Maverick Warren That's pretty wild! Welcome back :) I hope you have fun playing!
I'm new to D&D and I came here, I now fully understand the game. Thanks man! Keep it up!
+Caleb Beabout Glad it helped Caleb!
Well its not entirely D&D, but its a great start
I bought it over 13 years ago, and no one has ever played with me. In the meantime I got engaged and then married and I had 2 childrend. yesterday my daughter asked me if we can play and here I am today to see the video 😂
It's never too late to play a game that's new-to-you! Glad you are getting the chance to play :)
Kids are the best!
I bought this game because I've always wanted to try D&D, but getting a group set up for the standard RPG would be very hard, and I'd probably make a horrible DM. Thank you for the entire playlist! It really helped me sort out the basics of how to play the game.
Sohail Keegan Pinto Our pleasure!!
This is the first of this guy's videos I have seen and he's already a legend, in my book.
Very glad to have you join us. This was one of our first videos, so you've got lots more to watch, if you like :)
Wow, this is an oldie! Seeing how far you've come really makes me appreciate these older videos. It really shows how much work and effort you put into your channel. You are a Board Game Geek staple man. Thanks for sticking to it and keeping us all informed on how to play all these great (and sometimes very complicated) games! :)
You've gone all the way back :) This was the first series on the Watch It Played channel. Mansions of Madness was before that, but on a separate channel. Thanks for the kind words and happy gaming!
@@WatchItPlayedHey Rodney. Is the other channel still active? Been a follower since the early days when you played with your kids and would really love to see those Mom videos.
All the best.
@@PsRetrogamer It is! You'll find it here: www.youtube.com/@RodneyJSmith - you may have to go back a ways, but you'll find them :)
Note: At 19:00 I say that the character should receive 8 hit points, but then I add 9 accidentally... it should be 8.
It's AMAZING that you are issuing corrections for ten year old videos. Wait, 12 year old videos. Amazing :)
God bless you and this channel. Again and again and again, I'll discover a new game, published 1 week ago, one year ago, or 9 years ago, and lo and behold, you so often have a video on it. Man, I love it. Rahdo, Dan King, and you are responsible for no less than 125 purchases I have over the years since about 2015 when I entered the hobby, well over several thousand dollars. I look forward to continue supporting your content.
So nice to hear they’ve been helpful Matt, means a lot to hear it!
I was just up in my attic and came across my old copy of Wrath of Ashardalon. Thought I'd see if anyone had a "How To Play" video to help refresh me on the rules. Imagine my surprise and happiness to see that Rodney had me covered...ten years ago, no doubt. Appreciate all that you do and glad to see you're still making new videos (and of course to your past self who helped me out with my rediscovery). Take care and thank you.
This was the second tutorial I ever recorded (and the first one I recorded as Watch It Played). Welcome to the beginning of the timeline Joe!
Watching this in December 2024, so we can play on Christmas Eve and Christmas with the family! 🤓🎄⚔️
Never too late to discover a game that’s new-to-you!
I'm a fan from the Philippines I love this channel reviewing the board games and explained the rules of every games in clear way for viewers like me to understand
So nice to know these have been helpful!
Excellent play with Rodney and his kids; breaking the episodes down to 7-20 minutes is a great setup.
Very good information, special effects and the teaching of this game; Rodney and his kids keep you entertained all the way through.
Just surfed around for this game and it is ranging from $25 - $65; definitely worth a spot on the shelf.
If you are wanting to learn this game, this is definitely worth watching.
Cheers
Jonathon M. Johnson
Thanks for the kind recommendation Jonathon :)
One thing I just thought of while watching the Mansions of Madness videos, the tiles for this game are annoying since they dead end into other walled tiles with no rhyme or reason. A bit more research is needed for the R&D department.
Watching this for the first time in 2023. The game looks fun and a simple DnD intro game.
never too late to discover a game that's new-to-you!
According to UA-cam, this is listed as the oldest video on the channel. Rodney, I hope you're proud of all your videos, even the early ones such as this. You can tell even back then, that you have the gift of teaching games.
Hey Josh - thanks so much for saying that. It's been a very fulfilling journey and one I have felt very fortunate to be able to take.
I actually have this game! I was having problems with how the rules worked, but this video really helped me see many of the things I was doing wrong. I will watch this series part by part, whenever time permits; so that I can finally play this game properly. Thanks for posting this, I should've watched this two years ago! LIKE! : D
Hey - so glad you found us then. I hope you'll stick around :)
Nice to see you do this, while the actual D&D channels dont show gameplay or cant be bothered to even make a playlist to follow a subject. Good work.
Just bought this game last weekend! My first delve into board games. Your videos helped with that decision. Hehe. Really enjoying them. :)
Welcome to the hobby! Hope you have many more fun adventures Kooky!
Rodney ALWAYS puts out the best reviews/explanations. Covers every detail and interprets difficult rules for you.
Keep it up!!
FANTASTIC!!!!!!
You're very kind Jon - this was one of our first videos, so nice you're finding it helpful!
Oh man, it was like magic; I just got a deal for a used Wrath of Ashardalon (been looking for it for a long while now), and the suggested video in youtube was this!
Keep up the awesome work, good sir!
+Dennis David Yay! Glad you found a copy and our video :)
This is the best damn review and explanation I've seen so far that doesn't require watching other people play the game first. Thank you very much!
You're very welcome. Glad to know you liked it!
Another killer video ! ! ! You've helped me become a Descent fan and now I believe you will help me become a Wrath of Ashardalon fan! These are great ! Still relevant in December of 2014!
That's great to hear Carlos, I have hoped that these videos will retain their usefulness over time!
Watch It Played well I can say that (in 2017) your old videos are very useful for learning/teaching games and to help me to decide if I want to buy a game. Thank you for all the vids you've done :)
Same can now be said for 2019. :-)
Very informative video. Saved me from having to read another manual! I don't know if I have a natural aversion to reading instruction manuals (I write them for a living), or just get frustrated by ambiguous/unclear verbiage. Definitely going to have to subscribe. It seems it's rare to find any kind of tutorial videos that are clear and well spoken on youtube, so congrats on cracking the code. :)
Thank you kindly Proppa!
You've played everything I want to buy! This is amazing for making my purchasing decisions. Thank you so much.
You're very welcome Keegan, so glad you enjoyed it!
Our group going to play this game.But we have hesitated because we are not english speakers.I'm happy to find this video.Thank you so much.
So glad to know this was helpful - have a great time playing!
was watching your Blood Rage playthrough a while ago when i realised I had to learn Ashardalon first since i'm waiting for this to be shipped. SUPER HELPFUL! thanks, man! keep it up! :D
You're very welcome - have fun playing!
i buy the game 1 week ego, glad a 10year old video is helping me to play it, i hope u are doing well (saludos desde chile)
It's never too late to learn a game - have a great time adventuring!
Whenever I need a refresher in rules I come here! Best tutorials ever!
+felipe hoil You are too kind - thank you Felipe!
Wow, Rodney, you look so young. I love seeing how the show has evolved. Thanks for all your great episodes.
Hahah, the quality f the video has improved, so you can see more of the lines and creases in my face :)
Ahhhhhh just spent 3 hours playing the legend of Drizzt. Lost 2 games on the run. Thought to myself "this is a bit tough". Just found out now you're supposed to draw a treasure card after every kill. Ahhhhh this would have helped soooo much. I really need to read rules properly. Thanks again, love the series and hope your having a nice vacation :)
Hey hey, glad this video helped with that rule.
Thank you so much for uploading these videos. I was a little hesitant to buy the game at first because it isnt cheap (costs about 100 AUD (Australian dollars) ) but thanks to you video I got a good idea of what the gameplay and mechanics were like before actually commiting to buy it. Also I found it really helpful how you laid out the rules because this made learning to play the game a breeze. I bought this game when my brother whom I havent seen for more than a year came over to visit from Singapore, and I can honestly we had so much fun playing WOA, without your videos I doubt this would be possible. =)
+suicyde240 That is such a nice story for you to share. I'm so glad the game ended up being a good fit and that it provided such fun moments for you and your brother!
=) ***** you put so much effort into making these videos and it shows, so I just hope you know that your effort was not in vain. Going to look through the rest of your videos to check out what games are similar to this one and hope you lot are doing awesome!
Hi there! We just met at GenCon. Thanks for taking a few minutes to indulge me as a fan of your content. Have a great time at the convention!
Very cool that we got to run into each other all those years ago!
I just recently got this game and re-watching the rules and play through helped me with some of the rules/questions that came up when I first tested playing the game myself!
Very pleased it helped - have fun monster-fighting :)
20:30 I like how you picked Dwarven Resilence as your example and state that it's a Daily Power, and then flip it over and you see on the back it says it's a UTILITY POWER!
OOOOPS!
Thanks so much for this video! I just bought the game and have never played any version of D&D, so this was really helpful. Looking forward to the next in the series!
I hope you have a great time playing and I'm glad to hear that the video helped!
Whoa! The show still going strong after 11 years is amazing. Keep it up! BTW keep an eye for the upcoming ( ca February 2023 )D&D Onslaught faction skirmish game with faction expansions Red Wizard and Many Arrows. WotC seems they will do have an ongoing support for it unlike the older boardgames. Subbed btw and greetings from Norway. I played L.O Drizzt with some characters from Elemental Evil wih my siblings, awesome stuff!
Greetings back from Canada! Yeah, Onslaught is coming from WizKids, I’ll be curious to check it out too.
Ok,I saw a pair of your video... And I have only one thing to say:You're amazing man!
That is very kind of you to say Vezz - I hope you continue enjoying the videos! Happy gaming :)
Yep
the first video still visible of the BEST board game explainer
This was the first official video as Watch It Played! Our Mansions of Madness series came before that, but it's over on the old channel :)
Looking back some of your older videos. Things had come a long way since. But the gift of teaching games was there already.
Very kind of you to say. While the look of the show may change, I always hope that the original heart and core of it is there.
Thanks for the hard work. I found this game at a Goodwill for 7 bucks.
Sweet deal!
Jump to 5:08 for when he actually starts showing you how to set up the game
I need to create an official index for this video. In the early days of my tutorials, my intros were far too long. I corrected this as I gained more experience.
This is the video i have been looking for for a while!
I'm glad you found us :) Hope you enjoy the series!
Hi. I really like your Intro !!! It's very incredible to see how fun and excitement drive such a production! Gonna enjoy more of it ... !
Thank you!
Just ran across your vids but I've seen you before! Your how to plays for Plaid Hat Games are great and I always make people watch them before we jump in since they are such an easy quick way to get people acclimated quickly.
Hey, glad you found us again! If you go to our playlists, you'll see all the games we've covered. Cheers!
Great video :) will definitely check out the rest of your channel. Me and my friends used to play "Castle Ravenloft" and now we are going to try normal dnd 4th edition.
Great game choice, I'm looking forward to watching it play out. I wasn't originally interested in this series, but the rules explanation has changed my mind.
Glad you enjoyed what you saw!
Hey man. Really enjoyed this series and it led me to buy the game, so thanks bunches.
I'm not sure which video it was in, but when you talk about max health/current health/leveling up you say that leveling up doesn't increase your current hit points, and only raises your max.
I pull my interpretation on that from the context of one of the villains in the adventure book, the rage drake. When he takes 6 damage (his max health) you flip the card over to enraged rage drake. His max health becomes 10, but the adventure states that he must take 10 damage before being defeated. I apply that context to characters.
To be clear, I interpret the health listed on the character card as max health. The damage tokens, to me, indicate how many points away that character is from max health. When leveling up, the damage tokens still indiacte how many points away from max health that character is.
Using your way, you'd have to use a piece of paper to keep track of each character's current hit points so that way there's no confusion when they level up.
This is my only bugaboo, and this is my interpretation on the rule. I feel it adds more survivability to the characters and makes leveling up more meaningful.
Thank you for the great series. Best wishes.
Yeah, this part of the rules did create some confusion for me, to be sure.
Ooooh...old school Rodney. Props for how far WIP has come good sir.
This was our very first series with the name Watch It Played :)
I have a question about the Vorpal Sword. If I decide to use it, do i need to roll an 18 or higher for to be able to do damage. I add +2 to my attacks, and when I am succesful, not sure how much damage I inflict, or is it none because I need to roll a 18 or higher. VORPAL SWORD :" You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against adjacent Monsters while this item is in play.
If you roll a natural 18, 19, or 20 on an attack, you deal +1 damage with that attack."
I do my best to answer all rules questions on the games I cover, but I avoid individual card effects, as that's a level of detail beyond what I can manage across all the videos I do. I'd suggest checking the rules forum for the game on BoardGameGeek or the publishers website. I hope you can find your answer there - have fun playing!
Wow I think you've convinced me to buy the game. I've been playing Settlers of Catan + expansion and Pandemic and I'm loving them but this would be a great new challenge!
Always fun to ad a new style of game to the collection. If you do pick it up, I hope you have a great time with it!
I have played this game 3 or 4 times with and with out a there players. Some of the rules get a little hazy. I do have to say I wish I had found your site sooner. You have don a very nice job explaining the game and I am looking foreword to checking out a there videos you have. Thank You!
Glad this video was helpful as you were playing!
Oh my god, finnaly! I'm starting to collect board games now, started with catan, mansions of madness and the third would be the Drizzt one, you can see by my nick name that I'm a fan of drows. Will watch the whole video before posting my commentaries. Omg, 24 mins of awesomeness! Yay!
Did you end up continuing to collect board games?
I play it whenever I get the chance! I play it with all of my friends and even by myself! It is freikin' awesome!!!! :D
Me and the wife are going to be getting into this. I think I will start with this game! I like the explanations!
Thanks Dan - glad you enjoyed!
Thank you alot easier to understand you than the instructions
You're very welcome Roy!
I have three questions :
a) Can each player (hero) choose his own class without taking into account what the rest of the players are choosing for the match (eg. can I play a match with 3 mage players?) or is there just a single slot for each class (eg. 1 dwarf, 1 barbarian, 1 rogue, 1 mage)
b) Are there more than two hero levels, as shown in the video?
c) Is the leveling and hero equipment persistent through the course of different consecutive matches?
+Kostas M.
a) The game comes with a limited number of heroes, but if you had multiple sets and wanted to combine heroes of the same type, there are no rules against that.
b) There are only 2 levels.
c) It is persistent if you are playing a campaign.
Hope that helps!
I'll get this for Christmas, I'm glad I found your channel! Keep it up
I'm glad you found it too :)
If you're ever in Toronto, which I know isn't likely BUT there's a great game store called 401 games on younge street. It's where I go to get my games
I order games from there from time to time :)
Thanks so much for this video. You clear and loud pronunciation and well-organized explanations made the tutorial extremely easy to understand for everyone. I wanted to get into D&D for a while now and this is the closest I'm probably gonna get. Now, if you were to make a tutorial on a full-fledged D&D session starting from scratch, I'd be delighted to no end. Alas, seeing how your channel is primarily dedicated to board games, this is unlikely to happen.... *sigh*
I know I've been doing this for 10 years, but I do still hope to get to an RPG one of these days!
These videos are great, and I almost always watch them before making a purchase decision. I imagine you don't make much off them from youtube ads for all the work you do. Is there a Paypal address we can send a "Thank you for the hard work" donation to?
James, that would be very appreciated, you can always donate to watchitplayed@live.com and it will certainly go towards keeping me doing more of these!
Thank you for the awesome video explaining the game! I'll definately purchase the sets during the summer.
You're very welcome - I hope you enjoyed the game if you ended up trying it.
1) 8:09, you can see that there’s a gate on the right side and nothing on the left side, can you go either way?
2) when you loose your health and use healing surge, how much health do you get?
Hey, I always do my best to answer questions on my videos, but this one was shot back in 2011, and it's been long enough since I played, that I don't recall. It might be easier to check the rule book for those specific answers, or watch the game play and see how it's handled there.
Watch It Played, Thanks
Cool. Just purchased this game on amazon. Wasn't sure about it now I am looking forward to playing it. I am new to board games and I am collecting good board games. I like cooperative board games and I prefer ones that you can solo against the board as well. If you know of some good ones let me know. So far I am getting 4th edition D&D, wrath of ashardalan, Arkham horror, lord of the rings and dungeonquest, and I have Mage knight, darkest night, and pandemic on my list of ones to get.
Hope you ended up finding some titles that you enjoyed!
Got the Legend of Drizzt and I adore it so much. I am getting this very soon since my Dad ordered it for me :D!!!!!
Soon, I'll be able to fight a beholder with Drizzt and his friends :D!!!!
So glad you've been enjoying it - I hope you have many heroic adventures!
@@WatchItPlayed i sure did :D!!! Thanks for the let's play.
Hi Rodney,
I am a big fan of your really helpful reviews.
What is the game in the intro that is shown from the beginning till about 0:10?
This intro was only used in the first episodes of your channel, so I wanted to posy my question here.
Thanks in advance and I am looking forward to new reviews.
alex
+alex Burggraf Hey Alex, the games shown are Mansions of Madness, Wrath of Ashardalon, Small World and Space Hulk. You'll find a play through of each in our playlists.
Hi thank you for the videos they are great, just wondering if you could tell me if you are allowed to attack more than one monster during your hero phase
Hey there, it's been awhile since I shot this video, so my memory of the rules is pretty fuzzy now, but can you tell me if this part addresses your question? ua-cam.com/video/vwbY_p2Zb3Y/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared&t=571
Thank you, I've been wanting to play this one but it looked so complicated to do so *lol* Watching this vid has made it a lot easier!
Really nice to know this was helpful!
18:20: why in the starting (double) tiles (with stairs) there aren't any scorched squares? How can monsters that move on scorched tiles reach the hero that stays on that starting tiles?
Hey Giovanni, I do my best to answer all rules questions, but I shot this video long enough ago that I don't recall the answer, and don't have my copy to be able to check for you.
I just got this game and wow this is your first video o.0
It was the first series we created under the name "Watch It Played" :) Mansions of Madness was technically first, but it's on a different channel . That said, you're right, you've pretty much gone all the way back!
Hi Rodney,
I stumbled across your youtube videos and they're really helpful. Thank you so much for doing them!
I do have a question. I'm on a limited budget but have really wanted to try one of the, "dungeon crawler" games. I've watched your videos for Descent and D&D which were both great! I would really like to know if you preferred one over another or if you have any recommendations.
Thank you!
Hey there, so glad to hear you liked the videos. Now I have to disappoint you a little. I do no t review or suggest games to people. It's just not something I'm comfortable with. Too many variables.
Oh god!! I have been playing all of them wrong!! wounded why I was finding them really easy!!
Glad these videos could help!
This is a great video series, I just bought Wrath of Ashardalon and am really enjoying it. Question: if you have 2 monsters on the only 2 adjacent squares on the edge of a tile, does that block other monsters from entering that tile or can they move through them?
It does not block the monsters from entering a tile. When a monster moves to a new tile, it simply moves onto the scorch mark on that tile, or any space on that tile if that scorch mark is occupied.
Question, to keep the number of monsters in check....could someone use their additional move (but not all the move points) to avoid opening another room? So if one is at the edge of a tile, but could move/move...could they use a fraction of their move to get away from the edge? Thank you for any help and for these videos. I've had this game since it came out and we often find it confusing!
Hi Robert, I usually do my best to answer all rules questions on the videos I've done, but this was long enough ago (and I don't have my copy) that I'm not sure.
So the difference between utility and daily is that with utillity you cannot move?
The Rulebook puts it this way:
"Daily powers represent a significant attack or a spectacular effect. Utility powers are special maneuvers that don’t actively attack Monsters but instead provide other advantages."
Neither affects your movement necessarily, but depending on the cards effect, it could.
Oh boy, 40+k subs. I remember visiting this channel around 2 years ago )
You were missed. Welcome back :)
@@WatchItPlayed you are more popular now
@@HalloikbenJim We are happy to see continued interest in what we're doing :)
23:23 I didn't know this, I was only taking treasure from the encounter cards
Great video. Just ordered this and CR.
Have a great time playing Chris!
Hey man, great concise video. Just got the game and I have one question: If you level up during a mission, do you stay leveled up in subsequent missions? Coming from a TTRPG background, it makes sense that you would, but I also don't want to throw the balance of the game out of whack by being too powerful at the beginning of missions. Thanks much!
Scott, thanks so much for your kind words and question. It's been awhile since I shot this one, so if you enjoyed, don't worry, I have gotten even more concise as time as gone on. Let's get to your questions. This particular game has a couple of modes. You can play games as one-offs, in which case if you do level up, that goes away when you start the next adventure. However, there is also a campaign mode included as well, and I don't remember exactly how it works there, as the scenarios are meant to be played one after the other, and leveling up might have a persistent effect (I don't have my copy of the game to be able to check for you, I'm afraid!).
As an aside, I bounced over to your channel, and saw you're doing some art for Marvel Champions. That's a great game with great art - congrats! Also, subscribed. That Nightsmoke comic looks rad, I'll likely look into picking that up.
@@WatchItPlayed Hey, thanks so much! Yeah, I've really been enjoying Champions (and need to paint my Crisis Protocol minis haha). Champions has been a lot of fun during quarantine, and I'm excited to get my comp copy of the Black Widow pack, which is the first one available that will feature some of my pieces.
And thanks for the quick reply! I might try to reset to level one each game and see how that feels. Since it's an older game, the links to the extended campaign rules don't seem to be on the WotC site anymore (that I can find), so I've been trying to dig around, with little success. We'll see, though! Thanks again!
@@ScottD Yes, I've had the same trouble trying to locate those rules in PDF form as well, for when questions come up. And hey, I just saw Black Widow pop up at my online game store, I'll keep an eye out for your work :) Side note (I'm sure you get this a LOT, so believe me, I'm expecting the answer to be no), but do you do commissions?
@@WatchItPlayed Awesome! And yes, I do! Shoot me an email at scottdrummondart@gmail. :)
Great walk through, but at 19:15 you put 9 HP instead of 8 😂
Oh my gosh, you're right! It SHOULD only be 8...
@@WatchItPlayed Still a great review though! 😂👌👌
This, Descent 2nd ed., Lord of the Rings, Ravenloft or Legend of Drizzt?
I'm new to tabletop adventure games and I can't decide which one to buy first, not only for the game itself but for the possibility to play a campaign without a D.M plus the overall miniature and tiles value that can be used in a DnD 5e session. Do you have any suggestions?
Hey Victor, I avoid reviewing or recommending on this channel, as I don't feel I can say for you, which type of game you'd like more. Each gamer will have their own tastes and preferences, but hopefully by checking the videos we've done, you can decide which would appeal to you the most.
@@WatchItPlayed That's true, thank you for taking your time to give this reply, I'll surely watch all your videos about them and try to decide. Have a good day!
W video, helped so much more than the rule book, god bless
Very glad it was helpful!
Man when I get married and have kids, I want to become an awesome father like you. I love board games and used to make up my own when I was younger. When I have kids I am going to teach them how to play board games, get along, and be fair sports just like you did with your kids and what my mother did when I was young. oh and btw I am 21 hha and still enjoy board games!
I'm 45 and still enjoy board games :)
What is the first game you placed the tiles out for, in the opening?
Mansions of Madness, also a game we featured on our series. You can check our playlists to find it.
I love wrath of ashardalon ROCKS!!!!
Glad you've been enjoying this game!
hey i have a question.. what do you do when a monster is behind a door? can the monsters open the door or can they just pass trou or can't they do anything?
I believe they just stay behind the door. I'm away from my rule book currently.
Hi Rodney, This is my second viewing of your "Wrath Of Ashardalon" playthrough. Would you consider doing some of the other D&D boardgames, for instance "Tomb of Annihilation"?
Hey Kim - hope you're enjoying the second viewing of the adventure. I don't tend to repeat game plays for similar systems (so many games, so little time!)
Great site. Like the family atmosphere. Keep it up.
Will do!
hey can you tell me what the first game is in the intro of your video? looks good.
also thnx for the video. helpt allot.
That's Mansions of Madness. You'll find a play through of it in our playlists.
Thank you For teaching me how to play Dungeons & Dragons
Glad you liked the video!
Has anyone asked about the door that opens up to a wall....?! Do you do anything with that BESIDES chalk it up to a stupid architect or small utility closet or something (maybe a tiny pantry)?
I'm guessing a tiny pantry :) You just ignore those doors.
Two thumbs up! Thank you for this excellent tutorial!!
You're very welcome Uncle - glad you enjoyed it :)
I'm doing the first adventure, and my first battle is with a bear on the square right next to me. Who attacks first? Do you roll and the higher roll goes first, then take turns fighting until one of you is dead? Is this different when he's farther away?
+2112dorf This is a bit tricky to answer as I'm not sure which part of the video you might be unsure about. The game is divided into phases. Heroes attack during their phase and monsters attack during the Villain phase. You don't really fight back and forth until one is dead.
I have this game and the Legend of Drizzt but can't find players to play. Guess I am playing solo. Thanks for the video.
You're welcome!
Hello, Nice job, Could you please refer me to your first video?
I also want to watch all the games you covered, is there a link?
Have you done any top 10 series? Or are you planning?
Hey there, glad you liked the video. All of the games we've covered are in separate play lists: ua-cam.com/users/WatchItPlayedplaylists?flow=grid&view=1
The first series we did was Mansions of Madness.
I don't review games, so you won't find any top 10 lists. I prefer to show games and let the viewer determine if the game would be a goof fit for them. I don't feel qualified to tell you what you would like.
Hi there, one question, which one is the very first game that appears in the video, where you assemble the various rooms to a mansion. It looks rather interesting. Is that the first edition of Mansions of Madness?
Yes, that's it!
Thanks!
Hey is there a way to get more creature cards for these board game sets other than what it comes with?
I'm not sure, you might be able to buy one of the different sets and combine them.
Hi. I'd like to know if these rules apply castle ravenloft.
Yes. I believe this version has a few extra things, but they are games that are meant to be able to be mixed together, so overall the work the same.
I love this guy !!!
Glad you're enjoying!
At 10:30 you placed a tile, thereby blocking the door. What happens here?
+tubeisace The door is unusable.
Watch It Played Thanks, i was wondering the same thing. Doubt you will see this 2 years later though
hey hope you still read these XD.. So i got Raventloft, and as usual when i get a boardgame i came here XD. You did not had CRL, but I understand (and it seems taht way) this play the same
I ahve watch up to... episode 8 i wanna say.. but i dont see anything about "squeezing" so no sure if this game does not have it (i got RavenLoft) or im missing it
I dont understand what wizard means with "squeezing" large/huge monsters into narrow space. e.g how dolicoth would move tru a hallway tile?!!?!?! is blocking everything, no matter how i put him in the walls.
Thx XD
Hmmm, not sure if that's a rule specific to Castles of Ravenloft. I don't remember anything about that in this set.
Men, amazing video, thanks so much, now I understand very well basic rules of the game.
But, I have a question, how works the fights when there's more than one monster, I mean, in the villain phase, if there's for example 3 monsters, all the monsters atack or just the monster that the player summon in his turn.
And the monsters have preference to the player who summon that monster or what happen for example if I have the Orc Smasher, but he moves to a tile where is 2 heroes, but no the heroe who summon him, ¿for who is the atack ?
hope you can help me, and hope you can understand me (Inglish is not my first language)
Glad you liked the video Broko! You only activate the monsters assigned to you, during your turn. Unless on your turn, that same type of monster is controlled by more than one player - in which case all those same monsters will activate.
If there is a choice of who to attack, the player chooses which hero will be attacked.
You may find it helpful to watch a couple of our gameplay episodes as well, as we show some sample turns there.