Welcome to Bad at Board Games, where we're bad, so you don't have to be. Well, Toph's pretty good at board games, but, Brad, well...
We're Brad & Toph, two friends who love many aspects of the tabletop hobby. Along with Aura, Haiden, and others, we make content about board games, what we like and don't like, finding new things to bring to our gaming group, making suggestions for your collection & gaming group, and bringing you along for the ride as we play through and review some amazing games.
Brad is the creator of Bad at Board Games. According to his kids, well, he's bad at board games. Topher joined Brad's gaming group and can confirm (and has the stats to prove it)! TBH, neither of us are bad at board games, we're just two friends who love this hobby and love to share it with others, win or lose.
Join us as we bicker, talk smack, win, lose, share, and explore tabletop gaming.
We're glad you're here! Whatever you enjoy, join us at the table!
Thanks for the review Brad. As you say if time is a problem, I should pass on it. I was really interested in it, but for me on an Euro the max time is 2hrs
I'm really surprised that no reviewer mentions how the tiles and the scoring seem completely disconnected from the theme and the rest of the game. When I finished reading the rules for all the actions I was like 'ok, that makes sense' but then the tiles are another game on their own. I didn't hate the game when I played it, but I'm probably not going back to it.
Biggest gripe with original was players rushed to OC over and over and caused game to end earlier than other players wanted. Argentina made it even worse. New Zealand fixed it. New Zealand is the only one we need to own. We own all three but it truly added everything and elevated it.
New Zeeland is so good I agree with you. Our group does not seem to rush the game. I tried once when I thought I was a head of Toph but ended up loosing. I could see it if everyone did that though.
Hello guys!! I hope your doing great. I wanted to like this game but after reading and now watching your review, definitely is not for me. The wallet remains safe ... for now
Hi Brad. Good review, as always. I had my bud search this and missed it because the title didn’t include the name of the game. I think it might be easily overlooked by nonsubscribers. Thanks.
You are not alone! Root is my favorite game of all time and I love Ahoy and Pax Pamir, but Arcs just isn't fun. Too much take that and randomness for a game that lasts that long. The expansion campaign mode of the game adds a little more strategy and finesse, but still feels like a slog. My group wondered whether a draft of the action cards (pick one, pass the stack around) would fix a lot? That way you could at least somewhat draft into a strategy for the round.
Your opinion is not isolated. The majority of opinions I have heard are saying the same thing .... "its ok ... kinda" I am excited to try it for sure, but still, this one is hype.
I appreciate your genuine review. No hyperbole, no sugar coating. I always wait for your take on a game, especially if there’s so much buzz and hype. You have saved me a quite a few times (example: Wyrmspan). Having said this, I will still try to play the game and see if I like it. But thankfully, you have tempered this mindless frenzy. Now, I feel there’s no need for me to rush and make an impulsive purchase. This is why I wait for your reviews. Thanks Brad!
Regarding your argument at 3:05 (beginners choosing initial placements badly). That is why with a beginner the first few games you should play with the beginners setup (as explained in the rules). Typically after two games, they get the idea and you can go to the random setup. Alternatively from the second game onwards you help them with advice on the initial setups, say what you would do and why. I don't agree with many commenters below that the game is decided after the setup. I find it exciting throughout, especially with the bargaining. And end-game situations can become very exciting.
Thank you so much for the thorough review. I was getting caught in the hype and I’ve always deferred purchase until I heard your point of view. You’ve saved me quite a few times (example: Wyrmspan). I’ll still have to try the game myself but my impulsive desire has been fortunately dampened. Thanks again for taking the time to help us all out!
Loved the review! Gorgeous intro by the way. A second hand one of these showed up on the local boardgame store, hoping it is still there because this review convinced me to snag it! I enjoy worker placement, and the scoring mechanics seem to scratch my itch for the right amount of complexity! Have you tried/heard of Doggerland? It's a hunter gatherer themed worker placement game with map exploration and resource exhaustion, it's already one of my favorites!
Sorry if I missed it, but did you say how many play you've had of Arcs at the time of the review? I am wondering because you have the same cons as most people that played it only a few times, yet many enthusiast claim that once you've had a few experience, the game clicks and you get to see how you can maneuver around the randomness and ''swinginess'' of the game. Are these enthusiast full of it?
They are not full of it they hopefully are honest anout their opinions. I just don’t share that opinion. My recommendation to people watching my reviews is to look at my top 10-20 of all time list and see if your likes align with mine. It helps to gauge of you should listen to me or not. There are a lot of pros as I went through but also some cons. Played it multiple times but not 10. I think this will be hit and miss. I did not get blown out by the game or personally swing that bad and some may like it and others may not. In the end I just did not enjoy it sadly.
They are not full of it. The more you play the less the randomness matters and the more you realize how to use the many many mechanics the game offers to get around it. If you don't want to commit multiple plays then that's totally fine but the randomness seems to only be an issue with players who have only a few plays.
thanks, Brad! Played once so far and .... meh. Not a fan of, like you said, needing to go after other people in order to secure a path to victory. I just don't want to be pushed into such tactics and strategy though am okay with a lot of games where toe to toe encounters are frequent.
Oh look, it's another Cole Werhle game to avoid like the plague. It's like they're designed from the ground up to be as repellent as possible to me. Always interesting, never fun. Opinions eh?! Thanks for your thoughts though, as always!
when something is overhyped or too much on the hotness, it always puts me off, but I have to swallow my pride and acknowledge that this game is actually pretty good, I just played it a couple of days ago and it totally blew me away! and that's coming from someone who doesn't like root
I think that is awesome actually! Like I said for those who like it the cost is well worth it buy it will have a niche. I had a lot of pros considering my final rating. Wish we had enjoyed it more.
I enjoy this game but I get it. Sometimes there's runaway points, not seeing card suits for multiple chapters, people stealing all your stuff, the person to your immediate left getting the initiative, etc. But I found the game and experience clicked for me once I treated the game more like poker in that I play the hand I'm dealt and play reactive (tactical) vs. traditional 4x games and try to be proactive (Strategic).
Yep very tactical and random with possible cards. I just think that is what people need to realize. I had a lot of pros but it came down to am I having fun in the end.
Thx for the honest review, Brad! Haven’t played Arcs yet, but from everything I’ve seen this one looks like a pass for me. I was dissappointed by Root and sold it tbh, but John Company and Pax Pamir look promising - haven’t tried those yet.
Ya they can be. This did not seem hard to table just fyi but it will really depend on what games you like in comparison to this one. Also how much do you align with me on past reviews can be an indicator.
I am very glad it is a hit and I think that is how it is going to be. With the randomness of the cards and dice and taking on other opponents people just need to understand what they like about their games vs getting drawn into the FOMO. Sorry to let you down but he one thing I said I would do on the channel is just give my honest opinion be it good or bad and see how it goes.
@@BadatBoardgamesyes but you get to choose which dice. And many games with cards are random to an extent. But like any trick taking, you can keep track to an extent what’s been played and know what’s left and it’s about being tactical with how you use the cards available to you. Etc. But any game can be explained away, at the end of the day, some people will enjoy it and some won’t. This is a game for me I enjoy playing but I have no interest in owning.
@KMReviews yes any game can be explained away but from my standpoint is what I am trying to give people who align with my tastes to help them spend money on things they might like. Glad you like it! I so wanted to. It will be hit and miss I think but that’s most board games 😂
@@BadatBoardgames I liked the abilities, but it just presented too much potential for sitting around not accomplishing much of anything. I really wish I liked it more. To me, most of Cole's games feel like they exist in a very bitty microturn design space where it feels more like an ecosystem you get to tweak slightly every turn than an actual game with real player agency.
@@BadatBoardgames I suspect I won't like coin games, but for some reason I like Root, still need to try the new factions and the Hirelings. Hoping they add a bit more of a catch up mechanic to the game.
Do you have a gate on your audio? It sounds like it, and like the settings are off such that it’s cutting off some words and almost making your voice sound choppy.
Artist that you're probably talking about is Gustave Dore (for Dante's Inferno) or for non-Dante's Inferno there's Hieronymus Bosch, Fra Angelico, Lochner, Memling. There's a lot but those one's are popular
1 Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition (Has Not Moved) 2 Too Many Bones 3 Batman: Gotham City Chronicles (Down 1 Spot) 4 Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island 5 Heroscape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie 6 Cosmic Encounter (Down 2 Spots) 7 Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game 8 Dead of Winter: The Long Night (Down 3 Spots) 9 Dinosaur Island 10 Terraforming Mars
Hi Brad. Did you end up backing? I’m waiting for your Arcs review to choose between the two. GameNerdz has the AE Deluxe All In available and the Arcs + expansion + campaign too and am very interested in both.
