I have played Feast for Odin 17 times, thereof 8 times with the Norwegian expansion. Since I have it, I have never played without it. ;-) Honestly, I dont have a favorite strategy. It's mainly the first cards that determine the way to go. If I needed to name one favorite area, I might go for craftmanship. It's great to get blue and grey tiles from iron and stone. I love this game. It's my #3 of all time, only beaten by Terraforming Mars and the Arkham Horror LCG. Even though it's all about puzzleing it all feels so thematic and each action makes sense.
One of my favorite strategies is to only cover the first couple of income spots on the main board so I earn 2 income and not cover any of the rest of the income spots. I only worry about covering the negative spaces on the main board. I focus on getting 2 or sometimes 3 island boards and earn all of my income and bonuses from them. My last 2 player game I had 2 island boards fully covered and scored 150 points. This is also my #3 game of all time after Terraforming Mars and Too Many Bones 😊
I like strategy adjacent 'play' suggested by the appendix ...by that i mean i watch videos on ancient flax production,or viking jewellery, or information on the various islands, viking storage..and so on....all this thematic knowledge has enhanced my gameplay, and expanded my enjoyment away from just maximising points.
I used to exclusively do pillaging before Norwegians. I tend to stick to multiple Island strats but I'm not super great. I get in the 120s. I kinda don't want to ever master the game because I think it would take the fun out of it
Great video. The solo experience is excellent for this game as well. You play two colours and the spots you pick in one round are blocked for you in the next round. A really interesting and low maintenance solo mode. Agree that Norwegians takes it up a level.
Agree, solo mode looked very smart and smooth. Total information so the game won't suddenly mess you up, but at the same time you can't just spam the same actions every round. So much better than some of the convoluted solo modes out there.
Not at all claiming to be an expert at the game but I have often done well with a particular strategy, scoring in the 160s my last two games (4p) and before that was consistently in the 120-140 range. Here’s what I often do: -Round 1: Find an efficient way to cover 2x2 spot to get 2 income from homeboard, get materials for a longship (and 2 stone if possible), possibly build longship. I then ignore my home board until the last round. -Round 2: Build longship if I didn't in round 1, possibly build starting shed. Can use the 4-worker spot to build the ship + a shed if you have stone and an occ you want to play. Usually go Pillaging. -Round 3-5: Get 2 islands ASAP. Usually like to snag ones with silver on them if possible, but I highly prioritize Greenland and Iceland. Get as much income as possible to buy/emigrate ships and focus on the good bonuses (e.g., the whale on Greenland or ones from starting shed). Always keep one longship to do the 2-worker Pillaging spot when possible. Do the hunting/fishing/whaling options when cheap ones are available and/or I have accumulated some weapon cards. Use the cheap upgrade/resource spots as needed to supplement. Pretty much ignore animals and trading spots (sometimes use the cheap market spot). Mostly or completely fill up the two islands by round 5. Round 6-7: Get a 3rd island if needed (especially if there’s a good one and/or one with lot of silver on it). Get a storehouse if I don’t have one to dump excess yellow/red tiles on at end (possibly 2 storehouses). Prioritize upgrade spots and spots that let me use any excess weapons. Buy then emigrate whaling boats if possible. Fill the negative spots on homeboard, and any left on other boards, as best as possible. This definitely isn’t the only viable approach - I saw someone get in the 170s with animals but I haven’t yet tried an animal-based strat yet, and that same player got high 150s with a pure yellow tile/storehouse strat. Of note is both my recent 160+ point games I had the Armory shed to start and an early occupation that helped with my plan, so I was decently well set up for it. A couple other observations: -Getting early (good) islands is key, especially if they have silver on them. -I think the “upgrade all unique green tiles” spot is a bit of a trap. Green tiles are just as good as blue if you tetris your board right, and knarrs are better for emigrating than trading in my opinion. -Ideally, you mostly avoid taking resources off the strip after the first round or two because you’re getting them from bonuses. But it’s often worth taking resources off the strip if there’s silver on them (or possibly ore if you need it). -I usually discard (or play) most my occupations just for the points, so I don’t tend to prioritize them much unless I stumble upon ones that work well for me. Though some other players like to hunt for good occs in round 1 and let that guide their strategy. -I believe some people swear by prioritizing bonuses, even from homeboard, first before income. I haven't necessarily tried it but I think my hybrid approach of getting a good island or two relatively early for a great bonus is better than getting some smaller bonuses in rounds 1-2. Could be wrong though.
Good observations. I would add hunting and sailing are great options. Whaling and pillaging are two of the most popular action spots for high ranking players. Like OP said, getting an island in round 1 or 2 is crucial to scoring. Starting with your player board is a huge mistake. Just do the math for income vs spaces covered. I usually don’t fill my main board (outside of 2x2) until the final round, where I often completely fill it. I usually fill 2-3 islands first, depending on availability. Houses are also great because they are easy to fill. Also, as OP alluded, mainly place green tiles with coins/tools between them, not blue tiles as upgrading to blue wastes actions. And for the haters, this is actually an awesome game if you take the time to learn it. It’s not for everyone, but I think most heavy gamers would love it if they give it a fair chance. Happy gaming!
It feels odd to put this in before watching-but I’ve been super stoked for when you’d release this video. Thank you guys for making your playthroughs. Always bumps up my day. Wishing y’all the best and success with your channel :)
Got this game after watching your playthough. I know your teach and play through videos take a lot of work but it greatly informed my purchase! Keep up the great work!
This game has so many opportunities for scoring that it can be hard to know where to go and what to focus on. I really enjoy this game despite that. One of Uwe's best! I have yet to play the expansion, but I have heard so many good things about it.
Don't happen to have enough time at the moment to fully appreciate the wealth of information in your video; nevertheless I don't want to wait to say thank you for taking on and taming this "beast of a game", as you called it, for the sake of us interested viewers. I always find your postgame analysis very interesting and helpful. (BTW, you're both really likable individuals.) I wonder which I'd like better, Odin or Arle. Not sure, but I know two videos to help me decide. ; )
Thanks for all your hard work on this magnificent game! Really enjoyed your teach, playthrough and review. Such an excellent game, I love the sandboxy feel! My favourite quote from this video: "let's flip into a pig" Thanks as always lovely people and take care! Cis
So timely! I just played a 2p game of Feast w Norwegians. Scored 149 against 96. Took 2 exploration boards and 3 sheds/huts. I managed to cover everything on main + both exploration boards before taking final income. My style of play before Norwegians was always to take 1-2 exploration boards as I always complete both main board and 1 exploration board by round 5/6 usually. I almost don’t or just do 1 emigration as the workers to points ratio didn’t feel right to me. My last 2 4p games scored 138 and 141. Personally, I always wondered why people think emigration wins the game… cause I’ve never lost to anyone who uses that strategy. 😅😅😅
I really appreciate this video. We received this for Christmas and felt overwhelmed trying to set it up and get started but your simple way of explaining and this walk through have us back on track - thank you!
This game is my favourite solo game of all time, the solo ruleset is so simple (you have two sets of workers and they each stay on the board for two rounds as you alterate between them) and playing solo just gives you more time to puzzle everything out. Very much agreed about the norwegians being an automatic addition, it's essentially a second edition upgrade of the game that improves balance and smoothes some issues without adding much complexity.
I have base and expansion on the way...I've never played the game, would you advise beginning straight away with the integration of Norwegians Expansion? My general philosophy is to become very familiar with a base game before adding expansions, but I'm seeing/hearing a theme online of adding Norwegians as soon as you have it. Any thoughts?
Fantastic video guys, I love your dynamic! Your individual strategies definitely gave me pointers as well. I’m sure this video took a long time to put together, so thanks for doing what you do and having us join in on the fun and learning 😊
will be using for my group, once I finally get my hands on a physical copy... whooo boi, I've been trying to prepare them with Castles of Burgundy and other euro-y worker placement games. That menu board is no joke!
Thank you for making such great videos. I found your channel when I looked up how to play Cloud Age, but now I keep watching even when I personally don't own the game. You two make a great couple and it's so relaxing to watch/listen to you play. Much love.
Thank you so much for this video. Monique what an amazing work you did with your teaching !! I am very impressed ! I love Uwe's games but I haven't played this one yet. I want to so much after watching your video ! MERCI !
First time on this channel they've reviewed a game I've played. My wife & I just got this game last fall and have played in half a dozen times... so still learning it - but we both really like it. Thanks for the play through...
Fun playthrough! Makes me want to break it out too - sign of a great game. I love this solo and at 2 - Norwegians is a must with that 5th column and artisan sheds.
47:40 Nope. This has been clarified on BGG. The rulebook says a horrifyingly misleading phrase in this section that causes widespread misunderstanding, but the designers have clarified that what they were trying to say is that if at the start of phase 11 there is a mountain strip with only the last money, you remove the money and the strip. That is, you just remove the leftmost item and then if the strip is empty you remove it, but they said it in a rather poor fashion AFFO is the game I play the most with my sister and is our favorite game. But more than that, as I've said before and will again, Norwegians is probably the best board game expansion to exist. Most board game expansions just add new stuff and Norwegians certainly does that, but it also goes back and fixes the original game and substantially revamps it. Heck, it fixed problems with the original that I didn't even realize (consciously) it had had! This is especially notable when playing two player. Really enjoyed this playthrough even if, yes, I did wince a little at some parts :P . Thanks for the video!
Thank you for this playthrough. In my opinion, what could improve your tile lying strategie is, to use coins to get you the income faster (f.ex. 01:31:49 you could have used 2 coins to get the blue tile as income from then on) and try to surround the green tile on your main board (f.ex. 01:46:20 you could have fliped the green tile on top with the same shape below). hope that helps. Enjoy your day.
Great Video, always enjoy watching these. There is another Uwe Rosenberg Game you did not mention at the end that you haven't covered I think. It was on Gamefound and was just delivered. It's called Oranienburger Kanal and I actually think it would compete for your favorite design of his. It's super tight and thinky for 1-2 players. Great at both these player counts. I really like it
Amazing video! I joined your PATREON group because of the quality of your videos. I have learned so much from them. This one and Brass Lancashire tie as my favorites but so many others are excellent as well. It was enjoyable playing this game once as a 3 player and wanted to watch before I played two player as well as solo. My strategy/sheer luck was nearly identical to Monique’s! I somewhat fell into horses and emigration and it worked! Even bought the Isle of Skye, which is so coincidental. Anyway, excellent work on this channel.
Been on the fence for weeks and months. Finally pulled the trigger. This looks amazing and I'm ready for it. Thank you for sharing your view on this game.
thanks for doing this, it was most helpful, the game really makes more sense now... I finally tracked down a copy of the expansion, and am just starting to dive into the game, and was having a bit of trouble trying to make sense of the myriad of options
I've been looking forward to this playthrough ever since your top 50 list: I've never played it, but I love Patchwork (the only Uwe Rosenburg I've played so far) and your description has always intrigued me. Super fun to watch and I hope I can find someone to play it with! Since my husband and I play most games just the two of us, I'm thinking Fields of Arle might be a more useful addition to our game closet, if I can find it. Thanks as always for the fun, informative video!
Have you guys played with the Harvest mini expansion? It adds nice variability to when the harvests occur along with 1×1 tiles. Definite recommend if you haven't. I really like the winter tiles, too. I have the organization down so that everything fits in the base box without any lid lift, so it is doable!
I don't always play with the Harvest tiles but I almost always carry out the additional Norwegian setup rules it comes with (picking your Artisan shed in reverse player order and building it immediately). It helps everyone start with a bit of oomph on their side.
The almanac is great. It is very educational and I appreciate the effort of creating it. If one is interested in the history of Vikings then I’d read it. It’s well worth it.
I think the feast for odin is the ultimate Rosenberg experience. Diversity of action space means that a small change can stir a butterfly effect more easily to turn each game into a different and unique experience. I dont generally like his games but i think i could have fun with this, although this will be hugely stressful
It's a surprisingly forgiving game, in my experience, as long as you have a through-line kind of strategy. Temporary disappointments often can turn into game-changing pivots and the positive feedback loop is pretty high imho
Phew just watched the enire Uwe Rosenberg series, that's alot of hours but i enjoyed every hour of it. Before these series i didn't know about Uwe Rosenberg but now more than ever i appreciate what that man can do. I just orderd Agricola, Caverna, At the gates of Loyang and Le Havre. And on 2nd hands boardgame sites i hope to find a copie of Merkator and Ora Et Labora. Thank you guys for introducing me to him (UWE) :). btw i sometimes laught so hard at the little teasing moment between you 2. Keep up the good work and i can't wait to the next video in this series
First off, great teach to the game. Top marks as always. That said, *wow* is this a beast of a game. People say [Paladins of the West Kingdom] was bad, but that only has ~12 actions (6 cheap ones, 6 expensive ones), with a few more action spaces dropping in with later rounds. A Feast for Odin has, effectively, 30 or 40 action spaces, plus lots of decisions extra. Lots of other Uwe Rosenburg's work isn't much better (Agricola at least increased actions spaces slowly). That's before you get to the iconography and font choices. I'm astounded this game only got away with a 3.86 complexity as opposed to 4.25 and upwards (BGG score). At least Hallertau comes in at a balmy 3.28 complexity, and that's as heavy as I'm comfortable teaching to most players. I'm a veteran hobby player and even thinking about this game hurts my brain. I appreciate all the farming games from the designer, but maybe scale it back a bit?
My favorite boardgame. So much freedom to do whatever you want. One thing that I would say strategy wise is that you focus too much in flipping your green tiles to blue. They give you the same amount of points. Having a mixture in your house will save you some actions! Fun playthrough, thanks!
Amazing video, super helpful! I'm thinking of getting Norwegians for 2 player. Do you only use the 4 new island boards? Or do you use all 8 of them when playing 2 player?
Great showcase of A Feast For Odin, I'm like Monique where I was kind of skeptical at first but just instantly fell in love with the myriad options where it feels like you can truly forge your own path to achieve goals. Such a perfect Sunday afternoon game. Strategy wise I'm kind of ok, still experimenting with a lot of stuff and I've probably played it a few times. I'm waiting for Board Game Arena to include the Norwegian expansions because it's so good to play on there, no setup and auto-scoring! I think going for two islands (one of them being one of the 30ish point ones) is important, and getting the really impactful bonuses from there isn't that hard with some usage of silver and hooked pieces. This sets you up in the late game as you just get so many compounding free pieces. I think you can also go reasonably heavy on the sheds instead of one of the islands, this helps you feed easily with the mead and peas bonuses and they kind of exponentially begin paying off at a certain point.
In regards to the elk hunt green U piece, you can definitely use it right away to surround the ore bonus spot on your home board to begin earning bonus ore from round one.
Thanks a lot for a great video, as always. No one of us has played it before. Would you even recommend starting with the Norwegian expansion or have at least 2-3 games with the basic one?
That was fun! I like the game, but I didn't realise you could upgrade animals to green and/or blue tiles. That way we mostly got stuck with a lot of livestock. Thanks for explaining that.
We have more Uwe R games than any other designer, I think. So many enjoyable titles, and this one is great! We also only play with Norwegians. Also have the Harvest mini-expansion to try out, which I have heard is great. Did you guys get Oranienburger Kanal?
Great video! I think you pick your actions quite well, and to improve your score you could use greens and silver to fill up your board faster. Be in the habit of getting as much income and bonuses as possible, even if you have to use most or all your silver. That silver would end up covering up negatives at the end of the game anyway, invest it asap! Also try to use greens in a checkered pattern. For example, in round 5 you both had an opportunity to get the Runestone bonus on your main board. Naveen could play his green Antlers around the Runestone bonus. Monique could move the Tools 1 space right and fill in the revealed spaces with 2 silver.
Around 45 Minutes into your video there was a mistake. You do not remove the Resource strip if there’s only 1 resource left. Only if you empty it. People miss read the rulebook wouldn’t mention if there’s one left you would remove it that is if there’s only one left at the time you were removing it to make it empty.
It looks like you have the Christmas promo tiles (Christmas tree, skis, sleigh, etc.). I've been looking for that promo for a bit. Do you remember where you got it?
Gernot kopke the designer of the norwegians Stated on BGG that the longer strip was a production mistake. It needed to be the same size as the other. He advised to use the longer strip as last/in the last round because it could be a little OP when starting with it.
I love this game and one of my biggest regrets to sell but I hoped for a big box version. I will probably re-purchase this one with the expac if they don't do a big box.
Great video as always. Played the game a couple of times, but never with Norwegians. It feels the occupations weren't used much, and the expansion "fixes" that by simply letting you convert them into points. Are they too weak to make you want to play them? Should playing them be less expensive?
Thanks for the fun playthrough. I like Uwe games, but have always avoided this one for one reason: I really dislike games that start out, "In the negative." It's the reason I promptly gifted Isle of Cats after one play. BUT, y'all made this one look like a lot of fun so now I think I've been avoiding a great game all these years! I've really enjoyed this series, and can't wait for the next installment.
At 57:30 Naveen takes two income yet the area below the coin symbol is not covered. I thought that to claim the coin value you must have covered to the left and below the symbol? Or have I misunderstood this rule?
Hi, the rule is for covering up the hand. Everything to the left and below (and the box it creates) must be covered before the income hand can be covered. Taking income is based on lowest exposed hand. Hope that helps!
Setting aside the fact that Fields of Arle is designed for two players, would you say that Arle does anything that makes you want to specifically reach for Arle over Feast? I have Feast on the way, and I've loved Arle's meditative sort of vibe, but I'm hoping Feast has more of a strategic feel. I find that regardless of my strategy, i end up scoring similar on Arle, and that's somewhat led to diminishing returns despite my general adoration for the game.
Well watching this game it does look like you want to get animals and ships early animals get your more due to breeding oh and maybe get an early building that provides some good bonuses. Sure there are a ton of choices in this game but even in a two player game the goods ones can go quickly in the final round. Oh and Naveen should have surrounded Elk Horns on "Islay" since that would have gave him a green five tile. So seeing what the islands provide as bonuses can direct you the the one you might want to go after. Oh and you should get one early since covering those bonuses can be done fairly easy and the payout is worth it. But this was a great play through and the game is actually easy to play but like most heavy Euro's hard to win. Game has a lot in it which can cause new players to stay away from it but the actions are easy. So thanks for the play through and I would recommend it to new players.
I hope they will revisit this game soon and update it with new art and maybe with new gameplay. I hope they will do a Special Edition like they did with Castles of Burgundy. This game deserves that.
