Age of Innovation: A Terra Mystica Game - Gen Con Preview! 

Glad you like that. We had shirts like this made a few years back, and actually made them available on our Kickstarter. I think we might make them available again before the end of this year.

The wait is almost over!

It's really feeling like "THE" version in my opinion. 😁

Same!

I take it you're a TM fan already?

@@meeple I for one am. Terra Mystica is my favorite game, Gaia Project is in the top 10, and Clans of Caledonia which shares a lot of similarities is in my top 100. :) The only one I haven't played is Terra Nova (TMystica lite).

@@RaduStanculescu I still haven't tried Terra Nova, but I want to--just to see how it scales the experience back. Did you see that a Clans of Caledonia expansion is on the way soon?

@@meeple Yeap. I'm mostly playing Clans online on BGA these days, but might end up getting the expansion. Terra Nova I'm very curious about, to see if I can bring more people into the universe without us Terra Mystica sharks scaring them. 😛

TM is my favorite game. It is the game I have played most in my whole collection of 300+ games (counting regular and digital versions). That being said. I think Age of innovation is in nearly all aspects better them TM and will replace it for me in the future. I think especially TM fans will love it - because newcomers might even a hard time with it (too complex, too much going on) and might be better off starting with TM.

It's just like the Gaia Project box, but about .5 inch thicker.

We've only played it once, but I would say that it feels quite similar to the those in all those respects. Given the fact that there are modular boards, there's a bit more of a process for setting up (but a very fun process). Other than that, I think you can expect similar play time, setup, and tear down.

I'm no TM expert, but I just took a quick look through the factions for it versus the factions for this one. They appear to be pretty different. While there may be some similarities, it appears that there are no one-for-one duplicates. Plus the way these are not modularly set up is going to keep it feeling quite fresh by comparison I think.

@meeple thanks so much, that certainly helps in my decision making!!!!

They definitely addressed this. The main board is double-sided, with one side specifically for 1-3 players. The rules include about a 1/2 page dedicated to 2-player game with setup, gameplay adjustments. There's even a solo mode that has a completely separate rule book. It plays largely like the 2-player game, but with one of the players being controlled by an automa. I think this criticism of TM was definitely taken into consideration when developing Age of Innovation.

@@meeple Can the automa also be used in a 2 player game to make it a 3 player game?

@@dontcarecaredont Good question! YES, it can be added to the 2-player game for a "tighter game experience" according to the automa rules. There are actually highlighted text boxes in the automa rule book, pointing out all little tweaks and adjustments for making that work. They really seemed to have given the lower player-count games some thought with this one.

@@meeple I wonder how this changes the "feel" of the solo play vs the automa when compared to Gaia and original TM.

That’s a solid assessment. If/when you get this one, please come back and let us know if it replaces TM for you.

It is

Fair, but do you think it's a lot more complex?

@@meeple If TM would be a 7 out of 10 on complexity I would give AoI an 8.

I've always felt Gaia was pretty close to the same for practical purposes, but that it just felt more open for some abstract reason. This definitely feels like TM, although I haven't played it enough to be an expert on that front.

It has the same amount of tightness to it but you are not completely out of the game if you get boxed in. 1. There are more ways to score points now, so building cities or going for most connected buildings is not as important as it was before. 2. It is easier to create cities now even with less space due to various extra buildings - it is just a bit harder then doing it the regular way (costs more or different resources). So it is easier to get back in the game a bit in Age of Innovation, where in TM you could be out of the game on turn one if you screwed up.

If so, it'll be after Gen Con. And if not a How to Play, maybe a playthrough of some kind.

I suppose, but I never personally got massive magical vibes from TM. More “fantasy”, and I think that’s still very intact. With that said, since this is sort of an industrial age theme of science and innovation, it probably leans more into that.

@@davidwaybright Appreciate it

It must be that good

I don't necessarily dislike heavy games--I just don't gravitate toward them. If I had to dig deeper into it, I think that heavier games often overlap with games that tend to be more competitive--ones that might favor players who really enjoy getting better at the game in a competitive sense. Mechanically, they also often allow for big gaps in scores depending on the skill/experience of the players at the table. I would say that these aspects are the things that make me not gravitate toward them. With all that said, I absolutely respect, and even appreciate what many of these games do and how they play. TM, Gaia Project, and now this one are definitely in that category for me. And it's nearly impossible not to admire the variability that they've injected into this newest design. I really think fans and newcomers will love that aspect alone.

@@meeple got it! Thanks for the reply!

I was in the same camp when i got into gaming and played with an experienced TM player group. But now many years later as I got better in boardgaming i still dont like heavy simulation games (lecarda games) that are heavy for the sake of being heavy but I love TM familey of games. Games that generate interactions and the board is built up bye the players.

I can say for myself (Ryan) that I enjoy Terra Mystica well enough, but I would not call myself an experienced player by any chance. I enjoyed the game but never sought it out. Age of Innovation hits some different buttons for me with all the possible upgrades and abilities to really customize your gameplay. It speaks to me much more.

@meeple Cool. I never heard any review emphasize upgrades or customize your gameplay so that is definitely a plus.

Have you tried Terra Nova?

That’s a fair and practical point about variability and frequency of play. Although I think there are some TM players out there who play it quite a bit more often. I like that it’s a factor though, so for anyone new to the series, this would be my recommendation I think.

@@meeple For sure, I agree

Interesting. I haven’t heard anyone share the opinion that this is easier-just more variable. It will be interesting to see how the TM community embraces this.

@@meeple You say more "variable," I say more options and flexibility, or as Rahdo calls it "complexity." (lol. kidding of course). Yeah... I think that translates to an overall more easy going game, but sure, the community can decide. Just like with Brass Birmingham, Caverna etc. All easier versions of their counterparts.