I can't wait to hold the acrylic tiles for myself after watching your video! I als got the shaded mini's, but I might be more enthusiastic about the acrylic tiles now 😉 Thanks for the great video. ❤
Lisa and I decided to exert some Shelf Control and did not back this as we have and enjoy the anniversary edition. We do kind of regret missing the acrylic tiles, but put the money towards game we didn't already have. Admittingly, it was a rare case of actually practicing Shelf Control, but small victories!
Honestly I’m just sticking with my anniversary edition. Maybe I’ll pick this up if it’s a retail and on sale. But I don’t need those acrylic tiles or minis.
I went with acrylic tiles and sundropped castle minis only, and seeing this comparison review, that appears to have been the perfect blend for me. I'll get the satisfaction (and slight table presence bump) from the castle minis, the lux feel and ease of play from the acrylic, with an assist from the included player aid (finally!)... until someone does offer high quality vinyl stickers for them, of course. Perfect.
Sounds like you nailed it (well, for our preferences- but we don't think you can go too wrong here, it's all beautiful:)) look forward to hearing what you think when it arrives ☺️
Glad I ran across this video, as I am currently backing the Special Edition reprint and had decided NOT to get the acrylic tiles because I wanted the hints on the back SO much (I seem to play board games with new players a LOT and when I borrowed a friend's copy with the acrylic tiles I was just wishing so MUCH for those hints!) But I never thought about stickers even though I often buy meeple stickers on Etsy. So I checked and indeed you can easily buy ready-made stickers not JUST for the monastery tiles, but for the castles, buildings, etc. Yeah! Changed my pledge to get the acrylic tiles right away!
Thank you ladies! This is by far the best, most honest review of this edition of the game. I do wish I got the non-sundrop version though as those colors pop so much more, I'm sad I paid more for these for the colors to be so dull.
Thank you for taking the time to comment with this kind feedback about our video. It truly makes a big difference to us. I would not worry too much about the sundrop, I think if you're playing with the minis then it's also much more about the table presence than gameplay factors - and it certainly delivers on bringing out all of the lovely details.
@@ThinkerThemer You're welcome, of course! It's important work you're doing to put honesty and quality above clicks and likes.I like that you went into so much detail and seemed unbiased as possible. It's also really good you took your time to explain things and didn't talk too fast just for the sake of speed or nervousness. Many videos by other ladies unfortunately are harder to understand because of talking so fast or in a monotoned way. Y'all made me want to check out your other stuff :).
@thinkerthemer -- Thank you for the overview and visuals! You guys nailed exactly why I opted not to get the minis (even as beautiful as they are). 1) adds an extra step to every play, and 2) confusion on the board even once finding them is quick.. I'm super excited for the acrylic tiles. We've always just looked up the building number to see what they do, so not having text on the back is literally zero change for us :)
Super helpful! I backed with the acrylic and some mini's but not the all in. I am going to be super happy with it - you have eased all my concerns. Thanks so much!
Ugh, so regretting not going in for the acrylic tiles! Hopefully they'll be available post KS. Anyway, still looking forward to receiving my copy soon. Thanks for your review!
I'm sure they will at some point since it is such a big title! You'll enjoy all of the other upgrades - everything else is a huge step up from the original. Look forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks for watching ☺️
This version will be my first time playing CoB so I'm incredibly excited!!! I went with just the standard version and the acrylic tiles and I can't wait to use them when I'm more familiar with the game. The 3D tiles were an easy pass for me and your thorough review made me super happy with that decision-- seems way too cumbersome for me! Such a great video :)
So happy to hear the video was helpful, thanks for watching! I don't think you can go too wrong with the pledge and what a way to experience your very first game of CoB!! Look forward to hearing what you think!!
I didn't go for the minis purely for the reasons you said; the added 'fuss' to gameplay flow. i did go for the acrylics though so this vid affirmed my choices which is always nice! Cheers for the info/preview of the final product.
One point I feel you might have overlooked is storage of all these extras. Since the acrylic tiles (and I believe playmat) do not fit in the (already large) main box, there is another box needed to store those in. For those of us who cannot dedicate that kind of shelf space to a deluxification of one game, adding yet another box is a big deal. CoB is my #1 game of all-time, so it bummed me out a bit not to be able to justify the space of adding on the acrylic tiles and playmat. I’m still looking forward to receiving my pledge, so I’ll wait for the pallet with my order to dock. (Quite a coincidence how the first pallet contained orders for all of the RU-vid channels I’m seeing doing unboxings.) 😉
With a bit of creativity and some tossing out of parts of the insert, the acrylic tiles and tokens fit inside the box. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uIbmvgeTh50.html
@@ronjapoes I wouldn’t call throwing away the plastic insert designed to store the game a solution for storage (or the environment). (And what a coincidence, another RU-vidr whose order was on that first pallet. It amazing! Lol)
@@ImaginEric Yes, they obviously prioritized some packages. I don't see any difference to the environment if you use the insert or not. I liked the storage solution (in the re-boxing video), especially the part about keeping the tiles inside the bags when storing your game. If you use the insert and intended way of storing the game, you'd have to take out all the tiles every game to put them in the bag, and at the end of the game put them back in the organizer. If the bags were added to make setup/ gameplay easier/ faster, why choose to store it like they did?
Maggie packed it all up and got everything acrylic in without throwing out the main box insert (but of course you no longer need the boxes it comes with as we store on the pouches). We did remove all of the cardboard though which is now in the acrylic box. Definitely not the playmat or the terrain tiles though (but for us the must have is now in the box!)
I'm going to play with the acrylic. While the text on the cardboard might help teaching the game, I think the player aid is good enough and it's much better than the last edition where you had zero aids and you had to flip through the rulebook instead. I'm less certain of the 3D buildings. I got it mostly for resale value, but I have a feeling I'm not going to bother to take it out when playing. And good point about the wash.
Soooo true about the flipping through the rulebook comment! The player aid is very clear and super helpful. 👌 I think you'll be very satisfied with the acrylic. Look forward to hearing what you think when it arrives!
Thanks for the video, I cant wait to receive this one, it is looking gorgeous. Your points make a lot of sense also... I think you two covered all my concerns
Can you make a video explaining what the different editions include? Very summarized please. I'm online trying to figure out what to buy and it's a nightmare... I found line 7 éditions of burgundy and dont know which ones have the base game... Which ones have the acrylics and which ones have the minis....
Thank you for another excellently produced video, and so full of useful insight! I backed out of the pledge because I felt overwhelmed by the offering and was apprehensive about having acrylic and cardboard and minis, 2 of those sitting on the sidelines. If they ever offer this version in retail, your presentation helped me understand better what I’d like and that’d be cardboard. And if there’s no retail of this, I’d be perfectly happy with the old version.
Even the cardboard version of the special edition is great and a big step up so I don't think you'd be disappointed. Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely comment. We're glad you enjoyed the video ☺️
I know some of you will think this is a wet blanket comment, but it's all cardboard for me...recyclable/compostable...no fossil fuels...much lower carbon footprint overall. I love the tactility of minis and acrylic components as much as the next person, but feel like versions like this are just so going in the opposite direction of where we need to be going with the environment. I know from watching so many of your other videos that these are important issues to both of you as well; I just felt it worth adding to the comments for this game because it's such a huge volume of plastics in what has been proven to be a very successful (and fully paper) game. This said, your enthusiasm (and candor) is infectious; love the commentaries and insights in all of your videos!
Agreed. Although there are some positive signs: Canopy came with no plastic components or wrapping at all, and other games are cutting back on at least the outer plastic shrink-wrap.
Thanks Brian for adding this important comment. You're absolutely right about the sustainability issue. Aside from the plastics issue it is not ideal at all that you end up with so much wastage with this type of optional upgrade process (almost a whole second game's worth of cardboard to store or get rid of). There's definitely a lot of room for improvement in the industry. Thanks for highlighting this. ❤️
Great review! I’d love to hear about how you’re storing the acrylic tiles. There was a lot of discussion about that during the campaign of if the acrylics would all fit in the box.
Maggie managed to get them all into the main box! We had to take out all of the cardboard though. They're stored in their pouches. So now the only thing kept separate that we'll be using most often is the playmat 🤔 no solution there! Thanks for watching and the kind words.
I went for the acrylics and was super disappointed they had no printing on the back as ive never played CoB, but you have cleared this up for me, the player aid looks great. Hopefully, there is enough for all players.
We've found writing on the back of the tiles a disruption with tiles being flipped over. Now we use acrylic tiles with help sheets. We love it that way😊 Awesome, ugly game now looking great!
I got playmat and acrylic tiles but didnt get the acrylic workers etc and am thinking about ordering them from german retail for double the price than on the campaign. What are your thoughts? Do they add funtion or just bling?
Ooo twice the price. Hmmm. They help it all feel more cohesive but it's definitely just a bling issue. The cardboard workers are just fine. In fact the acrylic ones are a bit chunky which makes them harder to stack in the board recess (if you need some help saving the money!) Maybe wait and see what you think?
Good video. Excited for my copy. If you don't mind me asking, what shelving unit are you using for your games. They look adjustable in height. Are they custom?
Thanks for watching Jake! Yes they are custom built ins. We designed it to be adjustable and to have the black edging but white shelving. It runs the full length of the wall and to the ceiling (and can you believe it's definitely still not enough space 😂).
Thanks for such a good analysis of the new content! Did you have an issue seeing round the other player's minis to get an idea of their board state? Do you think it would be worse for a higher player count game as you sit further apart?
Ah that's a really interesting question. I remember looking over at Maggie's board to see where she was at with the objectives and it wasn't an issue for me. And I can safely say Maggie pays no attention to what I'm doing lol. I could see it being an issue if players were further apart and it happened to be hiding just those one or two hexes. But if you couldn't see a big blob of colour it would probably alert you to look closer. A great point though! It is yet to come up for us.
@@ThinkerThemer good to hear thanks! I didn’t back the project because the acrylic and terrain monastery tiles didn’t fix the main issue I have of remembering each of their rule but it’s good that there’s a reference sheet to alleviate that. Only other way would be to paint/decal the terrain tiles with the reference code/rule image or colours corresponding to the buildings it modifies, but this version costs so much already that I would have liked that to be done for me!
I am glad I was able to reflect on your review. I bought the special edition retail, and now AR are doing a re-run. I was tempted, but I will stick with cardboard even though the animals look so good. Thank you ladies for providing us with your opinions. Great review.
I can’t wait to receive my copy. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I need to rethink the neoprene mat but glad I didn’t go for the minis. I’m definitely team acrylic. Thanks again for a great video.
Thanks Diana! Glad you enjoyed the video and are happy with your pledge. I don't think you can go too wrong with this one, it's all so lovely and deluxe! Hope you're well ❤️
Waiting for my all in package. Thanks for the great overview! I may consider painting in some of my own highlights on those minis if the colors are confusing. I almost regret getting the minis as the colors on the tiles are so vibrant.
Hi A&M. I actually backed acrylic version of CoB but I was thinking for several months if should I also back minis or not. At the end I stayed with acrylic and I so happy to hear that this is your favourite type also. However I have to admit that I would back minis if they had more colors on it not just one yellow, black, grey etc. In my opinion it would elevate the apperance up to the sky (and cost probably 😀). I was not aware on that time that minis add additional action to the game. On the other side that is a pity that developers did not designed stickers for acrilic tiles. And finally a question: Is it possible to fit base game with stretch goals and acrylic tiles fit into one box?
We fit everything we play with into the main box but we had to take out all of the cardboard. And the playmat still doesn't fit so that's the only thing out of the box that we'll use. I considered painting some of the minis! To add a bit more pop! But I'm also a little bit afraid that it will make it even harder to tell the colours apart 🤔 but it would look cool....
About the playmat, it's worth keeping over the standard board, would you say? In case I should store "the Essentials" in one box and the rest someplace else?
I think this will just come down to preference as it offers little practical benefit. One thing is that we can't fit the playmat in the box whereas the acrylic tiles we have managed to fit in... so that could be a deciding factor if you like everything together in one place. 🤔
Do you find the printing on the black acrylic tiles to be much more dull, "dirty" and less defined when compared to their counterparts in other colours? Or is it just my copy?
It did and we should've mentioned but it didn't fix the issue for us. It might for others for sure. We prefer the acrylic anyway so it's not going to impact on our games :)
It's nice at two players! Definitely a game that can feel a bit multiplayer solitaire at times and for that reason the puzzle isn't changing too much with player count. The race objectives are a bit more fun at higher player counts but overall I'd say it's a very satisfying 2 player game and easy scaling with using the 2 player board.
I initially decided against the acrylics, then caved and pledged for them... and I'm VERY glad I did, they look incredible! Great video :) For the mini monasteries, there's an additional board to add the tiles on the left side of your board, but I agree it is bothersome.
You're right- there is... but it didn't solve the issue for us :( oh well, acrylic is still our preference anyway! Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching 😊
My husband is SUPER excited about this one. I usually get the side-eye for going ALL-IN, but with CoB, he was the one pushing the ALL-IN. While we are both excited to see the finished product, I see myself gravitating more towards to acrylic tiles after a few plays for the reasons you've stated. While I certainly appreciate all things pretty, I'm a gamer and I like the gameplay to go smoothly without extended time being taken between turns for nonsensical reasons (e.g., to find X in 1 of 5 boxes). When we play with the minis, I'll likely have them all out and organized on the table to prevent the between turns box dig.
Hahaha well how lovely though to have something arriving that you're BOTH so keen to get into. Sharing this hobby and these exciting moments with someone else is so special and we always reflect on how lucky we are to have that. I hope you both have so much fun playing this together and working out the combo of deluxified goodies that works best for you ❤️
Great overview! I got everything, and am thinking I will probably sell the minis. They look great, but I don't think I will ever play with them since the acrylic tiles are so nice. This is my #2 most anticipated release of 2023 (after Sleeping Gods: Distants Skies). I have never played Castles of Burgandy. Have a wonderful week! And Thank you!
Ooooo it's so anticipated by you but you've never played the original? Wow and you went all in! My goodness I hope you enjoy the game 😅 Maggie is very excited about Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies too! Thanks for watching ☺️
Can't wait to get my copy. I skipped the minis all according the Castles, just figured they would get in the way. I hope I ordered the play mat, I cannot remember 😊. Guess we will see
Great video! I don't remember exactly what version I got. I know I got the acrylic tiles, I really think this is the way to play. I don't mind the lack of text on the back. The plastic residue that you see on some tiles is common on acrylic stuff. I didn't get the 3D tiles for all the reasons that you mention, just the castles and game pieces. Don't think I got the playmat, it looks really nice but I don't like having extra boxes for games. I see that you got the acrylic tokens, they look nice. I didn't get them cause they don't fit into the box, according to the campaign. What are your thoughts here? You didn't mention the trade tokens! They are made of wood right? I think they look nice.
They do fit (just) but you have to remove all of the cardboard and it's tight. The trade tokens are really nice but they hadn't changed since the prototype so we didn't cover them here. The coins and workers though are lovely! Workers are quite large but that just makes you feel very rich when they overflowth ☺️ thank you for watching!
The "Are cardboard, acrylic, or mini standees better?" would be great for a discussion video in the future with games that use each of these things in one way or another. Wonder how that conversation would go with everyone for each game, based on how they're protected in the game boxes, etc.
Haha that's a good point Daniel. When we made the video we thought we'd focus here because that's exactly what I would want to know as a backer (who has agonised over many choices like this!!!) It's not often you get to compare all three!
Your video is great! I have no desire to own this particular version, and I've never even played Castles of Burgundy, but I really feel like I have a good sense of what playing with the various options actually feels like. (Watched because I wanted to see a non-dramatic summary of the components.)
Thank you so much!! There's a great mobile app for castles of burgundy if you ever want to give the game a try! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment 🙂
So happy to see this video! We have been enjoying our plays of this so far (obviously)! Have all the fun ❤ Btw, did you not get the sideboards for the monestaries in the Terrain pack? They helped me remember the yellow tiles, as they had their own space!
So glad you've been enjoying it too!!! Yes we did but they are just the same as having them to the side (& found it easier space wise to have tiles above when also playing vineyard)... but with our gaming preference it won't be an issue anyway 😉
Great video. I've been checking the ship regularly to get some idea of when my late-pledged copy might arrive. I can't wait to get this to the table and in front of my fancy camera to snap some photos for my IG. :) I went all-in opting for everything but the minis. I specifically avoided the minis because I could tell from the jump that the issues you mentioned would in fact be issues. They look great but increase the admin time far too much to justify them. Plus, that's more space being taken up on the table and the shelf.
So, mine hasn’t arrived yet. I was wondering whether I was going to feel bad about not getting the minis. I’m not. Happy that I didn’t get the minis as I wouldn’t have used them.
I know I didn't want the 3D building minis for the constant upkeep reasons you mentioned. :) I also did not opt in for the playmat, BUT I AM KICKING MYSELF because the playmat looks so gorgeous. It's not needed but I should have ordered that also. I don't know what I was thinking. (Probably trying to save money, dumb me!) LOL - great video again ladies. Much love from Chicagoland. Cheers!
Hahahaha don't worry about it, it's all so lovely that you won't miss the playmat. Look forward to hearing your thoughts after you get it to the table. Thanks for watching and for the kind words!
Pleased to see Gamefound is going to do a Special Edition Reprint, which means I can finally get the acrylic tiles I skipped last time. Might go for the mat too.
I am desperate to see how the solo mode works! I have not been able to find anyone talking about that - for me that was the biggest reason to order this humongous box...
@@ThinkerThemer thanks for the tip! It sounds like it is exactly what I wanted - a multiplayer experience solo. The anniversary version was such a different type of game. I can't wait to get my copy!
Acrylic standees and that film coating - if it’s like acrylic standees in other games then it comes off, is a protective layer from manufacturing and the tiles will look even more amazing once they’re off! The catch is what it does to your fingernails - taking the films off the standees in Vagrantsong ripped 3 of mine to shreds and it takes ages
Tnx for the review. Kudos to those who like this type of deluxification but wow that looks busy. My fav game but think I’ll stick with the original retail version.
What are your thoughts on the vineyard expansion? which mini-expansions do you guys normally play with any? I personally always play with the trade routes.
We LOVE the vineyard expansion and now always play with it. We usually just play base before getting this but now I think we'll be getting it to the table more often so will probably be keen on the additional variability.
Well that just ruins everything! I was counting on being able to take up a new hobby with the time I was going to save with the acrylic tiles and now I can't? Why did I get this thing?! 😝 Great review as always, guys. Very excited for mine to arrive. Love ya heaps!
😂😂😂 that part made me laugh so much when watching it back. Maggie catches me off guard with random comments like that 😆 Thanks for watching as always and look forward to hearing what you think when your copy arrives ❤️
@@ThinkerThemer Thanks Amy! Finally got back from Melbourne (was going to give you guys a shout out while I was there but things were too crazy!) and got this to the table for a solo game. Thought I'd watch this again to review your thoughts now that I have some context. Completely agree with everything you said - I'm kind of disappointed that the use of the minis is so clunky - honestly, I doubt I'll use them ever again. There's just no way to get them into the game without a great deal of interruption to its flow. Unfortunately, like what appears to be a very large number of people, I forgot that we had to order the acrylic tokens separately, even on the all-in level so I'm currently playing with the cardboard versions. Other than those issues the game and this reprint of it are absolutely brilliant and I very much look forward to getting it to the table again very soon!
The only thing I didn't brought is the building's miniatures because I thought it would slow down the gameplay and takes more space on the table to keep them close and having to pass them between players when it is out of reach for them. I hope I made the right choice because the miniatures are very beautiful.
I think you're right about the slowing down of gameplay. They're beautiful for sure but it depends on what you value more. For us it's speed of play (but mostly because the acrylic is gorgeous too!
We've been keeping them in the bags (the randomised ones) and then the rest in the provided compartment in the box (not using the box the tiles came in). It's squishy and we had to take out the cardboard. It doesn't feel like we have it quite right yet and definitely wish that the box had come with more organisation help as some of the provided spaces are confusing!
Yea I’m glad I didn’t get the minis (besides the castles of course)… the acrylic tiles look perfect. And we are very used to player aids so I don’t think we’ll miss the text on tiles.
I originally went with simply the base game and acrylic hexes. Even though I hated the look of the standees for score markers, I didn’t want to pay a lot more to simply get the statues instead. Near the end of the PM I was really wanting the playmat but was hesitant… until they cut the price of the Royal pledge and it became a no brainer to grab that! Not sure I will use the castles but with the discount, I didn’t “really” pay for them… 😊
😂 they make sense aesthetically! It will definitely come down to what you value more (for us, the slight trade up from the beautiful acrylic is not worth the slight lag time of searching). But I do appreciate that we come across as polite 😆 thanks for watching!
I initially decided against the acrylic components because it was said one couldn't find both, the acrylic tiles and the acrylic tokens, inside the main box and I didn't want two boxes or a mixed-material-game by only taking the tiles in acrylic and leaving the tokens as cardboard. But now that I've seen this video I really regret not going the acrylic route...
Still waiting for my copy to arrive. Awaken Realms always makes some questionable production decisions, and seem to miss some obvious issues. Why do the yellow dice have white pips? You should never do that, those should be black for visibility.
That's an interesting point that we hadn't noticed. It didn't bother us but I can see how that would be more common for lighter dice! For the most part it feels like a lot of thought went into this one and making it feel deluxe.
I would love to have bought this, since the original is out of print for like years now, but here in Brazil it costs R$1400,00 wich is more than the minimum salary, it's crazy!! This hobby is so expensive in my country. Not to mention the minis... that bundle is over R$2000,00 yikes...
Ahh, yes it is certainly expensive. Even here with our exchange rate and shipping fees it's becoming less affordable but I can't imagine what it's like with such a big salary discrepancy too. What's the board game cafe scene like in Brazil? Is there a good community of sharing games in libraries etc?
@@ThinkerThemer Yeah after the pandemy the hobby became a luxury. There is a big board game comunity here, we host the biggest latin america board game convencion yearly named DOFF (Diversão Offline) in São Paulo city. But I live in a small country city, I think I might be the only one here with a "big" game collection, I only play with my sister and one friend that comes by sporadically. So my acess to the comunity and games libraries is a nono. So either I buy the game I want to try or I don't get to play it, I know theres BGA but I don't like playing digital versions sadly, maybe I should try it again... Love you guys and your content, your channel is so cozy and you make me feel like a friend just like Beforeyouplay. Loved your adventures together in Japan, so jealous!! Anyways, I'm rambling hahaha. Much love from Brazil ♥
The original/previous edition suffices. This is like Foundations of Rome: a luxury. Something a lot of us don't have anymore as our overall wealth dwindles.
Absolutely - you definitely need to loveee this game to get the value from it for sure. I think they delivered on the quality though (even with the cardboard option!)
The monastery mini is really a big downside of this 3D Terrain Pack. I pass buying this pack due to this downside, really. One small thing about the die that I can't get used to is that the pips is normally a round dot but on the game board they are printed as diamond dot. On the other hand, the acrylic tile is really a good thing, especially when the game is kept in a place where weather is under high humidity.
