What a great tutorial. I feel like I’ve got the mechanics down pat very quickly. Thanks, Jon. Comprehensive AND concise. I’m going to watch the full play through but I’m already sold. ALL IN!
i am having trouble seeing any deep strategy here... pick up people/orders that want the cheap goods, buy the cheap goods, go deliver it to a city. rinse and repeat. try your best to get lanterns and illuminated dice so u can have extra turns. on certain rolls hope dice fall into your favor. Seems pretty simple and samey turn by turn with a bit luck deciding your fate. the wheel spinning mechanism to price goods seems to be the most strategic aspect, rest seems pretty set for you. even placement of goods in caravan is irrelevant as long as it fits, doesn't unlock any abilities. don't get me wrong the game looks great for maybe people wanting something lighter? ofcourse i am judging all this in 30 minutes game play :)
It seems like a game where strategies are emergent based on the situation of your dice and the current market and contracts. I don't feel like it's light at all. It reminds me of a Vital Lacerda game in a lot of ways where your actions are intertwined. Even selecting your dice can have a big impact on future turns so you definitely have to think ahead. To each their own though.
AjamlouBijan all thoughts welcome and well put. And my feelings are exactly this. I am waiting for tekenu/ and other T game. If this game proves itself I will certain pick it up retail.
I tried to learn how to play this game by reading the rulebook and failed miserably. Then I watched a tutorial on youtube and was again frustrated. Finally I discovered this this video with such clear and concise explanation and I am ready to play! Thank you!
The iconography of this game isn't consistent (eg base goods on dice; chest vs wheel, value underneath vs top right) and not that straightforward... Luckily your explanation is spot on. Thanks for showcasing this game.
I missed your reviews of board game even if I enjoy these tutorial video! Your playthrough videos are a decision maker for me when I'm interested in a new game! Thanks!
Yeah, I have figured that out some time now. When it is well integrated into the theme of the game I like it myself as well, but in this one I find the mechanics rather do not blend well with the theme. Oh, well, more money for the next game ;) Cheers again!
Great teach as usual Jon. I really don't understand why game companies / designers are OK with prototypes/pre-prints, even PnP being used for tutorials / reviews. They do the game a huge injustice. Yes, you give a brief disclaimer, most will miss it.
I'm sure the publisher would rather they be done with final versions, but keep in mind this video was made to be added to the kickstarter campaign. That means this prototype was the best version of the game available to be filmed at that time.
Truly beautiful art, one of the prettiest games I've seen in a while. And the gameplay looks interesting - nothing too innovative when it comes to mechanisms, but fun nonetheless. It vaguely reminds me of Trickerion in certain aspects (although much simpler). I have some minor nitpick though - there's a significant thematic disconnect when it comes to gameplay mechanisms and theme. Why are caravans circling around the city instead of going exactly where they wish? How do actions on a wagon correlate to their results (an armor just appears in the wagon because it moved a lot)? What are "illuminated" dice exactly? etc. I know this doesn't really mean much in a euro, but the theme is so evocative and pretty I am sad that the mechanisms aren't more tightly connected with it.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if there seemed to be a disconnect. I think you make good points about these points not being obviously thematically explained.
I see another problem for there are too many choices for players which will cause AP really fast. You have a tile polynomial organization, dice rolling, action selection, rondel, set collection, resource management, end game goals. It is like the designers wanted to thrown all the different mechanisms they could into the game. Also the turn interruption in when you deliver to a village and that means other players can come along and get bonus ,but some can't. I have seen that before ,but done smoother for example Puerto Rico. The places where you place your cart on the Road Rondel should have some sort of outline or arrows showing what you can access. The roads are nice and all ,but they just blend into the background of the layout of the board. The dice placement on your wagon has the same problem as other games I have seen there is no slot for the dice or the upgraded actions ,so they will be easily bumped or jostled by players reaching across their board to the main board. On the plus side the artwork is really good even though this is a prototype.
I like all of Elf Creek Games library, so this is something really interesting to me and this video confirms that I want it! Theres a lot of clever ideas within the design! Side note, I've noticed some youtubers using the new video chapter system to denote different sections or topics in their videos. Have you considered using them? They seem like they would be perfect for your videos as you basically already do them with the time card up top. Something to think about, I guess. Thanks for the video!
Here are a few minor things I noticed : 11:00 When gaining a hero from the Oracle, you would not be required to give them any goods, correct? You mentioned it later in the Ruins die, but just wanted clarification. 26:15 What would have happened if the yellow player had taken the 2 die if the did not have an upgraded good to downgrade? 28:20 You mentioned if you can travel 12 heroes OR Commissions to the different cities, then you get the 2 VP. Would it not be if you traveled 12 heroes AND commissions, when totaled together? 28:52 I also believe you get 1 extra prestige per upgraded good, but NOT a crystal like the Inn space Thank you for this great video!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video :) Regarding youtube chapters, I have been doing this actually. Unfortunately youtube doesn't seem to be universally showing them for some reason. For instance I don't see them in this tutorial but I DO see them in the extended playthrough even though I made my descriptions in the exact same way. Regarding the oracle hero bonus, you do not pay any goods when taking that kind of bonus. Regarding the potential downgrade penalty, my understanding is you simple do nothing. Same goes if you lose a hero you don't have, or lose a good that you don't have. I didn't mean to be confusing there, you can mix and match heroes and commissions for that objective. I believe you are correct about upgraded goods sent to commissions. This was tricky because they actually tweaked the rules on this after I'd recorded the tutorial and I had to try and make revisions.
I've never shown setup because in general they are super clear in rulebooks so I don't think it's worth the time spent recording, editing, and viewing for most people. Sorry about that. Another thing to keep in mind is that many videos, like this one, are filmed with prototypes so not only is the rulebook not 100% done when I make the video but the components may change abit as well which would make the video even more out-dated later on.