From Jamey: "I have some new information and good news about the sand timers in Pendulum. The short version is that (a) you may have seen some reviewers mention that at least 1 of their 3 sand timers got stuck a few times and (b) Panda--our manufacturer--fixed the issue at scale before they shipped the first print run to fulfillment centers. So the sand timer problems experienced by the reviewers will not be experienced by the vast majority of people who play Pendulum. A longer version: When a few reviewers originally contacted me about the issue over a month ago, I told Panda about it, and they informed us that sand timers have a sediment in them that needs a few uses to break down, and then they don't get stuck again. That's the information we've had since mid-June. What I didn't know until a few minutes ago was that Panda wanted to ensure that as few as possible of our customers experienced that issue, so they sent all of the timers back to their partner factory and requested a new quality check and replacements. When Panda received the timers back from that factory, Panda also performed a quality check on the timers and found a defective rate of only 0.25% (that's 1/4 of 1%, not 25%). Even those 30 sets of timers may not have issues after a few uses, but if they do, we'll be ready to replace them. I'm glad to share this with you, and I want you to know you're in good hands. hope you'll join us for the Pendulum preorder on August 5!"
My game group includes players who typically take take longer turns than others, typically at a factor of 2x. To be honest I am guilty of this at times as well. I'm looking forward to leveling that aspect of the playing field and seeing what it's like. Even chess has time management... it's a bit surprising that most board games seem to just ignore this when for some players a big negative to enjoying board games can be waiting for others to take their turn, especially in interactive games where your turn is highly dependent on the previous turns of others. I'll say I'm not stoked on the plastic components. Jamey noted in response to feedback on Pendulum's components "My primary reason for choosing plastic for Pendulum is that a few years ago, I heard some stories about games exported from China being turned away at port in Australia because the wood wasn't fumigated." and also noted that costs for wood vs. plastic are comparable, so there's that for what it's worth. I know people get upset/start claiming unsavory business practices when they can't get the game they want when they want it (Wingspan), so pick your poison.
Well, as a SM game fan I’m almost glad for this. We needed a downer to cleanse the palate so to say. Well, look forward to the Wingspan expansion and the sand box game that is in the making... that one better be amazing tho!!! 😱😅😃🤗
for me there is only 1 SG I want to play, putting the game away. Viticulture is good but ONLY with the expansion. Scyth no, Wingspan God no, Tapestry get out of here no. I think this is the true colors finally being seen by the fans. SG is about about FOMO and advertising. Not good games that stand the test of time. Get over there with CMON.
Pendulum is Project Sand, because of the sand timers. The next Stonemaier game is Project Gold, with Cape, Wild and Draw still in early stages. I'm hoping Cape is a superhero game.
@@stuartshannon8561 what FOMO? Nothing they make is limited edition except for the number on the front of the box of the first run, I am confused how you even put them near CMON
@@stuartshannon8561 - I just played Viticulture: Essential Ed. last night and was very underwhelmed---too much random luck with all those cards, which seems to be a constant feature of Stonemaier games. I've heard that the Tuscany expansion makes the game better, but I just don't feel inclined to bother. SM games often look great, and can even be nice for a few plays, but I've played Scythe, Wingspan, Euphoria (*man*, Euphoria was disappointing!), and Viticulture, and I feel like their games are just not for me. Too much component style over gameplay substance, and too much random luck. They've helped the hobby grow, and Jamey does seem like a really nice guy, but personally, I'm just not interested in their games anymore. Probably still lots of fun for lots of people, though, and Scythe did help draw me & my GF into the hobby.
I was a little disappointed to see that the actions for both sides of each timer area are identical. Seems like it would be better with at least 2 unique actions on each side. And yes, I would have vastly preferred wooden pieces to these plastic ones.
Got it on the cheap for amazon $12 simply because I am a Stonemaier games collector and wanted to get it before it is out of print completly Hopefully i will enjoy playing it too
Wow, this sounds like all work and no play. I ask myself "Why am I doing any of this?" The theme is completely nonexistent. Thanks for the honest review, Tom!
I’m really surprised Tom is so down on this game. I obviously have not played it yet, but I am very excited to get it to the table! I have faith that Jamey is correct in his statements about this not feeling like a “standard” real time game. I’m also surprised at how worried people are about other players making mistakes. I’m looking forward to no one being able to play “game master” and just letting everyone play a game for pure enjoyment.
You are right about the fast thinkers in this game. I'm more of the contemplative thinker type not so much analysis paralysis level. I enjoy thinking about my moves and thinking about some extra moves ahead. I like the idea of a real-time game since we don't have too many of those. But I really enjoy seeing what others are doing and play based on that. I can see the benefit of not having to wait for some certain slow players but I don't know if I would enjoy like I do wingspan. Also, many people have brought up how in a lot of games you learn to play better by watching other players in the game you might always think to yourself I did something wrong but whos knows. An overall great comprehensive review. Thanks Tom!
The number one turnoff for me is how apologetic and hand-holding they are about the time component. - "It's okay to make mistakes" - "You can choose to play without the timers" - Almost as if they're embarrassed by it. Why then make a game around it at all? It's not like there was any other substance that was the inception point of the design. As Tom said, the theme is non-existent. It's all about the mechanic. Make it the selling point, not the warning tape.
I take it that they know the board game community has many people who are very concerned about making mistakes and want to try to lessen the pressure that normal real-time games seem to have, that it's intended to be less panicky than what people normally expect from real-time, while also challenging the expectation many have of perfect optimization leading to AP. Since part of the selling point was a game that combats AP, I think the way things are worded are also to reinforce that.
Also I believe the non-timed version is primarily so people can know how to play the game before throwing them into having to figure out everything real-time. Like Captain Sonar does.
From what I've read/seen/heard, the version without the timers is still a very unique mechanic because you're still locking your workers away for a set amount of turns/rounds. Which means Pendulum should still have the potential to be worth while simply for that fact alone. The other quotes you bring up are simply for the naysayers out there that want to complain about real time games because they've played one before and think they know how they all work. I wouldn't count those as a knock against the confidence in the game.
This game lacks that infamous Stonemaier quality/polish that I appreciated in Wingspan. Even though I didn't care about the bird theme, the mechanics and component quality made it an easy sell for me. Pendulum doesn't look like it was given the same amount of love.
The game just looks ugly and the component quality is just bad. The plastic components look like they're for ages 6-10: you can tell just by looking at them that they would be unpleasant to the touch. The board is too big and too bland. The card art is either missing or hidden under other cards/the board most of the time. And whoever thought that the ends of those timers should be *rounded* should have gravity explained to them.
Played it tonight! It was incredible, ive not played another game like it. I see alot of negativity from people who haven't played it, which is a pretty common thing now it seems with games in general both table and video. Its a great game! If you like fast paced thinking strategy games and u have a group you can trust to play with its amazing.
For the first time, I am not racing to get the latest Stonemaier Game. I am a huge fan of their games and have most of them, but sadly I have zero interest in buying this one. I will be happy to play it at some stage, if someone else has a copy, but the lack of theme and pretty average look components means this is a pass for me.
Unfortunately the component quality seems like Jamie took the over production complaints with Tapestry to heart and went for a cost effective production vs high quality component quality.
Yeah, the question which just remains is how/if the lower production value will effect the MSRP. I read about something around 65$ which is still a lot compared to e.g. Wingspan.
This game would drive me nuts. Impossible to regulate other player's turns, and if you have a rules query you're gonna get screwed over while you flip through the manual looking for an answer
"It's the ultimate solitaire" - this is the thing that turns me off most about it. Which is funny, because I like games like Paladins of the West Kingdom or Castles of Burgundy where you are pretty much focused on your own game. But in those games, I enjoy watching what other people are doing. And if I lose, I might have at least learned something from watching the winner. With Pendulum, I feel like you will only know how you got from point A to B, and that, for me, isn't enough. I don't mind that in, say, Escape: Curse of the Temple, but I think it would bother me in a strategic game like this.
Agreed. And to add - even playing the most euro of euros, while you might not be engaging so much through the game, you can still talk to your friends while you play! For me, the best examples of real-time games have you engaged with the other players to varying degrees to play (Captain Sonar, Escape: Curse of the Temple, Space Alert). While not for everyone, the real-time mechanics create incredibly tense and memorable moments. Otherwise, why make it real-time?
Agreed on all points. This one was really a let down in so many areas. There are a couple nifty mechanics that are fun and ingenious on their own but they don't overcome the many lacking areas where this game falls short as you pointed out. The timer aspect introduces to much room for error or "error", if you catch my drift. Thanks Tom for the honest and succinct review.
To me, the real-time element feels a lot like a gimmick that the designer latched onto and then built a mediocre game around. It definitely does not look or feel like a SM game based on past releases. But, as others have said, sometimes it's good to have a bit of an outlier/stinker to remind us why we love Wingspan and Viticulture so much :P
It depends, for example I really hate the wingspan theme, and in conseguence I don't feel it entertaining, but this (yea is very abstract, I found it very charming)
That sucks to hear about the component issues. I agree that the plastic meeples look cheap. All that said the game still looks cool and I'd like to try it at some point. Thanks for the review.
I havent played the game but here is my analysis so far: + I love the asymmetrical track and combined with the different timers. First time I saw them I was impressed. + The tucking of card/bonuses underneath the player boards and the way you can rotate them for different bonuses are really cool as well. - I think the main problem here is Theme. The theme and the mechanism isn't working at all. Yeah pendulum is swinging and timer flips. That's all. What kind of world or reality is this simulating anyway? Some fantastic land where people run around to do their work with each swing of a giant pendulum in the city square? It reminds me of a nightmare. The theming is too.... Surreal. It's like Salvador Dali made the theme for this game. They could've just made it into an abstract game and it would not affect the game play at all, in fact it might even help it. - The layout is not good at all. I think the layout artist also did not like or understand the theme. - 'Grande' meeple. Really? It sounds like the biggest size of beer or french fries. Speaking of french fries, they should have just used a cooking theme for this game: Different timers: Different food cooking at different times: Everyone bustling around the different stations in the kitchen in a race to serve a dish. This theme could work better. I really think so. Better than this surreal theme.
I hate not being able to keep other players accountable. I don't think anyone intentionally cheats but it's so easy to slip up. Me included. I like when players can keep eachother honest
Wow, this review surprises me. I thought this was going to be a game Tom would rave about. He harped on the fact that he did not like the art, but that's subjective... I don't mind it at all. Does the art blow me away? Not really, but the game HAD to be functional and simple over beautiful and colorful. Anyways, this game does a lot that I have never seen another game do before. Tom almost never mentions anything about that. I'm on board for this one, I think i'm gonna like it :)
When it comes to art and components I was a bit surprised that Tom was so hard on them as well. Its just that we have seen a much higher standard from SM an so that's what people are expecting.
I'm guessing because he mentions that other games (like Space Dealer) have done similar things with timers and real-time, so in that sense it's not a new idea. Just not used very often!
My impression was just because a game has an "innovative" mechanic, doesn't mean the game is good. For me, this is definitely a try before I buy game and I consider myself a SM fan.
@@LeeKenshin7 That's what bugs me about this review. He doesn't talk about the gameplay at all. Just that it does indeed feel like a real time game, that you can't monitor cheating, and that the art was bad in his opinion. I think this will be one of those reviews that he has to revisit.
Someone who's more fast being better at the game is not an inherent mistake of the game. Different kinds of games require different kinds of skills, someone who's better strategist will do better on strategy games, people with better hand-eye coordination will do better on dexterity games. 16:21 Yeah Tom, that happens on every kind of game, in strategy games too. In negotiation games too. In social deduction games too. Etc.
I even worry the layout of the board won’t be conducive to fair real-time gameplay. As for turn-based gameplay, I still doubt it’ll hold up. It has some decent mechanisms, but nothing that really stands out. The way it handles a rotation of available spaces is kind of neat... and the sort-of tableau stacking is okay... but it doesn’t seem to work together imo and there’s no theme pulling it together.
It doesn’t look like much to me. I am mostly playing two player, with my wife and I, I think this looks like a multi player game. I also think it also does not allow for much interaction, and I like to play games for interaction between each other as we play together. This is just a simple competition for time and space. That is just not my style. The cover art is gorgeous.
I have a feeling the timing mechanism is really unique and engaging for a large pool of players. Jamey is an excellent developer, and I trust he has solved a lot of things. Also not mentioned is the optional turn-based play which should help with some of the complaints here. I’m intrigued.
In what way has Jamey been shown to be a great developer? Viticulture has been substantially reworked. Euphoria needed an expansion to fix broken game states. Scythe has broken combos out of the box. Tapestry didn’t even give the semblance of balance. If anything, he’s shown himself to be far more concerned with hype and marketing than development.
Great point about not knowing if anybody else made a mistake and accidentally cheated haha! I'm a big Stonemaier fan but this is a pass for me as well.
I like real-time, I don't like euro, I don't care about components if readability is at the forefront, which in real time is important. Still mixed on the game, just wanted to maybe comment that "in a real time game being able to know what something does at a glance is more important than it being pretty." Edit: Okay the timers need upgrading, that's something that should work.
It felt like he couldn't just be negative because this is coming from Stonemaier Games. If the publisher was a no name this review probably would go much more negative.
A refreshing and honest review. Tom stands out from many of the other reviewers out there who bend over backwards to rave everything about Pendulum. It's great to see Tom call out the issues in this game, including its components, its lack of theme and lack of variability. Not to mention that gamers who are quick thinkers will almost always outdo players who prefer to think through their turns.
Looks very interesting. I wish the main board graphic design is more involved. The timers look like they are naturally prone to tip over. I don't mind the rest of the components if there are simply more illustrated pieces on the board.
If there is a second edition that adds more illustration (remember the game Guns & Steel?), and fixes the timer ends, I will play/buy it. Buy as it is, I'm not really looking forward to this.
I'm not sure if this was said in the comments but Stonemaier has said that the components are plastic because Australia has strict import laws when wood is concerned. That being said this game is really not for me.
Being a SM game it should do well, but the plastic components are really off-putting. Scythe has a huge aftermarket for upgrades to your game, but also has a game people swoon over to want to do that. I'm wondering if the game designers were thinking people would upgrade their own game so they didn't have to but the problem with that is if the game isn't engaging to begin with, then they won't spend the extra time or money.
Sorry, Tom, I got lost and fell asleep 4 minutes in. How about this game instead: each player is a hedge fund manager and center of the board contains New York Stock Exchange, mercantile exchange, and foreign exchange?
Ouch. Another dud. I used to play-test for Jamey and learned some important things. He did not take criticism well; in fact I was encouraged to not give honest criticism but to only answer his specific questions that were designed to get certain responses from us play-testers. Production, hype and brand image always superseded design. His games always seem to be taking a theme, mechanic or art and shoving them into a box of his imagination or desire regardless of whether or not the theme, mechanic or art actually fit in that box. Inorganic and mechanical are the words de jour to describe SM games.
Disappointing, especially from a quality perspective. I love wooden components and plastic just feels so much cheaper, and this game shows it. Oh well.
i believe the move to plastic has something to do with shipping to places like Australia. Any wooden items have to be declared. Just something i heard, may be wrong.
@thekarlwithak That was the reasoning but I believe Jamey clarified that that is no longer the case. Hopefully that means a return to wooden components.
Tom is gonna get a lot of hate for this review but even when this game was announced I wasn't interested. Id say his opinion on this game will be pretty universal. Im not saying 80% but more than half. A lot of his points are right
The thing about games from this developer, they are mainly soloed games. You play by yourself while the other players play by themselves, then one wins. There really is no me vs the other players and the one who finishes first wins. Some like that, some dont.
Was curious what Tom would think of this one. Turns out he feels as I do about it and I haven't even played it yet lol.. I saw Rahdo's runthrough and felt this was themeless and geared more towards those who already memorized all the action spaces and learned the strategies. Hard pass for me, and disappointing at that. I'm waiting for Stonemaier to strike lightning again and I feel like these are just flashes in a pan.
Tom, Did you have a chance to test this without the real time using the turn based system? Rahdo seems to think that this is the best way to play this game and from his runthrough I tend to agree but also because I dislike timers in games. Would be cool to hear how you feel about the game in that aspect as it may be a good way for those who dont like to play with timers to have fun with this. heck, it may even make the game more fun.
Personally, I find it critical that Rahdo pointed out removing the timers would be the best way of playing this game. I mean, aren't these timers the core element of the game? Playing without them to me seems like fixing a broke system.
@@rb4551 Well let's hope so. Right now, I feel like more reviews are necessary to get a mature impression. Too bad though that Rahdo had no time left to playtest the advanced player mats using the timers.
@@bjornkieslich4015 IIRC his reasoning was because he didn't feel like he could get enough strategy with the timers as he does with the turn based. He did mention if he does get a chance to play more he'd be excited to try the advanced characters with the real-time aspect, but would need more experience first.
@@bradgibbons8175 Yes, that's what I remember, too. And that's why I pity that he hasn't had that opportunity, yet. Because usually, I have a pretty similar taste about euros as he does and I like his way of analysis a lot.
Hey Tom! Which game is that one you have one your back? Medieval Realms. Looks amazing and I remember you did an unboxing few months ago. I'm quite intrigue as I can't find that much information about the game. Are you planning to review it anytime soon? Cheers and keep doing the best show in youtube :)
It is not only that is "ultimately solitaire" (low interaction)... but as Tom said, I hate games in which there is not opportunity or desire for cross auditing, like when a player does a bunch of mini combo actions in sequence and I have no idea what is going on there, if he is right or wrong, and worse, most times I wont care, because i am probably busy planning my master sequence of mini moves when it is my turn - I hate that style. Hence I disliked so much Monumental and Sierra West for example. This game is a hard pass for me.
Question: how does the worker placement and blocking aspect work in real time? Was there ever a disagreement about who placed a worker in an area first?
I don't think it was mentioned in the rules overview, but there is a hierarchy decided by who has the most votes each round. If there is ever a conflict between two players, then the higher player on that track gets priority.
@@anthonykuhn3792 That's smart, though it seems like there could still be disputes about whether someone placed first or whether both players tried to place at the same time.
I don't get the hype for Stonemaier board games. They're so varied and yet there's always one element in each that causes me to lose interest in trying them. I'd be happy to try one, and I am extremely appreciative that they usually have solo rules, but I just don't get that impulse to back/buy one if that makes sense.
