Coimbra | Where Every Intertwined Choice Matters | Board Game Review

You see the card you really want, you've got the coin ready to go, but will your die be bumped from prime position?? In Coimbra you're working with four short rounds and every excruciating choice you make will influence your next. If you have the forethought, planning the sequence of steps of each round will reward you handsomely. Will you meddle with your opponents plan or focus on your own best move? Get ready for some mental gymnastics as you try to reconcile the optimal path forward.
(PS. We were somewhat disappointed that the real Coimbra is not this colourful IRL [but a beautiful place to visit nonetheless])
Coimbra (as voted by our channel members)
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Theme overview (Themer)
02:28 Mechanics overview (Thinker)
11:32 Thematic integration (Themer)
13:44 Why the game is in our collection (our thoughts)
19:13 A note on player count
22:39 Wrap up
Designer: Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli
Players: 2-4
Play time: 60-90 min
Publisher: eggertspiele
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2...
Thanks for stopping by for our mechanics & theme board game review of Coimbra. We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience.
Are you #teamthinker​ or #teamthemer​? ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

Пікірлер: 27

  • @dasaxman1
    @dasaxman12 жыл бұрын

    Coimbra is so good but can be very overwhelming for your first few games. A friend of mine described it as feeling like we were playing it with an expansion in our first game which I think really sums it up. What's nice about it though is that there are so many ways to get points that regardless of what you chose to do, you usually feel like you're being rewarded for it. Even if a single move isn't worth loads of points, chances are you'll do another few things in the same turn that are worth the same and it all adds up.

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    2 жыл бұрын

    That is such a good way of describing it! It certainly takes a few plays to work out how all of the pieces come together. Perhaps a game that would always favour experienced players too. It's only four short rounds but it does feel like you get to achieve so much... Thanks for watching and glad you enjoy this one too 😀

  • @diggidydiggidy
    @diggidydiggidy2 жыл бұрын

    So great to see you review an older game. Superb review. I've had this one in my collection for a while and it didn't really hit first time it made it to the table. Very much worth dusting it off and trying out again. Thanks Maggie and Amy! 👍

  • @LaughingStockfarm1
    @LaughingStockfarm12 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for reviewing an older game from your library. There’s always hype for the new, but once that’s gone, a few years down the road, is the game a keeper? How do the mechanics hold up over time? That’s what I want to know.

  • @marcoabrillo6854
    @marcoabrillo68542 жыл бұрын

    Just got mine and cannot wait to play it this weekend. Top notch production for the price!

  • @MisterG2323
    @MisterG23232 жыл бұрын

    Never heard of this one before, just might have to put it on my bucket list, based on your excellent overview! Thank you!

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    2 жыл бұрын

    Definitely a must try for those who love competitive euros Geoff! Happy to have put it on your radar & have a great weekend! 😊

  • @DigitalAwakening
    @DigitalAwakening2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for reviewing this. It's a game I've been thinking about checking out. It could be one that I will enjoy.

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    2 жыл бұрын

    If you enjoy tight puzzley euros and interaction this is a great game! Hope you get a chance to play it 😃

  • @drasher25
    @drasher252 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for turning me on to this game. I bought it after you recommended it in your review of The Magnificent. Love the show; you two are great! Your reviews are excellent for conveying how it feels to play a game, which is the most useful thing a review can do. I can get the rules from the rulebook, but it can be hard to imagine how the game actually works in practice. I dig the premise of the show, but I think you both are into theme AND mechanisms at least a little bit :) One small suggestion: I don`t think you mean to say that you are all about "people who repair and maintain machinery." :D

  • @ricardp60
    @ricardp602 жыл бұрын

    Great review girls. Coimbra is one of my favorite game.

  • @robertaustin6302
    @robertaustin63022 жыл бұрын

    Coimbra is so good! I love that balance of using the pip values for drafting and then the colors of the dice for those income tracks. It’s so juicy! Can inspire a bit of AP though. Lovely table presence but the theme is pretty thin. Not a problem for me as Coimbra is one of my favorite Euros.

  • @ralfn9629
    @ralfn96292 жыл бұрын

    Interesting video. Never played this one. Wondered which other games are similar to it. But just seeing you making more and more reviews about individual games, I am curious about your top 20 or so games each from your different Thinker vs Themer perspectives.

  • @aleg2490
    @aleg24902 жыл бұрын

    It looks gorgeous! I've considered getting this based on looks alone! I wonder if the lower player scaling would give you a better feel if those dummy dice were randomly selected after the players choose theirs, so there would still be the unplanned element that actual players would introduce. I actually like being able to know some of what will happen, it makes the puzzly feeling stronger with still different things to consider disregarding the random factor, kind of like a perfect information game. This one sure looks intriguing... I guess I'll have to see if I can play it and check that Take That element though. Also, I have to note that I love to hear thoughts about good games that aren't in the Hotness list! ❤️

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for the feedback Ale! It's nice to revisit some of the gems in our collection. I think randomising the dice would feel a bit too luck driven for us. We don't mind the static worker dice it just definitely changed the focus to the puzzle more than the "take that" brutalness that comes with the "bidding" style placement. Some people might actually prefer that. Thank you for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts 😊

  • @Siegorius
    @Siegorius2 жыл бұрын

    Looked a bit "scary" at first but you did a great job explaining it. Added to the list since I love dice placement (Elder Sign is a personal favourite). Fun fact: Coimbra was the portuguese capital until the thirteenth century.

  • @darlene7165
    @darlene71652 жыл бұрын

    I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was to see this surprise #ThinkerThemer video show up this morning! Great review! Such a great game! It is definitely a brain puzzler trying to coordinate your moves and choices around the colors. And then someone takes the card you wanted! Every decision is definitely intertwined with the next! It will remain in my collection as well! So glad to see you pulling these older games off the shelf and doing reviews! I really think most of my favorites are some of the older games! Can’t wait for the next one!

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much Darlene so glad you enjoyed this one and the game itself!!! Yet another proof point that we have similar taste in games 😃 I'm secretly very glad it won the vote, it was nice to get it off the shelf and remember why we like it so much!!! Taking a break from the hotness 😅 wishing you a restful weekend ahead!

  • @flamtzer
    @flamtzer2 жыл бұрын

    Had this one on the list for a long time, after your thoughts and overview I think I'll pass on it. It does look good but we play mainly at 2 and is not quite our style. Thanks for the review! 🌈❤

  • @AaronAndSusie
    @AaronAndSusie2 жыл бұрын

    Eep. One of my faves!

  • @melvinyong3148
    @melvinyong31482 жыл бұрын

    Only played Coimbra once years ago at a games gathering. Liked it but I think I would have liked it more if we played a few more times. Definitely needs a few more plays to get the hang of it. No time for boardgames this week but I did play my first proper Terraforming Mars game last week. Unlike my first two other games of TM which were against experts and where I got slaughtered, this time my friend took the time to explain everything. Good game. Oh, here's a question for your IFQ, tell us a fun boardgame-related travel story, figured since we can't travel much, maybe it's good to talk bout it. Stay safe and hope your lockdown ends soon.

  • @malvinafis6907
    @malvinafis69072 жыл бұрын

    I need to play it again. Only played once or twice

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    2 жыл бұрын

    It had been a little while for us - we used to play it much more. But it was SO nice to revisit us and remember why we enjoy it so much. Thanks for watching this one! 💕

  • @Naledgeizpwr
    @Naledgeizpwr2 жыл бұрын

    I bounced off this design pretty hard. Outside of the illustrations by Chris Quilliams, it just did not hit for me. I can climb a track now and then, but it just felt like kind of a standard euro, albeit with nice colors and illustrations. Flaminia and Virginio and the whole Acchittocca design collective have been together for a while, and certainly have had their fair share of hits, but I still prefer their earlier designs like Leonardo da Vinci and Comuni, to their new work. On a more positive note, you two are great!

  • @edwinnealley7832
    @edwinnealley78322 жыл бұрын

    Coimbra is a very solid game, but one which hasn't 'caught fire' here. My wife, in particular, likes games with more luck elements, or more appreciable theme- so I may have better luck with Calico, despite both being thinky games.

  • @AaronAndSusie
    @AaronAndSusie2 жыл бұрын

    Gosh it's Soo pretty even on film

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    2 жыл бұрын

    Isn't it!! In a way that makes my brain hurt so much 😅