A correction I would add is that in end game scoring, the Longest Road scoring is a player's longest roadway WITHOUT including the church tile. So if the road meets the church tile, the road is finished, you do not continue through the church tile to any roads beyond.

@DTChrisYi

Жыл бұрын

Good catch. I did forget that when filming the example in the overview!

@GenericZombie1

Жыл бұрын

@@DTChrisYi there are a lot of easy to miss elements in this game. When my group played, our teacher neglected to remind everyone that when you allocate resources for building, you do so one at a time, not all at once. This makes a HUGE difference in building... For example: I produced lumber, and I have the bonus for upgraded lumber. I want to build something that takes, let's say, 1 lumber and 2 stone. I have the lumber and 1 stone available but am short 2 coins to buy additional stone from the market. No problem! I use the rock and lumber, which the lumber then gives me 2 coins and 2 points. I use the coins I gained to buy an additional rock, then allocate it to the build. Done! Such a small rule that makes such a huge difference. Though I admit it wouldn't have made Hamlet any more enjoyable to me, to be honest.

Surprised Zee didn't review this considering how donkey oriented it is!

@andrewwdavvid

Жыл бұрын

Are they donkeys chonky though?

I really enjoyed this game. I would at least give it an 8. I love that they have tokens to put in the bag instead of the big tiles to be able to draw from the bag.

@manuelkooijman5757

Жыл бұрын

They should have changed the rules so that you always pull the small tokens out of the bag and then find the corresponding big tile. The big tiles themselves are too easy to pull out the ones you want if you know the shape a bit. So there is a bit of game design in the game they did not think through all that well.

I am surprised by the low numbers as you rated this because everytime I have busted this out at 1, 2 or 4 has been a blast. A bit of a learning curve, but it has been a mega hit at my table. At higher player counts, the church bonus points because tie breakers really, because points earned from upgraded goods and trading at the market dominated each time. Those extra 1 points really make difference. Figured it would have rated higher, but I suppose we will enjoy it ourselves even if it was not a hit for you guys.

The player driven economy makes this game great. They added chits that represent the tiles so you can shuffle them in a bag and pull one randomly. I do feel like sometimes, the board can get a little busy though. I'm also good with the point salad victory conditions. I like the fact that there's not just one way to win a game. There were a lot of good decisions to make and there wasn't a huge amount of AP with the group I played with. I had a lot of fun with this game.

@Poiuytrew.Q

Жыл бұрын

The chits was something backers asked for. I’m so glad others had foresight!

I really like this one! I love the way to move the resources around with the donkeys - a different take on resource management. I like the oddly shaped tiles, as well! More hexagons seems like just another hexagon game. I like something different and unique, and the added challenge of fitting everything together. That's a couple recent games that I have really liked that got a negative review here... interesting.

@OhSixy

Жыл бұрын

That’s because their recent reviews are completely off the mark. These players don’t like “passive aggressive” player interaction or “scary weird tiles” that they have to figure out the segments. DT reviews without Tom or Zee, I skip. This is a perfect example

@Edward1140

Жыл бұрын

@@OhSixy I think that is very unfair. You may disagree with their opinion and believe the game was not suited to their preferences but there is no suggestion here that they couldn't be bothered to figure something out. The review was very detailed and it was perfectly clear why they disliked it. If those reasons don't speak to you then sure, you may like the game. The point is, they provided enough information for viewers to make that decision.

To Yi or not to Yi. That, is the question.

Negative reviews are hard, but I'm glad you guys have them. thanks for your perspectives

I love the weird shape tiles and I thought the tiny components were endearing. I’ve only played once, but I want to try it again. I will say, the game is too busy. It’s hard to tel what’s going on by just scanning the board. I lost my meeples melee than once.

I think we need a new category or mechanic in BGG called "Donkey Management" 🤣

Thank you for bringing useful reviews... Stay safe. Hobby Doctor Games UK

Thanks for the honesty! I was hoping for a quicker Roads&Boats type game.....

I am a little surprised by the final thoughts, as someone with chubby fingers, I didn't mind the tiny components. I kinda liked manipulating these adorable little goods. They could be bigger, but the thought didn't cross my mind to consider disliking the game over how small the pieces are. Even more than that though are the issues with graphic design and being able to read things. As much as tiny piece complaints didn't cross my mind, readability even moreso, I didn't have any issue, though I'll definitely only use the 3D chapel for the post game pic. 😂 Overall I enjoyed the economy, the logistical puzzle, and the overall gameplay enough to have made it my #8 of 2022.

Pros: 1) the strange pieces, because when I can get the pieces to match end-game scoring pieces perfectly is so satisfying. 2) the donkey planning is interesting 3) the race for goals or first to be master in some resource is fun 4) producing and clogging the system until someone has to use your resources Cons: this game should be a video game.

Have you played it again with upgraded tiles and larger resources?

I think you can always get a free coin from the church if you don’t have anything to do. Each next level worker is more expensive - it wasn’t super easy for us to get the workers. I think by my third play, it was visually easier for me to parse information - or after about 4 hours of game play.

I loved this game. Sad they hated it so much :(

@gmartinez5433

Жыл бұрын

Me too. I completely understand the component concerns, but I really enjoyed it.

@OhSixy

Жыл бұрын

It’s because they are afraid of player interaction and non-hex tiles. These reviewers should get a review of a 4 & 5

@DTChrisYi

Жыл бұрын

​@@OhSixyYou're taking this very harshly that we didn't like the game and turning this personal about us. Rethink your move about complaining about us on everyone's comments here. Explain why you like the game, but don't insult us for not enjoying what you like.

I wonder if they had went the way of Mad King Ludwig's castle building game and had the different buildings have more traditional shapes, it would have worked better?

I had high hopes for this one but I agree with your criticisms so I think I will pass. On the other hand, we bought Caesars Empire based on Chris's "10" and we love it! Simple, strategic with a little dose of "take that".

4 and 5 points??? Wow...that is low. I also love this game as I do think it`s a kind of special

@OhSixy

Жыл бұрын

It’s a great game. They just don’t like non-hex tiles and player interaction

Thanks for the review

I like the game, I have the game, I've played it twice and would definitely play it a lot more.... but ye gods, why did they make things so small? That's the main reason I'd struggle to get it to the table again, just that "oh, by the way, good luck actually seeing the icons and pieces....." but in decent light and on the right table, I enjoyed it quite a lot, solid 7.

Glad I didn’t back this. In your next review, could you please comment on the replay potential (it’s one of the most important factor to me). The weight of the game and how would you rate the clarity of the rule book?

Yes!! All of this and even more if you play solo! I was so bummed out that I did not enjoy this experience 😢

You do need the chits that they made to go in the bag, but I do think this is a great game with a few minor problems. Everyone I have played this with loves it. The tile shapes were a deliberate choice: the designer didn't want it to look neat - wanted the village to sprawl like a real hamlet. Your complaints about having more workers being better in a worker placement game doesn't make sense: I can't think of a single worker placement game where that isn't true. Also there is a slow-down mechanic for workers: each one costs more money than the previous. The third and fourth players get extra money to compensate for the possibility of being shut out of workers at the start - and if you are blocked out of creating new resources for money near the start, you will be able to deliver to the market for money. Also it sounds like you may have made a mistake or two: having the improved resources doubles both the points and the money - Wendy only said it increases the points. In addition you aren't meant to count the longest road through the church tile. You can make it easier to follow and play by instead of laying meeples down once activated, pick all of yours off the board at the start of your turn, then place them standing. The resources are a little small, but them being taller than wide makes them easier to pick up. If they were wide and short they would be even more fiddly. Yes you get a lot of points for the church, but you can get more points by doing other things for less resources - it usually takes several actions to set up one of the church deliveries, where you could deliver several smaller things in the same time. Part of the challenge is to try and not set your opponents up. I'd rate this at about 8.5.

@DTChrisYi

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. You're right about doubling the bonus for upgraded goods, that was just misspoken. I had forgotten about the longest road rule while doing the overview, good catch! As for extra workers always being better in worker placement games, I agree they're almost always better but either require more set-up to get them to the point where you may be better off strategically to pursue points rather than getting them, or in games with the feed-your--workers mechanism where you have additional upkeep costs. I feel like the beginning of the game in Hamlet slows down because you absolutely should get an extra worker as soon as possible, so the first few turns are kind of rote. Hope that clarifies a few thoughts.

I think the blocking of the basic resources and using all basic resources is the best part of this game. It's a really take that game but that's why I love it, not a lot of euro game has take that.

totally agree with the ratings on this game. I had it preordered, and was able to play it twice at PaxU and once after, and then i cancelled my preorder. As much as there were positives about the unique approach the game took, the biggest killer for me was the tiny components and text on the tiles. it was practically impossible to read anything on the tiles unless you were sitting right next to them...

This review really hurts! I have been super excited about this game and just haven't been able to get it to the table yet. Definitely interested in hearing how the solo mode might compare. Do you think it would be easier and perhaps more fun because of how the AI runs and the fact that you can set the hamlet up in front of you and be able to see all the iconography and such?

@Poiuytrew.Q

Жыл бұрын

Solo mode for me was annoying. It’s a lot of work and checking conditions for every single AI meeple.

@ChadHensley

Жыл бұрын

@@Poiuytrew.Q this just makes me even more sad to hear. I have seriously been so excited about this game but so far haven't been able to get it to the table. Anymore I will seldom consider a game that doesn't include a solo option and was excited that this one did.

@l3onardo75

Жыл бұрын

@Chad the game is just amazing, fun and interesting. This time Wendy and Chris are just wrong, don't let their opinion get in the way to play it

@martind2520

Жыл бұрын

@@ChadHensley I really enjoyed it. The pieces can be fiddly but that's the only problem I found. Don't count it out yet, try it for yourself.

@bkwestman22

Жыл бұрын

I would definitely say still try the game to see if you like it. I really enjoy this one! I don't agree with many things in the review. Try it out and see!

This game looked great during the Kickstarter but the more I looked into it the more I realized I wasn’t going to like it. Ended up selling it as soon as my copy came in for a bit of a loss, but glad I did. Just looking at the small pieces and art gives me a migraine, couldn’t imagine actually playing it.

15:30 ok i'll bite, what game would be a better city building / trading game?

@petergallai469

Жыл бұрын

I would be also very much interested in some recommendations. We have Founders of Gloomhaven but it is also a very polarizing game.

They just needs to make the tiles bigger. I own the game is the main complain is the icons on the tiles are to small

I think I'll stick to Keyflower or Roads&Boats 😂

i would agree with this review. The production, while pretty, makes the game very difficult to work with in all its aspects, the tiles are unwieldy to use, to play, to connect, and to shuffle in the tiny bag, the symbology is small, the meeples are too small, and when its all on the table, its almost impossible to locate whats what and what is available. There's no real catchup mechanism, and if you focus on building the church, you just quick finish the game and nothing much else happens. Its a pretty concept, but execution just doesn't work. And the kickstarter cardboard church is junk just gets in the way, assuming it stays together at all. it's annoying that you have to assemble the insert, instead of just coming with an insert. There's a lot of sneakily harsh negative player interaction due to how the resources work, which leaves a lot of bad taste and further exacerbates the no-catch-up issue. the whole donkey thing thematically is cool, but mechanically just doesnt work and definitely clutters the board

What a brutal review. I appreciate the honesty but am shocked at how wrong i think you are 🤣 But thats preferences. We all have things we like and dont like.

backed this at the $1 level. Decided not to upgrade. Glad I didn't.

Please make this game a COOPERATIVE game with BIGGER pieces! (I think the irregular tiles would make the game more interesting.)

Funny that the only thing you liked about the game is the one that killed it for me, the Donkey management pick up and delivery. The pieces worked for me well and I didn't mind the fiddliness, but those donkeys... uff.

Absolutely agree with the review

They didn’t talk about the solo. If there is one thing that sucks majorly on this game, it is the solo. I like the game, would rate it a 7 or so, because of the donkey principle and the way you expand and build. True the getting villagers quickly is a requirement, but they cost increasingly more money so it is not that easy to do as money is tight. Where the game gets a 4 is the solo which is not developed at all. The Automa always grabs certain tiles but doesn’t always build them, it drags on like there is no tomorrow and I will never play a solo of this again until somebody comes up with a better one. Almost like like David Turczi took his eye of the ball on this one.

Those tile shapes knocked this down my want to try list. Down, but not out. If someone makes me play it, I will and hopefully the experience will give it more context.

I really can’t believe that this game uses donkeys and Zee didn’t review it.

A game with donkeys needs Zee to review it. Fact.

Quite a range of disagreement in the comments. I am disappointed in the review because I own the Kickstarter edition and haven't unwrapped it yet. But I also see some comments that give me hope.

@bjbushwacker

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I got the deluxe Kickstarter, and while it wasn't the grand slam I thought it would be, it is quite enjoyable. The ending has snuck up on me faster than expected, but I REALLY like the way resources work in the game, the interesting tile shapes, and how the donkeys work. I need to play it at 3 or 4 to see how things are different, but I've enjoyed it at 2.

@OhSixy

Жыл бұрын

That’s because it’s actually really fun if you explore it with lots of player interaction in a shared market

Played it today for first time after having the KS copy for a while. Hated the KS 3D church. Clunky and hard to see the board over it I wish he would have shown how to created the refined and high quality materials. I also misread the places in the church space so game took longer than should have Def has its faults but enjoyed our play

Whenever a Yi says, “that’s not fun,” I know to go get the game. It’s like when Tom says, “it feels like work.”

@DTChrisYi

Жыл бұрын

Happy to provide a useful metric! You very well may enjoy it.

@praiseboognish1979

Жыл бұрын

@@DTChrisYi lol! I totally will! Thanks for the review!

I have only played a dry run by my self before teaching anyone and I didn’t mind it. I thought it was all right. Not great not shitty. Just run of the mill.

@cthulwho8197

Жыл бұрын

The problem is that hundreds, if not thousands, of games come out every year and many of those are good. Some of them are great. A few are fantastic. In a market awash with great games old and new, why spend limited time and money on run of the mill.

@joshfrench5858

Жыл бұрын

@@cthulwho8197 Ill wait to play it at 2,3,4 player count to actually get a sense of how it holds up. But I totally hear what your saying.

I’ll agree that the resources are much too small. I’m sorry you didn’t like the game. It feels very different than other worker placement games. I liked that. Others apparently didn’t.

Wendy and Chris are spot on with their comments and glad that they did not shy away from addressing the issues in both gameplay and the components/design. It is such a shame as this game sounded so promising but when there are so many games out there it is difficult to justify pulling this one out with so many flaws. I sincerely hope that a revised edition is produced, there is a lot of unrealised potential in there............

I could not agree more with this review - for me and my group, it was a massive disappointment. I was so sad because we were extremely excited to finally get this one from Kickstarter.

You don't need to put the pieces in the bag. There are tokens that you can use instead of the tiles to put in the bag.

@OhSixy

Жыл бұрын

Another review by people who barely explored the game

@Jermafide

Жыл бұрын

Yeah Im not sure how this was missed.

@DTChrisYi

Жыл бұрын

​@Jermafide I didn't bring this up because the rulebook makes very clearly that those tokens were a kickstarter upgrade. We try to review the game as it would generally be available, so anything that is labeled as such I try not to base my thoughts on. But since you brought it up, I also find that it adds a few more steps to match tokens by type, types by type, add the appropriate tokens to the bag, then search for the corresponding tile elsewhere. It certainly doesn't even come close to raising my score.

@Jermafide

Жыл бұрын

@@DTChrisYiah that makes sense why you didn't mention them. I completely forgot that was a kickstarter exclusive. My bad.

While the game is fiddly, the biggest issue by far is that everybody shares everything TOO much. You are catering to others and if no one caters to you, you're left out. It's just not balanced.

@OhSixy

Жыл бұрын

That’s the fun of it. Do you produce the resource just for someone else to use it, or do something else? Great game

The game is amazing. Well I know, everyone has its own opinion... but this time I feel you didn't get the game. 4 and 5 is way to low. The 3D Chappelle is amazing. A 9/10;if you ask me.

@OhSixy

Жыл бұрын

It’s a great game but you bin the 3D chapel as it blocks the tiny icons on the church tile

"Disappointed, never want to play again, trying to search for a positive,too fiddly"............5 out of 10.....🤔 errrrrrrr..... What does a 2 or 3 entail? 🤣

@mikeb2598

Жыл бұрын

I imagine 2 or 3 boarders on unplayable or broken. This game is playable and not broken. They just don’t want to play it for a variety of reasons, so 5 it is. Like other posts have said it’s middle of the road. For many that is not a bad game, just one that they don’t want to play.

@TheBrokenMeeple

Жыл бұрын

@@mikeb2598 a 3 for me is a game I really dislike but not to the point of hate or anger inducing......so brass for example.

Sold my Kickstarter as soon as I got it.Whole thing looked way too busy .Tiny components and icons just not for me.

Put the matching tokens in the bag and not the tiles them selves. 🤦‍♂️

@DTChrisYi

Жыл бұрын

The tokens were a kickstarter exclusive so I didn't want to talk about it too much. They're simultaneously better for mixing in the bag but worse for then having to find the matching tile. Mixed thoughts on using them!

@joshfrench5858

Жыл бұрын

Matching wasn’t hard. 4 stacks of 4 tiles each stack is a resource indicated on the back side with the name on it. That is stupid the tokens were Kickstarter exclusive.

Small bit complaints I heard over and over

No offense, but I think you are guy are being way too soft and generous with your scores and comments. I gave it a 3, as a backer. I backed this, and never have I been so angry about a product. I felt completely mislead by Mighty Boards and they will never get a penny of my money again. This game was clearly never play tested in prototype form. You understated how tiny the pieces are, they are ridiculously tiny. You understated how hard it is to read the tiles, both in graphic design of features and the gameplay information on them. You just understated how bad this game is in every aspect. This is my worst game of 2023, and I can't see another game beating it, it's just that bad. Mighty Boards should feel ashamed for releasing this product.

@RickKoeppen

Жыл бұрын

Is it just the components and graphic design that bothers you? This was my #8 of 2022, the tiny pieces could be bigger, but that is a minor complaint for me in what is an otherwise enjoyable game.

@ScytheNoire

Жыл бұрын

@@RickKoeppen I don't think not being able to read the tiles or pick up the pieces is a minor complaint. The campaign was completely misleading, showing larger pieces than what was delivered. This doesn't even get into the gameplay, which is completely broken. It was like it was never play tested. Seriously, everything about it was bad, other than the artist work, which ended up hurting the gameplay.

@RickKoeppen

Жыл бұрын

@@ScytheNoire Yeah, I guess what I'm saying is that readability hasn't been a problem for me, nor has picking up the pieces, which I don't disagree could have been bigger, but admittedly I did find tactile joy in manipulating what I found to be adorable components. You do lose me on your gameplay concerns. Interesting that you've found broken gameplay where others have not. Do you have any examples? My multiple plays have each been enjoyable without such "broken" findings.

This game is tedious, frustrating, and boring. 4 is being very generous. I rate it a 2 but I could understand a 3. 4 and 5??? No. Giving games like this a softball doesn't help the hobby.

@thedicetower

Жыл бұрын

Huh, as a teacher, I have yet to meet a parent who thinks me giving their kid a "4" or "5" out of 10 a "softball". Those are quite negative numbers.

@grog3514

Жыл бұрын

@@thedicetower because the most objectively critical source of children are their own parents?

@FemmeSensei

Жыл бұрын

@@thedicetower Sometimes you just can't win, right? You're honest and feel harsh in your honesty, and yet some people complain anyway lol... You can't please all the people any of the time. :). Please don't take this kind of thing to heart Chris and Wendy, you guys did really well and I LOVE how much you care as you agonize through a non-favorable experience.

@jonplaysmemoir4461

Жыл бұрын

@@thedicetower Gotta agree here. 99.9% of games are rated between 5 and 10 by reviewers on youtube. I consider a 4 to be a zero frankly. I consider a 5 to be as low as you can go without calling it trash. Honestly, i consider anything that's less than an 8 to be meh. It's hilarious that somebody is mad that you didn't rate it lower when both of you said you didn't want to play it again. Can't win 'em all!

@Rkm0504

Жыл бұрын

And this is why a lot of Dice Tower's older reviews didn't have number ratings. People assign way too much meaning to the number. The commentary and the discussion in the review is way more valuable than an arbitrary number in my opinion. Besides, I'm also a teacher, and to me, a 5/10 is an F 😂 Hardly throwing anyone a "softball"