Just wanted to say I love that the Dice Tower is playing to it's strengths with multiple people on every review. Even if a game ends up not being the best the amount of perspective you get is SO GOOD which many other channels just can't beat.

Any chance you guys will do a video on the 1.5 version? I'm curious how it addresses some of your critiques (if at all)].

Very fair review. I’m about to get to the end of act 1. It’s a tonne of fun in space but I don’t do space exploration at all any more. It’s also really easy. I’ve had to up the difficulty a few times to increase the tension. Still plenty fun but a few rough edges

Thanks for the review. I haven’t played the game yet. But I’m looking forward to it

Since they have already announced a Kickstarter for a second version of the game will be coming in 2023, I wonder how many of the noted shortcomings will be addressed.

@PinothyJ

Жыл бұрын

Damn… If this was sans KickStarter you would have had the original version ironed out by a developer and we would have had their second edition the first time around.

@VaultBoy13

Жыл бұрын

​@@PinothyJ Without Kickstarter, the game would've never been published at all. This isn't the type of game that makes it through traditional publishing.

@thrallj

8 ай бұрын

It looks like the designers took much of this feedback to heart and applied it!

My game group is about half way through, and we've been having a blast!! I agree that the biggest problem has been the writing, typos, and mistakes in the campaign book. Also the space exploration does feel a little irrelevant... however, the space combat is one of the best I've seen since x-wing, and the planet exploration is pretty entertaining. I heard OOMM is going to do a 2nd edition, so hopefully they will fix some of the issues. If they do, it will be a really solid game.

Gloomhaven/7th Continent/X-wing sounds like an awesome game.

@franwade123

Жыл бұрын

@Gankatron 5000 I'm enjoying the exploration. Reminds me of something like mass effect

@1AngelAlita

Жыл бұрын

It is awesome, despite some problems. We are having an absolute blast.

Good comments about how the writing needs improvement. Voicing concerns with the writing will help raise the bar for future games in the genre.

This review makes me a little bit nervous about having backed Mythwind. Hopefully they did do some learning.

@pnpgutterfold

3 ай бұрын

Did you get your hands on Mythwind? I'm totally okay with multiplayer solitaire but I'm a little nervous about a game with no win conditions.

For "Gloomhaven in space" I'm waiting for Rogue Angels Kickstarter! Have you guys looked at this? It has that "Mass Effect" boardgame vibe.

@ralphjb

Жыл бұрын

Doesn't look like it has space combat though. Any other games that are Gloomhaven in space with dogfighting?

@mort2k

Жыл бұрын

@@ralphjb Not really "gloomhaven", but Battlestations is kind of a RPG in a box with ship to ship battle (like the computer game Faster Than Light) with the upcoming Battlestations: Dirtside standalone expansions with planetside missions added.

Looks like a streamlined version of ISS Vanguard, also.

i backed this primarily because it promised the ability to write your own campaigns using the app. haven't tried that yet but i have a story to tell.

So many Kickstarter games have elements that should have been cut, but can't be cut because backers want more stuff always, regardless of how well content actually fits into the game. It sounds like the exploration element is a case of that.

I backed this, when it finally arrived I had moved country to the US and it is packed away with my family in the UK. I want to play it :( Probably won't get my hands on it for a while...

I love the new review format and having multiple audiences. I think there should be a bit of a format. In this review, it seems you both played solo. This should be clarified and how does it scale?

@daveb4293

Жыл бұрын

I don't know if you were actually asking the general audience, or just commenting on the fact that they didn't comment on the scale, but it actually scales pretty well because a lot of times players can take their turns simultaneously. My group has found it quite fun at 4, because there's a lot more opportunity for collaboration and cooperation... "you try and hit that guy and see if you can take him out, if not I'll attack him too, if you do I'll go do this." or "if you go in there right now you're going to be surrounded on your turn. Let me boost your shields before you go in" etc. All without increasing the time line by too much because there's also plenty of turns where I'm fighting this guy, and you're fighting that guy so we can both just do our thing.

Chris, that is an A+ game overview. Get to the heart of the game, show example game play, stick with the key points. WELL DONE!!

♫ This is the review of the Stars of Akarios, Stars of Akarios, Stars of Akarios ♫ Akarios ♫ Akarios

@DonCazino

Жыл бұрын

When the moooon is…

I’ve completed the first act and have thoroughly enjoyed my plays. I wonder if being a board game reviewer makes it really tough to review campaign games. As a hobby gamer, I’m not rushing through campaigns and I certainly don’t have a bunch of campaigns under my belt. I’ve played Jaws of the Lion but have not played 7th continent, so I think I’m much more engaged by the away missions since it is still somewhat new to me. For the tropes in the game, I sort of view them as more nods to various Sci-fi shows and I appreciate those nods. I don’t review board games and am having a blast with this. But I could certainly see that if you’re on your 15th campaign game, maybe it would lend a more critical eye to this.

@darrenmcfadden1102

Жыл бұрын

I think there's a strong drawback to being "professional" reviewers that plow through game after game (for free, so no skin in the game) and only play enough to get the gist of, but not the essence of, a game. I can always tell how much people have played this game by whether they claim the writing isn't very good (it means they did a couple of missions but didn't actually play it through). BGG gives it a fair rating (8.8), as an imperfect but wonderful game. The regulars will pigpile on it and join in the chorus of what it doesn't do, and there's no denying it isn't the perfect game, but I think the average concerted gamer wanting a fun experience will find it to be above par in far, far more ways than its shortcomings.

@franwade123

Жыл бұрын

We really enjoy the nods to shows and movies "oh that sounds like #### awesome."

Tom, you can actually play single scenarios of this. In the App there are user submitted one off scenarios you can play. Also, I disagree that there isn't any variation in the scenarios. Gloomhaven has like 80% of the scenarios be "kill all enemies", however in Akarios I'd say it's closer to 60%. There are tons of missions where you escort ships, pick a side and battle with the other, survive for a certain number of rounds, etc.

I have Gloomhaven and waiting on Frosthaven when I don't have a group to consistently play the game so Ill pass on this one for now. Though I am not a fan of people saying "space gloomhaven" because outside of the hit deck(from what I seen in this review to be clear) , it's a campaign game like many others. That is like saying Final Fantasy 14 is a copy of WoW because it has tanks/healers/dps. Anyways, great review! I will at least add it to my list to buy someday as it does interest me.

@Sgrand80

Жыл бұрын

Prefer what Tom said "If you like X, Y, Z" you may like "insert game" due to similar mechanics etc.. Unless of course the game oozes straight robbery lol

@daveb4293

Жыл бұрын

to me it does ooze straight robbery. But mechanics can't be copywritten so they can get away with it. And I mean, I liked Gloomhaven's mechanics so... The dice rolling for action selection is all it's own, everything else feels like it was lifted pretty much right out of that combination of games. But all those games are fun, so this is fun.

@daveb4293

Жыл бұрын

I don't think "space gloomhaven" is an unfair comparison. It's not just the modifier deck, it's also the player upgrades (being similar to perk unlocks in gloomhaven) and the space exploration portion they were talking about with the events... that's basically your "road event/city event" function. A lot of the effects mimic gloomhaven effects in everything but name... and sometimes even in the game. Advantage/Disadvantage play the same way, slow = Immobilization, hull breach = wound, pierce = well... pierce, etc. There are certainly differences, but it seems like more than just... "influenced by" ya know?

@Sgrand80

Жыл бұрын

@@daveb4293 interesting. Ok. That makes sense.

Interesting. Would you/ could you compare this to Battlestations?

Looks cool and interesting. But the sheer amount of game content means that it would be extremely difficult for me to find someone local who is interested in playing it with me, which means that I wouldn't get my money's worth out of it. Maybe if my local game store opened up their tables for in-person gaming again, then it might be possible. But alas, they still keep their tables completely covered with product at all times (except for Friday Night Magic).

Sounds like a good game to get used.

Now that Atomic Mass Games has taken over X-wing, non-thematic scenarios have been pasted on. This has seemed to kill the game for all but the most competitive players and mostly on TTS. Regular casual in-person play in my area has dried up.

Im close Tom thoughts Its look like i can make this in ms exel prints and have similar fun

This is making me want to go back and play mycopy of Ironclad.

I agree with this review completely, and would add that this is NOT a beginner-friendly game. Sure, the first 1-2 missions are fine but the training wheels come off quickly after that. For instance, the first land exploration is very, VERY punishing despite being the 1st time using the land exploration mechanics (which I agree with Tom, they are very luck dependent). Even then, the difficult curve (at 3-players) seems to assume that after 2-3 space combat missions, a beginner will now understand how they can both A) end up on the correct hex and B) be facing the right direction to C) be able to use the weapon they want while also accounting for D) flanking the enemy or being vulnerable to flank. That's a LOT to process for just one sequence of actions! I also completely agree with the generic sci-fi tropes in the writing and basically rips off a lot of Battlestar Galactica (but is in keeping also with Star Trek, Babylon 5, etc.). I was hoping for a bit more depth than just a sarcastic tough-but-fair captain leading space marines through strife. The combat is where it shines though. But when a campaign game is great for something besides the story, you're probably better digging into something else to get your hex-based tactics fix.

Anyone want to buy a kickstarter copy? Trying to sell my unopen box and mini's. We were a different gaming family 2 years ago when we backed...

Oathsworn's writing is also fine, not phenomenal. Stars of Akarios will win out over Oathsworn any day of the week for me cuz it's effortless fun. I can set it up and play for an hour and a half and pack it all up again. Oathsworn is a whole day slog to lay out, play and put back again in its ridiculous 3 boxes. Ugh.

See I like this much more than Gloomhaven, but I that is because I do NOT like the puzzle of the cards in Gloomhaven. The space combat is really fun.

@1AngelAlita

Жыл бұрын

And combat is quite fast, unlike Gloomhaven in which you easily spend 1 hour in one small room trying to think about the best combination of cards to play.. ;)

@pnpgutterfold

3 ай бұрын

@@1AngelAlitaGloomhaven is definitely crunchier than Stars of Akarios, hands down, so it definitely works AGAINST Gloomhaven sometimes if someone can't or don't want to put in that much brain juice to optimize. The challenge is exciting, but it's not the game to play if you want to relax.

Good god the Overview volume is so much louder than the rest, please fix the volume inconsistencies. The into is loud, the review is regular volume and the overview is LOUD.

@jasonmosley6157

Жыл бұрын

Huh I can’t hear you.

I mean gloomhaven with okay writing and fun combat in space is a fairly good compliment. 3 times the same paragraph is really bad quality control.

@daveb4293

Жыл бұрын

Gloomhaven barely had a followable story too. Didn't keep me from loving the game. The writing is pretty weak here and very generic, but I'm still having a good time with it. I think there's a chance that user-generated campaigns could make this game really good.

This description immediately reminded me of the ridiculously repetitive and limited mission resolution parts of Freedom in the Galaxy. However repetitive and bloated this Akarios is .... it could be worse LOL

This is a pretty cool looking game. Similar to GH though, I'd rather wait for a Jaws of the Lion equivalent

@ilqrd.6608

Жыл бұрын

Oh yeah? Really?

@kumanight

Жыл бұрын

@@ilqrd.6608 Yeah the game is successful enough that we're likely to get a second edition down the line. For a big game from a new designer, it's pretty much alway better to wait for 2nd Ed (if it gets one of course)

@pnpgutterfold

3 ай бұрын

The Battles of Akarios is the closest thing you're going to get! I believe the campaign on GameFound closes at the end of the month! I don't think it's going to retail so you might want to consider it.

I agree with Tom - poor or lazy story telling doesn’t get a pass. Given how great the writing is for so many games now, that and original art is a requirement for me.

Jesus, please equalize your volume, I got startled when the overview started.

@jennera

Жыл бұрын

Me too!

1st view 1st comment.... Small things make me happy. Hope the game/review is good.

The graphic design of the components isn't very good. For me, that's usually (not always) a telltale sign that a game will be lacking in other places.

I don't really get the joke when Tom acts like he can't read the title of a game. Akarios has 3 syllables and doesn't have anything weird in it. Pronouncing it correctly is a different thing. Something like Teotihuacán is harder to pronounce correctly but you just need to know that the H is silent and to stress the last syllable. Here it just seems like a weird dig at the game, like you can't even bother to read the title correctly during the review.

@chrismeierding1475

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, tons of valid points throughout the review, and it makes me happy I didn't back it, but that last dig at the title felt weirdly harsh after they had just critiqued the QA and grammar of the game book.

@simoncaddick4857

Жыл бұрын

I think it’s disrespectful to the designers, in all honesty. It doesn’t take much to look at the phonetics and make the effort to pronounce the name vaguely accurately… this game is the labour of love for a small team of people and it’s overtly dismissive and belittling. I can’t help but feel like Tom has become somewhat overly casual about his treatment of games (which in some ways I understand, owing to how long he’s been doing this and the sheer volume of games he must’ve played). It really shows in the quality of his reviews these days, which pale in quality compared to Mike and Zee.

It's not perfect but it's an absolute blast to play. The campaign is very long and I wonder how many times these guys played the game that they dare rate it.

@thedicetower

Жыл бұрын

A LOT. But you know what, I would have dared rating it had I only played it a couple hours.

Space Gloomhaven... I think Isaac Childres would object to having a game using dice randomness to be compared with his masterwork.

@flashburn2012

Жыл бұрын

The dice are really just to potentially throw a wrench in what actions you can do. There's many ways to mitigate the dice. For instance you can simply take a stress to reroll them.

Wow just trashed it. I can see where you are coming somewhat but it should be higher than a six.

@1AngelAlita

Жыл бұрын

Yes, the game's a blast.

"Following tropes" is the most meaningless criticism of any narrative ever, sadly its become a prevalent one. It's basically meaningless and offers no actual insight or information to the viewer/reader. Do you mean its a genre piece? Say so. Do you mean its a poorly done genre piece? Say that. "It has a lot of tropes" is as informative as "it has words". In the context of the review we can obviously gather the writing is bad, but that particular criticism is, to beat the poor point to death, useless.

I don’t trust dice tower reviews at all. Ditch the hat too.

@thedicetower

Жыл бұрын

If you don't mind, I'll keep the hat. Sorry you don't trust our reviews, I promise they're honest!

@thomascocks9136

Жыл бұрын

Why are you here then?

I love the part where you asked for help on BGG about the game's AI, get a ton of great and helpful answers (including from the designer), and never bother to answer or thank people for helping you. Us boardgame commoners are just there for elitists to exploit and ignore, I guess...

@JamesOrr1987

Жыл бұрын

?

@NormalTheBand

Жыл бұрын

This may be the most "first world problems" complaint I've seen in . months

@charleshaughtry

Жыл бұрын

"...elitists to exploit and ignore..." What utter hogwash. Dude, people don't answer rules questions for some kind of social recognition. They do it because they enjoy being helpful.

@darrenmcfadden1102

Жыл бұрын

​@@NormalTheBand Elitist snobbery! Love it, just proves the point.

@darrenmcfadden1102

Жыл бұрын

What utter hogwash. Dude, people can help for whatever altruistic motivations they choose to employ, doesn't alleviate the responsibility for reciprocity when warranted on the part of the (in this case, entitled) benefactor. Unless, of course, they or their servants consider themselves above such things. Hence, elitism.