After years and years of content consumption I’m forced to write my first comment ever. This is an incredibly well articulated review and what a rollercoaster of emotions you were able to journey us through. Found out about your channel a week ago and now I can’t wait to see what you come up with next. Have an incredible day and keep pumping quality content like this one!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

I'm honoured. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, it really means a lot, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

@sarico7827

Жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yeah, I know I've played other board games I really like Dark souls board game. We sometimes as a group did house rules but I think thats always gonna be a thing. Thanks for the in depth review.

It may seem a strange thing to say about a review, but I found yours moving. Well done as always.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. When I started writing the long reviews for my blog, I always said my intention wasn't to review the games, it was to review how the games made me feel. These "stick to the script" videos are my way of still doing something like that every now and again.

The beginning was a very heart felt introduction, and I love how throughout the video it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, thank you for taking us through the ride with you :)

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I’m glad you liked it.

The opening hit me hard and now I'm tearing up a little. Resonated so much. I remember walking the dungeon halls of HeroQuest when I was young.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad it sparked something. I've always believed our hobby is a little bit more than pushing bits of plastic around on cardboard.

Don't worry so much about video length. People watch for your insight. Keep up the great work.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Might have been pushing it with the length of this one, though!

This review saves the game for me. I couldn't bring my wife and daughter to play this game, knowing that the Hunt mode was a dud from two other channels. Now I am confident to use your house rules and after that go to the other missions. I didn't want to get my loved ones into a bore fest and earn an "I told you so" from them both. 😅

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

It's a baffling introduction to the game. It also makes for a very long first game, because you have to wait so long for the 10 champions to turn up.

@fumarc4501

2 жыл бұрын

Very well said!

@scoutingtheweb

2 жыл бұрын

Good point I really want to get my family into board games but I’m worried they are not fast paced enough or engaging for the casuals

Can’t wait for that house rule video. I really REALLY WANT to love this game.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

I'm just doing a bit of stress testing at higher levels with it, but hopefully should have it ready soon.

@christianwhite8411

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Cool. I was hoping to use your house rule in my first run through a Hunt Journey.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

@@christianwhite8411 Looking to have the video up on Friday.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

@Bjørn Søvad Sure, I posted it back in April. Look in the Cursed City playlist for Anatomy of Design - Mistakes, House Rules and Fast Levelling

@nick1635

2 ай бұрын

I'm REALLY late to the party with this game, I thought your review was superb, one of the best if not the best, review I've watched 😊

Your house rule seems so appropriate and obvious, it almost seems like something they left out on accident. LOL, your summary!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

It's made a big difference to the game to me. I'm sure other people have come up with different methods too.

@CrovanBlaze

3 жыл бұрын

I've watched some of the GMG playthroughs, and thought that something like the house rule mentioned here would sew the problem up nicely. Definitely feels like a design oversight if a bunch of randos on the internet come up with similar effective solutions to fix the glaring hole in your design, but I know how silo'd some creative endeavors can get.

@TinyDiodes

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Saying it's better than Blackstone is a HUGE statement coming from you and being received by myself. That one statement, for me, just flipped my lack of anticipation on it's head. I'm by no means expecting myself to feel exactly the same, but now I am looking forward to experiencing the game.

Awesome, glad to hear you liked the game. I wasn't expecting to hear you say you loved it at the end! I'm glad I decided to keep my copy, I just finished building everything.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Sort of surprised myself a bit, but it's true. I really like the fast pace, and the focus on movement and blocking. It's a little bit rough around the edges, but I'm having so much fun.

Fantastic video! You had me worried at 1st with your review especially as I’ve managed to just get hold of a copy... I also recognise me in that intro you gave so know where your coming from. Looking forward to more videos!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. And I’m glad to hear you have a copy. It’s a wonderful game... just a little rough in the final execution at times.

Great review! After playing a few missions, I totally agree with the problem you identified. Looking forward to your future video detailing your house rule. Keep up the great work!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. It seems like such an obvious issue, that really should have been ironed out prior to release. Fortunately, it's a very simple thing to rectify (not just using my method either - I bet lots of people have come up with different ideas to get around the problem).

Great review. Thank you. My copy is arriving this week so you have built the anticipation to an even higher level!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome. I hope you have a lot of fun with it.

Glad to finally see your review. Here's to hoping we get some expansions.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I would love a few more enemy types to add into the mix, if nothing else.

nice one mate. really good to hear where you are coming from with this one

Great work on this channel. I didn't buy a copy in the end - I've got so many ongoing projects I can't justify the cost. But I have been enjoying your dungeon rambles enormously. Thank you.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I like the phrase dungeon rambling - where other's plunge, I go for a gentle stroll!

The video we've been waiting for! Deffinatly worth the wait, thank you so much for all the time and care given to making such an informed review. Cant wait for the house rules video! I have yet to start building and painting so I got plenty of time before I actually get a chance to jump in myself.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Glad you liked it. Now I know I like the game I can start thinking a bit more about painting. I have other things to deal with first though. Fortunately, I don't mind playing in grey!

@josephwiley5880

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I wish I was ok with the grey plastic like you! It just does not feel right to play without them painted

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

@@josephwiley5880 If I waited until things were painted, I'd never play anything! My channel would be rubbish.

What a great review. Really enjoyed the thought and care you put into it. Hoping that you run a campaign like you did with BF - with your house rules, of course.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. I'm playing content creation by ear for this one, as I appreciate some people will be annoyed seeing too much about a game they can't find!

Thank you for the extremely thoughtful review. My WHQ experience(s) mostly line up with yours, so it answered/addressed all of my questions about the game. Your house ruling seems fair and in line with the narrative - and in a sense, not so different from something like group activations in BSF.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. I'm glad the video answered your questions. If you have any more, I'll always try to answer in the comments if I can.

Best review of this game I've seen, wonderful pro and con presentation really let's the view see both sides

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I like this deep, careful and thorough review! Thank you.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

I thank you for all you’ve done. I’m loving Blackstone and I can safely say I have you to thank for helping me decide on which expansions I wanted to find or invest in. Now I have completed my collection as of today and I’ve finished my first playthrough for the base game. Now I’m learning how to paint and I plan to start on Dreaded Ambull very soon. So once again, thank you.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

That's amazing. I'm so pleased the videos were helpful for you, and I hope you have an amazing time working through the expansions.

For a moment you got me worried. Great review, and I am definitely looking forward to play this once everything is painted.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

For a moment I had me worried. I hope you enjoy the game when you play it.

@njco78

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Looking forward to see your house rule in action :)

Found your channel through my sparked interested in Warhammer Quest (mainly the 1995 version) but I really like your insight. Following you and can‘t wait for more WHQ content.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for checking out the channel and choosing to subscribe.

Great review,keep up the great work,looking forward to your house rule video!👍🏻

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

Mine just arrived today! Can't wait to get stuck in. Great review as always.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I hope you have fun with it.

I been considering the same house rule. Glad to hear you tried it out and its working

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

I hope you find a balance that works for you.

Thank you so much for this video! Your views are very balanced, now I feel I know what I'm getting into. This has helped me feel confident in my pending purchase. Thanks again.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching. I'm glad you found the video helpful, and if you do get the game I hope you have fun with it.

Woo its finally here. Ive been more hyped for this review, than the game itself lol. Cant wait to get into it!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you: you’re too kind. I hope the video justifies the enthusiasm!

Your reviews are very entertaining and informative. Thank you for your well thought out presentations.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you like the videos.

Awesome review! I had to listen to it all in one setting for the final verdict

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sticking with it.

Amazing review!!! Good for you house ruling to keep it going for you, as I pretty much did the same thing because I couldn't agree with you more about the game!!!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I felt it really didn't take much to transform it into something so much cooler.

This ist the best Cursed City Review and content so far, thanks! I almost just can sit down and play it myself. And the story is developed cinematically and dramatically as well! I really look forward even more now to rip open the foil of my copy of Cursed City very soon!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it. I hope you have fun in the Cursed City!

Great review from a great channel. Thank you!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching.

Great work. Bonus points for the Henry Hoover reference.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I was pleased with that one!

@Ben_Mdws

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I was going to ask, if stuck on a desert island would you take this, or BSF, but I think you answered that in the closing minutes!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ben_Mdws To be fair, if I was on a desert island for a long time I would probably still take Blackstone Fortress because I have all the extra content to keep me busy, but if I could only take a base game, it would be Cursed City.

What a great review! I played the first mission and quit at about the same point you did and for the same reason--and I also developed a house rule to adjust. I'm looking forward to hearing more about yours. I'd love if GW fixed the easier missions with an errata, and stranger things have happened. In any case, thank you for taking the time to talk about the game's pros and cons in such a compelling and thoughtful way.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. When Silver Tower came out there was a significant flaw in the rest phase of the game. They quite quickly posted an errata, that included a complete rules rewrite for how that phase of the game worked. It was an essential fix and improved the game dramatically.

@maerduin

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring That is very encouraging!

Amazing review 🙌 thank you for your insight and for being very descriptive and honest about your experience.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe a bit too descriptive! My eyes still hurt from editing this one.

@GhostKingGeorge

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring You sir, are a hobby hero. Nay... Legend.😎

Great review! You (and The Bard) got me in to Warhammer Quest which has made the pandemic much more enjoyable. I have Cursed City queued up to paint and am looking forward to getting that done to play it. Looking forward to hearing your house rules, too -- I'm already working on some simple mods to allow ST an SoH Heroes/Adversaries to be used in the game. Hat tip!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

That's great to hear. I need to think up some way to bring my beloved Slambo into the Cursed City.

Thanks for the detailed, extensive, and very well written review. It must have been quite some work for you. Glad you really enjoy the game so far. Your story with the Warhammer Quest series goes on ! I'm really curious to see what this more fast pace combat feels like. I really enjoy the tactical aspect of combat in BSF with cover system, range, line of sight and placement, but this will be very refreshing apparently.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. It feels very different to Blackstone Fortress, which is a good thing, because you get two different experiences from the same game line.

What a great review. I never thought I would watch an hour long review but it was so well placed and balanced.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

Жыл бұрын

Well thank you for sitting through it. I'm glad you thought it was worth it.

I love it when the reviewer actually gets passionate, makes the whole experience of listening more enjoyable. Will never get or play this game as I have an embargo for all GW products except paints. That’s just my own feelings on how they treat their customers but this review was still great.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching the video. I appreciate the kind words.

Excellent review. Gotta admit, i was delighted that you loved the game.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. It was touch and go for a minute!

First I've seen of your channel. Fantastic review. You have a great mind for this, truly. Liked and subscribed.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome to the channel, and thanks so much for the like and sub, I really appreciate the support.

I enjoyed your review and appreciate the thoughtful input, now that they are talking about releasing the game again I may need to pick up a set.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed the review.

Yupp, you pretty much covered it all. Here's to hoping that GW manages to sort out the current difficulties and puts Cursed City back on shelves. I really recommend reading the novel, it is not only a good book in its own right, but also really deepens the narrative experience of the board game. I think the print version is sold out, but it should be available as ebook (I have it on Kindle). Looking forward to more Cursed City content

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I'm really hoping they do a second print run. I think the demand justifies it, and it might just be a case of they will announce something when they can get it into the production schedule.

This is the best review I've ever seen for anything. Thank you for this.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. That's incredibly high praise. I really appreciate it; it genuinely makes the hours of editing all worthwhile!

A+ review, it even had a bit of a story arc with the will he/won't he like it!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I wasn't entirely sure which side of the line I would fall on to begin with!

Comprehensive and fair review. I agree the only real downside is the spawning in the hunts and scavenge journeys. We immediately instated the house ruled to have enemy groups spawn at the start of a turn on alternaying lunch gates. I like the idea of driving off enemies all at the end of a turn as well.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

It feels a bit tidier and smoother doing the driven off at the end of the round, and just speeds the whole process up a little more. I've been using the rule at some of the higher levels, and the game gets really tough! I had Radukar, a Varskyr, and Torgillius on the board together last night and it got ugly.

A nice review. My heroes have had no trouble high stepping in celebration through Deliverance journeys and generally smashing the crap out of every enemy who's gotten in their way, but it can be a good time all the same.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Maybe your dice are kinder that mine, because Deliverance missions consistently kick my ass.

I’m happy I passed on this one . I will just stick with Blackstone . I’m happy just to have one in my collection as hellboy does this system better imop . love your channel and your videos !! It’s nice to hear one review out of the many negative reviews I’ve read . The gamplay videos I watched seemed to be a direct opposite what you stated . That’s what makes board games great there is always something for somone ! Also thanks to yours and Joel’s videos I bought Blackstone .

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Glad I could help.

Thank you for the review and especially your recommandation for your house rules! I guess I'll implement them right away

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I will do a follow up video soon, but I just want to continue testing it at a few different levels to make sure I'm not overlooking anything.

@koalarobert974

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Looking forward to it :)

Superb review. Unlike most people, you aren't afraid to compliment GW and still you give fair and knowledgable criticism. I wish I had found a way to love AoS too, I'm still unable to engage with that world.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

You’re certainly not alone with those feelings about AoS. I still struggle with the silly names for things. Some of the items in this game... just call it a healing potion so I know what it does!

what can I say. I f love your reviews. Thats some serious press journalism level. Outstanding.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, that's really kind of you. Glad you liked it!

Looks great may go get it now...

@pcuimac

3 жыл бұрын

Good luck with that. :(

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Finding one online seem unlikely at this stage, but I still have people telling me their local stores have copies, so hopefully it's still possible for people to hunt some down.

Just got chance to watch the video, it was everything I hoped for- an incredibly in-depth review of all the key systems of the game! Great job as always. 😊 I absolutely agree with you about how slow the hunt (and to a lesser extent, scavenge) missions feel, during that first journey I double and triple checked the rulebook to make sure I was playing the driven-off rules correctly. It just takes far too long for any reinforcements to arrive and even then they’re very easily defeated. I was considering coming up with a house rule to that system but from what you’ve said it sounds like you e got a good solution, so I’ll hold off working on one till I’ve seen yours. I have similarly mixed on my feeling about the crises. In some ways I really enjoy the little narrative injections into what otherwise feels like a very threadbare story experience. But on the other hand I do think it feels a bit strange how heroes keep popping off to have a chat with some random citizen in the middle of a battle. So far I’ve been lucky not to see any repeat crises after playing through each journey type once and I do worry that I’ll be a lot less interested in the system once I start seeing the same crises for the third or fourth time. Deliverance journeys are definitely much more fun than the other standard mission types, so much so that I’ve ordered the gravetide mini just to enhance the coolest token in the game. I found the one I played relatively easy to complete without getting bogged down by enemies and caught with the gravetide, but I imagine it could go very differently if the first room or two of enemies I flipped were more durable than skeletons and bats. It also seems like the mission type that will scale in difficulty the most, as larger hostile groups at higher levels will provide a much bigger tar pit than just a handful of skeletons do at level 0. The Vargskyr decaptiation mission felt very well designed, they clearly understood how easy it’d be to rush the boss down in a turn or two and so protected him from harm in a way that feels very narratively satisfying and cleverly simple yet effective. I’m keen to keep playing just to see the rest of the decapitation missions and hopefully experience more clever twists to up the threat of the bosses. As I said on your previous video I’ve been finding the game rather easy so far and I was starting to wonder if the four heroes I chose were just more powerful than the others, this being a GW game and their interest in/ability to balance being almost nil. However it sounds like that probably isn’t the case, my party consists of: Glaurio, Qualthis, Brutogg & Cleona. They’ve all seemed pretty strong to me and the lack of challenge is my biggest issue with the game. Having read though the other characters Cleona does seem like a vital part of any team but the other character I’ve not tried yet seem just as, if not stronger, than the current party. Gorslav and the buried mechanic does seem stupidly strong and unfun, but as of yet I’ve never actually had it happen to me. When I read through the rulebook and saw the buried condition I was really worried that it would spoil the game, but so far Gorslav has been the only hostile I’ve encountered that can apply it and it’s worth noting that he can only do so if you are adjacent to him when he activates. I’ve found it relatively easy to take him down at range or to always save one dice for movement if my melee character fails to kill him in close combat. This comment turned into a mini essay, oops! Suffice to say I enjoyed the video and look forward to any future content you put out. And I REALLY hope that Cursed City gets a rerelease at some point so more people can play it and we can get some expansions for it. 🤞

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words, and for sharing your thoughts. Deliverance missions do ramp up hard, and I found them tough from the start - my bats keep making their saving throws! Gorslav is a big threat in the gauntlet, because if he does bury you, it's a real scrabble to get out before you die permanently. It should be pointed out, I've played consistently with one rule wrong which I will address in my house rules video on Friday, and that's almost certainly made the game a little bit tougher for me. Here's hoping GW turns the release of this game around and the future ends up a little brighter!

Keep up the good work, totally enyoing your videos.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the support.

In terms of the campaign structure, maybe decapitation missions could reduce both fear and influence? It makes sense narratively that taking out one of the boss's lieutennents would damage their organizational structure and give tge people hope. And that would also mean that whenever you reached a level to access a new boss you could tackle them immediately instead of having to run busywork missions first.

Loving the review so far nearly halfway, so happy that you found comfort in the older versions of the games. I did almost turn it off thinking you loved them all but not this one so maybe I should save my money on the 2022 run but stuck with it and it’s actually sounding interesting I’m very conflicted, feel like I want it but still unsure and also blackstone as I don’t own that

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching the review. This is definitely one of my reviews where switching it off too soon will only give half the picture, because I do think Cursed City is great. It has that little issue in the rules that I tinkered with, but overall, it's just really good fun.

You earned a subscriber with this review. Excellent job! :)

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I really appreciate the support.

Thank you for the thoughtful detailed review. It seems like a poor intro scenario can really color your first experience with a game in a bad way. You highlight the same problems other people have, but those notes also feel tied to running the hunt as the opening default, and not digging much further after that initial dissapointment. Feels like a a few more playtests and a better suggested intro, some of those problems might peel away. Thanks again for leaning in, interested to hear how you've upped the pressure.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. It's definitely a poor introduction; it's difficult to describe quite how disappointed I was with it in that first play.

I'm watching this before I go and spend $400AUD on a sealed copy.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

I hope the video helps you make a decision. That’s a lot of money for a game, especially one that GW isn’t supporting.

Thanks for such a great review, been waiting for this to drop, as I know it would have been conducted superbly, which you didn’t disappoint. This game is epic despite being shadowed with so much negativity due to GWs handling of the supply situation has made it hard to find good content reviews on the game. The tweaks to the rules via house rulings is so needed and completely agree with everything else you said in your review. There is such a love for this game and it’s legacy and I know it will be back. Thanks for the great video, great work.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. It's a shame about the release of this game, and it would be great to see a reprint in the future.

Great review on a game I’ll never have, or Own, or be able to obtain! Pretty long review also, but I stuck it out! I would really like to know what house rule you used to fix those two styles of play! Oh well maybe next time!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

I do explain in this video that the house rule I introduced was that you check for if enemies are driven off at the end of the turn rather than when they activate, and then they respawn at random entry points - this is at the 48 minute mark so you may have missed it. I also said I would be making a separate video about it in more depth, which is already done and on the channel as this review was made quite some time ago. Do also be aware that Cursed City is coming back later in the year with a full retail release and expansions, so there will be a chance for you to obtain it, even though that didn't seem likely when I made this video.

Awesome review as per usual :) !

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much.

Great! Good to hear a balanced, nuanced and detailed review 👍 I'm glad you're enjoying the game. The chase missions sound really good. Is it possible to recover grievous wounds whilst on an adventure in this game? Whilst it shouldn't be necessary if there's sufficient design, playtesting and tweaking before release, there's nothing wrong with simple to implement house rules that tailor and improve your experience. I think I'm enjoying base BSF more than many did due to group activations and increasing the challenge. Just adding a +1 to all enemy wound values has made a huge difference to the whole balance and level of threat. When you've played a bit more, I'd be keen to know your thoughts on: Board variety: Beyond variety added by different scenarios, do the number and shape of boards tiles lend themselves well to different combat scenarios too? Weapon and item design: Do they make a significant difference in tight spots and are they fun to use? How are they obtained and is there a choice i.e. from shopkeepers? Levelling: Do enemies scale well with characters and do the new abilities granted for levelling feel rewarding? Do they significantly impact tactics or team dynamics and help to keep fights interesting, or is it more like the same thing, just stronger? Expansions: Obviously the elephant in the room and source of a lot pf speculation! Not to detract from enjoying the base game or get into GW politics, but do you think it will happen and on a positive blue sky thinking level, what would you want to see? Besides the enemies you mentioned and obviously, more content overall, what do you think would add to the experience? I was thinking of: 1. outdoor areas like a forest or glade, with trees, rocks and trenches to divide it up 2. some trap tiles, doors or chests 3. individual hero scenarios that explore their backstory 4. a thief, rogue and offensive mage type characters 5. enemies that can sneak up or use magic at range Thanks 👍

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, that's a lot to get through. I'll try to briefly hit on each point. Sorry these aren't the most in-depth answers: Yes, you can heal grievous wounds (which are basically just two wounds on the same space in this game), and it's essential because of how much more dangerous the fights are. So, a recuperate roll that's a success can remove one wound or flip a grievous wound to a regular wound. A critical success on the recuperate roll allows you to remove two wounds, or one grievous wound. I play Blackstone Fortress where grievous wounds only inflict two damage instead of three, rather than boosting all the enemy HPs. That's worked really well for me. The shape of boards, and the overall map, is important. Many maps are circular, with "short cuts" through the centre, making it hard to safely evade the enemies. Smaller maps are quicker to move around, but the enemies close faster. Bigger maps require more dice for movement, so you may end up with nigh falling before you achieve your goals. Narrow corridors force you into cramped spaces with enemies, hindering movement. Wider spaces allow greater movement, broaden your line of sight (as you can see everything in the room) and increase the ability to make ranged attacks, but also allow more monsters to close on you (remember, small enemies can fit two to a space) and increase the threat from things like the Kosargi's lumbering charge. Some tiles are one square wide, creating natural choke points. Also, doors sometimes straddle two spaces and sometimes don't, and the ones that don't create additional choke points that are harder to traverse. As mentioned in the video, treasure comes from searching objects of interest and are always one-use items like healing potions and bombs. They are generally fun to use. Empowerments are purchased between missions using your realmstones. They confer bonuses like improved attacks or improved defence. They are much more like stat increases, but because you can only have one weapon and one armour, you can't just overpower one character. Enemy adversary groups scale by level, becoming larger and also including more powerful enemies. For example, at level 0 Gorslav may turn up alone. At level 1, he may turn up with some zombie friends. When you face the bosses in their own missions, they get extra special power ups. The game is designed for expansions, and the contents of the secret envelope indicate the storyline will continue. I think that will still happen, especially as Cursed City was popular enough to sell out pretty much everywhere. Traps are already in the game, in the secret objects and the crises. I think there's plenty of design space for special locations with more features in them, or overlays to place on the tiles. Scenarios for the heroes would be cool. They bake a little of their personality in their Path to Glory inspiration conditions. Both loremasters in the game so far have decent attacks, although they mainly focus on debuffing enemies. Torgillius can use magic, and several enemies can sneak attack in a way. The Vargskyr can teleport across the board (and does his striking from the shadows special attacks during his boss fight), and zombies can suddenly spawn adjacent to heroes. I think too many ranged enemies would make the game incredibly tough, so I think they need to be careful there - it really needs to focus more on being that optimisation puzzle where you try to minimise the incoming attacks rather than facing a barrage of fire every turn, because the heroes are just a bit too squishy to deal with that.

@agentorangecb1

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I was just thinking about talking points for a future video. Thanks for the insight though!! It all sounds good and yes, ranged attacks would need to be carefully balanced if it's already challenging and there's no cover! I was thinking maybe status effects, slowing or freezing heroes etc at range as well as low damage dealing attacks. The existing special attacks sound good, as does the use of choke points and challenges of getting through the map I play BSF with crits as 2 wounds AND with +1 wound count for all enemies! Obviously it impacts low level enemies more, giving guardsmen, drones etc more staying power and it seems a good balance to me personally so far. I also gave chaos marines a defence roll to reflect their status and armour. With the options available to explorers and some items gathered, it's more menacing but still not too tough

Another excellent and honest review. Thank you. I personally wont be traveling to the Cursed City as the cost of a ticket is too high and too many "maybes" for me. If the game gets a reprint, expansions and with community support maybe I will take the trip later. GW games rarely feel like a finished product with so many tweaks needed. I do love dungeon crawlers and the ravenloft like setting is fantastic.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Considering the price it’s definitely not one to try on a whim. Thanks for the kinds words.

Wow!! Great review 👍. I said before this game begs for expansions, sadly I don't think we will see any. However this game is so awesome!! And yeah I'm with you on house rules for games but for this one it works also to make it a little harder, bring in hostiles a level higher. But again great review!!.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. I think we'll get the expansions. Games Workshop has a long lead time on designing new products, and Cursed City was clearly intended to have them, so I think they will happen. My fear is, based on what happened with the base game, such expansions will be stupid, blink and you'll miss them releases that lots of people end up missing out on.

Great videos dude, keep it up

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

Жыл бұрын

Thank you.

This is such an amazing review, well, maybe a bit too short, I wanted to hear more! I didn't buy the game for reasons of price mixed with negative reviews. Now it is impossible to get, but I got an unused copy of it sans miniatures for ~12 pounds, so I will be able to test it and the house rules. :)

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

I've seen quite a few "no miniatures" copies online. It's a great way to test the game, especially if you have plenty of proxy miniatures (or a colour scanner so you can use the photographs in the books to make standees for all the miniatures).

@mikolajwitkowski8093

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I did not think about Standees, that might be an interesting idea for heroes. For the enemies - from other games (including my complete collection of Warhammer underworlds) I have enough rats, zombies, skeletons, I will just need to substitute bats for crows (but that works thematically). :)

By far the best the review I’ve seen so far. Very nicely done! Btw. How interesting are the last missions after you’ve cleared the bosses? As far as I unterstand there are no bosses (beside of Radukar), so no challenges?

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

The idea is that as you kill a boss they will no longer turn up in regular play. However, one of the bosses is the vargskyr which is a "generic" creature, so they keep on coming at later levels. Also, one of the boss battles is against three vrykos vampires, but the city is also full of unnamed vyrkos vampires, so those keep turning up as well. Of course, Radukar also wanders about the place until the very end too. The only enemies that you stop meeting permanently are Halgrim and Gorslav at level 2, and Torgillius at level 3.

@MrGreg972

3 жыл бұрын

Aah okay, so all in all it stays challenging till the end? Thank you for the quick reply. Really looking forward to your video on the house rules! :)

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

@@MrGreg972 I haven't completed the campaign so I can't say that with certainty, but I am testing some higher level games this week to see whether the house rule is needed in those late stages, so I should have a better idea soon.

@MrGreg972

3 жыл бұрын

Good luck on that. Keep us updated! ;)

Jesus your opening monologue was enough to bring tear. Like looking in a mirror. Like for that 👍. Great review

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words.

And…. What I love about Heroquest is all the furniture, and game board… I’m all about immersion and I appreciate things that add to that. The more props the better…

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

5 ай бұрын

Furniture works for HeroQuest for numerous reasons. It's something I've discussed on the channel before. Cursed City is more of a gauntlet style game, with a focus on movement and spatial control. It creates the immersion using different methods to props - such as the shape of the environment, the much more detailed art on the board, and the special rules that create intense situations (particularly in boss fights). HeroQuest has a purposefully bare board to create any location, and it requires tile overlays and furniture in order to bring that board to life.

@LaMOi1

5 ай бұрын

I understand… different style of game. Cursed city does sound really good tho….

Good review. I enjoy playing this but I’ve never played previous editions or Blackstone Fortress

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

9 ай бұрын

Thanks. Blackstone Fortress is the game I return to the most, simply because it had so much more support, even though I feel Cursed City is a bit faster and more exciting.

Nice review. How do you think you’re house rules will scale up in the later levels?

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Effectively, all I'm doing is checking for enemies that are driven off in the event phase, rather than during the turn, which means the enemies cycle a bit faster(I then randomise their entry point). It holds up through level 2, and if it was to start getting too hard, I would just revert to the rules as written.

Man really appreciate your honesty in the intro and felt very similar at school and just as you feel that to warhammer quest I feel it with hero quest it opened a door t a bigger world. I lost touch with the hobby for yours and then conquest mag arrived couple of years ago and I never looked back, which I’m glad because the hobby has helped me when I’ve needed to escape from the cares of the world. Thanks for your in-depth review at first, actually makes me feel glad I didn’t order it and I’ll stick to BSFstill got to get through it😄 but by the end I don’t know I think I want it now especially saying it’s better than BSF damn!!!!. Maybe I’ll track down the game without the minis on eBay and use my hero quest minis, maybe use the doors too..... or do I just hold out.... really wish I’d got hold of hammerhal but came back to the hobby to late😂 . I’m rambling now!, again thanks for

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I'm seeing quite a few copies without minis floating around on eBay at the moment, and the rules book has four pages showing every single miniature in pretty much 1:1 scale that you could scan and mount for standees. It almost feels a bit like they're there exactly for that reason!

Great review, my thoughts exactly! Ever plan on posting some gameplay to the channel?

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

I was always planning to. I'm not so sure, with the current situation regarding availability, how many people would really want to see it so I'm playing it by ear a bit.

This review... you kept me full of angst about my Cursed City purchase all the way through; well done. Lol. I’ll implement your house rule for Hunt missions when we play this one. You mentioned you use some house rules for Blackstone Fortress too; would you be willing to share them or do you have a video on that already? I’ve been looking forward to your review and wasn’t disappointed; thanks for sharing your thoughts. 😃

@danroberts007

3 жыл бұрын

(found the BSF house rule video, so disregard my request on that) 😁👍

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching (and for hunting down the Blackstone Fortress house rules).

I love your reviews, they are always extremely detailed and insightful, whereas other reviews of geedub gsmes usually just show off the models and gloss over everything else. Question, is there a video detaling your house rules for BSF and the reasoning behind them?

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. As much as I love miniatures I’m always in it for the gameplay. If you check out my Blackstone Fortress playlist on the channel you will find a video on houserules. The big one is reducing the damage on critical hits from 3 to 2, which gives enemies a little bit more staying power.

Ah, I've been waiting for this video! Very well articulated and informative! I had the impression previously that this game was hot garbage with nice models, but am glad to hear that you see it otherwise. That being said, due to the lack of expansions, I will still opt not to get it, as even with all the great gameplay improvements over BSF, I think, like BSF, it will still get repetitive over time. I eagerly await the next Warhammer Quest entry! XD

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. I still think we’ll see the expansions, but with so much uncertainty around the game... we’ll... who really knows?

I really loved this review. So many people are dunking on the game out of frustrations with how its release has been mangled by GW that they really haven't been able to separate those feelings from how they liked/disliked the game it seems? One of the things I love in Cursed City is that many of the add-on rules you got from the expansions in BSF are integrated into the core game (i.e. things like Conditions). I really like the levelling/progression system too although I would have loved to see gear variety vs gear upgrades. I honestly have no problems with adding in homebrew/house rules to enhance the game, and honestly the small house rule you came up with makes things much much better! There is a user on BGG that's created a huge campaign that combines Silver Tower/Shadows Over Hammerhal into one sprawling campaign with new rules for things like progression and encounters and whatnot (and that same user has also turned his gaze to Cursed City with some interesting improvements!) and it is totally something worth playing if for no other reason that it makes Hammerhal properly solo-able. I really hope they will release proper expansions for Cursed City, but so far their track record for the AoS Warhammer Quest games has been abysmal? BSF was the only one that felt like it got a lot of love, but I am hoping against hope Cursed City will be the exception!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. I would have liked to see an opportunity to get different weapons, and to be able to choose from a range of skill upgrades on a branching tree. The way the upgrades work at the moment, the characters pretty much remain unchanged, just getting a bit better at what they do. For example, Emelda is always going to be resigned to hitting things with her sword, and I think one of the best empowerments for her is the one that gives her +1 damage on standard hits because it makes it easy to consistently take down minions. It means she's always doing the same thing. The game was clearly designed for expansions, and at the moment I feel like we will get them. They might be in limited supply though! It would be great to hear down the line that they were going to produce more of the base game as well, but I'm not confident about that.

Hi, for the hunt/scavenger journeys, does the lack of challenge from being lvl 0 occurs too when the heros are lvl 3/4? With more ennemies popping on the board, it should be harder I suppose ^^

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

8 ай бұрын

I found it necessary to increase the challenge at all levels, but it's an easy thing to modify on the fly if the game starts to feel too tough.

Great review, really like the way you put together your reviews, your writing skills come through well. Good introduction, interesting background, well put together content which takes you on a journey of your experience, with a twist at the end. I really did think you were going to say it was a disappointment. So glad for you that you liked it, the series obviously has a place close to your inner core. Really good watch, just a shame it's proving so hard to get a copy. Thanks for putting it together, look forward to more content on Cursed City.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I really thought I had wasted my money on it after that first game. It was a terrible introduction, and shows how just one slightly off rule can bring a pretty solid game system crashing down. At some point I will do a video explaining the house rule in depth, but I think I might need a short Cursed City break after this!

Also - would love to hear you take on Bardsung. I’m not objective since I love it, but it seems to fix so much problems with dungeon crawlers

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 ай бұрын

Bardsung looks great. Unfortunately I don't have a copy to review, but I do like Steamforged Games in general (I have a review for Euthia, which was their collab with Diea Games, coming up on the channel soon), so it's one I would like to try.

High quality review, detailed, loved the background/intro, keep up the great content!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.

Finally finished watching it all I really enjoyed that it’s left me wanting a copy but still quite conflicted with myself as I don’t really currently play these sort of games and haven’t really tried so it’s new territory for me need to make sure it’s worth it

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching the review. It's a great game, but not cheap, so it's definitely one where it's a good idea to get as much information as possible before committing to a purchase.

There's a copy sitting in my local and I've been debating if i should pick it up or not. I'm playing through my first run of BSF with all the exspantions.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Hope you're enjoying Blackstone Fortress.

How do you like it, now? You get into the expansions, and the other periphery witch hunter teams?

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

Жыл бұрын

I love Cursed City, but obviously it was deeply flawed in execution. The expansions aren't amazing, but I've come up with a narrative structure that cuts out a lot of their grind. There are no official periphery witch hunter teams, unfortunately. We never got more than the eight heroes from the core game. I've covered the expansions in some depth on the channel recently, but I'm not sure I have anything left to say about the game at this point.

And being one of those friends, those times were some of the best :)

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Darn straight.

@dalelewis625

3 жыл бұрын

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Saturdays were always awesome. Either clearing the big table at mine or setting up on the floor in your room. Not to forget the lunches supplied by your mum... Dairylea sarnies, salt n shake crisps, Rocky road bar and occasionally a chicken cyst donut lol

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

@@dalelewis625 Ah Salt and Shake crisps were the best. Custard doughnuts may have traumatised me for life though!

Great review! Would you be willing to try out a WH95 version of the hunt and scavenge journeys? Wrote them up as soon as I played both those journeys which were a bit disappointing as you mention. Play tested with another guy who made a video about it and recently made a revision. They work pretty great!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. Your idea sounds interesting but I'm afraid I don't have the time. Best of luck with it!

@nomadcaravantales84

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Not a prob mate, keep up the great videos!

I really appreciate how well illustrated your initial impressions were. Of all the various mechanics, the "grind" has become something of a staple for RPGs, (even to a degree in BSF) which is kinda tragic. Still, it's good to know that there are options for this one. While I have no real vested interest in CC (as I'm drawn far more to the Sci-Fi games, than straight Fantasy) I'll likely look forward to playing with my friends who do have the game. (soon as Nurgle allows it)

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. It really was a very negative first impression, but there's a great game just beyond that. I hope you enjoy it when you get to play.

@NeoNaiche

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring To be fair, your videos, and reviews have often allowed me to go to try new things, that I otherwise may have just bypassed without a second look! Keep up the fantastic work! *cough*cough*moarspacecrusade*cough*cough*

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

@@NeoNaiche That's great. I'm so pleased. At the moment I'm having one of those moments where my gamer brain keeps wanting to play Cursed City, but my content creator brain is saying, "You've got to take this off the table at some point." More Space Crusade will happen. I'm going to do a three-squad run and a terminator run, but I need a bit of time to set those up when the family isn't around.

@NeoNaiche

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring if this is a “Hype-Train,” comment, I’m the Conductor…

Very interesting

Did you ever complete the Shadows over Hammerhal campaign? Did you play with a group or figure out a solo method? It's one of my games that I would absolutely love to play but I just dont have enough playtime and people to dedicate to it. Hopefully someday. Daniel at The Dungeon Dive refers to it as "Better HeroQuest" which I could really see being the experience, at least in my mind.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

Жыл бұрын

Someone tried to bodge together solo rules, but it's not a game that really works that way. You need a gamesmaster to run the dungeon. I don't agree with the assessment that it's a better HeroQuest for a lot of reasons. I always thought it felt much more like Advanced Heroquest. But again, I wouldn't say a better version of Advanced Heroquest either.

Lovely review! I’m interested to know if you played it solo and how you found it as an experience? Is it still fun and engaging to play?

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

11 ай бұрын

I have played Cursed City with a group but most of my plays are solo (controlling four heroes, as you always have four in play at any time).

I agree on the narrative

Hey guys. How in the name of Slaanesh do you fit all the content in this tiny box??? I’ve just finished assembling the minis and can’t even fit the two larger ones in.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

Жыл бұрын

I store my miniatures in magnetised crates, which I have talked about on the channel before. They won’t fit in the box, which is common for GW games. All game components, including expansions, fit easily though.

I think they could have added a couple more enemy types. I mean I am thinking off trying to add more heros/ and enemyes from other things XD. I'd love to see well greenskins or skaven for a expack haha. I'd say if we keep the undead them sounds fine but then add the wolfs and ghouls.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

Жыл бұрын

Well we'll never see anything official now. You might want to check out the work of Peter Cooper. He has come up with new enemy types.

This is the best break down I have seen. Great work. I do have a few rule questions. 1. as the gravetide moves can the hero's be on the same tile with out suffering injury, and they only take wounds once the tile is removed. 2. Once a hero is in combat can they spend an action dice to move out of the tile they are - ( see Pg. 25 2 paragraph from the bottom on moving)? Or can the hero move out of the tile to a different tile so long it is "as close" or "closer" to that enemy model? (pretty sure once in combat you cant move just look for further clarity). THANK YOU!

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Yes, you are allowed to be on the same board as the gravetide. It steps through the process in the rules for that type of mission, and you only take damage if you get "bounced" to a new board when the board you are on is removed from play. I'm not quite sure I follow your second question. If you move into a space adjacent to an enemy you have to stop. If you are already adjacent to an enemy, you can spend an activation dice as normal to move away, but must stop as soon as you enter any space that is adjacent to an enemy. You can then, of course, spend another dice to move again as you can make as many move actions in a turn as you have dice available. You are only pinned in combat if you don't have any dice for movement or a special rule or situation prevents your movement.

@Leviticushateford

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thank you! the main question was # 2. we missed the rule that a hero could leave combat by spending an activation dice if it was alrady in combat. We played it as once your in combat you stay in combat. Thanks agian

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

@@Leviticushateford happy to help. Getting locked in combat would make the gravetide missions much harder.

@Leviticushateford

3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring As an example a hero with 4 activation dice could spend one to move into combat, spend 2 more attacking, and spend the last activation dice to move out of combat?

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

That’s right. As long as you have a dice you can do that, but if moving away moves you into a space adjacent to another enemy, or even a different space adjacent to the same enemy you were already adjacent to, you have to immediately stop again.

Fantastic

Thank you for the video

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching.

Subbed for that house rule video. I also really want to like this game. Itseems GW doesn't intend to support this game - no reprints, no errata, no expansions. So the community will have to do it on our own, with houserules & homebrew expansions & custom treasure & crises. Thankfully with GW's upcoming 'Soulblight Gravelords' releases for Age of Sigmar, we'll have plenty of fancy new models to make custom rules for. Maybe a variant of the deliverance rules where instead of an endless spell a group of vampyric blood knights is charging up the street - appearing later but moving much faster,with some of their number peeling off to search for villagers you've already warned, and the rest having to be fought directly when the catch up to you. Maybe monstrous fell bats and skeletal black knights added to the enemies pool for hunt missions. Maybe that cool new mounted wight king and rat themed vampire noble as new named villains for decapitation missions.

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

I do think the expansions will come, but unfortunately, based on the core game, I think they will be small releases that sell out instantly. I think time will tell if GW has any more plans for a reprint or anything like that. I have fired some questions to the Quest team for inclusion in an errata (one of the mission maps fails to tell you where to put vital objects of interest), so hopefully they will do that at least.

Thanks for this review it was the best I’ve seen, I love the models except the zombies 🧟‍♀️, as for the game I’m still on the fence , I really wanted to like this but with GWORKSHOP abandoning the game I’m not so sure .....?

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring

3 жыл бұрын

I think, until the uncertainty about what's going on with Cursed City is resolved or explained, a lot of people will be reluctant to put down the money (if they can even find a copy). Hopefully that changes. Thanks for watching!