Each planet has three tasks (scenarios), which play significantly differently, and the current KS includes a pack of one more task for each of the six existing planets. I would say not only is discovery not a significant part of the puzzle but it is actively more fun the second time around because you aren’t going to have it turn out that you have inadvertently screwed yourself just because you didn’t know what was coming - for example, an objective requires harvesting a specific kind of resource… but doesn’t count any of it you had prior to the objective. (They are renewable but time is tight. ) I don’t know how I feel about overall replay value for any given task because you will absolutely see all of the moving parts in any given planet by the time you do all three (/four) tasks and for me there are rapidly diminishing returns on games once I have seen that, generally. But not everyone feels that way.
And yes, it’s absolutely a Kallax cube worth now, let alone with five more boxes. (Though the planet boxes aren’t very big and I would guess you can fit the 7 that won’t be in the core box in two stacks, one behind the other).
The restart isn’t too bad, particularly as @malkav11 says the discovery isn’t as important as solving the puzzle and seeing all the stages of the mission. Think less seven continent more replaying a month of pandemic legacy.
The survival aspect I think might vary per planet so hard to say really. The one I did was more managing time as a shared healthbar.
After watching the Dice Tower thing and reading some BGG comments, I am more undecided than ever. But with the price tag and having just backed 2 campaigns that are still running it is a bit of bad timing. I tend to go for another regretful: not this time. My partner seems interested but he was also interested in yet another upcoming campaign (Assault on Doomrock, listened to SVWAG episode on it in the car on our way home from vacation) and there are only so many big games my collection can take and maybe I should play Dwellings of Eldervale a bit more before taking on the next ginormous box of gametrayz™.
If it helps I hate the gametrays for the game they could have been half the size and fulfill the same function. One of them as far as I can tell has no right to be a game tray it holds nothing but a cardboard track. I hope a different planet does something with it but who knows.
On the other hand. I read more on the Kickstarter and the box where the helper robot is evil sounds very interesting. The helper robot is a very cool mechanic imho.
I’m in for illiterati. Could be good but I’m a little apprehensive on the woolliness of the categories. Having said that a fast co-op bananagrams attempt feels like a decent enough premise to me to overcome nagging doubts.
I got Travis Hill’s Union Station yesterday. It’s a small box game where the production isn’t the most complex, but I am still amazed on how quick the whole process is. Campaign ended in Nov and received the game at the start of March. Awesome!
This one looks quite difficult. I watched them play on one of the YouTube previews (the one with Naveen and Monique(?)) anyway some of the later challenges look tough as they seemed to just about do okay on the early one they showed.
I watched that one, too. But I guess I was not paying attention all that much, just focused on coop word game and loving the idea. Completely forgot that I need to consider language. Meh. I guess… I’ll have to wait until this makes it into translation. Even my paper copy of Hardback is… German -.-
I saw this on Kickstarter and saw it was the same designer couple (Madeleine & Joseph Adams) who made the two Filosofia titles (Floating World and Dare to be Wise) neither of which I have played but Floating World still sounds interesting and so does this new one.
Watched the dice tower preview and have to say I’m intrigued but wasn’t paying enough attention to fully grasp the twist on worker placement I think it’s taking.
With the court cards of each suit representing a single person throughout their life, and the other art all representing elements of nature, you’ll need a re-theme. I think that could be quite nice, though – it feels like perhaps you win if all four characters are able to stay in touch with nature for their whole lives. The more that their younger selves can influence their older selves the better, so maybe cards are memories or knowledge/wisdom acquired when younger. The characters can influence each other as well, so all four are connected somehow. It feels like there is something to explore here.
Can you order this deck anywhere? I never saw that campaign, but the cards look lovely and I’m quite tempted.
