I’ve reached the point where everything Awaken Realms do irritates me for no reason. Even the name annoys me. I was going to say it’s such a bland Adjective Noun name for a business, but then I realise Awaken is a verb, which just irritates me some more! They can’t even let me use my lazy put downs!
I recommend it as a way of life, saves so much money 
I popped in a quid for the Nemo’s War pledge manager. Now to watch some videos to try and work out whether I would actually play it!
It’s a difficult one. I’ve had Nemos War for a while now and have played quite a few times, but I still don’t know if I enjoy it or not. There’s an online implementation which is definitely worth checking out before you buy.
It has the satisfying moving parts, but the risk mitigation feels somewhat arbitrary. It’s never really a choice between using the crew/Nemo/craft bonuses or going it alone since they help so much. You risk damaging them if you lose, but c’est la vie. Unless you think you have no chance of succeeding even with them, they make the difference between having a fair chance with them or really long odds without them.
The use of motives to change the game focus is a great idea, but I find some of them just bad. Treasure hunting is the most boring part of the game - work to repeatedly draw tokens from a bag - so that motive that encourages that at the expense of everything else (explorer?) is no fun at all. But I really enjoy the emancipation and military side of the game, and I’ve found those motives much more enjoyable.
I’m waiting to fight through the numbers, see the matrix, and burst through to the fun on the other side, but I never quite get there. The bits that work are cool, but then a lot of the networking elements I prefer in games like any of the Pandemics and Spirit Island. Both of those games feel like an interesting puzzle compared to Nemos War feeling more like a solo war game with a puzzle bolted on. Yet I can’t quite bring myself to sell it because I always feel like the next play will be the one!
I can see why people like it, and I want to like it, but maybe I should admit defeat? I have no idea. It’s a very niche game that has grown to a more sub-mainstream following. Can’t help feel that maybe it was niche for a reason?
I’m in for $1 on Bardsung. I’m not big on campaign games, but I really like a lot of what the game is doing as a light crawler (the dungeon exploration, the activation row, area movement, etc), and the “daily unlock” collaborators are all doing shorter adventures that can be added on to the main campaign as side quests or (and key for me), played as one-shots.
I’m not sure if I’ll go in yet, but we will see. The fact that they mentioned either in the comments or BGG that incorporating their Epic Encounters into the system down the road, is also interesting.
Plus, some of the sculpts are really fantastic, and I love the hero variety!
I had a very similar experience with Nemo’s War, which… (quickly glances at nearby game shelf)… I do in fact still own (I thought maybe I traded it away… apparently not).
I love some of the moving pieces: sinking enemy ships, choosing to use their tonnage as either upgrades or points, and deciding how/when to move around the various seas were all really neat! And some of the story-telling elements are really well done.
At the same time, the puzzle of the game was super frustrating for me, and the push-your-luck with the crew/hull/Nemo was equally frustrating. Of course you’re going to “risk” as much as you can, but then when you roll a 1 (and fail) it’s super annoying because you have literally done everything you can pointlessly, and when you roll a 6 (and succeed) you risked a lot for no reason… maybe it would be better if you could roll and then choose what to damage/risk as a result? So you have a diminishing pool of successes, rather than a nebulous pool of risk-mitigation? I dunno.
I came away convinced that I am just not smart enough for the game (which is probably true), but loving its presentation. And, hey, apparently I still have my copy, so maybe I will pull it out again and next time it will work for me.
Yep, I’m back in the same place with “Would pay £22/£28, but not with $18 postage”.
Will wait for retail and some reviews first.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crowdgames/winter-queen/
So I missed this one the first time it came around:
Any fans here? I like how the board looks in the pictures. But the BGG “Fans also like” section is rather unhelpful as the only game from that list that I’ve played is Tapestry which hasn’t impressed me that much that I would spend upwards $250…
I have the normal vindication (which is to say it’s still pretty loaded with fun bits and bobs). It’s enjoyable. I think it’s probably the nicest normal euro game I’ve got but you do pay for it and perhaps you could get a similar feel from a normal euro game for half the price.
The game does come with a lot of neat modules.
Im tempted with the expansion actually so that might be as good a recommendation as you might need!
The thing that intrigues me about the expansion is that it seems to add flavour to the game that feels like it’s missing from the game. You spend your time as a character doing reasearch and killing legendary beasts to become vindicated BUT you can just as easily be combining orange and green to get points to complete a white status. You can become friends with strongmen or wizards but they are just as easily blue men or red men.
This is my feeling about nearly all those BIG games…
I think I’m in a slightly different position on this. I like a luxury production. Something like Lisboa I appreciate all the fancy bits and the lavish design.
That being said, a good game is a good game and I’ll play it with crap pieces or good pieces. Tbh I don’t have too many very fancy ones but I quite like it. Pulsar I like for having a cool big round space board.
I LOVE luxury. I’d rather pay to make a game I enjoy look/feel nice than buy more games. The persisting chicken and egg situation of most deluxe upgrades only being available in some form of preorder is frustrating. I hate it.
I agree EGG have some of the best balance for components quality. Generally I think euros fit bespoke wooden components and really good cardboard (tokens thick enough to easily pick up!). The further away from that a game strays, the more appropriate minis & plastic tend to be. But if something’s a mini it better be the main focus of the game - they should make reading the board state easier, not fill the board with clutter that makes it more difficult to read. Why make an elaborate score marker that draws the eye? It makes no sense!
Generally I would like more of a focus on design principles and functionality in upgrades, rather than this “more stuff=good” approach we’re seeing a lot of. Minis in particular add a lot of verticality to an intrinsically flat medium that could be used a lot better.
There’s a definite correlation between depth and the amount of extra stuff I’m interested in. The second I saw Everdell and Tidal Blades I could see it was a hell of a lot of unnecessary stuff for such a light game. But lighter gamers don’t usually get to experience that level of production, so good for them!
I will confess the tree was the thing that most sold me on Everdell. Then I played it and discovered the tree was actually detrimental to play, blocking sightlines to the board and contributing zero useful functionality. I was glad to see one of the later expansions included a flat replacement for it.
The only way I can see that tree being useful is with a vaulted game table… Great for selling at expos, but not at home.
I’m often conflicted on this. I love fancy bits, and minis, and all the bling, and especially nice artwork (which is probably the most subjective element of all of this).
I troll a lot about ugly productions, but I’ll play almost anything if given the option (within reason; no desire to play a Lacerda, or 18xx, as they just don’t call to me, as examples), but I won’t necessarily own a game that I feel has a poor production or setting I dislike, as I know it will impact it hitting the table (yes I’m superficial, sue me! Haha).
A great example of this is Blitzkrieg!. I’ve had it on my shelf for a few months, punched and sorted and…nothing. I expect I’ll live the gameplay, but my son and I both heavily dislike the theme/setting, even if it’s extremely abstracted. Seal Team Flix has been on our shelf for 2 years, assembled, and will likely never get played. I’m probably going to trade/donate it, and wait for the SciFi reimplementation.
As far as light games with over the top productions, I’m ok within reason. If it’s a game I think we’ll enjoy, and can get played often (due to weight and playtime), I’m more than ok paying for a some bling. I’d rather spend $100 on a game we’ll play 10-20 times and maybe trade, vs $100 on a game that gets played 1-2 if ever. I know there are a few games on KS that are fairly light but I want the fancy bits because it will look so nice on the table.
I do think there are limits though; the deluxe version of Tang Garden is apparently borderline unusable for example (from what I’ve heard, even from those that like bling).
Inconveniently, I like to bling out games that I already like and know I’ll want to play a lot. Which isn’t usually the time when I have to make decisions about the bling.
Hence the 3D printer!
I think that makes a lot of sense.
Though with KS games, especially if the Deluxe is exclusive (or publisher direct only), I think getting the Deluxe from the start will improve your odds of moving the game if it doesn’t work for you.
Edit: Also, non-deluxe editions are rarely worth backing imo, unless KS is your best option to get the game due to your location (or other reasons).
I tend to agree. And, furthermore, if the game is any good, it’ll go back up on Kickstarter for an expansion and, most cases, you’ll be able to pledge for a deluxe base game at that time.
This is a lesson I’ve been learning the hard way (taking the plunge on games that end up run-of-the-mill or just not worthwhile considering the total cost of pledging)
The triple layered boards in Lisboa with the gentle slots for each piece on top and space for slotting cards underneath are a great practical upgrade. All the wooden pieces being sculpted and the sheer thickness of the tiles feel so luxury in the hand. There would be no game play drop off if they were less good but the visual and haptic improvements male all the extra expense and over sized box worth it for me.
The one exception that comes to mind is Evil High Priest, where I got the cardboard bits rather than the plastic bits – and that is absolutely the version of the game I want – and I’ve never seen it for sale anywhere. In general I’m inclined to agree with you.