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When my kid got into board games around the age of 9 of course I got into it as well (this was about 10 years ago!) - and we'd watch the YT review videos to see what to get next. Then HE got the idea of doing unboxings (fun for us, but really no one else). Then we expanded to do reviews. This lasted until he was about 14 or so and then was off doing his own thing more and more. So it just became me -- which is still fun but I think at 53 I don't have the same brain-space/energy esp. when so few views and comments resulted - and it was no longer a bonding family thing to do. I still enjoy it and would do any game I have...Long answer I know but I appreciate the interest --- maybe another one soon then = )

@@justinandmaxgames5472 well, it’s always good to listen to fresh perspective, new channels, which I discover them so often. You did a good job very concise with your thoughts. so what inspired this one was it a good game or was it the weather? I guess there’s two versions? there is the wood block (kick starters) pieces and the traditional cardboard? I just noticed it listed on Amazon one for $35 and one for 70.

@@greginfla_1 We have the wood block one - really nice pieces. It's a really neat game. There are so many that are fantastic - but after 10 plays or so you feel like you've seen and done everything (I'm looking at you Lacerda-recent-games) - you've figured out the puzzle. Then it sits on a shelf...and sits...and you can't imagine going back and re-learning --- to ultimately do the same stuff all over again. Eventually you look to sell. But not here - this is a keeper - entry level (+) instructions but I cannot imagine wanting to get rid of it. It's great with causal players and always looks great. As for the Minnesota weather - it's still nice (for now) but getting towards the end. Actually I probably play more in the snowy weather! Hmmm. 35 vs 70 is a big jump for the components. To me even with the upgraded components it seems like a $50-55 game. Niche hobby of course. My honest feelings.

Thanks!!!

Expansion! I can’t wait!

Cool- what did you think about the board art? What player count did you play at? And yes - the beard is mostly the result of laziness - then it gets big - then it’s hard to eat and I spontaneously shave without warning!

@@justinandmaxgames5472 I've only played it solo once so far just to get the rules down before teaching others. I agree with your biggest critique on the decision to go form over function of the board art. I love the look of the board, but it does lose a bit of readability for sure - especially if this won't hit the table frequently. If it gets played a lot maybe it becomes less of an issue as you familiarize yourself with the board. So many games, so little time though.. Also, I really enjoyed the action selection grid as I hadn't come across that mechanic before. You mentioned seeing it before, what were your favorite games to use that? I'd like to check them out. Thanks!

@@JasonDay56 To be honest, Pest has a unique take on the concept, but there are a few GOOD games come to mind - in Weather Machine there is an action space (upper left of board) where the tile you take also gets you their intersecting benefits. (boardgamegeek.com/image/7808509/weather-machine) In Targi, you get the card where your meeples intersect (so you get actions first). In Round House (a lesser known game) when you do the 'venerate your ancestors action' You lay out workers getting rewards at their final point of intersection (boardgamegeek.com/image/3369647/round-house). But the one that it reminded me the most of was Kepler (boardgamegeek.com/image/5180867/kepler-3042) in which the action you take in the grid gets you one or two bonuses where that action intersects (getting you 3 actions if you can afford it!!!).

@@justinandmaxgames5472 I really appreciate the list. Thanks! Kepler is one I have never heard of, even in passing.

@@JasonDay56 We used to love it (made a review some years ago) but brought it out about a month ago and felt it lost a little of its sheen but still quite engrossing.

After the first game we used the Two-Player variant from the booklet which makes everything more competitive (which I recommend after a first game). There are less locations that are not destroyed at the start (but still are a big part of the late game as sick people start spreading) - but we had a real blast at 2. I almost felt like at 3 or 4 it might be a bit long for the type of game it is and the complexity level. I DO want to try it at 3 and 4, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with our 2-player experience. I can barely imagine it at 5!!!!

Thank you very much !@@justinandmaxgames5472

We received in the mail the latest expansion which means for me taking everything out and going through all the paces again and then ADDING the expansion. I fall in love with games again this way often. My only qualm with the game is the AMOUNT of content and variety with all the expansions - so many tiny rules and things to recall--- a bit like how Dominion got out of hand (although I still love it as well)!!! I'll have to give it another go...but I'll never part with it...

@@justinandmaxgames5472I feel the same way about the amount of content and the RE-learning curve.

Same. It's daunting just to think of all the brain work you need to play it! But so much fun...

I was considering making a video about the campaign elements -- which is off the charts. We played each episode about 6 or 7 times before doing the campaign. Feels entirely like a THIRD game. I don't get the negative reviews at all!

There's more interesting things ultimately going on - also it simply LOOKS better (which is important) - and the peg-boards are a fantastically easy way to quickly visually understand not only what's going on for you but also your opponents. Need to play it more now that I think of it...

We had a great time with it but honestly it was so much mathematical considerations we ended up selling it...despite our affirmation of its brilliant design...

@@justinandmaxgames5472 Did you try having a calculator around while playing it?

@@realsushrey Relied on my kid to make sure we were doing everything right. I heard that the 'export' goods is a big part of the game that we just didn't do to much of. There is another pure economic game called "Masters of Venice" which I MUCH preferred even though the stock exchange mechanism is much the same.

@@justinandmaxgames5472 Thank you, I will check out Masters of Venice.

Time to step it up a notch!

I'm so glad the video connected with you - and yes I'm happy to help with any rules. (Although we're on a Campaign now and I DO have a couple of rules questions I even have...) And yes, both Septima and Void Fall on order = ). Sounds like our marriages have a great similarity!!! PS I definitely DO recommend the Determinative version of the rules, especially if you enjoy Lacerda games too. Just ENOUGH random without TOO much.

@@justinandmaxgames5472 ❤️❤️❤️

You won’t be disappointed!!!

Yeah - it's funny the few times Rahdo does NOT like a game I seem to like it even more. I think this game suffered due to the designer and company not having real name recognition in the US. Glad to hear you love it too. It's games like this that renew my interest in the hobby that can get (let's admit it) swamped with too many 'simply OK+' games that come and go.

Hi Juan! So glad to hear from someone with a shared passion for the game. Intrigues is kind of convoluted but in the best way possible = ) Yes we have the all-in Persev. but am a long way from getting it tabled. My brain got burnt out on heavy games (just did a few Dead Reckoning which is fantastic) for a bit I think. My wife got into painting minis (better than myself for sure) so she wants to paint the whole thing before tabling it. I did the same with Great Wall. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts with me = )

We haven’t played it in about a year but that was our honest take on it every time we played. There were three or four guys that were super good and there were three or four that you knew you were going to lose. Now I’m sure if you play 1 million times and learn the ins and outs of each character maybe there is some balance but it’s not the type of game that I would play over and over and over and over again. You’ll have to tell me though how your multiplayer game went I’d love to hear and thanks for subscribing!

@@justinandmaxgames5472 I loved playing the game multiplayer! It's a brilliant game for sure! I do wonder if there are balance issues, though... there are two characters that seem objectively over-powered but like you said, you might have to play it a ton to find out for sure. I like the game so much I'm happy to keep experimenting with different characters!

@@BoardGameDave That's great to hear -- we're going to try 4-player this summer. I wonder if you tried it again with the same players and no characters if the dynamic would change...?

@@justinandmaxgames5472 I think so! The board state changes so much from game to game! We even considered playing again with each of us using the same character to see if we could better optimize our abilities!

It is MORE balanced with the bailout for sure. HOWEVER, there are some games that to me the expansion 'becomes' the game so to speak - as in I couldn't imagine playing it without it because it brings so much to the game. For instance Fractures of Time is to me now Anachrony becoming what it always meant to be comes to mind. That being said put an alert on your computer for whenever the expansion DOES come out as you will NOT be disappointed.

@@justinandmaxgames5472 thanks for the info! I contacted the company for expansion availability and they said a reprint or maybe a new edition might come next year so I am going to wait. Got a big shelf of shame til then anyways lol

@@PablowingUrMind Don't we all! My most recent plays have been Paris (didn't do a video but works well at 2) and have Perseverance on the 'to do list'. Later my friend!

It's one I am meaning to get to the table again - and sometimes I feel these kinds of games that really seem to 'want' 3-4 players might just lack that extra layer of interest at only 2. I won't disagree with your not disagreement - in fact you've inspired me to go back to it soon! Thanks for watching!

I wish he still played board games with us on a regular basis -- he grew up too fast. At 16 he's off in his own direction. I'd love to play this with him again with the Fractures of Time expansion. If you play this game and haven't played with Fractures hold on to your seat!!!

I kind of want to play this again sometime...sort of -- but I think I got it during an era when I wanted 'super challenge' games. This era has passed.

Hi Shannon! Thanks for watching the video -- to be honest I really really enjoyed 90% of the game but feel it lacked that last stage of professional development (that such an interesting game deserves) to tighten the play as scoring felt rather disconnected from accomplishment. Seemed like a home-made brew (kind of like Feudum) from the get-go. I didn't mention in the video but I felt that the other boxes were just a complete waste if bundled with 2nd edition (I felt we were had to a certain extent) - replacement parts for stuff already replaced in the main box?!?!? And the upstairs downstairs is just really a handful of meeples that tries to fix all the problems with the main game rather than act as a proper expansion (I'm talking to YOU Useful Man). The different tiles were ok but the promo people are just bizarre. All the variants felt like the designer couldn't ultimately figure out what the game really was - and for me theme should never boss gameplay. I'd still like to get it to the table with more people (although it's long even at 2) - but YOU shouldn't feel bad one bit! It was 16 hours of fun play with Erica - and that NEVER is a bad thing. And it was a different kind of game than I expected - always a GOOD thing = ) Maybe one day we'll play it with you in person! That way you could see in person what an incredible individual Erica is. Cheers from Duluth....

@@justinandmaxgames5472 I would love to play with you guys! The designer is a writer who decided to make a game his wife would love to play. So for his first try as an Indy designer I think he did amazing. He’s a one man team who did all the work of publishing on his own. Don’t know if you have read any of his communications. On the flip side. I love the bit of randomness. It’s kind of thematic for me. Humans rarely do what we expect. It’s hard to make them predictable and that comes through with the blind reveal. As far as the bonus cards you could always omit them but again sometimes I like to use those to plan a strategy as I go. If I feel like I can’t achieve it I get rid of that one next time. If I can I feel like I won the lottery. I guess it’s all how you look at the experience. For me it’s all about a theme we love. My daughter beats me every time. She’s a huge huge fan of the time period and studying to be a writer. She said she just puts herself in that time and completely immerses herself in that game. She beats me by a lot I might add. Lol I also love the little boxes that All your starter stuff comes in. So easy for sett up and tear down. I love organization though lol. Glad you guys will still get some enjoyment out of it! You guys have inspired me to play new games a few times before rushing off to the next one. I find that now I am enjoining some more than I thoughts I would on first or second play. I already know how wonderful Erica is! You are blessed to have her. :) wish we all lived close. Cheers from the Poconos! :)

All in! Probably won't get it to the table before February though with a backlog of other games that the fam wants to play first. In the meantime we'll be painting up some of the characters = )

Thanks so very much! It was a fun month of playing and it’s raised my expectations on board games going forward. I guess that could be a good thing?

Thanks for watching and yes that one is on our radar. We just have so many games that we haven’t yet played in the house like everybody else. And feast sure is expensive! But it’s one I definitely want…

Thanks so much --- even though this was JUST 2 years ago, he's changed so much at almost 16! He's off doing his own thing more than playing games with mom and dad...but we can usually cajole him into a game here and there. = )

I'm now looking forward to Perseverance coming in the mail more than ever. I think the question for us going forward is what game CAN offer 30 days WITHOUT getting stale - with ALWAYS offering a new experience. I'm having a hard time thinking of one.

Dude!!! Love that you watched this --- it melts one's brain but is GREAT at 2 people...and yes TWO PEOPLE!

If there is one basic strategy I can recommend, it's that your first one to two buildings you decide to construct are the most critical decisions you will make in the game --- this allows you to take one element (of the many things you need to keep on your mind) and push it into the background of your game without worry. To further think about this, I consider the following three factors: 1. Is this building especially pertinent to helping meet my evacuation quota being met? 2. Does this building alleviate my Path's worst attribute (playing B sides)? 3. Does this building play into my Path's BEST attribute? And if you can say YES to TWO of these questions, it's a good decision. For example, in our last game I was playing with Harmony and built two key Life Support (water) buildings on my first two construct actions. Water became a non-problem for the rest of the game, I never had to use an action with an exosuit to get water, and it helped fulfill my 1. evacuation quota of 3 life support buildings as well as my 3. Path's Best attribute.

@@justinandmaxgames5472 love the insight Thank You!

The devs and testers also claim that each action you take should net you at least 2VPs; I’m still trying to grasp that math, but I think it means you should account for gaining progress toward an endgame condition as well as gaining you 1 or 2 points towards evac. I need to play more and record my thoughts.

@@anders6326 That's an interesting idea! And that's really the long game -- lots of calculating in 'future' time! OK, like I go and spend an action with a Scientist to get action (in an exosuit...my least favorite action but often a necessity). I can use 1W to help construct a building on my next turn which nets 3 points (for example) with the resources I currently have, which I received through a Mining action, and have now 3 unspent water, 2 of which will help awaken my people....etc.! Mind boggling!!! In many ways the mission cards (with the most perfect of expansions in my oping, Intrigue) can help guide you in not ignoring the many aspects of the game. I have to say my wife and I (and it seems you too! and many others) have become 'students of the game' so to speak. And reading all the FAQs and nuanced rules opens up all sorts of new interpretations and strategies.

I should post a video soon of a mid-Month recap for sure. Keep an eye out for it.

Yeah we played last night and didn't get started until about 10 PM. B sides of the Fracture Machine (or whatever we call it) -- I pushed Blinking to the max, Erica pushed building to the max. I greatly fear adding another module to the fray...but can't resist.

I have only played Trismegistus solo (and loved it) so maybe I should try it out since the solo for Tris was also the great one himself, David Turczi! And yes MELTING is IMMEDIATE --- even on deciding what side of your board for Evacuation prerequisites before you begin!!!!

@@justinandmaxgames5472 What are you opinions on the five factions so far? Are you aware of the rebalancing (I'm assuming you have corrected printings for Valerian and the other leader(s)) of some of the elements? Did you get the Infinity Box?

@@anders6326 Yeah we got the Infinity box with the fixed cards (and they also tightened up some of the art on those cards...because they are PERFECTIONISTS!). I love the new faction Unity, feels completely different than the others (especially B side). I greatly fear playing with the leader for Unity that allows you to SWITCH leaders with other factions leaders not in play. I seem to play best with Unity or Salvation. What about you?

@@justinandmaxgames5472 Oh, very nice. I haven’t played much with Unity yet, but I know I struggle with trying to work in buying Techs while trying to keep my EC and FCs high. There’s just so much to manage when playing FoT. Salvation I’ve rarely played. I lean toward Path of Progress because I enjoy science, and if I played again, I think I’d play S.O.T.E.R. to get the leader bonus for researching. I like that Progress can store 4 Paradoxes instead of 3.

@@anders6326 SOTER is an interesting leader in that you get those pertinent bonuses for research --- and they can be very helpful indeed at the right moment. That was in fact the first leader I played with in our initial game of Fractures (Erica played with Unity and won). I definitely underutilized his abilities. But as you said --- and I just commented to my wife after our last game ---- playing Anachrony + Fractures feels more like this: th-cam.com/video/h_wqjY_okek/w-d-xo.html

PvP with wife only --- kid is almost 16 now and he's not as flexible with his time = )

@@justinandmaxgames5472 yes makes sense. :)

He's older now and we don't get him to the table too often (off with his Oculus et al.) - but I rewatch this video because it is so funny to see him like this!

We're 5 games in and having a lot of fun. Our scores have been typically around 60 (high of 83 and low of 38) and we're curious if this average will improve with time, added modules, or understanding of faction strategies.

This is one game I think I should have played more before reviewing it --- it was just a first look really. To be honest the MORE we played the BETTER it got -especially with the expansion variety of cards and events! Unfortunately it wasn't a huge hit with my son due to the time between turns when we played with 3...I'll try with another group in the future - but for now it is perfect for my wife and myself! Thanks for watching!!!!

Yeah -- it's a really unique game that works perfectly at 2. We have now included all of the cards in the Unsinkable module and my rating is even higher -- excellent replayability for sure. Hope that you (and Ed of course) continue to create such fantastic games. I should have also given a shout-out to the beautiful art by Janos (whose work I also loved in Petra) which ties everything together!

@@justinandmaxgames5472 yep, Janos did awesome work with the art! Thanks again!

I know! It’s sort of a bet going on to see how far it will get by Xmas.

@@justinandmaxgames5472 Yea I grew mine for a year straight, was glad to chop it off once it ended. :)

I didn't even know there WAS one! My older brother is a HUGE Dune fan and really wants me to read them all --- but I think that's a great idea to see the sci fi channel series first. Thanks for the information!

I'd heard so much about it and love the designers so we got II...really fun.