You guys are, by far, the best reviewers of board games in TH-cam. It's clear and compact, supplying the needed information that we need in BG reviews. Not to mention, the editing is well done. Very simple and effective. Cheers!
Ah, that makes sense. I think it's a matter of expectations -- I went into the game expecting a fairly thematic 4x game (it got pitched to me as "Twilight Imperium, but lighter"), and was a bit surprised by how much of a Euro it is. If you expected a pure Euro, I can definitely see the randomness being offputting. I consider Eclipse a hybrid between Euros and Thematic games that skews towards the Euro side, and so the randomness fits for me.
Yeah, I've come to realize that I'm in a minority when it comes to TI, in that I've got a group that plays it regularly and still has fun even at the 8-hour mark. It's definitely a game that is too long for a lot of people -- and then Eclipse is a great alternative.
Can you elaborate on what you consider those problems to be? I've heard some people complain about the randomness of the reputation chit draw, but I tend to see it as a means of encouraging frequent and early combat, which makes the game much more interactive.
Great review! You should keep making these! I'm currently designing a boardgame and these videos help me a lot by seeing other games' pros and cons. It's going to be a sci-fi game and you take the role of a god. And the best part is that there are no dice rolling or card drawing in combat!
I'm with you when it comes to TI. It is my absolute favorite game. Length and the sheer amount of rules aside, I love the back story for the game and the individual races themselves. One of the most thematic games I've played to the point that I'd gladly read a book series about the universe.
I've seen enough players pulling an unexpected victory after really crappy exploration draws to believe the randomness really isn't a problem. There are many ways to score points and to prevent others from holding on theirs. Reputation tiles reward early and risky combat, when games like TI punishes the players for going to war. Sure, sometimes you get a lucky 4pts draw after just one fight, but in the 30 games I played, I rarely saw the combative players scoring less than 10-15pts from tiles.
Although I am not a fan of Eclipse you have explained this game excellently :D. I thought you may have mentioned the problems/imbalance concerning the VP and exploration draw.
Are there any other games in this conquest space? I want twilight imperium but I'm struggling to get the players together who are willing for the investment. Eclipse also looks good but the resource management looks a little cumbersome and to euro. I dislike games like Puerto Rico and such. I'm itching for a great deep conquest game that is accessible enough to gather players for it.
Eric Plasencia Exodus Proxima Centauri is more Ameritrash than Euro. Plays about 30 minutes per player once you learn the system. There's also Hegemonic though we haven't tried that yet.
Eclipse is the ideal game for people who are intimidated by the sheer content and rulses of TI3. But Eclipse has something for everyone I think. If You want to build up your empire, so it. If You want to make the coolest modts badass ships in the galaxy, do it. If You have the desire to go to war with other players, do it. If You just want to explore, do it. And I LOVE the mechanics of bookkeeping in this game, like You said, it runs kinda automatically and YOu can focus on the game.
If that is the way you saw it. Then no problems. I just don't think you get rewarded on an even keel and for a Euro style game this is quite strange. The exploration draw also throws up more randomness than general Euros do. Keep up the good work.
I have Empires of the Void and its a really good 4x game and we played a 4 player game of it in under 3 hours to a conclusion, its really fun. TI3 looks too daunting to me, Eclipse looks fiddly.
i'd recommend Twilight Imperium, simply because it looks way better (Better artwork / more appealing color) but i have heard that Eclipse takes waaaay less time to play and basically give the same experience... soooo why not both?
Ugh! I played this with Rise of the Ancients 6 player and I was glad when it was over. So much book-keeping, so much downtime, the technologies are completely random and unbalanced - it's effectively economics in space - no theme is present. I know it sounds harsh, but I look more forward to getting into a game of TI3. That been said it was a relief to win by 1VP in the end - but still I expected a lot better.
You guys are, by far, the best reviewers of board games in TH-cam.
It's clear and compact, supplying the needed information that we need in BG reviews.
Not to mention, the editing is well done. Very simple and effective.
Cheers!
We will be doing a "Top 10 Games of 2012" video later this year, probably in early November.
I miss you guys! I think we should try again.
Great review, detailed and precise without a lot of "flannel" which many reviewers are so fond of.
Well-made review; I appreciate your writing and editing style.
Ah, that makes sense. I think it's a matter of expectations -- I went into the game expecting a fairly thematic 4x game (it got pitched to me as "Twilight Imperium, but lighter"), and was a bit surprised by how much of a Euro it is. If you expected a pure Euro, I can definitely see the randomness being offputting. I consider Eclipse a hybrid between Euros and Thematic games that skews towards the Euro side, and so the randomness fits for me.
Yeah, I've come to realize that I'm in a minority when it comes to TI, in that I've got a group that plays it regularly and still has fun even at the 8-hour mark. It's definitely a game that is too long for a lot of people -- and then Eclipse is a great alternative.
Can you elaborate on what you consider those problems to be? I've heard some people complain about the randomness of the reputation chit draw, but I tend to see it as a means of encouraging frequent and early combat, which makes the game much more interactive.
Great review! You should keep making these! I'm currently designing a boardgame and these videos help me a lot by seeing other games' pros and cons. It's going to be a sci-fi game and you take the role of a god. And the best part is that there are no dice rolling or card drawing in combat!
It would be awesome to see a top ten of a the year. Or even best ever video
Agreed, I love how it scales, I really must buy the expansion that allows 3 more players!
what do you recommend: Eclipse or Twilight Imperium?
I'm with you when it comes to TI. It is my absolute favorite game. Length and the sheer amount of rules aside, I love the back story for the game and the individual races themselves. One of the most thematic games I've played to the point that I'd gladly read a book series about the universe.
Looking forward to this list! Maybe you find the time to review Mice & Mystics, Zombicide and ESCAPE - The Curse of the temple.
I've seen enough players pulling an unexpected victory after really crappy exploration draws to believe the randomness really isn't a problem. There are many ways to score points and to prevent others from holding on theirs.
Reputation tiles reward early and risky combat, when games like TI punishes the players for going to war. Sure, sometimes you get a lucky 4pts draw after just one fight, but in the 30 games I played, I rarely saw the combative players scoring less than 10-15pts from tiles.
Nice review. I love how you pronounced designer's name and publisher :D
After seeing this, I want to combine the best feature of Twilight Imperium and Eclipse into the definitive space game.
Although I am not a fan of Eclipse you have explained this game excellently :D. I thought you may have mentioned the problems/imbalance concerning the VP and exploration draw.
Are there any other games in this conquest space? I want twilight imperium but I'm struggling to get the players together who are willing for the investment.
Eclipse also looks good but the resource management looks a little cumbersome and to euro. I dislike games like Puerto Rico and such.
I'm itching for a great deep conquest game that is accessible enough to gather players for it.
Eric Plasencia Exodus Proxima Centauri is more Ameritrash than Euro. Plays about 30 minutes per player once you learn the system. There's also Hegemonic though we haven't tried that yet.
Nice summary ladies.
Eclipse is the ideal game for people who are intimidated by the sheer content and rulses of TI3. But Eclipse has something for everyone I think. If You want to build up your empire, so it. If You want to make the coolest modts badass ships in the galaxy, do it. If You have the desire to go to war with other players, do it. If You just want to explore, do it. And I LOVE the mechanics of bookkeeping in this game, like You said, it runs kinda automatically and YOu can focus on the game.
If that is the way you saw it. Then no problems. I just don't think you get rewarded on an even keel and for a Euro style game this is quite strange. The exploration draw also throws up more randomness than general Euros do. Keep up the good work.
I have played many good games. Eclipse, however, is the only game I given a score of 10/10. It's awesome!
I have Empires of the Void and its a really good 4x game and we played a 4 player game of it in under 3 hours to a conclusion, its really fun. TI3 looks too daunting to me, Eclipse looks fiddly.
i'd recommend Twilight Imperium, simply because it looks way better (Better artwork / more appealing color)
but i have heard that Eclipse takes waaaay less time to play and basically give the same experience... soooo why not both?
Oh my!
Ugh! I played this with Rise of the Ancients 6 player and I was glad when it was over. So much book-keeping, so much downtime, the technologies are completely random and unbalanced - it's effectively economics in space - no theme is present. I know it sounds harsh, but I look more forward to getting into a game of TI3. That been said it was a relief to win by 1VP in the end - but still I expected a lot better.
you ladies are awesome
Sounds like a great game. I'd love to play it with these girls then a bunch of smelly neckbeards. Love the reviews.
Can you say your names? I loved your videos.... Good job! B-)
Hi Juan, in our newest videos, we have a new opening sequence that introduces us both by name.
But I like to play with myself...
Rulses are nuisances my precious..