“I can get someone up and running in 5 minutes. It takes 55 pages of rules to get there.” Really speaks to how quickly Alex can talk. Never change Alex. Never change.
Thanks for bringing this game to my attention from a few weeks ago. After watching your playthroughs, I went ahead and pledged for it. I like it that the game is so large, to give you a better sense of immersion. And this video just confirmed that I made the right choice to back it. I can't wait to get it to the table.
Hi Alex, I need to thank you, so much for doing this. I was about to pledge for TMB (at least 350$ USD - I'm Canadian), still on the fence. I did not know about Isofarian Guard. I just CAN'T believe it's still available at the 2019 price point - 79$ USD. Seriously? I pledged 1$ to Arydia and Voidfall, resisted Fractal, and TMB. No big games now cost under 200$ with all ins. I just can't believe this deal. THANK YOU so much, seriously, this is amazing! I found a Canadian Retailer that still has KS preorder, charging only 25$ CND for shipping. So basically, 130$ CND, shipped, with taxes. I just can't believe that. All thanks to you!
Thanks for your personal and thoughtful critique. Each of your videos has helped to gain a better understanding of the variety of different gaming styles and content that can be enjoyed. I'm focused on solo games. With that said, cost of time to the rewards gained from playing these games is a good measure before investing in any game. So, your views on the games you review and impressions are well received. Again, thanks.
Thanks for the video! I pledged the Stonebound pledge to get the full experience, and I like your review and discussion on not just mechanics but likes and dislikes about the game. Definitely a game for me.
One thing I like about board games vs digital is you can hack if you want. Especially if you are playing solo. So, if something feels too much of a grind, you can “fast forward” or switch it up a little if you want. It’s not a great game if you have to do that a lot but, here and there I can excuse it. I went in on this one at the last minute, as the Forteller sounds great and this sounds like hopefully one I can go through with my son (so it doesn’t matter too much if the story is clichéd, the advantage of youth)
I late-pledged this and am really looking forward to it. It's a table-hog, which can be a problem if you don't have the space for it, but I really enjoy the experience of big games like this.
I’m extremely indecisive about jumping in or not. I love the premise, but can I commit to that much play time and grind?.. Good news is my girlfriend is actually interested in the theme and mechanics, ‘cause she really liked the narrative aspect of Destinies a lot. So this has got that going for it and, being a solo or two player experience, seems perfect. But the amount of content. Jeez. I dunno. Yes?.. I think yes.
When I start playing a new game, I stick to the rules and play it as intended. However, if I find that any of those rules ruin my enjoyment of the game (with excessive grind being one example), but the overall game is fun (particularly when the fun is in the content), I just house rule it to make it fun. A lot of people might disagree with that but, when I've spent a bunch of money on a game and there's a way I can still get a lot of enjoyment out of it with a minor change, I think that's fair.
This is going to hurt not buying as it looks so amazing but looking at this I just don't think I have the table space to effectively play this and I think my wife will be frustrated by the grinding. Thanks for putting this out really appreciate you doing this to help those of us out who are on the fence still.
Ya the table space is a factor for sure. The grinding I'm still unsure how it plays out long term. Likely could be houseruled easily enough but then you're houseruling it.
Credit to you for the caveat re: grind. It's a phrase that feels like it's been dished out rather too easily by internet reviewers / critics / personalities in the last year or two, and without the caveat you expressed, despite only registering similar periods of gameplay. It's also a feeling that I believe gets amplified by concentrated plays, so close to each other that any repetition is much more noticeable. For solo gamers, I suspect that concentration of gaming is going to happen in the real world, but for multiplayer, much less so. Not a game for me, as I am less impressed by the script-writing / voice acting (what I've heard I find very formulaic / cliched, albeit the production quality is strong). In addition, I generally don't enjoy solo gaming and gaming 2 player is rare for me. Those are both critical to me, though I will acknowledge that much of the rest of the game looks impressive, especially the freedom the map offers players to choose their own route, and the combat mechanics feel reasonable to me (perhaps more so that they do to you). Certainly a LOT of game for the money for those that do back it.
Dude. What you need to do is grab some notecards and use them when you pack up a game. I do it all the time for huge sprawling games. For example, I left off kingdom death monster in the settlement phase, I collected all the rewards for my victory or defeat of whatever monster i fought last (documented) and whatever notes I need. Ie Grabbed all my resources, at start of next game use appropriate resources to prepare for next boss battle and/or hunt. Problem solved my fren.
This is a year later and I’m on fence to back the 2nd printing of this game. The thing that worries me is that I rarely see this game listed in people’s top 50 games. I regularly see the Chip Theory games mentioned among top 20 games for people. It looks great and I enjoy chip-based games. I have the space for it and I also love solo games.
The FOMO was strong for this one, but at some point I need to realize it's better than to first play your games before adding new ones😖 guess this was the moment ☺️ The play through videos helpt a lot though 😁
Hi Alex, great video as always. Any thoughts on resale value given your thoughts on the game has improved and the fact that the cost will go up after the PM closes?
I forgot about this game. After watching this video, I really wanted it. Luckily I pledged 1$ on KS and was able to upgrade to the full game 😅 As games are breaking through the 200 $ price point, this almost seems like a steal - even with 50$ shipping.
Lots is relative. I wouldn't call it lots, but I would say it's more than I'd like....I want the grind to be at around 60-70% of what it is now. Although again, this is based on being 5 hours in...it could get better or worse.
Yes I am confident all end game will include 0 grind. Grind is usually early to mid-game. On a flip side there are many games that I want to include more grind and options for repeatable monster hunts to level your characters or to obtain more equipment. I’m currently playing midarra, but also gloomhaven, probably any campaign dungeon crawler can use this. Except of course for shadows of brimstone, since it allows you to choose any mission and design your own campaign, I haven’t even started playing it because I want to be surprised and have chooses. Not design the game.
I've been toying with this one for a bit. Was originally put off by the combat looking way too shallow and a snowballing of nasty sequential mob effects seemingly with little you could do about it... so has this been resolved/improved or can you get sequenced to death. IMO considering you need to "grind" combat it needs to be really good mechanically. Other than that I can't see any info with respect to VAT and Customs (UK) as the Shipping link on their website leads nowhere. The customs is the real pain... not the money just jumping through the hoops to actually get the thing delivered so I can't tell if it's via a distribution hub or direct to customer via customs in the UK.
I'm definitely enjoying the combat for the most part, early game can be a drop shallow but I would say as soon as you unlock Alek and have two characters, at that point it already becomes meaningful.
@@jackrutter9797 Thanks Jack appreciate the help.. yeah i seen this but had to go to the original KS page and was wondering if this applies to late pledges. Still my main issue is Customs..
@@RocketMagnetUK I saw it from a BGG page lol. This is a comment on KS "Because this campaign ran before the laws of VAT changed, SKG is covering VAT on this campaign, but it is something that backers will need to pay in all future campaigns.". And another post suggests customs might have to be paid? No idea what that might be like.. im asking someone on discord about it and will post back. Looking on gov.uk, customs charge on goods over £135 only. So base pledge is fine at least
@@jackrutter9797 Cheers again Jack. Yes it's £135+ inclusive of shipping I think. So the $109 + $40 Shipping is still ok @ ~£109. They can still pull an item at random and this used to incur a fee but unsure if this is still done. Overall it's not the cost it's the hassle chasing them up and damage they can cause opening and checking the contents. Still you seem to get a fair amount of game for your money and if it's too grindy I'm sure some house ruling could be the order of the day. Once again thanks for the help.
Hm. Would've backed but 50 $ shipping on a 94 $ game totally destroy the deal. Maybe that's a good thing with all the campaign games incoming....but still am a bit bummed I did ont back earlier when the shipping was 20 -25 $ and the game was an awesome deal!
The shipping was never $20-25. That was an estimate given on the KS page. Once the final copy of the game was in hand we reached out to fulfillment partners for more accurate pricing. A very large box that's over 30lbs equals higher shipping. We recently added shipping charges for all backers in the pledge manager. :)
Good afternoon! Unfortunately this won't be coming to retail. Also note - you're comparing the original price of the game from the Kickstarter. The new MSRP will be $120 after our pledge manager is closed. The game is also as big as a Kallax cube and about 30lbs which is why the shipping rate is higher. Thanks for watching!
@@BoardGameCo good to know. I think that makes me more inclined to back, need something that is simpler than the other big boxes I have outstanding. The narrative quality seems top notch. Thanks Alex!
Do you find that straying too far from a save point is just a recipe for losing all your money and gear? I'm all in on this game and am excited but I wonder if the punishment for game overs will prohibit too much exploration.
@@BoardGameCo except for when you're ambushed which means you may still get squashed. But you get to keep the xp earned at least so that's not too bad.
This also sounds targeted towards single players and players who convince their partner to learn and play one game with them and need it to be inviting and engrossing. Otherwise the whole max 2 player aspect seems like a huge turn for those with gaming groups
I think most campaign games are best played with 2 because it's so hard to keep the same group playing for a long campaign. The game needs to be interesting to every single member. As soon as 1 person loses interest the campaign dies. In big groups there's always people that don't care about the story/break immersion with jokes. Realistically unless you have a dedicated group that's all interested in a specific campaign game most will play with 1-2.
![The Isofarian Guard | Game Overview & Gameplay [No Spoilers]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hj6u2HV7kFM/mqdefault.jpg)
![จบจนได้ ! | Black Myth: Wukong #007 [ตอนจบ?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DSqvWndF0sw/mqdefault.jpg)
“I can get someone up and running in 5 minutes. It takes 55 pages of rules to get there.” Really speaks to how quickly Alex can talk. Never change Alex. Never change.
Thanks for bringing this game to my attention from a few weeks ago. After watching your playthroughs, I went ahead and pledged for it. I like it that the game is so large, to give you a better sense of immersion. And this video just confirmed that I made the right choice to back it. I can't wait to get it to the table.
Enjoy it :)
@@BoardGameCo Same for me. You and Quackalope got me already a couple of weeks ago. :-)
Same here. Last game before wife pulled the wallet away from me for the rest of the yr
@@kylethieman4254 :-) I was able to back also Too Many Bones - German version.
Really appreciate the timing of this video. I've been on the fence about backing it and this is just what I needed.
Happy to help :)
I am so glad I late pledged this. I missed this one on kickstarter because it was right before I started backing things a lot.
Enjoy it :_
Hi Alex, I need to thank you, so much for doing this. I was about to pledge for TMB (at least 350$ USD - I'm Canadian), still on the fence. I did not know about Isofarian Guard. I just CAN'T believe it's still available at the 2019 price point - 79$ USD. Seriously? I pledged 1$ to Arydia and Voidfall, resisted Fractal, and TMB. No big games now cost under 200$ with all ins. I just can't believe this deal. THANK YOU so much, seriously, this is amazing! I found a Canadian Retailer that still has KS preorder, charging only 25$ CND for shipping. So basically, 130$ CND, shipped, with taxes. I just can't believe that. All thanks to you!
Thanks for your personal and thoughtful critique. Each of your videos has helped to gain a better understanding of the variety of different gaming styles and content that can be enjoyed. I'm focused on solo games. With that said, cost of time to the rewards gained from playing these games is a good measure before investing in any game. So, your views on the games you review and impressions are well received. Again, thanks.
I pledged for this, it just sounds and look so neat. Can't wait!!
Enjoy it :)
Thanks for the video! I pledged the Stonebound pledge to get the full experience, and I like your review and discussion on not just mechanics but likes and dislikes about the game. Definitely a game for me.
my favorite channel when i need some information pros and cons about game. Love your work :D
DARNIT Alex - now I have to reopen my pledge and add the foreteller app lol
I can't wait or my copy. They should give you a medal or something if you finish the campaigns.
Lol I would take one :)
One thing I like about board games vs digital is you can hack if you want. Especially if you are playing solo. So, if something feels too much of a grind, you can “fast forward” or switch it up a little if you want. It’s not a great game if you have to do that a lot but, here and there I can excuse it. I went in on this one at the last minute, as the Forteller sounds great and this sounds like hopefully one I can go through with my son (so it doesn’t matter too much if the story is clichéd, the advantage of youth)
Yep, 💯 agreed on being able to houserule your way forward.
Looking forward to getting this to my table!
Enjoy it :)
I am glad I late pledges this one
I late-pledged this and am really looking forward to it. It's a table-hog, which can be a problem if you don't have the space for it, but I really enjoy the experience of big games like this.
Super pumped for this one. Thanks for the impressions video.
Good video, thanks.
100 hours of campaign... I don't think I have that in me. That's a long time to keep my attention.
Yep :) Although it breaks up into chunks of 5 campaigns.
I’m extremely indecisive about jumping in or not. I love the premise, but can I commit to that much play time and grind?.. Good news is my girlfriend is actually interested in the theme and mechanics, ‘cause she really liked the narrative aspect of Destinies a lot. So this has got that going for it and, being a solo or two player experience, seems perfect. But the amount of content. Jeez. I dunno.
Yes?.. I think yes.
Yes! And pledge before Sunday because after this Sunday it gets $40 more expensive!
When I start playing a new game, I stick to the rules and play it as intended. However, if I find that any of those rules ruin my enjoyment of the game (with excessive grind being one example), but the overall game is fun (particularly when the fun is in the content), I just house rule it to make it fun. A lot of people might disagree with that but, when I've spent a bunch of money on a game and there's a way I can still get a lot of enjoyment out of it with a minor change, I think that's fair.
"(...) I'm 4 or 5 hours in so far(...)". That sounds so funny considering game is called I(n)sofarian Guard 😂
This is going to hurt not buying as it looks so amazing but looking at this I just don't think I have the table space to effectively play this and I think my wife will be frustrated by the grinding. Thanks for putting this out really appreciate you doing this to help those of us out who are on the fence still.
Ya the table space is a factor for sure. The grinding I'm still unsure how it plays out long term. Likely could be houseruled easily enough but then you're houseruling it.
YOU ARE AWESOME! ❤❤❤
Credit to you for the caveat re: grind. It's a phrase that feels like it's been dished out rather too easily by internet reviewers / critics / personalities in the last year or two, and without the caveat you expressed, despite only registering similar periods of gameplay.
It's also a feeling that I believe gets amplified by concentrated plays, so close to each other that any repetition is much more noticeable. For solo gamers, I suspect that concentration of gaming is going to happen in the real world, but for multiplayer, much less so.
Not a game for me, as I am less impressed by the script-writing / voice acting (what I've heard I find very formulaic / cliched, albeit the production quality is strong). In addition, I generally don't enjoy solo gaming and gaming 2 player is rare for me. Those are both critical to me, though I will acknowledge that much of the rest of the game looks impressive, especially the freedom the map offers players to choose their own route, and the combat mechanics feel reasonable to me (perhaps more so that they do to you). Certainly a LOT of game for the money for those that do back it.
Dude. What you need to do is grab some notecards and use them when you pack up a game. I do it all the time for huge sprawling games. For example, I left off kingdom death monster in the settlement phase, I collected all the rewards for my victory or defeat of whatever monster i fought last (documented) and whatever notes I need. Ie Grabbed all my resources, at start of next game use appropriate resources to prepare for next boss battle and/or hunt. Problem solved my fren.
I do that with voice notes in whatsapp :)
@@BoardGameCo then you should have no problem figuring out where you left off! :D Cheers to getting some good board gaming time in.
This is a year later and I’m on fence to back the 2nd printing of this game. The thing that worries me is that I rarely see this game listed in people’s top 50 games. I regularly see the Chip Theory games mentioned among top 20 games for people. It looks great and I enjoy chip-based games. I have the space for it and I also love solo games.
The FOMO was strong for this one, but at some point I need to realize it's better than to first play your games before adding new ones😖 guess this was the moment ☺️
The play through videos helpt a lot though 😁
Lol that's always true :)
Just a note, there is no retail. It’s KS only or on their website
Yep thanks, I meant now vs later, but good catch.
Hi Alex, great video as always. Any thoughts on resale value given your thoughts on the game has improved and the fact that the cost will go up after the PM closes?
I forgot about this game. After watching this video, I really wanted it. Luckily I pledged 1$ on KS and was able to upgrade to the full game 😅 As games are breaking through the 200 $ price point, this almost seems like a steal - even with 50$ shipping.
You are making this sound like an old school RPG video game.
Lots of grinding to level up
Lots is relative. I wouldn't call it lots, but I would say it's more than I'd like....I want the grind to be at around 60-70% of what it is now. Although again, this is based on being 5 hours in...it could get better or worse.
Yes I am confident all end game will include 0 grind. Grind is usually early to mid-game.
On a flip side there are many games that I want to include more grind and options for repeatable monster hunts to level your characters or to obtain more equipment.
I’m currently playing midarra, but also gloomhaven, probably any campaign dungeon crawler can use this.
Except of course for shadows of brimstone, since it allows you to choose any mission and design your own campaign, I haven’t even started playing it because I want to be surprised and have chooses. Not design the game.
Is it Shabbat friendly or do you need to write for experience etc? Strongly considering getting this one.
It's shabbos friednly if you skip the app and read instead.
Thank you for the review. I've been considering this long but will pass at the end.
Alex, do you think you can make this game easy by upgrading your character to the highest each chapter?
I've been toying with this one for a bit. Was originally put off by the combat looking way too shallow and a snowballing of nasty sequential mob effects seemingly with little you could do about it... so has this been resolved/improved or can you get sequenced to death. IMO considering you need to "grind" combat it needs to be really good mechanically.
Other than that I can't see any info with respect to VAT and Customs (UK) as the Shipping link on their website leads nowhere. The customs is the real pain... not the money just jumping through the hoops to actually get the thing delivered so I can't tell if it's via a distribution hub or direct to customer via customs in the UK.
I'm definitely enjoying the combat for the most part, early game can be a drop shallow but I would say as soon as you unlock Alek and have two characters, at that point it already becomes meaningful.
"We will be absorbing the VAT since we originally promised EU friendly shipping. "
@@jackrutter9797 Thanks Jack appreciate the help.. yeah i seen this but had to go to the original KS page and was wondering if this applies to late pledges. Still my main issue is Customs..
@@RocketMagnetUK I saw it from a BGG page lol. This is a comment on KS "Because this campaign ran before the laws of VAT changed, SKG is covering VAT on this campaign, but it is something that backers will need to pay in all future campaigns.". And another post suggests customs might have to be paid? No idea what that might be like.. im asking someone on discord about it and will post back.
Looking on gov.uk, customs charge on goods over £135 only. So base pledge is fine at least
@@jackrutter9797 Cheers again Jack. Yes it's £135+ inclusive of shipping I think. So the $109 + $40 Shipping is still ok @ ~£109. They can still pull an item at random and this used to incur a fee but unsure if this is still done.
Overall it's not the cost it's the hassle chasing them up and damage they can cause opening and checking the contents.
Still you seem to get a fair amount of game for your money and if it's too grindy I'm sure some house ruling could be the order of the day.
Once again thanks for the help.
This does sound fun, seems like u need a dedicated table for a year tho 😐
Is there breaks that make a 1-3 hr even play worthwhile?
*evening
Hm. Would've backed but 50 $ shipping on a 94 $ game totally destroy the deal. Maybe that's a good thing with all the campaign games incoming....but still am a bit bummed I did ont back earlier when the shipping was 20 -25 $ and the game was an awesome deal!
The shipping was never $20-25. That was an estimate given on the KS page. Once the final copy of the game was in hand we reached out to fulfillment partners for more accurate pricing. A very large box that's over 30lbs equals higher shipping. We recently added shipping charges for all backers in the pledge manager. :)
@@SkyKingdomGames Oh alright! Then I am not bummed out no more 😁 I'll think again about if I need another Campaign Game. Looks really cool!
Ya, it's a huge box, bigger than Gloomhaven.
FYI - the reprint *STARTS* at $180 right now... not including shipping.
40 dollars to ship a 78 dollar game to the UK? Nah I'm good. I'll wait for it to hit retail if it ever does.
I believe it's website or late pledge only but time will tell
Good afternoon! Unfortunately this won't be coming to retail. Also note - you're comparing the original price of the game from the Kickstarter. The new MSRP will be $120 after our pledge manager is closed. The game is also as big as a Kallax cube and about 30lbs which is why the shipping rate is higher. Thanks for watching!
I was sure to late pledge it until I saw the 50$ shipping price. I get it why it's expensive but sadly that pushed it over the edge for me
I think this game looks cool, but I just don’t have the table space for it.
Is this game just foretelling and then combat? No other major mechanisms?
Those are the primary but not only mechanisms.
@@BoardGameCo good to know. I think that makes me more inclined to back, need something that is simpler than the other big boxes I have outstanding. The narrative quality seems top notch. Thanks Alex!
Do you find that straying too far from a save point is just a recipe for losing all your money and gear? I'm all in on this game and am excited but I wonder if the punishment for game overs will prohibit too much exploration.
Not yet but time will tell. You an always retreat from combat so if things don't look good....you can turn tail and run.
@@BoardGameCo except for when you're ambushed which means you may still get squashed. But you get to keep the xp earned at least so that's not too bad.
Do you feel this will be a lot like Skyrim?
This also sounds targeted towards single players and players who convince their partner to learn and play one game with them and need it to be inviting and engrossing. Otherwise the whole max 2 player aspect seems like a huge turn for those with gaming groups
I think most campaign games are best played with 2 because it's so hard to keep the same group playing for a long campaign. The game needs to be interesting to every single member. As soon as 1 person loses interest the campaign dies. In big groups there's always people that don't care about the story/break immersion with jokes. Realistically unless you have a dedicated group that's all interested in a specific campaign game most will play with 1-2.
I agree with you though about the target audience for this game. I'm one of them planning to play with my wife.
I waited too long. I hope the secondary market will go easy on me
Fingers crossed...
the reprint is on Gamefound right now... starts at $180...
What puts me off is the app.
But it's 100% not necessary. You can use the book.
hahaha - that's funny! what puts you off is an extra add on, that in no way is needed to play the game? um, then just don't get it...