That's awesome they're focusing this much on solo/co-op play for one of the expansions. I was already planning to back this, but I'm especially excited about it now!
Thanks for the play through and impressions afterwards. I’ve been on the fence with Ares Exp. for solo play, waiting to see what expansions do for gameplay. And this changes everything! Looks fantastic, plus I’m sure my family would be interested as we love co-op games. Slam dunk indeed!
Great idea for expansion, instead of complicating things like most of them for TM it adds new mode and more options for solo mode. I've just recently started playing base TM:AE and already can't wait to add it to my collection.
I was pretty excited about this when I first heard about it. But now I hear there two more expansions as part of the Kickstarter. I don't know the full cost yet, but I am not prepared spend what I spent on the base game (my estimation) on a bunch of expansions when I really just want one at this point. I know that I will probably be able to only buy the one expansion, but then I will be missing the bundle deal of all three expansions together. And if I don't buy them now, I might not be able to get them later. Not real happy at this point. I know I need to wait for the Kickstarter for details, but that is where my mind is now and it is frustrating. But thank you for the play-through. I really like what I saw for this expansion.
@@OneStopCoopShop And now we know. You cannot buy just one expansion. The total cost is more than the base game. I don't want the 5-6 player expansion, I try to avoid 4 players as it slows the game down. I am watching the campaign to see if there are any changes (and I commented about my issues, in hopefully a positive manner).
@@robcannon ah, I can see why they would do that from a company standpoint, but still a bummer, since like you I think I'd be happy with just this content!
Ecological Zone should have immediately gotten 2 animals on it, one for its plant tag AND one for its animal tag (note the use of 'these' in the card text). :)
It’s an “advanced rule” in step 8 of set-up. But it’s only “advanced” as in “don’t do this for your first few games cause you won’t know what the heck you are doing anyway” 😅
@@OneStopCoopShop haha, got it. ;) looks really cool and it’s my first kickstarter I backed since like forever. Really enjoy the base game and this looks like it makes it even better! Thanks for the insight mate! Also didn’t know you had a podcast, maybe it’s going to be the very first podcast I’ll listen to. 😂
Well we just did episode 300… so don’t feel like you have to listen to all of it, lol. Pick and choose a few games you are interested in or already love!
Huh, I'm less excited than most. I guess because cooperative games are VERY SAMEY to me .... do a thing, AI undoes it, put it back, AI undoes another progress, fix that ... rinse and repeat, over and over and over.
So interestingly that’s the exact reason I don’t like many games in the Pandemic series. You are constantly putting out fires, taking two steps forward and two steps back. But I would say that is not the case in this co-op mode. Yes the planet state see saws back and forth, but every round you play new developments and projects and gain new resource production and abilities, so it’s definitely not a boring null state like you discussed in your comment
www.kickstarter.com/projects/strongholdgames/ares-expedition-discovery-foundations-crisis
That's awesome they're focusing this much on solo/co-op play for one of the expansions. I was already planning to back this, but I'm especially excited about it now!
Yeah, they've really emphasized that mode of play in a way I love.
Thanks for the play through and impressions afterwards. I’ve been on the fence with Ares Exp. for solo play, waiting to see what expansions do for gameplay. And this changes everything! Looks fantastic, plus I’m sure my family would be interested as we love co-op games. Slam dunk indeed!
Awesome!
Great idea for expansion, instead of complicating things like most of them for TM it adds new mode and more options for solo mode. I've just recently started playing base TM:AE and already can't wait to add it to my collection.
Good call. This slots into the core game with minimal fuss
I was pretty excited about this when I first heard about it. But now I hear there two more expansions as part of the Kickstarter. I don't know the full cost yet, but I am not prepared spend what I spent on the base game (my estimation) on a bunch of expansions when I really just want one at this point. I know that I will probably be able to only buy the one expansion, but then I will be missing the bundle deal of all three expansions together. And if I don't buy them now, I might not be able to get them later. Not real happy at this point. I know I need to wait for the Kickstarter for details, but that is where my mind is now and it is frustrating.
But thank you for the play-through. I really like what I saw for this expansion.
I'm hoping you can buy them a la carte, but we will see tomorrow!
@@OneStopCoopShop And now we know. You cannot buy just one expansion. The total cost is more than the base game. I don't want the 5-6 player expansion, I try to avoid 4 players as it slows the game down. I am watching the campaign to see if there are any changes (and I commented about my issues, in hopefully a positive manner).
@@robcannon ah, I can see why they would do that from a company standpoint, but still a bummer, since like you I think I'd be happy with just this content!
Inverting Mars, combined with randomized role choices, combined with short term and long term opposition, makes this feel very dynamic.
Yeah, it was a great core idea.
Thanks Mike. My wife didn't like Ares Expedition as much as I did and the option of paying it solo might keep it in my collection.
To be fair, you can play solo with the base game. But this solo is much better ;)
This looks rad.
I'm really enjoying it! They'll have to pry this prototype out of cold, dead hands, at least until the Kickstarter delivers :)
Damn it… now Ill need to back this also!
Mwahahaha, Kickstarter and Gamefound coming to bankrupt us all!
Ecological Zone should have immediately gotten 2 animals on it, one for its plant tag AND one for its animal tag (note the use of 'these' in the card text). :)
That would have helped. Thanks!
Seems like a must buy for solo players!
Like I said, I probably wont play without it again ;)
Tbh I didn’t know you could mulligan the project cards! Was there an errata or did I miss it in the rules? Weird…
It’s an “advanced rule” in step 8 of set-up. But it’s only “advanced” as in “don’t do this for your first few games cause you won’t know what the heck you are doing anyway” 😅
@@OneStopCoopShop haha, got it. ;) looks really cool and it’s my first kickstarter I backed since like forever. Really enjoy the base game and this looks like it makes it even better! Thanks for the insight mate! Also didn’t know you had a podcast, maybe it’s going to be the very first podcast I’ll listen to. 😂
Well we just did episode 300… so don’t feel like you have to listen to all of it, lol. Pick and choose a few games you are interested in or already love!
Do you always discard starting cards and draw new ones? Or is that a house rule? We take the MC for discarding.
It’s right in the rulebook, step 8 of setup. No MC cost for doing it either…
@@OneStopCoopShop looked at it like first game something, because its also written in a box like the other ones... thanx ! Like your vid by the way.
Thanks for watching! And I totally agree, the way the mulligan rule is presented is… odd to say the least :)
Huh, I'm less excited than most. I guess because cooperative games are VERY SAMEY to me .... do a thing, AI undoes it, put it back, AI undoes another progress, fix that ... rinse and repeat, over and over and over.
So interestingly that’s the exact reason I don’t like many games in the Pandemic series. You are constantly putting out fires, taking two steps forward and two steps back.
But I would say that is not the case in this co-op mode. Yes the planet state see saws back and forth, but every round you play new developments and projects and gain new resource production and abilities, so it’s definitely not a boring null state like you discussed in your comment
For under 2 hours I'd still play Race For The Galaxy, twice. For more than 2 hours I'd play Terraforming Mars.
I like Race, but absolutely prefer this for solo (and it offer coops while race does not)
@@OneStopCoopShop Xeno Invasion is basically co-op. Co-op with a winner or many losers.
Ah, never played that one. But we only look at fully coop for coverage here, not team games or one versus many or single winner semi-coops