Vindication Review - An Intricate & Ever Variable Puzzle of a Board Game
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
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Vindication is a fascinating puzzle of a game from Orange Nebula. It's a an ameritrash hyrbid euro thinky puzzle....that's not a sentence you'll hear often and yet I'd double down on at least most of it ;) Vindication plays out until one of of the variable end game triggers gets hit, and that, combined with any number of other variables from companions to traits to artifacts and much much more...results in a different puzzle to solve every game. A puzzle you have to solve before the other players.
TimeStamps:
0:00:00 - The Trouble with Reviewing Vindication
0:02:09 - Vindication Overview
0:07:00 - What I Liked
0:11:45 - What I Didn't Like
0:12:32 - What I Can See Others Not Liking
0:15:31 - Final Thoughts
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Such a tough game to describe, but it tingles all the senses. It provides complete freedom with how you "push those cubes" which feels so liberating. The geometric board layout evokes a sense of beauty, simplicity, and order like nature. A theme which is further promoted by the way the three primary abilities are primary colours which mix to to make the higher abilities. The way so many features from different genres have been blended in - explore/exploit from 4X, tableau building with your companions. It really is an outstanding game. Thanks again for reviewing this gem!
I see you've played it :)
Nice surprise Alex, as I love Vindication too!! For me, the theme and the many organic paths that develop each time I play it, make this so much more fun than usual dry Euros. It feels like an adventure, even as you are optimizing. The little modules are great way to freshen things up and I love that they let you take out (or add in) the ‘take that’ cards to suit a group’s preference. I painted my monuments and I like the expansion that uses them and now there is another one so you can bring them out on the board. In my top 10 games for sure!!
Nice :)
Man. In my mind, you provide some of the best board gaming (hobby) content on TH-cam. It also happens that we share very similar tastes: I'm all about those powers! I'll keep a keen eye on your favourites, then :).
Keep up the great content!
Thank you :) Means a lot :)
I really like this review format! The fact that you incorporated the components in the review with the Box really helps convey everything the game has to offer! Too often, I am mesmerized by the larger than life miniatures presented during a KS, only to find they are underwhelmingly tiny in real life. On the upside, you won't have to figure out what to do with your hands while explaining the game! lol
Thanks :)
This video is exactly what I needed since the kickstarter is dropping soon and I'm hoping to pick up the base game. Great review and great timing!
Couldn't help myself :) The upcoming KS was the push I needed.
Where did you guys learn about a new KS? (This is great news as I hope to finally snag the original game)
@@psybadge I saw it on the company's (Orange Nebula) fb page.
Evocative overview, Alex! Well done. *Vindication* is what I'd call a 'Toolbox Experience Game (TEG)' - highly modular in that you can plug in different expansion modules to create the experience you want from it. And yes, the Ameritrash/euro amalgam is part of that. It evokes worldbuilding that encourages players to come up with their own stories, while they craft their path towards victory/vindication, it has numerous characters, locations, items, monsters, pets, and traits to add to your character tableau.
And all of this, including miniatures and story, is about to get even more intense this December when *Chronicles* adds a new way of exploring the island.
If you thought the miniatures only got used with the Leaders & Alliances expansion that added 2 Solo Modes and an expanded Guild (miniature) use, wait until Chronicles hits the game table.
In the meantime, enjoy your 'Wretched' existence....(hm, that sounded different when I thought of it)
Lol, I do very much enjoy my wretched experience :)
Nice review dude! I too really enjoy this game - there is so much to like in its mechanics.
Yes!
That was a very well worded argument. I am very interested in the game, but was set back by some reviews about the 'unpredictable imbalance' . Now I have heard your motivations I know for sure I want this game ! This game is not so much about winning, it's about the journey, and having fun while figuring out the puzzle. Thanks a lot for the upload Alex !
Good to see your passion for the game.
I just received my Archive of the Ancients copy and had my first game and i love it. Their writers are amazing.
Almost everyone, at just about every gamer level, thinks this is the best game they've played this year. I've played it with about 20+ players, across 5 groups
Vindication is a great game! Your review nails it. It surprised me when I discovered it. Looking forward to the expansion.
Yes! Super excited.
Fantastic review. Thanks for that!
Thanks!
Thanks for the review! It is a such a great cube pusher.
It really is!
Vindication is one of the best board game Kickstarters I have ever backed and probably in my top 20 games.
Yes :)
This is one I can't wait to see the new Kickstarter for :))
Yes!
I’m impressed your hand fit in the scumbag! Even my wife was surprised at how small it is- the larger one from the expansion is what we use
Lol, not sure I even knew the expansion had another bag :)
Hi Alex your videos and explanations are so smooth. How much time do you spend prepping before each video?
Once I have the idea, I spend a few days fleshing out the bullet points of the direction I'm working towards....after that I just start. Most videos require a few resets in the first few min but after that I just talk :)
Thanks for review, Alex. It helped answer most of the questions I had on Vindication, which I had my eye on for some time now. Shame about the miniatures! Those things really do hike the prices up don't they?
Yep, for sure. But still worth it :)
"...a Euro in disguise..." great description & sounds like a song lyric😄
All I neeeeedd....is a Euro in Disguise! Turn this into that, and just watch the time fly. All I neeeeedddd.....is to take turns clockwise. Tell me how to win and how to break the ties.
@@BoardGameCo 😂🤣
One of my top 10! Best of the last few years for sure
Yes! Love it.
If there were any cuts in this video, I didn't notice them. How do you keep your review so structured and concise? Do you have notes offscreen, or do you just rehearse a lot, or what? The presentation quality is quite good here.
I only cut for sneezes or the like, which are rare. I keep a sheet of my main bullet points I want to cover attached to the camera, and past that it's practice :)
Well here we go again, late pledge opened and now I have to buy it... because of you :-p
... Don't watch today's video then.
I just played this game yesterday! Very good game. I am looking forward to getting a copy in the new Kickstarter. You make a good point about the miniatures. I was shocked that the base game had you use none but the 'first player marker' miniature. It felt very disappointing to have an unnecessarily huge box full of miniatures that are only useful for a specific module. It'd be nice if they offered an 'essential' edition of some sort that cut out the needless miniatures.
Yep, completely unnecessary. Still a solid game :)
One of my favorites, tried out all add-ons and we play with some houserules to make use of as much of all the content. My negatives: the miniatures is typical kickstarter overproduction, but not needed. This makes the box way to big for the content you use, but I can't put it in a smaller box because of the weird shape of the board. Looking forward to the expansion and hoping I can get a mat, so I can move to a smaller box, depending ofcourse on how much new content will be added.
Yep. Completely agreed...I'll put up with it though cause it's a great game.
I just played this game for the first time last week. Liiiiiike it! Can't wait to play again :D
Nice :-) it's a really solid game
One of my top 10 games. Love this game!
Glad to hear :)
is the old pledge game good enough for playing (The wanky pledge for exemple) ? Compare to the new kickstarter ending tomorrow ?
Thanks
@@aorakis5795 Yes. I would start with that if you aren't 100% sure it's something you would like.
I came back here a year later, I wanted to justify my All in late pledge I made today. I knew you liked this game, but forgot the general talking points. Thanks for the review.
Glad you enjoyed :)
Thank you for the review! In it you refer to Vindication as a cube pushing game. What other games would you characterize as cube pushing games? Still deciding on the KS for this.
Anything where you turn X into Y to win. Agricola, Caverna, Le Havre and many others....it's a euro, disguised as something different...but I love it.
Agree completely on this game. I've only played it once though. My friend owns it, and since Covid, we haven't been able to give it any additional plays.
It's so good!
The "Viktor Krum of board game choices." I'm impressed that you threw that in there without any explanation whatsoever. I'm curious how many of your viewers get the reference!
I hope a lot :)
Excellent review. I think you did a great job of showing why the cube pusher manages to both integrate the theme of exploring the island and present different puzzles every game. And my wife and I really enjoy solving the puzzle too.
Mini expansions wise, only Treachery tends to make it in every time as we enjoy the added potential for interaction. But we only sprinkle 0-2 if the other mini expansions and rarely miss them when we don't. The base game is that good.
Leaders and Alliances is next on the menu. I really want to see what it brings to the game. We just haven't gotten around to it.
Needless to say, we are in for the next expansion. I hope it adds to the puzzle and variety without bloating the game.
I feel exactly the same way, I've tried one of two of the modules in the past, but the base game does what it needs to do already.
I love Vindication (it is great solo) but have to laugh at you trying to explain. The funniest part was when you say it's more that a cube pusher...point to the box...and then for the 1st time ever I notice the letter "o" in Vindication is a glowing cube! Ooops..maybe it IS a cube pusher lol.
edit: Just to add, Orange Nebula is a great company...they love what they do and are very customer-centric. One of my favorite game developers...Unsettled is likely going to be just as unique in the bg world as Vindication.
I cannot wait for Unsettled
Lol yep :) Fun game but definitely a cube pusher.
Vindication ranks high in my collection but I haven't played it enough times to say where. However, I will say I am very impressed with Orange Nebula and what they're bringing to this hobby. They use crowdfunding (Kickstarter) as it was intended; for a small group of devs to bring a unique product to the market AND engage with their backers all along the way. I've ordered a few add-ons directly from them and man was I surprised to see a handwritten Post-It note in with the product thanking me for my support. Little things like are sign of a company's culture and I think it shines through in this game; you can tell they're passionate about their product(s) and customers. Vindication is not something that was just thrown together (+1 the point you made about the companions' balance).
My ONLY gripe is those die-cut cards. Very few sleeves fit well and even then there's several mm of slack on the sides because of that weird indentation. Even if you're not a sleever they are a bit awkward to shuffle. I don't feel like that design choice was for the better
Oh man you're right, I should have commented on those cards! I used Sleeve Kings and it worked well but definitely a small con.
@@BoardGameCo I tried 3 or 4 different brands and settled with Mayday's Premium. I didn't like the flimsiness of thinner sleeves in those cut-out spaces but the downside is that the cards are a bit tight in the storage tray and there's even some push-out in some of the wells bc of the rounded corners (I do have the promos mixed in there).
I accept that sometimes I make my own problems when sleeving cards, but a KS game with an already-huge box and gametrayz should have been able to spare a few mm to adequately accommodate sleeved cards. Even better, if they're going to do some oddball die-cut card that needs sleeves but still doesn't work well with them, they should have used that plastic-like cardstock that Too Many Bones has
Okay, when I was happy that no KS games will be backed this year for me, this came along, really great game, will keep an eye on it. What do you think about Leaders.. expansion ? Is it essential for Vindication in your opinion? Regarding pledge levels, thinking just getting base game plus add-ons that will seem interesting to me, mainly will think hard about expansions and then some of those 5$ promo pack. But, nevertheless, base game alone seems to have a lot of content.
Supposedly leaders is not as essential to the game, doesn't mean it isn't fun... Just not as essential.
Really?!?! An expansion (2nd expansion) coming soon? I’m excited 😊
Same here :)
is there a version of the game without the miniatures? Puzzle aspect seems intriguing. Not sure, but will check it out.
Not that I know of.
How does the dice rolling work? How often do you roll dice? And when? Because I don’t enjoy dice rolling in games, but I love Wingspan but in Wingspan dice rolling is a “secondary action” , so wondering how is in this game? Thanks!!
Good stuff
Thanks :)
I love it too, maybe it will be played later 🙂
Good luck!
Maybe someone in the comments can help me. I have missed both KS campaigns for Vindication and since then have heard many good things about this game. So since another expansion has been announced, is it going to KS or will it be a direct from website option like how they did the Vindication Odyssey World box/ Everything bundle, does anyone know? Also I'm a bit confused about what exclusives was there that I would be missing if I brought the retail edition as I guess there is a "swanky" version and promo packs? I'm trying to weigh my options as I know this is an expensive game and would probably want everything but if it would be cheaper to buy it now at retail I would or should I wait for another KS and potentially get an "all-in" at a worthwhile discounted price. thank you!
I believe it will be going to Kickstarter :)
This game looks really cool. 2 years later how do you feel about it still? Has anything like it replaced it for you in terms of ranking/spot in your collection?
I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on Dwellings of Eldervale, especially in comparison to this. There are some similarities for sure. I found Vindication just OK, but I really liked Eldervale after just one play. Vindication is a cube pusher that to me, just feels like an abstract cube pusher. Eldervale is a cube pusher that doesn't feel like a cube pusher. And as great as the production is in Vindication, it's even better in Eldervale. :)
On the one hand, I find everything you said about vindication potentially not being the best offensive... On the other hand I do have dwellings coming, so either way I'm okay with this :-)
I think I need to get this.
I won't argue :-)
Glad you finally took my advice on this game .......hahaha I love this game.
It's so good :)
My main take-away of this video: Puzzle puzzle puzzle! 😂
Hey Alex!!! The game is being translated in french right now. 2 Years later do you still think this game is great without extension? I'm considering pledging the translation. But it's only available for the Core box
So do you use the giant mini at all when you play or does it stay in the box?
I haven't yet used any of the minis.
Honestly, I don't mind it being a cube pusher. I see it as a sandbox board game . You can do what you want to do by choosing your own way of winning. I love it .
And Honestly I don't think it try to hide thats it a euro game . If anything the game decided to be an adventure setting to make euro game more likeable or enjoyable.
Oh I totally agree. I love this game :)
This game is definitely my top 10 but it is definitely a cube pusher.
And I'm in an epic gif war with ONeb on twitter.
I feel the same bout the minis. I have everything for it so far and will definitely get the next KS, but have not used the minis at all...
Yes on all counts...except for that gif war...need to go find that :)
Love the game the one time I played it, if its a Kickstarter expansion I will likely back the entire game I will have to find more info on it.
Concur on the miniatures not needed they are huge and we didn't find a use for them heh
You know I'll be covering it :)
@@BoardGameCo Cool yeah, I will see how the Kickstarter game looks may hum and think about it, its one of the games that takes up a good chunk of space so since I have a friend that owns it not sure if I should as well...FOMO though if I move and no one else own its....lets be real I just love the name of your starting characters heh
This is a fun game, easy to teach, it is one of the games I play regularly. While not a filler, but I have had non-gamers play this and love it.
Yep, solid game and not that hard to teach.
Alex, do you use the modified dice from the expansion? Those are a definitive improvement over the much more rng-dependant dice in the base game imo. Also the bigger bag is pretty sweet. And I'd strongly recommend using the guild-token-variant as well, without it the game does not feel complete and fairly clunky. Personally I even use it when introducing the game to new (somewhat experienced) players.
Btw, fwiw imo it doesn't really have a lot of Ameritrash-elements, it is a fairly straight eurogame with actually surprisingly little amounts of luck involved once you understand all the mechanics and the dynamic of the game.
Thanks, I don't think I've used any of those yet. Still lots to explore.
If you already enjoy the game now, you will love it even more with the guild-token-variant, trust me. :)
Not 100% my genre but... I'm in!!!
:)
Maybe a idea to have a component close-up on your right side of the video when explaining the game or talking about the board or components. I already like your content but maybe this will elevate it a little bit 🤏
It would be ideal, but I don't yet have the time to do B-Roll of any kind. I eventually plan on adding to my videos but not certain of when.
It’s a game on my list to play when I went to a board game group and it was being played I gave up a game to continue to watch it being played, is the latest expansion going to be a KS’er?
I believe it is :)
@@BoardGameCo thanks Alex I’ll keep an eye out, hopefully they will have an “all-in” bundle to get it all at once
They told me the new Kickstarter is going up on 12/9.
Vindication is in my top 10 games, but due to limited space, I think that Endless Winter may replace it in my collection and I’ll have to let Vindication go at some point.
Wow....replacing a top 10 is a tough one!
This game rules!
They finally agree to split the World Box!
I saw :) Excited :)
I almost backed this game but I felt it was too expensive and I knew the luck factor of fighting monsters would bother me. When the expansion came out I felt that both the bigger bag and less luck dependant dice should have been part of the base pledge, that they forced you into getting the expansion to get those things really bugged me.
To be clear, you always get the monster...the luck is only on what happens to your champion which is far less impactful.
Looks like reasonable production values but something I find strange is you highlight the importance of the cubes but they are just small wooden blocks?
So yeah seems strange to me that the key items (?) production quality looks weak especially when you point out that the Minis have little to no function. Still people buy games to paint minis so I can see the draw to pull in that crowd.
I'm personally struggling to find Euro games that enthralling but maybe they will grow on me, I particularly don't find complex scoring systems fun where your doing a spreadsheet at the end to work out who won.
Thanks for the indirect recommendation a while ago wrt Spirit Island .. it's not something I'd have bought otherwise but it's been really fun to play.. if it goes wrong it's generally your fault and it's crystal clear what your goal/win state is. It's been keeping TMB & Gloomhaven off my table for the past few days so thanks.
Spirit Island is excellent :) And ya, the cubes are basic but I don't know if they need to be more than that.
Can u in future make camera angle more from higher perspective so board is in better focus
Let me see what I can do :)
So is the expansion expected to be on Kickstarter? You’ve at the very least piqued my interest!
Yes
@@sairam71 thank you! Is there anywhere I can follow it right now or do I just need to keep an eye out for it?
Yep :) I believe in around a month.
I bought this game, seduced by art and graphic design, but just can’t get into it. I love the production quality, but enjoy other euro strategy games more: Keyflower, Caylus, Marco Polo, Anachrony, Black Angel, etc. All I recently discovered, some thematic with great art, others with modular tiles and variable gameplay, but none are “cube pushers” disguised as something more. Glass Road and Istanbul are reminiscent of cube pushing euro strategy, and I find them easier to get on the table and off the table (fast medium euros without too much fuss)
Totally hear. For me this game is Istanbul on steroids....and I like the steroids.
I agree woth your negative for the game. It's a euro game that costs $150 USD on the secondary market. That is just an INSANE price for game that could cost $30 USD of it were a game without minis and without kickstarter. Thats held me back from ever playing
its about $90 for a core box in the US which is a majority of the gameplay. But having picked up Great Western Trail for $34.. yeah.. this is a very light euro, unbalanced, very few interesting systems, unthematic tile laying and cube pushing capped by random dice rolls to see what happens and that swing the game , all in a huge box. if You give GWT an 8 this shouldn't critically break a 4-5. The game should be about $25 on sale.
and for all that you pay $55 over literally the best games in the industry, $115 if you want bling, $175 more if you want the expansion that fixes the random dice rolls, $250 more if you want the new one with the theme fixes coming december, and $320 more to get the expansions hidden in the playmat collectors box.
30$ seems like an overstatement, but then again I don't know how crazy cheap retail-stuff is over in the US.
Technically you could take any number of expensive games and replace everything with cheap cardboard and paper and sell it for 20$ but would you really want to play those games then? Vindication has a very nice production regardless of the useless miniatures and that's part of its appeal.
Although I'd definitely prefer a smaller box with no miniatures, hands down.
@@MaVarcon if I'm not getting bigbox games 60% off and lgs games 50%.. I'm not trying. but if you want perspective, blackout hong kong 23 great western trail 26 brass 32 architects of the west/paladins @21 each. free shipping, including taxes.
What is the Strategy Level of this game?
Medium weight
I had back this but canceled at the last minute. I was struggling with the title “I do not think it means what they think it means “. And that you are trying to become a better person but a lot of your actions in the game are being an evil person. This disconnect had me struggling.
Makes sense. For me the whole theme I just ignore
Is this game worth the over $300 on Kickstarter?
I'd just get the base pledge unless you're sure
Ok.so you talked about this game. Do you feel ..... vindicated? Lol
Lol yes :)
Really hope they provide a no mini option in the next KS, as I can't justify that price for this
Interesting, no idea if they will or won't.
I like this game, but I think it’s a lot lighter than it presents itself to be.
Depends on what you're comparing it to, I don't necessarily disagree.
I'm afraid I have to disagree here. Kickstarted Vindication and its expansion. Got disappointed and sold it. Found it too cold and abstract. The illustrations are pretty but thematically disconnected from each other. Seemed like a bland and random fantasy world to me.
The puzzle is alright. A lot of expansions but the game sessions felt always a bit similar. I didn't have the feeling a story was told to me. It's not bad at all, but it's overproduced and the box is huge. I give it a 7,5, which is good, but not enough to keep it in my collection.
The minis are almost useless. It deserved a smaller box, considering how abstract it is. If the box would have been much smaller, I think I would have then kept it.
Oh I completely agree. Like I said... Theme is meaningless. But for me I love the puzzle
Alex, I think you're meaning to say "I can hardly recommend it enough.", or "I strongly recommend it."
Given the former option saying you "Can hardly recommend it." makes it sound like you're not recommending it. Haha. Apologies if it's a common saying I just haven't heard before now.
I’m pretty sure he saying „heartily recommend“.
@@ilqrd.6608 Ah, sounds more like a D than a T. This makes more sense now.
What Ilqr said...I said heartily recommend :)
@@BoardGameCo That's fair, my b.
I can not believe really how bad their solo mode was for this game. This is the game that made me wake up and start looking at kickstarters for danger signs.
1. tacked on solo, tied for worst I've played over hundreds of games
2. managing the expansions is a ton of set up, all the core game expansions are really quite terrible and there are these huge useless minis.
3. you have this massive box that doesn't fit the expansion or the reprinted new minature that was subbed out during the second campaign.
4. they're throwing full expansion content into $60 playmats now, and because the playmats have a limited print run those expansions sold out instantly.
This is an example of kickstarter at it's absolute worst. they're on the do not buy no matter what list.
Can't speak for the solo mode as I haven't tried it. The rest of the complaints I totally hear....but also doesn't bother me personally.
I love it too, maybe it will be played later 🙂
:)