Pendulum Board Game - Teach & Playthrough
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ส.ค. 2024
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Join us as we play "Pendulum," designed by Travis Jones and published by Stonemaier Games. This video includes a full tutorial on how to play the game. We will be releasing our full review on July 29th, so turn on your notifications!
*NOTE: There is an alternate mode of play without the use of sand timers.
JUMP:
0:00 - 23:12 - Full Rules Teach
23:13 - 41:57 - Gameplay - Round 1
41:58 - 57:28 - Round 2
57:29 - 1:08:54 - Round 3
1:08:55 - END - Round 4
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Full disclosure: a review copy of the game was provided by the publisher.
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Do you have any questions regarding Pendulum? Please comment below and we will address them in our review video!
Did you guys learn the game using the timerless version first as suggested and if so what was it like transitioning from that to the timer version? Did you play any games with both timerless and timer rounds and if so what was that like?
This looks to be a controversial mechanic. With consideration for the learning curve and early impressions, do you think this game can win people over after playing once or twice or will this be more of a niche game for people more willing to give it a chance? Is this the kind of game not to bring to the table if you have a certain style of player present (gateway, casual, competitive, etc)?
Do either of you have a tendency toward AP? How does it feel to play for an AP-prone player? Did you eventually find yourself losing the urge to make the perfect play and find it easier to "go with the flow?"
What is the variability like? Does the game feel somewhat different each time you play it?
Looking forward to the review! I discovered this channel because of this video, and really enjoyed it!
At the Council phase: 3. Discard province cards from under your player mat until each slot has a
maximum of 2.
@@gerardoc.romero2618 Yes, you can only carry over 2 cards per slot, your choice of which to keep.
So glad Jamey sent you a copy for you guys to try out! Best gaming couple on TH-cam.
Awww thank you! Really means a ton!
I also do like the couple of "ant lab". :) Expecially their videos about trickerion made me buy the game "trickerion" wich is now on the list of my 3 favourite games of all time.
This was one of the best and easiest to follow playthroughs of Pendulum I've seen. Thanks for doing such a great job explaining as you played. I'm sure it wasn't easy!
I was so fortunate to watch this video. Rodney did an amazing tutorial, but I was itching to see a playthrough. So entertaining to watch and hear your strategies. The game looks like a lot of fun! Also, I thought I'd mention that I love your channel and you did an excellent explanation of these rules as well.
Thank you for this. So many of the Pendulum play videos I have seen just use the non timer variant. But you don't get the real feel for the game that way. This video showed exactly what I wanted to see.
That was a great play through. It really just showed how the game looks like a fun crazy at moments with the potential for enough breaks to try to strategize.
Wow! How cool that you both got an advance copy of the game. As fans of other Stonemaier games, we are looking forward to getting a copy to try out. We are a new board game tutorial channel and really appreciate the effort you two put into your videos. They are so fun to watch!
Good job of explaining and showing the pace of the game. I received the game and was very hesitant at first because of the reviews, but you guys have changed my mind.
This is such a great concept for a game. Really looking forward to this one
Great run through thank you very much so clear and helpful. The best rules guide on the game so far
Great video you two. I really enjoyed your explanations while playing. You guys might have sold me on this. Pacing looked quick but still manageable. As with many games, it looks like multiple plays will help hit the sweet spot for my brain.
Will finish watching later today. Love that you got an advance copy. Thank you for all the great context.
Thanks for checking it out!
the element of time in this game is pretty cool. thank you for teaching it so well!
Great video guys. This game looks fun and I love the way things go from being hectic to calming down as you both wait for timers, then back to chaos! The game seems to have interesting mechanics and you guys demonstrated it well. Thank you for taking the time to make the video and nice Mike Tyson quote from Naveen at 37:17. 😂 Merry Christmas!
Awesome, Exciting play-through. I wanted to shout out loud. I was watching Monique's yellow line when she was close.
I'm fairly sure I could play this now, thanks guys.
Your full rules teach was spot on. You did a great job teaching the rules in a clear and precise manner. I learned a lot watching you play and the rules teach. I feel confident I understand how to play watching your video. This was the first video I have watched of your channel but definitely won't be the last as I have just subscribed to your channel
Hi Connie, that is very sweet of you! I'm glad we could help out, we look forward to interacting with you in the future!
I love your style and pace, guys!
Thank you!
The more videos I watch the less likely I will be to play the "real-time" version of the game. Thankfully the realized this ahead of time and have made a turn based way to play.
Thank you for this playthrough! I've really grown to enjoy your videos. You guys really helped sell me on Its a Wonderful World!
Start with the turn based method to understand the methods and mechanics, then as everyone is comfortable move to the timers. It really adds quite a bit to the dimension of the game.
Yeah i have to say there is zero appeal in a strategy game where you're frantically and haphazardly trying to make decisions. I feel the same way about real time dice rolling games.
Fantastic video you guys! I don’t often watch full play throughs but this was entertaining and helpful to watch! 👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it!
Great explanation and play through. Heard about this game a couple weeks ago and I’m sold. Will love playing this game with people who need FOREVER to take their turns. Can’t do that here. :)
Really nice, clear rules & game overview! I am glad I discovered your channel recently. I also enjoyed the play through. Keep up the good work!
Billy! Thank you so much for your continued support! You the best!
Such a relaxing video watching you guys!! Thanks for a great playthrough!!
Thank you!
I just bought this at my local con and I’m so glad I did because it looks really fun
Awesome job you two! As always!
Thank you!!
So I preordered this game and got it when it first released, and still have not played it. Which is upsetting because Stonemaier is my favorite publisher and haven’t disappointed me yet with a game. So even though real time games are not my favorite I am determined to get this played in the next month or so finally.
One of the things that really just hit me on getting me past the real time part of it was how you explained the way the timers flip. It’s all part of the strategy really.
Awesome job!
That was impressive to watch!
Another fantastic video! Great job.
Thanks Tim, we appreciate your support!
Thank you this was very helpful to me and my son.
I wish rulebooks were as clear as the way you both explained it! So nicely presented and I never felt lost. There are definitely a lot of questions I’m wondering about the game mechanics itself, but thanks for this spectacular video! 🥳
Hey Tim, we'd love to get your opinion on the game when you get a chance to play it! Thanks for your continued support, it's always nice to see your comments.
I just discovered you guys from your walkthrough of Whale Riders and after seeing that one and this video I have to give major props to your content! I appreciate how you trim down the videos and edit out downtime (although there wasn’t much of that with Pendulum, haha). You’ve sold me on both games and made me a subscriber to your channel, keep it up!
Also a side note: are you guys allowed to offer personal opinions on Whale Riders? Are either of you big fans of Knizia’s classics? How would you rank Whale Riders among some of his other classics. I’m a huge fan of his tile laying and auctioning trilogies, plus several others.
lol same for me :D
You've got a keen eye! From the start we always said we would be sure to trim the dead space to make the video easier to consume. Credit goes to Monique for that, she's a beast! Thanks for your support.
@@nickmurray5169 The game is relatively light, but there are definitely some interesting and difficult decisions to make along the way. The game state changes a lot depending on which tiles are taken and how far your competition is in front of you. I think the game plays best at 3/4 players. My favorite Knizia has got to be Modern Art (Naveen).
Love your energy!
Gotta be amped when going up against those timers!
It's an extremely streamlined and simple Worker placement game that uses the timers as a currency for the resources one can claim with the workers.
Under that scope it is very easy but the process of NOT staying behind the race managing and exchanging resources is what makes it extremely intersting!
Certainly, I agree it is probably not a perfect game, but it does is a really fresh and even organic way to use the actions earned by the workers in order to achieve the different types of victory points.
I am now very tempted on getting a copy to play with my group,.. But I think I would rather show this video before making a big decision like that.
Thank you for this play-through! it's really well put and really conveys the feel of the play! :D
I was a bit worried during the rules explanation as I felt a bit overwhelming, but watching you guys actually play shows me how cool this game can be once you understand it. Not sure yet if I will get it but you two did a great job!
Thank you so much!
Thanks a lot for the video which helps a lot to make a final decision.
Now I know this is neither a game for me nor for the group I'm playing with and it even does not matter that there will be a non-timer version of it.
The another great video :)
Wow, I remember seeing the pixelated photo of this when they were just putting out teasers. Great work!
Thank you again for continuing to support our channel! We always look forward to your comments.
Very very good. Thank you
Thank you too!
Thanks for the guide to setup and play through. Much more helpful to me to see video over rule books. I just played my first time with friends and I got to the top of the track on all three levels about a quarter of the way through the fourth round. Have you had this happen?
If I have to watch tapestry gameplays several times to finally understand it, I will have to watch pendulum gameplays even more times.
Excellent vid guys! You rock! Very well explained, and showcased!
Regarding the game, I'm surprised SMGames didn't do recessed boards, to avoid the markers getting pushed around by mistake.
Apart from that, seems super cool to play :-)
Thanks for the support!
In regards to recessed boards, Jamey addressed that in a blog post. Basically since the boards are all double sided it would require a lot more in production to have a thick player board that was recessed on both sides and having 10 boards was also an issue.
Thanks for your great videos, I watched On Mars and will catch up with the other Lacerda’s About Pendulum, I am very sceptical even if I like the idea of the sand timers which measure the effort to put in your actions. First I find the rule book is really not has well written, concise and clear as other stonemaier games that I know. I am also not exactly blown away by the components. The theme could be anything, it really is non existent, and I believe the real time element makes it even more abstract. Even if it was claimed that this game did not rely on speed and racing despite the timers, I have the feeling it’s still happening. And if you play without the timers, this is another euro game, and there are many others which from what I see look more interesting and thematic. Anyway, very good video which helped me make my decision Cheers
This video and the instructions at the beginning were very helpful for showcasing this unique game. I focused on watching Monique's actions and while it looked like there were some missed opportunities I did not notice any major mistakes that distracted me from following the action. In spite of the fast pace, I did not have too much trouble following things.
My impressions based on your gameplay is that it seems that you are more worried about beating the timers than each other, that the frantic moments come in spurts but most of the rest of the game still has a bit of tension. It looks like it will not feel very much like the very intentional and strictly planned out gameplay I'd expect from a worker placement game, making it kinda unique. I liked how much Monique's engine was built up by round two though perhaps that came at the cost of possible VP. Looks like the ending sneaks up on you, which now that I think of it, it does in Scythe and Wingspan too and I'm rather learning to like the "oh I wish I had one more move!" moments at the end of those games.
I really like the look of this, I think I'll have to come back next week to see what you both thought.
Excellent analysis on the video. I (Monique) had a ton of missed opportunities especially in the last round, but hopefully the placements followed the rules accurately. I can definitely attest that in the video I was way less concerned about Naveen, than I was about the timer...and him flipping the purple timer before I was ready.
@@BeforeYouPlay I hope you'll beat Naveen next time, haha. Given the game apparently tries to get you away from sitting and thinking forever, I presume the missed opportunities are part of the game experience. It's hard to resist as a spectator wanting to say "hey hey hey, get that worker over there!" I imagine playing this game with a live audience would be way more pressure than normally playing this would be.
Nice video. I wasn't interested in this game until I saw your play through. Now I am looking forward to giving it a try. Very fun video watching the two of you playing under a time constraint. Did Naveen end every round? Hmm, he's mean. :)
really good teach! ^^
Thank you so much! Hope we were able to explain it well!
@47:54 Naveen takes two gold but forgets to move the worker, then takes two gold again for the same action! SCANDALOUS. But seriously, thanks for the playthrough! I have been following the game diaries but the game was hard to conceptualize. This certainly helped.
Yeah after watching I realized it. I'm notorious for doing procedures out of order, and in this game you cannot. You have to pay fees first, then move meeple, then take action/reward. When done in this manner it'll clean up 90% of the mistakes like the one you mentioned. - Naveen-
@@BeforeYouPlay Oh I totally understand. I have the luxury of observing the turns without also thinking about them, so it's easier for me to spot a small error like this. Yeah, I can see that the order of operations for this game is pretty crucial.
Haha - right ahead of me :P
Quackalope Your video is on my to do list as well. Hoping Pendulum brings a little more to the table (see what I did there) than Tapestry. Liked it but was expecting something more/different.
@@kevinbrazee3778 I think it had some messaging problems :) - let me know what you think!
a little late here. but in regards to the purple timer. does it really start by "knocking off a purple piece" and finish the round by "knocking off a purple piece"? that means you only get 2 usable flips for the purple timer. seems odd.. does it perhaps start without knocking a piece off? of finish that after the time runs out? giving you 3 usable flips?
I’ve heard that the rule for being able to move workers when the timer is off the mat applies during the flip. So if someone takes intentionally long to flip the timer, you can move your workers while that’s happening.
Just Got the game. Reading the rule book it states as refilling the provinces as an Un-timed Action. The rules also say you have to complete a full action before taking another one. I read this as if you were to take the action to pay four military to take a province you cannot refill an empty space if there is one as it is considered a separate action.
I needed this video before I played . . . Now to see if I got things wrong!
lol!!!
I think that this game would be a BLAST to play at a gaming convention or with the right group of friends.
Definitely with the right group!
@43:16 you take gold but you take them as RED cubes and put them in the gold section. Later you take those cubes and move them to the RED section of your board.
@47:55 you took two gold twice but I couldn’t tell why. Did you take for the black action and forget to move it down then take for the black action again? Or was there a reason to produce 2 gold twice?
Hi David, yeah I made a few mistakes throughout the playthrough. Definitely @47:55 i didn't follow protocol, you are supposed to pay the cost, move the meeple, then take the reward. If you do it this way you ensure no errors. - Naveen
I'm looking forward to this one, just because it's from Stonemaier. Thanks guys.
@45:36 during round 2, when the purple timer is flipped, a time token isn't removed, so round 2 lasts 9+ minutes instead of 6+ minutes.
A big boo boo! haha Good catch! The stress got to me - Naveen
I have a rules-question. If I remember correctly, Monique explained that only the first person each round, who does claim the achievement reward has the choice to take the metallic token istead of the other reward (and only if he didnt already take it in an earlier round).
From what I understood by taking a first look into the rulebook-pdf (and my english isnt that great so it could well be that I got it wrong) it read like that as long as nobody takes that metallic token in a round any other player can take it (as long as he didnt already take it in an earlier round).
I think this would be a big difference. Could anybody help me out with that question.
Hi you are right, If player 1 decides not to take the metal token and claim the listed reward on the card instead, then player 2 is allowed to take the token.
@@BeforeYouPlay Ok. Thanks.
sand timers so often being dropped, and this is a second video with this probleb. Stonemaier Games should make standies larger
It's an issue for sure, everyone has to understand their spacing around the table and board.
Hi! Thanks for the tutorial. Just a question: if there are only 4 rounds, and only the first on each round can claim the legendary token, does that mean that in a 5 players game one of the player cannot win?
Hi! Great question! In a 5-player game, technically one player will not be able to take the legendary token during a round. However, during the last council phase, one of the final council rewards cards grants someone the ability to exchange resources for that legendary token, so it's not impossible. The real issue arises if in a 5-player game, players go an entire round with NO ONE taking the legendary achievement token, then someone will definitely not be eligible for the win.
@@BeforeYouPlay thank you for the clarification!
Very minor point...as the boards are quite dark it may of been better with white table/background....some will disagree but just a thought.
This looks really interesting. A few concerns though (as there always are with new groundbreaking concepts):
1. The real-time mode seems like it would appeal to those who finish their turns quickly but are tired of waiting for more ap-prone folk to finish their turns. But at the same time, the real-time mode would be unappealing to ap-prone/slower players. So those who do play in real-time are people who get their turns done at a fast/moderate pace anyways. So why play real-time?
2. You guys didn't really bump into each other, but I feel like with 4-5 players (that's 4-10 hands and arms) smacks and bumps would be inevitable.
3. If you're playing real-time, it sounds like you need everyone to know the rules really well--otherwise, people may accidentally cheat or not know how to do something but everyone's too busy doing their stuff to help them out. Playing a turn-based "demo" game before jumping into the real-time sounds like it could help with this.
The game does look great though and you guys did, as usual, a wonderful job presenting it!
It's recommended in the rules to play at least the first round un-timed, before throwing new players to the wolves. You could even play the entire first game un-timed. It's just as fun, it becomes a different puzzle though!
Definitely worried about #2 as well. Might have to an enforce a "one hand rule" where you can only use one of your hands to take an action on the main game board.
I tend to agree, especially with point 2. I really wish Monique and Naveen would show us the other side of the board, to get an idea how it looks for 4 or 5 players. Worker spaces might be placed a little bit more optimally there, who knows. Also, rules might require a fewer number of workers for a higher player count (for instance, 3 rather than 4), which would be some solution. Yet, I don't really imagine even 3 people playing this comfortably, to be honest. I also agree on point 3, this does require to know the rules well before you can start playing with timers.
A few other thoughts - there is some inefficiency in the special cards, like the one that lets you swap your small worker for a big one. I'd say a nice house rule would be to remove that card after everyone has used it and fill the space with other cards that may be useful. I also think rules need some tweaking here, as there was almost no competition when playing with 2, there just need to be fewer cards available for fewer players, it will make it more important to get votes.
I also don't quite see the point of the special token, at least when playing with 2 players, or even 3 - the benefits of most of the round goal cards are good enough on their own, so you are going to complete it at least once. I guess there may be more competition for the special token when player count is higher, so there may be players who don't get that goal first, but with two or three, it seems to be rare, especially if player level is similar.
I believe the iconography could be a little bit more clear - some of the icons on the territory tiles looked too similar to me. I guess it is because I am looking at the game for the first time, and if I have it in front of me, it will be easier to distinguish between them. However, I believe it would be better if they used different colours for different action types, it is easier to know what you need, especially when you are racing the sand timers.
Overall, the game has some very interesting concepts and I generally like the art, taking the iconography aside. Yet, I get the feeling that this has the potential to be a really great game only after it goes through a revised edition, like quite a few of Stonemaier's recent games. I guess I will hold off for a couple of years before getting this, though I am interested.
@@SaniFakhouri After seeing your comment we have implemented a 1 hand house rule! Fantastic suggestion.
@@zhivik The other side of the board has each action separated into individual action spaces, vs the side we showed which has the gold boxed areas filtering into 2 separate actions. Hope that helps.
Very nice playthrough. Seems hectic to watch though. Not sure how much time you can spend looking at other players' boards to make "better" choices. With more players I fear it will be chaos.
I'll be honest I mostly am glancing over at other players to see how many votes they have. If I'm close, I'll try to edge them out. - Naveen
That bit at 35:29 when you were both "well, what are *you* going to do?" would kill the game for my group. Is there a rule to break stalemates like that?
in practice, the game is a race. time is passing. if you're constantly slowing yourself down to wait for me, eventually i'll end up taking more moves because i can force time to move on with the sand timers.
there is a system where if multiple players want to do the same action but it's limited, some players have higher priority, which does occasionally come into play.
Yes! Every conflict is broken by the privilege (turn order) track, so Naveen could have very well forced Monique's hand since he was higher on that track.
Great videos. I'm your new fan 😉 where are you from? Tell us something about you in a video. Your first board game, your first SPIEL Essen experience, where do you know each other... Etc.
We should do a video introducing ourselves haha, we kind of just started putting videos.
at 1:03.06 you could have moved the blue grande down to take the action instead of moving it to the new row. So frantic :)
lol So Frantic is right! The pressure got to me!
Jamey said there was a release for the expansion for Tapestry this year so the only release is not accurate.
Jamey isn't counting expansions as full game releases. He said that when he said it was their only release.
This looks great, but that Legendary Achievement requirement in a 5 player game is gonna definitely depress one of the players, considering the game is 4 rounds only. Hmm...
Sani Fakhouri In the final round there is a card you can snag which allows you to turn 10 resources into the legendary achievement. :)
@sani - I posted this same concern in the official Facebook group and got the same answer as Emintea provides. It's a very expensive alternative, but possible.
@@emintea2262 Nice! Still be a bit of a drag for the lagging player, but at least everyone can cross the finish line.
Watching this stressed me out. I'd like to see the non-timer version of this.
A non-timer version does exist! You can even choose to mix and match how you'll play each round (timer versus non-timer).
I think the fact that we were talking through our moves may have added to the stress. I will admit, even for us watching the playthrough was way more stressful than actually playing the game.
Cool concept, but I feel it's too much thinking too fast for me
Haha, there is a turn by turn mode for the game as well. Definitely looks like we got shot out of a cannon!
Sold.
Also, based on my reading of the rules at 50:35 when the sand-timer was lifted it was already to late to sneak in a worker. Although, If it was my significant other I wouldn't have made a big deal about it either. But, if it was a board game bud I'm not letting that one slide.
@@Stoicgame lol I am too nice with her, makes up for all those accidental cheats I did in the game hahaha -Naveen
This is way too chaotic. While I trust my friends, we do like to play at a pace where we can check each others moves and make minor corrections. Hard pass for me.
If I needed this kind of experience I would take a job as a short order cook at a diner.
There is a mode in which it is turn based.
Everyone needs to be versed on the proper protocol when taking actions. Pay fees first, move meeple, then and only then take the action.
A little disappointed, I was told the game would not be a frantic rush during the "campaign". But watching the video shows the complete opposite. It's stressed and frantic, rewarding the fastest thinker and more experienced player
EDIT: May be not, the more I watch, the more I see there's a few downtime moment to try and brake the stress and give a bit of time to think.
It's culture shock at first, the more you play, the smoother it is.
good job on explaining, this game is a hard pass from SM. Not sure what they were thinking!
sand timers = hard pass for me
they're optional. game comes with a turn based mode :)
@@rahdo We totally forgot to mention this! I'll have to klingon a note on it thank you
As Rahdo mentioned, you can alternatively play without the sand timers
@@BeforeYouPlay WHAT?!?!? a boardgame video with a goof in it! i am outraged! what is the world coming to! :)
too bad, thats not my kind of game. its too cutthroat and it seems that a person who has a good overview and calmness will always win the game. i normally like games that are played simultanously, but for this kind of game its too much going on. too many chances to make mistakes and to cheat by mistake.
That's a totally fair assessment Mark
I think that's fair, I would recommend trying it sometime in the future just to get that little brain tingle going.
Maybe it says a lot about me, but isn't this game cheater's heaven?
Can't you speak in Hindi