I agree with the critiques on 2p and scanning. It's not so bad like you said, but I like you're on-the-spot homebrew variant of filling out just a few more spaces with a dummy 3rd player.
I agree with your point about the cards being the secret sauce but the one thing you missed is all the cool flavor text on each card. Really adds to the Thematic nature of the game. The other thing for me was the discovery of the aliens in the middle of the game. I would love to see 20 more aliens added so you really have no clue which ones are coming up. Its a very cool and exciting part of the game.
you are entirely right! i did try to demonstrate the cool factor by reading some of the cards at the beginning of the runthrough (and getting a little teary-eyed while doing so) :)
Sadly you forgot to rotate the disks after Jen researchs at 54:23. And you must have to discard the card you've used to do the 2nd part of the scan action (from the 3 options avaible)
You mentioned the RE-Wood components (which made a debut in Kutná Hora), but the Sun and the data tokens are the first use of RE-Plastic. CGE with another innovation.
I don't think RE-Plastic is mentioned in the rulebook, but it is noted in the contents list on the CGE website. Details about RE-Plastic can be found on Wissner's (the developer's) website.
If there are so many suggestions for 2-player variants, it is unfortunate that the designer does not react to them and gives his point of view on what would solve this game for 2 players.
Well I'd assume the designer publisher don't agree with the fundamental premise on board game geek that some are espousing (namely with the two-player game is broken in some sense} and as it happens there are already very experienced gamers posting in those threads explaining that that perception is incorrect :-) I also don't think there's anything broken about the two player design, I just think it's not quite as fun as it could be if there was a bit more dynamic movement on the area majority. As far as I know I'm the only person to say this anywhere so maybe it's just me :-)
On 2p you concentrate on less sectors, no need to reduce the number of signals for sectors, also missions are different on each card so there's really no need to compete for the same sector, I go for the red you go for the yellow and so on, you choose the missions, mastering the game come with experience. Is possibile to complete a 4 full set of orbiting/landing and sector gold tile in 2p, also I see players do a 5 and even 6 full set in 2p. The game is good, easy rules and multiple path, but mastering the game to get more than 240 points is hard, and BGG difficulty score is too low, should be at least 4
@@rahdo yeha the game gives different experience based on the number of players, but is designed in that way. Same as Arnak when in 3p the main board is full of discovered site. Since here there're only unique cards, the competition is for the 2vp on each sector, because I have my missions. But in a game played with 3p, happen that everyone wants to be on Vega because there're only 4 signals :) We ended to completed Vega 5 times! Want to add that CGE announced (on BGG forum) a digital version of SETi, we don't know if on BGA or another website (or an App), but a digital version was announced, how cool is that :D
Unfortunately, I found the last third of the game quite boring. Once you’ve revealed the aliens, you just keep putting out traces for less and less points and the aliens aren’t particularly interesting.
the trace of life tokens are just a proxy for victory points. the crux of the game from start to finish is finding fun ways to use the various card powers, and for us that doesn't get old at all :)
Spoilers, in Futurama, they also had difficulty with the name Uranus, so they renamed it Urectum.
I agree with the critiques on 2p and scanning. It's not so bad like you said, but I like you're on-the-spot homebrew variant of filling out just a few more spaces with a dummy 3rd player.
I agree with your point about the cards being the secret sauce but the one thing you missed is all the cool flavor text on each card. Really adds to the Thematic nature of the game.
The other thing for me was the discovery of the aliens in the middle of the game. I would love to see 20 more aliens added so you really have no clue which ones are coming up. Its a very cool and exciting part of the game.
you are entirely right! i did try to demonstrate the cool factor by reading some of the cards at the beginning of the runthrough (and getting a little teary-eyed while doing so) :)
When you take the scan action, the card in the offer whose upper right color symbol you used, gets discarded and a new one drawn into the offer.
Sadly you forgot to rotate the disks after Jen researchs at 54:23. And you must have to discard the card you've used to do the 2nd part of the scan action (from the 3 options avaible)
You mentioned the RE-Wood components (which made a debut in Kutná Hora), but the Sun and the data tokens are the first use of RE-Plastic.
CGE with another innovation.
what the? did i miss an article about that? very interested!
I don't think RE-Plastic is mentioned in the rulebook, but it is noted in the contents list on the CGE website.
Details about RE-Plastic can be found on Wissner's (the developer's) website.
If there are so many suggestions for 2-player variants, it is unfortunate that the designer does not react to them and gives his point of view on what would solve this game for 2 players.
Well I'd assume the designer publisher don't agree with the fundamental premise on board game geek that some are espousing (namely with the two-player game is broken in some sense} and as it happens there are already very experienced gamers posting in those threads explaining that that perception is incorrect :-)
I also don't think there's anything broken about the two player design, I just think it's not quite as fun as it could be if there was a bit more dynamic movement on the area majority. As far as I know I'm the only person to say this anywhere so maybe it's just me :-)
And actually, the game consists of 5 rounds 😊
On 2p you concentrate on less sectors, no need to reduce the number of signals for sectors, also missions are different on each card so there's really no need to compete for the same sector, I go for the red you go for the yellow and so on, you choose the missions, mastering the game come with experience. Is possibile to complete a 4 full set of orbiting/landing and sector gold tile in 2p, also I see players do a 5 and even 6 full set in 2p. The game is good, easy rules and multiple path, but mastering the game to get more than 240 points is hard, and BGG difficulty score is too low, should be at least 4
the point is not that the game is unbalanced, but that's it's less fun to not have at least a 3 way competition for sector majorities :)
@@rahdo yeha the game gives different experience based on the number of players, but is designed in that way. Same as Arnak when in 3p the main board is full of discovered site. Since here there're only unique cards, the competition is for the 2vp on each sector, because I have my missions. But in a game played with 3p, happen that everyone wants to be on Vega because there're only 4 signals :) We ended to completed Vega 5 times!
Want to add that CGE announced (on BGG forum) a digital version of SETi, we don't know if on BGA or another website (or an App), but a digital version was announced, how cool is that :D
It’s ok. None of is particularly exciting or memorable though. A solid 7/10 but that’s about it
Unfortunately, I found the last third of the game quite boring. Once you’ve revealed the aliens, you just keep putting out traces for less and less points and the aliens aren’t particularly interesting.
the trace of life tokens are just a proxy for victory points. the crux of the game from start to finish is finding fun ways to use the various card powers, and for us that doesn't get old at all :)
Hello John, during setup you do not gain the benefit of the tucked card. It is only part of your income after round 1.
i just double checked and the rules clearly state that you do get that extra bump as part of setup :)
Yes you do.
@@rahdothanks, you are right !