Great video, as always. I’m interested to see how the strategic pledging of non-scoring but useful cards works. Also, this is super hard to get hold of, but can be easily played if you have, for example, a copy of Parade. I think this game needs a reprint/retheme!
Hey thanks a ton James!!😁🙌 Yeah, for pledging strategy, I've found that sometimes it's down to two suits that matter and one player goes for one, while another goes for the other. Then, all you need to score your suit is single card, so you can toss 2 of the other suit into your pledge and make that suit pretty weak, since they've likely scored at least one of that suit. So, 3 or more of the 8 cards are out now, making it worse at winning the 3 needed for the hand. Lots of cool moves. I almost wish you could pledge 4 to do that non-scoring strategy even more because it's so fun! Great call on Parade! This is definitely hard to get, but I agree that a new theme and reprint would be amazing! Maybe triceratops haha
@@ClaudeAndTaylorinteresting, so it can come down to figuring out what your opponent is going for and then sabotaging it by removing high cards of that suit with two of your pledges? Yeah, any theme that heavily uses three....
@@phryas It definitely can, but that is a more risky, rare play. I've found most times players hedge their bets and pledge 3 scoring cards of some kind. Cool option though!
I do like the idea of pulling out cards for your score pile and only you knowing what's do definitely not in the hand this round. And slight bluffing with forcing one color to win a trick when you might not want it to throw off the other player. Interesting decisions
Thanks for another wonderful video. I'd never heard of this one before. Watching the gameplay overview the card play itself seemed rather dull, but your discussion of the mechanics and decisions around pledging and keeping cards between rounds piqued my interest more. I'll definitely be on the lookout to try it if I ever encounter it in the wild. And wooden components are always a plus for me. As James said, it's too bad it's so hard to find!
Cheers! Thanks so much, Chris!! ✋😎🤚 Yeah, I think the mechanics are neat for sure. I can see how the trick play could get a bit dull after a bit though. So hard to find!! It's funny how a decade can be a lifetime in this hobby 😅😅
I don’t properly own this but I have cobbled it together with components I already have, and I tried it with a dummy player. Of course it fell pretty flat when I knew all the cards! I haven’t managed to convince my son to play ... his current go-to is Claim. But I think this one could be a win for me because I love it when games play with thirds (Camel Up!), and for me the Roman theme is cool. So yeah, I'd love to give this one a real try! Would you say that, in general, two player trick taking games are more puzzley than ones with more players? It's starting to feel that way to me, but then I don’t have a lot of experience with more players.
Oh smart! That's a clever way to make this game. I could see the dummy player being hard, when so much is about secret pledging. I find this could be a bit dryer than Claim, but maybe simpler in a way. Great point about Camel Up too! That is an amazing question, hmmm.. I'd say you're right and that 2 player trick-takers have to make up for the fact that the trick play is cut short and sometimes dull, by making the overarching mechanics more thoughtful or puzzley. With more, you get more plying off other players and seeing when certain players might be short-suited or whatever, then playing off that. That can happen at 2, but it feels more eventual and less tactical.
Great video, as always. I’m interested to see how the strategic pledging of non-scoring but useful cards works. Also, this is super hard to get hold of, but can be easily played if you have, for example, a copy of Parade. I think this game needs a reprint/retheme!
Hey thanks a ton James!!😁🙌
Yeah, for pledging strategy, I've found that sometimes it's down to two suits that matter and one player goes for one, while another goes for the other. Then, all you need to score your suit is single card, so you can toss 2 of the other suit into your pledge and make that suit pretty weak, since they've likely scored at least one of that suit. So, 3 or more of the 8 cards are out now, making it worse at winning the 3 needed for the hand. Lots of cool moves. I almost wish you could pledge 4 to do that non-scoring strategy even more because it's so fun!
Great call on Parade!
This is definitely hard to get, but I agree that a new theme and reprint would be amazing! Maybe triceratops haha
@@ClaudeAndTaylorinteresting, so it can come down to figuring out what your opponent is going for and then sabotaging it by removing high cards of that suit with two of your pledges?
Yeah, any theme that heavily uses three....
@@phryas It definitely can, but that is a more risky, rare play. I've found most times players hedge their bets and pledge 3 scoring cards of some kind. Cool option though!
I do like the idea of pulling out cards for your score pile and only you knowing what's do definitely not in the hand this round. And slight bluffing with forcing one color to win a trick when you might not want it to throw off the other player. Interesting decisions
Oh totally, Bryan!! I do wish it used those interesting elements even more. Could be a really neat game that leans into those ideas
Toga party! That cactus is amazing. Hope he doesn't prickly when he loses.
Hahaa yes he does!!
Interested in this but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere.
Hey VJose, yeah sadly this one hasn't come back into print. I've seen some copies pop up here and there, so here's hoping!
@@ClaudeAndTaylor Yep here's hoping.
Thanks for another wonderful video. I'd never heard of this one before. Watching the gameplay overview the card play itself seemed rather dull, but your discussion of the mechanics and decisions around pledging and keeping cards between rounds piqued my interest more. I'll definitely be on the lookout to try it if I ever encounter it in the wild. And wooden components are always a plus for me. As James said, it's too bad it's so hard to find!
Cheers! Thanks so much, Chris!! ✋😎🤚
Yeah, I think the mechanics are neat for sure. I can see how the trick play could get a bit dull after a bit though.
So hard to find!! It's funny how a decade can be a lifetime in this hobby 😅😅
I don’t properly own this but I have cobbled it together with components I already have, and I tried it with a dummy player. Of course it fell pretty flat when I knew all the cards! I haven’t managed to convince my son to play ... his current go-to is Claim. But I think this one could be a win for me because I love it when games play with thirds (Camel Up!), and for me the Roman theme is cool. So yeah, I'd love to give this one a real try! Would you say that, in general, two player trick taking games are more puzzley than ones with more players? It's starting to feel that way to me, but then I don’t have a lot of experience with more players.
Oh smart! That's a clever way to make this game.
I could see the dummy player being hard, when so much is about secret pledging. I find this could be a bit dryer than Claim, but maybe simpler in a way. Great point about Camel Up too!
That is an amazing question, hmmm.. I'd say you're right and that 2 player trick-takers have to make up for the fact that the trick play is cut short and sometimes dull, by making the overarching mechanics more thoughtful or puzzley. With more, you get more plying off other players and seeing when certain players might be short-suited or whatever, then playing off that. That can happen at 2, but it feels more eventual and less tactical.