Looking forward to either playthrough or tutorial. My copy is inbound to FLGS and can't wait to play. We have a pool of COIN players so the curve won't be too steep.
You are correct. There are 3 blue and 3 red banners along the edge of the board which denote the victory conditions for the two factions, and those banners state which level the Imperium Track needs to be at for them to apply. The two markers are only for convenience. I think it would have been nice if they had provided a green and two black pawns to help those thresholds stand out also, especially since at Fragmentation the Saxon (black) player loses the ability to win by having settlements and renown and can only win by having population under its control.
I had some technical issues with my cellphone overheating when filming the playthrough, but I have the setup sequence done and now just have the 10 event cards (part II & III). That should be done and posted in a couple of days, and then on Friday I'll start a playthrough; however, my wife and I always make the first game of the year Pandemic (her favorite), so I have to wait until we get that out of the way. Sorry its taking me so long to get these out - its a bit of a rapid learning curve on how to shoot and edit the video. I'm thinking of doing the Petty Tyrants scenario first as that is the closest to what other COIN games would play like (at Fragmentation so that all 4 factions are standing on their own and only making alliances of convenience rather than enforced by the game rules).
That is one of GMT Games's counter trays (www.gmtgames.com/p-173-counter-trays-10.aspx), and I bought mine at Noble Knight (www.nobleknight.com/Product/2147348428/Counter-Tray-10-Pack) because they are local to me. With the insert in, it fits but will bulge slightly; but if you take out the insert it will easily fit in the box. However, you might need to trim a couple of millimeters of of the left and right edge. It is also great for other board games if you want a rapid setup (Roads & Boats, Eldritch Horror, etc - you just pop the lid off and set it out next to the board). I prefer these to plano boxes because the lid comes off. Another alternative are DVG deep dish counter trays (www.nobleknight.com/Product/2147538247/Counter-Tray---Deep-Dish-20-Compartments-10), which might be better for COIN games as the should hold the wooden pieces and dice comfortably. I plan on getting some soon and seeing how they fit in various game boxes.
Pendragon is a fairly complex COIN game. The rules for multiplayer are about 20 pages long for standard multiplayer, plus another 14 pages if you want to use the procedural AI ("bots") if you play solo. This is significantly more complicated than the lighter COIN games that have 12 pages of multiplayer rules. Boardgamegeek.com rates this game at 4.18 out of 5.00 based on 34 user votes. For non-wargamers it is a fair rating. GMT Games knows this is a lot to learn, thus provide a playbook that includes a 14 page multiplayer walkthrough that covers setup and 10 rounds of game play. Going through this example will take some time, but it is well worth it. I find once you walk your way through the COIN series the actual rules become quite simple. After 1 or 2 "epochs" (a series of regular cards and then an epoch card) it normally clicks, and by the end of the first game the basic flow is easy to understand. Outstanding player summaries make referring to the rulebook less necessary, but those first few games will take longer as you read up on the specifics. Essentially a round is merely draw a card, use the symbols on the top to determine order which players can activate, once all players have either gone or passed go to the next round. At an epoch round, check victory and if no one won then do some resetting for the next series of cards. Most actions are just flavorful combinations of place your pieces, move your pieces, resolve an attack with your pieces, or remove enemy pieces. Pendragon is the most complex, and has some extra twists and non-standard nomenclature for the series - so maybe not the best first game in the series unless you are willing to work through it. I made my video more as a "digital rulebook". I have a comprehensive index in the description so you can use it as a supplement while reading the rulebook if you don't own the game (pdf is available for download from GMT Games website). Alternatively, if you would rather watch than read, it might be an okay resource. I'm no professional game teacher or videographer - this was an amateur first attempt. I was unable to continue the series afterwards, but I am hoping to make some time and film the tutorial in the next month or two.
dillenbeck53531 thank you very much for such a long answer... i still have to decide whether to buy ir or not... but this makes it easier... thank you again!
Great job Sir! Very helpful to get to know better a rather complicated (but great) game. Thanks!
Looking forward to either playthrough or tutorial. My copy is inbound to FLGS and can't wait to play. We have a pool of COIN players so the curve won't be too steep.
As I recall, they went with the red and blue pawns as the Briton factions victory thresholds will change with Imperium shifts. I forgot the specifics.
You are correct. There are 3 blue and 3 red banners along the edge of the board which denote the victory conditions for the two factions, and those banners state which level the Imperium Track needs to be at for them to apply. The two markers are only for convenience.
I think it would have been nice if they had provided a green and two black pawns to help those thresholds stand out also, especially since at Fragmentation the Saxon (black) player loses the ability to win by having settlements and renown and can only win by having population under its control.
~ I'll be well armed for battle now when my own copy arrives, Thanks a million!
Subbed. I would love to see you do a playthrough of your own game.
I had some technical issues with my cellphone overheating when filming the playthrough, but I have the setup sequence done and now just have the 10 event cards (part II & III). That should be done and posted in a couple of days, and then on Friday I'll start a playthrough; however, my wife and I always make the first game of the year Pandemic (her favorite), so I have to wait until we get that out of the way.
Sorry its taking me so long to get these out - its a bit of a rapid learning curve on how to shoot and edit the video. I'm thinking of doing the Petty Tyrants scenario first as that is the closest to what other COIN games would play like (at Fragmentation so that all 4 factions are standing on their own and only making alliances of convenience rather than enforced by the game rules).
Where did that black token tray come from? Do you store that in the box or get it out from somewhere else when it's time to play?
That is one of GMT Games's counter trays (www.gmtgames.com/p-173-counter-trays-10.aspx), and I bought mine at Noble Knight (www.nobleknight.com/Product/2147348428/Counter-Tray-10-Pack) because they are local to me.
With the insert in, it fits but will bulge slightly; but if you take out the insert it will easily fit in the box. However, you might need to trim a couple of millimeters of of the left and right edge. It is also great for other board games if you want a rapid setup (Roads & Boats, Eldritch Horror, etc - you just pop the lid off and set it out next to the board). I prefer these to plano boxes because the lid comes off.
Another alternative are DVG deep dish counter trays (www.nobleknight.com/Product/2147538247/Counter-Tray---Deep-Dish-20-Compartments-10), which might be better for COIN games as the should hold the wooden pieces and dice comfortably. I plan on getting some soon and seeing how they fit in various game boxes.
Cool! You can snap the lid off of a Plan box pretty easily (at the hinge).
I must see a bit longer in i am at the impereum trak and i havent seen it ,dont juge me
Is it that ,,pendrgon,, label?
Hi, is this as difficult as it seems? Thank you
Pendragon is a fairly complex COIN game. The rules for multiplayer are about 20 pages long for standard multiplayer, plus another 14 pages if you want to use the procedural AI ("bots") if you play solo. This is significantly more complicated than the lighter COIN games that have 12 pages of multiplayer rules.
Boardgamegeek.com rates this game at 4.18 out of 5.00 based on 34 user votes. For non-wargamers it is a fair rating.
GMT Games knows this is a lot to learn, thus provide a playbook that includes a 14 page multiplayer walkthrough that covers setup and 10 rounds of game play. Going through this example will take some time, but it is well worth it.
I find once you walk your way through the COIN series the actual rules become quite simple. After 1 or 2 "epochs" (a series of regular cards and then an epoch card) it normally clicks, and by the end of the first game the basic flow is easy to understand. Outstanding player summaries make referring to the rulebook less necessary, but those first few games will take longer as you read up on the specifics.
Essentially a round is merely draw a card, use the symbols on the top to determine order which players can activate, once all players have either gone or passed go to the next round. At an epoch round, check victory and if no one won then do some resetting for the next series of cards. Most actions are just flavorful combinations of place your pieces, move your pieces, resolve an attack with your pieces, or remove enemy pieces. Pendragon is the most complex, and has some extra twists and non-standard nomenclature for the series - so maybe not the best first game in the series unless you are willing to work through it.
I made my video more as a "digital rulebook". I have a comprehensive index in the description so you can use it as a supplement while reading the rulebook if you don't own the game (pdf is available for download from GMT Games website). Alternatively, if you would rather watch than read, it might be an okay resource. I'm no professional game teacher or videographer - this was an amateur first attempt. I was unable to continue the series afterwards, but I am hoping to make some time and film the tutorial in the next month or two.
dillenbeck53531 thank you very much for such a long answer... i still have to decide whether to buy ir or not... but this makes it easier... thank you again!
the game looks nice and complex; the video is not bad but long and, after 20mn, it becomes tedious to listen to someone just reading the rules out.