COMPONENTS - There is a TON of stuff here. To my eye, the miniatures look good, and the tile and card quality is solid. Nothing to complain about. The bound books are certainly nice too. 0:00 - Introduction 0:33 - Campaign Replay 1:22 - Darkness and Shadow 2:12 - Chapters and Pacing 3:03 - Narrative Discovery 3:41 - Dice and Card Play 4:50 - Final Thoughts
I want to say that SK is a brilliant design if you play it with four full virtues. So many cooperation and coordination with intense time pressure. With four virtues the dice/card play really shines.
A great review, again pulling no punches with what may not work for people. I've seen a few reviews and how to plays but it didn't pick out (too much) the negative parts of the 'Mix' ratings you gave. In the end I was sitting on the fence, leaning to buy, but now have probably jumped off to the leave it side. I have games like Tainted Grail (plus Etherfields and ISS Vanguard to arrive) plus better rpg-in-a-box games like Folklore and Dungeon Degenerates that cover what Solomon Kane provides in a better (for me) way.
This game looks amazing, the artwork and theme is superb. However i found the gameplay really difficult to like - the stories are like playing a short event scene in slow motion and i just got the feeling that very little was really happening and the choices i made did not overly effect much apart from the next scene difficulty. Also combat is pretty convoluted set of instructions drawing and playing multiple cards to get the effects of the battle turn and was really cumbersome. I was disappointed overall despite there being a nice dice allocation mechanic in here. I think Tainted Grail is a better game and more engaging to play.
Can't disagree with any of your complaints. Like I said in the review, the pacing is herky jerky and some things that should be simple are drawn out. That said, as much as I think the design of Tainted Grail is better, that one had SO MUCH grind, at least for me, without a lot of house ruling. I loved it at first, and grew to hate it over time ;)
@@OneStopCoopShop Yes the grind i agree with - but then i play it story mode style where i do not have to re-light menhirs while they remain on the board area. This takes out a lot of grind and moves you more into discovery and pursuing the story. It is by no means perfect either, and i would even be happier with just combat deck and a different diplomacy mechanic. These games are expensive and it is a good warning to all that they are not perfect. That said i keep Tainted Grail and play it but not Solomon Kane as i do not have much desire to play it.
@@davidrussell7085 ah, sounds like you play similar to me. Yes, without re-lighting Menhirs (and honestly I just ignore a lot of diplomacy encounters) I get to enjoy the amazing exploration and story more.
@@BlakeAustin2011 I play sword & sorcery and i love it - its a very different type of combat rule set to me that has AI cards i can just read off - i feel very differently about that and i like the extra depth that has. Hard to explain but Solomon Kane makes you go and find multiple cards every time you attack , sometimes they are the same and sometimes not and then you cant remember where they all are - it is very different and i never have much of an issue with S&S
This one looks awesome, and it seems the solo playability is sweet. Sounds like all of your mixes could be summed up with, “Great ideas, awkward pacing.”
@@OneStopCoopShop I agree. I love they decided to try something a bit out of the box with an awesome IP. This genre of board game is flooding the market, and it’s nice to see one with solid story telling mechanics. I’d love a game that has a Draiengard/Nier mechanic of restarting with knowledge that allows for additional branches and story endings. Not something shoehorned in, but as an actual primary legacy-esque mechanic.
@@BlakeAustin2011 oh, I've really enjoyed that in video games too. I think one of the later Breath of Fires did that in an awesome way... Dragon Quarter! (I wikipedia-ed it). LOVED that one, even though it was super tough.
@@OneStopCoopShop I forgot about that game! An example for people that might not know what we are referring to: perhaps you get to an ending after the 8th scenario played that gives you a magical key permanent item. Then you recall during the 2nd scenario there was a locked door you couldn’t go through. You restart the game (maybe as the same characters with special upgrade options). Once you reach scenario 2 and open the door, a secret objective opens up in the newly explored section. This leads to a connected, but different story path. And along the way, choices you make affect which alternate endings paths are available. Rinse and Repeat with baked in shortcuts to speed up the early scenario replays.
Well you know me, I always have mixes in my reviews :) But yeah, I've been seeing the folklore comparisons a lot. I haven't played that one myself, but I know Colin and Bairnt have played it a bunch. Bairnt loves it, and I think Colin is fairly mixed and hates the combat.
@@BlakeAustin2011 the main comparison I've seen is that Folklore has a bunch of encounters and scenes that involve no combat. But yes, also the theme/setting.
I'm of two minds about it. On the one hand I like that they are adaptable to many scenarios and narrative moments, like a streamlined RPG system. But on the other hand, they can get repetitive like I discussed in the review.
COMPONENTS - There is a TON of stuff here. To my eye, the miniatures look good, and the tile and card quality is solid. Nothing to complain about. The bound books are certainly nice too.
0:00 - Introduction
0:33 - Campaign Replay
1:22 - Darkness and Shadow
2:12 - Chapters and Pacing
3:03 - Narrative Discovery
3:41 - Dice and Card Play
4:50 - Final Thoughts
Love your reviews! Quick, honest and clear. Really helps with the amount of choice gamers have these days. Thank you!
Glad you find them helpful!
I want to say that SK is a brilliant design if you play it with four full virtues. So many cooperation and coordination with intense time pressure. With four virtues the dice/card play really shines.
Totally agree, though that also amplifies the general unwieldiness of play, so it was a trade-off for me.
Great upload, my friend, really liked it, keep up the good stuff
A great review, again pulling no punches with what may not work for people. I've seen a few reviews and how to plays but it didn't pick out (too much) the negative parts of the 'Mix' ratings you gave. In the end I was sitting on the fence, leaning to buy, but now have probably jumped off to the leave it side. I have games like Tainted Grail (plus Etherfields and ISS Vanguard to arrive) plus better rpg-in-a-box games like Folklore and Dungeon Degenerates that cover what Solomon Kane provides in a better (for me) way.
Yes, I think those other games are probably superior to this. Well, tough to say for ISS I guess :)
This game looks amazing, the artwork and theme is superb. However i found the gameplay really difficult to like - the stories are like playing a short event scene in slow motion and i just got the feeling that very little was really happening and the choices i made did not overly effect much apart from the next scene difficulty. Also combat is pretty convoluted set of instructions drawing and playing multiple cards to get the effects of the battle turn and was really cumbersome. I was disappointed overall despite there being a nice dice allocation mechanic in here. I think Tainted Grail is a better game and more engaging to play.
Can't disagree with any of your complaints. Like I said in the review, the pacing is herky jerky and some things that should be simple are drawn out.
That said, as much as I think the design of Tainted Grail is better, that one had SO MUCH grind, at least for me, without a lot of house ruling. I loved it at first, and grew to hate it over time ;)
@@OneStopCoopShop Yes the grind i agree with - but then i play it story mode style where i do not have to re-light menhirs while they remain on the board area. This takes out a lot of grind and moves you more into discovery and pursuing the story. It is by no means perfect either, and i would even be happier with just combat deck and a different diplomacy mechanic. These games are expensive and it is a good warning to all that they are not perfect. That said i keep Tainted Grail and play it but not Solomon Kane as i do not have much desire to play it.
@@davidrussell7085 ah, sounds like you play similar to me. Yes, without re-lighting Menhirs (and honestly I just ignore a lot of diplomacy encounters) I get to enjoy the amazing exploration and story more.
Don’t play Sword and Sorcery then. Great story, but there are a thousand rules with combat.
@@BlakeAustin2011 I play sword & sorcery and i love it - its a very different type of combat rule set to me that has AI cards i can just read off - i feel very differently about that and i like the extra depth that has. Hard to explain but Solomon Kane makes you go and find multiple cards every time you attack , sometimes they are the same and sometimes not and then you cant remember where they all are - it is very different and i never have much of an issue with S&S
This one looks awesome, and it seems the solo playability is sweet. Sounds like all of your mixes could be summed up with, “Great ideas, awkward pacing.”
Yeah, it's awkward in several ways, but that often comes with a highly ambitious design.
@@OneStopCoopShop I agree. I love they decided to try something a bit out of the box with an awesome IP. This genre of board game is flooding the market, and it’s nice to see one with solid story telling mechanics.
I’d love a game that has a Draiengard/Nier mechanic of restarting with knowledge that allows for additional branches and story endings. Not something shoehorned in, but as an actual primary legacy-esque mechanic.
@@BlakeAustin2011 oh, I've really enjoyed that in video games too. I think one of the later Breath of Fires did that in an awesome way... Dragon Quarter! (I wikipedia-ed it). LOVED that one, even though it was super tough.
@@OneStopCoopShop I forgot about that game!
An example for people that might not know what we are referring to: perhaps you get to an ending after the 8th scenario played that gives you a magical key permanent item. Then you recall during the 2nd scenario there was a locked door you couldn’t go through. You restart the game (maybe as the same characters with special upgrade options). Once you reach scenario 2 and open the door, a secret objective opens up in the newly explored section. This leads to a connected, but different story path. And along the way, choices you make affect which alternate endings paths are available. Rinse and Repeat with baked in shortcuts to speed up the early scenario replays.
@@BlakeAustin2011 great example!
Reminds me of Folklore the affliction, certainly interesting game by looks of it, despite your mixed review points 👍
Well you know me, I always have mixes in my reviews :)
But yeah, I've been seeing the folklore comparisons a lot. I haven't played that one myself, but I know Colin and Bairnt have played it a bunch. Bairnt loves it, and I think Colin is fairly mixed and hates the combat.
Is the comparison due to the more gothic style and storytelling? I love Folklore, and I haven’t once made this connection.
@@BlakeAustin2011 the main comparison I've seen is that Folklore has a bunch of encounters and scenes that involve no combat. But yes, also the theme/setting.
@@OneStopCoopShop Ye, Completely what Mike says, I could be wrong as o have not played Solomon, but just looks similar, especially narratively so!
It's quite different from Folklore. Folklore is more like D&D in a box, Solomon's gameplay is original that really doesn't compare to anything.
The story telling seems great but the actual gameplay mechanics seem a little sparse or too simplistic with the dice placement.
I'm of two minds about it. On the one hand I like that they are adaptable to many scenarios and narrative moments, like a streamlined RPG system. But on the other hand, they can get repetitive like I discussed in the review.
Insane miniatures but i literally almost fell asleep playing the game.