I totally agree with everything you said. We are over 6+ hours into the game (Campaign mode) and although we love the narrative, you both hit the nail on the head with the issues regarding the rule book, the finicky mechanics especially the die draw, which despite having several ways to mitigate, still always seems to come up short at the most urgent of times. Your final verdict is spot on and how I ultimately feel about the game, however, we are pressing on with the goal of completing the game because we love the story. Thanks for another great review.
The die draw mechanic works if you look at it thematically. The game occurs in someone’s subconscious wherein everything is defined by his life experiences. Think of it as another part of Martin’s subconscious doing its part to hinder the Comanauts. Although the avatars can manipulate Martin’s subconscious to a certain degree, but those same abilities have been defined by his experience or bias with that avatar. I can see where the frustration is coming from and it would be very illogical under normal circumstances, but this is part of the immersive experience. For me the added uncertainty adds to the theme. I have played through Stuffed Fables with my kids and I had to put in a narrative spin on the not being able draw the die we needed. Like in a dream wherein you are trying to outrun an unseen assailant, but you end up where you started from. Having an avatar of a teddy bear fighting side by side with a metahuman and an elderly security guard would kind of give you a hint that this isn’t Kansas anymore.
Don’t take it personally Luke. The problem I see with it is that there is no need to leave an explanation for either thumbs up or thumbs down... I have up thumbed this as I appreciate the work you put in. I also tend to respect your opinions even though I don’t always share them. Some people thumbs down because they don’t like the presenter, sometimes they don’t like the presentation, or the opinions and sometimes it’s because they don’t like the game being reviewed. I can think of a trillion reasons (give or take a few) for someone to downthumb a video. And yes... some folk, sadly, are trolls.
I remember watching a Dice Tower Live video once and before it even began someone had given it a thumbs down, Tom made some joke about it and carried on. I usually give a thumbs up to every board game contributors video even if I don't care much about the topic, I at least can appreciate your efforts into putting something out there. So, carry on, Luke, carry on, and thank you for the video.
I preordered this game and have been tracking reviews. The dice mechanic complaints are valid, but I feel like I can play it with a more non-gamer crowd and I don't think they'll mind as much. They'll love being immersed in the story. As always, great job Luke!
That I can understand. It's certainly not difficult to grasp and the story is worth a small investment. I guess because Stuffed Fables was already a family friendly and simple affair, I wanted this to be a bit more controllable.
9:24 - "This is where things start to fall apart... if they haven't already" :) Excellent negative review (and those are somehow more helpful, especially with hyped games) - you tried to save the game till the last minute.
I totally agree with everything you said. We are over 6+ hours into the game (Campaign mode) and although we love the narrative, you both hit the nail on the head with the issues regarding the rule book, the finicky mechanics especially the die draw, which despite having several ways to mitigate, still always seems to come up short at the most urgent of times. Your final verdict is spot on and how I ultimately feel about the game, however, we are pressing on with the goal of completing the game because we love the story. Thanks for another great review.
This game is 23 dollars on Amazon right now. :D
The die draw mechanic works if you look at it thematically. The game occurs in someone’s subconscious wherein everything is defined by his life experiences. Think of it as another part of Martin’s subconscious doing its part to hinder the Comanauts. Although the avatars can manipulate Martin’s subconscious to a certain degree, but those same abilities have been defined by his experience or bias with that avatar. I can see where the frustration is coming from and it would be very illogical under normal circumstances, but this is part of the immersive experience. For me the added uncertainty adds to the theme. I have played through Stuffed Fables with my kids and I had to put in a narrative spin on the not being able draw the die we needed. Like in a dream wherein you are trying to outrun an unseen assailant, but you end up where you started from. Having an avatar of a teddy bear fighting side by side with a metahuman and an elderly security guard would kind of give you a hint that this isn’t Kansas anymore.
Another great review. Thorough and insightful. Keep up the great work! It's appreciated. Thumbs up from me. :)
Did Plaid Hat come and dislike the vid? :P Seriously I don't get why that button even exists except to be trolled with!
Don’t take it personally Luke. The problem I see with it is that there is no need to leave an explanation for either thumbs up or thumbs down... I have up thumbed this as I appreciate the work you put in. I also tend to respect your opinions even though I don’t always share them. Some people thumbs down because they don’t like the presenter, sometimes they don’t like the presentation, or the opinions and sometimes it’s because they don’t like the game being reviewed. I can think of a trillion reasons (give or take a few) for someone to downthumb a video. And yes... some folk, sadly, are trolls.
I remember watching a Dice Tower Live video once and before it even began someone had given it a thumbs down, Tom made some joke about it and carried on. I usually give a thumbs up to every board game contributors video even if I don't care much about the topic, I at least can appreciate your efforts into putting something out there. So, carry on, Luke, carry on, and thank you for the video.
I know this is a bit late, but you don't actually roll to move in this game. You just discard a die to move one space.
I preordered this game and have been tracking reviews. The dice mechanic complaints are valid, but I feel like I can play it with a more non-gamer crowd and I don't think they'll mind as much. They'll love being immersed in the story. As always, great job Luke!
That I can understand. It's certainly not difficult to grasp and the story is worth a small investment. I guess because Stuffed Fables was already a family friendly and simple affair, I wanted this to be a bit more controllable.
9:24 - "This is where things start to fall apart... if they haven't already" :)
Excellent negative review (and those are somehow more helpful, especially with hyped games) - you tried to save the game till the last minute.
Never be afraid to call out a bad game.