Thank you for going the extra mile and reviewing the expansion. I’ve played the base game four times so super keen to try the expansion based on the review. Also keen to try Tuscany which I have but have never played.
This is everything I hate about Kickatarter, expansion's feel like they're almost removed from the base rather than something added kater to improve a game or increase variability
I had the opposite experience. The firelands made the game feel more "messy" to me and I really, really disliked the adventure cards. Some players got some really strong ones, while others got some that were useless for them. That level of randomness does not belong in a game like this.
12:46 Do you mean "scenario cards" Tom mentioned here? He said they did not use those for this review ("we did not do this, but..." At the timestamp listed)
I completely agree about the adventure cards-they are imbalanced and random, delaying the game every time they appear and have to be dealt with. Disliked them very much.
@@JonReid01 Scenario cards show you how to set up the game, and every one plays that game. Some may be more balanced than others, but all players are playing with the same advantages or disadvantages. He is talking about the adventure cards.
I disliked the randomness in the adventure-cards. Especially in the first turn getting a really good option, can push you a lot. Also if you cant choose one (that especially happens at the start of the game) and are forced to go down that timetrack, can really mess you up. At the moment I like the basegame more, but would love to play with the additional options of the divers tracks of this expansion. Anyway its a fanstastic game.
@@nicolasharoutiounian4542 but still drags the game down while the adventure card has to be dealt with. The adventure cards ruined the game for us. We pulled Firelands out and are enjoying the game much more without it.
Darwin's Journey is a whole lot of a good thing, and I have yet to play it with anyone where they didn't have a good time. We've played Darwin's Journey 10 times to date, which is not a lot, but it's enough to have a good grasp of the strategies and cadence of the game. We like it a lot at all player counts (except solo - I haven't played it solo). It seemed an obvious progression to add the biggest expansion for the game, Fireland, particularly after seeing the glowing reviews from Tom Vassel and the Dice Tower crew, saying that it improves the game. Undoubtedly, it adds some new elements and complexity to the game, much of which I liked. I liked adding time as a new currency in the game. The new map and additional exploration routes were cool, and the purple time seals are great! But one thing in the expansion that dragged the game down was the adventures. Every time a player crosses an adventure, the game halts while they decide what to do and perform whatever actions it gives them. This happens so frequently that all the players commented on it. I think the game moves along quite snappily until an adventure occurs, which is far too often, and then the game stops. This wasn't due to AP, although those cards can sometimes be AP-inducing. We usually play Darwin's Journey in 2.5 hours with four players, tops. It took 3.75 hours to finish the five rounds of the game, and admittedly, we didn't find the adventures enjoyable or worth the trouble. There is a certain randomness to the adventure cards - some being better than others, that I disliked. I was also nonplussed by the collecting of adventure tokens, or you would get punished at the game-end aspect. I feel like they just made the game longer, and that's it. They anchored heavily with Time in the game, which I liked the whole thing with Time, but adventures came at a cost that didn't seem worthwhile. I want to be understood here-I greatly like Darwin's Journey. It's hands down the best new-to-me game of 2024. I also liked the Fireland expansion, except for the adventures. Even then, I only disliked the adventures for breaking up the wonderful cadence of the game and making the game longer without being that enjoyable. I know this is the polar opposite of Tom's opinion, who seemed to adore the adventures for reasons I can't fathom, but that's ok. He's just having fun wrong. :D
Why would a publisher purposely remove an expansion that makes the game better and is needed to fix some flaws? This should have just been in the base game. Makes no sense. They released it all at the same time.
uhm 1. every game have some flaws, and base game is still 7,5 or 8 for them. Doesn't sound like it's "needed". 2. You don't want to put everything into one box, because it will bump up price point in retail. That will affect sells, and I for sure prefer to try the base game first and then maybe buy extra content. Might not even consider the game if they force me to buy all in one bundle for a game I'm not sure if I will enjoy. 3. Read other comments, some people prefer base game. Reviewer words are not gospel, they have opinions and preferences. Generally, your preference is not objectively the best way to publish a game in the eyes of other players and for the publisher.
It's a little funny Tom dislikes the negative points since Ark Nova is his #1, and often you end that game with negative points. But I know what he means. Is the Fireland expansion only in the KS version? Will it be sold separately in retail?
Ark Nova is also one of my favourite games and I have never even once scored negatively. If you consistently are doing so, maybe the game is too hard for you and you should be looking into lower weighted ones on BGG. Just a thought to consider.
Don't know how it's gonna be solved in retail, what people are playing right now is the KS version. And here there are 2 versions of the game, base and collectors. Base has everything they talked about in the other video, plus solo module. Collectors has everything base game has, plus the Firelands expansion, plus some other optional modules like the Animal Companions or Pirates, they've mentioned, and some component upgrades like metal coins or rubber seals (seen in these reviews, base game has paper tokens)
So if I didn't kickstart the game, I need to preorder the game and the expansion to for later this Fall to have the best experience with it? No thanks.
The official release date was this past Friday, so there should be copies in the wild now (both base and expansion). I ordered both for about the price of the kickstarter. They also have a collector's edition and an upgrade pack coming later this year if you want to wait.
Was this exclusive to KS? I can't find any retailers selling it. If so what a bummer. Another potentially great game spoiled by exclusive KS expansions that should've been in the base game, or AT LEAST available for purchase
Compared to the first-first review this was quite a jump. Very happy for the game, us viewers and the DT that the game got a second chance.
Thank you for going the extra mile and reviewing the expansion. I’ve played the base game four times so super keen to try the expansion based on the review. Also keen to try Tuscany which I have but have never played.
This is everything I hate about Kickatarter, expansion's feel like they're almost removed from the base rather than something added kater to improve a game or increase variability
Thank you for considering the comments of your viewers, and for giving this game a second chance! Great review!
I had the opposite experience. The firelands made the game feel more "messy" to me and I really, really disliked the adventure cards. Some players got some really strong ones, while others got some that were useless for them. That level of randomness does not belong in a game like this.
12:46 Do you mean "scenario cards" Tom mentioned here? He said they did not use those for this review ("we did not do this, but..." At the timestamp listed)
I completely agree about the adventure cards-they are imbalanced and random, delaying the game every time they appear and have to be dealt with. Disliked them very much.
@@JonReid01 Scenario cards show you how to set up the game, and every one plays that game. Some may be more balanced than others, but all players are playing with the same advantages or disadvantages. He is talking about the adventure cards.
@@mitchlavender9928 I understand now thank you!
I disliked the randomness in the adventure-cards. Especially in the first turn getting a really good option, can push you a lot. Also if you cant choose one (that especially happens at the start of the game) and are forced to go down that timetrack, can really mess you up. At the moment I like the basegame more, but would love to play with the additional options of the divers tracks of this expansion. Anyway its a fanstastic game.
I said to my players to take two advntures cards and choose one 👍 less random
@@nicolasharoutiounian4542 but still drags the game down while the adventure card has to be dealt with. The adventure cards ruined the game for us. We pulled Firelands out and are enjoying the game much more without it.
I pseudorandom setup games all the time! Just makes things interesting!
I am AGHAST
@@nshaw1299🤫
One nerdy thing I don't like in Fireland...there is not a new set of species for the expansion, you just use the Galapagos ones.
Tom, I'm curious do you use any of the mini expansions? Are any of them worth picking up if you don't have the collectors edition?
Nice to finally see the review. Would like to know Mikes or Camillas opinion of the game.
Darwin's Journey is a whole lot of a good thing, and I have yet to play it with anyone where they didn't have a good time. We've played Darwin's Journey 10 times to date, which is not a lot, but it's enough to have a good grasp of the strategies and cadence of the game. We like it a lot at all player counts (except solo - I haven't played it solo).
It seemed an obvious progression to add the biggest expansion for the game, Fireland, particularly after seeing the glowing reviews from Tom Vassel and the Dice Tower crew, saying that it improves the game. Undoubtedly, it adds some new elements and complexity to the game, much of which I liked. I liked adding time as a new currency in the game. The new map and additional exploration routes were cool, and the purple time seals are great! But one thing in the expansion that dragged the game down was the adventures.
Every time a player crosses an adventure, the game halts while they decide what to do and perform whatever actions it gives them. This happens so frequently that all the players commented on it. I think the game moves along quite snappily until an adventure occurs, which is far too often, and then the game stops. This wasn't due to AP, although those cards can sometimes be AP-inducing. We usually play Darwin's Journey in 2.5 hours with four players, tops. It took 3.75 hours to finish the five rounds of the game, and admittedly, we didn't find the adventures enjoyable or worth the trouble. There is a certain randomness to the adventure cards - some being better than others, that I disliked. I was also nonplussed by the collecting of adventure tokens, or you would get punished at the game-end aspect. I feel like they just made the game longer, and that's it. They anchored heavily with Time in the game, which I liked the whole thing with Time, but adventures came at a cost that didn't seem worthwhile.
I want to be understood here-I greatly like Darwin's Journey. It's hands down the best new-to-me game of 2024. I also liked the Fireland expansion, except for the adventures. Even then, I only disliked the adventures for breaking up the wonderful cadence of the game and making the game longer without being that enjoyable.
I know this is the polar opposite of Tom's opinion, who seemed to adore the adventures for reasons I can't fathom, but that's ok. He's just having fun wrong. :D
Glad you took my advice on this :) 🎉 😊
Why would a publisher purposely remove an expansion that makes the game better and is needed to fix some flaws?
This should have just been in the base game.
Makes no sense. They released it all at the same time.
uhm
1. every game have some flaws, and base game is still 7,5 or 8 for them. Doesn't sound like it's "needed".
2. You don't want to put everything into one box, because it will bump up price point in retail. That will affect sells, and I for sure prefer to try the base game first and then maybe buy extra content. Might not even consider the game if they force me to buy all in one bundle for a game I'm not sure if I will enjoy.
3. Read other comments, some people prefer base game. Reviewer words are not gospel, they have opinions and preferences.
Generally, your preference is not objectively the best way to publish a game in the eyes of other players and for the publisher.
It's a little funny Tom dislikes the negative points since Ark Nova is his #1, and often you end that game with negative points. But I know what he means.
Is the Fireland expansion only in the KS version? Will it be sold separately in retail?
Ark Nova is also one of my favourite games and I have never even once scored negatively. If you consistently are doing so, maybe the game is too hard for you and you should be looking into lower weighted ones on BGG. Just a thought to consider.
lol, unlike your mom, who is into higher weighted things 😆
Is this expansion in the base box or is it something extra?
Don't know how it's gonna be solved in retail, what people are playing right now is the KS version. And here there are 2 versions of the game, base and collectors. Base has everything they talked about in the other video, plus solo module. Collectors has everything base game has, plus the Firelands expansion, plus some other optional modules like the Animal Companions or Pirates, they've mentioned, and some component upgrades like metal coins or rubber seals (seen in these reviews, base game has paper tokens)
@@tomaszt5050 Thank you
@@StevenStJohn-kj9eb@StevenStJohn-kj9eb The expansion is sold separately in retail and widely available as of this post.
So if I didn't kickstart the game, I need to preorder the game and the expansion to for later this Fall to have the best experience with it?
No thanks.
The official release date was this past Friday, so there should be copies in the wild now (both base and expansion). I ordered both for about the price of the kickstarter. They also have a collector's edition and an upgrade pack coming later this year if you want to wait.
Was this exclusive to KS? I can't find any retailers selling it. If so what a bummer. Another potentially great game spoiled by exclusive KS expansions that should've been in the base game, or AT LEAST available for purchase
It’s available for pre-order for retail release this fall. Both the base game and the Fireand expansion, so no need to fret.
It was said on BGG that Fireland will be available at retail.
@@rcbrice it's too late for me man I am fretted
The publisher said the release of the retail version is 6/30, so it should be showing up in stores any day now.
Clowns
What did you mean?