Very good review. Good job Michael! I'm trying to stop backing games, but this one is still tempting. It feels unique in its genre, but I'm so unsure about the gameplay.
I have the Old World Witcher game and we love it. The theme is very strong there IMO. About this new game, I am in for now to not miss the 24-hour free gift, but I am still not convinced this is fun. I want to watch a playthrough or 2 before the campaign ends. So far it seems really boring.
Once again a great informative video. Thank you for that. I found the style quite different to your usual casual "chat" with the audience about a game or a topic (it will be interesting to see if other users found that this impacted in any way the perceived "trustworthiness" of the opinion expressed). It still contained all the information you would usually present and I liked the pan over all the content. I'm in the camp where I am not invested in the IP like I would with say LOTR, so I'm glad to know that it won't make or break the game. I am however motivated to read the books now before Dec24 ;)
Yeah that's something I need to still listen to feedback for. I changed my style for reviews a while back but that doesn't mean it's perfect. You are not the first to voice a slight feeling that if I write a script it can perhaps not feel as authentic or honest
@@TheKingofAveragecompared to your usual voice, you sound abit sedated. LOL. I guess most of us are used to your previous style. No right or wrong which style you prefer.
Fantastic preview. Especially what the place of the game in the collection potentially can fill is a wonderful point that I never have heard being discussed, yet. Thanks for the video. Great work
Great review! I am all in on this one. Great price on the deluxe with all the great Witcher figures. Really enjoy this IP in all the forms it has come and can’t wait to get my hands on this one. Keep up the amazing work and long live the King!
Thanks for the info. I like that you cover everything but your commentary is a lot slower and more monotone, respectfully. Tone is huge for me. My humble suggestion would be an outline of main points rather than a script. I remember my college speach class starting us out with written scripts we had to read at the podium and eventually getting to index cards with our main points for that segment of the speach. Index cards ordered kept you on the main points then flip to next one for next set of points/material. Anyway, however you decide to land on your review format, ill still watch and read comments. Btw, I think the pricing is ok. 3 tales, 45-90 minutes each. From the GF comments, there will be add ons throughout the campaign. Seems like these games come in around $250 all in. Unless you're Dice Throne, then its over $500. So, i mean, compared to other campaigns, the pricing is great! Lol.
A good review. The work you clearly put into scripting this review - as opposed to the usual chit-chat - paid dividends. This really helped me to decide whether to back thew campaign. (I did...🙂 )
Ah thank you for the feedback, that's reassuring. I found often in my old review style I would forget to say things, or not convey the real feeling I had, instead just listing likes and dislikes but leaving the viewer wondering if the game was still for them or not.
I cannot put into words how boring the actual gameplay looks. Have you been sponsored by go on board? It’s weird how much you have been hyping this up since you got the first exclusive on it. Normally you call games like this super boring
I'm sure this video took more work to make, but I really enjoyed it. I've casually watched some of your videos, but this is definitely more my style of review.
I’ll say three positive things about this. It’s reasonably good price which leads me to my second positive. There’s not 100’s of plastic minis which makes this game a lot cheaper. Thirdly, they’re using stretch pay. Love the Witcher but for me It’s another pass. Not sure I’m interested in a glorified choose your own adventure. Don’t really care about replaying over and over again to try and get different outcomes. Would also like to know where’s the combat? Don’t usually like card drafting either. Your entitled to your opinion but I still say this could’ve been any theme but the Witcher IP sells so there you go. Already plenty people backing it. Disagree that it’s a true Witcher game because of story. The combat is an integral part of a Witcher game just like combat is integral to most fantasy rpg’s like D&D. I mean it’s fantasy with monsters to kill. Why wouldn’t it be part of the game? All characters are depicted holding weapons. Another reason I’m passing. Your review of the Old World was pretty positive now your claiming it’s not in the spirit of a true Witcher game. Haven’t gone back to watch it but did you make that statement back then? Not saying you got paid but this is what paid promotion channels do. Talk up games and rarely ever say a game is crap.
How big of an issue is the initiative track problem of being able to pick first and potentially keep on getting the best cards,or alternatively always getting stuck with picking last?
The best cards for you might be low on the board. The initiative track position for next turn is based on the spot you get cards from. So you may want to grab the top spot even for bad cards, or perhaps get great cards you need but they are low so you won't go first next time.
Great video! I backed it in the 1st minute when I found out Triss Merigold is a stretch goal. Still came out as a backer in the hundreds. People are too quick. Haha.
Thx for the video and great review (as always). I do like the visual style of your video, panning over the game and components, too. But please clean up your table, the dirt is very distracting :P
High praise for a game I could not see the appeal whatsoever. I need to see a play through or something because gameplay wise it looks super boring to me.
I imagine the decision making around what cards to play, or the table talk won't appeal to a fair amount of people. I enjoyed it enough to back it though personally.
Great review I enjoyed it and it helped me decide to go ahead and back initially. I would like your take on the Add-on announced yesterday. Here are my thoughts: So, I already pledged DELUXE, and am okay with the price point. I am a little aggravated that Go On Board are offering a SEPARATE add-on that isn't part of the stretch goals. Why not have an ALL-IN, so we know up front what we are going to pay? I'd have been okay with a disclaimer saying content will be revealed as the campaign progressed. It feels a little disingenuous how Go On Board chose to reveal this content. Yes, to the trolls, I know I don't have to get the extra content, but some of us like to plan and budget how we want to spend our cash. This helps creators in the end too.
How was the actual writing in the game? I found the writing in OLD WORLD to be lacking. It had weird grammar and felt poorly translated at times. Since this is a story based game that would kinda kill it for me.
This game looks beautiful, so my click-finger felt a rush, but somehow it feels like there's not that much to do in this game. And a lot (!) of reading is involved. I want to ask: "How wrong am I?", but I realise that's a very personal question.
Did you find it story driven? From the playthroughs I saw from Go on Board, it seems like a Euro game, play whatever symbols are optimal for your cards and the story is whatever, since you play for victory points and not a story win condition. I am curious if this was different for your plays
I suppose it depends on what's going on in your head while you play it. Playing as Yennifer it definitely felt like you were manipulating things to turn out how you wanted them for example. You are rewarded for most anything you do and there are several paths to victory. So there's nothing wrong with pursuing the path you want. You can produce tokens for both as well. In fact winning and losing some is normal and how you get different story path. The story btw accommodates your attempt and usually rewards you. It takes into account that not everyone is trying to say, attack and will say stuff like "the person who tries to reason with him the most...." And then says to do it get something for it in a thematic way.
I just can't get my head around what this game is. And I'm not at all sure if it's my kind of game as a solo player - which sucks as I'm obsessed with The Witcher video games.
Just personally don't think the game would work for my group. While I play competitive games all the time, their are certain ones that result in my group being pissed at each other. This makes a fun game night into not so fun. It just get very personal sometimes. Its specifically Narrative based competitive games, and not just competitive games were were competing for a goal. As an example in this game, your choices forge the story, and give you different endings, based on your choices. I got players that would only want to see the good endings, and then others that actively would try to sabotage that. I get that's part of the game, but for my group it gets to the point were sometimes players leave pissed off.
Story tends not to be what I want from playing a board game, so I'm passing on this one despite enjoying the IP a lot. I find that games like Destinies just bounce off me, but I remain open to finding a game I like that does something a little different from my usual collection of historically-themed heavy Euros. Not convinced it's this one though.
Looks like choose your adventure game with (optional) miniatures. Low replayability. Weight seems quite light with basic mechanisms like set collection. Milking the IP. Will wait for retail on the inevitable heavy discount.
@@TheKingofAverage It is quite a stretch to call couple of minutes of extra text reading in each game "a different session". It would have been OK if the game had deeper mechanisms attached to the theme, but the core experience is in these stories (unlike in The Witcher Old World). Once these are done, the game is done. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your review and it helped me make a more informed decision and not back this game. Maybe (hopefully) I am wrong about how interesting and replayable it would be and I may get it for cheaper in retail.
I actually cancelled my pledge after watching this preview. The "gameplay" looks very boring. Just reading paragraphs in a foreign language in a group is not fun either. And the price of 85 + 22 USD + 25 % VAT = the cost of buying Too Many Bones locally. Or Mage Knight. Or Cascadia + HEAT + Carcasonne + Under Falling Skies.
For me you never play this prototype or play not enough. It is just simple euro game, where every player focus on optimize points and nothing else. I can see only one reason exactly to buy it - to place it on the shelf, and maybe sell someday like many other games.
Not my type of a game I think making another witcher game after the old world isnt great to me it seems like milking the IP but seems enough pple interested so hopefully it wont dissapoint them 🙂
Getting it in retail will be just the base game. Currently, the campaign offers exclusives that will not go to retail and extra's that will be free. Those will go to retail, but will cost you extra AND they will come much later, similar to Old Worls's expansions Adventure Pack, Monster Trail and Wild Hunt. So that is something to consider. Also, you can spread payment for this campaign if you so desire. All in all, I think they're doing a good job on the campaign.
@@LordVampire1985 I'm not arguing any of that. I just found that KS overall is not a thing for me. The original idea of it has been long abandoned. If the base game is not good in itself ( and it certainly does not seem interesting) , expansions will not help. This is my personal view. I buy games always either second hand or at a discount , if I know they're good.
@@garathminis5108 Even though 99% of the times I buy board games via KS, I can totally understand that. Lets say out of the first 4 games I bought via KS I enjoyed only 1 out of 4. the next 4 games I enjoyed 3 out of 4. In the next (last) 4 games I received I really enjoyed 100% 4/4. So personally now I am much more accurate now with what games I back, however there is still a certain space that is unknown until delivered and played.
Very good review. Good job Michael! I'm trying to stop backing games, but this one is still tempting. It feels unique in its genre, but I'm so unsure about the gameplay.
I have the Old World Witcher game and we love it. The theme is very strong there IMO. About this new game, I am in for now to not miss the 24-hour free gift, but I am still not convinced this is fun. I want to watch a playthrough or 2 before the campaign ends. So far it seems really boring.
My thoughts exactly
Once again a great informative video. Thank you for that. I found the style quite different to your usual casual "chat" with the audience about a game or a topic (it will be interesting to see if other users found that this impacted in any way the perceived "trustworthiness" of the opinion expressed). It still contained all the information you would usually present and I liked the pan over all the content. I'm in the camp where I am not invested in the IP like I would with say LOTR, so I'm glad to know that it won't make or break the game. I am however motivated to read the books now before Dec24 ;)
Yeah that's something I need to still listen to feedback for. I changed my style for reviews a while back but that doesn't mean it's perfect. You are not the first to voice a slight feeling that if I write a script it can perhaps not feel as authentic or honest
@@TheKingofAveragecompared to your usual voice, you sound abit sedated. LOL. I guess most of us are used to your previous style. No right or wrong which style you prefer.
Fantastic preview. Especially what the place of the game in the collection potentially can fill is a wonderful point that I never have heard being discussed, yet. Thanks for the video. Great work
An excellent review, I like this style, please continue this with future reviews.
Great review! I am all in on this one. Great price on the deluxe with all the great Witcher figures. Really enjoy this IP in all the forms it has come and can’t wait to get my hands on this one. Keep up the amazing work and long live the King!
Thanks for the info. I like that you cover everything but your commentary is a lot slower and more monotone, respectfully. Tone is huge for me. My humble suggestion would be an outline of main points rather than a script. I remember my college speach class starting us out with written scripts we had to read at the podium and eventually getting to index cards with our main points for that segment of the speach. Index cards ordered kept you on the main points then flip to next one for next set of points/material. Anyway, however you decide to land on your review format, ill still watch and read comments.
Btw, I think the pricing is ok. 3 tales, 45-90 minutes each. From the GF comments, there will be add ons throughout the campaign. Seems like these games come in around $250 all in. Unless you're Dice Throne, then its over $500. So, i mean, compared to other campaigns, the pricing is great! Lol.
A good review. The work you clearly put into scripting this review - as opposed to the usual chit-chat - paid dividends. This really helped me to decide whether to back thew campaign. (I did...🙂 )
Ah thank you for the feedback, that's reassuring. I found often in my old review style I would forget to say things, or not convey the real feeling I had, instead just listing likes and dislikes but leaving the viewer wondering if the game was still for them or not.
I cannot put into words how boring the actual gameplay looks.
Have you been sponsored by go on board? It’s weird how much you have been hyping this up since you got the first exclusive on it.
Normally you call games like this super boring
I'm sure this video took more work to make, but I really enjoyed it. I've casually watched some of your videos, but this is definitely more my style of review.
Thanks I really appreciate the feedback :) Happy to hear you liked it!
I’ll say three positive things about this.
It’s reasonably good price which leads me to my second positive. There’s not 100’s of plastic minis which makes this game a lot cheaper.
Thirdly, they’re using stretch pay.
Love the Witcher but for me It’s another pass. Not sure I’m interested in a glorified choose your own adventure. Don’t really care about replaying over and over again to try and get different outcomes.
Would also like to know where’s the combat?
Don’t usually like card drafting either.
Your entitled to your opinion but I still say this could’ve been any theme but the Witcher IP sells so there you go. Already plenty people backing it.
Disagree that it’s a true Witcher game because of story. The combat is an integral part of a Witcher game just like combat is integral to most fantasy rpg’s like D&D.
I mean it’s fantasy with monsters to kill. Why wouldn’t it be part of the game?
All characters are depicted holding weapons. Another reason I’m passing.
Your review of the Old World was pretty positive now your claiming it’s not in the spirit of a true Witcher game. Haven’t gone back to watch it but did you make that statement back then? Not saying you got paid but this is what paid promotion channels do. Talk up games and rarely ever say a game is crap.
This was the best review you've put out. I was already heavily inclined to back this and you've helped address most of my concerns. Thanks Michael.
Very happy to help!
How big of an issue is the initiative track problem of being able to pick first and potentially keep on getting the best cards,or alternatively always getting stuck with picking last?
The best cards for you might be low on the board. The initiative track position for next turn is based on the spot you get cards from. So you may want to grab the top spot even for bad cards, or perhaps get great cards you need but they are low so you won't go first next time.
@@TheKingofAverage okay thanks
Did you see they're doing tuck boxes? Your favorite.
Why does anyone like these?
Nooooooooooooooo
Great video! I backed it in the 1st minute when I found out Triss Merigold is a stretch goal. Still came out as a backer in the hundreds. People are too quick. Haha.
How good is the solo ?
Thx for the video and great review (as always). I do like the visual style of your video, panning over the game and components, too. But please clean up your table, the dirt is very distracting :P
It's this terrible felt man! Need to find some tool that can clean it. Vacuum won't work 😭
Cool review. Looks like I will get it
High praise for a game I could not see the appeal whatsoever. I need to see a play through or something because gameplay wise it looks super boring to me.
I imagine the decision making around what cards to play, or the table talk won't appeal to a fair amount of people. I enjoyed it enough to back it though personally.
High praise from you dude. Thank you for your honesty and integrity. I wanted to confirm my prejudice in backing day one.
Hah! Well I backed too so there's that.
Great review I enjoyed it and it helped me decide to go ahead and back initially. I would like your take on the Add-on announced yesterday. Here are my thoughts: So, I already pledged DELUXE, and am okay with the price point. I am a little aggravated that Go On Board are offering a SEPARATE add-on that isn't part of the stretch goals. Why not have an ALL-IN, so we know up front what we are going to pay? I'd have been okay with a disclaimer saying content will be revealed as the campaign progressed. It feels a little disingenuous how Go On Board chose to reveal this content. Yes, to the trolls, I know I don't have to get the extra content, but some of us like to plan and budget how we want to spend our cash. This helps creators in the end too.
How was the actual writing in the game? I found the writing in OLD WORLD to be lacking. It had weird grammar and felt poorly translated at times. Since this is a story based game that would kinda kill it for me.
This game looks beautiful, so my click-finger felt a rush, but somehow it feels like there's not that much to do in this game. And a lot (!) of reading is involved. I want to ask: "How wrong am I?", but I realise that's a very personal question.
Did you find it story driven? From the playthroughs I saw from Go on Board, it seems like a Euro game, play whatever symbols are optimal for your cards and the story is whatever, since you play for victory points and not a story win condition. I am curious if this was different for your plays
I suppose it depends on what's going on in your head while you play it. Playing as Yennifer it definitely felt like you were manipulating things to turn out how you wanted them for example. You are rewarded for most anything you do and there are several paths to victory.
So there's nothing wrong with pursuing the path you want. You can produce tokens for both as well. In fact winning and losing some is normal and how you get different story path. The story btw accommodates your attempt and usually rewards you. It takes into account that not everyone is trying to say, attack and will say stuff like "the person who tries to reason with him the most...." And then says to do it get something for it in a thematic way.
I just can't get my head around what this game is. And I'm not at all sure if it's my kind of game as a solo player - which sucks as I'm obsessed with The Witcher video games.
Just personally don't think the game would work for my group. While I play competitive games all the time, their are certain ones that result in my group being pissed at each other. This makes a fun game night into not so fun. It just get very personal sometimes. Its specifically Narrative based competitive games, and not just competitive games were were competing for a goal.
As an example in this game, your choices forge the story, and give you different endings, based on your choices. I got players that would only want to see the good endings, and then others that actively would try to sabotage that. I get that's part of the game, but for my group it gets to the point were sometimes players leave pissed off.
I love the Witcher franchise, and know these stories, so curious to see how they can change based on decisions made.
I was quite surprised how well they pulled that off. They've been working with CD Projekt Red to ensure they get it right "in universe" so to speak.
First! I just backed blindly because I really like the minis. I hope it's a good game.. ;)
Hah!
What does IP stand for?
Intellectual Property. in this case, referring to the Witcher universe
Story tends not to be what I want from playing a board game, so I'm passing on this one despite enjoying the IP a lot.
I find that games like Destinies just bounce off me, but I remain open to finding a game I like that does something a little different from my usual collection of historically-themed heavy Euros. Not convinced it's this one though.
Looks like choose your adventure game with (optional) miniatures. Low replayability. Weight seems quite light with basic mechanisms like set collection. Milking the IP. Will wait for retail on the inevitable heavy discount.
If 24+ sessions is low replicability I fear half my collection is low >.
@@TheKingofAverage It is quite a stretch to call couple of minutes of extra text reading in each game "a different session". It would have been OK if the game had deeper mechanisms attached to the theme, but the core experience is in these stories (unlike in The Witcher Old World). Once these are done, the game is done. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your review and it helped me make a more informed decision and not back this game. Maybe (hopefully) I am wrong about how interesting and replayable it would be and I may get it for cheaper in retail.
I actually cancelled my pledge after watching this preview. The "gameplay" looks very boring. Just reading paragraphs in a foreign language in a group is not fun either. And the price of 85 + 22 USD + 25 % VAT = the cost of buying Too Many Bones locally. Or Mage Knight. Or Cascadia + HEAT + Carcasonne + Under Falling Skies.
Glad I could help you make a good decision for you! :)
For me you never play this prototype or play not enough. It is just simple euro game, where every player focus on optimize points and nothing else. I can see only one reason exactly to buy it - to place it on the shelf, and maybe sell someday like many other games.
Ha, a reason you say? Not sure about that.
Not my type of a game I think making another witcher game after the old world isnt great to me it seems like milking the IP but seems enough pple interested so hopefully it wont dissapoint them 🙂
Thank you for the review.
Hard pass on a pre payment site. Shipping will eat the deal.
I'll consider it if I can get it in retail
Getting it in retail will be just the base game. Currently, the campaign offers exclusives that will not go to retail and extra's that will be free. Those will go to retail, but will cost you extra AND they will come much later, similar to Old Worls's expansions Adventure Pack, Monster Trail and Wild Hunt. So that is something to consider. Also, you can spread payment for this campaign if you so desire. All in all, I think they're doing a good job on the campaign.
@@LordVampire1985
I'm not arguing any of that.
I just found that KS overall is not a thing for me.
The original idea of it has been long abandoned.
If the base game is not good in itself ( and it certainly does not seem interesting) , expansions will not help.
This is my personal view. I buy games always either second hand or at a discount , if I know they're good.
@@garathminis5108 Even though 99% of the times I buy board games via KS, I can totally understand that. Lets say out of the first 4 games I bought via KS I enjoyed only 1 out of 4. the next 4 games I enjoyed 3 out of 4. In the next (last) 4 games I received I really enjoyed 100% 4/4. So personally now I am much more accurate now with what games I back, however there is still a certain space that is unknown until delivered and played.