I am enjoying this game very much. Key is not to start going for towns in your own colour, but to try and first steal the (first) bonus points on your opponents’ tracks and with those, catch-up on your own colour track. Very tense, but works magnificently if executed well.
I respect your reviews the most among the board game reviewers. I've yet to be disappointed or disagree with a game you've recommended. You are one of the few honest board game reviewers out there not in the pocket of Big Board Game.
I’m really enjoying it. Good interaction. Sometimes it’s more on the map sometimes more in the tracks. Feels like there is good room for system mastery. I actually find Through the Desert to just be too quick. You make a couple of tense decisions but there’s no time to really execute a long term strategy. So those decisions kind of come out in the wash of repetition. The little speed bumps you have to navigate in Cascadero are both puzzly whilst offering moments of weakness your opponents to exploit. It’s not his most elegant design though, I agree.
Yeah sadly this one is a miss for me. Often enough Knizia combines elements of his past games with a new ingredient to create magic. This is the time where it didn't work. I would recommend Babylonia over this any time of the day.
I am a big Knizia fan and this one just didn't look right to me from the beginning. I was hoping that I would be proved wrong, but it doesn't sound that way.
ahh too bad to hear you didnt enjoy it as much. I had a game where I repositioned an envoy in order to fix and connect my chain and it gave me a bunch of the 2 towns of the same color connection (regarding the big turns statement). It definitely is more circumstantial and requires a bit of planning to pull off. Ill have to give TTD a play at some point
Wow that's a surprise. I played it 3 times at Origins, and it was a favorite of many. Definitely best at 3-4p and most challenging with farmers. The 3rd [farmer] game came down to final envoys and a tie breaker, with the high scoring player being 1 away from top of his track.
@@zivpesso6293I got TTD at the same time. At first I thought TTD might be too light for me, but I really enjoyed the fast turns of just slapping down a couple camels and collecting some bonuses. After the 3 Cascadero plays at origins I love the depth of strategy that can be found in such a simple set of rules. While I often introduce it as TTD with tracks, it's actually more about the positive interaction of visiting the same towns than negative in ttd.
Same. Purchased at Origins and have played 5 times and really enjoy it and find there is a lot of strategy. Even at 2p I think it’s a blast and it’s pretty quick.
As a big fan of Knizia tilelaying games I was abit critical of this because of the tracks. But it really was a pleasent surprise. It plays fast and it is quite tense. As with other Knizia titles you have to balance grabbing as many points as possible while still securing top spot on your own track and effectively blocking your opponents. You can't let another player "shoot the moon" and connect all cities for 20 bonus points total. It doesn't scale well. It is 4 players or nothing.
I am enjoying this game very much. Key is not to start going for towns in your own colour, but to try and first steal the (first) bonus points on your opponents’ tracks and with those, catch-up on your own colour track. Very tense, but works magnificently if executed well.
I respect your reviews the most among the board game reviewers. I've yet to be disappointed or disagree with a game you've recommended. You are one of the few honest board game reviewers out there not in the pocket of Big Board Game.
I’m really enjoying it. Good interaction. Sometimes it’s more on the map sometimes more in the tracks. Feels like there is good room for system mastery.
I actually find Through the Desert to just be too quick. You make a couple of tense decisions but there’s no time to really execute a long term strategy. So those decisions kind of come out in the wash of repetition. The little speed bumps you have to navigate in Cascadero are both puzzly whilst offering moments of weakness your opponents to exploit. It’s not his most elegant design though, I agree.
Yeah sadly this one is a miss for me. Often enough Knizia combines elements of his past games with a new ingredient to create magic. This is the time where it didn't work. I would recommend Babylonia over this any time of the day.
I am a big Knizia fan and this one just didn't look right to me from the beginning. I was hoping that I would be proved wrong, but it doesn't sound that way.
I feel the same way
Yea from early gameplay videos, it already felt off to me despite the glowing reviews. Easy pass.
ahh too bad to hear you didnt enjoy it as much. I had a game where I repositioned an envoy in order to fix and connect my chain and it gave me a bunch of the 2 towns of the same color connection (regarding the big turns statement). It definitely is more circumstantial and requires a bit of planning to pull off. Ill have to give TTD a play at some point
Thanks for the review! I'd love to see a quick one on Cascadito too if you ever get your hands on it.
I have Cascadito too so I'll share my thoughts
Wow that's a surprise. I played it 3 times at Origins, and it was a favorite of many. Definitely best at 3-4p and most challenging with farmers.
The 3rd [farmer] game came down to final envoys and a tie breaker, with the high scoring player being 1 away from top of his track.
its been a hit with everyone ive taught it too. I do not have any experience with TTD tho
@@zivpesso6293I got TTD at the same time.
At first I thought TTD might be too light for me, but I really enjoyed the fast turns of just slapping down a couple camels and collecting some bonuses.
After the 3 Cascadero plays at origins I love the depth of strategy that can be found in such a simple set of rules.
While I often introduce it as TTD with tracks, it's actually more about the positive interaction of visiting the same towns than negative in ttd.
Same. Purchased at Origins and have played 5 times and really enjoy it and find there is a lot of strategy. Even at 2p I think it’s a blast and it’s pretty quick.
O/T - have you played Tammany Hall? Would be interested to hear your thoughts on a game that for many is an El Grande killer….
I haven't unfortunately
Glad I chose to back TTD over this. But I agree the box cover is gorgeous.
Many games "only" really works great with four players. My opinion this goes for Knizia's Blue Lagoon and this. A problem? Not really.
Great review, thanks
Sounds like getting the new edition of Through the Desert is the better choice, since I haven't played either.
As a big fan of Knizia tilelaying games I was abit critical of this because of the tracks.
But it really was a pleasent surprise. It plays fast and it is quite tense. As with other Knizia titles you have to balance grabbing as many points as possible while still securing top spot on your own track and effectively blocking your opponents. You can't let another player "shoot the moon" and connect all cities for 20 bonus points total.
It doesn't scale well. It is 4 players or nothing.
At least you can look past your fanboydom.
This game is way over complicated