Ankh: Gods of Egypt Review
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- #boardgames #review
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*_Do you guys....need some paints?_*
Thank you for the thoughtful reviews, including this one.
Really appreciate that even though you have all the KS exclusives you demo with the retail version
This is SO important!! I wish more reviewers did this.
I also respect this decision. This demonstrates the game reviewer is not a hype-anus rubber stamper like other YT reviewers.
+1 to this!!
@@KristoVaher Most reviewers think they are doing it for Instagram. :)
Very important. What comes in the box, comes in the box, therefore that's what is to be presented.
Yes!! This was our first thought while playing! “Wow, this scores like a Knizia game while having the dressing of an Eric Lang game.” So happy you enjoyed it!
My absolute favorite part of this video is the last bit where you talk about Ankh's theme. Doing your own research and talking to experts is the kind of thoroughness and attention to detail that I really appreciate from NPI
While it is thorough and certainly something I'm not surprised by from NPI, it's also unnecessary.
The Egyptian mythology for a boardgame like Ankh is of the "based on" or "inspired by" variety. It doesn't have to be 100% correct. It's not an academic treatise, was never meant to be and nobody should expect it to be.
It's just a cool theme, getting Infos from Wikipedia is sufficient for that.
It shouldn't be outright insulting to a culture, but that's about all I require from the accuracy of a mythology used in a game. Game design restraints need to trump accuracy anyway.
"Diplomacy" is not accurate to early 20th century European history. It doesn't have to be, it's a game about diplomacy with a theme that's based on that era.
Games about aspects of the Roman empire have no doubt used names of senators or events that don't belong to the same era and mislabel some tribes or put them in the wrong region.
same. but i don't listen to the rules explanation at all.
@@oerthling blah blah blah anti-intellectualism. That you don't know why people care about a thing doesn't mean the thing is not worth caring about. Be more curious.
@@oerthling Sorry but, saying that wikipedia is a sufficient source for a multi-milliion dollar project is laughable. Wikipedia is great and all, but if you're going to sell any sort of project with a theme, then the bare minimum is go to your library, get a book and read about it.
@@koalabrownie Again, it's a game, not a museum exhibition. There is no actual problem.
I guess Marvel shouldn't use Thor and Loki in a sci-fi context, because that doesn't fit norse mythology. It's just entertainment. I don't get the upset.
@12:00 the God merger is faithful to Ancient Egypt's syncretism. It's a masterful incorporation of theme into play.
This was a fantastic review! Your best yet.
It was funny as hell at even the 3 minute mark (it continued to be funny for the duration, too).
It was entertaining and informative on what the game itself was (obviously a useful feature).
It leveled fair critique, deep dived into ethical considerations, and summed up a lot where the game sits outside of the play experience (a frequent hallmark of your videos of late that I do love to see elevate the discussion).
It got me interested in the game and its design despite not really being interested in owning it.
Oh, and it didn't feel like I just sat and watched something half an hour long!
I love how all of these things have been present in previous reviews and informative videos, but they've all come together and culminated in this well rounded format. This is the pinnacle of your craft (so far), I continue to look forward to whatever you make next. Keep it up!
(Also, this may be a very gushy and positive feedback, but I make no apologies! If you didn't want praise you should've have made such good stuff as to incite me to leave comments! I pretty much *never* leave comments. This is entirely on you!)
This might be one of your greatest reviews yet. Welldone
So good to hear you liked it! It’s one of my favorites! There were several times my wife and I would say “Ohhhh” and “Oooooooh” because of how smart it plays. Even like the merge mechanic because of its thematic tie-in and how it always give you something else to think about strategically. Love it. The card play, the event track, the mental game between players, all of it! Great video and thank you for your creative efforts and the lengths you go to be informative and entertaining!
I really thought Efka could never hurt me because our tastes are similar, but then he attacked Kombucha. I don't know if I'll ever recover.
Listen, I've done extensive research on Kombucha and here's something I found on... Wikipidea:
A 2003 systematic review characterized kombucha as an "extreme example" of an unconventional remedy because of the disparity between implausible, wide-ranging health claims and the potential risks of the product. It concluded that the proposed, unsubstantiated therapeutic claims did not outweigh known risks, and that kombucha should not be recommended for therapeutic use, being in a class of "remedies that only seem to benefit those who sell them."
@@NoPunIncluded People drink it as a medicine? I thought it was just a drink that tastes good but is too expensive to justify buying normally? Ya know, like alcohol but without the cultural expectations to drink it...
@@NoPunIncluded It tastes like (Finnish) mead to me. Nice but expensive.
Great review - also thanks for keeping in the lamp dramatically dropping like that. Its great to see your passion and how a good game can draw you down a very enjoyable rabbit home of research, gameplay and collecting. Thanks x
This game is a masterpiece. It's Eric Lang's mic drop as he left CMON. Enjoyed this game everytime I've played,
Your board game reviews are so damn good ! Thanks for all the hard work !
I was worried about watching a 30 minute review but loved it all. Well done!
I appreciate your enthusiasm for this game. This is my favorite of Eric Lang's Trilogy.
"Eric Lang's best Reiner Knizia game"... Still laughing XD
Really excellent review that gets to the heart of what makes the game good - simple actions with a ton of depth behind them. I think the reason this game is so love/hate is that when you are losing badly, the winner can really snowball unless they make some huge mistakes, at least in my experience.
Yeah that's absolutely it. I also think some people really can't get on with having to suddenly co-operate with another player.
Thanks for this excellent review. And thanks for reviving my interest in this game. I backed it at kickstarter but have been busy since I arrived. It could easily have sat doing nothing for ages. I'll make sure I get it out and play it!
I still like Chaos in the Old World more than the other Eric Lang games. Such a great, thematic game.
Ankh is amazeballs at 2 and 3. It's also the most accessible for new players because everyone has the same information and opportunities (same cards, same monster pool). It's streamlined, deep, and easily tops the list for best game in this Eric Lang series. I will NEVER get rid of Ankh. EVER.
Do you still merge at 3 players?
Thanks for your review! I'm working on a project on the presentation of Ancient Egypt in board games and looking at reviews and play guides as part of this. I enjoyed your review, both in terms of the game's mechanics and material aspects, as well as more games industry parts, and your foray into Egyptology at the end (I was at uni with Garry Shaw, whose book you mention).
Oh nice! I sent Gary a copy of Ankh as a thank you for helping me with this, hope it was at least a nice bit of novelty for him.
Cool review. I also bought the retail edition, loved it and then wanted all the kick starters but no way am I forking out that much. I am also not a kickstarter guy who would spend extra money and wait for 2 years on a prayer that I get a good game.
You know all that I really want out of the kick starters is that guardian that looks like Khonshu from Moon Knight which is in the tomb of wonders…
..
And I want the play mat
And I want the thick card board player boards
And I want petsuchos
And the list goes on
I picked up Ankh based on how much I loved the pastel colour scheme of the minis. Stupid, I know... but it means I got to experience this game. I play 90% of my games with my partner and this is one we cannot stop playing. As a bonus, I also think it's one that benefits from the ridiculous box count. The extra gods, guardians and even the Pharoah expansion adds so much that I'm pretty sure I will never find this boring. I'm so pleased that my stupid preference for colour led me to experience this game. Thanks for the review, from another Nottingham gamer. Hope 2023 is a great one for you two x
Thematically, the gods merging or getting eliminated due to a lack of followers makes a lot of sense.
every time a game has a devotion mechanic I can't help but sing that one Abba song
What's your favourite Egyptian god? And why?
Ptah because when I say his name I sound like I'm speaking Klingon.
Khepri. I love that big old beetle from my time playing Smite. It's so heartbreaking when he's low health and he still says "I'm fine, stand behind me!"
Isis because of the band, not ... the other thing
Ma'at, due to the ritual of weighing the heart of a deceased individual on a scale agaunst a feather of hers on the other, to see if they balance out. If they do, then the person has had a good heart and lived gracefully, thus being permitted to the afterlife. Goes to show how they believed goodness was the path to peace, and the heart to be an epitome of existence, also not purely biologically. Which myth actually made its way into Christianity and its respective ideology of good and bad.
Many thanks for the recommendation of the book, will try and hunt it out.
Ptah or Hathor!
Thank you for this review.
Ankh is very deserving of praise and more people need to play this multiple times.
Best written reviews in the board game review space.
💯 minis = dolls. Fantastic review!
I was on the fence…now I have climbed it, through barb wires and all. Thanks for all the lols moments in this review
Brilliant review, funny and informative! Keep up the good work!
I thought I could pass on this one, but you are costing me money! I especially appreciate the commentary on 2player play.
Wow! This was and incredibly informative and entertaining review.
I have never seen a video of yours , But the fact you wore those cat ears the WHOLE time, that was awesome! new subscriber !
Incredibly high production review. The shots and color and lighting and writing and editing were all top notch. Interesting review of an interesting looking war game. Much appreciated!
I love the call back to the funniest mistake with the NZ farmer :) as a fellow NZer I am proud
regarding 25:14 E.Lang answered you before you posted the video in his interview "Ankh: Gods of Egypt w/ Eric M. Lang - Cardboard Creations w/ Candice Harri" at 20:08
I begged u to do this in previous video and got brutally shut down lol😂 I’m really glad you did the review, made my day mate
Ah, yeah, I definitely was in a mindframe where I'm like "I'm just not doing this anymore - I had enough." Glad I tried it.
@@NoPunIncluded I’m glad you did mate, love your high quality content thanks for everything
That's great! I actually just got it a few weeks ago! Haven't played it yet, but soon. 😍
You put into words what I love about it that I couldn’t find the words for! Kudos!
I have played this 2 player a few times and its so much fun
If only it didn't come with a boatload of completely useless 'mini'atures. It might just be me but I don't even like how they look on the table, just give me some nice plastic or cardboard standees or some good looking screen printed meeples. It saves a ton in storage, shipping and retail costs.
The game does look interesting though, if I ever encounter someone who owns a copy I am willing to try it.
Eh, this seems like mostly an aesthetics thing. Especially, when you're suggesting swapping out plastic for plastic. And, if the concern is storage, miniatures can be printed smaller. The scale of the miniatures is the problem when it comes to storage.
Additionally, the company is Cool Mini or Not. There's an expectation for the production value of their games, even if it's not your preference.
However, if you own everything, the game does have 63 unnecessary miniatures. They could've had warriors and priests in 5 colorblind friendly colors, and then used base rings on neutral color gods.
Both Ankh and Mezo have 12 gods. Mezo's gods are pretty chunky, but maybe not quite as big as Ankh. However, Mezo fits everything in the same size of box as Cyclades or Inis. Ankh can't even fit all of its components in 2 big boxes.
This review was amazing. Thank you!
Great review and I'm glad to hear this game's a winner, my girlfriend loves Egyptian mythology and had pointed the game out previously. Looks like this has shot up to Christmas gift territory.
Side note but while Lang's Bloodborne board game was a bit of a bust, I actually think his Bloodborne Card Game is a lot of fun. It doesn't capture the themes of the game but does a rock solid interpretation of the gameplay, and plays kind of like a faster Cutthroat Caverns without permadeath. Only complaint I had was the base game was a little thin on variation and interaction, but the expansion fixes that and both it and the base game are pretty cheap. Not an absolute must-play, but I think anyone wanting a fun, semi-cooperative gothic action game could do far worse.
26:21 The Gods agreed with you
Also them calling Bastet a lioness was the first impression of this game which made me look it up xD
Best review ever.. Watching other ppl doing Ankh review always feels like they had no Idea how the game works
Would you have recommend the game if the core retail box was the only option?
I think so, yeah. I think I'd wish just for a touch more guardian variety, but yeah, still pretty great with just that box. Most of our plays were with the base game alone.
@@NoPunIncluded thanks! I always find it hard to tell with these big Kickstarters if essential content is stripped out for day one expansions.
No, strangely it feels like the Kickstarter stuff is... well thought out additions? I don't know how that works, don't ask.
@@keatonhawkswell5714 With most Kickstarter games the core box is the best content. It's very rare that essential content is found outside of the core box.
The Pantheon box is probably the most essential, since it provides content you'll likely use in every game.
The Pharaoh box isn't essential, but it's nice if you want a slightly heavier variant of the game to play.
The Guardians box isn't essential, but it provides a little extra guardian variety.
The Kickstarter exclusives are unnessential. This is where you'll find the content with the least playtesting. The main value here is if you like bling.
The Kickstarter exclusive add-on expansions (boards, tokens, mats) are just bling. They're not even particularly good bling.
Another thing that's great about this game is there's literally no element of luck anywhere.
There's plenty of luck! There's two separate simulatenous reveal mechanisms. In fact, one of the simulatenous reveal mechanisms directly feeds into the second one.
Luck exists in every game. Chess - who goes first? Etc. etc.
I didn't think of them in that way, very true. it's luck in a strategic smart way
@@NoPunIncluded Simultaneous reveal is not about luck but how much you can think with your opponent's head.
@@NoPunIncludedThat's not "luck" though. Shuffling a deck, then drawing a card or rolling dice - that's random/luck.
Not knowing for sure what decision my opponent makes is not luck. Especially as I can make an informed guess about their choices.
Ankh is a brilliant game. Ive also likened it to chess when explaining it. It's taking me ages to get it all painted up tho :'(
It took me about 9 months, but two weeks ago I did it (Core and ToW). It really improves on the pleasure of playing.
The lamp bit was too well timed, I am impressed it wasn't scripted.
Wow, now im actually interested in a big CMON game for once. Nice one.
But really, come on... When will board game companies learn to just hire some people, who can help them with culture, history and stuff like that.
I hardly think that it would hurt financially. Never heard of... i dunno... historians earning thousands of dollars per hour or something.
They'll do it when not doing it hurts their wallet. Otherwise, they have very little incentive to care.
I'm not saying there won't be a publisher here and there that actually cares. But, when people are throwing millions at a game that hasn't even published, then what's the incentive?
Additionally, not using a cultural consultant results in less nerd rage than using one. Just look at the toxic bullshit surrounding the Frosthaven Kickstarter for Isaac hiring a cultural consultant. Despite a bunch of people praising him for it, there's a ridiculous amount of anger because he did.
Or. They are in fact aware of that this is a game played for fun and not a history lesson.
@@hw8991 It is possible to have both, i.e. Watergate or Undaunted. But fun and design should never be sacrificed to accuracy and cultural sensitivities.
For a game like this I don't agree that a cultural consultant is needed. The mistakes don't matter. The decisions to pick unusual forms for gods and guardians are not "wrong".
This game is based on a fantasy variant of an ancient, varied, myth system - that's been made up to begin with - and then got changed and reinterpreted a lot throughout millenia.
If Eric Lang or CMON would have wanted to make a Stargate/Alien expansion that would have been fine too.
If a game designer publishes a historical game, without fantastical elements added - that's when one might expect some decent attempt at accuracy - be especially if the events were recent.
But ancient myths from 4000 years ago, especially with fantastical elements added - they can make up whatever they want. As long as it's not marketed as educational.
Hi Efka, thanks for all your great videos, I have been really enjoying your channel for the last few weeks. Really love your enthusiasm, and also the retro music in the background! How do you compare Ankh and Kemet? I haven't tried either yet but have been looking at them both.
completely different games. the setting is the same, and so is the genre, but play feel is very different. can't really compare them. ankh is very tactical, chess like. kemet is splashy powers and big fights.
@@NoPunIncluded Thanks for the reply - I like more tactical games, so will have a closer look at Ankh. Keep up the great work on the videos and take care.
U got me at the "thing number thing I like abouth thing", u got a new subscriber 😅
Cheers from Brazil🙋🏼♂️
PS: I love Ankh, was the 2nd boargame I bought, and deffinitely, thats my jam 😅
My issue with the merge system was every time it happened, the two merged players were sitting next to each other, so they could take the same action twice in a row and totally dominate the event track, easily winning the game. Everyone involved felt unsatisfied.
There are scenarios without merge, and some of them are very vicious, like the one that saps devotion from every player. We all died! It was very exciting.
I love the game for many of the reasons you said but will probably only play mergeless scenarios from now on. And yes, it's a surprisingly great two player puzzle as well.
The merged god is meant to dominate the events. Even at 4 or 5 players they will have more combined control over the events than the rest.
If the merged god won "easily" then the 3rd player was focusing too much on the events and not enough on scoring points.
The merge is a strong catch up mechanic that keeps the endgame tight and full of tension. But it's not a win button.
And getting all the events means you're behind on the action economy (several of those events will have been after the first action and thus end the turn early).
@@oerthling The merged god does not fall behind on action economy while farming events, because it gets one action on each of its player's turns. It can essentially do two actions AND two events in one turn.
@@anemptyeye Oops! Good point. My brain went back to early games during the KS when the merged players both got 2 turns (that was insane ;-) ).
Anyway, my earlier brainfart aside, the merged god is not a win button. It starts with the 2 weakest player positions and the devotion of the lowest.
The trick is to start with sufficient head start. If you're too close in devotion at merge, you did something wrong (either be ahead far enough or join the merge).
How weird every game I've played with the merge mechanic the last player was so behind in devotion that there was not a chance in hell they were going to catch up with the player in the lead.
@@oerthling So if it woulf be a close game (say, a 5 point spread at the end of the third combat) you would agree the winning play is to angle to join the merge?
Out of everything, my favorite part is how I adore the way this man says "combat."
Egyptian God dam that was a good review.
I've been wanting to have my first Eric Lang game for a while--I was originally tempted by Rising Sun, but ultimately happy I didn't back it. If I didn't already have Kemet I would probably pick this up, but I can't say I have room for more than one mythological Egypt fantasy war game.
Kemet is nice and fun. I have it and I enjoy playing it.
Ankh is so much better.
Force me to pick one and I wouldn't hesitate to keep Ankh over Kemet.
And the reason I am keep both is that they quite different games, even though both use a fantasy ancient Egyptian theme.
I thought for sure this was going to take a 'surprise' turn like the Ark Nova review!
That lack of a surprise turn, WAS the surprise turn. ;-)
Funny cause I had the complete opposite feeling toward Ankh and thoroughly enjoyed Blood rage and Rising sun
Great review I just ordered this game thanks mate 😊
Awesome video, just played this last weekend and *man* did it deliver. Our group was in tatters, absolutely devastated, completely exhausted.
easily one of my fav reviews. Really enjoyed the video
Congratulations!!!! Maybe the best approach of what this game can offer! I totally agree with your thoughts . I think is the best of the trilogy... A simple masterpiece with a lot of depth!!
Great video. Compare to Kemet which one is better according to you?
Love the game. Severely dislike the CMON Kickstarter tactics.
Stick to the end of the vid then ;)
@@NoPunIncluded I will. And play my friends KS all-in version for free :)
I wish there was a cheaper retail version without all the plasticware, I don't want nor need more figurines to paint and store.
Yeah definitely. Takes up so much space too.
The Knizia line got me to LOL, and RUclips videos rarely do. Have a like, kind sir.
Words cannot express how good your reviews are ❤️✌️🇧🇪
We played the game twice with merge. We will never ever play it again. Merging half way through the game sucks!!!! We didn't mind the player elimination at the end of 4th conflict but not merging half way through. Instead of a merge they could of had the god remain but become corrupt and evil going around causing havoc rather than been eliminated.
SPOT ON!!! Every single part of this review!
That wink to elden ring was great
Wonderful video, Efka!
I feel like the lamp falling at the end was just the old Egyptian gods getting upset of you calling their religion weird
It's our favourite 2-player game too, must have about twenty games under our belt now. There's so many strategic layers that only start to reveal themselves after you've a number of games under your belt. BTW, has anyone figured out a competitive Ptah strategy, 'cos I've got no idea how to take advantage of that god.
Played it again this night, there's one returning niggle though: the colours of the chips are not distinctive enough. Isis, Osiris, and Sobek and Ra, Amun and Ptah are in the same colour scheme. When there's less light or one of my less visual friends plays it's very inconvenient.
Excellent review!
I'll include the pun: Ankh is the Apep's of board game design.
did you play this at 3+ players? shelfside did a review where they said that first players in a multiplayer game have a strong advantage, they get to do more actions.
This is THE most entertaining game review EVER!
I’m so glad to see someone else calls them ‘se-mon’.
I want to recommend Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy for another "game that oddly works really well with 2 players when it shouldn't"
Do you have a review on the expansion? I have yet been able to play the pharoah expansion
For a fun 2 player Egypyian lore game, should i get this or Kemet?
Kemet is not really a 2 player game
How would you rank the Expansions for "gameplay enrichment"?
Osiris...take the wheel had me snickering
I‘m so happy that i randomly watched this Video. After me and my friends disliked bloodrage i thought the Games from Eric lang are not my cup of tea. How wrong i was! This has become one of my favourite Games. The depth of strategy while still having a flat learning curve make Ankh a fantastic Game to play. I don‘t see why ppl are hating the merge in this game. I rly like it a lot and think its a great and thematic catch up mechanism. Actually i enjoy playing this so much that i bought myself everything Necessary to paint the Guardian Miniatures to make them look better than dull grey. The only downsight i have is that i now Kinda want Everything from this Game but Refuse to buy the tomb of wonders for a few guardians and two other Gods but thats a 1. world Problem i guess. Thanks for showing this Game to us!❤
Amazing! Glad you're enjoying it.
Gotta try it 2 player again. I must be missing something. All 2 player games we had was a steamroller with God powers and extra monsters
Thoth is sometimes, rarely, depicted as not-a-bird. I PREFER HIM AS AN IBIS. THIS IS THE ONE THING I WANTED THEM TO GET RIGHT.
Bought the game anyway. I guess I still have Horus...
Which, if any, of the expansions would you recommend getting?
Pharaoh. But only when you know you already like the game to keep playing it.
Really excellent review as always
Inexplicable desire to watch the movie Spaceballs now 😉
Asmodeus... No relation; that moment killed me
17:07 was not Arnold. It was Dylan Moran :D
I liked it. No Blood Rage though, which remains my favourite.
Tried it once. It fell totally flat for me.
Hmm, so it's an area control with big pieces and monuments? Sounded like there was a lot going on. I think I learned absolutely everything about the game except the actual core mechanics.. I was entertained though!
I may be wrong, but I don't think the religion of ancient Egypt has that many followers left to be offended about cultural mistakes. It's just a version of the mythos for a game. 🤷
I have to say that I really didn't like it. I'm speaking from the perspective of someone who played the game for the first time, and besides, I'm more of a "gut player" and definitely not a very good "strategist". One such player brought the game after sinking numerous hours into it himself, and you can imagine how that turned out. By the time it came to the god merge, I had 4 points, he was already somewhere beyond the red-blue line. The game is merciless for people playing it for the first time and especially for those who aren't sitting in front of it with an abacus. The god merge then put me together with another strategist, who then also had a super bad time because the point marker was put back on the last player, me, and so he no longer had a chance and also had a bad time. Above all, that disgusting feeling of being "disgusted" at the table and everyone wanting to avoid playing with me in this case because I was so far behind and everyone knows what's going to happen to them is a more than unappetising experience.
It's just super confusing. I've played a lot of area control games, but this game is just confusing, especially with its wild move mechanics. You should be very careful if you only play area control once in a while and have people at the table who know the game and have played it a lot. The merging is only a very small consolation and I have to completely disagree with Ekfa, no, nothing in this game offers the slightest consolation when you just get ripped off like that.
Something like Blood Rage is much more focussed and smaller in scope. In my opinion, much more well-balanced for the occasional area control-kick and also not quite as merciless for newcomers.
How bitter sweet. I was well sold on the game, but the more I watched, the more I realized it's a game for me, but not my gamer group.
Wow - it really is chess! Excited to play this now!
17 seconds into this clip I already paused it to go ahead and buy a copy and then continued watching... :P
You probably want to watch more reviews as a lot have been negative. I love the game but it may not be for some people
@@malcolmdouglasmichaluk8263 TOO LATE 😆
Well I guess I better drive down to the states and pick up my ALL IN pledge and play mat at my parents place!