Thank you to all who kindly made us aware of the historical implications in some of the game’s city names, especially considering the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine. We were largely unaware of the specifics of Catherine’s reign, or how impactful the game’s theme would be, so this has been a learning experience for us both. Thank you again, and we hope others may be educated on these matters as well.
The Ukrainian people have been fighting for their lives and culture for centuries. After half an hour of watching your video, a Russian rocket exploded within a radius of ~1 kilometer from my house. We cannot bear to see such topics. Moreover, they do not correspond to historical facts, and the game positions itself as historical.
Here's some of that education for anyone interested. Both Ukraine and Russia are the ancestral descendants of a medieval territory called 'Kievan Rus', which was a loose federation of principalities which eventually disintegrated into what is now Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. For Ukraine, the history of Kievan Rus is important, because it establishes their right to nationhood as an independent territory. The Soviet retelling of this history is that owing to Vladimir the Great, at a point in history Kievan Rus was a "united" Russian territory and therefore Ukraine is simply the property of Russia and always has been. This is why Putin erected a statue of Alexander the Great outside the Kremlin: it was a statement of political and military intent. Kyiv is at the centre of what you might call a 'history war' or a 'war over memory' in which Russia is attempting to justify the annexation of Ukraine as a kind of historical inevitability. The Ukrainian spelling is 'Kyiv' and the Russian spelling is 'Kiev'. The spelling of a city might seem trivial but the significance of this to Ukrainians can't be overstated. "Catherine the Great" installed a puppet government in Ukraine, exactly as Putin plans to do. The timing of this game is unfortunate. Let's just put it that way.
Moscow or the Russian Empire has nothing to do with Kievan Rus. Historical conversations about common heritage are invented only to conquer Ukraine. For millennia, Moscow tried to conquer the territory of Ukraine. They couldn't do it before, they won't do it now!
@@TheSludgeMan Thank you so much for this. This information is not commonly taught in US education (and likely in other countries as well). We understand better now, thank you.
It's even worse - Novorossiya was used instead of the historical name of the city - Yekaterinoslav, which means the glory of Catherine. What is weird and inexplicable, taking into consideration name of the game - Catherine: The Cities of the Tsarina.
I would have never guessed from the box size and the theme that this would be a quick-playing, card-driven euro. A less controversial theme and a smaller box would have probably helped it be more popular.
Naveen, this is your game! You even have a move named after you. Crushed it! Focusing on points on cards and the favor track, ignoring orders, that's the way to go. Great strategy!
Thank you. I think I did spot a goof. I did just finished to read the rules. In the interim scoring you earn 1 point for each residence and on top 1 VP for each city with 1 VP as a printed benefit. Hope that helps.
Finally got thru watching the entire video. Seems like a great intro game to pick up. I need another! Also what do you think about adding the game box to game you are playing to the fireplace mantle? So we can oooh and aaah when we see it. You guys are great, keep up the good work! ❤️🔥🙏
Like the look of this one but a bit concerned about potential runaway leader problem. Getting ahead gets you more stuff so you get ahead etc etc. How's it go over multiple plays?
Haha yeah we had this a few weeks before GenCon. We thought it would be the perfect game to film to get back in the swing after 5 long days of walking lol. Hope you had a great time!
Publishing a game about Catherine, with russian names for Ukrainian territories in 2022 is like making a eurogame about Hitler building concentration camps. It is an offence to millions of Ukrainians now dying and leaving their destroyed homes.
This looks really fun. It's a little weird you can ignore the board so much and still win. Monique carefully constructed a real estate empire, while Naveen was like "I shoot you with C A N N O N." But that could be a strength of the game, too (multiple paths to points). I'd like to play it a couple of times to see how it balances out. I feel like the cards that just give you ten points are quite strong and don't have a thematic grounding. I also imagine the zero sum cannon scoring is a bit more severe in two players, which unfortunately is how I usually play games.
ekaterina? are you serious? Kiev, Kharkov, novorossiya? this is russian propaganda. There were and are no such territories. This is the language of the occupation of russia. And the same ekaterina is the empress, it is also the same as releasing a game about putin in 10 years. She killed Ukrainians, our language and did everything to destroy Ukrainians as a nation. I suggest you burn this game and its entire circulation. Ukrainians are very outraged by this game.
Many thanks for sharing this video explaining the rules and principles and showing a full game ! I love the theme and the idea of making a game around Catherine II and her impact on Russian development in the XVIIIth century... But both the game and card design as well as the gameplay are not appealing to me. It makes me sad, this cover + Capstone Game logo were so promising!
@@BeforeYouPlay well this year it's been Ark Nova all over the place! but before 2022 my favourite would've been Orléans (it's a Matagot game here in France), an accessible but very interesting game with great expansions introducing new play modes - and I happen to live 40mins from the city!
I'm always on the lookout for a nice new game - based on your playthrough, this one left me feeling flat - and I will probably pass. I'm also curious as you did not give it a vote of approval at the end of the video - hmmm. There are many other resource management games - Targi seems to be much better than Catherine.
This looks really smooth, thanks as always! Great box art but I'm thrown off by the box size, I was hoping for a Red Cathedral / Codenames sized box given the amount and size of components lol
Ooh. I really don't like that game because it is part of russian propaganda. russia is a terrorist state and call part of Ukraine as novorosiya. The same thing about Kyiv and Kharkiv, not Kiev and Kharkov. Kiev and Kharkov is a russian literation of cities which was part of great Kyiv Rus. Designer made big fail when start to use russian aggressive names for world famous cities
The video is as usual very well executed, I am never disappointed in your playthroughs. But it did upset me. I do realise that the game represents historic reality and there is nothing that can be done about that, but what brings me down is that you guys chose to promote the view of Russian culture as exciting and exotic, and did not acknowledge the current political and humanitarian situation. This game unfortunately uses offensive colonialist terminology that can be very harmful to the victim, Ukraine, because it portrays it not as a sovereign country, but as a part of Russia. Colonialism and war are never right, but it just seems especially inappropriate in the current context.
played it. map is unnecessary. with it feels like uncomplete game. just a deck of cards would have been a better deaign choice. gameplay wise, I like the card part, but as said, map doesnt add anything
That's kind of what i noticed as well. LIke they pasted it on for something else to do. Still looks interesting, but probably could completely ignore the residence portion and still win big.
This game looks really interesting and something I'd like to play, but it's a shame about the theme. Seems like it could have easily been re-themed to something a little more tasteful for current times.
I really like this game. The wiping in round 3 can make a slight difference I think because it can help your orders. Whenever we play we always focus so much on the books that it really creates some rough decisions.
Mmm, this is either terribly unbalanced.. or there is a hidden complexity that I don't see. Sad to see such a swingy game not being terribly interesting-to-play either.
Novorossiya? Are you kidding??? It is the name used by putin's propaganda for occupied regions. Even if this game is not sponsored by russian government, you can apply for some sponsorship now. Disgusting...
Ukrainians did not have much time for board games since Russia invaded Ukraine. The audacity of the publisher caught me by surprise. I never thought I would be offended by the theme but publishing such a game after Bucha massacres and destruction of Mariupol is beyond my comprehension. Glorifying Russian colonialism while it is busy with genocide of Ukrainians. Boycott for designers and publishers of this game.
Not at all, I think this falls into the might want to play category, but certainly no need to add it to my collection. Doesn't feel like there's enough meat to it for me. Still, thrilled to see a full play-through of it though so I can make up my mind pre-Essen
I follow your channel, and I usually like your content. But I am so disappointed that you are not aware of the current Russian military aggression towards Ukraine. Or that you are, and you decide to ignore it. Why? Don't you know there are politics in board games? Yes, you do. Why ignoring the war in Europe, and the suffering of the Ukrainian people as we speak? Because it's far away from were you are? Get real. Engage.
Hello, we understand your frustration, but please see our pinned comment. Of course we are aware of atrocities being committed towards Ukraine, but the way the theme was implemented in this game and the issues that it creates is not immediately apparent for everyone.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you to all who kindly made us aware of the historical implications in some of the game’s city names, especially considering the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine. We were largely unaware of the specifics of Catherine’s reign, or how impactful the game’s theme would be, so this has been a learning experience for us both. Thank you again, and we hope others may be educated on these matters as well.
The Ukrainian people have been fighting for their lives and culture for centuries.
After half an hour of watching your video, a Russian rocket exploded within a radius of ~1 kilometer from my house.
We cannot bear to see such topics.
Moreover, they do not correspond to historical facts, and the game positions itself as historical.
Here's some of that education for anyone interested.
Both Ukraine and Russia are the ancestral descendants of a medieval territory called 'Kievan Rus', which was a loose federation of principalities which eventually disintegrated into what is now Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. For Ukraine, the history of Kievan Rus is important, because it establishes their right to nationhood as an independent territory. The Soviet retelling of this history is that owing to Vladimir the Great, at a point in history Kievan Rus was a "united" Russian territory and therefore Ukraine is simply the property of Russia and always has been. This is why Putin erected a statue of Alexander the Great outside the Kremlin: it was a statement of political and military intent.
Kyiv is at the centre of what you might call a 'history war' or a 'war over memory' in which Russia is attempting to justify the annexation of Ukraine as a kind of historical inevitability. The Ukrainian spelling is 'Kyiv' and the Russian spelling is 'Kiev'. The spelling of a city might seem trivial but the significance of this to Ukrainians can't be overstated.
"Catherine the Great" installed a puppet government in Ukraine, exactly as Putin plans to do.
The timing of this game is unfortunate. Let's just put it that way.
Moscow or the Russian Empire has nothing to do with Kievan Rus.
Historical conversations about common heritage are invented only to conquer Ukraine.
For millennia, Moscow tried to conquer the territory of Ukraine. They couldn't do it before, they won't do it now!
@@TheSludgeMan Thank you so much for this. This information is not commonly taught in US education (and likely in other countries as well). We understand better now, thank you.
It's even worse - Novorossiya was used instead of the historical name of the city - Yekaterinoslav, which means the glory of Catherine. What is weird and inexplicable, taking into consideration name of the game - Catherine: The Cities of the Tsarina.
Enjoyable playthrough. Thankyou.
Great playthrough guys!
I would have never guessed from the box size and the theme that this would be a quick-playing, card-driven euro. A less controversial theme and a smaller box would have probably helped it be more popular.
leaving a comment just to support this series, best board game series on youtube.
I was just thinking about this game and hoping to see a play through. The timing couldn’t have been better. Looks good. Thank you!
Thanks for watching! Glad we could help
"The timing couldn't have been better"? Because of what is happening in Ukraine right at this moment?
@@bev542 Oh no. 😳That’s not what I meant at all. I just meant that for me, as I was recently interested in the game.
Naveen, this is your game! You even have a move named after you. Crushed it! Focusing on points on cards and the favor track, ignoring orders, that's the way to go. Great strategy!
I have been curious about this one. Thanks for the video!
Thank you. I think I did spot a goof. I did just finished to read the rules. In the interim scoring you earn 1 point for each residence and on top 1 VP for each city with 1 VP as a printed benefit. Hope that helps.
Oooh, I really like the look of this. I need to stop buying new games, but will try this someday!! Thanks for the teach, friends. :)
You’re welcome! Let us know what you think when you eventually try it out!
Finally got thru watching the entire video. Seems like a great intro game to pick up. I need another!
Also what do you think about adding the game box to game you are playing to the fireplace mantle? So we can oooh and aaah when we see it.
You guys are great, keep up the good work! ❤️🔥🙏
Crickets…
I love how quick playing this is! Lots of crunchy decisions in a short play, seems very satisfying.
Definitely a quick-playing euro
Omg another game I have to get! Thanks I guess 🙃
Lol so many games!!!
Like the look of this one but a bit concerned about potential runaway leader problem. Getting ahead gets you more stuff so you get ahead etc etc. How's it go over multiple plays?
Very clear play through. Thanks 😊
Really like the look of this. Reminds me of Lorenzo and coimbra.
Wow, you both were super quick getting this review out. Did you even get time to rest post Gencon? 😅
Haha yeah we had this a few weeks before GenCon. We thought it would be the perfect game to film to get back in the swing after 5 long days of walking lol. Hope you had a great time!
Publishing a game about Catherine, with russian names for Ukrainian territories in 2022 is like making a eurogame about Hitler building concentration camps.
It is an offence to millions of Ukrainians now dying and leaving their destroyed homes.
Thanks for this comment, I feel very sad that this shit happened
Side note, but NAVEEN where is that shirt from?!??
Ahh it’s one of my favorites! I got it from a website called “Threadless”.
Threadless is great
This looks really fun. It's a little weird you can ignore the board so much and still win. Monique carefully constructed a real estate empire, while Naveen was like "I shoot you with C A N N O N." But that could be a strength of the game, too (multiple paths to points). I'd like to play it a couple of times to see how it balances out. I feel like the cards that just give you ten points are quite strong and don't have a thematic grounding.
I also imagine the zero sum cannon scoring is a bit more severe in two players, which unfortunately is how I usually play games.
Cool - great teach - and hope it wasn’t too difficult to learn from the rulebook :)
Was intrigued by this game! Glad to see you are covering it 🔥
Nice quick Euro.
Yeah it totally surprised us how fast this game is!
Naveen I love your shirt!!!!!!
ekaterina? are you serious?
Kiev, Kharkov, novorossiya? this is russian propaganda.
There were and are no such territories. This is the language of the occupation of russia.
And the same ekaterina is the empress, it is also the same as releasing a game about putin in 10 years.
She killed Ukrainians, our language and did everything to destroy Ukrainians as a nation.
I suggest you burn this game and its entire circulation.
Ukrainians are very outraged by this game.
ciao a voi !! gioco divertente e molto veloce ,in due giocatori
Grazie!!
lov u guys!!!!
Many thanks for sharing this video explaining the rules and principles and showing a full game !
I love the theme and the idea of making a game around Catherine II and her impact on Russian development in the XVIIIth century... But both the game and card design as well as the gameplay are not appealing to me. It makes me sad, this cover + Capstone Game logo were so promising!
Thanks for checking out the video! Do you have a favorite Capstone Games title?
@@BeforeYouPlay well this year it's been Ark Nova all over the place! but before 2022 my favourite would've been Orléans (it's a Matagot game here in France), an accessible but very interesting game with great expansions introducing new play modes - and I happen to live 40mins from the city!
I'm always on the lookout for a nice new game - based on your playthrough, this one left me feeling flat - and I will probably pass. I'm also curious as you did not give it a vote of approval at the end of the video - hmmm. There are many other resource management games - Targi seems to be much better than Catherine.
This looks really smooth, thanks as always!
Great box art but I'm thrown off by the box size, I was hoping for a Red Cathedral / Codenames sized box given the amount and size of components lol
Ooh. I really don't like that game because it is part of russian propaganda. russia is a terrorist state and call part of Ukraine as novorosiya.
The same thing about Kyiv and Kharkiv, not Kiev and Kharkov. Kiev and Kharkov is a russian literation of cities which was part of great Kyiv Rus.
Designer made big fail when start to use russian aggressive names for world famous cities
The video is as usual very well executed, I am never disappointed in your playthroughs. But it did upset me.
I do realise that the game represents historic reality and there is nothing that can be done about that, but what brings me down is that you guys chose to promote the view of Russian culture as exciting and exotic, and did not acknowledge the current political and humanitarian situation. This game unfortunately uses offensive colonialist terminology that can be very harmful to the victim, Ukraine, because it portrays it not as a sovereign country, but as a part of Russia. Colonialism and war are never right, but it just seems especially inappropriate in the current context.
played it. map is unnecessary. with it feels like uncomplete game. just a deck of cards would have been a better deaign choice.
gameplay wise, I like the card part, but as said, map doesnt add anything
That's kind of what i noticed as well. LIke they pasted it on for something else to do. Still looks interesting, but probably could completely ignore the residence portion and still win big.
@@megalodon2012 Exactly. Naveen's 9 points had no bearing. Just focus on the cards!
This game looks really interesting and something I'd like to play, but it's a shame about the theme. Seems like it could have easily been re-themed to something a little more tasteful for current times.
I really like this game. The wiping in round 3 can make a slight difference I think because it can help your orders.
Whenever we play we always focus so much on the books that it really creates some rough decisions.
The books definitely give you more access then say, the cannons. I (Monique) should have paid attention to the books a bit more strategically
@@BeforeYouPlay we learnt it through trial and jealousy of strategy.
Mmm, this is either terribly unbalanced.. or there is a hidden complexity that I don't see.
Sad to see such a swingy game not being terribly interesting-to-play either.
Novorossiya? Are you kidding???
It is the name used by putin's propaganda for occupied regions.
Even if this game is not sponsored by russian government, you can apply for some sponsorship now.
Disgusting...
It's dissapointing to see that you are doing such a review of game of russia propaganda during the war in Ukraine
You should be dramatically more disappointed by the propaganda spewed by CNN on a daily basic…
Ukrainians did not have much time for board games since Russia invaded Ukraine. The audacity of the publisher caught me by surprise. I never thought I would be offended by the theme but publishing such a game after Bucha massacres and destruction of Mariupol is beyond my comprehension. Glorifying Russian colonialism while it is busy with genocide of Ukrainians. Boycott for designers and publishers of this game.
Am i the only one that doesnt like the look of the game at all?
Totally fair, it has an old school Euro game look.
Not at all, I think this falls into the might want to play category, but certainly no need to add it to my collection. Doesn't feel like there's enough meat to it for me. Still, thrilled to see a full play-through of it though so I can make up my mind pre-Essen
@@xandermichael78 Thanks for checking it out!
You chose the wrong time to show this game. The theme of the game is unacceptable during the aggression of Russia in Ukraine
Please see our pinned comment
I follow your channel, and I usually like your content. But I am so disappointed that you are not aware of the current Russian military aggression towards Ukraine. Or that you are, and you decide to ignore it. Why? Don't you know there are politics in board games? Yes, you do. Why ignoring the war in Europe, and the suffering of the Ukrainian people as we speak? Because it's far away from were you are? Get real. Engage.
Hello, we understand your frustration, but please see our pinned comment. Of course we are aware of atrocities being committed towards Ukraine, but the way the theme was implemented in this game and the issues that it creates is not immediately apparent for everyone.