I see a lot of comparisons of this to Gloomhaven. It has some similarities such as the encounter maps and the world travel map, but Gloomhaven is a much more structured game. It is more boardgame/puzzle game than Folklore. I think a more apt comparison would be Shadows of Brimstone. Shadows is a much more cluttered and imperfect environment, but that is part of its charm as well.
I like you too man! I didn't see your name in the credits on boardgamegeek, did you have some graphic design touches to it? Cause I definitely see some Stephen Gibson in the graphic design lol
put the road events in two piles, one designated as night the other as day... after drawing one and reading the event, place it under the opposite deck
Good review. Thank you. I was hoping for a review and this looks awesome. My only caveat being that I have so many games that I want/have to play at the moment...
Thanks! This game does take a good amount of time to get through all the stories. But, since you can "save" your progress and choose to stpo when you want it makes it a lot easier.
I have a question about the ability cards, I want to make sure we are interpreting the rules right, so the cards the say PASSIVE on the bottom are just always in effect, but the ones that say ACTIVE on the bottom, lets say the AP cost to buy the cards is 4, so I need to spend 4 AP to buy the card, got that part, but then do I need to pay 4 power points EACH time I use that card? also for the STARTING ability cards that are active abilities we need to pay point points equal to the AP cost on the card?
I'm just finishing to play my first chapter of this game...and, i just want to keep playing! I like it a lot! Like a light version of Descent + Shadows of Brimstone with more sense + RPG. The artwork is great, the minis highly detailed, and with the expansion Dark Tales and the rumors system makes this game much more better. By the way, good review. Completly agree.
I played almost five stories, between the basic game and the expansion. It's a wonderful game and it's not boring at all, despite actually taking more time than written on the box. highly prized to anyone who wants to experience an adventure, which however already written, is still full of twists. in addition, the continuous updating of online stories increases its value considerably.
Errol Wilde We find this game so much more entertaining than Gloomhaven. Gloomhaven is very well manageable. There are not any exciting "bumps". But Gloomhaven has the better mechanics, no question. But if you want a very thematic experience with a great narration and you love to have exciting surprises then you should check this game out. The Mix between skirmishes, world travel and the encounters is great. But: Avoid this game if heavy tactics is what you are looking for. It is not here. But to be honest: There are not great tactical decisions in Gloomhaven either. If you look for intense tactical combat, go for Galaxy Defenders. Folklore is like Brimstone with much Better narration. Big surprises for me.
The following statement was added to the Folklore Unboxing Video by GreenBrier Games "This video is for 1st printing content only. 2nd printing had component changes where the miniatures are now an optional purchase instead of front loaded with the base game." This was a classy response to a valid issue raised. I appreciate their efforts in clearing up confusion regarding this product and would now recommend the game.
The treants aren't as traditional as they normally are in other games (they have a different name too), but the rest of the minis look pretty normal for the type of monster they are.
Tim Jennette I said a little just for this... after all I above all don't like canonized archetypes. . I felt the same about trolls in D&D the board game... strange interpretation for a troll. .. too deformed... I didn't like them but they were true to 3rd edition D&D art.... That I didn't like after the marvelous art of 2nd edition. I think even a blind could sense the difference there.
Great review Tim. However, there needs to be a note to this review. Greenbrier Games has done a bait and switch. The miniatures you see in this video are no longer included with the game. Instead you receive cardboard standouts. There is nothing on the front of the game box to indicate this and the box itself is the exact same. On the back of the box, in the lower right hand corner, it will say either 35 miniatures (1st edition) or 75 cardboard standouts (2nd edition). An Amazon reviewer pointed this out to me before I opened the box and I returned the game. Would possibly have still bought it with the cardboard standouts if they had reduced the price and used a different box. Here they are clearly trying to trick their customers. Shame on you Greenbrier Games.
Willy Boy - the price point has also dropped below $70 ($50 if you buy online). You won’t get a game with that many minis for that price. GBG is not pulling a fast one. The minis were part of the Kickstarter and are being sold commercially in a separate box that should be available mid-November. The back of the box clearly portrays the commercial game being played with standees. If you are buying the game without doing enough research to know what’s on the back of the box then you aren’t doing enough research and pretty much deserve what you get. Please don’t blame GBG for not taking the time to figure out what you are getting.
The price is not the point. Often times games are reduced in price. The point is that the company did nothing to show on the package that the game was different. Putting a second edition on the front of the box or preferably a notice saying mini's not included would have been the thing to do. By using the exact same cover (and same sized box (even though we have a lot of unused space now that the minis have been removed) was either a calculated move to cheat customers or extremely poor planning and marketing. I believe the former rather than the later in this instance since no corrective action has been taken. Greenbrier Games cheats customers.
I think your assumption is a bit far-fetched. Nowhere on the 2nd edition box does it say there are miniatures included in in the game. If you look at the back of the box it clearly shows the contents plus a picture of the game with standees. Should the lack of minis been mentioned in the review? Yes. To accuse GBG of bait and switch tactics and cheating customers simply because you didn’t do your due diligence when looking at purchasing the game is absurd. Just because a company can’t read your mind doesn’t make it somehow culpable of intentionally misleading customers.
Are you purposely being obtuse? I can think of three instances off the top of my mind where a game was reduced in price to help move product after its initial release (SeaFall, Charterstone and Scythe). Nothing was removed from these games or altered in any manner, the price simply dropped. Now, unless you can name me three instances where a game was re-released and the box was kept the exact same (except for a small notation on the rear (which isn't always displayed by online vendors (e.g., see www.coolstuffinc.com/p/242889)), then I would zip it you whinny little prat.
Name calling is it? Lovely. No. You are attacking a small print game company and accusing them of some pretty heinous things with nothing to back it up. I think some balance is in order. Let's look at the First Edition Kickstarter (since two of the games that you mention don't even have miniatures, and Scythe has maybe a 1/4th of the miniatures Folklore did). The basic KS was $95. A pretty good deal for a game with 88 minis. The second printing KS was only $60 with standees. It clearly states in the Kickstarter that the minis are in a separate expansion and they boosted the price to $150.00 . This gives you an expectation of the value of the minis plus the first expansion. So, if you were following the first printing and second printing kickstarters the change is pretty obvious. Now, I am looking at my commerical purchase of Folklore right now. No where on it does the box say that there are plastic minis included in the game. On the back there is a very clear picture of the standees. There is NOTHING that would lead me to expect plastic miniatures in the game unless I had looked at the Kickstarter initially and NOT READ A SINGLE thing that was mentioned in the background info. So, should GBG have changed the box size? Hmmm...well, I am looking forward to getting the miniature expansion and plan on using that extra room you complain about to hold the miniatures when I get them so I am glad they didn't. I'm not sure what their print run was, but given that the company is not Asmodee or Hasbro I have to assume they are pretty small. the cost of retooling for the boxes and hiring new art isn't cheap. I suspect like most 2nd printing kickstarters they learned some lessons along the way and in an attempt to offer a more affordable game to those who don't want all the plastic glitz they went the cardboard standee route that worked well for Gloomhaven and Dead of Winter. I know a lot of folks in the industry and apparently (despite being able to rattle off SeaFall, Charterstone, and Scythe) you clearly have no clue how close to the margins these companies run. Get over yourself. Not everyone is going to think the same way you do and when they don't it's not a fucking conspiracy. Perhaps if you got off your ass and supported a real brick and mortar store you'd have a clue what you are buying instead of crying when things don't match your entitled expectations because you didn't get a full picture of the product online. As for "naming three" anything look it up yourself. I'm not your personal servant. Instead of sitting in your high seat calling good game companies corrupt maybe you could take a second and understand wtf is going on in the industry and quit expecting others to bend and kow tow to every one of your little needs. "waaah, I want my toys!!!" give me an f'ing break.
Man great work! You killed it. So well spoken and concise. Looking forward to more reviews from you.
Good job !! I wanted to check out a few reviews to help me make up my mind about this game and I truly enjoyed this one. Thanks ...
I see a lot of comparisons of this to Gloomhaven. It has some similarities such as the encounter maps and the world travel map, but Gloomhaven is a much more structured game. It is more boardgame/puzzle game than Folklore. I think a more apt comparison would be Shadows of Brimstone. Shadows is a much more cluttered and imperfect environment, but that is part of its charm as well.
I like you, Tim Jennette. Keep up the good work!
I like you too man! I didn't see your name in the credits on boardgamegeek, did you have some graphic design touches to it? Cause I definitely see some Stephen Gibson in the graphic design lol
I did all the graphic design, the story journal illustration, and all the item illustrations :) They better give me a credit!
I thought so! They need to get you added to the artist tab in boardgamegeek!
Great explaination! It seems a really nice game! Thank you a lot!
put the road events in two piles, one designated as night the other as day... after drawing one and reading the event, place it under the opposite deck
Thats not a bad idea to get the most out of the cards!
Good review. Thank you. I was hoping for a review and this looks awesome. My only caveat being that I have so many games that I want/have to play at the moment...
Thanks! This game does take a good amount of time to get through all the stories. But, since you can "save" your progress and choose to stpo when you want it makes it a lot easier.
I have a question about the ability cards, I want to make sure we are interpreting the rules right, so the cards the say PASSIVE on the bottom are just always in effect, but the ones that say ACTIVE on the bottom, lets say the AP cost to buy the cards is 4, so I need to spend 4 AP to buy the card, got that part, but then do I need to pay 4 power points EACH time I use that card? also for the STARTING ability cards that are active abilities we need to pay point points equal to the AP cost on the card?
I believe so yes
Hi, Are there any big discounts on board games this time of the year?
I don't see it .... minis for this one are sold apart
Great review! thanks :)
Just got this game. Can't wait to play it!
Is it good?
I'm just finishing to play my first chapter of this game...and, i just want to keep playing! I like it a lot! Like a light version of Descent + Shadows of Brimstone with more sense + RPG. The artwork is great, the minis highly detailed, and with the expansion Dark Tales and the rumors system makes this game much more better. By the way, good review. Completly agree.
Thanks a lot! I am looking forward to the expansion content for sure.
Love the shirt and genre. Well done!
heck yeah, blessthefall is awesome! :) Thanks
I played almost five stories, between the basic game and the expansion. It's a wonderful game and it's not boring at all, despite actually taking more time than written on the box. highly prized to anyone who wants to experience an adventure, which however already written, is still full of twists. in addition, the continuous updating of online stories increases its value considerably.
Does it make acceptable the fact you have to pay 150 euros (old gods continent ) to have a game with minis?
Hmm Reminds me of HeroQuest. Light, lots of stories. Easy to make more stories. But hero quest lacks RPG progression which most fans add already.
18:51 can you eleberate on the story a bit more?
I don't mind light to medium spoilers, but I just don't undrstand what is going on with this game.
Ty
Good to know that the trick with the minis put everyone on attention
Pretty happy I backed it, it's on 2nd KS now I think you can still late backer order it, not sure.
The KS is still running actually.
Ah ya it's 25th Nov 2017 and 4 days until KS is at the end. They seem to have done well on this 2nd one.
I backed this also. :)
this game seems awesome, minis look great too.
Thanks
10:05, that square board looks exactly like Descent: Journeys in the dark second edition. So close that might actually be the same art
1 year later....Actually I think its the same artist who drew those :) I think he's danish :)
I wonder how this compares to gloomhaven?
Errol Wilde We find this game so much more entertaining than Gloomhaven. Gloomhaven is very well manageable. There are not any exciting "bumps". But Gloomhaven has the better mechanics, no question. But if you want a very thematic experience with a great narration and you love to have exciting surprises then you should check this game out. The Mix between skirmishes, world travel and the encounters is great. But: Avoid this game if heavy tactics is what you are looking for. It is not here. But to be honest: There are not great tactical decisions in Gloomhaven either. If you look for intense tactical combat, go for Galaxy Defenders. Folklore is like Brimstone with much Better narration. Big surprises for me.
Die Nische with such a clear review you could make a channel
Francesco Spuntarelli Hmm...;)
The following statement was added to the Folklore Unboxing Video by GreenBrier Games "This video is for 1st printing content only. 2nd printing had component changes where the miniatures are now an optional purchase instead of front loaded with the base game." This was a classy response to a valid issue raised. I appreciate their efforts in clearing up confusion regarding this product and would now recommend the game.
This is a very good review. Just make sure to edit your script (if you're using one) for grammar and such beforehand
Jeff Bell I dont use a script LOL. I do it live haha
I like the game style and all but i sense the monsters are a little deformed in a way I don't like
The treants aren't as traditional as they normally are in other games (they have a different name too), but the rest of the minis look pretty normal for the type of monster they are.
Tim Jennette I said a little just for this... after all I above all don't like canonized archetypes. . I felt the same about trolls in D&D the board game... strange interpretation for a troll. .. too deformed... I didn't like them but they were true to 3rd edition D&D art.... That I didn't like after the marvelous art of 2nd edition. I think even a blind could sense the difference there.
Great review Tim. However, there needs to be a note to this review. Greenbrier Games has done a bait and switch. The miniatures you see in this video are no longer included with the game. Instead you receive cardboard standouts. There is nothing on the front of the game box to indicate this and the box itself is the exact same. On the back of the box, in the lower right hand corner, it will say either 35 miniatures (1st edition) or 75 cardboard standouts (2nd edition). An Amazon reviewer pointed this out to me before I opened the box and I returned the game. Would possibly have still bought it with the cardboard standouts if they had reduced the price and used a different box. Here they are clearly trying to trick their customers. Shame on you Greenbrier Games.
Willy Boy - the price point has also dropped below $70 ($50 if you buy online). You won’t get a game with that many minis for that price. GBG is not pulling a fast one. The minis were part of the Kickstarter and are being sold commercially in a separate box that should be available mid-November. The back of the box clearly portrays the commercial game being played with standees. If you are buying the game without doing enough research to know what’s on the back of the box then you aren’t doing enough research and pretty much deserve what you get. Please don’t blame GBG for not taking the time to figure out what you are getting.
The price is not the point. Often times games are reduced in price. The point is that the company did nothing to show on the package that the game was different. Putting a second edition on the front of the box or preferably a notice saying mini's not included would have been the thing to do. By using the exact same cover (and same sized box (even though we have a lot of unused space now that the minis have been removed) was either a calculated move to cheat customers or extremely poor planning and marketing. I believe the former rather than the later in this instance since no corrective action has been taken. Greenbrier Games cheats customers.
I think your assumption is a bit far-fetched. Nowhere on the 2nd edition box does it say there are miniatures included in in the game. If you look at the back of the box it clearly shows the contents plus a picture of the game with standees. Should the lack of minis been mentioned in the review? Yes. To accuse GBG of bait and switch tactics and cheating customers simply because you didn’t do your due diligence when looking at purchasing the game is absurd. Just because a company can’t read your mind doesn’t make it somehow culpable of intentionally misleading customers.
Are you purposely being obtuse? I can think of three instances off the top of my mind where a game was reduced in price to help move product after its initial release (SeaFall, Charterstone and Scythe). Nothing was removed from these games or altered in any manner, the price simply dropped. Now, unless you can name me three instances where a game was re-released and the box was kept the exact same (except for a small notation on the rear (which isn't always displayed by online vendors (e.g., see www.coolstuffinc.com/p/242889)), then I would zip it you whinny little prat.
Name calling is it? Lovely. No. You are attacking a small print game company and accusing them of some pretty heinous things with nothing to back it up. I think some balance is in order. Let's look at the First Edition Kickstarter (since two of the games that you mention don't even have miniatures, and Scythe has maybe a 1/4th of the miniatures Folklore did). The basic KS was $95. A pretty good deal for a game with 88 minis. The second printing KS was only $60 with standees. It clearly states in the Kickstarter that the minis are in a separate expansion and they boosted the price to $150.00 . This gives you an expectation of the value of the minis plus the first expansion. So, if you were following the first printing and second printing kickstarters the change is pretty obvious. Now, I am looking at my commerical purchase of Folklore right now. No where on it does the box say that there are plastic minis included in the game. On the back there is a very clear picture of the standees. There is NOTHING that would lead me to expect plastic miniatures in the game unless I had looked at the Kickstarter initially and NOT READ A SINGLE thing that was mentioned in the background info. So, should GBG have changed the box size? Hmmm...well, I am looking forward to getting the miniature expansion and plan on using that extra room you complain about to hold the miniatures when I get them so I am glad they didn't. I'm not sure what their print run was, but given that the company is not Asmodee or Hasbro I have to assume they are pretty small. the cost of retooling for the boxes and hiring new art isn't cheap. I suspect like most 2nd printing kickstarters they learned some lessons along the way and in an attempt to offer a more affordable game to those who don't want all the plastic glitz they went the cardboard standee route that worked well for Gloomhaven and Dead of Winter. I know a lot of folks in the industry and apparently (despite being able to rattle off SeaFall, Charterstone, and Scythe) you clearly have no clue how close to the margins these companies run. Get over yourself. Not everyone is going to think the same way you do and when they don't it's not a fucking conspiracy. Perhaps if you got off your ass and supported a real brick and mortar store you'd have a clue what you are buying instead of crying when things don't match your entitled expectations because you didn't get a full picture of the product online. As for "naming three" anything look it up yourself. I'm not your personal servant. Instead of sitting in your high seat calling good game companies corrupt maybe you could take a second and understand wtf is going on in the industry and quit expecting others to bend and kow tow to every one of your little needs. "waaah, I want my toys!!!" give me an f'ing break.
Sounds like Baby-Gloomhaven :) Just with dumber enemies and more walking around :)
Just take Gloomhaven and replace every card and decision with a dice roll.
don’t forget the „walking around“... this is also a very important part to this game... haha :)
Grinding is cool... Really... Wow
This game was on the fringe to begin with for me. When you pulled out Tarot cards, I was out of here. Thanks for saving me the money.
You should have definately shown off all the minis at the start of the video. The games looks hella boring until you show them