I loved this solo on BGA at the start of the pandemic. Helped me through a lot of anxiety that I had. Just put on some calm music and try to put the cards in order. Loved it to bits
Thanks for the review Tom! Just a couple of notes: James Emmerson is the designer, not Frank West (designer of Isle of Cats). Tranquility was so-called because the players are playing in silence and some players find the experience tranquil 🙂 we also found that most players grasp the game in their first try throughout many public demos but we also like that you can figure out a lot of strategy and tactics through repeated plays.
Love this - been around a while, I think I may have got the very first fulfilled copy as it was local pick-up when I lived in the U.K.! Disagree that this is solo only and actually disagree that it’s not strangely tranquil - play this with my wife and it’s sort of meditative but I also think we don’t care that much about winning or losing (though we normally win) just feeling our way through.
We have no trouble playing without the playmat, the cards are big enough and rectangular so it's easy to visualize the grid. It wasn't that difficult to learn either but I guess trying it on BGA first helped. Besides The Game there is also Mass Transit that has a similar feel.
I taped my border cards into a row of seven, two rows of two, and two columns of six. This makes setup for the standard game and the "arch" variant a breeze, no playmat necessary. They can't be used for the pyramid variant, but that layout is simple enough that they're not needed.
@The Dice Tower, we'll send you a copy of Tranquility: The Ascent when they're ready. It takes some of the core ideas but implements them in a very different-feeling game and you definitely don't need a playmat 😉
Glad to see this here - played this at Airecon and picked up a copy the same day. Agree about the playmat (it makes it easier, but is hard to justify). Personally, I do find this a chill game - it's so short, we just play a few cards and see what happens - reset if it goes wrong. I think it'll find it's place as one of our go to 'we want to play something but not sure what' evening games, just like Codenames Duet.
Bought it before it came back to retail I glad it is on retail. It feels like the Onirim games that why I bought it 😊 Will play it solo or two players maybe
I am not tranquil just by the fact that the numbers go from smallest at the bottom to largest at the top. I would have to house rule this to ascending in reading order. That drives me nuts! LOL.
The Sea of Tranquility is a cratered area on the moon. The art looks to me like it's taking place in some imagined past where people and things lived on what was never actually a sea. Which is a clever idea, one not seen in anything else, I don't think. Too bad they wasted it on such a little game.
Correct - this game should ONLY be considered as solo. As co-op it’s just a worse mashup of Hanabi and The Mind. Play this solo on BGA all the time, and bought it on that basis.
YUP!! I backed it ONLY for Solo. I hate Limited Communication in games that do it just to increase the difficulty. This is just fine as by yourself you can fix the rules as you go.
I'm only the publisher but while I enjoy the solo game, I much prefer the added tension and difficulty that comes with the multiplayer game. I would always choose to play it with others if I had the option.
It was a tricky balance to find because 80mm was too big a playing area while 70mm left the numbers a bit small to read and we didn't want them taking away from the artwork. It's a pain for sleevers but I think the only decision we could've made from a gameplay/artwork perspective.
@@boardgamehubuk4658 which I would believe if Tranquility: Assent wasn't 60x60 (different size from this) with a sleeving option. Is it's art not worth the 74x74 option? Why change since this since was so integral?
@@boardgamehubuk4658 (1) Tranquility original has great art but is just numbers on cards. Yes there are ways to create variants based on spinning the card, but no defining icons or specific orientations-exclusive stuff akin to Dungeon Twister etc. (2) Assent is called a standalone sequel; not my words. Yet it has icons, different colors, and a centralized single number. Yet SMALLER cards. So with all that branding, the size difference is noticeable even further. (3) Both games are about placing a square card on a grid. Nothing mechanically different in that rsspect. They both are numbered, square cards placed on a grid. (4) I am sure it is a manufacturing issue but neither of those sizes are really standard square card size that have existed in the industry for quite a few years. I personally do not understand the dismissal of people who like to preserve their products (especially ones with Kickstarter-exclusives) and would expect a square card to be an industry-standard. But, not my company. (5) Five24Labs, now Poketto, established that they too wanted a non-traditional sized card. They put it to a vote, and continued IN SPITE of the overwhelming majority of players saying they wanted a standard, sleeve-able card size. It is a split within the industry about sleeving versus asthetic preservation. To me though, changing sizes between products and then making custom sleeves available for the latter and not the former is a real dismissive blow. (6) I personally have just always felt that I was on the wrong side of this exact product: -I like sleeving -I like it exclusively solo. You said it was your least favorite format because it takes out the communication aspect. -I thought there were many strengths but inconsistent icon usage on the Storm expansions cards. (3 colors of storms don't have unique icons, but Sea Monsters and Jagged Rocks do) -I felt the 2x Wild cards being KS exclusives didn't sell any more units but does isolate those who cannot get them. -When there were massive delays there was no support for PNP. Then the very next BGH project was a PNP... I guess I just don't align and am basically polar opposite to the defining characteristics of the Tranquility-line.
You can't be right or wrong in your opinions and you are allowed to disagree with our decisions. Similarly I am allowed my opinions and it comes down to me to make the decisions about the games we publish. I can only do my best and one of the many lessons I've learned in publishing is that it's impossible to please everyone because some people will like one way whilst others will want the complete opposite. We're delighted that you enjoy the game solo but sorry that you're frustrated by the card size. You can see that we have attempted to cater for sleevers with The Ascent by making sleeves available on the Kickstarter. When Tristam developed the artwork for original Tranquility he had a blank canvas and created the images that so many people love. We then had to make a practical decision on how big the numbers were. Any bigger and they would have detracted from the pictures on the cards which is the thing many people love in the game. With The Ascent we had a better idea how the artwork was being developed and how to best manage the numbering on the cards. The text of the numbers is bigger whilst the cards are smaller. We think it works and again were limited to a realistic playing area. Pyramids are long and wide!
Two things you forgot to mention: 1. When discarding cards from your hand after playing a card to an adjacent number, you have to discard the cards randomly. No keeping cards you think might be helpful while tossing obvious duds; what goes and stays is totally random. 2. The first person who draws a Start card MUST play it as their turn, so there is no question of "Who plays the start card, who can toss theirs". It's entirely possible that it is just a very odd concept of a game itself and that's where I found the difficulty, but I actually thought the rulebook was very poorly written and didn't do a great job of explaining the game. Because you have to discard cards randomly, there's a high chance you'll be forced to play a card greater than 5 numbers apart to an adjacent card, and the rules could not clarify whether you lose as many cards are in your hand or additionally from the top of the deck. Frankly, I'm not sure why the discard is random at all. It really didn't help my enjoyment of this much at all.
You DO get to choose which cards to discard otherwise it’s too random and even more difficult. That’s how the game works on BGA and the rules don’t even say to discard cards at random.
@@21VN - The rules I was looking at last weekend absolutely said to discard at random. I don't know if it was an earlier printing or not, but I re-read that sentence about ten times because it sounded like nonsense to me. I know I did not read it incorrectly, nor am I misremembering. I would check the rulebook myself right now, except it was a friend's game we played while I was visiting out of city.
Correct about the Start card but you ABSOLUTELY do choose which cards to discard or else this would just become a total random-fest. There shouldn't be anything in the rules that leads you to believe that discards have to be random. It's just entirely impractical.
Please come back to us with a quote of that rule from your friends because if the rules have been changed from how we originally intended then I need to check that out!
The only thing I can think of is that the rules say that discards go face down. This is to stop everyone else seeing what you're discarding but it doesn't mean that you play a card, shuffle your remaining hand and then discard the appropriate cards. That would be bizarre.
![Wiz Khalifa - Khalifa's Home [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnrLCTe0Nz4/mqdefault.jpg)
I loved this solo on BGA at the start of the pandemic. Helped me through a lot of anxiety that I had. Just put on some calm music and try to put the cards in order. Loved it to bits
Thanks, Tom. Great review. I appreciate all of your hard work, and may God bless you, your family, and the Dice Tower.
Thanks for the review Tom! Just a couple of notes: James Emmerson is the designer, not Frank West (designer of Isle of Cats). Tranquility was so-called because the players are playing in silence and some players find the experience tranquil 🙂 we also found that most players grasp the game in their first try throughout many public demos but we also like that you can figure out a lot of strategy and tactics through repeated plays.
Love this - been around a while, I think I may have got the very first fulfilled copy as it was local pick-up when I lived in the U.K.! Disagree that this is solo only and actually disagree that it’s not strangely tranquil - play this with my wife and it’s sort of meditative but I also think we don’t care that much about winning or losing (though we normally win) just feeling our way through.
Got this a couple of days ago. Played several games solo. I have enjoyed it more than I expected, but don't know how it feels as a co-op.
We have no trouble playing without the playmat, the cards are big enough and rectangular so it's easy to visualize the grid. It wasn't that difficult to learn either but I guess trying it on BGA first helped.
Besides The Game there is also Mass Transit that has a similar feel.
I taped my border cards into a row of seven, two rows of two, and two columns of six. This makes setup for the standard game and the "arch" variant a breeze, no playmat necessary. They can't be used for the pyramid variant, but that layout is simple enough that they're not needed.
@The Dice Tower, we'll send you a copy of Tranquility: The Ascent when they're ready. It takes some of the core ideas but implements them in a very different-feeling game and you definitely don't need a playmat 😉
Glad to see this here - played this at Airecon and picked up a copy the same day. Agree about the playmat (it makes it easier, but is hard to justify). Personally, I do find this a chill game - it's so short, we just play a few cards and see what happens - reset if it goes wrong. I think it'll find it's place as one of our go to 'we want to play something but not sure what' evening games, just like Codenames Duet.
Just got it and I must say the rules were not as clear as your explanation 😂😁 thanks as always for your amazing videos
I have looked everywhere for a player mat... I cannot find one 😫 This type is my favorite type of puzzle game.
Lucky Duck will be producing some mats so keep your eyes open!
@@peterahazlewood oh, thank you! I can't wait!
This is nice to play in BGA, the playmat functionality is built in the digital version of the game
Bought it before it came back to retail I glad it is on retail.
It feels like the Onirim games that why I bought it 😊
Will play it solo or two players maybe
I am not tranquil just by the fact that the numbers go from smallest at the bottom to largest at the top. I would have to house rule this to ascending in reading order. That drives me nuts! LOL.
where did he get that tie? i wonder
Love DT but I gotta say, that clock thing in the background is super distracting when it cycles. I’d welcome it disappearing or set to one image.
What does grock mean?
Grok - To understand intuitively or beyond a superficial level.
He obviously meant Grodd, the DC comics giant gorilla.
Maybe the name is ironic! This reminds me of the game "The Game" but with a grid instead of just stacks.
The Sea of Tranquility is a cratered area on the moon. The art looks to me like it's taking place in some imagined past where people and things lived on what was never actually a sea. Which is a clever idea, one not seen in anything else, I don't think. Too bad they wasted it on such a little game.
We'd be lying if we said that this was our attention for the theme. Sorry we "wasted" it 😉
Correct - this game should ONLY be considered as solo. As co-op it’s just a worse mashup of Hanabi and The Mind. Play this solo on BGA all the time, and bought it on that basis.
2p co-op is great, I think I like that even more than the solo. But I can see how it might get messier at higher player counts.
YUP!!
I backed it ONLY for Solo. I hate Limited Communication in games that do it just to increase the difficulty. This is just fine as by yourself you can fix the rules as you go.
I'm only the publisher but while I enjoy the solo game, I much prefer the added tension and difficulty that comes with the multiplayer game. I would always choose to play it with others if I had the option.
Card size is MEGA annoying. Cannot be sleeved currently.
It was a tricky balance to find because 80mm was too big a playing area while 70mm left the numbers a bit small to read and we didn't want them taking away from the artwork. It's a pain for sleevers but I think the only decision we could've made from a gameplay/artwork perspective.
@@boardgamehubuk4658 which I would believe if Tranquility: Assent wasn't 60x60 (different size from this) with a sleeving option.
Is it's art not worth the 74x74 option? Why change since this since was so integral?
The style and art design of the cards is totally different so not really sure what this comparison is worth.
@@boardgamehubuk4658
(1) Tranquility original has great art but is just numbers on cards. Yes there are ways to create variants based on spinning the card, but no defining icons or specific orientations-exclusive stuff akin to Dungeon Twister etc.
(2) Assent is called a standalone sequel; not my words. Yet it has icons, different colors, and a centralized single number. Yet SMALLER cards. So with all that branding, the size difference is noticeable even further.
(3) Both games are about placing a square card on a grid. Nothing mechanically different in that rsspect. They both are numbered, square cards placed on a grid.
(4) I am sure it is a manufacturing issue but neither of those sizes are really standard square card size that have existed in the industry for quite a few years. I personally do not understand the dismissal of people who like to preserve their products (especially ones with Kickstarter-exclusives) and would expect a square card to be an industry-standard. But, not my company.
(5) Five24Labs, now Poketto, established that they too wanted a non-traditional sized card. They put it to a vote, and continued IN SPITE of the overwhelming majority of players saying they wanted a standard, sleeve-able card size.
It is a split within the industry about sleeving versus asthetic preservation. To me though, changing sizes between products and then making custom sleeves available for the latter and not the former is a real dismissive blow.
(6) I personally have just always felt that I was on the wrong side of this exact product:
-I like sleeving
-I like it exclusively solo. You said it was your least favorite format because it takes out the communication aspect.
-I thought there were many strengths but inconsistent icon usage on the Storm expansions cards. (3 colors of storms don't have unique icons, but Sea Monsters and Jagged Rocks do)
-I felt the 2x Wild cards being KS exclusives didn't sell any more units but does isolate those who cannot get them.
-When there were massive delays there was no support for PNP. Then the very next BGH project was a PNP...
I guess I just don't align and am basically polar opposite to the defining characteristics of the Tranquility-line.
You can't be right or wrong in your opinions and you are allowed to disagree with our decisions. Similarly I am allowed my opinions and it comes down to me to make the decisions about the games we publish. I can only do my best and one of the many lessons I've learned in publishing is that it's impossible to please everyone because some people will like one way whilst others will want the complete opposite.
We're delighted that you enjoy the game solo but sorry that you're frustrated by the card size. You can see that we have attempted to cater for sleevers with The Ascent by making sleeves available on the Kickstarter.
When Tristam developed the artwork for original Tranquility he had a blank canvas and created the images that so many people love. We then had to make a practical decision on how big the numbers were. Any bigger and they would have detracted from the pictures on the cards which is the thing many people love in the game. With The Ascent we had a better idea how the artwork was being developed and how to best manage the numbering on the cards. The text of the numbers is bigger whilst the cards are smaller. We think it works and again were limited to a realistic playing area. Pyramids are long and wide!
Cooperative Rack-o.
Sam, is that you?
@@Acenchious, nope. I do miss Sam, tho.
Me too 😕 you're right though; very rack-o-esque
Two things you forgot to mention:
1. When discarding cards from your hand after playing a card to an adjacent number, you have to discard the cards randomly. No keeping cards you think might be helpful while tossing obvious duds; what goes and stays is totally random.
2. The first person who draws a Start card MUST play it as their turn, so there is no question of "Who plays the start card, who can toss theirs".
It's entirely possible that it is just a very odd concept of a game itself and that's where I found the difficulty, but I actually thought the rulebook was very poorly written and didn't do a great job of explaining the game. Because you have to discard cards randomly, there's a high chance you'll be forced to play a card greater than 5 numbers apart to an adjacent card, and the rules could not clarify whether you lose as many cards are in your hand or additionally from the top of the deck. Frankly, I'm not sure why the discard is random at all. It really didn't help my enjoyment of this much at all.
You DO get to choose which cards to discard otherwise it’s too random and even more difficult. That’s how the game works on BGA and the rules don’t even say to discard cards at random.
@@21VN - The rules I was looking at last weekend absolutely said to discard at random. I don't know if it was an earlier printing or not, but I re-read that sentence about ten times because it sounded like nonsense to me. I know I did not read it incorrectly, nor am I misremembering. I would check the rulebook myself right now, except it was a friend's game we played while I was visiting out of city.
Correct about the Start card but you ABSOLUTELY do choose which cards to discard or else this would just become a total random-fest. There shouldn't be anything in the rules that leads you to believe that discards have to be random. It's just entirely impractical.
Please come back to us with a quote of that rule from your friends because if the rules have been changed from how we originally intended then I need to check that out!
The only thing I can think of is that the rules say that discards go face down. This is to stop everyone else seeing what you're discarding but it doesn't mean that you play a card, shuffle your remaining hand and then discard the appropriate cards. That would be bizarre.