I feel like a simple dungeon crawler that grew in challenge and complexity as new game pieces are added would be a good fit for an advent calendar. Thanks for seeing it through, this series really made my month, and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Merry Christmas! Yea, I wasn't expecing much from the game. But as a player of 5 Parsecs, all the minis and terrain would find a home in 5P. I hope you'll paint it all up and post a vid of the game.
I had considered doing a playthrough, but I'm not sure I'm interested in that anymore having seen the game and I'm not sure how much interest there would be. I think the review here will probably be the extent of the coverage, but we will have to see how it goes.
I enjoyed the series and also opening the calendar myself during the month. I played a game solo this morning after opening the final door. It was okay but very easy. I have been using the components in my family's Space Crusade Campaign and the final week's worth of doors will add to the campaign finale perfectly next weekend. All in all I am satisfied with the contents and it has been a bit of fun over the past 4 weeks. I can't say I will play the game often in the future but I do know that the components will see a lot of use in both my Space Crusade game and the Aliens board game too. It's entirely your fault that I bought this product and I'd like to say a big "thanks" for it :) Merry Christmas, buddy!
Yeah, I think all these bits are going into my terrain and bits boxes. The spawn rules really don’t keep the pressure on in this game, and that’s what you really need to make it fun. Merry Christmas!
👏 Bravo, you completed this project and I suspect it was more of an endurance test that originally conceived. Fully agree with your review of the game. The bonus actions are a neat touch, the lack of the boss monster just terrible. I think Mantic have a good idea here just needs better execution. My take is this was a rushed job, a bit more thought was required. Let's see if they can correct for next year, they have 12 months to get organised after all 😅
It does feel a bit rushed and slapped together. The series was a struggle some days - December is so busy and finding the time wasn’t always easy - but it was a fun challenge. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for completing all 24 days on our behalf. I waffled over purchasing this and/or Barroom Brawl and wound up buying neither. The Teraton is nice, as is the Dreadball-style map. I already have the terrain elements via Star Saga and Deadzone, so I’m glad I passed my willpower check. I might pick up Barroom Brawl next year… tbd. Congratulations on what I hope was another successful year of YouTubing for you. I always enjoy seeing what you have in store for us and hope you’re able & wiling to continue in 2025. Happy holidays!
Merry Christmas old man! I hope things are going well enough for you and your family. Seem like the channel had a good year. We’ll done and best of luck for 2025. Good points on making an advent calendar. Hopefully someone will take your observations to heart.
Thx for the "wild ride" Kevin😁 And thank you for a another great year of videos, I'm totally in for more Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
I'm glad you enjoyed the series. While the calendar wasn't as exciting as I feel it could have been, and I have poked a bit of fun at it over the month, it was fun to do something a bit different on the channel. I can't see myself doing it again though!
Great ride 🎉. Now that I fully discovered every part of Barroom Brawl, I'll try to paint it and see if there is any game ! Hope it will be the better of both calendars! And... happy new year!
I think BarRoom Brawl may be possibly slightly better as a game, but having seen it unboxed I feel much the same about it as this one. I don't think either lives up to the potential of a really good idea. I hope you have a lot of fun with it. Happy New Year!
That was a fun journey! I agree with your review. I expected a simple game in the end, but not so much of a rush job. The lack of a final boss monster is a grave mistake. Still, it was a good series to follow and I liked your short presentation each day. Merry Christmas!
To the bitter end! It seems like some board and positional elements of Deadzone (and HALO FP) should have been utilized here. And yes, it needed that boss monster miniature. They should have included all least one purpose-made mini here. Anyway, Merry Christmas, we too are gearing up for Muppet Christmas Carol this evening!
i will probably pick up this calendar for next year, having done the barroom brawl this year. i like these better than a chocolate calendar and the value is not really in the game but in the items that can be used elsewhere.
At £30, I'm not sure the value is really there for just the components for me. I feel I would have to at least like the game a bit and really enjoy the excitement of opening the door each day. So, I would definitely need to see a revamp of the concept before considering it again. I will have to see what next year brings!
Merry Christmas to you and your family, and we’ll done getting through the calendar. Glad I didn’t get this one in the end, but sure if the setting really lends its self to Christmas, unlike the festive calendar Bar room brawl I got last year, that was fun and festive😁. Even getting random bits of furniture like tables and chair were fun as they add mostly to the game, even loved the dice I got with it too. The characters were fun too. The game though not the best game ever it was fun especially with the family. If you. Bit sun that one definitely give it a shot next year. Again Merry Christmas and thank you for the vids this year.
I purposefully chose the sci-fi one as I thought I would enjoy it more than Bar Room Brawl. I saw the Brawl calendar last year and watched it being opened this year, and it doesn't do anything for me. There were lots of days of tokens (a day with just a single token behind the door felt very cheap), duplicate terrain elements, the festive characters would be of very limited use outside of the game, and I already have a lot of Mantic fantasy terrain anyway. If Mantic don't revisit and revise the concept, I won't be going back for another go! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas one and all 🎉. Well done on completing this project. You know I actually think all set up it looks pretty good. Obviously the game is basic but it looks decent. I think it was a good buy overall. Just missing that boss character.
Nice to finally get to the end and it’s being great to compare your calendar to my barroom brawl calendar day by day. I do think the barroom brawl is the better game, being festive and better thought out. Have a happy Christmas 😊
Merry Xmas from the future! I had a nagging suspicion that the terrain wouldn't do anything. There seemed to be an awful lot of it for an advent calendar game.
As the calendar went on, I started to feel more and more like the furniture selection was based on "this is what we have, so this is what you get," and that it wouldn't do anything in the game. It would have been easy to add rules for it all.
Thank you for an honest review, I nearly bought this but something felt off so I spent my money elsewhere, I have looked at getting their sci-fi terrain pieces as shown in your vid but now I see them they look like old school injection moulded soft plastic so I'll be giving Mantic a miss. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
I have to admit, I don't have the best track record with Mantic. Even their games that I can step back and admire for various reasons generally haven't connected with me or been enjoyable for me.
Thank you for persevering with this series. Particularly with the dry humour. Think there should be a model every day and tokens should be included with some of the terrain instead. Shame the game was a bit pants.
A model every day would probably drive the price too high, but I think there needed to be a lot more than five. I would rather have paid more to feel that there was something more interesting behind each door.
Looking at it, I would have preferred a run the gauntlet style game rather than a tower defence. They so easily could have given you more minis. I know the rules they gave don't require them, but that is an easy fix. They've already got the facilities to make them and it wouldn't cost any more to make the minis than it would the terrain pieces. And making a solo/2 player game for a xmas thing is a little depressing. They could have easily done a 4 player game with the resources they had. Hell, they could have given you a single scenario Star Saga game, just with simplified rules.
The choice of a solo/two-player game was purposeful. The other calendar they did this year is for two to four players, so this was a way of enticing the solo gaming market as well. It worked, because the solo play was one of the reasons I wanted this one over Barroom Brawl.
So... you're saying it was not a Terra-Ton of fun? Which version of Christmas Carol are you watching? I was always partial to the Black Adder varient 😅
I don't really agree. It has issues that need to be addressed (spawning rolls and line of sight need work in particular). There are a few good ideas though.
I think i agree with you on most points, the terrain was my biggest bugbear as your right, opening a crate was meh, then rtealising it had no real funtion in the game other than acting as a wall was a let down. If we or I do play this again it will be with the Aristeia! bocking terrain I printed up for that game as that makes more sense to me.
It did give the impression of filling the doors with whatever they had, which didn't feel special. Rules would have been easy - ammo crates to replenish one bonus action, high terrain blocks line of sight and movement, low terrain blocks movement, monitors let you remotely seal a hatch. That sort of thing. Even then, the layout of the board doesn't make sense, with this random selection of terrain just strewn around in the middle of the room.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Ammo racks could have made walls properly, I like the crates as a way to access the bonus range shots. It does feel like they did the rules and then 'what have we got to fill the boxes with', which was a shame as love the idea and concept. However, if they had all new stuff in it the cost point would rise a lot.
I don't think it has to be all custom made to work, but it needs to feel more complete, rather than being a game with a grab bag of bits thrown on top. It needs to feel like each piece in the calendar is adding something to the whole experience. I would happily have paid a little more for a more robust game and extra miniatures - especially that missing boss miniature!
Well, that was a little bit of a let down. I didn't buy the calendar as I already have plenty of Mantic terrain and minis, just not the board and rules. As you say, great idea but needs more time in the oven. Thanks for the daily videos. I've enjoyed watching each one as they came out.
Spoiling on the back of the box, well, spoils the surprise. On the other hand, I don't think I'd pay good money for something like this without knowing in advance what's in it.
It's a tricky balance, but I think they went too far. They told is what all five miniatures would be, how many dice and tokens there would be, and it was too easy to figure out what they were doing with the terrain. I think you need to know enough to invest, but not so much like you feel opening the doors becomes pointless, as that is the gimmick.
@ It does capture the essence of the advent calendar, sadly. Happy holidays to you and yours! I hope that you have a great time playing this game with your daughter!
Using Terrain Crate terrain was clearly the easiest way for them to fill the calendar, but it wouldn't have been hard to incorporate the components into the game - Tables only block movement, shelves block line of sight, terminals allow you to remotely close the hatches, crates let you replenish one bonus action...
Thank you for bravely enduring the 24 days ;-) I got the calendar for my nephew and what can I say, this calendar was a big disappointment. No story or rule snippets, e.g. on the inside of the doors. Over the whole 24 days there was no interaction with the characters or terrain pieces. Why don't you learn the first rules for cover or line of sight with the first figures and terrain pieces, and the first attacks with the dice? In the end I found out. There are almost no rules and the gameplay is generic, boring and copied from other existing games. I wasn't expecting a 100-page rulebook or in-depth tactics. But with a little effort, this could have been something great.
Absolutely. Great concept, but the execution was off. Someone else mentioned it would have been good if you got the book out at the start and each day you read a bit further into the instructions and lore, so you gradually learned the rules and background of the game as you went along. That would have added a lot, but the game at the end needs to be stronger too. To have so much furniture over the 24 days, only to discover you don't even need to put it on the board because the terrain is already marked out was so disappointing, and there is nothing much to be enthusiastic about opening a door and getting one single, small plastic crate. Making the series was a fun challenge for the channel, but something would have to be significantly different for me to do this again. There are other calendar options for gamers, and maybe I will try one of those.
Well done Kev. Glad I didn't buy this... I was in 2 minds, but having bought lots of Mantic games in the past and never played any of them... Some boxes are still un-opened, I decided against it as the price really put me off.
I would need to find a better calendar. Maybe Mantic will improve on the concept next year or I can find another company doing one that I like the look of.
I feel something like the Stormbringer/Combat patrol Magazines of warhammer would have been better. Make it so that you get 2 Figures in the first 2 days with dices and give you a small mission every few days. I get it is difficult to do if you onl get 1 Thing per day... But why not give the dice needed first so these are doors that can be filled up with other stuff to actually play? I get it, to save money but hm...
@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring A dungeon system like hero quest might be just the thing. Admittedly, a small thing. Unless it turns into a skirmish battler after all. With around 4 to 8 figures. And mostly terrain. And maybe tiles or the map as an overall thing. Again, there need to be tools from the very beginning to look at, a guide to give you an idea what to expect and to slowly get you into it. Learning by playing a bit every day, basic scenarios. Learn how to move, how to fight, how to explore, how terrain works, etc. Bit by bit everyday with the possibility to make use of what you got before to ensure you can afford a boring opening or two. At least your collection is still good for something then. Basically I would prefee an interactive manual guide over getting everything at the very end. You'd have an entire month worth of time to figurw it out.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Deadzone is their best, but it's a cluster F of rules and changes to army lists. Every edition radically changes things and I am done buying for it. I'm building Armoured Clash stuff right now. Warcradles new 10mm Dystopian Wars land combat game. Pretty neat so far.
The only Warcradle product I have tried was Stirginium Skies for Dystopian Wars and I found it all a bit too fiddly for my liking. I eventually ended up moving it on to another home.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring This one isn't that bad. It's an epic scale game but loadouts are more controlled and weapons are target based rather than specifically itemized and named. It uses custom dice, unfortunately, but here they mostly just represent d6 numbers without having to use charts. Has a cool card thing that is used for suppression and morale, and the cards can be spent to do cool things or used for claiming VPs after some actions. It's also designed by James Hewitt. Merry Christmas!!!
James Hewitt has designed some absolute crackers, but a few of his titles like Hellboy didn't land with me. On the whole, I think he has more (and better) hits than misses. Merry Christmas to you too!
I enjoyed following the series, and think getting a small piece of terrain daily would be fun. But The game seems uninspired, lazy, and not really tied to the physical components in any meaningful way. Glad I followed the series, glad I didn't spend my own money on the product though.
They could have done more to make it all feel tied together. You really could have played the game with just the paper map, miniatures, and tokens. The blocking terrain is already marked on the map, so the furniture pieces only add a visual element, and plonking bookcases and specimen jars randomly in a large open space actually makes things feel less thematic as it doesn't make sense.
I"ll be honest, I was pretty disappointed with the miniatures in this one. Compare them to lets say the Dom Boardgame 2016, sharp versus very blobby details. Hopefully Mantic learn from this one.
I think these miniatures are fine for what they are, but there are better board game quality pieces on the market. The red plastic doesn't do them justice, as it tends to blow out on the camera. They should paint up pretty well, and I do like the Teraton a lot.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I could have sworn they did Teratons in plastic for the Rebs faction? I'm a bit out of the Mantic loop. Everytime I go to their website it's Halo.. Halo.. Halo lol
Well,that was a shit show. But the Veer-men are nice and you can always home brew some rules. Seems like you already have. So,was it worth the money? Hopefully you'll get some more views as people catch up but on the whole,I had fun. And that's what's important about games. And Christmas. And life in general. Merry Christmas,you old savings & loan!
Ha. It was a bit. To make the game better the LoS rules need to be revised, and also the spawning rules need to be adjusted to add more pressure. It is possible to have no enemies to fight on a fairly regular basis. All five miniatures are good, and the furniture will be useful, even if some of it is a bit boring. From a content perspective, I made 25 videos out of this one purchase, so it's paid its way in that respect, but from the perspective of a gamer, I don't think the value is quite there in the end. You are paying a certain amount for the presentation and the experience, so I'm not surprised the value seems slightly "off" compared to a regular board game, but if I am paying for that experience I want it to be better than it was. There weren't enough days where I could open the door and feel really enthusiastic about what was inside. But, it was a fun challenge doing the video series, and as much as I poked fun during the process, I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Probably won't do it again, though... I haven't had a chance to watch It's a Wonderful Life This Year. Maybe that will be what I do Christmas afternoon as I vegetate on the sofa.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring The problem with the "experience" is you can only have it once. So if it's a game worth having or the stuff inside is worthwhile,it's good. Otherwise,I dunno. Like I said,there's other things to spend your money on. Still,video series like these help people know what it's all about so they can make smarter purchases. And that helps people get what they want and not what they think they're getting. So it's all good in the end. Journey completed,experience gained,we're all a little wiser. And that's a gift worth giving.
If it's a really good experience, then it can offset that value for me, but absolutely - you only get it once - so it should be really fun. This calendar was pretty middling. There was certainly more they could have done - more to make it feel like it had been put together with thought and care. All that furniture really did feel like it was just thrown in to fill up the days rather than adding real value. There is definitely a good idea here, though. Thanks for watching, and merry Christmas.
I've watched Barroom Brawl being opened and I felt much the same way as I did about this one, really. A lot of the days wouldn't have been very exciting, there seemed to be a lot more tokens - one day there was just a single token behind one door - and while I liked the miniatures (and there were more of them) they were festive themed which means I wouldn't have got much use out of them. It may have a better game at the end of it - it wouldn't be that hard! - but I don't think I would have felt much different overall. For me, I don't think either really lived up to the potential.
@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring That’s really a shame, I can understand your disappointment. The other option is Mighty Lancer Games calendar. A lot more miniatures, but no game at the end of course.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I feel like a simple dungeon crawler that grew in challenge and complexity as new game pieces are added would be a good fit for an advent calendar.
Thanks for seeing it through, this series really made my month, and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Merry Christmas, and thanks for watching.
Merry Christmas!
Yea, I wasn't expecing much from the game. But as a player of 5 Parsecs, all the minis and terrain would find a home in 5P. I hope you'll paint it all up and post a vid of the game.
I had considered doing a playthrough, but I'm not sure I'm interested in that anymore having seen the game and I'm not sure how much interest there would be. I think the review here will probably be the extent of the coverage, but we will have to see how it goes.
I enjoyed the series and also opening the calendar myself during the month. I played a game solo this morning after opening the final door. It was okay but very easy. I have been using the components in my family's Space Crusade Campaign and the final week's worth of doors will add to the campaign finale perfectly next weekend. All in all I am satisfied with the contents and it has been a bit of fun over the past 4 weeks. I can't say I will play the game often in the future but I do know that the components will see a lot of use in both my Space Crusade game and the Aliens board game too. It's entirely your fault that I bought this product and I'd like to say a big "thanks" for it :) Merry Christmas, buddy!
Yeah, I think all these bits are going into my terrain and bits boxes. The spawn rules really don’t keep the pressure on in this game, and that’s what you really need to make it fun. Merry Christmas!
i’m glad you stuck with this series everyday. other channels i was watching, doing advent game calendars, seemed to not be as consistent.
It was more difficult than I expected to find the time to shoot the videos each day, but it was a fun challenge.
👏 Bravo, you completed this project and I suspect it was more of an endurance test that originally conceived. Fully agree with your review of the game. The bonus actions are a neat touch, the lack of the boss monster just terrible. I think Mantic have a good idea here just needs better execution. My take is this was a rushed job, a bit more thought was required. Let's see if they can correct for next year, they have 12 months to get organised after all 😅
It does feel a bit rushed and slapped together. The series was a struggle some days - December is so busy and finding the time wasn’t always easy - but it was a fun challenge. Thanks for watching.
Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night! (Yes, it's 12 days... enjoyyyyyyy)
Congrats on getting to the end and thanks for an enjoyable series, even if the end game is a little lacklustre. Merry Christmas abnb!
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for completing all 24 days on our behalf. I waffled over purchasing this and/or Barroom Brawl and wound up buying neither. The Teraton is nice, as is the Dreadball-style map. I already have the terrain elements via Star Saga and Deadzone, so I’m glad I passed my willpower check. I might pick up Barroom Brawl next year… tbd. Congratulations on what I hope was another successful year of YouTubing for you. I always enjoy seeing what you have in store for us and hope you’re able & wiling to continue in 2025. Happy holidays!
Thanks for watching. 2024 has been good, and I already have lots of cool new things lined up for 2025. Happy holidays!
Merry Christmas old man! I hope things are going well enough for you and your family. Seem like the channel had a good year. We’ll done and best of luck for 2025.
Good points on making an advent calendar. Hopefully someone will take your observations to heart.
Thanks. It’s been a good year for the channel!
Cool Space Turtle Man! Great vid.
Thanks for watching.
Thx for the "wild ride" Kevin😁
And thank you for a another great year of videos, I'm totally in for more
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Thanks so much. It's been a good year for the channel, and there are lots of cool things on the way. Merry Christmas!
Really enjoyed
I'm glad you enjoyed the series. While the calendar wasn't as exciting as I feel it could have been, and I have poked a bit of fun at it over the month, it was fun to do something a bit different on the channel. I can't see myself doing it again though!
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringhaha you never know, next year something might change your mind.
Now a Heroquest expansion one could be cool
As I said, the concept would need to be revamped. It would need to feel more exciting and more curated with intent.
Great ride 🎉. Now that I fully discovered every part of Barroom Brawl, I'll try to paint it and see if there is any game ! Hope it will be the better of both calendars! And... happy new year!
I think BarRoom Brawl may be possibly slightly better as a game, but having seen it unboxed I feel much the same about it as this one. I don't think either lives up to the potential of a really good idea. I hope you have a lot of fun with it. Happy New Year!
That was a fun journey! I agree with your review. I expected a simple game in the end, but not so much of a rush job. The lack of a final boss monster is a grave mistake. Still, it was a good series to follow and I liked your short presentation each day.
Merry Christmas!
I’m really happy you enjoyed the videos. It was a struggle some days to get the videos out but it was an interesting challenge.
To the bitter end! It seems like some board and positional elements of Deadzone (and HALO FP) should have been utilized here. And yes, it needed that boss monster miniature. They should have included all least one purpose-made mini here. Anyway, Merry Christmas, we too are gearing up for Muppet Christmas Carol this evening!
A boss monster would have been a great way to finish off the calendar. Thanks for being here for the series!
i will probably pick up this calendar for next year, having done the barroom brawl this year. i like these better than a chocolate calendar and the value is not really in the game but in the items that can be used elsewhere.
At £30, I'm not sure the value is really there for just the components for me. I feel I would have to at least like the game a bit and really enjoy the excitement of opening the door each day. So, I would definitely need to see a revamp of the concept before considering it again. I will have to see what next year brings!
Merry Christmas to you and your family, and we’ll done getting through the calendar. Glad I didn’t get this one in the end, but sure if the setting really lends its self to Christmas, unlike the festive calendar Bar room brawl I got last year, that was fun and festive😁. Even getting random bits of furniture like tables and chair were fun as they add mostly to the game, even loved the dice I got with it too. The characters were fun too. The game though not the best game ever it was fun especially with the family. If you. Bit sun that one definitely give it a shot next year. Again Merry Christmas and thank you for the vids this year.
I purposefully chose the sci-fi one as I thought I would enjoy it more than Bar Room Brawl. I saw the Brawl calendar last year and watched it being opened this year, and it doesn't do anything for me. There were lots of days of tokens (a day with just a single token behind the door felt very cheap), duplicate terrain elements, the festive characters would be of very limited use outside of the game, and I already have a lot of Mantic fantasy terrain anyway. If Mantic don't revisit and revise the concept, I won't be going back for another go!
Merry Christmas!
Mantic and shoddy execution; name a more iconic duo 🤷 In any case, have a pleasant holiday time mister Never Boring, sir.
Happy holidays!
Enjoyed this even more than my own Lindt chocolate teddy bear calendar
Cor. I do like a bit of Lindt.
Merry Christmas one and all 🎉. Well done on completing this project. You know I actually think all set up it looks pretty good. Obviously the game is basic but it looks decent. I think it was a good buy overall. Just missing that boss character.
That boss character feels like an oversights and it would have been a thematically relevant reveal for the final door. Have a merry Christmas!
Nice to finally get to the end and it’s being great to compare your calendar to my barroom brawl calendar day by day. I do think the barroom brawl is the better game, being festive and better thought out.
Have a happy Christmas 😊
Thanks for watching. Merry Christmas!
Merry Xmas from the future! I had a nagging suspicion that the terrain wouldn't do anything. There seemed to be an awful lot of it for an advent calendar game.
As the calendar went on, I started to feel more and more like the furniture selection was based on "this is what we have, so this is what you get," and that it wouldn't do anything in the game. It would have been easy to add rules for it all.
Thank you for an honest review, I nearly bought this but something felt off so I spent my money elsewhere, I have looked at getting their sci-fi terrain pieces as shown in your vid but now I see them they look like old school injection moulded soft plastic so I'll be giving Mantic a miss. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
They are soft plastic. Any thin elements like the table legs are pretty flexible. Thanks for watching, and merry Christmas!
"Being thrown together" has been my limited experience of Mantic
I have to admit, I don't have the best track record with Mantic. Even their games that I can step back and admire for various reasons generally haven't connected with me or been enjoyable for me.
Happy Christmas ABNB. Sorry the game didn't live up to your expectations!
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for persevering with this series. Particularly with the dry humour. Think there should be a model every day and tokens should be included with some of the terrain instead. Shame the game was a bit pants.
A model every day would probably drive the price too high, but I think there needed to be a lot more than five. I would rather have paid more to feel that there was something more interesting behind each door.
Looking at it, I would have preferred a run the gauntlet style game rather than a tower defence. They so easily could have given you more minis. I know the rules they gave don't require them, but that is an easy fix. They've already got the facilities to make them and it wouldn't cost any more to make the minis than it would the terrain pieces. And making a solo/2 player game for a xmas thing is a little depressing. They could have easily done a 4 player game with the resources they had. Hell, they could have given you a single scenario Star Saga game, just with simplified rules.
The choice of a solo/two-player game was purposeful. The other calendar they did this year is for two to four players, so this was a way of enticing the solo gaming market as well. It worked, because the solo play was one of the reasons I wanted this one over Barroom Brawl.
So... you're saying it was not a Terra-Ton of fun?
Which version of Christmas Carol are you watching? I was always partial to the Black Adder varient 😅
Muppet Christmas Carol.
@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring also a really good one! 🥰
Hmm this kind of comes across as mantic’s version of the battle in Balins’ tomb board game. The idea is there but it is half done at best .
The whole calendar was a good idea that I feel was let down in execution. The game feels a bit too thrown together.
game seems to funtion pretty good
I don't really agree. It has issues that need to be addressed (spawning rolls and line of sight need work in particular). There are a few good ideas though.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring i feel i might be a pinch more intrigued by it
I think i agree with you on most points, the terrain was my biggest bugbear as your right, opening a crate was meh, then rtealising it had no real funtion in the game other than acting as a wall was a let down. If we or I do play this again it will be with the Aristeia! bocking terrain I printed up for that game as that makes more sense to me.
It did give the impression of filling the doors with whatever they had, which didn't feel special. Rules would have been easy - ammo crates to replenish one bonus action, high terrain blocks line of sight and movement, low terrain blocks movement, monitors let you remotely seal a hatch. That sort of thing. Even then, the layout of the board doesn't make sense, with this random selection of terrain just strewn around in the middle of the room.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Ammo racks could have made walls properly, I like the crates as a way to access the bonus range shots. It does feel like they did the rules and then 'what have we got to fill the boxes with', which was a shame as love the idea and concept. However, if they had all new stuff in it the cost point would rise a lot.
I don't think it has to be all custom made to work, but it needs to feel more complete, rather than being a game with a grab bag of bits thrown on top. It needs to feel like each piece in the calendar is adding something to the whole experience. I would happily have paid a little more for a more robust game and extra miniatures - especially that missing boss miniature!
Well, that was a little bit of a let down. I didn't buy the calendar as I already have plenty of Mantic terrain and minis, just not the board and rules. As you say, great idea but needs more time in the oven.
Thanks for the daily videos. I've enjoyed watching each one as they came out.
Glad you enjoyed watching, and I hope this calendar idea is something that can be improved on in the future.
Spoiling on the back of the box, well, spoils the surprise. On the other hand, I don't think I'd pay good money for something like this without knowing in advance what's in it.
It's a tricky balance, but I think they went too far. They told is what all five miniatures would be, how many dice and tokens there would be, and it was too easy to figure out what they were doing with the terrain. I think you need to know enough to invest, but not so much like you feel opening the doors becomes pointless, as that is the gimmick.
Word of the day: Shoddy!!!!
I do like the word shoddy.
@ It does capture the essence of the advent calendar, sadly. Happy holidays to you and yours! I hope that you have a great time playing this game with your daughter!
WOW! just set dressing? damn. Although its because this game is built around other excess game parts?
Using Terrain Crate terrain was clearly the easiest way for them to fill the calendar, but it wouldn't have been hard to incorporate the components into the game - Tables only block movement, shelves block line of sight, terminals allow you to remotely close the hatches, crates let you replenish one bonus action...
Thank you for bravely enduring the 24 days ;-)
I got the calendar for my nephew and what can I say, this calendar was a big disappointment. No story or rule snippets, e.g. on the inside of the doors.
Over the whole 24 days there was no interaction with the characters or terrain pieces. Why don't you learn the first rules for cover or line of sight with the first figures and terrain pieces, and the first attacks with the dice?
In the end I found out. There are almost no rules and the gameplay is generic, boring and copied from other existing games. I wasn't expecting a 100-page rulebook or in-depth tactics. But with a little effort, this could have been something great.
Absolutely. Great concept, but the execution was off. Someone else mentioned it would have been good if you got the book out at the start and each day you read a bit further into the instructions and lore, so you gradually learned the rules and background of the game as you went along. That would have added a lot, but the game at the end needs to be stronger too.
To have so much furniture over the 24 days, only to discover you don't even need to put it on the board because the terrain is already marked out was so disappointing, and there is nothing much to be enthusiastic about opening a door and getting one single, small plastic crate.
Making the series was a fun challenge for the channel, but something would have to be significantly different for me to do this again. There are other calendar options for gamers, and maybe I will try one of those.
Well done Kev. Glad I didn't buy this... I was in 2 minds, but having bought lots of Mantic games in the past and never played any of them... Some boxes are still un-opened, I decided against it as the price really put me off.
It’s a hard thing to recommend really.
I hope you do another advent game calendar next year. Hopefully this didnt put you off.
I would need to find a better calendar. Maybe Mantic will improve on the concept next year or I can find another company doing one that I like the look of.
I feel something like the Stormbringer/Combat patrol Magazines of warhammer would have been better. Make it so that you get 2 Figures in the first 2 days with dices and give you a small mission every few days. I get it is difficult to do if you onl get 1 Thing per day... But why not give the dice needed first so these are doors that can be filled up with other stuff to actually play? I get it, to save money but hm...
There is definitely scope for a good board game calendar. Not sure how a company could do it cost-effectively though.
@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring A dungeon system like hero quest might be just the thing. Admittedly, a small thing. Unless it turns into a skirmish battler after all. With around 4 to 8 figures. And mostly terrain. And maybe tiles or the map as an overall thing. Again, there need to be tools from the very beginning to look at, a guide to give you an idea what to expect and to slowly get you into it. Learning by playing a bit every day, basic scenarios. Learn how to move, how to fight, how to explore, how terrain works, etc. Bit by bit everyday with the possibility to make use of what you got before to ensure you can afford a boring opening or two. At least your collection is still good for something then.
Basically I would prefee an interactive manual guide over getting everything at the very end. You'd have an entire month worth of time to figurw it out.
So a Mantic game pretty much.
Ha. Yes, I haven't had the best luck with Mantic games.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Deadzone is their best, but it's a cluster F of rules and changes to army lists. Every edition radically changes things and I am done buying for it.
I'm building Armoured Clash stuff right now. Warcradles new 10mm Dystopian Wars land combat game. Pretty neat so far.
The only Warcradle product I have tried was Stirginium Skies for Dystopian Wars and I found it all a bit too fiddly for my liking. I eventually ended up moving it on to another home.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring This one isn't that bad. It's an epic scale game but loadouts are more controlled and weapons are target based rather than specifically itemized and named. It uses custom dice, unfortunately, but here they mostly just represent d6 numbers without having to use charts. Has a cool card thing that is used for suppression and morale, and the cards can be spent to do cool things or used for claiming VPs after some actions.
It's also designed by James Hewitt.
Merry Christmas!!!
James Hewitt has designed some absolute crackers, but a few of his titles like Hellboy didn't land with me. On the whole, I think he has more (and better) hits than misses.
Merry Christmas to you too!
I enjoyed following the series, and think getting a small piece of terrain daily would be fun.
But
The game seems uninspired, lazy, and not really tied to the physical components in any meaningful way.
Glad I followed the series, glad I didn't spend my own money on the product though.
They could have done more to make it all feel tied together. You really could have played the game with just the paper map, miniatures, and tokens. The blocking terrain is already marked on the map, so the furniture pieces only add a visual element, and plonking bookcases and specimen jars randomly in a large open space actually makes things feel less thematic as it doesn't make sense.
I"ll be honest, I was pretty disappointed with the miniatures in this one. Compare them to lets say the Dom Boardgame 2016, sharp versus very blobby details.
Hopefully Mantic learn from this one.
I think these miniatures are fine for what they are, but there are better board game quality pieces on the market. The red plastic doesn't do them justice, as it tends to blow out on the camera. They should paint up pretty well, and I do like the Teraton a lot.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I could have sworn they did Teratons in plastic for the Rebs faction? I'm a bit out of the Mantic loop. Everytime I go to their website it's Halo.. Halo.. Halo lol
Well,that was a shit show. But the Veer-men are nice and you can always home brew some rules. Seems like you already have. So,was it worth the money? Hopefully you'll get some more views as people catch up but on the whole,I had fun. And that's what's important about games. And Christmas. And life in general.
Merry Christmas,you old savings & loan!
Ha. It was a bit. To make the game better the LoS rules need to be revised, and also the spawning rules need to be adjusted to add more pressure. It is possible to have no enemies to fight on a fairly regular basis.
All five miniatures are good, and the furniture will be useful, even if some of it is a bit boring. From a content perspective, I made 25 videos out of this one purchase, so it's paid its way in that respect, but from the perspective of a gamer, I don't think the value is quite there in the end. You are paying a certain amount for the presentation and the experience, so I'm not surprised the value seems slightly "off" compared to a regular board game, but if I am paying for that experience I want it to be better than it was. There weren't enough days where I could open the door and feel really enthusiastic about what was inside. But, it was a fun challenge doing the video series, and as much as I poked fun during the process, I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Probably won't do it again, though...
I haven't had a chance to watch It's a Wonderful Life This Year. Maybe that will be what I do Christmas afternoon as I vegetate on the sofa.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring The problem with the "experience" is you can only have it once. So if it's a game worth having or the stuff inside is worthwhile,it's good. Otherwise,I dunno. Like I said,there's other things to spend your money on.
Still,video series like these help people know what it's all about so they can make smarter purchases. And that helps people get what they want and not what they think they're getting. So it's all good in the end. Journey completed,experience gained,we're all a little wiser. And that's a gift worth giving.
If it's a really good experience, then it can offset that value for me, but absolutely - you only get it once - so it should be really fun. This calendar was pretty middling. There was certainly more they could have done - more to make it feel like it had been put together with thought and care. All that furniture really did feel like it was just thrown in to fill up the days rather than adding real value. There is definitely a good idea here, though.
Thanks for watching, and merry Christmas.
The fantasy one was better, this one seems a little dull.
I've watched Barroom Brawl being opened and I felt much the same way as I did about this one, really. A lot of the days wouldn't have been very exciting, there seemed to be a lot more tokens - one day there was just a single token behind one door - and while I liked the miniatures (and there were more of them) they were festive themed which means I wouldn't have got much use out of them. It may have a better game at the end of it - it wouldn't be that hard! - but I don't think I would have felt much different overall. For me, I don't think either really lived up to the potential.
@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring That’s really a shame, I can understand your disappointment. The other option is Mighty Lancer Games calendar. A lot more miniatures, but no game at the end of course.
Maybe I will splurge £250 on the Tabletop Gaming board game calendar next year. That would be something.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Not heard of that one. It could be fun!