I am baking the merchant level, the buildings do seem cumbersome, but the rest of the details and quality of life details are worth for me. Plus this is the one game that brought my circle of friends together back when I was a loner. Also my two cents about the theme, we shouldn't shy away from these, they are great themes to do boardgames around and be able to use them as teaching tools around a safe group and environment without actually engaging in the acts themselves. I am from a Latin American country with it's past and struggles as well, and this helped me understand better parts of my own country's history. Censoring themes or shying away from them only ends up erasing them from our minds and cultures, doing more harm than good in the end.
So a few things for me, I loved Castles of Burgundy, I went all in on it. The building pack was a mistake as I never use it and I told myself it be a waste but the collector side of me just had to have it. When it comes to Puerto Rico I was going to back it while opting out of the Building Terrain pack but I think the #1 reason you gave here really hits hard for me. The collector side of me just wants to have the game in my collection but that money and even storage space could just be used for something better and as noted in about two years I think the hype and interest that I've suddenly had for this game will likely be long gone. With Castles of Burgundy the thing going for it was I really really enjoy the gameplay so getting the obnoxiously over the top deluxification is more justified. I enjoy these videos you put together as with many game campaigns what always rubs me is when you get too many people that just gloss over things and add to the hype opposed to giving you the real details to help navigate to better choices.
@@grey729 I have exactly the same thought process. I backed CoB on this 2nd wave and got the minis for the same collectors mindset. I love CoB. I know damn well I will play with the minis once and never again. Point 1 here also got me. I know when I get this game in 2 years I will be way less excited, it just isn’t in my list of favorites.
@@ryanhelster5543 Just wanted to say that incase you didnt get the sundrop for the minis then you really should for CoB. The building Sundrop is pretty good unless you intend to paint all the buildings. One day I know I will put the buildings to use.
As someone who has never played PR before, the campaign interested me before it launched. Once it launched and the non-lizard parts of my brain kicked in, I decided to pass on this campaign and instead picked up the recent 1897 release for under $38 and got it in hand a few days ago. The primary reasons I would reconsider and back the standard edition is the larger building tile sizes and the building tray, but that version plus shipping is 2x what I just paid for such a similar version.
You are always spot on with your crowdfunding reviews. I've never played Puerto Rico, but thought about backing this as I love the game mechanics. I don't need the miniatures, but I love quality materials in games. Your number 1 reason has made me rethink my investment and will probably try to play with people at my level on BGA. Thanks.
I am a hard core chess geek. I could get a very cheap copy for a few dollars at a yard sale. Instead, I have a very nice set. I like the way the pieces look. I like the way the quartz feels in my hand. I like the clicking sounds when placing the pieces. It’s a pleasurable part of the experience to remove/replace the beautiful pieces from the felt lined wooden box they come in. Does the opulence of the game do anything for the rules? Not at all. For me, and I’m probably in the minority, the aesthetic experience of playing the game is just as important as the game itself. It is a sensual experience.
I agree with this poster. Board game enthusiasts shouldn't feel guilty if they want *nice* versions of their favorite games. As long as the model is financially sustainable and *cheaper* versions of our beloved games exist, everyone wins. Board gaming is inherently a tactile, physical experience, and our lizard brain is giving good chemicals when the things we touch and feel are also aesthetically pleasing!
I am almost totally with you. And if I like a game I will certainly go all out for the toy affair - sometimes as important to me as how the game plays, especially when it is drooling with theme. Similarly to your love for chess, I play go and there's nothing like the feel and sound of shell and slate on shinkaya. What I think is different with hobby board games, is that my plays of a classic game like go can be counted in the hundreds and it is only natural for me to own a beautiful, quality set as part of something that I have not only played but also studied and read about for years. This is by no means comparable to how much table time or attention my most pimped up game may have got - that, I may very well be able to count with my fingers. It is very important that I put my financial involvement in a crowdfunding project to the test with a simple question like: will the game end up being a one-time shot, vainglorious decoration on my shelves, or a repeated, actual physical and social experience?
So, I am backing Puerto Rico with acrylic and buildings (but not the other stuff). So, Landscape pledge plus acrylics. It all goes back to my wife's all-time favorite game, Castles of Burgundy. We had the Alea version for years. So, I backed the special edition. I got the acrylics and did NOT get the buildings. We are still very happy that I opted out of the buildings. And she absolutely loves the blinged out copy. Now on to Puerto Rico, and did I mention that my wife is Puerto Rican? 😅 I used to own the original version with the Meeple Source upgrades, plastic dubloons, and thicker print and play tiles with the updated artwork. I ended up trading it away not because of the lack of game time but because I was being offered a much more valuable game in my own eyes. So, this is a great opportunity for me to get the blinged out special edition, and I know my wife already loves the acrylic tiles from CoB. But why the buildings this time? I have asked the creator if the buildings will block the text ability of the building tiles. They said no, which is what I wanted. I have asked if the sculpts will be different based on the building art. They said yes, which is also what I wanted. So, that is why I'm backing and what I am getting. And it really feels like you're almost talking yourself into backing it, at least at the acrylic level by the time you got to the end of your video 😅
Is the acrylic because the tiles wear out? I forget if they are pulled out of a bag or gently shuffled face-down on the table. I was leaning against the acrylic because I thought they were handled less...
@Vagueperson it's your preference. I prefer to pull blind from a bag, but others prefer shuffling face down and stacking. My wife and I play Burgundy SE a lot and we have not seen any wear on the acrylics.
You actually convinced me to cancel my pledge. My group is sometimes lazy on set up and while i love the minis on games and it does bring me joy, the king maker one does get to me.
I have gotten so much better about crowdfunding a lot of help definitely comes from you. However, this game has been on my must buy list since the announcement. With a wedding coming up in about two months I was hoping you could possibly talk me out of it but now I just want it more! Thanks for making the attempt. Anxious for you to talk me out of the next game.
You should give the game a try it is pretty satisfying in my opinion. The solo mode they made for the special edition actually works quite well too but it took me a bit to grasp it confidently unlike the solo mode in Lords of Ragnarok which I dunno if I will ever actually learn.
@@grey729 - Of course I'm gonna give it a try! 😂I haven't found the time to learn, and then teach everyone in my group. But I will, some day... Shut up!
I can guarantee the vast majority of folks bothered by colonization themes are not from these regions. Its just people taking offense for a different group, its highly condescending. As someone born in a Latin America country with similar history, we don't hide our past but are proud that we overcame it. I don't see these same people holding their pitchforks against Feast for Odin, a game that lets you pillage for loot and resources. I don't see anyone crying foul against Battlefield V, a game that lets you play as Nazi. If anything I'm highly worried that people need disclaimers that murder = bad or slavery = bad. Its entirely possible to derive entertainment from a theme and explore its multiple facets without endorsing its contents, otherwise we would have no war games.
As a person who is bothered by colonialism themes, and who is not from a formerly-colonized country, I can confirm that you're probably right about there being a lot of us, but I'd like to offer my perspective, because it's not meant to be condescending. I'm not bothered by the colonial theme of the original Puerto Rico because it makes me feel pity for Puerto Ricans; you're right that they (and other colonized peoples) have a lot to be proud of. What bothers me about these themes is that I, as a descendant of colonizers, do not want to reenact that act of oppression. Even when it's "just a game", I don't like doing it. For the same reason, I have no desire to play as the Nazis in any game, Battlefield or otherwise. I'm not trying to reduce these themes to "murder = bad" or "slavery = bad", but I also don't want to do a genocide. There's nothing wrong with war games existing, nor even games about colonialism, but context matters. Jason Perez actually makes a great point about this in his videos on the subject - I'm paraphrasing a bit, but he observes that Puerto Rico really isn't "exploring the multiple facets" of colonialism, but simply taking as its fundamental premise the benefits that the colonizers gained from it. To the extent that the game's theme grapples with colonialism, it does so entirely uncritically. Again, I don't object to the game existing in its original form, people are allowed to enjoy it if they want, but it's not how I want to spend my leisure time, and it's why the 1897 re-theme appeals to me. I take your point about A Feast For Odin, although I might argue that the difference there is that the Viking raids of the 7th-11th centuries were not explicitly enabled by a systematic enslavement and exploitation of the global South, the effects of which continue to economically disadvantage entire continents to this day. I guess it's a matter of scale, though, and even if "less murder than the Holocaust" and "less exploitation than the Transatlantic Slave Trade" are meaningful distinctions to me, you can justifiably lump them into the same category if you want.
the thing with Puerto Rico is that we never overcame it... Puerto Rico es STILL a colony of the USA and being sucked dry and neglected byt the US. We are NOT an intependent country.
You bring up some valid points, but to me it´s very fun to have an upgraded version. Maybe some of the buildings will bring bloat, but I have already blinged out my old edition a lot and it always bothered me that it was just flimsy paper VP tokens and tiny colored discs for people. This will for sure appeal to my main gaming group compared to the old version. I think what I like the most with the main editions are the workers, the resource upgrades, the playmat and the acrylic tiles. I am still undecided about the buildings, but I think they are potentially more functional compared to the ones in CoB.
Number 1 made me cancel my pledge. First time I've listened to you and became convinced to not back a game. Thank you! I'll be playing this with my wife or with new players. In both cases we'll be suffering from what you mentioned. Maybe I'll pick up a used copy in a couple of years though :)
That's sad to hear. I really disagree with his number #1. The game is so nicely designed that you don't always know you're losing until you've lost. By his reasoning you should never play chess either because if you don't realize the first opening moves make a huge difference, you'll have lost. But chess is still the most popular boardgame ever so I don't think people care that they haven't studied all the grandmasters optimal opening moves. Also, when I sit down to introduce this game to newbies I always tell them: get money early as it loses its value later in the game but is really important upfront, always try to do what the player on your left is doing and avoid what the player on your right is doing. I want people to understand the strategy of the game, I'm not trying to keep secrets just to win. Games like Dune Imperium and Agricola can make you feel horrible the whole way through the game if you misstep early because you know you've lost but there's nothing to do about it. PR doesn't do that - you may have lost by turn 4, but you have fun the whole way through, oblivious to the fact that your opponents know they've won.
@@wagbranthenrikIf you can't have fun playing games even if you lose, or know you might lose, then yeah don't play. But I wouldn't want to play with someone who only has fun when they win, they are terrible players.
@Jarb2104 I'm not saying a game is boring if you lose, I'm saying that a game where it basically is predictable who will win every time is not as fun as a game where a new player can beat experienced players. That was what the video presented it as, an experienced player will always beat new players and with 2 experienced players and 1 new player it is even predictable who will win of those two players. I have never played this game so I have to trust this video. It's an expensive game and the whole point of this video is to convince people not to back it - and I was convinced. My take away is that this game is great and really fun, but not the best to play with new players. There are plenty of board games and this game, though really good, doesn't fit my and my wife's collection at the moment.
@@wagbranthenrik Um, okay, but that's just how every game works? Or at least the huge and vast majority of "competitive" games. Unless the game relies heavily on RNG, which to be honest is not fun IMHO, I never expect to win when I sit to play a new game and there's someone who has expirience in the game. My guess is that you're the type of gamer that favors cooperative games vs competitive ones, which is fine, I also like a little bit better cooperative games, but we can't dismiss games just because they have a skill level, PR is winnable after 2 o 3 games IMHO, that's why I am actually backing this one. However I might be wrong and you'll never win against the more expirience gamer, and that is fine in my book, as long as I have fun.
Puerto Rico was a game that hit my group before I was a gamer. By the time I started they had moved on so I never learned it. They know it so well that if I got it they would just crush me.
Pledge canceled, you are a legend Chris and here to save me from myself. Being relatively new to board gaming I’ve never played PR. I loved CoB and the latest special edition campaign got me bad with FOMO. I have no doubt that I will try the game with the minis once and then likely never again. I’ll try PR on BGA first, then come back during late pledging if I like it. Your point #1 was the most impactful for me. I tend to play with a lot of casuals, a punishing game will turn those people off immediately.
I'm in the same boat as you, I own the same version, I hardly play it... but I've kept it all the same. It's a great game... but I don't need to spend more money to get a pretty version. This is a great video, helping people to stay grounded on these KS campaigns and really think about if they "need" it or not. For many (11,677 from last check) the answer is yes. But these videos help keep those backing as the excited ones, and not so many future regret-ers.
Spot on: I have played Puerto Rico only about 15 times, even though I'm ok in other boardgames, Puerto Rico has been a very though start as my friends have all played it 100+ times before me. Thanks for sharing :)
Great video! Thank you. You talked me down from the special edition to the standard. I still think the bigger tiles, the better UI, better graphic design, "new expansion", and new solo mode, make it worth it to me. I can fully skip the plastic. I wish GF would allow you to buy the coins as an add-on. Its been a fairly muted campaign. This was great perspective. Thanks.
I just love Deluxe Games in Big Boxes! I backed All-In on Castles of Burgundy, I recently bought Foundations of Rome, I own Terraforming Mars the Big Box, Yedo and La Granja Deluxe with everything... you understand. But, I won't touch any of PR pledges... And you know why? I play only 2-player games, with my spouse! And PR, as a game, is just OK with two players - and superb with 3+, as we know. So, it's not worth, for me, and I'll stay on my classic edition...
The most brutal and hard wake-up call that many prefer to ignore is the question "do you have a bunch of players who would agree to play this board game together with you more than 1-2 times?". If yes - you can buy it. If no... well, some games power up my mood just by being present on my shelf, so if buying this won't put a strain on my budget, why not?
I haven't pledged yet. I'm much more into higher quality experiences (we do a lot of Etsy upgrades), so I've found an old copy of the game in my father in laws collection that we're going to try out first and see if it's what we enjoy playing. BGA is definitely a very good tool to test gameplay
I'm primarily a solo player so am interested in the solo mode. I've got CoB: Special Edition and the solo automa play there is great. So I'm hopeful it will be a similar situation here. Similarly, I'm watching if the stretch goals will address some of shortcomings you've mentioned and mitigate established strategies, like the ones announced in Day 5. Standard edition has poor value IMO and folks should just go out to get the 1897 version instead if they are just looking at the standard edition. If I'm backing this, I'll probably take the Special Edition with acrylic tiles (as in CoB) and avoid the 3d buildings altogether. The overheads of including them in the game is not worth it as they don't add anything to the gameplay itself. Loved the look of the 3d buildings though!
Im definitely getting the standard edition with the San Juan card game. The figures and plastic don’t entice me. I’m also very excited for the Solo-gameplay.
Puerto Rico was number 1 on BGG for years. It would still be in my top 10. I didn't need another reason not to back this Kickstart... I generally hate games with elaborate space taking toys... knowing the history, I would never back this.
I got CoB special edition retail in some crazy discount, played some games, i absolutely loved it, my group absolutely loved it and got most the bling this year in the reprint. Puerto Rico, though, never clicked for my friends... I got original version + the 2 expansions sitting on shelf but I can't see anyone else playing it with me 😅 not to mention I loathe kingmaking... Solo mode by D Turczi sounds tempting but not that much money tempting. Will probably be available somewhere on bgg I guess.
I did not know about the kingmaker aspect. That is a mayor flaw in my eyes. Can you imagine a chess where a player playing with white would have 30% more chance of winning? Basically a flawed game. No point. I can get past all the other non game essentials being pricey and whatnot, it's just personal preference. But a flawed design is not. I cancelled my pledge, thanks man!
I don't appreciate the idea of revamping themes to accommodate contemporary sensibilities, especially when those sensibilities are coming from a very small, albeit vocal, part of the community. I have no issue with people voicing concern, I'm just not a fan of publishers thinking those people represent a large portion of the community. I think people forget that the board game community is 1000 times bigger than the angry forum section on Board Game Geek. As much as I love the game, I won't purchase this because I'm against the retheming, much like the Libertalia retheme, and I'd wager there as many doing the same as myself as there are people who would have not purchased the release had it maintained its colonial packaging. It's okay for games to have theme that's a little historically messy and real. In fact, in my opinion, it's preferable.
Lol the number of people who don't like the glorification and gamification of colonialism is not a small minority of the population. The majority of young people share this view. Litterally the main reason companies do this sort of thing is because it appeals to a broader market. They just want to make money and selling a product that people feel uncomfortable about isn't a good way to do that.
That's a very long winded way of coming out as a racist. Also the existing community doesn't have a special claim to board gaming nor a specific right to themes that glorify colonialism. Maybe the reason people who are there to object to these themes are a minority is that others were pushed away from board gaming altogether by racist neckbeards like you. Also companies generally want to broaden their customer base and becoming beholden to a small core of reactionary gatekeepers is something they want to avoid.
We had a player in our group that would be in the category of those who would break the game. We learned to win the game regardless of seat order. But, then again, we have played the game a few hundred times... and yes, we have the data to prove it. 😁
"...so If you are a person who knows that you love deluxifications, you know thats the only way to experience a game, I still think you're lying to yourself..." 😅😂🤣😅
I don't agree with reason #1. We've played enough to know how to catch up to players that seemingly are way ahead. One thing is true. Not once a rookie player has won their first game in our group.
I've said this before, I'm from Puerto Rico. We've played the game a few hundred times during the past two decades. None of us, or any fellow Puerto Rican I've presented the game to, has been offended by it. We know our history... our _real_ history; not the one SJWs offer.
I didnt realize that being uncomfortable playing the white masters bringing in slaves to compete for wealth on our island (yes, i'm also Puerto rican) was an "SJW" thing. I have total solidarity with Jason.
@@parisceive4963me too. I’m Puerto Rican too. We are tired of the racial democracy myth. Black history in Puerto Rico needs to be handled with care. I be they ain’t gonna releerse the Marcos Xiorro expansion. Stop playin. No se hagan.
Was holding out to the end. Going to pass on this. I can get it used for 1/4 the price. Other than the bling there’s nothing new enough here to give it my “must have” tag
So play 2nd seat when teaching new players until they catch up in skill. The new automas make this edition tempting, as they can be added to multiplayer games as well as solo. The retheme, endless variants and seat/turn order issues do make the game a bit of a mess. I am undecided about backing.
@@klaus3856 it's not about going first, first player rotates every round and the order keeps moving forward. It's more about how your plays define what the other players will do
Number 1 saved me $200. I would play this with my kids as well as friend and punishing isn't helpful. Plus, since my gateway of Catan, I loath king making
My main reason not to back this is that I wasn't to fond of the original game in the first place. Second reason is that it gives me the same feeling as with the special Castles of Burgundy campaign. Too many unnecessary pieces that really doesn't makes the experience better. Also needs to be painted unless you want beige everywhere. Third reason is that all these unnecessary bits will make the shipping and VAT cost just too expensive. So hard pass for me!
It's akin to selling overpriced skins in video games. At least board games are pretty good at keeping their equivalent of microtransactions to being cosmetic/not significant gameplay additions.
I love to feel the theme in board game. There are plenty of games that I did not buy just because art is awfull. I am hardcore euro player but I want to play board game not excel game. Euro plays for me is not just pushing cubes on board with squares. I want to feel that I am terraforming or planting or exploring.
For me i feel like all the 3d print is a waste making the game look nicer, but will make the game set up and clean up longer. Making worst for Players who feel like they are losting or wasting time. I think they should just make a Puerto Rico Online Video Game on steam, instead.
The old one is good enough. Better get a new game than try to improve what is already good. Avoiding to focus on divisive politics or on always winning also makes life easier. It's just a game, not like chess or MtG. (those are also just games, but slightly more "important")
I've had pretty much no interest in playing Puerto Rico since I realized the thematic implications of it years ago. And it's a shame they screwed over their cutural consultant but hardly suprising these days. Companies have less and less morality and look for every opportunity they can to exploit their workers to make a few extra bucks. But just because they all do it doesn't make it right.This game in particular reeks of "souless cash grab" to me and I've no interest in it.
I've never agreed with Jason Perez's political views on the Puerto Rico Board Game, but they burned him badly. Live and learn the consequences of "handshake deals." Mr. Perez didn't watch the McDonald's movie with Micheal Keaton.
Some of your reasons for not backing the game is that Puerto Rico plays like Puerto Rico. So that has nothing to do with this special edition. That's just about the game in general.
Awakened Realms go from using AI art to recycling art. Several million dollar campaigns and they go cheap on art. Also the minis are gonna be annoying and fall over in comparison to the discs.
Of course you wouldn't mention solo mode as one of the stretch goals - your hateful bias against anything that has big campaigns, is so transparent, only a dumb person wouldn't be able to see through it. I myself never got this game as I only play solo or two players. Now I can, and I am looking forward to it!
@@boriskirov3953 I have always been a hateful person against fun and I'm not going to stop now! But I'll make one exception for your enjoyment of the solo mode, glad you're looking forward to it :)
@@RoomandBoardReviews yeah man you always are so negative about games and some campaigns, maybe change the hobby? Btw I don't care about lavish productions and never back anything other than standard editions - but you just hate things for the sake of hating things (seems to be trendy). Whenever I see your video popping up on my feed (just like this one), it's always something negative. Just my two cents. I am looking forward to this one for sure.
@@boriskirov3953 clearly you skip the intros where I say I'm not being negative for the sake of being negative, but I understand the attention span of the internet is short.
@RoomandBoardReviews bro, talk is cheap - your videos show the opposite. And just like you said - this young generation (counting you in of course) is very quick to make wrong assumptions!
@@boriskirov3953 you're right, why don't you go watch my 500+ videos and get back to me with a full report on my negativity. I can back myself up, you unfortunately don't have a leg to stand on. I deal with people like you on the daily.
You can't say you love Puerto Rico and enjoy this game at the same time!!!! Considering that Puerto Rico is still a colony of the US, this game is extremely insensitive and disgusting. It breaks my heart to see so many people enjoy it and don't truly understand what the game is really about. Puerto Rico is an actual island with millions of amazing people... Those little figurines and fictional characters you use to have fun were real people who went through the horrors of colonialism and slavery. This is just disrespectful. I understand how it can serve as a teaching tool but just reading from the comments, the target demographic for this game will never even acknowledge the existence of colonialism...
Reason 5 is enough. I know it's a capitalist system and we live in contradiction, but the game is about literal historical slavery of Black (and possibly indigenous) folks. To repeat that today in the cost of labor and not paying people gives me the ick. We don't live in a vacuum where our games aren't informed by and inform institutions people. I think there is an important distinction to make when it comes to this game vs. say, a Feast for Odin. I've noticed folks both on BGG and and Board Game Reviewers/Influencers who believe this is an apples to apples example of hypocrisy which it is not. Viking history and pillaging of peoples is also history yes, but the legacies of that history do not have a significant negative impact - the denial of access, dignity, and quality of life - to those peoples in broader Europe (who evolved into groups like the English, French, Irish, etc.). Abhorrent yes, a part of history, also yes, but that history does not make peoples' literal lives harder right now. Puerto Rico is still a colony, not independent, and those that would argue that it does not want to leave the U.S. run into the issue of political status as a territory and not a state without the same voting power as others in the states. There are practices including the sterilization of Puerto Rican women to experiment with birth control and "contain poverty" - some of whom are still alive. Stories matter when they inform and continue to shape the power dynamics and outcomes of peoples' lives from casual racism to job denial to over policing. Groups are not monoliths, and even if there are some from these populations that may be okay with this, personal opinion is not the same as the reality of the continued systemic oppression of poor people and people of color (and other marginalized groups). I believe the industry as a whole would do better to understand that and properly compensate/do the work to improve marginalized communities if they wish to use their stories/history; e.g., A Feast for Odin doesn't need to pay back the English who seem to be doing fine but if you want to tell a story about peoples who still face systemic struggle, I think it's more than theme or even cultural consultants. How can we work in partnership with communities in efforts to transform systems is what I think about. Scholarships? Proceeds to educate folks on history? Donations to service groups? Labor to enact political change? Food for thought. - Some Random Community Organizer, Person of Color, Child of Refugees, and Teacher with a degree in Ethnic Studies who watches every Crowdfunding Countdown and thinks about this stuff A LOT.
I'll say that point 5 is enough for me to avoid the game (not bringing on Jason into this). I'd probably have looked for a cheaper edition of this down the line otherwise.
I like how you framed the issue around the history of the game. When there are so many amazing games on my shelf, why would I reach for the one that makes me feel a little bad? It's the same reason I stopped playing Secret H*tler. That's not to say that I can't look past the issues and still have a good time playing them if someone else really wants to play, but it's not something that I'm going to self select and put in front of people. I don't judge anyone for buying or playing the game, but it's not for me.
Really your comment does not make sense: you think of the exploitation of a cultural consultant for the new version and you don't think of millions of workers exploited during colonialism, playing the first version. You have a strange sense of what is good and what is bad. Essentially all that is not somehow related to you is good as I understand
but... but... 😅
Holly cow, that's the first time ever a YT celebrity has pinned my comment!
@@DukeJohnny haha you're the celebrity! It made me laugh 😂
I am baking the merchant level, the buildings do seem cumbersome, but the rest of the details and quality of life details are worth for me. Plus this is the one game that brought my circle of friends together back when I was a loner.
Also my two cents about the theme, we shouldn't shy away from these, they are great themes to do boardgames around and be able to use them as teaching tools around a safe group and environment without actually engaging in the acts themselves.
I am from a Latin American country with it's past and struggles as well, and this helped me understand better parts of my own country's history. Censoring themes or shying away from them only ends up erasing them from our minds and cultures, doing more harm than good in the end.
So a few things for me, I loved Castles of Burgundy, I went all in on it. The building pack was a mistake as I never use it and I told myself it be a waste but the collector side of me just had to have it. When it comes to Puerto Rico I was going to back it while opting out of the Building Terrain pack but I think the #1 reason you gave here really hits hard for me.
The collector side of me just wants to have the game in my collection but that money and even storage space could just be used for something better and as noted in about two years I think the hype and interest that I've suddenly had for this game will likely be long gone. With Castles of Burgundy the thing going for it was I really really enjoy the gameplay so getting the obnoxiously over the top deluxification is more justified.
I enjoy these videos you put together as with many game campaigns what always rubs me is when you get too many people that just gloss over things and add to the hype opposed to giving you the real details to help navigate to better choices.
@@grey729 I have exactly the same thought process. I backed CoB on this 2nd wave and got the minis for the same collectors mindset. I love CoB. I know damn well I will play with the minis once and never again.
Point 1 here also got me. I know when I get this game in 2 years I will be way less excited, it just isn’t in my list of favorites.
@@ryanhelster5543 Just wanted to say that incase you didnt get the sundrop for the minis then you really should for CoB. The building Sundrop is pretty good unless you intend to paint all the buildings. One day I know I will put the buildings to use.
As someone who has never played PR before, the campaign interested me before it launched. Once it launched and the non-lizard parts of my brain kicked in, I decided to pass on this campaign and instead picked up the recent 1897 release for under $38 and got it in hand a few days ago. The primary reasons I would reconsider and back the standard edition is the larger building tile sizes and the building tray, but that version plus shipping is 2x what I just paid for such a similar version.
You are always spot on with your crowdfunding reviews. I've never played Puerto Rico, but thought about backing this as I love the game mechanics. I don't need the miniatures, but I love quality materials in games. Your number 1 reason has made me rethink my investment and will probably try to play with people at my level on BGA. Thanks.
This talked me out of pledging. Thank you! I needed this haha
I am a hard core chess geek. I could get a very cheap copy for a few dollars at a yard sale. Instead, I have a very nice set. I like the way the pieces look. I like the way the quartz feels in my hand. I like the clicking sounds when placing the pieces. It’s a pleasurable part of the experience to remove/replace the beautiful pieces from the felt lined wooden box they come in.
Does the opulence of the game do anything for the rules? Not at all. For me, and I’m probably in the minority, the aesthetic experience of playing the game is just as important as the game itself. It is a sensual experience.
I agree with this poster. Board game enthusiasts shouldn't feel guilty if they want *nice* versions of their favorite games.
As long as the model is financially sustainable and *cheaper* versions of our beloved games exist, everyone wins.
Board gaming is inherently a tactile, physical experience, and our lizard brain is giving good chemicals when the things we touch and feel are also aesthetically pleasing!
I am almost totally with you. And if I like a game I will certainly go all out for the toy affair - sometimes as important to me as how the game plays, especially when it is drooling with theme. Similarly to your love for chess, I play go and there's nothing like the feel and sound of shell and slate on shinkaya. What I think is different with hobby board games, is that my plays of a classic game like go can be counted in the hundreds and it is only natural for me to own a beautiful, quality set as part of something that I have not only played but also studied and read about for years. This is by no means comparable to how much table time or attention my most pimped up game may have got - that, I may very well be able to count with my fingers. It is very important that I put my financial involvement in a crowdfunding project to the test with a simple question like: will the game end up being a one-time shot, vainglorious decoration on my shelves, or a repeated, actual physical and social experience?
So, I am backing Puerto Rico with acrylic and buildings (but not the other stuff). So, Landscape pledge plus acrylics. It all goes back to my wife's all-time favorite game, Castles of Burgundy. We had the Alea version for years. So, I backed the special edition. I got the acrylics and did NOT get the buildings. We are still very happy that I opted out of the buildings. And she absolutely loves the blinged out copy.
Now on to Puerto Rico, and did I mention that my wife is Puerto Rican? 😅
I used to own the original version with the Meeple Source upgrades, plastic dubloons, and thicker print and play tiles with the updated artwork. I ended up trading it away not because of the lack of game time but because I was being offered a much more valuable game in my own eyes.
So, this is a great opportunity for me to get the blinged out special edition, and I know my wife already loves the acrylic tiles from CoB. But why the buildings this time?
I have asked the creator if the buildings will block the text ability of the building tiles. They said no, which is what I wanted. I have asked if the sculpts will be different based on the building art. They said yes, which is also what I wanted. So, that is why I'm backing and what I am getting.
And it really feels like you're almost talking yourself into backing it, at least at the acrylic level by the time you got to the end of your video 😅
Is the acrylic because the tiles wear out? I forget if they are pulled out of a bag or gently shuffled face-down on the table. I was leaning against the acrylic because I thought they were handled less...
@Vagueperson it's your preference. I prefer to pull blind from a bag, but others prefer shuffling face down and stacking. My wife and I play Burgundy SE a lot and we have not seen any wear on the acrylics.
Thank you for the #1 ... that really helped me decide
Let go of your white guilt, you will feel better
@@simonb4689 #1 is the seat order one ... nothing to do with White Guilt ... that was #5. #1 is at @23:12
You actually convinced me to cancel my pledge. My group is sometimes lazy on set up and while i love the minis on games and it does bring me joy, the king maker one does get to me.
Same. Kingmaker by seat position will be killer for me. I had pledged standard, but will be cancelling now. Thank you for the video!
I have gotten so much better about crowdfunding a lot of help definitely comes from you. However, this game has been on my must buy list since the announcement. With a wedding coming up in about two months I was hoping you could possibly talk me out of it but now I just want it more! Thanks for making the attempt. Anxious for you to talk me out of the next game.
I jumped All-in into Castles of Burgundy. I've never played Castles before, and I still haven't. That's one expensive shelf decoration I now own.
You should give the game a try it is pretty satisfying in my opinion. The solo mode they made for the special edition actually works quite well too but it took me a bit to grasp it confidently unlike the solo mode in Lords of Ragnarok which I dunno if I will ever actually learn.
@@grey729 - Of course I'm gonna give it a try! 😂I haven't found the time to learn, and then teach everyone in my group. But I will, some day... Shut up!
I can guarantee the vast majority of folks bothered by colonization themes are not from these regions. Its just people taking offense for a different group, its highly condescending. As someone born in a Latin America country with similar history, we don't hide our past but are proud that we overcame it.
I don't see these same people holding their pitchforks against Feast for Odin, a game that lets you pillage for loot and resources. I don't see anyone crying foul against Battlefield V, a game that lets you play as Nazi. If anything I'm highly worried that people need disclaimers that murder = bad or slavery = bad. Its entirely possible to derive entertainment from a theme and explore its multiple facets without endorsing its contents, otherwise we would have no war games.
100%
This.
Well said 👏
As a person who is bothered by colonialism themes, and who is not from a formerly-colonized country, I can confirm that you're probably right about there being a lot of us, but I'd like to offer my perspective, because it's not meant to be condescending. I'm not bothered by the colonial theme of the original Puerto Rico because it makes me feel pity for Puerto Ricans; you're right that they (and other colonized peoples) have a lot to be proud of. What bothers me about these themes is that I, as a descendant of colonizers, do not want to reenact that act of oppression. Even when it's "just a game", I don't like doing it. For the same reason, I have no desire to play as the Nazis in any game, Battlefield or otherwise. I'm not trying to reduce these themes to "murder = bad" or "slavery = bad", but I also don't want to do a genocide.
There's nothing wrong with war games existing, nor even games about colonialism, but context matters. Jason Perez actually makes a great point about this in his videos on the subject - I'm paraphrasing a bit, but he observes that Puerto Rico really isn't "exploring the multiple facets" of colonialism, but simply taking as its fundamental premise the benefits that the colonizers gained from it. To the extent that the game's theme grapples with colonialism, it does so entirely uncritically. Again, I don't object to the game existing in its original form, people are allowed to enjoy it if they want, but it's not how I want to spend my leisure time, and it's why the 1897 re-theme appeals to me.
I take your point about A Feast For Odin, although I might argue that the difference there is that the Viking raids of the 7th-11th centuries were not explicitly enabled by a systematic enslavement and exploitation of the global South, the effects of which continue to economically disadvantage entire continents to this day. I guess it's a matter of scale, though, and even if "less murder than the Holocaust" and "less exploitation than the Transatlantic Slave Trade" are meaningful distinctions to me, you can justifiably lump them into the same category if you want.
the thing with Puerto Rico is that we never overcame it... Puerto Rico es STILL a colony of the USA and being sucked dry and neglected byt the US. We are NOT an intependent country.
Do you have any knowledge of where I can find a miniature for my Ace of Spades?
@@corenthian9426 I'd ask the discord!
@@RoomandBoardReviews I shall await
You bring up some valid points, but to me it´s very fun to have an upgraded version. Maybe some of the buildings will bring bloat, but I have already blinged out my old edition a lot and it always bothered me that it was just flimsy paper VP tokens and tiny colored discs for people. This will for sure appeal to my main gaming group compared to the old version. I think what I like the most with the main editions are the workers, the resource upgrades, the playmat and the acrylic tiles. I am still undecided about the buildings, but I think they are potentially more functional compared to the ones in CoB.
Brilliant- funny, relevant, and very very helpful :)
As a beginner player of pureto rico (played twice the 1897 version) I will really love to see a tips movie..
Number 1 made me cancel my pledge. First time I've listened to you and became convinced to not back a game. Thank you! I'll be playing this with my wife or with new players. In both cases we'll be suffering from what you mentioned. Maybe I'll pick up a used copy in a couple of years though :)
That's sad to hear. I really disagree with his number #1. The game is so nicely designed that you don't always know you're losing until you've lost. By his reasoning you should never play chess either because if you don't realize the first opening moves make a huge difference, you'll have lost. But chess is still the most popular boardgame ever so I don't think people care that they haven't studied all the grandmasters optimal opening moves.
Also, when I sit down to introduce this game to newbies I always tell them: get money early as it loses its value later in the game but is really important upfront, always try to do what the player on your left is doing and avoid what the player on your right is doing. I want people to understand the strategy of the game, I'm not trying to keep secrets just to win.
Games like Dune Imperium and Agricola can make you feel horrible the whole way through the game if you misstep early because you know you've lost but there's nothing to do about it. PR doesn't do that - you may have lost by turn 4, but you have fun the whole way through, oblivious to the fact that your opponents know they've won.
@rydjeavons6774 oh I see. So you'd say the "fun" is there for the whole game, even if you lose?
@@wagbranthenrikIf you can't have fun playing games even if you lose, or know you might lose, then yeah don't play.
But I wouldn't want to play with someone who only has fun when they win, they are terrible players.
@Jarb2104 I'm not saying a game is boring if you lose, I'm saying that a game where it basically is predictable who will win every time is not as fun as a game where a new player can beat experienced players. That was what the video presented it as, an experienced player will always beat new players and with 2 experienced players and 1 new player it is even predictable who will win of those two players. I have never played this game so I have to trust this video. It's an expensive game and the whole point of this video is to convince people not to back it - and I was convinced. My take away is that this game is great and really fun, but not the best to play with new players. There are plenty of board games and this game, though really good, doesn't fit my and my wife's collection at the moment.
@@wagbranthenrik Um, okay, but that's just how every game works? Or at least the huge and vast majority of "competitive" games.
Unless the game relies heavily on RNG, which to be honest is not fun IMHO, I never expect to win when I sit to play a new game and there's someone who has expirience in the game.
My guess is that you're the type of gamer that favors cooperative games vs competitive ones, which is fine, I also like a little bit better cooperative games, but we can't dismiss games just because they have a skill level, PR is winnable after 2 o 3 games IMHO, that's why I am actually backing this one. However I might be wrong and you'll never win against the more expirience gamer, and that is fine in my book, as long as I have fun.
I had at one point around 30 Kickstarters/Gamefound/Backerkit games on the way. Now my Shelf of Shame is pretty much full.
@@EfrainRiveraJunior 100 percent, it's so easy to creep up on you
Puerto Rico was a game that hit my group before I was a gamer. By the time I started they had moved on so I never learned it. They know it so well that if I got it they would just crush me.
Can't wait for the 5 reasons not to back Cloudspire video! ❤️❤️
Pledge canceled, you are a legend Chris and here to save me from myself. Being relatively new to board gaming I’ve never played PR. I loved CoB and the latest special edition campaign got me bad with FOMO. I have no doubt that I will try the game with the minis once and then likely never again. I’ll try PR on BGA first, then come back during late pledging if I like it. Your point #1 was the most impactful for me. I tend to play with a lot of casuals, a punishing game will turn those people off immediately.
@@ryanhelster5543 definitely try it on BGA, it's a great implementation :)
fantastic video!
I'm in the same boat as you, I own the same version, I hardly play it... but I've kept it all the same. It's a great game... but I don't need to spend more money to get a pretty version.
This is a great video, helping people to stay grounded on these KS campaigns and really think about if they "need" it or not.
For many (11,677 from last check) the answer is yes. But these videos help keep those backing as the excited ones, and not so many future regret-ers.
Spot on: I have played Puerto Rico only about 15 times, even though I'm ok in other boardgames, Puerto Rico has been a very though start as my friends have all played it 100+ times before me. Thanks for sharing :)
Great video! Thank you. You talked me down from the special edition to the standard. I still think the bigger tiles, the better UI, better graphic design, "new expansion", and new solo mode, make it worth it to me. I can fully skip the plastic. I wish GF would allow you to buy the coins as an add-on. Its been a fairly muted campaign. This was great perspective. Thanks.
Your #1 reason is my ONLLY reason. My game group are SO good at this game and I am not So its just a slog whenever I play with them.
I just love Deluxe Games in Big Boxes!
I backed All-In on Castles of Burgundy, I recently bought Foundations of Rome, I own Terraforming Mars the Big Box, Yedo and La Granja Deluxe with everything... you understand.
But, I won't touch any of PR pledges... And you know why?
I play only 2-player games, with my spouse! And PR, as a game, is just OK with two players - and superb with 3+, as we know. So, it's not worth, for me, and I'll stay on my classic edition...
The most brutal and hard wake-up call that many prefer to ignore is the question "do you have a bunch of players who would agree to play this board game together with you more than 1-2 times?". If yes - you can buy it. If no... well, some games power up my mood just by being present on my shelf, so if buying this won't put a strain on my budget, why not?
I haven't pledged yet. I'm much more into higher quality experiences (we do a lot of Etsy upgrades), so I've found an old copy of the game in my father in laws collection that we're going to try out first and see if it's what we enjoy playing. BGA is definitely a very good tool to test gameplay
Im fine with reason #2~5, but your #1 finally managed to talk me out of it
Money saved, thanks R&B! 😆👌🏻
I'm primarily a solo player so am interested in the solo mode. I've got CoB: Special Edition and the solo automa play there is great. So I'm hopeful it will be a similar situation here. Similarly, I'm watching if the stretch goals will address some of shortcomings you've mentioned and mitigate established strategies, like the ones announced in Day 5. Standard edition has poor value IMO and folks should just go out to get the 1897 version instead if they are just looking at the standard edition. If I'm backing this, I'll probably take the Special Edition with acrylic tiles (as in CoB) and avoid the 3d buildings altogether. The overheads of including them in the game is not worth it as they don't add anything to the gameplay itself. Loved the look of the 3d buildings though!
I kinda wish they would show off a demo of the sundropped buildings. I imagine they eventually will do so in a future update after the campaign ends.
Great video saved me 100 plus dollars. I think season one is a good one that people need to be careful with games
1 hour left in the campaign. if you didn't have a copy... would you get it?
@@FrozenMan57 no, I would get a copy of 1897 from my store for a third of the price
History section: Not just a white guy on the box, but brown worker tokens for the actual labour
Putting an ace of spades mini on the ace of spades csrd.. loooooooool...!
Man you make soo much sense, yet... I'm still currently backing 😅
Awaken Realms knocking it out of the park again with another multi-million dollar KS success.
It's what they do best!
Im definitely getting the standard edition with the San Juan card game. The figures and plastic don’t entice me. I’m also very excited for the Solo-gameplay.
I agree with you. The standard edition seems like a very good value. Just enough deluxe, but not over the top. I'm backing exactly the same way.
Puerto Rico was number 1 on BGG for years. It would still be in my top 10. I didn't need another reason not to back this Kickstart... I generally hate games with elaborate space taking toys... knowing the history, I would never back this.
I got CoB special edition retail in some crazy discount, played some games, i absolutely loved it, my group absolutely loved it and got most the bling this year in the reprint. Puerto Rico, though, never clicked for my friends... I got original version + the 2 expansions sitting on shelf but I can't see anyone else playing it with me 😅 not to mention I loathe kingmaking... Solo mode by D Turczi sounds tempting but not that much money tempting. Will probably be available somewhere on bgg I guess.
Chris, you _have_ to try the first Puerto Rico expansion. It's fantastic.
@@EfrainRiveraJunior oh that's great to hear, especially because I know it's your top! Definitely will
@@RoomandBoardReviews - You will love it. We don't care about the other expansions.
Great opportunity to find a used copy of the original for way less money
I'm dropping my landscape pledge, thanks for saving me $100! Still a beautiful game to own tho.
I did not know about the kingmaker aspect. That is a mayor flaw in my eyes. Can you imagine a chess where a player playing with white would have 30% more chance of winning? Basically a flawed game. No point.
I can get past all the other non game essentials being pricey and whatnot, it's just personal preference. But a flawed design is not. I cancelled my pledge, thanks man!
Every time you say catch phrase, it makes me think of the movie Free Guy 😂
I don't appreciate the idea of revamping themes to accommodate contemporary sensibilities, especially when those sensibilities are coming from a very small, albeit vocal, part of the community. I have no issue with people voicing concern, I'm just not a fan of publishers thinking those people represent a large portion of the community. I think people forget that the board game community is 1000 times bigger than the angry forum section on Board Game Geek.
As much as I love the game, I won't purchase this because I'm against the retheming, much like the Libertalia retheme, and I'd wager there as many doing the same as myself as there are people who would have not purchased the release had it maintained its colonial packaging. It's okay for games to have theme that's a little historically messy and real. In fact, in my opinion, it's preferable.
Lol the number of people who don't like the glorification and gamification of colonialism is not a small minority of the population. The majority of young people share this view. Litterally the main reason companies do this sort of thing is because it appeals to a broader market. They just want to make money and selling a product that people feel uncomfortable about isn't a good way to do that.
That's a very long winded way of coming out as a racist. Also the existing community doesn't have a special claim to board gaming nor a specific right to themes that glorify colonialism. Maybe the reason people who are there to object to these themes are a minority is that others were pushed away from board gaming altogether by racist neckbeards like you.
Also companies generally want to broaden their customer base and becoming beholden to a small core of reactionary gatekeepers is something they want to avoid.
We had a player in our group that would be in the category of those who would break the game. We learned to win the game regardless of seat order. But, then again, we have played the game a few hundred times... and yes, we have the data to prove it. 😁
"...so If you are a person who knows that you love deluxifications, you know thats the only way to experience a game, I still think you're lying to yourself..." 😅😂🤣😅
At least, when it comes to Puerto Rico, we know we will use and enjoy the deluxification. We actually made are own deluxified components.
Tu m'as convaincu, j'ai pris le ALL IN.
@@patrickmathieu9689 hahah j'espere que vous l'aimez :)
I don't agree with reason #1. We've played enough to know how to catch up to players that seemingly are way ahead. One thing is true. Not once a rookie player has won their first game in our group.
Isn't the 3 changes made in the variant are going to patch the current meta of the game?
Have you played New Frontiers?
Which do you prefer and why?
@@Lysen2077 I unfortunately have not played New Frontiers.
The main selling point for me that other versions of this game do not have: solo mode!
I've said this before, I'm from Puerto Rico. We've played the game a few hundred times during the past two decades. None of us, or any fellow Puerto Rican I've presented the game to, has been offended by it. We know our history... our _real_ history; not the one SJWs offer.
I didnt realize that being uncomfortable playing the white masters bringing in slaves to compete for wealth on our island (yes, i'm also Puerto rican) was an "SJW" thing. I have total solidarity with Jason.
@@parisceive4963pretty much exclusively grumpy conservatives use the term SJW un-ironically. So yea... it's not a "SJW thing"
@@parisceive4963 - Which white masters are you talking about?
@@parisceive4963me too. I’m Puerto Rican too. We are tired of the racial democracy myth. Black history in Puerto Rico needs to be handled with care. I be they ain’t gonna releerse the Marcos Xiorro expansion. Stop playin. No se hagan.
@@williamgarcia-medina9989 - ¿Qué?
Was holding out to the end. Going to pass on this. I can get it used for 1/4 the price. Other than the bling there’s nothing new enough here to give it my “must have” tag
Oooops too late! Already backed! In all seriousness I can’t wait!! No remorse here!!!
@@dougwarr9459 awesome I hope you love it :)
So play 2nd seat when teaching new players until they catch up in skill. The new automas make this edition tempting, as they can be added to multiplayer games as well as solo. The retheme, endless variants and seat/turn order issues do make the game a bit of a mess. I am undecided about backing.
@@klaus3856 it's not about going first, first player rotates every round and the order keeps moving forward. It's more about how your plays define what the other players will do
@@RoomandBoardReviews 2nd seat at the start of the game (2nd indigo) is the weakest position in 3 and 4 player games.
Number 1 saved me $200. I would play this with my kids as well as friend and punishing isn't helpful. Plus, since my gateway of Catan, I loath king making
My main reason not to back this is that I wasn't to fond of the original game in the first place.
Second reason is that it gives me the same feeling as with the special Castles of Burgundy campaign. Too many unnecessary pieces that really doesn't makes the experience better. Also needs to be painted unless you want beige everywhere.
Third reason is that all these unnecessary bits will make the shipping and VAT cost just too expensive.
So hard pass for me!
You know you want to and will back Puerto Rico Special Edition.
0:23 I'm still waiting!! How long?
I like deluxification, but as you said, the minis will slow the game down and waste time.
All of the people who like Puerto Rico to be surprised and dismayed when they get around to playing this game.
It's akin to selling overpriced skins in video games. At least board games are pretty good at keeping their equivalent of microtransactions to being cosmetic/not significant gameplay additions.
I did this to myself with Robinson Crusoe... never again.
That was an adventure wasn't it. I feel ya.
I looked on BGG, people are review bombing this game for one reason. 🤦🏼♂️
The woke twats.
Alright. Number 1 convinced me.
thank you for this wake up call to save tons of money - already millions of money poured into this obvious cashgrab
"I don't have any principles.. " [crickets]
@@dragos_serghie I said it, it must be the truth!
I love to feel the theme in board game. There are plenty of games that I did not buy just because art is awfull. I am hardcore euro player but I want to play board game not excel game. Euro plays for me is not just pushing cubes on board with squares. I want to feel that I am terraforming or planting or exploring.
Man.. why are you making me not to buy this? Why 😢
@@ImpossibleWhopper111 because I am the devil and you've been a very naughty child!! No treats for you!!
For me i feel like all the 3d print is a waste making the game look nicer, but will make the game set up and clean up longer. Making worst for Players who feel like they are losting or wasting time. I think they should just make a Puerto Rico Online Video Game on steam, instead.
Yeah set up and tear down is super important to me the further I get into the hobby, and is a real turn off when things aren't efficient.
The old one is good enough. Better get a new game than try to improve what is already good. Avoiding to focus on divisive politics or on always winning also makes life easier. It's just a game, not like chess or MtG. (those are also just games, but slightly more "important")
Great game ....easy pass for me. I only play 1 or 2 players. Thank you for always trying to fight the good fight! 💪
I've had pretty much no interest in playing Puerto Rico since I realized the thematic implications of it years ago. And it's a shame they screwed over their cutural consultant but hardly suprising these days. Companies have less and less morality and look for every opportunity they can to exploit their workers to make a few extra bucks. But just because they all do it doesn't make it right.This game in particular reeks of "souless cash grab" to me and I've no interest in it.
I've never agreed with Jason Perez's political views on the Puerto Rico Board Game, but they burned him badly. Live and learn the consequences of "handshake deals." Mr. Perez didn't watch the McDonald's movie with Micheal Keaton.
Some of your reasons for not backing the game is that Puerto Rico plays like Puerto Rico. So that has nothing to do with this special edition. That's just about the game in general.
@@jonathantomlinson1598 yes, exactly. But is pertinent to this game if people haven't played it before, which countless comments express
I hated Puerto Rico on BGA. We prefer TTS.
This is an easy pass for me because I've never played it, and my gaming group doesn't have much interest. Phew!
6TH REASON: Crowdfunding bloated plastic games is a dumb way to throw away your money
Awakened Realms go from using AI art to recycling art. Several million dollar campaigns and they go cheap on art. Also the minis are gonna be annoying and fall over in comparison to the discs.
Of course you wouldn't mention solo mode as one of the stretch goals - your hateful bias against anything that has big campaigns, is so transparent, only a dumb person wouldn't be able to see through it. I myself never got this game as I only play solo or two players. Now I can, and I am looking forward to it!
@@boriskirov3953 I have always been a hateful person against fun and I'm not going to stop now! But I'll make one exception for your enjoyment of the solo mode, glad you're looking forward to it :)
@@RoomandBoardReviews yeah man you always are so negative about games and some campaigns, maybe change the hobby? Btw I don't care about lavish productions and never back anything other than standard editions - but you just hate things for the sake of hating things (seems to be trendy). Whenever I see your video popping up on my feed (just like this one), it's always something negative. Just my two cents. I am looking forward to this one for sure.
@@boriskirov3953 clearly you skip the intros where I say I'm not being negative for the sake of being negative, but I understand the attention span of the internet is short.
@RoomandBoardReviews bro, talk is cheap - your videos show the opposite. And just like you said - this young generation (counting you in of course) is very quick to make wrong assumptions!
@@boriskirov3953 you're right, why don't you go watch my 500+ videos and get back to me with a full report on my negativity. I can back myself up, you unfortunately don't have a leg to stand on. I deal with people like you on the daily.
You can't say you love Puerto Rico and enjoy this game at the same time!!!! Considering that Puerto Rico is still a colony of the US, this game is extremely insensitive and disgusting. It breaks my heart to see so many people enjoy it and don't truly understand what the game is really about. Puerto Rico is an actual island with millions of amazing people... Those little figurines and fictional characters you use to have fun were real people who went through the horrors of colonialism and slavery. This is just disrespectful. I understand how it can serve as a teaching tool but just reading from the comments, the target demographic for this game will never even acknowledge the existence of colonialism...
@@hhhhh-d2p do you think the retheming from Jason Perez is also insensitive and disgusting?
Reason 5 is enough. I know it's a capitalist system and we live in contradiction, but the game is about literal historical slavery of Black (and possibly indigenous) folks. To repeat that today in the cost of labor and not paying people gives me the ick. We don't live in a vacuum where our games aren't informed by and inform institutions people.
I think there is an important distinction to make when it comes to this game vs. say, a Feast for Odin. I've noticed folks both on BGG and and Board Game Reviewers/Influencers who believe this is an apples to apples example of hypocrisy which it is not. Viking history and pillaging of peoples is also history yes, but the legacies of that history do not have a significant negative impact - the denial of access, dignity, and quality of life - to those peoples in broader Europe (who evolved into groups like the English, French, Irish, etc.). Abhorrent yes, a part of history, also yes, but that history does not make peoples' literal lives harder right now. Puerto Rico is still a colony, not independent, and those that would argue that it does not want to leave the U.S. run into the issue of political status as a territory and not a state without the same voting power as others in the states. There are practices including the sterilization of Puerto Rican women to experiment with birth control and "contain poverty" - some of whom are still alive. Stories matter when they inform and continue to shape the power dynamics and outcomes of peoples' lives from casual racism to job denial to over policing.
Groups are not monoliths, and even if there are some from these populations that may be okay with this, personal opinion is not the same as the reality of the continued systemic oppression of poor people and people of color (and other marginalized groups). I believe the industry as a whole would do better to understand that and properly compensate/do the work to improve marginalized communities if they wish to use their stories/history; e.g., A Feast for Odin doesn't need to pay back the English who seem to be doing fine but if you want to tell a story about peoples who still face systemic struggle, I think it's more than theme or even cultural consultants. How can we work in partnership with communities in efforts to transform systems is what I think about. Scholarships? Proceeds to educate folks on history? Donations to service groups? Labor to enact political change? Food for thought.
- Some Random Community Organizer, Person of Color, Child of Refugees, and Teacher with a degree in Ethnic Studies who watches every Crowdfunding Countdown and thinks about this stuff A LOT.
I'll say that point 5 is enough for me to avoid the game (not bringing on Jason into this). I'd probably have looked for a cheaper edition of this down the line otherwise.
Too late! 😂
I like how you framed the issue around the history of the game. When there are so many amazing games on my shelf, why would I reach for the one that makes me feel a little bad? It's the same reason I stopped playing Secret H*tler. That's not to say that I can't look past the issues and still have a good time playing them if someone else really wants to play, but it's not something that I'm going to self select and put in front of people. I don't judge anyone for buying or playing the game, but it's not for me.
Before watching I got one reason: New Frontiers is better game...
I couldn't care less about the behind the scenes stuff. I'm a customer. Not an employee advocate.
Really your comment does not make sense: you think of the exploitation of a cultural consultant for the new version and you don't think of millions of workers exploited during colonialism, playing the first version. You have a strange sense of what is good and what is bad. Essentially all that is not somehow related to you is good as I understand
@@davidedemartino679 I'm bringing up the history of both for people to make their own decisions.
The new edition is too woke for me. Twisting history is not my kind of thing.
How is it woke? If it is, then why is that a bad thing? How does it twist history?
Only idiotic MAGA zombies say woke. Stop it. You're making us look bad.
Ahh ofcourse. You can't have a board game without talking about the injustices of.the past . .... and I'm checked out now 🙄
@@chrismichael9556 see I think you can! And that's the point
I did back this one because I wanted to buy the game and haven't yet. So... flimsy pre-text.
5:45 how the hell is this different to today: where it is just called immigration for minimum wage