I had a review copy of this and played it four times. Ultimately, its one of those games that doesnt give in-game successes. Just a big one success feeling at the end if you survive. Sort of like Robinson Crusoe. You either love it or you think its a prolonged slog. What will be most critical for buyers to consider is that the Sadlers have a design thread that runs through all of their games from the beloved WarHammer Card Quest through StreetMasters and Brook City. That being lots of cards to read in different parts of the board; cards in your hand, enemy cards in your personal space, general enemy cards, maybe specific cards for your location, and possibly some other modifiers if certain conditions trigger. If reading lots of cards and spending a good amount of effort to process each round correctly isnt your cup of tea, then it might be best to pass or try StreetMasters. Its a faster smaller version. Ultimately, have fun and enjoy either way!
I have played this game twice now and it was a big success both times. I found it very thematic and interestingly enough knowing the characters the cops were based off made it more immersive for us rather than less.
Not for inexperienced players new to boardgaming,... sure. But MDS is one of the best systems that combines intricate card play with mini’s on a board. I absolutely love it.
Solid review, Tom. I'm a fan of the game and the modular deck system the Sadlers use in their games. I think of the game as more of a puzzle than anything, since the bad guys rarely move. My biggest gripe was the lack of a "final showdown" with the bad guy, as I think that would have driven the theme home more. My gaming group has had a lot of fun with it. Also the Velocity expansion is basically Speed, and it's terrific.
Really don't understand how some who play euro games is overwhelmed by the rules to this game. This a very simple to understand game. You literally just need to read the setup cards and the ones it tells you to put out. They will tell you your win and lose conditions. Super easy and straight forward. Game play loop again is all on the game turn reference card. Done.
The more I played it, the more it grew on me. I found it best to play a couple of learning rounds with a new case before launching in to a full Game. Once I got over the initial understanding of the mechanics I started having a crazy fun blast and this game is now in my top 5! I do agree that some of the criminals are much too static and an action packed showdown in some cases would be great! I hope there will be more dynamic and narrative expansions coming out!
0:25 "cooperative game of blockbuster cop action" 9:15 "instead you end up thinking about those characters from the movie or TV show" Don't worry Tom, I think that was the intent. Also, I really like how the bad guy cards are stained notepads. I get a very NYPD Blue vibe from this.
Thanks for the video Tom. I'm a massive fan of the 80's and 90's buddy cop movies and I nearly got a copy of this but I was concerned that it would be too much all at once. You completely validated that point on the front end, but it sounds like I'd still enjoy it, negatives aside. I just get Lethal Weapon vibes all over the place from this.
This looks like a cool game but I'm saving my money to buy Stonebound Saga. As a fan of Fire Emblem Tactics it looks like my type of game and so much customization.
Naruto San awesome, the designer is a friend of mine, great guy. I did a video on our channel about it and their upcoming game in the same universe called isofarian guard. Stone bound was on my top 10 list of games last year. Loved it. Still proudly in my collection.! I really hope you like it!
The baddies being static makes it feel a bit more like wack-o-mole. And, the game is really missing any kind of final showdown aspect. In most of these movies, you have what's basically a shootout with the henchmen and goons at the end of the movie. The game desperately needs finale set pieces like the Beverly Hills Cop mansion, Lethal Weapon 2 cargo ship, Rush Hour museum, etc. I think the card system works really well. But, the theme just disappears a couple turns in with how mundane the police actions feel. It falls more into a procedural TV show than a summer blockbuster cop movie. It's a lot of collect evidence and revisit the bad guy until you can finally arrest them.
This seems like a very robust police/crime fighting game. The theme isn’t really that intriguing to me, but It looks like they have done it *really* well. Super dynamic.
The lady with the body armour is from Robocop, long haired dude is Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon, Hispanic younger woman with all the guns I think is Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I have no idea who the woman with the walkie-talkie and curls on the front cover is though.
@@kommodore6691 She looks just like Misty Knight from Luke Cage and the Defenders (not the comic version). I'm not sure if that's who they meant to go for because she's not exactly a classic cop movie character.
I found the MDS overwhelming as is in Street Masters and Brook City... They could have reduced the number of deck categories at least in one by combining the scenario-criminal deck for example (or whatever it is called, dont remember). It would reduce the replay-ability from millions to thousands, so who cares. As is these game end up with too many corner cases, weird deck combinations, exceptions, rules questions, vague language and just become fiddly overall.
Totally agree with the review, I have problem to understand the rules based on the case or criminal deck you choose. Could be better if there is a detailed explanation in the rule book and not just on the setup card. I had to watch game play videos to understand how the different cases and criminals work.
Ambitious attempt and the Sadder Bros are clearly talented, but the info overload of rules and exceptions are not elegant and could easily lead to Analysis Paralysis. Because this only gets worse with their follow-up AltarQuest I'm not getting the feeling these are easily accessible games.
I don’t feel like Altar Quest has any more upfront information than Brook City. Our tester found it to be much more approachable. Our next Kickstarter is insanely more accessible than any we’ve done. Hope you check it out 😃
I actually think the rules in both Street Masters and Brook City are very well-written and easy to understand. Like a lot of games, you may not get everything right the first couple times, but once you do, they are incredibly enjoyable experiences. My game group loves this game.
I had a review copy of this and played it four times. Ultimately, its one of those games that doesnt give in-game successes. Just a big one success feeling at the end if you survive. Sort of like Robinson Crusoe. You either love it or you think its a prolonged slog.
What will be most critical for buyers to consider is that the Sadlers have a design thread that runs through all of their games from the beloved WarHammer Card Quest through StreetMasters and Brook City. That being lots of cards to read in different parts of the board; cards in your hand, enemy cards in your personal space, general enemy cards, maybe specific cards for your location, and possibly some other modifiers if certain conditions trigger.
If reading lots of cards and spending a good amount of effort to process each round correctly isnt your cup of tea, then it might be best to pass or try StreetMasters. Its a faster smaller version.
Ultimately, have fun and enjoy either way!
I have played this game twice now and it was a big success both times. I found it very thematic and interestingly enough knowing the characters the cops were based off made it more immersive for us rather than less.
Not for inexperienced players new to boardgaming,... sure. But MDS is one of the best systems that combines intricate card play with mini’s on a board. I absolutely love it.
Solid review, Tom. I'm a fan of the game and the modular deck system the Sadlers use in their games. I think of the game as more of a puzzle than anything, since the bad guys rarely move. My biggest gripe was the lack of a "final showdown" with the bad guy, as I think that would have driven the theme home more. My gaming group has had a lot of fun with it.
Also the Velocity expansion is basically Speed, and it's terrific.
Really don't understand how some who play euro games is overwhelmed by the rules to this game. This a very simple to understand game. You literally just need to read the setup cards and the ones it tells you to put out. They will tell you your win and lose conditions. Super easy and straight forward. Game play loop again is all on the game turn reference card. Done.
The more I played it, the more it grew on me. I found it best to play a couple of learning rounds with a new case before launching in to a full
Game. Once I got over the initial understanding of the mechanics I started having a crazy fun blast and this game is now in my top 5! I do agree that some of the criminals are much too static and an action packed showdown in some cases would be great! I hope there will be more dynamic and narrative expansions coming out!
0:25 "cooperative game of blockbuster cop action"
9:15 "instead you end up thinking about those characters from the movie or TV show"
Don't worry Tom, I think that was the intent.
Also, I really like how the bad guy cards are stained notepads. I get a very NYPD Blue vibe from this.
Police Precinct is a great coop Police board game. It also has a HUGE board.
Police Precinct is a great game and I think that I like it better than this one. However I feel that PP is an easier game to win.
I would love to see this theme used more often.
This game is just so dang good- I love it! I was a late pledge backer - so glad I did!
But what about street masters?? Can’t wait for my expansion pledge to arrive. Base game is so good.
The first couple rounds are a little rough for new players. But this game is ridiculously awesome as a whole!
Thanks for the video Tom. I'm a massive fan of the 80's and 90's buddy cop movies and I nearly got a copy of this but I was concerned that it would be too much all at once. You completely validated that point on the front end, but it sounds like I'd still enjoy it, negatives aside. I just get Lethal Weapon vibes all over the place from this.
This looks like a cool game but I'm saving my money to buy Stonebound Saga. As a fan of Fire Emblem Tactics it looks like my type of game and so much customization.
Naruto San awesome, the designer is a friend of mine, great guy. I did a video on our channel about it and their upcoming game in the same universe called isofarian guard.
Stone bound was on my top 10 list of games last year. Loved it. Still proudly in my collection.! I really hope you like it!
Ok thanks and I didn't even know about isofarian guard.
Naruto San yeah it’s brand new, I interviewed him at GENCON this year. It’s pretty amazing.
The baddies being static makes it feel a bit more like wack-o-mole. And, the game is really missing any kind of final showdown aspect. In most of these movies, you have what's basically a shootout with the henchmen and goons at the end of the movie. The game desperately needs finale set pieces like the Beverly Hills Cop mansion, Lethal Weapon 2 cargo ship, Rush Hour museum, etc.
I think the card system works really well. But, the theme just disappears a couple turns in with how mundane the police actions feel. It falls more into a procedural TV show than a summer blockbuster cop movie. It's a lot of collect evidence and revisit the bad guy until you can finally arrest them.
Since I can't see the hammer swing, I'm not sure if this review is legitimate, lol!
This seems like a very robust police/crime fighting game. The theme isn’t really that intriguing to me, but It looks like they have done it *really* well. Super dynamic.
The Wilson Fox character looks like Eddie Murphy in Beverley Hills Cop, and one of the criminals like Guy Fieri, but I didn't recognize anyone else.
The lady with the body armour is from Robocop, long haired dude is Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon, Hispanic younger woman with all the guns I think is Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
I have no idea who the woman with the walkie-talkie and curls on the front cover is though.
@@kommodore6691 She looks just like Misty Knight from Luke Cage and the Defenders (not the comic version). I'm not sure if that's who they meant to go for because she's not exactly a classic cop movie character.
I found the MDS overwhelming as is in Street Masters and Brook City... They could have reduced the number of deck categories at least in one by combining the scenario-criminal deck for example (or whatever it is called, dont remember). It would reduce the replay-ability from millions to thousands, so who cares. As is these game end up with too many corner cases, weird deck combinations, exceptions, rules questions, vague language and just become fiddly overall.
In your personal opinion. Police Precinct or this is better?
Should I go with Police Precinct instead?
This looks like a Cool game
Totally agree with the review, I have problem to understand the rules based on the case or criminal deck you choose. Could be better if there is a detailed explanation in the rule book and not just on the setup card. I had to watch game play videos to understand how the different cases and criminals work.
Glad I passed this on kickstarter. Thanks Dice Tower
Joseph Lynn you’re missing out. It’s pretty fun
Yep. You really are. Great game!
Theme can only do so much. Like the theme for the game but man there's just too much going on for me. Pass.
Ambitious attempt and the Sadder Bros are clearly talented, but the info overload of rules and exceptions are not elegant and could easily lead to Analysis Paralysis. Because this only gets worse with their follow-up AltarQuest I'm not getting the feeling these are easily accessible games.
I don’t feel like Altar Quest has any more upfront information than Brook City. Our tester found it to be much more approachable. Our next Kickstarter is insanely more accessible than any we’ve done. Hope you check it out 😃
I actually think the rules in both Street Masters and Brook City are very well-written and easy to understand. Like a lot of games, you may not get everything right the first couple times, but once you do, they are incredibly enjoyable experiences. My game group loves this game.
Brady Sadler I do wish there had been more illustrated examples in the rule book.
This game was an utter slog. A fun action movie did not translate at all to the game play.
Sorry you did not enjoy it. Appreciate you checking it out regardless.
How many players? It definitely drags with 3/4 players but runs pretty smooth with 1 or 2.