You, sir, are a genius. This format of a video is a beautiful way to expose someone to the game and pique interest. A million times better than reading BGG, a review, or a how to play video. You have a bright future in this format.
With the time and care you put into these videos, I can imagine no better form of advertisement for a game. These videos are like movie trailers, but for a board game. Have you thought about contacting board game companies? If they wouldn't outright pay you to make these videos, maybe you could at least get a free board game out of the deal. SURELY, you're selling games without even knowing it. You might even consider going to board game conventions and handing out a card to vendors. Here's a sales pitch: Hey, imagine someone's in a board game shop and they want to know more about a game. Put a QR code on the box to open up my video. That will give them a quick trailer of the game, and they can decide if they want to buy it.
The QR code thing was one of my first ideas back when i conceived this. I thought "wouldn't this be such a handy thing for board game cafes, and retailers to have" and once the recap catalogue gets bigger and more inclusive. I could see it happening as well. Within 6 weeks of starting this, I had the first publishers start to contact me without solicitation. Hostage Negotiator, which went up today, is the first video that is from a "gifted" game. (I also note that fact in the review). What I need is more time, to get the game catalogue bigger. and more exposure, so people in the industry think "why dont we get a 3mbg vid done". For a channel that just passed 3 months of age, we are on track to do some pretty awesome things i think. Thanks!
Good luck, brother! I posted to the board game subreddit with my highest praise! Hopefully it generates a few more subscribers for you to develop your brand and get rolling. I'm selfish! This is going to be an invaluable tool to research new games I might like to play or purchase.
I once sent a carrier, two fighters, and a cruiser to a Hacan homeworld that was only defended by two fighters. I, and everyone else at the table was sure I was going to win. The Hacan player won, only losing a single fighter. TI creates great memories like these that I doubt I'll ever forget.
I was just invited to play TI4 this weekend. I've never played any game like this before. Thanks for making a BRIEF explanation of it for us. I'm going to give it a try.
Same here! I'm about to crap myself realising how in-depth and complicated it looks. I'm def no board game expert and it takes a while to grasp most games :S How did your first game go? My first game is tomorrow, with a new gaming group I've never met lol
Concentrate on the public objectives, score secret objectives when you can, and try not to leave your home system open. Use the tools at your disposal ( Promissary Notes, Trade Goods, your Strategy card, etc.) to negotiate deals with other players. Prioritize scoring any objectives that require you to hold planets and focus on spending and technology objectives.
Oh man, 3 minutes, so much missed about this game. Still, I think I covered a lot of group. Enough to give people a good idea about what the game is about and what it looks like. These aren't "how to play" videos after all :)
Thanks for making this! The only thing I would add to the "Why play TI?" section is that this game is about INTERACTION. There is very little downtime (you can do actions when other people play Strategy cards), and nearly everything that happens can affect you, hints at other people's motives, and is a point for negotiation. Nearly everything you can do which benefits another player can be halted and reserved until that player pays the right price muahaha. You will find yourself wheeling and dealing at all points, maintaining an alliance so you can keep trade goods flowing into your empire, or to unite against a common enemy, only to backstab them later for the win! And the Agenda Phase is where people convene and vote on agendas that can CHANGE THE RULES OF THE GAME. I can't think of a more diplomatic/interactive game than TI.
Fair point. But the negotiation factor greatly depends on your local meta. Some people play that aspect very intensively, like one group I play with. The other group I play with does not. Recently, I got to see half of each group play together. The "negotiator" group tried their "if you move here, i'll give you X trade goods, so I can shoot your destroyer and get a VP, and you can Do X and Y" approach, which was met with blank faces and a response like "dude, no". The "war" group only uses broad negotiations for the most part like "right X is a mutual threat, lets smash them" and looks at VP trading and mini transactions as bloat. Within 3 or 4 turns the negotiators changed their play style to fit the more aggressive wargaming style of the other group. The game also took about 40% less time to play.
First thing I tell new players, is that despite the amount of rules I’m about to explain, the game is won or lost ‘above’ the gameboard. And I repeat that caveat after the teach. I’ve got it down to 30mins, so plaudits for attempting it in 3 :).
Rewatching this as I might get the chance to play it in a week or so, and just want to say... Damn, your audio has approved so much 👌 never thought it bad originally, but just your new audio is so great.
How on Earth did you manage to cover this game in 3 minutes?! Great work as ever. Although not anywhere the scale or sheer grandeur of TI, I think Dune is another one to check out for those looking for a sci-fi game that's epic and incredibly memorable, but plays closer to 3-4 hours rather than 7-8+. It takes up a damn site less space on the shelf too!
Yeah, a lot of mechanics in the game, and it was already pushing the time limit. So, i focused on the most important stuff and then cut when i ran out of time.
I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to play and own this game, but there is not a single person I know who would be willing to learn it and play it unfortunately. Eclipse is a bit too euro for what I am looking for in a TI4 alternative and Exodus Proxima Centauri seems to be difficult to find. I guess I will need to check out Empires of the Void. Are there any other comparables to TI4 that aren't 7+ hours long?
Exodus is almost as long, and is missing a few things. So I wasn't a fan. Empires of the Void II is closest, but it also feels more "mission based" than a sprawling empire builder. Dune and/or Rex. Very different gameplay, but similar "epic game with negotiation". And for a completely out there suggestions, Sidereal confluence.
A many and varied selection. This list is the one resource you will ever need for card sleeve advice. www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/164572/card-sleeve-sizes-games
You are my favourite person when it comes to board games. I feel like you really care about your audience. It's great that you reply all the comments. I promise not to bother.
Cheers Ahmed. It's not a bother. Engaging with people who love games, all over the world, is the best part of doing the channel. Never feel awkward to ask anything here.
The good news: I have Gloomhaven The bad news: Is my group isn't starting it for a little while as we are finishing another campaign first. But expect Gloomhaven sometime in the next few months.
I don't think that I will ever get to play TI with my current game groups, I'd love to try it, I think that if I ever get to a con in the UK, maybe? Have you seen the SU&SD documentary? Also, have you tried Sidereal Confluence, that looks interesting too.
People have suggested Sidereal Confluence to me as I also like Chinatown, which is negotiation heavy. I don't tend to watch SU&SD at all, not my style. (I like quick information, not long skits).
Any chance you would do a review of Twilight Inscription? I feel like you're just about the only person that can take a game of that magnitude and summarize it succinctly while still enough details to know if I want to know more about the game.
Yeah, some very dark patches in there as well, like in parts of the 80s when nothing much was coming out other than roll and moves based on kids cartoons and wargames really :)
I remember my first game of TI IV, i got stung with that. And I didn't take my 2 free command counters for the first 2 turns. Still came within one point of winning though
That it is. Once the guy running the game noticed, he and the other players agreed to top me up to what i should have. But it slowed my initial game a fair bit
Star Trek Ascendancy or Twilight Imperium? Which one is easier to learn/teach and has a shorter play time? Most of my group at the moment have work and/or college.
Reasonable. Of the factions only the Jol-Nar are stupidly over-powered and the Winnu are under-powered. The rest are close enough in balance for it to be fine. That said, most of the balance in TI IV comes from player actions. As amazing as the Jol-nar can be, they aren't amazing enough to stop 2 players at once.
Great video. Just one thing, planets have Resources (not Production) and Influence. Production is a unit ability that describes how many things that unit can build; you then pay for that Production using Resources. Two related but very different things, so I worry that when you mistake them here it'll confuse players. Also PDS = Planetary Defense System, not Point Defense System, though that's not really a problematic misstatement.
If I can make a correction. While it is complex I think it would fall under just a complex game and not a very complex game mostly because the rules are much better and much more streamlined
I don't tend to decide the complexity score for most games myself, I base it off the BGG complexity rating for a game. TI IV currently has a score of 4.15 . The only other game I have scored a 5 so far was Mage Knight, and it's scored at 4.23 BGG complexity 4-5 gets a 5 on my reviews.
I would say that TI 4 couldn't quantify as anything but a very complex game due to the sheer scale of the game and how much there is to know about it, but I am a huge fan of how fantasy flight streamlined several things from TI 3 including tech, and trade. This has made it much easier to introduce new players to the game.
If you are talking about the Stellaris Board game, that's a bold call as its not even out yet. If you are talking about the Stellaris PC game, that's comparing Apples and Pot holders. Two very different things.
You, sir, are a genius. This format of a video is a beautiful way to expose someone to the game and pique interest. A million times better than reading BGG, a review, or a how to play video. You have a bright future in this format.
Shucks, that's incredibly nice. Thank you.
With the time and care you put into these videos, I can imagine no better form of advertisement for a game. These videos are like movie trailers, but for a board game. Have you thought about contacting board game companies? If they wouldn't outright pay you to make these videos, maybe you could at least get a free board game out of the deal. SURELY, you're selling games without even knowing it. You might even consider going to board game conventions and handing out a card to vendors. Here's a sales pitch: Hey, imagine someone's in a board game shop and they want to know more about a game. Put a QR code on the box to open up my video. That will give them a quick trailer of the game, and they can decide if they want to buy it.
The QR code thing was one of my first ideas back when i conceived this. I thought "wouldn't this be such a handy thing for board game cafes, and retailers to have" and once the recap catalogue gets bigger and more inclusive. I could see it happening as well.
Within 6 weeks of starting this, I had the first publishers start to contact me without solicitation. Hostage Negotiator, which went up today, is the first video that is from a "gifted" game. (I also note that fact in the review).
What I need is more time, to get the game catalogue bigger. and more exposure, so people in the industry think "why dont we get a 3mbg vid done".
For a channel that just passed 3 months of age, we are on track to do some pretty awesome things i think.
Thanks!
Good luck, brother! I posted to the board game subreddit with my highest praise! Hopefully it generates a few more subscribers for you to develop your brand and get rolling. I'm selfish! This is going to be an invaluable tool to research new games I might like to play or purchase.
That explains why my email is dinging non-stop with new subs. lol!
Cheers, merci, Ka Pai!
I once sent a carrier, two fighters, and a cruiser to a Hacan homeworld that was only defended by two fighters. I, and everyone else at the table was sure I was going to win. The Hacan player won, only losing a single fighter. TI creates great memories like these that I doubt I'll ever forget.
I was just invited to play TI4 this weekend. I've never played any game like this before. Thanks for making a BRIEF explanation of it for us. I'm going to give it a try.
Same here! I'm about to crap myself realising how in-depth and complicated it looks. I'm def no board game expert and it takes a while to grasp most games :S How did your first game go? My first game is tomorrow, with a new gaming group I've never met lol
Concentrate on the public objectives, score secret objectives when you can, and try not to leave your home system open. Use the tools at your disposal ( Promissary Notes, Trade Goods, your Strategy card, etc.) to negotiate deals with other players. Prioritize scoring any objectives that require you to hold planets and focus on spending and technology objectives.
Oh man, 3 minutes, so much missed about this game. Still, I think I covered a lot of group. Enough to give people a good idea about what the game is about and what it looks like.
These aren't "how to play" videos after all :)
Thanks for making this! The only thing I would add to the "Why play TI?" section is that this game is about INTERACTION. There is very little downtime (you can do actions when other people play Strategy cards), and nearly everything that happens can affect you, hints at other people's motives, and is a point for negotiation. Nearly everything you can do which benefits another player can be halted and reserved until that player pays the right price muahaha. You will find yourself wheeling and dealing at all points, maintaining an alliance so you can keep trade goods flowing into your empire, or to unite against a common enemy, only to backstab them later for the win! And the Agenda Phase is where people convene and vote on agendas that can CHANGE THE RULES OF THE GAME. I can't think of a more diplomatic/interactive game than TI.
Fair point. But the negotiation factor greatly depends on your local meta. Some people play that aspect very intensively, like one group I play with. The other group I play with does not.
Recently, I got to see half of each group play together. The "negotiator" group tried their "if you move here, i'll give you X trade goods, so I can shoot your destroyer and get a VP, and you can Do X and Y" approach, which was met with blank faces and a response like "dude, no".
The "war" group only uses broad negotiations for the most part like "right X is a mutual threat, lets smash them" and looks at VP trading and mini transactions as bloat.
Within 3 or 4 turns the negotiators changed their play style to fit the more aggressive wargaming style of the other group. The game also took about 40% less time to play.
First thing I tell new players, is that despite the amount of rules I’m about to explain, the game is won or lost ‘above’ the gameboard. And I repeat that caveat after the teach. I’ve got it down to 30mins, so plaudits for attempting it in 3 :).
"No one can ever do a review of Twilight Imperium that isn't at least 20 minutes long."
-a lot of people
"Watch me."
-3 minute board games
Impressive for 3 minutes! You fit all the main points in well :)
Yep except in the video, instead of “production”, it should be “resources”. Production means an entirely different concept in the game.
I've been wanting to learn to play this game for over a decade. I used to work in a local game store and we ALWAYS had a copy of this.
I imagine the playign time is the biggest barrier to that
Rewatching this as I might get the chance to play it in a week or so, and just want to say... Damn, your audio has approved so much 👌 never thought it bad originally, but just your new audio is so great.
How on Earth did you manage to cover this game in 3 minutes?! Great work as ever.
Although not anywhere the scale or sheer grandeur of TI, I think Dune is another one to check out for those looking for a sci-fi game that's epic and incredibly memorable, but plays closer to 3-4 hours rather than 7-8+. It takes up a damn site less space on the shelf too!
Indeed it is. We have a recap of that one too :)
Love this format just to get a very brief insight to if it's a game for me before deep diving into it
Thank you so much for this video. It’s absolutely fantastic for introducing the idea of the game to new players during my “sales pitch”
I didn't think a decent explanation could be given in three minutes. Good job! The only significant thing missing, I think, is the Agenda Phase.
Yeah, a lot of mechanics in the game, and it was already pushing the time limit. So, i focused on the most important stuff and then cut when i ran out of time.
@@3MBG No complaint from me. Great job!
There is a certain irony to reviewing Twilight Imperium in 3 minutes lol
Yep, its about 1/40th the length of a turn in the game, lol
I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to play and own this game, but there is not a single person I know who would be willing to learn it and play it unfortunately. Eclipse is a bit too euro for what I am looking for in a TI4 alternative and Exodus Proxima Centauri seems to be difficult to find. I guess I will need to check out Empires of the Void. Are there any other comparables to TI4 that aren't 7+ hours long?
Exodus is almost as long, and is missing a few things. So I wasn't a fan.
Empires of the Void II is closest, but it also feels more "mission based" than a sprawling empire builder.
Dune and/or Rex. Very different gameplay, but similar "epic game with negotiation". And for a completely out there suggestions, Sidereal confluence.
@@3MBG Thanks! I will definitely check these out!
This is an amazing format to review BG, thank you so much. Hope to see a lot more from you like this :3
Really well done. I didnt think you could get through general play in 3 minutes but you basically did it! Missed the agenda piece though.
Had to trim something out :)
@@3MBG I loved it. I also liked the other game recommendations. Kept it up!
Before watching: "I'm going to play this with some friends soon, let's check out a summary."
After watching: "What have I gotten myself into?"
Nicely done, thanks.
Great stuff, love the format, keep it up!
Love this!
I’m curious, was this the hardest game for you to fit into the 3min format?
This was one of them. Gaia project was another.
But the hardest are the ones that never got to make it to them channel, like dexterity games
Your videos are very informative. Thank you.
I have a question. Which sleeves do you use for your board games?
A many and varied selection. This list is the one resource you will ever need for card sleeve advice. www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/164572/card-sleeve-sizes-games
You are my favourite person when it comes to board games. I feel like you really care about your audience. It's great that you reply all the comments. I promise not to bother.
Cheers Ahmed. It's not a bother. Engaging with people who love games, all over the world, is the best part of doing the channel. Never feel awkward to ask anything here.
yeeey, excellent content!:D I would love to see a "Gloomhaven in 3 minutes"
The good news: I have Gloomhaven
The bad news: Is my group isn't starting it for a little while as we are finishing another campaign first.
But expect Gloomhaven sometime in the next few months.
And now it's happened!
I don't think that I will ever get to play TI with my current game groups, I'd love to try it, I think that if I ever get to a con in the UK, maybe? Have you seen the SU&SD documentary? Also, have you tried Sidereal Confluence, that looks interesting too.
People have suggested Sidereal Confluence to me as I also like Chinatown, which is negotiation heavy.
I don't tend to watch SU&SD at all, not my style. (I like quick information, not long skits).
Any chance you would do a review of Twilight Inscription? I feel like you're just about the only person that can take a game of that magnitude and summarize it succinctly while still enough details to know if I want to know more about the game.
If they send me a review copy, sure. But roll and writes aren't my thing so i probably won't buy a copy for personal use.
So it seems this game is from the 90's.
Makes me wonder. What are games from the 90's and older that are worth checking out?
1st edition is from the 90s, yep. I did a vid on "the best game from every year i've been alive" which goes back to games in 1977.
@@3MBG Just watched it. Some cool gems I've never heard of in there.
Very cool to see the style of games evolve over the years.
Yeah, some very dark patches in there as well, like in parts of the 80s when nothing much was coming out other than roll and moves based on kids cartoons and wargames really :)
looked this up for lolz but actually finally learned what this game is all about lol thank you!
Hahahaha, numerous people said "oh you can't possibly explain the core of Twilight Imperium in 3 mins"
*CHALLENGE ACCEPTED*
I love this game and think this is an awesome overview in three minutes, but you managed to show the one technology in the whole game that has a typo.
Hahahaha, oh brilliant. That's so typical of me.
@@3MBG haha it's all Good! It's pretty easily interpreted as your suppose to get 3 command counters instead of 2 which you were already getting.
I remember my first game of TI IV, i got stung with that. And I didn't take my 2 free command counters for the first 2 turns.
Still came within one point of winning though
Dang lol, pretty hard to win without any command counters.
That it is. Once the guy running the game noticed, he and the other players agreed to top me up to what i should have. But it slowed my initial game a fair bit
Star Trek Ascendancy or Twilight Imperium? Which one is easier to learn/teach and has a shorter play time? Most of my group at the moment have work and/or college.
Have not played Star Trek Ascendancy so couldn't advise sorry
@@3MBG No problem. How is the balance of factions in Twilight Imperium 4?
Reasonable. Of the factions only the Jol-Nar are stupidly over-powered and the Winnu are under-powered. The rest are close enough in balance for it to be fine.
That said, most of the balance in TI IV comes from player actions. As amazing as the Jol-nar can be, they aren't amazing enough to stop 2 players at once.
@@3MBG Cool. I like how it sounds more like Blood Rage in the "drafting" & NOT like Roar: King of the Pride.
since we can get this in french now maybe ill let myself go in that rabbit hole XD great job awesome sinthesis!
😭😭 that intro sounded more exhausting than this games rule systems, price and size combined!! 😭😭
I also would recommend meow mix.
Great for smoothies shakes or tasty oven bakes. Psa protip (bad for cats btw dont feed to your cat)
Great video. Just one thing, planets have Resources (not Production) and Influence. Production is a unit ability that describes how many things that unit can build; you then pay for that Production using Resources. Two related but very different things, so I worry that when you mistake them here it'll confuse players. Also PDS = Planetary Defense System, not Point Defense System, though that's not really a problematic misstatement.
That's a level of granularity that an 3 min overview doesn't need. Planets let you build stuff is enough.
Did you hear about Prophecy of the Kings?
Yep, a good friend of mine was a tester even :)
@@3MBG Cool! I know what I'm getting in November 😁
I want a game like this but with geopolitics on earth. Like this meets diplomacy or civ
Like Supremacy?
Where is the "Eclipse in about 3 minutes" video
I've never actually played Eclipse, despite one of my friends owning it.
If I can make a correction. While it is complex I think it would fall under just a complex game and not a very complex game mostly because the rules are much better and much more streamlined
I don't tend to decide the complexity score for most games myself, I base it off the BGG complexity rating for a game. TI IV currently has a score of 4.15 . The only other game I have scored a 5 so far was Mage Knight, and it's scored at 4.23
BGG complexity 4-5 gets a 5 on my reviews.
I would say that TI 4 couldn't quantify as anything but a very complex game due to the sheer scale of the game and how much there is to know about it, but I am a huge fan of how fantasy flight streamlined several things from TI 3 including tech, and trade. This has made it much easier to introduce new players to the game.
space dock
Luckily Stellaris exists so this game is basically obsolete.
If you are talking about the Stellaris Board game, that's a bold call as its not even out yet.
If you are talking about the Stellaris PC game, that's comparing Apples and Pot holders. Two very different things.
Understood nothing! LOL Too fast!
Too fast for you perhaps. But not too fast for many