Absolutely fantastic play through. I just picked this game up from a yard sale and the rules looked to intimidating. After watching this I feel confident to try it out. Thanks!
One of my favouritethings about your channel is that it feels like my boardgame collection on shuffle! I play nations at least once a year, never gets old.
I've just managed to get a copy of Nations after looking for quite some time. I enjoyed watching your playthrough and it helped me understand how the game plays. Thank you both.
He is great, we've been friends for over a decade now :) It's been a joy to bring him in for these, and he seems to be really enjoying being apart of them as well.
I own the expansion, but decided not to complicate the playthru by adding it in. Honestly, I've had the expansion for about 4 years and never actually played with it. I need to change that!
That was quite the rollercoaster of a game. I could see it being a bit more interesting with more players but that was an exciting showdown with just 2
playing this game actually made me get rid of my copy of through the ages, tbh it just feels tighter and more interactive then through the ages, as well as filled with more interesting decisions (to me)
After playing both in quick succession, Nations is feeling like the one I am much more likely to be returning to in the future. I do have dozens of TTA plays vs only a dozen or so of Nations, so that may be part of it too.
I've never 'clicked' with Nations. I think it's the mechanics where you replace cards with other buildings that aren't upgrades, a mechanic I don't like very much. Or maybe it's the way the card market works, although I guess it's not really that different from Through the Ages' if you think about it. Thanks for the playthrough, though! These are enjoyable to watch even if I'm less keen on the game itself.
Glad you enjoyed this :) For people who adore TTA I can see why Nations would be second-tier. For me, I actually think I prefer the unknown of what cards will come out vs seeing every card but in different orders. Mostly though, I vastly prefer how military is handled in Nations, I've been blown out in TTA too many times by just not barely getting enough military. I think TTA is likely the superior game by a long shot, but I seem to have more fun playing Nations.
Enjoyed watching! Jonathan, do you know where you got that plastic organizer for storing the components? I’m finding similar ones but I like that one in particular. Thanks!
CORRECTIONS: 41:26 - Jonathan should have gained 2 stone from the Augustus bonus because he was in the lead on the military track. 1:29:43 - Matt accidentally paid 1 stone instead of 2 for this action. 1:52:34 - Matt forgot to increase his military strength by 5 after taking the Algeria colony. 2:00:24 - Matt only has 2 workers at his 2nd building, so he took 1 too many victory points for it.
Nice play through! I much prefer Nations over TTA for the exact reasons you all point out. Nations is also much more approachable for new players vs. TTA. TTA is an app only game for me anymore. You all are also spot on with player count….2 is good, but shines at 3-4. Expert cards are a necessity. I have the expansion too which adds even more variety with civs and natural wonders. Would love to see an app for Nations and a reprint to deluxify the set would be interesting. Thanks for playing on of my favorite games.
I have the expansion for Nations as well, and originally planned to put it into the video. After going through it though, I decided it made more sense to show the game without the expansion due to all the extra mechanical bits that are added. It's not actually THAT many things, but it seemed like enough. I haven't even played with the expansion yet, and I do hope to in the future.
1:39:40 - I think you got Shaka Zulu's ability wrong. It gives you 8 military (huge boost), but the other ability concerns your opponents, i.e. if THEY buy colonies, THEY get that ore ;).
Great playthrough Jon, helped a lot. Question: Any reason why Matt didn't use his free Architect on his special Private Round 34:58 instead of paying a second one?
Private architects aren’t free. You still have to pay ore cost of the wonder in order to use them. Thus, there is no reason to use private architects until the common pool is exhausted.
I think one of the significant flaws in this game (even though it is one of my favorites) is the military at 2p. I'm only at 54:54 so forgive me if I repeat something that gets said later. But I think Matt is really feeling it in this moment: You already have the strongest military AND you would get first grab at a new military if it hit the board. It's less likely for one person to rule by tyranny in this way at higher player counts (more cards, more likelihood for turn order to change) but it really distills down in a bad way at 2.
It wasn’t too bad. I had other things going for me. I think because it’s all binary with military ( so down by 1 is the same as down by 10) it means that I never have to focus on it at all. Which is something I leveraged but I don’t honk I explicitly stated. Granted Alexander really helped Jon for a while and there was nothing I could do. But I had my own thing going on so I had a good time even though I was at a military disadvantage.
The game needs a ctach up mechanism yes. If you get behind you caneasily stay behind, espcially with many players as the market then dries up fast (all cheap stuff gets bought fast).
One of my favourite games. I played this once a year with my friends for a few years. I always did well, but the whole game I feel like it is going terribly. I wish I owned it. Need to borrow it.
It feels weird that you don't have to remove certain cards for different player counts. Also if you've added all of the extra module cards, were you supposed to remove any basic cards? I've only every played the dice version of this. Watching the full game is nice. I like how the resources each have their kind of purpose. Coins primarily for getting cards, ore for putting people out, food for various things (but mostly feeding things and famine), and books for that race at the end of the era. In a lot of ways, it looks more accessible than TTA.
I can see why it'd feel odd, but according to the rules you just add more cards in when you want to add complexity and swingyness. This game had everything, and it has me wondering what a middle ground game would be like, using advanced cards but not expert cards to lower the deck size while still adding some variation to the cards that come out.
In a two player game is it not two (2) points for having most books each era? I know it is in Nations the dice game and it makes books more meaningfull in a two player game....
@@JonGetsGames Ok. It is a god thing in the dice game. In a two player game I whould not play the no military civs or a civ that NEEDS a certain thing (colonies/wonders etc). Might be best with generic factions at two?
No, they don't save up. Sounds like he may have just missed this a few times. I wasn't putting pressure on him at all for wonders, so he likely didn't notice not having them.
I wasn't familiar with this game at all, but I have played Through the Ages. It's kind of shocking how similar they are, even in things that don't seem like they would be obvious/necessary for this type of game. I'd be curious to hear from people who have played both Nations and TTA and like Nations better why that's the case. I don't really see anything groundbreaking that it adds, so it feels like a knockoff.
I think it feels more dynamic than TTA. Because any infrastructure improvement means you are destroying an existing capability, so you have to figure out how to deal with that loss. In TTA things improve in tracks and all former infrastructure is available to you at all times so you are not losing anything when you get a new piece of infrastructure. I think that’s one of the core appeals. Which is why I think the asymmetric sides with less blue/red card slots are more interesting because you are more engaged with this aspect of the game.
yes you needed to block draft and build wonders and get them completed every other turn. Giving him 6 coins for that wonder did probably lose you the game
Absolutely fantastic play through. I just picked this game up from a yard sale and the rules looked to intimidating. After watching this I feel confident to try it out. Thanks!
That's great to hear, I hope you enjoy it!
One of my favouritethings about your channel is that it feels like my boardgame collection on shuffle! I play nations at least once a year, never gets old.
Nice playthrough, I just bought a copy of this, so this helped a great deal learning how to play.
Same here. Just bought yesterday. Discovered this game On Rahdo a few years ago.
I've just managed to get a copy of Nations after looking for quite some time. I enjoyed watching your playthrough and it helped me understand how the game plays. Thank you both.
No problem, I hope you enjoy it :)
One of my favorites of all time! Thanks for making this video!
Thanks for this. Still one of my favorite CIV Game
I really enjoy these plays with you and Matt. He seems like a great guy, and you match well. I need more 😁
He is great, we've been friends for over a decade now :) It's been a joy to bring him in for these, and he seems to be really enjoying being apart of them as well.
At 2:00:27, Matt gives himself one too many points for guys on his second building. He counts 1 point x 3 guys but only has 2 guys there.
Good catch! I've added a correction, thanks.
This is even greater with the expansion.
I own the expansion, but decided not to complicate the playthru by adding it in. Honestly, I've had the expansion for about 4 years and never actually played with it. I need to change that!
That was quite the rollercoaster of a game. I could see it being a bit more interesting with more players but that was an exciting showdown with just 2
This video convinced me to track down a copy, I love the euro vibes and I actually don’t mind the artwork a bit. Thanks!
Awesome, I hope you end up enjoying it :)
playing this game actually made me get rid of my copy of through the ages, tbh it just feels tighter and more interactive then through the ages, as well as filled with more interesting decisions (to me)
After playing both in quick succession, Nations is feeling like the one I am much more likely to be returning to in the future. I do have dozens of TTA plays vs only a dozen or so of Nations, so that may be part of it too.
In production phase on turn 2, at 41:24, I think Augustus would have given Jon 2 more stone, as he was sitting at 1 army value, while Matt had 0.
Good catch! I've added a correction, thanks for pointing that out.
Ty for this playthrough
I've never 'clicked' with Nations. I think it's the mechanics where you replace cards with other buildings that aren't upgrades, a mechanic I don't like very much. Or maybe it's the way the card market works, although I guess it's not really that different from Through the Ages' if you think about it.
Thanks for the playthrough, though! These are enjoyable to watch even if I'm less keen on the game itself.
Glad you enjoyed this :) For people who adore TTA I can see why Nations would be second-tier. For me, I actually think I prefer the unknown of what cards will come out vs seeing every card but in different orders. Mostly though, I vastly prefer how military is handled in Nations, I've been blown out in TTA too many times by just not barely getting enough military. I think TTA is likely the superior game by a long shot, but I seem to have more fun playing Nations.
Enjoyed watching! Jonathan, do you know where you got that plastic organizer for storing the components? I’m finding similar ones but I like that one in particular. Thanks!
I got a couple sets here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L54MRQ6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
CORRECTIONS:
41:26 - Jonathan should have gained 2 stone from the Augustus bonus because he was in the lead on the military track.
1:29:43 - Matt accidentally paid 1 stone instead of 2 for this action.
1:52:34 - Matt forgot to increase his military strength by 5 after taking the Algeria colony.
2:00:24 - Matt only has 2 workers at his 2nd building, so he took 1 too many victory points for it.
20:04 Jonathan should have paid one stone after he deployed a third worker on his quarry.
Shoutout for profiling it, it is my #3 of all time !
Nice play through! I much prefer Nations over TTA for the exact reasons you all point out. Nations is also much more approachable for new players vs. TTA. TTA is an app only game for me anymore. You all are also spot on with player count….2 is good, but shines at 3-4. Expert cards are a necessity. I have the expansion too which adds even more variety with civs and natural wonders. Would love to see an app for Nations and a reprint to deluxify the set would be interesting. Thanks for playing on of my favorite games.
I have the expansion for Nations as well, and originally planned to put it into the video. After going through it though, I decided it made more sense to show the game without the expansion due to all the extra mechanical bits that are added. It's not actually THAT many things, but it seemed like enough. I haven't even played with the expansion yet, and I do hope to in the future.
1:39:40 - I think you got Shaka Zulu's ability wrong. It gives you 8 military (huge boost), but the other ability concerns your opponents, i.e. if THEY buy colonies, THEY get that ore ;).
Great playthrough Jon, helped a lot. Question: Any reason why Matt didn't use his free Architect on his special Private Round 34:58 instead of paying a second one?
Private architects aren’t free. You still have to pay ore cost of the wonder in order to use them. Thus, there is no reason to use private architects until the common pool is exhausted.
I think one of the significant flaws in this game (even though it is one of my favorites) is the military at 2p. I'm only at 54:54 so forgive me if I repeat something that gets said later. But I think Matt is really feeling it in this moment: You already have the strongest military AND you would get first grab at a new military if it hit the board. It's less likely for one person to rule by tyranny in this way at higher player counts (more cards, more likelihood for turn order to change) but it really distills down in a bad way at 2.
It wasn’t too bad. I had other things going for me. I think because it’s all binary with military ( so down by 1 is the same as down by 10) it means that I never have to focus on it at all. Which is something I leveraged but I don’t honk I explicitly stated. Granted Alexander really helped Jon for a while and there was nothing I could do. But I had my own thing going on so I had a good time even though I was at a military disadvantage.
The game needs a ctach up mechanism yes. If you get behind you caneasily stay behind, espcially with many players as the market then dries up fast (all cheap stuff gets bought fast).
I would love to see a rematch someday ;)
One of my favourite games. I played this once a year with my friends for a few years. I always did well, but the whole game I feel like it is going terribly. I wish I owned it. Need to borrow it.
Egypt is probably a harder nation to play in a 2p game starting with no military on the board
It feels weird that you don't have to remove certain cards for different player counts. Also if you've added all of the extra module cards, were you supposed to remove any basic cards?
I've only every played the dice version of this. Watching the full game is nice. I like how the resources each have their kind of purpose. Coins primarily for getting cards, ore for putting people out, food for various things (but mostly feeding things and famine), and books for that race at the end of the era. In a lot of ways, it looks more accessible than TTA.
I can see why it'd feel odd, but according to the rules you just add more cards in when you want to add complexity and swingyness. This game had everything, and it has me wondering what a middle ground game would be like, using advanced cards but not expert cards to lower the deck size while still adding some variation to the cards that come out.
@@JonGetsGames fair enough. I am not sure I'd go out of my way for a copy, but definitely on my list now if I happen to see one.
In a two player game is it not two (2) points for having most books each era?
I know it is in Nations the dice game and it makes books more meaningfull in a two player game....
According to my first edition rulebook, there are no special 2p rules for books.
@@JonGetsGames Ok. It is a god thing in the dice game. In a two player game I whould not play the no military civs or a civ that NEEDS a certain thing (colonies/wonders etc). Might be best with generic factions at two?
@2:00:24 - didn't Matt take 1 too many points? He only had 2 meeples on that second card.
Good catch! I've added a correction, thanks.
Is "Brevery" just a known misprint? It's weird that Matt's card is different from Jon's card.
Huh, I never noticed it but I suppose it is. FWIW this is a 1st edition of the game, I hope they fixed that in subsequent printings.
1:52:18 Matt take Algeria colony but doesn’t increase his Military strength
Good catch! I've added a correction for this, thanks for pointing it out.
Matt forgot to take his artchitect at least twice. in the 4th and 5th rounds ..unless you can have more than one saved up in hs personal space.
No, they don't save up. Sounds like he may have just missed this a few times. I wasn't putting pressure on him at all for wonders, so he likely didn't notice not having them.
I wasn't familiar with this game at all, but I have played Through the Ages. It's kind of shocking how similar they are, even in things that don't seem like they would be obvious/necessary for this type of game. I'd be curious to hear from people who have played both Nations and TTA and like Nations better why that's the case. I don't really see anything groundbreaking that it adds, so it feels like a knockoff.
I think it feels more dynamic than TTA. Because any infrastructure improvement means you are destroying an existing capability, so you have to figure out how to deal with that loss. In TTA things improve in tracks and all former infrastructure is available to you at all times so you are not losing anything when you get a new piece of infrastructure. I think that’s one of the core appeals. Which is why I think the asymmetric sides with less blue/red card slots are more interesting because you are more engaged with this aspect of the game.
At 1:29:40ish, it looks like Matt paid 1 stone instead of 2
Ah, yeah you are correct. Good catch, I've added a correction. thanks!
You really think Matt's turns are cool.
I bought this years ago for $60, sold it for $80. Then I missed it. Just bought it again for $20! Can’t wait for the remake!
yes you needed to block draft and build wonders and get them completed every other turn. Giving him 6 coins for that wonder did probably lose you the game