I was wondering about this one. And I’m definitely going to pick it up. I love Southern California and I love Santa Monica and I think this kind of game would be playable with non-gamers too.
I grew up in Southern California and went to the beach almost every day of the summer. Glad to hear that the gameplay is good because this is kind of a must buy for me based on the theme alone. Great review Tom
My wife and I love this game and play it all the time. It has quickly become one of our favorites. Highly recommend it. We've found there are a couple cards that are a little too powerful (namely the 1:1 point per sand dollar cards) but if you take a couple of those out the game is very well balanced. We live in Florida and the theme feels just like home to us. :) Great review.
Have you all tried Santa Monica: The Long Weekend expansion yet? Just got my copy in today going to try it out later today, but if you enjoyed Santa Monica, you might want to check it out!
8:25 I was hoping for organized world championship tournaments ala X-wing ; ) It looks good. I had seen this recently. I'm picking up the Cat Lady premium edition which comes with wooden components and a score pad. I assume your Santa Monica copy is a standard version that comes with wooden components? It looks like all the components need to be bagged. I guess they need a large square box for shelf presence. Parks KS was small but Barnes & Noble was larger for their shelves. Hit Z Road has an empty box larger than it needs. But it works. This game is on the radar.
I find the scorecard itself a bit confusing. There are rows for activity rings, footprints and the 3 goals, however what’s the up and down arrow refer to? As well as where are the misc row for things like when you get the sanddollar VP’s?
This reminds me a LOT of a little Kickstarter project from a couple years ago called Penny Lane. Same basic mechanism of having a double-long starting board, and adding one kind of tile to the top row and a different to the bottom, and trying to get people into certain positions to maximize points. Tom, have you played that one? Can you compare them?
No reflection on the game, but the Santa Monica pier *IS* overrated. However, it's dead center on the Southern California coastline, and the closest beach to where Hollywood and the movie industry is, and where you connect up with Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) heading north, so it's very well known by anyone who's lived in LA. Souvenir shops used to sell maps that depict Santa Monica out of proportion to the rest of the US with a "there is no life east of Sepulveda" on them, wouldn't be surprised if you can still find them there. Also, at one time, Pacific Ocean Park used to be there (a West Coast attempt at a Coney Island), and in the very early days of the film industry the old silent movies beach scenes used to be shot there. I recall the sea foam in the waves there having this awful looking brown/yellow tint that I suspect was probably due to the film processing companies dumping their chemicals into the storm drains-- fortunately, not so much film processing goes on any more and I think it's not like that these days. Graphics for the game here is nice though.
In the game you are building a SoCal beach in general (after all both Muscle Beach and the Venice Skate Park made it in the game). I went with Santa Monica because I like it a little bit more. I think IF I get to do an expansion. I'll call it Venice Beach.
@@joshwood1274 is that still a IF? I just bought this game today I love it already, but I can see how an expansion will be something I'll be begging for sooner or later.
what a pity. artwork looks great, game concept is interesting BUT the rule intricacies of the cards is too overwhelming. the effort to strategize does not tally with the art :( think: sushi go. cute art match with simple gameplay
If you haven't actually played it already you might want to give it a shot. The rules are REALLY simple as soon as you start playing and understand the logic behind it. Cards give you stuff and/score for stuff. It's honestly very straightforward.
I was wondering if anyone else felt this way too. I played with family and it did not go over well. So many symbols led to a lot of confusion and constantly referring to the rulebook, which I thought could have been more clear. And this is a group of casual gamers who love Wingspan......idk, overall myself and my family were disappointed at how complex of a "simple" game this felt like. Needed to be more streamlined in my opinion if they wanted it to appeal to casual gamers.....
It wasn’t too complex for my family, but with four players it took forever to get to 14 cards with some of the thinky choices. Shame because the artwork is gorgeous and it is not super complex.
I'm in. It looks like a relaxing game to play on a work night.
Thanks for the review, Tom!
I was wondering about this one. And I’m definitely going to pick it up. I love Southern California and I love Santa Monica and I think this kind of game would be playable with non-gamers too.
I grew up in Southern California and went to the beach almost every day of the summer. Glad to hear that the gameplay is good because this is kind of a must buy for me based on the theme alone. Great review Tom
If i play this, I wont be able to stop singing the Everclear song.
My wife and I love this game and play it all the time. It has quickly become one of our favorites. Highly recommend it. We've found there are a couple cards that are a little too powerful (namely the 1:1 point per sand dollar cards) but if you take a couple of those out the game is very well balanced. We live in Florida and the theme feels just like home to us. :) Great review.
Have you all tried Santa Monica: The Long Weekend expansion yet? Just got my copy in today going to try it out later today, but if you enjoyed Santa Monica, you might want to check it out!
8:25 I was hoping for organized world championship tournaments ala X-wing ; ) It looks good. I had seen this recently. I'm picking up the Cat Lady premium edition which comes with wooden components and a score pad. I assume your Santa Monica copy is a standard version that comes with wooden components? It looks like all the components need to be bagged. I guess they need a large square box for shelf presence. Parks KS was small but Barnes & Noble was larger for their shelves. Hit Z Road has an empty box larger than it needs. But it works. This game is on the radar.
Wow, this actually looks super fun!
Elaina P the art alone looks fantastic
Arriving and finding it's overrated is every famous LA landmark
Except Griffith Observatory.
Have you tried the Long Weekend Expansion?
Thanks Tom! Looks like a fun and breezy game!
I find the scorecard itself a bit confusing.
There are rows for activity rings, footprints and the 3 goals, however what’s the up and down arrow refer to? As well as where are the misc row for things like when you get the sanddollar VP’s?
This reminds me a LOT of a little Kickstarter project from a couple years ago called Penny Lane. Same basic mechanism of having a double-long starting board, and adding one kind of tile to the top row and a different to the bottom, and trying to get people into certain positions to maximize points. Tom, have you played that one? Can you compare them?
Very pretty game to take on a beach vacation! LOL
Great review as always. Thanks dice tower
Thanks for the review.
I’m sold!
A great review on point in 10 minutes 🌉
This looks great, wondering how it plays with 2. Since the Pandemic all my boardgaming is with my Wife.
No reflection on the game, but the Santa Monica pier *IS* overrated. However, it's dead center on the Southern California coastline, and the closest beach to where Hollywood and the movie industry is, and where you connect up with Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) heading north, so it's very well known by anyone who's lived in LA. Souvenir shops used to sell maps that depict Santa Monica out of proportion to the rest of the US with a "there is no life east of Sepulveda" on them, wouldn't be surprised if you can still find them there. Also, at one time, Pacific Ocean Park used to be there (a West Coast attempt at a Coney Island), and in the very early days of the film industry the old silent movies beach scenes used to be shot there. I recall the sea foam in the waves there having this awful looking brown/yellow tint that I suspect was probably due to the film processing companies dumping their chemicals into the storm drains-- fortunately, not so much film processing goes on any more and I think it's not like that these days. Graphics for the game here is nice though.
Pacific Ocean Park is still there and the Pier is a tourist trap for sure (that's why the card in the game gives a bunch of tourist meeples)
Really should be named Venice Beach. Santa Monica isn't known for a boardwalk like depicted in the game.
In the game you are building a SoCal beach in general (after all both Muscle Beach and the Venice Skate Park made it in the game). I went with Santa Monica because I like it a little bit more. I think IF I get to do an expansion. I'll call it Venice Beach.
@@joshwood1274 is that still a IF? I just bought this game today I love it already, but I can see how an expansion will be something I'll be begging for sooner or later.
@@danpsou I am working on an expansion. What it's called I don't know, when it will come out. I don't know. These are AEG decisions
@@joshwood1274 wonderful news! Thanks!
7 Wonders keeps coming to mind.
Similar to Kanagawa
what a pity. artwork looks great, game concept is interesting BUT the rule intricacies of the cards is too overwhelming.
the effort to strategize does not tally with the art :(
think: sushi go. cute art match with simple gameplay
If you haven't actually played it already you might want to give it a shot. The rules are REALLY simple as soon as you start playing and understand the logic behind it. Cards give you stuff and/score for stuff. It's honestly very straightforward.
I was wondering if anyone else felt this way too. I played with family and it did not go over well. So many symbols led to a lot of confusion and constantly referring to the rulebook, which I thought could have been more clear. And this is a group of casual gamers who love Wingspan......idk, overall myself and my family were disappointed at how complex of a "simple" game this felt like. Needed to be more streamlined in my opinion if they wanted it to appeal to casual gamers.....
It wasn’t too complex for my family, but with four players it took forever to get to 14 cards with some of the thinky choices. Shame because the artwork is gorgeous and it is not super complex.
È bell?
Very similar feel to Penny Lane.