Pax Pamir: Second Edition Review
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- Pax Pamir: Second Edition Review
Intro (00:00);
gameplay overview (01:34);
final thoughts and review (18:46);
Pax Pamir: Second Edition boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2...
by
Wehrlegig Games wehrlegig.com/
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Great to hear this clicked with you Joel. Certainly a great opportunity to introduce new folks to the Pax "genre". Thanks for sharing! Ricky.
Great Review! I really liked you pointing out how the game's faction "worth" is dynamic and flows like a stock game where you want to time being in the right company. Our group has really enjoyed the Pax games from a design perspective, but often the actual mechanics are so dense/ harder to intuit that it takes away from the play-ability. With this 2nd Edition of Pax Pamir however they've streamlined the action abilities and I'm able to quickly discern how useful they are for my strategy- so this version is highly recommended. Because those mechanics are more easily understood I get to look more into this historical narrative playing out, making it more enjoyable - and bringing up those interesting political questions you brought up in your review (which is another facet of the COIN series that I enjoy). Pax Ren I like for the time period and it does have an interesting flow once you get over the gnarly mechanics. Cole's John Company is another game that requires some deep diving to be understood, but all of these games push interesting choices throughout and are worthwhile!
I've also been loving Pax Pamir second edition! Just played my first 3-player game tonight and was stoked to see your review posted the same day. I played Pax Renaissance for the first time a couple months ago and it went over my head a bit - my first Pax game, about a year into the hobby, but I was so intrigued by it and could not stop thinking about it. Ive been on a historical board game kick ever since. I think you should for sure give that one a whirl too, but man Pax Pamir is soooo awesome and wayyyy more accessible. I also played Pax Pamir solo the first time, then 2-players, then 5 and tried 3 tonight. 3 so far is my favorite player count...it's a good sweet spot, but I'm curious to see how it is with 4 or 5 experienced players too. This review is awesome and I'm glad you're digging it too! Cheers!
Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it.
Totally agree with your perspective on this game. It’s the first “Pax” game that hooked me as well and possibly the best.
The minimalist almost abstract-in-nature design coupled with the clockwork interaction of the various mechanics leads to an outstanding card-driven game of power and influence.
One of my top games of the year!
I *really* like this game. In order to learn it I played it a couple of times solo with the bot, then solo 2-player plus the bot. My first game with other players was--fortunately but unfortunately--a five-player game, with two of the group being buddies of mine who are prone to analysis paralysis. Soooo... the game took 4 1/2 hours, counting socializing and a brief break for food. I was really concerned that I had forever ruined any chance of having the group play it again, but everyone was really into it all the way to the end! And it really was the end: there were only two cards left in the deck when we had our last scoring check. I feel like that 5-player session is going to be the longest, most grueling session that we'll ever have with the game, so from now on it's gravy. :)
Our experience with 5-player dynamics is that tribes (and therefore Political court cards) had a very short lifespan due to the relative ease of executing battle actions. It was pretty typical to see someone play a Politics card then have its tribe(s) be killed off before that player's turn came up again. That made for smaller courts and more "churn" of court cards.
But hoo boy, folks really liked the theme and setting as well as the mechanics, and so do I. Once you get a couple of important but slightly fiddly rules down (how bribes work, the fact that you can only Build in a region you rule... that kind of thing) then it really speeds up. There are multiple routes to success, and it feels like a game that rewards both strategic talent and experience.
That sounds epic and awesome :)
I really enjoyed the very human-centric lens you brought to your commentary on this game! Thank you. More than any other reviews / summaries I've seen, your insights really illuminated what I appreciate so much about it. Cheers.
Thanks Brian.
Great review. I recommend giving the solo game another chance. Sometimes silly things happen, it's true, but I've been blown away by how the solo game generates puzzles that reward analysis and problem solving. My last game reached a point where I felt certain that losing would be unavoidable in the next turn. After about 10 minutes of thought, I discovered a solution that would circumvent that loss. And it wasn't just one of those, if the next card is this, situations; it was a definitive solution to the problem. When you work out things like this, you really feel like you solved a puzzle. The game reliably generates moments like this (though I don't know how!). This, I think, is a mark of a truly great solo game.
I’ll have to give it another shot, maybe after a few more multiplayer games and then give it another crack.
I am about to play Pax Pamir second edition for the first time this week. The first edition is one of my favorite games, so I'm psyched to give this version a try. Pax Porfiriana is a fantastic game, and Pax Renaissance just delightful! I have yet to play Pax Emancipation or Pax Transhumanity.
Really appreciated your insight into some of the thematics associated with this game. I had that second edition is much more accessible for players who may have considered trying one of the Pax games, but (like myself) have been somewhat intimidated to do so. Your review was all the convincing I needed to order my own copy. Thank you, Joel!
Great. Hope you enjoy it Thomas.
If you like this, you should definitely try Pax Renaissance. If Pax Pamir is 3D, Renaissance is the system in 4D, it’s wild.
I'll try to try it down for sure. My group has really been liking this and I think we can get Renaissance to the table.
Pax Renaissance, Pax Emancipation and coming soon Pax transhumanity. Great video as usual Joel! :)
Really enjoyed your review. Would you say it also has a Carl Chudyk feel to it as well?
Hmmm... a little bit... with all the unique cards. Kind of an Innovation feel I guess.
There’s just something about a cloth game mat. I don’t know if it’s the novelty of it or if it feels higher quality but it impresses me. Anyway, awesome overview! Looks like a very well designed game both thematically and mechanically. I can’t wait to play it!
I like it as well. Can't put my finger on why outside of just the artistic style of the thread work.
To me it looks like biscuits on a napkin, not feeling the aesthetics of this at all... but curious about how it plays as a game.
~ played a dozen-ish games of the 'original' Pamir (now 8 games of the 2nd edition has relegated it to 'dust collector' status on my shelves, right alongside the 1st edition). Played the heck outta Renaissance and Porifiriana, and IMHO the 'gameplay' of Renaissance blows both editions of Pamir out of the water. The 'chaos' of Porifiriana is exactly what makes it my favorite of the three Pax offerings, and puts it in my top ten games ever. A VERY rare disagreement with your opinions Joel, Thanks for introducing me to some of my favorite games over the years (remember 'Court of the Medici' ??)...
I do remember. Still play and love it. :)
Here’s another game I was initially interested in until I saw the price. $150 after tax and shipping in Canada. Why is this so expensive? I miss the good old days when games were only $100.
That seems high. It's 85$ in USD.... the shipping must be egregious or something.
Always cheaper in US. 125 before tax, add 15 tax, $10 shipping.
@@shatnershairpiece Ya I knew it was more expensive, but yikes.
I appreciate that you highlighted the fact that pax pamir places the focus more on the afghan people as opposed to focusing on the foreign powers. I think it elevates the game above a whole sea of games that focus on imperialism in a lot of ways.
This is a great game. I think Pax Renaissance is easily the best Pax. I also love pax porfiriana
It is really not a question for Pax Pamir so I'm sorry, but I don't see Yellow & Yangtze anymore on your shelf, did you decide to just keep T&E?
I still have it. My floor is a mess organizing new Gen Con stuff.
@@DriveThruReview Oh okai ! I understand haha! Thanks for answering :)
I love the way your brain works.
That makes one of us :)
What would you estimate the skill to luck ratio to be?
Oof.. tough question... Probably 1:1... because.. there is certainly skill... but there is certainly luck.
@@DriveThruReview thanks for your opinion. I've watched many reviews and the game has peeked my interest. However, I generally don't like heavy games that have too high of a luck content. In various reviews, some are highly critical of the luck, almost calling the game a crap shoot, while other reviewers think you can mitigate much of the luck with proper play.
@@chrisjohnphillips6352 I should have mentioned. It can get more lucky at the five player count. I don't know if I mentioned it in this review.. but at least from subsequent plays from the time of this video... five player is something that ... I would still readily and happily play (I still enjoy the game), but a word of warning to newer folks at the five player count. A lot can happen before it gets back to your turn :)
Drive Thru Games Yes, what is that about “seeing more of this come December” at the end of the video? I feel like I miss an announcement about your channel.
Oh of course! Sorry yes. Well just have to wait and see then :)
Drive Thru Games Color me intrigued!
Surprised that you prefer 2 over 4, I've read that 2 player is a little bit... peculiar, and the main reason I'm hesitant to buy it.
It is peculiar at all player counts. With 2 player no bot you will probably each take a different faction. If you end up with the same faction one will probably switch if the other gets ahead on influence. With 3 you could get 2 one faction, 1 the other, 3 all same (unlikely) or one each. When the factions are skewed it can be an odd experience (in a good way). With 4 you could get 2 v 2 or 2 v 1 v 1 with the later it depends how much the singles cooperate. WIth 2 you have the issue of getting into situations where one is too dominant and you do not have 2+ players to hold them back. Also there is a complete lack of chaos which is often a big part of the charm of a pax game. I think when you have two options for 2 player - as is or with the bot you will find a great two player game in the package although you will likely much prefer one version over the other. I like it best with 4 -with 5 someone will have too much AP and it will overstay its welcome, with 3 you can get into tricky 2 v 1 states that take good players to make interesting
Ben's 100% correct. I just found with four, one player can sort of get isolated on the short of the "current" running through the game. I've actually been in that position and still won, but it was bonkers. Other players haven't enjoyed that experience as much. I kind of alluded to this when I talked about four being the absolute upper limit. I can't imagine playing with five and not having one player guaranteed to have an awkward time of it.
And two is peculiar. But, it's a great tactical card game at that count. Very pure in a lot of a ways, and really reminds of a funky Race for the Galaxy (or some other card drafting style game probably) at two players.
Is Pac a system? Like Coin? Or is Pax just branding?
It’s a system but maybe looser than COIN? There’s (I think) only four maybe five games that are “Pax”.?
December?
What’s in December?
You haven't aged a single day in 10 years.
Hah. I hide it well. :D
The people are called afghans. Afghani is their monetary currency. Also it’s pronounced trans-caspia not transcapia ;p
Well shoot. That’s my bad on the Afghan vs Afghani thing.
@@DriveThruReview Yeah, get it right Joel!!!! It's Leviosa, not Levio-SAW!