I know the dice tower doesn't normally talk about price, but I wish they would have here. An $80 MSRP feels really high for Stone Age, especially since what you are paying close to twice the base game for is a few mini expansions that feel tacked on and some new art. I really can't see how to justify the price.
I just introduced my 66-year-old dad to this game a couple of days ago. You have to understand that he *sort of* likes board games, just not nearly as much as I do. But after playing this game the other day, my dad told me that the next time we get together he wants to play this game again because he feels like he knows how he can play it better. That's a huge step for him and for me, especially since he didn't really play many board games with my siblings and me when we were kids.
nailed it! This is exactly THE con. It's the same game, but unjustifiably more expensive. Maybe prices are lower on the flipside (or he got a free review copy).
Thanks Sam for another great review. I think compared to other "anniversary editions" this one doesn't go far to justify the price. Here in Canada it's selling for $85 (I think it's $65 in the US). That's more than Scythe, Blood Rage, etc. If you don't own any edition of this game I would still recommend getting the base over this.
I ll give you second con. Could have done a lot more upgrading etc if this is supposed to be the "anniversary" special addition, cause lets face it. Changes are minimal at best
Opinions are mixed on it though, and this does add some modular stuff that spices things up a wee bit. The Z-Man approach to anniversary editions is head scratching though.
@@andrewv3515 how so? base game can be way cutthroat...more experienced gamers will just waste 1 worker to block resource slots from the other opponent/s that need to collect anything in order to get huts/cards. At least the expansion allows for some mitigation of that aggressiveness that can happen in base game. Plus, that additional layer with the new slow, trading and jewels makes the game a little more strategic then the core game. I'd be 200% in this edition if there was some word from z-man to make a following expansion print compatible with the art from this one.
@@Nain1982 Worker placement games by nature have blocking. Just because a game has interaction doesn't make it cutthroat. With regards to the expansion it isn't universally praised is all I'm saying.
@@andrewv3515 You are not solving a mystery here for the gaming community lol...there are far too many worker placement nowadays that in spite of any blocking offer other possibilities so that games don't feel "cutthroat" or aggressive in their interaction. For my style of playing, I do believe that when playing among experienced stone age players, there is a lot of "cutthroatness"; players will take a slot that doesn't do anything valuable for the sake of screwing opponent's plans. I have played SA enough that I could play in this manner as well, but it's not something I enjoy. For my entertainment, the expansion makes the game more "playable" because even if someone plays in a more "aggressive" manner, having the possibility of trading resources at least mitigates blocking and a player can potentially still get (through trading) a resource they might need.
I would have loved a merged version, with a solid board instead of the floating mod. I agree completely wasted opportunity. I want a playmat and pimped out pieces! :)
The reason I have never bought SA is because I felt the Agriculture track was way better than the othe. My brother got the anniversary and we have played it several times and while it is the best spot on the board it isn't as bad as I thought. But I know I do think that you should almost always go for wood and gold here and there to buy the buildings that let you choose resources and all the cards you can get your hands on. And you should win every time. I have never scored less than 214 (only played 4 player games) I actually liked it more than I thought I would.
I love the game, with some rule changes. As you need xtra food to send worker to cather resources, food place not included. As well you get tool only if you have the wood and stone, like in real thing. And the best thing, instead getting free food from food stand. you deposit 10x food to raise food level. Now in farming spot one worker eats free / turn. in case you run low on food. Otherwise with normal game rules you barely need to go for food, and that makes the game bit boring. Because there is so much food tokens.
I too have been eye balling this one for my collection even though I own the original game and love it. Heck I love Stone Age so much that I've been playing it on board game arena for quite some time on top of my physical copy. I'm intrigued at the whole over spending aspect as well as the fighting off wild animals part because those add a whole new aspect to the game that seems to make it more challenging. I think I just might get the 1 copy that's at my FLBGS now after seeing your review.
My one "con" for the game is that it didn't hit shelves in time for Christmas 2018 like it was originally supposed to, so I had to cancel my pre-order so that the rest of the games I bought would get shipped before Christmas. Now it's just a question of WHEN I will end up buying this game. Probably in the coming days.
Not directed at Sam specifically but I really hate when the DT folks use the whole "you don't need to buy any board game because it is a luxury item". We're here for opinions and recommendations especially when it is a reprint or "anniversary edition". Good review. Every time I don't think I need to pick up Stone Age I remember how fun it is. Might grab this one on sale.
I think they say that because often with games that are related to other versions of games. People ask all the time “do I need this“ and that’s a really dumb question to ask the reviewers. But I see it asked of them all the time.
How farming works during the winter!? I like the look of the winter theme but there are some obvious issues with the theme. Also, why game has winter theme and cards has summer theme in them!? What a missed opportunity... Also why not all expansions are included!?
Holy shit, 1 year later and the cheapest it's going for is $75.00 plus shipping?? Wtf were they thinking? And the wood is just painted catan roads, and that orange resource is just painted scrabble tiles...hard pass.whatt a waste of an opportunity to breathe new life into an aging game.fml.this a $35-$45 game...😭
Dearly love the game, but the price for this edition is way out of control. It would have been good if Sam mentioned this as a con given he is such a booster for Stone Age generally. So, sadly for me, this is a hard pass.
This was a poorly planned anniversary edition with nothing innovative to offer except for a bland white board that's a turn off (for me) and feels depressing The original board is way more attractive and thematic
I know the dice tower doesn't normally talk about price, but I wish they would have here. An $80 MSRP feels really high for Stone Age, especially since what you are paying close to twice the base game for is a few mini expansions that feel tacked on and some new art. I really can't see how to justify the price.
$80? Which country? Doing a search on boardgameprices.com and the price range I'm seeing is $64-68 USD.
@@Br0kenM0nkey The MSRP is $80 for the US. Online retailers will be cheaper, but $68 is still a lot for Stone Age with not much added.
I just introduced my 66-year-old dad to this game a couple of days ago. You have to understand that he *sort of* likes board games, just not nearly as much as I do. But after playing this game the other day, my dad told me that the next time we get together he wants to play this game again because he feels like he knows how he can play it better. That's a huge step for him and for me, especially since he didn't really play many board games with my siblings and me when we were kids.
My biggest con with the game is absurdly high price compared to the base game; Even Scythe is less expensive!
nailed it! This is exactly THE con. It's the same game, but unjustifiably more expensive. Maybe prices are lower on the flipside (or he got a free review copy).
Thanks Sam for another great review. I think compared to other "anniversary editions" this one doesn't go far to justify the price. Here in Canada it's selling for $85 (I think it's $65 in the US). That's more than Scythe, Blood Rage, etc.
If you don't own any edition of this game I would still recommend getting the base over this.
I ll give you second con.
Could have done a lot more upgrading etc if this is supposed to be the "anniversary" special addition, cause lets face it. Changes are minimal at best
The main Con is the PRICE for what it is
The downside is they didn't plan to include the expansion which makes the game tons better.
Opinions are mixed on it though, and this does add some modular stuff that spices things up a wee bit. The Z-Man approach to anniversary editions is head scratching though.
@@andrewv3515 how so? base game can be way cutthroat...more experienced gamers will just waste 1 worker to block resource slots from the other opponent/s that need to collect anything in order to get huts/cards. At least the expansion allows for some mitigation of that aggressiveness that can happen in base game. Plus, that additional layer with the new slow, trading and jewels makes the game a little more strategic then the core game. I'd be 200% in this edition if there was some word from z-man to make a following expansion print compatible with the art from this one.
@@Nain1982 Worker placement games by nature have blocking. Just because a game has interaction doesn't make it cutthroat.
With regards to the expansion it isn't universally praised is all I'm saying.
@@andrewv3515 You are not solving a mystery here for the gaming community lol...there are far too many worker placement nowadays that in spite of any blocking offer other possibilities so that games don't feel "cutthroat" or aggressive in their interaction. For my style of playing, I do believe that when playing among experienced stone age players, there is a lot of "cutthroatness"; players will take a slot that doesn't do anything valuable for the sake of screwing opponent's plans. I have played SA enough that I could play in this manner as well, but it's not something I enjoy. For my entertainment, the expansion makes the game more "playable" because even if someone plays in a more "aggressive" manner, having the possibility of trading resources at least mitigates blocking and a player can potentially still get (through trading) a resource they might need.
huge missed opportunity by not incorporating the expansion.
I would have loved a merged version, with a solid board instead of the floating mod. I agree completely wasted opportunity. I want a playmat and pimped out pieces! :)
It cost THREE times more than the base game, simply for a snow board - PASS
The reason I have never bought SA is because I felt the Agriculture track was way better than the othe. My brother got the anniversary and we have played it several times and while it is the best spot on the board it isn't as bad as I thought. But I know I do think that you should almost always go for wood and gold here and there to buy the buildings that let you choose resources and all the cards you can get your hands on. And you should win every time. I have never scored less than 214 (only played 4 player games) I actually liked it more than I thought I would.
I love the game, with some rule changes. As you need xtra food to send worker to cather resources, food place not included. As well you get tool only if you have the wood and stone, like in real thing. And the best thing, instead getting free food from food stand. you deposit 10x food to raise food level. Now in farming spot one worker eats free / turn. in case you run low on food.
Otherwise with normal game rules you barely need to go for food, and that makes the game bit boring. Because there is so much food tokens.
I too have been eye balling this one for my collection even though I own the original game and love it. Heck I love Stone Age so much that I've been playing it on board game arena for quite some time on top of my physical copy. I'm intrigued at the whole over spending aspect as well as the fighting off wild animals part because those add a whole new aspect to the game that seems to make it more challenging. I think I just might get the 1 copy that's at my FLBGS now after seeing your review.
con is $80 msrp vs. $50 for base edition
Original Stone Age is one of my favorites. I'd love to try this version too!
I love the brief homage to Stranger in a Strange Land. Well done Sam!
My one "con" for the game is that it didn't hit shelves in time for Christmas 2018 like it was originally supposed to, so I had to cancel my pre-order so that the rest of the games I bought would get shipped before Christmas. Now it's just a question of WHEN I will end up buying this game. Probably in the coming days.
They finally managed to make the skin cup not stink!
The Z-Man edition of the original game also has a non-stinky cup, so at least HiG fixed it at some point :)
@@TheLomdr Lol I didn't know this was an issue. I guess I'm lucky to have the Z-Man version.
@@ABevs Was more speaking from personal experience of someone in my open game group getting a copy of the Z-man edition and the cup didn't stink then.
Nice review Sam, thank you for answering all of my questions.
Not directed at Sam specifically but I really hate when the DT folks use the whole "you don't need to buy any board game because it is a luxury item". We're here for opinions and recommendations especially when it is a reprint or "anniversary edition".
Good review. Every time I don't think I need to pick up Stone Age I remember how fun it is. Might grab this one on sale.
I think they say that because often with games that are related to other versions of games. People ask all the time “do I need this“ and that’s a really dumb question to ask the reviewers. But I see it asked of them all the time.
True true
How farming works during the winter!? I like the look of the winter theme but there are some obvious issues with the theme. Also, why game has winter theme and cards has summer theme in them!? What a missed opportunity... Also why not all expansions are included!?
Coming out of a very rough winter up here in Canada, I could not bear to use the snow theme. Good thing we can use the other side.
What were those igloo cards next to the huts??
Can I have the base game when you replace it? :D
It should lower in price in time after they find out no one is buying it for the anti-intellectual price that is is now. Regardless, nice review Sam!
2:10 Reproductive track ... nice!
Holy shit, 1 year later and the cheapest it's going for is $75.00 plus shipping?? Wtf were they thinking? And the wood is just painted catan roads, and that orange resource is just painted scrabble tiles...hard pass.whatt a waste of an opportunity to breathe new life into an aging game.fml.this a $35-$45 game...😭
I think you need new glasses, but yeah 75.00 usd is a bit pricey.
Dearly love the game, but the price for this edition is way out of control. It would have been good if Sam mentioned this as a con given he is such a booster for Stone Age generally. So, sadly for me, this is a hard pass.
This was a poorly planned anniversary edition with nothing innovative to offer except for a bland white board that's a turn off (for me) and feels depressing
The original board is way more attractive and thematic
Still gotta feed your people? Yup. Pass.