PLEASE NOTE: One error we made was when calculating money gained for the kiosk. "unique buildings" are referring to the actual unique buildings gained from sponsor cards lol. Repinning this again because our prior comment is lost for some reason. Happy gaming, everyone!
Page 19 of the rule book shows buildings on the board. The only correction would be the basic 1 through 5 are all the same KIND. So a reptile, aviary, petting zoo, and pavilion. In addition the 15 unique buildings with individual animals on them.
Kiosk counts all occupied standard enclosures and all other buildings connected to it There's an error on architect zoo. Your bottom water hex isn't connected
Without a doubt the clearest and most enjoyable play throughs available. Trying to make certain that a rule book is understood before teaching others is vital and watching you two play and explain the game makes it possible! Yours is the only channel I go to for this type of content, so thank you for high quality productions!
It's impressive how well you guys let games shine on the table without feeling like you need to get yourselves in the spotlight. If there is a complex game I want to understand you guys are my go to because you work through them in such a clear way. 🐺
One error I noticed: When playing the greater flamingo 1:23:30, Naveen did not flip over the 3-hex enclosure. He later played a water dragon 1:36:25 and flips over the 3-hex enclosure which should already be occupied by the flamingo. I enjoyed the video, I have the game and have played it couple of times but I still learned something new! Thanks!
Just wanted you guys to know that you helped me tremendously in understanding the rules and nuances of this game. I’ve only played solo so far, but will soon be bringing this to the table with multiple players. Thanks for this video!
🐺 Dear Monique and Naveen..! Learning games with you guys is simply the best. You have wonderful chemistry, you're entertaining, and always attentive to the details and nuances of each game! Meeting you both at Airecon last year was truly a highlight for me! Wishing you another year of continued success 😊🐺
My wife and I just recently got into the hobby. As soon as she saw the game online she was instantly drawn to it. When it arrived, she was a little intimidated due to the table presence, but your tutorial was so simple and straight forward I was able to easily do a teach. We completed our first game tonight and this video gave us everything we needed to get started. So much fun! Thank you!
1:38:30 According to the rules I have a kiosk scores for every adjacent building unless it is an unoccupied standard enclosure. Not only unique ones. 1:46:08 You explained the 'connected rule' correctly and then totally overlooked, that the 2nd space of the pond you explained it with is not adjacent to an occupied (as in build on) space. The other pond space is not sufficient. Enjoyed the playthrough very much. Thanks for it. :)
Your first point about the kiosk was something that I almost went with as I saw in this video until I read through it a few times and remembered unique building is a specific term ( just like connected and isolated, which confused the hell out of me until I realized they were game terminology).
This is the best explained rules I have gone through...it's just done in a very natural progression and not rushed....I have visited 3 other video and still couldn't really understand in the way there were just explaining things without correlating to the game board....this was very helpful
My wife has been subscribed to the channel for quite some time now. Thank you for providing information, education and entertainment in our household! Our board game collection is top tier because of you! 😄🐺
This game has been on my "watch list" for some time now. I love the theme and all the mechanics are so flavorful. I gotta say, watching you two play has made it seem much more approachable too. Thanks for the fun videos and letting us in on your thoughts about strategy while you play together!
Hey, really love your play-throughs! Short correction here though: 2 similar-sized occupied enclosures touching the same kiosk will give you 1 income each. If you surround a kiosk with 6 pavilions, it will get you 6 income. The German rule on this is a bit less ambiguous than the English one ;)
Pets are good when you have a horse or have 2 pets readily available. It also puts a lot of pressure on opponent Cards action effectively cancelling it when a pet shows up. The pet shape can be useful on some maps for fast engine build Tips for Naveen: - on map A, you want to build across to get the 2nd worker and 10 money. Zoo school is good, but also consider using special sponsor building to help you build faster to chain map bonuses -sponsor first upgrade is not a good idea unless you have a power card like explorer or plan for slow game -you should take the upgrade at 2 CP. You dont need 3 workers that early. Unused worker is a dead worker. You can break her worker making it dead and not be penalized for it with your sponsor ii -you grab the geologist yet you didnt play it soon. -One of the biggest benefit of sponsor upgrade is strong break control. All her actions are weak while you can play geologist and other sponsors from the board advancing you way faster than she can. Let her push the break 2 herself, as her slump is deeper than yours. She was rock bottom, dont help her - eagles and rhino are powerful animals. You have a few chances to get it, and also deny her. It score 9 points, plus 5 CP species project for total of 24 points, plus support bonus, and no luck needed top decking -didnt watch rest of the video, but sometimes the best move isnt playing your best card in hand. You also had chances getting or playing mediocre animals from the card row and saving some playable cards in case of a drought, which the game gives you warning signs of the cards far upstream. Since she hates pets, 9 points for 14 money is an excellent deal. The third pet that showed up would given you either 9 more points, or cancel her Cards action to take it away giving you time to catch up.
Thanks a lot for this tutorial! I found it helpful to briefly watch your set up, and then watch you play the game, before going back and watching the whole teaching section to answer and questions I had from the gameplay. I feel confident in playing the game now and I'm really looking forward to it! ❤❤🥰
Just bought the game & 100% you guys made the most enjoyable and understandable game walkthrough! Can't wait to get started on this game especially now I understand how it works so well thanks to you guys!!
Your rules teach and in game rules explanations are excellent. I’ve only played a few games solo so far and I found a couple of rules that I had wrong. I enjoy teaching, but I will better serve my friends by having them watch your teach. Thanks!
I absolutely love this game for the exact reason that you mentioned Monique, I don't care really how well I do, it's just a fun puzzle every time and like Naveen said, I also want to get back to it again and again
Some rule errors I noticed. 1. At some point, there is a kiosk bordering two flipped 4 enclosures where you did not collect income for one of the enclosures. Both enclosures should count toward kiosk income. 2. In the endgame, connected water spaces is evaluated on one of the final scoring cards. There is one water tile at the bottom of the board that is not connected, as it is not next to a player tile.
I think they accidentally defined Unique Structures incorrectly: Unique Structures referring to structures built with Sponsor cards as opposed to unique structures being different from one another.
Just got this game, and delighted my favourite BG channel has a teach...as I get older I'm finding it harder and harder to absorb all the information a rulebook gives, so I'll definitely be using this while enjoying your playthrough! Thanks for all the great content, guys😊
I know this videos a bit old now but ive been watching so many nova videos to help decide whether i want to purchase it and yours is hands down the best, clearest and might i add the only entire playthrough ive sat through!! Thank u sm!!
AN is an action efficiency tactical euro racing animals theme game. It's not about distinct engine building and finding tags. It would double your play time and luck dependent when played this way
I love this game. I've played it now 4 times. In the beginning I watched another explanation which caused me stress.. After watching you play and explanation of the game . I really enjoy it. You two did a great job.
Gonna try this tonight. Thanks for the teach, it's very helpful (especially seeing the playthrough, which helps show the actual flow of play). It's interesting to me: everyone mentions Terraforming Mars for obvious reasons, but I see a LOT of the DNA of Rajas of the Ganges in the game (dual criss-crossing tracks, personal tile board, worker placement/action selection) and even a little of Colony (both of which are games I quite like).
@@BeforeYouPlay It was…a lot. But I really enjoyed it. More than TF, personally (tho I thing TF is a great game). I’m more of a tactical than strategic player and this reminded me in some ways of games like Feast For Odin, where you just have to react and pivot based on what the game gives you. Highly recommended.
I love watching the playthrough and review videos. Watching them play through it I really learn the mechanics and everything. Plus it's exciting to see who wins too! There are so many games I think I want then watching these videos i change my mind and don't want them, then other times I don't care for them but watch them play it and think "that actually looks really fun!" . Boardgames are not cheap so this all helps me save money and get games I really think I'll enjoy. Thanks for doing these! Everything is easy to follow and entertaining too!
Great review! I loooove this game. I completely agree with that description of it being a “journey” game. It’s just so satisfying to sit down and build out your own personal zoo. My only criticism is I wish the personal player board was cardboard. Not sure why they went with the that paper material. Otherwise amazing game.
Your playthroughs are clear, helpful and fun. The teaching part of your videos is always top notch and a great example of how to teach boardgames. You're calm (I say this because I'm sometimes turned off from overly dramatic boardgame creators), rational, respectful to each other and always explain your steps and give insightful strategy tips. Honestly, you're the kind of players I love to play with. It's thanks to your channel that I've gained more interest in more complex boardgames. Keep doing your amazing work!
What a fantastic game. I've only played it once at DTW and am currently waiting for our copy from our FLGS. Thanks for sharing this with all of us. I agree, once you learn and play it a bit, it all just makes sense and really flows. We love you two and can't wait to meet again❤.
I have played it with my brother 😊 He absolutely loves it. I need some more plays because I only played it once and it was more of a "learn the game"-experience. Thanks for your videos and happy holidays! 🐺
That was such a great Award show! It was so cool to see all of you guys come together and celebrate great board games. I learned so much and there are some new games on my wish list now🐺 Ark nova is one of my favorite games of 2022 as well. I just have to bring it more often to the table and it could be climb to number one :)
🐺 I just entered the board game world almost 2 years ago now and LOVE what it does for my family. It brings us together with interaction, cooperation, competition, and laughter! 🐺 Thx for creating amazing content like this!! Excited to see what's next for the hobby!! 🐺
One great thing about board gaming is that it opens our world to amazing people, things and experiences. Keep doing these fantastic work as you inspire a lot to celebrate board gaming in best way possible. We're learning while having so much good time. 2022 is indeed a special year for us! Cheers to more breakthroughs in 2023. 🐺
🐺 Hello Monique and Naveen! I was glad I got to meet you two at DTW and get a picture with you two. I have played Ark Nova once and it was great. My local game store about two weeks ago had your videos on the big TV during board game night. You two make some of my favorite videos. Thank you! Team Monique and Naveen! 🐺
Thank you for this video , the explanation and playthrough, it was useful for someone who is seeing the game for the first time. I will be playing it this week and was very glad to see that you guys had done a playthrough of it. I had avoided this game before because I knew I could not get it at the time, but now that someone who owns it is letting me play with their copy it seems like a good time to learn it and try it out!! Great playthrough and explanation!
Watching this playthrough again! Good video as always! The friend who owned this game just sold it to me this week. So excited to play this again!(haven't had chance to play this since that one time 9 months ago)
Petting Zoo: I played this game for the first yesterday with three friends and filled my petting zoo! ^_^ It moved my appeal token up the board pretty quickly!
With playthroughs of this game you can count on errors being made and pointed out in the comments. Just the one oopsie with the enclosure that wasn't flipped over in time, resulting in an illegal animal joining it's habitat later on. Pretty good. That makes this the best tutorial video I've seen sofar.
Great job. I have played it twice now, two player. And it is a good time. I feel the same way, I want to get better than the last time, and learn better strategies.
I had to try this on a visit to my son and enjoyed it so much. I would like to have it in my home. You had a great play through that helped me catch a few mistakes that we made when playing. 🐺
@@BeforeYouPlay I played last Sunday with my daughter and her best friend. We all loved it. Watching your video made it so much easier for us to dive in and play. We enjoy games, like this, that respond to a variety of strategies. However, if there is a downside, I would say that getting lucky early with Zoo cards that allow for inexpensive animal placement early can create a distinct advantage.
@Laura Weiss That's so awesome to hear that you all got to play together!!! You are totally right, any heavy strategy game. that relies on luck of the draw unfortunately has that drawback. 😦
Great video as always! I recently played this two player for the first time. We both liked it and it will probably be joining our shelves in the near future. It did run a bit long, but I think a large part of it was learning what all the cards did and how they tied in with the game and your strategy the first time around. Future games will be quicker. This one is an 8 or 9/10 for me.
I've had this game sitting in the corner for a while. Recently it's been such a drag for me to go through rulebooks, which is why I'm so glad your page exists as an alternate method to learn games. Great job as always! 🐺🐺
🐺A Meaningful comment! I did just get a copy of Ark Nova and am excited to play it. I bought it off a friend that didn’t like it. Him and I have pretty minimal cross-over on games we enjoy so I’m guessing I’ll love it. 😊
So, this is just a meaningful comment to enter for a chance of winning Ark Nova. I've been a fan for a while, and I will continue sending people to your Lacerda series whenever I can. Happy new year to you three! 🐺
This video was great! I had to watch it over a few days because I have a baby but I'm so glad I did. I didn't see that end coming. I can't wait to get this game. I love you guys!
Great video, as always. Thank for explaining this game so clearly. One small mistake, I think: @1:22:42, Naveen added a second animal (greater flamingo) but he never flipped an enclosure for it. Then, at @1:36:33, he used that enclosure for a different animal (Chinese water dragon) -- he should have used the 4 or 5 enclosure instead (since both still met the requirement of water.) I don't think it changed anything since you had extra enclosures left at the end and you had enough all of the times for these. I just got the game myself and I find that there is a lot of these little steps that are easy to miss. Thanks again for a great and helpful video.
Thank you thank you! I used this play through as a tool to help familiarize myself with Ark Nova before playing with some friends. Thanks to you I came away with the victory! Always love your content 🐺
Have recently gotten into the board game space. Catan was my gateway game. I am completely hooked. This community is amazing. I love seeing it bring people together. I never have so much fun as I do playing games with friends. So thank you to creators like you for inspiring the next generation. Love your content. Can't wait to see whats to come. 🐺
Just watched the fire and Ice awards!!! Have watch you guys for years. You are my playthrough peeps!!! Awards were amazing and keep up the amazing work!
I have been trying to get this game to the table. Sadly we have had this for a month now, but have not been able to get past the rulebook. I am on page 16 now. With watching your video we will be able to play it this week. You both are amazing at teaching games where you can understand it. Thank you!
My first game was playing small animals with peting zoo full of goats. It was great! Thank you for the play through, made my wife and my first game so smoth!
None of the plays I have had did the groups want to play with the attack cards. All plays have been with the solo bonus on the cards. I think this is a better game for the choice of either option--with or without attack cards. PS,,,,,, thank you! 😃
31:50 - The rules here for the Kiosk are not quite right. You don't need each building around a kiosk to be unique in order for it to give you income. When the rulebook talk about collecting income for "each unique building" it's only one part of a list of buildings that includes pavilions, special enclosures (i.e. Reptile House), and occupied standard enclosures. In that context, "unique buildings" is referring to buildings that are placed via sponsor cards. So you can have multiple enclosures of the same type around a kiosk; the only requirement is that they be occupied. (Top of page 19 in the rulebook). Thanks for the great play through!
If I got that right, so it means if you have an occupied standard enclosure around the kiosk (even if both are of the same size), you would get an income right? It would also include special enclosures and buildings built via sponsor cards that would give you an income. Am I correct?
This game is so smart in how integrated and intuitively the actions and mechanisms work together - but that first teach/learn can be a BEAR. Thanks for walking my partner and I through our first play!!
I've been curious about this game with all the hype surrounding it lately! It was great seeing the game in action! This looks like a game I would honestly enjoy but I would just have to convince my wife to sit down for a longer game like this! Keep up the great work guys! 🐺
such a CLEANNNN playthrough overall. This video will make teaching my wife the rules much, much easier. As always thank you guys for your awesome vids keep it up!
Been a fan for so long , glad you guys are seeing the success that you are! Have learned so many games with your play throughs as well gotten introduced to so many games! You had my favourite segment at the fire and ice awards! 🐺
I love this game. I've owned it for 3 weeks and won only 4 times in solo mode. Each time I watch a play thru on RUclips I get an "aha" moment where I learn another thing I can try. Thanks.
@@TheVlad1616 Yes There are different degrees of difficulty and the variety of cards that change each game make it good for me. Minature martket in St. Louis has it in their library to play inhouse, check places close to you.
This is becoming my favorite game of all time, and it just became my most played game (I tend to play a lot of games a couple of times), which tells you something about the longevity of the game. Thanks for the video!
I haven't played it yet, but will be reviewing the rules teach here before playing it at my local heavy board game night. I know i'm in capable hands given how much time went into the Lacerda series lol. Happy to see the latest collaboration too! 🐺
Appreciate the playthrough. My fiance and I are relatively new to games like this one and were a bit overwhelmed, but this really helped. Great job guys!
🐺 Your channel is already my go to spot for heavy strategy game content, so I didn't discover you through the Fire & Ice awards. It was actually the opposite. You helped me find the awards, and discovered some of the other great content creators that were apart of it! Keep doing what you are doing. You are fantastic at it!
🐺 Monique and Naveen your channel was one of the first I started following when I got into this hobby. Thanks for all the playthroughs! I know it takes a lot of work, but it makes learning a game so much easier for the rest of us! Thank you
Thank you very much for this plathrough 👍 I really like this one, both solo and multiplayer. Sometimes really, REALLY frustrating when you get crappy cards, but it is usually possible to dig yourself out of such a slump and get back into the race for the win 😍🤓 Didn't Monique give herself 1 point to much at the end?! Did not attach all water hexes... The 2-hex "lake" in the lower left corner was only attached at one had, not both. Not going to change the outcome in placing, but less points 😉
Just played this game tonight at a board game night. Really enjoyed it. Glad to see you all covered this game! Always love your breakdowns, tutorials, and play throughs
🐺 You two are my favorite tabletop gaming content creators, so it was beyond exciting to see you in the Fire & Ice Awards video (+ follow-up)! Thank you for always having the best energy & making us feel like part of the playthrough. Much admiration & support for you two 😁🐺
This ended up being one of my very favorite of your videos - those “highs and lows” were so evident for you both that I think it really showed off how the game is a “journey” as you mentioned. Ultimately I think this game is one I’d love to have the opportunity to try, but don’t see myself owning or playing regularly as the frustration of the lows might be too overwhelming (for me) given the 2+ hour time commitment. Also, Monique’s brief comparison to A Feast for Odin has me even more excited for the continuation of the Uwe series! (After your Agricola video I instantly knew it was a game I wanted in my collection, and I have a strong hunch FfO will work out that way too.)
I love your playthroughs. So thorough and both of you explain everything that you are doing. Makes learning the game so make better. I wonder how much you two talk through your game when not on camera? I'm sure you try harder not to give away your strategies when not teaching the game but how much do you guys tell each other about each move you are taking? Thank you so much for your channel. I have learned so much and love you two together. So respectful to one another. Refreshing to see competition without cruelty.
loved seeing you guys in the collab on Tim Chuons channel! all of my favorite content creators all in the same video was great to see, I could tell everyone had a great time!
PLEASE NOTE: One error we made was when calculating money gained for the kiosk. "unique buildings" are referring to the actual unique buildings gained from sponsor cards lol. Repinning this again because our prior comment is lost for some reason. Happy gaming, everyone!
How in the heck did you play through this game and only make one error? Thanks for the video! This one's a daunting task to learn.
Page 19 of the rule book shows buildings on the board. The only correction would be the basic 1 through 5 are all the same KIND. So a reptile, aviary, petting zoo, and pavilion. In addition the 15 unique buildings with individual animals on them.
Kiosk counts all occupied standard enclosures and all other buildings connected to it
There's an error on architect zoo. Your bottom water hex isn't connected
Without a doubt the clearest and most enjoyable play throughs available. Trying to make certain that a rule book is understood before teaching others is vital and watching you two play and explain the game makes it possible! Yours is the only channel I go to for this type of content, so thank you for high quality productions!
Yours is hands down the clearest and most enjoyable teach and playthrough channel there is on youtube. Thanks a bunch!
It's impressive how well you guys let games shine on the table without feeling like you need to get yourselves in the spotlight. If there is a complex game I want to understand you guys are my go to because you work through them in such a clear way. 🐺
One error I noticed: When playing the greater flamingo 1:23:30, Naveen did not flip over the 3-hex enclosure. He later played a water dragon 1:36:25 and flips over the 3-hex enclosure which should already be occupied by the flamingo.
I enjoyed the video, I have the game and have played it couple of times but I still learned something new! Thanks!
Just wanted you guys to know that you helped me tremendously in understanding the rules and nuances of this game. I’ve only played solo so far, but will soon be bringing this to the table with multiple players. Thanks for this video!
🐺 Dear Monique and Naveen..! Learning games with you guys is simply the best. You have wonderful chemistry, you're entertaining, and always attentive to the details and nuances of each game! Meeting you both at Airecon last year was truly a highlight for me! Wishing you another year of continued success 😊🐺
I pre-ordered this and have watched so many "how to play" videos and your channel is always the one that I fully absorb
The face Naveen made when Monique unlocked her third worker! Priceless!🤣🤣🤣
Yeah, she was firing on all cylinders and I was completely stalled out lol 😂!
@1:42:37 Naveen is a WHOLE MOOD as he sees the writing on the wall. Great playthrough, thank you guys so much!
My wife and I just recently got into the hobby. As soon as she saw the game online she was instantly drawn to it. When it arrived, she was a little intimidated due to the table presence, but your tutorial was so simple and straight forward I was able to easily do a teach. We completed our first game tonight and this video gave us everything we needed to get started. So much fun! Thank you!
1:38:30 According to the rules I have a kiosk scores for every adjacent building unless it is an unoccupied standard enclosure. Not only unique ones.
1:46:08 You explained the 'connected rule' correctly and then totally overlooked, that the 2nd space of the pond you explained it with is not adjacent to an occupied (as in build on) space. The other pond space is not sufficient.
Enjoyed the playthrough very much. Thanks for it. :)
Your first point about the kiosk was something that I almost went with as I saw in this video until I read through it a few times and remembered unique building is a specific term ( just like connected and isolated, which confused the hell out of me until I realized they were game terminology).
This is the best explained rules I have gone through...it's just done in a very natural progression and not rushed....I have visited 3 other video and still couldn't really understand in the way there were just explaining things without correlating to the game board....this was very helpful
Ark Nova is my top at the moment, loved the play!!
It's so good!!
My wife has been subscribed to the channel for quite some time now. Thank you for providing information, education and entertainment in our household! Our board game collection is top tier because of you! 😄🐺
This game has been on my "watch list" for some time now. I love the theme and all the mechanics are so flavorful. I gotta say, watching you two play has made it seem much more approachable too. Thanks for the fun videos and letting us in on your thoughts about strategy while you play together!
Hey, really love your play-throughs! Short correction here though: 2 similar-sized occupied enclosures touching the same kiosk will give you 1 income each. If you surround a kiosk with 6 pavilions, it will get you 6 income. The German rule on this is a bit less ambiguous than the English one ;)
That's very helpful, thank you!
Best gameplay and rules teaching channel, listening to the rules and be able to watch a playthrough really sets the rules in my head
Thank you so much!!
You guys are so fun to watch. No cluter just straight play with excellent explanation.
Have to say, maybe best 2 hours I have spent on playthrough in medium-heavy game. Really good, thanks guys.
I keep hearing good things about this game! Thanks for the playthrough! 🐺
Pets are good when you have a horse or have 2 pets readily available. It also puts a lot of pressure on opponent Cards action effectively cancelling it when a pet shows up. The pet shape can be useful on some maps for fast engine build
Tips for Naveen:
- on map A, you want to build across to get the 2nd worker and 10 money. Zoo school is good, but also consider using special sponsor building to help you build faster to chain map bonuses
-sponsor first upgrade is not a good idea unless you have a power card like explorer or plan for slow game
-you should take the upgrade at 2 CP. You dont need 3 workers that early. Unused worker is a dead worker. You can break her worker making it dead and not be penalized for it with your sponsor ii
-you grab the geologist yet you didnt play it soon.
-One of the biggest benefit of sponsor upgrade is strong break control. All her actions are weak while you can play geologist and other sponsors from the board advancing you way faster than she can. Let her push the break 2 herself, as her slump is deeper than yours. She was rock bottom, dont help her
- eagles and rhino are powerful animals. You have a few chances to get it, and also deny her. It score 9 points, plus 5 CP species project for total of 24 points, plus support bonus, and no luck needed top decking
-didnt watch rest of the video, but sometimes the best move isnt playing your best card in hand. You also had chances getting or playing mediocre animals from the card row and saving some playable cards in case of a drought, which the game gives you warning signs of the cards far upstream. Since she hates pets, 9 points for 14 money is an excellent deal. The third pet that showed up would given you either 9 more points, or cancel her Cards action to take it away giving you time to catch up.
Thank you so much for teaching me Ark Nova, it’s become my favourite game! And I got to teach it to some friends too
Thanks a lot for this tutorial! I found it helpful to briefly watch your set up, and then watch you play the game, before going back and watching the whole teaching section to answer and questions I had from the gameplay. I feel confident in playing the game now and I'm really looking forward to it! ❤❤🥰
Just bought the game & 100% you guys made the most enjoyable and understandable game walkthrough! Can't wait to get started on this game especially now I understand how it works so well thanks to you guys!!
Your rules teach and in game rules explanations are excellent. I’ve only played a few games solo so far and I found a couple of rules that I had wrong. I enjoy teaching, but I will better serve my friends by having them watch your teach. Thanks!
The end game trigger point is such a beautiful mechanic and Monique you executed it brilliantly!
She did it right!
I absolutely love this game for the exact reason that you mentioned Monique, I don't care really how well I do, it's just a fun puzzle every time and like Naveen said, I also want to get back to it again and again
Some rule errors I noticed.
1. At some point, there is a kiosk bordering two flipped 4 enclosures where you did not collect income for one of the enclosures. Both enclosures should count toward kiosk income.
2. In the endgame, connected water spaces is evaluated on one of the final scoring cards. There is one water tile at the bottom of the board that is not connected, as it is not next to a player tile.
I think they accidentally defined Unique Structures incorrectly: Unique Structures referring to structures built with Sponsor cards as opposed to unique structures being different from one another.
This video really helped to smooth out the wrinkles in my understanding of this awesome game. Thank you so much!!
Glad it was helpful! Hopefully you didn't stay and watch too long where Naveen got smooshed into the ground lol 🤭
Poor Naveen, I feel ya brother. So fun watching y'all's playthrough. Thanks!
Got owned lol.
Just got this game, and delighted my favourite BG channel has a teach...as I get older I'm finding it harder and harder to absorb all the information a rulebook gives, so I'll definitely be using this while enjoying your playthrough! Thanks for all the great content, guys😊
Love you guys channel!! My favorite to watch for rules and playthroughs! 🐺
This is the best gameplay review online!
I know this videos a bit old now but ive been watching so many nova videos to help decide whether i want to purchase it and yours is hands down the best, clearest and might i add the only entire playthrough ive sat through!! Thank u sm!!
AN is an action efficiency tactical euro racing animals theme game.
It's not about distinct engine building and finding tags. It would double your play time and luck dependent when played this way
So fun to watch you two battle out these games! You almost always call out something I didn’t understand previously and are so helpful! 🐺
I love this game. I've played it now 4 times.
In the beginning I watched another explanation which caused me stress.. After watching you play and explanation of the game . I really enjoy it. You two did a great job.
Aww thank you so much! So glad you found the video helpful!! 😀
Gonna try this tonight. Thanks for the teach, it's very helpful (especially seeing the playthrough, which helps show the actual flow of play). It's interesting to me: everyone mentions Terraforming Mars for obvious reasons, but I see a LOT of the DNA of Rajas of the Ganges in the game (dual criss-crossing tracks, personal tile board, worker placement/action selection) and even a little of Colony (both of which are games I quite like).
Hi Dru, how did it end up going for you? You’re right, Rajas definitely has some footprint on this one!!
@@BeforeYouPlay It was…a lot. But I really enjoyed it. More than TF, personally (tho I thing TF is a great game). I’m more of a tactical than strategic player and this reminded me in some ways of games like Feast For Odin, where you just have to react and pivot based on what the game gives you. Highly recommended.
Thank you a lot. I really was unsure to buy it, but now i think this is really that fun everybody is talking about 😊
I love watching the playthrough and review videos. Watching them play through it I really learn the mechanics and everything. Plus it's exciting to see who wins too! There are so many games I think I want then watching these videos i change my mind and don't want them, then other times I don't care for them but watch them play it and think "that actually looks really fun!" . Boardgames are not cheap so this all helps me save money and get games I really think I'll enjoy. Thanks for doing these! Everything is easy to follow and entertaining too!
Great review! I loooove this game. I completely agree with that description of it being a “journey” game. It’s just so satisfying to sit down and build out your own personal zoo.
My only criticism is I wish the personal player board was cardboard. Not sure why they went with the that paper material. Otherwise amazing game.
Your playthroughs are clear, helpful and fun. The teaching part of your videos is always top notch and a great example of how to teach boardgames. You're calm (I say this because I'm sometimes turned off from overly dramatic boardgame creators), rational, respectful to each other and always explain your steps and give insightful strategy tips. Honestly, you're the kind of players I love to play with. It's thanks to your channel that I've gained more interest in more complex boardgames. Keep doing your amazing work!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
What a fantastic game. I've only played it once at DTW and am currently waiting for our copy from our FLGS. Thanks for sharing this with all of us. I agree, once you learn and play it a bit, it all just makes sense and really flows. We love you two and can't wait to meet again❤.
I have played it with my brother 😊 He absolutely loves it. I need some more plays because I only played it once and it was more of a "learn the game"-experience. Thanks for your videos and happy holidays! 🐺
That was such a great Award show! It was so cool to see all of you guys come together and celebrate great board games. I learned so much and there are some new games on my wish list now🐺 Ark nova is one of my favorite games of 2022 as well. I just have to bring it more often to the table and it could be climb to number one :)
🐺 I just entered the board game world almost 2 years ago now and LOVE what it does for my family. It brings us together with interaction, cooperation, competition, and laughter! 🐺 Thx for creating amazing content like this!! Excited to see what's next for the hobby!! 🐺
One great thing about board gaming is that it opens our world to amazing people, things and experiences. Keep doing these fantastic work as you inspire a lot to celebrate board gaming in best way possible. We're learning while having so much good time. 2022 is indeed a special year for us! Cheers to more breakthroughs in 2023. 🐺
🐺 Hello Monique and Naveen! I was glad I got to meet you two at DTW and get a picture with you two. I have played Ark Nova once and it was great. My local game store about two weeks ago had your videos on the big TV during board game night. You two make some of my favorite videos. Thank you! Team Monique and Naveen! 🐺
Thank you for this video , the explanation and playthrough, it was useful for someone who is seeing the game for the first time. I will be playing it this week and was very glad to see that you guys had done a playthrough of it.
I had avoided this game before because I knew I could not get it at the time, but now that someone who owns it is letting me play with their copy it seems like a good time to learn it and try it out!!
Great playthrough and explanation!
Aw thank you!
Watching this playthrough again! Good video as always! The friend who owned this game just sold it to me this week. So excited to play this again!(haven't had chance to play this since that one time 9 months ago)
Petting Zoo: I played this game for the first yesterday with three friends and filled my petting zoo! ^_^ It moved my appeal token up the board pretty quickly!
With playthroughs of this game you can count on errors being made and pointed out in the comments. Just the one oopsie with the enclosure that wasn't flipped over in time, resulting in an illegal animal joining it's habitat later on. Pretty good. That makes this the best tutorial video I've seen sofar.
Thanks guys. Long video, but was really helpful in learning the ways of this game and get a grasp on all the rules and mechanisms.
Great job. I have played it twice now, two player. And it is a good time. I feel the same way, I want to get better than the last time, and learn better strategies.
I feel like Ark Nova was all anyone talked about for a while, now you made me want to get it again! 🐺
I had to try this on a visit to my son and enjoyed it so much. I would like to have it in my home. You had a great play through that helped me catch a few mistakes that we made when playing. 🐺
🐺 love watching your playthroughs as it's usually just my wife and I playing so it gives a good sense at how the games play at 2 players
Your game taste is similar to mine and I always watch your content. Really appreciate the reviews. Continue with your great videos!
My copy just arrived yesterday. I’m so excited to play. Thanks for creating this tutorial!
Did you get to try it yet Laura???
@@BeforeYouPlay I played last Sunday with my daughter and her best friend. We all loved it. Watching your video made it so much easier for us to dive in and play. We enjoy games, like this, that respond to a variety of strategies. However, if there is a downside, I would say that getting lucky early with Zoo cards that allow for inexpensive animal placement early can create a distinct advantage.
@Laura Weiss That's so awesome to hear that you all got to play together!!! You are totally right, any heavy strategy game. that relies on luck of the draw unfortunately has that drawback. 😦
Great video as always! I recently played this two player for the first time. We both liked it and it will probably be joining our shelves in the near future. It did run a bit long, but I think a large part of it was learning what all the cards did and how they tied in with the game and your strategy the first time around. Future games will be quicker. This one is an 8 or 9/10 for me.
Totally! You're a big TM fan, how would you say it compared? PS Let's get a game in soon!!! 😊
I've had this game sitting in the corner for a while. Recently it's been such a drag for me to go through rulebooks, which is why I'm so glad your page exists as an alternate method to learn games. Great job as always! 🐺🐺
🐺A Meaningful comment!
I did just get a copy of Ark Nova and am excited to play it. I bought it off a friend that didn’t like it. Him and I have pretty minimal cross-over on games we enjoy so I’m guessing I’ll love it. 😊
So, this is just a meaningful comment to enter for a chance of winning Ark Nova. I've been a fan for a while, and I will continue sending people to your Lacerda series whenever I can. Happy new year to you three! 🐺
This video was great! I had to watch it over a few days because I have a baby but I'm so glad I did. I didn't see that end coming. I can't wait to get this game. I love you guys!
Aww that’s really sweet! Hope you can try the game soon, just make sure the baby is nice and cozy (this is a long play) 🤭.
Great video, as always. Thank for explaining this game so clearly. One small mistake, I think: @1:22:42, Naveen added a second animal (greater flamingo) but he never flipped an enclosure for it. Then, at @1:36:33, he used that enclosure for a different animal (Chinese water dragon) -- he should have used the 4 or 5 enclosure instead (since both still met the requirement of water.) I don't think it changed anything since you had extra enclosures left at the end and you had enough all of the times for these. I just got the game myself and I find that there is a lot of these little steps that are easy to miss. Thanks again for a great and helpful video.
thanks for making this - it was a joy to watch and learn
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you thank you! I used this play through as a tool to help familiarize myself with Ark Nova before playing with some friends. Thanks to you I came away with the victory! Always love your content 🐺
Have recently gotten into the board game space. Catan was my gateway game. I am completely hooked. This community is amazing. I love seeing it bring people together. I never have so much fun as I do playing games with friends. So thank you to creators like you for inspiring the next generation. Love your content. Can't wait to see whats to come. 🐺
Just watched the fire and Ice awards!!! Have watch you guys for years. You are my playthrough peeps!!! Awards were amazing and keep up the amazing work!
I finally learned how to play this one. Thank you for the video.
Thank you so much!!
I have been trying to get this game to the table. Sadly we have had this for a month now, but have not been able to get past the rulebook. I am on page 16 now. With watching your video we will be able to play it this week. You both are amazing at teaching games where you can understand it. Thank you!
My first game was playing small animals with peting zoo full of goats. It was great!
Thank you for the play through, made my wife and my first game so smoth!
None of the plays I have had did the groups want to play with the attack cards. All plays have been with the solo bonus on the cards. I think this is a better game for the choice of either option--with or without attack cards. PS,,,,,, thank you! 😃
31:50 - The rules here for the Kiosk are not quite right. You don't need each building around a kiosk to be unique in order for it to give you income. When the rulebook talk about collecting income for "each unique building" it's only one part of a list of buildings that includes pavilions, special enclosures (i.e. Reptile House), and occupied standard enclosures. In that context, "unique buildings" is referring to buildings that are placed via sponsor cards. So you can have multiple enclosures of the same type around a kiosk; the only requirement is that they be occupied. (Top of page 19 in the rulebook). Thanks for the great play through!
If I got that right, so it means if you have an occupied standard enclosure around the kiosk (even if both are of the same size), you would get an income right?
It would also include special enclosures and buildings built via sponsor cards that would give you an income. Am I correct?
We have played twice this weekend. Just stumbled on it at our local game store. We love it, even my wife does.
This game is so smart in how integrated and intuitively the actions and mechanisms work together - but that first teach/learn can be a BEAR. Thanks for walking my partner and I through our first play!!
I've been curious about this game with all the hype surrounding it lately! It was great seeing the game in action! This looks like a game I would honestly enjoy but I would just have to convince my wife to sit down for a longer game like this! Keep up the great work guys! 🐺
I hear that. Lol. Same problem I have. The gf never wants to learn or play longer games. Then 90% of the time she enjoys them.
such a CLEANNNN playthrough overall. This video will make teaching my wife the rules much, much easier. As always thank you guys for your awesome vids keep it up!
Been a fan for so long , glad you guys are seeing the success that you are! Have learned so many games with your play throughs as well gotten introduced to so many games! You had my favourite segment at the fire and ice awards! 🐺
I love this game. I've owned it for 3 weeks and won only 4 times in solo mode. Each time I watch a play thru on RUclips I get an "aha" moment where I learn another thing I can try. Thanks.
Is the price tag worth it for solo only, or mainly solo even?
@@TheVlad1616 Yes There are different degrees of difficulty and the variety of cards that change each game make it good for me. Minature martket in St. Louis has it in their library to play inhouse, check places close to you.
@@TheVlad1616 I bought a "dented" box for $42 but I walked in willing to pay $80. Well Worth my money.
This is becoming my favorite game of all time, and it just became my most played game (I tend to play a lot of games a couple of times), which tells you something about the longevity of the game.
Thanks for the video!
Great content! Glad to see you partnering with other creators like Tim. Keep it up and more power to your channel! 🐺
Much appreciated!
I haven't played it yet, but will be reviewing the rules teach here before playing it at my local heavy board game night. I know i'm in capable hands given how much time went into the Lacerda series lol. Happy to see the latest collaboration too! 🐺
Appreciate the playthrough. My fiance and I are relatively new to games like this one and were a bit overwhelmed, but this really helped. Great job guys!
🐺 Long time lurker, but finally a giveaway that I can enter! Looking forward for more great contents in 2023! 🐺
Hey Monique, you’re wearing the MacPherson battle tartan. I love it! (It’s my family’s tartan).
What!! That's so cool!!! We had to google it, but you're totally right lol. :-)
🐺 Your channel is already my go to spot for heavy strategy game content, so I didn't discover you through the Fire & Ice awards. It was actually the opposite. You helped me find the awards, and discovered some of the other great content creators that were apart of it! Keep doing what you are doing. You are fantastic at it!
🐺 This game was a mega hit for over a year but I still not in the hype until seeing you two play it, just got my copy for Christmas ❤
🐺 Monique and Naveen your channel was one of the first I started following when I got into this hobby. Thanks for all the playthroughs! I know it takes a lot of work, but it makes learning a game so much easier for the rest of us! Thank you
🐺 looking forward for 2023 new videos. All the best to you and looking forward for the huge giveaway announced by Tim 😍
Love your content. I don’t remember the last time I bought a game where I didn’t watch your teach and play first!🐺
This game always looked so daunting, but with reviews like this, I keep getting tempted to try it 😀 Might be my next purchase...🐺
Thank you very much for this plathrough 👍
I really like this one, both solo and multiplayer. Sometimes really, REALLY frustrating when you get crappy cards, but it is usually possible to dig yourself out of such a slump and get back into the race for the win 😍🤓
Didn't Monique give herself 1 point to much at the end?! Did not attach all water hexes... The 2-hex "lake" in the lower left corner was only attached at one had, not both. Not going to change the outcome in placing, but less points 😉
Just played this game tonight at a board game night. Really enjoyed it. Glad to see you all covered this game! Always love your breakdowns, tutorials, and play throughs
🐺 You two are my favorite tabletop gaming content creators, so it was beyond exciting to see you in the Fire & Ice Awards video (+ follow-up)! Thank you for always having the best energy & making us feel like part of the playthrough. Much admiration & support for you two 😁🐺
Thank you so much. It just helps a lot if you can actually watch the game being played after having learned the rules!Very good explanation as well!
This ended up being one of my very favorite of your videos - those “highs and lows” were so evident for you both that I think it really showed off how the game is a “journey” as you mentioned. Ultimately I think this game is one I’d love to have the opportunity to try, but don’t see myself owning or playing regularly as the frustration of the lows might be too overwhelming (for me) given the 2+ hour time commitment. Also, Monique’s brief comparison to A Feast for Odin has me even more excited for the continuation of the Uwe series! (After your Agricola video I instantly knew it was a game I wanted in my collection, and I have a strong hunch FfO will work out that way too.)
This is giving me Terraforming Mars vibes, which is intriguing since TM is one of my favorite games ever!
It's very commonly compared to TM. Wish we had more plays of TM to make the comparisons.
I love your playthroughs. So thorough and both of you explain everything that you are doing. Makes learning the game so make better. I wonder how much you two talk through your game when not on camera? I'm sure you try harder not to give away your strategies when not teaching the game but how much do you guys tell each other about each move you are taking? Thank you so much for your channel. I have learned so much and love you two together. So respectful to one another. Refreshing to see competition without cruelty.
I was most excited to see you guys presenting Ark Nova in the board game awards. Thanks for all you do for board game content! 🐺
loved seeing you guys in the collab on Tim Chuons channel! all of my favorite content creators all in the same video was great to see, I could tell everyone had a great time!