After a few delays, I finally had a chance to review Hoplomachus Victorum! I hope you enjoy! Timestamps below: 0:54 How Much Table Space? 1:37 The Box Size and Insert 2:26 Contents 3:07 The Rulebook/Difficulty To Learn JUST THE BASICS 3:33 More Of A Summary THE REVIEW 5:27 PRO 6:52 However… 7:35 CON 9:04 PRO 10:27 Fun Fact! 10:57 I Wish This Was Different… 11:24 PRO 13:36 MIX 15:33 You Should Know… 16:06 PRO IN CLOSING 16:52 Closing Comments 18:37 Upcoming Videos I feel like a broken record but I just want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to hang out with me! I hope you enjoyed the video and I can’t wait to see you on the next one! The next few videos are exciting for me! They’ve been a lot of fun to put together and I really think you’re all going to enjoy them very much! Take care and until next time, Solo Knights! Sincerely, Solo Board Gaming Knight
I've watched countless board game reviews, but yours is the first that I've bothered to comment on. Honestly I think you are in a league of your own, you are the only reviewer who can single handedly cause me to pick up a game, keep up the phenomenal work
And just to discuss the actual game on hand a bit, Hoplomachus was my first Chip Theory Game, and I get how some people scoff at the deluxified components, and the extravagance that seems to pervade every part of the production of this game, but this game completely blew me away. For a while I felt like I might never need to buy another board game again. The tactile nature of the soft neoprene plus the weighty chips made this game feel like a delight in a way that no other board game has. I bought the weighted health chips, and the embroidered draw bag, which is incredibly soft, the interior is a polyester of some sort and elevates the experience of playing significantly. I couldn't keep myself from then getting remastered, which Im lukewarm on thus far honestly, but it gave me extra components to use for Victorum so I don't regret the purchase. I already want to buy every expansion for this game that will be made. This game inspired me to want to make my own game, it has had that much of an impact on me. The game can be long, if you can leave it set up on a table, that is certainly ideal, and I have found that on the hardest difficulty, particularly in Act 1, you can get events that you simply can not win. For example I drew an event with a Primus who had absorb and retaliate for my first match and it was mathematically impossible for me to win no matter how either of us rolled. The next two events cost me a blessing and one of my precious few units respectively so I decided to completely start over. Now I simply house rule to basically skip the first event or two that comes up if I feel it will majorly derail my campaign very quickly and I will end up having to start over. It is not a perfect fix but being at such a disadvantage from the onset genuinely made me not want to play the game again, it was that unfun and felt that unfair, but I persevered and was glad I did because the hard difficulty can feel quite rewarding when you do triumph. Great game, better review.
Personally, I really enjoy the component quality Chip Theory offers, as well. The money I save on not having to sleeve games more than makes up for the extra cost of the quality given. The one thing I would like to upgrade, however, is the bag. The draw bag you mentioned has been in my cart for a while now and this game most definitely needs it the most. Although Hoplomachus Victorum is a long game, it is a very satisfying game to play with more than enough content and variability to make multiple campaigns feel fresh. There are just so many options. With that written, I have not played on the hardest difficulty, yet. To be honest, the normal difficulty was challenging enough and it satisfied the tactical/strategy itch that I get and want from my board games. One thing is for sure, Chip Theory Games has proven themselves yet again and remain my favorite developers. Great comment! It was a very enjoyable read.
I would really like to complement you on this video. Aside from the content itself, all of which was interesting, you have an excellent skill set for presentation. You speak in a clear, even and enthusiastic tone that is easy to follow and fun to listen to. I look forward to watching more of your videos. Thank you!
@@NotTheSweat Thank you! Your comment means a lot and I appreciate it! Although I don’t get to upload videos frequently, when I do, I try my best to make it enjoyable. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Thanks for the great review! I won't be picking it up for two reasons: 1) the insane price, and 2) I have everything for Too Many Bones, which I love. I agree with you that it's the number 1 chip theory game, and that's all I want from them. I was also pretty bummed that Hoplo Remastered made the original Hoplo obsolete, so there's that reason too. I sold off my original Hoplo set because of that. I'll just stick with TMB.
Thank you! I understand what you mean about the price, it is not cheap at all. Although I do think it is different enough from TMB, there is plenty to play with TMB. Now that Unbreakable is around the corner, TMB may be receiving a lot of attention from me for a good long while. It’s a shame what happened with Hoplomachus. To be honest, I’d feel upset if I had invested a large amount of money on TMB only for a Remaster to release making everything TMB obsolete. Hopefully, what was done with Hoplomachus will not spread to other products.
It is next in line when it comes to the games I want to purchase. CTG has yet to let me down when it comes to their games. You’re comment has me wondering if Cloudspire will take TMB’s place as my favorite CTG!
I do not own Victorum but as soon as I can collect the money I will probably buy it, CTG games are really expensive... I have all the old Hoplos, TMB, and Cloudspire. My favorite of all of them is Cloudspire, I am sure you would like it too.
I actually believe you! I’ve eyed Cloudspire in more than one occasion. As a matter of fact, I was going to purchase Cloudspire but at that exact same time, Hoplomachus Victorum popped up as a preorder and I bought that instead. My next CTG will almost certainly be Cloudspire. If it is worth getting the expansions for Cloudspire, I’d be interested in knowing which expansions you would recommend. Thanks in advance and thank you for adding to the conversation! By the way, you’re right, CTG are very expensive games. What I like most about them is that I don’t have to sleeve their cards. That saves me some money, at least.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight I'd just go with the core game and probably then follow the release schedule for expansions. It's significantly deeper than any other CTG game design wise and definitely the most complex and difficult to learn by a large margin. Seemingly insignificant rules errors can easily break the tightly designed scenarios so getting easy wins with the maximum 3 renown is a good indicator your doing it wrong.
@@RocketMagnetUK Thank you so much helping me out! Cloudspire being the most complex CTG game even when compared to TMB really took me by surprise. I don’t think I remember any videos I’ve watched about Cloudspire mention that. Once I get used to the lay of the land and have the rules completely understood, then I’ll follow your recommendation and venture out with the expansions. Like you, I only truly enjoy and appreciate a board game when there are no overlooked rules. Mistakes can sour a game experience and having a good understanding of all rules is vital. Thanks for the heads-up!
I found myself often forgetting abilities during combat, which was frustrating and made me feel like I was cheating when I didn't mean to. It's a fantastic game, but expect to be vigilant.
No worries. With complex games like this, it takes a little while to really start getting comfortable with all the rules. With time, it becomes second nature but it’s very easy to overlook the small details especially when first learning the game. You’re right, this is a fantastic game!
For some reason, drawing unlucky tokens is always sadder than an unlucky dice roll😄! This game looks awesome, thank you for the review! Btw, I recently looked up Nemesis and saw that it is basically Aliens but with better variance and replayability!! LOL--I should've bought Nemesis instead😄!
Thank you! You’re welcome! My wife gifted me Nemesis Lockdown for Christmas and I LOVED IT!!! So much fun, so many options available to choose from and moments that had me literally leaning forward on the table while sitting at the edge of my seat! The miniatures, cards, board and components look really nice. Great all-around game design that was very well thought out. Everything on the board had a purpose and every move/decision felt impactful. I’m definitely going to be working on a review for that in the future but I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get to it, at this time. I don’t want to create another Dice Throne Adventures situation. 😂 I’m actually looking forward to Legendary Encounters: The Matrix! Hopefully, it will be as great as I hope it will be. It’s preordered with a release date between now and June so it’s only a matter of time. There’s a statue that I purchased over 20 years ago that I’m itching to display for that future review. Next to TMB: Unbreakable, it is my most anticipated game of this year!
We were looking at this one at Origins 2023. My wife, who's has a degree in Ancient Civilizations was really tempted by it and if she ever played solo games we probably would have picked it up. Watching this I think she would have enjoyed it but the play time would have killed it. We just don't have the space to leave something like this set up. I think it would have been interesting to see the full hour plus video as well.
The game can be played in bite-sized sessions but it is more convenient to be able to leave it setup on the table. If it wasn’t for the sliver of the house that I use to play and store my board games, it would have been tough for me, as well. It also takes quite the commitment to play an entire campaign which is a pro or con depending on who you ask. As far as the almost 1 hour and 45 minute version of this review, it mostly went over a very detailed “how to play” section. It also included a lot of small details that although I think it is very helpful for people wanting to learn the game, it made for a very slow review. Over the years, it has been a challenge learning how to balance explaining a board game and reviewing a board game. At the end of the day, I learned (by looking at the metrics of my videos) that people tend to skip the “how to play” portion of the review. Personally, I think it’s important but I’ve learned to make compromises between information and thoughts. It really helps keep the audience engaged. After seeing the length of the original video, I settled with “Just the basics.”
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight fair. We usually compromise with an overview but still go into a lot of detail. Seeing your numbers vs. ours makes the think cutting back may not be a bad thing. ;)
Ive bought and played this a little, gotten through but never won a few campaigns. And im torn...Love so much about the game, not least sitting in the middle of that amazing table presence and amazing setting. But it takes too long to play and the "grind" feels so dull at times. Some of the arenas are best beaten through extremely cheesy gameplay that might be effective but just not fun. I dunno...Right now I feel like Hoplo Remastered would have been a better purchase.
I haven’t had payed Hoplomachus Remastered to be able to compare but I see where you’re coming from. Since the game requires a huge time commitment, it can be frustrating to lose. That is a huge downside of Victorum. When I found myself struggling, I began to really consider the path I would travel. I began to forge a path that would either strengthen my dice or my units depending on the situation. Although l there were points that I still struggled, I found the combat exciting enough to push through. Now, I have to mention one thing, if I had to put the game away between plays, it would’ve bothered me more. Since I was able to keep the game setup on the table I use, I appreciated being able to walk away from the table and return with a fresh take on what was taking place during my campaigns. You’re right about the frustration this game can cause. At the same time, the highs are really high. I don’t know if I would like to purchase Remastered but I would be curious to see the differences between the two. I think the path you take on the map and which events you partake in makes a huge difference when playing Victorum. If you ever give it another chance, you should try that. It may help you a bunch!
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight Thanks and what a great reply! I havent given up on Victorum yet, ive backed the upcoming expansion so ill be waiting for that at the very least before I pass this game on. But interestingly they have released a free to download variant campaign ruleset for Victorum that is designed to increase the speed to get through a campaign. Ive skimmed through it and like much of it though some bits sounds like they took it too far. But I wanna try that out as well. I might get Remastered soon anyway and stick with both for a while before I decide which one to sell or just keep both XD
@@-Markus- No problem! It seems the reworked gameplay that has been added since the expansion is going to make the game more enjoyable for you. Something tells me you’ll stay with both since you can mix and match content together with the new expansions. Good luck with your future games and let me know what you think about Remastered when you play it if you remember to let me know.
You’re welcome! I have not reviewed Burncycle yet but that will happen at some point. Probably when I receive the new expansion content that should release later this year. Cloudspire is not in my collection but that is the next CTG game that I will be buying. I’ve heard a lot of positives about Cloudspire.
Maybe you got a review copy? Anyway the one thing in solo I am not looking for is dice that cannot be mitigated. Combined with deadly arenas that’s a sure recipe to sour. There’s a ton of detail that you need to look up constantly and I’m not charmed by the iconography in HV. The stats tracker with pins looks weird. Anyway for young folk it may be something to sink their teeth in but I prefer less clutter and better designed probabilities. If anything I would like to give Remastered a try.
No, I do not monetize my channel, I do not get sponsored nor do I receive review copies. Everything I do on this channel is 100% for my enjoyment and for you and everyone else’s enjoyment. Think of this channel as a passion project of sorts. We’re all going to have different feelings and opinions on board games but these are mine. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t but rest assured this channel is all about my opinions and it is not skewed towards any company of any sort. Hopefully, this helps you enjoy this channel even more even when we don’t agree on a board game. Thanks for watching and I hope to see you around again! Take care. SBGK
@@kosterix123 There’s one more thing I’d like to add when it comes to mitigation. While it’s true that there’s not much in the way of mitigation, it’s actually how you upgrade your hero that will determine your chances. When starting out, you have dice that have a 2 in 6 chance of landing a success. However, once you’ve upgraded your hero enough, you can have all of your dice (max of 4 dice) have a 5 in 6 chance for success. Upgrading your hero throughout the campaign is incredibly important. Having a son in college and another in high school, it’s difficult to take the time to learn a game and get it to the table (I was unable to make a video for almost 4 months due to this). However, when it does happen, it’s great when I get to play a game can be as enthralling as this.
How do you like using poker chips instead of mini's, standees or cards? The poker chips are stopping me from buying a chip theory game as I just don't like the way they look.
I like them. When I first played Too Many Bones, I remember thinking, “This is different!” After playing the game for a while, I appreciated the information that was printed on the chips. Instead of having enemy/character cards showing stat information, everything was printed on the chips themselves. You still need a reference sheet because there’s a lot to know but it helps with the table space. Now, although I think the art and the mats as a whole makes CTG games look great, it’s hard to compare them to minis, standees or acrylic standees. When playing board games with minis or standees, the battles on the board tend to look more epic in scale. It’s going to come down to personal preference but I think they all bring something new to the table. Although chips are being used, the gameplay really steals the spotlight and truly shines! With that written, I love minis! Etherfields, Nemesis, Journeys in Middle-Earth the list goes on and on, miniatures will always hold a huge place in my collection! Also, some of my all-time favorite games use mainly cards (Ascension Tactics, Marvel Champions, Mage Knight, A’pex). I guess to answer your question, I love it all.
Now that you mentioned it, I am subscribed to you but I scrolled through my subscription feed and nothing showed up. I’ve not received even one but I noticed that you posted quite a few.
Both games are completely different experiences. For example, Hoplomachus Victorum is an extremely heavy and complex game (although you get used to it after a while). Also, it demands A LOT of time to play with a lot of options available to you which can extend your play session significantly. Roll Player Adventures is not that complex and not that heavy. However, this also demands a lot of time to play but the tension is much lower and the focus is more on the adventure. It’s almost like playing a point-and-click adventure game. Ultimately, it depends on the type of game you want to play. Both are great choices but one is much more challenging and taxing than the other. If you’re looking for a fun challenging yet enjoyable time, choose Roll Player Adventures. If you’re looking for a challenging game that will test your limits, choose Hoplomachus Victorum. Hope this helps!
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight Wow Helps a lot! Thanks for taking the time to reply. Have you played Tanares? Now im trying to get you to convince me I already have a game to fill my solo dreams.
I posted another comment on here saying that I wouldn't pick this game up, but I did. And BOY do I regret that I did! I have to say that this is Chip Theory Games' worst solo offering to date. I'm a fan of the original Hoplomachus and Too Many Bones, but Victorum took quite a downturn for me. I only played through 1 full campaign, and I rage-quit during the Scion battle. For me, I don't mind the length of the game too much. The big problem is that the difficulty level is just *way* off. It's clear that the designers have no clue what Chosen/easy is, what normal is, what hard is, etc. etc. I was playing on Chosen, and it was FAR from easy. Seriously! They truly didn't playtest this game enough, and the trouble begins as soon as you hit Act IV. I had no problems getting through Acts I to III, but there's a very unfair and unnecessary difficulty ramp-up when you approach IV. Simply terrible. I literally had to surrender and/or avoid all events during that act, no joke, which of course added banes to the bag. Then I had no shot on the "recommended" Scion battle with Taotie. By the way, I played with their recommended setups for Krakenlance LOL. And you're supposed to have a somewhat "easier" time with him? Total BS. I'm very happy to be selling this one off to someone who likes more sadistic gameplay. And that's another thing. I don't mind losing...as long as I have a lot of fun in the process. This is why I like Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror. They're very tough games to win, but they're both a ton of fun, and I don't mind losing a lot when playing those games. With Victorum, however, the process of losing is unbelievably BAD and quite anger-inducing. Like I said above, once Act IV hits, things start taking a drastic turn for the worse. Maybe if they did some heavy re-thinking on the difficulty tweaks, or even shortened the game to 3 acts only, they'd have a hit on their hands. As it stands now, this game is substantially flawed.
It was incredibly interesting to read your thoughts and experience on Hoplomachus Victorum. The game can be tough, I can’t argue that. However, although I struggled, at first, I did manage to do much better as I played more. One thing that helped me, for example, was upgrading my attack dice. I would purposely travel the map in a way that would allow me to upgrade my dice. Also, when I fought tough battles, I would recruit powerful allies. Some of which became powerhouses during several battles. I won some and lost some. I will agree that some battles seemed really difficult. In those cases, I would surrender the fight to avoid losing precious health and allies. It’s too bad that you had a rough experience. This game can be tough and I see your point-of-view. Personally, I enjoyed it, as you could tell from the review but I truly hope that if you give the game another shot, you can enjoy it more. Although I am a fan of CTG, I don’t work for them so I won’t try to convince you. However, if you ever give it another chance, I’d be interested to know if your thoughts towards the game change. There have been times when I have been ready to tear a game apart in a review only to come back to it later and find it to be an enjoyable experience (just a rough first impression). I’m not saying that’s going to be the case for you but the possibility remains. Either way, your feedback is needed and important for those that want to hear different opinions and experiences. Thank you for that! Take care.
@@realdealastrology9 You’re welcome! Currently, I’m playing Skytear Horde. There are actually a few others but I’m helping my parents with an out-of-state move so playtime has been greatly reduced. Let me know what you think about Maracaibo. I’ve looked into it before and others seem to enjoy it. Its tile placement strategy game seems interesting. If you recommend it, I’ll definitely consider it.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight It's not tile placement. It's a strategy Euro with a rondel loop mechanism and card play. Sort of like Great Western Trail. The base game and expansion have 2 different automas to play against. Still learning the rules, but I'm liking what I'm reading so far. How is Skytear Horde solo?
After a few delays, I finally had a chance to review Hoplomachus Victorum! I hope you enjoy! Timestamps below:
0:54 How Much Table Space?
1:37 The Box Size and Insert
2:26 Contents
3:07 The Rulebook/Difficulty To Learn
JUST THE BASICS
3:33 More Of A Summary
THE REVIEW
5:27 PRO
6:52 However…
7:35 CON
9:04 PRO
10:27 Fun Fact!
10:57 I Wish This Was Different…
11:24 PRO
13:36 MIX
15:33 You Should Know…
16:06 PRO
IN CLOSING
16:52 Closing Comments
18:37 Upcoming Videos
I feel like a broken record but I just want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to hang out with me! I hope you enjoyed the video and I can’t wait to see you on the next one!
The next few videos are exciting for me! They’ve been a lot of fun to put together and I really think you’re all going to enjoy them very much! Take care and until next time, Solo Knights!
Sincerely,
Solo Board Gaming Knight
I've watched countless board game reviews, but yours is the first that I've bothered to comment on. Honestly I think you are in a league of your own, you are the only reviewer who can single handedly cause me to pick up a game, keep up the phenomenal work
And just to discuss the actual game on hand a bit, Hoplomachus was my first Chip Theory Game, and I get how some people scoff at the deluxified components, and the extravagance that seems to pervade every part of the production of this game, but this game completely blew me away. For a while I felt like I might never need to buy another board game again.
The tactile nature of the soft neoprene plus the weighty chips made this game feel like a delight in a way that no other board game has. I bought the weighted health chips, and the embroidered draw bag, which is incredibly soft, the interior is a polyester of some sort and elevates the experience of playing significantly.
I couldn't keep myself from then getting remastered, which Im lukewarm on thus far honestly, but it gave me extra components to use for Victorum so I don't regret the purchase. I already want to buy every expansion for this game that will be made. This game inspired me to want to make my own game, it has had that much of an impact on me.
The game can be long, if you can leave it set up on a table, that is certainly ideal, and I have found that on the hardest difficulty, particularly in Act 1, you can get events that you simply can not win.
For example I drew an event with a Primus who had absorb and retaliate for my first match and it was mathematically impossible for me to win no matter how either of us rolled. The next two events cost me a blessing and one of my precious few units respectively so I decided to completely start over. Now I simply house rule to basically skip the first event or two that comes up if I feel it will majorly derail my campaign very quickly and I will end up having to start over. It is not a perfect fix but being at such a disadvantage from the onset genuinely made me not want to play the game again, it was that unfun and felt that unfair, but I persevered and was glad I did because the hard difficulty can feel quite rewarding when you do triumph.
Great game, better review.
Thank you! I truly appreciate your comment, it means a lot!
Personally, I really enjoy the component quality Chip Theory offers, as well. The money I save on not having to sleeve games more than makes up for the extra cost of the quality given. The one thing I would like to upgrade, however, is the bag. The draw bag you mentioned has been in my cart for a while now and this game most definitely needs it the most.
Although Hoplomachus Victorum is a long game, it is a very satisfying game to play with more than enough content and variability to make multiple campaigns feel fresh. There are just so many options. With that written, I have not played on the hardest difficulty, yet. To be honest, the normal difficulty was challenging enough and it satisfied the tactical/strategy itch that I get and want from my board games. One thing is for sure, Chip Theory Games has proven themselves yet again and remain my favorite developers.
Great comment! It was a very enjoyable read.
My wallet doesn’t appreciate you revealing that secret but I’m not mad at you!
I would really like to complement you on this video. Aside from the content itself, all of which was interesting, you have an excellent skill set for presentation. You speak in a clear, even and enthusiastic tone that is easy to follow and fun to listen to. I look forward to watching more of your videos. Thank you!
@@NotTheSweat Thank you! Your comment means a lot and I appreciate it! Although I don’t get to upload videos frequently, when I do, I try my best to make it enjoyable. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Thanks for the video, appreciate the thoughtful and clear review.
You’re welcome!
Thanks for the great review! I won't be picking it up for two reasons: 1) the insane price, and 2) I have everything for Too Many Bones, which I love. I agree with you that it's the number 1 chip theory game, and that's all I want from them. I was also pretty bummed that Hoplo Remastered made the original Hoplo obsolete, so there's that reason too. I sold off my original Hoplo set because of that. I'll just stick with TMB.
Thank you! I understand what you mean about the price, it is not cheap at all. Although I do think it is different enough from TMB, there is plenty to play with TMB. Now that Unbreakable is around the corner, TMB may be receiving a lot of attention from me for a good long while. It’s a shame what happened with Hoplomachus. To be honest, I’d feel upset if I had invested a large amount of money on TMB only for a Remaster to release making everything TMB obsolete. Hopefully, what was done with Hoplomachus will not spread to other products.
I hope you also play Cloudspire - it is my favorite solo game and Chip Theory Games game.
It is next in line when it comes to the games I want to purchase. CTG has yet to let me down when it comes to their games. You’re comment has me wondering if Cloudspire will take TMB’s place as my favorite CTG!
I do not own Victorum but as soon as I can collect the money I will probably buy it, CTG games are really expensive... I have all the old Hoplos, TMB, and Cloudspire. My favorite of all of them is Cloudspire, I am sure you would like it too.
I actually believe you! I’ve eyed Cloudspire in more than one occasion. As a matter of fact, I was going to purchase Cloudspire but at that exact same time, Hoplomachus Victorum popped up as a preorder and I bought that instead. My next CTG will almost certainly be Cloudspire. If it is worth getting the expansions for Cloudspire, I’d be interested in knowing which expansions you would recommend. Thanks in advance and thank you for adding to the conversation! By the way, you’re right, CTG are very expensive games. What I like most about them is that I don’t have to sleeve their cards. That saves me some money, at least.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight I'd just go with the core game and probably then follow the release schedule for expansions. It's significantly deeper than any other CTG game design wise and definitely the most complex and difficult to learn by a large margin.
Seemingly insignificant rules errors can easily break the tightly designed scenarios so getting easy wins with the maximum 3 renown is a good indicator your doing it wrong.
@@RocketMagnetUK Thank you so much helping me out! Cloudspire being the most complex CTG game even when compared to TMB really took me by surprise. I don’t think I remember any videos I’ve watched about Cloudspire mention that.
Once I get used to the lay of the land and have the rules completely understood, then I’ll follow your recommendation and venture out with the expansions. Like you, I only truly enjoy and appreciate a board game when there are no overlooked rules. Mistakes can sour a game experience and having a good understanding of all rules is vital. Thanks for the heads-up!
I found myself often forgetting abilities during combat, which was frustrating and made me feel like I was cheating when I didn't mean to. It's a fantastic game, but expect to be vigilant.
No worries. With complex games like this, it takes a little while to really start getting comfortable with all the rules. With time, it becomes second nature but it’s very easy to overlook the small details especially when first learning the game. You’re right, this is a fantastic game!
For some reason, drawing unlucky tokens is always sadder than an unlucky dice roll😄! This game looks awesome, thank you for the review!
Btw, I recently looked up Nemesis and saw that it is basically Aliens but with better variance and replayability!! LOL--I should've bought Nemesis instead😄!
Thank you! You’re welcome! My wife gifted me Nemesis Lockdown for Christmas and I LOVED IT!!! So much fun, so many options available to choose from and moments that had me literally leaning forward on the table while sitting at the edge of my seat!
The miniatures, cards, board and components look really nice. Great all-around game design that was very well thought out. Everything on the board had a purpose and every move/decision felt impactful. I’m definitely going to be working on a review for that in the future but I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get to it, at this time. I don’t want to create another Dice Throne Adventures situation. 😂
I’m actually looking forward to Legendary Encounters: The Matrix! Hopefully, it will be as great as I hope it will be. It’s preordered with a release date between now and June so it’s only a matter of time. There’s a statue that I purchased over 20 years ago that I’m itching to display for that future review. Next to TMB: Unbreakable, it is my most anticipated game of this year!
We were looking at this one at Origins 2023. My wife, who's has a degree in Ancient Civilizations was really tempted by it and if she ever played solo games we probably would have picked it up. Watching this I think she would have enjoyed it but the play time would have killed it. We just don't have the space to leave something like this set up.
I think it would have been interesting to see the full hour plus video as well.
The game can be played in bite-sized sessions but it is more convenient to be able to leave it setup on the table. If it wasn’t for the sliver of the house that I use to play and store my board games, it would have been tough for me, as well. It also takes quite the commitment to play an entire campaign which is a pro or con depending on who you ask.
As far as the almost 1 hour and 45 minute version of this review, it mostly went over a very detailed “how to play” section. It also included a lot of small details that although I think it is very helpful for people wanting to learn the game, it made for a very slow review.
Over the years, it has been a challenge learning how to balance explaining a board game and reviewing a board game. At the end of the day, I learned (by looking at the metrics of my videos) that people tend to skip the “how to play” portion of the review. Personally, I think it’s important but I’ve learned to make compromises between information and thoughts. It really helps keep the audience engaged. After seeing the length of the original video, I settled with “Just the basics.”
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight fair.
We usually compromise with an overview but still go into a lot of detail. Seeing your numbers vs. ours makes the think cutting back may not be a bad thing. ;)
Ive bought and played this a little, gotten through but never won a few campaigns.
And im torn...Love so much about the game, not least sitting in the middle of that amazing table presence and amazing setting.
But it takes too long to play and the "grind" feels so dull at times. Some of the arenas are best beaten through extremely cheesy gameplay that might be effective but just not fun.
I dunno...Right now I feel like Hoplo Remastered would have been a better purchase.
I haven’t had payed Hoplomachus Remastered to be able to compare but I see where you’re coming from. Since the game requires a huge time commitment, it can be frustrating to lose. That is a huge downside of Victorum.
When I found myself struggling, I began to really consider the path I would travel. I began to forge a path that would either strengthen my dice or my units depending on the situation. Although l there were points that I still struggled, I found the combat exciting enough to push through.
Now, I have to mention one thing, if I had to put the game away between plays, it would’ve bothered me more. Since I was able to keep the game setup on the table I use, I appreciated being able to walk away from the table and return with a fresh take on what was taking place during my campaigns.
You’re right about the frustration this game can cause. At the same time, the highs are really high. I don’t know if I would like to purchase Remastered but I would be curious to see the differences between the two.
I think the path you take on the map and which events you partake in makes a huge difference when playing Victorum. If you ever give it another chance, you should try that. It may help you a bunch!
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight Thanks and what a great reply!
I havent given up on Victorum yet, ive backed the upcoming expansion so ill be waiting for that at the very least before I pass this game on.
But interestingly they have released a free to download variant campaign ruleset for Victorum that is designed to increase the speed to get through a campaign. Ive skimmed through it and like much of it though some bits sounds like they took it too far. But I wanna try that out as well.
I might get Remastered soon anyway and stick with both for a while before I decide which one to sell or just keep both XD
@@-Markus- No problem! It seems the reworked gameplay that has been added since the expansion is going to make the game more enjoyable for you. Something tells me you’ll stay with both since you can mix and match content together with the new expansions. Good luck with your future games and let me know what you think about Remastered when you play it if you remember to let me know.
Thank you for the review. I am waiting for a long time. CTG game is amazing and very suitable for solo. Do you review Burncycle and cloudspire also?
You’re welcome! I have not reviewed Burncycle yet but that will happen at some point. Probably when I receive the new expansion content that should release later this year. Cloudspire is not in my collection but that is the next CTG game that I will be buying. I’ve heard a lot of positives about Cloudspire.
Maybe you got a review copy?
Anyway the one thing in solo I am not looking for is dice that cannot be mitigated. Combined with deadly arenas that’s a sure recipe to sour.
There’s a ton of detail that you need to look up constantly and I’m not charmed by the iconography in HV. The stats tracker with pins looks weird.
Anyway for young folk it may be something to sink their teeth in but I prefer less clutter and better designed probabilities.
If anything I would like to give Remastered a try.
No, I do not monetize my channel, I do not get sponsored nor do I receive review copies. Everything I do on this channel is 100% for my enjoyment and for you and everyone else’s enjoyment. Think of this channel as a passion project of sorts.
We’re all going to have different feelings and opinions on board games but these are mine. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t but rest assured this channel is all about my opinions and it is not skewed towards any company of any sort.
Hopefully, this helps you enjoy this channel even more even when we don’t agree on a board game. Thanks for watching and I hope to see you around again! Take care.
SBGK
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight totally.
@@kosterix123 There’s one more thing I’d like to add when it comes to mitigation. While it’s true that there’s not much in the way of mitigation, it’s actually how you upgrade your hero that will determine your chances. When starting out, you have dice that have a 2 in 6 chance of landing a success. However, once you’ve upgraded your hero enough, you can have all of your dice (max of 4 dice) have a 5 in 6 chance for success. Upgrading your hero throughout the campaign is incredibly important.
Having a son in college and another in high school, it’s difficult to take the time to learn a game and get it to the table (I was unable to make a video for almost 4 months due to this). However, when it does happen, it’s great when I get to play a game can be as enthralling as this.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight okay thanks good to know. Nobody mentioned this yet.
It's kosteri! Why do you keep popping up everywhere?
How do you like using poker chips instead of mini's, standees or cards? The poker chips are stopping me from buying a chip theory game as I just don't like the way they look.
I like them. When I first played Too Many Bones, I remember thinking, “This is different!” After playing the game for a while, I appreciated the information that was printed on the chips. Instead of having enemy/character cards showing stat information, everything was printed on the chips themselves. You still need a reference sheet because there’s a lot to know but it helps with the table space.
Now, although I think the art and the mats as a whole makes CTG games look great, it’s hard to compare them to minis, standees or acrylic standees. When playing board games with minis or standees, the battles on the board tend to look more epic in scale. It’s going to come down to personal preference but I think they all bring something new to the table.
Although chips are being used, the gameplay really steals the spotlight and truly shines! With that written, I love minis! Etherfields, Nemesis, Journeys in Middle-Earth the list goes on and on, miniatures will always hold a huge place in my collection! Also, some of my all-time favorite games use mainly cards (Ascension Tactics, Marvel Champions, Mage Knight, A’pex).
I guess to answer your question, I love it all.
I made a few community posts recently but not sure if you got alerted to them. Probably not 😆
Now that you mentioned it, I am subscribed to you but I scrolled through my subscription feed and nothing showed up. I’ve not received even one but I noticed that you posted quite a few.
How did you like the Warp’s Edge playmat?
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight dunno. Weird RUclips “anomaly” 😆
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight I can focus on the game instead of trying to tidy and line up the cards 😆
So this or roll player adventures??
Both games are completely different experiences. For example, Hoplomachus Victorum is an extremely heavy and complex game (although you get used to it after a while). Also, it demands A LOT of time to play with a lot of options available to you which can extend your play session significantly.
Roll Player Adventures is not that complex and not that heavy. However, this also demands a lot of time to play but the tension is much lower and the focus is more on the adventure. It’s almost like playing a point-and-click adventure game.
Ultimately, it depends on the type of game you want to play. Both are great choices but one is much more challenging and taxing than the other. If you’re looking for a fun challenging yet enjoyable time, choose Roll Player Adventures. If you’re looking for a challenging game that will test your limits, choose Hoplomachus Victorum. Hope this helps!
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight Wow Helps a lot! Thanks for taking the time to reply. Have you played Tanares? Now im trying to get you to convince me I already have a game to fill my solo dreams.
I posted another comment on here saying that I wouldn't pick this game up, but I did. And BOY do I regret that I did! I have to say that this is Chip Theory Games' worst solo offering to date. I'm a fan of the original Hoplomachus and Too Many Bones, but Victorum took quite a downturn for me. I only played through 1 full campaign, and I rage-quit during the Scion battle. For me, I don't mind the length of the game too much. The big problem is that the difficulty level is just *way* off. It's clear that the designers have no clue what Chosen/easy is, what normal is, what hard is, etc. etc. I was playing on Chosen, and it was FAR from easy. Seriously! They truly didn't playtest this game enough, and the trouble begins as soon as you hit Act IV. I had no problems getting through Acts I to III, but there's a very unfair and unnecessary difficulty ramp-up when you approach IV. Simply terrible. I literally had to surrender and/or avoid all events during that act, no joke, which of course added banes to the bag. Then I had no shot on the "recommended" Scion battle with Taotie. By the way, I played with their recommended setups for Krakenlance LOL. And you're supposed to have a somewhat "easier" time with him? Total BS. I'm very happy to be selling this one off to someone who likes more sadistic gameplay.
And that's another thing. I don't mind losing...as long as I have a lot of fun in the process. This is why I like Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror. They're very tough games to win, but they're both a ton of fun, and I don't mind losing a lot when playing those games. With Victorum, however, the process of losing is unbelievably BAD and quite anger-inducing. Like I said above, once Act IV hits, things start taking a drastic turn for the worse. Maybe if they did some heavy re-thinking on the difficulty tweaks, or even shortened the game to 3 acts only, they'd have a hit on their hands. As it stands now, this game is substantially flawed.
It was incredibly interesting to read your thoughts and experience on Hoplomachus Victorum. The game can be tough, I can’t argue that. However, although I struggled, at first, I did manage to do much better as I played more.
One thing that helped me, for example, was upgrading my attack dice. I would purposely travel the map in a way that would allow me to upgrade my dice. Also, when I fought tough battles, I would recruit powerful allies. Some of which became powerhouses during several battles. I won some and lost some. I will agree that some battles seemed really difficult. In those cases, I would surrender the fight to avoid losing precious health and allies.
It’s too bad that you had a rough experience. This game can be tough and I see your point-of-view. Personally, I enjoyed it, as you could tell from the review but I truly hope that if you give the game another shot, you can enjoy it more. Although I am a fan of CTG, I don’t work for them so I won’t try to convince you. However, if you ever give it another chance, I’d be interested to know if your thoughts towards the game change.
There have been times when I have been ready to tear a game apart in a review only to come back to it later and find it to be an enjoyable experience (just a rough first impression). I’m not saying that’s going to be the case for you but the possibility remains. Either way, your feedback is needed and important for those that want to hear different opinions and experiences. Thank you for that! Take care.
That difficulty jump can be rough. It can be worse depending on which chips end up being in the bag.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight and thank you for your insightful reviews! What game are you currently playing? For me, I'm getting into Maracaibo.
@@realdealastrology9 You’re welcome! Currently, I’m playing Skytear Horde. There are actually a few others but I’m helping my parents with an out-of-state move so playtime has been greatly reduced. Let me know what you think about Maracaibo. I’ve looked into it before and others seem to enjoy it. Its tile placement strategy game seems interesting. If you recommend it, I’ll definitely consider it.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight It's not tile placement. It's a strategy Euro with a rondel loop mechanism and card play. Sort of like Great Western Trail. The base game and expansion have 2 different automas to play against. Still learning the rules, but I'm liking what I'm reading so far. How is Skytear Horde solo?