You know how people constantly die in this game and you have to make up new names? (You can only use survival abilities after you've named a character. That's a rule.) One of our players solved this problem by constantly inventing new names based on the old one. Edmure. Edmoor. Eddmure. Etmure. Ettmure. It was starting to drive us crazy, which was funny to him, so he continued. Then we fought the phoenix. It saw him. It unnamed him. He lost his name. Nobody could remember his name. He could no longer use survival abilities. And he could never again go by the same name, or he would cease to exist. The game literally made him break his naming scheme, lol. His new name was Edless, and his next character is called Ariah.

A phoenix looked at my character and their future children died.

So is going Super Saiyan a part of the game or was that an unrelated event for the guy Quinns was playing with?

This is the first SU&SD video I ever saw, and it remains one of the best. I love Paul's presence in his reviews, and the general approach to thinking about board games that he encapsulates.

KDM is a great game, when your friend owns it.

My favorite part of this review was Paul's recognition that people are just going to hear what they want to hear about the game.

I keep coming back and watching this because it's such a wonderful piece of content. Love you Paul.

I've been following this game for years, and your review is going to make me finally pull the trigger. Great, now I can have another board game nobody will ever play sitting in a closet.

So thrilled to have your take on this. Thanks for the work! Love the snow!

These reviews are absolutely amazing. Just want to say thank you as I was looking for a channel like yours for some time. I am happy to have found you. Keep it up. You are the Angry (Funny) Joe of the board games world.

"Fuzzy Groin: you hit the monster right in the ding dong." I can't take any of it seriously now.

I can't believe you're friends with sonic the hedgehog.

Looks far to overwhelming, I'd absolutely love to play it with 3 people who know the rules perfect, but to buy this, learn it, then teach it to 3 other people? No way.

It's really interesting going back and hearing that initial ramble. Kickstarters are so core to a lot of games, you now routinely expect a second one if the game turns out good. They very often hit the common market now with very little exclusives in a lot of cases. Kinda just funny looking back and remembering "Oh yeah, they kinda started out as a weird niche with a promise you'd only get the game from here".

Yeah, it sounds like a complex blend of tabletop RPG wedded to a full-fledged miniatures game, combined with the first few millennium of Civilization, In Darkest Dungeon.

I rarely comment on KZfaq, but: This is one of the shortest reviews of KD:M I've seen, and still the best by far.

Probably the best closing remark of any KZfaq video

Really good review, and I like all the footage of snow. That raccoon was so cute!

The Random Event Combinations in Kingdom Death Monsters sound like Dwarf Fortress

"You dont really win, you just do a little better each time"- Cleveland Brown

Aside from the excellent review, this is the best produced video you guys have ever done. really liked the flow of it and the simple location work. I'm pretty sure it was all in focus as well, which is no small praise in the world of board game review videos. EDIT: That's a very untrustworthy head of hair on that young man, what is he hiding? Or is he just moving much faster in his own dimension?

Looks like this wanted to be a computer game.

Great in depth review! Not a game I have the money for, nor one I'd have the time to invest in... but great to finally get a glimpse of how it plays and what it does. I feel like my curiosity is finally sated!

What ON EARTH is that guy's hair doing at 4:50?! Is that a requirement for playing?!

That guy's hair is wicked sick dude. EDIT: That's not meant in a mean way btw. I think it's quite impressive.

"None more black" - SUSD. If that's not a box quote, I don't know what is.

Great finishing line. Never before...did punching the balls off a lion, produce so much paper work.

And you forgot to mention the add-ons that can vary the campaign quite a bit, you can replace many of the huntable monsters with others, get new events and even change the basic structure of the campaign through some of the bigger expansions (like immortal heroes etc.).

Great review! Thanks for making detailed, subjective opinion instead of worshiping this title as a matter of principle. You guys are the best board game reviewers because they comes from playing and testing, not from agreements with board game companies and from sponsoring.

I counted 3 This is Spinal Tap references. Bravo.

I really appreciate the depth of this review, I was super excited to pick this game up but I think I might hold off until I can get a consensus with my playgroup of if this is something we would all be into and enjoy.

In the Gardens of Eden, baby! Thank you for another great review!

Loved this. Awesome work!

Great review. Very well done. It's also a beautiful video for all the snow and outdoor filming. I could watch this again just for the snow and animals. Lol.

"You are masticated" If a game doesn't tell me this then I don't want it

Awesome video, very informative and helpful!

I love that dudes hair in the shots where they are playing the game.

Really great work on this video! Totally not for me, but I appreciated the comprehensive analysis of it.

25:40 is the moment when I felt like I might love this. Also that's a ton of spinal tap references

Brilliant with the dribbling out of Spinal Tap references!

nice raccoon

As for the Hunt Cards, because you can gain special things that you mix into the deck to randomly appear in some campaigns.

that moment when you realise all the Spinal Tap references are a call-forward to the prog rock analogy at the end of the review

Thank you! Great review! The snow looks cold omg!

Thanks so much for this video. Apart from being entertaining it was one of the best videos to break down the pros/cons of the game.

It's a game that's also for sale in mass production now. I'm saying this as of April 2019. I'm pretty sure it was in mass production way before this date. Just back ordered a lot. Now I got mine delivered in about 2 weeks.

Your kickstarter horse rant made me subscribe. Cheers.

Amazing review Paul! One note is that the random event deck exists because of encounters like the lonely tree where you shuffle another card in the hunt deck I believe. This game is definitely polarizing and I for one am on the side that wants to live in said blackest of boxes.

Oh, what a good review. Not just of this game, but of any product. This, THIS is how you do reviews.

I am definitely one of those people who absolutely love this game. I’ve played it for hours at a time and only stopped cuz the other people playing with me got tired.

For the hunt event cards, the made those to future proof the game for expansions. As you get more expansions you add extra hunt events to the deck.

Glad to see a review from SuSD! I like you guys a lot and was curious to see what you thought about the game. I wrote up some reactions while watching your video. Sorry it's quite long! Your point about not playing with 4 players is a good one and one shared by most of the community, from what I've seen. Player elimination is a core part of this game an An important thing to note about the version you're reviewing right now is that it includes expansion monsters (just in case folks are thinking all the content there is from the core game). Folks can go to board game geek to find lists of what's in the core game. Early game repetition is definitely a bit of a pain. There's a new expansion being introduced that lets you start developed at about the halfway point of the game. That's not an experience you'll get out of the core game, though. I've found the folks who tend to be most enthusiastic about the game are also fans of the roguelike video game genre, which can also involve large amounts of repetition while trying to achieve mastery, and I can imagine folks who don't like the roguelike genre are going to be more likely to dislike this particular board game. As to the sex: your response is exactly why I like this game's aesthetic. Kingdom Death juxtaposes the sleazy and the obscene/grotesque in a way that cannot be ignored. It's repulsive, and I'm not sure if that repulsiveness is the intent of the creator, but that repulsiveness reveals things about the way Western culture objectifies the human body (and especially the bodies of women), and, to me, what it reveals is fascinating and in keeping with the game's body horror motif. Does this justify it? I don't know if you can ever justify reductive objectification. I do think it communicates something worth thinking about, though. In addition, while this doesn't excuse some of the stylistic choices, there are actually some surprisingly progressive moments of representation in the game. Most of the plastic figures for men and women are equally represented, for instance, outside a few unfortunate cleavage windows, and there are quite a few instances of naked men in the book to go along with the naked women. There's a clear disparity in the intent of their representation, with the men never really being represented in a titilating way, but the new Kickstarter has taken some small steps to even things up again by producing "male pinups" that are explicitly designed to represent men the way that the game already represents women. If you're strongly opposed to sexualizing and objectifying human bodies, this doesn't solve the issue of representation, but there's an entrenched tendency in the miniatures industry to sell cheesecake miniature representations of women, and I can't think of any other company in the market that has acknowledged that representation and made a concrete effort to make up for the disparity in some way. If you compare the representation of women in games like Conan the Barbarian and Super Dungeon Explore, for instance, those games seem to exclusively represent women as objects to be observed and men as subjects acting in the world. I think Kingdom Death, in its bizarre, awkward way, is trying to represent men and women in both ways, and to do so in a way that does not masquerade as polite or acceptable. In the game itself, the women are equal to the men in every way outside of their biological ability to produce children, and they're as often depicted in the art defeating monsters as the men. Kingdom Death's explicit rules enabling same sex partnership is also something I appreciate. There's also inclusion of mechanics for transgender characters in certain of the expanded materials for the game, though those materials are bogged down by the company's tendency to rely on infantile humor. It's fun, to me, to see a game that's willing to include options for people to play characters who are like they are regardless of who they happen to be, and to have an equal (and equally bleak) chance in the world regardless of their sexual orientation and how they choose to identify. I really like your prog rock metaphor. You have me wondering, now, if my love for King Crimson is in some way related to my fascination with Kingdom Death.

That snow looks awesome. You look like your in a winter wonderland. It's like 35 degrees where I am at the moment. The grass is greener I guess.

The bit with the branch was fucking hilarious.

I feel like the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida comparison is a very apt one, as "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" means nothing, and just comes from how Doug Ingle slurred the words "in the garden of Eden" while he was off his face on cheap red wine, which is probably a pretty decent analogy for Kingdom Death as a game.

I dropped a $700 bollock on v1.5 Kickstarter. It's just a game right up my street. Did I just see a "Lion Testes" card ?

@4:50 I assume there's a link to some essay discussing this gentleman's hair.

Thank you very much, I kept wondering and hearing about it. It really showed me the details of how and why it is that way.

Sublime, beautiful review... Amazingly well done.

6:07 AAAAUGH!!! EVERY SECOND I LIVE IS AGONY!!!

lol that guy with "look at me" Goku hair XD

My friend bought the game and I played it several times. But I soon got bored of it: too frustrating and so little pay off. When you "succeed" ie. survived, (only to die some unimaginable death later...) it felt more like complete luck and random chance, than something I did. And I got the same feeling when my character died. I'd invested time and mental energy into seeing my character somehow survive several encounters and I would be happy, only to have one bad die roll or encounter snuff him out in the blink of an eye. For those who love that kind of emotional payoff, they will love the game: for me - not my cup of tea. For the same frustration, I'd rather play golf... At least the scenery is nicer...

Me currently putting together the 3 busty female models from echoes of death 3: "what do you mean it's sexist"

Bravo! It's reviews like this that separate SU&SD from the pack. I've already gone down a rabbit hole with Shadows of Brimstone, so I don't have time, money, or patience for this game. But still fun to see one Englishman's journey.

Player Elimination , you then become another survivor from the settlement , in fact you can switch the survivors you take on the hunt , once you have increased the population. A time for some to rest and recover. You gain equipment by population , so you can swap it around between fights and Hunts.

Maybe an App or software tool would help keep all those modifiers in check and reduce paper work. I've been working on an app for Twilight Imperium because it too can have a lot of modifiers and what if's? that players tend to forget during game play.

"It's a fine line between stupid and clever." - "How much more black could this be, and the answer is ... none." - In other words Kingdom Death: Monster is the Spinal Tap of board games. :) (It probably even has a miniature Stonehenge in it.)

Is this anything but character-vs-monster-strategic-combat/survival? Are there any dungeoncrawl, exploring, or anything but battling creatures on the same black square?

I came back to rewatch this with the arrival of thr Gambler's Chest. I wonder how can they create such masterpiece reviews. You guys are insanely good, this video is really a great content

I don't agree with the statements from about 22:00 to 25:00 , but the rest of this was pretty much spot on. (Not counting the conclusion, but that's subjective to everyone.) One thing I would like to point out in the new Kickstarter is the expansion which will let you skip the early phases of the game and jump right in to a settlement that's pretty far along. Beginners should definitely fight the White Lion a few times to learn the flow of things and how to craft and guide the settlement. Once you're a pro, it's pretty safe to skip all that because you know what you're doing and ready to jump right in to the harder stuff. And yeah, it is definitely my thing. If you're not looking forward to this game beating you up, sometimes unfairly, it's not the game for you.

Can you tell me what the card sleeves I need for the core game only and how many?

This is Spinal Tap mark 5 jazz improv opening for a puppet show

This is a very fair review. I appreciate the candor.

So much reference to This is Spinal Tap. Well done sir.

As an owner of the game I can say the amount of paperwork involved is pretty intense. Especially when a survivor who had a glob load of stuff dies. I've found it much easier being able to keep it set up but the packing and noting down of gear for the departing survivors is quite a load to bear.

Thank you SUSD for doing this review, and the owners of the game who lent it to you guys to try. I've pined after this game ever since I've heard about it but that $250 price tag combined with the delayed gratification of waiting till the summer to get it has kept me from purchasing the game. Hearing your closing argument about how it is similar to bad prog rock definitely spoke to me, since I do listen to prog rock and can understand the reference. Personally I'm not a big fan of the horror theme and would prefer these game mechanics (boss fight/settlement phase/crafting/RPG) in a smaller game with maybe tokens and add-on figures to buy in different theme, sci-fi or fantasy.

Missed the pledge for this. Now I can't find a copy for less than $350. It looks fun but anything over $150 seems like a real stretch.

that dood at 8:02 on the bike had me rolling. he looked embarrassed!

27:30 - "How much more black could a box be? The answer is none. None more black." Get outta here with your Spinal Tap references!

4:54 what is happening with that man's hair? Did he go super saiyan and forget how to go back?

What a brilliant review, thanks Paul.

I have played Kingdom Death:Monsters for going on 90 hours now,i play it with my girlfriend and every now and then a 3rd party. Best comparison? Dark souls, it will never give you the full story, everything is brutal, it is random, and when you beat an obstacle for the first few times it gives that "Hell yeah, we/i did this!". For the sake of the emotions this game will bring to you and the quality of it all, and how differnt it is is why i love it, a single session will have brought Joy,Sadness,Exitement,comradery,rivalry,wonder,arguments,feelings of being terrified. No other board-game have ever brought anywhere near what this game does. And a sidenote: If you wanna try it before you buy it, there are really good versions on it on tabletop simulator. This guy´s review is a bit vague on the game, but the game itself is pretty vague and dark, and gritty,evil....You should try it atleast once, if its for you its gonna grab your soul.

Random hunt events aren't all the same, some of the promotional/expansions add cards to that deck, there's also harvesting/mining events that are on those cards as well, it does seem a bit silly but it's a future-proof for added content. Having said that there is a lot of stuff to keep track of, luckily a friend of mine has made an app for the game which we use to keep track of all the settlement and survivor things.

"Where do you sit on this spectrum where you are, at one end, stumbling around like lost lambs where anything can happen to you and at the other end you are looking at the consequences of everything like a soulless robot?' paul

So the campaign is the size of a shelf star destroyers doubled in size?

Nice review as always but I really think you should mention that the miniatures all come on sprues and will take, literally, dozens of hours to cut out and glue together.

Any chance you will check in for a new review about Gamblers Chest? Feels like a good opportunity to go full circle

I feel like KDM might be better for more groups as a D&D thing where the DM can carefully fudge things to keep things difficult and deadly, but not completely campaign ruining because a single bad die roll ruined everything.

Are we ever going to see Cthulhu Wars?

thank you so much for this thoughtful and educated review. scribed and upped. a few things alarmed me about the game: one: i can see from here that the scale is 35mm but I collect 28mm. two: I am going to need to put a play group together just for this game. seriously. here in oly wa I have a plethora of available game groups but none of them are open-minded enough to play this game. much like Shakespeare I am going to have to form some sort of super group. interesting challenge, but do I have time? anyway this is shaping up to be my last boardgame, my last kickstarter and possibly the last time I will spend money on miniatures. it will be completing my collection across those three fronts. what an odd, frightening, wonderful year to be alive.

And that is real Dark Souls/Bloodborne on board!

One thing about tokens/cards/character sheets: Permanent information is on your character sheet, random information is drawn from cards, and tokens are temporary and are all wiped away after a showdown. There are also the square gear cards, but that's intuitive enough. They're items. Information is in a lot of places, but it makes sense once you get into it.

I laughed quite heartily when you said, "there's a fine line between stupid and clever..." even though I don't think that's true (there's a big gap in case someone needs clarification). your video is definitely on the clever side. and brave too! brave for showing your old haircut... well done, sir. well done. your review has really helped me make my decision regarding the kickstarter. thank you.

Seeing the same table set up with several different boards reminds of how few tables I own.

Been playing KDM as a two player over lockdown. Yes it's messy and bitty and such a pain in the ass sometimes, and your getting punched in the face constantly, for reasons that are mostly not your fault BUT THEN..........you finally kill the horrible mess of thing that's been throwing your guys around like dog toys for the last hour and it feels so so very good. Then you harvest the carcass and build a bad ass weapon from it! And for some reason... you keep going.

Paul I am not sure if you are really aware of this, but your choices of words and phrases and your communication throughout this review is BRILLIANT. Just a stunning, epic and well thought out review that really borders on poetic at the wonderful conclusion. I say wonderful because it's an amazing conclusion and so well worded, a conclusion that cleverly arrives at the realization that we are all different and will respond differently. Not sure how to say it well, but trying to point out that you did a tremendous job here, thank you!

12:35 "You hit the monster right in the ding dong" !!! lol wtf?!

Watching this with 1.6 pre orders announced this weekend. Considering if £270 is worth it!!!

I got this on Tabletop Simulator so I could play this with a friend across the world, it's definitely justifies the purchase of Tabletop Simulator

I find this review to be very helpful and informative. I liked the music references. I wanted to get the game, but it did intimidate me. Also, I didn't have the money for it. From what I've seen, lack any personal experience, I would get it if I could afford the monetary cost of the game. I see his argument on the nudity. And nudity isn't bad as long it has a place in the context of the world the story makes. Overall, it looks bleak, intense, and excessive; and I like it. Reminds me of Berserk in board game form. Just wish I had the time and money to spend. Awesome review by the way.