Thanks for the overview! Looking forward to getting this one. Shem always seems to take the spotlight because everyone knows his name, but SJ Macdonald is half the brains behind most games Shem is involved with!
@gobot902 ай бұрын
Have you played the brilliant SJM game Circadians: First Light? SJM truly is the George Harrison of the Garphill Games crew!
@JohnLaRuffa2 ай бұрын
You are right. I don’t think I give SJ enough credit.
@deemich18152 ай бұрын
@@gobot90 yeah that game is super fun! Great solo mode 👍
@timsanchez82572 ай бұрын
Thanks for the video. My copy just arrived along with Legacy of Yu, Hadrian’s Wall, and Raiders of Scythia. Your videos are extremely helpful as I am playing more games solo. I truly thank you for the honest reviews as well.
@JohnLaRuffa2 ай бұрын
Thank you very much! Looks like you have some fun gaming to do!
@SoonerMike2112 ай бұрын
Thanks for the video! I've been waiting to see something since fulfillment before I set mine up.
@SwissBoardGame-pw4ri2 ай бұрын
I love this game! I don't find the solo opponent that difficult. It's important to save action cards with similar banners and play them together, executing the same action multiple times in a row. A good order: First the Scroll Tiles, then either build the Temple or walls/gates. The most important thing: The earlier you have all your workers, the easier it is to perform strong actions, as you then start swimming in money or resources. These are my experiences after 10 games.
@bookaddict7772 ай бұрын
I punched my copy of this one the same day you did :) Not sure when I will get it to the table, solo or otherwise, but I am really looking forward to playing it. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it so much!
@JohnLaRuffa2 ай бұрын
It’s really a great game. I hope you get to it soon!
@kitcarpo47452 ай бұрын
I have a copy reserved at my flgs! Now to hit my Daytimer to see when I can schedule it in. .. hmm...Second Thursday of next week.... \
@boriskirov39532 ай бұрын
I like this one more than Scholars because the game is more generous with resources, more open, less tight and punshing, and every action feels rewarding (unlike some of the actions you do in Scholars).
@JohnLaRuffa2 ай бұрын
I can see your points for sure. However, I think Scholars remains a favorite of mine because of the tightness and I do enjoy the whole dice and color mechanism.
@chipelan71962 ай бұрын
Excellent video, as always. You must be better at learning games than me. I have the game set up on the table and am going to try it tonight. Watched Paul Grogran's how to play video over the weekend.
@JohnLaRuffa2 ай бұрын
I just have a lot (probably too much) of experience in that. I watched the Meeple University teach video out there because Paul’s wasn’t out yet. It was pretty good and easy to follow.
@chipelan71962 ай бұрын
@@JohnLaRuffa I think I'm playing it correctly. About 2/3 through the first game. I'm having issues with the rule book as some items seem to be placed in different locations than I was expecting. Probably a me issue. As noted in your unboxing, my boards are warping. Guess it doesn't like the dryness of Arizona... Really enjoying the game though. Lots of things to do, very easy bot, and it looks like varied setup.
@honeylady1082 ай бұрын
@@chipelan7196 my smaller boards are a bit warped also. I'm going to try and straighten them with pressure when I'm done learning and playing. I'm in sw florida, so it's not due to dryness here-very humid.
@JohnLaRuffa2 ай бұрын
@honeylady108 Interesting. I always thought it was due to humid conditions. Must be just how the printed parts adhere to the cardboard.
@kitcarpo474513 күн бұрын
I have the game on the table top now. Read the rules to sleep for a week. Now your vid gets a re-watch and then I will win. I will win because I am playing all four players in a 4 player game. :D One I will try building, another I will try praying, a third entertaining, and a fourth I will try as a fighter. This would be of course an emphasis on using cards in those areas over the remaining. Can I win? :)
@JohnLaRuffa12 күн бұрын
@@kitcarpo4745 interesting. Let me know how it plays out.
@laurencesingh39482 ай бұрын
Great video as usual! I got my first two plays in yesterday. I really like it. The AI is so smooth to operate once you have it down. My games ran long just because of my own AP with all the possibilities and trying to find the right sequencing of actions given what actions were available to me. It's a really great puzzle. As of right now, I like it a lot but I don't yet love it. I think that will happen with repeated plays, though, as I become more familiar with it (that's how it happened for me with Scholars). Another hit from Garphill Games and the Shem/SJ team! Art is awesome, too. This is my first game from the Ancient Anthology line. I agree with your thoughts on the theme/setting.
@JohnLaRuffa2 ай бұрын
Glad to hear this one is working out for you thus far!
@JohnLaRuffa2 ай бұрын
Only time will tell I guess. I still think Scholars is the best game they have made and I am extremely interested to try Inventors of the South Tigris when my copy arrives. On the contrary, I really didn’t love anything I played in regards to the “North Sea’ games.
@laurencesingh39482 ай бұрын
@@JohnLaRuffa I've only played three Garphill Games: Wayfarers, Scholars, and Ezra and Nehemiah. (I backed Inventors, too, though). Wayfarers was my first experience as it was the first theme that drew me in. And it became an instant favourite. It's my #2 of all-time. Scholars is climbing the ranks as is currently in the top 25. So, I love that one, too. I think I just like the openness of Wayfarers more. But both games are all-time greats. I think Ezra and Nehemiah might eventually reach there, too. I'm excited to keep it tabled for a while and get some more plays in.
@victorybhg24 күн бұрын
nice video, i have a choice between this game, nova roma, and skymines, which do you think is the better game? i really don’t have the time to get all three and play them to the point they deserve. Theme is really important, dry euros are really hard to get into
@JohnLaRuffa24 күн бұрын
Skymines is probably the best of the three in my opinion. It has the most content and replay value as well!
@victorybhg24 күн бұрын
oh awesome stuff sir, great reviews and solo plays, you are now my go to for solo boardgaming,
@JohnLaRuffa23 күн бұрын
@victorybhg thank you very much!
@jameswachtel6103Ай бұрын
Doing a red action I thought you could either deliver good to the temple OR stoke the fire. But not both. Please correct me if I am wrong.
@JohnLaRuffaАй бұрын
I believe you can do both. I can see how the rules might be misleading though. Each Levite can do one of 3 things: Place a good in the temple. Stoke the Alter fire. Add 1 red banner. So, if I have 4 Levites, I can do any combination of those things up to 4 times.