On Mars Review - The Broken Meeple

Рет қаралды 6,732

4 жыл бұрын

This is a long one guys! I wanted to keep it short like other reviews, but it's just not possible for these heavy Euro games, there's too much to talk about! I did a quick vote on Twitter and the people opted unanimously to release it as a full video and not split it. So that's what you get, a bumper edition of a review for Vital Lacerda's On Mars! But of course, if you want to navigate it, check out the timestamps below - I hear that they help! :P
In the beginning, you will be dependent on supplies from Earth and will have to travel often between the Mars Space Station and the planet's surface. As the colony expands over time, you will shift your activities to construct mines, power generators, water extractors, greenhouses, oxygen factories, and shelters. Your goal is to develop a self-sustaining colony independent of any terrestrial organization. This will require understanding the importance of water, air, power, and food - the necessities for survival.
Do you dare take part in humankind’s biggest challenge?
03:20 - DURATION
05:10 - EASE OF PLAY
11:38 - TACTICS AND STRATEGY
17:38 - AESTHETICS
20.55 - IMMERSION
23.25 - LONGEVITY
26:52 - MY FINAL WORD & RANKINGS OF LACERDA GAMES
#OnMars
#eaglegryphon
#vitallacerda
#boardgames
#brokenmeeple
#lukehector
#dicetower
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Trolls will not be tolerated and any comments that aren't discussing the topic or providing useful constructive criticism will be deleted. If I'm feeling nice, you'll get a warning.
Credit to the users of BGG & Scott King for imagery used.
Full credit to TeamFourStar, The Dice Tower and Nostalgia Critic for clips used - please check out their work and support them.
Credit to MotionArray for Adobe based templates/music

Пікірлер: 46

@benlauson555 4 жыл бұрын

Great review, your input on two player is especially helpful. Your anger towards the insert was hilarious. Good entertainment.

@DumiduSurasinghe 4 жыл бұрын

This is probably the most comprehensive review I've seen so far. I'm glad to have heard your feedback on the 2-player and solo mode as these are player counts I'm most interested in. The ranking of the Lacerda games provided great context as well. This has helped greatly with my purchasing decision. Thanks a lot!

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@monomundo 4 жыл бұрын

I fully second your words, Dumidu 👍

@joshuahill60 4 жыл бұрын

A craft knife to the insert has worked wonders for me. Definitely do it. It makes setup and play monumentally better.

@CarlosRodriguez-ez3ls 3 жыл бұрын

Yet another fantastic review. Thanks Luke!

@TheBrokenMeeple 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@kirklynch 3 жыл бұрын

Great review, lots to think about. I'm still on the fence about this one. I actually agree with all your main points, especially how much work it is to colonize the surface, but doesn't seem to be very rewarding. Just a bunch of generic hexagons. I am very intrigued with the shuttle from the surface to space station and back mechanism. It's funny to me how people just have different preferences. I don't like the Gallerist at all, bottom of my Lacerda ranking. I couldn't be more disinterested. Yet, CO2 is my absolute fave Lacerda, I love all three versions: Solo, Co-Op and Competitive. And building all those factories is so incredibly satisfying. Just think how that would look on the On Mars board. But we do have Kanban (my second place) in common. Looking forward very much to EV release.

@drop2vishnuvardhan 4 жыл бұрын

This review is an example for me on how the everyone's opinion differs from game to game. For most part I agree with your review on all other games. I like some games for same reason as you do and dislike some for same reason as you do. But this one was different. I find On Mars very easy to learn mainly because of the straightforward iconography and was able to relate mechanism to the theme and the order of happening. This is my fav Lacerda game so far and I don't disagree with all your points, probably that is why i like it more. But i cannot agree more with you on the inset, specifically for the resource tokens. I also would have loved to have the indentations for tech tiles on player board.So close yet bit far.

@jonathansaah9163 4 жыл бұрын

Great video, Luke. Could you please rank Vital’s games by solo? I’d like to know which ones I would enjoy for solo play. Thanks! 😀

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

Gallerist, Lisboa, Vinhos, On Mars

@Stolovky 4 жыл бұрын

Theme immersion is totally subjective and for example I find martian themes much more engaging than a car factory or a gallery..so thats that

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

Of course whether you like a particular theme is subjective (I can't stand trains or historical themes for example), but with this the other issue is how much Mars is getting repeated as a theme. How many car factory or art gallery games that are thematic do we know of? I can only think of 3 car factory games period and no other Art Gallery thematic games (Atelier and Modern Art aren't thematic!)

@wemf2 4 жыл бұрын

I think you've got the advanced buildings confused with the contract cards.

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

No i just used contracts instead of "blueprints" with The Gallerist in mind.

@wemf2 4 жыл бұрын

@@TheBrokenMeeple the problem is that there are also contract cards in 'On Mars', so calling blueprints contract is just confusing. Plus I do not see how the advanced buildings are similar to contracts in the Gallerist.

@klaus3856 Жыл бұрын

Finally bought On Mars this week and played three solos before I began to understand (I then watched this review. which was well done). I would strongly recommend playing Lisboa first (and maybe Kanban EV) before teaching ANYONE On Mars. On Mars builds off Lisboa quite a bit. I agree that it is hard to know what to do and why. On Mars is definitely up a level from those two (in a good way). I am looking forward to exploring the complexity.

@TheBrokenMeeple Жыл бұрын

On Mars is on another level of complexity.

@nyanates 4 жыл бұрын

A gr8, comprehensive review. I prefer euros but I'll steer clear of this one. Tnx!

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@TheDarktater 4 жыл бұрын

I like the theme of this better than all the other Lacerda games, but I am a sci-fi nut. I feel like your play times are off, or maybe some of your players are taking a long time on their turns? Our 4 player games with 1 or 2 new people are 3 hours with setup and teardown. I should also say this is with the standard setup of 2 long and one short mission. This is my favorite Lacerda game so far but I haven't been able to get Kanban yet. Looking forward to getting EV! Thanks Luke!

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

I've never personally seen a 3 hour game with 4 players including setup/takedown - I might have gone with it if you said 3 hours in physical play time, but I can't imagine you taught and played and setup the game in 3 hours with new players included unless they literally just did the first thing that came into their heads each turn.

@TheDarktater 4 жыл бұрын

@@TheBrokenMeeple thinking back we have never had 2 new players at 4 players, only one. So that probably makes a difference. With 3 people setting up the game it doesn't take very long. The only time we have had games go long is if people were stalling and building their engine instead of advancing the colony. It is the same problem that we have also experienced with Terraforming Mars. People can stall or advance the game as much as they want or don't want. We usually want to get two games in during game night so all of us are trying to be as efficient as possible.

@nkorppi 4 жыл бұрын

Cut the non-detachable tray off. I used scissors. It's worth doing. They admitted that it was a silly oversight.

@benlauson555 4 жыл бұрын

Makes sense. I was thinking "what kind of world has this become" when Luke was ranting about the tray haha! It is frustrating but doggone he seemed so peeved!

@nihlify 2 жыл бұрын

@@benlauson555 When you pay for a high end (in price) board game you expect a certain level of quality and not a hastily made insert.

@nihlify 2 жыл бұрын

I'm really on the fence about this. It finally have come back in stock where I live but the price is really high for a game I'm not 100% sold on...

@TheBrokenMeeple 2 жыл бұрын

If you aren't 100% sold on a game like this don't spend your money.

@Stolovky 4 жыл бұрын

Gotta agree with you eventually here - at the first glance, this was something I could not wait for and in my favourite theme. With such lavish production, it should have been oozing theme, but it is not...it comes off as quite dry...for example earth contracts all generic, objectives as well, no story or flavour just build this and get 2 upgraded...i dont know....i need to obviously play it more (dont mind complexity) but its not a love at first sight - and I really really wanted it to be.

@LeRoi81 3 жыл бұрын

Why don't you just play TfM? On Mars is a different game and that is good as it is.

@TheBrokenMeeple 3 жыл бұрын

Well TfM has very little theme either.

@LeRoi81 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheBrokenMeeple But it has some flavor text, or? Thought that's what he missed.

@TheGremgrem 4 жыл бұрын

Lol at the comment that the theme is faltering because you have to work to help the colony. That’s is the theme!!! :D

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

It's the disjointed nature of it, hard to explain, but you only end up focusing on the colony when you can grab the bonus, it's not a major issue but I feel other lacerdas are stronger.

@CK-mi3sd 4 жыл бұрын

I tried this game once, and this game has freaking a lot of icons and things to learn. Now I sorta know how the entire thing work, but will I teach this game? NO! Will I play it again? Maybe.

@NorthOf60Gaming 4 жыл бұрын

We did rather well the first time with 2-player, it took us 3.5 hours, and I had set up before the 2nd player came over. The rule book was good, and the video by Paul was fantastic, we had pre-read the rules and watched the video before hitting the table. Also, I played a solo game a few times. So I was able to teach fairly quickly, as the other player was experienced. We did skip the A and B cards as they were like what the heck. Good work on the Review.

@lenakimarctaedius3056 2 жыл бұрын

If i am correct you really like this game

@TheBrokenMeeple 2 жыл бұрын

Like yes, want to keep, no.

@joshuahill60 4 жыл бұрын

Quick: name as many Mars games as you can. I get to…maybe 5. Unless I’m missing a bunch that doesn’t feel like an overused theme.

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

Terraforming Mars, First Martians, On Mars, Pocket Mars, Mission to Mars 2049, Project Mars, Martians: A Story of Civilization, Martian Rails, they cross the mind currently - but there's a ton of other planets or just make up one.

@joshuahill60 4 жыл бұрын

@@TheBrokenMeeple Oh my. I was missing some. Terraforming Mars, First Martians, Mission Red Planet, and On Mars were my list.

@scyldscefing3913 4 жыл бұрын

I think colonizing Mars is a fascinating theme. But you're right, it's been overdone.

@chuckm1961 4 жыл бұрын

The fact that the theme does not help you learn the game… Is precisely why I won’t like this one. Complex systems for the sake of having complex systems. Not engaging at all. PS. No need to respond and defend yourself, but golly I wish you did not run your videos in a fishbowl. It’s odd and offputting. There is a reason that almost no one does it. PPS love your content. Keep it up.

@TheBrokenMeeple 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks and that's fair enough - but it's that or out of focus lens - the lack of space I have really hinders options.

@shatnershairpiece 3 жыл бұрын

This is why his games cost $150 each. It’s one dollar for each unneeded mechanism. Lacerda is like the guy who played Knizia’s games and laughed at the five page puny rulebooks, easy to understand gameplay still filled with tight decisions, and thought they were an abomination. He’s the anti knizia: he has absolutely no concept of self editing, no one around that dares to tell him the emperor has no clothes. The popularity of this hack designer is mind boggling. Extremely disturbing in 2020 to see that people actually pay $150 for this overwrought garbage. What is the attraction? The fact you get to spend a month reading the rulebook and trying to figure it out? The 4 hour playtime? The exceptions to exceptions to exceptions? He needs to be sedated and put in a home.

@nihlify 2 жыл бұрын

I will say I do enjoy a good long rulebook as long as it's well written. ;)