Tanares Adventures Review - It's Not Easy To Get Going, But It's Well Worth It

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Күн бұрын

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Original Arena The Contest Review - • Arena: The Contest - F...
Tanares Adventures is a massive expansion for Arena: the Contest. With more than 40 miniatures and 70 different types of villains, it takes the cooperative campaign content beyond 100 hours of unique gameplay, and adds a new Combat Role to multiply the possibilities in PvP and Co-op matches.
The PvP Game Modes (Capture the Orb, Tournament, Team Competition) become richer with the addition of the Commanders and their respective Companions. With a second miniature on the board, this new Combat Role (8th in total) brings to the table interesting and varied strategical and tactical novelties, and teambuilding synergies.
The game's Co-op/Campaign Mode now develops in a semi-open world, where players can consult an Adventure Map and decide where they want to go next, instead of being linearly directed by the story.
The Campaign runs in Cycles, each with three phases: City Phase, Journey Phase, and Quest Phase.
In the City Phase, players have the opportunity to buy items, rest, and develop sidequests related to City Structures (that can be upgraded), Relics (rewards obtained by completing a Quest, that initiate optional story arcs with a puzzle vibe), and others.
In the Journey Phase, players read a prelude related to the region they want to visit, in connection with the overall story, and prepare for the Quest, by studying what they may face (this changes according to Story Facts unlocked), assigning tasks to Assets (helpful NPCs that join the team as the story progresses), equipping items, and more.
Finally, in the Quest Phase, the game board is assembled and dozens of different villains may be faced. The dungeon crawling and replayability vibe is heightened by the addition of random encounters, secret rooms with previously unknown content, events and interactions that require tough decisions during the mission, and more.
All your decisions matter and significantly impact the Quests’ gameplay, modifying even the circumstances of the multi-part epic final mission, and determines the Boss (or Bosses) you might face, in an exciting campaign with multiple endings.
BGG Link - boardgamegeek.com/boardgameex...
TimeStamps:
0:00:00 - Introduction
0:01:17 - My Arena The Contest Experience
0:02:10 - What Is Tanares Adventures?
0:18:10 - The Things I'm Going To Complain About
0:30:40 - Everything That I Love
0:36:10 - Final Thoughts
0:38:35 - Recommendations
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For media inquiries, please email alex@boardgameco.com
For Gamefound inquiries, please email me at a.radcliffe@gamefound.com

Пікірлер: 112

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Minor Update: I'll be doing a series of filmed gameplays with Dragori Games for Tanares Adventures that are paid content. The discussions around this ONLY ever started after this review.

@chenchen_9999 Жыл бұрын

Looking forward to the gameplay video. Have you finished the Tanares Campaign?

@michaelb8111 Жыл бұрын

I think a rules accurate playthrough with the devs will be awesome for learning and enjoyment!

@Doujou Жыл бұрын

Have they addressed any of your “issues” from this video going into the new campaign upgrades?

@philthephreak Жыл бұрын

If you look at the improvements section of the new KS campaign it seems they’ve addressed most if not all the complaints

@paulharper7185 Жыл бұрын

Best fantasy game I have evey played, 7 quests in and every one has been absoutely different. Do not let the the 101 quests in the questbook fool you, you may have encounters that are played out on the table BEFORE you get to a quest to complete a cycle. Plus there are mini games in the journal, with your success that impacts where you go and what you will engage. Crazy good.

@Phlanx06 Жыл бұрын

Excellent video Alex! The game is definitely a lot for new players and we've already been working on releasing a revised tutorial experience to help ease players into the game better. Let me know if you'd like help making a playthrough video.

@familymeeple Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your review, as always! I very almost went "all in" on this during the last KS. Received notification today that they are coming back!!! Having put together revised book structure (massively simplifying the reference this book, that book, the other book, etc.) as well as a much better world map for use too, along with lots of other updates and revisions - simplifying storage to grab just heroes, just baddies, etc.

@thebrewgeek Жыл бұрын

I love Arena, so going all-in for Tanares was an easy decision. Zero regrets. I love it and I’m painting the minis as I go.

@reasonlost Жыл бұрын

I love arena the contest but got completely overwhelmed trying to start Tanares. This video is the motivation I need, now to find the time and space to try to get this on a table again.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

It's overwhelming at first for sure.

@davidarlington1206 Жыл бұрын

Your video is pretty spot on for the complaints, the plusses and the final ranking even taking those complaints into account. I was so disappointed in Frosthaven's sequel to Gloomhaven being mostly just more of the same, but Tanares to Arena is a MASSIVE improvement. Considering how much thought went into Tanares as an improvement (even to redoing the original minis for original backers), I have no doubt Dragori will address a lot of these complaints going forward.

@HashStrid Жыл бұрын

Great review, very thorough. This seems like what most people hoped descent 3rd edition would be. Very interested in the round up you mentioned, specifically frosthaven. Got too many campaign games.

@mikevincent564 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for reviewing this, playing Arena the Contest right now and enjoying it. Have this one on the shelf for afterwards

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Enjoy them :)

@draphsor Жыл бұрын

Have received this and am working up the motivation to get it painted-there are a few things in the queue before it. Also playing through Frosthaven with the group I'd most likely try this with, so it may be a few years before i get ot it. 😂 Looking forward to it!

@chrisbraga6638 Жыл бұрын

Great review, Alex. It's like Dragori watched it and incorporated all your comments into its upcoming KS with the new update pack. Improved tutorial? Check. No more swapping out books? Check. Actual city/world map? Check. Heroes original abilities remaining relevant? Check (at least that's how I undedrstand it). The one point I haven't seen mentioned is the Level 1 Kemet taking away a special power. Did you find a house rule you prefer?

@dennisa872 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review. I got this and it is very overwhelming(at least for me) in trying to figure out where to start.

@briwindau4861 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the honest review including some of the frustrating elements. I'm curious to know if you're playing with a group or solo and if you're playing solo if you're using all the hero abilities or the comrade option and what you think about that. What makes this my #1 game is the variety of options in how to play that make it enjoyable for a large range of people.

@jarldjevel6111 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely spot on!! I'm used to play Arena and man... the start was a rough one... And finding all components in all boxes to set up the game. But I'm not as far engaged in the campaign. I'm sure it's a raw jewel that you need to polish. I'll see after a few more plays.

@michaelb8111 Жыл бұрын

I'm all in on this and future content!

@ajguez Жыл бұрын

Going all in.. this channel has the best Tanares content on KZfaq and on day one, it’s appears on fire!

@Torkeep Жыл бұрын

Not sure how I missed this first up, but having just played the first tutorial mission, so much of this this rings so true. Even down to the loving it despite the learning curve. And I have barely started. :o

@commandershepard9920 Жыл бұрын

OOOOooooOOOO! I've been waiting a long time for your review on this one. Your review of AtC (back in my early days of Kickstarting games) was what convinced me to late pledge this one. I've been all over the place; at one point I regretted backing this game. But now, it's... actually my #1 most anticipated backed game as I'm a huge D&D player and I want some "heavier" games in my collection.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Nice! Enjoy it!

@01hornsfan Жыл бұрын

When I pledged for this, I was on a hunt for the holy grail of dungeon crawlers. Years later, my idea of what is appealing has changed SIGNIFICANTLY. To paraphrase your video title and your review, this feels like "It's a good game, but you have to work for it." As time has gone by, I've stopped looking for detail and endless variability, and want an enjoyable game I DON'T have to work for. Let's put minis on the board, roll some dice, crash them together, and have some fun. As time has gone by, I've moved on from games like - Shadows of Brimstone - Sword and Sorcery - Oathsworn - Machina Arcana Now, the games that I look forward to actually playing are - Massive Darkness 2 - Zombicide - Lands of Galzyr - Cthulhu: DMD The former are big, hulking campaigns that ship in multiple boxes and multiple waves and have campaigns that make you struggle to say "Where were we in this game again?" the next time you play several weeks later. The latter are episodic, 2 hour dice chunkers that still generate an enjoyable gaming experience but also respect your time (I feel like that's a phrase I hear a lot these days). For the crowd that likes the 80 characters and the 200 loot cards and the endless linked gameplay sessions and love living in those worlds, Tanares might be right up their alley. Great--they absolutely deserve games like that. And clearly Dragori put a LOT of time and heart into this game. But man, as I have grown older, I like the games with easier setups, shorter rulebooks, and more limited scope a lot more. This is all to say--all three boxes of Tanares finally arrived, and I can't even bring myself to open most of it. It's just no longer what I'm looking for in weekend board gaming. 😞

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

I totally get it. MD2 is amazing for what you're saying...as are Zombicide and Cthulhu DMD.

@01hornsfan Жыл бұрын

@@BoardGameCo That being said, I immensely appreciate your work on this channel. Even if this game is no longer in the sweet spot for my gaming interests, this review was really helpful to confirm that. Hopefully it means something to you that I still watched your ENTIRE video about a game I'm probably going to sell (to someone who will hopefully love it).

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

@@01hornsfan It does :)

@egon4564 Жыл бұрын

Great review, are people still waiting for copies to arrive? I haven’t seen that many reviews for this considering how many copies must have been sold.

@Twineandribbon Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review!

@draphsor Жыл бұрын

Look forward to the campaign game showdown!

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Likewise :) I have one more game I need to dive into first.

@yamahkogribbis6212 Жыл бұрын

This was my first Kickstarter campaign, as recommended by Alex (who I had just discovered). Since its taken as long as it has, I've taken up a new hobby... So now I HAVE to paint ALL these miniatures before I start playing. Perhaps spring of 2025?

@DVCBear Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review. This game is Up Next after I complete ATO Cycle 3. I honestly was a little intimidated until your review. I was actually having some regrets that I went all in and nervous about the final game. This review is very promising.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

It's really excellent :)

@klaus1805 Жыл бұрын

Got both tanaris adventures and arena the contest waiting on the shelf. Now just to decide which to learn and play first…

@derekgarcia3069 Жыл бұрын

Watching this the day the Ultimate campaign launched and youre jot helping my FOMO Alex!!! Haha. You actually addressed something that is always a concern for me in campaign ganes, that wasnt clear it anything I had read yet; the ability tobgain and switch out characters mid campaign is HUGE for me. A big reason i tend to avoid big campaign games is being tied to a single character when a game may have 10-20+ to choose from (Oathsworn also addressed this). I thimk despite my initial thoughts, I might be in on this one.

@derekgarcia3069 Жыл бұрын

I'll also add that it gives me hope that you enjoy this so much, while noting things like Aeon Trespass are probably not for you, especially as they seemed to.much for.myself (for a variety of reasons).

@Sk33z0kap Жыл бұрын

Man, oh man. So much stuff going on... I went for an almost all-in, just missing some characters packs because I wasn't able to commit to some stuff. I'll have to give Arena a shot before all this to get me started? Problem is: too many freaking campaign games to play... Between Middara, all-in HexploreIt content, Frosthaven, Dungeon Universalis, Machina Arcana, Sleeping Gods amd several others coming in (like ISS Vanguard, League of Dungeoneers, among others) How do you do it? Do you play one until you say: That's enough, getting tired of this, and start another one, or do you power through it until you actually finish "campaigning"? Been loving your content though, keep it up!

@maxf.7262 Жыл бұрын

Ty for this video!

@gibz6796 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video and Information! Definitely wanting to get into Tanares Adventures, but a little confused on where I have to start? Can I buy Tanares Adventures or do I have to buy one of the other Arena boxed games first to be able to play Tanares Adventures box game? Thanks for your time!

@chenchen_9999 Жыл бұрын

The current released version, you need to have Arena core box to play Tanares Adventure. They have a new KS coming at end of June. That Ultimate Tanares version has everything you need to play in a single box

@gibz6796 Жыл бұрын

Ok, Thanks! Appreciate ya taking the time to respond.

@thelobbyist Жыл бұрын

Glad to see you liked this one! I'm actually on the fence between Arena/Tanares and Wild Assent which, if I remember correctly, Alex had rated higher on his top 100. These two games feel very similar to me in what they have to offer. Apart from KS related stuff (i.e. shipping delays) does anyone have any tiebreakers that can point me in either direction? Thanks!

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Oh man....that's a hard choice ....I'd probably say tanares. But it is close.

@thelobbyist Жыл бұрын

@@BoardGameCo Thanks for the feedback Alex!

@bendevor Жыл бұрын

I have the same complaint about kemet lvl 1, i just ignore lvl 1 and add 2 stars monters, instead, 3 stars instead of 2, harder but funier than loosing a special

@koenwijnants6499 Жыл бұрын

Hi Alex, i'm backing, the ulitmate edition of Tanares. What are your thoughts on the legendary box ? Are the walls not to high to see clear the mini's ? Thx for your help...

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

What do you mean see clear the minis?

@koenwijnants6499 Жыл бұрын

@@BoardGameCo well do the walls do not block your sight to the other mini's ? Can you see where everything is , like tokens etc with the walls when sitting at your gaming table ?

@Onwaxwings 11 ай бұрын

@@koenwijnants6499seriously man, use your brain here. What do you think???

@koenwijnants6499 11 ай бұрын

@@Onwaxwings With the 1 brain cell I have -->I think it woumd block a little bit, but is it doable ? That's the question...

@paulwastney5134 Жыл бұрын

Any comments on the newest update with their new kickstarter? Comments are quite polarised

@EduardodeFuentesCeballos Жыл бұрын

Hey Alex, how necessary is the Madness Box? I was able to get a copy of Tanares without it and I’m not sure how much do those minis add to the game? Thanks!

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

In my opinion so far, not necessary at all

@EduardodeFuentesCeballos Жыл бұрын

@@BoardGameCo thank you! I saw an unboxing and as far as I saw it’s just giant minis, no cards or anything, I don’t really understand what part they play in the game…

@raortiz73 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video Alex. While the game has a lot of overhead and the onboarding requires dedication, I am backing it. I'm going to treat it like Sword and Sorcery. Try to learn it and go through the game play without beating myself up for mistakes.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Enjoy it!

@Filthyanimal9 Жыл бұрын

Does all that terrain come with this game? Or was the terrain like the walls a separate add-on?

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Separate add on

@soporific9212 11 ай бұрын

Separate add-on, Legendary Box

@paulwastney5134 Жыл бұрын

Everybody do note that there is a help guide and a tutorial guide made by Dragori to help as well. Look them up

@buddywahlquist2467 Жыл бұрын

OK, so you talked a lot about the mental load, but what about the teach? Is it reasonable to think that I could put in the time and effort to learn the game/system and teach it to my playgroup or wife and save them from that mental load, or is it just that complicated?

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Good question, yes....it would be an easy teach in my opinion if someone else is running the game.

@Muageto Жыл бұрын

Count me in for some playthrough to get a feel before I personally dive into the game :D

@kevinerskine3299 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review. Since I'd have to get the original and this, I can hopefully resist the temptation to get this.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Good luck!

@kevinerskine3299 Ай бұрын

@@BoardGameCo I ended backing the Ultimate Edition because of your gushing over this. Everything you loved, are the kinds of things I love in a game.

@Tharukan Жыл бұрын

27:54 Had exactly this gripe about the Kemet Hunt System immediatly, too, and commented about it on the Update they first talked about it on the KS. Why would you make the game less complex for people that are doing better in the quests and have it be the most complex for people wanting the easiest experience. Apart from it being less fun, it just does not make sense to do it this way. Unfortunally, I never got a response. I think I will start at Kemet Hunt Level 2 as my Level 1 instead and (if I ever get that far) apply the Kemet Hunt Level 1 as the last level instead. Easy houserule, just worried about the balance plus it's a really obvious oversight on Dragori's part.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Yep, I definitely want to find a way around it. Maybe Kemet Level 1 is just you all start with 5 less health or something.

@Nayr090 Жыл бұрын

Randomly stumbled upon this, would be curious if you or anyone has found a suitable houserule for this since it's been a while now. Losing a special attack doesn't feel fun.

@JoeHuddleston Жыл бұрын

Amazinger is my new favorite word.

@darthrooster1 Жыл бұрын

Too much stuff!! 3 shipping boxes and I’m totally overwhelmed!

@nte2336 11 ай бұрын

I don't mind the enemy reaction at all. Thats what you kinda do in strategy games anyways and a lot in MOBA

@BoardGameCo 11 ай бұрын

I love it, gives you the feeling of control

@nte2336 11 ай бұрын

@@BoardGameCo in moba when tank hit you in the face if you're assassin you still go for supports mage or carry haha so makes sense

@Dwarfurious Жыл бұрын

Do you have a sponsorship with Turtle-tee ?

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Nooo...I want one :)

@koonfasa Жыл бұрын

Waiting for the dragon skirmish.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Eventually :)

@Puzzu Жыл бұрын

Looks cool but ugh too much, I think I'm burned out from all of these huge and complicated fantasy campaign games, just way too hard to get into and I don't have enough table space for all the stuff. Haven't even started Middara or Isofarian Guard yet and barely a few scenarios into Gloomhaven. Guess I have enough of these types of games to last me a lifetime as is so I don't need anymore. Thanks for the thoughts!

@didierj3836 Жыл бұрын

Surely a nice game but when searching on Google it gives 2 pages only of results and as far i can see nowhere to buy the game , nothing in retail shops, so reserved to just the people who pledged during the different campaigns .Unless a reprint is scheduled?

@arthurdent9281 Жыл бұрын

No reprint so far. Not sure if it would happen anytime soon since they're just finishing up delivering the game now. So only really available on the secondhand market or if you get lucky and find a game store that pledged for it.

@chenchen_9999 Жыл бұрын

They will likely announce a late pledge reopen after most of the fulfillment is done as they still have a RPG items to deliver.

@Filthyanimal9 Жыл бұрын

Tanares Adventures Ultimate coming to Kickstarter June 27

@GoWtheFlow Жыл бұрын

I'm glad you like it Alex! Aside from my poor experience with Dragori's customer service, everything about the game seems impressive.

@alessandroloru7786 Жыл бұрын

Yeah

@user-ff3fi3wz3w 4 ай бұрын

still one of the best D&D type boardgames ever made!

@BoardGameCo 4 ай бұрын

Yes!

@DMBuc2k1 Жыл бұрын

I would agree that the tutorial has way too much jumping around. Game is getting easier as I play.

@anddav40 Жыл бұрын

Sounds like a 2nd edition would be cool

@arthurdent9281 Жыл бұрын

I'd think they'd want people to get a good amount of time in with this before they start thinking about a second edition.

@pascaltheroux413 Жыл бұрын

Massive Darkness 2 111

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

@Oo-zp2wm Жыл бұрын

Ok i made up my mind; i dont have time for this! Thx.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

I'm glad I could help :)

@Daedalus_Dragon Жыл бұрын

This looks like it would make a great Xbox//PS5 game. I can’t justify another $1000 boardgame with a mountain of plastic.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

Lol fair enough

@picoolio Жыл бұрын

Looks very complicated with it's 80 page rule book.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

It's a lot, but not nearly as complicated as an 80 page rulebook would seem.

@rayrpger6141 Жыл бұрын

This sounds like sword & scorcery on coke!

@TheAssassin7 Жыл бұрын

This game...is a complex decision. I am half way through the campaign and in the end, I think I am ready to move on from it. I enjoy the campaign book stuff before the scenario, the world phase, and the city phase. But I don't love the scenarios. The HP of the enemies is massively bloated. 140hp for some can take awhile to kill them! The skill system improves Arenas core gameplay but the gaemplay is never as fun as Gloomhaven or Middara for me. The story is neat....but way too wordy (Middara is worse at this though). With the massive amounts of dungeon crawlers, this one mechanically does not do enough to stand out.

@Rshawokc Жыл бұрын

This is what turns me off with this game. On the surface and these videos for me seems like it's complexity is at a level 10 and worse than Gloomhaven. Dragori has had a lot of issues for me as a backer and this game has been sitting on the shelf since I received ATC. Also breathe man, talking 1000 mph, and missed a lot.

@BoardGameCo Жыл бұрын

I can't stand breathing, that's time you can be playing games instead!

@botousai Жыл бұрын

I was listening to him on 2.5x and understood it all lol. #blessedWithAuditoryProcessingSkills :p

@Rshawokc Жыл бұрын

@@botousai cool? 🤷

@Rshawokc Жыл бұрын

@@BoardGameCo that's fair. Plus with the new Dragori KS is doing in June looks like they're just out now to squeeze more money for nonsense at this point. After unpacking my TA KS I found a lot of broken (I've had other items from them broken too🙄) and poorly manufactured pieces and that to me moves me into the Pass category.

@botousai Жыл бұрын

@@Rshawokc "cool? 🤷" Exactly what I hope his response is to you thinking he talks too fast. Especially when you can turn subtitles on or turn the speed down to .75x.