7th Continent (Classic) Extended Review - The Broken Meeple

[@jenaparsons]

I really enjoy how you format your reviews with the bulletpointed list on the side. So thorough! You can tell a lot of work went into this :)

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Thanks! I've had positive feedback on those so even with me experimenting with the format, they won't be going anywhere.

[@danielastin9445]

Loving the Spaceballs clips!

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

I was genuinely proud of how those linked up so well. Remember I don't plan for these gags it's all thought up in editing. 😅 But did you recognise the Kung Pow clips? 😉

[@williwanderer]

there are 2 ways to play 7th Continent : 1/ you play the regular rules and you do end up in a frustrating food hunt = YOU'LL HATE THE GAME 2/ you "house-rule" the food part and focus on exploration = GREAT GAME After 15h, i decided to create my own character that has special abilities : * Has a special back-pack where i could store unlimited food. * Could always make a fire for food purpose. * Could use some herbs (to add +1 or +2 cards taken back) * Had special "Trekking Shoes" = so moving was reduced by 1 card to pay for new location and going backward was free. I then didn't feel like cheating but using a unique "more balanced" mechanism and actually had fun creating this character with her "very" special abilities (based on a real french female explorer). -For "resetting the game" when going to a new location ! I just didn't do it ! Hihiii.. My table is big enough to start placing new map-tiles on another corner of it. So when i gotta come back to the previous map, i just moved back to another part of my table. -Finally, i did prefer the white box than the base game, BUT i waited 1 year before playing it to recharge my 7th continent's motivation. Will from France

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Cheers for the tips for others watching!

[@joannawareluk3939]

Awesome video! Very informative 👍

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Glad you think so!

[@edwardbrost331]

Love the review, you hit the nail on the head. The grinding nature has turned me off and I will give your suggestion of short play sessions a try. Thanks.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Glad it helped!

[@simonadams]

unfortunately, the classic set has, in my view, the worst of the curses. the best curses are in the expansion. I would suggest however that anyone who plays 7thC keep the whole map out as you discovered it, and all food that you harvest in a "separate bottomless bag" from your gear. Yes, this diminishes the survival mechanisms, and the map will take over your apartment for a week, but it will reduce the grind and time significantly and turn this game up to 11 as exploration and puzzle solving become front and center (and are honestly amazing and worth paying for a used KS all-in for). one of my favorite gaming experiences ever.

[@furstyferret81]

So I'm still in the hunt for a solo adventure/rolling dice to kill monsters type game. Should I just get Gloomhaven...?

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

No! 😁 Journeys in Middle Earth and Tainted Grail has a great card system and Mansions of Madness uses Dice.

[@furstyferret81]

I have Mansions and love it so will check out the other two you mentioned. I want something with a campaign, character progression, killing loads of monsters and an adventure feel like Zelda/LOTR. I'm still new to the hobby so have been loving your 'shelf by shelf videos!

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

If you like Mansions, then Journeys will be a great fit.

[@emcali510]

I’ve just bought that game, great review, it will be very helpful. I think I will go for a 2p game: me playing and the other one doing the admin :)

[@seanmorgan2257]

Thank you Luke, but I have one question and that is how does it compare to Barrage? lol

[@chuno2112]

Would you recommend Tainted Grail over this for solo play? I was thinking of buying one, but can't decide

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Ooo...... I think story and theme wise I'd for Tainted Grail though even that can benefit from a house rule or two with the menhirs. I've done a review which goes into detail.

[@erikpeters7072]

I feel this way about tainted grail. I played first 2 chapters and I just wasn’t having fun and I found not knowing where to go or what to do was frustrating. I feel the opposite about 7th continent though I love the exploration aspect and even if you don’t make progress you’re still discovering new and cool things. I played the opening island at least 4-5 times and had a blast even when I knew what was coming. This game is definitely not for everyone but for fans of discovery and exploration it is amazing and no other game is close to it

[@apollonia6656]

How much is this game really worth ? Well, at a well known online store it is currently selling for £69. However, with so many expansions I am wondering if this price is a bit (!) over the top. Any suggestions, please ? Thanks.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

£69 for the base game and nothing else? That's a bit high I feel. I'd pay about £45 tops.

[@apollonia6656]

Thank you so much. I absolutely agree £45 tops would persuade me to buy it. Ironically, the well known ' online shop ' with the smiling arrow charges OTT for board games, eg: a simple puzzler " Gentle Rain " coast me nearly £29 and Aerion same price. Well, I shall stop buying from them after a decade of my custom! Thanks again and kind regards from the UK.

[@deanmuramoto4796]

I bought the kickstarter version of this game from a friend! I still haven't played it yet but it looks pretty cool! I will take into account of doing this in the episodic way for more enjoyment!

[@KabukiKid]

Bite your tongue! Blade Runner 2049 was one of the best sequels I have ever seen. I was invested for every minute of that movie. Loved it enough to buy the Blu ray, even. ;-)

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Ha ha, it could have shaved off some of the length, it's no Endgame or LOTR for 3+ hours. 😅

[@KabukiKid]

@@TheBrokenMeeple I liked the pacing... then again, I dig longish movies, in general. Stuff like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia, etc...

[@patapatasel]

Thanks for the review; it's was a very hyped game, very difficult to come by a year or so ago and I'm not a kick-starter gall, so I just gave up, bought other available games on zatu. I'm happy to have seen your review because I'm not sure it would be my cup of tea in the end!

[@Boardgametherapist]

I like the idea of short bursts. Like you, I made the same mistake of binging it a few times and man, did it become extremely annoying. I just don’t have the table space to leave it up. Going 6 hours then just simply ending up in the wrong direction is just way too punishing.

[@MalcolmHare]

Completely disagree with your statement about hidden numbers being unnecessary.... I think its a great addition that makes you actually LOOK at the map tile rather than place it down and just see what you can do on it.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

I'll look at a tile anyway for the nice art, but having to squint my eyes and waste my time checking for a number that may not even exist gets annoying.

[@MalcolmHare]

@@TheBrokenMeeple use the magnifying glass!

[@MalcolmHare]

😁😁😁

[@vincentvanbeelen837]

An OCD's dream game.

[@JohnSmith-yr4jo]

Saving is actually pretty thematic, think about it like "going to sleep". A bunch of animals you discarded (from choosing while hunting) all return back to their nesting homes available again for the hunt. You can also say the area around you changes with the passing of time =) which is why you will have to re-discover a lot of the tiles.... with all that being said; I agree 100% with the amount of tedious book keeping, and filing one must do. So much so; that it takes me out of the immersion more than i'd like. I backed 7th with all its content, and haven't seen more than what is being offered in the retail edition- and I probably wont until i find myself a real life cartographer who would play the game with me. Love the content (not so much the continent )! and I love the Clips, especially where you cut off on some of them lol.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Ha ha well family friendly and all that! 😅 Interesting point on the sleep part but the map wouldn't drastically alter overnight. Though I could see the reasoning of maybe adding the exploration cards back in.

[@drccddmm]

so close to 10k subscribers

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

So so close. But its taking so long. I expected this to hit the target before June but we're nearly half way. 😔

[@drccddmm]

@@TheBrokenMeeple nearly there now..

[@SenseiJae]

First, I think this is the first time I realized you are British. Second, your review is spot on with my experience. I don't have space in my house to leave the game set up so that isn't a solution for me. Our first game took 9 hours and we didn't even finish. I wish we had gotten the cartographer's map. I think if you noted the card numbers and essential features, you could speed up the game significantly. I don't think it is rational to have to start completely over every time. That easily doubled our play time.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Ha ha I fear I drop into many accents online! 😅

[@SenseiJae]

@@TheBrokenMeeple It wasn't your accent (which I probably tune out because I watch alot of british tv like dr who , black adder, mighty boosh and qi). It was referencing the price of the game in pounds sterling.

[@Katoh64]

Seems like a perfect game for a digital port.

[@fy8798]

Cannot disagree more about the hidden numbers. Check out some of the discussions on some of the curses. A lot of people flat out failed some due to failing the hidden numbers. This happened a lot. They add a lot to the game, because they make you more thorough - and also help you see other things. They're probably one of the cleverest pieces of design in the game, if you don't cheat. I also must say... we did play the way you say we shouldn't. one curse, over three days straight. Was a complete blast. We didn't want to stop. Yes, we grinded food a bit, but it was great. We actually were a bit sad some other quests were too SHORT. Deffo 10/10 for us. Good review all the same. Different people have different ideas :) (Tho...aesthetic not great? The island is really pretty!)

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

It's not exactly the best artwork out there is it? The numbers are too easy to spot, you've only got a tiny square to look at - they should be obvious to anyone without subpar eyesight. Also this "clever piece of design" is stolen directly from the Unlock game series. . . . . . .

[@aonline_abridged]

One of the save reasons is so the hunting grounds refresh....that being said, I try not to save, fugde that! I just have a perma-table for it. And yeah, long breaks between curses. Thank you for the review, I love the game, but like Gloomhaven, the grind is real. Apparently 7th Citadel will be less about survival and more about exploration, which as you say, is where it shines.

[@aonline_abridged]

Also I love maps and following them...I am a map nerd...so I fell in love during Voracious Goddess, which was the 1st curse I played...then when I realized knowing the shape of the continent and its landmarks helps the future curses, I was giddy with anticipation of the next time that knowledge woudl become useful. Anyways, your opinions resonate with my husband's, which is why I play it solo now.

[@robinrising9929]

I wanted this to be a two player game, but the constant upkeep every single step you take was just destructive to the entire experience leaving my partner exhausted and hating life.

[@richardhancock1505]

A very fair analysis Luke. I thought this would be one of my all time top 10s as I love the adventure theme; the solo possibilities in COvid times and was/ am a fan of the open choices from genres such as the 'choose your own adventure books.' However many of the minor issues you brought up I am in agreement with. What I personally found most disappointing was how punishing and brutal the game was at first; I only bought that basic base game so was surprised to find that the extra set of curse cards you received provide alternative 'levels' of difficulty. I mean I found it quite stressful being burnt, stung, attacked, paranoid, exhausted, freezing, poisoned and bleeding my way through every nicely illustrated card. Even after realising, like you, the importance/ necessity of hunting, I still found there were sections of the game - eg a series of cards in 'another' / parallel location (trying not to spoil) where there was no opportunity to hunt and I eventually ran out of cards and died. In general I did not find hunting to be as easy as in your experience, perhaps thats an area I could work on more; if I play it again! The constant re-filing does become arduous and I think your idea of leaving it out is ideal. Also re-exploring that which I have already explored? that seems as ridiculous as a spade with meat tied to it one end. Ha Ha! made me laugh!

[@razorlord2]

sounds they could make the game on a app

[@npckse8508]

I enjoy this one, but you do properly highlight the issues that exist with it. As someone who owns all the content for this game, I doubt I will ever get to all of it.

[@DrMcFly28]

Umm.. you don't have to match keywords when combining items, it just nets you a durability bonus. Also, be sure that you are banishing the hunting locations after you hunt. You seem to be having too easy of a time getting meat. :)

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

There's a lot of hunting locations though and some of them allow repeat visits, there was one fishing hole in particular. Yes they only add to durability but you want your items to stick around.

[@CarlosRodriguez-ez3ls]

Thanks Luke! I'm quite sure I would HATE this game.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Fair enough! :P

[@raiseyourback1388]

played 2 campaings of it and it just didn't work out even with houserulling cause most of the ''getting hard'' are artificial ones and either just a pain or doesn't impact anything in term of gamefeeling. Also the grind for survival, and the grind to play the game itself to put the cards on the table, put it back, do it again and again, during game and start/end... 60% of the game is library logistic work, what rest is sort of an enigmatic sense of things where you don't know what the fuck is going on and probably never found this... The character design doesn't make you feel anything thematically speaking through is mechanics. All game is pretty much here, pretty good mechanics that not work in practical sense Usually a huge fan of asymetric coop exploration innovative and out of the box game, but this one trash itself with

[@jamesdavid7782]

I see a 7th Continent review, I click like, even if the reviewer focuses on the minutia and misses those things that make this unique game a grand experience.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

I don't think the constant filling of cards and heavy exploration are minor aspects. 🤔

[@jamesdavid7782]

@@TheBrokenMeeple Setup and teardown, of which filing cards falls into the category, usually scales up as the scope of the game scales up. To say this game requires an inordinate amount of upkeep implies it requires an inordinate amount of upkeep for its size. Do we really feel that is true? Regardless, always enjoy your opinions. I find they more often than not align with my own. And I trust your candor.

[@TheFewzz]

Think i wasted my money lol i really dont think im going to like this one lol