Alma Mater Gameplay Runthrough

[@bigglesy4679]

30:36 You get the book reputation track backwards. The player highest on the research track goes in the 1st position (because they are 1st). The player in last goes in the 3rd position. That way the player in last gets a conciliation prize of a few bucks. The person in first doesn’t get any money.

[@PauloRenato23]

you are correct...note added... thanks

[@Davearmstrong42]

I haven't been watching game play videos lately but saw this game and immediately came to your channel to catch a run-through. It was nice to hear your familiar voice once again! I love all the improvements you've made to your presentation! Well done!

[@BobLee-df4zh]

This feels like a spiritual successor to Newton.

[@michaelnewsome1248]

The exact recipe cost system for getting professors look neat, makes the game way more intriguing.

[@Kickkuzz]

17:03 each set needs to be of a different colur. You can't put all of the same colour if you want

[@Kickkuzz]

Sorry - commented before watching whole thing but I believe you didn't mention it with recruiting students- it also have to be different colour

[@tournesol9396]

A mistake at 5:20 with the player order. In the rule book: "The player with the lowest total places their marker on the 1" space of the tum order track".

[@PauloRenato23]

Note added... thanks

[@josephpilkus1127]

Look great, Richard! I'm looking forward to hearing your final thoughts

[@rahdo]

you saw the playlist link on the patreon post, i hope? that includes the final thoughts :)

[@chrisimershein4370]

@@rahdo Yep, I also found them via the playlist link, but the normal "i" link in this runthrough video only goes to your main patreon posts list. Is that the way it has to work during the "early preview" period, or is there an easy way to make that "i" link still go directly to the Final Thoughts (or to the combined playlist for Alma Mater)? (P.S. Would you like potential errata pointers with timestamps to be added here on the youtube page, or just over on the patreon page?)

[@rahdo]

@@chrisimershein4370 yup, i upload the videos, tell paulo about it, and he does all of the (i)/show notes/etc. in addition to the klingon subs. that's why i put the playlist link in the early advance viewing option on patreon :)

[@MaruelZain]

41:05 I believe you cannot skip bookshelves when purchasing from another player: you must start from the leftmost (i.e. cheapest) one, and, you may only claim VP from one of the bookshelves that you took books from.

[@PauloRenato23]

Did he claim you can get points from more than one bookshelf? Note added regarding the skipping of books

[@MaruelZain]

@@PauloRenato23 "more than one bookshelf" no, I don't think he claimed that. I meant to say that, since you can only claim VP from the bookshelves that you are buying books from, then Richard couldn't have claimed the higher VP shelf as he did. Just an emphasis on why the rule about buying them in order matters.

[@PauloRenato23]

@@MaruelZain ah... ok, thanks for clarifying :)

[@rtmca1]

The main university in Portugal and the third oldest university in the world is in Coimbra. This can be assumed to be set in Coimbra.

[@rahdo]

agreed! :)

[@SteelBreeze021]

25:34 Getting to fill all of your bookshelves with that one professor seems to be a bit overpowered. Are you sure it is not 2 bookshelves (as the icons show)? I looked for the rule book before asking this question, but it is not available yet.

[@rahdo]

yup, i was surprised when i saw it too, but i double checked the rules, which read "place a textbook of your color from the supply onto EACH of your empty bookshelves in your display. you do not have to pay ducats for these books." i agree that the icon for this on the card should show the two, but then show an ... or a smaller shadow shelf tile to indicate that it's more than just 2. the thing is, while it is very powerful, it instantly creates several cheap books for your opponents to buy from you and potentially score points for themselves, so depending on the timing of the vp ratings of your sliding tiles, it could work out almost better for them :)

[@andersonbutilheiro]

The game is set in Italy. Ducat was created by Republic of Venice and all the characters names in the game are in intalian.

[@rahdo]

i actually looked it up before filming and apparently ducats were in use widely throughout europe, including portugal at the time, and since the same people are working in universities in Coimbra, it just made more sense to assume we were still in portugal (plus paulo, my goof checker is portugese, so gotta represent!) :) fair point about the character names though!

[@chriselbers3771]

@@rahdoThe phrase''Alma Mater" is variously translated as "nourishing mother", "nursing mother", or "fostering mother", suggesting that a school provides intellectual nourishment to its students. It entered academic usage when the University of Bologna adopted the motto Alma Mater Studiorum ("nurturing mother of studies"), which describes its heritage as the oldest operating university in the Western world. (Wikipedia)! Maybe this will take place in Bologna?

[@georgemzamfir]

Okay I appreciate talking thru the decisions but 45 min for one round and a half seems a bit much.

[@azariusflashfang5716]

The research track really keeps the game a toss up since round by round the value of players books may change which could alter their plans.

[@mr.rogers7612]

What in gods name are the 9 price tiles for!!?

[@rahdo]

one of the student special abilities is to use them to change the value of your displayed books

[@bertwestera1007]

Art being taught at a 16th Century University but not Theology? That is so wrong...

[@rahdo]

going point - i wish developers would talk about stuff like this in their rulebooks, what choices/compromises they made to get a full game into the box!

[@tournesol9396]

Sorry, why do you mention this? Where do the rule book or Rahdo speak about Theology? In the rule book: "During the early 15th century, universities are being established to challenge the influence of religion on academic studies."

[@bertwestera1007]

@@tournesol9396 That line in the rule book you quote is utter nonsense. During the middle ages and early modern all universities provided for education in theology, whereas noneof them offered courses in art. That is the anachronistical point here.

[@tournesol9396]

@@bertwestera1007 Ok, got it. Although, I found in: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_university: " .. universities were established .. between the 11th and 15th centuries for the study of the Arts and the higher disciplines of Theology, Law, and Medicine." --> So it seems, that Art(s) was tought ... And : "Originally, only few universities had a faculty of theology, because the popes wanted to control the theological studies." --> So it seems, that theology was rarely tought ....

[@bertwestera1007]

@@tournesol9396 The Arts that were taught were Grammar and Rhetoric and the like. So it seems "Art" as we know it was not taught. The origin of the earliest Universities were Cathedral Schools, and certainly Theology was taught in all of them.

[@chadjacobson2679]

Love the shirt, Rahdo!

[@darren.mcauliffe]

Nice shirt

[@rahdo]

thanks, i am bracing for impact :)

[@stephenspackman5573]

@@rahdo I find those people who are in favour of being murdered … hard to understand, let's say. I'm a great fan of your shirts overall.

[@jonathanhowe42]

@@rahdo No impact here. I'm sure we're on differing sides of many political issues, but this is your channel and you get to pick your attire. Plus this isn't the best forum for such a discussion anyway. I watch for the games and the near perfect run throughs ;) . Keep it up & love seeing you on the Corner to Corner vids as well.

[@Poiuytrew.Q]

Thank you for the comment regarding inclusiveness; I really appreciate it!