Astro Knights Eternity | Rahdo's Prototype Thoughts

[@jonathanleach383]

This guy literally likes every game

[@rahdo]

please see faq.rahdo.com #7

[@Nayr090]

Opinion q for you, if someone could only keep either Aeon's End or Astro Knights, knowing that both series' will be getting future content. What would your thoughts be? I have everything Aeon's End to date, but am wondering if I should sell it and restart with Astro Knights. It looks so cool, plus I'm def a sci-fi type of person haha.

[@rahdo]

if i had to choose, i'd go with aeon's end, but only because it's heavier and more complex. i prefer the light-hearted scifi setting to be honest, and i wish aeon's end was as fast to set up and play which is another big bonus for astro, but at the end of the day it is a bit more streamlined and simpler, and jen and i tend to go for heavier fare.

[@JELIFISH19]

Something draws me to AK more than AE. To be honest, I only got AE: Outcasts because I got impatient waiting for AK. But I fell in love and backed AE: Past and Future. On paper, I think AE is the better and deeper game. But I find that AK hitting the table much more often. The bosses are more difficult and they ramp up really quickly. Everything about AK makes it more difficult than AE. The mages are weaker. The market isn't fixed so you can't plan and create combos whenever you want. In AE, everything that happens during the boss turn feels like a distraction or obstacle to stop you from doing what you have to do to become powerful. And they give you time to get strong because you need that space to open breaches. But everything that happens in AK is a direct attack against you or what you're trying to protect. The consequences feel so much heavier. And the AK boss decks are way more focused than the nemesis decks in AE. Everything that happens on their turn is bad. I lose in AK more than I do in AE. And since it has a faster setup and playtime, it gets to the table more.

[@steelman774]

I’ve been following along with videos and reviews on Aeons End for a while but never got around to getting it. Now I’m seeing Astro Knights and it sounds even more appealing. (We love Dominion so a sci-fi minor step up co-op adventure sounds Amazing) That being said… Which version, original AK base game or AK Eternity, would you recommend to someone who doesn’t have either? Thanks in advance. ✌️

[@rahdo]

eternity is a richer game with more going on, so for us it's the obvious choice. here's a good article comparing the two: boardgamegeek.com/thread/3084952/ak-eternity-training-wheels-are

[@Neiamenase]

I like the game! thanks for introducing it. Have been spending tons of time playing the first Astro Knights. But is this game kind of missing the homeworld protection character? I wonder how do they save homeworld

[@rahdo]

sometimes you just have to beat the badguy before the homeworld goes down! :)

[@SwedishWookie]

Do you just shuffle in all the expansion market cards with the first game?

[@rahdo]

yeah, that's one option. they've actually got a few different suggestions for how to mix and match different waves of card content in the prototype rules i've got, but that would be the simplest way to go :)

[@tomlikeabomb6706]

Numeric rating?!

[@rahdo]

8.378 for original Astro Knights :) will probably rise with all the new expansion content (haven't seen all of it with my prototype)

[@tomlikeabomb6706]

@@rahdo thanks Rahdo!

[@seansmith2650]

So like to help consumers make educated purchases and not just back every good game. What dont you like about this game. Based on this preview its a 10/10

[@rahdo]

hmm, what don't i like about this game? well, it has the same problem that all deckbuilders inherently have that you'll eventually want/need to get more expansion content because you feel like you've "consumed" all the various combos available with what's in the box. but this game doesn't have that problem as much as other deckbuilders because you're constantly getting a different mix of hero, boss and market cards, so that helps longevity. but still, all deckbuilders have a longevity problem going all the way back to dominion, so the same thing is true here. also, personally i prefer heavier games... this is really one step above a gateway game (ideally a good next step for folks who enjoyed dominion and like guardians of the galaxy or firefly), and we tend to go for midweight games. so there's that, which is why i'd choose aeon's end over astro knights if i had to pick one. but yeah, i love scifi, i love deckbuilders, i love co-op, and i love clever thematic integration of theme and mechanisms. so this game is pretty ideally suited for me. it's derived from a design that's been around for nearly a decade (aeon's end) and has gone through many design iterations, and the people working on it know very well how to get the most out of this system. so it's no surprise that the game is great. for me, it rates probably a low 8 out of 10 taken on it's own merits, but when combined with the other AK content, the whole thing gets up in the mid to high 8 range. aeon's end is a 9 out of 10. of the 2000+ boardgames i've played over the last decade, i'd only give a perfect 10 out of 10 to six of them. that's pretty rarified imo (a 10 out of 10 has to be 1) practically flawless 2) something i connect personally to 3) equally strong connection for my wife

[@rikzz0r]

@@rahdo if you don't mind, what were the six 10/10 games?

[@rahdo]

you cna see how i rank everything in my collection at ranked.rahdo.com :)

[@barryc6785]

You're impressed by a boss that adds player elimination?!

[@rahdo]

lots of co-ops feature player elimination. gloomhaven has player elimination. it's common actually. sure sometimes the design is "as soon as anyone dies, EVERYONE loses" and that's totally cool too, but I'm also totally happy with "oh no, one of our teammates is gone... now we have to struggle on with even tougher odds!" :)

[@barryc6785]

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad that you like it. I can't say the same.

[@ilqrd.6608]

The are coming out with these too quickly.

[@rahdo]

well dominion comes out with expansions every year, marvel champions does several expansions every year :)

[@JELIFISH19]

The first game has 8 characters and 5 bosses. It doesn't take long to go through all of the content.