Auztralia Review - with Zee Garcia

[@Barney5G]

I love your videos. However, something that you guys don’t always do is : mention how well it plays at different player counts. Especially 2 players.

[@PeIon316]

I also would like to know how does it work for 2...

[@Deswing1983]

there are some special card for solo and duo play in the box :)

[@SMW-OLD]

He didn't show it in the video but the board is double sided. The other side is a Western Australia map that is designed to be tighter for two players. They also include cards in the box for "two player variants" that can be added to either map to make the game even more competitive.

[@ToadInTheWoods]

This has been pointed out to them many times, not that it hurts to mention it again. It's just that they seem to have made a decision that it's not important.

[@patdo8116]

My 10 yo son and I love playing 2 player and we both also play it solo as a fun, easy game.

[@ModularLanding]

Just got this game and Zee's review is spot on. Except I think the artwork is pretty good. It's a really interesting mix-up of a standard euro farming/building/resource collecting game for the first half, then the Old Ones awaken and it turns into a very different feel. That's a pretty cool idea and one that could probably be implemented in more games. I also agree that for a medium-heavy game, this game is actually very streamlined and quite easy to learn and easy to play. Compared to some Lacerda games for example, which almost broke my brain to learn, this one is very simple yet provides a lot of choices and avenues for decision-making. Really cool game! Also, the version I got retail has the upgraded components for gold, phosphate, iron, etc., and they are really cool!

[@tigerpjm]

Great review Zee, you're a bloody champion!

[@SMW-OLD]

Wouldn't have guessed this is one that Zee would like. I backed it mostly because of the Australia connection but if Zee is liking it then that's a good sign for me and my group. Now to impatiently wait for my copy to arrive.

[@bgm-1961]

New drinking game! Take a sip every time he says, "things like that". :) ... Seriously, a worthwhile video... gives a very good feel for the game in under 12 minutes. Good job. And I also agree with your comments about the look of the game. The box cover is awesome looking! The rest of the game not so much, though passable. The *non-map* artwork on the board is actually pretty good. But still, the overall board doesn't invite a second glance and manages too look dry. (I guess the Australian outback is hard to look any different). Anyway, regarding the look of the rest of the game... the farm and track tiles are definitely from the mid nineties. Ouch. But the Old Ones & Military Unit tiles, as well as the Personality Cards, all have very nice artwork. They just barely compensate for the dreadful farm and track tiles! The resource pieces are OK, but are just barely on par with today's standards. They would've been cool back in 2015, but by today's standards they too are just pedestrian. Regardless, I agree that the gameplay is great!

[@nerdfatha]

When I saw this on KS a while back the most enthusiasm I could muster is a solid "Meh". Now with all these solid reviews and seeing the game play in action I am really starting to consider picking this up. I've wanted to dive into hex and counter stuff for a while and this seems like a good way to ease in. Plus the fact that is is very solo playable really gives it a big bonus.

[@bleachedwhale]

I almost backed this one for the interesting/weird theme and gameplay, but decided to hold out. Looks like a good game!

[@Diabolik771]

What version is this? I've seen other reviews with square, more detailed farms. This one has single colored circles and a black symbol.

[@hypnoticsorin8016]

Game actually piques my interest, but I'm not a fan of the production side of things. Stronghold stepped up their production with this one, compared to Terraforming Mars, but, imho, should not warrant a $70 MSRP. Still might pick it up, cause I like what I see here,plus solo mode is always a great plus. Great review Zee.

[@ComodinZero]

Zee! You're back. We've missed u.

[@formalne]

Watched half of it. Love the game already :)

[@JB-ym4up]

Check Zee for a fever, he said a 2 hour game isn't too long.

[@kevinbhieey9188]

He also called a color that is obviously orange "red". And there are actual red pieces on that board to compare it to! (A fever would also explain the unkemptitude of that beard!)

[@bgm-1961]

He's right.

[@ozzyperez3190]

@@kevinbhieey9188 lmfao

[@runelarsen8143]

Nicely done, as always.

[@ThatGuy-ot1gt]

I'm Australian and I'm learning so much about our history! lol

[@JangleSam]

I think this game could have been just as good with the Elder Gods replaced by our deadly, deadly wildlife.

[@danielastin9445]

Drop Bear expansion confirmed :)

[@vestengames889]

Agreed! Could put any theme on this and it would be fine. How about instead of trains do Capabara....is that Australian???

[@JangleSam]

I'm not saying the theme isn't good, or strange, or unique. I'm just saying with he glut of Cthulhu-themed games, they could have used the deadly animals we already have, instead of Elder, otherworldly beasts.

[@Myaora]

I would've loved this if the theme was the great emu war.

[@JangleSam]

@@Myaora Now there's am interesting theme for a revisionist history game :D

[@Mentocthemindtaker]

Great game! I backed the Kickstarter and was _not_ disappointed. I'm actually enjoying it more with each play. The survey tiles for setup mean that you never know how the board will go in terms of resources and monster placement. The combat system is very streamlined. I love the way the Old Ones 'wake up' halfway through the game, it makes things tense. Zee didn't mention it, but there are solo and two player variant cards and there are rules for increasing difficulty, and he briefly touched on the fact that the board is double-sided.

[@greymouser8659]

Adelaide, Geelong....Merimbula!?

[@gamestitties7077]

This releases in two months... This seems like very eldritch horror esque

[@KissellMissile]

Having played online, I would say it has almost no touch points with Eldritch Horror.

[@Skarpo89]

It seems Cthulhu >> Long long games for Zee, would never have guessed it

[@Haldered]

looking at this game as an Australian is bizarre lol

[@Haldered]

also the geography is so weird, there's no rivers or mountains

[@tigerpjm]

@@Haldered So... just like Australia then?

[@iamspamus8784]

Hmmm. I really like this game, but was not as much a fan of A Study in Emerald.

[@d.b.4910]

Was that the music from TableTop?

[@vestengames889]

Don't understand the plus for Theme. You could literally put any theme on this game and it would work just fine. Instead of zombies and chuthulu it could be kangaroo and snakes. Instead of trains it could be ants with tunnels. Dice Tower is always saying you could put any theme on it and it would work and therefore the theme is not as strong...yet this game it's fine???

[@bgm-1961]

What he's saying in this case is simply that the theme is interesting. I'm not a fan of Cuthulu mostly because it's a tired theme. But in this case I was attracted to the game because it takes to the Cuthulu mythos and inserts it into a bizarre alternate history in what most of the Western world considers to be a fascinating continent, and adds a dash of military ops, and... well it all works to produce a theme that is fresh and again, interesting compared to most other Cuthulu games. Far more interesting than kangaroos and snakes. :) Is it a *thematic* game? No. It's not a thematic game for the very reason you said - that you could use any theme and the game would work the same. But that doesn't mean that the theme which this game uses for its *setting* isn't interesting! Because again, it is. I think that's why he gave "Theme" a plus.

[@MansourReviews]

Zee Garzia zank you

[@ImaginaryMdA]

The Z stands for Zee. ^^

[@Gnarrkhaz]

Enough with the Cthulhu games!

[@Sam-vk8xd]

No. More of them please!