Inventions: Evolution of Ideas - Kickstarter Playthrough & Review

[@Patricia_Taxxon]

The best part of a new heavy Vital Lacerda game is seeing your playthroughs.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you so much, that is really nice of you to say!

[@ianotoolevideo]

So glad you two are covering this! Thanks for a great overview as usual :)

[@BeforeYouPlay]

You're the BEST Ian! You did such an amazing job again! Keep them coming, and we'll keep playing them. :-)

[@alxabreu]

Great teach as always! Explaining this game so clearly in 30 minutes requires some skills. And I like the way Naveen keeps the teach 'honest' by ensuring the meeples are in place and all the points are accounted for :)

[@jenniferschlickbernd6280]

Great tutorial!

[@NotBoredGaming]

Great video guys and I totally agree that this is now in my top tier of Lacerda games. I’m about 8 games in now (multi 2 handed and solo). Every time I play it I end up feeling really clever by the end of the game. The chain actions are amazing and, with a bit of thought, can be really powerful. I don’t think you will have had the digital solo assets from Vital but, if you get the chance to play solo, Hephaestus is a really well designed solo - actually feels like another player. It does take multiple plays to really get into the flow of what you can do but when it clicks, the juice is definitely worth the squeeze. I’m glad you have enjoyed it as much as I’m enjoying it, I know it’s going to hit my table very frequently.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hi Mark!! Sorry for the late reply here! It's so satisfying when you can pull off a 2 chain action and you start moving your score marker multiple times in the same turn haha. We didn't get the solo content unfortunately, but really glad to hear that it plays well. Do you also use Chronos as well to act as a 3rd player too?

[@marybethboyd]

Only through the teach right now, but WELL DONE! This is definitely super involved but you guys did an awesome job with it :) I love watching you guys teach and play these complex games- you make them feel much more approachable!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thanks Mary Beth!! Hope you and your family are having a great start to the weekend!!

[@alicia1465]

I feel the same way! These two sold me on the Lacerda games on our shelf, because I finally understood the flow of the games. I have struggled to make sense of this one, and this is so helpful!

[@voyager5333]

This will be my first Lacerda game... finally. I didn't go for Weather Machine but now, thanks to watching your teach it's clear I won't miss the chance again.

[@sabrinatraxler5428]

Thats the best structured explanation of a Lacerda Game I have ever heard. Thank you for your work!

[@MegzMcMegz]

I love watching your play through videos! I love how you both explain your turns and the thinking behind your play decisions. I love that you're competitive, but still fun and respectful! And I love that you do awesome heavier games like Vital Lacerda! Thank you so much for such great content. I am very much looking forward to this game!

[@jurds216]

Just finished the teach and I’m SO GLAD y’all are covering this one! I watched another creator do a “brief” overview and I had no clue what was going on. Always an immaculate teach! Saving the playthrough for my day off tomorrow!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you for watching!! 😀

[@MyFairAmy]

Thanks!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you so much!! Glad the video was helpful :-) .

[@brianpierce7520]

Thanks for such a great play through! It was so clearly put together with perfect editing and explanations. I know that takes A LOT of time and it was definitely appreciated. Backed the Kickstarter and excited to add add another Lacerda to my collection.

[@MohamadSobh]

Incredible playthrough, thank you both. Naveen's shirt is awesome!

[@Iorekbyrnison100]

In my old age, Vital Lacerda games just exhaust me (in a good way, mostly), but watching you two play it is delightful. Excellent content as usual.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Haha!! 😆

[@gregc6107]

I think at 1:18:16 you can't kick out an actual tile from your player board only the aspiration tiles

[@TiagoRamosVideos]

Great! I was waiting for this video! Thanks! I'm gonna watch it! Me and my wife love your videos - especially those about Vital Lacerda games! We bought "The Gallerist" after watching your review and we are loving it 😊🙏

[@lukepickles5099]

Blimey, that was a marathon teach! Nice job you guys! Looking forward to seeing where the final production ends up on your lists

[@popgas3821]

Ah, yes. This was coming. Glad you two covered this in advance. Lacerda’s games are a staple to this channel. Hope to get this one too as well soon.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

He’s our favorite designer, he and Ian O’toole work so well together. Thanks for all your nice comments, we really appreciate them!

[@trickywiky1]

Been waiting for your playthrough! Backed, and now we wait.

[@olivertremel9869]

I love your enthusiasm for Lacerda’s Games. And I can totally understand it, his games are really outstanding. Thank you for another exciting video!

[@iandonnell]

Thank you! I’ve been waiting for this video before I decide whether or not to back. Your efforts are appreciated!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thanks Ian!!

[@ShelleyDanielle]

Great playthrough and teach guys! I really enjoyed watching you both play. ☺ I saw only one cheat, which was by Monique. Once you have placed progress in the tile display at the bottom of your board, you can not discard it. If at the end of Step 2 of your turn you have more Aspiration then you have room for, you then decide what Aspiration to keep, returning any extra to your supply. If you have no space when you would take a wealth tile, you choose immediately whether to take the Wealth or return an aspiration to your supply to make room for it.

[@LexicalUnit]

Thank you for this video! Really great explanations and engaging video with clearly articulated gameplay. Super helpful!

[@Muageto]

Great video you two. Thanks for the shout out to 2-players gamers :D

[@matebrada9391]

is it good 2 players?

[@Farbulous007]

The video I didn't even know I was waiting for! You guys are THE authority when it comes to Lacerda games, in my opinion, and I really appreciate your teach and playthrough as it is so helpful when making decisions on whether to back or not. Thank you so much!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Our pleasure! Thank you so much for your kinds words Jacob!

[@martonferenci]

Very well structured teach, having playtested this a few times, I can say it is in my top 3 - I cannot wait for the physical copy to arrive! (so I'm playing it online)

[@kobusbrits3523]

What's the other 2 in your top 3?

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you so much! We're excited to see the final copy too!

[@martonferenci]

@@kobusbrits3523 On Mars and Lisboa

[@zerogravity711]

Great teach and play through! Amazing job to the both of you, I’m looking forward to this one. Thanks for the effort and time you put into these.

[@henribcosta]

At 2:11:11 Naveen could place the wealth tile to the right to get another worker as the bonus and the extra one would actually made him place the extra commerce tile. The wealth should be adjacent to the cluster, but it doesn't need to touch all tiles!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hi Henrique! Although that would be a legal placement for scoring, the # of citizens needed to exhaust would cost 7-1(due to invention type discount). The rule is 1 for the tile placed, and 1 for each tile adjacent to the newly placed tile (no matter the type). Hope that makes sense!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

OHHHH! I See what you're saying, rewind about an extra minute beforehand. YESSSS The WEALTH tile over the +1 Scholar spot (still costs 7) but gains that extra scholar to be used for the very next tile!!!

[@henribcosta]

@@BeforeYouPlay Yeah, exactly. I watched it back after I wrote the message, the order should be a little different there, you had to place the econ tile in the middle to get the new worker (it was an artisan) and then place the wealth on the left corner!

[@henribcosta]

@@BeforeYouPlay and yes, my time stamp was a bit wrong because it was after you tried and didn't manage to place the tiles haha sorry about that

[@dqbrewer]

I just ordered this game because of this video. Thank you.

[@xandermichael78]

I saw the KS right away and couldn't believe that you weren't on the KS showcasing the game, but now I'm so happy to watch your playthrough today. Only took me three seatings to watch the whole thing. 😂 This looks amazing and completely up my alley. The theme is great and I love how everything ties into each other.

[@Tchenao]

Outstanding job as usual. Between you two, Vital and Ian O'Toole, my wallet suffers every time

[@Meeplememory]

Finally this game by you two fantastic gamers🎉❤

[@stevegeorge7773]

Wow! What a play and rules explanation. For a Vital game--you smacked it out of the park!

[@dimpleza]

Lacerda's games are so intimidating... and brilliant!

[@MNTwinsBaseball]

Love when Naveen plays “Vanna White” pointing things out as Monique explains! Great teach/ play thru as always!

[@MNTwinsBaseball]

Also, Naveen, that shirt is incredible

[@andretan2446]

YAY!!! I have been waiting for this! Thanks for the playthrough and review! 😁

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@enginucar1135]

I believe this will be my first lacerda game :). Thank you for the video. It is always fun to watch your videos.

[@stevewithington1787]

This looks great, thanks for covering it. No hesitation backing this one - especially with the Kickstarter exclusives.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hi Steve! Thanks for watching the video. Hope to see you next AireCon!

[@EagleGryphonGames]

Thank you so much for creating this video! As always great job!

[@tina9422]

I was waiting for your video to decide if I will back or not.... welll... I am backing :) I love it, the chain actions are just amazing! Great video guys, excellent teach and very very nice and clear playthrough! Thank you so much!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

So glad we were able to demonstrate the potential with this game. So much to think about, it's all about finding ways to take the action you want but are blocked out of.

[@ScytheNoire]

I always love civilization games, and developing new technologies is one of my favorite parts, so loving this game concept and design.

[@codyward8554]

Love the shirt Naveen! Love capybaras!

[@shinjial]

Oooh, Dexter is going full salt and pepper. Living his best life with you guys.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Haha he was getting lonely under the table and started pawing us for attention :-) .

[@zopipark]

Great review!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@zachwilliams9757]

My favorite channel and favorite reviewers. Been waiting for this one. Y’all rock! My ranking goes Lisboa then Kanban then On Mars and this looks like it would be up there with those.

[@PecktecGames]

You folks do the best I instruction/ play throughs. I have struggled with that. It’s really hard to. Folks that haven’t tried it before don't even know. Great skill set.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you so much! :-)

[@damaddestgamer]

Thanks for the clear and concise teach, the game is making sense now. Not sure if it's as good and thematically integrated as Vital's other games, but none-the-less it's a beast in terms of complexity and the chaining mechanism is insane.

[@joelbehne706]

Playing tonight for the first time! Can't wait. Thanks for this.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@GuillaumeBellemare]

Ah! Was wondering why you weren’t covering this! Thank you 🙏

[@BeforeYouPlay]

It was a timing/scheduling issue for us. Hope you find the video helpful! 😃

[@GuillaumeBellemare]

@@BeforeYouPlay as always!

[@ryanhomcy7759]

Sooooo excited for this game now!!! Action chaining is definitely my favorite game mechanic and I had to back the kickstarter after the teach!

[@AndrewLaValley]

I already pledged to the kickstarter but love your teaches and play-throughs!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you!!

[@fabmoicano]

This video convinced me to kickstart!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Glad it was helpful!!

[@elqord.1118]

Great video! Thank you!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you so much! Hope you’ve been doing well 😊.

[@stacyp2186]

Thank you so much for the teach. In have a question. I the card display of inventions, can’t you also choose the one on top of the deck? Thanks again for the help

[@joelsummerell1012]

Finally gets released in Australia in June. The weight and complexity of Inventions feels even more intimidating than On Mars. Do I really need more stress in my life? Yes please! Add to Cart. Thank you Lacerda for another masterpiece. And thank you both for your hard work. Cheers!

[@jurds216]

For Naveen’s action at 1:13:18, could he have done that chain action at the bottom of the Innovate main action in addition to the one he did on The Wheel since he had two chain actions?

[@luedsfarout4731]

I've been watching your videos for a long while and LOVE your work on these. I finally pulled the pin and subscribed. It's been 2 years since you last reviewed the Vital Lacerda games top 10. Would love to see you do a new ranking which includes Inventions: Evolution of Ideas. I will add that we are trying to decide on our first Vital Lacerda purchase. We realised recently that we've not actually played any of his games but love games that have multiple ways to win. We bought Brass Birmingham and after a number of plays worked out there was basically one strategy to use to win.

[@clementhossaert5234]

Wonderful playthrough, thanks guys, I always look forward to your Lacerda content and this was no different in terms of quality of teach and enjoyment of play.

[@codydavis3100]

Right away you know the game is going to be thematic when you hear the phrase "Scholars are Wild."

[@NorthernCuts]

Love this, great video! Do you have a recommended play order for Lacerda’s games?

[@BeforeYouPlay]

I think Kanban 1st, then Vinhos, The Gallerist, Lisboa, then On Mars

[@alicia1465]

You do such an excellent job teaching games! I enjoy Lacerda games, but the complexity can be daunting. I feel I understand the majority of the actions, but the extra rules associated with the progress board kind of make me wish that aspect of the game were a bit more simplified. Still very interested, and will likely back it. Thanks for the video!

[@ryantobin1007]

Looks like Vital found another use for the Kanban EV speech bubbles

[@balbright]

In comparison to other Lacerda games, where do you think this falls in complexity?

[@rubenvanhouts5785]

Like to know as well…

[@jamesmorgan1967]

They talk about that in the Review section of the video.

[@rubenvanhouts5785]

@@jamesmorgan1967yes just finished the complete excellent video, and it was there 😅.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

:-)

[@klaus3856]

Super high quality teach and well played. Kanban EV and Lisboa are my favorites. Sadly I do not think this game is for me.

[@Skycroft1000]

Thanks for the video! Lacerda at his heaviest. It's very good, but maybe too much even for me (and I like big complex games!). For me Gallerist is probably his sweet spot? It's actually not my favorite game of his, though, just the one where I like the heaviness balance the best. I will say that I feel this is better with more than two players, the third automa does help, but not as much as an actual third player. Speaking of the theme, I do think that some of the assignment of what is an invention or a touchstone or whatever is often very odd (e.g. Greek Fire as a touchstone??). A lot of it makes sense, but it's not as smooth as some of his games in that regard. I do like it a lot though. If you like heavy games, I think this one is a keeper.

[@CanHammer]

this game seems super complicated lol. more than his other games. but that's why we love Lacerda games!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Definitely need that first game to see the flow and justifications for why you are taking certain actions. From play 2 and on the game is much smoother.

[@QtNFluffyBacon]

Did you do something with the audio? Your voices sound suuuuper smooth in this video!

[@nirszi]

I appreciate you acknowledging your bias in the beginning of the review (I'm Lacerda biased too), but it also would've been nice to mention that this copy was provided by the publisher. Just for disclosure purposes even though I assume this was not a paid preview.

[@FilippoCampana]

Really lots of compliments for both the teach and the playthrough. I have to admit i lost you at a points during the teach, but in the playthrough i got back rules by seeing you play. Such a shame it looks so awsome and i don't have the right group to play this kind of games :°(

[@jasonzhang587]

Have you guys receive CoB Special edition game from AR? I see several KZbin start unboxing already. Looking for yours

[@coyotemoon722]

I wonder if you could randomize where the bot goes

[@georgefothergill4858]

Surprisingly thematic!

[@kostishasopoulos9816]

Well done! This feels like a mix of Kanban and Gallerist and has this chain feel of Tiletum. That's the one thing i am worried about and i love tiletum, but these chained actions give you a headache while trying to optimise a turn. By the end, a nice experience thought it may be, you still feel exhausted.

[@elqord.1118]

I feel that can be said about almost every Lacerda game

[@kostishasopoulos9816]

@@elqord.1118 Kanban, The Gallerist do not have chained actions. Tiletum and this one have. As a matter of fact not many heavy games out there have chained actions.

[@DigitalAwakening]

01:03:00 did you have to pay an influence for placing your 2nd technology tile? If you slide the tiles to the left, before placing the 2nd tile, the cost revealed would have been 1. Guess not since you never did throughout the whole game 😅 Thanks for the video! I think this could potentially be my first VL game.

[@cinny_stik]

Just here wondering where Naveen got his shirt 👀 Love your videos!

[@ff126X]

Hi, do you think this game would be redundant with Through the Ages I already have? Thx!

[@tehpickle1250]

I’m yet to watch your playthrough of the game, but I’m glad that your review (as well as the general scuttlebutt from others) seems to be much more positive than Weather Machine: I game I own (including the metal pieces) but still haven’t found the enthusiasm to play.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

I think we would both say that we prefer this title over Weather Machine (although we enjoyed our 3 player experiences with that one as well).

[@tehpickle1250]

@@BeforeYouPlay After watching the teach (REALLY well done on that btw!) and the playthrough, I’ve decided to back it on KS. You guys should work on commission! 😅 I was initially put off by the more abstract nature here, as well as the requirement to have an AI third player (I haven’t enjoyed the excessive micromanagement of Lacerda’s solo modes), but I was very surprised by how smoothly it all works once I wrapped my head around it. Great job guys! 👏🏻

[@boristolokonnikov5172]

The concept of the hexagonal tiles still eludes me I understand that you get one of three (or joker) different placeholders at some time while doing a certain action. I understand the price and discount for placing the tiles I understand the effects those tiles give I even get that there are seven numbers for each type of tile that cannot be repeated What I don't get is how do you choose the # of the token? Why "give me economy #1"? Do these tiles have the same or similar functions? Can you look through them? Or is it more or less random? It's hard to comprehend when you don't see the tiles in person

[@XTCyan]

Yeah you get to choose which tile to take. There's a reference page in the rules that tells you what each tile does.

[@boristolokonnikov5172]

@@XTCyan I got my answer on bgg, I just happened to stumble on the rules, I didn't know there were player aids. Now it's solved, thank you

[@drendelous]

lacerda in all his beauty

[@jaywowzer]

Do you remember, how long was your first play through, and how long are they now?

[@BeforeYouPlay]

1st took about 3.5ish hours due to us trying to figure out the flow/icons/rules. Now as a 2 player game we could get it down to 1 hr 45 roughly.

[@TiagoAreiasDias]

Omg omg ❤❤❤ amazing

[@Benny_Shoga]

Awesome shirt, Naveem! Can you tell me what brand it is? Also, game looks cool 😊

[@Tackleberry666]

Liked before even watching it😊

[@donthatethegame42]

Great video as always. I was wondering if you might give me a gut level opinion? For someone who has no Lacerda game, but wants one, is it better to back this one or get one of his other titles like Lisboa or On Mars?

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Lisboa is my (Naveen’s) favorite and is available now vs. waiting a year for this to deliver. Kanban is also an excellent game too!

[@donthatethegame42]

@@BeforeYouPlay Thanks for the reply!

[@kobusbrits3523]

Me and my wife watch your videos specifically for your 2p discussion at the end :) Thanks for the video! We currently only own Kanban EV, which we really enjoy. Would this be a good choice as our "next" Lacerda game, or should we go for Lisboa or something else instead?

[@nickbrown8892]

We really like Kanban too, On Mars is great, but a little heavier

[@veronikarumyantseva5773]

Lisboa for sure!!!

[@staaniach21]

I don't know how it works, but each time I'm watching some gameplay before yours I have the impression that Vital has overcomplicated his game. Then I turn on learning from Monique and the game turns out to be very logical. I watched Rahdo and Heavy Boardgame and had no idea what they were doing and saying

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Aww thank you so much for the kind words! So glad the video was helpful for you! Lacerda games are certainly intense lol.

[@KingMePlease3]

Never played a Lacerda game before. The theme intrigued me in this one though. I didn't watch all of this video, but what I did watch was a very thorough and excellent explanation of your turns during the gameplay, which helped me realize I will probably never play a Lacerda given the amount of time investment to learn the rules, teach to others, actual length of game and potential mistakes...all for probably just getting it to the table one time.

[@veronikarumyantseva5773]

This game is the worst one. Try Lisboa, Weather machine, Vinhos. They are easier)

[@loukariocraf3078]

@@veronikarumyantseva5773 Why is it their worse ? Because it is ihard ?

[@dtelquess]

I’m a bit concerned: I turned on the Klingons and not a single misstep😂 there’s the history/knowledge of VL catalog right there. I’m certainly down to finally back a VL game having seen (allowing for the clear time turning that occurs on each turn) such masterful elegance of actions that makes the game appear approachable.

[@pilotboba]

I don't see Klingon subtitles on this video.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thanks for the heads up! Just made the change (accidently didn't label it as Klingon in the editor). So far we haven't caught anything needing a subtitle.

[@BlueSteelCat]

Monique - you’re hair looks amazing today! Slaying on the shine and volume! How did you two like this game compared to Lisboa?

[@octavus4858]

could you say that thematically ingenious moment of inventing something unique was turned into technological tedium in this very complex game?

[@MaruMaruMaruMaruMaruMaru]

129?! We didn't get anywhere close to that

[@jtfike]

My gaming group found this game so frustrating. So many “you can’t do that” moments and the way you score points and progress is obscure. Played this with eight others so far, not a single person enjoyed it. One played a second time and said they liked it more after second play but game suffers from folks not wanting to play it again to give it that chance.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Ahh that's too bad to hear! Had anyone or yourself played another Lacerda game before?

[@jtfike]

@@BeforeYouPlayyes. Every one of them. We like Lisboa the most

[@faville]

“eh-puhk” is the standard pronunciation of the word epoch. Weird word. Thanks for the demo. Some day I will be brave enough to get a Lacerda game, though it will almost certainly be for solo use.

[@ggvls3281]

NAVEEN stop losing I cant take it anymore

[@Dr_C_Smith]

He knows how to keep that marriage strong.

[@MarkusMatthaeusFrey]

After watching the inventions and Weather Machine Video it seems like this is much more your taste while Weather Machine failed😮

[@visheshaneja4600]

Where does this rank amongst others.

[@fabricepraino7532]

Has Naveen ever won a game against Monique ? 🙂

[@kajukuja]

🙂👍

[@sab6261]

EEEpoch is as un-American as beans on toast