Blood Rage Review - Eric M. Lang's Blockbuster

[@Shelfside]

Use my code SHELFSIDE10 and link: bit.ly/3F86llN to get 10% off (save up to $47!) your own authentic Japanese subscription box from Bokksu! Don't miss out on this amazing snack-journey through Japan! As always, let us know what game we should review next! 😎 -Ashton

[@Zalintis]

This channel is criminally underrated! I guess board game content is just niche? But the quality, comedy, and QUALITY is S tier :D

[@Shelfside]

Getting more stuff out for you guys! Thank you, comments like these really make my day -Ashton

[@AlekseiPerepelitsa]

i rarely watch a review without heavily skipping parts. i watched the whole thing. good stuff! subbed

[@Shelfside]

dang! Thank you, glad the vid could help :) Cheers! -Ashton

[@simong4252]

Totally on point. It's a 4 player blast but not one for 2 player... But that's a huge selling point with so many games around that work best at lower play counts

[@Magarthryx]

Don't play this at 2, once it swings someone is going to have a bad time. It's why it's on the shelf despite being painted. But I wanted to get it into circulation in higher player pop environments

[@mrcrazyp8089]

I have played around 300h ( table and steam) and i must say it can get very serious with 4-5 players. We use expasion mystics for more competetive games, for more fun gods expasion as add on to change a bit the rules. I have never seen a more serious table than in a game with 4-5 pros

[@demonicbunny3po]

In the nit picks, I am reminded of both BGG’s recommended player count and the idea that more games should just list what the ideal player counts are. Tragedy Looper, my favorite board game, is listed as a 1 vs many game that plays 2-4. In my opinion, it is a 2 or 4 player game. 3 is just not a good count. TI4 is a 6 player game (I would say 6 is ideal and if you have the expansion 7 or 8 is still great because you have enough people to play off).

[@DrHopeSickNotes]

Great video; it's a 10/10 for me, and my favourite game so it was cool to hear your take on it. I love the asymmetrical clans via card drafting, the combos making each game feel very different (you base your strategy on the first few cards you draft and then continually modify based on what's available), the big game experience in just over an hour, combat is simple but frequently surprising, cool theme and you can play 2 - 5 (okay it creeks at 2 player but still doable!)

[@Shelfside]

thanks for sharing man! The 'big' game experience in just over an hour is definitely a great draw. Now you got me thinking on getting an expansion for 5P... hmm... -Ashton

[@markalexandermaron5531]

Shocked to see you here! Please give us more cells at work code black 😁

[@TheFancyFilmmaker]

Highly recommend using the gods expansion. The game is a masterpiece but I do understand that it can be repetitive. Which is why I always use the gods expansion cause it always changes up the game

[@zohebshk1991]

Sir if i played frigga protection and payed 1 rage does my character stays on the map or back in my reserve

[@tylermeyer9179]

Definitely a bucket list game! Can’t wait for another print to come out. Thanks for the review!

[@KMReviews]

Love the review. I love this game. Got a custom insert to organize it nice too. My favorite combo is the card that allows you to invade with 2 warriors, combined with the one that lets you invade if you die. So one guy dies, 2 come back! I know I always have guys on the board without having to pay for it, while also getting people in Valhalla for points!

[@Shelfside]

Thanks for the love! Oh, and that combo is awesome! I haven't seen it personally, but that's hilarious. There's something SO satisfying about just constantly plopping down dudes. Will have to look into a custom insert too if I keep this long term, that included plastic insert is begging for an upgrade :3 -Ashton

[@KMReviews]

@@Shelfside have you tried any of the expansions? Personally I’ve only played the base game but heard there’s some good stuff.

[@Shelfside]

@@KMReviews I've only played with some brief expansion integration on TTS, and it had one of the cool new monsters! I would be interested in trying more for sure, but not so sure on buying an expansion outright -Ashton

[@KMReviews]

@@Shelfside yea you just gotta play with someone else who bought it lol. I hope you guys review spirit island at some point! I think that’s a great game.

[@Shelfside]

@@KMReviews we got plans to tackle it for sure! We got a buddy that has it with the expansions too, one day it'll be a full review :) -Ashton

[@Madnetz]

The ad transition is so smooth well done xD Great review, I've got my copy waiting in the mail for when I get back home, hoping to play it the coming weekend. If my friends like this then this will probably be the game that gets me started painting minis. A bit worried tho, as the game often compared to Blood Rage is Inis and our friend group did not click with it for the same reason mentioned here that you "go with the flow and play what you get" None of us were really keen on the counter card in Inis either, luckily the closest effect to that here isn't something that get's played every round (as I understand it). I would also be interessted in Daniels opinion on Blood Rage but oh well. Keep up the good work but don't overwork!

[@Shelfside]

Ahaha thanks for the ad nod! I haven't played inis actually, so not sure how this precisely compares, but you definitely should be 'hate-drafting' in BR to prevent really crazy loki combos for sure. I think it may depend on how serious your group is, and how much they like the map interaction. Daniel only played it once at 3p, so I can totally feel why he didn't want to give a definite score. Not overworking persay, but lots of fun stuff lined up for you guys, its just so fun! :D -Ashton

[@DavidHarrisonRand]

I've been trying to find a place with this in stock for the past few months. Where did you find your copy?

[@Shelfside]

I got it off amazon, but I bought it a while back, was back in spring actually! Hopefully it comes back in stock soon, some of my buddies were asking about it too -Ashton

[@Disconn3ction]

I don't know if this will interest you but I have a used version with kickstarter exclusives I've been looking to get sell. I'm located in the UK. ^^

[@DavidHarrisonRand]

@@Disconn3ction Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, shipping from the UK to California is ridiculous at the moment. I used to visit the UK quite frequently (family in The North), but since the lockdowns I've not been able to get there since May 2020. I suppose that you're looking to sell it quickly, but I might try contacting you if it's possible for me to get over there early next year.

[@Disconn3ction]

@@DavidHarrisonRand That's totally understandable. I wouldn't say I'm in a rush to sell but had been looking to sell by the end of the year. Inquire in the future and I may still have it onhand :)

[@williamhenryweaver]

For real. Impossible to get right now, especially if you just want a normal version. Everyone on eBay is selling KS originals for quintuple the price.

[@antondovydaitis2261]

When my friend sold his Kickstarter Blood Rage, I wish I had bought it.

[@tamasnemeth7659]

Great review as always on my favorit game. :) Can you guys do Rising Sun next?

[@Shelfside]

Oh man the rising sun requests are real. No plans to review it anytime soon, since Daniel and I both are pretty disinterested in a deep dive into it. It may pop up on the channel later though! Cheers! -Ashton

[@XxfieryfirexX]

Seriously great video

[@Shelfside]

thanks mate! More coming soon :) -Ashton

[@RobertSmith-tn2pu]

For honour background sounds lol

[@Shelfside]

Daniel's recommendation! :D -Ashton

[@piensabiblia7351]

Wow! You sure nailed this review. For some reason I had exactly the same experience as you with the game. I would recomend it totally, but for me it is kind of an 7 since I prefer a much more serious game as war of the ring. I also saw your root review, any chances you have changed your mind about it? I'm thinking of buying it myself, or maybe kemet.

[@Shelfside]

War of the Ring! Great choice! I have not been able to play Root since making our review, but a bunch of my friends still are die-hard fans of it. I've only played Kemet once too a long time ago, don't remember much on it! For other Eric M. Lang games, I would suggest his Godfather game! Or of course, Ti4 is always an easy recommendation from us. :) Let me know if you have any other questions! -Ashton

[@FabianSandovalElbianfas]

this is a game you have to play it 4 to 5 with the expansion , it is that awesome!

[@TheLimestoneCowboy]

Great video - diving into examples of card powers and combos is like a highlights-only Rahdo Runs through. Vague reviews are meh. Specific examples ye ye 👌🏽👏🏽

[@Shelfside]

Thanks Scott! Excited to bring these games to life for ya guys, glad you got something out of it! cheers! -Ashton

[@bastianvillebro6420]

Omg the prophecy has come true! Looking forward to the Rising sun one!

[@Shelfside]

nononno stop with the rising sun requests! aaaah!! -Ashton

[@user-sl4sx6dp4c]

great video, keep making them!!!

[@Shelfside]

Cheers! glad ya enjoyed it :D -Ashton

[@calaiart]

He said the word "actually" freaking 157 times

[@Shelfside]

oh dang that's pretty impressive. I think we've reduced it in our videos now :D -Ashton

[@КинокомпанияПоэзия]

Thank you so much!!

[@Shelfside]

Hope the game was awesome for ya! -Ashton

[@justdavidCA]

Great review!

[@Shelfside]

thanks David! -Ashton

[@kobusbrits3523]

What's better, Blood Rage or Kemet?

[@Shelfside]

ooo, I haven't played Kemet in a REALLY long time, but from what I understand Blood Rage definitely leans into the draft element more, Kemet is more direct fighting -Ashton

[@Shelfside]

I personally like Kemet better but it's definitely much more chaotic so it just depends on your taste. Blood Rage you can actually account for pretty much everything if played well and you know the deck. -Daniel

[@BuckFu]

WHY ARE THE CARDS TINY!?! AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH.

[@Shelfside]

yeah they're pretty small, but the abilities were fairly straightforward that we didn't have many problems during gameplay! If they were bigger, the player boards would have to be massive ahaha. -Ashton

[@eriksjogren800]

Thank you for the video

[@Shelfside]

No worries, glad this vid is still helping others many years later :D -Ashton

[@OrdemDoGraveto]

Our blood rage match in 5 players always took around 3-4 hours hahaha

[@Shelfside]

holy hell, that's super duper long ahaha. I've never played at 5, but our 4 players didn't take even close to 3 hours -Ashton

[@OrdemDoGraveto]

@@Shelfside In 4 we take around 3 hours.

[@Shelfside]

@@OrdemDoGraveto Do you think the majority of the time comes deciding whether or not to pillage? That's usually where it is. Our group tends to not take too long to draft too, so that could help -Ashton

[@OrdemDoGraveto]

@@Shelfside It's everything. We take our time in the draft, we take or time deciding our actions, and we take our time deciding our cards for a battle. We as a group are verry slow. Every single game we play, we always take way longer then what most people say they take to play it hehe

[@Shelfside]

@@OrdemDoGraveto that's the beauty of board games if your group is ok with playing slow! I for one just love bantering/trash talking in between turns ahaha -Ashton

[@bluebooper]

Awesome review. Been wondering about this game for a while now, thanks! One other game I am wondering about is Spirit Island. There are no truly good reviews of this game on KZbin to date. Could be one to tackle if more feel the same! Cheers Ashton :)

[@Shelfside]

Thanks Kyle! Glad you enjoyed it :) I have played spirit island just once 4P, and had a pretty solid time! Its on the list to review in the future, probably with expansions since that's the way my friend approaches it likes to play. Cheers all around! -Ashton

[@cobtyrannon2479]

The biggest Negative of Blood Rage is: The expansions are shit! Gods are fine, but Mystics are an insult to the game. Its so easy, just more of the same! More cards, more miniatures. And then add some individual assymetry on the clans sheet. ... All tht game needed was more cards to draft if you don't want to have a zero sum game with just a few cards missing.

[@Shelfside]

I remember playing with one of the expansions on Tabletop Sim, and there was this cool monster that let you change the Ragnork place, or give extra points for that, and I thought it was REALLY strong ahaha. I actually heard Eric is making a spiritual successor to BR, so excited for that! But really wish there was more cards to draft for sure -Ashton

[@earth3111]

I think the developers did not do enough testing for the Gods expansion too. Too many bugs. I normally disregard the card of Frygga if we play the gods expansion.

[@jacobjslee]

I appreciate you mentioning its treatment of women. I have female friends I game with and I'm pretty sure this wouldn't go over well with them. For me, it's not a "nitpick" but a significant strike against it. Trying to see if there's a way around this.

[@Shelfside]

The only thing I can think of is for you to pick the player board with the silly art, then replace that faction's minis with something from a different game. Then have that faction be the "uncolored" faction in terms of not needing a plastic base. Hope this helps! -Ashton

[@BlueTorchWeddings]

Amazing Review!!!

[@Shelfside]

Thanks Stephen! Glad you enjoyed it :D -Ashton

[@julianmorgan79]

9 months late but I appreciate the use of For Honor viking and for some reason knights Latin incredeblis from centurion voice lines lol

[@Shelfside]

ahahaha thanks! Was fun putting those in :) -Ashton

[@Shelfside]

Centurion incredibilis wherever he pleases -Daniel

[@john-qz3fu]

Blood rage is very good, but Kemet is a amazing.

[@Shelfside]

need to play kemet again! Looks like a grand ol' fight to the death with an awesome theme -Ashton

[@aorakis5795]

this game so much need an expansion to make it great also at 2 players !

[@Shelfside]

That makes sense! I've only played with expansions once on TTS, but adding more cards in general to draft should spice up everything! -Ashton

[@crossrhodes14]

Great review, ordered the game after this. Big booba viking gals who can kick my ass were certainly a positive for me however.

[@Shelfside]

glad this video helped! Lots of viking killing in your near future -Ashton

[@firewoodloki]

I wonder what Daniel's score would be. ROOT is my fucking favourite game for its novelty, asymmetric playstyles, thematics and replayability. I am curious if there is any gems out there I would love.

[@Shelfside]

I've only played it once and that's not really enough for me to form an opinion, but based on extremely preliminary first impressions without fully understanding the nuances and balance, it's above average for me personally -Daniel

[@sirhc8927]

I hate the Viking theme but I love the game. So we use rising sun minis and monsters with printed board with rising sun theme and cards instead. But same rules and card effects.

[@Chironex_Fleckeri]

I dont care for birds as a board game theme, but Wingspan hits the table almost every game night

[@sirhc8927]

@@Chironex_Fleckeri yeh but I actively dislike Viking theme. Don’t me wrong I don’t disparage anyone liking it. It’s just boring and gauche/fake. The mechanics is really amazing. But the theme is replaced with Rising Sun with the colour palettes.

[@Chironex_Fleckeri]

@@sirhc8927 Oh, is Rising sun just a re-themed version of this game? I didnt know. Haven't played either yet.

[@sirhc8927]

@@Chironex_Fleckeri NONO! It’s a completely different game. We’re just using the minis. Made our own cards and board with the colour palette of Rising Sun. Changed the name of the places and name of the cards (Using Kami names instead).

[@rmcdaniel2424]

Blood rage - the best player will always win.

[@IslanKleinknecht]

Thumb up for discomfort!

[@Shelfside]

ahaha thanks man! that helmet is REALLY something else, you have to wear a hood while wearing it otherwise its utter pain :) -Ashton

[@daniellebackus819]

Thanks for bringing up the art style with the lack of armor for the women. It wouldn’t keep me from playing the game, but would keep me from owning it. Loved the look of the women characters in Scythe and Scythe Rise of Fenris!

[@Shelfside]

cheers, yeah the game is really on the nose with the women art. Scythe women art is good, Vast is good too! -Ashton

[@simonmtkwong]

I kinda feel the abitrary limit on location really breaks the immersion here...the game just doesnt make sense.

[@35raksO]

Still waiting on that Disney Villainous review 😜

[@Shelfside]

still remember ya ozkar! One day mate :) -Ashton

[@Weckacore]

I think this game is an awesome idea, that is done not very well. None of the strategies work out when you have 4 people all trying to take the powerful cards (or the opposite where 1 person gets the full combo). Have a bad round 1? Well you are out for the rest of the game because you start round two with the least rage and horns. Have a battle plan? Half the combat cards are "gotchas" (round one has a +6 str card, but round 3 has a +4???) that mean you just never had a chance to win a fight regardless of your attempts. I was hoping to learn something more that I was missing but it doesn't seem that way. Super cool aesthetic, original concepts, horribly brutal that leads to 1 or 2 people just sitting at the table with no hope for 2/3rd of the game

[@rattenusrattoonus1880]

awesome possum review

[@Shelfside]

thanks man! -Ashton

[@wrath231]

My game group got turned off this game.

[@TommyjojoJake]

For the algorithm

[@Shelfside]

identify theft is a crime, Jim!

[@patrykzukowski7471]

Man, you just hit the nail in the head on this game. I thought it's gonna be more, how do I say it? Complex? Tactical? There's gonna be more stuff going on? It really falls flat for me. It's a good game, just not great. And this is such a shame cause it has so much potential.

[@Shelfside]

Thanks for sharing! I'm actually not sure when the next time I'll play this, the allure has started to wear off more and more -Ashton

[@BrussLSprouts]

Good review. This game is soooo much worse than the Matagot games though.

[@johnTRAN93]

Anyone else here because of Amazon cyber Monday deal.

[@Shelfside]

wow incredible deal. Might pick up another copy myself -Ashton

[@rajarasaful]

The "first game experience" isn't exactly stellar. You're gonna get mowed down, son.

[@Shelfside]

One of my newcomer friends got mowed down when playing, but that was only because he wasn't too sure about board games in general. Everyone else picked it up really quickly for us! But hey I only did show this game to people who were ok with the viking theme, so my sample size may be a little skewed. The game isn't all that long anyways though, with plenty of interaction, so noob newcomers are still able to do stuff -Ashton

[@Scattman101]

Lol someone must really like For Honor ;)

[@Shelfside]

ahaha I couldn't resist, the SFX were too good! -Ashton

[@Scattman101]

@@Shelfside Haha true it does fit perfectly!

[@garathminis5108]

You look like the wizard from Conan with that horned helmet on .

[@geekworthy7938]

Really not a fan of the large grey idol worship. Tired of seeing it like it is the game sale deal maker. I much prefer awesome artwork, texture and weight of the pieces. This game is a bit rough. Bit of a comic feel which is strange. Losing battles on purpose just feels wrong.

[@Shelfside]

losing battles on purpose is a big part of the game, and if that's really not for you I would recommend steering away from this game hard :) Cheers man! -Ashton

[@DodgethisCZ]

Oversexualizing really…? :D

[@sirhc8927]

Yaaaay. This yay is a temporary place holder. Haven’t finished the review yet. I reserve the right to be fuming.

[@sirhc8927]

I’m very satisfied with this review, perfect nitpicks except the women armor thing, that’s just nonsense. You better not play Final Fantasy and enjoy the fruit bowls of World of Warcraft in that case. Current event nonsense like that will… live by the sword and die by sword. You’re only going to be on the “right side” until you’re no longer not.

[@Thealiano]

I found blood rage annoying for the same reason you dislike rising suns

[@Shelfside]

Totally fair. Wonder if you like Rising Sun though? I got rid of my copy of BR since I was getting a little annoyed of people sacrificing their units, though if someone wanted to play I would usually say yes -Ashton

[@Thealiano]

@@Shelfside exactly the best strategy in blood rage is mass suicide >

[@chrismichael9556]

Over sexualizing women?? 🙄

[@chrismichael9556]

Good video though. You might be the only reviewer so far that has mentioned the 2 player issue. Much appreciated, I wish I would have seen this before I purchased the game but honestly I don't regret it . Im glad to have it in the hopes I can get a group together to play someday.

[@Shelfside]

@@chrismichael9556 Thanks chris! The 2 player definitely isn't up to snuff with the rest of the player counts for sure. I'd recommend to hold onto it for sure until you try with 4p! Cheers! -Ashton

[@chrismichael9556]

@@Shelfside I know can't wait 🙂

[@bartekbe423]

I really respect Ashton for mentionin it. IMO seeing women warriors in board games dressed like some strippers is cringey af. In video games it is even more of an issue

[@chrismichael9556]

@@bartekbe423 virtue achievement unlocked 🔓

[@samharkin9981]

Showing skin in the art, be it male or female, isn't sexualising anyone. It's stylistic, and otherworldly. All this complaint reveals is your hangups about the naked form. Love the reviews and your videos in general but don't conform to the likes of 'No Pun Included' and 'Shut up and Sit Down'. We come here to get away from the politics, not be moralised to.

[@angeloa9041]

Boohoo